RTHK: Nato needs to frame a 'stronger policy on China'

Leaders of Nato countries should forge a stronger common policy toward an increasingly dominant China, the alliance's secretary-general said Sunday on the eve of a Nato summit in Brussels.

In an interview with Canadian public network CBC, Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that China has the second largest defence budget in the world, the biggest navy, and is investing massively in new military materiel, which "affects our security."

"China does not share our values. We see that in the way they crack down on democratic protests in Hong Kong, how they oppress minorities like the Uyghurs" in western China, as well as how they use modern technology to monitor their population "in a way we have never seen before," Stoltenberg said.

"So all of this makes it important for Nato to develop a policy, to strengthen our policy, when it comes to China."

His remarks came as the just-ended G7 summit in Britain took a stronger collective stance toward China than ever before, calling on Beijing to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms" and allow free navigation in the South China Sea.

Stoltenberg, in his interview, acknowledged that it was important for other countries to deal with China on common problems like climate change and arms control.

But he denounced Beijing's continued detention of two Canadian nationals, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on espionage charges as "absolutely unacceptable."

Ottawa has called the men's detention "arbitrary," viewing it as reprisal for Canada's arrest, at US request, of an executive of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

"When a country does something they don't like, they react in aggressive ways," Stoltenberg said of China.

The secretary-general acknowledged that there had been some "challenging discussions" among Nato allies during the Trump administration. But he said the alliance remained "extremely robust and strong."

Trump often complained that other Nato members were not paying their fair share of the common defence load and even reportedly spoke of leaving the alliance.

But now, Stoltenberg said, "we have a US president, President Biden, who is strongly committed to Nato, to European security, and is ready to invest more in Nato."

Biden arrived in Brussels from Britain on Sunday, as leaders of the 29 other Nato member countries were converging there for the Monday summit. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Reliable energy key to inclusive economic growth

President Cyril Ramaphosa says access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is fundamental to reducing poverty and promoting inclusive economic growth.

Speaking at the G7 Leaders Summit session on Climate and Nature on Sunday, President Ramaphosa said the existential threat posed by climate change requires nothing less than urgent, ambitious and collective action by the nations of the world.

Our ambition must not be limited to mitigation, but must necessarily include adaptation and implementation support. This balance is vitally important for Africa, which is disproportionately affected by the impact of climate change and yet is the lowest emitter, President Ramaphosa said.

The President reaffirmed South Africas continued and full support for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement and multilateral environmental agreements, including the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

He said South Africa is also determined to contribute its fair share towards the global effort to address climate change challenges.

We have recently established the Presidential Climate Change Commission to guide the just transition to a lower carbon economy and to position the country as an attractive destination for climate and nature finance, President Ramaphosa said.

He emphasised that South Africas bold actions as a developing economy need to be seen in the context of international equity and common, but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

Alongside many other developing economies, African countries urgently need massively scaled-up, predictable and appropriate means of implementation support, so that they enhance their ambition and actions.

It is important that the right of developing economies to policy space and sufficient time to achieve a just transition be respected, the President said.

President Ramaphosa warned against advocating one-size-fits-all approaches to disinvestment from fossil fuels, or the imposition of non-tariff barriers and discriminatory taxes that would unfairly harm developing economies.

As we prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and commit to scale up our climate action ambitions, we look to the G7 to demonstrate a clear commitment to significantly enhanced adaptation, technology transfer and means of implementation. In doing so, it will send a clear signal that no one will be left behind, President Ramaphosa said.

4IR impact on developing economies

Addressing the session on open societies and economies earlier on Sunday, the President welcomed the summits focus on the digital economy and the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution on developing economies.

It is clear that without capacity building, the digital divide between and within nations will result in bigger economic disparities.

The President welcomed the G7s resolve to make skills accessible and expand training and education, particularly for girls and women.

Womens empowerment is central in poverty eradication and promoting inclusive economic growth in Africa. That is why the African Union has prioritised investment in the education of girls and young women, improving access to finance and markets, and promoting women entrepreneurship.

We will never realise our ambition of open societies and economies for as long as women do not have equal social and economic opportunities.

President Ramaphosa further committed South Africa to working with the G7, and invited member States to protect and promote shared democratic values.

This pandemic has demonstrated the value of a free and diverse media, an active citizenry and robust democratic institutions. It has also underlined the importance of a global human rights agenda that tackles social and economic injustice, systemic racism and gender inequality, President Ramaphosa said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: President Ramaphosa champions vaccine equity at G7

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on all G7 members to support the waiver of intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines, and engage in negotiations that will result in a balanced outcome to rapidly expand production in Africa and across the world.

To successfully contain a virus of this nature, to limit loss of life and to prevent the emergence of new variants requires that as many of the worlds population is vaccinated in the shortest time possible, President Ramaphosa said.

He made the call at the G7 Leaders Summit session on Building Back Stronger  Health, held on Saturday.

Accompanied by International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, the President arrived in Cornwall, United Kingdom, on Friday, to attend the G7 Leader's Summit at the invitation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The summit brought together leaders to discuss efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic and create a greener and more prosperous future for all.

President Ramaphosa was invited in recognition of South Africas leadership role on the continent and globally in the fight against the pandemic, including championing vaccine equity within and between nations.

The President used the platform to highlight the need to address substantial financing gap for tests, treatments, critical supplies like oxygen ,and the health systems that enable testing, treatment and vaccination.

He said it is vital that G7 countries  which together account for more than half of global output  provide substantial support to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

Since its formation a year ago, the ACT-Accelerator has supported more than 70 countries to expand lab infrastructure for testing and delivered millions of rapid diagnostic tests; accelerated development and production of vaccines; delivered more than 69 million doses since February 2021; and procured PPE (personal protective equipment) with a value of more than US$ 500 million, President Ramaphosa said.

ACT-Accelerator, he said, has the potential to fundamentally change the global trajectory of the disease, but only if all countries contribute their fair share to close the $16.8 billion funding gap for this year.

If all G7 countries met their fair share target, this initiative would be two-thirds funded  and it would be 90% funded if all G20 countries made their fair share contributions.

If we are to save lives and end the pandemic, we need to expand and diversify manufacturing and get medical products to treat, combat and prevent the pandemic to as many people as quickly as possible, the President said.

He noted that the proposed Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver is a temporary, targeted and proportional response, which recognises the unprecedented nature of the pandemic.

Addressing the intellectual property barriers, enabling the transfer of technology and know-how, whilst facilitating backward integration to raw materials and distribution rights, is fundamental for scaling up manufacturing of medical products and equipment.

The negotiations must be concluded soon because the cost of inaction is measured in peoples lives. If the world is to emerge from this grave crisis, it is essential that we work together to mobilise and direct resources to those countries in the greatest need  and that we do so now, President Ramaphosa said.

The President further commended the G7 and other countries present for the collective action taken to overcome the current global health crisis and the commitment to create a better, greener and more prosperous world.

Building back stronger

Meanwhile, in his opening remarks at the first session of the summit on Friday, Prime Minister Johnson lamented the inequalities that have been entrenched by the pandemic, which pose the risk of being a lasting scar.

We need to make sure that as we recover, we level up across our societies. We need to build back better. I actually think that we have a huge opportunity to do that because as the G7, we are united in our vision for a cleaner, greener world.

Together, I think there is a potential to generate many, many millions of high wage, high skilled jobs and I think that is what the people of our countries now want us to focus on.

They want to be sure that were beating the pandemic together and discussing how to never have a repeat of what weve seen.

[We must build] back better together, build back greener, build back fairer, and build back more equal, and maybe in a more gender neutral [and] more feminine way, Prime Minister Johnson said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: 'Unsuitable' J&J vaccines won't be released for use in SA

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has decided not to release the long-awaited Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines for use in the country.

However, SAHPRA said about 300 000 doses from batches that have been cleared by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) meet the requirements and will subsequently be released and shipped to South Africa.

This comes after the FDA authorised two batches of the drug substance produced by Emergent BioSolutions in Baltimore, United States, and determined that several others are not suitable for use.

SAHPRA reviewed the data provided by the FDA and has made a decision not to release the vaccine produced using the drug substance batches that were not suitable, the drug watchdog said.

The FDA has been investigating potential contamination problems at a COVID-19 vaccine plant in Baltimore, which has had a knock-on effect locally.

Concerns were identified by the FDA, relating to non-compliance to good manufacturing practices during the manufacturing of some active pharmaceutical ingredient used in the vaccine.

SAHPRA focuses on the quality, safety and efficacy of all health products, including COVID-19 vaccines and will ensure that the safety and well-being of South Africans will not be compromised in any way, said SAHPRA CEO, Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela.

Meanwhile, according to the National Health Department, the FDA announced that they approved an extension of the expiry date after careful evaluation of these doses, after determining that the vaccine can be stored in a normal bar fridge for 4.5 months instead of three.

Work is being undertaken to identify more safe doses for the rest of the mass vaccination programme, the department said.

In the meantime, the department said it is hoping that more doses of J&J will be made available to the international community, including South Africa, as the US regulator continues to assess some batches.

Further announcements will follow in due course. We remain committed to the success of the South African mass vaccination campaign and are doing everything in our power to source safe and effective vaccines for all people residing in South Africa, the department said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: KZN Premier calls for order amid reports of illegal mining in KwaHlathi

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has called for order and calm amid reports of illegal mining taking place in KwaHlathi, outside Ladysmith, where throngs of people have gathered to mine what they believe are diamonds.

This follows the discovery by some of what they believe to be the precious stones.

Images and videos have been circulating on social media where some people involved in illegal mining are seen celebrating in the belief that they have discovered diamonds.

Zikalala said as soon as his office was notified of this, the provincial government tasked the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs to refer the matter to the national Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), as the relevant department which deals with such matters.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has promised to dispatch teams to the site. These teams include the departments enforcement and compliance unit to conduct an inspection of the site.

The second one includes a team from Mintek [Council for Mineral Technology] and CGS [Council for Geoscience]. The Mintek and GCS teams will include a geologist and will focus on establishing exactly what are these items that have been discovered in KwaHlathi, Zikalala said.

The Premier said the provincial government is deeply concerned about the images showing that some people coming from as far as some neighbouring provinces and towns, flocking to KwaHlathi.

We are worried that if not brought under control, the situation could result in chaos and a possible stampede. We call for order and calm and urge all those involved to cease their operations and vacate the site so as to allow the DMRE to conduct a proper inspection of the site, and of what has been discovered there, Zikalala said.

The Premier warned that illegal mining activities could be in violation of the COVID-19 regulations.

It is also very concerning that in the wake of [the] third wave, we have so many people gathered in one spot, not maintaining social distancing and also not wearing masks. This could prove to be a super-spreader, and might put at risk many people, including those who are not part of the mining, the Premier said.

The provincial government will work closely with the police, including DMRE, traditional communities, traditional leadership and the local and district municipalities to bring calm to the area, and to ensure that the relevant information filters through to community members.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Securing a brighter future for youth

With South Africa commemorating Youth Day this week, government is set to announce additional measures intended to improve the lives of young people.

This week, on Youth Day, we will be launching a range of additional measures to create opportunities, enhance skills development, support young entrepreneurs and enable the full participation of young people in the economy, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.

Addressing South Africans in his weekly newsletter, the President said the measures that will be launched include the establishment of a National Pathway Management Network, SA Youth, to make it easier for young people to view and access opportunities, and receive active support to find pathways into the labour market.

These are among the priority actions of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, which was launched just weeks before we entered the national lockdown last year and which is now entering full implementation.

The Presidential Youth Employment Intervention was built on the understanding that to address the youth unemployment crisis requires innovative thinking and strong partnerships across society, the President said.

Its ultimate objective is to find models that work, whether in skills development or active labour market policies, and to scale these models rapidly to reach as many young people as possible.

Most importantly, it recognises that young people must be at the centre of any effort to boost youth employment, the President said.

He said tackling youth unemployment requires accelerating economic growth, particularly in labour-intensive sectors, and building the capability of the State to fulfil its developmental role.

We are also driving this agenda through a series of targeted interventions. These include the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which has provided work opportunities and livelihoods support for many young people, the President said.

South Africa commemorates Youth Day on 16 June in honour of the youth of 1976, who rose up against the iniquity of Bantu Education in Soweto and other parts of the country.

On that day and in the days that followed, many lost their lives. They were killed by a callous regime that had little regard for black lives and thought nothing of opening fire on unarmed, uniformed schoolchildren, the President said.

He said it is disturbing that knowledge and awareness of the events of 16 June is diminishing among young South Africans.

This is particularly so among the so-called Generation Z, or young people born between 1997 and 2015. The 2019/20 South African Social Attitudes Survey published by the Human Sciences Research Council found that close to 40% of Generation Z has not heard of the historical events of June 16.

A similar percentage has heard about it but knows very little or nothing about it, the President said.

The survey found that young people of this generation are nevertheless open to learning about key historical events and believe in their continued importance.

We need to do more as a country to ensure that the message of this event, of young people taking charge of their destiny and standing up against apartheid rule, is transmitted faithfully. This is a collective responsibility of government, schools, tertiary institutions, parents, families, musicians, artists, and indeed all of society, the President said.

President Ramaphosa said due to the sacrifices of the 1976 generation, the opportunities young black men and women have today are both vastly different and greatly improved.

Keeping the story of June 16 alive is a reminder to todays generation of the great sacrifices made to secure their freedom. But it is much more than that. Youth Day is also a reminder of the immense power and agency that young people have to create a better future for themselves.

The struggles of young people in South Africa today are many. Young people have remained at the forefront of activism, whether in pursuit of free education or against social ills like gender-based violence, the President said.

He noted that todays greatest struggle for young people is against unemployment, something that has worsened under the COVID-19 pandemic.

Creating more opportunities for young people, and supporting young people to access these opportunities, is governments foremost priority, the President said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Nzimande pays tribute to the late Professor Michael Cross

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has learnt with great shock and sadness of the passing away of Professor Michael Cross.

The Professor lost his life to COVID-19 on 6 June 2021.

The South African education sector and the higher education sector on our continent lost one of its most productive scholars and policy experts, said the Minister.

Cross was the Founder and Director of the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies (AMCHES) at the University of Johannesburg.

The Minister has described Cross as not only an astute scholar-practitioner, but someone who also personified an intellectual humility and openness so crucial to the national university transformation and development project.

He was a good human being, generous in spirit, kind-hearted in relationships, and enabling in collaborations, said Nzimande.

Cross began his career at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1986.

He served in several initiatives, such as the Governance Task Team of the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) and the Technical Committee on Norms and Standards for Educators.

According to the department, he has been involved in numerous reviews across Africa, including the Tertiary Education Linkages Project (TELP) and Finnish Aid to Developing Countries (Finland, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Bosnia, Bolivia and Nepal).

He also played a role in Quality Assurance of Postgraduate Programmes in Tanzania and Mozambique, programmes of the Association for African Universities (AAU), and in the development of the Rwanda Higher Education Sector Strategic Plan (HESSP).

In addition, Cross was a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Stanford, Stockholm and Jules-Vernes Universities.

Prof Cross received the first Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) award in 2012 as the Most Outstanding Mentor of Educational Researchers in Africa.

He was also a co-founder and co-editor of the book series on African Higher Education: Developments and Perspectives and Higher Education Transformation with African Sun Media.

Prof Cross served the education sector in South Africa and Africa with critical commitment, and a palpable social justice politics, said Nzimande.

Cross played a key role in post-1994 education policy development in South Africa, which he regarded as his civic duty. He integrated his intellectual skills with programmatic interventions and systematically worked towards the promotion of Peoples Education.

A researcher of note, he amassed an impressive publication record and he held first-rate post-graduate programmes together throughout his academic career.

His particular brand of the professorship is scarce, and his drive to build education networks across our Continent should be taken further by those who worked in his slipstream, Nzimande said.

The Minister extended his deepest condolences to Crosss wife Albertina, his daughter Eunice, his son Michael and the entire family.

The Minister sent his heartfelt sympathies to the University of Johannesburg community, and Professor Crosss colleagues, students and friends across the globe.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: President Ramaphosa to commemorate Youth Day

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Wednesday commemorate Youth Day at a hybrid event to be held in KwaZulu-Natal.

This year marks 45 years since the uprising by school students against the mandatory use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction and the violent response of the apartheid government.

The shootings provoked protests throughout the country and intensified resistance to apartheid.

Youth Day will this year be commemorated under the theme, 'The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society'.

Due to Alert Level 2 restrictions and the significant rise in COVID-19 infections, the commemoration will have a limited number of guests and key stakeholders, mainly youth, physically in attendance.

South Africans are invited to tune in on government digital platforms and major news channels to follow the days commemorative activities.

The President will provide an update on the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention announced at the 2020 SONA, and will officially launch SAYouth.mobi, the National Pathway Management Network, to expand opportunities and support available to young people.

The National Pathway Management Network is a partnership between the National Youth Development Agency, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, Department of Science and Innovation, Department of Employment and Labour, Department of Higher Education and Training, Department of Small Business Development and the Youth Employment Service.

Young people are encouraged to sign up to join the network and access opportunities through SAYouth.mobi.

The Youth Day commemoration will be live on government digital platforms and major news channels.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Woman to appear in court for murdering infant

A 24-year-old woman is expected to appear before the Middelburg Magistrate's Court today, after she allegedly murdered her three-month-old baby girl.

The horrific incident happened on Friday evening in Avontuur near Middelburg.

On the day of the incident, the woman and the baby reportedly visited the infant's father at the farm where the latter works.

Upon their arrival, the man refused to let them in and the woman allegedly threatened to kill the baby.

It is said that the woman then threw the infant on the ground.

The matter was then reported to the police, whereupon on the arrival of the paramedics, the child was certified dead. Police opened a murder case and immediately arrested the suspect.

The investigation by the police has since revealed that the woman is originally from Zimbabwe and she is not in possession of legal documents to be in South Africa, hence a charge of contravention of the Immigration Act has been added to the murder charge.

The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Thulani Phahla, has strongly condemned the incident and labelled it as inhumane.

Parents should not use children to settle their love triangle scores, Phahla said. - SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: SA students hit hard by COVID-19

Forty-one percent of students were unable to buy their own food after tertiary institutions closed to limit the spread of COVID-19, with 40.1% of youth returning home during the hard lockdown last year.

Less than 1% reported that they had no place to stay.

These are some of the findings contained in the survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and Higher Health.

According to the HSRCs Professor Sibusiso Sifunda, the survey explored the living situation, space to study, food security and access to healthcare of the youth in the post-school education and training (PSET) sector.

It targeted students from all universities, Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Community Education and Training (CET) colleges.

A total of 13 119 youth respondents aged between 18 and 35 answered online questions during the first wave of COVID-19 infections.

Sifunda said the majority of the participants were first-year students.

The team realised it was quite important for first-years to feature in larger numbers because they were the group that was affected the most because they barely spent two months in university when the lockdown started, and they had to leave the campuses.

Suitable place to study

According to the Professor, about half of the students (49.9%) reported that they had a suitable place to study during lockdown compared to the 29.3% who did not have one.

So, for about a third of the people, remote learning was not ideal for them at all, Sifunda said.

In addition, the Professor said it was encouraging that 78.6% of students had access to regular access to electricity, even though 5.7% were living in the dark.

Meanwhile, 42.7% said they accessed the internet using data bundles provided by their institution and 29.2% were buying prepaid data.

Only 3.5% said they did not have access to the internet, with 15% of those from TVET colleges.

Food security

Sifunda said the study showed that food security was an issue during the lockdown.

The HSRC zoomed in on students who were unable to buy their own food over a period of 30 days.

According to the results, out of the 2 680 students who said they relied on food donations, nearly 10% said they were dependent on food parcels, while a further 14.9% said they only relied on handouts sometimes.

In addition, of the 2 683 who said they had no food and would go hungry on some days, 14.8% said it was a daily occurrence.

Food security during lockdown was quite a problem, said Sifunda.

In addition, over 65% of students experienced mild to severe psychological distress.

Risk

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, said he was concerned about the impact of COVID-19 among first-year students.

Meanwhile, the Minister said he was pleased that 42% thought they would be able to cope with their workload after lockdown, with older students being more confident than younger ones.

He also raised the problem of young people being carriers of the virus.

From the results, we know that 53% thought they were at low risk of contracting COVID-19 and 15% perceived themselves as high risk.

While they may be asymptomatic, they are at risk of transmitting to their parents and elderly grandparents.

In addition, Nzimande welcomed the fact that over three quarters (78%) of the students said they did not engage in alcohol drinking and smoking as a coping mechanism.

Thats a strong foundation in building a sober nation and also to do away with smoking... the Minister said.  SAnews.gov.za

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RTHK: China 'is a global security challenge: Nato

Nato leaders on Monday said China poses a constant security challenge and is working to undermine global order, and they said they're worried about how fast Beijing is developing nuclear missiles.

In a summit statement, the leaders said that Chinas goals and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.

While the 30 heads of state and government avoided calling China a rival, they expressed concern about what they said were its coercive policies, the opaque ways it is modernising its armed forces and its use of disinformation.

They called on Beijing to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system.

The statement comes as President Joe Biden has stepped up his effort to rally allies to speak in a more unified voice about Chinas human rights record, its trade practices and its militarys increasingly assertive behavior that has unnerved US allies in the Pacific.

Biden, who arrived at the summit after three days of consulting with Group of Seven allies in England, pushed for the G-7 communique there that called out what it said were forced labour practices and other human rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province. The president said he was satisfied with the communique, although differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to criticise Beijing.

The new Brussels communique states plainly that the Nato nations will engage China with a view to defending the security interests of the alliance.""

The Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom on Monday issued a statement saying the G-7 communique deliberately slandered China and arbitrarily interfered in Chinas internal affairs, and exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries, such as the United States. There was no immediate reaction from the Chinese government to the new NATO statement.

Biden arrived at his first Nato summit as president as leading members declared it a pivotal moment for an alliance beleaguered during the presidency of Donald Trump, who questioned the relevance of the multilateral organization.

Shortly after arriving at the alliance's headquarters for the first Nato summit of his presidency, Biden sat down with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and underscored the US commitment to Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on one member is an attack on all and is to be met with a collective response.

Article 5 we take as a sacred obligation, Biden said. I want Nato to know America is there.

It was a sharp shift in tone from the past four years, when Trump called the alliance obsolete" and complained that it allowed for global freeloading countries to spend less on military defence at the expense of the US.

Looking forward, Stoltenberg noted myriad challenges still facing the alliance.

We are meeting at the pivotal time for our alliance, the time of growing geopolitical competition, regional instability, terrorism, cyber attacks and climate change," Stoltenberg said at the start of a joint session of the Nato leaders. No nation and no continent can deal with these challenges alone. But Europe and North America are not alone."

Biden, who came to Brussels following three days of consultations with Group of Seven leaders in England, was greeted by fellow leaders with warmth and even a sense of relief.

Belgium Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said Bidens presence emphasizes the renewal of the transatlantic partnership." De Croo said Nato allies were looking to get beyond four stormy years under the Trump administration and infighting among member countries.

I think now we are ready to turn the page," de Croo said.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi made a not-so-subtle dig at Trump, while welcoming Biden.

This summit is a continuation of yesterdays G-7 and is part of the process of reaffirming, of rebuilding the fundamental alliances of the United States that had been weakened by the previous administration, he said. Think that President Bidens first visit is to Europe and try to remember where President Trumps first visit was?"

Trump's first overseas visit as president was to Saudi Arabia.

Trump routinely berated other Nato countries for not spending enough on defence and even threatened to pull the US out of the worlds biggest security organization and even questioned the mutual defence provision of the Nato charter, a central tenet of the alliance. (AP)

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RTHK: Heavy security as Aung San Suu Kyi trial begins

The trial of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi got under way on Monday, more than four months after a military coup, with junta witnesses testifying the Nobel laureate flouted coronavirus restrictions and illegally imported walkie-talkies.

Near daily protests have rocked Myanmar since the generals' February 1 putsch.

A mass uprising has been met with a brutal military crackdown that has killed more than 850 civilians, according to a local monitoring group.

The junta has brought an eclectic raft of charges against the Nobel laureate, including claims she accepted illegal payments of gold and violated a colonial-era secrecy law.

On Monday the court heard a police force major testify that Suu Kyi broke coronavirus restrictions during last year's elections that her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won in a landslide, her lawyer Min Min Soe said.

Another police major testified on separate charges accusing her of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, she added.

Suu Kyi "paid keen attention" throughout the hearing, another member of her legal team, Khin Maung Zaw said in a statement.

Journalists were barred from proceedings in the special court in the capital Naypyidaw, but an AFP reporter said there was a heavy police presence outside.

Suu Kyi's lawyers -- who have struggled to gain access to their client -- have said they expect the trial to wrap up by July 26.

"I'm confident Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will overcome this trial," Khin Maung Zaw told AFP after the hearing.

"And she seems quite determined to assert her rights, whatever the results."

A separate trial is scheduled to start on Tuesday over sedition charges she faces alongside ousted president Win Myint and another senior member of the NLD.

If convicted of all charges, Suu Kyi, 75, faces more than a decade in jail.

"It is a show trial motivated only by political reasons," Debbie Stothard, Coordinator of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma, said.

"Min Aung Hlaing is determined to lock up Aung San Suu Kyi for the rest of her life. If he could, he would probably charge her under every law available."

Suu Kyi spent more than 15 years under house arrest during the previous junta's rule before her 2010 release.

Her international reputation diminished following her defence of military-led violence against Myanmar's marginalised Muslim Rohingya community.

But the coup has returned Suu Kyi to the role of cloistered democracy icon.

On Thursday, she was hit with additional corruption charges over claims she illegally accepted US$600,000 in cash and around 11 kilos of gold.

Her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw dismissed the new charges -- which could see Suu Kyi hit with another lengthy prison term -- as "absurd".

"There is an undeniable political background to keep her out of the scene of the country and to smear her prestige," he told AFP last week.

"That's one of the reasons to charge her -- to keep her out of the scene."

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has justified his power grab by citing alleged electoral fraud in the November poll won by Suu Kyi's NLD.

The junta has previously said it would hold fresh elections within two years, but has also threatened to dissolve the NLD. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: ICC eyes probe into Philippines 'war on drugs'

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Monday she wants to open a full investigation into murders during the Philippines' war on drugs, in one of her last acts before stepping down this week.

"Today, I announce that the preliminary examination into the situation in the Republic of the Philippines has concluded and that I have requested judicial authorisation to proceed with an investigation," Fatou Bensouda said in a statement.

" I have determined that there is a reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder has been committed... in the context of the Government of Philippines 'war on drugs' campaign" between July 2016 and March 2019, she said.

The Philippines pulled out of the Hague-based ICC, the world's only permanent war crimes court, in 2019, but the prosecutor said that it could still investigate crimes committed during the period it was a member.

Manila moved to quit after the tribunal launched a preliminary examination in 2018 into President Rodrigo Duterte's drug crackdown that has killed thousands and drawn international censure.

Bensouda's term of office ends on Tuesday, and "any authorised investigation in the Philippines will fall to my able successor, Mr Karim Khan, to take forward", she said.

Britain's Khan takes over from Bensouda as ICC prosecutor on Wednesday. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: UK pushes back date to lift social distancing

Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed his plans to lift Covid-19 lockdown restrictions by a month on Monday, warning that the more infectious Delta variant meant if he did nothing thousands more people might die.

Under the final stage of a plan outlined by Johnson in February, he had hoped to lift most social restrictions on June 21, meaning pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and other hospitality venues could fully reopen.

That much-anticipated step was pushed back to July 19.

"I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer," Johnson told a news conference. "As things stand, and on the evidence that I can see right now. I'm confident that we will not need more than four weeks."

The extra time would be used to speed up Britain's vaccination programme - already one of the world's furthest advanced - by shortening the recommended time between doses for those aged over 40 to eight weeks from 12 weeks.

The situation would be reviewed on June 28, which could allow the reopening to be brought forward, although Johnson's spokesman said that was unlikely.

In recent weeks there has been fast growth in new cases caused by the Delta variant, first discovered in India. Health officials believe it is 60% more transmissible than the previous dominant strain and scientists have warned that it could trigger a third wave of infections.

On Monday, Britain recorded 7,742 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths. Johnson said Britain was seeing cases growing by about 64 percent per week and the number of people in hospital intensive care was rising.

"By being cautious now we have the chance in the next four weeks to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more people," he said.

Britain has officially reported almost 128,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, the seventh highest number globally.

Monday's decision was based on scientific modelling which showed that, if the reopening went ahead as planned, under some scenarios hospitalisations could match those in March last year when ministers feared the health system could be overwhelmed.

A study earlier on Monday showed the Delta variant doubles the risk of hospitalisation, but two doses of vaccine still provide strong protection. Unlike in March 2020, the increase in hospitalisations was likely to be among younger people who require shorter treatment and are less at risk of dying.

Nevertheless, the risk of increased pressure on the health system meant that the tests the government set out for going ahead with the reopening had not been met.

Johnson sets Covid-19 restrictions for England, with devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland making their own policy.

There are no plans to extend new support to businesses as a result of the delay.

"We deliberately extended most support well into the autumn because of the known uncertainty," the prime minister's spokesman said.

Britain's furlough programme supports just over 2 million jobs and is due to continue until the end of September. But from July employers will have to pay 10 percent of furloughed staff's wages, rising to 30 percent in September.

The hospitality industry has also called for an extension of other sector-specific aid.

Despite Monday's delay, the government lifted some restrictions on the number of guests allowed to attend weddings, and will continue pilots of crowds at sporting events and theatrical shows.

Deutsche Bank estimated last week that a four-week delay would temporarily reduce gross domestic product by around 0.25 percent - a fraction of the historic 9.8 percent slump recorded in 2020.

The government had stressed any easing of restrictions would be irreversible, meaning it would always act with caution.

It comes despite Britain having one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world. More than 41 million people have received their first shot and nearly 30 million have had both doses - about 57 percent of the adult population. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Researchers receive funding for project supporting STEM educators

Julia Nord, Professor, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences; Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs and Professor, Mathematical Sciences, College of Science (COS); Andrew Gilbert, Associate Professor, Elementary Education; Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon, Director, Educational and Career Pathways, Academic Affairs, COS, and Tina Bell, Assistant Professor, STEM Accelerator, Biology, received funding from the National Science Foundation for the project: "Supporting, Mentoring and Retaining New STEM Secondary Educators Through Major Transitions from Recruitment to Highly Effective Teacher."

This proposal aims to increase the number of Mason and Virginia Community College System students who choose STEM secondary teaching careers. It also aims to mentor them through their first year of teaching and support them to be highly effective in-service teachers to their fourth year and beyond.

This project at Mason includes partnerships with the Virginia Community College System, Prince William County schools, and Fairfax County schools.

The goals of the project include supporting and mentoring 35 prospective teachers through their major education and career transitions as future STEM secondary teachers, including their induction into teaching and initial years of service.

Recruitment efforts will include working with the Virginia Community College System to develop innovative programming in career development workshops, as well as leveraging a partnership with the University Career Services Industry Specialists for STEM and education sectors.

A novel element of this project is that the College of Science Learning Assistant program will serve as a pool for recruitment of undergraduate STEM students into K-12 teaching. The Learning Assistant Seminar enables these students to build a basic skillset in effective teaching by learning skills in the seminar and practicing them in the classroom. Recruited potential secondary teachers in STEM, majoring in biology, chemistry, and physics will be financially supported with scholarships in their junior, senior, and graduate years.

Finally, a network called, TeacherTeams, will be formed and led by successful Mason Noyce program alumni who are teaching in high-need schools and want to support upcoming teachers. Subject areas of TeacherTeams will include: earth science, math/physics/information technology, biology, and chemistry.

This project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.

The researchers received $1,198,861 from NSF for this project. Funding began in April 2021 and will end in late March 2026.

###

About George Mason University

George Mason University is Virginia's largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 38,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at http://www. gmu. edu .

This story has been published on: 2021-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The sun's clock

Not only the very concise 11-year cycle, but also all other periodic solar activity fluctuations can be clocked by planetary attractive forces. This is the conclusion drawn by Dr. Frank Stefani and his colleagues from the Institute of Fluid Dynamics at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and from the Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics in Perm, Russia. With new model calculations, they are proposing a comprehensive explanation of all important known sun cycles for the first time. They also reveal the longest fluctuations in activity over thousands of years as a chaotic process. Despite the planetary timing of short and medium cycles, long-term forecasts of solar activity thus become impossible, as the researchers in the scientific journal Solar Physics (DOI: 10.1007/s11207-021-01822-4) assert.

Solar physicists around the world have long been searching for satisfactory explanations for the sun's many cyclical, overlapping activity fluctuations. In addition to the most famous, approximately 11-year "Schwabe cycle", the sun also exhibits longer fluctuations, ranging from hundreds to thousands of years. It follows, for example, the "Gleissberg cycle" (about 85 years), the "Suess-de Vries cycle" (about 200 years) and the quasi-cycle of "Bond events" (about 1500 years), each named after their discoverers. It is undisputed that the solar magnetic field controls these activity fluctuations.

Explanations and models in expert circles partly diverge widely as to why the magnetic field changes at all. Is the sun controlled externally or does the reason for the many cycles lie in special peculiarities of the solar dynamo itself? HZDR researcher Frank Stefani and his colleagues have been searching for answers for years - mainly to the very controversial question as to whether the planets play a role in solar activity.

Rosette-shaped movement of the sun can produce a 193-year cycle

The researchers have most recently taken a closer look at the sun's orbital movement. The sun does not remain fixed at the center of the solar system: It performs a kind of dance in the common gravitational field with the massive planets Jupiter and Saturn - at a rate of 19.86 years. We know from the Earth that spinning around in its orbit triggers small motions in the Earth's liquid core. Something similar also occurs within the sun, but this has so far been neglected with regard to its magnetic field.

The researchers came up with the idea that part of the sun's angular orbital momentum could be transferred to its rotation and thus affect the internal dynamo process that produces the solar magnetic field. Such coupling would be sufficient to change the extremely sensitive magnetic storage capacity of the tachocline, a transition region between different types of energy transport in the sun's interior. "The coiled magnetic fields could then more easily snap to the sun's surface," says Stefani.

The researchers integrated one such rhythmic perturbation of the tachocline into their previous model calculations of a typical solar dynamo, and they were thus able to reproduce several cyclical phenomena that were known from observations. What was most remarkable was that, in addition to the 11.07-year Schwabe cycle they had already modeled in previous work, the strength of the magnetic field now also changed at a rate of 193 years - this could be the sun's Suess-de Vries cycle, which from observations has been reported to be 180 to 230 years. Mathematically, the 193 years arise as what is known as a beat period between the 19.86-year cycle and the twofold Schwabe cycle, also called the Hale cycle. The Suess-de Vries cycle would thus be the result of a combination of two external "clocks": the planets' tidal forces and the sun's own movement in the solar system's gravitational field.

Planets as a metronome

For the 11.07-year cycle, Stefani and his researchers had previously found strong statistical evidence that it must follow an external clock. They linked this "clock" to the tidal forces of the planets Venus, Earth and Jupiter. Their effect is greatest when the planets are aligned: a constellation that occurs every 11.07 years. As for the 193-year cycle, a sensitive physical effect was also decisive here in order to trigger a sufficient effect of the weak tidal forces of the planets on the solar dynamo.

After initial skepticism toward the planetary hypothesis, Stefani now assumes that these connections are not coincidental. "If the sun was playing a trick on us here, then it would be with incredible perfection. Or, in fact, we have a first inkling of a complete picture of the short and long solar activity cycles." In fact, the current results also retroactively reaffirm that the 11-year cycle must be a timed process. Otherwise, the occurrence of a beat period would be mathematically impossible.

Tipping into chaos: 1000-2000-year collapses are not more accurately predictable

In addition to the rather shorter activity cycles, the sun also exhibits long-term trends in the thousand-year range. These are characterized by prolonged drops in activity, known as "minima", such as the most recent "Maunder Minimum", which occurred between 1645 and 1715 during the "Little Ice Age". By statistically analyzing the observed minima, the researchers could show that these are not cyclical processes, but that their occurrence at intervals of approximately one to two thousand years follows a mathematical random process.

To verify this in a model, the researchers expanded their solar dynamo simulations to a longer period of 30,000 years. In fact, in addition to the shorter cycles, there were irregular, sudden drops in magnetic activity every 1000 to 2000 years. "We see in our simulations how a north-south asymmetry forms, which eventually becomes too strong and goes out of sync until everything collapses. The system tips into chaos and then takes a while to get back into sync again," says Stefani. But this result also means that very long-term solar activity forecasts - for example, to determine influence on climate developments - are almost impossible.

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Publication: F. Stefani, R. Stepanov, T. Weier, Shaken and stirred: When Bond meets Suess-de Vries and Gnevyshev-Ohl, in Solar Physics, 2021 (DOI: 10.1007/s11207-021-01822-4)

For more information:

Dr. Frank Stefani

Institute of Fluid Dynamics at HZDR

Phone: +49 351 260 3069 | Email: f.stefani@hzdr.de

Media contact:

Simon Schmitt | Head

Communications and Media Relations at HZDR

Phone: +49 351 260 3400 | Email: s.schmitt@hzdr.de

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) performs - as an independent German research center - research in the fields of energy, health, and matter. We focus on answering the following questions:

How can energy and resources be utilized in an efficient, safe, and sustainable way?

How can malignant tumors be more precisely visualized, characterized, and more effectively treated?

How do matter and materials behave under the influence of strong fields and in smallest dimensions?

To help answer these research questions, HZDR operates large-scale facilities, which are also used by visiting researchers: the Ion Beam Center, the High-Magnetic Field Laboratory Dresden, and the ELBE Center for High-Power Radiation Sources.

HZDR is a member of the Helmholtz Association and has six sites (Dresden, Freiberg, Grenoble, Gorlitz, Leipzig, Schenefeld near Hamburg) with almost 1,200 members of staff, of whom about 500 are scientists, including 170 Ph.D. candidates.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
More than a bumpy ride: turbulence offers boost to birds

ITHACA, N.Y. - Most sensible air travelers dread turbulence. A little atmospheric hiccup can shake airplanes, rattle nerves and spill beverages. A Cornell University-led study found that birds don't mind at all.

By combining wind speed data with the measured accelerations of a golden eagle outfitted with GPS tracking instruments, the researchers suggest that, rather than hindering flight, turbulence is a source of energy that birds may use to their advantage.

This counterintuitive discovery could revise what we know about avian flight, and help the aerospace industry develop faster, more efficient ways to fly in turbulent environments.

The paper, "Turbulence Explains the Accelerations of an Eagle in Natural Flight," published in PNAS. The lead author was doctoral student Kasey Laurent.

While the flight of birds may appear easy and graceful to earthbound spectators, winged animals are actually navigating air flow that is structured, textured and constantly in flux, according to Gregory Bewley, assistant professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who led the team.

In order to take his experiments out of the lab and into the sky, Bewley's team partnered with two groups - Conservation Science Global and Cellular Tracking Technologies. Scientists from these companies captured a female golden eagle in Alabama, rigged it with a solar GPS telemetry unit with an accelerometer weighing less than 3 ounces, then released the bird.

Over the course of 17 days, as the eagle migrated north along the Appalachian Mountains toward Canada, the GPS "backpack" transmitted more than 200 hours of data - including location coordinates, altitude, ground speed and tri-axial acceleration - via cellular networks.

Bewley's lab then obtained wind speed data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's weather history databases and mapped it onto the eagle's flight measurements, identifying the bird's various flying and nonflying behaviors.

They found a "highly irregular, fluctuating pattern" in the eagle's accelerations, which resembles the typical trajectories of particles in turbulent airflows. At timescales ranging from 0.5 to 10 seconds - which translates to approximately 1 to 25 wingbeats - the eagle's accelerations and atmospheric turbulence were completely in synch.

And just how intense are these accelerations? As a point of comparison, people riding in a car or aboard a commercial flight experience less than 0.1 g, or one factor of earth's gravitational acceleration. Meanwhile, the accelerations of birds exceed 1 g - which would throw those human passengers out of their seats.

Of course, aeronautical engineers strive to reduce turbulence as much as possible, and no airline passenger or pilot wants a bumpy ride. But Bewley believes there are opportunities to harness the energy of turbulence, particularly for person-less transport and small reconnaissance aircraft.

"If you could find a path in which every vortex is pushing you the right way, then obviously you get there a little faster with a little less energy," Bewley said. "We're still working hard to understand turbulence by itself. I think it's fascinating that there might be some practical empirical knowledge embodied in wildlife that we don't appreciate yet."

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The research was partially funded by the Friends of Talladega National Forest.

This story has been published on: 2021-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
AI-driven soldier technology wins praise from engineering society

ADELPHI, Md. -- The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Communications Society recognized an Army researcher and collaborators their work on artificially intelligent techniques that will enhance Soldiers' situational awareness in the multi-domain operating environment.

Dr. Kevin Chan, researcher for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory, and collaborators from the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Imperial College London and Pennsylvania State University earned the IEEE's Leonard G. Abraham prize for for their paper, Adaptive Federated Learning in Resource Constrained Edge Computing Systems. The researchers published their findings in the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications.

According to the researchers, the collaborative effort was possible because of the lab's Distributed Analytics and Information Science International Technology Alliance. The program seeks to develop the fundamental underpinning research required to enable secure, dynamic and semantically-aware distributed analytics for deriving situational understanding in coalition operations.

This research further extends the capability and applicability of federated learning, a term initially coined by Google.

"A critical use case of federated learning is in coalition operations, where data sharing may be proscribed by policy constraints, but model sharing may be allowed," said Dr. Ananthram Swami, DEVCOM ARL fellow and senior research scientist. "Further, paucity of data in Army-relevant scenarios makes such model sharing important to improve prediction accuracy."

The paper and research address several important problems in federated learning, or FL, for the first time, including training optimization under resource constraints, convergence of FL with non-identically-distributed data distribution, and technique validation by implementation using real-world edge devices. According to the society, the researchers paper demonstrated high quality, originality, utility, timeliness and clarity of presentation.

"The fact that this paper is able to propose a solution that jointly addresses all these issues in a coherent manner makes it a very valuable scientific contribution," said Dr. Shiqiang Wang, researcher at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center.

Federated learning enables mobile devices to collaboratively learn a shared prediction model while keeping all the training data on the device, decoupling the ability to do machine learning from the need to store the data in the cloud, Chan said.

"The contribution of our research was to understand how we could perform federated learning at the tactical edge," Chan said. "This work studies how we can best learn on large sets of low-powered devices connected over resource constrained networks".

The Army is moving toward using artificial intelligence and machine learning in all aspects of operations, particularly in tactical network settings, where large amounts of data are generated at the edge and must be understood, and despite limitations of computing and network resources, must be used to support a broad range of operations, Chan said.

Future outcomes of this research will enable the Soldier to establish and maintain situational awareness more rapidly leveraging information from many devices, he said

"Analytic services such as image classification and pattern recognition are very important for supporting military operations," Wang said.

These services require the use of a large volume of data, often owned by different entities and available at dispersed locations, to train the analytic models for various tasks, he said. Such model training encounters the following major constraints in tactical environments:

Data owners may prefer to preserve data privacy by not sharing their data with others

Limited availability of communications, computational and other resources often prohibit transfer of all data to a central server for the training process

The team tackled the technical challenge of distributed learning subject to the data privacy and limited resource constraints. Specifically, they developed resource-efficient federated learning to train analytic models where the private data remains local on the network-edge nodes and only model parameters are shared between different nodes.

According to the researchers, the new method includes local model updates at the edge nodes and global parameter aggregations by a central server. The technique aims to coordinate these different FL operations to achieve the most efficient model training subject to the constraints.

"In terms of implications for defense applications, this new technology enables distributed training or adaptation of analytics models in resource-constrained environments, to allow coalition partners (or military units) to help each other learn similar tasks without the need of sharing their sensitive data due to privacy considerations or lack of communication resources," said Professor Kin Leung, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Computing Departments at Imperial College London. "The new approach provides the cutting-edge capability over our adversaries."

Federated learning is a must-have if coalition forces want to combine the insights from their independent data to build better AI models, said Dr. Dinesh Verma, IBM fellow leading the team working in the area of Distributed AI.

"Such types of sharing can be very difficult at the tactical edge due to limited bandwidth," Verma said. "The innovations proposed by this research address many of these difficulties, making such sharing feasible in coalition tactical networks. The technology has applicability beyond tactical networks -- in any environment where multiple organizations share insights in a bandwidth limited environment including automotive, manufacturing, forestry and mining industries."

The team will accept the award at a virtual presentation at the IEEE International Conference on Communications June 15.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the IEEE Communications Society for our successful research and its contribution to the communications and networks research community," Chan said. "It is a greater honor to be awarded this prize with several institutions with whom ARL has extensively collaborated. The collaborators are also researchers with whom I have personally worked with for many years, so it is great to be recognized as a team."

This paper has established an important foundation of FL for the resource-constrained edge, Wang said.

"The proposed technique is critical for future Internet of Things, edge computing, and cellular (5G, 6G and beyond) systems, where many applications will be AI-driven, devices will be equipped with computational and storage capabilities, and data privacy will be increasingly important," Wang said. "In fact, the paper has influenced many other researchers, as reflected by over 400 Google Scholar citations since its publication in 2019.

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This story has been published on: 2021-06-14. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Travel & Outdoors



It's Sea Turtle Season on Vallarta-Nayarit Beaches



Every year from June to September, thousands of sea turtles come to lay their eggs on Banderas Bay beaches. After about 45 days of incubation, the hatchlings are born and ready to be released into the sea. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - It's not just tourists that like the beaches of Banderas Bay. Sea turtles love them, too! The Bay of Banderas is the birthplace of thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles, and every summer they return to the beaches on which they were born to lay their eggs.



Normally the eggs would incubate in the sand, but recreational activities on Vallarta-Nayarit beaches make them dangerous places for baby turtles, so the local hotel industry has been involved in sea turtle conservation and protection efforts for the last 40 years.



With the support of professional marine biologists and the Municipal Departments of Environment and Ecology, many Banderas Bay area resorts run turtle conservation and protection programs that give turtle-loving travelers an opportunity to take part in this unique educational vacation experience.



Some hotels invite guests to participate in nightly beach patrols in search of turtle nests, under the guidance of a marine biologist. When a nest is found, participants help gather the eggs and transport them, still in their nests, to sea turtle nurseries for incubation.



Approximately 45 days later, the baby turtles emerge from their eggs. When the hatchlings are ready to be released, participants are invited to name the turtles, wish them luck and set them free in the sea at the edge of the resortas beach, where some of them will return a decade later to start the process all over again.



There are also a number of environmental groups in the greater Banderas Bay area that run turtle camps that give participants the opportunity to learn more about the Olive Ridley while creating environmental awareness and encouraging others to help save them.



During the summer and fall months, travelers can volunteer or go on tours of these nurseries and nesting sites to learn about the fascinating life cycle of sea turtles, for just one night, or by participating in a two-month-long volunteer project, subject to availability. For more information about long-term volunteer opportunities, visit







TURTLE CAMPS AND RELEASE PROGRAMS IN PUERTO VALLARTA



Boca de Tomates Sea Turtle Camp

The Boca de Tomates Saving Sea Turtles release camp and sanctuary is right behind the Puerto Vallarta airport on the beach. The staff claims an average of 60,000 baby turtles are released each year. Check their



CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Turtle Release

The Marriott Puerto Vallarta turtle release is one of the most popular ones in the area. It has been one of the resorts leading the way for the conservation of sea turtles in Banderas Bay. After the baby sea turtles hatch, guests of all ages are invited to participate in the release. The release dates and times vary depending on the month and day, so we recommend calling in advance to plan your visit. Visit

for more information and release times.







TURTLE CAMPS AND RELEASE PROGRAMS IN RIVIERA NAYARIT



Campamento Tortuguero de Nuevo Vallarta

On Flamingos Beach in Nuevo Vallarta, Campamento Tortuguero de Nuevo Vallarta is a turtle camp dedicated to the conservation, hatching, and releasing of baby sea turtles. For more information and release times, visit their



Sayulita Turtle Release Camp

Take a short hike on the beach to reach the Sayulita Turtle Release Camp. Baby sea turtle releases happen on the same day that they hatch which is they can only announce release dates and times at 10 am on the day of the event. To see daily release times, visit their



Before the development of programs such as these, only 40% of the eggs that were laid along the shores of Banderas Bay survived, but today, thanks to programs such as these, almost 96% of the eggs deposited are incubated successfully.



Turtle-loving travelers heading to Puerto Vallarta this summer are invited to join one of the Banderas Bay region's many sea turtle protection programs, which help thousands of baby Olive Ridley sea turtles survive long enough to reach the sea. - It's not just tourists that like the beaches of Banderas Bay. Sea turtles love them, too! The Bay of Banderas is the birthplace of thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles, and every summer they return to the beaches on which they were born to lay their eggs.Normally the eggs would incubate in the sand, but recreational activities on Vallarta-Nayarit beaches make them dangerous places for baby turtles, so the local hotel industry has been involved in sea turtle conservation and protection efforts for the last 40 years.With the support of professional marine biologists and the Municipal Departments of Environment and Ecology, many Banderas Bay area resorts run turtle conservation and protection programs that give turtle-loving travelers an opportunity to take part in this unique educational vacation experience.Some hotels invite guests to participate in nightly beach patrols in search of turtle nests, under the guidance of a marine biologist. When a nest is found, participants help gather the eggs and transport them, still in their nests, to sea turtle nurseries for incubation.Approximately 45 days later, the baby turtles emerge from their eggs. When the hatchlings are ready to be released, participants are invited to name the turtles, wish them luck and set them free in the sea at the edge of the resortas beach, where some of them will return a decade later to start the process all over again.There are also a number of environmental groups in the greater Banderas Bay area that run turtle camps that give participants the opportunity to learn more about the Olive Ridley while creating environmental awareness and encouraging others to help save them.During the summer and fall months, travelers can volunteer or go on tours of these nurseries and nesting sites to learn about the fascinating life cycle of sea turtles, for just one night, or by participating in a two-month-long volunteer project, subject to availability. For more information about long-term volunteer opportunities, visit project-tortuga.org. The Boca de Tomates Saving Sea Turtles release camp and sanctuary is right behind the Puerto Vallarta airport on the beach. The staff claims an average of 60,000 baby turtles are released each year. Check their Facebook page for release times as they change every day depending on availability. If you aren't in Puerto Vallarta, you can help by adopting a turtle nest or by making a donation to their conservation program via Paypal to antonio_banderas270@hotmail.com to help pay for materials, flashlights, gasoline for the 4-wheelers, and more.The Marriott Puerto Vallarta turtle release is one of the most popular ones in the area. It has been one of the resorts leading the way for the conservation of sea turtles in Banderas Bay. After the baby sea turtles hatch, guests of all ages are invited to participate in the release. The release dates and times vary depending on the month and day, so we recommend calling in advance to plan your visit. Visit marriott.com or call (322) 226-0000 or 1-800-228-9290 toll free from the US and Canadafor more information and release times.On Flamingos Beach in Nuevo Vallarta, Campamento Tortuguero de Nuevo Vallarta is a turtle camp dedicated to the conservation, hatching, and releasing of baby sea turtles. For more information and release times, visit their Facebook page. Take a short hike on the beach to reach the Sayulita Turtle Release Camp. Baby sea turtle releases happen on the same day that they hatch which is they can only announce release dates and times at 10 am on the day of the event. To see daily release times, visit their Facebook page. Before the development of programs such as these, only 40% of the eggs that were laid along the shores of Banderas Bay survived, but today, thanks to programs such as these, almost 96% of the eggs deposited are incubated successfully.Turtle-loving travelers heading to Puerto Vallarta this summer are invited to join one of the Banderas Bay region's many sea turtle protection programs, which help thousands of baby Olive Ridley sea turtles survive long enough to reach the sea.



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NA Standing Committee convenes 57th meeting

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on June 14 morning convened its 57th meeting under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.













National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chairs the NA Standing Committee's 57th meeting on June 14. (Photo: VNA)

The meeting is slated to review the National Election Council (NEC)s preliminary report on the outcomes of the elections of deputies to the 15th NA and all-level Peoples Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure and discussed the preparations for the first sitting of the 15th NA slated for July 20.



The NA Standing Committee members are also scheduled to contribute opinions for the finalization of reports on the implementation of socio-economic, financial and State budget goals in the first half of 2021 and measures for the accomplishments of the goals in the remaining months.



Following a report delivered by the NA General Secretary and chief of the NEC Office summing up the outcomes of the elections, Chairman of the NAs Committee for Ethnic Affairs Ha Ngoc Chien welcomed the results of the elections which saw a high rate of elected ethnic minority deputies. Notably, for the first time the 15th NA has representatives from Lu and Brau ethnic minority groups, which have very small populations, Chien said.



Chairwoman Nguyen Thuy Anh of the NAs Committee for Social Affairs, meanwhile, took note of the record ratio of women in the 15th NA, which exceeds 30 percent of the total. This enables Vietnam to climb 20 places to rank 51st globally in the proportion of women parliamentarians, she said.



The country also rose to the fourth place from the ninth in Asia, and the first from the fourth among the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly member states in the relevant rankings, she noted, adding that it is such a considerable improvement which should be added to the report.



During the two-day meeting, the NA Standing Committee will also ratify the appointment of a new ambassador to Cambodia./.
Xi urges all-out rescue work after central China's gas explosion

Xinhua) 09:12, June 14, 2021

Rescuers work at a gas explosion site in Yanhu Community of Zhangwan District in Shiyan City, central China's Hubei Province, June 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to rescue the injured after a gas explosion in central China's Hubei Province on Sunday morning.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, asked authorities to console the families of the victims and investigate the accident in a timely manner.

The gas explosion at about 6:40 a.m. in a community trade market in the city of Shiyan left 12 people dead and 37 seriously injured.

"Those responsible must be held to account," Xi stressed in the instruction.

As several work safety accidents and incidents related to campus safety have occurred recently in a number of places, Xi instructed local authorities and relevant departments to learn the lesson, shoulder all responsibilities earnestly, develop a keen political sense and tighten safety hazard checks thoroughly.

Xi called for efforts to ward off major emergencies, ensure the safety of people's lives and property, maintain overall social stability, and create a good atmosphere for celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

Premier Li Keqiang, in a separate instruction, demanded maximum efforts to organize the rescue work, treat the injured and reduce casualties.

Li ordered to earnestly find out the cause of the accident, ensure strict accountability in accordance with the law and regulations, and urged efforts to strengthen supervision in key areas and identify potential dangers to prevent serious accidents.

Following the instructions, working groups from the central departments have been sent to guide the handling of the accident, while a national medical team has also been dispatched to Shiyan.

Rescue and treatment of the injured are underway.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
From students with dreams to PRC founding fathers, footsteps of early CPC revolutionaries traced in Europe

Xinhua) 09:45, June 14, 2021

-- Under the Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement, Chinese students began arriving in Western Europe more than a century ago, seeking a way out for the war-torn, poverty stricken China.

-- In October 1920, the 16-year-old Deng Xiaoping, who later became a Chinese leader and chief architect of China's reform and opening-up drive, arrived in France.

-- Memories of Chinese communist pioneers are kept in city squares, statues, and universitiy libraries across Western Europe.

BRUSSELS, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A hundred years after the Communist Party of China (CPC) was founded, there are those who continue to cherish their collective memories of the early communists as young students in Europe in the early 20th century.

These students, under the Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement, began arriving in Western Europe in 1919. They worked a variety of jobs to finance their studies and meanwhile were eagerly seeking a way out for China, a country then torn by war, poverty and imperialist invasions.

Some of them, inspired by Marxism, established the earliest Chinese communist groups in Europe and became pioneers to save the Chinese nation in the decades to come. Today, their pioneering spirit continues to motivate a new generation of Chinese.

EARLY SEEDS IN EUROPE

Montargis, a city with some 15,000 residents about 100 km south of Paris, was one of the places where the dream of the Chinese communists began.

Memories of the early Chinese communists are kept in a 300-year-old townhouse at 15 rue Raymond Tellier. The former residence of the Chinese students in the 1920s has been renovated into a museum and houses a collection of nearly 1,000 photos, documents and other exhibits, an illustration of the friendship between China and France.

"Visitors to the museum often marvel at these young students' ambitions and perseverance in their pursuit of dream and faith," said Wang Peiwen, head of the museum and president of the China-France Friendship Association in Montargis.

Deng Xiaoping, the former Chinese leader widely regarded as the chief architect of China's reform and opening-up drive, was only 16 when he first arrived in France in October 1920.

He moved to Montargis in 1922 and worked at the Hutchinson rubber factory while pursuing his study, where his communist faith took root.

Photo taken on April 8, 2021 shows Deng Xiaoping Square in front of the railway station of Montargis, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

To commemorate the Chinese students' work-study movement, Montargis named the square in front of its central railway station after Deng in 2014. In 2019, a massive centenary monument was inaugurated on the square to mark the 100th anniversary of the movement.

"The monument depicts the young Chinese, who, having stood out as the best students from their respective provinces, came to France to explore ways to advance their country," Mayor of Montargis Benoit Digeon told Xinhua. "They were inspired by Communism and worked for the founding of a communist party peculiar to China."

France, well-known for the Industrial Revolution, the Enlightenment and the spirit of the French Revolution, was one of the major destinations for Chinese students in their work-study movement.

Historical documents kept at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and other institutes show that approximately 1,600 students left Shanghai for France between March 1919 and the end of 1920. The first group of 89 students boarded a ship from Shanghai on March 17, 1919, making headline news.

A CHANCE TO LEARN

A small room on the ground floor of Hotel Neptune in downtown Paris witnessed the life of Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the People's Republic of China (PRC) who lived a meagre life here between 1922 and 1924 as a young student.

In the small room which could barely accommodate a bed, a desk and a chair, Zhou studied and worked, writing for a newspaper based in north Chinese city of Tianjin to promote new ideas he learned in Europe and organizing communist activities.

Nearly 100 years later, the hotel is now run by Chinese-French Li Jianle, who felt it his obligation to protect the historic building and present it to Chinese and foreign guests when he bought the hotel in 2001.

Photo taken on April 11, 2021 shows a memorial plaque outside the Hotel Neptune commemorating Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the People's Republic of China (PRC) who lived here between 1922 and 1924 as a young student, in Paris, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

Today, with a bronze statue of Zhou carved by noted French sculptor Paul Belmondo in 1979 on its wall facing the street, the roughly 160-year-old building on rue Godefroy in Paris remains intact, telling the story of its former tenant.

The Chinese students, who worked hard to eke out a living, had acquired through their experiences in Europe a profound understanding of the plight of the working class and defects of capitalism before they came to know Marxism.

Cai Hesen became one of the first Chinese students to follow Marxism after a close reading of the works of Karl Marx. He translated many of Marx's work into Chinese and actively kept Chinese people informed of the October Revolution of Russia in 1917 and other worldwide movements of the working class.

In Lyon, the third largest city in France, some Chinese students had to fight for their right to study in 1921, after they were rejected by the Franco-Chinese Institute, a school created exclusively for Chinese students.

The school, built with funds from China, rejected the work-study students that year who were unable to make ends meet and only accepted better-off students.

After a failed attempt to occupy the institute, many students were arrested and 104 were repatriated to China in October 1921.

"It was a fight for equality and justice, as the students were fighting for their own rights to study," said Alain Labat, head of the Federation of Franco-Chinese Associations and vice-president of the New Franco-Chinese Institute.

"Despite their failure, they grew and gained experience. Some of them played a leading role in promoting Marxism and Communism in China," Labat said.

MEMORIES KEPT ALIVE

The university town of Goettingen in central Germany guards the distant memory of Marshal Zhu De, another founding father of the PRC who entered the University of Goettingen in 1923 in his 30s.

Today, the university library still keeps a registration paper in Zhu's own handwriting, showing that this native of southwest China's Sichuan Province was studying sociology in the philosophy department.

Zhu met Zhou in Berlin in 1922, and joined the CPC through Zhou's introduction.

"Zhu was not young, and he had spent many years in the military," said Rolf Kohlstedt, a historian at Goettingen City Archive. "He wanted to expand his vision here, in an industrialized Western country."

A pedestrian walks past the former residence of Marshal Zhu De, one of the major founders of the People's Republic of China, in Goettingen, Germany, June 26, 2015. (Xinhua)

The city archive shows Zhu's residence registration paper from the local police, a yellowed document with his photo. He lived with a local family at Planckstrasse 3. The red brick house has attracted many tourists to this university town with a population of 120,000.

In 1986, a marble plaque was attached to its facade, with inscriptions reading "Zhu De, Marshal of the People's Republic of China, 1923-1924," in commemoration of his 100th birthday.

Memories of the Chinese communist pioneers were also kept at the Charleroi University of Labor, 60 km south of Brussels.

Founded in 1903 as a polytechnic school for the working class, it hosted many Chinese students in the 1920s, including one of China's marshals Nie Rongzhen, a then chemical engineering major who came to know communism and became a member of the CPC on the campus in Belgium.

Through their time in Europe, several of the students realized that only socialism could save China.

Photo taken on March 22, 2021 shows a monument marking the 100th anniversary of the Chinese students' work-study movement, in front of railway station of Montargis, France. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

Experts have said that the movement played an important role in history and contributed to the founding of the CPC in 1921 and the PRC in 1949, leaving behind a heritage that continues to inspire younger generations today.

For Duanmu Mei, a historian from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, these outstanding representatives of the movement played an epoch-making role in China's future revolution, development and reforms.

"Their experience in Europe gave them a far sight, a broad vision and an open heart -- three important qualities that enabled them to stand out as leaders of the revolution, of the party and the country," she said.

In the run-up to the CPC's 100th founding anniversary, more than 40 Chinese and French teenagers joined a virtual conference on Zoom to review the lives of the early Chinese communists in Europe a century ago.

For French-language student Wang Ziyan, the revolutionaries are a source of hope.

"There's so much we can learn from those role models of the past century -- their ability to adapt rapidly to a new environment, their passion to learn, and more importantly, their patriotism and desire to repay their country with what they learned."

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
Interview: Ex-Italian PM says post-pandemic challenges call for "qualitative leap" forward in global cooperation

Xinhua) 09:48, June 14, 2021

ROME, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic would require a great deal of effort from major global players to step up their cooperation and improve the quality of dialogue, former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema has told Xinhua in a recent interview.

To revive economy and tackle social and economic inequalities as well as climate change are among the huge tasks lying ahead, said D'Alema, who has played a major role in Italian politics as a political heavyweight of center-left forces.

During the interview, he also voiced concerns about the current state of dialogue between the East and the West. The pandemic and the post-pandemic problems ... "all require strong international cooperation, (and) I would even say a 'qualitative leap' in international collaboration," he noted.

Differences exist between the West and the East in terms of political models and social systems, the 72-year-old former politician said, while stressing that "the greatest effort" from both sides should be put into resuming the dialogue.

"To use an old saying," he explained, "today's big problem is how to rebuild the conditions for a peaceful coexistence between different systems, in order to face common challenges most effectively."

On climate change, possibly the most global of such challenges, D'Alema underscored the positive shift in the stance of the United States, which officially re-joined the Paris Agreement in February, following the announcement by U.S. President Joe Biden. This would allow some hope, he said.

"On climate change, there seems to be both the opportunity and the will to resume dialogue, and I do hope this approach could be extended to other fields, such as preventing and solving ongoing conflicts, overcoming trade tensions, and boosting economic recovery," he said.

Politics, he stressed, was only one ingredient in mutual understanding. Market openness, especially in the services sector that allows better communication among people, and tourism and cultural exchanges could all contribute to building "a stronger cooperation climate," he added.

"As for the Western countries, I do think we must try to better counter nationalistic pressures and hostile stances, which have occurred recently and are still occurring," he said.

D'Alema recalled that China stretched out a helping hand to Italy as the country was among the first in Europe badly hit by the pandemic last year.

In Italy, he said, "we do remember the Chinese help in terms of support, technology and means provided in order to face the (first wave) of the coronavirus."

The former prime minister said that another issue on which the West and China should have dialogue is human rights protection.

"I do not believe in exporting political models, and I think differences (between systems) must be respected," D'Alema stressed. "I also do not feel we in the West can teach anyone a lesson, since we also deal with such problems."

"I would say we should make a common effort to ensure an adequate standard of human rights protection while respecting the diversity of our political systems," he added.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
J-20 stealth fighters, new helicopters to perform at CPC centenary celebrations: reports

(Global Times) 10:11, June 14, 2021

A J-20 stealth fighter jet attached to the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command takes part in exercises. The aircraft is not equipped with a Luneburg lens, a radar reflector used to make a stealth aircraft visible to others in training or non-combat flights. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes are expected to deliver an aerial performance for the celebration activities of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), with a large number of the countrys most advanced stealth fighter jets, the J-20, and a type of newly developed helicopter, informally known as the Z-8L, participating, a rehearsal of the event on Sunday indicated.

A rehearsal was held from 9 pm Saturday to the early hours of Sunday morning in the Tiananmen area, Beijing, with more than 14,000 people involved in the rehearsal and related supporting services, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

A total of four parts of were rehearsed, including the warm-up, a grand gathering, and entry and exit, as well as preparations in the event of an emergency, Xinhua reported.

During the day on Sunday morning, several echelons of PLA warplanes were seen flying through the sky in the rehearsal, including dozens of helicopters forming a formation representing the number 100, a J-10 fighter jet formation representing 71, or July 1, the birthday of the CPC, and formations consisting of five J-20 stealth fighter jets, Beijing-based magazine the Aerospace Knowledge reported on Sunday.

Photos released through the Aerospace Knowledge report show that the rehearsal also featured the PLAs latest type of transport helicopter, dubbed by observers as the Z-8L, the first in the 15 ton-class in China.

Beijing residents were able to take photos and videos of the warplanes during the rehearsal and share them on social media, expressing their excitement over the CPC centenary celebrations and the development of Chinas military aviation.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
Embassy says days when G7 dictates to the world are over

China Daily) 10:27, June 14, 2021

(From L to R, Front) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (From L to R, Rear) European Council President Charles Michel, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stand for a photo in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 11, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

China's embassy in the United Kingdom said that international decisions can no longer be dictated by a small cadre of global elites, after leaders at the meeting of the G7 group of wealthy nations, which concluded on Sunday, unveiled a new infrastructure plan intended to compete with China's cross-border development plan the Belt and Road Initiative.

The embassy made its remarks on Saturday, ahead of the conclusion of the G7 Summit taking place in Cornwall in the UK, attended by leaders from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States. The infrastructure plan, which is called Build Back Better World, or B3W, is being spearheaded by US President Joe Biden, who identified the summit as an opportunity to "discuss strategic competition with China", according to a White House statement.

"The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone," a spokesman from the Chinese Embassy in the UK said. "We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries."

The embassy criticized the clique-based politics of the Western countries, saying that there should be "only one system and one order in the world, that is, the international system with the United Nations at the core and the international order based on international law, not the so-called system and order advocated by a handful of countries".

The White House said the B3W plan will "help narrow the $40 trillion infrastructure need in the developing world".

But few details have been provided as to how the plan will be implemented and no investment figures were given either.

A senior official in Biden's administration said that the plan is "not just about confronting or taking on China".

Christopher Bovis, a professor of international business law at Hull University, said that the B3W is a strategic play to increase the influence of the G7 on the international stage and compete with the Belt and Road Initiative, which has gathered pace since it was introduced in 2013 with over 130 countries now formally affiliated.

"The intention of G7 economies to offer developing nations an infrastructure plan, referred to as the B3W initiative, is certainly seen as an attempt to counter China's growing influence and success of the Belt and Road Initiative," Bovis told China Daily.

"Furthermore, the B3W, if implemented, is expected to act as a conveyor belt of Western values, standards and the way of doing business, an outcome which will likely be seen as a post-colonial attempt to integrate economically developing economies," Bovis said.

Bovis questioned if the G7 was the suitable group to spearhead such an initiative.

Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at Bradford University in the UK, suggested that the G7 may in fact have become outmoded in an increasingly interconnected world with a growing list of shared threats.

"While the G7 is an important meeting, the G20 is far more significant, because it is more representative of the global community," Rogers told China Daily.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
China to guide wandering elephant herd to suitable habitat

Xinhua) 11:24, June 14, 2021

Aerial photo taken on June 13, 2021 shows a herd of wild Asian elephants in Shijie Township of Yimen County, Yuxi City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. The wandering herd of wild Asian elephants that has caught global attention is lingering in the Shijie Township in the city of Yuxi, southwest China's Yunnan Province, authorities said Saturday. All the elephants are safe and sound, according to the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration. (Xinhua)

KUNMING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- China's wildlife authorities said Sunday they plan to guide the wandering herd of wild Asian elephants in southwest China's Yunnan Province to an appropriate habitat.

The elephant herd has caught global attention after they trekked about 500 km from their original habitat in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in the province to enter Kunming, the provincial capital with a population of 8 million, late last Wednesday.

On Saturday, 14 elephants continued to linger in the Shijie Township in the city of Yuxi, according to the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration. Another elephant that broke away from the herd eight days ago stayed in the Jinning District of Kunming.

The headquarters said they would direct the migration of the elephants with food baits and blocking of roads, adding that it would take advantage of the favorable conditions, such as rainfalls and temperature drops in recent days, to move the elephants back to their proper habitats.

Local authorities on Saturday mobilized 319 personnel, more than 600 vehicles and 18 drones to monitor the herd and prevent human-elephant conflicts. A total of 3,548 people were evacuated on Saturday.

For over a month, authorities have sent police to escort the herd, evacuated roads to facilitate their passage and used food to distract them from entering densely populated areas.

Asian elephants are under A-level state protection in China, where they are mostly found in Yunnan. Thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the province has grown to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
Gov't official of China's HKSAR says country is Hong Kong's strongest backing

Xinhua) 11:56, June 14, 2021

Aerial photo taken on March 6, 2021 shows citizens displaying China's national flag and the flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in support of implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

HONG KONG, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Matthew Cheung, Chief Secretary for Administration of the government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said Sunday that the country is the strongest backing of Hong Kong and is where its confidence comes from.

In an online article, Cheung said the national five-year plan and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will bring enormous opportunities to Hong Kong and create a solid foundation for it to move forward after the COVID-19 epidemic.

The 14th Five-Year Plan for national economic and social development supports Hong Kong in reinforcing its competitiveness, he said.

Cheung in particular said the plan encourages Hong Kong to develop into an international aviation hub, an international innovation and technology hub, a regional intellectual property trading hub, and an East-meets-West center for cultural exchanges.

As long as Hong Kong keeps the original aspiration of "one country, two systems," treasures and makes good use of its hard-won stable environment, and goes all-out to address problems concerning people's livelihood, it will seize the opportunities in national development and achieve new development, he said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
China expected to see 8.6 mln railway trips Sunday

Xinhua) 12:03, June 14, 2021

A bullet train pulls out of the Congjiang Railway Station in Congjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- China is expected to see 8.6 million train trips Sunday amid the Dragon Boat Festival tourism boom, according to China Railway.

Some 578 trains were added to handle the holiday travel rush. To ensure safe and efficient travel, some railway stations have set up systems to allow quick checks of passengers' health code and nucleic acid test results.

China is expected to see around 100 million trips during the three-day holiday that started Saturday, a report by online travel booking platform Ctrip said.

The number of passenger trips via roads and waterways was estimated at 29.81 million on Saturday, data by the Ministry of Transport showed.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
New Beijing digital museum to visualize global heritage

Xinhua) 12:04, June 14, 2021

BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Meeting the characters from fresco paintings, flying over the city of ancient Beijing in a cabin, looking up at the "starry night" as Vincent van Gogh did... These ideas are likely to be realized at a new digital museum in Beijing.

Leveraging technologies such as 5G, 8K, and artificial intelligence, the new digital museum will be able to free historic sites from time and space constraints and make them come alive, according to a forum held by an institute affiliated with Beijing Film Academy.

The museum is currently under preparation and will cooperate with artists and museums globally to enable visitors to tour world-famous museums without going abroad.

The 8K ultra-high-definition (HD) technology in the museum will show images of actual sizes to the audience to create immersive experiences.

The scale of China's ultra-HD video industry is predicted to reach 4 trillion yuan (around 626 billion U.S. dollars) by 2022, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Radio and Television Administration.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
China denounces G7's criticism on issues concerning internal affairs

CGTN) 14:04, June 14, 2021

(From L to R, Front) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (From L to R, Rear) European Council President Charles Michel, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stand for a photo in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 11, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the UK expressed on Monday strong opposition to a joint communique issued by the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) in which the group of nations criticized Beijing over issues concerning China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Taiwan.

In a statement, the spokesperson said the criticism was based on distorted facts and once again urged the group to stop meddling in China's internal affairs.

"We urge the U.S. and other members of the G7 to respect the facts, recognize the situation, stop slandering China, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop harming China's interests, and do more things that are conducive to promoting international cooperation instead of artificially creating confrontations and frictions," the spokesperson said.

G7 on Sunday wrapped up its first in-person summit in almost two years in Britain's southwestern resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall.

Besides criticism on the three regions, the G7 leaders also censured China on other issues including trade policy.

In response, the spokesperson strongly denied the accusation of following "non-market" policies. China's total tariff level has been reduced to 7.5 percent since November 2018 and the country is committed to opening up and building up a market environment where domestic and foreign enterprises are treated equally and compete on a level playing field, the spokesperson said.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
Chinese EV enjoys first-mover advantage: MIIT official

(Global Times) 14:07, June 14, 2021

Workers work on the assembly line at a factory of vehicle manufacturer BYD Auto in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Feb. 25, 2020.(Photo: Xinhua)

Chinese new energy vehicles are expected to lead the development of global industry, said Wang Chuanfu, CEO of BYD Company at an automobile forum in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Sunday.

Wang said that Chinese brands have surpassed the technical level of joint venture brands, in terms of modeling, battery, motor performance, electronic control and other core technologies including intelligent networking and intelligent heads up display. He predicted that by 2030, new energy vehicles are expected to take over 70 percent of the Chinese market.

An official from Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) pointed out that China's electric vehicles have consolidated a first-mover advantage as world's largest electric car market

Luo Junjie, an official from MIIT said that the research and development ability of Chinese EV companies has been significantly enhanced with the quality level steadily improved as the output and sales volume has ranked first in the world for six consecutive years.

The functionality and performance of Chinese EV brands has been on the rise, according to China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Sub-council.

The sales of L2 autonomous driving vehicles exceeded 3 million units in 2020, an increase of 107 percent year-on-year to reach 15 percent of the global market share. It is predicted that by 2025, the market share of autonomous vehicles will exceed 50 percent.

(Web editor: Guo Wenrui, Bianji)
It isnt every day that a watch brand announces its newest brand ambassador is a shark. In fact, it probably never happens. Except with Swiss watch brand Ulysse Nardin, which typically thinks outside of the proverbial box. It was last August that, after a multi-day sea expedition off the coast of Massachusetts with Ocearch to study and tag great white sharks, that Ulysse Nardin named the female shark that was tested and tags and declared it the brands new ambassador. Now, Andromach (named for the female hero in the Iliad and the Odyssey) has been spotted off the North Carolina coast. The tracking of her there coincided with Ulysse Nardins unveiling of the new Diver Lemon Shark limited edition watch, and the brands continued work with Ocearch and the Medina Aquarius project with Florida International University (FIU).

The Ulysse Nardin Diver Lemon Shark

Before we delve deeper (yes, I used that pun) into Ulysse Nardins long-standing relationship with the seas, sharks and conservation efforts, lets take a quick look at the brands newest limited edition dive watch that honors the Lemon Shark. Generally considered a gentle giant, the lemon shark gives birth to live young and are able to form social bonds. The largest lemon shark recorded measured just over 11 feet in length and weighed just over 400 pounds. Designed to honor and celebrate the Lemon Shark, which primarily lives in the waters of the Florida Keys (where the Aquarius underwater lab resides), the Diver Lemon Shark watch has all the earmarks of a typical Ulysse Nardin professional watch, and more.

 Ulysse Nardin

The 42mm Lemon Shark watch is crafted in black DLC steel and features a black dial and a black inverted concave unidirectional bezel. The sandblasted dial boasts lemon yellow markers and seconds hand as a nod to the Lemon Shark, which is nicely camouflaged in the oceans thanks to its coloration that blends in with the sand beneath it. Water resistant to 300 meters, it is powered by the Ulysse Nardin caliber UN-816 mechanical self-winding movement with silicium components. Three lemon sharks are engraved on the case back and the watch is finished with Ulysse Nardins black R-Strap, made entirely from recycled fishing nets. Just 300 pieces will be made, each retailing for $7,300.

In the Florida Keys With Ulysse Nardin

During a trip to the Florida Keys with Ulysse Nardin, select journalists got to go hands-on with the watch, which made its official debut on World Oceans Day (June 8, 2021). Some (including me) even got to do a little snorkeling with the watch on their wrist  swimming with the barracudas in the waters above FIUs Medina Aquarius sea lab. It was an interesting event, as we were treated to an immersive behind-the-scenes experience not only with Ulysse Nardin, but also with Ocearch and FIU.

Ulysse Nardin teamed up with Ocearch in mid 2020 because, according to Francois-Xavier Hotier, President of Ulysse Nardin in the Americas, the values and goals of the somewhat disruptive non-profit organization was a nice fit with Ulysse Nardins style and goals. This is the brand that showcases sharks swimming amongst the New York skyscrapers, after all. Sharks are essential to marine ecosystems and are often the most misunderstood creatures of the sea.

 Ulysse Nardin

Ocearch works to capture the great white shark, take samples from its teeth, tongue and body for testing (all the while keeping water flowing through the sharks gills) and then tags and releases the animal back into the wild  all within 15 minutes. The research conducted by more than two dozen multi-disciplinary scientists helps understand the sharks better as we make an effort to protect them so they can protect the ecosystem. Additionally, the hope is that some of the bacteria from the sharks can lead to antibiotics and other medical benefits for humans. Ocearch also developed a Shark Tracker App that allows scientists and the general public the ability to track the sharks it has tagged.

New to Ulysse Nardins cooperative efforts for ocean research and conservation is the FIU Institute of Environments Medina Aquarius Program. The heart of the schools scientific work is the Aquarius Reef Base, the worlds only underwater research lab that lies 60 feet below the surface of the water in a specific spot in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This is where the snorkeling took place  a spot that is generally off limits to the public. FIU is currently working to develop a new underwater lab that can replace the decades-old one that is currently in place. The goal is to have even better state-of-the-art facilities for research and education under the ocean. Currently, the space is used by outside companies, including NASA that uses it for certain simulation experiments.

As all of these ocean-conscious companies continue to work together for the good of the marine ecosystem, they hope to not only enact change, but also inspire new generations of sea lovers and protectors.

THE COMPLETE DIVER COLLECTION
An Impressive Scorecard

Remarks by Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng

At an Exchange with Diplomatic Envoys

From North America, Oceania,

Latin America and the Caribbean

Before The CPCs 100th Anniversary

Beijing, 12 June 2021

Excellencies,

Its nice to be back in Beijing after six and a half years. Its such a pleasure to meet with all the friends present today. Ive hoped to have this meeting first thing I get settled. Yet COVID-19 and the busy schedule have kept us from gathering together.

This weekend, we in China are celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival. My wife and I, and my colleagues from the Foreign Ministry, are delighted to have you with us today in Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

Let me first convey the warm regards from State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Foreign Ministry, and my respect to all of you. I wish to reassure you that my colleagues and I are here to facilitate your work in China.

Im glad that we could observe the Festival together. The Zongzi that we just made will soon be served, and I hope this will give you a taste of traditional Chinese culture.

Now, I have a question for you, which place in China makes the best Zongzi? Yes, it is the city of Jiaxing in Zhejiang province, on the east coast.

Other than Zongzi, what special role has Jiaxing played in modern China? The Communist Party of China was born on a boat at Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing. That was in July 1921.

Time flies. In two weeks time, we will celebrate the centenary of the founding of the CPC. Today, I wish to share with you my thoughts on four questions: Where did the CPC come from? How is the CPCs scorecard? What is the secret code of CPCs success? Where is the CPC heading?

I. Where did the CPC come from?

The history of modern China spans from the first Opium War in 1840 to the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949. During this period, the Chinese nation fought relentlessly for national independence. And different social classes and political parties took the stage, culminating in the success of the CPC in saving the nation.

After 1840, repeated aggression by foreign powers plunged China into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The nations survival was hanging in the balance. Political forces of different kinds searched long and hard for the path forward. They tried different prescriptions, constitutional monarchy, and presidential, parliamentary and multi-party systems, but none of them worked. China remained poor, backward and divided, like a heap of loose sand. As aptly depicted in a poem, Tears shed by the 400 million Chinese, for nowhere can we keep a land of our own.

It was against this historical backdrop, when the nation could barely survive, that the Communist Party of China was born. Since day one, the CPC has been the champion of independence, liberation and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Over the past century, the CPC has led the Chinese people in an arduous journey to found the New China. It established a socialist system, advanced socialist development, reform and opening-up, and found our path of development, that is, socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Over the past 100 years, China, once torn apart and succumbed to foreign invasion, won independence and pursues rejuvenation and prosperity. It has made a historic leap from standing up to growing rich to becoming strong.

In January 1949, the New York Star invited some American experts on the Far East, including Agnes Smedley, Theodore White, Edgar Snow and John King Fairbank, to a seminar. The experts were asked for their opinions on why the CPC could succeed. And here are their answers:

The CPC does not have any magic, but they know what are the changes that the people desire, and they implement policies that meet peoples needs. The CPC is able to organize even the poorest people and put in place an organizational structure with strict disciplines and strong leadership. For example, the famous Three Disciplines and Eight Reminders followed by the Red Army, which include detailed orders like take not even a needle and thread from the people and pay for every fuel, rice, cooking oil and salt you get from the people, have helped the CPC win peoples heart.

In his letter to President Truman in July 1949, the then U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson wrote that the heart of China is now in Communist hands.

II. How is the CPCs scorecard?

On 23 March 1949, weeks before the CPC founded the New China, Chairman Mao Zedong and other members of the CPC central leadership left CPCs last rural commandXibaipo in Hebei province, and set off for Beijing. Chairman Mao said that they were going to Beijing for the entrance exam. And Zhou Enlai added, I think we will all pass, and no one will have to be sent back.

Why would they have such a conversation? Because there were too many examples of the sudden rise and fall in the Chinese history, a historical cycle as it was called. The most famous story might be that of Li Zicheng, a peasant uprising leader in the late Ming Dynasty. His army conquered the capital, Beijing after 18 years of ferocious battles. They only occupied the city for 42 days and were forced to flee south. So could the CPC break this cycle and hold on to its power? The world waited and watched.

Now, 72 years have passed, and I can confidently say that the CPC has turned in an impressive score sheet, and created three miracles that are rarely seen in the world.

The first miracle is fast economic development.

In the early days of the Peoples Republic, China was one of the poorest and most backward countries. Chairman Mao once said, What can we produce? Of course, we can make tables and chairs, tea cups and pots; we can grow grains and produce flour; and we can make paper. Still, when it comes to cars, planes, tanks or tractors, we cannot even make a single one.

That was probably why some of the capitalists in China scorned the CPC, saying that it could get 100 points on military, 80 points on politics, but zero on economy. Secretary Acheson said that the first problem which every Chinese government has had to face is that of feeding this population. So far none has succeeded, neither would the CPC.

What happened afterwards was much beyond what they could fathom. Under CPCs leadership, China has achieved an economic takeoff.

On industrialization, China has realized in just a few decades what took developed Western countries several centuries. China now has the most complete modern industrial system in the world.

It is the second largest economy.

It is also the biggest trader in goods.

Chinas GDP was 67.9 billion yuan in 1952, and 90.03 trillion yuan in 2018, up by 174 times in real terms.

Per capita GDP soared by 70-fold, from 119 yuan to 64,600 yuan.

Scholars call it the greatest economic revolution in the history of mankind.

Early in the 1980s, China already met its peoples basic needs for food and clothing. Today, grain output is as high as 650 million tons per year. Getting enough to eat is not a problem any more. What the Chinese people care about today is how to eat well and healthy.

The second miracle is long-term social stability.

You may have heard about the paradox of Huntington, which says, Modernity breeds stability and modernization breeds instability.

China is a super-large country with over 1.4 billion people. No matter how big the economic aggregate is, when divided by 1.4 billion, it will become very small. On the other hand, any small challenge will become big when multiplied by 1.4 billion. The CPC has stood the great tests, the formidable and complex task of development and reform, the economic and social changes, among others. And it has effectively preserved long-term political and social stability in China.

Sustaining social stability depends not only on the volume of wealth to be added to the society. More importantly, it also depends on how far poverty reduction can go. Making the cake bigger and dividing it fairly are both important. China is able to achieve long-term stability thanks to its fast development as well as its commitment to equity and justice.

In the early days of reform and opening-up, Mr. Deng Xiaoping put forth a policy to let some people and some regions prosper before others, so that they can help the underdeveloped regions to catch up for common prosperity.

President Xi Jinping has made it clear that we will leave no one behind as we pursue moderate prosperity in all respects and for all the Chinese people.

Today, the middle-income population in China is over 400 million, and as many as 800 million people have emerged from poverty. This is unprecedented in the human history.

Facing the impact of COVID-19, the CPC has, as always, put people and life first, and enforced strict health protocols. It effectively coordinated COVID response with economic and social development, and put life and work back to normalcy within a short span of time.

The third miracle is peaceful rise.

New China abandoned the obsolete colonialist path of traditional powers. It always pursues an independent foreign policy of peace. Over the past seven decades, China never provoked a war, or took an inch of land from any other country. China is the only country in the world that incorporates peaceful development into its Constitution.

Some claim that a growing power is bound to seek hegemony. But Chinas millennia-old wisdom tells us that hegemony leads only to failure. China does not seek hegemony. We stand firmly with the world against hegemonism. Words like coercion and bullying are not in the dictionary of Chinas diplomacy.

We are committed to a new path of state-to-state engagement, a path that advocates dialogue and partnership, instead of confrontation or alliance. We seek to grow our friendship and cooperation with all countries based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. We advocate equality among all countries, regardless of their size, wealth and strength. We respect the rights of people of all countries to choose their own development path. We oppose the strong bullying the weak or seeking supremacy.

China is always a force for peace, development and progress.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China firmly maintains world peace and stability, and stands for international fairness and justice.

China is the second largest funding contributor to the United Nations and UN peacekeeping operations. It is the top contributor of peacekeeping personnel among P5. Since 1990, China has taken part in nearly 30 UN peacekeeping operations.

As the largest developing country, China makes every effort to promote global common prosperity. Our economy has contributed more than 30 percent of global growth for over 10 consecutive years.

Since 2008, 25 percent of LDCs total exports come to China. Under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative for Poorest Countries, China has put off more loan repayments than other members.

In the past seven years since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched, China has registered more than 7.8 trillion US dollars in trade and 110 billion US dollars in direct investment with BRI partner countries.

We have hosted the China International Import Expo for three years running to share Chinas market with the world.

In COVID response, China has provided medical supplies to over 150 countries and 13 international organizations. Despite difficulties at home, China has provided over 300 million doses of vaccines to the world.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics has kept developing, including its path, theory, system, and culture. It has blazed a new trail for other developing countries to achieve modernization. It offers a new option for other nations who aspire to speed up their development while preserving their independence.

You may ask, what do the Chinese people think about the three miracles? One figure is quite telling. Between 2003 and 2016, Harvard University conducted eight surveys in China, and it published its findings in July 2020. It shows that over 90 percent of the Chinese public are satisfied with the Chinese government. That is quite extraordinary by any measure in any country.

III. What is the secret code of CPCs success?

From a small party with 59 members at the beginning, the CPC has grown into the worlds largest Marxist governing party with over 98 million members. It is strongly endorsed by the people. If there is any secret code of success, it has mainly three elements.

First, the CPC is a party of mission that represents the overall interests of the Chinese people.

In a multiparty country, political parties usually represent the interests of particular groups. They are parties of segmental interests and of electoral politics. Their primary goal is to win the elections, take office and protect the interests of certain groups.

The CPC is different. It is a party of overall interests, a party of mission and responsibility. CPC members are communists, patriots and internationalists, all at the same time. They are revolutionists guided by ideals. Their original aspiration and mission is to seek happiness for the people, rejuvenation for the nation, and the common good for the world.

The Constitution of the CPC makes it clear in its very first paragraph that the Communist Party of China is the vanguard of the Chinese working class; in the meantime, it is the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, and the leadership core for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The CPC represents the developmental demands of Chinas advanced productive forces, the orientation for Chinas advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the greatest possible majority of the Chinese people.

Serve the people, a motto put forth by Mao Zedong in 1944, is still inscribed on the inner wall of Xinhua Gate at Zhongnanhai, office of the CPC Central Committee. Premier Zhou Enlai wore the serve the people badge for his entire life.

When leaving China in 1949, John Leighton Stuart, then U.S. Ambassador to China, admitted that on the whole, the party was able to give the impression, both to the Chinese masses, especially the peasantry, and to foreign observers in and out of China, that it was truly devoted to the cause of the people and was truly seeking to promote in China the cause of democracy and to win for China a position of real independence and strength in the family of nations.

In some multiparty countries, people do recognize the serious problems such as the gaping wealth gap and racial tensions. Yet constrained by factional interests and vote bases, they either find it hard to make up their mind or are unable to address the root causes of the problems.

China also has its share of challenges in resolving economic and social issues. What is different is that the CPC has no selfish calculations, and therefore it proceeds from the overall and long-term interests of the greatest majority of the Chinese people. It makes resolute decisions and ensures that they deliver.

Chinas political party system is neither a multiparty, bi-party, nor a one-party system. It is a new system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC. The decision-making process is rigorous and efficient. The political game of opposition for oppositions sake and endless partisan strife is thus avoided.

As a party of mission and responsibility, the CPC is able to overcome shortsightedness, populism and other weaknesses of parties of segmental interests and of electoral politics. It is able to maintain policy consistency, make long-term, sustained investment, stick to its agenda and carry out hard work over generations.

In the 1960s, Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai proposed the development of Four Modernizations-goals to modernize Chinas agriculture, industry, defense, and science and technology.

In the 1980s, Comrade Deng Xiaoping put forward a three-step strategy for realizing modernization.

Now, President Xi Jinping has laid down the strategic plan of building a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful by the middle of the century.

All these goals, plans and decisions are coherent and consistent.

Over the past 70-plus years, the CPC has led the Chinese people in formulating and implementing 13 five-year plans. Right now we are implementing the 14th. From land reform to womens liberation, from atomic and hydrogen bombs and satellites to the worlds largest high-speed rail network, from setting up special economic zones to joining the WTO, and from making good use of both domestic and international resources and markets to fostering a new development paradigm with domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, the CPC members, generation over generation, have forged ahead with resolve and fortitude, and fulfilled one major, tough task after another.

Second, the CPC adapts Marxism to the Chinese context.

The Party does not just copy and paste any doctrine; it applies the theory to Chinas realities, and turns it into something of our own, and writes new chapters of Marxism.

President Xi Jinping has stressed that China must neither follow an old, rigid path of isolation, nor take the wrong turn to change its nature or abandon its system.

The Party is able to reflect on its past experience, while not clinging to any development model that has been proven wrong; it is able to raise the idea that China should blaze a path of our own and build a socialism with Chinese characteristics, while not veering toward capitalism or democratic-socialism; it is able to replace the planned economy with a socialist market economy, while rejecting the practices of neo-liberalism; it is able to fully engage China in economic globalization in the course of opening-up, while keeping independence and initiative.

Chairman Mao Zedong proposed the ways toward victory such as encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing political power from the barrel of a gun. They were once viewed as heretical by the Communist International. Later they were proven very relevant to the Chinese realities, and became an important outcome of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context.

During the debate on whether reform and opening-up represents a capitalist or socialist road, and what should be the right relationship between planning and market, Mr Deng Xiaoping put forth a set of criteria for judgment. In his view, whether there is a little more planning or a little more market was not the essential difference between socialism and capitalism. He was firmly resolved to advance the socialist market economy with Chinese characteristics. And that brought the Marxist theory of political economy to a whole new high.

President Xi Jinping has proposed a new set of propositions, including a new development philosophy of innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development for all, the vision for higher-quality growth, the commitment to upholding and improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and the need to modernize Chinas system and capacity for governance. These ideas have further enriched and developed the Marxist philosophy, the theory of political economy and scientific socialism.

The Chinese political system is created by the CPC as suited to Chinas realities, and consistent with the basic principles of Marxism. It includes the system of peoples congresses, of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, of regional ethnic autonomy, and of self-governance at the primary level.

All things considered, the CPC is different from the capitalist parties in the world. It is different from the communist parties in other countries. The CPC is not another Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Third, the CPC embraces self-reform to stay vibrant and resilient.

In the history of political parties around the world, many big parties degenerate after assuming power. They lose touch with reality and ultimately lose the support of the people and the very foundation of their governance.

And here comes the question, why can the CPC remain at the forefront of the time and the backbone of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation? Fundamentally, it is the Partys ability to face up to its mistakes, correct them, and bravely embrace self-reform, no matter how painful it is.

The CPC grows up by reforming itself every step of the way.

In January 1935 during the Red Armys Long March, the CPC Central Committee convened the Zunyi Meeting to correct the left mistakes; the meeting saved the revolution and the Party.

During the years in Yanan, Chairman Mao Zedong mulled over a new path to break the historical cycle of rise and fall. In January 1945, he happily told Huang Yanpei, a democratic scholar, that he had found the new path, and the path was democracy.

At the 2nd Plenary Session of the 7th CPC Central Committee in March 1949, Mao instructed that Party members must remain modest, prudent and free from arrogance and rashness in their style of work, and preserve the style of plain living and hard working.

The 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978 was a historic turning point. In the spirit of opening the mind and setting things right, it corrected the mistake of the decade-long Cultural Revolution, and steered China toward reform and opening-up.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has stressed the need for effective self-supervision and strict self-governance of the Party. It has taken steps to deter corruption, in both mindset and institution. A large number of corrupt officials, be they tigers or flies, have been brought to justice. The anti-corruption campaign has posed a strong deterrence, and achieved sweeping victory. It responded to the expectations of the people, and gained great popular support.



While modernizing China, the CPC has never ceased in modernizing itself. These two processes have complemented and reinforced each other, and taken together, have contributed to the success story of China.

IV. Where is the CPC heading?

Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. The principal challenge we now face is the gap between unbalanced and inadequate development and the peoples ever-growing needs for a better life.

This means that for now and some time to come, the CPC will focus its work on the following:

First, to address inadequate development, and continue to take development as the top priority.

Second, to address unbalanced development.

And third, to meet our peoples growing needs for democracy, rule of law, fairness and justice, security, and a better environment.

On the external front, the CPC will stay committed to the path of peaceful development. It will never seek hegemony, expansion, or any sphere of influence. We reject coercion by any country. The CPC observes the principle of non-alignment. When developing relations with other countries, we do not target any third party, or engage in value-driven blocs or ideological confrontation.

We practice true multilateralism. China is firmly committed to safeguarding the UN-centered international system, the international order on the basis of international law, and the WTO-centered international trading system.

We do not recognize the hegemonic rules set by one or some countries, or the so-called international order established on the basis of such rules. We reject attempts to team up and build exclusive blocs.

The CPC upholds peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, the values shared by all. It is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind. We will work with all countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

Excellencies,

Over the past century, China has realized tremendous transformation. It is made possible through the revolution, development and reform led by the CPC. Without the CPC, there would be no New China, and to understand China, it is essential to have a good knowledge of the CPC.

The CPCs leadership is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and where its greatest strength comes from. This leadership is not self-proclaimed. It is the choice of history and of the people.

The relationship between the Party and the people is as inseparable as fish and water. To respect China, one needs to respect the CPCs leadership and to respect the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, a choice made by the Chinese people. Attempts to drive a wedge between the CPC and the Chinese people, or between ordinary Party members and its leadership, will never work.

The CPC is dedicated to the long-term cause of the Chinese nation. It is right in its prime at its centenary.

Im confident that in another one hundred years, when the CPC celebrates its bicentenary, it will have led the Chinese people to make China a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful.

Such an experience will offer a worthwhile case study and a success story for the world. And it will be the CPCs historic contribution to human progress.

Thank you.
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US President Joe Biden stands next to Poland's President Andrzej Duda during a plenary session at a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 14, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

BRUSSELS - Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including US President Joe Biden, met at a summit here on Monday in a bid to rebuild solidarity among member states.

The summit of the 30-member NATO was the first of its kind Biden attended as US President, after four years of chaos seen under his predecessor Donald Trump, who called the military alliance "obsolete".

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday morning the leaders were meeting "at a pivotal moment for our alliance, and today we'll open a new chapter in our trans-Atlantic relationship".

Stoltenberg noted that the summit will address the "NATO 2030" agenda, a comprehensive initiative about making sure the alliance remains ready today to face tomorrow's challenges.

He said that the leaders at the summit will strengthen Article V of NATO's founding treaty, which stipulates that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all, adding that NATO's operation area will cover not only air, sea and land, but also cyberspace and space.

Among the concerns NATO is facing is how to reconcile its role with the increasing defense autonomy the European Union (EU) wants. French President Emmanuel Macron has emphasized the importance of Europe in the Western defense alliance, tweeting that it was Europe's destiny to play a balancing role in the world in the future.

The summit will also touch on the bloc's relations with Russia and China, and the aftermath of its military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the UK expressed on Monday strong opposition to a joint communique issued by the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) in which the group of nations criticized Beijing over issues concerning China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Taiwan.

In a statement, the spokesperson said the criticism was based on distorted facts and once again urged the group to stop meddling in China's internal affairs.

"We urge the U.S. and other members of the G7 to respect the facts, recognize the situation, stop slandering China, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop harming China's interests, and do more things that are conducive to promoting international cooperation instead of artificially creating confrontations and frictions," the spokesperson said.

G7 on Sunday wrapped up its first in-person summit in almost two years in Britain's southwestern resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall.

Besides criticism on the three regions, the G7 leaders also censured China on other issues including trade policy.

In response, the spokesperson strongly denied the accusation of following "non-market" policies. China's total tariff level has been reduced to 7.5 percent since November 2018 and the country is committed to opening up and building up a market environment where domestic and foreign enterprises are treated equally and compete on a level playing field, the spokesperson said.

Speaking of COVID-19 origin tracing, the spokesperson said it is a scientific issue and China has always maintained an open and transparent attitude on it. The embassy condemned the accusations made by some countries such as the U.S. against China, saying that political manipulation hindered global cooperation on tracing the virus' origin.

Moreover, the Chinese Embassy in Canada also slammed Canada on Monday for attacking China over the so-called human rights issue during the G7 summit.

A spokesperson for the embassy said in a statement that Canada's accusation that China is engaging in arbitrary detention of people is "complete nonsense."

As to the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, the spokesperson said they were prosecuted for crimes undermining China's national security, and China's judicial organs are handling the cases independently in accordance with the law.

The spokesperson pointed out that Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou has been detained by Canada for over two and a half years despite the fact that she hasn't violated any Canadian law, which clearly shows how Canada arbitrarily arrests and detains foreign citizens.

"China's determination to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests is unwavering. We urge Canada and other G7 countries to abide by international law and the basic norms of international relations and stop any acts that interfere in China's internal affairs and provoke confrontation between countries," said the spokesperson.
The NATO Summit held in Brussels on Monday described China as presenting "systemic challenges" to the "rules-based international order." It also accused Russia of "aggressive actions" that constitute "a threat to Euro-Atlantic security." This meeting has differentiated China from Russia by "challenges" and "threat" in order to accommodate the concerns of the US' European allies. But it has emphasized that NATO needs to address challenges presented by China together as an alliance. Such a declaration against China is unprecedented.

US President Joe Biden traveled to Europe with the idea of containing China occupying his mind. However, the US and Europe have different views and feelings about the rapid growth of China's influence. This friction between them has shifted from the G7 summit to the NATO summit. NATO is a military bloc, from which sending a confrontational message to China is naturally considered more severe than doing so through the G7. Therefore, the European countries' attitude that they do not want to be dragged into the mire by the US has become more prominent.

China "poses some challenges to our security," but "China is not our adversary, not our enemy" - this is a typical statement by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who advocates being tough on China. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on one hand said "people see challenges," on the other, he emphasized "they also see opportunities" and "I don't think anybody around the table today wants to descend into a new Cold War with China."

This NATO summit can be seen as a turning point in the US and Europe's attitude toward China in the security arena. Washington has raised the curtain for a political mobilization campaign to use the NATO bloc to carry out strategic competition with China.

Pushed by Washington, the NATO summit has listed the challenges presented by China: "China joins Russia with military drills," "China's frequent lack of transparency and use of disinformation," "China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal" and "It is opaque in implementing its military modernization and its publicly declared military-civil fusion strategy."

Such a list is farfetched and some of the challenges on it are somewhat conceptual. They are not a summary or a refinement of the Europeans' actual sense of being threatened.

Most of NATO member states want to handle the differences with China through political and diplomatic means. It is difficult for Washington to bring NATO's military power to the Western Pacific. NATO will be a peripheral support force for the US to exert pressure on China, but Washington definitely wants more.

Once a military crisis erupts in the Western Pacific, the US will use the NATO mechanism to mobilize more Western countries to help it exert intensifying overall pressure on China and expand the destruction of China's rise. It is believed the US has no plan to conquer China militarily, as that does not work for China as a nuclear power. What the US wants is to intensify China-US tensions and increase Western unity to confront China and eventually crush an "isolated China."

Therefore, NATO plays a key role. The US wants to create a narrative that equates its own hegemony to the collective strategic advantage of the West and form a consensus among 30 countries. As long as NATO countries are bound by a common hatred for China, the interest links between Western countries and China will lose its moral basis and the US could force small European countries to serve its China strategy, politically exploiting them for US interests.

Therefore, although the rhetoric against China seems to be a little softer than that toward Russia in the NATO summit statement, China must be able to see through the conspiracies of the US. We must be committed to expanding China-Europe cooperation. We must not only make it clear that China does not pose any threat to Europe, but also need to make Europe which is strengthening its strategic autonomy discover the significance of having China as a partner. The future of Europe is not subordinate to the US only to get a small slice of cake from Washington's hegemony. Europe needs to be able to dominate its own destiny. Not only China, but Russia which also advocates multilateralism could interact with Europe in a healthy manner.

NATO has not been hand in glove with the US over the China issue. China should not allow the US to strengthen the anti-China tendency in the West through NATO. We need to make more efforts to collapse the US plan.
President Moon Jae-in arrived in Austria for the second leg of his weeklong visit to Europe on Sunday.

Moon is the first Korean president to visit Austria since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1892.


Korea's national debt is increasing by W3 million every second (US$1=W1,115).

According to the National Assembly Budget Office on Sunday, national debt will stand at W965.9 trillion by the end of this year as a result of the third supplementary budget that was put together in March.

The office estimates that the country's debt is swelling by W3.05 million a second for the remaining 201 days of the year.

The office has been displaying the national debt on its website since September 2013. It rose by W1.18 million a second that year and has increased 2.5 times over the last eight years.

As of Sunday, Korea's per-capita debt stood at W17.61 million and is expected to surpass W20 million in 2022. President Moon Jae-in said at a fiscal strategy meeting last month, "We must maintain an expansionary fiscal stance at least until next year."

Other major countries around the world have begun to rein in spending triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a report earlier this month by the Korea Institute of Public Finance, Canada, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. have started to normalize their expansionary fiscal policies. Germany decided in April to achieve fiscal balance by 2023 and limit national debt to 0.35 percent of GDP.
The leaders of the G7 countries agreed at their latest meeting to invest in building up the infrastructure of developing countries in a bid to counter China's "Belt and Road" initiative. The agreement shows the firm resolve of the international community to thwart China's imperial ambitions. U.S. news media claimed the new grand alliance will surpass the Marshall Plan of postwar aid to Western Europe, and the U.S. and its allies clearly hope to overwhelm China with a splurge of their own.

At the first G7 meeting to be held in two years, U.S. President Joe Biden pursued a flagrantly anti-China agenda, announcing a renewal of the Atlantic Charter that set America and Britains goals for the world after World War II but this time to thwart Chinas expansionist ambitions. The White House stressed the importance of investing in developing countries and set 2035 as the target year for completion. That just happens to be the year when Chinese President Xi Jinping's tenure ends. Biden criticized China's human rights abuses and anti-market principles and called on the international community to "take action."

Just a few days before the summit, Beijing pre-emptively passed a new law that would punish foreign companies for cooperating with the U.S.' anti-China sanctions. Punitive measures range from entry bans for executives to asset seizures. That means Samsung and other Korean businesses with factories in China could end up having their assets there seized if they cooperate with any American sanctions.

Last year, the Korean ambassador to the U.S. said, "Now we can choose sides" between the U.S. and China rather than being forced to pick one. Ruling-party lawmakers hailed the comments as representing "balanced" and even "transcendent" diplomacy. What must they be thinking now? When Seoul tried to repair its alliance with Washington, Beijing issued a warning, saying South Korea should not be "misled" by the U.S. The balancing act just got a whole lot more precarious.


New Braunfels, TX (78130)

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Cloudy with periods of rain, some heavy early. Low 62F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

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Srinagar: Eyewitnesses said that a group of policemen disembarked from their vehicle and opened indiscriminate fire on the civilians in Sopore on Saturday.

A middle-aged man said he saw a group of policemen disembarking from their vehicle and opening fire on the civilians. So what if they kill me, the eyewitness, in a video is seen telling a group of journalists near the location of the incident in Arampora Sopore.

One of the bullets, he said, hit Bashir Ahmad, a poor widower who was selling fruits and vegetables on a hand-driven cart in Arampora, and he collapsed on the spot. I saw it with my own eyes. Let them kill me, he said, as some onlookers, who are not seen in the video, advise caution.

The SSP Iqbal confirmed that Manzoor, the cart owner, was killed on the spot. The victim families of Sopore talking to media men said that they want justice.

The Indian police men brought civilian Manzoor Ahmad out of his vehicle and killed him there, the victim family said.

The government should release CCTV footage from the area, said victim Manzoors widow, Aasiya. I want justice. The culprits should be punished. I want to see the dead body of the person who killed my husband. I am pregnant with his second child. Who will now take care of us? Aasiya asked.

Hundreds of agitated women gathered in Sopore and staged an anti-India and anti-police demonstration, seeking justice and punishment to police personnel involved in killing of civilians in Sopore.

I need you, my son. Dont enter your grave yet, my martyr son, Manzoors aged mother said feebly, as other women lent support of their arms to prevent her from collapsing.

The locals said that the brutal police avenged the deaths of its two men in an attack in the area from poor civilians.

Meanwhile, as many as 5761 people were fined while 10 others were arrested during the last 24 hours in the name of violating guidelines of COVID-19 virus in the Kashmir valley.
Below are the arrests for June 11 to 13. All listed are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Lawrence Battreal, 27, was arrested on June 11 at 9 a.m. at 1221 N. Locke St. He was charged with a warrant for petition to revoke.

Paul Behny, 36, was arrested on June 11 at 5:54 p.m. in Peru, Ind. He was charged with criminal recklessness (level 6 felony), theft (class A misdemeanor), and resisting law enforcement (level 6 felony).

Chad Bergin, 35, was arrested on June 12 at 2:48 p.m. at 2023 Saratoga Ave. He was charged with theft (class A misdemeanor) and resisting law enforcement (class A misdemeanor).

Donte Brown, 20, was arrested on June 13 at 4:25 a.m. at 1109 S. Plate St. He was charged with domestic battery- simple assault (class A misdemeanor).

Christopher Clark-Wright, 38, was arrested on June 13 at 8:10 p.m. in Delphi, Ind. He was charged with burglary (level 5 felony) and theft of a vehicle (level 6 felony).

Rebecca Daniel, 35, was arrested on June 13 at 2:23 a.m. at 3059 Vinton Circle. She was charged with obstruction of justice (level 6 felony) and false informing (class B misdemeanor).

Jordan Davis, 25, was arrested on June 12 at 4:06 a.m. at 516 W. Mulberry St. and was charged with operating while intoxicated (class A misdemeanor).

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Jamiesha Durr, 24, was arrested on June 13 at 4:19 a.m. at 1109 S. Plate St. She was charged with domestic battery - simple assault (class A misdemeanor) and resisting law enforcement (class A misdemeanor).

Joseph Edminster, 26, was arrested on June 11 at 11 p.m. at 714 N. Union St. He was charged with identity deception (level 6 felony), possession of methamphetamine (level 6 felony), a warrant for failure to appear, and two warrants for intimidation.

Zachary Hill, 36, was arrested on June 12 at 6:05 p.m. at 1502 N. Wabash St. He was charged with possession of a syringe (level 6 felony), possession of marijuana (class B misdemeanor), and possession of methamphetamine (level 6 felony).

Franklin Hughes, 46, was arrested on June 13 at 12:46 p.m. at 1621 S. Webster St. He was charged with domestic battery in presence of a child less than 16 (level 6 felony) and strangulation (level 6 felony).

Devontize Phillips, 30, was arrested on June 12 at 12:28 a.m. at West Broadway Street and South Delphos Street. He was charged with a warrant for invasion of privacy.

Michael Piatt, 30, was arrested on June 12 at 9:37 p.m. at 1229 N. Courtland St. He was charged with a warrant for possession of methamphetamine.

Kylee Riddle, 29, was arrested on June 11 at 11:15 p.m. at South Washington Street and West Superior Street. She was charged with a warrant for petition to revoke.

Erica Trutman, 28, was arrested on June 12 at 6:06 p.m. at 1502 N. Wabash St. She was charged with a warrant for violation of probation.
New York prosecutors charged the Trump Organization, the Trump Payroll Corporation and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg in connection with an alleged tax scheme stretching back to 2005, in an extraordinary legal development against the former President's namesake company. Weisselber
In what was, so far, the best baseball game of the week, the Jaguars pulled their 33rd win out of the fire and salvaged a gem of a start from their star pitcher.
King Mohammed VI has given more instructions to a number of institutions to facilitate the 2021 Summer holidays for Moroccan expatriates, whose majority could not visit the home country last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Sovereign has thus instructed the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity as well as Moroccan embassies and consulates abroad to mobilize to assist the Moroccan diaspora travelling back home for the summer holidays.

In this vein, King Mohammed VI has urged the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity to put at the disposal of the members of the Moroccan community a special support system on board the ships operating the crossing back home, the Royal Office said in a statement this Sunday.

The Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity will thus facilitate, during the crossing as well as during the disembarkation, all administrative, customs and health formalities, so that the journey, arrival and stay in Morocco unfold in a safe, smooth and satisfactory way.

The other traditional methods of reception and assistance deployed by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, in Morocco and abroad, will remain in force, the Royal Office said.

The Sovereign also gave his instructions so that Moroccos Embassies and Consulates be mobilized in this operation.

Thus, the diplomatic and consular representations are called upon to facilitate all the consular and administrative steps required by the Moroccan citizens and the foreigners wishing to visit Morocco, and to meet in an effective way their requests and expectations, the statement added.

Earlier Sunday, King Mohammed VI urged all transportation companies and all other stakeholders in the field to facilitate the Moroccan diasporas return home for the summer holidays through offering affordable travel fees.

The King also urged all tourism operators, both in the field of transport and the hotel industry, to take the necessary measures to welcome the members of the Moroccan community living abroad in the best conditions and at the best prices.
Egypt and Pakistan Sunday contemplated plans to strengthen bilateral relations including defense between the two countries, nearly one month holding joint military drill.

President Abdelfattah al-Sisi and Pakistani Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen. Nadeem Raza discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in a number of fields, especially the security and military fields, Anadolu news agency reports citing the office of the Egyptian leader.

The discussion according to the office also revolved around developments across the Middle East and agreed to coordinate to preserve regional peace and combat terrorism.

Razas Sunday visit to Cairo came several days after both countries held joint military drills. The air forces of both countries staged on May 26 a several-day military exercise dubbed Sky Guardians 1.
Opponents of Namakhvani HPP and Georgian government reach partial agreement

By Veronika Malinboym

For the first time since the protests against the construction of the Namakhvani hydroelectric power plant broke out in October 2020, the activists and the government authorities have been able to come to a partial agreement. Representatives of the Georgian government and the activists have met for the first stage of negotiations facilitated by the EU Energy Consolidation Dispute Resolution and Negotiation Center.The parties managed to agree to the following three clauses: a risk assessment of the construction of the Namakhvani HPP will be conducted; all the fences at the construction site will be removed and free movement of the local residents will be ensured; the government of Georgia will create a 10- year plan for the countrys energy security.The parties have also agreed to continue negotiations, however, at this stage, representatives of the projects main investor  the Turkish company Enka did not attend.The project of building the Namakhvani power plant in the Rioni gorge of Western Georgia has sparked a wave of protests, as activists, supported by a number of environmental experts, believe that the construction may pose serious seismic and ecological risks to the area, as well as leading the locals having to leave their homes and relocate elsewhere. The protests under the Protect the Rioni gorge slogan have been going on for several months, despite the efforts of the local law enforcement agents to disperse them and prohibit access to the protest site.The project of building the Lower and Upper Namakhvani power plants with a total capacity of 433 MW is being realized by one of the Turkish largest companies ENKA with the direct support of the government of Georgia. The governments main argument in favor of the construction is that the new power plant, can, potentially, ensure Georgias energy independence, as the Namakhvani HPP would become the countrys largest project since the Enguri HPP constructed during the Soviet Era.
Georgia applauds its role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations

By Veronika Malinboym

On June 12, Azerbaijan has returned 15 detained Armenian soldiers in exchange for Armenias landmine maps of the Agdam region, which has come under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the second Karabakh war in the fall of 2020. The exchange of soldiers has been conducted on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan.PM of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili has been personally involved in maintaining constant communication with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev:Proud of the role Georgia played in close coordination with our strategic partner, the USA, and Acting Assistant Secretary Reeker to facilitate Azerbaijan's release of 15 Armenian citizens detained during the conflict. Armenia providing Azerbaijan with the information about mined territories is an important step toward improved security in our region, PM Garibashvili tweeted after the exchange had taken place.Georgias efforts in facilitating the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan were welcomed by the countrys partners in the United States:The U.S. welcomes the release by Azerbaijan of 15 Armenian detainees. We're grateful to the Government of Georgia for its vital role in facilitating discussions between the sides. Such steps will bring the people of the region closer to the peaceful future they deserve,, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in his tweet.The US Embassy to Georgia has also expressed gratitude for the role that the country played in a recent exchange:We are grateful to Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the Government of Georgia for the essential role Georgia played in facilitating these steps, which bring the people of the region closer to the peaceful and prosperous future they deserve.The United States is pleased to support these steps and hopes they will lay the groundwork for additional cooperation. We continue to call for the return of all detainees and stand ready to assist the countries of the region in their efforts to continue cooperation and resolve outstanding issues between them. We also continue to urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to reengage in substantive negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to negotiate a comprehensive political settlement to the conflict, the Embassy said in its statement.
Michael Mwaura aka Mike Mwa is a fashion model, stylist and fashion influencer. The self-proclaimed professor of style also runs an eponymous mens clothing brand.

The fashionista spoke to People Daily about his fashion journey.

When did your interest in fashion start?

I discovered my fashion sense from styling some of my friends and my siblings. I started with my sister and over time grew my styling brand.

I have always had an interest in fashion ever since I was young. I started to showcase my fashion looks on my social media pages in 2017 and started my slow and steady growth from there.

What comes first, modelling, styling or influencing?

Styling comes first to me. I really love styling people. I love playing around with colours and textures.

And since you have to be your biggest fan, I love styling myself and then modelling the different styled looks.

Influencing follows last, as it only comes with the addition of value to other peoples lives.

You have to have something you want to impart in others. For me, it is the fashion knowledge I have accrued over the years.

Where do you draw your style inspiration?

I get my style inspiration from a lot of sources, but mostly from YouTube, Instagram, and Google.

There are countless of ideas everywhere, especially in this age we are in; the age of information.

Be open to learn and experiment and you will eventually find a fashion style that is entirely your own.

What does fashion and image mean to you?

Fashion is very important. It is how you express your personality in a visual way for the world to see.

Image is an amalgamation of fashion, personality and other non-visual elements such as confidence and how you carry yourself.

Fashion and image can be leveraged for good. You can decide how you want to be perceived and curate an image to that end.

How then can you describe your style?

I would describe my style as simple and elegant. For me, simplicity is key. My fashion has evolved a lot.

There is a time I was into colour and really loved the colour-blocking trend. I have evolved into a simpler and more muted style where I still love colour, but I would rather stay in one colour scheme rather than colour block.

Do you own a fashion item that you love above any other?

Yes I do. My Alexander McQueens sneakers without a doubt. Every stylist and fashionista should have at least a pair of plain black and white sneakers. They go well with any outfit, be it a smart casual outfit or an official get-up.

What is your one fashion pet peeve?

Those bright coloured and huge logos on T-shirts is one of my fashion pet peeves. What happened to a simple white or black tee?

Which Kenyan fashion brands do you like?

Cittifficial Klothing is one of my favourite Kenyan brands. I do not own any of their items though, but I am planning to buy something from them soon.

I love the cuts on their bespoke suits. They have various suit styles that are timeless and legendary.

What items do you wear to compliment your outfits?

My accessories. I use them to add my own personal flair to my outfits. I love accessorising.

I normally advise my styling clients to always accessorise albeit with minimal accessories such as watches, eyewear, or even bracelets.

Both locally and internationally, do you have style icons that you look up to?

I have numerous style icons I look up to. Locally its Collins Dominic, Tailor 001, Filbert Mkwiche, Boaz Hosea, Eli Mwenda and Clyde Ray.

Internationally, it has to be Sergio Ines, Alex Costa, Jose Zuniga, Mr Audrey Lunda, Mr Passy and Blake Scott among others.

Whats that one styling or fashion tip can you share with our audiences?

Minimal is classy. Keep it classy; it never goes out of fashion. If you are confused with colours or accessories, remember that less is more. Always err on the side of the minimal.

What would you tell someone starting out and keen on becoming a fashion influencer?

Control yourself, alter your thinking and delete negativity. Hold the vision and trust the process.

Expose yourself and your passion to the masses for fashion by posting on social media, remember that nothing is off the limits if you love colour, texture and photography.

Just go for it and discover your own niche. Remember to always be yourself and remain true to that.
The National Hospital Insurance Fund CEO Peter Kamunyo Gathenge answers questions from the public via Sunday Nation.

The opposition to the NHIF Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that we are seeing is largely based on NHIFs not-so-rosy past. The criticism has been about the capacity of NHIF to run the UHC when it has had numerous cases of funds embezzlement and poor services. The sentiments against the Bill also question the different services a person would get from the Sh500 they will be paying. What is your response to these? Joy Karambu, Maua

In terms of capacity, there are deliberate efforts being made by the Government to ensure quality service delivery to the people of Kenya in the national UHC scale-up. In this regard, the Cabinet Secretary for Health appointed a Health Financing Reforms Experts Panel (HEFREP) for the transformation and repositioning of NHIF as Strategic Purchaser of Healthcare Services.

The implementation of the reforms is at advanced stages; the amendment of the NHIF Act is currently in parliament, the restructuring of Human Resource, introduction of biometric registration and electronic claims management system. These reforms are expected to enhance efficiency in service delivery and improve access.

The boost in contribution where members will be expected to pay Sh500 per month (Sh17 per day or Sh6,000 annually) will enable NHIF to broaden the spectrum of services offered to the members. Currently, members have access to inpatient & outpatient services and packages such as surgical, oncology, radiology, maternity, renal dialysis & kidney transplant cover among others.

Sir, the insurance sector has warned that there is the prospect of raising the cost of labour and therefore lay-offs if the proposal contained in the Bill that the employer will match the employee contribution to NHIF is adopted. Therefore, in as much as Kenyans want quality healthcare, they are also mindful of retaining their jobs. How can NHIF strike a balance here? Angela Mbugua, Riverside Nairobi

Good health is an important aspect of any workplace as it impacts directly on their productivity and the economy. As a social health insurer, the key focus is to ensure sustainability and inclusion of everybody where the one who are able support those who are unable. The assurance of access to quality healthcare for all employees will be a big saving for the employer in the long run. NHIF is in communication with stakeholders to explore if there are other options to achieve this goal.

My question concerns the non-payment by NHIF of certain services contrary to what the national insurer says in its policies, eg MRI under the radiological services package; prostate cancer diagnosis/testing and presumably treatment under the oncology package. I have been denied both services and had to fundraise to afford the same. Why is this so? Ernest Mungai

It is true, the cost of cancer management is high and this goes for all other Non-Communicable Diseases which have been on the rise in the recent past. NHIF pays for treatment for all cancers though chemotherapy, radiotherapy, brachytherapy and other related treatment.

For chemotherapy, payments are made based on the treatment regimen with a capped limit of Sh25,000 per cycle for first line treatment and Sh150,000 per cycle for second and third line treatment.

For radiotherapy and/or brachytherapy, NHIF pays a maximum of Sh72,000. For treatment planning, NHIF pays for MRI, CT Scans and PET CT scans. You will find that in facilities with comprehensive contract, this amount is sufficient for treatment.

An increased safety net mechanism for the indigents is one of the key components of Universal Health Care. What programmes have been implemented by the Fund to support this group? Hope Kalekye, Nairobi County

The guiding principle for the attainment of UHC is that those who can pay for their health insurance are encouraged to pay and those who cannot pay are identified and supported.

The Government of Kenya has been cushioning vulnerable segments of populations from health care-related out of pocket expenses by targeting vulnerable groups to ensure that those who need healthcare and financial protection the most get it.

Currently, collaboration among the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has seen vulnerable members supported as NHIF members.

The Health Insurance Subsidy Programmes for the Orphaned & Vulnerable Children (HISP-OVC) and that for the Elderly and Persons Living with Severe Disabilities (HISP-OP&SD) cover 181,968 and 42,000 indigent households respectively. The government is funding, through NHIF, the Free Maternity Program dubbed Linda Mama Program for the all mothers in their reproductive age.

Additionally, NHIF has engaged various County Governments, Members of Parliament and Members of County Assemblies to sponsor indigents in their jurisdictions from the funds allocated for development. Currently, an additional one million households have been identified for sponsorship by the Government and pay for them NHIF.

I call upon well-wishers to come forth and adopt a village, a family, a child and pay for their health insurance. We shall have collectively taken a step towards bridging the gap of poverty by making strides towards UHC.

What is your position in regards to the funds the NHIF was supposed to refund to the Interior Ministry at the lapse of the medical cover for police and prison officers? Antony Mulatya, Syokimau

NHIF signed a contract to offer a comprehensive medical cover for the National Police and Kenya Prisons officers for the period 2017/2019. Besides the premiums payable of Sh4.5 billion annually, an additional Excess of Loss fund of Sh200 million annually was paid to the Fund. These additional funds were meant to cushion the officers who exceed their medical limits.

Reconciliation of the funds is ongoing between NHIF and the Ministry of Interior to establish funds to be rolled over to the next contract period.

It is a reality that cancer diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, especially in Kenya, is very expensive bearing in mind that majority of cases are diagnosed late and therefore cost more to treat. This doesnt always have to be the case give advances in science in screening tests. What is the current NHIF plans on covering at least a one-in-a-lifetime screening test for each of the above cancers? When can we expect NHIF to offer women aged 40 and above at least a one-in-a-lifetime screening mammography? What about at least a one off colonoscopy for anyone at or above 45 years? Dr Alex Muturi, GI Surgeon KU Hospital

NHIF takes cognizance of the importance of diagnosis, treatment and follow up as aspects of preventive and promotive healthcare services. Currently, we cater for oncology treatment including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and screening through our radiology packages which include MRI, CT Scans and PET CT scans.

We are hopeful that with the UHC scale up and the adoption of the NHIF Act (Amendment) Bill, we will be able to have conversations with partners to include these services in the benefits the members can access.

Sir, are the changes envisaged in the NHIF Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 achievable and sustainable in a contracting economy like ours? Ivy Odhiambo, Nairobi

Ivy, Yes! Health is wealth! The changes envisaged in the NHIF Act Bill follow the recommendations contained in the HEFREP report. In the report, there were 55 recommendations and out of these, to date we have already completed 31 and 24 are in progress, of which the Bill is one of them.

There were reports a few years ago that the government would meet the NHIF contributions for the aged, even as it continued giving them a monthly stipend. Instead, we now have the NHIF Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which is silent on the proposal for covering the aged and vulnerable. What became of this noble idea? Githuku Mungai, Nairobi

This spirit of the proposed NHIF Act amendment Bill is to ensure that all Kenyans are covered and have access to affordable healthcare services without suffering financial hardship. The Government has taken the first step to sponsor indigent population through various programmes such as the UHC scale up where a million households that cannot afford basic necessities including healthcare have been identified to be supported.

To strengthen support for indigent population, the Ministry of Health, Social Protection Department and NHIF on Wednesday, June 10, 2021, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to put in place structures that will guide the implementation of such programmes.

NHIF has been mandated by the government of Kenya to be the driver of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scale up. How ready and aligned is the Fund bearing in mind the dynamics in the health sector? Lydia Mwangi, Kikuyu

NHIF is ready! First, the organisation is carrying out reforms that will place the institution as a strategic purchaser of healthcare services. For example, the re-engineering of the ICT systems to allow for a full digitization of its core operations, restructuring of its human resource and amendment of NHIF Act among others.

It is noteworthy that NHIF as the public health insurer is best positioned to provide health insurance to all Kenyans due to its vast experience and capacity in providing social health insurance for the last 55 years.

The other aspects that make NHIF best suited to deliver on UHC is the wide network of contracted healthcare providers which currently stands at over 8,000 across the country and the well-established NHIF Services Points (70 fully fledged branches, 33 satellite offices and 54 Huduma Centres) and Self-care Platforms (USSD *155#, mobile App and Online platforms).

Furthermore, NHIF has established a dedicated customer experience centre that operates 24 hours to handle customer queries in real time. The diversified Benefits Package gives NHIF a competitive edge when it comes to quality of services accessed by members.

You have joined NHIF at a period that it is undergoing transformation and reforms. What are you doing differently? Mickey Mburu, Kirinyaga County

I joined NHIF when the institution was undergoing structural and operational reforms in alignment to the National Agenda of achieving UHC. I set out five focus areas as a basis for actualizing the NHIFs Mandate.

First, actively listening to both the internal and external stakeholders has enabled me to have a better understanding of diverse ideas, as a result, enabled informed decisions making.

Secondly, I have learnt that an organization is only as great as its team! I am focused more on relying on the heart count as opposed to the headcount. With the understanding that health is an emotive issue, I strive to ensure that issues to do with our members are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner and with the empathy it deserves.

Restoration of trust is crucial to develop pertinent best practices in stakeholder management for transparency and accountability. Fourthly, prudent utilization of resources and cost containment is vital in delivering an organizations mandate and beyond. Finally, adding value to the stakeholders is a passion that focuses on innovative health care solutions to strengthen efficiency and improve health outcomes. It is nothing less than working towards putting a smile on the faces of those my work impacts.

The proposed NHIF Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that recommends a mandatory Sh500 contribution by every household towards a medical cover is facing stiff opposition from many quarters. Is the opposition based on facts? Why or why not? Virginia Nthenya, Nairobi

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a state where all people have access to affordable health services they need without financial hardship. To ensure that no one is left behind, the Government is rolling out UHC on an insurance model using NHIF as a vehicle for delivery of the services. To build a solid financial base for sustenance of UHC, it will therefore require every Kenyan to be enrolled to NHIF.

Currently, NHIF has a membership of 10.4 million registered principal members drawn from both the employed (formal sector) and voluntary contributors (informal sector). Out of the 10.4 million plus members, active members are only about five million principal members.

This is attributed to the fact that most members of the informal sector only pay for their medical insurance when they have a healthcare need and will often drop off once their health need has been met. Those who remain consistent contributors are mostly those with chronic illnesses or requiring major treatment. This puts a financial strain on the system.

The proposed amendments suggest ways to secure the sustainability of the institution through member retention and revenue flow that includes mandatory contribution for the informal sector to reduce the adverse selection. The proposed bill ensures sustainability of NHIF and ability to continue offering improved benefits.

A number of NHIF members who have sought medication in both public and private hospitals during this pandemic period have noticed medical bills are unnecessarily exaggerated. In fact one raised questions about some bills and the same were revised downwards without much explanations. Sir, how rampant are such incidents? What is the Fund doing to mitigate against such unethical practices? Komen Moris, Eldoret

To be honest, such incidences are common place in the insurance industry the world over. Medical insurance fraud comes in many forms: impersonation where someone uses a card that does not belong to them or a neighbour giving a card to their friend, hospital and insurance personnel colluding to defraud the organization and such cases as you have raised where a healthcare facility inflates bills or claims for services not rendered.

To deal with this issue, NHIF has instituted mitigation measures, for example, use of biometric registration and identification, deployment of the e-claim system in all contracted healthcare facilities, and establishment of Compliance & Enforcement Division, which is working in collaboration with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

To demonstrate how serious we are against such vices, we have suspended some healthcare facilities that have been found committing fraudulent activities and have taken others to court. We are also not excusing employee-induced fraud and staff that have been found culpable have been dealt with accordingly.

Hospitals are caught in a cash crisis. They are having great difficulty in paying their bills, due to the late payment of the money owed by NHIF for patients treated in 2020. When do you expect to clear this backlog? Graham Girvan, Bungoma

Currently, the organization is carrying out major reconciliation of accounts with a commitment to pay all valid claims promptly. However, there are certain benefits that rely on third party funding which is occasionally delayed. Delay sometimes would also mean that the documents were returned for correction or attachment of requisite documents.

With the expected increase in the volume of claims on full rollout of the UHC, NHIF has adopted an electronic claim processing system. The system has already been piloted successfully and is now on implementation in a phased approach. Healthcare facilities in over 14 counties have already been deployed with the e-claim system. This exercise is currently ongoing in different parts of the country and will be completed by July 2021.

If the proposed Bill was adopted as it is what substantive reforms can we expect from NHIF once it comes into effect? How does the proposed amendments anchor Universal Health Coverage? Dylan Armani, Nairobi

The ongoing reforms are geared towards transforming NHIF to a strategic purchaser of healthcare services for the people of Kenya. This is meant to align all the functions of NHIF to the scale up for UHC that we are currently undergoing and it is dependent and supported by the Bill.

Over the years the Fund has been hesitant to cater for expensive specialized treatments like surgeries and organ transplants surprisingly even in public health facilities. How can this be addressed to ensure that Kenyans freely access all medical services in the context of Universal Health Care? Dan Murugu, Nakuru

As a matter of fact, Mr Murugu, NHIF does cater for specialised surgeries and organ transplants to a maximum of Sh500,000. In April 2015, the NHIF contribution rates were revised, to account for increased cost of healthcare services and to expand the benefit package.
Contact:

Kent Donahue

Kent.Donahue@flhealth.gov

407-858-1418

Orlando, FL - At a special ceremony held Friday, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County (DOH-Orange) honored two deserving individuals from the community for their contributions and dedication to public health.

This years Alfred L. Bookhardt, M.D. Award recipient is Dr. Michael Howell. Dr. Howell has participated in healthcare access issues throughout his career. Most recently, he has focused on addressing COVID-19 education in Black and Brown communities in Central Florida. His work has involved setting up webinars with major community employers, especially those who employ workers who are in the highest risk for contracting COVID-19 and discussing vaccine education to assist with vaccine decision-making. In collaboration with vaccine education he also has discussed health disparities and mistrust of the medical delivery systems while explaining the reasons for preventive health screening to identify serious medical conditions in minority populations. Dr. Howell has been able to raise the profile of health disparities and health inequities in the local and external communities.

The annual Bookhardt award for Health Equity was created by DOH-Orange as a way of recognizing an Orange County physician for their commitment to increasing access to health care with a goal of achieving health equity in Central Florida. Dr. Alfred L. Bookhardt (1928-2014) began practicing in Orlando during the Civil Rights Movement. He treated African-American patients who were refused care by white physicians. He also co-founded the Central Florida Medical Society and Guardian Care, the first long-term care facility for African-Americans in Orlando.

Also during the ceremony, DOH-Orange recognized one of its own employees  Epidemiologist Cassandra Fonseca with a Health Equity Hero Award. Ms. Fonseca has been a vital member of the COVID-19 data team that conducted in-depth reviews of the cases and provided insight on trends and activity of the virus in the community.

Ms. Fonsecas COVID-19 surveillance data assisted DOH-Orange, several community partners and policy makers in making the best data driven decision to protect county residents and visitors, such as closing local bars to reduce the spread of COVID-19, recommending county testing and vaccination sites.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

2021 Bookhardt Winner: From left Ms. Alfred L. Bookhardt, Dr. Michael Howell, DOH-Orange Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino

Health Equity Hero: From left DOH-Orange Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino, Cassandra Fonseca, and Ellis Perez DOH-Orange Community Health Program Manager
RSS affiliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has alleged that the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) contributions of lakhs of low-wage workers are pending with the employers as they are unable to remit monthly contributions due to the mismatch of details in the EPFO database and Aadhaar cards of employees.

The problem cropped up after the government notified Section 142 of the Social Security Code, 2020, to enable the Ministry of Labour and Employment to collect Aaadhaar details for the database of beneficiaries under various social security schemes.

BMS said that despite a clarification from the Ministry of Labour and Employment that it can't mandate Section 142 of Social Security code, 2020, on the existing ESI Act, without notifying the entire code, the EPFO is insisting on validating Aadhaar, and unless all details like name, date of birth, gender matches, it is not allowing employers to pay the contributions.

Also Read: WhatsApp sues Indian govt, says new media rules mean end to privacy

In a letter to labour minister Santhosh Gangwar on June 12, BMS wanted the EPFO to be asked to accept the contributions if the Aadhaar number is furnished -- without validating the parameters by giving sufficient time to the members to rectify the mismatch -- to safeguard the interests low wage earners.

According to Binay Kumar Sinha, general secretary, BMS, the scheme is mandated for low-wage earners (Rs 15,000 or below per month) and most of them are illiterates, and are unaware of their date of birth, which is recorded in the EPFO and Aadhaar. Most of the disallowed account numbers pertain to this category, he says.

Also Read: MeitY defends new social media rules after WhatsApp lawsuit, assures right to privacy

"By delaying contributions, employees will be deprived of their statutory benefits like PF and pension as non-receipt of contribution will cause breaks in service while calculating pension," the letter pointed out.

On the notification, BMS said the decision was implemented all of a sudden and a notification was issued with regard to the provision of Section 142 of the Social Security Code, before it was fully notified. "Only one provision was brought into force without giving sufficient time to employers, due to which lakhs of employees' contributions are being held up with the employers, and there is a chance of misappropriation of funds deducted from employees as their share of contribution," the letter said.

On May 5, the labour minister had clarified that the section under the Social Security Code was notified only for the collection of data of workers, including migrant workers and no benefit will be denied to workers for want of Aaadhaar.

Also read: Centre to online news publishers: Give details on compliance with new rules in 15 days
The Noida Police stated on Monday that they have arrested 61 people for violating COVID-19 restriction norms. These individuals, including 15 women, were allegedly partying at a farmhouse in Noida when they were nabbed by the police, according to officials.

"The arrests were made following a raid on the property in Sector 135, under the Expressway police station limits, on Sunday night," the officials stated.

"A pool party was being held at the Green Beauty farmhouse in the Yamuna floodplains area in Sector 135 in violation of the COVID-19 protocols. A total of 46 men and 15 women were arrested," a police spokesperson stated. "All accused were bathing in the swimming pool in violation of the pandemic protocols. They were without face masks and some of them were even spitting at various places in the open premises of the farmhouse," the spokesperson added.

The Noida Police explained that they have recovered 12 bottles of beer and two bottles of whisky from the venue of the pool party. The liquor was meant to be sold in Haryana, according to the police.

"Several of the arrestees are residents of Delhi, while some are from Ghaziabad and other towns of the NCR," the Noida Police added.

The cops have stated that an FIR has been lodged against the violators under Indian Penal Code sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (unlawfully or negligently spreading infection of any disease dangerous to life), and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life).

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The Centre is mulling to draw in a clutch of anchor investors to pump in up to Rs 25,000 crore in the shares of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in its IPO (Initial Public Offering).

The state-run insurer will also undergo a change in its board structure and adopt new accounting standards before its initial share sales.

The anchor investors will be invited "after the embedded valuation exercise is done" and the IPO pricing is "ready", a source told the Mint.

There may be over two dozen (24) anchor investors in LIC's IPO, another source added. A mere 10% stake in the country's largest insurer is assessed to be worth at least Rs 1 lakh crore, which is remarkably high for the Indian equity market.

Also Read: LIC IPO estimated at Rs 400-600 per share

The anchor investors will purchase a portion of LIC's shares, meant for qualified institutional buyers (QIBs). "If anchor investors pay a certain amount and the market is ready to pay more than that on the day of IPO, the anchor investors will have to bring in the extra amount to match the market price. If the market shows a demand of less, we don't have to refund the extra amount to anchor investors. This is the benefit of having anchor investors," the source further told the publication.

Meanwhile, the state-run insurer is "aligning" its compliance processes with listing norms and will make changes at the "constitutional level". The LIC board, presently, is not as per the prescribed SEBI norms.

The insurer's draft red herring prospectus will be filed within six months, the source added. "Once their annual financials are ready, it will aid the process of valuation. We will come out very soon with the RFP for appointing merchant bankers, advisors, and the registrar for the IPO," the source stated.

Also Read: 10% of LIC IPO issue size to be reserved for policyholders

According to SEBI norms, anchor investors are QIBs who purchase company shares at a specific price by applying to invest up to Rs 10 crore in the IPO before it opens for subscription.

As much as 50% of the shares of an issue can be offered to QIBs. Of this, up to 60% can be allotted to anchor investors. Each investor is under a 30-day lock-in period on shares.

The report stated that having anchor investors would be beneficial in LIC's listing, due to the issue size and concern regarding stable growth of the restructured entity.

It noted that the "exact size of the IPO is not yet ascertained" which will be "worked out only after the embedded valuation report of LIC is ready."
Highlights Paytm has announced Vaccine Appointment Booking on the app.

Feature will let Paytm users search and book for a vaccination slot near to them.

The app will display availability for both Covaxin and Covishield.

In an effort to enable its users to get vaccinated against Covid-19, Paytm has announced the launch of vaccine slot booking service on its platform. With this, the fintech major will let its users book appointments for Covid-19 vaccination through its app.

Following the launch, Paytm users will now be able to search and book their vaccination slots at the nearest centre through the Paytm app. The app will display centres and slots for both the prevalent vaccine types - Covaxin and Covishield.

The service will only be the second of its kind, after the government's own CoWin portal, which is currently the only way to book one's Covid-19 vaccine appointment. The vaccination slot booking service comes in addition to Paytm's Vaccine Finder service on the app.

How to book a Covid-19 vaccine slot through Paytm?

(Image: India Today)

Users can book their vaccine slot under Covid-19 Vaccine Slot Finder option in the Paytm app. Earlier, the option only let users find vaccine slots in their nearby vaccination centres. It now has a third step that mentions the appointment booking capability.

Users can first search the centres near to them through their area PIN code or by the district. They can further filter options through the choices for age groups, 18 to 44 years or 45+ years, and the dose they are supposed to get - first or second.

They can then proceed to choose their favoured time slot to get their vaccine shot. In case slots for the vaccine are not available in their area, users can also use the app to be notified of its availability as and when it pops up.

With the Indian government enabling third-party services like Paytm to help Indians book vaccine appointments, the intent to expand on the vaccination drive is clear. Through various mediums, the government also urges those eligible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to protect themselves and those around them.



Also read: | Jio WhatsApp number launched to let you make mobile, broadband recharges and manage JioMart orders
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Shooting through a seam at the inside, Outlaw Fireball landed at the finish first in the $8,100 Fillies & Mares Open Pace on Sunday (June 13) at Century Downs.

Mrs Suhwiggins protected position from the pylon post to lead the field to a :27.4 first quarter. Chocolate Terror settled into second while trainer-driver J. F. Gagne floated Outlaw Fireball into sixth and soon gained slight ground as Miss Itunes pulled off the cones from third. Miss Itunes marched towards Mrs Suhwiggins to pressure the pacesetter past a :58.1 half but was promptly rebuffed to three-quarters in 1:25.2.

Off the final turn Mrs Suhwiggins began to drift while Chocolate Terror angled out of the pocket, leaving a gap for Outlaw Fireball to dash through and grab the lead late in the 1:55.1 mile. The seven-year-old Blue Burner mare got up by a neck to beat Chocolate Terror, with Mrs Suhwiggins settling for third.

Co-owned by J. F. Gagne with Peter Van Seggelen, Carl Warnaar and Tapron Holdings Ltd., Outlaw Fireball won her 22nd race from 78 starts, earning $455,375. She paid $21.50 to win.

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Century Downs.
The reopening of Ontario harness racing continues on Tuesday (June 15) when Georgian Downs kicks off its 2021 meet with a 10-race card.

High-class action starts promptly on Tuesday with the featured event on the evening carded as Race 2. A field of five will align for a $10,000 Horses & Geldings Preferred 3 Pace. Pretty Handsome fronts the field as the 7-5 morning line favourite as he returns to Ontario after racing and climbing the class ladder at Northfield Park. Colin Kelly will drive the Lacey McCabe trainee to the flank of Mr Kelly, a Rob Fellows trainee listed as the 2-1 second choice with Brett MacDonald in the bike.

Tuesday's card at Georgian drew 84 horses, leaving seven of the 10 races with full nine-horse fields of competition and a total of $76,500 offered in purses.

First-race post time at Georgian Downs is slated for 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

Racing continues at Georgian Downs on a Tuesday-Saturday-Sunday rotation through Tuesday, Aug. 31. Saturday racing also gets underway at 7:15 p.m. (EDT) while racing on Sundays will start at 6:00 p.m. (EDT).

To view Tuesday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Tuesday Entries - Georgian Downs.
The Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) stakes for three-year-olds will headline the (June 14-16) week of racing at Harrington Raceway.

The pacing males will compete in three divisions Monday (June 14), pacing females in three divisions Tuesday (June 15) and both sexes of trotters in five divisions on Wednesday (June 16). Each split goes for a purse of $20,000 in the two weeks of eliminations with the $100,000 finals to be contested on July 29 during the Delaware State Fair.

A pair of DSBF two-year-old champs will square off in the second male pacing division Monday as Mst Racing and George Teagues Subban (4/1, Montrell Teague), a Southwind Lynx gelding who won last years $100,000 final at Harrington for trainer Clyde Francis, will battle a deep field that includes the Dover Downs final champ in Henry Farragalli III, Nanticoke Racing and Albert Feeneys Downtown Show (3/2, Allan Davis). A son of Delmarvalous for trainer Les Givens, he already has 2 wins in his sophomore campaign. Leonard Hubbards Zs Dream (5/2, Art Stafford Jr.), a son of Dream Away, won four of 10 races as a freshman and figures to be one of the major players in the division for trainer Andrew Stafford.

Tuesdays filly pacing divisions are stout with the stiffest split being in the sixth race, as Roddys Bags Again-sired Littlebagoftricks (7/5, Russell Foster) and Tobago Cays-sired Tobago Time (8/5, Pat Berry) will square off. Owned by Rich Lombardo, Charles Cochran and trainer Josh Green, Littlebagoftricks won four of six races as a two-year-old and banked nearly $100,000, while Frank Chick and David Hamms Tobago Time already has two wins under her belt at three and was a DSBF consolation winner at two for trainer Kevin Lare.

Wednesday is trot night which marks the stakes return of Bobby Myers Big Al M (Eddie Davis Jr.), a son of Anders Bluestone who dominated the colt and gelding ranks at two, winning five of seven and banked $136,092. His chief rival, Don and David Wiests Keystone Activator-sired Rhett (Corey Callahan) is back and drew in with him in the first division on the card, slated second on the 15-race program.

The filly trot division is headed by Thestable Jazzy Judy Groups Jazzy Judy (Anthony MacDonald), a daughter of Political Briefing who won three-of-six at two for trainer Jim King Jr. and is fresh off a pair of blowout qualifiers.

Racing will be conducted on a Monday through Wednesday schedule until June 23 when racing will be on Mondays and Tuesdays until July 6  the customary summer break will commence prior to the Delaware State Fair. Post time nightly is 4:30 p.m. (EDT).

(Harrington Raceway)
Standardbred Horse Sales Company is pleased to announce its return to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in 2021 for its annual sale.

The Yearling Sale will be held on Monday, Nov. 8 through Wednesday, Nov. 10. The Mixed Sale is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 11 and Friday, Nov. 12.

With the passing of the COVID-19 epidemic, the PA Farm Show Complex will again open for business., said Paul Spears, President of Standardbred Horse Sales. We are pleased to return to Harrisburg, where our consignors and customers have enjoyed very successful sales since 1939 at Pennsylvanias premier agricultural complex. At the same time, Standardbred extends its appreciation to the officials of the Maryland State Fairgrounds for their assistance and co-operation in holding our 2020 Annual Sale during a very uncertain time. We could not have asked for better partners when the chips were down..

The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex provides a completely indoors facility for the comfort and safety of our horses, consignors, and customers. We are glad to be back., Spears noted. Standardbred anticipates few, if any, facility restrictions related to COVID-19 by the time of the sale. While we expect that customers from all over the world will once again attend the sale in person, Standardbred will offer online and telephone bidding options for those customers who do not wish to travel. During the coming weeks, Standardbred will post information about hotel reservations, Harrisburg restaurants, and details about the upcoming sale on our website.

(Standardbred Horse Sales Company)
Aecom, a premier infrastructure consulting firm, has promoted Asif Shafi to lead its civil infrastructure business in the Middle East and Africa.

In his new role, Shafi will lead the companys civil infrastructure business, which comprises water, transportation and environment, said the statement from Aecom.

He will focus on the flawless delivery of existing major projects and drive growth by ensuring clients receive the best of the firms technical expertise and innovation.

Shafi has over 25 years experience working in the pursuit and delivery of large civil infrastructure projects in the MEA.

He joined Aecom in October 2014 as the business development director for civil infrastructure, Middle East and subsequently took on leadership of the Middle East Strategy & Growth team and became responsible for nurturing transformative growth opportunities across all market sectors, said the statement.

He has focused on developing strong client relationships and has led Aecoms successful pursuit of several major programs in the region, including the Neom backbone infrastructure design and Neom Bay Phase 1 PMC, it added.

Lauding the appointment, Middle East and Africa CEO Hamed Zaghw said: "Shafi is taking on a critical role as we look to grow our civil Infrastructure business in the region. I look forward to seeing the positive impact his experience and strong client focus has on our Civil Infrastructure team."

On his promotion, Asif said: "I am excited to lead our Civil Infrastructure business and our very talented team as we continue to partner with clients to turn their ambitions into action."

Asif is a licensed professional engineer in Texas, US, and holds a masters degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it has won the 2021 US Green Building Council (USGBC) Middle East Leadership Award in recognition for its outstanding efforts in creating a healthier and more sustainable buildings and communities.

The prestigious award was presented to Chamber during a virtual ceremony hosted by USGBC.

Dubai Chamber's headquarters is a prime example of one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly buildings in the Middle East, said the statement from Dubai Chamber.

It has achieved LEED Platinum certification three times over the last 15 years, which is a testament to its commitment towards environmental stewardship, it added.

President & CEO Hamad Buamim said: "This achievement reaffirms Dubai Chambers commitment towards sustainability and being a role model for the business community. Our HQ is one of the first buildings in the region to certify under Leed EB O+M followed by Leed Platinum re-certifications over the last few years."

Buamim pointed out that the newly-constructed Dubai Chamber extension building has been designed in line with Leed Building Design and Construction standards at the Platinum level.

It is currently pursuing Leed ARC Parksmart accreditations. The building will use solar PV systems and wind turbines to generate its own power.

According to him, the campus of University of Dubai, an initiative of Dubai Chamber, has also achieved Leed Gold certification for New Construction and Leed Platinum certification for Existing Building Operations and Management following the completion of a solar project.

The university is currently pursuing LEED Zero certification, he added.

Commending the Chambers' achievemnets, Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO of USGBC, said: "Following a difficult year, it is truly inspiring to recognise our green building leaders that have continued their commitment to green building and sustainable communities while adapting to the changing environments around us."

"The 2021 USGBC Leadership Award awardees have improved our world through the power of green building and it is their contributions and work that have helped our communities stay safe and healthy," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The UAEs medical device market will reach AED5.6 billion ($1.52 billion) by 2025, with an annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of 4.4% from 2020-2025, said Fitch Solutions, the content partners of Arab Health 2021, in a new report.



According to the Q2 2021 Fitch Solutions United Arab Emirates Medical Device report, the market will benefit from an overall strong economic performance over the next five years. Key market drivers, including population growth, changing epidemiology, a growing medical tourism industry, healthcare infrastructure developments, expanding health insurance, digital transformation, and new technologies, will underpin growth.



The medical device market includes any product used in healthcare for the diagnosis, prevention, monitoring or treatment of illness or handicap, other than drugs such as consumables, diagnostic imaging, dental products, orthopaedic & prosthetic products, and patient aids.



Ross Williams, Exhibition Director at Arab Health, said: Arab Health has for the last 45 years been instrumental in the growth of the medical device sector by providing a platform to connect and do business with the global healthcare industry. In line with the UAEs increasing budget allocation for the healthcare sector and ongoing healthcare development projects, we expect to play a pivotal role in the continued growth.



This will be supported by a strong economic recovery post-2021, Dubais hosting of the World Expo which will have an encouraging impact of the healthcare sector, as well as urban expansion and the UAE retirements visa.



As part of the Arab Health 2021 live event, the exciting healthcare star-up competition, Innov8 Talks, returns. A stand will be dedicated to showcasing 32 start-ups and their pitches, each dedicated to improving healthcare with the latest unique and innovative solutions in prevention, management, operations and diagnostics, amongst others.



Innovations include smart inhaler technology for drug delivery in respiratory issues by FindAir; a non-invasive wearable glucometer using laser light by GlucoActive; Angelo, the first hospital bed with artificial intelligence by Valiamo; and prodROBOT by Prodromus, manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality rehabilitation devices aimed at children, with a real-time biofeedback system.



Further underscoring Arab Healths commitment to supporting innovators within the healthcare sector, a star-up zone has been created and will feature a host of regional and international companies showcasing their latest innovations.



Elsewhere on the show floor, companies including Draeger, Philips, Fujifilm, Honeywell, and Canon, will showcase their latest medical equipment advances.



A series of dedicated online focus days have taken place and will be available until 22 July. These are designed to outline the latest products and technological advancements in the industry through a series of informative sessions covering oncology, imaging and diagnostics, paediatrics, critical care, patient monitoring, endoscopy, wellness, orthopaedics, surgery, consumables, and medical furniture.



Devices including the Aesculap Aeos by B.Braun, a new Robotic-assisted Digital Surgical Microscope Platform for neurosurgery, or the Fluorescence guided minimally invasive liver surgery by Richard Wolf Gmbh, have been featured.



Weve brought together a series of industry heavyweights at the forefront of innovation and technology in the healthcare sector. Now, more than ever, advances in medical devices are going to play a critical role in global recovery post-Covid-19," added Williams.



Arab Health has been developed under the show theme of 'United by Business, driving the industry forward, with the live, in-person event expected to welcome 2,000 exhibiting companies and over 24,500 attendees from 170 countries expected during the Live, in-person event.



Over 300 speakers are expected to come together for the Arab Health Congress to improve medical practice and ultimately improve patient outcomes. A total of 12 medical conferences will take place between 21-24 June, nine of which will be Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited, each allowing participants to network and develop international best practices.  TradeArabia News Service
Geo-data specialist, Fugro, is fueling a transformation journey to unify its people, processes, and business data with a single enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solution from IFS.

With a 9,000-strong workforce in 61 countries, Fugro collects and analyzes information about the earth and the structures built upon it. The company helps its customers determine the optimal site for the safe, cost-effective, and sustainable design and construction of buildings and infrastructure by acquiring, analyzing and advising on geodata for clients in industries such as offshore and land-based energy, renewables, infrastructure, and nautical engineering.

The investment in IFS is part of a company-wide initiative that is aimed at bringing staff together in one collaborative way of working, on a centralized technological framework. Without a central system and access to one version of its business information, the company was challenged in leveraging efficient and collaborative ways of working, with common processes and effective business and financial reporting. To provide a single, digital home to its business units, the company opted for a flexible solution that could support its project-based business and ensure timely and accurate reporting in one fully integrated solution. The cloud-based IFS solution will support mission-critical processes including financial management, project and business management, project accounting, and purchasing. When fully deployed, the system will be used in some 40 countries worldwide.

Companies like us, supporting our clients in managing their complex project lifecycles, are often forced to use separate software products to manage different stages of the project, creating multiple disconnects between data, people and time, Fugro Chief Executive Officer Mark Heine said. The IFS solution will standardize and harmonize our project-oriented processes in one highly intuitive ERP platform. Having all of our people accessing the same data and working in the same way will be faster and more enjoyable for our teams. We look forward to working with IFS to usher in the next phase of our companys business transformation journey.

Frank Beerlage, Managing Director, IFS Benelux, added: Project-based service providers such as Fugro need business technology that can scale and flex as business and circumstances dictate. We have a very successful track record in developing tools for companies in some of the worlds most demanding environments, both offshore and onshore. Fugro is a well-respected brand in the project-based service space and we are excited to be working alongside them to establish new standards of efficiency and value.

The solution will be implemented in collaboration with management and technology consultancy, and Platinum-level IFS partner, BearingPoint. -TradeArabia News Service
Oman Investment and Finance Company (OIFC)s Khedmah app constantly seeks to enrich its customer experience by providing flexible services that can be availed with a push of a button, such as the recharge of prepaid electricity meter.



Over the past period, prepaid electricity meters have been gaining acceptance within consumers. In order to meet the high demand on this service, Khedmah provides easy electricity recharge solutions to customers that can be obtained easily without the need to travel outside to get the vouchers.



Khedmah always endeavours to keep pace with community needs by providing comprehensive and easy services that meet people requirements such as prepaid electricity meter recharge and many more. Customers can benefit from these solutions anytime and anywhere from various e-channels that include Khedmah phone app and companys website. Utilizing these channels save time, efforts and maintain public safety especially during these unprecedented circumstances that the Sultanate is going through. said Mohammed Al Ghabshi, Regional Manager of Khedmah Branches in Muscat.



Al Ghabshi further indicated that Khedmah provides the recharge service for prepaid electricity meters of all the electricity companies across Oman. To avail the service, consumers only need to download Khedmah app and follow simple steps that take less than a minute until obtaining the recharge code. This service is also available in all Khedmah branches and kiosks, which gives people multiple easy options to benefit from the service.



OIFC is one of the leading Investment and Services Company and specialises in billing, collection & debt factoring for electricity, water and telecom services in the Sultanate of Oman. The companys various branches and e-payment channels allow customers to easily pay their electricity, water and telecommunications bills, recharge phone, electricity prepaid meter bills as well as making payment to the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI). Through its various branches across the Sultanate, the company also provides customer support related to these services.



Customers can download Khedmah phone app from Google Play on Android, and App Store on IOS.  TradeArabia News Service
Brand Capital, a leading homegrown creative agency in the UAE has recently partnered with CSR Al Ahli Group, which supports Arab youth and women through social entrepreneurship programs around the world.



Brand Capital will support the social entrepreneurs with all their creative, media, digital, and design needs to help solve the Middle East's most pressing social problems through innovative solutions.



Ahmed Samy, Founderof Tappeto, noticed the unique talent of women in a rural Egyptian village in creating rugs. Witnessing this and from a small warehouse in the village, Tappeto was born to support and empower women to showcase their work. 50+ women work at Tappet today, which secure good living standards for families living in the village.



The CSR division of Al Ahli Group aims to develop Arab and global youth by building their skills, widening their exposure, as well as fostering women empowerment. Through strategic partnerships with government and non-government organizations, the CSR division helps develop entrepreneurial skills and social enterprises to positively change lives and create the business leaders of tomorrow.



In its 13 years of activity, it has expanded operations from UAE to 15 other countries from France to Palestine with a number of different initiatives including Global Youth Forum, Women For Business, and Business 4 A Cause.



Brand Capital comprises a team of imaginative creatives who provide a dedicated and tailored approach to meet the needs of every client. With a large portfolio of clients from the US to Saudi Arabia, Brand Capital is confident they have the platform to take their corporate social responsibility to the next level, a company statement said.



Dina Ibellini, Managing Partner of Brand Capital said: At Brand Capital weve always tried to make a positive difference to the world around us by embracing innovation and being environmentally conscious. Our job extends beyond helping brands with their design and communications, and we must use our creative ideas for positive change to improve peoples lives.



Thanks to their common ethos and creative energy, Brand Capital and CSR Al Ahli Group have created new opportunities in the UAE for Egyptian start-up social entrepreneurship, Tappeto, which empowers local communities through the economic inclusion and development of indigenous women. The likes of VIDA Hotels and Movenpick have already shown interest in supporting and showcasing Tappetos collection of rugs and kilims to promote the local Egyptian manufacturers.



Further social initiatives to come from CSR Al Ahli Group include Jar Edu providing English lessons for children in Jordan through interactive learning and games, Green Track aiming to reduce the waste problem and create more jobs in Lebanon, and Food Blessed which won first place in the CSR In Action program in Lebanon, a hunger relief initiative run by volunteers with a passion to fight hunger in Lebanon.  TradeArabia News Service
Sensor specialist Hensoldt will modernise the test equipment of the artillery location radar Cobra which is in service with several NATO armies.

Under a contract awarded by the multinational procurement organisation Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation en matiere dArmement (OCCAR) on behalf of Germany and France, Hensoldt will replace the Cobra Radar Environment Simulator (CRES), indispensable for determining optimum deployment and testing system performance.

The CRES is the key element to test and verify the Cobra radar performance in a laboratory environment with reproducible target trajectories. It generates artificial radar returns allowing to simulate all kinds of ballistic projectiles (missiles, mortar grenades, howitzer or gun projectiles) without the necessity of real transmissions. Therefore, the CRES can be operated in a closed maintenance hall or even inside a Cobra shelter.

The current CRES is in operation since the 1990s and has become obsolete and unreliable. The replacement with a CRES developed and used by Hensoldt for third-party Cobra systems has been considered as the most economical solution.

Cobra is a mobile radar system for locating hostile artillery and missile positions and for calculating in advance the flight path of projectiles in order to give early warning and enable protective action. Its first configuration was developed by the EuroArt consortium comprising Hensoldt, Thales and Lockheed Martin around the turn of the century for the German, French and British armed forces. Today, a total of more than 40 systems of various configurations have been deployed by Germany, France and Turkey as well as several armed forces outside Europe.-- TradeArabia News Service
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung has been honoured with the Issigonis Trophy at the 2021 Autocar Awards ceremony.

Named in honour of legendary car designer Sir Alec Issigonis, the Trophy is Autocars highest accolade. Each year it is presented to a stand-out individual within the global automotive industry, whom Autocar judges deem to have delivered an exceptional level of success.

In recognising the visionary leadership of Chairman Chung on the presentation of the Issigonis Award, Autocar editor-in-chief Steve Cropley said: In the last decade the Hyundai Motor Group has grown into one of the worlds leading car firms, and chairman Euisun Chung has been key to that transformation. Were proud to award him this years Issigonis Trophy to recognise his achievements. The transformation made by the company is unmatched in the industry in recent years.

While Hyundai and Kia were considered unexciting budget brands with limited market share just a decade ago, under Euisun Chungs leadership they have made incredible progress, winning market share and customers with cars that are the match of any mainstream rival.

The Hyundai Motor Group has expanded into performance cars with Hyundais N division and the premium market with the new Genesis brand, and become a true industry leader in both electric and hydrogen-powered cars. It is no longer trying to catch up to rivals: now other car firms are chasing it.

On receiving the Issigonis Trophy, Chairman Chung commented: Its a true honour to receive this prestigious award from Autocar and I must thank all my colleagues for their contribution in securing this accolade. Despite the dramatic upheaval of the global auto industry and challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hyundai Motor Group is spearheading a paradigm shift and what lies at the heart of our efforts is our single-minded focus on serving and empowering our customers. Through a considered approach, we will create more opportunities and oil the wheels of progress for

humanity.

Recent significant advances by the Hyundai Motor Group made under the Chairmans tenure include the introduction of highly advanced electric vehicles: the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6.

Both use the Groups new, dedicated EV platform, the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). In addition to the high-performance N brand of Hyundai Motor Company, the Group has also launched HTWO dedicated fuel cell brand, and the Genesis premium luxury brand.

Chung has led the transformation of the Groups global perception by introducing revered design chiefs from within the industry, including Peter Schreyer and Luc Donckerwolke.

Under Chungs leadership, the Group has developed a design-led focus with products that appeal to the European consumer. Formal recognition of this successful strategy is evident in numerous design awards presented to Hyundai and Kia over recent years.

Chung held the position of President of Kia from 2005 to 2009 before becoming Vice Chairman and then Chairman of the Hyundai Motor Group, with responsibility for diverse affiliate companies in the automotive, steel and construction industries, including Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation.

His leadership has been recognised with numerous industry accolades, including Top 200 next generation leaders by World Economic Forum and Most Influential Korean Leaders: Global Business by Fortune Korea. -- TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) will add 600 megawatts (MW) of clean energy capacity using photovoltaic solar panels and concentrated solar power (CSP) to Dubais energy mix during 2021.



This will increase Dewas total power capacity from clean energy to 1,613 MW compared to 1,013 MW currently.



Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa said that next July, Dewa will commission the 300MW first stage of the 5th phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Dewa will commission the world's tallest CSP tower at 262.44 m with a capacity of 100MW in September and 200MW from the parabolic trough as part of the 4th phase of the solar park by the end of 2021.



Therefore, Dewa will add 300MW from solar photovoltaic panels and 300MW from CSP. Clean capacity in Dubais energy mix will reach around 10% in July and 12% by the end of the year.



The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is one of Dewas key projects to achieve this vision and increase the share of clean and renewable energy capacity in Dubais energy mix. This supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to provide 75% of Dubais total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. Since its launch, the solar parks projects have received considerable interest from global developers, which reflects the confidence of international investors in Dewas major projects, said Al Tayer.



Al Tayer emphasised that Dewa's major projects in cooperation with the private sector, based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, contribute to the economic growth of the Emirate. Through this model, Dewa received the lowest solar energy prices (Levelised Cost of Energy) globally five consecutive times, making Dubai a global benchmark for solar power prices. Dewa has attracted investments of around AED 40 billion from the IPP model.



Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at Dewa, explained that the 4th phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest single-site investment project that combines CSP and photovoltaic technology using the IPP model. It is rated for 950MW with investments up to AED16 billion ($4.35 billion). This phase is characterised by the largest thermal energy storage capacity in the world of 15 hours, which allows for energy production round the clock.



Dewa received the lowest global bid of $1.6953 cents per kilowatt hour for the 900MW fifth phase using the latest solar photovoltaic bifacial technologies, with Single Axis Tracking to increase energy production.  TradeArabia News Service
International tourist arrivals were down 83 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 as widespread travel restrictions remained in place. However, the UNWTO Confidence Index shows signs of a slow uptick in confidence.

Between January and March 2021 destinations around the world welcomed 180 million fewer international arrivals compared to the first quarter of last year. Asia and the Pacific continued to suffer the lowest levels of activity with a 94 per cent drop in international arrivals over the three-month period. Europe recorded the second largest decline with 83 per cent, followed by Africa (down 81 per cent), the Middle East (down 78 per cent) and the Americas (-71%). This all follows on from the 73 per cent fall in worldwide international tourist arrivals recorded in 2020, making it the worst year on record for the sector.

Lack of coordination harms #RestartTourism

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili commented: There is significant pent-up demand and we see confidence slowly returning. Vaccinations will be key for recovery, but we must improve coordination and communication while making testing easier and more affordable if we want to see a rebound for the summer season in the northern hemisphere.

The latest survey of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts shows prospects for the May-August period improving slightly. Alongside this, the pace of the vaccination rollout in some key source markets as well as policies to restart tourism safely, most notably the EU Digital Green Certificate, have boosted hopes for a rebound in some of these markets.

Overall, 60 per cent expect a rebound in international tourism only in 2022, up from 50 per cent in the January 2021 survey. The remaining 40 per cent see a potential rebound in 2021, though this is down slightly from the percentage in January. Nearly half of the experts do not see a return to 2019 international tourism levels before 2024 or later, while the percentage of respondents indicating a return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023 has somewhat decreased (37 per cent), when compared to the January survey.

Tourism experts point to the continued imposition of travel restrictions and the lack of coordination in travel and health protocols as the main obstacle to the sectors rebound.

The impact of Covid on tourism cuts global exports by 4 per cent

The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer also shows the economic toll of the pandemic. International tourism receipts in 2020 declined by 64 per cent in real terms (local currencies, constant prices), equivalent to a drop of over $900 billion, cutting the overall worldwide exports value by over 4 per cent in 2020. The total loss in export revenues from international tourism (including passenger transport) amounts to nearly $ 1.1 trillion. Asia and the Pacific ( down 70 per cent in real terms) and the Middle East (down 69 per cent) saw the largest drops in receipts. - TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Airshow is set to highlight the growth in business aviation and provide a platform for industry experts to shape the future of the industry with the deployment of ground-breaking technologies.

Business aviation is one of the key sectors that will be represented at the event, with 30 per cent of the attendance being involved in that part of the industry.

Key names in business aviation that will be taking part in Dubai Airshow 2021 include Airbus, Boeing, Airports World Company LTD, CAE, Citadel Completions, Comlux, Dassault Aviation, Embraer, Emojet, Gainjet Aviation S.A., Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.

In the wake of Covid-19, business aviation has proved to be a more flexible, reliable flight option, providing safety and security. The growth of the business aviation industry can bring a range of benefits to airports, major operators, business aircraft manufacturers, business flight pilots, major service providers and business aviation users, driving future economic development.

Similar to other parts of the aviation sector, business aviation is undergoing a digital transformation, in order to optimise the performance of operators and provide travellers with a unique smart travel experience. For example, the inflight company Gogo Business Aviation, aims to provide business jets with 5G inflight connectivity networks in 2022, making an important breakthrough in inflight connectivity. Boeing Business jets recently launched the BBJ 777X, the first business jetliner able to connect any two cities in the world nonstop with the record range of up to 21,570 km. Passengers aboard the 777X will breathe easier thanks to the aircrafts lower cabin altitude, supplemental humidification and advanced three-stage air filtration system.

Additionally, Airbus Corporate Jets recently launched the ACJ TwoTwenty business jet featuring state-of-the-art technology for business travellers, better connectivity, a wi-fi system across the entire cabin, as well as advanced technologies such as electro-chromatic windows and LED lighting. The ACJ TwoTwenty business jet created a whole new market segment The Xtra Large Bizjet, combining unmatched personal space with 73m2 floor surface and up to 10,500 km intercontinental range (over 12 flight hours). It directly connects city pairs like Dubai-London, Dubai-Tokyo and Dubai-Perth and is the only business jet featuring six wide VIP living areas, of around 12-sq-m each.

Benoit Defforge, ACJ President said: ACJ remains committed to growing and supporting the regional business aviation sector which has shown great resilience during the pandemic. In the Middle East region, more than 60 per cent of heavy jets and bizliners are more than 15 years old. As such, we are now offering the latest and most modern, comfortable product portfolio jet available today from the ACJ TwoTwenty up to the ACJ350 that both align well with customers fleets from the Middle East and we look forward to demonstrating our innovation and latest offerings at Dubai Airshow 2021.

Richard Gaona, Executive Chairman & CEO at Comlux, said: We look forward to our participation at Dubai Airshow 2021 and introducing our Swiss-made world-class business aviation services to the entire aviation community. The past year was challenging for most of the sectors, including aviation, but we were able to rapidly adapt to the changing circumstances and maintain a high standard of services. With our new Comlux commercial office at Dubai DWC airport VIP terminal, we are closer to our customers and partners in the gulf region pleased and we can welcome them in our lounge premises.

Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi, Chairman of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and Founder and Executive Chairman at MEBAA (Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association), said: The business aviation industry proved to be resilient, safe, and efficient, despite the pandemic. We have already witnessed an increased demand for business jets in recent years, and we look forward to witnessing further successes in this promising industry. I am pleased to say that we have been successful in implementing the required measures in line with the best global standards to enhance the industry and accelerate its growth in the region and the world in the upcoming years.

Despite the challenges of Covid-19, the industry saw growth in private and business aviation, particularly in Dubai, which witnessed a burgeoning movement of private and business jets. Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub announced a remarkable growth in activity in the first quarter of 2021, with an increase of 336 percent in the movement of private and business aircrafts, compared to the same time in 2020. In addition, Dubai-based business aviation company, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF), witnessed a 25 per cent increase in private and business jet activity in the first quarter of 2021.

The business aviation sector is expected to thrive further in the coming years, according to various industry reports. According to 2020 Honeywell Global Business Aviation Outlook, there will be up to 7,300 new business jet deliveries worth $235 billion from 2021 to 2030, as well as an average 4-5 per cent annual growth in the rate of deliveries through 2030. According to the report, the Middle East and Africa will have higher purchase plans, with an increase in operators who will purchase new jets.

Dubai Airshow 2021 will be held on November 14-18 at Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai Airshow Site. - TradeArabia News Service
Following a particularly in-depth inspection, Fagen Fighters WWII Museum flew their Lockheed P-38L Lightning Scatt III on June 9th; the first flight the aircraft has made since 2018. In addition to the P-38, the museums P-51D Sweet Revenge and P-40K Aluetian Tiger also flew. However, the Lightnings excursion was particularly celebratory flight, since its annual inspection had involved such a complex, lengthy and thorough process.

Jason Dunn and David Barber, Fagen Fighters aircraft mechanics, started this inspection in September of 2020, but they knew they were in for it after noticing cracked turbos and determining that the starboard engine needed an overhaul. After months of looking for serviceable turbos and coming up short, they reluctantly decided to disable the units and remove the intercoolers, which then demanded the manufacture of new induction ductwork. The new induction system now travels to the inlet where the intercoolers used to sit, instead of routing back through the turbochargers in the tail booms.

In January, they replaced the starboard engine, which was the easy part. The most time-consuming work is always preparing for removal and finalizing the installation of the new unit. However, just as they thought the inspection was nearing its completion, the fuel platters began leaking and hydraulic leaks also became apparent. Commenting on this dilemma, Jason Dunn noted, It was two steps forward, one step back, throughout the entire annual. Needless to say, David and Jason were very glad to see Evan Fagen fly the P-38 smoothly and return without any squawks.

The museums Lightning began life as P-38G-6-LO 44-27231, before undergoing modifications into an F-5G photoreconnaissance variant. It never saw combat in WWII. James L. Harp of Aurora, Illinois bought her from the War Assets Administration, picking her up from the storage yard in Altus, Oklahoma in July, 1946. He competed for that years Bendix Trophy in his Lightning, marked as race #95, but did not complete the grueling 2,048 mile race from Los Angeles, California to Cleveland, Ohio. Harp sold the aircraft soon after the race, and the aircraft passed through a number of owners until David Tallichet acquired her in 1970. Her on-again-off-again restoration took many years, but she eventually did fly again in November, 1995, now fitted with the E model nose equipped with four .50 cal machine guns and one 20mm cannon, in place of the camera nose.

Tallichet flew her with the markings representing the P-38 which Americas top-scoring ace, Dick Bong, nicknamed Marge. She flew in this guise for some years until Tallichet sold her on in 2001. She passed through a couple of notable owners in the interim, before Fagen Fighters acquired the airframe in 2004, putting her through a three-year restoration by Fagen Restorations. When she flew again in November, 2007 she now bore the livery for another P-38 nicknamed Rough Stuff. After further refurbishment, the Fagens repainted her to represent the legendary Robin Olds P-38 Scat III.

The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum plans to fly their P-38 several more times this summer, as well as the other important aircraft in their stable such as the P-40 Warhawk, P-51 Mustang, F6F Hellcat, FM-2 Wildcat, AT-6, and B-25 Mitchell, not to mention the BT-13 and their PTs! Watch their Facebook page for more information about flying dates, but also mark your calendar for June 18th, 2022 for the Ray Fagen Memorial Airshow where you can see all these planes fly plus a lot more. For more information please visit www.fagenfighterswwiimuseum.org

Be sure to check out some additional photos of Scat III by Luigino Caliaro from a previous photo-mission a little while back.


The national flags of China and the United States [Photo/Xinhua]

China urges the United States to honor its commitment to abide by the one-China principle, properly handle issues related to the Taiwan question and take real actions to uphold the overall development of bilateral ties as well as cross-Straits stability, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Friday.

During a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, reiterated that the Taiwan question matters to China's sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its core interests.

Yang urged Washington to work with Beijing to move bilateral ties back onto the right track based on the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden during their phone talks in February.

Dialogue and cooperation should be the mainstay of China-US relations, he said, adding that cooperation should be based on mutual benefit, and their respective concerns should be addressed in a balanced manner.

China remains committed to developing relations with the US on the basis of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Yang said, and in the meantime, it will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.

Yang pointed out that recent signs indicate that some anti-China forces are trying to stir up one after another sinister waves to smear China under the excuse of the so-called Xinjiang and Hong Kong-related issues, and they are doomed to failure.

Noting that the issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and involve China's core interests, Yang urged the US side to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, not to interfere in China's internal affairs under any pretext, and not to damage China's core interests in any way.

The issues related to Xinjiang are not so-called human rights or religion issues, Yang stressed.

Seeing violent and terrorist incidents on the rise in Xinjiang, the Chinese government took resolute actions to safeguard public safety, Yang said, adding that the Chinese moves are totally justified.

The US side has fabricated various lies about Xinjiang in an attempt to sabotage the stability and unity in Xinjiang, which confuse right and wrong and are extremely absurd. China is firmly opposed to such actions, Yang said.

Yang said Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs.

The aim of improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is to safeguard the constitutional order of the HKSAR as defined in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, and ensure that "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" with patriots as the mainstay, he said.

It is a common practice in the world to make strict requirements on the patriotic stance and political qualifications of those who govern, Yang said, adding that those clamoring for "Hong Kong independence" are not eligible to participate in the administration of Hong Kong and must be punished by the national security law in Hong Kong.

He stressed that there is only one system and order in the world, which is the international system with the United Nations at the core and the international order underpinned by international law, instead of the so-called system and order preached by a small minority of countries.

There is only one set of rules, which are the basic norms of international relations governed by the purpose and principles of the UN Charter, instead of so-called rules formulated by a small minority of countries, Yang added.

There is only one kind of multilateralism, which is based on the purpose and principles of the UN Charter as well as international law, and in line with that, countries treat each other as equals for win-win cooperation, he said, adding that true multilateralism should not be based on the interests of "small circles" or "group politics".

Highlighting that peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom are the shared values of all humankind, Yang said that respecting sovereignty is the prerequisite of realizing human rights. He urged the US to resolve its own human rights violations, and not to grossly interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Yang also expressed serious concerns over some US individuals fabricating and spreading the absurd story that a Wuhan lab leaked the COVID-19 virus. He said China has been actively participating in and supporting international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, and resolutely opposes any vicious move to smear it or shift blame toward it.

China urges the US to respect the facts and science, avoid politicizing virus origin tracing, and remain focused on international cooperation in fighting the pandemic, Yang said.

He reiterated that the Chinese people, led by the CPC, will firmly walk along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics to build China into a more prosperous country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation.

The phone conversation took place after a series of engagements between Chinese and US officials in the past weeks, including a telephone conversation between Chinese and US commerce ministers on Thursday. It also took place after three US senators visited Taiwan on June 6, which was strongly opposed by Beijing.

Blinken said the recent China-US engagement is beneficial to bilateral ties and Washington looks forward to more engagement and exchanges with Beijing at various levels.

The US pursues the one-China policy and remains committed to abiding by the three China-US joint communiques, he said, adding that his country wants to maintain communication and coordination with China on major international and regional issues.


The Chinese national flags and flags of the Hong Kong SAR flutter in Hong Kong. [Photo/Xinhua]

HONG KONG - The Office of the Commissioner of China's Foreign Affairs Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Saturday said it firmly upholds and supports the anti-foreign sanctions law.

The law was adopted at the closing meeting of a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the commissioner's office made the remarks in response to media inquiries about the office's view on the law.

The law is an urgent necessity in order to counter the hegemonism and power politics of some Western countries, the spokesperson said.

The law is also an urgent necessity to safeguard China's national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to coordinate both the domestic and overseas-related rule-of-law, adding that the legislation has important practical and long-term significance, the spokesperson said.

For a long time, some Western countries interfered in China's internal affairs by imposing illegal sanctions on related state organs, organizations and individuals on the pretext of upholding democracy and human rights, with the aim to curb China's development, which is a serious violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations, the spokesperson said.

With reference to international common practice, China has formulated and implemented the anti-foreign sanctions law, aiming at safeguarding China's sovereignty, security, and development interests, and protecting the lawful rights and interests of the Chinese people and organizations, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the countermeasures stipulated in the law are essentially different from the "unilateral sanctions" and hegemonic behaviors by some Western countries, as the law does not target any specific country but only aims at an extremely minority of foreign entities and individuals damaging China's sovereignty, security and development interests.

Rather than hampering the legal operation of foreign companies, the law will facilitate China's further opening-up, the spokesperson said.

China will as always welcome foreign businesses, provide them with a predictable legal environment and a stable business environment, and protect their legitimate rights and interests, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said any external interference in China's internal affairs will be hit back by the Chinese people including Hong Kong compatriots, and any attempt to damage China's sovereignty, security and development interests by illegal unilateral sanctions and hegemonic actions is doomed to fail.


A J-20 stealth fighter jet attached to the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command takes part in exercises. The aircraft is not equipped with a Luneburg lens, a radar reflector used to make a stealth aircraft visible to others in training or non-combat flights. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes are expected to deliver an aerial performance for the celebration activities of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), with a large number of the countrys most advanced stealth fighter jets, the J-20, and a type of newly developed helicopter, informally known as the Z-8L, participating, a rehearsal of the event on Sunday indicated. A rehearsal was held from 9 pm Saturday to the early hours of Sunday morning in the Tiananmen area, Beijing, with more than 14,000 people involved in the rehearsal and related supporting services, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

A total of four parts of were rehearsed, including the warm-up, a grand gathering, and entry and exit, as well as preparations in the event of an emergency, Xinhua reported. During the day on Sunday morning, several echelons of PLA warplanes were seen flying through the sky in the rehearsal, including dozens of helicopters forming a formation representing the number 100, a J-10 fighter jet formation representing 71, or July 1, the birthday of the CPC, and formations consisting of five J-20 stealth fighter jets, Beijing-based magazine the Aerospace Knowledge reported on Sunday.

Photos released through the Aerospace Knowledge report show that the rehearsal also featured the PLAs latest type of transport helicopter, dubbed by observers as the Z-8L, the first in the 15 ton-class in China.

Beijing residents were able to take photos and videos of the warplanes during the rehearsal and share them on social media, expressing their excitement over the CPC centenary celebrations and the development of Chinas military aviation.
by Ngoc Lan

Catholic groups have mobilised to help the poor with free meals and care. Today, local authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have extended distancing rules for a further two weeks.

Ho Chi Minh (AsiaNews)  In Vietnam the COVID-19 pandemic has affected disproportionately the poor and the homeless. But street vendors, street sweepers, and small merchants have managed to cope with the difficulties of this period thanks to the help of Catholic associations.

Anna Huyen Trang, a local reporter, describes Catholic outreach in Ho Chi Minh City, noting that Father Joseph Le Quang Uy of the Redemptorist Order, together with some volunteers, prepares meals for the poor of his neighbourhood three days a week.

This goes on elsewhere in the city as well thanks to other volunteers. Ms No and her group cook rice for more than 300 needy people living near the Nhieu Loc Canal, where a home welcomes the disabled, seniors and the poor.

For many years we have helped or supported people living in very difficult circumstances. We have provided free meals and care, said one volunteer. However, in the last two weeks, the pandemic has spread very quickly, causing everyone to be worried and come under a lot of pressure.

Soup kitchens comply Health Ministry directives with each table limited to three or five people, no more.

On social media, Father Joseph Le Quang Uy said that he could not go back to his brothers and sisters in Saigon, but the most to suffer from the situation are the poor, the lonely elderly, the disabled, workers, street vendors, street people. These people are suffering the most from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, Charitable activities have been carried out successfully thanks to the participation and support of volunteers, Father Joseph said. Some people support us financially. Some have given food and drinking water. In certain districts we manage to serve between 200 and 300 people.

May God bless all of you and our small efforts, the missionary added. May God bless our brothers and sisters near and far, and the benefactors who have helped us. Most of all, let us pray for the victims of this pandemic.

Yesterday 293 cases were reported in the whole country, bringing the total number to 10,630.

Today, local authorities in Ho Chi Minh have extended distancing rules for a further two weeks. Non-essential services and businesses will remain closed, while outdoor gatherings are limited to five people or less.
by Shafique Khokhar

Danish Masih, 17, was drugged and held captive for five days. The police acted late, and no one has been arrested. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace is calling for new legislation to put an end to anti-Christian practices.

Faisalabad (AsiaNews)  Danish Masih, a 17-year-old Christian man from the city of Ghafari, was drugged, kidnapped and tortured by a group of Muslims before he was dumped in a desolate area of Pakistan.

Even though his father reported his sons disappearance, the police did not act. The victim was eventually able to make it home alone after five days in captivity.

The story began on 6 June when the young man went missing; two days later, his father Daniyal alerted the police about his disappearance, but nothing was done.

At that point the father decided to turn to human rights activist Lala Robin Daniel, who spoke to AsiaNews about the case.

According to what is known so far, Danish was drugged and rendered unconscious before he was kidnapped by a Muslim named Ali Raza and his gang. They held him captive in an unknown place and raped him, then dumped him at a place near Faisalabad, from where the young man was able to go home and inform his family.

Lala Robin Daniel expressed his disappointment at the polices attitude: As Christians we are a minority and we are alone. For us there is no justice and no equal rights.

Although the authorities are now looking for the culprits, no one has been arrested. For their part, Danish's family are demanding justice.

We are committed and will not spare any of them, said Lala Robin Daniel. We shall try our best to bring them to court and see them punished according to the law. We call upon high police officers to cooperate and arrest these monsters as soon as possible, he added.

Danishs is not an isolated case. Violence against Christians in Pakistan is commonplace. Amid the rising number of abductions, child sexual abuses, forced conversions and forced marriages, the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) organised a seminar at the Sacred Heart parish in Sahiwal to ask the federal and provincial parliaments to adopt new legislation to put an end to such practices.

CCJP field officer Yuhana Masih explained that the definition of forced conversion should be added to state and national legal and legislative frameworks.

The CCJP also wants senior judges to assess a number of conditions for a more progressive Christian marriage and divorce legislation, with effect on the age of consent and civil status of both parties.
There were no casualties or injuries in the attack. The raid threatens to hamper international diplomacy efforts for a ceasefire in Yemen, which has been at war for seven years. Riyadh wants to ease military pressure to foster political dialogue. The Shiite rebels continue the Marib offensive.

Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A drone loaded with bombs launched by the Yemen Houthi rebels into Saudi territory has crashed into a school. Local sources report that the attack, which took place yesterday did not cause victims or injuries among the students of the institute. However, the raid risks hindering the growing efforts of international diplomacy to reach a definitive ceasefire in the Arab country, which has been at war for seven years now.

According to reports from the official Saudi agency Spa today, the drone attack hit a school in the southern province of Asir, which in the past was the target of rockets launched across the border by pro-Tehran rebels. The photos taken by the civil protection and posted by the agency show the roof of the damaged building and, in the surrounding area, parts and components of the drone (in the photo).

The raid comes three days after a unilateral declaration by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, which had announced the end of military operations in Yemen. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki stressed that the easing of military pressure aims to "prepare the political ground for a peace process in Yemen".

Shortly after the statement, the Saudi media relaunched the news of the death of eight civilians and the wounding of 27 others during attacks in the northern city of Marib (the last government stronghold in the north); the area has been the subject of an offensive by the Houthis for months to control local oil fields.

Earlier this month, Oman officials - who have long mediated in regional conflicts, particularly between Riyadh and Tehran - visited Sanaa to try to persuade the rebels to accept a ceasefire.

The effort to guarantee peace in Yemen follows the attempt to resume diplomatic dialogues between the Islamic Republic and the Wahhabi kingdom, with a first meeting between the parties in April after the interruption of diplomatic relations in 2016.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 as an internal conflict between pro-Saudi government and Shiite Houthi rebels close to Iran. It degenerated in March 2015 with the intervention of the Arab coalition led by Riyadh and has registered over 10 thousand dead and 55 thousand injured. Independent bodies set the toll (between January 2016 and the end of July 2018) at about 57 thousand deaths.

For the UN the conflict has triggered "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world", about 24 million Yemenis (80% of the population) urgently need humanitarian assistance. The coronavirus pandemic has had even more devastating impact with a healthcare system that has collapsed. Millions of people are on the verge of starvation and experts say children will suffer the consequences for the next 20 years.
by Mathias Hariyadi

Cases are on the rise in the cities of Kudus and Bangkalan. Experts say the causes lie in the violation of health protocols and in the spread of variants. At present 90% of ICU places are filled. The central government is considering a lockdown until the end of the month.

Jakarta (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A new wave of infections could overwhelm Indonesian cities by the end of the month. The alarm comes from the health authorities after 9,868 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded yesterday. Kudus (Central Java) and Bangkalan (East Java) are among the cities most affected.

The government is considering imposing a lockdown starting today through the end of the month. Local authorities report that the new surge in infections is due to the violation of health protocols and the spread of variants.

For example, a hospital in Kudus allowed patients to be accompanied by their families into the hospital. Kudus experienced a shocking phenomenon. In just one week, the cases went from 26 to 929, explained Wiku Adisasmito, spokesman for the task force against Covid-19. ICU places are also filling quickly: only 10% are still free.

Cases have also increased on the island of Sumatra, after millions of people ventured across the archipelago to celebrate the holidays following the end of Ramadan, thus ignoring a temporary travel ban.

Defriman Djafri, an epidemiologist at the University of Andalas in Padang, said May casualties in West Sumatra were the highest on record. The central government, on the direct order of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has sent dozens of military vehicles to transport Covid-19 patients to Surakarta, where they will receive further medical treatment.

The peak of infections could also be determined by the spread of the coronavirus variants. According to Dicky Budiman, an epidemic expert at Griffith University in Australia, Indonesia may soon face the same scenario that India and other Asian countries are experiencing. Budiman explained that Jakarta should take the risks associated with the B.1.617.2 strain, first identified in India, more seriously.

Some outbreaks have also emerged among religious communities. In the district of Bantul, Yogyakarta (Central Java) about twenty people belonging to the local church choir tested positive; in west Jakarta, two priests from the parish church of St. Andrew were hospitalized despite having already received two doses of the vaccine.
After 12 years, the era of Israels longest-serving prime minister ends. The first obstacle is the adoption of the state budget within 100 days. Bennett maintains two key figures in the fields of domestic and military security. And he assures: "No atomic power to Iran". Bibi promises: We will be back. Exponents of the Arab List say the government is "even more to the right" than the previous one.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - After 12 years of tensions, wars and internal outbreaks of violence, a global pandemic, four parliamentary elections in two years, Israel has finally dismissed the Benjamin Netanyahu era and greeted a new government. Perhaps forever, despite the former premier promising a battle.

A mix of parties ranging from the extreme right to the world premiere of an Arab party, which yesterday in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, obtained a narrow majority of 60 votes in favour and 59 against out of 119 deputies present (120 total).

The data again shows the split between those who support - out of loyalty or connivance - Bibi and his opponents who, although divided on various issues, united around the expulsion of the former prime minister.

Today the first meeting is scheduled between Naftali Bennett - an alternation at the helm of the executive with the main ally Yair Lapid in the middle of the legislature - and the outgoing Netanyahu, the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history.

During the meeting, scheduled in Jerusalem, the handover will be discussed in a climate of collaboration and continuity. On the subject of security, the rumour is already leaking that Bennett will keep two key players in the high spheres of command: The National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat and the military one Avi Blut.

United by a common desire to put an end to the Netanyahu era, the eight parties that support the majority will focus on some priority issues, trying to put aside the (many) elements of internal division. Their objectives include the need revive the economy and social cohesion plagued by divisions and the health emergency triggered by Covid-19.

Another priority element is to restore citizens' trust in the judiciary and re-establish the division of powers, after the years of controversy and head-on clash between Bibi and the judicial authority, as well as guaranteeing renewed credibility in the ruling class of the country, undermined by corruption.

Net of the union of intentions on some common objectives, however, the deep divisions of an anomalous alliance remain: financing for Arab cities, security in the C areas of the West Bank, internal outbreaks of violence, rights of homosexuals already rejected by the Islamist leader Mansour Abbas. The first obstacle on the horizon, however, remains the adoption of the state budget, which if not reached within the first hundred days of the legislature will lead to the fall of the government.

In his first speech to the Knesset yesterday, Bennett promised to be the premier "representing all of Israel". Thanking his predecessor for the work done, albeit interrupted several times in his speech by members of the Zionist movements, he then relaunched a theme dear to Netanyahu stating that "we will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons".

In response, the outgoing leader, who remains at the head of Likud and will lead the opposition, assures a "firm" voice that will fight against the current coalition until it has been overthrown. And that soon we will return to lead the nation.

One of the recent cases to spark violent clashes was Mount Meron, where a tragedy occurred at the end of April during a religious festival, the first post-pandemic, which caused dozens of deaths. Former Justice Minister Benny Gantz has promised to establish a government commission of inquiry on the matter. "This - he warns - is a moral and ethical debt that we owe to the families [of the victims]".

The leader of Raam Mansour Abbas, fundamental in the birth of the alliance, has promised to fight for the return of the lands in Israel that were once "expropriated" from the Israeli Arabs. "This is a national issue of the first degree", he affirmed.

Then, interrupting the speech in Hebrew, the Islamic leader then recalled that we come from different nations, from different religions, from different sectors. But there is one thing that connects everyone and that is citizenship ", and then the right-wing accusation that the executive will" sell the south "to his party is rejected.

Those critical of the new alliance include Ayman Odeh, head of the Hadash party and of the alliance of Arab Parties Common List, who speaks of "a bad government". "We are looking for a different type of cooperation between Jews and Arabs, based on peace, equality, democracy and social justice that we do not see in this government.

He is echoed by the deputy and member of the Joint List Ahmad Tibi, according to which the new executive is even more to the right than the one chaired by Netanyahu, whose expulsion remains "good news" after years of "division and hatred". "But the alternative - he concludes - is a right even further to the right" with a tightening of "settlements".
by Emanuele Scimia

The increase covers the 2020-2021 period. The number of nuclear weapons in the world is down. The US and Russia have made cuts under the New Start Treaty. For a Russian academic, the Chinese will stop expansion only if the Americans and the Russian accept nuclear parity.

Rome (AsiaNews)  China has 350 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, 30 more than last year, this according to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), released today.

The Swedish-based institute noted that between 2019 and 2020 Chinas warheads went from 290 to 320. However, Chinas growth comes as the total nuclear weapons fell from 13,400 to 13,080 between January 2020 and January 2021.

In addition to China, several countries have increased their nuclear arsenals: the United Kingdom (+10 bombs), India (+6), Pakistan (+5) and North Korea. Pyongyang's number is estimated to be between 40 and 50 warheads, up from 30-40 in 2020.

The drop in nuclear warheads is due to cuts made by the United States and Russia under the New START Treaty, which was renewed for five years in February.

Still, Washington and Moscow have increased the number of warheads deployed with operational forces. If French and British warheads are included, they rose from 3,720 in 2020 to 3,825 this year.

According to several observers, the New START Treaty creates a certain asymmetry in non-proliferation efforts. To renew the deal, former US President Donald Trump demanded Beijing's membership. China refused to join unless Moscow and Washington accept nuclear parity.

Alexander Savelyev, chief research fellow at the Moscow-based Primakov Institute for World Economy and International Relations, sees no serious problems in China's nuclear build-up. For years, China many times said that it would join the nuclear arms control network only after its nuclear arsenal is equal to those of the United States and Russia, he told AsiaNews.

Under the New START, the US and Russia can keep up to 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads each (a long-range bomber is worth a warhead). However, the numbers go up considerably if tactical atomic weapons are also counted.

Speaking at the UN Disarmament Conference on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the US and Russia to further reduce their nuclear forces.

Savelyev, who participated as an adviser in the START-1 negotiations between the US and the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991, wonders whether Washington and the Kremlin are ready to treat China as an equal partner. If yes, they should be ready to become equal in all the senses of the word".

To break the deadlock, the Russian scholar proposes that Russia and the United States strike a new agreement for further, deeper cuts in their nuclear arsenal, both strategic and tactical. At the same time, Moscow and Washington should ask Beijing to make a voluntary commitment not to increase its nuclear arsenal beyond 400 warheads.

On 22 January, the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into force, but it remains pie in the sky since the major nuclear powers are not signatories. For Savelyev, it is important that Russia and the US do not use the expansion of China's nuclear forces as an excuse for doing nothing towards the nuclear disarmament process.
A global shortage of vaccines threatens to upend the progress in abating the coronavirus pandemic, which has dramatically slowed in the United States while accelerating in other countries. So far, about 144 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, and slightly more than half of the total U.S. population has received more than one dose, including more than 60% of adults, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The second video chronicles an incident June 6. In it, a man is walking on the boardwalk and officers are telling him to get down on the ground. In the clip, the man can be seen holding his arms up and is struck by the Taser. As the officers move in, they tell the bystanders, including the person recording, to back up, as they walk to the man who is now on the ground. Officers turn the man over and appear to handcuff him, as another officer tells the person filming to back up.
We understand that even with the great team that we have, we can only continue to change Maryland for the better with the assistance of our partners and the citizens of Maryland. This is why we continue to look for opportunities that encourage collaboration between state, local and federal partners from multiple disciplines such as Project Bounce Back, as well as engaging citizens like you, who can help us create a safer Maryland for all. Heres what you can do: Offer positive affirmation to a child in your life; help rebuild a strong sense of community, connection and support; help those in need to access youth-specific resources; and support community hubs for activities, resources and trauma-informed communities. My office can provide more resources to assist in this task.
Mexico Stalling GMO Corn Permits Ahead of 2024 Ban

Mexico is delaying import permits for GMO corn, National Agricultural Council President Juan Cortina Gallardo told Reuters in an interview, even though the ban is not set to go into effect until 2024. Among hundreds of agricultural product import permit applications awaiting resolution, there are at least eight for GMO corn. Permit delays have also stopped shipments of glyphosate.Cortina Gallardo said the country's federal health risk regulator, COFEPRIS, which is responsible for approving import permits, is currently delaying approvals by up to two years, effectively bringing forward the ban."They're not giving us extensions, there haven't been any administrative changes, they just don't respond," Cortina Gallardo told Reuters. He stated that the farm industry would fight against the ban and predicted the legality of the ban would "probably" ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.The Mexican government announced on December 31, 2020, its plan to ban GMO corn and phase out GMO corn imports and the use of glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide, by 2024 in an effort to contribute to food security and sovereignty. In January, Mexican government officials met with supply chain and agriculture producers and further discussed that domestic supply to the livestock sector will be promoted, reducing the level of imports.Agricultural leaders in both Mexico and the United States have been seeking clarity over what exactly the decree will ban.In March, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he received assurance from Mexico's secretary of agriculture, Victor Villalobos, that the ban wouldn't apply to GMO corn used as animal feed. Cortina Gallardo said he hasn't received any such assurance, telling Reuters he believed that the government was planning a blanket prohibition.Mexico imports large quantities of GMO yellow corn from the U.S. for livestock feed. U.S. corn exports to Mexico in 2019 were US$2.7 billion, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agriculture Service data, making Mexico the U.S. feed industry's largest export destination. In a press release, Mexico's National Agricultural Council emphasized that the decree will severely affect Mexico's food production systems as well as dramatically upend the current grains trade between Mexico and the U.S.
In line with the UNs sustainable development goals, The Bulb World, came into being to provide eco-friendly lighting. Speaking to KOOBONYE RAMOKOPELWA, the youthful companys CEO, Ketshephaone Jacob lays out their unrelenting ambition to power the country and the world with energy saving, LED lighting.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: As a bulb manufacturing business, what is the importance of sustainability?



KETSHEPHAONE JACOB: Firstly, let me start off by mentioning that sustain- ability is at the core of our business. We exist to manufacture and produce bulbs in an eco-friendly way that doesnt cause harm to our environment, pre- serves future resources and is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals that our country has adopted. Just by virtue of producing LED lighting, this is already a sustainable move in different ways because of their low energy consumption, affordable pricing and the bigger saving that the end user gets by using less electricity.



BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: What are some of the major sustainability activities that the company has embarked on which are of importance to the communities you operate in?



JACOB: As a business, we try to be very deliberate about preserving our environment and practising sustainable business practices. This is evident through our waste management, water conservation and how we use environmentally-friendly materials to make our products. Both our office buildings in Selebi-Phikwe and Gaborone use our LED lighting and this is to save energy. In terms of community, we have an initiative called Lesedi Ke Mpho, and this is a nation- wide campaign where we provide LED lighting to replace fluorescents & in- candescent lights that use more energy and provide motivational support for students to equip them with education on the importance of saving energy and conserving our environment.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: What informs your decisions when investing in sustainability projects?

JACOB: Our two year plan is to work with schools for all our sustainability projects. We chose to work with schools because we are passionate about edu- cation and youth, 65 of whom we currently employ. The reason to work with schools is to support our youth from the grass roots level.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: What strategic partners has the company collaborated with during the execution of its sustain- ability projects?

JACOB: Since inception, we have always had a strong directory of strategic partners who have helped our busi- ness forge to where it is today. Through strategic partners like NWDC, our ex- pansion is underway and currently they are assisting us to finalise a distribution deal in South Africa, which will see us supplying our economically friendly and energy efficient products to SA and Namibia.

Through the Lesedi Ke Mpho initia- tive, we got the pleasure to collaborate with FNB on retro fitting the Lobatse Secondary School facility to LED lighting and educating them on how LED lighting contributes to a more sustainable and energy efficient planet. Between our brand and theirs, we transformed LOBSEC into a brighter school with better quality lighting, motivated them with stories of hope and educated them on the basics of LED lighting and financial literacy/ banking.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: As a new company in the bulb manufacturing and retailing business, how unique are your products offerings compared to competition?

JACOB: Before anything else, our bulbs are manufactured by Batswana youth, we produce quality, durable, eco- friendly and affordable lights.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: Investors often look at the companys management team and financial performance before investing. How strong are you in the above aspects?

JACOB: Our Management Team com- prises of fully qualified team, which includes our Finance Manager, who is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant from BAC with a part- qualification in CFA, fully qualified engineer from BIUST as well as a team of learned and vibrant Sales, Marketing and PR graduates from University of Botswana. Since we began trading, our numbers have been growing steadily.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: Corporate governance is key to any company and would-be investor. As the Bulb World, what systems are in place to ensure proper corporate governance systems are adhered to?

JACOB: For the past 3 years, the business has been using the Management Team model combined with Policy Board to direct and manage the company while it grew. Following the companys growth and expansion, we are now looking to appoint a board of directors to expand the company vision and help us achieve our long-term goals.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: Previously, The Bulb World announced its intention to access more capital from the private/ public financiers. How far are you in the above process?

JACOB: Following this announcement we got quite a positive response and an influx of enquires from different financiers across the country, who showed interest in wanting to finance us. We thereafter reviewed and submitted applications with the financiers who we thought were the best fit for our busi- ness model. The process is underway and without mentioning any names I can confirm we are at an advanced stage of the process.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: What specific challenges are you encountering as a business?

JACOB: We remain grateful to all our re- tail and corporate clients who have re- ally bought our bulbs. I can confidently go as far as saying, the brand is where it is today because of all the support weve been getting. Our biggest challenge is limited support and uptake from Government, as this has been really slow. Through Governments support, we would be able to create employment for other Batswana because Government is the biggest buyer. We are in talks with Government and we have hope that more support will come out way as a local and youthful owned business which has created opportunities for many Batswana.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: What more options are available for the company as far as cash raising exercises are concerned?

JACOB: We are optimistic that we will be able to secure our funding from in- country, however, we have started talks with international investors in anticipation of things not going well locally.

BOTSWANA GUARDIAN: How sustainable is The Bulb World business model?

JACOB: Bulbs are a need and can be sold anywhere in the world. As manufacturers of LED lights, we believe the world is our oyster.










The J-10 fighter of China. A file photo

BEIJING (PTI): Chinese military's advanced warplanes, including stealth fighter jets and newly developed helicopters, conducted rehearsals in Beijing for the centenary celebrations of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 1.



China earlier said no military parade will be held to mark the CPC's 100th year celebrations in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.



A rehearsal was held from 9 pm on Saturday to the early hours of Sunday morning in the Tiananmen area in Beijing, in which more than 14,000 people took part, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.



A total of four parts were rehearsed, including the warm-up, a grand gathering, and entry and exit, as well as preparations in the event of an emergency.



During the day on Sunday morning, several echelons of PLA warplanes were seen flying through the sky as part of the rehearsal.



They included dozens of helicopters forming a formation representing the number 100, a J-10 fighter jet formation representing 71, or July 1, the birthday of the CPC, and formations consisting of five J-20 stealth fighter jets, state-run Global Times reported.



Photos showed that the rehearsal also featured the PLA's latest type of transport helicopter, it said.


COLOMBO (PTI): Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne has held talks with Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay on ways to further enhance defence and security cooperation between the two countries.



Gunaratne expressed his views on matters of defence cooperation and recalled the long existing bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries, according to a report in Colombo Page news portal.



The meeting, held on Friday, focused on areas of bilateral cooperation, including the matters of mutual relevance, it said.



Gunaratne also expressed Sri Lanka's appreciation for India's rapid response and support to douse the flames on Singapore-flagged cargo ship- MV 'X-PRESS PEARL'- that caught fire on May 20 and sank near the outer area of Colombo port, the report said.



India on May 25 dispatched Indian Coast Guard vessels and an aircraft to help the Sri Lankan Navy extinguish the fire. India's specialised pollution response vessel Samudra Prahari reached there on May 29.



During the meeting, attention was also drawn towards the long-existing military training exchange between two countries, Colombo Gazette reported, citing the Sri Lanka Defence Ministry.



The meeting was held while adhering to the stipulated health guidelines to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Ministry said.



The Commanders of the Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force and the Chief of National Intelligence also attended the talks.


UB unveils 36-foot James Joyce mural in downtown Buffalo for Bloomsday celebration, plans creation of local Joyce museum

UB held a news conference on June 14 to introduce a new mural of renowned author and poet James Joyce in downtown Buffalo. From left to right: Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, James Maynard, Ciaran Madden, Tim Kennedy and Satish K. Tripathi. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

James Maynard, curator of the UB Poetry Collection, spoke at a news conference held on June 14 to introduce a new mural of renowned author and poet James Joyce in downtown Buffalo. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Vice Provost for UB Libraries Evviva Weinraub Lajoie spoke at a news conference held on June 14 to introduce a new mural of renowned author and poet James Joyce in downtown Buffalo. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

New York State Senator Tim Kennedy spoke at a news conference held on June 14 to introduce a new mural of renowned author and poet James Joyce in downtown Buffalo. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

The UB Libraries is celebrating Bloomsday with the creation of a vibrant mural of renowned author and poet James Joyce in downtown Buffalo. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Consul General of Ireland in New York Ciaran Madden spoke at a news conference held on June 14 to introduce a new mural of renowned author and poet James Joyce in downtown Buffalo. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

The UB Libraries is celebrating Bloomsday with the creation of a vibrant mural of renowned author and poet James Joyce in downtown Buffalo. Photographer: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

University is home to worlds largest collection of James Joyce materials

Our goal is nothing less than to invite the entire world to experience the literary life and works of Irelands James Joyce, while ensuring the continuation of the UB James Joyce Collection as an international destination for research and discovery. 

Through the universitys Boldly Buffalo campaign, the UB Libraries aims to create a James Joyce museum in Abbott Hall on the UB South Campus that provides a permanent exhibition space for visitors from across the globe to discover and experience the rare materials and literary life and history of Joyce. Fundraising will also support a preservation and acquisitions endowment, a James Joyce curator position, and programming and exhibition funds.

The mural is part of a broader fundraising campaign and initiative to raise awareness of the UB James Joyce Collection, the worlds largest and most comprehensive collection of manuscripts and materials by and about the famed Irish author.

A news conference introducing the mural, located at 181 Franklin St. (outside of the LoTempio P.C. Law Group building in Buffalo), was held on Monday, June 14. The event included local, state and international figures and dignitaries, including Consul General of Ireland in New York Ciaran Madden and New York State Senator Tim Kennedy.

BUFFALO, N.Y.  The University at Buffalo Libraries is celebrating Bloomsday with the creation of Buffalos newest mural, a 36-foot-tall, vibrant artwork of renowned author and poet James Joyce, regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

Our goal is nothing less than to invite the entire world to experience the literary life and works of Irelands James Joyce, while ensuring the continuation of the UB James Joyce Collection as an international destination for research and discovery, says James Maynard, PhD, curator of the UB Poetry Collection and coordinator of the UB Rare and Special Books Collection.

A permanent exhibition space would increase public access to our Joyce collection and enable it to have a larger and more impactful role in the local and regional communities, and to strengthen Western New Yorks cultural tourism, says Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, vice provost for UB libraries.

Funded by the Office of the Consulate General of Ireland in New York, Amherst Gaelic League, and UB alumnus Alphonse Kolodziejczak, PhD, the mural also promotes Irish heritage in Western New York by celebrating one of Irelands most significant cultural exports. Joyce dedicated his life to writing about the city of Dublin and is inextricably linked around the world with the history and culture of Ireland. The public artwork provides Buffalo and its large Irish community with a new and significant Irish landmark.

We are delighted to partner with UB to erect and unveil this mural. The links between Ireland and Buffalo, and Western New York more generally, are deep and longstanding; we will always celebrate them, says Madden. However, the UB James Joyce Collection is something distinct and special. Through its world-class collection about an Irish writer, UB is connected to experts and fans of Irish culture all over the world. With next years centenary of the publication of James Joyces Ulysses, we hope that many more people will read Joyce for the first time, and through Joyce, discover this wonderful collection in the heart of Western New York.

The mural arrives ahead of the 100th anniversary of Joyces landmark book Ulysses in 2022, which will feature a global series of Ulysses-related programs, exhibitions and events throughout the year, including on Bloomsday. The international holiday, held on June 16  the same day Ulysses takes place  remembers the enigmatic story of a day in the life of protagonist Leopold Bloom in Dublin. Ulysses is considered by many to be the most significant novel of the 20th century.

The mural, based on an archival photograph of Joyce from the UB James Joyce Collection, was designed by Kristopher Miller, UB Libraries web manager and lead designer, and installed by Rory Allen, owner of Buffalo-based ZoomCopy.com. UB alumnus Frank LoTempio III, JD, and the LoTempio family donated use of the LoTempio P.C. Law Group building.

About the UB James Joyce Collection

UB is home to the largest collection of materials on Joyce in the world, including more than 10,000 pages of his working papers, notebooks and manuscripts, as well as photographs, portraits, memorabilia and Paris library, providing unmatched glimpses into the authors writing process and literary relationships.

The James Joyce Collection  part of the UB Poetry Collection, the library of record for 20th- and 21st-century Anglophone poetry  is a destination for scholars around the world. Joyce is among the most highly researched literary figures of all time.

More information about the collection and how to contribute to it is available on this website for the collection.
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The memo said that the contamination discovered in March mostly likely occurred when workers removing waste from AstraZenecas production zone tainted bioreactor materials that were being readied for use in the J&J vaccine. Besides the 15 million doses that had to be tossed out, the FDA said, another 60 million should be discarded because the same lax procedures were used in producing them and evidence of trace contamination might not have shown up in tests.
The National Defense Authorization Act called for a Naming Commission, which is made up of members appointed by the secretary of Defense and members of Congress. The commission has already visited West Point and is expected to visit the Naval Academy in August. It is not clear if it will visit Virginia Military Institute or The Citadel since they are not military installations.
Donna Sokolowski, the store manager at Hats in the Belfry, said she was most concerned about the timing of the project starting so soon after the COVID-19 pandemic. For more than a year, businesses in the city have been hurt financially by public health restrictions. A 14-month construction project could further hurt businesses right as they get back on their feet, Sokolowski said.
Several neighbors have said they felt threatened by Browns behavior, and reported it to law enforcement. One of his neighbors even filed for and received a peace order against him. Brown himself dialed the police more than 120 times over his years in Woodlawn, often to report items missing from his home, to accuse law enforcement officials of invading his property or to report confrontations with neighbors  and even a garbage man.
A: The overall goal is to push for measurable changes that impact those that are constantly being oppressed. I have begun my term by meeting with the various stakeholders and leaders in the county, to introduce myself and to gain their support for creating changes that we would like to see in Carroll County. And the only way to accomplish that is if we all can envision a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Thats a tall order but it is something that we have to continue to strive for.
Guilford and Amtrak police responded around 6 p.m. to a report of a man and child on the tracks and soon learned the man was trying to harm himself and the child. The man, Gejdenson, fled with the child into a nearby marsh and was taken into custody a short time later. Neither Gejdenson nor the child was injured, but they were taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
I believe we arrest too many people, and that consequences for those who do not violate the rights of others undermine vulnerable peoples capacity to take care of themselves. Just knowing that our countrys mass incarceration has grown to break world records, while our rates of addictions and overdose deaths have done the same, I am hard-pressed to identify the value of so many arrests.
This budget increases and grows government while we are carrying a $20 million structural deficit while going above the constant yield to increase revenue by $8 million, said County Councilwoman Amanda Fiedler, R-Arnold. While theres a lot about this budget I do like and that I support, without the passage of a single amendment to reduce expenses, it is simply too much in my opinion, and I will not be able to support this bill today.
Bangladesh on Sunday extended border closure with India till June 30 as the COVID-19 situation in neighbouring districts of the country continued to deteriorate.

The decision for extending the closure of border areas was taken during an inter-ministerial meeting on June 13, a top official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Dhaka Tribune.

A gazette notification to this end will soon be published, the official said, requesting anonymity.

Earlier on April 26, Bangladesh shut down its border with India for two weeks, which was later extended twice - on May 8 and then on May 29 - in light of the severe crisis in India due to the second wave of the pandemic.

However, Bangladeshi nationals with a valid visa of 15 days or less will be allowed to return home subject to a 14-day compulsory quarantine, reported Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladesh is also experiencing an alarming rise of COVID-19 related deaths and new cases every day, with the highest single-day death tally recorded in over a month on Sunday.

The country on Sunday recorded 47 deaths from COVID-19, the highest single-day death toll reported in more than a month. It also registered 2,436 new cases.

The health authorities have also detected the presence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is highly contagious.

(ANI)

Also Read: G7: World leaders pledge one billion Covid vaccine doses for poorer nations, says Boris Johnson
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Naftali Benett on becoming the new Prime Minister of Israel.

"Excellency Naftali Bennett, congratulations on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. As we celebrate 30 years of the upgradation of diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries," tweeted PM Modi.

He also tweeted the congratulatory message to Benett in Hebrew, translating into, "Congratulations on accepting your new position as Prime Minister of Israel."

It will be the first time in 12 years the country will be led by someone other than Netanyahu.

Israeli Parliament on Sunday voted in favour of a precarious coalition government, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year historic run as prime minister.

Israeli Parliament, commonly known as Knesset, approved the new government by just a single vote -- 60 to 59, with one abstention.

Meanwhile, PM Modi also lauded the outgoing Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for his leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership

"As you complete your successful tenure as the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, I convey my profound gratitude for your leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership @netanyahu," tweeted PM Modi.

Wishes poured in from around the world for Naftali Bennett. US President Joe Biden congratulated Bennett on being sworn in as the head of a new government coalition over a phone call.

"On behalf of the American people, I congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and all the members of the new Israeli cabinet," Biden said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Prime Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations."

The United Kingdom also congratulated Bennett. "Congratulations to @naftalibennett & @yairlapid on forming a new government in Israel. I look forward to continued cooperation on security, trade and climate change, and working together to secure peace in the region," UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in tweet.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel extended good wishes to Bennett after an alliance led by him formed the new government.

"Germany and Israel are connected by a unique friendship that we want to strengthen further. With this in mind, I look forward to working closely with you," Merkel said in a message addressed to Bennett and shared by her spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer on Twitter.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz also congratulated Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid, stating that Austria will continue to stand by Israel's side.

"Congratulations to PM @naftalibennett and alternate PM @yairlapid for forming a government. I look forward to working with you. Austria is committed to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and will continue to stand by Israel's side," Kurz tweeted.

(ANI)

Also Read: Asaduddin Owaisi alleges India's official COVID death toll nowhere close to real extent of damage
If you are old enough to remember the hit comedy movie of 1980, Caddy Shack, then you will recall that a gopher infestation was threatening a golf course in Nebraska. The somewhat deranged groundskeeper was tasked with getting rid of the pest. His efforts at eradication include shooting, f
SPACs can cut up to 75% off the time it takes for a company to get its stock trading on an exchange, versus the traditional process of an initial public offering. SPACs can also make it easier to get prospective buyers on board. Companies going the SPAC route often feel more license to highlight projections for big growth theyre expecting in the future, for example. In a traditional IPO, the company is limited to highlighting its past performance, which may not be a great selling point for young startups that typically fail to put up big profits or revenue.
Like other mall operators, Washington Prime saw its revenue hammered last year by tenants who were unable to pay full rent or simply closed during the pandemic, as shoppers turned to online instead of in-person purchases. Dozens of retailers filed for Chapter 11 in 2020, many of them mall standards such as Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, Pier 1, Aldo and GNC.
Juneteenth does not represent the end of slavery in America, as it is often erroneously reported. It specifically notes the end of slavery in Texas. Slavery continued to thrive in several border states that were not affected by the Emancipation Proclamation. Delaware was the last to free its nearly 2,000 slaves on Dec. 6, 1865, six months after Texas.
At first I was scared to work anywhere, and I was really nervous about Torrian being in day care, because he had always only been with me and my mom, Triplett recalled. But the rate they provided was in my price range, and once I started working, I had no worries at all, and the people at his school have showed me nothing but respect.
Joyce credits Vanetta Roy, the owner of South Shore seafood restaurant Surfs Up, for really getting him interested in the events history. I wasnt raised on it so much, Joyce said, but its a way to support Black culture and to support Black people. We can be hyper-focused on this for one day, thats how I look at it.
Hitz takes on the argument about utility head-on, producing a book that is a philosophical and historical defense of thinking as an activity without proscribed outcomes. The goal of thinking is to think, to use it as a tool to pursue ones own curiosities, to learn for the sake of learning. Hitz believes that an intellectual life is the right  perhaps even the responsibility  of every person, not just something available to the most fortunate denizens of the Ivory Tower.
The Film Centers August return will also feature Chicago premieres of two documentary Sundance Film Festival titles, Whirlybird and Sabaya. Whirlybird chronicles the breaking-news exploits of Marika Gerrard and Zoey Tur (known then as Bob), a married pair of L.A. news helicopter journalists who covered the singularly weird, medium-speed O.J. Simpson highway chase, the 1992 L.A. riots in the wake of the Rodney King police assault verdict and much, much more. Sabaya follows the nerve-wracking exploits of those trying to rescue Yazidi women and girls from a Syrian ISIS compound.
It is not clear that the police had lawful cause to pull Polo G over. The Herald reported that Officer Brandon Carrero allegedly got into a struggle with the rapper, according to officer Joseph Acuna, who was at the scene. The report described Polo G striking Carrero multiple times in the head, forehead and cheek while Carrero was trying to handcuff him and shouting, I will kill you, I swear I will use these fists to beat the shit out of you and knock your ass out, while in custody.
There was one line of barriers and then a second barrier, and he sped up. He sped up. He went even faster as he approached us. You could hear it ... start going even faster as he got close to us, D.J. Hooker said.
The emotion we need to have right now is we need to be grateful that Deona was here and she shared it all with us, Kenney said, according to KARE-11. She wouldnt want us to be angry at that man. She would have let it go in a minute, and said, what could we have done for him? What would have made a difference for him?
I havent understood for four or five years why we are so quick to spin into a place where part of the country is sure that we no longer have the strength to move forward, as we always have in the past, said Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of Republican leadership, noting that the passions of Republican voters today match those of Democratic voters after Trumps triumph. Four years ago, there were people in the so-called resistance showing up in all of my offices every week, some of whom were chaining themselves to the door.
Six people were rescued after a boat crashed into a breakwall near Navy Pier and a woman who had gone swimming near Foster Avenue Beach also had to be pulled to safety early Monday after drifting out into Lake Michigan, according to police.
From the East Coast to the West Coast, to right here in the Midwest, Dr. Torres has a proven track record of improving the lives of public school students and staff, Lightfoot said. His decades of experience, as well as his past leadership roles, make him a great candidate for the role of interim CPS CEO, and I am confident that he will lead us well through this critically important transition. I want to congratulate Dr. Torres on this opportunity to serve our city once more and look forward to seeing how he prepares our children for success in the very near future.
A spokeswoman for the Anti-Cruelty Society, an animal welfare organization, said there is no safe heat for an animal to be left in a vehicle. To avoid injury or illness, the organization does not recommend leaving a dog in a vehicle regardless of weather, she said. Animals can suffer from heatstroke in 15 minutes, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Sgt. Cassandra Williams, a 30-year department member and 18-year sergeant, told the Tribune that Jason Brown, then an acting commander, asked her on June 2, 2020, to take a team to his block after a neighbor saw someone who appeared to be videotaping or photographing his home, which they perceived as a safety threat. Months later, after she said Brown asked her whether officers were talking about the assignment and told her not to discuss it, Williams said she was given new, less desirable work duties.
But leaders also called for Chicago to spend less on policing and more on community groups and social services; for attention to the high homicide rate among Black transgender women; for more representation in leadership positions in Northalsted; and for the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance, a police reform bill that would set up a citizen oversight board.
The Illinois General Assembly not only left the tax credit intact but extended and expanded Invest in Kids. Legislators delayed the scheduled sunset of the tax credit by one year, through December 2023. And they permitted the awarding of scholarships not only in traditional schools, but in a new class of career and technical academies. Trade union leaders have shown an interest in the creation of these schools, which would prepare students for careers that demand specialized learning, certification or other credentials. This would be an ideal way to bring young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into trades they might not otherwise encounter.
Marla Anderson and Dayo Adeoye, two third-year students at the University of Chicago, are keeping Simpsons legacy going with the Georgiana Rose Organization (GRO), a campus social group that honors Simpson and supports Black women and feminine-aligned students in academia. The group was created last summer and has since grown to nearly 30 members, according to the president, Anderson, and vice president, Adeoye. The organizations mission: to offer support and a safe space to de-stress with other Black women, be it with a pat on the back that you might not get all the time, or recognition that you might not get at a predominantly white institution.
She said she was born a drug baby, and the cards were stacked against her from the beginning. At a young age, she navigated being gay on the West Side of Chicago. It seemed she had an advocate in her grandmother, but when she decided to come out and share her truth, all that protection went away.
At least a dozen top people have resigned or said theyre on their way out since late last year. City Hall jobs are hard even during normal circumstances, and the pressure intensified in the past year with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, followed by bouts of civil unrest. Some of the departures are part of the natural rhythm within a mayoral term, which Lightfoot alluded to during a spring news conference.
On May 31, 2020, a peaceful demonstration outside the Aurora Police Department in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis took a violent turn later in the evening when some wanted to continue a nonviolent protest while others demanded more aggressive tactics. A hostile group moved toward the downtown and a number of businesses were damaged and at least three squad cars were destroyed by fire.
Cole will be eligible for day-for-day credit on the manslaughter count, and he received credit for 274 days he has spent in the Lake County jail. That means he could be released from prison in about a year. The judge ordered Cole to report to the probation department within 48 hours of his release from prison.
Welbourn, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from the scooter. He was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and was later pronounced dead Friday, police said.
Surveillance video showed two men in all black, who approached the bank from a wooded area southeast, according to charging documents. They shot the security guard in the face, who dropped to the ground, it said.
Now that the pandemic happened, everyone is understanding that being in the great outdoors is a healing and helpful and nurturing thing for our mind, body and spirit. So now people are jumping on the bandwagon of what Ive been saying for years about connecting with the great outdoors. During this pandemic, I have flourished even more. This pandemic has not stopped me at all because this is already my lifestyle, being in the outdoors, being in remote places. Now people are able to see that what I was trying to get them to experience, try it at least once, it can be beneficial.
China's spending on information technology (IT) will grow 10 percent year on year to reach over 2.21 trillion yuan (about 346.1 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021, according to an industrial report.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has propelled the upgrade of the internet economy and promoted the development of tele-medicare and tele-education in the country, a report released by global market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said.

The Chinese government started implementing its 14th Five-Year Plan this year, which will drive growth in its spending on IT in the coming years, the IDC said.

The Yangtze River Delta region, home to the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui as well as Shanghai Municipality, will see their IT spending reach over 518 billion yuan in 2021, the data showed.
China's wildlife authorities said Sunday they plan to guide the wandering herd of wild Asian elephants in southwest China's Yunnan Province to an appropriate habitat.



The elephant herd has caught global attention after they trekked about 500 km from their original habitat in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in the province to enter Kunming, the provincial capital with a population of 8 million, late last Wednesday.

On Saturday, 14 elephants continued to linger in the Shijie Township in the city of Yuxi, according to the headquarters in charge of monitoring their migration. Another elephant that broke away from the herd eight days ago stayed in the Jinning District of Kunming.

The headquarters said they would direct the migration of the elephants with food baits and blocking of roads, adding that it would take advantage of the favorable conditions, such as rainfalls and temperature drops in recent days, to move the elephants back to their proper habitats.

Local authorities on Saturday mobilized 319 personnel, more than 600 vehicles and 18 drones to monitor the herd and prevent human-elephant conflicts. A total of 3,548 people were evacuated on Saturday.

For over a month, authorities have sent police to escort the herd, evacuated roads to facilitate their passage and used food to distract them from entering densely populated areas.

Asian elephants are under A-level state protection in China, where they are mostly found in Yunnan. Thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the province has grown to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s.
You are here: China

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out efforts to rescue the injured after a gas explosion in central China's Hubei Province on Sunday morning.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, asked authorities to console the families of the victims and investigate the accident in a timely manner.

The gas explosion at about 6:40 a.m. in a community trade market in the city of Shiyan left 12 people dead and 37 seriously injured.

"Those responsible must be held to account," Xi stressed in the instruction.

As several work safety accidents and incidents related to campus safety have occurred recently in a number of places, Xi instructed local authorities and relevant departments to learn the lesson, shoulder all responsibilities earnestly, develop a keen political sense and tighten safety hazard checks thoroughly.

Xi called for efforts to ward off major emergencies, ensure the safety of people's lives and property, maintain overall social stability, and create a good atmosphere for celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

Premier Li Keqiang, in a separate instruction, demanded maximum efforts to organize the rescue work, treat the injured and reduce casualties.

Li ordered to earnestly find out the cause of the accident, ensure strict accountability in accordance with the law and regulations, and urged efforts to strengthen supervision in key areas and identify potential dangers to prevent serious accidents.

Following the instructions, working groups from the central departments have been sent to guide the handling of the accident, while a national medical team has also been dispatched to Shiyan.

Rescue and treatment of the injured are underway.
 Flash

Two Americans, charged with helping former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan in 2019 while on bail awaiting his trial, pleaded guilty at their first hearing in court on Monday.

Michael Taylor, a 60-year-old former Green Beret, and his son Peter, 28, have already admitted to helping Ghosn, 67, flee Japan so the former auto tycoon could avoid trial for charges of financial misconduct.

The pair replied "no" when the judge asked them if there was anything incorrect about the charges submitted by the Tokyo Prosecutors' office, local media reported Monday.

Sources close to the case, as reported by local media, said the father and son team were initially asked by Ghosn's wife to smuggle the once-revered Nissan bigwig out of Japan while he was awaiting trial.

Prosecutors here said the two Americans were paid 1.3 million U.S. dollars to help Ghosn with the audacious escape and could be facing jail terms of up to three years.

Ghosn was initially released on bail in April 2019 on strict conditions that included a ban on foreign travel, limited access to telephones and computers and ensured he must stay restricted to a surveilled residence.

The Taylors are charged with providing Ghosn illegal passage to Lebanon, one of three countries he is a national of, by smuggling him out of his residence in Tokyo and to Kansai International Airport via two hotels in late December 2019.

The father and son team, in full knowledge that Ghosn was prohibited from leaving the country as part of his bail terms, hid Ghosn in a large box, which cleared Kansai airport security, and the illicit cargo was flown to Turkey on a private jet.

At the request of Japanese prosecutors, the Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts in 2020 by U.S. authorities.

They had fought extradition to Japan in U.S. courts but ultimately lost their battle when their appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in February this year.

Once extradited, they were arrested and charged in Japan in March and have since been detained at the same jail in Tokyo where Ghosn was held.

Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese nationality, is accused of under-reporting his remuneration for years and for embezzling company funds. He has denied all the charges, claiming company insiders conspired against him.

His lengthy detention in Tokyo after being initially arrested in November 2018 had been the center of controversy in a scandal that rocked Japan and saw the international community criticize Japan's justice system, with those close to his case likening his detention to a form of "hostage justice."

Japan has since been trying to detain Ghosn with the help of Interpol as Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan.

This means that Ghosn cannot be legally handed over to Japan without Lebanon first agreeing to it.
A preacher from the heavily persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) in China who was been arrested several times since March is back in his own home, but continues to experience persecution at the hands of Chinese authorities. ERCC preacher Wu Wuqing, who was detained on March 26 and again on April 1, was able to return home but has been under some form of house arrest.

According to International Christian Concern, Chinese authorities have chained up the fire door outside Pastor Wu's home which leads to the elevator and staircase, preventing him and his family from going outside and prohibiting any visitors from coming to see him and the family. Pastor Wu's home was chained and watched by minders who at first allowed visitors to bring food, but on June 8, they began prohibiting visitors from entering Pastor Wu's home.

A couple of groups of visitors composed of mothers and children were informed about a new directive that forbids visitors from entering Pastor Wu's residence. Visitors would only be allowed to hand him and his family food through a door. Pastor Wu had called the police, who arrived at his home but refused to take action. Pastor Wu's wife then told them about the Ten Commandments and the source of the law, after which they left.

"The door was locked by our Heavenly Father. When it is time, it will be opened," the pastor's wife said to their church members. "We will pray for them every day: may the Lord gain their souls."

ERCC's Pastor Wu is no stranger to persecution at the hands of Chinese authorities as in April, he was arrested without a warrant. Police warned him that if he continued to serve at the church, he would face greater consequences.

But church leaders are not the only ones being persecuted by Chinese authorities. In April, they raided ERCC in Sichuan and captured seven church members and up to 12 children, Radio Free Asia reported. The raid was conducted during a study session run by the ERCC. The Christian members of the church were taken by Chinese authorities to the police station for questioning.

"Police from the Yongningjie police station in Wenjiang district took a group of children of church members to the police station, where they held them in the absence of their parents," church member Joseph Pan reported. "These actions on the part of the police were in serious contravention of the Chinese constitution"

According to the law, Chinese authorities can only detain children as long as they are accompanied by their parents. The children from ERCC were unaccompanied by their parents during their capture and detention, sparking outrage from church members. Pan said that Chinese authorities have "plummeted to a new moral low" with their recent actions.

"This is a clear violation of China's own constitution, and of the principle of religious freedom stipulated by international law, and enshrined in rights covenants and treaties," ChinaAid president Bob Fu decried the Chinese authorities' actions on the ERCC children and called for their immediate release.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director and White House health adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has denied downplaying the Wuhan lab leak theory that has recently become more credible due to new reports and findings. Dr. Fauci spoke at the recent Wall Street Journal Tech Health event during which he said that it was "preposterous" for people to accuse him of downplaying the Wuhan lab leak theory for political reasons.

The Wall Street Journal reported how Dr. Fauci recounted that he gathered a team of scientists to make an analysis on the Wuhan lab leak when the theory that viruses can be "manipulated" first came about in February 2020. However, the scientists concluded that the virus had most likely traveled from animal to human. Dr. Fauci insists that he is still open to the possibility that COVID-19 had indeed come from a Wuhan lab leak.

But many are not convinced that he is indeed keeping "an open mind." In fact, some Republican lawmakers have accused Dr. Fauci of downplaying the Wuhan lab leak following the release of hundreds of his emails, including one in which EcoHealth Alliance executive Peter Daszak, who was also involved in the questionable World Health Organization probe into the Wuhan lab leak earlier this year, thanked Dr. Fauci for downplaying the Wuhan lab leak and for suggesting it had a zoonotic nature, a claim recently debunked by experts and also by investigations led during Trump's time.

Many believe that EcoHealth Alliance and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) have a close relationship, especially when the NIH had funneled taxpayer money into the non-profit, which in turn provided $600,000 worth of grants to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to support gain of function research on viruses. But Dr. Fauci denies downplaying the Wuhan lab leak theory.

"You can misconstrue it however you want," Dr. Fauci said to CNN, as reported by BBC. "that email was from a person to me saying 'thank you' for whatever it is he thought I said, and I said that I think the most likely origin is a jumping of species."

Dr. Fauci added that until there is no firm evidence that the virus did not escape from a virology lab, he will stick to the theory that COVID-19 came from a virus that jumped from animals to humans. He said, "I still do think it is, at the same time as I'm keeping an open mind that it might be a lab leak."

Dr. Fauci also came to the defense of the Chinese scientists, saying, "The idea I think is quite farfetched that the Chinese deliberately engineered something so that they could kill themselves as well as other people. I think that's a bit far out."

The Wuhan lab leak theory had gained credibility in the past months, as in May, a new intelligence report surfaced, revealing that three researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China had fallen ill with COVID-like symptoms as early as November. Earlier this month, British intelligence declared that the Wuhan lab leak theory is "feasible" and committed to working with their allies around the world, including the U.S., to determine the true origin of COVID-19.
A number of young men who received their second dose of mRNA COVID vaccines reported to experience myocarditis, the inflammation of the heart muscle or pericarditis, the inflammation of the heart's outer lining, reports say.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deputy director of the Immunization Safety Office Dr. Tom Shimabukuro confirmed 226 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis among those aged 30 and below after they received their second dose of an mRNA vaccine. It remains unclear which vaccines these patients were inoculated with, but in the U.S, mRNA vaccines that are available are from Pfizer and Moderna.

According to NBC News, over 50% of the patients who had myocarditis were teenagers or people in their early 20's. In May, the CDC recommended Pfizer's mRNA COVID vaccines for use among children 12 to 15. Dr. Shimabukuro believes that there is "clearly an imbalance."

While most of the 226 patients were sent home following a hospital visit in May, 15 patients are still in the hospital, with three in intensive care units. Two of the ICU patients reported other health problems. The CDC reported that more than 80% of those who have recovered from heart inflammation issues "got better on their own." CDC believes that "further investigation" is needed to determine causality between the COVID vaccines and the heart inflammation issues as only less than 100 cases are expected for the reported age group.

According to Forbes, 475 out of 789 reported cases of heart inflammation issues were recorded among those 30 years old and below, but only 226 of the 475 "met the CDC working case definition." Up to 81% of the cases have made a full recovery.

The growing evidence supporting the causality of COVID vaccines and heart inflammation issues is also present in Israel. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Israel's Health Ministry found a "small number" of patients who reported heart inflammation issues following inoculation of Pfizer COVID vaccines. Pfizer recognized the report and denied causality between their COVID vaccines and heart inflammation issues among patients.

The report revealed that between December 2020 and May 2021 275 patients reported myocarditis among the more than 5 million people who received the same vaccine. 95% of patients who reported heart inflammation issues were considered mild, according to a study. It also found that most patients with heart inflammation issues spent at most four days in the hospital. The study concluded, "there is a probable link between receiving the second dose (of Pfizer) vaccine and the appearance of myocarditis among men aged 16 to 30."

Back in the U.S., the CDC has ordered further study on the possible relationship between heart inflammation issues and COVID vaccines, specifically mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. On May 24, the CDC advisory group revealed that data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) "showed a higher than expected number of observed myocarditis or pericarditis cases in 16- to 24-year-olds."

But scientists have decided not to slow down vaccination among the youth, despite a possible link to heart inflammation issues. Dr. Paul Offit, Vaccine Education Center director at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia encouraged parents to continue to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) believes the same.

"This issue of a transient myocarditis associated with a vaccine is at the moment a theoretical and unproven risk," Dr. Offit argued. "So I think that in the world of trying to weigh relative risks, the disease is a greater risk."

Other side effects

Previous reports indicate that heart inflammation is but one of the possible side-effects resulting from being inoculated with experimental COVID vaccines.

Chinese-made vaccines, for example, were reported to cause fever, nausea, diarrhea, rashes, a tightening of the chest, and shortness of breath in some cases. Others were reinfected with COVID even after getting vaccinated twice. Some even died after getting vaccinated with China's Sinovac.

Other COVID vaccines were also found to cause issues as well. One particular man who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, for example, developed a severe rash that could have been life-threatening if left unchecked. Research also suggests that vaccines put older people at higher risk of death.

A vaccine researcher who looked into COVID vaccines provides a simple explanation as to why this is happening. Byram Bridle, a professor of viral immunology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, found that the spike protein in COVID vaccines "was a toxin and was a pathogenic protein." Basically, "by vaccinating people we are inadvertently inoculating them with a toxin," he said.
A high ranking CCP defector who came forward to U.S. investigators about the origins of COVID-19 provided evidence that the 2019 novel coronavirus was man made and leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The unnamed CCP defector also claimed to have evidence that the People's Liberation Army managed the Wuhan program, a testimony that supports the claims of Chinese virologist Li-Meng Yan, who provided similar claims to the FBI last year. Both the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and the Defense Intelligence Agency established the legitimacy of the information provided by the CCP defector.

According to RedState, technical details were provided to scientists without informing them that the source was in fact the CCP defector. Upon performing analysis on the data provided versus data from published sources, the conclusion drawn was that COVID-19 was in fact engineered. Moreover, the CCP defector also confirmed several details Dr. Yan provided to U.S. investigators last year.

Dr. Yan was one of the first scientists who suggested the Wuhan lab leak theory last year. The New York Post reported that she was also one of the first to research the emerging coronavirus but fled China after she accused Beijing of covering up the true origins of COVID-19. Most recently, she spoke out against Dr. Anthony Fauci's leaked emails, which showed how she had in fact been in contact with him and how Dr. Fauci had "a lot of useful information" about the Wuhan lab leak theory.

"They verify my work from the very beginning, even from last January, that these people know what happened, but they choose to hide for the Chinese Communist Party and for their own benefits," Dr. Yan told the N.Y. Post. She also pointed out how in one email, "Dr. Fauci even back to 1st of February last year immediately realized that there would be gain-of-function experiment involved in the COVID-19 virus."

Evidence of a massive coverup proving that Chinese military created COVID-19 in a lab and later leaked into the city of Wuhan is mounting. But the FBI continues to keep mum on the issue on whether they have sufficient evidence or not. Last week, Republican Representative Matt Gaetz confronted FBI Director Christopher Wray about the specifics of his interactions with Dr. Yan.

According to FOX News, Rep. Gaetz grilled Wray on what he knew with regards to Dr. Yan's claims that Chinese military created COVID-19 and that it leaked from a lab. Wray admitted that he could not speak about any "specific investigation," but committed to being "very vocal about the counterintelligence threat which takes a wide variety of forms from the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party," saying it was "one of the most significant threats" facing the United States today.

Wray refused to confirm knowledge of evidence proving that the Chinese military created COVID-19 and that it escaped from a lab but admitted that "the intelligence community has been looking at this issue. There are differences of view within the intelligence community about the origins of the coronavirus and we're taking a deeper dive on that subject."
According to the American Bible Society's 11th Annual State of the Bible Report, more Americans are turning to the Bible than they have in prior years, and they are reading it more often.

Approximately one in every four persons in the United States has a more regular Bible reading habit than they did a year ago, according to a news release sent to PR Newswire.

"Our research shows that in the midst of incredible pressure, Americans are finding hope and resilience in the Bible," says John Farquhar Plake, PhD and director of ministry intelligence for American Bible Society.

"This marks the fourth straight year in a trend of Americans moving toward the Bible, with COVID-19 encouraging many of us to look to faith for answers. There's an astounding opportunity right now for the Church to answer our nation's pervasive trauma and pain with the hope and healing of God's Word," he added.

The results were derived from a poll of 3,354 online interviews with American adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in January 2021, plus 91 additional answers from Gen Zers.

Key Findings

As part of its collaboration with the American Bible Society, Barna highlighted the following notable key findings in light of the ABS's latest report on Americans' Bible usage:

With a 5% increase since last year, more than half of Americans feel that the country would have experienced worse without the Bible while one in three American adults (33%) think America would be the same whether there is a Bible in the nation. Approximately seven out of ten Americans believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, with half of those believing it is error-free.

181 million Americans reportedly opened a Bible, which is much higher than 2020, when, at least sometimes, 169 million individuals used the Bible.

One in every six Americans (16%) reads the Bible on a weekly basis, an increase from 12 percent in 2020. Over two-thirds of Americans (63%) say they use the Bible the same manner they did last year, while one-tenth (9%) say they have decreased their Bible usage since last year. One in every four, on the other hand, claims to read the Bible more often.

The Bible is being "tested-driv(en)" by 95 million Americans who are yearning for hope and wisdom. Individuals who identify as Bible Disengaged have decreased in number for the fourth year in a row, while those who identify as Movable Middle have increased.

When it comes to the mode, six out of ten Americans still chose to read from printed or paper Bibles, despite the fact that virtual interactions and gadget dependence have expanded in practically every facet of everyday life during the pandemic. Compared to those labeled as "Bible Disengaged," those who engage with the Bible (27%) would choose to read the Bible on smartphones or tablets.

Greg Yoder with Keys for Kids Ministries asserted that "people were clinging to God's Word because that was the important thing; that's what [gave] them comfort."

Last spring, he said that people and families were flocking to Keys for Kids Ministries in order to go deeper into the Scriptures. Between April, May and June, they observed a rise of around 300%.
A city in the United Kingdom has apologized to a Christian church for canceling their event over a guest speaker's religious beliefs.

The Alliance Defending Freedom International, a faith-based organization that legally protects the basic rights of people, said that the city council of Edinburgh, Scotland has admitted its mistake for canceling the conference of Destiny Ministries due to the held beliefs of its guest speaker Larry Stockstill.

According to ADF International, the conference was supposed to be held for three days last Summer 2020 in the Usher Hall of Edinburgh but the council received a complaint against Stockstill for his renowned Christian views on sexuality and marriage. The council found such views as "offensive and discriminatory" and canceled the event. It was only after Destiny Ministries filed a lawsuit through ADF International that the council has realized what they did is in itself discriminatory.

ADF International announced that the council has already offered damages to Destiny Ministries alongside its apology. The Christian Post reported that the amount of damages offered to be paid by the Council of Edinburgh was over $35,000.

"(The Council) failed to meet its equalities duties to Destiny Ministries in terms of the Equality Act 2010 and therefore acted unlawfully," ADF International quoted the council in saying.

Stockstill, as per The Christian Post, is an American pastor based in Louisiana that formerly belonged to Bethany World Prayer Center. He is the author of the book "He Teaches My Hands To War" that was published in 2007 and contained his stand against homosexuality, which he deemed "not accepted by God" and "not normal behavior." This very stand has pushed the event's cancellation by the council, based on a spokesperson's interview with Edinburgh Evening News.

ADF International, through its U.K. Legal Counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole, expressed acceptance for the council's offer and admission of mistake.

"We welcome the decision of City of Edinburgh Council today to acknowledge the right of Destiny Ministries, and those invited to speak for them, to express their Christian faith, including through teaching conferences," Igunnubole said.

"Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are foundations of every free and democratic society, and must be protected for all people," he stressed. "We were pleased to support Destiny Ministries in this matter because freedom of religion includes the freedom to manifest your faith in teaching, practice, and observance--no one should be discriminated against simply because of their faith."

Destiny Ministries' litigation representative Lindsays pointed out that the council's actions were unlawful because it defied the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion. Lindsay's Brent Haywood disclosed that they had to make the council realize that what they did was actually unlawful, yet they publicly stated that they would "'vigorously' defend itself in any litigation."

"At the heart of this case is the right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Destiny Ministries is a Christian organisation which holds to orthodox biblical teaching," Haywood said.

"The cancellation of its booking was an obvious act of discrimination under the Equality Act, and an equally clear breach of the Human Rights Act," he highlighted. "Ironically, facing a full hearing of the case, the Council has now apologised and has accepted that it discriminated against Destiny under the Equality Act and acted unlawfully under the Human Rights Act."

The city council's admission, as per Premier Christianity, is "a win for Christians everywhere."
An atheist group from Wisconsin was reported to have demanded a Texas hospital to remove a banner posted in its vicinity that contains a prayer to God for protection during this pandemic.

The Christian Headlines said Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a demand letter last May to Lubbock, Texas' The University Medical Center for distributing videos promoting Christianity and for featuring a banner that contains a prayer by Lyon Baptist Church Rev. Wendell Davis. The prayer asks for God's "divine protection" to be given to "all of UMC," as well as to provide them "guidance within them and provision for them daily."

Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a non-profit that advocates for atheists, agnostics and non-theists, and pushes for separation of church and state, said through its letter that the banner was "an unconstitutional endorsement of religion over nonreligion."

The letter was addressed to The University Medical Center President Mark Funderburk and signed by FFRF Staff Attorney Christopher Line. The letter pointed out that a UMC member has brought the matter to FFRF since the hospital itself was said to create the videos that promote Christianity and features the chaplains on it.

"We urge UMC to recognize its obligation to provide all citizens with an environment free from religious endorsement by removing this exclusionary display. By publishing overtly Christian messages, the University Medical Center violates the Establishment Clause," Line said in the letter.

"When a public hospital regularly promulgates religious concepts to employees and the public, it sends a message that the government supports those ideas," he stressed.

In a June 9 news release, FFRF said it is urging the hospital to cease its "unconstitutional religious promotion" through the banner displayed in the employee parking space that various individuals including a UMC employee has complained about. FFRF pointed out that federal courts have prohibited such display of religious materials by "government employees on government property because such restrictions exist to avoid Establishment Clause violations."

The FFRF cited in its news release that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has raised the need to control the materials posted in public property. This is on top of the video the hospital creates that endorses a certain Chaplain Larry Cothrin that provides a Christian message that, "God is a great God," and that "God is in control" so that patients are encouraged to endure their suffering while in the hospital. FFRF pointed out that chaplains and other government employees are bound by the First Amendment and are "liable for their constitutional violations."

"While patients are trying to receive care and employees are trying to work, many are forced to listen to preaching by someone who does not share their deeply held religious or nonreligious views. One can imagine how people would react if they were forced to listen to an imam deliver a prayer to Allah," the statement said.

"FFRF is asking the University Medical Center to discontinue its chaplaincy and cease creating and promoting religious videos. It must also remove the religious banner from its parking structure," it added.

The FFRF, which advocates for the removal of Christianity, from public establishments, also filed for courts to stop a Texas judge from opening courtroom meetings with prayers. A local judge ruled in the atheist group's favor.
A British woman who lost her job for stating that men cannot be women filed a case against her employer and won her case in court.

CBN News said the British High Court declared last Thursday that Maya Forstater was simply stating her beliefs protected by the country's Equality Act.

"We won!" Forstater announced in Twitter last Thursday the result of the case she filed two years ago. The tweet leads to a news release on Forstater's founded organization SexMatters website.

"Today, after two years of legal battles, Sex Matters co-founder Maya Forstater achieved a landmark legal ruling that looks set to change the direction of the sex and gender debates in the UK, and provide legal protection for gender-critical people against discrimination and harassment," the statement said.

The statement included a video of Forstater regarding her victory. The statement pointed out that case's presiding Judge Akhlaq Choudhury has "overturned" the previous decision of the Employment Tribunal that criticized gender-critical beliefs as "not worthy of respect in a democratic society," which in turn strengthens the protection on those who hold such beliefs "from discrimination and harassment in employment and as service users."

Forstater added in a succeeding tweet that winning the case was "important" because "women are being sacked and silenced."

In addition, CBN News disclosed that Choudhury's ruling pointed out that Forstater's views are covered by the Equality Act in so far as freedom of belief is concerned despite what she said as perceived offensive by some people.

"It is clear from Convention case law that," Choudhury said, "a person is free in a democratic society to hold any belief they wish, subject only to 'some modest, objective minimum requirements'."

As per the statement, Choudhury and the two lay members of the tribunal ruled that those who found Forstater's statements discriminatory belong to "extreme views akin to Nazism or totalitarianism."

"The Claimant's gender-critical beliefs, which were widely shared, and which did not seek to destroy the rights of trans persons, clearly did not fall into that category," the Appeals Tribunal pointed out.

Last April, Christianity Daily reported that Forstater fought back in court after losing her job as Centre For Global Development Senior Researcher because she expressed in Twitter that transgender women can never be women in defense of "women's rights, in a careful way and in a tone of ordinary discussion and disagreement."

She filed a 50-page appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal for her right to free speech after a local court condemned her actions as "absolutist" and "violates their dignity," siding with her employer who dismissed her simply because they "disagree with, or do not wish to be associated with, beliefs which dissent from prevailing orthodoxy."

Forstater, who was supported by globally-renowned autor J.K. Rowling in her stand, created a crowdfunding page to support her legal undertakings in fighting for her right to free speech and her loss of income from being fired from her job.
The Knesset voted for the formation of Israel's 36th government headed by Yamina's Naftali Bennett, unseating Likud Party's Benjamin Netanyahu who served as prime minister for more than a decade.

The 60 Members of the Knesset (MK) approved the move, 59 MKs opposed and got one abstention from Ra'am MK Saeed Alharomi, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Eight parties supported the government, including Yesh Atid (17 seats), Blue and White (8 seats), Yisrael Beytenu (7 seats), Labor (7 seats), Yamina (6 seats), New Hope (6 seats), Meretz (6 seats) and Ra'am (3 seats).

Alharomi declared that he would support the new coalition. In return, he demanded the cancellation of the clause in the coalition agreement relative to illegal construction in the Negev.

Netanyahu and Interior Minister Arye Deri reportedly tried swaying Alharomi to vote against the government by giving him assurances, as well as on the issue of illegal construction in the Kaminitz Law.

Bennett and Netanyahu shook hands after the announcement of results. Bennett and Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid then proceeded to swear in as the country's 13th and 14th prime ministers, respectively. In the rotation agreement, Bennett will currently serve as the prime minister while Lapid as an alternate prime minister and foreign minister, until the handover on Aug. 27, 2023.

But Netanyahu declined to take Bennett's hand again after being sworn in when the latter passed by him. The former prime minister sat for a while in his chair as an opposition leader but walked out, Time said.

Addressing the parliament ahead of the vote, Bennett presented the ministers and guidelines of his new government but was heckled by the MKs of the would-be opposition. Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich and other MKs interrupted his speech by shouting, "Shame" while waving posters of terrorism victims. They were escorted out of the plenum.

He was also heckled by the MKs of Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, calling him a liar and cheater. But Bennett vowed to support the ultra-Orthodox sector by building a new haredi city.

"I am proud that I can sit in a government with people with very different views," he told his detractors.

The new prime minister expressed his gratitude to Netanyahu for his hard work on the state, as well as for the dedication of his wife, Sara.

In his speech, Bennett focused on domestic issues.

"We will forge forward on that which we agree, and there is much we agree on, transport, education and so on, and what separates us we will leave to the side," he said.

He also vowed for a "new page" in relations with the Arab sector in the country.

He added that he would never allow Iran to proceed with its nuclear plans, opposing America's proposal on reviving the deal.

"Israel will not allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons. Israel will not be a party to the agreement and will continue to preserve full freedom of action," he said.

Nevertheless, he thanked the Biden Administration for its support during the recent war in Gaza and promised to continue supporting the United States.

Netanyahu also addressed the Knesset after Bennett's speech, declaring his return as the nation's leader.

"If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country in our way," he stated.

According to CBN News, Netanyahu claimed that Bennett would not be able to stand up against America's pressure on a number of critical issues like he could.

Lapid cancelled his planned speech before the parliament, noting of the opposition's behavior towards Bennett. He said he was ashamed that his mother could witness such. In a brief speech, he asked for "forgiveness" from his mother.

"I wanted her to be proud of the democratic process in Israel. Instead she, along with every citizen of Israel, is ashamed of you and remembers clearly why it's time to replace you," Lapid added.

Netanyahu and Bennett both served in Sayeret Matkal, an elite commando unit of the Israel Defense Force that conducts top secret intelligence-gathering missions.

Bennett became Netanyahu's chief of staff in 2006 but left to lead a company in 2009, the year the latter began his 12-year career as prime minister. However, Bennett returned to politics in 2010 following America's pressure to freeze the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank in late 2009. He was appointed as Yesha Council's director general, representing those settlements and leading the campaign against the freeze.

The former prime minister is the brother of Jonathan Netanyahu, the Sayeret Matkal commander and the only member of the rescue team who died during the Entebbe raid, the operation to free Israeli hostages in Uganda from the hijacked Air France flight in 1975.
The CCP was quick to assemble what appeared to be a staged news conference in response to testimonials of human rights abuses at the Uyghur Tribunal earlier this month. Chinese authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) gathered relatives of ethnic Uyghurs to show off during a press conference that condemned the testimonies of those who appeared during a recent London tribunal. These accounts highlighted how the CCP engaged in acts of torture, sexual assault, and other human rights offenses against the Uyghurs, which the CCP vehemently denies.

According to Al Jazeera, the Uyghur Tribunal that took place in London investigated whether China was guilty of alleged persecution against the Uyghur Muslim minorities in the XUAR. During the tribunal, which was held over four days, nine United Kingdom-based jurors heard the testimonies of several witnesses to China's human rights abuses.

One of the witnesses was Qelbinur Sidik, a teacher in the Urumqi capital of Xinjiang, who was ordered by CCP officials to take Mandarin-language classes in two crowded and unsanitary "re-education" camps for Uyghurs. There, students were required to wear shackles during classes that lasted for hours. Sidik said they were "treated less than dogs" and that CCP officials "enjoyed watching them being humiliated and their suffering was for them their joy."

Sidik added that female prisoners who were taken for interrogation were "not only tortured but also raped, sometimes gang-raped." Sidik, who was subjected to forced sterilization, admitted, "The things that I have witnessed and experienced, I can't forget."

Three Uyghurs who escaped China for Turkey also gave testimony through a video. One of them, a woman named Rozi said that CCP officers forced her to get an abortion at six and a half months of pregnancy. Her youngest son was detained in 2015 when he was 13 years old and is still held captive by the CCP.

But now, China is having none of these allegations. CCP officials set up a staged news conference where relatives of Uyghurs were forced to speak well about their treatment under the communist state leaders. According to Radio Free Asia, the news conference was set up by Xu Guixiang, a deputy spokesperson for the Xinjiang regional government.

Xu rejected the testimonies of those present at the London panel, calling it a "pseudo tribunal" with testimonies by paid actors who told lies and fabrications. Back in April, he accused witnesses who spoke out against the XUAR's detention camp system as being "actors" who "make a living by smearing Xinjiang abroad" to gain refugee status.

Instead, the CCP has forced relatives of Uyghur exiles to speak in interviews with state media and say that the Uyghur victims were "never detained." The Uyghur relatives were also forced to "pledge allegiance to the ruling Communist Party, and denigrate their family members abroad for telling 'lies.'"

This was challenged by ITV News Asia correspondent Debi Edward, who said that the accusations could be against China, which may be doing damage control with a "scripted procedure" with Uyghur relatives that were "put up to give evidence in a scripted manner." She asked Xu who to believe, the London tribunal or their staged news conference.

Xu did not provide a specific answer. But the London-based tribunal has invited Xu's witnesses to the next round of hearings that are set in September. Dolkun Isa, the president of the Germany-based organization World Uyghur Congress (WUC), condemned China's staged news conference, saying it was "despicable" for Chinese authorities to attempt to force witnesses to lie about the atrocities happening in the XUAR.

"There's no doubt these family members are being held hostage and were forced to say what they were told against their loved ones by the authorities," Isa said in a statement.
On Saturday, Judge Lynn N. Hughes of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas dismissed a case filed by a nurse Jennifer Bridges and 116 other employees against Houston Methodist Hospital for its COVID vaccination policy that requires employees to get vaccinated on or before a certain date or risk losing their jobs. Last week, the Houston hospital suspended 178 workers for failing to meet the deadline for getting the COVID vaccine, leading more than a hundred of them to file a lawsuit against the hospital, as led by Bridges.

According to NPR, the Houston hospital health workers who were hesitant to get the vaccine decried the COVID vaccination policy because they believed that the vaccines were unsafe and "experimental." Bridges and 116 other plaintiffs are arguing that the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines are being administered only through an emergency use authorization and are in fact unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"We just want more time," Bridges explained. "We want it fully FDA-approved, and we want more proper research before I'd be comfortable putting it into my body."

However, Judge Hughes dismissed their case that challenged the Houston hospital's mandatory COVID vaccination policy, NBC News reported. She addressed their argument about the vaccination requirement violating due process by writing in the decision, "Texas does not recognize this exception to at-will employment."

Judge Hughes addressed Bridges' argument that the mandatory COVID vaccination policy would force the employees to violate the law, saying that receiving COVID vaccinations is "not an illegal act." The Texas judge also decided against the employees' argument that they were being coerced by the Houston hospital.

"This is not coercion. Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus," Judge Hughes wrote. "It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer."

The Houston hospital is the first hospital system in the U.S. to require all of its employees to get vaccinated against COVID. Houston Methodist president and CEO Dr. Marc Boom decried Bridges' comparison of the mandatory COVID vaccination policy to forced medical experiments under the Nazis in Germany as "reprehensible." NPR reported that in a conversation with Here & Now, Boom called it an "anti-vaccination rhetoric, and unfortunately [it's] at play within a healthcare professional."

Bridges remains determined to fight for her right not to be vaccinated against COVID. According to USA Today, the nurse admitted that the decision did not "surprise" her because the Houston hospital system is "a very large company" and is "well-protected in a lot of areas." She admitted that their case would be a "huge fight" that they are prepared to take to the Supreme Court "if necessary," their lawyer, Jared Woodfill said.

"This is just one battle in a larger war to protect the rights of employees to be free from being forced to participate in a vaccine trial as a condition for employment," Woodfill said in a statement.
"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
The Bible seems such a great source of knowledge. It reaches for a scope and scale of things grand and vast and explores the hidden depths of the human psyche. If it werent for a few pesky passages, I imagine many more would be reading it.

One such set of passages have received endless interpretation and abuse: those concerning a womans role in the church and the family. Many passages (Gen 2:18, Tit 2:3-5, 1 Tim 2:11-15, 1 Cor 11:3, etc.) describe different aspects of the role of the woman, and most seemingly describe simply what not to do. Through my years of living (admittedly short) I have seen these passages used to tell women that they are in the wrong and to put them in their place, so to speak.

The misuses

One does not need search long to find stories of abuse concerning these passages. Domineering men wielding them as a chimp with a machine gun, enforcing their own beliefs and values on women and the womans commitment to God called into question should she stand up for herself. This is not to say what the Bible definitively is saying, I have simply seen firsthand the effects of weak men using these scriptures to control the women around them who might have the gall to question a mans decision.

I have experienced a family torn apart, while for deeper reasons, with these passages and ideas occupying a lot of space in the conflict. I have seen women ostracised from churches because they were not given anything constructive or helpful or even encouraging, simply criticisms telling them what they could not do.

With the rise of more egalitarian ideas in society (and by extension, the church), I believe an increase in this conversation is visible. However, it seems it is regularly split into two views without much room for a third.

Things we dont know

If something is obvious then there should be no discussion around it. No one disagrees what a brick looks like, no one argues about the value of sleep, and no Christian argues that God is the Creator. So it is worth noting that so much discussion is being had around these passages and ideas, because thats not a trivial thing. There are compelling arguments and interpretations which could suggest both ideas; one can convincingly articulate the reasons a woman should not lead, and one could articulate that the verses are out of context and require deeper engagement.

This is to say it is not obvious exactly what the correct interpretation is of these verses, else it would have been arrived at a long time ago (although it could be worth researching that the controversy around these passages is fairly modern, and it seemed quite clear for an extended period of time). A good idea, then, would be to try and articulate that which we do know so that the conversation can shift to a slightly different perspective; just what is it a woman should do, then? Rather than a discouraging list of things that they should not.

Things we do know.

God has created mankind in his image, and the perfect image of God is love. This means man and woman are best suited to love in the ways He has designed us to.

So God created humankind in His image,

in the image of God He created them;

male and female He created them. (Gen 1:27, NRSV)

It is inarguable that God has created both man and woman to reflect him. Just as a church holds an idol to reflect the deitys persona, so too has God filled the Earth with perfect images of Himself. This image is not one of two legs and two arms, rather one of love.

Beloved, let us love another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John chapter 4 verses 7-8 ESV). If God is love, and to love is to know and be born from God, then it follows we reflect the image of God by showing love unconditional.

But God does not simply lead us and guide us, He also helps us and supports us and listens to us. And it is here you may be seeing what Im getting at. Men and women seem to differ in temperament, meaning they do not (generally speaking) act or think the same way. My thought is to connect what was thought when it was written It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him. (Genesis chapter 2, verse 18 ESV) with the idea of what women could be doing.

That is not to say women should be forced into the role of helping and supporting, I am simply trying to see a different angle; that perhaps a woman would find her fulfillment and glory in the acting out of the way God designed her. That just as a masculine side of God exists, so too can a feminine side be seen. Just as a man shows sacrificial love when he is called to love his wife as Christ loves the church (Ephesians chapter 5 verses 25-27), so too might the woman be most fulfilled in being the helper God created her to be.

I find myself considering the elephant in the room  I myself am a man, and so this could be interpreted as me simply telling women what to do  however I really must stress that I am simply trying to see the discussion from a different angle. One that encourages rather than criticises. One that says women can absolutely be leaders, and perhaps the area they lead is an area they are better at than man. Instead of a war of usurping each other, men and women might be better suited encouraging one another in the areas where God has designed us to flourish. I dont pretend to know the answer, however I hope this will be a useful perspective in the discussion. While it can be argued what Paul intended when he wrote those letters, it cannot be argued that both man and woman were created in Gods image, and that image is love.
You can only love God as much as you know him.

In my tradition of Christianity, the intellectual side was not always given priority but as I grew into my faith, this saying became more and more true.

Sometimes its okay to push pause on the worship music.

When I went to Bible college few years ago, I thought I knew a lot about my Christianity. Born and raised in a home that encouraged faith and going to church for as long as I remember. Then in our first Old Testament class in we were asked to name first five books of the Bible, I faltered after Exodus, then we were asked to name as many Bible characters as possible, the result wasnt much better than previously.

Heres how learning about different topics continue to transform my faith:

History

Being nearly 2000 years old, Christian history has its triumphs and embarrassments.

Australian historian and Centre for Public Christianity co-founder John Dickson, describes our history like listening to one of Bachs Suites. When played badly it is painful but when performed by an expert, in tune, with the words of Christ to love thy enemy there is nothing more moving.

In learning of revivals like the Hebrides and Wesleyans the ever presence of God in his people is clear. God didnt stop at Acts 2 nor has any cultural force in the past two millennia ever done enough to stop God from doing his will.

Facing the horrors of the churchs crimes, the Crusades, the abuses of power. can be a frightening reflection both to the contemporary church, corporately and individually. We can justify certain actions because God commanded it, but we are just as human as the those who lived thousands of years ago. Living in the modern age doesnt stop us from making past mistakes

Theology

More than learning three-syllable words, theology  the study of God  should always lead to loving him more.

The heart cannot love what the mind doesnt know  Jen Wilkin

Everybody is a theologian because everyone has thoughts about who God is, how he acts and why does thing. Learning theology is our gauge. In the midst of our greatest despair we can remind ourselves of our union with Christ when were fighting sin, his sovereignty in the battle, his character as a sustainer when we dont have enough. When we lean into knowing God more

While there are many different denominations, we need know what ideas are meant to be at our core and what we can be secondary. Holding too tightly to one point of contention can cause separation when the church needs unity more than ever.

Learning well without losing heart

Any learning about God is best done in community. We have a general bias to listen to the resources we find, find the people we like and learning surrounded by people is the greatest thing. Whether its local or online there are communities that exist full of people that love God and seek to know him more. In these places ideas can be tested and called out. Ive been told a few times much to my annoyance, all people are equal, ideas are not.

Rather waffle on as to why you should study your Bible more I will leave you with this quote by St Jerome in the 5th century.

The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for a theologians to swim in without ever touching the bottom"  St. Jerome
Men and women who once lived and identified as part of the LGBT community are confident that a "rainbow revival" is at hand.

Gathered under the blazing sun with temperatures in the mid-90s at the Sylvan Theater in the shadow of the Washington Monument, approximately 200 attended the Freedom March, an event for formerly LGBT-identifying people who share testimonies of how Jesus transformed their lives.

The gathering was first held in the same location in 2018. Last year's Freedom March was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

With many sporting T-shirts decorated with rainbow flags and the words "Rainbow Revival," march participants spoke with The Christian Post about the transforming power of Jesus.

Angel Colon, who miraculously survived after Omar Mateen shot him several times at the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando in June 2016, said the "rainbow revival" is a sign of God's covenant.

"We are taking back the rainbow," Colon said. "It's His. For us, it's something beautiful."

"We are here and we're loud, letting the world know that the rainbow is something beautiful," he added. "And we shouldn't be ashamed of what it really is."

Colon and his compatriots are hearing from increasing numbers of people who desire to leave the LGBT life to follow Jesus, as Freedom March events have continued. He believes that the Covid-19 pandemic was a blessing in disguise because it forced many to go deep with the Lord.

"Especially now during Pride month, we want to say we love you" to the LGBT community, Colon said.

"We want to tell the gay community that we love them. We don't want to judge you or condemn you and welcome you with open arms and be a reflection of Jesus. We're not the Holy Spirit. We don't want to do anything but love everyone."

Freedom March co-founder Jeffrey McCall told CP that he noticed an uptick in emails he received from people wishing to leave the LGBT life and identity behind last summer. He was especially encouraged to hear pastor Kent Christmas of Regeneration-Nashville speak prophetically at The Return intercessory prayer event in September that the Lord would bring healing and salvation to the LGBT community.

That uptick in correspondence "has never stopped since last summer," McCall said.

"We are getting more emails, more people reaching out and wanting help than we've ever had in the past three years," he continued. He believes that the Church is at the beginning stage of reaching out effectively to LGBT individuals with the transformational power of life in Christ.

In some church environments in the 1980s, including the one Drew Berryessa was raised in, how homosexuality was treated was harsh and condemning. Not knowing what to do with his struggle with same-sex attraction, the Medford, Oregon-based pastor who leads A Living Letter Ministries shared from the stage how he consistently felt disqualified from God's love.

"In 20 years of ministry to the LGBT community, I know there are many people that they were Christians, that they loved Jesus in their childhood, but they just felt disqualified from His love and grace and redemption because of what they experienced," he told CP.

"And I'm here to say  and I know that we all are  that the blood of Jesus speaks a better word. We are qualified for His redemption and grace."

Kim Zember, who is Catholic and on the march's board of directors, shared with CP that the phrase "conversion therapy" is misleading.

"It's not about 'converting' someone," Zember said. "When Jesus walked the earth, he didn't walk around converting people. He invited people to be transformed. And we're transformed in a relationship with Jesus Christ."

"Jesus went into the dark places," She stressed. "He encountered those who were sick, those who were blind and broken."

The Freedom March board member said that those who participated in the event believe they have been "touched by who we believe is the Physician, Jesus Christ."

"He transforms our lives, not forcing us, not changing us because we have to," Zember explained. "[It's] not a doctrine or certain church teaching, but because Christ Himself has encountered each one of us and we want to share that, not only the transformation He has brought to our lives but [it's] continuing as well."

In order for churches to posture themselves effectively to reach the LGBT community, she said the Church needs an increase in humility and realize "we ourselves are broken as well and allow Jesus to mend our own brokenness." She says churches must be "willing to be transparent with others struggling about our own battles and share about Jesus who is our only hope for complete healing."

After three hours of sharing testimonies and worship, participants marched with a banner from the Sylvan Theater, looping around the pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial and back.

The Freedom March is one of several events in which formerly LGBT-identified people who traveled to the nation's capital participated.

Although the Equality Act appears to be stalling in the U.S. Senate, men and women with the CHANGED movement spent part of Friday speaking with congressional staffers about their concerns with the pending legislation. The movement is a cohort of formerly LGBT-identifying people who have publicly declared their testimonies of restoration through Jesus.

The legislation would codify discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity into federal law. The bill passed the Democratic-controlled House and is supported by President Joe Biden.

Those who met with staffers are particularly concerned about efforts to limit counseling options for those experiencing conflicting or unwanted sexual feelings and impulses or gender confusion related to their faith. Faith-based approaches to help individuals deal with these unwanted attractions are often derisively referred to as "conversion therapy."

Speaking at a press conference outside the Capitol building at Union Square near the reflecting pool, CHANGED movement co-founder Elizabeth Woning said it is incredibly unjust for lawmakers to outlaw such avenues for women, who have long been ignored.

Woning, a pastor with Equipped to Love in Redding, California, who helped co-host the Freedom March, said the lesbian experience was often diminished in favor of male priorities within the LGBT community.

She believes that they are the true liberals in this debate.

"A truly liberal posture seeks understanding. It seeks to incorporate multiple ideas from multiple sides," Woning told CP in an interview Friday. "It's constantly learning and constantly flexing and willing to accommodate multiple views for the sake of valuing another person. Truly liberal ideas are being squashed in America."

She warned that "seeking understanding and having dialogue should not be frightening and it shouldn't be considered abusive or harmful."

"We should be going for enlightened discussion and discourse," she argued.

The conversation over "conversion therapy" continues to harm many women, Woning added.

She recently spoke to a married lesbian who said she had been sexually assaulted and raped by a man. The experience impacted her entire life of sexual expression, even with her wife. The woman also acknowledged that pursuing a counseling route to resolve the trauma from being raped to recognize that there could have been harm to her sexuality that would have implicated her sexual orientation was anathema.

"She couldn't speak of that in her circles," Woning recalled. "She could never be allowed the opportunity to dialogue on that with the option of resolution. But what if those traumas were resolved?"

Courtesy of The Christian Post
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According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Smart Materials Market is accounted for $36.13 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $127.04 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 15.0% during the forecast period. Some of the key factors fueling the market are demand for sensors and actuators in consumer goods and electronics and aerospace & defense. However, absence of high-end expertise during designing, manufacturing, limited commercial viability of the devices coupled with lack of awareness among end users hampers the market growth of smart materials market.

Smart materials, called also intelligent or responsive materials, are designed materials that have one or more properties that can be significantly changed in a controlled fashion by external stimuli, such as stress, moisture, electric or magnetic fields, light, temperature, pH, or chemical compounds. Smart materials are the basis of many applications, including sensors and actuators, or artificial muscles, particularly as electro active polymers.

Based on Application, Transducers segment is constantly enhancing due to its properties A transducer is a device that converts energy from one form to another. Usually a transducer converts a signal in one form of energy to a signal in another. Transducers are often employed at the boundaries of automation, measurement, and control systems, where electrical signals are converted to and from other physical quantities.

By Geography, North America is anticipated to exhibit the considerable growth due to primarily owing to significant demand for smart actuators & motors in key industries such as automotive, consumer goods, and aerospace. in this region.

Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/12098

Some of the key players in Global Smart Materials market are APC international Ltd., Ceram tech, Fine tubes Ltd., Harris corporation, Kyocera corporation, LORD corporation, Noliac A/S, Piezo kinetics Inc., Smart material corporation and TDK corporation.

Applications Covered:

 Actuators & Motors

 Arthroscopy Surgeries

 Cardiovascular Surgeries

 Construction Industry

 Dampers

 ENT Surgeries

 Gastrointestinal Surgeries

 Heat Transfer

 Laparoscopy Surgeries

 Neuro/Spinal Surgeries

 Sensors

 Structural Materials

 Transducers

 Urology/Gynecology Surgeries

 Other Applications

Products Covered:

 Electrochromic Materials

 Electro-Rheostatic

 Magneto-Rheostatic

 Piezoelectric Materials

 Shape Memory Materials

 Electrostrictive Materials

 Magnetostrictive Materials

 Phase Change Materials

 Endoscope

 Operative Devices

 Visualization Systems

 Smart Fluids

 Smart Hydrogels

 Smart Inorganic Polymers

 Temperature-Responsive Polymers

 Other Products

End Users Covered:

 Aerospace

 Automotive

 Consumer Electronic

 Defense

 Healthcare

 Industrial

 Military

 Automobile

 Other End Users

Regions Covered:

 North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

 Europe

o Germany

o UK

o Italy

o France

o Spain

o Rest of Europe

 Asia Pacific

o Japan

o China

o India

o Australia

o New Zealand

o South Korea

o Rest of Asia Pacific

 South America

o Argentina

o Brazil

o Chile

o Rest of South America

 Middle East & Africa

o Saudi Arabia

o UAE

o Qatar

o South Africa

o Rest of Middle East & Africa

Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/12098/Single

 What our report offers:

o  Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments

o  Strategic recommendations for the new entrants

o  Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets

o  Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)

o  Strategic analysis: Drivers and Constraints, Product/Technology Analysis, Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis etc.

o  Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations

o  Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends

o  Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments

o  Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements

 Free Customization Offerings:

o All the customers of this report will be entitled to receive one of the following free customization options:

o Company Profiling

o Comprehensive profiling of additional market players (up to 3)

o SWOT Analysis of key players (up to 3)

o Regional Segmentation

o Market estimations, Forecasts and CAGR of any prominent country as per the clients interest (Note: Depends of feasibility check)

o Competitive Benchmarking

o Benchmarking of key players based on product portfolio, geographical presence, and strategic alliances

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Telemedicine technology conceivably focuses on the elderly, the underserved along with their caregivers, people with chronic ailments, dependents and employees and fitness-oriented people. The implementation of telemedicine is expanding around the world. This can be ascribed to its capacity to enhance the nature of care, get to patients in rural networks, lessen hospital admissions and readmissions, upgrade patient engagement and improve time administration and accommodation. Telemedicine, in addition, addresses the doctor shortage worldwide. The increasing prevalence of chronic ailments, rising elderly populace, and growing healthcare services costs are aspects of driving this market. As of now, mHealth (mobile health) is considered to be the biggest utilized telemedicine. With the wide assortment of versatile health apps accessible in the market and novel mobile therapeutic devices that are customer friendly, currently, patients are relied on technology to screen and track their health.

Telemedicine exploits fast strides in the communication innovation in order to enable healthcare experts to give financially savvy effective healthcare, distance-learning to the patients, supervision, decrease wastage and requirement for physical appointment, increasing proficiency of healthcare specialists time and others. In general healthcare system incorporation as well as cutting the shortage of healthcare experts through the world is another circumstance of the innovation. The drivers for the telemedicine market increase in the demand for healthcare services in rural areas, rise in government initiatives to cater the health needs of the rural population, availability of well-developed information technology infrastructure, rising number of telemedicine services provider and others.

On the other hand, the absence of reimbursement, administrative issues, absence of physician knowledge and acknowledgment poor connectivity in underdeveloped regions, high installation cost, poor quality networks particularly in emerging nations all over the world, absence of awareness and others are a few of the aspects constraining the expansion of the telemedicine market.

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In the year 2016, GlobalMed took on TreatMD. TreatMD had assisted GlobalMed to associate physicians and patients all over the world. The deal was believed to generate synergy among direct-to-customer telemedicine technologies of TreatMD together with the client to client established GlobalMed technology for telemedicine. During the same year, Medvivo one of the prominent telemedicine companies took on Expert 24 with a chief goal of enlarging its regional distribution in addition to product lines all the way through the United States, Europe, and the UK.

In November 2017, BioTelemetry, Inc., reported its contract with Apple Inc. to allow for services for cardiac monitoring in alignment with the Apple Heart Study. Again during the same period, Telcare, (a division of BioTelemetry) the producer of the worlds first FDA-authorised cellular-enabled blood glucose monitor, came into a strategic partnership with Onduo, a combined venture made by Sanofi as well as Verily (an Alphabet company). Under this combined venture, Telcare is considered to function as the provider of remote blood glucose systems as well as the ensuing data for patients recruited in Onduos groundbreaking program for diabetes management.

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Increasing the amount of virtual medical centers in addition to the growth of remote clinical enterprises are a few of the trends which have been discovered in the worldwide telemedicine market. In rural areas shortfall of physicians is believed to put forward fresh prospects for the expansion of the telemedicine market, worldwide. A few of the prominent companies functioning in the telemedicine market globally are AMD Telemedicine, Philips healthcare, Cardio Net Inc. McKesson Ltd., along with GE Healthcare Ltd. On account of the rising potential in the developing nations, for instance, Russia and Brazil, the foremost market players are concentrating on increasing their services in these regions.

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The 'Global Cyanuric Acid (CAS 108-80-5) Market Outlook 2019-2024' offers detailed coverage of cyanuric acid industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading cyanuric acid producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for cyanuric acid. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography.

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The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from key industry participants. The global cyanuric acid market has been segmented into five major regions, namely, North America (U.S., Canada, and others), Europe (U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and others), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, and others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, and others), and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and others). Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key vendors operating in this market.

Key Regions

- North America

- Europe

- Asia Pacific

- Middle East & Africa

- South America

Key Vendors

- Shikoku Chemicals Corporation

- Hebei Jiheng Chemical Co., Ltd.

- Hebei Liuhe Chemical Co., Ltd.

- Juancheng Kangtai Chemical Co., Ltd.

- Shandong Wolan Group

- Shandong Xingda Chemical Co., Ltd.

- request free sample to get a complete list of companies

Key Questions Answered in This Report

- Analysis of the cyanuric acid market including revenues, future growth, market outlook

- Historical data and forecast

- Regional analysis including growth estimates

- Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates.

- Profiles on cyanuric acid vendors including products, sales/revenues, SWOT, and market position, recent developments.

- Market structure, market drivers and restraints."

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According to Stratistics MRC, the Global IoT Retail Market is accounted for $22.45 million in 2017 and is expected to reach $112.19 million by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 19.5% during the forecast period. The use of e-commerce platforms is rapidly growing, increasing internet ubiquity and the emergence of the cloud platform are some of the factors fuelling the market growth. However, lack of common standards, skill gap, and security and privacy concerns are restraining the market growth.

The Internet of Things (IoT) in retail has helped retailers in attaining enhanced customer experience and increased revenue. IoT in retail is majorly used to manage inventory, track theft and loss, mobile payments, shopper intelligence, and advertising and marketing inventory.

Based on Solution, The hardware segment is estimated to have a lucrative growth during the forecast period. The proliferation of connected devices is offering a significant opportunity to manufacturers. Reduction in the total cost of ownership and improved return on investments offered by IoT-based hardware devices are expected to increase their adoption over the coming years. The low cost associated with these devices, along with quick transactions, help in meeting targeted sales and improving labor efficiency, which in turn is expected to fuel market growth. By Geography, North America is likely to have a huge demand due to increased spending on product monitoring and supply chain monitoring. The most advanced consumer economy, the U.S. leads the market with some of the worlds largest retailers, including big box dominators such as Walmart and e-commerce pioneers such as Amazon.

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Some of the key players profiled in the IoT Retail market include Oracle, ARM Holdings Plc., Intel corporation, Microsoft Inc., Allerin Tech Pvt. Ltd, Losant IOT Inc., Cisco systems Inc., SAP, Google Inc., Impinj Inc., IBM corporation, Apple, Bosch, AT&T, Honeywell, Fujitsu, General Electric, Samsung, Qualcomm and Siemens.

Hardwares Covered:

 Wearables

 Beacons

 Sensors

 Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags

Solutions Covered:

 Software

 Hardware

 Communications

 Other Solutions

Technologies Covered:

 Near Field Communication

 Bluetooth Low Energy

 Zigbee

 Other Technologies

Services Covered:

 Managed Services

 Professional Services

End Users Covered:

 Big Box Retailers

 E-Commerce Providers

 Medium & Small Retailers

Regions Covered:

 North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

 Europe

o Germany

o UK

o Italy

o France

o Spain

o Rest of Europe

 Asia Pacific

o Japan

o China

o India

o Australia

o New Zealand

o South Korea

o Rest of Asia Pacific

 South America

o Argentina

o Brazil

o Chile

o Rest of South America

 Middle East & Africa

o Saudi Arabia

o UAE

o Qatar

o South Africa

o Rest of Middle East & Africa

Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/12100/Single

What our report offers:

 Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments

 Strategic recommendations for the new entrants

 Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets

 Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)

 Strategic analysis: Drivers and Constraints, Product/Technology Analysis, Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis etc.

 Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations

 Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends

 Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments

 Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements

Free Customization Offerings:

All the customers of this report will be entitled to receive one of the following free customization options:

 Company Profiling

o Comprehensive profiling of additional market players (up to 3)

o SWOT Analysis of key players (up to 3)

 Regional Segmentation

o Market estimations, Forecasts and CAGR of any prominent country as per the clients interest (Note: Depends of feasibility check)

 Competitive Benchmarking

o Benchmarking of key players based on product portfolio, geographical presence, and strategic alliances

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The 'Global Chlorosulfuric Acid (Chlorosulfonic Acid, CAS 7790-94-5) Market Outlook 2019-2024' offers detailed coverage of chlorosulfuric acid industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading chlorosulfuric acid producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for chlorosulfuric acid. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography.

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The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from key industry participants. The global chlorosulfuric acid market has been segmented into five major regions, namely, North America (U.S., Canada, and others), Europe (U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and others), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, and others), South America (Brazil, Argentina, and others), and Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and others). Furthermore, the report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key vendors operating in this market.

Key Regions

- North America

- Europe

- Asia Pacific

- Middle East & Africa

- South America

Key Vendors

- Aditya Birla Chemicals (India) Limited

- BASF SE

- Bige Holding Ltd.

- CABB Group GmbH

- Chongqing Changshou Chemical Co., Ltd.

- Chung Hwa Chemical Industrial Works Ltd.

- Dharamsi Morarji Chemical Co. Ltd.

- Juhua Group Corporation

- Kutch Chemical Industries Ltd.

- LUXI Group

- request free sample to get a complete list of companies

Key Questions Answered in This Report

- Analysis of the chlorosulfuric acid market including revenues, future growth, market outlook

- Historical data and forecast

- Regional analysis including growth estimates

- Analyzes the end user markets including growth estimates.

- Profiles on chlorosulfuric acid vendors including products, sales/revenues, SWOT, and market position, recent developments.

- Market structure, market drivers and restraints.

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According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Cultured Dairy Products market to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period. Some of the key factors influencing the market are new product launches and gaining prominence towards organic food and beverage products to the numerous health benefits. However, recall of products over various issues devices hampers the market growth of cultured dairy products market.

Cultured dairy products, or cultured milk products, are dairy foods that have been fermented with lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Leuconostoc. The fermentation process increases the shelf life of the product, while enhancing the taste and improving the digestibility of milk.

Based on Product, Cheddar Cheese segment is constantly enhancing its growth due to characteristics Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colorings such as annatto are added), sometimes sharp-tasting, natural cheese.

By Geography, Asia pacific is estimated to have a lucrative growth due to the product capacity, production, value, consumption in this region. Asia Pacific has a substantial growth in the market because of high production of dairy products.

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Some of the key players in Global Cultured Dairy Products market are Agropur Cooperative, AMUL, Arla Foods amba, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Danone, Dean Foods Company, Fonterra Co-Operative Group Limited, Groupe Lactalis SA, Parmalat S.P.A., Megmilk Snow Brand Co., Ltd., Meiji Co., Ltd., Nestle SA, Royal FrieslandCampina N.V., SanCor Cooperativas Unidas Limitada and Saputo, Inc.

Distribution Channel Covered:

 Food Specialist

 Hypermarkets and Supermarkets

 Independent Retailers and Convenience Stores

 Online Retailers

Products Covered:

 Cheddar Cheese

 Cream Cheese

 Kefir

 Yogurt

 Other Products

End Users Covered:

 Food Processing

 Food Service

 Retail

 Other End Users

Regions Covered:

 North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

 Europe

o Germany

o UK

o Italy

o France

o Spain

o Rest of Europe

 Asia Pacific

o Japan

o China

o India

o Australia

o New Zealand

o South Korea

o Rest of Asia Pacific

 South America

o Argentina

o Brazil

o Chile

o Rest of South America

 Middle East & Africa

o Saudi Arabia

o UAE

o Qatar

o South Africa

o Rest of Middle East & Africa

Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/12094/Single

 What our report offers:

o  Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments

o  Strategic recommendations for the new entrants

o  Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets

o  Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)

o  Strategic analysis: Drivers and Constraints, Product/Technology Analysis, Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis etc.

o  Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations

o  Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends

o  Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments

o  Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements

 Free Customization Offerings:

o All the customers of this report will be entitled to receive one of the following free customization options:

o Company Profiling

o Comprehensive profiling of additional market players (up to 3)

o SWOT Analysis of key players (up to 3)

o Regional Segmentation

o Market estimations, Forecasts and CAGR of any prominent country as per the clients interest (Note: Depends of feasibility check)

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According to Stratistics MRC, the Global 3D Magnetic Sensor Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.7% during the forecast period. Some of the key factors influencing the market are growiing in automotive industry and unceasing growth in consumer electronics. However, Lengthy design phase increases time-to-market and falling average selling prices (ASPS) of sensor components affecting new market entrants hampers the market growth of 3D magnetic sensor market.

3D magnetic sensor is a sensor that is able to detect magnetic signals in X, Y, and, Z directions. It supports wide measurement range with high resolution in 3D detection and captures magnetic fields in 3-dimensions. The sensor family is ideally suited for the measurement of three dimensional movement within a magnetic field, linear slide movement as well as 360 degrees angle rotation.

Based on Technology, Hall Effect Sensors segment is constantly enhancing as the Hall Effect sensor is a device that is used to measure the magnitude of a magnetic field. Its output voltage is directly proportional to the magnetic field strength through it. Hall Effect sensors are used for proximity sensing, positioning, speed detection, and current sensing applications.

By Geography, Asia Pacific is anticipated to exhibit the considerable growth due to increase in demand for consumer electronic devices such as laptops, smartphones, and cameras are driving the growth of the market in this region. The implementation of a wide range of sensors, even in budget smartphones, and the growing demand for fitness bands are the key factors driving the market in APAC.

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Some of the key players in Global 3D Magnetic Sensor market are AKM, Allegro MicroSystems, Analog Devices, Asahi Kasei, Bosch, Honeywell International, Infineon Technologies, Melexis, NXP Semiconductors, STMicroelectronics and TDK.

Sensor Types Covered:

 Linear 3D Magnetic Sensors

 Rotary 3D Magnetic Sensors

Technologies Covered:

 Anisotropic Magnetoresistive (AMR) Sensors

 Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) Sensors

 Hall Effect Sensors

 Other Technologies

Applications Covered:

 Automobile

 Consumer Electronics

 Industrial

 Other Applications

Regions Covered:

 North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

 Europe

o Germany

o UK

o Italy

o France

o Spain

o Rest of Europe

 Asia Pacific

o Japan

o China

o India

o Australia

o New Zealand

o South Korea

o Rest of Asia Pacific

 South America

o Argentina

o Brazil

o Chile

o Rest of South America

 Middle East & Africa

o Saudi Arabia

o UAE

o Qatar

o South Africa

o Rest of Middle East & Africa

Place a Direct Purchase Order @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/checkout/12097/Single

 What our report offers:

o  Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments

o  Strategic recommendations for the new entrants

o  Market forecasts for a minimum of 9 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets

o  Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)

o  Strategic analysis: Drivers and Constraints, Product/Technology Analysis, Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis etc.

o  Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations

o  Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends

o  Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments

o  Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements

 Free Customization Offerings:

o All the customers of this report will be entitled to receive one of the following free customization options:

o Company Profiling

o Comprehensive profiling of additional market players (up to 3)

o SWOT Analysis of key players (up to 3)

o Regional Segmentation

o Market estimations, Forecasts and CAGR of any prominent country as per the clients interest (Note: Depends of feasibility check)

o Competitive Benchmarking

o Benchmarking of key players based on product portfolio, geographical presence, and strategic alliances.

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A detailed analysis report of the Global IQF Freezer Market has been covered in the report coupled with a thorough description of each company profile with information on the H.Q, future capabilities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial outline, partnerships and new product launches and developments.

The comprehensive value chain analysis of the market will assist in attaining better product differentiation, along with detailed understanding of the core competency of each activity involved. The market attractiveness analysis provided in the report aptly measures the potential value of the market providing business strategists with the latest growth opportunities.

The report classifies the market into different segments. These segments are studied in detail incorporating the market estimates and forecasts at regional and country level. The segment analysis is useful in understanding the growth areas and probable opportunities of the market.

Final Report will cover the COVID-19 Impact and Recovery on this industry.

Browse the complete Global IQF Freezer Market Research Report  Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2027 @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/41470-iqf-freezer-market-report

The report also covers the complete competitive landscape of the global IQF Freezer market with company profiles of key players such as:

GEA Group

Rinac

Air Products and Chemicals

Teknotherm Marine

PATKOL

Skaginn 3X

AFE LLC.

RMF Freezers

B.Y. Agro & Infra

Hans Jensen Engineering

The detailed description of each has been included, with information in terms of H.Q, future capacities, key mergers & acquisitions, financial overview, partnerships, collaborations, new product launches, new product developments and other latest industrial developments.

SEGMENTATIONS IN THE REPORT:

By Type

Tunnel Freezers

Spiral Freezers

Other

By Application

Vegetables

Fish

Seafood

Dairy

Bakery Products

By Geography:

North America (NA)  US, Canada, and Mexico

Europe (EU)  UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Spain & Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific (APAC)  China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia & Rest of APAC

Latin America (LA)  Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile & Rest of Latin America

Middle East and Africa (MEA)  Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa

Download Free Sample Report of Global IQF Freezer Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-41470

The Global IQF Freezer Market has been exhibited in detail in the following chapters 

Chapter 1 IQF Freezer Market Preface

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 IQF Freezer Industry Analysis

Chapter 4 IQF Freezer Market Value Chain Analysis

Chapter 5 IQF Freezer Market Analysis By Type

Chapter 6 IQF Freezer Market Analysis By Application

Chapter 7 IQF Freezer Market Analysis By Geography

Chapter 8 Competitive Landscape Of IQF Freezer Companies

Chapter 9 Company Profiles Of IQF Freezer Industry

Purchase the complete Global IQF Freezer Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-41470

Other Reports by DecisionDatabases.com:

Global Ultra-Low Temperature Freezer Market Research Report  Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026

Global Laboratory Freezers Market Research Report  Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026

Global Laboratory Ovens And Freezer Market Research Report  Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast Till 2026

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DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.

Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

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Source:-https://www.industrynewsengine.com/2020/12/30/iqf-freezer-market-2020-global-industry-research-report-till-2027/
Coronado, CA (92118)

Today

A few passing clouds. Low 66F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 66F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Coronado, CA (92118)

Today

Partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Coronado, CA (92118)

Today

Some clouds. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Litchfield (06759)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Fuel Cell Energy also criticized a provision of the legislation that requires community benefit agreements. The agreements call for local organizations to represent residents of the host community. Such agreements have no limit on the demands that can be made by special interest groups, adding to a projects costs, the company said.
The upgrades for the plaza include the removal of concrete planters that will be replaced by a landscaped plaza enclosing a new seating area with posts that will provide illumination at night. The clock tower will be repaired so it will once again show the time. It also is possible there will be an LED video wall displaying health-related messages from Hartford HealthCare.
A: This was mostly an address to my class, but not exclusively, I want everyone here to always remember that you determine your future, not what others expect of you or see you as. Your life is what you make of it, so when you enter a room: hold your head high, command the space, demand respect. Make your voice heard, speak your truth, never back down, use your voice to amplify the voices of the silenced and marginalized groups. Find your passion and purpose and dont stop until you make your dreams into reality.
Biden also fought for the leaders joint statement to include specific language criticizing Chinas use of forced labor and other human rights abuses as he worked to cast the rivalry with Beijing as the defining competition for the 21st century. The president declined to discuss the private negotiations over the provision, but said he was satisfied with the tough rhetoric, though difference remained among the allies about how forcefully to call out Beijing.
The 50-year-old Lopez wasnt known to police because of a loophole in Connecticuts sex offender laws, which do not require nursing home operators to inform state police when they admit a registered sex offender from another state into one of their facilities. Lopez is at least the third registered sex offender from Massachusetts transferred to facilities run by iCare Health Network in Connecticut since December, although he is the only one the network didnt report to police, apparently a deviation from their usual procedure.
That bill is also expected to include the language of Senate Bill 5, which would expand Connecticuts motor voter program to other state agencies and end the practice of disenfranchising convicted felons until after all of their fines are paid. Senate Bill 5 was a priority of Looney and other members of the Senate Democratic caucus but the proposal failed to come up for a vote in the House before the end of the regular session.
Im very troubled that we had a piece of legislation that was drafted to give one individual a financial benefit over the rest of the citizens of the state of Connecticut, Candelora said. Its akin to somebody who robbed a bank. If they put the money back, a robbery still occurred. So I think we need to have a conversation, regardless of the outcome of that bill, of what went on, and how that provision got put into the legislation.
Ned Thomas Beatty was born in 1937 in Louisville, Ky., and raised in Lexington, where he joined the Protestant Disciples of Christ Christian Church. It was the theater I attended as a kid, he told The Associated Press in 1992. It was where people got down to their truest emotions and talked about things they didnt talk about in everyday life. ... The preaching was very often theatrical. For a time he thought of becoming a priest, but changed his mind after he was cast in a high school production of Harvey.
Northams arc, from political pariah denounced by nearly every national Democrat to a popular incumbent with support from Black elected officials and even progressive activists, is a complex story of personal growth and political pressure, a testament to how crisis can also provide opportunity. However, it would not have been possible without the Black Virginians who rallied around him even as they stared down immense pressure to help force him from office  Black staff members who stayed in the administration, a Legislative Black Caucus that chose to focus on policy goals rather than resignation, and a Black activist community that quickly followed the lawmakers strategic lead.
One study Webster helped conduct found the number of guns bought in Maryland and recovered from within a year from a person other than the buyer  one indicator of a likely straw purchase  declined by 82% after the state passed laws designed to deter the illegal gun trade, including licensing. In a survey of people on probation and parole, 40% of respondents said the law made it more difficult to obtain a gun, and 34% said it was harder to find a straw buyer. And gun-related homicides and suicides dropped. On the flip side, when Missouri repealed its permit-to-purchase law in 2007, firearm homicides and suicides went up.
A: Yes, I would have liked to have understood all this when I was, you know, sworn into office, but it wasnt like that. I went to integrated schools from the sixth grade on, and I was actually a minority. I knew there were people that didnt have rides after school when we practiced ball and wed give them a ride home. But the history, the 400 years of our history, Ive learned a whole lot of that stuff, which I wish I would have known, since February of 19.
The lawyer who wrote the statement on behalf of ODU uses reprehensible language that engages in victim blaming and sexist tropes. Our own statement of support calls out this inexcusable language and then demands that ODU leadership not only cut ties with this law firm but also releases a statement in support of Dr. Anderson, Daniel Richards, an associate chair of the English Department, wrote in an email to faculty encouraging them to sign the letter online.
VIJAYAWADA: Vehicular traffic came to a virtual standstill on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway at Ramapuram crossroad check-post on Sunday. Telangana police did not allow vehicles without a valid e-pass and sent back nearly 1,500 vehicles because of lack of permissions.

After the Telangana government gave daytime lockdown relaxation, many from AP started for their respective TS destinations. Their plans were shattered at Ramapuram check-post as Telangana police made e-pass mandatory for entering the state even during the relaxation time.

According to reports, Telangana police had allowed 700 vehicles into Telangana with valid e-passes and denied entry to nearly 1,500 vehicles for travelling without e-passes.
Education minister Adimulapu Suresh revealed this while stressing that this is a daring decision of the CM while also lauding Jagan for introducing English Medium and giving a facelift to all schools under the Nadu-Nedu scheme. (Photo: PTI/File)

Nellore: Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy would release a special GO in the next two days to appoint 2000 teachers who were found eligible by District Selection Committees (DSC) in 2008.

Education minister Adimulapu Suresh revealed this while stressing that this is a daring decision of the CM while also lauding Jagan for introducing English Medium and giving a facelift to all schools under the Nadu-Nedu scheme.

He was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for the Jagananna housing colony at Medapi village in Tripurantakam village in Prakasam district on Sunday.

Referring to the plea from the poor to increase financial assistance for the construction of houses, Suresh said he would take the matter to the notice of the CM. He said Jagananna gave Rs 5 lakh worth of house sites to his sisters in Medapi village. We would supply sand free of cost and cement at 50 per cent concession to build their houses.

The education minister said 3000 flats will be built on 35 layouts at his Yarragondapalem constituency. He expressed confidence in the release of funds towards bills pertaining to development works grounded in the villages after the ongoing probe by the vigilance department.

The minister said he made arrangements to distribute the Anandaiah herbal medicine for Covid prevention in all mandals of Yarragondapalem segment free of cost and urged the people to make good use of this.
HYDERABAD: State universities in Telangana state are running on the shoulders of contract lecturers, albeit on far less salaries than regular lecturers get, according to the Telangana State Universities Contract Teachers- Joint Action Committee.

As per the latest data shared by the TSUCT-JAC with this newspaper, there are 50-70% more contract lecturers compared to regular teachers in each of the 11 state universities. For example, in Osmania University, there are 425 contract faculty apart from 325 regular staff on 1,230 total sanctioned posts till now, leaving 845 positions vacant.

In Kakatiya University, there are 90 regular staff members, compared to 250 contract faculty working with 298 vacant posts till date. Dr Dharma Teja, president of the steering committee of TSUCT said most teaching responsibilities had hence fallen on the shoulders of contract faculty in all universities, while regular staff took care of administrative work.

"It has been over seven years since the last recruitment drive took place in the state in 2013 even as the government, in its latest notification, has permitted recruitment on 1,061 posts against 2,791 total sanctioned budget posts in 2020," Dr Teja said.

He also raised the issue of pay parity among contract and regular staff in state universities saying, "A contract lecturer with over 25 years of experience is now getting about Rs 75,000 per month. Whereas, a regular lecturer is earning over Rs 2 lakh per month at this point. There is no way for us to compete for a post through an exam to get permanent employment, though we have spent years in this profession, it is just not fair".

Meanwhile, in a latest GO issued by the state government on the 7th PRC, the TSUCT members complained that the state government had not included contract teachers for pay hike.

In a statement, the teachers' union said, "The Telangana state government has issued GO No. 51 on June 11 with a new pay revision for regular, contract and outsourcing employees working in the state. This will benefit about 9-10 lakh employees working in about 37 departments in the state. But for the contract faculty working in 11 universities in the state that provide higher education, no pay revision has been mentioned."

The state government approved the 7th PRC and issued the order of salary allowance in 2018 for regular faculty members working in 11 universities. The pay hike is being applied to them from January 2016. Even then the government ignored the pay hike for contract faculty of various universities in Telangana, it added.

Meanwhile, the Telangana state council of higher education chairman, Prof T Papi Reddy clarified on the issue saying that the delay in recruitment so far had been due to pending court cases on the issue, as well as the absence of regular VCs for these universities. Now that these issues have been resolved, a raise in salaries as per eligibility and recruitment drive will take place soon, he said.

Gfx

Osmania University: Total sanctioned posts: 1,280

Permanent faculty: 325

Contract faculty: 425

Present vacancies: 845

Kakatiya University: Total sanctioned posts: 403

Permanent faculty: 90

Contract faculty: 250

Present vacancies: 298

Telangana University: Total sanctioned posts: 150

Permanent faculty: 75

Contract faculty: 51

Present vacancies: 73

Mahatma Gandhi University: Total sanctioned posts: 150

Permanent faculty: 36

Contract faculty: 46

Present vacancies: 115

Palamuru University: Total sanctioned posts: 150

Permanent faculty: 27

Contract faculty: 42

Present vacancies: 130

Satavahana University: Total sanctioned posts: 120

Permanent faculty: 24

Contract faculty: 37

Present vacancies: 100

Telugu University: Total sanctioned posts: 115

Permanent faculty: 20

Contract faculty: 45

Present vacancies: 97

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University: Total sanctioned posts: 410

Permanent faculty: 155

Contract faculty: 252

Present vacancies: 232

JNUFA: Total sanctioned posts: 115

Permanent faculty: 28

Contract faculty: 52

Present vacancies: 31

RGUKT-Basar: Total sanctioned posts: 125

Permanent faculty: 0

Contract faculty: 120

Present vacancies: 128

Dr BR Ambedkar Open University: Total sanctioned posts : 86

Permanent faculty: 38

Contract faculty: 21

Present vacancies: 48
Jagadamma ended her lfie inside a bathroom at the medicine ward of Sri Padmavathi state Covid19 hospital in Tirupati on Sunday, officials said. (Representational image)

TIRUPATI: In a tragic twist, a sixty-year-old nurse, who was first infected with Covid19 and recovered but was later infected with black fungus, died by suicide. Jagadamma ended her lfie inside a bathroom at the medicine ward of Sri Padmavathi state Covid19 hospital in Tirupati on Sunday, officials said.

According to the revenue divisional officer of Tirupati, Kanaka Narasa Reddy, the deceased nurse tested positive on May 4. After treatment, she recovered and got her negative report on May 13. On May 25, she was admitted to the state Covid hospital at SVIMS campus in Tirupati as she got infected with the black fungus disease.

The doctors at the Covid hospital conducted a surgery on Jayamma on June 10 and she was under observation. Her condition deteriorated. The hospital staff found her body at about 4 am.

Jaammas relatives, however, accused the hospital authorities of negligence in treatment which led to a deterioration of her health. Other patients attendants also accused the hospital of negligence in treating the patients. They say the hospital does not have the sufficient number of doctors and nurses to treat black fungus patients.

Meanwhile, in another incident, relatives of deceased Covid-19 patient Vinod Kumar (27) from Thanikiri village in Vayalpadu mandal staged a protest at the state covid hospital. They alleged that negligence of medical staff led to the death of their family member. The RDO and the police intervened and pacified them.

Responding to these incidents, health minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, who sought details from the hospital management and the district medical officer Dr U Srihari, advised the staff to ensure the best of medical care is available to patients at the state covid hospital.

The minister advised the RDO to pacify the protesters and provide necessary assistance to them. He also directed the hospital superintendent to pay special attention to the food being supplied to the patients and maintain a hygienic environment at the hospital.
Sources said that the project cost would be equal to that spent on Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL).

Hyderabad: Citing non-feasibility, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has cancelled the proposal to build the citys first night safari project. Officials said that the Singapore-based consultant has opined that once executed, the project would not only pose greater challenges but also put the safety of several animals in peril.

Calling off the project, the authorities are now exploring options to set up an eco-park in about 120 acres at Kothwalguda.

Highly placed sources in the HMDA said that the Kothwalguda site, which was earlier visited by Bernard Harrison, principal partner (creativity and design), and Alexander Stingal, general manager (business operation) of Bernard Harssion and Friends Ltd., Singapore, gave a positive report and claimed that it would be the ideal location for the night safari.

The team once again visited the site to submit rough estimates. However, after inspecting the site, the consultant informed HMDA that if executed they would have to reckon with several challenges to provide a sustainable environment for over 150 species apart from constructing sophisticated structures. Sources said that the project cost would be equal to that spent on Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL)

A senior HMDA official on condition of anonymity told Deccan Chronicle that the Singapore experts had in 2018 given a positive response and had assured that they would be ready with the designs during their 2019 visit.

He said municipal authorities had also formed two teams comprising officials from Environment Protection Training & Research Institute (EPTRI) to conduct a baseline survey for impact assessment, to check groundwater levels and air quality, forest department officials, urban biodiversity officials, engineering officials, tourism officials and others.

He said that one team coordinated with the Singapore delegation to assist them in providing infrastructure and another focussed on the budget requirements in order to tap financial institutions for funding the project.

This apart, the official said that the second team had also coordinated with the Union government for getting clearance to the night safari proposal. However, after conducting a detailed study in 2020, the consultants felt that the topography of Kothwalguda would not be suitable for construction of night safari as it could raise environmental challenges, the officer said.

Considering the budget related issues among others, the HMDA official said that the municipal authority had decided to call-off the proposal. He said that the government was actively considering the proposal to construct an eco-park on 120 acres and a meeting in this regard would be held shortly.
The move will incur an expenditure of Rs 250 crore to Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer, Yediyurappa said. (Photo: PTI/File)

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday announced Rs one lakh relief to each of the families under Below Poverty Line (BPL) which lost an earning or adult member due to COVID-19.

"Due to COVID-19, many families are in trouble. Keeping this in mind, we have decided to give Rs one lakh to each of such BPL families, which lost their 'adult member'," he told reporters.

He also said that the decision will benefit about 25,000 to 30,000 such families incurring an expenditure of Rs 250 crore to Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer.

Meanwhile, speaking about alleged adulteration of milk in Mandya District Cooperative Milk Producers' Society, Yediyurappa said the Criminal Investigation Department will probe the matter.

He said a new managing director has been appointed to the Society and five officials, who are facing inquiry, have been placed under suspension.

Further, a probe has also been ordered against some dairy cooperative societies, which allegedly indulged in adulteration.
The Chief Minister conducted a review meeting with the 215th state-level bankers committee (SLBC) on Monday and released the 2021-22 annual loan plan. (Photo: Twitter @AndhraPradeshCM)

VIJAYAWADA: The annual 2021-22 loan plan for Andhra Pradesh is of the order of Rs 2,83,380 crore. Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy, while announcing this, has urged bankers to cooperate with the government in the implementation of welfare schemes and development activities along with providing agricultural loans.

The Chief Minister conducted a review meeting with the 215th state-level bankers committee (SLBC) on Monday and released the 2021-22 annual loan plan. He directed the banks to concentrate on providing loans to tenant farmers.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said unpredictable situations arose around the world and even across the country and restrictions like curfew were imposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Though the curfew was extended, stipulated targets were crossed in loan disbursement, he said, and added that 105 per cent of targets were achieved in priority sectors and 114.16 per cent in agriculture sector.

The CM said the role of banks in achieving this growth rate was commendable. They have exceeded the stipulated targets in loan disbursements. Yet, the efficiency of banks needed to be increased in certain areas like agriculture infra, other agriculture allied sectors, housing and education.

Schools and hospitals are being revamped under the Nadu Nedu scheme and focus is laid on developing infrastructure facilities in the agriculture sector, he said. English is introduced as a medium of instruction in government schools and CBSE affiliation is completed. As a result, children are coming back to government schools.

The CM said schools are being revamped under the second phase of Nadu Nedu scheme. There are no tier-1 cities in Andhra Pradesh. People are going to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai for treatment. Medical infrastructure is being developed from Village Clinics to Teaching hospitals across the state. Sixteen new medical colleges are being set up in the state and AP is moving forward to ensure a teaching hospital in every parliamentary constituency.

The Chief Minister said revolutionary changes were made in the agriculture sector and RBKs were introduced  with one RBK for every 2,000 population. These RBKs will support farmers in all aspects from providing certified quality seeds to selling the crop.

Agriculture infrastructure is being developed at RBK level and godowns, cold storages and all other facilities are being provided to farmers, he said, and added that secondary food processing units are being set up at parliamentary constituency level.

Many steps were being taken to empower women in the state and schemes like Cheyutha and Aasara have been implemented. The beneficiaries will be given financial assistance for four years under these schemes. The Amma Vodi scheme is also being implemented for women and these three schemes would play a major role in empowerment of women.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said 17,000 new greenfield colonies are being constructed in which 28.30 lakh houses will be built. Poor eligible beneficiaries were selected in a transparent manner for the housing scheme. Some 15 lakh houses are being constructed in Phase-1 and facilities like drinking water, drainage, roads and other social infrastructure are being developed.

He said Rs 34,000 crore is being spent on this scheme and requested support from banks on these issues.

The Chief Minister said Restart and Navodaya programmes are introduced for MSMEs and a loan restructuring programme was initiated. This is needed to provide assistance and run MSMEs during the Covid pandemic. The chief minister said RBKs are set up at village level and e-cropping is being done at village secretariat level. He advised bankers to focus on providing loans to tenant farmers.

The state annual credit plan for 2021-22 is finalized with an outlay of Rs 2,83,380 crore. Of this, 54 per cent of the loans are for the agriculture sector. It is targeted to give Rs 1,48,500 crore as loans in the agriculture sector.

The target is also to provide Rs 2,13,560 crore as loans to the primary sector which formed 75.36 per cent of the state's annual credit plan.

Participating in the state level bankers committee (SLBC) meeting virtually, Union Bank MD and CEO Raj Kiran Roy said the chief minister took many measures to support people during the Covid pandemic. Under Jagan, Andhra Pradesh has emerged as one of the five top-performing states in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Year 2020. This is as per the rankings released by Niti Aayog, he said and congratulated the CM for this.

He said banks should focus on supporting tenant farmers and providing services in RBKs. While the loan disbursement target for primary sector is Rs 1,87,550 crore, Rs 1,96,9820crore in loans were disbursed and the target for agriculture sector was Rs 1,28,660 crore, but Rs1,46,879 crore in loans was given.

He said the MSME sector has received Rs 40,312 crore as loans while the target was Rs 39,600 crore and the non-priority sector has received Rs 60,652 crore while the target was Rs 60,050 crore.

He requested the Chief Minister to give priority to bank employees in Covid vaccination programme.

Agriculture minister Kurasala Kannababu, agriculture special chief secretary Poonam Malakondaiah, industries special chief secretary Karikala Valaven, finance principal secretary SS Rawat, social welfare principal secretary Sunitha, finance secretary Satyanarayana, agriculture commissioner Arun Kumar, SERP CEO Rajababu, SLBC AP convener Brahmananda Reddy, NABARD CGM SK Jannwar and representatives of various banks were present in the meeting.
New Delhi: Former Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Etala Rajender, along with other senior members of the party, joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday at the saffron party's headquarters in New Delhi.

Welcoming Etala to the party, BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh said, "Etala ji is a very prominent face in the south. He was number 2 in the party. We gladly welcome him and the other leaders into the saffron party."

Along with Etala, a group of leaders also joined the BJP. The list of leaders included Aswathama Reddy, Gandra Nalini, Enugu Ravinder Reddy, Tula Uma, Ramesh Rathore, Keshav Reddy, among others.

Speaking at the occasion, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "Etala ji has a stand of his own in the southern political sphere. In the next Assembly elections, we will emerge victorious and form the government in the state."

"I welcome Etala ji officially into the party and wish him luck," he added.

Etala, speaking on the occasion, said, "I will work with all the enthusiasm and place Bharatiya Janata Party on a prominent place in Telangana." "I will work towards the benefits of the people as I have till now and will not let them down," he added.

Rajender has already tendered his resignation as the Huzurabad MLA and has also relinquished his membership of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

Rajender was a senior leader of the TRS and has held top portfolios such as finance and health in KCR-led successive TRS governments in the state. He was shunted out of the Cabinet over accusations related to land-grabbing.
Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart, and the rest got dummy shots. (Photo: AP/File)

Washington: Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its shot was highly effective against COVID-19 and also protected against variants in a large, late-stage study in the US and Mexico.

The vaccine was about 90 per cent effective overall and preliminary data showed it was safe, the company said.

While demand for COVID-19 shots in the US has dropped off dramatically, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting vaccine supplies in the developing world.

That help is still months away, however. The company says it plans to seek authorization for the shots in the US, Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

Many of our first doses will go to low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with, Novavax Chief Executive Stanley Erck told The Associated Press.

While more than half of the US population has had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, less than 1 percent of people in the developing world have had one shot, according to Our World In Data.

Novavax's study involved nearly 30,000 people aged 18 and up in the US and Mexico. Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart, and the rest got dummy shots.

There were 77 cases of COVID-19  14 in the group that got the vaccine and the rest were in volunteers who received dummy shots. None in the vaccine group had moderate or severe disease, compared to 14 in the placebo group.

The vaccine was similarly effective against several variants including the one first detected in the U.K. that's dominant in the US, and in high-risk populations including the elderly and people with other health problems.

Side effects were mostly mild  tenderness and pain at the injection site. There were no reports of unusual blood clots or heart problems, Erck said.

Novavax reported the results in a press release and plans to publish in a medical journal, where it will be vetted by independent experts. The Maryland-based company previously released findings from smaller studies in Britain and South Africa.

COVID-19 vaccines train the body to recognize the coronavirus, especially the spike protein that coats it, and get ready to fight the virus off. The Novavax vaccine is made with lab-grown copies of that protein. That's different from some of the other vaccines now widely used, which include genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

The Novavax vaccine can be stored in standard refrigerators, making it easier to distribute.

Novavax previously announced manufacturing delays due to supply shortages. The company now expects to reach production of 100 million doses a month by the end of September and 150 million doses a month by December.

The company has committed to supplying 110 million doses to the US over the next year and a total of 1.1 billion doses to developing countries.

In May, vaccines alliance Gavi announced it had signed an agreement to buy 350 million doses of Novavax's vaccine, with deliveries estimated to begin in the third quarter. COVAX, the global initiative to provide vaccines to countries, is facing a critical shortage of vaccines after its biggest supplier in India suspended exports until the end of the year, Novavax has been working on developing vaccines for more than three decades, but hasn't brought one to market. The company's coronavirus vaccine work is partly funded by the US government.
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Arizona reverting to the wild west as cattle rustling allowed to thrive By Rachel Alexander

Arizona used to have some of the best livestock laws in the nation. Now, the cattle ranching industry is being torn apart due to a dismantling of the successful laws and regulations that used to prevent cattle theft. Close to 3,000 head of cattle have been stolen from at least 32 people in the last few years. Thieves brazenly stole over 100 cows with calves from well-known attorney and judge Tom Kelly in Yavapai County. Cowboys who once made a good living raising and selling cattle are finding substantial portions of their herds decimated, and when they complain to authorities, no one is ever arrested. Instead, they get attacked and the investigations go nowhere. Although Arizona is mostly a red state, it has an extensive history of corruption in government. Powerful players including RINOs control many elected officials. Under Governor Doug Ducey, a lot of corruption has been ignored and swept under the rug, making conservatives and honest people furious with him. Cattle ranchers say there are important people in Phoenix behind the cattle rustling. The problem appears to have started when Bas Aja, a powerful lobbyist for the Cattle Feeders Association, along with the help of other lobbyists, started getting the laws and regulations changed. Instead of requiring inspectors to visibly confirm that a rancher was selling cattle marked with his brand, the law was changed to allow loopholes. The number of brand inspectors in Arizona dwindled to 20 or less, some who are merely part time. Contrast this to Wyoming, where there are 78 brand inspectors, or New Mexico, where there are 58. Instead, in Arizona people in the cattle business are now allowed to get away with self-inspections. Each person is essentially policing his or herself. The legal changes were done gradually so it was subtle. First, self-inspections were allowed for moving cattle. Then, they were expanded to cattle sales. In some situations , brand inspectors no longer bother even looking at the cattle, they merely ask the rancher what he wants written on the hauling papers or accept photos from him. Another loophole involves characterizing ranches as feedlots . Its easy to get a permit from the state for a feedlot. They are not subject to the same laws as ranches, which require inspection at time of shipment. So sleazy people are deliberately shipping stolen cattle to as far away as Arkansas, where it will create less of a trail to follow and track. They are never stopped by Arizona law enforcement and asked to produce hauling papers. Longtime Arizona cowboy Ed Ashurst, a victim of cattle theft, contacted the Arizona Director of Agriculture, Mark Killian, in March and asked him if he was aware of any ongoing investigations into cattle theft in Arizona, Killian said no. When Ashurst pressed him about whether he was going to be launching any, Killian responded, Im out of the business of chasing rumors. The problem got so bad that Judicial Watch started investigating. The organization turned over boxes of evidence to AZDPS last July. In August, the documents were transferred to a cattle ranch north of Willcox, where a special meeting was held in order to inform all law enforcement agencies and legislators in the state about the rampant cattle theft. At least eight different county sheriffs were present at the meeting, as well as the head of Special Investigations for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, several federal officers, several state legislators and several key members of the livestock industry. However, one of the sheriffs looked at the boxes of information and declared that they were no good. He called the lead investigator a clown. So nobody ended up looking at the materials and nothing ever came of them. Some of the non-law enforcement people present took photos of the information, which they posted on the internet, reportedly blaming the leak on other people in order to hurt their credibility. One insider says that several cattle ranchers who are innocent victims of theft have received threatening letters from officials in the Ducey administration because they publicly complained about the lack of law enforcement concerning cattle rustling. Well-known Arizona cowboy Milo DeWitt is a good example of how and why nothing ever gets fixed. He is missing over 400 grown cattle. He has asked for assistance from the FBI, county sheriff, brand board and brand inspectors, Judicial Watch, the Arizona Department of Agricultures top investigator, and has had several meetings with investigators. In spite of all those requests for help, he is being slandered by powerful people who claim he is trying to hide massive insurance fraud. Do you think that a man who has committed insurance fraud would be requesting investigations into all his affairs if he was actually guilty of something? It gets worse. Private investigators say there is overwhelming evidence that the cattle theft problem in Arizona is closely linked to drug trafficking. The drug cartels bragged to one detective that they and the Mafia own Arizona. He says Arizona is far more corrupt than Chicago. Ranchers have had little power in the government since the 1930s. Its difficult to get a conviction of a cow thief because few judges, lawyers and police officers really understand the industry. There are claims that AZDPS is corrupt; the agency ignores complaints about cattle theft and doesnt bother asking trucks hauling cattle for their paperwork. Tellingly, the top brand inspector in Arizona and his second in command just resigned. But more needs to happen. One insider says Killian needs to be removed from the agricultural agency since he turns a blind eye to the theft. Legendary Arizona cattleman Jay Wetton said, The problems Arizona cattle ranchers face could be easily fixed. This is not rocket science. Cattle ranchers who have become victims of theft are crying out and wondering where is justice. Why is the state of Arizona making them the bad guys? Ashurst says Arizona has become a cow thieves paradise. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative . She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications.mericano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications. Home
Biden's 'right wing extremist' delusion

By Mark Alexander



The Senate released its 127-page "bipartisan report" on the January 6th Capitol protest, some of which devolved into violent confrontations between U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) and rioters. The report lays most of the blame for unpreparedness on the USCP, which is not where most of the responsibility should be placed.

Until that report was released last week, here is what we have known to be the indisputable truth about that protest, and how Democrats did what they do best  used it as political fodder to advance their statist agenda.

On that unfortunate January day, after former President Donald Trump held a rally down the road, some outlying miscreants at that rally, spurred on by conspiracy theory luminaries, unlawfully entered the Capitol building to disrupt the Electoral College process. A few of those protesters tangled with police, but most trespassed in the building without causing harm or damage.

As I noted in my original analysis regarding this shameful incident, the reason Capitol Police were not prepared for that fringe mob is that all law enforcement agencies expected Trump rally attendees to act like they always had previously  with civility and respect. There was little reason to believe that some fraction of 1% of those attending the Trump rally would resort to the riotous thuggery that is otherwise associated with "peaceful" leftist protests. Heretofore, that has been the modus operandi of the leftist so-called "Black Lives Matter" Marxists and their like-minded "antifa" fascists.

Unlike the wake of murders from all the violent leftist protests across the nation in the last year, we know there was only one fatality connected with the Capitol riot  that of an unarmed Air Force veteran named Ashli Babbitt, who was shot dead by a Capitol Police officer. And unlike all police-involved shootings across the nation, there has been no further public investigation of what, arguably, appears to be a wholly unjustifiable shooting  yet. Babbitt's family has filed suit to determine the identity of the officer who killed her, as well as the circumstances leading to that lethal use of force.

There was one other death of an officer who was at the Capitol building during the riot  that of Brian Sicknick, a Trump supporter. His death was widely claimed to be the result of the riot. It turns out those reports were fabricated by The New York Times and repeated by CNN and all their Leftmedia parrots downstream. In fact, we now know that Officer Sicknick died of "natural causes" a day after the riot.

But his autopsy report was not made public until three months after Officer Sicknick's death, giving Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plenty of time to fabricate their narrative for the post-presidential impeachment monkey trial of Trump. They desecrated Officer Sicknick's service and death by using it as political fodder for their impeachment charade.

We know that the gross Pelosi/Schumer double standard demonstrated by their response to the Capitol riot versus the previous six months of riots across the nation was the height of hypocrisy. And that disparity includes the arrest and incarceration of Capitol protesters versus the Democrats' disinterest in bringing to justice thousands of violent rioters across the nation  some of whom committed murders.

We know that to bolster their theatrical production, Demos turned our nation's capital into what looked like a third-world dictatorial defense against a coup d'etat, even activating the National Guard for no other reason than to serve as props for Demo theatrics. On their watch, however, a Capitol Police officer was murdered and another officer wounded  by a black Islamist assailant.

We know that the Republicans wisely blocked the formation of Pelosi's "9/11 type commission," which she was going to use to keep the Capitol riot front-and-center from now until the 2022 midterm elections. Her comparison of the Capitol incident to what actually happened as a result of the 9/11 Islamist attack on our country in 2001 is inexcusable.

Of course, we know that Joe Biden has used the Capitol riot as fodder for insisting, as he trumpeted in his joint address to Congress, that "the most lethal terrorist threat to the homeland today is from white supremacist terrorism." He repeated that race-bait rhetoric again this week in Tulsa, where he used the anniversary of a racial attack 100 years ago to promote the Demos' race-hustling agenda.

There has been a succession of administrative actions to bolster this phony "white supremacist" narrative.

Biden ordered Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to issue a 60-day stand down to search for extremists in the military. Attorney General Merrick Garland marked the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing by declaring, "The Department of Justice is pouring its resources into stopping domestic violent extremists before they can attack." Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines pushed out a "threat assessment" that was focused on "white extremism." DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas ordered an internal review of "threats" within the department and parroted Biden's line, saying, "Domestic violent extremism poses the most lethal and persistent terrorism-related threat to our country today."

Astoundingly, no sooner had the CDC announced relaxed restrictions on Americans who had been vaccinated than Biden's political puppets at DHS issued a report that absurdly asserted, "Violent extremists may seek to exploit the easing of COVID-19-related restrictions across the United States to conduct attacks against a broader range of targets after previous public capacity limits reduced opportunities for lethal attacks." The warning added that extremists would "exploit constitutionally protected freedom of speech" in order to fuel violence based on "false narratives."

Actually, the only redlining of freedom of speech, in violation of the First Amendment civil rights of all Americans, is being perpetrated by the Democrats.

So, all the theatrics aside, what have we learned from the Senate report?

Regarding preparedness, the report notes: "DOD's response to January 6 was informed by criticism it received about its response to the civil unrest after the death of George Floyd during the summer of 2020. DOD was criticized for its heavy-handed response, particularly flying military helicopters over the protests in summer 2020." The report adds, "DOD officials cited lessons learned from the summer 2020 as guiding its decision-making for January 6. DOD officials believed it needed 'control measures' and 'rigor' before deploying DCNG personnel, including a clear deployment plan to avoid the appearance of overmilitarization."

In other words, the Demos' protection of rioters in the months since George Floyd's death  those burning, looting, and murdering ostensibly in support of the Demos' fabricated "systemic racism" agenda  served to suppress riot preparations ahead of the January 6 protest.

Thus, there was no preparation despite this revelation from the report: "Through open-source collection, tips from the public and other sources, [police] knew about social media posts calling for violence at the Capitol on 6 January, including a plot to breach the Capitol, the online sharing of maps of the Capitol complex's tunnel systems, and other specific threats of violence."

We learned that leftist D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser refused federal assistance, insisting, "Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is prepared for this week's First Amendment activities." After the riot, she pulled a blame-shift maneuver, saying, "I think a more robust presence on the ground" would have maintained order.

The report determined that "USCP leadership never took control of the radio system to communicate orders to front-line officers." Indeed, one officer who suffered injuries testified: "I was horrified that NO deputy chief or above was on the radio or helping us. For hours the screams on the radio were horrific, the sights were unimaginable and there was a complete loss of control. ... For hours NO Chief or above took command and control. Officers were begging and pleading for help for medical triage."

Another officer said: "We were ill prepared. We were NOT informed with intelligence. We were betrayed. We were abandoned by ALL the deputy chiefs and above that day. We still have not been told where exactly the chiefs were that day and what their [role] was on the sixth."

Recall that in an April report by the Capitol Police Inspector General, it was determined that senior officials told the officers to restrain any use of force. Almost sounds like the officers were set up and then abandoned.

Capitol Police "acknowledged it must improve how it collects and shares intelligence with its own officers and stakeholders and has made significant changes since the attack on January 6," the USCP said in a statement responding to the report. "Neither the USCP, nor the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, Metropolitan Police or our other law enforcement partners knew thousands of rioters were planning to attack the U.S. Capitol. The known intelligence simply didn't support that conclusion."

In other words, as I originally asserted back in January, "The reason Capitol Police were not prepared for that fringe mob is that all law enforcement agencies expected Trump rally attendees to act like they always had previously  with civility and respect." And I provided that assessment for free!

So, what will we learn further from the report? That Democrats will use it as political fodder to advance Biden's "extremists around every corner" agenda.

Of course, the real extremist threat is, as it has been, from the Left.

Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post.
Uncommon common sense By Robert T. Smith

Observations on the passing scene, a listing of what seems nowadays to be uncommon, common sense. We can all have our own list and the list can change almost daily. My offering du jour. Uncommon Sense: Anything a person with white skin thinks or does is bad because a person with dark skin didnt think it, or do it. If a Democrat disagrees with an issue, it must be racist. Common Sense If everything is racist, then nothing is racist. Anyone who tries to divide us by the color of our skin is by definition a racist. Uncommon Sense Biological sex is a societal construct. There are a multitude of different sexual identities that any individual can assign to themselves at any time, and others are required to recognize and honor that choice. Common Sense In the delivery room, the medical professional looked at the mother and said...its a girl or its a boy. Everything after that seeks to irrationally convolute that fact statement. Shown a picture of a man and a woman, even a toddler can differentiate the male from the female. Nature and natures God created males and females in the differing form and function as intended since the beginning. Uncommon Sense Man has caused the entire earths climate to change. There was initially an impending man-caused new ice age, then impending man-caused global overheating, then man-caused climate chaos, and now man-caused climate change. Common Sense If every weather event or its antithesis is the sign of man-caused climate change, then nothing is man-caused climate change. The climate of the earth has been, is, and will continue to be ever changing. CO2 is not a pollutant, it is a necessary gas that supports the symbiotic relationship between respiration and photosynthesis, among many other important aspects of the natural carbon cycle. Man cannot change the climate of the earth, or the antithesis unchange the climate of the earth by contributing the current small man-caused 4% of all CO2 contribution to the atmosphere, or by removing a small percent of the 0.4% of the atmosphere that is comprised of CO2. Uncommon Sense All Trumpers are brainwashed followers of a cult leader. Orange-man bad. All President Trump political policies are racist, evil, fascist, akin to Hitler. Common Sense There should be an orderly immigrant process to enter the country and the border should be controlled to protect national sovereignty, security, and social order. The border should be controlled to prevent the flow of illegal drugs that kill and destroy American citizens lives by the tens of thousands. The border should be controlled to disincentivize human smuggling, and the abuse and rape of children sent by their parents with strangers to cross the border. Parents that send their children with strangers to be smuggled across the border in anticipation of future family reunification into the U.S. for their own benefit should be publicly shamed and flogged. Peace accords between Middle East Arab countries and Israel are good. Iran obtaining enough nuclear material to be used as a nuclear device to destroy Israel (their little satan) as their stated intent should be stopped. Irans Big Satan (stated to be the U.S.) should not allow this for the sake of humanity and as prologue. The dehumanizing and deficient conditions found in the decades-long Democrat-controlled areas are bad, especially for people of color. Deficient public education in decades-long Democrat-controlled areas disproportionately locks people of color into low, or no income conditions. As one of many examples, it is unacceptable that the valedictorian of a High School has a D average in a Democrat-controlled school system. We should care more about the innocent people who wish to live in a lawful, peaceful community than the criminals who operate in these communities. We should care that a mother can let her kids play outside their apartment without the fear of being caught in the cross-fire of criminals in the community, more than the communitys criminals. Police, military, first responders are generally good and altruistic people. Energy independence is positive for our national security and economy. All-of the above energy sources are the correct choice. American technology, innovation, and manufacturing should lead the way for American and world economic, social, and peaceful considerations, not Chinas. Killing human babies is evil and should not be allowed as public policy. Anytime the government tells you that you dont need a gun, history and common sense tells us that you need a gun. ...ad infinitum. Robert T. Smith is an environmental scientist who spends his days enjoying life and the pursuit of happiness with his family. He confesses to cling to his liberty, guns and religion, with antipathy toward the arrogant ruling elites throughout the country. Home
Comparing the Canadian and the American Right  updated to 2021 (Part Three) By Mark Wegierski

The intellectual, cultural, and academic life of Canada is clearly dominated to a greater extent by political correctness than is the case in the United States. Unlike in the U.S., homeschooling is comparatively rare in Canada, there are fewer private schools at the primary and secondary level, and there are very few private, post-secondary institutions. The hundreds of private, more traditional, usually religious-affiliated colleges in the U.S. may allow for the existence of a community of more traditionally-oriented scholars that can have some effect on U.S. politics. Intelligent persons of conservative or traditionalist outlooks are almost completely isolated in Canada, and have almost no hope of achieving the dream of (for example) a tenured academic appointment  or even of finishing a Ph.D. Policies similar to employment equity operate, de jure or de facto, at virtually every Canadian university. These determine admissions (to undergraduate, as well as graduate programs -- and especially to professional programs like law and medicine); the disbursement of scholarships and other aid to students; and the hiring of all academic faculty, librarians, library assistants, and other academic and non-academic support staff. The Canadian media, including the publishing world, is also more hostile to persons of conservative or traditionalist outlooks than is the case in the United States. The so-called alternative media and alternative publishers in Canada usually embrace very left-wing outlooks and are even more hostile to conservatives than the so-called mainstream publishers. So, again, we see the Right being stymied in Canada. Even the sharpest and most reflective persons of conservative or traditionalist outlooks in Canada are highly unlikely to achieve the dream of becoming opinion-columnists in Canadian newspapers, or acclaimed authors with books appearing with credible publishers. Virtually the entire government-subsidized world of CanLit is inimical to conservatism. The atrophy of the broader Right in Canada means that Canadians are cut off from many stimulating intellectual and creative ideas and political options. It also means that any remaining socially conservative instincts of the general populace are untutored, and therefore easily pejoritized as bigotry by the left-liberal elites. Many people go through their entire lives in Canada without ever hearing even one seriously-presented, conservative or traditionalist argument. It could be argued that it is diversity of thought that is the most important, and most Canadians of any cultural or social group will never get beyond the prevalent, politically-correct, dogmas and taboos. Because of the atrophy of traditional religion in Canada, the gay rights and radical feminist agendas have certainly advanced more quickly than is the case in the United States. The birthrate in Canada has also fallen far below replacement level, in marked contrast to the United States, where even the birthrate of non-Hispanic white (to use the official term of the U.S. Census) women is comparatively high. At the same time, Canada has a very high rate of abortion. There is a general climate of social decadence, ill-discipline, and a never-ending war against the so-called authoritarian personality. Many Canadians are to some extent accepting of all these various Canadian syndromes because they are linked to a very generous welfare-state. Apart from the obvious true believers in the left-liberal cadres (most of whom also clearly enjoy very comfortable lives), most ordinary people also tend to fall into line, unwilling to jeopardize their public sector job, or the government subsidy to their business, for the sake of what seem like distant and questionable notions. It should also be pointed out that Canada prides itself on its very generous medical system. The issue of healthcare is growing increasingly salient in Canada, especially with a rapidly-aging population. It seems that many people would be willing to accept virtually anything as far as the social and cultural outlooks they are required to profess, if they could be guaranteed high-quality medical care. At the same time, Canada today fails to meet many of the traditional criteria of a state. It fails to properly control its borders, and its armed forces have (except under Harper) been critically underfunded, to a point of near-atrophy. The federal government under the Chretien Liberals (1993-2003) had been able to achieve a budget surplus owing mainly to the high income tax rates; the 7% Goods and Services Tax (which is levied on virtually all economic activity) (Harper had lowered it to 5%); the reform of Unemployment Insurance (now called Employment Insurance), which significantly cut benefits; the so-called clawback of Old Age Pensions, over a certain, relatively modest income threshold; and the reduction of federal transfer payments for healthcare to the provinces. Considering these facts, the achievement of a federal budget surplus under Prime Minister Chretien and his Finance Minister, Paul Martin Jr. (who was Prime Minister in 2003-2006) is less of a miracle than it might appear. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
Bankers, insurers and activists assault our freedoms



By Duggan Flanakin





Oil giant ExxonMobils 12-member board of directors reportedly has two new members who are climate activists backed by investor Engine 1.



Under the headline, Shareholders tell Exxon to eat sh*t, G/O Media and Earther reporter Molly Taft gleefully ends paragraph 1 with, Dont let the door hit you on the way out!? The widely read journalist explained that The bigger boys in the room [notably financial giant BlackRock] decided to play along, prompting panicked Exxon officials to pause voting, but only after two of the four Engine 1 candidates (of the three endorsed by BlackRock) had been voted onto the board. Too bad, guys, Taft gloated.



In truth, the battle to alter ExxonMobil was over before the latest skirmish began. Taft herself reported that Exxon had promised to add other more climate friendly directors to its board in an effort to appease a few noisy investors.



Two weeks earlier, Canadian activist Seth Klein had declared it was time to stop playing nice with fossil fuel companies, which in his mind are villains who outright lied for decades about the truth of climate change and work tirelessly to delay and divert the need for climate action. The fossil fuel industry, said Klein, in pursuit of its financial self-interest and preservation, has become expert at preying on our fears, misgivings and desires.



Preying on our fears? You would think we are trapped in a burning building, or about to be eaten by Godzilla, when this entire climate pandemic is driven by a desire to shave maybe half a degree Fahrenheit off forthcoming world temperatures  based on computer model predictions that are already way above what has been measured by satellites operating in the real world!



But in the same week that once-proud ExxonMobil raised the white flag of surrender to climate mythologists, 61% of Chevron Corp. investors backed a radical proposal to force customers to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide. Chevron investors barely blocked a demand that Chevron report on how significant reductions in fossil fuel demand would affect its business at a time when fossil fuel demand is rising !



On the same day, a Dutch court ordered Royal Dutch Shell to slash its emissions by 43% by 2030. Earlier, 30% of Shells investors had voted to adopt a more ambitious climate (decarbonization) plan put forward by Follow This, a campaign group that also targeted BP and the French oil company Total.



This may appear to be a war on big oil and gas, but in reality the war is against citizens who cherish their vehicles, appliances, jobs, living standards and freedoms. Few of the loudest mouths of the green movement have altered their lavish lifestyles, yet the super rich cannot abide irredeemable, deplorable, ordinary people enjoying a drive in the country, a warm home in the winter or a flight off on vacation.



Climate elitists are influencing boardrooms not only in big oil but also in big finance and big insurance. In 2019, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced it would cease financing fossil fuels projects at the end of 2021. In 2020, major U.S. banks joined forces in refusing to finance oil and gas drilling in the tiny portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that President Trump had opened to drilling.



Also in 2020, Lloyds of London announced a decision to stop providing insurance to fossil fuel companies by 2030. As Property Claim Services strategist Tom Johansmeyer explained, Insurers and reinsurers around the world are grappling with issues related to both climate change and the impact of energy transition on their portfolios. Some have made the same commitment that Lloyds did, and others are likely to follow.



Now the International Energy Agency has demanded an immediate end to oil and gas exploration  period! Otherwise, these elitists predict a worldwide disaster over our failure to limit global temperatures increase to a maximum 1.5o C by 2050. Not to be outdone, COP26 President-designate Alok Sharma has called for an end to international coal financing. In Sharmas view, The days of coal providing the cheapest form of power are in the past, and in the past they must remain.



As Future Proof founder and editor Tim de Chant sees it, If global leaders started following the [IEA] reports recommendations tomorrow, the most significant  and immediate  impact would be the cessation of all new fossil fuel projects starting next year. Countries could continue extracting the oil, gas and coal theyre currently exploiting, but they shouldnt authorize any new exploration, drilling or mining.



Another report asserts the world is already too hot to support human life. Scientific American s Andrea Thompson makes the absurd claim that, Even in the abundantly air-conditioned U.S., heat currently kills more people than cold, floods or hurricanes. Bunk. USA Today reported in 2015 that cold kills nearly 20 times more people worldwide as heat, and that, even in the USA cold kills more than twice as many as heat.



Meanwhile, Molly Taft reports , Russias national oil company Rosneft has begun a massive project in the Arctic that officials say will produce 25 million tons of oil annually by 2024. Taft describes the project as dauntingly huge, as Rosneft anticipates exporting 115 million tons of oil a year by 2030 by building 15 entirely new towns for an anticipated 400,000 employees.



Is it her own blindness-inducing rage she feels by adding that Rosneft has said that oil produced from the Vostok project is environmentally friendly because the company plans to power its extraction with wind turbines?



What do ordinary people think of these grandiose plans  all made in their best interest by the enlightened? Britons are less than enthusiastic about a government mandate to replace natural gas home heating units with heat pumps at a cost of up to US$50,000 per home. Only a few Americans have invested in electric vehicles, and 20% of them bought an internal combustion engine vehicle after turning in their EV  despite the outright bribery (huge subsidies) to encourage EV usage.



Noting the high price and low environmental benefits of todays EVs, Vauxhall CEO Carlos Tavares scoffed at planners hell-bent on eliminating the internal combustion engine. I cant imagine a democratic society where there is no freedom of mobility because its only for wealthy people, and all the others will use public transport. Personal mobility, Vauxhall argued, should be seen as a fundamental right.



World leaders clearly know human rights interfere with their utopian plans. Without major pushback against these draconian mandates, planners will have little trouble extending their control over just about everyone. It is a small step from banning, or simply refusing to finance or insure, fossil fuel exploration and production and new car manufacturing  to banning, or refusing to finance or insure, individual purchases of just about anything elites decide we should not have. And theyre already doing it.



Just as they lied for a year about the origins of and treatment for the COVID-19 corona virus for our own good, their claims of coming catastrophes from climate change (no longer global warming) ring hollow. All their solutions increase their power and wealth at our expense. But we are expected to eat our broccoli and accept pandemic plagues while they dine at The French Laundry and fly to climate conferences in private jets.



Who the hell do they think they are? And why are we putting up with their angry, ignorant, offensive demands? Have we all just become spineless worms?



Did it all start with global cooling/warming/climate-change? With the anti-nuke movement? Who came up with all this mish-mash of demands, from cancel culture to climate calamity to Antifa, critical race theory and anti-racism? How have we become enslaved by the spiteful?



We never voted for an all-electric society that bans auto racing, gas appliances, backyard cookouts, swimming. Tell them to drop dead.



Duggan Flanakin is director of policy research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow ( www.CFACT.org ). Home
UK climate champion appointed Honorary Professor at University of Exeter Business School

The UKs High-level Climate Champion for COP26, Nigel Topping, has received an Honorary Professorship from the University of Exeter Business School.

Professor Topping was appointed by the UK government last year to play a central role in the run-up to the COP26 climate summit, to be held in Glasgow in November, by encouraging action from businesses, investors, organisations, cities and regions on climate change and coordinating this work with governments.

He is currently leading the Race to Zero, a global campaign to build momentum and commitments for a net zero future and emissions limits for the next decade, alongside fellow climate champion Gonzalo Munoz from Chile.

Prior to this, he was the CEO of We Mean Business, a coalition of businesses working to accelerate the transition to a zero carbon economy that played a key role in bringing the constructive voice of business in support of the Paris Agreement, and was also Executive Director of the Carbon Disclosure Project.

This built on an 18-year career in the private sector, having worked across the world in emerging markets and manufacturing.

Professor Topping, Honorary Professor in Economics at the University of Exeter Business School, said: I am proud to become an Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter Business School, which understands that Higher Education has a critical role to play in catalysing climate action to drive systems change.

Part of this change will come from forging links between academic researchers and international policy makers, business leaders and advisers, and that is something that I hope to be able to facilitate.

Professor David Allen, Dean of the University of Exeter Business School, said: Nigels work to drive action from businesses on climate change is vital to the goal of reaching Net Zero, which will not be achieved without collaboration from all sections of society, including business and Higher Education.

Our Business School has this sense of environmental responsibility at its core, which is why we are delighted to make Nigel an Honorary Professor.

On Monday 14 June, at the closing event of the University of Exeters Green Futures conference, Professor Topping will join the Business Schools Professor Gail Whiteman in conversation about his reflections on the G7 summit and how it will support him in his role as High Level Climate Champion for Climate Action at COP26.

They will also be joined by Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Exeter, and Kate Kennally, Chief Executive at Cornwall Council, to reflect on the legacy of the G7 for Cornwall, what has been achieved and the action required at COP26.

Register here for the event: https://greenfutures.exeter.ac.uk/event/g7-legacy-for-cornwall-and-the-progress-towards-a-greener-future-for-all/
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
By Lee Min-hyung





Choi Sae-hoon, CEO-nominee for KakaoPay's digital insurance subsidiary
Korea Development Bank Chairman Lee Dong-gull speaks during an online press conference at its headquarters in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Korea Development Bank



By Lee Min-hyung



SsangYong Motor should submit a "viable" revival plan to a possible investor before expecting any more financial support from the Korea Development Bank (KDB), the main creditor of the cash-strapped automaker, KDB Chairman Lee Dong-gull said Monday.



"SsangYong's management and union are urged to keep in mind that their latest agreement is still not enough to attract investment from a potential buyer's viewpoint, even if it is a step in the right direction," Lee said during an online press conference.



The message came a few days after the automaker's union and management reached a belated consensus over a restructuring plan. Under the agreement, SsangYong employees will take unpaid leave for two years from July, as part of the automaker's measures to cut fixed costs for its revival. Executives at the company also agreed to accept an annual pay cut of 20 percent.



But Lee did not rate the plan that highly, saying there were "few sincere candidates" considering taking over the company.



"SsangYong should look at the matter only from an investor's perspective," Lee said. "The two-year unpaid leave does not appear to be attractive from the viewpoint of investors."



"The KDB hopes SsangYong can find a possible buyer that will be responsible in helping the firm achieve sustainable growth, but this can only be possible when SsangYong has a viable business revival plan," he added.



A group of companies are still expressing interest in taking over the automaker. These include U.S. auto retailer HAAH Automotive, and Edison Motors. SsangYong still wants to sign a deal with the American company, as other possible candidates are unlikely to spend billions of won to take over the company.



SsangYong plans to place a notice of tender for an acquisition sometime at the end of June.



"We cannot comment on the details of which companies have contacted SsangYong for a takeover, but my view is that SsangYong will face a tough road ahead," Lee said.



SsangYong also pledged Monday to make concerted efforts to find a possible investor.



"We are going to complete corporate rehabilitation measures as early as possible by pushing for timely acquisition," an official from the ailing automaker said. "The latest agreement will generate practical manpower restructuring effects without actually cutting the number of employees, he added.



SsangYong Motor turned began losing money in 2017 amid falling sales, and has since failed to achieve a rebound. The company reported 449.4 billion won in operating losses for 2020, widening its losing streak from the previous year when its deficit reached 281.9 billion won.



In December 2020, the company filed for court receivership and has since sought to find a new investor. HAAH was closest to reaching a deal, but remained hesitant over signing a contract due to the lingering financial burden after taking over SsangYong.






Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki attends a meeting at the Seoul Government Complex, June 4. Korea Times file





By Lee Kyung-min











The government is coming under criticism over about 30 trillion won ($26.8 billion) in expected excess revenue this year, a result of inaccurate tax revenue projections which some economists say limited fiscal discretion and effective debt management.







The 30 trillion won accounts for about 10 percent of 282.7 trillion won in tax revenue the government expected last year to collect this year.







The error ratio, the difference between total expected revenue and the amount collected divided by the total expected revenue, has risen to 10.6 percent, the first time ever for the figure to record a double digits.







The government maintains that the figure exceeding 10 percent reflects the harsh economic and financial conditions last year when the projections were made in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.







Yet such a large difference undermines the effective use of state resources, because had the figure been lower, the government would not have needed a second extra budget. Under the law, about 40 percent of the newly drafted extra budget must be first allocated to municipalities and the remaining 60 percent to be used for central government spending.







This means a more accurate projection would have led to a fully targeted spending on containment and debt-reducing measures, without nearly half of the state budget being claimed by municipalities whose administrative spending needs are not as urgent in times of health crisis.







Economists say the government should therefore disclose the revenue projection model, a critical step that will remove government discretion in arbitrarily setting the figures at the expense of efficient fiscal planning and execution.







They also call for a new rule whereby the government must factor in nominal growth forecast projected by state think tanks, which should provide a limit on the government's estimates.







gettyimagesbank









This year's error ratio of 10.6 percent is an all-time-high figure. It undermines the government's success two years earlier in reducing the error, as evidenced by the ratio standing at -0.5 percent in 2019. It was a dramatic improvement from 9.5 percent in 2018. The ratio was 4.2 percent in 2016 and 5.7 percent in 2017.







According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the country's tax revenue will amount to 310 trillion won, far greater than the previously expected figure of 282.7 trillion won.







The tax paid in the first four months of this year was 133.4 trillion won, up 32.7 trillion won from a year earlier.







The increase was attributable to corporate and value-added taxes which increased by 8.2 trillion won and 4.9 trillion, respectively, year-on-year.







This was due to improved corporate performance backed by robust imports and exports.







Capital gains tax involving real estate trading and securities transaction tax also jumped 3.9 trillion won and 2 trillion won, respectively. Inheritance tax paid by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee was expected to amount to about 2 trillion won.







April's figure was the continuation of greater-than-expected tax income. Income tax in the first three months of this year was 28.6 trillion won, bolstered by a 6.4 trillion won year-on-year jump. Nearly half, or 3 trillion won, came from capital gains tax from real estate transactions.







The first-quarter surplus fanned optimism because the first three months in any year are generally known to be in deficit due to the base effect from the year before and bookkeeping reasons.







Higher-than-expected volatility in corporate tax and capital gains tax led to what the government considers "positive shocks" in tax revenue, a one-off instance rather than the government being at fault, according to Korea Development Institute (KDI) economist Lee Tae-suk.







"Some additional tax revenue is expected in the coming months, given the government's previous conservative outlook on the economy amid lingering uncertainties brought on, and prolonged, by the pandemic," he added.







Yet transparency in the economic forecast should be strengthened, given the significantly large figure that went beyond the understandable margin of error, according to Seoul National University economist Kim So-young.







"Granted, making a forecast is fundamentally difficult. But the difference of 30 trillion won is far greater than what should be accepted, raising suspicion that the finance ministry deliberately underestimated the figures in what some could characterize as a political motive. It therefore is best to disclose the projection model as well as the basis of the estimate," he said.







The model should be updated in a way that can best utilize taxpayers' money, an objective that will determine the fiscal soundness of the country for which increased spending equals debt-financing.







"Korea's fiscal stability hinges on its ability to identify a continued demand from overseas investors that find the country's bonds attractive. More precise management of country's financing data that withstand uncertainties in the economic conditions will help the country in the long run."


By Park Ji-won





Archbishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik, who was newly named as Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy of the Holy See / Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea

Pope Francis has appointed Lazarus You Heung-sik, currently Bishop of Daejeon, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy on Friday while conferring on him the title of Archbishop-Bishop Emeritus of Daejeon. He is the first South Korean to assume the position and the second Asian to do so after Jose Tomas Sanchez, a Filipino cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.



The congregation is responsible for handling matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders, as well as seminaries, overseeing more than 400,000 priests around the world. He will be serving in the position for the next five years.



"The Prefect, which leads one of nine Roman Congregations in the Roman Curia, the central administrative organization of the Catholic Church, is largely considered to be led by Cardinals. So it is highly anticipated that You will be appointed to the position of Cardinal in the future," the Archdiocese of Seoul wrote in a press release.



The remarks came at a time when the number people identifying as Catholics is on a continuing decline, particularly in Western countries. The number of Catholics in the United States has seen the biggest decline, with an 18-point drop, from 76 percent to 58 percent, over the past two decades, as of last year, according to a poll from Gallup, which was released in March 2021.



It is largely seen as a strategic move on the part of the Vatican to target a broader range of regions, especially in Asia, and thus to increase the number of followers there.



"The appointment of a Korean bishop to the Congregation for the Clergy follows that of (Filipino) Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as the head of the Propaganda Fide, and testifies to Pope Francis' attention to the Asian continent," Vatican News, the news portal of the Holy See, wrote Friday.



You told Korean Catholics in a letter Saturday that "The Pope, whom I met on April 17 at his office, said, 'There is only one Prefect in the Curia Romana from Asia, while there are two from Africa. You are the one from Asia, which is very important in spreading the Church in the world.'"



You, who invited the Pope and welcomed him during his first visit to Korea in 2014, is also expected to push for the Pope to visit North Korea.



In a press conference held after his appointment on Saturday, You said, "I told the Pope about going to the North when I met him in April, and the Pope said that he would like to join. If I were given the chance, I would happily make the effort to bring about the Pope's visit to Pyongyang."




The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) will start accepting applications for the "Korea Content Awards  Story Division." gettyimagesbank



By Lee Gyu-lee



The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), a state-run organization established to promote Korean culture content overseas, is gearing up for its annual competition, the "Korea Content Awards  Story Division," to scout out new creative writing.



The agency announced Monday that it will be kicking off the application process for the awards competition July 1. It will accept submissions online until July 8. Any individuals or teams who are citizens of Korea are eligible to apply.



"A good story constitutes the basis for K-content, and especially amid the rapidly changing content industry, the need for a good story has become more and more important," Lee Hyun-?joo, the head of the pop culture division at KOCCA, said in a statement. "I hope that this contest can act as a source for the content market industry, and provide opportunities and a platform for creators to challenge themselves."



The competition was formally called the "Korea Story Competition" until 2019, and has since become an important part of KOCCA's major annual event, the Korea Content Awards, which marks its 13th anniversary this year.



The competition was launched in an effort to discover creative story ideas that could be used in various fields of the cultural content industry, and to provide government awards to their creators.



There are five categories to the contest: theatre, cartoons (webtoons), animation, video (for drama and film) and publishing. The applicants choose a category for their submission, depending on which industry they wish to introduce their ideas to, and potentially create a product in.



The submissions are evaluated by different criteria, including: originality, quality of completion and marketability.



A total of 15 submissions across the categories will be selected to receive awards. One of them will win the highest honor, the President's Award. Runner-up prizes will be awarded by the Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism to four submissions, and the rest of the 10 awards will be awarded by KOCCA.



The total amount of prize money for the awards will be 350 million won ($313,000), and the award ceremony will be held in December.



The winners will be offered support in the form of matching them with businesses to help make their stories into a final product. The winners will also be given priority when they apply for spaces in the Story Writing Center.



"KOCCA is planning to get various businesses to scout out excellent stories through contests and to support the whole cycle of production and distribution with those ideas," the agency said.



Applications for the "Korea Content Awards  Story Division" can be submitted via KOCCA's website between July 1 and 8.






South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Vienna on Sunday for a three-day state visit after attending the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Britain.







He became the first South Korean president to travel to Austria officially since the two sides established diplomatic ties in 1892.







He plans to have summit talks Monday with President Alexander Van der Bellen and hold a meeting with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on improving bilateral relations. Kurz made a trip to South Korea in 2019.







Moon's visit here is expected to serve as a chance to further solidify traditionally friendly ties between the two sides, according to Cheong Wa Dae.







It noted Austria's prowess in science and technology as well as the competitive edge of its small and medium-sized firms. (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap)


President Moon Jae-in attends the G7 summit at Carbis Bay Hotel & Estate in Cornwall, Britain, June 13. Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in has shared his thoughts on meeting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in person for the first time at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Britain, describing the experience as "precious" in terms of potentially improving the two nations' frayed bilateral relationship.



On Saturday, Moon "exchanged greetings" with Suga just before the start of an expanded session of the G7 summit at Carbis Bay Hotel & Estate in Cornwall, Britain, according to Cheong Wa Dae.



Though the two did not hold an official or informal discussion, the encounter marked the first in-person meeting between the leaders since Suga took office last September.



"The first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Suga was a precious occasion, which may serve as a new beginning in terms of South Korea-Japan relations," Moon said Sunday in a social media post to share his thoughts on attending this year's G7 summit.






President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga / Yonhap



Foreign ministry says Tokyo canceled Moon-Suga summit



By Kang Seung-woo



The bleak state of relations between Korea and Japan, caused by historical and territorial issues, continued at last week's Group of Seven (G7) Summit in the United Kingdom, as the two heads of state failed to hold an already long-overdue summit.



In addition, Tokyo was reportedly opposed to expanding the G7 so that it might include other countries, including Korea.



In the lead-up to the G7 Summit, there had been speculation that President Moon Jae-in and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would likely have their first in-person talks on the sidelines of the event, or even a trilateral meeting including U.S. President Joe Biden. Suga took office in September of last year.



However, Moon and Suga just exchanged greetings on Saturday (GMT), before the beginning of an expanded session of the summit, according to Cheong Wa Dae, and a Japanese media outlet reported that the two leaders also encountered each other at an evening banquet for a minute, also on Saturday.



On Monday, an official of Korea's foreign ministry revealed that the two countries had provisionally agreed to hold a Moon-Suga meeting during the three-day summit, but that the Japanese side called it off, citing Korea's annual military exercises on and around its easternmost islets of Dokdo, scheduled for this week. Although Korea controls Dokdo, Japan has repeatedly made territorial claims to it.



"From the beginning, we looked forward to Japan's positive response to the planned meeting with an open mind, but we express regret over Tokyo cancelling it due to our annual military drill," the official said.



President Moon also said on his social media accounts that their encounter failed to lead to a summit, although he added that the brief face-to-face meeting was a precious occasion.



However, Suga is still blaming the currently strained bilateral ties on Korea.



According to Japanese media outlets on Monday, the Japanese prime minister had held a press conference after the G7 Summit on the previous day where he said he was in no condition to hold a three-way summit with Korea and the U.S. amid the current situation, in which a state-to-state promise is not being kept.



Claiming that Korea was worsening the situation, Suga also demanded that Moon resolve the issues involving wartime forced labor and sex slavery, over which the two countries have ongoing disputes.



Meanwhile, according to Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper, the Japanese government told U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it did not want to expand the G7. Korea, along with Australia, India and South Africa, were invited to the G7 Summit as guest countries.



Japan's opposition to the expansion is seen as an effort to remain Asia's lone G7 member country.



When former U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned a possible G7 expansion to include Korea, last year, the Japanese government made clear its opposition to Korea participating in the group of advanced economies.



In fact, the expansion of the G7 was not discussed during the summit at all, although it is not known whether Japan's voice was an influencing factor.


President Moon Jae-in speaks as his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen listens on during a press conference at the Hofburg, Vienna, the latter's official residence, Monday (local time). Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo, Joint Press Corps



President Moon Jae-in said, Monday (local time), Seoul will actively consider supplying COVID-19 vaccines to Pyongyang if the regime accepts his offer.



Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen also agreed with Moon's comment, saying the country will also provide help to North Korea if Pyongyang showed "signs."



"If South Korea can become a global hub for the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, North Korea will surely be one of our cooperative partners," Moon said during a press conference after a summit with his Austrian counterpart in Vienna. "If the North agrees, we will actively provide vaccines to North Korea. The U.S. is also showing its backing for humanitarian cooperation on North Korea."



The remarks came after the leaders discussed methods of establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula during a summit. Upon Moon's request for Austria's continued support for his administration's efforts to establish peace on the peninsula, Van der Bellen said that he understood Seoul's efforts and reaffirmed Austria's support for his peace drive.



Van der Bellen also said the world can overcome the COVID-19 pandemic if all countries share their efforts, and this was also the case for North Korea. He said he was not sure what North Korea's stance on receiving vaccines from other countries was, but Austria would provide help if Pyongyang requested it.





President Moon Jae-in listens to his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen as they walk in the Holfburg, Vienna, the latter's official residence, Monday. Yonhap



Moon arrived in Vienna, Sunday, for a three-day state visit to Austria. This is the first visit by a Korean president to Austria since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in 1892, though they have developed reciprocal relations in various fields. Cheong Wa Dae said the visit was a reciprocal one for Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's visit to Korea in 2019.



During the summit, the leaders agreed to strengthen the two countries' cooperation in advanced technologies and climate change responses as well. In a separate meeting with Chancellor Kurz later in the day, Moon agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a "strategic partnership," and pledged to harness Austria's prowess in scientific research and Korea's leadership in commercialization.



"Austria and South Korea share common values such as democracy, human rights and market economy, and they have developed their partnerships in various fields of culture, art, science and technology," Moon said. "In opening the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the two countries are seeing each other as very important partners."



Trade between Korea and Austria stood at $2.89 billion in 2018. It declined to $2.42 billion in 2019, but bounced back to $2.69 billion in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic.



Against this backdrop, the two leaders agreed to combine Austria's scientific capabilities in advanced industrial sectors and Korea's strengths in the commercialization of new products, in order to pursue complementary outcomes.



Austria is one of the world's leading powerhouses in basic science, having 17 Nobel Prize laureates in the science categories. Based on this background, the country is home to more than 100 "hidden champions," which refer to companies positioned among the top three in the global market in their respective fields, with revenue not exceeding $4 billion. Cheong Wa Dae said that Moon's visit would be an opportunity for South Korea and Austria to enhance exchanges in innovative technologies and eco-friendly future industries.





President Moon Jae-in and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz pose during their meeting at the latter's office in Vienna, Monday (local time). Yonhap
A huge banner opposing a government plan to increase the supply of apartments in the area is hung on the facade of a building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, in this file photo taken earlier this year. Korea Times photo by Lim Myoung-soo



By Yoon Ja-young



The government's plan to build new apartments on state-owned land to stabilize housing prices is facing fierce opposition by homeowners nearby. Some of them are even trying to recall their mayors for "not doing enough to stop the plan." As the government has succumbed to their pressure and scrapped hastily made plans, the situation is triggering fears that its creation of supply policy won't work  and that the housing crisis in the capital will persist.



The government and the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) recently scrapped a plan to build 4,000 housing units on government-owned land within a government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. According to the plan, announced Aug. 4, 2020, about half of the new homes there were to be public rental housing. As Gwacheon is close to Seoul and has good infrastructure surrounded by natural scenery and landscaping, the plan drew extensive attention from those looking for homes.



The scrapping of the plan follows a campaign by a group of Gwacheon residents to recall their mayor, Kim Jong-cheon. They say that Kim, who belongs to the ruling party, has not done enough to stop the implementation of the policy in their city. They say they will proceed with the recall vote, as they oppose the plan. Kim, currently suspended from his position, will permanently lose the mayoral post if residents uphold the recall at a vote scheduled for June 30.



Homeowners there fear that massively increasing the supply of housing units will lead to a lack of infrastructure and traffic jams, resulting in their apartments dropping in value, in an area where housing prices are as high as upscale areas in Seoul. Recently, an 84-square-meter unit in the Gwacheon Prugio Summit Apartment Complex sold for 2 billion won ($1.79 million). Residents are demanding that the government build a park on the proposed site instead of more apartments.



"Residents often become NIMBYs ("not in my backyard"). They don't want development in their area. The government can't listen to the voices of all residents all the time with regard to its development plans, but this time it had no communication with the residents at all," said Kwon Dae-jung, a professor of real estate at Myongji University.



The government suddenly announced the plan last August, following a series of failed housing market stabilization policies focused on increasing taxes and mortgage restrictions. This time, the government focused on increasing the housing supply, vowing to build 33,000 new homes on government-owned land, including at the Gwacheon Government Complex, the Taereung Country Club and Yongsan Camp Kim.



Initially, the government had unilaterally issued the development plan, without seeking the residents' opinions. When the residents subsequently opposed it, the government cancelled the plan, which Kwon believes set a bad precedent.



"Once the government announces housing supply plans, it shouldn't just scrap them," Kwon said, "Now other areas will also want to nullify plans in their areas. This Gwacheon case will continue to stand as a stumbling block for future government projects."



The Seoul Metropolitan Government also recently requested the central government to reconsider its plan to build 10,000 apartment units on land at the Defense Ministry-owned Taereung Country Club in Nowon District. Plans to massively increase the supply of new apartments in other areas of Seoul, such as Mapo and Yongsan, are also facing fierce opposition from residents.



"Residents cite traffic jams, environmental destruction and the shortage of schools when they oppose plans to increase the housing supply in their areas. (From the beginning,) the government should have persuaded the residents to accept the notions of coexistence and communality," Kwon argued.


Lee Jun-seok, right, the new chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), sheds tears while talking with a bereaved family member of the 2010 sinking accident of ROK naval ship of Cheonan, during his visit to the Daejeon National Cemetery, Monday. Lee started his first official schedule as the party leader by visiting the national cemetery, three days after his election at the party convention. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



The election of a young new leader is giving a boost to the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), with it seeing the highest gains in support in years and positive signs of a potential "conservative big tent" to counter the liberal ruling bloc ahead of next March's presidential election.



Public attention to the rise of the 36-year-old Lee Jun-seok and his victory at the party convention is pushing the party's support rate. According to a survey of 2,512 adults conducted last week by local pollster Realmeter, and released Monday, 39.1 percent of respondents said they supported the PPP, while 29.2 percent said were behind the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)



Political watchers believe the PPP has succeeded in responding to the growing public calls for change and innovation in politics by electing the youngest-ever party chairman, and it is now being recognized by the public as an alternative political force that could hold the supermajority DPK in check. Even before Lee's rise, the DPK was already losing public support due to corruption and land speculation scandals involving high-profile government officials and party members.



After his election, Lee showed some unconventional, non-bureaucratic moves. On Sunday, he rode to his office at the National Assembly on a Ttareungyi bike, one of Seoul's bike sharing systems. On Monday, Lee started his first official day as the opposition leader by visiting the Daejeon National Cemetery to pay tribute to patriots  an unusual move for a political party leader, most of whom usually visit the Seoul National Cemetery. There, Lee met with bereaved family members of victims of North Korea's 2010 sinking of the ROK Naval ship Cheonan, and shed tears while talking to them.



He selected Rep. Hwangbo Seung-hee as a spokeswoman. Along with electing the chairman, the party also selected five other Supreme Council members, of whom three were women  a very rare gender upswing in Korea's politics which is still dominated by men.









The high support rate and public expectation for him to bring change to the party is increasing the PPP's chances of winning in the presidential election.





Main opposition People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok, center, presides over a Supreme Council meeting of the party at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
By Choe Chong-dae





My interest in the Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141-1209) derives from ancient Azerbaijani artifacts such as glassware, ornaments, beads and pottery produced in the fifth century. They were discovered in 2011 at the site of the ancient city of Gabala in Azerbaijan, the ancient capital of Caucasian Albania for eight centuries, which is located in the territories of Selbir and Gala. These unique relics are very similar to antiquities unearthed in Gyeongju, Korea, from the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935 A.D.).



The precious artifacts demonstrate that ancient Azerbaijan engaged in cultural contact with Silla via the ancient Silk Road. A sister-city partnership between the cities of Gyeongju and Gabala was established in 2015, aimed to reestablish and promote cultural relations between the two countries, initially linked by the trade route connecting East Asia with Central Asia.



I associate Azerbaijan with Nizami Gajavi, the legendary Azerbaijani poet, philosopher and literary figure. To commemorate the 880th anniversary of the birth of Nizami, the Azerbaijani government declared 2021 the "Year of Nizami Ganjavi." He is immortalized in world literature.



The romantic environment of Ganja, where Nizami grew up and lived his life, inspired him to create literary classics and contribute to the development of science and philosophy. Ganja was the largest city of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus, as well as a significant hub of science, education and culture of the Middle East in his time. His reputation as a prominent poet and writer grew not only in the wider Middle East, but also in more distant countries. His poetry, in short forms such as the "gasida," "gazal" and "rubai," was compiled in an important anthology.



Nizami is best known for five long narrative poems: "Treasury of Secrets" (1175), "Khosrow and Shirin" (1180), Leyli and Majnun" (1188), "Seven Beauties" (1197) and "Iskander-Nameh (1203)." The five epic poems known as the "Khamsa" or "Quintet (Five Jewels)," written as a unique metaphor, have inscribed his name forever in the annals of the arts.



His creative synthesis of progressive humanist thought, with distinctive poetic creations and universal themes, transcended national boundaries to influence world literature. The powerful and colorful humanistic endeavor to create a cultural environment defined both by mysticism and the prejudices of patriarchal feudalism is portrayed in his poetic works.



His passionate philosophical depiction of humanity is illustrated in "Khosrow and Shirin" and "Leyla and Majnun," two tragic romances that are culturally comparable to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." In fact, Giacomo Puccini's last opera, "Turandot," is the story of a Slavonic princess found in a Nizami poem.



In the 16th century, a number of medieval artists took part in the writing of five poems modeled after Nizami, for the illuminated manuscript known as the "Khamsah of Nizami." It was as if they were fascinated by his fame. Therefore, his unique creations were widely imitated for centuries by poets and writers writing in Persian, as well as in languages deeply influenced by Persian, such as Urdu and Ottoman Turkish.



Although certain academic circles claim that Nizami was an Iranian poet, there is convincing evidence to place the poet within Azerbaijani history.



Nizami is appreciated not only in the East but also in the West. He was admired by Goethe, who said of him, "Among the fourteen poets of the East, seven are the best known. Among them, the most famous is Nizami." Nizami's literary works ought to become better known in Korea.





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.


By Shlomo Ben-Ami





TEL AVIV  Soon, Binyamin Netanyahu will no longer be Israel's prime minister. After 12 years in power, what kind of country will he leave behind?



Netanyahu was not always the irremediable hawk that his opponents (especially outside Israel) thought him to be. He often displayed a sharp pragmatism, reflecting a keen intelligence, extensive historical knowledge, impressive economic proficiency, and a deep awareness of regional and global trends.



But remaining in power was paramount for Netanyahu, so he tended to focus more on appeasing his base than serving the national interest. That often  and increasingly  meant pitting groups against one another by appealing to people's tribal instincts. He ruled by incitement, implementing policies that matched his ultra-nationalistic, anti-Arab rhetoric.



For example, Netanyahu backed the 2018 nation-state law, which effectively establishes Israeli Arabs as second-class citizens. And he embraced the goal of annexation of Palestinian lands  an issue over which Israeli right-wing coalitions have historically wavered  effectively taking extreme religious Zionism mainstream.



Netanyahu's successive governments have worked tirelessly to create the conditions for annexation of the occupied West Bank. At times, he seemed to prioritize the fantasy of Judea and Samaria shared by much of his base above Israel itself, pouring billions of dollars into realizing it.



And yet, there were times when Netanyahu was not quite the energetic builder of Jewish settlements in the West Bank that his constituency wanted him to be. In 2009, he declared a ten-month freeze on new settlements that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called "unprecedented" (though no restrictions were placed on the thousands of buildings already under construction to expand existing settlements).



In 2014, Netanyahu negotiated a peace framework with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in which he adopted some unexpectedly reasonable positions. That said, to keep his right-wing base happy, he refused to restrain construction by Jewish settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, even during the negotiations.



A similar logic lay behind Netanyahu's exorbitant concessions to Israel's Orthodox community, reversing his own previous efforts made as finance minister in the early 2000s to cut their parasitic dependence on state allowances. By contrast, he invested far less in improving the conditions in Israel's poorer periphery; he trusted that his unrelenting attacks on the old liberal "elites" would be enough to maintain the support of voters there.



Netanyahu's history of coalition-building reflects a similar focus on self-preservation. In the past, he has formed governing coalitions with left-leaning and centrist parties. After the last four legislative elections, however, he did not hesitate to govern with Jewish-supremacist factions.



This is not some reflection of a genuine ideological shift. If it was, Netanyahu would not have been willing to strike a coalition deal with Ra'am, an Islamist Party linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, this past March. This is, after all, the same man who warned in 2015 that Israeli Arabs were heading to the polling stations in droves, in order to give his party a boost in a tight race.



Netanyahu will go down in Israeli history as the politician who legitimized the participation of Arab parties in government. Anything to stay in power. This particular thing, however, may well have been Netanyahu's undoing: the coalition that his political opponents have formed would not have been large enough to unseat him without Ra'am.



That is not the only reason the new coalition could not exist without Netanyahu. Its eight ideologically diverse parties  including leftists, centrists, right-wing nationalists, and Arab Islamists  are united by one thing: the desire to unseat him. Many are former Netanyahu allies, who were increasingly alienated by his narcissistic, overbearing, and often shameful behavior. For them, his indictment on three charges of corruption and breach of trust was the last straw.



Netanyahu's penchant for bridge-burning can also be seen in Israel's deteriorating image in the United States, especially among moderates and liberals, including most U.S. Jews. By aligning himself closely with the Republican Party and former President Donald Trump, he turned support for Israel into a hyper-partisan affair.



The recent escalation of violence with the Palestinians seems to have further estranged many Americans. More fundamentally, it was a wake-up call for Netanyahu, who believed he had all but defeated the cause of Palestinian nationalism. This belief was fortified by the recent signing of the Abraham Accords, establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and four Arab states.



Netanyahu knew how to leverage regional changes to Israel's benefit. He saw that the Middle East's incumbent Sunni regimes feared popular uprisings akin to the 2011 Arab Spring, as well as the rise of a nuclear (Shia) Iran. This, together with the recognition that the U.S. is losing interest in the region, created a golden opportunity for Israel to normalize relations with them  ostensibly weakening the Palestinians' diplomatic support significantly.



And yet, as the recent violence shows, Israel's Palestinian problem is as acute as ever, and Jerusalem remains a flashpoint that could well trigger a religious war in the Middle East. Netanyahu's counterproductive fight against the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and his consequent failure to stem Iran's nuclear ambitions and regional designs only exacerbate the risk of a regional flare-up.



Beyond the Abraham Accords, Netanyahu oversaw two other major strategic developments. First, building on Israel's new status as a gas-producing power in the Eastern Mediterranean, he established a tripartite strategic alliance with Greece and Cyprus, as a counterweight to Turkey's destabilizing aspirations. Second, he expanded Israel's economic links with China, Japan, and India.



Yet Netanyahu's economic legacy also leaves much to be desired. Under his strict neoliberal policies, the welfare system was hit hard, and Israel consolidated its position as one of the OECD's most unequal countries, with 21 percent of the population living below the poverty line.



Ultimately, Netanyahu's legacy is one of tension, loathing, and chaos. Israel is now more divided than it has ever been, and Israelis have largely lost hope that their country can be both Jewish and democratic. Can a government united only by its aversion to Netanyahu push back against this legacy?





Shlomo Ben-Ami, a former Israeli foreign minister, is vice president of the Toledo International Center for Peace. He is the author of "Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy." His article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


Archbishop You ready to arrange Pope's visit to North Korea



Pope Francis appointed Lazzaro You Heung-shik, bishop of Daejeon, as the new prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy last week. The 69-year-old Catholic priest, who was also conferred with the title of archbishop, will become the first Korean and the second Asian to assume a secretariat position in the Holy See.



The appointment of a Korean bishop to the Congregation for the Clergy is a blessing to Catholicism in Korea. It's more meaningful, considering that this year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Father Andrew Kim Dae-geon, the country's first Catholic priest. As the head of the congregation, Archbishop You will be responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons all over the world as well as seminaries.



Speaking at a press conference Saturday, Archbishop You said his appointment reflects the increased presence of South Korea on the world stage and the Pope's attention to Asia. "I'll do my best to foster Catholic priests who treat people, regardless of race or religion, with a spirit of brotherhood," he said.



The appointment of the archbishop draws keen attention in that it may be related to the Pope's potential visit to North Korea. Pope Francis has expressed his willingness to visit the North several times, saying he wants to play a role in establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. In fact, the archbishop told reporters Saturday that he will make every effort to arrange the Pope's trip to the North. "If the North invites the Pope in these times of severe economic difficulties, it will be a good chance for the reclusive country to overcome the hardships," said Archbishop You who has been to North Korea four times.



Hopefully, the archbishop, who is expected to be promoted to a cardinal in October, will play an active role in promoting peace and reconciliation here. This could prove beneficial to boosting inter-Korean relations, given that his trajectory will be quite different from what has been pursued on a governmental level.


Korea faces mounting diplomatic challenge



The heads of state of the Group of Seven (G7) have agreed to set up a new global partnership to counter China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. During a summit in Cornwall, England, Saturday, they decided to launch a "Build Back Better World (B3W)" project to fund infrastructure programs and support growth in developing countries.



The agreement is incomplete with details having yet to be discussed; yet, it is unprecedented for the world's richest economies to discuss how to contain China from expanding its influence in global markets. The leaders wrapped up the three-day summit Sunday, adopting a joint statement which also included provisions on how to tackle climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.



White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the G7 leaders gathered around the need to "counter and compete" with China on diverse challenges such as protecting democracy and technology competition. "It was a significant move forward from where the G7 has ever been before and reflects a growing convergence that wasn't there a few years ago," Sullivan told reporters.



China furiously commented on the summit by saying that days were over "when a small group of countries decided the fate of the world." Sullivan hit back by saying, "That is sad. If their claim is that all of the other world's largest economies count as small countries, then they have a massive problem of perspective."



The B3W is expected to be a cooperative body to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative. Since 2013 China has been investing in the construction of railroads, ports and highways in some 100 countries mainly in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. The White House said the B3W was a partnership led by major democracies that would invest more than $40 trillion for the development of infrastructure in developing economies.



All told, the rivalry between the U.S., backed by Western economies, and China will further intensify in the future. U.S. President Joe Biden strongly criticized China for its human rights violations including forced labor in Xinjiang. He asked the G7 leaders to join him and reflect the criticism in the joint statement. But Biden's demand failed to go through due to different stances on the matter held by the other countries. This shows the U.S.'s attempt to build an anti-China alliance is still wanting.



Yet it is certain that the rich Western nations share the notion that China has emerged as a serious threat to them. The G7 summit can be regarded as a starting point for a new global order in the making. What is noteworthy is that President Moon Jae-in was invited to the "G7+4" summit along with the leaders from Australia, India and South Africa.



This shows South Korea's enhanced prestige in the international community and also hints at the growing U.S. pressure on Seoul to join its global coalition against China. This could pose a serious challenge to Seoul which relies heavily on Beijing for economic growth. It is time for the government to cope wisely with a possible situation in which it may be forced to choose sides.


By John Burton





Much attention in Washington is often given to the fraught relations between Korea and Japan due to its national security implications for the U.S. in Northeast Asia. Surprisingly, less attention is being paid among U.S. commentators to the unfavorable views that Koreans have about China, which could help the U.S. agenda in containing expansionist moves by Beijing.



President Moon Jae-in's explicit endorsement of the U.S. stance on the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea during his summit with President Joe Biden last month in Washington may have indeed reflected the public mood back home.



Sino-Korean relations have always been complex. Throughout most of their history, Koreans were comfortable with China's cultural influence. But that began to change at the turn of the 20th century with the rise of Korean nationalism.



Bilateral ties have been on the downslide since 2017 when China introduced economic retaliatory measures against Korea in response to Seoul's deployment of the U.S. THAAD anti-missile system. Beijing's moves to block Korea products, ban K-pop stars from China and curb Chinese tourism to Korea created the image of a bullying superpower, while awakening fears among Koreans about their country's growing trade dependence on its bigger neighbor. Korea is estimated to have suffered $7.5 billion in economic losses as a result of China's actions.



Koreans, who have strongly embraced democratic values after suffering decades of harsh military rule, have also been offended by China's security crackdown on Hong Kong and the treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang as part of the aggressive nationalism of President Xi Jinping. The fact that the coronavirus originated in China has not helped matters.



A survey conducted by Hankook Research in March revealed that the unfavorable rating for China among Koreans was on a par with their views of North Korea and Japan, and that the majority thought that China posed an economic and security threat. In contrast, there was overwhelming support for the U.S., including its military presence in the region.



The very strong undercurrent of anti-Chinese sentiment has been fueled by social media, which claims that China is engaged in "cultural imperialism," as it tries to take credit for creating such iconic Korean cultural items as kimchi and hanbok.



The heavy use of social media by young Koreans has meant that their generation is more hostile to China than their elders, despite many of the latter remembering China's troops supporting North Korea during the Korean War. Korean fans of BTS were enraged after mainland Chinese social media last year attacked BTS member RM for thanking the U.S. for its support during the Korean War.



The pushback against China has now even been extended to Korean-Chinese, the so-called Joseonjok community. When the Ministry of Justice announced this month that it was revising the Nationality Act to make it easier for the children of permanent residents to receive Korean citizenship, it faced a backlash.



The reason for this backlash was that an estimated 95 percent of those who would benefit from receiving Korean citizenship would be Korean-Chinese, since many of them met the stipulation of having lived two generations or more in Korea or have "blood or cultural ties."



The status of Joseonjok has also become the subject of a partisan political debate. Conservative politicians have criticized the fact that Korean-Chinese who have lived in Korea for more than three years can vote in local elections because they are viewed as strong supporters of the governing Democratic Party of Korea. Right-wing conspiracy theorists also claimed that China was involved in "stealing" the National Assembly elections last year for President Moon, by tampering with voting machines.



Although Koreans consider the low birthrate, climate change and North Korea's nuclear program as greater threats to the country, anti-China sentiments are likely to be a factor in next March's presidential election.



Conservative critics of the Moon administration believe it has taken an excessively deferential and even humiliating approach to China. The conservative main opposition People Power Party has adopted a hawkish stance, calling for a more "confident" policy toward Beijing, driven by Korea's national interests and supporting a stronger U.S.-Korean military alliance.



As a result, Korea's careful balancing act between China, its biggest trading partner, and the U.S., its closest military ally, is at risk if the public's strong anti-China feeling continues.



But Beijing also needs to maintain a balancing act toward Seoul. If it pushes too hard against what it perceives as a tougher Korean policy, it will likely further harden public opinion against China. Such a public mood will in turn likely bring Korea closer to Japan in terms of defense cooperation, achieving what the U.S. desires.



If President Xi Jinping proceeds with his plans to travel to Korea once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, it should prove to be an interesting visit.





John Burton (johnburtonft@yahoo.com), a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and consultant.


By John J. Metzler





European majorities seem troubled and deeply disillusioned over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has turned into a crisis of confidence in the European Union, and equally stirred lingering doubts about the United States as a partner and ally.



This gloomy assessment is reflected in a current poll which "finds that confidence in the EU has collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that in countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy, a majority of citizens now see the European project as 'broken.'"



And dangerously, the report finds that "confidence in the United States is still low." Equally many Europeans view Turkey as a greater "rival" or "adversary" than the People's Republic of China or Russia.



The results were released on the cusp of major international conferences such as the Group of Seven (G7) meeting, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit and a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.



The polling by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), commissioned through groups such as Alpha and You Gov, surveyed citizens in 12 EU member states, shows citizens' deep disillusionment with their national political systems.



Europe's deep political funk stems largely from the European Union's haphazard response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of respondents in France (62 percent), Germany, (55 percent), and Italy (57 percent) view the European project as "broken."



Yet the report adds, "Despite this crisis of public confidence, there is still a widespread belief that greater European Union cooperation is needed."



In France, for example, where citizens will go to the polls in 2022 for presidential elections, two thirds of those surveyed (66 percent) hold the view that their national political system is broken. That feeling translates to 80 percent in Italy and also 80 percent in Spain.



The poll reveals very troubling trends in how the United States is viewed. Though the Biden administration has redoubled efforts to rhetorically smooth transatlantic ties, only one in five respondents view the U.S. as an "ally" that shares Europe's "values and interests."



Forty-four percent see the U.S. as a "necessary partner" they must "strategically cooperate with on the international stage." Higher numbers in Poland, Denmark and Hungary view the U.S. as an ally that shares their "values and interests."



For example, 80 percent of Poles view the U.S. as an "ally" or "necessary partner." This is equally true among the Danes, Dutch, Hungarians and Portuguese. But the numbers shift to 58 percent support in Germany and 61 percent among the French.



Many Europeans see a world of strategic partners rather than alliances, a sad observation given the extraordinary role the U.S. played through the Marshall Plan and the subsequent NATO alliance forged in the post-war era.



The survey underscores an interesting fact: large numbers of Europeans view Turkey, given its geographical proximity, rather than China, as the EU's chief adversary. A majority in France (53 percent) and Germany (52 percent) saw Turkey as an EU "rival or adversary." Equally over 40 percent of those in Germany, Denmark, Austria and France viewed China as a "rival or adversary."



Considerable majorities in key countries such as the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Sweden wanted to see the EU criticize Turkey and China when they violate human rights and democratic values. Overall, Germany has a growing nervousness over Turkey, these views emerging largely because of Erdogan's Islamist regime.



Yet here's an ironic twist: Russia is not viewed as a "rival" or "adversary" but instead as a "necessary partner" by many Europeans! Remarkably, only 17 percent of respondents to ECFR's poll view Russia as an adversary; this figure drops down to 5 percent to 7 percent among Bulgarians and Italians.



ECFR senior policy fellow Jana Puglierin stated, "As our data shows, this was an opportunity that was passed up by the leadership in Brussels, to the disappointment of Europeans. The pivot from "self-doubt" to "self-assurance," which (European Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen spoke of in 2019, failed to manifest and a crisis of confidence instead set in."



The report warns, "There's been a major collapse in Germans' trust in the European Union." Naturally such an undertow from the ongoing pandemic may play an unpredictable role as Germany approaches pivotal national elections in late September.



Looking at the bigger picture, there's no doubt that the American image has taken serious political hits in Europe since the Iraq War in 2003. European media outlets, very often reflecting the U.S. mainstream media animus, had glibly demonized the George W. Bush and especially Donald Trump administrations. This reality still negatively impacts on transatlantic relations. It needs to be resolved.





John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@earthlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism  The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China."






By Kim Bo-eun







Sammobile's rendering of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 / Captured from Sammobile website





Samsung Electronics is set to release a series of new foldable phones in the coming months, at a time when the tech giant is seeking to popularize these premium models, as part of its strategy to maintain competitiveness in the market while facing challenges by Chinese rivals.







The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 are set to be introduced at Galaxy Unpacked, with an online event planned for Aug. 3. The devices are set to hit the shelves just over three weeks later on Aug. 27, according to reports. The August release comes a month earlier than Samsung's usual introduction of foldable models in September. The Z Fold was launched in September 2019 and the Z Fold 2 was released in the same month of the following year.







The planned early release comes in the absence of a new Galaxy Note model this year. Samsung has traditionally launched its Note models in August, but said in March that a new product release would not take place this year.







Samsung said that it could not comment on the release schedules before their official launch. But given the fact that the firm has introduced new products at its Unpacked event in August every year, it seems likely that the new foldable models will appear then and ship in the following weeks.







Samsung has been reiterating its strategy for top-tier phones, which is to expand their user base of foldable phones. They currently only take up a minute portion of Samsung's smartphone sales. The latest foldable models will be priced some 20 percent below that of their predecessors.







A revised pricing strategy appears inevitable, given the massive influx of Chinese players' more affordable foldable phones in the market. A differentiation strategy seems imperative for Samsung, which had managed to take the reins in the global smartphone market during the first quarter, but also lost its share in 5G handsets during the same period.







According to market tracker Strategy Analytics, Samsung fell behind Apple, and China's Oppo and Vivo in the global 5G smartphone market, with just a 12.7-percent share. This figure is down from 34.6 percent in the first quarter of 2020. Huawei dropped out of the top five smartphone vendor rankings as U.S. sanctions weighed in, but other Chinese players are quickly picking up its market share.







A sense of crisis appears to be looming over Samsung's smartphone division, as the management maintains focus on the business' performance. Samsung's mobile division failed to make 100 trillion won in sales last year, which was a first in eight years. The division's sales came to 99.59 trillion won in 2020.







"Given the fact that the global market for smartphones has entered maturity, growth has become difficult. Samsung appears to be taking the strategy of expanding its mid to low-end product line, while at the same time popularizing its high-end foldable products by making them more affordable," KB Securities analyst Kim Dong-won said.







"Samsung is expected to lower the price of its latest Z Flip model to slightly above 1 million won. This will bring the price of its foldable phone close to that of Samsung's flagship model, and such a move will lead to larger shipments of the premium line," he said.






Hankook Tire's plant in Clarksville, Tennessee / Courtesy of Hankook Tire & Technology
Israel's new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett holds a first cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, June 13. Israel's parliament has voted in favor of a new coalition government, formally ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's historic 12-year rule. AP-Yonhap



Israel's parliament on Sunday narrowly approved a new coalition government, ending the historic 12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sending the polarizing leader into the opposition.



Naftali Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu turned rival, became prime minister after the 60-59 vote. Promising to try to heal a divided nation, Bennett will preside over a diverse and fragile coalition comprised of eight parties with deep ideological differences.



But the 71-year-old Netanyahu made clear he has no intention of exiting the political stage. ''If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country,'' he said.



The vote, capping a stormy parliamentary session, ended a two-year cycle of political paralysis in which the country held four deadlocked elections. Those votes focused largely on Netanyahu's divisive rule and his fitness to remain in office while on trial for corruption charges.



To his supporters, Netanyahu is a global statesman uniquely capable of leading the country through its many security challenges.



But to his critics, he has become a polarizing and autocratic leader who used divide-and-rule tactics to aggravate the many rifts in Israeli society. Those include tensions between Jews and Arabs, and within the Jewish majority between his religious and nationalist base and his more secular and dovish opponents.



Outside the Knesset, hundreds of protesters watching the vote on a large screen erupted into applause when the new government was approved. Thousands of people, many waving Israeli flags, celebrated in central Tel Aviv's Rabin Square.



President Joe Biden quickly congratulated the new government.



''I look forward to working with Prime Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations,'' he said in a statement. He said his administration is fully committed to working with the new government ''to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region.''



Bennett's office said he later spoke by phone with Biden, thanking him for his warm wishes and longstanding commitment to Israel's security.



The leaders agreed to consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran, the White House said, adding that Biden said his administration intends to work closely with the Israeli government on advancing peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.



Much of the Israeli opposition to Netanyahu was personal. Three of the eight parties in the new government, including Bennett's Yamina, are headed by former Netanyahu allies who share his hard-line ideology but had deep personal disputes with him.



Bennett, 49, is a former chief of staff to Netanyahu whose small party is popular with religious Jews and West Bank settlers. As he addressed the raucous debate, he was repeatedly heckled and shouted down by Netanyahu's supporters. Some were removed from the chamber.



Bennett, an observant Jew, noted the Jewish people twice lost their homeland in biblical times due to bitter infighting.



''This time, at the decisive moment, we have taken responsibility,'' he said. ''To continue on in this way  more elections, more hatred, more vitriolic posts on Facebook  is just not an option. Therefore we stopped the train, a moment before it barreled into the abyss.''



The new Cabinet met briefly, and Bennett recited a prayer for new beginnings and said it was time to mend rifts. ''Citizens of Israel are all looking to us now, and the burden of proof is upon us,'' Bennett said.



The millionaire former high-tech entrepreneur faces a tough test maintaining an unwieldy coalition from the political right, left and center.









The coalition, including a small Islamist faction that is making history as the first Arab party to sit in a coalition, agree on little beyond their opposition to Netanyahu. They are likely to pursue a modest agenda that seeks to reduce tensions with the Palestinians and maintain good relations with the U.S. without launching any major initiatives.



''We will forge forward on that which we agree  and there is much we agree on, transport, education and so on, and what separates us we will leave to the side,'' Bennett said. He also promised a ''new page'' in relations with Israel's Arab sector.





Israelis celebrate the swearing in of the new government in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 13. AP-Yonhap
Israel's new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett raises his hand during a Knesset session, Jerusalem, June 13. AP-Yonhap



Naftali Bennett, who was sworn in Sunday as Israel's new Prime Minister, embodies many of the contradictions that define the 73-year-old nation.



He's a religious Jew who made millions in the mostly secular hi-tech sector; a champion of the settlement movement who lives in a Tel Aviv suburb; a former ally of Benjamin Netanyahu who has partnered with centrist and left-wing parties to end his 12-year rule.



His ultranationalist Yamina party won just seven seats in the 120-member Knesset in March elections  the fourth such vote in two years. But by refusing to commit to Netanyahu or his opponents, Bennett positioned himself as kingmaker. Even after one member of his religious nationalist party abandoned him to protest the new coalition deal, he ended up with the crown.



Here's a look at Israel's next leader:



An ultranationalist with a moderate coalition



Bennett has long positioned himself to the right of Netanyahu. But he will be severely constrained by his unwieldy coalition, which has only a narrow majority in parliament and includes parties from the right, left and center.



He is opposed to Palestinian independence and strongly supports Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians and much of the international community see as a major obstacle to peace.



Bennett fiercely criticized Netanyahu after the Prime Minister agreed to slow settlement construction under pressure from President Barack Obama, who tried and failed to revive the peace process early in his first term.



He briefly served as head of the West Bank settler's council, Yesha, before entering the Knesset in 2013. Bennett later served as cabinet minister of diaspora affairs, education and defense in various Netanyahu-led governments.



''He's a right-wing leader, a security hard-liner, but at the same time very pragmatic,'' said Yohanan Plesner, head of the Israel Democracy Institute, who has known Bennett for decades and served with him in the military.



He expects Bennett to engage with other factions to find a ''common denominator'' as he seeks support and legitimacy as a national leader.





Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Knesset session, Jerusalem, June 13. AP-Yonhap







Rivalry with Netanyahu



The 49-year-old father of four shares Netanyahu's hawkish approach to the Middle East conflict, but the two have had tense relations over the years.



Bennett served as Netanyahu's chief of staff for two years, but they parted ways after a mysterious falling out that Israeli media linked to Netanyahu's wife, Sara, who wields great influence over her husband's inner circle.



Bennett campaigned as a right-wing stalwart ahead of the March elections and signed a pledge on national TV saying he would never allow Yair Lapid, a centrist and Netanyahu's main rival, to become Prime Minister.



But when it became clear Netanyahu was unable to form a ruling coalition, that's exactly what Bennett did, agreeing to serve as Prime Minister for two years before handing power to Lapid, the architect of the new coalition.



Netanyahu's supporters have branded Bennett a traitor, saying he defrauded voters. Bennett has defended his decision as a pragmatic move aimed at unifying the country and avoiding a fifth round of elections.





Israeli demonstrators celebrate the passing of a vote confirming a new coalition government during a rally in front of the Knesset during a parliamentary vote, Jerusalem, June 13. AFP-Yonhap
This handout photo released by the Mexico state public prosecutor's office shows a forensic worker taking a picture of an excavation during an investigation at the house of alleged serial killer Andres "N", who was detained a few days ago, in the municipality of Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico, May 20. AFP-Yonhap



Investigators digging under the house of a suspected serial killer on the outskirts of Mexico City said Saturday they have found 3,787 bone fragments so far, apparently belonging to 17 different victims.



Prosecutors in the State of Mexico, which borders Mexico City, suggested the grisly finds may not end there. In excavations carried out since May 17, authorities have dug up the floors of the house where the suspect lived. They now plan to extend the search to the soil beneath several other rooms he rented out on the same property.



ID cards and other possessions from people who disappeared years ago were found at the junk-filled home, suggesting the trail of killings may go back years.



The number of bone fragments found underneath concrete floors at the suspect's home would imply the corpses may have been hacked into tiny pieces. That could make sense: the suspect, identified by prosecutors only as ''Andres,'' was formerly a butcher and in fact sectioned and filleted his last victim.



''The bones fragments are being subjected to 'lateralization' studies, which include carefully cleaning each one, identifying what part of the body they are and then placing them in their anatomical position, providing a method for determining the approximate number of victims,'' the office said in a statement.



''This analysis indicates that, up to now, the bone fragments found may possibly be those of 17 people,'' the statement said.



Authorities have not released the full name of the 72-year-old suspect under Mexican laws protecting a suspect's identity.



He has been ordered to stand trial in the killing of his last victim, a 34-year-old woman whose body he allegedly dismembered with a butcher's hacksaw and knives on May 14.



He was caught, not as a result of keen investigative work, but because his most recent alleged victim was the wife of a police commander whom he knew personally. He was to have accompanied the victim on a shopping trip the day she disappeared, so her husband suspected him when she failed to return.



The police officer gained access to police surveillance cameras showing his wife had entered, but not left, the street where the suspect lived; the policeman went to the home, confronted the suspect, and found his wife's hacked-up body inside.



But what investigators also found was women's clothing, voter IDs and audio and video tapes suggesting he may have recorded his victims.



The format of the video tapes found at the house may suggest how far the killings went back: authorities found 28 8mm video tapes, which were discontinued around 2007, and 25 VHS cassettes, which largely fell out of favor by 2016.



However, outdated tech formats often remain in use in Mexico after they have been abandoned in other countries.



In total, prosecutors said they have found 91 photographs, many of the type people would have used to obtain ID cards; eight cellphones, and women's jewelry and makeup.



Prosecutors said they are still examining the bone fragments to see if they can extract any DNA to identify the victims. (AP)


In this March 26 file photo, health care workers wait in line to receive a dose of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. The government said June 13 it will pull 2 million of doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following contamination concerns at one of the US drugmaker's sites. AP-Yonhap



South Africa, which is struggling to roll out its inoculation program as it enters a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, said Sunday it will pull two million of doses of the Johnson & Johnson (JJ) vaccine following contamination concerns at one of the US drugmaker's sites.



On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration told JJ that millions of doses produced at the group's Emergent BioSolutions facility in the city of Baltimore were not suitable for use.



Following a review of the FDA decision, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said in a statement that it had decided "not to release vaccine produced using the drug substance batches that were not suitable".



JJ's Emergent plant was ordered to pause production in April several weeks after it was determined that batches of a substance used to produce the vaccine were cross-contaminated with ingredients from another jab made by Anglo-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca.



JJ did not reveal the precise number of doses in each batch, but they are known to correspond to several million jabs.



The FDA is still deciding whether to allow the factory to reopen.



Acknowledging the setback in South Africa's vaccination program, Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said Saturday that the country had two batches  representing some two million doses  that were stored in a high-security laboratory in Port Elizabeth belonging to drugmaker Aspen.



South Africa is one of the countries campaigning for a waiver of patents on COVID-19 vaccines in order to allow every nation to produce generic versions at low cost.



"If we are to save lives and end the pandemic, we need to expand and diversify manufacturing and get medical products to treat, combat and prevent the pandemic to as many people as quickly as possible," President Cyril Ramaphosa told the G7 group of wealthy nations meeting in Britain on Sunday.



South Africa is counting on a delivery of 31 million doses of the single-shot JJ vaccine to help inoculate its population of 59 million.



One percent vaccinated



It has also secured 30 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but that jab must be stored at extremely low temperatures and requires two shots.



SAHPRA said that a new delivery of around 300,000 doses of the JJ jab "that have been cleared by the US FDA that meet the requirements and will subsequently be released and shipped to South Africa."



The government already temporarily suspended vaccinations in April after rare cases of blood clots were reported in the US.



And in February, South Africa turned down more than 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine because of doubts about its efficacy on the local coronavirus variant.



Lagging behind many other countries, South Africa has only vaccinated just over one percent of its population. It is the African country hardest hit by the pandemic, with more than 1.7 million infections and nearly 58,000 deaths.



More than 9,300 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours. (AFP)


City of Oakley now hiring for the following

(Part-time; closes 6/25)

Please note this position is part-time only and is limited to 960 hours per fiscal year (July through June).

The City of Oakley is searching for a part-time Police Records Assistant to support sworn staff in a variety of technical and clerical duties. Tasks include gathering, recording, maintaining, retrieving and distributing highly sensitive and confidential law enforcement data and information necessary to maintain and preserve public safety, welfare, and/or health of the public. Those considering to apply should have an ability to write clearly and be comfortable using several records keeping systems.

Applicants must be capable of accurately entering reports and data into a variety of automated law enforcement records systems. An ability to work with and serve a diverse community is a must.

Position closes at 5pm on 6/25/2021. Be sure to apply today!

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York General Hearthstone has Certified Nursing Assistant full-time or part-time positions available. Current position needs are evening or night shift with eight or twelve hour shift options. Positions will include weekend rotations. The job responsibilities involve care for residents who need assistance with activities of daily living. We can assist in providing CNA certification training. * Starting wage of $14.30 per hour



York General Hearthstone has a full-time or part-time Medication Aide position available. Position will include weekend and holiday rotations. This position is responsible for preparing, administering, and documenting medications and treatments. Applicant must have completed both 75 hour CNA and 40 hour Medication Aide courses that are current on the Nebraska Registry. Applicant must have a high school diploma or GED, and be 18 years of age.



York General offers the following:

* $3,000 sign-on bonus for qualified candidates

* Attractive differentials for evening, night, and weekend shifts

* Career advancement tuition assistance

* Excellent benefits packages * 5-Star Quality Rated Facility * Top 2% Nationwide in Employee Satisfaction York General is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We comply with U.S. immigration laws and do not employ persons unauthorized to work. If hired, you will be required to produce identity and work authorization documentation.

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PHYTEC America is a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of embedded System on Modules (SOMs). Our SOMs are insert-ready hardware, designed around advanced system on chips (SoCs), with accompanying Linux and Android Board Support Packages (BSPs). Device designers and manufacturers leverage PHYTEC SOMs, BSPs and design services to quickly and easily bring complex products to market. Our SOMs have been deployed in thousands of cutting-edge applications ranging from supercomputers, advanced robotics, medical devices, edge compute engines, enterprise infrastructure, renewable energy, automation, and more. We seek a Technical Sales Engineer to join our team on Bainbridge Island with flexible hybrid Work from Home (WFH) policies. Your responsibilities: Build extensive knowledge of PHYTEC products, services and underlying technologies

Solicit product development needs from new and existing customers and match these needs to PHYTEC products and services

Create pricing, proposals and sales strategies; negotiate prices and delivery schedules; close design wins to meet and exceed sales targets

Diligently track customer engagements and sales pipeline activity in our CRM system, qualify and nurture leads to opportunities, design wins, and volume production

Enhance existing customer relationships, including PHYTEC engagement in nextgen customer projects

Drive customer and prospect participation in webinars, conferences, trainings, trade shows and other events

Collaborate with Engineering, Marketing and Supply Chain teams to continuously improve PHYTEC products and market position

Travel  10%+ Candidate Profile Your qualifications: Bachelors degree in Engineering or related technical field

2+ years of experience working in a technical sales or engineering field

Demonstrated sales pipeline success in nurturing leads to design wins to mass production Experience with CRM, ERP and collaboration platforms (our tools include: Slack; Atlassian JIRA, Portfolio, Confluence) Ability to travel domestically and internationally, as required

Flexibility, exacting attention to detail and the ability to multi-task

Ability to quickly learn and have an ongoing desire to stay current with cutting-edge technologies

Exceptional negotiating, presentation and persuasive skills

Drive and initiative; the knack to see and seize opportunities; and the ability to determine priorities and always meet deadlines Ideal candidates will also offer knowledge of embedded products, processors, circuitries, operating systems and tools. What we offer you: PHYTEC America has the energy of a startup on a stable foundation of over thirty-five years of success in the United States, Europe, China, and India. This means you will be part of a fast-moving and dynamic working environment where flexibility and adaptability are key attributes needed for success. We also value work-life balance and provide a comprehensive benefits package, including company-paid medical, vision, and dental for you and your dependents; an employer-matched 401(k) plan; a profit-based bonus plan; and generous vacation and sick-leave benefits. Your salary is dependent upon qualifications and experience. The ideal candidate is a self-starter, with great attention to detail, who possesses a strong degree of ownership whether working independently or within a team. If you feel you meet these requirements and would like to grow your skills and career with a company with over three decades of success, we would love to hear from you! Job Location Bainbridge Island, WA with Flexible WFH Policies

Hours Full-time position - 40 hours/week: Monday through Friday 8:00 am -- 5:00 pm (flexible)

PHYTEC America LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and requires all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and any other protected class.

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Enable report users and developers to build reports & perform analyses leading to efficient decisions while performing business processes. Architect entire BI platform to align with modernization road map, including capacity planning, upgrades, administration, security design, scheduling, executive dashboards, data mart access design, and advanced analytics in accordance with industry best practices. REQ: Bachelors degree or foreign educational equivalent in Information Systems or related field of study and minimum 8 years of design and build experience using IBM Cognos & MS PowerBI platforms. This includes Cognos & PowerBI framework modeling, administration, security design, data mart modeling, understanding of ETL, performance tuning, and dashboard and report design and development. Of the required 8 years, minimum 3 years must include experience working with Cognos & Power BI frameworks, upgrades, capacity planning, advising on architectural requirements for both platforms, integration with AD and advanced schedulers such as Tidal, installation, patching, failover, disaster recovery, and troubleshooting. Alternatively, Bank will accept ten (10) years of design and build experience using Cognos & PowerBI platforms and the skill sets listed above in lieu of the education and experience requirement. Submit resume & salary reqs. to: Flagstar Bank, FSB, Attention: Human Resources Department, 5151 Corporate Drive, Troy, Michigan 48098 or you may upload your resume via our website by visiting www.flagstar.com and clicking on Careers. Flagstar Bank, FSB is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability.

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Position Summary



Provides analysis, forecasting, financial oversight and management for externally funded grants and contracts awarded to the University. Prepares necessary documents and financial reports based on analysis and approves expenditures to assure they are in compliance with established accounting principles and federal, state and private grant guidelines and regulations.





Essential Duties, Tasks and Responsibilities Analyze and interpret contract specifications, guidelines, and regulations. Act as an expert on these and advise PI and others on grant specific nuances. Research and analyze supplemental guidelines on sponsor websites and in RFPs for additional restrictions. Continuously monitor and communicate changes and/or clarify OMB Circular and NSF, HHS, NIH, ED guides for updated policies and procedures with those associated with the grant.





Analyze and interpret contract specifications, guidelines, and regulations. Act as an expert on these and advise PI and others on grant specific nuances. Research and analyze supplemental guidelines on sponsor websites and in RFPs for additional restrictions. Continuously monitor and communicate changes and/or clarify OMB Circular and NSF, HHS, NIH, ED guides for updated policies and procedures with those associated with the grant. Monitor, analyze and manage budget and expenditures along with all aspects of the grant to ensure compliance with sponsor terms and conditions, OMB Circular guidelines, and University policies is maintained. Responsible for providing analysis and development of fiscal forecasting models of grant Review payroll and expense paperwork, journal transfers, and electronic expense report submissions, evaluate whether expenses are reasonable and allocable, and approve or deny the expenses based on appropriate guidelines. Analyze accounts constantly to prevent potential problems and determine solutions for current issues. Let PI know of fiscal problems before they occur or when discovered. Secure and file appropriate documentation.





Create and analyze financial monthly, quarterly and final closeout reports. Analyze and complete all appropriate fiscal reports and invoices based on interpretation of contract language, sponsor guidelines, and appropriate laws and regulations including cost share reporting, technical reports, and/or assisting in progress reports. Responsible for developing appropriate invoicing and reporting schedules. Utilize various sponsor electronic submission systems such as ERA Commons, Fastlane, CCIP, etc. and use them in analysis and forecasting of grant and guidelines.





Balance and reconcile accounts. Prepare journal entries and budget transfers as needed. Develop, analyze, and provide communication regarding budget vs. expense analysis and budget projections. Provide multiple solutions to upcoming problems.





Communicate and collaborate with and train principal investigators (PIs), budget administrators, and grant secretaries on grant conditions, reporting and documentation requirements along with FMS navigation and training. Review grant conditions with PI and ensure appropriate procedures are being followed. Analyze solutions if problems occur and collaborate with PI and others to see that solutions are put into place and enforced. Provide resources and contacts for charging expenses to the grants. Meet with PI's to discuss and resolve grant related issues.





Analyze, develop and forecast approved budgets and budget modifications. Determine appropriate indirect cost percentages and calculate release time. Review budgets for unallowable categories and expenses. Monitor all budgeting limits. Discusses potential problems with PI and others.





Collaborate with sponsors for appropriate prior approval requests, extensions, budget revisions, and general questions. Collect and analyze accounts receivable balances from unpaid sponsor invoices. Identify any current or future problems. Address issues with PI and others.





Other responsibilities: Assist in the functional lead duties of FMS System maintenance (maintenance packs, testing, trouble shooting, etc.). Assist in the annual external A-133 audit to include: responding to all auditor requests for data on selected grants for audit, running queries/reports, and analyzing variances. Prepare, distribute, collect, and maintain time and effort certifications for all employees paid from grant funds. Conduct other projects as assigned. Knowledge, Skills or Abilities Solid working knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting principles (GAAP)

Management of workload and multiple tasks

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Excellent organizational, analytical and problem-solving skills

Solid knowledge of federal and state compliance regulations

Substantial experience with budgeting and accounting procedures

Ability to train other support staff

Ability to set priorities and work comfortably in fast-paced, deadline driven environment.

Familiar with PeopleSoft

Proficient in Microsoft office - Excel and Word

Diversity Statement In addition to your cover letter and resume, you will be required to upload a written response to the diversity and inclusion question listed below. The Diversity Statement should not exceed 1 page that is double-spaced with 1-inch margins, using 12pt. font. How do you engage with equity, diversity, and/or inclusion in the work setting?

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration required with a major in accounting or closely related field. Degree must be conferred at the time of application. The following experience is required: 1-3 years experience - budget management and accounting principles

Minimum of 1 year of experience using an ERP system (Oracle, Peoplesoft, Banner)

Salary



Full-time, Administrative staff position available. Administrative Grade Level 354. Salary is commensurate with education and experience. Full benefit package available. Deadline to apply: June 28, 2021 To Apply For a complete job description & to apply for this position visit https://bgsu.hiretouch.com/ or contact the Office of Human Resources at (419) 372-8421. BGSU. AA/EEO/Disabilities/Veterans. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Bowling Green State University, please call 419-372-8421.

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Magnolia, AR (71754)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
The Bitcoin Crime Wave Hits

The conviction gripping bitcoin's ascendancy is so deep that children are now being indoctrinated into the bullish fold. We talked about this phenomenon with respect to the stock market last month. This Bloomberg column from May 16 signals its arrival in the cryptocurrency world: "Why I Pay My Seventh Grader in Bitcoin." The columnist claims he wants his "kids to be able to think independently about money" and "feel the full spectrum of feelings that money induces." Sure, why not feel the burn of the real world? Besides, the big kids are doing it, too. According to MarketWatch, "As Bitcoin and Dogecoin Plummet, College Students" are "Going Long on Crypto." According to a survey by College Finance, "more than 60% of college students and recent graduates see crypto as a long-term investment."

In April, EWFF showed two magazine covers' positive portrayal of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. We labeled it bearish for bitcoin's immediate prospects. Last month, we added that bitcoin's "Great Arrival" into the "mainstream" of finance confirmed this forecast. One of the signals of cryptocurrencies' acceptance into the financial establishment was Coinbase Global Inc.'s emergence as a publicly traded company. On May 19, with bitcoin down more than 53% from its high, Bloomberg observed the following about the premier cryptocurrency trading platform:

The siren song reached a peak with Coinbase Global Inc.'s market debut on April 14. The direct listing of the largest U.S. crypto exchange supercharged theories that crypto had made it to the investing mainstream, that Wall Street's embrace lent legitimacy to the asset class and the sky was the limit. Retail investors flooded in.

The chart at right shows the relationship between bitcoin's top and Coinbase's public offering, which occurred the same day. The chart also shows that the rise in crypto optimism pressed on as so-called altcoins, dash, litecoin and ethereum, rallied until May 7, May 10 and May 12, respectively. Then they crashed. Various other indicators also pressed on. According to a Bank of America monthly survey, fund managers were never as enamored with bitcoin as they were in the first few days of May. The result of its poll of 194 managers showed that bitcoin was the "most crowded trade," with 43% saying they were long bitcoin. The total was the highest for the cryptocurrency in the history of the survey, which dates from December 2013. In January, bitcoin was also the leading fund manager asset with 40% holding the crypto back then. The only other months in which bitcoin was the leading asset were September and December 2017, when about 30% of fund managers said they held the crypto. Bitcoin topped that very month and plunged 84% over the next 12 months. The same set-up is already well on the way to producing a similar result.

If there is one thing bitcoin enthusiasts cannot accommodate, it is criticism. In early May, after Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman Charlie Munger called the cryptocurrency "contrary to the interest of civilization," "crypto enthusiasts mocked his investment performance, compared him to an elderly Muppet and said he was too old to understand the technology." A well-known crypto investor/CEO added, "Do you go to your great-grandfather for investment advice on new technologies?" And then of course, there is dogecoin, the joke-coin-turned-crypto-blue-chip, which recently showed up for its curtain call. As discussed last month, the crypto took its star turn on Saturday Night Live on May 8, where guest host Elon Musk mentioned the joke currency. As he did, dogecoin's price fell 30%. From its peak of 74 cents, dogecoin declined 70% to May 19.

Here's what EWFF said to look for in the culture with the onset of a new trend: "When a bear market begins, the focus will shift from crypto speculation to crypto crime and scandal." It didn't take long. On May 12, two days after the Dow's recent intraday high, Bloomberg Businessweek columnist Joe Light reported that "a criminal gang" responsible for the cyberterrorism attack that shut down 45% of the East Coast's fuel supply, demanded to be paid "a ransom in bitcoin, or another cryptocurrency. How's that for "contrary to the interest of civilization.'" He went on to list various ways in which regulators are moving in on the crypto sphere. As bitcoin declined over 30% on May 19, the attacks against the legitimacy of cryptocurrencies spread. "China banned the use of cryptocurrencies for financial institutions," reported Barron's. "Other countries might be considering tighter regulation, particularly as cryptos become the currency of choice for ransomware hackers. Tesla stopped accepting bitcoin as payment for vehicles." On May 21, Bloomberg ran an editorial stating that bitcoin's "price is completely disconnected from any practical use. It's useless as a means of payment and store of value (unless you're a criminal). Your crypto is worth only what the next buyer will pay--and that could be an awful lot less than you hope." In investment markets, it was ever thus. As bitcoin started its post-December 2017 crash, EWFF observed:

Bear markets are always more volatile than bull markets. Yet-higher volatility will further damage bitcoin's role as a medium of exchange, which will destroy its role as a store of value. The currency has always been vulnerable to this vicious cycle.

The attacks in more public forums are occurring because the vicious part of the cycle is underway once more. But this is not to say the optimism is in any way extinguished. Bitcoin hedge funds are reportedly treating the decline "as nothing more than a sale." Here's a quote from a Singapore-based hedge fund operator on May 21: "Every time we see massive liquidation is a chance to buy. I wouldn't be surprised if bitcoin and ethereum retrace the entire drop in a week." On May 19, Bloomberg reports that a well-known investment manager is "keeping the faith." "We go through soul searching in times like this," she says. "Our conviction is just as high." Bloomberg's headline says she's still a "Bitcoin Believer, Sees It Going To $500,000." Our guess is that it will not be the last wild bitcoin prediction.

FREE REPORT: "Crypto Trading Guide"

For Crypto Traders and Just "Crypto-Curious"...

When it debuted in 2009, one Bitcoin was worth ~0.5 a cent. By 2011, it suffered one blow after another, from hacking and theft, and remained currency-non-grata to most of the world.

But the contrarians at Elliott Wave International saw Bitcoin's potential as early as 2012; quote:

"Presuming Bitcoin succeeds as the world's best currency -- and I believe it will -- it should rise many more multiples in value over the years."

Result: What happened next... well, you already know.

The question is, how do you ride Bitcoin's upcoming twists and turns? (And there will be many!)

EWI's free crypto report gives you 5 clear Bitcoin strategies.

Read EWI's "Crypto Trading Guide: 5 Simple Strategies to Catch the Next Opportunity" now.

This article was syndicated by Elliott Wave International and was originally published under the headline The Bitcoin Crime Wave Hits. EWI is the world's largest market forecasting firm. Its staff of full-time analysts led by Chartered Market Technician Robert Prechter provides 24-hour-a-day market analysis to institutional and private investors around the world.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




I know they will also be talking about how they used to eat at the same restaurant whenever one of their characters would be killed. And Im sure David Chase will go into great detail about the shows inception and what influenced him to create the show. He doesnt give many interviews so this will definitely be a special treat for fans!
The sergeant was undeterred. He tried a different approach. Over the months that followed, Anzilotti cultivated an unusual relationship with Cottingham, sometimes testy, sometimes closer to a sort of warmth. Anzilotti would arrange to have the inmate transported to his office more than an hours drive from the prison. Hed order pizza and play cards with the older man and other detectives. Then hed clear the room until only he and Cottingham faced each other, and begin with his questions. He had his list of names, each one a dead girl and a crime long unsolved.
PennDOT has been streamlined over the years, McClain said. It now employs about 11,500  a nearly 50% reduction in staff from 30 years ago  and uses innovations to implement projects. The agency continues to improve operations to be as efficient as possible, but its not going to be enough to cover the shortfall.
Wolfs time in office is coming to an end, as he is term-limited, and Republicans are lining up to be the one to take the job. The Cook Political Report currently has the race listed as a toss-up, meaning Pennsylvanias next governor could potentially be a member of the GOP who would sign abortion restrictions into law.
The blaze was reported shortly before 9 a.m. Fire Chief David Nelson said he and the deputy chief tried to get into the house at 921 Pennsylvania St. but had to give up. Nelson said there were no victims found inside the burned out home once crews were able to search.
How state funding is allocated between districts consistently shortchanges growing districts and those with rising needs. This results from the practice of hold harmless, or not giving any district less than it received the year before. Looking to the past rather than looking to the present only worsens the disparities that inadequate state funding creates.
Burley, ID (83318)

Today

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
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News

'We will do great things'

Matt Patton/Morning Times Athens graduates launch their caps in celebration. Matt Patton/Morning Times Athens valedictorian, Kim Wheeler, delivers her speech. Matt Patton/Morning Times As the graduates file to their seats, one seat is left left open in honor of classmate James Benninger-Jones. Benninger-Jones was unable to attend as he had begun his service with the Marines. Matt Patton/Morning Times Athens graduate, Alex Ayres, receives her diploma from school board president, John Johnson. Matt Patton/Morning Times AAHS Seniors Delaney Olmstead (left) and Mallory Mummert (right) are all smiles as they prepare for their graduation ceremony.

As the Athens Area High School Class of 2021 closed out their days as high school students on Saturday afternoon and prepared to begin the next chapter of their lives, two words seemed to sum up the last couple years of their journey  courage and resilience.

Our high school career might not have been exactly how we imagined it to be. We received some extended breaks from school due to many circumstances. I mean, who knew that moldcation was going to prepare us for a pandemic that was lurking around the corner? However, these changes in plans for what we thought our high school career would be like, will only help us in the future. We have learned resilience and demonstrated courage, Valedictorian Kim Wheeler told her classmates during Saturdays graduation ceremony at Alumni Stadium.

Wheeler promised the 145 members of the Athens High Class of 2021 that change was inevitable, but they were prepared to handle anything.

We all will take different unique paths in life, but I can promise you that you will have to deal with change. Change is one of the definite things in our life because it is always happening and impacting us daily. We should not cower to these life changes  we should embrace them. By accepting these changes, we can learn from them and apply them to our future plans, she continued.

Experiencing change is what brings progress into our lives because change can often be uncomfortable. However, if the change does not challenge you, then you truly do not grow as a person.

Salutatorian Justin Lynch talked about the journey that the most recent Athens graduates took to get to this point.

Though we are all making the same walk today, we each arrived here by different paths. We may have started across the street at Lynch-Bustin, out at SRU, or somewhere else entirely, where this day seemed like an impossibly long way away, Lynch said.

Then our path led us to Harlan Rowe where we began to figure out a little bit about what we enjoyed doing  we found a favorite subject, a chosen sport, or a musical talent, and we eagerly anticipated our move to the high school, he continued. The jump to high school may have been overwhelming at first, and you might have gotten lost once or twice, but we all settled in and found our way. Whether you focused on academics, played sports, participated in the arts or any of our other clubs, your high school experience was uniquely your own.

While this part of their journey may be over for these Wildcats, a new challenge awaits, Lynch said.

High school was a major chapter of our lives, and today marks the end of that chapter. However, it also marks the beginning of a new and greater one. Regardless of whether you have a set plan or if you are not quite sure yet, this is an opportunity to step out of the world you know and experience something new, Lynch said.

Lynch then brought it back to those two words: courage and resilience.

If you approach this opportunity with courage and resilience there is nothing that you wont be able to overcome. Be proud of what you have accomplished and look forward to the new chapters that you will be writing for your lives, he said.

Kayleigh Miller spoke about how difficult it can be to say goodbye.

Today we say goodbye. We are moving on to new beginnings. We are the future doctors, nurses, scientists, engineers, teachers, business leaders, first responders, veterinarians and military. We, the Class of 2021, take with us the memories, the hard times, the successes, the ones we love and the ones we have lost. These things will always be with us wherever we go. I can guarantee that Mrs. Gabriel and Mrs. Stern are smiling down on us today as we graduate, Miller said.

Everything eventually comes to an end, she continued. But this is only the end of a chapter, an important part of our lives coming to an end. There is a whole new chapter of our lives awaiting us. Through the tears, the smiles, and the laughs, this is not a goodbye, it is a see you later.

Miller and Wheeler picked out perfect quotes to close out their speeches and their high school careers, albeit from very different sources.

Abraham Lincoln once said, In the end, its not the years in our life that count. Its the life in your years, Wheeler said in her remarks.

As Winnie the Pooh once said, How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard, Miller said in the farewell address. Class of 2021, my wish for you is that this life becomes all you want it to be. Continue on the Wildcat Way: Be strong, be courageous, be creative, and dream big. We will do great things, the future belongs to each and everyone of us.
Sayre, PA (18840)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable..

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Regional

Army, Air Force discuss joint operations in NE

Correspondent SHILLONG, JUN 13 | Publish Date: 6/13/2021 12:52:59 PM IST

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Eastern Command (EC), Lieutenant General Manoj Pande visited the Head Quarters Eastern Air Command (EAC), Shillong on Sunday and discussed defence preparedness with the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), EAC, Air Marshal Amit Dev and discussed joint operations and other issues.

This was the first visit of the Army Commander after having assumed command on June 1, 2021.

Joint operations and jointmanship was the main focus of discussions. The Army Commander was briefed on details of operations by Indian Air Force in support of Indian Army in the Eastern Sector, a defence statement issued by Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said.

Decisions were taken on conduct of realistic joint training exercises on a regular basis to draw out lessons for actual operations, the statement read.

Incidentally, both the commanders trained together at the National Defence Academy and graduated from the same batch in December, 1981, the defence statement added.
International

Jordans Prince Hamzah sought Saudi help for coup: Court

AMMAN, JUN 13 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 6/13/2021 1:00:11 PM IST

Jordans Prince Hamzah hoped to overthrow King Abdullah II with the backing of Saudi Arabia, according to court indictments against two alleged accomplices released Sunday.

Both the accused have close ties to neighbouring Saudi Arabia: former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, who also holds Saudi nationality, and former special envoy to the kingdom, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid.

The two men face trial at the State Security Court later this month, and face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, according to one of their lawyers.

But Hamzah, the kings half-brother, who was accused of involvement in the alleged April 3 attempt to destabilise the kingdoms security, will not stand trial.

Authorities have said his case had been resolved within the Hashemite royal family.

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia has fervently denied any involvement in the alleged plot.

After the news first broke, Riyadh quickly expressed its full support for Jordan and for the decisions and measures taken by King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein to safeguard security and stability.

But while Hamzah, the kings half-brother, will not face trial, his alleged role will be central to the trial.

Prince Hamzah was determined to satisfy his personal ambition to rule, in violation of the constitution and Hashemite custom, the indictment read.

To succeed, he sought to exploit the concerns and problems of the population and to arouse sedition and frustration in society, it added.

Awadallah is considered by several Jordanian media outlets to be close to Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.

The indictment said Awadallah was close to officials of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and had a network of contacts abroad.

Hamzah was reportedly especially concerned about Riyadhs attitude.

If something bad happens to me in Jordan, will Saudi officials help me or not? Hamzah reportedly asked Awadallah, according to the indictment.
National

Police officer files rape case against man in Mumbai

MUMBAI, JUN 13 (AGENCIES) | Publish Date: 6/13/2021 12:55:34 PM IST

A woman police officer in Mumbai has lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against a man claiming to be a banking professional for allegedly raping her under the pretext of marriage, an official said on Sunday.

In the FIR filed with the Powai police in the city on Friday, the victim, an Assistant Police Inspector (API), also named two more persons for threatening and blackmailing her in connection with the crime. The main accused hails from Aurangabad and claims to be a banking professional. He came in contact with the woman police officer through a social networking site and eventually they entered into a relationship. The accused allegedly captured his intimate videos with the victim and later started harassing and blackmailing her, the official said quoting the FIR. The accused and his two colleagues kept blackmailing the victim by threatening to release her videos on social media, he said. Fed up with the harassment, the woman approached the Powai police on Friday, he said. A case of rape and cheating was registered under various sections of the IPC but police are yet to make an arrest. Further investigation is underway.
In the Indian Ocean, scientists have discovered a completely new colony of pygmy blue whales, which have eluded discovery for decades despite their massive size.

The mysterious cetaceans were discovered by analyzing acoustic data acquired by an undersea nuclear bomb detection array, which revealed a unique melody never heard previously by scientists.

Pygmy Blue Whale Population

The Chagos population of pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), a smaller subspecies of blue whales with a maximum length of 79 feet (24 meters), has been named after a set of islands in the Indian Ocean near the group's lair.

Senior author Tracey Rogers, a marine biologist at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, told Live Science, "We are continuously uncovering missing populations of the biggest animal that has ever existed." "It only goes to show how tough it is to research life in the water."

Lead author Emmanuelle Leroy, a postdoctoral associate at UNSW, told Live Science, "Blue whales are often hard to discover." "They were on the verge of extinction due to industrial whaling, and they are just slowly rebounding."

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, there are about 5,000 to 10,000 blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere, compared to a pre-whaling population of roughly 350,000. According to Leroy, the few that remain are frequently solitary and dispersed across broad distances, making them easier to overlook.

"Passive acoustic monitoring is the best approach to investigate them," Leroy remarked. "However, this necessitates the installation of hydrophones in various sections of the ocean."

Related Article: Whales and Dolphins Can Resist Cancer, and the Secret Lies in Their DNA Evolution!



Whale Acoustics

There are just a few scientific acoustic arrays established up in the Indian Ocean. As a result, the team resorted to underwater nuclear bomb detectors operated by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). This international organization detects illicit nuclear bomb testing in the waters via a global underwater acoustic relay network. The researchers were able to acquire a long-term record of sounds across the Indian Ocean due to this.

Rogers stated, "The CTBTO data is an essential worldwide asset." "I believe it's fascinating that the same technology that keeps the world safe from nuclear weapons is also available to researchers, allowing a variety of scientists, including us, to do maritime science that would be impossible without such sophisticated hydroacoustic arrays."

Discovering a New Blue Whale Song

Following the analysis of the data, the researchers identified a new blue whale song that had never been heard before.

"Blue whale melodies are really straightforward in the sense that they repeat the same rhythm," Leroy explained. "However, each blue whale subspecies and population has its own distinct song."

Blue whale songs are often lengthy, with a low frequency - sometimes below what humans can hear (below 20 hertz), intense, and repeated at regular intervals. However, the duration, structure, and number of separate portions of individual whale cry varied.

Chagos Blue Whales

The Chagos song, which belongs to the new pygmy population, is divided into three portions: the most complicated, followed by two simpler pieces.

"For over 18 years, this new whale song has been a prominent element of the soundscape in the Central Equatorial Indian Ocean," Rogers said. The researchers are certain that the song belongs to a whole new community, not simply a few lone individuals, because of its widespread use. The actual size of this new population, however, is unknown.

"Unfortunately, we have no notion how big the population of pygmy blue whales is," Leroy remarked. "Acoustic [surveys] are unable to provide us with this information at this time."

"It's amazing to discover a new population of pygmy blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere," Rogers added. "It adds to the world population that we were previously unaware of."

The experts believe it will only be a matter of time until they can clearly identify the presence of the Chagos inhabitants by visual identification.

Another research employing acoustic surveys, co-authored by Rogers and Leroy, discovered a new colony of blue whales in Oman in December 2020.

"This brings the total number of pygmy blue whale populations in the Indian Ocean to five," Rogers added, indicating that the region is a hotspot for the subspecies.

According to Rogers, these discoveries "would not have been achievable" without acoustic investigations.

The work was published in the journal Scientific Reports on April 22.

Also Read: Gargantuan Basking Shark After a Plankton Gives Students a Big Scare

For the latest animal news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
AccuWeather meteorologists continue to monitor an area of unsettled weather around the Bay of Campeche in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, signaling that the time to prepare for the 2021 hurricane season is now along the US Gulf Coast.

There are still many unknowns about the scale of the strengthening and the precise track of the region of unsettled weather in the Bay of Campeche. There's still over a week until any potential landfall in the United States, so a lot may change between now and then.

The lack of a well-defined low-level circulation is a key impediment to prediction certainty at this time. The tropical entity is currently unorganized due to a vast region of changeable winds across the Bay of Campeche.

Weather Projections

Conditions are projected to improve later this week in Mexico's southern and central Gulf as a window for more organization and strengthening opens up. As a result, AccuWeather's experienced meteorologists recommend folks along the Gulf Coast to prepare and plan now. At the same time, there is still time before any potentially damaging weather arrives later this week.

Since the beginning of the month, meteorologists have warned of possible development in the western Gulf of Mexico and the northern Caribbean by mid-June.

Related Article: 2 Fledgling Hurricanes in Atlantic are Forming as Hurricane Season Begins



Water Temperature

The Gulf of Mexico has water temperatures in the low to mid-80s, warm enough to host a tropical system. According to AccuWeather meteorologists, an ideal temperature for development is approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wind Shear

Wind shear is a regular inhibitor to tropical development, and that will most certainly be the case this week in the Gulf of Mexico. In the higher layers of the atmosphere, a light-to-moderate southwesterly breeze will keep the region of unsettled weather from forming. Wind shear can also move concentrated regions of rain and thunderstorms farther from the circulation's center. Early-season tropical systems in the Gulf of Mexico are prone to this.

However, a small window of decreased wind shear in the central Gulf of Mexico is possible later this week, potentially giving a small time frame favorable to intensification.

Severe Rain and Flooding

Residents in coastal Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and even the Florida Panhandle should be on the lookout for a surge of tropical moisture, if not a tropical depression or tropical storm, this weekend, given the near-term uncertainty.

In recent weeks, severe rain and flooding have wreaked havoc on some of those areas. Since May 1, certain areas, like Victoria, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, have received around 2 feet of rain.

Regardless of the level of tropical development, when tropical moisture flows northward from the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, the risk of another wave of catastrophic rain will undoubtedly grow.

Seas and surf can increase, and a plume of soaking showers and thunderstorms might travel northward and maybe westward along the Gulf Coast, even if nothing more than a poorly structured, weak tropical feature forms.

This week's tropical activity in the eastern Pacific basin might be sparked by the gyre now forming above Mexico. This week, Invest 93E, a concentrated region of unstable weather off the coast of southern Mexico, has been assigned a low chance of developing

Also Read: Storm Anxiety: How to Handle Extreme Weather Phobias During Hurricane Season

For more climate and weather updates, don't forget to follow Nature World News!




According to news reports, water levels in Lake Mead, the essential reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam, got to a new record low this week as the Western U.S. keeps suffering from a severe drought.

The Largest Reservoir in the United States

On June 9 being Wednesday, the levels of the reservoir decreased to 326 meters (1,071.56 feet) above sea level - slightly lower than the former record low of 327 meters (1,074.6 feet) set in 2016, according to Reuters.

Reuters reported in the past 21 years the reservoir has fallen 43 m (140 feet) - overall. Engineers created Lake Mead in the 1930s by constructing the Hoover Dam in the Colorado River at the border between Arizona and Nevada

It is the largest reservoir in the United States, holding some 34 trillion liters ( 9 trillion gallons) of water, which gets distributed to approximately 25 million people inhabiting the Southwest, including those in Phoenix, San Diego, Tucson, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, Reuters reported.

For the past two decades, the Southwestern U.S. has been in a nearly persistent drought, with snowfall and rainfall too low to let the region to completely recover from the drought, according to CNN.

Also Read: Lake Mead Shrinks to its Lowest Level In History, What's Next?

Climate Change

"Climate change is obviously playing a role," in the continuous drought, a meteorologist for CNN, Brandon Miller, told the news outlet. Miller said: "The warmer temperatures are driving that dangerous cycle [of drought] and making it difficult for average or even above-average rainfall years to make a dent, when one or two below-average snowfall/ rainfall years takes place, as we have just seen, the outcome are disastrous."

CNN reported the low levels in Lake Mead will possibly need states that rely on the reservoir to carry out water-saving measures. U.S. officials will decide in August whether to declare a "Level 1 Shortage Condition" for Lake Mead for 2022, which would prompt cuts in water supply for the region.

For instance, Arizona may have its water supply cut by 320,000 acre-feet, which would be around one year's supply for 1 million people, according to Retuers.

Renaming of Boulder Dam to Hoover Dam

Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Tom Buschatzke, told CNN: "While we may have little water coming to Arizona from the Colorado River in 2022, water managers and suppliers in Arizona have been taking measures to prepare and will keep working to make sure the river stays stable for generations to come."

Hoover Dam was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and on September 30, 1935 it was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Initially referred to as Boulder Dam from 1933, in 1947 it was formally renamed Hoover Dam for President Herbert Hoover by a joint resolution of Congress.

Related Article: Mega-drought Drastically Affects Colorado River, Risking Water Shortage to 40 Million People

For more news, updates about Hoover Dam and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The private Centre for Environmental Justice is taking legal action against the Sri Lankan government and operators of a container ship that is submerging into the Indian Ocean after burning for nearly two weeks offshore.

Sri Lankan Government Charged to Court

Environmentalists charged the Sri Lankan government last week after a container ship filled with harmful plastics and chemicals burned off the coast in the Indian Sea for just within two weeks. The Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ) began a legal proceedings against the operators of the ship also, and activists are requesting an independent inquiry into the catastrophe.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is now coping with a growing environmental disaster as great amounts of plastic pellets, oil, and chemicals from the sinking ship covered its coastline. The mix of residue that scattered all over the beaches there was described as plastic "snow."

Executive director of CEJ, Hemantha Withaanage, anticipates the waste to take up to 1,000 years to degrade saying, "this will be a life-long environmental pollution." Scientists say the pellets still in the sea could journey as far as India.

Also Read: More Plastics than Fishes Will Be Found in Oceans by 2050

The Fire Outbreak

The legal preceding against the government and operators seeks uncertain damages, claiming the crew knew of an acid leak on May 11, long before the ship got into Sri Lankan waters, and it should never have been let in. The owners of the ship say they could not get the problem fixed because Qatar and India would not let the ship to dock.

Officials of Sri Lankan believe the fire that took place on May 20 was brought about by the leaking acid. The fire started while the ship was anchored around 18 kilometres (9.5 nautical miles) northwest of the capital, Colombo, and waiting to get into the main port of the country.

The Sri Lankan navy believes the blaze began because the vessel's chemical cargo, which included over 22 tonnes of nitric acid and other chemicals, majority of which was damaged in the fire. But debris both burned fibreglass and tonnes of plastic pellets have already polluted closeby beaches.

Testing of Water Samples

There are worries that a spill of the remaining oil and chemicals on the ship could kill marine life. However, Sri Lankan officials and the operator of the ship say there is still no great oil spill. The fire burned for about 13 days before being put out last week. Efforts to drag it into deeper waters failed when the stern of the vessel sank to the seabed.

The ship stayed partly submerged in waters approximately 70 feet (21 metres) deep. On Friday, the government said it was examining water samples to know whether the ship was leaking oil. The tests were provoked by satellite images from Planet Labs Inc that revealed a substance that could be oil in the water close to the ship.

A Colombo court has banned the captain of the ship, chief engineer, and assistant engineer from traveling out of the country.

Related Article: CONFIRMED: Plastic Pollution Affects Deep Sea Animals

For more news, updates about plastic snow and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
HEALTH officials and police have scaled up surveillance to curb the further spread of COVID-19 infections following a spike in hospital admissions while isolation centres are said to be fast filling up.

Since last week, the country has been recording an average of 110 infections a day.

Due to the continued rise in coronavirus cases, government at the weekend announced new lockdown regulations and placed Kadoma, Kwekwe, Hurungwe and Kariba on localised lockdowns, while other parts of the country were put under strict surveillance.

It is anticipated that more cases will require medical attention and hospitalisation as the country gears up to deal with the third wave of the pandemic and the Indian and South African variants, which have already been recorded in some parts of the country.

The threat of the third wave of the respiratory pandemic comes at a time when most health institutions are operating with skeletal staff following a mass exodus of health professionals.

One of the countrys largest referral hospitals, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, was last week battling a sharp rise in COVID-19-related admissions.

Hospital spokesperson Linos Dhire confirmed that the health institution was recording an increased number of COVID-19-related admissions each day.

We confirm that we are having an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients who require admission, Dhire said.

The surge in hospital admissions at Parirenyatwa has been happening at a time when the biggest referral centre has been experiencing intermittent power cuts. Mpilo Central Hospital acting chief executive officer Solwayo Ngwenya

said the new highly transmissible Indian variant, coupled with extreme complacency within communities, had pushed the infection figures up.

The COVID-19 centres appear to be filling up throughout the country. The situation is spiralling out of control, he said. Ngwenya said many cases were going unreported due to reduced testing capacities.

Figures could actually be higher because infections are going on in the communities. We are way behind the virus. No country can ever be prepared enough for this elusive disease. The institutions will simply be overwhelmed, he said.

In Masvingo, government has turned the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe-run Morgenster Teachers College into a COVID-19 quarantine centre and sealed off the training institution following a spike in infections from 41 on Saturday to 63 on Sunday in the province.

While yesterdays results had not been published at the time of going to print, Masvingo provincial COVID-19 taskforce spokesperson Rogers Irimayi said the figures could have increased.

The institution (Morgenster) has been turned into a quarantine centre following the spike in cases. Nobody is allowed to get inside or go outside. On Saturday, we recorded 40 cases and on Sunday, another 23 tested positive for the virus. Lectures have been suspended and testing is going on, Irimayi said.

He said most of the infected people were asymptomatic, adding that they were localised infections.

The Morgenster COVID-19 outbreak comes soon after another outbreak at the Roman Catholic-run teacher training institution, Bondolfi, where 94 cases were recorded late last month.

All the infected have since recovered and allowed to go back home.

Situational reports released by the Health ministry show that there is an increase in admission of COVID-19 patients which range from 80 to nearly 100 per day in the country.

Last year during the peak of the pandemic, most COVID-19 patients found themselves unable to secure a bed at both private and government hospitals.

With history fast repeating itself, health stakeholders are calling on government to urgently allocate additional resources towards the Health ministry in order to build a strong health system that is able to withstand current and future shocks.

Police yesterday warned that they would now strictly enforce the recently announced COVID-19 regulations without fear or favour to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The public should take note that the police will ensure that all gatherings, except funerals, are banned and compliance is strictly adhered to. Mourners are implored to stick to the stipulated figure of 30 people and observe all COVID-19 protocols, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said in a statement.

Patrols, blitz and monitoring will be done by police to ensure that beerhalls, bars and nightclubs remain closed. Bottle store owners should strictly observe the given operational time of 1000hrs to 1600hrs.

On Saturday, Vice-President and Health minister Constantino Chiwenga announced new lockdown measures following the continued surge in infections in the past week. Health experts said more people were being admitted after exhibiting mild to severe symptoms.

They also warned that mild to severe cases actually surpass the asymptomatic (exhibiting no symptoms) cases, which could result in many patients requiring prolonged care at health facilities that do not have the capacity to handle huge numbers.

Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike said as the COVID-19 infections continued to surge, hospital beds would very soon be filled up, adding that the country might experience an acute shortage of oxygen, leaving patients stranded.

The current wave is hitting the country hard and spreading quickly. As the number of infections rise, the severity of the current wave is becoming apparent.

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube should use the budget surplus to capacitate the health sector and address the human resources challenges, Rusike said.

The 2% tax on mobile money transactions and the health levy should be earmarked for vaccine purchases to ensure continued supply of vaccines in the country. Newsday
Harare lawyer Liberty Mandivheyi, who made the headlines last week after a letter of complaint was lodged at the Law Society of Zimbabwe, was over the weekend dragged to court charged with fraud.

Mandivheyi, who spent the weekend in custody, was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi.

He is back in court today for bail considerations. The complainant is Paddington Munamwa aged 23.

Allegations are that in April, Mandivheyi misrepresented to Munamwa that he was a legal practitioner representing his mother Daisy Hazvinavarwi who had several cases of fraud at Harare

Magistrates Court and went on to demand money for legal fees for representing his mother.

Mandivheyi was reportedly given US$1150 and went to appear at Harare Magistrates Court in court 6 on behalf of Daisy Hazvinavarwi but when she went to appear in other courts, Mandivheyi failed to appear on her behalf which then prompted Munamwa and other relatives to have queries about Mandivheyis conduct.

The court heard that Mandivheyi gave excuses and subsequently Hazvinavarwi was remanded in custody but he went on to assure Munamwa that he was going to keep representing Hazvinavarwi and would apply for bail on her behalf at the High Court if they paid him more money.

Mandivheyi was told the family didnt have any more money but they had a car they intended to use to settle the legal fees and he agreed.

It is alleged that Mandivheyi and his colleague went to Munamwas residence in Glen Lorne and took the Mercedes Benz valued at US$5000 as payment for legal fees and promised to keep representing Hazvinavarwi.

On her next appearance Mandivheyi did not turn up as promised and when Munamwa did his own investigations, he discovered that Mandivheyi had no practicing certificate and could not represent his mother in court.

Mandivheyi failed to return the money and the car leading to his arrest. H Metro
Hey pilots  Its March 23rd and we just arrived from MSP, Dennis wrote in the note, which Delta posted on Facebook. Very chilling to see so much of our fleet here in the desert. If you are here to pick it up then the light must be at the end of the tunnel. Amazing how fast it changed. Have a safe flight bringing it out of storage!
Customer Mark Dinning asked him to pull it up, but instead Michael followed him outside and assaulted him, police said. During the scuffle Michael allegedly kneed Dinning in the groin, lowered his mask completely, spat and coughed on him and yelled, If I have it, you have it! according to the newspaper.
Thats a lot to ask of a young woman who just weeks earlier was teaching teenagers about settlers, a fact that isnt lost on The Republic of Sarah. No one is more aware of Sarahs own imperfections than Sarah herself. Sarah has all the markings of a young idealist, but rarely those of a hardened politician. Its a little like watching a baby giraffe find its footing  but with an entire community depending on the outcome.
Medina Spirit has not been disqualified as the winner of the Kentucky Derby. Likewise, Baffert has not been suspended by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the suit reads. Neither has Baffert been presented with any formal allegations from the Gaming Commission concerning violation of any New York State statute or regulation.
Police said the argument erupted around 1:45 p.m., when one of the feuding men pulled out a firearm, only to drop it on the floor of the bus and bolt, police said.
When Vitagliano complained of the harassment in May 2020 to an area manager, Linet Martin, she said an investigation would be conducted. But she instructed Vitagliano to remove sexual harassment from his complaint, according to the suit.
On May 24, the individual pictured here approached a 57-year-old male victim on a stationary A train inside of the Lefferts Boulevard subway station. The individual proceeded to punch the victim in the face with a closed fist, stabbed the victim in the chest with a sharp object, and forcibly removed the victims wallet. The individual fled the station on foot westbound on Liberty Ave. (NYPD / DCPI)
An attorney for co-defendant Ronald Washington requested the 2005 and 2006 grand jury testimony of Lydia High, a witness to the murder of the 37-year-old Run-DMC DJ. High said that Washington pointed a gun at her during the shooting at the musicians studio in Jamaica, Queens.
He said he saw a TV report about Luna, and believed the dog he saw was the stolen poodle. When he spotted the same man again, he said he grabbed the leash, took Luna and reached out to Pavons family. He and his wife asked for no reward, Pavon said.
Cops said the victim, who lived in Brownsville, Brooklyn, was an associate of the Outlaws gang and not a guest at the hotel. The motive for the murder is not clear.
Responding officers found a 39-year-old man, believed to be Nesbys boyfriend, behind the building with a broken leg. The boyfriend apparently jumped from a high window around the time of the shooting. He was taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment and then questioned by police, but no charges were ever filed against him.
He was just a loving family guy. He took care of of everybodys children  took care of my children, took care of everyones children, Hossains devastated sister Rifat Rahman, 28, told the Daily News Sunday when she visited the scene of the crash. He was coming home. He texted his wife, Im coming home right now.
The suspects, ages 15 and 16, are the third and fourth persons busted for the May 25 slaying of 32-year-old Ariel Santos as he sat in a black Mercedes at Arthur Ave. and E. 178th St. in East Tremont. Police did not release the names of the new suspects because they are juveniles.
A 21-year-old man died Monday and at least seven others remained hospitalized after a race car veered off a mud track in Texas Sunday night and into the stands.
Military life had its Perks, but it was also a major pain. I will tell you what took the sting out of it  that when I was flying around the Pacific Ocean off of ships, I knew there was a Secretary of Defense who was white, just like me! Made a big difference with morale, one of Kellys Sunday tweets captured by the Washington Post before it was deleted read.
Winner, the ex-National Security Agency contractor who spent years behind bars following an information leak scandal, was let out of prison, and is now in midst of the residential reentry process, her lawyer said Monday.
If you really look at it, the prejudice would be on the peoples side because Mr. Durst looks like a very sympathetic character right now. Hes sitting in a wheelchair. He looks very old and feeble, Lewin said. This doesnt look like someone whos murdered three people.
Biden has known Erdogan for years, but their relationship has frequently been contentious. Biden, during his campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials after he described Erdogan as an autocrat. In April, Biden infuriated Turkey by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was genocide  a term that U.S. presidents have avoided using.
Andrew and myself have had many conversations, talking about a lot of interests that particularly affect the city. Some of the conversations we agree on totally. Others we do not, said CEA President Chris Monahan during a press conference at City Hall Park. However, I do respect Andrew for a person who is willing to have a difficult conversation with, right now, a very unpopular profession.
I hope every single New Yorker comes out to make their voices heard, she told reporters outside the castle-like Erasmus Hall High School building. And while I do ask to be every single New Yorkers first choice on this ballot, I want every single New Yorkers voice to count.
The departure of Demers, a Trump appointee who was asked to stay on after President Biden took office, had been planned. But the move takes on new significance in view of the explosive revelations about the targeting of Trumps political enemies.
But laws and new programs New Yorkers can use to protect themselves from gun violence dont work if people dont know they exist. Which is why we applaud a measure passed last week closing a loophole in the Red Flag Law enacted two years ago, which empowers courts to order the temporary seizure of guns from people determined to pose a danger to themselves or others. It made perfect sense, but was far too rarely invoked. Which is what happened in 2019, when a Westchester woman whod recently voluntarily gone to a mental health facility was able to buy a gun and commit suicide, shortly after she was discharged from the hospital.
FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2003, file photo, actor Ned Beatty poses at New York's Music Box Theatre where he plays the role of Big Daddy in a new production of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Beatty, the indelible character actor whose first film role, as a genial vacationer brutally raped by a backwoodsman in 1972s Deliverance, launched him on a long, prolific and accomplished career, died Sunday, June 13, 2021. He was 83. (Gino Domenico/AP)
Roy Halston Frowick single-handedly created luxury American fashion, Halston brands new chief creative officer Robert Rodriguez told WWD. Halston has always had a tremendous influence on my career, in an industry where his imprint remains decades later. Im thrilled to now carry forward his legacy through this Netflix capsule collection in collaboration with Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. It was exciting to recreate the iconic Halston archive dresses that appear in the Netflix series and reinterpret them for modern day. I am grateful to be part of this homage to Halston, who has inspired designers throughout the world.
Its really interesting to go back and revisit some of this old stuff and the experiences that went along with it, and then to compare it with where we are now, she said. To talk about it in the midst of the MeToo movement... it feels like weve come a long way, but it doesnt feel like were quite there yet.
When I was approached to work on the film I was moved by the filmmakers vision to pay respect to the victims, their families, and those who assisted them. This was reinforced by research interviews undertaken by producer Ayman Jamal with members of the Muslim community in Christchurch. I also hoped that telling the story of swift gun control action might resonate in America and other countries that have struggled to create political consensus to control guns.
Corvallis, OR (97331)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 55F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
First, Orange County Sheriffs Office deputies responded to a call in reference to a shooting at the 12000 block of Walden Woods Drive, less than a mile from UCFs campus, said OCSOs Lt. Elizabeth Sovacool.
After a few sessions, though, he found the boys he mentored willing to open up about school, home and whatever else was on their minds. Sometimes theyd get so engrossed in their conversations, theyd lose track of time. Wait, he would say. I have to get to a meeting. You have to go to class.
I have been through a lot, but this is the most shocking thing that ever happened, Carr said. Im not at all surprised that she fought back. If something needed to be done on the street, she is the one who would get it done.
Their names and ages were not released. The U.S. Coast Guard is also searching for the man who tried to rescue them.
Deputies responded to the familys home Sunday evening after receiving a report of a missing child, and found the girls body a short time later in the canal, according to the news reports.
Well take as much as we can get or as little as we can get, Newman said. Im sure it will start off slowly as the U.S. government gives us permission, but then we can grow it over time.
We dont coerce or judge people but we just always let them know there is help if they want it, said Adam Troy, prevention manager for Hope & Help. We want to meet people where theyre at and offer help and support without preconditions.
That thought keeps going through the mind of the teen who accused Jones of molestation, especially now that hes out on community control and not incarcerated. She said she knows teens at her high school who got in trouble for selling drugs and had to wear ankle monitors, but Jones doesnt have that restriction.
LoCicero recounted a 2018 experiment where two journalists visited 19 county courthouses across Florida in an attempt to obtain that days legal filings. About 75% of those courthouses would not provide the journalists with any civil complaints that had been filed that day. Employees in the clerks offices often cited the redaction requirement as the reason for the delays.
Marvin and Michael, ages 8 and 10, moved from their home in Carver Shores to a motel when their mother lost her job at IHOP at the start of the pandemic. Until COVID, Marcia had been a consistent caregiver, but now the boys were coming to their Boys & Girls Club hungry, and inhaling their food at mealtime, Marvin to the point of vomiting. Recently, staff was alarmed when Marcia arrived to pick the boys up, frantic and under the influence. They called in social services, who arranged for the children to go home with another family member.
Several years ago, when I toured the Dachau concentration camp in Germany, I noted a group of school children touring the former Nazi facility. The docent made it a point to tell the group that German school children are required to tour such facilities as part of their education. They are required to learn about the shameful facts of their countrys past. Our children should also be required to learn the facts of our history, including those from such sources as the 1619 Project, rather than just the parts that make us proud. That would not be teaching kids to hate their country, but rather teaching them that we are not a perfect union, but that we should always aspire to be that perfect union in the future.
TALLAHASSEE  Private employers in Florida have been required to use E-Verify, a federal system for checking the legal status of a potential hire, since the start of the year. But there have been no complaints made to the state agency in charge of enforcing the law in the five and a half months its been in effect.
Oswego, NY (13126)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies and light rain after midnight. Low 63F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies and light rain after midnight. Low 63F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The Burkinabe National Police announced on Monday that they had arrested a 34-year-old drug trafficker at the end of May in possession of 12kg of cannabis
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The plenary session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Parliament) was suspended on Monday in Tobruk (East), before the start of deliberations on the draft 2021 state budget and the appointment to persons to national posts, due to a verbal altercation between MPs
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA)- A British national working to improve the lots of kids in war-ridden Darfur region was awarded one of the highest awards in Britain, Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), the second highest ranking Order of the British Empire awards
Welcome back pirates! As you make your return to campus The East Carolinian has created a forum that centers around topics within the community where readers can express their experiences and concerns. With the new guidelines set in place by East Carolina University do you feel as these precautions will keep you safe?

Survey
"We look forward to announcing results of our first well at what is a potentially transformative time for the company," said David Minchin.

( ) has kicked off its drill programme in Tanzania, with the Tai exploration well.

It is the first of three planned wells which aims to confirm a significant helium resource.

The first well will take around one month to complete and helium detection will be constantly monitored during the programme.

"We are very excited to have commenced exploration drilling, continuing the advancement of the world-class Rukwa project, said chief executive David Minchin. The exploration programme is the culmination of five years of dedicated work with three holes testing three different styles of trap.

Each well will take roughly one month to complete with lessons learnt from the first well applied to refine and de-risk drilling of subsequent wells.

Minchin added: "We look forward to announcing results of our first well at what is a potentially transformative time for the company."

The wells will be monitored and evaluated using micro-gas chromatograph and mini mass spectrometer, to identify elevated levels of helium in mud. Wireline logs will be used to identify reservoir and seal units, and to confirm pay zones in the event of a success. Drill Stem Testing would then follow to try to flow helium gas samples to surface.
The new contract, awarded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, carries a price tag of around US$6mln

( ) said it was awarded a contract by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for Phase II development of its biological threat detection system.

The screening specialist said it will deliver the US$6mln contract over the next 28 months. Phase II will see the company develop an automated wide spectrum airborne pathogen detection system that is fully mobile and runs autonomously.

Kromek said systems will also be designed to be networked where data is stored, shared and further analysed and provide real-time information to decision-makers, with key milestones under Phase II to include the creation of beta units as well as final design and build of systems for extended field trials.

The new deal also follows the successful completion of Phase I of development, which included the creation of a vehicle-mounted biological-threat identifier as well as a miniaturised mobile wide-area bio-surveillance system. Kromek said the new contract takes the overall programme value awarded to the firm to around US$13mln.

"In addition to the ever-present danger of bio-terrorism, the outbreak of the pandemic has exposed the world to the severity of biological threats and their potential impact on public health and the global economy, and has demonstrated the need to rapidly evolve bio-security systems and associated technologies, Kromek chief executive Arnab Basu said in a statement.

This contract will allow us to continue our work in developing a mobile wide-area bio-surveillance system capable of detecting airborne pathogens in real-time. We look forward to reporting on our progress as we deliver on our milestones", he added.
's ( ) David Minchin joins Proactive London about kicking off its drill programme in Tanzania, with the Tai exploration well.

Minchin says it is the first of three planned wells which aims to confirm a significant helium resource. The first well will take around one month to complete and helium detection will be constantly monitored during the programme.
A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors newswire

( ) agreed to sell its fund management arm (TWL) for up to 40mln to Titan Wealth. The fund group, which will become Titans strategic partner and distribute its products, will receive additional payments over a ten-year period equivalent to 50% of future net income on any increased funds under its ACUMEN brand.

( ) signed a preliminary agreement to provide payment services incorporating bitcoin to online shopping platform , better known as The Hut Group ( ).

( ) has kicked off its drill programme in Tanzania, with the Tai exploration well. It is the first of three planned wells which aims to confirm a significant helium resource.

PLC ( ) said it has signed a long-term lease for its first international cancer institute in the Jamaican capital of Kingston through its affiliate, Apollon Jamaica.

( ) has launched a new website. The link is www.powermetalresources.com

( ) said it has been awarded a contract by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for Phase II of its development of a biological threat detection system.

( ) has released further results from the recently completed 3,118 metre maiden diamond drilling programme at its 51%-owned Bibemi gold project in Cameroon, including best intersections of 2.45 metres grading 2.96 grammes per tonnes, 3.6 metres grading 1.75 grammes and 12.4 metres grading 0.71 grammes.

( ) has announced progress on two separate cancer programmes.

( ) produced 183 tonnes of tin concentrate from its Uis mine in Nambia during the first quarter of the 2022 financial year.

Oy ( ) (First North:FARON) said the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted a new patent protecting the composition of matter of its novel precision cancer immunotherapy drug candidate, bexmarilimab.

( ) has signed a term sheet with binding exclusivity with Nesa Capital (Pty) Ltd and Nesa Engineering (Pty) Ltd detailing the proposed formation of a new joint venture company to create a leading regional Southern African champion in the commercial and industrial renewable energy and storage sector.

( ) said its portfolio company, Nandi Proteins, has appointed David Flower as its new chief executive.

( ) said it has been awarded the London Stock Exchange's Green Economy Mark in recognition of its contribution to the global green economy.

( )(AQSE:ORCP) has returned highly positive geochemical sampling results from its maiden orientation survey at its 100% owned Jundee East gold project in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.

PLC ( ) is continuing with due diligence drilling on the recently acquired Troulli project in Cyprus, and thus far results have significantly exceeded expectations.

( ) noted that Vietnam was the best performing stock market in the world in May, and the investment company outperformed the national benchmark.

( ) told investors the Greenfield Energy joint venture is now producing around 180 bopd at the Petroteq oil sands plant (POSP) at Asphalt Ridge, in Utah.

( ) is to invest 1.2mln in Energy Acquisitions Group Ltd (EAG), a vehicle in the sustainable energy sector with plans to acquire an anaerobic digestion (AD) biogas energy project in Northern Ireland.

( ) inked a deal with Baker Hughes to support drilling operations in Georgia. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) sets up a partnership enabling progress for its significant oil and gas opportunities, Block said.

Esken Limited ( ) provided an update on trading and on its attempted sale Stobart Air and Carlisle Lake District Airport.

( ) has completed the middle section of the Saffron-2 appraisal well in Trinidad, which has so far confirmed results in line with expectations.

Spectra Systems Corp ( ) announced that, having received only 23 ballots, it does not have enough shareholder votes to achieve a quorum to transact business at its scheduled 2021 annual general meeting on 14 June. The presence in person or by proxy, duly authorized, of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote constitutes a quorum.

( ) said its annual general meeting on 23 June is to be moved from Manchester to the Marriott Hotel in Derby as the former city has been identified by the government as an area of concern relating to increasing cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant. Investors can still submit questions and follow the meeting via the Investor Meet Platform.

( ) will make a distribution in specie of the entire issued share capital of its wholly-owned subsidiary Orph Pharma IP Company Limited to Poolbeg Pharma Limited, in return for the issue of new shares by Poolbeg to shareholders of Open Orphan on the register at close of business on 17 June 2021. Relevant shareholders will receive one Poolbeg share for every 2.98 ordinary shares held in the company and will not be permitted to sell, transfer or deal in these shares for a period of nine calendar months.

Zephyr Energy PLC (AIM: ZPHR) announced that it will be participating in the Proactive Investors' One2One Virtual Forum on Thursday 17th June 2021. Chief executive Colin Harrington will make a presentation at 6pm, followed by a Q&A session.

( ), a leading provider of IT solutions to the global life sciences market, announces that it will be hosting a virtual capital markets day for retail investors from 2pm to 4pm BST on Thursday 1 July 2021. Management will provide greater insight into the business, its ongoing acquisition strategy and its growth potential, with opportunities for attendees to ask questions during the webcast. A separate virtual CMD will take place on Wednesday 30 June 2021 for institutional investors.

PLC ( ) said a project by its subsidiary Paraytec to deploy its ActiPix technology in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis is progressing well.

HANetf, the issuer of white label exchange-traded funds, has announced the launch of Europes first global airline ETF, US Global Jets UCITS ETF (JETS).

Mosman Oil and Gas Limited ( ) has updated investors on progress on the Falcon-1 well and the Stanley project in East Texas, US.
Scirocco Energy's ( ) Tom Reynolds talks to Proactive London about investing 1.2mln in Energy Acquisitions Group Ltd (EAG), a vehicle in the sustainable energy sector with plans to acquire an anaerobic digestion (AD) biogas energy project in Northern Ireland.

EAG has an agreement to acquire Greenan Generation Limited, which has a 0.5 megawatt AD plant, which creates biogas, and a new joint venture is expected to pursue a series of identified acquisition opportunities in the AD sector. Reynolds says 'strategically it is a very big deal'.
( ) Arnab Basu talks to Proactive London about being awarded a contract by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for Phase II development of its biological threat detection system.

Phase II is worth US$6mln and will see the company develop an automated wide spectrum airborne pathogen detection system that is fully mobile and runs autonomously.

The new deal follows the successful completion of Phase I of development, which included the creation of a vehicle-mounted biological-threat identifier as well as a miniaturised mobile wide-area bio-surveillance system.
Coal may become a diplomatic and global flashpoint in years to come

Handy for the UK that it destroyed its own coal industry in the 1980s and has a significant offshore wind resources already up and running. In that context its easier for Boris Johnson to sign up to ambitious climate change targets than it is for, say Germany, which still generates significant amounts of its power from coal and which still mines significant quantities of the stuff in its eastern regions.

The US too has been putting the squeeze on coal for years, and even President Trumps pro-mining and pro-coal initiatives have done little to arrest the decline of a once-mighty industry.

In the west, although climate change protestors might lament the slow pace of change, there is at least an acknowledgement that the problem is real and a certain amount of momentum in tackling it.

But for all the talk of targets for the end of sales of gasoline-powered cars, it remains nevertheless the case that on the current trajectory were going to end up with much cleaner air in a world thats still relentlessly heating up.

Why?

Because all the climate change initiatives in the world wont make sense unless China is also signed up to them.

If an environmental campaigning group heralds as a major victory the cancellation of a new coal-fired power plant inside the G7, they should also know that Chinas building plans for new coal-fired power plants continue unabashed, and also that China finances most of the new coal-fired plants that are being built globally anyway.

In a sense, then, its an easy win for the G7. They can virtue signal on coal all they want, safe in the knowledge that for real change to happen, its China that must take the pain.

But to the degree that such things are possible amongst such disparate nations, there may be a longer term plan here. The G7 struck a broadly anti-China tone this year, and if it can line up against coal its conceivable it might be willing to line up against coal in China too. Or put it another way, if the world wants China to act on coal, it first has to get its own house in order. That process appears to be underway under the umbrella of a broad international consensus.

Yes, countries like China and India remain outliers in terms of coal-fired power, but they are also more susceptible to US influence. China wont mind being isolated per se. The country has regained enough of its self-confidence to brush that aside.

But if the G7 and their allies are united against climate change, the charge will start to be levelled that any climate change that is ongoing is Chinas fault. The wider world, dragging its own hesitant media behind it, has already effectively laid the blame for coronavirus at Chinas door  a PR disaster that will take several decades to unravel.

How much worse would it be if charges of climate recklessness and climate catastrophe could be laide directly at Chinas door?

Such a scenario will certainly help western governments sleep more easily at night. Whether its enough to get the Chinese to go much beyond President Xi Jinpings vague claims about 2060 is another matter.
The company said the Falcon-1 well was re-completed in a new zone last week is now producing gas and oil with no reported water

Mosman Oil and Gas Limited ( ) has updated investors on progress on the Falcon-1 well and the Stanley project in East Texas, US.

The AIM-listed firm said the Falcon-1 well was re-completed in a new zone last week and can now confirm that the well is producing gas and oil with no reported water.

The flow is intentionally restricted with a 5/64 choke well to monitor performance, Mosman said, adding that the production rate with this choke is around 600 metric million British thermal units (MMBtu) per day (around 105 barrels of oil equivalent per day) and that the well has been operating at this level since June 12.

Whilst the gas and oil production rate is similar to the recent production rate in the lower zone, the company said the profit margin will be greater as operating costs will be reduced due to lower water disposal costs, adding that production from the zone also verifies the wireline log interpretation of multiple hydrocarbon-bearing zones in this well, which in turn will enable an update of the geological model of the lease and the adjacent Galaxie lease.

Meanwhile, Mosman said the operator at the Stanley project, in which it owns a working interest of between 15-19%, has advised that hot oil treatment of the surface pipeline was successful and enabled an increase in gross production from the Stanley-3 well from 40 to 65 barrels of oil per day (bopd).

The firm also said that the operator has advised that the Stanley-4 well will be back on production this week and that a decision has also been made to gravel pack the Stanley-1 well for sand control in order to produce the well without needing workovers to remove sand from the wellbore or pumping equipment. The company said Stanley-1 is also expected to be back on production in the near future.

Shares in Mosman jumped 9.4% to 0.17p in late afternoon trading on Monday.
A ransomware attack is when hackers demand payment or otherwise they will cause disruption or delete files

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is expected to warn on Monday that ransomware is the most dangerous threat for UK companies.

Chief executive Lindy is to deliver a lecture at the Royal United Services Institute defence and security think tank, ITPro reported.

"As the business model has become more and more successful, with these groups securing significant ransom payments from large profitable businesses who cannot afford to lose their data to encryption or to suffer the downtime while their services are offline, the market for ransomware has become increasingly 'professional'," she will say.

"The cyber insurance industry [...] has a role to play in bearing down on the payment of ransoms and cryptocurrencies entities who facilitate suspicious transactions."

A ransomware attack is when hackers demand payment or otherwise they will cause disruption or delete files.

Usually, victims unknowingly download malicious software that prevents them from accessing files, systems or networks.

Recently, JBS, the worlds largest meat supplier, and US fuel company Colonial Pipeline were targeted by such attacks.

Both paid millions to the perpetrators even though the authorities advise not to do so, although the US has recovered the majority of the US$4.4mln paid by Colonial Pipeline last month.

The FBI said it does not support paying a ransom in response to a ransomware attack as it doesnt guarantee it will get the data back.

The US agency has found over 90 companies targeted by DarkSide, a cybercrime group linked to Russia.

Among London-listed cybersecurity specialists there are ( ) and ( ).
Under the terms of the MOU with the South Korea manufacturer of silicon powder, the two companies will pursue solutions to remove the cost bottlenecks associated with nanosilicon powders at a scalable and commercially viable level for Neos proprietary silicon anodes

The deal is expected to accelerate NEO Battery Materials commercialization plans of its silicon anode technology

NEO Battery Materials Ltd ( ) (OTCMKTS:NBMFF) said it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korea Metal Silicon Co. Ltd. (KMS) for the advancement of low-cost, scalable silicon anodes.

Under the terms of the MOU with the South Korea manufacturer of silicon powder, the two companies will pursue solutions to remove the cost bottlenecks associated with nanosilicon powders at a scalable and commercially viable level for NEOs proprietary silicon anodes. The deal is expected to accelerate NEOs commercialization plans of its silicon anode technology.

KMS has developed its unique, lean manufacturing process for over 15 years to provide cost-effective silicon powders that range from nanosilicon for lithium-ion batteries to polysilicon for semiconductors and solar-powered equipment. The relationship is expected to open the door to bring cost-effective silicon anodes to the electric vehicle market, the company said.

"KMS's refined and scalable technology will expedite the development of our silicon anode technology, which will allow us to reach the next stage of innovations and enable commercialization in a shorter time frame," NEO CEO Spencer Huh said in a statement.

"Leveraging the unique technologies of both parties will lead to synergies that will improve battery performance and sustainability and fulfil dire industry needs.

NEO said it has also commenced the mapping and sampling program on its two wholly-owned silica projects south of Golden in British Columbia.

The program should take two to three weeks with the samples sent to Bureau Veritas Minerals, where they will be analyzed to confirm the percentage of silicon in the quartzite samples.

NEO is a Vancouver-based resource company focused on battery metal exploration in North America. It is focusing on developing silicon anodes through nanocoating an ion-conductive elastomer layer, which provides improvements in capacity and efficiency over lithium-ion batteries using graphite in its anode materials.

The company intends to become a silicon anode material supplier to the electric vehicle industry. It has staked new mining claims in Golden, along a strike with a quartzite bed, targeting silica in the quartzites for a total of 467 hectares.

Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com
The company says CEO Dr Jack Regan will also be presenting at three upcoming conferences

MiQLab can test for 27 pathogens and returns results in about one hour versus 1-3 days at a lab

LexaGene Holdings Inc ( ) ( ) (FRA:5XS2), a molecular diagnostics company, has sold a MiQLab diagnostic testing system to Alpine Veterinary Hospital in Concord, California.

We are excited that Alpine Veterinary Hospital sees that the future of animal care begins with the MiQLab System, CEO Dr Jack Regan said in a statement. We continue to gain momentum in veterinary health as weve generated multiple MiQLab sale leads from ACVIM Forum, which we attended last week, and from the hard work of our dedicated sales team.

MiQLab delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection. It can test for 27 pathogens and returns results in about one hour versus 1-3 days at a lab.

In addition, the company announced that Dr Regan will be presenting at three upcoming conferences: the first is investor-focused, the second is about advancements in microfluidics, and the third is about bio-threat detection.

On June 14 (today), he will speak at Lytham Partners Summer 2021 Investor Conference. An audio webcast of the presentation will be made available on LexaGenes website and its management will also participate in one-on-one meetings throughout the event, which runs until June 16. To arrange a meeting, please contact a Lytham Partners representative at 1x1@lythampartners.com or register at http://www.lythampartners.com/summer2021invreg.

On June 15, Dr Regan will present as part of the Microfluidic Hotseat at the Annual Microfluids Consortium, hosted by the Centre for Business Innovation, a collaboration managing a portfolio around specific areas of business process and technology, where members share information to pursue like-minded business and innovation goals. The title of his talk is "Sample-to-Answer Pathogen Detection using Flow-Through Sample Preparation and Customized Multiplex PCR."

Members will have the opportunity to meet microfluidics-enabled startups, such as LexaGene, whose pathogen detection system offers rapid molecular testing at the point of need in multiple market verticals. Registration is still available for those wanting to watch the presentation.

Lastly, on June 17, Dr Regan will be a featured speaker at the 28th International Biothreat and Pathogen Detection Conference. His presentation, "Rapidly Configurable Automate Multiplexed Pathogen Detection System for Novel Threat Detection," will focus on the ability of the MiQLab to be easily configured to detect multiple pathogens in a single sample as a critical measure in biosurveillance activities. Examples of MiQLabs applications for biothreat surveillance and diagnostics will be featured.

Registration is still available for those wanting to watch the presentation. LexaGene said it anticipates issuing a news statement on the day of the conference to disclose any data to be presented.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
The survey is targeting disseminated style mineralization similar to the Knaften 300 Gold Zone

Knaften lies at the south-end of the so-called Knaften-Barsele Arc (Gold Line), which hosts a number of gold deposits

Gungnir Resources Inc ( ) (OTCPINK:ASWRF) (FRA:AMO1) is getting started on a new geophysics program at its Knaften gold project in Sweden.

The junior resource company said that induced polarization survey is progressing over an unexplored area that Gungnir believes contains favourable host rock to gold mineralization, particularly on licences covering the southern half of a recently acquired quartz diorite intrusion.

The survey is targeting disseminated style mineralization similar to the Knaften 300 Gold Zone, which is located in the northern part of the quartz diorite, according to a statement.

Gungnir has reported shallow intersections of high-grade gold from Knaften 300, including 59.6 grams per ton (g/t) gold over 1 metre (m) and numerous wide zones of gold mineralization, including 2.92 g/t gold over 13m.

The company also started drilling at Knaften 300 to test for structural extensions of stacked gold mineralization, it told shareholders.

Knaften lies at the south-end of the so-called Knaften-Barsele Arc (Gold Line), which hosts a number of gold deposits, including Agnico Eagle's Barsele Gold-VMS project. The asset hosts high-grade gold, VMS (zinc-copper) and copper-nickel targets, all open for expansion.

Once work wraps up at Knaften, Gungnir said it plans to drill at its nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE (platinum, palladium and gold) projects, Lappvattnet and Rormyrberget, located east of Knaften.

The programs at Lappvattnet and Rormyrberget will test for grade and distribution of PGEs and deposit extensions.

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
Globex Mining (TSE: GMX  OTCQX: GLBXF) CEO Jack Stoch joined Steve Darling from Proactive to bring news the company has moved along a few of their projects to . The Francoeur/Arntfield/Lac Fortune gold properties are located in Abitibi, Quebec and adjoin Yamanas Wasamac Gold Mine project.

Stoch telling Proactive, Globex will receive 15 million in stock and cash. After closing Globex will receive 4 million in shares and then will receive 3 million in cash after year 1, 2 million after year two, 3 million after year 3 and then another 3 million on the fourth anniversary of the close.
"It is essential as a scientist that you evolve your opinion and your recommendations based on the data as it evolves. ... And that's the reason why I say people who then criticize me about that are actually criticizing science. That's the way science works. You work with the data you have at the time."

Dr. Anthony Fauci
Hidden inequalities in access to health, social care and welfare support faced by refugee and other migrant families in the UK and other European countries will be investigated as part of a new 1million research project, launched this month.

Refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants who have care needs face many barriers when accessing health, social care and welfare, in addition to education and employment. These include differing entitlements depending on their legal status, which vary between countries, inconsistent rules on whether they are able to be reunited with separated family members, and a general lack of understanding of their care needs, language issues and other challenges.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also exacerbated these difficulties for transnational families, with travel restrictions preventing many from visiting relatives overseas to fulfil caring responsibilities or support one another in person after the death of close family members.

The new Transnational Families research project will gather evidence of the relationships between care, inequality and wellbeing in the UK, Spain, France and Sweden. It will engage with families to hear their stories, and will produce toolkits and training sessions to help practitioners and professionals provide more culturally appropriate care.

Our project will create an in-depth, evidence-based picture of the challenges faced by refugee and other migrant families as they seek to provide care for their children, older parents and other relatives with chronic illness in often precarious circumstances." - Professor Ruth Evans, University of Reading

Working with refugees across Europe

Professor Ruth Evans, University of Reading, who leads the project, said: "To tackle social, economic and racial inequalities around access to health and social care and welfare support, first we must understand how it affects transnational families in different European countries.

Our project will create an in-depth, evidence-based picture of the challenges faced by refugee and other migrant families as they seek to provide care for their children, older parents and other relatives with chronic illness in often precarious circumstances.

European immigration policies and welfare systems tend to be built around Western nuclear family models, which do not recognise the diverse caring responsibilities many migrants have for relatives in countries of origin or other transit destinations, as well as in settlement countries. By highlighting the diversity of care and support migrants provide to their relatives, whether they live close by or are separated across borders, and the difficulties they face in different European contexts, we hope to help bring about policy changes to ensure countries offer adequate, culturally appropriate support for all.

The new, three-year international project, funded by the Joint Programming Initiative More Years Better Lives (UK Research and Innovation-ESRC, ANR, AEI and FORTE), will look at care and inequalities among different generations of transnational families in the UK, Spain, France, and Sweden, including children and young people, and the impacts of the pandemic. The four countries have contrasting welfare and migration models, allowing the researchers to study the impacts of varying polices on families, and also study families multiple migrations within Europe.

Researchers will work closely with refugee and other migrant support organisations to co-produce evidence, and also with regional, national and international policymakers to achieve policy impacts.

Impacts on children

Europe faces considerable challenges in providing care for increasingly ageing populations, which has been particularly evident during the pandemic. Low paid migrant health and social care workers are often helping to fill such gaps in care provision, with the second highest number of international migrants (82 million) after Asia, while migrants own care needs are often overlooked.

Examples of inequalities faced by transnational families with care needs in European countries include being unable to access healthcare, welfare support, education or employment, due to their legal status, language barriers and bureaucracy and a lack of cultural understanding by professionals.

Long delays or refusals to allow relatives to join their families in Europe, and unemployment caused by the pandemic, also has major effects on families wellbeing and ability to care for relatives.

These pressures may lead to children or young people needing to interpret for older generations in confidential health or legal settings or taking on other caring responsibilities, which subsequently impact on their lives, education and careers.

The project aims to create toolkits, in collaboration with the Childrens Society, for professionals who support young carers and refugee families.

Training for medical and social workers, migrant language teachers and others will also raise awareness of the challenges of access to health, social care and education faced by transnational families, and how to address them.

The project is a collaboration between the University of Reading, University of Leeds, UK, University of Aix-Marseille, France, University of A Coruna (UDC), Spain and Malmo University, Sweden.

Read more on the project website: https://research.reading.ac.uk/transnational-families/our-research/
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
One year after actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra house in Mumbai, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is yet to conclude whether he died by committing suicide or was there any foul play in his death.

CBI is currently studying a psychiatric evaluation carried out by experts of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) to assess Singhs state of mind prior to death, people familiar with the development said.

It is also examining the reports shared by CFSL on the electronic devices as well as dump data of the relevant cell tower locations to determine what happened on June 14 last year, when Singh was found dead, the officers quoted above said.

CBI's investigation into SSRs death began in August 2020. Before that, Mumbai Police were investigating it and did not find any foul play. Subodh Jaiswal, the current CBI director, was heading Maharashtra police at that time.

SSR was found dead in his apartment in Mumbais Bandra on June 14. Rajputs father, KK Singh, lodged a complaint with the Patna police against Rhea Chakraborty, her parents and her brother, Showik, on June 25. The case was later transferred to CBI. Two other agencies  the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)  are also investigating different aspects pertaining to the case.

A CBI official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the investigators dont want to rush their findings even though the medical board of AIIMS concluded in September 2020, after studying the post-mortem exam and viscera reports, that the actors death was a case of suicide.

Dr Sudhir Gupta, head of forensic science and toxicology, AIIMS, said: We already submitted our findings to the CBI according to which the cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging. There was no injury on Sushant Singhs body, no struggle marks, no disturbance of clothing. Also, nothing suspicious was found in his viscera.

Gupta further said the AIIMS medical boards findings are consistent with the post-mortem exam report of Dr RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Vile Parle, Mumbai. Its a classic case of suicide and the whole panel was unanimous on this, he added.

Singhs family members and lawyer Vikas Singh have, however, termed the AIIMS report faulty.

A CBI officer with knowledge of the matter said the probe team sought clarifications from the AIIMS team on multiple occasions in the last 5-6 months. It (the team) is studying the forensic, electronic and psychiatric analysis reports right now.

Vikas Singh said on Sunday: I am only hoping that CBI is able to bring out a watertight case instead of doing a shoddy job, which doesnt stand scrutiny of courts. Its a little too long but maybe because CBI wants to look thoroughly into the whole thing that they are taking time.

He asked: Why hasnt CBI done custodial interrogation of persons staying with Sushant Singh at that time?

In a statement issued in December 2020, CBI said it was conducting the probe in a thorough and professional manner using the latest scientific techniques.

During the investigation, advanced mobile forensic equipment including the latest software has been used for extraction and analysis of relevant data available in the digital devices and also for analysis of dump data of the relevant cell tower locations related to the case, CBI said.

It visited cities including Aligarh, Faridabad, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Manesar, and Patna to collect evidence and record statements. Among those examined in the last 10 months include Singhs friends, staff, his doctors, actress Rhea Chakraborty and her family members, several members of the film fraternity, etc.

The investigating team and senior officers have visited the place of incident on numerous occasions for better understanding of the circumstances related to the incident. The experts of CFSL, New Delhi, considered the best in their field in India, also visited and examined the place of the incident. The experts also carried out simulation exercises, the agency said in December.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) which arrested Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Rajya Sabha MP A.D. Singh in connection with the fertilizer scam case, will produce him in a court here and seek four days custody, sources said on Monday.

An ED source said that Singh will be produced before a court as his custody is ending on Monday.

"We will seek four days custody again as we need to get several answers from him," the source said.

Singh was arrested from his south Delhi residence on June 3 in connection with the case. The ED case is based on a CBI FIR registered last month. The case pertains to an alleged fertilizer scam linked to IFFCO and India Potash Limited (IPL).

The CBI has named U.S. Awasthi, MD and CEO of IFFCO, Pravinder Singh Gahlaut, MD of Indian Potash Ltd (IPL), Amol Awasthi and Anupam Awasthi, both sons of the IFFCO MD and CEO and also promoters of Catalyst Business Associates Pvt Ltd; Vivek Gahlaut, son of IPL MD Gahlaut; Pankaj Jain of Jyoti Group of Companies and Rare Earth Group, Dubai; Sanjay Jain, brother of Pankaj Jain and also President of Jyoti Trading Corporation and beneficial owner of other entities of Jyoti Group; and AD Singh, senior Vice President of Jyoti Trading Corporation, Dubai in connection with a corruption case.

Singh was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the RJD in March last year.

According to the election affidavit of Singh he is a graduate from Kirori Mal College in Delhi and is unmarried. His immovable property is worth Rs 188.57 crore and movable property is Rs 49.6 crore. He owns land, apartments and offices in Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Mumbai. His income tax returns for the financial year 2019-20 was over Rs 24 crore, the affidavit stated.
Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar was inspecting a chamber in Gwalior being built under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme when the wall on which the Minister stepped on collapsed. Following this, he immediately ordered an inquiry into the construction work.

According to official information, a chamber was being built under the AMRUT scheme on Sunday near the Gwalior mental health centre.

When Tomar was passing through this area on Sunday, he stopped his car. As soon as he put pressure on the wall of the chamber with his feet to check the quality of construction the wall fell down. The minister expressed strong displeasure over the incident and reprimanded the construction company along with its officials.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2021 -- According to the new market research report "AI in Computer Vision Market With Covid-19 Impact by Component, Machine Learning Models, Function, Application (Industrial, Non-Industrial), End-Use Industry (Security & Surveillance, Consumer Electronics) and Geography - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the AI in Computer Vision Market is estimated to be valued at USD 15.9 billion in 2021 and reach USD 51.3 billion by 2026; it is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 26.3% during the forecast period (20212026). The major factors driving the growth of AI in computer vision market are growing need for quality inspection and automation, increasing demand for computer vision systems in non-traditional and emerging applications, and rising need for ASICs and government initiatives to support industrial automation and integration of AI into the edge devices. However, several factors, such as rising security concerns related to cloud-based image processing and analytics can act as a key challenge in the market during the forecast period.



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Software is projected to witness the highest CAGR for the forecast period



Software are expected to hold a major share and is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Software tools, combined with a suite of computer vision software allow an individual to interface with a camera and a production line and automatically perform image improvement, location analysis, flaw detection, character verification, character recognition, symbol recognition, and several other functions.



Non-industrial to account for the largest share of AI in computer vision market during the forecast period



In the non-industrial market, the growing demand for camera-enabled smartphones at both front and rear ends is driving the market for AI in computer vision, especially in the consumer segment. However, the industrial segment is expected to grow at a higher rate as modern technologies can help in several traffic situation systems, including toll collection, monitoring traffic flows, and identifying violations. 3D machine vision also has a huge potential for growth in non-industrial applications such as security and surveillance, postal and logistics, and intelligent transportation systems (ITS), where image quality, dimension, and orientation play a crucial role. Modern technologies can enhance several transportation systems, including toll collection systems and traffic monitoring systems.



Supervised Learning will have the highest growth in the coming years



Supervised learning is expected to account ~84% share of the overall AI in computer vision market by 2026. The growing adoption of supervised learning in various healthcare applications, especially medical imaging, and the use of different sensors and devices in modern facial recognition algorithms supplement the growth of this segment. Learning models are currently being implemented to develop various AI products and services. Some recent applications of these models are in autonomous vehicles/connected cars, virtual assistants (Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, and Google's Google Now), expert systems, drones, computer-aided diagnostics, video games, and image recognition systems.



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Consumer Electronics is expected to hold the largest share in 2026



There is an increasing demand for AI-enabled computer vision systems in consumer electronics such as smartphones, desktops, and laptops is driving the growth of the AI in computer vision market. Healthcare, however, is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period as AI-enabled computer vision technology plays a vital role in applications like radiology, medical imaging. Apart from this, increasing participation of various automotive and IT giants to develop autonomous cars is driving the growth of the AI in computer vision market for the automotive industry. In the security & surveillance industry, AI-enabled computer vision systems are increasingly being used to identify threats and people, thus boosting the adoption of AI-enabled computer vision solutions in this industry. Further, advancements in machine vision technology, such as smart cameras and automation, have increased the scope of AI in computer vision market in the manufacturing industry, which is expected to grow at the second-highest CAGR by 2026.



APAC is attributed to growing at the highest CAGR in AI in computer vision market during the forecast period (2021-2026)



APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the AI in computer vision market. Countries such China, Japan, and South Korea are expected to be the major contributors to the market in APAC. Increased manufacturing operations contribute mainly to the economic development in China, while the rising demand to incorporate Industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing techniques for increasing automation across various applications in India is contributing to the tremendous growth of AI in computer vision in APAC. North America is expected to hold the largest share of ~40% of the global AI in computer vision market in 2021. The presence of prominent AI technology providers, such as IBM (US), Google (US), Microsoft (US), NVIDIA (US), Intel (US), and Facebook (US) is complementing the growth of the regional market. The growing concern about the security of critical infrastructure and sensitive data has increased government intervention in recent years and resulted in the adoption of AI in computer vision in security applications. Europe is likely to hold a share of ~29% of the AI in computer vision market in 2021. Germany and the UK are the major contributors to the AI in computer vision market in this region. The automotive industry in the UK is contributing to the growth of the AI in computer vision market.



In 2020, the AI in computer vision market was dominated by NVIDIA (US), Intel Corp. (US), Microsoft Corp. (US), IBM Corp. (US) and Qualcomm (US).



Related Reports:



3D Machine Vision Market with COVID-19 impact Analysis by Offering (Hardware and Software), Product (PC-based and Smart Camera-based), Application, Vertical (Industrial and Non-Industrial) & Geography - Global Forecast till 2025



Machine Vision Market with COVID-19 impact Analysis by Deployment (General & Robotic cell), Component (Hardware and Software), Product (PC-based and Smart camera-based), Application, End-user Industry & Region - Forecast to 2025



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Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.



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Sandyford, Ireland -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/14/2021 -- Operating since 2010, Everything IT provides a wide range of ICT support solutions to help businesses maximize the value of their technology investment. The service provider has created numerous customized solutions that empower many types of businesses and revolutionise regions and industries. From simple e-commerce transactions to multifunctional enterprise-wide business process management solutions, Everything IT develops manages and maintains the systems a business needs to thrive and scale in today's competitive marketplace. The service provider has been serving its clients throughout Ireland and the UK.



In a recently held personal interview, the spokesperson of Everything IT asserted, "We have partnered up with several leading manufacturers and suppliers of IT solutions over the past few years. Thus, we can provide businesses with top-quality service and guidance while giving them access to the cutting-edge tools and best materials available in the industry. In addition, we promote new technologies available currently. This ensures that our client's infrastructure is capable of supporting their important business processes. Some of these processes include systems availability, performance, information security, and data protection."



Everything IT delivers top small business IT support and caters to the technology up-gradation needs of large corporations. Some of its primary solutions include client systems incident management and helpdesk support, network installation and maintenance, hardware specification, and hardware and software upgrades and enhancements. Businesses can also receive help in the form of ICT and business administration consulting. Apart from that, the secondary solutions from Everything IT can seamlessly enhance the ability and resiliency of its clients' systems.



The spokesperson further informed, "Our secondary solutions can increase the effectiveness and overall productivity of our clients' systems without disrupting their daily business operations. Some of these solutions include print and backup, system monitoring, hosted services, and security troubleshooting. In addition, from business continuity solutions to virtualization, network support, data processing, data migration and service deployment, our clients can receive all levels of IT support with us."



Everything IT provides its clients with fully tailored IT services support in Dublin, as the one-size-fits-all answers create more problems than offering solutions. The service provider gives need-based guidance to every client to have its solutions fit their business and budget. Everything IT hones in and targets the specific areas of each unique business. These areas may vary from stagnating growth to potential security problems. The expert consultants at Everything IT consider various factors while assessing the IT needs of each client, including their business lifecycle stage, their current technology, and their equipment utilization.



About Everything IT

Everything IT is a provider of the best IT services in Dublin. The service provider also offers support and consultancy in several domains, such as Ethernet networks, WAN links or architecture, switched or managed networks, TCP/IP V4&V6 network solutions routed networks and wireless and wired solutions. With Everything IT, businesses of all sizes can receive support in cloud computing solutions, managed services and professional business technology solutions. The service provider caters to most business sectors, ranging from medical and legal to healthcare and manufacturing.



Contact Information:



Everything IT

Unit 1a, Bracken Business Park,

Bracken Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18, Ireland

Phone: +353 1 524 0755

Email: info@everythingit.ie

Website: https://everythingit.ie/
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/13/2021 -- According to the new market research report "Military Vehicle Electrification Market by technology (Hybrid and fully electric), by system (power generation, Cooling system, energy storage, traction drive system and power conversion) by platform, by operation and by region - Forecast to 2030", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size is estimated to be valued at USD 4.8 billion in 2020. It is projected to reach USD 8.6 billion by 2025, recording a CAGR of 13.0% and USD 17.6 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 15.4% in terms of value.



The increasing number of procurement of new vehicles are also boosting the market growth. Hybrid and fully electric vehicles offer alternatives to power solutions. These solutions enable as an external source for power generation in the vehicles. The Military Vehicle Electrification market is developing further as the concept of alternative sources such as batteries and fuel cells. This requires a strong partnership between governments and private players which is expected to be witnessed during the forecast period. The new emerging security scenarios across the globe are trans-national in nature and warrant a unified approach among nations. Industries having a global presence and undergoing partnerships with local and international military vehicle industry participants and governments are expected to benefit in this highly competitive business environment. Companies wanting to grow in this market must be able to track the various trends with respect to the threats and technologies needed to tackle these, and also provide complete solutions, which include the services and equipment for Military Vehicle Electrification.



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The Military Vehicle Electrification market is being driven by the rising demand for autonomous military vehicles and increasing oil prices and emission regulations. Various The military sector has traditionally been ahead in the development of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology and has been experimenting for decades. The key driver for AV technology from a military perspective has always been the safety of troops. By preventing troops from entering high-risk environments and having robots or autonomous vehicles carry out tasks such as resupply or reconnaissance help reduce the number of casualties. Governments are spending millions of dollars to equip their fleet with hybrid and electric Military Vehicles.



Based on platform, the unmanned armored vehicle segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



The growth in the Military Vehicle Electrification market is expected to drive the growth of the three platforms proportionately. The requirement of military vehicle electrification in combat and support vehicles is expected to be in a similar range during the forecast period.



Based on operations, the autonomous/semi-autonomous military vehicle segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



Based on operations, the autonomous/semi-autonomous military vehicle segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The requirement of autonomous vehicles that help in reducing human loss and increasing capabilities are helping the growth of the market for Autonomous/semiautonomous military vehicles.



Based on systems, the power generation segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.



Growing demand for power systems due to the integration of new technologies and increasing power requirements in the vehicles are projected to increase the growth of the military vehicle electrification market.



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The Asia Pacific region is the fastest-growing in the Military Vehicle Electrification market in the forecast period



The Asia Pacific Military Vehicle Electrification market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of the Asia Pacific Military Vehicle Electrification market is primarily driven by increasing focus on increasing expenditure on the procurement of military vehicles by major economies in this region. In addition, factors including increasing geopolitical tensions and increased defense-related expenditure are expected to drive the demand for Military Vehicle Electrification in the region.



This report includes a study on the marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolios of leading companies. It consists of profiles of leading companies, such as General Motors (US), General Dynamics (US), Arquus (France), Oshkosh Corporation (US), BAE Systems (UK), and Textron Systems (US).



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CHIME telescope detects more than 500 mysterious fast radio bursts in its first year of operation

Observations quadruple the number of known radio bursts and reveal two types: one-offs and repeaters.



To catch sight of a fast radio burst is to be extremely lucky in where and when you point your radio dish. Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are oddly bright flashes of light, registering in the radio band of the electromagnetic spectrum, that blaze for a few milliseconds before vanishing without a trace.



These brief and mysterious beacons have been spotted in various and distant parts of the universe, as well as in our own galaxy. Their origins are unknown, and their appearance is unpredictable. Since the first was discovered in 2007, radio astronomers have only caught sight of around 140 bursts in their scopes.



Now, a large stationary radio telescope in British Columbia has nearly quadrupled the number of fast radio bursts discovered to date. The telescope, known as CHIME, for the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, has detected 535 new fast radio bursts during its first year of operation, between 2018 and 2019.



Scientists with the CHIME Collaboration, including researchers at MIT, have assembled the new signals in the telescopes first FRB catalog, which they will present at the American Astronomical Society Meeting.



The new catalog significantly expands the current library of known FRBs, and is already yielding clues as to their properties. For instance, the newly discovered bursts appear to fall in two distinct classes: those that repeat, and those that dont. Scientists identified 18 FRB sources that burst repeatedly, while the rest appear to be one-offs. The repeaters also look different, with each burst lasting slightly longer and emitting more focused radio frequencies than bursts from single, nonrepeating FRBs.



These observations strongly suggest that repeaters and one-offs arise from separate mechanisms and astrophysical sources. With more observations, astronomers hope soon to pin down the extreme origins of these curiously bright signals.



Before CHIME, there were less than 100 total discovered FRBs; now, after one year of observation, weve discovered hundreds more, says CHIME member Kaitlyn Shin, a graduate student in MITs Department of Physics. With all these sources, we can really start getting a picture of what FRBs look like as a whole, what astrophysics might be driving these events, and how they can be used to study the universe going forward."



Seeing flashes



CHIME comprises four massive cylindrical radio antennas, roughly the size and shape of snowboarding half-pipes, located at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, operated by the National Research Council of Canada in British Columbia, Canada. CHIME is a stationary array, with no moving parts. The telescope receives radio signals each day from half of the sky as the Earth rotates.



While most radio astronomy is done by swiveling a large dish to focus light from different parts of the sky, CHIME stares, motionless, at the sky, and focuses incoming signals using a correlator  a powerful digital signaling processor that can work through huge amounts of data, at a rate of about 7 terabits per second, equivalent to a few percent of the worlds internet traffic.



Digital signal processing is what makes CHIME able to reconstruct and look in thousands of directions simultaneously, says Kiyoshi Masui, assistant professor of physics at MIT, who will lead the groups conference presentation. Thats what helps us detect FRBs a thousand times more often than a traditional telescope.



Over the first year of operation, CHIME detected 535 new fast radio bursts. When the scientists mapped their locations, they found the bursts were evenly distributed in space, seeming to arise from any and all parts of the sky. From the FRBs that CHIME was able to detect, the scientists calculated that bright fast radio bursts occur at a rate of about 800 per day across the entire sky  the most precise estimate of FRBs overall rate to date.



Thats kind of the beautiful thing about this field  FRBs are really hard to see, but theyre not uncommon, says Masui, who is a member of MITs Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. If your eyes could see radio flashes the way you can see camera flashes, you would see them all the time if you just looked up.



Mapping the universe



As radio waves travel across space, any interstellar gas, or plasma, along the way can distort or disperse the waves properties and trajectory. The degree to which a radio wave is dispersed can give clues to how much gas it passed through, and possibly how much distance it has traveled from its source.



For each of the 535 FRBs that CHIME detected, Masui and his colleagues measured its dispersion, and found that most bursts likely originated from far-off sources within distant galaxies. The fact that the bursts were bright enough to be detected by CHIME suggests that they must have been produced by extremely energetic sources. As the telescope detects more FRBs, scientists hope to pin down exactly what kind of exotic phenomena could generate such ultrabright, ultrafast signals.



Scientists also plan to use the bursts, and their dispersion estimates, to map the distribution of gas throughout the universe.



Each FRB gives us some information of how far theyve propagated and how much gas theyve propagated through, Shin says. With large numbers of FRBs, we can hopefully figure out how gas and matter are distributed on very large scales in the universe. So, alongside the mystery of what FRBs are themselves, theres also the exciting potential for FRBs as powerful cosmological probes in the future.



This research was supported by various institutions including the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, McGill University and the McGill Space Institute via the Trottier Family Foundation, and the University of British Columbia.

https://news.mit.edu/2021/chime-telescope-fast-radio-bursts-0609
Shortwave Listener Award  The Ian Morris Memorial Trophy

The South Dublin Radio Club, in honour of the late Ian Morris EI6U, donated this perpetual trophy to the Irish Radio Transmitters Society. Ian was a member of the committee of the Society for many years and was a very proficient CW, Field Day and contest operator.

The trophy is awarded at the IRTS Annual General Meeting to the shortwave listener with the highest number of DXCC entities heard in the previous calendar year.

While confirmation of entities heard is not required, entrants will be expected to produce a number of QSL cards (not necessarily from the year in question) to demonstrate their commitment to Shortwave Listening.

IRTS
Transatlantic Tests 100 Centenary

On the 12th December 1921, Paul Godley, 2ZE, received the first complete and verified amateur radio short wave transatlantic message ever sent, from a station based in Greenwich, Connecticut '1BCG'. This reception was during the second of four transatlantic tests coordinated between the ARRL and RSGB, which started on the 7th December 1921 for a period of 10 days.



After arriving in England, Godleys initial station set-up was in London. This location however proved unsuitable as it was hampered by local QRN. Before leaving London, Godley discussed his plans with both Guglielmo Marconi and Harold Beverage who were coincidently in London too. After a brief reconnoitre of Scotland, Godley with the assistance of the local Glasgow based Marconi Company, finally settled on Ardrossan as the site to conduct his reception experiments. For these experiments Godley had a special permit issued by the GPO. Godley used state of the art receiving apparatus which was a Paragon regenerative receiver and an Armstrong superheterodyne receiver, hence his nickname Paragon Paul. Godley also erected a 1300-foot Beveridge antenna system which was to be the first installation and use of a Beveridge antenna system in the U.K.



Over the coming months, Radcom will be including detailed articles on the history of the series of Transatlantic Tests and explaining how you can take part in a number of events celebrating their centenary.



The Crocodile Rock Amateur Group (CRAG) are celebrating the centenary of Paul Godleys success, in collaboration with North Ayrshire Council. With the assistance of the GMDX group, the special event and special/special event stations GB2ZE and GB1002ZE respectively will be operating from the 1st to the 28th December 2021. These stations will be operating from both the original site in Ardrossan and from the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre, Saltcoats, KA21 5AA. North Ayrshire Council will be hosting an exhibition celebrating Paul Godley and his transatlantic tests conducted in Ardrossan. Local primary and secondary school children will also benefit from this exhibition through an active and appropriate STEM theme that will include radio communications.



For the benefit of all UK and Crown Dependency radio amateurs, CRAG have negotiated the rare 2ZE suffix which can be used between the 1st & 28th December 2021. This suffix can be used in conjunction with your own callsign/2ZE. At the time of this news update, preparations are also under way by the ARRL to commemorate the December 1921 transatlantic tests with an operating event which will be held in December 2021  more will be explained in later Radcom issues. Why dont you or your club get involved in the celebrations by using the 2ZE suffix and have some fun with the unfolding celebration event?



CRAG is keen to welcome volunteers with all aspects of the centenary celebrations and particularly with operating, logistics (particularly a mobile mast) and heritage archive coordination.

To volunteer or assist, please contact Bob Alexander (GM0DEQ). Email: robert@gm0deq.force9.co.uk or Robbie Vennard (GM0SEI). Email: gm0sei@googlemail.com.
Voortrekkers using special event call sign

In celebration of the Voortrekker Movement's 90th anniversary, a special event call sign, ZS90VTK, has been issued. The call sign will be activated on 16 June 2021, Youth Day, from the roof of the Voortrekker Monument.

The bands to be used are 40 and 20 metres as well as 2 metres. The Voortrekkers in Namibia will operate under the call sign, V55JAM. All radio amateurs, Voortrekkers, Scouts and Guides are invited to contact the respective call signs.

For the remainder of the year, special transmissions will made from various monuments in Sout Africa and a special QSL card will issued.

For any additional information, please contact Gerhard, ZS6CRS at zs6crs@gmail.com
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To say that we should not recognize the good someone does just because that person has been in trouble before is an asinine, foolish and ignorant, Cohen said. To have ... politicians judge a young Black man because of his past and say to this man, you shouldnt be recognized for any of the good you do because you arent worthy is what the problem is with politicians these days.
It presents a magnificent amount of square footage that will be inhabited by grasses and ... corals and fish and things like that, Wyre said. And on top of those SEAHIVEs were going to plant mangroves and maintain the mangroves so they dont become overgrown...they maintain the underwater expansion but we dont cut the limit of the view from the park to the lighthouse.
Shootings on I-95 are on the rise, but the Florida Highway Patrol rarely solves the cases, according to data analyzed by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Drivers who accidentally cut someone off in traffic have been barraged with gunfire, and the shooter almost always escapes. In just the last year, a young woman was killed, a teen boy was paralyzed and numerous others were grazed by bullets in unsolved I-95 shootings.
The Legislature finds that in todays hectic society too few persons are able to experience even a moment of quiet reflection before plunging headlong into the activities of daily life, the bill reads. Young persons are particularly affected by the absence of an opportunity for a moment of quiet reflection. The Legislature finds that our youth, and society as a whole, would be well served if students in the public schools were afforded a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.
The large trough of low pressure in the Gulf is forecast to become Tropical Storm Claudette later this week as it moves across the central or northwestern Gulf. It could bring heavy rainfall to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Friday, experts said.
Shame on us as a society for not demanding more. Shame on us as voters for repeatedly electing stooges for the gun lobby to represent us. Shame on the callous, cowardly gun industry and gun lobby for doing Absolutely. Not. One. Thing. to make guns safer or to remind gun buyers or owners of the responsibility that comes with owning a gun. Theres no seat belt equivalent in the gun industry, no health hazard warning on the package, no billboards or PR campaign advising, Dont Drink and Carry. All we get is the blood-drenched slogan, The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. That just leads to another day of I cant believe it happened here.
The Tulsa Massacre occurred 100 years ago in 1921. My mom and dad were both alive. It was their generation. Have we learned from it? I had never even heard of it. I know Tulsa. I have family there. Ive been there. Its a nice town with a lot of nice people but I bet 100 years ago there were lots of nice people there. Blacks had their own community. They were prosperous and living the American dream  or seemed to be.
A 22-year-old man has died and three more people have been injured after a serious accident on the A-7 in La Cala de Mijas on the Costa del Sol.

Several witnesses called the 112 emergency service control room at around 11.40 on Sunday night to report that a car had left the road and overturned at kilometre 205 of the coastal road, near the Calaburras lighthouse.

Firefighters released two occupants from the vehicle but health sources confirmed the death of a 22-year-old man at the scene of the accident. Three other people were injured in the incident; a 33-year-old man who was transferred to hospital in Malaga, while two other people who were treated at the scene did not require further medical attention.
Rescue services from Benalmadena recovered a body that was found floating, face down, in the sea some 500 metres off the shore of Torremolinos on Sunday morning (13 June).

The driver of a jet ski spotted the corpse and alerted the lifeguard and rescue service.

Authorities said the deceased was male, approximately 40 years old and according to a preliminary examination, could be of Northwest African origin.

On Sunday red flags were flying on the beaches of both towns, and bathers were warned to take the utmost care.

According to the lifeguard service, their support to the neighbouring municipality, is "common practice in emergency situations."

A bather also died in Torremolinos on Saturday, according to the 112 Emergency Service control room.

The incident happened at around 8pm on the Playamar beach when a person, who showed signs of drowning, was pulled from the sea.

Lifeguards attempted resuscitation, but without success.
A judge has ruled that a Fuengirola councillor and two other municipal staff were partly responsible for the deaths of two town hall workers after a wall collapsed on them in 2015.

The Malaga judge sentenced the three to three months in prison for a crime against workers rights - but the jail terms were replaced with 1,800 euro fines.

Five municipal workers were working in a trench in Calle Miguel Angel in Fuengirola, in March 2015, when a wall collapsed on them. Three escaped injury, but one died at the scene and the fifth died in hospital.

The Malaga court judgement said that health and safety provisions for the employees were not adequate, and held the councillor for Works and Infrastructures of the town hall, Jose Sanchez, responsible for this, as well as two other municipal employees.

The judge said that the "special characteristics" of the collapsed wall, built with precast concrete blocks, that had no reinforcement and lacked foundations put the workers in the trench at serious risk.

"The work lacked a health and safety plan" and the condition of the wall had not been verified, said the court ruling. The judge said that the deaths could have been prevented. The risk could and should have been anticipated as determined by an expert report."

The judge did acknowledge that the appearance of the wall - some 50 years old - did not make its collapse foreseeable, since it did not have any cracks, was not deformed and it seemed to have been recently painted. However, he said that this did not exempt those convicted from responsibility for not having adopted some of the health and safety measures necessary to have prevented the deaths.
After dodging bankruptcy in March and now reaching an agreement with the unions that represent its crews in Spain, Norwegian airline has announced that it will cut some 800 jobs of the 1,191 that were initially foreseen in the country. However, the airline has agreed to keep 432 Spanish staff.

Some 146 cabin crew and 86 pilots will be retained in Spain and split between Norwegian's two bases in Malaga and Alicante, which it plans to reopen on 28 June. While another 200 Spanish crew members will relocate to Oslo where the company has offered accommodation, and Norwegian contracts for duties that will start in August.

The 800 staff laid off will receive compensation of thirty days' pay per year worked, ten days more than the minimum set by law. A 'job bank' will also be created so that those crew members can rejoin the company in the event of a future increase in demand for flights in Spain, says the airline.

Norwegian said, The agreement that we have reached with the unions is an important step towards the final objective of ensuring a presence in Spain, and it is also an element that will contribute to the survival of the company as an important player in the airline sector."

The company will retain two bases in Spain, in Alicante and Malaga, with one aircraft at each of them, with the possible addition of two more aircraft at each base in the summer of 2022 if the recovery of the sector, post-pandemic, continues.

The airline, which was saved from bankruptcy in March, used to have five aircraft based on the Costa del Sol. The Scandinavian airline said Spain is the only other country where it will maintain operational bases in the near future, adding, The company is therefore fully committed to maintaining its presence in Spain, a country where it has been operating continuously since 2003.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met his UK counterpart Boris Johnson this Monday, 14 June, at the Nato summit in Brussels to discuss bilateral relations, the pandemic and the future agreement between the EU and the UK over Gibraltar.

Pedro Sanchez himself said later on Twitter that the meeting had allowed them to discuss "the need to further strengthen bilateral relations, enhancing areas such as security and defence, and to promote the agreement between Spain and the UK on Gibraltar."

Sanchez was referring to the agreement reached in principle on 31 December, which set the foundations for the future negotiations between the UK and the EU over Gibraltar, establishing that the Rock would become part of the Schengen area.

Spanish government sources said that the meeting had been friendly, with both parties "aware of the importance of the relationship" between the two countries in all fields. They stressed the "privileged, historical relations" and the shared interest to deepen that relationship in areas such as security and defence.

An image taken during the meeting. / EP

Sanchez and Johnson also spoke about the fight against the Covid pandemic and the vaccination progress, said the sources.

The British government also reported on the meeting along the same lines, saying, "The leaders discussed their shared commitment to deepening the already strong UK-Spain bilateral relationship across a huge range of issues including trade, defence and security. They also said they would continue to work together to tackle Covid."

According to London, Johnson and Sanchez agreed that the political agreement reached on 31 December on Gibraltar "provided a framework for a future agreement with the EU" and the UK PM thanked Sanchez for his "pragmatic approach" on this issue.

"The leaders also agreed that the UK and Spain both have a role to play in bringing prosperity to the whole region," said the statement from Downing Street.

On the subject of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Johnson said that a constructive way forward needs to be found which preserves both the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the territorial integrity of the UK.

Neither of the two governments confirmed whether the leaders had spoken about the current travel restrictions imposed due to the Covid pandemic.

The British government continues to advise against travel to Spain, with this country still in the UK's ambar list of countries with quarantine required for travellers arriving from Spain.
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if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
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Venture Capital Bank (VCBank), the Bahrain-based Islamic Bank, has reported a net loss of $1.795 million for the second quarter of 2020-2021, in comparison with a net loss of $43.497 million (restated) during the same period of the previous year.

Total income in the three-month period ended December 31, 2020 amounted to $1.471 million, compared to $4.313 million (restated) during the same period in 2019, with a decrease of 65.89%, while the total expenses amounted to $3.556 million, in comparison with $3.370 million (restated) in the same period in 2019.

The banks total assets during the period ended December 31, 2020 has increased by 2.93% amounting to $131.971 million, compared to $128.220 million (restated) in the period ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to net fair value gains recorded on the banks investment portfolio.

Equity attributed to shareholders during the period ended December 31, 2020 has decreased by 48.88% standing at $10.756 million, in comparison with $21.040 million during the period ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to provision on certain off-balance sheet guarantees and operating costs, offset by net fair value gains on investment portfolio recorded for the period.

Commenting on the financial results, VCBank Chairman Abdulfatah Marafie stated: 2020 has been a challenging year across the globe, with all institutions, including financial and economic entities, affected by the repercussions of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, showing a decline in profitability and revenue rates. As such, VCBank has continued to adopt a prudent operational policy in line with the new shifting

landscape and bear the least possible losses.

Stating further, Marafie said: VCBank continues to take active steps to improve profitability, shore up the Banks capital base and address existing legacy investments in order to provide financial stability against any further provisions and position the banks return to growth. The bank is also planning a modest capital increase in which shareholders will have the option of participating in cash or in kind, by way of contributing investment positions they hold with VCBank to maintain their percentage shareholdings in the Bank.

The Chairman added: VCBank is in advanced stages of further exits that it expects to announce shortly, serving to generate significant cash for the institution. With our debt restructuring process close to completion, the license conversion process at an advanced stage, and a healthy pipeline of income-yielding deals, we look forward to VCBank being able to restart its investment activities in the medium term, thereby generating revenue and cash flow, and returning to profitability in the near future.

For his part, VCBank Chief Executive Officer and Head of Investment and Post Acquisition Robert C. Wages stated: The Bank is sparing no effort in the current period to accelerate the processes of exiting legacy investment and restructuring its balance sheet to move forward towards eliminating losses and returning to the path of financial stability, especially since VCBank is in advanced stages of further exits that it expects to announce shortly, set to generate significant cash for the institution.

Explaining further, Wages said: This quarter saw a lower loss than the previous quarter by 79.26% which is due to the upside of the Fair values of the investments. In line with its initiative to achieve operational efficiencies and focus on reducing costs, VCBank continues to show lower operating costs quarter over quarter after taking into account one-off staff redundancy and other restructuring related costs.

The Banks provisions have generally gone up in value; however, we have decided to take more provisions against certain guarantees that were provided to investee companies to ensure that these guarantees will not affect future capital or profitability should they be exercised. VCBank has finalised the agreements to settle its $70.7 million Wakala obligations and is expecting execution of the documents imminently. The debt obligation will be settled in-kind through transfer of various investment assets which will result in a cleaner and stronger balance sheet for VCBank, through budget reinforcement and burdens reduction.

VCBank has executed an agreement to sell a 20% stake in QCon (100% of the Company), including the 4.61% owned by VCBank. Funds from sale of the stake have been received in an escrow account, pending release upon the completion of the share transfer, Wages added.-- TradeArabia News Service
Global mining engineering company Metso Outotec said it has signed a distribution agreement with Power Ram, a construction equipment supplier to the quarries and mining industry based in Malaysia.

Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Metso Outotec employs over 15,000 people in more than 50 countries and its sales for 2020 stood at 3.9 billion ($4.72 billion).

With this exclusive deal, Power Ram will sell and rent Metso Outotecs mobile and stationary crushers and screens, provide spare parts, crusher wear parts and screening media as well as technical support and maintenance services for aggregate producers and contractors in Malaysia and Singapore.

Metso Outotec has a large installed base in the countries which has developed over the years. The companies seek to improve the support and availability of equipment to existing customers, while reaching out to new customers especially in the contracting sector.

On the strategic tieup, Shaun Fanning, Vice President, Aggregates in Metso Outotec in Asia Pacific, said: "With this, we will have a stronger local presence, which allows us to service our existing customers and support them through the continued lifecycle of their equipment more efficiently."

"Availability of equipment and fast and easy access to service is very important for aggregate producers and contractors. We are very pleased to be able to combine our premium brand offering with Power Rams local expertise for the benefit of the customers," he added.

Ky Kok, Director at Power Ram, said: "We are major suppliers of construction equipment and aftermarket services to key sectors such as quarries and mines and our partnership with Metso Outotec suits very well our business philosophy.

"Our aim is to focus and support the parts and service support for the existing customers, explore new opportunities and maintain Metso Outotec presence in Malaysia and Singapore," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Short of physically visiting Austria on an exploratory mission, the strikingly designed Austrian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will offer visitors the unique opportunity to experience the Central European country with all their senses when they step into the spectacularly shaped pavilion from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

With the motto of Austria makes Sense, two permanent exhibitions in the pavilion will appeal to visitors senses by beautifully conveying Austrias numerous contributions to a better, more sustainable world via a series of curated installations, while also showcasing different facets of Austrian research, development and creativity in the form of Made in Austria products. The exhibitions are curated by Ars Electronica Solutions and buro wien, and the graphics are by design studio bleed.

Located in the Opportunity District at Expo 2020, the Austrian Pavilion will be a place where innovative and creative minds come together, and where visitors can connect through a wide variety of events. Values such as intact nature, region-specific culture, food security and regional products, smart technologies, sustainability, and conscious deceleration, are visibly conquering people's consciousness and the Austrian Pavilion perfectly embodies this zeitgeist.

Various stations in the pavilion will invite visitors to thematically experience Austria directly  through features encompassing the senses of seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling  linked with an interactive technology component.

Sustainable pavilion

Designed by Viennese architectural firm querkraft the uniquely shaped and sustainably constructed Austrian Pavilion comprises of 38 geometrically arranged white cone towers inspired by traditional Arabian wind towers and made of precast concrete elements in varying heights.

Featuring natural building materials and a smart, low-tech approach, the whole structure illustrates creative use of Arabian traditional building techniques and modern Austrian innovation that connects people, technology and the environment in a perfect example of sustainability. The traditional clay plaster used in the pavilions interior provides a pollutant-free, balanced indoor climate.

Exterior work on the pavilion is completed, with the interior work due to start in mid-July 2021. The pavilions sustainability existence will continue as the building will be repurposed and reused after the Expo ends.

iLab innovations

In a temporary exhibition, 53 innovations that reflect Austrian inventiveness will be presented digitally and physically in the iLab - the knowledge platform inside the Austrian Pavilion. iLab will operate in two phases, each with four cluster themes: Smart City, Circular Economy, Mobility, Digital Opportunities, Water Agriculture, New Materials, Health & Life Science, and Digital Security. Child visitors will also be able to attend regular coding workshops in iLab.

Culture and coffeehouse

Austria is known worldwide as a nation of art and culture and the Austrian Pavilion will live up to this reputation by hosting regular cultural performances. An art exhibition will also take place in January 2022 at Carbon 12 at Alserkal Avenue.

The coffeehouse, "Austrian Delight", situated in the centre of the Austria Pavilion, will represent the sense of taste and also serve as a symbol of Austrian hospitality, offering visitors the chance to catch up over coffee while enjoying world-famous Austrian culinary delights.

B2B connections

During the six-month Expo period, the Austrian Pavilion will host a wide-ranging business programme to connect Austrian and Arabian Gulf businesses, with the aim of developing new trade and economic ties for mutual benefit.

Youth focus

The Austrian Pavilion will host a pitch event for Austrian student inventors (15-18 ages) to showcase their sustainability-focused innovations at Expo 2020 Dubai. The young winners will travel to Expo 2020 Dubai in January 2022, where they will interact with other countries pavilions and youth programmes.

Austrian National Day

The Austrian National Day will be celebrated on November 19, 2021, as part of the Expos Nations Day programme for each participating country. On Austrias Day, in addition to events in the Austrian Pavilion, cultural events on the entire Expo site are also planned, which will be attended by the Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Austrian Minister of Digital and Economic Affairs Margarete Schrambock, President of the Austrian Economic Chamber Harald Mahrer, and Austrian Pavilion Commissioner General Beatrix Karl, besides a business delegation from Austria.

Easing GCC travel to Austria

Austria is meanwhile set to welcome travellers from the GCC region again as from mid June onwards. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman currently fall into the risk category of the Robert Koch Institute system. The so-called RKI list identifies more than 110 countries as risk or high risk areas.

Austria will adopt the RKI list shortly, instead of the currently used European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control system. This means that the quarantine requirement will be removed for vaccinated, recovered or tested travellers from the three GCC countries that are classified as risk countries, according to an announcement from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism.

Emirates Airline flies to Vienna daily from Dubai, while flydubai is also set to fly to Salzburg from Dubai four times a week from July on as of now.

Austria-UAE strong economics ties

For Austria, which has had an official economic representation office in the UAE since 1976, the Gulf country is its most important economic partner in the Middle East. The UAE  Austria trade balance in 2020 amounted to approximately 540 million ($653.8 million), with Austrian direct investments in the Gulf country amounting to 7.5 billion ($9 billion) in 2020 making it the 7th largest FDI destination globally for Austria. In the same year, the UAE had investments totalling 4.49 billion ($5.4 billion) in Austria. - TradeArabia News Service
Ahmedabad, Jun 14 (UNI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that his party will contest all the 182 seats in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls.

Mr Kejriwal arrived here this morning on a day-long state visit to kickstart the partys preparations for the Assembly elections.

While addressing a press conference, he said, 'People here think if electricity can be free in Delhi, why not here? The schools and hospitals are also in a bad shape but things will change now.'

Journalist Isudan Gadhvi joined the party in presence of the Delhi Chief Minister.

During his visit, he inaugurated the state party headquarters located in the Navrangpura area.

On Sunday, in a tweet in Gujarati, the AAP chief said, "Now Gujarat will change. Tomorrow I am coming to Gujarat, and will meet all the brothers and sisters of the state.'

This happens to be his second visit to Gujarat. In February, he had last visited Surat after the party emerged as the main opposition after the civic body elections there.

UNI SB RHK1355
UW Faculty Member Contributes to Study of Unprecedented Rocky Mountain Subalpine Wildfires

The Mullen fire looms near a property in Centennial last fall. Bryan Shuman, a professor in UWs Department of Geology and Geophysics, was a main co-author of a paper, titled Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forests Now Burning More Than Any Time in Recent Millennia, that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today (June 14). The paper concluded that high-elevation forests in the Rocky Mountain region, an area of Colorado and southern Wyoming, are burning more than at any point in the past 2,000 years. (Jason Shogren Photo)

Last fall, the Mullen fire west of Laramie raged for the better part of two months, burning more than 176,000 acres and 70 structures in Carbon and Albany counties, and in Jackson County, Colo.

Unfortunately, this scenario was typical during the intense 2020 fire season in the Rocky Mountain region, an area of Colorado and southern Wyoming where high-elevation forests are burning more than at any point in the past 2,000 years, according to a study in which a University of Wyoming faculty member was instrumental.

Global warming is causing larger fires in Rocky Mountain forests than have burned for thousands of years, says Bryan Shuman, a professor in the UW Department of Geology and Geophysics. The last time anything similar may have occurred was during a warm portion of the medieval era.

Shuman was the main co-author of a paper, titled Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forests Now Burning More Than Any Time in Recent Millennia, that was published today (June 14) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The journal is one of the worlds most prestigious multidisciplinary scientific serials, with coverage spanning the biological, physical and social sciences.

Philip Higuera, a professor of fire ecology in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana, was the papers lead author. Kyra Wolf, a Ph.D. candidate in paleoecology and forest ecology at the University of Montana, also contributed to the paper.

Higuera and Shuman conceived and designed the study, while Higuera and Wolf analyzed the data, a unique network of fire-history records, to understand how current fire activity compared to wildfires of the past. The 2020 fire season marks the emergence of 21st century fire regimes with distinctly higher rates of burning, not only from the late 20th century but relative to the past two millennia.

By November 2020, wildfires in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado were responsible for 72 percent of the total area burned in high-elevation, subalpine forests since 1984. During 2020, Colorado had experienced three of its largest fires on record.

As the 2020 fire season unfolded, we realized we already had a well-defined understanding of the fire history of many of the places burning, based on over 20 lake sediment records our teams had collected over the past 15 years, Higuera says. When the smoke settled, we thought Wow, we may have witnessed something truly unprecedented here. So, we combined the existing records for the first time and compared them to recent fire activity. To our surprise, 2020 indeed pushed fire activity outside the range of variability these forests have experienced over at least the past two millennia.

Researchers used charcoal found in lake sediment records to assemble the fire history across the Rocky Mountains. They discovered that, since 2000, wildfires are burning nearly twice as much area, on average, compared to the last 2,000 years.

Over that 2,000-year period, fires in high-elevation, subalpine forest historically burned, on average, once every 230 years. In the 21st century, those fires now occur, on average, every 117 years. This is 22 percent higher than the maximum rate -- which took place during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (770-870) -- reconstructed over the past two millennia. During the Medieval Climate Anomaly, Northern Hemisphere temperatures were 0.3 degrees Celsius above the average in the 20th century.

The results indicate that, if fires continue to burn as often as they do now, every forest in the region could be burned by the beginning of the next century, Shuman explains. In the past, it would have taken 200 to 300 years, if not longer, for fires to affect that much area.

In the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming, 840,000 acres burned between 1984 and 2019, Shuman says. Another 660,000 acres burned in 2020 alone. Approximately 1.1 million acres burned in the past decade in the Colorado-Wyoming study area, even though only 400,000 acres -- less than half as much -- burned in the previous 25 years, Shuman says.

Subalpine forests are becoming less resilient and more susceptible to fires because the climate is warming. Because humidity was extremely low, temperatures were high, and storm events produced high winds, forest management had little impact on the 2020 fires. They burned designated wilderness and national parks with limited fuel management; heavily managed areas with substantial timber removal; and intact forest and areas with extensive beetle kill. The extreme climate completely overrode all types of forest management, according to Shuman.

Snowfall in our high-elevation forests is lower now than in past decades, and summers are hotter. The changes convert trees into dry fuel, primed and ready to burn, Shuman says. With less snow now, the fire season lasts longer than before. When areas burn, the fires are bigger. They can burn longer.

Then, after the fires, big areas with few live trees mean few seeds to help forests regrow and, even when seeds are plentiful, seedlings can often die from drought and heat, he continues. Some forests may never grow back.

It isnt unexpected to have more fires as temperatures rise. Our records show that fire tracked past variations in climate just as it does today, Wolf adds. Whats striking is that temperatures and, correspondingly, fire are now exceeding the range that these forests have coped with for thousands of years -- largely as a result of human-caused climate change.

Continual warming will reinforce newly emerging fire activity in these high-elevation forests, with significant implications for ecosystems and society, according to the paper.

It may sound dire, but its critical to remember that we have ample opportunities to limit or reverse climate warming, while still working to adapt to the increasing fire activity expected in upcoming decades, Higuera says.

Shuman helped plan the study, which came about because of more than $600,000 in grants he was able to obtain from the National Science Foundation to support undergraduate and graduate student research at UW.

We were able to examine the 2020 fire season because of a decade of student projects at UW that revealed how often our forests have burned in the past few thousand years, Shuman says.
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The Japan-WCO Human Resource Development Programme

(Scholarship Programme)

The WCO established the Japan-WCO Human Resource Development Programme (Scholarship Programme) in 2000, funded by Japan Customs, aimed at improving the human resources of WCO Member Customs administrations.

Public Finance

The Programme provides Customs officials from developing countries with an opportunity to pursue Masters level studies and training in Customs related fields in the Public Finance programme at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan.

The Public Finance programme comprises two segments: an academic segment and a practical segment. The academic segment provides rigorous, economics-oriented training aimed at developing a broad understanding of the theoretical, empirical and institutional aspects of Customs policy implementation and administration. The practical segment is taught in co-operation with the Japan Customs, including the Japan Customs Training Institute.

Please see the GRIPS web-site for the detailed information of the Public Finance programme (http://www.grips.ac.jp/en/education/inter_programs/finance/).

211 Customs officials from 56 Members in all the WCO regions have been awarded the scholarship and taken part in this Masters degree programme by 2020/2021.

Strategic Management and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

The Programme provides Customs officials from developing countries with an opportunity to pursue Masters level studies and training in Customs related fields in Strategic Management and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) at the Aoyama Gakuin Univerity (AGU) in Tokyo, Japan.

The Master degree programme comprises two segments: an academic segment and a practical segment. The academic segment starts with focused teaching of foundational skills in strategic management and IPR. It then moves to a range of applied topics which help students understand how to design, implement, and evaluate public policies, in particular customs policy, in accordance with development strategies for organizations. The practical segment is taught in co-operation with the Japan Customs, including the Japan Customs Training Institute.

Please see the AGUs web-site for the detailed information of the Strategic Management and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) programme (http://www.aoyamasmiprp.jp).

105 Customs officials from 49 Members in all the WCO regions have been awarded the scholarship and taken part in this Masters degree programme by 2020/2021.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 74F. Winds light and variable.
West Hartford (06107)

Today

Periods of rain, heavy at times early. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Periods of rain, heavy at times early. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Southside Rise & Shine: Kolb Park Neighborhood

PADUCAH - The ongoing Southside Rise and Shine neighborhood spruce-up event will spotlight the Kolb Park neighborhood this week.During each neighborhoods week, This is Your Week signs will be posted, and the Public Works Department will place yellow garbage rollouts and dumpsters around the neighborhood. Each neighborhood is encouraged to dispose of garbage and beautify their homes and yards.From June 15-20, the City will have dumpers scattered across the neighborhood for disposal of litter or garbage. Bulky items, including tires and appliances, can be placed in front of a home next to the street for free collection by Public Works. Tires taken to dumpsters should be kept separate from other items and placed beside them, not in the dumpster.On Sunday, a neighborhood ice cream social will be held at Kolb Park, 1650 South 6th St. During the celebration, meet your neighbors, talk about your neighborhood, pick up litter, and enjoy some ice cream.Click below to see the neighborhood schedule and other information, including celebration sites and dumpster locations. There is a link to a neighborhood map searchable by address for anyone uncertain of their neighborhood's name.Neighborhood schedule: June 15-20  Kolb Park June 22-27  Uppertown June 29 - July 4  River Park July 6-11  Dolly McNutt July 13-18  Ella Munal July 20-25  Farley PlaceOn the Net:
Paducah House Hit By Gunfire

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Paducah police are investigating a report of shots fired Sunday night in the Forest Hills neighborhood.Officers were called at 8:36 p.m. to multiple reports of shots fired in the area of Glenwood Drive. No injuries were reported, but one home on Glenwood Drive was struck by gunfire.Officers say a gunman went to a home on Glenwood Drive, looking for someone related to 20-year-old Darrius White. White was killed in the Colony Drive shooting on June 8. The suspect reportedly produced a handgun, and an argument ensued. Authorities say the suspect then fled and fired multiple shots as he ran. One of the shots struck a house nearby.Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect. The investigation is ongoing.Anyone with information is asked to contact the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550. Information may also be provided anonymously through West Kentucky Crime Stoppers by texting WKY and your tip to 847411 or by downloading the WKY Crime Stoppers app.
Elmdale Rd. Murder Suspect Turns Himself In

By West Kentucky Star Staff





PADUCAH - The suspect in a murder investigation from earlier this month is now in custody.The Paducah Police Department says 20-year-old Khalil A. Griffin of Murray turned himself in at the police department just after 11 am on Friday. He was arrested on a warrant charging him with murder, stemming from an incident on June 10.Police responded to the intersection of Elmdale Road and Jameswood Drive and found 28-year-old Thomas Willett, who died later that day at Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital. Police say Griffin shot Willett and then fled the scene.Another man, 25-year-old Justin C. Wells, of Lone Oak, was arrested shortly after the shooting and faces charges of complicity to murder and tampering with physical evidence.Previous Story (Thursday, June 24):The Paducah Police Department is still requesting the public's help in locating a man charged with murder, and West Kentucky Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information.Detectives obtained a warrant on June 11, charging 20-year-old Khalil A. Griffin of Murray with the murder of 28-year-old Thomas Willett.Willett was shot June 10 near the intersection of Elmdale Road and Jameswood Drive. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital.The police investigation shows that Griffin shot Willett and then fled the scene.Another man, 25-year-old Justin C. Wells, of Lone Oak, was arrested shortly after the shooting and is charged with complicity to murder and tampering with physical evidence.Anyone with information on Griffin's whereabouts is asked to call the Paducah Police Department at 270-444-8550. Information also may be provided anonymously through West Kentucky Crime Stoppers.The reward is offered to anyone providing information leading to the arrest of Griffin.
Police Identify Vehicle Break-In Suspect

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Thanks to the publics assistance, McCracken County Sheriffs Office has been able to identify a suspect in a recent string of vehicle break-ins.Detectives said the suspect is 20-year-old Mariah Day of Bloomington, Indiana.Detectives learned that Day has fled out of state since the thefts. They have obtained warrants for her arrest and are working with out of state authorities in an attempt to locate Day.The thefts were reported late last week in the area of Valor Court, Clarkline Road and Champion Lane.Several people said their vehicles had been gone through during the overnight hours. Firearms, cash and other various items were all stolen from the vehicles.Residential security cameras in the area captured the same person going through multiple vehicles.
Shooting Victim Arraigned in District Court

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A man injured in a June 4th shooting on Roell Circle, and was later arrested on gun charges, was arraigned Monday in McCracken District Court.The McCracken District Court Clerk told West Kentucky Star that a not guilty plea was entered for Kiante D. Vaughn, and a preliminary hearing for the case is scheduled for June 17th.He was arrested Friday on a warrant charging him with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and receiving stolen property.Officers were called the night of June 4th to an apartment on Roell Circle, where they found 21-year-old Tyus White and Vaughn on a second-floor landing. Both had been shot and were taken to a local hospital for treatment.Vaughn has previous felony convictions for theft and assault, and is prohibited from owning a gun.
Southside Rise & Shine: Kolb Park Neighborhood

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - The ongoing Southside Rise and Shine neighborhood spruce-up event will spotlight the Kolb Park neighborhood this week.During each neighborhoods week, This is Your Week signs will be posted, and the Public Works Department will place yellow garbage rollouts and dumpsters around the neighborhood. Each neighborhood is encouraged to dispose of garbage and beautify their homes and yards.From June 15-20, the City will have dumpers scattered across the neighborhood for disposal of litter or garbage. Bulky items, including tires and appliances, can be placed in front of a home next to the street for free collection by Public Works. Tires taken to dumpsters should be kept separate from other items and placed beside them, not in the dumpster.On Sunday, a neighborhood ice cream social will be held at Kolb Park, 1650 South 6th Street. During the celebration, meet your neighbors, talk about your neighborhood, pick up litter, and enjoy some ice cream.Click here to see the neighborhood schedule and other information, including celebration sites and dumpster locations. There is a link to a neighborhood map searchable by address for anyone uncertain of their neighborhood's name.Neighborhood schedule: June 1-6  Littleville June 8-13  Walter Jetton June 15-20  Kolb Park June 22-27  Uppertown June 29 - July 4  River Park July 6-11  Dolly McNutt July 13-18  Ella Munal July 20-25  Farley Place
Williamson County Crash Sends One to Hospital

By West Kentucky Star Staff

WILLIAMSON COUNTY - A two vehicle crash in Williamson County Saturday afternoon sent one person to an area hospital.According to Illinois State Police, a vehicle driven by 31-year-old Jeremy Bader, of Perryville, MO, was traveling southbound on Illinois 37, just north of Villa Way.At the same time, a vehicle driven by 74-year-old Marvin Lampley, of West Frankfort, was traveling northbound at the same location.Bader's vehicle crossed into the northbound lane and struck Lampley's vehicle. The impact caused Lampley's vehicle to leave the roadway and overturn.Lampley was taken to an area hospital for treatment of injuries. Bader and his passenger, 26-year-old Kyle Kahmke, of Chester, refused medical attention.Bader was cited for improper lane use.
911 Call Leads To Arrest Of Carlisle County Man

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CARLISLE COUNTY - A Carlisle County man was arrested Sunday night on assault and other charges.Kentucky State Police E911 received a call alleging that 29-year-old Drannon Moore was armed with a machete and threatening to harm people at a home in Carlisle County.Carlisle County deputies arrived at the scene and reportedly saw a truck being driven by Moore going through the yard before entering a field behind the home.After checking to see if anyone at the home was hurt, authorities pursued the vehicle and found it abandoned near a tree line in the field.KSP Troopers, Bardwell police officers, and additional Carlisle County Sheriff Deputies then arrived to set up a perimeter. A K9 was also brought in to track the suspect.After speaking with family members, officers learned that that the suspect could also be armed with a handgun.Critical Drone Solutions was then called in to help with locating Moore after a 20 minute search was unsuccessful. While using a thermal imaging equipped drone they were able to locate Moore laying on the ground in high foliage one mile from where he abandoned his vehicle.After failing to comply with police commands to show his empty hands, K9 Kimber was deployed and engaged Moore which resulted with him surrendering immediately.Moore allegedly told police that he heard law enforcement calling for him to surrender, and threw the machete into a pond. He also reportedly said he was never armed with a handgun and had sold it two months before this incident.When being searched, deputies say a small amount of marijuana was found in Moore's pockets.He was then taken to Lourdes Hospital to be further evaluated and treated.Moore was charged with Menacing, Assault 4th Domestic Violence, Wanton Endangerment 1st Degree, Fleeing or Evading Police 1st Degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Resisting Arrest, and Possession of Marijuana.
Hickory Man Named As Louisville Shooting Victim

By West Kentucky Star Staff

HICKORY - A Graves County man has been identified as the victim in a shooting last week in Louisville.Multiple news outlets say the coroner's office confirmed that 62-year-old Rickie Felts of Hickory was the man shot Wednesday on West Southside Court in the Southland Park neighborhood.Louisville Metro Police responded to the scene and Felts was taken to University of Louisville Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.Police are investigating, but apparently have no suspects. They are asking anyone with information to contact their tip line.
Biden Maintains Skepticism On Putin

By The Associated Press

BRUSSELS - President Joe Biden frequently talks about what he sees as central in executing effective foreign policy: building personal relationships.But unlike his four most recent White House predecessors, who made an effort to build a measure of rapport with Vladimir Putin, Biden has made clear that the virtue of fusing a personal connection might have its limits when it comes to the Russian leader.The president, who is set to meet with Putin face-to-face on Wednesday in Geneva, has repeated an anecdote about his last meeting with Putin, 10 years ago when he was vice president and Putin was serving as prime minister. Putin had taken a break from the presidency because the Russian constitution at the time prohibited a third consecutive term, but he was still seen as Russia's most powerful leader.Biden recalled to biographer Evan Osnos that during that meeting in 2011, Putin showed him his ornate office in Moscow. Biden recalling poking Putin  a former KGB officer  that its amazing what capitalism will do."Biden said he then turned around and standing inches from Putin said, Mr. Prime Minister, Im looking into your eyes, and I dont think you have a soul." Biden said Putin smiled and responded: We understand one another.Biden's comment was in part a dig at former President George W. Bush, who faced ridicule after his first meeting with Putin when he claimed that he had looked the man in the eye and was able to get a sense of his soul. But in replaying his decade-old exchange with Putin, Biden also has attempted to demonstrate he is clear-eyed about the Russian leader in a way his predecessors werent.Biden and Putin are now meeting again, at a moment when the U.S.-Russia relationship seems to get more complicated by the day. Biden has repeatedly taken Putin to task  and levied sanctions against Russian entities and individuals in Putins orbit  over allegations of Russian interference in the 2020 election and the hacking of federal agencies in what is known as the SolarWinds breach.Despite the sanctions, Putin has been unmoved. Cyber attacks in the U.S. originating from Russian-based hackers in recent weeks have also impacted a major oil pipeline and the largest meat supplier in the world. Putin has denied Kremlin involvement.Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia who was with Biden for the 2011 meeting with Putin, said in an interview that Biden might have a deeper skepticism and perhaps more informed view of Putin than any of his White House predecessors.Bidens knowledge of the region may be better than anybody thats held the job, McFaul said. Biden has spent time in Georgia. He spent a lot of time in Ukraine. I traveled with him to Moldova, and hes spent a lot of time in the eastern parts of the NATO alliance. He has been in those places and heard firsthand about Russian aggression and Russian threat. ... It has created a unique component of his analysis of Putin that other presidents have not had.Indeed, as president, Biden has said he would take a far different tack in his relationship with Putin than former President Donald Trump and the three other past U.S. presidents, whose political lives overlapped Putin's time in power.During his first visit of his presidency to the State Department, in February, Biden told agency employees that the days of rolling over for Putin were over  a not-so thinly veiled shot at Trump. Later, in an ABC News interview, Biden answered affirmatively that Putin was a killer."The White House said that Biden would not hold a joint news conference with Putin, but would speak to media on his own after Wednesday's meeting. Administration officials say that Biden doesn't want to elevate Putin. Asked Sunday why years of U.S. sanctions haven't changed Putin's behavior, Biden laughed and responded: He's Vladimir Putin.""Barack Obama came into office seeking a reset of the U.S.-Russia relationship, an effort to improve relations with Russian leadership and find areas of common interest.Before his visit to Moscow early in his first term Obama spoke dismissively of Putin, saying the then-prime minister had one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new. But after meeting face-to-face during the trip, Obama pronounced he was very convinced the prime minister is a man of today and hes got his eyes firmly on the future.But by the time Obama and Putin met on the sidelines of the 2013 Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland, the reset effort was on life support.Obama and Putin's disdain for each other was palpable. During a photo opportunity before the press in Northern Ireland, they sat grim faced and avoided looking at each other.In 2014, after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine, any vapor of hope for a reset had evaporated.George W. Bush tried mightily to charm Putin, hosting him at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and bringing him to his fathers estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, where the 43rd and 41st presidents took the Russian president fishing.But Putin ultimately flummoxed Bush and the relationship was badly damaged after Russia's 2008 invasion of its neighbor Georgia after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered his troops into the breakaway region of South Ossetia.Bill Clinton was the first U.S. president to deal with Putin, meeting him for the first time in 1999 at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering months before Putin would succeed Boris Yeltsin as president and a little over a year before the end of Clintons presidency.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-11 20:54:36|Editor: huaxia

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Thandiwe Ngoma, a COVID-19 survivor, walks on a street in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, on June 7, 2021. (Photo by Lillian Banda/Xinhua)

LUSAKA, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Within days of attending a funeral gathering, Thandiwe Ngoma, a resident of Lusaka, Zambia's capital, developed a fever and aches in February this year.

"I had hoped that the fever and body pains I was experiencing were mere signs of flu or malaria and that they would go away in no time. However, after days of using a variety of homemade remedies, I got worse and had great challenges breathing particularly during the night," she recounted.

It was after symptoms persisted that the 32-year-old Ngoma, a data entry clerk at a non-profit organization, decided to go for a COVID-19 test and the results came out positive.

"I was very scared and anxious at the same time because COVID-19 is still a relatively new disease. The closest I can get to explain what it is like to be sick with the virus is that it feels like severe malaria," she said.

Ngoma, who after undergoing treatment tested negative for the virus, went on to recount how some friends abandoned her and how she managed issues of stigma and shame she underwent particularly during the period of recovery, which lasted about a month.

"I still get mixed reactions whenever I mention that I am a COVID-19 survivor. Some people immediately distance themselves from me while others are intrigued and want to learn more," she explained.

An enthusiastic Ngoma has since made it her mission to educate as well as sensitize others about the dangers of COVID-19 using her personal experience through casual interactions.

"The idea is to help save one life at a time. If I can help someone understand that COVID-19 is not a myth as some still believe, that one person will go ahead and convince one or two people to take precautionary measures," she said.

Ngoma said that talking openly about her experience in an unstructured manner has encouraged many of those she has had conversations with to begin to take preventive measures seriously.

"I do not have a structured plan or program. I reach out to people by simply engaging them in casual talks about everyday life issues like the weather, which on many occasions leading to discussions about COVID-19," she said.

Ngoma lamented that despite high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide and the media images depicting how the pandemic is ravaging societies, many in Zambia still think that COVID-19 afflicts people in societies far away from Zambia.

"There are a host of myths and misconceptions about COVID-19 and related matters out there that are that need to be addressed before the situation gets out of control," Ngoma noted.

She, however, remained hopeful that with more COVID-19 survivors in Zambia speaking openly about their encounters with the virus, more members of the public would begin to take measures to prevent the further spread of the virus. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-12 17:15:21|Editor: huaxia

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Exhibitors from Iran are seen at the Trade in Services exhibition area during the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Yin Ke)

The deepening of cooperation between Iran and China under the BRI could help promote "the country's infrastructure, particularly in the transportation sector," said Majidreza Hariri, president of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ICCCI).



TEHRAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- It is mutually beneficial to advance Iran-China cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which could accelerate both Iran's development and the China-proposed initiative's implementation, a senior Iranian business leader told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The deepening of cooperation between Iran and China under the BRI could help promote "the country's infrastructure, particularly in the transportation sector, such as roads, railways, ports, airports and means of transportation," said Majidreza Hariri, president of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ICCCI).

"Such collaborations would also help boost employment in Iran, which is among the problems faced by the country's youths as well as educated and skilled workforce," he added.

People visit the booth of Iran at the Consumer Goods exhibition area during the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Haofu)

In addition, Iran's participation in the BRI helps develop the country's mining sector, thus increasing their share in the domestic economy, he said.

"Iran's ideal geographical position is the first and most important advantage," which makes the country's participation in the BRI beneficial for the China-proposed initiative, as it appropriately connects West Asia to East Asia through land and sea, Hariri said.

Among Iran's other advantages include the country's good political and economic relations with its Eastern and Western neighbors, he said.

"If these advantages are used appropriately and maximally, they can help accelerate the BRI's implementation," Hariri added.

Despite the shadow cast by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICCCI has gradually learned to take part in online exhibitions and hold virtual meetings with their Chinese partners to increase its presence in the Chinese market, he said.

Chinese medical team members meet with Iranian medical experts in Tehran, Iran, March 7, 2020. (Xinhua)

The Iranian business leader, who has interacted with the Chinese people for roughly 40 years and visited China regularly for almost three decades before the pandemic, said that "the Iranian and Chinese people, owing to their behaviors and characteristics, can work together" and make friends with each other.

As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), he said that the Chinese ruling party "has helped considerably improve the quality of people's lives in China. "

"The present level of development and progress witnessed in China could not be possible without such a CPC-led united country," he noted. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 22:50:40|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has called for "a bit of respect" from the European Union (EU) leaders as he claimed the bloc's senior figures "serially" talk about Northern Ireland "as if it were somehow a different country from the UK", Sky News reported Sunday.

His comment came as tension rises between both sides on post-Brexit trade and a "grace period" for some border checks will end at the end of this month.

"We have serially seen senior EU figures talk about Northern Ireland as if it were somehow a different country from the UK," Raab was quoted as saying.

He claimed the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol had been "very lopsided" and had had "real life effects" on people in Northern Ireland, Sky News said.

"What we cannot have is the continuing disruption of trade and effectively try to change the status of Northern Ireland, contrary to the consent and wishes of the people, which is not just contrary to the Northern Ireland Protocol but also to the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement," the foreign secretary added, according to Sky News.

Officials from both sides met in London on Wednesday to hold talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit but produced no breakthroughs.

The British government has threatened to unilaterally extend the customs "grace period" on Irish Sea border checks over imports of some products to Northern Ireland from Great Britain, over which the EU is vowing retaliation.

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland issue was also raised during talks between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the U.S. and European leaders.

In meeting U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday in Cornwall ahead of the G7 Summit, Johnson tried to smooth over differences with Biden on the Northern Ireland issue, but failed to find a real solution.

The two leaders agreed that both the EU and Britain had a responsibility to work together and to find pragmatic solutions to allow unincumbered trade between Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, a statement from 10 Downing Street said.

In his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, Johnson expressed confidence in Britain's position in the Northern Ireland Protocol and made clear his desire for pragmatism and compromise on all sides but underlined that protecting the Belfast Agreement in all its dimensions is paramount.

Johnson underlined Britain's position on the Northern Ireland protocol and the need to maintain both the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Britain when he met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday.

Under the protocol, a part of the post-Brexit trade deal reached between London and Brussels in 2019, food products from Britain to the EU will have to enter through new border control posts at Northern Ireland's ports.

Northern Ireland will continue to apply EU customs rules at its ports, to allow goods to flow into the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the EU. This is known as the Irish sea border, which is a new trade border between Northern Ireland and other parts of Britain.

The Belfast Agreement, or the Good Friday Agreement, is a set of agreements signed between the British and Irish governments as well as the major political parties in Northern Ireland on Good Friday, April 10, 1998, which is viewed as a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process.

This agreement helped to end a period of conflict in the region. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-13 23:15:24|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on Nov. 18, 2018 shows the Pedro Miguel locks of the Panama Canal in Panama.(Xinhua/Mauricio Valenzuela)

The broadcast of "Stories of the Canal" was a result of the Panama-China Film Festival Day co-organized by the Chinese embassy in Panama, Panama's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Canal Affairs, as well as CCTV-6 to celebrate the anniversary that falls on Sunday.

PANAMA CITY, June 12 (Xinhua) -- A movie that depicts the centennial history of the well-known Panama Canal was broadcast on the movie channel of China's national television (CCTV-6) on Saturday to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the establishment of China-Panama diplomatic relations.

The broadcast of "Stories of the Canal" was a result of the Panama-China Film Festival Day co-organized by the Chinese embassy in Panama, Panama's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Canal Affairs, as well as CCTV-6 to celebrate the anniversary that falls on Sunday.

In a pre-recorded video speech, Minister for Canal Affairs Aristides Royo briefly introduced the film, which was made by five Panamanian directors in 2014 to mark the waterway's centennial, saying the Panamanian people are happy that the Chinese audience have the chance to watch the film.

Chinese Ambassador to Panama Wei Qiang said the canal's history reflects how the world has evolved in modern times.

Noting that China is currently one of the largest users of the canal and an important economic and commercial partner of the Central American country, the ambassador said he hopes more exchanges would promote the mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries, and also help expand their practical cooperation.

The canal is an artificial 82-km waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The shortcut greatly reduces the time for ships to travel between the two oceans. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 07:06:55|Editor: huaxia

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SANTIAGO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The second round of elections for regional governors, which for the first time will be chosen by popular vote in Chile, began on Sunday as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera called the elections "very important and historic because today, for the first time, 13 regions of Chile are going to elect their governor."

Chilean Minister of Health Enrique Paris said that the Ministry of Health has, alongside the Electoral Service of Chile (Servel), ensured that the elections will be carried out "safely, so that our compatriots can exercise their right to express their opinion at the polls" during the pandemic.

Servel reported that all 40,382 polling stations had been installed across the country, staffed by more than 115,000 polling station workers.

On May 16, Chile held historic elections for mayors, councilors, regional governors, and the 155 constituents who will draft the country's new constitution. However, only three of the 16 regions managed to elect a governor, as a candidate must receive over 40 percent of the vote to be elected to the position in the first round.

For the first time in Chile's history, governors will be elected directly by the citizen vote instead of being appointed by the president.

Chile ended the week with a weekly average of over 7,000 daily COVID-19 cases, the health ministry reported on Sunday. The entire Santiago Metropolitan Region entered total lockdown on Saturday, with residents only able to leave their homes to vote in the elections. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 08:18:48|Editor: huaxia

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-- The Group of Seven (G7) on Sunday wrapped up its first in-person summit in almost two years against the backdrop of protesters taking to the streets and beaches and accusing the world's richest countries of making "empty promises."

-- In a joint communique issued after the summit, the G7 leaders belatedly pledged to provide 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine to the less developed countries over the next year.

-- Unsurprisingly, on China, the G7 joint communique did not fail to mention issues such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and East and South China Seas, in the name of "upholding the rules-based international system and international law," despite pledging to cooperate with China to tackle "shared global challenges" like climate change and biodiversity loss.

-- Despite a seemingly unified image and claims that "America is back", issues such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) defense budget, Airbus-Boeing dispute, and more recently, Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit, have threatened to divide the Western allies.

FALMOUTH, Britain, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven (G7) on Sunday wrapped up its first in-person summit in almost two years against the backdrop of protesters taking to the streets and beaches and accusing the world's richest countries of making "empty promises."

Critics said the three-day gathering, held in Britain's southwestern resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall, is a "historic missed opportunity" as it only threw up more questions than answers to some of the world's thorniest issues.

With various agendas and interests, the sense of unity that the rich club is trying to hype up remains elusive.





HISTORIC MISSED OPPORTUNITY

In a joint communique issued after the summit, the G7 leaders belatedly pledged to provide 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine to the less developed countries over the next year.

While the gesture is seen as a step in the right direction, campaigners and critics feel it lacks ambition and is far too slow as it was not enough to cover the needs of these countries.

(From L to R, Front) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (From L to R, Rear) European Council President Charles Michel, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stand for a photo in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 11, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

"We need more than that," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said of the G7 plan. "We need a global vaccination plan. We need to act with a logic, with a sense of urgency, and with the priorities of a war economy, and we are still far from getting that."

The World Health Organization estimates that at least 11 billion doses are needed to stand a chance of beating the COVID-19. Countries like Britain, Canada and the United States have ordered enough doses of vaccines to immunize their entire populations multiple times over.

Commenting on the shortfall in vaccines, former UK prime minister Gordon Brown said the summit would "go down as a missed opportunity", and "an unforgivable moral failure" when the world's richest countries didn't come up with a comprehensive plan to deliver vaccination by the middle of next year.

The leaders also agreed to take measures to speed up economic recovery after the pandemic by investing in infrastructure and driving innovation, and to secure future prosperity by championing freer and fairer trade.

On climate change, the G7 leaders agreed to adopt strict measures on coal-fired power stations and reaffirmed to raise 100 billion U.S. dollars a year to help the less developed countries cut emissions.

The plan, with an apparent lack of binding agreements and timetables, has drawn strong criticism.

According to Teresa Anderson from Action Aid, an international charity, the pledges by the G7 didn't come close to addressing the urgency and scale of the crisis.

"Rich countries have so far failed to deliver on climate finance pledges. The majority of what has been provided so far has been in the form of loans, which are pushing vulnerable countries further into debt and poverty," she said.

Kirsty McNeill from Crack the Crises, a coalition of charities and NGOs, believed that the G7 summit was a "historic missed opportunity" on COVID-19 and climate change.

Leaders arrived "with good intentions but without their cheque books," she noted.





IN THE NAME OF "RULES-BASED SYSTEM"

Unsurprisingly, on China, the G7 joint communique did not fail to mention issues such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and East and South China Seas, in the name of "upholding the rules-based international system and international law," despite pledging to cooperate with China to tackle "shared global challenges" like climate change and biodiversity loss.



In an earlier statement, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Britain said: "The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone. There is only one system and one order in the world, that is, the international system with the United Nations at the core and the international order based on international law, not the so-called system and order advocated by a handful of countries."

"There is only one kind of multilateralism, that is, the genuine multilateralism based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and featuring equal treatment, cooperation and mutual benefits, not pseudo-multilateralism serving the interests of a small clique or political bloc," the spokesperson added.

During the summit, the G7 leaders also adopted the U.S.-backed Build Back Better World (B3W) plan to support lower- and middle-income countries in building better infrastructure, which is deemed by many as an attempt to rival the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

In an earlier report, the London-based Financial Times (FT) stated that on his first overseas visit, U.S. President Joe Biden may try to "coax a wary Europe to work more closely with Washington on China," among his priorities.

Police officers patrol outside the G7 media center in Falmouth, Cornwall, Britain, on June 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

Martin Jacques, a senior fellow at Cambridge University, said it's not surprising that the "greatly diminished" G7 took a very negative view about China, "because it's only defensive and it's kind of embattled."

The G7 would be making a "mistake" if they seek to exclude or contain China in the face of global challenges, he told Xinhua. "I think it's a mistake for the G7 to do what they did. They should be seeking ways of developing cooperation with China, not thinking to contain or rebuff China."





INTERNAL DIVISIONS

Despite a seemingly unified image and claims that "America is back", issues such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) defense budget, Airbus-Boeing dispute, and more recently, Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit, have threatened to divide the Western allies.

Notably, doubts still remain among the Europeans as to how sincere the United States is to cooperate with Europe on international issues after four tumultuous years of the Donald Trump administration.

"Beneath the likely statements of unity, Biden will have to deal with an awkward reality... It (Europe) has different economic and strategic priorities from the U.S. and there is a constant risk of those divisions breaking into the open," the FT reported.

Some EU leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, are wary of Cold War-style rhetoric aimed at China and some do not like the term "adversary", which is often used by Washington when referring to Beijing, according to the FT.

"I think there's a certain amount of weariness (in Europe) after four years of Trump and four years of pushback against the Transatlantic Alliance, NATO and, and so forth," Rajneesh Narula, an expert of international relations at University of Reading, told Xinhua.

The British expert believes that Biden, who has not reverted everything Trump has done, is still advocating "America First", just without saying it aloud.

"Biden hasn't shown the intention of reverting everything Trump has done. He understands that there are enough people voting in America who care about the 'America First' agenda. So he is saying America first but without using those words," Narula said.

A police boat patrols in Falmouth, Cornwall, Britain, on June 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

Julian Mueller-Kaler, a researcher at the Berlin-based thinktank German Council on Foreign Relations, also agreed that Europe would be "very cautious" when dealing with transatlantic relations.

"A lot of Europeans will be very cautious when it comes to this renewal of transatlantic relations," he said.

"So I think it will be a challenge for Biden and the European leaders to come up with concrete policy proposals instead of just good and empty words," he added. (Video reporter: Liang Xizhi; Video editor: Zhou Sa'ang)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 10:32:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

BOGOTA -- Colombian President Ivan Duque confirmed on Sunday that he had received his first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 and said that the National Vaccination Plan is continuing its fight to immunize 35 million people in the country.

Duque thanked doctors and health personnel for helping thousands of patients who have been affected by the disease, which has caused 3,724,705 cases and left 95,192 people dead so far.

"Today more than ever, we have to be aware that the pandemic is not over and that the pandemic may come to an end once the whole planet has a herd immunity. Therefore, having the vaccine helps us prevent it," he said.

- - - -

BUENOS AIRES -- Argentina reported 13,043 new COVID-19 infections and 268 more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the accumulated totals to 4,124,190 and 85,343 respectively on Sunday.

In its daily report, the country's health ministry also reported that 3,721,350 people have recovered from the disease, while 317,497 remain in the active stage.

Meanwhile, 16,360,449 vaccine doses against COVID-19 have been administered in the South American country to date.

- - - -

ADDIS ABABA -- Ethiopia registered 159 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 274,187 as of Sunday evening, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

The ministry said five new deaths and 575 more recoveries were reported, bringing the national death toll to 4,242 and total recoveries to 250,664.

Ethiopia, Africa's second-most populous nation, has so far reported the largest number of COVID-19 cases in the East Africa region.

- - - -

QUITO -- Ecuador reported 826 cases and 28 more deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for a total of 438,934 infections and 15,483 fatalities, the Ministry of Public Health said Sunday.

According to the ministry's daily report, the province of Pichincha continuously registered the highest number of cases, with an incidence rate of 4,849 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while most infections are concentrated in the capital city of Quito. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 10:49:36|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- On Monday, China celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional festival observed to commemorate Qu Yuan, a well-known patriotic poet from ancient China.

Qu wrote many poems that expressed his concern for the country and people, which have been cited by President Xi Jinping on multiple occasions.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has stressed the virtue of patriotism many times. The following are some highlights of his remarks:

-- The love for one's motherland is the deepest and most enduring sentiment in the world.

-- Patriotism is the core of the Chinese national ethos.

-- Patriotism has always been a source of spiritual strength that firmly unites the Chinese nation.

-- Patriotism is not a mere slogan. A patriot is one who closely intertwines his/her own ideals with the future of the country, and his/her life with the fate of the nation.

-- In contemporary China, the essence of patriotism is loving the country, the Party and socialism all at the same time.

-- Patriotism is the foundation on which young Chinese people in the new era can become winners in life. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 11:04:24|Editor: huaxia

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by Hummam Sheikh Ali

DAMASCUS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- With tears falling down her cheeks, Haya Qalla said goodbye to her parents and brothers, as she was ready to travel back to Germany.

For the 37-year-old physician, Syria is like a memory box, containing all memories of her childhood sweet times before the 10-year-long war.

"In every corner, I have a memory. Syria is like my whole world. Whenever I come here, I get energized and charged," she told Xinhua.

Eight years ago, Qalla immigrated to Germany along with her husband, who is also a physician, and pursued higher medical education at prestigious hospitals there.

During these times, she visited Syria regularly and wished she could come back for good. However, it was not easy for her as the situation in the country wasn't stable with war fire raging in many places.

In her last visit this year, Syria was calm. No battles, no mortar shells or explosions, just tranquility and peace.

However, due to the tough Western economic sanctions on the Syrian government, the country is facing a harsh economic crisis with soaring prices and a lack of imports of key necessities.

"I see people waiting in long queues to get bread and fuel for their cars. The electricity outages last for long hours and there are some things that I cannot find in the market," she told Xinhua.

She couldn't even make bank transactions from Syria or open some websites due to the sanctions.

"Many emigrants are wishing to return but the economic situation is making them postpone the idea," she said.

Even though she lives in Germany for many years, her family home in Damascus is a place where she feels most safe.

People thought that the emigrants forget about their original countries, but that is totally untrue, she said.

"Syria is like a cradle of my sweet memories. Whenever I come, I feel so happy and plan my trip so that I could visit all the places that I love," she said.

Still, every time she is about to leave, sadness takes over her and she becomes despondent.

"I am really looking forward to the day when I can return with my family to Syria just to save me the goodbye tears because they are bitter," she said.

Her brother, Shady, also felt sad every time his sister was about to leave.

"We, the Syrians, said too many goodbyes. I think we deserve to be reunited with our family members and we deserve to live in our country without having to deal with the impact of sanctions," he said.

He hoped that the situation in the country would continue to be improved and that one day, Syrian emigrants could return to their own country and rebuild it.

"The world should help Syrians to return to their country and they should start by easing the sanctions, so that the economic situation gets better," he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 11:21:54|Editor: huaxia

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Bolat Nurgaliyev, former Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), receives an interview with Xinhua in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, June 7, 2021. (Photo by Kalizhan Ospanov/Xinhua)

NUR-SULTAN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which marks its 20th founding anniversary on June 15, has grown into a major force in facilitating the realization of lasting peace and common development, said former SCO Secretary-General Bolat Nurgaliyev.

Nurgaliyev served as SCO secretary-general from 2007 to 2009 and now works as chairman of the board of the Foreign Policy Research Institute under the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, the veteran diplomat said the SCO, though a relatively young bloc, has achieved substantive progress over the past 20 years by strengthening trust between member states in an effective, fruitful and constructive manner.

With eight full members, four observer countries and six dialogue partners, the bloc covers nearly half of the world's population and spans over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass.

Since the very beginning, the SCO saw itself as a key player in safeguarding international security to jointly address common threats and challenges, said Nurgaliyev.

He explained that SCO members have made notable strides in the fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism. Meanwhile, economic and trade cooperation as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges have also been undergoing smooth development.

Rebuffing that the SCO is the "eastern NATO," Nurgaliyev said the SCO always sticks to collective consultation, openness and is ready to cooperate both in the East and the West.

The diplomat said the SCO is constantly developing, galvanized by the Shanghai Spirit featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and pursuit of common development.

He said that China has made concrete contributions to the SCO. "I would like to emphasize that the China-proposed ideas of building a community with (a) shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have stood test within the framework of the SCO."

He added that the BRI offered the SCO members a chance to tap the potential and gear up their cooperation, notably in infrastructure.

"China better understands that one's own well-being depends on the successful development of his neighbors. If your neighbor has a more successful economy, you can benefit from it," Nurgaliyev noted.

"Turning 20 years old, the SCO has walked a glorious path. There is a very high level of mutual trust and understanding, with member states ready to jointly respond to challenges on the international agenda," said Nurgaliyev.

Pointing to the coronavirus pandemic as an example, he said that the SCO has conducted effective cooperation in exchanging experience of medical treatment, as well as providing mutual assistance in personal protective equipment and vaccination research and production.

During a time when the world is facing one challenge after another, the SCO will continue to hold close its original aspiration and stick to the Shanghai Spirit so as to contribute to the stability and sustainable development of the region and beyond, he said.

"We have a common destiny. We are not only neighbors who were destined to be together, but also close friends and partners," said Nurgaliyev. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 13:48:24|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China's anti-pandemic performance and achievements in poverty eradication are highly impressive, said Dilip Barua, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist).

He said that the Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist) has a fraternal relation with the CPC since 1976, and the two parties have exchanged delegations and views on Marxism.

The CPC's drive to build a socialism with Chinese characteristics is "very impressive to us," he said, adding that history has proven that the CPC has successfully integrated Marxism into the building of the Chinese society.

He also spoke highly of China's fight against the COVID-19.

"The calamities of COVID-19 would drag individuals into poverty. So we want to say due to COVID-19, the poverty level of the world is very, very alarming," he said.

"But we saw in China, the Chinese people, under the leadership of comrade Xi Jinping, fought against COVID-19 through their concerted efforts, and the Chinese government has succeeded in controlling the pandemic," he noted, adding that the world is impressed with the outstanding job.

"This has been possible because the Chinese people have a strong understanding (in fighting the pandemic). And China has a good governance system and institutional functioning," Barua said.

He highlighted that the CPC has been striving for the wellbeing of the Chinese people and the progress of mankind, which will make a great contribution to the welfare of people around the world.

The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) can be greatly helpful for promoting global economy and improving the interconnectivity of the world, according to Barua.

"In Bangladesh, our people have a strong feeling regarding the Belt and Road Initiative," he said, adding that he looks forward to the greater development of the BRI. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 14:30:58|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his solidarity with persons with albinism on Sunday, which is the International Albinism Awareness Day.

Albinism, a rare, non-contagious, genetically inherited condition found in both men and women, presents as a lack of melanin pigmentation in hair, skin and eyes, causing vulnerability to the sun and bright light.

(UN-Chief-Disease)

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rose 0.2 percentage points over the week to 38.5 percent last week, a weekly poll showed Monday.

The negative assessment on Moon's conduct of state affairs fell 0.3 percentage points to 57.6 percent, according to the Realmeter survey.

Support for Moon's ruling Democratic Party slipped 0.5 percentage points from a week earlier to 29.2 percent last week. (South Korea-President-Polling)

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday offered congratulations to Naftali Bennett as Israel's new prime minister.

In a phone call with Bennett, Biden highlighted his decades of support for the bilateral relations and his unwavering commitment to Israel's security, according to a White House statement.

The two leaders agreed to consult closely on regional security issues, including Iran, said the statement. (U.S.-Israel-Ties)

- - - -

CAPE TOWN -- South Africa's Northern Cape Province on Sunday said it recorded a "considerable" decrease in COVID-19 infections in schools for the past week, after dozens of schools were closed from early this month.

A total of 103 new positive cases were recorded in schools over the week, "much lower" compared to the previous weeks, the provincial education department said in a statement. (South Africa-Pandemic) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 15:54:23|Editor: huaxia

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(From L to R, Front) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (From L to R, Rear) European Council President Charles Michel, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stand for a family photo during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 11, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

So instead of unabashedly pointing an accusing finger at China, the group could have put more time and energy into addressing its own problems at home, for the sake of the well-being of its own people.

by Xinhua writer Guo Yage

BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- At their just concluded gathering, an exclusive club of wealthy developed economies has once again shown to the whole world their so-called "common values" are no more than deeply-entrenched ideological prejudice and sense of arrogance.

In a joint communique issued Sunday by the leaders of Group of Seven (G7) after their three-day meeting in Cornwall, Britain, they grossly interfered with the internal affairs of China on issues concerning Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and others.

And for some parts of the statement in which they elaborated on so-called initiatives to boost global development, for example a special infrastructure plan, the end goal is still to counter China.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 10, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

It turns out that this group of developed countries is hardly developed in its way of thinking.

The age of Cold War has already gone 30 years. Yet it seems that such a zero-sum mentality still prevails in the capitals of some nations. And it seems that some of the decision-makers of those countries still refuse to wake up from their imperial colonial dreams.

As some of the world's wealthiest countries, what they should have done in this utterly challenging era is to rally consensus globally for ending the still-raging pandemic as soon as possible and sustaining a steadfast global economic recovery.

However, it seems that the G7 members are only interested in highlighting differences, and prompting conflicts among members of the international community.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) poses with U.S. President Joe Biden in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, Britain, on June 10, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

So instead of unabashedly pointing an accusing finger at China, the group could have put more time and energy into addressing its own problems at home, for the sake of the well-being of its own people.

Perhaps most importantly of all, the 48-year-old club, which touts itself as a high-profile venue for discussing solutions to major global challenges, could have added some real actions to its ballyhoo.

The world will see whether the group's pledge on vaccines, on more economic support for developing countries, and on climate change, can be put into practice, or are merely lip services.

The world will also find out whether the group's promise on infrastructure investment to low- and middle-income countries involves sincerity in helping those countries, or is simply geopolitics at play.

Considering their disappointing track records of keeping promises, it does not look promising this time either.

This is an age of collaboration. The era when a small number of countries can control the destiny of the world and dictate global agenda is just history now.

If the club really cares for securing a better future for the planet, as it claimed in the joint communique, it should start by discarding its China-bashing cliches, and thinking about what best suits the developing interests of the world at large. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 16:16:02|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Monday 6,426 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,322,053.

The death toll climbed to 22,845 after 57 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

The Philippines, which has more than 110 million population, has tested more than 13 million people since the outbreak in January 2020.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the COVID-19 situation in Metro Manila remains "fragile" despite the falling number of new cases.

"Our hospitals in Metro Manila now are manageable. There are no more hospitals at a high-risk level. All have been decongested from the last surge that we've had," she said in an online briefing, warning that "we might experience another surge anytime if we are not careful."

The Philippines is now focusing on how to bring the pandemic-ravaged economy back on track by easing lockdown restrictions while curbing coronavirus infections. The government will announce later Monday new restrictions rules.

"We need to do these things slowly. We will prioritize the essential services first before we can open the rest of the non-essentials," Vergeire said, stressing the need to balance the economy and the health sector.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the restrictions focus on reopening the economy to help people recover their jobs and income sources.

"Our policy right now in quarantine classifications is in favor of the economic side, allowing more businesses to come back and operate at a higher capacity," Lopez said in a televised press conference.

The mayors of cities in Metro Manila agreed on Monday to shorten the curfew hours from 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. local time in the capital starting Tuesday to allow businesses to operate longer.

The National Economic and Development Authority said the pandemic brought about losses of around 1.04 trillion pesos (roughly 21.78 billion U.S. dollars) in total income to households in 2020 alone.

Employment data in the country shows that unemployment rate rose from 5.3 percent before the pandemic to 7.1 percent in March 2021. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 17:14:29|Editor: huaxia

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks at the inauguration ceremony of the Chinese-built Meskel Square project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 13, 2021. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated a Chinese-contracted mega development project downtown here on Sunday, with former President Mulatu Teshome, senior government officials, and representatives of diplomatic missions witnessing it. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

ADDIS ABABA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated a Chinese-contracted mega development project downtown here on Sunday, with former President Mulatu Teshome, senior government officials, and representatives of diplomatic missions witnessing it.

"Congratulations as we inaugurated the Meskel Square project, which is an integral part of our life and history," Ahmed said, speaking at the inauguration ceremony for the project in the heart of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital.

"The project was built in a way that fits our country's dream and aspirations," he said at the event, attended by representatives of the Chinese contractor for the project China Communications Construction Company.

Ahmed stressed that Meskel Square could be seen as a model development project for ongoing and upcoming similar mega projects in the capital and throughout the East African country.

The state-of-the-art Meskel Square project incorporates an underground parking lot enough to accommodate about 1,400 vehicles, six LED advertising screens, shops and office centers, among others.

Adanech Abiebie, deputy mayor of Addis Ababa, noting the successful completion of the project within a short period of time, commended the Chinese contractor for its work.

The Meskel Square project signifies the Ethiopian government's commitment to deliver mega projects both in terms of quality and time, she said.

The Meskel Square project is the latest addition to a number of mega-development projects that are underway across the capital, most of which are undertaken by Chinese companies, such as a 56 km riverside rehabilitation project dubbed Beautifying Sheger.

The East African country recently inaugurated a landmark recreational avenue, dubbed Friendship Square, which is also part of Beautifying Sheger.

The Friendship Square project was also built by China Communications Construction Company in under a year.

The Beautifying Sheger project, along with a number of other mega projects, is initiated by Prime Minister Ahmed, who envisions creating a clean and livable environment for more than 5 million residents of Addis Ababa.

Addis Ababa also hosts the headquarters of the African Union, the UN Economic Commission for Africa as well as more than 100 diplomatic missions. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 17:41:04|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian police have confiscated 1,129 kg of crystal methamphetamine allegedly coming from the Middle East and Africa, and arrested seven dealers, according to a police officer on Monday.

Indonesia's National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit said the seven dealers consisted of two Nigerians and five Indonesians.

The police seized all the crystal methamphetamines in four different locations, namely 393 kg in Gunung Sindur and 511 kg in Bekasi, both in West Java province, and 50 kg at the Basura apartment and 175 kg at the Green Pramuka apartment, both in the capital city Jakarta.

People violating the narcotics laws are facing life imprisonment and a maximum sentence of death in Indonesia. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 17:50:37|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. President Joe Biden will take part in his debut NATO summit Monday. However, doubts still remain among the Europeans as to how sincere the U.S. is to cooperate with Europe on international issues after four tumultuous years of the Donald Trump administration. #GLOBALink

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 17:59:49|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA -- The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported on Monday 6,426 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,322,053.

The death toll climbed to 22,845 after 57 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. (Philippines-COVID-19)

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TOKYO -- Two Americans, charged with helping former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan in 2019 while on bail awaiting his trial, pleaded guilty at their first hearing in court on Monday.

Michael Taylor, a 60-year-old former Green Beret, and his son Peter, 28, have already admitted to helping Ghosn, 67, flee Japan so the former auto tycoon could avoid trial for charges of financial misconduct. (Japan-Ghosn-Americans)

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SEOUL -- South Korea's unification ministry on Monday called for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to respond to Seoul's dialogue offer ahead of the 21st anniversary of the June 15 joint declaration.

Lee Jong-joo, unification ministry spokesperson, told a press briefing that the government urges the DPRK to return to the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration and positively respond to the call for dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas. (S.Korea-DPRK-Dialogue offer)

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SEOUL -- South Korea's military will conduct a defense drill near the islets disputed with Japan, Yonhap news agency reported Monday citing unnamed government and military sources.

The maritime exercise, called the East Sea Territory Protection Exercise, will be staged Tuesday near the Dokdo islets, called Takeshima in Japan. (S.Korea-Drill)

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COLOMBO -- The total number of COVID-19 patients in Sri Lanka reached 223,638 on Monday after over 2,300 new patients were detected a day earlier, official figures from the Health Ministry showed here.

Out of the total figures, the active patient count to date was 32,955 while a total of 2,136 deaths have been reported from the virus. (Sri Lanka-COVID-19) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 18:03:24|Editor: huaxia

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The U.S. flag waves in the wind at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, on April 16, 2021. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

"I think it's really about preventing a further deterioration in the relationship and trying to move toward strategic stability and a relationship more predictable and less toxic, but not a relationship that would constitute strong cooperation," said Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

by Xu Chi

GENEVA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin here is a manifestation of sharply deteriorating bilateral ties, and aims to prevent further worsening, thus it should be viewed with low expectations, a senior foreign policy expert has said.

"I think that one has to look to the summit between Putin and Biden with relatively low expectations," said Charles Kupchan, professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Biden is currently in Europe on his first foreign trip since he was sworn into office. He is scheduled to meet the Group of Seven (G7) leaders and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, and co-host a summit with the European Union, before speaking in Geneva with Putin on Wednesday for a more "stable, predictable" U.S.-Russia relationship.

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C., the United States, April 28, 2021. (Melina Mara/Pool via Xinhua)

"The summit is a product of a sharp deterioration in the relationship during Biden's first few months in office. We saw an exchange of sanctions, expulsion of diplomats ... Things seemed to be on a downward spiral," Kupchan, also former special assistant to the president on national security affairs from 2014 to 2017, told Xinhua in a recent virtual interview.

"So the backdrop to the summit is not one of forward momentum but one of concern about trying to prevent the relationship from getting worse," noted the Washington-based expert.

"The discussion (between Putin and Biden) will be narrowly focused on U.S.-Russian relations. They will agree to disagree on a set of difficult issues," he said.

"This is not a dialogue that is about taking the next step in global governance. It's not a dialogue about a sudden reset in U.S.-Russia relations," Kupchan added.

"I think it's really about preventing a further deterioration in the relationship and trying to move toward strategic stability and a relationship more predictable and less toxic, but not a relationship that would constitute strong cooperation," he stressed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a teleconference at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, on May 11, 2020. (Sputnik via Xinhua)

As for the possibility of lifting Western sanctions on Russia, the expert does not believe that the sanctions are about to be lifted on Russia.

"It is unlikely that there will be any significant progress on the most difficult issues that divide Russia and the United States, including Ukraine, human rights, Russian interference in Western elections, Russia's provocative military actions, Russian sponsorship of hacking into U.S. computers," he stressed.

"At the same time, it may be possible for Biden and Putin to compartmentalize their differences, and to have a constructive discussion about issues where they may find some common ground. Those issues would include strategic stability, arms control, more military transparency to prevent mishaps, climate change, pandemic, recovery, and future planning against pandemics, perhaps some cooperation on the issues related to the Arctic," said the scholar.

"I think if they can set aside areas of sharp differences and identify areas where U.S. interests overlap with Russian interests, they may have a constructive discussion, but there is no question it will be a contentious and difficult conversation," said the professor. "Biden does not have any of (former U.S. President Donald) Trump's affection for Vladimir Putin."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (1st R) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (1st L) have a meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, May 19, 2021. (Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs/Sigurjon Ragnar/Handout via Xinhua)

For the expert, the future of global governance needs to be built on inclusive dialogues.

Kupchan called on the United States, Russia, China, and other major powers to "work together to pursue a world that is more effective in meeting the challenges of global governance because we do live in a world today in which the demand for global governance is very high, (and) the supply of global governance is falling short."

"When it comes to the big issues of the day -- climate change, global health, nuclear non-proliferation, cybersecurity, extremism -- major countries of the world need to work together," the expert noted. "Given globalization and global inter-dependence, the need for broad cooperation is going up, not down." 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 18:17:22|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported one imported case of COVID-19 on Monday, taking the tally in to 11,878.

Hong Kong has seen no new local COVID-19 cases for seven consecutive days. The imported case involved a woman who arrived from Indonesia, according to the CHP.

A total of 40 cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days, including three local cases, of which one was from an unknown source, the CHP said.

Monday is the first day that people aged from 12 to 15 in Hong Kong can be vaccinated with BioNTech vaccine.

Patrick Nip, secretary for the civil service of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, said as the summer vacation is approaching, many teenagers will hang out with friends. The risk of infection could be greatly reduced by vaccination even if community activities increased.

Hong Kong launched a COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb. 26 and more than 2.93 million doses have been administered so far. Some 1.73 million people, or about 26.5 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the vaccine, including more than 1.19 million people fully vaccinated. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 18:21:18|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A drone strike on Monday targeted a military base housing U.S. forces in the Baghdad International airport area, inflicting no casualties, security sources said.

The drone dropped bombs in the early hours of the day, striking the outer fence of the military base, sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

On Wednesday evening, three drones attacked the military base at the airport in southwestern Baghdad, and one of the drones was shot down, according to a statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq and the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone have been frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 20:06:20|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian police said Monday that the National Police's counterterrorism squad known as Densus 88 has arrested 13 suspected terrorists in the country's province of Riau.

Details of the arrested people hasn't been issued. The National Police's spokesperson Ahmad Ramadhan said that the special unit is still investigating the case.

Police operation against terrorism has been running for several years in Riau.

In August last year, five suspected terrorists were arrested in the Kampar district of the province. Densus 88 uncovered a training site for terrorists in the same district in November 2019. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 20:24:55|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Some issues in the ongoing talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal remain unresolved, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Monday.

Khatibzadeh said during his weekly press briefing that some issues of technical, legal and executive subtleties and a number of main issues remain to be solved in the talks.

The ways for the United States and Iran to fulfill and resume their commitments are underway in the talks, Khatibzadeh said, adding "there is no impasse."

The Iranian officials urged the U.S. government to avoid "repeating the events" during the period of former President Donald Trump.

The latest meeting of the Joint Commission of the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), started on Saturday with the participation of representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran.

The U.S. government under Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019.

The JCPOA Joint Commission began to meet offline on April 6 in Austria's capital Vienna to continue previous discussions regarding a possible return of Washington to the JCPOA and on how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 20:42:28|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including U.S. President Joe Biden, met at a summit here on Monday in a bid to rebuild solidarity among member states.

The summit of the 30-member NATO was the first of its kind Biden attended as U.S. President, after four years of chaos seen under his predecessor Donald Trump, who called the military alliance "obsolete."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday morning the leaders were meeting "at a pivotal moment for our alliance, and today we'll open a new chapter in our trans-Atlantic relationship."

Stoltenberg noted that the summit will address the "NATO 2030" agenda, a comprehensive initiative about making sure the alliance remains ready today to face tomorrow's challenges.

He said that the leaders at the summit will strengthen Article V of NATO's founding treaty, which stipulates that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all, adding that NATO's operation area will cover not only air, sea and land, but also cyberspace and space.

Among the concerns NATO is facing is how to reconcile its role with the increasing defense autonomy the European Union (EU) wants. French President Emmanuel Macron has emphasized the importance of Europe in the Western defense alliance, tweeting that it was Europe's destiny to play a balancing role in the world in the future.

The summit will also touch on the bloc's relations with Russia and China, and the aftermath of its military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 21:30:25|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's first President Kenneth Kaunda, who is 97 years old, has been hospitalized, his office said on Monday.

Rodrick Ngolo, Kaunda's administrative assistant, confirmed that the country's first president has been admitted to the Maina Soko Medical Center in Lusaka, the country's capital.

"His Excellency Dr. Kaunda is requesting all Zambians and the international community to pray for him as the medical team is doing everything possible to ensure that he recovers," Ngolo said.

Zambian President Edgar Lungu has since urged Zambians to pray for Kaunda.

"He stood up for this great nation at its most critical moment, and so we can all stand up for him in his moment of weakness," Lungu wrote on his Facebook page. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 21:47:18|Editor: huaxia

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A health worker takes a swab sample from a girl for COVID-19 test in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, June 14, 2021. The confirmed cases in Indonesia rose by 8,189 within one day to 1,919,547, with the death toll adding by 237 to 53,116, the health ministry said. (Photo by Supriyanto/Xinhua)

JAKARTA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government has extended its micro-scale restrictions which ended on Monday for another 14 days to June 28 to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a senior minister.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that offices located in the red zone are only allowed to accommodate a maximum of 25 percent of employees, while the rest should work from home.

The risk of COVID-19 transmission in different parts of the country were tagged by colors of red, orange, yellow and green, in which the red zone refers to an area with a high risk, and the green zone means being free of new cases.

"Offices in the orange or yellow zones are allowed to be occupied by a maximum of 50 percent of employees," added Hartarto, who also heads the COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee.

The operation of shopping centers and restaurants is only allowed until 9:00 p.m. local time with a maximum of 50 percent of visitors under strict health protocols.

Schools in the red zone are not allowed to hold offline (face-to-face) learning, and all students should take classes online.

The government also asked people in the red zone to worship at home for the next two weeks.

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 8,189 within one day to 1,919,547, with the death toll adding by 237 to 53,116, the Health Ministry said on Monday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 21:54:09|Editor: huaxia

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Staff members celebrate the drill-through of the Yanjiazhai tunnel of the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway in Dushan County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 14, 2021. The 1.67-km-long tunnel was drilled through on Monday, enabling further construction work for the Guiyang-Nanning high-speed railway, which will run with a design speed of 350 km per hour. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 22:12:56|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of scores of migrants were recovered after their boat capsized off Yemen, a government official told Xinhua on Monday.

"The boat that was carrying nearly 200 migrants on board capsized two days ago, leaving scores of bodies floating off the waters of Ras al-Ara area in the southern province of Lahj," the government source said on condition of anonymity.

He confirmed that most of the migrants came from the Horn of Africa and died as a result of the boat accident.

Local Yemeni authorities, including the coast guards troops, are still working to retrieve more bodies, according to the official.

The region has recorded several tragic accidents as a result of overturning of overloaded smuggling boats.

In most of the cases, desperate East African migrants attempted to cross the dangerous route to reach the Middle East, mainly Saudi Arabia, via war-torn Yemen.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 5,100 immigrants have arrived in Yemen so far this year, compared to 35,000 in 2020 and 127,000 in 2019 before the coronavirus outbreak that reduced the demand for labor in Gulf states. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 22:16:31|Editor: huaxia

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SANAA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels said they launched a bomb-laden drone attack on Saudi Arabia's southwestern Abha airport on Monday.

"The attack accurately hit a military target in the airport," Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"The attack came in response to the escalation of the Saudi-led coalition," he added.

Meanwhile, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported that the Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a bomb-laden drone the Houthi militia launched toward the Saudi city of Khamis Mushait.

The attack on Saudi Arabia comes about three days after an Omani delegation concluded a week-long visit in Yemen's capital Sanaa as part of international diplomatic efforts to convince the Houthi group to accept a recent UN-proposed cease-fire between the Yemeni warring sides.

The Iran-backed Houthis began in February a major offensive against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government army to capture the oil-rich province of Marib in central Yemen, which hosts nearly 2 million internally displaced people.

The United Nations has warned the offensive on Marib could lead to a major humanitarian catastrophe.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 22:51:15|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Mount Merapi located between Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces has erupted three times Monday, spewing hot clouds up to 1.6 km into the sky, according to the country's Geological Disaster Technology Research and Development Center.

The first hot clouds erupted at 2:44 a.m. local time of the day to as high as 1.6 km to the southwest for 90 seconds, the second came out at 1:03 p.m. to 1 km high to the southeast for 78 seconds, and the third flowed at 1:11 p.m. to 1.3 km high to the same direction for 99 seconds.

Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia, with a height of 2,968 meters above sea level. The volcano is currently in the status of third-level danger.

The center has asked people not to be in the disaster-prone area, an area within a radius of 5 km from the summit. A volcanic material ejection can reach a radius of 3 km.

Authorities also required people to avoid the rivers flowing from the volcano, such as Kuning, Boyong, Bedog, Krasak, Bebeng, and Putih rivers. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 23:23:36|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW -- At least 21 people were injured in a fire at a gas station in Russia's Novosibirsk region on Monday.

One child is among the injured and five people remain in critical condition, TASS news agency reported, citing medics working at the site. (Russia-Fire-Injuries)

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KAMPALA -- Ugandan parliament on Monday approved the presidential nominees for vice president and prime minister in the east African country.

The lawmakers endorsed the appointment of Jessica Alupo as vice president and Robinah Nabbanja as prime minister and leader of government business in parliament. (Uganda-Parliament-Vice President-PM)

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LILONGWE -- Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera said he has relayed a message to South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, condemning the "despicable behavior" of Malawian diplomats in South Africa were expelled for abusing diplomatic privileges.

In a special address Sunday evening, three days after the South African government declared Malawi diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to leave within 72 hours for abusing duty-free privileges on alcohol, Chakwera described the behavior of those diplomats as "unfortunate, despicable and unprofessional." (Malawi-S. Africa-Diplomats)

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ISLAMABAD -- Four frontier corps soldiers Monday were killed in an explosion of an improvised explosive device in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, an army statement said.

Paramilitary troops Frontier Corps performing security duty were attacked by unknown terrorists in the provincial capital of Quetta, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said in the statement. (Pakistan-Terrorist Attack) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 00:03:56|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will soon kick off large-scale cultivation of hybrid rice in a bid to reduce over-reliance on imports, boost food security and rural incomes, an official said Monday.

Mary Mutembei, head of rice promotion program in the ministry of agriculture said that farmers will be encouraged to plant the improved varieties in order to reduce an annual import bill that currently stands at 25 billion shillings (about 232 million U.S. dollars).

"We have partnered with the private sector to increase rice production in the country through cultivation of the hybrid variety. Our goal is to reduce the high rice import bill," Mutembei said during a field mission in the coastal county of Tana River.

She said rice consumption in Kenya is expected to reach 1.29 million tons by 2030, amid growing demand in burgeoning cities and rural towns.

Mutembei said that introduction of hybrid rice, which matures faster and is tolerant to diseases, pest and climatic stresses, will help meet local demand and broaden revenue streams for farmers.

According to Mutembei, 90 percent of rice consumed in Kenya annually is imported despite the country having favorable climate, healthy soils and adequate water to grow the crop.

She said the government and industry players had embarked on sensitization campaigns to educate farmers and millers on nutritional benefits of hybrid rice ahead of the planting season.

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) has already approved hybrid rice seed whose development was supported by African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).

Sanni Kayode, rice project manager at AATF, said the improved varieties will boost food security in Kenya and encourage the youth to venture into rice farming as an income-generating activity.

He said that hybrid seeds would raise rice yield from 20 to 50 bags per acre and are ideal for small-holder farmers grappling with climatic shocks, declining soil fertility and post-harvest losses.

Kayode said that AATF partnered with breeders affiliated with Nairobi-based Hybrid East Africa to harness research and technology that paved the way for the development of hybrid rice seeds that are suitable for tropical weather across Africa. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 00:09:01|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has been re-elected as a deputy member of the governing body of the International Labor Organization (ILO) from the Asia-Pacific region for the term 2021-2024 Monday.

The election was virtually held in Geneva during the ongoing 109th International Labor Conference, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.

It said Bangladesh secured the first position among the candidates of the Asia-Pacific region by bagging the highest 210 votes.

Since the announcement of the bid, the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh in Geneva was strongly engaged in election campaign in order to seek support from other ILO member states in favor of Bangladesh's candidature, it said and added the efforts bore fruit as Bangladesh was re-elected to serve for three more years as a deputy member.

This is the third consecutive victory for Bangladesh in the ILO governing body. Earlier, Bangladesh served as a deputy member for the terms 2014-2017 and 2017-2021. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 00:10:32|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK -- Thai officials on Monday tried to play down concerns about COVID-19 vaccine shortage, saying the country's vaccination program will continue apace despite postponed vaccination set for this week due to delivery delays.

"There is a slight technical difficulty, causing the demand to overtake the supply temporarily," but the slight postponement does not mean the vaccination process will not go according to plan, Natapanu Nopakun, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the daily briefing of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). (Thailand-Vaccination-Delay)

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JAKARTA -- Timor-Leste launched the inoculation campaign of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a university in the country's capital Dili on Monday.

Aniceto Guterres Lopes, speaker of the Timor-Leste National Parliament, Chinese Ambassador to Timor-Leste Xiao Jianguo, and other officials from the Timor-Leste government attended the launch ceremony at the National University of Timor-Leste. (Timor-Leste-China-Vaccination)

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JAKARTA-- The Indonesian government has extended its micro-scale restrictions which ended on Monday for another 14 days to June 28 to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a senior minister.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that offices located in the red zone are only allowed to accommodate a maximum of 25 percent of employees, while the rest should work from home. (Indonesia-COVID-19-Restrictions)

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN -- The young people have become the main contributors in ensuring blood supply in Brunei, the country's Health Minister Haji Md Isham said on Monday.

In his message in conjunction with the World Blood Donor Day, which falls on June 14 every year, the minister urged young people in the country to pioneer activities as well as initiatives to achieve a safe blood supply through voluntary blood donation. (Brunei-Blood Donation) Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 01:36:46|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock on Monday released 135 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to boost humanitarian operations in 12 countries in Africa, the Americas and the Middle East.

The announcement follows last week's release of data, which show that more than 350,000 people are experiencing famine conditions in Ethiopia's Tigray region, and that the threat of famine looms in Burkina Faso, southern Madagascar, north-east Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen.

The funding will be distributed among relief organizations in Syria (20 million dollars); the Democratic Republic of the Congo (20 million dollars); and Ethiopia, with a focus on Tigray (13 million dollars). Aid operations in Afghanistan, Nigeria and South Sudan will each receive 11 million dollars.

The remainder of the funding will go to Madagascar (8 million dollars); Venezuela (7 million dollars); Chad (7 million dollars); Burkina Faso (7 million dollars); Cameroon (5 million dollars); and Mozambique (5 million dollars). A further 10 million dollars will be directed to a range of projects that focus on programming for persons with disabilities.

"Famine is rearing its ugly head in several places right now, so there is no time to waste. This CERF allocation could mean the difference between life and death for millions of people who rely on aid to survive. It will provide essentials such as clean water, shelter and food for the people who need it most, at their time of greatest need," said Lowcock.

"Humanitarian needs continue to outpace humanitarian funding, and not all humanitarian crises are given equal attention or money. More than ever, CERF funding is a vital tool in redressing that imbalance and making sure critical aid work can continue, everywhere."

CERF is one of the fastest and smartest ways to help people affected by crises. The fund enables timely, effective and life-saving humanitarian action by UN agencies and others to kick-start or reinforce emergency response anywhere required. Allocation decisions for underfunded emergencies are based on detailed analysis of more than 70 humanitarian indicators and wide consultation with stakeholders.

Since its creation by the UN General Assembly in 2005, and with generous contributions from 129 member states and observers, as well as other donors, CERF has assisted hundreds of millions of people with over 7 billion dollars across more than 100 countries and territories. This includes more than 2.3 billion dollars to underfunded crises. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 03:52:23|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 33,000 severely malnourished children in Ethiopia's battle-scarred Tigray region face imminent death without immediate help, the head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Monday.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director, said the fund estimates 56,000 children under the age of 5 need treatment for severe acute malnutrition, and in parts of Ethiopia's northernmost Tigray region inaccessible to humanitarian workers, the 33,000 children without aid will die.

"These children are among more than 2.2 million in northern Ethiopia who are acutely food insecure, including at least 140,000 in Tigray who are already facing famine-like conditions," she said in a statement. "In the last month alone, we have seen a four-fold increase in weekly admissions of children for treatment of severe acute malnutrition."

The region has reached the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification of Level 5: "Catastrophe/Famine" after seven months of conflict between government troops and Tigray forces. Humanitarian workers complained for months of the lack of access to help the needy.

"These developments could lead to outbreaks of disease, putting malnourished children at even greater risk of death," Fore said. "Sites hosting displaced children and families are especially vulnerable to disease transmission because of overcrowded and unsanitary conditions."

While already a catastrophe, she said the situation could deteriorate further as food insecurity worsens over the coming months and crops cannot be planted.

Last week it was reported some harvests in Tigray were being looted and even set on fire.

"Our aim is to reach every child across the region with critical health, nutrition, water, sanitation, education, and protection services," the UNICEF chief said. "This includes working with our partners so that all severely malnourished children get lifesaving treatment before it is too late."

"But, we urgently need strengthened funding support from donors as we expand our critical programs for children over the coming months to reach all those in need," Fore said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 05:27:10|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian police on Monday confirmed 10 people were killed at a local bar attacked by gunmen in the country's central state of Plateau.

The incident took place on Sunday night when the unknown gunmen in a van stormed the bar in a village of Jos South local government area of the state, shooting indiscriminately at the patrons, said Ubah Ogaba, a spokesperson for the police in Plateau.

Ogaba said in a statement personnel of the police and military immediately swung into action to go in search of gunmen and arrest them.

The police chief in Plateau has further ordered "an immediate investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing," and to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book, Ogaba said.

A series of gunmen attacks have happened in recent months in various parts of the most populous African country, leading to deaths of civilians and members of security forces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 23:38:39|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenya said Monday it will reopen its embassy in Mogadishu as soon as possible as Nairobi welcomed the invitation by Mogadishu to fully restore diplomatic missions between the two neighboring countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Somali ambassador to Kenya to return to Nairobi and resume his duties.

"The Kenyan government will proceed to reopen its embassy in Mogadishu as soon as possible," the ministry said in a statement.

The move came after Kenya on June 10 lifted its ban on flights to and from Somalia after a nearly one-month ban amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries.

Somalia later welcomed the resumption of flights and reiterated its commitment to restore and accelerate diplomatic, trade, and people-to-people relations for the prosperity of Somalia and Kenya.

Somalia in December 2020 severed its diplomatic ties with neighboring Kenya, accusing Nairobi of frequently violating Mogadishu's sovereignty which the latter denied. Mogadishu restored diplomatic relations with Nairobi on May 5 with mediation by Qatar. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 00:07:39|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police confirmed Monday the arrest of a terror suspect at a local trading center in Garissa County in northeast Kenya.

The police said the suspect was arrested at Kulan trading center around midday on Monday by security officers following a tip-off from members of the public.

"The suspect is currently held at Kulan police post awaiting collection by anti-terrorism police unit Dadaab," the police said in a security report.

The east African nation has been on heightened vigilance due to the threat of terror posed by the al-Qaida linked al-Shabab militants.

Al-Shabab terrorists have been attacking places in counties including Mandera, Wajir and Garissa in the northeast region bordering Somalia after breaching security zones. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 01:16:46|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Sub-Saharan African countries should explore innovative financing models to promote climate resilience for communities and their natural habitats, experts said Monday ahead of Africa Climate Week that starts Tuesday.

The climate experts and policymakers who spoke at a virtual forum said that Africa's green aspirations can be realized, subject to robust financing, friendly regulations and technology transfer.

Fatima Denton, director of the Ghana-based Institute for Natural Resources in Africa with United Nations University (UNU-IRNA), said the continent required smart investments and revamped policies to hasten green recovery.

"Africa should leverage new financing and policy tools to strengthen adaptation to climate change and hasten green and inclusive recovery from COVID-19 pandemic," said Denton.

Senior policymakers, scholars and campaigners participated in the virtual forum organized by the Brookings Institution, a U.S.-based think-tank, and United Nations University prior to the start of Africa Climate Week.

Denton said that climate change remained an existential threat to Africa's sustainable future, adding that a host of fiscal and regulatory tools can be harnessed to boost resilience of communities and ecosystems.

According to Denton, the continent should leverage investments in clean energy solutions, climate smart agriculture, digital technology and green transport to reduce its carbon footprint.

She called on multilateral lenders to provide financing, technical support and capacity building required to stimulate low carbon development in Africa amid vulnerability to climate induced disasters.

Jean-Paul Adam, director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management with UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA), said that a shift from fossil fuels combined with research and community engagement is key to realizing a green future for Africa.

According to Adam, African countries were spending 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to respond to climatic shocks hence the need for them to scale up investments in adaptation to ward off economic losses.

"Domestic resources mobilization should be part of the climate resilience and green recovery objective for the continent," said Adam.

Vanessa Ushie, manager of Policy Analysis Division of the African Natural Resources Centre of African Development Bank (AfDB), said that climate financing should be at the heart of the continent's post pandemic recovery pathways.

According to Ushie, African countries should address the financing, knowledge and technical gap that has derailed green transition through partnership with industry and multilateral lenders.

She called on governments to invest in nature-based solutions to the climate crisis in Africa, adding that women-led interventions have proved effective in boosting the continent's green transition.

Aloysius Uche Ordu, senior fellow and director of Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution, said the continent should tap into home-grown interventions like increased uptake of clean energy, carbon tax and biodiversity protection to spur green recovery. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-15 05:18:51|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday that more than 2,000 illegal migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week.

"In the period of June 6-12, 2,083 migrants were rescued or intercepted at sea and returned to Libya," IOM said.

So far in 2021, a total of 12,794 illegal migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while 190 died and 487 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to IOM.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centers across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 10:52:39|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, June 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export of the information and communications technology (ICT) products kept growing for 12 straight months through May, a government report showed Monday.

The ICT export advanced 27.4 percent from a year earlier to 17.73 billion U.S. dollars in May, continuing to increase for 12 months since June last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Import in the ICT sector expanded 17.7 percent to 10.51 billion dollars last month, sending the ICT trade surplus to 7.22 billion dollars.

The daily average shipment of ICT products surged 30.5 percent in May from a year earlier, reflecting the continued recovery in global demand from the COVID-19 pandemic shock.

The ICT export to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, went up 19.3 percent in May on a yearly basis, with those to the United States, the European Union (EU) and Vietnam jumping over 30 percent.

Semiconductor export picked up 24.0 percent over the year to 10.11 billion dollars in May, topping 10 billion dollars in 30 months since November 2018.

Shipment for display panels and mobile phones soared 38.7 percent and 43.0 percent each, keeping a double-digit growth for the second consecutive month. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 14:14:57|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, June 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military will conduct a defense drill near the islets disputed with Japan, Yonhap news agency reported Monday citing unnamed government and military sources.

The maritime exercise, called the East Sea Territory Protection Exercise, will be staged Tuesday near the Dokdo islets, called Takeshima in Japan.

The exercise, which has been held usually twice a year since 1986, would reportedly mobilize naval and coast guard vessels, fighter jets and maritime patrol aircraft.

No landing drill will be carried out given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan has protested against the exercise as it laid territorial claims to the rocky outcroppings lying halfway between South Korea and Japan.

South Korea regained its sovereignty over the islets after liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula. The islets were incorporated into Japan during the colonization. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 15:10:16|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The trial of two Americans charged with helping former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while on bail began Monday in Tokyo.

Michael Taylor, a 60-year-old former Green Beret, and his son Peter, 28, have already admitted to helping Ghosn, 67, flee Japan so the former auto tycoon could avoid trial.

Sources close to the case said the pair were asked by Ghosn's wife to smuggle the once-revered Nissan bigwig out of Japan while he was awaiting trial.

The two Americans are charged with providing Ghosn illegal passage to Lebanon, one of three countries he is a national of, by smuggling him out of his residence in Tokyo and to Kansai International Airport via two hotels in late December 2019.

The father and son team, in full knowledge Ghosn was prohibited from leaving the country as part of his bail terms, hid Ghosn in a large box, which cleared Kansai airport security, and the illicit cargo was flown to Turkey on a private jet.

At the request of Japanese prosecutors, the Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts in 2020 by U.S. authorities.

They had fought extradition to Japan in U.S. courts but ultimately lost their battle when their appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in February.

Once extradited, they were arrested and charged in Japan in March.

Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese nationality, is accused of under-reporting his remuneration for years and for embezzling company funds. He has denied all the charges, claiming company insiders conspired against him.

Japan has been trying to detain Ghosn with the help of Interpol.

Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, meaning that Ghosn cannot be legally handed over to Japan without Lebanon first agreeing to it. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 16:07:10|Editor: huaxia

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TALUQAN, Afghanistan, June 14 (Xinhua) -- A key Taliban divisional commander has been arrested in Afghanistan's northern province of Takhar, as fighting rages in the country, a local government spokesman confirmed on Monday.

"Rohullah Rohani and one of his protectors have been arrested following an operative task conducted by personnel National Directorate of Security (NDS), or national intelligence agency in Yangi Qala district in Takhar," spokesman Hamid Mubariz told Xinhua.

The province has been the scene of heavy clashes recently.

The Taliban militant group has not responded to the report so far.

The report came as Taliban militants have attacked security forces and captured several suburban districts across Afghanistan in recent weeks.

In neighboring Kunduz province, Afghan national security forces launched a counter-attack early Monday and evict militants from Khan Abad district which was captured by Taliban militants over the weekend, local officials confirmed. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 19:29:50|Editor: huaxia

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Yu Ming (1st L), the Chinese owner of bubble tea shop See You hands out free Zongzi and meals to people in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 14, 2021. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

by Mao Pengfei, Nguon Sovan

PHNOM PENH, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian ride-hailing driver Khin Sopheap unexpectedly enjoyed the taste of Zongzi on Monday while driving past a Chinese eatery when its staffers were offering the snack together with lunch meals to passers-by for free to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

Zongzi, a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped up with bamboo or reed leaves, is a traditional delicacy that Chinese people eat on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on Monday, June 14 this year.

In China, Zongzi commemorates the death of famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan during the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.).

Sopheap tasted a few pieces of Zongzi and extolled its flavor.

"It's really delicious and I like it," he told Xinhua after eating the snack. "I'm really pleased to learn about Chinese culture and traditions."

The father of four children said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his family has struggled with financial difficulties as his daily revenue has declined remarkably.

"Before the COVID-19, I made 40,000 riels (10 U.S. dollars) to 50,000 riels (12.5 dollars) a day, but now there's no revenue because of no customers and someday, earn only 10,000 riels (2.5 U.S. dollars)," he said.

"The sharing (of food) from Chinese people to needy Cambodians during the COVID-19 is very important and it reflects good relations between our two peoples who always give mutual help during difficult times," he added.

Motor-taxi driver Suon Soklong, 61, offered his gratitude to China for helping Cambodia and its people during this difficult time.

"Thank you China and the Chinese people for supporting our socio-economic development and helping us to fight COVID-19 by providing medical equipment and supplies and medical experts as well as donating and selling COVID-19 vaccines," he said. "Ironclad friendship between Cambodia and China will last forever."

Yu Ming, the Chinese owner of See You, a bubble tea shop that provides Zongzi and meals for free, said he has given out free meals, including fried rice and sweet lemon iced tea, daily to 50 needy people since early May, and as June 14 marked the Dragon Boat Festival in China, he decided to add five pieces of Zongzi to each of the food packages.

"I share Zongzi with them because today marks the Dragon Boat Festival in China, and I want them to experience the taste of Zongzi and to know about Chinese culture and traditions," he told Xinhua. "As poor people have been hit hard by the COVID-19, I hope that my free meals will help relieve their hardship." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 20:49:48|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines said on Monday that it is suspending the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States for another six months.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin announced in a video message the decision made by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

"The president conveyed to us his decision to extend the suspension of the abrogation of the VFA by another six months while he studies and both sides further address his concerns regarding particular aspects of the agreement," Locsin said.

This is the third time that the Philippines suspended the termination order. The second suspension was supposed to expire in August this year.

Duterte threatened to terminate the VFA in January 2020 after the United States canceled the entry visa of his longtime aide Senator Ronald dela Rosa, over Dela Rosa's role in the war on drugs during his tenure as the Philippine National Police chief.

The notice of termination paved the way for both sides to "review the provisions" in the pact deemed "problematic" to the Philippines. "The pact was not renegotiated but clarified in detail some VFA provisions that are problematic to the Philippines so both sides can implement it more effectively in the future," a diplomatic source told Xinhua earlier.

Manila and Washington signed in 1998 the VFA that governs the conduct of U.S. military personnel who come to the Philippines to participate in approved training and other activities.

The Philippine Senate ratified the agreement in 1999, seven years after the closure of the last U.S. base on the Philippine territory. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 22:43:23|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Four frontier corps soldiers Monday were killed in an explosion of an improvised explosive device in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, an army statement said.

Paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) performing security duty were attacked by unknown terrorists in the provincial capital of Quetta, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said in the statement.

A large-scale area sanitization operation by FC Balochistan to hunt the terrorists is underway, the statement added.

Such cowardly acts by inimical elements can not sabotage the hard-earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan. Security forces are determined to neutralize their nefarious designs even at the cost of blood and lives, said the statement.

Located along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Balochistan province faced serious security challenges from terrorists based within the province and across the border in the past, but the situation came under control after the military's intelligence-based operations in the area.

A spike in terrorist attacks in the province has been witnessed over the last few months with frequent attacks happening on security forces and civilians. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 23:21:32|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) digital COVID certificate (EUDCC) was officially signed on Monday in Brussels, Belgium, after the three EU institutions worked hand in hand for the health pass to be ready on time for the summer holidays.

President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa representing the Council of the EU, appended their signatures on the document.

"Now we can travel in a safe way. Safe for ourselves, for those who host us, and for our families, neighbors and colleagues when we come back," said Costa.

"With the success of our European vaccination campaign and this new EU certificate, we can all look forward to the summer. To travel safely. And we are bringing back the spirit of an open Europe," said von der Leyen.

The EUDCC will enable EU residents to travel safely during summer within the borders of the bloc, without additional restrictions. Travel restrictions may be applied if deemed necessary, for example in the case of a variant of concern, but must be proportionate.

However, the EUDCC will not be a prerequisite to travel within the Schengen area, and will not be considered a travel document. The health pass will be proof that the holder has either been vaccinated, passed a negative COVID-19 test, or has recovered from the disease. It will be either digital or can be printed on paper.

It will be available to all EU residents as of July 1, although some countries have already started using it. A gateway has been put in place for countries to verify the validity of the EUDCC. Four non-EU countries, namely, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway, are also connected to the gateway.

The idea of the European COVID certificate was proposed in March by the European Commission. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-06-14 18:25:44|Editor: huaxia

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People walk on the street in San Mateo, California, the United States, June 14, 2021. California Governor Gavin Newsom and government health officials announced the official reopening of the state from Tuesday following months of anticipation. The reopening means that vaccinated people in California can go maskless in public, there will be no more limitations on out-of-state travelers, and California retail businesses can go back to full capacity. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

by Julia Pierrepont III

LOS ANGELES, June 14 (Xinhua) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom and government health officials announced the official reopening of the state from Tuesday following months of anticipation.

The reopening means that vaccinated people in California can go maskless in public, there will be no more limitations on out-of-state travelers, and California retail businesses can go back to full capacity.

However, even though those most stringent COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted, the underlying State of Emergency would stay in place in the most populous U.S. state, and officials have cautioned that quite a few restrictions would also remain as the state must follow a multi-tiered reopening.

California reported that 45 percent of its general population had been vaccinated as of Sunday.

In Los Angeles County, an average of 60 percent of the population had received at least one dose, local public health officials said, while cities like Arcadia, Alhambra, Culver City, and Beverly Hills were even more proactive, with vaccination rates topping 75-80 percent.

But those who haven't been vaccinated would still be required to wear masks, especially in more populated places like restaurants and bars, movie theaters, grocery stores and amusement parks.

Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner said fully opening Disneyland "is going to be very big -- it is one of our biggest employers."

"I don't think I'd head right out to a crowded bar yet," Noel V., advertising creator and father of two, told Xinhua. "But maybe the beach or outdoors at Disneyland is ok."

Determination of who has been vaccinated and who hasn't is based on an honor system, not proof of vaccination.

When asked how she felt about customers wearing masks, Susan, a clerk at one of the Ralph's grocery chain stores, who did not give her full name, told Xinhua on Sunday, "How are we supposed to know the difference between who's vaccinated and who isn't?"

Barry C., a former Coldwell Banker real estate executive, said, "Ultimately, in the 'mask-no mask debate,' businesses are going to do whatever makes their customers happy."

Retail chains like Safeway supermarkets and Target already announced they would no longer require vaccinated customers to wear masks.

However, even for the vaccinated there are many key exceptions where masks must still be worn, such as transportation hubs, schools, hospitals, homeless shelters and prisons, as well as venues of 5,000 spectators or more.

By far the biggest requirement for continued mask wearing would be for employees and other workers.

Officials at the U.S. Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency responsible for maintaining workplace safety, showed concern about lifting the pandemic emergency regulations too early.

The Cal-OSHA has voted to continue to require masks and social distancing rules in the workplace, prompting some business owners to complain about the state's more stringent restrictions while others accepted it as a necessary hardship to stay safe.

Hollywood film and TV production companies face their own challenges.

"Too many people from all over come together on a movie or TV set, so we need to continue to maintain strict COVID protocols to keep the industry's cast and crews safe and avoid costly shutdowns that can torpedo your budget overnight," said Jackie Stromsted, the COO of Hollywood Covid Production Specialists, which specializes in keeping productions safe.

"Hollywood can't afford to relax their COVID protocols yet. There's too much at stake and it still only takes one positive test to shut down an entire production," she explained to Xinhua. "People may chaff under the continued restrictions, but it doesn't make sense to risk it."

Brad Plows, a Hollywood animator for network and streaming clients, told Xinhua, "I've been working from my own small studio since the lockdown. My clients and I have all been vaccinated, so I feel comfortable not wearing a mask with them. I'll still wear one at bigger studios and in public, though."

The continued restrictions are unwelcome in some other industries.

"These constant restrictions are killing our businesses," asserted Tony, a manager at a bottling facility south of Los Angeles who did not give his full name. "It's a real hardship for us. California needs to let us compete with other states -- look how low our infection rates are!"

But the California Nurses Association argued that California was ahead of other states because of its restrictions.

The association has expressed concern that the CDC's rollback on protective measures like masking and testing threaten the lives of patients, nurses, frontline workers, children, and other medically vulnerable people.

"We cannot vaccinate our way out of this crisis," said Saskia Kim with the nurse association. "As much as we wish it were true, this pandemic is not over, and we cannot rely on just one intervention to prevent spreading."

"No one seems to know exactly what being vaccinated gets you, safety-wise," said Barney, a salesman from Los Angeles who prefers protocols remain in place longer.

"I mean, COVID vaccines aren't 100 percent effective, right?" he said. "And there are COVID variants that the virus might not work on, and what about all the people who haven't been vaccinated?" Enditem
La Mision de la #OEAenPeru se reunio con @ilanegra y Adriana Urrutia de @ACTransparencia para intercambiar impresiones sobre #EleccionesBicentenario. Tanto la observacion nacional como la internacional coincidieron en su apreciacion positiva de la jornada electoral. pic.twitter.com/xjN0gn7xfx








After inspecting the vaccination center at Parque de las Leyendas Zoo in Lima, the minister explained that the population over the age of 50 will be inoculated in different groups, because it consists of a greater number of people, compared to previous age ranges.





"Once we complete the inoculation of those aged 60 and over in about two weeks we will move to the 50 and above age bracket, although the process will be implemented in groups, too," he remarked.





"We will surely start with those aged 58 and 59 because they are a lot of people and we need an orderly process," he added.





The health sector's head affirmed that the vaccination process under the leadership of President Francisco Sagasti 's administration is moving forward at a strong pace (more than 100,000 people a day) and that more than 5 million doses have already been administered.





"We are on track to deliver on our promise of vaccinating all the elderly, front-line workers, and people with comorbidities by July," he said.





According to the government official, Peru has signed contracts for 62 million doses, which provide the next Government not only with a plan that is already in progress but with a large reserve of doses.





"So far, we have purchased 62 million doses, 12 million of which will be applied under this administration, which means that a little more than 50 million doses will be administered under the next government," he stated.





(END) RRC/RMB




Desde el Parque de la Exposicion, el ministro Oscar Ugarte, junto con la titular de @pcmperu, Violeta Bermudez, superviso la vacunacion contra la COVID-19 a mujeres con mas de 28 semanas de gestacion. A nivel nacional, se preve vacunar a mas de 30 000 gestantes. #PongoElHombro ???? pic.twitter.com/YEDfbgYliX
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Edmon Marukyan, who is leading the Bright Armenia partys electoral list for the June 20 snap polls, welcomes the return of 15 Armenian prisoners of war from Azerbaijan on June 12.

Azerbaijan continues holding the Armenian prisoners of war, putting different preconditions for their return. Its an act of a terrorist country as terrorists take hostages and put preconditions by holding them, Marukyan told reporters on the sidelines of the partys pre-election campaign.

He said the solution of the POW issue is within the international law, stating that the Armenian side needs to make a very serious emphasis here. According to him, in case of strengthening Armenias external diplomatic front, the POWs can be returned.

Now there is a difficult situation. You know that the officials of the foreign ministry have resigned. I think that after the elections if the agenda, which we are presenting, is fulfilled, this issue can be solved very quickly. In other words, the issue of the prisoners of war can be solved very quickly if we solve our problems inside the country and strengthen in the external front. The return of POWs should not be speculated in our domestic political life in any way. Perhaps everything can be speculated, but not this one relating to the persons release from captivity, he added.

The electoral campaign for the June 20 snap parliamentary elections officially launched in Armenia on June 7.

The campaign will last until June 18.

25 political forces  21 parties and 4 blocs, are participating in the elections.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. President of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer responded to the letter of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian relating to the quick return of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives from Azerbaijan, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The ICRC President has assured that all issues voiced by the Armenian President are under his and his Organizations full attention.

Peter Maurer stated that since 1992 the ICRC has had a continuous practical presence in the region and from the very first days of the 2020 war it has provided a humanitarian aid, as well as expressed readiness to carry out further activity within the humanitarian mandate provided by the international community to the Organization.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who is leading the Armenia blocs electoral list, told the residents of Etchmiadzin town on the sidelines of the pre-election campaign that their team is capable and can restore the countrys manageability.

The public administration system working as a clock should be unnoticed. The work done by the government should be noticeable in peoples life every day. We say that this is the political team which is ready to stop this overthrow, restore the countrys manageability and deal with all your concerns. We can do everything so that there will be a normal course in public services, administration field in a very short period of time, Robert Kocharyan said.

He noted that the Armenia bloc has formed such a team who will be able to establish a dignified peace in Armenia. For their team, he said, the important is the restoration of citizens trust towards the country.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. The European Union welcomes the actions taken by Armenia and Azerbaijan and facilitated by Georgia that led to the release by Azerbaijan of 15 Armenian detainees and the handing over by Armenia of maps of mined areas on June 12, EUs High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said in a statement released on June 13.

These are important humanitarian and confidence building gestures by Baku and Yerevan that will hopefully open the path for further cooperation between the sides and the ultimate release of all Armenian detainees, as well as the handing over of all available maps of mined areas to avoid further civilian casualties.

The European Union and other international actors have actively encouraged moves in this direction and we urge further cooperation between the countries involved.

We will continue to promote a durable and comprehensive settlement of the conflict, including where possible through support for stabilization, post conflict rehabilitation and confidence building measures and reiterate our call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to reengage in substantive negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the statement reads.
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Converse Bank, under a loan agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, has attracted another tranche of $ 1 million in loans under the Converse4Women package.

Within the framework of the package, both start-ups and existing businesses are financed for working capital, acquisition of fixed assets or repayment of accounts payable for a period of up to 7 years, on competitive terms. It can be used by individual entrepreneurs - women, legal entities where at least 50% of shareholders, or ultimate beneficiaries with direct or indirect participation are women.

Free financial consulting services as well as banking products on preferential terms are provided to businessmen, entrepreneurs engaged in trade, service, production, tourism and agriculture sectors.

In particular, within the framework of "Converse4Women" the Bank offers:

- for legal entity borrowers - opening and maintenance of current accounts, providing Internet-Banking, servicing payment cards through POS terminals for the first year will be free of charge,

-for individual borrowers - opening and maintenance of savings account, provision and servicing of one Woman's payment card will be free of charge during the package period of validity. One Visa Classic, Visa Gold or Mastercard Gold payment card and servicing will be provided at 50% reduced fee.

Details: https://www.conversebank.am/en/converse4women/

Oversight of the Bank is exercised by the Central Bank.
YEREVAN, 14 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 14 June, USD exchange rate down by 1.62 drams to 516.99 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 3.98 drams to 626.18 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.09 drams to 7.15 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 5.24 drams to 728.44 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 224.70 drams to 31266.08 drams. Silver price up by 6.54 drams to 467.73 drams. Platinum price up by 123.36 drams to 19164.72 drams.
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who heads the list of the "Civil Contract" party, said at a meeting with residents of Artashat that they will visit Syunik Province on June 15. He invited the residents of other regions and communities of Armenia to join the rally early in the morning and express their support to Syunik.

"There are rumors since November, 2020 that this government is surrendering Syunik. Developing this thesis, some try to oppose Syunik to the rest of Armenia. Of course, it will not work, but we have the following suggestion. Tomorrow our team will leave for Syunik to carry out pre-election campaign. We want to show the unity of Armenia tomorrow. Tomorrow at 07:30 we will leave for Syunik with thousands of cars from the Republic Square to express our support for Syunik and to show our unity. I invite everyone to join the rally of the national unity," ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan as saying.
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. The leaders of ''Armenia'' bloc held a rally at Yerevan's Shengavit District. ARMENPRESS reports, greeting the participants, leader of ''Armenia'' bloc, 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan noted that they take an extremely great responsivity.

''Saying Armenia we understand a country standing firm on its feet, democratic, strong and combat ready army, powerful economy, of which all of us will be proud. Dear people, I have always been a man of deeds, but now we have a situation that it's also important to speak, since in the modern world the speech has become powerful. We have to deliver that word to every citizen. Let everyone know that the Armenia Alliance is coming to build a strong Armenia'', Kocharyan said.

According to him, Armenia Alliance is coming for ensuring rapid economic growth and improving the quality of life of the people. Robert Kocharyan urged the participants to actively participate in the elections and vote for powerful Armenia.

According to member of Armenia Alliance, representative of the ARF Supreme Body Ishkhan Saghatelyan, Armenia is in crisis and the people need nationalist government with national ideologies for overcoming the situation.
Until recently, the location of executed wartime Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo's remains was one of World War II's biggest mysteries in the nation he once led.

Now, a Japanese university professor has revealed declassified US military documents that appear to hold the answer.

The documents show the cremated ashes of Tojo, one of the masterminds of the Pearl Harbor attack, were scattered from a US Army aircraft over the Pacific Ocean about 50km east of Yokohama, Japan's second-largest city, south of Tokyo.

It was a tension-filled, highly secretive mission, with American officials apparently taking extreme steps meant to keep Tojo's remains, and those of six others executed with him, away from ultra-nationalists looking to glorify them as martyrs.

The seven were hanged for war crimes just before Christmas in 1948, three years after Japan's defeat.

The discovery brings partial closure to a painful chapter of Japanese history that still plays out today, as conservative Japanese politicians attempt to whitewash history, leading to friction with wartime victims, especially China and South Korea.

After years spent verifying and checking details and evaluating the significance of what he'd found, Nihon University Professor Hiroaki Takazawa publicly released the clues to the remains' location last week.

He came across the declassified documents in 2018 at the US National Archives in Washington.

It's believed to be the first time official documents showing the handling of the seven war criminals' remains were made public, according to Japan's National Institute for Defence Studies and the Japan Centre for Asian Historical Records.

Hidetoshi Tojo, the leader's great-grandson, told The Associated Press that the absence of the remains has long been a humiliation for the bereaved families, but he's relieved the information has come to light.

"If his remains were at least scattered in Japanese territorial waters ... I think he was still somewhat fortunate," Tojo said.

Story continues

"I want to invite my friends and lay flowers to pay tribute to him" if further details about the remains' location becomes available.

Hideki Tojo, prime minister during much of World War II, is a complicated figure, revered by some conservatives as a patriot but loathed by many in the West for prolonging the war, which ended only after the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

About a month after August 15, 1945, when then-Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's defeat to a stunned nation, Tojo shot himself in a failed suicide attempt as he was about to be arrested at his modest Tokyo home.

Takazawa, the Nihon University professor specialising in war tribunal issues, found the documents during research at the US archives into other war crimes trials. The documents, he said, are valuable because they officially detail previously little-known facts about what happened and provide a rough location of where the ashes were scattered.

He plans to continue research into other executions. More than 4000 people were convicted of war crimes in other international tribunals, and about 920 of them were executed.

Tojo and the six others who were hanged were among 28 Japanese wartime leaders tried for war crimes at the 1946-1948 International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Twenty-five were convicted, including 16 sentenced to life in prison, with two getting shorter prison terms. Two others died while on trial and one case was dropped.

In one of the newly revealed documents - dated December 23, 1948 and carrying a "secret" stamp - US Army Major Luther Frierson wrote: "I certify that I received the remains, supervised cremation, and personally scattered the ashes of the following executed war criminals at sea from an Eighth Army liaison plane."

The entire operation was tense, with US officials extremely careful about not leaving a single speck of ashes behind, apparently to prevent them from being stolen by admiring ultra-nationalists, Takazawa said.

"In addition to their attempt to prevent the remains from being glorified, I think the US military was adamant about not letting the remains return to Japanese territory ... as an ultimate humiliation," Takazawa said.

The documents state that when the cremation was completed, the ovens were "cleared of the remains in their entirety."

"Special precaution was taken to preclude overlooking even the smallest particles of remains," Frierson wrote.

Today, even without the ashes, bereaved families and conservative Japanese lawmakers such as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regularly pay tribute at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where the executed war criminals are enshrined with 2.5 million war dead considered "sacred spirits" in the Shinto religion. No remains are enshrined at Yasukuni.

After the seven executed war criminals were enshrined there in 1978, Yasukuni has become a flashpoint between Japan and its neighbours China and South Korea, who see the enshrinement as proof of Japan's lack of remorse over its wartime aggression. Yasukuni also enshrines five other convicted wartime leaders and hundreds of other war criminals.

Hidetoshi Tojo said his great-grandfather was consistently made a taboo in postwar Japan, never glorified.

"Everything about my great-grandfather was sealed, including his speeches. Taking that into consideration, I think not preserving the remains was part of the occupation policy," he said. "I hope to see further revelations about the unknown facts of the past."
A Tamil family being held in immigration detention are expected to be released on Tuesday.

The federal government has been weighing up what to do with the Murugappan family as it faces mounting pressure to let them stay in Australia.

The family's plight is back in the spotlight after four-year-old Tharnicaa was flown from Christmas Island to the mainland for medical treatment.

Tharnicaa's mother Priya is with her at Perth Children's Hospital but her father and older sister are still on Christmas Island.

It is understood Immigration Minister Alex Hawke will announce their release from detention in Canberra on Tuesday.

A Tamil family being held in immigration detention is expected to be released on Tuesday. Source: AAP

However, it is unclear whether he will announce their new visa status or just a process for them to follow in order to get a visa.

A spokesman for the minister said the decision was "imminent".

The release would enable the family to reunite in Perth.

Earlier on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said work was underway to bring the father Nades and older daughter Kopika, 6, to Perth.

"I understand the health authorities in WA also make these considerations as to whether the whole family gets reunited," he told reporters.

"But as I understand, there was work being done towards that."

The release would enable the family to reunite in Perth. Source: AAP

Mr Murugappan and Kopika were still on Christmas Island as of Monday afternoon.

It is unclear whether they will be flown to Perth on a commercial flight or a government chartered plane.

The head of the Western Australian health department wrote to the Department of Home Affairs last week advising the Murugappan family be reunited in Perth.

It was not a plea for compassion but based on clinical advice of Tharnicaa's treating doctors that she must be with family.

Her treatment for pneumonia and sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection, could take up to eight weeks.

PM says permanent resettlement not an option

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was considering its options and would take advice from medical experts at the Department of Home Affairs.

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Pressure has been mounting on Mr Morrison to let the family stay in Australia, with politicians from across the spectrum calling for them to be allowed to return to their adopted home of Biloela in Queensland.

He has signalled the government could finally back away from its hardline stance and allow the family to stay in Australia, at least on a temporary basis.

"There are options that are being considered that are consistent with both health advice and the humanitarian need and the government's policy," Mr Morrison said.

However, the prime minister said permanent resettlement was out of the question.

"That wouldn't be government policy for a pathway to permanent settlement  that is not the government's policy."

Nine health organisations representing tens of thousands of medical professionals across Australia have signed an open letter calling for the family's release.

Paediatrician Jacqueline Small from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians said the children must be allowed to develop and grow in the community.

"We feel very strongly about keeping these children in held detention, particularly offshore detention, represents an extreme and unacceptable risk to the children's health, development and mental wellbeing," she told ABC radio.

"Given both children were in held detention from their toddlerhood, the risks are even higher."

Pressure has been mounting on Mr Morrison to let the family stay in Australia. Source: AAP

Barnaby Joyce calls for family to stay for years

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has supported calls for the family to stay in Australia for more than two years.

"Tharnicaa and Kopika were born in Australia," he told Network Seven.

"Now, maybe if their names were Jane and Sally and they were playing in their local netball side, we'd think twice about sending them back to another country which they're not from."

Mr Joyce also argued Mr and Mrs Murugappan had jobs and were valued members of their local community.

"In regional Australia, we need people who have jobs. These people should be staying here."

Labor leader Anthony Albanese rejected the argument showing the family compassion and exercising discretion would somehow restart the people-smuggling trade.

"This is about a family who are here, this is not a threat to our national sovereignty," he said.

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An American father-son duo admitted to helping orchestrate former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn's audacious escape from Japan as they made their first appearance before a Tokyo court on Monday.

Former special forces operative Michael Taylor and his son Peter were extradited by US authorities over allegations that they and a third man, who remains at large, smuggled Ghosn out of Japan in a music equipment case as he awaited trial.

At the Tokyo district court, the pair did not contest the facts laid out by prosecutors in an indictment, effectively conceding their role in the saga.

"Is there any mistake in what the prosecutor just read?" the judge asked each man in turn. Both replied no.

Michael Taylor, 60, was led in first to the courtroom, with his hands cuffed in front of him. He wore plastic slippers, dark trousers and a white shirt with no tie.

His 28-year-old son was brought in after, with both men wearing face masks.

The pair face up to three years in prison if convicted of helping Ghosn -- currently an international fugitive living in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

The former auto tycoon was out on bail while awaiting trial on four counts of financial misconduct, which he denies, when he managed to slip past authorities onto a private jet, transit in Turkey and land in Lebanon.

The December 2019 escape was hugely embarrassing for Japanese authorities, and US prosecutors called it "one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history".

- Black box -

In court, prosecutors laid out again the almost cinematic details of the operation -- including that Ghosn was hidden in a large case with air holes drilled into it to slip past security at an airport.

As airport staff handled the black box, which was too big to X-ray, one joked that "maybe there's a young woman in there", according to the evidence listed by prosecutors Monday.

Ghosn first hatched a plan to flee Japan six months before his escape, prosecutors said, contacting Michael Taylor using a secret mobile phone after being introduced by his wife Carole.

Story continues

Worried that security guards tailing him could disrupt his escape, he sent his lawyer to police to complain he was being stalked and have the detail reduced, prosecutors added.

Prosecutors said Ghosn and his wife paid the Taylors for their help through an online ad company and directly, with public broadcaster NHK reporting that Peter received 144 million yen ($1.3 million).

The Asahi Shimbun daily said the pair spent most of the money on preparations for the escape, including the costs of chartering a private jet, claiming that they were not paid for their help.

- Ghosn at large -

The Taylors had fought their extradition to Tokyo, claiming they could face torture-like conditions, and did not comment on their case after arriving in early March.

A third man, identified as George Antoine Zayek, is also accused of involvement in the escape but remains at large.

Ghosn is still in Lebanon, where he was questioned last month by French investigators over a series of alleged financial improprieties.

Among the allegations are improper financial interactions with Renault-Nissan's distributor in Oman, payments by a Dutch subsidiary to consultants and lavish parties organised at the Palace of Versailles.

The questioning took place with his defence team and a Lebanese prosecutor present. Ghosn was heard as a witness as he would need to be in France to be formally indicted.

Others involved in the Ghosn case have faced legal proceedings, including his former aide at Nissan, Greg Kelly, who is also on trial in Tokyo for his alleged role in underreporting the tycoon's income.

And a Turkish court has sentenced two pilots and another employee of a small private airline to four years and two months in prison for their role in Ghosn's escape.

bur-si-sah/kaf/qan
The fair was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time since World War II that the state fair wasn't held.

Now, fair officials are preparing for the comeback event. This will be the first 18-day fair. Cuomo announced the expansion in 2020 before the pandemic. When the first was last held in 2019, it was a 13-day event.

While some venues are requiring attendees to be vaccinated, the state fair won't have a similar mandate. Fairgoers who aren't vaccinated will be encouraged to wear masks.

With the new guidance, Waffner thinks much of the fair will "look the same" as it has in the past. However, he said they will space out vendors inside buildings. One example he provided is the Center of Progress Building. He said the exhibitors will be spaced out so there is easier access to exits.

There has been a lot of interest from vendors in returning to the fair, according to Waffner. He estimated that 3-4% of the fair's approximately 600 vendors initially said they weren't going to come back under the previously announced capacity limits. He said they will be contacting the vendors to determine if they are interested now that those restrictions have been lifted.
Instead of tackling that complicity, Harris announced tens of millions of dollars in more aid, such as a $40-million empowerment initiative for young, primarily Indigenous women, and bragged about convening some of our biggest CEOs to increase investments.

But even a cursory glance at those CEOs reveals disregard for historys lessons. Among the companies is Nespresso, which was found to have Guatemalan child labor in its supply chain last year. Many coffee producers dread the Nestle-owned company.

Nestle hurts us a lot, Miguel Tejero, a coffee industry leader in Oaxaca, Mexico, told me. He said the company floods markets with cheaper Robusta coffee, decreasing demand for the high-quality Arabica that small-scale producers grow. Studies show that less than 10% of the wealth from coffee stays in producing countries.

Rather than encouraging more investment from corporations that guzzle profits, the U.S. should invest in infrastructure for vulnerable communities to process, package and sell their own value-added products, Tejero said, as well as in the promotion of such products.

But while Harris had meetings with young women entrepreneurs, her primary function was as a human stop sign: Do not come, she said, warning that migrants who came to the border would be turned back.
Ferrari has launched its first in-house fashion collection of contemporary high-performance and high-tech fabric for men and women as it looks to reboot its brand extension strategy. Ferrari says that the internally-designed apparel collection offers the fans of the brand and its supercars a touch of "couture".

The fashion collection was displayed at carmaker's assembly line in its hometown of Maranello, Italy, where it usually produces its V12 engine vehicles and its hand-sculpted 812 GTS. The auto maker's apparel collection is inspired by the ergonomic designs of its vehicles, their high-performance nature and the techy finish.

(Also read | Mercedes-AMG partners Palace to create one-off car livery, clothing collection)

The clothes have been designed in a gender neutral way, have curvy shapes, and raglan shoulders inspired by its cars, reported Fashion Network. "Our clothes must be recognizable not for the logo but also for their spirit," Rocco Iannone, Ferraris' creative director of fashion, told the publication. The clothes feature high-graphic prints, blends of 1950s posters and magazine covers hinting at speed, images of the prancing horse from the brand's logo and even Ferrari Formula One champions taking the checkered flag.

The fashion launch is a major step in Ferrari's new brand strategy, one of its biggest investments outside the car business. The company plans to leverage the fashion business to account for around 10% of the profits in about seven to ten years.

(Also read | Ferrari hires iPhone innovator as CEO to hasten tilt to tech)

Ferrari's fashion collection will be offered mainly online and through its official stores in Maranello, Milan and Rome in Italy. More stores will in Los Angeles and Miami in the US this year and in China in 2022. Prices for its clothes range from around 200 euros for t-shirts to up to 3,000 euros for top-range coats. The carmaker will eventually expand its luxury fashion collection to include accessories. Further, Ferrari also plans to extend its brand to include a new restaurant in hometown Maranello in northern Italy.

(with inputs from Reuters)
The job experience is going to be extremely helpful, Myers said.

The students will be learning real-world skills in a real-world build, Myers said. That experience is invaluable for employers in the Flagstaff community, all of whom are continually seeking workers with skills that allow them to begin on the job immediately, without further training. Additionally, the students will be learning about what it means to give back, to be of service, to their community by participating in a HFH build.

Blank said the courses lead to industry certificates and college credit, in the event the students wish to pursue associate or bachelors degrees in the future.

Were excited because its not only a model for Flagstaff, but also the state and maybe even the country, Blank said.

Wolverton agreed because prices for single-family homes continue to rise, and the starter home model allows for home ownership to a larger section of the population. And the homes, once a homeowner has grown beyond it, can be resold again and again and offer a hand up into home ownership to others.

Myers said, Its going to be a lot bigger than a framing class.
Climate plays a large role in the spread of WNS and places like Florida have no reported cases because they dont have caves where bats hibernate. Utah doesnt have an especially large number of caves and in Southern Utah, it tends to stay warm year-round. Enough so that bats can be seen flying around for most of the year and have a shorter hibernation period.

There are probably around a dozen bat species in Washington County, Keith Day, a wildlife biologist, said.

Eighteen bat species reside in Utah and the Division of Natural Resources surveys the local bats in rotation every three years. Day has been doing bat surveys in Utah since before 2009 when the rotation started. He said he brings out interns from the DNR to camp and catch bats in soft netting so that they can take measurements and monitor the bat populations.

Day and his team look for WNS and there is a large concern that it will spread to Utah, so monitoring the bats in different areas is vital.

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Most bats are inactive in the cold weather or wintertime, or mostly inactive. There is bat activity year-round down here in Washington County. Its warm enough that they can be active year-round mostly spring, summer, and fall, Day said.
On Juneteenth we celebrate Union Army General Gordon Grangers order to free the people still enslaved in Texas. The holiday marks the effective end of slavery in the United States.

Although President Abraham Lincoln, in his Emancipation Proclamation, banned slavery in all Confederate states 2 1/2 years earlier, it took enforcement by Union troops to actually uproot the practice. As one of the most remote slave states at the time, Texas was in the last wave of enforcement.

Now, over 150 years later, Juneteenth reminds us to be critical of how progress is measured.

In the last month alone, we had two national remembrances of racial injustice: the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd and the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa massacre. Floyds murderer, police officer Derek Chauvin, was found guilty this year. And this spring, President Joe Biden became the first president to visit Tulsa and commemorate the massacre.
The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu Festival, is among the most celebrated Chinese traditional occasions and falls on the fifth day of the fifth Chinese lunar month  this year on June 14. For those who are no strangers to Chinese culture, the festival correlates the pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings known as zongzi that are often placed at the center of the dining table.

However, it is not the only festive snack in China. In fact, different regions across the country have quite distinctive dishes for celebrations. Let's take a look at some of the representative foods and drinks.

Zongzi: Sweet, salty and more possibilities





Generally, there's a major difference of the sticky rice dumplings between northern and southern China in terms of flavor. Zongzi from northern China are sweet as they are typically stuffed with red bean paste or Chinese dates, whereas those in the south are savory with fillings of salted egg yolk and pork.

But more specifically, the culture of zongzi varies in different cities, even in towns and counties, across the country. It carries strong regional characteristics from the selection of sticky rice, to the ingredients of the fillings and even the wrapping leaves.

In recent years, Chinese people have been experimenting with new stuffing to give new life to the traditional snack. The variations include those stuffed with chestnut and pork, spicy crayfish, Kung Pao Chicken and even luosifen  a rice noodle dish known for its pungent smell from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Xionghuang wine: Driving evil spirits away





Xionghuang wine, or realgar wine, is a type of Chinese liquor made with powdered traditional Chinese medicine  realgar. It's said that people living in areas near the Yangtze River used to drink xionghuang wine on the Dragon Boat Festival to ward off evil spirits in ancient China. Parents would also apply drops of xionghuang wine on children's forehead, hands, ear and nose to prevent mosquito bites in summer.

Nowadays, as realgar is toxic, people opt for huangjiu (yellow wine), a popular Chinese alcoholic beverage made from cereal grains, instead.

Tea eggs with auspicious meanings





For those living in Nanchang in eastern Jiangxi Province, having some tea eggs on the Dragon Boat Festival bears some auspicious meanings.

Boiled eggs, be it chicken eggs, duck eggs, or goose eggs, are slightly cracked and then boiled again in tea with sauce or spices for the flavor to sink in. Some would also paint the eggshells in red, put them in net bags and hang around children's neck, hoping to bring good luck and keep them safe.

Today, tea eggs have become quite a popular snack for Chinese. They are commonly seen being sold at street vendors or night markets.

Mung bean cake: A bite of summer





The Dragon Boat Festival usually indicates that the dog days of summer are not far away, and something cool and refreshing is desperately needed. In eastern Zhejiang Province, fluffy mung bean cakes are one of the locals' favorites.

Mung beans can help with reducing body heat and quenching the thirst, according to traditional Chinese medicine. That's why it has become a popular ingredient for making summer treats.

Saozi noodles: A specialty in Shaanxi





People from northwestern Shaanxi Province always have an appetite for noodles. For them, the Dragon Boat Festival is incomplete without a bowl of saozi noodles. The county of Qishan, in particular, is the most famous place for the dish.

The thick and broad noodles are served with pork broth as well as a variety of ingredients, including tofu, carrots, wood ear and garlic sprouts, for a colorful composition.
TOKYO (AP)  Two Americans charged with helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was facing accusations of financial misconduct agreed Monday that they took part in a scheme for him to escape the country.

Statements by Michael Taylor and his son, Peter, on the opening day of their trial in Tokyo suggest the pair dont plan to fight charges of assisting a criminal. That carries a possible penalty of up to three years in prison.

Keiji Isaji, one of the attorneys for the Taylors, told The Associated Press after the court session that he wants the trial to proceed efficiently. He said ending the trial quickly is in the best interests of his clients. He declined to confirm his team was hoping for a suspended sentence if they are convicted, meaning no time would be served. He stressed the decision was up to the judge.

The Taylors appeared calm as they were led into the courtroom in handcuffs, with ropes tied around their waists.

They said little except to answer the judge's questions, such as Yes, your honor, and I hear you well, when asked about simultaneous interpreting relayed through headphones.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A judge on Monday ordered that the murder trial of New York real estate heir Robert Durst will continue, despite defense requests for a delay because they say he's in such pain that he can't stand up to dress for trial.

Durst was hospitalized and the trial was put on pause Thursday. On Monday, with the Los Angeles County jail system doctors declaring Durst fit for court, Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham ordered that testimony in the trial, which resumed last month after a 14-month pandemic delay, would continue.

The 78-year-old Durst, charged with killing his best friend Susan Berman, appeared in court looking frail in a wheelchair and jail garb, with a catheter attached that he held up to show the judge.

Defense attorneys argued adamantly that the trial should be adjourned again because Durst was in pain, and because he couldn't get into the street clothes he is allowed to wear to avoid prejudicing the jury. The lawyers said Durst had a urinary tract infection as a consequence of bladder cancer, and had undiagnosed health problems that they couldn't name because the jail hospital had denied them information and access to him.

I understand hes in a good amount of pain because of the catheter, Windham said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.

John Kim of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the quality of the air near the burning plant is a primary concern for his agency. He said both the state and federal EPA will be monitoring the air quality to make sure it remains safe for nearby residents. Officials recommended people within a three-mile radius wear masks as a precaution.

Dr. Sandra Martell of the Winnebago County Health Department also warned residents not to handle waste from fire with bare hands, noting the possibility it could be contaminated by chemicals used at the plant.

We have confirmed all on site are safe and accounted for. Our concern right now is for the safety of all our employees and the surrounding community," Chemtool said in a statement, adding that it will share more details as they become known.

We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions, it said.

King, who lives in an apartment less than a mile from the site, said she woke up to what sounded like slamming doors.
Charles Camosy, a professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University, empathized with the desire of some bishops to clarify Catholic teaching on Communion.

If one persists in mortal sin, without confession, then one is not sufficiently united to the Church in order to take the sacrament, Camosy said via email. He predicted that any eventual USCCB document would encourage local pastors and bishops to enforce this rule, but not seek to make it mandatory.

He also suggested some bishops might want to expand the discussion beyond abortion  for example, citing acts of racism as possible grounds for exclusion from Communion.

The debate is overshadowing the rest of this week's agenda, which has been criticized by some Catholic commentators for failing to address such issues as racism, economic inequality, voting rights and climate change.

One item up for consideration is adoption of a pastoral framework for youth and young adult ministry  a timely topic given the U.S. churchs struggles to ease a priest shortage by drawing more young men into seminary.
CASPER, Wyo.  Crews on Monday continued to fight a wildfire burning in rugged terrain south of Buffalo, Wyo. using helicopters and strategic burns to try to contain the blaze.

The lightning-caused Robinson Fire has so far burned nearly 700 acres, according to the latest update from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team. Crews have contained 18% of the fire.

Firefighters were bracing for a more active fire on Monday thanks to increasing winds and temperatures that were supposed to reach nearly 100 degrees.

On Sunday, firefighters began a strategic burn operation along the fire's northwest perimeter, according to the update. The burn was designed to remove heavy fuels from steep, inaccessible terrain. If conditions allow for it, that operation was expected to continue into Monday.

Helicopters, meanwhile, will continue to drop water inside Robinson Canyon, which authorities say is the most difficult terrain in the area.

No buildings have been damaged so far. Crews have been assessing structures in the area to develop plans for protecting them if the fire advances. So far, about 80% of the structures have been assessed.

Smoke from the fire is expected to persist for an extended period.
With over 300 years of architectural heritage defining our main streets, our suburbs, and our rural areas, Montana is distinguished by its assorted architectural styles. However, with surging populations, our state has been gentrifying rapidly  posing a serious problem for the local community. In recent years, Montana has become among the fastest growing states in the USA, and in cities like Bozeman, Missoula, and even Billings, house flipping is creeping its way into historic suburbia. While providing modern conveniences to outdated homes is practical and at times necessary, changing home aesthetics dramatically without understanding Montanas culture and local community can be both damaging and reckless.

Montana has often maintained a hands-off approach in regard to historic preservation. Admittedly, this is not always a problem. In cities like Washington D.C., laws on architectural preservation invade on home owners ability to incorporate personal touches that improve home functionality and convenience. In Montana, owners have every right to personalize their homes to meet their individual or household needs.
Though much of North Dakota is experiencing drought and the state has seen more than 1,370 wildfires this year, officials in the Bismarck-Mandan area have not banned fireworks displays.

But the personal use of fireworks for the July Fourth holiday could be in question.

Mandan Fire Chief Steve Nardello said at a June 1 city commission meeting that the personal use of fireworks is "still up in the air."

"Even though we've had some precipitation, it's not enough, and we're still in drought conditions," he said.

Mandan allows residents to shoot fireworks on July 3 and 4. That's a change from previous years, where fireworks had been allowed from July 2 through 2 a.m. on July 5.

In Burleigh County, which has a burn ban in place, fireworks will not be allowed when the North Dakota Rangeland Fire Danger Rating is very high or extreme and/or a red flag warning has been issued, Emergency Manager Mary Senger said.

Morton County has a similar policy in effect. Its burn ban prohibits fireworks when the fire danger rating is in the high, very high or extreme category and includes days when a red flag warning has been issued for the county.

Bismarck does not allow fireworks within city limits.
BRUSSELS (AP)  President Joe Biden used his first appearance at a NATO summit since taking office to call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to step back from provocative actions targeting the U.S. and its allies on Monday. NATO leaders joined the United States in formally accusing Moscow and Beijing of malign actions.

Biden's sharp words for Russia and his friendly interactions with NATO allies marked a sharp shift in tone from the past four years and highlighted the renewed U.S. commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump.

Biden, wearing a NATO lapel pin, said that in his extensive talks with NATO leaders about his planned meeting with Putin on Wednesday, all were supportive of his plans to press the Russian leader to halt Russian-originated cyber attacks against the West, end the violent stifling of political dissidents and stop interfering in elections outside its borders.

Im going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate, if he chooses," Biden told reporters as he ended his day at NATO headquarters. And if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past relative to cybersecurity and other activities, then we will respond, we will respond in kind."
Governor's spokesman Mike Nowatzki declined comment.

The bill's emergency clause added a snarl in making the bill law well before the next budget cycle begins July 1.

"We're over because we put the emergency clause on that bill, so all the stuff that we did last summer before session, that's way over the $50 million, so we're done with our deductible, so to speak," said Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson.

He expects the Legislature to take up some of the requests during the redistricting session, but "there are a lot of things up in the air on that."

The Emergency Commission could approve a number of requests for the next budget cycle, as long as they stay under $50 million total, he noted.

House Majority Leader Chet Pollert, R-Carrington, said legislative fiscal staff are looking into the extent of the bill. He voted no on the bill.

"I thought it was too restrictive, and so we'll probably see some repercussions to that," he said, though he did vote to override the veto. He's not in favor of a special session solely for the Emergency Commission requests but is waiting to learn more.

He and Wardner noted the Legislature has $1 billion of federal American Rescue Plan Act coronavirus aid to designate. That money has to be divvied up by the end of 2024. Legislative leaders are waiting for full federal guidance on how the money can be used.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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The North Dakota Industrial Commission has approved $10 million to fund two legislatively directed research projects that could lead to more value-added energy development.

The Energy and Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks will conduct the research, Prairie Public reported.

"That's really fortuitous, as the nation looks at decarbonizing," EERC Director Charles Gorecki said.

He added that establishing a "hydrogen economy" is the goal.

"Creating a 'road map' for North Dakota for hydrogen and a hydrogen economy is going to be incredibly important, so the state can make strategic investments and help industry make those strategic investments," Gorecki said.

One study will look at the feasibility of creating salt caverns for hydrocarbon storage. Gorecki said thats going to be important for attracting the petrochemical industry, as well as for storing hydrogen and other liquid fuels.

"North Dakota doesn't have those (caverns) at this point," Gorecki said. "We have salts that could potentially be very useful for that."

EERC will drill into those formations and collect the core, he said.
State officials several years ago set a new cap of 50 picocuries per gram for waste disposed of at landfills. The bulk of the radioactive waste generated in North Dakota falls under that level, though not all, Bogar said.

If the waste is headed for a landfill, it typically goes to a treatment facility in North Dakota first to dry out before its trucked to a disposal facility in another state, according to Norbeck and Bogar.

The KT Enterprises slurry well does not have a limit on the radiation level of the waste it disposes of, but it cannot inject bulky items such as pipe or filter socks. The facility processes a lot of sludges and scales, Norbeck said.

KT Enterprises is considering putting in more slurry wells, including one north of Lake Sakakawea and another further south near Killdeer to accommodate waste generated in those areas, he said.

Meanwhile, two companies are proposing to take in radioactive oil field waste at existing landfills in Williams County. They submitted paperwork to the county several days after a 1.5-year moratorium on applications for such facilities expired in May.
From on-site vaccination clinics to encouraging messages from company leaders and attempts to convince workers about vaccine safety, Buffalo Niagara businesses are pushing workers to get their shots.

But one thing they aren't doing is mandating it.

As employees flow back into workplaces, employers generally have the right to require workers to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

But few employers are taking that tack. Instead, theyre encouraging inoculation and trying to make shots easy to obtain.

There are a few reasons employers have steered away from mandates:

 About 67% of Buffalo Niagara residents 18 and older have already received at least one dose of the vaccine.

 The Food and Drug Administration has approved Covid-19 vaccines under emergency use authorization. Employers may be reluctant to require vaccination before the FDA's full, formal approval of the vaccines.

 Employers might be worried about workers quitting over a requirement, at a time when many companies say they are struggling to find hires.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued guidelines backing an employers right to require vaccination for employees in a workplace. There are exceptions for medical or religious reasons.

Otherwise, employers have a fairly free hand to do whatever they want, said James Grasso, a partner in Phillips Lytle's labor and employment group.

Even with that authority, Grasso sees hardly any employers imposing a mandate.

If you put that requirement in, theres a concern that they could lose a fair number of highly skilled, experienced people, Grasso said. That would affect the workforce negatively.

Another factor is that vaccination rates in the Northeast are already high, even without requirements, he said.

Erie County Medical Center has had a high participation rate without a mandate: about 85% of its employees are vaccinated, said Peter Cutler, a spokesman.

Weve never required employees to get vaccinated, Cutler said. Weve encouraged them.

Since the vaccines became available several months ago, ECMC has been spreading the message to its workforce. Cutler thinks part of the high vaccination rate is because employees are keenly aware of the impact of the virus, from working at a health care institution.

And as employees watched their peers getting vaccinated, with only mild side effects, more of them decided to get the shot, as well.

Were extremely happy that the workforce here has chosen to do that," he said.

Cutler said he hopes that experience will inspire more people in the community to get vaccinated, too.

Another factor in ECMCs favor: the presence of a vaccination clinic directly on-site, making it easy for employees  as well as members of the public  to get shots.

Neither Catholic Health nor Kaleida Health has required its employees to get vaccinated, either.

Kaleida says 67% of its employees have been vaccinated. The health system has held vaccine drives in multiple locations, at multiple times, said Michael Hughes, a Kaleida's chief administrative officer.

"Being a 24/7 employer, its important that we make it convenient," he said. "Its also important that we communicate as much as we can about the vaccine so our employees can make an educated decision."

Promoting vaccination

To encourage vaccination, Kaleida has used employee meetings, video blogs and physician visits to sites where percentages weren't very high, Hughes said.

According to New York State, 75% of health care workers in Western New York are fully vaccinated, including 76% in Erie County and 66% in Niagara County.

Highmark Western and Northeastern New York has told its employees the soonest the company would bring employees back to its offices is in September. The health insurer isn't requiring its employees to get vaccinated but is encouraging them to do so, said Amber Hartmann, a spokeswoman.

Highmark has used leadership videos and articles on its intranet to promote the vaccines' safety and efficacy, she said.

Bringing vaccines to workers

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership isnt aware of any local employers with a mandatory vaccine policy, said Grant Loomis, vice president of government affairs.

Instead, many employers are actively encouraging employees to be vaccinated whether as part of employer-sponsored vaccine clinics, or, more commonly, through vaccine access points readily available throughout the community, Loomis said.

Power Drives, a manufacturer based in Larkinville, isn't requiring vaccinations, but held an on-site vaccination clinic last month.

"The primary objective was to provide an opportunity for Power Drives' employees to receive the vaccination with very little effort on their part," said Louis Panzica, president and CEO. "Many of our employees have transportation, child care or other outside issues that prevented them from getting the vaccine and we felt that it was important to encourage as many as possible to receive it as soon as possible."

Power Drives reached out to other businesses in its neighborhood, as well as local residents, to see if they wanted to participate, too.

Over 25 Power Drives employees got shots  people who may otherwise have delayed vaccination or not been vaccinated, Panzica said. Many local residents got vaccinated, too.

Power Drives has scheduled a follow-up, on-site clinic for the second shot in mid-June. The company is partnering with one of its neighbors, Flying Bison Brewing Company, to offer a drink token upon completing the second vaccine dose.

Setting vaccine policies

Vaccination requirements are showing up in other kinds of places.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has said students attending classes in person this fall at the states public colleges and universities will have to be vaccinated. But that will depend on how soon the FDA gives its full approval to Covid-19 vaccines. And such a mandate would not apply to faculty and staff.

Goldman Sachs has told its employees that they must register their vaccination status with the company. The EEOC says employers have the right to ask for that information, as long as it's kept private.

Across the country, a few employers have made news for their vaccination requirements.

In Texas, Houston Methodist hospital gave its employees an ultimatum: if they didnt get vaccinated, they faced suspension, followed by termination. Over 100 employees have joined a lawsuit challenging the policy. A judge on Saturday dismissed the lawsuit, upholding the hospital's vaccination mandate.

Meanwhile, about 200 employees were reportedly suspended in line with the hospital's policy.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are requiring new hires to get vaccinated, except in cases of medical or religious exemptions. A few months ago, Deltas CEO said he wanted to make vaccines mandatory for all workers, but later backed off that idea.

Matt Glynn

The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Inside, they will relocate their businesses, while expanding the retail offerings to also include additional shops, a social setting and relaxation area, and food and drink providers.

The interior will feature an open concept to highlight "the beauty and height of the original space," while the duo updates the space for various experiences, the developers said.

The Monocle will be home to much more beyond interior decor to offer visitors a full-scale luxury lifestyle shopping experience that will be a must-see destination on Hertel Avenue," Poczkalski said.

The renovation project  estimated at $1 million  requires only minor site plan approval from the Planning Department, but the business owners are seeking four variances from the ZBA for front- and side-yard setback, ground-floor height and ground-story height. The ZBA will consider the request when it meets June 16.

"The renovations will enhance the character of the building and the neighborhood," the partners wrote in their application. "It would allow us to move forward with the project as designed without making any major changes to the existing building."

Work on renovating the historic structure is underway. Poczkalski and Brugh hope to open by November.
There are two amazing things about 755 Restaurant in Niagara Falls.

One is its food, the best Lebanese cuisine in Western New York. Basma Merhi and her son Nader present dish after dish whose uncompromising standards of freshness and deft seasoning makes them destination dining.

Or so I would hope.

Because the second thing about 755 is the frustration some readers have experienced in trying to find the restaurant. In 10 years, and 500 reviews, Ive never seen anything comparable.

755s white brick building faces the vast parking lot centered by the Niagara Falls City Market colonnade, next to Goodfellas Pizzeria. Sure, calling it LEBANESE RESTAURANT might have helped, but the 755 on the facade is three feet tall.

Yet four times since my original 2015 review, correspondents eager to put 755 to the test drove to Niagara Falls, and reported failing to locate 755 W. Market St. One drove 90 minutes from the Southtowns.

On a recent visit, I had to guide one guest by giving directions over the phone like an air traffic controller bringing in a lost jetliner.
A federal appeals court cited Thomas Sibick's "repeated lies" to investigators in denying pre-trial release for the Amherst man charged in the attack on a police officer amid the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Sibick, under indictment on robbery, civil disorder and other charges, had appealed a federal judge's March 17 order that he be held without bond until he goes to trial. He has pleaded not guilty.

Sibick's "multiple and repeated lies and misrepresentations to investigators about his conduct undermine his credibility and erode trust that he will comply with conditions of release," a May 21 judgment from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said.

Moreover, Sibick "faces numerous serious felony charges as a result of his conduct, and his criminal history includes convictions for failing to comply with a law enforcement order and attempted reckless endangerment," according to the ruling. "In these circumstances, the district court did not clearly err in detaining appellant based on his dangerousness."
She tried to submit subsequent comments, but saw her original post had been deleted. She received a message saying, Sorry, you may not have permission to add this comment or your original post may have been deleted, she said.

They would not let me add comments, Miller-Williams said. I was shut out.

Nowakowski said he called Council staff during the meeting because they said she was commenting and that he probably gave someone a directive, too, since her comment was deemed not accurate or not germane to the subject.

So, we have a right to filter those comments that are germane or not, Nowakowski said. We have a whole policy of what is on there to kind of keep things germane. The comments have to be truthful and honest.

Miller-Williams said her comments were germane and truthful, and as an elected official, her comments should not have been filtered out.

Its not good government, she said.

+3 As shootings surge, Buffalo officials unveil plans and residents worry A surge of gun violence in Buffalo has left 134 people either wounded or dead this year through May 22.

Either way, it is not a violation of New York States Open Meetings Law or the City Charter.

A representative with New York States Committee on Open Government says there is no right to public comment in the Open Meetings Law.
"We have to look at all the things that would be affected," she said. "We seem to be, in Orchard Park, very conservative."

The village would not want to turn small businesses away, she said, but if it did allow dispensaries and lounges, they would have to go in the proper location.

Orchard Park would get some tax revenue from any dispensary or lounge.

Under the new state legislation, there is a 4% local tax on the product when it is sold to a consumer. The county will receive 25% of the tax, and the town, village or city where the product is sold will receive 75%.

There also is a state tax imposed on the distributor, based on the amount of THC in the product and a 9% state tax on the price of the product when it is sold to a consumer.

"This would allow us to reduce the burden on residents. Some portion that comes to the town should be used to fund the police and any additional public safety measures they would have to take," Flynn said.

He said there are a lot of issues to explore, and the earlier the town makes the announcement that shops will be allowed, the more time there is for businesses and the town to plan.
How to sit more Blacks on juries has been a perennial issue in Niagara County Court.

Now it's becoming a campaign issue for two judicial candidates competing in primaries in the Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Working Families parties, each of whom come with vastly different resumes.

The county courts are in Lockport, while most of the county's Black population is in Niagara Falls.

It's not unusual to see a Black defendant tried by an all-white jury, as Falls residents, especially minorities, often don't respond to jury summonses.

Michael E. Benedict, a former defense attorney running for county judge, said if he's elected, he will work on moving trials that involved Niagara Falls crimes to Niagara Falls.

"You have to look at the case and say, 'Where are the witnesses coming from? Where are the investigations coming from?' If it's more convenient for everybody to do this in Niagara Falls, the judge certainly has the ability to go into that location," Benedict said Monday.

John J. Ottaviano, also running for the post, said he would confer with Niagara County Judge Caroline A. Wojtaszek and State Supreme Court Justice Paula Feroleto, the administrative judge for Western New York.
Beef tenderloin, shrimp and asparagus were on the menu, with cheesecake for dessert, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo hosted Western New York's Democratic state delegation June 1. But the culinary fare wasn't what brought the six Assembly members, two state senators and a half-dozen commissioners and staff aides to the Executive Mansion that evening.

Call for Skyway 'reset' could benefit Kensington, Scajaquada as region prioritizes projects The Kensington and Scajaquada expressways could be big beneficiaries after a decision Monday by Rep. Brian Higgins and State Sen. Tim Kennedy to back away from a New York State study on the Skyway's removal.

The governor, sitting at the head of the dining table, discussed the need for the delegation to decide among themselves what their priorities were and to speak with one voice to capitalize on what is expected to be a once-in-a-generation infrastructure bill from the Biden administration, according to seven legislators who attended.

By the time dinner was over, it became clear to the delegation and the governor that a new pecking order had taken hold, with a project to transform a section of the Kensington Expressway and another to change the Scajaquada Expressway rising in popularity, while plans to dismantle the Skyway were in free fall. Six days later, Rep. Brian Higgins and State Sen. Tim Kennedy announced their withdrawal of support for the Skyway project, although Higgins told The News on Saturday that the meeting at the governor's residence had no impact on the decision or its timing.

Cuomo over the past two years had backed Higgins' and Kennedy's calls for the highway bridge's removal, sponsoring a design contest and then fast-tracking a costly study to look at alternatives.

"I think the governor was taken aback and surprised that there were other opinions at the table," Assemblyman William Conrad said.

"I think it's fair to say the governor was surprised to hear almost all of us taking a contrary position," Assemblywoman Karen McMahon said. "Maybe hearing it all at once was a little bit more impactful."

Cuomo began the conversation by saying he thought Western New York had a rare opportunity to benefit from federal infrastructure dollars, but that it was unlikely there would be enough funding to address all three projects, so the delegation needed to prioritize, several members said.

+3 At a crossroads: Consensus eludes backers of Buffalo's momentous infrastructure projects Proponents for the three transportation megaprojects see a generational opportunity to get them done through President Biden's proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan.

Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes was among those who promoted the decking of a portion of the Kensington Expressway to recreate the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Humboldt Parkway and stitch back neighborhoods that were severed when the highway was constructed.

Assemblywoman Monica Wallace noted that the Biden administration's prioritizing of highway projects that destroyed Black and brown neighborhoods potentially boosted the Kensington project's prospects.

The conversation touched on a March letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg signed by the six Assembly members. The correspondence urged the federal agency not to fund the Skyway and to instead support the Kensington project and the return of streetcars.

+6 'We've got to get it right': Boulevard option gains favor as Skyway review moves ahead The boulevard plan calls for at-grade and elevated roads, seven new bridges, and the removal of three bridges along a 2.6-mile stretch from Route 5/Tifft Street to a new on-ramp at Seneca Street.

State Sen. Sean Ryan and other lawmakers discussed converting the elevated Scajaquada Expressway into a parkway, or possibly removing some or all of the highway. Assemblyman Pat Burke advocated for the return of streetcars to Buffalo streets.

Conrad said his main concern was getting funds for long-overdue water and sewer projects in his district.

Kennedy, who had to leave the meeting early, was the only one of the eight legislators to speak in support of the Skyway. Before the South Buffalo lawmaker left, according to several legislators, he argued vehemently for the Skyway's removal, hitting the table with his right hand for emphasis and becoming combative with Burke and Ryan.

Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera said Kennedy's defense of the Skyway project  long associated with Higgins until Kennedy, who chairs the Senate's Transportation Committee, also got on board  was understandable.

+3 Nations top transportation official sees benefit of revival of Humboldt Parkway U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx urges the repair of damage left by urban

"As a region, we were convinced the Skyway was the biggest limitation for my entire childhood," Rivera said. "If he believed it, a lot of Buffalonians believed it."

Several legislators said they found little interest in their districts for tearing the Skyway down, though some said it hadn't aroused strong feelings one way or the other.

"It seemed to be that the public really wasn't on board with taking down the Skyway after so much money had been put into it, and it just seemed problematic, so we expressed that," McMahon said.

"The 33 was the biggest part of the conversation, with the governor taking it in," Burke said of the Kensington Expressway.

"I would say it wasn't settled business, but that was No. 1, and you could interchange the 198 or streetcars as No. 2," Burke said.

Peoples-Stokes said the "delegation felt the 33 and the Scajaquada were more of a priority than the Skyway."

Rivera felt the elevated support of the Kensington and Scajaquada projects left an impression on the governor.

"What he wanted to know he found out," Rivera said.

The governor indicated he wouldn't back away publicly from the Skyway, but would focus going forward on the projects the lawmakers and their constituents preferred, McMahon said.

"Cuomo started doing political calculus and his next moves in real time," Burke said. "He's much more skilled at that than I had realized, in terms of his political sense."

Rich Azzopardi, senior advisor to the governor, declined to comment on the specifics of the meeting.

We keep private conversations private, but there is no doubt that the Western New York delegation is top notch and we always value any time we can get together to discuss how to best move the region forward, he said Sunday.

Wallace said the meeting was invaluable and reinforced the need for the delegation to speak with one voice.

"It was a good opportunity to have a conversation, collectively, about what we consider to be the priorities for our region," Wallace said. "We all got to hear one another's perspectives, and the governor wanted to hear from us, which I appreciated."

Ryan said Cuomo's advice hit home.

"He advised us to prioritize projects, get community input and come together as a team to try to get as much federal money as we can for Buffalo," Ryan said.

Ryan said the diminished importance of the Skyway project that came out of the meeting will make it easier for the delegation to reach a consensus.

Higgins told The News that the delegation's meeting with the governor had no effect on his and Kennedy's Skyway decision.

"No, it had nothing to do with it," Higgins said.

He continued to cast blame on the Cuomo administration's Department of Transportation.

"It had to do with the 18 months of direct talks with the governor's secretary of transportation, of which we had three different individuals, all with the same title," Higgins said. "It was very evident that the DOT was not moving on the issues that were presented to them, and that they were receptive to 18 months ago."

Higgins and Kennedy's announced pullback from the Skyway project came hours before the Hamburg Town Board passed an unanimous resolution opposing the Skyway's removal.

With redistricting in sight, which could realign boundaries of Congressional districts, Higgins could end up representing Hamburg and Orchard Park.

Higgins said political calculations didn't go into his decision.

"No," the congressman said, before continuing his criticism of the State DOT.

Several calls to Kennedy for comment were not returned.

Mark Sommer covers preservation, development, the waterfront, culture and more. He's also a former arts editor at The News.

The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Fair manager Jessica L. Underberg said she took the 2.6 million square footage of the fair and figured out how many people could be in attendance at 6 feet apart.

"It's probably a conservative number, and then taking into account the people who come with their own family don't need to be spread out," she said.

Erie County Fair attendees will not be required to be vaccinated or undergo Covid-19 testing to enter, organizers previously announced.

The Erie County Fair is scheduled to take place Aug. 11-22.

Social distancing will be encouraged  where possible  and unvaccinated attendees will be asked to wear a mask at the state fair, Cuomo said during a news conference Monday at the fairgrounds. Vaccinated attendees will not be required to show proof of vaccination, he added.

"Otherwise, it will be the fair as you know the fair," the governor said.

When it was announced in April that the state fair would go on at reduced capacity, the statewide positivity rate was 2.06%. It has since dropped to 0.41% as of Sunday, Cuomo said. The rate also has dropped in the Central New York region.
Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia who was with Biden for the 2011 meeting with Putin, said in an interview that Biden might have a deeper skepticism and perhaps more informed view of Putin than any of his White House predecessors.

Bidens knowledge of the region may be better than anybody thats held the job, McFaul said. Biden has spent time in Georgia. He spent a lot of time in Ukraine. I traveled with him to Moldova, and hes spent a lot of time in the eastern parts of the NATO alliance. He has been in those places and heard firsthand about Russian aggression and Russian threat. ... It has created a unique component of his analysis of Putin that other presidents have not had.

Indeed, as president, Biden has said he would take a far different tack in his relationship with Putin than former President Donald Trump, who showed unusual deference to Putin, and the three other past U.S. presidents, whose political lives overlapped Putin's time in power.

During his first visit of his presidency to the State Department, in February, Biden told agency employees that the days of rolling over for Putin were over  a not-so thinly veiled shot at Trump. Later, in an ABC News interview, Biden answered affirmatively that Putin was a killer."
Im just listening to the people, Wheeland said. "Thats what the people want.

The nearest opportunity for Republicans to get the election-related proposals on the ballot is 2023. Before that, the proposals must pass the Legislature twice in two consecutive legislative sessions.

History is on Republicans side in a strategy of going to voters: The last time voters rejected a ballot question was in 1993, and they usually pass easily.

The two GOP-sponsored measures on the governor's disaster declarations won by less than 4 percentage points statewide. By comparison, two other bipartisan ballot questions on the ballot won by more than 45 percentage points statewide.

J.J. Abbott, Wolf's former press secretary who now runs a progressive advocacy group called Commonwealth Communications, expects Republicans to prepare ballot questions in 2023 to roll back voting rights and limit state spending, initiatives they know Wolf will veto.

They clearly had a deliberate strategy around the disaster declarations and I think they're teeing these things up to be ready go to on the ballot in 2023, Abbott said. "And I think there is this concern more broadly that its difficult to get people away from voting yes.



Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said U.N. officials have made clear the need for all sides to refrain from unilateral steps and provocations, for them to exercise restraint and allow for the necessary work to be done to solidify the current cease-fire.

Omer Bar-Lev, the new Cabinet minister who oversees police, said he met with police, military and top security officials to review the plan.

I got the impression that the police are well-prepared and a great effort is being made to preserve the delicate fabric of life and public security, Bar-Lev said.

His statement gave no details on the parade route. But Israeli media said the crowd would walk past the Damascus Gate but not enter the Muslim Quarter.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said about 2,000 police would be deployed.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem after the 1967 war and considers the area, home to the city's most sensitive religious sites, to be part of its capital. The competing claims to the holy city by Palestinians and Israelis lie at the heart of the conflict and have sparked many rounds of violence.
That is the risk some see in another piece of legislation, much broader in scope, that recently passed the Assembly but didnt make it out of the Senate. Sponsored by Assemblymember Daniel ODonnell, D-Manhattan and State Sen. Jamaal Bailey, D-Bronx, it does what Flynn and many prosecutors vehemently oppose, and that is to allow for the release of records in grand jury proceedings, albeit at the discretion of the judge.

That proposed law does not apply to all grand jury proceedings, as PoliticsNY wrote, but only in cases in which grand jurors do not indict for a felony. An appeal must be made to the judge in order to reveal the testimony of any public servant and any expert witness who testified.

The measure has risks, as Flynn says, but in at least one way, it may not go far enough. A district attorney can wield inappropriate influence on a grand jurys actions. The public has an interest in knowing when that has happened. Again, a judge could be the arbiter.

In the Legislatures next session, lawmakers should pass the Myrie/People-Stokes measure and give more thought to the other. Transparency matters, but so does the presumption of innocence.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
President Biden can and should pressure Vladimir Putin. Perhaps, he should tell Putin, in private, that for every dollar that is ransomed from U.S. companies by hackers housed in Russia, the U.S. will funnel that same amount of funds to those groups that are opposing Putin in the next election. Biden should tell Putin that he is aware that there are many more targets for Putins hackers to attack in the U.S. than is available to us. But that is not a weakness. We have one target  Putin personally  and he doesnt want all the might of our private and public sectors focused on his demise. Biden should also tell Putin that if he wants to have his oil pipeline run smoothly then he needs to think twice about supporting hackers attacking our system. Putin only respects strength, anything else is perceived as weakness. Get tough Biden.
There is great economic inequality within the United States, and this problem is not far from home. Over 30% of Buffalonians live below the federal poverty line  in contrast, the national average is 14%. Buffalo struggles to provide financial security to many of its citizens, however some are more likely than others to experience this issue. In the East and West Side of Buffalo, half of all single parent households are living in poverty. Considering both of these communities are predominantly Black, these statistics further highlight the racial inequity persistent throughout the Queen City. One way the federal government can alleviate poverty within Buffalo is by permanently expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax credit.
(Bloomberg) -- Shares of companies controlled by billionaire Gautam Adani recouped a part of their days losses after refuting a local report that said accounts of three Mauritius-based funds that own the groups stocks were frozen.

The Economic Times reported Monday that National Securities Depository Ltd. froze the accounts of Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund. It said the action was probably due to insufficient disclosure of information regarding beneficial ownership, citing people it didnt identify. The report sparked a selloff in shares of six listed Adani firms before the ports-to-power conglomerate rebutted the claims.

In separate filings to Indian exchanges, Adani group companies said the report is blatantly erroneous and is done to deliberately mislead the investing community. The companies said they have confirmation from the Registrar and Transfer Agent that the demat account in which these funds hold the shares is not frozen.

A spokesperson for capital markets regulator Sebi didnt immediately respond to a request for comments. National Securities Depository also didnt repond to a request for comments.

The funds, registered at the same address in Port Louis, own more than 435 billion rupees ($6 billion) in four Adani group firms, the report said. Freezing of accounts would mean the funds wont be able to sell or buy new securities.

Adani Enterprises Ltd. ended 6.3% lower, paring an intraday decline of as much as 25% while Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd. trimmed losses to 8.5% after slipping as much as 19%. Adani Total Gas Ltd., Adani Green Energy Ltd., Adani Power Ltd. and Adani Transmission Ltd. all fell by their 5% limit earlier in the day.

Authorities must be vigilant on the sharp price moves in Adani group stocks, said Shriram Subramanian, founder of proxy advisory firm InGovern Research Services Pvt. Sebi should also investigate the concentration of holdings by select funds without disclosure of beneficial owners, he said.

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A sharp rally in the shares of some of the Adani Group companies had added over $40 billion to Gautam Adanis wealth this year through Friday, making him the second-richest person in Asia. The quick surge in these stocks, largely held by overseas funds and with very little public float, had also led some analysts to flag the risks involved.

Massive Rally

The price of Adani Total Gas has climbed threefold this year despite todays plunge, while Adani Transmission has gained nearly 250%. Adani Power is up 183%, Adani Enterprises 213%, while Adani Ports is up 57.5% so far in 2021.

Stock exchange BSE Ltd. last week sought clarification from Adani Power after the stock jumped nearly 20% for two consecutive sessions to which the company responded that it had no pending information or announcement and the share price seemed market driven.

The groups stocks, especially Adani Total Gas, Adani Enterprises and Adani Transmission, look extended, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Gaurav Patankar and Nitin Chanduka wrote in a June 10 note after analyzing technical indicators.

Among the biggest foreign investors are a few Mauritius-based funds holding over 95% of assets in these companies, the analysts wrote. Such concentrated positions, along with negligible onshore ownership, create asymmetric risk-reward as large investors conspicuously avoid Adani.

(Updates with exchange filings from Adani Group companies.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Figure 1

Wapolu Prospect - drilling and resource areas

Wapolu Prospect - drilling and resource areas

Figure 2

Team establishing work program

Team establishing work program

About Adyton

About Adyton

About Adyton

BRISBANE, Australia, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adyton Resources Corporation (TSX Venture: ADY) (Adyton) is pleased to announce the mobilisation of the drilling rig at its 100% owned Wapolu Gold project located approximately 30km north-west from its 100% owned Gameta Gold Project on Fergusson Island and within Papua New Guineas renowned Rim of Fire.



With the completion of the initial Gameta drill program seven weeks ahead of schedule, a diamond drill rig has been deployed for a short infill program at the Wapolu project to confirm certain historical reverse circulation drilling results and to obtain samples for a metallurgical test work program.

Frank Terranova, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Adyton, commented, We continue to expand and accelerate our drilling programs as we rapidly advance our understanding of the geology of the Fergusson Island and Feni Island projects. In addition, trenching and reconnaissance programs are underway to assist with the identification of drill targets for the next phase of exploration drill programs to be undertaken following the Resource Update planned for Q3 2021.

Adyton also advises that the second diamond drilling rig previously located at Gameta has arrived at the Feni Island project. There are now two diamond drill rigs in place at Feni Island with drilling anticipated to commence shortly.

Summary Geological Setting:

The mineralisation model developed for Wapolu is that the gold is associated with hydrothermal fluids, concentrated in shallow-dipping deposits within or immediately adjacent to a detachment fault zone (DFZ) developed along a contact between a domed metamorphic basement and an overlying ultramafic unit. This is the same model as for Gameta, the sister deposit located 30kms away (the subject of Adytons recent drilling programs). This general setting is analogous to such deposits as Misima in PNG and Mesquite and Picacho in California. The gold occurs in association with fine sulphides as disseminations and in epithermal quartz veins in lensoid zones parallel to the DFZ.

Story continues

Summary of Previous Work:

Exploration commenced in the early 1980s with geological mapping, stream sediment sampling, rock chip and float sampling, geophysics and a small diamond drill program. By the mid-1980s this had expanded to trenching, airborne surveys and more drilling resulting in the discovery of the Wapolu deposit. A small trial mine was conducted in the mid 1990s, and in the early 2000s a limited metallurgical test-work program and technical study were carried out. Since that time very little activity has been carried out.

The Wapolu Gold deposit currently consists of 3.1 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.42 g/t Au, for contained gold of 140,000 Inferred Resources ounces, assuming a cut-off grade of 0.8 g/t Au.1

Drill Program Overview:

The initial diamond drilling program at the Wapolu Project is designed to provide detailed information on the mineralised zones by diamond coring in two selected areas and so obtaining samples for metallurgical testing and to confirm previous historical intersections. A limited coring program is proposed in this initial phase of 400  500m.

Figure 1: Wapolu prospect  drilling and resource areas:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/43318542-0837-46df-9e08-7d57fef2a1a9

Below depicts the team establishing the work program:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3a487799-b090-4d03-9a65-1be432adc404

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF ADYTON RESOURCES CORPORATION

Frank Terranova, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

For further information please contact:

Frank Terranova, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: fterranova@adytonresources.com

Phone: +61 7 3854 2389

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

(1) Notes Regarding Inferred Mineral Resource Estimates

The Fergusson Island Project currently has a mineral resource prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) dated December 17, 2020, which has outlined an initial inferred mineral resource of: (i) at Gameta, 7.2 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.55 g/t Au, for contained gold of 360,000 ounces, assuming a cut-off grade of 0.8 g/t Au; and (ii) at Wapolu, 3.1 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.42 g/t Au, for contained gold of 140,000 ounces, assuming a cut-off grade of 0.8 g/t Au.



See the NI 43-101 technical report entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Fergusson Gold Property, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea (the Fergusson Island Technical Report) dated February 1, 2021 and prepared for XIB by Mark Berry (MAIG), Simon Tear (MIGI PGeo), Matthew White (MAIG) and Ian Ryan Roy (MAIG), each an independent mining consultant and qualified person as defined in NI 43-101, available under Adytons profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been prepared, reviewed, and approved by Rod Watt, BSc Hons (Geo), FAusIMM, Chief Geologist and a director of Adyton, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Adyton Resources Corp press release dated May 05, 2021: The technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Rod Watt, who is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI43-101). Mr. Watt consents to the inclusion of his name in this release. Mr Watt verified the data disclosed in this press release in accordance with industry standard best practices, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying the information or opinions contained therein.

Forward looking statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements, including forecasts, estimates, expectations, and objectives for future operations that are subject to several assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Adyton. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. Forward looking statements in this news release include plans for additional drill testing, the intention to prepare additional technical studies, the timing of additional drill results, and the preparation of a resource upgrade in Q3 2021. The forward-looking information contained herein is provided for the purpose of assisting readers in understanding management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking information are based on management of the parties' reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on such management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Such factors, among other things, include: impacts arising from the global disruption caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, changes in general macroeconomic conditions; changes in securities markets; changes in the price of gold or certain other commodities; change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); discrepancies between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of and changes in the costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information represents managements best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual future results may vary materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements or information. Adyton Resources Corporation undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law.

ABOUT ADYTON RESOURCES CORPORATION

Adyton Resources Corporation is focused on the development of gold and copper resources in world class mineral jurisdictions. It currently has a portfolio of highly prospective mineral exploration projects in Papua New Guinea on which it is exploring for copper and gold. The Companys mineral exploration projects are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire which hosts several world class copper and gold deposits.

Map showing the location of Adytons Papua New Guinea exploration projects relative to significant PNG gold projects:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4265b923-9872-48d1-ad81-205d7becf385

Adyton was formed by a reverse takeover transaction completed with XIB I Capital Corporation on February 17, 2021 and commenced trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ADY on February 24, 2021.

Adyton is also quoted on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the code 701:GR.

For more information about Adyton and its projects, visit www.adytonresources.com.




ADF/IS attacks around Beni have become more frequent since March 2020

The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo has long been a cradle of rebel activity, often the spill-over of conflict in neighbouring Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

Among the most notorious groups now operating there is Uganda's Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

The Islamist militant outfit was formed in the 1990s and primarily concerned itself with domestic grievances within Uganda.

But after re-emerging in DR Congo, its activity has taken on a more global jihadist dimension, with attacks increasingly being claimed in the name of the Islamic State (IS) group.

How did the ADF start?

The ADF was created in northern Uganda by former military officers loyal to former strongman Idi Amin.

It took up arms against Uganda's long-serving President, Yoweri Museveni, alleging government persecution of Muslims.

After its defeat by the Ugandan army in 2001, it relocated to North Kivu province in the DR Congo.

Following a period of low-level activity, the ADF re-emerged in 2014 with a series of attacks on Congolese civilians.

Musa Seka Baluku became leader in 2015 following the arrest of his predecessor Jamil Mukulu.

Baluku reportedly first pledged allegiance to IS in 2016.

But it was not until April 2019 that IS first acknowledged its activity in the area, when it claimed an attack on army positions near the border with Uganda.

This statement marked the announcement of IS's "Central Africa Province" (Iscap), which would later include Mozambique.

While there are indications that IS has co-opted the ADF, IS has never publicly mentioned it by name in its propaganda.

In September 2020, Baluku claimed that the ADF had "ceased to exist".

"At present, we are a province, the Central African Province, which is one of many provinces that make up the Islamic State," he said.

Local media still attribute attacks to the ADF.

What is the situation in DR Congo?

Story continues

According to the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, the ADF has killed about 200 civilians and displaced nearly 40,000 others in Beni since January 2021. The rebel group also targets government and UN troops.

Since the emergence of IS in DR Congo, the frequency of attacks has increased.

Iscap's attacks take place in ADF territory, centring on North Kivu's Beni territory, with occasional forays into neighbouring Ituri Province.

The vast majority of these are on military targets, but the deadliest attacks are on Christian civilians.

Iscap's most significant attack so far appears to have been the October 2020 jail break in Beni that led to the escape of over 1,000 prisoners.

Fears of religious conflict

The conflict in eastern DR Congo has often touched off ethnic tensions, but the involvement of IS risks adding a sectarian dynamic.

DR Congo is predominantly Roman Catholic, and the church is a key player in the country. Muslims comprise about 10% of the population.

The Muslim community in Beni has become increasingly vocal against the rebel group, but this comes at a cost.

In May, two prominent clerics known to be critical of the ADF were shot dead in Beni.

The rebel group has also been linked to attacks against Catholics. In October 2012, it abducted three Catholic priests from a convent in the Mbau locality. Their whereabouts remain unknown.

In its propaganda, IS has frequently singled out Christians and taunted the DR Congo government over its "failure" to protect them from its attacks.

Such provocation is characteristic of IS, which often seeks to exacerbate local tensions to bolster its credentials as a defender of ordinary Muslims against "oppression".

IS propaganda

The ADF does not appear to run its own media outlets or to independently claim responsibility for attacks.

But IS has a sophisticated and centralised online media operation at its disposal, bolstered by a host of supportive outlets operating on various messaging platforms.

The bulk of Iscap propaganda consists of written claims of attacks, and photos of their aftermath.

In March, as a show of force, Iscap released images purporting to show its militants roaming the streets of a village in Ituri province following an attack on the army. But such images are rare and suggest that IS has yet to become a significant force in DR Congo.

In October 2020, IS's flagship newspaper al-Naba released a special infographic flaunting Iscap operations over a period of 12 months, highlighting attacks in both DR Congo and Mozambique.

Regional jihadist expansion

Rebel violence in eastern DR Congo has largely been sustained by a lack of strong government institutions and mistrust in military intervention.

These are ideal conditions in which IS can expand, as evidenced by its surge across Iraq and Syria in 2014, and more recently in West Africa, where it has spread beyond north-east Nigeria into the Sahel region.

Similarly, IS expansion is often driven by alliances or the co-opting of established local groups with a shared ideology, as appears to have happened with the ADF.

Iscap is likely to exploit the increased violence to expand activity in neighbouring countries.

Indeed this is already in evidence, with increased attacks in Mozambique and the first Iscap-claimed attack in Tanzania in October last year, which reportedly left 20 soldiers dead.

This expansion, along with the one witnessed in West Africa, is part of a general tilt towards Africa following IS's recent setbacks in its traditional Middle Eastern heartlands.
An American man and his son, accused of orchestrating former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosns escape from Japan, admitted their role on Monday in their first appearance in a Tokyo court.

Former special forces operative Michael Taylor and his 28-year-old son Peter were extradited by US authorities over claims they smuggled Ghosn out of Japan in a music equipment case as he was awaiting trial.

The pair face up to three years in prison if convicted of helping Ghosn who is currently an international fugitive living in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Ghosn was out on bail awaiting trial on four counts of financial misconduct, which he denies, when he slipped out of Japan in a private jet, transiting Turkey on his way to Lebanon.

The Taylors, along with a Lebanese national who is still at large, are suspected of orchestrating the December 2019 escape.

The pair fought their extradition, claiming they could face torture-like conditions in Japan and have not commented on their case since arriving in early March.

However local media in Japan say both men have admitted wrongdoing during questioning.

144 million Yen

Public broadcaster NHK said Peter Taylor had received 144 million Yen from the Ghosns for their help.

The Asahi Shimbun Daily said the pair spent most of the money on preparations for the escape.

Ghosn remains in Lebanon where he was questioned last month by French investigators over a series of alleged financial improprieties.

Among the allegations are improper financial interactions with Renault-Nissans distributor in Oman, payments by a Dutch subsidiary to consultants and lavish parties organized at the Palace of Versailles.

Ghosn was questioned as a witness as he would need to be in France to be formally indicted.
Offshore wind illustration

Offshore wind illustration

Offshore wind illustration

Offshore wind illustration 2

Offshore wind illustration

Offshore wind illustration

(OSLO, 14 June 2021) bp today agreed to join Statkraft and Aker Offshore Wind in a consortium bidding to develop offshore wind energy in Norway.

The partnership  in which bp, Statkraft and Aker Offshore Wind will each hold a 33.3% share  will pursue a bid to develop offshore wind power in the Srlige Nordsj II (SN2) licence area.

SN2s favourable location provides power export access to local and adjacent markets. The consortium also intends to explore opportunities to provide clean power to electrify offshore oil and gas facilities. The partnership would work with local suppliers, building industrial competencies for Norways offshore wind market, and contribute toward value creation in the Nordic and European energy market.



The consortium brings together the individual companies strong technical skills and deep experience in offshore energy projects, covering the full value chain from development to the delivery of offshore renewable energy to market.



bp has interests in the offshore wind sector in both the US and UK and a longstanding onshore wind business in the US. It brings strong North Sea development and operating experience, international energy trading capabilities and a disciplined financial framework to the partnership.



Dev Sanyal, bps executive vice president of gas and low carbon energy, said: bp aims to grow our renewables business at scale and we see great opportunities in offshore wind energy. We have decades of offshore experience in the North Sea and will also bring our extensive trading capabilities and strong relationships in Europe. Coming together with Aker and Statkraft, we believe this consortium will be ideally positioned to effectively and efficiently grow and deliver clean power for European markets, as well as strengthen the supply to Norway when needed.



As Europes largest producer of renewable energy, Statkrafts expertise in energy management and its experience and competence in wind farm development and operations provide a foundation for success in developing SN2.



Story continues

Christian Rynning-Tnnesen, chief executive of Statkraft, said: We have extensive capability from the development and operation of onshore wind around the world and experience in significant offshore wind projects in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Strong growth, decreasing technology costs and the involvement of industrial and financial players all indicate the rising role that offshore wind will play in Europe. Our partnership with Aker and bp will create significant value and contribute towards Europes energy transition.



Aker brings to the project its learnings and know-how from five decades of designing and executing offshore projects in the North Sea as a supplier, developer and operator. Aker Horizons will work closely with the consortium on topics including strategy and financing, and the partnership will also benefit from the broad capabilities of other Aker companies, including Cognite and Aker Solutions.

Kristian Rkke, Chairman of Aker Offshore Wind and CEO of Aker Horizons, added: Our partnership has the potential to redefine Norways position as an energy nation, and the consortiums joint capabilities are building blocks to lead the energy transition. Together with Statkraft and bp we will work to develop the Norwegian offshore wind industry, reduce emissions and create new jobs.



With bp joining the Norwegian consortium, energy cooperation between Norway and the United Kingdom is also further strengthened.





About bp



bps purpose is to reimagine energy for people and our planet, and our ambition is to be a net zero company by 2050, or sooner, and help the world get to net zero. bps strategy is to transform into an Integrated Energy Company focused on delivering solutions for customers and this will see bp growing net developed renewable generating capacity to 20GW by 2025 and 50GW by 2030.

www.bp.com



About Statkraft



Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europes largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, solar power, and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations. Statkraft has 4,500 employees in 17 countries.

www.statkraft.com

About Aker Horizons



Aker Horizons exercises active ownership in companies within renewable energy and green technology to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emission, while providing substantial value creation over time. Aker Horizons portfolio platform includes investments in the listed companies Aker Offshore Wind and Aker Carbon Capture, as well as in Mainstream Renewable Power and the listed company Aker Clean Hydrogen. The sunrise portfolio includes ongoing initiatives and opportunities within solar, transmission technology and other ventures.

www.akerhorizons.com

About Aker Offshore Wind



Aker Offshore Wind is an offshore wind developer headquartered in Norway with focus on assets in deep waters. With global operations, the current portfolio consists of development projects and prospects located in Asia, North America and Europe. Aker Offshore Wind effectively deploys cost effective technologies from decades of offshore energy development. The company is majority-owned by Aker Horizons, an investment company dedicated to creating value and reducing emissions from renewable energy and decarbonization technologies. Aker Offshore Wind [AOW-ME] is listed on Euronext Growth in Oslo, Norway.

www.akeroffshorewind.com





For further information, please contact:

Geir Fuglseth, Copmmunication manager, Statkraft AS

E-mail: geir.fuglseth@statkraft.com

Tel: +47 913 70 572

Lars Magnus Gunther, Press spokesperson, Statkraft AS

E-mail: lars.gunther@statkraft.com

Tel: +47 912 41 636





Attachments




This week marks the beginning of a key event for Canada's telecom industry as up to 23 bidders compete for federal licences used in 5G wireless networks.

But a major player will be absent from this auction, as Freedom Mobile sits on the sidelines while its rivals bid for 3,500 megahertz licences starting on Tuesday.

Shaw Communications-owned Freedom is Canada's fourth-largest wireless carrier, and competes with Rogers, Bell and Telus  the three major national telecom companies.

Shaw, which earlier this year accepted a takeover offer from Rogers, will not participate in the auction.

The $26-billion Rogers-Shaw deal still needs regulator approval and won't close until 2022, but Freedom's absence from this auction will likely weaken a key competitor to the Big Three carriers in parts of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Some members of a Commons committee that studied the Rogers-Shaw deal said in April that Freedom's absence from this auction will affect long-term competition.

"I think with the discussions we've had here, there should be some alarm bells sounding as far as Canadians are concerned,'' said Earl Dreeshen, a Conservative MP from Alberta, at an April 7 hearing about the Rogers-Shaw deal.

An Competition Bureau official told the committee that a study prepared for an earlier review of the wireless industry concluded that prices are 30 to 40 per cent lower in regions where there were four independent players.

Freedom has Canada's fourth-largest subscriber base but is still small compared with Rogers, BCE Inc. and Telus Corp., which also operate secondary brands such as Fido, Virgin and Koodo that compete for customers in many markets.

The Canadian government's auction of 3,500 megahertz spectrum licences, which had been were delayed until this year because of the pandemic, are expected continue for weeks.

Winners of the auctions will be eventually announced by the spectrum management division of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Story continues

Governments around the world carefully plan how to use and licence spectrum, considered to be a valuable but limited natural resource.

Because 3,500 megahertz spectrum works well in dense urban areas and spacious rural markets, it's in a sweet spot for 5G networks around the world.

Canada's government hasn't said how much it expects to receive from this auction, but a previous bid for less desirable licences raised a total of $3.47 billion in 2019.

The United States held a similar auction last year, raising US$4.5 billion in net proceeds  the equivalent of about C$5.5 billion at current exchange rates.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE, TSX:RCI.B, TSX:T, TSX:SJR.B)

David Paddon, The Canadian Press
Tensions between the U.S. and China are likely only to worsen under the Biden administration, according to Raymond James Managing Director Ed Mills.

"This kind of relationship is going down a path of great confrontation," said Mills, who is also the financial services firm's Washington policy analyst. "I think we are going to see an increase in the conversation about the decoupling and more conversations about 'Are we going into another Cold War between these two economies?'"

Mills specifically cited the combination of the U.S. Senate recently passing an expansive bill to invest a quarter of a trillion dollars in boosting domestic manufacturing to compete with China and President Joe Biden signing an executive order expanding a Trump-era ban on U.S. investment in Chinese companies with purported links to Chinas military.

"We've effectively weaponized our capital markets," Mills told Yahoo Finance Live (video above). "Going forward, we continue to believe that China is going to retaliate."

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping speaks with Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden during a business roundtable at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC, February 14, 2012. (Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

The pressure is already building, he noted, with China last week passing a new "anti-foreign sanctions law" that forces companies with operations in China and the U.S. to choose between complying with either country's sanctions.

Do you want to stand up to human rights in China, or do you want cheap solar panels? Francine Sullivan, the vice president for business development at REC Silicon, a polysilicon maker based in Norway with factories in the U.S., told The New York Times to illustrate the dilemma facing companies who rely on China's massive consumer market.

If companies choose to comply with U.S. sanctions on China, they could incur sanctions in China.

"Directionally, this has absolutely continued what started under the Trump administration," Mills noted. "And you could see some of these policies have more bite as they get fleshed out under the Biden administration."

Story continues

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden takes a question from reporters at the International Studies Learning Center in South Gate, CA. (Photo by Tim Rue/Corbis via Getty Images)

Three things the market's watching

Meanwhile, the market will be paying attention to several upcoming geopolitical events: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting, any further updates on the relationship with China, and Biden's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The market is still going to look at these meetings quite closely," Mills said. "The first thing that the market will look at is: What does the NATO Alliance look like under a President Biden? How much do the other countries continue to commit to fulfilling their defense spending initiatives, and how much does the United States spend on defense?"

The market is also watching "how much does the United States get to re-change the conversation related to China," Mills said. "We've seen a number of hawkish stances from the Biden administration, continuing a lot of the stances of the Trump administration."

The other big piece is Biden's meeting with Putin.

"How much do we have to continue to be concerned about cyber attacks, ransomware attacks, especially as those attacks are focused on the reopening trade?" Mills said. "We had [an] impact on fuel and impact on food and impact on some travel. Does that continue or does that get ramped up or is President Biden able to convince President Putin... [that] there are real consequences and therefore some of this slows?"



Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at aarthi@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami.

Read more:

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, SmartNews, LinkedIn, YouTube, and reddit.
A 3-year-old boy died from serious injuries after he was attacked by his family's pit bulls when he fell out of a window and into the backyard where they were kept

Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images

A 3-year-old child in New Jersey was mauled by two dogs at his family's home, according to reports.

The attack happened after the boy fell from a window into the backyard where the dogs were held.

The child was pronounced dead shortly after at a local hospital.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A 3-year-old child was killed after he fell out of the window of his family's Elizabeth, New Jersey home and was attacked by two pitbulls that were kept in the backyard.

Police said when the boy landed he was killed by two dogs in the fenced backyard, WABC-TV reported. Neighbors who witnessed the incident said they saw his mother trying to stop the animals from viciously hurting her son, according to the report.

"My heart is broken. I didn't sleep all night," a neighbor, Maria Rocha, told WABC-TV.

"I just hope that he didn't suffer, you know what I mean?" Rocha added. "I hope he didn't suffer, that it was quick."

The boy, who had serious injuries, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead about an hour later, according to NBC News. As the publication reported, the family's dogs were transported to another location by animal control and law enforcement is investigating the incident.

A spokesperson for the city, Kelly Martins, told NJ Advance Media last week that "the dogs are currently quarantined, and the City is moving towards euthanizing them."

Read the original article on Insider
C-Level View | Feature

Social Media Now Has a Past  Can We Learn from Our Mistakes?

A Q&A with Gardner Campbell

The history of social media is both very brief and very recent. Most applications initially appeared in the first decade of the 21st century. Despite all the enthusiasm and hopefulness surrounding the social media applications of the day, we now find ourselves looking back on dreams that, for the most part, didn't deliver.

Gardner Campbell, an associate professor of English at Virginia Commonwealth University and a first-generation social media researcher asks, "Where did the choices get made, especially those that we didn't know we were making at the time?" Campbell says if we can understand that, then maybe we can make better choices moving forward.

Campbell wants to give the prospect of making better choices a chance in the realm of social media. In fact, he's challenging his students in a brand-new course this coming fall to examine what they don't yet know about social media and suggest new strategies to help us all make better decisions in the future.

"If we can grasp what happened, maybe we can make better choices in the future." Gardner Campbell

Mary Grush: You're going to be teaching a new course in the fall called The Rise of Social Media. What will you present to start students off on their exploration of this topic?

Gardner Campbell: That's a great question that one has to think about really hard; otherwise it will be like you're trying to boil the ocean.

I'll focus on specific platforms  I guess you could call them instances or manifestations of social media platforms. How did they emerge? What did they accomplish? And we'll look at these not only as technological accomplishments but also in terms of the ways in which they flourished: An example would be citizen journalism in the wake of 9/11.

So I'll talk about blogging, its history, and what is meant by a Weblog. We'll look at Wikipedia in great detail  policies, directions, and the life of that culture. Of course, we'll turn our attention to YouTube and to Facebook. And underneath all of those things, we'll examine the technology that made the Web widely usable and paved the way for its exponential growth: the first really reliable search engine, Google. And finally, we'll land for a bit on Twitter. I can't possibly cover everything  but these are the big platforms that made huge differences, both obvious ones and more subtle shifts in our world, in what we called at the time "Web 2.0."

Grush: Alright. I understand that's the what. But how will students reach a deeper understanding for themselves, of the significance of these social media? Can you tap into your own experiences to offer them models  maybe by showing them issues or challenges confronting you, that may open a door to their own questioning?

Campbell: Sure. I continue to teach fully online, and I'm always looking at counterintuitive things: how we can think about old things in new ways.

Grush: What are some examples?

Campbell: The idea of scaling is one. When you have no physical classroom, you might think, "Why not make class size larger and larger?" But a lot of learning has to do with establishing presence, and there has to be some realization of relationships  so there's a lot to think about there. Another idea is the ongoing problem of digital literacy  where higher education is, where our students are What I see in my own practice can open the doors for many discussions. Still another example concerns me with the consequences of what we imagine about networks  Do you think of the Internet as an information superhighway, or a collection of communities, or a network of networks? And what are the dangers of changing our concepts of the network? Thinking about networks connects you with a whole range of wider questions. And those very questions may be relevant, too, in the context of examining social media.
George Adrian was proud of his service in the Army during the Vietnam War. After he retired, he joined the Chippewa Falls City Council to continue serving his community, friends and colleagues say.

Not only was he an excellent council member, he was an excellent person, said Mayor Greg Hoffman. He was always a gentleman. He was a fun guy, very knowledgeable, and understood the system.

Adrian, 72, died Monday at his home. A funeral will be held Monday.

Adrian was a member of the Chippewa Falls Patriotic Council, where he attended military funerals. He was always visible at area Memorial Day and Veterans Day functions.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

He was always at the Memorial Day services at the park, Hoffman said. I liked George. He had friends all over the place. He was that kind of guy.

Former Councilman CW King said he knew Adrian for about 40 years and said he will be greatly missed.

He was a family man, a community man, King said. He served honorably. He did a lot to serve the community, first as an employee, then as a council member.
Garrett Knajdek said his sister, Deona M. Knajdek, of Minneapolis, was the protester who was killed, the Star Tribune reported. She was to have celebrated her 32nd birthday on Wednesday, he said.

"She was using her car as a street blockade, and another vehicle struck her vehicle and her vehicle struck her," said the 29-year-old brother, who learned the details from police and his mother.

He said his sister had 11- and 13-year-old daughters, and was actively involved in issues surrounding justice.

"She constantly (was) sacrificing herself for everyone around her," he said, "no matter the cost, obviously."

The driver and those who were injured have not been identified.

Police said the driver's motive was not immediately known. A statement from police said a preliminary investigation indicated that the use of drugs or alcohol by the driver may be a contributing factor in the crash.

Police said besides the woman who died, three other protesters had been injured. The extent of their injuries was not released.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.

John Kim of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the quality of the air near the burning plant is a primary concern for his agency. He said both the state and federal EPA will be monitoring the air quality to make sure it remains safe for nearby residents. Officials recommended people within a 3-mile radius wear masks as a precaution.

Dr. Sandra Martell of the Winnebago County Health Department also warned residents not to handle waste from fire with bare hands, noting the possibility it could be contaminated by chemicals used at the plant.

We have confirmed all on site are safe and accounted for. Our concern right now is for the safety of all our employees and the surrounding community, Chemtool said in a statement, adding that it will share more details as they become known.

We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions, it said.

King, who lives in an apartment less than a mile from the site, said she woke up to what sounded like slamming doors.
Unlike dental assistants, who are not licensed or credentialed by the state and perform a limited range of tasks, EFDAs would be certified by the Dentistry Examining Board and required to have 70 hours of classroom instruction. They could help dentists complete restorations, apply sealants, take impressions and adjust dentures, among other duties.

While EFDAs would have more education than dental assistants, the training would be much less than for dental hygienists, who clean and polish teeth, along with providing oral health assessments and education.

Adding these positions to oral health care teams in our state will allow dentists and dental hygienists to focus on practicing at the top of their scopes and allow more patients to be seen, said Plumer, also a lead sponsor of the dental therapist bill. Lack of access to dental services is an issue that affects urban and rural areas of Wisconsin.

More than 20 states and the military allow EFDAs, Felzkowski and Plumer said.

Concerns linger
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque dispelled rumors that President Rodrigo Duterte's health is deteriorating, saying the chief executive slightly fell off balance due to a misstep during the Independence Day celebration in Malolos, Bulacan.

"It was a simple misstep," Roque said in a media briefing on Monday.

"Malinaw naman po sa video that the President was turning on a podium, some kind of a podium, so medyo na-out of balance lang po. Wala naman pong problema sa kalusugan," he explained, referring to the video of the incident which made rounds on social media.

[Translation: It is clear in the video that the President was turning on a podium, some kind of a podium, so he slightly fell out of balance. There is no health problem.]

The President regained his balance with the help of AFP chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana and Dr. Rene Escalante, chairperson of the Naional Historical Commission of the Philippines.

The 76-year-old Duterte's medical condition has been the subject of speculations in recent years.

He himself previously admitted to having several health problems, such as daily migraines, nausea, pain due to a spinal injury, Buerger's disease or a disorder affecting blood vessels, and Barrett's esophagus or a complication which causes heartburn or acid indigestion.

In April 2020, the Supreme Court was urged to compel Malacanang to release all of the President's medical records  a petition it junked the following month.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas on Monday said he will not recommend stricter community quarantine restrictions for the second half of June even as the city struggles with the COVID-19 spike and filled-to-the-brim hospital system.

Iloilo City has been flagged by experts as one of the areas with high health care utilization rates. The mayor said hospitals in the city are now "100%" filled, adding at least four hospitals have resorted to sending their COVID-19 patients to hotels while waiting for COVID-19 hospital beds to free up. He also said the city has been recording three-digit new cases daily since the start of the month.

The local chief executive, however, believes the current modified enhanced community quarantine imposed for two weeks now has not been helpful in bringing down the number of new infections, which is why he is not for its continued enforcement.

Trenas said they will instead focus on the strict enforcement of minimum health protocols and bring up the city's capacity to quarantine mild COVID-19 cases.

"We noticed that the strict quarantine has not brought down the number of cases so we will slowly open up the businesses, just make sure that everyone strictly complies with the health protocols, open up more quarantine facilities so that those who will be positive will be isolated," he told CNN Philippines.

He said small business owners and workers are struggling to survive amid strict restrictions.

The mayor earlier appealed for regular supply of vaccines to be sent to the city.

"Unfortunately, it is really the vaccines that we need. We need a steady supply of vaccines not only here for Iloilo City but also for Region 6 because if you look at the figures, it's really Region 6 where the cases are going up every day," he said.

The national government has yet to announce the community quarantine classifications for June 16 onwards.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  The Mactan-Cebu International Airport has began accepting international flights this week with the lapse of the Palaces order diverting Cebu-bound flights to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Sunday said there has been no further directive regarding the previous order, which was issued on June 5 by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and was in effect until 11:59 p.m. of June 12.

When asked whether this meant international flights can already land on the Cebu airport, Roque said without a further memo from Malacanang, yes.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, spokesperson of the Department of Health Region 7, told reporters the provinces swab upon arrival policy is still being imposed on arriving passengers.

Under Cebu Governor Gwen Garcias policy, returning overseas Filipinos will be swabbed upon arrival at the airport.

Cebu residents can return to their homes after getting a negative RT-PCR test. They will undergo home quarantine and will be swabbed again on the seventh day in their residence.

Non-Cebu residents who test negative have to show proof of itinerary in going home to their province and will observe health protocols of their local government or the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases,

This is contrary to IATFs policy which states that testing should be done on the seventh day of quarantine under an accredited facility.

The Palace earlier said the previous extension of diverting Cebu-bound flights to NAIA, the second one after the directive was issued in May 27, was aimed at fixing the implementation of the IATFs arrival protocols in Cebu.

CNN Philippines Cebu-based correspondent Dale Israel contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  After a Palace official floated that a "regular" general community quarantine over the NCR Plus bubble is likely by the second half of June, the Department of Health on Monday warned that the COVID-19 situation is worsening in areas surrounding the bubble, putting it at risk of surges once again.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the healthcare utilization in Metro Manila is now at a safe zone after recovering from the surge a few weeks ago.

The OCTA Research Group earlier said the daily average number of new cases in the capital region decreased by 17% to 926 on June 4 to 10.

But Vergeire said the encouraging developments in Metro Manila and nearby provinces can easily go back to experiencing surges if restrictions are lifted hastily.

"The situation is very fragile, anytime baka bumalik tayo sa ganyang pagtaas ng kaso kung hindi tayo lahat mag-iingat, kailangan lahat dahan-dahan," she said in a media briefing.

[Translation: The situation is very fragile, anytime we can go back to high cases if we are not cautious. Everything needs to be done gradually.]

The "GCQ with restrictions" over Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna  collectively known as NCR Plus  will expire on Tuesday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said a "regular" GCQ is possible for June 16 onwards due to the improving situation in the bubble.

Under the regular GCQ, leisure activities such as cinemas and game arcades are allowed to resume.

"We will prioritize the essential services first bago tayo makapagbukas ng ibang non-essential [before we can open the non-essential]," Vergeire added.

Dr. Maricar Limpin, vice president of the Philippine College of Physicians, on Sunday suggested to maintain the current status of GCQ with restrictions in NCR Plus.

She also recommended tightening border controls in the bubble since persons coming from these areas could be possible carriers of COVID-19 infections.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  Independent research group OCTA sounded the alarm over the spike in the COVID-19 growth rate in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, branding it as the "area of most concern" outside NCR Plus.

In its report on Monday covering the June 7 to 13 period, OCTA said Dumaguete City recorded a 129% one-week growth rate and an average daily rate of 69.85%.

Given the high numbers, Dumaguete City is now classified as "extremely high risk."

The group also cited Iloilo City, Butuan City in Agusan del Norte, Tacloban City, and Polomolok in South Cotabato as other areas of concern due to rising cases and high healthcare utilization rates.

Tagum City in Davao del Norte, Legazpi City in Albay, and Tagbilaran City in Bohol, meanwhile, are considered "emerging hotspots."

The critical care capacity of Davao City, Iloilo City, General Santos City, Tuguegarao, and Koronadal in South Cotabato is now at "critical level."

RELATED: Five provinces face high-risk hospital status amid COVID spike -- OCTA Research

READ: DOH sends more equipment, sets additional budget for manpower to help Visayas, Mindanao amid pandemic

Following the latest report, Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Remollo said that complacency among people could have contributed to the surge in COVID-19 cases in their place.

"This is alarming for us [] Since ECQ we were very successful in controlling and monitoring our cases...until two weeks ago. Apart from relaxing of our basic protocols, complacency among our people na may parties na (there are parties now)....It is complacency even at home," he told CNN Philippines' News Night.

The Department of Health earlier said it has deployed more equipment to the Visayas and Mindanao to support the areas in handling the COVID-19 surge.

Additional budget for manpower has also been allotted to boost the medical workforce in the regions.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 15)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned travelers against presenting fake RT-PCR test results as the government allows more mobility across the country, especially in tourist spots.

In his weekly address, Duterte said he has received reports that some travelers heading to different parts of the country, especially popular destinations like Boracay, present fake swab test results, an important document when crossing borders amid the pandemic.

There were numerous instances where local authorities in Boracay caught tourists presenting fake swab tests to be able to enter the island. There were even cases where the involved individuals eventually tested positive for the coronavirus after re-swabbing.

To discourage this, the President directed relevant authorities to arrest violators and to ensure that health protocols in tourist spots are followed.

I am also directing the Department of Tourism, the Philippine National Police, and all local governments to arrest those presenting fake tests and enforce strict compliance on protocols of local tourism, he said. Do not be afraid to file sanctions.

Huwag ho ninyong gawin iyan at makokompormiso lang kayo [Do not do this because you will just be compromised] Kindly check at least twice over whether or not you have the genuine certificates, Duterte added.
(CNN) -- When US President Joe Biden and his aides were planning his visit to the Cornish coast this weekend, many -- including the President -- viewed it as something of a homecoming.

Long a fixture at international summits, Biden's return to the table represented more than just an elder statesman finally taking his place among the club of world leaders. For the White House, it also signaled a return of the United States to the type of consensus-based diplomacy shunned by former President Donald Trump.

Like any high school homecoming, Biden found some familiar things: the stilted family photo, the quick diplomatic pull-asides, German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

But he also found some things have changed. Staunch American allies, shaken after the political upheaval of the Trump era, are increasingly working to define their own foreign policies separate from a country whose internal politics remain mired in dysfunction.

Global earthquakes like Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic had not yet happened the last time Biden attended a diplomatic summit as an elected leader and were major topics of discussion in Cornwall.

And the dramatic escalation of cybercrime and digital surveillance provided a menacing subtext, including on Saturday when organizers decided to cut off internet to the meeting room as the leaders engaged in sensitive talks on China.

As Biden moves onward to Brussels for a NATO summit, here are three takeaways from the G7 summit:

A weight lifted

The differences in body language between this weekend's summit in Cornwall and the three summits attended by Trump couldn't be starker. If the 45th President was sometimes pictured looking sullen as other leaders united against him, Biden seemed to take pains to look relaxed and comfortable among the world leaders, even when differences arose.

He laughed heartily sitting alongside British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who seemed relieved Biden has apparently moved past his description of the Prime Minister as a "physical and emotional clone" of Trump.

Biden leaned into an embrace from French President Emmanuel Macron, with both men pressing into each other's sides as they walked arm-in-arm into the summit venue, forcing other leaders to walk around. As their meeting the next day started, Biden was clutching a pair of his aviator sunglasses when he passed off to Macron a question on whether America was back.

"Yes, definitely," the French President said. He added later, "It is great to have a US president who's part of the club and very willing to cooperate."

Biden and Merkel met outdoors, taking advantage of the coastal sunshine for talks punctuated by laughter. That evening Biden joined the leaders for some more forced bonding, this time in the form of a beach barbecue that featured ice cream sundaes for dessert.

Biden's foreign policy pitch as a candidate centered in large part on Trump's apparently unwillingness to cultivate positive relationships with world leaders. As a senator and then as vice president, Biden's style of diplomacy was uniquely focused on the give-and-take between two human beings.

In his first months in office, Biden tried conducting meetings with foreign leaders over video conference. But he told aides it wasn't the same and that he needed to start traveling as soon as it was safe.

Over the course of the three-day summit, Biden met individually with at least four leaders, and sat for hours of talks with the entire group.

Differences remain

Still, for all of Biden's attempts to put forward a show of comity, there were limits on what the leaders could agree to in the end.

One of Biden's major proposals to the group -- a global infrastructure program meant to compete with China's Belt and Road initiative -- was included in the summit's final statement. But it didn't include any specific commitments from countries on how much they're willing to contribute.

A statement on ending the use of coal for electricity was vague and came without a timeline.

And though language on China went further in calling out Beijing's human rights and economic abuses than previous G7 statements, earlier drafts of the communique were sharper. Behind the scenes, European leaders appeared resistant to go as far as Biden wanted in holding China to account.

Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, Biden said he was "satisfied" with the final document but seemed to acknowledge no outcome would ever be perfect.

"I think there is plenty of action on China and there is always something that you can -- I'm sure my colleagues, they think they can improve," he said.

Biden has framed his entire trip around the notion of defending democracy in a battle against authoritarianism. But some in Europe find the democracy versus autocracy formulation overly reductive, allowing little room for the reality that many countries will end up relying on China or Russia in some form or another.

Biden, at his news conference, said he believed he had moved some of the leaders along toward his view.

"Everyone at the table understood, and understands, both the seriousness and the challenges that we are up against and the responsibility of our proud democracies to step up and deliver for the rest of the world," he said.

The best example of that this week was a joint pledge by the leaders to provide an additional 1 billion vaccines to poor or middle-income countries, including 500 million from the United States. Yet even some members of the G7 are still struggling to vaccinate their population.

Speaking herself to reporters following the summit, Merkel was frank that just having Biden in the US seat at the G7 wasn't an end to the problems facing the world.

But she said it did mean the group can work with new "zest" to solve them.

On to the autocrats

Biden's trip this week has been carefully choreographed to highlight traditional American alliances before next Wednesday's summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Biden has been spending much of his downtime on his trip preparing for that meeting, which will occur inside an 18th-century Swiss villa overlooking Lake Geneva.

Nearly as soon as he arrived, Biden teased a contentious atmosphere for his trip's concluding meeting.

"I'm headed to the G7, then to the NATO ministerial and then to meet with Mr. Putin to let him know what I want him to know," Biden told troops gathered at an airbase in Suffolk.

How much support he got from fellow G7 leaders isn't exactly clear. In the final document, the leaders took Russia to task for malign cyber activity, including ransomware attacks, and for regional aggression.

But even Merkel, one of Biden's closest allies at the G7, has found it difficult to swear off Russia forever. Biden recently waived sanctions on Germany related to the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would have complicated relations with a reliable ally.

Biden on Sunday said he agreed with Putin that US-Russia ties are at a low point. But he said it was worth meeting him anyway.

Afterward, the two leaders won't hold a joint press conference -- something past presidents have done.

"I think the best way to deal with this is for he and I to meet, he and I to have to have our discussion. I know you don't doubt that I'll be very straightforward with him about our concerns," Biden said on Sunday. "And I will make clear my view of how that meeting turned out and he'll make clear how -- from his perspective how it turned out."

This story was first published on CNN.com "3 takeaways from President Joe Biden's first G7 summit".
(CNN)  Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israel's new prime minister on Sunday, after winning a confidence vote with the narrowest of margins, just 60 votes to 59. His victory ends a 12-year grip on power by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving leader.

After four elections in two years, Bennett's incoming government breaks a long political deadlock and ushers in the most diverse coalition Israel has ever seen, including the first Arab party to serve in the government. In his speech before the Knesset confidence vote, Bennett celebrated the diversity and warned of polarization within the country.

"Twice in history, we have lost our national home precisely because the leaders of the generation were not able to sit with one and another and compromise. Each was right, yet with all their being right, they burnt the house down on top of us," Bennett said. "I am proud of the ability to sit together with people with very different views from my own."

Bennett became the premier as the leader of Yamina, a right-wing party with only seven seats in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, making him the only prime minister in the country's history with such a small faction. By contrast, Netanyahu's Likud party won 30 seats in March's election. Once again, however, Netanyahu could not cobble together a governing coalition with a majority of the 120 members of Knesset.

US President Joe Biden on Sunday congratulated Bennett in his first statement about the political situation in Israel, saying he looked forward to working with the new prime minister.

Biden also spoke with Bennett on the phone, according to a readout of the call from the White House. "The leaders agreed that they and their teams would consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran," the White House said.

"The President also conveyed that his administration intends to work closely with the Israeli government on efforts to advance peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians."

A statement from Bennett's office said the two leaders "emphasized the importance of the alliance between Israel and the United States, as well as their commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries, and maintaining the security of the State of Israel.

During the call, Bennett also expressed appreciation for Biden's "support for Israel during the recent operation in Gaza," according to the readout.

'We'll be back soon'

During the debate ahead of the swearing-in, Netanyahu had assailed the coalition that ousted him from the Prime Minister's Office after a record 12 consecutive years, calling it a "weak" and "dangerous" government.

Long considered the "magician" of Israeli politics, Netanyahu had survived years of challenges to his power, outlasting and outmaneuvering his opponents. But on this night, he had too many opponents who wanted to see him gone.

After touting his accomplishments throughout his years in office, Netanyahu assailed his rivals.

"You call yourself the guardians of democracy, but you are so afraid of democracy that you are ready to pass fascist laws against my candidacy -- the language of North Korea and Iran -- in order to maintain your regime," he said, referring to speculation that the new government would impose term limits or make it illegal for someone who has been indicted to be Prime Minister.

Warning that the new government would not stand up to Iran, Netanyahu warned his internal rivals and outside enemies, "We'll be back soon."

Common ground

Bennett's path to victory seemed all but lost during 11 days of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants last month, when Netanyahu appeared to scuttle any chances of the opposition parties forming a government to replace him. But Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party which holds 17 seats, forged the agreements between the different parties that led to the end of Netanyahu's grip on power. The arrangement places Bennett at the head of a coalition that includes right-wing, left-wing, and Arab parties, united largely by their desire to dethrone Netanyahu.

These disparate interests will challenge the coalition to find common ground on key issues, such as what policy to pursue with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank or how to manage the relationship with Gaza. The international community, including the United States, are pushing for the renewal of a peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians, but this government is ill-equipped to handle such negotiations, since two of the parties are vocally opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Instead, Bennett will focus on domestic issues during his two years as prime minister, before he hands the reins to Lapid according to their coalition agreement. These will include the relationship between religion and state, the cost of living, and quality of life issues. Israel also has not passed a budget since March 2018; the newly anointed government has three months to enact one or the Knesset will dissolve and the country will once again head to elections by law.

Yet the neophyte administration will have no choice but to deal with some of the thornier issues. In East Jerusalem, the eviction of several Palestinian families in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah is still awaiting a High Court decision. The final ruling was delayed in an attempt to avert tension and violence in Jerusalem last month, but it nevertheless sparked a chain of escalation that led to more than a week of conflict between Israel and Gaza, leaving hundreds dead, most of them Palestinians.

Throughout his political career, Israel's new prime minister has served as the defense minister, economy minister, education minister and more. But it was always under Netanyahu, and Bennett began his political career as Netanyahu's chief of staff. In replacing his former boss, Bennett has already etched his name into the country's political history, especially after years of unprecedented political stalemate.

Bennett's success and political survival ultimately depend on his ability to forge compromise between the different parties in the coalition, even if only on a narrow domestic agenda. If not, he risks ending his time as prime minister shortly after it begins.
(CNN)  Government data help policymakers find and fix problems for people in need. But that's tricky if some groups aren't represented in the stats.

This is the case for the LGBTQ+ community, and it's a huge problem. Here's an example: The government's monthly jobs report shows how many men and women, Black, White, Asian and Hispanic workers are unemployed. The stats lay bare a lot of inequities, but there are no comparable federal data on LGBTQ+ workers.

"We are invisible in federal statistics, when it comes to some policymakers," said Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

Put more bluntly: "If we don't get counted, we don't count," said Cathy Renna, communications director at the National LGBTQ Task Force.

Invisible in the data

Official stats, including the Census, are used to decide how federal funds are distributed  to the tune of $1.5 trillion. But data gaps in the jobs reports, health surveys and the decennial Census affect millions of people: 5.6% of US adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, according to a Gallup survey published in February.

Official data are needed "to ensure that LGBT people are included in efforts to reduce unemployment through increased labor force participation, as well as to monitor compliance with anti-discrimination provisions," researchers at the UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute wrote earlier this year in support of adding LGBTQ+ questions to the Current Population Survey, which helps create the jobs report.

Recent research has found higher rates of poverty, unemployment, health disparities, and workplace discrimination among LGBTQ+ adults, according to the Williams Institute. The negative outcomes were even greater among transgender individuals and LGBTQ+ people of color.

Examples of how data can change outcomes for the LGBTQ+ community include the establishment of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ youth, school training services and ongoing research after former Governor William Weld sought to respond to an increase in LGBTQ+ youth suicides; the improvement of individuals' medical care following research asking patients about their sexual orientation and gender identity; and the creation of equity programs within the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services following a study that showed LGBTQ+ youth were overrepresented in the youth foster system and experienced harsher treatment.

Although independent research from the Williams Institute and established pollsters such Gallup have provided some data about the community, that research just doesn't carry the same weight as government stats in leading to funding of direct services and addressing the needs of people in the queer community, Renna said.

Across government agencies, academics and the LGTBQ+ community itself, people have expressed a desire to better understand the needs of that population. The government is doing research to figure out how to best ask about sexual orientation and gender identity.

But the business of big, robust data sets is complicated.

Big data problems

Government statistics are pretty sophisticated and the methodology behind surveys goes through a lot of prodding. But when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community, government institutions haven't done enough research yet to make broader improvements to the data.

The worry is that reporting errors on questions surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity may lead to much bigger errors in the eventual data.

"Questions for relatively small populations must be formulated especially carefully; if they are not, even relatively small sampling or reporting errors can lead to large errors in estimates," the US Bureau of Labor Statistics told CNN Business in an email.

The questions the Census Bureau asks also have to go through an established process to review wording and effectiveness. Ultimately the Office of Management and Budget approves any new questions.

When the government surveys households, for example to learn about America's employment situation, one person answers questions for other members of their household. That can make it harder to get accurate data on members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially if a person hasn't come out to their family, or if the survey respondent is uncomfortable talking about another household member's sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Not everyone's out," Renna added. "Some of us live in places where you can be fired if you come out."

The NGLCC, which leans heavily on community-driven surveys and private sector research, has yet to meet with the Census and BLS on inclusive data-gathering efforts, Nelson said. But he said he is optimistic about the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to broaden the scope of its data collection.

President Joe Biden last week, in officially recognizing June as Pride Month, urged Congress to pass the Equality Act to ensure civil rights protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community and their families.

"We are a strong part of the economic fabric ... not just in Pride Month," Nelson said. "We need to get inclusive on data collection immediately, because the sooner we can normalize that data collection, the less opportunity there is for erasing it."

A chicken and egg situation

The people behind government surveys are doing research to move toward a world in which official data are more inclusive.

Figuring out how to best ask about things as personal as sexual orientation and gender identity is at the forefront of that research. The willingness and ability to answer questions about sexual orientation and gender of other people is just as critical, the Census Bureau told CNN Business.

The last BLS research paper on the topic is from 2017. While it's feasible for the government to ask these questions, the paper recommends more in-depth analysis.

"The reality is that it's very chicken and egg," Renna said. "If you don't have the data, you can't understand the community. If you don't ask the community questions, you don't have the data."

Some government surveys already collect information on gender identity and sexual orientation, including the National Health Interview Survey, the National Crime Victimization Survey and the National Survey of Children's Health.

Last year, the 2020 Census made history by including same-sex marriage and same-sex unmarried partners as options on its survey. The Bureau of Labor Statistics  which uses surveys to compile the government's monthly jobs report  began including same-sex married couples in its tally of married workers in January last year.

Considering that only 20% of LGBTQ+ people live in same-sex married households, these surveys leave out the vast majority of the community, said Kerith Conron, the Blachford-Cooper research director and distinguished scholar at the Williams Institute.

And there is a greater dearth of data especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ youth, transgender people and gender identity, she added.

Earlier this year, Conron and her colleagues highlighted those and other inequities in a public comment urging the US Census Bureau and BLS to add sexual orientation, gender identity and sex assigned at birth questions to the Current Population Survey.

"There are ongoing health and economic inequities that aren't going to go away unless people start paying attention to them," she said in an interview with CNN Business.

Data on sexual orientation and gender identity aren't collected consistently across states -- for example, only 30 states included the SOGI module in a US Centers for Disease Control-backed behavioral risk survey in 2019. This creates big gaps in the data, particularly in regions such as the South and Midwest, Conron added.

"Those are the places where non-discrimination protections and social acceptance are also lacking," she said. "In the places where people probably have worse conditions, [there are] less data available to see what's going on for people."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "LGBTQ+ Americans aren't fully counted by the government. That's a big problem."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13)  Senator Franklin Drilon is seeking transparency over the government's pricing of COVID-19 vaccines by asking for a full accounting of the budget for their procurement.

In a statement on Sunday, Drilon said he's asking for a full accounting of the P82.5-billion COVID-19 procurement budget before the government can ask for more funds. He also urged more transparency about the pricing of the vaccines in order to strengthen public confidence in the vaccination program, which he described as 'usad pagong' [moving at a slow pace]."

Drilon said the public deserves to know how much has been spent to purchase the vaccines as the funds used were borrowed. He added that questions like how many vaccines are needed, and how many have been bought and donated must be answered.

The Senate Committee of the Whole will resume its hearing to raise questions on the budget allocation for the pandemic response, following the request of Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado to add 25 billion more on top of the 82.5 billion already intended for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2.

Drilon has asked vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. to provide the Senate with a consolidated report on vaccine procurement by the national government, local government units and the private sector.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  President Rodrigo Duterte has directed Cebu province to adhere to the protocols for returning overseas Filipinos set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Malacanang said on Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the announcement, quoting Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, during his regular virtual briefing.

Under IATF rules, arriving Filipinos must stay in a quarantine facility for ten days, and undergo RT-PCR testing on the seventh day of their return.

Cebu had been conducting tests on returning nationals immediately upon their arrival. Returning residents of the province are allowed to go home after a negative RT-PCR test result and will be tested again on the seventh day while undergoing home quarantine.

The last extension was just a preparation for full implementation of that decision, said Roque, referring to Medialdeas order to extend the diversion of flights headed to Mactan-Cebu International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport which was in effect from June 5 to 12.

RELATED: Cebu airport accepting international flights again

He added that Duterte also considered the Department of Healths critique in making his decision.

Department of Health  Central Visayas spokesperson Dr. Mary Jean Loreche told reporters on Monday night that they will obey as good citizens of this country the chief executives directive.

Loreche added they will be making announcements on Tuesday regarding the specifics of the implementation after meeting with Cebu officials including Governor Gwen Garcia.

Garcia and Duterte earlier met to discuss the citys differing protocols.

CNN Philippines Cebu-based correspondent Dale Israel contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  The Philippine government announced on Monday the extension of the ban on travelers coming from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates until June 30.

This is the third time the Philippine government imposed travel restrictions to the seven countries.

In a series of announcements from late April to mid-May, the country barred the entry of travelers from the seven nations to prevent the spread of the B.1617 "double mutant" variant of the coronavirus first discovered in India (called Delta in the new WHO system).

Despite the directive, the Philippines on May 11 confirmed its first two cases of the B.1617 variant -- both returning overseas Filipinos who had no travel history from India. Since then, the country has detected a total of 13 people infected with the same variant.

The Department of Health also recorded at least 1,071 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant from the United Kingdom (Alpha) and 1,246 cases of the B.1.351 variant from South Africa (Beta). These are seen to have contributed to the spikes in infections in some areas.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV does not agree with Vice President Leni Robredo's stance on how the opposition must view itself amid the upcoming elections.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday, Trillanes reacted to Robredo's advice to the opposition's supporters about being receptive to other ideas and points of view as a way of unifying the opposition.

RELATED: Hindi pwedeng tayo lang yung magaling, Robredo tells supporters as she renews call for unified opposition

"Hindi naman ito pagalingan kundi sino ang nasa tama at nasa mali," he said.

[Translation: This is not a contest on who is the best but rather a way of showing who is right and who is in the wrong.]

For the former senator and current nominee of the opposition coalition 1Sambayan, those who stick to their principles should all band together instead of listening to those who are in the wrong, particularly those "who are part of this administration."

He also countered Robredo's remark that the opposition should not view itself as the only "competent" or "decent" ones.

"I totally disagree with that statement because hindi natin pwedeng i-dilute yung advocacy at prinsipyo ng opposition," Trillanes also said. "'Pag sinabi kasing opposition dapat doon ka, in disagreement ka sa majority at least ng policies ng incumbent administration."

[Translation: I totally disagree with that statement because we cannot just dilute the advocacy and principles of the opposition. When you say you're part of the opposition, you should be in one place, in disagreement with the majority of at least the policies of the incumbent administration.]

Robredo and Trillanes are among the six nominees of 1Sambayan, together with Senator Grace Poe, CIBAC party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva, Atty. Chel Diokno, and Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto.

Poe and Santos-Recto rejected their nominations. Villanueva's son, Sen. Joel Villanueva said his father was not interested in running for president. Diokno said he was honored by the nomination but never aspired for those positions, and now remains focused on his free legal service.

Trillanes stressed that he himself would be willing to give way to Robredo's presidential bid, should she really decide to run.

READ: Trillanes willing to give way to Leni's presidential bid

He added that he does not want to preempt the decision of the other prospective candidates, but noted that Poe, his former colleague, "remains open to running for vice president."

Trillanes also said that he trusts the wisdom of 1Sambayan convenors on possibly adding more names to the list who share the same political beliefs and advocacies as the coalition.

The Commission on Elections has set the filing of candidacies for the 2022 elections on October 1 to 8.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  There were 155 errors found in resource materials distributed to students for distance learning, an Education official said on Monday.

Reported from October 2020 until today, Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio told a House briefing on Monday that an erratum was issued for the errors that includes an offensive word even as a particular module was since recalled.

He said majority of the errors were in learning materials produced at the regional level while others were from unknown sources.

They are actually not being used in the Department of Education. They have been posted on social media but we could not find where they are being used, San Antonio told the House committee on public accounts.

San Antonio said an errata was issued for the other identified errors.

This includes the word makakan**t, a vulgar Filipino term for sex, in a module used by Grade 10 students in Pampanga. It was used to describe the word aswang or ghost.

Nakakatawa man ito, bastos man ito o talagang maling mali man lang ito, paano pa mabubura sa kaisipan ng isang bata yung kanyang nabasang depinisyon ng aswang? Bulacan 1st district representative Jose Sy-Alvarado said.

[Translation: Whether it's funny, rude, or really wrong, how can this definition be removed from a child's mind?]

San Antonio said this particular module was recalled in February.

Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali said those responsible for this error will be held accountable.
(CNN)  When Joe Biden was preparing for his first audience with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as a young senator, his mother  an Irish American born with the surname Finnegan  had a piece of advice.

"Don't you bow down to her," she told him in 1982, according to a memoir Biden published several years ago.

On Sunday, Biden met the Queen again. He did not bow.

Afterward, he described her as an "extremely gracious" woman who reminded him of the mother who offered him that advice 40 years ago.

"We had a great talk," he said.

Arriving to the interior quad of Windsor Castle in a dark Range Rover alongside his wife, Biden emerged wearing a signature pair of aviator sunglasses as he stood to chat briefly with the 95-year-old monarch.

Only after listening to the "Star Spangled Banner" did Biden remove his glasses to survey a cordon of red-suited, bearskin-hatted Grenadier Guardsmen. Biden and the Queen then walked inside the castle for their private talks. They could be heard in light conversation.

Biden is now the 12th sitting US president to meet the Queen during her reign, joining a legacy of American leaders paying their respects to a global icon and living piece of history.

He and first lady Jill Biden met her at Windsor Castle, her home outside London. It was her first one-on-one engagement with a world leader since the coronavirus pandemic began. And it's among her first public engagements since her husband, Prince Philip, died at 99 earlier this year.

The meeting followed the end of Biden's first G7 summit, held on England's southwestern coast, which wrapped up Sunday afternoon. Biden has spent his first international trip aiming to revive American alliances with the world's richest democracies. After meeting the Queen, he'll head to Brussels where he will spend two days meeting with more US allies at NATO headquarters and the European Union, before heading to Geneva to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We've just wrapped up what has been an extraordinary and collaborative and productive meeting at the G7," Biden said at a news conference following the G7 and ahead of his meeting with the Queen. "Everyone at the table understood and understands the seriousness of the challenges we are up against and the responsibility of our proud democracies to stand up and deliver for the rest of the world."

His first encounter with the British monarch this week came Friday evening, when she joined world leaders at a reception held at a biosphere in Cornwall. After posing for a photo, she took a light jab at the staged camaraderie.

"Are you supposed to be looking as if you're enjoying yourself?" she said.

Later she was pictured in friendly conversation with Biden and his wife outside the futuristic domes, her son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla clutching drinks in the background.

Sunday's occasion was more personal, with only Biden and his wife meeting the Queen in her home.

The President said the Queen wanted to know about Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Biden will meet on Wednesday, and Xi Jinping, the Chinese President.

Speaking at Heathrow Airport before departing the United Kingdom, Biden said he wished he could have spoken to the Queen for longer.

"She was very generous," Biden said. He said he did not think she'd be insulted if he said she "reminded me of my mother in terms of the look of her and the generosity."

Asked if he'd invited her to the White House, Biden said he had.

For Biden, the moment places him within a long roster of predecessors who also came to visit one of the world's most famous women. A student of history who has consumed biographies of past presidents, the moment provides a living link to the office he now holds.

The Queen also helps further Biden's efforts to inject wartime urgency into this week's G7 and NATO summits, including by renewing the Atlantic Charter signed by US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II. The Queen served as an Army mechanic in the war.

American presidents often find themselves charmed by the Queen after meeting her.

"The Queen has been a source of inspiration for me, like so many people around the world," President Barack Obama said during a visit to London in 2016, when Prince Philip drove him in a Range Rover from Marine One to the doors of Windsor Castle. "She is truly one of my favorite people."

President Donald Trump also held a special affection for Queen Elizabeth, having watched his own mother -- born in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland -- rapt with attention viewing her coronation on television.

Unlike Trump or Obama, Biden is not an Anglophile. He's a proud Irish American who has (sometimes jokingly) made references to the long British rule over his ancestors' island. This week, he confronted Prime Minister Boris Johnson over issues related to Northern Ireland, concerned that Britain's exit from the European Union is jeopardizing the hard-won peace there.

And among the first things he did upon landing in the United Kingdom on Wednesday was to quote William Butler Yeats, the most famous 20th-century Irish poet, from his poem about the Easter 1916 uprising against British rule. He also quoted the American Declaration of Independence.

The Irish allegiances aside, Biden was unlikely to air his grievances when he sat down with the British monarch on Sunday afternoon.

"Joe and I are both looking forward to meeting the Queen. That's an exciting part of the visit for us," Jill Biden told reporters this week. "We've looked forward to this for weeks and now it's finally here. It's a beautiful beginning."
History

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Monroe Township

Still steaming after 120 years: Williams Grove to celebrate Engine 643

Jason Malmont, The Sentinel Pennsylvania Railroad B4a No. 643 sits on the tracks of Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association in Monroe Township.

Bill Medlin came running after hearing the news.

The Shiremanstown man was just 16 years old when Pennsylvania Railroad employees acquired the locomotive for their collection of steam engines at Williams Grove.

It was 1961, two years after the Central Iron and Steel mill closed near Harrisburg. Left behind was Engine 643, a six-wheeled heavy switcher the mill had used to haul carloads of ore, slag and ingots.

I loved it at first sight ... all of it, Medlin said. It was a train. It was steam. It was the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Volunteers describe running a century-old locomotive at Williams Grove The climb aboard the engine is like a step back in time for Skip Shimko.

Now, 60 years later, the New Cumberland native can look back on his many years spent as a member of the Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association.

For Medlin, a love of trains gathered steam long before he volunteered to help charter members prep the engine for its transfer from the steel mill to the showgrounds in Monroe Township.

It fascinated me, Medlin said. I used to have model trains.

His journey from tabletop hobby to lifelong passion had roots in family. His father was a brakeman for the Louisville-Nashville line in the 1930s. His great-grandfather was the first station agent at Oak Hall, Centre County, in 1884. Later in life, Medlin worked for the signal department of a railroad.

Engine 643 Birthday Bash The Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association will be hosting a Birthday Bash this weekend to celebrate Engine 643, its 120-year-old steam locomotive. The three-day event at 1 Steam Engine Hill, Monroe Township, kicks off Friday at 4 p.m. and continues into Sunday with activities that include a Fathers Day Pancake Breakfast. The breakfast runs Sunday from 8 to 10 a.m. and includes pancakes and syrup, sausage links, juice, milk or coffee, while supplies last. Indoor and outdoor seating will be available. Pre-registration is requested, but walk-ins are welcome. A registration form can be found on the association website at wghsea.org or on its Facebook page. The cost for breakfast is $10 per adult, $5 per child. Below is a schedule of the three-day event: Friday, June 18 4 p.m.: Event opens 5 to 9 p.m.: Cruise in, all vehicles free 6 p.m.: live music with Nathan Merovich 6 to 8 p.m.: Touch a Truck/Tractor/Train Saturday, June 19 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Craft and vendor fair 1 p.m.: Entertainment by Matthew Dodd 5 p.m.: Golf cart parade 6 p.m.: Live music by Stonewood Sunday, June 20 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Farmers Flea Market 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Fathers Day Pancake Breakfast 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Craft and vendor fair

Switch hitter

The year before the acquisition, Medlin attended a show at Williams Grove that got him interested in the association. He joined in 1962. Since then, Medlin has worked every job on the crew of Engine 643.

We were cleaning it up and getting it ready for the move, he said. The steel mill had a lot of heavy stuff to move around. They had several locomotives in there, including some narrow-gauge engines, just three feet wide on a rail, for tight areas.

Engine 643 was built by the Altoona shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad in June 1901. It was designed as a switcher, a small engine with a maximum speed of 30 mph and a water capacity of 2,500 gallons.

This is not a road engine, Medlin said. The big locomotives, some of them had 25,000-gallon tanks so they could go the distance. This is a little switch engine meant for shuffling cars around in a freight yard or some passenger terminal. They put trains together or pulled trains apart.

Jason Malmont, The Sentinel Skip Shimko, fireman and mechanic, discusses how the 120-year-old steam engine at Williams Grove Historic Steam Engine Association operates and the amount of work that goes into maintaining the engine.

The history of Engine 643 from 1901 to 1917 is unknown to Medlin. He can only guess that the locomotive was used somewhere in Pennsylvania for the main function of its design. It was then sold to the steel mill to haul heavy loads around to different parts of the facility.

Many of the people who founded the association had worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad, Medlin said. They knew this engine was ex-Pennsylvania and they knew it was down in the steel mill. They wanted this old locomotive for part of their collection so they purchased it for $1,600 and had it moved here. It was pretty much in running order when they bought it.

Association members timed the arrival of Engine 643 with their annual fall show so that there was plenty of manpower available to handle the transition. Medlin was part of the team that not only prepped the engine for the move, but repainted it so that it looked spiffy for its new home along a system of private track installed by the membership.

Since 1961, Engine 643 has been a popular feature of special events hosted by the association. While it never wrecked, it did derail a long time ago when a bad joint in the track caused the right front wheel to slip off the rails, Medlin said.

Hobbyists stoked by steam engines at Williams Grove annual Fall Steam Show Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association's 61st annual Fall Steam Show runs through Monday in Monroe Township.

Domino effect

There was a four-year period about a decade or more ago when Engine 643 was out of commission after state officials condemned the boiler as unsafe. Association members spent $50,000 to remove the boiler from the engine, transport it to a shop for repairs and overhaul and then ship it back to Williams Grove where it was remounted atop the running gear.

We raised $30,000 in donations, Medlin said. The association put up the final $20,000. We made it up the first year.

The work crew timed the completion of the boiler project with an important meeting and the crucial vote when association members decided to purchase the showgrounds.

We wanted people to see what a handful of people can do, Medlin said. We had that engine running on its own power that night.

The work crew used the four years of down time to fix a major structural problem.

This engine sagged on the back end, he said. It hung down. One guy called it Droopy Drawers. When we took the boiler off to get it fixed that just left the frames and the wheels so we took a hard look at this thing. We stretched three pieces of string from the front end all the way back to see the bend.

Somewhere along the way, someone at the steel mill had cut a piece out of the bottom of a frame bar. When the bar was repaired, whoever did the welding failed to add enough solder to properly fill the saw cut. To correct the problem, association members had to cut the supports at two other locations to install steel blocks to shore up and level out the frame. But the fix created another problem.

Engine 643 is a machine with two interlocking parts. There is the steam locomotive up front that powers the engine and the tender in the back that supplies the coal and water.

The workspace for the crew straddles the drawbar that connects the tender to the locomotive. The drawbar is covered by a metal plate designed to sit level in the gap between the two units.

By lifting the running gear to level out the engine, association members caused the locomotive side of the engine to be slightly higher than the tender side. So they had to install steel blocks to left the tender to make the plate sit level again.

But lifting the tender made the rear coupler sit four inches higher than the couplers of the passenger cars. So association members had to make yet another adjustment to allow the tender to make the connection.

South Mountain Trolley Greenway plans in progress in Cumberland County Fundraising efforts are up and running for the proposed South Mountain Trolley Greenway, an 8-mile recreational trail that would shadow the historic route of the former Cumberland Valley Railroads Dillsburg Branch.

Wedded bliss

Engine 643 has been a fixture of Williams Grove for generations. Hundreds of area residents ride the train every year during special events.

In May 1979, Harry Kid Jr. and Ann Cook got married atop the steam locomotive. A railroading couple, the bride and groom were dressed in matching pastel-colored leisure suits and bolo ties. About 40 witnesses stood alongside Engine 643 as the couple exchanged vows during a ceremony officiated by Rev. Robert L. Snyder, a Baptist minister.

At the time of his wedding, Kid had been an engineer first with Penn Central and then with Conrail for 23 years. His wife worked in the coffee shop near the Enola railyard. When the couple found out about Engine 643, they leaped at the chance to get hitched on an antique engine.

Death knell

When Engine 643 is unavailable for service, association members use a diesel locomotive to haul visitors around their private track in passenger cars.

Steam engine show, plowing contest converge in Monroe Township this week The Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association will hold its 59th annual steam show next week in Monroe Township. The steam show runs Sunday through Sept. 4 on Steam Engine Hill.

The two locomotives illustrate a fundamental difference that explains the downfall of steam. While Engine 643 burns coal to heat water to power the train, the diesel locomotive uses fuel to power an electric generator that provides current to motors within the axle.

To avoid thermal stress on the boiler and working parts, it could take a crew up to five hours to build up enough steam pressure in Engine 643 to get it ready for a run. You have to bring it up very slowly so that the metal doesnt suddenly expand, association member Skip Shimko said. The cool-down after a run has to be just as gradual to avoid a different shock to the system, he said.

By contrast, the diesel locomotive could be ready in about 20 minutes simply by flipping a switch and pressing a button, Shimko said. Diesel was the death knell for the steam locomotive.

Not only was steam more labor intensive to operate, railroads needed a lot of specialists to maintain the big engines. Each shop had foundry men to cast parts along with boiler makers, pipefitters, mechanics and machinists. Diesel engines required less overhead with fewer specialists.

A steam locomotive spends 50% of its time in the shop, Medlin said. They needed that much work to keep them going. Fifty percent down time was way too much.
Those provisions belonged in the law, not the constitution, but delegates did not trust the Legislature to regulate corporations, Ledewitz said.

At least that was rational, Ledewitz said. Theyre only doing this because the governor has a veto. ... You could put anything in the constitution, but you dont because if you do, youre going to have to amend it all the time once you start down that road.

Wolfs second and last term expires in January 2023. Voters elect a new governor in November 2022.

Rep. Jeff Wheeland, R-Lycoming, downplayed the importance of Wolfs veto threat in his sponsorship of the voter ID amendment to the constitution.

Voter ID is popular, Wheeland said, citing an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll that asked about voter ID.

Im just listening to the people, Wheeland said. Thats what the people want.

The nearest opportunity for Republicans to get the election-related proposals on the ballot is 2023. Before that, the proposals must pass the Legislature twice in two consecutive legislative sessions.
Engine 643 Birthday Bash

The Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Association will be hosting a Birthday Bash this weekend to celebrate Engine 643, its 120-year-old steam locomotive.

The three-day event at 1 Steam Engine Hill, Monroe Township, kicks off Friday at 4 p.m. and continues into Sunday with activities that include a Fathers Day Pancake Breakfast.

The breakfast runs Sunday from 8 to 10 a.m. and includes pancakes and syrup, sausage links, juice, milk or coffee, while supplies last. Indoor and outdoor seating will be available.

Pre-registration is requested, but walk-ins are welcome. A registration form can be found on the association website at wghsea.org or on its Facebook page. The cost for breakfast is $10 per adult, $5 per child.

Below is a schedule of the three-day event:

Friday, June 18

4 p.m.: Event opens

5 to 9 p.m.: Cruise in, all vehicles free

6 p.m.: live music with Nathan Merovich

6 to 8 p.m.: Touch a Truck/Tractor/Train

Saturday, June 19

8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Craft and vendor fair

1 p.m.: Entertainment by Matthew Dodd

5 p.m.: Golf cart parade

6 p.m.: Live music by Stonewood

Sunday, June 20

6 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Farmers Flea Market

8 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Fathers Day Pancake Breakfast

8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Craft and vendor fair
The climb aboard the engine is like a step back in time for Skip Shimko.

The Lancaster County man can picture in his mind what it must have been like coping with extremes.

On one side, there was the firebox glowing white hot around the hatch where the fireman fed coal into the machine.

On the other side, the lash of winter where the engineer poked his head out the cab window, his eyes peering into the night for any sign of a signal up ahead along the tracks.

That part of you is getting hammered by the elements, Shimko said. This part of you is sweating.

The whole time, the engineer works the throttle, the brakes, the lever set on forward or reverse, while the fireman stokes the flames that heat the water that keep up the pressure within the boiler.

With just five years in, Shimko is still new to the lost art of driving a steam locomotive. Old-timers call him the Brat, while he prefers the title Eager Beaver.

Im the new guy on the block, he said, My great-grandfather was an engineer with the Pennsylvania Railroad. Ive been interested in trains since Ive been able to crawl.
She said many native people who remained behind became impoverished. Marsh wrote a book chronicling the life of one such Lenape, Hannah Freeman. She is often called the last Lenape who lived in the area, though Marsh said thats not really accurate.

There was some belief that Freeman, who was born in 1730 and died in 1802, could have been buried at the site on McCloskeys land. A nearby street bears the name Indian Hannah Road.

However, Marsh said that although Freemans specific burial site remains unknown, the most likely location is the potters cemetery next to the defunct Chester County Poorhouse, where her name is on the rolls as Indian Hannah. The potters cemetery was neglected after the poorhouse closed and the land is now part of Natural Lands Trusts Cheslen Preserve, not far from McCloskeys property.

An account of Freemans life in 1797 by an overseer for the poor in Chester County gives a glimpse into what Lenape endured. She was born in a cabin in Kennett township, according to an account cited in the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Her family moved to Newlin in summers to plant corn, and she had a cabin about half a mile from McCloskeys plot.
Anne Strangmeier presented a second Lifetime Achievement Award to Glenda and Will Straughn, former owners of Special Memories and Elizabeth Hall (Now under new ownership as White Magnolia Banquet Hall and Keenly Bridal & Prom).

The last award to be presented was given posthumously to the late Paula Lee, who passed away in December after decades of serving Elvins and then Park Hills as the city collector. Park Hills City Clerk Terri Richardson, who worked alongside Lee for 26 years, presented the chamber's "Legacy Award" to Lee's daughter, who accepted the award on her mother's behalf.

Richardson recalled Lee's selfless service and volunteerism, which was made all the more meaningful because she never talked about the work and sought no praises or recognition.

"Paula spent her time away from work with her family, her friends, and her church," Richardson explained. "She looked forward to the weeks that she cooked and prepared meals at the Bates Creek Church Camp with her nephew's wife Amy and the week that she spent assisting and feeding the volunteers with the World Changers Organization.
During Thursday nights Farmington City Council meeting, Mayor Larry Forsythe brought up for discussion a call hed received from a dissatisfied Waste Management customer earlier that evening.

I had a call tonight and I think we need to look at this," he said. "Freedom Waste was bought out by Waste Management a couple of months ago. Its been a headache for the people that are Freedom Waste customers because I guess that Waste Management didnt have all their ducks in a row, so theyre getting behind and theyre not picking up what theyre supposed to pick up. The customer asked me tonight if Waste Management had to have a commercial license in the city of Farmington. I do believe they have to.

In answer to the mayors comment, City Administrator Greg Beavers said, Yes, sir.

Forsythe continued. He went to the point of saying hes called the vice president of Waste Management in Houston, Texas, or wherever they are. This gentleman really surprised me when he said, If they dont do what you say, why dont you pull their license? I said, Well, its a little bit harder than that. But we need to look at this because the trash is sitting, and its not being picked up on the days its normally picked up.
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP)  Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Saturday signed a bill banning local police from enforcing federal gun rules, a change Democrats have predicted will be shot down in the courts.

Parson signed the measure, which will penalize local police departments if their officers enforce federal gun laws, during a ceremony at a Kansas City-area shooting range and firearms store.

The governor, a former sheriff, said in a statement Saturday that the law "draws a line in the sand and demonstrates our commitment to reject any attempt by the federal government to circumvent the fundamental right Missourians have to keep and bear arms to protect themselves and their property.

Under the bill, Missouri agencies with police who knowingly enforce any federal laws could be sued and fined $50,000 per violating officer.

Most state and federal gun laws are the same anyway, and federal law enforcement could still enforce gun rules that are only in federal law.

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Republican lawmakers who worked to pass the bill have said theyre motivated by the possibility of new federal gun restrictions under Democratic President Joe Biden and the Democratic-led U.S. House.
The regional planning committee for the Highways of History Project met in May at the Farmington Public Library to finalize events and projects for the celebratory year.

The group was formed more than a year ago to spearhead events around Madison, Iron, Washington, St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve counties in this, Missouris Bicentennial year.

The committee is facilitated by Farmington native Nancy Cozean-Jacob, who said that 2021 marks a very important time for Missouri.

"It is the time the 'Show Me State' celebrates its 200th birthday as a state in the United States of America," she said. "In Madison, Iron, St. Francois, Washington, and Ste. Genevieve counties, this celebration not only recognizes the states achievements in history, but also focuses the spotlight on local and regional achievements.

Cozean-Jacob further explained that the region's history is rich today because all the counties have supported their individual and regional efforts in maintaining and preserving their history.
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And is there a better, or more prolific, film director than Clint Eastwood? At 91, he is about to release a new film he also stars in. Clint is looking around for his next project.

John Huston made his final, and best, film The Dead as a dying man on oxygen. The tank did not interfere with eye or ear.

No finer cellist ever existed than Pablo Casals at the end of his days.

Here is what the old may offer: A certain calm. Fewer fluctuations of the mind. Less likelihood of going down rabbit holes. An ability to focus on the long view and things that really matter. Winnowed learning. A true aim.

Excerpted from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP. Editorials published from other sources are offered in an effort to share additional opinion and information.

This editorial was corrected on June 14 to reflect that Mike Dwine is governor of Ohio.
Yes. I will do my part to conserve household energy usage, even if I'm uncomfortable in my home.

No. It is too hot to conserve household energy usage.

I already conserve, even before ERCOT requested it.

Maybe, depending on the reason ERCOT provides and whether or not I am home during that time.

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Sri Lanka: Fishing community affected by MV X-Press Pearl fire to receive Rs. 5000 allowance until compensation paid

June 14,2021 | Source: Colombo Page

A special discussion was held Saturday (12) at the Negombo Town Hall under the patronage of Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda to resolve the problems of the fishing community affected by the MV X-Press Pearl fire and to inform them about the decisions taken by the government in this regard. Kanchana Wijesekera, State Minister of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish & Prawn Farming, Fishery Harbor Development, Multi day Fishing Activities and Fish Exports and Nimal Lanza State Minister of Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure also participated in the discussion. Representatives of Fisheries Associations from Palliyawatta, Wattala to Porathota, Negombo and representatives of Negombo Lagoon Fisheries Associations also participated in the meeting. The fishing community was told that there is no problem in fishing in areas other than the restricted area and the restricted areas will be released in part by part in the future. It was also revealed that there is no hindrance to the fishing activities in the Negombo Lagoon from today. The National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) and the Atomic Energy Authority have confirmed that no oil or chemical has been leaked from the ship. The area is currently designated as a no-go zone, as the debris from the ship could cause damage to fishermen, fishing vessels and equipment. Coastal and ocean clean-up operations are being carried out to ensure that there is no problem for fishing. It was also revealed that measures will be taken to clean the Negombo Lagoon and the Hamilton Canal.



Expressing his views, Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda said the President and the Prime Minister have instructed to take all necessary measures to uplift the fishing community affected by the fire-ravaged cargo ship. Compensation will be paid in the future for the damage caused to the fishing community due to their inability to return to their fishing activities. Until then, the relevant District Secretaries have been instructed to pay the allowance of Rs. 5,000 as a living allowance from today. Also, a decision to set a fixed price for fishing gear and equipment will be taken in consultation with the relevant businessmen after the Covid epidemic is over. Addressing the gathering, State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera People should not be unduly apprehensive about eating fish as it has not yet been scientifically proven to be unsuitable for consumption. He said the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney Generals Department will seek compensation for the damage caused by the ship. If there is a problem selling the fish, the Fisheries Corporation will directly intervene to buy them. The Peliyagoda fish market as well as 22 fishing harbors have been prepared for this purpose. As of yesterday, nearly 2,000 kilograms of fish had been purchased from the Peliyagoda fish market and nearly 9,000 kilograms from other places. Retail sales will not be allowed due to existing travel restrictions but wholesale and mobile sales are not banned. State Minister Wijesekera said nearly 23 sectors associated with the fishing industry have been affected by the shipwreck so far. The losses of income in those sectors have been calculated and presented as a preliminary stage for the compensation program. The Government will take all necessary steps to provide relief to the fishing community, he assured.



State Minister Nimal Lanza said the discussion on the problems faced by the fishing community due to the X-Press Pearl was successful. Many problems of the fishing community were solved. Although fish consumption is done by people near the coast, people in the middle of the country have reduced their consumption of fish. The Ministry of Fisheries has given a clear answer that eating fish is not a problem at present. Therefore, people should not have an undue fear of eating fish, he said. We will take necessary decisions in the future in consultation with the President and the Prime Minister to provide relief to the fishing community by resolving the problems faced by the fishing community due to the increase in diesel and kerosene prices since midnight yesterday, Lanza said. We stand for the provision of relief to the fishing community in Negombo and other areas. Damage from ships, natural disasters and floods, as well as the impact of rising world oil prices, pose a major problem for those who contribute to the country's production and economic processes. Therefore, I request the Ministry of Fisheries to formulate a methodology in consultation with the President and the Prime Minister. Assistance will be provided to take necessary action for that. Mayor of Negombo Dayan Lanza, Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries Indu Fernando, Director General of the Fisheries Department Susantha Kahawatta, Divisional Secretary of Negombo and others were also present at the occasion.
Lakshaweep Islands: Safeguard island from future sea-level rise

by Sahana Ghosh

Lakshadweep resident and researcher R.M. Hidayathulla, who drew attention to the disappearance of a small, uninhabited atoll island in the archipelago in the Arabian Sea in 2017, has closely witnessed the land contract from erosion from a combination of factors; rising sea levels will likely worsen it. My house is near the sea and coastal erosion is increasing day by day; we do want development but it should be scientific and sustainable, Hidayathulla lets Mongabay-India know amid the simmering controversy surrounding the coral-fortressed archipelago, an environmentally fragile melting pot of cultures, roughly 200 kilometers off the west coast of southern India. Hidayathulla works in the agriculture sector in Kavaratti, the capital of Lakshadweep, Indias smallest Union Territory, with islands barely a few metres above sea level. Although the smallest of the major oceans on Earth, the Indian Ocean, including the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, is the fastest-warming tropical ocean. The Lakshadweep islands consist of coral formations built upon the Laccadive-Chagos submarine ridge rising steeply from a depth of about 1500 m to 4000 m off the west coast of India. This ecoregion consists of the Maldives, the worlds most low-lying terrain and the Chagos archipelago, a British Indian Ocean territory. We have concrete structures surrounding our islands for protection but what we need are natural protections (nature-based solutions) like mangroves, Hidayathulla points out, referring to the Lakshadweep archipelago of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km comprising of 12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks and ten inhabited islands. With a population of 64,000 people and 2000 people per square km, its one of the most densely populated parts of rural India.



According to Prasad K. Bhaskaran, an expert on wave ocean dynamics, even with a low greenhouse gas concentration scenario (technically called the Representative Concentration Pathway 2.6), sea levels around Lakshadweep, are expected to rise to levels dangerously close to the global projections by the end of the century, roughly over the next two generations. Our projections based on best performing models show that sea levels can rise by 0.78 metres by the end of the century. Although the maximum sea surface height values (0.78 metres) is less than the global sea-level rise projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (0.82.0 m) by the end of the century, it does not imply that the islands are safe from rising sea levels, emphasised Bhaskaran based at the Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, quoting the latest paper, of which he is a co-author The trend in sea-level rise for the Arabian Sea for 1973-2010 is about 1.72 mm/year, while for Lakshadweep Islands the tide gauge data during 1981-2005 indicates a sea-level rise of 0.5 mm/year. The sea level rising trend within the Lakshadweep archipelago, which has a lagoon extent of 4200 square km, is projected to be lower than that of the Arabian Sea basin by the end of the century, adds Bhaskaran, who co-authored the study with Athira Krishnan, Saikat Kumar Paul and Aysha Jennath. This difference, they said, is due to the density variations in the seawater, ocean heat and its transport, and ocean circulation features. All the islands show different levels of flooding in future sea-level rise scenarios and their susceptibility to flooding also differed.



The smaller islands of Chetlat and Amini will likely see land loss from sea-level rise along most of their shorelines; the land would come under the sea when the sea level becomes higher than the elevation of the land. But the larger islands Kavaratti and Minicoy were also shown to be vulnerable to the impacts of future sea-level rise: rising waters of the Arabian Sea may chip away the land along 60 percent of these larger islands shorelines, as the projections show. Androth Island was observed to have the least inundation under all climate change scenarios. The projected inundation can be problematic for the islanders as the residential areas are quite close to the present coastline. The only airport in the archipelago is located at the southernmost tip of Agatti Island and there is a high likelihood of damage due to inundation in this region. Since the base map considered for this study is from the year 2000, much of the predicted damage might have already occurred, adds study co-author Aysha Jennath, Research Scholar, Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.



Lakshadweep no stranger to climate change



Sea level rise can enhance the coastal erosion processes and lead to further loss of land. In coastal areas which are easily eroded, higher sea levels can lead to increased inland migration of shorelines as well as expose previously protected areas to damage, and Lakshadweep Islands are particularly low lying and the coastal slopes are gentle. So sea-level rise can move inward much higher and cause more damage. The reality of development on the islands requires a fine balance in addressing the environmental concerns and the needs of the people on the 1o islands that are inhabited. For example, Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2011 required part of the coastline extending to 200 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL) be made a No-Development Zone. However this (the 200 metres setback) was met with opposition from the islanders. Their concern is valid as there are certain portions of the islands that are less than 100 meters wide. On the other hand, the regulation of industries and tourism is required due to the delicate ecosystem there, Jennath said. According to the 2018 notification it is now 50 m from the HTL. Climate change and its impact on the fragile ecosystem is acknowledged on paper by the Lakshadweep administration  it did come out with a climate action plan in 2012, which also reiterated that while erosion takes place due to storm surges, wave attacks and destruction of coral reefs (reef structure buffers shorelines against waves, storms, and floods, helping to prevent loss of life, property damage, and erosion), projected rise in sea level may worsen it.



Usually calmer than the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea is getting more active with the rapid intensification of cyclones due to climate change; cyclone Okchi and Tauktae were the most recent ones. High energy waves that pound the shores during these events also contribute to eroding the coasts. Additionally, climate change together with human-caused actions has disrupted the status quo of the cyclical process of erosion (shoreline retreat) and accretion (accumulation) so much so that the shorelines are not able to accrete mass at the same pace as they lose, the researchers explained. The Lakshadweep coral fringes that protect the shoreline from waves and storms are struggling to keep up with the changes that have come thick and fast, like their counterparts elsewhere in the world. Australias Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, experienced its most extensive bleaching event to date in 2020. The 2020 event was the third major bleaching event in the last five years for the worlds largest reef system, spanning more than 344,400 square kilometers (133,000 square miles). Previous ones took place in 2016 and 2017, with the 2016 event considered the most severe.



Direct human impacts, climate stressors imperil the resilience of coral reefs



Lakshadweep has experienced three major bleaching events from 1998, 2010 and 2016 corresponding to the El Nino events of those years. While the reefs recovered from the 1998 event, recovery following the 2010 event was slower. Just when the reefs were showing signs of recovery from the 2010 bleaching, the El Nino hit the reefs in 2016. Cyclones, including Ockhi in 2018, followed this collapse of coral. Coupled with the narrowing of the intervals between the bleaching events, commercial reef fishery in recent years, has undermined the resilience of these ecosystems. Its a world of hurt for coral reefs globally with countries falling short of their commitments to meet the Paris Agreements goal of limiting global temperature rise by two degree Celsiusideally 1.5 degree Celsiusby the end of the century. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), coral reefs would decline by 70-90 percent with global warming of 1.5 degree Celsius, whereas virtually all (> 99 percent) would be lost with two degree Celsius. Chris Perry, a professor in tropical coastal geoscience at the University of Exeter, the United Kingdom, explains that sea level is a key influence on how reefs have grown vertically over the past few 1000 years and in most cases reefs have shown an impressive capacity to grow vertically at rates that have broadly kept pace with past sea level rises. This has happened of course under conditions with limited to no significant direct human influence on reefs and where it would appear that coral communities have generally responded well to episodic storm etc disturbances, Perry told Mongabay-India. Perry, whose research seeks to address questions about the response of coral reefs and reef landforms to environmental and climatic change, added that the interaction between future sea-level rise and reef growth is important because the water depth above the reef surface has a strong influence on wave energy transfer across the reefs to island shorelines.



In the near future, one of the concerns for island nations is thus about whether reefs will keep pace with sea-level rise  if not it is reasonable to assume that wave energy levels reaching the shorelines of islands will increase  and this may then lead to increased shoreline erosion or higher rates of shoreline mobility. While sea-level rise itself will not have a major impact on coral reef accretion (the change in water depths projected in any studies are not sufficient to drown reefs) but, even modest increases in water depths above reefs may be enough to change wave exposure regimes. The major concern is that the vertical growth capacity of reefs in most regions, including the Indian Ocean, is being impaired by either direct human impacts on reefs and/or by climate-driven stressors  especially coral bleaching caused by ocean heat stress events. Building on to the evidence shown in recent studies that reef growth rates are being impacted, a recent paper in May in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, of which Perry is a co-author, showed that increasing frequency/intensity of bleaching as many models predict will happen over the next few decades (and beyond without rapid action on greenhouse gas emissions) will have a major impact on the capacity of the regions reefs to respond positively to a rise in sea-level rise. It is hard to see this not also being an issue in the Lakshadweep, Perry said. The international study was initiated at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE), which is headquartered at James Cook University (JCU). The key message is saving coral reefs requires immediate and drastic reductions in global carbon emissions. Although it will not limit the nature of temperature-driven bleaching, Perry says that local conservation efforts are critical because they will offer scope for the reefs to spring back from the bleaching impacts. The best chances for rapid recovery and the maintenance of some reef accretion potential after these events will be on those reefs that are the least impacted by, for example, the effects of high fishing pressures, poor water quality etc.



Local conservation should thus focus on giving reefs the best chance of recovery as much and as fast as possible from bleaching, he said. Aysha Jennath adds that restoring corals lost due to coral bleaching by coral farming, especially by using more heat resistant strains can help in enhancing the natural protection offered by the corals. Soft engineering solutions, as opposed to hard armouring solutions like sea walls and tetrapods, would be the best option to tackle the erosion. Soft engineering options include beach creating measures like beach nourishment, geotubes/geobags can be used to regain the lost beaches. Beach nourishment can be done using the material that is dredged from the navigation channel itself. Geotextile bags to be used to construct specific slope and height tolerances, to protect structures and to provide additional height to existing levee systems when floodwaters reach critical levels. Reef balls, which are submerged breakwaters deployed to the ocean floor and anchored, can help inshore stabilisation without affecting other areas. They can also act as a habitat for coral and fish, she suggested.

 2021 Mongabay-India
Local students named to honor rolls

Montana State University has announced its undergraduate honor rolls for spring semester.

There are two MSU honor roll lists, the presidents list and the deans list. To be eligible for the lists, students must have earned in at least 12 college-level credits. The 1,487 students with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average for the semester were named to the presidents list. The deans list includes the 3,455 students earning GPAs of 3.5 or above for the semester.

Olivia Filialuna and Riley Weinmann of Corvallis made the presidents list. Genevieve Nelson and Meilo Seiter of Corvallis were named to the deans list. Rory Donley-Lovato of Scio also achieved the deans list.

Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours to be on either the presidents list or the deans list.

Benton County grads receive scholarships

During the spring, the OSU Folk Club Thrift Shop Foundation awarded $30,000 in scholarships to 10 Benton County high school students who will be attending Oregon State University as freshmen this fall.
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U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner says the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has signed a lease agreement for office space in this building at 760 Horizon Drive in Grand Junction for its new headquarters.
The process that will lead to the sale of just under half of Ethiopias state-owned operator Ethio Telecom is apparently under way.

According to Reuters news agency, Ethiopia this week launched a tendering process for the proposed sell-off of a 40 percent stake in Ethio Telecom to private investors.

Of course its early days yet. For the moment, interested investors are invited to submit expressions of interest. This, according to the government, is the first of a series of stages that will lead to the picking of a successful bidder. It also appears that the 40 percent of Ethio Telecom is to be sold as a single stake to a single investor.

Of course, Ethiopia is also aiming to license private operators to compete with Ethio Telecom, though this process has not been without controversy. The first private operator licence went to a consortium led by Safaricom, Vodafone, and Japan's Sumitomo, for which the consortium was said to have paid $850 million.

As we reported earlier today, Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali presented the licence at a ceremony in Addis Ababa. A second licence is still up for grabs after an MTN-led consortium was deemed to have made too low a bid.

However, the chance to offer mobile money services may not be available for any new entrant for some while. This puts a newly licensed private operator at a competitive disadvantage to Ethio Telecom, which recently launched its own mobile money service called telebirr. For that reason, Ethio Telecom may be considered a more attractive investment than a new licence.

This sale of at least some of Ethio Telecom is described as part of the government's broader plan to open up the country's economy.
Kenyas leading telecommunication company Safaricom has been officially awarded a licence to become the first foreign entity to provide such services in Ethiopia.

Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali presented the licence at a ceremony in Addis Ababa, attended by Uhuru Kenyatta, president of Kenya, as well as Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa and Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed said the award of the telecommunications license will catalyse inclusive prosperity. He Tweeted: "In 2018, my administration announced our commitment to liberalize the telecommunication sector and open it up to both domestic and foreign investment - a major policy shift in Ethiopia! Today, we signed a historic agreement with the Global Partnership for Ethiopia."

The international consortium led by Safaricom, comprising of Vodafone and Vodacom, UKs CDC Group, and Japans Sumitomo Corporation, had won an U$850 million licence bid to operate in Ethiopia, defeating MTN of Mauritius who bid U$600 million. Safaricom has offered to invest $8 billion in Ethiopia over the coming ten years.

The Global Partnership for Ethiopia, as the consortium is known, was declared the winner on May 22 and Safaricom paid the licence fee last Wednesday, earning permission to provide services across the country.

According to a media report, Safaricom is betting on creating the highest quality network in Ethiopia to beat the competition in its new market.
Romanian cloud service provider ClusterPower will build the largest data centre in Romania and one of the largest in Europe in the southern part of Craiova.

The project is the first hyper-scale data centre in the region and has received around half of its initial budget from state funding as part of the Romanian government's efforts to stimulate digital economic growth in the country.

According to the cloud services firm founded and owned by three Romanian entrepreneurs, it will create one-stop-shop Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure, following an initial investment of RON172mn (36mn), of which RON82mn was provided under state aid granted last year by the Ministry of Finance.

The rest of the money is covered by the company's own funds and other sources of financing.

The new facility is the first of a reported five planned to be built in the village of Mischii, Dolj county, on a 25,400 sq m (273,400 sq ft) plot of land owned by the company.

According to the website, ClusterPower Technology Campus will have up to 4500 racks and 200MW capacity and be powered with natural gas.

Local media reports quoted ClusterPower founder and CEO Cosmin Georgescu as saying: "We consider that our vision and strategy are in line with those of the EU and Romania in terms of stimulating economic growth, creating long-term value, both for the company and society, as well as supporting innovation and performance."
Argentina is in the subsea cable news again. Late last week wholesale telecom service provider GlobeNets new subsea cable system Malbec, which connects Argentina and Brazil, was launched.

According to the Capacity Media website, the project started in 2018. It is now the first new route to provide direct connectivity from Argentina to Brazil, since 2001 and more than doubles the capacity that is currently available.

Two landing stations, in Praia Grande, Brazil, and Las Toninas, Argentina, have been deployed and a number of customers activated on a system that has reportedly been designed to deliver 100G and 400G of capacity across the entire route. It also boasts resiliency and low latency.

Alcatel Submarine Networks supplied the trunk cable between Rio de Janeiro and Las Toninas, which consists of six fibre pairs; the branch to Praia Grande is made up of eight fibre pairs.

According to Philippe Perrier, CTO at GlobeNet, the network has the flexibility to select the submarine line terminal equipment from any suitable suppliers. The system also features spatial division multiplexing (SDM) technology that maximizes the capacity of the entire cable, rather than the capacity per fibre pair.

But this is not the only significant recent news story relating to Argentina and cable. In April we reported that neutral telecommunications infrastructure operator Telxius had announced plans to provide diverse subsea capacity between Brazil and Argentina through a new submarine cable called Tannat connecting Santos (Brazil) with Las Toninas (Argentina). Its now open for business.

More recently, Google has announced plans to build Firmina, an open subsea cable that will run from the East Coast of the United States to Las Toninas, Argentina, with additional landings in Praia Grande, Brazil and Punta del Este, Uruguay.
As part of what is described as an ambitious plan to strengthen Ghana as a maritime forerunner in West Africa, the Ghana Maritime Authority and Danish commercial satellite operator Sternula have announced a new partnership involving e-navigation connectivity.

The agreement is part of a strategic sector cooperation between Danish and Ghanaian maritime authorities and is aimed at strengthening the maritime sector in Ghana and West Africa.

The Ghana Maritime Authority (whose Director General Thomas Alonsi is shown above signing the letter of intent) will be using Sternulas e-navigation connectivity service  a VHF data exchange system (VDES). This technology will enable reliable and accurate maritime navigational warnings to seafarers by the local authorities, while enhancing safety in Ghanaian waters.

As one of Africas leading seafaring nations, Ghana is attracting more and more merchant traffic in and around the countrys largest ports (Sternula points out that almost 90 percent of West Africas trade is handled at sea). Therefore, it has become relevant for government to integrate new technology to improve the safety  as well as the efficiency  of maritime trade and transport along the Ghanaian coast.

While the maritime sector is becoming increasingly digitized, the interest in e-navigation, including VDES, has been on the rise. Sternula says it is currently building the worlds first VDES satellite network, which will be commercially available to maritime service providers and authorities.

VDES is a new communication technology built on the capabilities of the well-known automatic identification system (AIS) technology, which supports the development of e-navigation solutions.

Sternula will be offerings its VDE-SAT infrastructure enabling VDES on a global scale from 2023.
The recent heavy rains have brought the water level closer to normal. If the level holds steady, we will be able to access the areas along the flats and cover again. The pads are trying to come back in some areas, if you can find them, and the frog bite and surface blade bite are getting stronger every day.

The blue gills were spawning and the bass were feeding on them  that bite was strong while it lasted. We witnessed some mayfly action for a day or so, but it disappeared as quickly as it started. Working a Texas rig or shaky head from the bank back to the first drop has been getting a lot of action. June bug, watermelon red and watermelon candy soft plastics have been the trick. Now that the water is coming back up, look for the off shore grass patches and use a light Carolina rig with a short leader. Throw it beyond the cover and work it back through. The same color worms and creature baits are working here, also, and chatter baits and rattle traps are doing well on the outside edges of the cover.

Crappie are on the deeper structure. Minnows and jigs tipped with minnows are getting a good mess for the supper table; look for the manmade and natural cover on the ledges.
Trump's first trip was to Saudi Arabia.



BRUSSELS  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says NATO leaders do not see China as an adversary in the same way that the military organization views Russia, but that they must come to terms with the Asian giants growing influence.

Johnson told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels Monday that China is a gigantic fact in our lives and a new strategic consideration for NATO.

He says I dont think anybody around the table today wants to descend into a new Cold War with China.

He says the leaders of the 30-nation alliance see challenges, they see things that we have to manage together, but they also see opportunities, and I think that what we need to do is to do it together.

NATO leaders are set to endorse a communique later laying out their view of China and how its rising influence and the security challenges it poses should be managed.



BRUSSELS President Joe Biden is reaffirming the U.S. commitment to NATOs mutual-defense pact as he makes his first visit to the alliance since taking office.
Another leading candidate, Al Mohler, has been supportive of sex abuse victims but angered some Southern Baptists for endorsing Donald Trump last year and for signing a statement, in his capacity as president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, denouncing critical race theory.

Meanwhile, Ed Litton, an Alabama pastor, is supported by Fred Luter, the only Black pastor ever to be denomination president. The two are among the co-signers of a statement by a multiethnic group of Southern Baptists asserting that systemic racial injustice is a reality.

For all the Baptists who will be in the room this week, looming large will be the influence of a non-Baptist whos not present: Trump. The Conservative Baptist Network announced at its formation in February 2020 that members had been concerned over an effort to keep former Vice President Mike Pence from speaking at the 2018 meeting. Strong Southern Baptists support for Trump contributed to the estrangement between the denomination and Beth Moore and Russell Moore, both of whom had criticized the former president.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday his country would need diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance from the United States if it were to maintain troops in Afghanistan to protect and run Kabul's international airport, following the withdrawal of other NATO troops.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a series of meetings with NATO leaders on the sidelines of the alliance summit, Erdogan also said Turkey was seeking Pakistan and Hungary's involvement in a new mission in Afghanistan following the departure of the U.S.-led NATO force.

Turkey is reported to have offered to guard the airport as questions remain on how security will be assured along major transport routes and at the airport, which is the main gateway to Kabul.

If they dont want us to leave Afghanistan, if they want a (Turkish) support there, then the diplomatic, logistic and financial support that the United States will give us will of great importance, Erdogan said. Turkey, a majority Muslim nation which has close historic ties to Afghanistan, currently has some 500 soldiers in the war-torn country.
Lychees are being transported in the passenger cabin on the Boeing 787-9. Photo by Vietnam Airlines.

Airlines have strengthened freight services and offer charter services and discounts on passenger fares as they seek to recover from the slump caused by Covid-19.

Vietnam Airlines recently converted one of its Boeing 787-9 aircraft to transport 40 tonnes of lychee from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

Before the pandemic its Dreamliners had a busy schedule, flying to Europe, Australia and the ultra busy Hanoi-HCMC sector, and few thought lychees will replace passengers on the modern airplane with a capacity up to 270.

The carrier has also deployed other planes to transport lychee.

Budget airline Vietjet has also been offering freight services to compete with leading logistic providers as demand balloons by the day. It has set up an online freight service, Swift247, in which it owns a 67 percent stake.

In the first three months of 2021, Vietjet transported over 18,000 tonnes of cargo, with its cargo subsidiary contributing nearly 50 percent of total revenues.

Since May, Bamboo Airways has been offer charter flights.

To compete in the summer, the high season for air travel, carriers have offered big discounts on fares and promotions like free check-in baggage to attract customers back.

Bamboo Airways reduced fares by 35 percent when booking five seats or more.

Vietjet offered free insurance to all domestic passengers, including VND1 million compensation per day for loss of income in case of forced quarantine or Covid-19 infection as a result of traveling with it.

Newcomer Vietravel Airlines, which has a fleet of three airplanes, is pricing tickets at below breakeven level, according to Nguyen Quoc Ky, its chairman.

Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have joined the effort to trial a vaccine passport.

Next month, Vietnam Airlines will implement the International Air Transport Associations Travel Pass initiative that allows people to store verified Covid-19 test and vaccination certificates on a smartphone app.

This is seen as one of the keys to convincing countries to reopen borders to international travelers.

According to Planespotters, an online database on commercial aviation based in Berlin, Germany, over half of all aircraft in Vietnam are idling in near-empty airports.

Vietnam Airlines is currently operating only 47 of its over 100 planes, including 15 of its 29 wide-body airplanes (A350 and B787).

In the case of Vietjet Air, over 50 out of its 74 airplanes are not flying.

In the first quarter, Vietnam Airlines suffered losses of nearly VND5 trillion ($218,4 million). To generate sufficient cash flows, it is now selling 11 of its A321 CEO planes.

Bamboo Airways has the least number of idle aircraft, nine out of 27.
Chinese port suspends import of frozen food from Vietnam to grapple with Covid

A port in Chinas Guangdong Province has temporarily suspended frozen food imports from Vietnam and 10 other Asian countries since Covid-19 prevention measures have hit its loading capacity.

Zhanjiang Port operator Zhanjiang Port Zhanjiang Port Group Co., Ltd, decided to suspend imports of frozen food, mostly seafood, from Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Mongolia from June 20 to July 15.

Vietnams National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) said: "Suspension of imports of frozen products from 11 Asian countries is a decision by the port operator. No such decision has been made by Guangdong Province or the Chinese government."

The ports cargo loading capacity has been affected by pandemic prevention measures for staff and workers, it said. Due to a surge in Covid in Guangdong since late May, many cities in the province, including Zhanjiang, have strengthened Covid-19 prevention measures at ports, it said.

It urged seafood processing and exporting firms to keep in touch with importers there to keep abreast of the situation.

It also called on the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers to notify its members of the ports frozen food ban.

Vietnam exported US$2.49 billion worth of seafood in the first four months of 2021, up 11.6 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistic Office.

Exports to China were worth $253 million.
An artist's illustration of an electric car produced by VinFast, a unit of conglomerate Vingroup. Photo by VinFast.

Two ministries have voiced support for tax incentives for electric vehicles that dovetails with the governments goal of reducing emissions.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said his ministry could consider scrapping special consumption tax and registration fees on EVs for five years.

This will promote the purchase of environment-friendly vehicles and reduce emissions as targeted by the government.

The Ministry of Transport has also voiced support for incentives.

Special consumption tax on nine-seat electric cars is now at 15 percent after a 10-percentage-point cut in July 2016.

Registration fees are 10-12 percent depending on locality.

Last month, Vietnams largest conglomerate, Vingroup, called for incentives related to taxes and fees as it prepares to sell EVs this year.

The Ministry of Finance has not said yet if it supports the tax cuts, but deputy finance minister Vu Thi Mai said the incentives require changing laws by the National Assembly.

The ministry is soliciting opinions from businesses and plans to submit them and Vingroups proposal to the government in October.

Some countries have incentives for EVs. Buyers in South Korea receive a $2,000 rebate on personal income tax and a $1,400 rebate on car buying tax.

China has scrapped consumption tax and cut registration fees by half.

Thailand and Indonesia have several incentives for five years to encourage purchase of EVs.

The Vietnamese government has concerns about the source of energy for EVs.

The finance ministry has pointed out that thermal energy with high carbon emissions account for nearly half of the countrys total electricity production.

Renewable energy accounts for only 4.3 percent yet, it added.
A surge in Covid-19 cases in Vietnam has prompted a spike in human trafficking and smuggling as people become more financially desperate, rights organizations have warned.

Despite Vietnam's closed borders amid the pandemic, traffickers and smugglers have found new ways to transport people not only within the country but also across borders, they added.

Michael Brosowski, co-founder of the Hanoi-based Blue Dragon Foundation, a child rescue organization, said most trafficking cases he has been handling involve girls and women from ethnic minorities.

Clusters of Covid-19 infections have flared in the industrial northern province of Bac Giang.

Brosowski said there have been reports of teenage girls being trafficked into karaoke bars, which are allegedly fronts for brothels.

"The karaoke bars are serving workers in those industrial zones and that's also where Covid-19 has taken off, so I think there is a link between the two crises and this shows the need for better regulation of major industrial sites like these," Brosowski told DW.

China and Myanmar trafficking routes

Brosowski said that even though Vietnam's borders have been shut, trafficking and smuggling still occurs into neighboring China.

In the past year, over 70 people have been rescued by Blue Dragon from within China. The organization marked its 1,000th rescue in January. Chinese and Vietnamese authorities have been cooperating to rescue and return trafficking survivors to their hometowns.

According to local Vietnamese media reports, pregnant women under economic hardship have crossed illegally into China with the help of smuggling networks. Their babies are then sold.

Brosowski said that as China has increased its community surveillance systems in recent years, authorities have found people who were trafficked between 10 and 30 years ago.

"We dealt with a situation recently where someone had been trafficked 20 years ago and who was probably a teenager at the time, and in those cases, that survivor is going to require pretty intensive care for a long time," said Brosowski, adding that girls and women from Vietnam continue to be trafficked into China as would-be-brides.

According to Brosowski, the military takeover in Myanmar has made the Southeast Asian country a hotspot for traffickers under the presumed lack of law enforcement.

"Traffickers are directly exploiting the chaos of the military takeover, so that is a new development we are dealing with."

Preventing human trafficking

Diane Truong is the director of communications at Pacific Links Foundation, a counter-trafficking organization that also deals with reintegrating and empowering survivors.

"We are very much centered on women and youth empowerment and we view trafficking as a development issue," Truong, who is based in California, told DW.

Truong said Vietnam's most vulnerable communities are vital to preventing trafficking. The foundation provides online English lessons, summer camps and scholarships for disadvantaged youth from poor communities.

"We conduct training with schools, factory workers and their managers, and we also have an app that we have launched specifically focused on migrant workers which helps them to make better life decisions," said Truong.

Europe's Vietnamese smuggling networks

Truong said the foundation is also dealing with Vietnamese being trafficked or smuggled throughout Europe.

The German capital Berlin has been an important center for the human trafficking and smuggling network.

In March last year, German police carried out a series of raids across the country in a crackdown against a gang of suspected Vietnamese smugglers.

During the crackdown, police issued 13 arrest warrants and took six suspects into custody. They are wanted on charges relating to the smuggling of at least 155 Vietnamese people to Germany dating back to 2018.

The people were flown first from Vietnam to Eastern Europe. From there they were transported via different routes to Berlin as well as across Germany and to other countries, including France, Belgium and the U.K.

The people smugglers are thought to have received between $5,000 and $20,000 for each smuggling operation. The smugglers kept people in a network of safe houses until they had paid the price for the flight and visa.

"Of course, the other thing that we've been working on is our capacity building training in Europe, so doing training for frontline responders, including law enforcement and social workers, and collaborating in supporting potential victims," Truong said.
A group of people are seen at a karaoke parlor in Quang Nam despite an ongoing ban of non-essential services due to Covid-19, June 12, 2021. Photo courtesy of the police.

Two karaoke parlors in the central province of Quang Nam are facing fines of VND15 million ($652) for violating Covid-19 social distancing regulations.

The VBOX and Karaoke VIP parlors in Tam Ky Town last Saturday were found still receiving guests despite an existing ban on non-essential services, including karaoke parlors, to curb the spread of the ongoing Covid-19 wave, local police said.

Nineteen guests were found at the two parlors, singing karaoke, drinking beer and even using drugs, police added.

The owners of each parlor now face fines of VND15 million for not abiding by the Covid-19 social distancing order, while guests would be fined VND2 million each for similar violations, police said.

Starting May 3, Quang Nam, home to tourist town Hoi An, has suspended all non-essential services like karaoke parlors, bars and dance clubs to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The province has recorded three local Covid-19 cases so far in Vietnam's latest wave that hit in late April.

Over six weeks into its fourth wave, the most challenging Vietnam has encountered, the country has recorded 7,524 cases in 40 of its 63 cities and provinces.

Bac Giang is leading the case count with 4,137 infections, followed by Bac Ninh with 1,352 and Ho Chi Minh City with 845.
Hong Kongs legislature passed new legislation overhauling Hong Kongs electoral system, giving Beijing greater control over Hong Kong.

The number of seats in Hong Kongs legislature will be expanded to 90, with 40 of them elected by a largely pro-Beijing committee. The number of legislators elected directly by Hong Kong voters will be cut to 20, from the previous 35. In addition, Hong Kongs national security apparatus will now conduct background checks of political candidates to ensure that they are sufficiently patriotic, meaning sufficiently pro-Beijing.

The new so-called reforms were passed overwhelmingly by a legislature that is virtually without opposition lawmakers, since the vast majority resigned in protest last year when four of their members were expelled for insufficient loyalty to Beijing.

The new legislation is the latest in a series of measures imposed over the past several years that are shrinking the freedoms guaranteed to the people of Hong Kong under the Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which enshrine the one country, two systems principle. Since 2019, thousands of pro-democracy activists and demonstrators have been arrested on charges of endangering national security.

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken deplored the Chinese governments continuing erosion of the democratic institutions of Hong Kong, denying Hong Kong residents the rights that the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) itself guaranteed. The Hong Kong Legislative council (LegCo) passage on May 27 of new measures that alter the composition of the LegCo and election Commission, he said, severely constrains people in Hong Kong from meaningfully participating in their own governance and having their voices heard.

Secretary Blinken noted that the new legislation defies the Basic Laws acknowledgement that the ultimate objective is the election of all members of the LegCo by universal suffrage.

We again call on the PRC and the Hong Kong authorities to allow the voices of all Hong Kongers to be heard, Secretary Blinken declared. We also call on these authorities to release and drop charges against all individuals charged under the National Security Law and other laws merely for standing for election or for expressing dissenting views. The United States stands united with our allies and partners in speaking out for the human rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed to the people in Hong Kong by the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.
VANCOUVER  Fiore Gold Ltd. announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Clover Nevada LLC to acquire 100% interest in the former Illipah gold mine in White Pine County northeast of Fiores Gold Rock Project at the southern end of the Carlin Trend.

Fiore Gold produces gold at its Pan Mine in White Pine County and is studying mining potential at Gold Rock.

Illipah is an excellent addition to our extensive land package in this highly prospective part of Nevada, said Tim Warman, the companys chief executive officer. The project is close to our existing operations and is geologically very similar, with the key Pilot-Devils Gate and the Chainman-Joana stratigraphic contacts encountered at surface or by drilling.

The Illipah site covers roughly 3,950 acres and was the location of a heap leach gold mine that produced 37,000 ounces in the late 1980s. There is data from 562 drill holes, as well as soil sampling and surface mapping, Fiore reported.

While in production, the mine was owned by Echo Bay Mines Ltd. and Alta Gold Co., and was shut down in late 1989, according to Western Mining History.
The gold mining operation at Carlin is the largest in the world, with a massive ore body that has yielded millions of ounces of gold over its more than 60-year history in northeastern Nevada.

Up until recent history, the Carlin Trend was mainly divided between two senior gold mining companies  Barrick Gold Corp. and Newmont Corp. On the surface, that meant fences separated properties. Underground, boundaries took the form of vertical walls.

Practically, neither company had a full understanding of how the ore body behaves from beginning to end. Sometimes the same geologic feature had different names depending on what side of the line it fell on.

Operationally, miners sometimes had to employ less efficient mining methods so as not to interfere with the other companys schedule or border.

But in 2019, Barrick formed a joint venture with Newmont, taking 61.3 percent ownership of the Nevada gold mining assets and leaving Newmont with 38.5 percent.

The massive and complex ore body on the Carlin Trend now falls under a massive and complex company. Barrick Golds Nevada portfolio includes Carlin, Cortez Hills, Turquoise Ridge, Phoenix and Long Canyon, with Carlin and Cortez being the first- and seventh-largest producing gold mines in the world.

Almost two years into the joint venture, the Carlin Operations and other sites are experiencing efficiencies and challenges under Barrick operating as Nevada Gold Mines.

These big ore bodies have a lot of potential, said Tricia Evans, NGM head of mineral resource management.

Ore potential

The potential can be realized better now, according to company leadership, partly because the joint venture allowed the literal and physical fences dividing the ore body to come down.

The integrated leadership team has also continued to realize the value-creating synergies presented by the joint venture through reallocating resources between mine sites, and sharing skills and equipment to maximize returns, Barrick stated in its first quarter report.

Whoever has permits to mine on the Carlin Trend needs to be able to maximize the ore body and the capital invested to operate efficiently, said Henri Gonin, NGM manager of the Carlin Operations.

That was never going to happen when it wasnt under one umbrella, he said. Thats what youre seeing now.

No boundaries

An overlook near the center of the northern Carlin Operations offers a vantage of much of the ore body. Viewers stand on what used to be the boundary between Barrick and Newmont. Previously, a fence followed a road between the operations below, with the Barrick Goldstrike autoclave predominately on the left and the Newmont leach pads on the immediate right.

The day they announced the joint venture, the berm was taken down, Evans said.

The unbroken view takes in the northern Carlin Operations, including the South Arturo Mine through the Tara/Bootstrap Mine to the Meikle underground mine within the Goldstrike open pit and the Tri-Star open pits, as well as the Leeville and Pete Bajo operations.

You really see everything thats moving across here, Evans said. This is all one ore body basically connected, and now youve got that fence down, you can see that whole thing.

The bulk of NGMs production comes from the Carlin Operations. Leeville underground is the biggest gold producer in the portfolio, and North Leeville and is showing exciting potential through resource drilling, Evans said, with exploration ongoing and a new leach pad being constructed. Rita K also is being explored and is expected to be an underground mine in the future.

There is a lot of prospectivity right there, and it is right at our front door, Gonin said.

In the first quarter of 2021, NGM produced 229,000 ounces of gold from the Carlin Operations, compared to 260,000 in the last three months of 2020  a 12% decline mostly because of higher carbonaceous content that affected blending, according to Barricks Q1 results. The average grade from open pits was 0.03 ounces per ton, and 0.31 ounces per ton from underground.

Across all its Nevada operations, NGM produced 485,000 ounces of gold in Q1 for Barrick's 61.5% share of the joint venture, according to the results report. Newmonts share of NGM production in the first quarter of this year was 303,000 ounces.

Efficiencies

Putting the properties together presented opportunities for efficiency, Gonin said. Some solutions are large are some were small but all affect the bottom dollar.

Namely, the joint venture allowed for the creation of a regional 3-D geologic model. Previously, each company had only pieces of information about the resource in their separate plans.

Now weve been able to piece that together in one geologic model, Evans said. We have models at all the different scales we need to properly mine this ore body.

With the bigger geologic picture, NGM is exploring areas that were once in between the two companies workings, such as the basin between Carlins north and south operations, and the area between Turquoise Ridge and Twin Creeks.

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Now we are taking down that fence and opening that up, Evans said.

NGM also has been able to explore shallow mineralization directly on the previous boundary near the North Start Pit in the Tri-Star Complex in the north area.

For development, NGM now has two types of shovels at its disposal: large electric and smaller hydraulic. Before the joint venture, Newmont only used hydraulic shovels.

Planners can decide which type of shovel makes sense for which location. Sometimes they need to move large amounts of low-grade material with an electric shovel and other times mine smaller pockets of high-grade material with the nimbler hydraulic shovel.

Today, we have the three traditional Barrick shovels working in the Newmont pit, and over here we have one Newmont shovel working in the Goldstrike pit, said Nate Bennett, operations superintendent for Carlins north area, one afternoon in May at the overlook. We have a complete reversal, and we have complete flexibility to put where the best equipment is at any given time.

For processing, NGM now owns two refractory milling facilities, allowing the optimization of materials processing.

Previously, ore from the Cortez Hills Mine in Crescent Valley went only to the Goldstrike roaster. Now, it can go to either the Gold Quarry or Goldstrike roasters, depending on the makeup of the material. Each mill operates most efficiently with a specific blend of materials to make the extraction process work.

We get all that flexibility and that created huge amount of value for us, Gonin said. That is the biggest [efficiency], I would say.

The roaster at Goldstrike is the companys main gold-maker. Blending ore from the various mines allows the company to get gold ounces out at the lowest possible cost.

It definitely helps the business, Evans said. We can really optimize to get the best blend through each one of them.

For warehousing, Barrick and Newmont had two separate supply systems. NGM now uses the old Newmont warehouse shared with Cashman Equipment in Elko.

The one warehouse shortens lead times for obtaining supplies, although Gonin said they are still figuring out how to make the supply system as efficient as possible.

For management, the joint venture brought the consolidation of some roles. Previously, the roasting facilities, laboratories and other departments had separate managers. Now they have one. The change did have a smashing effect, Gonin said, but the result is better standardization of process.

Ore gets turned around faster, and nothing gets lost, Gonin said. Its just more efficient.

The two companies combined staff, totaling more than 7,000 employees, allows for the sharing of knowledge, such as showing an operator a new way of using a shovel, or improving lineout meetings or scheduling.

Weve been able to draw on a lot of experience, Bennett said. Whereas before we were maybe not so communicative about it.

Challenges

Communications can always be improved, said Gonin, who hears that management does not provide enough information to boots-on-the-ground crews. People want to know how the company is doing and where it is headed.

People actually like getting that feedback, he said.

Another challenge because of the joint venture is permitting. The permitting projects for NGM are large and numerous, and the government resources for review are limited. The company has to carefully plan the timing of the permits to realize the value of the projects it wants to pursue.

Thats definitely more challenging now, Gonin said. There are more permitting projects now than there were before because of some of these synergies.

Permitting could become even more complicated if the Biden Administration continues to pursue limits on mining public land, Gonin said.

Combining the two competing companies also led to some culture shock, which Gonin said was inevitable.

Many people will tell you that it is very good  and there will be other people who will say, No, we are not happy Gonin said. At the end of the day, those are just opinions.

That manifests in how some employees have expressed discontent about the NGM dress code, including wearing a yellow, long-sleeved reflective shirt.

Its fair to say were trying to find our own identity as NGM, and trying to not be either Barrick or Newmont, Evans said. Were NGM now, and part of that is wearing the yellow shirts.

At the Carlin Operations, NGM has laid down ground rules including not talking about legacy Barrick or legacy Newmont.

One team. One mission, Gonin said. To me it means everyone is focused on the same goal. It doesnt matter if you are the janitor or the new-hire engineer that is fresh out of school or the new-hire truck driver or the CEO of the company  we are all focused on the same goal, and that is to be a long-term, very efficient mining company. That means we take care of the environment. We take care of our community.

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Story by Suzanne Featherston

Mining Editor

RAM Enterprise Inc. employee Scott Spring places a heavy rubber panel on his workbench at the manufacturing facility in Elko and trims away the flash remaining after the molding process.

The piece is one of 500 sections of profile liner he made this spring to protect a steel tank at a mining operation in Alaska.

To make each panel, he feeds strips of raw rubber through an extruder then transfers them onto a press to be shaped under a temperature of 300 degrees and at a pressure of 1,800 pounds per square inch. He cleans up each piece and arranges them on pallets for shipping.

The job took about four months and used 35,000 pounds of rubber.

This project and other custom rubber manufacturing jobs fall under IMTECH Rubber Products, a subsidiary of Ram Enterprise that has helped sustain the Elko-based company for much of its decades-long history.

RAM Enterprise is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2021.

The company gets its name from its founder, whose initials are R.A.M.
June 11

Tyson S. Hicks, 23, of Boise, Idaho, was arrested in Boise for willful or malicious torture or maiming or killing of an animal. Bail: $25,000

Marty A. Lance, 57, of Spring Creek was arrested at 461 Trescartes Ave. for domestic battery. Bail: $3,130

Lerrell A. McCauley, 26, of Elko was arrested at North Cedar St. for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime. Bail: $740

Richard A. Myers, 56, of Put-in-Bay, Ohio, was arrested at the Elko County Jail for battery on a protected person.

Austin G. Pejic, 25, of Elko was arrested at 651 Bullion Rd. No. 41 for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime and five counts of failure to appear on a traffic citation. Bail: $4,620

Christopher G. Shappert, 38, of Spring Creek was arrested at 10th and Silver streets for residence with a non-Nevada drivers license, operating an unregistered vehicle, trailer or semi, and owner proof of registration. Bail: $1,050
We should be able to have a better way of controlling how cannabis is used now, Nankervis said. We know that tourists are using on the Strip and on Fremont Street. I think this (legislation) will change the way we, as an industry, think about the market.

Nankervis said industry leaders are anxious to learn specifics of the lounge licensing process.

Its the next step, he said, for a maturing cannabis industry in Nevada, which legalized recreational cannabis in 2017.

Colorado, which legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, allows for legal consumption lounges, as does California, but the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult for businesses to flourish.

If you look at the markets that are more developed, like Colorado and California, theyve had consumption lounges for some time now, and that creates an environment where things are more controlled, Nankervis said. This law in Nevada puts us in a place as an industry where were on par with our neighbors.

For Yeager, Sisolaks signature marked the end of a year-long process.

What we could see here in Las Vegas could be better than Amsterdam, Yeager said. I cant tell you how many people I talked to from the cannabis industry, the Chamber of Cannabis, gaming, the governors folks, and those looking to get into the industry. In the end, we got more support than I thought wed get.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Las Vegas Sun.

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The 2021 G-7 Summit, hosted by the United Kingdom, wrapped on 13 June after a series of intense discussions over taxation on multinational corporations, climate change, and the covid-19 pandemic.

According to the White House, the President is happy with the decisions made by the leaders and believes that they align well with his domestic agenda. To show the US commitment to its allies, including the six other nations that form part of the G-7, President Biden dinged his predecessor by saying that the lack of participation in the past and in full engagement was noticed significantly not only by the leaders of those countries but by the people in the G-7 countries. At a news conference on 13 June, President Biden described the summit as extraordinary and collaborative.

Global distribution of covid-19 vaccines

The 2021 G-7 Communique, which details the decisions made, stated that the leaders understand that the COVID-19 pandemic is not under control anywhere until it is under control everywhere. The group aims to see at least sixty percent of the global population vaccinated by the end of 2022, which international public health experts believe is the threshold needed to bring the pandemic to an end.

Together, the G-7 countries pledged to donate one billion covid-19 vaccines to low-income countries by the end of next year. The US will provide the largest donation -- 500 million doses -- to COVAX, with the President detailing a timeline for distribution that includes the sending of 200 million of those doses by the end of the year, another 300 million by the first half of next year. COVAX, the international vaccine distribution program, is aiming to begin its global effort in August.

The Heads of State also spent time discussing how they could collaborate to better prepare for the next pandemic, which many scientists see as inevitable. However, with greater preparation, a more agile and well-funded World Health Organization, and a commitment to global cooperation, the next pandemic would not have the same fatal consequences that the covid-19 health crisis has caused.

To help prepare and prevent future outbreaks, the leaders agreed to,

Invest in cutting edge research and innovation, seeking to ensure that global vaccines remain effective against variants of concern .

in cutting edge research and innovation, seeking to ensure that global vaccines remain effective against . Build a more robust global surveillance system that would focus on genomic sequencing, which the group described as critical in enabling r apid detection of new covid-19 variants and novel viruses more generally.

a more robust that would focus on genomic sequencing, which the group described as critical in enabling r and viruses more generally. Support the implementation of the measures approved under the 2020 Rome Declaration, Strengthening WHO preparedness for and response to health emergencies, and more.

Taxation on Multinational Corporations

One of the most significant outcomes of the summit was the decision by the members to ensure that the corporate tax rate in their nations is at least fifteen percent. The decision made by financial leaders from each of the countries also declares that corporations will pay taxes in the places where they operate, regardless of if they have a headquarters there.

President Biden was pleased with this decision explaining that the international tax system has allowed systems to get away with not paying their fair share by engaging with what are essentially tax havens. The President continued saying that the move to create a tax floor for corporations operating across countries will to help arrest the race to the bottom thats been going on among nations attracting corporate investment at the expense of priorities like protecting our workers and investing in infrastructure.

The leaders see this as a first step in implementing this sort of change at the global level. At the next meeting of the G-20, the discussion will be continued to create more buy-in with the end goal of creating a global agreement on an equitable solution on the allocation of taxing rights and an ambitious global minimum tax of at least 15 percent on a country-by-country basis. The G-20 countries are scheduled to meet in July.
Those around the US may be curious where the origins of Flag Day stem from.

During the American Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress passed a motion determining the first flag that would be used to represent the new nation. The decision was made on 14 June 1777 and in 1916, President Woodrow Willson established the date as Flag Day.

A few decades later the US Congress passed a law that allows US presidents to proclaim an observance of the holiday. Cities and towns across the United States have planned parades and other celebrations for most of the twentieth century.

Quincy, Massachusetts, which has held a parade on Flag Day since 1952, continued the tradition this year. On 12 June, the small New England town hosted the 70th Annual parade which featured bands, floats, color guards, specialty units and plenty of flag-waving kids.

Will Joe Biden declare the observance of Flag Day?

Yes. On 11 June, the White House released a presidential decree declaring the week of 14 June as Flag Week, with events planned to celebrate. The White House called on leaders of all federal buildings and citizens to display the flag to commemorate the holiday.

President Biden reminded those in the US of all the places the flag has been flown in the quest for the US to live up to its founding creed of creating a more perfect Union. From the Moon to Mars, from Gettysburg to civil rights protests, the flag serves as a reminder to us, and to the world, that America stands for and strives for the promise of freedom, justice, and equality for all.

The First US Flag

Some may recall from their grade school years that the first US flag was designed by seamstress Betsy Ross. Out of more than seventeen submissions, Ross flag was chosen for how its simple design was able to capture the spirit of the revolution. The simple design looks very similar to the one used today with one notable exception -- the number of stars. At the time of its creation, thirteen stars were used to represent each of the founding colonies that fought in the Revolutionary War.

As more states were added to the Union, so was a star. The most recent star to be added represents Hawaii, which became a state in 1959.
Last week two more European countries, France and Spain, opened their borders to fully vaccinated travelers from the United States. As of 14 June, those who have gotten their shots can now travel to five EU Member States.

To better monitor the movements of vaccinated people around Europe, the European Union has developed a vaccine passport mobile application. The EU Digital COVID Certificate is currently being piloted and will become widely available to EU citizens and residents on 1 July. In an interview with CNN, an EU spokesperson said that it is the intention of the Commission for the passport to be available to non-EU citizens and residents, including those from the United States on the same date.

In a press release from 1 June, the European Commission stated that seven EU countries -- Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia, and Poland -- had decided to connect to the gateway and started issuing first EU certificates, while certain countries have decided to launch the EU Digital COVID Certificate only when all functions are deployed nationwide. Since the announcement, Spain has connected and almost all other EU member states have the digital infrastructure in place to begin use.

How does it work?

According to the EU Commission, the vaccine passport "contains a QR code with a digital signature" which contains data related to covid-19 testing and vaccination of users. The EU opted to use QR codes to protect against the falsification of health documents.

For those traveling from "third countries," the passport can be requested by applying "through their destination Member State."

What other pieces of information will the certificate contain?

Each certificate will require users to provide basic information including their first and last name, birth date, and the Member State that has issued the certificate.

Health information

In the US, all residents over the age of twelve are eligible to receive a covid-19 vaccine; this is not the case in many European countries. The certificate information differs based on the vaccination status of users. For those who have received their shot, the vaccine manufacture, date of vaccination, and the number of doses will be documented.

For those who have not yet been vaccianted, Member States require that PCR or antigen test results be provided when traveling between countries. The passport will record the "type of test, date and exact time of test, name of the test centre and the results."

As July approaches, more details for how non-EU citizens and residents can access the certificate are expected. Until then, to ensure travelers on in compliance with regulations at their destination, tourists should check with the covid-19 travel information provided by the US embassy or health authority for the countries they are hoping to visit.
On 12 May, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine became the first leader to announce a vaccine lottery, Vax-a-Million. During the multi-week event, Ohio residents who have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine are eligible to win millions; younger residents have the chance to win scholarships to Ohio colleges and universities.

More than a dozen states have followed Ohios lead, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and, West Virginia. While it is still early, preliminary data on how effective the program has been in Ohio, Colorado, and Maryland is available.

President Biden has stated that he hopes to see at least seventy percent of adults at least partially vaccinated in the Fourth of July. To date, California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, and Washington have implemented a vaccine lottery and surpassed the seventy percent benchmark.

Deep-dive into the data from Ohio

Gov. DeWine launched the Vax-a-Million program on 12 May and has provided periodic updates on how the program has impacted vaccination rates. However, data can often be described or manipulated to paint a prettier picture than reality. The Governor has opted to describe trends in the data since the announcement was made with little contextual information. These comments categorically ignore that vaccination rates across all age groups have dropped at the state level.

County Increases Averages At least one dose Fully Vaccinated STATE AVERAGE 38.95% 35.51% County Averages 38.71% 35.40% Data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

When dividing the state-wide data by age groups (12-18, 19-64, and 65+), no noticeable increases since the program was launched can be seen. The trends all show drops in the vaccination rates, including among the states youngest residents who have been eligible for the least amount of time. However, in a press conference on 24 May, the Governor highlighted that From May 14 through May 19 as compared to May 7 through May 12, vaccinations in Ohio increased 94 percent among those 16 and 17 years old, 46 percent among those 18 and 19 years old, and 55 percent among those between 20 and 49 years old. While all increases are positive news, the upward trend touted by the governor is not reflected in the larger data available to the public through the CDC or the state government.

For example on 11 June, Gov. DeWine struck an opposite tone saying that several Ohio countries -- Hocking, Seneca, Ross, Jackson, Fayette, Paulding, Wyandot, Crawford, Warren, and Pickaway -- had seen an increase in vaccinations since the program began. However, the percentage of residents who are partially or fully vaccianted in these counties still falls below the statewide average.

Additionally, when describing the increases at the county level, one significant aspect of the data is left out, the population. When accounting for population, we find that the median in these counties is much smaller -- 30,585 -- than the state-wide median of 57,939. It is common sense that if more people in smaller counties get vaccinated, the progress will be more rapid.

This similar effect can be seen in the national vaccine data as well. States with small populations like Vermont, home to about half a million residents, have quickly vaccinated more than 80% of their adult population. In contrast, in California, the country's most populous state, reaching the President's target took more time because the logistics of vaccinating tens of millions of residents is much more complicated.

To be clear, it is positive news that vaccination rates increased in these counties because at this point in the pandemic, every shot counts, but politicians should be careful how they describe the gains made.

Will Ohio meet the President's seventy percent target?

In April, the Buckeye state-administered almost three million doses of covid-19 vaccines. In May, the vaccine eligibility was expanded to include residents between the age of twelve and fifteen, but the number of shots given still dropped by half to 1.5 million. The June numbers continue to decline rapidly, with the average doses administered around 26,000, they are nearly a quarter of the average from April. At this rate, the state will not reach half a million doses administered by the end of the month.

With this pace of vaccination, the state is unlikely to meet President Bidens goal. With fifty-eight percent of adults partially or fully vaccinated, the state would need to increase its current vaccination rate anywhere between seven and eightfold.

To date, no peer-reviewed research has been published on the topic. However, there are few variables that can be analyzed to see if any trends that help to explain the differences in vaccination rates across the state.

2020 Election

When comparing the counties, Biden won compared to those that Trump won by the greatest margins, some interesting trends surface. Counties, where Trump garnered the largest vote share, have a lower average of partially and full vaccinated residents than both the counties won by Biden and the state-wide average.

2020 Election Biden Versus Trump Counties Averages Partially Vaccianted Fully Vaccinated STATE AVERAGE 38.95% 35.51% Biden Counties 38.72% 35.32% Trump Counties 35.54% 32.26% Data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

This tracks with the findings of various polls that show Republicans are more hesitant than Democrats and Republicans to get vaccinated.

Household Income

Similarly, polling data has shown that those in the US with higher incomes have or plan to get vaccinated. Of the ten counties with the highest level of partially and fully vaccinated residents, six and seven of the counties with the highest incomes in the states are represented, respectively.

County Household Incomes and Vaccination Rates Averages Partially Vaccianted Fully Vaccinated STATE AVERAGE 38.95% 35.51% Poorest Counties 31.39% 28.78% Wealthiest Counties 50.88% 46.43% Data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

On the whole, the ten wealthiest counties have higher rates of vaccination when compared to the state as a whole. When looking at the opposite end of the income spectrum, of the ten counties with the lowest vaccination rates, three are some of the states poorest counties. The income data poses an interesting question, does the vaccine lottery benefit those with economic privilege in the state?

Vax-a-Million will wrap up in the coming weeks, wherein a more detailed analysis of its impact on vaccination is sure to be completed by the state and researchers.

Colorado and Maryland

In March, Colorado administered 1.2 doses of covid-19 vaccines to adults, with the daily average of doses given out sitting at around 46,000. In April, these numbers hit their record high. Over 1.6 million doses were administered, and the daily average for adults rose to over 56,000. Then, in May, demand began to decrease -- quickly. A little over a million doses were stuck into the arms of Coloradan adults, and the daily average dropped to just over 33,000.

The vaccine lottery, which Governor Jared Pollis announced on 25 May, has not halted the decline. Data from June is bleaker than that recorded in May, with the daily average dropping to 14,369. Despite the decreases, if the state can maintain the pace seen during the first half of June, Colorado should meet the Presidents seventy percent target.

Marylands vaccine lottery was announced the same day, and the results are similar to that of Colorado and Ohio. Maryland met the Presidents target on 31 May. However, when comparing the percent increase of residents who received at least one dose of the vaccine, the average from the ten days before the announcement was higher than that of the ten days that followed.

Final Takeaways

While these results do not show that the implementation of vaccine lotteries helped to increase demand for vaccines over their previous levels, we cannot discount their effectiveness. There is no way to tell if the numbers would have been different had the program not been implemented.

As more states opt to launch a vaccine lottery program, the experiences from other states should be kept in mind. Additionally, as the states who launched their lotteries in early June continue their implementation, there will be more cases to examine, which could have differ from the impacts seen in these three states.
Executive Director of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF) Vladyslav Berkovsky sees no legal grounds for canceling the decisions of the Foundation's Supervisory Board.

"Nothing is impossible in our life. Now we see that a partial rotation has already begun. At least three members of the Supervisory Board have resigned. I do not know whether everyone else give credence to such proposals and calls, because each of them personally accepts such decisions. In any case, there will be co-optation, and we can already say that after that there will be new members and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board," Berkovsky said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, answering the question whether he considers it necessary to reboot the Supervisory Board of the UCF.

He noted that at the moment he himself needs to work a little in order to understand why the current Supervisory Board made certain decisions, since now he has a lot of contradictory information from different sides.

"At the moment, according to the current legislation, I do not see legal grounds for canceling decisions. What way, if the current regulatory framework does not provide for this? If it is a court decision, then it is possible. But so far I do not see such a prospect," the executive director stressed.

As for the format of the work of the UCF Supervisory Board, Berkovsky said that he likes the format when everyone is responsible for the decisions made by the Fund.

"But there are pros and cons in each approach. Therefore, taking the office, I see it as a task for myself to try to find a middle ground so that the cultural environment is satisfied. Although, we perfectly understand that you will not please everyone, there will always be those who are dissatisfied, especially those who lose. But we should explain even to those who lose why this happened and what the mistakes were. On the other hand, there should be the Supervisory Board's subjectivity in deciding on the allocation of large funds, the members of the Supervisory Board should be aware that they are taking responsibility," he declared.

When asked whether it is necessary to introduce a mechanism for monitoring the work of the Supervisory Board, as well as a mechanism for initiating its dissolution, and the recall of individual members, Berkovsky replied that a balanced solution should be sought on these issues.

"The main idea that was laid in the creation of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund is the creation of an independent structure, the task of which is to analyze and finance projects that are developed by the cultural environment and aimed at developing the diversity of our culture. And the law was developed so that the organization could be as independent as possible. Now the situation is the following: certain restrictions are put in relation to the changes that are proposed. We are starting to build 'red lines', and at the moment society is actually right that such lines are needed. But there is another side. If talking about the early dissolution of the Supervisory Board, then the question immediately arises: who will have such a right? And whoever such a right has, for whose purposes he will use such a right?," he added.

As for the introduction of the procedure for recalling individual members of the Supervisory Board, Berkovsky noted that in this way it is possible to create a precedent that later it will be used to the detriment.

As reported earlier, UCF experts signed an open letter to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Culture demanding to facilitate the dissolution of the Fund's Supervisory Board and cancel its decision on projects with high ratings.
It will be difficult to form high-quality educational program on tourism without help of intl universities - Tourism Development Agency head Oleskiv

Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development Maryana Oleskiv says that without the help of international universities it will be difficult to form a high-quality educational program in the field of tourism, since there are problems in the education system in Ukraine.

"There is a global problem in our education system that needs to be changed. I do not know to which extent it can be changed only in the field of tourism. We started a dialogue with several universities about tourism programs  this is the Ukrainian Catholic University and Lviv Business School and Kyiv-Mohyla Business School. There was also a meeting between two Austrian universities and rector of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. There are a number of programs that we have worked out and will be ready to launch," Oleskiv said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

She noted that such programs will need co-financing, since attracting high-quality world-class specialists requires funds.

"But if we don't do this, then we will get a low-quality education again," she stressed.

According to her, in Ukraine, in the field of management of the development of tourist territories there are no systematic practices and a corresponding scientific school, and there is also a lack of teachers who would have practical experience and know how to analyze statistics, plan marketing campaigns, and plan the development of territories.

Therefore, without the help of international universities, it will be difficult to form such a program. I hope we can find government or donor funding and launch it next year. We are also talking with Ukrainian universities, but this is a question of the system itself. The State Agency for Tourism Development, as a body responsible for tourism, cannot change the entire education system in Ukraine," stated Oleskiv.
Zelensky in talk with Johnson ahead of NATO summit: It's time for our partners, allies to support Ukraine with specific actions

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone conversation with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, during which he stressed the importance of a clear perspective of NATO membership for Ukraine.

During the telephone conversation, Zelensky stressed the importance of a clear prospect of membership in the Alliance for Ukraine, which is moving towards reforms in the face of complex security challenges, the President's Office said.

"We have done everything necessary to obtain a Membership Action Plan. It is time for our partners and allies in the Alliance to support Ukraine with concrete actions and decisions," the President said.

The President also noted the important role of the British presidency in the G7 and thanked for the clear signals in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine enshrined in the final communique of the G7 summit.

Zelensky also told Boris Johnson about the security situation in the east and near the borders of Ukraine. He stressed that the complete withdrawal of Russian troops has not taken place, and the level of military threat to our state remains high.

"In addition, Zelensky raised the issue of counteracting the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, which is a security challenge for Ukraine, and stressed that its commissioning is unacceptable.

The President stressed the importance of further cooperation with the United Kingdom in the field of developing Ukraine's defense capabilities and strengthening the Ukrainian fleet.

Zelensky confirmed the invitation to Boris Johnson to visit Ukraine to participate in the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform in Kyiv and the events on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.
Two Ukrainians die in road accident in Romania, two more in serious condition  MFA

As a result of a road accident in Romania on Monday morning, two Ukrainians died, two more are in serious condition, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) Oleh Nikolenko said.

"Early in the morning of June 14, on the Deva-Nadlac highway in Romania, there was a traffic accident involving Ukrainian citizens who were traveling by minibus from Ukraine to the Czech Republic. In total, there were 16 Ukrainians and one citizen of Moldova in the car. One Ukrainian died on the spot, another our citizen died in hospital from her injuries," he told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

According to Nikolenko, two citizens of Ukraine were hospitalized in serious condition, they are being provided with the necessary medical assistance. The condition of the rest of the passengers is satisfactory, there is no threat to their lives, he said.

"The driver is detained, he is giving testimony to the police. According to the preliminary version, the driver lost control, the minibus collided with a cargo vehicle that was moving in front," the spokesperson said.

Nikolenko said Ukrainian diplomats interact with Romanian law enforcement officers to clarify all the circumstances of the accident, keep in touch with doctors and provide the injured citizens with the necessary consular assistance.

"A round-the-clock hotline of the Ukrainian Embassy in Romania is open for relatives: +40 726 529 820, +40 21 230 36 60," he said.
The State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine plans to launch a poll campaign of foreign tourists at the border in August or September, Head of the agency Maryana Oleskiv has said.

"We will soon announce a tender, and I think that in August or September there will be such a poll. They will ask the purpose of arrival, time of stay, what people plan to visit, what expenses are planned, etc. This will allow us to understand how many tourists we have from the entire entrance flow, who is this tourist, what are her/his preferences, where does she/he get information from, the purpose of the visit," Oleskiv told Interfax-Ukraine.

In addition, according to her, the State Agency for Tourism Development will also announce a tender for the purchase of these payment systems.

"Since they will most accurately give us a picture of exactly the costs and composition of costs, as well as show where the foreign tourist comes from and what he spends his money on. This will allow us to more accurately plan our marketing campaigns," she said.

Among the priority countries for inbound tourism from abroad, Oleskiv named Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Poland, as well as Israel and China.

"So far, China does not allow its citizens to actively travel. But we are at a 'low start.' As soon as we understand that the country starts to provide opportunities for citizens to travel, we will be actively involved," she said.

Oleskiv expects that in 2021 Ukraine will be able to reach half of the volume of international tourism in 2019, and in 2023-2024 tourism worldwide should return to the pre-quarantine level.
A complete course of vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19) with the Sputnik V vaccine, developed by Russian Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, is not sufficient for entering Ukraine, the Health Ministry told Interfax-Ukraine.

The Health Ministry said that, according to the current legislation, in order to enter Ukraine, it is necessary to present either a negative test result for COVID-19 by PCR (no more than 72 hours before crossing the border), or a negative result of an express test for SARS-CoV-2 (no more than 72 hours before crossing the border) or a document confirming the receipt of a full course of vaccination against COVID-19 vaccines included in the WHO list of approved for use in emergency situations.

In addition, the ministry said that under Cabinet of Ministers resolution No. 95 dated February 8, 2021, registration of vaccines or other immunobiological medicines for the prevention of COVID-19 is prohibited in Ukraine under the obligation for emergency medical use, the development and/or production of which was carried out in the state, recognized by the Verkhovna Rada as an aggressor state.

At the same time, according to lawyers, vaccination certificates are recognized only in the case of vaccination with a vaccine recognized by the WHO, and the Russian vaccine does not apply to such.

According to Tetiana Olkhovikova, a lawyer of the ILF law firm, in accordance with the explanation of the State Border Guard Service regarding vaccination documents that are presented at the border, currently the list of vaccines that are recognized includes such vaccines as BNT162b2/COMIRNATY manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech (registered in Ukraine under the name Comirnaty), AZD1222 manufactured by AstraZeneca/Oxford (registered in Ukraine under the name AstraZeneca), Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute (registered in Ukraine under the name Covishild), vaccine manufactured by Sinovac (registered in Ukraine under the name Coronavac), as well as vaccines manufactured by Janssen companies, Moderna, and Sinopharm/BIBP.

The lawyer also said that, according to the explanation of the State Border Guard Service, documents on immunization with the Sputnik V vaccine do not give grounds for entering Ukraine, since this vaccine is not included in the WHO list.

"Such a clause was released on June 10, 2021, that is, after the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on his Twitter about the recognition of certificates of vaccination between Ukraine and Hungary. Thus, it can be concluded that vaccination certificates, as before, are recognized only in the case of vaccination vaccine recognized by the WHO. The Russian vaccine does not belong to such," Olkhovikova said.
The bilateral meeting took place in Chinas Chongqing city, on the sidelines of the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting and the 6th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers Meeting.

Son expressed his delight at the first official meeting between the foreign ministers of Vietnam and Laos since their respective countries national Party congresses and the establishment of their new-term governments.

He spoke highly of the two sides coordination to effectively carry out many major bilateral diplomatic activities, thus maintaining frequent meetings and contact at all levels despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hailing bilateral cooperation and mutual assistance in the COVID-19 fight, he thanked the Lao Party and State leaders for extending sympathies to Vietnam on the pandemic situation in Vietnam.

The minister also voiced his hope that Vietnams financial aid, medical supplies, and health experts sent to Laos will help with the latters efforts against the pandemic.

Kommasith congratulated Vietnam on the successful organisation of the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and all-level Peoples Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure amid complex COVID-19 developments in many localities.

He thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, and people for their precious material and spiritual support for Laos in the pandemic combat, affirming that his country is always ready to stand side by side with Vietnam in line with the spirit of the countries great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation.

To continue intensifying bilateral relations, the two foreign ministers agreed to jointly promote mutual visits and contact at all levels in various forms; make the best use of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, especially meetings of the Inter-Governmental Committee; and unceasingly improve the effectiveness of cooperation in defence, security, trade, and investment.

They also discussed coordination to step up important joint programmes, especially transport connectivity projects so as to optimise the Vietnam - Laos International Seaport (Vung Ang Seaport).

Both agreed to enhance ties in border management to prevent illegal exit from and entry into their countries, sustain cross-border trading, and soon review the one-stop-shop model applied at the Lao Bao - Densavan border gate pair.

Vietnam and Laos also concurred in increasing coordination and mutual support at international, regional, and sub-regional forums and joining hands with other member countries to firmly maintain ASEANs solidarity and strengthen the blocs centrality in order to effective respond to common challenges.

Regarding their ministries cooperation, the two foreign ministers pledged to continue implementing the cooperation agreement for 2021 - 2025, including organising political consultations at the ministerial and deputy ministerial levels, boosting information sharing and strategic research, and holding more exchanges between the ministries key units.

They emphasised the importance of economic diplomacy, agreeing to increase experience sharing and effectively carry out the action plan for cooperation in this field for 2020 - 2025.

The two countries will early start preparations for celebrations of the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and 45 years since the signing of the Vietnam  Laos Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation next year, according to the officials.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Saturday that the Egyptian government is handling the crisis of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) with full transparency.

The government keeps the Egyptian people updated about the latest developments related to the GERD negotiations, Shoukry told Sada Al-Balad TV channel in an interview.

He pointed out that his recent meetings with Sudanese officials  which were held last Wednesday during his visit along with Egypt's irrigation minister to Khartoum  aimed to place emphasis on the need to coordinate with Sudan to counter the negative impacts of the second filling of the dam.

The government follows up on all GERD-linked technical aspects, data and developments and assesses the dam-related phases, Shoukry said.

The minister stressed that Egypt and Sudan will work strictly to counter any negative unilateral actions on the part of Ethiopia and will take all necessary steps to protect the interests of both downstream countries.

Egypt always hopes that a breakthrough will take place in the GERD crisis, stressing that Cairo and Khartoum have showed a lot of flexibility to settle this issue.

Regarding the international communitys stance on the GERD issue, the minister said the UN secretary general had expressed the international community's concern over the second filling of the dam and its repercussions on the region.

"We are contacting all partners, including the US envoy, the European Union and the United Nations, to coordinate for solving the crisis," Shoukry added.

The US State Department issued a statement on 14 May urging the resumption of African Union-mediated negotiations in line with the 2015 Declaration of Principles and the outcomes of the July 2020 AU summit on GERD, saying that the US is committed to providing political and technical support to facilitate a successful outcome."

By including references of the 2015 Declaration of Principles and the 2020 summit, Washington was backing a comprehensive and legally binding deal before the filling, according to experts.

The Egyptian minister stated that "we are in a critical stage as Ethiopia is about to declare the start of the second filling."

"This measure will have an impact on the negotiating path, but we will wait and see," he said.

On the 40-year compensations for protection of the Nile River that was requested by Ethiopia, the minister said such demands are "unacceptable and contradict the rules of international law and have no international references."

He asserted that Ethiopia breached the 2015 Declaration of Principles and refused to respond to solutions offered by African countries to settle the dam crisis.

Water shares

With regards to negotiations on water shares, the top Egyptian diplomat said the negotiations only concentrate on reaching a binding agreement between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the filling and operation of the dam.

In August 2020, A similar Ethiopian proposal was rejected by Sudan, which threatened to withdraw from the GERD talks if Addis Ababa insisted on linking an agreement on the dams filling to a deal on sharing the waters of the Blue Nile.

Sudan's Water resources Minister Yasser Abbas said at the time that he was surprised by Ethiopias proposal on the water shares, which he described as dangerous.

In April, when media reports surfaced again indicating Ethiopian intention to include a water-sharing deal for the Blue Nile in the GERD talks, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Ethiopia not to compromise Egypt's share of Nile water, saying all options are possible, while stressing that cooperation is better than conflict.

"I say to our Ethiopian brothers, [we] should not get to a point where you infringe upon a drop of Egypt's water because all options are open cooperation is better to build with each other is better than to disagree and tussle," El-Sisi said.

Ethiopia conveyed in April its rejection of the downstream countries water rights of what it described as colonial agreements when its Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Dina Mufti said that it is unacceptable for Egypt and Sudan to use historical accords of Nile shares as reference points during GERDs negotiations.

In response, Sudan, from its side, threatened that disavowing these agreements means compromising sovereignty over the Benishangul region on which Addis Ababa is building the controversial dam, urging Addis Ababa to commit to the international agreements it signed as an independent state."

The Anglo-Ethiopian treaty was signed in 1902 between the United Kingdom  representing Egypt and Sudan  and Ethiopia  represented by Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia. While the agreement has prohibited the Ethiopian construction of any waterworks across the Blue Nile that would affect the rivers natural flow, it has granted sovereignty of the then Sudanese Benishangul region to Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian claim that the relevant agreements are an insignificant colonial legacy is an explicit fallacy of historical facts, indicating that Ethiopia was an independent, sovereign state and a member of the international community at the time of the conclusion of those agreements, while Sudan was subject to bilateral colonialism (of the Ottomans and the British), Sudans Foreign Ministry said.

Ethiopia was not party to other Nile water accords such as the 1929 agreement between Egypt and Britain, representing Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and Sudan. The deal allocates 55.5 bcm of water to Egypt and 18.5 bcm to Sudan. Nor did Ethiopia take part in its 1959 supplementary agreement which confirmed Cairo and Khartoums annual quota and allowed the construction of Egypts Aswan High Dam.

Second filling of GERD

The Egyptian foreign minister reaffirmed during his telephone interview that the second filling of the dam is politically rejected, while Egypt and Sudan will take all available steps to protect their water interests.

With less than three weeks before the GERDs scheduled second-year filling, Ethiopia's water and irrigation minister reportedly said last week the construction of the GERDs body has not reached the previously planned height needed for a full second-year filling.

The current height of the GERD is 565 metres and construction works are underway to reach 573 within the coming 20 days, Ethiopian Minister of Water Seleshi Bekele was quoted as saying, according to Ethiopia-based news company Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC).

Addis Ababas officials have repeatedly announced they would unilaterally fill GERDs 74 billion cubic metres (bcm) reservoir with 13.5 bcm in July and August to raise the build-up amount of water to 18.4 bcm, up from the 4.9 bcm it secured in 2020.

Ethiopia intends to commence its second filling of the GERD on 22 July with or without forging a deal, a unilateral move that has been rejected by both downstream countries, describing it to be a clear violation of international law and threatens regional security and peace.

Egypt and Sudan are pushing for signing a comprehensive and legally binding agreement with Ethiopia over GERD. However, Addis Ababa refuses and rather seeks mere guidelines that can be modified any time at Ethiopias discretion.

Resorting to Security Council

Commenting on resorting to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Shoukry said on Saturday all options are on the table.

Later in the day, Egypt sent a letter to the president of the UNSC expressing its objection to Addis Ababa' plan to move ahead unilaterally with the second filling of the GERD in July in the absence of a legally binding agreement with downstream countries.

The 95-page letter, which Ahram Online exclusively had a copy of it, included an overview of the decade-old negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia as well as how the latest round, which was held under the brokerage of the African Union (AU), faltered due to Addis Ababa's intransigence.

The latest talks of the $4.8 billion Ethiopian hydropower project  which was sponsored by the African Union (AU) and aimed to revive the already stalled negotiations since January  was held in the AUs chair country, the DR Congo, in April but failed to stir the stagnant water, with both Egypt and Sudan blaming Ethiopias intransigence.

In the letter, Egypt noted that the AU talks did not falter because of the lack of agreement on technical matters, but because of Ethiopia's policy of unilateralism, noting that Addis Ababa has adopted "substantively intransigent positions and a procedurally unconstructive attitude."

Egypt's letter to the UNSC came a year after two similar letters from Cairo and Khartoum to the UN body on GERD.

On 24 June 2020, Sudan said in a letter to the UNSC that it is deeply concerned about Ethiopias decision to start filling its controversial dam  which had been unilaterally concluded by later by Addis Ababa  on the Blue Nile without prior agreement with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan.

Sudan's last-year letter to the UNSC came after Egypt sent a letter on 19 June requesting the UN body's intervention to resolve the dam dispute with Ethiopia.

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Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will leave Cairo on Sunday for Doha to convey a letter from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The letter focuses on the positive developments in Egyptian-Qatari relations following the signing of the Al-Ula reconciliation agreement on 5 January, Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Hafez said in a statement.

It also expresses Egypts aspiration to take further measures to advance the priority areas of bilateral cooperation to achieve the interests of the two brotherly countries and peoples, he added.

The top Egyptian diplomat will then take part in the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers, which will be held at the invitation of Qatar  the president of the current session of the Council of the Arab League  to continue coordination and consultation on the current Arab situation, and ways to strengthen joint action mechanisms regarding the growing challenges facing Arab countries.

Shoukry will also participate in the extraordinary meeting of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level to discuss developments regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue, which will be held at the request of Egypt and Sudan following the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers.

He will also attend the first meeting of the Palestine Committee.

The foreign minister is also scheduled to hold talks with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

This is considered the first visit for an Egyptian minister to the Qatari capital after the Al-Ula agreement between Qatar and Egypt, along with Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, that ended a rift with Doha which lasted over three years.

In May, Qatars Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani led a delegation on a visit to Cairo, during which he met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

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Investing in Egypt is a right decision in light of the economic growth and stability in the country, French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Sunday.

This came during a meeting grouping Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with Le Maire and his accompanying delegation. Egypt's Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir, and International Cooperation Minister Rania Al-Mashat along with other diplomats and officials were present at the meeting.

Le Maire said that the growth and stability explain Frances decisions to support the running comprehensive development process in Egypt.

The French minister said that agreements, worth 4 billion Euros, are expected to be signed with Egypt, making it the first country to benefit from the French Treasury Departments facilities.

Earlier, Egypt and France signed cooperation agreements, delivering a financing package worth 1.7 billion euros -- 776 million euros from the French government and 990 million euros from the French Development Agency -- to fund Egyptian projects in the fields of transport, housing, electricity, education, and wholesale markets.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi also received Le Maire to discuss Egyptian-French economic and commercial cooperation and ways to boost French investments in Egypt.

According to the Egyptian presidency, the meeting witnessed an agreement on the importance of economic and commercial cooperation between Egypt and France and the priority of boosting French investments in the country.

El-Sisi and Le Maire reviewed huge investment opportunities available for French companies in Egyptian national megaprojects like the Suez Economic Zone, Decent Life Initiative, and the new cities currently being constructed nationwide.

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Egypt is leading enormous efforts to resolve the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue, Founding President of Sudan's Environmental Initiative Organization for Sustainable Development (EnvI) Hanan El-Amin Muddathir said.

Egypt is also fighting for the rights of Sudan, which will be first affected by giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile, Muddathir told MENA on the fringe of a news briefing held Sunday by Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights, a founding member of the African "Nile for Peace" Initiative.

She called upon the Egyptian and Sudanese governments to unify their position on the dam issue, stressing that, "it's high time both parties took serious action to put the Ethiopian side in the picture about the threats and risks the dam poses for the peoples of Sudan and Egypt."

"I call upon the Egyptian and Sudanese governments to support each other in every way possible, as we are in the same boat," Muddathir stressed during the press conference.

She revealed that a number of Sudanese engineers, experts, dams and irrigation specialists, media professionals and activists will on Monday organize a rally before the Italian embassy in Khartoum to condemn an Italian company's involvement the controversial dam project.

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Egypt expressed on Monday its strong condemnation of a bomb-laden drone attack by Yemens Houthi rebels that targeted a school in Saudi Arabias Asir province.

In a statement by the foreign ministry, Egypt reiterated its support of Saudi Arabia and its measures to preserve its security and stability.

The ministry added that Egypt backs the kingdom in its efforts to face the vicious and cowardly terrorist acts which violate international law and threaten regional peace and security.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia said a drone launched by Houthi rebels landed in the premises of a school in Asir region, near the kingdom's southern border.

No injuries were reported in the attack that damaged the rooftop of the school, according to photos published by the state-run SPA agency.

Egypt has repeatedly expressed its full support of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying the Iran-backed movements practices further inflame the situation in Yemen.

In March, Saudi Arabia launched an initiative meant to hold a ceasefire overseen by the UN across the war-torn country, reopening Sanaa International Airport to a number of direct regional and international destinations, and starting UN-sponsored consultations between Yemeni parties to reach a political solution.

The six-year conflict in Yemen started after the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa in 2014.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

The kingdom has since intercepted tens of Houthi drone and missile strikes.

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Egypts Minister of Emigration and Expats Affairs Nabila Makram discussed on Monday with Laila Pence, one of the US top wealth advisors and president of Pence Wealth Management, preparations for launching a donations campaign by Egyptian expats in the US.

The donations will contribute to rehabilitating the poorest Egyptian villages as part of the presidential Decent Life initiative as well as developing the standard of living in areas that export illegal migrants.

An official statement read that the meeting comes as part of the activation of an executive plan for a cooperation protocol signed between the emigration ministry and the Decent Life Association to implement the goals of the presidential initiatives Survival Boat and Decent Life.

Makram praised Pences success story as an Egyptian immigrant who left to the US at a young age, describing her as an honourable Egyptian model abroad.

Pence said she appreciates the opportunity for cooperation with the Decent Life initiative, adding that Egyptians in the US will not spare an effort to support their nation and its neediest villages.

The initiative, launched by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in early 2019, aims to provide better living conditions for the neediest rural villages in Egypt.

In December, El-Sisi launched the second stage of the initiative, targeting a total of 1,500 villages and their 18 million citizens.

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Egypts Court of Cassation upheld on Monday the death penalty for 12 people, including three key leading members of the terrorist-designated Muslim Brotherhood in the criminal case known as the Rabaa Dispersal Case.

The country's top appeals court also commuted the death penalty for 31 others in the same case to life imprisonment, with the abatement of criminal proceedings against one defendant, who is deceased.

Those receiving final death penalty sentences include senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders Mohamed El-Beltagy, Safwat Hegazy, and Abdel-Rahman El-Bar.

Criminal proceedings against another Brotherhood key figure, Essam El-Erian, have been abated after his death in custody in August 2020.

El-Erian had received the death penalty in the case. The verdict is final and cannot be appealed.

In 2018, a Cairo Criminal Court handed preliminary death sentences to 75 members of the Brotherhood in the 2015 mass trial which saw over 700 defendants in the case.

The defendants were charged by the prosecution with several crimes, including premeditated murder, attacking citizens, resisting authorities, destroying public property, and possessing firearms and Molotov cocktails.

Several defendants, including Mohamed Badie, the Brotherhoods Supreme Guide, had been handed life imprisonment sentences in the case.

The case dates back to the dispersal of the Rabaa sit-in by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in August 2013.

The dispersal left hundreds killed and thousands arrested on a variety of charges.

It also unleashed days of nationwide street clashes and attacks on security installations.

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The foreign ministers of Egypt and Qatar agreed on Monday on continued follow-up mechanisms to resolve all outstanding issues between the two nations in the coming period.

The efforts are part of a reconciliation agreement signed in January by Cairo and Gulf countries to end the rift with Qatar.

According to an official statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Monday with his Qatari counterpart Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in a lengthy one-on-one meeting" in Doha.

The two officials expressed their satisfaction that the bilateral relations have been improving after signing the Al-Ula Declaration in January.

They agreed on the importance of proceeding with the necessary steps to build on what has been achieved by reactivating various bilateral cooperation frameworks.

The statement said the meeting also tackled the current challenges facing Arab states and the region and means to intensify coordination and consultations.

They also discussed the consultative meeting that will be held on Tuesday by the Arab League to talk about the means of dealing with foreign interferences in Arab regional security matters and reaffirming Arab solidarity with Egypt and Sudan on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis.

Shoukrys visit comes a few weeks after his Qatari counterpart led a delegation on a visit to Cairo, during which he met President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and extended an official invitation to visit the Gulf country.

His visit to Doha is the first by an Egyptian official since Egypt signed Al-Ula agreement for Arab reconciliation with Qatar, which ended a diplomatic and travel boycott by the Arab Quartet  Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain  of Doha since mid-2017.

Since then, Egypt and Qatar have signaled warm ties and had official delegations meet for the first time in Kuwait in February to mull steps required to enhance joint work and bilateral ties.

The agreement was inked in January in Saudi Arabia, after intense Kuwaiti and US efforts to mend fences between the quartet and Doha.

The quartet cut diplomatic, economic, and travel ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of interfering in their internal affairs and supporting terrorist groups, charges denied by Qatar.

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Sudanese Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said n a press conference held in Khartoum on Monday that going forward with the second filing of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) without a legally binding agreement is dangerous for all parties,

He also added that Sudan will head to the UN Security Council over Ethiopias unilateral actions over the GERD.

Abbas said that Egypt and Sudan are coordinating and continuing to work in order to resume the negotiations path.

Both Egypt and Sudan have been insisting on reaching a legally binding agreement on the filing and operation of the GERD before its second filing by Ethiopian authorities in July.

Last April, the latest round of talks between the three countries over the GERD in Kinshasa reached a deadlock, leading to the collapse of the talks.

Abbas said that there had to be a way to change the methodology of the negotiations in the GERD talks by enlisting the help of other institutions and political actors, like the African Union (AU), the EU, and the US.

Sudan has already proposed the formation of a quartet committee that would include the US, UN, EU, and the AU to mediate in the talks, however, despite Egypts approval, Ethiopia rejected the proposal and called it an attempt to take the matter outside of Africa.

On the other hand, the Sudanese minister stated that Khartoum is open to a partial temporary agreement concerning the GERD but with conditions.

Abbas also revealed that Sudan did not mind reconsidering the Niles water shares under certain conditions.

Ethiopia has put a set of impossible conditions in order not to reach a legally binding agreement concerning the GERD, Abbas said, adding that this matter violated the Declaration of Principles (DoPs) signed by the three countries over the GERD in 2015.

The DoPs is an agreement signed between the three countries in March of 2015 that obliges Ethiopia to cooperate with Egypt and Sudan in filling and operating the dam. The agreement also mandates the use of mediated negotiation in the event of a dispute arising from differences in the interpretation or application of the declaration of principles.

Abbas revealed that Sudan rejected an Ethiopian suggestion concerning the exchange of GERD information because it did not include a legally binding agreement.

We are the country that will be mostly impacted by the GERD, said Abbas during the press conference, adding that the dam was threatening the safety of dams and citizens in his country.

Sudan fears the GERD will put the operation of its Roseires dam and the lives of 20 million Sudanese citizens at a very high risk if an agreement regulating the operation and filling of GERD is not reached before the second filling.

Nevertheless, the Sudanese minister said that Sudan did not change its stance concerning the GERD and considers it a useful project, but reaching a legally binding agreement was important.

Abbas statements come right before Arab foreign ministers are set to hold a meeting in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments in the GERD files and ways to support Egypt and Sudan.

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed on Monday Egypt's support for Iraq against any threat to its stability and security.

During a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Doha, Shoukry discussed ways of boosting ties and economic cooperation between the two countries on different levels, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said.

The two ministers exchanged views about developments in the Arab region.

Earlier, Shoukry headed to Doha to convey a message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The message focuses on the positive developments in Egyptian-Qatari relations following the signing of the Al-Ula Declaration on 5 January.

He will also participate in the extraordinary meeting of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level to discuss developments regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue, which will be held at the request of Egypt and Sudan following the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers.

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Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki met with visiting Chief of the US National Guard Bureau Daniel Hokanson and his accompanying delegation on Monday.



The meeting tackled issues of common interest in light of current regional and international developments and their impacts on the Middle East's stability as well as ways of boosting military cooperation between the two countries' armed forces.



Zaki hailed the strategic partnership binding the Egyptian and US armed forces in different domains, stressing Egypt's willingness to expand the horizon of joint military cooperation.



Meanwhile, Hokanson lauded the strong friendship and coordination with the Egyptian Armed Forces, saying he is looking forward to more cooperation in the coming period.



Zaki also witnessed the signing of a partnership agreement between the Armed Forces and the Texas Army National Guard to enhance aspects of military cooperation.



The US military delegation is officially visiting Egypt for a number of days.

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Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that all options are on the table to deal with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis, stressing that the country has the capability to defend its interests in the water issue.

Nevertheless, Shoukry stated in an interview with Al Jazeera News Channel that Egypt is working with international partners in order to find a diplomatic solution on the GERD crisis, which is considered an existential matter.

The Egyptian foreign minister is currently in Doha to attend a meeting on Tuesday that will be held by the Arab League to discuss the means of dealing with foreign interference in Arab regional security matters and reaffirming Arab solidarity with Egypt and Sudan over the GERD crisis.

The meeting of the Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday in Doha is a strong political expression and a message which Ethiopia must consider, Shoukry told Al Jazeera.

We have always depended on the Arab states to safeguard Arab national security, and Egypts as well as Sudans water rights are considered part of this national security, he said, adding that the deadlocked GERD talks now require An Arab meeting to solve this crisis.

Both Egypt and Sudan are demanding Ethiopia submit to a legally binding agreement on the GERDs operation before they proceed with the second filling of the dam in July.

The last round of talks between the three countries was held in April in Kinshasa where it reached a deadlock and failed to reach to any result.

Egypt sent a letter to the UN Security Council on Friday denouncing the unilateral actions of Ethiopia.

Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo

Asked about the meeting between Palestinian factions in Cairo last week, the foreign minister revealed that they did hold a consultative meeting, but returned back to the Palestinian territories for further discussions with their respective leadership.

Shoukry added that soon there will be new rounds of dialogue in Cairo.

The Palestinian factions agree on the importance of achieving unity, but there are complications in the political process and we are working to solve those complications, said Shoukry, declining to elaborate specifically on those complications.

We {as Egypt} try to facilitate the matter for them but in the end it is a Palestinian-Palestinian issue, he added.

Concerning the recent news reports about the exchange of prisoners between Hamas and Israel as part of the ceasefire deal which Egypt brokered last month, the foreign minister only said that Egypt has all its channels open in order to secure the ceasefire without giving any further details.

Egypt and Qatar relations

Speaking about Egyptian-Qatari relations following its resumption in January, FM Shoukry said that there is political will in Cairo and Doha to turn the page and to explore new fields of cooperation.

There is an issue or two we are working to resolve with Qatar, he told Al Jazeera.

The foreign ministers visit to Doha is the first of its kind since the signing of the Al-Ulah Declaration in January that ended the rift between Qatar and Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE since mid-2017.

Shoukrys visit comes a few weeks after his Qatari counterpart led a delegation on a visit to Cairo, during which he met President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and extended an official invitation to visit the Gulf country.

The quartet cut diplomatic, economic, and travel ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of interfering in their internal affairs and supporting terrorist groups, charges denied by Qatar.

Egypt, Turkey and Libya

Egypts foreign minister also told Al Jazeera that there was still reservation regarding Turkeys policies, whether on a bilateral level or regional level.

We are looking forward to relations with Turkey on the basis of mutual respect, he said, adding that currently Egypt will continue to evaluate their relationship, especially after the exploratory meetings between the two countries.

Egyptian and Turkish diplomatic officials held two days of consultations in Cairo on normalising relations in May that have been severely strained since 2013.

Concerning Libya, Shoukry stated the existence of foreign fighting forces including Turkish forces should not continue as there is no justification for their presence.

Egypt demands the immediat exit of all mercenaries and foreign fighters who threaten the Egyptian national security from Libya, he told Al Jazeera, adding that Egypt was keen to cooperate with the international community.

When asked about the human rights situation in Egypt, the Egyptian foreign minister said that Cairo was dealing with the human rights file in a transparent way and that what was being promoted about it contradicted the reality.

Asked about the Egyptian relations with the US and Russia as well as China, Shoukry stated that Egypt was following balanced relations with other countries, rather than polarised.

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President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has been briefed on an executive plan for establishing a leather tanning factory, the first of its kind in the Middle East and Africa in terms of size and the advanced industrial technology used.



The move came during Sisis meeting on Monday with Director General of the Armed Forces National Service Projects Organization (NSPO) Walid Abul Magd in the presence of Chairman of Piel Color - a pioneering company in the tanning and leather industry in Egypt and the Middle East - Hisham Gazar, and head of Shoeroom trading company

Sayed Farag.



The factory is also set to recycle leather waste and convert it into organic fertilizers and environment-friendly products; via partnership with Italian expertise, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.



During the meeting, President Sisi issued directives for immediately starting the establishment of the leather tanning factory in accordance with the highest technological standards globally set in this regard, the spokesman added.



The president also gave orders for providing all relevant modern machines and industrial technologies that are deemed necessary for the factory; in a way that qualifies Egypt to be unique in the region with regard to possessing relevant technological capabilities and having leather tanning factory.



Meanwhile, Sisi issued directives for offering the best locally manufactured leather products to citizens at reasonable prices

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Benjamin Netanyahu's ousting as prime minister of Israel closes the chapter on one of the "worst periods" of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said on Monday

"The departure of the Israeli prime minister after 12 years in power marks the end of one of the worst periods in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Shtayyeh said ahead of the Palestinian Authority's weekly cabinet meeting.

On Sunday, the Israeli parliament voted in a new government led by right-wing Jewish nationalist Naftali Bennett. His coalition includes right-wing, centre-ground and leftwing parties, as well as an Islamic conservative party.

But Shtayyeh also said he was under no illusions about the new government or its likelihood of advancing a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

"We do not see this new government as any less bad than the previous one, and we condemn the announcements of the new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in support of Israeli settlements," the Palestinian premier said, referring to Israeli construction activity in the occupied West Bank.

"The new government has no future if it does not take into consideration the future of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights," Shtayyeh added.

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Coronavirus infections are surging in the Gulf Arab state of Oman, where health officials warned Monday that hospitals now face an acute shortage of beds amid a lagging vaccine rollout, the spread of highly transmissible variants and relaxed movement restrictions.

The influx of severe infections has forced overwhelmed hospitals nationwide to turn away patients, local media reported. The main COVID-19 field hospital in Muscat, the capital, surpassed 90% occupancy and its intensive care beds are now completely full, said the state-run Omani News Agency.

Many smaller hospitals across the country also said they were operating beyond capacity.

Dr. Nabil bin Muhammed al-Lawait, the Muscat field hospital director, told state-run media that officials were scrambling to increase hospital capacity and staff to handle the spike in critically ill patients.

``People are waiting to receive beds,'' he said from the converted hospital, where expat doctors rushed between patients on respirators and hooked up to a tangle of breathing tubes. ``There is great pressure on hospital beds ... and a shortage of medical staff.''

Severe and critical cases of COVID-19 are hitting record highs, he added, and the majority of new patients are struggling to breathe, just days after becoming infected. Severe cases, typically when a patient's oxygen level plummets, have risen to nearly 400 daily, from less than 50 in February.

Oman's cases have more than tripled in the past month, with authorities recording 1,800 infections and 19 deaths from the virus as of Monday.

Doctors told Omani state TV earlier this week that officials had detected in Oman the fast-spreading virus variants first seen in India, Britain and South Africa.

With health authorities now administering the Pfizer-Biotech vaccine in Oman, the government loosened a range of virus restrictions earlier this month, reopening land borders, mosques for under a hundred worshippers at a time, and restaurants and cafes at half capacity.

Enrollment for shots, however, continues to lag as authorities wrestle with vaccine skepticism, particularly in remote provinces.

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Israel's new government on Monday approved a contentious parade by Israeli nationalists through Palestinian areas around Jerusalem's Old City, setting the stage for possible renewed confrontations just weeks after Israel's 11-day campaign on Gaza Strip. Hamas called on Palestinians to ``resist'' the march.

The parade, scheduled for Tuesday, creates an early test for the fledgling government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett _ a patchwork of parties that includes hard-line nationalists as well as the first Arab party to sit in a governing coalition.

Every year, Israeli ultranationalists hold the boisterous march, waving blue-and-white flags and chanting slogans as they march through the Old City's Damascus Gate and into the heart of the Muslim Quarter to celebrate Israel's capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians consider the march a provocation.

The parade was originally scheduled for May 10. At the time, tensions already were high following weeks of Israel's crackdown on Palestinians demonstrators around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites, as well as attempts by Israeli settlers to evict dozens of Palestinians from their homes in a nearby neighborhood.

As thousands of Israeli activists began the procession, police ordered a change in the route to avoid the Damascus Gate.

Omer Bar-Lev, the new Cabinet minister who oversees police, said he met with police, military and top security officials to review the plan.

``I got the impression that the police are well-prepared and a great effort is being made to preserve the delicate fabric of life and public security,'' Bar-Lev said.

His statement gave no details on the parade route. But Israeli media said the crowd would walk past the Damascus Gate but not enter the Muslim Quarter.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said about 2,000 police would be deployed.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem after the 1967 war.

Hamas issued a statement calling on Palestinians to show ``valiant resistance'' to the march. It urged people to gather in the streets of the Old City and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque to ``rise up in the face of the occupier and resist it by all means to stop its crimes and arrogance.''

Israeli Channel 13 TV said the military was on heightened alert in the occupied West Bank and along the Gaza front to prepare for possible violence.

The military said it was ``conducting ongoing situational assessments and is prepared for a variety of developments and scenarios.'' It said, however, there were no reinforcements of troops.

Israeli lawmakers on Sunday narrowly approved Bennett's new governing coalition, ousting Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years in power.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Aupito William Sio recalled the terrifying day during his childhood when police officers holding German shepherd dogs turned up at his family home before dawn and shined flashlights into their faces while his father stood there helpless.

Now the minister for Pacific peoples, Sio and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday the government would formally apologize for an infamous part of the nation's history known as the Dawn Raids.

It's when Pacific Island people were targeted for deportation in the mid-1970s during aggressive home raids by authorities to find, convict and deport overstayers. The raids often took place very early in the morning or late at night.

Sio became emotional as he and Ardern discussed the apology at a news conference.

``We felt as a community that we were invited to come to New Zealand. We responded to the call to fill the labor workforce that was needed, in the same way we responded to the call for soldiers in 1914,`` Sio said.

But he said the government then turned on the Pasifika community when it felt those workers were no longer needed.

Ardern said that at the time, people who didn't look like white New Zealanders were told they should carry identification to prove they weren't overstayers, and were often randomly stopped in the street, or even at schools or churches. She said Pacific people were often dragged before the courts in their pajamas and without proper representation.

``Not only were they targeted, they were targeted using a process and a practice that was really dehumanizing, that really terrorized people in their homes,`` Ardern said.

She said that when computerized immigration records were introduced in 1977, they showed that 40% of overstayers were either British or American, groups that were never targeted for deportation.

``The raids, and what they represented, created deep wounds,'' Ardern said. ``And while we cannot change our history, we can acknowledge it, and we can seek to right a wrong.''

The formal apology will be held at a commemoration event on June 26 in Auckland. Ardern said it's just the third time the government has made such an apology.

The previous apologies were for imposing a entry tax on Chinese immigrants in the 1880s and for introducing the deadly influenza pandemic to Samoa in 1918, which killed more than one-fifth of the population.

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NATO leaders are expected on Monday to brand China as a security risk to the Western alliance for the first time, a day after the Group of Seven issued a statement on human rights and Taiwan that Beijing said slandered its reputation.

Monday's NATO summit, described as a "pivotal moment" by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, aims to show President Joe Biden that the alliance remains a central support for U.S. efforts to uphold peace and democracy around the world, including standing up to China and its rapid military rise.

Diplomats said the NATO summit's final communique would not call China an adversary but would demonstrate concern, calling it a "systemic" challenge to Atlantic security as it joins Russia with military drills, launches cyber attacks and rapidly builds up its navy.

Leaders of the Group of Seven rich democracies, meeting in Britain over the weekend, scolded China over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy and demanded a full and thorough investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China.

Chinas embassy in London said it was resolutely opposed to mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan that it said distorted the facts and exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States.

"China's reputation must not be slandered," the embassy said on Monday.

RUSSIA ALSO ON NATO RADAR

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday G7 leaders rallied around the need to "counter and compete" with China on challenges ranging from safeguarding democracy to technology.

"China will feature in the (NATO) communique in a more robust way than we've ever seen before," Sullivan told reporters aboard Biden's plane, Air Force One, from the G7 summit in England to the Belgian capital.

Since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, NATO has modernised its defences but has only recently begun to look more seriously at any potential threat from Chinese ambitions.

From China's investments in European ports and plans to set up military bases in Africa to joint military exercises with Russia in the Baltic, NATO is now agreed that Beijing's rise deserves a strong response.

Meanwhile, Russia's efforts to divide the West will run through discussions, diplomats said, ahead of a meeting between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in Geneva.

"The relationship between NATO and Russia is at a low point, the lowest point since the end of the Cold War," Stoltenberg told The Times Radio on Sunday. "We see the willingness to use military force against neighbours; Ukraine, Georgia. But we also see cyber attacks. We see attempts to meddle in our political democratic processes, to undermine the trust in our institutions and efforts to divide us," he said.

Given the threats, leaders hope to hear Biden recommit the United States to NATO's collective defence after his predecessor Donald Trump's confrontational rhetoric towards allies from 2017 to 2019 at NATO summits created an impression of crisis, envoys said.

We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security and I want them to know that NATO is a sacred obligation, said Biden on Sunday at the end of the G7 before flying to Brussels.

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Central and Eastern European nations are anxious about the coming summit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, wary of what they see as hostile intentions from the Kremlin.

Some in the countries that once were part of the Soviet Union or the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact during the Cold War worry that Washington could scale down support for its allies in the region in a bid to secure a more stable and predictable relationship with Russia.

I think there have been doubts as to the resoluteness of the present administration to face Russian aggressive actions in a decisive manner, said Witold Rodkiewicz, chief specialist on Russian politics at Warsaw's Center of Eastern Studies, a state-funded think tank that advises the Polish government.

Both Russia and the U.S. have sought to moderate expectations about Wednesday's summit in Geneva, ruling out any breakthroughs amid the worst tensions between the two powers since Soviet times, especially after Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, accusations of Russian interference with U.S. elections and hacking attacks, as well as other strains.

Rodkiewicz, however, noted the White House's decision to waive sanctions against the German company overseeing the prospective Russian-built Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline running under the Baltic Sea to Germany. That project could potentially allow Moscow to bypass Ukraine, Poland and other countries in Eastern and Central Europe that collect transit fees on the energy.

In a clear, unequivocal way the administration signaled that for them, Europe is Germany basically, and German interests are going to be taken into account, while the interests of other players in Europe are going to be sort of put on the back burner, Rodkiewicz told The Associated Press.

Nowhere else are worries about the summit more acute than in Ukraine. It has been locked in a tense tug-of-war with Russia ever since the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula following the ouster of Ukraine's Moscow-friendly president in 2014 and a Russia-backed separatist insurgency in the country's east _ a conflict that has killed more than 14,000.

Ukraine fears that agreements between Biden and Putin could turn it into a peripheral country, said Vadim Karasev, an independent Kyiv-based political analyst.

Kyiv worries that Nord Stream 2 would deprive it not only of transit fees for pumping Russian gas to Europe but also erode its strategic importance and weaken it politically.

A U.S. failure to block the pipeline would mark a personal loss for President Biden and a serious geopolitical victory for the Russian Federation, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He tried in vain to push for a meeting with Biden before the summit but has spoken with him by phone. Biden assured Zelenskyy of the unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Kyiv appeared overly eager to interpret the conversation in its favor. In its initial readout of the call, Zelenskyy's office claimed Biden emphasized the importance of offering Ukraine a specific roadmap for joining NATO. But it then changed that version to clarify it was Zelenskyy who pushed for providing Ukraine with a membership action plan; it said Biden promised that Kyiv's position will be taken into account when discussing strategic issues within NATO.

In an interview on Russian state television, Putin issued a strong, new warning that the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO was unacceptable for Russia. He noted it would allow the alliance's missiles to reach Moscow and other key targets in western Russia in only seven minutes, a destabilizing situation that he said was comparable to Russia putting its missiles in Mexico or Canada.

In 2008, NATO promised that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually be welcome to join the alliance despite protests from Russia. Four months later, Russia routed Georgia in a five-day war that erupted when the Georgian leadership tried to reclaim control of a separatist region.

Earlier this year, Russia bolstered its forces near Ukraine and warned Kyiv that it could intervene militarily if Ukrainian authorities try to retake the rebel-controlled east. Moscow has since pulled back at least some of its troops, but Ukrainian officials say Russia has kept a massive contingent close to the border.

The Kremlin has signaled that Ukraine's NATO bid is fraught with a new, hot conflict in Europe, something that Washington definitely doesn't want, Karasev said.

Alex Petriashvili, senior fellow at the Rondeli Foundation think tank in Tbilisi, Georgia, deplored the lack of consensus within NATO on granting Ukraine and Georgia clear plans for membership.

It is certainly negatively affecting the aspirations of the two countries and gives the advantage to Russia, which is fiercely opposing their membership, Petriashvili said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis argued that Russia seeks to reestablish control of internal, foreign and security policies of the states in Central and Eastern Europe that it considers part of its privileged sphere of interests.

Like in Soviet times, both conventional and hybrid measures are used to assert control, he told AP.

Russia has rejected allegations it is trying to destabilize the countries or draw them back into its orbit. It has accused the European Union and NATO members that once were part of the Soviet Union or the Warsaw Pact of Russophobia, casting them as key instigators of Western sanctions that limited Moscow's access to global capital markets and restricted imports of modern technology.

Landsbergis has shrugged off concerns that Washington could leave its Central and Eastern European allies in the cold.

We have no reasons to doubt our closest trans-Atlantic ally, Landsbergis told AP. The Biden administration has on numerous occasions underscored its commitment to work in close coordination with its European allies.

Latvia's top diplomat, Edgars Rinkevics, has similarly emphasized that Washington steadfastly remains the closest ally and plays a key role in European security.

Ondrej Ditrych, director of the Institute of International Relations think-tank, also said he expects Biden to take a firm stance in Geneva.

Biden is not naive, even as ahead of the summit the administration seems to make overtures to make Russia amenable to discussing strategic issues in earnest, he said in Prague. I would not be worried that a detente that would be detrimental to Central and Eastern Europe countries would be in the making.

Some others aren't so optimistic.

The real reason to worry is that perhaps Putin might come out of this meeting encouraged by what he sees on the other side, and that might make him bolder to press his advantages in a regional context, said Rodkiewicz, the Warsaw-based analyst.

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Related German health minister floats lifting of mask rules

Britain was on Monday widely expected to delay the full lifting of coronavirus restrictions due to a surge of infections caused by the Delta variant.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to announce the government's next step of its roadmap out of stay-at-home measures, after easing began in March.

He is expected to announce a delay at a news conference on Monday evening, as media reported that senior ministers had agreed to postponing the lifting.

The BBC reported that most current rules will stay in place until July 19.

Last week Johnson gave his strongest hint yet that the final stage -- lifting all social distancing requirements on June 21 -- could be put on hold.

The more transmissible Delta variant, first identified in India, is now responsible for over 90 percent of cases, and positive tests have jumped 50 percent in the last week.

The postponement comes as reported cases are at their highest since February.

Public Health England said the Delta variant is 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant first identified in southeast England.

That forced the country to go into the last lockdown in January.

Nevertheless hospital admissions and deaths remain low as more than 40 percent of adults in the UK have had two vaccine jabs.

In comments to Sky News on Saturday, Johnson acknowledged that the spread of the virus was a matter of "serious, serious concern".

The Times reported Monday that Johnson and senior ministers agreed a four-week delay after a briefing by scientific and health advisers.

The government is also keen to buy more time to vaccinate younger adults and possibly children.

Newspapers hinted at dissent within Johnson's cabinet over the delay. The Times cited an unnamed minister as saying it was "a very odd decision".

The restrictions apply to England only, as health policy is a devolved matter for the administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and they set their own policy.

England currently does not allow outside gatherings of more than 30 people or for more than two households to meet inside.

The government had hoped to allow reopening of nightclubs and "stand-up" drinking in pubs as well as lifting a limit of 30 guests at weddings.

Businesses hard hit by the restrictions say their livelihoods depend on them being lifted.

The Daily Telegraph reported the limit on permitted wedding guests would be "relaxed".

Scotland was due to move to the lowest level of restrictions on June 28. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was set to give a statement to parliament on Tuesday.

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Joe Biden holds his first meeting as U.S. president with Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, ending a five-month wait for the Turkish leader which underlines the cooler relations between Ankara and Washington since Biden took office in January.

The two leaders must navigate an array of disputes, most of which pre-date Biden's taking office in January and which have strained relations between the two allies for years.

Missile Defence

Turkey, a NATO member, has angered the United States by buying Russian S-400 ground-to-air defence missiles.

Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey's defence industry and cancelled the sale to Ankara of 100 F-35 stealth fighter jets, the most advanced U.S. warplane. It is also ending the role of Turkish firms in making F-35 parts, although some have continued in the absence of alternative producers.

Support For Syrian Kurds

Turkey is furious about U.S. support in Syria for the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara sees as a terrorist group.

Turkish forces have carried out three incursions into northern Syria since 2016 to push the YPG back from the border.

Armenian Genocide

Biden's only phone call with Erdogan since entering the White House came in April, when he gave notice that he planned to describe the World War One massacres of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, forerunner of modern Turkey, as a genocide constitute-genocide-2021-04-24.

Erdogan said the designation was baseless, unjust and harmful to ties, and called on Biden to reverse it.

Turkey's Failed Coup And Exiled Cleric

Turkey demands that the United States extradite Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara has said orchestrated an attempted 2016 military coup against Erdogan.

U.S. officials have said courts would require sufficient evidence to extradite the elderly Gulen, who has denied any involvement in the failed coup.

Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has accused the United States of being behind the coup attempt, a charge Washington says is wholly false.

Human Rights

After the failed coup Turkish authorities launched a crackdown which continues nearly five years later. More than 91,000 people have been jailed and over 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from their jobs over alleged links to Gulen.

In February a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate urged Biden's administration to push Turkey to do more to protect human rights, accusing Erdogan of marginalizing domestic opposition, silencing critical media, jailing journalists and purging independent judges.

U.S. Consular detainees

An Istanbul court sentenced a Turkish employee at the U.S. consulate to five years in jail last year for aiding Gulen's network. Nazmi Mete Canturk, a security officer at the Istanbul consulate, denied the charges and is free pending appeal.

Canturk is the third U.S. consulate worker to be convicted. Hamza Ulucay served two years in jail on terrorism charges. Metin Topuz, a translator for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration at the consulate in Istanbul, was sentenced last year to nearly nine years in jail for aiding Gulen's network.

U.S. Middle East Policy

Erdogan accused Biden last month of "writing history with bloody hands" after he approved weapons sales to Israel during its conflict with the militant Hamas group which runs Gaza.

The United States condemned as anti-Semitic some of Erdogan's comments during the conflict, in which he described Israelis as murderers and child-killers.

Bank Trial

In 2018 a U.S. court sentenced Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a Turkish citizen and banker at Turkey's state-controlled Halkbank, to 32 months in prison after he was convicted of taking part in a scheme to help Iran evade U.S. sanctions.

The bank has been indicted on the same charges, and pleaded not guilty to bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges. The case is still pending. Atilla was released in 2019.

Two Presidents

During his election campaign, Biden criticised Erdogan and said the United States should support his political opponents.

Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey for nearly two decades, said in early June that relations with the Biden White House were more tense than they had been with three previous presidents.

"In our meeting with him, we will of course ask him why US-Turkey relations are at a tense stage," Erdogan said.

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US President Joe Biden warned Monday that NATO must adapt to new challenges posed by China and Russia as he met fellow leaders to renew Washington's "sacred" bond with its allies.

Arriving at NATO headquarters in Brussels for a summit with his 29 counterparts, Biden stressed that the alliance was "critically important" to US security.

His first visit as president to the summit has been billed as a renewal of bonds after his predecessor Donald Trump called the US commitment into question.

But it is also a moment to renew priorities and strategies for dealing with Moscow and Beijing, novel threats, and NATO's hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan after years of conflict.

"I think that there is a growing recognition over the last couple of years that we have new challenges," Biden told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at bilateral talks ahead of the main summit.

"We have Russia that is not acting in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped, as well as China," he said.

"I want to make it clear: NATO is critically important for US interests in and of itself. If there weren't one, we'd have to invent it," he said.

And he stressed once again that Article 5 of the NATO treaty -- the obligation of members to defend one another, once called into question by Trump -- was a "sacred obligation".

The allies were due to agree a statement stressing common ground on securing their withdrawal from Afghanistan, joint responses to cyber attacks and the challenge of a rising China.

"We're not entering a new Cold War and China is not our adversary, not our enemy," Stoltenberg told reporters as he arrived at NATO headquarters ahead of the leaders.

"But we need to address together, as the alliance, the challenges that the rise of China poses to our security."

Erdogan talks

Looming large at the summit is also the scramble to complete NATO's hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan after Biden surprised partners by ordering US troops home by September 11.

France's President Emmanuel Macron met one-on-one with his Turkish counterpart and fellow ally Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the summit, and Biden was due to meet him later.

On the table will be Ankara's offer to secure Kabul airport after NATO troops leave -- but also concerns in other capitals about Turkey's own aggressive regional policy.

In contrast to Trump, Biden has firmly reasserted American backing for the 72-year-old military alliance -- and his administration has been making a show of consulting more with partners.

"I welcome the fact that we have a president of the United States who is strongly committed to NATO, to North America and Europe, working together in NATO," Stoltenberg said.

But there remain divisions among the allies on some key issues -- including how to deal with China's rise and how to increase common funding.

Partners are concerned about the rush to leave Afghanistan and some question the strategy of an alliance that Macron warned in 2019 was undergoing "brain death".

Other leaders arriving for the talks dismissed this phrase, but European leaders stressed that they did not want to be drawn into a US confrontation with China at the cost of focusing on Russia.

The summit at NATO's cavernous Brussels headquarters is set to greenlight a 2030 reform programme.

The leaders will agree to rewrite the core "strategic concept" to face a world where cyber attacks, climate change, and new technologies pose new threats.

Moscow's 2014 seizure of Crimea gave renewed purpose to NATO and fellow leaders will be keen to sound Biden out ahead of his Wednesday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On China, Biden is picking up from where Trump left off by getting NATO to start paying attention to Beijing and is pushing for the alliance to take a tougher line.

But National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, briefing reporters from Air Force One, played down how big a part this would play in the statement. "The language is not going to be inflammatory," he said.

Out of Afghanistan

As NATO looks to the future, it is putting one of its most significant chapters behind it by ending two decades of military involvement in Afghanistan.

Allies are patching together plans to try to avert a collapse of Afghan forces when they leave and figuring out how to provide enough security for Western embassies to keep working.

Ankara has offered to secure the airport, but insists it would need American support.

Stoltenberg said that NATO would continue to fund Afghan forces, train them abroad and provide civilian support to the government once the military mission has ended.

And he added, "also some NATO allies are now in direct dialogue, including the United States and Turkey and others, on how to make sure that we can maintain an international airport in Kabul."

Stoltenberg said allies are expected to sign off on a new cyber defence policy and to create a fund to help start-ups developing groundbreaking technology.

They look set also to rule for the first time that an attack on infrastructure in space -- such as satellites -- could trigger the bloc's collective self-defence clause.

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French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he wants to ``move forward'' with Turkey toward a demanding and respectful relationship, after meeting with the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Both men talked Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. It was their first meeting since the dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October after Erdogan questioned Macron's mental health.

Macron said he wants all NATO allies to make a clear commitment to the military organization's values, principles and rules, according to the French presidency.

Both men discussed Libya and Syria issues, the Elysee said.

Macron has notably accused Turkey of flouting its commitments by ramping up its military presence in Libya and bringing in jihadi fighters from Syria.

Macron also highlighted that France's secularism respects all religions, including Islam. The French presidency said a ``clarification'' was needed in response to Erdogan's tough criticism of Macron's attitude toward Islam and Muslims, as the French government proposed a law to fight Islamist radicals.

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The G7 DFIs, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the African Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced on Monday their commitment to invest $80 billion in the private sector over the next five years to support sustainable economic recovery and growth in Africa.

The G7 DFI group consists of CDC, Proparco (France), JICA and JBIC (Japan), DFC (US), FinDev Canada, DEG (Germany), and CDP (Italy).

The new investment comes amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis that has caused a severe global economic and health crisis, aiming at boosting the long-term development objectives of African economies that have been negatively impacted by the crisis.

It is the first time the G7 DFIs have come together to make a collective partnership commitment to the African continent.

Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has estimated that sub-Saharan Africa needs additional financing of about $425 billion through 2025 to help strengthen the pandemic response spending and reduce poverty in the continent.

This investment will create jobs, boost economic growth, help tackle climate change and fight poverty. It comes at a crucial time as the continent rebuilds its economies, [which were] severely impacted by COVID-19, said UK Minister for Africa James Duddridge.

Nick ODonohoe, the CEO of CDC Group, noted that the high-quality capital that DFIs provide is urgently needed if African economies are to start to rebuild quickly from the impact of the pandemic.

CDC is committed to building long term investment partnerships in Africa that fuel sustainable private sector growth in support of the UNs sustainable development goals (SDGs), he added.

Solomon Quaynor  the vice president of the AfDB for private sector, infrastructure, and industrialisation  said that the banks priority is to create jobs particularly for youth and women, with a focus on industrialising Africa, underpinned by the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Given the gap between the IMF estimates and what this partnership is committing to, we will seek to crowd-in African development partners, as well as African savings from SWFs, pensions, and insurance pools, estimated to have US$1.8 trillion as assets under management (AUM), Quaynor explained.

The EBRDs Managing Director for Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, Heike Harmgart, expounded that the bank has invested over 11.5 billion in only 9 years in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia in order to boost the private sector, developing green sustainable infrastructure and promoting youth and women participation in the economy.

We will pursue efforts to expand private sector investment opportunities in the region in close cooperation with other development actors, she added.

Each DFI has its own investment criteria, which is aligned to an assessment of need to achieve development impact across a range of sectors.

DFIs play an important role in helping to build markets, mitigate risk, and pave the way for other investors to enter new markets.

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Egypt's Qalaa Holdings, one of the country's largest investment companies, on Monday said its chairman has been blocked from leaving Cairo by plane owing to a court ruling in his absence over a dispute relating to a $4 million cheque.

Ahmed Hassanein Heikal, a high-profile figure in the Egyptian business community, was turned away at the airport in Cairo on Sunday, security sources told Reuters earlier. Heikal had planned to fly to Sudanese capital Khartoum for a meeting with the board of a subsidiary.

"The legal department investigated this matter today and found that it was a result of an absentee first degree court ruling related to a commercial dispute pertaining to a $4 million cheque," the company said without disclosing further detail.

Neither the company nor Heikal responded immediately to requests for comment, but the company's statement said it planned to contest the court ruling.

The Egyptian prosecutors office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

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Minister of Culture and artist Ines Abdel-Dayem received the Ambassador of Tunisia in Egypt, Mohamed ben Youssef, a couple of days ago, together with Amira Al-Hamdi, the cultural advisor at the Tunisian embassy.

Present at the meeting were also Magdy Saber  director of the Cairo Opera House  and Sabry Said  head of the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector  to discuss the means of enhancing joint cooperation between the two countries in various cultural and artistic fields.

In addition to discussing the agenda for the celebrations of the Egypt-Tunisia Culture Year 2021-2022, which has been announced by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Tunisian counterpart Kais Said.

The minister of culture announced the launch of the activities of the Egypt-Tunisia Culture Year on 23 June as part of the Cultural Relations Initiative organised by the Foreign Cultural Relations Sector, in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Culture.

During the meeting, Abdel-Dayem stressed that soft power is a means of rapprochement between the nations of the world and is a bridge for exchanging diverse visions and creations, pointing to the strength and depth of relations between Egypt and Tunisia and their peoples.

She explained the importance of intensifying cultural and artistic exchange between the two countries during the coming period through the implementation of the activities of the Egypt-Tunisia Culture Year. The Egypt-Tunisia Culture Year activities aim to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries, she added.

For his part, Tunisian Ambassador ben Youssef applauded the efforts of the Culture Ministry in fostering strong cultural and artistic communication with other countries, expressing his happiness with exchanging the activities that reflect the different artistic and cultural heritages in the Egyptian and Tunisian societies.

At the end of the meeting, Abdel-Dayem and ben Youssef agreed to exert all joint efforts in order to make the Egypt-Tunisia Culture Year a great success.

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Success continues for award-winning Egyptian director Morad Mostafa as his two short films, What We Don't Know About Mariam and Henet Ward, have been both selected for the official competition at the Czech Republic's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), taking place from 20 to 28 August.

"I am very happy my two films are screening and competing at the same contest in Prague," Mostafa told Ahram Online Monday, while also thanking his crew, distributors and the festival's organizers.

Last week, Mostafa received France's Les Nuts Mediterranean Film Festival's Critics Award (Prix de la Critiques) for his second short What We Don't Know About Mariam, two months after winning the Bronze Prize for the best short film at the 23rd Mecal International Short Film Festival of Barcelona.

What We Don't Know About Mariam premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France in February. It has also competed at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, Valencia International Film Festival and Prague International Film Festival.

Produced by Sherif El-Bendary, the film tells the story of Mariam (Doaa Ereikat), who goes to hospital with her husband and daughter after suffering from a severe pain in her abdomen and vaginal bleeding. After a medical test, tensions escalate between Mariam and her husband.

"The journey of my second film is very fulfilling since its premier at Clermont-Ferrand; it's the world's most important festival for short films," Mostafa expressed to Ahram Online.

Mostafa's debut short film Henet Ward, also premiered at Clermont-Ferrand last year, has been screened in over 120 festivals across the globe, winning over 18 awards, including Oscar and BAFTA qualifying awards.

Mostafa, who is preparing his third film, has previously worked as assistant director for many important names, including Hala Khalil, Sherif El-Bendary, Mohamed Diab, and Ayten Amin in her 2020-Cannes-selected feature Souad.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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The 80-minute documentary Fiancees, by Swiss director Julia Bunter, has been unveiled as the opening film for the anticipated 22nd edition of the Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts, taking place in the Suez Canal city between 16 and 22 June.

Drawing a portrait of Cairos modern society, the 2019-production Fiancees follows the marriage stories of three women  Batool, Marize and Randa  at a critical turning point in their lives, which are full of tradition and cultural challenges.

"Instead of presenting marriage as the union of two beings for eternity, Fiancees uses marriage as a pretext to talk about men and women, and the social pressures young couples face every day," stated Julia Bunter, 31, about her debut feature documentary.

"Between humor and the emotion induced by the importance of the stakes, I wanted a film that is dense, intense and light at the same time, just like Cairo and my characters. By releasing the intimate and sincere voice of those characters, the film allows us to enter the aspirations and fears of todays Egyptian youth," added Bunter.

Produced by Intermezzo Films SA, Fiancees is edited by Myriam Rachmut.

Born in Geneva, Bunter studied cinema at the Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne. Her diploma film, Jour J, was screened in many international festivals including the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. She then directed the short documentary A la Maison in 2015, the same year she moved to Cairo to work on Fiancees.

"I fell in love with this country and its capital city, its social structure, which has a fascinating complexity and contradictions that can be as charming as irritating" she expressed.

Organised by the culture ministry's National Cinema Centre, under the helm of writer Mohamed El-Basousy, the festival has selected 10 feature and 14 short documentaries for its main competitions, to be judged by internationaly acclaimed filmmakers and critics.

Headed by prominent critic Essam Zakaria for the fourth successive edition, the first Arab festival of its kind, which has been taking place annually since 1991, attracts prominent filmmakers and critics due to its rich programming, which is coordinated this year by newly appointed artistic director Safaa Morad.

Ismailia is located 100 km east of the capital Cairo, with various modes of transportation available to travel to the Suez Canal city, where accommodation costs are lower than in Cairo, with several hotels and resorts available for different budgets.

The festival will take place amid strict precautions meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Go Joe - Close Guantanamo'

US President Joe Biden takes off his face mask he meets with NATO Secretary General during a NATO summit at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on June 14, 2021. AFP

Go Joe - Close Guantanamo'

A protester, depicting a detainee of the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, stages a demonstration with others during a NATO summit in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. AP

Go Joe - Close Guantanamo'

Go Joe - Close Guantanamo'

Protesters, one depicting a detainee of the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, stage a demonstration during a NATO summit in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. AP

Go Joe - Close Guantanamo'

Protesters hold photos of people being held at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during a demonstration during a NATO summit in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. AP

Go Joe - Close Guantanamo'

Protesters hold photos of people being held at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during a demonstration during a NATO summit in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. AP

Go Joe - Close Guantanamo'

Protesters, one depicting a detainee of the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, stage a demonstration during a NATO summit in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. AP
Investing in Egypt 'right' decision amid stability, growth: French minister



MENA, Ahram Online, , Monday 14 Jun 2021



Le Maire said that the growth and stability explain Frances decisions to support the running comprehensive development process in Egypt



Investing in Egypt is a right decision in light of the economic growth and stability in the country, French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Sunday.



This came during a meeting grouping Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with Le Maire and his accompanying delegation. Egypt's Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir, and International Cooperation Minister Rania Al-Mashat along with other diplomats and officials were present at the meeting.



Le Maire said that the growth and stability explain Frances decisions to support the running comprehensive development process in Egypt.



The French minister said that agreements, worth 4 billion Euros, are expected to be signed with Egypt, making it the first country to benefit from the French Treasury Departments facilities.



Earlier, Egypt and France signed cooperation agreements, delivering a financing package worth 1.7 billion euros -- 776 million euros from the French government and 990 million euros from the French Development Agency -- to fund Egyptian projects in the fields of transport, housing, electricity, education, and wholesale markets.



President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi also received Le Maire to discuss Egyptian-French economic and commercial cooperation and ways to boost French investments in Egypt.



According to the Egyptian presidency, the meeting witnessed an agreement on the importance of economic and commercial cooperation between Egypt and France and the priority of boosting French investments in the country.



El-Sisi and Le Maire reviewed huge investment opportunities available for French companies in Egyptian national megaprojects like the Suez Economic Zone, Decent Life Initiative, and the new cities currently being constructed nationwide.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/414170.aspx
Egypt condemns Houthis' drone attack on school in Saudi Arabia



Ahram Online, , Monday 14 Jun 2021



The foreign ministry added that Egypt backs the kingdom in its efforts to 'face the vicious and cowardly terrorist acts which violate international law and threaten regional peace and security'



Egypt expressed on Monday its strong condemnation of a bomb-laden drone attack by Yemens Houthi rebels that targeted a school in Saudi Arabias Asir province.



In a statement by the foreign ministry, Egypt reiterated its support of Saudi Arabia and its measures to preserve its security and stability.



The ministry added that Egypt backs the kingdom in its efforts to face the vicious and cowardly terrorist acts which violate international law and threaten regional peace and security.



On Sunday, Saudi Arabia said a drone launched by Houthi rebels landed in the premises of a school in Asir region, near the kingdom's southern border.



No injuries were reported in the attack that damaged the rooftop of the school, according to photos published by the state-run SPA agency.



Egypt has repeatedly expressed its full support of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying the Iran-backed movements practices further inflame the situation in Yemen.



In March, Saudi Arabia launched an initiative meant to hold a ceasefire overseen by the UN across the war-torn country, reopening Sanaa International Airport to a number of direct regional and international destinations, and starting UN-sponsored consultations between Yemeni parties to reach a political solution.



The six-year conflict in Yemen started after the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa in 2014.



A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised Yemeni government.



The kingdom has since intercepted tens of Houthi drone and missile strikes.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/414182.aspx
By Miya Tanaka, KYODO NEWS - Jun 15, 2021 - 09:16 | All, World

Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Monday warned that China's military ambitions pose "systemic challenges" to their alliance and agreed to enhance ties with Japan and other Asia-Pacific nations to back the rules-based international order.

The tough line against Beijing, which was taken in a communique released after the NATO summit, came as U.S. President Joe Biden rallies allies to counter what he calls autocracies like China and Russia that are challenging an open international order.

"China's stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security," said the communique from the 30-member organization involving North American and European countries.

The leaders also expressed concerns over what they called China's coercive policies, while pointing out the country's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal and criticizing its opaqueness in implementing its military modernization.

The communique, meanwhile, named Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea as countries with which NATO plans to strengthen its "political dialogue and practical cooperation" in a bid to promote cooperative security and support the rules-based international order.

Countries such as the United States and Japan have expressed concern about the situation in waters neighboring China, with Beijing attempting to undermine Japan's control of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and militarizing outposts it has built in disputed areas in the South China Sea.

Areas of further cooperation between NATO and the longstanding Asia-Pacific partners were not specified, but NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a press conference that the move is about "how to respond to a more assertive China."

The challenges posed by China will be included in a revision of NATO's Strategic Concept, a framework which will guide the alliance's approach to the evolving strategic environment, according to the White House. The new framework is expected to be adopted next year.

Stoltenberg acknowledged the growing attention given to the Asian economic powerhouse by the Western alliance, which was established in 1949 as a defense against the former Soviet Union and its eastern European allies.

"In the current Strategic Concept, China is not mentioned with a single word. Now we can read the communique (released today), and you see that we have seen the convergence of views among allies," he said.

He said China is not an adversary, but warned that the Asian country, with the world's second largest defense budget, is heavily investing in new modern capabilities, such as facial recognition and artificial intelligence, and is "coming closer to us" in cyberspace.

The summit meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels was attended by, among others, Biden, who is making his first overseas trip since taking office in January.

Belgium is the second leg of a trip that earlier took him to Britain, where he attended the summit of the Group of Seven industrialized countries.

The leaders of the G-7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union -- on Sunday came up with a joint communique that outlined initiatives to counter China's growing economic clout, while urging Beijing to respect human rights and calling for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 14, 2021 - 16:14 | All, Japan

Most of the more than 80 plaintiffs in a damages suit against 16 Japanese companies over wartime labor on Monday appealed a recent South Korean district court ruling that dismissed their case.

Some of the plaintiffs and their supporters also held a gathering outside the Seoul court the same day to denounce the June 7 ruling and call for the case's presiding judge to be impeached.

The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the suit brought by 85 plaintiffs and their bereaved families who say they were made to work for the Japanese companies during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Presiding Judge Kim Yang Ho said that while the plaintiffs have not lost their right to claim damages as individuals under a 1965 claims settlement agreement between the two countries, such a right cannot be exercised through lawsuits.

The ruling was contrary to a South Korean Supreme Court ruling in October 2018 that ordered Nippon Steel Corp. to compensate South Korean plaintiffs for wartime forced labor.

It was also in line with the Japanese government's position that the issue of compensation was resolved "finally and completely" by the bilateral agreement, under which Japan provided South Korea with $300 million in grants and $200 million in loans.

"We had to make an appeal as we could not accept the district court ruling," Kang Gil, one of the lawyers that support the plaintiffs, said at a press conference in Seoul.

Of the 85 plaintiffs, 75 have so far appealed the ruling, according to Kang.

Meanwhile, a petition on the website of the office of President Moon Jae In calling for the judge's impeachment has garnered support from over 300,000 people, far above the 200,000 threshold that would mandate a response from the president's office.

Ties between South Korea and Japan have soured since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, with court proceedings under way to sell off the Japanese steelmaker's assets in South Korea to compensate the plaintiffs in the case.

Related coverage:

Japan broke agreement to hold Suga-Moon talks at G-7: report

FOCUS: South Korea rulings on wartime cases may reflect judges' conviction

South Korea court dismisses wartime labor case against 16 Japan firms
KYODO NEWS - Jun 14, 2021 - 21:34 | World, All, Coronavirus

South Korean President Moon Jae In said on Monday that if North Korea agrees, the South will "push pro-actively" to help it acquire COVID-19 vaccine supplies.

"If it agrees on it, (we) will push proactively for cooperation on vaccine supplies for North Korea," Moon said in a joint press conference after meeting with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen following their summit talks in Vienna.

He noted that the United States also actively supports humanitarian cooperation with North Korea.

North Korea claims it has found no infection cases. Still, it has cut off land traffic to and from China since early last year, amid worries that the novel coronavirus, first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, could enter.

The country is believed to be vulnerable to infectious diseases in the face of chronic shortages of food and medical supplies triggered by international economic sanctions aimed at thwarting its nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 14, 2021 - 15:06 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

A state-run mass coronavirus vaccination site in Tokyo will start giving shots to police and other officials in charge of crisis management in addition to elderly people nationwide to fill vacant slots, the Japanese government said Monday.

The move comes as many slots remain vacant at the Tokyo venue and another state-run mass inoculation site in Osaka although the government has started allowing bookings from elderly people outside seven prefectures in the Tokyo and Kansai areas.

People now subject to vaccine shots at the Tokyo venue, starting Monday, are Self-Defense Forces members and officials of the National Police Agency, Fire and Disaster Management Agency and Japan Coast Guard.

Over 60 percent of the slots remain vacant for two weeks through June 27, with the Tokyo site having capacity to administer 10,000 shots daily and Osaka 5,000. The two venues are run by SDF personnel.

As slots at the Osaka venue are filled through Wednesday, the government will consider starting to give shots to SDF members and certain officials from Thursday or later depending on the number of unfilled slots, government officials said.

"We are targeting officials in charge of crisis management such as disaster response as a temporary measure to effectively utilize inoculation capacity," a Defense Ministry official said.

Top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said Monday the mass vaccination sites will start allowing bookings from people aged under 65 with pre-existing conditions if reservations at the venues remain sluggish.

"The timing and steps are being considered at the Defense Ministry," Kato said at a press conference, adding inoculating officials in charge of crisis management is "a temporary measure."

The two state-run venues were initially set up to give vaccine shots to people aged 65 or above living in the capital and the neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa, as well as in Osaka and nearby Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures.

"I am grateful I could be vaccinated. Staff were kind and I think its goodness is not being known. The government should provide more PR," said 74-year-old Takayoshi Sano, who traveled to the Tokyo venue from Ibaraki Prefecture, adding he would have needed to wait until July to be vaccinated in his municipality.

At the Osaka venue, 65-year-old Masazumi Matsushima, who said it took an hour to travel from Nara, added, "When I think of the travel distance, it's best to receive a shot from my doctor, but I couldn't get a reservation. I wanted to be vaccinated as early as possible."

The inoculation drive at the mass vaccination centers come in tandem with shots being administered at municipalities nationwide, mainly to health care workers and the elderly.

Japan's major airlines have begun administering shots at Tokyo's Haneda airport ahead of June 21, the date the government had expected companies and universities to start launching their own vaccinations aiming to speed up the process ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, which kick off in less than 40 days.

Japan Airlines Co. began COVID-19 vaccinations for employees Monday, a day after All Nippon Airways Co. became the first Japanese firm known to have started offering a workplace inoculation program.

JAL aims to inoculate about 36,000 group employees, while ANA Holdings Inc., the parent of the major airline, said about 46,500 employees are eligible for the inoculation program with around 10,000 employees including pilots and flight attendants working on international flights given priority.

Also Monday, media conglomerate Yomiuri Shimbun group started vaccinating its employees at a clinic at its headquarters building in Tokyo, a company official said.

Other companies, including East Japan Railway Co. and trading house Itochu Corp., and universities are preparing to start vaccinations for employees or students on June 21.

As of 5 p.m. Friday, the government had accepted applications from companies and universities for inoculations for about 9.07 million people at 1,821 venues. A two-dose vaccine developed by U.S. biotech firm Moderna Inc. will be used.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said the country aims to complete the vaccination of those aged 65 or older, as well those turning 65 this fiscal year, by the end of July and finish vaccinating Japan's population against COVID-19 by November.

Japan's vaccination rollout was launched in February for health care workers and widened to senior citizens in April at sites run by municipalities, but the inoculation rate remains low compared with other industrialized countries.

Some municipalities have already started inoculations of those aged 64 or younger.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 11, 2021 - 16:23 | All, Japan

Court rulings have emerged lately in South Korea that upset civic group supporters of liberal President Moon Jae In's government over wartime labor compensation and "comfort women," two issues that have bedeviled relations between Japan and South Korea.

According to one judicial source, what lay behind those rulings, which dismissed Korean plaintiffs' demand for damages from Japanese government and corporations, was judges' personal "conviction" that is unrestrained by the political winds of the day.

On Monday, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed a damages lawsuit brought against 16 Japanese companies by 85 plaintiffs and their bereaved families who say they were made to work for them during Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

The ruling was contrary to South Korean Supreme Court rulings in 2018 that had ordered two Japanese companies to compensate South Korean plaintiffs for wartime forced labor.

Presiding Judge Kim Yang Ho said that while the plaintiffs have not lost their right to claim damages as individuals under a 1965 claims settlement agreement signed alongside a treaty normalizing ties between the two countries, such a right cannot be exercised through lawsuits.

The decision was in line with the Japanese government's position that the issue of compensation was resolved "finally and completely" by the bilateral agreement, under which Japan provided South Korea with $300 million in grants and $200 million in loans.

The ruling said that if a compulsory execution for compensation follows a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, and if an international court subsequently rules against South Korea over the case, that would damage the country's relations with Japan and the United States, and its national security.

The court went so far as to say that Japan's economic cooperation provided under the 1965 accord "greatly contributed to (South Korea's) economic growth."

It also cast doubt on the 2018 Supreme Court ruling's acceptance of the "illegality" of Japanese colonial rule, saying it is merely an interpretation under domestic law.

In January, another presiding judge at the Seoul court ordered the Japanese government to pay compensation to a group of Korean women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II. That ruling was later finalized, with Japan declining to be involved in the case throughout.

But in March, the court decided not to approve seizure of Japanese government assets that was sought to pay legal costs, citing possible violation of international law. The judge who made the decision was Kim, the presiding judge in the wartime labor compensation case.

In April another presiding judge at the Seoul court dismissed a damages lawsuit brought against the Japanese government by former comfort women and their bereaved families.

A civic group supporting former wartime laborers denounced Monday's ruling as "shamelessly demonstrating" the logic that the state comes before individuals.

The ruling also drew criticism from within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, including former Prime Minister Chung Sye Kyun, a presidential hopeful.

A legal source close to the Japanese defendants in the case praised the ruling as "courageous."

Some point to disagreement that already existed within the Supreme Court over its 2018 decision, while others speculate that with the Moon administration already a lame duck with less than a year left in its term, the district court may have seen it no longer necessary to side with civic groups that form the support base of the ruling party.

The 2018 rulings stemmed from a May 2012 Supreme Court ruling that determined that individuals' right to claim damages was not terminated by the 1965 claims settlement agreement. The 2012 decision sent a wartime compensation case back to an appeals court.

The 2012 decision left the South Korean government, then under conservative President Lee Myung Bak, in a bind as it differed from Seoul's position at the time that the issue of wartime labor had been resolved with the economic cooperation from Japan.

With South Korean courts having routinely issued rulings that are not in line with the policies pursued by the sitting government, be it liberal or conservative, the South Korean judiciary is likely to remain an unpredictable factor in Japan-South Korea relations.

Related coverage:

South Korea court dismisses wartime labor case against 16 Japan firms

South Korea diplomat sees work cut out to help improve ties with Japan

Japan, South Korea unlikely to hold summit on fringes of G-7 meeting
New Delhi:

In a change of stand, the Centre on Monday suggested the Supreme Court to modify its earlier order making it mandatory for cinema halls to play the national anthem before the screening of a feature film.

It said an inter-ministerial committee has been set up as the framing of guidelines describing circumstances and occasions on which the national anthem is to be played or sung, and observance of proper decorum on such occasions requires extensive consultations.

The government said the top court may consider the restoration of status quo ante until then i.e restoration of the position as it stood before the order passed by this court on November 30, 2016 as it mandates the playing of the National Anthem in all cinemas before the feature film starts.

The government said it has decided to constitute an inter-ministerial committee headed by Additional Secretary (Border Management), Ministry of Home Affairs, with representatives from various other ministries, including the Ministries of Defence, External Affairs, Culture, Woman and Child Development and Parliamentary Affairs.

It would also have representatives of Ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Minority Affairs, Department of Legal Affairs, Department of School Education and Literacy and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disability, the affidavit filed by Centre said.

Also Read | National Anthem shouldn't be played in cinema halls as people go there for entertainment, says Shooter Heena Sidhu

It said the committee has to consider a wide range of issues relating to the national anthem, and have extensive discussions with various ministries. The committee will give its recommendations in six months from the date of its constitution, it said.

The Centre in its four-page affidavit said upon consideration of the recommendation made by the panel, the government may bring out the requisite notification or circular or rules in this regard, if required.

During the hearing on a PIL on October 23, Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, had said India was a diverse country and the national anthem needed to be played in cinema halls to bring in uniformity.

He had said it should be left open to the government to take a call on its own discretion on whether the anthem should be played in theatres and whether people should stand up for it.

The apex court had then observed that people do not need to stand up in the cinema halls to prove their patriotism and asked the Centre to consider amending the rules for regulating playing of the national anthem in the theatres.

Also Read | Kashmiri students booked for failing to stand up during national anthem at cinema hall

It had observed that it cannot be assumed that if a person does not stand up for the national anthem, he is less patriotic and the people cannot be forced to carry patriotism on their sleeves.

The courts strong remarks had come during the hearing on a PIL filed last year by Shyam Narayan Chouksey seeking a direction that the national anthem be played in all cinema halls before the start of screening of a film.

The apex court had in its November 30, 2016, order said that love and respect for the motherland is reflected when one shows respect to the national anthem as well as to the national flag.

It had also barred printing of the anthem or a part of it on any object and displaying it in such a manner at places which may be disgraceful to its status and tantamount to disrespect.

Passing a slew of directions, the court had said that fundamental duties in the Constitution do not allow any different notion or the perception of individual rights that have individual thought, have no space. The idea is constitutionally impermissible.

The directions are issued, for love and respect for the motherland is reflected when one shows respect to the national anthem as well as to the national flag. That apart, it would instil the feeling within one of a sense committed patriotism and nationalism, it had then said.

It had also said proper norms and protocol should be fixed regarding its playing and singing at official functions and programmes where those holding constitutional office are present.

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Brussels:

The European Union has called Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for talks in Brussels on Thursday with his French, British and German counterparts in efforts to preserve the hard-fought deal to curb Tehrans nuclear ambitions.

The meeting between Zarif and the three European parties to the landmark 2015 agreement comes after Iran warned the world on Tuesday to prepare for the withdrawal of the United States.

Thursdays meeting comes against a backdrop of high political tension in Iran following recent protests which claimed 21 lives, though Zarif has dismissed the idea the unrest would be on the agenda.

Iran signed the accord with six world powers, agreeing to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of many international sanctions, but US President Donald Trump has condemned the deal and threatened to pull out.

Also Read| Widespread protests reflective of Iran regime's failure: US, France

The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini will convene a meeting with ministers of foreign affairs of E3 countriesFrance, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, and the UK Boris Johnsonand Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday, January 11 in Brussels, the 28-member bloc said in a statement.

The meeting will take place in the context of the ongoing work to ensure a full and continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the statement added, using the official name for the deal.

The European Union, which played an important role in brokering the Iran nuclear deal, has been lobbying US lawmakers not to pull out and so far, Trump has continued to waive nuclear-related sanctions at regular intervals as required under the agreement.

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New Delhi:

Nearly 1,000 flights to and from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) will be cancelled or rescheduled in the run-up to Republic Day parade as airspace over Delhi will remain closed for about two hours every day for over a week.

An estimated 500 domestic flights could be cancelled and as many international flights will be rescheduled due to the restrictions, an airport official said, adding it was being done due to increased traffic and capacity constraints this year.

The airspace over Delhi remains shut for commercial flights due to rehearsals in the days leading to the Republic Day on January 26.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has issued a NOTAM or Notice to Airmen informing the airlines that no take-offs or landings would be allowed from or to Delhi airport from 10.35 am to 12.15 pm for nine days between January 18-26, according to airport sources.

IGI witnesses 67 air traffic movement (both take offs and landings) per hour between 8 am to 11 pm everyday. With airspace shut for 100 minutes for nine days, an estimated 1,000 flights will either be cancelled or rescheduled.

"On an average 100 flights will be affected every day. We will accommodate 40 international flights before or after the closure hours.

"Out of the remaining 60, we will try to reschedule some of the flights. So, we could see roughly 50 flights being cancelled each day," said an airport official.

The Delhi International Airport Limited, which operates IGI, says no international flights will be cancelled.

"Keeping in consideration the capacity constraints and to minimise inconvenience to the passengers, Airports Authority of India-Air Navigation Services, several major airlines and DIAL have consulted on various options and jointly agreed that the best and safest course of action is to cancel domestic flights scheduled during the NOTAM period.

"International carriers have been requested to reschedule and not cancel their flights," said a DIAL spokesperson. Airport officials say that while on earlier occasions they were able to reschedule most of the affected flights, severe capacity constraints at IGI mean that it cant be done anymore.

"Since we had spare capacity we were able to accommodate flights either before or after the closure hours. But because we don't have any spare capacity now, these flights have to be cancelled," said a source.

Also, the airspace closure has been extended by two days, as a result the restrictions are in place for nine days instead of seven days.

The airlines were asked to curtail operations for R-day on December 29, when the NOTAM was issued.

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New Delhi:

The BJP on Tuesday dubbed Rahul Gandhi's speech in Bahrain as "irresponsible", alleging that the Congress president was spreading "hatred" among Indians with his speeches abroad like he did in the country.



Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked the Congress chief over his last night's address and contrasted it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to 270 Indian origin (PIO) parliamentarians, focusing on boosting ties between India and other countries.



Addressing a press conference, Prasad questioned Gandhi's remarks in which he accused Modi government of pursuing a divisive agenda to hide its failures, and said they had expected that he would not harp on political differences and "spread hatred in a foreign country as he did in India".



"The BJP strongly condemns Rahul Gandhi's irresponsible utterances.... He is spreading hatred among people," he said.



Hitting back at the Congress leader, the law minister wondered if the Congress' stand on the triple talaq bill worked to spread love or hate in the society. He accused the Congress of failing to take a stand on an issue of women's respect and justice.



Gandhi's father and the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had committed a "sin" by passing a law under pressure from Muslim bodies to negate a Supreme Court order to provide alimony to Shah Bano after her husband divorced her, he said.



The same Muslim body is now opposing the triple talaq bill, Prasad said, claiming that the Congress' decision to stall it in Rajya Sabha was a case of double standards influenced by vote bank politics.



Citing Mudra loans given to tens of millions of people, rise in road construction works and opening of call centres in tier two cities, Prasad said this has led to the creation of employment as he refuted Gandhi's charge that the government had not created enough jobs.



Gandhi had on Monday accused the government of dividing people on the basis of caste and religion, alleging it was converting the anger of jobless youth into hatred among communities.

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New Delhi:

The crackdown against unauthorized construction in the national capital reached the posh Khan Market on Monday with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) sealing the terraces and open spaces of eight major establishments, including salons and restaurants.



The traders' associations cried foul, saying they were not given prior notice if any violations were found at their end.



The action comes following an order by a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee asking the NDMC to seal commercial establishments in Khan Market for alleged violation of provisions of the 2021 Master Plan and non-payment of user conversion charges.



"We conducted an inspection drive in the market today and sealed portions of eight major establishments which were found violating the construction norms. Another sealing drive will be conducted tomorrow," a senior NDMC official told PTI.



Among the establishments which have been sealed during the drive include restaurants Khan Chacha and Smokey's Grill, salons Geetanjali, Javaed Habib's and Affinity, Ayena Skin Clinic and Amrapali Jewellery store.



Sanjeev Mehra, president of Khan Market Traders' Association said, "A misconception has been created that traders in Khan Market are not paying conversion charges. We are operating in an elite market and believe in abiding by norms. The sealing drive will also impact our image".



"If at all violations were found, notices could have been sent first to rectify them and action taken later. We will speak to the chairman about this," he said.



Vishal Sharma, the owner of Affinity Salon also said that they were not given any notice before the sealing action.



Smokey's Grill's representatives said they were asked to remove all things including the generator from the rooftop area.



"There was a tin shed covering our terrace area which was sealed by the NDMC," a Khan Chacha representative said on the condition of anonymity.



The monitoring committee has directed the civic bodies to collect use conversion charges from all 106 local shopping complexes in the city by January 15 failing which the markets will be sealed.



Use conversion charges are levied for misuse of land. If the land use of a particular plot is for residential purpose, the owners are liable to pay the user conversion charges to convert the plot into a commercial one.
New Delhi:

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday said it will contest at least 35 seats in the Meghalaya Assembly elections. Elections to the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly are due in the first half of this year as the term of the present Assembly expires on March 6.

"We are hoping to field 35 candidates for the next election as we have good chance of winning," AAP state president Wanshwa Nongtdu told reporters here.

He claimed the chances of the AAP is "good". The AAP leader also exuded confidence that the party will form the next government by fielding "common man" as its candidates.

"We are Aam aadmi and we will have common man as candidates, we have few retired officers, few intellectuals who want to contest and we prefer our candidates be to be AAP candidates," he said.

Declaring the first list of candidates, Nongtdu said Peter Aiborlang Dohkrud will contest from Mawlai, Dorass Ramsiej from Mawkyrwat, Wonder Lapang will take on Congress president Celestine Lyngdoh from Umsning constituency in Ri-Bhoi and Debrict Binone from Nongpoh.

According to the AAP leader, the candidates have been approved by AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and party observer for North East, Rakesh Sinha.

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New Delhi:

North Korea will send a team of athletes and officials to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games taking place in South Koreas Pyeongchang in February, both sides said on Tuesday.

The North Korean side will dispatch a National Olympic Committee delegation, athletes, cheerleaders, art performers squad, spectators, a Taekwondo demonstration team and a press corps and the South will provide necessary amenities and facilities, North and South Korea officials said in a joint statement.

The major announcement came as North Korea and South Korea on Tuesday met for their first high-level delegation talks after more than two years.

In a televised New Year speech, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un had said that he will consider sending a team to South Korea for Winter Olympic Games in February.

Also Read | In a surprising move Donald Trump says he is open to talks with Kim Jong

Responding to Kims gesture, South Korean president Moon Jae-in had termed Kims New Year offer as "ground-breaking chance" to improve ties and offered high-level delegation talks with North Korea.

Apart from the Olympic participation, some other issues were also discussed during the high-level meeting held in Panmunjom "peace village" in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) at the border.

South Korean officials said the military hotline between the two neighbours, suspended for almost two years, will resume from Wednesday.

South Korea also proposed the reunion of families separated by the Korean War. This has been a highly emotional issue for both North and South Korea. The reunion will take place during the Lunar New Year holiday.

To facilitate the North's participation in the Olympics, the South said it will consider temporarily lifting relevant sanctions, in co-ordination with the UN.

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New Delhi:

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday alleged that the Congress government in Karnataka had pushed the state five years back due to corruption, divisive politics and anti-development policies.

He alleged that as the assembly elections, due early this year, neared, the Congress had resorted to dividing society on the lines of caste.

The party has become a burden...a problem for the nation, Adityanath claimed.

Because of corruption, its divisive politics and its anti-development policies, Karnataka has been pushed five years back. The corrupt Congress is using Karnataka as its ATM, he claimed at a public rally.

The UP chief minister took a jibe at his Karnataka counterpart, Siddaramaiah, saying he was only now recalling his Hindu roots.

Siddaramaiah calls himself a Hindu just as Congress president Rahul Gandhi went to temple after temple during the Gujarat election, he claimed.

However, calling himself a Hindu will not suffice till he continues to endorse eating beef, Adityanath claimed.

When the BJP government was there in Karnataka it had passed an anti-cow slaughter law, but the Congress revoked the it, he added.

Adityanath said development would not gain momentum in Karnataka unless there was synchronicity in the thinking process between the BJP-ruled Centre and the states chief minister.

He also recalled the connection between Gorakhnath Peeth, the main seat of the Nath tradition, which he heads, Manjunath Swamy temple in Dharmasthala and Adi Chunchunagiri Math in Karnataka, saying, These unifying factors of India were always ignored by the Congress.

He hit out at Siddaramaiah for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, claiming that in five years 22 people affiliated to the RSS or the Sangh Parivar were killed.

In contrast, there were no instances of communal violence in 10 months in Uttar Pradesh, since he took over as chief minister, Adityanath claimed.

He blamed the Congress for disrupting Rajya Sabha over the Centres move to get a bill on triple talaq passed and alleged that the party was anti-Muslim and anti-women.

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New Delhi:

India hit back on Monday at Washington's latest legal assault on its solar power policies at the World Trade Organization, rejecting a U.S. legal claim and exploring possible new protection of India's own solar industry.

Last month the United States triggered a new round of litigation at the WTO, arguing that India had failed to abide by a ruling that it had illegally discriminated against foreign suppliers of solar cells and modules.

In a statement published by the WTO on Monday, India said it had changed its rules to conform with the ruling and that a U.S. claim for punitive trade sanctions was groundless.

"India underscores that the United States' request is not a valid request," the Indian statement said.

It said Washington had skipped legal steps, failed to follow the correct WTO procedure, and omitted to mention any specific level of trade sanctions that it proposed to level on India, leaving India "severely prejudiced".

India would be vindicated if the proper process was followed, it said.

"In view of the above, India strongly objects to the U.S. request of 19 December 2017," it said.

Renewable energy has become an area of severe trade friction as major economies compete to dominate a sector that is expected to thrive as reliance on coal and oil dwindles.

India unveiled its national solar programme in 2011, seeking to ease chronic energy shortages in Asia's third-largest economy without creating pollution.

But the United States complained to the WTO in 2013, saying U.S. solar exports to India had fallen by 90 percent. The WTO judges agreed that India had broken the trade rules by requiring solar power developers to use Indian-made cells and modules.

In a separate move that could protect its solar industry from global competitors, not only U.S. rivals, India told the WTO last week that it was considering the case for imposing temporary emergency tariffs on solar cells, modules and panels, after a petition from the domestic industry.

So-called safeguard tariffs are permitted by the WTO if there is evidence of serious harm, or threat of serious harm, to a country's production from a sudden, unforeseen surge in imports.

India said the market share of imports had increased from 86 percent in 2014-15 to 90 percent in 2017-18, with growing losses for Indian producers and a fourfold rise in inventory levels.

That amounted to prima facie evidence of serious injury to Indian firms, India said in the WTO filing.

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New Delhi:

A female flight attendant of Jet Airways has been arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for allegedly trying to smuggle out USD 4,80,200 out of the country, according to an official statement.

The accused was intercepted by DRI officials when she was on a flight to Hong Kong on Monday, it said.

The DRI officials found USD 4,80,200 (approximately Rs 3.21 crore) wrapped in foil in her possession, the statement said.

On investigation, it was found that she was working with an agent, named Amit Malhotra, a resident of Vivek Vihar area here, a senior DRI official said.

He said that Amit Malhotra was following a modus operandi of using crew members for smuggling of forex.

Malhotra would collect money from some bullion dealers in Delhi and send it via some air hostess to select foreign destinations. The money was being used for purchasing gold abroad. The gold would then be sent to India illegally, the official said.

Malhotra had befriended the Jet airways crew six months ago during a flight to India, he said.

The DRI suspected the role of some other crew members of Jet Airways in smuggling out forex, the official said.

Malhotra has been illegally smuggling forex for the past over one year. There are some other crew members involved in the case. We are also trying to find out the details of bullion dealers involved in this syndicate, he said.

Both Malhotra and the Jet Airways crew member have been arrested, the official said.

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New Delhi:

Jet Airways has terminated the services of two senior pilots who were involved in a mid-air brawl while operating London-Mumbai flight on January 1.

A senior pilot had allegedly slapped a female commander during the flight and following the incident the two were grounded by the airline.

Consequent to the review of the events on board Flight 9W 119 London-Mumbai of January 1, 2018, Jet Airways has terminated services of both the cockpit crew with immediate effect, a Jet Airways spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.

Also Read: Jet Airways pilot slaps female commander during London-Mumbai flight, both grounded

Aviation regulator DGCA has already suspended the flying licence of the male pilot.

About the incident, the spokesperson last week had said there was a misunderstanding between the cockpit crew and the same was resolved amicably and quickly.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing over 100 parliamentarians of Indian-origin at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra at Delhi's Chanakyapuri.

As many as 124 members of parliament (MPs) and 17 mayors from 23 countries including UK, USA, South Africa, Canada, among others will be present at the event.

The biggest delegation is from Guyana with 20 members of parliament and three mayors. The US delegation will be represented by only two mayors as the Senate is in session.

Here are the live updates

# Today India stands first in row when it comes to UN peacekeeping

# Sushma Swaraj ji not only takes care of Indian citizens but also the NRIs, under her our Ministry of External Affairs keeps an eye on problems of NRIs 24 by 7 with real time monitoring system: PM Modi

# During the earthquake in Nepal, flood in Sri Lanka, water problems in Maldives; India was the first to respond. When crisis struck Yemen, we saved our 4,500 people as well as 2000 others. India's humanity even in grave situations like these is a part of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: PM Modi

# More than half the investment in sectors like construction, air transport, mining, computer software, hardware, electrical equipment & many others, till now has happened in the last three years.

# Keeping in mind the needs of 21st century, the government is increasing the investment in technology, transportation: PM Modi at PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) Parliamentary Conference in Delhi

# When there is news about how you all are influencing the geo-politics of where you live & how you are making policies, we feel proud: Pm Modi

# A 'mini world Parliament' of people of Indian origin is sitting in front of me: PM Modi

# No matter where they are, I can imagine how happy your ancestors must be on seeing you all here: PM Modi

# Mahatma Gandhi, India's biggest pravasi, came back from South Africa on January 9. This is why we celebrate PBD on this day: Sushma Swaraj



More than half the investment in sectors like construction, air transport, mining, computer software, hardware, electrical equipment & many others, till now has happened in the last three years: PM Modi

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Switzerland on January 22 on a two-day visit during which he will deliver the keynote address at the plenary session of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

This will be the first participation by an Indian prime minister in the WEF in over two decades. In 1997, the then prime minister H D Deve Gowda had attended the Davos Summit.

Announcing the prime ministerial visit on Tuesday, the external affairs ministry, in a statement, said the prime minister will also have a bilateral meeting with Alain Berset, the President of the Swiss Confederation on January 22.

The theme for this year's WEF is 'Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World'.

"Prime Minister will deliver the keynote speech at the plenary session of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos- Klosters, Switzerland, on January 23, 2018," the ministry said.

The plenary session will be moderated by Prof. Klaus Schwab, the Founder and Executive Chairman, WEF.

To be attended by over 3,000 global leaders, including CEOs, heads of state and government, artists and civil society members, the Davos Annual Meeting of WEF will conclude on January 26.

The WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation and was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation, hosts its annual meeting in Davos every year in January.

In a statement last month announcing its co-chairs for the 2018 meeting, the WEF had said that over 3,000 leaders, representing 100 countries, will gather in a collaborative effort to shape the global, regional and industry agendas, with a commitment to improve the state of the world.

Desi cuisine and yoga will mark the start of the five-day annual jamboree of the rich and powerful from across the world in the snow-laden Swiss ski resort town of Davos. This is the first time India will host the welcome reception at the summit.

The Indian presence is set to be the largest-ever with as many as six Union ministers, two chief ministers, several top government officials and over 100 CEOs, figuring among the registered participants.

The official sessions at the WEF will also have special India-focused discussions including one on "India's role in the world", how it is rethinking economics with the use of big data in policymaking and the country's role in securing peace and stability in the Asian century.

The registered participants from India, include Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region of India Jitendra Singh.

Others expected to be present at the elite global gathering are Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi along with a number of his cabinet colleagues, as well as Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

China is also expected to have a significant presence and its Belt Road Initiative will feature as a key theme in a number of panel discussions, including those attended by Pakistani leaders.

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Washington:

Asserting that H-1B visa holders drive innovation and help build and strengthen the American economy, top US lawmakers on Wednesday backed the Trump administration's decision that it was not considering any proposal which would force such people to leave the country.

"H-1B visa holders, many of whom become small business owners and job creators, drive innovation and help build and strengthen our economy," said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the Democratic Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.

"The Trump Administration's decision to back off this counterproductive proposal is a positive step forward," she said in a statement, a day after the US Citizenship andImmigration Services said it was not considering any proposal that would force H-1B visa holders to head back towards their respective countries.

The announcement came days after reports emerged that the Trump administration was considering tightening H-1B visa rules that could lead to deportation of 7,50,000 Indians.

"While it remains a priority to invest in training and create a pipeline of skilled American workers, we must continue to leverage the talent and expertise of the hundreds of thousands of H-1B visa holders to fill the gaps in our domestic workforce," Gabbard said.

Last Friday, Gabbard and Congressman Kevin Yoder, member of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reject the proposal to deport H-1B holders awaiting permanent residency processing.

Soon after, along with mounting pressure from businesses, and political leaders, the Trump administration reportedly backed off from the counterproductive proposal, the two lawmakers said in a statement.

"I have seen personally how high-skilled immigrants have helped my community and so many others across the country by filling critical labour shortages in specific industries, preventing employers from fleeing overseas to fill them," Yoder said.

"These are the people who have helped America grow and thrive as a nation of immigrants and we need to make sure our system continues to value those who are following our laws and doing the right thing," he added.

Every year, the US grants 85,000 H-1B visas to highly skilled applicants, including roughly 70 per cent for Indians, seeking employment and educational opportunities.

According to the National Foundation for American Policy, more than half of privately-held companies worth USD 1 billion or more in the US had at least one immigrant founder, with many entering into America on an H-1B visa, including the CEOs of both Microsoft and Google.

"America has provided me and many hundreds of thousands of folks on H1-B an opportunity to further our careers after education.

"It also taught us that if you are determined and hard working and follow the established process, there are opportunities for everyone," said Alok Madasani, an H-1B visa holder and survivor of last year's shooting in Olathe, Kansas.

"There are folks who moved here decades ago and have kids going to school here, the place they call home. Every process can be improved continuously for maximum output and the current H-1B process can also be improved but eliminating it on a whole affects much larger audience," he said.

Madasani said he was "grateful" to the administration for reconsidering the changes to H-1B extensions for persons with pending green card applications.

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New Delhi:

Facebook-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp, on Tuesday, added a new update to its list of features.

The new feature, launched as a beta update, introduces a new video call switch feature. The update allows users switch from voice call to video call with one tap.

Earlier, the user had to cut a voice call to make a video call. With this new update, the user gets an option to request the other person to make a video call in between the voice call. The video call icon is inserted while the voice call is going on.

One tap on the icon will drop a request message to the other user, letting easy swap from voice to video call. As per the report on WABetaInfo, the feature currently works with Android 6.0 and above Operating Systems.

Also Read: Instagram's new feature allows users to post stories directly on WhatsApp

Last year, WhatsApp launched some new features like Facebook stickers, a new layout for GIFs option, and an option to manage groups by removing members from the group. An additional option to reply privately to a member of a group was also rolled out in previous beta updates.

A major update of Delete for Everyone was also rolled out at the end of the year. It had heard the suggestions of its users and introduced this new feature which allowed a user to delete messages that have been sent by mistake. The feature is applicable to individual chats as well as groups.

Files like messages, images, videos, GIFs etc can be deleted by this feature.

Recently, WhatsApp Business was also launched by the app which lets users to communicate with businesses they care about.
New Delhi:

The freedom of speech and expression of the media must be allowed to the "fullest" and the press may not be hauled up for defamation for "some wrong reporting", the Supreme Court has observed.

The observation came from a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra which refused to entertain an appeal against a Patna High Court order quashing a defamation complaint against a journalist and a media house.

"In a democracy, you (petitioner) must learn to tolerate," the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said.

"There could be some error or enthusiasm in reporting an alleged scam. But, we must allow freedom of speech and expression to press at the fullest. There may be some wrong reporting. For that they need not be hauled up for defamation," the apex court said.

Referring to its earlier verdict that had upheld the validity of the penal law on defamation, it said the provision may be constitutional, but an alleged incorrect news item about a scam does not amount to the offence of defamation.

Also Read | National Anthem not mandatory in cinema halls, says Supreme Court

A woman had filed the appeal against the High Court order quashing her private defamation complaint accusing a journalist of telecasting an alleged incorrect news which she had claimed had defamed her and her family members.

It was said in the plea that a news report was telecast in April 2010 with regard to alleged irregular allotment of land in Bihiya Industrial Area by Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority to her for establishing a food processing unit.

The news channel and the journalist had made scandalous and derogatory statements against her and her family, the plea had alleged. The High Court had quashed the complaint and the apex court upheld that order.

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New Delhi:

Around 2,000 security personnel, including the paramilitary forces, have been deployed in the national capital in view of the 'Yuva Hunkaar' rally spearheaded by Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani.

The Vadgam MLA was expected to hold the rally at 12 noon on Tuesday at Parliament Street even as the Delhi Police maintained that no permission had been granted for the same.

A senior officer from New Delhi district told PTI that additional forces from other districts of the city have been called in.

The Parliament Street has been fortified and water cannon vehicles have been deployed, he said.

Unhindered, the organisers are making all arrangements for the rally.

On Monday, the city police had said that no permission was given to organise the protest in the city, citing orders of National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Swaraj India leader Prashant Bhushan, however, said in a tweet, "Please don't mislead people @DCPNewDelhi. NGT orders are for Jantar Mantar, not Parliament St. SC has always held right to peaceful protest meetings is a fundamental right. Any attempt by police to stop the #YuvaRally tomorrow will be undemocratic & violation of fundamental rights".

Here are the Live updates:

# Ongoing 'Yuva Hunkar Rally' at Parliament Street

# JNUSU president Mohit Pandey urges supporters to join Yuva Hunkar Rally

# "Don't be influenced by media or police information. We will go from Gujarat to Kashmir. We will expose RSS conspiracy. We will update public on our issues and plans," said Shehla Rashid.

# The entire stretch from Jantar Mantar to Parliament Street, which is almost 1.5 km, has virtually turned into a fortress with massive security cover all around.

# Unfortunate. We were just going to demonstrate democratically and peacefully, the Govt is targeting us, an elected representative is not being allowed to speak: Jignesh Mewani on being denied permission for Yuva Hunkar rally in Delhi

# Nobody has been given a permission. Since there is an NGT order that no protest can be staged at Jantar Mantar, we have asked organisers to hold the protest at alternate sites like Ramlila Maidan: Ajay Chaudhary, Joint CP of New #Delhi on Jignesh Mevani's 'Yuva Hunkar Rally'.

# Posters seen in Parliament Street area ahead of Jignesh Mevani's 'Yuva Hunkar Rally'. pic.twitter.com/pp8kamTKmy

# Heavy security deployed ahead of Jignesh Mevani's 'Yuva Hunkar Rally' to be held at Parliament Street. Delhi Police has denied permission to hold the event. pic.twitter.com/7Q8CO9tqVg

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New Delhi:

A PMLA Tribunal has restrained the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from taking possession of immovable assets it has attached in connection with a money laundering case against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, a move the agency said it will appeal against.

The central probe agency, in March last year, had attached a school building in Chennai and a godown as part of its provisional attachment in the case and it was carried out under the stringent criminal provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

As per the legal scheme under the Act, such an order goes to the Adjudicating Authority for final approval and in case the ED's action is endorsed, the affected party can appeal it before the Appellate Authority of the law.

The Appellate Authority (PMLA), now in a recent order, directed the agency to restrain from taking possession of the said attached immovable assets even as it posed several queries and questioned the agency's action in the case.

Also Read | Interpol cancels Red Corner notice on televangelist Zakir Naik; NIA to submit fresh request

Official sources in the ED said the agency will appeal the order of the Appellate Authority or the Tribunal before a High Court and that it was not a "set back" in the case.

Officials said the tribunal order has not "quashed" the attachment but has directed that status quo be maintained.

The tribunal, they said, has at the same time not barred the agency "from taking possession" of the movable assets attached in the same order that includes mutual funds worth about Rs 9.41 crore and five bank accounts containing deposits worth Rs 1.23 crore in the name of Naik's NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

Agency sources said the investigation conducted by the ED officials is independent of the NIA and that it has found that these assets were created by Naik and his associates using alleged "tainted funds".

The Adjudicating Authority had approved the ED order after being satisfied by the investigation, they said, adding this will be a point made in the appeal to the HC.

The ED is looking into the charges of alleged laundering of illegal funds in the case and the subsequent proceeds of crime thus generated. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had first registered a case against the 51-year-old Naik under anti- terror laws in 2016 for allegedly promoting enmity between different religious groups.

The NIA and Mumbai Police, subsequently, had also carried out searches at 10 places in Mumbai including residential premises of some of the office bearers of the foundation run by Naik.

The foundation was earlier put on restricted list by the Home Ministry for receiving funds from abroad.

Naik, who is said to be staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after some perpetrators of the Dhaka terror strike last year claimed they were inspired by him, has been booked along with unnamed officials of the IRF for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony besides various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

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New Delhi:

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to Bahrain, launched a scathing attack against Modi government during his address to the Indian diaspora in Manama on Monday.

While addressing NRIs, Rahul Gandhi said, There is a serious problem at home, and you are part of the solution. Instead of accepting that we are lacking in job creation, the government is dividing the country on religion basis.

People are killed in India because of religious issues, judges die mysteriously, journalists are killed, and the PM has nothing to say, Rahul said.

Invoking NRIs to participate in countrys development, Rahul said, Your patriotism is what India needs today.

Rahul said the global vision for India cannot be built without brothers and sisters living abroad as they send almost 3.5% of India's GDP.

Rahul also attacked the Modi government on increasing incidents of violence in India and said, We have to make India a centre of Ahimsa (Violence) and not violence.

I am here to seek your help, we need you to fight these forces of hatred as every single Indian, who is anywhere in the world, is our asset, added the Congress President.

The Congress president also met with foreign minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Gulf Daily News reported.

Thank you, Your Excellency, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, honourable Foreign Minister of Kingdom of Bahrain for being a gracious host at lunch today, Gandhi tweeted after the luncheon meeting.

Thank you, Your Excellency, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Hon. Foreign Minister of Kingdom of Bahrain, @khalidalkhalifa for being a gracious host at lunch today. pic.twitter.com/zDtwBaqpQ0  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 8, 2018

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New Delhi:

Dera Sacha Sauda chairperson Vipassana Insan has gone into 'hiding' after a Panchkula court issued an arrest warrant against her in connection with the violence in Panchkula and Sirsa following the conviction of sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

According to the media reports, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) conducted raids recently at Vipassanas residence but the Dera chairperson could not be traced.

Earlier in September last year, the SIT team had questioned Vipassana for her alleged role in the Panchkula and Sirsa violence by Dera followers in which 41 people died.

In August last year, thousands of Dera followers rampaged through the towns of Haryana torching vehicles, setting railway stations on fire and vandalizing public property.

The violence was triggered after a special CBI court in Panchkula convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for raping two women followers.

The police booked Dera chiefs alleged daughter Honeypreet and two of his close aids Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan for sedition and instigating violence.

While Honeypreet and Pawan Insan were arrested after remaining fugitive for some time, Aditya Insan is still on the run.

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TRIPOLI: The United National Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that more than 1,000 illegal migrants were rescued in five separate operations and returned to Libya. The UNHCR and International Rescue Committee provided the migrants with food, water and medicine before handing them over to the Libyan authorities.

The International Rescue Committee, a non-profit organisation in the Libyan capital Tripoli.

So far in 2021, a total of 10,154 illegal immigrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast, while 173 died and 459 others went missing on the central Mediterranean route. Rescued migrants end up inside overcrowded reception centres across Libya, despite repeated international calls to close them.

Libya has been plagued by insecurity and turmoil since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making it a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward European shores.

The IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) identified and located 348,372 internally displaced persons in Libya. Many of the migrants traveling from Libya are exploited by human smugglers, who facilitate the journeys in exchange for money. There are widespread reports torture and abuse of migrants at the hands of smugglers.

Joe Biden praises Israel's new PM Naftali Bennett in phone call

Israel swears in new govt of Naftali Bennett, ending Netanyahus 12-year rule

In G7 summit, it announces pledges of 870 Mn COVID vaccine doses, half to be delivered by 2021-end
The United Nations-affiliated Inter-Government Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) claims that earth temperatures could rise by 2 degrees Celsius or more in the nearest future. Rising temperatures cannot be prevented, so all countries of the world are working together to limit this growth to 1.5 degrees. India has also taken his steps with full responsibility. That is why renewable energy is being promoted in India.

Solar as well as wind energy play an important role in renewable energy. If India does, if wind power plants are to be set up to suit the capacity of our country, the power generation in the country may increase even further. World Air Day is celebrated all over the world on June 15. On this occasion, it is made to talk about wind energy. Let us talk about some of the facts related to wind energy, as well as the scope of which we will tell you in India. But let's take a look at the history of World Air Day before that.

About 14 years ago, the European Wind Energy Association and the Global Wind Energy Council decided to celebrate the day together, and the day was first celebrated in Europe in 2007. It was then decided to celebrate it globally in 2009. The purpose of celebrating this day is to encourage wind energy by mobilizing all countries.

About 35,000 people participated in the event when Air Day was first celebrated in 2007, while in 2008, 100,000 people from 20 countries and about 1 million from 35 countries joined the campaign in 2009, and more than 300 events were organized in different corners of the world. In 2009, a wind parade was also held in Portugal on Global Wind Day.

Wind energy facts in India: India (2.7 GW) ranks second in the Asia Pacific after China (26.2 GW) in terms of wind energy. India's total capacity in the financial year 2019-20 was 2.07 GW. But compared to 2018-19 (1.58 GW), 2019 grew by 31 percent. 10.1% of the total energy capacity in India comes from wind power plants.

According to the National Institute of Wind Energy, India is set to set up a 302.2 GW wind power plant at an altitude of 100 metres above ground level. At an altitude of 120 metres, 695.5 GW of wind power plants have been set up in the country. That is, if India has succeeded in establishing it, India will have twice the power that india currently generates. According to the Central Energy Department, the total capacity of all sources (thermal, hydro, nuclear and renewable energy) at present is 370.3 GW.

Wind Energy Facts in the World: According to the Global Wind Energy Council, 60 GW of wind power plants have been set up worldwide in 2019. This is 18 percent higher than in 2018.

The total capacity of wind power plants all over the world is more than 651 GW. Compared to 2018, the previous year increased by 10 percent.

China and the U.S. are at the top of wind energy. These two countries constitute 60 per cent of the world's onshore wind market.

Offshore wind energy plants, i.e. seashore wind power plants, are growing rapidly around the world. In 2019 , 6.1 GW of power plants have been installed .

The Global Wind Energy Council claims that the capacity of the new plant or current plants will increase by 76 GW in 2020.

New wind power plants with a total capacity of 30.6 GW in the Asia Pacific region have been set up in 2019. Which has 28.1 GW from offshore wind.

The Asia Pacific region has a total wind power plant of 290.6 GW capacity, which holds 44 percent of the world's share.

Hawala: Karnataka Cyber Police bust Rs 290 crore money laundering scam, 9 accused held

1947 case of murder still remains unsolved

UNHCR claims Record number of migrants returned to Libya,
Kathmandu, June 14

Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited contributed a ventilator, 20 oxygen concentrators, 10,000 N95 and surgical masks and 2,000 gloves to the Ministry of Health and Population to support the governments relief activities against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The medical and health equipment was handed over by the banks CEO Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar to the ministrys chief specialist Dr Roshan Pokharel.

On the occasion, Dastidar said, Our commitment to Nepal continues as we help our communities cope with the pandemic. We are thankful for our international network which has come together enabling us to make a difference in countries where contributions are most needed.

SCBNL had earlier contributed NPR 5.75 crore through various projects for COVID-19 relief during the first wave in Nepal.
Kathmandu, June 14

Nepal and Germany have signed a new development cooperation agreement on Monday in which the European country has pledged grant support of Euro 34.4 million (more than Rs 4.8 billion).

During the signing ceremony held virtually, Germany agreed to provide technical cooperation until 2023 and financial cooperation until 2025, in total worth the amount.

The signing of today follows the government negotiations, held between Germany and Nepal in November 2020, the German Embassy in Kathmandu informs in a press release, The German Development Cooperation is focusing on three thematic areas: health, sustainable economic development, and energy efficiency/renewable energy.

Besides our bilateral cooperation, we see an important role with the civil society, which is an indispensable part of any development effort in Nepal, German Ambassador to Nepal Roland Schafer said on the occasion.

The embassy informs the health sector will get Euro 23.7 million, energy Euro 17.5 million, and sustainable economic development Euro 15,4 million. Likewise, the geographical focus of the cooperation will remain on the rural regions in Nepals mid and far-west.
The Contract Act, 2000, used to govern all aspects related to contracts in Nepal until the recent enactment of the Civil Code, 2017. The new code has made a big change in the law relating to contract, ranging from the drafting of a contract to its execution.

As per section 504 of the Civil Code, if an agreement enforceable by law is concluded between two or more persons to do or not to do any act, such shall be regarded as a contract.

Eligibility for contract

Section 506 of Civil Code, 2017, states that every person other than the following listed are eligible of performing a contract:

One who is minor: Section 2(e) of the Civil Code, 2017, define the minor as a child who has not attained the age of 18. One who is of unsound mind

Creation of obligation

Section 493 of the Civil Code, 2017, states that if there is a legal obligation for anyone to do or not to do any act, an obligation is created, and non-performance of such an obligation is followed by remedies. Further, section 494 (1)(b) of the Civil Code has listed contract as one of the ways to create obligations that are enforceable between contracting parties.

Photo: Pixabay

Breach of contract and its remedies

As per section 535 of the Civil Code, 2017, if any party to a contract fails to fulfill the obligation under the contract or gives a notice to the other party that he or she does not perform the act as mentioned under the contract and demonstrates that he or she is incapable of performing the act under the contract, the party shall be deemed to have breached the contract.

In case of the breach of a contract under section 535, the party aggrieved by it shall be entitled to recover from the party in the breach of the contract damages for the actual loss or damage caused by the breach or such loss or damage, as mentioned in section 537(1) of the Civil Code.

Contract of personal guarantee

Sections 563 (1), (2), and (3) of the Civil Code, 2017, provide that if a contract is concluded under which a third party undertakes to repay the loan borrowed by or discharges the liability promised by a person in case of that persons default, a contract of guarantee shall be deemed to be concluded. If a third party gives such a guarantee and the person bound to repay the loan and fails to repay or discharge such loan or liability, the person giving the guarantee (the surety) to such loan or liability shall repay the loan or discharge the liability according to the terms and conditions of the contract.

The terms and conditions of the guarantee shall be as determined in the contract.

Contract of lease

As per section 610 of the Civil Code, 2017, if a contract is concluded under which a person gives any goods in which he or she has right and possession to another person for use and possession and enjoy the benefits accrued therefrom in consideration for rent payable regularly for a certain period, a contract of lease shall be deemed to be concluded.
Description

The Nassau County Bar Association invites Nassau County residents to register for a free socially distant mortgage foreclosure clinic on Monday, June 14, 2021 from 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM. Masks/face coverings are required.

INTERPRETERS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

**Attorneys DO NOT provide legal representation.

SPACE IS LIMITED. Registration is REQUIRED!

Call (516) 747-4070 ext. 1308 to register now.
Cybersecurity

Warner previews breach notification bill

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on Monday reiterated calls for a bipartisan breach notification law and discussions about whether ransom payments should be legal.

At a live interview hosted by the Washington Post, Warner promised legislation that would require companies to notify the federal government whenever they suffer a major cybersecurity breach. The lawmaker also called for serious discussions about whether ransomware payments should be legal. That debate has been reignited after several high-profile companies admitted to making multi-million dollar payments to criminal groups.

During hearings with Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount, most lawmakers signaled they would favor stricter statutes outright prohibiting companies from paying, or at least penalizing those that do. But others, including Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security advisor, and Blount himself have argued the choice to pay is sometimes a necessary evil.

Chris Inglis, Biden's pick to be the first national cyber director, during his nomination hearing suggested companies should not be punished for paying a ransom, but for putting themselves in a position where it was necessary.

During the event on Monday, Warner was also asked about a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin made during the G7 summit in London over the weekend for the U.S. to effectively agree to an extradition treaty where the two countries would swap cyber criminals their nations may be harboring.

Warner expressed skepticism about Putin's intentions but the lawmaker also said he was open to any level of international collaboration that can be made. Biden is scheduled to meet directly with Putin on Wednesday in Vienna.

Cybersecurity experts in the U.S. took Putin's proposal as less than genuine.

"This is not a serious proposal. It is unconstitutional in Russia to extradite their citizens. And Biden would do well not to take it seriously," Dmitri Alperovitch, the former Crowdstrike executive, tweeted on Sunday. "But it is a good launching pad for a serious conversation about ransomware criminals and what should be done about them."

Following the weekend's events, the White House published the G7's statement on ransomware declaring it a "longstanding global challenge."

"The international community -- both governments and private sector actors -- must work together to ensure that critical infrastructure is resilient against this threat, that malicious cyber activity is investigated and prosecuted, that we bolster our collective cyber defenses, and that States address the criminal activity taking place within their borders," according to the statement.

A White House fact sheet on the summit also said the world leaders will endorse a new "Cyber Defense Policy" for NATO that provides political, military and technical guidance to counter cybersecurity threats.
NINGBO, China, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Insisting on the theme of "Fostering a New Development Paradigm, Sharing a Win-Win Opportunity," the Second China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo and International Consumer Goods Fair, co-organized by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the People's Government of Zhejiang Province, and jointly undertaken by the People's Government of Ningbo, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce and the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, concluded in Ningbo of East China's Zhejiang Province on June 11.

Exhibition scene of the 2nd China-CEEC Expo

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the expo, and Vice Premier Hu Chunhua delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Serbia and Czech Republic are the expo's countries of honor. Affected by the pandemic, international VIPs attended the forum in two forms: online speeches by dignitaries + offline visits by envoys. Two presidents and six deputy premiers/ministers from the countries of honor gave online speeches, expressing wishes of expanding friendly exchanges with China and firmly supporting China-CEEC cooperation. Representatives from 52 countries (incl. 13 from Central and Eastern European Countries) attended the expo, among them 32 are ambassadors (4 from Central and Eastern European Countries).

The total floor area of the exhibition is 200,000 square meters, nearly 90,000 square meters larger than that of the first edition. And special exhibition areas for domestic and foreign trade integration, overseas shopping for foreign goods, and Zhejiang digital trade were first built in the expo. The 3,000-strong booths attracted 2,041 exhibitors and 7,468 professional buyers during the expo. China's central enterprises and famous enterprises including China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and BGI, as well as CEEC's global brands like Gorenje and Tescoma, participated in the exhibition. In addition to CEEC's special agricultural and sideline products, the exhibits were also from machinery and electronics, life and health and other five categories. Czech top kitchenware and PETROF piano and other upscale brands made a debut at the expo. Slovenian Pipistrel Aircraft, Polish yachts, Romanian high-end RVs, China-Czech cooperation product Wanfeng helicopters, MGI Fire Eye Laboratory, Huawei's latest AI products and other high-end, sophisticated and cutting-edge products were also unveiled to visitors.

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During the expo, a total of 10.78 billion yuan of intentional purchase were made (incl. 7.46 billion yuan with CEEC), and 97 two-way investment projects worthy of $18.21 billion were signed. China-CEEC Public Health Industry Alliance, Zhejiang-CEEC Educational Think Tank Alliance and other organizations were established. China (Ningbo)-CEEC Humanities Exchange Demonstration Base, Serbia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ningbo Representative Office, China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone CEEC Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Base were officially inaugurated. The CEEC Education Exchange Website and the "Yixinou Digital Service Platform" were launched. CEEC Cuisine and "Poetic and picturesque ZhejiangThousands of Delicacies of A Hundred Counties " showcased a great brand effect, attracting more than 60,000 visitors within three days.

A total of 17 institutional platforms including China-CEEC Working Group on Animal and Plant Sanitary and Quarantine Measures, China-CEEC E-Commerce Cooperation Dialogue Mechanism, China-CEEC Trade Index, and "Qiaolian International" digital trade platform(ceecexpo.com/) have settled down in Ningbo, which will boost the city to become a host for the most concentrated institutional activities of China-CEEC cooperation.

Contact: He Jian

Tel.: 0086-574-8938-7195

E-mail: hej@cceecexpo.org

China-CEEC Expo

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The new "Mobifi" Service Means Canadian Phone Numbers Can Be Used With Far Cheaper U.S. Wireless Plans

TORONTO, June 14, 2021 /CNW/ - Iristel Inc., Canada's fast-growing telecom services provider, will this month offer a new portability service allowing Canadian phone numbers to be used with far less expensive plans offered by U.S. telecom companies.

The new Mobifi Service Means Canadian Phone Numbers Can Be Used With Far Cheaper U.S. Wireless Plans (CNW Group/Iristel Inc.)

The $6-a-month "Mobifi" service is ideal for entrepreneurs re-locating in the United States and Snowbirds who spend half the year in the U.S. and Mexico or Canadians at home looking for value from services offered by T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint or other U.S. telecom services companies.

"Canadians pay some of the highest wireless rates in the world and consumers and small business want relief," says Samer Bishay, Iristel President and CEO.

Typically, when south of the border for extended periods, price-conscious entrepreneurs and Snowbirds suspend their Canadian wireless service and use U.S. SIM cards (subscriber identification module) in their phones; temporarily losing both their Canadian number and contacts in the phone. Others pay $8-a-day roaming fees to Canada's oligarchy phone companies.

"Our new Mobifi service will forward both voice and data from a person's Canadian number to their phone with the American SIM card and contacts will remain in the phone," Mr. Bishay says. "It's seamless, easy to set up and will save Canadians money every month."

Historically, the Canadian Radio-Telecommunications Commission has sided with big incumbent telcos and against service-based competition and lower prices for consumers. And in two CRTC decisions this year, the commission blatantly states it is partial to "facilities-based carriers" and against real competition, innovation and consumers' choice.

"Mobifi is carrier agnostic," Mr. Bishay says. "Customers with Canadian phone numbers, regardless which phone company, can use any U.S. carrier's SIM cards. Our solution is great for people travelling to the U.S. for extended periods, or any consumer or business that wants to keep Canadian phone numbers but pay lower rates from U.S. phone companies."

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Adds Mr. Bishay: "And it works in reverse, too. As an industry first, Canadians with a U.S. number while back in Canada don't have to miss out on any of their communications if they wish to have a Canadian number as a primary number."

Mr. Bishay says he has a T-Mobile phone with unlimited voice and data, no long-distance charges anywhere in Canada, U.S. and Mexico for US$35 a month. "Transferring one of my Canadian phone numbers to that plan, even if I charged myself $6 a month, would still be a lot cheaper than a similar plan from Canadian wireless oligarchs."

The simple, self-service Mobifi app will be available on Iristel.com website later in June.

About Iristel

Iristel is Canada's fastest-growing Competitive Local Exchange Carrier providing innovative communication services that are changing how consumers and businesses communicate. Founded in 1999, Markham-based Iristel operates Canada's largest facilities-based local voice network extending Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast. It also owns Ice Wireless, an LTE-A carrier with operations in Canada's northern territories and Quebec. Iristel also owns brands such as Sugar Mobile, an Over-the-Top (OTT) app where phone calls and text messages can be transmitted through data, and Telecommunications de l'Est (TDE), a company that operates a Nomad mobile network, a unique two-way radio digital trunking network built to meet the specific needs of Canada's rural regions.

www.iristel.com

Samer Bishay, Iristel President and CEO (CNW Group/Iristel Inc.)

SOURCE Iristel Inc.

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MarketWatch

You might want to hold off on that, said Kristian Finfrock, founder and financial adviser at Retirement Income Strategies. Although I dont want her to deplete her savings, I prefer it over the retirement account loan, which has far-reaching consequences in my opinion. You didnt specify what type of retirement account you have at work, but if its a 401(k), there are a few rules you should know.
The world's leading peer-to-peer rental marketplace expands global luxury yacht experiences with launch of Boatsetter Lux

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Boatsetter, the world's leading peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace, announced today the official launch of Boatsetter Lux, a fleet of exclusive luxury term or day charters with a dedicated concierge team available in over 600+ locations worldwide.

Boatsetter, the worlds leading peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace, announced today the official launch of Boatsetter Lux, a fleet of exclusive luxury term or day charters with a dedicated concierge team available in over 600+ locations worldwide.

Whether traveling abroad or staying local to entertain family or friends, Boatsetter Lux ensures voyages are tailored to customers' every need, offering everything from fully crewed yachts to a quick afternoon sail. Since the initial rollout in January 2021, Boatsetter Lux has already contributed to record growth in Q1 and grew revenue nearly 300%.

"At the onset of the pandemic, we anticipated the return of travel and saw an opportunity to organically grow our mid to high-end luxury experiences in a new venue on the water," said Boatsetter Co-Founder and CEO, Jaclyn Baumgarten. "The launch of Boatsetter Lux allows us to make luxury yachting accessible to a broader audience both in the U.S. and internationally."

The launch follows the success of an ongoing strategic partnership between Boatsetter, Airbnb Lux and Luxury Retreats since 2017, offering exclusive access to Boatsetter yachts for day-long excursions as added experiences to stays in luxury homes or villas.

"In 2019 at Airbnb Luxe, Boatsetter was our most booked partner for additional services around the world. It became second nature to offer a cruise on their vessels as clients often described it as the highlight of their trip. Boatsetter's platform is so easy to use, and their service team is so helpful, that they became an extension of our offering. In a nutshell, it's the perfect match," said Johann Jacquot, Former Business Development, Key Accounts Manager at Airbnb Luxe.

Boatsetter Lux charters are available across the U.S. and globally in key locations including Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Greece, Italy, Turkey, France and Southeast Asia, Rental prices start at $1500 for 40-110ft yachts.

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For more information or to book a rental, visit www.boatsetter.com/Lux or call the Boatsetter Lux team at +1 855-908-8200.

About Boatsetter:

Boatsetter , the #1 industry-leading boat rental platform, makes boating affordable and accessible by connecting boat owners and licensed captains to pre-screened, qualified renters. Through its innovative partnership with Geico/BoatUS, Boatsetter is the only peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace in the U.S. which includes insurance for owners, captains, and renters. Boatsetter offers renters and owners access to the largest database of USCG certified captains, making it possible for those with no prior boating experience to enjoy spending time on the water.

Media Contact:

Fiona Parcharidis

fiona@elevenelevenpr.co

elevenelevenpr.co

Boatsetter, the worlds leading peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace.

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G7 alignment on international vaccination certification sets the stage for government to announce clear travel policies for Canada.

Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable (CNW Group/Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable)

OTTAWA, June 14, 2021 /CNW/ -The Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable (The Roundtable) is today calling on the federal government to immediately release a comprehensive, national plan to reopen our economy, ensure the free movement of Canadians across the country, reopen the U.S.-Canada border, and put in place a clear vaccination certification program to allow entry to international travelers. These are critical measures that will enable the recovery of the travel and tourism sector and the Canadian economy.

Despite receiving advice from the federally appointed COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel (the Expert Panel), the federal government has yet to publish a comprehensive reopening plan for international and domestic travel, particularly around the admission of fully vaccinated foreign nationals into Canada.

This past weekend, Prime Minister Trudeau attended the G7 Summit where the leaders' communique recognized "the importance to the global economy of safely restarting international travel, by land, air and sea, and multilateral efforts to achieve this," and stressed the need for "a set of common standards for travel including interoperability and mutual recognition of digital applications, testing requirements, recognition of vaccination status including exemptions and comparable criteria for when responsive measures may be required." Canada remains a clear outlier among its G7 peers, having yet to announce a comprehensive reopening plan. Though international discussions are important, Canada needs a plan of its own, and needs it now.

The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020. As more and more people continue to get vaccinated in both countries and cases decline across the continent, it is time for the federal government to put in place an evidence-based plan to reopen the border.

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The sector is also calling on the federal government to announce clear travel policies for Canadians and foreign nationals travelling to Canada. Canadians deserve a single national policy approach to travel that clarifies the country's policy on vaccination certification, our international border, unvaccinated minors, and other critical details that require national leadership. In the absence of a nation-wide plan, we are seeing a patchwork of policies roll out provincially that are difficult to reconcile.

Last week, the federal government announced its intention to remove the mandatory hotel quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated Canadians and reduce quarantine upon the results of an arrivals test. Though this was a step in the right direction, more policy changes are needed to support the travel and tourism sector recovery.

Canadians are doing their part in getting vaccinated; now it is time for the federal government to provide clear, timely, and safe guidance on reopening Canada for travel. Recent announcements have shown some progress but much more clarity is needed. Canada's policies should be rooted in science, which justifies a renewed approach to border measures, ongoing testing requirements, and quarantine restrictions for partially vaccinated Canadians and fully vaccinated foreign nationals. There is no science-based reason to further delay the implementation of the government's own Expert Panel recommendations.

"It is imperative that we have logical, clear measures in place to facilitate travel within Canada and internationally. A piecemeal approach to policy announcements on travel will only raise more questions and create confusion," said Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

"The Canadian travel and tourism industry  and the Canada-U.S. border  has been effectively closed since March 2020. A holistic Canada-wide plan is needed to provide certainty to businesses and Canadians. We are seeing provinces fill in the gaps that have been created by the absence of a federal reopening plan and this will create confusion for travellers," stated Beth Potter, President & CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

"Canada cannot afford to be left behind as other countries around the world begin to reopen," said Susie Grynol, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada. "Without a clear plan in place, our vibrant tourism industry is at risk and people's livelihoods are in jeopardy. Fully vaccinated travellers should be afforded the same opportunities, regardless of their nationalities."

"There is significant demand across Canada to travel. We urgently need the federal government to lay out a plan so that Canadians, and those seeking to safely travel to Canada, are not left behind. Other countries have done this. Our sector depends on this. Canadians are expecting this," stated Daniel-Robert Gooch, President of the Canadian Airports Council.

"Countries that successfully implement a science and databased testing and quarantine policy will not only protect public health, they will drive their overall domestic recovery and take jobs and investment from countries that do not," said Mike McNaney, President and CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada, which represents Canada's largest airlines (Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation, and WestJet). "We have tens of thousands of employees that are relying on government to release a plan," he continued.

About the Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable

The Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable is a cross-Canadian coalition of leaders in the tourism and travel sector  including representatives from airports, airlines, hotels, and chambers of commerce across the country  committed to working together to restart the sector smoothly and safely. Travel and Tourism is a $105 billion sector, employing millions of Canadians across the country and accounting for 2.1% of the country's gross domestic product. It advocates for a safe and prosperous tourism and travel sector across Canada.

SOURCE Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable

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KFAR-SABA, Israel and ALISO VIEJO, Calif., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CathWorks, a global leader of digital health innovation focused on helping patients with cardiovascular disease, today announced that Ramin Mousavi has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective June 21, 2021. Mr. Mousavi has also been appointed to the company's Board of Directors. Mr. Mousavi succeeds Jim Corbett, who served as the company's CEO since October 27, 2017.

Ramin Mousavi Appointed as CEO of CathWorks

A rising star of the medical device industry, Mr. Mousavi has executive leadership and operational experience in general management, marketing, strategy, product development, and commercialization across multiple market segments. Most recently, Mr. Mousavi led the patient monitoring and digital health portfolio at Baxter International. Prior to Baxter, he held various leadership assignments at Edwards Lifesciences. Mr. Mousavi served as CathWorks Vice President of Global Marketing & Strategy and the company's Chief Marketing Officer from 2019 to 2020. Ramin holds B.S. degrees in Computer and Electrical Engineering from University of California, Irvine. He also earned an M.B.A. from Paul Merage School of Business at UC, Irvine, and received a Healthcare Executive Leadership certificate for Business Innovation in Global Healthcare from Harvard Business School.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Jim for his leadership and many important contributions to Cathworks and I am very pleased to welcome Ramin back to our company," said Scott Ward, Chairman of the Board of CathWorks. "Ramin's extensive knowledge of CathWorks innovative technologiescombined with his proven track record of building high-performing teams that design, develop, and launch breakthrough innovative products and programs that help patientsmakes him uniquely positioned to lead CathWorks. The Board is confident that under Ramin's leadership, CathWorks is well-positioned for our next phase of technology innovation, market adoption, and global commercial growth."

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"I am honored and delighted to have the opportunity to lead CathWorks, a company with a transformational product portfolio, exceptionally talented people, and committed investors as well as strategic partners," commented Ramin Mousavi. "CathWorks' innovative FFRangio technology has the potential to become the standard of care, enhancing the diagnostic decision making of cardiologists around the world. I look forward to working with our clinician partners, employees, the executive management team, and the Board in our mission to provide clinicians with practical, objective physiology information for every patient they treat, and to deliver meaningful value to our patients, customers, and shareholders."

About CathWorks

CathWorks is a medical technology company focused on applying its advanced computational science platform to optimize Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) therapy decisions and elevate coronary angiography from visual assessment to an objective FFR-based decision-making tool for physicians. FFR-guided PCI decision-making is proven to provide significant clinical benefits for patients with coronary artery disease and economic benefits for patients and payers. The company's focus today is specifically on bringing the CathWorks FFRangio System to market to provide quick, precise, and objective intraprocedural wire-free FFR guidance that is practical for every case. For more information, visit www.cath.works.

Follow CathWorks

Contact: Ben Brockman, 1.949.966.0284, ben.brockman@cath.works

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SOURCE CathWorks
C$ unless otherwise stated

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945





TORONTO, June 14, 2021 /CNW/ - As a leading global real estate asset manager, Manulife Investment Management recognizes its unique position to help lead the transition to a low-carbon economy1. Manulife Investment Management released its 2021 Real Estate Sustainability report, which focuses on how the firm is driving leadership in sustainable real estate across our global organization, and includes details on the greenhouse gas (GHG) model developed for real estate assets, which sets a reduction target of 80% by 20502.

"We are very proud of this responsible move, which represents a step forward in our commitment to climate change mitigation and our role in the transition to a healthier planet," said Steve Blewitt, Global Head of Private Markets. "Manulife Investment Management's real estate team has been measuring and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions in our sustainability reports since 2017. Setting this realistic target demonstrates our commitment to holding ourselves accountable and achieving high standards across climate-related considerations."

To actively demonstrate efforts in carbon reduction, Manulife Investment Management has started initiatives to identify ways to reduce GHG emissions across its global real estate portfolio. Over the past year, the firm conducted a deep carbon retrofit study at its buildings, in addition to updating the leasing process, with a greater focus on sustainability. This is part of a strategic approach focused on four pillars:

Efficiency measures  conventional, cost-effective, incremental energy improvements through on-going building commissioning and efficient operations.

Fuel switching  switching from high to low carbon intensity infrastructure through infrastructure renewal (delivering immediate emissions reduction where the electrical grid is less carbon intensive today, and additional emissions reduction as the grid improves).

Onsite renewables and storage  installing items, such as rooftop solar panels, especially in regions with carbon-intensive electrical grids.

Carbon offsets and Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs)  purchasing carbon offsets and power purchasing agreements (PPAs) to address energy/carbon that remains after the above actions are completed.

________________________________________ 1 The IPE Real Assets top 100 ranking of some of the world's largest real estate investors, has captured more than $1.44trn (1.3trn) in infrastructure assets held by pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurers and other institutional capital owners. To be included, investors need to be owners, not third-party managers of assets. It was based on IPE Research survey data, Rainmaker information and publicly available information, predominantly in the form of annual reports. Where accurate numbers were not available, estimates have been made. Some investors have not been included due to a lack of information. Source: IPE Real Assets, as of 12/31/2020. 2 Target is an intensity-based reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions for the properties that are within our operational control.

To support these initiatives and better understand its current standing, Manulife Investment Management's real estate team will work to implement this overarching strategy, identifying regional and asset-level opportunities where energy and associated emissions can be reduced. All projects will also be evaluated in terms of their carbon-based returns and how they will assist with the reduction in emissions.

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"Our approach to sustainability in real estate incorporates ESG considerations into all our practices and investment management. Through carbon emission reduction, Manulife Investment Management aims to be a key player in the transition to a low carbon economy," said Regan Smith, Global Head of Real Estate Sustainability. "It is with that in mind that we designed a strategy informed by climate science to reduce our carbon output across our real estate portfolio."

Manulife Investment Management's targeted reduction commitment to its real estate portfolio is just one segment of Manulife's global Climate Action Plan, which also commits to a 35% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2035, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. For more information, please read Manulife Announces Journey to Net Zero.

About Manulife Investment Management, Private Markets

Manulife Investment Management's comprehensive private markets capabilities include real estate, private equity and credit, infrastructure, timber and agriculture. Through its real estate group, Manulife Investment Management develops and manages commercial real estate for thousands of customers around the globe. As of March 31, 2021, the real estate portfolio totals 63 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail space and over 6,500 multifamily units strategically located in markets across Canada, the U.S., and Asia. The group leverages its global platform and local expertise to provide market-leading solutions for its tenants and deliver results for its partners.

Additional information about our Real Estate group can be found at www.manulifeim.com/realestate.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 17 countries and territories. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.

As of March 31, 2021, Manulife Investment Management had CAD $764.1 billion (US $607.6 billion) in assets under management and administration. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

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SOURCE Manulife Investment Management

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TROIS-RIVIERES, QC, June 14, 2021 /CNW/ - The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, will announce significant funding in support of science and research in Canada. The Minister will highlight the Government of Canada's unwavering support of big ideas that are helping advance Canada's position as a global innovation powerhouse.

Minister Champagne will be joined by Alejandro Adem, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; Dr. Ted Hewitt, President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; and Christian Blanchette, President of the Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres.

A media availability by teleconference and in person will follow the announcement.

Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2021



Time: 9:00 a.m. (ET)



Location: Hybrid event





In person: Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres



Ringuet Pavilion, Atrium (Room 1090b)



3351 Boulevard des Forges, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec







Live stream: Canadian Science Facebook page

Note to media:

For media participation on site:

Media are invited to join the event on site. Please comply with local public health guidelines. Access is through door A-5 of the Ringuet Pavilion. Upon arrival, you will be asked to register with security.

For media participation virtually:

Media are invited to contact ISED Media Relations no later than 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 14, 2021, to receive dial-in information.

Stay connected

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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Acquisition expands and accelerates pressure management solutions and analytics portfolio

ATLANTA, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE: MWA) today announced that it has acquired i2O Water Ltd (i2O Water), a provider of pressure management solutions for approximately $20 million in cash.



i2O Water delivers intelligent water networks to more than 100 water companies in over 45 countries around the world to reduce water loss by providing solutions that enable clients to instrument, analyze and control water networks to reduce leakage, lower energy consumption and improve supply. Founded in 2005, i2O Water is headquartered in Southampton, UK, with operations in Malaysia and Colombia. i2O Water provides a range of market-leading intelligent water network solutions including Advanced Pressure Management, Network Analytics, Event Management, Data Logging and the iNet software suite.

The acquisition of i2O Water enhances Mueller's ability to accelerate its software offerings. i2Os intelligent network solutions are complementary to both Sentryx, Muellers digital services platform, and existing Mueller technology-enabled products used for metering, leak detection, pipe condition assessment and water quality. Additionally, Mueller plans to introduce i2Os products and solutions in North America, where i2O currently has no presence.

Our digital transformation strategy is focused on enabling water utilities to effectively monitor and manage their infrastructure networks, said Scott Hall, President and CEO of Mueller Water Products. i2Os Pressure Management solutions, analytics and deep technology expertise will help expand our ability to provide products and solutions that support the resiliency and sustainability needs of our customers.

Following the close of the transaction, i2O Water will become part of Mueller Water Products Technologies segment. Mueller management will discuss the acquisition in more detail during its third quarter fiscal 2021 financial results conference call.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements that address activities, events or developments that the Company intends, expects, plans, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and assessments made by the Company in light of the Companys experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including regional, national or global political, economic, business, competitive, market and regulatory conditions, the failure to realize any of the anticipated benefits of our acquisition of i2O Water within the time period currently expected (or at all) for any reason (including as a result of actions taken by the United States or foreign governments or regulatory authorities concerning the manufacturing and import of goods from other jurisdictions), the risk that the integration of i2O Waters operations into our own will be materially delayed or will be more costly or difficult than expected, the effect of the announcement of the acquisition on our business or the business of i2O Water, diversion of managements attention from our ongoing business operations and opportunities, and other factors that are described in the section entitled RISK FACTORS in Item 1A of the Annual Report on Form 10-K (all of which risks may be amplified by the COVID-19 outbreak). Forward-looking statements do not guarantee future performance and are only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no duty to update its forward-looking statements except as required by law. Undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements. You are advised to review any further disclosures the Company makes on related subjects in subsequent Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Mueller Water Products, Inc.

Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE: MWA) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of products and services used in the transmission, distribution and measurement of water in North America. Our broad product and service portfolio includes engineered valves, fire hydrants, pipe connection and repair products, metering products, leak detection and pipe condition assessment. We help municipalities increase operational efficiencies, improve customer service and prioritize capital spending, demonstrating why Mueller Water Products is Where Intelligence Meets Infrastructure. Visit us at www.muellerwaterproducts.com.

Mueller refers to one or more of Mueller Water Products, Inc., a Delaware corporation (MWP), and its subsidiaries. MWP and each of its subsidiaries are legally separate and independent entities when providing products and services. MWP does not provide products or services to third parties. MWP and each of its subsidiaries are liable only for their own acts and omissions and not those of each other. MWP brands include Mueller, Echologics, Hydro Gate, Hydro-Guard, HYMAX, Jones, Krausz, Mi.Net, Milliken, Pratt, Pratt Industrial, Singer, and U.S. Pipe Valve & Hydrant. Please see muellerwp.com/brands to learn more.

Investor Relations Contact: Whit Kincaid

770-206-4116

wkincaid@muellerwp.com

Media Contact: Yolanda Kokayi

770-206-4131

ykokayi@muellerwp.com




BETHESDA, Md., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is working in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fight COVID-19 in hard-to-reach populations through Community Health Centers with the help of $18.3 million in CDC pandemic cooperative agreement funding. The funds will help build health centers' success in ensuring equity and access in the COVID-19 response and vaccination program. Health centers have administered more than 10 million vaccine doses and increased the number of vaccines they initiate each week by almost five-fold since January. More than 80 percent of the shots initiated have gone to people of color.

National Association of Community Health Centers Logo (PRNewsfoto/National Association of Communi)

Health centers have administered more than 10 million vaccine doses.

Health centers are the safety net to the highest-risk patients and often serve as first responders to emergencies such as hurricanes, fires, and public health crises. The CDC funding will help engage local health centers, health center controlled networks (HCCNs) and primary care associations as trusted brokers to build the evidence base of effective interventions among diverse populations including homeless, mobile, rural, refugee, behavioral health, LGBTQ, farmworker, non-English speaking, and immigrant patients. It will also help mobilize vaccine strike teams to reach hesitant populations in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Border States. NACHC is an ideal stakeholder in the partnership with CDC as the voice for health centers and an organizational leader that provided critical resources, technical assistance and training to help guide health centers through the uncertainty of the pandemic.

"This effort is critical as we begin the last mile of the pandemic vaccination effort," said Ron Yee, MD, Chief Medical Officer of NACHC. "Health centers are going to where the people are to treat and vaccinate their patients. It is not just about shots in arms, they are also filling the gaps in care for hard-to-reach populations over the long term and creating intervention models that will be useful for the future. Our goal is to engage health centers to build vaccine confidence and reduce access barriers in these high-risk populations through use of 'vaccine ambassadors,' partnerships and care plans that help COVID patients with environmental factors such as lack of housing, food insecurity, lack of medication and health care services."

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The NACHC collaboration with the CDC is an important next step toward recovery from the pandemic. The goal is to strengthen public health by integrating services and building on promising practices that not only fight the spread of COVID but also reduce the health disparities that led to minority populations being at increased risk for infection and death from COVID.

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SOURCE National Association of Community Health Centers
Press Release

Nokia Deepfield global analysis shows most DDoS attacks originate from fewer than 50 hosting companies

In-depth analysis across large sample of networks globally fingerprints and traces origins of most DDoS attacks (by frequency and traffic volume); finds that majority of DDoS attacks originate from fewer than 50 hosting companies and regional providers





Nokia Deepfield shares strategies for fingerprinting and tracing primary DDoS sources; makes recommendations for addressing DDoS security with networking community





Analysis shows more than 100% increase in daily DDoS peak traffic between January 2020 and May 2021





Identifies the threat potential for possible DDoS attacks over 10 Tbps  four to five times the scale of largest attacks reported so far (just above 2 Tbps)  due to rapidly growing number of open and insecure internet services and IoT devices





Delivers Nokia Deepfield Defender, specifically designed to safely, securely and efficiently orchestrate DDoS mitigation across multiple vendors, including next-generation IP routers such as the Nokia FP-based Service Routers enabling low-latency, high-scale, deterministic protection





14 June 2021

Espoo, Finland  Nokia Deepfield today announced the results of its global DDoS traffic analysis, which examined service provider network traffic encompassing thousands of routers on the internet between January 2020 and May 2021. Among the findings, which were presented by Dr. Craig Labovitz, Nokia Deepfield CTO, at NANOG82: more than 100% increase in daily DDoS peak traffic in this time period; newly identified DDoS threat potential over 10 Tbps  four to five times higher than the largest current attacks reported  due to rapidly growing number of open and insecure internet services and IoT devices.

In an environment where attackers constantly leverage opportunistic resources to source their attacks, Nokia Deepfield found in the past 15 months accessibility of DDoS for hire services has increased the threat potential of the existing botnet, IoT and cloud-based attack models. The results trace the origins of most of the high-bandwidth, high-intensity (volumetric) attacks to a limited number of internet domains, finding that most global DDoS attacks (by frequency and traffic volume) originate in less than 50 hosting companies and regional providers.

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As COVID lockdown measures were implemented in 2020, Nokia Deepfield noticed a 40-50% increase in DDoS traffic. The continued increases in intensity, frequency and sophistication of DDoS attacks have resulted in a 100% increase in the high watermark levels of DDoS daily peaks  from 1.5 Tbps (January 2020) to over 3 Tbps (May 2021).

With broadband connectivity becoming an essential service, the fight against DDoS is critical. These large-scale DDoS attacks can inflict major damage on individual and large-scale connectivity and service availability, resulting in damages costing hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in production and operational losses.



Accurate DDoS detection and cost-effective, automated mitigation are becoming paramount requirements for service providers, cloud builders and network operators to protect their network infrastructures, services and users.

The newly enhanced Nokia Deepfield Defender provides fast and accurate DDoS detection and facilitates agile mitigation of volumetric DDoS attacks at the network edge. With its ability to scale to petabyte-levels and advanced features such as multi-layer protection and auto-mitigation, Deepfield Defender delivers an intelligent and automated approach to thwart and minimize the security risks associated with a new generation of DDoS threats and attacks.

Drawing DDoS security expertise from its global network deployments and insights from Deepfield Security Genome, Nokia Deepfield Defender accurately and rapidly detects hosts, botnets and IoT devices involved in active attacks, and programs router-based mitigation with tens/hundreds of thousands of highly precise filters resulting in network-wide, cost-effective DDoS protection.

Nokia Deepfield Defender is a component of the Deepfield portfolio of IP network intelligence, analytics and security applications and uses network-based big data. The advanced analytics are combined with the embedded, multi-layer network security capabilities of Nokia 7750 Service Router and 7950 XRS routers to eliminate highly distributed, high-volume DDoS attacks from impacting service provider networks and customers.

Dr. Craig Labovitz, CTO, Nokia Deepfield, said: It is equally important for every participant in the network security ecosystem  end users, vendors, service providers, cloud builders, regulators and governments  to understand the dangers DDoS poses to the availability of internet content, applications and critical connectivity services. With this knowledge and a community commitment to solving the DDoS problem, we can go a long way towards making our networks, services and subscribers more secure.

Dr. Labovitz added: With the new Nokia Deepfield Defender solution, we take a unique approach in leveraging the combined power of high-performance IP networks and big data analytics to protect the network on all fronts from all volumetric DDoS attacks, at petabit scale, without lifting a hand. It will allow network operators to make a big leap towards improving overall security and availability of their networks and services for all their customers.

Nokia Deepfields DDoS traffic analysis is based on a large global sample of service providers, ranging from companies which provide global transit and residential broadband services, to regional providers, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), webscale and hosting companies. The analysis examined overall changes in internet traffic pattern, with a specific focus on DDoS security.

Resources:

About Nokia

We create technology that helps the world act together.

As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.

Media Inquiries:

Nokia

Communications

Phone: +358 10 448 4900

Email: press.services@nokia.com










Dublin, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Machine Learning and Seamless Integrations Drive the North American Mobile Sales Force Automation (SFA) Market" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The total market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 14.1% over the study's 2020-2026

For the purposes of this study, mobile sales force automation applications are software solutions that extend SFA capabilities to a sales professional's mobile device (smartphone or tablet).

These capabilities can range from basic account, opportunity and contact management to also include more sophisticated assistance and guidance, such as predictive lead scoring, forecasting, more complex analytics, personal assistants, etc. A range of reporting, dashboard and analysis options are also typically available.

Adoption dynamics, strategic imperatives, and potential growth opportunities are examined. Revenue forecasts are provided for three product categories: 1) Very Small Business solutions for firms with fewer than 25 employees, 2) Small and Mid-sized Business solutions for companies with 25-499 employees, and 3) Enterprise solutions for businesses with 500+ total employees.

Revenue growth will be generated by both new and embedded customers, as the research reveals that a high percentage of current mobile SFA users plan to significantly expand their deployments over the coming months. As a result, both current and prospective SFA solution users will want to continuously monitor products and vendors. All stakeholders will want to track trends, partnership opportunities, and evolving customer needs.

Challenges to growth in today's mobile sales force automation market include:

Prospective customer concerns regarding solution security, scalability, and integration capabilities

Price points that can be viewed as unaffordable

Delays in incorporating AI-based guidance and analytics

A limited number of vertical-specific SFA offerings

Difficulty building the necessary systems integrator channel and technology partnerships.

Key Issues Addressed

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Who are the current key vendors in this industry?

What is the current distribution channel mix?

What is the revenue forecast for the mobile sales force automation market as a whole and for each of the three product segments investigated?

What are the three top strategic imperatives impacting today's mobile sales force automation industry?

What are the top ten individual SFA capabilities according to current SFA users?

Who are key competitors in each of the three major product segments?

What are three major growth opportunities in this industry?

What are the major growth drivers and growth restraints in today's mobile sales force automation industry?

Companies interviewed for this study include Pipedrive, Salesforce, SugarCRM, and Zendesk.



Key Topics Covered:

1. Strategic Imperatives

Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative

The Impact of the Top Three Strategic Imperatives on the Mobile Sales Force Automation (SFA) Industry

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

2. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Mobile Sales Force Automation Market Scope of Analysis

Mobile Sales Force Automation Market Segmentation

Key Competitors for Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Key Growth Metrics for Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Distribution Channels for Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Growth Drivers for Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Growth Restraints for Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Forecast Assumptions - Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Revenue Forecast - Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Revenue Forecast by Segment - Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Revenue Forecast Analysis - Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Pricing Trends and Forecast Analysis - Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Competitive Environment - Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

3. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Very Small Business Solutions

Key Growth Metrics for Very Small Business Solutions

Revenue Forecast - Very Small Business Solutions

Revenue Forecast Analysis - Very Small Business Solutions

4. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Small and Mid-size Business Solutions

Key Growth Metrics for Small and Mid-size Business Solutions

Revenue Forecast - Small and Mid-size Business Solutions

Revenue Forecast Analysis - Small and Mid-size Business Solutions

5. Growth Opportunity Analysis - Enterprise Solutions

Key Growth Metrics for Enterprise Solutions

Revenue Forecast - Enterprise Solutions

Revenue Forecast Analysis - Enterprise Solutions

6. Growth Opportunity Universe - Mobile Sales Force Automation Market

Growth Opportunity 1: Adding Industry-Specific Offerings to Generate New Revenue Opportunities for SFA Providers, 2021

Growth Opportunity 2: Leveraging AI and Machine Learning to Further Optimize the Sales Experience and Enhance Profitability, 2021

Growth Opportunity 3: Targeting the Current SFA Embedded Base to Create Incremental Sales Opportunities, 2021

7. Next Steps

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/w5pf3q

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




ST. JOHN'S, NL, June 14, 2021 /CNW/ - At a rally in front of the legislature, Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore oil and gas supporters told the Furey government and the companies to get back to the table to find a solution to keep the Terra Nova Floating, Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel operational.

Offshore workers call on producers and government to find solution for Terra Nova (CNW Group/Unifor)

"Investment in Terra Nova's future is an investment in the East Coast economy," said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. "Walking away is not an option for Premier Andrew Furey."

Workers from the Terra Nova platform represented by Unifor Local 2121 organized the last-minute rally on the day before the deadline on extending the offshore asset's life. Several operators have already walked away from the project and the main remaining company, Suncor, has failed to reach a resolution with the provincial government about funding.

Speakers at the rally included municipal and federal politicians and industry representatives who pleaded with the parties to support offshore oil and gas. Unifor Local 2121 president Dave Mercer told supporters that if the Terra Nova cannot be saved, the other offshore projects are not far behind, and the entire offshore sector is at stake.

"We're not done fighting for good oil and gas jobs," said Mercer. "The whole province is watching. Premier Furey and Suncor CEO Mark Little must get the job done."

Watch today's rally on Unifor's Facebook Page or download a 4K version here.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

SOURCE Unifor

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Milestone Study Highlights both the Challenges and the Silver Linings from the Pandemic

ST. LOUIS, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a year of unprecedented volatility across economic markets, physical and mental health and social justice issues, 76% of Americans credit the pandemic with helping them "refocus on what's most important in life," according to Edward Jones' and Age Wave's latest study, "The Four Pillars of the New Retirement: What a Difference a Year Makes." Released today as a follow-up to the landmark study from 2020, which explored the four pillars of living well in retirement - health, family, purpose, and finances. This new study reveals how the timing and funding of retirement are being adjusted, shining a spotlight on the importance of purpose and contribution post-work, and describes what Americans now say are the most critical aspects of both the financial and non-financial elements of comprehensive retirement planning.

Edward Jones. (PRNewsFoto/Edward Jones) (PRNewsfoto/Edward Jones)

COVID-19 shook all Americans' long-standing concept of retirement to its core, with 69 million people* saying the pandemic altered their retirement timing. However, despite the disproportionate health risk of the virus on retirees, they reported greater optimism than others, with a majority (61%) indicating that the pandemic has given them "more appreciation for what makes life meaningful" (vs. only 46% of all other Americans). Additionally, over half of retirees (53%) say that they now have "greater empathy and compassion for people who are struggling in ways that they are not."

"The past year disrupted life as we knew it, yet, today, we are encouraged to see that Americans across five generations are taking steps to reset, reprioritize and reconsider their purpose and their retirement plans," said Ken Cella, Edward Jones Client Services Group Principal. "This research has helped us better understand how Americans from all walks of life are thinking and feeling about their potential for lifelong wellbeing, so we can have deeper, more meaningful conversations with our clients about what really matters most to them. It has also revealed many key learnings that have positive implications for the communities we serve as we partner for positive impact in the lives of our clients and colleagues and together benefit our communities and society."

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The Pandemic's Elevation of Purpose Impacts both Wellbeing and Empathy for Retirees

According to the online study conducted by the Harris Poll in March among a representative sample of over 2,000 adults, Americans' sense of purpose, which took a hit early in the pandemic, has rebounded; nearly two-thirds (63%) today give themselves a grade of "A" or "B" on "spending their time in purposeful ways," compared to only 55% in May 2020. Retirees generally report much higher levels of contentment1 and happiness2 than non-retired Americans, as they feel greater freedom from responsibilities and stressors and freedom to pursue their own interests and purpose.

Ninety-two percent of retirees now agree that purpose is key to a successful retirement. When compared to younger Americans, retirees are more likely to say that having a sense of purpose in life is important to achieving optimal wellbeing (69% vs. 55% of all other Americans). Many derive this sense of purpose from family and friends, with 67% of retirees indicating that spending time with loved ones provides them with the greatest source of meaning, purpose and fulfillment. In addition, nearly all retirees believe it's important to feel useful in retirement (93%) and 87% agree that being useful actually "makes them feel youthful."

"While every American has been challenged by the disruption of the last year, we have also seen extraordinary amounts of gratitude and resilience especially from retirees," said Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., psychologist/gerontologist and founder and CEO of Age Wave. "Research has shown that having a sense of purpose can actually reduce the risk of cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease and depression, so finding meaning in one's life is essential to a long, healthy and potentially fulfilling retirement."

This new study also revealed that there may be an untapped wellspring of retirees interested in being a force for social good. A whopping 86% of all adults and 89% of retirees now believe "there should be more ways for retirees to put their talents and knowledge to use for the benefit of their communities and society." And retirees say they would ideally like to volunteer 3.3 hours per week  nearly four times the retiree volunteer rate over recent years. Representing an unprecedented potential upside to aging, retirees indicate they are willing to contribute 238 billion hours of volunteer time over the next two decades, equal to a potential value of $6.8 trillion of social contribution.**

Health Concerns, Healthcare Costs and Financial Inequities Show Widening Gaps

While we don't yet know what long-lasting effects COVID-19 will have on Americans' healthspans and lifespans, we do know that in 2020, it shaved off one year of life expectancy in the U.S. which was unevenly distributed and more severe among Black and Latino Americans.3 At the same time, while younger generations have struggled the most with mental health during the pandemic, older adults have displayed the greatest levels of emotional resilience, reporting the least negative mental health impacts. However, retirees report that their most frightening health challenge is not COVID, cancer or heart disease  it's Alzheimer'seven in the middle of the pandemic.

The study also found many of retirees' financial worries grew this past year, with healthcare and long-term care costs (58%), unexpected expenses (56%) and a significant economic downturn or recession (38%) remaining the top three concerns. And pre-retirees age 50+ are even more concerned about healthcare and long-term care expenses than retirees, with 66% citing it as a major financial worry.

The pandemic has further widened the gender economic gap, impacting women's future retirements far more than men's. For example, among pre-retirees, more women reported a negative impact on their job security than men (39% vs. 20%). The study has also uncovered a big retirement-related challenge for women - their lifelong earnings gap, which due to the wage gap spread over a lifetime combined with women's greater propensity to have career interruptions as they caregive their children, parents and spouses - is now topping $1.1 million. As a result, while men's confidence in their retirement savings has begun to rebound from lower levels during the pandemic, women's fell to and remains at an all-time low.

Yet, there are some positive signs for our future financial lives, as 70% of Americans have viewed the pandemic as a financial wake-up call, causing them to pay more attention to their long-term finances. In addition, 33% of those planning to retire are now contributing more to their retirement savings because of the pandemic with Hispanic Americans (46%) and Millennials (42%) the most likely to be doing so.

The Call for Comprehensive Guidance Grows Louder

With one in every three Americans who plan to retire now expecting to delay retirement due to the pandemic (32%) and current retirees noting they wished they had done a better job planning for both the financial (61%) and non-financial (54%) aspects of retirement, there is an overwhelming need for comprehensive guidance. In fact, over three-quarters of all Americans planning to retire (77%) wish there were more resources available to help them plan for an ideal retirement beyond just their finances.

"Over the past year, through these studies, we've witnessed an increase in people's need and desire for help with retirement planning extending far beyond just finances," adds Cella. "By putting individuals and their families at the center, and understanding how the four pillars complement each other, Edward Jones' financial advisors seek to add value beyond investment returns. We strive to bring the right mix of empathy and knowledge to helping our clients accomplish their life goals, find balance across health, family, purpose and finances, and achieve a greater sense of confidence and wellbeing across the arc of their lives."

While the above findings feature a selection of respondents' thoughts regarding the new definition of retirement, further examination of the four pillars of health, family, purpose and finances reveal their highly intertwined nature and influence in shaping retirees' overall quality of life. For the complete report and more details from the study, please visit www.EdwardJones.com/NewRetirement .

*Estimated projections to the US population are calculated based on the 2019 Census Current Population Survey estimates.

**Based on all retirees retiring an average of 3.3 hours per week from 2020-2040. The estimated number of retirees comes from U.S. Census Bureau population projections coupled with survey data on the percent retired by age group among ages 50+. The value of volunteering comes from Independent Sector, Value of Volunteering, 2021.

References

1 Edward Jones and Age Wave. The Four Pillars of the New Retirement. 2020.

2 Blanchflower, David G. Is happiness U-shaped everywhere? Age and subjective well-being in 145 countries. Journal of Population Economics 34, 575-624, 2021.

3 Andrasfay, Theresa and Noreen Goldman. Reductions in 2020 US life expectancy due to COVID-19 and the disproportionate impact on the Black and Latino populations. PNAS, 2021.

Methodology

This report is based on a large-scale investigation of what it means to live well in retirement that began in November 2019. The initial study of 9,000 North Americans was conducted by Edward Jones in partnership with Age Wave and The Harris Poll. As part of the continuing investigation, two additional online tracking surveys were fielded in the U.S. from May 2020 to March 2021.

The December tracking survey was fielded from December 1-3, 2020, among 2,054 U.S. adults ages 18+, and the original research was fielded from May 21-June 4, 2020, among 3,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ with an additional over-sample in nine key metropolitans of at least 500 adults each.

The latest nationally representative survey was conducted from March 22-24, 2021, among 2,042 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, including 616 retirees and 335 pre-retirees (age 50+ and planning to retire). Results were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

About Edward Jones

Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the U.S. and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the investments offered to the location of branch offices, caters to individual investors. The firm's nearly 19,000 financial advisors serve more than 7 million clients with a total of $1.6 trillion in client assets under care. Visit www.edwardjones.com/NewRetirement . Member SIPC.



About Age Wave

Age Wave is the nation's foremost thought leader on population aging and its profound business, social, financial, healthcare, workforce and cultural implications. Under the leadership of co-founders Ken Dychtwald, PhD and Maddy Dychtwald, the firm has provided breakthrough research, compelling presentations, award-winning communications, education and training systems, and results-driven consulting initiatives to over half the Fortune 500. For more information, please visit www.agewave.com.

About The Harris Poll

The Harris Poll is one of the longest-running surveys in the U.S.; tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963. The Harris Poll is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. The Harris Poll works with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Learn more at www.theharrispoll.com

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SOURCE Edward Jones
New Orleans, Louisiana--(Newsfile Corp. - June 13, 2021) - Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have only until June 15, 2021 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Romeo Power, Inc. (NYSE: RMO) f/k/a RMG Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: RMG), if they purchased the Company's securities between October 5, 2020 and March 30, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

What You May Do

If you purchased securities of Romeo Power or RMG Acquisition and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-rmo/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court by June 15, 2021 .

About the Lawsuit

Romeo Power and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On December 29, 2020, Romeo announced that it completed its business combination with RMG and the next day began trading its common stock and warrants on the NYSE under the new ticker symbols "RMO" and "RMO.WT". Then, on March 30, 2021, post-market, the Company shocked investors when it announced its financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2020, disclosing that production had been hindered by a shortage in supply of battery cells and therefore its estimated 2021 revenue would be reduced by approximately 71-87%. On this news, shares of Romeo plummeted almost 20%, from a closing price of $10.37 per share on March 30, 2021 to close at $8.33 per share on March 31, 2021.

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The case is Nichols v. Romeo Power, Inc., No. 21-cv-03362.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking to recover investment losses due to corporate fraud and malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87249
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Smile Train, the world's largest cleft charity, and global children's health charity Kids Operating Room (KidsOR) are celebrating the first milestone of the organizations' life-saving partnership with the completion of the first renovated pediatric operating room at Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza, Tanzania.



In Tanzania, NGOs Smile Train and Kids Operating Room Complete Renovation on First Joint Pediatric Operating Room

The state-of-the-art pediatric operating room and recovery ward have been outfitted with the latest medical equipment as well as colourful wall art of animals, trains, and balloonsdesigns that are meant to transform the often-intimidating environment of an operating room into a welcoming, child-friendly space.

A dedicated pediatric operating room is essential for Bugando Medical Centre, which serves a region of over 14 million people and averages over 9,000 operations each year.

Bugando Medical Centre Acting Director General Dr. Fabian Massaga emphasized the importance of having an operating room dedicated to pediatric surgical care providing essential, life-saving surgical care to children. "With many patients seeking surgical care at our facilities, children are often neglected when it comes to accessing quality surgery. Being able to prioritize pediatric surgical care empowers our teams to support the next generation. The operating rooms breathe fresh air into the hospital's surgical department, and children are able to recover in a more comforting environment," said Dr. Massaga.

Smile Train Vice-President and Regional Director for Africa Dr. Esther Njoroge-Muriithi was elated at the milestone completion of the operating room, which she sees as an indication of a much largerand much-neededshift within access to surgical care within Tanzania and across the region.

"The new operating room will not only allow surgeons to enhance their skills in caring for children, but also significantly impact the lives of the children we aim to transform through surgery. Children with easily treatable surgical conditions, like cleft lip and palate, can receive high quality, life-saving care when they need it the most," said Dr. Njoroge-Muriithi.

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Rosemary Mugwe, Africa Director for KidsOR, celebrated the completion of the paediatric operating room and the role of dedicated pediatric surgeons.

"By installing world-class surgical facilities as we have done in Bugando Medical Centre and by training surgical teams as pediatric specialists, children can get the care they need. By building local capacity in this way, we help to create sustainable healthcare services," said Rosemary Mugwe.

Smile Train and KidsOR share a long-standing commitment to increasing access to pediatric surgical and anesthesia care through a sustainable and empowering model. In partnership with the West African College of Surgeons and the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa, Smile Train and KidsOR will also support training and education for more than 40 surgeons across Africa, building long-term local surgical capacity.

Over the last two decades, Smile Train has empowered local medical professionals to provide safe, high-quality cleft surgery and on-going cleft care, supporting more than 1.5 million surgeries for some of the world's most vulnerable children over the last two decades.

Similarly, KidsOR, which was founded in 2018 after years of collaboration around safe surgery, works to provide dedicated, specialist facilities and equipment for pediatric surgery in low-resource settings, and to support local surgical teams through training and infrastructure development. KidsOR has committed to installing 120 pediatric operating rooms across Africa by 2030.

An estimated two-thirds of the world's children lack access to safe surgical care. The long-term collaboration will ultimately result in more than 30 pediatric operating rooms provided across countries in Africa over the next five years, treating more than 12,000 children.

About Smile Train

Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children's lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.org.

About Kids Operating Room (KidsOR)

Kids Operating Room is a global children's health charity working to give every child access to safe surgery when they need it. Over two billion children lack access to safe surgery. Every year, more children die from not getting the surgery they need than from Malaria, HIV and TB combined. KidsOR saves the lives of children in low- and middle-income countries by installing and equipping state-of-the art Operating Rooms dedicated to children's surgery, and training surgical teams to work in them. Since 2018, KidsOR has provided over 34,000 life-changing operations across 29 Operating Rooms in 14 countries

Smile Train and KidsOR

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SOURCE Smile Train
DUBLIN, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Reproductive Genetics Market: Focus on Procedure Type, Product Type, Technology, Application Type, Country Data (15 countries) - Analysis and Forecast, 2020-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

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Reproductive genetics is a branch of science that contributes to predicting and preventing a genetic disorder during the reproductive procedure (both natural and artificial). It refers to the genetic tests and procedures that are used to offer prospective parents any needful information about the probabilities of having a child with any specific genetic disorder.

The advancements in genomic technologies and their implementation within clinical medicine have led to an expanded usage such as carrier screening, diagnosis of genetic disorders prior to implantation, and identifying the causes of infertility.

The respective genetic testing helps in analyzing genetic material such as chromosomes, genes, DNA, RNA, and gene products for accessing genetic changes that have a likelihood of causing any genetic disease after pregnancy in either mother or child.

The global reproductive genetics market is poised to have substantial investment and growth as the demand for such testing escalates, reimbursement improves, and the technology expands to additional, novel applications.

There has been steady progress in the demand for various methods of reproductive genetic testing. For instance, there has been a global explosion in the utilization of additional non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and the continuous expansion of upstream preconception testing (PGD/PGS) and downstream neonatal screening and genetic disorder testing. Further, there has been a rise in the availability of next-generation technologies and panels that allow the screening of genetic disorders at an early stage in the fetus during pregnancy. However, some of these tests are often an out-of-pocket expense for patients, but the demand for genetic information, declining cost of sequencing, and rise in mixed-ethnicity population is expected to propel the growth of the market.

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Within the research report, the market has been segmented on the basis of procedure type, product type, application type, technology, and region. Each of these segments covers the snapshot of the market over the projected years, the inclination of the market revenue, underlying patterns, and trends by using analytics on the primary and secondary data obtained.

Competitive Landscape

The global reproductive genetics market consists of numerous large-and small-scale manufacturers and service providers. Presently, with the increasing rate of molecular advancements and the rise in the adoption of genetic tests, there has been an expansion of opportunities for the reproductive genetics market. Some of the strategies opted by the key players within the market are new product offerings, product approvals, partnerships and alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and business expansions.

In the five years (January 2017-February 2021), the market witnessed 23 product offerings, five product approvals, 16 partnerships and alliances, nine mergers and acquisitions, and five business expansions. The increasing awareness for genetic testing with an answer for genetic abnormalities caused has majorly attributed to the growing prominence for reproductive genetic testing.

On the basis of region, North America holds the largest share in the global reproductive genetics market due to improved healthcare infrastructure, rise in awareness, and improvised reimbursement policies in the region. Apart from this, the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.

Growth Drivers

Declining Cost of Genetic Sequencing Technologies

Increasing Awareness and Acceptance for Genetic Testing and Screening

Rising Emphasis on Early Detection and Prevention

Rising Maternal Age Leading to Pregnancy Complications

Market Challenges

Lack of Regulations

Ethical and Social Issues

Market Opportunities

Shifting of Reimbursement Policies toward Enhanced Genetic Testing Coverage

Rising Funding and Innovations

Increasing Consumer Demand

Key Companies Profiled

Agilent Technologies, Inc., BGI, CENTOGENE AG, Fulgent Genetics, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Igenomix, Illumina, Inc., Invitae Corporation, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, PerkinElmer, Inc., Myriad Genetics, Inc., OPKO Health, Inc., Quest Diagnostics, QIAGEN N.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Key Questions Answered in this Report:

What are the most common genetic causes of genetic defects at birth globally?

What are the emerging technologies that can take over the current technologies for genetic testing within the global reproductive genetics market?

How are the key market players performing research investments in the respective market?

What are the major strategies opted by the key players for advancing in the global reproductive genetics market?

What are the regulations pertaining to the reproductive genetics market among different regions and their impact on the respective market?

What are the initiatives implemented by different government bodies regulating the development and commercialization of reproductive genetic tests and associated platforms?

How has COVID-19 impacted the global reproductive genetics market?

How will the urgency of the pandemic influence the global reproductive genetics market?

What are the leading companies dominating the global reproductive genetics market?

What is the reimbursement scenario of the tests offered in the global reproductive genetics market?

Based on the procedure type, which global reproductive genetics market procedure type is anticipated to witness a massive rise in demand in the forecast period 2021-2030?

How is each segment of the global reproductive genetics market expected to grow during the forecast period, and what is the revenue expected to be generated by each of the segments by the end of 2030?

How is the global reproductive genetics industry anticipated to evolve during the forecast period 2021-2030?

What are the leading trends and consumer preferences witnessed in the global reproductive genetics market?

Key Topics Covered:

1 Product Definition

2 Scope of the Research Study

3 Research Methodology

4 Market Overview

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Test Performed During Diagnosis

4.3 Market Footprint and Growth Potential

4.4 Future Potential

4.5 Impact of COVID-19 on Global Reproductive Genetics Market

4.6 COVID-19 Affecting Supply Chain of Global Reproductive Genetics Market

4.7 Interruption in Research and Clinical Development and Commercial Operation

4.7.1 Research and Clinical Development

4.7.2 Commercial Operation and Access

4.8 Navigating Crisis Recovery and Looking to the Future

5 Global Reproductive Genetics Market: Industry Analysis

5.1 Legal and Regulatory Framework

5.1.1 Overview

5.1.1.1 Regulatory Framework in the U.S.

5.2 Appropriate Use Criteria of Carrier Screening in the U.S.

5.2.1 Carrier Screening for Familial Disease

5.2.1.1 Fragile X Syndrome

5.2.2 Carrier Screening for Common and Ethnic Genetic Diseases

5.2.2.1 Cystic Fibrosis

5.2.2.2 Spinal Muscular Atrophy

5.2.2.3 Hemoglobinopathies

5.2.2.4 Ashkenazi Jewish Carrier Screening

5.2.3 Other Ethnicities

5.2.4 Regulatory Framework in the European Union

5.2.5 Germany

5.2.6 France

5.2.7 U.K.

5.2.8 Spain

5.3 Regulations in Asia-Pacific (APAC)

5.3.1 China

5.3.2 Japan

5.3.3 South Korea

6 Patent Landscape

7 Global Reproductive Genetics Market Dynamics

7.1 Impact Analysis

7.2 Market Drivers

7.2.1 The Declining Cost of Genetic Sequencing Technologies

7.2.2 Increasing Awareness and Acceptance for Genetic Testing and Screening

7.2.3 Rising Emphasis on Early Detection and Prevention

7.2.4 Rising Maternal Age Leading to Pregnancy Complications

7.3 Market Restraints

7.3.1 Lack of regulations

7.3.2 Ethical and Social Issues

7.4 Market Opportunities

7.4.1 Shifting of Reimbursement Policies toward Enhanced Genetics Coverage

7.4.2 Rising Funding and Innovations

7.4.3 Increasing Consumer Demand

8 Global Reproductive Genetics Market: Competitive Landscape

8.1 Overview

8.2 Key Developments and Strategies

8.3 New Offerings

8.4 Synergistic Activities

8.5 Product Approval

8.6 Business Expansion

8.7 Market Share Analysis

8.8 Growth-Share Analysis

9 Global Reproductive Genetics Market (by Procedure Type), $Million, 2020-2030

9.1 Overview

9.2 Carrier Screening

9.3 Pre-Natal Screening

9.4 Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing

9.5 Infertility Genetic Testing

10 Global Reproductive Genetics Market (by Product Type), 2020-2030, ($Million)

10.1 Overview

10.2 Kits

10.3 Laboratory Developed Tests (LDT)

10.4 Reagents and Consumables

11 Global Reproductive Genetics Market (by Technology), 2020-2030, ($Million)

11.1 Next-Generation Sequencing

11.2 Polymerase Chain Reaction

11.3 In Situ Hybridization (ISH/FISH)

11.4 Microarray

12 Global Reproductive Genetics Market (by Application Type), 2020-2030, ($Million)

12.1 Overview

12.2 Aneuploidy

12.3 Structural Chromosomal Abnormality

12.4 Single Gene Disorder

12.5 Others

13 Global Reproductive Genetics Market (by Region), 2020-2030, ($Million)

14 Company Profiles

14.1 Overview

14.2 Agilent Technologies, Inc.

14.2.1 Company Overview

14.2.2 Role of Agilent Technologies, Inc. in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.2.3 Financials

14.2.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3 BGI

14.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.2 Role of BGI Group in Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.3.3 SWOT Analysis

14.4 CENTOGENE AG

14.4.1 Company Overview

14.4.2 Role of Centogene AG in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.4.3 SWOT Analysis

14.5 Fulgent Genetics, Inc.

14.5.1 Company Overview

14.5.2 Role of Fulgent Genetics, Inc. in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.5.3 Financials

14.5.4 SWOT Analysis

14.6 F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd

14.6.1 Company Overview

14.6.2 Role of F. Hoffman-LA Roche Ltd in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.6.3 Financials

14.6.4 SWOT Analysis

14.7 Igenomix

14.7.1 Company Overview

14.7.2 Role of Igenomix in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.7.3 SWOT Analysis

14.8 Illumina, Inc.

14.8.1 Company Overview

14.8.2 Role of Illumina, Inc. in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.8.3 Financials

14.8.4 SWOT Analysis

14.9 Invitae Corporation

14.9.1 Company Overview

14.9.2 Role of Invitae Corporation in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.9.3 Financials

14.9.4 SWOT Analysis

14.1 Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

14.10.1 Company Overview

14.10.2 Role of Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.10.3 Financials

14.10.4 SWOT Analysis

14.11 PerkinElmer, Inc.

14.11.1 Company Overview

14.11.2 Role of PerkinElmer, Inc. in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.11.3 Financials

14.11.4 SWOT Analysis

14.12 Myriad Genetics, Inc.

14.12.1 Company Overview

14.12.2 Role of Myriad Genetics, Inc. in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.12.3 Financials

14.12.4 Key Insights About Financial Health of the Company

14.12.5 SWOT Analysis

14.13 OPKO Health, Inc.

14.13.1 Company Overview

14.13.2 Role of OPKO Health, Inc. in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.13.3 Financials

14.13.4 SWOT Analysis

14.14 Quest Diagnostics

14.14.1 Company Overview

14.14.2 Role of Quest Diagnostics in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.14.3 Financials

14.14.4 SWOT Analysis

14.15 QIAGEN N.V.

14.15.1 Company Overview

14.15.2 Role of QIAGEN N.V. in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.15.3 Financials

14.15.4 SWOT Analysis

14.16 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

14.16.1 Company Overview

14.16.2 Role of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. in the Global Reproductive Genetics Market

14.16.3 Financials

14.16.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yp0vmf

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

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press@researchandmarkets.com



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SOURCE Research and Markets
We really wanted to give our younger visitors a chance to reimagine the space, Crawford said. Because otherwise they walk into the space and they see the labels and, especially if theyre younger, theyre not going to want to read six paragraphs about James Monroe.

The scavenger hunt has two levels. Petite Patriots is for preschool and lower elementary and Exploring Eagles is for upper elementary.

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Crawford and the museums 202021 Bowley Scholar, Hannah St. Onge, developed the new scavenger hunt over six months this fall and winter, while the museum was closed to the public.

Crawford said museums have been working to move away from the be quiet, listen, look and dont touch model.

Its not patron, but participant, she said.

Challenging this idea means not just more interactive experiences like the QR scavenger hunt, but also not avoiding difficult aspects of Monroes life, such as his ownership of slaves.

He lived quite a life and we present topics that are not just about him, such as the enslaved population on his properties and the women in his life, and you see that with our programming, Crawford said.
SOLWAY, Minn. (AP)  Hundreds of protesters vowing to do whatever it takes to stop a Canadian-based company's push to replace an aging pipeline blocked a pump station Monday in northern Minnesota, with some people chaining themselves to construction equipment before police began making arrests.
Police say unidentified gunmen have shot dead a lawyer in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Bannu police spokesman Asif Hassan told RFE/RL that the lawyer, Bashir Rahman Burki, was on his way home from a local court in the city of Bannu on June 14 when two men on a motorcycle opened fire and killed him.

Hassan said the gunmen escaped after the attack. He said police have launched an investigation.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing.

A brother of Burki told RFE/RL that his family had no enemies in the area.

Bannu is located close to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan tribal district, which was once a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban.

Separately, a Pakistani lawyer who won acquittal for a Christian couple on blasphemy charges has asked for a security detail after he received death threats by Muslim extremists.

Shafqat Emmanuel Masih and his wife, Shughufta Kausar Masih, had spent eight years on death row while waiting for a court to hear their appeal against an earlier blasphemy conviction.

The trial court had convicted the couple on flimsy evidence linking them to an English-language text message that had been sent to a local Islamic cleric. The couple is illiterate in their own language and does not speak English.

Their attorney, Saiful Mulook, said on June 14 that he and his family have been threatened repeatedly since a court earlier in June overturned the couple's conviction.

The ruling came after a debate in the European Parliament highlighted the plight of the Christian couple along with serious systemic faults in the application of Pakistan's blasphemy laws.

Pakistan's Bar Council, the biggest union of lawyers in the country, has condemned the threats to Mulook and called on the government to ensure his security.

Mulook also faced death threats from Islamic extremists when he defended Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who spent almost a decade on death row after she'd been wrongly accused of blasphemy. Her plight also drew global attention to Pakistans controversial laws.

Bibi was acquitted in 2018 but had to relocate to Canada due to threats to her life.

Mulook fled to the Netherlands in 2018 but returned to Pakistan a year later and volunteered to defend Masih and his wife.

With reporting by dpa
A U.S. diplomat has told RFE/RL that negotiations are still under way in Qatar's capital, Doha, between representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban, but are proceeding slowly. U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Afghanistan Ross Wilson said on June 14 that a "forced takeover" of Afghanistan by the Taliban would be against the group's own interests. Wilson spoke to RFE/RL's Central Newsroom and Radio Free Afghanistan via a video link from Kabul.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 56F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 56F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Sacramento adopts hardware-based authentication

About 500 city workers in Sacramento, Calif., are using portable multifactor authentication technology to better protect networks.

As phishing scams and account takeover attempts targeting city workers increased, the IT department set a goal of implementing more restrictive but easy-to-use security measures and landed on multifactor authentication. IT officials tried various approaches: a one-time password that workers got via a phone call when they needed it, SMS messages that provided several-digit codes and mobile authenticators, or apps that provide one-time use codes to access devices or programs.

All those were really good, but the major challenge that we faced was with a lot of our employees, they dont receive a city-issued mobile device or receive a stipend, like a tech allowance, so we cant mandate having these employees use their personal devices to receive just that code, said Curtis Chiuu, principal systems engineer for the city.

He learned about Yubicos YubiKey, a hardware-based authentication device, at a conference in 2018 and after testing it with IT staff, deployed it to field workers who use virtual-private networks to connect remotely. When most employees became remote last year due to work-from-home orders, Sacramento distributed more of the devices.

To use it, workers register the key through the security settings of a supported device and select two-factor authentication. On a computer, they insert the YubiKey into a USB port and touch it to verify that the user is human. For phones with near field communication, users tap an NFC-enabled YubiKey to authenticate.

The city placed an order for another 500 devices on May 26, potentially doubling the number of users there, said Jeff Phillips, Yubicos head of public-sector sales. Chiuu said its unlikely that all 4,500 city employees will get one, although he said he would be ecstatic if they did.

Malicious actors are changing the display names or changing the language in the email [so that it] looks legit, and you really have to focus on that, he said of phishing emails. In the past, phishing victims have replied to these scam emails by sending usernames and passwords or confidential data. Thats one of the biggest issues that were facing, he said.

Between the end of April and the end of May, the city scanned about 3.5 million emails, 2,000 of which it identified as phishing. About 2,800 messages had malicious URLs.

The citys battle against phishing and account takeover attacks is common governmentwide, Phillips said. Thats why multifactor is so important -- because someone cannot take over your account, someone cannot take over your email, he said. If they did take over your email, who cares if they have your username and password because you have a second authenticator that you have to use in order to gain access.

He recognized that adding another device that users must manually activate is counter to todays push for automation, but Phillips said the human element is crucial to authentication and effective security. For instance, if a YubiKey is lost or stolen, thats not a threat because a bad actor would need to also know the device holders username, password and what services they use the key to access.

Many agencies encourage workers to use the key not only for work but also for personal transactions such as online shopping or banking because it increases that users overall cyber protection, Phillips said.

Chiuu said his organization tries to market that to workers because it covers that person entirely in a 360[-degree] environment. Were even better off than what we were before.

Whats more, the approach aligns with the shift to zero-trust security, he added. Over the years, the threats and how were being attacked has changed, Chiuu said. It used to be you had a firewall and you secured that firewall and your border and you stopped threats from occurring there. Now its not about the border but people inside or connecting anywhere and no boundary.

The New York Air National Guard is another YubiKey customer. Because the key meets Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 and is approved by the Defense Department as an alternative to personal identity verification (PIV) and common access card (CAC) credentials, guard members may use it as needed to access state and first responder systems at the highest security assurance level specified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology: Authenticator Assurance Level 3, which is based on proof of possession of a key through a cryptographic protocol.

Its now going to propagate to probably the other 49 states over the next few years, Phillips said.

This month, Yubico announced the launch of YubiHSM 2 FIPS, or the YubiKey 5 FIPS Series. It is the first set of multiprotocol keys with support for FIDO2 and WebAuthn authentication, along with PIV and CAC, to receive FIPS-2 validation. Its available in six form factors: YubiKey 5 NFC, YubiKey 5C NFC, and YubiKey 5Ci, which support USB-A, USB-C, NFC and Lightning mobile connections.

This article was changed June 15 to remove a sentence that said Yubico could deactivate a Yubikey. That was inaccurate.
INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Observability: The foundation of zero-trust networks

In December, Defense Information Systems Agency Director and Vice Adm. Nancy A. Norton announced that the immense increase in work-from-home arrangements within the Department of Defense has expanded the cyberattack surface of agencies. This is why, she said, the DOD is determined to transition to a zero-trust architecture.

We are being attacked in the cyber domain constantly, she said, with state and non-state actors generating more than a billion cyber events a month on our networks across every DOD component around the world. We are moving towards more micro-segmentation in this cybersecurity model with zero trust. It will apply to our data and critical resources from our data centers to our mobile devices.

More recently, Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha told lawmakers in March testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that the White House will push agencies to move toward a zero-trust paradigm. He cited Russias massive hack of SolarWinds software last year -- in which adversaries easily accessed emails at the Treasury, Justice, Commerce and other departments -- as an urgency driver for a major overhaul in cybersecurity policies and practices. Successful implementation will require a shift in mindset and focus at all levels within federal agencies, he said.

So what is zero trust? At its core, it is about following the tenets of never trust, always verify. Security teams must assume the network is hostile, with threats either already inside the virtual gate or plotting to gain entry. Palo Alto Networks -- where John Kindervag, one of the first analysts to champion zero trust, once served as field CTO -- describes zero trust as requiring consistent visibility, enforcement and control that can be delivered directly on a device or via the cloud. The concept inevitably involves the enforcement of least privilege, limiting access to only that needed to perform an approved/authorized function.

Fortunately, this transition is well underway: Nearly one-half of federal government IT decision-makers report their agency is substantially on the way to adopting zero trust to protect access to agency resources, according to research from Duo Security. Seven of 10 say zero trust has emerged as a greater priority as more apps and devices access agency resources.

However, 53% respondents say they are average at best at limiting access to individual enterprise resources on a per-connection basis, and 48% indicate they are average at best at allowing access to resources according to existing policy and observable user behavioral attributes. Forty-two percent admit they are average at best at enforcing dynamic and strict user authentication before access is allowed. All three of these capabilities are considered foundational building blocks for an optimal zero-trust architecture.

Given the challenges, CISOs and their teams should focus on a single, essential capability as they seek implementation: absolute observability. Without it, there simply is no zero trust.

ON2IT, the security company where Kindervag currently serves as senior vice president of cybersecurity strategy, recommends that organizations start small by drawing up a zero-trust risk map. To do so, they must define their protect surface by identifying and classifying every app and user regardless of where they exist. Without this complete visibility of the entire cyber ecosystem, agencies cannot develop an adequate risk map.

Then, agency CISOs and their teams must track all transaction flows, which is where observability -- or, to be more specific, automatic and intelligent observability -- again proves indispensable. With this, they continuously monitor and capture all data from logs, metrics and end-to-end transactions, deploying artificial intelligence to set performance baselines and automatically identify anomalous and potentially threatening activity in the interest of enforcing least privilege.

Its encouraging to see that the federal government is committing to zero trust. But agencies will never get there unless they can get a grasp on what is talking to what, 24/7/365, throughout the entire enterprise. They must arrive at a logical and comprehensive breakdown of what their systems are and how they work at every transaction level. By combining observability, automation and AI, agencies will achieve optimal absolute observability -- and thwart attacks such as the SolarWinds hack before they even get started.
The Worth County Fair, a staple of the Worth County community, is set to kick off later this week.

After not being able to host the event in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Worth County residents are getting excited for the return of the Worth County Fair.

Chad Nelson, the Worth County Fair Board president, said that the support for the fair has been great despite the two-year hiatus.

Its a very, very strong fair that has been supported very well by the residents of Worth County, Nelson said. Were excited to have it back.

The 2021 Worth County Fair will be the 143rd anniversary of the event, with the first Worth County Fair taking place in 1879.

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This years Worth County Fair will feature activities and events for people of all ages, including livestock shows, glass blowing and food for attendees to enjoy.

There are also events specific to each day. On Wednesday, there will be mutton busting, a rodeo on Thursday, demolition derby on Friday, tractor pulls on Saturday and the figure-eight race on Sunday.

Nelson said the Worth County fair is a great family-friendly event for the whole community.
NIACC Pappajohn Center & SBDC recognized Ross Bissen and Cole Kruse of Broad Street Diesel in Stacyville as the June 2021 Entrepreneurs of the Month

Ross Bissen and Cole Kruse founded Broad Street Diesel & Performance in 2017. After years of experience working in different shops, Bissen and Kruse felt like it was time to strike out on their own.

When it comes to diesel, Bissen said, Theres always more trucks than mechanic shops.

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One of the key steps in starting a business, according to Bissen, is making sure you have a solid foundation. The two attended the NIACC Pappajohn Centers entrepreneurial program Launch & Grow, a precursor to the current Venture School program.

Bissen and Kruse have their own advice for entrepreneurs: be ready to put in the work and make connections. Building a team of good partners in the community can make a difference in getting your business started, from economic development to key professionals like accountants, lawyers, and bankers, and especially other entrepreneurs.

We talked to other shop owners and got their advice, what they did right, what they wished theyd done differently, Bissen said. The biggest thing from day one is to put in the time and do it right.
THURSDAY, JUNE 24

THURSDAY PADDLE: Slow-paced kayak trip on the Dan River at Camilla Williams Park from 6 to 8 p.m. for $14 for ages 10 and up. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Register by Monday before the program by calling Danville Parks and Recreation at 434-799-5150.

SATURDAY, JUNE 26

FREE COMMUNITY HOT DOG LUNCH: A free community hot dog lunch will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 409 Arnett Blvd. Food can be picked up in the parking lot only.

A HISTORY OF THE MILTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: A history of the Milton Presbyterian Church will be presented at 11 a.m. by Martha Bradsher Spencer in Milton, N.C. A tour of the church will follow the presentation.

TUBING ON THE DAN: Float on the Dan River from Main Street to Anglers Park. One or two person tubes are available; life jackets are provided. Close-toed shoes are required. Ages 12 and up. For information, call Danville Parks and Recreation at 434-799-5150. Meets at Main Street Plaza, begins at 10 a.m., ends at 1 p.m. Cost is $15.
The sheriffs office and social services are in charge of their own recruitment. To attract more qualified candidates, the sheriffs office offers a $4,500 sign-on bonus, Ayers said.

For all other county positions, we use various recruiting platforms including Indeed, LinkedIn, and our county website, Ayers said. We have been posting jobs and calls to apply for open positions on our social media channels, in message boards throughout our county facilities, and are working on other ways to spread those messages in the community.

As for employee retention, the county has made pay and benefits, culture and leadership a priority to ensure that we can both attract and retain quality employees, Ayers said.

On the last business day of April, the number of job openings nationwide reached a high of 9.3 million, according to a June 8 job openings and labor turnover summary from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Job openings increased in a number of industries with the largest increases in accommodation and food services, other services, and durable goods manufacturing, according to the bureau.

Expanding reach
She spoke of her concern over the future and sustainability of farming in Virginia, an especially important issue for her given the quantity of agriculture in the 5th District. The release notes she wants to remove burdensome regulations that hampers farmers ability to sell locally.

Lowes roughly two-hour kick-off event featured live music from Willows Branch Bluegrass Band and had several guest speakers, including Philip Hamilton, a Charlottesville resident seeking to turn the Democratic 57th House District red; Brandon Howard, president of the 2nd Amendment advocacy group Right to Bear Arms Virginia; and Mike Dickinson, who recently lost in the June 8 Republican primary for the 68th House District but announced Saturday his intent to run for sheriff of Richmond.

Dickinson described Lowe as a true fighter who will stand up against entrenched politicians and the establishment.

Shes someone whos going to get out there on the front line because right now that is what we have wrong in our country and in the Republican Party, Dickinson said. We need less chihuahuas fighting for us and more junkyard dogs that will take a bite out of big government, out of big establishment and out of corruption, and thats why Im supporting Kimberly Lowe.
Recently Powhatan County Public Schools held a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for local youth ages 12 to 18. The school division administered the first of two Pfizer shots to 184 people, youngsters and adults alike.

Among those were teenage brothers William and Matthew Duty, whose mother, Robin, brought them to the clinic.

They are both traveling for a national bowling tournament in Indianapolis, and I know that is sort of a hot spot right now for COVID. We wanted to make sure they were vaccinated, Robin Duty told Powhatan Today.

She wanted to bring William, 16, and Matthew, 15, at the same time. William said he felt safe getting the vaccine and wanted to be part of the solution of keeping more people from getting sick.

After the federal and state health agencies announced on May 12 that children as young as 12 years old could receive the Pfizer vaccine, the Chesterfield Health District reached out to the school division to see if it was interested in holding a clinic, Lynn Clayton-Prince, assistant superintendent for special education/equity and diversity, explained to the newspaper.

We hope to see more of these clinics. Getting as many people vaccinated against the highly contagious virus is key to containing this global pandemic  and that applies to all ages.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Justice Department's top national security official is resigning from his position after revelations that the department secretly seized records from Democrats and members of the media.

John Demers will leave his position by the end of next week, a Justice Department official told The Associated Press on Monday. The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

The resignation comes amid questions about what Demers knew about the Justice Department's efforts to secretly seize the phone data from House Democrats and reporters as part of the aggressive investigations into leaks.

Demers, who was sworn in a few weeks after the subpoena for the Democrats' records, is a Trump appointee who has remained in the Biden administration. He is one of the few remaining Trump appointees still in office.

News emerged last week that the Justice Department had secretly subpoenaed Apple for metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and another Democratic member of the panel, California Rep. Eric Swalwell, in 2018, as their committee was investigating then-President Donald Trump's ties to Russia. Schiff at the time was the top Democrat on the panel, which was led by Republicans.
For comparison, ProPublica says the median American tax rate in recent years is 14%. But it calculates Bezos true tax rate between 2014 and 2018  i.e., factoring the growth of his assets in with his reported income  at under 1%. It says that when people like him need actual cash, they simply borrow against their massive assets. Interest on such loans runs in the single digits, and the proceeds are not considered income and therefore are not taxable.

All of this is perfectly legal, by the way. Also, perfectly infuriating.

And here, let me just say: I believe in capitalism. I believe that when you incentivize earning, you incentivize risk-taking, innovation and hard work.

But I also believe something is wrong when CEO pay rose by about 1,000% between 1978 and 2018, while worker pay edged up just 12%.

Something is wrong when working full time doesnt put a roof over your head or food on your table.

Something is wrong when an Amazon driver complains of 14-hour shifts and peeing in bottles to make his delivery quotas.

Something is wrong when employees at Tyson and other meat packers report wearing diapers to work because conveyor belts are relentless and bathroom breaks denied.
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" " Pedestrians walk past a sign in Hounslow, west London, warning members of the public about the delta variant of coronavirus. The variant of concern is now responsible for more than 90 percent of cases there. JUSTIN TALLIS/Getty Images

There are multiple coronavirus variants circulating around the globe since COVID-19 first emerged as a threat some 18 months ago. The latest one to create concern is the delta variant, first detected December 2020 in India. Considered around 60 percent more transmissible than the already highly infectious alpha variant first detected in the U.K., delta has spread to at least 80 countries, including the United States, and is now the U.K.'s most dominant strain, responsible for 91 percent of new cases.

Designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global "variant of concern" (VOC), delta is being blamed for the second deadly wave of infections that have decimated India, a country that on June 9, reached a world record daily high of more than 6,000 deaths in one day.

"It potentially could be one of the more difficult viruses to date," says Dr. Paul Goepfert, a professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an expert in vaccine design.

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What Is the Delta Variant?

Coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, is caused by a single species of virus known as SARS-CoV-2. When the original virus, also called "normal," or "wild type," replicates, or copies itself, the sequence of its molecules, called nucleotides, sometimes changes from the original virus. These changes are called mutations. Most of the time, these variations don't work or make the virus weaker.

But sometimes they can make the virus stronger, more contagious or more resistant to the immune system. These variations of the wild-type virus  or variants  catch the eye of health officials in the global SARS-CoV-2 laboratory network at the WHO's Virus Evolution Working Group. The group is tasked with quickly detecting variants and assessing their possible impact.

Delta is the fourth global variant of concern WHO has identified since the pandemic began. The three others  alpha, beta and gamma  were first identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, respectively. Scientifically, the delta variant is known as B.1.617.2.

The delta variant has become a VOC due to some mutations in the spike protein, says Mehul Suthar, assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory Vaccine Center and Yerkes National Primate Research Center.

At least four mutations in the delta variant have been associated with faster spread and/or higher infectivity based on previous variants with similar mutations.

" " The spike proteins are those red protrusions rising up from the main "ball," or lipid bilayer membrane, of the virus. Spike proteins are responsible for penetrating host cells and causing infection. Centers for Disease Control

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What Are the Symptoms of the Delta Variant?

With the wild coronavirus, you can expect to have symptoms including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.

However, the delta variant appears to be slightly different. Data gathered from the UK's ZOE COVID Symptom Study app showed people in the U.K. described headaches, sore throats, runny noses and fever to be the No. 1 symptoms.

Blood clots also are a concerning complication of COVID-19. But Dr. Ganesh Manudhane, a cardiologist in Mumbai, India, told Bloomberg he has seen a surprising number and type of blood clots in recent COVID-19 patients across age groups with no past history of abnormal clotting. Several patients developed micro thrombi, or small blood clots, so severe that some developed gangrene and required amputations of fingers or a foot. "We suspect it could be because of the new virus variant," he said.

However, it is important to note that these observations are anecdotal and not based on scientific research at this time.

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How Widespread Is Delta in the U.S.?

The mRNA vaccines are proving their worth in countries where shots are more readily available. In the U.S. just over half (53.8 percent) of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, and both new cases of COVID-19 and related deaths have been trending downward.

Ironically, India is home to the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, but is struggling with a major internal shortage of shots. A little more than 10 percent of the country's population has received one.

But as of June 30, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is estimating the delta variant is responsible for one in four new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., and that the highly contagious variant is in every state.

"When you have such a low level of vaccination superimposed upon a variant that has a high degree of efficiency of spread, what you are going to see among undervaccinated regions  be that states, cities or counties  you're going to see these individual types of blips," Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the president, told CNN June 29. "It's almost like it's going to be two Americas."

This information comes just one week after a June 22 White House COVID-19 Response Team press briefing when Fauci said cases of the delta variant have already doubled in about two weeks. In early May, the delta variant accounted for just 1.2 percent of cases, he said in that briefing.

The dominant strain in the U.S. currently is still the alpha variant, known by the scientific name B.1.1.7. But Fauci warned that delta could soon become the dominant strain in the U.S. as well. "The delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19," he said in the press briefing June 22.

And one age group where cases are climbing the most is among the 12- to 20-year-olds. One reason may be because this age group is among the last to get vaccinated, Goepfert says.

"Initially we try to vaccinate our older population and rightfully so and we're seeing the benefits of that in decreased hospitalizations," Goepfert says. "But now we're seeing [infections] that are mainly in younger people and we're focusing on the fact it's not a completely benign infection in younger people. They're not as at-risk but they have problems too with this and some of them get really, really sick."

" " Share of population who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Our World in Data

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Do COVID Vaccines Protect Against the Delta Variant?

It's too early to say for sure whether approved COVID-19 vaccines protect against the delta variant, Goepfert says, but early data is promising.

According to a preprint study conducted in the U.K., one dose of the two-dose Pfizer vaccine provided about 33 percent protection against the delta variant. Two doses were 88 percent effective.

No data has been published, to date, on the efficacy of the two other vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use in the U.S.  the two-shot Moderna vaccine or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine  against the delta variant. But Fauci said in the June 22 press briefing he believes in the vaccines' efficacy.

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Should You Mask Up Indoors Again?

However, the CDC notes the delta variant might be able to avoid the antibodies our bodies produce after a vaccination or coronavirus infection. And for those who do get infected, the monoclonal antibody treatments (or treatments for those who have COVID-19) might be less effective against the delta variant. And that's not good because a study published June 14 in the science journal the Lancet found that those infected by the delta variant were about twice as likely to be hospitalized than those infected by the alpha variant.

City officials in Los Angeles have taken note and on June 28, the L.A. County Department of Public Health recommended residents wear masks in public indoor spaces, whether they were vaccinated or not. However, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murth wouldn't go that far.

"It's important to recognize the reason these measures are being taken and that's because people are looking at delta and they're worried ... because we've learned that this variant is highly transmissible, the most transmissible to date," Murth said on CNN. "The good news is if you are vaccinated  fully vaccinated meaning two weeks after your last shot, then there is good evidence that you have a high degree of protection against this virus. But if you are not vaccinated, then you are in trouble." He said L.A. and other localities encouraging masking indoors again are being perfectly reasonable in making efforts to mitigate the spread.

Both Moderna and Pfizer's COVID vaccines are made using mRNA technology. Previous studies have shown that a full double-dose of Pfizer's or Moderna's vaccine provides 95 percent and 94 percent protection against the original virus, respectively. Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine, which uses a modified adenovirus, was found 72 percent effective against the wild-type virus.

"The effectiveness of the vaccines  in this case, two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech  was 88 percent effective against the delta and 93 percent effective against the alpha when you're dealing with symptomatic disease," Fauci said. "We have the tools, so let's use them and crush the outbreak."

Now That's Interesting The WHO began naming these coronavirus variants after letters of the Greek alphabet to simplify the scientific names and avoid stigmatizing countries from where the new strains originate. For example, when South Africa identified a mutated strain of the virus fueling its second wave of COVID cases in late 2020, scientists referred to it as 501Y.V2. But media outlets started calling it "the South African variant" instead.

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Originally Published: Jun 14, 2021
Though he may not officially take over until July 1, incoming Helena Public Schools Superintendent Rex Weltz has taken a hands-on approach throughout the transition process.

For the last several months, Weltz has been working alongside outgoing Superintendent Tyler Ream, who is stepping down at the end of the month after three years with the school district.

"It's been really helpful to transition in a backup role to Tyler," Weltz said. "It's also nice to have a slow transition into it."

The board of education unanimously selected Weltz as the new superintendent following a public interview process in February. In March, the board unanimously approved his two-year employment contract with an annual base salary of $172,500.

Typically, Weltz said, a new superintendent would show up to work on the first day and begin to learn about the district. But the learning curve is not so steep for Weltz, who has been learning about the district for the last year in his role as principal of Rossiter Elementary School. Weltz said he got to see a lot about how the district operates and what teachers and staff go through during his time at Rossiter.
A wildfire in Broadwater County sparked by a down power line swelled Sunday, temporarily closing U.S. Highway 12 between Townsend and White Sulphur Springs.

The fire was reported about 3:45 p.m. in Deep Creek Canyon, U.S. Forest Service Officer David Nunn said Sunday, adding it had burned through 200 acres as of 7 p.m. The fire is in the south end of the Big Belt Mountains in the Townsend Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.

Nunn said five pieces of aviation were being used to fight the blaze and 50 personnel from Broadwater County, the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Meagher County and U.S. Forest Service resources were being used.

He said an additional 150 firefighters were on order, adding that temperatures were expected to be over 100 degrees Monday. The fire was burning through a combination of grass, timber, juniper shrubs and trees with beetle kill.

Broadwater County Sheriff Wynn M. Meehan said late Sunday the fire was started by a down power line.

The Broadwater County Sheriffs Office posted that it shut down U.S. 12 east of Townsend at about mile marker 18. The forest service said later that people could travel the roadway, but that the sheriff was asking travelers to find an alternate route.
In about 30 days, after the asphalt has time to cure, crews will begin the pavement grooving process, cutting grooves into the surface to allow for better drainage and traction for aircraft. That work will also occur overnight during nonoperational hours.

Even painting the massive runway was no small feat, with more than 6.8 acres of paint needed. Wadekamper said the weather cooperated nicely to allow the paint crew to do its work.

"They were able to work around those windy periods," he said. "I've already heard several people comment that it looks good."

Funding of the $10.8 million project is coming entirely from the federal government. The lion's share is covered by the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program, which is funded through taxes collected on all airline tickets, air cargo and aviation fuel. Typically with FAA grants, a small portion of the total project cost needs to be paid for by the airport as a local match.

With the airport's revenue nose-diving in 2020, Wadekamper said the airport authority was unsure if it would be able to come up with the matching obligation. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act, the Helena Airport Authority received additional federal funds to cover that cost.
She said more than 50 libraries had planned Census Week at the Library for mid-April, which was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stapp said libraries pushed out information on social media sites from April through September.

She said they supported self-reporting with library WiFi and, as permitted by local conditions and regulations, allowed in-library access to computers and made access to library computers for self-reporting a priority. In cities such as Great Falls, they also brought mobile hot spots and tablets to shelters and outdoor events to promote self-reporting.

Other efforts included gift cards for completing a census, trivia games, coloring books for childrens summer reading programs and Its not too late to be counted activities.

And Stapp said they made sure the census had addresses for newly built homes and accurate information for housing units.

John Finn, director of the Lewis and Clark Library, said he served on the countywide "Complete Count Committee" with county commissioners and staff, social service officers, and census personnel to determine the best way to get the highest turnout possible for the county. The library was also going through a $6 million remodeling project at the time.
CHICAGO  The number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois continued to drop over the weekend with the state's seven-day positivity rate on all tests remaining under 1%.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 298 new and confirmed cases on Sunday, along with 11 new deaths.

At the same time, more than half of the state's adult population has been fully vaccinated.

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Overall, Illinois has logged more than 1.3 million infections. The death toll from the coronavirus is 23,061.

Illinois fully reopened on Friday since pandemic-related closures and restrictions were put in place more than a year ago. Chicago, which hasn't always lined up with state restrictions, also reopened Friday.

People who are not vaccinated must still wear a face covering indoors, and everyone will still need to wear masks inside health care facilities, jails, shelters, schools, taxis and on public transportation. Businesses can still opt to require people to wear masks on their premises.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland addressed concerns that the Justice Department was taking positions that benefited Trump or his policies when he testified before a Senate subcommittee.

In response to a question from Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), Garland said that the job of the Justice Department in making decisions of law is not to back any administration, previous or present. Our job is to represent the American people and our job in doing so is to ensure adherence to the rule of law.

Garland also drew a distinction between law and policy, noting that the Biden administration had reversed several decisions by the Trump administration in the latter category. The White House has characterized as policy direction President Joe Bidens decision that the department will no longer seek the phone and email records of reporters as part of leak investigations.

The distinction Garland drew between law and policy is arguably too neat. For example, when the Obama Justice Department declined to defend a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act in court, policy seemed as important as legal considerations.
3. Can any candidate from the western part of the state hope to win a statewide race? Given the states demographics that shift eastward (and northward) with every election, its hard. However, we cant say the answer is always going to be no because Rasoul showed a possible path. His second-place finish was better than the third and fourth place vote totals put together, and Mark Levine of Alexandria and Andria McClellan of Norfolk had the advantage of a base in the urban crescent. In most of Northern Virginia, Rasoul polled a very respectable second. In massive Fairfax County, Ayala took 33.5% to Rasouls 28.4%  pretty impressive considering that Ayala came from next door and was presumably already part of the local political conversation and Rasoul came from west of the Blue Ridge and was a new figure.

Rasoul conceivably could have won if not for some factors he had no control over. First, there was a sentiment among some Democratic voters that they shouldnt nominate an all-male ticket and with McAuliffe and Herring winning big, that meant the only option for diversity was to nominate a woman for lieutenant governor. Second, the party establishment  notably Gov. Ralph Northam and House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn  lined up behind Ayala. As we saw in the overall results, the Democratic establishment counts for a lot. Third, Rasoul was hurt by the weakness of some of the other candidates. He especially did not fare well in Hampton Roads  but neither did the local candidate, Andria McClellan. She didnt win her hometown; she didnt win anywhere, which opened the way for Ayala to roll up margins there. Still, McClellan would have had to more than double her performance, and take all those votes from Ayala, for Rasoul to have won. Rasoul did part of what he had to do  maximize his western base, be competitive in Northern Virginia, but then his luck ran out.
NEW YORK (AP)  U.S. health officials Monday announced a one-year ban on bringing in dogs from more than 100 countries where rabies is still a problem.

Dogs coming in from those countries already needed proof of rabies vaccination. The ban is being imposed because of a spike in the number of puppies denied entry because they weren't old enough to be fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The ban goes into effect July 14.

Douglas Kratt, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, applauded the decision.

We want to make sure were bringing healthy dogs into the country  especially if they are going to be pets, said Kratt, a veterinarian in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The ban applies to dogs coming into or returning to the country, including pets or those brought in for sale or adoption. For example, if an American couple took their dog to Belize, they wouldn't be able to bring the dog back to the U.S. unless the dog first spends six months in a country that is not at a high risk for rabies.
State milk prices may finally be returning to normal following wild fluctuations due to the health pandemic. Theres a reason milk prices varied so greatly  geography.

The dairy industry is one of the most geographically dispersed sectors when considering all major U.S. agricultural commodity production. The largest five dairy states based on milk production include California, Wisconsin, Idaho, New York, and Texas. Not only do each represent a different geographical area of the nation, these states stretch from the Atlantic Ocean (New York) to the Pacific Ocean (California) and from the Canadian border (Idaho) to the Mexican border (Texas) . . . with Wisconsin being centered in the Midwest.

Just as the location of major milk producers are scattered around the country, there also exists large differences in the types of dairy products that utilize the milk produced in these different regions. While the pooling of milk into Federal Milk Marketing Orders would typically tend to keep milk price relationships fairly consistent among producers in different states, last year saw a record amount of milk being depooled, leading to a wide range of state all milk prices.



Double the price diversity

The range of milk price differences relative to the previous year among the five geographically diverse states in the accompanying graphic only exceeded $3 per hundredweight (cwt.) three times for all of the months of 2013 to 2019 (84 months), but was exceeded four times from June to December of 2020 (seven months). That included an increase in Idahos All-Milk price of $2.80 per cwt. versus year ago in June 2020. Thats the same time when Floridas All-Milk price declined by $4.80 against the previous year.

Even as state milk price relationships have begun to return to a more typical historical alignment in 2021, it is instructive to understand the impacts of policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program clearly provided support to the U.S. dairy industry as a whole, not to mention the benefit of the food provided to those in need, it did result in a much steeper rise in cheese prices than other products, encouraging more depooling of milk and contributing to diverging All-Milk prices, between many states.



Policymakers were forced into rapid action as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many dairy producers benefited greatly from government actions taken, some unintended consequences came about as a result. Examining the variance in state milk prices that occurred during 2020 can be instructive to dairy industry leaders and policymakers when crafting future dairy policy.









To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021

June 14, 2021
Virus Outbreak State Aid Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ryan Mishler, center speaks with a fellow senator during an April 1, 2021, Senate session at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. Mishler's committee dedicated $75 million from the state's federal COVID-19 relief funding toward a new program helping workers obtain short-term training certifications despite the concept receiving little public discussion and few details on the money would be spent. (AP Photo/Tom Davies)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana legislators scrambled in the final days of their session to make decisions on spending the states $3 billion share of the $350 billion in federal coronavirus relief money approved this year for state and local governments.

Like many states, they directed aid to schools, businesses, highway construction and bailing out depleted unemployment insurance accounts. But with much of the money unallocated, budget writers also grabbed onto an idea floated by a local tech millionaire for a revolving loan program aimed at helping workers obtain short-term training certifications to advance their careers.

In an example of how states are casting for ways to spend the federal influx, Indianas budget negotiators wrote in $75 million for the Career Accelerator Program  nearly triple the $27 million going to a 2% increase for the state's higher education system.

It's also more than three times what the Legislature appropriated to Republican Gov. Eric Holcombs Next Level Jobs program two years ago, and nearly double what lawmakers re-injected into his jobs program for the next biennium.

The concept is outlined in just 80 lines of legal text in the 233-page state budget bill and will be overseen by a little-known state agency that hasnt operated such programs before and whose leaders were only approached by legislative staff a week before the final budget vote about taking on the task.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ryan Mishler said the funding figure seemed to be a good number to start with, but admitted that he and other Republican budget writers didnt have much time to develop operating specifics for the program.

If it was general fund money, you know, maybe I would have put more thought into the dollar amount, but it seemed like it was a good use of the federal funds, Mishler said. The funds were available for it, so lets do it. Had it not been for the federal funds, I probably would have rethought the dollar amount.

Story continues

About two-thirds of states have passed budgets for next year, with others expected to do so soon. Some, such as Indiana, have been directing pandemic relief aid to new job-training programs.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsoms latest budget proposal includes 35 workforce development proposals. More than $3 billion planned for the programs is slated to come from $26 billion in fiscal relief money.

The states nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office criticized Newsom's proposals as having notable resources and no overarching plan or clear set of goals, noting that many programs are also new and so large that agencies likely lack the capacity to administer them in a timely way.

Legislators in New Mexico put coronavirus relief money into programs that they had refused to fund at the same levels with regular state revenue, including $100 million to fully fund tuition for in-state college students and $10 million toward tourism advertising. The state's governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, vetoed the appropriations and has not come forward yet with her own detailed proposal.

Indiana's hefty spending on the Career Accelerator Fund is another example of states unexpectedly finding themselves flush with cash despite predictions last year of budget deficits caused by the coronavirus shutdown. With the $75 million expenditure not needed to keep an existing program afloat, legislators had the luxury of creating a program with little thought given to specifics.

Democratic state Rep. Ed DeLaney, a member of the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said Republicans werent open in deciding how the federal money should be spent and the career accelerator program had no public discussions.

DeLaney said it didnt make sense to put so much money toward a new program when Republicans pushed for Gov. Eric Holcomb to pull Indiana from federal programs that provided an extra $300 in weekly payments to unemployed workers and expanded jobless benefits during the pandemic.

This program gets $75 million for having done nothing, DeLaney said. Based upon its lack of existence, let alone success, they get $75 million. ... The governors talking practically in crisis terms that we dont have workers, and this program isnt even set up and its funded."

Indianas INvestEd, an agency focused on college financial aid literacy and administering student loans, will oversee the Career Accelerator Fund. Mishler said lawmakers tapped the state-created nonprofit because it already manages millions of dollars in loans.

Bill Wozniak, INvestEds vice president of marketing, said House Republicans chose the organization to run the program a week before the legislative session ended. He said planning remains preliminary, with the agency still working out how it will select qualified degree programs and how many staffers it will need to coordinate it before funds become available July 1.

Tech entrepreneur Scott Jones, who made millions from selling an early voicemail system and has started several companies, launched the Career Accelerator Fund in 2019 as a nonprofit pilot program intending eventually to turn it over to the state. He said the program could help thousands of Indiana residents obtain short-term vocational certificates in the state's high-demand career fields.

Jones pointed to his Eleven Fifty Academy, a separate organization that trains students for tech-oriented careers, which he said is setting the bar for educational providers that stand to benefit from the fund. The Indianapolis-based academy offers courses in coding, software development and cybersecurity. It boasts a 91% graduation rate, with 80% of students finding jobs within two months of completing the program.

Jones has given more than $900,000 in political contributions to state Republican campaigns and committees since 1999, but no significant donations in the last decade.

The new fund is intended to become self-sustaining with fewer anticipated defaults compared to federal loan programs, and by capturing for up to 10 years the growth in income tax revenue expected to be generated by those who complete the training and get a better job.

The text establishing the fund sketches out a program under which participants would enroll in credentialed courses such as computer programing, manufacturing, health care, logistics and aviation that take up to six months to complete and result in graduates finding jobs that pay at least 20% more than what they had earned. Recipients would be expected to repay the interest-free loans in installments based on their new monthly income.

Chris Watts, president of the nonpartisan Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, said the $75 million decision was a little eyebrow-raising."

This certainly didnt get as much discussion as some other (federal stimulus) spending in the budget hearings, which of course we would have liked to see, Watts said. But what were going to be looking for now is if these short-term programs are able to get folks out there and earning a higher wage. If they can, I think well look back on this as a good investment of those dollars.

___

AP writers Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Adam Beam in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.

___

Casey Smith 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.
Scores of people including German citizens and Hongkongers jointly organized a protest on June 12, at Alexander Platz, Berlin.

Berlin [Germany], June 14 (ANI): On the second anniversary of the pro-democracy uprising in Hong Kong, scores of people including German citizens and Hongkongers jointly organized a protest in Berlin, Germany.

Nearly 100 protestors including representatives of Tibetans and Uyghurs participated in the protest at Alexanderplatz, a large public square in the capital city, on June 12 against the widespread human rights abuse by the Chinese government.

Demonstrations were staged in several cities across the globe on Saturday to commemorate the second anniversary of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Since June last year, the sweeping national security law Beijing imposed on the city is being used to stifle political opposition and anti-government protests. The law has dramatically expanded China's grip on the semi-autonomous city, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.

Spanning across 50 cities, activists and supporters from 20 countries participated in the campaign for Hong Kong. Protests were held in several countries including the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Additionally, virtual events were scheduled in cities such as Bangkok and Taipei, due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

On June 12, 2019, clashes erupted between police and demonstrators outside the Legislative Council after thousands of people protested against an extradition bill that was scheduled for its second reading in the chamber that day. The legislation was finally withdrawn months later.

As things stand, the pro-China authorities have adopted a heavy-handed approach in Hong Kong and have taken actions against demonstrators. Meanwhile, members of the international community have asked Beijing for a course correction. (ANI)
EAM Jaishankar with Kenyan Ministers on Monday (SOurce: S Jaishankar/Twitter)

Nairobi [Kenya], June 14 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held a ministerial roundtable meeting with Kenyan ministers, wherein he discussed building a comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar thanked his Kenyan counterpart Raychelle Omamo for chairing the meet, while thanking other Kenyan ministers for their contributions

"Discussed building a comprehensive partnership at the Ministerial Roundtable today. Thank FM Raychelle Omamo for chairing," he tweeted.

"And Defence Minister @CSDefence_Kenya, Trade & Industry Minister @maina_betty, ICT Minister @mucheru, Energy Minister @ketercharles, Asst Treasury Minister Nelson Gaichuhie, Asst Health Minister Rashid Abdi Aman& Interior Secretary @Karanjakibicho for their valuable contributions," he added.

The external affairs minister in another tweet said that he appreciated the ideas, enthusiasm and commitment of all participants.

Jaishankar will be in Kenya from June 12-14, confirmed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier.

Jaishankar will also meet with other ministers of the Kenyan government to take forward the India-Kenya relationship. The development partnership is an important aspect of the relationship between the two countries which the visit will seek to deepen.

The external affairs minister will also interact with the Indian-origin community, which is an important bridge between India and Kenya.

Meanwhile, India and Kenya are currently serving in the United Nations Security Council and are also members of the Commonwealth. Kenya is an active member of the African Union, with which India has long-standing ties. (ANI)
Social media platforms have been flooded by the appeals of patients and their relatives for blood donation, amid the second wave of coronavirus in India. The government, in its guidelines, has clarified who can and cannot donate blood.

Are you even eligible to donate blood? Who should refrain from donating blood?

On World Blood Donors Day, heres a look at how exactly you can help.

I was infected with COVID-19. Can I donate blood?



Yes, you can. The guidelines say you can donate blood 14 days after your two-week isolation and treatment, if infected with COVID-19.

I have received my first shot of vaccine against COVID-19. When can I donate blood?



You can donate blood two weeks after receiving your first jab. The same rule applies for donation after the second dose of vaccine.

I have never donated blood. But what are the rules if I want to donate now?



Anyone above 18 years of age is allowed to donate blood

They should weigh above 45 kg and should not be sick with any kind of bacterial, fungal or viral infection at the time of donation

Also Read: FAQ: How Effective Are COVID Vaccines Against Delta Variant?

I am pregnant. Can I donate blood?



No. Pregnant and breast-feeding women are not allowed to donate blood in India.

Will I be tested for COVID-19 before donating blood?



You will not be tested for COVID-19 before donating blood. However, your temperature will be checked and all standard procedures will be followed.

Who else must refrain from donating blood?



Those who have come in contact with a COVID positive case or is suspected to have contracted COVID or someone who is under quarantine, must refrain from donating blood for 28 days.

Individuals cannot donate blood for 28 days after departing from a country where there has been community transmission of coronavirus.

Those who have tested positive for COVID-19 must wait until they recover completely, before donating blood.

Also Read: FAQ: What Happens if I Miss My Second Dose of COVID Vaccine?

Story continues

How often can I donate blood?



The minimum time advised between two donations is three months. This gap helps blood regain the normal haemoglobin count.

But what happens if I test positive for coronavirus after donating blood?

If you test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of donating blood, you must inform the blood camp authorities. The un-utilised blood should be discarded.

Can blood transfusion cause coronavirus?



There has been no reported case of any one contracting coronavirus during the blood donation or blood transfusion process. Medical organisations and the WHO have encouraged healthy people to continue donating blood during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also Read: FAQ: What Are Vaccine Passports? Why is India Opposing Them?

I want to donate blood. Where can I get information about blood camps?



A 24*7 helpline service by Indian Red Cross is available and the numbers are 011-23359379, 93199 82104, 93199 82105. You can call on these numbers to donate blood or if you know someone who is in need.

You can also use the National Health Missions e-Rakt Kosh  an online portal that helps people find donation camps across the country and provides blood stock information. The portal will also provide you a pass to step out of your house, during lockdown, for blood donation.

Are there any particular protocols I must follow while donating blood?



Not really. Blood collection centres must adhere to the norms of social distancing. You will be asked to maintain physical distance and use sanitiser.

Donors are asked to wear masks, headcaps, gloves and shoe covers

Doctors and nurses are to take proper protective measures (PPE)

Every time the couch is cleaned with 1% Hypochlorite and a new couch sheet is used

History of blood donors is taken on phone to confirm their fitness criteria

Also Read: FAQ: I Will Be Studying Abroad  Is Vaccine Mandatory for Travel?

. Read more on F.A.Q by The Quint.New Delta Plus COVID Variant Found: Should We Be Concerned?CBSE Marking Formula: How Will Class 12 Results Be Calculated? . Read more on F.A.Q by The Quint.
UK's Johnson delays COVID reopening by a month, citing Delta variant risk People sit at an outdoor restaurant on the South Bank during sunny weather, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London

By Alistair Smout and William James

LONDON (Reuters) -Prime Minister Boris Johnson delayed his plans to lift most remaining COVID-19 restrictions by a month on Monday, warning that thousands more people might die if he did nothing because of the rapid spread of the more infectious Delta variant.

Under the final stage of a plan outlined by Johnson in February, he had hoped to lift most social restrictions on June 21, meaning pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and other hospitality venues could fully reopen.

That much-anticipated step was pushed back to July 19.

"I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer," Johnson told a news conference. "As things stand, and on the evidence that I can see right now, I'm confident that we will not need more than four weeks."

The extra time would be used to speed up Britain's vaccination programme - already one of the world's furthest advanced - by shortening the recommended time between doses for those aged over 40 to eight weeks from 12 weeks.

The situation would be reviewed on June 28, which could allow the reopening to be brought forward, although Johnson's spokesman said that was considered unlikely.

In recent weeks there has been fast growth in new cases caused by the Delta variant, first discovered in India. Health officials believe it is 60% more transmissible than the previous dominant strain and scientists have warned that it could trigger a third wave of infections.

The opposition Labour Party blamed the government for the delay, saying it had been too slow to close borders to travellers from India.

On Monday, Britain recorded 7,742 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths. Johnson said the number of cases was growing by about 64% per week and the number of people in hospitals' intensive care units was rising.

"By being cautious now we have the chance in the next four weeks to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more people," he said.

Story continues

Britain has officially reported almost 128,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, the seventh highest number globally.

Monday's decision was based on scientific modelling which showed that, if the reopening went ahead as planned, under some scenarios hospitalisations could match those in March last year when ministers feared the health system could be overwhelmed.

"The four week delay should reduce the peak - whatever it would be - by something between 30 and 50%," the government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said.

Studies on Monday showed the Delta variant doubles the risk of hospitalisation, but two doses of vaccine still provide strong protection.

Unlike in March 2020, the increase in hospitalisations was likely to be among younger people who require shorter treatment and are less at risk of dying.

Nevertheless, the risk of increased pressure on the health system meant that the tests the government set out for going ahead with the reopening had not been met.

Johnson sets COVID-19 restrictions for England, with devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland making their own policy.

NO NEW SUPPORT

There are no plans to extend new economic help to businesses as a result of the delay, Johnson said. He said current data on vaccines and infections showed no need to do so.

Britain's furlough programme supports just over 2 million jobs and is due to continue until the end of September. But from July employers will have to pay 10% of furloughed staff's wages, rising to 30% in September.

The hospitality industry has also called for an extension of other sector-specific aid. The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre said thousands of jobs were hanging in the balance.

Despite Monday's delay, the government lifted some restrictions on the number of guests allowed to attend weddings, and will continue pilots of crowds at sporting events and theatrical shows.

Deutsche Bank estimated last week that a four-week delay would temporarily reduce gross domestic product by around 0.25% - a fraction of the historic 9.8% slump recorded in 2020.

It comes despite Britain having one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world. More than 41 million people have received their first shot and nearly 30 million have had both doses - about 57% of the adult population.

(Additional reporting by Sarah Young and David Milliken; Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Giles Elgood and Alex Richardson)
Taylor Brigman was honored as the Rowan-Cabarrus Academic Excellence Award winner. The award recognizes the academic achievement, leadership and community service of a student from each of the 58 institutions in the North Carolina Community College System. In addition to volunteering with campus and community organizations, Brigman represented more than 6,000 fellow students as Student Government Association president, served on committees across the college, represented students at board of trustees meetings, and maintained a 4.0 grade point average. She graduated in May with an Associate in Arts degree.

Allyson Hucks was chosen as the Rowan-Cabarrus Dallas Herring Achievement Award nominee. Dr. Herring, a North Carolina native, is acknowledged as the philosophical godfather of the states community college system for his belief that education should be available to all and that community colleges should take people from where they are, to as far as they can go. Hucks found her college plans derailed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28. After intensive treatment, she emerged cancer-free, but was afraid the window for attending college had passed. Despite having a family to care for, she enrolled at Rowan-Cabarrus to pursue a degree in early childhood education, proving to herself and others that it is never too late for college.
FRANKLIN GROVE  For a look at how the Prairie State once looked and got its nickname, explore The Nature Conservancys Nachusa Grasslands, about 216 miles north of Mattoon.

There you will find prairie plants, some of which are rare and even threatened, along with oak savanna woodlands, wetlands and a herd of bison.

Grassland birds, such as grasshopper sparrows, meadowlarks and dickcissels, will provide a background serenade. Youre also likely to see turkey vultures or a red-tailed hawk soar overhead.

Nachusa is a place of beauty, serenity and natural history, said Sherrie Snyder of rural Carlock, co-president of the Illinois Prairie Chapter of Wild Ones. To me, its a success story of how to preserve and restore native habitats.

Wild Ones shares information about native Central Illinois prairie and woodland plants. A recent trip took members to Nachusa.

The day started as any visit to Nachusa should, at the visitor center at 2075 S. Lowden Road. Although there is no building, the center has information panels, a shady place for lunch, composting toilets and a hand pump for drinking water. It also overlooks part of the 1,500 acres where the buffalo roam  actually bison.

Bill Kleiman, Nachusas project manager, said there were 20 calves in the herd at last count and about 100 overwinter on the range. Bison play an important role by controlling grasses through grazing, he said.

Were trying to keep them as wild as possible, said Kleiman, so contact is kept to a minimum. Each fall, a veterinarian evaluates their health and they are vaccinated.

With rolling terrain and the large expanse, bison are not always easy to view. Hiking within the bison enclosure is prohibited  for their protection and yours.

But you are free to roam other parts of Nachusa, even venturing off the trails. Thats a good reason to wear sturdy shoes, long pants and bug spray.

From the visitor center, the Wild Ones group went to Clear Creek Knolls, which includes a 2-mile loop trail through open prairie with  you guessed it  a small knoll or hill.

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Our second stop was the Stone Barn Savanna, which had a mixture of habitats: woodlands, wetlands and prairie. A great blue heron appeared to have some success fishing in the wetlands.

This area is one of Kleimans favorites. Its pleasant to have big trees overhead, he said.

Its very showy here right now, he said of the blooming plants.

Another nearby place worth visiting is Franklin Creek State Natural Area, northwest of Franklin Grove, 1872 Twist Road. It includes several picnic areas, a shady trail along Franklin Creek and a reconstructed grist mill.

Much of the area was agricultural land when The Nature Conservancy started the project.

When we were thinking about doing a landscape-scale project 35 years ago, that was a radical thought, said Kleiman. Since 1986, more than 3,500 acres have been protected through acquisition or conservation easements.

Among the creatures benefiting from the project are the Blandings turtles, listed as endangered in Illinois. The site has the mix of wetlands and sandy uplands they like for breeding.

Researchers have put trackers on turtles to see where they nest. Then they either protect the eggs from predators with cages or take the eggs to the DuPage County Forest Preserve, where they are placed in incubators, explained Kleiman.

Once those eggs hatch, the Lake County Forest Preserve raises them until they are larger and more able to be released at Nachusa and survive.

Volunteers also work to keep invasive plants at bay.

Kleiman said, We humans have a role to play to take care of our natural areas.

Snyder said she hopes visitors to Nachusa will come away with an appreciation of the value of such restoration efforts and support these efforts any way they can  volunteer, donate, spread the word.

Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota

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I hope the Justice Department ultimately loses the case and Carroll gets her day in court. But Garland, by staying the course, is sending a powerful message: The Justice Department doesnt belong to Trump or Joe Biden or any one president. The meaning of the law does not change depending on who is in power. We should all swallow hard and accept Garlands general commitment to some measure of continuity, because the alternative can be much worse.

I know that from personal observation. I was The Washington Posts South America correspondent three decades ago, at a time when most nations on the continent were emerging from long, dark years of military rule and trying to rebuild their democratic institutions. They all found that once faith in those institutions is lost, it is not easy to regain.

I was based in Buenos Aires, and Argentinas civilian leadership was still finding its bearings. After years of being lied to by the murderous ruling junta, citizens had little faith in what their elected leaders said. And they had even less faith in the ability of the court system to honestly ascertain truth and deliver justice.
Individuals who have a dementia or mental health diagnosis, struggle with substance abuse, are socially isolated, or are living with poor health are more likely to be at risk for elder abuse than others.

Although the idea of elder abuse is disheartening, you can help fight elder abuse by educating yourself on the subject and watching out for signs that your loved ones or neighbors may be being taken advantage of or abused. The warning signs may vary depending on the type of abuse, but they can include bruises on the torso or head, slap marks, burns and blisters. You may notice a person has withdrawn from normal activities or that they seem fearful. You may also observe sudden changes in bank accounts, altered wills, unusual bank withdrawals or checks written as loans or gifts. Signs of poor personal hygiene and/or inadequate nutrition could indicate that a senior is not taking care of themselves or being cared for properly.

If you suspect abuse, report it! You should call the police or contact adult protective services at your local department of social services. You do not need to prove that abuse is happening to make a report. The number for Forsyth County Adult Protective Services is 336-703-3503. For more information about elder abuse, visit the Piedmont Triad Area Agency on Aging website, www.ptrc.org.
THOMASVILLE  When Larry Crouse retires June 25, Thrifty Oil will close after nearly 80 years as a full-service station that generations of residents relied on in the Thomasville area.

Crouse, 72, who became known through the years for his honesty and humor, described his decision to retire as bittersweet.

Some of his earliest memories revolve around the station and garage his father, Jack Crouse, owned and operated at 1 National Highway starting in 1942. Jack's brother, Buck, and their father, Melvin, did major mechanical work in a shop next door. The business was named National Motor Co. until Jack combined the two companies into Thrifty Oil. At one time the business had six employees, operated seven days a week and offered extras like selling tires and washing cars.

"We would go out and wash windshields, check the oil, pump the gas and gauge the tires," Crouse said. "There wasn't anything like self-service back then. It was all full-service."

Thrifty Oil added a self-service pump about 15 years ago but kept its full-service pump, where it continues to provide full service when a customer requests it. Some longtime customers are now elderly or disabled, he said.
Cousin Junior recently shut down publication of his anti-mainstream-media newsletter called The Truth Hurts (But Ill Hurt You Worse) due to distribution problems. He was issued a littering citation for driving along the highway and throwing them out of the window of his truck, as well as a cruelty to animals charge after his neighbors goat ate a handful, had an allergic reaction to the ink and required a vet visit.

Cousin Junior has been busy shifting from print media to online and setting up a blog called Dont Make Me Come Over There Because I Will, Son, in which he intends to offer his opinions and engage in friendly debate with readers.

He graciously took time out from that to answer my questions.

Me: Cousin Junior, tell me about your close encounter.

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Cousin Junior: Last week I drove down to Atlanta and met this gal by the name of DeeZire157 I met on the internets.

Me: Not that close encounter, the one involving alleged space aliens.

Cousin Junior: Well, it was a few years back. I was out spotlighting deer, uh, I mean enjoying the sights and sounds of nature after dark.
Govt-and-politics

editor's pick alert top story

Long-delayed Nebraska expressway program moving forward, but not fast enough for some

HANNAH SCHRODT, COLUMBUS TELEGRAM A four-lane portion of U.S. 30 stretches from Columbus, but other sections remain two lanes despite the Nebraska Expressway System project being approved 33 years ago.

When he was mayor of Columbus, there was one question Mike Moser could never answer from companies looking to locate in his east-central Nebraska city: When are the four-lane expressways to Columbus ever going to be completed?

Moser, now a state senator, has a notebook full of expected completion dates that have come and gone over the years.

The states expressway program, launched in 1988, was designed to connect every Nebraska community larger than 15,000 people to an interstate with a four-lane, divided expressway. It was projected to be completed in 15 years.

But 33 years later, about 178 miles of the 600-mile system remain undone, including expressways sought by Columbus to link up with Fremont and Omaha, and to provide access to Interstate 80 at York.

Frustration is growing, especially in northeast Nebraska, where officials think theyve been overlooked in completing expressways that would improve traffic safety and help businesses transport goods.

This spring, concerns sparked a concerted push by state senators and mayors from that region to accelerate progress. It was backed by a lobbying group, 4 Lanes 4 Nebraska, formed by area businesses and cities.

We talk a lot about growing Nebraska but we dont see many hard policy tools to do that, said Norfolk Mayor Josh Moenning, who helped found the 4 Lanes 4 Nebraska group in 2015.

The result?

Contracts to begin work on a couple of key segments were signed recently by the Nebraska Department of Transportation, but the major legislation pushed by the northeast Nebraskans  to issue bonds to jump-start about $400 million worth of construction  was put off until next year.

Fremont Sen. Lynne Walz, who introduced the bonding bill, said she agreed to postpone debate on the measure after meeting with Gov. Pete Ricketts, who opposes bonding and wants to retain the states conservative tradition of paying as you go to finance road building and other state projects. Ricketts agreed to visit Columbus, Fremont and Norfolk to explain the states plans.

Walz said theres a possibility more money might be coming Nebraskas way, either in the federal infrastructure bill being pushed by President Joe Biden or an $83 million request filed by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, so its worth waiting to see.

Saltillo Road set to reopen as South Beltway work shifts The Nebraska Department of Transportation said Saltillo Road will reopen between 68th and 70th streets, including South 70th Street north of the intersection.

It kind of felt like we had a little leverage right now, she said. Were not going to push (the bonding bill), but were not going to let it go away.

Said Moser, Theres been a little burst of activity. Now, if we can keep that momentum going.

Several explanations have been given over the years about why the states expressway plan has been delayed so long. At the top of the list has been a lack of funding, but theres also been a significant rise in construction costs, as well as delays for environmental impact studies, particularly on the U.S. 275 portion, where Ricketts has said work was delayed 12 to 18 months.

Plus, the state has other road-building priorities to deal with, as well as addressing several highway bridges and roads washed out by the devastating floods of 2019.

A spokeswoman for the State Department of Transportation acknowledged that expressway work hasnt moved as quickly as some want, but emphasized that progress has been made, particularly in recent months.

Looming large: On 11-mile construction site, bridge at end of South Beltway rises The South Beltway has been discussed since the '60s. Now the $352 million project is less than two years from carrying cars and trucks.

The spokeswoman, Jeni Campana, added that additional money provided by the Build Nebraska Act wasnt available until eight years ago, and it can take that long, or longer, to get a project planned, contracted and underway. The act earmarked a quarter-cent of state sales taxes  about $60 million a year  for road construction, and it has been used on some expressway projects.

Since last fall, we have celebrated work starting on the Heartland Expressway, Fremont Southeast Bypass, Lincoln South Beltway, and soon, U.S. 275 from Scribner to West Point and U.S. 75 from Murray to Plattsmouth, Campana said.

Norfolk Sen. Mike Flood said the start of construction between Scribner and West Point was huge given the issues with wetland mitigation. He said he thinks the state is now getting serious about completing the expressways.

But Fortenberry said he has to grip the wheel tighter when he drives the two-lane portion of U.S. 275 in northeast Nebraska, an area he says has one of the highest concentrations of agricultural production in the nation.

It needs enhancement, said Fortenberry, who is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Fortenberry made the $83 million request  which would cover 80% of the cost to finish the West Point to Stanton portion of the U.S. 275 expressway  his priority in the federal highway bill. Whether it is approved or not, or is folded into Bidens infrastructure bill, should be sorted out by the end of the year.

Walz and Moser say that bonding  an idea floated in the past  is the answer to speed up progress, and that it has been used frequently by cities and schools to get expensive projects done immediately. The state could borrow $400 million, and get several projects started at once, instead of doing it segment by segment, they maintain.

State moving forward with U.S. 77 bypass near Fremont Construction on a beltway designed to divert U.S. 77 traffic around the city of Fremont and improve access to several businesses may be just over a month away.

Moser said no one would build a house like the state is building its expressway system: by first building a basement, then a few years later, the first floor, and even later, the upper story.

He added that highway construction costs have risen 50% over the past two decades while the state has been trying to get our ducks in a row, which is raising expenses that could be avoided by borrowing now and paying off the debt later.

Were happy to see some progress. We just arent where we need to be yet, Moser said.

But the governor, as well as the State Department of Transportation, both oppose the bonding bill. In a recent column about putting the brakes on bad bills, Ricketts wrote that if the state issued $400 million in highway bonds, it would be paying them off until 2033 and that millions would be wasted on interest payments instead of concrete.

The governor added that there is additional money available, about $25 million a year, after the Legislature passed, over his veto, a 6 cent-a-gallon increase in the states gas tax in 2015.

Taking on debt is forever; it never gets paid off, Ricketts wrote. Bonding would also jeopardize Nebraskas top rating as a fiscally responsible state that doesnt take on debt, he said.

Lawmakers did take one minor step this year by passing a bill, introduced by Moser, that requires the Nebraska Department of Transportation to provide more precise timetables on when segments of expressways will be completed.

Moser said that Columbus officials have heard many promises about when the expressways to the community would be completed. The first portion eastward from Columbus was finished in 2002, and the rest, he said, were supposed to be done soon after that, but have been delayed several times.

If things arent going to get done in a reasonable time, then the Legislature needs to step in, he said.

Progress report Here is a look at recent progress on six segments of the expressway system in eastern Nebraska: * U.S. 275, Scribner to West Point. An $83 million contract was signed earlier this month to build three segments providing an 18.5-mile link between the two communities. Work on the southern portion will begin next month, the northern portion in the fall, and in between in summer 2022. A contract to build a bypass around Scribner is to be awarded this fall. * U.S. 275, West Point to near Stanton. The state has tried unsuccessfully so far to obtain federal money for a 16-mile segment from Stanton to Wisner. * U.S. 30, Rogers to Fremont. The segment from Rogers to North Bend is expected to be completed this summer. Work on grading and installing culverts on the section from North Bend to Fremont is underway. A second phase, to pave four lanes, is anticipated to be contracted this fall, with construction to start in spring 2022. * U.S. 77, Fremont to Wahoo. Preliminary planning is underway. It has not been scheduled for construction. * U.S. 81, Columbus to York. Initial planning is about to start. It has not been scheduled for construction. * U.S. 75, from Plattsmouth to Nebraska City. Work on the Plattsmouth to Murray segment is expected to begin soon. Planning for the rest of the expressway to Nebraska City has not yet begun.
Amtrak provides an important service, he said, because for many different reasons, some Americans need or prefer passenger trains as an alternative to long road trips and flights.

"For a lot of people, roads like I-70 and I-80 are pretty arduous these days," Magliari said, citing semi trucks, speeding cars and distracted drivers as potential dangers on the interstate highway system.

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He said the California Zephyr is particularly special because of the unique vantage it offers of the American West, taking riders to places that cars cannot reach, presenting beautiful mountain and canyon vistas.

And with full service returning, Magliari said, passengers can leave and return on any day, adding flexibility to their experience.

That's important to Frank Derryberry, who frequently rides the trains from Lincoln to Denver to visit family. On Friday morning he boarded his second Amtrak train this month.

While the trains are convenient and he's glad to avoid the drive to Denver, Derryberry said it's frustrating when the trains run late. On Friday, his train was delayed by well over an hour.

"I don't like sitting and waiting all night," he said.
Another difference from a normal year is the continued presence of some COVID-19 related precautions. Gerdes said the camp is following all CDC and American Camp Association guidelines.

While the camp is working to allow campers to be unmasked as much as possible, he said there are certain situations where campers wear masks and are more limited to specific groups.

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In 2020, there was no traditional camp, but Gerdes said the camp did its best to offer other opportunities by opening up the facilities for people to hike and also running camps where families could come out and stay by themselves and take part in self-guided programming.

The off-year also provided time for a major project at the campsite. While the camp was empty, construction of the new Hazel Dillon Lodge, a 10,000-foot, $3.5 million project, was completed.

The lodge was donated by Sid Dillon, who named it for his wife Hazel Dillon, a Fremont philanthropist who died in 2018. The lodge is used for programming for the camps first through sixth graders, Gerdes said. The lodge will also be used for events and retreats.

It's a great addition to our property, he said.

Despite some continued restrictions and obstacles, Gerdes said everyone is excited to be back at camp.
Moser said no one would build a house like the state is building its expressway system: by first building a basement, then a few years later, the first floor, and even later, the upper story.

He added that highway construction costs have risen 50% over the past two decades while the state has been trying to get our ducks in a row, which is raising expenses that could be avoided by borrowing now and paying off the debt later.

Were happy to see some progress. We just arent where we need to be yet, Moser said.

But the governor, as well as the State Department of Transportation, both oppose the bonding bill. In a recent column about putting the brakes on bad bills, Ricketts wrote that if the state issued $400 million in highway bonds, it would be paying them off until 2033 and that millions would be wasted on interest payments instead of concrete.

The governor added that there is additional money available, about $25 million a year, after the Legislature passed, over his veto, a 6 cent-a-gallon increase in the states gas tax in 2015.
Sometime in March, cement barriers were placed in front of the Erickson Truck-n-Parts' entrance on Frontage Road, blocking the only way the owners could get in and out. The village is mum about what's going on, even after one of the Ericksons was cited for trespassing on his own property.

An attorney representing the Ericksons wrote in a letter to a Mount Pleasant official: "In Catch-22 fashion, my client has been directed to clean up its property, but its owners and employees are not allowed on the premises."
Fears of overpolicing

We dont have a good relationship with the CPD, said Eric Wilkins, founder of Broken Winggz, an organization that advocates for people permanently injured by gun violence. Wilkins said he and his neighbors would rather see officers do a better job of building relationships and helping the community before officers set up roots in the Roseland neighborhood, where Chicagos first COP House might go.

Chicago Police got a bad rep. For them to just want to come on the block and set up shop, said Wilkins. Thats just another plantation move, to supervise us  I see nothing good coming from it.

Wilkins is a paraplegic who has worked to be able to walk again with the help of crutches. He was shot in 1999 while seeking revenge for a wrong done to someone else. He said he came to terms with his own crimes, and the damage he caused to his neighbors, because of work with his community, not because of police involvement or incarceration.

A lot of people been brutalized by the police  now you want to come to the same community and be our friend? You havent even come with a peace offering, Wilkins said. Thats dictatorship. Thats bullying.
1. Yes. Its a serious public health issue; unvaccinated workers put others at risk.

2. Yes. Some colleges and school districts are mandating it. Its a necessary step.

3. No. Employees should have the option of getting vaccinated or not. Its up to them.

4. No. Some people have serious side-effects. Geting jabbed should be optional.

5. Unsure. Getting people vaccinated is important, but so is having a choice.

Vote

View Results
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  Ann Tillery could see by her own image on the Zoom screen that something was wrong when the left side of her face began to droop. Her speech slurred and her left arm felt heavy.

All of the signs of a stroke were there, and the technology of the video conferencing platform helped the Lincoln woman realize it fast enough to get lifesaving help.

Tillery was on camera on a Zoom call with state lawmakers on May 18 advocating for the Alzheimer's Association when, in just a split second, my world changed, she told the Lincoln Journal Star.

Problem was, no one else on the call realized what was happening. Tillery was alone in a conference room at the University of Nebraska Foundation. She grabbed her phone and tried to stand but fell to the floor.

Finally, she was able to call 911.

I knew I had a very limited time to act if I was going to have the best chance of recovery, Tillery said. Luckily I did have my cellphone.

She made it to the hospital within about 25 minutes. Quinn Willet, a hospitalist with Bryan Health, said the faster a stroke victim reaches the hospital, the better their recovery outcome is likely to be.
The Fairest of the Fair serves as the official hostess of the Vernon County Fair. The Fairest also represents the fair in the Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs contest. Candidates must be residents of Vernon County or the majority of their fair activities take place in the county. They must be a resident of the state of Wisconsin for at least a year prior to entry, and they must be 18 years of age by Jan. 1, 2022 since the Fairest is required to travel.

Fairest farewell

Brianna Hall, the 2019-2020 Vernon County Fairest of the Fair, gave a review of her year.

Hall said that at the age of 21 she realized she wasnt too old to enter the Fairest of the Fair contest. Im thankful for the opportunity to represent the Vernon County Fair.

Hall said she will never forget all of the people she met and talked with during the fair and the hard work that goes into putting on the event.

I wouldnt have known about the behind-the-scenes work if I hadnt been Fairest of the Fair, she said. I saw the hard work behind the scenes Thursday night when the storm shut down the fair; within a few hours it was up and running again.
The Viroqua Fire Department held a ribbon-cutting and open house at its training tower, Wednesday, June 9.

Viroqua Mayor Karen Mischel welcomed the public to the event, saying its been a great community project, with the fire department having the idea and the community coming forward to help.

Mischel said the facility will be available for the Viroqua Fire Department to use for training and for other fire departments to use.

Fire Chief Chad Buros gave an overview of how the project came to be. As you know, we have a fundraiser every year for a different project. As we were talking three to four years ago we came up with ideas for needs, and this (the training tower) came up.

Buros said they spoke with manufacturers, and the training tower would be $400,000 to $500,000. We talked some more and decided we could build it ourselves. We reached out to a local contractor, and this was the first one they built.

The tower, which is made with cargo containers, was constructed by Cary Specialized Services of La Crosse. The architect was 5th Avenue Design, also of La Crosse. Buros said Viroquas tower was designed using ideas from other fire departments, at a cost of $240,000. The tower can offer many kinds of training scenarios.
I think the statute is pretty clear, he said.

Latz said the amended language separates the evidence of innocence from the grounds for reversal of the conviction. In other words, two things have to happen: the conviction has to be vacated, and there has to be some evidence of innocence. The conviction does not have to be vacated based on that evidence of innocence.

The Court of Appeals appears to have read the statute differently than the legislature intended the language to reflect, Latz said. And that contributed to a lack of clarity on the part of the trial court as to what direction he was supposed to go with it.

Latz said he believes rewriting the law again would contribute to the confusion, and that the courts will need to come to an agreement on how to interpret it.

The amount of money in question is substantial  up to $100,000 for each year incarcerated, and up to $50,000 for each year on probation. And the legislature never intended it to go to every person who has a conviction vacated.
Im the proud godfather of a 3-year-old named Poppy. But this story is not about Poppy, its about her mother.

We watched Libby grow up from the perfect vantage point  as friends not parents.

Early in her career as a journalist, she covered the GOP convention in Minneapolis for the Congressional Quarterly where she described life in flyover country to the yahoos invading from the coasts.

But the world beckoned.

With a masters degree from the London School of Economics, Libby soon landed in the London office of a universally respected wire service with bureaus worldwide.

The Nigeria bureau in Lagos needed a reporter who could explain oil arcana, Libbys specialty.

By now, her husband worked for a famous think tank and Poppy was one year old.

Tough decision. Shed just come from the safety and security of a modern nation where the citizens are heavily armed with military grade weaponry; mass shootings dominate the headlines; and, the locals are prone to insurrection.
More than 100 people marched around Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital on Sunday afternoon to protest the health systems policy requiring staff be vaccinated.

Protesters held signs that read My body my choice, Stop medical tyranny and Coercion is not consent.

FreePA organizers declined to comment.

The grassroots organization sprung up in opposition to the Wolf administrations stringent COVID-19 mitigation measures that, among other things, forced the closure of indoor dining establishments. FreePA has chapters in roughly a dozen counties, including Lancaster, according to the organizations website.

Until Sunday, the group had worked quietly behind the scenes collecting money for legal representation and gathering signatures to demand the health system rescind its vaccination policy.

Organizers have declined to say how much support their petition has garnered but promised Sunday the hospital would know soon enough.

Eric Winter, a Berks County attorney who represented the owners of bars and restaurants that remained open in defiance of public health orders, told LNP | LancasterOnline that organizers intended to present the petition to hospital management this week.

Winter is advising Pennsylvania Informed Consent Advocates, a Facebook group devoted to LG Health employees, on matters related to the mandatory vaccination.

The group started at Musser Park in Lancaster with a prayer and a 30-minute speech outlining their concerns. Then they walked to the hospital, marched around the facility and prayed.

Circling the hospital Sunday, protesters chanted No jab, no job, no way!

Individuals dressed in blue scrubs and face masks stood on the bridge over Duke Street and watched the crowd pass underneath.

Were fighting for you! a woman yelled to onlookers.

Desire to have a choice

While the majority of employees who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 are between 20 and 40 years of age, according to hospital officials, Sundays event drew the old and very young, with the youngest pushed in strollers.

Im not concerned at all about a hospital worker thats not been vaccinated, said Julie Rudisill, of Manheim Township. I do care that they have the choice to be vaccinated.

Rudisill, who recently had back surgery, limped along slowly in the back of the pack.

LGH employees, who can file for a medical or religious exemption, have until Sept. 1 to be fully vaccinated.

We continue to offer information to employees with questions about vaccine safety and efficacy, the policy, and the opportunity to apply for religious and medical exemptions, John Lines, a hospital spokesman, said in a text to LNP | LancasterOnline.

About two-thirds of LGH staff are vaccinated.

At the heart of the groups opposition to the policy is the speed with which the vaccines were developed and safety concerns.

Theyre not alone.

Employees in New Mexico, California and Texas have filed lawsuits over COVID-19 vaccine requirements. One such case, from Houston Methodist Hospital employees, was recently dismissed by a federal judge.

It is unclear what effect the dismissal may have on other employee disputes over vaccinations, such as at LGH. The majority of hospital systems are not yet mandating a COVID-19 vaccine.

Awilda Santiago, who stood outside her Lancaster home watching protesters, said health care workers have done a critical job well.

But should health care workers be vaccinated?

Seguro que si, Santiago said in Spanish, indicating shes sure they should be.
When: Hempfield school board meeting via Zoom and in person, June 8.

What happened: The board unanimously passed the 2021-22 final budget, which includes a 2% tax increase. Homeowners with a median assessed home value of $193,300 can expect a $63 increase from $3,160 to $3,223 in their tax bill. The $2.4 million deficit will be covered by funds from the general fund balance.

Quotable: We were very blessed this year with people paying their taxes, so thank you very much, said Mark Brooks, chief financial and operations officer for the district. We also appreciate the new members who moved into the community.

Health and safety: The board approved a motion to end the health and safety plan that has guided the district through the pandemic. The district will create a replacement plan, and officials said they are working toward a normal school opening as much as possible.

Nomination: The board nominated Superintendent Michael Bromirski for the national Superintendent of the Year award. Grant Keener, vice president of the board, read a letter from Mike Donato, board president, lauding Bromirskis leadership in his three years at the helm of the district but particularly during the past school year driven by COVID-19. The board said Bromirski provided relative stability and success for the entire Hempfield community with three learning options in place before the start of the year, including full time in-person learning selected by 70% of district families.

Quotables: In the absence of a county health department, Mr. Bromirski interacted with officials from the countys largest hospital and received approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to consult directly with that hospital on district health matters, Keener said. Bromirski responded, This could not have been done without this amazing team I work with. From the beginning, there was always a determination, not just from me but from everyone, to make sure that our kids get the education they deserve.

Up next: The school board will meet at 7 p.m. July 13.
When: Manheim Borough Council meeting, June 8.

What happened: Council welcomed the public into its chambers for the first time in over 14 months. The public also had the option of participating via Zoom.

Why its important: Council members had been meeting in person for the last several months, but public participation was via Zoom since the the size of council chambers did not allow for social distancing. With COVID-19 pandemic health restrictions lifting, council and the public can now have face-to-face meetings.

Pool: Mayor Scot Funk said he visited Manheim Community Pool, which is managed by the Lancaster Family YMCA, the weekend of June 5. Pool hours are noon to 8 p.m. daily. However Funk said the pool has been closing around 6 p.m. due to a shortage of lifeguards. Instead of closing every day at 6 p.m., he suggested that the pool could close at 4 p.m. one day and stay open to 8 p.m. the next day. Borough Manager Jim Fisher said the YMCA has indicated it planned to re-evaluate hours soon.

New crosswalk: Council approved a design for a crosswalk on North Main Street at Danner Alley. The crosswalk will provide a safe pedestrian crossing for people who park in the municipal lot off Hart Street.

Covered bridge: Council approved repairs to the decking of Shearers Covered Bridge in Veterans Memorial Park. Rotting planks would be replaced with cost of repairs not to exceed $50,000. The work would be done in conjunction with the streambank restoration project that began June 1.

Street repair: Council approved adding Meadow Lane to the list of this years street paving projects. Cost to repave the street is estimated at $12,000. Other paving work is being done in the vicinity, and costs are being covered by a Community Block Development Grant through Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Borough engineer Ben Craddock, of Lancaster Civil Engineering, said the cost to repave Meadow Lane also would be covered by the grant funding.

Bridge replacement: Fisher said PennDOT will replace the West High Street bridge at Logan and Mummau Parks next year. A temporary traffic signal would allow single-lane traffic during the project. The new bridge will have sidewalks on both sides.
So the government has essentially finally told us what some of us already knew: that alien spacecraft are here.

Who knows what else they really know? One former Air Force officer estimated that UFO technology is 100 to 1,000 years more advanced than we are. So if we tried to defend ourselves against them, we couldnt.

Its possible that they are observing us. And just what are they seeing? A warring planet. Weve been fighting wars for centuries  wars over land, religion and race.

Look at the racial strife in this country. As a person of African, Asian, European and American Indian descent, it saddens me to see this. Several hundred years from now, most people will likely be like me. There will always be white, Black, Asian people, etc. But most people in the future will be a combination of all of them. Then we will be OK.

What can we do now? We can pray to God for help.

About God: Years ago, a rabbi in Israel said, essentially, God is not a being, God is a positive energy force in our universe. And physicist/inventor Nikola Tesla is claimed to have said, If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.

Energy saturates our universe. Ironically, in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, when the mothership descends, it plays a combination of sound, frequency and vibration. Could they be right? Could this be what the aliens are waiting for? For us to be ready for the next step to a higher understanding of the universe?

This is food for thought. Think about it.

Cynthia VanWhervin Kaplan

Manheim
The American Rescue Plan is a chance to put Pennsylvanians to work preserving our woods and waters.

During the pandemic, Pennsylvanians turned to the outdoors to connect and heal, highlighting the intrinsic value of our states natural resources. In Lancaster County, our local parks, preserved landscapes and wooded trails will always be a welcoming sanctuary in troubled times  as long as we continue to invest in their stewardship.

The Biden administrations American Rescue Plan offers a unique opportunity to do just that preserve our most valuable resources while putting Pennsylvanians to work.

The need is obvious: 30% of streams in Pennsylvania are impaired for water supplies, aquatic life, fish consumption or recreation opportunities.

In Lancaster County, more than half the 1,400 miles of streams and much of its groundwater are considered unhealthy by the Department of Environmental Protection.

While Pennsylvania has made collaborative efforts to clean up these waters, the demand is still extraordinary. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed alone, the state still falls $324 million short of the estimated annual cost needed to reduce pollutants and meet an Environmental Protection Agency mandate by 2025.

Funding for shovel-ready restoration projects can help us reach this goal, improve water quality and flood control efforts in struggling communities, enhance agriculture and create good-paying conservation jobs while bolstering our states outdoor recreation economy.

Directing American Rescue Plan funds to conservation programs could put Pennsylvanians to work strategically on habitat projects in Lancaster County and throughout the commonwealth.

Derek Eberly

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

Emily Smedley

Lancaster Clean Water Partners

Carly Dean

Chesapeake Conservancy

Jeff Swinehart

Lancaster Farmland Trust
Swiss Vote No to Climate Suicide

June 13, 2021 (EIRNS)Being one of the few countries in Europe which still has sovereignty, the Swiss electorate today voted down the countrys new climate law, the CO2 Gesetz, by a 51.5% majority. While the No voters uncorked their champagne bottles, the climate lobby spoke of a black day for climate protection and a pile of broken glass for Swiss climate protection according to an article in the Cash financial/economic website.

The law would have caused a steep rise in the cost of living, which is already high in the country. Everyone would have been affected by increases in fuel prices, taxes and higher energy costs.

The only cantons where the Yes vote won were in Basel-Stadt, Geneva, Neuchatel, Vaud and Zurich. These are the major cities, but by no means do they constitute the largest part of the population, since the country is decentralized.

The rural population came out strongly for No, since there were also other objectionable referenda on the ballot that directly affect these sectors, such as one restricting pesticides. But there is still more to the No vote.

There was strong support for No from political parties. The Swiss Peoples Party (SVP), which is the largest, was totally against it. The Liberals (FDP), which is a substantial party, were split, with a substantial faction against it. Both mobilized strongly. Also industry associations, including the fuel, gasoline, diesel distributors association, the National Automobile Club, the Aerodrome Association, which includes everything from small airfields to Zurich and Basel international airports, all mobilized against it. The homeowners association and the smaller business associations also mobilized strongly to bring much of the middle classes behind the No vote.

A lot of credit goes to the conversative SVP party, which pushed very hard for the No vote, arguing that the proposed CO2 Act would not only cost more, but its effectiveness is questionable anyway. The SVP is said to have won over voters from well beyond their normal base of support.

Expressing disappointment Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga claimed, The no to the CO2 law is not a no to climate protection. However, she conceded, It will now be difficult to achieve the Paris climate targets. It will not take a long time to draft a new compromise law.

This is not the first time the majority of the Swiss refused to accept excessive personal privations and economic losses demanded by the climate change freaks. In 2000, three proposals to tax non-renewable energies were rejected, as were various other initiatives. Nonetheless, in 2017 there was a Yes vote for the phaseout of nuclear energy, which is substantial in Switzerland.

Also last month the Swiss government pulled out of negotiations with the European Union that would have deepened their relationship with the EU, and included the loss of Swiss sovereign powers. They pulled out knowing that such an agreement would never get past a referendum.

Now the question is, will this have a blowback effect into the EU, where there is growing opposition to the climate change policies? Already Poland is up in arms over being forced to close down their coal industry, which supplies 65% of its electricity. Or in Germany, where the opposition has been afraid to publicly oppose the insane German energy policy, and which will hold hotly contested national elections in September.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021

Switzerland Votes Down CO2 LawThere Is a Limit to a Tyrants Power

June 13, 2021 (EIRNS)Today in England the leaders of the Group of Seven, at the end of their three-day confab in Cornwall, issued their Cardis Bay G7 Summit CommuniqueOur Shared Agenda for Global Action To Build Back Better. The B3W, as they call itBuild Back Better for the Worldperspective, laid out in 25 pages, is ultra-green, devoid of anything necessary to really combat pandemics and famine, or to build a modern economy. It features outright bankster swindles based on carbon markets. Moreover, the B3W is a blatant ploy against China and the Belt and Road Initiative, which is building real infrastructure across the globe. President Biden and Secretary Blinken brag about it. Who can accept any of this?

The appropriate reaction is seen in the referendum today in Switzerland, where the people voted down the CO2 Act. You can hear the echoes, No, there is a limit to a tyrants power... from the Rutli Oath in Wilhelm Tell, by Friedrich Schiller.

The Swiss CO2 Act, which conforms completely with the Paris Agreement and the new B3W, would have made everyday living impossible, with fuel taxes and other so-called decarbonizing measures. It was concocted under the fraud that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut, to keep the planet from overheating. The no vote came from the rural and other constituencies in 21 of the 26 Swiss cantons. Only Geneva, Basel, Zurich and other urban areas voted green.

There are other key expressions of sanity and sovereignty. In the U.S. West and farm states, lawmakers and citizens alike are mobilized against the green deal measures in the Biden Executive Orders from January. The special target for nullification is the so-called 3030 demand in Executive Order 14008, that 30% of all land and water in the U.S. must be taken out of any productive use by 2030, in the false name of cutting CO2 emissions and favoring biodiversity. This exact 3030 demand is also in the G7s 2030 Nature Compact released today.

In opposition, over 50 counties in 11 U.S. states have passed resolutions to nullify this measure. The leading state opposing 3030 is Nebraska, which has the most irrigated agriculture of all U.S. states, and has over 97% of its land in private ownership. There is a 3030 Termination bill in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.

But the geopolitical side of B3W ranks as much, or more, venal and stupid than even the green dogma. Biden, at his post-G7 press conference today at Cornwall Airport Newquay, on the way to chum up with the Queen, recounted, I proposed that we have a democratic alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative: the Build Back Better. And theyve agreed to that, and thats underway as the details of thatwe agreed that wed put together a committee to do that and come up with that ... we are going to insist on a high standards to befor a climate-friendly, transparent alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Biden described the B3W: Its a values-driven, high-standard, transparent financing mechanism were going to provide and support projects in four key areas: climate, health, digital technology, and gender equity. And we believe that will not only be good for the countries, but itll be good for the entire world and represent values that our democracies represent, and not autocratic lack of values. Secretary of State Blinken on CNN this morning from Brussels said that the U.S. will leverage private finance for its B3W and take other steps, so it can do it in a more positive way than China is doing it with its Belt and Road Initiative.

On ABC News this morning, Blinken repeated: We have a commitment to work together on something called Build Back Better for the World to work on pooling investments, pooling funds, bringing the private sector in to make investments in health, in infrastructure, in technology for low- and middle-income countries in a way that will produce new markets for our own products and also offer a much more attractive alternative to what China is trying to do in these countries.

This has to stop. The anti-Malthusian resistance, from Switzerland to Nebraska and other locations, is vital to spread. The Schiller Institutes dialogue process, both at the formal conferences and ongoing, plays the critical role of cross-firing and communicating ideas for a new paradigm.

There is no time to lose, given the terrible death toll and hardship from the pandemic, famine and economic breakdown. Both the World Health Organization and World Food Program chiefs stressed that in recent days. In Cornwall for the G7, WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that 70% of the world must be vaccinated by 2022, the time of the next G7 meeting, but, he said, that what was pledged at the G7 meeting this weekend is insufficient. WFP Director David Beasley on June 10 issued a special appeal for food aid to Ethiopia, where 350,000 people are in dire need, and overall 4 million people are food insecure. He said it was the most sudden and deep food crisis in a single nation in 10 years.

The Schiller Institute June 26-27 conference is titled, For the Common Good of All People, Not Rules Benefiting the Few!
American vaccine maker Novavax says a large study found its COVID-19 shot is 90 percent effective against the coronavirus and several virus variants.

The results, announced Monday, were based on late-stage trials involving nearly 30,000 volunteers in the United States and Mexico.

Novavax said the two-shot vaccine was about 90 percent effective and data showed it was safe. The company says it plans to seek emergency approval for the vaccine in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by the end of September.

It estimates it would then be able to start producing up to 100 million injections a month. The company says it aims to supply 110 million doses to the U.S. over the next year and a total of 1.1 billion doses to developing countries.

The vaccine -- which is easy to store and transport -- is expected to play an important part in increasing the availability of shots in the developing world.

Many of our first doses will go to  low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with, Novavax Chief Executive Stanley Erck told The Associated Press.

While more than half of the U.S. population has had at least one vaccine injection, less than 1 percent of people in the developing world have had one shot, researcher Our World In Data reports.

The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have already been approved for emergency use in the U.S. and Europe. Europe also uses a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca.

Novavax's study involved nearly 30,000 people ages 18 and up. Two-thirds of subjects received two injections of the vaccine, three weeks apart, with the rest receiving an inactive substance or placebo.

There were 77 cases of COVID-19 -- 14 in the group that got the vaccine and the rest in volunteers who received the placebo. None of the people in the vaccine group experienced moderate or severe disease.

The vaccine was similarly effective against several variants. One of the variants first appeared in Britain and is also found in the U.S. It has especially been affecting high-risk populations, including older people and those with other health problems.

Only minor side effects were reported in people taking part in the study, such as head and muscle aches, tiredness and pain at the injection site. The company said there were no reports of unusual blood clots or heart problems.

Novavax reported its results in a news release. It said it plans to publish the findings in a medical publication to be examined by independent experts.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

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Words in This Story

variant  n. different in some way from others of the same kind

dose  n. the amount of a medicine, drug or vitamin this is taken at one time

placebo  n. a substance that is given to a patient in a medical study that has no physical effect

ache  n. a feeling or pain over an area of the body that continues for a long time

clot  n. (medical) a mass of dried blood that stops blood from flowing through blood vessels

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Israels parliament, known as the Knesset, ended Benjamin Netanyahus 12-year run as prime minister on Sunday. By a vote of 60-59, a coalition of eight parties joined together behind new leaders Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.

Bennett will serve as Israels prime minister for the next two years. And Lapid will take over in 2023. He will serve as foreign minister until then.

Bennett and Netanyahu met briefly on Monday to signal the change of government. But there was no traditional ceremony to go along with the meeting.

Minutes after the meeting, Netanyahu repeated his promise to unseat the new government. He told members of his Likud party, "It will happen sooner than you think. Netanyahu remains the leader of Likud. His right-wing party still holds more seats than any other in the parliament.

The Bennett-Lapid government is a coalition of right-wing, centrist, left-wing, and Arab parties. They have little in common other than a desire to unseat Netanyahu. The efforts for a new government came together after Israel held four elections in two years.



U.S. relations

U.S. President Joe Biden called Bennett late Sunday to wish him well. In a statement, Biden said he looks forward to working with Bennetts government to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations.

Lapid, the foreign minister, wrote on Twitter that he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He added that the new government will work on important relationships, including those with American Jews, the Democratic Party in the U.S., countries in Europe, and neighboring Jordan.

The Bennett-Lapid government opposes a return to the 2015 nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran. In 2018, former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal. But the Biden administration wants to re-start talks with Iran. Lapid said that Israel would prevent by all means the possibility of Iran getting nuclear weapons.

Palestinian relations

On its first day, the new government faces a difficult decision over whether to permit a right-wing group to march through the Muslim part of East Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Palestinian groups called the planned event a provocation.

If the march goes ahead, it could start a new confrontation between the Jews and Arabs. And a change or cancellation of the march could reduce right-wing support for the new coalition government.

The Hamas militant group that rules the Gaza Strip also warned of the possibility of renewed hostilities if the march goes ahead. A ceasefire less than a month ago ended 11 days of fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces.

Despite the difficulties, Yohanan Plesner of the Israel Democracy Institute thinks the new government can succeed by centering on the economy and budget.

He said if this government can pass a budget in the next few months, we can expect this government to serve for at least two or three years. Otherwise, the instability will continue."

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor.

What does the new government need to do to succeed? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. ____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

wing- n. a particular part of a large organization or group

enduring- adj. a way to describe something that lasts for a long time

provocation n. an action or occurrence that causes someone to become angry or to begin to do something

instability - n. the state of being likely to change




Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Monday said the growing influence of China was an important issue for the alliance.

In a final statement, NATO leaders described Chinas growing military as presenting challenges, which some experts considered surprisingly strong language. The statement also described Russia as a threat.

U.S. President Joe Biden arrived at the 31st NATO leaders meeting in Brussels with an important goal. He said he wanted to get NATO allies to deal with problematic actions by China and Russia. He also said he wanted to win the trust of members of the 30-country alliance. NATO stands together, said Biden.

After arriving at NATOs headquarters in Brussels, Biden spoke with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Biden has said he wants NATO members to speak out on issues of trade, defense and human rights that relate to China and Russia. The actions of those nations have become important foreign policy concerns for the Biden administration.

NATO members considered a new cyber defense policy. It would permit a country hit by a ransomware attack to work together with other members for their common defense. This comes after Russian-based hackers carried out a series of attacks targeting the U.S. government and worldwide businesses.

The update will mean that if an alliance member needs technological or intelligence support to fight a cyberattack, it would be able to call on Article 5 to receive assistance.

Article 5 of the alliance charter states that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members.

Members also accepted a climate security action plan to reduce the release of gases linked to climate change from military activities.

Alliance members also accepted a commitment to strengthen NATOs deterrence to meet threats from Russia and other places.



At a press event following the summit, Biden said that he will tell Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet on Wednesday that he will respond to Russian aggression.

Biden also said that the possible death of Putin critic Alexei Navalny would be a tragedy. He said it would prove that Putin did not believe in human rights. Navalny is imprisoned in Russia and reported to be very sick.

Biden was also asked about the future of Ukraine and the possibility that it could join NATO in the future.

They have to meet the criteria Biden answered.

Biden called Article 5 sacred and added, I want NATO to know America is there.

Im Mario Ritter, Jr.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

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Words in This Story

challenge n. a difficult task or problem

ransomware n. a kind of attack in which online attackers infect the computer systems of organizations and hijack information in a way that leaves it unreadable

charter n. a document that outlines important rules and requirements of a group

deterrence n. the policy of developing a lot of military power so that other countries will not attack your country

criteria n. (pl) characteristics used as reasons for making a judgment or decision

sacred adj.. highly valued and important : deserving great respect

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From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

U.S. government health officials have approved the first new drug for Alzheimers disease in nearly 20 years. However, independent experts say the treatment has not been shown to help slow the brain disease, reported the Associated Press.

Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug, called aducanumab. It was developed by the biotechnology company Biogen in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The drug will be sold under the name of Aduhelm.

Biogens stock value increased by 38 percent on the day of the FDA approval.

The approval is based on results showing that the drug seemed reasonably likely to help Alzheimers patients. It is the only treatment that U.S. regulators have said can treat the disease, rather than its resulting conditions, or symptoms.

However, Reuters news agency reported last week that two members of a group of advisors to the FDA have resigned in protest. Dr. David Knopman and Dr. Joel Perlmutter said they strongly disagreed with the FDA's decision to approve Aduhelm for treatment of Alzheimer's.

The decision to approve the drug could affect millions of Americans. It is likely to cause debate among doctors and researchers. The approval may also affect standards used to judge experimental treatments including those that seem to help patients only a little.

How to judge treatments of difficult conditions is the subject of debate. Groups representing Alzheimers patients and their families say any new treatment should be approved. But many experts warn that approving the drug could be a bad model and would open the door to poor treatments.

Dr. Caleb Alexander was one of the FDA advisers who warned against the drugs approval. The Associated Press reports that he said he was surprised and disappointed by the decision.

Alexander is a medical researcher at Johns Hopkins University. He said the FDA gets the respect that it does because it has regulatory standards that are based on firm evidence. In this case, he said he thought the agency approved the drug without enough evidence.

The World Health Organization estimates that 50 million people around the world have dementia. Alzheimer's disease might be the cause of 60 to 70 percent of those cases. Alzheimers slowly attacks areas of the brain needed for memory, reasoning, communication and basic, daily tasks.

Researchers do not fully understand what causes Alzheimers. But there is agreement among some researchers that brain plaque may be one cause.

Aducanumab helps clear a protein called beta-amyloid from the brain. Other experimental drugs have done that. But they did not help patients ability to think, care for themselves or live independently.

Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni is the FDAs top drug regulator. She said there are uncertainties about the drug. But Cavazzoni added that the drugs ability to reduce harmful plaque in the brain is expected to slow dementia.

The data supports patients and caregivers having the choice to use this drug, Cavazzoni told reporters. Before joining the FDA, Cavazzoni worked in the drug industry for several years and held high positions in clinical development, regulatory affairs, and safety risk management for several large drug companies.

Under the terms of approval, the FDA requires an additional study to see if the drug is working. If the study fails to show effectiveness, the FDA could withdraw the drug from the market. However, the agency rarely does this. Biogen said it aims to complete the study required by the FDA by 2030.

Biogen stopped two studies in 2019 after disappointing results. The studies suggested that aducanumab would not meet its goal of slowing the loss of mental abilities in Alzheimers patients.

Several months later, the company announced that one of the earlier studies appeared to show that the drug was effective in higher amounts. However, the change raised questions among many experts, including those working for the FDA.

Biogen said about 900 U.S. medical centers are ready to begin using the drug and more are expected to do so in the coming months.

And thats the Health & Lifestyle report.

Im Anna Matteo.

Matthew Perrone reported this story for the Associate Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

Quiz - US Drug Agency Approves Disputed Alzheimers Treatment Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

regulator n. an official who works for the government and who controls a public activity by enforcing rules

standard n. a level of quality that is considered acceptable or desirable or that may be required by rules

disappointed adj. feeling unhappy or displeased because something was not as good as expected

plaque n. a change in brain tissue that happens in Alzheimers disease

data n. information

clinical adj. based on work done with real patients; relating to medical treatment that is given to patients in hospitals
Throughout the month of October a paranormal team was investigating the Donaca House, and on Halloween Weekend it became haunted.

Participants met Doctor Foley who became a mad doctor, performing insanely gross procedures on his patients, and the leftovers from those procedures were on display.

A crazy butcher preparing the victims from the Human Food pantry.

After all this evil torture, a presence of a woman guided people upstairs to the childrens room.

Sara and Corey McEldowney bought the Donaca House, a historic two-story Lebanon home built in 1866 and they are hosting several fundraisers to help with the restoration of the building. The first was a haunted house tour.

"It was the perfect setting for a haunted house," Sara said. "It was a lot of fun to set up."

In a back room there were security cameras set up so the owners could watch people's reactions as they walked through.

Sara's kids and friends all volunteered to dress up and scare people as they took they tour.

The McEldowneys had a paranormal investigative team inspect the house, paranormal tours and screened movies there as well.
Public safety workers rescued a stranded dog Sunday evening from the Albany-Lebanon canal behind the Lebanon Rite Aid store.

Citizens Lucas Kledziniski and Riley Swanson were walking by the canal when they noticed the dog stranded on a piling support of the railroad trestle between Main and Park streets. The Lebanon Police Department was called; the department contacted the fire district at 8:16 p.m.

Firefighters arrived shortly after and determined personnel would need to enter the water to rescue the dog, who appeared to have an injured front leg. A rescue unit was dispatched so firefighters could don protective dry suits, personal flotation devices and helmets before entering the water. Two additional firefighters were staged on the canal bank beneath the Park Street bridge to act as downstream safeties should a rescuer be carried away by the waters.

Lt. Michael Maynard and engineer Corey Knipstein crossed the canal to reach the dog, who was cold and wet, but friendly. They secured the dog with a webbing strap around its chest, and it was carried to a waiting police patrol car, where it was scanned for a microchip (it did not have one) and transported to the Rivers Edge Pet Medical Center in Albany for an evaluation.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
"Our lawsuit is really simple: if the DNR wants to regulate something, they need to stay within their lawful authority and set standards in rules like every other agency in Wisconsin is required to do," Manley said in a statement. "Businesses deserve to know the rules of the game, and they deserve to have those rules in writing. The law requires no less, and our lawsuit asks that the DNR do nothing more than follow the law. Everyone else is expected to follow the law, and the DNR should be no exception."
There are benefits in government of being in the same room with the people youre working with and making decisions with and hearing from the publics perspective, Eicher said.

926 virtual meetings

At the councils executive committee meeting, the mayor and alders discussed the future for City Council meetings as well as its numerous boards, commissions and committees.

Echoing Eicher, President Syed Abbas said it could be an opportunity to think creatively about how the City Council meets and hears from the public. Even before the pandemic, a task force studying Madisons local government recommended providing a remote option for members of the public to participate in meetings.

For the City Council, the mayor wants to see a return to in-person meetings as soon as possible.

I think that we need to see each others faces, Rhodes-Conway said. I would be eager to make that happen as early as July.

Alders acknowledged benefits and drawbacks to virtual meetings, noting that for some without access to the internet and technology, they're not more accessible.
Twenty-six words. Six phrases. One yard sign.

The black sign with bright, multicolored text became a nationwide phenomenon in the months after Donald Trump was elected. Its simple but memorable message reads, In this house, we believe: Black Lives Matter. Womens rights are human rights. No human is illegal. Science is real. Love is love. Kindness is everything."

The sign dots lawns, windows and front porches from coast to coast and beyond  and it all started right here in Madison.

It was Wed., Nov. 9, 2016, the day after Trump's election. Kristin Garvey, a youth services librarian at the Fitchburg Public Library and mother of two, had just watched her state fall to Trump by a narrow margin of 0.77%. Distraught, Garvey felt the need to make a statement. So she went to the store for a piece of white foam board and some Sharpies and got to work.

I was in a fog  I was feeling everything and feeling nothing, Garvey said. I had a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old, and I was just trying to get through the day, but all the wind had been taken out of me.

She pulled together several quotes from activists and social justice movements, copied them onto her board and displayed it in her yard. Black Lives Matter was taken from the social movement dedicated to fighting racism, "Women's rights are human rights," was made famous by Hillary Clinton, No human is illegal is borrowed from immigration activists and Love is love from the LGBTQ+ community. Science is real, a They Might Be Giants song, had long been a slogan for climate change activists.

This single act of resistance may have seemed small to the librarian, but within hours, the community took notice.

A passerby took a picture of Garveys sign and posted it to Facebook. She mentioned to local activist and writer Jennifer Rosen Heinz that it was something she thought she would like. She was right; Heinz immediately saw the yard signs potential to be a unifying symbol for progressives.

There's a moment where you're excited because you feel the resonance there. Like you're about to throw something out into the world, you're doing it with goodwill and it's amazing, and it's also quite honestly a little bit terrifying, Rosen Heinz said. That was my reaction.

Rosen Heinz called upon artist Kristin Joiner to turn the homemade sign into the black and rainbow-colored design we all know and recognize today. Joiner, who had worked with Rosen Heinz at BRAVA Magazine, knew from the start she wanted to be involved with the project. She had no idea how big it would get.

I was on board right away. At the time, after the election, a lot of us were flabbergasted, disappointed, confused, Joiner said. This was a tiny little thing I could do to make a tiny little difference. It turned out to make a big difference.

She used a black background to set the sign apart from the Wisconsin snow, and bold fonts in bright, familiar colors to catch the eyes. The Crayola 8-box colors, Joiner referred to them as.

The sign took her roughly 20 minutes to complete.

Joiner and Rosen Heinz reached out to Garvey for permission to sell their design, and then the three women teamed up to distribute the yard signs. The first batch was sold in Madison out of Rosen Heinzs house and at the Willy Street Co-op, with proceeds going to the ACLU. The design was also available for download online on Etsy in exchange for a $5 donation.

Joiner had the design copyrighted. The group quickly realized the significance of the yard sign after she received nearly 500 emails over the Thanksgiving weekend. Individuals who had seen the signs googled Joiner's name, asking to buy their own.

Within two months, the Etsy shop raised over $7,000.

I never would have thought, in my life, that putting out a sign would result in donating thousands of dollars. It blows my mind, Garvey said.

The signs went viral again and again, raking up thousands of shares on Facebook. Politicians and celebrities took selfies with it, HOAs battled over its display and some schools proudly hung banners with the design.

It occurred to Rosen Heinz that their three-women team wouldnt be able to keep up with the craze for long. Between their day jobs and personal lives, continuing to sell more and more signs wasnt feasible. They made the mutual decision to give the design to an organization that could use it for fundraising, and after shopping around, Joiner donated the license to the Wisconsin Alliance for Womens Health.

Reproductive health is really important to me, so when we started to think of a place to give the sign to, WAWH was one of my first choices, Joiner said.

WAWH was thrilled with the decision.

Sara Finger, the founder and executive director, had been a fan of the sign from the get-go. She previously purchased a digital copy to print and hang at her home.

When Rosen Heinz called Finger, the WAWH director was at a conference for reforming womens health care in Washington, D.C. At the time, she was worried about the future of womens health and the Affordable Care Act under the Trump administration. Finger was bummed to the extreme, she said.

Then Jennifer called me and she said, You know the sign? We cant keep up with it. We want to give it to you, Finger recalled. She could have called anyone, and she called us. Its an incredible gift.

With the help of the sign, WAWH no longer has to scramble and rely on grants to do its advocacy work. Finger now manages copyright infringements from internet sellers, and in return, sales from the sign have allowed WAWH to keep its doors open.

While the design can now be purchased from the WAWH on Cafe Press or Zazzle as a flag, t-shirt, magnet, Sherpa blanket and even a mask, Joiner never gets tired of seeing her design in use.

I lived abroad during 2016, 2017, but whenever I came home it was really exciting to see it in peoples' yards. I was taking pictures of bumper stickers! Joiner exclaimed. It brought back my faith in America. (It) made me think, Its not as bad as I thought.

Since the signs inception, thousands upon thousands of signs have been sold and distributed. WAWH estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 signs have been sold since they acquired the design, not including other products. The Willy Street Co-op alone helped sell 1,480 yard signs, and "sign ambassadors, such as Anthology on State Street, have sold countless more.

Garveys original Sharpie-drawn sign now hangs in the National Women's Party Museum in Washington, D.C. For the mass-produced version, demand has gone down, but Rosen Heinz doesnt mind.

If anything, she hopes for a day where a sign like theirs isnt needed.

It would be great if someday the sign itself goes away, that the outcome would be that the sign (is) no longer necessary or important. We don't want to make more signs. We want a better world.
Dear Editor: How mean-spirited of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and the Republican Legislature to target the elderly, the infirm and the physically challenged by making it harder for them to vote. Many of them do not have a valid driver's license, and getting a photo ID is no easy chore for people who don't, or can't, drive. Not to mention how difficult it may be with fewer ballot boxes for those groups to get their ballots counted.

Instead of focusing on Wisconsin's real problems  infrastructure, educational needs, health care, broadband access, to name some of the most pressing  they've spent the last eight months since the election spending their time and our taxpayer money on bogus claims of "voter fraud." There's no voter fraud in Wisconsin  I worked the last election, and I know how carefully the elections are run. I'm sure the Republicans are counting on gerrymandering to stall in the courts so they won't have to be held accountable for another two years. I sincerely hope our court system will not let that happen.

I hope their mailboxes and phone lines are busy with voters who want some real work done by our legislators, rather than the waste of time (and money) they've been practicing since November. As a friend of mine said, their motto seems to be, "If I can't cheat, I can't win." Wisconsinites deserve better.
4. Coronavirus

A dangerous Covid-19 variant is on the rise in the US, and could do serious damage in areas with low vaccination rates, a former FDA official says. The Delta variant currently accounts for about 10% of US Covid-19 infections, but but that proportion is doubling every two weeks and may become the dominant strain in the US. That may not mean a sharp uptick in infections across the country, which has administered more than 309 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, but specific regions are at risk. Nationally, 64.4% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but some states, like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Wyoming, are seeing significantly lower rates.
BERLIN (AP)  German authorities have launched proceedings against Telegram that could see the messenger app's operators fined for failing to abide by laws requiring social media sites to police their users' actions.

German magazine Der Spiegel reported over the weekend that officials believe use of the Telegram app has reached a threshold where it can be treated in the same way as Facebook, Twitter and TikTok when it comes to requiring cooperation with German authorities.

A Justice Ministry spokeswoman confirmed Monday that authorities have written to Telegram's operators in the United Arab Emirates over its failure to provide a channel for raising complaints and a contact person in Germany.

The company now has the opportunity to respond, the spokeswoman, Rabea Boennighausen, told reporters in Berlin.

Der Spiegel reported that the company could face fines of up to 5.5 million euros ($6.7 million) if it doesn't comply with the requirements.

Telegram didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Naftali Bennett, who was sworn in Sunday as Israel's new prime minister, embodies many of the contradictions that define the 73-year-old nation.

He's a religious Jew who made millions in the mostly secular hi-tech sector; a champion of the settlement movement who lives in a Tel Aviv suburb, and a former ally of Benjamin Netanyahu who has partnered with centrist and left-wing parties to end his 12-year rule.

His ultranationalist Yamina party won just seven seats in the 120-member Knesset in March elections  the fourth such vote in two years. But by refusing to commit to Netanyahu or his opponents, Bennett positioned himself as kingmaker. Even after one member of his religious nationalist party abandoned him to protest the new coalition deal, he ended up with the crown.

Here's a look at Israel's new leader:

An ultranationalist with a moderate coalition

Bennett has long positioned himself to the right of Netanyahu. But he will be severely constrained by his unwieldy coalition, which has only a narrow majority in parliament and includes parties from the right, left and center.
Three teens suspected in numerous crimes that include vehicle thefts, burglaries and financial crimes were arrested Thursday, Fitchburg police said.

At around 9 a.m. Thursday, Fitchburg and Madison police converged on a home in the 2900 block of Turbot Drive on the South Side of Madison after three teenagers believed to have been involved in a recent crime spree were spotted entering the home, Lt. Edward Hartwick said.

Two 15-year-old boys and a 17-year-old boy were arrested after leaving the home and a car reported stolen earlier in the day from the town of Madison was found nearby, Hartwick said.

The 15-year-olds were suspects in a June 6 robbery in Fitchburg in which a 14-year-old girl was struck in the head with a gun. Fitchburg police detectives investigating that incident went to the Turbot Drive area on Thursday after learning of an early morning incident in Madison in which at least one of the boys also was involved, Hartwick said.

The teens were seen walking from the stolen car and eventually went into the home on Turbot, where one of them lives, Hartwick said.
A fire caused by someone who left the meal they were cooking unattended displaced 14 residents and left $100,000 in damage Saturday evening, the Madison Fire Department said.

Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at a 40-unit apartment complex in the 1,000 block of Moorland Road around 5 p.m., the fire department said. They arrived to find smoke coming from the building.

Despite the high potential for victims, there were no injuries, the Fire Department said. Madison firefighters had to evacuate the building.

Thick black smoke filled the hallways of the building, the Fire Department said. Firefighters forced open doors to make sure everyone was evacuated.

Fire crews were able to quickly put out the fire and make sure it didnt spread, but it still caused $100,000 in damage, the Fire Department said.

The Red Cross is helping nine adults and five children who were displaced because of the damage to the apartment complex.

Several residents told the Fire Department the incident started as a grease fire in a first-floor apartment. The department said the cause of the fire was unattended cooking.
As Wisconsins midterm elections inch closer, former Gov. Scott Walker said a major key to any GOP success here will likely hinge on the Republican Partys ability to get beyond specific personalities, including former President Donald Trump.

Walker, who lobbed broadsides at Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary before later becoming one of the former presidents more prominent supporters in the state, told the Wisconsin State Journal on Monday hes certain Trump will continue to have a lasting impact on politics, but added that conservatives as a whole may need to get back to the fundamentals.

President Trump will obviously continue to have an impact, not just with Republicans but in any politics, but its not as defined as it was back in the end of 2020, Walker said. In the end, conservatives are going to have to make our case based on our ideals, not just based on any one personality.

When discussing the Republican Partys future last month, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, another prominent Wisconsin conservative, urged the GOP to reject Trump and second-rate imitations.
But coming out of that situation gave me an even greater appreciation for life, an even greater appreciation of family, and also an even greater desire to fight for health equity, she said.

We know that even though we celebrate Juneteenth as a day that people who were enslaved were freed, there have been so many significant ripple effects on the health of our communities that cannot be ignored and must continue to be taken seriously, she said.

We see so many health inequities, whether it be in rates of pre-term births, maternal mortality, inequities in cancer rates, diabetes, other chronic diseases.

So although this is a time to celebrate, we still need ... to fight to combat some of those racial inequities and health outcomes that we see that are rooted in the systemic oppression and racism from many, many years past.

While leading the parade, Zapata will view herself as a symbol of healing, she said. Like a rubber band, the community has been stretched nearly to its limit, and now has to bounce back.

We as a community, and in particular American descendants of slaves, have been so stretched  no matter what came at us, we have been stretched, but we didnt break, she said.
For comparison, ProPublica says the median American tax rate in recent years is 14 percent. But it calculates Bezos true tax rate between 2014 and 2018  i.e., factoring the growth of his assets in with his reported income  at under 1 percent. It says that when people like him need actual cash, they simply borrow against their massive assets. Interest on such loans runs in the single digits, and the proceeds are not considered income and therefore are not taxable.

All of this is perfectly legal, by the way. Also, perfectly infuriating.

And here, let me just say: I believe in capitalism. I believe that when you incentivize earning, you incentivize risk-taking, innovation and hard work.

But I also believe something is wrong when CEO pay rose by about 1,000 percent between 1978 and 2018, while worker pay edged up just 12 percent.

Something is wrong when working full time doesnt put a roof over your head or food on your table.

Something is wrong when an Amazon driver complains of 14-hour shifts and peeing in bottles to make his delivery quotas.

Something is wrong when employees at Tyson and other meat packers report wearing diapers to work because conveyor belts are relentless and bathroom breaks denied.
Third, the OPE report tracked these students for just three years. In 2020, thousands of these 2017 high school graduates were still in college.

Students who pursued a bachelors degree have not even had enough time to graduate in the standard amount of time, State Board of Education Executive Director Matt Freeman noted in his response to the report.

Thats fair.

But in fairness to the OPE researchers, they went out of their way to avoid making a sweeping statement about whether the programs are helping students get a job or a degree  or whether the programs are working. These are important, but difficult questions, the report notes.

Sometimes, the difficult questions demand the most attention.

Gov. Brad Little seemed to recognize that. In his response to the OPE report, he noted his concerns about the spiraling cost of the Advanced Opportunities program. In 2016, the state spent $4.6 million on the program. In 2021, the Legislature boosted its budget to $29.5 million  an attempt, Little said, to completely cover the programs costs without making a last-minute raid on budget reserves.
Hillcrest has a behavioral intervention process in place, Mills said, but hes hoping to work with the districts counselors and new social-emotional health coordinator to strengthen the process.

We just feel like mental and social emotional learning and awareness for our students is crucial. We want to help our students and we want to support our students, he said.

Munger said its difficult to say how many Idaho schools have existing behavior-intervention teams in place, because districts call their teams by different names or evaluate students academics separately from their behavior. Teachers have long helped solve students individual challenges, Munger said, but evaluating student behavior through a structured framework can help identify and solve a students issues more broadly.

Its not that that student is in distress just in class, Munger said. Usually there is more going on that we can help identify and help support.

As students return from a global pandemic, speakers said, having teams in place to identify concerns is as important as ever.
Since its inception, the ambassadorship has brought aboard counselors with varying educational backgrounds to connect with other counselors across the state using Zoom events, Facebook forums and discussions about issues facing counselors and K-12 writ large.

The fleet of ambassadors, all of whom are college and career counselors, doubled in size from four to eight members this school year. Each receive a $500 annual stipend for participating.

Though the program is on the rise, it faced a rocky start, and its nowhere near the size administrators want it to reach.

The pilot totally got gobsmacked by the pandemic, said Joan Cleary, Next Steps Idahos outreach coordinator.

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Some ambassadors have drawn dozens of counselors into events and meetings, Cleary said, but its nowhere near the industry penetration that we actually need to be a force.

But a silver lining accompanied the programs slow beginning.

Counselors added roles as teachers or janitors in some smaller districts allowed them to feed the State Board information about challenges schools faced during the pandemic, Cleary said.
That has never been the law in the U.S., but it has been the practice of the DOJ and the CIA to shield their personnel with secrecy when they are caught engaging in torture in a foreign country.

However, because either the tortured person or someone connected to whatever the tortured person revealed was to be tried in a federal court, and because no federal court can admit evidence against a defendant that was obtained under torture, the feds devised a scheme around this.

That scheme called for FBI clean teams to interrogate the tortured person after the torture was completed, using conventional and lawful interrogation techniques. These techniques often proved more successful than CIA torture. Because these techniques were lawful, and the person being interrogated was advised of his rights and treated humanely by the FBI, the information thus obtained from him was usable in federal court.

At trial, a defendant can always demonstrate that he had been tortured, not to obtain the jurys sympathy but to enable his lawyers to argue to the jurors that they should disregard as unconstitutional, immoral, unlawful and un-American whatever evidence the torture produced.
Screening for colorectal cancer is now recommended for all people, beginning at age 45 rather than 50. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently updated its guidelines to begin screening five years earlier because of the increase in younger people developing colorectal cancer.

"What we're seeing now is more people developing colorectal cancer under the age of 50. In fact, 10% of colorectal cancer cases now are going to occur in people who are under the age of 50," says Dr. Lisa Boardman, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist.

"Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. It affects men and women equally. And we expect about 50,000 people will die this year from colorectal cancer," says Dr. Boardman.

Rates of colorectal cancer are higher in Black Americans; American Indians; Alaskan Native adults; those with a family history of colorectal cancer; and adults with other health factors, including diabetes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says it recommends that all adults get screened, beginning at 45, even if these risk factors are absent.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A study co-led by Vanderbilt University's Dominique Behague found that Brazilian citizens without traditional public health expertise have stepped up and worked together in poor neighborhoods known as favelas to make significant strides in their community's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Behague, associate professor of medicine, health, and society, and Francisco Ortega, research professor at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies in Barcelona, Spain, co-authored a recent article in The Lancet about their findings.

They contend that collective social medicinebuilt on mutual aid and solidarity practices among neighborhood groups and local journalistschallenges conventional assumptions about the efficacy of hierarchical leadership models, disease-specific programs and other common practices in public health.

"Government and institutional investment in public health is vital, but we have also seen a growing number of distinct initiatives and funding streams, which can lead to duplication of efforts, lack of coordination and unnecessary hyperspecialization," said Behague, who is also affiliated with King's College, London. "Favela community organizers are showing us that effective public health action can take shape at a local level in a synergistic and multi-pronged way. This begs the question of why the public health community has not been more effective at the national and global levels with all the resources they bring to bear."

The researchers observed that the community activists' work in the favelas target COVID-specific issues while also tackling overarching societal factors of unemployment, mental health and food security. Their work is decentralized and shared collectively among local groups and individuals, including journalists who assist with the food distribution while continuing to report and counter misinformation about COVID-19.

Favela activists have created their own data collection systems to get an accurate view of the local COVID-19 situation and respond rapidly, from monitoring and distributing donations to managing volunteers and countering disinformation.

"The community activists' alliances, which reject traditional hierarchies and commit to working through political differences, are fighting COVID-19 in a much more equitable manner," Behague said. "These unorthodox approaches demonstrate that social medicine is a model for reimagining public healthnot just in the favelas of Brazil but also around the world."

More information: Dominique Behague et al, Mutual aid, pandemic politics, and global social medicine in Brazil, The Lancet (2021). Journal information: The Lancet Dominique Behague et al, Mutual aid, pandemic politics, and global social medicine in Brazil,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01002-3
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It had been a long four years since that July night when Marianne Sarcich first felt the lump in her right breast as she toweled off from a shower.

Breast cancer.

The cancer was caught early enough that it had not spread to other parts of her body, but doctors said she would need a mastectomy to remove the breast and the cancer in it.

The implant she received after the surgery built up scar tissue, became painful, and eventually needed to be removed.

This time, in 2020, Sarcich opted for a newer kind of surgery, in which tissue from her left thigh was transplanted to her chest to form a breast.

She was finally starting to feeland looklike herself again.

"After the mastectomy, I couldn't look at my chest for months, I tried to avoid mirrors. It took me so long to understand this was me," said Sarcich, 55, of Wilmington, Del.

Her relief was short-lived. The reconstruction surgery had been covered by her health insurance, but she soon found out that a follow-up procedure to thin her right thigh to match the left, was not.

Having same-size legs was deemed cosmetic, not medically necessary.

Federal and state laws require that health insurance cover breast reconstruction following a mastectomy, as well as any follow-up procedures to restore symmetry between the breasts. But patients often struggle to get insurance coverage for surgery to restore the appearance of other parts of their bodies when tissue was harvested for reconstruction.

The process of appealing insurance denials can be daunting, especially for people who are physically and emotionally exhausted after cancer treatment and recovery. Those unable to navigate the denials process may ultimately go without the followup care.

"At a time when a woman is literally fighting for her life in receiving breast cancer treatments and a very disfiguring surgery, she should not have to fight her insurance company," said Pat Halpin-Murphy, president of PA Breast Cancer Coalition. "She needs all her energy to heal."

Many women who undergo a mastectomy to treat breast cancer opt for some form of reconstruction surgery. The choice of procedure is personal.

Implants filled with silicone gel or saline are among the most common options. "Flap" surgerieswhen the patient's own tissue is transplanted to form a breastare popular among women concerned about the lifespan of synthetic implants, which often must be replaced or augmented within 10 years, or who have health issues that put them at risk for greater complications with implants.

Flap procedures can take tissue from the stomach, back or sides. After her implant issues, Sarcich had profunda artery perforator (or PAP) flap surgery, in which tissue was taken from her upper back thigh. Though less common than other flap surgeries, PAP flap is an option for patients who do not have sufficient tissue in their abdomen, back or other common donation sites.

In a surgery that took more than four hours, doctors cut from her left buttocks to the inner thigh to remove a crescent-shaped section of skin, tissue and part of the profunda artery, the major blood supply to the thigh. The surgeon transplanted the tissue to the chest, carefully connecting the blood vessels there so that the tissue would not be rejected.

Patients stay at the hospital for about three days and need up to six weeks to recover.

Since the 1990s, federal law has mandated that health insurance cover reconstruction after breast cancer treatment. Pennsylvania in the late 1990s passed a law requiring insurers to also pay for surgery to restore symmetry between the breasts after reconstruction.

But the law does not require insurers to pay for subsequent surgeries to restore the appearance of the donor site in flap patients.

"Insurance companies have essentially used that wording to not offer coverage for the type of things that Marianne needed," said Liza Wu, Sarcich's plastic surgeon at Penn Medicine. "It's not necessarily a complication of the mastectomy. It's not a hole in the chest wall, or a non-healing wound. It's a result of the reconstruction and it's not functional, it's an aesthetic outcome, and that's where the loophole comes in."

Sarcich was dumbfounded that her insurer, Independence Blue Cross, would deny coverage for her follow-up surgery, a thigh lift on the leg that had not been used in the reconstruction. And then she got angry. It had not occurred to her that part of her recovery wouldn't be covered by insurance.

The cash price for a thigh lift is between $1,400 and $2,000not including hospital feesin the Philadelphia area, according to Fair Health Consumer, a searchable price transparency website.

"I was extremely frustrated that the insurance company was stepping into my medical care in a way I didn't feel was appropriate," she said.

Independence Blue Cross evaluates requests like Sarcich's "based on the member's contractual benefits and the clinical facts and circumstances," said Donna Farrell, senior vice president of corporate communications for Independence, in a statement.

"The appeals process is intended to allow for experts in the field to evaluate the case. Independence honors this decision, whether it is the same decision as the original or overturns the original decision," Farrell said.

Even when a procedure is approved, breast cancer patients commonly encounter challenges with co-pays and coinsurance, or find a part of their reconstruction was not billed properly.

"Reconstruction is not a single code and not a single procedureeven if it's not a complex case, there are always related services that could easily be turned down," said Beth Virnig, a professor of health policy and management at the University of Minnesota.

When insurers deny a procedure, trying to prove the care is needed becomes the patient's burdenand one that is too much for many to bear.

"There are a lot of times where women say enough, and just stopnot because there aren't people who couldn't make it better, but because they get tired of fighting the insurance," said Virnig.

Sarcich poured her heart into an appeal letter, explaining why the procedure was so important. She was denied again.

After a second insurance denial, patients can file one more appealthis time to an independent reviewer. Insurers and patients are bound by whatever decision the independent reviewer makes.

A former public relations specialist, Sarcich tapped into an old trick she used with clients: She tried to think like the insurance company. She picked apart the denial letters to find the exact reasons they gavethat the procedure was not medically necessaryand built a case addressing those specific points.

First, Sarcich went to her physical therapist to find out if having two different sized thighs could affect her physically, perhaps altering her balance or prolonging recoverythat was unlikely, she was told.

So she went to her oncologist and social worker to inquire whether they thought the emotional distress she felt about her imbalanced appearance could exacerbate her post-cancer anxiety. They agreed it could, and wrote letters to support her.

She also gathered letters from her plastic surgeon and Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition. "The emotional toll was enormous. My fear was I wouldn't win, but I'm going to try as hard as I can," Sarcich said. "I felt I was right. I didn't think what I was asking for was off base."

Halpin-Murphy, who advocated for the Pennsylvania law requiring insurers to cover breast symmetry, says it doesn't have to be complicated: Insurers should cover any surgery related to breast reconstruction to make patients feel as whole as possible.

"It's difficult enough, having a mastectomy, and then you have reconstruction and they take another part of your body ... and then you have distortion in another area," said Halpin-Murphy, who wrote a letter to support Sarcich's case.

It's a disturbing experience and feeling to have part of your body missing, and people should not have to "make a case" for why they want any surgery that will help them feel like themselves again, she said.

"I don't think you should have to claim mental health," Halpin-Murphy said. "I think it's mentally healthy to want to do that."

In February, the independent reviewer agreed the procedure was necessary and Sarcich had the follow-up surgery in April, the soonest her surgeon could fit her in.

She's taking her recovery slowly, building back her physical strength and self-confidence one day, one mirror-glance at a time.

Explore further Breast reconstruction after cancer using abdominal tissue

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Satellite imagery of Africa. Credit: Public Domain

A team of neuroscientists are calling for greater support of neuroscience research in Africa following a long-term analysis of research outputs in the continent.

The findings detail important information about funding and international collaboration comparing activity in the continent to the US, UK and areas of Europe. It's hoped that the study will provide useful data to help shape and grow science in Africa.

Africa has the world's largest human genetic diversity which carries important implications for understanding human diseases, including neurological disorders.

Co-lead senior author Tom Baden, Professor of Neuroscience in the School of Life Sciences and the Sussex Neuroscience research group at the University of Sussex, said, "One beautiful thing about science is that there is no such thing as a truly local problem. But that also means that there should be no such thing as a local solutionresearch and scientific communication by their very nature must be a global endeavor.

"And yet, currently the vast majority of research across most disciplines is carried out by a relatively small number of countries, located mostly in the global north. This is a huge waste of human potential."

The team, made up of experts from the University of Sussex, the Francis Crick Institute and institutions from across Africa, analyzed all of the continent's neuroscience outputs over two decades, thoroughly curating local and international collaborations, research citation, visibility and funding.

Lead author Mahmoud Bukar Maina, a Research Fellow in the School of Life Sciences and the Sussex Neuroscience research group at the University of Sussex and visiting scientist at Yobe State University, Nigeria, said, "Even though early progress in neuroscience began in Egypt, Africa's research in this area has not kept pace with developments in the field around the world. There are a number of reasons behind this, and for the first time, our work has provided a clear picture of whycovering both strengths and weaknesses of neuroscience research in Africa and comparing this to other continents.

"We hope it will provide useful data to guide governments, funders and other stakeholders in helping to shape science in Africa, and combat the 'brain drain' from the region."

Co-lead Senior author Lucia Prieto-Godino, a Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute, said, "One of the reasons why this work is so important is that the first step to solve any problem is understanding it. Here we analyze key features and the evolution of neuroscience publications across all 54 African countries, and put them in a global context. This highlights strengths and weaknesses, and informs which aspects will be key in the future to support the growth and global integration of neuroscience research in the continent."

The study, published in Nature Communications, clearly details the African countries with the highest research outputs and reveals that the majority of research funding comes from external sources such as the U.S. and UK.

The researchers argue that local funding is vital in order to establish a sustainable African neuroscience research environment, suggesting greater government backing as well as support from the philanthropic sector.

Professor Baden added, "One pervasive problem highlighted in our research was the marked absence of domestic funding. In most African countries, international funding far predominates. This is doubly problematic.

"Firstly, it takes away the crucial funding stability that African researchers would need to meaningfully embark on large-scale and long-term research projects, and secondly, it means that the international, non-African funders essentially end up deciding what research is performed across the continent. Such a system would generate profound outrage across places like Europehow then can it be acceptable for Africa?"

Explore further WHO warns of new COVID wave in Africa

More information: M. B. Maina et al, Two decades of neuroscience publication trends in Africa, Nature Communications (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23784-8 Journal information: Nature Communications M. B. Maina et al, Two decades of neuroscience publication trends in Africa,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23784-8
From 2006 to 2017, there was an increase in the number of emergency department visits for leiomyomas, but the admission rate for these visits decreased, according to a study published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Chelsea N. Fortin, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues described trends in emergency department visits in the United States from 2006 to 2017 among women aged 18 to 55 years with a primary diagnosis of leiomyomas.

The researchers found that from 2006 to 2017, the number of emergency department visits for leiomyomas increased from 28,732 to 65,685, but the corresponding admission rate decreased from 23.9 percent (in 2006) to 11.1 percent (in 2017). The highest rates of emergency department visits for leiomyomas were seen in women aged 36 to 45 years, those in the lowest income quartile, privately insured women, and those living in the South (44.5, 36.1, 38.3, and 46.2 percent, respectively). The likelihood of admission was greater at nonteaching hospitals and those located in the Northeast (odds ratios, 1.23 and 1.39, respectively). Admission was also associated with older age (odds ratios, 1.42 for age 26 to 35 years; 2.01 for age 36 to 45 years; 2.60 for age 46 to 55 years) and bleeding-related complaints (odds ratio, 14.92). Uninsured patients were least likely to be admitted (odds ratios, 1.37, 1.26, and 1.44 for Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance, respectively).

"We need to better understand gaps in fibroid care and why so many patients are turning to the emergency department to receive care for a condition that could be managed in the outpatient setting," a coauthor said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical, medical technology, and insurance industries.

Explore further Tens of thousands of women turn to the ER for fibroid symptoms

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
(HealthDay)The vast majority of editors at leading medical journals are whitewith few of those influential spots going to Black or Hispanic professionals, a new study finds.

The study comes on the heels of a controversy that prompted the resignation of the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

It all started in February when Dr. Ed Livingston, a JAMA deputy editor who is white, stated in a podcast that structural racism was no longer a problem in the United States.

In conjunction with the podcast, the journal released a tweet that read, "No physician is racist, so how can there be structural racism in health care?"

Following a flood of criticism, the journal removed the podcast and deleted the tweet, and Livingston subsequently resigned. Then, on June 1, JAMA announced that its editor-in-chief, Dr. Howard Bauchner, will step down on June 30.

Bauchner, who'd been on administrative leave over the incident, took responsibility for the "lapses" that led to the podcast and tweet.

The new findings, published online June 11 in JAMA Internal Medicine, highlight a broader issue: lack of minority representation across the top-tier journals in medicine.

The researchers found that of 368 editors at major journals, 77% identified as white, and about 15% as Asian. Meanwhile, just under 4% identified as Hispanic, and only 1% as Black.

The figures came as no surprise to Dr. Melissa Simon, director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation at Northwestern University, in Chicago.

Simon, who was not involved in the study, said lack of representation is a long-standing problem not only at medical journals, but along the whole "pipeline" that leads to research being published, or not published.

That process includes an array of "gatekeepers," Simon explained, including those who decide what research gets funded, and the peer reviewers who evaluate the scientific quality of studies submitted to journals.

Lack of decision-maker diversity matters not just within the field, Simon said, but to the public.

"They determine what findings show up in print, what's read and what's picked up by the media," she said.

Studies and opinion pieces published in prestigious journals can hold particular sway over medical practice, patient care and health care policy.

"Consider the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dr. James Salazar, one of the researchers on the new study. "As a doctor, I would check these journals daily to inform how I should best care for my patients with COVID in the primary care clinic, emergency room or intensive care unit."

And if medical journals are influential, so too are their editors, said Salazar, a clinical research fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, and an editorial fellow at JAMA Internal Medicine.

"The lack of diversity [among editors] almost certainly influences what is published and what does not get published, and, consequently, patient care," Salazar said.

"What many worry about, including myself," he added, "is that this impacts different patient groups inequitablyincluding but not limited to, racial and ethnic minorities."

The findings are based on 25 major medical journals (17 based in the United States and eight in Europe). They included seven different JAMA journals, as well as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, American Journal of Psychiatry and other highly regarded publications.

Of 654 editors the researchers contacted, 56% responded. Out of those 368 editors, only four were Black, while 14 identified as Hispanic, Latinx or "of Spanish origin." None identified as Native American.

The study is not the first to highlight the lack of editor diversity at medical journals, Salazar pointed out. But it does demonstrate the pervasiveness of the problem at 25 influential journals.

"I feel our findings help in achieving the critical data necessary to spur change and provide a basis for accountability among medical journals," Salazar said.

What matters, Simon said, is that editors and other decision-makers come from a variety of fields, including health care equity.

"We need diverse areas of expertise at the leadership level, so the science that gets published is as balanced as possible," she said.

Her worry, Simon added, is that while the issue is getting some attention now, that will fade.

"You can't get complacent when it comes to representation," she said.

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A pioneeing new device to help doctors and nurses communicate clearly whilst wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) has been developed and sucessfully trialed by Leicester academics in collaboration with Formula One racing engineers.

Head-to-toe PPE worn by medical staff treating patients with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases has meant that doctors and nurses regularly have to shout to be heard, which is not only exhausting, but can cause errors of miscommunication which could potentially harm patients.

Tim Coats, a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Associate Dean for Clinical Data Science at the University of Leicester, and consultant in emergency medicine at Leicester's Hospitals, has created the MedicCom in collaboration with the not-for-profit group Project Pitlane.

The prototype MedicCom design, supported by KTN and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Innovate UK, uses a throat microphone to pick up and amplify sound, which enables patients to better hear the medical staff caring for them.

The same function also allows doctors and nurses to hear each other much more clearly, whilst a Bluetooth connection links to a mobile phone, enabling the doctor or nurse to hold a clear telephone conversation with the patient's relatives.

Professor Coats said:

"Even if someone is standing next to you, if you're head-to-toe in PPE, you have to be shouting to be able to hear one another. Not only is that exhausting, but we know that this can cause errors of miscommunication which could potentially harm patients.

"Good communication has a profoundly positive effect on patient care, and that is why we started work on a solution.

"Working with the F1 engineers has been brilliant. We've been able to use their expertise in advanced electrical engineering and their facilities for rapid prototyping to produce in six months a device which would normally take years."

The prototype devices have been positively evaluated by clinicians in Leicester's Hospitals, and by the Medical Devices Technology Evaluation Centre in Birmingham, and the team behind the design are now seeking additional funding to roll out the devices across the NHS.

The device progressed from design to fully-functional prototype in an unprecedented six months thanks to methodologies usually employed in the F1 industry. The group was able to significantly reduce the size of the device thanks to a more compact battery and lightweight circuit board components, plus a smaller speaker and sealing mechanism.

Nine prototypes were subsequently produced using rapid prototype machines at Alpine F1 Team's UK headquarters in Enstone, Oxfordshire.

Project Pitlane, which unites on-track competitors and personnel from across F1 and motorsport, was created in March 2020 to answer the UK government's 'call to arms' to collaborate and produce essential supplies in the fight against COVID-19. It relies on expertise and goodwill throughout the industry to assist multiple organizations with engineering challenges and deliver an end product or service for the greater good.

Alpine F1 Team Strategic Advisor Bob Bell, Alpine former Head of Electronics, Jason Rees, and Andy Damerum at Red Bull Advanced Technologies worked closely with Professor Coats to understand the medical profession's needs.

Bob Bell, Alpine F1 Team Strategic Advisor, lent his expertise to the system through Project Pitlane. He said:

"Project Pitlane has continued the work it started during the ventilator challenge, this time assisting the University of Leicester to develop a novel medical communications device to assist NHS clinicians wearing PPE.

"It has been a pleasure to work with both the University and Innovate UK, and we hope that it will lead to further fruitful collaborations."

As well as the MedicCom prototype, F1 engineers have also worked on the BlueSky rapid response ventilator, while Project Pitlane also hold the expertise to take on challenges around program management, analysis (material science, performance optimisation, data analysis), design and software engineering, and prototype manufacturing.

Explore further Team demonstrates working prototype of emergency vent
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The cost of cancer care in United States was an estimated $183 billion in 2015 and is projected to rise by 30 percent by 2030, according to the American Cancer Society. While private and government insurance may cover much of the cost of care, even patients with insurance can struggle to pay for office visit co-payments, prescription medications or other cancer-related expenses. Yet limited data describes how financial hardship impacts patient behavior and how that in turn may impact patient health.

In a new study designed to provide a more comprehensive picture of how a diverse cohort of gynecologic cancer patients are affected by financial distressalso called "financial toxicity" in acknowledgment of the health hazards it can poseresearcher-physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) analyzed previously collected survey data of gynecologic oncology patients from their respective institutions. Their findings are reported in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

"To broaden our understanding of financial toxicity in gynecologic oncology, we combined data from our two very geographically distinct institutionsBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and the University of Alabama at Birminghamto create a diverse cohort of patients," said corresponding author Katharine M. Esselen, MD, MBA, a physician-researcher in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at BIDMC. "Yet despite the many differences in the demographic characteristics of the surveyed patients at each institutionincluding important risk factors for financial toxicity, such as race, income, education, employment status, and insurance statuspatients had a similar risk of financial toxicity."

Using the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) to measure the economic burden experienced by patients with cancer, Esselen and colleagues analyzed previously collected survey data from 308 patients with gynecologic cancer240 patients surveyed at BIDMC and 121 surveyed at UAB. The team adapted a proposed grading scale to define three groups: no/mild, moderate, and severe financial toxicity and evaluated the frequency of financial toxicity among each group. They found that nearly half of patients with gynecologic cancer reported experiencing moderate to severe financial toxicity.

Further analysis of survey data revealed that younger patients were at greater risk of experiencing financial toxici-ty for a variety of reasons. Younger patients are not eligible for Medicare, and diagnosis and treatment may im-pact their ability to work. They have also had fewer earning years to accumulate a financial safety net.

Patients reporting severe financial toxicity accounted for 15 percent of those surveyed. Esselen and colleagues found this group more likely to report changing spending habits and borrowing money due to the costs of cancer care. Most alarmingly, those reporting severe financial hardship were nearly five times more likely to attempt to cope with the high cost of care through medication non-compliance.

"Our study confirms that financial toxicity is a very common problem among patients with gynecologic cancers and that there are increasingly worrisome cost-coping strategies employed with increasing severity of the financial toxicity, including medication non-adherence as a cost-coping strategy.," said Esselen. "As this is a relatively new area of investigation, we need to continue to identify patient and disease characteristics that most contribute to the development of financial toxicity. Further, we need to identify which risk factors are potentially modifiable and begin to design and test interventions to learn how we can better treat financial toxicity."

Explore further Cancer survivors' experiences with financial toxicity

More information: Katharine McKinley Esselen et al, Evaluating meaningful levels of financial toxicity in gynecologic cancers, International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer (2021). Katharine McKinley Esselen et al, Evaluating meaningful levels of financial toxicity in gynecologic cancers,(2021). DOI: 10.1136/ijgc-2021-002475
An experimental Alzheimer's vaccine appears to safely clear abnormal tau protein from the brain, but it's not yet clear whether the shot will be able to save brain function.

In a Phase 2 clinical trial, the vaccine produced high levels of antibodies to target and attack free-floating tau proteins before they can form "tau tangles" that clog neurons and damage brain function. Tau tangles, along with plaques formed by the protein amyloid-beta, serve as one of the main hallmarks of Alzheimer's.

"While amyloid influences speed of Alzheimer's progression, there is strong evidence that tau pathology relates to the underlying cause of the disease," said lead researcher Dr. Petr Novak, a senior clinical research scientist at AXON Neuroscience, the Slovakian pharmaceutical company developing the vaccine. "Brain atrophy and cognitive loss closely echo the deposition of pathological tau protein, as evidenced by recent tau PET studies."

The vaccine also proved safe during the two-year trial, in which eleven doses were administered to randomly chosen patients with mild dementia. People who received the vaccine, known as AADvac1, experienced about the same numbers of side effects and adverse events as those who were given a placebo.

However, the study did not produce any significant benefits when it came to thinking, reasoning and memory tests performed across the entire patient grouppossibly because there were too few people with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's participating in the trial.

During analysis of the clinical trial data, the researchers realized that about a third of the participants had low levels of abnormal tau protein, "which makes them not very suitable for evaluating the effects of a treatment halting the progression of tau pathology."

Novak noted that the research team did see some improvement in standard brain function tests given to a smaller group of trial participants who had actually been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

In that group, the vaccine slowed brain decline by around 30% in two different clinical and functional tests, Novak said.

"The results of analysis perfectly align with the tau hypothesissimply put, if the patient is tau biomarker positive, then tau pathology is responsible for his/her cognitive decline, and halting tau pathology should slow or halt progression," Novak said. "If the patient is negative for markers of tau pathology, then this patient's impairment is mainly due to other pathologies, and treating tau pathology in this patient won't be meaningful."

AXON is planning a follow-up trial that will include a better-defined group of Alzheimer's patients suffering from both amyloid plaques and tau tangles, Novak said.

If the results from that trial are positive, the company might apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the same accelerated approval pathway recently used to bring the controversial Alzheimer's drug aducanumab to market, Novak said.

In the current trial, a total of 196 patients were randomly chosen to receive either the vaccine or a placebo.

Nearly all patients who got the vaccine developed antibodies designed to head off the spread of abnormal tau while leaving healthy tau proteins intact, Novak said.

The vaccine significantly reducedby 58%the accumulation of neurofilament light chain in the blood. This is an important biomarker of neurodegenerative diseases, Novak saiddamaged nerve cells release the substance, which leaks into the blood.

Patients given the vaccine also experienced a reduction in cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of abnormal tau, results show.

The findings were published June 14 in the journal Nature Aging.

There's still hope for this approach to treating Alzheimer's disease despite the somewhat mixed results from this trial, said Rebecca Edelmayer, senior director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer's Association.

"When they do design their phase 3, they're going to need to be better about that part of the study design, and really focus on enrolling individuals that have the right biomarkers to be able to look at not only the safety and tolerability but also the efficacy on cognition and function," Edelmayer said.

The vaccine approach is promising because using the body's immune system to fight Alzheimer's would sidestep one of the problems in developing a drug to treat the diseasenamely that it's difficult to design medications that can easily enter the brain and attack a specific target, Edelmayer explained.

Through booster doses given every three months, the vaccine is "training your body over time how to react to the pathological tau," Edelmayer said. "You will likely need additional shots of this particular therapeutic to keep it as productive as possible in targeting that tau."

Explore further COVID-19 vaccine to be tested in clinical trial

More information: Petr Novak et al, ADAMANT: a placebo-controlled randomized phase 2 study of AADvac1, an active immunotherapy against pathological tau in Alzheimer's disease, Nature Aging (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s43587-021-00070-2 , Journal information: Nature Aging Petr Novak et al, ADAMANT: a placebo-controlled randomized phase 2 study of AADvac1, an active immunotherapy against pathological tau in Alzheimer's disease,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s43587-021-00070-2 , www.nature.com/articles/s43587-021-00070-2

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Scientists at Murdoch University's Harry Butler Institute have compared the health costs for Western Australia's suppression response to COVID-19 with those expected under a herd immunity policy.

The results indicate the state's suppression policy delivered the state a $4.9 billion benefit by reducing the number of infections and avoiding overwhelming the hospital system.

Director of the Harry Butler Institute Professor Simon McKirdy and Adjunct Associate Professor David Cook, in collaboration with Professor Rob Fraser from the University of Kent, assessed the direct costs and benefits associated with each response.

"Our research simulated a one-year period from the time of the initial introduction of COVID-19 and estimated the number of infections, hospitalisations and deaths for each policy scenario," explained Professor McKirdy.

"The modeling indicates that approximately 1700 deaths are likely to have been prevented over one year from adopting a suppression response rather than a herd immunity response, along with approximately 4500 hospitalisations."

The research calculated the economic benefit of each scenario relative to a situation where no government response was initiated.

"Our research suggests the societal benefit achieved by a herd immunity response would be approximately $4.3 billion in terms of prevented fatalities, hospitalisations and sick leave," said Professor McKirdy.

"In comparison, the estimated benefit of a suppression policy is approximately $9.2 billion.

"So, the value of reducing the number of infections under a suppression policy as opposed to a herd immunity policy is approximately $4.9 billion."

Reduced fatalities amount to a saving of approximately $0.6 billion, while sick leave and hospitalization cost reductions are estimated to be $4.3 billion

Direct impacts of the virus are calculated on the basis of sick leave, hospitalisations and fatalities, while indirect impacts related to response actions are excluded.

More information: David C. Cook et al, A benefitcost analysis of different response scenarios to COVID 19: A case study, Health Science Reports (2021). David C. Cook et al, A benefitcost analysis of different response scenarios to COVID 19: A case study,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.286
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Midlife was once considered a time to enjoy the fruits of one's years of work and parenting. That is no longer true in the U.S.

Deaths of despair and chronic pain among middle-aged adults have been increasing for the past decade. Today's middle-aged adultsages 40 to 65report more daily stress and poorer physical health and psychological well-being, compared to middle-aged adults during the 1990s. These trends are most pronounced for people who attained fewer years of education.

Although these trends preclude the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19's imprint promises to further exacerbate the suffering. Historical declines in the health and well-being of U.S. middle-aged adults raises two important questions: To what extent is this confined to the U.S., and will COVID-19 impact future trends?

My colleagues and I recently published a cross-national study, which is currently in press, that provides insights into how U.S. middle-aged adults are currently faring in relation to their counterparts in other nations, and what future generations can expect in the post-COVID-19 world. Our study examined cohort differences in the health, well-being and memory of U.S. middle-aged adults and whether they differed from middle-aged adults in Australia, Germany, South Korea and Mexico.

US is an outlier among rich nations

We compared people who were born in the 1930s through the 1960s in terms of their health and well-beingsuch as depressive symptoms and life satisfactionand memory in midlife.

Differences between nations were stark. For the U.S., we found a general pattern of decline. Americans born in the 1950s and 1960s experienced overall declines in well-being and memory in middle age compared to those born in the 1930s and 1940s. A similar pattern was found for Australian middle-aged adults.

In contrast, each successive cohort in Germany, South Korea and Mexico reported improvements in well-being and memory. Improvements were observed in health for each nation across cohorts, but were slowed for Americans born in the 1950s and 1960s, suggesting they improved less rapidly than their counterparts in the countries examined.

Our study finds that middle-aged Americans are experiencing overall declines in key outcomes, whereas other nations are showing general improvements. Our cross-national approach points to policies that could could help alleviate the long-term effects arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Will COVID-19 exacerbate troubling trends?

Initial research on the short-term effects of COVID-19 is telling.

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the fragility of life. Seismic shifts have been experienced in every sphere of existence. In the U.S., job loss and instability rose, household financial fragility and lack of emergency savings have been spotlighted, and children fell behind in school.

At the start of the pandemic the focus was rightly on the safety of older adults. Older adults were most vulnerable to the risks posed by COVID-19, which included mortality, social isolation and loneliness. Indeed, older adults were at higher risk, but an overlooked component has been how the mental health risks and long-haul effects will likely differ across age groups.

Yet, young adults and middle-aged adults are showing the most vulnerabilities in their well-being. Studies are documenting that they are currently reporting more psychological distress and stressors and poorer well-being, compared to older adults. COVID-19 has been exacerbating inequalities across race, gender and socioeconomic status. Women are more likely to leave the workforce, which could further strain their well-being.

Changing views and experiences of midlife

The very nature and expectations surrounding midlife are shifting. U.S. middle-aged adults are confronting more parenting pressures than ever before, in the form of engagement in extracurricular activities and pressures for their children to succeed in school. Record numbers of young adults are moving back home with their middle-aged parents due to student loan debt and a historically challenging labor and housing market.

A direct effect of gains in life expectancy is that middle-aged adults are needing to take on more caregiving-related duties for their aging parents and other relatives, while continuing with full-time work and taking care of school-aged children. This is complicated by the fact that there is no federally mandated program for paid family leave that could cover instances of caregiving, or the birth or adoption of a child. A recent AARP report estimated that in 2020, there were 53 million caregivers whose unpaid labor was valued at US$470 billion.

The restructuring of corporate America has led to less investment in employee development and destabilization of unions. Employees now have less power and input than ever before. Although health care coverage has risen since the Affordable Care Act was enacted, notable gaps exist. High numbers of people are underinsured, which leads to more out-of-pocket expenses that eat up monthly budgets and financially strain households. President Biden's executive order for providing a special enrollment period of the health care marketplace exchange until Aug. 15, 2021 promises to bring some relief to those in need.

The "sandwich generation" is people in middle age who care for their children as well as their parents. It's a tough road if the parents have a disease like #Parkinsons. Even tougher when the caregiver also has the disease. #caregiving.  Jolyon Hallows (@jehallows) September 14, 2020

Promoting a prosperous midlife

Our cross-national approach provides ample opportunities to explore ways to reverse the U.S. disadvantage and promote resilience for middle-aged adults.

The nations we studied vastly differ in their family and work policies. Paid parental leave and subsidized child care help relieve the stress and financial strain of parenting in countries such as Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Research documents how well-being is higher in both parents and nonparents in nations with more generous family leave policies.

Countries with ample paid sick and vacation days ensure that employees can take time off to care for an ailing family member. Stronger safety nets protect laid-off employees by ensuring that they have the resources available to stay on their feet.

In the U.S., health insurance is typically tied to one's employment. Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic over 5 million people in the U.S. lost their health insurance when they lost their jobs.

During the pandemic, the U.S. government passed policy measures to aid people and businesses. The U.S. approved measures to stimulate the economy through stimulus checks, payroll protection for small businesses, expansion of unemployment benefits and health care enrollment, child tax credits, and individuals' ability to claim forbearance for various forms of debt and housing payments. Some of these measures have been beneficial, with recent findings showing that material hardship declined and well-being improved during periods when the stimulus checks were distributed.

I believe these programs are a good start, but they need to be expanded if there is any hope of reversing these troubling trends and promoting resilience in middle-aged Americans. A recent report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation concluded that paid family leave has a wide range of benefits, including, but not limited to, addressing health, racial and gender inequities; helping women stay in the workforce; and assisting businesses in recruiting skilled workers. Research from Germany and the United Kingdom shows how expansions in family leave policies have lasting effects on well-being, particularly for women.

Middle-aged adults form the backbone of society. They constitute large segments of the workforce while having to simultaneously bridge younger and older generations through caregiving-related duties. Ensuring their success, productivity, health and well-being through these various programs promises to have cascading effects on their families and society as a whole.

Explore further Up to a fifth of adults have mental health problems in midlife

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
(HealthDay)Living longer often means living with multiple health problems and numerous medications to manage them. Understandably, many doctors and their patients wonder if any of these drugs can be discontinued safely.

A new study from Italy suggests statins should not be culled from the list.

Among more than 29,000 adults 65 and older, those who stopped taking these cholesterol-lowering drugs but maintained the other medications had a higher risk of fatal and nonfatal heart emergencies, researchers found.

"There is a great debate about the process of gradually reducing or stopping drugs to minimize 'polypharmacy' and drug-drug interactions," said lead author Federico Rea, who is with the National Centre for Health Care Research and Pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Milano-Bicocca.

"Findings of this study suggest that cutting back on statins may not be wise, because the discontinuation of statins is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes and mortality," said Rea, "and it is not counterbalanced by a reduction in adverse outcomes attributable to pharmacological therapy, like episodes of delirium."

Patients in the study were taking statins such as Lipitor along with blood thinners, drugs to lower blood pressure and drugs to treat diabetes from Oct. 1, 2013, until Jan. 31, 2015. They were followed through June 30, 2018.

Compared with those who kept taking statins, patients who stopped using them had 24% higher odds of needing hospital care for heart failure, 14% greater odds of some other heart problem and 15% greater likelihood of death from any cause, the researchers found. They also were 12% more likely to require emergency treatment.

"Because of the well-known effectiveness of statins in primary and secondary cardiovascular protection, and the few statin-induced adverse effects, physicians should carefully consider the stopping of these drugs in elderly patients," Rea said.

Two U.S. experts say it's usual for doctors and patients to want to cut out some of their medications, but that's not always a safe choice.

"It is common for patients and physicians to want to reduce the number of medications in elderly adults to reduce pill burden and limit medication interactions," said Dr. Benjamin Hirsh, director of preventive cardiology at Northwell Health's Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.

"However, the decision of which, if any, medication to discontinue should be carefully considered in light of this evidence," Hirsh added.

The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology already recommend starting statins before age 75 for patients who need them and continuing them in patients older than 75 who tolerate them, he noted.

"Whether to start these medications for patients greater than 75 years of age remains a question that is currently being studied," Hirsh said.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, interim chief of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, believes these are important findings.

This study reinforces the substantial benefits of continuing statin therapy in older adults, even among those receiving many other medications, Fonarow said.

"It also highlights the substantial risks of indiscriminate deprescribing of medications," he said. "Discontinuing recommended, clinically beneficial medications just to reduce pill count burden exposes patients to increased cardiovascular risks and is not patient-centered."

In large clinical trials and clinical effectiveness studies, the benefits of statins have substantially outweighed their potential risks, Fonarow said.

The report was published online June 14 in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Explore further Number of Americans taking statins keeps rising: CDC

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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People with intellectual disability are being hospitalized for conditions that could have been adequately managed in primary care or through preventionat a rate 3.5 to 4.5 times higher than the general population, according to a study by UNSW medical researchers published today in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The researchers say the high rates of potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPH) are a symptom of the systemic neglect by the Australian health care systemrecently reported by the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disabilitythat people with intellectual disability experience. The researchers call for urgent systemic action to address this issue.

PPH is defined in the National Healthcare agreement as hospital admissions for conditions where "the hospitalization could have potentially been prevented through the provision of appropriate individualized preventative health interventions and early disease management"for example, vaccine-preventable conditions such as the flu, chronic conditions like asthma, and acute conditions such as convulsions and epilepsy.

"We already know from international research that people with intellectual disability experience higher rates of PPHand that they generally face stark health inequalities and barriers to accessing health care," says senior author Professor Julian Trollor from UNSW Sydney's Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN).

"But before our study, there hasn't been any research into rates of PPH for Australians with intellectual disability."

To address this evidence gap, the researchers analyzed data collected over 15 years pertaining to 92,542 people with intellectual disability, and compared it to a cohort of the NSW general population.

"Our key finding is that people with intellectual disability in New South Wales experience higher PPH compared to the general population, which is unacceptablethey are 3.5 to 4.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for a condition that could have been managed through primary care or prevention," says UNSW lead author Dr. Janelle Weise.

People with intellectual disability were also found to be up to 25.7 times more likely to be hospitalized for convulsions and epilepsy compared to the NSW populationthe biggest inequality uncovered in the study.

"And we also found that people with intellectual disability are up to three times more likely than the NSW population to be hospitalized for a vaccine-preventable condition," Dr. Weise says.

"It is critical that we look into why people with intellectual disability are being hospitalized for vaccine-preventable conditions, as we know that failure to vaccinate is also a factor associated with preventable deaths in people with intellectual disability.

"Particularly in light of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, we need to address the barriers faced by people with intellectual disability to be vaccinated."

Urgent systemic action needed

The researchers say PPH are a marker of poor access to primary and community-based health care.

"But we simply don't have enough research into what actually drives PPHin the general population, and even less so in people with intellectual disability," says Prof. Trollor.

"That's why we now need to find out why exactly that's happening, and then do something about itgovernments, policy makers, services and professional groups have much work to do to improve health care for people with intellectual disability."

The authors' recommendations include a national population health strategy for people with intellectual disability and mandating reasonable adjustments in Australian health care to meet the needs of people with intellectual disability.

"We also need to equip the health care workforce in the area of intellectual disability healthand we need to make sure people with intellectual disability and their support networks have the tools to improve their health literacy," Prof. Trollor says.

The researchers say preventable hospitalisations, higher multi-morbidity, and over-representation of premature and potentially avoidable deaths are just the tip of the iceberg which underly a major gap in healthcare.

Lived experience

Jack Kelly, a person with lived experience of intellectual disability and Project Worker at Council for Intellectual Disability, says some health professionals just don't get it. "They can work with people without a disability well but for people with a disability they don't know where to turn. What we need is increased training for health staff in supporting people with an intellectual disability, and longer appointments time so the person with an intellectual disability has more time to say what they want to say without feeling rushed."

For many years, the Council for Intellectual Disability has been advocating for fundamental action by governments on the health of people with intellectual disability. The Council's Senior Advocate Jim Simpson said: "Here, we have yet more rigorous evidence of the stark health inequalities suffered by people with intellectual disability. We have welcomed initiatives by Health Minister Greg Hunt including the development of a National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability. We now look to the Minister to release and implement the Roadmap as a matter of urgency."

Explore further Renewed call to address health gap for people with intellectual disability

More information: Janelle C Weise et al, Potentially preventable hospitalisations of people with intellectual disability in New South Wales, Medical Journal of Australia (2021). Journal information: Medical Journal of Australia Janelle C Weise et al, Potentially preventable hospitalisations of people with intellectual disability in New South Wales,(2021). DOI: 10.5694/mja2.51088
A) Axial CT images through the mouse lungs at 7 and 14 days after intratracheal administration of bleomycin or saline (as a control), demonstrating increased lung fibrosis in the bleomycin group (white arrows). (B) CT attenuation histograms in Hounsfield units (HU) after lung segmentation demonstrate increased attenuation in the lungs in the bleomycin group than the control group (p <0.05), consistent with increasing fibrosis (n=3). (C) Representative axial PET/CT fusion images at 20 and 60 min demonstrating increased FAPI uptake in the lungs of the bleomycin group (white arrows) with no significant uptake in the control group (yellow arrows). (D) Time-activity curve of lung uptake ROI analysis demonstrating higher FAPI uptake in the lungs of the bleomycin group than the control (p < 0.05), 14 days after bleomycin (n=3). (E) Ex vivo biodistribution data of lung tissue demonstrating higher radiotracer uptake in the lungs of the bleomycin group than the control (n=3). *p<0.05, **p<0.01. Credit: CA Ferreira et al., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.

Positron emission tomography (PET) using a 68Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) can noninvasively identify and monitor pulmonary fibrosis, according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2021 Annual Meeting. By binding to activated fibroblasts present in affected lungs, FAPI-PET allows for direct imaging of the disease process.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) causes substantial scarring to the lungs, making it difficult for those impacted to breathe. It is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, with more than 40,000 deaths annually. A major challenge in diagnosis and treatment of IPF is the lack of a specific diagnostic tool that can noninvasively diagnose and assess disease activity, which is crucial for the management of pulmonary fibrosis patients.

"CT scans can provide physicians with information on anatomic features and other effects of IPF but not its current state of activity. We sought to identify and image a direct noninvasive biomarker for early detection, disease monitoring and accurate assessment of treatment response," said Carolina de Aguiar Ferreira, Ph.D., a research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin.

In the study, researchers targeted the fibroblast activation protein (FAP) that is overexpressed in IPF as a potential biomarker. Two groups of miceone group with induced pulmonary fibrosis and one control groupwere scanned with the FAPI-based PET/CT radiotracer 68Ga-FAPI-46 at multiple time points. Compared to the control group, the mice with induced pulmonary fibrosis had a much higher uptake of the radiotracer, allowing researchers to successfully identify and evaluate areas of IPF.

"Further validation of 68Ga-FAPI-46 for the detection and monitoring of pulmonary fibrosis would make this molecular imaging tool the first technique for early, direct, and noninvasive detection of disease. It would also provide an opportunity for molecular imaging to reduce the frequency of lung biopsies, which carry their own inherent risks," noted Ferreira. "This development will demonstrate that functional imaging can play an invaluable role in evaluation of the disease process."

Abstract 10. "Targeting Activated Fibroblasts for Non-invasive Detection of Lung Fibrosis," Carolina Ferreira, Zachary Rosenkrans, Ksenija Bernau, Jeanine Batterton, Christopher Massey, Alan McMillan, Nathan Sandbo, Ali Pirasteh and Reinier Hernandez, University of WisconsinMadison, Madison, Wisconsin; and Melissa Moore, Frank Valla and Christopher Drake, Sofie Biosciences, Dulles, Virginia.

Explore further New radiotracer offers opportunities for earlier intervention after heart attack

More information: All 2021 SNMMI Annual Meeting abstracts can be found online at All 2021 SNMMI Annual Meeting abstracts can be found online at jnm.snmjournals.org/content/62/supplement_1

Provided by Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Half (52 percent) of those who said they would definitely not get a COVID-19 vaccine when asked back in November/December 2020 have now done so, indicating that many people's hesitancy has disappeared since the UK's vaccine rollout began, according to a new study.

Among people who said they were not very or not at all likely to accept a vaccine when asked last year, an even greater share84 percenthave since been vaccinated.

The research, by King's College London and the University of Bristol, is based on a survey of 4,896 UK adults aged 18 to 75 conducted between 1 and 16 April. It follows up a study in Nov/Dec 2020 and tracks 1,879 of the same individuals to see how their views have changed and why.

The analysis reveals that, overall, 94 percent of people who have been invited for a vaccine have taken up the offerbut despite this, there's a need to avoid complacency, as vaccine intentions and beliefs still vary among different groups, potentially undermining the very high levels of coverage needed to stay on track for a further easing of lockdown, and leaving some communities more exposed.

How people changed their minds on getting vaccinated

Among those who have not yet been offered a COVID vaccine, there has also been be a significant change in intention to get vaccinated: many people who were previously skeptical about doing so now indicate that they are very likely to or definitely will.

Of those who said in Nov/Dec 2020 that they were not very or not at all likely to get a vaccine once it became available, 52 percent say they're now certain or very likely to do soalthough only 15 percent of those who were previously definite that they wouldn't get the vaccine have changed their minds in this way.

Varying vaccine intentions, beliefs and anti-vax messages

Across different ethnic and religious groups surveyed, there have been big increases in COVID vaccine confidence since last yearalthough some groups are more confident than others:

Thirty-six percent of people from ethnic minorities said they were certain or very likely to get vaccinated when asked in Nov/Dec 2020compared with 72 percent of this group who now say they have the same high likelihood or have already been vaccinated. Among white people, the proportion saying the same has increased from 56 percent to 87 percent.

And 67 percent of Muslims now express such vaccine confidenceup from 23 percent last year. But this is still considerably lower than Anglicans, for example, 94 percent of whom say they are certain or very likely to get a COVID vaccine or have already had one. However, further analysis suggests it is not religious practice itself that is driving these different vaccine intentions.

The Muslim community stand out for certain beliefs about COVID vaccines:

Muslims (19 percent) are four times as likely as the public overall (five percent) to think the vaccines contain pork products.

Twenty-nine per centbelieve people who have had the coronavirus vaccine may find it harder to have children in futurecompared with seven percent of the population overall who believe this claim.

Forty-one percent think it's true that the AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clotsalmost double the 23 percent of the general public who believe this.

Misinformation is also still a problem: 43 percent of the public now say they've seen or heard messages encouraging people not to get a COVID vaccine since the start of the pandemicup from 35 percent in Nov/Dec 2020. This increase is reflected across nearly all the ethnic and religious groups surveyed.

Trust is key to increasing vaccine take-up

Some groups are less trusting than others of the NHS, and some place greater trust in religious leaders when it comes to COVID and the response.

Thirty-six percent of people from ethnic minority groups say they have a great deal of trust in the NHScompared with 55 percent of white people who say the same. However, 84 percent of ethnic minorities still say they have at least a fair amount of trust in the health service.

Of all the religious groups surveyed, Anglicans have the most faith in the NHS61 percent trust it a great deal, compared with 39 percent of Muslims who trust it to such an extent.

Based on their past experience of NHS care, ethnic minorities (66 percent) are less likely than white people (78 percent) to trust those looking after them.

Similarly, across the different religions, Muslims are least likely to trust those caring for them in the health service. Seventy-one percent agree that they trust them, but only 20 percent strongly agree that this is the case. This compares with 41 percent of Anglicans who strongly feel this way.

Muslims also place the greatest trust in their faith leaders, with 56 percent trusting them a great deal or fair amount on issues relating to COVID and how we should be responding to it. They are followed by Catholics, 42 percent of whom trust their religious leaders to this extent, while only 30 percent of Anglicans do the same.

Dr. Siobhan McAndrew, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Social Science at the University of Bristol, said: "The high rates accepting the invitation to take up a vaccine are extremely encouraging. Convergence over time in vaccine confidence among members of different ethnic and religious groups provides evidence of a strong pro-vaccine norm.

"There is an apparently large difference in intention to get vaccinated between religious groups, with Muslims in particular standing outbut when we control for characteristics associated with religion, such as ethnicity, immigration status, social class and age, these differences are much reduced, suggesting that it's not religious belief in itself that's the driver. Nevertheless, the connections that the religiously-active have with religious peers, faith community leaders and with the NHS's diverse workforce serve as a valuable communications resource. Tailored messaging via these channels will address specific community needs, reassure the cautious, and support vaccine confidence."

Explore further Preference for AstraZeneca vaccine declinesbut vaccine confidence undented
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD have today (Monday) launched 10,158 places on 294 courses under Springboard+ 2021.

In addition 1,101 places on 1 and 2 year ICT graduate conversion courses are also on offer under the initiative.

Springboard+ courses are at Level 6 (Certificate) to Level 9 (Masters) on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) and are delivered by public and private higher education providers around the country.

Minister Harris said: As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we will need to ensure that people have the skills they need.

Springboard+ and the graduate conversion courses under the Human Capital Initiative provide a targeted response to skills needs, enabling people to upskill and reskill in areas of critical importance which have come to the fore as a result of COVID-19, including Cybersecurity, Virtual Reality, Health Innovation, and Logistics.

Programmes in Climate/Sustainability and Energy which are central to the Programme for Government are also being funded.

Now in its tenth year, over 75,000 people have benefitted from the programme to date. The Springboard+ programme is managed by the Higher Education Authority, on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Funding is allocated to Springboard+ from the National Training Fund (NTF) on an annual basis, with over 290m of funding provided since it commenced in 2011.

In addition, 1,869 courses will be funded for graduates under The Human Capital Initiative (HCI). The initiative provides additional capacity across the Higher Education Sector to meet priority skill needs for enterprise. Graduate Conversion Programmes under the HCI offer incentivised places for graduates to reskill in areas of skills shortage and emerging technologies. These are being run alongside, and complementary to, the Springboard+ offerings.

Approval has already been granted for courses under HCI Pillar 1 to run for the 2021/22 academic year, as part of the approval process last year. 1,869 places will be funded on 78 courses in 2021/22.

Minister Collins said: Springboard+ training programmes provide people who are unemployed, those looking to return to the workforce and those in employment with a great opportunity to upskill or reskill in areas in which employers need skilled workers. I am particularly pleased that courses provided under Springboard+ 2021 will continue to be delivered in a flexible manner, 90% of Springboard+ courses will be delivered in a more flexible format which will enable more people to engage in upskilling and reskilling.

Springboard+ provides higher education courses in areas of identified skills needs. Courses are free for the unemployed, previously self-employed and returners to the workforce. Courses are also free for employed people on NFQ Level 6 courses. For employed participants on courses NFQ level 7  9, 90% of the course fee is funded by the state, with participants required to contribute just 10% of the fee.

Alan Wall, CEO of the HEA said: As Springboard+ reaches its 10th year, we celebrate our 75,000 learners who have upskilled or reskilled to improve their career opportunities or who have simply taken their first steps towards re-entering the workforce after some time away. We also celebrate the work of our higher education institutions collaborating with Enterprise in contributing to Irelands life-ling learning agenda and meeting Irelands national and regional skills needs.

Candidates who wish to participate in Springboard+ 2021 or HCI Pillar 1 courses will find full details on the approved courses on the dedicated information and applications website www.springboardcourses.ie

Applications will open on Wednesday 16th June, and a helpline for applicants will be available on 1800 303523.

/ENDS

Notes to the editor

Pictures will be circulated by Fennells Photography.
AT LEAST seven Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights between Manila and Hong Kong and the Middle East scheduled for June 6-8 were canceled, the ...
Nearly 11 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine -- about half of the more than 21 million doses that have been delivered to states and other jurisdictions -- have not been administered, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It is an issue that there are expiring doses -- I would imagine in every state," a source familiar with the federal vaccination effort told CNN on Wednesday. "However, it's a very small percentage of the overall doses that have been sent to providers -- probably 1-2%."

Still, demand for Covid-19 vaccines has dropped off in the United States, even as other parts of the world are eager to acquire more vaccines. Officials have said the logistics and regulations around moving or sharing doses are a challenge.

"We're working very hard, both at the federal level and at the local level, to do everything we can to make sure that these vaccines can be used and deployed in the very best possible way," Johnson & Johnson Chairman and CEO Alex Gorsky said Wednesday during a Wall Street Journal Tech Health event.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN on Wednesday that the FDA is looking into how to get the vaccines "properly utilized, whether it's utilized in the United States or elsewhere."
Grizzly bear managers have a lot to digest at their summer meeting this week after big political and practical shifts in the past year.

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee meets virtually on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing together land and wildlife managers from Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and a constellation of regional and local officials.

They gather as the U.S. Interior Department leadership has switched from President Donald Trumps Secretary David Bernhardt, who focused on grizzly conflict reduction by expanding bear removal, to President Joe Bidens Secretary Deb Haaland, who has voiced more support for grizzly protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Wednesdays session features a status assessment from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery coordinator Hilary Cooley. FWS recently completed a five-year review of the grizzlys ESA recovery progress, and concluded it still warranted federal protection.
Missoula County announced it will participate in the National Month of Action for COVID-19, which is part of a push by President Biden to achieve a nationwide vaccine goal by July 4.

The nationwide goal is for 70% of Americans to have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, 63% of Missoula County's eligible population, which is 49.3% of the county's total population, has received at least one vaccine shot.

The county health department is partnering with the Missoula YMCA to offer free short-term child care to help parents and guardians have time to get vaccinated. The YMCA drop-in child care is available in June between the hours of 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday through Friday. On Saturday, the YMCA is offering short-term child care between 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In addition, Uber and Lyft are offering free rides to local vaccination sites, which can be found on the rideshare company's website or mobile application, the release said.

"Reducing barriers and incentivizing vaccination are an important part of the national and local strategy to reach the vaccination goal," the health department release said.
Now the House Intelligence Committee Chair, Schiff said Monday that he had spoken with Garland, who had given his commitment to an independent investigation by the inspector general. Schiff said he had every confidence that Garland will also do the kind of top-to-bottom review of the degree to which the department was politicized during the previous administration and take corrective steps.

The intelligence panel initially said 12 people connected to the committee  including aides, former aides and family members  had been swept up, but more have since been uncovered, according to a person familiar with the matter who also was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Some people might not know they were targeted because the Apple notification was by email and showed up in the spam filters of some of those who were contacted, the person said.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., announced an investigation into the subpoenas on members of Congress and journalists. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., demanded a copy of the subpoena and other records about the decision to obtain the order.
Equally abhorrent was turning his corrupt attorneys general loose on members of Congress who were critical of the president. As reported by the Washington Post late last week: The Justice Department in 2018 secretly subpoenaed Apple for the data of two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, as well as the data of their current and former staffers and family members, in an aggressive push by the Trump administration to determine who was leaking classified information to the news media, according to a committee official and one of the affected lawmakers. That the probe was turned only on two Democrats can only be construed for what it wasa flagrant abuse of power by the executive branch. It was done in secret because the perpetrators knew a vast and justified condemnation would arise if it was publicly revealed.
Dear Missoula:

I read with great concern that the Western Montana Mental Health Center has rejected the citys full-price offer to purchase the Bridge Apartments to further negotiate the best offer with an unnamed party. Best offer?

The Bridge was developed specifically to create a community asset, to provide Missoula permanently affordable housing for persons with mental illnessalways. The WMMHC was the guardian of that asset. To wish to relinquish this obligation is understandable. However, in doing so, the best offer necessarily must include consideration of and assurance to citizens of Missoula, including the tenants, that this precious community asset will remain as such.

By way of background, the WMMHC is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt entity. Within their nonprofit status, two housing development corporations were formed strictly to develop housing in furtherance of their nonprofit mission to serve persons with mental illness. All the housing built by these nonprofit corporations used public funds to create debt-free community assets that would remain in each community as permanently affordable housing. Without a mortgage nor property taxes to pay, rental rates need only cover the cost of maintenance, repairs and insurance.
The conditions raise concerns about why it is taking more than a month on average to release the children when most have family in the United States. More staffing has been added since the emergency shelters were opened this spring amid an unprecedented arrival of migrant children, and the flows have subsided.

I think there is a general consensus that no child should be in these emergency shelters for more than two weeks, said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel for the advocacy group American Immigration Council.

Lawyers and advocates question why most of the children are at unlicensed shelters.

As of May 31, nearly 9,000 children were kept at unlicensed sites, compared with 7,200 at licensed shelters, court filings by the U.S. government said. While the unlicensed facilities were running at near capacity in May, the licensed facilities were only about half full, according to a report filed by the agency tasked with the children's care.

Advocates say the government should be pouring more resources into the safe release of children, and those without relatives or a family friend, known as a sponsor, should be immediately going to licensed facilities that are required to have a care worker for every eight children during the day and a mental health clinician per every 12 children.
Its in the absence of robust legal protections, not because of them, that speech becomes a power game. A report on the Congressional-Executive Commission on Chinas website headlined Freedom of Expression in China: A Privilege, Not a Right says it all.

Progressives in the ACLUs ranks want to deemphasize free speech litigation and accelerate the organizations shift from a nonpartisan defender of civil liberties to an unabashedly left-wing interest group. If the retreat allows for a gradual erosion of expressive rights, they will ultimately undermine the very causes they champion.

Racial justice protests rely on the First Amendments speech, assembly and petition clauses. The free-exercise clause allows religious minorities to practice their faith, and the establishment clause prevents public-school teachers and principals from proselytizing to impressionable students. If courts strike down Republican-led efforts to banish critical race theory from the classroom, it will be on First Amendment grounds.

The trouble with fighting for human freedom, H.L. Mencken famously wrote, is that one spends most of ones time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
A little bit, but not really, he said. Youre 17. Youre not scared of anything.

He served after boot camp at the Naval Base in San Francisco.

He was assigned next to the U.S. Naval Base at Guam, one of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific that saw bloody fighting between U.S. forces and Japanese soldiers during the summer of 1944.

Loomis does not remember the name of the ship that transported him from San Diego to Guam but recalls that he never once felt seasick.

He arrived in Guam during a time of relative peace in the region for the United States. The Korean War had ended unofficially in 1953 with an armistice. The U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War had yet to escalate.

Loomis served on a floating dry dock that repaired Navy ships. He also was a member of a crew on a tugboat and duties included ferrying food and missionaries to outlying islands.

He said he never really felt in danger.

I saw the typhoons come through but we just buckled down and rode them out, he said.
Legislation aiming to protect businesses from COVID-19 restrictions imposed by local authorities was signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte more than a month ago, but across the state, elected officials, public health officers and attorneys are left with wildly different interpretations of what the new law actually does.

In Bozeman, officials say theyll be taking a more hands-off approach to everything from food safety regulations to sanitation requirements at local businesses, as they come to grips with a new law they believe has gutted their ability to enforce even the most basic health rules.

It isnt just emergency rules that we cant enforce. It would be any rule that might rely on a business owner for enforcement or interfere or get between a service provider or business and their customers, Gallatin County Commissioner Scott MacFarlane said. It seems to negate a lot of the health code. We understand we can still have the code and say, These are the things that we expect,' but it really looks like all those code items become recommendations.
Theres no question in our mind that these emails were public documents and should have been available to state lawmakers and anyone else who wanted to see them, regardless of their motives. And although this is not our fight, it is refreshing to see that at least one current lawmaker who can make a difference actually cares what we have to say about it.

Independent watchdog organizations have consistently ranked Montana among the worst in the nation for government transparency, and weve been calling for reform for years. Although the publics right to know is enshrined in the Montana Constitution and state law, these rules will not be worth the paper theyre written on until the state enforces them.

Alas, our state's transparency laws remained unchanged after we raised concerns about government officials conducting public business in private emails, excluding the public from caucus meetings, and withholding public information about everything from registered daycare providers and the Public Employees' Retirement System to draft minutes from public meetings.
Among those facilities, the fish-cleaning station attracts much of the attention. Every now and then, despite warning signs, someone puts a catfish into the grinder and clogs it up.

Their heads are like a stone, he said. But there are a lot of big fish coming out of the lake.

A 2019 Eastern Montana tourism study financed by the state was critical of Fort Peck Reservoir for lacking amenities and services like rental boats and tours. Additional marinas, a modern hotel, outdoor learning center and a venue for large groups was also recommended to upgrade the region and attract more tourism dollars.

Clint Thomas, who runs the adjacent Hell Creek Marina, said although Montana State Parks touts visitation of about 30,000 people annually to the area, he thinks its a much smaller pool of visitors who come several times a year.

For a lot of people, this is their place, he said. Its not a place you stop by.

His friend, Jim Gustafson, agreed. It takes a certain kind of cat to make the long drive down a dusty road to a remote region to fish and camp, he said.

So far this year, those cats are pretty fat with fish, if Jones group is any indication.
ARCHIVED - Corvera airport inaugurates flights to and from Oujda in Morocco this Friday



A new destination in north Africa is added to the flight information boards at Corvera

As activity begins to pick up again following the near standstill over the winter at the Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera, a new route to and from the city of Oujda in Morocco is set to be added to the scheduling on Friday 18th June as Air Arabia launch their first service in the Costa Calida.

It has been announced that flights are to be operated every Monday and Friday during the summer, serving a population of over half a million in Oujda alone and over 2 million in the eastern region of the country. Many readers might not know much about this city near the border with Algeria, but it is a major conurbation within Morocco and is located in the south of Beni-Znassen mountains, some 55 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast  roughly the same distance as the city of Murcia.

Air Arabia is a low-cost airline based in the UAE which is also reported to be interested in establishing connections with destinations such as Casablanca, but the timing of the new service between Corvera and Oujda is a little unfortunate. At present relations between Spain and Morocco are extremely tense due to the conflict over migrants crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta a month ago, with the Kingdom of Morocco accused of using the migration problem to bring pressure to bear on Spain over the issue of sovereignty in the Western Sahara.

Nonetheless, flights between the two countries are set to resume on Tuesday and the airline has pressed ahead with its plans: the first flight from Oujda is scheduled to land at Corvera on Friday before the return journey takes off at 22.30.

It is expected that not only will there be significant demand among Moroccans hoping to travel to Spain, but that Oujda will prove an interesting destination for the Murcianos, with its walled medieval city and a history stretching back to the 10th century.

Image 2: Air Arabia's promotion for flights to Murcia
Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its COVID-19 shot was highly effective against the disease and also protected against variants in a large study in the U.S. and Mexico, potentially offering the world yet another weapon against the virus at a time when developing countries are desperate for doses.

The two-shot vaccine was about 90% effective overall, and preliminary data showed it was safe, the American company said. That would put the vaccine about on par with Pfizer's and Moderna's.

While demand for COVID-19 shots in the U.S. has dropped off dramatically and the country has more than enough doses to go around, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting supplies in poor parts of the world.

That help is still months away, however. The company, which has been plagued by raw-material shortages that have hampered production, said it plans to seek authorization for the shots in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and will be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

Many of our first doses will go to  low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with, Novavax CEO Stanley Erck said.
We inside the capital lmfao, he texted, using an abbreviation indicating he thought it was funny, according to the complaint.

Chwiesiuk appeared via telephone in federal court in Chicago on Friday. His attorney, Tim Grace, said Chwiesiuk has been a Chicago police officer since 2018 and that he previously served as a Cook County sheriff's deputy. He was stripped of his police powers this week and is on desk duty, Grace said.

Police Superintendent David Brown said during a news availability Friday that Chwiesiuk had his police powers stripped on June 2 after the department learned of his participation in the attack.

Brown said that if the allegations are true, it is a betrayal of everything we stand for."

What happened in D.C. on Jan. 6 was an absolute disgrace, he said. The fact that a Chicago police officer has been charged in that attack on American democracy makes my blood boil.

We have a zero tolerance for hate and extremism of any kind within the Chicago Police Department, Brown said. And if you harbor such ignorance in your heart, you should take off your star now and find another line of work, or Ill do it for you.
US President Joe Biden has compared Queen Elizabeth to his mother.

The 78-year-old commander-in-chief and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, was hosted for tea by the British monarch at her Windsor Castle residence on Sunday (13.06.21) and speaking afterwards, Joe admitted the queen had made him think of his mom Jean, who died in 2010 aged 93.

Praising the 95-year-old queen as very gracious, he told reporters: We had a long talk, she was very generous.I don't think she'd be insulted but she reminded me of my mother, the look of her and just the generosity.

The meeting was scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the president and his wife met the queen at the dais in the quadrangle of the castle, before a Guard of Honour  comprising Queen's Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards  performed a Royal Salute.

Major James Taylor and Major General Christopher Ghika then accompanied the president on an inspection of the Honour Guard.

The queens guests then entered the castle through the Sovereigns Entrance to enjoy tea with her.
The Mount Carmel Schools Board of directors has announced that school principal Frances Taimanao will serve as MCS acting president for school year 2021-2022. For more information, visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com
Operation Liberate Guam congratulated Dededo resident Evelyn Bernaldez on June 11, who received the 100,000th dose of a Covid-19 vaccine given out by the group.
Answer

Atomic Bombs dropped in Japan in 1945

The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings literally changed the world as we know it. The 1945 atomic bombs gave the world a glimpse of the massive destruction that can be caused by nuclear weapons. Ironically, the bombings are credited for subsequent peace that the world enjoys to date. According to historians, the bombings led to the end of the Second World War as well as the formation of the United Nations which is tasked with maintaining global peace (Gordin, Michael D 157). The destruction caused by the bombs also informed United States of its responsibility in preventing such future occurences.Consequently,the US became vocal against the use of nuclear weapons. Other countries also started exercising more restraint on the use of nuclear weapons and there were increased efforts to advocate for disarmament. The atomic bombings of 1945 have also led to the signing of numerous peace treaty and reconciliation among countries.

Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968

The fourth of April 1968 will forever remain a dark day in Americas history particularly for the civil society that advocated for racial equality and opportunities for all American Citizens. For many, Martin Luther King had proven to be a mobilizer as well as renowned advocate for the minority living in America. Throughout his campaigns, Luther had advocated for the use of peaceful means in airing views. Luther was also credited for his use of television in airing his views which made his course even more relevant despite facing violence from the establishment. Kings assassination sparked immediate violence in numerous cities across the United States. Even more importantly, his assassination evoked grief in the hearts of many Americans. Abeilt momentarily, Kings assassination unified America as people joined in mourning the loss of a great man who had high hopes for a country a broken country (Posner, Gerald 192). In a way, Kings assassination highlights how costly the struggle for equality can sometimes be.

9/11 in 2001

The 9/11 incident is arguably the most devastating attack carried against America in recent memory. The attack which left more than three thousand people dead not only shook the country but also it also exposed Americas vulnerability in the face of terror. The attack threw the country into paranoia and forever changed peoples way of life as evidenced by the many policies enacted after its occurrence (Zarembka, Paul 43). For instance, the increased safety concerns led to the signing of the Patriotism act which violates most of the American civil liberties. For instance, the act allows law enforcement agencies access to private email and telephone records if they believe it is a matter of national security. The act also permits the police to search private property even without the proper documentation. 9/11 was also the main cause for Americas involvement in the war on terror in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The war on terror has taken a toll on the countrys budget as well as the American military. Tighter regulations at airports were also imposed as a result of the attack.

Facebook is launched in 2004

The launch of Facebook is one of the most important occurrences in the 21st century. The social networking site has had an immense impact on various spheres of peoples lives. For instance Facebook has highly impacted how people keep in touch. The networking site has made it possible for people to instantly socialize and interact the distance notwithstanding. The launch of Facebook also made it possible for people to share moments they deem important in their lives. For instance, people are able to capture and share images and videos instantly, something that was impossible in the pre-Facebook era. Facebook has also acted as a source of news and information on happenings around the world, marking a shift from traditional news sources such as television and newspaper. Facebook has also changed how businesses carry out their operations (Susan Dobinick 65). The advent of Facebook has also made the society grapple with challenges posed by cyber bullying.

Election of Barack Obama in 2008

The election of Barack Obama as president was and is still viewed by many as a defining moment in the history of American politics. For over 200 years, America had never elected a president of African dissent. Obamas victory, therefore, was seen as the fall of the racial barrier that had existed in the American society for many years. The triumph represented optimism for minority Americans including Hispanics and African Americans. Additionally, the election was viewed as a chance to foster equality which had previously proven elusive (Michael Tesler, David O. Sears 144). The Obama presidency rekindled the memory of Martin Luther Kings dream that there would come a time when all citizens in the American society would be treated equally without considering their differences. Many Americans were therefore hopeful of better job opportunities, healthcare and better education for their children. The election of Barack Obama is therefore proof that Americas future is optimistic and that the struggles of civil movements in the 20th century were not in vain.

Works Cited

Gordin, Michael D. Five Days in August: How World War Ii Became a Nuclear War. Princeton UP, 2015, p. 157

Michael Tesler, David O. Sears. Obama's Race: The 2008 Election and the Dream of a Post-Racial America. University of Chicago Press, 2010, p. 144.

Posner, Gerald L. Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Open Road Media, 2013, p. 192.

Susan Dobinick. "Business Developments." Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2012, p. 65.

Thomas J. Johnson, David D. New Media, Campaigning and the 2008 Facebook Election. Routledge, 2011, p. 76.

Zarembka, Paul. The Hidden History of 9-11. Seven Stories P, 2008,p.43
Rambo III (recognized as First Blood 3rd series) is the American fight movie in 1988 featuring Stallone (John Rambo) when he went to save his mentor and old associate Colonel Sam Trautman from the Soviet custodial camp site in Afghanistan. The movie was filmed mostly in Israel and Thailand. The part in the Buddhist cloister was filmed in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Few acts were videoed in Bangkok, Thailand whereas others were picturized in Eilat, Jaffa and Tel Aviv, and Israel. The Afghan marketplace part was an adorned establishment in Peshawar city of Pakistan, where the act took place. First Blood was taken from author David Morrells novel in 1972 with a similar name. The film was released during the time of cold between US, Vietnam, and Soviet and heat up some of the topics of the war. The Soviet Union has forbidden the release of movies second and third, and as well as Vietnam's greatest supporter after the warfare, therefore Rambo was very actual. The SU also breeze up dragging out of Afghanistan just after seven days of the Rambo III release.

The movie started with returning of Colonel Sam Trautman or Richard Crenna) to Bangkok, Thailand (wherein the 2nd part Rambo left) to over again recruit the assistance of Vietnam trouper John Rambo or Sylvester Stallone. Trautman realizes Rambo stick combat in a storeroom; a battle which he triumphs, though noticeably having a kind of traumatic memory while doing so. Rambo than leaves the area before Trautman can speak to him, though he realizes Rambo provide the cash he got to some Buddhist monastics. The next day, Trautman tracks Rambo to the Buddhist Monastery where he used to live, setting things. There, Trautman arrives at the construction place of the holy place Rambo was serving to construct and requests Rambo to go with him on the operation to Afghanistan country. The task is intended to deliver arms, comprising FIM 92-A Stinger arms, to the Afghan independence combatants, the Mujahideen, who were fighting for Soviets in the war between Soviet and Afghanistan. Despite displaying him the photographs of citizens suffering due to Soviet military involvement, Rambo declines, expressing disenchantment with combat and appealing that it will not make any difference, if he goes in, meanwhile it did not earlier. Those are opinions Rambo will clench nearly 30 years after. Rambo state that at the present place he can fit something and living a nonviolent life. Trautman says to Rambo that he should come complete circle and understand that he is a soldier and will constantly be ripping away at himself until he recognizes that and looks after what he does finest. Rambo was indifferent and Trautman decided to go to the place on his own. Whereas in Afghanistan, Trautman's groups are trapped by Soviet groups while crossing through the highlands at dark.

Trautman was then confined in a Soviet case and forced for data by Colonel Zaysen or Marc de Jonge. Rambo acquires of the event from delegation ground commandant Robert Griggs aka Kurtwood Smith and persuades Griggs to go help him in an illegal task, regardless of his cautionary that the US government may reject any information of his movements if murdered or caught. Rambo instantly take wing to Pakistan where he sees Mousa aka Sasson Gabai, a arms dealer who decides to go with him to the township in the desert of Afghan, The Mujahideen in the rural community were previously uncertain to support Rambo in the primary place, but choose not to support him when their rural community is confronted by Soviet airplanes after an Mousa's workshop helpers has told to the Soviets. Assisted particularly by Mousa and a new boy called Hamid, Rambo started his journey to the Soviet camp and tries to unrestricted Trautman. The primary attempt was ineffective and consequences not only in Hamid injured by a gun in the foreleg, as well as in Rambo himself receiving a part of shrapnel in his abdominal part. Rambo directs Hamid and Mousa far back to the base camp whereas he thrusts the shrapnel out of the stomach and then sterilizes the injury earlier cutting the gunshot off of the AK-47 attack and draining the gunpowder out of the case into the wounded area. Rambo after that beams the gunpowder, sealing the cut.

The following daytime, Rambo came back to the basecamp once again, at the same time to release Trautman from getting hurt with the blow-torch. Later saving several other hostages, Rambo takes an airplane and evacuate out of the base. Though the airplane soon smashes and Trautman and Rambo were required to carry on with the foot. Later hostility in a cavity, where Trautman and Rambo assassinate numerous Russian fighters counting Kourov, they are challenged by a whole military of Russian heavy tanks, directed by Zaysen. In the resulting battle, in which together Trautman and John were injured, Rambo succeeds to assassinate Zaysen by driving the tank into the airplane Zaysen was flying in. At the completion of the fight, Trautman and Rambo said farewell to their Mujahideen helpers and left Afghanistan to return to home.

Movie link: https://www.moviesjoy.net/movie/rambo-iii-3R08/1386769-16/watching.html
ICT-focused investment-holding company Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH) announced that Thinus Mulder will step down as CEO of its subsidiary DFA on 30 September 2021.

CIVH group CEO and DFA chairman, Raymond Ndlovu, thanked Mulder for his contribution in overseeing DFA and the CIVH groups growth during his tenure over the last thirteen years, first as the founding CFO at DFA and, more recently during the past five years, as DFA CEO.

Ndlovu acknowledged Mulders leadership in achieving the companys stellar financial performance and the significant improvement in DFAs Net Promoter Score in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thinus will still be available to the group until at least December 2021. His consummate knowledge of the CIVH groups businesses and the ICT industry is an asset that CIVH will still want to draw upon, Ndlovu said.

Andries Delport, the current CTO of the CIVH Group, will take the reigns as DFA CEO from 1 October 2021.

He will immediately become more involved with DFA operations during the intervening transition period.

Delport is no newcomer to the industry, having spent close to 25 years at the Vodacom Group, fulfilling the role of Vodacom Group Chief Technology Officer since 2011 before joining CIVH in 2020.

Andries is an astute technical and commercial leader in the industry, and CIVH has full confidence in his capabilities and industry pedigree in leading DFA forward during this time of high-paced regulatory, technological, and commercial-market-structure changes in the environment, said Ndlovu.

Now read: Vodacom in discussions to buy Vumatel and DFA
The first passenger seat in Jeff Bezos space flight has been auctioned off for $28 million, which amounts to roughly $2.8 million per minute for the flight that will have a duration of around 10 minutes.

A British science and technology firm has created a ceiling-mounted sensor that can detect the presence of Covid-19 in a room.

The G7 summit has concluded that scientific investigation into the possible origin of Covid-19 in China must be undertaken. The nations also agreed on a global climate change programme which will see the countries collectively pledging $100 billion a year towards reducing climate change.

Five laws aimed at regulating big tech companies like Amazon and Facebook have been introduced in the United States House of Representatives.

E3 started on Saturday, and Microsoft announced a number of games to be released on Xbox Game Pass with immediate effect, and many more in the coming months. Razer will be presenting its first E3 keynote today.

Here is what is happening in the tech world today:

Bezos: The Amazon founders space flight with his brother will be taking place on 20 July, and the third seat on the trip has been auctioned off for a reported $28 million, according to Ars Technica, and the identity of the bidder has not yet been made public. The flight is expected to last around 10 minutes, three of which will be spent in zero gravity. The fourth seat is yet to be auctioned off.

Covid sensor: British science and technology company Roboscientific has created a ceiling-mounted device that is able to detect the presence of Covid-19 in a room. Early studies show that the device has an accuracy of 98% to 100%. The researchers have stressed that the testing and development of the device are at an early stage.

G7 summit: The G7 summit concluded on 13 June 2021, and according to Politico the nations agreed that a thorough scientific investigation regarding the origins of Covid-19 should be conducted in China. This follows from Chinas refusal of any such investigation, as reported by the Guardian on 27 May. The nations also discussed a crackdown on Chinas reported human rights offences. Consensus was reached by the G7 nations on distributing 870 million Covid-19 vaccines across the globe, 130 million less from the 1 billion that was first agreed on. There was also agreement on addressing climate change, with a target of $100 billion per year being pledged until 2025. The nations also agreed on significantly reducing global coal-produced energy, though both the U.S. and Japan were wary of fully agreeing on this point.

Big tech regulation: According to Reuters, a group of lawmakers in the United States Congress introduced five Bills aimed at regulating big tech companies like Google and Facebook. One Bill bans platforms from merging with companies that would typically compete in the same line of business. Another aims at making it illegal for such companies to give preference to their own products on their platforms. A third Bill will make it illegal to own subsidiaries that operate on their platform if those subsidiaries compete with other businesses. A fourth Bill seeks to allow users to freely transfer all their data to competing platforms. The fifth Bill will be aimed at assessing mergers, ensuring they are legal.

E3: The E3 gaming conference kicked off on Saturday, and the Microsoft-Bethesda Keynote was the biggest event of the weekend. Microsoft announced a wide range of games to be released on Xbox Game Pass with immediate effect after the conference. Bethesda announced Starfield, which the developer stated will launch on 11 November 2022. Today will see a number of other keynote presentations at E3, including from Capcom and Razer. It is Razers first time presenting at E3. The full schedule is available from Gamesradar. The Halo Infinite multiplayer deep-dive will also be taking place today and can be viewed on Youtube.

Now read: Jan Vermeulen appointed MyBroadband editor
Gwen Merz was fresh out of college in 2014, working an information technology job she hated, when she decided early retirement was the answer. She socked away every dollar she could, saving as much as 70% of her income so that she could quit when she was 35.

Now 30, Merz thinks she may have saved too much. Her job and life goals have changed, but most of her $300,000 savings is in retirement accounts that cant be touched without tax penalties. If she could do it over, she says she would either save less aggressively or put some of the money into a taxable investment account with less strict withdrawal rules.

I would pay a little bit more in taxes on my salary but I would have that money available for me, says Merz, who lives in St. Louis.

Some people save prodigious amounts so they can retire early or because theyre worried they wont have enough for a comfortable retirement. But aggressive saving can have significant and sometimes unexpected costs, which is why its important to strike the right balance between saving for the future and living your life today.

ON FIRE, BUT LESS SO
The scenic city of Brooksville may not have a Brooklyn Bridge to sell. But recently  and accidentally  the city sold its water tower.
Fully vaccinated California workers won't have to wear masks at work, according to the latest update to the state's COVID workplace safety rule released Friday.

Those workers, as well as those who are not vaccinated, will also not have to practice social distancing.

Masks will be required for those not fully vaccinated when working indoors or in vehicles. The rule also recommends masks for those not fully vaccinated if they work outdoors and can't maintain physical distancing.

Workers can request masks from employers at no cost and wear them at work regardless of vaccination status, according to the rule.

Employers are also required to provide respirators such as N95 masks for unvaccinated workers who want them when they are working indoors or in vehicles with more than one person.

Masks or social distancing measures will be required for employers dealing with outbreaks at their workplaces.

The rule will be voted on by the standards board of the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, commonly called Cal-OSHA, at its June 17 meeting. However, because of the administrative process, the rule can't go into effect until June 28, nearly two weeks after California will lift most of its restrictions.

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We should be able to have a better way of controlling how cannabis is used now, Nankervis said. We know that tourists are using on the Strip and on Fremont Street. I think this (legislation) will change the way we, as an industry, think about the market.

Nankervis said industry leaders are anxious to learn specifics of the lounge licensing process.

Its the next step, he said, for a maturing cannabis industry in Nevada, which legalized recreational cannabis in 2017.

Colorado, which legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, allows for legal consumption lounges, as does California, but the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult for businesses to flourish.

If you look at the markets that are more developed, like Colorado and California, theyve had consumption lounges for some time now, and that creates an environment where things are more controlled, Nankervis said. This law in Nevada puts us in a place as an industry where were on par with our neighbors.

For Yeager, Sisolaks signature marked the end of a year-long process.

What we could see here in Las Vegas could be better than Amsterdam, Yeager said. I cant tell you how many people I talked to from the cannabis industry, the Chamber of Cannabis, gaming, the governors folks, and those looking to get into the industry. In the end, we got more support than I thought wed get.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Las Vegas Sun.
Regardless of the mode of instruction, some teachers said they continued to worry about the mental health of their students and about the inequitable effects of the pandemic on families.

"The greatest challenge is trying to address the worsening mental state of my students. We have had at least two families become homeless, an attempted suicide, an ugly divorce, and multiple kids sliding into depression," said a Bay Area teacher in a high school with 79% low-income students. "For some, school has been a lifeline, but for others it is a burden."

"Kids with families with means and expectations are getting far more out of virtual or in-person instruction," said a San Diego area teacher in a school with 93% low-income schools. "Parents' expectations matter. Study habits matter. Socioeconomic status and stable home environments matter. These cause gaps. If this is not a conclusion drawn from the pandemic it will be a detriment I believe to our educational system."

Despite the stress and the difficulties, some teachers, particularly in elementary schools, saw moments of joy and their students' spirits lift in the return to school.
Californias evolution into a cultural melange in the latter half of the 20th century posed a question that still looms: Can such a complex society achieve the broad social consensus thats a prerequisite for effective governance?

One can apply the question to just about any specific issue that has defied resolution. Two obvious examples are our never-ending conflicts over the distribution of water  raging anew due to drought  and housing. But there are many others, demonstrating that the only constant about Californias cultural values is that they constantly change.

A bellwether of Californias ever-shifting cultural landscape is capital punishment. The issue has been simmering, and occasionally boiling over, for more than seven decades, beginning in 1948 when Caryl Chessman, dubbed the Red Light Bandit, was sentenced to death for a series of violent robberies and rapes in the Los Angeles area.

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Chessman professed his innocence and became a cause celebre for those who believed that capital punishment was immoral or at least unfairly applied. Before and after his execution, there were countless newspaper and magazine articles, at least one play and a biographical movie about the Chessman case.
In fact, we can't even blame social media for making distrust more prevalent  just louder. The More in Common report cites data from the nonpartisan research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, which found this lack of trust to be a long-term problem. NORC's historic data shows the last time more than 40% of Americans said most people can be trusted was ... the mid-1980s.

And while the Pew Research Center has found that Americans generally trust one another to do the right thing in many situations, that trust does not extend to political decisions. At the end of 2018, just as the United States was gearing up for a second Trump campaign, Pew learned that only 43% of Americans were confident that others would cast informed votes and 42% were confident people could have a civil conversation with someone who has different political beliefs.

And that's why I'm supporting America Talks, a much-needed effort to foster civil dialogue  not by regulating social media or limiting speech, but by encouraging individual Americans to engage in one-on-one conversations. It's important we all recognize that just because someone has different beliefs, they aren't evil or unpatriotic.
(A): The worker is free from the control and direction of the company that hired them while they perform their work.

(B): The worker is performing work that falls outside the hiring entitys usual course or type of business.

(C): The worker has their own independent business or trade beyond the job for which they were hired.

The means test defines clearly those standards away from regular employment. Musician performances, gigs, for the greater majority of musicians remain in self-employment or subcontracting. Independently we contract our compensated jobs (performances) with clients. For example, if we were to contract a performance engagement with a winery, we would find that the engagement is contracted on the type of music we perform. That could be anything from classical to jazz and pop music. There is some control by the client in what we perform, yet those terms are set forth in our autonomous contract. So this meets the standard as set in the means section A.

We see that in our profession what we are providing the majority of the time will fall outside the hiring business entities usual course of business. So the means test section B is met. For section C the music business is an independent trade and profession, that is clearly recognizable as specialized employment.
My base at Gulf Shores was the Hotel Indigo. Riding the elevator to my room, a cowboy with a guitar slung on his shoulder asked me  in the thickest Southern drawl imaginable  if Id come into town for Flora-Bama.

My clueless expression led to his own expression  of disbelief and horror. Truly, he had just spoken to a Martian. I obviously needed to do some research, and I learned this story, which natives know by heart:

Back in 1964, the Tampary family built a package store and a small bar shack on the very stretch of land that Florida had so graciously parted with two years earlier. Ownership changed hands a few times, but both the bar and its reputation for good times grew and grew. Today, Flora-Bamas five outdoor stages host live music 365 days a year, as well as chili cookoffs, fishing rodeos, and the unique annual Mullet Toss. Yup.

Its also well known for The Bushwacker, a potent, five-liquor, 12-ounce frozen cocktail served each year to thousands upon request. Imbibe at your peril.

Sun and song are ubiquitous on the Gulf Shores, but so are Southern food specialties. Local grouper and red snapper, Gulf shrimp poboys (sample excellent ones at Cosmos), and of course, barbeque.
According Diane Nelson, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis, the state of California produces four million tons of wine, which yield thousands of tons of wine grape residue like pulp, seeds, skin and stems.

Many wineries repurpose the residue as compost, but 30 percent of viticulture waste is pomace, or marc, often left to decompose. A recent UC Davis study published in the journal "LWT - Food Science and Technology" uncovered a potential use of Chardonnay marc as a source of abundant oligosaccharides and other healthful compounds, which show promise in the areas of nutrition including intestinal health and inflammation.

Oligosaccharides are carbohydrates composed of at least three to 10 simple sugars. Most pass undigested through the small intestine to the colon, where they serve as prebiotics to feed the good bacteria in our gut. Two examples of oligosaccharides are fructooligosaccharides, or oligofructose, found in foods like asparagus, bananas, blue agave, chicory root, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, legumes, and onions, and galactooligosaccharides found in human milk.

Researchers at UC Davis were pioneers in discovering beneficial oligosaccharides in human milk. The universitys Barile Lab had conducted an earlier study that revealed oligosaccharides in both red and white wine grape residue.
Armenia Ombudsman calls on Artsakh-Armenians to remove or block phone numbers, personal data on social networks

Armenia acting minister: Two new electric trains to transport passengers to and from Yerevan and Gyumri soon

Body of 33-year-old man found hanged in Armenia's Lori Province

Karabakh State Minister: I also have questions regarding loss of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd villages

Armenia Ambassador to Ukraine hands copies of credentials to Ukrainian MFA leadership

Erdogan defends Turkey's withdrawal from Istanbul Convention

Parliament of Morocco recognizes 'third sex'

11 apprehended during opening ceremony of Tbilisi Pride Week

Armenian analyst: Opposition could have won the elections, if it used the right technologies

Adam Schiff: We have been able to secure more than $52,000,000 in funding for Armenia and Artsakh

Court declares head of Armenia's Odzun village as victim under criminal case, there is no accused

Direct flights to and from Kazakhstan and Armenia restored

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of 2 more soldiers found in Hadrut, Varanda and Jrakan

Karabakh Security Council Secretary discusses issues related to water supply and power supply

Armenian analyst: Turkey wants to do everything possible to absorb Azerbaijani army, turn it into subdivision

'Armenia' bloc to apply to Constitutional Court with demand to annul results of elections in coming days

Catholicos Aram I meets with Pope Francis at Vatican

Independent MP sues Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker Lena Nazaryan for calling her 'an idiot'

Digest: US House calls for at least $50m aid to Armenia, New Jersey recognizes Artsakh independence

Did China's Ambassador to Azerbaijan talk about the "Zangezur corridor"?

Armenia 3rd President sends congratulatory message to China's Jinping

FM: Armenian statehood will become geopolitically disabled without Artsakh

Armenia fuel company owner Barsegh Beglaryan says he won't plead guilty and didn't incite anyone

Armenia 1st Military Unit participants in recent Artsakh war are solemnly demobilized (PHOTOS)

Armenia Environment Ministry: 1,650 structures being dismantled in lakeside zone of Lake Sevan

Armenia acting PM's ex-chief of staff to serve as Member of Parliament

Karabakh President makes new appointment

Karabakh: Searches for remains of servicemen continue in southern direction not under Artsakh's control

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan on criminal charge against him: The accusation is completely false

Google to change rules for finding information on web

Azerbaijan declares impossibility of Armenia lawyers defending Armenian captives in Baku

Armenia Parliament approves several amendments to existing laws

Dollar holding steady in Armenia

Republican Party of Armenia vice-president summoned to Investigative Committee after returning from Brussels

Armenia acting PM attends meeting dedicated to 103rd anniversary of prosecutor's office

Karabakh State Minister: Artsakh is planning to build a few reservoirs

Karabakh State Minister: Artsakh should prepare for elections, but under one condition

Faction of Armenia acting PM's political party votes against the bill that it introduced

Armenia Special Investigation Service ex-chief's son, official Narek Shahinyan stabbed in Yerevan

Kuwait announces launch of its first own satellite on Falcon 9 launch vehicle

Total amount of US assistance to Armenia to increase by $12.94m

Armenia President sends congratulatory message to Canada PM

Armenia acting territorial administration and infrastructure minister on news about being appointed Deputy PM

Judicial farce against Armenian captives continues in Azerbaijan

Oil rises in price

Artsakh state minister believes Russian peacekeepers presence is not limited to 5 years

Additional opportunities created to organize protection of right to self-determination, says Karabakh state minister

Court hearing over case of Armenia 3rd President and company owner taking place

Artsakh state minister: Azerbaijan will no longer use Karmir Shuka-Shushi road soon

Armenia PM staff has new chief

Armenia becomes 2nd country after US to grant patent to computer programs

Armenia provides additional funding to Karabakh

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh welcomes the recognition of Artsakh by New Jersey

Armenia acting economy minister: Twice as many agricultural products already exported as in 2019, 2020

Three new cases of coronavirus reported in Artsakh

Pashinyan: Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021 has risen from 3.2% to 6%

Armenia acting premier makes new appointment

126 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenian acting PM to Chinese President: Armenia is eager to further develop friendly relations with China

Pashinyan to Trudeau: Armenia-Canada cooperation has great potential for furtherance

Job search system within EEU, including Armenia, in operation as of today

House of Representatives members call for at least $50m in US aid to Armenia in fiscal year 2022

China will bash the heads of those who try to enslave it, says Xi Jinping

Newspaper: When will Armenia newly elected parliament convene first session?

Newspaper: Quite interesting developments taking place at departments of Armenia state

Newspaper: Armenia Judicial Department head included in criminal case

Israel asks Washington to put off reopening of US Consulate in Jerusalem

Armenia Health Ministry confirms Siberian ulcer diagnosis of 3 citizens

11-year-old Yerevan boy dies after being electrocuted on June 17

Karabakh President: There is no alternative to international recognition of Artsakh people's right to self-determination

France lifts most COVID-19 restrictions

Turkey's Erdogan wants to control social networks

Armenia MOD Military Police chief undergoes surgery

Germany charges ex-leader of Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs for offending Jews and Armenians

New Jersey becomes 10th U.S. State to recognize Artsakh

U.S. law enforcement secretly solicits Microsoft customer data thousands of times a year

Armenia ruling party MP: There is still no decision on new foreign minister

Britain's chief constable warns of pedophiles rising dangers on social media

Lavrov says Erdogan's visit to Shushi was in the context of Ankara-Baku relations

Armenia acting PM receives US Ambassador

Appeal against Armenia court decision to remand Armen Charchyan inscribed to Judge Lusine Abgaryan

Erdogan rules out snap elections in Turkey

'Armenia' bloc representative: Employees of Meghri municipality have been questioned since morning

Israeli FM: Visit to UAE marks beginning of road to peace with other countries of Middle East

Digest: EU may lift travel restrictions for Armenians, more on COVID-19 in Karabakh, Armenia

Karabakh President: Economic decline will make up 25% as a result of war

UN Secretary General says relations between great powers are disorganized as never before

Karabakh National Security Service issues statement

Armenia acting MOD, Russia Ambassador discuss Armenian-Russian cooperation issues

Dollar rises slightly after long decline in Armenia

Putin: Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan is interested in development of crisis in Karabakh

Karabakh Ombudsman: Azerbaijan continues aggression against Artsakh people through informational terrorism

EU governments decide to lift travel restrictions from Armenia and 10 other states

Spanish PM says there will be no referendum on Catalonia independence

Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg adopts petition condemning operations against Artsakh

Armenia acting deputy MOD on deployment of Russian peacekeepers on country's borders

Baku continues to present demands to Armenia and threaten the country

Armenia MP: PACE special rapporteur to meet in Azerbaijan to discuss release of Armenian captives

Azerbaijan FM informs counterparts of BSEC about construction of "Zangezur corridor"

Seven new cases regarding Armenian POWs filed with European Court of Human Rights
Nuclear firm resolving 'performance issue' at Taishan

Framatome says that, according to available data, the plant in Taishan is operating within safety parameters. File photo: AFP
A car plowed into a group of protesters in Minneapolis on Sunday, killing one person. CBS Minnesota

One woman was killed, and three people injured, after a car drove into protesters in Minneapolis.

The driver was pulled out of his vehicle by demonstrators and arrested by police.

Police have yet to publicly identify the driver involved in the crash.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

One woman was killed and three other people were injured on Sunday after a man drove his vehicle into a crowd of demonstrators at an anti-police-brutality vigil in Minneapolis.

The woman, identified as 31-year-old Deona Knajdek, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Knajdek, a mother of two, "was using her car as a street blockade, and another vehicle struck her vehicle and her vehicle struck her" her brother, Garrett Knajdek, told the Star Tribune.

The three other people who were injured had non-life-threatening injuries, Minneapolis police said.

Demonstrators were protesting the death of 33-year-old Winston Smith, who was fatally shot by US Marshals in the city earlier this month. The protesters were standing at Lake Street and Girard Avenue when the driver struck the crowd, reports said.

Minneapolis police also said the demonstrators "struck" the unnamed driver and pulled him out of his car after the collision, according to the Star Tribune. However, people who were at the scene oppose those claims.

"He was going real fast, and he sped up the closer he got to the barricades," Donald Hooker Jr., an activist who was present at the protest, told the outlet. "He got out of the car, and he tried to run. This was an attack. It was on purpose."

Hooker added that the group of demonstrators "safety" turned the driver over to police at the scene.

The driver was later arrested and treated at a local hospital, police said. Authorities have not yet publicly released the driver's motive for plowing his car into the crowd. But authorities told WCCO that drugs and alcohol may have played a role in the crash.

The Minneapolis Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
A 93-year-old Raleigh man was found dead at Jordan Lake Saturday morning.

Stirling Danskin was found dead near the Seaforth access area to the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area in Pittsboro, said Michele Walker, a spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, on Sunday morning.

Walker didnt know how the man died. The Chatham County Sheriffs Office is investigating. The sheriffs office didnt immediately return a telephone message left Sunday morning.

A ranger noticed a car, later discovered to be Danskins, parked at the park after it closed on Thursday evening, Walker said.

Its common for people to leave their cars at the park overnight, Walker said. Typically the ranger will leave a note on the vehicle, and then someone will check on it the next day, which is what happened in this case, Walker said.

After no one came back to the car on Friday, park officials reviewed video footage of when Danskin arrived and contacted emergency officials to do a wellness check at Danskins home. They also began a search for him at the recreation area on Friday, which was hindered by bad weather, Walker said.

On Saturday the search resumed and Danskin was found mid-morning, Walker said.

In April, a 19-year-old died after a witness reported seeing someone struggling to stay above the water line in Jordan Lake near Clark Poe Road, The News & Observer reported.
GENEVA (Reuters) - Africa will get priority treatment for the Group of Seven's pledged 870 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, a senior World Health Organization adviser said on Monday.

"You will see that Africa is one of the most vulnerable, under-served (areas), so the priority would be for doses to go... to the African continent writ large. Those numbers will be sorted out the coming weeks," Bruce Aylward, a senior WHO adviser and coordinator of the ACT (Access to COVID-19 Tools) Accelerator, told an online news briefing from Geneva.

(Reporting by Emma Farge and Stephanie Nebehay, Editing by Michael Shields)
By Promit Mukherjee

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will export more ready-to-administer COVID-19 vaccines to South Africa beyond the 300,000 doses already pledged, the CEO of Aspen Pharmacare said on Monday.

South African regulator SAHPRA on Sunday said that J&J would supply the country with 300,000 finished doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in the next few days as a means to compensate for a loss of 2 million ready doses that Aspen, J&J's local contract manufacturer, will have to destroy.

The watchdog's statement came a day after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) asked the global pharmaceuticals giant to destroy millions of doses of its vaccine because of contamination found at one of its suppliers.

J&J will be supplying finished doses in addition to the 300,000 over the next few weeks, Aspen CEO Stephen Saad told Reuters.

Aspen imports the drug substance from J&J and readies it for supply in what is known as a fill and finish process.

J&J has not officially announced the supply figures and did not respond immediately to an emailed request for comment.

Between J&J's additional exports and Aspen's supply, the 2 million lost doses will be more than covered, Saad added.

The decision to discard 2 million vaccine doses was considered a major setback for South Africa's vaccination drive because it leaves the country reliant on the two-dose vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

Saad said his company will be reimbursed for the discarded doses and that the vaccination drive can pick up pace with the arrival of more than half a million doses of J&J's single-shot vaccine in the next week through Aspen's supplies and J&J's pledged 300,000 doses.

Aspen will be able to maintain a steady flow of vaccines from July, he said, adding that the 2 million lost doses could affect its timeline for supply to the whole of Africa.

Saad also said that Aspen intends to ramp up production to 800,000 vaccine doses per day in the near future, equating to 25 million a month.

(Reporting by Promit MukherjeeEditing by Emma Rumney and David Goodman)
Jun. 13One day after Commonwealth's Attorney David Dalton filed a lawsuit against the Kentucky Parole Board, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron did the same in Laurel Circuit Court on behalf of Kentucky victims and families affected by the board's most recent order.

Prosecutors were blindsided last month after the Parole Board did an about-face on a prior recommendation that concerned forcing offenders with life sentences to serve out their entire sentence after being denied parole at their first hearing.

Such an order affects families like those of Taiann Wilson and Matthew Coomer, two Pulaski teens who were murdered in 1995 by Jeffrey Brian Coffey.

Coffey was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for 25 years, but at his eligibility hearing last year  his first  he was not only denied parol but was told he would serve out the remainder of his life in prison.

That's what the families of the victims were told as well. But then the Kentucky Parole Board issued a new directive saying "serve outs" could not be given during a first hearing. They applied the new rule retroactively to 45 inmates, including Coffey.

Just as Dalton stated in his complaint that the rule change violated state law, so too does Cameron.

"The crime victims and their families affected by this directive have already gone through the excruciating process of one Parole Board hearing, and they were given assurance by the Board that those responsible for carrying out heinous and violent crimes would spend the rest of their lives in prison without the possibility of parole," said Attorney General Cameron. "This new directive is a startling reversal by the Board that not only disregards the rights of crime victims, but it fails to follow the law. If the directive is allowed to stand, Kentucky families will be forced to relive these terrible crimes, and a dangerous precedent will be established for how the Parole Board can issue directives and treat crime victims."

Story continues

Cameron's lawsuit argues the Parole Board does not have the legal authority to issue the new directive and states that even if the board did have such authority, it failed to act through the administrative regulation process set forth by Kentucky law.

According to Cameron's office, that process requires the regulation to be reviewed by legislators and undergo a public comment period.

The lawsuit notes that "the Board issued its directive covertly without notifying Commonwealth's Attorneys or the public, including the crime victims."

Coffey's case was noted by Cameron's office as being one of the 45 prisoners affected by the new order. Cameron's office also listed the cases of a man responsible for the murder and kidnapping of two Trinity High School students; a woman responsible for murdering her 10 year-old step-son; and a man responsible for kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and killing a college student at Alice Lloyd College.
WASHINGTON  Russian President Vladimir Putin said he could not guarantee opposition leader Alexei Navalny would leave prison alive and denied ordering an assassination attempt on the anti-corruption crusader.

Putin's remarks, made in an interview with NBC News that aired in part on Monday, mark a fresh provocation from the Russian autocrat as he prepares to sit down with U.S. President Joe Biden for a high-stakes summit this week.

The two leaders will meet June 16 in Geneva, amid escalating tensions over the Kremlin's cyberattacks and election interference in the U.S. and Putin's efforts to stifle dissent inside Russia.

Read more: From Reagan and Gorbachev to Biden and Putin: 6 meetings show how the US-Russia relationship has evolved

Navalny, an activist and one of Putin's fiercest critics, returned to Russia from Germany in January after recovering from poisoning with a nerve agent. He was detained shortly after his arrival in Moscow and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for violating the terms of his probation while he was treated abroad.

Navalny initially went on a hunger strike, and his allies say he came close to death before ending his strike on the advice of doctors.

Asked if he could guarantee Navanly would leave prison alive, Putin claimed he had no say over the matter.

"Look, such decisions in this country are not made by the president," Putin said.

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny stands in a cage in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. Two trials against Navalny are being held Moscow City Court one considering an appeal against his imprisonment in the embezzlement case and another announcing a verdict in the defamation case.

Pressed on Navalny's status, Putin said, "He will not be treated any worse than anybody else."

Biden said on Monday that it would be a "tragedy" if Navalny died in jail. "It would do nothing but hurt his relationships with the rest of the world, in my view, and with me," he said during a news conference in Brussels after meeting with NATO leaders.

Navalny's case is likely to be one of many flashpoints between Biden and Putin during Wednesday's meeting.

The U.S. intelligence community has determined with "high confidence" that Russia's Federal Security Service used the nerve agent Novichok to poison Navalny last August. The Biden administration imposed sanctions on Russia in the wake of that finding.

Story continues

Putin has denied any involvement in the attack on Navalny, a position he repeated to NBC.

"We don't have this kind of habit of assassinating anybody," Putin said when pressed on Navalny's poisoning.

The Russian leader also flatly denied that Moscow was behind the recent SolarWinds cyberattack or that the Kremlin interfered in the 2020 presidential election. The Biden administration has sanctioned Russia over both of those matters.

"We have been accused of all kinds of things," Putin told NBC. "Election interference, cyberattacks and so on and so forth. And not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof. Just unfounded accusations."

More: Biden will confront Vladimir Putin about ransomware as cyberattacks increase in US

Putin said the U.S.-Russia relationship has "deteriorated to what is the lowest point in recent years," but said he and Biden would be able to work together on issues of "mutual interest," such as arms control.

He shrugged off questions about Biden's affirmative answer, during an interview earlier this year, when he was asked if Putin was a "killer."

Biden did not back away from that characterization during Monday's news conference. "When I was asked that question on air, I answered it honestly, Biden said. "I don't think it matters a whole lot in terms of this next meeting we're about to have."

A look ahead: With US-Russia relations at low point, Biden, Putin each bring a wariness to Geneva summit

Putin said he works with people he disagrees with all the time. "People with whom I work ... we argue," the Russia leader said. "We are not bride and groom. We don't swear everlasting love and friendship."

He did, however, offer warm words for former President Donald Trump, who tried to cultivate close ties with Putin even as his advisers pressed for a tough approach to Russia.

"Mr. Trump is an extraordinary individual, talented individual. Otherwise he would not have become U.S. president," Putin said.

Related: Poisoning nearly killed Alexei Navalny. Now, Biden is sanctioning Putin allies in Russia

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vladimir Putin refuses to guarantee Alexei Navalny's safety in prison
With coronavirus travel restrictions expected to ease in coming months, airlines are planning to resume nonstop international flights from the Triangle.

Starting Monday, American Airlines will begin booking flights on its nonstop between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Londons Heathrow Airport starting Nov. 1. Delta is selling seats on its nonstop flight between RDU and Paris starting Sept. 9.

And Air Canada says it plans to resume three daily nonstops from RDU to Toronto and one to Montreal on Sept. 7.

All of the flights are subject to change, and its possible someone who buys a ticket on a nonstop flight may get rerouted through a larger hub airport. American had planned to resume the London flight Aug. 17, and travelers who bought seats on it will be rebooked, said spokesman Brian Metham.

But as coronavirus cases decline with increased vaccination, the chances are better than theyve been during the pandemic that these schedules will hold.

The U.S. State Department relaxed its travel warnings for dozens of countries last week, including Canada and France, from do not travel to reconsider travel. The United Kingdom has been on the reconsider travel list since May 10.

European countries are reopening to fully vaccinated U.S. tourists this summer, though with restrictions that can vary from country to country. The U.S., meanwhile, has established two groups of public health experts to focus on travel policies with counterparts in Europe and the United Kingdom, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

The point of these working groups is to share data and set out both milestones and criteria to enable a reopening of travel between our two countries as swiftly as possible, consistent with public health guidance, Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to England last Wednesday.

For now, movement between the U.S. and Canada remains restricted to essential travel. But theres growing pressure to ease those restrictions, and Politico reported last week that the Canadian government intends to starting doing that June 22.

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Vaccination remains key to resuming international travel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against overseas travel for anyone who hasnt been vaccinated for COVID-19. The U.S. and other countries require airline passengers, regardless of whether theyve been vaccinated, to have a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of boarding their overseas flight.

Leisure travelers return to flying

The coronavirus pandemic halted all international travel in and out of RDU for eight months last year, between March 31, when the last Air Canada jet arrived from Toronto, and Nov. 19, when JetBlue began flying to Cancun, Mexico. That and JetBlues service to Montego Bay, Jamaica, are the only international flights from RDU.

Warm weather vacation spots are leading the rebound in air travel from the Triangle. Of the 45 destinations served nonstop from RDU, 10 are in Florida.

Last week, American announced it would begin flying twice daily to Tampa, joining Delta, Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest on that route. And Spirit Airlines said it will begin flying daily to Miami International Airport Nov. 17, competing with American, Delta and Frontier.

Passenger traffic has grown steadily this year at RDU but remains below pre-pandemic levels. Before COVID-19, airlines served 57 nonstop destinations from RDU, including the four European and Canadian cities airlines expect to add back to their schedules later this year.

On Monday, the airport and a coalition of Triangle companies will unveil a broadcast and print advertising campaign to encourage people to fly again and help the regions economic recovery. The campaigns theme is Carry On.
Seventeen

Rihanna's Savage x Fenty has released their first-ever Pride collection and, as with all thing Riri does, it goes above and beyond. In addition, SXF is making a donation of $250,000 from the sales of the capsule collection. The donation will be split between The Audre Lorde Project, The Caribbean Equality Project, INC., GLAAD, Trans Latin@ Coalition & Trans Wellness Center.
TOKYO (Reuters) - A U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and his son pleaded guilty in Tokyo on Monday to charges that they illegally helped former Nissan Motor Co Ltd Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan hidden in a box aboard a private jet in December 2019.

Chief judge Hideo Nirei, one of three judges presiding over their first court appearance, asked Michael Taylor and his son Peter whether there was any mistake in the charges submitted by the Tokyo Prosecutors' office.

"No your honour," the older Taylor replied. "No," said his son.

Extradited to Japan from the United States in March, they are being held at the same jail in Tokyo where Ghosn was detained. They could face up to three years in prison.

Wearing black jackets and pants, white shirts and plastic slippers, they were led into court with ropes threaded through handcuffs and tied around their waists.

Prosecutors accused them of helping Ghosn evade punishment and escape https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nissan-ghosn-charge-idCAKBN2BE0G1 to Lebanon from western Japan's Kansai airport, receiving $1.3 million for their services, some of which was paid to an advertising company owned by the younger Taylor. The Americans asked Ghosn for another $500,000 for legal fees after Japan sought their arrest, prosecutors said.

They also described the younger Taylor as a frequent visitor to Lebanon, said planning for the escape began around six months before Ghosn fled.

Their statement also said that Ghosn's wife Carole Ghosn sought help from Michael Taylor, with Ghosn later contacting him from Tokyo with a phone he had hidden from Japanese authorities.

A third man George-Antoine Zayek, recruited by the Taylors, traveled to Japan later in 2019 to find a way through airport security, settling on the private jet terminal at Kansai airport as the best route out, the prosecutors said. Zayek remains at large.

Luggage that does not fit through the security scanning machine there is inspected by hand. That check, however, can be waived by the pilot.

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The Taylors' lawyers in the United States waged a months-long battle to prevent their extradition to Japan, arguing they could not be prosecuted for helping someone "bail jump" and that they could face relentless interrogations and torture.

Suspects in Japan are interrogated without their lawyers present and are often denied bail before trial.

Japan's conviction rate is 99%.

At the time of Ghosn's escape, he was awaiting trial on charges that he understated his compensation in Nissan's financial statements by 9.3 billion yen ($85 million) over a decade and enriched himself at his employer's expense through payments to car dealerships.

Ghosn - who denies any wrongdoing - remains a fugitive in his childhood home, Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive charged with helping Ghosn hide his earnings, is also standing trial in Tokyo. He denies the charges https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/court-former-nissan-executive-kelly-denies-helping-ghosn-hide-earnings-2021-05-12.

The Taylors will make their next appearance in court, the same room where Kelly's trial is being held, on June 29, when their lawyers will deliver a statement and the Americans will be cross-examined.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Simon Cameron-Moore and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Americans Michael Taylor and Peter Taylor pleaded guilty in a Tokyo court Monday to helping former Nissan chair Carlos Ghosn escape Japan in a box aboard a plane in 2019, per the Wall Street Journal.

The big picture: Ghosn was awaiting trial in Tokyo on financial misconduct charges following his 2018 arrest when he fled to Lebanon. He denies any wrongdoing.

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Michael Taylor, a 60-year-old private security specialist and former Green Beret, and his 28-year-old son were extradited to Japan in March.

They were arrested in Massachusetts in May 2020.

What to watch: The Taylors face up to three years in prison for the offense of aiding the escape of a criminal, Reuters notes.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Go deeper... Wanted: The fugitive CEO

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An American father-son duo accused of orchestrating former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn's audacious escape from Japan admitted their role Monday as they made their first appearance before a Tokyo court.

Former special forces operative Michael Taylor, 60, and his 28-year-old son Peter were extradited by US authorities over claims they smuggled Ghosn out of the country in a music equipment case as he awaited trial.

At the Tokyo district court Monday, the pair said they did not contest the facts laid out by prosecutors in an indictment, effectively conceding their role in the saga.

The pair face up to three years in prison if convicted of helping Ghosn, who is currently an international fugitive living in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Ghosn was out on bail while awaiting trial on four counts of financial misconduct, which he denies, when he managed to slip past authorities onto a private jet, transit in Turkey and land in Lebanon.

The escape was hugely embarrassing for Japanese authorities, who termed it "one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history".

The Taylors, along with a Lebanese national still at large, are suspected of orchestrating the December 2019 escape -- including putting Ghosn inside an audio equipment case to get him onto the private jet.

The pair fought their extradition to Tokyo, claiming they could face torture-like conditions, and have not commented on their case since arriving in early March.

Tokyo's Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto has declined to comment on their arraignment, but local media said both men have admitted wrongdoing during questioning.

Public broadcaster NHK has said Peter received 144 million yen ($1.3 million) from the Ghosns for their help.

The Asahi Shimbun daily said the pair spent most of the money on preparations for the escape, including the costs of chartering a private jet, claiming that they were not paid for their help.

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Ghosn remains at large in Lebanon, where he was questioned last month by French investigators over a series of alleged financial improprieties.

Among the allegations are improper financial interactions with Renault-Nissan's distributor in Oman, payments by a Dutch subsidiary to consultants and lavish parties organised at the Palace of Versailles.

The questioning took place with his defence team and a Lebanese prosecutor present. Ghosn was heard as a witness as he would need to be in France to be formally indicted.

Others involved in the Ghosn case have faced legal proceedings, including his former aide at Nissan, Greg Kelly, who is also on trial in Tokyo for his alleged role in underreporting the tycoon's income.

And a Turkish court has sentenced two pilots and another employee of a small private airline to four years and two months in prison for their role in Ghosn's escape.

Ghosn switched planes in Turkey on his way to Lebanon, and the three Turks were charged with involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle a migrant.

bur-si-sah/reb
TOKYO (AP)  Two Americans charged with helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was facing accusations of financial misconduct agreed Monday that they took part in a scheme for him to escape the country.

Statements by Michael Taylor and his son, Peter, on the opening day of their trial in Tokyo suggest the pair dont plan to fight charges of assisting a criminal. That carries a possible penalty of up to three years in prison.

Keiji Isaji, one of the attorneys for the Taylors, told The Associated Press after the court session that he wants the trial to proceed efficiently. He said ending the trial quickly is in the best interests of his clients. He declined to confirm his team was hoping for a suspended sentence if they are convicted, meaning no time would be served. He stressed the decision was up to the judge.

The Taylors appeared calm as they were led into the courtroom in handcuffs, with ropes tied around their waists.

They said little except to answer the judge's questions, such as Yes, your honor, and I hear you well, when asked about simultaneous interpreting relayed through headphones.

Prosecutors read out a statement accusing Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, and Peter Taylor of arranging to hide Ghosn in a box for musical equipment. It was loaded onto a private jet that flew him from the western city of Osaka to Lebanon via Turkey in December 2019.

Ryozo Kitajima, one of the prosecutors, said Peter Taylor met with Ghosn at a hotel several times in 2019 and introduced Ghosn to his father. He said Peter Taylor also received $562,500 in two transfers to pay for chartering the jet and other expenses. Peter Taylor arranged for Ghosn to change his clothing at a Tokyo hotel. His father and another man, George-Antoine Zayek later accompanied Ghosn to the Osaka airport, Kitajima said.

Zayek has not been arrested.

The prosecutors said bitcoins worth $500,000 were transferred from Ghosn's son Anthony's account to Peter Taylor in 2020, purportedly to cover the Taylors' defense costs.

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After a brief discussion with Chief Judge Hideo Nirei and their defense lawyers, the Taylors agreed there were no mistakes in the statement.

Prosecutors said that during their detention the Taylors had expressed remorse and that the pair had been misled to believe helping someone jump bail was not illegal in Japan. They said Ghosn's wife Carole told them Ghosn was being tortured. The prosecutors quoted the Taylors as saying they were not tortured and were treated in a way that was fair and professional.

The trial's next session is set for June 29, when prosecutors will continue their questioning.

The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts last year and extradited to Japan in March. Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship and Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. The authorities say Ghosn paid the Taylors at least $1.3 million.

Ghosn led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades before his arrest in 2018. He was charged with falsifying securities reports in under-reporting his compensation and of breach of trust in using Nissan money for personal gain. He says he is innocent and says he fled Japan because he did not expect to get a fair trial. More than 99% of criminal cases in Japan result in convictions.

Peter Taylor told a Massachusetts court in January that he met Ghosn in 2019 in Japan to pitch his digital marketing company to help repair Ghosns tarnished reputation. He said Ghosn asked him to bring him gifts, food and DVDs from his wife, and to deliver gifts, including to relatives in Lebanon.

Peter Taylor said he left Japan for Shanghai on Dec. 29, 2019, and was not in Japan when Ghosn is accused of fleeing. He denied he was in touch with his father at that time, court documents say.

No Japanese executives have been charged in the scandal at Nissan, Yokohama-based manufacturer of the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models.

Extraditions between Japan and the U.S. are relatively rare, even for serious crimes. The possible penalty of three years in prison is the minimum required for an extradition.

Separately, the same court is trying another American, Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive vice president, on charges he under-reported Ghosns compensation. That trial began in September.

Kellys trial has focused on whether reporting of deferred compensation for Ghosn may have violated the law. Several other senior executives at Nissan, including some non-Japanese, were aware of the arrangements.

Kelly says he is innocent and was only looking for lawful ways to pay Ghosn more to prevent him from leaving for a rival automaker.

Before his arrest, Ghosn was an auto industry star, having orchestrated Nissans rebound from the brink of bankruptcy after he was sent to Japan by its French alliance partner Renault in 1999.

Ghosn's pay was halved, by about 1 billion yen ($10 million), in 2010 when Japan began requiring disclosure of high executive pay.

The concern was that his relatively high compensation might be viewed unfavorably since Japanese top executives tend to draw lower pay packages than their peers in other countries.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill passed by the Democratic-led New York state Legislature funding the Assembly's ongoing impeachment investigation into the governor  including funding for any trial that may result from it.

The measure, sponsored by Speaker Carl Heastie in the New York Assembly and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins in the state's Senate, received Cuomo's signature on Friday. The bill, originally introduced as A.B. A08037 and unanimously voted out of the Ways and Means Committee, was replaced by S.B. S7237, which passed in a 63-0 vote in the Senate on Thursday.

"We voted in favor because you know what, now theres no excuses for Senate and Assembly Democrats, you want to impeach him: You can, you have the funding, you certainly have all the evidence," state Sen. Minority Leader Rob Ortt, a Republican, said after the vote.

CUOMO LEGAL DEFENSE IN NURSING HOME SCANDAL COULD COST NY TAXPAYERS UP TO $2.5M

The approved legislation fully funds the investigation, which has been underway since March, and any eventual trial that may result from it.

"This will allow expenses related to investigations conducted by the Legislature to be covered under this existing appropriation. Expenses incurred by the governor and attorney general are already accommodated in the enacted budget," Mike Wyland, a spokesman for Heastie, told the Times Union.

The Assembly's Judiciary Committee, leading the lower chamber's investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo, hired Davis Polk & Wardwell in March to look into the accusations, a move condemned by some of the governor's accusers.

"We were alarmed to learn that Speaker Heastie has hired Davis Polk to assist with the investigation, given the connection between Dennis Glazer, who spent more than 30 years as a partner at Davis Polk, and the governor," Debra Katz, the attorney for Cuomo accuser Charlotte Bennett, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "This is an unacceptable conflict of interest."

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Katz said the alleged connection between Dennis Glazer, who spent 31 years as a partner at Davis Polk, and the governor, who has denied claims of inappropriate touching, gave Bennett "pause" and called into question the legitimacy of the entire investigation.

"We already know the extent to which Gov. Cuomo has surrounded himself with people in the Executive Chamber who enabled his behavior and swept evidence of sexual harassment under the rug," she continued. "If there is even a hint of political influence in the impeachment investigation, it will taint the entire proceedings."

Katz noted Glazer has received appointments from Cuomo, including to the board of the State University of New York at Purchase and New York's casino siting board. In addition, Glazer's wife, state Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, would serve in a state Senate trial if Cuomo were impeached.

Heastie praised the law firm, saying Davis Polk had "the experience, independence, and resources needed to handle this important investigation in a thorough and expeditious manner."

Attorney General Letitia James is conducting a separate investigation into the women's claims of sexual harassment. Katz praised James's appointments of Joon Kim and Anne Clark to lead the state's investigation as "very impressive hires" who have "a wealth of experience and independence."

Cuomo, whose administration authorized James's investigation via a referral letter from gubernatorial counsel Beth Garvey, urged people to be patient and wait for the outcome of the attorney general's investigation.

"Let's do the attorney general's investigation, let's get the findings, and then let's go from there," he said in a conference call in early March while vowing not to resign.

The scope of James's investigation broadened last month to look into claims that a top adviser tied counties' COVID-19 vaccine access to support for the governor, which Garvey said "malign[ed] a decadeslong public servant."

Cuomo faces other scandals regarding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor has been accused of directing state health officials to give special COVID-19 testing access to members of his inner circle, including his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo. Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to the governor, denied those claims as "insincere efforts to rewrite the past" in an email to the Washington Examiner.

Cuomo is also under federal investigation for his handling of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic.

Media reports about the existence of a federal investigation were published in February after Melissa DeRosa, a top Cuomo aide, acknowledged the governor's office hid the state's nursing home coronavirus death toll out of fear of political retribution from then-President Donald Trump.

On May 28, the Times Union reported Cuomo's office denied three Freedom of Information Law requests submitted by the Albany publication, which sought records about the governor's recent book deal.

The possible use of state resources in the promotion of American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from COVID-19 Pandemic, set to rake in $5 million for the governor, has also attracted scrutiny from elected officials. In April, James received a referral to conduct a criminal investigation into Cuomo's use of state resources to promote the book after a March 31 ethics complaint from a liberal watchdog group sought an inquiry into whether he violated a law prohibiting "the use of campaign funds for personal use." State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli authorized James to examine "any indictable offense or offenses," including "the drafting, editing, sale and promotion of the governors book and any related financial or business transactions."

Cuomo insisted members of his staff volunteered to help with the book, though his office acknowledged there might be some "incidental" use of state resources, according to the New York Times.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Despite mounting pressure from within his party to resign, Cuomo, who is eligible to seek a fourth term in office in 2022, has repeatedly vowed not to step down, saying allegations of impropriety against him are false.

Representatives for Heastie, Stewart-Cousins, and New York Senate Democrats did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner's requests for comment.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Andrew Cuomo, Impeachment, Governor, New York, Sexual Harassment, Scandal

Original Author: Carly Roman

Original Location: Andrew Cuomo signs bill funding his impeachment investigation
Arizonas attorney general today warned the Biden Justice Department to back off its criticism of the state Senates audit of the Maricopa County 2020 vote, charging that it was giving into hysterical liberal Trump haters.

My office is not amused by the DOJ's posturing and will not tolerate any effort to undermine or interfere with our State Senate's audit to reassure Arizonans of the accuracy of our elections, wrote Attorney General Mark Brnovich to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

We stand ready to defend federalism and state sovereignty against any partisan attacks or federal overreach, he added.

Garland last week mocked election audits such as the one in Maricopa County. Many of the justifications proffered in support of these post-election audits and restrictions on voting have relied on assertions of material vote fraud in the 2020 election that have been refuted by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, he said.

But in the new tussle over the audit of former President Donald Trumps loss, Brnovich said it was Garlands argument that should be mocked, as well as a letter from the departments Civil Rights Division.

Your comments followed a May 5 letter from Pamela Karlan of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, on the subject of the Arizona Senate's oversight of the Maricopa County audit. This letter appeared more interested in supporting the hysterical outcries of leftist pundits on cable television, rather than the rule of law, wrote Brnovich, who last week announced his bid for the Senate.

In his announcement, Brnovich said that in Washington, he would champion states' rights as he has at home. He hopes to win the GOP primary and face Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly.

Wrote Brnovich, Arizona will not sit back and let the Biden administration abuse its authority, refuse to uphold laws, or attempt to commandeer our state's sovereignty.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: Washington Secrets, 2020 Elections, Arizona, Merrick Garland, Election Lawsuits, Election Fraud, Campaigns, Campaign 2020

Original Author: Paul Bedard

Original Location: Arizona attorney general defends Maricopa vote audit against hysterical DOJ criticism
Samantha Win stars as Chambers in Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead," now streaming on Netflix. Clay Enos/Netflix

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Army of the Dead."

Samantha Win tells Insider how she first met director Zack Snyder and thought he was a stunt person.

Win is OK with her death in "Army." She's happy with the way the zombie tiger took out Martin.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Growing up, Samantha Win always felt her ability to identify as Chinese was challenged by her peers. The actress said she was often quizzed by other kids in school because of her half-Asian, half-Caucasian background.

"It was, 'Oh, you're half-Chinese. Have you ever been to Hong Kong or have you ever been to China?" the "Army of the Dead" actress recently told Insider.

After she went, the goalpost moved, Win said.

Then "it was, 'Do you speak Chinese?' I don't. I grew up in a small town and my dad tried to teach us. It didn't stick, I guess," she continued.

The scrutiny continued when the Canadian actress, who started her career starring in toy commercials before landing her first stunt job at 14, began working in Hollywood. Win recalled she'd often hear "she doesn't look Asian enough" when compared with other actresses, but it's always been ingrained in her identity.

At the behest of their mother, Win and her two older brothers trained in Jujitsu from the age of 4, something she credits with shaping her work ethic and discipline. She then transitioned into the performance martial art of Wushu, a skill that landed her a spot on the Canadian National Wushu Team where she became a double Gold-medalist in the 2006 and 2008 Pan-American Wushu Championships.

Her training led her to double for Jena Malone in "Sucker Punch" before regularly working with Zack and Deborah Snyder on films including, "300: Rise of an Empire," "Man of Steel," and "Justice League."

Now, as she enters her 30s and transitions into more acting roles, Win doesn't care how others label her.

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"At this point in my life, people can think what they want," Win said. "I know who I am."

Currently a scene-stealer in Snyder's zombie heist movie "Army of the Dead," playing the no-nonsense Chambers who gets killed far too early, Win chatted with Insider about how she mustered the courage to text Snyder about "Army," spoilers on the film, and external pressures she faced over her cultural identity.

The first time Win met Snyder she didn't realize who he was.

Director Zack Snyder (L) and producer Deborah Snyder (R) attend the grand reopening of the newly renovated Landmark Theatre Westwood with the premiere screening of Zack Snyder's "Army Of The Dead" at The Landmark Westwood on May 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Acuna: How did you get introduced to the Snyders?

Win: I first got hired through Damon Caro, who is their second unit director. He's an amazing martial artist and he was one of those responsible for scouting new talents in different athletics. He was the first one that had reached out to my parents to see if they were comfortable with me flying out.

Once we got to set [of "Sucker Punch"] was the first time I met, I believe, Zack first. The funny part is that I didn't realize he was the director. The first time I saw him, he was just training in the stunt gym in the morning. He was doing like jump kicks across the floor and just hanging out with everyone like he was one of the guys.

It took me a good 30-40 minutes of asking around to realize, "Oh, that's the director," and yet he's doing martial arts and just training with everyone.

Did you find that it was more difficult for you as a woman entering the stunt double world than a man?

Samantha Win is seen in a behind-the-scenes image from "Army of the Dead." Courtesy Samantha Win

I may have lived a slightly sheltered career. [The Snyders] were at the forefront of using so many women and having so many roles for strong women that by the time I got to "Sucker Punch," which was my first long run on a film, there were five lead women and five lead stunt doubles. For me, it was almost like, "Wow, this is what the world is."

But the other stunt women were telling me how rare it truly is to be able to work with each other. There's usually just one female stunt double. A lot of them hadn't even gotten to work together. They knew of each other as other main stunt doubles.

I'm so grateful that I fell into the Snyder camp so early in my career because they made it not a part of my reality. I feel very fortunate.

After years of playing a stunt woman and smaller roles, Win texted Snyder for a chance to audition for "Army of the Dead"

Samantha Win's character poster for "Army of the Dead." Netflix

I spoke with Snyder about the over 10-year journey to bring "Army" to life. When did you become a part of the film?



I had known it was in pre-production from other friends that were working on it. When I read the synopsis, I was like, "Oh my God, it's zombies! It's Las Vegas. Look at that cast." This is going to be so cool. It would just be a dream come true. But my phone wasn't ringing.

I was at a point in life where I was trying to stop being scared of going for things. I wanted to allow myself to really go for opportunities without coming across a certain way.

After three days of deliberating with friends, convincing me that Zack would not hate me for asking to audition, I finally just texted and asked if it would be OK to audition and that it would just be an honor to show my work.

He removed all of my fears and insecurities about it because he was happy to have me audition. Three weeks later, I learned that I got the part, which just was a whole other emotional journey.

Win is happy with her 'Army of the Dead' death even if it left you screaming at your TV

Chambers tries to fight her way out of the dead, but they grab her before she can crawl to safety. Netflix

What was your reaction when you learned you were going to be one of the first people dead in "Army"? I did not pin Chambers, this bad-ass woman, going down so early.



Honestly, I was just in shock that it was going to be a main title, billing role. It was such a big step forward from things I had done.

Reading through the script, I truly felt Chambers got so much with her death that I was very excited to be able to perform it.

Anytime you give a character a friendship or a relationship it feeds that emotional journey that the audience can go on when you die, so much more. It would've meant so much less to people if they couldn't see in Guzman's reaction, the pain it was going to cause for her to die ... I knew that it was going to feel good and hopefully it was going to tug on some heartstrings.

I was yelling at the TV because I thought Chambers shouldn't have died. I thought, "Why didn't she crawl to safety? Why isn't anyone coming to save her?" She already fought her way through this impossible situation. Is that something that you had spoken with Zack or screenwriter Shay Hatten about?

Guzman and Chambers say their silent goodbyes in "Army of the Dead" before Chambers' death. Netflix, composite by Kirsten Acuna/Insider





You couldn't see in the actual cut of it, but [the zombies] grabbed my ankle from behind. So there was a moment of, "I can't," and then Guzman's trying to get an aim on me, but I'm kind of in a way so kicking them off without shooting me was a struggle.

There was probably some conversations that happened in the editing room after we had filmed. It seems to be a strong reaction from people and it wouldn't be news to me if that was intentional to provoke people, to be standing up screaming at their TVs.

Anytime you get that emotionally involved in a scene, whether you are judging the characters or you're for it, anytime it evokes, something like that, I think it's a good thing. I'm sure it was intentional.

Win really did break through the window and nailed it on the first try.

Chambers busts through a window to escape the dead before her death. How many of the stunts did you do yourself?

I did break through the window and I was so elated that they let me do that because I know that there could be liability issues. They used a candy glass, which is made from melted sugar, as opposed to tempered glass so it's far less likely to cut and it's a much safer version. I felt so comfortable doing it. I'm sure most people don't desire jumping through windows, but for me it's so fun.

The rest of the stunts when it comes to the on-camera performance, it was me. They let me do everything. But so much of the job is also in the preparation and things that happen off-camera that I need to also give credit to Natalie Padilla, who was Chambers in all of the pre-vis[ualization] fights. She was the one working with the choreographers to kind of iron out kinks in the choreography and get everything prepared.

How many times did you have to go through the window?

They had a few of them, but we actually got it on the first take. So I was a little bummed that I didn't get to do it again [laughter].

Win is satisfied with Martin's zombie tiger death.

Martin realizes the zombie tiger, Valentine, is behind him a little too late. Netflix

What was your reaction to learning that the zombie tiger would kill Martin? I think Martin totally got what he deserved, but how did you feel?

I'm pretty sure I laughed out loud and had the biggest smile on my face. When someone just deserves it so much, when that fate happens to them, you can't help but feel like everything is right in the world and it's the most satisfying experience ever. So, absolutely.

When I read it or heard about it, I don't remember which came first, I'm sure I got up out of my seat and I was like, "Yes!" Just envisioning a zombie tiger mauling someone to death, especially with "The Revenant" having come out just a couple of years prior, it was bringing a scene like that to a whole other level. It was upping the ante and I couldn't wait to see it.

I read in another interview that when you made the transition from stunt double to actress, you initially felt like you had a case of imposter syndrome. How did you overcome that or is that something you've overcome?

Samantha Win in "Unwelcome," a short film she co-wrote and stars in that debuted online earlier this year. Courtesy Samantha Win

I probably have yet to find out. I probably feel like that in most things I do in my life.

On "Army of the Dead," what made the difference was the beautiful, amazing cast. Everybody came from different walks of life. We had different cultural backgrounds. That is what ended up uniting us instead of separating us.

I expressed openly how much less than I felt, because I wanted to pay my respects to everyone in their careers ... They really brought me into that ensemble lifting me up and making sure that we all knew that we were all valuable and we were all supported and we were there to work as a team.

This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity. "Army of the Dead" is currently streaming on Netflix. Win also stars in the short film, "Unwelcome," which she cowrote. It can be viewed here.

Read the original article on Insider
Left: Border Force staff in Essex check a lorry for migrants. (PA) Right: A 21-year-old man has been jailed for attempting to smuggle migrants into the UK hidden inside sofas. (SWNS)

A 21-year-old man has been jailed for attempting to smuggle migrants into the UK hidden inside sofas.

Iranian national Arman Yusuf Rahmani, who was granted asylum in Britain after entering in the back of a lorry, was caught trying to get people into the UK from France and Belgium.

He arranged for people to be concealed in the bases of sofas then transported overseas in the back of vans for hire in 2018 and 2019, Preston Crown Court heard.

Read: Lockdowns around the world 'had huge, rapid impact on ozone pollution'

It comes after news that the number of migrants crossing the English Channel has doubled year-on-year, according to The Independent.

More than 3,000 men, women and children have made the trip in small boats since January.

Iranian national Arman Yusuf Rahmani tried to get people into the UK from France and Belgium inside sofas. (SWNS)

This represents an increase of around 1,400 people compared with the same period last year.

The rise crimes despite the government paying millions to ramp up security along the French coast as Priti Patel pledged to make the route unviable.

The home secretary recently told MPs in the Commons that those seeking to claim asylum must do so in the "first safe country" rather than try to reach the UK.

A group of people, including a child, thought to be migrants, in the English Channel. (PA)

Rahmani was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison at Preston Crown Court after pleading guilty to breaking UK immigration law.

The court heard how Rahmani hired six different man with van drivers advertising their services on social media in 2018 and 2019.

Preston Crown Court heard he had established a criminal network to facilitate foreign nationals illegally entering the UK.

He agreed for them to drive from the UK to France or Belgium to collect and transport secondhand furniture to the UK.

Watch: Priti Patel vows reform of 'broken' immigration system

The drivers did not know people were hidden inside the items they had been paid to transport and were instructed not to help with loading the vehicles, the court was told.

Upon arrival at the UK border in France, Border Force officers searched the vans and quickly identified the migrants hiding inside.

Story continues

The migrants, who were all aged 18 or under, claimed to be Iraqi nationals.

Read: 'One rule for them': Backlash grows as PM accused of hypocrisy over BBQ at G7 summit

Video footage and photographs later taken of the hiding spots show that any plea for help from those in the back of the van would not have been heard.

Speaking after the sentencing, minister for immigration compliance and justice Chris Philp said: "Rahmani showed a blatant disregard for the laws of the UK, a country which provided him with safety and a place to live for which he has rightly paid the price.

"This case shows the lengths criminals will go to profit from our broken asylum system by putting people's lives at risk."

Migrants on a boat after being intercepted by French authorities. (PA)

"We are aiming to step up prosecution of those smuggling people into the country which is why this government is bringing legislation through our New Plan for Immigration, breaking the business model of these heinous people-smuggling networks and save lives."

Katie Brown, a criminal and financial investigations investigator, said: "Todays sentence is the result of an excellent investigation that brought an end to Rahmanis pattern of criminality.

"People smugglers are motivated by money alone and show no regard for the safety of those they exploit.

"This case is a message that we never stop looking for those involved in immigration crime."

Rahmani will see out his sentence in the UK, after which he will be eligible for deportation as a foreign national offender.

Watch: Migrants resort to treacherous night hikes through snowy, frozen Alps
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) special agent preparing to arrest alleged immigration violators at Fresh Mark in Salem, Ohio, June 19, 2018. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Immigration lawyers are overburdened as they deal with 1.3 million backlogged cases.

Many are fighting for the ability to rule independently without political pressure, NBC News.

Former AG Bill Barr worked to decertify the union that protected them.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The country's 500 immigration judges feel overburdened and under pressure to deport as more than 1.3 million cases have been backlogged at the end of the last administration and crossings into the country keep rising, NBC News reported.

While federal trial judges are appointed for life, making it easier to make independent decisions, immigration judges are appointed and answer to the attorney general.

The ability for the judges to rule independently on asylum cases has also been compromised by a move from former Attorney General Bill Barr to decertify the National Association of Immigration Judges.

"We are in the legal fight for our life to ensure that our decisional independence is valued and maintained," Judge Amiena Khan told NBC.

Sixty Democrats in the House and some on the Senate Judiciary Committee have also called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to recertified the union and allow judges to speak freely about immigration cases, The Hill reported.

As the union fights to be recertified, judges have said they are fighting to be able to make rulings independently.

"We should not be used as a tool of law enforcement," Judge Dana Leigh Marks told NBC. "That is not how Congress envisioned the immigration courts should play a role in the immigration system."

In a press release, the American Immigration Lawyers Association said the wait time for the backlogged cases was more than four years, including "cases that require urgent attention, such as those seeking asylum and humanitarian relief."

Additionally, cases keep rising. In May alone, Customs and Border Protection reported more than 180,000 migrants at the Southern border, the largest number in a month in more than 20 years.

Marks told NBC quotes were imposed to get cases through faster but the measure threatens to ensure every case has due process and doesn't allow migrants time to find a lawyer. Migrants aren't given court-appointed lawyers and without a lawyer, they will most likely lose their case.

Read the original article on Business Insider
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: The president continues his European trip in Brussels. Plus, Israel has a new prime minister, the U.S. is on the brink of 600,000 deaths from COVID-19, authorities are searching for different suspects after multiple shootings around the country and two people are dead after being swept out by a current in Florida.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson. And this is 5 Things you need to know Monday the 14th of June, 2021. Today, Biden heads to NATO headquarters. Plus, 600,000 deaths from COVID-19 and more.

Here are some of the top headlines.

Ned Beatty has died. The legendary actor had memorable roles from network to Nashville. He was 83. The first team is set in the NBA's Conference Finals. The Phoenix Suns completed a sweep over the Denver Nuggets Sunday night to make the West Finals. They'll next face the winner of a series between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers. And a 13-and-a-half pound Pekingese named Wasabi has won the Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The win comes after one of the dog's owners, Iris Love, died of COVID-19 last year.

Taylor Wilson:

President Joe Biden's nonstop European trip continues Monday as he heads to NATO headquarters in Brussels. At meetings there, world leaders are expected to publicly recommit to a number of defense and security goals. Topics range from cyber attacks to migration and climate change, as well as Russia and China. International correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard looks ahead.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

NATO is a massive kind of military and political alliance, 30 countries. Canada is a member. The US is obviously a big member. The US is the biggest contributor in terms of financing it. And then there's many countries in Eastern Europe or either just recently joined or trying to get in. And so a lot of discussions in there. I mean, it's tempting on this first trip of Biden's overseas just to view everything against the background or the palate of how Trump performed. And I think that's a temptation that we'd all do well to resist although it's hard, but in NATO, they will talk with the various NATO leaders.

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Kim Hjelmgaard:

And they'll talk about things like meeting sort of funding requirements to NATO. In 2014, a big notable NATO summit, all the countries agreed to have this 2% of economic output of GDP as the level of money that they put into the Alliance. And not that many countries actually have been doing that. It's been creeping up over the last few years. The latest estimates of NATO's are between 9, 10, 11 countries I believe, that are meeting this 2% target. And this has been a perpetual or perennial, I should say, issue for the US and various US administrations. Every time they've gone to one of these summits, they've tried to put pressure on European allies to spend more, more active role on defense and security issues that the US speaks up on.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

On the European side, different priorities. They feel that this spending requirement is something that they will do, but perhaps take a longer time to get there for their own reasons. There's also internal divisions and dissent about whether European Union in particular should sort of come up with its own form of an army, but ways of defending the region that are separate to NATO. Those kinds of questions are not going to get answered at this summit, but they will be discussed. And they will also discuss, again, like at the G-Summit stuff, stuff that is not on the formal agenda: old China's rise, for example.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

And particularly, the Russia issue will be a big one because it is a major focus for NATO. Since the fall of the Soviet Union really, NATO has been getting closer and closer to Russian territory. Ukraine is a bit of a red line for Russia, for a former Soviet country, huge Russian speaking population, culturally aligned to Russia. President Putin has been, I wouldn't say clear because he's quite difficult to read, but he's made it clear in various sort of underhand ways that Ukraine is a red line. And Ukraine wants to be a NATO member. It also wants to join the EU. I mean, ultimately that ambition has been behind a lot of the things that have roiled that part of the world over the last four or five years.

Taylor Wilson:

Biden arrives in Belgium after four days in the UK, including a G-7 Summit there and a meeting with the Queen.

There's a new prime minister of Israel. Naftali Bennett takes control after a tight 60 to 59 vote on Sunday ended Benjamin Netanyahu's twelve-year run. Bennett is a far right politician who has taken extreme stances on Palestine. He's vowed to do everything in his power to block Palestinian statehood and supports annexing 60% of the West bank. He previously worked on Netanyahu's staff, and experts in the region say he shares some similarities with his predecessor.

Taylor Wilson:

But Bennet's appointment comes as part of a coalition spanning a few different ideologies. And in two years, centrist Yair Lapid, will take the position as part of an agreement. Bennett and Lapid have both said they will focus more on domestic matters than contentious policies like Israel Palestine, though what that looks like in practice is still not clear. For more, head to the world section on usatoday.com.

Taylor Wilson:

The United States is about to hit 600,000 deaths from Coronavirus.

(Bells toll slowly.)

That's the Washington National Cathedral. It rang the morning bell 600 times on Thursday to note the dark milestone. As of early Monday morning, 599,769 people had died from the virus in the US. Deaths have dropped considerably as a huge chunk of Americans are now vaccinated. 279 people died Saturday from the virus, that's compared to a daily high of nearly 4,500 in January. More than 52.4% of Americans are now at least partially vaccinated and a handful of states have more than 70% of adults, at least partially vaccinated, but some states lag well behind.

Taylor Wilson:

And a recent briefing from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that COVID-19 variants could lead to a surge in cases and deaths this fall if more people don't get vaccinated.

Taylor Wilson:

Authorities are still looking for suspects after separate shootings over the weekend in Georgia, Illinois, and Texas. In Savannah, Georgia, a gunman opened fire outside a residence killing one person and injuring seven others. In Chicago, police are searching for two men who opened fire on the city's South side, killing a woman and injuring nine others. And in Austin, Texas, a suspect has been arrested and another remains at large. There, the shooting killed one person and injured 13.

Taylor Wilson:

A man and a three-year-old are dead after being swept out by currents in Florida. The man and child were waiting in water at a Tampa beach when they got taken by the strong current. And another man who tried to save them is currently missing. Authorities say that man identified as 27-year-old Kristoff Murray, saw the adult and child were struggling and immediately jumped in the water before also being swept up in the current. According to the National Weather Service, there have been at least 14 deaths due to rip currents across the US this year. The US Lifesaving Association estimates more than 100 people are killed by rip currents every year and lifeguards rescue some 30,000 people from them.

Taylor Wilson:

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. Before I go, I wanted to remind you about Prime Day, which is coming up on June 21st. This week, our experts will be sharing some tricks to help you find the best deals and recommendations on some top rated products from the Reviewed Test Lab. You can watch daily beginning Tuesday at noon, Eastern time, and on demand after. For more info and to RSVP head to hackprimeday.usatoday.com or find the link in our show description. And you can subscribe for free to 5 Things wherever you find your audio. You can also rate us and review on Apple podcasts. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their work on the show. 5 Things is part of the USA TODAY Network.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Austin shooting, new Prime Minister of Israel: 5 Things podcast
President Biden speaks during a news conference at the NATO summit in Brussels on Monday. "Everyone in that room today understood the shared appreciation that, quite frankly, America is back," he said. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)

It took most of his term for former President Trump to grudgingly acknowledge the most fundamental tenet of the NATO transatlantic bond: An attack on one is an attack on all, and all will join in the defense of one.

The only time that the Article 5 provision was invoked was when NATO member states rushed to support the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But Trump, who once branded NATO "obsolete," wondered out loud why he should send U.S. troops to defend countries he apparently had barely heard of.

Into that sense of unease stepped President Biden on Monday. As he has sought to do elsewhere on his first overseas trip as president  starting with sessions with the Group of 7 wealthy democracies Friday  Biden is trying to repair critical ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an alliance that has worked to preserve global peace since World War II.

And Biden claimed initial success. "Everyone in that room today understood the shared appreciation that, quite frankly, America is back," Biden said in a late night news conference in Brussels following his meetings with about 30 NATO member leaders.

"What I'm saying to them is, watch me," he said when pressed about global doubts over U.S. dependability after the chaotic Trump years. He acknowledged he got an earful from some allies, who said they were "shocked" at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by a pro-Trump mob attempting to stop certification of the presidential election.

They, like I do, believe the American people are not going to sustain that type of behavior," Biden said, attempting to reassure the world that the fallout from Trump's lies about his electoral loss were a short-term phenomenon.

I think this is passing  I dont mean easily passing  thats why its so important for me to succeed in my agenda, Biden told reporters.

Biden also said NATO allies supported his decision to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week.

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Earlier in the day, Biden met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and reassured him that the organization's mutual defense pact was "a sacred obligation" and mentioned how "NATO stepped up" after the Sept. 11 attacks. He added: I want NATO to know America is there. Biden later visited a 9-11 memorial at NATO headquarters.

Stoltenberg said the summit would be "a new chapter in our transatlantic relationship."

"A strong NATO is good for Europe, but it's also very good for America," he said.

As expected, Biden encouraged the alliance to expand its mandate to include confronting China, a significant shift after decades in which Russia's role as a regional adversary was NATO's raison d'etre.

Although some European nations do not share Washington's enthusiasm for going against Beijing, Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, described it as an important next step for the alliance.

"NATO speaking out powerfully about the common purpose and common strength of democracies is an important part of a collective effort to be able to meet the China challenge over the decades ahead," Sullivan said.

NATO's new communique, issued on Monday to summarize the alliance's latest priorities, reflected the shift.

"Chinas growing influence and international policies can present challenges that we need to address together as an Alliance," the document said.

Before traveling to Brussels, where NATO and European Union headquarters are, Biden drew a clear distinction between himself and Trump, whose threat to withdraw the U.S. from the organization if other members didn't immediately boost defense spending threw the last NATO summit in 2018 into disarray.

We do not view NATO as some sort of a protection racket, Biden said Sunday at a news conference at the Cornwall Airport Newquay in southwestern England.

We feel very, very strongly about the cohesion of NATO," Biden said a day earlier as he met with French President Emmanuel Macron, who is emerging as the first among equals in Western Europe leadership as German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to retire.

But Biden also must confront strains with NATO of his own administration's making or, at least, responsibility.

Trump, without consulting NATO, abruptly announced he was withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan after nearly two decades. He did not fulfill that pledge, but Biden has vowed to proceed, ending the U.S. military presence in his country's longest war by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Then-President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan to pursue Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the attacks.

NATO forces have accompanied U.S. troops during most of the Afghan operations, and are acknowledging that they cannot sustain a presence without the U.S. There is mounting fear that once the foreign troops depart, the Taliban will move to retake control of most of Afghanistan, unleashing civil war and a reversal of the bare rights gained in recent years by women, minorities and others.

NATO is wrestling with other thorny issues as it contemplates its own future efficacy, including climate change, which Stoltenberg says poses a major threat to the alliance's military capability and readiness; Russian aggression against countries on NATO's eastern flank such as Ukraine and Georgia; and defense spending, which member states have pledged to increase and have, in many cases.

During the Obama administration, NATO members agreed to raise domestic defense spending to 2% of their national budgets by 2024. Trump demanded it happen more quickly, and some countries have complied; others, including Germany, continue to lag, arguing that they should receive dispensation because much of their spending goes to the resettlement of refugees created by armed conflicts.

NATO is also confronting problematic relations with member nation Turkey, which has moved closer to Russia and purchased Russian air-defense materiel that Western experts say might allow Moscow to spy on NATO weapons systems. Biden met separately with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the margins of the NATO session.

Many NATO officials are alarmed at democratic backsliding in some states in the alliance.

Democratic freedoms and rule of law, enshrined in the NATO charter, "are being upheld unequally across the alliance," Rachel Ellehuus, a Europe and Russia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a panel discussion ahead of Biden's trip.

Countries including Hungary and Poland have cracked down on dissidents, journalists and news media outlets.

"The deficit in internal NATO values is also an external security threat," Ellehuus said.

Biden's next stop is Geneva, where he's scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The administration is stressing that affirming U.S. alliances in multiple venues  NATO, the EU and the G-7  will strengthen Biden's hand as he heads into what will be the most challenging encounter of the trip. Biden said Monday that allies supported his meeting with the strongman.

"The presidents not coming into this meeting with President Putin in a void," Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who is accompanying Biden, said on Fox News Sunday.

"What were demonstrating in each of these meetings and summits is that democracies can come together and work effectively to actually deliver results for our people and, by the way, for people around the world," Blinken said. "And also, when were working together militarily, economically, diplomatically, politically, were a very powerful force."

Stokols reported from Brussels and Wilkinson from Washington. Times staff writer Chris Megerian contributed from Washington.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ricky Lee Sneve, aged 10, who died on Sunday (GoFundMe/RickyEufers)

A 10-year-old boy in South Dakota has died after saving his young sister from the Big Sioux River, according to reports.

Ricky Lee Sneve, who was identified by his family, was out on the water with his father and siblings when the incident occurred on Saturday.

His mother, Nicole Eufers, told the Argus Leader: A couple of the siblings fell in the water. Dad jumped in for two of them, and Ricky jumped in to save his sister Chevelle.

Rocky helped his sister get ashore, but when his father and siblings turned around they were not able to find him, added his mother. He saved his sisters life and took his own.

Officers from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) and rescuers were called to the river, where Rickys body was recovered by divers on Sunday night.

The LCSO, in a statement to Facebook, described the incident as tragic and asked for members of the public to please respect the familys privacy during this difficult time.

A GoFundMe page for Ricky was set up by his uncle, Ricky Eufers, who wrote: My nephew jumped into the Big Sioux River to help his little sister who had fallen in and didnt come back up to the shore after getting his little sister to safety.

Hed do anything to help his mum or anyone at that, without ever being asked, added Mr Eufers. Ricky gave his life trying to do what he knew was best.

The boys father, Chad Snever, told the Argus Leader: "He was generous, kind and special in more ways than I can begin to explain. He was my everything, and he touched everyone he encountered.

The Independent has reached out to LCSO for further comment.

Read More

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Brazil said Monday it would deploy a special security force to protect the Yanomami indigenous reservation, whose residents have clashed recently with illegal miners encroaching on native lands in the Amazon rainforest.

The measure comes after Brazil's Supreme Court last month ordered far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's government to adopt "necessary measures" to protect the Yanomami and Mundurucu peoples' reservations from wildcat gold miners.

Justice Minister Anderson Torres gave a federal force of police and firefighters a 90-day renewable mandate to "preserve the public order" on Yanomami lands.

The government did not say how big the force would be.

The Yanomami reservation, Brazil's biggest, spans 96,000 square kilometers (37,000 square miles) in the northern states of Amazonas and Roraima. It is home to around 27,000 people.

Thousands of miners, often linked to organized crime, have invaded the reservation in recent years, sometimes resulting in violence.

Last month, miners who had invaded the indigenous village of Palimiu clashed with inhabitants, leaving four miners and an indigenous man with bullet wounds, according to the Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY).

The organization said in a recent report that illegal mining expanded 30 percent last year on Yanomami territory, devastating the equivalent of 500 football pitches.

Illegal gold and diamond mining are a leading cause of environmental destruction in the Amazon.

The Yanomami, who are known for their face paint and intricate piercings, were largely isolated from the outside world until the mid-20th century.

They have a history of conflict with illegal miners dating back to the 1970s.

Together with diseases such as measles and malaria, the conflicts decimated the Yanomami population.

Indigenous activists and rights groups say the problem has intensified again since 2019, when Bolsonaro took office vowing to open protected indigenous lands to mining and agribusiness.

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Bolsonaro sought to deflect such criticism in a meeting with Yanomami leaders in Amazonas last month.

"If you don't want mining, there won't be mining," he told them.

"There are indigenous brothers in other places, inside and outside the Amazon, that do want mining... and we are going to respect their wishes."

jm/jhb/ft
Buddy Valastro/Instagram

Buddy Valastro has two graduates in his home!

The Cake Boss star attended his daughter's graduation from high school over the weekend and shared a series of photos on Instagram on Sunday praising Sofia, 18, for all her hard work.

"Congratulations on your high school graduation @fiav_21 You have grown right before our eyes into beautiful, confident, caring, loving, smart and responsible young lady!" Buddy wrote in the post's caption. "We are so proud of you, you're off to great places and a new amazing journey. We love you so much "

He followed up the post with the hashtag #bluehens, a reference to the University of Delaware's mascot where Sofia is attending college in the fall.

RELATED: Buddy Valastro's Daughter Sofia Commits to University of Delaware: 'We Are So Proud!'

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In the photo series, Sofia can be seen holding her high school diploma while posing with her parents and brothers Buddy Jr., 16, Marco, 14, and Carlo, 10.

Buddy Valastro/Instagram

Buddy also shared a post on Twitter congratulating Marco on his graduation from 8th grade and moving on to high school.

"We are so very proud of all your hard work and endless efforts you put into school and family Marco!" the Food Network star wrote. "Today you have made US the proudest parents, CONGRATULATIONS to our 8th grader and onto high school you go... we love you"

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RELATED: Buddy Valastro Says He Had His 5th Hand Surgery 'About a Month Ago': 'It Was a Huge Success'

Of course, the celebrity chef wouldn't dare celebrate a graduation without cake. On Twitter, Buddy shared a family photo featuring a Carlos' Bakery-made blue and yellow three-tiered cake for Sofia with the University of Delaware logo and a graduation cap on top. The photo also displayed another cake for Marco, who graduated from middle school and will be attending Morristown-Beard High School in the fall (the same school Sofia graduated from).

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Marco's cake was also triple-tiered featuring maroon, black and white striped coloring and the Morristown-Beard school logo, as well as a graduation cap on top.

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"As you both are moving onto your next chapter in life, we are so incredibly proud of all your accomplishments!" Buddy wrote on Twitter along with the photo. "You will always have our love and support, dream big and never give up @fiav_21@marco_valastro I know you both will accomplish great things!"

Buddy had his fifth surgery in April after injuring his hand in a bowling accident - but appeared to go cast and bandage-free for the celebratory weekend.
By Steve Scherer

OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian man who is accused of deliberately running over five members of a Muslim family with his truck, killing four of them, now faces terrorism charges in addition to counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder, prosecutors said on Monday.

Nathaniel Veltman, 20, was arrested shortly after the June 6 attack in a parking lot in London, Ontario, a short distance from the city's oldest mosque. He was wearing what appeared to be body armor and a helmet at the time, police said.

Due to a publication ban, details from a hearing in which Veltman appeared by Zoom on Monday from jail cannot be revealed. Veltman has not yet retained a lawyer.

However, provincial and federal prosecutors provided their consent to commence terrorism proceedings against him, alleging that the killings of Salman Afzaal, his wife, their daughter and Afzaal's mother, and attempted killing of the couple's son constituted terrorist activity, according to a statement from police in London, a city west of Toronto.

The 9-year-old boy - the sole survivor of the attack - was released from the hospital on Monday, the London Free Press reported, citing a family friend.

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland reacted to the new charges afterward, saying: "It is really important for us to name it as an act of terror ... and it is important for us identify the terrible threat that white supremacism poses to Canada and to Canadians."

The five members of the Afzaal family were out for an evening walk near their home when they were run over on the sidewalk.

It was the worst attack against Canadian Muslims since a man gunned down six members of a Quebec City mosque in 2017.

So far, few details have emerged that would shed light on why police say the attack was a pre-meditated, hate-motivated crime. Veltman is due in court again on June 21.

(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Additional reporting by Julie Gordon,; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao)
Carlos Ghosn peaking in Lebanon

An American father and son have admitted helping ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan in 2019.

Former US Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor, 60, and his son Peter, 28, were extradited from the US over claims they smuggled Mr Ghosn out of Japan in a luggage box on a private jet as he awaited trial.

At a court in Tokyo, the pair said they did not contest the facts laid out by prosecutors in an indictment.

They face up to three years in prison.

Mr Taylor and his son replied "no" when asked by a judge if there was anything wrong with the charges submitted by the Tokyo Prosecutors' office on Monday, news agency Reuters said.

Prosecutors have accused the two men of orchestrating Mr Ghosn's escape to Lebanon from western Japan's Kansai airport in December 2019 and receiving $1.3m for their services.

The former Nissan boss is an international fugitive living in his childhood home of Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Mr Ghosn was on bail while awaiting trial on four counts of financial misconduct, which he denies, when he managed to slip past authorities in a case and onto a private jet, the court heard.

US prosecutors called his escape "one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history".

'Held hostage'

Private security specialist Mr Taylor and his son fought a months-long battle to avoid extradition over the case, before the US Supreme Court handed them over to the Japanese authorities in March.

Tokyo prosecutors declined to comment on the pair's arraignment before trial. Reuters news agency reported that Japan's conviction rate was 99%.

After his arrival in Lebanon, Mr Ghosn had said he was a "hostage" in Japan, where he said he was left with a choice between dying there or running.

A Turkish court convicted an executive of Turkish jet company MNG and two pilots over their role in flying him out of Japan.

Mr Ghosn was first arrested on charges of financial misconduct in November 2018 for allegedly under-reporting his pay package for the five years to 2015.
Hexo, though its joint venture with Molson Coors Canada (TPX-B.TO), has emerged as a leader in cannabis-infused beverages. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Ottawa's three-year review of cannabis legalization should grant at least some of the policy tweaks the pot industry has been asking for, according to the head of one of Canada's top producers.

Hexo (HEXO.TO)(HEXO) chief executive officer Sebastien St-Louis says he expects the federal government will loosen limits on personal possession that prevent pot drinks from being sold in larger cases as with beer. However, he also predicts that Ottawa will continue to limit the strength of single-dose pot edibles to 10 milligrams of THC, the compound that produces the cannabis high.

Lawmakers are set to begin their review of the Cannabis Act in October 2021, three years after Canada became the first G7 nation to legalize the drug for recreational use. The legislation has defined the development of the country's legal pot sector since it was enacted in 2018.

St-Louis says he expects "a lot of progress for the industry" as the government reviews the law's impact on everything from public health, to consumption habits, and pot grown in homes.

Hexo, through its joint venture with Molson Coors Canada (TPX-B.TO), has emerged as a leader in cannabis-infused beverages. However, the company said on Monday that its drinks sales fell 10 per cent on a quarterly basis to about $3.1 million due to increased competition and lower sales in Ontario.

The once hotly anticipated infused beverages category represents a small fraction of overall legal cannabis spending, which is currently dominated by dried flower products. The pot data firm Brightfield Group projects cannabis drinks will make up just 7 per cent of Canada's non-medical market by 2026.

Cannabis companies have complained that Ottawa's rules on how much cannabis can be purchased in one transaction unfairly limit the amount of beverages customers can buy at once. The current rules allow individuals to carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, but only 2.1 litres of infused beverages. This, they say, prevents consumers from stocking up enough drinks to supply friends at a backyard barbecue, for example.

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"Specifically, I think case quantity for beverages is one where we will get some progress," St-Louis told analysts on a conference call after Hexo reported its third-quarter financial results on Monday. "I think we'll get progress on ways of consumption [and] personal possession limits."

One place where he does not expect the federal government to budge is on the strength of single-dose edible products, which include drinks, candies and cookies. The current rules cap the amount of THC at 10 milligrams per package.

While far stronger products are available illegally, St-Louis says Hexo products do not need more THC in order to convert black market buyers.

Lawmakers must table a report to both houses of Parliament within 18 months of the review starting in October. The process will be under the purview of Health Canada. Experts told Yahoo Finance Canada in December that the federal health agency is expected to largely stick to its harm reduction-first strategy, as opposed to focusing on improving the economic health of the industry.

"I do expect we'll see some positive outcomes," St-Louis said. "Health Canada has had other priorities in handling the pandemic, but I do think by the time they do come up for air... a lot of the decisions are pretty much de-facto made at this point."

Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist.

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After a chaotic year of building shutdowns and class quarantines, Connecticut schools are investing millions in federal coronavirus relief aid to expand and create new summer learning opportunities to prepare students for the fall. Efforts to support students mental health, social skills and emotional wellbeing are also taking center stage.

Credit recovery programs for high school students will continue, as well as the extended school-year programs for students with special needs that are required by law.

Gemma Joseph Lumpkin, chief of youth, family and community engagement for New Haven Public Schools, framed summer learning opportunities in the district as interventions to support students and families who felt disconnected  a problem thats worsened during the pandemic. Most New Haven students participated in online-only learning through mid-January.

New Haven typically offers intensive reading support to some students during the summer, but this year it isnt just reading. Its so many other academic areas, and so many more children who need to catch up, said Ivelise Velazquez, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment.

In an effort to meet students academic, as well as social and emotional needs, the district has launched a multiprogram Summer of Fun, which includes increased access to learning hubs and high school-level academic supports, as well as weekend family enrichment activities, wide-ranging community organization partnerships and sports camps.

We heard loudly from our families around not feeling safe having their children reengage in the learning process in school, in person, said Keisha Redd-Hannans, assistant superintendent for instructional leadership. Providing a wide range of activities for students in grades pre-K to 12 ... will also allow us to bridge the gap with families to let them know that our schools are safe, and we can provide learning environments where their kids can thrive.

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So far, about 3,000 students have registered just for the 12 pre-K through middle school learning hubs, which has definitely outpaced past years, said Velazquez. Were seeing registrations every day.

In Wethersfield, about 700 students in grades K-8 have signed up for no-cost mini-courses, some of which have waitlists, said Jennifer Lizee-Hammer, a literacy curriculum specialist in the district who also coordinates the Continued Learning Across Summer Session, or CLASS, program.

Before COVID-19, Wethersfield didnt offer summer programs for general education students, she said. But when the pandemic drastically limited access to summer camps and daytime enrichment opportunities in 2020, the schools felt it was necessary to offer some type of engagement opportunity to students, even if it had to be remote.

This year, theyve doubled the size of the program to offer about 40 different online or in-person, one-to-two week courses. Each course has multiple sessions throughout the summer, providing flexibility for both family and staff. Some lessons focus on math and literacy skill-boosting, while others range from book clubs and animal research projects to yoga and music instruction. High school students participate in a separate CLASS program.

We want to make sure that we find an opportunity to engage them not only academically, but socially, emotionally, and get them ready to reenter what should hopefully look a little bit more like traditional schooling in the fall, Lizee-Hammer said.

Hartford Superintendent of Schools Leslie Torres-Rodriguez described summer education as the launch of our recovery and a valuable opportunity to reconnect with families. In hopes of enrolling about 10,000 students, the district has budgeted more than $4 million in federal aid for summer programs, more than doubling the number of sites from 12 to 30 and working with close to 20 partner organizations.

Throughout July, students will participate in morning lessons focused on reading, writing, math and science. Then, in the afternoon, they will have activities ranging from leadership development, social-emotional support and the performing arts to STEM activities and culinary instruction.

So far, more than 5,600 students have enrolled  a little over half the districts original goal. Torres-Rodriguez said some families have told her that their children need a break after a difficult year. While participation is not mandated, Torres-Rodriguez added shes encouraging families to take a few weeks off and considering signing up after a one-on-one conversation with the district.

I would love to have all of our students in ... and the other half of that is making sure that were able to staff the program, which is what were working on now, she said, noting theyre identifying incentives to encourage teachers and other staff members who typically are not scheduled to work in the summer.

Like Hartford, Newington Public Schools summer education programs will be fully in person. Instead of high school students going to West Harford for credit recovery programs as they have in the past, now were offering that in-house, said Superintendent of Schools Maureen Brummett.

Theyll be working closely with a teacher and tutor to tailor lessons to students specific issues, which allows them to move more quickly through the material, she said. With math being a particularly challenging subject for many teens, the district is also setting up jump-start courses ahead of the fall for students who didnt fail a class, but who may have struggled over the past year. Remedial courses will be offered at the elementary and middle school levels.

In response to the COVID crisis, we are offering more programming ... to address the issues that got in the way for these kids during the school year, she said.

In addition to academic content, mental health and social and emotional skills will be integrated into all programs.

We consider those skills we need to work on with students, about how to cope, how to manage their emotions, how to reduce stress, she added.

Manchester Superintendent of Schools Matthew Geary said helping kids get back into a steady routine with regular human interaction is critical to their academic success and social wellbeing. The pacing of summer school programs also play a key role in helping families and staff prepare for the coming year, he said.

Weve never ever had a year  at least not in my lifetime  like this, where you have kids in and out, all the strain and stress on families. ... For us its about welcoming kids back, getting kids back into a routine, creating strong communities, having resources and supports available for them and families, he said. Were really just trying to recalibrate: What does [wellness] mean in a school community, mean for the adults who work there, for the students who attend school there and for the families that support them?

With well over 1,000 students signed up for a mix of academic and fun outdoor activities, we havent ever operated at this large of a scale in the summer, and it definitely has a lot of advantages. Were excited, but we want to be careful about overextending staff or students.

Starting in July, the program, open to any families who want to participate, will include a weeklong break in between the first three weeks and the last three weeks. Then, there will be a week or two off before the regular school year starts.

We dont want to get to the end of September next year and have everyone be exhausted, he added.

Amanda Blanco can be reached at ablanco@courant.com.
Authorities rescued seven people during two incidents within an hour of each other on Lake Michigan early Monday morning.

Six people crashed their boat into a break wall in Chicago near Navy Pier around 2:25 a.m.

NY WOMAN ALLEGEDLY DRIVES STOLEN AMBULENCE INTO BAY FOLLOWING POLICE CHASE

Chicago police said no one was harmed during the incident, and all individuals were rescued in good condition.

Police did not say what led to the crash.

A Chicago Fire Department marine unit also helped locate and rescue a 43-year-old woman around 1:45 a.m. who was stranded in the water near Foster Avenue Beach, FOX 32 reported.

The woman was not harmed and required no medical attention.
Argentina superstar Lionel Messi scored a stunning freekick but Chile hit back to earn a 1-1 draw in the Copa America on Monday.

Messi's magical left foot gave dominant Argentina a deserved first half lead but Eduardo Vargas equalized in the second half after Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved veteran midfielder Arturo Vidal's penalty.

Despite Argentina's dominance, Messi lamented that "we weren't calm, we didn't have control of the ball."

His coach Lionel Scaloni saw things differently, though.

"We deserved to win but in the end we drew. In any case, it's only the start of a very tough tournament," said Scaloni.

Before the Group A game started in the Nelson Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro, there was a light and effects tribute to Argentina legend Diego Maradona, who died in November aged 60, although the ground was empty due to coronavirus restrictions.

The first chance fell to Messi on eight minutes as Leandro Paredes picked out Nicolas Tagliafico on the left and the fullback nodded the ball down for his captain, who sent a volley wide.

Minutes later, Giovani Lo Celso crossed from the left but a sliding Lautaro Martinez could only spoon the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Argentina were in total command and Lo Celso picked out Nicolas Gonzalez to shoot from 20 yards but goalkeeper Claudio Bravo got down well to his right to tip the ball around the post.

From Messi's corner Gonzalez headed over the bar and moments later he was released by Lo Celos but shot straight at Bravo.

It would be a frustrating night for Gonzalez.

Argentina got the goal their domination deserved on 33 minutes, and inevitably it was Messi who scored, curling a free-kick from 25 yards out just beyond Bravo's dive.

They should have had a second soon afterwards but teed up by Gonzalo Montiel 10 yards out, Martinez screwed his shot horribly wide.

"I would be worried if the team wasn't creating chances. The important thing is we are, we're getting lots of players in the box. And it will go in," said Scaloni.

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- 'Defiant' Chileans -

Chile started the second half with more intent and Erick Pulgar played Vargas into the area but his shot on the stretch was saved by Martinez.

However, Vidal stormed in to try to fire home the rebound and was caught by Tagliafico as he shot.

Referee Wilmar Roldan consulted VAR and then awarded a penalty.

Martinez tipped Vidal's effort onto the crossbar but Vargas was quickest to the ball to head home the equalizer.

Argentina were soon back on the attack but Chile centre-back Gary Medel blocked a volley from Gonzalez, who later headed over from a Messi free-kick.

Twenty minutes from time, Messi created space in the box but Bravo was down well to save his low shot.

Gonzalez's night to forget would get worse 10 minutes from time when he ran onto a perfect chipped pass from Messi but headed over from just seven yards out when it looked easier to score.

It was his last involvement as he was substituted before Bravo took the goalkick.

Argentina kept pushing but Messi headed over the bar in injury time as Chile held on for a point.

"This team didn't want to be beaten, even though they didn't play well. This group of players are defiant," said Chile coach Martin Lasarte.

Angel Romero scored twice as Paraguay bounced back to beat 10-man Bolivia 3-1 in Goiania and top Group A.

Erwin Saavedra gave Bolivia the lead from the penalty spot on 10 minutes after a long VAR review.

Paraguay dominated throughout but the game changed deep into first half stoppage time when Bolivia's Jaume Cuellar was sent off for a second booking.

Alejandro Romero Gamarra restored parity just past the hour mark and Romero put Paraguay in front three minutes later.

Romero sealed the win 10 minutes from time as Paraguay enjoyed almost 80 percent possession and had more than 30 shots.

The Copa was due to take place last year but was delayed by 12 months due to the coronavirus.

It was also switched from original hosts Argentina and Colombia to Brazil at the 11th hour due to the pandemic situation in the former and social unrest in the latter.

Brazil's health ministry issued a statement on Monday saying 31 members of the playing delegations, including players and staff, tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday, without giving further details.

bur-bc/gph
G7 leaders held a three-day meeting in Cornwall

China has accused the G7 of "political manipulation" after it criticised Beijing over a range of issues.

In a joint statement at the end of a three-day summit, leaders of the G7 countries urged China to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms".

Issues highlighted included abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority group and the crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists.

China's embassy in the UK accused the G7 of "baseless accusations".

"Stop slandering China, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop harming China's interests," a spokesman said on Monday.

The statement by the G7 - the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies - included pledges on a number of issues, such as ending the coronavirus pandemic and steps to tackle climate change, as well as references to China.

The group, made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, called on China to respect human rights in Xinjiang, a north-western region that is home to the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

Experts generally agree that China has detained as many as a million Uyghurs and other Muslims and imprisoned hundreds of thousands more in its crackdown in Xinjiang, which began in 2017. There have been widespread reports of physical and psychological torture inside prisons and detention camps in the region. China denies the allegations.

The G7 statement also called for rights and freedoms to be respected in Hong Kong, where a new security law passed by China last year has made it easier to punish protesters. The leaders said Hong Kong should retain a "high degree of autonomy", as established under agreements when it was handed back to China in 1997.

The statement underscored the "importance of peace and stability" across the Taiwan Strait - a heavily-policed waterway that separates China and Taiwan. China sees democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state.

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It also demanded a new investigation in China into the origins of Covid-19.

US President Joe Biden said he was "satisfied" with the statement's language on China.

But the Chinese embassy in the UK opposed the mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which it said distorted the facts and exposed the "sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States".

A stronger message on China is expected to be issued by leaders of the Nato military alliance at a meeting on Monday.

"We know that China does not share our values... we need to respond together as an alliance," Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said as he arrived at the one-day summit in Brussels.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the country would feature in Nato's communique "in a more robust way than we've ever seen before".

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G7 leaders pose for a group photo on the beach in Cornwall - AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Joe Biden has called for an international investigation to establish whether Covid-19 leaked from a Chinese laboratory as he tried to rally G7 leaders behind a "competition with autocracies".

But his remarks about a "lab leak" on Sunday were played down by other leaders and the G7 summit broke up without bridging major rifts over China.

The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States called for the World Health Organisation to convene a "a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based investigation into the origins of Covid-19, including in China, in a joint statement issued after three days of talks on Sunday.

In comments that will infuriate Beijing, Mr Biden said neither he nor US intelligence had reached a conclusion about whether the virus had come from a laboratory but said he wanted to establish a "bottom line" for transparency as part of measures to prevent another pandemic.

Transparency matters across the board. We havent had access to laboratories to determine whether or not this was a consequence of market place and the interface with animals and the environment, or whether it was an experiment gone awry in a laboratory, Mr Biden said.

Boris Johnson said it was unlikely" the coronavirus pandemic emerged from a lab, but added: Clearly anyone sensible would want to keep an open mind on that.

French President Emmanuel Macron said there was no discussion among leaders on the origins of the virus" and dismissed the theory as a distraction from combating the disease. He said the G7 was not a club that was hostile to China, despite differences over human rights. The disagreement reflected broader rifts over how far to go in confronting China over human rights and strategic competition.

Mr Biden arrived in Cornwall seeking strong language condemning China's human rights record and a more direct recognition of the global struggle for influence between the West and Beijing.

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He explicitly framed an agreement to create a build back better green-infrastructure programme for developing countries as a competitor to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative and demanded condemnation of China's use of Uighur Muslims as forced labour in clothes factories.

But he faced significant pushback from European allies, especially Mr Macron, who did not want to portray the group as hostile to China.

The final communique called on China to "respect" human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong and separately condemned the use of forced labour in global supply chains, but made no reference to Uighur prison labour.

It also underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait rather than criticising China for aggressive behaviour.

Mr Biden declared himself "satisfied" with the outcome of the talks. "We're in a contest with autocrats and autocratic governments around the world as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in a rapidly changing 21st century," he said. "I have walked away from the meeting with all my colleagues and believe me, they are convinced that is correct," he added.

The UK, US, Canada and EU in March announced a raft of sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights violations in Xinjiang. Rifts over China were already apparent long before the leaders arrived in Cornwall on Thursday.

Mr Johnson, who hosted the summit, initially proposed forging a semi-formal "D10" group of democracies with guest powers Australia, India, South African and South Korea in what critics called a thinly-veiled attempt to build an anti-China alliance. The idea was dropped following objections from France, Germany and Japan.

However, Mario Draghi, the prime minister of Italy, backed Mr Biden's stance and said the G7 had to be frank about China.

Its an autocracy that does not adhere to multilateral rules and does not share the same vision of the world that the democracies have, he said.

Mr Draghi also said Italy would " assess carefully its membership of the Belt and Road initiative, which it joined in 2019, before Mr Draghi became prime minister. It is so far the only European Union country to have done so.
CLEARWATER  Officials are launching a second nationwide search for a new city manager after most of the finalists in the initial process dropped out.

The city will continue to use search firm Baker Tilly, which officials hired in March for $26,500, and will face no additional fees beyond advertising. However, the council on Monday decided to ask that a different recruiter handle the second round.

This wasnt exactly what I visualized would happen with the city manager search, council member David Allbritton said at a special meeting.

In May, Baker Tilly narrowed a pool of 91 applicants to 10 semifinalists in the search to succeed outgoing city manager Bill Horne, who is retiring after 20 years. The City Council selected five finalists on May 24.

Over the next two weeks, three finalists withdrew from consideration. On Thursday, days before the council was scheduled to host the remaining two for in-person interviews, one said hed be unable to travel due to a family medical emergency but was still interested in the position.

Council member Hoyt Hamilton on Monday advocated rescheduling the interviews with the two finalists: city administrator Carl Geffken of Fort Smith, Ark., and city manager Kevin Woods of Thornton, Colo.

The other four council members moved to start over.

Council member Kathleen Beckman questioned whether Baker Tilly director Art Davis interviewed the 10 semifinalists before recommending them to the council.

Human resources director Jennifer Poirrier said the search firm is required in its contract to conduct telephone interviews before recommending candidates.

Poirrier said the firm is also expected to inform applicants of Floridas robust public records law, which makes their applications available to the public and media even if they are not selected.

Poirrer said Geffken and Woods will remain in the process. However, starting a second search means the city will advertise the position again for 30 days, and a recruiter from Baker Tilly will submit new recommendations.

Mayor Frank Hibbard said he expects more candidates in the second round now that it is public record that no internal candidates applied. He said many expected assistant city manager Micah Maxwell, who is very well respected around the state, to apply, which may have prevented some from going up against him.
World leaders at the G7, including the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan agreed to boost financial aid for climate change during the three-day summit in Cornwall. Photo: Getty

The UK must move from ambition to action to achieve net zero goals by 2050, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said.

CBI's director-general Tony Danker, will use his keynote speech at the group's Road to Zero virtual conference, to urge business and government "to step up and make the big plays" by accelerating Britain's own transition.

Danker who is opening the conference is expected to say: "Weve got just under five months to go until the UK hosts COP26. We need to raise global ambitions and make this the boldest year of net-zero action yet.

This means securing stronger, binding commitments and concrete plans from every country to deliver the Paris Agreement. It also requires the UK to accelerate a global approach to carbon markets, sustainable finance and the shift to clean power.

"With the world soon to be on our doorstep, now is the time for the UK to step up and make the big plays. Taking nothing less than unprecedented, unstoppable action in the next five months to ensure the legacy we sow in Glasgow far outlasts our leadership of COP."

The CBI is proposing the following three points:

Publish Heat & Buildings Strategy to deliver green buildings: All new boilers to be hydrogen ready from 2025 alongside Government detail on how it will financially support homeowners and landlords to make homes energy efficient. Announce a new delivery body to manage a national deployment plan for heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency. Unlock UK investment & growth in green technologies: Announce timeframes for the next round of UK offshore wind leasing by COP26. Confirm preferred business models for hydrogen production and carbon capture and storage and the location of first two CCUS clusters by COP26. Prioritise transport decarbonisation: Publish governments new electric vehicle plan by the end of the year and commit to 7 new gigafactories for battery production.

Tackling climate change and reaching net zero emissions has been at the forefront of global nations.

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World leaders at the G7, including the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan agreed to boost financial aid for climate change during the three-day summit in Cornwall. They will also stop funding new coal generation in developing nations and offer up to 2bn ($2.8bn) to stop using the fuel.

Britain became the first G7 country last year to set in law a net zero emissions target by 2050, so it is legally bound to deliver on that and has been looking to renewables to provide alternative sources of energy.

In December last year, during the United Nations Climate summit, the UK submitted a new national climate plan  or nationally determined contribution (NDC)  which confirms its pledge to cut greenhouse gas pollution by at least 68% by 2030 from 1990 levels.

Watch: G7 vows action on Covid vaccines, climate change

It comes after the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a historic proposal to reach net zero emissions by 2050, a prerequisite to meet the Paris climate accord goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The plans published earlier in May called for energy groups to stop all new oil and gas explorations from this year to keep global warming in check, the group said.

Read more: Global ban on gas boilers proposed from 2025

IEA also proposed a global ban on new fossil fuel boilers starting from 2025, as part of its vision to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

This is similar if more ambitious compared to the UK government's decision to phase out gas boiler installations by mid-2030s. In the UK, according to Installer, 2019 saw a record number of gas boilers being sold  1.67 million units, an increase of 1.8% on 2018 figures.

Consumer group Which? said that as per the UK government's plans, those who currently have a gas or oil boiler wont need to replace it. But it does mean that, from the mid-2030s, they wont be able to get a traditional gas or oil boiler installed.

Instead a low-carbon heating system, or an appliance that can be converted to use a clean fuel, will need to be installed. Systems such as a heat pumps or hydrogen-ready boilers are likely candidates.

Industry figures show that last year, over 30% of Britains electricity was generated by gas-fired power plants, while the offshore industry met about 45% of its overall energy needs in 2019.

Data also revealed that flaring in the UK North Sea declined by 22% in 2020 from the previous year as production facilities cut the overall volume to 33 billion cubic feet.

The reduction which is roughly equivalent to the gas demand of 200,000 UK homes  is the lowest level of flaring on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) on Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) records.

Watch: IEA: Solving climate crisis will require 'total transformation' of global energy use
Six days after adjourning, Connecticut lawmakers will be back at the state Capitol to vote on marijuana legalization and a budget-related bill.

The Senate will convene on Tuesday and the House of Representatives will gavel in Wednesday. But neither chamber is expected to take up a separate bill to address climate change. That measure, which would clear the way for the state to participate in a multistate effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, failed to come up for a vote during the regular legislative session.

I anticipate that wont be, said Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney. He said the decision not to call the bill during the special session was made after a discussion with Gov. Ned Lamont and House Speaker Matt Ritter about where the votes were on that.

The Senate approved a bill legalizing recreational cannabis after a five-hour debate last week. But because the measure failed to come up for a vote in the House, it must be voted on again in both chambers.

The bill cleared the Senate by a 19-17 vote and Looney says he expects the measure will once again pass the chamber. We anticipate the same outcome, he said.

The bill, which would legalize and tax cannabis use for people 21 and older, has the support of Gov. Ned Lamont. Under the bill, social equity applicants would have early access to obtain licenses to become retailers, cultivators, micro-cultivators and other positions that would be created in the newly legal marijuana industry.

Those eligible will include residents of a disproportionately impacted area, which is defined under the bill as a U.S. Census tract in Connecticut with an unemployment rate above 10% or a high historical conviction rate for drug-related offenses.

The criminalization and prohibition of cannabis has allowed an illicit market to damage the public safety and health of our communities and its members, said House Majority Leader Jason Rojas.

The legislation that a cross section of our membership has put together ensures that we are protecting public health, empowering communities that have been historically disadvantaged, and building a well-regulated market that will endure,' said Rojas, D-East Hartford. The passage of this legislation cant wait any longer, its time we progress towards the future in the most just and equitable way.

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In addition to the marijuana bill, lawmakers will vote on a budget-related bill. The legislature approved the state budget last week, but left undone was a measure that provides the legal language for implementation of the tax and spending plan.

That bill is also expected to include the language of Senate Bill 5, which would expand Connecticuts motor voter program to other state agencies and end the practice of disenfranchising convicted felons until after all of their fines are paid. Senate Bill 5 was a priority of Looney and other members of the Senate Democratic caucus but the proposal failed to come up for a vote in the House before the end of the regular session.

Daniela Altimari can be reached at dnaltimari@courant.com.
The US president and his wife went to a church in St Ives on the final day of the G7 summit (AFP via Getty Images)

Churchgoers in Cornwall have said they were left gobsmacked after Joe Biden, the US president, and his wife Jill Biden were spotted at Sunday service.

The couple attended a small Catholic church in St Ives in the morning of the final day of the G7 summit.

One parishioner, known only as Margaret, said it was lovely that the president and his wife joined their service at the Sacred Heart and St Ia Catholic Church.

Another woman at the church on Sunday, Annie Fitzpatrick, said: I think gobsmacked is probably a very true word.

Its quite amazing, we went into the church and they took some details from us and I thought this is a bit unusual, the 58-year-old said.

About 10 minutes into the service the doors opened up and President Biden and Dr Jill Biden walked in and just sat in the pew just across from me.

Ms Fitzpatrick said Mr Biden quietly got on with his prayer like everyone was doing.

She added: He looked around and said peace be with you, and I was one of them so Im delighted. Im not sure I will ever get over this moment completely.

The church sits in St Ives, which is not far from Carbis Bay, where they had been staying for the G7 summit.

The motorcade of U.S. President Joe Biden is parked as he attends a church service with first lady Jill Biden (AP)

Father Philip Dyson said he had not been given advance warning that the president and his wife would be joining them for the service.

We realised people were coming with security so I thought maybe the president would be coming along so we just welcomed him, he said.

He admitted he was slightly nervous while conducting the service.

Its the President of the United States of America, he said. Its a great occasion to welcome him into our parish, into the church, and its lovely to know he made the time in his busy schedule in order to come to Mass.

The priest added that he had managed to have a quick word with Mr Biden.

I welcomed him to Cornwall and he said he was enjoying his time here and there were many serious matters they were discussing and just hope its going to come to fruition, he said.

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Leaders of the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan met at Carbis Bay in Cornwall for the three-day G7 summit.

After the summit ended on Sunday, Mr Biden travelled to meet Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, saying afterwards the monarch had reminded him of his mother.

Additional reporting by agencies

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An alarm could detect if someone in a room is carrying the coronavirus. (Stock, Getty Images)

An alarm could "smell" if someone is infected with the coronavirus, research suggests.

The dominant Delta variant, which emerged in India, is thought to be behind the UK's rising coronavirus cases  up 49.3% over the past week.

In a bid to get more people vaccinated, the lifting of restrictions in England  which had been slated for 21 June  has been delayed by four weeks.

With many keen to return to the lives we once knew, scientists from the Biotech firm RoboScientific have developed sensors that detect the coronavirus' unique odour.

To put the device to the test, a team from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) ran the sensors over socks that had been worn by 54 people, half of whom had mild or asymptomatic coronavirus.

Read more: 'Electronic nose' could sniff out coronavirus in 80 seconds

Results  which have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal  reveal the device picked up on the socks worn by coronavirus carriers or people without an infection up to 100% of the time.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are considered the gold-standard approach to diagnosing the coronavirus. This often requires a swab being sent to a laboratory, with the result coming back several days later.

The RoboScientific device could provide a faster reading, helping to save time and the money that comes with mass testing. The sensors could even one day be fitted in classrooms and aeroplane cabins to ward off outbreaks.

The alarm could be fitted in aeroplane cabins to detect infected passengers. (Supplied: RoboScientific)

"These results are really promising and demonstrate the potential for using this technology as a rapid, non-invasive test with incredible accuracy," said lead author Professor James Logan, from the LSHTM.

"If these devices are successfully developed for use in public places, they could be affordably and easily scaled up.

Read more: Bees could be trained to smell coronavirus

"They also could protect people against future disease outbreaks, with capability to develop sensor arrays to detect other diseases within a number of weeks."

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Infections change the chemical reactions that take place in cells, producing products that have a distinct odour.

Dogs and even bees are being trained to pick up on this scent, however, animals may be insufficient to detect the infection on a large scale.

RoboScientific has therefore developed a 12-sensor device that captures the "odour profile" released by a coronavirus carrier, of whom around a third develop no symptoms.

The device was exposed to socks worn by coronavirus carriers and healthy volunteers.

On the first day of the experiment, it picked up on whether the socks had been worn by an infected individual up to 99% of the time, rising to 100% on day two.

Read more: Dogs could be trained to sniff coronavirus in sweat

"We started our research with a blank sheet of paper and asked the question: Does COVID-19 [the disease caused by the coronavirus] have a distinct smell?," said co-author Professor Steve Lindsay, from Durham University.

"We ended the research showing a clear separation between the odours of people infected with the virus and those uninfected.

"COVID most definitely has a very distinct smell.

"This is real discovery science and very exciting for the development of screening methods for the disease."

Watch: Do coronavirus vaccines affect fertility?

RoboScientific  a start-up in Cambridgeshire  developed its device based on existing technology used in chicken houses, detecting diseases in flocks of up to 50,000 birds.

When it comes to the coronavirus, the firm is exploring the potential of a portable handheld device and one that can be set up in a room.

The handheld alarm could replace PCRs or the more rapid but less accurate lateral flow tests, providing a speedy result without an invasive nasal or throat swab.

A room-based device could screen for infected individuals within that confined space, potentially producing a result in just 30 minutes.

"Our disease detection platform can provide fast accurate screening for diseases so that we will be ready if/when the next pandemic arrives," said Stan Curtis, CEO of RoboScientific.

The scientists have stressed further research is required, however, with the existing study being relatively small.

Watch: What is long COVID?
Housing activists gathering in Massachusetts in October. Michael Dwyer/AP Photo

The Eviction Lab found vaccinations rates are low in areas where eviction filings are the highest.

These evictions are happening despite a CDC eviction ban, which is set to expire on June 30.

Several courts have ruled the ban unconstitutional, but this suggests COVID-19 cases will pick up along with evictions.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The eviction moratorium from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to expire at the end of June, but courts have begun overruling the ban, putting tenants at risk of eviction.

New data suggests that lifting the moratorium will not only increase evictions, but also increase the spread of COVID-19.

Insider reported last month that US District Judge Dabney Friedrich, the first judge to strike down the CDC's eviction ban nationwide, also issued an order keeping the ban in place for the time being because she agreed with the Department of Health and Human Services' projections that lifting the moratorium would amount to 433,000 additional cases of COVID-19. In other words, infection risk could go up with evictions.

Princeton University's Eviction Lab, which examines eviction data, released a report last week that found that in every jurisdiction the lab could locate data, eviction rates were higher in neighborhoods with lower vaccination rates.

It analyzed nine cities with sufficient data: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, New York, and South Bend, and found those most at risk of being evicted are still at high risk of contracting and passing on the virus.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and while vaccination access is improving, it's still limited in disadvantaged communities that are at greatest risk for eviction," the report said. "The CDC eviction moratorium is, for many tenants behind on rent, the last remaining protection from the threat of displacement."

In Phoenix, for example, the average neighborhood with a low eviction filing rate of under 5% since the start of the pandemic had a vaccination rate of 56%, while the average zip code with a high eviction filing rate of above 15% had a vaccination rate of just 35%, according to the report.

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The report also found that the relationship between eviction filings and vaccination rates is "deeply linked with race." Black renters routinely face higher eviction rates, and Black and Latinx people are also much less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reflecting the higher transmission rates that would result when evictions restart.

The Eviction Lab's findings only further strengthen the concerns that experts, and judges, have had with lifting CDC's eviction ban early.

Since the eviction ban extension was implemented, multiple landlords have filed lawsuits questioning its legality, with multiple courts ruling the ban unconstitutional. These rulings came at a time when the Treasury Department still had $50 billion in emergency aid to give to renters, but the department needed to get the funds to renters quickly before the ban lifts and they're at risk of eviction.

The Alabama Association of Realtors, which sued to challenge the moratorium in Friedrich's case, argued landlords will lose $13.8 billion to $19 billion each month in unpaid rent as as a result of the moratorium. Landlords and housing organizations have been making this argument since the ban was implemented.

But some lawmakers and advocates are concerned with the implications of overruling the eviction ban and want to ensure that renters remain protected. Insider reported on April 26 that Washington became the first state to ensure that if its residents do get evicted, they will have access to legal aid.

Nevertheless, the CDC has not commented on whether its eviction ban will be extended past June 30. New York previously extended its own eviction ban through August, but if evictions pick up, the spread of COVID-19 might also pick up.

The report said: "As its expiration nears, few protections stand in the way of a family losing their home, and potentially contracting a life-threatening virus."

Read the original article on Business Insider
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NEW PRESSURE ON CHINA: Most of the media is portraying the G7 meeting that ended this weekend as a failure because the most advanced countries in the world did not agree to set an end-date to coal use for electricity.

But that understates the gravity of what the G7 did do  banning new government financing by the end of this year for coal plants abroad without carbon capture and storage, and committing $2 billion to help nations pivot away from fossil fuels.

Japan, the only G7 member still financing overseas coal plants, immediately announced it would stop to comply with the new G7 policy. That leaves China isolated as the only backers of coal globally, and applies new pressure on Beijing to curb coal financing as part of its Belt and Road initiative that supports infrastructure in developing countries.

While there is much more to be done to curb domestic coal development particularly in emerging economies, the G7 announcement now leaves China as an outlier in its continued financing of coal plants overseas, Joanna Lewis, an associate professor of energy and environment at Georgetown University who focuses on China, told Josh.

China off the hook on coal use? But climate activists are worried that the inability of the G7 nations to agree on a timeframe to end coal consumption means world powers have lost leverage to convince China to reduce its own appetite. China generated 53% of the worlds total coal power in 2020, making it the only G20 nation to significantly increase its coal-fired generation last year.

Chinas Xi Jinping, at President Joe Bidens climate summit, said publicly for the first time that the worlds top emitter plans to phase down its coal use in the second half of this decade, still a long time from now.

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Nat Keohane, senior vice president of climate at the Environmental Defense Fund, told Josh its absolutely true China will look to what the U.S. and other G7 countries do before deciding its near-term actions on coal.

Why Congress is key: Keohane argued, however, a G7 summit is not meant as a forum to create domestic policy and it would have made no sense for the U.S. to push for an end date for coal when its ability to reduce its own fossil fuel use is contingent on passing climate policies through Congress (it also would have probably a bad idea to tick off coal state Democrats like Joe Manchin, a key swing vote, by clamping down on domestic coal before Congress has a say).

Bidens proposed clean electricity standard targeting carbon-free power by 2035 would do the trick of ending coal use without carbon capture, but thats still a big if.

The administration needs to be pressing hard, but on Capitol Hill not through a communique in the U.K., Keohane said. The source of that pressure is not the G7. To expect them to do that has it backwards.

Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner Energy and Environment Writers Josh Siegel (@SiegelScribe) and Abby Smith (@AbbySmithDC). Email jsiegel@washingtonexaminer.com or asmith@washingtonexaminer.com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and youd like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesnt work, shoot us an email, and well add you to our list.

MORE FROM THE G7...CLIMATE FINANCE PLEDGES LACK SPECIFICS: The G7 leaders committed generally to increase and improve their financing to help developing countries curb emissions and transition to cleaner energy, but their pledge lacked specifics about how and whether the nations will meet their promise to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance.

Climate finance commitments from developed countries are critical ahead of the next round of global climate negotiations later this year, when governments are supposed to ratchet up their greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Developed nations were supposed to have met the $100 billion per year finance target last year, but thus far have fallen well short of that. While the G7 leaders recommitted to the $100 billion per year goal, the leaders didnt agree on any new climate funding.

We welcome the commitments already made by some of the G7 to increase climate finance and look forward to new commitments from others well ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, the joint communique read.

G7 ALSO BACKED AWAY FROM GAS-POWERED VEHICLE PHASE-OUT: The final G7 communique also shied away from committing to a date certain to end the sales of new gas-powered vehicles.

According to Bloomberg, earlier drafts of the communique had said the G7 nations would strive to move away from sales of new gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2030 or sooner.

The final communique, however, only committed generally to speeding up decarbonization of on-road vehicles through this decade, including by supporting faster buildout of charging and other refueling infrastructure.

We commit to accelerate the transition away from new sales of diesel and petrol cars to promote the uptake of zero emission vehicles, the document said.

FIVE MORE PIPELINES TARGETED BY ACTIVISTS: Environmental activists are targeting at least five major oil and gas pipelines after celebrating the death of Keystone XL, Josh reported in a handy listicle this weekend.

Here are five more targets of activists facing uncertain futures.

Dakota Access: The Biden administration has declined to order the Dakota Access oil pipeline to shut down while it completes an environmental review.

But multiple courts have found the Trump administrations environmental review of the project to be deficient. The Biden administration could still shutter the pipeline if the Army Corps of Engineers environmental review makes that determination.

Enbridges Line 3: Enbridge is looking to replace an aging pipeline to transport crude from Canadas Alberta oil sands through the state's watersheds and tribal lands to Superior, Wisconsin. Despite pressure from activists, the Biden administration has declined to weigh in on the project. Environmentalists are also pressing their case in court.

Enbridges Line 5: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered the 645-mile Line 5 pipeline operated by the same Canadian energy company, Enbridge, to shut down, citing risks that the pipeline could leak or spill oil in the Great Lakes.

Enbridge is defying the order, however, saying the governor does not have the authority to shut it. Enbridge wants to move Line 5 into a new, $500 million tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac to reduce the risk of leaks.

Trans Mountain: Biden does not have any authority over the Trans Mountain pipeline, an expansion project taken over by the Canadian government that would carry an additional 535,000 barrels a day of oil from Albertas tar sands to the coast of British Columbia.

But the government plans to sell the project eventually, a tricky prospect as insurers are dropping out.

Mountain Valley: Several of the permits for the $6.2 billion Mountain Valley pipeline, a 303-mile project that would carry natural gas from West Virginia to Virginia, are under legal scrutiny, and its cost has nearly doubled.

ENERGY DEPARTMENTS NEW HYDROGEN PUSH: The Energy Department is pushing to cut the cost of producing low-carbon hydrogen by 80% in the next decade to tap into the versatile energy resources ability to curb emissions in the hardest-to-abate sectors.

Hydrogen is the first focus area of the Energy Departments new Energy Earthshots Initiative that will marshal the agencys scientific expertise and resources to accelerate breakthroughs in nascent clean energy technologies, the agency announced last week.

Industry representatives across the hydrogen supply chain are welcoming the move as a good first step, but they also say the Biden administration should craft a national hydrogen strategy similar to those implemented in Europe, Japan, and other countries.

I think the Earthshot initiative is kind of laying the groundwork for that, said Paul Wilkins, vice president of federal policy for fuel cell and electrolyzer manufacturer Bloom Energy, of a possible U.S. national hydrogen strategy.

Wilkins said hed like to see the Biden administration set ambitious goals similar to Europe, which is aiming to deploy 40 gigawatts of electrolyzers, used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, by 2030.

More on the Energy Departments initiative in Abbys story posted this morning.

HEADS UP ON LITHIUM SUPPLY CHAIN: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm teased that the department will soon be announcing a critical public-private partnership to focus on the lithium battery supply chain to build off of the Biden administrations recently unveiled strategy to bolster and secure a domestic supply chain for lithium-ion batteries.

Granholm previewed the upcoming announcement during a roundtable this morning with executives from companies across the lithium-ion battery supply chain. She also unveiled a new series of funding from the Energy Departments vehicle technology office  $200 million to national labs over the next five years to research next-generation batteries, charging infrastructure, and connecting and autonomous vehicles.

In addition, Granholm touted Bidens infrastructure plan, urging the lithium industry executives to put their support behind the proposal. The infrastructure plan means that were going to put billions more behind lithium battery technologies, critical mineral extraction, and more, she said.

GAS TAX OFF THE TABLE FOR BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN: The bipartisan infrastructure framework being pitched by a group of 10 senators does not address the gas tax as originally expected, GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said on the Sunday shows.

Reports last week suggested the Senate groups plan would index the nations 18-cent gas tax to inflation for the first time, which would raise it over time. But the Biden administration quickly made clear that doing that would violate the presidents pledge not to raise taxes on people earning less than $400,000 a year.

Collins, instead, listed three pay-fors: an infrastructure financing authority, repurposing unused Covid-19 relief funds, and a provision to ensure that drivers using EVs pay for using roads and bridges (i.e. a mileage tax).

The White House, however, has also said it wont sign a bill that includes EV fees, which would contradict his American Jobs Plans emphasis on massively expanding electric vehicle use.

NO CLIMATE, NO DEAL: The liberal activist groups Evergreen Action and Sunrise Movement launched a new website today to spotlight Democratic members of Congress opposition to any infrastructure bill that fails to include significant climate provisions.

The American people elected Democrats to deliver on an ambitious climate agendaand now more than half a dozen members of the Senate Democratic caucus have made it clear that they wont support a deal that strips away the investments we need to build a just and thriving clean energy future, said Evergreen executive director Jamal Raad and Sunrise Movement executive director Varshini Prakash.

Their website NoClimateNoDeal.com, tracks recent statements by Democratic senators demanding aggressive climate measures, including Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and more.

BUSINESS AND INVESTOR SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE DISCLOSURE GROWS: The Securities and Exchange Commissions biggest decision isnt whether to require public companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, but how to set up a framework for mandatory disclosure.

The SEC recently concluded accepting public comment on how to set up a framework for companies to report their climate risks, and the agency heard support for requirements from some of the biggest investors, asset managers, pension funds, and major public corporations.

The current state of climate change disclosure does not meet our needs, a coalition of investors, companies, advocacy groups, and others wrote in a statement on June 10. Signatories on the statement included investors with more than $2.7 trillion in assets under management collectively and companies such as Patagonia, Danone, and BHP.

For any disclosure regime, however, the devil will be in the details. More on some of the most difficult decisions the SEC will face as it crafts a climate disclosure framework in Abbys story for this weeks Washington Examiner magazine.

The Rundown

Bloomberg The green revolution is being built on a very dirty industry

CNN US assessing reported leak at Chinese nuclear power facility

Reuters Shell weighs blockbuster sale of Texas shale assets

Wall Street Journal The hedge-fund manager who did battle with Exxon -- and won

Wall Street Journal Oil hits pandemic high as investors bet on green energy

Reuters Energy majors bid for Qatar LNG project despite lower returns

Calendar

TUESDAY | JUNE 15

10 a.m. 366 Dirksen. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on DOEs fiscal year 2022 budget request.

WEDNESDAY | JUNE 16

10 a.m. 406 Dirksen. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing to consider the nominations of Jeffrey Prieto to be general counsel of the EPA, Jane Nishida to be EPAs assistant administrator for international and tribal affairs, and Alejandra Castillo for assistant secretary for economic development of the Department of Commerce.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: Energy and Environment, Daily on Energy

Original Author: Josh Siegel, Abby Smith

Original Location: Daily on Energy, Presented by Citizens' Climate Lobby: G7 agreement on coal puts new pressure on China
Donald Trump Jr (REUTERS)

Donald Trump Jr and Lauren Boebert are facing criticism for alluding to an anti-Clinton conspiracy in the death of an Alabama journalist, Christopher Sign.

On Sunday, the eldest son of former US president Donald Trump asked followers on Instagram if they had seen so many suicide coincides ever, after the death of Mr Sign.

In 2016, the 45-year-old was the first to report on a meeting between former US president Bill Clinton and then-attorney general Loretta Lynch during an investigation into Hillarys Clintons use of a private email sever as secretary of state.

Ms Clintons emails became a focus for Mr Trump, who defeated the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee on the back of nicknames including Crooked Hillary.

Shortly after Mr Trump Jrs Instagram story on Sunday, Republican congresswoman Ms Boebert also wrongly theorised about Mr Signs death, in a tweet.

She shared a clip of the former Alabama journalist in 2019 telling Fox News that his family had received threats for reporting on the Clintons and the 2016 nominees emails.

Ms Boebert wrote : Why is it that so many who cross the Clinton Crime Syndicate end up dead?

Mr Sign, who was found dead at home in Hoover, Alabama, told Fox News during the interview that he had been threatened following his 2016 story on Ms Clinton, the former US secretary of state.

"My family received significant death threats shortly after breaking this story, said the journalist. That's why I came back to WBMA ABC 33/40 in Birmingham [from KNXV-TV in Phoenix].

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It is not the first time Ms Boebert has alluded to a conspiracy in the style of QAnon, which theorises that Democrats and a world elite are running a sex trafficking ring  with its so called members, including Ms Clinton, supposedly facing arrest or a day of reckoning.

The congresswoman, asked in February if Democrats and Ms Clinton will be arrested, allegedly told the Delta County Independent; I believe we will see resignations begin to take place.

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Ms Clinton herself recently said of the false theories: "It's hurtful. I'll be really honest with you. It's hurtful not just to me and my family, but to my friends and other people to know that this is not just false, but sometimes painfully false."

On Twitter, dozens of critics of both Mr Trump Jr and Ms Boebert condemned the allegations about Mr Signs death, with one writing: Thats a great question. Why is it so many Trump allies end up in prison?

When the GQP runs out of things to say they huddle up and decide theres more baseless allegations for the Clintons they can hurl out there, wrote another Twitter user. Its not a political platform. Its a vendetta.

Read More

Joe and Jill Biden meet Queen at Windsor Castle

Lauren Boebert under fire for pushing QAnon style conspiracy over journalists death

Have voters really fallen out of love with Lauren Boebert?
Dr. Dre suffered a brain aneurysm in January. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Dr. Dre is giving an update on the serious health scare he had just five months ago when he was hospitalized following a brain aneurysm.

"It's a really weird thing. I've never had high blood pressure," Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, told the Los Angeles Times. "And I've always been a person that has always taken care of my health. But there's something that happens for some reason with Black men and high blood pressure, and I never saw that coming."

On Jan. 4, the 56-year-old rap mogul was rushed by ambulance to the intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He reassured fans within days that he was recuperating. TMZ reported on Jan. 15 that he was released from the hospital that day but would continue to receive around-the-clock care. Still, he was back in the recording studio just one day later.

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Dre said in the new interview that he's continued to take care of himself in the months since his health scare.

"And I think every Black man should just check that out and make sure things are OK with the blood pressure," he said. "And I'm going to move on and, hopefully, live a long and healthy life. I'm feeling fantastic."

For now, Dre is working on his legacy. He and record executive Jimmy Iovine have teamed up to create a new public high school in L.A., where Dre grew up and attended school. The school, scheduled to open in the fall of 2022, has been approved by local officials. It's aimed at reaching "the inner-city kid, the younger me," who wasn't at all interested in a more traditional curriculum, he explains. This campus will be designed for students who want to be innovators and entrepreneurs, like the Beats by Dre founder.

"That guy that didn't have an opportunity, that had to scratch and figure out things on his own," Dre said. "That had the curiosity but didn't have these type of opportunities, really smart kids  we want to touch and give them this open door and these opportunities to be able to show what they can do."

Story continues

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
A South Carolina woman is charged with DUI and child endangerment after four children in the SUV she was driving were hurt in a crash Sunday in Chester County, officials said.

Alexandria Antoniette McCoy, 27, of Chester, was arrested Sunday after the wreck on S.C. 97, said Master Trooper Gary Miller of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

McCoy was driving the SUV about 10 miles west of Chester when the vehicle went off the left side of the highway and hit a tree and an embankment, Miller said.

The four children were ages 1 through 10, Miller said. The 1-year-old child has serious injuries and was admitted to a Columbia hospital, Miller said. It is unclear if the 1-year-old was restrained by any required child safety equipment inside the SUV, Miller said.

The other children did have seat belts on and were treated for injuries, Miller said. McCoy was charged after receiving treatment for her injuries, Miller said.

Police have not released McCoys relationship to the children.

Felony DUI with great bodily injury carries up to 15 years in prison for a conviction, South Carolina law states. The child endangerment charge carries up to half of any sentence for the DUI conviction, state law shows.

The collision remains under investigation by the S.C. Department of Public Safety Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation (MAIT) team.

McCoy remains in the Chester County jail under a $70,000 bond, court and jail records show.
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Arkansas is creating a tutoring corps. Montana will provide more training for teachers working with American Indian students. And Wyoming wants to focus on supporting teachers who serve English learners.

Those are among the ways states are spending their portion of $122 billion in aid from President Joe Bidens American Rescue Plan, according to drafts the U.S. Department of Education posted on Monday. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia met the June 7 deadline, but 23 states are still finalizing theirs, giving parents and advocates more time to weigh in on how they want states to direct the funds.

In April, states received $81 billion of the K-12 funds. States wont receive their slice of the remaining $41 billion until their plans are approved, but the hold up shouldnt affect districts initiatives to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss, experts said.

Because states already have the lions share  two-thirds  of the  funds and are allocating them to districts this summer, states and districts should be able to implement activities in the fall, whether they formally submit their plan now or later, said Anne Hyslop, the director of policy development at the Alliance for Excellent Education.

In a statement, the department said it is posting the documents online now so families, educators and community organizations can follow how officials plan to spend this once-in-a-generation influx of federal funds for education. While 90 percent of the funds are being distributed to districts, states still have a combined $12 billion to address learning loss and continue preparing schools for fully reopening in the fall. With several plans still outstanding, some experts say the extra time means states can gather more input from the community on how to best respond to students needs.

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The extra time could ultimately improve the quality and sustainability of the plans, Hyslop said.

She said shell be interested to see whether states decide to create competitive grant programs, which, she said, could be an effective way to distribute the funds and focus on the needs of students whove been most affected by the pandemics disruptions.

But some will have a better grasp on whether or not students are off track. States that were able to test more students in-person this spring will have more reliable data.

Because school doors were open for in-person instruction, we had a high participation rate for our statewide assessment. Im anxious to dig into the data to learn more, said Wyoming Superintendent Jillian Balow. Rather than focusing on why students are behind, we have a rare opportunity to address it with federal funds and a keen focus on closing gaps, especially in literacy.

Wyoming Superintendent Jillian Balow recently visited Little Snake River Valley School. (Wyoming Department of Education)

States had to set aside 5 percent of their allotment to help students catch up, 1 percent for afterschool programs and 1 percent for summer learning and enrichment programs. New Mexico will join with local municipalities to offer summer internships for middle and high school students, and New Jersey is issuing grants for summer learning academies to focus on subject areas affected by school closures, such as the arts and STEM.

Most states, according to the department, are using a portion of the funds to address students social and emotional health. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms teens, especially girls, have struggled with mental health issues since the beginning of the pandemic. Among adolescents, the proportion of emergency room visits related to mental health issues increased 31 percent between 2019 and 2020. And between February and March this year, suspected suicide attempts among girls had increased by half, compared to the same time period in 2019.

Oklahoma plans to spend $35 million to hire more counselors and other mental health professionals, and the District of Columbia plans to expand its on-site behavioral health system to increase students access to clinical services.

That was one of several requests the D.C. Charter Alliance made in a list of budget recommendations in February. The pandemic has created instability in finances, employment, housing and food, said Shannon Hodge, executive director of the Alliance. And we know that those instabilities will affect students mental health and their readiness to learn. One of the easiest ways to improve access to mental health care for students is to make services available at school.

Turning up the volume

Six states  Alaska, California, Colorado, Mississippi, Nevada and Wisconsin  dont expect to submit plans until August or September. Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director for advocacy and governance at AASA, The School Superintendents Association, said while the wait doesnt stop districts efforts, it does make it trickier.

Being in a state that submitted their plans will make it easier for [districts] to move forward in a timely manner while knowing the state expectations [and] commitments, she said.

Dan Gordon, senior legal and policy advisor with EducationCounsel, added the delay could complicate matters if states communicate a key policy priority once school starts.

Some of those might be great ideas, but waiting too long to share them could make it hard for districts to thoughtfully incorporate them into their own plans, he said.

The delay, however, also gives parents and education advocates more time to influence officials decisions on where to direct the funds.

Students will likely return to our school system in the fall with a host of needs that require additional training and supports for educators, said Feliza Ortiz-Licon, chief policy and advocacy officer at Latinos for Education, a national advocacy organization.

California, where she used to be a state board member, is among those not submitting a draft until August. She said she hopes the state uses the extra time to get more input from the community and focus on increasing educator diversity. The teacher shortage has been exacerbated by the pandemic and California needs to consider new and innovative ways to attract and retain talent, she said.

Minnesota is expected to turn in its plan by June 30th.

Khulia Pringle, the coordinator of family engagement and advocacy for the Minnesota Parent Union is concerned that because Gov. Tim Walz announced his Due North Education Plan in January, long before the American Rescue Plan passed, he wont incorporate parent feedback now.

Shes organizing a virtual town hall for later this month, arguing that Black, Hispanic and other minority parents  especially those whose children have disabilities  have not been well represented on a committee that is advising the state.

Were turning up the volume now, she said. Were trying to engage them, but theyre not trying to engage us.

Ashleigh Norris, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Education, said officials are currently gathering public comments and are committed to authentic engagement.

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said after his first meeting with U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Monday that they have no problems that cannot be solved, even while he gave no indication of progress on the biggest stalemate, Turkey's purchase of Russian missiles.

At a press conference on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels, Erdogan called the talks "productive and sincere" and he emphasized his long years of friendship with the U.S. leader.

The discussion - for which Erdogan waited five months after Biden's inauguration - stressed the need for better dialogue, set a positive tone for the future and covered cooperation in areas such as Syria, Erdogan said.

"We see that there is a strong will to start an efficient cooperation period based on mutual respect in every area," he said.

"We think that there are no problems in Turkey-U.S. ties that don't have a solution and that, to the contrary, our areas of cooperation outweigh our problems and look richer."

U.S.-Turkey ties are clouded by an array of disputes including U.S. support for Syrian Kurdish fighters deemed terrorists by Turkey, and the Biden administration's more vocal criticism of Ankara's human rights record.

The thorniest dispute is Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 surface-to-air defences in 2019 that prompted Washington to impose targeted sanctions and to oust Ankara from an F-35 production programme, including a Turkish order to buy jets.

"At a meeting held in this location, it is not possible for the S-400s not to be brought up," Erdogan said. "Whatever our previous thoughts were on the S-400s, I conveyed those same thoughts to President Biden."

Turkey's lira slid nearly 1% as Erdogan spoke, after market expectations had risen in recent days for Biden and Erdogan to reach some sort of deal on the S-400s.

Erdogan, who had warm ties with former U.S. President Donald Trump, said Biden told him he might come to Turkey.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Evidence that includes newly unearthed Chinese government video continues to mount indicating the Wuhan Institute of Virology studied live bats in its lab, despite longtime lab collaborator Peter Daszak calling this a conspiracy theory."

Footage obtained and released by the Australian and Sky News was purportedly shot from inside the Wuhan lab and shows live bats kept in cages. The video was reportedly produced and released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017 to tout the opening and launch of the Wuhan labs then-new biosafety level four laboratory. The apparently Chinese state-produced video shows multiple bats in a cage, a researcher wearing a mask and gloves holding a bat and feeding it a worm, video of researchers in personal protective equipment out searching for and collecting bats, and a bat hanging off of a researchers hat as the person wears glasses and a surgical face mask.

The video was reportedly dug up by an online group that calls itself DRASTIC or the Decentralized Radical Autonomous Search Team Investigating COVID-19.

In the video, Song Donglin, deputy director of the Wuhan BSL-4 lab, says, China had no prior experience designing or contracting BSL-4 laboratories. There was no prior experience in using and managing autoclave sterilizers nor life-support systems for personnel.

A voiceover states: Over more than a decade, Shi Zhenglis research team has collected more than 15,000 bat samples in China and many countries of Africa, searching for the origins of SARS, as well as isolating and characterizing many new viruses.

WHO-CHINA COVID-19 ORIGINS TEAM LABELED LAB LEAK CONCERNS 'CONSPIRACY THEORIES'

The United States has cast doubt on a joint study conducted early this year. The World Health Organization-China report said a lab leak was extremely unlikely and that a jump from animals to animals to humans was most likely.

Shi was director of the labs Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases and known as bat woman for her work with bat coronaviruses. The EcoHealth Alliance received at least $3.7 million from the National Institutes of Health between 2014 and 2020, and Daszak, who has worked with Shi, steered at least $600,000 in NIH funding to the lab, criticized the Biden administration for skepticism of WHOs findings, and defended China on Communist Party-linked outlets.

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In December, an article in the Independent reported that samples from the bats were sent to the Wuhan laboratory for genetic analyses of the viruses collected in the field.

Daszak called this false and a conspiracy theory, saying in a since-deleted December tweet, Important error in this piece. No BATS were sent to Wuhan lab for genetic analyses of viruses collected in the field. That's not how this science works. We collect bat samples, send them to the lab. We RELEASE bats where we catch them!

Simon Boyi Chen, listed as being in the fellowship program in molecular genetic pathology at Stanford Health Care, tweeted in response: There can be a very big risk for Western scientists to automatically assume that Chinese labs operate by the same practices and standard operating protocols that they do.

Daszak then tweeted back, This is a widely circulated conspiracy theory. This piece describes work I'm the lead on & labs I've collaborated with for 15 years. They DO NOT have live or dead bats in them. There is no evidence anywhere that this happened.

Daszak seemed to concede months later that the Wuhan lab may have had live bats after all, admitting he hadnt asked about it when the WHO-China team visited the laboratory.

Jason Tetro of the Super Awesome Science Show tweeted: A new angle for the lab leakers has been the alleged presence of bat rooms in the WIV BSL4  Any chance you can simply point out that the animal husbandry BSL4 is in Harbin and not WIV?

Daszak replied: You're right, labs in US & around world are trying to keep bats to test viral immune responses etc. None are successfully doing this at scale like lab mice & animals are always screened virus-free before experiments, so even if WIV were trying this, it's prob irrelevant for origins ... I also think it's in the WHO report (annexes) that they were working with animals in WIV at BSL-4, just like US labs.

Tetro tweeted on June 1: It's in the Annexes but perhaps not as explicit as some might like to see.  It's one of the way conspiracy theories work - they take what isn't said and turn it into an accusation of guilt.

Daszak replied: You're right, but also we didn't ask them if they had bats. I wouldn't be surprised if, like many other virology labs, they were trying to set up a bat colony.

The WHO-China joint teams numerous annexes totaled 193 pages, but the annex on its Feb. 3, 2021, visit to the Wuhan lab is just four pages and does not mention live bats being studied there.

A State Department fact sheet in January contended Wuhan lab researchers conducted experiments involving RaTG13, the bat coronavirus identified by the WIV in January 2020 as its closest sample to SARS-CoV-2 (96.2% similar) and that the lab has a published record of conducting gain-of-function research to engineer chimeric viruses. The fact sheet said the lab engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military." The annex made no use of the phrase gain-of-function and doesn't mention alleged Chinese military collaboration. The State Department fact sheet also said lab workers became sick with COVID-19-like symptoms in autumn 2019.

The WHO-China team contended that Shi gave an extensive scientific report on her teams work on bat coronaviruses.

Shi also claimed in the annex that all fieldwork is done with full PPE. But Shi previously admitted her team did not always use full protective gear.

Peter Ben Embarek, head of the WHOs international team, admitted in late February that we didnt do an audit of any of these labs, so we dont really have hard facts or detailed data on the work done."

Further evidence that the Wuhan lab was studying live bats was laid out by Taiwan News in February.

An archived website from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Laboratory Animal Resources stated: The Wuhan Institute of Virology  has 126 cages for Japanese white rabbits, 340 cages for SD and Wistar rats, inbred strains, closed groups, mutant strains, and genetically engineered mice. There are 3268 cages, 12 ferrets, 12 bats, and 2 species of cotton bollworm and beet armyworm, totaling 52 strains.

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An article in Sixth Tone from May 2018 on China's bat caves included a passage about Wuhan lab researcher Luo Dongsheng, saying: Their one-day expedition to Taiyi Cave  a cavern 2,200 meters deep, located 100 kilometers south of Hubeis provincial capital, Wuhan  is less about the bats themselves than the viruses they carry  By 8:30 p.m., Luos team has collected a full rack of swabs and bagged a dozen live bats for further testing back at the lab.

An article in Chinas Science Times quoted Wuhan lab researcher Zhang Huajun as saying, The research team captured a few bats from the wild to be used as experimental animals. They need to be fed every day. This Spring Festival, the students went home for a holiday, and Teacher Shi silently undertook the task of raising bats.

And a patent apparently filed by the Wuhan lab in 2018 and granted in 2019 was for a kind of carnivorism bat rearging [sic] cage with an abstract describing it, The utility model discloses a kind of carnivorism bat rearging [sic] cages  The utility model makes bat being capable of healthy growth and breeding under artificial condition.

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Tags: News, Wuhan Lab, China, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Coronavirus

Original Author: Jerry Dunleavy

Original Location: Evidence mounts Wuhan lab studied live bats despite denials
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CBS said that earlier in the day, the Los Angeles Police Department received a tip of illegal fireworks at the home in the 700 block of 27th Street. When officers arrived, they reportedly found two children and approximately 5,000 pounds of fireworks.Authorities told CBS that one man was taken into custody on suspicion of possession of destructive devices, possession of fireworks and child endangerment. Long said the child endangerment case was being referred to the Department of Child and Family Services and the children were taken into protective custody.The Los Angeles Fire Department told CBS that nine LAPD officers were treated and taken to local hospitals in fair condition with minor injuries. One Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officer was reportedly also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.There were reportedly also six civilians, three with serious injuries and three with minor injuries, taken to area hospitals. Names, genders and ages of the injured were not immediately released.LAFD told CBS that several homes were impacted by the blast and L.A. Building and Safety inspectors were evaluating them to determine if anyone would be displaced.It was not immediately known why the fireworks exploded, though neighbors were left wondering why the truck was not taken outside of a residential neighborhood for the planned detonation.
The New York Times

Americans can now vacation in France, where the one-dose vaccination rate is 49%, according to the nonprofit Our World in Data; they can also go to Spain, where the rate is 51%, and Greece, 45%. But, with very limited exceptions, they still cannot travel to Canada, which, according to one source  the University of Oxford  is leading all countries globally in single-dose vaccination rates. In mid-June, to the frustration of many on both sides of the border, Canada announced it was extending res
The parents of an American imprisoned in Russia are pushing for a prisoner swap for his release ahead of President Joe Bidens summit with Vladimir Putin Wednesday, after the Russian president said he was open to a possible exchange.

"Were very happy to hear that President Putin is open to a prisoner exchange," Trevor Reeds parents said in an interview with NBC on Monday, viewing this as a tangible outcome to a meeting for which the White House has tried to set expectations low.

BIDEN GEARS UP FOR SHOWDOWN WITH 'KILLER' PUTIN ON PLACID LAKE GENEVA

Reed, a University of North Texas student and former Marine, was accused of endangering the "life and health" of Russian police officers after an altercation and was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison. He denies the charge, which U.S. officials have called preposterous.

Asked about Reed during an interview with NBC, Putin said the former Marine was a "troublemaker" and "drunk" who "got himself s**tfaced and started a fight."

As for whether he would consider a prisoner swap, Putin said, "Yes, yes, of course."

Reeds family said it was open to the idea.

"We dont care how he comes home. If they want to exchange Trevor for some criminals that, you know, are low-level criminals or whatever," said Joey Reed, Trevors father.

"We're fine with that. We want our son home," said Paula Reed, Trevors mother.

"Hey, American prisons then dont have to pay for their housing," his father added. "Send them home."

According to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Reed was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month. Officials have been unable to reach him.

We are gravely concerned about his health, acting U.S. charge daffaires Bartle Golman said in a statement, adding that the hospital facility housing Reed has repeatedly refused to provide even a single update or piece of information about his health for more than two weeks.

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Another former Marine, Paul Whelan, was jailed after traveling to Russia for a wedding and accused of being a spy, a charge he denies. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison last year.

Whelans brother David voiced skepticism about a swap, telling NBC that Paul was "wrongly accused."

He is innocent  We would rather see the door just open and he come out rather than some negotiated release of Russian convicts, he said.

Whelans attorney, Vladimir Zherebenkov, told Reuters in February that Washington and Moscow were discussing a possible exchange.

Zherebenkov has identified two people in U.S. custody whom he said Russia would be willing to trade in a swap: pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was convicted of smuggling cocaine into the United States, and arms dealer Viktor Bout.

David Whelan last week told Russian news services that his brother had been vaccinated against the coronavirus at the prison labor camp where he is being held.

In an interview with CNN this month, Paul Whelan called on Biden to "aggressively discuss and resolve" the jailing of Americans by Russia for political reasons.

"Decisive action is needed immediately" to halt the "abduction" of U.S. citizens, Whelan said in a call from the labor camp where he is serving out his sentence.

"This is not an issue of Russia against me; it's an issue of Russia against the United States, and the United States needs to answer this hostage diplomacy situation and resolve it as quickly as possible," he added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on the jailing of both Americans during a meeting in Iceland last week.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in May that the detainments had been raised "at the highest level and ... through many diplomatic channels."

In a statement, Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called on Biden to insist on the release of Reed and Whelan as a pre-condition of his meeting with Putin.

These two Americans deserve to come home to their families," McCaul said.

While officials have denied talk of a prisoner swap, Reeds family is hopeful.

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If they could accomplish anything in this summit, it would be this exchange, Joey Reed told NBC.

"He's being held as a pawn to try and leverage concessions in a political dispute between our two countries in which he has no part, and it's time to let him come home to Texas," the family wrote in a statement.

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Tags: News, Joe Biden, White House, Biden Administration, Russia, Moscow, Vladimir Putin, Intelligence

Original Author: Katherine Doyle

Original Location: Family of jailed American in Russia backs prisoner swap ahead of Biden-Putin summit
Lake Mead is seen in the distance behind a dead creosote bush in an area of dry, cracked earth that used to be underwater (Getty Images)

Parts of the US face record high temperatures as a wave of heat sweeps the countrys southwest.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned residents of Salt Lake City, Utah, they should prepare to see the all-time highest June temperature matched on Tuesday, with the mercury set to hit a sweltering 105F (40.6C).

The city last saw daily temperatures that high in 1974, the NWS said.

The governmental Weather Prediction Centres heat map showed conditions were expected to become even more extreme for people in Arizona and California, however.

Yuma, Arizona, is likely to see temperatures of 110F (43C) or higher in the coming days, as is Blythe in California. Even coastal cities will not be spared, forecasts suggest. Los Angeles may hit 90F (32C) on Tuesday.

California ISO, which runs that states power grid, has warned residents they should prepare to have to conserve electricity with air conditioners set to work overtime.

Much of the American west is in the grip of drought. Last week, Lake Mead, the reservoir formed when the Hoover dam was constructed on the Nevada-Arizona border, reached its lowest ever level.

That drought has affected California, the Pacific northwest, the Great Basin spanning Nevada, Oregon and Utah, plus the southwestern states of Arizona and New Mexico and even part of the northern plains.

Farmers are abandoning crops, Nevada is banning the watering of about one-third of lawns in the Las Vegas area, and the governor of Utah has literally asked residents there to pray for rain.

Firefighters fear another devastating wildfire season this year.

Droughts are a recurring natural phenomenon, but have worsened recently following a string of very dry years for most of this century. Scientists say human-influenced climate change has made the situation worse.

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Heat wave scorches US West with temperatures smashing 100 degrees

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British Princes William and Harry put their differences aside on Thursday when they unveiled a statue to their late mother Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday, saying they hoped it would be a lasting memorial to her life and legacy. The brothers, whose falling-out has been the subject of intense media scrutiny, looked relaxed together as they revealed the statue they commissioned in honour of Diana in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace in central London, her former home. The bronze statue depicts Diana, who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, surrounded by three children, which Kensington Palace said represented "the universality and generational impact" of her work.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  Rapper Kodak Black, a convicted felon with a charitable streak, got an honor usually reserved for business leaders, social servants and others who generally dont raise eyebrows.

Broward Commissioner Dale V.C. Holness issued a proclamation last week honoring the rapper who grew up in Pompano Beach.

Holness action took his fellow commissioners by surprise and sparked a debate about whether a persons acts of philanthropy are any less commendable just because the individual has a troubled history.

The proclamation lists several of Blacks contributions, including college costs for the three children of two FBI agents killed in a raid in Sunrise; funeral costs of a South Carolina police officer; and $100,000 to Nova Southeastern Universitys law school in memory of Meadow Pollack, who was killed in the Parkland high school shooting in 2018.

County Commissioner Mark Bogen disagreed with honoring Black, whose real name is Bill K. Kapri.

Our commission needs to honor people who have done things that are special and worthy of being honored, Bogen said. I do not believe Mr. Black is worthy of that honor. Based on his past criminal conduct, this is not a man we should be honoring.

Black served half of a three-year federal sentence for falsifying information on a document used to buy guns from a Miami gun shop. President Donald Trump commuted his sentence among 73 last-minute clemency grants issued at midnight on the last day of Trumps presidency.

Black was arrested in May 2019 just before he was set to perform at the Rolling Loud festival at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

The rapper also is on probation after he pleaded guilty in April to assault and battery in a sex assault case in which he was accused of attacking a teenage girl in a South Carolina hotel room. He received a suspended 10-year sentence and 18 months probation.

Blacks lawyer and former Celebrity Apprentice contestant Bradford Brad Cohen defended the decision to honor the rapper.

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To say that we should not recognize the good someone does just because that person has been in trouble before is an asinine, foolish and ignorant, Cohen said. To have ... politicians judge a young Black man because of his past and say to this man, you shouldnt be recognized for any of the good you do because you arent worthy is what the problem is with politicians these days.

Holness is running for Congress to replace the late Rep. Alcee Hastings. Holness did not respond to calls or text messages Monday. Holness honored the rapper Friday as he visited his home county for his birthday

Black thanked Holness in a tweet Saturday: Thanks To Dale Holness. ... This Means More To Me Than Going Gold Or Platinum Every Year June 11th We Gone Have A Good Time And Do Something Special Within Our Community.

The proclamation also says Black has agreed to be mentored by Holness.

Holness signed the proclamation as the mayor of Broward, a title he had until November, when the one-year term ended.

That rankled the county commission, which said Holness had overstepped.

By signing the document claiming to be mayor when hes not, its very troubling any person would sign a document purporting to have a title when the person doesnt have that title, Bogen said.

Mayor Steve Geller has called for a discussion at Tuesdays county commission meeting about the procedures for proclamations going forward.

What I have read about Kodak Black, I wouldnt have signed my name to a proclamation, Geller said.
For Mike Ware, the process of trying to get a person exonerated for a crime they didnt commit reveals a lot of inequities in the criminal justice system.

As an adjunct professor at the Texas A&M School of Law and the executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas, a nonprofit that identifies and works to exonerate individuals who have been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned, hes realized the one thing that falsely convicted people have in common is that theyre all a part of some marginalized demographic.

He has also realized, during the 15 years of the Fort Worth-based Innocence Projects existence, that its relatively easy to wrongfully convict a person, but its very difficult to exonerate them.

Thats why when he sees a successful outcome, like the recent exoneration of 44-year-old Houston resident Lydell Grant who was wrongly convicted of murder, the case feels extremely rewarding.

In 2012, Grant was convicted of murder in the stabbing death of 28-year-old Houston resident Aaron Scheerhoorn outside a bar. Six eyewitnesses testified against Grant during the trial. Grant had an alibi for the night of the murder, but was still sentenced to life in prison.

In spring 2018, after Grant contacted the Innocence Project for help, Jason Tiplitz, a Texas A&M School of Law student and member of the Innocence Project legal clinic, found anomalies in DNA evidence that proved Grants innocence.

Since the projects inception in 2006, the Innocence Project has partnered with the Texas A&M School of Law to review and assist in cases of wrongful conviction.

A&M Law students review and vet cases that have credible evidence of innocence and that may have relied heavily on eye witnesses for conviction, Ware said. They work on cases  often for several years  investigating the original trials and providing litigation in hopes of overturning the conviction.

In Grants case, Tiplitz found that Grant was clearly excluded from the DNA mixture recovered from the victims fingernails, and the DNA identified a different individual, 42-year-old Jermarico Carter.

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This finding is unfortunate because the discovery and confirmation of an unknown male contributor in the DNA mixture could have guided the [original] investigation to find the true perpetrator, and likely could have prevented the wrongful conviction of Mr. Grant, Ware said in a report about the case.

The case attracted national attention, and in December 2019, Carter was arrested in Atlanta on different charges. The Houston Police Department was notified, and detectives flew to Atlanta to interrogate Carter, who confessed to Scheerhoorns murder.

Grant was released from prison in 2019, and on May 19, Grant was declared actually innocent by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals nearly a decade after being convicted murderer.

Fort Worth resident Jessica Mason, who assisted on the case as student in the fall of 2019, said there is some finality in him being released and fully exonerated that should be celebrated, but it is difficult to say he got justice.







Because it doesnt undo everything, she said. It doesnt undo the years that hes been incarcerated and the toll its taken on his body and his spirit and his life. You just cant get those years back.







An estimated 5,600 individuals have been wrongfully convicted in Texas, according to the Innocence Project. Ware said the nonprofit can average up to 100 letters a month from inmates claiming their innocence.

Ware said its important to continue to work to exonerate completely innocent people.

There are a lot of injustices in our criminal justice system, he said. And innocent people being convicted of crimes they didnt commit is just one of those. And thats what we concentrate on.
A Georgia suspect who allegedly shot an officer at point-blank range has been killed by police.

The suspect  who has not been identified  was fatally shot Sunday night following a search that involved multiple law enforcement agencies. A Cobb County officer had responded to a domestic dispute in Acworth during the afternoon when the man pulled out a gun and started firing, police say.

Sgt. Wayne Delk told reporters at the scene that the officer was shot point-blank in the chest but was wearing a bulletproof vest. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

GEORGIA SHOOTING LEAVES AT LEAST 1 DEAD, 8 WOUNDED, REPORTS SAY

"Because of the vest it was not a life-threatening injury, but it would have been a lot worse had he not been wearing a vest," Delk added, according to 11Alive News.

WSB-TV reports that dozens of officers from several police departments in the area and the Georgia State Patrol helped to look for the suspect. After an hourslong search, police fatally shot the man.

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"The search for the suspect has ended," Cobb County Police said in a tweet. "A second officer involved shooting resulting in the suspect being shot and killed. No officers were injured."

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has since taken over the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Five Senate Republicans are urging the leaders of the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health to hand over records related to the origins of COVID-19 and China's Wuhan Institute of Virology following recent revelations within heavily-redacted emails from Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Sen. Ron Johnson, ranking member on the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, along with Sens. Josh Hawley, James Lankford, Rand Paul, and Rick Scott, sent a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and NIH Director Francis Collins on Monday. In the letter, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee members wrote they wanted answers about NIHs handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recent release of approximately 4,000 pages of NIH email communications and other documents from early 2020 has raised serious questions about NIHs handling of COVID-19, the GOP letter said. Between June 1 and June 4, 2021, the news media and public interest groups released approximately 4,000 pages of NIH emails and other documents these organizations received through Freedom of Information Act requests. These documents, though heavily redacted, have shed new light on NIHs awareness of the virus origins in the early stages of the COVID19 pandemic.

Newly released emails from early 2020 sent by Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, show he seemed aware of the looming gain-of-function research and Chinese collaboration controversies. They also indicate Fauci worked behind the scenes to promote the natural origins hypothesis.

EVIDENCE MOUNTS WUHAN LAB STUDIED LIVE BATS DESPITE DENIALS

EcoHealth Alliance received at least $3.7 million from NIH from 2014 to 2020, and Peter Daszak  a key member of the World Health Organization-China joint study team  maintained a long collaborative relationship with Wuhan lab bat lady Shi Zhengli, steering at least $600,000 in NIH funding to that lab for bat coronavirus research. He also criticized the Biden administration earlier this year for appearing skeptical of the WHOs findings and defended China to Chinese Communist Party-linked outlets.

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U.S. Embassy officials in China raised concerns in 2018 about lax biosecurity at the Wuhan lab.

The new GOP letter noted an email from Jan. 9, 2020, in which Fauci senior scientific adviser David Morens asked Daszak for any inside info on this new coronavirus that isnt yet in the public domain.

The letter also pointed to a Jan. 27, 2020, message from Daszak to Morens with the subject line: Wuhan novel coronavirus  NIAIDs role in bat-origin Covs and the message, Happy to have a phone call re: the Wuhan CoV, but just wanted to mention a few things for your information and hopefully to pass on to Tony Fauci for when hes being interviewed re. the new CoV: NIAID has been funding coronavirus research for the past 5 years Collaborators include Wuhan Institute of Virology (currently working on the nCoV) and Ralph Baric.

The Republican letter highlighted the fact Fauci sent an email to NIH Principal Deputy Director Hugh Auchincloss on Feb. 1, 2020, with an attachment labeled Baric, Shi et al - Nature medicine - SARS Gain of function.pdf and the subject line, IMPORTANT. Faucis message had a tone of urgency, saying, Hugh: It is essential that we speak this AM. Keep your cell phone on... Read this paper as well as the e-mail that I will forward to you now. You will have tasks today that must be done.

Auchincloss replied to Fauci, saying, The paper you sent me says the experiments were performed before the gain of function pause but have since been reviewed and approved by NIH. Not sure what that means since Emily is sure that no Coronavirus work has gone through the P3 framework ... She will try to determine if we have any distant ties to this work abroad.

Fauci replied: OK. Stay tuned.

After a pause in 2014, HHS announced the Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight Framework in 2017, which was ostensibly set up to review any grants that might involve gain-of-function research. But, the 2019 renewal of EcoHealth grants was not subjected to the P3CO review.

During a Senate hearing, Paul pointed to the work between Baric and Shi as evidence of U.S. support for gain-of-function research in China and asked, Dr. Fauci, do you still support funding of the NIH funding of the lab in Wuhan?

Fauci replied, Sen. Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect  that the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

He added, Dr. Baric is not doing gain-of-function research, and if it is, it is according to the guidelines, and it is being conducted in North Carolina, not in China  If you look at the grant and you look at the progress reports, it's not gain-of-function.

An article in Nature Medicine published in 2015 following a study by Baric, Shi, and others noted, Using the SARS-CoV reverse genetics system, we generated and characterized a chimeric virus expressing the spike of bat coronavirus SHC014.

An editors note added to the article in March 2020 added, We are aware that this article is being used as the basis for unverified theories that the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19 was engineered. There is no evidence that this is true; scientists believe that an animal is the most likely source of the coronavirus.

Baric was among several scientists who signed a letter in Science magazine in May arguing "theories of accidental release from a lab and zoonotic spillover both remain viable."

The Republican senators said Monday that in order to better assist Congress in performing its oversight function, HHS and NIH should hand over all records involving Fauci, Collins, Daszak, Baric, Shi, Auchincloss, Morens, and other Chinese and international scientists referring or relating to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, COVID-19, coronavirus, EcoHealth Alliance, or Dr. Barics 2015 coronavirus study.

A State Department fact sheet in January contended Wuhan lab researchers conducted experiments involving RaTG13, the bat coronavirus identified by the WIV in January 2020 as its closest sample to SARS-CoV-2 (96.2% similar) and that the lab has a published record of conducting gain-of-function research to engineer chimeric viruses.

The fact sheet said the lab engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military and that lab workers became sick with COVID-19-like symptoms in autumn 2019.

It is unclear the extent to which NIH officials, including Dr. Fauci, considered the possibility that the virus originated in a laboratory and what, if any, actions they took to seriously investigate this possibility, the new GOP letter contends. It is also unclear why NIAID officials eventually decided to downplay the likelihood that the virus originated in a laboratory and, instead, promote that it originated naturally.

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The GOP letter asked for complete and unredacted copies of all documents and communications responsive to Freedom of Information Act requests made by the Washington Post, BuzzFeed, and Judicial Watch. It also requested similar FOIA requests by other organizations and outlets related to U.S. government officials, the Wuhan lab, and other coronavirus-related issues, which are listed on NIHs online FOIA log.

Citing legal authorities, the Republican senators asked for the information as soon as possible but no later than the end of the business day on June 25.

Last year, Fauci laughed off the possibility that COVID-19 escaped from a lab, arguing "a number of very qualified evolutionary biologists have said that everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that it evolved in nature and then jumped species."

However, Fauci said last month he was unsure about whether he was still confident COVID-19 emerged naturally.

The U.S. intelligence community said at least one of its 18 agencies is leaning toward the lab leak hypothesis, and Biden ordered all of the spy agencies to redouble their investigative efforts last month. Those findings are expected to be delivered to Biden later this summer.

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Tags: News

Original Author: Jerry Dunleavy

Original Location: GOP senators call for HHS and NIH to hand over records on COVID-19 origins and Wuhan lab
A group of Republican senators seeks to ban the physical desecration of the American flag, including attempts to burn it.

Sen. Steve Daines of Montana reintroduced a constitutional amendment on Monday, which was also Flag Day.

NEW YORK MAN SUES CITY FOR $25M IN DISPUTE OVER PRO-TRUMP, ANTI-BIDEN, AND 'THIN BLUE LINE' FLAGS

"The American flag is a symbol of liberty and a beacon of hope," Daines said in a statement. "It represents the ideals that our nation was built upon and for decades, brave men and women have carried its colors into battle to defend the United States of America. The Stars and Stripes are a representation of freedom. We must always protect and respect the American flag."

Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota co-sponsored the amendment.

Daines pursued a similar measure on Flag Day of 2018 and 2019, unveiling a report of 50 "offensive acts" done against the country's flag since 2014.

Among the incidents the senator listed included one in 2016 when anti-Trump protesters burned an American flag and a "Make America Great Again" hat after a San Jose Trump rally. He also said there was a 2017 incident involving the burning of a flag by vandals that belonged to a Marine veteran in Ohio and a 2017 incident in which a flag was hung outside of a local business in Arlington, Virginia, and burned.

In 2019, former President Donald Trump called the amendment a "no-brainer," saying he was "all-in" for the proposal.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that desecrating the American flag was constitutionally protected as free speech.

Amendments, however, can be added to the Constitution if two-thirds of both chambers of Congress agree on a proposal and three-fourths of states ratify it, or two-thirds of state legislatures call a convention in favor of the proposed changes.

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The closest Congress has come to passing such a proposal in recent history was in 2006. A measure to ban burning the flag passed the House, but it failed by one vote in the Senate, which needed two-thirds support to be sent to the states for ratification. The vote was 66-34.

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The Fraternal Order of Police, the American Legion of Montana, and the Department of Montana Veterans of Foreign Wars are among organizations that support the measure, Daines's office said.

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Tags: News, Montana, Flags, Senate GOP, Congress

Original Author: Mica Soellner

Original Location: GOP senators pursue constitutional amendment to ban burning of American flag
OAKLAND, Calif., June 14, 2021 /CNW/ - Harborside Inc. ("Harborside" or the "Company") (CSE: HBOR) (OTCQX: HBORF) a California-focused, vertically integrated cannabis enterprise, today announced today that it has granted options (each, an "Option") to purchase an aggregate of 684,985 subordinate voting shares of the Company ("SVS") to certain employees of the Company. Each Option is exercisable into one SVS in the capital of the Company at an exercise price of $2.21 per SVS. The Options will expire five years from the date of grant and are subject to vesting conditions. All Options were granted in accordance with Harborside's equity incentive plan adopted by the board of directors of the Company on June 30, 2020 and approved by shareholders on November 24, 2020 (the "Plan"). A copy of the Plan is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Harborside Inc. logo (CNW Group/Harborside Inc.)

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Even though several developers and homebuilders urged the Horry County Council to reconsider or amend a proposed law that would impose fees on new homes and construction, Johnny Gardner, the council chairman, sounded a confident tone last week.

This is going to happen, he said of the proposed measure to implement impact fees. When these guys come to the podium and say, I thought there was some talk about having a committee? thats talk about killing this, thats what that is. This thing has been read and written and kicked and examined and it always gets killed because they fill this place with people that are against it and people back down. But right now, nobody is backing down.

After a hearing on the measure Thursday, Gardner said he believed he had the majority of the council behind him to vote to pass the measure, which would be a remarkable feat in a South Carolina county thats both exploded in growth, and is also home to leaders generally averse to new taxes and fees imposed on businesses.

With impact fees, Horry County would charge developers and homebuilders a one-time fee to help match infrastructure needs with the growth. The county would charge the fee on every new home, hotel, business and apartment building in the unincorporated areas of the county, which have seen more people and increased building in recent years.

The impact fee measure, long debated but never enacted in Horry County, stems from a 2018 ballot referendum in which 72% of voters said they favored the measure. The measure now faces a critical vote at county councils Tuesday meeting. If the council passes the measure then, it could pave the way for the county to enact the fees just weeks from now. In a county thats added thousands of new residents and homes each year for the last several decades, the county imposing impact fees represents one of the strongest responses to that growth yet.

Heres what you need to know ahead councils vote.

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What are impact fees, and how do they work?

Generally speaking, impact fees are a one-time charge on all new buildings in an area, collected to help pay for infrastructure those buildings and people will need. When a new housing development is built, for example, the people living there will need water and sewer lines from the local system into their homes, roads to get in and out, and fire stations nearby in the event their house catches on fire. Local governments, or public agencies, are required to provide all of those infrastructure needs, which cost money. Impact fees help offset the cost.

The purpose of impact fees, according to the South Carolina Supreme Court in 1999, is to fairly distribute the capital improvement costs of growth and development among those who are generating the need for the improvements. The state made impact fees legal in 1999 and a number of cities and counties around the state now use them, including Charleston, Rock Hill, Georgetown County and Beaufort County.

In Horry County, that means when a developer builds a new subdivision of homes along Highway 90, for example, the developer will be responsible for paying a fee on each new home they built. The same goes for new hotels, apartment buildings, car dealerships, stores, restaurants, storage facilities and more. The Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority already charges developers impact fees when developers build in places that arent yet connected to the authoritys service area.

Once Horry County collects those impact fees, county leaders can then choose to spend the money on infrastructure like roads, fire stations, parks and more. Currently, Horry County could charge up to  but not more than  $4,838 for a new home, $3,274 for a new apartment unit, $2,587 for a new hotel room and $7,439 per 1,000 square feet of a new retail business. Impact fees for stormwater infrastructure could drive those amounts even higher, up to $6,000 for a new single family home in some areas, depending on which watershed the home is in, and up to $8,400 for a new retail business, also dependent on the watershed.

However, things arent as simple as that, because impact fees come with a number of rules and conditions.

First, the county has to adopt a general plan of which infrastructure projects  also called capital projects  it wants to put the new money towards. Local governments make these sorts of plans frequently, usually in concert with their annual budgets, and Horry County paid a consulting firm to help it adopt a capital improvement plan for its impact fees two years ago. That plan was included in a study the firm conducted for the county, which was needed before the county could adopt impact fees.

Next, the county has to outline a schedule for which parts of the impact fee will go towards which types of infrastructure projects. If a developer will pay an impact fee for a new home, the county has to outline that a certain amount of that will pay for parks, another amount will pay for fire stations, another amount will pay for roads, and so on. For example, a $4,838 charge on a new single family home could spent this way:

$814 goes to parks and recreation

$76 goes to police

$524 goes to fire and emergency services

$38 goes to an emergency operations center

$3,113 goes to transportation infrastructure, like roads

And $273 goes to waste disposal infrastructure.

Charges for other types of buildings could be broken down differently. For example, new retail stores would contribute greater portions of its impact fees to roads and emergency services, but none at all to parks and recreation. Impact fees can also go towards stormwater projects, based on the watershed the new home or business is built in.

Another stipulation is that county has to spend the impact fee, per the captial plan and the fee breakdown, within three years of collecting it. That means county leaders will have to plan carefully what projects they put the money towards so that they can be sure theyre putting the correct amounts of the fee to the right types of projects within the window of time in which theyre allowed to spend that money.

In total, county administrators estimate that Horry County could collect nearly $22 million in additional revenue each year if growth projections hold true. That could add up to nearly $209 million in new spending over ten years, a sum thats more than one-third of countys current RIDE 3 program for road building.

Local advocates like April OLeary, who heads the anti-flooding group Horry County Rising, said last week that impact fees contributing to stormwater projects at all will help the county tremendously.

We really do need to also consider other diverse investments, and impact fees is one of those, OLeary told council members. As far as accommodating residential homes and new growth, we will need to diversify our investments to enhance our stormwater (infrastructure) in order to accommodate all of the people that are finding our county a beautiful place to live and work.

Concerns about impact fees

Not surprisingly, a number of developers and homebuilders  that is, the people who would be on the hook to pay impact fees  raised a number of concerns about the countys proposal. Several council members raised concerns as well. Jason Repak, the president of Hudson Homes and the head of the Horry Georgetown Home Builders Association, said impact fees would drive up the cost of housing in the county.

Adding additional impact fee to these current costs could diminish the demand for new homes in our area. Doing so would be extremely detrimental to the long term revenue of this county, he said.

Once the county imposes impact fees on developers, its likely those developers will pass the fee onto the homeowner or business buying from them.

Because of that, Drew Flynn, the vice president of Coastal Land & Development, argued the county would be smarter to tax those residents and businesses, not charge developers.

I think the impact fees are for the end consumer and not for the ones that are investing money here to build this community and bring in revenue for Horry County, he said.

And Dustin Martin, the president of Rabons Housing Center and the Grand Strand representative of the Manufactured Housing Institute of South Carolina, argued that impact fees would make mobile homes and other manufactured homes too expensive for lower-income residents because builders would pass those fees onto the buyers.

Please reconsider this, as it would be a devastating burden to the county residents who are looking to obtain affordable housing, he said.

Several council members on Thursday also expressed concerns about how high the impact fees may be on new businesses looking to build in Horry County. Both Cam Crawford, who represents the Socastee area, and Johnny Vaught, who represents part of the Conway area, said they worried that too-high impact fees on businesses could scare off entrepreneurs.

One thing that we have to be very careful of is not throttling back the economic growth thats going on in this county, Vaught said. And Im not talking about building homes and stuff, Im talking about businesses being built.

Other new taxes coming too?

In addition to his concerns about charging businesses too much, Crawford pointed out in a recent interview that impact fees also come with a key problem: Governments can spend them on infrastructure, but not on operating costs. As council members have discussed impact fees this year, its become a common refrain for one to mention that they could build a new fire station with impact fees, but not hire anyone to work there.

As a solution to that problem, Crawford has pitched the idea of lobbying state lawmakers to raise the cap on the local option sales tax, a special type of sales tax that can boost local budgets. South Carolina currently limits counties to a 2% local option sales tax and Horry County has already reached that cap, with a 1% sales tax going to capital projects and another 1% sales tax going to the schools. Crawford said he and other council members could start lobbying state lawmakers to allow Horry County to raise its cap to 3%, which would add another 1% sales tax if voters approve it via a referendum.

Doing that, Crawford said, would allow the county to pay for infrastructure projects with impact fee money, and pay for operating that infrastructure with a sales tax.

The impact fee sounds nice, and I get that, but I challenge everyone to look at what that can actually be used for, he said. Im worried that the public thinks its some kind of cure-all but in reality its more of an ancillary thing.

Crawfords idea doesnt yet have broad support among County Council members, but Harold Worley, who represents the North Myrtle Beach area, said it could be a good idea.

Were going to need that at some point in time, he said. The money that were collecting with this fee, this impact fee, its just a small portion, a small amount as to what we need for all this development so were going to need the other revenue sources to deal with growth.

However, Gardner, the council chairman, has said hes not a fan of the idea, and said he hopes impact fees will cover much of the cost of the countys growth.

Im against tax raises unless we absolutely have to and if (impact fees) will keep us from having to do that Ill just be tickled, he said.

How we got here, and what happens next

Horry County has been growing for decades now, and the debate and discussion around impact fees dates back nearly as long. Liz Gilland, who served as chair of County Council in the early 2000s, said she remembers debates about the fees when she was in office, and that the county continually kicked the matter down the road. Rather than viewing impact fees as a means to keep pace with the growth in the county, she said county leaders saw them as slowing down that growth. The county, she said in a recent interview, needed to ask itself, what do we need to do to prepare for the growth? The county needed to ask itself other big questions, too, she said.

How can we extend the life of the road until we can afford to get it widened? When were approving a 200 home developmenthow can we make it better? she said. Lets to the ingress and egress lanes, lets do the setbacks, lets do impact fees.

(We) could have done a whole lot of other things instead, she added. The typical answer you hear from people is that government tends to be reactive instead of proactive.

Gardner agreed with that assessment.

If we wouldve done this 15 years ago, we wouldnt be in the trouble were in, he said.

By 2018, the county put impact fees to a public referendum, and nearly three-quarters of all voters said the county should implement the fees.

Then, in 2019, the county commissioned a study of impact fees, the first step in adopting them. That study was completed in December 2019 and amended in the spring. But then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and the county council decided to delay a vote on adopting impact fees until the crisis passed.

Fast forward to this spring, and county council members appear to be making good on that promise. As members debated next years $572 million budget, some suggested tying a vote on impact fees to the budget to settle the matter, once and for all.

Thursdays hearing on impact fees comes ahead of a key vote on the measure on Tuesday. After that, the council will need to take one final vote on the measure before its enacted. Due to the concerns raised by Crawford, Vaught and others, the council will take several votes Tuesday to determine the scale of the impact fees.

One option would allow council members to vote for the impact fees as-is, at maximum levels for homes, businesses and everything else. Another option would lower the fee on new businesses. And a third option would exempt mobile and manufactured homes from the impact fee.

One way or another, though, according to Gardner and Worley, the council has enough votes to finally make impact fees a reality in Horry County.

I dont see how they can vote against it, Worley said. I think its the right thing to do.
Dressed in a black turban and long religious coat, Ebrahim Raisi casts himself as an austere figure and an anti-corruption champion of the poor ahead of Iran's presidential election.

The 60-year-old ultraconservative, widely seen as the favourite to win the June 18 poll, heads the judiciary and is a "hodjatoleslam", one rank below that of ayatollah in the Shiite clerical hierarchy.

His campaign centres on a promise to "battle unrelentingly against poverty and corruption".

He operated on a similar platform for the 2017 election, when he won 38 percent of the vote, well short of the margin needed to prevent moderate President Hassan Rouhani securing a second consecutive term.

Born in November 1960 in the holy city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, the republic's second biggest urban centre, he rose to high office as a young man.

Aged just 20, Raisi was named prosecutor-general of Karaj, which neighbours Tehran, in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

For the exiled opposition, his name is indelibly associated with the mass executions of Marxists and other leftists in 1988, when he was deputy prosecutor of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, although he has denied any involvement.

Raisi has decades of judicial experience, serving as prosecutor-general of Tehran from 1989 to 1994, deputy chief of the Judicial Authority for a decade from 2004, and then national prosecutor-general in 2014.

- Student of the guide -

In 2016, supreme leader Ali Khamenei put Raisi in charge of the powerful Astan Qods Razavi charitable foundation, which manages the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad and controls a colossal industrial and property asset portfolio.

Three years later, Khamenei appointed him head of the Judicial Authority.

Raisi is not renowned for any great charisma.

He studied theology and Islamic jurisprudence under Khamenei and, according to his official biography, he has been teaching at a Shiite seminary in Mashhad since 2018.

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Many Iranian media outlets see him as a possible successor to Khamenei, who will turn 82 in July.

Raisi is also a member of the assembly of experts who select the supreme leader.

Married to Jamileh Alamolhoda, an educational sciences lecturer at Tehran's Shahid-Beheshti University, Raisi is the son-in-law of Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer imam and supreme leader's representative for Mashhad.

He and his wife have two daughters, both of whom hold advanced degrees.

He is one of five ultra-conservative candidates approved to run for the presidential poll.

But he has received strong backing from the two main coalitions of conservative and ultra-conservative parties, and is the only runner able to count on broad support across what is a very diverse and even fragmented conservative scene.

He has also sought to extend a hand beyond his traditional support base, in a nation that is deeply torn over personal freedoms.

Raisi has pledged to defend "freedom of expression", the "fundamental rights of all Iranian citizens" and "transparency".

- 'Uproot sedition' -

But such promises ring hollow for reformists and even moderate conservatives, who view Raisi as a bogeyman ill-equipped to govern.

He says he wants to assemble a "government of the people for a powerful Iran" and to eradicate "corruption hotbeds" -- a theme he's already pursued in his latest judicial role, through a spate of highly publicised corruption trials against senior state officials.

Even judges have not been spared by his much trumpeted anti-corruption drive; several have been sentenced over the past year.

Asked in 2018 and last year about the 1988 purge, Raisi denied playing the slightest role, even as he lauded an order he said was handed down by the Islamic republic's founder Ayatollah Khomenei to proceed with the purge.

And when the Green Movement in 2009 protested against populist president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad winning a disputed second term, he was uncompromising.

"To those who speak of 'Islamic compassion and forgiveness', we respond: we will continue to confront the rioters until the end and we will uproot this sedition," he said.

ap-mj/pjm/fz/dwo
Israel had a contentious but peaceful transfer of power on Sunday, as an unlikely government of eight parties from across the religious and ideological spectrum unseated Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. After the "change" coalition won a narrow 60-59 vote of confidence, far-right nationalist Naftali Bennett was sworn in as prime minister, promising to lead a government that "will forge forward on that which we agree  and there is much we agree on, transport, education, and so on  and what separates us we will leave to the side."

Netanyahu, a former mentor to Bennett and now opposition leader in the Knesset (parliament), will not attend Bennett's ceremonial inauguration on Monday, his office informed Bennett's team Sunday, though he will meet with the new prime minister for a transition meeting. Netanyahu pursued to the end a scorched-earth campaign to stay in power by fracturing the coalition and pushing Israel into a fifth election in two years. "I will lead you in the daily struggle against this evil and dangerous leftist government in order to topple it," he said before the vote. "God willing, it will happen a lot faster than what you think."

Netanyahu's followers heckled and jeered Bennett as he spoke before the confidence vote, leading to some of them being ejected. Yair Lapid, the centrist new foreign minister and driving force behind the change coalition, scrapped his planned speech and told the hecklers he was ashamed his 86-year-old mother had to witness their behavior. "I wanted her to be proud of the democratic process in Israel," he said. "Instead she, along with every citizen of Israel, is ashamed of you and remembers clearly why it's time to replace you." Lapid will become prime minister in two years if the government holds that long.

According to the new government's power-sharing guidelines published Friday, power will be divided evenly between the right-wing (Yamina, New Hope, Yisrael Beiteinu), centrist (Yesh Atid, Blue and White), and left-wing parties (Labor, Mertez), and each bloc will have veto power. The new government, for the first time in Israeli history, also includes an Arab Islamist party, Raam.

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"We are at the beginning of a new day," Bennett said after a brief Cabinet meeting Sunday night. But to make sure the government succeeds, "we must all maintain restraint and moderation in ideological terms."

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By Rami Ayyub and Jeffrey Heller

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel's new government on Monday approved a Jewish nationalist march in Jerusalem, a step that risks inflaming tensions with Palestinians hours after veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu handed over power to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

In the flag-waving procession, planned for Tuesday, far-right groups will march in and around East Jerusalem's walled Old City, where tensions have remained high since 11 days of fighting between Israel and Gaza militants in May.

Palestinian factions have called for a "day of rage" against the Jerusalem march, with memories of clashes with Israeli police still fresh from last month in the contested city's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and in a neighbourhood where Palestinians face eviction in a court dispute with Jewish settlers.

"This is a provocation of our people and an aggression against our Jerusalem and our holy sites," Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said of the march.

After meeting with Israel's police chief and other security officials, newly sworn-in Internal Security Minister Omer Barlev approved the march and said police were well-prepared, according to a statement carried by Israeli media.

"(Great) efforts are being undertaken to preserve the delicate fabric of life and public security," Barlev was quoted as saying.

It was not clear whether participants would be allowed to enter the Old City's Muslim quarter, on a route that Israeli police had previously barred. A police spokesman did not immediately provide comment.

An original march on May 10 was re-routed at the last minute as tensions in Jerusalem led Hamas to fire rockets towards the holy city and Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza. Right-wing Israeli groups accused their government of caving into Hamas and rescheduled the march after a truce took hold.

Hamas has warned of renewed hostilities if it goes ahead, and Israeli media reported the military had made preparations for a possible escalation.

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The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem prohibited its personnel and their families from entering the Old City on Tuesday "due to calls for a Jerusalem Flag March and possible counter-demonstrations".

The march poses an immediate challenge for Bennett's government, which was approved on Sunday by a 60-59 vote in parliament.

A route change or cancellation of the procession could expose the Israeli government to accusations from Netanyahu, now in the opposition, and his right-wing allies of giving Hamas veto power over events in Jerusalem.

Suggesting that a route adjustment could be in store, Yoav Segalovitz, a deputy internal security minister, said past governments had stopped nationalists visiting Muslim sites in times of tension.

"The main thing is to consider what's the right thing to do at this time," he told Israel's Kan radio.

'DAY OF RAGE'

Formation of Bennett's alliance of right-wing, centrist, left-wing and Arab parties, with little in common other than a desire to unseat Netanyahu, capped coalition-building efforts after a March 23 election, Israel's fourth poll in two years.

Minutes after meeting Bennett, 49, on his first full day in office, Netanyahu repeated a pledge to topple his government.

"It will happen sooner than you think," Netanyahu, 71, who spent a record 12 straight years in office, said in public remarks to legislators of his right-wing Likud party.

With any discord among its members a potential threat to its stability, Israel's new government hopes to focus on domestic reforms and the economy and avoid hot-button issues such as policy towards the Palestinians.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, to be the capital of a state they seek to establish in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Israel, which annexed East Jerusalem in a move that has not won international recognition after capturing the area in a 1967 war, regards the entire city as its capital.

BUDGET IN FOCUS

A key test for the new government and its stability will be how quickly it moves to pass a budget, said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute.

"If within 3-4 months this government will pass the 2021-22 budget then we can expect this government to serve for at least two or three years. Otherwise, the instability will continue," he said.

Palestinians held out scant hope of a breakthrough in a peace process leading to a state of their own. Talks with Israel collapsed in 2014.

"We don't see the new government as less bad than the previous ones," Shtayyeh told the Palestinian cabinet.

Under the coalition deal, Bennett, an Orthodox Jew and tech multi-millionaire who advocates annexing parts of the West Bank, will be replaced as prime minister in 2023 by centrist Yair Lapid, 57, a former television host.

Lapid, widely regarded as the architect of the coalition that brought down Netanyahu, is now foreign minister.

(Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell, Ali Sawafta in Ramallah and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Howard Goller)
A new era in Israel as Naftali Bennett becomes prime minister

Naftali Bennett is the new prime minister of Israel after a razor-thin 60-59 vote on Sunday ended Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year run at the helm. Bennett, a far-right politician, made his mark by taking relatively extreme positions on the Palestinian conflict. He has vowed to do "everything" in his power to block Palestinian statehood and supports annexing 60% of the West Bank. Bennett, who once worked on his predecessor's staff, is "very much in the Netanyahu mold," said Osamah Khalil, a historian of U.S. foreign relations and the modern Middle East at Syracuse University. Bennett's appointment as prime minister is part of a government coalition that seeks to break the country's political gridlock. Bennett will serve as prime minister for the next two years and then centrist Yair Lapid will take the position for the following two. Bennett and Lapid have agreed not to pursue contentious policies that divide them and to instead focus on domestic matters.

Prefer to listen? Check out the 5 Things podcast:

US on the verge of 600k deaths from COVID-19

The United States on Monday is hovering on the brink of another grim milestone: 600,000 deaths due to COVID-19. The U.S. has more than 33.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 599,750 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. More than 143 million Americans have been fully vaccinated  43.1% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and President Joe Biden has set a goal of 70% of all adults receiving at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by July 4. On the downside, a recent briefing from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that COVID-19 variants could lead to a fall surge in U.S. cases after months of decline if more people don't get vaccinated.

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Authorities in 3 states search for suspects after weekend shootings

Manhunts were underway Monday for suspects in separate shootings that happened in Georgia, Illinois and Texas during the weekend. Authorities in Savannah, Georgia, are searching for a gunman who opened fire outside a residence, killing one person and wounding seven. Police Chief Roy Minter, Jr. said a driver opened fire Friday in a "disturbing and senseless" attack possibly linked to an ongoing dispute between two groups. In Chicago, Illinois, police were searching for two men who started shooting on the city's South Side early Saturday. The shooting killed one woman and injured nine people who were standing on the sidewalk in the Chatham neighborhood, police said. A third shooting took place early Saturday in Austin, Texas, killing one person and injuring 13. One suspect was arrested in connection with the shooting, while another remains at large.

Harris heads to South Carolina on national vaccination tour

Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to Greenville on Monday to kick off a national vaccination tour by top administration officials. The goal? Getting shots in the arms of 70% of U.S. adults by July 4. First lady Jill Biden, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and members of the cabinet are also hitting the road, making stops in North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana throughout the week. The tour is part of the Biden administration's "month of action" to accelerate the country's vaccination efforts. Officials will be dropping in on pop-up clinics, visiting churches and college campuses and engaging with historically underserved communities. If shots continue at their current rate  64% among adults  the U.S. will fall short of Biden's goal.

Door-to-door. Thats how you get it done: Inside the White Houses push to get people of color COVID-19 vaccines

Biden travels to NATO headquarters: What to know about the summit

President Joe Biden is headed to NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, the second stop on his three-part trip to Europe. While in Belgium, Biden will participate in meetings with NATO leaders where they will publicly recommit to collectively face defense and security threats.Topics include brazen cyberattacks; resource scarcity and migration flows exacerbated by a changing climate; Russian disinformation; Moscow's support  including recent military drills  for separatists in eastern Ukraine; China's rise and a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan. Biden has spent the last few days at a Group of Seven summit in the United Kingdom with the White House framing the trip as an opportunity for the president to reaffirm ties with close allies while reasserting the U.S.'s multilateral values.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel election, COVID-19 deaths, NATO summit: 5 things to know Monday
ROME (Reuters) - Italians under the age of 60 who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, known as Vaxzevria, can be given a different vaccine when they get their second dose, Italy's medicine agency AIFA said on Monday.

Last week, Italy's government restricted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people over the age of 60, after a teenager who had received the shot died from a rare form of blood clotting.

"Based on clinical studies published in the last few weeks, AIFA's scientific committee has decided to approve the vaccine mix," AIFA said in a statement, adding vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna could be administered to people who first got an AstraZeneca jab.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante; editing by Valentina Za)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson will be exporting more ready-to-administer doses to the South African government beyond the 300,000 that was been announced by the local drug regulator on Sunday, CEO of Aspen Pharmacare said on Monday.

Aspen is the local manufacturer of J&J's COVID-19 vaccine.

(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Emma Rumney)
President Joe Biden walks with national security adviser Jake Sullivan, right, and members of the Secret Service - Doug Mills/Pool The New York Times

Joe Biden has called for an international investigation to establish whether Covid-19 leaked from a Chinese laboratory as he tried to rally G7 leaders behind a "competition with autocracies".

But his remarks about a "lab leak" on Sunday were played down by other leaders and the G7 summit broke up without bridging major rifts over China.

The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States called for the World Health Organisation to convene a "a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based investigation into the origins of Covid-19, including in China, in a joint statement issued after three days of talks on Sunday.

In comments that will infuriate Beijing, Mr Biden said neither he nor US intelligence had reached a conclusion about whether the virus had come from a laboratory but said he wanted to establish a "bottom line" for transparency as part of measures to prevent another pandemic.

Transparency matters across the board. We havent had access to laboratories to determine whether or not this was a consequence of [the] market place and the interface with animals and the environment, or whether it was an experiment gone awry in a laboratory, Mr Biden said.

Boris Johnson said it was unlikely" the coronavirus pandemic emerged from a lab, but added: Clearly anyone sensible would want to keep an open mind on that.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said there was no discussion among leaders on the origins of the virus" and dismissed the theory as a distraction from combating the disease.

Mr Macron said the G7 was not a club that was hostile to China, despite differences over human rights.

The disagreement reflected broader rifts over how far to go in confronting China over human rights and strategic competition.

Mr Biden arrived in Cornwall seeking strong language condemning China's human rights record and a more direct recognition of the global struggle for influence between the West and Beijing.

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He explicitly framed an agreement to create a build back better green-infrastructure programme for developing countries as a competitor to Chinas Belt and Road Initiative and demanded condemnation of China's use of Uyghur muslims as forced labour in clothes factories.

But he faced significant pushback from European allies, especially Mr Macron, who did not want to portray the group as hostile to China.

The final communique called on China to "respect" human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong and separately condemned the use of forced labour in global supply chains, but made no reference to Uyghur prison labour.

It also underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait rather than criticising China for aggressive behaviour.

Mr Biden declared himself "satisfied" with the outcome of the talks.

"We're in a contest with autocrats and autocratic governments around the world as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in a rapidly changing 21st century," he said. "I have walked away from the meeting with all my colleagues and believe me, they are convinced that is correct," he added.

The UK, US, Canada and EU in March announced a raft of sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights violations in Xinjiang.

Rifts over China were already apparent long before the leaders arrived in Cornwall on Thursday.

Mr Johnson, who hosted the summit, initially proposed forging a semi-formal "D10" group of democracies with guest powers Australia, India, South African and South Korea in what critics called a thinly-veiled attempt to build an anti-China alliance.

The idea was dropped following objections from France, Germany and Japan.
"We're allowed to have some summer fun, right?" John Oliver asked on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. He was joking, of course. "We're going to talk about prisons: There are tons of them in America, and when they get too hot, it can be a real problem," he said, playfully chiding any viewers who briefly believed there might be some "summer fun" on his show. "Don't be mad at me, be mad at yourself  you chose to be here."

Heat in prisons is a pretty good example of America's indifference to mass incarceration, Oliver said. In some of the hottest parts of the U.S., "over half the prisons lack air conditioning in their housing areas," a share that rises to nearly 75 percent in Texas, where the heat index inside prisons can hit 150 degrees. "This situation is so bad, the U.N. Committee Against Torture has expressed particular concern about deaths from extreme heat exposure in prison facilities in Texas," he said. "And while you probably assumed Texas prisons were bad, maybe not international-human-rights watch-list bad." Texas officials are frankly aware of the problem, Oliver added, and "if someone helping to run a system is comparing it to a concentration camp, things have gotten way out of hand."

So why not just put in air conditioning? Texas lawmakers and prison officials say they can't afford it, though "they've occasionally been slightly more honest than they were perhaps planning to be" when answering that question, Oliver said. "And it seems that Texas in particular really doesn't want to put in air conditioning. It actually spent $7 million on a lawsuit to fight installing AC in one prison's housing area, despite the fact the estimated cost of installation was only around $4 million." Another Texas prison installed AC in its pigpens but not its prison cells.

"And while a lot of the facilities that I've shown you tonight have been in Texas, that is not because it's the only culprit, it's just one of the only states where this story has been extensively reported on camera," Oliver said. "There's actually an easy solution to this one problem, and that is: prisons need air conditioning, so put air conditioning in. That's it. I know this show has trained you to anticipate nuance, but this one is really pretty straightforward: We shouldn't be cooking prisoners to death, the end." (There is NSFW language.)

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Carolyn Kopprasch earns $225,000 a year. Maria Thomas makes $267,890. Then comes Darcy Peters with a salary of $105,143. That information, taken in before I exchange pleasantries with these women, feels almost illicit  like the confessions of a stranger oversharing at a bar. We have never spoken before, and there is a certain intimacy that comes from picking up the phone to call someone knowing nothing but her name and her salary. And there is also, some companies bet, a certain kind of power.
"Last I checked, the only way you grow up is from fing up," comedian and actor Kevin Hart says in a new interview. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)

Kevin Hart thinks people should be allowed to disagree, and to screw up and learn from it. And now he's wondering when that stopped being OK.

"When did we get to a point where life was supposed to be perfect? Where people were supposed to operate perfectly all the time?," the comic and actor said in a Sunday interview with the Times of London. "I don't understand. I don't expect perfection from my kids. I don't expect it from my wife, friends, employees. Because, last I checked, the only way you grow up is from fing up."

Hart speaks from experience, having lost a high-profile job hosting the 2019 Oscars after years-old homophobic tweets and comments resurfaced.

After he quickly stepped down from the gig amid the ensuing backlash, he told talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, "On my side, openly I say Im wrong for my past words. I say it. I said it. I understand that. I know that. In this case, its tough for me because it was an attack. This wasnt an accident. This wasnt a coincidence. It wasnt a coincidence that the day after I received the job that tweets just somehow manifested from 2008.

DeGeneres too got backlash from the LGBTQ community for hosting that 2019 interview  but Hart had her back in 2020 when she was facing a controversy of her own. All of it mixed together is what has Hart tied in knots: People aren't considering intentions before they judge.

"It's not necessarily about cancel culture," Hart said in the Sunday Times interview. "It's backlash. It's about the intent behind what you say  there's an assumption it's always bad and, somehow, we forgot comedians are going for the laugh. You're not saying something to make people angry. That's not why I'm on stage. I'm trying to make you laugh and if I did not make you laugh I failed. That's my consequence."

Los Angeles Times TV critic Lorraine Ali observed a changed Hart in her November review of "No F Given," his 2020 Netflix comedy special.

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"Hart has clearly been knocked back by  and perhaps even learned from  the blowback around that Oscars hosting gig," she wrote, calling out one joke that touched on Hart's reaction to his Oscars controversy.

You guys got me living my life like a successful drug dealer, he says in the special, claiming that hes taken to making people who come to his house strip naked and get in the pool if they want to chat. How else would I know youre not wearing a wire? Who you with? E!? People? Who you with? Did you come here to do a story for the tabloids? I dont trust you, Dad.

But that was then, and this is now.

"If there's a message to take from anything I've said," Hart told the Sunday Times, "it's that in this world of opinion, it's OK to just disagree. It's OK to not like what someone did and to say that person wasn't for me. We are so caught up in everybody feeling like they have to be right and their way is the only way. Politics is f up because, if you don't choose our side, you're dumb."

Hart sounds like he can't handle a world so filled with condemnation.

"It's a divide. ... But I'm not about to divide. I don't support the divide!" he continued. "I put everybody in the f building.

"We all come into this building Kevin Hart is in and we all laugh. I bring people together  like it or not."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
This weeks Liberal Media Scream features a prize-winning Russian-born journalist suggesting that President Joe Biden has no standing to challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin on human rights.

Julia Ioffe, appearing on MSNBC, said the United States fails the moral superiority test because of voter suppression and police constantly killing black people.

Ioffe, who writes for GQ and other sites, said, It is a lot harder to talk to Vladimir Putin about human rights when we still havent cleaned up our mess at home. And, she added, Russians are seeing exactly what were seeing: the voter suppression laws, the, you know, slide toward minority rule, the undermining of our own democracy.

Ioffe on Morning Joe today:

I did want to return quickly to the point of whataboutism. Of course, its a way of not answering the question, but it works on many people because they always start with a grain of truth, right? And, you know, its interesting. Yes, the Soviet Union constantly talked about the violation of the civil rights of African-Americans in America in the 50s and 60s and even going back to the 30s. And one of the reasons that the Civil Rights Act was passed and that the American president got behind it was to kind of take this card out of the hands of the Soviets.

And, you know, President Biden, politically speaking, is not going into this meeting with a great hand of cards, either. You know, Russians are seeing exactly what were seeing: the voter suppression laws, the, you know, slide toward minority rule, the undermining of our own democracy. So it is a lot harder to talk to, you know, were seeing black men and women being killed by police constantly in this country, so it is a lot harder to talk to Vladimir Putin about human rights when we still havent cleaned up our mess at home.

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Media Research Center Vice President Brent Baker explains our weekly pick: Ioffe not only returned to whataboutism, but she returned to the left-wings moral equivalence between the U.S. and Soviet Union of the Cold War years when all too many journalists were more upset by what President Reagan said about the Soviet Union than the human rights violations committed by the Soviets. Shes now justifying Putins take on the U.S. by treating some shortcomings of the U.S., and democratic debate within our nation about how to improve those shortcomings, with a Russian dictator who has no interest in civil rights for anyone as he suppresses dissent, using unjustified incarceration and murder as his tools.

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Rating: FOUR out of FIVE screams.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: Washington Secrets, Biden Administration, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Russia

Original Author: Paul Bedard

Original Location: Liberal Media Scream: GQ journalist says US may be worse than Russia on human rights
A couple of years ago, LinkedIn was told by a US federal judge that it cant block rivals like hiQ Labs from scraping personal data from public profiles. But on Monday, the US Supreme Court threw out that ruling, sending it back to the 9th Circuit of Appeals.

This is due to a recent June 4th decision that restricted the scope of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, a federal anti-hacking law that blocks access to a computer without authorization. In that particular ruling, the Supreme Court had made the decision that a person cant be guilty of misusing information if they had permission to use the computer in question.

This all started in 2017 when LinkedIn accused hiQ of scraping LinkedIns public profiles. hiQ would then use the data to create algorithms that could predict when employees might leave their jobs. LinkedIn said that hiQ was in violation of the anti-hacking law above, while hiQ accused LinkedIn for being anti-competitive. hiQ sued LinkedIn, stating that public data must remain public.

As mentioned, the 9th US Circuit of Appeals prevented LinkedIn from blocking hiQ, stating that the law does not apply in situations where the data is already publicly available. Since then, however, LinkedIn had made its case to the Supreme Court that hiQs bots can harvest data on a scale beyond what an individual person can do. Additionally, some of that data had been posted for sale.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A man has died from his injuries following a mass shooting on a crowded downtown Austin street that left more than a dozen people injured, police said Sunday.

Douglas John Kantor, 25, who was hospitalized with critical gunshot wounds following the early Saturday morning shooting, died Sunday at 12:01 p.m., the Austin Police Department said in a news release that also was confirmed by Lt. Brian Moon.

Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon said the shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday on a street packed with bars and barricaded off from vehicle traffic. He said investigators believe the shooting began as a dispute between two parties.

Chacon said at least one suspect was arrested. The department provided no other details other than to say it is continuing to follow up on leads for a second suspect who is still at large. An investigation is ongoing.

The mass shooting  one of at least three in the U.S. overnight Saturday  sparked panic along 6th Street, a popular nightlife destination in the city thats home to the University of Texas.
Representational photo. Houston police found the 20-year-old man shot dead in the street (Getty Images)

A man has been shot dead in Texas after he was spotted urinating in the street by residents, police said.

Lester Fuentes-Buezo, 20, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds at the block of 9000 Bunny Run Drive in Houston, Texas, last Thursday.

Police said they were informed at about 10.25 pm and rushed to the scene. Fuentes-Buezo was pronounced dead at the scene by Houston Fire Department paramedics.

Houston Police Department spokesperson Lt Ronnie Willkens said witnesses told police the victim was in the neighbourhood to buy drugs, and that an unspecified number of residents confronted him when he started urinating in the street.

A preliminary investigation and witness statements indicated Fuentes-Buezo was seen urinating in the street and an unknown suspect got upset with him, the department said in a statement.

Fuentes and the suspect then got into an argument, during which both men pulled out guns. The suspect shot Fuentes-Buezo and then fled the scene.

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Police said there were at least two possible suspects in the shooting, according to Fox 5, including one who left the scene and another who went into a home on the street. A third individual has admitted involvement in the confrontation and was cooperating with investigators, Lt Willkens said.

None of their identities have been revealed by police.

The homicide division of the Houston Police Department has asked anyone with information about the case to contact them.

In a separate incident in Texas this weekend, one of 14 people injured in a shooting in downtown Austin died on Sunday. Austin Police tweeted that one suspect was in custody and a second suspect was still at large.

According to the data compiled by CNN and the Gun Violence Archive, the US has suffered 270 mass shootings this year.

The Washington Post reported in March that in 2020, gun violence killed nearly 20,000 Americans. As per the data from the Gun Violence Archive, this is more than any other year in at least two decades. An additional 24,000 people died by suicide with a gun, it said.
Jun. 14Under a new state mandate, public school students who recently relocated to New Mexico or are transferring to a new district or charter school are required to have had a dental exam within the past year to enroll.

The rule, which takes effect July 1, applies to new students at all grade levels.

The Legislature passed the dental exam requirement in 2019 as part of a larger dental health bill intended to expand access to oral health care in a state where a quarter of elementary school students may have untreated tooth decay, according to the New Mexico Dental Therapist Coalition.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is evidence dental decay is associated with lower grades and higher absences among students.

Preschool programs funded by the state already require dental exams within three months of enrollment.

"Our primary focus is the health and well-being of our students," said Ashley Garcia, Medicaid and health services coordinator at the New Mexico Public Education Department. "We want to encourage our schools to offer [support] to our families."

No money was appropriated for districts to enforce the mandate or to offer aid to students who are unable to meet the requirement.

The Santa Fe school board recently approved a policy to ensure compliance with the rule, but one member raised concerns.

Lorraine Price said inconsistencies in dental health care for low-income students seeking required exams could result in children getting teeth pulled rather than receiving tooth-saving treatments such as fillings and root canals.

The cost of a root canal can be twice that of a tooth extraction.

"You have to have a credit card or insurance most of the time to walk into a dentist," Price told fellow board members at a public meeting. "Yes, we have ways of providing care for children, and the state may recognize that children have come in with mouthfuls of cavities. However, I'm concerned about what happens once that is diagnosed. I don't want adult teeth pulled from students rather than fillings, crowns or root canals that need to be done."

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Numerous studies, including one published in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, note inequalities in tooth loss based on racial and socioeconomic factors. Non-Hispanic white people and people of higher incomes are more likely to retain their adult teeth, the studies say.

"If the state wants to make this mandate, then they should have provided the money for the child to go and have good care," Price argued.

She cast the only no vote when the board voted to approve the new policy.

Price did not respond to email or phone requests to comment.

Like other districts across the state, Santa Fe Public Schools is reaching out to community organizations in hopes of finding resources to help children without dental insurance who are in need of dental care.

At a May school board meeting, Student Wellness Coordinator Sue O'Brien said the district works with the state Office of Oral Health to provide sealant treatments for elementary students.

Neither district nurse Anita Hett nor O'Brien could be reached for comment on efforts to expand dental aid for kids during the summer.

The district's new policy says students will not be denied enrollment at a school due to lack of dental insurance or inability to pay for an exam.

If a student does not get a dental exam prior to enrollment, however, parents or guardians are required to sign a waiver indicating they understand "the risks associated when a student does not undergo a dental examination prior to school enrollment."

"The need for a dental exam does not trump a student's constitutional right to an education," board President Kate Noble said. "In fact, it's the other way around."

Starting in July 2022, the Public Education Department will collect data on students who get exams and those who sign waivers.

"And we are going to be developing a report for legislative committees in the future, so this data may be able to potentially inform future legislative initiatives or future recommendations. It will give us a better picture," Garcia said.
A student at Wayne State University in Michigan likely egged her own door after she was found to be the primary suspect for an alleged hate crime outside her residence, according to police.

The Wayne State University Police Department said it spent nearly 200 hours investigating the apparent hate crime hoax, according to a readout of the investigation.

The first-year transfer student, Zoriana Martinez, initially told authorities that she believed the crime took place "because [she was] a black person" living in the space.

Martinez alleged that someone egged the door of her residence hall room and removed the LGBT pride sticker from her door.

COLLEGE STUDENTS SUSPENDED AFTER PHOTO AT MASKLESS OFF-CAMPUS PARTY SURFACES

She also claimed the crimes happened during two separate instances, once on Feb. 16 and one on March 1.

After police inspected the available evidence, they concluded that it appeared Martinez committed the crime herself and changed the narrative to stoke outrage and attention.

"There are absolutely no indicators of any racial intent," police wrote in the report, adding that they believed the complainant likely made up the story to earn a better shot at gaining a leadership position in the Black Student Union.

The report was obtained by the College Fix under the Freedom of Information Act and furthered that "the complainants motivation ... and ambition to become an officer in the BSU although speculative isn't easily dismissed and provide a great amount of motivation to make a false report."

Additionally, police said an unidentified person with knowledge on the matter "refuses to provide information."

Martinez is reportedly enrolled for classes in the fall semester.

The student has made several other accusations, including a claim that the university forcibly removed her from her dorm, which the school denied, according to College Fix.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

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The Washington Examiner contacted Wayne State University, the campus police, and Martinez but did not immediately receive responses.

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Tags: News, Michigan, Students, Race and Diversity, University

Original Author: Kaelan Deese

Original Location: Michigan student likely egged her own door to stoke racial outrage, police say
Disney World has strict rules against people bringing guns to its properties. John Raoux/AP

More than 30 people have reportedly been arrested at Disney World on gun-related charges since 2020.

According to a new Orlando Sentinel report, that number is seemingly rising each year.

Disney World has strict rules against firearms at its theme parks, resorts, and other properties.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Disney World has strict rules against guns in its theme parks - but that doesn't always stop people from bringing their firearms onto the company's properties.

According to a new report from the Orlando Sentinel's Gabrielle Russon, more than 30 people have been arrested for carrying guns at Disney World since 2020.

That number doesn't include Disney parkgoers with concealed-carry permits who have brought their firearms into Disney's resorts and other properties without being arrested, according to the publication.

Now, seemingly as a result of the pandemic, political unrest, and more, the number of gun-related arrests at the "Happiest Place on Earth" seems to be on the rise.

Disney World's Hollywood Studios park in August 2020. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

According to sheriff's reports obtained by the Orlando Sentinel through public records requests, at least 20 people were arrested for bringing guns onto Disney property in 2020.

Though that number is extremely small compared to the millions who visit Disney World each year, as the publication points out, it's still a large jump from the four gun-related arrests that happened at Disney World in 2016.

And by the end of 2021, the number of gun-related arrests at Disney World will likely exceed last year's precedent. According to Russon's report, at least 14 people have been arrested for concealing guns at the Orlando, Florida, theme park between January and April of this year, with approximately 75% of those happening at the Disney Springs shopping center.

The increasing number of gun-related arrests over the past five years, according to the Orlando Sentinel, is seemingly the result of rising gun sales in the US, which was spurred by the pandemic and recent political unrest.

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As the publication points out, Disney World has also increased its security screenings in recent years, likely leading to more discoveries of guns.

A view of Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park. John Raoux/AP

According to Disney World's website, all "persons, bags, parcels, clothing, and other items" are subject to security checks and screenings. Similarly, the theme park says it reserves the right "not to allow" any item it chooses in its theme parks.

"Firearms, ammunition, knives, and weapons of any kind are prohibited," the Disney World website states.

However, the rules against firearms don't necessarily equal arrests. According to the Orlando Sentinel, "visitors with concealed carry permits aren't typically arrested if they bring guns to Disney."

In October 2020, for example, a man brought an AR-15 and handgun to Disney World's Polynesian Village Resort, reportedly out of fear of the Black Lives Matter protests happening in Florida at that time. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the man was not arrested, and Disney World stored his guns until the end of his vacation.

Representatives for Disney World did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
A USPS worker wearing a mask puts envelopes in a mailbox while driving past Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Over 5,800 mail carriers were attacked by dogs in 2020, according to the US Postal Service.

Houston, Texas was the city with the most dog attacks on USPS employees last year.

California was the state with the most dog bites on US postal workers.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

More than 5,800 US Postal Service letter carriers were attacked by dogs across the nation in 2020, the agency said.

"From nips and bites to vicious attacks, aggressive dog behavior poses a serious threat to postal employees and the general public," the USPS said in a press release.

Houston, Texas ranked No. 1 in the country as the city with most dog attacks on USPS employees last year with a total of 73 incidents, data released by the agency shows.

Chicago, Los Angeles, and Cleveland took the second, third and fourth spots on the list with 59, 54, and 46 dog attacks on mail carriers, respectively.

For the second year in a row, California took the top spot for the state with the largest number of dog attacks on USPS workers with a total of 782 attacks, according to the agency.

The other top 10 states that experienced the highest number of dogs incidents were:

Texas with 402

Ohio with 369

New York with 295

Pennsylvania with 291

Illinois with 290

Michigan with 253

Florida with 198

New Jersey with 179

and Virginia with 169.

The USPS advised that pet owners should caution their children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier "as the dog may view the carrier as a threat."

Pet owners should also keep their dogs inside the house or behind a fence, and on a leash when a mail carrier visits the home, the Postal Service said.

Read the original article on Insider
By Liz Hampton and Devika Krishna Kumar

(Reuters) - Traders from Exxon Mobil Corp's natural gas liquids and gasoline units have left, according to three people familiar with the matter, the latest in a stream of departures from its downsized trading operations.

The departures were part of a recent wave of exits as the U.S. oil producer pulled back on trading. Last year's historic losses and need to preserve capital prompted Exxon to limit trading and cut staff.

Corbin Lawton left last month, according to one source and to Lawton's LinkedIn profile. Lawton, who spent more than 2 1/2 years at Exxon, joined Factor Gas Liquids Inc in its Houston office, according to his LinkedIn account.

Tim Adams, who was a vice president of NGL marketing at rival BP Plc before joining Exxon as a trader, has resigned, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Danielle Jamieson, a gasoline trader for Exxon, also left the U.S. team last month, according to another person and to Jamieson's LinkedIn profile. Jamieson, who began trading gasoline for Exxon in July 2019, moved to Exxon's Imperial Oil Ltd as national pricing manager, according to her LinkedIn.

Lawton and Jamieson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Adams confirmed he resigned but did not provide other comment.

Exxon spokesman Casey Norton declined to comment citing personnel matters, but said the company is "pleased with our progress over the past couple of years to grow our team and capabilities." Its scale and reach "give our trading teams a broad footprint and unique knowledge and insights" to generate value.

Two years ago, Exxon hired a cadre of industry veterans to build up a trading unit and rival profitable operations at BP and Royal Dutch Shell.

Michael Paradise and Adam Buller, who joined Exxon in 2019, resigned from the firm's U.S. trading operations in June, and Paul Butcher, a veteran trader based in Britain, will leave in September, Reuters reported.

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Cory Schloss, a feedstocks trader at Exxon Mobil, will take over as the lead trader for international feedstocks over the coming weeks, one person familiar with the matter said.

(This story corrects last name of Exxon spokesman to Norton instead of North, paragraph 7)

(Reporting by Liz Hampton in Denver and Devika Krishna Kumar in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden will meet this week in Switzerland.

We need to push back against Vladimir Putin. President Joe Biden needs to take a much harder line when he meets the Russian leader this week in Switzerland.

For too long, presidents of both parties have gone far too easy on Moscows most meddlesome man. If the United States does not do more to deter his attacks on our institutions and ideals, our democracy may become irreparably damaged in the coming years.

The line from the White House is that we seek a stable and predictable relationship with the Russian Federation. Theres only one problem with that approach. The Kremlin has precisely the opposite objectives. Its manipulation of foreign elections and other attacks on the West are expressly designed to be unpredictable, with the aim of increasing international instability.

I remember sitting in the Situation Room under President Barack Obama, listening to all the arguments on why we had to go easy on Putin: This was all for show and he just needed an off-ramp. Russia was a middling power that didnt deserve our attention. Hitting back would only escalate the situation.

I believed they were wrong. Watching things get even worse in the intervening years, I am even more convinced that we have to do something different.

Expose Putin corruption

Our new Russia strategy should involve two things. First, Biden needs to inflict a higher cost. According to recent reports, Moscow has continued to hack into American government systems. Putin has overtly supported Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko after he forced a Ryanair plane with an opposition journalist aboard to land in Minsk. We have also seen ongoing disinformation campaigns run from Russia against vaccines and other hot button political issues.

It is time to do more than toss out a few spies or slap sanctions on a couple of oligarchs. Biden should start by denying the state-run airline access to the United States. It is a strong national symbol and currently flies directly into four American cities year-round. We should ban the export of critical technology and goods to the country, along with sanctioning the Russian company working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline into Western Europe.

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We then need to go further.

Putin is already in a politically precarious spot. Exposing corruption at the Kremlin will hit him where it really hurts. Publishing a few of those intelligence files can fire a shot across his bow, with a warning there is more where that came from if he doesnt change course. Increasing our spending on Russian-language public diplomacy programs would also create considerable concern. They were extraordinarily effective during the Cold War and could be even more so today. By showing we can directly and rapidly reach his people, the United States would significantly enhance our leverage over the former KGB officer.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in a politically perilous spot in his own country.

The second course of action needs to lay out a clear series of consequences if Russia continues to meddle on such a massive scale. In addition to making more intelligence public and increasing spending on our Russian language influence operations, we could also extend NATO membership to more countries in Eastern Europe. Another option would be to move more American troops into countries like Georgia and Ukraine. The United States can also expand its offensive cyber activities, disrupting not only Russia's hackers but also other government operations.

Containing Russia

Biden needs to look Putin straight in the eye, raise his finger and tell him its time to knock it off. The days of restrained responses are over. The United States and many of its allies have had enough. Either Putin shapes up, or we will give him some of his own medicine.

I am not speaking aspirationally or theoretically. Serving on the National Security Council after Russia invaded Ukraine, I remember how we engaged in some of these aggressive responses and actually saw Moscow back off for a time. Putin does not respond to diplomatic notes or small, symbolic sanctions. He does understand when his political standing is threatened. We need to take the gloves off and land a few strong blows.

My worry is that Biden remains too focused on domestic issues and would much rather find a way to just contain some of Russias excessive exploits. His advisers may see delivering a few strong statements while standing next to Putin as sufficient to say it was better than Trumps summit. That would be a terrible mistake and one that the Kremlin would interpret as permission to proceed pretty much along the same problematic path.

The key to watch in their meeting is the level of specificity.

The American president needs to do more than raise the specter of consequences. He needs to answer the what, when, why and how of our response. If Putin leaves Switzerland with deadlines and a sense that Biden is dead serious, it could start to change his calculus.

Were Putin to worry for the first time that his political fortunes might be in danger, then the danger for American democracy would decrease substantially.

Brett Bruen was director of global engagement in the Obama White House. He is now president of Global Situation Room, a public relations firm, and adjunct professor of crisis communications at Georgetown University.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden needs to get tough with Russia, stand up to Putin
(Reuters) - Myanmar's junta-controlled media on Monday accused an ethnic armed group of killing 25 construction workers in the east of the country after abducting a group of 47 people last month.

Reuters was unable to reach the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) for comment on the accusation. The junta spokesman did not answer calls to seek further comment.

Reuters was unable to independently verify details of the incident or the identities of those reported killed.

Conflicts in Myanmar's borderlands have reignited in several places since the army seized power on Feb. 1 and overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper and army controlled Myawaddy Television showed pictures of what appeared to be 25 dead bodies laid in a forest clearing.

They said the men had been working on the Uhu Creek Bridge in the Myawaddy District, near the border with Thailand, and were abducted from the construction site on May 31 in a group that also included 10 children and six women.

The Global New Light of Myanmar said a total of seven bodies were found on June 11, one burnt and the others with hands tied behind their backs. It said the other 18 bodies were found on June 12.

"Officials from the bridge construction site checked the dead bodies with their identities to inform parents and relatives," it said.

Fighting has intensified in eastern Myanmar since the coup and clashes have driven thousands of people from their homes.

The KNDO, which has been fighting for greater autonomy for the Karen people since 1947, is among the ethnic armed groups that have strongly opposed the military takeover.

The junta's forces have killed more than 860 people since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group. The junta has said the number is much lower.

(Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
President Donald Trump with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on March 30, 2020. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Mike Lindell said Trump was the first president in his lifetime "who wasn't in it for the ego."

Lindell, MyPillow's CEO, met Trump after the 2016 Republican National Convention.

He continues to spread baseless election-fraud claims about the 2020 presidential race.

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MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell once had a dream in which he met Donald Trump.

"Donald Trump and I were in some kind of room," he wrote in his 2019 memoir, "What Are the Odds?," which detailed his rise from difficult beginnings to become a successful businessman. "It was an office with pictures on the wall behind us, and we were standing next to each other posing for a picture."

After the two men met in 2016, they quickly hit it off. Since then, Lindell has become one of the former president's staunchest political allies.

In a recent Rolling Stone interview, the intensity of Lindell's affinity for the president remains apparent.

"He is the only president in my lifetime who wasn't in it for the ego and worked only for the people and not for his own interests," Lindell told the journalist Stephen Rodrick.

After peddling the theory that Trump would be "reinstated" as president in August, Lindell shifted his timeline in the Rolling Stone interview.

"Six months from now, Trump will be our real president and our country will be heading toward its greatest rebirth in history," he said.

Read more: The Justice Department is scrutinizing Arizona's pro-Trump vote audit as threats of violence and political fallout loom

Over the weekend, Lindell held a MAGA Frank Free Speech rally in New Richmond, Wisconsin, which featured the Trump acolytes Diamond and Silk, the conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza, and David Clarke, a former Milwaukee County sheriff.

Trump was a featured speaker, via satellite, and continued to complain about a variety of issues, from the 2020 presidential election to what he says are President Joe Biden's deficiencies at the US-Mexico border.

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Last month, Lindell was booted from the Republican Governors Association conference in Nashville, Tennessee, after planning to grill Govs. Doug Ducey of Arizona and Brian Kemp of Georgia about the 2020 election results in their respective states, Politico reported.

Biden defeated Trump in both Arizona and Georgia, which were significant wins for the Democratic Party, but Lindell has continued to push the former president's debunked election-fraud claims.

Read the original article on Business Insider
NASA is finally headed back to Venus. On June 2, 2021, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that the agency had selected two winners of its latest Discovery class spacecraft mission competition, and both are headed to the second planet from the Sun.

Im a planetary scientist and a self-confessed Venus evangelist, and heres why Im so excited that humanity is going back to Venus.

This is the first time since the Magellan mission in 1989 that NASA has committed to sending spacecraft to study the shrouded planet just next door. With the data these two Venus missions  called VERITAS and DAVINCI+  will collect, planetary scientists can start tackling one of the biggest mysteries in the solar system: Why is Venus, a planet almost the same size, density and age of Earth, so very different from the world humanity calls home?

Venus divided in half with greenyellow clouds on the left and an artists impression of what it might have looked like with oceans, clouds and life on the right.

An Earth gone wrong?

Venus is a rocky planet about the same size as Earth, but despite these similarities, it is a brutal place. Although only a little closer to the Sun than Earth, a runaway greenhouse effect means that its extremely hot at the surface  about 870 F (465 C), roughly the temperature of a self-cleaning oven. The pressure at the surface is a crushing 90 times the pressure at sea level on Earth. And to top it off, there are sulfuric acid clouds covering the entire planet that corrode anything passing through them.

But perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Venus is that it may have once looked a lot like Earth. Recent climate models suggest that in the past the planet could have had liquid water oceans and a mild climate. It may have been habitable for as long as 3 billion years before succumbing to some sort of climate catastrophe that triggered the runaway greenhouse. The goal of these two new missions to Venus is to try to determine if Venus really was Earths twin, why it changed and whether, in general, large rocky planets become habitable oases like Earth or scorched wastelands like Venus.

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A square satellite with two long solar panels above a tancolored Venus.

Fresh eyes on Venus

What might come as a surprise is that in the 1960s and 1970s Venus was the central focus of space exploration like Mars is today. The U.S. and Soviet Union sent more than 30 spacecraft in total to the second planet from the Sun. But since 1989, only two missions have gone to Venus, and both were focused on studying the atmosphere  the European Space Agencys Venus Express and Japans Akatsuki.

In contrast, the VERITAS and DAVINCI+ missions will take a holistic view by exploring the geological and climatological history of Venus as a whole, in two very different but complementary ways.

The thick, global layer of sulfuric acid clouds covering Venus make it almost impossible to see the surface with normal cameras. Thats why the VERITAS orbiter  short for Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy  will carry a powerful radar system. This radar can peer through the clouds and gather images and topographic data up to 10 times higher-resolution than any previous mission to Venus. This will allow scientists to look for clues about Venus earlier climate that may be preserved in rock formations on the surface and might also answer whether the planet is geologically active today. And, finally, this exciting mission will use a special, infrared camera to peer through the atmosphere at very specific wavelengths to take the first global measurements of what Venus rocks are made of  something scientists know very little about.

A circular probe with sampling equipment on it falling towards Venus.

VERITAS stablemate is DAVINCI+, or Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry and Imaging. The DAVINCI+ mission also involves an orbiter, but the real star of the show will be the meter-wide atmospheric probe. The probe will drop into Venus atmosphere and free-fall through the thick clouds for about an hour before reaching the surface.

On the way down, it will take samples of the atmosphere, specifically measuring a variety of gases including argon, krypton and xenon. Different climate histories for Venus would lead to different ratios of these noble gases in the atmosphere  and so by analyzing these ratios, scientists will be able to work out how much water the planet formed with, and even how much water it has lost over the past 4.5 billion years.

But thats not all the probe will do. Just before impacting crash landing into an area called Alpha Regio that has some of the oldest rocks on the planet, the probe will take infrared images of the surface as it comes into view through the gloom of the lower atmosphere. Those images will be the first ever taken from above the surface but below the cloud deck, showing planetary scientists Venus as never before.

An artists impression of an exoplanet around a different star.

Now is the time to go back to Venus

I have argued before for returning to Venus, so to say Im enthusiastic about these missions is an understatement. Venus may hold the key to understanding the past  and possibly the future  of Earth. As astronomers discover more and more Earth-size worlds around other stars, they need to understand whether the outcome we see on Earth  blue skies, water oceans and even a thriving biosphere  is the norm, or if the hellish, barren wastelands of Venus are the rule.

[Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

Several decades of sustained Mars exploration have shown that each mission answers earlier questions and also raises new ones. I dont know what surprises VERITAS and DAVINCI+, scheduled to launch in the late 2020s, will uncover at Venus, but I do know theyll discover aspects of the planet that no one had ever imagined. Scientists and mission teams across the world have worked hard to realize a Decade of Venus, and its starting to pay off. In fact, only a week after NASAs announcement, the European Space Agency declared its plans for a Venus mission, too. With these new missions, its my guess  my hope  that were at the start of a new, golden age of Venus exploration.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Paul K. Byrne, North Carolina State University.

Read more:



Paul K. Byrne does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Leaders of NATO countries willl discuss topics including the challenges posed by Russia and China at their Brussels summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday, highlighting the need to respond to Moscow's disinformation campaigns.

Arriving at the summit, Merkel said leaders would also discuss ways in which they could work with Georgia and Ukraine, two countries seeking closer ties with NATO as a bulwark against the threat from their giant neighbour Russia.

"The issues on the agenda today concern us all. First of all the challenge we are facing: Russia but also the Indo-Pacific region with China in increasing measure," she said.

"Hybrid challenges are becoming increasingly important: cyber attacks and, especially with regard to Russia, disinformation campaigns."

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Caroline Copley)
NATO leaders view China's growing influence, military prowess and assertive behavior as "systemic challenges to the rules-based international order," according to a communique released Monday.

Why it matters: It's the first time that NATO, which was founded in 1949 to confront the Soviet Union, has formally addressed the threat posed by China's military ambitions. The alliance did not, however, refer to China as a "rival" or "adversary."

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Details ... NATO leaders addressed China in depth in the 55th section of their 79-section communique, raising concerns about the following "coercive policies":

China's rapid expansion of its nuclear arsenal.

Military modernization and "publicly declared military-civil fusion strategy."

Military cooperation with Russia, including in the Euro-Atlantic area.

Frequent lack of transparency and use of disinformation.

Yes, but: "Based on our interests, we welcome opportunities to engage with China on areas of relevance to the Alliance and on common challenges such as climate change," the communique adds. "Reciprocal transparency and understanding would benefit both NATO and China."

The big picture: President Biden embarked on his first international trip to the G7 and NATO summits with the goal of rallying allies to confront Beijing's economic and human rights abuses, which include  in the eyes of the U.S. State Department and several NATO-associated parliaments  the genocide of Uyghur Muslims.

Biden has met some resistance in that effort, as European leaders have long sought to tamp down the risk of confrontation and  in the case of Germany's Angela Merkel, for example  deepen economic ties with China.

French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference that he wanted "a strategic clarification" on NATO's purpose, telling reporters that "in my book, China isnt part of the Atlantic geography, or maybe my map has a problem."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that "China is coming closer to us" in terms of its military encroachment, infrastructure investment and cyber activities, but added that NATO is "not entering a new Cold War with China, and China is not our adversary, our enemy."

Between the lines: The communique references "Russia" 62 times, compared to just 10 times for "China"  a sign that NATO's main priority remains, for now, on Europe's eastern front.

Go deeper: Biden's European optimism collides with reality

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BRUSSELS (AP)  NATO leaders on Monday will expand the use of their all for one, one for all, collective defense clause to include attacks in space, the military organizations top civilian official said.

Article 5 of NATOs founding treaty states that attack on any one of the 30 allies will be considered an attack on them all. So far, its only applied to more traditional military attacks on land, sea, or in the air, and more recently in cyberspace.

I think it is important (with) our Article 5, which states that an attack on one will be regarded as an attack on all, that we all will respond, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, at a German Marshall Fund think tank event.

We will make it clear at this summit that, of course, any attack on space capabilities like satellites and so on or attacks from space will or could trigger Article 5, he said, a few hours before chairing a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts.

Around 2,000 satellites orbit the earth, over half operated by NATO countries, ensuring everything from mobile phone and banking services to weather forecasts. Military commanders rely on some of them to navigate, communicate, share intelligence and detect missile launches.

In December 2019, NATO leaders declared space to be the alliances fifth domain of operations, after land, sea, air and cyberspace. Many member countries are concerned about what they say is increasingly aggressive behavior in space by China and Russia.

Around 80 countries have satellites, and private companies are moving in, too. In the 1980s, just a fraction of NATOs communications was via satellite. Today, its at least 40%. During the Cold War, NATO had more than 20 stations, but new technologies mean the worlds biggest security organization can double its coverage with a fifth of that number.

NATOs collective defense clause has only been activated once, when the members rallied behind the United States following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Former President Donald Trump raised deep concern among U.S. allies, notably those bordering Russia like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, when he suggested that he might not rally to their side if they didnt boost their defense budgets.

Biden has been trying to reassure them since taking office and will use the summit as a formal opportunity to underline Americas commitment to its European allies and Canada.
French President Emmanuel Macron famously called NATO brain dead in 2019  but will he hold up adoption of a new NATO strategy, based on a pivot to China? Thats one of the key questions as NATO allies gather in Brussels for their annual one-day summit.

The other reason why this summit is happening today: Russias Vladimir Putin's ongoing territorial and cyber aggression. President Joe Biden is hoping this summit will be a show of united force against Russia ahead of his meeting with Putin on Wednesday.

Regardless of the enemy, Europe may not be ready for them. A Center for American Progress report said that after decades of decline, much of Europes military hardware is in a shocking state of disrepair. Too many of Europes forces arent ready to fight. Its fighter jets and helicopters arent ready to fly, its ships and submarines arent ready to sail, and its vehicles and tanks arent ready to roll.

There are other points of tension. NATO allies have made no secret of their frustration with Bidens decision to withdraw forces from Afghanistan unconditionally by Sept. 11, for example. Many NATO members also worry about Turkeys drift away from the alliance and democratic norms, making Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the focus of the most important bilateral meetings of the day, with Biden, and also Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. It is no secret that we have big differences with Turkey, Mitsotakis told France24.

Its not all hyper-serious military business, though. Brussels famous Manneken Pis war trophy has a new outfit for the day .

If G-7 was about containing China, is it fair to say the NATO summit is more about containing Russia?



Anita Kumar, White House Correspondent & Associate Editor: Thats fair, Ryan. At least from the U.S. perspective. NATO will address many topics  Afghanistan, cybersecurity, among others  but the attention is going to be on Russia and its aggressions. Biden aides say the president will be going into his meeting with Putin in a position of strength in part because hes coming from NATO where he will be seeking advice and support for his meeting. Back home, Biden is being criticized for holding the meeting now but the White House thinks its a good time because it comes after NATO.

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Rym Momtaz, senior correspondent, France: Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's secretary general, doesnt see it that way. He told reporters this morning he sees China everywhere: investing heavily in new military capabilities, including nuclear capabilities, and also more advanced weapon systems, adding China is investing in cyberspace, we see them in Africa, in the Arctic, Stoltenberg said. We also see China investing heavily in our own critical infrastructure and trying to control it. But he said that shouldnt stop NATO members from constructive discussions on issues like climate change and arms control.

Ryan Heath, Global Translations author: Today is much more about Russia than the G-7 summit was. Russia is Europes biggest neighbor, and it invaded Ukraine, which wants to be both a NATO and EU member. Many suspect Belarus is next, and Baltic countries fear they could be after Belarus. When you read about rising cyber crime: you dont have to look far from the Kremlin to find out why.

How much are we going to hear about the infamous 2 percent target?

Nahal Toosi, foreign affairs correspondent: Im going to guess that the United States will raise the issue of whether NATO members are spending 2 percent of GDP on defense more than many expect. It might be behind closed doors  It wont be like the Donald Trump years of highly visible complaints that, say, Germany owes the U.S. money, which isnt how it works. But Biden and his aides are familiar with the fact that many NATO countries still dont meet the 2 percent threshold and the message that sends to the American public. Biden will commit to Article 5 (the mutual self-defense provision) regardless, unlike Trump, who wavered on it.

Kumar: Totally agree with Nahal. U.S. officials say Biden will raise the issue but they will do so privately. As world leaders are beginning to find out, Trump and Biden don't always disagree on policy, sometimes its about their style. Biden has quickly returned policymaking and diplomacy back to normal, the way most countries are used to, and that means things will be said behind closed doors.

Andy Blatchford, Canada correspondent: Count Canada among alliance members criticized by Trump at past NATO summits for not pumping a big enough percentage of its GDP into military expenditures. (Trumps complaints created tension among the leaders  you might recall that Trump called Justin Trudeau two-faced at the 2019 summit after the prime ministers hot mic moment.) Canadian insiders say they expect this years summit to be less about the money and more about the future of the alliance after a challenging four-year stretch. That would be a relief for Ottawa. Expect Canada to also argue that its been significantly increasing its defense spending and its contributions to NATO. For example, the official says between 2014 and 2021, Canada expanded its permanent presence in NATO by more than 20 percent.

Hans von der Burchard, politics reporter, Brussels: The NATO civilian leadership runs a two-sided message that NATO members must keep investing more, but also that theyre on the right track. Stoltenberg said this morning we now had seven consecutive years of increased defense spending across Europe and Canada, and Im also confident that NATO leaders will agree to invest more together, to meet our high level of ambition.

What do you make of the subtle pivot to China that the NATO leadership is pushing?

David M. Herszenhorn, chief Brussels correspondent: Its needed. Against China, defense experts say, many European militaries would be utterly useless. European forces arent ready to fight with the equipment they have, analysts from the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank close to the White House, wrote in a recent report. And the equipment they have isnt good enough. These are big problems for any "pivot to China"  the report also went on to say Europe lacks capabilities like air-refueling for fighter jets, transport aircraft for troops, and high-end reconnaissance and surveillance drones, which are all essential for long-distance military operations.

Heath: Stoltenberg is canny. He both sees the China threat and knows that keeping the U.S. close and off his back means stepping up on China. Biden and Stoltenberg will get their way in the end, but not without a fight. France doesnt believe NATO should expand its purview beyond its founding transatlantic mandate, while Eastern Europe countries and the Baltics want the focus to remain on Russia. The best way to square that circle would be to invest more everywhere. Luckily, were in an era of multitrillion-dollar fiscal expansion.

What are other NATO members going to do about Turkeys drift away from the alliance mainstream?

Toosi: When I ask people about this, Im told that, for a variety of reasons, no one wants Turkey out of NATO. But theres serious concerns about Ankaras long-term outlook. If there is a creative way to resolve issues like what to do with Turkeys purchased S-400 air defense system from Russia (place it under joint U.S.-Turkish custody?) it still seems far from reality. Im keeping an eye on Turkeys role in Afghanistan in particular. There are reports that Turkey is considering offering to keep guarding the Kabul airport in exchange for the U.S. letting it off the hook for the S-400s.

Kumar: Glad you mentioned Turkey, Ryan. Its really getting overshadowed by China and Russia but when talking to current and former U.S. officials they mention Turkey as one of the biggest issues facing NATO. Its why Biden is having a bilateral meeting with Erdogan on Monday. The two leaders have known each other for years but it will be their first as presidents. Its likely to be a tense meeting because it comes after Biden infuriated Turkey by declaring as genocide the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians. Previous presidents, including Barack Obama, avoided the term because they didnt want to complicate relations with Turkey.

Thanks for joining us for this NATO summit preview  well be back with takeaways from the event this afternoon.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday his country would need diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance from the United States if it were to maintain troops in Afghanistan to protect and run Kabul's international airport, following the withdrawal of other NATO troops.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a series of meetings with NATO leaders on the sidelines of the alliance summit, Erdogan also said Turkey was seeking Pakistan and Hungary's involvement in a new mission in Afghanistan following the departure of the U.S.-led NATO force.

Turkey is reported to have offered to guard the airport as questions remain on how security will be assured along major transport routes and at the airport, which is the main gateway to Kabul.

If they dont want us to leave Afghanistan, if they want a (Turkish) support there, then the diplomatic, logistic and financial support that the United States will give us will of great importance, Erdogan said. Turkey, a majority Muslim nation which has close historic ties to Afghanistan, currently has some 500 soldiers in the war-torn country.

Erdogan also said he held a constructive meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and invited him to visit Turkey. The two leaders have known each other for years, but it was their first face-to-face meeting as heads of state and came at a difficult time in the two NATO allies relations.

There is a strong will for the start of a new era in all areas, based on mutual respect and interest, Erdogan said. There is no problem in Turkey-US relations that cannot be solved.

Biden told reporters he was confident well make real progress with Turkey.

On Afghanistan, Biden said: There was a strong consensus in the room among the leaders ... on Afghanistan. Our troops are coming home, but we agreed that our diplomatic, economic, humanitarian commitment with the Afghan people ... will endure

Turkey has been angered by U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria while the U.S. has sanctioned Turkey over its purchase of a Russian weapons system. In April, Biden infuriated Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was genocide.

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Turkey denies the deportations and massacres, which began in 1915 and killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians, amounted to genocide.

Erdogan said the Armenian issue was not discussed during the meeting. The Turkish leader however, renewed a call for an end to U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish fighters, who Ankara argues are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

I openly stated that the support given to the (Syrian Kurdish fighters) should be ended, Erdogan said.

Erdogan signaled that the two leaders failed to find a way to overcome difference over Turkeys purchase of the S-400 advanced Russian missile defense systems which Washington says is a threat to NATO. It has removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet program and imposed sanctions on defense industry officials. It has demanded that Ankara abandons the $2.5 billion system.

Our thoughts on the S-400 are the same as before, I relayed our same thoughts to Mr. Biden, Erdogan said.

Earlier, Erdogan who is trying to mend battered relations with Turkey's Western partners, said that a revival of dialogue with fellow NATO member Greece to resolve long-standing disputes will serve stability and prosperity in the region.

Last summer, a dispute over boundaries and rights to natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean flared anew after Ankara sent research vessels into waters where Greece asserts jurisdiction.

Diplomats from the two countries have held two rounds of talks in recent months for the first time in five years, while the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey also held reciprocal visits.

Erdogan said on Monday he and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed to call each other over a direct line without involving others.

The Turkish strongman has recently toned down his anti-Western rhetoric as he seeks foreign investments for his country, which has been troubled by a currency crisis and an economic downturn made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

In Brussels, Erdogan also met with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

After his meeting with Erdogan, Macron tweeted that he wants to move forward with Turkey.

Macron later told reporters that he and Erdogan have found some areas of convergence to preserve the cease-fire in Libya and meet the goal to hold elections in December in the country.

France and Turkey agreed to work together over the summer on the departure of foreign fighters and mercenaries, he said, calling that a major step.

Erdogan expressed his will that they leave Libya as soon as possible, he added.

It was their first meeting since a dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October, after Erdogan questioned Macrons mental health.
By Robin Emmott, Steve Holland and Sabine Siebold

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -NATO leaders warned on Monday that China presents "systemic challenges," taking a forceful stance towards Beijing in a communique at Joe Biden's first summit with an alliance that Donald Trump openly disparaged.

The new U.S. president has urged his fellow NATO leaders to stand up to China's authoritarianism and growing military might, a change of focus for an alliance created to defend Europe from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The language in the summit's final communique, which will set the path for alliance policy, came a day after the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations issued a statement on human rights in China and Taiwan that Beijing said slandered its reputation.

"China's stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security," NATO leaders said in the communique.

Biden also told European allies that the alliance's mutual defence pact was a "sacred obligation" for the United States - a marked shift in tone from his predecessor, Trump, who had threatened to withdraw from the alliance and accused Europeans of contributing too little to their own defence.

"I want all Europe to know that the United States is there," said Biden. "NATO is critically important to us."

Biden stopped at the NATO headquarters' memorial to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda militants, when NATO triggered its Article 5 for the first and only time. Under the article, the alliance treats an attack on one member state as being an attack on all.

Later at a news conference, Biden, who will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Geneva, said China and Russia were trying to split the transatlantic alliance and that, while he was not seeking conflict with Russia, NATO would respond if Moscow "continued its harmful activities".

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He described Putin as tough and bright.

"Russia and China are both seeking to drive a wedge in our transatlantic solidarity," Biden said. He also pledged to support Ukraine in its conflict with Moscow, although he was non-committal on whether Kyiv could one day join NATO.

"We are going to put Ukraine in a position that they will be able to maintain their physical security," Biden said, without giving more details.

'AMERICA IS BACK'

While there are still differences in strategies on how to deal with China across the West, Biden said NATO was united under U.S. leadership. "America is back," he said, seeking to reassure Europeans that a Trump-like populist would not be back in the White House in four years.

"The leadership of the (U.S.) Republican Party is fractured and the Trump wing of the party is the bulk of the party, but it makes up a significant minority of the American people".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at her last summit of the alliance before she steps down in September, described Biden's arrival as the opening of a new chapter. She also said it was important to deal with China as a potential threat, while keeping it in perspective.

"If you look at the cyber threats and the hybrid threats, if you look at the cooperation between Russia and China, you cannot simply ignore China," Merkel told reporters. "But one must not overrate it, either - we need to find the right balance."

In NATO's glass and steel headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said China's growing military presence from the Baltics to Africa meant nuclear-armed NATO had to be prepared.

"China is coming closer to us. We see them in cyberspace, we see China in Africa, but we also see China investing heavily in our own critical infrastructure," he said, a reference to ports and telecoms networks.

Stoltenberg also said the leaders had agreed to increase their contributions to the alliance's common budget. The vast bulk of military spending in NATO is handled separately by member countries.

CHINA'S REPUTATION

G7 nations meeting in Britain over the weekend scolded China over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy and demanded a full investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China.

China's embassy in London said it was resolutely opposed to mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which it said distorted the facts and exposed the "sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States".

"China's reputation must not be slandered," the embassy said on Monday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there were risks and rewards with Beijing. "I don't think anybody around the table wants to descend into a new Cold War with China," he said.

From China's investments in European ports and plans to set up military bases in Africa to joint military exercises with Russia, NATO is now agreed that Beijing's rise deserves a strong response, although envoys said that would be multi-faceted.

Allies are mindful of their economic links with China. Total German trade with China in 2020 was more than 212 billion euros ($257 billion), according to German government data. Total Chinese holdings of U.S. Treasuries as of March 2021 stood at $1.1 trillion, according to U.S. data, and total U.S. trade with China in 2020 was $559 billion.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott, Steve Holland and Sabine Siebold; Additional reporting by Mark John, Sarah Young and Elizabeth Piper in London, Andrius Sytas in Vilnius and Kate Abnett, Gabriela Baczynska, Marine Strauss, Philip Blenkinsop and John Chalmers in Brussels; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Alex Richardson and Peter Cooney)
By Nneka Chile

LAGOS (Reuters) - Lagos-based entrepreneur Ogechi Egemonu was selling more than 500,000 naira ($1,219) worth of watches, shoes and handbags on Twitter per week.

Now, with the site suspended by the Nigerian government, Egemonu does not know how she will cope.

"Social media is where I eat," she told Reuters. "I depend on social media for my livelihood."

Scores of small and medium-sized businesses across Africa's most populous nation - and largest economy - are reeling from the indefinite suspension of the social media site.

Nigeria announced the suspension on June 4, days after the platform removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional separatists. Most telecommunications sites have since blocked access.

NOI Polls estimates that 39.6 million Nigerians use Twitter - 20% of them for business advertisement and 18% to look for employment. Experts warn its lack of ready availability - it is accessible using Virtual Private Networks that mask location - could ripple across the economy.

"The ban has significant collateral damage," said Muda Yusuf, director general of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce, who said that a "sizeable number of citizens" use Twitter to make a living.

REVENUE LOSS

Parliament's minority caucus warned the suspension was costing Nigerians "billions of naira on a daily basis."

Dumebi Iyeke, a research analyst with the Financial Derivatives Company, said it would hit young Nigerians - among whom there is a 45% unemployment rate - the hardest.

"We are looking at a potential loss in their revenue," Iyeke said, adding that it could further lower living standards amid high inflation.

Information Minister Lai Mohammed last week said that all social media sites must register a local entity and get a license to operate. He cited complaints over lost money as proof that the ban was effective, but said other sites are still available.

($1 = 410.0900 naira)

(Additional reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram and Libby George in Lagos. Writing by Libby George;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Wake County could become the first school district in North Carolina to file a lawsuit against e-cigarette maker Juul over its role in the increase of vaping among teenagers.

The Wake County school board will vote Tuesday on a proposal from four law firms to represent the district in a federal lawsuit accusing Juul of targeting minors to get them addicted to e-cigarettes. The potential litigation comes at a time when vaping has skyrocketed among teens in North Carolina and nationally in recent years.

Vaping endangers our students health and has placed a burden on our school system, the law firms say in documents presented for the school board meeting. While more than 100 school systems in the United States have already filed suit against Juul, WCPSS would be the first school district in North Carolina to file a lawsuit against Juul.

It will seek to hold Juul accountable for its role in the vaping epidemic.

If Wake agrees to the legal action, the case would be merged with other federal lawsuits filed against Juul. Wake is North Carolinas largest school system.

The legal firms also say the legal action would complement the state lawsuit filed by North Carolina against Juul.

In the states lawsuit, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein contends Juul, which has 75% of the e-cigarette market, unlawfully marketed to youth through its device design, advertising and social media and failed to ensure that online customers were over 18. The lawsuit also contends the company misrepresented how much nicotine is in its product, making it easier for people to get addicted.

At a court hearing in May, a state judge agreed Juul had destroyed documents, ignored court orders and should face sanctions that could reach into the millions of dollars, The News & Observer previously reported.

Increase in e-cigarette use in Wake

Teen smoking had been on the decline before the rise of e-cigarettes,

But from 2018 to 2019, use of e-cigarettes rose 78% among high schoolers and 48% among middle schoolers, according to the N.C. Youth Tobacco Survey.

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The Wake County school system saw a more than 1000% increase in e-cigarette violations among students between the 2016-17 and 2019-19 school year, the N&O previously reported.

As Juul use rises among school children, Juul reaps enormous profits, the attorneys say in their presentation to the district. Wake County Schools are left to deal with the costs and consequences of Juuls acts.

This litigation provides the opportunity to recover those costs and fund abatement.

The law firms say Wake could seek past and future damages such as resources spent on monitoring e-cigarette use, on-campus prevention efforts, addiction treatment and student discipline proceedings.

The law firms say the litigation is low risk for Wake because the attorneys will cover the legal costs. The attorneys would be paid out of a contingency fee from whatever money Wake would get in the case.
A North Korean defector is claiming that the United Statess future "is as bleak as North Korea" after she attended an Ivy League university.

"Even North Korea is not this nuts," North Korean defector Yeonmi Park said of her experience at Columbia University. "North Korea was pretty crazy, but not this crazy."

The 27-year-old Park said she transferred to Columbia from a South Korean university in 2016, but her experience at the school left her disturbed.

"I expected that I was paying this fortune, all this time and energy, to learn how to think. But they are forcing you to think the way they want you to think," Park said. "I realized, wow, this is insane. I thought America was different, but I saw so many similarities to what I saw in North Korea that I started worrying."

STUDENT GOVERNMENT RECUSES PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBER BECAUSE OF HIS CONSERVATIVE VIEWS

One such similarity Park noticed was an anti-Western sentiment, but she also noted that other red flags, such as collective guilt and extreme political correctness, were also pervasive at the school.

In one instance, Park said she was scolded by a staff member for saying she enjoyed classic literature such as Jane Austen.

"I said, I love those books. I thought it was a good thing," Park said. "Then, she was like, 'Did you know that those writers, who had a colonial mindset, were racists and bigots who wrote those books? So they are subconsciously brainwashing you.'"

Park noted that such incidents were not isolated, as every class she took at the school contained the kind of anti-American propaganda she had grown up with as a young student in North Korea.

"American bastard' was one word for North Koreans, Park said she was taught growing up. "The math problems would say, 'There are four American bastards, you kill two of them, how many American bastards are left to kill?'"

Story continues

The North Korean defector was also confused about issues related to gender and language, recalling how every class would require students to tell the class their preferred pronouns.

"English is my third language. I learned it as an adult. I sometimes [still] say 'he' or 'she' by mistake, and now they are going to ask me to call them 'they'? How the heck do I incorporate that in my sentences?" Park asked.

"It was chaos," Park continued. "It felt like the regression in civilization."

Park said she used to engage professors and fellow students in debates and arguments but learned quickly how to just shut up" so she could maintain her grades and GPA.

She noted that as she was growing up in North Korea, she had no concept of love and liberty. Park took aim at students who told stories of being oppressed, arguing they did not know what real oppression looks like.

"Because I have seen oppression, I know what it looks like," Park said, noting she had seen 13 people die of starvation.

"These kids keep saying how theyre oppressed, how much injustice they've experienced ... They don't know how hard it is to be free," she continued. "I literally crossed through the middle of the Gobi Desert to be free. But what I did was nothing, so many people fought harder than me and didn't make it."

Park and her mother originally fled North Korea when she was 13 years old, attempting to cross Chinas frozen Yalu River when they were caught by human traffickers who sold them into slavery. Park was sold for less than $300, while her mother was sold for about $100.

Christian missionaries later helped Park and her mother flee Mongolia, after which they made the trek across the Gobi Desert to reach South Korea.

Park published a memoir in 2015, titled In Order to Live, in which she describes her ordeal fleeing from one of the most oppressive regimes in the world.

"The people here are just dying to give their rights and power to the government. That is what scares me the most," Park said.

She believes Americas educational institutions are now stripping their students of the ability to think critically, something she compared to her educational experiences in North Korea.

"In North Korea, I literally believed that my dear leader [Kim Jong Un] was starving," Park said. "He's the fattest guy  how can anyone believe that? And then, somebody showed me a photo and said, 'Look at him, he's the fattest guy. Other people are all thin.' And I was like, 'Oh my God, why did I not notice that he was fat?' Because I never learned how to think critically."

"That is what is happening in America," she continued. "People see things, but still they've just completely lost the ability to think critically."

Park pointed out that she did not grow up with the wealth of information Americans have access to on the internet, yet argued even with such access, Americans now choose to be brainwashed.

"North Koreans, we don't have internet, we don't have access to any of these great thinkers, we don't know anything. But here, while having everything, people choose to be brainwashed. And they deny it, Park said.

While she at one time had high hopes and expectations for life in the U.S., Park now says her experiences have left her worried about the countrys future.

"You guys have lost common sense to [a] degree that I as a North Korean cannot even comprehend," Park said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

"Where are we going from here?" she asked. "Theres no rule of law, no morality, nothing is good and bad anymore, it's complete chaos."

"I guess that's what they want. Eventually, they want to destroy every single thing and then rebuild into a communist paradise maybe, she concluded.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Critical Race Theory, Columbia University, North Korea, College, Kim Jong Un

Original Author: Michael Lee

Original Location: North Korea defector says 'even North Korea is not this nuts' after attending Ivy League university: 'Complete chaos'
Former National Security Agency contractor Reality Winner was released from Federal Medical Center prison in Fort Worth, Texas, her attorney announced Monday.

I am thrilled to announce that Reality Winner has been released from prison. She is still in custody in the residential reentry process, but we are relieved and hopeful, attorney Alison Grinter Allen said in a statement on Twitter.

Winner, 29, pleaded guilty in June 2018 to leaking classified information about Russian interference during the 2016 election. She was subsequently sentenced to 63 months in prison in what former U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine noted at the time was the longest [sentence] received by a defendant for an unauthorized disclosure of national defense information to the media.

FEDERAL PROSECUTORS INVESTIGATING 2020 ELECTION INTERFERENCE BY UKRAINIANS: REPORT

She will remain in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons under home confinement, according to the Associated Press.

Allen requested privacy for Winner and her family as they work to heal the trauma of incarceration and build back the years lost.

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Her release is not a product of the pardon or compassionate release process, but rather the time earned from exemplary behavior while incarcerated, Allen said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Winner, who contracted COVID-19 while in prison, previously asked a federal appeals court for her to serve the remainder of her sentence in home confinement due to the pandemic, but her request was denied.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Reality Winner, Prison, Justice Department, 2016 Elections, Russia, Crime

Original Author: Jeremy Beaman

Original Location: NSA leaker Reality Winner released from prison, attorney says
Want more summer fashion, shopper-approved buys and the hottest trends? Sign up for Yahoo Lifestyle Canadas newsletter!

'These are the perfect mom shorts': These Old Navy shorts are on sale  but only for today! (Photos via Old Navy)

Yahoo Lifestyle Canada is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

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Story continues

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A woman was killed and three other people injured when a man drove into a crowd of demonstrators who were protesting the shooting death by US Marshals of a Black man in Minneapolis, police said Monday.

Police said the man, who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, drove his vehicle into a group of protestors shortly before midnight.

"Protesters pulled the suspect from the vehicle and, from reports of witnesses, began to strike the driver," the Minnepolis police said in a statement. "Officers arrived and took custody of the driver."

A woman was taken to hospital in critical condition and died of her injuries, police said.

The driver of the vehicle was also hospitalized.

"Preliminary investigation indicates that the use of drugs or alcohol by the driver may be a contributing factor in this crash," police said.

The demonstrators were protesting the June 3 death of Winston Boogie Smith, who was shot dead by US Marshals who were trying to take him into custody for firearms violations.

Smith's death came just over a year after that of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who was killed by police while being arrested in Minneapolis.

Former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in April for Floyd's death, which sparked protests against racial injustice and police brutality around the world.

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One victim has succumbed to gunshot wounds following the mass shooting that wounded 13 others early Saturday morning in downtown Austin, Texas, police said.

The victim was identified as Douglas John Kantor, 25, the Austin Police Department announced in a readout. The notice followed earlier reports that two victims were in critical condition immediately after the shooting on Saturday. The other 12 victims are reportedly in stable condition, according to the police.

The department arrested one juvenile suspect in connection with the mass shooting, and another suspect is reportedly still at large. It is not immediately clear whether the second suspect is also a juvenile.

POLICE ARREST ONE OF TWO IN AUSTIN MASS SHOOTING THAT WOUNDED 14

Austin interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon called the shooting "one of the most significant incidents that we've ever had happen in our city."

Most of the injured victims are believed to have been innocent bystanders, and the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident despite the investigation, officials said.

Police said the crowd at the shooting location was near the size of "pre-pandemic" levels, meaning there were potentially tens of thousands of people congregating around the bar and hotel strip near East Sixth Street.

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Austin Mayor Steve Adler called for governmental action in response to the mass shooting on Saturday, saying, "Greater access to firearms does not equal greater public safety."

"APD and the City Council have initiated multiple violence prevention efforts in response- but this crisis requires a broader, coordinated response from all levels of government," the Democratic mayor tweeted.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Present gun laws in Texas allow licensed handgun owners to carry in public areas of cities, such as libraries or recreation centers. Legal handgun carriers are permitted to carry their weapon in public streets and in places of business so long as no visible signage prohibits licensed handguns. It is not immediately clear whether the firearm connected to this incident was obtained legally.

Story continues

The Washington Examiner contacted the Austin Police Department but did not immediately receive a response.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Austin, Texas, shooting, death

Original Author: Kaelan Deese

Original Location: One victim dead following Austin mass shooting: Police
Unwanted pests and their droppings plagued three Broward County restaurants ordered shut by state inspectors last week.

Live roaches crawled on the walls at Sun Yi Cafe in Hallandale Beach, live flying insects landed on clean utensils at Palace Cuisine of India in Davie and rodent droppings littered the floor beneath a storage rack containing beer at Ankari 51 in Hollywood. (But no harm came to the beer itself.)

The South Florida Sun Sentinel highlights restaurant inspections in Broward and Palm Beach counties from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Heres how it works: We cull through hundreds of restaurant and bar inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for high-priority violations, like improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches. On occasion we may highlight the weirder violations we notice, like this pizzeria that put a dead 80-pound iguana in its freezer.

Sun Sentinel readers can browse full Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade county reports on our state inspection map, updated weekly (usually Monday) with fresh data pulled from the Florida DBPR website.

Any restaurant that fails inspections must stay closed until it passes a follow-up state inspection. If you spotted a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR here. (But dont contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesnt inspect restaurants.)

The Palace Cuisine of India

11422 W. State Road 84, Davie

Ordered shut: June 9 (reopened the same day)

Why: 12 violations (two high-priority) including 64 rodent droppings underneath the kitchen sink, underneath the dishwashing machine, behind and between two refrigerators near the cook line, and in a passageway next to containers with cooking oil. Inspectors also spotted 10 live flying insects landing on clean utensils and garbage container next to the kitchen sink and found objectionable odors in the kitchen. (The restaurant also was previously ordered shut on April 7 for related rodent reasons.) It was allowed to reopen later that day when inspectors found only minor issues.

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Sun Yi Cafe

1050 Pembroke Road, Hallandale Beach

Ordered shut: June 8 (reopened June 9)

Why: Inspectors spotted eight violations (three high-priority), including eight live roaches crawling on wall above chest freezer in kitchen, behind the kitchens storage shelves and inside an empty cardboard box. Sun Yi was allowed to reopen on June 9 when a follow-up inspection found only minor issues.

Ankari 51

939 N. Federal Highway, Hollywood

Ordered shut: June 10 (reopened June 11)

Why: 12 violations (five high-priority), including 60 rodent droppings on the lower shelf of a prep table, underneath a storage rack, near a chest freezer, in the storage area outside of an employee restroom and underneath racks storing beer and soda. Inspectors also spotted several instances of improperly stored raw meat but didnt order the restaurant to throw anything away. The Peruvian restaurant was allowed to reopen June 11 when inspectors found a handful of minor violations.
The Philippines will extend a key military pact with the United States for another six months, its foreign minister said Monday, after months-long negotiations between the two countries.

President Rodrigo Duterte told the United States in February last year he planned to axe the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), after Washington cancelled the visa of a close ally who led his internationally condemned war on drugs.

It is the third time Duterte has prolonged the deal, which provides the legal framework for joint military exercises with the United States and is a key component of their decades-long alliance.

"The president conveyed to us his decision to extend the suspension of the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement by another six months while he studies and both sides further address his concerns regarding particular aspects of the agreement," Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said.

A foreign affairs spokeswoman said the department was waiting for details from Duterte's office on the specific areas of concern.

The US embassy in Manila did not respond to a request for comment.

Duterte's decision -- which followed lengthy talks between both sides on the agreement -- comes amid renewed tensions between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea, where several countries have competing claims.

Duterte has repeatedly threatened to break from long-standing security ties with the United States, the Southeast Asian country's former colonial master, in favour of closer links with China.

The two countries held scaled-down joint drills in April, after last year's war games were cancelled due to Covid-19.

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A group of police officers in Pakistan flipped out when a takeaway joint refused to hand over free burgers, detaining all 19 staff at the branch.

Workers at the trendy chain Johnny & Jugnu in the eastern city of Lahore were rounded up and held for seven hours overnight on Saturday, leaving behind unattended kitchens and hungry customers.

"This is not the first time something like this has happened with our kitchen teams at our restaurant, but we want to make sure this is the last," the fast food chain said in a statement published on social media.

The beef started when staff at the restaurant refused a "request from a very high profile special guest".

Restaurant staff told AFP that most of those arrested were young people, including many university students.

Following outcry among fans, nine police officers involved were suspended yesterday, senior provincial police official Inam Ghani said on Twitter.

"No one is allowed to take the law into his own hands," Ghani said.

Pakistans police officers are infamous for corruption and for demanding kickbacks from local businesses.

Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for a reform of Punjabs police force, saying "cronies" had been appointed by politicians to control police stations.

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The Daily Beast

Nuccio DiNuzzo/GettyTari Davis was at home in Milwaukee watching a movie with his two children just after midnight when he heard the sirens.It was Sept. 8, 2019, and the sound was not exactly foreign in the 43-year-old Black mans neighborhood. Still, he grew concerned when the wailing kept getting closer, and more so when he got a phone call from his 19-year-old daughters fiancee, Kevin Brown.According to Davis, Brown didnt say anything on the phone, but the father soon came to realize the 22
Queen Elizabeth II with US President Joe Biden in the Grand Corridor during their visit to Windsor Castle on 13 June, 2021 in Windsor, England. Queen Elizabeth II hosted US President, Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden at Windsor Castle. The President arrived from Cornwall where he attended the G7 Leader's Summit and will travel on to Brussels for a meeting of NATO Allies and later in the week he will meet President of Russia, Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)

In a breach of royal protocol, President Joe Biden revealed the contents of his meeting with the Queen to the media on Sunday evening.

Mr Biden told reporters that the Queen asked him about his Russian and Chinese counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping during his 45-minute meeting with her over tea at the Windsor Castle.

The Guardian reported that this is exceptionally rare for anyone, including the Prime Minister of the UK, to reveal to the public the contents of the meeting with the 95-year-old monarch.

On Sunday evening, at the Heathrow airport moments before leaving for Brussels, Mr Biden told the media: We had a long talk, she was very generous. I dont think shed be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity.

The Queen also quizzed the US president about Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. He told reporters: She wanted to know what the two leaders that I  the one Im about to meet with, Mr Putin, and she wanted to know about Xi Jinping.

Mr Biden is meeting with his Russian counterpart next week as he continues with his European tour.

He was accompanied by the US First Lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle.

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Mr Biden had earlier mentioned that the relations of the two countries  the US and Russia  were at a historically low point. I think the best way to deal with this is for him and I to meet.

Speaking to White House correspondents about his meeting with the Queen, Mr Biden said: I said I wish we could stay longer, maybe we could hold the cars up a minute, and stuff. Anyway, she was very gracious.

The Queen also introduced the US President and the First Lady to her lady-in-waiting Dame Annabel Whitehead before stepping inside.

Mr Biden said he has extended an invitation to the Queen to visit the White House.

In 2012, a BBC security correspondent, Frank Gardner, was forced to apologise publicly after he revealed on Radio 4 what the Queen had told him about Abu Hamza, the imam of Finsbury Park mosque in north London.

Story continues

Press Association had earlier also reported a snippet of the conversation between the Queen and Mr Biden. It reported that the Queen said to the president: You completed your talks, to which Mr Biden replied: Yes we did.

Arriving in a black Range Rover after flying on the Marine One presidential helicopter, Mr Biden was greeted by the Queen who was standing alone, two months after the death of her husband, Prince Philip.

The Guardian reported that the royal family has taken an active role during the G7 summit, with the Queen hosting a reception for Biden and other G7 leaders at the Eden Project in Cornwall, also attended by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

The Queen received the Trumps in 2018, the Obamas in 2016, President George W Bush and his wife in 2008 and the Reagans in 1982.

Read More

Joe and Jill Biden meet Queen at Windsor Castle

Biden, unlike predecessors, has maintained Putin skepticism

Biden at NATO: Ready to talk China, Russia and soothe allies
The Spanish word for "Murderer" covers a mural of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega, as part of anti-government protests demanding his resignation in Managua, Nicaragua. Esteban Felix/AP

Nicaraguan police over the weekend arrested six politicians who oppose President Daniel Ortega.

Ortega's government has detained 13 of his opponents as of June.

"This interview may be the last one I give," said dissenter Hugo Torres before his arrest on Sunday.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) - Nicaraguan police have arrested another opposition politician, bringing to six the number detained over the weekend.

Five were arrested on Sunday, the biggest one-day roundup so far in President Daniel Ortega's campaign to jail anyone who might challenge his rule.

The last arrest, which came late Sunday, was that of Victor Hugo Tinoco, the leader of the political movement Unamos. Another leader of that party, Suyen Barahona, was arrested earlier in the day. On Sunday, police also arrested prominent ex-Sandinista dissidents Dora Maria Tellez and Hugo Torres and, another opposition leader, Ana Margarita Vijil. Arrested Saturday was Unamos activist Tamara Davila.

Unamos was formed by former Sandinistas angered by Ortega's autocratic ways, nepotism and perpetual re-elections.

The weekend arrests suggest Ortega has moved beyond arresting potential rival candidates in the Nov. 7 elections, and has begun arresting any prominent member of the opposition. The arrests bring to 13 the number of opponents detained since June 2.

"It's not just potential candidates any more, it's political leaders," former general and Sandinista dissident Hugo Torres told The Associated Press before he himself was arrested Sunday. "This is not a transition to dictatorship, it is a dictatorship in every way."

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega waves to supporters during a rally in 2018. INTI OCON/AFP via Getty Images

Tellez was a leading Sandinista militant who led an assault on the National Palace in 1978, taking hostage the congress of dictator Anastasio Somoza in exchange for the release of Sandinista prisoners.

Following Somoza's overthrow, Tellez served as health minister in the first Sandinista government which ruled from 1979 to 1990. Like many former guerrillas, she later split with Ortega.

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Police said they arrested the opposition leaders on charges related to a recently enacted law that classifies as treason any support for sanctions against officials in the Ortega regime; the U.S. has slapped sanctions on dozens of officials.

Under a law passed in December, Ortega's government has the power to unilaterally declare citizens "terrorists" or coup-mongers, classify them as "traitors to the homeland" and ban them from running as candidates.

The law punishes those "who lead or finance a coup ... encourage foreign interference, ask for military intervention ... propose or plan economic blockades, applaud and champion the imposition of sanctions against Nicaragua or its citizens."

Those accused "will be traitors to the homeland, and for that reason may not run for public office." Treason is punishable by prison terms of up to 15 years.

'This interview may be the last one I give'

Ortega has already arrested four potential opposition candidates who might have challenged his bid for a fourth consecutive term.

Before his arrest, Torres said he had seen drones flying around his home in recent days, of the type used at Tellez's house.

"This interview may be the last one I give," Torres said. "I am here, waiting for them to come for me."

Hours later, police barged into Torres' home and arrested him.

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega (L) and Commander in Chief of the Nicaraguan army General Julio Cesar Aviles attend a military parade commemorating the 36th anniversary of the founding of the Nicaraguan army at the Juan Pablo II square in Managua, Nicaragua, on September 3, 2015. REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas

Nicaragua's National Police arrested the four opposition pre-candidates earlier this month.

On June 8, they arrested pre-candidate Felix Maradiaga, a pre-candidate for the opposition coalition Blue and White National Unity, and Sebastian Chamorro, a former director of the opposition coalition Civic Alliance.

The previous week authorities detained Cristiana Chamorro, a cousin of Juan Sebastian Chamorro, and Arturo Cruz Sequeira, a former ambassador to the United States.

Ortega initially led Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990 following the Sandinista revolution that ousted Somoza. He returned to the presidency in 2007 after three failed election attempts, and he won reelection in 2011. He then sidestepped term limits to get himself reelected in 2016, and packed courts and government agencies with allies. The Sandinista party controls the courts and the legislature, and has stifled universities and the Roman Catholic church.

Torres said Ortega has now instituted a more suffocating dictatorship than Somoza, who faced opposition from the within the church, intellectual circles and universities.

"I think Ortega has outdone Somoza," said Torres. "He has subordinated all the power to himself as Somoza never could. He has a bigger repressive apparatus than Somoza ever had."

Julie Chung, the U.S. State Department's acting assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, said via Twitter that Ortega's "campaign of terror continues with more arbitrary arrests this weekend. OAS members must send a clear signal this week: enough repression. The region cannot stand by and wait to see who is next."

Read the original article on Insider
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks while marking Day of Russia at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia on Saturday, 12 June 2021 (AP)

Russias Vladimir Putin sought to compare crackdowns on his political enemies and the arrests of anti-government protesters in his country to the events of 6 January in an interview published Monday by NBC News.

Speaking with journalists in Moscow, Mr Putin claimed that the US and other countries had no evidence for allegations of election interference, ransomware attacks and other malicious activities for which the west has blamed Russia or Russia-based actors in recent years.

He also pointed to the arrests of hundreds of suspected participants in US Capitol riot on 6 January as evidence that the Biden administration or US was targeting Americans based on their political opinions.

Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman? Mr Putin said, referring to Ashli Babbitt, a California woman who died during the riot after being shot by a member of US Capitol Police, who was cleared of wrongdoing in her death.

Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress? And they didnt go there to steal a laptop. They came with political demands, said Mr Putin.

The US, he reasoned, was guilty of the same intolerance for political dissent as his government has been accused of harbouring. Mr Putins government in recent months has cracked down on an organisation run by Alexei Navalny, a top critic of the Russian president, and requested that a court order it to be classified as an extremist organisation.

Mr Navalny remains in prison after surviving an assassination attempt via Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent. The US, UK, and numerous other western nations have blamed Russia for the attack, which Mr Putin has denied.

We dont have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody, Mr Putin said in the interview with NBC.

Of intolerance for dissenting political opinions, he added: We have a saying: Dont be mad at the mirror if you are ugly. It has nothing to do with you personally. But if somebody blames us for something, what I say is, why dont you look at yourselves? You will see yourselves in the mirror, not us.

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Mr Putins interview comes days before he is expected to meet with President Joe Biden face-to-face for the first time since Mr Biden took office in January. The two are set to talk in Geneva, Switzerland next week.

Mr Biden defended his plans to speak with Mr Putin about a range of issues including election interference and ransomware attacks, despite Mr Putins denials, in comments to reporters at the G7 in Cornwall over the weekend.

I think the best way to deal with this is for he and I to meet, Mr Biden said on Sunday at a news conference.

We are not looking for conflict [with Russia], the president added. We are looking to resolve those issues we think are at odds with international norms.

Read More

President Biden will deliver tough messages to Russian leader, Johnson says

Putin calls accusation of cyberattacks against US 'farcical'

Back to the Future: Biden ushers in new era of cooperation at NATO summit

President Biden will deliver tough messages to Russian leader, Johnson says

Biden agrees with Putin that US-Russia relations are at low point
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Getty

Putin in an NBC News interview wouldn't guarantee Navalny will leave prison alive.

The Kremlin's crackdown on dissent is one of many points of contention between the US and Russia.

The White House suggested Biden will bring up Navalny during an upcoming summit with Putin.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC News published on Monday would not guarantee his most prominent critic, Alexei Navalny, would leave prison alive.

NBC News' Keir Simmons asked Putin whether he was willing to "personally ensure that Alexei Navalny will leave prison alive."

The Russian leader responded, "Look - such decisions in this country are not made by the president. They're made by the court whether or not to set somebody free. As far as the health, all individuals who are in prison, that is something that the administration of the specific prison or penitentiary establishment is responsible for."

Putin said Navalny will not be treated differently from other people in the Russian prison system.

"He will not be treated any worse than anybody else. Nobody should be given any kind of special treatment," Putin said of Navalny.

Leonid Volkov, the chief of staff to Navalny, told MSNBC on Monday this was "the first time in my life that I was listening to Putin saying something honest."

"That is clearly his aim that Alexei Navalny stays in prison until one of the two men dies, and now Putin confirmed that is his plan," Volkov added.

Navalny's health while imprisoned has been a frequent topic of concern among his allies, and there were worries he was on the verge of dying after a hunger strike this spring. The Biden administration has warned of severe consequences if Navalny dies while behind bars.

Putin's responses to questions from Simmons on Russia's crackdown on dissent sent a chilling message to Presidet Joe Biden ahead of a highly anticipated summit between the US and Russian leaders in Geneva set for Wednesday. When pressed about the Kremlin's ruthless treatment of opponents, Putin during the interview repeatedly issued denials or shifted the conversation to criticize the US.

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The Russian president has consistently signaled to Biden that he's not only unmoved by US criticism of the Kremlin over its treatment of critics but also that he views Washington - and the West more broadly - as hypocritical for going after Russia for human-rights abuses.

The White House press secretary Jen Psaki during an interview with CNN on Saturday pushed back against suggestions from a Kremlin spokesperson that Navalny would not be mentioned during the Biden-Putin summit in Geneva.

"The president has every intention to raise human-rights abuses, the jailing of dissidents and activists, which is a violation of what we feel should be norms around the world," Psaki said.

During a briefing after the NATO summit on Monday, Biden said, "Navalny's death would be another indication that Russia has little or no intention of abiding by basic, fundamental human rights. It would be a tragedy."

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Navalny was poisoned by the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok while in Siberia in August and subsequently went to Germany for treatment for several months.

Upon returning to Moscow in January, the Kremlin critic was promptly arrested. The next month, Navalny was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on charges of violating parole - including while receiving treatment in Germany - over a 2014 embezzlement conviction that top human-rights groups said was politically motivated.

It's widely agreed that Putin ordered Navalny's poisoning and that Navalny was thrown behind bars because of his ongoing criticism of the Russian leader and his allies.

The Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's health has been rapidly deteriorating in prison, his allies say. Dimitar Dilkoff/Getty Images

Volkov, Navalny's top aide, last week told Insider that it was "dumb" for Putin to put the anti-corruption campaigner in prison because it turned him into a symbol for people to rally behind. There have been mass protests in Russia in recent months over Navalny's imprisonment.

The Biden administration in March slapped sanctions on Russian officials over Navalny's poisoning. But neither domestic nor international pressure has led to any noticeable shifts in the Kremlin's behavior.

Last week, Navalny's political network was officially outlawed in Russia after a Moscow court dubbed it "extremist."

Navalny is not the first critic of Putin to be poisoned or imprisoned. There's a long history of opponents of Putin dying in violent or suspicious ways.

The Russian leader during the NBC News interview denied ordering Navalny's poisoning

"We don't have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody," Putin said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Reality Winner, the former National Security Agency contractor who was jailed for leaking secrets about Russian hacking, has been released early from prison, her lawyer said Monday.

"I am thrilled to announce that Reality Winner has been released from prison," Alison Grinter Allen, her lawyer, said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Winner, 29, was sentenced to more than five years in prison in 2018 after she leaked classified information to The Intercept news outlet about Russia's attempts to hack the 2016 presidential election. She pleaded guilty to leaking a classified report that detailed the Russian government's efforts to penetrate a Florida-based voting software supplier. At the time, the sentence was the longest ever for a federal crime involving leaks to the media.

Her lawyers filed a formal petition for commutation with the Department of Justice in February 2020, saying she had "suffered enough" and called on then-President Donald Trump to "do the right thing."

The former NSA translator was released for good behavior and is still in custody amid the residential re-entry process, Allen said.

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We are relieved and hopeful, she wrote. Her release is not a product of the pardon or compassionate release process, but rather time earned from exemplary behavior while incarcerated.

While Trump did not commute Winners sentence, he did say on Twitter in 2018 her punishment was so unfair"

"Gee, this is 'small potatoes' compared to what Hillary Clinton did," he had tweeted.
Monday was the first day back in the office for Goldman Sachs employees in New York.

Why it matters: The move brings an influx of office workers into lower Manhattan, the second-largest central business district in the country. It also marks a clear inflection point for the finance industry.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

What they're saying: Bloomberg's Jennifer Surane was on the scene:

"Early this morning, employees high-fived and hugged each other as they streamed into Goldmans Manhattan office in the drizzling rain. Theyll be greeted by free food in the cafeteria and an array of food trucks with music blaring all week"

This is all an attempt to get bankers to start physically encountering each other again  a way to kick-start the kind of serendipitous conversations that proponents of working-from-the-office, including Goldman CEO David Solomon, love to extol.

The intrigue: Goldman's decision to reopen sets up a natural experiment vs. Citigroup, which has largely kept its offices closed.

What to watch: Will the office energy give Goldman a competitive advantage? Or will the freedom of work-from-home make Citi the employer of choice for parents, remote workers and people who don't love schlepping to lower Manhattan every day?

Of note: The surprisingly long walk from Goldman's elevators to the food trucks will also force employees to reacquaint themselves with Mural, the 80-foot-long painting by Julie Mehretu that dominates the view of the Goldman lobby from the street.

The multilayered work includes architectural drawings of banks and mercantile exchanges, as well as references to trade routes, the growth of cities and other indicia of the way in which Goldman sits at the center of the world's most complex financial web.

The New Yorker's Calvin Tompkins called it "the most ambitious painting Ive seen in a dozen years." Now it is a symbol of the way in which Goldman is weaving back together its disparate employee base.

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A South Carolina utility is taking its case for raising customers rates to the highest court in the state.

Blue Granite Water Company is asking the S.C. Supreme Court to overturn a regulatory decision last year that denied the company the option of increasing water rates on customers in the Midlands and Upstate.

After the company and state regulators deliver their arguments to the court on Tuesday in Columbia, the decision about customers rates will be in the hands of the five high court justices.

Blue Granite, a private utility that serves 30,000 customers across the state, says in court filings the S.C. Public Service Commission was legally wrong to deny a proposed rate hike after hearings last year, arguing the approved rate does not cover the $23 million in needed improvements and investment the company has already made.

This erroneous rate treatment effectively disallows the Companys recovery of approximately $2 million of its purchased service expenses with no finding of imprudence... Blue Granite argued in a court filing.

Formerly known as Carolina Water Service, the company requested regulatory approval for a rate increase of up to 56% on some customers. For residential customers, that would have meant paying an estimated $25 to $35 more a month for water and $26 to $36 for sewer.

Instead, the S.C. Public Service Commission in April of 2020 allowed only a 12% to 24% increase  a change of $2 to $6 per month on water and $12 to $15 on sewer, depending on the service area.

The company serves several communities in Lexington and Richland counties, as well as communities near Rock Hill in York County.

Blue Granites filing also argues the approved return on equity was lower than that recommended by the S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff and the states consumer advocate, which also weighed in before the commissions decision last April.

The Commissions ROE determination must fall within a range of reasonable ROEs that are supported by the evidence in the record, not below the range, it said.

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Likewise, the decision to deny recovery of storm costs is yet another example of erroneous Commission decision-making intended to punish the Company, Blue Granite argues in its filing.

The evidence in the record demonstrates that the storm cost level established by the Commission would not cover and does not reflect the storm costs recently experienced by the Company, it said. The Commission, as it did frequently in this case, chose the storm cost level simply because it was the lowest offer on the table, not because it is the result of reasoned decision-making.

Blue Granite is also asking the court to allow the company to recoup the cost of legal expenses and setting up a new headquarters after it moved from West Columbia to Greenville.

The Office of Regulatory Staff opposed the companys request to pay for the cost of the office move in its filing with the court.

The substantial evidence placed in the record indicated that Blue Granites decision to move its offices were attributable to adverse legacy brand issues caused by the utility and was part of its rebranding, ORS said in its filing. Notably, the Utility previously committed that it would not seek recovery from its customers of costs associated with rebranding efforts...

Also under the commissions order, the company can only require customers to pay for 10% of the cost of water loss due to leaks.

The Office of Regulatory Staff said the Public Service Commissions findings were reasonable and balanced the interests of the company with that of its customers.

Commission found that Blue Granites initially proposed approach of recovering all non-revenue water from customers was unreasonable, unbeneficial to the customer, and inadequately incentivized Blue Granite to take steps to reduce non-revenue water losses, ORS said in its Supreme Court filing.

Blue Granite has tried to get out from under the commissions ruling before. Last August, the company said it would raise rates beginning in September while the company appealed the commissions ruling. The commission later moved to block that rate hike from going into effect.
Sen. Susan Collins said on Sunday that there wont be any gas tax hike or any undoing of former President Donald Trumps signature 2017 tax bill in the infrastructural proposal she and a small bipartisan group of lawmakers are developing.

Appearing on CBS News' Face the Nation, the Maine Republican offered some ideas on how the group intends to pay for the plan. She listed three pay-fors: an infrastructure financing authority, repurposing unused Covid-19 relief funds, and a provision to ensure that drivers using electric vehicles pay their fair share for using the nation's roads and bridges.

Right now, they are literally free riders because they're not paying any gas tax, Collins said.

The bipartisan group of senators released a statement Thursday saying it had reached a deal, but it didn't include an overall price tag or details about how it would be financed.

The group said the plan would be fully paid for and not include tax increases, but didn't offer more specifics. Earlier, infrastructure talks between Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who was leading the GOPs effort to negotiate with the White House, and President Joe Biden fell apart.

Now, the bipartisan group of senators believes it's nearing a deal that it can take to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Incoming Prime Minister Naftali Bennett greets lawmakers on Sunday in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, before the vote that confirmed the new coalition government and unseated Benjamin Netanyahu. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

The Biden administration wasted no time in embracing the new government of Israel.

The politics of Israels new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, are no more agreeable to President Biden than those of the unseated Benjamin Netanyahu  including the rejection of both a Palestinian state and any agreement with Iran.

But style and temperament suddenly make a major difference.

You don't have to sit in Washington to hear the sigh of relief in the White House as Netanyahu gives his farewell speech, Ori Nir, spokesman for the progressive pro-Israel group Americans for Peace Now, said on Twitter as the longest-serving Israeli prime minister took his leave, hurling invective in many directions, on Sunday.

Few expect the U.S. and Israel to make progress on major outstanding issues. It's more a matter of stanching disastrous deterioration than taking bold steps forward, experts said.

Its not Bibi. Thats the beginning and end of it, Natan Sachs, director of the Middle East policy center at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said in an interview Monday, using Netanyahus nickname.

In a way, Netanyahu himself deserves full credit for laying the groundwork for a much-improved relationship between Israel and Washington.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to right-wing opposition party members a day after a new government was sworn in, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem on Monday. (Associated Press)

In inflammatory and self-aggrandizing rhetoric in the final moments of his rule, he blamed Biden and every U.S. president back to Franklin D. Roosevelt  except for his friend Donald Trump  for endangering the state of Israel. That only confirmed to many in Washington what they already believed: that he was not a reliable partner.

Commentators from the Potomac to the Dead Sea noted the speed with which Biden, and most other senior officials in his government, telephoned Bennett or his coalition partners with warm congratulations, as the White House put it.

Biden spoke to Bennett shortly after the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, confirmed the new coalition government by a single vote on Sunday. Earlier this year, Biden had pointedly waited weeks to telephone Netanyahu as part of the round of calls a new president traditionally makes to other world leaders.

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"My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and people throughout the broader region," Biden said in describing the call he made from England, where he was on his first trip abroad as president. "Israel has no better friend than the United States."

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken telephoned his counterpart, Yair Lapid, who will take over as prime minister in two years.

"We look forward to strengthening all aspects of the U.S.-Israel partnership and working together for a more secure and prosperous future," Blinken said in a statement after the call, also made from England where he was accompanying Biden.

The secretary of State traveled to Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah last month to shore up a cease-fire in the latest war between Israel and the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. His trip was also to reestablish ties with the Palestinian leadership that Trump had severed and to reopen an American diplomatic mission in Jerusalem for Palestinians.

Blinken was the first U.S. leader to meet with senior Palestinian officials in five years, after a Trump attempt to isolate, sideline and punish Palestinians in favor of Israelis.

The new ruling coalition is unlikely to embark on dramatic foreign policy shifts. It is led by Bennett, 49, a religious nationalist, and Lapid, 57, a secular centrist former television talk show host who cobbled together the ideologically diverse political grouping that ended Netanyahus long reign. The new government also won't likely do much to revive efforts to resolve the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But U.S. administration officials expect it to be a more trustworthy and less manipulative partner.

The mistrust that characterized the Biden administrations relations with Netanyahu is gone, said analyst Yohanan Plesner, who heads the nonpartisan Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem.

But Plesner and others cautioned against expecting the U.S. and Israel to find consensus on tougher issues.

The Biden administration and the new Israeli government, for example, will continue to diverge deeply on Iran. The United States is deep in negotiations aimed at returning to a landmark Iran nuclear deal that Trump sought to destroy but that had succeeded in containing Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Israel, however, sees Iran as an existential threat.

Still, Plesner said, talks surrounding the matter with a Bennett-led government would be serious and discreet, with little chance of grandstanding on the Israeli side that became so familiar under Netanyahu.

And the way they deal together with the Iranian challenge will very much set the course, Plesner said.

Sachs, of Brookings, said Bennett will remain hawkish on issues like Iran and a Palestinian state but will be amenable to "smaller things" such as easing economic restrictions on Palestinian territories.

"Despite significant differences, he wants to set out on the right foot with Biden," Sachs said. "He is not about to become a two-stater, but he sees room for productive steps on a lower level" achieved quietly and without "the public rows."

Netanyahu worked with Trump to shift pro-Israel policies away from the bipartisan support enjoyed in the U.S. for decades to a hard-core Republican base, including white Christian Evangelicals with an end-times vision. That was unforgiveable among many in Biden's orbit, as well as among progressive American Jews.

Many in Bidens administration are veterans of the Obama years, when Netanyahu paid the ultimate insult to a sitting president. In 2015, Netanyahu went around the White House to speak before Congress at the invitation of a Republican member, an unheard-of breach of protocol. He used the speech to attack Obama and his efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.

Lapid, who will be the more conciliatory interlocuter with the Biden administration, on Monday minced few words in critiquing the Netanyahu governments approach to diplomacy, telling envoys at a handover ceremony at the Foreign Ministry that Israels international ties had been afflicted by disgraceful neglect. He said fence-mending efforts with Democrats and with American Jews would be a priority.

The outgoing administration took a terrible gamble in focusing only on the Republicans and abandoning Israels bipartisan standing, Lapid said.

Palestinians were happy to see the end of the Netanyahu era, but far from enthusiastic about the new Israeli leadership.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called Netanyahus time in office a dark chapter in the history of the conflict, but emphasized that the new government was not seen as less dangerous than its predecessors.

Bennetts background as a settler leader, his calls for the annexation of most of the West Bank and other incendiary anti-Palestinian rhetoric has fueled particular concern and will complicate a more public relationship with Washington, such as any visits to the Oval Office.

The long-term stability of Israel's new government is also a looming question. Its unparalleled diversity, including leftist and right-wing Israelis and even a Palestinian party, raises doubts about how long it can last.

But, Israelis said, the point was to oust Netanyahu. And the longtime premier, as several Israeli commentators said, remained "Trumpian" to the end.

His refusal to attend the formal inauguration of his successor, said veteran political affairs commentator Yossi Verter, came across as sour, grumpy, not stately.

King reported from Jerusalem and Wilkinson from Washington.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  South Africas COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been hit by further delays as it will have to discard at least 2 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines produced in the country.

The vaccines were found by the U.S Food and Drug Administration to be unsuitable for use due to possible contamination of their ingredients at a Baltimore plant. South Africa was expecting to use them to inoculate its health care workers and people aged 60 years and older.

This is the latest setback to South Africas vaccine rollout which has so far given shots to just over 1% of its 60 million people.

Early this year the country rejected about 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine it received from the Serum Institute of India after a small, preliminary study found that the vaccine offered minimal protection against mild to moderate cases of the COVID-19 variant that is dominant in South Africa. Those vaccines were sold to the African Union for distribution to other African countries.

To date, the country has given jabs to more than 1.7 million people, including nearly 480,000 health workers who were inoculated as part of a study trial of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The production of the J&J vaccine at South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare manufacturing plant in the eastern city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, was eagerly awaited to give a much-needed boost to the country's vaccination drive. The factory has contracted with J&J to produce the vaccine using large batches of the basic ingredients supplied by Johnson & Johnson. The South African plant then blends those components and puts them in vials - a process knowns as fill and finish.

The South African plant has the capacity to produce about 200 million doses annually of the J&J vaccine and had already manufactured 2 million. But they were produced using ingredients from the Baltimore plant and therefore must not be used, according to the ruling by the FDA and South Africa's health officials.

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The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority issued a statement saying it had reviewed the data provided by the FDA and has made a decision not to release vaccines produced using the drug substance batches that were not suitable.

South Africa will now only receive 300,000 doses of the J&J vaccine which have been cleared by the FDA, it said.

Aspen will begin production of new J&J vaccines using fresh, uncontaminated ingredients at its facility this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced this week.

South Africa has purchased and is expecting delivery of 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 31 million single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines by early 2022. These deliveries are necessary for South Africa to achieve its goal of vaccinating 40 million people by February 2022.

South Africa is currently experiencing a new resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic with an increased number of recorded infections. Its 7-day rolling average of daily new cases has more than doubled over the past two weeks from 5.69 new cases per 100,000 people on May 30 to 12.17 new cases per 100,000 people on June 13.

It recorded 7,657 new infections and 59 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing to 57, 765 the number of people who have died from the virus.

South Africa has been the hardest hit by COVID-19 on the continent, with more than 1.7 million confirmed cases, representing nearly 40% of the more than 5 million cases reported by Africa's 54 countries.
Editors note: This story includes discussion of domestic violence and suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/ or call the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay by dialing 2-1-1.

A man and a woman are dead in what St. Petersburg police are describing as an apparent murder-suicide.

Police were called at about 8:40 a.m. Monday to a home in the 5000 block of 40th Avenue N to conduct a welfare check. They found the couple who lived there dead inside from gunshot wounds, police said.

The preliminary investigation points to a murder suicide, police said in a news release.

Police said they believe Ronald Arthur White, 58, shot his wife, Bobette Marcella White, then shot himself.
Riot police protected members of the Ku Klux Klan from counterprotesters as the KKK arrived to rally in support of Confederate monuments in Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 8, 2017. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of two men convicted over their actions at a 2017 rally.

The men were convicted under the 1968 Anti-Riot Act over their actions in Charlottesville, Virginia.

A federal appeals court found part of the 1968 law unconstitutional but upheld their convictions.

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The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of two men who were convicted of attacking counterprotesters under federal anti-riot law during the deadly August 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Bloomberg Law reported that Michael Paul Miselis and Benjamin Drake Daley, who are associated with a white-supremacist organization, appealed their convictions and said the 1968 Anti-Riot Act used to convict them was unconstitutional because it infringed on their freedom of speech.

A federal appeals court decided last year that a portion of the law was unconstitutional, but it upheld their convictions, the report said. Politico reported that a three-judge appeals court panel in July found that the language in 1968 law that made it illegal to "encourage" or "promote" a riot was unconstitutional because it limited protected speech.

But the court left portions of the statute in place, namely the one allowing federal prosecutors to charge people over inciting or starting a riot, Politico reported.

Miselis and Daley, both of California, are associated with the Rise Above Movement, a militant white-supremacist group that trains its members in mixed martial arts, the Associated Press reported.

The men in 2019 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to riot in connection with multiple rallies, including the 2017 Charlottesville rally, the AP reported. The men said the violence they committed was not in self-defense, the report said.

Miselis was sentenced to more than two years in prison, and Daley received a sentence of more than three years in prison, the AP reported.

Read the original article on Insider
Canada is pressing terrorism charges against a man accused of mowing down a Muslim family with a pickup truck, prosecutors said Monday, in an attack denounced as "terrorist" by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Four members of the Afzaal family -- a man and his wife, their teenage daughter and his mother -- were out for a walk in London, Ontario, on June 6, when a truck driver struck them on purpose, according to authorities.

Prosecutors revealed in a brief hearing that they were adding terrorism charges to the four counts of premeditated murder and one of attempted murder leveled last week against 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman, 20.

"The federal and provincial attorneys general provided their consent to commence terrorism proceedings, alleging that the murders and the attempted murder also constitute terrorist activity," the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a statement after the hearing.

Veltman, who has no criminal record and no known link to any extremist group, told the court via video link that he does not have a lawyer. He has yet to enter a plea and is set to reappear in court on June 21.

The Afzaals' nine-year-old son survived the attack in their neighborhood in the city of London, around 125 miles (200 kilometers) southwest of Toronto, but was seriously injured.

"This killing was no accident. This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred, in the heart of one of our communities," Trudeau said during an impassioned speech at the House of Commons.

The attack has fueled debate about the prevalence of Islamophobia in Canada, and heightened fears within the Muslim community that outward signs of religious affiliation can make a person a target.

It was the deadliest anti-Muslim attack in Canada since a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City that had killed six people in 2017.

"I think it is really important for us to name it as an act of terror," Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told a news conference.

"It is important for us to identify this as an act of Islamophobia, and it is important for us to identify the terrible threat that white supremacism poses to Canada, and to Canadians."

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(Reuters) -Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial on Monday, appearing unwell as the first witnesses took the stand in cases against her of illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios and breaking coronavirus protocols, her lawyer said.

Suu Kyi, 75, faces a slew of charges since being overthrown by the army in a Feb. 1 coup that cut short a decade of tentative democratic reforms and has plunged the Southeast Asian country into chaos.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi seemed not very well but throughout the hearing she seemed quite interested and paid keen attention," the head of her legal team, Khin Maung Zaw, said in a statement after the day of hearings.

Suu Kyi's supporters say the charges are politically motivated and designed to end the political life of a woman who championed democracy for decades under previous military administrations, much of the time under house arrest.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate faced three cases on Monday at the specially built court in the capital Naypyidaw, where she had already appeared at preliminary hearings.

Two of Monday's cases were linked to the possession of the radios and one under the Natural Disaster Management Law for breaching coronavirus regulations while campaigning for the election she won last November.

She also faces charges of incitement - with hearings set for Tuesday - and more serious charges of violating the Official Secrets Act and under the Anti-Corruption Law.

Former President Win Myint also faces charges of violating the coronavirus measures. Police Major Myint Naing took the stand against him and Suu Kyi. Police Major Kyi Lin then testified in the cases over the radios.

Monday's hearings lasted more than five hours.

Her legal team have denied any wrongdoing by Suu Kyi and her chief lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, called the most recent corruption charges "absurd".

'BOGUS, AND POLITICALLY MOTIVATED'

Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch, said in a statement the charges Suu Kyi faced "are bogus, and politically motivated" and "should be dropped, resulting in her immediate and unconditional release".

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The army says it took power by force because Suu Kyi's party won the election through fraud, an accusation rejected by the previous election commission and international monitors.

Myanmar's security forces have killed at least 862 people during their crackdown on protests since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an activist group, though the junta disputes the number.

Pro-democracy supporters took to the streets of the main city of Yangon on Monday, some chanting "revolutionary war, we participate", according to social media posts.

Some activists said they planned to stage a series of strikes and protests on Monday to coincide with the birthday of Che Guevara, a Latin American revolutionary who became an international icon after his death.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Friday that violence was intensifying and condemned the army's "outrageous" use of heavy weapons.

Bachelet said the junta had shown no willingness to implement a five-point consensus it agreed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in April to halt violence and start dialogue with its opponents.

In a press release, Myanmar's junta-led ministry of foreign affairs rejected Bachelet's statement, questioning the accuracy and impartiality of the report.

"The report neither mentioned nor condemned the acts of sabotage and terrorism committed by the unlawful associations and terrorist groups as well as the sufferings and deaths of the security forces," it said.

The junta has branded a rival National Unity Government set up by supporters of Suu Kyi as a terrorist group and blamed it for bombings, arson and killings.

Myanmar's junta-controlled media on Monday accused an ethnic armed group of killing 25 construction workers in the east of the country after abducting a group of 47 people last month.

Reuters was unable to reach the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) for comment on the accusation. The junta spokesman did not answer calls to seek further comment.

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Ed Davies and Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Alex Richardson)
Phillip Cunningham, from Kings Norton, at Birmingham Magistrates Court.

A teacher faked a fit to fly COVID test certificate in an attempt to board a flight to Egypt.

On Friday 4 June, Phillip Cunningham, from Kings Norton, admitted in court to presenting the fraudulent document.

The 33-year-old altered a legitimate test result from earlier in the year to make it look more up-to-date, the court heard.

He was attempting to check in for the flight on 4 May at Terminal 2 in Heathrow Airport when he showed staff the certificate in a PDF document on his phone.

Read: 'One rule for them': Backlash grows as Boris Johnson accused of hypocrisy over mass BBQ at G7 summit

Prosecutor Ros Butler told Birmingham Magistrates Court that Cunningham claimed his bosses organised the test before sending him a copy of the result.

But an Egyptair worker spotted a missing digit on his COVID test and police were called to the check-in area.

Officers then contacted the testing company, which confirmed he had a negative test in February, but found he could not possibly have revisited the same centre the day before his flight because the firm was no longer subcontracted to his employer.

Watch: UK records another 7,742 coronavirus cases and three deaths

Butler said: "He provided an account to officers at the scene. They made further enquiries and were not happy with the situation. He was arrested.

"He was interviewed at the police station and did go on to make a full admission.

"He said he had done this, he didn't want to lie and that he had sent officers on a wild goose chase. He had paid for a COVID-19 test before.

He is a music teacher and was worried this could affect 'most of my life'. The situation escalated quicker than he expected."

The prosecutor said there were potentially very serious consequences to the scam.

Cunningham pleaded guilty to a forgery and counterfeit offence of making a false instrument at Birmingham Magistrates Court.

Judge Briony Clarke criticised the 33-year-old for only confessing his con after sending officers around the houses a bit.

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The judge said it was a very serious offence but adjourned Cunningham's case until later this month for the probation service to assess him and write up a pre-sentence report.

Cunningham was granted bail and said he was due to fly out of the country for work but would be back for the sentencing hearing.

He confirmed he had since obtained an up-to-date negative test certificate.

Watch: People fly to amber list countries despite government advice
Texas Sen Ted Cruz in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

US senator Ted Cruz is facing another wave of online criticism after Texas energy authority asked state residents to conserve power and warned of grid shortages following his own attacks aimed at liberal states that faced similar issues.

The backlash started on Monday after the power grid of Texas urged state residents to conserve power amid a heat wave in the state, less than a year after the states junior Republican senator mocked California for the exact same reason.

A news release from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) urged Texans to reduce electric use as much as possible through Friday, as a result of an energy shortage brought on by outages at power stations.

According to the statement, a significant number of forced generation outages was responsible for the problem.

We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service, said a spokesperson for ERCOT.

Ted Cruz might use this #ERCOT power crisis to go down to EPCOT and demand answers, and no I did not spell ERCOT wrong that second time, tweeted filmmaker Jeremy Newberger, referring to Disneys Epcot theme park in Florida and a previous scandal Mr Cruz faced for leaving Texas on vacation during devastating winter storms that left millions without power.

Others mocked Mr Cruz for posting a tweet Monday amid the outages that accused Democrats of being unwilling or somehow against saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the US flag, with many making references to his support of objections to the certification of the Electoral College results earlier this year.

Certified election results didnt used to be controversial, you traitorous twat, wrote The West Wing star Bradley Whitford.

Heartwarming: Senator Reunited With Lost Flagpole Used as Weapon in Insurrection He Incited, quipped The Daily Show With Trevor Noah in a tweet.

The power shortages come less than 12 months after California faced power outages in August of 2020, though California officials at the time only asked state residents to conserve power for a few hours.

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Mr Cruz jumped on the opportunity to attack the blue state and nationally-recognised Democrats including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the time, claiming that the power shortages caused by a heat wave were actually the result of liberal policies.

California is now unable to perform even basic functions of civilization, like having reliable electricity, he tweeted at the time.

Biden/Harris/AOC want to make CAs failed energy policy the standard nationwide. Hope you dont like air conditioning! Mr Cruz added in the August 2020 tweet.

That tweet resurfaced Monday, with many critics of the Texas Republican including a former spokesman for Hillary Clinton chiming in.

See below what Ted Cruz thinks of gov'ts in states that have power outages in summer. Ted Cruz's own Texas is warning about power outages in summer, tweeted Jesse Ferguson.

Mr Cruzs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent regarding his states current power woes or his own past comments.

The Texas senator was previously ridiculed earlier this year after absconding to Cancun, Mexico in the aftermath of a winter storm that that left millions in his state without electricity or heat, many of whom were still struggling to stay warm while Mr Cruz left the state.

ERCOT also faced criticism over its response to that winter storm, as many residents faced skyrocketing energy bills due to issues with Texass state-run power grid at the time resulting from frozen equipment at natural gas plants as well as wind power farms.

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Beer, Bourbon and Barbecue Festival: Its a great day of beer sippin, bourbon tastin, music listenin, cigar smokin and barbecue eatin. Admission includes a sampling glass so you can enjoy an all-you-care-to-taste sampling of beer and bourbon. $39-$75. Noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. 800-830-3976.

Once Upon A Shine: Your Fairy Dragmother Miss McGee (local performer Matthew McGee) hosts A Very Gay Mural Scavenger Hunt. Download the free PixelStix app and register online at stpeteartsalliance.org/PRIDE. The event is free, but donations are encouraged to fund the creation of more murals in October. Free. Anytime Monday-Saturday. Various locations in downtown St. Petersburg. 727-754-6404.

St. Petersburg Opera: Pagliacci is a dramatic tale of love and betrayal revolving around a married couple in a comedy troupe. This 80-minute, two-act performance doesnt have an intermission. Face masks are required and limited seating is socially distanced. $35-$95. 8 p.m. Tuesday and Friday 2 p.m. Sunday. Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. 727-822-3590.

Tampa Bay Restaurant Week: Tampa Bay area restaurants offer 10 days of multi-course prix-fixe menus, plus specials on beer, wine and other drinks. A full list of participating restaurants, menus, maps and pricing can be found at tampabayrestaurantweek.com. Available Thursday- Sunday at participating locations.

Steel Magnolias: Welcome to Truvys beauty salon where anyone who is anybody has their hair done in this classic show. Helped by her new assistant, Annelle, the wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and advice to Ouiser, a rich curmudgeon; Miss Clairee, an eccentric millionaire; and MLynn, whose daughter, Shelby, is marrying a good ole boy. $17-$20. 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday. Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum, 100 Beekman Lane, Tarpon Springs. 727-942-5605.

Pop Goes America: From the pilgrims to the Civil War, this musical uses pop music to tell the history of our country. Masks are required unless fully vaccinated. $24, $21 student/senior/military 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Carrollwood Players, 4333 Gunn Highway, Tampa. 813-265-4000.

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Be Kind to Yourself, Young Man: iBOMS highlights his latest work in different media and walks us through the journey of what it was like to grow up without a father in his life. He also discusses educating himself on how to be a better person. Free. 7-10 p.m. Friday. D-Gallerie, 1234 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg. 407-921-3608.

Mike Rivera: Originally from San Francisco, Rivera has been seen on HBO, Showtime and was named Americas Most Hilarious Teacher by ABCs The View. $20. 9:30-11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Coconuts Comedy Club at MJs, 5501 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. 727-360-5653.

Cirque Alcatraz: The stars of Cirque Italia take us inside, and try to escape from, Alcatraz. Cirque Alcatraz features riveting aerial acts, jaw-dropping stunts, incredible displays of human strength and balance, mystifying illusions and hilarious comedy while guiding the audience through the narrative. The production is R-rated. No one under the age of 13 will be admitted. Ages 13-17 must be accompanied by an adult age 21 or older. Seating is limited and socially distanced. Masks are required. $10-$50. 7:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday-Friday; 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday; 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Grove 16, 6333 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel. 941-704-8572.

Arts Legacy Remix: Juneteenth Commemoration: In honor of Juneteenth, catch the premiere of Freedom Tree, an original poetic word and choreographed performance by members of the Straz Center Veteran and Civilian Dance Ensemble. Additional music and spoken word performances accompany to commemorate Juneteenth. Takes place outside on the Riverwalk. Go to strazcenter.org for tickets. Free. 7 p.m. Saturday. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N MacInnes Place, Tampa. 813-229-7827.
Two Pulaski County constables kept methamphetamine they could plant on people as part of a scheme to conduct false searches and seize money from people, a federal prosecutor said Monday.

FBI agents found 5.9 grams of meth at the home of Constable Michael Wally Wallace and half a gram of the drug in a vehicle at the home of Constable Gary E. Baldock, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason D. Parman said as the trial for the two got underway in federal court in London.

They had it for the intent to plant it on other people, Parman told jurors.

However, Wallaces attorney said he had the meth while waiting to store it elsewhere, and attorneys for both men told jurors they never planted drug evidence on anyone and are innocent.

Wallace and Baldock are charged with conspiring to violate the constitutional rights of people by searching their homes without proper cause and taking money or other property such as vehicles from them.

Federal authorities arrested them in March 2020.

They also face a charge of possessing meth with the intent to distribute it. Planting meth on someone would count as distribution under federal law, Parman said.

Baldock is charged with shooting and wounding an FBI agent during the arrest at his home. Police shot back and wounded Baldock, but he survived.

Parman said that the investigation of the constables started after three Somerset police officers saw Wallace do something during a case that concerned them.

The FBI later had an informant call Wallaces drug tip line about a possible drug dealer coming to Pulaski County.

The suspect was actually an undercover FBI agent who had more than $10,000 in cash in his truck and motel room.

Wallace and Baldock falsely arrested him on a charge of public intoxication, Parman said.

Other witnesses will testify about the constables taking property and arresting them without cause, or conducting unconstitutional searches, Parman said.

However, Baldocks attorney, John Kevin West, said there is no evidence Baldock agreed to violate peoples civil rights.

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Wallaces attorrney, Robert Norfleet, said it wouldnt have made sense for Wallace to plant drugs with other police on the scene, and pointed out he didnt steal any of the money the undercover FBI agent had when he arrested him.

Some witnesses against the constables have been involved in drugs.

Norfleet said hopefully they dont come in here under the influence, but Parman said problems with addiction dont mean the witnesses automatically shouldnt be believed.

Norfleet indicated the investigation of Wallace was rooted in other officers jealousy because he was having significant success in arresting drug dealers.

What this is is Operation Derail Wallace, Norfleet said.

Constables are elected in Kentucky and have full arrest powers.
American bishops will discuss whether the Catholic Church should bar pro-abortion and pro-LGBTQ politicians from receiving Holy Communion.

Church leadership remains divided on the issue as Biden, only the second Catholic U.S. president, holds stances that are contrary to church teachings.

VATICAN LAW CRIMINALIZES SEXUAL ABUSE OF ADULTS BY PRIESTS, LAITY

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will hold their annual meeting, virtually, from Wednesday through Friday, during which they will decided whether or not to ask the Committee on Doctrine to draft a teaching document on the topic of Communion, Reuters reported.

Some leaders in the church believe that Biden should not be allowed to receive the sacrament, which is central to the Catholic faith. Other high-profile politicians could suffer a similar punishment over their political stances if the debate should go in favor of such a strict move.

CHICAGO PRIEST CLEARED OF SEX ABUSE ALLEGEATIONS HOLDS FIRST MASS SINCE REINSTATEMENT

Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chair of the USCCB, asked last month how Biden can say hes devout when hes doing things that are "contrary to the churchs teaching," according to the Guardian.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, a leading conservative, went so far as to suggest that the church label such politicians as apostates, which would entail the denial of sacraments.

CATHOLIC LEADER TELLS TUCKER CARLSON POLITICAL ACTIVISM IMPORTANT, CALLS PARTY MEMBERSHIP DANGEROUS

The USCCB's decision will not create immediate changes, instead kicking off a process of drafting documents that would eventually outline the churchs stance on the issue, as well as possible procedures to label apostates.

The conference previously stated that individual bishops could deny communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

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The Biden administration has recently lifted sanctions on federal funding for research involving fetal tissue and rescinded gag orders on organizations that refer women for abortions.
Well likely have to wait until next week for any details about whether or not travel restrictions will be loosened or lifted along the U.S.-Canada border, a Toronto-area radio station reported Friday.

Citing an unnamed source, 680 NEWS in Toronto reported that an announcement on the border closure between the two countries will not be coming this week.

Many reports throughout the week stated that the two countries could announce plans for how and when they begin to reopen the border as early as Friday, June 11.

Even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed earlier this week that Canada plans to begin easing travel restrictions that have been in place for nearly 15 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though he did not provide a timeline or more details. He also hinted that Canadas approach to reopening would likely be phased.

We are looking at how we can ease the rules, based on science, Trudeau said, according to the 680 NEWS article. We will have more announcements to make regarding measures that may be eased for those who have had both doses in the weeks to come.

On Wednesday, June 9, Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu announced that fully vaccinated Canadian and permanent residents will no longer have to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days after crossing the border, opening the door for Canadians to travel more freely, according to a CTV News article.

But even travelers who have been vaccinated will still have to be tested for COVID-19 once they arrive in Canada and have a plan to isolate until those test results come back, CBC reported.

We want to be absolutely sure that we are ready to commence this next stage of international travel weve seen, you know, the virus behave in ways that we wouldnt have been able to predict a year and a half ago, Hajdu told CTV News.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan hinted that he believes the border will open sometime this summer  possibly even earlier than the province had been planning for  according to a story posted Thursday, June 10, by the Abbotsford News.

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We are in discussions with the federal government on their plans to relieve restrictions at the border, Horgan said during a press conference, the Abbotsford News reported. But Im confident that were on the right track. I know the case counts are very favorable, hospitalizations are down, immunizations are up.

Horgan added that he also has had discussions with officials from Washington state and Alaska, which British Columbia borders, about concerns over reopening the border.

The border between the two countries was first closed to non-essential travel March 21, 2020, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 during early stages of the pandemic. The initial closure was to last one month, but it has since been extended on a month-by-month basis 14 times and is currently set to expire June 21. Trade and other travel deemed to be essential between the two countries has been allowed throughout the pandemic.

Many reports on both sides of the border have hinted that June 21 expiration may be the point the U.S. and Canada aim to begin loosening restrictions.

But one unnamed source familiar with talks between the two countries told the CBC that a June reopening is unlikely, adding that July seems a bit more likely. The same official said details about how proof of vaccination would be established for those crossing into Canada was still being worked out, but a vaccination card and possibly some other form or evidence are possibilities.

I want a plan. I want to see a plan, Cornwall, Ontario, mayor Bernadette Clement told the CBC. These conversations every month are exhausting. Some people will like the plan, some people will dislike the plan. But lets at least get a plan out there so that we can start talking with our own communities about something concrete ... Put in some timeline.

A number of officials on this side of the border also have called for the border closure to end.

Gov. Jay Inslee this week sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging at least a partial reopening.

Washington state has taken a science-based approach to the pandemic and has enacted public health measures that prioritize safety and protect the lives of Washingtonians, the letter read. Because of rising vaccination rates, Washington State has a plan to reopen our economy statewide by June 30. Therefore, I respectfully request that the United States and Canadian governments, and specifically your departments, work to find innovative ways to reopen the border consistent with public health guidance.

If a full border opening is not considered feasible, I would like to recommend that we prioritize the development of specific policies to partially open crossings. The hardships being experienced along the U.S.-Canadian border are significant, and measurable forward progress is needed

A wrench in reopening?

Possibly jeopardizing reopening plans is news that a union representing 9,000 Canadian Border Service Agency workers is planning to begin voting next week on a possible strike, the CBC reported Friday.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says that 5,500 border officers, 2,000 headquarters staff and other workers at Canada Post facilities have been without a contract for nearly three years and will begin taking a vote on whether to strike beginning June 16, CBC reported.

The union told the CBC they are seeking better protections for staff to address a toxic workplace and that they seek conditions similar to that of other law enforcement workers in Canada.

A strike by border officers could impact the ability of travelers  both essential and non-essential  to enter Canada.

Canadian waters still closed

Though the two countries appear to be making progress toward reopening the border, the Canada Border Service Agency on Thursday issued a reminder that restrictions for fishing and boating in Canadian waters remain in place.

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians and minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and its variants in Canada, a news release stated. The Canada Border Services Agency reminds foreign national boaters and anglers that travel restrictions are still in place.

U.S. boaters and fishers cannot enter for any non-essential reasons, according to the release, including crossing to cottages or summer homes in Canada, pleasure or competitive fishing, fishing tours or sightseeing. Anchoring and mooring in Canadian waters are not permitted for U.S. boaters, regardless of vaccination status.

Boaters are allowed to navigate through Canadian waters as they pass from one area outside Canada to another if the transit is direct, uninterrupted and the most reasonable route, according to the release.

Violators may face up to a $750,000 fine and six months in prison, the release states.

COVID numbers update

As of Friday, the United States continues to have the highest number of COVID cases in the world with more than 33.4 million confirmed cases and 599,000 related deaths, according to the John Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard. Canada, meanwhile, was 23rd overall with more than 1.3 million cases and 24,000 related deaths.

The U.S. is the third-most populated country in the world with more than 331 million residents, according to worldometers.info, while Canada is No. 39 with more than 37 million residents.

The Johns Hopkins site also reports that the U.S. has administered more than 306.3 million vaccine doses (or about 0.93 per resident), while Canada has administered 28.1 million (or approximately 0.76 per resident).

According to the British Columbia COVID-19 dashboard on Thursday, the province has seen 145,996 total cases during the pandemic and 1,729 confirmed deaths  an increase of 6,332 cases and 81 deaths since the last border extension was announced May 18. With a population of approximately 5.1 million, British Columbia has seen an infection rate of 124 cases and 1.6 deaths per 100,000 residents since May 18.

The Washington State Department of Health, meanwhile, reported 407,403 confirmed cases and 5,803 related deaths on Thursday  an increase of 16,773 cases and 163 deaths since May 18. With a population of approximately 7.5 million, the state has averaged 224 cases and 2.2 deaths per 100,000 residents since May 18.

Washington state reports administering 7,301,374 vaccine doses, or approximately 0.97 doses per resident, while British Columbia reports administering 3,823,103 doses, or approximately 0.75 per resident.

Washington state reports more than 3.9 million residents, or 51.27% of the total population, has initiated vaccination, and more than 3.4 million residents (44.98%) have completed it. Meanwhile, British Columbia reports that more than 3.3 million residents (66.27%) have initiated vaccination and 443,562 (8.70%) have completed it.
(Reuters) - U.S.-based data centre firm Equinix Inc on Monday said it had signed agreements for additional joint ventures with Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC to add $3.9 billion to expand a data centre programme.

The agreements for additional joint ventures in the form of limited liability partnerships with GIC, when closed, will bring the xScale data centre portfolio to more than $6.9 billion across 32 facilities globally, Equinix said in a statement.

The joint venture projects are expected to close during the course of 2021. GIC will own an 80% equity interest in the future joint ventures and Equinix will own the remaining 20% equity interest, the statement added.

Last year in April, Equinix signed a joint venture worth more than $1 billion with GIC to build three data centres in Japan for the cloud computing market.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)
TUNIS (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights office in Tunisia said on Monday it is concerned about repeated allegations of serious violations by the Tunisian police, amid violent protests against police abuse that rocked the capital for six nights.

The protests erupted after a video showing police stripping and beating a young man triggered widespread anger.

The video prompted criticism from political parties, local human rights organizations and President Kais Saied. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said the officers involved were arrested and the incident was unacceptable.

"These serious and repeated violations since the beginning of the year reveal continuing dysfunctions within the internal security services," the United Nations human rights office in Tunisia said in a statement.

During protests in January, the police arrested more than 2,000 people, most of them minors. Human rights organizations said that hundreds of them were subjected to ill treatment and torture.

The interior ministry said that violations are individual and do not represent a systematic policy of the ministry, and years ago it launched a program to reform the security apparatus.

Last week, a man arrested by police on suspicion of dealing drugs died few hours after. The family accused the police of beating him to death. Tunisia's interior ministry has denied the allegation.

A decade on from a revolution against poverty, injustice and police state, Tunisia has made progress towards democracy but its economic problems have worsened which sparked repeated protests.

Human rights activists said police abuses have threatened to undermine the democratic gains made since the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's repressive regime a decade ago.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara)
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's health minister Matt Hancock will make a statement to the lower house of parliament on COVID-19 at about 1930 GMT on Monday, the leader of the House of Commons said on Twitter.

That statement will come after Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a delay to a further easing of COVID-19 restrictions following concerns about the rapid rise of Delta variant infections.

(Reporting by Sarah Young and Elizabeth Piper)
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky Monday said US President Joe Biden should have met him before his high-profile summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin as they could resolve nothing on Ukraine without Kiev at the table.

The 43-year-old leader spoke to journalists as the US and Russian presidents prepare to hold their first summit meeting in Geneva on Wednesday.

"It would be better to have this meeting before the summit of the two presidents," Zelensky said in an interview with three international news agencies, including AFP.

Earlier this month Biden reaffirmed US support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and invited Zelensky to the White House in July.

Zelensky said he did not expect Putin and Biden to come up with a solution to Ukraine's years-long conflict at the summit.

"It is not possible to decide for Ukraine," he said. "So there won't be a concrete result."

Zelensky is seeking Washington's support for Ukraine's seven-year war with Russian-backed separatists.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced a new $150 million (1.2-million-euro) package of military assistance for Kiev.

After a lull last year, fighting escalated at the start of 2021 and in April Russia amassed 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border and in Crimea, prompting warnings from NATO.

Russia later announced a pullback, but both Washington and Kiev say that the withdrawal has been limited.

Zelensky estimated that more than 90,000 Russian troops were currently along Ukraine's borders and said tensions could still escalate.

"Any escalation could lead to a conflict," he said. "If the number of troops near our borders has increased this could result in a massive war."

The conflict in eastern Ukraine -- including the escalation of tensions over the past few months -- is expected to be high on the agenda in Geneva.

- 'Not nice' -

Speaking in Russian and Ukrainian during the hour-long interview, Zelensky said his country was ready to join NATO.

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"We are fighting a war. This is proof we are ready to join (NATO).

"We are proving every day that we are ready to be in the alliance more than most of the EU countries."

The Ukrainian president also accused the West of being unwilling to discuss in detail Ukraine's aspirations for NATO and EU membership.

"I believe this is not nice," he said.

Ukraine, which applied to join the US-led alliance in 2008, is pressing Western powers for more support as it seeks to deter any new aggression from Moscow.

But NATO members remain reluctant to embrace Ukraine as they want to avoid ratcheting up tensions with Russia.

Kiev has already criticised the bloc's decision not to invite Ukraine to a NATO summit in Brussels on Monday.

Zelensky also accused Russia of delaying his proposed meeting with Putin to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"I believe that today -- I don't know the reasons for it -- they are delaying this meeting," the Ukrainian leader said, expressing hope that a date would be set soon.

"I believe that a meeting with the Russian president is unavoidable."

In April, Zelensky invited Putin to meet in eastern Ukraine but Putin appeared to shoot down that offer, saying the Ukrainian leader was welcome in Moscow "any time".

The Kremlin chief also stressed that Zelensky should discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine with separatists directly.

Kiev has been battling pro-Russia separatists in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions since 2014, following Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula. The war has claimed more than 13,000 lives.

Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of sending troops and arms to support the separatists, which Moscow has denied.

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Four airline passengers who refused to wear masks this year could face fines as high as $15,500, part of an effort to crack down on what federal authorities described as "unruly and dangerous behavior" in the skies, officials said Monday.

The Federal Aviation Administration made the announcement amid alcohol bans aimed at calming in-flight tensions and thousands of reports of out-of-control passengers.

As of Monday, the FAA said, it had received 2,800 such reports since Jan. 1. Three-quarters reported people refusing to comply with federal mask rules, it said.

The steepest proposed fine, $15,500, involved a passenger on a Feb. 5 JetBlue flight between Florida and Las Vegas who ignored at least 10 requests from flight attendants to wear a mask over his nose and his mouth. He also drank miniature bottles of alcohol that had not been served during the flight, a violation of FAA rules, the agency said.

The other potential fines, from $10,500 to $7,500, were proposed for a passenger on another JetBlue flight who was alleged to have become "disruptive" after a flight attendant asked her to wear a mask, a passenger on an Alaska flight who was alleged to have smoked an e-cigarette in the restroom and refused to wear a mask in the cabin and a passenger on a Southwest flight who also refused to wear a mask.

All of the incidents occurred in February, a month after the FAA announced stiffer penalties for unruly passengers.

Under the new rules, passengers who assault, threaten or interfere with aircraft crew members could face fines of $35,000 on top of criminal charges.
VIENNA (AP)  Delegations from Russia and the United States involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran held talks in Vienna on Monday, two days ahead of a summit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United States is not directly involved in the Vienna negotiations but has regular contacts with participating diplomats.

Efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear containment deal for Iran are a rare topic of collaboration between the two global adversaries.

Mikhail Ulyanov, a senior diplomat who headed the Russian delegation at the meeting in Vienna, called the talks with U.S. counterparts fruitful.

Our dialogue in Vienna seems to be proof that the two countries can maintain businesslike cooperation on issues of common interest, non-proliferation in this particular case, Ulyanov wrote in a tweet.

The nuclear agreement was scuppered in 2018 when the Trump administration pulled the United States out of the accord, arguing that it handed Iran too many concessions.

Diplomats from China, Germany, France, Russia, and Britain held joint talks with Iran Saturday and multiple bilateral meetings afterward at a hotel in the center of the Austrian capital.

Matthew Rojansky, director of the Wilson Centers Kennan Institute in Washington, said Russia was keen to curb some of Irans ambitions.

Moscow still prefers to see Tehran checked in its aspiration to develop a weapon, but is much less motivated when it comes to checking Irans regional ambitions and its broader global misbehavior, he told the AP.

At the same time, Russia has a balancing act to perform in Syria, where Irans force of arms on the ground could become a problem for Russian ambitions.

The 2015 agreement was designed to keep Irans nuclear program peaceful, imposing strict controls on uranium enrichment levels as well as the technology and facilities used for the process.

Iran stopped abiding by those limits after the U.S. withdrawal but insists it has no plan to build nuclear weapons  a claim that the U.S. and its western allies dispute. ___

Follow latest news on Iran at https://apnews.com/hub/iran
In December 1991, about 20 days before the Soviet Union formally disintegrated, my family landed in San Francisco as religious refugees fleeing persecution. I was a 9-year-old kid who had just experienced his first airplane trip and was utterly mesmerized by the skyscrapers of the citys skyline as we drove past. It felt like arriving into the future.

My parents had almost nothing to their names. No degrees or specialized skills. Not a word of English. Only a few hundred dollars in cash from selling most of our possessions in Russia. They had just learned that half of our luggage -- makeshift bags that were hand-sewn by my mother out of used floor rugs  was lost in transit.

Our journey wasnt made possible by some employer seeking specialized labor, nor by a merit assessment that deemed our family as economically valuable immigrants. Instead, it was made possible by many Americans seeing inherent value in human beings seeking a better life. From people who wrote letters to Congress to increase refugee quotas, to sponsoring families who shared their homes and paychecks and lives to support arriving families, to organizations like World Relief, which funded unsecured loans to pay for airline tickets for those who couldnt afford them -- all did their part with no expectation of economic gain.

I worry that outlier success stories -- especially those that are filled with considerable luck and privilege like mine -- can send the wrong message.

Integration into life in the United States wasnt easy. Our family had to rely on welfare for several years as our parents learned English in night classes and attempted many different ways to make a living for our family of eight. Not being able to find a full-time job, my father tried every mail-order contract gig he could learn about -- from cutting out thousands of leather pieces for shoes to soldering electronic boards to order to translation of documents from English to Russian. Eventually, he started his own business repairing and maintaining computers.

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In every moment, I saw my parents seeking to pay back what others had selflessly done for us. They taught me theres dignity to doing good work, even if its work that others dont find glamorous. Even a decade later, our family was still barely scraping by financially. As I was applying to colleges as a senior in high school, our entire family would pack up our minivan on most evenings after dinner to clean dental clinics to make ends meet.

This is the point in my tale where it might make the most sense to insert my own story of living out a wildly unbelievable version of the American dream  especially for a refugee.

I could tell you how after college I co-founded Webflow, a no-code software development company that employs nearly 300 people and is now valued at over $2 billion. And how stories like mine are the reason why we should open our doors to more refugees to come to the United States.

However, I worry that outlier success stories -- especially those that are filled with considerable luck and privilege like mine -- can send the wrong message. These tales can imply that the value and worth of immigrants and refugees are primarily economic. I worry that especially now, at a time when immigration has become a politically polarizing issue in this country, the conversation about the value of immigrants will continue shifting toward being purely merit-based.

Too often, if merit is the criterion, human beings are seen as worthy of joining our country if and only if theyre the best of the best or the cream of the crop in some skill or industry. In such cases, people are judged solely by how much economic value they can create in the short term.

Yes, merit-based immigration has an important place in our economy to solve shorter-term skill gaps in various industries. But if we only focus on that, I believe that our nation will have lost an important part of its character and heritage. We shouldnt reduce our efforts to offer a safe haven to people whose lives are threatened back home. Turning our backs on the most vulnerable only to focus on the most economically advantageous would betray the spirit of what I believe makes the United States a beacon of hope and opportunity for so many people.

The good news is that you can get outsized economic benefits in the longer term by accepting more refugees. I know this because for every startup founder story like mine, there are hundreds of thousands of hard-working refugees who needed some help at first but are now contributing massively to our tax base as nurses, doctors, lawyers, firefighters and business owners. In fact, refugees have the highest rate of entrepreneurship.

After experiencing hardship and oppression in their originating countries, refugees have unparalleled drive to make a better living for themselves, their families and their communities -- which helps lift our entire economy.

My hope is that more people are given this kind of opportunity and that more industry leaders will start to advocate for immigration on humanitarian terms -- not just economic ones. It will make our economy stronger in the end.

When given the chance to live freely without fearing for our lives, my family and so many others like us will work harder than most to contribute to society. Why? Because we feel a deep sense of gratitude to a nation that welcomed and accepted us because of, first and foremost, who we are as human beings.
LONDON (Reuters) - Mobile and broadband operator Vodafone has selected six partners to build Europe's first commercial open RAN (radio access network), it said on Monday.

It said Dell Technologies, NEC Samsung, Wind River, Capgemini Engineering and Keysight Technologies would help it build one of the largest Open RAN networks in the world.

Vodafone said the partnerships would build on its new Open RAN lab in Newbury, southern England, and its planned digital skills hubs in Malaga, Spain, and Dresden, Germany.

Mobile operators and governments want to encourage the development of Open RAN technology to help more vendors enter a market dominated by Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia.

(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Sarah Young)
A pair of Pennsylvania lawmakers said Friday that state residents themselves should decide the stringency of the states voter identification law.

The push comes after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said hed never support strengthening existing voter I.D. law  one of the top priorities for Republicans in their election reform proposal unveiled Thursday.

Sen. Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, and Rep. Jeff Wheeland, R-Williamsport, both support their partys proposal to require identification each and every time a resident casts a ballot in-person. Current law stipulates identification only for first time voters in a precinct.

The governor said voter I.D. laws serve only to disenfranchise and vowed, during a news conference Wednesday, to prevent future barriers to voting advocated for by certain bad actors.

Wheeland and Ward say it's a matter of enhancing security when faith in the electoral process is at an all-time low among their constituents.

One way we can help maintain that security is by having individuals show identification each time they vote, instead of only showing it their first time at a new polling place, Wheeland said. "This legislation would put that question to the voters and let them decide if that is a security measure they would like to put in place for future elections.

Ward said letting the voters decide the question removes the politics from the decision and lets residents take the lead.

Time and again, I hear from constituents who want to know why they need identification to buy cold medicine but not to choose their next Senator, township supervisor, judge or president, she said. Providing voters with the power to extend the need for identification beyond the first time someone votes at a polling place to every time they vote will go a long way toward restoring confidence in our election process.

Constitutional amendments must pass in two consecutive legislative sessions before appearing on the ballot as a voter referendum. The earliest the I.D. question could appear before voters would be 2023, if the Legislature acts quickly.

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Some constitutional amendments languish the General Assembly for a decade  or more.

Ward described the political climate as the most charged in her lifetime and urged everyone to rise above the rhetoric and not fall victim to outside influences trying to stir emotion.

We have a responsibility to ensure that voters trust the election process and asking voters decide if requiring identification every time they vote will do just that, she said.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Voter ID Laws, Pennsylvania, State

Original Author: Christen Smith, The Center Square

Original Location: Voter I.D. constitutional amendment proposed in Pennsylvania
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An ex-colonel convicted of human rights violations during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet has been arrested in Argentina after fleeing from neighbouring Chile, the South American nations authorities report.

Walter Klug Rivera was apprehended outside his hotel in Buenos Aires on Saturday, which Argentine police say he intended to leave within the next few hours to continue his escape.

Klug Rivera was convicted in the disappearance and murder of 23 workers in 1973 after Pinochet seized power in Chile in an infamous coup that resulted in the death of sitting president Salvador Allende.

Allende, the socialist leader of the democratically-elected Unidad Popular party, was ousted with the support of the United States, declassified documents from Richard Nixons presidency suggest.

More than 3,000 people died or disappeared during Pinochets military rule, Chiles government say, and thousands more socialists, leftists and other dissidents were tortured or exiled, police investigations and truth commissions have shown.

Klug Rivera is to be detained in Buenos Aires until Monday, when he has been ordered to appear before Julian Ercolini, a federal judge who will begin the process of extraditing him back to Chile, Argentine media say.

Police confirmed his arrest on Twitter, writing: Walter Klug Rivera was apprehended outside the ... hotel where he was staying, which he intended to leave in the next few hours in order to continue evading justice.

Argentinas minister of the interior, Eduardo de Pedro, posted on the social media site that Klug Riveras extradition has been ordered and that he is wanted by Interpol for crimes against humanity.

We have ordered the expulsion of the Chilean citizen Walter Klug Rivera, who entered Argentina illegally escaping from the justice of his country, where he is accused of the qualified homicide of 23 people during the Pinochet dictatorship, he wrote.

Klug Rivera also has a red notice from Interpol for his arrest for crimes against humanity. With this measure, the Argentine Republic reaffirms its commitment to the full exercise of human rights, justice and international order.

Story continues

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SCREENCAP: @sarahbagharib/Instagram

SINGAPORE  While the use of a Malay-Muslim couple's wedding photo as a standee in Hari Raya decorations by the People's Association (PA) last month was "culturally insensitive", it was certainly not "racist", said the PA in a Facebook post on Monday (14 June).

"It is not right to raise the allegation of racism, without basis, to stoke emotions and sentiments," said the PA in a detailed post, adding that it saw "no point" in proceeding with an arranged meeting with Sarah Bagharib and her husband Razif Abdullah.

In an Instagram post on 28 May, Sarah had highlighted the use of the photo to create a standee alongside a decorative platform and banner depicting Radin Mas Member of Parliament Melvin Yong and his Hari Raya wishes for residents.

Noting that neither she nor her husband had given consent for the photo to be used by the PA, Sarah added, "The inappropriate appropriation and use of our cultural symbol only succeeded in showing People('s) Association's superficial understanding of Malay/Singaporean Muslim culture".

The post has garnered almost 18,000 likes.

Standee removed, apology issued

In its post on Monday, the PA noted that it had removed the standee and apologised to the couple, as well as posting a public apology on its social media platforms. Its post on 29 May revealed that Warabi Enterprise (Art Studio) had been engaged by Radin Mas Constituency Office (CO) to design and put up Hari Raya decorations at the Tiong Bahru Orchid estate.

However, in the process, the vendor downloaded Sarahs photo from an online source and then used it for a cut-out standee. And while the PA spoke to the vendor on the seriousness of the incident, it stressed, "The PA, including Radin Mas CO, take responsibility for this error as we have oversight of the matter."

In addition, the PA offered on Monday to meet with the couple to apologise in person. "We also wished to clarify our position, elaborate on the steps we have taken to prevent such incidents from recurring, and hear her suggestions of how we might improve at the meeting."

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However, it claimed that Sarah had said this incident perpetuate(s) the racist culture and characterised the incident as racist. In an Instagram Live interview with Walid J. Abdullah last Tuesday, said the PA, she also insinuated that PA staff and volunteers did not find anything wrong with the standee as they might be blind to racism.

"These are accusations we reject," said the PA.

Furthermore, in Sarah's public social media posts about her upcoming meeting with the PA, she had made a public call for anyone to please share your messages/suggestions to PA here and well share them.

"We find this odd," said the PA. "We do not see why our meeting should be appropriated as a platform for her to funnel the views and comments of persons unrelated to the incident."

The PA added, "All these lead us to believe her purpose in agreeing to meet with us has gone far beyond the Radin Mas incident. We therefore see no point in proceeding with the meeting."

It also claimed that Sarahs email to the PA on 1 June alleged that it was hasty in sharing the name of the vendor in order to distance and deflect blame from itself. "This is untrue. The vendor had identified himself directly to Ms Sarah on 28 May, and apologised. This was before PA issued our statement on 29 May," said the PA.

"It is regrettable that Ms Sarah did not clarify this point during her Instagram Live interview with Mr Walid J. Abdullah on 7 June. Instead she persisted in conveying the impression that PA had deflected blame from itself.

"We hope that this incident will not tar the other good work which our staff and volunteers have done."

PA also said it is looking at setting up a resource panel to guide its staff on cultural matters, and stepping up training to enhance its staff and volunteers' understanding and appreciation of different cultures.

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A woman was killed and two other people injured late Sunday night when a Minneapolis driver careened his car into a group of people protesting the shooting death of Winston Boogie Smith Jr. earlier this month.

Just before midnight local time, the car sped toward the protesters, hitting another car blocking the street and sending it flying into the crowd.

A woman was critically injured at the scene and pronounced dead at the hospital, the Minneapolis Police Department announced early Monday.

Two others were injured and hospitalized. One has since been treated and released. The other suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Protesters pulled the driver from the car and apprehended him until police took over.

The suspect is now in police custody and being treated at a local hospital, officials said. Drugs or alcohol may be a contributing factor in the crash, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

A motive is still unclear and no one involved in the crash has been publicly identified by police.

The protesters were gathered at the entrance of the parking garage where Smith, a 32-year-old Black father of three, was fatally shot on June 3 by a task force that included U.S. Marshals during an attempted arrest.

The U.S. Marshals claimed Smith, who was wanted on a state warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm, fired at them from his car, after which they returned fire, killing him.

But a lawyer for the 27-year-old woman who was in the car with Smith told reporters last week that she never saw Smith draw a weapon.

Authorities said there is no body or dash camera footage available of the fatal shooting.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday she will offer a formal apology to New Zealand's Pacific community over "demeaning" police raids that targeted them in the 1970s.

Ardern said the notorious "dawn raids" were carried out by police and immigration officials seeking to identify and deport visa overstayers.

In addition, she said Pacific islanders were racially profiled, with officials subjecting them to random stop and search without justification.

"They were routinely severe with demeaning verbal and physical treatment," Ardern told reporters.

"The raids and what they represented created deep wounds, while we cannot change our history, we can acknowledge it and seek to right a wrong."

Ardern said the apology would take place on June 26 at Auckland Town Hall.

New Zealand encouraged migration from Pacific islands such as Samoa, Tonga and Fiji after World War II to fill worker shortages as the economy expanded.

But they faced a backlash when there was a downturn in the 1970s, with claims they were taking jobs from New Zealanders.

Minister for Pacific Peoples William Sio, who has a Samoan background, said the raids were "racist and discriminatory".

Sio fought back tears as he described his own family's experiences.

"The memories are etched in of my father being helpless... someone knocking at your door in the early hours of the morning with a flashlight in your face, disrespecting the owner of our home," he said.

"An Alsatian dog frothing at the mouth, wanting to come in without any respect for the people who live there. It was quite traumatising."

ns/hr/qan
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Aupito William Sio recalled the terrifying day during his childhood when police officers holding German shepherd dogs turned up at his family home before dawn and shined flashlights into their faces while his father stood there helpless.

Now the minister for Pacific peoples, Sio and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday the government would formally apologize for an infamous part of the nation's history known as the Dawn Raids.

It's when Pacific Island people were targeted for deportation in the mid-1970s during aggressive home raids by authorities to find, convict and deport overstayers. The raids often took place very early in the morning or late at night.

Sio became emotional as he and Ardern discussed the apology at a news conference.

We felt as a community that we were invited to come to New Zealand. We responded to the call to fill the labor workforce that was needed, in the same way we responded to the call for soldiers in 1914," Sio said.

But he said the government then turned on the Pasifika community when it felt those workers were no longer needed.

Ardern said that at the time, people who didn't look like white New Zealanders were told they should carry identification to prove they weren't overstayers, and were often randomly stopped in the street, or even at schools or churches. She said Pacific people were often dragged before the courts in their pajamas and without proper representation.

Not only were they targeted, they were targeted using a process and a practice that was really dehumanizing, that really terrorized people in their homes," Ardern said.

She said that when computerized immigration records were introduced in 1977, they showed that 40% of overstayers were either British or American, groups that were never targeted for deportation.

The raids, and what they represented, created deep wounds, Ardern said. And while we cannot change our history, we can acknowledge it, and we can seek to right a wrong.

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In Sios case, he said his family were legal residents who owned the home but a couple of his fathers nephews from Samoa were staying with them and were taken away by the police without their clothes or belongings, and later deported.

He said the nephews had been working at a factory and their visas had expired. He said they had been preparing to go home and wanted to do a few more overtime shifts before they left. Sio said his father helped advocate for them to get back their clothes and money so they could leave New Zealand with some measure of their dignity intact.

The formal apology will be held at a commemoration event on June 26 in Auckland. The apology doesn't come with any financial compensation or legal changes, but Sio believes it is an important first step. He said the trauma is still fresh for many and it's good to address the issue and prevent such a situation happening in the future.

Ardern said it's just the third time the government has made such an apology.

The previous apologies were for imposing a entry tax on Chinese immigrants in the 1880s and for introducing the deadly influenza pandemic to Samoa in 1918, which killed more than one-fifth of the population.
In the 1964 presidential campaign, Republican candidate Barry Goldwater had a slogan: In your heart you know hes right.

That was aimed at deflecting the stereotype about Goldwater and Republicans in general that they were an uncaring lot. It is a smear that still works to some extent for modern Democrats.

In his return to political campaigning last Saturday, former president Donald Trump channeled Goldwater when he claimed vindication for many of the positions he took during last years presidential campaign and in the four years of his administration.

Speaking to a gathering of North Carolina Republicans in Greenville, Trump touted his accomplishments, including tax cuts and regulation reductions. He also criticized what he said were President Bidens insane executive orders.

He might have added Middle East peace deals, including the Abraham Accords. He said President Biden is working to reverse all of his achievements and mentioned rising gas prices as a consequence that can be felt by nearly every American.
The impact of the soaring prices of agricultural staples from wheat to vegetable oils to sugar over the past few months is now hitting consumers and businesses in Asia.

Food manufacturers are offloading higher prices to households, which is weighing on consumption and potentially subduing any economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in some countries. Some exporters and farmers are, however, benefiting from the favorable market conditions.

The benchmark food price index published by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) -- which tracks the prices of meat, dairy, cereals, vegetables oils and sugar -- rose for the 12th consecutive month in May to 127.1, hitting the highest level in nearly 10 years. May's figure was 40% higher than a year ago.

A combination of several factors drove the price surge. Demand in China, one of the world's biggest food importers, has been strong as the country has recovered from the pandemic at a faster rate than most of the rest of the world.

Higher marine shipping costs stemming from a shortage of containers and supply chain disruptions is another factor. The FAO also blamed supply-side issues such as harvest delays and reduced sugar cane yields in Brazil.

Moreover, commodities prices have been boosted by investment money flowing into the market as investors diversify risks amid high liquidity in the financial markets.

Against such a backdrop, Asian food manufacturers are hiking their prices to offset the higher costs of raw materials. Major food importers such as Japan, South Korea and China are seeing the impact.

Japanese flour miller Nisshin Seifun Group will raise the prices for wheat flour products for households by 2% to 4% in July. The company said it could not absorb the higher raw material prices as well as rising logistics and packaging costs. Food manufacturer Ajinomoto will also raise its mayonnaise prices by 1% to 10% next month, citing higher edible oil prices over the past few months. - Nikkei
The clock is winding down in Japan on the emergency declaration for Tokyo, Osaka and eight other prefectures.

Osaka's Governor is calling for intensive quasi-emergency measures if the declaration is indeed lifted on June 20.

The number of new cases in Osaka Prefecture on Monday was 57. It's the first time the figure has fallen below 60 in over three months.

Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi visited a vaccination venue and told reporters the prefecture plans to consider easing the current restrictions on large-scale commercial facilities. But he's wary about returning to "normal" too quickly.

Governor Yoshimura said, "The measures involving bars and restaurants are more important than ever. The most important thing is that Osaka does not repeat the same mistakes. So with this in mind, we have to consider what needs to be done. Difficult decisions will be required."

In Tokyo, the number of new cases reported Monday was 209, down 26 from the figure reported last Monday.

But the average daily number of cases over the immediate seven-day period is higher than the last time the government decided to lift the emergency declaration.

One expert says it's too early to act just yet.

Professor Matsumoto Tetsuya of the International University of Health and Welfare said, "The number of new cases isn't at a level where the emergency declaration can be lifted safely. Now, there is more movement of people, including at night. This creates conditions that could trigger a surge in cases at any time. To avoid a rebound in Tokyo, for instance, the declaration should not be lifted unless the daily new cases drops to around 100."

The government's Chief Cabinet Secretary also weighed in on the issue.

Kato Katsunobu said, "The matter will be considered comprehensively and carefully by consulting experts and sharing information with local governments."

Nationwide, over 930 new cases were confirmed on Monday. 60 deaths from COVID-19 were reported.

The total number of patients in serious condition stands at around 850. - NHK
Japanese film director Hamaguchi Ryusuke has received the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival's award ceremony.

The ceremony was held in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. It was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hamaguchi's "Guzen to sozo," or "Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy," won the Silver Bear. It's the highest prize in the competition, after the Golden Bear for Best Film.

During his speech, Hamaguchi read out the names of the cast and staff members one by one to express his gratitude. The audience gave him a round of applause.

Hamaguchi told reporters later that he began to feel that he had really won the prize after he visited Berlin.

He said the award did not feel real at first because he had only communicated with others about it online. He said he now understands the importance of the award.

Romanian director Radu Jude's "Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn" was awarded the Golden Bear this year.

During the festival, more than 120 films will be screened at open-air venues. The event ends next Sunday. Hamaguchi's film is scheduled to be shown for three days, starting on Tuesday.

The Berlin event is considered to be one of the three major international film festivals, along with the festivals in Cannes and Venice. - NHK
Bank of America today announced it has opened its first financial centers in Kentucky. The opening of three centers in Lexington brings retail banking, lending and small business services to local clients, along with investing and personalized financial guidance from Merrill. In addition to these newly-opened centers, Bank of America has added 20 ATMs in the Lexington area over the last two years, bringing its total to 27 ATMs across the state. The company plans to add a fourth financial center in Lexington next year, and is considering additional centers as well.

Bank of America has been serving clients in Kentucky for over 40 years through Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, lending to and supporting the growth of local businesses, and through active involvement in the communities we serve, said Felicia Lewis, regional executive for expansion markets at Bank of America. Our new financial centers enable us to deliver high-tech, high-touch service and a full range of capabilities that can help to further enhance the financial lives of our clients.

Clients in Kentucky also have access to Bank of Americas digital capabilities, which were recently ranked #1 by J.D. Power. The banks digital leadership had also been recognized with more than 170 awards over the past three years, serving more than 52 million digital clients banking, lending and investing needs.

The companys first financial centers in Lexington are located at Hamburg Place at 1808 Alysheba Way; North Park at 520 W New Circle Road; and The Summit at Fritz Farm at 4023 Finn Way. The new financial centers showcase the latest technology, private offices to assist clients one-on-one, and on-site specialists including financial solutions advisors, lending officers and small business bankers who work as one team to understand a clients unique priorities and goals, and to provide personalized guidance.



Since 2016, Bank of America has invested nearly $1.5 million in greater Kentucky through grants to local nonprofits, employee matching gifts and scholarship programs. As part of its financial center openings in Lexington, employees have volunteered with local organizations, and the bank will make additional grants to Gods Pantry Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity Lexington.

We are proud to expand our financial center network into Kentucky, creating destinations focused on building lifelong relationships and further delivering for local clients and communities, said Aron Levine, president of Preferred and Consumer Banking & Investments at Bank of America. This is the latest example of the ongoing expansion of our financial center and ATM network, designed to serve more clients in communities across the country.

Bank of America recently announced that it would raise its minimum wage to $25 an hour by 2025, up from $20 an hour today. The company also subsidizes approximately 75% of employee health care costs, which means Kentucky-area employees will be eligible for the companys benefits that have an average value of almost $17,000. The firm also offers matching 401(k) contributions of up to 5%, and an annual company contribution of up to 2% of pay after one year with the company.

We are committed to being a great place to work, which means investing in the teams who serve our clients every day, added Levine. That includes providing strong pay and competitive benefits to our employees and their families  helping us to attract and retain top talent.

Bank of America has been recognized by a number of external organizations, including LinkedIn and Fortune, as the only financial services company included in Fortunes Best Big Companies to Work For list for three consecutive years.



Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the worlds leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 66 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,300 retail financial centers, including approximately 2,700 lending centers, 2,600 financial centers with a Consumer Investment Financial Solutions Advisor and approximately 2,400 business centers; approximately 17,000 ATMs; and award-winning digital banking with approximately 40 million active users, including approximately 31 million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts.



###



Reporters May Contact:

Diane Wagner, Bank of America

Phone: 1.312.992.2370

diane.wagner@bofa.com

Andy Aldridge, Bank of America

Phone: 1.980.387.0514

andrew.aldridge@bofa.com
Lawmakers in 2018 began using permanent fund earnings to help pay for government and sought to limit withdrawal amounts for dividends and government expenses. One of the debates this year has been over whether to exceed to the draw amount. The limit would be maintained under the budget proposal that advanced Sunday, said Alexei Painter, director of the Legislative Finance Division.

Rep. Bart LeBon, a member of the Houses minority Republican caucus who served on the budget conference committee, supported the dividend language, which he said was "probably more my position than a caucus position. He said he was concerned about exceeding the draw limit.

Rep. Mike Prax, a fellow Republican who was visiting with LeBon in LeBon's office after the conference committee meeting, expressed concerns with the dividend approach in the tentative agreement.

My thought is, if we don't have a commitment, really, to solve the long-term problem, there's no point in agreeing to a short-term solution, he said.

The budget package that advanced from the six-member conference committee must go to the full House and Senate for consideration. Senate President Peter Micciche and House Speaker Louise Stutes said votes in their respective chambers could happen Tuesday.

Lawmakers have until Friday to complete their work in this special session, called by Dunleavy in part to finish the budget. The new fiscal year starts July 1.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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It will show (contraband) in their intestines, in their private areas or their shoes, Kramer said after the meeting. Its stuff that you are going to miss with a pat search or we cant even go to those areas on a pat search.

Kramer said the detention center processes more than 2,000 inmates annually. The scanner also would be used on inmates returning from a court hearing or work release.

I think we could hit between 4,000 to 5,000 (scannings a year), but Im just grabbing numbers, Kramer said.

Also Monday, the County Board gave approval to Lincoln County Court Clerk Kerry Sides to obtain a contractor for electrical work in the courtrooms.

Sides said a mess of cords under the defense and prosecution tables in the rooms are frayed and need replacement, along with some electrical boxes.

We are looking to do it right, Sides said.

She said the project could include concrete work  drilling and repouring  and setting electrical boxes flush with the floor.

Sides said the work will be paid for out of the offices budget. She added that three bids have been received for $9,500, $12,000 and $23,000.
A long but routine agenda for the North Platte City Council Tuesday will be capped by a discussion of whether future meetings dealing with a proposed meatpacking plant should be held in a larger venue.

No action will be taken after that discussion, mainly because Sustainable Beef LLC hasnt yet submitted a proposal for the city to consider, Mayor Brandon Kelliher said Friday.

Tuesdays meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall council chamber, 211 W. Third St., with the public invited to watch via cable TV or the citys YouTube channel if they dont wish to attend.

Similar remote viewing options, Kelliher said, would have to be set up elsewhere temporarily if the council were to meet somewhere else for any reason.

Tuesdays discussion item, he added, originated from a local residents request.

The meeting will need to be in a larger location, the person wrote. The City Hall is just too small.

City staff have estimated it would cost $4,200 to set up similar cable and online capabilities at a temporary meeting site, Kelliher said.
3 p.m.: Grab a Montenegrin beer in town

Coming from New York, take the overnight flight on United to Vienna. Once there, its an hour-and-a-half-long connecting flight to Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. Youll land around late afternoon and should schedule a taxi to take you into town (we like Alo Taxi, though there are plenty of local companies to choose from in the airport parking lot; just make sure its metered and you have at least ten euros on you  and haggle before getting in). Less than 20 minutes later, youll be in downtown Podgorica, where you can grab a Niksicko Pivo beer and some appetizers like Montenegrin cheeses, bruschetti, and a hummus plate, at Restobar Strudla (8-24 Bokeska), a cafe and events space which is right off Njegosev Park.

4 p.m.: Walk to a cliffside monastery

Have the restaurant call Alo to take you north through the mountains to the lower part of Ostrog Monastery, a Serbian Orthodox Church built within a cliff in 1665 (the scenic ride will be under an hour, and you should ask the driver to meet you at the top and wait to bring you to your next destination  plan on 50 euros). The shrine stands 900 meters above ground in Ostroska Greda, and to get to the top, youll have to hike 45 minutes  youll see plenty of religious pilgrims do it barefoot, so you should have no problem in hiking shoes and your backpack). The walk will be worth it: Its one of the most stunning sites of worship, with dozens of religious mosaics and sweeping views of the lush Zeta valley below. Its a great first stop to situate yourself in the tiny countrys majestic geography and ancient history. Make sure to arrange for the driver to meet you at the upper part of the shrine, as you wont want to walk back down after the sun sets, and ask to take you straight to Kotor  a seaport town surrounded by mountains about an hour and 45 minutes away along the Adriatic Sea.

7 p.m.: Head to your Airbnb in a fortified village

Book an Airbnb with a small kitchen and terrace for under $50 a night in the heart of Old Town Kotor, a fortress that was built between the 12th and 14th centuries. The taxi will drop you off just outside the wall of the medieval town known as Stari Grad, which is pedestrian only. Drop off your bags at the apartment, which is a three minute walk from Theater Gate, located on the south side of town, and wander around the narrow cobblestone paths and dip into the clothing boutiques, art galleries and coffee and sandwich shops. Eat and get a drink at the place where you hear the best live music, and order the grilled whole fish  the patio at Bastion (Stari grad 517) is a great option.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  Protesters and human rights officials urged lawmakers in Hungary on Monday to reject legislation banning any content portraying or promoting homosexuality or sex reassignment to anyone under 18.

Thousands of LGBT activists and others demonstrated in front of the Parliament in Budapest in the evening, chanting we are here! as they urged lawmakers to abandon plans for the bills.

We have a lot to do before tomorrows vote: We have to tell, we have to write to every member of Parliament, why this bill is anti-child, anti-family and anti-human, David Vig, director of Hungarys branch of Amnesty International, told those gathered.

Fidesz, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative ruling party, presented the legislation last week and plans to vote on the bills Tuesday. They include a measure aimed at fighting pedophilia along with other amendments prohibiting transmitting information about LGBT people or same-sex relationships to youth.

Fidesz describes the legislation as an effort to protect children from pedophilia.
For our birthday dinner, we picked fried chicken and each of us chose a side to make ourselves. Joe went with mac & cheese, and being a mac & cheese man in addition to a supportive father, I made no restrictions on the shape of pasta or the types or ages of the cheeses he put into his pot.

But when I announced my side, a skillet dish with okra, tomatoes, corn and Conecuh sausage, Joe asked if I might leave out the tomatoes. You know, because it was his birthday.

Because it was his birthday?

Nineteen years ago, on my birthday, Bess perhaps foresaw this problem when she started having contractions in the early morning hours. Unbeknownst to me, she rose and packed a suitcase for the hospital, went into the kitchen and made a big birthday breakfast and big birthday lunch, and then made a few phone calls and did some straightening up around the house.

It was Sunday, so she woke our three children, who were ages 2, 3 and 6, and helped them get dressed. Then we all ate breakfast and went to church. That morning, outside the sanctuary, I saw Bess having an animated discussion with her doctor.

When we got home, this is what happened in the next 90 minutes:
Washington, PA (15301)

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Auburn University will host a virtual talk with Rhett Johnson, director emeritus of the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center and current board member of the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation, on June 24 as part of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences 75th Anniversary Celebration.

Johnson is the fourth speaker in the virtual 7 for 75 Speaker Series during the yearlong celebration, which began March 1. He will discuss the development and use of the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center in Andalusia, Alabama, as well as his history and relationship with the Dixon family.

In addition to his former role as director, Johnson is co-founder of The Longleaf Alliance and has served as its president and board member. He has also served as chair of the Southeastern Society of American Foresters and president of the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

Johnson earned a bachelors degree from North Carolina State University in wildlife biology and a masters degree in forest management from Clemson University. His professional interests and expertise include threatened and endangered species, multiple-use forest management, wildlife management, fire ecology and longleaf pine management and restoration.

Rhetts vast knowledge of forest management, leadership expertise and close ties to the Dixon family and the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation were pivotal in shaping the 5,300-acre Dixon Center to be a top field facility in the nation, said Janaki Alavalapati, dean of the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.

As its first director, he has the unique ability to share a firsthand account of how the Dixon Center has evolved over the past 40 years to fully represent the aspirations of its benefactors, Solon and Martha Dixon.

The event is open to the public via Zoom from 2-3 p.m. CDT at https://auburn.zoom.us/j/84937018325 and will be live-streamed via the schools Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ausfws/live/.

The 7 for 75 Speaker Series features distinguished alumni and industry leaders representing an array of forestry, wildlife and natural resource fields and enterprises who will cover a wide range of topics, from land management to current and future technology to stakeholder engagement.

The next speaker in the series will be John Burrell, president and CEO of High Adventure Company and High Adventure Safaris. He will talk about his career and the outdoor enterprise industry, as well as his role in assisting with the creation of the schools new wildlife enterprise management major. His talk is scheduled from 2-3 p.m. CDT Sept. 23.
This is absolutely too soon.

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Naaaah let rose do this

Let her Fucking embarras herself by doing a kiwi accent thirsty for awards

Shouldnt expect from someone married to bobby cannavale



What a Fucking mess

Who thought this was a good idea Jesus Christ it was a teorrist attack what the actual fuck

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Which flavor of terrible is he?

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He was in Blue Jasmin so potential Woody Allen supporter.

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What did Bobby Cannavale do?

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is it difficult of an aussie to do a kiwi accent? to my ear they sound very similar

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"said she had not realized the pain the film would cause"



What the actual fuck is wrong with these people? Hollywood was a mistake.

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Producer Philippa Campbell apologized for her own involvement and said she had not realized the pain the film would cause.



She didnt realize the pain a movie about a terrorist attack from 2 years ago would cause?

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Hopefully the movie will be cancelled all together. It does not need to happen.

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Andrew Niccol is a ghoul for writing this shit. And the only reason people are pulling out now is because they're worried about the negative impact the backlash will have on their careers not because they think its wrong or that they have remorse for the victims and their families. They're truly evil, all of them.

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So disappointed in the Kiwis involved with this film.

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well, on the positive side, the director backed off. it would have been one of those dudebros directors and that movie would have been ready yesterday

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Not everything needs to be made into a movie. There are so many creative ideas out there and they choose trauma porn.

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Not only is this too soon, the person they want to centre it about is saying, 'NOPE. NOT ME'.



I hope this whole thing is shut down and the crew find new jobs pronto.

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wait am i losing my mind? wasn't this just posted?

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That other post about the criticism and paper-thin apology



This one is anout people pulling out of the movie

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ah ty!

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YES i posted it already lmao

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how out of touch are you that you wouldn't realize how bad a idea this movie is?!

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I'm guessing it's a "when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" thing. Archivists are weirdly obsessed with the idea that everyone wants their shit archived and that this is the best way to honour someone. It wouldn't surprise me if movie people think the same thing, except about everyone wanting movies made about them

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i really used to like rose too (granted, don't know much about her)



"The Muslim community had not been properly consulted about the project."

of course not



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Uh.... after that petition went public, its in really poor taste to proceed, but of course they will 

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Rehydrate, Rest, Repeat: Summer Safety Reminders for Outdoor Workers

Recognizing the signs and symptoms of HRIs and preparing employees for warmer weather are critical to creating a sustainable, healthy workforce during warmer months.

The pavement is sizzling hotand so are you on a cloudless summer day. During the warmest months of the year, many workers compensation claims stem from heat-related illnesses (HRI), which can occur due to a combination of metabolic heat, that is, heat created by the body, and environmental heat, which includes increased air temperature, humidity, radiant heat from sunlight or other heat sources such as furnaces and air movement.

Experiencing an HRI is especially likely for outdoor workers, such as construction workers, who often work outside in high temperatures during the heat of the day. Although construction workers only comprise about six percent of the U.S. total workforce, they accounted for 36 percent of all heat-related deaths from 1992-2016. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of HRIs and preparing employees for warmer weather are critical to creating a sustainable, healthy workforce during warmer months.

1. Learn the signs of HRIs

Heat-related illnesses can include mild ailments like heat cramps, heat syncope, heat rash, rhabdomyolysis and more severe problems like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Whats more, there are many different signs and symptoms of HRIs  making it even more important for supervisors, managers and employees to know what to be on the lookout for.

Some common signs an employee is experiencing an HRI include:

 Fatigue

 Irritability

 Thirst

 Nausea/vomiting

 Heavy sweating

 Hot, dry skin*

 Fainting

 Dizziness

 Very high body temperature

 Rapid heart rate

 Clusters of red bumps on neck, upper chest, and skin folds

 Dark urine or reduced urine output
A nuclear power plant in southeastern China could turn into an imminent radiological threat, the part owner of the facility, a French company, has told the United States, CNN reported on Monday, citing U.S. officials and a letter of the French firm it had obtained.

The U.S. has been assessing the report of the fission gas leak over the past week, CNN reports, quoting the warning from the French firm that Chinas authorities had raised the limits of acceptable radiation levels at and around the plant to avoid a shutdown.

The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in the Chinese province of Guangdong is being operated by a joint venture in which French energy giant EDF and its subsidiary Framatome hold 30 percent. The EDF Group and its subsidiary Framatome supplied the EPR pressurized reactor technology for the plant.

According to officials in the U.S. Administration who spoke to CNN, the situation with the Chinese nuclear power plant has not reached a crisis level.

The French company has reached out to the United States to obtain a waiver that would allow them to share U.S. technical assistance to resolve the issue at the plant.

China has yet to acknowledge that there is a problem, CNN reports.

The U.S. administration has been in contact with the French government to discuss the situation, sources told CNN. Contact has been made with China, too, although it is not clear to what extent.

Following the report from CNN, the French company Framatome issued a statement on Monday related to Taishans reactor number 1, saying that it is supporting resolution of a performance issue with the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant.

According to the data available, the plant is operating within the safety parameters, the company said.

Our team is working with relevant experts to assess the situation and propose solutions to address any potential issue, Framatome added.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Asia Demand Recovery Sparks July Pricing Hope First to confront the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe and North America are now spearheading the demand recovery in the oil market. In fact, demand outstripping supply has seen oil prices breach the $70 per barrel mark and, contrary to several instances in May when intra-day trading stood above $70 per barrel yet Brent settlements slid down eventually, the global benchmark is now comfortably above another threshold. Such a sequence of events would imply that Asian demand, with a 2-3 month time lag, should recover by summer, adding another much-needed thrust into the global recovery. Spot differentials have picked up on the heels of improving demand, consequently, changes in Middle Eastern OSPs for July 2021 were to be expected.

Surprising the market with the extent of its price increases, Saudi Aramco raised its light and medium grades by 10-50 cents per barrel. Arab Super Light saw the highest month-on-month increase, moving to a $2.85 per barrel premium over the Oman/Dubai average, the highest this year. Arab Extra Light, a slightly more sulfurous quality peer to Murban, was raised by 40 cents per barrel, to a $1.90 per barrel premium to Oman/Dubai. The surprise element in Aramcos July hike boils down to the relatively marginal changes in the Dubai cash-futures spread, considered to be a key parameter of price setting, rising only 10 cents per barrel month-on-month. The only outlier grade, the Asian OSPs of which were in fact decreased month-on-month from June, is Arab Heavy, having receded 10 cents per barrel from the $0.50 per barrel premium to Oman/Dubai last month. The primary reason for Arab Heavy losing traction lies in Asian fuel oil cracks remaining weak across Asia.

Graph 1. Saudi Aramco OSPs for Northwest Europe (vs ICE Bwave).



One of the main factors underlying the aggressive pricing policy of Saudi Aramco is the wide Brent-Dubai exchange of futures for swaps, abbreviated EFS, a market indicator that assesses the spread between light sweet crudes (such as Brent) and medium-heavy sour ones has continued to hover around the $3 per barrel mark and thus barring any sizeable amount of arbitrage barrels coming in from Europe or West Africa. Thus, East Asian refiners are finding long-haul voyages of light sweet grades, arguably the only sort that currently generates solid profits on the heels of convalescing gasoline cracks, rather uneconomical, allowing Saudi Aramco to hike differentials even on grades that tilt towards the heavier side.

Graph 2. Iraqi OSPs for Asia in 2018-2021 (vs Oman/Dubai average).



The Iraqi state oil marketer SOMO followed in the footsteps of Aramco and hiked its Asia-bound July OSPs for medium-heavy grades by 15-20 cents per barrel, simultaneously cutting Basrah Heavy prices by 10 cents per barrel to a -1.40 per barrel discount to the Oman/Dubai average. European official prices witnessed month-on-month hikes of 15-40 cents per barrel, with the Kirkuk July OSP rolled over from June. One of the most peculiar trends with regards to Iraqi pricing is the revival of sizeable US exports  this month will mark the highest monthly Iraqi arrivals since May 2020, at 220kbpd. Most of these barrels loaded in May; at that point, Iraqi grades, especially Basrah Heavy, emerged as an unexpectedly solid variant on the back of three consecutive months of US-bound price decreases.

Related: How An Oil Pipeline Hack Sent Bitcoin Prices Tumbling

There were no Basrah loadings so far in June that would indicate the US as their final destination, most probably reflecting on the OSP hikes last month. July, however, could once again see a rebound in Iraqi exports to the United States as SOMOs latest OSPs see across-the-board month-on-month cuts by 10-15 cents per barrel. Another noteworthy trend taking place in Iraq has been Baghdads gradual refinery modernization drive, with the 140kbpd Daura refinery launching a new continuous catalytic reforming unit that will boost gasoline production within the domestic downstream sector. Perhaps even more importantly, the 210kbpd Basrah refinery has started the construction of its own fluid catalytic cracker and a diesel desulphurization unit of similar scope, meaning that by 2024 (when the refinery upgrade is supposed to be ready) Basrah might see a different split of export grades by volume. Moreover, Iraq would phase out most of its tender-based gasoline imports by 2024-2025 which cost the government more than $2 billion per year.

Graph 3. Iraqi OSPs for Europe 2018-2021 (vs Dated Brent).



With five rounds of Vienna nuclear talks completed and presumably several more ahead, many refiners who were buying Iranian barrels in the pre-sanctions era started to prepare for their gradual return. Some Indian companies already indicated their readiness to buy Iranian, highlighting that before 2018 credit and freight terms offered by NIOC (i.e. deferred payment deadlines and the privilege of NIOCs own tanker fleet) often proved to be more commercially advantageous than other Middle Eastern variants. Cognizant of the above, the Iranian national oil company set its July 2021 official selling prices with a clear intent of wooing buyers  it hiked the Asia-bound price of Iranian Light by 10 cents per barrel (to a $1.6 per barrel premium over Oman/Dubai) and rolled over Iranian Heavy from June. With this, the Arab Light-Iranian Light spread rose to its highest since March 2020, at -$0.30 per barrel.

Graph 4. Iranian OSPs for Asia (vs Oman/Dubai average).



Even in the Mediterranean, the second-largest outlet pool for Iranian crude before 2018, NIOC chose to keep a solid 10/20 cents per barrel in contrast to Aramco pricing. It hiked the Iranian Light OSP by 80 cents per barrel to a -$2.95 per barrel discount to ICE Brent, i.e. 20 cents less than its direct Saudi peer Arab Light, whilst Iranian Heavy was increased by 50 cents to a -$4.7 per barrel discount to ICE, i.e. 10 cents less than Arab Medium. The likelihood that Iranian barrels would start flowing to Europe still remain extremely slim, nevertheless, Irans pricing decisions reflect its willingness to be flexible and go the extra mile to lure customers once it is allowed to export crude unimpeded.

Graph 5. ADNOC OSPs in 2017-2021 (Dubai/IFAD).



Following a rather volatile first month of trading in April, IFADs performance last month turned out to be much more robust and stable, proving that relying on market forces to set the forthcoming OSPs does indeed work in the Middle East (if needed). The formation period of the Dubai futures benchmark is still far from over - over the course of May, Morgan Stanley has joined the ranks of Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas to become an official clearing member of the IFAD exchange. Murbans July 2021 OSP settled at $66.70 per barrel, equivalent to a $1.67 per barrel premium to front-month Dubai assessments. As for Das and Umm Lulu differentials to Murban, ADNOC has rolled them over from June, opting to alter only the heavier Upper Zakum, by 10 cents per barrel m-o-m to a 50 cent discount to Murban.

By Gerald Jansen for Oilprice.com

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In its latest Monthly Oil Report, the IEA called on OPEC+ to increase production in order to counter higher demand in 2022.



The agency claimed that, based on current global economic growth expectations, demand for crude oil and petroleum products will be reaching pre-COVID levels by 2022. The Paris-based energy watchdog, which has come under fire after its shocking Net-Zero by 2050 report called for no more investments in oil and gas, stated that OPEC+ needs to open the taps to keep the world oil markets adequately supplied. At the same time, the IEA has also reiterated that market realities are at odds with its proposed strategies to reach net zero-emission levels by 2050. Criticism will likely be harsh for the former leading oil and gas agency, as the agency has called upon the world to double down on renewables and commit to the Paris Agreement while admitting that the global economy continues to demand vast amounts of hydrocarbons.

The relevance of some of these reports will have to be reassessed, especially when looking at the high-profile Golden Age of Gas report and the Net Zero by 2050 roadmap. When asked what needs to be done, the IEA indicated that the call on OPEC+ will be very strong, as the international oil and gas producers group will need to increase crude oil supply to the market by 1.4 million bpd in 2022. Which would mean a significant increase over its current July 2021-March 2022 targets.

The demand expectations of the IEA fall in line with some others, as OPEC, the EIA, and independent consultants, have stated before that demand for oil is going to increase substantially. Some even expect volumes in 2022 to be higher than 2019 levels, even as prices are increasing substantially.



A potential additional 1.4 million bpd on the market will not make a real dent in the current bull market. Even Irans additional oil exports, if a JCPOA deal is reached, will only mitigate some of the upward price risks. The main wildcard at present is US shale, which could be incentivized by higher crude prices to ramp up production.

The current market situation is very clear. OPEC+ is leading the sector, no matter what political strategies or activist shareholders at IOCs are planning. The market is still fully hydrocarbon addicted, and this will not change overnight.



The IEA also needs to reassess its current strategies and press approach, as a continuation of the diffuse Lala-land predictions will not make their case stronger.

As indicated by the IEA OMR report demand will increase by 5.36 million bpd in 2021, and another 3.07 million bpd in 2022. At the end of 2022, global demand is expected to be at 99.46 million b/d on average.

Related: Cambodias Only Oil-Producing Company Is About To Go Bust



This optimism in the market is widely shared, looking at price predictions from Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Citibank, with some analysts even predicting $100 per barrel in 2022.

Some possible hiccups in the market could be new strains of COVID-19 or vaccination setbacks, but at the moment, the likelihood of a full, new global lockdown seems small.



One of the main drivers of the oil recovery is the start of the summer driving season, and as Europe is opening up its borders to holidaymakers again, demand for gasoline and jet fuel are set to recover. The IEA expects jet fuel demand to grow by 1.5 million bpd in 2022, gasoline demand by 660,000 bpd, and diesel demand by 520,000 bpd. These predictions may turn out to be a bit conservative, as Europeans most probably will be using their cars to go abroad, and low-cost plane tickets could do the rest.

The IEAs call on OPEC+ is clear, as the group holds an official spare production capacity of 6.9 million bpd, even after the agreed output increases of the next couple of months. The call on non-OPEC producers is also growing, and the agency expects non-OPEC production to increase by another 710,000 bpd in 2021. The IEA is also remarkably optimistic about US production levels. It expects the US to add more than 900,000 bpd of supply next year, with Canada, Brazil, and Norway also contributing to production growth.



The main unknown or tricky part in all is what OPEC+ will decide during the coming months. Until now, the cartel has stuck to its output cut agenda, even as some leading members have expressed the desire to produce more.



The outcome of the Iranian nuclear deal negotiations is still hanging over the market, in the meantime, Tehrans troubles are a stabilizing factor in the market. By pressuring OPEC+, the IEA is playing with fire. The call to open up the taps will be seen by some as a green light for significant production increases. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Russia will not watch from the sidelines if others are opening up their taps. A possible reverse situation could be in the offing, as new oil on the market could easily push prices down, and indirectly boost demand. In the eyes of some IEA analysts and last weeks very active NGOs and activist funds, this would be a doomsday scenario for the climate change agreements. For OPEC+ producers the situation is looking increasingly bright, and with prices and demand rising, revenues will shoot up too.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com

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Renewable energy is going gangbusters. The remarkable and unstoppable growth of green energy has been on the horizon for a long time now, with technologies like wind and solar becoming competitively cost-effective and even cheaper than some fossil fuels in most of the world, electric cars becoming more and more accessible and mainstream, and as more consumers become more concerned about their own personal carbon footprints role in the warming of the planet. While the global clean energy transition has been a long time coming, we seem to have reached a tipping point, going from far-off aspirations and pleading from environmentalists and climate scientists to an in-earnest, urgent movement over the course of 2020. The move towards renewables was undoubtedly catalyzed by the spread of the novel coronavirus, which brought the usually unstoppable momentum of industrial and economic business as usual to a screeching halt at the beginning of last year. As demand for fossil fuels lagged and the bottom fell out of the petroleum market, it seemed possible, for the first time in recent memory and perhaps even since the industrial revolution, to redirect the trajectory of the global economy away from oil, coal, and gas and toward a greener, more renewable future.

Against this backdrop, the World Economic Forum advocated for the development of a new energy orderand a great reset, and world leaders around the globe got serious about cleaning up their countries ecological footprints with green stimulus plans. As NPR reported almost exactly one year ago, around the world leaders see opportunity in the global pandemic to address the other big problem humanity faces: climate change. These leaders included such big-name international agencies as the United Nations, the International Energy Agency, and the European Union. Even the private sector got on board as a surprising number of blue chip companies pushed for a green energy stimulus in the United States.

Related: Turkey Makes Moves To Become An Energy Hub

And clean energy did indeed take off. In fact, the global renewable energy industry grew faster in 2020 than it has since 1999. Renewable energy installation increased by 45 percent compared to 2019. Wind power capacity alone doubled in 2020, while solas growth rate shot up nearly 50% over pre-pandemic levels.

But now, that seemingly unstoppable growth trend has hit a serious speed bump. As the world reopens and the global and national economies begin to return to normal, the clean energy industry has run into the same problem as so many other economic sectors--there just arent enough workers. In the case of the renewable energy sector, the issue isnt that there is a workforce that simply isnt applying. The problem is that the industry is expanding so rapidly that there simply arent enough qualified and skilled workers to fill the huge swath of new job openings in the field.

Clean energy giants are finding a shortage of workers with the skills needed to support their ambitious growth plans, Bloomberg Green recently reported. In the words of clean energy CEO Miguel Stilwell, of the Portuguese renewables firm EDP Renovaveis SA, Theres a war over talent globally. He went on to tell Bloomberg, the renewable sector, given the massive amount of growth that is expected, doesnt have enough people. In the case of EDP Renovaveis, one of the global industry leaders, the firms ambitious growth plans for the next two years would require hiring an additional 1,300 employees.

As countries rush to significantly increase spending in this sector and push for growth, the industry is quite simply running out of qualified candidates to staff the global clean energy transition. The industry has been touted as a potential source for major job growth for years now, but training and educating an entirely new generation of workers, especially to such a relatively nascent and constantly advancing and shifting industry, takes time. Meanwhile, the wheels of progress continue to turn at a brisk clip. Solar generation capacity is expected to triple by the end of the decade, while wind capacity is expected to more than double over the same period, Bloomberg Green reports. The clean energy revolution is sorely needed, as are clean energy jobs in a market suffering from high unemployment rates. Eventually, these needs will come together, but in the meantime, its going to be a major growing pain for the clean energy sector.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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Two commodity trading giants are betting big on a Russian oil project in a rare move that could make or break the oil traders fates - and oil market observers should be paying close attention. When commodity trading major Trafigura bought a 10-percent stake in Rosnefts Vostok Oil project, oil prices were trading below $50 per barrel. There were also forecasts that oil demand may never recover to pre-pandemic levels and that oil, in general, was on its way out.

Now, Trafiguras peer Vitol has joined the company in its bet on eastern Siberian crude. Vitol, in a consortium with Mercantile & Maritime, sealed a deal with Rosneft last week for the acquisition of a 5-percent interest in the megaproject. Reuters has compared the project with the oil development of western Siberia in the 1970s and the U.S. Bakken play more recently.

Vostok Oil fully deserves its megaproject title. With reserves estimated at 2.6 billion tons of crude, equal to some 19 billion barrels, the group of fields that the Vostok Project spans could produce up to 100 million tons of crude annually once it reaches full capacity. Rosneft itself estimates the reserves of the fields at up to 44 billion barrels.

The cost of developing the vast project is only fitting, at some $140 billion (10 trillion rubles) throughout its lifetime. Even with such a price tag, the project is expected to be profitable at an oil price of $35-40 per barrel.

Some medium- to long-term oil price forecasts see oil at these levels because of the energy transition. However, not all agree, especially now that we are all witnessing how fast oil demand is rebounding in key consuming markets. Brent crude is trading at more than $72 per barrel, and even West Texas Intermediate this week crossed the $70 threshold. There is already talk about $100 oil. Forecasts may need to be revised.

The world consumes oil, but is not ready to invest in it, Rosnefts chief executive Igor Sechin said earlier this month in his keynote speech. In the same speech, Sehin warned that Big Oils low-carbon plan to reduce oil and gas exploration and production would lead to a deficit of supply.

This trend [of low upstream investment] may become a new norm for global majors and result in resource base depletion. The world runs the risk of facing an acute deficit of oil and gas, Sechin said.

Of course, the head of the company leading the development of all those billions of barrels in eastern Siberian oil reserves has a vested interest in forecasting a deficit that would ensure the sustainability of the megaproject. The thing is, Sechin is far from the only one predicting a deficit of oil and gas due to low investments in new production.

The International Energy Agency last month shocked the energy world by calling for an end to new oil and gas exploration investment by the end of this year or 2022 at the latest. This would be required, the IEA said, if the world hopes to reach its 2050 net-zero goals. Yet in its latest monthly oil report, the same agency called on OPEC+ to boost production to avoid a further spike in oil prices. It also revised up its demand outlook for this year and next.

What this means is that even short-term forecasts about oil demand are a challenge. If they are a challenge, then it would be reasonable to suggest that long-term demand forecasts would be even more challenging. And what Trafigura and Vitol are doing is a rare example of commodity traders planning for long-term oil demand.

Related: The Renewable Energy Revolution Has A Major Employment Problem

Reuters noted in a report on the Vitol news that it is not common practice among commodity traders to invest directly in upstream oil and gas projects. However, Vostok Oil is obviously an exception because it offers them access to long-term stable supply for the worlds key demand growth market: Asia.

The energy transition is underway in Europe and, with a lag, in the United States. But in Asia, for all the wind and solar generation capacity of China, crude oil will continue to play a pivotal role. And Russias eastern Siberian fields are a comfortably short distance away via the Northern Sea Route, which will keep the oil competitive.

Trafigura paid some $$8.83 billion (7.3 billion euro) for its 10 percent in Vostok Oil. Most of the money came from a loan from a Russian bank, but the commodity trader did wager $1.82 billion (1.5 billion euro) of its own cash on the Russian project. Details about the Vitol deal have not been disclosed, but the Trafigura stake price tag is some indication about the second deals value.

When a commodity trader makes a rare direct investment in an oil and gas production project, it is worth noting. When the commodity trader does it at a time when the oddsat least the political oddsseem to be stacked against oil, the news of such an investment becomes even more important. It means that politics is one thing and actual energy demand reality is another.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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The U.S. Supreme Court has tossed the appeal of five international oil giants to have the lawsuits against them filed by San Francisco and Oakland in California courts to be moved to a federal court.

The two cities in California have been suing the oil supermajors ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP, and Shell since 2018, alleging that the carbon emissions from their fossil fuel production had created an unlawful public nuisance. The companies have produced and promoted the use of massive amounts of fossil fuels, despite being aware that emissions from those fuels would cause severe and even catastrophic climate change impacts, the complaints by San Francisco and Oakland allege.

The cities want billions of dollars in damages from the climate change caused by the oil companies.

The oil giants, however, have argued that it is the jurisdiction of a federal court to rule on such lawsuits because emissions cross state borders.

Analysts have said that Big Oil is seeking federal court proceedings in all those climate cases filed by cities as the supermajors are hoping for a more favorable ruling in federal court.

In a ruling on a similar case last month, the Supreme Court sided with the oil firms, ruling that a case brought against 20 oil companies by the city of Baltimore be moved to a federal court in a potentially big win for the defendants.



Related: Leak Reported At Chinese Nuclear Power Plant

Baltimore sued the companies, which include Shell, BP, and Exxon, in 2018 for withholding information from the public about the risks their products carried. The city argued it had suffered damage from climate-change-related events caused by the companies business, including rising sea levels and extreme weather.

The defendants, for their part, argued that it would be fairer for such a case to be heard by a federal court. Their request for the case to be moved was denied once by a federal trial judge and was then basically dropped by a federal appeals court, which cited its lack of power to move the case.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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Arts-and-theatre

Thomas Wilkins takes final bow as director of Omaha Symphony

CASEY WOOD Retiring Omaha Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins acknowledges one of many standing ovations at his final concert on Saturday night at the Holland Center. CASEY WOOD Retiring Omaha Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins and saxophonist Branford Marsalis exchange a fist bump after Marsalis' solo on Saturday night. A longtime friend of the maestro, Marsalis was the featured guest artist at Wilkins' final performance in a 16-year tenure with the orchestra. CASEY WOOD Famed saxophonist Branford Marsalis plays a piece by composer John Williams on Saturday night as Omaha Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins conducts. The concert marked the end of Wilkins 16-year tenure with the orchestra. CASEY WOOD Famed saxophonist Branford Marsalis plays a piece by John Williams as Omaha Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins conducts. CASEY WOOD Old friends wait to go onstage: Saxophonist Branford Marsalis and Omaha Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins performed together in the maestro's final concert with the Omaha Symphony on Saturday night. CASEY WOOD Standing ovations were plentiful and prolonged at Thomas Wilkins' final concert as music director of the Omaha Symphony.

A record for standing ovations might have been broken Saturday night at the Holland Center.

The occasion was the final concert for Omaha Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins, who is retiring, and it was an emotional and heartfelt tribute from beginning to end.

Were glad youre here to celebrate our 100th anniversary and to say farewell to Thomas Wilkins at the end of an incredible 16-year tenure, symphony President and CEO Jennifer Boomgaarden told the audience at the outset of the evening.

Then Wilkins stepped onstage, prompting the nights first prolonged standing ovation.

Press Club honor starts Thomas Wilkins' final week with Omaha Symphony Retiring Omaha Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins became the Omaha Press Clubs 164th Face on the Barroom Floor at a roast on Monday night.

Remarkable things followed:

A world premiere of Lift Up Thine Ears, a piece the maestro commissioned from composer Michael Daugherty for the symphonys century landmark.

Wilkins told the crowd that he wanted a piece that would celebrate the orchestras great talent and honor the community.

It appeared he got what he asked for: The evenings second ovation, which lasted at least five minutes, was the crowds blessing for the new piece and a thank you for the parting gift from the popular conductor.

The work was beautiful and complex, with inspiration from William Shakespeare, Martin Luther King Jr. and Emily Dickinson, according to program notes by Daugherty, a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who was on hand for the premiere and took bows with Wilkins.

It was amazing what emotions I felt, one audience member said of the piece as he was leaving the concert. Another said she got choked up as she listened.

Next Omaha Symphony season, first under new director, will feature many American works Works by a wide array of American composers  including the first Black composer to win a Pulitzer Prize  are among the highlights of the coming Omaha Symphony season.

A performance from saxophonist Branford Marsalis, member of a renowned New Orleans family of musicians and former bandleader on The Tonight Show. Hes a longtime friend of Wilkins.

He played Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra by John Williams, who has won Academy Awards for his movie scores.

At the end of the piece, Wilkins hugged Marsalis a couple of times, and they exchanged a fist bump.

The third ovation was almost as long as the first two.

Old friends reconnect for 'Temporary Insanity' at Bellevue Little Theatre Things to do for arts lovers: A world-premiere play in Bellevue, a side-splitting musical about the guy who invented the printing press and an Art Deco show at the Joslyn.

A compelling video tribute to Wilkins introduced by symphony board President David Slosburg featuring orchestra members, former guest artists and friends from across the country.

He (is leaving) a very uplifting legacy, said cellist Joshua Roman, a popular guest performer.

Concertmaster Susanna Perry Gilmore spoke of his leadership.

He encouraged us to listen to each other and take full ownership of our (sound), she said.

At the end of the video, Slosburg named Wilkins the Omaha Symphonys music director laureate in recognition of your leadership, humility, humanitarian efforts and the place you hold in our hearts.

You are welcome back to our stage anytime, Slosburg said.

Cue another ovation.

A stirring performance of Edward Elgars Enigma Variations. The ceremonious final variation  in which all of the musicians were playing most of the time  provided a triumphant end to Wilkins Omaha story.

The final applause was the longest of all, with multiple whoops and three curtain calls. Nobody wanted to leave.

Summer concerts: Ready for some live music? Here's the artists and bands coming to Nebraska Concert lineups are moving targets for venues as shows from 2020 are rescheduled and new acts are added nationwide. The most-anticipated dates are noted here. Good luck getting those tickets.

People across the country and perhaps around the world saw the concert livestreamed on the symphonys website. And it was a featured performance at the League of American Orchestras annual conference, which started June 7.

Omahan Becky Nicholson, who has been a regular at symphony concerts since Wilkins joined in 2005, said the evening was superb yet bittersweet.

He has done a lot with education and brought in diverse artists, she said. And he has really done a lot for the community.

Amid all the tributes, Wilkins had something to say about his emotions as he moves on.

I want to say that this baton I have in my hand and wave on a regular basis doesnt make a sound, he said. Its only in the midst of these beautiful people behind me that beauty happens.

And, he said to the crowd, everything happens on this stage with the love and support of you.

Ankush Kumar Bahl takes over as the music director in August, and Wilkins said hes excited about the future of the orchestra.

My prayer for him is that you will do for him as you have done for me, Wilkins said. And, as my grandmother would say, may God bless you so profoundly that it makes your head spin.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A former government contractor who was given the longest federal prison sentence imposed for leaks to the news media has been released from prison to home confinement, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.

Reality Winner, 29, has been moved to home confinement and remains in the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons, the person said. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

She pleaded guilty in 2018 to a single count of transmitting national security information. Winner was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, which prosecutors said at the time was the longest ever imposed for leaking government information to the news media.

Her release was hailed as a cause for celebration after advocates had spent years fighting for her release or a pardon. Her lawyer, Alison Grinter Allen, said in a statement that Winner and her family are working to heal the trauma of incarceration and build back the years lost.

She said they are relieved and hopeful after her release from prison.
LINCOLN  Kelly Hoagland and Maria Salas Valdez expected to walk out of a Dixon County courtroom a year ago as the legal parents of the child they had been raising since birth.

Instead, they were stunned to hear the judge at the hearing declare that he was tossing out their adoption petition.

Describing himself as old-fashioned, Dixon County Judge Douglas Luebe told them that the plain ordinary language of state adoption law does not permit a wife and wife to adopt. Any other conclusion, he continued, would turn the court into an imagination station.

I was shocked, Hoagland said. I had to turn around and ask the lawyer, did he just say what I thought he said? I couldnt understand why he did what he did.

The turn of events left the Wakefield, Nebraska, couple in dismay and their daughter, Yasmin, in legal limbo.

The story was different two weeks ago, when the family returned to the courthouse in Ponca, Nebraska, with a different judge presiding and a Nebraska Supreme Court decision in their hands.
Chief Executive Officer of Engineers & Planners, Michael Ibrahim Mahama, has shared the story of how he moved from a place of nothing to become the big businessman he is today.



According to Mr Mahama, it was only through Gods intervention and destiny that he met a man he called Uncle Seth who helped him to start his business.



The businessman made the revelation while giving a testimony in church recently. He was at the Grace Chapel for the launch of a book called Destiny.



I believe in destiny because if it wasnt for destiny I wouldnt have met Uncle Seth, he said. Speaking to the congregants and other guests, Mr Mahama recounted that he returned to Ghana from the United Kingdom in 1997.



Upon his return, the only property he had was a motorbike but he was bent on setting up a business which required some vehicles. Though he did not have the money to buy the vehicles, he went to town to make some enquiries and got to meet Uncle Seth by chance.



By providence, Uncle Seth, whose business was in the same building as that of Mr Mahamas late mother, Joyce Tamakloe, liked him and even treated him like an adopted son.



Through the new relationship, Uncle Seth gave him three pickup vehicles to start his business with.



I came from the UK in 1997 to start a small business and all I wanted to do was to rent one, two machines.



When I came I didnt have a car. I had a motorcycle. I dont know what took me to some corner to look for a vehicle to buy and I met Uncle Seth.



So when I go I will laugh and talk with him. He will do me a favour by giving me the car, he said. And the business has not looked back since that time, he said, adding that: The business has grown so big that I cant even manage it alone.

Source: yen.con









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Some banks across the globe have responded to the pandemic by focusing on employee and customer health, payment relief and immediate business stabilisation (capital preservation, in particular).



For the majority of organisations, sustainability became less of a priority, or was, at the very least, relegated to the bottom of the boardroom agenda. Despite this, many argue that in a post-pandemic world, environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies will be pivotal to rebuilding and growing the economy. If so, how do African banks successfully incorporate ESG into overarching business imperatives and make a positive impact in the communities and environment that they operate in whilst retaining profitability?



Lead rather than follow



We have already seen tighter regulations, increasing policymaker expectations and civil society pressures to comply with ESG requirements. Whats more, investors are overly cautious about risk mitigation, given the current environment; acknowledging the inherent exposures that climate change and social discontent bring with them. Not forgetting younger generations advocating powerfully for more sustainable modes of living and of doing business, that increasingly only want to bank with institutions who they deem to be ethical and responsible.



Organisations can no longer afford to approach sustainability as a nice to have or as a function separate from the real business. It is critical that ESG principles become a central discussion in the boardroom, and that specific committees or roles are dedicated to achieving set goals - ensuring that sustainability is embedded within the core business strategy and operating model. This could include the appointment of senior roles for sustainability, tasked to lead ongoing strategy and implementation.



Ultimately, banks should be responsible for driving the industry agenda forward (bringing specific ESG deadlines closer) and going above and beyond, rather than simply complying with current legislative frameworks and waiting on additional rules to be enforced.



Balancing green and green



One obvious area of contribution is green financing - directing funds towards sustainable companies, investments and initiatives that generate the most positive environmental, social and economic impact, and by supporting clients to transition to more sustainable business models.



In Africa, ESG considerations are becoming increasingly important in lending decisions, especially those which include natural resources and extraction. Lenders now place additional focus on the impact of the funding on a countrys developmental goals, the environment and its people.



However, as one would expect, a significant portion of the balance sheet includes so-called brown assets, and consequently, banks will need to find a balance between profit and fiduciary duties towards shareholders, and the achievement of ESG targets.



Of course, simply pulling the plug on certain investments - such as those involving coal and energy producers in countries that rely heavily on the resource to generate base load electricity - could result in detrimental consequences, including wide-scale unemployment and a complete economic halt. Yes, banks will start shifting towards funding that meets specific green criteria, however, data and extensive information gathering will be required to outline potential scenarios and how best to address them.



Having said this, the cost of renewable energy is certainly decreasing, and technology is evolving, making implementation and adoption much easier. While the continent has far to go in maximising energy security and implementing sustainable energy sources, great strides have been made in varying the energy mix. Other facets banks are able to explore are loans focused on green home improvements, ESG connected bonds/ funds or partnering with development financial institutions (DFIs) to achieve specific aspirations.



Measurement, measurement and measurement



One of the biggest sector debates around ESG has been the effective measurement of success. Specific targets need to be set, whether this starts with internal auditing of paper usage, carbon emissions or the extent of green financing. Perhaps it could entail a customer and community trust index or highlight the contribution made to the development of small businesses, education and continental capacity building. Here, it is essential that every level of the business participates, and that all employees are held accountable. Sector cooperation also allows for standard evaluation processes.



Tracking and reporting environmental impact metrics, alongside financial metrics, provides organisations with a full view of business performance. This can help focus efforts to ensure results, increase accountability and transparency towards stakeholders, and highlight operational inefficiencies and cost saving opportunities.



Absa Group Limited is one of the funding signatories of the UNs Principles for Responsible Banking, joining a coalition of banks globally who want to play an active role in shaping a sustainable future. These Principles provide Absa with the tools to capitalise on new business opportunities within the sustainable development economy, whilst effectively managing risk.



Going forward, it is clear that institutions that dont start considering ESG in every decision (operational and strategic), will inevitably inhibit ongoing growth plans, and will also become the unwilling targets of regulatory and public scrutiny. Now is the time to embrace (green) possibilities.



Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Public Relations Unit of NLA would like to state categorically that KGL is NOT indebted to NLA by an amount of GHS 55Million as has been stated by one Kwaku Antwi-Boadu, a supposed spokesperson for faceless Lotto Marketing Companies.



We would like to urge the general public, stakeholders and media to totally and wholly disregard the defamatory statement in circulation against KGL Technology Limited issued by one Kwaku Antwi-Boadu who claims to be the spokesperson for the Lotto Marketing Companies. The only recognized LMCs is the Members of Association of Lotto Marketing Companies.



Setting the records straight:

1. NLA/KGL Contract is one of the best so far. This contract is also NOT full of scandals as is being alleged by Kwaku Antwi-Boadu and his LMCs.



2. NLA/KGL Contract NEVER poses any threat to human security as is being alleged by Kwaku Antwi-Boadu and his group.



3. KGL has totally and completely respected the contract that it has with NLA. It is also NEVER true that KGL Contract has collapsed NLA and rendered the members of the LMCs jobless.



4. It is NEVER true that there are over 120,000 LMCs across the country. It is a complete lie with data to dispute the allegation. Again, it is NEVER true that the KGL contract will increase unemployment rate in the Country.



5. It is NEVER true that KGL has not fulfilled its payments to NLA under the company's provisional license.



6. Furthermore, it is NEVER true that KGL is indebted to NLA to the tune of 55million Ghana Cedis. That is a complete fabrication from dishonest individuals who do not understand laws of contract and whose only desire is to discredit and destroy the reputation of KGL Technology Limited and National Lottery Authority(NLA).



KGL is fully committed to the fulfillment of its obligations under the company's provisional license.



If Kwaku Antwi-Boadu and his group have been able to co-exist with the illegal Lotto Operators/Agents/Writers for the last 33 years then certainly the request by Kwaku Antwi-Boadu and his LMCs for the cancellation of NLA-KGL digitalization contract is completely baseless and without logical reasoning.



The NLA/KGL Contract is in line with the Governments digitalization Programme at the National Lottery Authority(NLA).



The Government through the Ministry of Finance, National Lottery Authority (NLA) and KGL Technology Limited would institute NLA-KGL Stabilization Fund to address the concerns of Lotto Marketing Companies who feel threatened by the digitalization programme of NLA in partnership with KGL Technology Limited.



Digitalization of Lottery has come to stay and absolutely no noise, demonstration, propaganda and defamatory statements by known and unknown faces can destroy the project.





Source: Head of PR, NLA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Two persons have been arrested by the police for their alleged connection in a kidnapping accident at Abeka Lapaz in Accra.



The two, Abdula Saeed and Kudjo Akorlor were arrested in their hideout.



This was after a sister of the victim (name withheld) reported the incident to the police.



According to the police, the suspects had allegedly demanded GHS1,000 from the victims sister through mobile money transfer and still demanded more money after their transfer had been made.



After the suspects second demand for money, the victims sister called the police who managed to arrest the suspects from their hideout and rescued the victim.



The complainant called the Police who managed to arrest the suspects from their hideout and rescued the victim.







Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Old Students Association of Achimota School has cautioned against the imposition of decisions on the management of school administrators without their express concern.



According to the association, this will erode the years of successful school administration with time tested mechanism.



The caution follows a ruling by the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court on Monday, May 31, 2021, that ordered the School to admit two Rastafarian students, Tyron Iras Marhguy and Oheneba Nkrabea, who were denied admission by the institution because of their dreadlocks.



In the ruling, the Human Rights Court One presided over by Justice Gifty Adjei Addo, held that failure to admit the two students because of their dreadlocks, which is a manifestation of their religious right is a violation of their human rights, right to education, and dignity.



The court, in separate judgments, ordered Achimota School to admit the students to continue their education.



But speaking at an Annual General Meeting at the Old Achimotan Association (OAAN), the president of the association and former vice-chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey said forcing change could be dangerous for school administration.



He said, There are many things that are changing around us, some of which we can control, we have to learn to live with them, but when you see change being forced in a manner that defiles your basic rules and would lead to other things that you cannot do anything about, it becomes worrisome.



He was of the view that change must be managed slowly and not be imposed on institutions, Let us manage change slowly, its always good for institutions whether its the church, whether its university, whether its schools to manage change gradually and must not be forced on you.



He added It is not about two Rasta young men, I have seen them, I met them in court, they look to me like nice young boys but I need to be thinking about the bigger picture. Where this post-modernism is leading us, where will it end, who are those riding behind this? There are people who are taking advantage of what is going on not because they believe in Rastafarianism.







Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana will use her position at the United Nations Security Council to push for equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for Africa, Ms Shirley Ayorko Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, said on Monday.



She said it was a shame that Africa, with a population of 1.2 billion, had received less than 15 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, despite having financial resources to purchase them, while the advanced countries in Europe and the Americas were having access to inoculate their citizens.



She said Ghana would, therefore, push for Africa to have the intellectual rights to produce her own vaccines for inoculation of her citizens and to deal with future health pandemics.



Ms Botchwey said Ghana was chosen by the European Union during its recent meeting in Brussels to host the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing base in Africa while President Akufo-Addo had already constituted a team of experts to ensure the realisation of the agenda.



She announced this at the Minister's media briefing in Accra on Monday, following Ghana's election to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member on Friday, June 11, 2021.



Ghana was the endorsed candidate for ECOWAS to the UN Security Council and obtained 185 votes out of the 190 votes cast by the member states present.



The theme chosen for the two-year tenure at the Security Council, is: "Enhancing Global Peace and Security for Sustainable and Inclusive Development," which reflects the vision of ECOWAS in ensuring peace and a resilient environment.



The Minister said Ghana's tenure at the UN Council run from January 2022 to December 2023 and would bring her values, experiences and expertise to bear on the UN's conversations towards ensuring global peace and development.



Ms Botchwey said Ghana would use her position at the Security Council to influence discussions on peace and security, especially on matters affecting Africa and find solutions to them.



Seventy per cent of issues on security at the UN Security Council related to Africa, therefore Ghana would strengthen and deepen cooperation and complementability with the UN and other regional bodies towards enhancing coordinated actions in resolving the security challenges, she said.



Additionally, it would strengthen burden sharing arrangements to mobilise financial support for Africa's regional and continental peace and security initiatives, Ms Botchwey said.



It would also work tirelessly to address violent extremism, terrorism, malicious cyber activities and trafficking of arms towards ensuring sustainable peace and security in Africa, particularly in the Sahel and the West African sub-region.



Other important matters the nation would work towards addressing include climate change challenges, youth unemployment and women empowerment,

Ms Botchwey said.



Ghana is ranked 10th globally as the United Nations' Peacekeeping force, therefore she would work towards ensuring better welfare and effective peacekeeping operations for her soldiers on peacekeeping missions.

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.

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The governments flagship programme, One-District, One-Factory (1D1F), in the Western Region is progressing steadily as some factories engaged in rubber processing and ceramics have fully taken off.



Other factories under the programme are at various stages of completion or are sourcing funding to speed up the process in their quest to add value to the enormous raw materials the region is endowed with.



The 1D1F, which is the key component of the government's industrialisation agenda across the country, is expected to create jobs, change the local economy, transform lives and propel growth.



The factories



In the Western Region, out of hundreds of business proposals submitted, about 40 have been approved. The approved companies are expected to go into various forms of manufacturing.



The areas covered include cement grinding for construction, processing natural rubber to rubber products, tiles production, production of coconut oil, paint and glue, production of activated carbons, fish processing, natural rubber processing, production of roofing sheets and nails.



The others are the manufacture of ceramics and tiles, salt, caustic soda production, palm kernel oil/cake oil palm processing and aquaculture production, production of oil palm and bar charcoal, production of jute sacks, livestock production and processing cocoa into liquor powder.



The companies are also looking at natural fruit drinks production, vehicle tyre factory, aquaculture and bamboo charcoal, production of gas cylinders, cassava processing, production of quarry chips from boulders, processing of cocoa husks to potassium salt, among others.



An interaction with some of the officials of companies who are putting up their structures and installing machinery indicated that within the shortest possible time, more factories would start the production of industrial starch, oil palm, cocoa processing, cocoa liquor and palm kernel among others.



The factories indicated that the main target markets for the palm kernel, cocoa liquor and starch from cassava among others were outside the country. However, local manufacturing companies who hitherto sourced those materials from outside the country had visited the factories and were eager to be part of the off-takers.



Challenges, interventions



One of the challenges faced by the companies that is slowing the progress of work is funding, which is not forthcoming from the financial institutions assigned to them under the project.



Many of the promoters have had to resort to sourcing funding from private, family, personal and other sources to enable them to actualise the initiative.



The Western Region, which is home to a considerable number of natural resources, has these factories carefully selected and sited near raw materials to serve as feedstock for sustainable production.



It makes it feasible for industries that use rubber products such as tyre manufacture, rubber estate, as well as cocoa processing, ceramics, palm and cassava to source their raw materials from farms in the region.



When contacted, the Western Regional Director of Trade, Mr Isaac Yankson, described the 1D1F as a good intervention even though it was moving at a slow pace due to financial challenges.



Majority of the financial institutions assigned to those prospective companies, he said, were yet to extend their support, making the initiative in the region slower than expected.



He said although things were currently not working as planned, a lot would happen soon with the abundance of raw materials in the region which would make the factories sustainable.



Meanwhile, other companies such as Twyford in the Shama District and Ghana Rubber Estate (GREL) in the Ahanta West Municipality are operating and have impacted the lives of some of the youth through employment at their companies.



Progress



At one of the factories known as the Amenfi Farms at Wasa-Akropong in the Amenfi East Municipality, work is progressing even though they are yet to receive funding. A document made available to the Daily Graphic indicates that the cost of the proposed Amenfi Farms project, which is yet to take off, is estimated at GH13.1 million.



From the document, the GH13.1 million has been approved but is yet to be made available to the company. However, due to the high demand from the off-takers, the promoter of the business, Mr Andy Gyan, said they had to source funding from elsewhere, which was an uphill task.



The project, he said, was currently about 96 per cent complete, adding that from this month, the engineers would be doing the inauguration of the equipment, which included the motor and water tests, then finally introduce cassava to produce the first starch  then commercial production would begin.



He said for the proposed amount for the factory under 1D1F, we went through the process ourselves, but I must say that we got some incentives under the 1D1F which made it easier for us to clear the machinery at the port duty-free.



Mr Gyan said aside from the incentive for the clearing, they had not received any other form of funding and did not know which company they were assigned to for assistance.



After the inception, we were working closely with a financial institution which was not able to meet their demand, he explained.

Raw material, off-takers



On the availability of raw material for production, Mr Gyan said the region had arable land for the production of enough cassava for the factory to meet the demand coming in.



He said, however, that one of the serious challenges they were likely to face was the threat of the activities of illegal miners (galamsey). We have some space for growing, but due to the degradation by the illegal mining activities, getting enough land for our out-growers will be a challenge, he said.



He said from the demand, the factory, within the shortest possible time, would have to be expanded and we have plans for that, but the challenge for the expansion and increasing our growers is a problem now.



Mr Gyan said areas for expansion and growing of cassava were within the degraded areas and that would mean that we have to spend a lot of money for reclamation. This means that if we get a 1,000-acre cassava farm, the cost will triple because the land has to be reclaimed first, allowed to fallow for some time before the farmers can plant, Mr Gyan said.



The 1D1F, he said, was a serious panacea to address the slow growth of the industrial sector in the country; however, there was the need to ensure that the perfect ambiance was created for the take-off.



Asked who the off-takers were and if there were demands locally and internationally, Mr Gyan said before the interaction with the Daily Graphic, they had received calls from people wanting to know when production would commence.



Just before you arrived, we had received calls from Promasidor Ghana, which is the leading provider of high-quality food products across the country, Unilever Ghana, Nestle Ghana  all Ghanaian industries  who are already expressing interest, in addition to our Chinese off-takers, he said.



Cocoa processing



In the area of cocoa processing, some companies are into value addition that will process cocoa from the raw beans into finished products ready for consumption.

That is expected to significantly cut the importation of finished beverages into the country, thereby creating jobs and saving the country from imports.



At the Plot Communities at Eshiem in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, construction work was progressing steadily for a factory that will process raw cocoa into finished products.



The Head of Procurement at Plot Communities, Mr Emmanuel Dzisah, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, said more than 60 per cent of steel and other civil works had been done and the rest were progressing. What is outstanding is the roof over the utility building, he added.



He said the next phase was the installation of the equipment, adding that all internal partitioning had been done, as well as first phases of plumbing and electrical works, with few fixtures and fittings remaining.



He said the machines were already in the country and would be accessing government support under the 1D1F to clear them from the port.



The project is estimated at $6.8 million, he said, adding that the company had received part of the amount for the project and would also clear the plants currently at the port under the 1D1F duty-free.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for New Juaben South Constituency in the Eastern Region, Mr Michael Okyere Kofi Baafi, has called on residents in the constituency not to politicise the ongoing tree planting exercise.

That, he said, would enable the government to achieve the purpose for which the exercise was meant.



He therefore asked them to put political affiliation aside and join hands to ensure the success of the exercise.



Mr Baafi made the call when he joined residents of the area, personnel from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), personnel from the Forestry Commission, the police, schoolchildren, traders, chiefs and religious bodies at the ongoing tree planting exercise organised by the Forestry Commission and the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly as well as the MP for the area at Nkubemu, a suburb of Koforidua on Friday (June 11).



Tree species



In all 1,000 out of 30,000 varieties of tree seedlings were planted within the municipality.



Some of the tree species are coconut, mango, oil palm, mahogany, Odoom, willow, avocado (pear), orange polinatia, montallis, cyber and shade among others.



Political affiliation



He said politicising the Green Ghana project would not make the programme a success; as such the people should put aside political affiliations and plant trees to replenish those that had been cut in the area and also protect water bodies.



"It is not only members or supporters of the NPP or NDC who will benefit from the tree planting exercise but all of us, as such we should do away with politics and embrace the exercise fully to ensure its success.



"This will help preserve the ecology of the area for the present and future generations," the MP stated.



Nurture seedlings



Mr Baafi told the people not only to plant the tree seedlings but to continue to water them to grow, adding that it was the responsibility of everyone in the area to do so.



The MP indicated that his office would collaborate with the Forestry Commission to engage people on the project to nurture the seedlings to get the needed results.



He appealed to all assembly members in the municipality to lead the tree planting exercise in their respective electoral areas to enable the people to show more interest in it.



The Deputy Eastern Regional Director of the Forestry Commission, Mr Poku Bosompem, for his part advised the people to plant a seedling on any spot that they cut a tree, explaining that it would go a long way in the fight against climate change.



He also emphasised that the trees when fully grown would serve as windbreaks.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso now aspiring Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Mayor, Kennedy Kwasi Kankam, together with past Finance Officer Mr Daniel Kofi Kamkam and Coordinating Director, Mr Samuel Donkor have been indicted by the audit service for misapplying funds.



The trio, according to the findings of an audit report of the financial management of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) for the year ending 31st December, 2020, transfered a sum of GHc 500,000 from the MPs Constituency Labour Project Fund and Social Investment Fund to Barclays Bank Ghana Limited (currently Absa Bank Ltd.), Kroform branch suspense account.



According to the report, the former Nhyiaeso MP is alleged to have given instructions for the amount to be disbursed to 430 'unknown' people as a loan with the intent to recoup or recoverable by August 2020.



But as at January 2021 no recovery had been made, thus exposing the Assembly to a high risk of losing the GH500,000.00, which could have funded projects to the benefit of the entire community.  the report said



The Audit Service recommended that Kankam and the officials involved should take steps to recover the amount into the KMA Member of Parliament for Nhyiaesos Common Fund account.



Read the FULL Audit report below:





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Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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In an enigmatic message, Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has tweeted three Nigerian flags with no other comment.



Local media have interpreted the message as showing support for Saturday's protests against poor governance and the suspension of the microblogging platform.







Mr Dorsey's tweet attracted comments from Nigerians who are using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access the app.Twitter is in discussions with the Nigerian government after it was banned in the country on 4 June.The ban came after the app deleted President Mohammadu Buhari's tweet but the presidency said the ban was not connected with that action.Mr Dorsey has attracted the ire of the authorities in the past when he appeared to back last year's #EndSARS protests against police brutality.Nigerians on Saturday took to the streets to demonstrate over what they see as poor governance, lack of democracy and the Twitter ban.Police fired teargas at the protesters and several were arrested, according to local media.In his speech on Saturday, to mark Democracy Day in the country, the president admitted that he has failed to end insecurity in the country, a promise he made when he was elected in 2015.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The latest report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) suggests that the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to push about 8.9 million more children into child labour by 2022.



This was disclosed by the ILOs representative to Ghana, Akua Ofori Asumadu at a concert organised by the Ghana Employment and Social Protection Programme (GESP) with support from the European Union and other partners to commemorate World Day Against Child Labour.



World Day Against Child Labour is marked on the 12th of June every year to shine the spotlight on the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives them of their childhood and affects them physically, mentally and socially.



The commemoration of the day falls in line with Target 8.7 of the UN SDG, calling for an end to ll forms of child labour by the end of 2025.



Even though globally a lot of strides have been put in place to end the menace, new statistics show that in Africa, about 92 million children are engaged in child labour.



International Labour Organisation (ILO) representative to Ghana, Akua Ofori Asumadu, said there are now more children in Sub Saharan Africa than in the rest of the world combined.however the latest estimates indicate that 92 million children, 40 million girls and 52 million boys are in child labour in Africa, at the beginning of 2020, and this is really sad. 41 million children less than half of all of those in child labour were in hazardous child labour.



She added: the COVID 19 crisis also threatens to further erode global progress. Unless a lot of mitigation activities are done, COVID 19 is going to exacerbate the problem. It is estimated that a further 8.9 million children will be in child labour by the end of 2022.



Ambassador of the European Union to Ghana, Diana Aconcia, on her part lauded Ghanas gains made in eliminating the menace of child labour with series of programs mainly in the education sector. She however called for more work in order to achieve the SDG target.



It is undeniable that Ghana has made important progress in tackling child labour with successful programmes, many of them on education, with a solid legal framework and adequate strategic planning. Nevertheless, child labour still exists. The complexity of the problem and the multiple root causes require a holistic and most systemic approach and also the mobilization of increased financial resources, she said.



United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative, Anne Claire Dufay, while commending government for re-opening schools despite the COVID 19 pandemic, also urged government to invest in smart, durable, holistic and transformative solutions that protect childrens rights.



According to her, we would like to invite the government to waive the late birth registration fee to make it easier for families to obtain birth certificate. We also ask the private sector to ensure that their employees are above 18 years of age and we encourage consumers to demand child labour free products. Efforts have been made and we want to commend the government of Ghana for this. In particular, we congratulate the government for the free SHS program and for re-opening schools in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Ghanas Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, affirmed the governments commitment towards eliminating child labour but called for an all hands on deck approach since issues of child labour are fast assuming international dimensions and posing huge threat to economic development.



He said child labour is everybodys responsibility", adding: "It is not just one persons responsibility".



"The government on its own has been doing and as you are aware, a lot of opportunities are given to Ghanaian children to school Issues of child labour, are no longer social issues. They are assuming more and more international dimensions and if we are not very careful, it is going to affect our daily ways of life.

Source: classfmonline.com









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The Police have shot and injured a suspected robber during a robbery operation at the GIMPA/Fiesta Royal junction in Accra on Saturday night. The police moved to the area to pursue the suspected robbers after receiving a tip-off from a taxi driver who had been robbed by the suspects.



The Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Afia Tenge, who disclosed this said the suspects upon seeing the Police, attempted escaping.



She said the Police opened fire shooting one of them in the process.



After a short while, the suspects emerged again; this time from another direction of the forest to continue their operation. The team started monitoring their operation; and not quite long after, they pounced on another driver who was also in traffic and the team gave them a hot chase. One of them managed to escape by climbing a fence wall, but another suspect, whose name we have as Kofi Mensah was shot while attempting to jump the wall too DSP Tenge said.



The suspect was rushed to the Police Hospital where he was treated and discharged. He has since been detained per police procedures and will be arraigned on Monday.



This incident brings to five, the number of suspected robbers arrested on the stretch in one week, following several complaints of robbery attacks by users of the road.



A few days ago, the Achimota School District Police Command arrested 43-year-old Richard Bokor for attempted robbery on the GIMPA road,



According to police, the suspect smashed the side glass of a vehicle in an attempt to rob its occupant.



The Ghana Police Service recently advised robbery victims to formally file complaints on their experiences to the nearest police station.



The Police served this notice after realizing that a series of reported cases of robberies along major roads in parts of Accra were only being publicized on social media without any report to the Police.



VIDEO: (Related)

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Source: citinewsroom









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Producers of food and household chemicals, Euro Prima Industries, have presented items worth 500,000 to hospitals within the Ayawaso West Wuogon Municipality to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.



The municipality has been identified as one of the hotspots for the pandemic.



Head of Finance of the company, Frank Peprah, told journalists at a short ceremony in Accra that it is worrying to note that the attention given to the pandemic seems to have waned recently.



The covid-19 pandemic is still with us but it looks like the seriousness that we attach to it has waned. This is our home turf and if anything happens here we would be affected. That is why we are making this donation, he said at the ceremony held at the premises of the Ayawaso Municipal Assembly office in Accra.



Receiving the items, Municipal Health Director, Dr Louisa Martey, said health workers in the area would benefit immensely from the items and help them better deal with the virus. She asked for more from other organisations in the area.



The Covid-19 pandemic has undermined resources for everyone. One of the things to do in the covid-19 fight is hand washing and the items you have presented to us would be very useful for that, she said.



The items presented include 100 cartons of Santex Hand Sanitizer 50ML, a hundred and 50 cartons of So Klin washing powder and 200 cartons of 250 ML Santex Handwash among others.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The group of G7 countries have agreed on a plan to end reliance on fuel and diesel-powered cars by 2030. As part of a comprehensive Green Belt and Road Initiative aimed at providing developing countries with billions of dollars in aids and investments required to curb carbon emissions, the G7 countries also see this initiative as an alternative to Chinas belt and road initiative which China has promoted in Africa and developing countries.



According to a report published by the British Government, the G7 nations want to consent to a nature Compact that will halt and reverse: biodiversity loss by 2030. The plan includes conserving or protecting 30% of more of land and ocean respectively globally by the end of 2030.



The G7 will endorse a Nature Compact at this afternoons meeting to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030  including supporting the global target to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of land and 30 percent of ocean globally by the end of the decade.



The group also agreed to start action plans required to slash carbon emissions which include ending government support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas and phasing out petrol and diesel cars.



Leaders will set out the action they will take to slash carbon emissions, including measures like ending all unabated coal as soon as possible, ending almost all direct government support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas and phasing out petrol and diesel cars.  UK Government



UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:



Protecting our planet is the most important thing we as leaders can do for our people. There is a direct relationship between reducing emissions, restoring nature, creating jobs and ensuring long-term economic growth.



"As democratic nations we have a responsibility to help developing countries reap the benefits of clean growth through a fair and transparent system. The G7 has an unprecedented opportunity to drive a global Green Industrial Revolution, with the potential to transform the way we live.



The G7 are also expected to commit to almost halve their emissions by 2030 relative to 2010. The UK is already going even further, pledging to cut emissions by at least 68% by 2030 on 1990 levels (58% reduction on 2010 levels).



The United States Government also confirmed comments by the UK stating an end in direct support for thermal coal power generation.



Accelerating Decarbonization and Transition from Unabated Coal: Confronting the climate crisis presents a historic opportunity to drive our economic recovery, create millions of good-paying union jobs, and build back better as we invest in a more resilient, prosperous, equitable, and secure future.



"Recognizing that unabated coal power generation is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions globally, and consistent with President Bidens domestic leadership, G7 Leaders will commit to an end to new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation by the end of this year.



This new agreement is a direct threat to Nigerias economic future as the Nigerian Government relies on crude oil export for over 50% of its revenues













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Comfort Mamba was a happily married woman living with her husband and three children at Kpandai in the Northern Region. For her, life was normal until she became pregnant with her fourth child.



Comfort had her first child before age 20 at Over Bank, a village near Nkanchina, where she lived with her husband.



The delivery was conducted with the assistance of a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) as the village and the nearby communities had no hospital or clinic, hence all births were through TBA assistance and the use of local herbs.



So, when I had my fourth pregnancy, I thought I could deliver successfully by drinking the usual mixture of herbs and the TBA support. I got into labour and the TBA was called upon to help deliver me. After two days of labour during which the TBA kept inserting her hands into my vagina, I became so weak. I finally had a stillbirth.



After delivery, Comfort experienced heavy blood flow and realised that any cloth she put on got wet or stained within a few minutes. She also noticed that community members who visited behaved strangely, with some of them spitting out, but had no idea what was wrong.



The TBA, she said, then told my late blind uncle to get treatment for me because I had bad odour. I was given powdered herbs to put in a rag and insert it. It did not help much. It got wet within minutes.



Stigmatisation



Soon, she was neglected and stigmatised in the community. She could not participate in any social event as she was accused of witchcraft and adultery and community members demanded that she confessed her wayward ways in order to get healed. Comfort had to deal with this trauma alone for three years as she had no support from her husband or any of his family members.



My uncle, upon realising my ordeal, came for me to live with him at Kpakpa where I was fortunate to meet a female nurse who has just been posted to Nkanchina No2. She told me I had Obstetric Fistula, explained what it was and gave me the assurance that the condition can be repaired.



Thereafter she sent me to the Fistula Center at the Tamale Teaching Hospital where my fistula was successfully repaired by a specialist, Comfort said.



After the repairs, Comfort benefitted from a vocational skills training at the Kofi Annan Vocational Training School in Tamale. She had additional training in the production of different varieties of soap and parazone, courtesy the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).



Currently, Comfort works with a community development programme which trains school drop-out girls in the projects communities on some of these trades.



Devastating injury



Obstetric fistula, a devastating childbirth injury to women can be treated with reconstructive surgery, though many women and girls who experience it dont know about treatment, cant access it or cant afford it. The encouraging news is that it is not only treatable but largely preventable.



Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal caused by protracted, obstructed labour. Left untreated, it can lead to infection, disease, and infertility. Moreover, the women leak urine and faeces, which may cause their husbands and communities to abandon and shun them, resigning them, her to a life of misery and isolation.



An estimated 500,000 women and girls live with the condition robbing them of a life of dignity. Young bodies not ready for pregnancy and childbirth in the case of child marriage or unintended pregnancy are especially vulnerable. And COVID-19 has exacerbated the problem due to disruptions to family planning and sexual and reproductive health services and inequities in health care systems.



The observance of the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, which, this year, had the theme Womens rights are human rights! End fistula now! is to bring to global attention that the injury can be prevented by reproductive health care, family planning, skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care



In a statement to mark this yearss day, the UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem observed that while fistula has been virtually eliminated in developed nations, hundreds of thousands of women and girls in the developing world still live with this debilitating condition.



Poor women and girls in rural areas are especially at risk. The disproportionate incidence among the poor of this debilitating and sometimes life-threatening condition is a reflection of social and economic inequities and of unequal enjoyment of the right to health, including sexual and reproductive health. Even in the best of times, they are more likely to lack access to skilled health personnel. Child marriage and early childbearing are among other contributing factors, the UNFPA Executive Director added.



She further noted that the COVID-19, the pandemic had taken a huge global toll on maternal and newborn health.



Already, the crisis is compounding the economic, social and logistical barriers that women and girls face in accessing sexual and reproductive health services. Even where services are available and accessible, fear, misinformation and stigma related to COVID-19 are deterring some pregnant women from seeking obstetric care, she said.



Dr. Kanem indicated that the absence of timely medical treatment will likely spur a dramatic increase in obstetric fistula, a serious childbirth injury resulting from prolonged, obstructed labour.



She said as the leader of the global Campaign to End Fistula, UNFPA provides funding and support for fistula prevention, treatment and social reintegration programmes. Which has, since 2003, enabled more than 113,000 women to undergo obstetric fistula repair surgery.



She called for acceleration of efforts in order to achieve theglobal ambition of ending fistula by 2030, the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals.



Dr Kanem honoured the memory of the late Dr. Catherine Hamlin, who passed away in March this year, for dedicatingmost of her long life to treating women and girls with fistula, focusing not only on the physical injury itself, but also on the scars created by stigma and discrimination.



Her charitable organisation, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, has brought hope and healing to women and girls, raised global awareness of fistula and spurred innovative efforts to end it, she said.









Source: graphiconline.com









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The Secretary-General of the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA), Dr Wale Okediran, has appealed to the government to reduce the tariffs on printing materials and equipment to help reduce the operational cost of publishers and make books affordable.



He mentioned the high tariffs on printing materials as a major challenge for the book industry, adding that the high cost of books also discouraged the citizenry from purchasing books.



The first thing to do to improve Ghanas reading culture is to make books available and accessible. Many parents complain that they cannot afford to buy books.



But to make books affordable, we need to reduce the tariffs on printing materials, such as prints, inks and other inputs. The cost of books is high because the tariffs on the printing materials are high, he said.



Book Fair



Dr Okediran made the appeal in an interview with the Daily Graphic at the launch of the 18th Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) in Accra.



This years fair, on the theme: Ghana: A nation of readers for development, will be held at the National Theatre from August 26 to 29, 2021.



The event seeks to create an avenue for players and stakeholders in the book industry to interact and foster strong business relationships as well as showcase the works of authors in a bid to connect them to prospective buyers.



A former Editor of the Daily Graphic, Professor Kojo Yankah, who is also the President and Founder of the African University College of Communications (AUCC), has been named the GIBF Personality of the Year and would be honoured at the fair.



Build more libraries



Dr Okediran further appealed to the government to build more libraries, especially in under-served communities, so that persons who could not afford books could have access to read.



He also rallied the business community to support the efforts of the government by supporting needy communities and schools with reading materials as part of their corporate social responsibility.



There is so much emphasis on the established authors and I think we need to encourage the young writers. Some of them complain that even though they have the manuscripts, they do not have the funds to publish them so we can make available some grants to support them, he added.



In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, entreated publishers to embrace technology and digitise their works to enable them to expand their readership and sustain their business.



Embrace technology



The e-library has indeed come to meet us and, therefore, we must strive and put our heads together during these few days to discuss the way forward with the digitisation of our books because digitisation is a key agenda being pursued by the government, he said.



For his part, the President of the Ghana Publishers Association, Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah, who is also the Chairman of the GIBF, appealed to the government to pay critical attention to the publishing industry and invest in the sector.



He said the sector had the potential to employ about 180,000 young Ghanaians, among other untapped opportunities.





Source: graphiconline.com









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Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), said the digital age offers pharmacists great opportunity and they need to accept the challenge to improve healthcare delivery in the country.



He said digitisation gave immense power and provided ample opportunities to pharmacists that humanity had not leveraged.



He said robotics and artificial intelligence were being deployed in all spheres and pharmacists should not be left out as they must use those tools to make them more relevant in the healthcare delivery system.



Prof Dodoo said this at the first White Coat Ceremony for students of the School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho on the theme: The Dynamics of the Pharmacists in A Digital Age.



He said pharmacists were using technology such as drones to distribute medicines and other life-saving products to hard-to-navigate terrains and those technologies could only make contemporary pharmacists to excel.



As we expand on the ethics, values of the profession should expand, while we maintain standards and exploit opportunities, Prof Dodoo said.



He urged the students to be guided by the Oaths they had sworn and live up to the expectations of respect and respectability and avoid exploiting, oppressing and lauding it over the unsuspecting community within which they would be working.



Professor Theophilus C. Fleischer, the Dean of the School of Pharmacy, said the student population had grown to 204 from the pioneering 31 in 2016, with their programmes accredited by the Pharmacy Council and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).



He said plans were are afoot to start a postgraduate training in the pharmaceutical sciences.



Prof Fleischer cautioned the students to avoid complacency at this stage of their academic progression of becoming pharmacists but continue to work hard and adopt the right attitudes towards achieving their goals.



The White Coat ceremony marks a new phase of their training, sometimes referred to as clinical or professional pharmacy education phase, which symbolised a period of professionalism and competence, he said.



Prof John Gyapong, the Vice Chancellor of UHAS, who presided, said the norms and values that shaped the Ghanaian mentality had been lost and we are now in an arena of almost no values.



He suggested a crusade to re-awaken the values and norms for quality lifestyles through a national psychic programme towards nation building.



Prof Gyapong commended the students for a fight well-fought and urged them to be guided by the values and ethos of UHAS to shape their profession beyond the University.



He commended Prof Fleischer for his personal tenacity and commitment that had improved the lot of the School of Pharmacy.



Mr Bartholomew Ayimbire, the Class representative of the group, said they had surmounted challenges of lack of school infrastructure as classes were started in an incubation facility but were grateful a multi-purpose school had been completed for the School currently.



They pledged to uphold the tenets of the profession and move it to the next level backed by digital technology.



The students were donned with the White Coat and took the Oath of Professionalism.



In a related development, a tape was cut and a plaque unveiled to symbolise the completion of the new School of Pharmacy, at a cost of GH3.2 million.

Source: GNA









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Residents of New Bortianor and surrounding areas say they are living in constant fear due to man-made earthquakes.



Reverend Antwi-Wiredu, the Chairman of the West Hills City Landlords and Residents Association, told the Ghana News Agency that activities of Chinese contractors of Sunda Ghana, which involves blasting of rocks behind the WestHills Mall, results in shaking the houses in the community.



The company's construction involves blasting a rocky area, used to be a stone quarry, in an attempt to level the ground for construction works to start.



Rev Antwi-Wiredu said he believed the worst of the blasting happened on June 12, around 2100hours, which forced many residents to move out of their homes for safety.



"Many residents thought it was an earthquake or tremor that shook their houses and were visibly shaken, only to find out it was as a result of the blasting," he said.



He said leaders of the community had approached the contractors to put a stop to the blasting and find alternatives to it but that had yielded no results.



Areas affected include Bortianor, Redtop, WestHills City, Aplaku, Old Barrier and Weija SCC.



The buildings are cracking, walls are being weakened, residents are in constant fear and panic, especially at the WestHills City, Rev Antwi-Wiredu said.



He called on the media to create the awareness on the issue and help them find an amicable solution.

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.

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Police Detective Inspector Solomon Okyere, Fourth Court Witness, in the mini trial of 14 alleged murderers of Major Maxwell Mahama, says Michael Anim, an accused person, gave his statement voluntarily.



I explained to the accused person that he was entitled to a lawyer and then he offered to give a statement voluntarily in the Twi Language, which l translated into the English Language, he said.



Police Detective Inspector Okyere giving his evidence led by Madam Frances Mullen Asare, a Chief State Attorney, said he invited an independent witness to be present before the statement was taken, after which the statement was read and translated into the Twi Language for the accused person.



He said the accused then thumb printed seven times with the witness and himself signing for seven and eight times, respectively.



The Court Witness said the atmosphere was conducive and calm when he took the statement from the accused person and Michael was relaxed himself.



He said together with the Station Officer, they interrogated the accused person, where the accused person said he was in town when the said incidence happened on that fateful day.

The witness said it was the Assemblyman, William Baah, who said he had heard that an alleged armed robber was in town, so they should assist to effect his arrest.



He told the court that the accused said when he got to the street, a car had kicked town the alleged armed robber and people were assaulting him.



The witness indicated that the accused said he also joined without asking any question.



Detective Inspector Okyere said the accused told him that he also hit the deceased with a cement block and in the process Major Maxwell Mahama told him that he was not an armed robber but rather a soldier, so he stopped.



The witness said he read the caution statement from the accused person in the Twi Language in the presence of an independent witness in the person of Mohammed Hamidu.



He said the atmosphere was conducive and calm, while he took the statement and the accused person was relaxed.



In a cross-examination by Augustine Gyamfi, the Counsel for Anim, asked the witness whether he wrote the statement in his handwriting and the witness answered in the affirmative and said the statement was taken on June 3, 2017.



He told the Court that the statement was taken the same day the accused person was arrested and he was by the Anti-Armed Robbery Squad of the Kumasi Central Police Station.



The witness said it was not true that the accused person was beaten up but the Counsel disagreed with him, pointing to the witness that the accused person was sent to the Hospital before the statement was taken, which the Detective agreed.



On why the accused was sent to the hospital, the witness said he was complaining of dizziness but the accused never collapsed in his presence.



The Counsel accused the Police of collecting money from Anim but the witness disagreed, saying he was not aware.



Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, who was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at Burma Camp.



The late Major was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region when on May 29, 2017, some residents allegedly lynched him.



The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.



The accused are: William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.

Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.

The trial was adjourned to June 21, 2021.

Source: GNA









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The Defence and Finance Ministers are expected in Parliament this week to respond to questions on what the Minority claims is misuse of about GH2.8 million by the presidency for the hiring of private jet for foreign travels.



NDC MP and Ranking Member on Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in a Facebook post described as an outrage and betrayal, governments decision to rent a private jet for 15,000 an hour during the presidents recent foreign travel.



He claimed per his calculation, President Akufo-Addo spent about GH2.8 million on the trip instead of using the presidential jet.



It is an outrage and a blatant betrayal for Ghana to own a presidential aircraft in perfect working condition which was ordered by President Kufuor, used by President Mills and President Mahama; and yet President Akufo-Addo chooses to charter a top-of-the-range luxury aircraft offered by Acropolis Aviation, Mr. Ablakwa wrote.



The Airbus ACJ320neo owned by Acropolis Aviation based in Farnborough, UK and registered as G-KELT is the most luxurious and the most expensive in the Acropolis fleet. The manufacturers describe it as the most outstanding ambassador for Airbus Corporate Jets... It costs the Ghanaian taxpayer approximately 15,000 an hour when President Akufo-Addo rents it.



Lets further analyse President Akufo-Addos latest trip to Europe: per Flightradar24, the G-KELT aircraft left Accra with the President to Paris on the 16th of May  a 6 and half hour duration. Airlifted the President from Paris to Johannesburg for 11 hours on the 23rd of May. Then Johannesburg to Accra on the 25th of May was a five and half hour flight. This gives us an accumulated flight travel of 23 hours; so at 15,000 an hour, it thus cost us a colossal 345,000. At current exchange, that is a staggering 2,828,432.80, Mr Ablakwa added.



He subsequently filed questions in parliament on the issue which have been admitted by the speaker.



According to the business statement (which spells out planned business of parliament) for this week, the Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul is expected in Parliament on Wednesday to respond to a question from Mr



Ablakwa on whether the Presidential Jet (Dassault Falcon-9G-EXE) is in good condition and considered air-worthy.



The Minister for Finance Ken Ofori Atta will on Thursday also respond to a question on how much the Presidents recent official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa in May this year, cost the Ghanaian taxpayer.

Source: myjoyonline.com









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Professor Ransford Gyampo, an associate professor in the political science department of the University of Ghana says the National Identification Authority (NIA) boss, Professor Ken Attafuah should not be made to apologise over claims that the president had ordered him not to employ any NPP executive.



Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah has been facing a heavy backlash from some leading members of the NPP, including the vociferous MP Ken Agyapong, after claiming he has been ordered by the president not to employ any NPP executive at the NIA.



The President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has charged me that I should make sure no party executives are hired in the process, Attafuah told Angel FM.



He added, He does not want to leave a legacy of employing his party members and packing them into a particular sector. No.



But reacting to the development, Gyampo said Our battle against poverty and underdevelopment has been fought and lost partly because oftentimes we have recruited square pegs into round holes in our appointments.



Appointments over the yearshave been driven by partisan considerations. Ive had the opportunity to engage with appointees and you ask yourself so how did this person land this particular appointment or this job because they demonstrate quite a shallowness and lack of depth in their grasp over the issues. So some of us have always been saying that appointment to ministries, departments and agencies must always be driven by meritocracy.



He said, I was pleased to hear that Professor Attafuah said the president had given him those marching orders not be making appointments on partisan consideration. I thought it was something good that the president said. If for nothing at all, the president wants to leave a certain legacy.



My position is that the president may have given those instructions to Attafuah, in my view, he should have just implemented these instructions on the quiet. But coming out publicly to make these pronouncements would also necessarily infuriate those through whose support you got your job. So that is how come he is suffering this kind of backlash. I think that he shouldnt be made to apologise.



Gyampo added, The thing had already been thrown out in the public domain. The politically wise thing the NPP can do is to turn it into their advantage; calling on party foot soldiers to try to improve themselves



Basic sensitivity

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), is admonishing supporters of the party to be measured in their criticism of the executive secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA).



In a Facebook post, Otchere-Darko said party supporters must rather see the positive aspect of the statement instead of launching a scathing attack on the NIA boss.



We should go easy on Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah. He clearly could have phrased his words intelligently and with basic sensitivity, Otchere-Darko said.



NPP should not fight this, NPP should rather see the positive spin in what he meant to say which is that for this party it is Ghana first. If you are good at what you do and can be trusted to work in accordance with the mandate and direction of the government and specifically the said institution, dont think only a party card can get you in. Thats how we build a nation.



He also advised the NIA boss to apologise for his comment to put the matter to rest.

Source: asaaseradio.com









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Lawyers of the convenors for the #FixtheCountry movement have apologised to the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court for their inability to file their affidavits in opposition to the case in which the police is restraining them from a planned protest.



The court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey had adjourned the matter to Monday, June 14 for the case to be heard after lawyers had prayed for time to respond to the application.



In court on Monday, Tata Kosi Foliba, one of the lawyers of the Respondents said, they only filed their affidavits on opposition to the application this morning and had a copy to show to the court.



We apologize for the delay in filing and it was as a result of the difficulty in having a consensus of all the respondents, Lawyer Foliba told the court.



Frederick Adu Gyamfi, Assistant State Attorney who represented the state said, they have not been served with the respondents affidavits in opposition.



According to him, they were ready to move their application in court but they are minded to wait for them to be served with the respondents response.



The court after listening to them has adjourned the case to Monday, June 21, 2021. The police were represented by ACP Benjamin Osei Adae while some of the respondents were present.



In a matter of Public Order Act 1994, the police is seeking restraining prohibition orders against the #fix the country protest March.



One of the Convenors of the fix the country demonstrators said they are still mobilizing people for the planned protest against the economic hardship in the country.



Adakye Brownson, one of the Conveners who is a respondent in the case in which the police has filed an application to restrain them from protesting said, they are not perturbed about what is happening currently. Addressing journalists after the court sitting he said, they are ready for the journey



The case has been adjourned to June 21m for a hearing.







Source: starrfmonline.com









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Sony Music has cancelled the debts of thousands of artists who signed to the record label before the year 2000.



It means that many will now, for the first time, earn money when their songs are streamed on services like Spotify and Amazon Music.



Sony said it could not name the eligible acts due to confidentiality agreements, but a source said it would "include household names".



It said some artists stood to receive "many thousands of dollars per year".



Why are recording artists in debt in the first place?



Musicians typically take on debt when they first sign to a record label. They are given a lump sum, known as an advance, to pay for recording studios, video shoots, distribution and other expenses. The money is then paid back when they sell their music.



However, many artists never earn enough to repay their advances, often because they get unfavourable royalty rates from their own record companies. Heritage black artists have been particularly affected.

Source: BBC









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Tesla Inc.s Elon Musk tweeted that hes decided to sell his last remaining house. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/Pool)

By Katrina Nicholas

(Bloomberg)  Tesla Inc.s Elon Musk tweeted that hes decided to sell his last remaining house a week after a report said he and others billionaires paid little or no income taxes for several years.

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The electric-car makers chief executive officer tweeted earlier this month that he only has one house in the San Francisco Bay area that is rented out for events, and that if he sold, it would see less use, unless bought by a big family, which might happen some day.

Musk, 49, first announced plans more than a year ago to sell his homes and most of his possessions as a way to blunt criticism of his wealth. Within days, he put two of his California properties on the market.

Last week, ProPublica reported that Musk, Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett have paid little income tax relative to their outsize wealth, citing a trove of Internal Revenue Service data on tax returns for thousands of the wealthiest Americans. Musk paid no federal income taxes in 2018 and less than US$70,000 in 2015 and 2017, according to the report.

An IRS official said last week that the disclosure of the data for billionaires including Bloomberg LP founder Michael Bloomberg, the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, has been referred to Federal Bureau of Investigation investigators.

After the ProPublica report, Musk tweeted that he will keep paying income taxes in California in proportion with his time in the state, which he said will be significant. He moved to Texas last year and said he now rents a roughly US$50,000 house in Boca Chica from Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which has a launch site in the area.

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 2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Researchers from UNSW have found an extraordinary material that does not expand or contract over an extremely wide temperature range and may be one of the most stable materials known.

Using instruments at ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron and Australian Center for Neutron Scattering as well as other techniques, the team led by UNSW A/Prof Neeraj Sharma, an ARC Future Fellow, demonstrated that the zero thermal expansion material made of scandium, aluminum, tungsten and oxygen did not change in volume from 4 to 1400 Kelvin (-269 to 1126 Celsius).

Their research, published in the Chemistry of Materials, confirmed the structural stability of Sc 1.5 A l0.5 W 3 O 12 with only minute changes to the bonds, position of oxygen atoms and rotations of the atom arrangements.

Materials with zero expansion are used in high-precision mechanical instruments, control mechanisms, aerospace components and medical implants, for environments in which stability at varying temperatures is critical.

Because of the relatively simple synthesis of the materials and the good availability of alumina and tungsten oxide, large-scale manufacture is a possibility.

"We were conducting experiments with these materials in association with our batteries-based research, for unrelated purposes, and fortuitously came across this singular property of this particular composition," said Sharma.

Comprehensive neutron scattering measurements were conducted at the Australian Center for Neutron Scattering.

"Echidna is fantastic at determining structure, especially on the details of the lighter elements," said Senior Instrument Scientist Dr. Helen Maynard-Casely, who assisted with the measurements on the high-resolution powder diffractometer Echidna.

"Curiously, the experiments suggest these minute atomic displacements and adjustment appear to be undertaken cooperatively," she added.

"Movements and rotations of atoms and radii are quite ordinary, but this correlated behavior was quite unexpected," said Maynard-Casely.

The crystallographic data from the diffraction experiments reflects the combination of subtle but observable distortions of the polyhedral units, bond lengths, angles and oxygen atoms that allow the material to absorb temperature changes.

"Is it the bond lengths that are expanding? Is it the displacement of the oxygen atoms? Or, is the whole polyhedral rotating? We have three factors that are correlating.

"At this point, it is not clear if one or all of these contributing factors are responsible for the stability over a range of temperatures and we are investigating further to try and isolate the mechanism," said Sharma.

The researchers noted, however, that because this specific material composition demonstrated this property, factors other than atomic radii could be at play, such as more complex crystallographic or dynamic behavior.

Investigations of other forms of the material of interest were undertaken on the powder diffraction beamline at the Australian Synchrotron with the assistance of Senior Instrument Scientist, Dr. Helen Brand. Slightly different ratios of the elements did not show the zero thermal expansion.

The group is currently undertaking inelastic neutron scattering measurements at the Center for Accelerator Science on this composition.

Explore further New cathode material for high-performing sodium ion batteries could benefit large scale energy storage

More information: Junnan Liu et al, Sc 1.5 A l0.5 W 3 O 12 Exhibits Zero Thermal Expansion between 4 and 1400 K, Chemistry of Materials (2021). Junnan Liu et al, ScExhibits Zero Thermal Expansion between 4 and 1400 K,(2021). DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c01007
The riparian community woodlands along the lower Tuolumne River near Merced, California. The dry grassland in the background indicates the semi-arid conditions and drought environment. Credit: John Stella, ESF

A study of woodland ecosystems that provide habitat for rare and endangered species along streams and rivers throughout California reveals that some of these ecologically important areas are inadvertently benefitting from water that humans are diverting for their own needs. Though it seems a short-term boon to these ecosystems, the artificial supply creates an unintended dependence on its bounty, threatens the long-term survival of natural communities and spotlights the need for changes in the way water is managed across the state.

"We need to be more intentional in incorporating ecosystem water needs when we manage waterboth for aquatic organisms and species on land," said Melissa Rohde, the lead author of a study published June 14, 2021 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). "These forest ecosystems are in a precarious state because we have disrupted the natural hydrologic processes that these plant species rely upon to support and sustain key life processes."

In California's seasonally dry Mediterranean climate, plants and animals are adapted to rely on precipitation and soil moisture recharge during the rainy winter and spring seasons for reproduction and growth during the typically dry summers. Once soil moisture is exhausted, tree species often found in stream corridors such as willows, cottonwoods and oaks, typically use groundwater from deeper depths. However, as Rohde, who led the study as a Ph.D. candidate at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) and scientist with The Nature Conservancy of California, and her colleagues discovered, the story was more complicated.

By analyzing five years of vegetation greenness data from satellite imagery, the researchers found that in some cases, these ecosystems were affected by "subsidies of water" delivered via human regulation of rivers, agricultural canals and discharges from wastewater treatment plants. That discovery, Rohde said, was a "mind bender." Altered streamside woodlands in the most arid regions of the state stayed greener longer into the dry season and were less responsive to changes in groundwater levels than natural ecosystems.

Many of the most-altered stream ecosystems are in California's Central Valley, the state's agricultural hub, which produces a third of the produce for the United States. Since the Gold Rush in the 1850s, the massive human settlement that followed led to clearing of 95 percent of the natural floodplain woodlands across the region. These isolated and restricted riparianor streamsideforests, now provide important habitat for threatened and endangered species..

As water is rerouted from rivers into canals to accommodate urbanization and the multibillion-dollar agricultural industry, it creates an artificially stable environment for riparian woodland ecosystems and a "live fast, die young" phenomenon favoring fast-growing trees that peak and then decline within a few decades. But other key ecosystem functions, such as the regeneration of new forest stands and their development over time, are being compromised by the extensive alterations to streamflow and to river channels, which are fixed in place and no longer create new floodplain areas where young trees can establish.

"We call these forests the 'living dead' because the forest floor is devoid of saplings and younger trees that can replace the mature trees when they die," Rohde said. This has repercussions related to habitat for endangered species, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and climate change.

Rohde said, "California is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, containing more species than the rest of the United States and Canada combined. In the midst of the sixth mass extinction, the long-term sustainability of California's river ecosystems and the preservation of the rare and endemic species that live within them now rely on the deliberate, coordinated management of resource and government agencies." She and TNC will use the insights from the study to provide scientific guidance to California natural resource agencies for sustainably managing groundwater-dependent ecosystems throughout the state.

The research team conducted the PNAS study using publicly available online data and Google Earth Engine, an open-source tool for analyzing data from satellites and other global spatial datasets. "Our methods and findings open up a whole new world of interdisciplinary research possibilities and ways that water practitioners can consider ecosystem water needs to achieve sustainable water management," Rohde said.

John Stella, an ESF professor and Rohde's Ph.D. advisor, is the principal investigator on the National Science Foundation grant that funded the study. He said, "This work is groundbreaking because Melissa was able to combine several big datasets in an innovative way to understand how climate and water management interact to put these sensitive ecosystems at risk. Her findings are important for sustainably managing groundwater, not only throughout California, but in water-limited regions worldwide. By creatively harnessing and integrating these large environmental datasets, we can now answer resource management questions at a scale that was previously impossible."

Explore further Big data offers promise of better groundwater management in California

More information: Melissa M. Rohde el al., "Groundwater dependence of riparian woodlands and the disrupting effect of anthropogenically altered streamflow," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Melissa M. Rohde el al., "Groundwater dependence of riparian woodlands and the disrupting effect of anthropogenically altered streamflow,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2026453118
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

In many parts of the world, mosquitoes are a common summertime nuisance.

But in places on the front lines of climate change, these disease-spreading insects may one day be a year-round problem, according to new research from the University of Florida.

"In tropical regions, mosquitoes are active all year, but that isn't the case for the rest of the world. Outside of the tropics, winter temperatures cause mosquitoes to go into a kind of hibernation called diapause. We call these mosquitoes 'cold bounded' because their activity is limited by these lower temperatures," said Brett Scheffers, senior author of the study and an assistant professor in the UF/IFAS wildlife ecology and conservation department.

"However, with climate change, we expect summers to get longer and winters to become shorter and warmer. What will that mean for those cold bounded mosquitoes? How will they respond?" Scheffers said.

To help answer those questions, the study's authors conducted experiments with mosquitoes collected in and around Gainesville, a North Central Florida city on the dividing line between subtropical and temperate climates. Their study is published in the journal Ecology.

The researchers compared how mosquitoes collected during different parts of the year responded to changes in temperature.

"We found that the mosquitoes in our study are what we call 'plastic,' meaning that, like a rubber band, the range of temperatures they can tolerate stretches and contracts at different times of year," Scheffers said.

The researchers found that in the spring, when nighttime temperatures are still cold and daytime temperatures begin to warm up, mosquitoes can tolerate a larger range of temperatures. Come summer, when daily temperatures are warm, that range contracts. In autumn, when temperatures begin to cool off, the range stretches again, Scheffers explained.

"That tells us that as climate change makes our autumns and winters warmer, mosquitoes in more temperate regions are well prepared to be active during those times," Scheffers said.

"Our results suggest that to better understand how well populations and species may be able to tolerate ongoing climate change, we need to measure species thermal responses across different times of the year," said Brunno Oliveira, the study's first author, who conducted the study while a postdoctoral researcher in Scheffers's lab.

"This information would help us to deliver a more accurate representation of the temperature range a species can tolerate," said Oliveira, now a postdoctoral research at University of California Davis.

For their experiment, the researchers collected the mosquitoes at more than 70 sites around Gainesville and the nearby UF/IFAS Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, a 9,500 acre research and conservation area located about 20 miles east of the city.

The scientists lured mosquitoes with special traps that emit carbon dioxide gas, the same gas that humans and animals exhale when we breath. To a mosquito, a strong whiff of carbon dioxide means a meal is nearby.

With these traps, the researchers caught more than 28,000 mosquitoes representing 18 species. From this collection, the scientists randomly sampled about 1,000 mosquitoes to test in the lab.

Each mosquito was placed in a vial that was then put in a water bath. Over time, the researchers changed the water temperature, increasing or decreasing the temperature inside the vials. The scientists monitored each mosquito's activity, noting when mosquitoes became inactive, a signal that either the upper or lower temperature thresholds were met.

"It was surprising to see how well these little creatures could tolerate high temperatures during the experiments, often well above the mean ambient temperatures measured by the weather stations," said Gecica Yogo, one of the study's co-authors.

Yogo helped conduct the study while she was research scholar trainee at UF as part of her master's program at AgroParisTech in France. She is now a soil carbon engineer at INRAE, the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment.

The researchers say they don't yet know what allows mosquitoes to adjust to rapid changes in temperature.

"Many people do not realize how quickly natural selection can act on short-lived animals," said Daniel Hahn, professor in the UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department and a co-author of the study. "Whether the changes we are seeing in mosquito thermal properties are due to rapid natural selection across seasons, seasonal plasticitymuch like a dog changing its coator a combination of both, is what we are working on now."

The researchers say that insights from this study can help communities better prepare for the impacts of climate change as they relate to mosquitoes, which spread diseases that affect humans and animals.

"The more mosquito activity there is, the greater the risk of these diseases spreading. Knowledge is power, and knowing that mosquitoes will be more active for more of the year can inform how we get ready for climate change," Scheffers said.

Peter Jiang, one of the study's co-authors and an entomologist with City of Gainesville's Mosquito Control division, said that residents play an important role in controlling mosquitoes now and in the future.

Simple actions can keep mosquito populations down, Jiang said.

"Neighbors are encouraged to empty, remove or cover any receptacle that would hold waterparticularly old bottles, tin cans, junk and tiresrepairing leaky pipes, outside faucets and screens, covering or turning small boats upside down, and, twice a week, changing water in wading pools, bird baths, pet dishes and vases holding flowers or cuttings," Jiang said.

Residents looking to learn more about how to control mosquitoes can contact their local UF/IFAS Extension office or their municipal or county mosquito control program.

In addition to informing decision-making, studies like this one bring into focus an aspect of climate change now getting more attention.

"When we talk about how climate change might affect plants and animals, we are often talking about species moving to new areas because the conditions are changingin other words, the arrival of something new. However, climate change will also affect species we live with right now, like highly flexible mosquitoes, and that's another aspect to consider," Scheffers said.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A team of scientists from Kaunas University of Technology and Lithuanian Energy Institute proposed a method to convert lint-microfibers found in clothes dryers into energy. They not only constructed a pilot pyrolysis plant but also developed a mathematical model to calculate possible economic and environmental outcomes of the technology. Researchers estimate that by converting lint microfibers produced by 1 million people, almost 14 tons of oil, 21.5 tons of gas and nearly 10 tons of char could be produced.

Each year, the global population consumes approximately 80 billion pieces of clothing and approximately 140 million worth of it goes into landfill. This is accompanied by large amounts of emissions, causing serious environmental and health problems. One of the ways to lessen the footprint of consuming clothes is to reduce the laundry impact. During a machine-washing process of textile, around 300 mg of microfiber are generated from 1 kg of textile.

"Lint-microfibers are classified as microplastics. Whereas large plastic items can be sorted out and recycled relatively easily, this is not the case with microplastictiny plastic pieces, less than 5 mm in diameter. Large quantities of microplastic are being washed down our drains and enter our seas threatening the environment," says Dr. Samy Yousef, senior researcher at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design.

Dr. Yousef is the leader of the inter-institutional team, which developed an eco-friendly technology to extract energy products from textile waste. For the experiment, lint-microfibers collected from the filters of the drying machines in the dormitories of KTU were collected. As the residents of the dormitories come from different cultures in Europe, Africa, Asia and America, the collected samples were very diverse. Using a pilot pyrolysis plant, built at the laboratories of Lithuanian Energy Institute, the scientists were able to extract three energy productsoil, gas and charfrom the collected lint-microfiber batches. When treated thermally, the lint-microfibers decompose into energy products with around a 70 percent conversion rate.

"When we think about textile waste, we usually imagine long fabric with high crystallinity, which is contaminated with dye and dirt. Much energy is needed to turn the solid waste into liquid. However, lint-microfiber is a somewhat 'broken fiber' textile waste; it has a uniform size and shape, contains a lot of flammable compounds (resulted cotton and polyester elements), its transformation is easier," says Dr. Yousef.

Researchers also developed a mathematical model to evaluate the economic and environmental performance of the suggested strategy, based on the lint-microfibers generated by 1 million persons. The study shows that if applied on an industrial scale, the strategy is profitable and eco-friendly: the energy from the lint-microfiber generated by 1 million people has estimated profitability at around 100 thousand and reduced carbon footprint 42,039,000kg CO 2 -eq/t of lint-microfibers.

"I believe that the collection system, similar to deposit-return for drink containers, could be developed based on our research. A household would bring the lint-microfiber from their drying machine filters to a collection point and receive some kind of compensation for it. We have proposed the technology and made calculations, which may be developed further," says Dr. Yousef.

According to research, lint-microfibers can be considered a renewable energy source that ensures sustainability and accelerates the general transition of the textile industry to a circular economy. In addition to the study described above, Dr. Yousef and his research group have developed other green/eco-friendly technologies to extract cotton, glucose, and energy products from textile waste and end-of-life euro banknotes using mechanical, thermal, chemical, and biological treatments.

Explore further How your cozy fleece could be polluting the ocean

More information: Samy Yousef et al, A new strategy for using lint-microfibers generated from clothes dryer as a sustainable source of renewable energy, Science of The Total Environment (2020). Journal information: Science of the Total Environment Samy Yousef et al, A new strategy for using lint-microfibers generated from clothes dryer as a sustainable source of renewable energy,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143107
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers from University of Adelaide published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines how advertising can increase the informativeness of a firm's stock price by reducing its stock price synchronicity.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "Tarred with the Same Brush? Advertising Share of Voice and Stock Price Synchronicity" and is authored by Chee Cheong, Arvid Hoffmann, and Ralf Zurbruegg.

Firms are sometimes "tarred with the same brush" by investors instead of being traded based on firm-specific information. This is problematic when influential incidents happen, such as product recalls, because firms in the same industry as the offender also experience a drop in firm value despite not being involved in the incident themselves. This study demonstrates that advertising can help firms avoid such a situation by differentiating themselves from their financial market competitors through communicating firm-specific information to investors.

The researchers argue that advertising provides information to investors in financial markets, analogous to its role for customers in product markets. Hoffmann explains that "Although advertising is typically intended to increase awareness of and provide information about a firm's products rather than its shares, it also attracts investor attention, constitutes an important source of information, and is eventually internalized by investors to affect stock trading behavior. We expect that advertising can increase the informativeness of a firm's stock price by reducing its stock price synchronicity, or the extent to which its stock price is driven by general market and industry trends instead of firm-specific information."

The study uses a comprehensive data set based on all U.S. publicly listed firms from 1994 to 2018 and supplements this quantitative data with qualitative data from in-depth interviews with executives of such publicly listed firms to examine three interrelated research questions.

First, if a firm advertises more relative to its industry peers, does this increase its stock price informativeness and thus reduce its stock price synchronicity? The researchers expect that the larger a firm's so-called "advertising share of voice," the more visible it will be among (potential) investors, thus making it more likely that investors incorporate in their pricing the firm-specific information conveyed in the firm's advertising.

Second, is the effect of advertising more pronounced if there is more demand for information about the firm in the financial market (for example, because the firm has more complex products)? In such situations, advertising would potentially be more valuable and informative for investors.

Third, is the effect of advertising less pronounced if there is more supply of information about the firm in the financial market (for example, because institutional ownership is greater as these professional investors have access to better information)?

Cheong says that "We find support for our expectation that firms with a larger advertising share of voice are more successful in differentiating themselves in the financial market, as expressed by having a lower stock price synchronicity. Furthermore, this effect is stronger for firms with more complex products and weaker for firms with a larger proportion of institutional ownership." Sensitivity analyses show that the effect of advertising is also more pronounced when there is congruence between a firm's corporate name and its ticker symbol and when a firm has a corporate branding strategy, providing actionable insights for managers. An event study analyzing product recalls as influential marketing-relevant incidents illustrates the practical importance of the results. Firms with high synchronicity are "tarred with the same brush" in terms of experiencing negative abnormal returns when competitors have a recall, while firms with low synchronicity are not affected.

Managers can tap advertising not just to help consumers understand the benefits of the firm's products, but also to communicate firm-specific information to (potential) investors. Ultimately, when stock prices are more informative, investors experience less information asymmetry and are more willing to provide capital to a firm, allowing it to invest in profitable projects.

"To maximize the benefit of the positive spillover effects between product-market advertising and financial market outcomes, managers of publicly listed firms should ensure that investors can easily link the product names as used in advertising campaigns to their corporate name in the stock market; for example, by having a congruent ticker symbol and a corporate branding strategy instead of a house of brands or mixed branding strategy," says Zurbruegg. Finally, it is critical to realize that the results of advertising are above and beyond the effect of a firm's news coverage, meaning that advertising provides new information to investors that they did not yet obtain from other media. Accordingly, the marketing and finance functions of firms should work together when designing ad campaigns.

Explore further Companies battling shareholder complaints have a potent weapon: Advertising

More information: Chee S. Cheong et al, Tarred with the Same Brush? Advertising Share of Voice and Stock Price Synchronicity, Journal of Marketing (2021). Journal information: Journal of Marketing Chee S. Cheong et al, Tarred with the Same Brush? Advertising Share of Voice and Stock Price Synchronicity,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/00222429211001052
UniSA geologist Associate Professor Tom Raimondo is virtually documenting the 600-million-year-old Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Credit: UniSA

Sir David Attenborough has named it one of his favorite places on Earth, and the world will soon see why via an immersive virtual tour of the iconic Flinders Ranges.

UniSA geologist Tom Raimondo is virtually documenting the geoscientific significance of the 600-million-year-old landscape in support of the SA Government's bid for World Heritage status.

The 360-degree tour will take viewers on a journey through deep geological time, illustrating why this ancient landscape has captured the world's attention, not only for scientific reasons, but also for its rich Aboriginal and mining heritage.

Associate Professor Raimondo says the virtual tour, to be created as part of UniSA STEM's Project LIVE initiative, will showcase the remarkable diversity of the Flinders Ranges.

"It's the best place in the world to witness the rise of animal life on Earth, preserved as the Ediacaran fossils that were first discovered by Reg Sprigg in 1946 and are now our state fossil emblem," says Assoc Prof Raimondo. "The story of life began in the Flinders Ranges, and its rocks are like the pages of history for us to read."

The scale and grandeur of this ancient landscape will be revealed by 3-D fly-throughs that will allow users to get a birds-eye view of Ikara (Wilpena Pound), discovering how it was formed by massive deforming forces.

"The action doesn't stop therewe're going to show users how a giant asteroid slammed into South Australia some 580 million years ago, leaving a crater at Lake Acraman and depositing debris over 300 kilometers away in Bunyeroo Gorge.

"Then from fire to ice we'll reveal the how the Earth went into a deep freeze and glaciers began slowly and inexorably shaping the hills and valleys, leaving behind unmistakeable evidence of their journey across the landscape," Assoc Prof Raimondo says.

A separate theme will document the fossil geothermal site at Arkaroola, perhaps the longest active geothermal region anywhere on Earth, where users will explore Paralana Hot Springs and Mount Gee.

The region's mining history will also be featured, with users taken on a journey deep underground at the Blinman Heritage Mine, discovering the harsh realities of mining life for many early settlers, but also the economic boom that copper brought to South Australia for the best part of a century.

"We're keen to show how the early exploration for copper mineralisation pioneered in the Flinders Ranges ultimately led to uncovering one of the largest copper, uranium, gold and rare earth element deposits in the world at Olympic Dam," says Assoc Prof Raimondo.

The virtual reality project is in its initial phase and will take two years to complete, meeting the deadline that UNESCO has given the SA Government to support its claim for the Flinders Ranges to be listed as a World Heritage site.

In April it was given tentative status, bringing it one step closer to joining global icons such as Yosemite National Park and the Galapagos Islands on the World Heritage register.

The Flinders Ranges project is the latest virtual tour developed by UniSA's Project LIVE, following in the wake of Beyond the Ice, a gamified geological expedition of Hallett Cove, which became an international hit, accessed by users from 57 countries.

Phase 1 of the project has been funded by generous private donations, and the Project LIVE team is actively seeking further support to expand to Phase 2 and engage stakeholders from across the environmental, mining, tourism and heritage sectors.

"UniSA's expertise in the virtual and augmented reality space allows us to capture such iconic, world-class field sites in a really engaging, entertaining and educational way," says Assoc Prof Raimondo.

"We see this virtual tour as the perfect vehicle to bring the Flinders Ranges to a global audience, show everyone what a special place we live in, and in doing so, maximize the benefits and economic opportunities available to this region by celebrating its truly world-class geology and paleontology."

Explore further Hidden secrets written in stone: Decoding Hallett Cove with virtual reality
Credit: Ragnhild Haarstad, Stockholm City Museum

Universal school lunch programs make students healthier, and increase their lifetime income by 3%, according to a unique study from Lund University in Sweden published in The Review of Economic Studies.

Health disparities arise early in life and play a major role in economic outcomes among adults. Yet there are few studies on the long-term effects of school-based nutrition policies aimed at counteracting them. Researchers from Lund University and Stockholm University can now show that universal school lunch programs have significant long-term benefits for students' education, general health and income.

"Today, we take school lunches for granted in Sweden. But the fact is, it was a very conscious investment when Sweden introduced free lunches in the 1940s. These cooked meals were meticulously planned in terms of nutrition. This begs the question: Did it affect students' well-being in the long-term? We wanted to find out," says Petter Lundborg, professor of economics at Lund University.

Sweden, Finland and Estonia have been serving free school meals for a long time, unlike the neighboring countries Norway and Denmark, where pupils bring their own lunch. In other countries, such as the US and the UK, poorer students are offered school meals, while others pay.

In the new study, the researchers examine the Swedish school lunch program that was introduced gradually in different municipalities from the mid-1940s. The program offered nutritious school lunches to all Swedish primary school students, free of charge. The researchers focused on the introduction of school lunches between 1959 and 1969. They discovered that the initiative had a positive impact on the height of the students, their health as young adults, the level of education they attained, and their lifetime income.

"Our study shows that universal efforts that provide children with nutritious meals can be seen as a long-term investment. In other words: Ensuring that children eat well also pays off later in life in terms of health, education and income," says Dan-Olof Rooth, professor of economics at the Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University.

The study shows, among other things, that both boys and girls who took part in the school meal program throughout their schooling grew taller than those who did not have access to the program. Pupils who received school meals during the entire nine years of compulsory school became almost 1 cm taller and went to university more often compared with pupils without access to the program. However, most importantly, the students had a three percent higher lifetime income.

"We also noted some interesting differences in the effects, where children from poor households benefited the most, even if children from all households benefit to a certain extent. Students from poor families had a six percent higher lifetime income, and students from other households had about a two percent higher lifetime income. The reform thus benefited all students, from both poor and rich families," says Petter Lundborg.

The results are related: The students ate nutritious food at school, and they became taller and more educated, which to a large extent can explain why they had a better income through life. However, the researchers found no long-term effects on mortality, morbidity or sick leave.

The effects of school meal programs can also be caused by factors that have nothing to do with nutrition. Therefore, the researchers also collected data on school absenteeism from municipal archives in Sweden. The researchers' analysis shows that the introduction of the school lunch program did not lead to any changes in school attendance, which was high even before school meals were introduced.

"A reasonable interpretation of our results is that the students became more receptive to what they were being taught when they ate a nutritious lunch. This is in line with a previous study, which found that test results among eleven-year-olds increased during the first year after the introduction of nutritious school meals in connection with the Jamie Oliver campaign in the UK," says Dan-Olof Rooth.

Petter Lundborg and Dan-Olof Roothwho conducted the study together with Dr. Jesper Alex-Petersenbelieve that their results are relevant to many western countries today, even though the Swedish school lunch program was introduced during the 1950s and 1960s. Sweden was a rich country, where school children did not lack food, but where parents lacked knowledge about healthy eating habits. The reform made school food nutritious and the same for everyone.

"It is important for many countries even today, because school meals and their nutritional content is a recurring issue. Our results show significant long-term economic benefits of school meals. You get a lot of 'bang for your buck'it is extremely well-invested money," concludes Petter Lundborg.

About the study

The researchers used newly-collected historical data on the gradual implementation of the program across municipalities in Sweden between the years 1959 and 1969. During this period, 265 municipalities introduced the program, with a roughly equal number of municipalities each year.

These historical data were linked to administrative records that cover the population of primary school pupils, i.e., about 1.5 million pupils born 1942-1965. Using a difference-in-differences design, they estimated the impact of the school lunch reform on a broad range of outcomes taken from income and education registers, the military enlistment register, the medical birth register, and hospitalization and mortality registers.

More information: Petter Lundborg et al, Long-Term Effects of Childhood Nutrition: Evidence from a School Lunch Reform, The Review of Economic Studies (2021). Petter Lundborg et al, Long-Term Effects of Childhood Nutrition: Evidence from a School Lunch Reform,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/restud/rdab028
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Male infertility affects more than 20 million men globally and is a contributing cause to around 50% of infertility in couples. Frequently, male infertility is the result of defects in the sperm tail, the flagellum, which allows the sperm to swim toward an egg. Males with severe infertility can experience multiple sperm malformations, including flagella that are shortened, irregular, coiled or even absent, preventing them from swimming.

In humans, several genetic mutations lead to malformed sperm, including those affecting the sheath that covers the sperm; the mitochondria, which power sperm as they swim; and a tiny sac, the acromosal vesicle, which releases the enzymes that allow one successful sperm to break down the exterior lining of the egg cell to fertilize it.

To understand more about the causes of male infertility, Drs Na Li and Ling Sun, research group leaders at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, collected sperm samples from infertile men and identified one individual with multiple defects affecting his sperm flagella. Through genetic analysis, they found a mutation in a largely unknown sperm protein, FSIP2 (Fibrous Sheath-Interacting Protein 2), a component of the fibrous sheath. "The fibrous sheath covers the tails of sperm found in humans, mice and other species in which fertilization occurs within the animal's body," explains Li. "It offers the sperm tails flexibility and strength, which is necessary for sperm to swim in the dense and sticky medium of the human body before they meet the egg. Interestingly, animals whose sperm swim through water because fertilization occurs outside of the body, such as fish, either do not have the FSIP2 protein or, at most, a defective version."

To study the function of FSIP2, Li, Sun and their team of researchers generated two sets of mice: one in which they recreated the FSIP2 mutation of the human patient and another in which the animals overproduce the FSIP2 protein. They found that mice with the FSIP2 mutation become infertile; their semen contained fewer live sperm and over 50% could not swim forward, even though some of them could still beat their flagella. In contrast, the mice that overproduced the FSIP2 protein remained fertile and, compared to normal mice, had over 7 times more super-long sperm, which could swim faster and be more capable of fertilizing an egg.

To understand the reasons for these changes in the sperm flagella, the researchers looked at the composition of the sperm. They found that the sperm of mice with the FSIP2 mutation had lower amounts of the proteins that make up the sheath surrounding the sperm, the mitochondrial power generators and the acrosomal vesicle. In contrast, the sperm of the mice that were overproducing FSIP2 made more sperm tail proteins, particularly in the fibrous sheath, which could allow sperm to swim more easily through the body. They published this discovery in Development.

The findings of Li, Sun and their team offer hope that scientists can begin to develop treatments for infertility, either by finding drugs that restore sperm movement or even by finding ways to correct the debilitating mutation that causes the problems in the first place. Ultimately, such treatments could give men suffering from infertility the chance of becoming fathers.

Explore further Mice fathers pass down stress responses to offspring via sperm

More information: Xiang Fang et al, Hypomorphic and hypermorphic mouse models of Fsip2 indicate its dosage-dependent roles in sperm tail and acrosome formation, Development (2021). Journal information: Development Xiang Fang et al, Hypomorphic and hypermorphic mouse models of Fsip2 indicate its dosage-dependent roles in sperm tail and acrosome formation,(2021). DOI: 10.1242/dev.199216
In the ion trap, the distance between the ions and optics can be precisely adjusted. Credit: University of Innsbruck

Physicists have long suspected that dielectric materials may significantly disrupt ion-trap quantum computers. Now, researchers led by Tracy Northup have developed a new method to quantify this source of error for the first time. For the future operation of quantum computers with very many quantum bits, such noise sources need to be eliminated already during the design process if possible.

Quantum technologies are based on quantum properties of light, electrons, and atoms. In recent decades, scientists have learned to master these phenomena and exploit them in applications. Thus, the construction of a quantum computer for commercial applications is also coming within reach. One of the emerging technologies that is currently being advanced very successfully is ion trap quantum computers. Here, charged particles are trapped with electromagnetic fields in a vacuum chamber and prepared in such a way that they can serve as carriers for information and be used for computing, which includes cooling them to the lowest temperatures permitted by quantum mechanics.

However, the quantum mechanical properties exploited in this process are highly error-prone. Even the smallest deficiencies can heat up the strongly cooled particles and thereby lead to errors in the processing of quantum information. Possible sources of such faults are weakly conducting or non-conducting materials, which are used, for example, as insulators in a metallic ion trap, or optics, which are necessary for coupling ions with laser light.

"Even for ion traps made exclusively of metal, oxide layers on the metals would cause such failures," explains Tracy Northup at the Department of Experimental Physics of the University of Innsbruck in Austria. Northup's team, together with collaborators in Innsbruck and in the U.S., have found a way to determine the influence of dielectric materials on the charged particles in ion traps.

Experimentally confirmed

This was achieved because the Innsbruck quantum physicists have an ion trap in which they can precisely set the distance between the ions and dielectric optics. Based on an earlier proposal by Rainer Blatt's group, the physicists computed the amount of noise caused by the dielectric material for this ion trap and compared it with data from experiment. "Theory and experiment agree very well, confirming that this method is well suited for determining the influence of dielectric materials on the ions," explains Markus Teller from the Innsbruck team. To calculate the noise, the so-called fluctuation-dissipation theorem from statistical physics was used, which mathematically describes the response of a system in thermal equilibrium to a small external perturbation.

View into the vacuum chamber where the ion trap is isolated from external noise. Credit: University of Innsbruck

"In quantum computers, there are many possible sources of noise, and it is very difficult to sort out the exact sources," says Tracy Northup. "Our method is the first to quantify the influence of dielectric materials in a given ion trap on the charged particles. In the future, designers of ion trap quantum computers will be able to assess this effect much more accurately and design their devices to minimize these perturbations."

After having successfully demonstrated the method on their own ion trap, the Innsbruck physicists now want to apply it to the ion traps of collaborators in the U.S. and Switzerland.

Explore further Error-protected quantum bits entangled for the first time

More information: Markus Teller et al, Heating of a Trapped Ion Induced by Dielectric Materials, Physical Review Letters (2021). Journal information: Physical Review Letters Markus Teller et al, Heating of a Trapped Ion Induced by Dielectric Materials,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.230505
A plant in Chile affected by late-blight disease. NC State researchers track the evolution of strains of P. infestans, the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, which continues to harm plants worldwide. Credit: Jean Ristaino

North Carolina State University researchers continue to track the evolution of different strains of the plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, which set down roots in the United States before attacking Europe.

NC State plant pathologists studied the genomes of about 140 pathogen sampleshistoric and modernfrom 37 countries on six continents to track the evolution of differing strains of Phytophthora infestans, a major cause of late-blight disease on potato and tomato plants.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, shows that the historic lineage called FAM-1 was found in nearly three-fourths of the samples (73%) and was found on all six continents.

"FAM-1 was much more widespread than previously assumed, spreading from Europe to Asia and Africa along British colony trade routes," said Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology and the corresponding author of the study. "The lineage was also found over a span of more than 140 years."

FAM-1 caused outbreaks of potato late blight in the United States in 1843 and then two years later in Great Britain and Ireland. It was also found in historic samples from Colombiasuggesting a South American origin. FAM-1 caused massive and debilitating late-blight disease outbreaks in Europe, leaving starvation and migration in its wake. Ristaino theorizes that the pathogen arrived in Europe via infected potatoes on South American ships or directly from infected potatoes from the United States.

FAM-1 survived for about 100 years in the United States but was then displaced by a different strain of the pathogen called US-1, Ristaino said.

"US-1 is not a direct descendant of FAM-1, but rather a sister lineage," Ristaino said. "We found US-1 in 27% of samples in the study and they were found much later."

US-1 has since been elbowed out of the United States by even more aggressive strains of the pathogen that have originated in Mexico. Winter tomato cropsgrown in Mexico and imported into the U.S.  harbor the pathogen, Ristaino said.

The study also suggests that the pathogen spread first in potatoes and then later jumped into tomatoes. Spread of the pathogen in ripe tomatoes in ships' holds would have been unlikely, Ristaino said.

The pathogen's effects aren't limited to the decimation of Ireland's potato crop some 175 years ago. Billions are spent worldwide each year in attempts to control the pathogen, Ristaino said. Potatoes in the developing world are particularly vulnerable as fungicides are less available and often unaffordable.

Explore further Study provides evidence on movement of potato famine pathogen

More information: Amanda C. Saville et al, Global historic pandemics caused by the FAM-1 genotype of Phytophthora infestans on six continents, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Amanda C. Saville et al, Global historic pandemics caused by the FAM-1 genotype of Phytophthora infestans on six continents,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90937-6
Credit: Bill Peria, University of Minnesota

A study led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers uncovered a property of magnetic materials that will allow engineers to develop more efficient spintronic devices in the future. Spintronics focuses on using the magnetic "spin" property of electrons instead of their charge, which improves the speed and efficiency of devices used for computing and data storage.

The research is published in Physical Review B, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Physical Society.

One of the major roadblocks in developing better spintronic devices is an effect called "damping," in which the magnetic energy essentially leaks out of the materials, causing them to be less efficient. Traditionally, scientists have blamed this property on the interaction between the spin of the electron and its motion. However, the University of Minnesota-led team has proven that there is another factormagnetoelastic coupling, which is the interaction between electron spin, or magnetism, and sound particles.

"Our work doesn't say that [the original theory] is wrong, it just says that that's only part of the story," explained Bill Peria, lead author of the study and a Ph.D. student in the University of Minnesota's School of Physics and Astronomy. "We were able to show that in these magnetic materials, we do see that behavior, but it's actually only a relatively minor fraction of the entire damping. There's also this other mechanism by which the magnetism can be damped that is not usually considered."

The researchers used a technique called ferromagnetic resonance, which measures how much magnetic energy is released or leaked. In order to understand the phenomenon, they had to perform this technique at multiple temperatures, ranging from room temperature to 5 Kelvin, just five degrees above absolute zero and the equivalent of about -450 degrees Fahrenheit.

The study's findings provide a more holistic picture of what causes damping. This will allow engineers to develop magnetic materials with 'ultralow' damping that are more energy efficient, ultimately leading to higher quality computers of the future.

"We care about low damping because we, along with our collaborators, are trying to make devices in which magnetic excitations can propagate over long distances," said Paul Crowell, senior author of the paper and a professor in the University's School of Physics and Astronomy. "We are trying to build the 'wires' in which magnetic signals can propagate across a chip without losing their strength."

Explore further Study: Important contribution to spintronics has received little consideration until now

More information: W. K. Peria et al, Magnetoelastic Gilbert damping in magnetostrictive Fe0.7Ga0.3 thin films, Physical Review B (2021). Journal information: Physical Review B W. K. Peria et al, Magnetoelastic Gilbert damping in magnetostrictive Fe0.7Ga0.3 thin films,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.103.L220403
Two views of the carbonate chimneys at the Point Dume methane seep off southern California are covered with colorful microbial mats and permeated by methane-eating microbes. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute (Permission to use with proper citation)

Methane is a strong greenhouse gas that plays a key role in Earth's climate. Anytime we use natural gas, whether we light up our kitchen stove or barbeque, we are using methane.

Only three sources on Earth produce methane naturally: volcanoes, subsurface water-rock interactions, and microbes. Between these three sources, most is generated by microbes, which have deposited hundreds of gigatons of methane into the deep seafloor. At seafloor methane seeps, it percolates upwards toward the open ocean, and microbial communities consume the majority of this methane before it reaches the atmosphere. Over the years, researchers are finding more and more methane beneath the seafloor, yet very little ever leaves the oceans and gets into the atmosphere. Where is the rest going?

A team of researchers led by Jeffrey J. Marlow, former postdoctoral researcher in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, discovered microbial communities that rapidly consume the methane, preventing its escape into Earth's atmosphere. The study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences collected and examined methane-eating microbes from seven geologically diverse seafloor seeps and found, most surprisingly, that the carbonate rocks from one site in particular hosts methane-oxidizing microbial communities with the highest rates of methane consumption measured to date.

"The microbes in these carbonate rocks are acting like a methane bio filter consuming it all before it leaves the ocean," said senior author Peter Girguis, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University. Researchers have studied microbes living in seafloor sediment for decades and know these microbes are consuming methane. This study, however, examined microbes that thrive in the carbonate rocks in great detail.

Seafloor carbonate rocks are common, but in select locations, they form unusual chimney-like structures. These chimneys reach 12 to 60 inches in height and are found in groups along the seafloor resembling a stand of trees. Unlike many other types of rocks, these carbonate rocks are porous, creating channels that are home to a very dense community of methane-consuming microbes. In some cases, these microbes are found in much higher densities within the rocks than in the sediment.

During a 2015 expedition funded by the Ocean Exploration Trust, Girguis discovered a carbonate chimney reef off the coast of southern California at the deep sea site Point Dume. Girguis returned in 2017 with funding from NASA to build a sea floor observatory. Upon joining Girguis's lab, Marlow, currently Assistant Professor of Biology at Boston University, was studying microbes in carbonates. The two decided to conduct a community study and gather samples from the site.

"We measured the rate at which the microbes from the carbonates eat methane compared to microbes in sediment," said Girguis. "We discovered the microbes living in the carbonates consume methane 50 times faster than microbes in the sediment. We often see that some sediment microbes from methane-rich mud volcanoes, for example, may be five to ten times faster at eating methane, but 50 times faster is a whole new thing. Moreover, these rates are among the highest, if not the highest, we've measured anywhere."

"These rates of methane oxidation, or consumption, are really extraordinary, and we set out to understand why," said Marlow.

The team found that the carbonate chimney sets up an ideal home for the microbes to eat a lot of methane really fast. "These chimneys exists because some methane in fluid flowing out from the subsurface is transformed by the microbes into bicarbonate, which can then precipitate out of the seawater as carbonate rock," said Marlow. "We're still trying to figure out where that fluidand its methaneis coming from."

The micro-environments within the carbonates may contain more methane than the sediment due to its porous nature. Carbonates have channels that are constantly irrigating the microbes with fresh methane and other nutrients allowing them to consume methane faster. In sediment, the supply of methane is often limited because it diffuses through smaller, winding channels between mineral grains.

A startling find was that, in some cases, these microbes are surrounded by pyrite, which is electrically conductive. One possible explanation for the high rates of methane consumption is that the pyrite provides an electrical conduit that passes electrons back and forth, allowing the microbes to have higher metabolic rates and consume methane quickly.

"These very high rates are facilitated by these carbonates which provide a framework for the microbes to grow," said Girguis. "The system resembles a marketplace where carbonates allow a bunch of microbes to aggregate in one place and grow and exchangein this case, exchange electronswhich allows for more methane consumption."

Marlow agreed, "When microbes work together they're either exchanging building blocks like carbon or nitrogen, or they're exchanging energy. And one kind of way to do that is through electrons, like an energy currency. The pyrite interspersed throughout these carbonate rocks could help that electron exchange happen more swiftly and broadly."

In the lab, the researchers put the collected carbonates into high pressure reactors and recreated conditions on the sea floor. They gave them isotopically labeled methane with added Carbon-14 or Deuterium (Hydrogen-2) in order to track methane production and consumption. The team next compared the data from Point Dume to six additional sites, from the Gulf of Mexico to the coast of New England. In all locations, carbonate rocks at methane seeps contained methane-eating microbes.

"Next we plan to disentangle how each of these different parts of the carbonatesthe structure, electrical conductivity, fluid flow, and dense microbial communitymake this possible. As of now, we don't know the exact contribution of each," said Girguis.

"First, we need to understand how these microbes sustain their metabolic rate, whether they're in a chimney or in the sediment. And we need to know this in our changing world in order to build our predictive power," said Marlow. "Once we clarify how these many interconnected factors come together to turn methane to rock, we can then ask how we might apply these anaerobic methane-eating microbes to other situations, like landfills with methane leaks."

Explore further Scientists discover carbonate rocks are unrecognized methane sink

More information: Jeffrey J. Marlow el al., "Carbonate-hosted microbial communities are prolific and pervasive methane oxidizers at geologically diverse marine methane seep sites," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jeffrey J. Marlow el al., "Carbonate-hosted microbial communities are prolific and pervasive methane oxidizers at geologically diverse marine methane seep sites,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2006857118
Philip Higuera, a University of Montana professor of fire ecology (right), and his team examine a lake-sediment core from Chickaree Lake in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park. The core is used to reconstruct fire and vegetation history over thousands of years. Credit: Grace Carter

Following 2020's extreme fire season, high-elevation forests in the central Rocky Mountains now are burning more than at any point in the past 2,000 years, according to a new University of Montana study set to publish in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers from UM and the University of Wyoming analyzed a unique network of fire-history records to understand how 21st-century fire activity compares to wildfires in the past. The findings highlight that burning in recent decades in high-elevation forests of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming is unprecedented over the past several millennia.

As fire paleoecologistsscientists who study historical ecosystemsthe team uses charcoal found in lake sediments to piece together the fire history of forests across the Rocky Mountains. The idea, said lead author and UM professor Philip Higuera, is that understanding the past is key to understanding changes we see today and how forests may change in the future.

When 2020's massive fire season hit, it's ferocity startled Higuera and his co-authorsUM doctoral candidate Kyra Wolf and UW Professor Bryan Shuman. Last year, wildfires in Colorado burned through October, unusually late in the year. By November, the 2020 wildfires alone were responsible for 72% of the total area burned in high-elevation forests since 1984 in their study region, and Colorado had seen three of its largest fires on record.

Kyra Wolf, a University of Montana Ph.D. candidate, holds a sample of charcoal and other organic materials from a core from a lake in western Montana. Variation in charcoal within the core is used to reconstruct past wildfires. Credit: UM

"As the 2020 fire season unfolded, we realized we already had a well-defined understanding of the fire history of many of the places burning, based on over 20 lake-sediment records our teams had collected over the past 15 years," said Higuera, professor of fire ecology in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. "When the smoke settled, we thought 'Wow, we may have witnessed something truly unprecedented here.' So we combined the existing records for the first time and compared them to recent fire activity. To our surprise, 2020 indeed pushed fire activity outside the range of variability these forests have experienced over at least the past two millennia."

The authors found that since 2000, wildfires are burning nearly twice as much area on average compared to the last 2,000 years. Whereas a high-elevation forest historically burned once every 230 years on average, in the 21st-century that has now shrunk to around 120 years. That's more fire activity than occurred during the "Medieval Climate Anomaly," a period around 1,200 years ago when temperatures spiked higher than they were during the 20th century.

While human activity and past fire suppression are important contributing factors to wildfires across the West, the work highlights increasingly warm, dry conditions as an overarching cause of increased burning in these high-elevation forests.

"It isn't unexpected to have more fire as temperatures rise," said co-author Wolf, who is studying fire history in the northern Rocky Mountains in UM's Systems Ecology program. "Our records show that fire tracked past variations in climate just as it does today. What's striking is that temperatures, and correspondingly fire, are now exceeding the range that these forests have coped with for thousands of yearslargely as result of human-caused climate change."

A graphic about how Rocky Mountain subalpine forests are now burning more than any time in the past 2,000 years. Credit: Philip Higuera

For decades, scientists have predicted that climate warming would increase wildfire activity in high-elevation forests beyond the range historically experienced, Higuera said."It's sobering to see that it's clearly happening, and early in the 21st centurynot in 2050, not in 2075, but by 2020," he said.

Overall, the study is another indication that extreme fire seasons like 2020or like 2017 in Montanawill become increasingly common as summers continue to become warmer and drier than in past centuries.

Higuera and colleagues have previously highlighted ways communities and managers can respond to increasing fire activity, but he hopes this paper helps illustrate the significant impacts of human-caused climate change on wildfire, forests and the human communities that live among them.

"It may sound dire," Higuera said, "but it's critical to remember that we have ample opportunities to limit or reverse climate warming while still working to adapt to the increasing fire activity expected in upcoming decades."

The study is titled "Rocky Mountain subalpine forests now burning more than any time in recent millennia."

Explore further Western fires are burning higher in the mountains at unprecedented rates in a clear sign of climate change

More information: Philip E. Higuera el al., "Rocky Mountain subalpine forests now burning more than any time in recent millennia," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Philip E. Higuera el al., "Rocky Mountain subalpine forests now burning more than any time in recent millennia,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2103135118
A group of world-leading climate scientists are calling on global leaders to factor in the economic, environmental and humanitarian costs of failing to keep global warming below 1.5C this century, in a move led by experts from UCL, the University of Exeter and the ICCCAD.

As the leaders of seven of the world's wealthiest nations meet in Cornwall for the G7 summit, the scientists have launched a 1.5 Degree Charter to highlight how breaching the 1.5C target outlined in the Paris Agreement will cost far more than paying poorer nations to help global efforts to reach it.

It is hoped governments, businesses and the public will get behind the Charter to influence the conversation on climate finance and steer key decisions made at the next UN climate summit, COP26 in Glasgow in November.

Those most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis predominantly live in the global South, but they have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions. The Charter argues that, to sufficiently reduce emissions, it will require richer countries to pay reparations to poorer countries. The amounts must reflect fairly the former's responsibility for the crisis and the latter's vulnerability to it.

The aim of the Charter therefore is to act as a catalyst to encourage wealthy nations to support those less wealthy to not only decarbonise but also ensure they can afford to put in place measures to protect their homes, jobs and lands from climate related impacts like extreme weather, poor health, job losses and food insecurity.

To support the Charter, the academics involved are developing a global research project to fully identify and compare the cost of exceeding a 1.5C temperature rise versus the costs already anticipated of the decarbonisation required to meet the 1.5C target.

The 1.5C Degree Charter calls on governments in particular to:

Recognize the human and economic cost of exceeding 1.5C and that this cost will be borne disproportionately around the world and by future generations

Act on their commitment to limit global heating to 1.5C

Encourage the development of climate finance mechanisms that link the cost of delaying climate action with the cost of decarbonisation

Professor of Global Change Science at UCL, Simon Lewis said: "This is about finding solutions to the climate crisis that embody fairness and build trust. Lower income countries did not create this problem, yet they are already paying for it with their livelihoods and increasingly their lives. It's up to those who have contributed the most to the problem to address that injustice and build trust going forward. Solving the climate crisis means acknowledging the damage already caused and making new alternative plans and choices to reverse that tide.

"The global South has been a small part of the problem so far, but it's a huge part of the solution. We need to demonstrate that the safety and security of its people are a priority. As with the pandemic, none of us is safe until we are all safe. Similarly, no country can fully protect against the impacts of climate change unless we are all protected against them.

"Stabilizing our climate requires emissions to drop to net zero. But building a prosperous and resilient world will require more than that, it will require increasing the power of the income poor and making investments to protect those who are already suffering the most through no fault of their own."

Professor of Earth System Science at UCL, Mark Maslin, said:" The science is cleargoing beyond 1.5C will increase human misery around the world and put a huge financial burden on all of us. Our Charter calls on the governments of the world to invest in dealing with climate change now, which will not only increase people's health and well-being now but will save trillions of dollars.

"We call on everyone that cares about our planet to sign our Charter to show that citizens of the world want Governments, corporations and the wealthy to invest in dealing with climate change. The burden of saving our planet must fall on the wealthiest in our global society as they have contributed most to the problem through excessive consumption."

Professor Tim Lenton, Director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter said: ""Global warming above 1.5C markedly increases the risk of crossing climate tipping points which will do greatest harm to the world's poorest. Multiple abrupt climate changes occur between 1.5C and 2C global warming in IPCC climate model runs. Going to 2C warming risks a collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet that would accelerate sea-level rise and threaten low-lying islands and coastlines such as Bangladesh. It would also degrade essentially all tropical coral reefs on which many depend for their livelihoods."

"Going from 1.5C to 2C warming would put hundreds of millions of peoplemostly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinentoutside of the climate 'niche' that supports high human population densities today and has done in the past. It would also greatly increase their exposure to life-threatening hot and humid climate extremes."

Professor Saleemul Huq, Director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and Professor at the Independent University Bangladesh (IUB), said: "The concept of loss and damage from human induced climate change is closely connected to whether world leaders keep their commitment to remaining below 1.5 Degrees Centigrade or not. For every fraction of a Degree that the world goes above that threshold, the associated loss and damage will be exponentially worse and will fall mainly on the world's poorest communities in the poorest countries."

Professor Mizan Khan, Deputy Director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and Program Director of Least Developed Countries University Consortium on Climate Change (LUCCC), said: "We already live in a climate-changed world of 1.2C degrees higher temperature relative to pre-industrial levels. But with no ambitious mitigation around, adaptation finance to support the most impacted communities is woefully poor. Against this, it is ironic that world military spending witnessed a hike, even in 2020, hitting the two trillion-dollar mark."

Ashish Ghadiali, Activist-in-Residence at UCL's Sarah Remond Center for the study of Racism and Racialisation and a member of the co-ordinating committee of the COP26 civil society coalition, said: "The G7's announcements around digital taxation point to an appetite for innovation in finance that now urgently needs to be applied to the task of delivering climate justice as we approach COP26. As COP president, the UK government currently talks about the objective of coming good on past commitments of $100 billion a year. But these are (broken) promises that were made 12 years ago in Copenhagen. In the time that's elapsed, we've seen the impacts of climate breakdown incur costs related to loss and damage alone in excess of $150 billion a year.

"With rising global temperatures, the costs of climate breakdown are escalating and will continue to do so. The burden of these costs will fall hardest on those living on the frontlines of climate breakdownthose whose lives are already the most precarious and who are least responsible for creating climate change. It will also fall on our children, and on our children's children unless, collectively, we're able to achieve what we're setting out to achieve with this 1.5C chartera paradigm shift in how we perceive our collective responsibility to steer a path towards a sustainable future."

The scientists and academics involved in creating the Charter hope that governments and organizations around the world will back it and use it as a tool to inform public and policy debates on climate finance. The ultimate aim is to create an international climate justice research network, connecting institutions in the global north and south, addressing the limitations of current climate finance strategies and collaborating to replace them with fair, workable alternatives, before it is too late.

The 1.5C Degree Charter is hosted on the UCL Climate Hub website.

Explore further Nations failing to fund climate adaptation: UN
Researchers crack the conundrum about why African Baobab trees in southern Africa differ in terms of fruit production. Credit: Sarah Venter

Baobabs are the mainstay of rural communities in some parts of Africathey provide food in the form of leaves that are cooked like spinach, and large oval fruit which are rich in vitamin C. Oils are extracted from the crushed seeds (used in the cosmetic industry), and bark may be used for making rope.

Recently the trees have provided a source of income as local people collect the fruits and sell them to companies that extract the white fruit powder for the food industry and crush the seeds for their oils.

In southern Africa, some baobab trees are known for consistently producing large amounts of fruit, while others produce only a few fruits every year, despite flowering profusely. These trees are sometimes referred to as "female" and "male," respectively, by local people.

The reason for this discrepancy in fruit production has puzzled scientists for many years. For example, scientists have looked at whether soil types affect fruit production. One study in the Vhembe district located at the north-western tip of South Africa failed to find a link to land use or soil type . But another in Benin, West Africa found that there was a link to soil type and productivity. But even this didn't fully explain why some trees produced so much more fruit than others in the region.

We looked at aspects of the trees' reproduction for clues to explain the discrepancy in fruit production. We asked the question: do trees with different fruit production levels have different floral features? African baobabs (Adansonia digitata) are hermaphrodites; flowers have both male and female reproductive organs within the same flower. Most plants are hermaphrodite so this isn't uncommon.

Our study found that the flowers of trees that produce more fruit had better developed female reproductive organs. And that the trees that did not produce many fruit had flowers with more prominent male parts.

This has ecological and economic implications. Both types of trees should be protected in the wild or cultivated for the survival of baobab populations and for long-term sustainable harvest of the fruit.

Flowers are bisexual, but biased

Even though baobabs are hermaphrodites, the sex organs fulfil different roles.

The male stamens manufacture the yellow pollen that produces the sperm (male sex cell). The pollen must be transferred to the female stigma (of a flower on another tree) so that it can deliver the sperm to the egg cell in the ovule.

The pollen grows a tube down to the ovule in the ovary in order to do so. After fertilisation, the ovule forms a seed and the ovary develops into a fruit. So each flower may produce a single fruit with many seeds if fertilisation is successful.

Our study shows that while all baobab flowers possess both male and female parts, the flowers of good fruit producers and poor fruit producers differ markedly in the size and functionality of their male and female sex organs. This means that some trees are taking on a male role (pollen production), while others are performing the female function (seed production).

The "male" trees (poor producers) have much larger stamen balls (with anthers that produce pollen) than "female" trees (producers), which in turn have larger stigmas to receive the pollen on their greater surface area. In addition, the stigmas of "female" trees are more receptive to pollen grains than those of "male" trees.

The stamens of the "male" trees therefore produce much more pollen than the "female" trees. And their pollen is more viable, meaning it's more likely to germinate and grow a tube to deliver sperm to fertilise the eggwhich then forms the seed. When mature and released from the fruit, the seed may germinate to produce a seedling that could grow into a new baobab tree.

It is important to note that most baobabs are self-incompatible, meaning they don't fertilise themselves even though they have both male and female parts in their flowers. Therefore, they cannot produce fruit without pollen from another tree. Pollinators are needed to perform this task.

The baobab's large, pendulous white flowers open at night, and must be pollinated by the next morning if they are to produce fruit. They rotate their stigma during the night to avoid depositing their own pollen on the stigma within the same flower. During the night, they attract pollinators with nectar and scent to pick up the pollen from one flower and deposit it onto the stigma of another flower (preferably on another tree).

In southern Africa, the main pollinators are insects, especially hawk mothsunlike other parts of Africa, where bats are the pollinating agents. These pollinators may deposit self-pollen on flowers of the same tree, but it is important that they pollinate flowers on another tree to ensure fruit production.

Baobabs taking on a male or female role

It appears from our study that individual baobab trees are investing resources predominantly in either male or female sex organs. Though they are still bisexual, they are effectively moving towards one sex or the other. Both kinds of trees are needed for continued health of the baobab populations. Without the pollen to provide the sperm and the ovule to provide the egg, no seeds or fruits will form.

The importance of protecting both types of tree, against elephant damage for example, needs to be communicated to the conservationists in southern Africa (and other parts of Africa) where the trees are recognised as "male" or "female." Similarly, for future cultivation of trees in areas where populations have been reduced, it would be important to ensure that both types of tree are present.

We are following up with a study to investigate the pattern of pollen dispersal and contribution to seed formation. This will tell us which trees are most important in "fathering" the next generation and whether our interpretation of the roles of "male" and "female" trees is correct.

Explore further Tiny cacao flowers and fickle midges are part of a pollination puzzle that limits chocolate production

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Those who deactivated their Facebook profiles report a lower regard for other ethnic groups, and this effect was more prevalent among people living in more ethnically homogenous areas, shows a new study of users in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The findings run counter to a commonly held view that social media usage exacerbates societal polarization.

The work, conducted by researchers at New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics (CSMaP), appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"For all our attention to the online drivers of polarization, we should not forget about the importance of offline factors as well," observes Nejla Asimovic, a doctoral candidate in NYU's Department of Politics and the lead author of the paper.

While a majority of Americans see social media as having a negative effect on the way things are going in the U.S. today, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, and see it as fomenting polarization, the impact of social media on inter-ethnic attitudes has yet to be rigorously evaluated.

In the PNAS research, the paper's authors conducted an experiment in early July of 2019, coinciding with the 24th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. This period commemorating the 1995 atrocitiesresulting in the deaths of over eight thousand Bosniak Muslims at the hands of Bosnian Serb forceswas chosen because of the heightened discourse around the past conflict during the studied days (July 7-July 14).

Participants were recruited through Facebook advertisements in BiH using both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets. The more than 350 participants included those who identified themselves as Bosniaks (58.9 percent), as Serbs (15.7 percent), and as Croats (6.5 percent). Approximately 13 percent of respondents chose to identify as Bosnians and nearly 5 percent opted to not report their ethnic identification.

The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: one whose Facebook accounts remained active during the studied period (the control group) and one whose accounts were deactivated during this time. Deactivation was confirmed through the monitoring of users' Facebook URLs; the control group was instructed to continue to use the platform as it normally would.

After the studied period, users filled out a questionnaire in which they were asked not only about attitudes toward those of other ethnic groups in the region (out-groups), but also about their knowledge of current events ("news knowledge") and about their well-being (e.g., feelings of loneliness, isolation, and joy).

Surprisingly, those in the group who deactivated their Facebook accounts reported more negative attitudes about ethnic out-groups than did those in the group who continued to use the platform. In response to these unexpected findings, the researchers turned to a question that had asked participants what they did in the time they were off Facebook.

"The most popular response was that people spent more time with friends and family," said NYU Professor Joshua A. Tucker, a co-author of the study. "This led us to suspect that perhaps our findings were being driven by people who were spending more time offline with people of their own ethnic group."

To test this intuition, the researchers decided to examine whether the effect of Facebook deactivation in driving worse out-group attitudes was more prevalent among people living in ethnically homogenous areas of the country. Notably, this is exactly what they found: these effects were largely concentrated among those who live in more ethnically homogeneous environmentsand whose offline environments were therefore likely to be more ethnically homogeneous than their online environments. Moreover, these effects were not found among users living in parts of the country that were more ethnically mixed.

"Our research suggests that social media experience can be particularly influential in shaping out-group attitudes where the experiences of offline contact is low, especially in contexts of limited media fragmentation and no language barrier between groups," notes Asimovic. "We should keep in mind that offline environments or states' rhetoric may be as divisive, if not more, than online environments that may still allow people to engagedirectly or indirectlywith the out-group."

In addition, they found that Facebook deactivation led to a significant decrease in the levels of news knowledge, but an improvement in users' subjective well-beingconsistent with an earlier study of U.S. Facebook users.

"Our findings suggest that simply deactivating from social media is not a panacea to ethnic polarization, especially if the offline environment provides little to no opportunities for positive intergroup contact," says Asimovic. "Given these results, future work should be mindful in making assumptions about social media's impact and consider, with it, contextual factors and opportunities for intergroup contacts."

More information: Nejla Asimovic el al., "Testing the effects of Facebook usage in an ethnically polarized setting," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nejla Asimovic el al., "Testing the effects of Facebook usage in an ethnically polarized setting,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2022819118
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In 2007, the American housing boom ended, and there was heightened risk of a housing crisis. Private securitizers withdrew from purchasing high-risk mortgages, while government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, dramatically increased their acquisitions of risky mortgages. By 2008, the agencies reversed course, decreasing their high-risk acquisitions.

In a new article, an economist proposes a scenario in which large lenders temporarily boost high-risk activity at the end of a boom. According to her model, lenders with many outstanding mortgages have incentives to extend risky credit to prop up housing prices, which lessens the losses on their outstanding portfolio of mortgages. As the bust continues, lenders slowly wind down their mortgage exposure.

The article, by a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), appears in The Review of Financial Studies, a journal of the Society for Financial Studies.

"As policymakers discuss whether to phase out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the aftermath of the 2018 housing crisis, this model contributes to a deeper understanding of policies that ensure the stability of the financial system," suggests Deeksha Gupta, Assistant Professor of Finance at CMU's Tepper School of Business, the author of the article.

In her model, Gupta addresses how concentration in mortgage markets can affect both the quantity and quality of mortgage credit. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, currently in government conservatorship, accounted for 61 percent of all outstanding U.S. mortgage debt in February 2019.

The propping up effect can stabilize housing prices, but may also cause greater financial fragility by increasing housing defaults in later periods during a bust. Therefore, this dynamic is important to consider when deciding on the future of the enterprises, Gupta argues.

In the aftermath of the housing crisis, policymakers expressed interest in designing policies to curb high-risk lending. But the role concentration can play in creating incentives to extend risky mortgage credit has been largely overlooked, Gupta contends.

"While the model I propose focuses on the 2008 housing crisis, it can be applied more generally," Gupta says. "For example, the model can be used when considering housing policy since 2009, which aimed at stabilizing housing markets."

The research reported in Gupta's article was supported by the Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

More information: Deeksha Gupta, Too Much Skin-in-the-Game? The Effect of Mortgage Market Concentration on Credit and House Prices, The Review of Financial Studies (2021). Journal information: Review of Financial Studies Deeksha Gupta, Too Much Skin-in-the-Game? The Effect of Mortgage Market Concentration on Credit and House Prices,(2021). DOI: 10.1093/rfs/hhab027
A trion trapped in a moire potential well. The plane represents the moire superlattice with a simplified moire pattern. Three moire cells are highlighted in color. Above them is the potential energy profile. The sphere with three glowing "balls" represents the moire trion. Credit: Ella Maru Studio, Hongyi Yu and Wang Yao, University of Hong Kong; Wangxiang Li and Joshua Lui, UC Riverside

When two similar atomic layers with mismatching lattice constantsthe constant distance between a layer's unit cellsand/or orientation are stacked together, the resulting bilayer can exhibit a moire pattern and form a moire superlattice.

Moire patterns are interference patterns that typically arise when one object with a repetitive pattern is placed over another with a similar pattern. Moire superlattices, formed by atomic layers, can exhibit fascinating phenomena not found in the individual layers, opening the door to technological revolutions in many areas, including electricity transmission, information engineering, and quantum computing.

By shining laser light on semiconducting moire superlattices formed by stacking two atomically thin materialsmonolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ) and monolayer molybdenum diselenide (MoSe 2 )a team led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and Academia Sinica in Taiwan found a new class of electronic excited states called "moire trions."

"These trions, which are confined trion states in moire potential wellsdips in potential energyof the WSe 2 /MoSe 2 structure, exhibit novel characteristics that differ markedly from those of conventional trions," said Chun Hung (Joshua) Lui, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UC Riverside, who led the research.

The study, published June 2 in Nature, opens up new opportunities to develop trion-based quantum optical emitters and offers new approaches to explore moire physics.

A trion is a bound state of two electrons and one hole, or one electron and two holes. A hole is the vacancy of an electron. Trions are the dominant light emitters and energy carriers in atomically thin semiconductors with extra charges. By applying external voltages, electric or magnetic fields, many characteristics of trions, such as their population, emission polarization, and motion, can be controlled. The trions' versatile tunability makes them useful for light emitters, energy transport, and, potentially, information transmission.

In homogeneous semiconductors, trions are free to move and scatter, resulting in broad optical spectra. However, in moire superlattices, trions get trapped near moire potential wells and become moire trions. Their confinement there prevents random scattering.

"We find the emission lines of moire trions are more than 10 times sharper than those of free trions," Lui said. "As the moire trions are spatially isolated, they can emit single photons, making them a feasible optical source for quantum information technology."

A moire pattern can emerge when two similar atomic layers are stacked together. Credit: UCR/Lui lab

"Our work points to the possibility of generating two-dimensional arrays of trions in the periodic moire potential wells," said Erfu Liu, a postdoctoral researcher in Lui's lab and the first author of the research paper. "Such 2D trion arrays may exhibit spatial coherence, reveal new physics, and find applications in laser technology."

The research on moire trions also reveals some new physics that can be useful in further study of moire superlattices.

"Moire superlattices are known to host many 'minibands' in their electronic energy band structure," Lui said. "Such minibands are crucial for fascinating phenomena, such as superconductivity, in moire superlattices. Due to the small energy spacing between these minibands, it is challenging to probe their detailed structure. Moire trions inspire a new approach to probe the minibands."

Liu explained that in conventional semiconductors with relatively simple electronic bands, a trion decays into the same final electronic state and shows just one emission line. But in moire superlattices with multiple electronic minibands, a trion can decay into states in different minibands, he said.

"This will produce multiple emission lines, and the energy separation of these lines reflects the energy spacing of the minibands," he added. "Our results support such novel behavior of moire trions and suggest that moire trion spectroscopy can be developed to probe electrons in moire superlattices."

Given the novel characteristics of moire trions, Lui expects research on moire trions will attract much attention.

"Indeed, related studies of moire trions were also recently reported by researchers at Heriot-Watt University in the United Kingdom, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and Tsinghua University in China," he said. "I believe moire trion research will surge and lead to many exciting discoveries in the future."

The research paper is titled "Signatures of moire trions in WSe 2 /MoSe 2 heterobilayers."

Explore further Simple materials offer a peek into the quantum realm

More information: Erfu Liu et al, Signatures of moire trions in WSe 2 /MoSe 2 heterobilayers, Nature (2021). Journal information: Nature Erfu Liu et al, Signatures of moire trions in WSe/MoSeheterobilayers,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03541-z
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The western United States is currently experiencing severe drought, particularly in California and the Southwest. As of June 10, 88.5% of the West was in moderate to exceptional drought, compared to 42.17% at the same time last year.

Drought is often associated with an increase in wildfires, which were seen across the region in 2020. However, it can also impact the nation's electrical system, potentially leaving millions of people without air conditioning and other essential services.

We reached out to Jordan Kern, an assistant professor of forestry and environmental resources at the College of Natural Resources, to learn more about the drought and its potential impact on the power grid. Check out the Q&A below for expert commentary from Kern, whose research focuses on water and energy systems analysis.

What is causing the drought?

The drought is mostly being caused by abnormally low precipitation (i.e. snow). Across the West Coast and in the Southwest, the availability of surface (river, lake) water is determined primarily by how much it snows/rains in the winter. Winter snow melts during the spring, and the snowmelt flows downstream from higher altitude areas until it is captured by dams and reservoirs, which are used to store the water and deliver it gradually to the people and places that need it (farmers, urban areas).

When it doesn't snow or rain much during the winter, less water flows in rivers and into reservoirs. Especially if multiple consecutive years experience low precipitation levels, water availability in reservoirs can become very low.

Large year-to-year swings in precipitation are normal out West, and these ups and downs tend to be "noisier" and more extreme than the longer-term trends we might observe. But there is growing evidence that climate change is causing the West to experience a gradual decline in snowmelt and surface water availability.

How is the drought impacting power sources in the West?

The most direct impact of hydrologic drought on the power sector is a loss of hydropower. The less it snows, the less water there is behind hydroelectric dams, and the less "fuel" there is for producing hydropower.

During drought, hydropower that is "lost" has to be replaced by something, and that is almost always electricity that is produced by a natural gas and/or coal-fired power plants. This results in higher carbon dioxide emissions, and higher electricity prices in wholesale power markets. In other parts of the U.S. drought can also negatively influence thermal power plants (coal, natural gas and nuclear) that rely on water from rivers and lakes as a coolant. But those issues are much less common in the West.

In addition, if drought years are associated with higher air temperatures (this is sometimes the case out West), those higher temperatures can simultaneously increase people's demand for electricity for cooling (air conditioning). Low water may also impact demand for electricity in other sectors, including how much pumping energy is used to move water from one place to another and/or irrigate crops.

Apart from these impacts, one of the biggest concerns in a place like California is that the drought will increase the risks of wildfire, which can then be triggered by malfunctioning electrical equipment. In recent years, California's largest electric utility, PG&E, was forced to declare bankruptcy due to financial obligations related to wildfires caused by its equipment. During high-risk fire periods, large portions of the state's grid are also pre-emptively shut down to avoid accidentally starting a fire.

Are consumers and industry likely to be affected by these impacts on the power grid?

In electricity markets, drought reduces the supply of relatively inexpensive hydropower and forces utilities and system operators to rely on more expensive, fossil fuel alternatives. In the short term, this does tend to increase market prices for electricity, and the resultant higher costs borne by some utilities can be passed down to consumers. It can vary widely how quickly utilities are able to pass on those costs to consumers in the form of higher retail electricity prices.

Wildfire related costs for electric utilities are a bigger, messier issue. In some cases, states might prohibit utilities from passing those costs on to customers if a utility is found liable.

When is the drought's impact on the power grid likely to end?

The effects of the drought on the power sector will mostly impact the grid this summer, which is when hydropower would normally be abundant during the snowmelt period. Late summer and fall is always the driest period of the year out West, and hydropower is in short supply even in a non-drought year. It may not be until winter that the region has an idea of whether the drought will also stretch into 2022 or beyond.

What can western states do to prepare for future drought-related impacts to the power grid?

For states that rely a lot on hydropower, drought will always be a risk for the grid, but it's one that can be managed by building extra power capacity of other types (e.g. natural gas) that can ramp up production during dry years. In states where drought poses water shortage risks for thermal (coal, natural gas and nuclear) power plants, one option is to change the type of cooling system that these plants rely on to newer systems that can remain operational even when less water is available in rivers and lakes.

Explore further How a historic drought led to higher power costs and emissions
JOHNSBURG  A Connecticut man was arrested on Friday after police said he stabbed a man while on drugs during a bachelor party in Johnsburg.

The Warren County Sheriffs Office responded to a house at 138 Austin Pond Road for a report of a man with stab wound.

During the investigation, police determined that Tyler R. Malootian, of 12 East St. in Stratford, had ingested an edible gummy containing THC and became agitated and upset, according to a news release.

THC is the chemical in marijuana that creates the high sensation. Police said witnesses at the scene reported that Malootian began acting erratically. He eventually took a knife and stabbed a 25-year-old man in the lower back after a verbal argument between Malootian and the victim became physical, police said.

The victim was taken to Glens Falls Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries by Johnsburg EMS.

Malooian and a group of friends, including the victim, had rented the Airbnb house to have the bachelor party.

Malootian was charged with felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
The town should try to attract more tourists, he said. Corinth is in between Lake George and Saratoga Springs and has recreational amenities, he said.

The town already has a well-used hiking trail. He would like to expand that and add biking trails.

Some trails should be opened to ATVs and high-end utility vehicles, he said. A town in New Hampshire has attracted visitors with these types of trails, and they spend money. Maybe some of the mill property could be used for that, he said.

It generates overnight stays. It helps the restaurants, he said.

Collura said he is fiscally conservative. While on the board, he pushed to get reports on how overtime money was spent and also led the effort to implement time clocks for employees.

Im going to run it more like a business and look out for the peoples money, he said.

Collura said he believes in term limits.

If he does not win the primary, he said he will likely step aside. He will remain on the board until the end of his term in two years. That would be about 12 years, so he believes that is enough.

There is also a Republican primary for the Town Board. Edward Byrnes, Kiley Crooks and Joseph Mihalek are seeking two Republican ballot lines.

Michael Goot covers politics, crime and courts, Warren County, education and business. Reach him at 518-742-3320 or mgoot@poststar.com.

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Boecher said it is an uphill climb to challenge Stefanik, who is has become a force in Republican Party leadership as the conference chairwoman and is able to help other Republican candidates.

I did have questions regarding a successful strategy here in Warren County and he said one would be coming, Boecher said.

Stefanik beat Democratic challenger Tedra Cobb in 2020 with 58% of the vote compared with 41% for Cobb. That was an even better margin of victory than in 2018, in which she beat Cobb 56% to 42.4%.

Boecher said she has not spoken with Watson at all. Traditionally, the candidates will meet with party leaders a couple of weeks before announcing and they discuss the political landscape of their counties.

There has not been that reach-out, she said.

Boecher is not interested in a protracted primary like the one in 2018, which started with a large field of about 10 candidates that was whittled to a primary election with five candidates.

I dont think that benefited the primary or anyone, she said.

When asked for comment, Watson said Putorti is off to a great start, including an endorsement from Tedra Cobb on Twitter.
The idea was to limit the potential spread of the potentially deadly virus between the two countries.

With COVID-19 continuing to spread, the health and safety of Canadians is our top priority, Trudeau said at the time. Canada and the United States have agreed to work together for the protection of our people and our economies.

Q. Who can cross the border now?:

While the border restrictions remain in place, U.S. citizens looking to travel into Canada can only cross in extremely limited circumstances.

The Canadian government makes clear that all foreign nationals, including those from the U.S., cannot cross the border for any sort of leisure or tourism travel, as well as social gatherings or weddings.

Even those U.S. citizens with property in Canada have not been allowed to cross.

The Canadian government does allow U.S. citizens to enter if they are reuniting with a family member who is a Canadian citizen, though even that is largely restricted to an immediate family member, grandparent or grandchild. It also requires a 14-day quarantine upon arrival, though that requirement is being rescinded next month.
Were definitely seeing people have a better time with this (open container law), now you can easily jump around from place to place, OGrady said. Its created a great atmosphere, and its the way things should be in a resort town.

OGrady said Small has been especially helpful in keeping businesses in the resort alive.

Open container has definitely helped us, and weve all been very appreciative of how pro-business the mayor has been, OGrady said. Hes really helped us out, especially with keeping the Boardwalk open last year. That was a huge help for us to survive.

Officials from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority applauded Murphys decision to allow open containers in the Tourism District.

Visitors coming to Atlantic City expect all the amenities of a world-class destination, CRDA Executive Director Matt Doherty said in August. This will also allow the Atlantic City hospitality industry, which has been severely impacted by COVID-19, to more effectively compete.

Lisa Ryan, spokesperson for the state Department of Community Affairs, said the departments stance on the open container law has remained the same since August.

Atlantic City has effectively demonstrated over the past several months that business establishments in the Tourism District and on the Boardwalk are capable of responsibly serving open containers to adults, said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who serves as commissioner of the DCA, when the law became permanent last summer. As we face unprecedented economic challenges in Atlantic City due to the pandemic, this easement will help businesses recover from the economic recession and continue to thrive once life returns to normal.

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The close proximity of the shops, coupled with the decent prices have kept the couple coming back.

Its the convenience of everything being so close together, Don said. And the prices, I mean, I got a pair of shoes for $13. Come on, you cant beat that.

Raina Williams, the manager of the Beef Jerky Outlet, said tourism and sales at the outlets have increased since last summer.

Theres been a lot of progress with the tourism, Williams said. Ive been here for three years and of course last year, there were less visitors. But I can honestly say, I see more tourism now than even before the pandemic. And the sales have definitely increased as well, both in-person and online. I mean were struggling just to keep up with all of our orders.

Muhquan Younger, an employee at the Beef Jerky Outlet, agreed with Williams.

As soon as I came in (today,) I had eight orders to fill right away. Its crazy, Younger said.

The scene Monday was in stark contrast to the one in May 2020 when looting and vandalism broke following what had been a peaceful protest on May 31 against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

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The FDAs move to resort to accelerated approval itself came under fire. Accelerated Approval is not supposed to be the backup that you use when your clinical trial data are not good enough for regular approval, tweeted Aaron Kesselheim of Harvard Medical School, who was a member of an FDA panel that rejected the drug.

Kesselheim has resigned from the panel, calling the FDAs action probably the worst drug approval decision in recent U.S. history in his resignation letter to the agency. Two other members of the FDA panel have also resigned in the wake of the approval.

The agencys announcement drove the companys stock price nearly 40% higher the day after approval.

Its not hard to understand the pressure on the FDA to approve Aduhelm. Alzheimers devastates not only its patients  6.2 million in the U.S. alone  but imposes an unendurable emotional and financial burden on their households. The prospect is great that millions more will be swept up in this crisis in coming decades as the nation ages. There is no cure, no means of prevention, and the effect of the few remedies now on the market are inconclusive and modest at best.
Among those pushing for further investigation is Ralph Baric, a coronavirus researcher at the University of North Carolina who has collaborated with the institute in the past to create an artificial coronavirus that infected human cells. If it proves that a virus  even an unaltered one  slipped out of the lab, it could lead critics to argue that the risks of the experiments outweigh the benefits.

The trail to the origin of the virus has been overshadowed by geopolitics stemming from Chinas reluctance at transparency. The historical record has been compromised from the start. For 18 months, the Chinese government has silenced critics within its borders, hiding vital scientific data and leveraging vaccine diplomacy in an attempt to control the narrative. But Beijings version of events might be further challenged after President Biden recently ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to investigate the outbreak.

The World Health Organizations reputation, too, is on the line, after an investigation in which its team, half of them Chinese delegates, spent only three hours of a monthlong mission at the lab. Only four pages of the WHO s 313-page report spoke to the possibility of a lab leak, ranking such a scenario below the suggestion that the pandemic began with frozen food.
IVELLISE, MARTI BELLE, ALLYSIN KAYE & MORE: 6/13 SHINE REPORT FROM PORT RICHEY, FLORIDA

By Shannon Walsh, JoshiSunTimes.com on 2021-06-13 22:28:00

SHINE results of SHINE 67 from Port Richey, Florida, USA at Gulf View Event Center on 6/13/21 live on FITE and Club WWN:

The pre-show saw Marti Belle and Allysin Kay talking about their SHINE Tag Team Titles shot tonight against Kimber Lee and Stormie Lee. Belle was trying to teach Kay anger management skills to calm her down. Kay still wants another shot at the SHINE Title too.

SHINE Champion Ivelisse said she will rip Natalia Markova apart piece by piece and remain the champion.

Lenny Leonard is back as the play by play announcer and he introduced Alyssa Marino in the ring as the newest member of the broadcast team. Trevin Adams remains as ring announcer. The ring mic is bad but it sounded like Leonard said Ayla is also on the broadcast team and she came to the ring. Looks like Ayla will be doing interviews and social media. Marino is color commentator.

ACR pinned Karma Dean after a high kick to the head. Ayla did an interview at ringside with ACR after. She said this is womens professional wrestling and not a cat walk fashion show. Shes there to fight. She said nobody in SHINE took her seriously before but now everyone will recognize shes a pro.

The Ayla segments are a chance for the women to get promo time experience on live camera.

Harlow O Hara pinned Kelsey Reagan after a Fishermans DDT. Vipress came out to watch the match but she didnt interfere. After the match, she slithered over Reagan and raised OHaras arm in victory. They refused to answer any of Aylas questions. Vipress shushed her over her mouth with a finger and walked to the back with OHara.

Brittany Blake beat The W.O.A.D. by Disqualification when the referee was shoved down. The referee tried to get The W.O.A.D. to stop her corner hip attack on Blake. The W.O.A.D. gave her another corner hip attack after the bell and then gave the referee a Samoan Drop. Security and more referees came out to get the situation under control and they escorted The W.O.A.D. out of the building.

Amber Nova beat Sahara Se7en by arm bar submission in a back and forth battle that looked like it could have gone either way. Nova does a car mechanic gimmick. She gave Ayla a bunch of car puns. She wants to go after the SHINE Nova Title. Her submission finisher is cleverly called The Socket Wrench.

Intermission

Erica Torres pinned Myka Madrid after her Circle Breaker finisher. Good match between two of the highly underrated regulars of the Texas indie scene. Vipress and Harlow OHara walked down to ringside at the finish. After the match, they joined forces with Torres and hovered around Madrid giving her the shush finger. They didnt do an interview and walked to the back together.

Jayme Jameson is out at ringside with Allysin Kay and Marti Belle for the SHINE Tag Team Titles match. Leonard said Jameson isnt medically cleared by doctors to compete but still a force to watch out for in the corner.

SHINE Tag Team Champions Kimber Lee and Stormie Lee beat Allysin Kay and Marti Belle when Stormie pinned Belle after Kimbers swanton bomb. Jayme Jamesons interference backfired and knocked Kay out of the ring twice at the finish. Lee and Lee started to get along in the post match interview but then they ended up bickering again when they couldnt decide on their team name.

Natalia Markova is the current SHINE Nova Champion but only the SHINE Title is on the line in the main event.

The W.O.A.D. pulled Markova out of the ring as Ivelisse was coming out and rammed her into the ring post. Ivelisse got in the face of The W.O.A.D. as a bunch of referees, security, and EMTs came out to control The W.O.A.D. and check on Markova.

Ivelisse got on the mic and said people came to see a title match and demanded The W.O.A.D. face her. She did a flying body press on The W.O.A.D. and security. They brawled all over the building as Leonard questioned if it was even an official title match or not. He said The W.O.A.D. might be suspended after all that shes done tonight.

Trevin Adams announced it was a title match once they finally got into the ring and the referee started the match. Adams went over to the broadcast table and told Leonard that Markova had been taken to a local medical facility.

SHINE Champion Ivelisse pinned The W.O.A.D. with an inside cradle after The W.O.A.D. charged at her in the corner but missed. After the match, Allysin Kay and Marti Belle ran in and immediately attacked Ivelisse. Referees and the locker room ran out to separate them. Ivelisse was able to celebrate a little once the chaotic scene was cleared.

There was a noticeable change to the announcing style. Leonard didnt constantly name drop WWE and NXT like he was doing in the final days of EVOLVE in relationship to SHINE. The only time he mentioned WWE was in reference to WWE Hall of Famers who trained some of the women on the show. He did put over Cody Rhodes and the Nightmare Factory in Atlanta a few times. He also noted that Thunder Rosa, Jazz, and Rodney Mack own the Dogg Pound Dojo in San Antonio.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
HOUSTON (AP)  Jennifer Bridges, a registered nurse in Houston, is steadfast in her belief that it's wrong for her employer to force hospital workers like her to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or say goodbye to their jobs. But that's a losing legal argument so far.

In a stinging defeat, a federal judge bluntly ruled over the weekend that if employees of the Houston Methodist hospital system don't like it, they can go work elsewhere.

Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer. Bridges can freely choose to accept or refuse a COVID-19 vaccine; however, if she refuses, she will simply need to work somewhere else," U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes wrote in dismissing a lawsuit filed by 117 Houston Methodist workers, including Bridges, over the vaccine requirement.

The ruling Saturday in the closely watched legal case over how far health care institutions can go to protect patients and others against the coronavirus is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. But it won't be the end of the debate.

Bridges said she and the others will take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court if they have to: This is only the beginning. We are going to be fighting for quite a while."
Megan McArdle, in a column published in this newspaper two weeks ago, states that tax hikes wont fix inequality. Towards the end of the column, she suggests perhaps the "best way to reduce the pernicious effects of unequal wealth might be aggressively taxing consumption." A little further into the column she manages to admit that consumption taxes are usually regressive. Well, yes, indeed they are, and so why is McArdle positing that perhaps they could be helpful in reducing inequality? Then she goes on to talk about a "highly progressive, revenue neutral consumption tax." Ive never heard of a progressive, consumption tax. By definition they are regressive, hurting the poor who have little to spend and have to spend it on the basics of life.
DES MOINES  Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told Iowa Democrats on Sunday finally help is here in cheering President Joe Bidens efforts to rescue the nation from an economically crippling COVID-19 pandemic in ways that she said are aiding many Americans and businesses.

By restoring leadership in the White House since Jan. 20, Bottoms said, the Biden administration has over-delivered on lifesaving policies that have turned the tide on some of our nations darkest hours, with hundreds of millions of Americans receiving vaccination shots that are helping reopen communities.

Weve been able to reunite with our families and loved ones and weve actually been able to hug and touch one another. How long have we all been waiting for that? the Georgia mayor asked in her remarks as the keynote speaker at the Iowa Democratic Partys virtual Hall of Fame fundraiser.

Due to the inaction and incompetence of the former GOP president and Republican Congress, she said too many families and small businesses are still struggling to recover from damaging pandemic effects even as the new administration hit the ground running and gave our communities a much-needed lifeline.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukraines president says he's concerned that this weeks US-Russia summit will not produce concrete results and will leave his country in an uncertain position.

In an interview Monday with The Associated Press and other foreign news agencies, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was disappointed that he was not able to have a meeting with President Joe Biden before Biden's Wednesday summit in Geneva with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I believe that this would only have been a plus in the negotiating position of the U.S. President, Zelenskyy said Monday.

Ukraine is eager for strong support from the West as it faces Russia-backed separatist rebels who have taken control of a large section of the countrys east.

The No. 1 concern is that there will be no specifics, Zelenskyy said of the Geneva summit. And the situation in Ukraine depends on this very, very much ... Everyone is afraid of solutions to the most difficult issues, final solutions.

Russia denies that it has troops in eastern Ukraine, but it sparked high anxiety this spring with exercises that placed thousands of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine's rebel-held region. Zelenskyy said although some of those forces have been pulled back, about 95,000 remain.
The trial against the 75-year-old Suu Kyi is closed, but her lawyers said at the end of the days hearing that the prosecution began presenting its case.

Suu Kyi has been charged with illegally importing walkie-talkies for her bodyguards use, unlicensed use of the radios and spreading information that could cause public alarm or unrest, as well as for two counts of violating the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly breaking pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign, her lawyers said Sunday.

All these charges should be dropped, resulting in her immediate and unconditional release," said Human Rights Watch's Robertson. "But sadly, with the restrictions on access to her lawyers, and the case being heard in front of a court that is wholly beholden to the military junta, there is little likelihood she will receive a fair trial."

Government prosecutors will have until June 28 to finish their presentation, after which Suu Kyis defense team will have until July 26 to present its case, Khin Maung Zaw, the teams senior member, said last week. Court sessions are due to be held on Monday and Tuesday each week.
KALISPELL  A Montana woman has been given a six-year deferred prison sentence over striking a 6-year-old girl with her car after the girl got off a school bus near Whitefish in November 2019.

Patricia Ann Berliner, 67, of Eureka, entered an Alford plea to felony child endangerment in March for hitting Jordana Hubble.

Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to gain a conviction. It is treated like a guilty plea for sentencing purposes.

District Court Judge Dan Wilson sentenced Berliner on Thursday, also ordering her to perform 100 hours of community service, the Daily Inter Lake reported.

Investigators said Berliner was driving between 25 and 40 mph when she failed to stop for a school bus and struck Hubble, throwing her 60 feet. The girl landed in a ditch.

Jordana suffered a traumatic brain injury. She spent two months in Montana Children's Hospital in Kalispell and seven months in a Houston hospital, Veronica "Vo" Hubble said of her daughter.

"She had a collapsed lung, pneumonia, infections, she had to be fed by a tube in her stomach and she still takes her medications through a tube in her stomach," Hubble said.
QUESTION: We moved from North Texas to a lake in East Texas. Within the first week of living here, my husband discovered a tick on his stomach. He pulled it out, and a week later we saw a bulls-eye rash as clear as can be.

I sent him off to urgent care, and he asked for a round of antibiotics. The clinic had not seen a tick bite or rash ever! That sounds unbelievable, since the Sam Houston Forest is all around us.

He took two rounds of antibiotic and the rash went away. Luckily, he has not had any residual effects. Dont mess around with Lyme disease!

ANSWER: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease is relatively rare in Texas. There are, however, cases reported every year. Your husband was smart to get treated promptly.

Prevention is absolutely the best strategy against tick bites. Readers of this column have praised the benefits of wearing permethrin-treated gaiters that fit over shoes, socks and lower pants legs.

One person commented: The leading tick expert at the University of Wisconsin recommends wearing rubber boots (wellies) and says that ticks dont like them at all. I spray my boots and pants with permethrin, and so far, so good. We have tons of ticks in our Wisconsin woods.
Andy Florance, the founder of real estate analytics and research firm CoStar Group, was named to the Virginia Commonwealth University board of visitors on Friday.

Gov. Ralph Northam appointed Florance, who begins a four-year term on July 1 and joins a 16-member body that has the final say over university decisions.

Florance formed CoStar in 1987 as an undergraduate student at Princeton. The company provides real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces, such as Apartments.com and Homes.com.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., CoStar opened a Richmond office in 2016 at 501 S. Fifth St. and employs 1,000 people in Richmond. Florance received an honorary doctorate from VCU and gave the commencement speech in 2019.

Hundreds of VCU alumni have worked for CoStar, and the company gave $2.5 million to the VCU School of Business to establish a chair of real estate analytics.

Andy is a strong supporter of VCU and the broader Richmond community, said VCU President Michael Rao in a statement.
When Knoxs father died in 1965, she went through his papers and came upon a photo of a Black farmer in overalls and a tattered straw hat. The back of the photo, apparently made by a professional photographer for a publication, identified the farmer as Oliver and the year as 1940.

The picture touched her deeply  Olivers gentle smile and expressive face radiates so much love and character, she said  and it also connected her to her father, with whom she was very close and who taught her, among other attributes, to respect and love all of mankind unconditionally.

Knox framed the photograph and enjoyed it for many years, until about two years ago when it became clear to her there might be an even more suitable home for the picture.

She has reached the stage in life, she explained, where it has become important to make sure things are where they belong. Or, as she put it, Everything has its home.

She and a friend from Blacksburg  where her family moved after her early years in Blackstone  were noting how many classmates they have lost.
In addition to state law, our policies must also be aligned to federal laws, too, Virginia Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski wrote in an email. In most cases, state and federal law is similar or the same, which aids in the clarity of university policies. In this case, state and federal laws will have differences, and when that happens, we still have to make sure our policies align to both, even though they are different.

Virginia Tech is the first major institution of higher learning in the commonwealth to update its student code of conduct to specifically address legalization of marijuana in Virginia and what it means for students on campus.

Other universities arent making changes to policies at this time, saying they are already in compliance with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act.

Radford University is not planning on making any changes to its student conduct standards.

The University of Virginia is still evaluating the policy implications of the legislative change and, if necessary, will make changes prior to July 1. James Madison University is also working on any necessary updates to its student handbook, but the university will remain in compliance with the federal law banning marijuana on campus.
As cases of COVID-19 continue to decrease and the economy begins to recover, Virginians have reason for optimism. I am proud of the way that Virginia businesses have responded to adversity and kept the health and safety of their workers and customers as their top priority.

Unfortunately, legislation you might never have heard of is working its way through the U.S. Congress, and if it passes, it represents a real threat to Virginias economy at a vulnerable time.

The bill is called the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. But despite its name, it is anything but positive. It is a union wish list of anti-business policies that ultimately harm businesses and workers alike.

The PRO Act has gone relatively unchecked to this point, having already passed the House of Representatives on a partisan vote. A split U.S. Senate is all that stands between the bill and enactment.

Thankfully, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has refrained from co-sponsoring the PRO Act, helping keep the bill from being heard on the Senate floor. The Virginia business community greatly appreciates Warners posture and thoughtfulness on the bill. As the country and Virginia recovers from the pandemic, legislation like the PRO Act is the last thing our businesses and communities need.
The Pulitzer Prize is the highest honor a journalist can achieve. It is awarded to the best of the best, to those extraordinary writers whose poignant prose and searing imagery cut to the crux of the pressing issues before us.

Its no wonder RTD columnist Michael Paul Williams received the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. He is extraordinary.

As Richmond became an epicenter of racial reckoning this past year, Williams forcefully and thoughtfully confronted our past while offering solutions for moving our community  and this nation  forward.

Williams won for columns written in 2020, the judges wrote, for penetrating and historically insightful columns that guided Richmond, a former capital of the Confederacy, through the painful and complicated process of dismantling the citys monuments to white supremacy.

Williams captured the first draft of a dynamic history with his powerful columns, writing with an authority that speaks to his deep understanding of our region. A Richmond native, he graduated from Hermitage High School and Virginia Union University. He holds a masters degree from the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Tuesday morning update

Tropical Storm Bill formed off the Eastern Seaboard late Monday, but it's unlikely to stick around for long.

As of 11 a.m., the center of the storm was 420 miles east of Nantucket, Mass., speeding off to the northeast at 38 mph. Bill had sustained winds of 60 mph.

There's still a high chance that a new storm will develop in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center. But for now, there's still no clarity on whether it will eventually bring any significant rain to Virginia.

***

Monday evening update

Despite its proximity to the Outer Banks, the average beachgoer wouldn't have known about the latest tropical system without a satellite picture.

On Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center designated Tropical Depression Two 105 miles east of Cape Hatteras. It had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving toward the northeast at a brisk 21 mph.

Mostly sunny and pleasant conditions prevailed at the beaches of North Carolina and Virginia, but the National Weather Service cautioned that there was a moderate risk of rip currents.
CHRISTIANSBURG  The town has entered into an agreement with an Arizona-based company to equip its police officers with a number of devices that include both body and new car cameras.

The five-year agreement with the Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon Enterprise Inc. comes at a cost of $891,781 and was approved by Christiansburg Town Council on a 6-0 vote this past week.

The deal comes as law enforcement across the country has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, an issue that was reflected by the nationwide protests last year sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of several Minneapolis police officers.

Christiansburg Mayor Mike Barber addressed the camera issue.

I think its been needed for a long time, he said. In todays environment and with law enforcement under the scrutiny it is now  we owe it to our citizens to be able to properly record  the calls and things like that. More and more people are going to it.

Christiansburg had tested some body cameras in the past, but never kept using them on a more long-term basis, Barber said. The Axon system promises much better reliability and is already in use by the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office, which gave the town additional reassurance, the mayor said.
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Carolina on Monday to kick off a nationwide push to vaccinate millions more Americans against the coronavirus as July 4 holiday celebrations loom.

Harris spoke at the Phillis Wheatley Community Center at a vaccine mobilization event, reminding an audience of more than 150 that the coronavirus vaccines available are safe, free and effective in an effort to debunk misinformation and dislodge vaccine skepticism experts say have slowed down the administration of the shots across the country.

They are safe, and they are free, Harris said of the vaccines. They are inspected, and it is that simple.

Monday's visit kicks off the launch of a national tour thats part of the White Houses month of action, announced by President Joe Biden earlier this month urging more Americans to get their shots before the July 4 holiday. Harris will next head to Atlanta on Friday, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan plans to make Tuesday stops in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Facing a surge in homelessness, Richmond wants to buy a hotel to meet the growing need for emergency shelter in the region.

The potential purchase, shared with a council panel last week, is among several options the city is weighing to stand up a year-round inclement weather shelter by this fall, said Sherrill Hampton, Richmonds new director of housing and community development.

We have several options so we are exploring several of these options all at once, Hampton told the councils Education and Human Services Standing Committee Thursday. It is our goal to have an emergency shelter up and running by October 1.

Hampton did not disclose a specific location; she likewise declined to do so in response to follow-up questions sent via email about the number of sites under consideration and the citys budget for the initiative.

If the city can buy the building for a reasonable amount of money, Hampton said it would do so later this summer when it receives the federal funds it intends to use for the purchase.
Five more historical figures have been hauled into the court of public opinion, found guilty of being either slaveholders, Confederates or segregationists, and sentenced to unnaming.

All five have their names affixed to Virginia community colleges, although not for much longer. Three schools are already in the process of changing their names  Lord Fairfax that operates four locations in the northern Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont, John Tyler in Chesterfield County, and Thomas Nelson in Hampton.

Two others have local boards that want to keep their names  Dabney S. Lancaster in Clifton Forge and Patrick Henry in Martinsville  which has prompted the state board to urge them to think about that again.

In the past, weve suggested the standard for naming (or un-naming) should be what the person is best known for. By that measure, Patrick Henry would stay but Dabney S. Lancaster would go. Henry is best known for his fiery speech in favor of independence  give me liberty or give me death  not the fact that his concept of liberty only went so far. Indeed, he came to despise slavery  he called it totally repugnant  and urged its abolition, even as he continued to own fellow humans. History is complicated.
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" " Renaissance mathematicians were the first to come up with the idea of imaginary numbers. imagestockdesign/shutterstock

In Dan Brown's mega-bestselling 2003 mystery thriller "The Da Vinci Code," there's a bit of repartee in the book between the book's hero, Robert Langdon, and cryptographer Sophie Neveu, in which she expresses skepticism about value "of religious believers living by faiths that include miraculous occurrences. It appears their reality is false," she sneers.

Langdon laughs, and says that those beliefs are no more bogus "than that of a mathematical cryptographer who believes in the imaginary number 'i' because it helps her break codes."

For those of us who aren't mathematically inclined, Langdon's joke was a bit puzzling. What in the heck is he talking about when he says that a number is imaginary? How could that be?

As it turns out, though, an imaginary number  basically, a number that, when squared, results in a negative number  really is a thing in mathematics, first discovered back in the 1400s and 1500s as a way to solve certain bedeviling equations. While initially thought of as sort of a parlor trick, in the centuries since, they've come to be viewed as a tool for conceptualizing the world in complex ways, and today are useful in fields ranging from electrical engineering to quantum mechanics.

"We invented imaginary numbers for some of the same reasons that we invented negative numbers," explains Cristopher Moore. He's a physicist at the Santa Fe Institute, an independent research institution in New Mexico, and co-author, with Stephan Mertens, of the 2011 book "The Nature of Computation."

"Start with ordinary arithmetic," Moore continues. "What is two minus seven? If you've never heard of negative numbers, that doesn't make sense. There's no answer. You can't have negative five apples, right? But think of it this way. You could owe me five apples, or five dollars. Once people started doing accounting and bookkeeping, we needed that concept." Similarly, today we're all familiar with the idea that if we write big checks to pay for things, but don't have enough money to cover them, we could have a negative balance in our bank accounts.

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Creative Thinking Goes a Long Way

Another way to look at negative numbers  and this will come in handy later  is to think of walking around in a city neighborhood, Moore says. If you make a wrong turn and in the opposite direction from our destination  say, five blocks south, when you should have gone north  you could think of it as walking five negative blocks to the north.

"By inventing negative numbers, it expands your mathematical universe, and enables you to talk about things that were difficult before," Moore says.

Imaginary numbers and complex numbers  that is, numbers that include an imaginary component  are another example of this sort of creative thinking. As Moore explains it: "If I ask you, what is the square root of nine, that's easy, right? The answer is three  though it also could be negative three," since multiplying two negatives results in a positive.

But what is the square root of negative one? Is there a number, when multiplied by itself, that gives you in negative one? "At one level, there is no such number," Moore says.

But Renaissance mathematicians came up with a clever way around that problem. "Before we invented negative numbers there was no such number that was two minus seven," Moore continues. "So maybe we should invent a number that is square root of negative one. Let's give it a name. i."

Once they came up with the concept of an imaginary number, mathematicians discovered that they could do some really cool stuff with it. Remember that multiplying a positive by a negative number equals a negative, but multiplying two negatives by one another equals a positive. But what happens when you start multiplying i times seven, and then times i again? Because i times i is negative one, the answer is negative seven. But if you multiply seven times i times i times i times i, suddenly you get positive seven. "They cancel each other out," Moore notes.

Now think about that. You took an imaginary number, plugged it into an equation multiple times, and ended up with an actual number that you commonly use in the real world.

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Imaginary Numbers Are Points on a Plane

It wasn't until few hundred years later, in the early 1800s, that mathematicians discovered another way of understanding imaginary numbers, by thinking of them as points on a plane, explains Mark Levi. He's a professor and head of the mathematics department at Penn State University and author of the 2012 book "Why Cats Land on Their Feet: And 76 Other Physical Paradoxes and Puzzles."

When we think of numbers as points on a line, and then add a second dimension, "the points on that plane are the imaginary numbers," he says.

Envision a number line. When you think of a negative number, its 180 degrees away from the positive numbers on the line. "When you multiply two negative numbers, you add their angles, 180 degrees plus 180 degrees, and you get 360 degrees. That's why it's positive," Levi explains.

" " The Y axis is helpful when you're thinking about imaginary numbers since you can't put the square root of -1 on the X axis. zizou7/shutterstock

But you can't put the square root of negative one anywhere on the X axis. It just doesn't work. However, if you create a Y axis that's perpendicular to the X, you now have a place to put it.

And while imaginary numbers seem like just a bunch of mathematical razzle-dazzle, they're actually very useful for certain important calculations in the modern technological world, such as calculating the flow of air over an airplane wing, or figuring out the drain in energy from resistance combined with oscillation in an electrical system. And the fictional Robert Langdon wasn't pulling our legs when he mentioned that they're also used in cryptography.

Complex numbers with imaginary components also are useful in theoretical physics, explains Rolando Somma, a physicist who works in quantum computing algorithms at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

"Due to their relation with trigonometric functions, they are useful for describing, for example, periodic functions," Somma says via email. "These arise as solutions to the wave equations, so we use complex numbers to describe various waves, such an electromagnetic wave. Thus, as in math, complex calculus in physics is an extremely useful tool for simplifying calculations."

Complex numbers also have a role in quantum mechanics, a theory that describes the behavior of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles.

"In quantum mechanics 'i' appears explicitly in Schrodinger's equation," Somma explains. "Thus, complex numbers appear to have a more fundamental role in quantum mechanics rather than just serving as a useful calculational tool."

"The state of a quantum system is described by its wave function," he continues. "As a solution to Schrodinger's equation, this wave function is a superposition of certain states, and the numbers appearing in the superposition are complex. Interference phenomena in quantum physics, for example, can be easily described using complex numbers."

Now That's Interesting Imaginary numbers also are mentioned in Thomas Pynchon's 2012 novel "Against the Day."
 Unanimous South Carolina Supreme Court decides sex offender registry is "unconstitutional absent any opportunity for judicial review to assess the risk of re-offending" | Main | SCOTUS rules defendants must show plain error (and likely won't) when pressing Rehaif claims on appeal in felon-in-possession cases 

June 13, 2021

Borden claims and the potential for 3582(c)(1)(a) motions to enable retroactivity

I asked a few days ago, in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling in Borden v. US, No. 195410 (S. Ct. June 10, 2021) (available here), limiting applicable ACCA predicates, "How many federal prisoners might now be serving illegal sentences after Borden?". After a little reflection and added research, I have come to suspect that maybe only a few hundred federal prisoners are now serving ACCA sentences based on a problematic reckless predicate, though surely a larger number may seek relief in federal courts. So, after flagging the issue of how many federal prisoners might now be serving illegal sentences after Borden, in this post I want to discuss a bit how current federal prisoners serving ACCA sentences might seek relief.

Notably, some of this ground has been plowed in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2015 ruling in Johnson finding ACCA's residual clause unconstitutionally vague. An intricate federal habeas jurisprudence has followed as ACCA prisoners looked to bring their Johnson claims into federal court through 2255 and 2241 motions. See generally Prof Leah Litman's writings here and here and here and here and here.

Justice Kavanaugh is clearly concerned about another round of this litigation the aftermath of Borden, as the last footnote in his dissent frets about "the collateral review petitions that will likely inundate courts in the circuits that [had held] ACCA covers reckless offenses." In that footnote, Justice Kavanaugh seems eager to note that prisoners may not get relief based on Borden because "many petitions may fall outside 2255s 1-year statute of limitations." But Justice Kavanaugh perhaps does not realize that, thanks to the FIRST STEP Act, prisoners with viable Borden claims could now bring 3582(c)(1)(a) motions for sentence reductions based on "extraordinary and compelling" circumstances.

Prof Litman had so much to write about after Johnson because the procedural rules and jurisprudence surrounding 2255 and 2241 motions are extraordinarily intricate and often limiting. And those procedural rules needed to be sorted through for ACCA-sentenced folks making Johnson claims because there was no other means to directly pursue resentencing in court. But, thank to the provision of the FIRST STEP Act allowing federal courts to directly reduce sentence without awaiting a motion by the Bureau of Prisons, prisoners now have another distinct means to seek relief through a 3582(c)(1)(a) motion for a sentence reduction.

Critically, because 3582(c)(1)(a) motions have only a minor "exhaustion" procedural requirement, prisoners bringing such motions will have an easier time to getting to court to have their claim considered on the substantive merits. But the substantive merits of a 3582(c)(1)(a) motion will be different than if a Borden claim is pursued via 2255 and 2241 motions. A judge will have to find that "extraordinary and compelling reasons warrant" a sentence reduction and then consider 3553(a) factors. Because those with winning Borden claims have been sentenced to an illegal five years or more, I would think they certainly present an "extraordinary and compelling reasons" for a sentence reduction. How much the sentence should be reduced should be ten determined by consideration of the 3553(a) factors.

In other words, the FIRST STEP Act's procedural change to so-called "compassionate release" motions via 3582(c)(1)(a) now allows for rulings like Borden to be more efficiently given retroactive effect in federal courts. Yet another lovely reasons to celebrate that Act.

Prior related posts:

June 13, 2021 at 11:54 PM | Permalink

Comments

completely agree, which is why I fear a new USSC. do you really think the new USSC would add changes in law (esp. nonretroactive changes like 924(c) stacking) as an extraorindary and compelling circumstance?

Posted by: afpd | Jun 14, 2021 9:11:37 AM

I think, afpd, a sensible and forward-looking USSC (and even a sensible DOJ) would RATHER have retroactivity done in an equitable way through 3582(c)(1)(a) rather than through 2255. In the Borden setting, for example, a winning 2255 motion means the sentence has to be 10 years or less, but that would not have to be the case for a winning 3582(c)(1)(a) motion. In addition, supervised release can be made the full length of the prison term for a 3582(c)(1)(a) modification, whereas that will not always be true in the 2255 context. But, most critically, litigating 2255 and 2241 procedural issues is just a pain --- and mostly a time/money waste --- for everyone involved when a change in law is makes a sentence suspect.

In other words, having an equitable safety valve for changes in sentence law makes a lot of sense --- though that does not mean the USSC or DOJ will be wise enough to embrace such a doctrine. Still, all that need be said is that a significant change in law can contribute to what constitutes extraordinary and compelling reasons for a sentence reduction under the right circumstances.

Posted by: Doug B. | Jun 14, 2021 2:23:05 PM

I am a retired USPO and current sentencing mitigation specialist. Since the language of USSG 4B1.2 for COV closely mirrors ACCA for COV, I am wondering if Borden will be extended to Career Offender definition. The issues seem similar -- targeting felons for enhance sentences -- although the Career Offender does not contain an increased statutory penalty. However, Career Offender seems much more similar to ACCA than to a misdemeanor domestic violence for 922(g) purposes. I can't see the Supremes saying the reckless mens rea applies to Career Offender, but I would think we should see this issue raised pretty quick.

Posted by: John D Olive | Jun 16, 2021 4:53:07 PM

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 Perhaps more guns explains why we have more gun homicides and more gun crimes | Main | New plea deals sets possible new precedent for resolving low-level Capitol riot prosecutions with single misdemeanor with 6 month jail maximum 

June 14, 2021

More good coverage of the not-so-good (but still not-so-bad) realities of federal compassionate release realities

As noted here, last Thursday the US Sentencing Commission released some fascinating (and bare bones) data on compassionate release motions in 2020 in this short data report. In this post, I flagged coverage by the Marshall Project lamenting that the Bureau of Prisons approved so very few compassionate release applications. I have since seen three more press piece noting ugly stories in the data:

I am quite pleased to see a a series of articles based on the new USSC data that rightly assail the BOP for being so adverse to supporting sentence reduction 3582(c)(1)(a) motions and that highlights broad variations in how compassionate release is functioning in different federal judicial districts. But, those persistent problems notwithstanding, I hope nobody loses sight of what the FIRST STEP Act accomplished by allowing federal courts to directly reduce sentences without awaiting a motion by the BOP. As of this writing, BOP reports on this data page that nearly 3500 federal defendants have now received "Compassionate Releases / Reduction in Sentences" since the FIRST STEP Act became law. (For point of reference, that is more than the total number of prisoners in New Hampshire and Vermont combined.)

I am eager for more details from the US Sentencing Commission about who is and is not receiving sentence reductions because there are surely some uneven (and likely ugly) patterns to be found in all the data. But the one pattern that is clear and should be appreciated is that judges are regularly using their new powers to reduce sentences that are excessive. As I suggested in this recent post, new legal rulings and all sorts of other developments can and should continue to provide sound reasons for federal judges to keep reconsidering extreme past federal sentences. I hope they continue to do so, and I hope we do not lose sight of a beautiful compassionate release forest even when we notice a some ugly trees.

A few of many prior related posts:

June 14, 2021 at 05:59 PM | Permalink

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 SCOTUS rules in Terry that lowest-level crack offenders cannot secure resentencing based on FIRST STEP Act retroactivity of Fair Sentencing Act | Main | More good coverage of the not-so-good (but still not-so-bad) realities of federal compassionate release realities 

June 14, 2021

Perhaps more guns explains why we have more gun homicides and more gun crimes

In this prior post on recent media coverage and political punditry focused on rising crime rates and their political implications, I noted my frustration that these discussions too often elide important data suggesting that it is primarily gun-related crimes that are on the rise while other crimes may still be on the decline. Again this backdrop, I found notable this new Vox piece by two data scientists headlined "One possible cause of the 2020 murder increase: More guns." Here are excerpts:

Its true that police activity, as measured by stops and arrests, declined significantly in 2020. Still, despite that drop, and weeks before Floyds murder and the ensuing protests, police began finding firearms more often than in previous years. This pattern does not support the idea that overwhelmed police forces werent able to take guns off the streets, leading to a surge in violence. Instead, the spike in firearms as a percentage of stops and arrests provides evidence that there were simply more guns on the streets throughout 2020 than in the past, which may have intensified other sources of violence and contributed to the historic rise in murders. While there is no standardized, national open data on stops, information on police activity in 10 cities that we compiled points toward the same pattern.... The share of stops or arrests that resulted in a firearm being found increased in every city. In Washington, DC, the share of all arrests that were weapons violations went from 5 percent in January to March 2020, to 7 percent in April and 9 percent in May. The share of arrests for weapons possession went from 1 percent between January and March 2020 in Charleston, South Carolina, to 4 percent between April and December. Almost every city followed the same pattern: a dramatic jump in the share of arrests or stops with a firearm in April and May, a decline in June, and a return to the earlier elevated levels for the remainder of the year. The implication of this trend is that  assuming police did not suddenly become substantially better at identifying who has an illegal gun  firearm carrying increased at the beginning of the pandemic, well before the protests, and persisted at that level for the remainder of the year. It is possible that in the midst of the pandemic, police started engaging in better-targeted stops that were more likely to yield arrests. But finding other kinds of contraband, like drugs, did not become more frequent, only guns.... Police finding more firearms in stops and arrests does not fit with the idea that a decrease in proactive police activity targeting firearms was the major driver for 2020s historic murder totals, though it certainly cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor.... The data all points to substantially more complex causes behind the rise in murder than the simple narrative of a change in policing as the sole or even main driver. It is plausible, though, that the summers drops in stops and arrests, protests against police violence, and increases in gun violence are all symptoms of the same disease: what criminologists David Pyrooz, Justin Nix, and Scott Wolfe recently called a legitimacy crisis in the criminal justice system, the result of intensifying distrust in the law and its gatekeepers as a result of injustice.... The trend toward more firearms sales and more guns on the street seems to have continued into 2021. Background checks accelerated even beyond last years peak in the first three months of this year. And the latest data from these cities stops shows that police are finding as many guns as they did in the second half of 2020. Early figures from many cities show murders have increased from last years baseline as well. If the greater availability of firearms contributed to last years violence, the latest arrest data suggests it may contribute even more deaths to 2021s murder total.

A few of many prior related posts:

June 14, 2021 at 02:06 PM | Permalink

Comments

Yes, perhaps it does. Just like gravity may explain why 5'11" me can't dunk on Yao Ming!

Posted by: hardreaders | Jun 14, 2021 2:18:25 PM

Here in Kentucky, the issues with more gun crimes (including record- breaking numbers of shooting homicides in Louisville [173 homicides in 2020) and Lexington (34 homicides in 2020)] has to do with the age-related distribution of the guns. In recent years, guns are now in the hands of youngsters, 15 to 24, who are immature and impulsive. They shoot first and ask questions later. And virtually all of the shootings here are drug and gang-related. Average people like me, who aren't into drugs and not a gang member, have almost 0% risk of being shot. I would be interested to know if this pattern exists in other cities and states too.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Jun 15, 2021 9:35:34 AM

Perhaps more guns legally in the hands contributes to more gun crimes with illegal crimes? Who writes this nonsense? Why are you promoting this brain fever? Everyone should carry a gun. Everyone. Only then can you combat the epidemic of illegally acquired guns that are causing the soaring crime.

More gun buying is a great thing. Keep on. Everyone. Carry a gun in the USA.

Posted by: restless94110 | Jun 15, 2021 11:02:49 PM

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The Taylors face up to three years in prison if convicted of putting together Carlos Ghosn's audacious escape from Japan

An American father-son duo accused of orchestrating former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn's audacious escape from Japan admitted their role Monday as they made their first appearance before a Tokyo court.

Former special forces operative Michael Taylor, 60, and his 28-year-old son Peter were extradited by US authorities over claims they smuggled Ghosn out of the country in a music equipment case as he awaited trial.

At the Tokyo district court Monday, the pair said they did not contest the facts laid out by prosecutors in an indictment, effectively conceding their role in the saga.

The pair face up to three years in prison if convicted of helping Ghosn, who is currently an international fugitive living in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Ghosn was out on bail while awaiting trial on four counts of financial misconduct, which he denies, when he managed to slip past authorities onto a private jet, transit in Turkey and land in Lebanon.

The escape was hugely embarrassing for Japanese authorities, who termed it "one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history".

The Taylors, along with a Lebanese national still at large, are suspected of orchestrating the December 2019 escape -- including putting Ghosn inside an audio equipment case to get him onto the private jet.

The pair fought their extradition to Tokyo, claiming they could face torture-like conditions, and have not commented on their case since arriving in early March.

Tokyo's Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto has declined to comment on their arraignment, but local media said both men have admitted wrongdoing during questioning.

Public broadcaster NHK has said Peter received 144 million yen ($1.3 million) from the Ghosns for their help.

The Asahi Shimbun daily said the pair spent most of the money on preparations for the escape, including the costs of chartering a private jet, claiming that they were not paid for their help.

Story continues

Ghosn remains at large in Lebanon, where he was questioned last month by French investigators over a series of alleged financial improprieties.

Among the allegations are improper financial interactions with Renault-Nissan's distributor in Oman, payments by a Dutch subsidiary to consultants and lavish parties organised at the Palace of Versailles.

The questioning took place with his defence team and a Lebanese prosecutor present. Ghosn was heard as a witness as he would need to be in France to be formally indicted.

Others involved in the Ghosn case have faced legal proceedings, including his former aide at Nissan, Greg Kelly, who is also on trial in Tokyo for his alleged role in underreporting the tycoon's income.

And a Turkish court has sentenced two pilots and another employee of a small private airline to four years and two months in prison for their role in Ghosn's escape.

Ghosn switched planes in Turkey on his way to Lebanon, and the three Turks were charged with involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle a migrant.

bur-si-sah/reb
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach - 14 June 2021 - Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), micro SMEs and individual entrepreneurs have to bear the brunt of the lockdown imposed nationwide to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections. In the face of these challenges, TFP Solutions Bhd's e-commerce solution provider, OneMALL, announced a limited-time offer for the setup of online stores.













The offer allows merchants to sign up with just a few clicks to have their products appear across OneMALL's online marketplace without paying any sign-up charges. OneMALL, a new and trendy online marketplace in Malaysia that gives a refreshing digital shopping experience for consumers, has introduced this limited-time offer in order to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to take their business online.





Speaking on the limited-time offer, YM Puteri Munawarah Syammiyah binti Munir, the Group Executive Director of TFP, said, "In our continued effort to support underserved micro and small businesses community in Malaysia to shift towards e-commerce, we're making it even easier for businesses to get onboard with our online platform. We have all seen the importance of e-commerce during this pandemic, and our goal is to drive the online success of our partners and merchants."





This limited-time offer will provide opportunities for micro and small businesses to continue running their business despite of the recent lockdown imposed nationwide recently. This is important as many SMEs and micro-enterprises are struggling with cashflow during this pandemic.





According to the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), many employers and micro enterprises have reached a breaking point under the total lockdown and "have zero cash flow to sustain businesses."





The offer by OneMALL, will provide a lifeline for micro and small businesses and cushion the impact on businesses.





Aside from the setup of online stores at zero costs, OneMALL will also provide free promotional video for FIVE selected NEW registered merchants. "This will help to increase their visibility on the e-commerce platform, which would drive their online sales. As we have seen during the pandemic, digital marketing has evolved significantly, with video marketing being one of the most effective ways to reach out to consumers" mentioned TFP Solutions' Group Managing Director, Datuk Hussian @ Rizal A Rahman.

Story continues





While there are other more established online e-commerce platforms such as Lazada, Shopee, Mudah, and Carousell, OneMALL stands out from the competition by leveraging TFP Solutions' i) FinTech digital community, which has over 22,000 members, ii) a FinTech mobile payment solution, a delivery platform, and iii) an additional revenue stream for entrepreneurs by promoting OneCALL mobile Fintech to their members.





Merchants who set up their online stores with OneMALL will benefit from the wider audience that they would be exposed to. For businesses that are already on board with existing e-commerce platforms, their presence at OneMALL will improve their visibility and reach to consumers. This is as multichannel selling empowers e-commerce store owners to build their own brand and increase conversions. It will also help sellers to grow through economies of scale, assuming that the merchants increase their output with more channels.





Channel diversifications will also help to reduce risks as it diversifies the merchants' revenue streams, which would help them stay ahead of the ever-changing landscape of e-commerce.





Given the benefits offered by the setup of online stores with OneMALL, micro and small businesses could take advantage of the limited-time offer to get onboard. Online businesses can be intimidating for sellers who are new to the platform, but OneMALL offers assistance throughout the entire process, from the setup of the online stores to the management of inventory, payment options as well as consolidation of shipping for merchants.





Online shopping has gained momentum following the pandemic, and this trend is expected to continue in the post-COVID world. We have also seen a surge in retailers and merchants on the online platform, leading to overcrowded competition in the e-commerce space.





Retailers and merchants will need to set themselves apart from their competitors in order to reach out to consumers. Unlike the mainstream online shopping platform, OneMALL will prioritize the growth of its merchants and partners by providing a self-initiated and personalized guide on social media marketing tools.





Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, a business owner with an existing presence on the e-commerce platform or an enterprise that are new to online business, OneMALL's limited-time offer provides you with an opportunity to penetrate the e-commerce market. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and OneMALL welcomes you to take the first step together.

About TFP Solutions Berhad

The TFP Group aims to continually innovate and evolve itself to be at the forefront of business productivity.

In 2020, the Group launched OneCALL, its mobile fintech services, in collaboration with mobile virutal network operator (MVNO) Tune Talk Sdn Bhd. OneCALL offers e-remittance, e-wages, virtual ATM, game PIN, lifestyle tool and bill payment services, among others.

In January 2021, TFP Solutions announced that it was teaming up with LEAP Market-listed ACE Innovate Asia Berhad to launch a digital gold trading platform. The Company is branding the gold as OneGOLD which is a shariah-complaint gold trading business. The main difference between OneGOLD and other gold trading platform is that TFP Solutions integrates its gold trading platform with its e-wallet, which enables its members to easily invest in gold whenever they want.





#TFPSolutionsBerhad #OneMALL
US President Joe Biden arrived in Brussels from London aboard Air Force One

US President Joe Biden arrived Sunday in Brussels for two days of summits with leaders from the NATO military alliance and the European Union.

Biden, on his first foreign trip as president, flew in from Britain, where he attended a G7 summit, and was welcomed by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

After a handshake and a brief exchange of words, he got into the armoured limousine known as "The Beast" to head for the US embassy in Brussels, his base during his stay there.

Brussels has launched a major security operation to ensure the safety of Biden and the leaders of the 28 other NATO members states arriving for the summit. Brussels residents have been warned to expect disruption to their normal routines.

The summit is expected to see Biden mark a resumption of the US's leading role in NATO after the disruption of the Trump presidency.

After a three-hour meeting Monday afternoon, NATO leaders are due to launch a joint statement.

They are hoping to formulate a tough message for Vladimir Putin to give Biden something substantial to take to Geneva for his summit with the Russian president on Wednesday.

The NATO summit is also likely to security issues in space, cyberspace, and the growing influence of China.

"You're not going to see like paragraphs and paragraphs about China in the communique and the language is not going to be inflammatory," said Jake Sullivan, Biden's National Security Advisor.

"It's going to be clear, straightforward and direct."

The NATO allies are also expected to adopt a code of conduct to put an end to the tensions caused by the US decision to pull out of Afghanistan, as well as Turkey's military interventions in Syria and Libya.

Biden is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the main NATO meeting. Turkey has said it is willing to maintain troops in the Afghan capital Kabul to ensure the security of the airport.

On Tuesday, Biden is due to attend the EU-US summit. He will have talks with European Council president Charles Michel and the head of the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

But Biden will not take part in a joint news conference with them, leaving the Belgian capital for Geneva early in the afternoon.

sms/jj/har
Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) advised the public against a phishing scam using the brands name. Messages have been circulating in social media and other communication platforms.

According to TMP, the message inviting recipients to click on the link for free giftsclaimed it is in celebration of Toyotas 80th anniversary.

TMP made a quick announcement on the issue, for the safety and privacy of its customers.

Recipients are strongly advised not to click on the link and to refrain from forwarding the message. The message leads to a deceptive website that will attempt to steal personal information and data, the statement reads.

Toyota chatbot

Further, the leading automotive manufacturer in the country said that in the event a recipient of the anomalous letter accesses the link, it is best to change the passwords of concerned accounts immediately and activate two-factor authentication to further improve security.

TMP is encouraging everyone to scrutinize every message received, most especially if they are promising prizes or free gifts for activities the recipient did not sign up for, the company noted.

It also reiterated that the company and its dealer network do not ask for any private information through unauthorized channels.

Moreover, TMP urged the public to get legitimate information and promotions from TMPs official website and social media pages: toyota.com.ph, facebook.com/toyotamotorphilippines on Facebook, @toyotamotorphilippines on Instagram, and @ToyotaMotorPH on Twitter.

Photos from Toyota Motor Philippines

Also read:

Toyota is most-researched brand on Carmudi, ZigWheels in 2020

Peoples hauler: 2020 Toyota Hilux G A/T

Toyota PH updates locally-bred Innova
By Praveen Menon

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand is to make a formal apology to the Pacific community which felt "targeted and terrorised" during police raids searching for overstayers in the 1970s, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

The so-called "Dawn Raids", carried out between 1974 and 1976 to find, convict and deport overstayers, often took place very early in the morning or late at night and were routinely severe with demeaning verbal and physical treatment, Ardern said in a statement.

The raids were racist as they targeted people from neighbouring Pacific islands suspected of overstaying, but never those from Britain or the United States, even though about 40% of overstayers at the time were British or American.

"Communities at the time felt targeted and terrorised and there is clear evidence the raids were discriminatory and have had a lasting negative impact," Ardern said.

"An apology can never reverse what happened or undo the damage caused but we can acknowledge it and we can seek to right a wrong," she added.

The formal apology will be delivered at a commemoration event on June 26 in Auckland Town Hall.

(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Nick Macfie)
What involves the young adventurer in the greatest perils since Paulines is a pre-World War II search for the lost Ark of the Covenant.

Giving Jones a run for the 10 Commandments, unfortunately, is an oily band of Nazis (led by Peter Lorre act-alike Ronald Lacey) who want the military dominance the Arks contents would provide.

Willing to do anything to keep Jones from getting them first (short of killing him, which would be against true serial code), the nasties concoct a series of snags that run the gamut of sadism.

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Defeating? Not for Fords Jones. Part Humphrey Bogart, part Errol Flynn and part Jimmy Stewart, he swaggers through the mire like the last man at the Alamo. More vulnerable than Buck Rogers, he reveals his weaknesses  like a fear of snakes  at the most inopportune times.

Even his penchant for Marion Ravenswood (Karen Allen), a tough broad who can drink any man under the table, surfaces only in moments of need.

The man is a fighter and, Ark or no Ark, survival comes first.

Combining forces after her saloon is gutted by the Nazis, Indy and Marion tromp through the deserts of Egypt in quest of the coveted Covenant.
SIOUX CITY -- Sioux City staff have recommended the City Council on Monday reject a construction company's bid for a controversial new welcome sign near the Sergeant Floyd Monument because it came in $125,000 above the engineer's estimate.

HCI Construction Company of South Sioux City submitted a base bid of $375,000. It was the lone bid received for the project, which the city's engineer estimated at $250,000.

"Current market factors and costs of materials led to a much higher bid than anticipated," Eric Coleman, an architect for CMBA Architects, wrote in a letter to Sioux City Parks and Recreation Manager Angel Wallace. "CMBA recommends that the council reject the sole bid and to consider rebidding the project at a future time when the market has stabilized."

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The council, in a split decision, approved a resolution May 3 to adopt plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated cost for the construction of the new sign to welcome visitors to the city. Mayor Bob Scott cast the lone "no" vote.
GEORGE, Iowa -- Eldert Beek's family waited for more than 70 years for him to come home.

Killed during the Korean War, the Sibley, Iowa, native's body was not recovered after the Chinese attack at the Chosin Reservoir on Dec. 1, 1950. All the Army could tell the family was that he was reported killed in action.

On Monday, an Iowa National Guard honor guard walked past dozens of American flags fluttering in the breeze on this Flag Day and returned Army Cpl. Eldert J. Beek's remains to his family, to his home, for burial next to his parents, John and Minnie Beek, at Evergreen Cemetery in George.

"We've had a gravestone for him, but he's never been buried," said ElDon Maxwell, of Rock Rapids, Iowa, a nephew who was born after Beek's death and was named for the uncle he never met. "I'm not sure if grandma and grandpa ever got that closure. You can always put out a headstone, but without physical evidence, that closure is so important."

Beek enlisted in the Army at age 19. He was killed at age 20, a young man with a whole life yet to live.
More than $8 million has been paid to settle five lawsuits stemming from the deadly crash of a New Jersey Transit train in 2016, including one filed by the family of a woman who was killed.

Attorneys representing Fabiola Bittar de Kroon and four other plaintiffs who had suffered injuries revealed the amount Monday. New Jersey Transit had announced the settlement with de Kroon and some of the other plaintiffs last month but hadn't specified an amount.

This was a preventable catastrophe, and we and our clients are hopeful that NJT has now implemented and will continue to implement all the necessary safety improvement  systemwide, from rail operations to crew medical screenings  to protect its passengers, agency personnel, and the general public from harm," attorneys Tom Kline and Robert J. Mongeluzzi, who represented the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

The attorneys didn't specify how the $8.15 million will be divided among the individual plaintiffs. In addition to de Kroon, settlements were reached on behalf of Bagya Subramaniam, Sheldon Kest, Karl Ward and Alexis Valle.
RIPLEY, Tenn. (AP)  A convicted felon accused of raping and killing a Tennessee corrections administrator and then escaping from prison on a farm tractor was sentenced to life without parole Monday after striking a deal with prosecutors.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Friends, family and former colleagues gathered Monday in Booneville to remember former Mississippi House Speaker Billy McCoy and to unveil a sign that names a segment of a state highway in his honor.

McCoy was 77 when he died in November 2019. The farmer from Rienzi was a self-described Franklin D. Roosevelt New Deal Democrat who was first elected to the state House in 1979. McCoy was speaker of the 122-member House during his final two terms, from January 2004 to January 2012.

McCoy  known for down-home turns of phrase and the occasional flash of temper  was instrumental in passing the 1987 Highway Program that led to construction of hundreds of miles of four-lane roads across Mississippi, including in rural areas struggling for economic development.

Legislators in 2020 passed House Bill 1279, naming segments of state highways, including the stretch of Mississippi Highway 45 in Prentiss and Alcorn counties in honor of McCoy. Both counties were in his House district.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Minnesota lawmakers returned to unfinished business at the Capitol on Monday as they convened for a special session to finalize a two-year budget and avert a potential government shutdown at the end of the month.

Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, said during a news conference that four of the 13 unresolved budget bills were completely ready to go," including higher education, commerce and energy, and agriculture. Hortman said the public safety budget bill  which she called her number one priority  will likely be the last bill to wrap as lawmakers debate which police accountability provisions to include in the final package.

This work is very hard and it's ongoing and I think both Republicans and Democrats are committed to it, she said. The work will be better done the less that it is politicized.

Hortman said she believes it'll take lawmakers between seven and 10 days to complete the two-year, $52 billion budget, matching Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka's estimate.

Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, said negotiators working on the public safety budget have agreed on at least five police accountability measures, and that he's 95% confident that they can ultimately reach an overall agreement without the top leaders intervening.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday his country would need diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance from the United States if it were to maintain troops in Afghanistan to protect and run Kabul's international airport, following the withdrawal of other NATO troops.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Abortion rights supporters asked a federal judge on Monday to prevent Arkansas near-total ban on the procedure from taking effect while the groups challenge its constitutionality.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood asked the judge to issue a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against the ban, which is set to take effect July 28. The groups filed a lawsuit last month challenging the ban, which prohibits abortions except those to save the life of the mother.

The groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of Little Rock Family Planning Services, a Little Rock abortion clinic, and Planned Parenthoods Little Rock health center. The groups are also representing a doctor who works at the Planned Parenthood clinic.

Absent an order from this Court, (the ban) will inflict on plaintiffs patients significant and irreparable harm for which there is no adequate remedy at law," the filing Monday said.

Amanda Priest, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, said the groups' motion should not come as a surprise to anyone."
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana legislators scrambled in the final days of their session to make decisions on spending the states $3 billion share of the $350 billion in federal coronavirus relief money approved this year for state and local governments.
DES MOINES  The terrorists rode on motorcycles to the home in Afghanistan. They wore masks and carried guns. They came upon a little boy, grabbed him by the neck, and demanded he bring them bread. If he didnt, they would harm him and his family, they said.

The little boy was 9 years old. He had never seen a gun before. He was scared. He did as they asked.

That interaction, decades later, could prove to be a death sentence for Zalmay Niazy  an Iowa Falls, Iowa, man and the little boy in that story.

A decade after the day he brought a piece of bread  A piece no bigger than a cell phone  to those terrorists, Zalmay Niazy, who had learned English as a child, worked as an interpreter for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. He did that for three years, from 2007 to 2009, putting his life in danger both at work  he was wounded in multiple bombings  and at home, where Taliban forces threatened him and his family. The Taliban in 2008 made good on its threats, killing Niazys uncle, he said.

A few years later, Niazys employer sent him to a work conference in Washington, D.C. Niazy made plans to not only attend the conference, but while in the U.S. apply for political asylum under a program created for former interpreters who aided U.S. military  like Niazy.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  The FBI on Friday arrested an Iowa man and his adult son after they discussed on social media their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, court records show.

Daryl Johnson, 50, of St. Ansgar and 29-year-old Daniel Johnson of Austin, Minnesota, were arrested separately by agents on Friday morning.

An FBI affidavit quotes Daniel Johnson as writing We stormed capitol hill to a contact on Facebook on Jan. 6.

lol Dad and I were one of the first ones inside, his message allegedly said.

The two made initial appearances in federal courts in Iowa and Minnesota then were released from custody pending further proceedings in Washington, D.C. They are charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct, violent entry, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Daryl Johnson declined comment when reached by phone Monday in St. Ansgar, a town of 1,200 where his father, Norman Johnson, is a former mayor and well known businessman.

Norman Johnson, who lost his reelection bid in 2019, also declined to comment on the arrests of his son and grandson. I have plenty of thoughts but I'm not going to share them, he said.
Silent calamity: The health impacts of wildfire smoke

Posted on 14 June 2021 by Guest Author

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson

Articles on U.S. wildfires dont often show a photo of someone gasping in a hospital bed or felled by a heart attack. Yet an increasing body of evidence suggests that the biggest societal impacts of increasing wildland fire are happening in our own bodies, the result of tiny particulates spewed in vast amounts.

Millions of people across the western U.S. coughed and hacked their way through the summer and autumn of 2020, when some of the regions worst fires on record ripped across the landscape. Its too soon to know the full range of health consequences from that summers blazes, but theres already evidence now in peer review that more than 100 deaths may be attributable to 2020s late-summer smoke in Washington state alone. If another early estimate is on target, the smoke may have contributed to between 1,200 and 3,000 premature deaths in California among people 65 and older.

Research on wildfire smoke and health is advancing hand in hand with the threat itself. The western fires of 2020 came soon after several disastrously hot, fiery years in California, which spawned a grim bumper crop of case studies. Meanwhile, an expanding array of satellite imagery is helping pinpoint where and when smoke is being emitted and transported. Thats helping scientists determine the number of people hospitalized or killed in a given area as a consequence of smoke.

I think one of the biggest developments of the last three years has been the intense interest on the part of government, health organizations, media, and the public on the whole topic of fire smoke and health, says Wayne Cascio, who directs EPAs Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment. Its been raised to such a high level nationally and even globally that its motivating a lot of action to support science and to answer key questions.

Among other relevant issues, smoke appears more likely than the fires themselves to affect communities already struggling with socioeconomic and race-based health disparities.

Nearly all the media attention during wildfires focuses on the lives and property directly in harms way. These are important and tragic impacts, but are likely only a very small portion of the overall societal impacts of wildfire, says Marshall Burke, an associate professor of Earth system science at Stanford University. Burke is lead author of a 2021 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on the evolving, multipronged threat posed by increasing U.S. wildfires.

In an October 2020 policy brief, Burke and two Stanford colleagues noted that wildfire smoke likely is responsible for 5,000 to 15,000 U.S. deaths in a typical year, and that especially smoky years like 2018 or 2020 will have a much higher death toll.

Our research suggests that many more people likely perish from smoke exposure during large fire events than perish directly in the fire, and many more people are made sick, Burke says.

The interagency firefighting group, Lassen Hotshots, holds the line on September 24, 2020, against Californias largest fire by far in 89 years of modern record keeping: the one-million-acre August Complex. (Image Credit: Tiana Huddlestun/USFS)

Fine particulates: minuscule and merciless

The most concerning byproducts of wildland fire are the smallest particulates routinely tracked by EPA: PM2.5, those no larger than 2.5 microns in diameter. These have long been linked to increased risk of illness and death, as theyre small enough to enter lungs and also the bloodstream, thus affecting both cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Globally, more than 4 million deaths per year are estimated to be triggered by outdoor air pollution. The actual toll could be twice that, if one recent study is correct. A large share of those fatalities can be chalked up to PM2.5.

Although PM2.5 from pollution has decreased by more than 40% in the U.S. since 2000, wildfire-related PM2.5 is on the increase. Burke and colleagues found that the fraction of total nationwide PM2.5 that originates from wildfire has jumped from around 10% in 2010 to around 25% today. In parts of the West, they estimate, fires now produce up to 50% of all PM2.5  in other words, as much as all pollution sources together.

Startlingly, the immense amounts of smoke thrown into the air by wildland fire arent covered at all under the federal Clean Air Act: As their very name suggests, wildfires are uncontrollable and thus not subject to regulation.

At the same time, the periodic controlled burning of fire-prone areas in order to forestall much bigger fires  a practice used by Indigenous people for centuries, and more recently taken up by federal, state, local, and private land managers  does fall under Clean Air Act regulation of both PM2.5 and ozone.

The paradoxical upshot: clean-air law is limiting our ability to quell wildfires that are potentially riskier than controlled burns to air quality and collective health. This conflict is especially pronounced in regions already struggling to meet national ambient air quality attainment levels because of pollution unrelated to fire.

Its a conundrum that forest managers and air quality regulators are increasingly pondering, according to Stanford-based research scholar and environmental law expert Michael Wara, who coauthored the PNAS paper.

Doing prescribed fire on a site in a way that prevents a catastrophic wildfire dramatically reduces emissions of PM per acre. Its an order of magnitude difference, says Wara. You burn so much less material when you just come in and burn the forest floor and [not] the large trees.

Currently, a land manager  whether a private owner, a government entity, or an Indigenous tribe  can apply for permission to exceed 24-hour guidelines for PM2.5 and ozone with a single prescribed burn. However, a seasons worth of controlled burning could still run up against annual PM2.5 and ozone limits, even if these burns help avoid an eventual wildfire that would be truly catastrophic.

Wara is part of an embryonic effort to examine how the Clean Air Act could be reinterpreted to balance the relative emission harms from controlled burns versus massive wildfires. We need to bring realistic versions of land management into the models used to evaluate these processes, Wara says.

The ultimate air-quality goal, he adds, is to reduce exposure to harmful smoke in all the ways such exposures can occur. Nobody wants to change the Clean Air Act, says Wara, but everybody recognizes we need to change how we manage this.

Smoke, health, and the environmental equity implications

Wildfires are seldom viewed through the lens of environmental justice. The reason, in part, is that most immediate impacts of U.S. wildfire, including injuries and deaths as well as structural damage, tend to affect exurban and rural communities in the West that are largely white. For example, the Camp Fire of November 2018  Californias deadliest (85 deaths) and most destructive modern-day fire (18,804 structures lost)  hit hardest in the town of Paradise, which was 92% white as of the 2010 census.

A massive smoke plume looms above Paradise, California, on November 8, 2018, the first day of the catastrophic Camp Fire. This photo was taken from atop Butte Hall at California State University, Chico. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons/Test Subject 51.)

The impacts of smoke, which can extend hundreds of miles from a major fire, are another matter. Easterly winds pushed smoke from the Camp Fire into the Bay Area for two weeks on end, giving San Francisco six of its 10 worst PM2.5 days up to that point in data going back to 1999. In the East Bay city of Vallejo, as reported by KQED public radio, the levels of PM2.5 soared to 247 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3 )  far above the federal 24-hour standard of 35, and closer to levels observed on a bad day in pollution-choked cities such as Beijing or Delhi. Vallejo is one of the states most diverse cities: 33% white as of the 2010 census.

Equity comes into play even more when smoke worsens health conditions that are already more prevalent in lower-income locations, including some communities of color. One 2016 study in northern California found that people in lower-income zip code areas were disproportionately likely on wildfire smoke days to visit emergency rooms for asthma complications.

Health insurance may be a key factor, says Colleen Reid of the University of Colorado, lead author of that study and of a 2016 research review on wildfire smoke and health that she expects soon to update. Reid points out that one study from Canada, where universal health care access is the norm, found no differential impact from wildfire smoke based on socioeconomic status, whereas several U.S. studies have found such effects.

People in lower-income areas may also be more vulnerable to smoke impacts simply because of their housing. Especially when prolonged, wildfire smoke can easily infiltrate homes and compromise indoor air quality.

At least in California, older housing is much less airtight than newer housing stock, says Wara. Moreover, he adds, Wealthy people tend to have the disposable income to drop a couple hundred dollars on HEPA filters. I know other people who suffer terribly through wildfire season. People I know are taping plastic sheeting over their windows. Even if you put a box fan together with a filter, if your house isnt tight, the smoke just gets in.

Theres much yet to learn about wildfire smoke and health disparities. A study published in Science Advances on April 28 found that nearly all U.S. sources of PM2.5 emissions disproportionately affect people of color. However, the study did not cover emissions from wildfires.

Zeroing in on longevity and health impacts

Back in 1994, the landmark Six Cities study from the Harvard School of Public Health revealed pollutions terrible toll: long-term exposure to high levels of PM2.5, even in cities that met existing air quality standards, could shorten life expectancy by up to three years. Reducing PM2.5 gives the most health benefit for each dollar of pollution control.

The tiny bits of particulate matter known as PM2.5 are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter  less than 5% of the width of a strand of human hair. (Image credit: EPA.)

Although PM2.5s biggest threat is to the cardiovascular system, such effects have been difficult to nail down for wildfire smoke, according to Reid. A few more recent studies have found more significant relationships, Reid says. Theres a lot of statistical methodology differences among different groups, so we need to do some more work.

There are also emerging signs that PM2.5 from wildland fires may be more health-hazardous than other PM2.5, at least in some cases. A recent Nature Communications study led by Rosana Aguilera, a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, examined 14 years of Southern California fires. The authors found up to a 10% increase in respiratory hospitalizations for every 10 g/m3 increase in wildfire-specific PM2.5, compared to a 1.3% increase for non-wildfire PM2.5.

Similarly, a 2020 study led by Daniel Kiser of the Desert Research Institute found that asthma-related visits to urgent care centers and emergency rooms in the Reno area were boosted by an additional 6.1% for every 5 g/m3 increase in PM2.5 for cases when wildfire smoke was present compared to when it was not present.

Not all studies have found such differences, however, perhaps because of methodological and regional variations. Health impacts from wildfire smoke may also vary based on exactly whats being consumed by a wildfire (oak, pine needles, eucalyptus, or peat, to name just a few), and on whether a fire is smoldering versus raging. Such nuances are pretty challenging to investigate, says the EPAs Cascio, but certainly the lab data suggest there may be differences.

Along with its growing body of research on wildfire smoke and health, including new efforts focused on public communication and intervention, EPA launched its Smoke Sense app (available through Android and iOS systems) in 2017. More than 40,000 users have downloaded Smoke Sense, which provides current fire and air-quality data and hourly forecasts of smoke and ozone. People can also gauge their own vulnerability to smoke impacts and anonymously report any symptoms via the app.

Bracing for more fire and smoke this summer

The accumulating research on wildfires and health could lead to a transformation in how we view the infernos that are becoming more widespread across ever-more-intense fire seasons. Human-produced global heating is not only raising temperatures  its also raising the stakes for wildfire risk. In a warming climate, landscapes can dry out more readily even where precipitation trends arent changing.

Among the many processes important to Californias diverse fire regimes, warming?driven fuel drying is the clearest link between anthropogenic climate change and increased California wildfire activity to date, concluded Park Williams of Columbia University in a 2019 paper.

Many Westerners are approaching the summer of 2021 with trepidation. As Californias wet season draws to a disappointing close, the state is now virtually certain to lock up its second driest pair of water years in records going more than a century, behind only 1975-77, according to Bay Area expert Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services.

Not all dry years are particularly fiery, noted Null in a blog post. Less than 34,000 acres burned in California in 1991, even after two relatively dry winters in a row. On the whole, though, Null calls the relationship between drought and California fire compelling.

By the end of April  weeks ahead of the norm  serious fires had already erupted in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. NOAAs latest seasonal drought outlook, issued April 15 and extending through July, calls for drought to persist or develop across the entire contiguous U.S. west of the Rockies except for western Washington and far northwest Oregon.
Dear Prudence is online weekly to chat live with readers. Heres an edited transcript of this weeks chat.

Jenee Desmond-Harris: Hi everyone, hope you had a great weekend! Im ready for you to fight with me about how to manage the thermostat in a shared home, and other topics that are getting you heated. Lets get started.

Q. Therapy crush: I have a huge crush on my therapist, and Im terrified that if I tell her, she wont be comfortable being my therapist anymore. The crush has gotten so intense that I get very nervous in the hours leading up to our appointments. Also, I think my fear that telling her would make her uncomfortable being my therapist is part of something larger, which I would like to explore more in therapy, so a vicious cycle ensues! Im pretty sure this fear is irrational, because she is a lovely and professional person, but I cant shake it.

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A: I just texted my friend who is a therapist to get her perspective. She assured me that 1) this is extremely common and normal, 2) you dont need to concern yourself with your therapists comfort, and 3) a good therapist will process this with you in a totally nonflirty way, with a focus on what you can learn from these feelings.

Butand this is a big butshe also mentioned that one of the main things therapists get in trouble for is having sex with their patients. Thats a reminder that in all professions there are good and bad people, competent and incompetent people, and ethical and unethical people, and this is no exception.

You say shes lovely and professional so I think you can go ahead and tell her. But if she responds with anything other than a fairly boring lets unpack this perspectiveif she suggests at all that she likes you too and is interested in making something happenlet that be your last session.

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How to Get Advice From Prudie:

 Send questions for publication here. (Questions may be edited.)

 Join the live chat Mondays at noon. Submit your questions and comments here before or during the discussion.

Q. Hoarder mom: My fiances mom, who is in the early stages of dementia, moved in with us. As soon as she got here, the mess began. Literally.

The contents of one of her storage containers now fills our spare room and garage almost to the ceiling and takes up space in the living room. She bought everything in threes: statues, baskets, as seen on TV crap. Theres 20 years worth of taxes in boxes. She doesnt want to get rid of anything.

My fiance and I are at our wits end. She doesnt want mental health support, as she doesnt believe she has dementia. Trying to sort through everything is a nightmare. What do we dosort through it in the middle of the night and just start secretly throwing things out? A lot of the boxes are contaminated with dog dander and mice droppings, and my allergies are triggered by both. Please help.

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A: Get rid of anything covered in dog dander and rodent poop immediately. Its bad for your health and hers too, and youre now responsible for her.

When caring for parents, the transition from Youre an adult who gets to make her own decisions, but Im here to help to Im the person in charge and I have to make the best choices for you is a really, really tough one, because it doesnt kick in at a specific age or with a specific diagnosis. No one makes an announcement. But youre there. She is dealing with dementia, and, left to her own devices, would happily turn your home into an overstuffed, allergy-inducing storage unit. She, your fiance, and you deserve healthy lives and space, and youre the one who has to make it happen.

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Next, imagine what you would do if you lived in a smaller space without a spare room, and do that. Tell her you have to clear out some space, and spend some time talking to hernot about what needs to go, but what she loves and values most. Once you have that information, keep as much clothing as you can fit in her closet. Decide how much garage space you can comfortably part with, and fill a few boxes with some special mementos, photos, and other items that mean a lot to her. If you have to get rid of the other stuff in the middle of the night, thats what you have to do. And if you end up selling any of it, use the proceeds for something that will bring her joy (hopefully an experience rather than another physical item).

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I hate that this is going to upset her, but another part of your new responsibility is to do what you can to make sure shes OK emotionally. That means seeing a doctor about her condition (dont wait for her to agree that she has dementia!), finding a therapist to help her through this transition, and looking for whatever support you can find to make her new, clutter-free life as healthy and happy as possible.

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Q. Its hot (or cold) in here: Were a group of seven college students living together, and were all really close, so this is a friendship ethics question as much as it is a roommate ethics question.

Six of us would prefer to keep the house temperature around 7375 degrees, and one of us would prefer it to be 68 degrees. The six roommates find 68 degrees to be quite chilly and wind up wearing sweatshirts and using blankets all the time, and believe that the majority opinion should win out; the seventh roommate finds 7375 degrees to be unpleasantly warm and believes that, because the other roommates can put on more clothes and he cant wear less clothing, we should keep the house at the coolest temperature. What should we do?

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A: 71 during the day, 69 at night.

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Q. Not pulling his weight: My fiance and I recently sold most of our belongings and moved into a camper. He quit his job impulsively a month before our move and gathers a modest disability payment each month. Since we have moved in, I have worked 40 or more hours a week and he still hasnt even started looking for a job. He plays video games even though we still have a ton of work to do around the property. I love him very much and I have a hard time putting my foot down because I dont want to be a controlling partner and tell him what to do, but I am getting to a breaking point. I have tried to impress on him that we have a lot on our hands with moving and planning a wedding. How can I get the point across that I need his help?

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A: Youve written this as if he stopped working for fun, but it sounds like theres much more going on. If hes collecting disability, thats because hes not able to work right now, right? I can only assume thats why he quit his job and why he qualified for the benefit. You need to have a serious and detailed conversation about how his illness or injury is affecting him and whether he sees himself working again. And wedding planning should be paused until you understandand are OK with and able to affordhis plan.

Q. Nightmare vacation: My father and his wife recently rented a beach house and invited my current partner, my stepchildren, and our 15-month-old son to stay the week. Then he asked us all to leave. He seemed pretty agitated and said the children staying there was too much, which I can understand. But then he shared with me that he only wanted to spend time with me (not my partner and children) and that my partner should be able to watch the kids. This hurt. One night, unprovoked, he told me he thought I made a mistake getting with my current partner, that all I am is a glorified babysitter, that I make poor choices, and that he doesnt approve of my lifestyle (having a child out of wedlock with someone who has already had children). He says he doesnt care if this information, or kicking us out, affects our relationship.

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A: Is your dad OK? I mean, compared to how he normally is? If this agitated, rude, and unhinged behavior is really unusual for him, it might be worth gently exploring whether hes dealing with depression or anxiety, the side effects of medication, or some age-related cognitive changes that need attention.

But if the way he behaved at the beach house lines up with the way hes always been, well, he treated you horribly and literally said he didnt care about your relationship, so you never need to bring your family to see him again. You should let him know how much he hurt you and (obviously) plan your own trip or just have a staycation next time around. Im sorry hes like this, but you did nothing wrong and theres probably not a lot you can do to make him a more loving and accepting dad.

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P.S. I might be reading into this too much, but I did note that you called your partner your current partner twice. I dont know if that was intentionaland maybe you just did it to distinguish this partner from a former partner who your dad preferred. But current could be read to suggest that some part of you sees this relationship as temporary. Is that true? Was there any grain of truth in your dads comments about the dynamic between you two? For example, was he on to something when he said you were the babysitter? Are you taking on a disproportionate share of the child care responsibilities for unruly kids, even though you have a baby to care for? Is your current partner not pulling their weight or treating you well? If there are real issues there, dont let your dads extremely rude behavior stop you from giving them some serious thought.

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Q. Re: Hoarder mom: According to the show Hoarders, hoarding is typically a reaction to a stressful event. The therapists on the show that specialize in hoarding see it as obsessive-compulsive behavior and a result of anxiety. Of course youre concerned about dementia, but it seems to me that the immediate situation for her is moving in with you and her son and losing her independence, and that the hoarding is stemming from that. I would get her therapy that specifically covers hoarding.

A: I do think she was hoarding before she moved, she just had more room (that big storage container) to do it. But this is good advice when it comes to finding the right therapist.

Q. Re: Its hot (or cold) in here: This is the kind of answer that will lead to the readership falling in love with you.

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A: Except the 75 degrees is comfyI love to sweat  segment of the readership :)

Q. Re: Not pulling his weight: Whenever questions end with some version of How can I get the point across?, I feel the poster doesnt accurately understand their problem. The letter writer has communicated clearly and on several occasions that her fiances inability to chip in around the house or contribute to family finances is a problem. The problem isnt the letter writer not communicating clearly, its the fiance not caring.

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Assuming the letter writers fiance is not experiencing any mental health challenges (the letter writer did not mention any anxiety or depression symptoms), I think he has figured out hes happier playing videos all day and not helping out around the property and letting the letter writer do all the work on top of a full-time job. If I had a penny for every person Ive met or every letter Ive read from a person (usually a woman) whose husband/boyfriend doesnt help around the house, Id be a millionaire. Unfortunately, until we stop socializing men to believe they can get away with not doing anything, while the people (again, usually women) around them pick up all the slack, these dynamics will continue to repeat themselves. This is a clear view into your future if you marry him, letter writerrun!

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A: I am making an effort not to tell everyone to break up, so thank you for doing it for me! I agree that this doesnt sound like a great situation. But I have no reason to believe hes not actually disabled, so I dont think its fair to say he doesnt care. He might really be unable to work.

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Classic Prudie

Q. Hurt: My mother-in-law called my husband this evening and told us that his stepsister-in-law was going into premature induced labor at 34 weeks because something is wrong with the babys heart. We arent super close to the couple, but we were nonetheless scared and devastated for them and their other young child. Well, we received another text that simply said the baby was here and they didnt know anything more than her name. For the purposes of this query lets call her Alexandra. Well, exactly eight months ago I had a baby that we named Alex. My husband and I are hurt and offended. Even if they call her Alexandra, other people, friends, family, will call her Alex. They essentially gave their child the same name as ours and we cannot say anything because the baby is sick. Its so hurtful, and its a hurt we cannot even express. If the baby pulls through, and I certainly hope she does, I never want to see them again. What do we do?
Over the past week or so, the Department of Justice, under Attorney General Merrick Garland, has racked up a series of legal decisions that have mystified observersdecisions that seem designed to protect former President Donald Trump. Its not exactly what youd expect from a new, Democratic attorney general.

For Ankush Khardori, a lawyer who used to work at the DOJ, these recent actions have raised some questions about what exactly Merrick Garland is doing and where hes coming from. Im struggling to make sense of his tenure at the moment, Khardori said. On Mondays episode of What Next, I spoke with Khardori about whats really going on at the Justice Department and whether Garland can turn things around. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Mary Harris: Transition in any large organization, including the Justice Department, is hard, right? Its kind of like youre driving a very large tanker. Once its moving in a direction, its very difficult to change directions because you have this big organization that youre trying to move, and so it gets a little bit off course and all of a sudden you realize youre down a different road than you thought you were.

Ankush Khardori: I think thats exactly right. That has been an underrated feature of the transition to the Garland administration. Simply removing Bill Barr and putting in another attorney general was not going to fix all this, because beneath him, things had changed. People had risen up to certain positions. People had been appointed to certain positions. Priorities had changed. And you cannot just flip a switch in an organization that large.

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But this isnt just standard transition stuff. In the past week or two, observers like you have looked over at the DOJ and suddenly seen all the warning lights blinking at once. In one court case after another, the agency has been taking legal positions you see as questionable, including two big ones. The first we learned about back in May, when a federal judge demanded the department release a confidential legal memo. That memo, produced for Trump Attorney General Bill Barr, allowed the then-president to duck obstruction of justice charges relating to the Mueller report.

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The judge issued a ruling saying, Youve been misleading about this and you need to actually produce this memo to the people who sued for it. And the department, under Garland, decided it was going to appeal that ruling. Now, that was the decision that first really struck my eye as a serious indicator of the way Garland thinks about legal issues and how that might lead him astray.

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Some people might say that the Department of Justice is in a Catch-22 situation here. If you release the whole memo and it says Trump cant be charged with obstruction for X, Y, Z reasons, now that becomes a real kind of precedent. But if you release the memo and say this memo is wrong, all of a sudden you have this question of why arent you charging Trump right now? And even if you want to charge Trump, you might not want to charge Trump right now. And so it puts the department in this very precarious situation. What would you say to that?

So what? Thats what I say to that. This is not our problem. Its the Department of Justices problem. The likely outcome, if we ever get our hands on this memo, is going to be what the judge has apparently described it as, what I thought it was from the outset, which is more or less garbage. Its not going to be persuasive. Its not going to be compelling. And people are going to say this is garbage. Like, should you be charging the president of the United States with obstruction? And based on what Ive seen, that would be a question where there are serious arguments to be made on both sides. So the department should tell us: Are you going to prosecute the president? If not, why not? Is this memo a memo that you find persuasive and you want to let lie in the historical record for forever? Or do you want to repudiate it and make a decision from scratch? Thats a tough decision, but its a tough decision that the attorney general should make.

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Last week, there was another one of these tough calls, when the DOJ announced it would continue to defend Trump in a defamation suit brought by E. Jean Carroll. Carroll accused the former president of sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room more than two decades ago. Back in 2019, Carroll sued Trump for saying that shed only accused him to sell books.

Carroll filed the lawsuit a couple of years ago, and she was on the cusp of getting crucial pretrial discovery last fall through the New York state court system. Bill Barr intervened on the presidents behalf late last year and said, Were going to defend the president here. The alleged defamatory comments were comments that he made as part of his job as a president. And therefore, the lawsuit probably would have to be dismissed because the federal government is immune from defamation claims. The judge overseeing the lawsuit disagreed. The department under Trump and Barr appealed the decision to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That appeal has been pending over the course of the transition and inauguration. The question that was outstanding and that got resolved over the past week was whether the Garland Justice Department was going to maintain the same position. What we learned last week is, yes, indeed, the Garland Justice Department is maintaining the same legal position that had been initially taken under Bill Barr.

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You call this the Department of Justices most controversial position yet. Why?

The facts are very stark. Its a case that has been litigated in the public and legal spheres. The media has followed it very, very closely, and I think it has resonated with a lot of people. This is one of many allegations of sexual assault against the president. It seemed to be one that actually might be fully litigable through the court system, where we might actually get clarity about what happened.

And Im very curious about what the people who signed the brief in the E. Jean Carroll casepolitical and career people alikethink that theyre doing. Certainly none of them have to sign on to that brief. Do they feel strongly about the position about Carrolls case? Do they care? Or are they quote-unquote doing their jobs, which is a phrase that I think is a little pernicious in this context.

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Theres no such thing as just doing your job in the Department of Justice. Youre not supposed to just do your job. Youre not supposed to just do what people tell you, whether its Bill Barr or Merrick Garland or anyone else. Youre supposed to exercise independent ethical and moral agencies.

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I look at all these cases and I see the federal government protecting its powermaking it clear that they can issue secret legal memos and make sure that our leader is not exposed legally or financially for his actions in office. It feels a little bit like the government operating the way a corporation might. And I wondered if you saw it that way too.

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I do. I think the way Garland and his defenders would put it would be slightly different. Let me try to put my best face on what they have done. I think what they would say is, Look, the Department of Justice has long-term institutional interests. Its not good for the public if in our society, the administration is changing legal positions from presidency to presidency. The principal value that Garland and the Justice Department are concerned with is the rule of law. And the rule of law is a great thing. Its extraordinarily important.

But what does it mean?

Well, that is the question. What does it mean, and what does it mean to him? It basically means the law should apply in a general way. The law should be publicly accessible, meaning we all know what the law is and it applies to everyone, regardless of their individual characteristics. So the fact that you are a Person A on the street or Person B on the street, the jaywalking rules apply to you both, irrespective of what your name is, what you look like.

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Isnt that the opposite of the argument theyre making, though, in some of these cases, which is the law doesnt apply to us because its the president and he cant defame someone.

That is exactly right, which is one reason why this defense is so maddening. On that very thin account of what the rule of law is doing here, it has a superficial appeal. So Garland is saying, We took a hard look at the law, and this is ordinarily the way it would be handled. But the problem is the rule of law is not the only ideal that our political and social culture tries to uphold. There are sometimes conflicting values, including justice, including equality. There are other principles at stake in this case, not just the rule of law, which is why I find his defense of this decision and constant invocation of the rule of law slightly maddening at this point. And I say that as someone who feels strongly about it. Ive thought a lot about. Ive written about it. But its just simply not the only value in our legal system that we care about.

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Lets talk about Merrick Garland, because a lot of people were surprised by these legal decisions over the past few weeks, and you werent, and your lack of surprise really seems to come down to Merrick Garland as a leader and someone who regards himself as very much an institutionalist, someone who believes in the institution of the Department of Justice. Do you remember watching his confirmation hearing and what stood out for you when you did?

I do, because I was actually quite taken aback by it because I saw someone who seemed to be very set in his orientation as a judge and, again, in this conception of the rule of law that is laudable but not the exclusive value that our legal system tries to uphold.

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You said he didnt get enough scrutiny from liberals. What made you say that?

Merrick Garland, obviously, rose to public prominence as the nominee to fill Justice Scalias seat in 2016, and he was prevented from taking that seat by Mitch McConnell and Republicans in Congress. And so when he was nominated by Joe Biden to be attorney general, there was this dramatic come up. And a lot of people thought, great, were going to have this reckoning and were going to try to unwind the harms of the Trump years. Were going have this guy who was unjustly prevented from taking a seat he should have gotten, and were going to put him sort of in the second best legal position in the country. And isnt this wonderful?

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Its like a movie

It has a very nice, dramatic arc to it. But some very simple questions didnt get aired out that probably should have. Like, for instance, does it make sense for the department to be led by someone who hasnt worked there in a quarter-century?

Its almost like Garland and his senior officials are just passive observers to these events unfolding around them. Its very odd to me, because its like, no, you actually really run the place. You can decide, like, I want to go back and try to figure out whether we really know everything and if not, how we should produce this information to the public who probably deserves to know. But they dont have a plan. I would be much more forgiving of their posture here if it were the case that they had some sort of plan in place or some sort of intellectual framework that they seem to be bringing to bear to think about this problem. If they do have a plan to effect some sort of institutional organizational culture, that is something it would be very helpful to tell the public to provide some confidence into whats going on in the Justice Department and whether or not theyre doing anything to really uncover the worst excesses.

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This is our department. Its not his. And if theyre abusing their power, we deserve to know it.

I have read some legal analysts whove straight out said Merrick Garland himself is beyond saving at this point. Do you agree or disagree with that?

I wouldnt go that far. What Im sincerely hoping is that well see a course correction. I do think one thing we can tell from his public appearances is that hes a sincere person, an honest person. I think that this past week was a serious inflection point. One of the things people say about Garland is that hes very attuned to elite narratives. What that means in practice is he cares about his self-image, not as an egomaniac necessarily, but hes interested in what people think about him and say about him, and I am told he will be responsive to how these elite narratives develop over time.

So now you know how to nudge him.

Look, Im hopeful. I am hopeful that weve seen a little bit of a sea change in the public discussion, and that he will be responsive to it. One of the reasons why he coasted through the confirmation process is not just because hes very well qualified and very likable, but it is partly because he has this network of friends and boosters throughout the D.C. legal community. Its substantially eased his path. You didnt have people coming out complaining about him. To the contrary, everything you heard in real time from people who knew him was that he was such a great guy, polite, nice, generous, kind, so on and so forth. What you heard much less about was whether he actually has a vision of justicea conception of what the attorney general should be doing generally and in this particular moment of time, beyond giving us undergraduate lectures about the rule of law.

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Mike Fesi, a Republican state senator in Louisiana, didnt trust coronavirus vaccines. So earlier this year, when his colleagues seized their chance to get inoculated against the virus, Fesi refused. He figured he didnt need the vaccines, and he claimed, without evidence, that they had killed a friend of his family. But then Fesi got a nasty surprise: A month ago, he was abruptly vaccinated, and the vaccine made him sick. Thats because the vaccine he got wasnt Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson. It was COVID-19.

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If youre one of the millions of people who have already chosen to get one of the federally approved vaccines, you dont need to be persuaded that its the smart decision. But many other people do. Theyre wary of the vaccines, and they think they can avoid vaccination or wait till theyre ready. Thats a mistake, because all of us are going to get vaccinated one way or the other. Sooner or laterand probably sooner, since the supercharged delta variant already accounts for 10 percent of U.S. infections, and that share is doubling every two weekspeople who dont take one of the approved vaccines will get the virus. They might think of that as an alternative to vaccination, but its not. The virus will do the same thing the vaccines do: It will provoke their immune systems to develop antibodies. The difference is that the virus, unlike the vaccines, will attack their bodies and quite possibly kill them.

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So if you havent been vaccinated, or if youre talking to someone who hasnt been vaccinated, the right question to ask isnt whether to get vaccinated; its which vaccine to take. Would you rather come in, at a time of your choosing, to get a vaccine thats been carefully tested for safety? Or would you rather be ambushed with a vaccine that has killed millions of people?

The approved vaccines arent completely risk-free, but theyre pretty close to it. The worst known side effect, a blood-clotting syndrome, occurred in 28 of the 8.7 million people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Thats about three cases per million. Some people have died after getting the vaccines, but fewer than youd expect based on the normal death rates for people in those age brackets. In other words, vaccinated people, like unvaccinated people, die of other causes, such as heart attacks or strokesbut they dont die from getting the vaccine. Instead, the death rate among vaccinated people is lower, because theyre protected from a deadly virus.

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Compare that record to COVID-19. Even if you attributed every reported death of a vaccinated person to the vaccines, the fatality rate would be 0.0017 percent. The estimated U.S. fatality rate from COVID-19, calculated by dividing the number of deaths by the number of known infections, is 1.8 percent. Thats 1,000 times higher than the calculated risk from the vaccines. The real U.S. fatality rate from COVID-19 is probably much lower than 1.8 percent, because many mild infections go unreported. But the fatality rate from the vaccines is also much lower than 0.0017 percent, because among the 300 million doses administered so far in the United States, only three deaths have been persuasively connected to a vaccine.

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Suppose we blame those three deaths on the vaccine in question, which was Johnson & Johnson. In that case, heres the scorecard among the four vaccines currently circulating in the United States: three known deaths from Johnson & Johnson, zero from Pfizer, zero from Moderna, and about 600,000 from COVID-19.

The approved vaccines are also better than COVID-19 at immunizing you against further coronavirus infection. In the latest studies, people who recovered from COVID-19 showed pretty good immunity against reinfection, but the CDC-recommended Pfizer or Moderna still made the immunity stronger. In particular, these vaccines supplied better protection against new variants of the virus than previous COVID-19 infection did. So COVID-19 isnt just vastly more dangerous than the vaccines. Its also inferior as a form of protection.

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Mike Fesi was lucky. COVID-19 made him sick, but he got over it. Now hes back at work, voting for legislation that would block vaccine requirements. He learned nothing from his experience. But you can learn from it. If, like Fesi, you reject the federally tested vaccines, the danger isnt that youll end up like he did. The danger is that youll end up like another Louisiana Republican, the late Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, who was killed by COVID-19 in December. Letlow, who was 41 and apparently healthy, got infected just before the first vaccines became available. He never had a chance to get vaccinated. You do.
Scotland is the source of many great exports: scotch (of course), Gordon Ramsay, and the Young brothers of iconic rock group AC/DC. Its next gift to the world might be a way to harness renewable energy from the ocean.

In April, Scottish-based Orbital Marine Power launched the O2, the worlds most powerful tidal turbine, to be tested off the coast of the Orkney Islands.* Tidal turbines harness the power of underwater currents to turn turbine blades and produce electricity. Jon Kelman, an energy policy instructor at Arizona State Universitys School of Sustainability, says this is especially efficient because water is so much denser than air, you dont actually need a very big turbine in order to make a lot more electricity. (Disclosure: I recently graduated from ASU, where I took an energy policy class with Kelman; ASU is a partner with Slate and New America in Future Tense.)

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To wrap your mind around this, think how much harder it is to walk in your pool than in air. This new turbine has a capacity of 2 megawatts and represents a modular technology that could be applied to a virtually untapped renewable resource. For context, it takes roughly 1,130 pounds of coal to produce 1 megawatt hour of electricity in the U.S. That means, if these turbines operate at full capacity, they can replace 2,260 pounds of coal for electricity generation per hour. Power generation devices never operate at full capacity and a singular generator still represents a very small amount of global energy demandsbut a flexible fleet of turbines could prove immensely useful at a large-scale.

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Another Scottish companyMocean Energyalso began sea trials in Orkney last month of its new utility-scale wave power device called Blue Horizon. Unlike O2, this device captures kinetic energy directly from waves on the surface. Both new technologies require further testing but offer the potential of harvesting low-carbon renewable energy from the ocean with minimal impact to the surrounding environment.

These new marine technologies could have a big effect in coastal and island areas without access to much existing renewable infrastructure. Take Hawaii, where each island has its own independent electrical grid and relies heavily on energy imports, creating exorbitant costs and fossil fuel dependence. This is because, as Kelman notes, the Hawaiian islands are one of the most remote [populated] places on Earth. However, given minimal land area available for energy generation, solutions can be more difficult to implement than on the mainland. Tidal turbines and wave generators could provide a unique solution for the island stateand coastal communities worldwide. This is even more pertinent for Hawaii, which has set an ambitious goal of having 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2045.

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Estimates of the total available supply of accessible marine energy are variable, but likely represent hundredsif not thousandsof gigawatts of capacity globally. Wave power resources represent some 2.11 terawatts of supply globally, with academic estimates determining that roughly 5 percent of that total is extractable. For context, based on U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics, the average American home consumes roughly 0.011 gigawatt hours each year. In case your eyes skimmed over all of those statistics: What you need to know is the theoretical supply is immense.

A certain amount of tidal power is already being generated, but current methods of marine energy extraction have significant drawbacks. The historical model for tidal energy has been a barragea dam-like structure built across a marine inlet that uses extreme tidal differences to produce energy much like a hydroelectric dam (aka water flow through a turbine). Examples like the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station in South Korea and the decades-old La Rance Tidal Power Plant in France use this model for a generating capacity of over 200 MW. However, these plants require extreme tidal variation from high to low tide and are expensive to construct, severely limiting the areas they can be installed. While tidal variation exists everywhere, the necessity of a bay to house the barrage and the dramatic variation required for plants to be economical just arent common enough to be a central component of renewable energy generation. Furthermore, they effectively close off an estuary which interrupts ecosystem services that humans rely on, like reduced stormwater flood management and local water cleaning, according to Kelman. Soils and plants in estuaries absorb floodwater, prevent erosion, and remove sediment and nutrient loads that can lead to eutrophicationwhich depletes dissolved oxygen in water ecosystems and threatens their health.

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While tidal turbines and wave generators avoid these environmental pitfalls, there are big hurdles to jump through for these marine technologies to be applied on a larger scale. Kelman says, There are two main questions in regard to tidal turbines. First: How cheap can you make it in the future? Second, What is the capacity factor? Capacity factor is a ratio of a power units actual electricity output compared to the maximum possible output over a given period. Many renewables with intermittent supply fail to achieve efficient capacity factorsso finding reliable power sources is key for a clean energy future.

Orbital Marine is working to address both questions. On the cost front, Orbital Marine Powers commercial director, Oliver Wragg, explains that by the 2030s, the company hopes to streamline our production processes so that we will have accelerated down the cost curve and will be delivering  projects at a cost cheaper than nuclear energy can be produced in the U.K. today. And while there arent exact calculations of the O2s capacity factor yet, official communications from the company claim that the initial O2 turbine will have the ability to reliably meet the power needs of 2,000 U.K. homes once deployed.

And one thing Kelman and Orbital Marine definitely agree on: A key benefit of this power source is that tidesunlike sunlight or wind speedsare highly predictable, making the output more predictable as well.

Correction, June 14, 2021: This article originally misstated when Orbital Marine Power launched the O2. It was in April, not May.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
This story was originally published by Atlas Obscura and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

For months the waters around Istanbul, Turkey, have been coated with a gloopy film. Sometimes creamy, sometimes khaki, it can appear slightly dreamy or superlatively gross depending on the vantage. From overhead, its almost romantic, like clouds glimpsed from space, white squiggles marbling Earths blue. Up close, the stuff is much more phlegmy. The shore-hugging substance is sometimes known as sea snot, and its easy to see why. It looks like the marine equivalent of a big, wet sneeze.

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Sea snot is more scientifically known as marine mucilage, and its an ecosystem of its own. In a 2009 paper in the journal PLOS One, a team of scientists led by Roberto Danovaro, a marine biologist at Italys Polytechnic University of Marche, described it as a gelatinous stage of marine snowthe jumble of organic material, such as feces and fragments of dead plants and animals, that drifts from the surface to the ocean floor.

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The snot is produced by a bunch of microorganisms, one Turkish research team explained in a UNESCO bulletin called Harmful Algae News, especially microalgae known as diatoms. These petite algae are known to exude polysaccharides, sugary carbohydrates that can get quite sticky. Sampling sea snot that clotted several locations in the Sea of Marmara in 2007 and 2008, the researchers also identified species of dinoflagellates and more.

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Like the mucus launched from human nostrils, sea snot can smell foul, and it slimes whatever it touches. And, in addition to discouraging swimmers and deterring fishing, the gunk can be a nuisance for corals, scientists have found. From December 2020 to early March 2021, H. Bars Ozalp, a marine biologist at Turkeys Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, measured the effects of sea snot on reefs in the Canakkale Strait. Ozalp found that some of the creatures were dripping with the stuff. It looked as though they had been blasted with ectoplasm or wrapped in a spiders web, and the substance seemed to be killing some of the branches. A thick coating can deprive the corals of oxygen, and other research teams have worked to suss out sea snots effect on mussels, crabs, and other sediment-dwellers. Danovaros team found that the sticky matrix can also entrap viruses and potentially ferry them around marine ecosystems.

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Sea snot has coated portions of the Mediterranean several times in recent years. In March 2007, Danovaros team reported, it fouled more than 1,550 miles of Italys coastline, and clusters stuck around for five months. Researchers suspect its urged on by several factors, though the precise mechanisms of what causes a snot bloom are somewhat mysterious. We actually know very little about the interactions between chemistry, biology, and physics that lead to these extreme events, writes Uta Passow, an oceanographer at Canadas Memorial University who studies marine snow, in an email.

These substances are always in the water, Passow addsbut when they go from discrete and microscopic to massive clumps easily visible to the naked eye, something is out of whack. Passow says that warming and an influx of nutrients could both nudge a system off balance if the right organisms thrive and weather conditions dont break up and dilute the aquatic boogers. Danovaros team found that some nasty casesthe snot that sprawled the most and hung on the longestcoincided with higher-than-average water temperatures. In light of the warming trend of the Mediterranean Sea, the mucilage phenomenon could increase in the future, the team wrote.

As for the sea snot currently choking the Sea of Marmara: Reuters reported that Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum and other officials are examining whether pollution and sewage are contributing, and they will hatch a plan in June 2021. Extreme snot events are a call for help from the system, Passow says. And while marine creatures and nearby landlubbers wait for a hand, the water could use a tissuea really, really absorbent one.
Covid hit the real estate market but outlook remains positive

Sustainability to play a key role in investors decisions.

Bratislava is experiencing a development boom in the former industrial zone. (Source: TASR)

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Despite the overall slowdown on the real estate market, its outlook remains positive. The retail sector was the most hit due to shops closing during lockdowns, while the industrial and logistics sector was the least influenced. The pandemic keeps on affecting the real estate sector in 2021. Predictions are positive, with the trend of sustainability playing an increasing role in investors decisions.

What comes next depends to a large extent on the success of the Covid vaccination, the stability of the political situation and willingness to support the business environment in Slovakia, Richard Urvay, director of Colliers International in Slovakia, told The Slovak Spectator.

Covid-19 slashed investment

15. Jun 2021 at 7:00 | Jana Liptakova
Sputnik will be available to those aged 60+ too. Egypt will be in the black tier of Slovakia's travel map. A new questionnaire will gauge the interest of non-EU students in vaccination.

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The Wednesday, June 9 edition of Today in Slovakia is ready with the main news of the day in less than five minutes. We wish you a pleasant read.

MP leaves parliament due to sexual abuse suspicions

Jan Herak (Source: SITA)

MP Jan Herak, who got into parliament on the OLaNO ballot, has resigned. His decision came after he was linked with three suspected cases of sexual abuse; he is accused in one of them. Another has been reopened from the past.

Coalition partners Za Ludi and SaS stated earlier today that Herak should leave until the suspicions against him are investigated.

The OLaNO movement, in which Herak suspended his membership by the end of May due to the initial allegations, said that it is a good solution to calm the situation while taking into consideration the sensitivity of the topic.

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription. Thank you.

Slovak Covid map is predominately yellow

The epidemic situation in Slovakia continues to improve. There are about 200 Covid-positive people per day and less than 30 people are on lung ventilation.

More than one million people have received the second jab of the vaccine in Slovakia while 1.9 million people have received the first.

More districts in Slovakia will thus see lifted measures.

From June 14, two districts will be red, three districts will be light red, 19 districts will be orange and 49 districts will be yellow. Six districts will turn green.

There will still not be any districts in the black or dark red tier.

(Source: )

Easier travel from green neighbouring countries

The government has also updated the travelling traffic light system. Egypt, for example, turned black on the map.

Learn what measures are valid when coming to Slovakia from green, red or black classified countries here.

The government will also permit citizens of neighbouring green countries to enter Slovakia using 24-hour antigen tests or 72-hour PCR tests. The regulation will be valid from Monday, June 14.

PM Eduard Heger also said Slovakia made an agreement with Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and Croatia that will allow vaccinated Slovak holidaymakers to travel to destinations without having to get a test or undergo quarantine if 22 days have passed after their first dose of any Covid-19 vaccine. Negotiations are still ongoing with Slovenia.

(Source: Sme)

More coronavirus and vaccination news

The Health Ministry will also permit vaccination with Sputnik V for people older than 60 . The ministry made this decision after the Russian side submitted the necessary documents.

for people . The ministry made this decision after the Russian side submitted the necessary documents. The European Parliament has approved the bloc's EU Covid travel pass , paving the way for the revival of free movement across the continent. It will come into force by July 1. (euronews)

, paving the way for the revival of free movement across the continent. It will come into force by July 1. (euronews) The Student Council for Higher Education (SRVS) is conducting a preliminary questionnaire in order to obtain information regarding the vaccination of non-EU university students in Slovakia. After the data is collected by SRVS, the ministry will proceed to assemble vaccination stations if the demand is high enough.

Photo of the day

The Kosice Zoo was delighted when a few weeks ago, three West Siberian Eagle Owls (Bubo bubo sibiricus) hatched. No other zoo in Slovakia has bred this type of owl yet.

(Source: TASR)

Feature story for today

The European Union is at a crossroads. If it goes the right way, it can be a global player within ten years, says Slovak former prime minister Mikulas Dzurinda.

Without team effort, the EU will become irrelevant Read more

Other news

The Vseobecna Zdravotna health insurer and Union confirmed that exchange tickets for specialist visits are necessary. Insurees of Dovera do not need them until the end of June. The use of exchange tickets, provided by a GP when an appointment with a specialist is necessary, has been suspended because of the pandemic.

are necessary. Insurees of Dovera do not need them until the end of June. The use of exchange tickets, provided by a GP when an appointment with a specialist is necessary, has been suspended because of the pandemic. A court in Kosice freed three of the six charged Roma in the case of the 2013 Moldavan ad Bodvou raid. These individuals include Milan Hudak, who became a face of beaten Roma and was awarded the White Crow in 2019, Roland Danco and Julius Hudak. The prosecutor withdrew the prosecution. Read more on how the beaten Roma became suspected criminals.

in the case of the 2013 Moldavan ad Bodvou raid. These individuals include Milan Hudak, who became a face of beaten Roma and was awarded the White Crow in 2019, Roland Danco and Julius Hudak. The prosecutor withdrew the prosecution. Read more on how the beaten Roma became suspected criminals. The government approved the dismissal of Adrian Szabo from the function of director of the inspectorate office. The proposal will now go to the committee for defence and security that has to be approved by a three-fifths majority. Szabo is suspended from the service. (Dennik N)

from the function of director of the inspectorate office. The proposal will now go to the committee for defence and security that has to be approved by a three-fifths majority. Szabo is suspended from the service. (Dennik N) Slovakia and Hungary will mutually recognise their national vaccination certificates as of Wednesday. According to State Secretary at the Foreign Affairs Ministry Martin Klus (SaS), Slovakia will accept all vaccines deployed in Hungary. "There is, however, a condition that a person traveling from Hungary to Slovakia must present an addendum to the certificate stating when they were vaccinated in Hungary so that we can apply the rules in our decree," Klus explained.

as of Wednesday. According to State Secretary at the Foreign Affairs Ministry Martin Klus (SaS), Slovakia will accept all vaccines deployed in Hungary. "There is, however, a condition that a person traveling from Hungary to Slovakia must present an addendum to the certificate stating when they were vaccinated in Hungary so that we can apply the rules in our decree," Klus explained. Travel agencies should get advantaged loans from the state. The government has approved the proposal and parliament must confirm it. Agencies need the money to pay clients who last year received a voucher for a replacement trip and have not used it, as well as to book new stays to more desirable destinations for this summer.

Do not miss in Spectator.sk today

Disinformation was supposed to help the Russian vaccine, but it harmed everyone. Read more

Winemakers missing seasonal workers to pick the grapes Read more

Tatras unveil their history during free guided walks in June Read more

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

9. Jun 2021 at 17:58 | Nina Hrabovska Francelova
Slovakia should prepare for the first heat wave

Temperatures are expected to exceed 30 degrees Celsius in the coming days.

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Slovakia might experience the first heatwave of 2021 in the coming days.

High temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius are expected in some places on June 15 (Tuesday) and June 16 (Wednesday). They should last until the end of the week.

We can gradually expect very hot and dry weather, and there might be the first tropical day on Tuesday, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

Apart from tropical days, meteorologists forecast tropical nights, when temperatures are expected to exceed 20 degrees Celsius.

Still, the SHMU issued a first-level warning against low morning temperatures for central Slovakia and some northern districts of western Slovakia for June 15.

Hot June is no exception

The temperatures in Slovakia rose significantly in early June, with temperatures reaching the long-term average of the years 1981-2010.

Besides high temperatures, the weather is dry since the precipitation from the first days of June could not compensate for the high vaporisation during this period, SHMU commented, as quoted by TASR.

Though more intensive heat waves are expected in July and August, extremely high June temperatures are nothing extraordinary. The hot weather might be especially unpleasant during nights when the air does not cool down enough, according to meteorologists.

14. Jun 2021 at 11:11 | Compiled by Spectator staff
The GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum 2021 will focus on rebuilding the post-pandemic world.

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Three presidents, three prime ministers, 25 ministers or deputy ministers from various countries and Pope Francis will attend the GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum 2021, either in person or virtually.

The leitmotif of the 16th edition of the event, held between June 15 and 17, will be how to rebuild the post-pandemic world, said Robert Vass, GLOBSEC president and founder.

This does not concern only health-related topics. The speakers will discuss the renewal and rebuilding of trust in democracy and institutions, economic growth and recovery, tech governance, security for the 21st century and resilience in health, the TASR newswire reported.

Speakers from nearly 100 countries

This years edition will be held in a hybrid format for the second time, allowing guests to participate both in-person and virtually.

Despite some limitations, altogether 145 speakers from nearly 100 countries are expected to attend the forum, including Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, Slovak PM Eduard Heger, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Croatian President Zoran Milanovic. Pope Francis will address the participants virtually.

After the hard pandemic test, we can say that this years GLOBSEC will be one of the strongest in the past few years, Vass said, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

As part of the ceremony, the organisers will grant the Czech-Slovak Transatlantic Award to recognise a contribution to support democracy and transatlantic alliance. This year, it will be granted to Vaclav Havel (in memoriam) and John Allen, president of the Brookings Institution.

The participants will have to adhere to strict pandemic measures. The organisers expect some 800 guests to attend the event, with no more than 500 participants present in person on one day. All will be required to have a negative PCR test no older than 48 hours. Guests from abroad will be required to show two tests. A LAMP test will also be accepted.

14. Jun 2021 at 17:40 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Despite sustained encroachment from A Positive Hanover through the final quarter mile of Dresden Raceway's opening day (Sunday, June 13) featured $5,500 Preferred 3 Pace, Style Snapshot found the winning post in time, delivering as the 8-5 favourite and staying undefeated in 2021.

The seven-year-old Royal Mattjesty mare sprinted to the lead from post 2 in a :28.1 opening sectional, and her lead doubled after pocket rival Reel broke nearing the :59.2 half and Woodmere Wyldstyle inherited second. Trainer-driver Tyler Nostadt rationed Style Snapshot through three-quarters in 1:30.3, but upon reaching the top of the stretch, A Positive Hanover, who was locked in up the backstretch, found room to threaten. Donnie Rankin Jr. roused A Positive Hanover to steady gains in the stretch, but Style Snapshot dug deep to preserve her third win in as many starts this season, stopping the clock in 2:00. A Positive Hanover missed by only a head; Leafs And Wings finished third, 1-3/4 lengths behind.

Blueshoe Investments owns 18-time winner Style Snapshot, who paid $5.40 to win.

Nostadt partnered with Brian Tropea when he was 10 years old to own his first race horse, Mr Champagne, and has been in love with the business every since.

"I've been around horses and cattle my whole life and it's my passion." said Nostadt,"It's in my blood. It's such a huge family affair for me." he said, "My girlfriend, Jordyn Sumner, and I work hard at the business with a stable of 16 horses and we know can always count on help from the rest of my family."

The local conditioner had his mother and father, John and Christine Nostadt, paddock horses for him today and knows he can count on his sisters, Ashley, Kaitlyn and Emily to help out when needed as well.

"I grew up in Windsor watching guys like Kevin Wallis, Al Cullen and Brad Forward, they were so talented and could get the most out of a horse." he said. "I try to put Marc St Louis down on as many as I can because he has the same talent of being able to get the most out of a horse and keep them alive."

The young horseman credit's Brian Tropea with being his mentor as he took time to show him how to hook up a horse and helped him get his start in the business. "Brian was great with me, he always took time with me and I learned so much from him." he added.

"I've got some great owners, Blueshoe Investments from Ohio who have faith in my and trust me, so Jordyn and I work hard to make sure we give them the best possible outcome with their horses," Nostadt said.

Dresden Raceway will host live harness racing every Sunday in June and July before wrapping their season up with a special Civic Holiday card on Monday, Aug. 3.

To view Sunday's complete results, click the following link: Sunday Results  Dresden Raceway.

(with files from Dresden Raceway)
NEWPORT NEWSOlivia Neville still remembers the time her father, Richard, was in the kitchen wrestling with the lid of a spice container when:

All of a sudden, he said, Ive got an idea for work, and picked up the phone to call it in, she said.

While the Newport News Shipbuilding engineer cant always talk much about what he doesalthough the family enjoys tales of trips to the Bahamas and Alaska to work on shipsOlivia says its hard to miss his enthusiasm for what he does.

She just graduated from the College of William & Mary, thanks in part to one of the 750 scholarships awarded by the Huntington Ingalls Industries Scholarship Fund since the shipyards parent company set it up in 2016. The funds scholarship awards total more than $2 million; it is funded primarily by HII President and CEO Mike Petters decision to decline his annual salary, all but for $1.

Ten recipients have gone on to work for HII, either at the Newport News shipyard, the companys Mississippi shipyard or its fast-growing Technical Solutions Division.
NO MATTER how hard it is to grasp, kids still die in hot cars.

There was a big drop last year in cases of children dying in hot cars. But AAA Mid-Atlantic and other safety groups see the warm weather and a return to pre-COVID-19 routines as a recipe for a potential return to 2019 totals.

In 2020, with people working from home and driving less, hot-car deaths dropped to 25, but 2018 and 2019 are the two worst years in history for child hot car deaths with 54 and 53 fatalities respectively, according to AAA.

As outside temperatures rise, the risk of children dying from heatstroke after being left in a hot car increases, said Richmond Ambulance Authority CEO Chip Decker in a news release. One child dies from heatstroke nearly every 10 days in the United States from being left in a car or crawling into an unlocked vehicle. In almost every case, the deaths could have been prevented.

A car can get deadly hot fast.

According to AAA, the temperature in a car, even with the windows slightly open, can hit 125 degrees in minutes in the right conditions, and a body temperature of 107 can kill a child.

AAA also noted that heatstroke can happen when the temperature is as low as 57 degrees outside.
Tillage practices and parasitoid conservation efforts may play a role in affecting the populations dynamics of wheat stem sawfly populations. Articles on these topics can be read at Nebraska Extensions CropWatch website; search for the keyword sawfly.

What can a wheat grower do now? Growers who believe that infestation in their fields will result in losses close to or below their crop insurance guarantee should turn in a probable-loss claim with their crop insurance agent now.

However, from a production standpoint there is not much they can do. Later articles will discuss options for producing wheat under threat from the wheat stem sawfly.

Right now the best tool a grower has is information. We recommend trying to gather information about which acres seem to have the highest sawfly infestations and be timely in harvesting heavily infested fields. As wheat fields begin to ripen, consider cutting some handfuls of wheat at a few locations across your wheat fields. Split 25-50 handfuls of tillers and observe any tillers with frass or sawdust within the tillers. No other insect that infests wheat will leave behind frass within the tillers, which will otherwise be mostly hollow (unless you planted a solid-stem variety).
Almost all the EU members were NATO members, said Malmstrom, now a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. How could we be a national security threat? It was offensive.

Malmstrom said she was surprised that Biden hasnt already dropped the tariffs and hopes he will do so at the summit Tuesday.

Maybe hes saving this as a gift, she said.

Complicating the political calculus for Biden is that U.S. labor unions and steel and aluminum producers  some of them concentrated in states important to Democratic election prospects  want to maintain the tariffs on the imported metals to help keep prices up. A key reason is that China, which churns out more than half the world's steel, has contributed to an oversupply that has otherwise kept global prices down.

Demonstrating a united U.S.-EU challenge to China's aggressive policies could strengthen the trans-Atlantic negotiating leverage. But Malmstrom said she is skeptical about whether the EU is eager to join the United States to face up to China and force a reckoning over its trade practices.
After what Packard estimated to be about 30 seconds in the mammal's mandibles, he said the whale surfaced quickly and spit him out.

"All of a sudden he went up to the surface and just erupted and started shaking his head," Packard said. "I just got thrown in the air, and landed in the water and I was free and I just floated there."

"I couldn't believe it," he added. "I couldn't believe I got out of that. And I'm here to tell it."

'A surprise to all involved'

Packard was pulled out of the water by a crewmate, rushed ashore, and taken to a nearby hospital. In the end, Packard said, he was "all bruised up," but whole.

Biologist Jooke Robbins, the director of Humpback Whale Studies at Provincetown's Center for Coastal Studies, said the unusual encounter was most likely an accident.

"We don't really see humpback whales doing anything like this normally," Robbins told CNN. "I think it was a surprise to all involved."

Robbins said that Humpbacks often engage in so-called "lunge feeding," in which a fast moving whale tries to gather a large volume of food in its mouth quickly.

"When they do that, they don't necessarily see everything," she said.
Ana Gray, of Taylorsville, was awarded a full scholarship to attend a special program of Stanford University Law School for talented high school students

Gray is a rising junior at Alexander Central High School. She is in the Advance Placement course of study with a 4.6 GPA and is currently ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2023.

She wants to attend an Ivy League school and major in journalism and political science, with an eye on attending law school.

Recently, Gray partnered with Stanford Law School to attend a virtual course of study this summer.

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A description of the program is:

Endorsed by the American Mock Trial Association, the Virtual Intensive Law & Trial curriculum will give you critical insights into the legal profession, including real-world simulations and professional workshops. Youll work in groups with other high school students like you from across the country virtually, making connections and building self-assurance.
BBB of Central & Northwest NC announced that two local students received the Donna Easter Student Ethics Award, the highest award given by the BBB Educational Foundation of Central and Northwest NC.

Mick Tobin, a recent graduate of South Iredell High School, received the $7,500 award while Maggie Selman, a recent graduate of Crossroads Arts and Science Early College, won the $5,000 award.

Tobin will attend Duke University in the fall, and Selman is headed to High Point University.

In all, the Education Foundation gives a total of $17,500 in scholarships.

The Donna Easter Student Ethics Awards recognizes high school students in the area who personify high ethical standards demonstrated through leadership, community service, personal integrity and academic history.

The awards are sponsored in part by Market America  Shop.com. This year 128 students applied for the awards. The judges were impressed with the thoughtful and well-written essays and overall quality of all the seniors who applied.
DETROIT (AP)  The president of General Motors says his company plans to announce more U.S. battery factories later this week.

Mark Reuss gave no details of where the factories would be located or exactly what they would manufacture. He spoke in a weekend interview with The Associated Press at an IndyCar race on an island park near downtown Detroit.

Company spokesman Jim Cain wouldn't comment Monday on the announcements, but noted GM previously stated it would build more factories to add battery capacity as electric vehicles grow in sales. GM has set a goal to stop selling internal-combustion passenger vehicles by 2035.

In the next week we'll announce some more, and it will be here in the U.S., Reuss said of the new battery factories.

The factories would be in addition to two battery cell plants that the company announced in the past two years, both geared to ramp up production as GM rolls out 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2025, with more than two-thirds sold in North America.
Based on a statement by a user on Weibo, it seems that the full tech specs for the realme X9 Pro might have been leaked, giving us a better idea of what to expect when its available in the local market. Upon closer inspection, the tech specs of the smartphone in question look to be very similar to the OPPO Reno 6 Pro Plus.

As for the tech specs, the realme X9 Pro comes equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset, 8GB RAM, up to 256GB ROM, 6.55-inch 90Hz display, and a 4500mAh battery that supports 65W SuperVOOC 2.0. Camera-wise, the phone has a 50MP + 16MP + 2MP rear camera and a 32MP front-facing selfie camera.

With all that said, do take some of the information with a grain of salt because Realme has yet to provide an official statement on the leak. Not only that, but theres also no news on the Malaysia release date, local pricing, and exact tech specs for now.

Would you be interested in getting the realme X9 Pro as soon as it is available in the local market? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.
According to the latest report, the OnePlus Nord 2 that is rumoured to be launched on 9 July will be a rebranded realme device. It's unsure why it's happening but it has been found out both of the devices share similar tech specs and probably a similar design.

A Chinese tipster claimed that the OnePlus Nord 2 will be a rebranded realme X9 Pro, which is a device that also hasn't been launched. The realme X9 Pro could arrive in two variants with one powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 870 and another one uses MediaTek's Dimensity 1200. With the rumours that we've spotted earlier, it's more likely that the OnePlus Nord 2 will be the latter if this news is accurate.

Leaked images of realme X9 Pro

However, the tech specs won't be all the same. The ultra-wide camera sensor on the OnePlus Nord 2 could use an 8MP one while the X9 Pro uses a 16MP one. In terms of design, the OnePlus Nord 2 will feature an extra notification slider. Other than that, both of them are likely to feature vertically aligned rear-facing cameras, curved back, and similar physical button positions.

Let us know what you think about this news on our Facebook page. Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more smartphone leaks.
A years-long Chinese-French project, the Taishan nuclear power plant opened in 2018.

Operators of a nuclear power plant in southern China are fixing a "performance issue" at the facility, but the gas emissions carried out to do that are within acceptable limits, its French part-owner said Monday following a US media report of a potential leak.

CNN said the US government has spent the past week assessing a report of a leak at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in populous Guangdong province after Framatome, a French firm that partly owns it, warned of an "imminent radiological threat".

But one of the unnamed US officials cited by CNN said the administration of President Joe Biden believes the facility is not yet at "crisis level".

EDF, the majority owner of Framatome, said the plant's number one reactor experienced a build-up of noble gases in its primary circuit, which is part of the cooling system.

But an EDF spokesman, who asked not to be named, insisted the issue was being handled.

"We are not in a scenario of an accident with a melting core," he said.

"We are not talking about contamination, we are talking about controlled emissions."

Noble gases are elements which have low chemical reactivityin this case it was xenon and krypton.

The gas leaked after the coating on some fuel rods had deteriorated, the spokesman said.

The gases were collected and treated as part of a process to remove any radioactivity before their release, which was normal and "in accordance with regulations", he added.

Satellite photo of the Taishan nuclear power plant in China.

Framatome said in a statement that the plant was operating "within the safety parameters" despite the "performance issue". EDF called an extraordinary meeting of the plant's board over the matter.

David Fishman, manager at energy-focused consulting group The Lantau Group, said a cracked fuel rod can potentially cause a small release of fission materials into the cooling loop, "where it wouldn't normally be".

"Failed fuel or cracked fuel is a fairly normal and commonundesirable, certainlybut not uncommon phenomenon in the nuclear fuel industry," Fishman told AFP.

'Normal'

Citing a letter from Framatome to the US energy department, CNN said the warning included an accusation that the Chinese safety authority was raising the acceptable limits for radiation outside the facility in order to avoid having to shut it down.

US officials have conferred with both French and Chinese officials about the matter, CNN said.

The Department of Energy did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on the report.

The operator of the station, state-owned China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), said in a statement late Sunday that "the environmental indicators of Taishan Nuclear Power Plant and its surroundings are normal".

It did not refer to any leak or incident at the power station, which it said meets "the requirements of nuclear safety regulations and power plant technical specifications".

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, said it had contacted its counterpart in China regarding the issue.

The Taishan Nuclear Power Station is outside the city of Taishan in Guangdong province.

"At this stage, the Agency has no indication that a radiological incident occurred," the IAEA said in a statement.

AFP did not get an immediate response to a request for comment from either the Chinese foreign ministry or the Chinese nuclear power group.

A problem with a cracked fuel rod would have to be logged by the Chinese nuclear safety administration with a mitigation report to fix the problem, Fishman said.

Fishman said Framatome possibly reached out to the United States to seek approval for their work at Taishan because CGN has been blacklisted by Washington.

"If (Framatome) were going to transfer over any information that they have gotten from working in the US, they would have to apply for an exemption... because CGN is on the US entity list," he said.

"It is a no-fly zone for any US information, any information or data or technology or IP to go to China."

EPR reactors

Powered up in 2018, the Taishan plant was the first worldwide to operate a next-generation EPR nuclear reactor, a pressurised water design that has been subject to years of delays in similar European projects in Britain, France and Finland.

EPR reactors have been touted as promising advances in safety and efficiency over conventional reactors while producing less waste.

Nuclear plants supplied less than five percent of China's annual electricity needs in 2019, according to the National Energy Administration, but this share is expected to grow as Beijing attempts to become carbon neutral by 2060.

China has 47 nuclear plants with a total generation capacity of 48.75 gigawattsthe world's third highest after the United States and Franceand has invested billions of dollars to develop its nuclear energy sector.

 2021 AFP
An image of Nadine at an elderly care home. Credit: Mishra et al.

Humanoid robots have the potential of assisting humans in a variety of settings, ranging from home environments to malls, schools and healthcare facilities. Some roboticists have been specifically investigating the potential of social robots as tools to offer care and companionship to the elderly population.

Researchers at Nayang Technological University have recently carried out a study exploring the potential of a humanoid robot for entertaining residents of an elderly care home. Their paper, pre-published on arXiv, specifically examined the reactions of a group of elderly individuals as they played Bingo with a social robot called Nadine.

"The main goal of our paper was to investigate whether a robot with human appearance and gestures can support the elderly, particularly by entertaining them with games, such as Bingo," Nadia Magnenat Thalmann, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. "We wanted to find out whether these kinds of robots can help to decrease loneliness among the elderly, offering a presence and stimulus by playing games with them at any time of the day."

Nadine, robotic platform used by Magnenat Thalmann and her colleagues, is a social robot that can communicate with humans in different languages, including English and Chinese. In addition to communicating in human languages, Nadine can tell different users apart by recognizing their faces and can initiate in-depth discussions with them.

"Nadine is also capable of setting up games and leading a game, such as Bingo, by announcing the numbers and revealing who the winner is," Magnenat Thalmann said. "She can play slowly and can also repeat the numbers several times, to ensure that the elderly understand them and have time to examine their cards and check whether they filled a full row or column."

An image of Nadine leading a game of Bingo. Credit: Mishra et al.

To assess the potential of Nadine as a tool to entertain the elderly, the researchers tested it at Bright Hill Evergreen Nursing Home, an elderly care home in Singapore. Their study was carried out on 29 residents of the care home, who were at least 60 years old.

In their experiments, Magnenat Thalmann and her colleagues used cameras to monitor and track the facial expressions and gestures of participants as they played Bingo with Nadine. They specifically assessed their levels of attention, reactivity and joy as they interacted with the robot.

Subsequently, the researchers compared the data they collected with similar data collected as the participants played a game of Bingo led by a single nurse or a group of nurses, without the involvement of Nadine or other social robots. Surprisingly, they found that the residents seemed more attentive and entertained while they played Bingo with the robot than when they played with nurses.

"Our findings suggest that the elderly participants were significantly happier and more attentive when playing with Nadine," Magnenat Thalmann said. "This means that in the future humanoid robots could be introduced in elderly care homes to keep the residents company, keep them entertained and play games with them when nurses are otherwise engaged."

The study carried out by this team of researchers could ultimately inspire care homes to purchase and start using social robots, such as Nadine, to entertain their residents. Meanwhile, Magnenat Thalmann and her colleagues plan to continue exploring the potential of social robots as assistants, companions and caretakers.

"We now plan to continue developing social robots, improving their ability to understand situations and act accordingly, with greater awareness of what is going on around them," Magnenat Thalmann said. "In the case of Nadine, for instance, we would like her to be able to move more freely in her surroundings, physically approach users and interact with them directly."

Explore further Scientists unveil social and telepresence robots

More information: Does elderly enjoy playing Bingo with a robot? A case study with the humanoid robot Nadine. arXiv:2105.01975 [cs.RO]. Does elderly enjoy playing Bingo with a robot? A case study with the humanoid robot Nadine. arXiv:2105.01975 [cs.RO]. arxiv.org/abs/2105.01975

 2021 Science X Network
A years-long Chinese-French project, the Taishan plant opened in 2018.

A French nuclear firm said Monday it was working to resolve a "performance issue" at a plant it part-owns in China's southern Guangdong province following a US media report of a potential leak there.

CNN reported earlier that the US government is assessing a report of a leak at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant after the French company, Framatome, warned of an "imminent radiological threat".

Framatomea subsidiary of French energy giant EDFsaid in a statement to AFP that it is "supporting resolution of a performance issue" at the plant.

"According to the data available, the plant is operating within the safety parameters," the company said.

EDF later said that there was an "increase in the concentration of certain noble gases in the primary circuit of reactor no. 1" at Taishan, referring to a part of the reactor's cooling system.

Noble gases are elements like argon, helium and neon which have low chemical reactivity.

Their presence in the system "is a known phenomenon, studied and provided for in the reactor operating procedures," EDF said.

The firm added that it had requested an extraordinary meeting of the power plant's board "for management to present all the data and the necessary decisions".

Citing a letter from Framatome to the US energy department, CNN said the warning included an accusation that the Chinese safety authority was raising the acceptable limits for radiation outside the facility in order to avoid having to shut it down.

But a US official told the broadcaster that "the Biden administration believes the facility is not yet at 'crisis level'".

The operator of the power station, state-owned China General Nuclear Power Group, said in a statement on Sunday evening that "the environmental indicators of Taishan Nuclear Power Plant and its surroundings are normal".

The Sino-French Taishan Nuclear Power Station is outside the city of Taishan in Guangdong province.

It did not reference any leak or incident at the power station, which it said meets "the requirements of nuclear safety regulations and power plant technical specifications."

AFP did not get an immediate response to a request for comment from either the Chinese foreign ministry or the Chinese nuclear power group.

EPR reactors

Powered up in 2018, the Taishan plant was the first worldwide to operate a next-generation EPR nuclear reactor, a pressurised water design that has been subject to years of delays in similar European projects in Britain, France and Finland.

There are now two EPR power units at the plant in the city of Taishan, which sits close to the coastline of southern GuangdongChina's most populous province.

EPR reactors have been touted as promising advances in safety and efficiency over conventional reactors while producing less waste.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault visited the Taishan plant in 2013, on a trip where the French leader shopped his country's nuclear expertise to the massive China market.

Nuclear plants supplied less than five percent of China's annual electricity needs in 2019, according to the National Energy Administration, but this share is expected to grow as Beijing attempts to become carbon neutral by 2060.

China has 47 nuclear plants with a total generation capacity of 48.75 million kilowattsthe world's third highest after the United States and Franceand has invested billions of dollars to develop its nuclear energy sector.

Last month Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping hailed close ties between their countries as they launched work on Russian-built nuclear power plants in China.

And in December state media reported that China had successfully powered up its "artificial sun" nuclear fusion reactor for the first timethe HL-2M Tokamak reactorwhich uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach temperatures of over 150 million degrees Celsius.

It is China's largest and most advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device, and scientists hope that the device can potentially unlock a powerful clean energy source.

Explore further World's second EPR nuclear reactor starts work in China

 2021 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Qualcomm has been working for years to get its mobile technology into other products besides smartphonesthink drones, laptops and smart security cameras.

Those efforts to connect the unconnectedgenerally called the Internet of Thingshave recently started to deliver consequential financial results for Qualcomm, with revenue topping $1 billion in each of the past two quarters.

To help keep the momentum going, San Diego's largest publicly traded company rolled out a suite of seven new Internet of Things chips this week. They range from entry-level to premium tier semiconductors. Features include baked-in artificial intelligence and security, power-efficient computing, precise location capabilities and fast Wi-Fi 6, 5G and LTE connectivity, depending on the chip.

"Within the Internet of Things ecosystem, there are a variety of segments going through digital transformation, whether its retail or warehouse management or the shipping industry," said Nagaraju Naik, Qualcomm senior director of product management. "Collaboration is yet another significant segment. These products that we're introducing are going to enable a lot of those applications."

Qualcomm supplies more than 13,000 Internet of Things customers today. The company expects to add another $1.3 billion in IoT sales in the current quarter.

Even so, the bulk of Qualcomm revenue still comes from smartphonesa maturing industry that is consolidating behind a handful of dominant brands such as Samsung and Apple.

Samsung already makes its own cellular processors for some of its phones, and Apple is working to design its own cellular chips, too, potentially ditching Qualcomm chips from iPhones.

Hence the push to diversify. While the Internet of Things market was growing before COVID-19 lockdowns, the pandemic accelerated adoption, said Naik. Video collaboration led the way with remote work, online school and telehealth appointments.

Mobile technology fits right into video collaboration, said Naik. Qualcomm's new top tier Internet of Things chip delivers the processing heft to manage multiple cameras, stream high-resolution video and provide noise canceling audio, as well as power artificial intelligence algorithms for things like facial tracking or background blurring.

Retail tech is another sector ripe for digital transformation, said Naik. Emerging technologies include smart carts that analyze items, deliver digital coupons and enable just-walk-out shopping.

"Smart cart is actually bringing the point-of-sale experience or the checkout experience into the cart," said Naik. "So, you have cameras that can detect what (merchandise) is being picked by the consumer, and then right on the cart you have point-of-sale ability."

Warehouse management and package shipping also are innovating with digital technology, as are smart cities, smart health care and smart factories. As part of the chip rollout, Qualcomm is offering extended hardware and software support for IoT devices for a minimum of eight years.

"Qualcomm Technologies is uniquely positioned to lead the IoT ecosystem forward with our systems-level approach," said Jeff Lorbeck, senior vice president and general manager of connected smart systems at Qualcomm. "We believe in the power of technology to enrich lives through purposeful innovation with solutions to support the ecosystem in reimagining how the world connects, works and communicates. These new IoT solutions are a step towards achieving that goal."

Explore further AMD and Samsung are developing a new Exynos mobile chip with ray tracing

2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Ever Given container ship was stuck in the Suez Canal in March 2021 for six days, which wreaked havoc on the world's shipping network. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Nearly everything in our daily livesfrom the electronic gizmos we all use, to the coffee we drink and the bananas we eatrelies on shipping. Ships worldwide transport roughly 11 billion tons of goods annually, which works out to about 1.5 tons for every person on the planet.

But how do those ships navigate safely on the open ocean or in the crowded quarters of shipping lanes?

The answers to those questions and more can be found in the second edition of a popular textbook that addresses guidance, navigation and control of marine craft. The publisher John Wiley & Sons Ltd. has just released the Handbook of Marine Craft Hydrodynamics and Motion Control, authored by Professor Thor I Fossen, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

"The new edition includes autonomous vehicles such as unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in addition to ships and semisubmersibles," Fossen said.

The second version of the book also includes new results on intelligent navigation systems and models of autonomous vehicles operating under water and on the surface. It comes with popular software called the Marine Systems Simulator, which is a GitHub repository used around the globe.

Fossen is a cyberneticist, which means he studies all kinds of feedback mechanisms used in the communication and control of ships, airplanes, autonomous robots and drones.

"I got interested in the subject as a Ph.D. candidate. I wrote my Ph.D. thesis on autonomous underwater vehicles in 1991," he said. "Autonomous vehicles are hot nowadays, so you may say that I was early."

He is a professor of Guidance, Navigation, and Control at NTNU and is deputy head of NTNU AMOS, the Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems. He is also in the top tier internationally as a highly cited professor, with more than 32,000 citations to date.

One of the emerging issues facing cybernetics and autonomous marine craft is cybersecurity, Fossen said.

"We are very much concerned with cybersecurity since autonomous vehicles can be hijacked and even used as weapons. Hence, we encrypt all sensor and control signals in the feedback control loops," he said. "This requires new type of encryption methods since there are large data streams that need to be encrypted in real time."

Fossen received his MSc in Naval Architecture and his Ph.D. in Engineering and Cybernetics from the Norwegian Institute of Technology, one of NTNU's predecessors.

Fossen was elected to the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences in 1998 and became an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow in 2016.

"Hardly anyone has left such a huge academic footprint and in marine craft guidance, navigation and control systems and set such standards for vessel management as Thor," said Asgeir Srensen, who works closely with Fossen and is head of NTNU AMOS.

The publishers say the handbook offers the latest tools for analysis and design of advanced GNC (Guidance Navigation and Control) systems, and is an extensive study of the latest research in hydrodynamics, guidance, navigation, and control systems for marine craft.

"The text establishes how the implementation of mathematical models and modern control theory can be used for simulation and verification of control systems, decision-support systems, and situational awareness systems. Coverage includes hydrodynamic models for marine craft, models for wind, waves and ocean currents, dynamics and stability of marine craft, advanced guidance principles, sensor fusion, and inertial navigation," according to a summary on the publisher's website.

Explore further Underwater robot does not need help on the ocean floor
Abderrezak Mokri, president of the Society for Peace movement casts his vote in a polling station in the country's first legislative elections sine the ouster of ex-president Bouteflika, in Algiers, Algeria, Saturday, June 12, 2021. Algerians vote Saturday for a new parliament in an election with a majority of novice independent candidates running under new rules meant to satisfy demands of pro-democracy protesters and open the way to a "new Algeria."
The VB 10,000 crane vessel completed its cut around daybreak today of Section 3 from the shipwrecked Golden Ray in the St. Simons Sound, ending an eight-week ordeal stymied by dense steel brackets and a massive internal fire.
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Subscribe to The Chief and get stories that cover every side of civil service in New York City and beyond. You can sign up in minutes for immediate access.
The effects of these drugs have not been tested in horses of this age, as there are no studies that have provided a detailed evaluation of the administration effects on bone mass or bone turnover, Leatherwood said. We are concerned this practice may lead to an alteration in bone remodeling, healing or growth that may result in a significant risk of maladaptation, lameness or ultimately may contribute to the early breakdown of young horses, which, beyond being a major concern for animal welfare, may also put the health and safety of jockeys in danger.

Leatherwood said they will use a horse and sheep model to determine the drugs effects on bone and joint health in young horses undergoing exercise. The use of sheep as a model allows for further understanding of the physiological and biomechanical effects of bisphosphonates in young animals.

The sheep study allows for greater insight into changes in bone morphology and biomechanical properties, she said. Sheep are typically processed under the age of 2, so this allows for a deeper mechanistic understanding, which is not a feasible option in the horse.
RAVENNA  #MyCorona, a romantic comedy directed 100% remotely last year, will launch its DVD at Annevar next weekend in Ravenna, the filming location.

Leveraging videoconference technology and other safety precautions, they were able to safely film a stay-at-home themed romantic comedy on a closed set at the Silicon Prairie Center Studios in Ravenna.

Director Phil Gorn and I decided to start by forgetting all the traditional ways films are made and instead focus on figuring out how to keep everyone safe while still filming a movie, said producer and writer Kirk Zeller, a Ravenna native. After much careful planning we chose a closed set, a hybrid model used by many in the industry, including Tyler Perry.

#MyCorona is a romantic comedy set in the days leading up to and during Californias stay-at-home order of the 2020 pandemic. The story focuses on the residents of a Los Angeles apartment building who, while forced to self-isolate during the pandemic, find themselves suddenly learning how to rely on neighbors they barely know.

The early DVD release will take place June 17-20 during Annevar, Ravennas annual celebration. There will be a #MyCorona store in the heart of the festivities.
YORK  Julieanne Bettis, 23, whose address has been listed in court documents of being both Beatrice and Belleville, Kan., earlier changed her plea in a case involving six felonies related to drugs and child abuse and she has now been sentenced to jail and probation in York County District Court.

She was initially charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, both Class 2A felonies; child abuse, a Class 3A felony; possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony; and two counts of no drug tax stamp, both Class 4 felonies.

As a result of a plea agreement, Bettis pleaded no contest to one count of delivery of a controlled substance and one count of having no drug tax stamp. The rest of the counts were dismissed.

This case began late last year, shortly after 10:30 p.m., when a deputy with the York County Sheriffs Department was on regular patrol. According to court documents, the deputy observed a vehicle traveling southbound on Highway 81, just passing the intersection with County Road 7.

She said in her affidavit filed with the court the vehicle was speeding and she saw it cross the shoulder line.

A traffic stop was conducted of the Honda sedan with Kansas license plates.
Press freedom is also an antidote to corrupt governance, so authoritarians will fight it. This is why we must address challenges to press freedom at early stages, when a reputation for freedom is still currency in a country, and when friendly countries that support such freedoms still hold sway.

Belarus is a pariah state already, so imposing more sanctions is unlikely to secure Protasevichs release. But other countries, such as Egypt, Somalia, and yes, Saudi Arabia, count on the United States for military support, economic aid and international partnership. We have sway we can use, but will we use it to promote a free press?

As a U.S. diplomat, I drafted strongly worded statements urging the release of journalists detained or worse. But those statements were never met with action. Like so many human rights we claim to value, our commitment only went so far. We didnt take it seriously, so assaults on a free press continued.

If the United States were willing to use leverage, such as cutting assistance over violations of a free press, those countries might take it more seriously. Not every country would respond, but some would, and the more countries that foster a free press, the safer we all will be.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
In addition, Mote says, state and federal policy changes are needed to dismantle rules that often penalize child care providers, and make it difficult for the working poor to qualify for financial assistance.

As a nation, we declare that children are our priorities, but how do you leave early learning out of that conversation? Mote said.

At Two Rivers Head Start, which offers kindergarten readiness programs for children ages 3 to 5 years old for income-eligible families in Kane and DeKalb counties, center director Tigen Sanavongxay said officials are constantly looking for whatever funding we can get.

While Two Rivers once had 10 sites, including preschool programs, infant and toddler child care and support for pregnant women, operators were not able even before the pandemic to obtain the needed grants to sustain their slate of offerings. The nonprofit has scaled back its programs to three locations: Elgin, Aurora and Sycamore.

The states child care assistance program helps families pay tuition for Head Start, which is offered strictly to low-income families, said Sanavongxay, who leads the Elgin site, where she said student enrollment has dropped to 65% of what it was pre-pandemic.
* In West Englewood, around 1:45 a.m., a 34-year-old was shot in the right leg while standing with several men in the 6300 block of South Wood Street, and a stray round struck an unmarked police vehicles passenger door. The victim was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition. Police do not believe their vehicle was targeted.

* In Lawndale, around 1:24 a.m., a 39-year-old man was standing in the 3800 block of West Arthington Street when he was shot in his left arm and body. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital by a friend, where he was initially listed in critical condition.

* In South Austin, around 12:33 a.m., a 29-year-old man was shot in the left leg while standing on the sidewalk in the 4900 block of West Rice Street. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

* In Bronzeville, around 11:02 p.m., several men were standing in a park near the 4400 block of South Champlain Street when an argument began. A 39-year-old was shot in the chest, was dropped off at Provident Hospital and transferred to University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition.
The Gun Violence Archive, which monitors media and police reports to track gun violence, defines mass shootings as those involving four or more people who were shot, regardless of whether they died. Overall, according to its database, more than 8,700 people have died of gun violence in the U.S. this year.

The GVA also found that mass shootings spiked in 2020 to about 600, which was higher than in any of the previous six years it tracked the statistic. According to this year's count, there have been at least 267 mass shootings in the U.S. so far, including the latest three overnight Friday into Saturday.

Its worrisome, Fox said. We have a blend of people beginning to get out and about in public. We have lots of divisiveness. And we have more guns and warm weather. Its a potentially deadly mix.



This story has been corrected in the 13th paragraph that three mass shootings in public places in 2020 for lowest annual total in a decade, according to a database tracker.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Bamberg County developing budget; no property tax increase expected

Bamberg County Council gave first reading approval by title only to the county's proposed $27.5 million spending plan for the 2021-2022 budget year.

The budget calls for a general fund of $9.2 million, along with separate accounts set up for special revenue, $8.6 million; enterprise, $1.4 million; debt service, $410,460, and capital projects, $7.8 million.

Council Chairman Larry Haynes and members Clint Carter, Spencer Donaldson, Phil Myers, Dr. Jonathan Goodman and Evert Comer Jr. voted to adopt the budget during last weeks meeting. Councilwoman Sharon Hammond opposed.

We have a presentation for council, if yall want to see it, if its all right. It may answer Ms. Hammonds questions, County Administrator Joey Preston said.

Bamberg County Council meetings to reopen to public; LSCOG: 51,401 meals delivered to county seniors last year Bamberg County Council meetings will be re-opened to the public beginning in August, council members decided Monday.

Hammond said she didn't think it would.

We need some detailed information and not just one amount for personnel, she said.

Preston said he would provide Hammond with additional information.

I think everybody should get it. Everybody should have that detailed information, Hammond said. Councilmen Carter and Myers stated that they would also like to receive it.

Goodman said, I know several of us are new to the council, but I thought historically prior to voting on the budget that there was always a budgetary meeting that would take place.

BAMBERG COUNTY COUNCIL: 2 issues reported in 'good' 2020 audit Bamberg County has received an unmodified opinion on an audit report that was conducted for the year ending June 30, 2020.

Did I miss that, or did we not have the budgetary meeting this year?"

Preston said, What youre doing is youre voting tonight in title only. So youre not actually voting for any numbers. Youve got the rest of this month to go through it and have budget meetings or whatever you want to discuss, but according to the law, what happens is I present a budget document to the county council for consideration, and thats what this is.

Second reading of the budget is slated for 6 p.m. Monday, June 21, during a virtual meeting. Third and final reading of the budget, which will be preceded by a public hearing, is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 29, during a virtual meeting.

The proposed $27.5 million budget reflects a $737,765 increase over last years spending plan.

The countys general fund budget alone is scheduled to grow from $8.3 million in FY 2020-21 to $9.2 million in FY 2021-22.

County Controller Gina Smith reported that health insurance costs will increase by approximately $55,000 over the previous fiscal year, with the total countywide cost to equal $1.1 million. Retirement contribution costs are expected to total $647,875, which is $30,875 more than in the previous year.

Increases also came in special revenue, debt service and enterprise funds. The capital projects budget is scheduled to decrease by $654,285.

Next years millage rate is estimated to be 233.3, the same as this year.

Under the current millage rate, County Auditor Rosa Verner said owners of houses valued at $100,000 pay $1,570 annually in property tax bills. Owners of houses valued at $50,000 pay $820 in property tax bills annually.

The tentative spending plan includes a 2 percent cost-of-living increase for employees. The average employee with family coverage will also not have to pay more per year in health insurance costs.

The budget includes the addition of a permit technician in the assessor's office, as well as the conversion of a part-time position in the auditor's office to full-time.

It also includes funding for 800 megahertz radios for the sheriff's department to improve safety and communication between the sheriff's office and dispatch. Upgrades to the E911 center will include new dispatch equipment.

The county has also received its first portion of federal American Rescue funding, totaling $1.4 million.

We're going to make sure we spend it the proper way, Preston said.

During his report, Preston also updated council on the hospital renovation project, which is slated to be complete in early May 2022. The county has a plan to transform its former hospital into a law enforcement and health and human services complex.

The complex would include the sheriff's office, health department, Veterans Affairs office and the county coroner's office.

While the county also snagged a $250,000 grant from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control to go toward the building of the new Bamberg County Health Department office, securing funding for the Department of Social Services portion will be different, the administrator said.

Preston said that more funding is also being sought for the inclusion of an emergency operations center.

Were going to have storage space for all of our voting equipment. In addition to this, were looking to see if its a possibility we can find space to perhaps maybe relocate the voter registration and election commission to that building if we can find space, and if we can find available funding with not having to go out and seek any new funding, Preston said.

The administrator also reported the County Voter Registration and Election Commission is seeking applicants for a new Voter Registration and Election director. Commission Chairman Curtis Tyler said following the meeting that Director Melinda Johnson resigned for health reasons.

Preston also reported that as of June 4, 1,454 positive COVID-19 cases and 51 deaths had been reported in the county. He said more than 4,819 county residents had received at least one COVID-19 vaccination.

Statewide, DHEC reports 45 percent of South Carolina residents have begun the vaccination process and 38 percent have completed (it). In Bamberg County, theres been 31.42 percent that have received both shots, the administrator said.

Council is set to resume face-to-face meetings in August, but Goodman said a push to resume face-to-face meetings should be coupled with the importance of individuals getting vaccinated, particularly with less than 40 percent of our constituents being vaccinated.

County Treasurer Alice Johnson gave an April financial report. The county had $875,900.49 in income and expenditures of $884,719.47, leaving a negative balance of $8,818.98. When the positive bank balance at the end of March ($127,340.87) was added, the county's regular account stood at a positive $118,521.89.

County Finance Director T.M. Thomas reported that the county's general fund had year-to-date revenues as of the end of April of $7,598,612, with expenses coming in at $6,320,654, for a positive general fund balance of $1,277,959.

He said all departments continued to operate within their budgets.

County Controller Gina Smith said the county received approximately $155,000 in federal CARES Act funding last fall, along with approximately $69,000 in federal FEMA money in April, all of which has been deposited into the county general fund

Also during the meeting:

 SouthernCarolina Alliance Vice President of Marketing Kay Maxwell introduced Garrett Dragano as the SCA's new project manager.

 Council approved a resolution authorizing the countys participation in the Lower Savannah Regional Home Consortium.

 Approved the appointment of Dr. Dorian Newton to the Workforce Development Board.

 Council gave second reading approval to the codification of its ordinances into a single booklet

 The next regularly scheduled council meeting is set virtually for 6 p.m. Monday, July 19.
The nation is wrestling with fundamental questions of freedom and equality. We live in a great country that promotes facing such major issues. That is its greatness.

And a symbol of greatness is Old Glory.

On this day, a special one sandwiched between Memorial Day and July 4th, the country pauses to pay special tribute to the flag that symbolizes this great nation  and our right as Americans to disagree.

The nation every June 14 observes Flag Day.

Putting debates and divisions aside for a day, we repeat the words of Eugene J. Nebelung of Beaufort, writing for the Knights of Columbus, from 2007:

"As we each have a birthday, our nation's flag, The Stars and Stripes, also has a birthday. Since the first official Flag Day in 1916, Americans, wherever they may be, gather together on June 14 to celebrate the birth of our flag, the Red, White and Blue, the flag that symbolizes the concepts of liberty, independence and democracy.

"Our flag was officially adopted on June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress resolved that the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white, that the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.
Job Title: Project Partnership and Finance Officer (IKEA)

Organisation: International Rescue Committee (IRC)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Reports to: Partnership Coordinator

About US:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the worlds worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home. The IRC has been working in Uganda since 1998 supporting nationals and refugees and various institutions in the country notably the government, community-based organizations, the civil society and the private sector. The current program portfolio in Uganda includes health, peace building, gender-based violence, economic recovery and agribusiness, and children & youth. IRC has a country office in Kampala, and field offices in Moroto, Kyaka II, Yumbe, Imvepi and Kiryandongo

About IKEA Foundation Project:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in partnership with the IKEA Foundation is currently implementing a five year (20212025) urban refugee livelihoods program in Kampala, Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya. The objective of the program  Refugees in East Africa: Boosting Urban Innovations for Livelihoods Development (Re: Build)  is to support urban refugees and other vulnerable residents in Kampala and Nairobi to achieve economic self-reliance and benefit from strengthened urban economic, regulatory, and social environments. The Re: Build program approach prioritizes local ownership, and as such, seeks to build a network of local partners. Specifically, the IRC would like to hire the Project partnership and Finance Officer who will support the local partners

Job Summary: Under the direction of the Partnership Coordinator, the Project Partnership and Finance Officer is responsible for ensuring that the day-to-day partners accounting operations and financial management functions are performed in accordance with IRCs policies and procedures Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results Systems (PEERS), and in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Delivery

Always acting in accordance with the country law and standards of accounting practices

Contribute to the overall objective of the partnership and finance departments of providing quality support service to all sectors.

Manage all aspects of day-to-day operations of the finance and partnership department.

Check compliance to implementation of finance policies, procedures, and systems within the partnership policy documents. Review sampled partner payment vouchers, ensuring completeness of the documentation and consistency with the partner policies and procedures.

Validate partner captured accounting entries in SUN Account, ensuring accuracy and completeness of the process.

Complete end-of-month tasks in a timely manner and ensure partner report expenses are accurately captured.

Consolidate monthly and quarterly partner cash projections and submit the same to the Deputy Finance controller in a timely manner for planning.

Assist the Partnership coordinator and Field coordinator in the preparation of finance related reports for use in decision making at both field and head office levels in relation to partners.

Carry out monthly reconciliation of partner advances and charges related to partner accounts (T7) and advise the Partnership Coordinator on the course taken to settle outstanding balances.

Participate as gatekeeper in ensuring that all transactions are in accordance with IRC financial policies and grant agreements.

Provide support to both external and internal audit processes that are undertaken at the field office.

Work hand in hand with the Deputy Finance controller to prepare and update the partners operating budget.

Participate in partnership project opening, review and closure meetings, including to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partner, and capture effective finance practices for future partnerships.

Participate in the Partners Project Capacity Review (PPCR) of potential partners as appropriate and contribute to efforts to collaboratively analyze and manage material risks identified.

Conduct monitoring visits to sub grantees as per partners project review capacity review results.

Review reports submitted by sub grantees confirming accuracy and compliance to the terms of the agreement and submit the same to the Deputy Finance Controller for next course of action.

Program Support & Capacity Sharing

Provide finance and accounting training and mentoring support to partners, in accordance with partner project support plans, with a focus on supporting the partner to strengthen financial management systems and capacities that are responsive to the needs of the partner (rather than replicating IRCs systems and policies).

Provide training to IRC program staff on finance/partnership matters.

Budgets

Take lead in reviewing all new and revised partner budgets and spending plans with program and other operations staff.

Review partner quarterly Budget vs Actual (BvA) and advice partners through the Partnership Coordinator on any key issues identified.

Provide insight of projected Budget vs Actual report based on partner spending plan projections.

Cash/Bank  Processing:

Support the Deputy Finance Controller in processing Partner Cash Transfer (CTR) documentation.

Review partner payment vouchers to ensure completeness and accuracy of documentation.

Support the process of preparation of the partner transfer reconciliation worksheets.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The ideal candidate for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Project Partnership and Finance Officer (IKEA) job placement must hold a Bachelors Degree in Accounting, Commerce or Finance, and/or relevant full qualifications in a recognized Accounting professional body.

Minimum of three years experience in accounting preferably in an International NGO with at least a minimum of 1 year hands on experience working with SUN and NAVISION.

Excellent problem solving, decision making, supervisory, and organizational skills

Strong computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Ability to communicate effectively and have good interpersonal skills

Ability to work under pressure with minimal direct supervision.

How to Apply:

All applicants who wish to join the International Rescue Committee (IRC) should apply online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 27th June 2021.

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
International

AP

G-7 leaders reach agreements

JON SUPER, ASSOCIATED PRESS Protesters wearing giant heads portraying G7 leaders go for a swim during a demonstration outside the G7 meeting Sundday in St. Ives, Cornwall, England. BEN STANSALL, POOL VIA AP Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses reporters during a news conference on the final day of the G7 summit Sunday in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, England.

CARBIS BAY, England  Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations staked their claim Sunday to leading the world out of the coronavirus pandemic and crisis, pledging more than 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to poorer nations, vowing to help developing countries grow while fighting climate change and backing a minimum tax on multinational firms.

At the groups first face-to-face meeting in two years, the leaders dangled promises of support for global health, green energy, infrastructure and education  all to demonstrate that international cooperation is back after the upheavals caused by the pandemic and the unpredictability of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

During their three-day summit in southwest England, the G-7 leaders wanted to convey that the club of wealthy democracies  Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States  is a better friend to poorer nations than authoritarian rivals such as China.

This isnt about imposing our values on the rest of the world, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters at the end of the seaside summit on the rugged Cornwall coast. What we as the G-7 need to do is demonstrate the benefits of democracy and freedom and human rights to the rest of the world.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who was making his first foreign trip as leader, said it was an extraordinary, collaborative and productive meeting that showed Americas back in the business of leading the world alongside nations who share our most deeply held values.

But health and environmental campaigners were distinctly unimpressed by the details in the leaders final communique.

This G-7 summit will live on in infamy, said Max Lawson, the head of inequality policy at the international aid group Oxfam. Faced with the biggest health emergency in a century and a climate catastrophe that is destroying our planet, they have completely failed to meet the challenges of our times.

Despite Johnsons call to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022, the promise of 1 billion doses for vaccine-hungry countries  coming both directly and through donations to the international COVAX program  falls far short of the 11 billion doses the World Health Organization said is needed to vaccinate at least 70% of the worlds population and truly end the pandemic.

Half of the billion-dose pledge is coming from the United States and 100 million from Britain. Canada said it also would give 100 million doses, and France pledged 60 million. Altogether, the leaders said they pledged 870 million doses directly over the next year, with further contributions taking the total to the equivalent of over 1 billion doses.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the lack of a more ambitious vaccination plan was an unforgivable moral failure.

But Biden said the leaders were clear that the commitments they made to donate doses wouldnt be the end. The U.S. president said getting shots into arms around the world was a gigantic, logistical effort and the goal might not be accomplished until 2023.

The G-7 also backed a minimum tax of at least 15% on large multinational companies to stop corporations from using tax havens to avoid taxes, a move championed by the United States.

Biden also wanted to persuade fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front to compete economically with Beijing and strongly call out Chinas nonmarket policies and human rights abuses.

The language on China in the G-7 leaders communique from the meeting was more muted than the United States has used, but Biden said he was satisfied. On Chinas economic behavior, the group said it would consult on collective approaches to challenging non-market policies and practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy.

The leaders also said they would promote their values by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of committing serious human rights abuses against the Uyghur minority, and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

Not every European power has viewed China in as harsh a light as Biden, who has painted the rivalry with the techno-security state as the defining competition of the 21st century.

The G-7 is not a club hostile to China, French President Emmanuel Macron said. Its an ensemble of democracies that (would) work with China on all world topics that China is ready to work on with us.

Johnson, the summits host, wanted the three-day meeting to fly the flag for a Global Britain, his governments push to give the midsized country, newly detached from the European Union, outsized global influence.

Yet Brexit cast a shadow over that goal during the summit on the coast of southwest England. European Union leaders and Biden voiced concerns about problems with new U.K.-EU trade rules that have heightened tensions in Northern Ireland.

But overall, the mood was positive: The leaders smiled for the cameras on the beach at cliff-fringed Carbis Bay, a village and resort that became a traffic-clogged fortress for the meeting.

Americas allies were visibly relieved to have the U.S. back as an engaged international player after the America First policy of the Trump administration.

Johnson called Biden a breath of fresh air. Italian Premier Mario Draghi said the president wanted to rebuild what were the traditional alliances of the United States after the period of Trump, during which these alliances were seriously cracked.
Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its shot was highly effective against COVID-19 and also protected against variants in a large, late-stage study in the U.S. and Mexico.

The vaccine was about 90% effective overall and preliminary data showed it was safe, the company said.

While demand for COVID-19 shots in the U.S. has dropped off dramatically, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting vaccine supplies in the developing world.

That help is still months away, however. The company says it plans to seek authorization for the shots in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

"Many of our first doses will go to  low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with," Novavax Chief Executive Stanley Erck told The Associated Press.

While more than half of the U.S. population has had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, less than 1 percent of people in the developing world have had one shot, according to Our World In Data.
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One of the ballot initiatives would legalize medical marijuana for personal use in Wyoming, as this state is only one of four left in the nation where marijuana is fully criminalized (the other three are Idaho, Kansas and South Carolina).

The other initiative would decriminalize, not legalize, marijuana for personal use.

A survey done by the University of Wyomings Survey and Analysis Center in October showed that 85% of residents who were questioned supported legalizing medical marijuana. The poll also showed that 75% of surveyed residents supported decriminalization of the drug and 54% supported full legalization.

In addition to the Libertarian Party, there were also representatives from Utahs TRUCE organization, Wyoming NORML and the Wyoming Patients Coalition.

Wyoming NORML executive director Bennett Sondeno talked of his late friend, Bill, who passed away a few years ago after being exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

I said, Bill, if youre dying, would you consider trying cannabis? and he did, Sondeno said. He took all these drugs he was taking and quit them cold turkey, which I am not suggesting, but he managed to survive four and a half years after he should have died. Cannabis changed his life.
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The Prime Minister has an open mind on the selection of a police commissioner.

Asked yesterday whether as head of the Cabinet, his Government was prepared to approve a nomination coming to the Parliament for the continuation of Gary Griffith as Commissioner of Police, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said: We in the Cabinet keep an open mind on matters of national interest like that. The Cabinet has a duty to keep an open mind. The authority (Police Service Commission) advises us and we will look at the advice with an open mind as you would have seen us doing before.
Because of my previous association with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), several persons have been asking why am I not commenting on the two self-government bills for Tobago.
If the scenes of despair circulating around the nation and the desperate pleas by people are not enough to get the Government to understand the generational crisis we are facing, what will?
The Arizona Wildcats are heading to Omaha, Neb. for the 2021 Men's College World Series after their 16-3 win over Ole Miss in game 3 of the NCAA Super Regionals at Hi Corbett on Sunday June 13.
However, standard plates are set to arrive from the ADOT fulfillment center beginning Monday, June 14, the department said.

This has not stopped ADOT from issuing license plate numbers for Arizonans.

Those with temporary plates  such as one from an auto dealer  should not worry about the correct information not being displayed.

If the dealer still sends that information as they should and the correct information is received by MVD in the (45-day) time period, the information is updated in the system. So, if your plate hasnt arrived at your home, but its been processed at MVD, it will still show up in the system as being current and valid, Pacey said.

Pacey added its similar to waiting for a registration sticker to show up in the mail.

ADOT has also made sure to reach out to state law enforcement agencies, auto dealers, fleet services, commercial trucking groups and third-party offices that complete MVD services to inform them of the situation, the department said.

When the new plates are received, they will also have a new font, something the department said it has been contemplating for some time but would have interrupted production.
During the same time period, countries have imprisoned 274 journalists worldwide, with China leading imprisonments and Turkey holding second place with 47 and 37 imprisonments, respectively.

And recently, journalist Raman Pratasevich, part of the Belarus political opposition, was jailed after his flight was diverted, and an Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building that housed The Associated Press office and other news outlets in the Gaza Strip.

This organization, of all organizations, they stand up for, they fight, they defend the role that these journalists play in their societies around the world, said retired Professor Emeritus William Schmidt, the former deputy managing editor for The New York Times. Its a necessary and amazingly noble thing that they do. I can think of few other organizations that would deserve (the Zenger award) as much as they deserve it for the work they do on the behalf of press freedom and the essential role of journalism.

CPJ also publishes the Global Impunity Index, a calculation of the unsolved murders of journalists worldwide as a percentage of a countrys population. The index is then published with the hopes of bringing the killers to justice.
IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. (AP)  Reports of a stolen ambulance from a Utica-based company turned into a lengthy pursuit on the New York State Thruway for state troopers Sunday morning into the afternoon.

WHAM-TV reports that police say they caught the vehicle on the Thruway and later on I-490 and into the city of Rochester. The chase lasted about 100 miles (160 kilometers) .

Police said they later located the ambulance off of the Culver Road exit, and were led down Seneca Road when the vehicle crashed into Irondequoit Bay near Newport Yacht Club.

It was surreal to see somebody come flying through, crashing through our gate and go into the water, Bob Henry, who serves on the board of directors for the club, told the TV station.

David Drushler was making a delivery at the yacht club and witnessed the incident. He said the woman rolled the window down to get out and was trying to get on top of the ambulance to hold something. "People on the power boats around were yelling, Shes drowning. She cant swim. Thats when the power boats came down and fished her out, Drushler said.

Members of the Monroe County Sheriffs scuba team helped locate the vehicle sunken below, not far from the docks. Crews spent more than an hour pulling the ambulance out of the water.
The Biden administration has discussed the situation with the French government and their own experts at the Department of Energy, sources said. The US has also been in contact with the Chinese government, US officials said, though the extent of that contact is unclear.

The US government declined to explain the assessment but officials at the NSC, State Department and the Department of Energy insisted that if there were any risk to the Chinese public, the US would be required to make it known under current treaties related to nuclear accidents.

Framatome had reached out to the US in order to obtain a waiver that would allow them to share American technical assistance in order to resolve the issue at the Chinese plant. There are only two reasons why this waiver would be granted, and one is an "imminent radiological threat," the same verbiage used in the June 8 memo.

The memo claims the Chinese limit was increased to exceed French standards, yet it remains unclear how that compares to US limits.
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP)  Flowers were laid on rusty railway tracks Monday as Lithuania marked the start of a mass deportation 80 years ago by the Soviet Union that was occupying the Baltic nation.

People who were considered opposed to Moscow or deemed counter-revolutionary elements were sent to Siberia from Lithuania and few returned. Others who owned land or houses were evicted and sent there too.

Some 280,000 people were eventually deported to the Siberian gulags, a year after Soviet troops had occupied Lithuania. Many of those sent away never returned from the long journey in the cattle wagons.

Two evil forces  Nazi Germany and the Soviet Communist regime  had entered a secret agreement to divide Europe, President Gitanas Nauseda said during a solemn ceremony in Vilnius, on a day considered one of the darkest pages in the Baltic nations recent history. These regimes caused unspeakable pain and suffering.

One of those attending the ceremony Monday was deported and spent almost 11 years in Siberia. Aurelija Staponkute and her family were deported only because they had a small farm that was seized.

We do not know what the future might bring. Whatever happens, we must protect our freedom. After all, we fought for it so hard, the 83-year-old said.
VIENNA (AP)  Delegations from Russia and the United States involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran held talks in Vienna on Monday, two days ahead of a summit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The United States is not directly involved in the Vienna negotiations but has regular contacts with participating diplomats.

Efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear containment deal for Iran are a rare topic of collaboration between the two global adversaries.

Mikhail Ulyanov, a senior diplomat who headed the Russian delegation at the meeting in Vienna, called the talks with U.S. counterparts fruitful.

Our dialogue in Vienna seems to be proof that the two countries can maintain businesslike cooperation on issues of common interest, non-proliferation in this particular case, Ulyanov wrote in a tweet.

The nuclear agreement was scuppered in 2018 when the Trump administration pulled the United States out of the accord, arguing that it handed Iran too many concessions.

Diplomats from China, Germany, France, Russia, and Britain held joint talks with Iran Saturday and multiple bilateral meetings afterward at a hotel in the center of the Austrian capital.
Drivers who are at least 16 when they apply for a permit do not have to show they are in drivers education.

DPS administers written exams for permit applicants, which are also a requirement, but Stewart said applicants can complete that portion at a CareerTech center for a cost of $25 and bring proof to save time at a DPS office. Completion of the written exam at a DPS location is free of charge.

Stewart said permit applicants are still required under state law to visit a DPS examiner in person to at least undergo a vision exam and be entered into the system.

We thought if we could push it off to another location it could help out in the appointment arena, as well, she said of the written exam. Also, proof of school enrollment and the proof of an eighth grade reading proficiency test are no longer required. We waived those during the pandemic, but that got passed in an emergency clause in the last (legislative) session, so they wont have to worry about that again.

But Scott said that Even if you look at parent-taught drivers ed, the parents still need the kids to get their permit so they can drive on city streets, even in a neighborhood.
With the end of the CDC eviction moratorium in sight, Dilks said, efforts to ensure access to legal representation for those facing the threat of eviction are more important now than ever.

Landlords argue that the moratoriums have essentially forced them to rent properties for free. Technically, tenants will still owe the full amount of unpaid rents when the moratorium expires, but it may prove impossible to actually collect overdue balances, landlords say.

Our members want to be involved in the conversations about how we can work together to prevent evictions, said Keri Cooper, the executive director of the Tulsa Apartment Association. Evictions are costly for everyone involved, but it is the only tool available for a rental housing provider to regain their property when the resident is not paying their rent.

A right to counsel wont change the ultimate outcome for tenants who arent paying rents, but it could prolong the legal process, hurting property owners financially while tenants sink deeper and deeper into debt, landlords say.

We feel strongly that a right to counsel program is a broad-brush approach that ultimately will not have the impact that those advocating for it believe it will, Cooper said.
Donald Marsh, another Heartland Farms employee, had only been in Tulsa for three days at the time of Sundays race. The event, however, made him feel as though he was an established and welcome member of the community.

Honestly, Im out here getting hooked by this heat, but for the atmosphere I dont even mind it, Marsh said. The people are good, everybodys having a good time out here. Ive only been here three days, but I feel like Ive been here 30 years  and Im only 23, so thats saying a lot.

The event offers something special for those Tulsans less inclined to party as well, Tulsa resident Desiree Clarke said.

They just do it every year, and its (especially impactful) this year because they didnt do it last year because of coronavirus, Clarke said. Getting to see a bunch of people come in from different states and compete, its good, its fun.

Like Brummel, Saied said he hopes the events return is a sign of recovery and reconnection for Tulsa.

It really is a huge mark of things getting back to normal, the fact that this is happening, Saied said. Tulsas probably a more vaccinated place than a lot of places in the state, so it feels like things are getting back to normal.

Blake Douglas 918-924-6088 blake.douglas@tulsaworld.com Twitter: @Blake_Doug918

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The Oklahoma Legislature has finally fulfilled the long-delayed promise to fund endowed professorships at state colleges and universities.

In 1988, the state established an endowed professorship program to enhance cultural, business, scientific, and economic development in the state.

If donors fund half the cost of an endowed professorship, the state agreed to pay the other half. The program succeeded beyond anyones expectations.

Donors agreed to split the costs of hundreds of endowed professorships at colleges and universities across the state.

Then, the state balked at fulfilling its half of the bargain.

Donations stacked up in university accounts, forcing higher education officials to explain to their benefactors why the state wasnt living up to its word.

In 2008, the state matched $100 million in backlogged professorships and put a cap on the program. In 2012, the state made another run at the issue, but at the beginning of the legislative session this year, the state Regents for Higher Education still had 924 donor accounts totaling more than $161 million for professorships at 17 Oklahoma colleges and universities.
Every time I take the Creek Turnpike home to Sapulpa, I have to pass through a work zone to get on the Turner Turnpike.

I follow the reduction in speed signs carefully because my husband and his crew work in work zones just like that.

Imagine my frustration and fear when I see people tearing through there not bothering to slow down a bit, jeopardizing the lives of those men and women working so close to traffic.

Heaven forbid a worker steps out while a reckless and self-centered driver speeds through. It could cause someone's death or life-altering injury.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says people are complaining about so many tickets being written in these zones.

If you are complaining, it's because you're doing something wrong.

Show some respect for the workers trying to make your driving life easier, as well as the families who want to see their loved one come home each night in one piece.

No one is so important or busy they can't slow down for the men and women doing such dangerous work.

Think of how your family would be affected if you are arrested for vehicular manslaughter or sued for a life-altering injury you caused.
Kudos to Tulsa voters for their strong approval of the recent Tulsa Public Schools bond election.

It is heartening to see that kind of support for our public schools. Strong turnout or not, the outcome pumps new energy into a public school community in need of good news.

Heartiest congratulations to Superintendent Deborah Gist, her staff and the entire TPS community.

That need is nationwide as the far right passion for school choice, charter schools and voucher systems continues to grow.

A very different case arises in Oklahoma in the Epic Charter Schools audit. The report reveals millions of taxpayer dollars targeted for public education remain insufficiently accounted for by Epic.

The audit is growing in legal significance and taking on a profoundly disturbing odor. Of note is how Epic Youth Services, a subcontractor and recipient of a significant portion of the funds in question, is owned by the two men who founded the school.

Contrasted with strong support Tulsa voters showed for bonded improvements throughout TPS, the Epic audit illustrates just one of many dangers in privatizing public education.
The novel coronavirus has spread to all districts of Ho Chi Minh City, which is considering an extension of social distancing measures after two weeks of implementation.

Thu Duc, a district-level city, and the other 21 districts have all detected COVID-19 infections as of Monday, with Can Gio District on Sunday logging the first-ever case in the ongoing fourth wave that has raged in Vietnam since late April.

The Ministry of Health confirmed 30 new cases in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday morning, including three in District 5, seven in Go Vap District, 15 in Hoc Mon District, one in Cu Chi District, and four in Binh Tan District.

The ministry announced the citys biggest-ever daily increase of 95 local cases on Sunday, when 53 fully vaccinated employees at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, a major COVID-19 treatment center in southern Vietnam, were diagnosed with the respiratory disease.

Health authorities have basically broken the citys largest infection chain linked to Revival Ekklesia Mission, a Christian congregation based in Go Vap, with about 450 patients traced to it, said Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the municipal Department of Health.

But other chains have emerged because the virus may have silently spread in the community, Binh added.

The health department recommended on Monday that the city extend the enhanced social distancing measures having put in place since May 31 by two weeks to stall community transmission.

City authorities are set to make the final decision later the same day.

Vietnam has registered 7,424 domestic cases in 39 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth wave erupted on April 27, according to the health ministrys data.

By comparison, Vietnam 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.

Bac Giang Province in the north is leading the fourth rounds tally with 4,068 patients, followed by northern Bac Ninh Province with 1,352, Ho Chi Minh City with 819, and Hanoi with 459.

The Southeast Asian nation has reported 10,630 cumulative infections as of Monday morning, including 3,998 recoveries and 59 deaths.

It administered 43,222 AstraZeneca vaccine shots to medical staff and other frontline workers on Sunday, taking the total to 1,498,323 doses since inoculation was rolled out on March 8.

A total of 55,265 have been given two shots of the vaccine.

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A thick column of grey smoke was spotted for hours in Da Nang on Sunday as a fire struck the biggest landfill in the central Vietnamese city.

The blaze started at around 2:00 pm at Khanh Son Landfill in Lien Chieu District, causing numerous challenges to local firefighters due to its scale and the availability of inflammable materials.

After the fire broke out, firefighting policemen of Da Nang together with specialized fire trucks were promptly sent to the location to address it.

Leaders of the Da Nang Peoples Committee and the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment also arrived at the conflagration scene to provide guidance on handling the incident.

On Sunday evening, the firefighters were still working to put out the fire.

Columns of smoke from a landfill fire in Lien Chieu Ward, Da Nang City, Vietnam. Photo: Huy Linh / Tuoi Tre

Khanh Son is the biggest landfill in Da Nang, with the majority of disposal content being inflammable materials, which greatly hindered the effort to extinguish the flames.

Toxic columns of grey smoke released from the blaze also complicated the firefighting drive.

Firefighters use water hoses to extinguish a landfill fire in Lien Chieu Ward, Da Nang City, Vietnam. Photo: Huy Linh / Tuoi Tre

According to the local fire brigade, the conflagration ignited deep down in the pile of trash, which may sustain for a long time.

To handle it, firefighters were required to either dig down or use specialized chemicals.

Back in 2015, the Khanh Son Landfill was struck by another fire that sustained for 20 hours.

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Ho Chi Minh City chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong has decided to extend the social distancing period in the metropolis by two weeks as the pandemic situation is still very complicated.

From 0:00 on June 15 to 0:00 on June 29, the city will have to follow social distancing measures under the prime ministers Directive No. 15, Phong said at a meeting on Monday.

The directive specifies that a gathering or meeting with more than 20 people in one room is prohibited.

Also, a gathering of more than 10 people outside office buildings, schools, and hospitals is not allowed.

People should keep a safe distance of at least two meters in public places, while non-essential businesses and services will remain closed.

All citizens, especially those above 60 years old, must only go outside when necessary.

Travel from virus-hit areas to other localities is restricted.

Over the next week, stricter or loosened social distancing rules will be applied in certain locations depending on the corresponding pandemic situation, chairman Phong stated.

A 15-day social distancing period was previously reinstated in Ho Chi Minh City from May 31.

Regulations under the prime ministers Directive No. 15 were applied during this period.

However, Go Vap District and Thanh Loc Ward in District 12, which were considered as two major COVID-19 hotbeds in the city, had to follow stricter rules under the PMs Directive No. 16.

Vietnam has documented 10,730 COVID-19 cases as of Monday afternoon, with 3,998 recoveries and 59 deaths, according to the Ministry of Healths statistics.

The country has recorded 7,524 local infections in 40 provinces and cities since the beginning of the fourth transmission wave on April 27.

Ho Chi Minh City ranks third in the table with 845 cases.

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Authorities in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City have sealed off the entire Ehome 3 apartment complex and will test all residents there for COVID-19 after an infection chain was determined to be related to this location.

The lockdown started at 10:00 am on Sunday and will remain in place until further notice, according to Truong Dinh Nhan, director of the Center for Disease Control of Binh Tan District.

All of about 7,600 residents living in 14 blocks of the apartment complex will also have their samples collected for COVID-19 testing.

The residents have been informed of apps connected with systems of supermarkets and retail stores for online purchases of supplies and necessities, according to To Hoang Giang, chairman of An Lac Ward, where the Ehome 3 apartment complex is located.

Supplies and necessities will be gathered at the checkpoints and transferred by the wards functional forces to each block for residents to pick up, said Giang.

We affirm that residents in the apartment buildings will not face undue difficulties during this temporary blockade."

Previously, the first case of COVID-19 was detected at a flat on the fourth floor of Block A6 at Ehome 3 on May 30. The patient was later numbered 7,409.

On the morning of June 11, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control said that through epidemiological investigations, a chain of infections was recorded in relation to the Ehome 3 apartment complex.

The authorities then temporarily sealed off some blocks of the complex to localize the infections.

Fences are erected at the entrance to the Ehome 3 apartment complex on Ho Hoc Lam Street in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 13, 2021. Photo: Nhat Thinh / Tuoi Tre

On Sunday, two more suspected cases, a couple selling agricultural products on the ground floor of Block A9, were discovered at this apartment complex.

Binh Tan District thus decided to temporarily cordon off all 14 blocks of Ehome 3 to carry out a full sampling drive.

Vietnam has been hit utterly hard by a fourth virus wave since April 27, with 7,424 local infections having been recorded in 40 of its 63 provinces and cities ever since, according to the Ministry of Healths data.

The northern province of Bac Giang is leading this rounds tally with 4,068 patients, followed by northern Bac Ninh Province with 1,352, Ho Chi Minh City with 819, and Hanoi with 459.

The country has documented an accumulation of 10,630 patients, including 8,993 domestic and 1,637 imported cases, since the pathogen first struck it on January 23, 2020.

Recoveries have reached 3,998 while 59 patients have died, most with critical underlying medical conditions like cancer and chronic renal failure.

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A hospital security guard who had not left his workplace for three months was among three new local infections announced by the Hanoi Center for Disease Control on Monday morning.

L.V.C., 54, hailing from Long Bien District, worked as a security guard at Duc Giang General Hospital in the same district.

C. had stayed at the hospital without returning home for three months.

The man developed a mild fever, coughing, and a sore throat on June 3.

He then purchased and took medicines without a doctors prescription, before asking to take a break from work and going home on June 8.

He went back to work on June 12 and was examined by doctors at Duc Giang General Hospital as his symptoms did not improve.

The man was also tested for COVID-19, with his results later coming back positive.

The other two patients confirmed by the Hanoi Center for Disease Control on Monday morning were direct contacts of previously-confirmed cases in Dong Anh and Long Bien Districts.

From April 27 to Monday, Hanoi has recorded 463 local cases of COVID-19 in 13 clusters, becoming the locality with the fourth-highest number of infections in Vietnam, after Bac Giang with 4,137 patients, Bac Ninh with 1,352, and Ho Chi Minh City with 845.

These infections are among the total caseload of 7,523 recorded in 40 of Vietnams 63 provinces and cities in this ongoing virus wave -- the fourth and the worst since the pathogen first hit the country on January 23, 2020.

The nation has documented an accumulation of 10,730 patients, including 9,093 domestic and 1,637 imported cases ever since.

Recoveries have reached 3,998 while 59 patients have died, mostly with critical underlying medical conditions like cancer and chronic renal failure.

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A vaccination center in the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An has been temporarily closed down after two COVID-19 patients were discovered to have visited the venue prior to their diagnosis.

The vaccination facility of Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC) in Vinh City, Nghe An Province was suspended on Sunday, according to Nguyen Van Dinh, director of the provincial Center for Disease Control.

A married couple had taken their two-year-old child to the center before being confirmed as COVID-19 patients, Dinh added.

The family, residing in neighboring Ha Tinh Province, arrived at the center on the morning of June 8 and filled out health declaration forms in accordance with regulations.

On June 12, the husband was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.

His wife later tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Thirty-four direct contacts have been quarantined and tested for the pathogen.

The Nghe An Center for Disease Control is tracking other people who came into contact with the patients as well as those who visited the vaccination center on the morning of June 8.

Authorities in Nghe An have asked all residents to file health declarations if they had returned from Ha Tinh from June 1 or have such symptoms as a fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, a sore throat, and fatigue.

The current pandemic situation in Ha Tinh Province is very complicated as more than 40 local cases have been recorded over the past week.

Meanwhile, Nghe An has only detected one patient since the fourth transmission wave began in Vietnam on April 27.

As of Monday morning, Vietnam has documented 10,630 COVID-19 cases, with 3,998 recoveries and 59 deaths, according to the health ministry.

The country has recorded 7,424 local infections in 40 provinces and cities in the ongoing wave.

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The subject this week on Anhs Brush with Fame is the legendary Marcia Hines.

Marcia Hines is an Australian music icon. She arrived in Australia, from Boston, as a 16-year-old to perform in the musical Hair and then made Australia her home, becoming one of our bestselling artists.

Marcia was raised during the civil rights movement in Boston, in a culturally defining era. She shares her experiences of growing up amongst the hippy culture, of trying to bail her brother out of jail and how the music of the time influenced and inspired her. As a teenager Marcia went to Woodstock and witnessed first-hand the iconic performances.

Marcia knew nothing about Australia before moving here and not long after her arrival she found out she was pregnant. Her inspiring story is one of resilience, hard work and the willingness to embrace opportunities.

In 1973, Marcia played the role of Mary in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar and in the same decade was crowned the Queen of Pop. Marcia went on to host her own show and release albums, making her a household name. She became the highest-selling female recording artist in Australian history, outselling Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin.

In 2003, Marcia was introduced to a whole new generation, with the launch of a brand-new TV series, Australian Idol and more recently as guest mentor on The Voice, where she has been able to pass on some of her wisdom.

Marcia has come a long way since her childhood in Boston. She is independent, brave and has an adventurous spirit. Anhs challenge is capture all of that in his portrait of an iconic Australian.

Production credits: A Screentime Production. Executive Producer Johnny Lowry. ABC Commissioning Editor Julie Hanna.

8pm Tuesday on ABC.
This week Nines Travel Guides are in the Kimberley in far north Western Australia.

This will be the most remote holiday our Guides have ever had. Theyre hopping aboard a luxury 4WD bus and having a crack at the great outback. The ancient landscape and thriving wildlife will impress even the most urban of our Travel Guides in a way they never imagined.

Arriving in the tourist gateway of Broome, our Travel Guides head inland along the famous Gibb River Road. Windjana Gorge welcomes our Guides to this extraordinary country along with about 50 freshwater crocs.

Their ultimate destination is the huge Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park. A helicopter ride over these spectacular beehive shaped mounds leaves our Guides in awe. Even in this sparsely inhabited region, our Travel Guides arent doing it tough on this trip. They bunk down for the night at the luxury Bungles Bungles Wilderness Lodge. In these glamping tents there are enough comforts for even our most particular Guides.

In an area known for its superb hiking, our Travel Guides find their way through the Bungle Bungles to Cathedral Gorge where they test its impressive acoustics with their own versions of karaoke hits. The ancient sandstone rocks may never recover.

7:30pm Wednesday on Nine.
Soldiers of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army fire a mortar during a live-fire military exercise last month (Reuters)

Joe Bidens first Nato summit as US president ended with the alliance declaring that China was challenging the rules-based international order and western security with its authoritarian and aggressive behaviour.

The decision to focus criticism on China in the official communique by Nato  an organisation set up to counter Russia in post-Second World War Europe  follows efforts by the US administration to get western allies to confront Beijings expansionist policies and abuse of human rights.

On the way to the conference in Brussels, the US national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, stated that China will feature in the communique in a more robust way than weve ever seen before. The alliance leaders agreed to the strong statement, although ultimately the decision was taken to refer to Chinese behaviour as a challenge rather than a threat.

The document stated: Chinas stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.

It continued: China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, is opaque in the modernisation of its military, and is cooperating militarily with Russia. We remain concerned with Chinas frequent lack of transparency and use of disinformation.

Natos statement followed criticism of China in the meeting of the G7 group of leaders hosted by the UK in Cornwall at the weekend, over human rights abuses of the Uyghur community in Xinjiang, its conduct following the takeover of Hong Kong, and military threats towards Taiwan. The European Union has meanwhile designated Beijing a systemic rival.

There is, however, apprehension among a number of Nato states that taking too combative a stance with Beijing will harm them economically.

Boris Johnson was forced to reverse his governments decision to allow the Chinese multinational, Huawei, to be involved in the UKs 5G network, after fierce pressure from the US. Arriving at the Summit, Mr Johnson said: I dont think anybody around the table wants to descend into a new cold war with China.

Story continues

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the summit was a pivotal moment for the alliance.

We know that China does not share our values ... We need to respond together as an alliance. China is coming closer to us. We see them in cyberspace, we see China in Africa, but we also see China investing heavily in our own critical infrastructure, he added.

Diplomats stated that President Biden had consulted with allies to ensure that there is full support and solidarity when he meets with Vladimir Putin later in the week.

Mr Bidens approach was in direct contrast to that of Donald Trump, who also went to a Nato conference before his first summit with the Russian leader in Helsinki three years ago.

At the meeting in Brussels he attacked allies, with Germanys Angela Merkel a particular target, declaring that the Russian president might be easier to deal with than leaders of the alliance.

US president Joe Biden arrives at the Nato summit in Brussels (Reuters)

Mr Biden told fellow Nato leaders at the summit that the alliances mutual defence pact was a sacred obligation for the United States. I want all Europe to know that the United States is there, Nato is critically important to us, he said.

Ms Merkel, attending her last Nato conference before stepping down in September, described Mr Bidens arrival as the opening of a new chapter.

There were expressions of relief from other leaders, too, about the passing of the Trump era.

Prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, said that relations were now more normal than they had been, while Italian prime minister Mario Draghi held that the alliance is rebuilding after years of undecided policy from Trump, and Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo added that it was time to turn the page after turbulent times.

Read More

Putin praises summit result, calls Biden a tough negotiator

US locks down embassy in Afghanistan amid COVID-19 surge

German, Polish presidents meet to celebrate 1991 treaty
Millie Mackintosh is mother to one-year-old daughter Sienna. (Getty Images)

Her social media feed is full of adorable pictures with her one-year-old daughter Sienna  and now Millie Mackintosh has announced she is expecting a second baby.

In a post on Instagram, the former reality TV star, 31, showed off her growing bump, while holding her little girl in her arms, as she revealed her second child with husband Hugo Taylor is "due later this year".

Captioning the image  in which she is wearing a form-fitting pink one-piece  she wrote: "We are so excited to announce that Sienna is going to be a big sister!

"I couldnt keep this to myself for much longer and Im running out of ways to hide my bump! Baby 2 is due later this year."

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The news delighted her fans, who left more than 134,000 'likes' and over a thousand congratulatory messages.

Jamie Oliver's wife Jools commented: "Thats so exciting congratulations."

Fellow Made In Chelsea star Binky Felstead  who recently gave birth to her second child  wrote: "So exciting!!!"

The Saturdays band member Mollie King shared: "Congratulations!!"

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Mackintosh wed 35-year-old Hugo Taylor  who also appeared on MIC  in 2018, after her three-year marriage to rapper Professor Green ended in 2016.

In April, she appeared on the cover of Women's Health, opening up to the magazine about her relationship with her post-baby body.

The star shared how her confidence about how she looked plummeted in the weeks after she gave birth, explaining: "It was honestly quite hard to see my body after a baby."

She noted: "And I think it is for a lot of women. It can really feel like a shock and something thats hard to love, maybe  and hard to feel good about."

However, Mackintosh said she had experienced "crazy stupid love" when her firstborn arrived, in what was the middle of the first UK lockdown.

She added: "Your life is turned upside down. [Ive] just never felt the love like it  its crazy how much your heart opens."

Watch: Longstanding celebrity relationships
More than two years ago, Jessy Patterson and some of her students combed the Smithgall Woods State Park and other woodland places for snakes.

"We looked for the presence of a fungal pathogen that causes snake fungal disease," the lecturer of biology at the University of North Georgia (UNG) said. "We did that by finding and capturing snakes, swabbing them, and sending the sample out for analysis."

After collecting data for a year followed by an analysis, she submitted the paper authored by herself, biology faculty members Dr. David Patterson and Dr. Michael Bender and several students. In May, the paper published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

"It's exciting to finally have our paper published after spending so much time doing fieldwork and writing," Patterson said. She explained the test results revealed the fungus was present in the snakes but not all of them exhibited clinical signs of the disease. "This meant that a snake won't necessarily get the disease, but it is something that we need to be aware of."

She said her results also fill a gap in research conducted on snake fungal disease. Patterson explained other scientists have examined the prevalence of the disease in south Georgia.

"Not a lot of research has been done in north Georgia," she said. "So it is good to know if and where we are finding the fungal pathogen for the sake of conservation and management decisions."
The reconstruction process has began already in Azerbaijani city of Aghdam, liberated from Armenian occupation and the city is unrecognizable, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Department Hikmat Hajiyev said during the visit of representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps to Azerbaijans Aghdam district.

He noted that this is the second time diplomatic corps are visiting Aghdam since it was liberated.

"We can see that the reconstruction process has already started in Aghdam. I myself couldnt recognize many things, a lot of things have changed," he said, stressing that Aghdam is known as the Hiroshima of the Caucasus.

"However it is the strategy of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev to make the Aghdam city into one of the most beautiful cities of the region and most importantly to provide for safe return of IDPs and inhabitants of Aghdam back after nearly 30 years," Hajiyev said.

Agdam city will grow from ashes, from nothing, but it will be beautiful and one of the the largest cities in Azerbaijan Assistant to the First Vice President of Azerbaijan Emin Huseynov said.

According to him, during Armenian occupation there was nothing left. Everything was demolished and destroyed, there was left not a single building, except the mosque.

Huseynov added that there will be a road leading to Shah Bulaq Castle, which has very big historical meaning to all people of Agdam and Karabakh.

He noted that the mentioned castle was the first place where Panah-Ali Khan [ the founder and first ruler of the Karabakh Khanate in 18th century] was staying when he arrived in Agdam. During the occupation this historical place was used as a restaurant.

The representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan reviewed the barbarity committed by the Armenians in the Aghdam Juma Mosque. The delegation was informed about war crimes, destruction of cultural, historical and religious monuments by the Armenians.

The Armenians committed the unprecedented vandalism against Azerbaijans historical and cultural heritage in Aghdam, as well as in other occupied districts. Monuments, cultural centers, mosques, cemeteries in the district were destroyed, desecrated and some were changed in the Armenian style.

One of the historical and religious monuments subjected to the Armenian vandalism is the Juma Mosque in Aghdam, built in 1868-1870 by Karbalai architect Safikhan Garabagi. This mosque has been included in the list of monuments of state importance and belongs to the school of Karabakh Mosque Architecture.

The Armenians did not completely destroy the mosque, as they used its minarets for coordination and observation for military purposes. The minarets of the mosque have been destroyed inside, the ceiling has collapsed in several places while the design and inscriptions have been deliberately altered.
Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova has stated that currently one shouldnt relax and lift current sanitary-epidemiological restrictions because this may complicate the coronavirus situation in Russia.

"One has to remember that any relaxation, any move away from those requirements that were developed during a difficult tense fight against the infection, may complicate the epidemiological situation. One cannot relax today," she said in a video posted on the YouTube channel of head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs Leonid Slutsky.

The top sanitary doctor also urged Russians to get inoculated against coronavirus as soon as possible. "The situation wont leave us until we acquire immunity. The best way to develop it is to get vaccinated," she stated, adding that everything depends on residents activity.

"Otherwise, we wont be able to open borders, otherwise, we wont be able to restore that circle of interaction with people who reside abroad like it was before," she emphasized.
The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry has updated the list of Azerbaijan's martyred servicemen buried by June 14.

In a report posted on its official website, the ministry said that 2,904 soldiers, who were martyred in the 44-day war, have been buried by June 14.

The ministry presented the photos, names, surnames, updated information about military ranks and date of birth of the buried martyrs.

The ministry said that 10 servicemen are considered as missing.

It should be noted that work is underway to find and identify the servicemen considered as missing, the ministry added.

In the list unveiled by the ministry on June 2, 2021, the number of buried martyrs made up 2,900 and the missing 14.
A verdict to the Lebanese citizen Viken Eulcekcian, accused of terrorist activities against Azerbaijan, has been presented at the Yasamal District Court in Baku today.

The court made decision to imprison Eulcekcian for 20 years. He will serve 5 years in prison and the rest term in a maximum security correctional facility.

Eulcekcian was earlier brought to the investigation on charges of terrorist activities against the citizens of Azerbaijan as part of the Armed Forces of Armenia during the second Karabakh war. The investigation revealed that Eulcekcian, born in 1979, a citizen of Lebanon, a resident of Beirut, initially accepted the offer on September 29, 2020, to take part in military operations as a mercenary in the de-occupied territories of Azerbaijan in exchange for $2,500.

For this purpose, on the same day, in an organized group, he deliberately crossed the protected state border of Azerbaijan from the territory of Armenia outside the checkpoints and arrived in the territories where other mercenaries were.

Eulcekcian and other mercenaries also took part in terrorist activities against citizens and the army of Azerbaijan, using firearms, ammunition and spare parts illegally obtained as a result of the persecution of armed groups, not provided for by the legislation of Azerbaijan.

By the decision of the court, Viken Eulcekcian was charged under Article 114.3 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (participation of a mercenary in a military conflict or military operation), Article 214.2.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (terrorism by a group of persons, organized group or criminal organization), 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan).
G7 leaders call for stable and predictable relations with Russia but urge Moscow to stop the behavior they consider destabilizing, the final communique of the summit said on Sunday.

"We reiterate our interest in stable and predictable relations with Russia, and will continue to engage where there are areas of mutual interest. We reaffirm our call on Russia to stop its destabilising behaviour and malign activities, including its interference in other countries democratic systems, and to fulfil its international human rights obligations and commitments," the final statement said.

The G7 also urged Moscow to respect human rights and called to hold responsible those within Russia, who in their opinion, are involved in cyberattacks. "In particular, we call on Russia to urgently investigate and credibly explain the use of a chemical weapon on its soil, to end its systematic crackdown on independent civil society and media, and to identify, disrupt, and hold to account those within its borders who conduct ransomware attacks, abuse virtual currency to launder ransoms, and other cybercrimes," the 25-page document said.

Russia has been consistently refuting the Wests statements that its actions are of destabilizing nature or that cyberattacks targeting other countries are initiated on its territory.

Leaders of the G7 group of nations comprising the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan, are gathering in the seaside resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall, UK on June 11-13. Head of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as well as the invited leaders of Australia, South Korea and South Africa and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the new Director General of the WTO, are also among the participants. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is participating in a remote format due to the tense coronavirus situation in his country. The main issue of the summits agenda is the global recovery after the coronavirus pandemic.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed an Order on awarding a group of persons who have fulfilled their professional duties in the liberated (from Armenian occupation) territories with the Order For Service to Motherland 3rd class.

Under the presidential Order, Siraj Abishov, Arif Aliyev, and Maharram Ibrahimov, killed while fulfilling their professional duties decently in the liberated territories, were awarded the Order For Service to Motherland 3rd class.

The employees of the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) and Azerbaijan Television (AZTV) were filming the liberated territories when they hit a mine in the village of Susuzlug of Kalbajar district on 4 June. AZERTAC correspondent Maharram Ibrahimov and AZTV cameraman Siraj Abishov, as well as the representative of the Kalbajar district Executive Authority for Susuzlug village, Arif Aliyev, were killed when their vehicle hit the anti-tank mine. Four people were injured.
On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron clarified several issues and expressed their joint intention to cooperate in Libya and Syria.

Talks with the Turkish president resulted in a clarification being made in regards to Islam and revealed the two nation's shared desire to work together in Libya and Syria, Macron's office said after the 52-minute meeting.

Macron also highlighted that Frances secularism respects all religions, including Islam. The French presidency said a clarification was needed in response to Erdogans tough criticism of Macrons attitude toward Islam and Muslims, as the French government proposed a bill, which was criticized for being anti-Muslim.

Following the meeting, Macron tweeted that he wants to move forward with Turkey toward a demanding and respectful relationship.

Macron said he wants all NATO allies to make a clear commitment to the military organizations values, principles and rules, according to the French presidency, Daily Sabah reported.
Benjamin Netanyahus record 12-year run as Israels prime minister ended on Sunday with parliament approving a new government of change led by nationalist Naftali Bennett.

Leader of the Yamina party Naftali Bennett was sworn in as the 13th Israeli prime minister, together with chairman of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid who will replace him in August 2023.

Bennett listed as priorities reforms in education, health, cutting red tape to grow businesses and lower housing costs. Coalition leaders have said it would pass a two-year budget to help stabilise the country's finances.

On Sunday, the Knesset approved the new government as well as elected Mickey Levy of the Yesh Atid party as a new speaker. The swearing in of a new head of the government ended Benjamin Netanyahus record-breaking term as prime minister of 4,456 days since 2009 who now becomes a leader of the parliamentary opposition. He is heading the Likud party which has the highest number of mandates at the Knesset. On Sunday, Netanyahu vowed that the Israeli opposition will have a loud and clear voice and will return to power soon.
The Netherlands defeated Ukraine 3:2 in the first round of the group stage of the UEFA Euro Cup in Amsterdam on Sunday.

Goals of the winning team were scored by Georginio Wijnaldum (52nd minute), Wout Weghorst (59) and Denzel Dumfries (85). Andrey Yarmolenko (75) and Roman Yaremchuk (79) scored goals for the Ukrainian team.

The stadium in Amsterdam has a capacity of 54,990 people. At the matches of the UEFA Euro Cup, no more than 33% of the spectators of the arena's capacity can be present.

The Ukrainian national team plays in the final part of the European Cup for the third time, the team has never reached the playoffs before. The Dutch team made it to the tournament for the tenth time and is the 1988 European champion. The teams of Ukraine and the Netherlands met for the first time in an official match.

The Netherlands national team scored three points. Austrians, who previously defeated the North Macedonian national team with a score of 3:1 also scored three points.

In the second round, the Dutch team will play with the Austrians in Amsterdam, and the Ukrainians will meet with the national team of North Macedonia in Bucharest. Both games will take place on June 17th.
Portal expected to reach large lychee consumers

VNA/VNP

An online portal has been launched to help farmers in pandemic-hit Bac Giang province sell their lychees.Thank God, its so effective, vice director of Bac Giang Enterprise Consulting and Assistance Centre (BECA) Duong Thanh Son said about the portal launched by the centre. Bac Giang has been hit hardest by COVID-19 during its fourth wave in Vietnam, causing difficulties for local farmers.The portal www.hotrotieuthuvaithieubacgiang.com was launched about three weeks ago and a Facebook page hotrotieuthuvaithieubacgiang was created just a few days later when Bac Giang started entering the lychee harvest season.Consumers can register to buy a large volume of lychees  a minimum of a tonne  after inputting basic information like name, e-mail, phone number, address and amount of lychee.Son, who specialises in information technology and communication, said that the portal looked simple but behind it were automatic customer management and customer care programmes that help with online sales.The portal and the Facebook page have reached hundreds of thousands of users, Son said, adding that he has received positive feedback on social media.We connect Bac Giang lychee farmers and co-operatives with buyers. We pledge that our consumers can buy high-quality lychee at very good prices, Son said.If we had thought of the portal earlier and prepared for it about three months ago when lychee was still green, we could have reached more consumers, Son said.He said the idea for the portal came up when Bac Giang farmers entered lychee harvest time but the province was struggling to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.This year, the province has about 28,100 ha of lychee with an estimated production of 180,000 tonnes. The COVID-19 outbreaks caused difficulties for harvesting, transporting, selling and exporting the fruit.Together with the Government, provincial authorities, organisations and individuals, BECA helped farmers in lychee consumption. All BECA staff, mostly IT and media personnel, have helped with online sales.On the first day of launching the portal, Son said they received hundreds of messages asking to buy lychees. Orders for small amounts, for example a few kilos, were transferred to local retailers while BECA would concentrate on large orders, especially those from enterprises, which as Son said, had financial ability and willingness to buy large amounts.Within the first week, BECA helped to sell nearly 140 tonnes of lychee.We have a goal to help farmers sell 1,000-1,800 tonnes of lychee. Its a big goal, so we need help from associations, enterprises and businesses, Son said.Son is also looking for other potential consumers - community groups. He said, for example, the Duong community  sharing the family name Duong in Vietnam  was very large. Son received an order of 17 tonnes from the Duong community in HCM City, and they were set to order two more containers. The Duong communities in Binh Thuan and Binh Duong ordered two containers each.Dinh Thi Anh from the northern province of Nam Dinh said that on seeing news about COVID-19 hotspots in Bac Giang province, she wanted to do something for people there, especially farmers who faced difficulties in selling lychee.She said that she was very happy to find a reliable source that supplies Bac Giang lychees and she asked her friends to add their orders on hotrotieuthuvaithieubacgiang.com and then sell the fruit to people in Nam Dinh city.All the funds raised would be donated to the national COVID-19 vaccine fund, Anh said.Anh and dozens of volunteers on June 7 received the first shipment of lychee from Bac Giang and by the afternoon of the same day, they sold nearly a tonne of lychee at two stalls located at 757 Vu Huu Loi and 440 Tran Hung Dao in Nam Dinh city.We unloaded the lychees, weighed and divided them into bags of 2kg, received orders and then delivered them to consumers or sold them at the stalls, Anh said, adding that people not only bought lychee but also donated to the fund.We will be with Bac Giang! We can not do big things, so we offer a little help, Anh said.Support, not rescueSon said that he deeply understood the hardships that local farmers faced as well as the importance of lychee fruit  a source of pride for people in Bac Giang.They are more proud of the fruit, as now, lychee is grown with VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards. The farming products are not only tasty but also safe. For years, Bac Giang lychee has been exported to 30 countries all over the world including demanding markets like the US, EU and Japan. In the domestic market, the fruit is sold in major supermarket chains.Son said that since the beginning of harvest time, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Bac Giang lychee could reach consumers both in and outside of the country.Bac Giang authorities were determined to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on lychee harvesting and consumption.Particularly, the authorities set up COVID-19-free lychee growing areas, meaning that in lychee growing areas, all people suspected to have close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases are taken to concentrated quarantine areas and none of such areas are located in lychee growing areas.Checkpoints have been set up to strictly control and monitor people and vehicles entering the lychee growing areas. All drivers, workers and traders arriving in lychee growing areas must take quick COVID-19 tests.All vehicles carrying lychee must be disinfected.Tran Quang Tan, director of the provinces Trade and Industry Department, said that lychee farmers would feel hurt if they hear their fruit needed rescuing.The provinces authorities called for support, not rescue. To some extent, when it comes to farming product rescue campaigns, people tend to think about abundant, cheap, low-quality products.Bac Giang lychee does not need rescuing, Son said, adding that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, since the beginning of harvest time, the lychee consumption was still going on.Difficulties? Yes, we face a lot of difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic and we need your support to overcome them. Bac Giang will overcome all such difficulties, Son said.Bac Giang people are now proud to offer tasty lychee at reasonable prices. As the consumption goes smoothly, both farmers and consumers are happy for the benefits they get, Son said.The lychee harvest time in Bac Giang province will last about one and a half months. The province reported more than 70,000 tonnes were sold, meaning that more than 100,000 tonnes of Bac Giang lychee still needs to be sold. This year, lychee prices are similar to those of last year, ranging from 13,000 VND to 30,000 VND per kilo ($0.5-1.3)./.
Due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, airline passenger numbers have dropped sharply, and as a result, many planes have been abandoned at the airport.

A representative of Noi Bai International Airport said that before the epidemic broke out, the airport had about 70 aircraft parked overnight, which had flighted the next morning. However, during the pandemic, the authorities of the airport have had to arrange parking lots for nearly 90 aircraft. Some of them have been unused for a whole month.

Vietnam Airlines alone has up to 30 aircraft parked at Noi Bai nightly, of which more than a dozen are not operating. In addition to Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air also has a number of unused aircraft.

According to a representative of Noi Bai Airport, normally Noi Bai served about 50,000 - 60,000 passengers a day, or even nearly 80,000 on some days, but now the airport only has 5,000 - 6,000 passengers per day.

Noi Bai Airport had no more parking space, so Noi Bai Airport authorities had to ask the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to close the entire S1 taxiway to use as a parking space.

Currently, domestic airlines have 230 aircraft of all kinds, an increase of 24 units compared to 2019, or an increase of about 10% of the fleet.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the number of passengers using air transport services in 2021 will only reach about 43% compared to the time before the pandemic (2019). It may recover in 2023.

According to data from April 2021, based on the actual number of flight hours of all airlines, the average flight time/aircraft for each type of aircraft and the number of existing aircraft of the airlines, the total number of redundant aircraft of Vietnamese airlines is about 58, accounting for 26% of the total number of aircraft.

Due to the epidemic, Vietnam Airlines was forced to come up with a solution to restructure the fleet to increase income, improve cash flow, erase accumulated losses, and create money for development investment.

Accordingly, the total number of old aircraft that can be considered in the restructuring plan from 2021 to 2025 is 26 A321 CEO aircraft manufactured in 2004, 2007 and 2008.

Vietnam Airlines is about to auction 11 A321 CEO aircraft, manufactured in 2004, 2007 and 2008. This will help the carrier reduce the cost burden and earn money as well.

Vu Diep

Amid crisis, airlines seek ways to prosper Suffering heavy losses due to the drop in passenger numbers under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, some airlines have boosted cargo transport services and made a profit.
Foreign investment flows into Vietnams high-tech sector remained lacklustre in the first five months of 2021, falling behind in meeting national expectations and forcing the country to change its approach.

In May, Taiwans Far Eastern pumped an additional $610 million into a factory from Polytex Far Eastern Vietnam, located in the southern province of Binh Duong. This raised its total investment in Vietnam to $1.37 billion since it started investing in the country in 2015. This factory manufactures textiles, clothing, polyester, and chemical fibers.

Like Far Eastern, many other foreign-invested enterprises are continuing to eye the processing and manufacturing, as well as power and real estate sectors. Meanwhile, foreign investment in sci-tech remains modest, making up just 1-2 per cent of the countrys total foreign direct investment (FDI).

As shown in statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam lured nearly $14 billion worth of newly-registered, added FDI and stake acquisitions in the first five months of 2021, up 0.8 per cent on-year. Meanwhile, FDI in sci-tech hit nearly $321 million, or 2 per cent of the countrys total.

In the three national high-tech parks, the FDI picture was still gloomy. According to Saigon High-tech Park (SHTP) in Ho Chi Minh City, it attracted no new projects in May. In the first five months, the total value of newly-registered and newly-added capital was nearly $800 million. The amount included just one new domestic-invested project worth just over $7 million and nine others getting licensed to increase capital, with three being foreign-invested ones worth $784 million.

Le Bich Loan, deputy director of the SHTP Management Board, told VIR, We saw a fall in investment attraction during the period because of a number of unfavourable conditions, including COVID-19, and a lack of land funds.

A similar situation was also seen at Hoa Lac High-tech Park (HHTP) in Hanoi, and Danang High-tech Park (DHTP). So far this year DHTP and industrial zones (IZs) in the central city of Danang have lured three foreign-invested projects with the total investment capital of $145 million, including two in DHTP.

In the north, HHTP attracted two new domestically-invested projects totalling $134.8 million between January and May. A HHTP source admitted, The result is lower than that of the same period last year. This is due to COVID-19 which has prevented investors from visiting the site to seek opportunities.

HHTP was on a roll in 2018, when it attracted 11 projects registered at $739 million, a record high over the past 20 years and involving notable names like Nidec, Mitsubishi Chemical, and Hanwha Group. The park has welcomed few such giants since then.

Both DHTP and HHTP boast special incentives for investment attraction. One advantage for DHTP is the governments issuance of Decree No.04/2018/ND-CP in 2018 on incentive policies, in which a new investment project of at least VND3 trillion ($130 million) enjoys a 10 per cent corporate income tax (CIT) within 30 years, along with other boons. However, the incentives are not making much of a dent in the pandemic era.

Meanwhile, HHTP is backed by Decree No.74/2017/ND-CP from 2017, governing special mechanisms and policies for the park. As ruled, a new investment project of at least VND4 trillion ($181 million) in the park shall be subject to the 10 per cent CIT within 30 years.

While the pandemic can be cited as the main reason for the poor performances, results were lower than other sectors even before the pandemic hit, with performances yet to meet the expectations of 2019s Resolution No.50-NQ/TW on orientations to improve institutions and policies and enhance the quality and effectiveness of foreign investment through to 2030. In particular, it placed focus on application and transfer of high-technology, as well as research and development and innovation.

In 2019, FDI in sci-tech activities was $1.5 billion, compared to nearly $25 billion in the processing and manufacturing sector. Excluding the foreign investment in mergers and acquisitions, the threshold was just $500 million. Similarly, in 2020, FDI in sci-tech activities was $1.34 billion, compared to nearly $14 billion FDI in the processing and manufacturing sector.

Nguyen Mai, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, blamed the situation for Vietnams traditional approach in FDI attraction, which has now become inefficient and inappropriate with the new development period when regional competition intensifies.

Moreover, Industry 4.0 and digital transformation is making great impacts on the national socioeconomic development. In this new period, to increase the quality of FDI, a new approach should be taken that focuses on the development level of cities and provinces, the change in the incentive policy, and the development of specific norms to assess the influence of FDI on socioeconomic development, he suggested.

Mai recommended that it is high time for Vietnam to have more concrete criteria on measuring efficiency of such investment, instead of making common assessments. For instance, at an IZ to license a foreign-invested project, the criterion and norms must be set out on how much USD minimum is required per cleared hectare of land, and how much contribution to the state budget is required.

Source: VIR

Hi-tech investors flock to Da Nang Six investment licences and one investment proposal project at Da Nang Hi-Tech Park and Industrial Zones worth more than US$280 million have been granted to domestic and foreign investors.
Mr. Nguyen Kim Tu uses the administrative ATM in District 6. Photo: Thanh Tung

Mr. Nguyen Kim Tu, a resident in Ward 11, District 6, said the machine helps him to apply administrative documents and receive results very quickly. When the ATM was not available, people went to the District People's Committee to draw numbers and wait their turn to submit their documents or receive the results. In many cases, their documents were not sufficient, so it took people a lot of time to prepare documents and go back and forth between their home and the administrative office.

Now, thanks to this administrative ATM, people can submit administrative documents at any time, even outside of working hours. The machine also provides full instructions on how to prepare documents, so we do not have to visit administrative agencies as many times as before," Tu said.
Around 47% of Vietnamese women have suffered from emotional violence from their husbands/partners in their lifetime. Photo: UNFPA Vietnam

Khanh Van, a young mother in her twenties who has just given birth to her first son, faces another type of violence: silence from her husband.

Van is pretty and has a stable job. Tien is young but has a firm position in his company. The young couple's life was quite peaceful until Van got pregnant.

Van said the only disturbance since she was pregnant is that the couple did not sleep together often. For this reason, the gap between them grew. The distance grew so much that Tien had no need to talk to Van, even a single sentence.

For many days, Van waited for her husband to come home to have dinner together, but most of the time, he came home very late. Responding to Van, Tien said: "Already eaten!"

Despite Vans effort to get closer to her husband, Tien pushed her away. During Van's pregnancy, Tien was like a shadow at home. Van craved her husband's voice, even grumpy voice. Tien just kept silent, and he did not insult or beat her.

Even after Van gave birth, Tien did not once talk to his wife. He did not care for his son. Van heard from her friends that Tien had a mistress.

She went to see a psychiatrist because of severe postpartum depression.

Dr. La Thi Buoi from the Center for Research and Application of Psychological-Educational Sciences still remembers Van's first visit to her room.

Seeing the pretty young girl wearing an odd looking blouse, she asked: "Whose blouse are you wearing?" Van replied: "I am wearing my great-grandmother's blouse."

"It is a form of emotional violence, the consequence of which is that the victim no longer cares about his or her own worth," Dr. Buoi, who has decades of experience, said.

47% of Vietnamese women experience emotional abuse from partners

The proportion of Vietnamese women who experienced emotional abuse by their husbands or partners during their lifetime and in the last 12 months up to the time of a survey conducted in early 2019, distributed by region. Data: Vietnam General Statistics Office

A national survey on abuse against women (2019) conducted by the General Statistics Office of nearly 6,000 women aged 15 to 64 found that most abuse was caused by husbands or partners or someone the women knew. Most cases are not reported to the authorities.

Survey participants said that emotional abuse affected them more than physical or sexual abuse.
Many Vietnamese tycoons regret that the largest beer company in Vietnam, the Saigon Alcohol Beer and Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Sabeco), has fallen into the hands of Thai investors.

When the state divested capital from Sabeco, many Vietnamese enterprises wanted to acquire it, but no Vietnamese corporation qualified to enter the final list.

Small and weak

Many Vietnamese tycoons regret that the largest beer company in Vietnam, the Saigon Alcohol Beer and Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (Sabeco), has fallen into the hands of Thai investors. When the state divested capital from Sabeco, many Vietnamese enterprises wanted to acquire it, but no Vietnamese corporation qualified to enter the final list. Over 30 years of development, Vietnamese private enterprises have not yet become a powerful force, an important driving force for the country's economic growth as expected. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, of Vietnams total 800,000 enterprises, there are only about 17,000 large-scale private enterprises and 21,000 medium-sized enterprises. The large private enterprises in Vietnam have an average market capitalization of about $200 million, compared to $1.2 billion of those in the Philippines, $1.07 billion in Singapore, $835 million in Thailand, $809 million in Indonesia and $553 million in Malaysia. After more than 30 years of reform, Vietnam still has not had a generation of world-class enterprises. This is one of the biggest challenges right now. The limited capacity of private businesses will affect their ability to improve productivity and increase scale to compete in international markets, said Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). A series of free trade agreements (FTAs) have been signed, or "expressways" have been opened, but most Vietnamese private firms cannot access these "highways" yet. In the European Union (EU), according to Mr. Giorgio Aliberti - Ambassador of the European Union to Vietnam - small and medium enterprises account for 90% of the total number of businesses in the EU. They attract two-thirds of the total number of employees, contribute up to 90% of the export value, and are an important driving force of the economy. There are many family businesses that have grown into important empires. There are small and medium enterprises that are the champions of export, such as Novatis - the world's No. 1 company in medical equipment, whose products are exported everywhere. Meanwhile, the number of small-sized private enterprises rising to medium size and those from medium size rising to large size in Vietnam is very small. According to VCCI, there has been a strong decline in medium and large sized private enterprises in the last five years. This has made Vietnam an economy of small and micro enterprises, with a rate of approximately 96%, of which, microenterprise accounts for the majority, up to nearly 67%. Among micro enterprises, 42% have annual revenue of less than VND1 billion. Promoting reform

Human resources of private enterprises are also weak. Many managers of Vietnamese private enterprises only graduated from high school, started a business career from a household or moved up as an employee in state-owned enterprises.

According to a recent survey by the VCCI, up to 55.63% of the bosses of small and medium businesses have an intermediate or lower level of education. As for the workforce, up to 75% have not received any technical or professional training.

Regarding the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), according to a survey, up to 70% of small and medium enterprises in the EU said they would benefit immediately, while 30% said they would benefit from this agreement after 3-5 years. For Vietnam, small and medium-sized businesses face the risk of not catching up with this opportunity.

Experts say that the business environment in Vietnam is still unfavorable. The most pressing issue is discrimination. According to a recent VCCI survey, 39.5% of private enterprises said that local officials still prioritize attracting foreign investment and state-owned enterprises rather than developing the private sector.

According to VCCI, barriers to the development of private enterprises include the legal burden, access to finance and land, lack of transparency, and informal costs. These factors have improved year by year, but have not really contributed to creating international-scale enterprises.

Today, in developed countries, the private sector often contributes over 85% of GDP, which is the foundation to ensure the strong development of the economy. Any rich and powerful country has a team of powerful entrepreneurs and businesses. It is the leading corporations and private companies in industrialized countries that play the leading role in turning the country into economic powers.

According to experts, to become a developed country by 2045, Vietnams minimum income per capita must reach at least $20,000 per year. With a current per capita income of about $3,000/year, Vietnam must achieve a GDP growth rate of 7.5-8% per year for the next 25 consecutive years. This goal cannot be realized without the important contributions of private enterprises.

Experts also said that it is necessary to further reform the business environment to reach a fair treatment between private and FDI enterprises and state-owned enterprises.

Implementing transparent and effective policies; supporting the development of small and medium enterprises, expanding market participation and promoting fair competition; supporting innovation, technology modernization and human resource development ... are extremely important solutions, to create a team of strong private enterprises. Then, Vietnam can become a developed country by 2045.

Tran Thuy

Vietnam lacks large private corporations Vietnam has a number of large private corporations of international stature over the last 30 years of development. But the number of these enterprises is very modest.
The national COVID-19 vaccine fund has received more than 4.85 trillion VND (211.35 million USD) worth of donations from 291,818 organisations and individuals as of 5pm on June 13, according to the fund's management board.

Illustrative photo. (Source: VNA)

Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc said that his ministry will publicise the amount of donations the fund receives every hour and every day along with the spending of money from the fund.

The ministry, which is in charge of the vaccine fund, has established a management board for it at the State Treasury and opened bank accounts at the State Treasury and commercial banks to receive support from individuals and organisations inside and outside the country.

Vietnam needs 150 million doses of vaccines to administer about 75 percent of its population this year, with total cost amounting to 25.2 trillion VND./. VNA

War invalid donates VND4.5 billion to Covid-19 vaccine fund I am a soldier. If I dont die on the battlefield, I need to lead a meaningful life in peacetime, said Le Van De, a war invalid in Hai Duong, explaining why he donated VND4.5 billion to the vaccine fund.
Chairman of HCM City People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Long on Monday agreed to prolong city-wide social distancing in line with the Government's Directive No 15 until the end of June, amid developments of coronavirus outbreaks in the city.

HCM City's downtown area is deserted as the city enforces social distancing starting May 31, 2021, to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The order, imposed since May 31 following large outbreaks related to a Christian mission church and originally set to expire on Tuesday (June 15), has been extended for another two weeks (until midnight on June 30), as the city's leaders met on Monday to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the city.

Under the order, non-essential services and businesses in HCM City would continue to be halted, no gatherings of five or more in public outdoor areas are allowed, while people (especially 60 years old and above) are advised to stay home unless for essential purposes and should keep a distance of 2m during contact.

Go Vap District and Thanh Loc Ward of District 12, the initial epicentres of the outbreaks in the city and have been under more restrictive measures  in which people are ordered to not go out unless for essential purposes  since May 31, will also join the rest of the city under the Directive No 15 starting Tuesday.

HCM City Party Secretary Nguyen Van Nen said the city has used many measures and focused resources on battling the outbreaks but the cases are still increasing while the direct contacts to be quarantined keep going up, and not to mention the 'unknown' number of 'silent transmission' in the community taking place right now.

As of this morning, HCM City has logged a total of 819 COVID-19 cases since April 27, 2021, with the majority of cases recorded since late May, making it the third biggest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam's fourth wave, following the two northern provinces of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh.

Health authorities are concerned as many clusters in the community of unknown source of infections have been discovered during surveillance screening or following hospital admission in recent days.

Covid-19 spreads to all districts in HCMC

With a total of 845 Covid-19 cases reported in HCMC in the current fourth wave of the coronavirus, which began on April 27, all 21 districts and Thu Duc City in the city have been hit by the virus, while 335 areas have been put on lockdown.

Can Gio is the latest district to report a Covid-19 infection. The case in this outlying district was confirmed on June 13 by the Ministry of Health. In the current wave of coronavirus infections, HCMC is Vietnams third largest coronavirus hotspot after Bac Giang and Bac Ninh.

To prevent the spread of the virus, the HCMC government decided at an anti-virus meeting this morning to extend citywide social distancing in line with the Prime Ministers Directive 15 for another two weeks.

Director of the HCMC Health Department Nguyen Tan Binh said that the Revival Ekklesia Mission infection chain in Go Vap District was basically brought under control, but the city had seen several new chains of infection emerging.

The HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases infection cluster was found on June 11 when an information technology employee tested positive for Covid-19. The number of infected employees at this frontline hospital for Covid-19 treatment, with a capacity of 550 beds, this morning rose to 55 after the hospital tested all of its employees from June 11 to 13.

Other clusters with unknown sources of infection were discovered at a manufacturing facility in Hoc Mon District, the Ehome 3 apartment compound with 14 blocks in Binh Tan District, Street 11 in Thu Duc City and Tan Thoi 2 Hamlet in Hoc Mon District, the local media reported.

Speaking at a meeting with Go Vap District on June 13, HCMC Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc said that since Covid-19 was effectively controlled, the city would relax some anti-Covid-19 measures in Go Vap to ensure residents can gradually get back to normal life.

Source: Vietnam News/Saigon Times
Waco summer meal programs aimed at feeding children are returning to pre-pandemic operations a year after COVID-19 protocols forced organizers to improvise curbside and pickup options.

With the return of in-person summer school classes, Waco Independent School District schools will also provide free breakfast and lunches Mondays through Thursdays at most of its campuses through Aug. 18. Midway and La Vega ISDs are among those also offering free meals this summer.

This summer will see a return to children eating together on-site at schools participating in the U.S. Department of Agricultures Summer Food Service Program, although last years waivers allowing parents to pick up meals for their children have been extended, said Kayla Mize, Waco regional director for child hunger outreach for the Baylor University Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty.

The Waco ISD kitchens prepare about 5,000 meals daily during the summer, slightly less than half the 12,000 meals served daily during the school year, district food service director Clifford Reece said. Most people receiving the meals are elementary or middle school students and their families, Reece said. But any child, age 1 to 18, is eligible, and no registration is required.
In this environment where people seek to create otherness or tribalism, we can stand here today as a beacon of light, NAACP President Derrick Johnson said. If we can see the Christ in one another, we can start from a place of being open and understanding, start from a place to appreciate one's uniqueness as their genius.

The Rev. Amos C. Brown, a pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco who will be the namesake of the fellowship to Ghana, delivered spirited remarks that started with him effusively complimenting Nelson for his leadership and jokingly calling him my brother of another mother.

His quip drew a wide smile and laugh from Nelson, who embraced Brown after his remarks.

Brown said the 50 students chosen to participate in the fellowship in Ghana  scheduled to take place next summer  will be able to retrace the slave routes from the African country and witness the horrible and inhuman system of slavery. He said students won't become bitter over it, but rather become agents of betterment."

Calling the United States a nation in crisis, Brown said the partnership has the opportunity to do important work.

This partnership sees the extreme situation as being the opportunity for a faith community in America to do more than just talk the talk, but walk the walk of telling the truth, of being trusting with each other, respecting the worth and dignity of everyone no matter how different they may be, Brown said. We're on our way, and we ain't going to let nobody turn us around.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
M&A

Booz Allen closes $725M Liberty IT acquisition

Booz Allen Hamilton has completed its acquisition of Liberty IT Solutions to add more offerings around certain elements of digital modernization including services to support implementations of Salesforce and other low code-no code platforms.

Liberty will operate as a subsidiary within Booz Allens civilian services group led by Executive Vice President Kristine Martin Anderson, the companies said Monday.

First announced in May, the $725 million purchase of Liberty also increases Booz Allens presence at the Veterans Affairs Department given the acquired companys concentration of work at that agency.

Herndon, Virginia-headquartered Liberty also brings to Booz Allen a team of 600 employees that include 140 staffers focused on implementing the Salesforce platform for agencies. Those Salesforce specialists include architects, administrators, managers and developers.
CONTRACT AWARD

Comcast wins third piece of DISA's commercial gateway initiative

Comcast has won another portion of the Defense Information Systems Agencys effort to replace legacy circuits across the U.S. with ethernet connections to help users access the militarys global information network.

DISA awarded a potential 10-year, $84.1 million contract to Comcast for work in the state of Virginia, or Region 4 of the Commercial Ethernet Gateway initiative. The agency received six bids for the award, according to the Defense Department's Monday awards digest.

Work will take place over six-year base term and a pair of two-year option periods.

This award comes within the same month that Comcast was chosen for Gateway Region 3 covering Maryland and Washington, D.C. under a potential $102.8 million award over up to 10 years. Comcast also won Region 1 covering New England last year, which means the telecommunications conglomerate has won three regions to date.

Under the CEG initiative, DISA accesses the same networks provided by commercial telecom services companies and uses those to connect to the main Department of Defense Information Network known as DODIN.

Awards for at least several of the regions have been scheduled to take place throughout this current federal fiscal year, according to a DISA industry forecast on CEG.

(NOTE: This story was updated Tuesday with additional information from DOD's Monday awards digest)
Suppression vs. integrity

Reynolds has said the additional measures are necessary to reassure Iowans that Iowas elections are secure. That despite Iowa having no history of fraud and none reported in the state in Novembers general election, which saw record turnout.

Reynolds and other Republicans claim the law provides election officials with consistent parameters for Election Day, absentee voting and database maintenance, as well as a clear appeals process for local county auditors.

Its our duty and responsibility to protect the integrity of every election, Reynolds said in a statement about signing the new law. All of these additional steps promote more transparency and accountability, giving Iowans even greater confidence to cast their ballot.

The most important thing Republicans can do to restore faith in elections across America is to stop lying about the 2020 election, Wahls said. When Republicans say voters dont trust the elections, its arsonists asking who started the fire.

While Democrats claim the Iowa law amounts to voter suppression, Smith argues some provisions will increase voter participation.
Niazy reached out to a family member already in the states: his cousin, Farid Ahmad, lived in Iowa Falls. Ahmad also had worked as an interpreter and immigrated to the U.S. through the same program to which Niazy hoped to apply.

Niazy moved in with his cousin in 2015 and has lived in Iowa Falls ever since. He applied for political asylum through the Special Immigrant Visa program, although he did not hear about his case for years. Meantime, he made a life for himself in Iowa Falls. He worked odd jobs  landscaping, construction and others  to make money. While there were setbacks along the way, he continued to work, sometimes 12-hour days for seven days a week, he said.

Now, Niazy runs his own contracting company, Zee Handyman Services, named after the nickname Z by which he has become known around Iowa Falls. He bought a home, which he has renovated.

But just as life was getting comfortable for Niazy, he was dealt a crushing blow: In May, his application for asylum was denied by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The reason: that interaction Niazy had as a 9-year-old boy with Taliban terrorists.
Lubbock, TX (79423)

Today

Mostly clear skies this evening. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low near 70F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies this evening. Scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low near 70F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
When a pair of creative women bonds over their shared love of fashion and Japanese anime, it's serious.

On election day 2016, Chen Jiang and Shaf Khan decided they would tie the knot; a few weeks later, Chen proposed right before a wedding photo shoot the two were modeling in. With more than a hint of irony, their ceremony coincided with inauguration day, and they chose none other than San Francisco City Hall for its history and stunning architecturea perfect match for their aesthetic. When it came time to decide on a theme for their wedding, they knew it would be geared around their love of Lolita fashion.

"It's an often misunderstood street fashion style, mainly due to the Japanese name, that merges Victorian and Rococo elements with a shorter modern silhouette," says Khan.

The wedding party got ready together at the Inn San Francisco, where the lovebirds spent their first Valentine's Day together. "It's a lovely Victorian bed and breakfast that is very LGBT friendly. The decor is lush and their breakfasts are quite a large spreadthe biggest I've seen! They make their quiche fresh every morning, along with pie."

In addition to the ultra cutesy street style, Khan and Jiang wanted to incorporate elements of their cultural backgrounds. For Khanhints of red, the hue of South Asian weddings, contrasted with slightly masculine elements. She found a secondhand dress online and paired it with a pair of Vivienne Westwood shoes she'd been eyeing. "I discovered the brand through the Japanese comic Nana, and I've loved it since." She opted for a boutonniere with crimson detail and a custom fascinator rather than a traditional veil and bouquet. The same cardinal hue made its way into her makeup with a bold lip and lids.

Jiang wore a dress from a Japanese brand the two had modeled for in the past, Baby the Stars Shine Bright. Though it had a slightly more feminine cut on top, the bottom ruffles matched Khan's almost perfectly. Her veil was hand-trimmed by a fashion designer friend, who also made all the flower crowns for the wedding "squad." To top it off, her eyes were adorned with flowery false lashes, and matching 3D nails. They also wore matching Vivienne Westwood necklaces and wedding rings.

Though they were unable to indulge in many of the wedding traditions common to their respective ethic backgrounds due to the haste of the ceremony, they did have their hands covered in intricate mehndi designs the night before. "Tradition says that the strength of love in the marriage is shown by the color of mehndi on the bride's hands," explains Khan. "The darker the stain, the deeper the love. We both had a very deep color on our hands, so I suppose that's twice the love of an ordinary marriage!"

Brimming with thoughtful and personal touches, they wrote our own vows, and Jiang gave Khan a Chanel lip balm, referencing a moment in the show Yuri on Ice, one of their favorite anime. "The show was meaningful to us for many reasons. Not only was it a lovely homage to men's figure skating, it had authentic queer representation and the first LGBT couple in a mainstream anime. It was proof that progress was being made despite recent events."

Afterwards they had lunch with their wedding party at the Palace Hotel, and naturally took lots of photos in their unforgettable outfits.

They even met their photographer at an anime convention.

Venue: San Francisco City Hall

Reception: The Inn San Francisco

Chen's dress, socks, and shoes: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Shaf's dress: Lapin Agill

Shaf's shoes: Vivienne Westwood

Beauty: Mehndi Zone

Chen's Eyelashes: Miyuki's Eyelashes

Mehndi: Mehndi Zone

Rings: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Floral designer: Farmgirl Flowers

Caterer: The Palace Hotel

Photography: f27 Photography
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One Saturday night, my wife and I went out to dinner.

We came home to find our door kicked in.

It was a heart-sinking moment but could have been far worse. The burglar grabbed just a few readily sellable items and fled. He was already driving away before our neighbor, who saw the whole thing from her kitchen window, got off the phone with 911.

One of the things he stole was a Walkman, which dates both the incident and myself.

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We replaced that smashed door with a far stronger one, and had a security screen door installed, too. Im happy to report our familys burglary rate has since plummeted.

Americas national crime rate began climbing in the mid-1960s, rising to crazy heights during the first Bush administration. But then it abruptly dropped. From the mid-1990s into the early 2010s, the trend lines on all the graphs of criminal activity pointed consistently down.

And not just in America, either. The crime drop was international.

Different countries adopted different approaches but obtained comparable results, which complicates all efforts to understand the cause. For example, incarceration rates went down in several European countries as they went up in America, yet both regions saw a crime drop.

I think the most plausible explanation is the security hypothesis of criminologist Graham Ferrell.

His hypothesis builds on the observation that ordinary people around the world responded to out-of-control crime by fortifying their homes, as my wife and I did. They fortified their workplaces, too, and bought cars that are harder to steal. They radically changed the way they raise children.

The declining crime rates were measuring the changing behavior of non-criminals.

Thats one reason why those of us who lived through the crime drop didnt experience it as sunshine breaking through the clouds. Theres a parallel with the pre-vaccine stage of the pandemic: We took security measures to protect ourselves, which reduced the rate, but only so long as we kept up the security measures.

A more sustained reduction in crime will require changing the behavior of criminals instead, and thats much harder to accomplish.

I worked as a prosecutor, representing the state of New Mexico on criminal appeals, for many years. I noticed that the criminals we convict (a subset of the whole) tend to have a few features in common. They skimp on the advance planning, for instance, and/or they cant keep their mouths shut.

So I wasnt surprised by the results of a meta-analysis of 42 studies measuring the incidence of ADHD in prison populations. Published in Psychological Medicine in 2016, it found that a full quarter of prisoners met the formal diagnostic criteria.

Our prisons are crowded with people who acted on impulse, or in a temper. They didnt think ahead. Thats how they got caught.

I hope you can see the problem inherent in any crime-fighting strategy that depends on asking criminals to think ahead about the possible long-term consequences of their actions.

Yet thats the strategy embraced by every politician who talks up tougher penalties as the solution to soaring crime rates, as if tacking a few months onto the end of an already-long sentence, somewhere in the hazy future, will make all the difference.

For 40 years, America has pursued mass incarceration as its primary crime-fighting strategy. The Prison Policy Initiative estimates that on any given day, no fewer than 2.3 million Americans are in prison or jail.

A 2019 paper by Cornells Peter K. Enns and colleagues asked in its title, What Percentage of Americans Have Ever Had a Family Member Incarcerated? The answer: The data show that 45% of Americans have ever had an immediate family member incarcerated.

If harsh penalties were the secret to reducing crime, wed have reached our low-crime paradise by now. Instead, as we know only too well, crime is rising again.

Americas violent crime rate is by far the highest among rich countries. So is its incarceration rate. Taken together, those two figures sum up the comprehensive failure of our criminal justice system, which is maximally punitive but minimally protective. That ought to be a contradiction but somehow isnt.

Another approach is possible.

Imagine you have to run a brief errand at UNM on a hot day. You could leave your car in the parking structure, pay the fee and hike across the broiling concrete. Or you could park illegally right outside the air-conditioned office you need to visit.

Which risk scenario would make you less likely to park illegally: a 10% risk of a $50 ticket, or a 90% risk of a $20 ticket?

Politicians who promise harsher sentences are focusing on the wrong variable.

Joel Jacobsen is an author who in 2015 retired from a 29-year legal career. If there are topics you would like to see covered in future columns, please write him at legal.column.tips@gmail.com.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  For many potential restaurateurs, opening a new restaurant during the pandemic would seem like a daunting or nearly impossible task.

But for Linda Zamora and her business partner, Bryan Thompson, the pandemic actually provided them greater opportunities for their new location of Rosemary.

I actually think because this one opened near the tail end that its kind of been a benefit for us, Zamora said. People are so excited that things are opening up and theyre going out more, so I think were kind of reaping the benefits of that.

Rosemary, at 9821 Montgomery NE, opened at the end of May.

This is not Zamoras or Thompsons first foray into the restaurant industry. The partners already own the original location of Rosemary on San Mateo, and also operate two stalls in Downtown food hall 505 Central.

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Zamora said they have been looking for a larger space for a second location of Rosemary and the new space checked all of the boxes.

Its a beautiful location, its got a full bar in there and well have space for two patios, she said.

The menu at the new Montgomery location will be similar to the flagship location with one important difference: The restaurants signature rosemary roasted chicken will be off the menu for now due to a lack of oven space.

Zamora said she thinks the new location will be an excellent addition to the neighborhood since there is not a similar restaurant in the area and the atmosphere is good both for people wanting a more casual meal and for those wanting finer dining.

Rosemary is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Rosemary is closed Mondays.

Whiting Coffee changes hands

For nearly 40 years Whiting Coffee has been a consistent purveyor of locally roasted coffee for its loyal group of customers with Norm and Ann Whiting at the helm of the company.

But now the business is in new hands.

Michael and Brandi Phlieger, owners of the Downtown cafe Java Joes, purchased the company from the Whitings earlier this year. After several months of training and familiarizing themselves with the company, the Phliegers are now running the business while the Whitings enjoy retirement.

Whiting Coffee, at 3700 Osuna NE, specializes in selling coffee roasted in house by the pound or through wholesale and also sells a variety of goods like teas, spices and chocolate bars.

Michael Phlieger said the Whitings were careful to sell the business to another local family who would be able to continue the business in a similar fashion since many of the companys customers have been loyal to the coffee roaster for several decades.

They wanted another family to come in that kind of understood and respected the older crowd and wouldnt just make an aggressive amount of changes, he said.

While Phlieger said the company will continue to operate in much of the same ways, he is planning on making a few updates, like moving the cash-only business to one that accepts credit cards, creating a website and establishing a social media presence, and adding new local products like honeys and jams to sell in store.

Phlieger says the transition has been fairly smooth. Some customers are a little skeptical of the transition, but familiar faces behind the counter, like the Whitings son Jon, have helped.

Were very grateful for (the Whitings) for effectively choosing us to carry on the tradition, he said.

Whiting Coffee is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.

Weems opens new location

Longtime Albuquerque destination Weems Gallery and Framing is holding a grand opening for its new location Wednesday.

Owner Sheila McVeigh, who purchased the gallery from its namesake owner Mary Ann Weems in 2019, said she wanted to have a celebration to commemorate the move of the longtime gallery.

The new space, at 5935 Wyoming NE, is roughly the same size as the previous location, but McVeigh says the layout is more conducive to its needs.

It feels larger, she said. Its fresh, and clean, and new, and beautiful.

Like its previous space, the new location will feature a wide array of local artists who work in a variety of mediums, but McVeigh said the gallery will now group artists together in order to make the shopping experience easier.

She said the gallery narrowed down its selection of artists to 164.

Though the gallery officially reopened in its new location in April, McVeigh said she wanted to hold off on an opening celebration until the gallery was fully set up.

To celebrate the opening, Weems is giving customers who purchase items on June 16 vouchers worth around 25% of their purchase. Vouchers can then be used on other purchases at a later date.

Weems is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

ABQ accounting firm expands

Albuquerque-based accounting firm Solutions Accounting has expanded into Texas with a new office in Houston, according to the company.

Along with the expansion, Jay Rypma joined the company as chief operations officer.

Pilar Martinez covers retail and commercial real estate for the Journal. She can be reached at pmartinez@abqjournal.com.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  John Petronis speculates that he went about starting his own business, Architectural Research Consultants Inc., in one of the worst ways possible.

The way you get work is to have experience, said Petronis, the companys founder and president.

He had little when he began the architectural consulting firm with three other people right out of graduate school.

But few places were offering planning services for municipalities and institutions in New Mexico in 1976, and Petronis found that ARC Inc. filled a need. Stubbornness and persistence got the company through the early days, he said of his Albuquerque-based business, which provided consulting services to federal, state and local governments.

Gradually, we started getting the credibility and the experience and so forth that led to other things, said Petronis, a licensed architect and certified planner. In time, the business became self-sustaining.

ARC Inc. helps its clients make smart choices about the future of their land and buildings, Petronis said. For example, the company can assist with the planning and design of a building or campus before its built. And after the facility has been in use, it can help a client evaluate if its working the way it should.

Were kind of the bookends, said Director Of Educational Services Ailene OByrne, who oversees the companys projects with school districts and universities.

ARC staff assesses clients needs, evaluates the condition of their facilities and conducts studies. Then, using charts, floor plans and reports, the company presents that information to the client in a way that the big picture emerges and decisions can be made, Petronis said. Some projects take a week or two and some take years.

Recently, the company used its assessment and planning skills on itself. Company leaders determined moving to a new location would aid communication and promote cooperation between their employees, who had been spread across two buildings Downtown. ARC Inc. is now providing its professional services from a suite in an energy-efficient, insulated concrete building at Jefferson and Alameda.

Whether its a school, city, state or company, Petronis said he is proud of the long-standing relationships ARC Inc. has built with many of its clients. Theyve worked regularly with the University of New Mexico since 1978, and been under continuous contract with Albuquerque Public Schools since 1988, he said.

Reflecting on ARC Inc.s 4 decades in business, Petronis said, Weve worked with wonderful people.

What does success look like for ARC Inc.?

Petronis: I think success is, quite frankly, getting interesting projects and then working on those projects. You dont want to lose money. Hopefully, youre making money to do it. But, you know, for me thats what the payoff is  doing something interesting and significant and upscale and challenging.

OByrne: My success is when I go back to a building several years later and go, Oh, they fixed that. Oh, they rebuilt that. Or They actually followed the plan that we helped them set up. And that, for me, is a big success.

Have the types of projects changed over time?

Petronis: We can do, very cost efficiently and effectively now, some things that 20 years ago would have been really hard, because we didnt have the tools developed then.  As our tools and our abilities matured, it allowed us to see even old problems in sort of new ways.

Whats an example of a tool thats helped you in that way?

Petronis: Lets take a university  Heres multiple buildings with multiple persons, with classes taught during different times of the day, with different sizes of classrooms, with different characteristics in terms of labs and with the youth. So finding out how are those classrooms used  its sort of a computer problem.  Twenty years ago we wouldnt be able to do it, because the computers werent around. But, also, we wouldnt have had all the background information about what to ask for, how to ask for it.

Looking back over the companys history, were there any major crossroads?

Petronis: One of the crossroads is moving.  Weve been Downtown for 45 years, and its been home . But, at the same point, the quality of Downtown has changed, and it impacted our ability to attract staff.

OByrne: Weve also had some significant growth in this company, and we were actually in two different buildings.  So space planning and programming  were also trying to do it ourselves, within our company, to be more efficient and to have better collaboration.  We kind of took what we tried to teach other people and turn it in on ourselves.

What would you say is the key to collaborating well?

Petronis: Good decisions arent proprietary.  Im very well aware of some people who have skills, other than I do, that can lend to the project. So you want to get those people in there, because otherwise youre not providing the service that you can to your client. You got to work at collaborating and you got to bring people in.

Whats next for your company?

Petronis: You dont quite know whats going to pop up there in the future. We respond to client needs, and in some cases, thats same old, same old. But in some cases, its just something totally new, which is sort of interesting.  Thats one of those things that Im proud of. People sort of trust us and say Well, heres a problem. Can you figure it out? Can you help us with this? And you do, somehow.

Business Outlooks In-Depth item features interviews with leaders of well-established New Mexico businesses about the practices that have allowed them to weather ups and downs. Send suggestions of locally owned businesses that have been in existence for at least a decade and that employ at least 20 people to gporter@abqjournal.com for consideration.
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I took a friend of mine and his son to Juarez, Mexico, to pick up some items over the Memorial Day weekend.

Usually, I would drive into Mexico, but I didnt want to do this on a holiday weekend. I knew the later we stayed in the city, the longer the northbound lines at the ports of entry to cross into the U.S. would be, as U.S. citizens/residents who have relatives in Mexico returned home. Therefore, I parked at the base of the Santa Fe Bridge and we entered Mexico by foot.

One thing we noticed immediately is that almost everybody in Juarez was wearing a mask, many of them with colorful Mexican designs. COVID signs cautioning people about social distancing and testing were everywhere. However, because of the nature of certain areas, such as Juarezs downtown district, social distancing is difficult, and I saw a lot of people in close proximity to each other. This was especially true as lines of people queued at bank entrances to do their banking at the end of the month. I saw lines at a couple of banks stretch down the sidewalk.

In Juarez, vaccinations have been open to people older than 60. I talked to a 63-year-old taxi driver who told me that he had received the Astra Zeneca vaccine. He has nine brothers and sisters, of whom five live in El Paso. As American citizens, they can come visit him in Juarez, but he is deemed by the U.S. federal government a non-essential Mexican traveler and cannot enter the U.S. to visit them or to go shopping.

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He told me that he can see that things are getting better in Juarez and that the city is coming alive again. He then quickly pivoted to the municipal and gubernatorial elections and began to make a case for the Morena party winning in both cases. As he said, Change doesnt come overnight. However, you can see it happening little-by-little over time.

As it was election season, it seemed that every available piece of concrete or wall was covered with campaign slogans. The paint shops and painters must get excited when it gets close to elections. Ive always been fascinated with the willingness of building and infrastructure owners to allow these types of paintings on their property, which can remain for a long time after elections are over.

Public buses, loaded with commuters, zoomed by on Avenida 16 de Septiembre. It was typical Juarez traffic on this main arterial road, with cars in every lane and people going in every direction possible. On a couple of streets, the vestige of a spring shower or a water leak caused ponding along the curbs on some of the main streets. We had to be careful not to walk by these mini lakes when traffic was present so as not to get soaked.

The malls around the main plaza in Juarez were heavily frequented by customers. Cellphone accessory stands, clothing stores, ice cream shops, and ladies apparel stores all had people in them. The smells of Mexican and Chinese foods wafted through the air. Vendors sold jewelry, hats, books and arts & crafts on the plaza, of which a portion was boarded up for construction.

Many stores still have strict pandemic protocol and have an attendant taking peoples temperature and squirting hand sanitizer into patrons hands as they enter the establishment. Sadly, a lot of retail establishments are boarded up and probably will never again open.

Bars in Juarez can now stay open until midnight. I talked to one employee at the Kentucky Club who told me that American tourists are returning to patronize his establishment. As in many U.S. states, bar patrons cannot sit at the bar, and chairs have been removed. At the Kentucky Club, in order to have a drink, we were required to order an entree. I was told that this was part of the state orders for liquor establishments.

As I climbed the bridge to return home, I crossed many street vendors selling sweets, water, sunshades and hand-made items. There were street entertainers busking for money, and of course, window washers plying their services for tips. I was glad that I didnt take my car into Juarez, as I judged that waiting times to cross into the U.S. by auto were between two and three hours. Crossing back into the U.S., Customs and Border Protection only let smaller groups of people into their building at a time, where they were asked about their citizenship and made any declarations of items picked up in Mexico.

Walking back to my car, I felt a spark of urgency and optimism in me. I sensed the urgency in making COVID-19 vaccinations available on both sides of the border so that we can return to a semblance of normalcy at the border. In the past two months, Mexico has tripled its vaccination rate. The State of Chihuahua has administered approximately 1 million vaccines. This provided me with an optimistic feeling that as even more people are vaccinated across the border, normalcy seems close.

Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com.
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Dear J.T. & Dale: Im a white male in my fifties, and I am convinced I am being discriminated against. I feel like every time I go on an interview, they already dont want me. Im so angry inside, because I dont understand why I have to pay the consequences of some men who made poor choices before me. What can I do to change their minds and get hired?  Mark

J.T.: You are not alone: There are a lot of men out there feeling like this. Unfortunately, I think you also know that saying something about it wont work in your favor. One thing you can do is recognize the obvious and explain to them that the changing tides in the workplace have been a humbling experience for you and that you now understand what marginalized talent has experienced in the past. I would take this experience as a powerful opportunity to show humility and emotional intelligence. Explain why getting this job would mean the world to you and how it has made you far more sensitive to the difficult choices that employers need to make and why diversity is important.

DALE: Being an OWG (old white guy) myself, this is a difficult and treacherous subject. Ive been supporting gender and racial equality my whole career. Indeed, when I was co-owner of a market research company, it was majority female and at one point I was the only one who wasnt female or from a minority group. So, back then, I felt like I was part of the solution. But it is still a problem. While it can feel like discriminating against white males is the only gender/racial discrimination that is actively encouraged, sometimes its just the math of leveling the playing field. Say youre starting a new team of five employees and your company is promoting diversity. Youll want to add two or three women, and then youll want to represent two or three people of color, and depending on the gender of the minority hires, you could run out of slots before you get to white males. So, thats what it feels like youre up against. J.T. is right, you cant bring it up. And to hold it simmering in your brain is going to give off hostile or self-pitying vibes. Instead, you need to do what successful women and minorities have done for generations: You (1) make sure you have specific skills where employees are in short supply, (2) direct your efforts away from large organizations (where youll run up against things like diversity audits) and seek work with smaller companies, or (3) start a business. You have to stop distracting yourself with mental debates on fairness and focus on cleverness.

Dear J.T. & Dale: I have agreed to take a summer internship. However, I just got interviewed for a full-time job that would start as soon as I graduate. Should I tell the people with the internship now that I might not be joining them even though I dont have a job yet?  Taylor

J.T.: Absolutely not! Theres no guarantee youll get this job and the moment you tell them that you are searching for a full-time job, they will rescind the internship offer. Thats not to say that you shouldnt look for a full-time job  you should. If you get one, then youll have to decide whether or not it makes sense to back out of the internship. Until you actually have a full-time job offer, you should not be showing your hand.

DALE: I agree, but with a sigh. Your question suggests youre a person worried about being honest and open, and thats to your credit. Im sorry we have to tell you that the working world doesnt share your high standards. Instead of being impressed that youre being candid with them and holding the job open for you, theyll just move on to someone else. Thats the kind of job market youre entering and its important to realize the rules of a rough game. Sigh.

Jeanine J.T. Tanner ODonnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten is founder of The Innovators Lab and author of a novel about H.R., The Weary Optimist. Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2021 by King Features Syndicate Inc.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Three men are accused of luring another man to a Northeast Albuquerque apartment, tying him up and torturing him for his bank card numbers late last month.

Malik Baker, 25, Bryan Flores, 21, and Eric Flores, 25, are each charged with kidnapping, robbery, aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, extortion and conspiracy in the May 24 incident.

Baker and Bryan Flores are behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

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Both Eric and Bryan Flores were arrested May 27 after, according to deputies, the pair broke into a home after fleeing deputies in a stolen vehicle.

A judge found no probable cause in the case against Eric Flores, and he was released on his own recognizance in that case. There is a warrant out for his arrest in the kidnapping case.

Asked for comment, Victor Chacon, Bryan Flores attorney, said that he will ensure his clients constitutional rights are protected.

Prosecutors filed a motion to detain Bryan Flores until trial, saying his actions show he has no regard for the safety of others.

Being taped to a chair and tortured for information is something that happens in movies  it should not be happening in real life in our community, the motion says. No one in our community should have to live in fear of being robbed and tortured the way this victim was.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court:

On May 24, a man with duct tape still around his ankles showed up to a Northeast Albuquerque police station and told officers he had been bound and pistol-whipped for hours by three men he knew in high school.

The man said Baker, an old friend, had been staying with him since May 22 and invited him to a mutual friends apartment. He told police they went to the apartment of Bryan and Eric Flores at the Mesa Verde apartment complex.

The man said they played video games for a while but he became increasingly uncomfortable after seeing several handguns, a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle in the apartment. He told police that when he got up to leave, Eric Flores told him you arent going anywhere and threatened him with a loaded pistol.

The man said he ran for the door but Bryan and Eric Flores grabbed him and knocked him out with the gun. He told police they dragged him to a bedroom, forced him to get undressed and bound him to a chair with duct tape.

The man said he was then beaten and pistol-whipped repeatedly as Bryan and Eric Flores asked for the PIN numbers to his bank cards and Baker watched. He told police that he wouldnt tell them the PIN and, at one point, Bryan Flores burned his hand with a torch.

The man said the three left the room after three hours and he used the opportunity to tear away the duct tape, put on pants and jump out of a window. He led officers to the apartment, and they broke the door down.

Police used a drone to clear the apartment and found no one inside. Officers found three empty gun boxes, a chair, torn duct tape, the mans clothing and torch lighters in a back bedroom.

Officers later discovered that Baker and Bryan and Eric Flores had been documented gang members through junior high and high school.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Tuesday marks a year since a demonstration at Albuquerques La Jornada installation in Old Town devolved into a violent clash and shooting, prompting the city to remove its most controversial element  a sculpture of Juan de Onate  and stash it in storage.

Despite a monthslong community input process last year intended to help city leaders make a decision about the artworks long-term fate, no such determination has been made.

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And its not clear when that will happen.

The citys arts and culture director said Mayor Tim Kellers administration is waiting for the City Council to conduct more public input sessions.

City Council President Cynthia Borrego declined multiple Journal requests for an interview on the subject.

But Klarissa Pena, one of the councilors who pushed for additional community discussions after the pandemic, said COVID-19 makes a timeline impossible to predict. While many public health restrictions have loosened considerably and vaccines are widely available, Pena noted the Albuquerque City Council has not returned to in-person meetings and she is not comfortable proceeding with discussions when conditions are still not 100% normal.

If youre telling me were officially out of the pandemic, lets rock and roll, she said Friday. But I havent gotten word were out of the pandemic.

The chairwoman of the city Arts Board  which provided its recommendations for the installation seven months ago  said the council owes it to the community and the artist to spur along the process.

Its an important civic conversation they need to move forward on and have, said Emilie De Angelis, who has been on the citizen arts advisory panel for two years. I know its a hard one, and I know the implications are not easy, no matter what the answer ends up being ultimately.

But just being in a limbo space doesnt do any good; we need to have the conversation.

A subject of criticism since its inception more than 20 years ago, La Jornada rocketed back into the larger public consciousness last summer during nationwide demonstrations over past and present racial injustices. Local protesters objected to the La Jornada figure, depicting conquistador Juan de Onate, which was sculpted in bronze by Albuquerque artist Reynaldo Sonny Rivera. Rivera and Betty Sabo collaborated on La Jornada.

While some argue that Onate, who in 1598 became the first governor of New Mexico under Spanish rule, made vital contributions to New Mexico, his brutal treatment of Native Americans has defined his legacy for others.

The Onate sculpture outside the Albuquerque Museum drew a crowd of protesters on June 15, 2020. That, in turn, attracted counterprotesters  one of whom, Steven Baca, is being prosecuted in connection with the shooting of Scott Williams and the assault of two women.

The city  with Riveras consent  removed the sculpture the next morning and put it in storage for what was supposed to be a year.

The Arts and Culture Department within days announced the Race, History & Healing Project  a community discussion about the future of the sculpture conducted through summer and early fall. More than 1,500 people provided input during the process, which included dialogue sessions, phone interviews and an online survey. The process also involved 12 city employees, 10 professional facilitators and nine project advisers.

In September, the City Council narrowly approved legislation that codified a public input process. The bill also ensured that the final outcome rested with the council, as opposed to the mayor.

But the council has not discussed La Jornada since late 2020, when Keller forwarded the city Arts Boards recommendation.

The board had recommended the city not return the Onate piece to its original position and that it re-imagine or re-contextualize the larger La Jornada installation  ideas that originated with the community through the Race, History & Healing Project.

At the time, several city councilors expressed hesitation about taking action, saying more community outreach was warranted after COVID-19.

I think its the desire of the community members Ive spoken to that we wait to do anything with this until after the pandemic, so that we can ensure all members of the community can participate, Pena said during the councils Dec. 7 meeting.

The council did not vote to accept or reject the recommendation but rather to acknowledge that the recommendation had been received.

Shelle Sanchez, director of the citys Arts and Culture Department, has said the city cannot do anything until the council takes additional steps.

Pena said Friday that it is not something she has been actively coordinating.

Weve had so much on our plate in terms of issues related to the pandemic that obviously this is a priority, but this wasnt something I was looking at currently, she said.

But she said she remains committed to additional dialogue when the time is right.

I think once we get a little bit more breathing room (from COVID-19), we need to get started and start that whole process, because we definitely need the communitys input, she said.

Rivera doesnt know where the city is in the process and hasnt been contacted by the city since December.

Contacted by the Journal on June 8, Riveras wife, Hope Rivera, said the city had not been in touch. But she said the city reached out June 9 to schedule a meeting with the artist for later this month.

We just found out that the mayor is extending his invitation to meet us, Hope Rivera told the Journal on Thursday.

Sonny Rivera said he understood that the agreement was to temporarily move the Onate statue into storage for up to 12 months.

I feel the pandemic has slowed everything down and thats the reason it hasnt been resolved, he said.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  She is, as the name implies, royalty, or at least treated as such.

Her name is Reina. Queen. That she is, at least to the humans who share her Vista del Norte home with her.

But if you saw her, perhaps youd understand that. Perhaps you, too, would fall in love with, do anything for this tiny bundle of fur and charm and moxie.

If you saw her.

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Her family hopes you will.

They hope you will find her and help bring her home.

Im slowly losing hope, says Camille Gonzales, dog mom and assistant principal at Sandia High School. Why cant people do the right thing?

Well talk about people and the wrong thing later. First, lets talk about Reina.

Shes a morkipoo, a blending of Maltese, Yorkshire terrier and poodle. Suffice it to say that shes a cute white and tan little thing, under 4 pounds. Shes 6 months old, a gift from the girlfriend of Gonzales son. At the time she vanished, she had no collar  that from an earlier incident when she wiggled free from the collar and leash  but she is microchipped.

Sometime before 5 p.m. June 5, Reina scampered out the front door, which had not been properly shut, her escape captured on the familys security video system.

I thought she was upstairs with the boys, and they thought she was downstairs with me, so it was about an hour before we realized she was missing, Gonzales said.

They starting calling for Reina. Their next-door neighbor heard them and told them that he had seen a little dog in the street that nearly got hit by a car. The neighbors mother caught the pup and went to nearby homes hoping someone would claim the dog.

Funny, though, she never came to our house, Gonzales said.

Later, the family learned the woman had taken the dog to the nearby Bernardo Trails Park, at Vista del Norte and Vista Monte NE, where she gave the dog to a man in a white Nissan SUV who claimed to be an Uber driver waiting for fares and who promised he would help find the dogs owner.

Aedyn Gonzales, Gonzales 18-year-old son and the one who doted most on Reina, spent the rest of the evening circling the park, looking for her, looking for the white Nissan.

Since then, Gonzales and her family have peppered their neighborhood off Osuna NE with flyers and posted on Facebook and lost pet sites. They have contacted rescue groups, the microchip agency, Uber. Aedyn goes daily to shelters in search of Reina. They drive around the park, walk around the neighborhood, cry.

Pretty sure Ive officially reached the third stage of grief, Gonzales said. The fact that someone out there took our puppy and has given no consideration to the fact that shes a beloved member of a family makes me irate. I hope karma catches you, whoever you are.

Theres that people doing the wrong thing part, or so it would seem.

For Jeff Hartzer, there is no question of wrongdoing in the case of his missing Pyrenees mix puppy. Hartzer says hes already gone through every stage of grief and then some since Data was stolen May 5 from his Chevy Blazer parked in front of the Walmart near San Mateo and Zuni SE.

It was the cool of the evening and a short errand. He had cracked the windows of his vehicle just enough. He parked as close as he could to the front. He was in the store only a few minutes, he said.

That was enough time for one man to reach in through the window opening, unlock the door, grab Data from the front seat while a second man pulled up in a black Chevy Avalanche, picked up the other man and Data and drove away.

That, he said, was witnessed by a Walmart employee collecting shopping carts in the parking lot. Hartzer never got to see any footage from store surveillance cameras, never treated as if the loss of his beloved pup mattered.

And oh, that dog mattered. Like Reina is for the Gonzaleses, Data is a member of Hartzers family, loved like a child.

He was so full of love, Hartzer said. We were lucky to have him in our lives for a month.

Data, named for the Star Trek character, was 8 weeks old and yet to be microchipped. He is creamy white, with big, meaty paws and a joy that practically glowed from him.

Its been more than a month since Data was taken, and Hartzers efforts to find his dog have been met with indifference or irritating woulda-coulda-shoulda comments that do nothing but make the pain deeper.

One thing hes also noticed is how many dogs have disappeared, as if Cruella had been unleashed across the Albuquerque area and a thousand half-opened doors and gates have suddenly blown open.

Online sites like Pawboost and Albuquerque Pets Lost and Found are filled with pleas for pooches lost. Facebook and Nextdoor contain numerous reports of lost or found dogs and cats. Across neighborhoods, flyers with photos of missing pets flutter from utility poles.

In the past few weeks, worried humans have pleaded for word on their missing Scooby, Rex, Zeba, Chucho and a one-eyed, 17-year-old Chihuahua, among others. Just in the time I wrote this column, I received two emailed alerts from HomeAgain pet rescue  one for Tatiana, a lilac-colored (apparently, there is such a shade in the cat world) rag doll cat missing from near Sweetwater and Buenos Aires NW, and one for Alo Vera, an American wirehair cat missing from Lilac and Floral NW.

If you see them, any of them, help them get home. Its the right thing.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline jkrueger@abqjournal.com.

Missing

Reina is a 6-month-old white and tan morkipoo, chipped but no collar, missing since June 5 from Bernardo Trails Park at Vista del Norte and Vista Monte NE. A $300 reward offered. Contact owner through this column, Albuquerque Pets Lost and Found on Facebook or Pawboost at www.pawboost.com/p/7073248.Data is a 3-month-old cream Great Pyrenees mix, not chipped, stolen May 5 from Walmart at Zuni and San Mateo SE by two men in black Chevy Avalanche. Contact owner through this column, Pawboost at www.pawboost.com/p/6993855 or 505-220-1851.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office has dismissed the case against a man charged with misdemeanor abandonment or cruelty to a child for being armed and taking his son and his girlfriends children to a protest Downtown two months ago.

But the Albuquerque Police Department still plans to prosecute the case, according to a spokesman.

The events surrounding the charges led to about 17 officers resigning from the Emergency Response Team  which staffs protests  reportedly because they were angry about being second-guessed when they let 26-year-old Deyontae Williams go initially.

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On April 11, hundreds of counterprotesters had gathered at the plaza in response to rumors that the white supremacist group the Proud Boys planned to hold a rally. The Proud Boys didnt show up, but Williams, his girlfriend and their three children  a baby, a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old  did. Williams was carrying a rifle, a handgun and a sign that said All guns matter, sparking the crowds ire. About 100 protesters surrounded him, according to a criminal complaint.

Police determined that the family  especially the minors  were in danger, and they removed them from the crowd.

A reasonable fear that the man would utilize the firearms in order to protect the children was seen as imminent, an officer wrote in the complaint.

An incident commander had ordered that Williams be detained at the scene, but ERT officers released him without citing or identifying him, said Gilbert Gallegos, an APD spokesman. Gallegos said a summons was issued for Williams later that evening and an internal investigation was launched due to concerns that Williams  an armed individual  had been given preferential treatment. A sergeant was put on leave.

An initial review showed no preferential treatment, Gallegos said, and the sergeant was returned to duty. But more than a dozen officers decided to leave the unit. They are still with APD.

In an interview Thursday, Williams said he never got the summons in the mail. He said he had gone to the protest to educate people about Second Amendment rights and to defend others if something bad were to happen.

I would never place my child or anybody elses kids in any danger, Williams said. I was very fully aware of what I was doing that day. I just wanted to go out and stand there with everybody and protest  I wanted to exercise my first and my second amendment activities.

Lauren Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the District Attorneys Office, said that misdemeanor violations are usually prosecuted by police officers but this case was mistakenly referred to the DA.

Rather than withdraw from the case we made the decision to dismiss it and allow the Albuquerque Police Department to proceed with the prosecution without jeopardizing any time limitation for bringing the case to trial, Rodriguez said in a statement. The dismissal we filed was executed without prejudice to the case and will enable APD to bring the matter forward at their discretion.

Gallegos said Thursday that APD will move forward with prosecution but he doesnt have a timeline for the case.

Williamss attorney, Thomas Grover, said this thing is hinky every which way you go about it.

Within the four corners of the complaint there is nothing that supports even a whiff that Mr. Williams violated this code, Grover said.
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THEY TOWED HIS CAR DURING THE PANDEMIC?! They sure did  and the tow yard wont release it until its got an up-to-date N.M. registration, which Dave cant get without a vehicle inspection usually done at a Motor Vehicle Division office.

But lets back up.

Dave moved to New Mexico from Texas in July 2019. And while state law requires a vehicle owner to register it here within 60 days, like many transplants Dave admits that because he had unexpired plates on his vehicle, he put off going to MVD.

Those plates expired in February 2020. And on March 30, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Executive Order 2020-016 that waives the collection of all late fees or other penalties that are triggered by the failure of an applicant to timely submit an application or other required documentation for a registration, license, permit or other privilege under the Motor Vehicle Code.

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Yes, Dave acknowledges he should have taken care of his registration long before March 2020. And yes, the governors executive order technically applies only to transactions that should have happened from March 11, 2020, on.

But the fact officials at his apartment complex called a tow company this month, knowing MVD remains closed except for appointments, and that by seizing his vehicle they would make it that much harder to get the mandatory VIN inspection, and that daily impoundment costs would rack up on top of the cost of the boot put on his vehicle and the tow, well, it all may honor the letter of the law.

But even a spokesman for MVD says it does not honor the intent of the governors executive order.

NM REQUIRES A VIN INSPECTION: When you move to New Mexico from another state, you are required to get a VIN inspection when registering your vehicle. The Motor Vehicle Division says this is to be done by a certified VIN inspector to verify that the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the Certificate of Title corresponds with the vehicle. Registering a car from out-of-state requires an in-person appointment, impossible to get at the beginning of the pandemic and difficult to book until recently. (Go to mvd.newmexico.gov to check out what can be done online or to book your appointments.)

So Dave has struggled for the last week to get a certified VIN inspector to meet him at the tow yard, inspect the vehicle and fill out the magical form that shows his vehicle is indeed his vehicle. He needs that so he can then get an appointment at an MVD office to register his vehicle, then take the registration back to the tow yard and get his vehicle out of hock.

Easier said than done.

Dave says he called MVD Express and learned they have a five-month backlog. I called MVD Express and was told they dont do off-premises VIN inspections, though their website says clearly that they do. I filled out their email request for information and an appointment and have not heard back.

Welcome to the confusion.

But a little-known feature of our local law enforcement agencies is they have certified VIN inspectors  that includes the Albuquerque Police Department and the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office. Andrea Tuepell with APDs Criminal Enforcement Division, which oversees the Auto Theft Unit, says those officers do VIN inspections on Tuesdays between 8-11 a.m.  free for Albuquerque residents. Those are done at the North Valley substation, 5408 Second NW, and require the vehicle to be driveable or on a trailer. Call 823-4209 for an appointment. Tuepell says there is usually no backlog and the longest (wait) weve ever had is two to three weeks.

For folks who dont live in Albuquerque or, like Dave, need the inspector to meet them, APD does VIN inspections on Chiefs Overtime and charges just over $100. Call 768-2308 for an appointment.

Dave, who lives in Rio Rancho but whose car was towed to Albuquerque, was able to get a BCSO deputy whos certified as a VIN inspector to meet him at the tow yard Friday. BCSO spokesman and Deputy Joseph Montiel says the departments Mobile Community Action Team (MCAT) handles everything from lost hikers to abandoned vehicles.

Dave now has an appointment with MVD on Tuesday, and with any luck will get his car back that same day. While procrastinating got him into this, the help of law enforcement who understand we all make mistakes and this has been a year like no other got him out (fingers crossed).

Tuepell, who shares her APD office number if folks need some help navigating the system (768-2369), says the bottom line is weve gone through a tough year. If we can help anyone, thats what we do. We are here to help.

Editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.
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SANTA FE  New Mexico officials are opening up applications for the second round of cash payments to residents who are ineligible for federal stimulus funds, including immigrants in the country without legal permission.

The application window for the $5 million program opens Monday, the Human Services Department announced Thursday, and closes June 25.

Applicants must be New Mexico residents who didnt qualify for the $1,400 federal stimulus checks.

Immigrants in the country illegally were among those who applied in the last round, often using their tax identification numbers and state drivers licenses to prove residency.

Others eligible for the money include elderly residents who can be claimed as dependents by caretakers and others excluded by IRS rules.

The department says it will prioritize the lowest-income applicants and may dole out less than the $750 authorized by the state legislature in order to help the most people with the highest need. Around 15,000 people received checks of about $465 each from a similar round of state funding in December, excluding around half of those who applied.

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The New Mexico state legislature funds the program with an appropriation from federal pandemic relief funds. Cities like Albuquerque and Santa Fe have similarly aided residents ineligible for federal payments, using their own pandemic relief dollars.

State and local officials have also distributed billions of dollars in pandemic relief to businesses and individuals who are also eligible for direct federal relief payments.
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BANGKOK  Myanmars ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial Monday on charges that many observers say are an attempt by the junta that deposed her to eliminate her as a political force, erase the countrys democratic gains and cement the militarys power.

Suu Kyis prosecution poses yet another major setback for Myanmar, which had been making slow progress toward democracy when a February coup prevented elected lawmakers from her National League for Democracy party from taking office following last years landslide victory.

Human Rights Watch said that the allegations being heard in a special court in the capital, Naypyitaw, are bogus and politically motivated with the intention of nullifying the victory and preventing Suu Kyi from running for office again.

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This trial is clearly the opening salvo in an overall strategy to neuter Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy party as a force that can challenge military rule in the future, said Phil Robertson, the organizations deputy Asia director.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, responding to a question on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reaction to the trial, said the U.N. position is clear: We want her and all of the senior members of her administration to be freed.

The secretary-general has called for and continues to call for a reversal of the Feb. 1 coup and the restoration of the legitimate government of Myanmar, of whom Aung San Suu Kyi is a member, Haq said.

The army seized power on Feb. 1 before the new lawmakers could be seated, and arrested Suu Kyi, who held the post of special counsellor, President Win Myint and other members of her government and ruling party. The Southeast Asian country went seemingly overnight from an emerging democracy to the international pariah it had been for decades while under military rule.

The army justified its coup by alleging the government failed to properly investigate accusations of voting irregularities. Since then it has said it has found evidence of fraud  an assertion contested by the independent Asian Network for Free Elections and many others. Junta officials have threatened to dissolve the National League for Democracy and any conviction for Suu Kyi could see her barred from politics.

The junta has claimed it will hold new elections within the next year or two, but the countrys military has a long history of promising elections and not following through. The military ruled Myanmar for 50 years after a coup in 1962, and kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years after a failed 1988 popular uprising.

The militarys latest takeover sparked nationwide protests that continue despite a violent crackdown that has killed hundreds of people. Although street demonstrations have shrunk in number and scale, the junta now faces a low-level armed insurrection by opponents in both rural and urban areas.

The trial against the 75-year-old Suu Kyi is closed, but her lawyers said at the end of the days hearing that the prosecution began presenting its case.

Suu Kyi has been charged with illegally importing walkie-talkies for her bodyguards use, unlicensed use of the radios and spreading information that could cause public alarm or unrest, as well as for two counts of violating the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly breaking pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign, her lawyers said Sunday.

All these charges should be dropped, resulting in her immediate and unconditional release, said Human Rights Watchs Robertson. But sadly, with the restrictions on access to her lawyers, and the case being heard in front of a court that is wholly beholden to the military junta, there is little likelihood she will receive a fair trial.

Government prosecutors will have until June 28 to finish their presentation, after which Suu Kyis defense team will have until July 26 to present its case, Khin Maung Zaw, the teams senior member, said last week. Court sessions are due to be held on Monday and Tuesday each week.

Two other more serious charges against Suu Kyi are being handled separately: one for breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum 14-year prison term, and another for bribery, which has a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine.

Although Suu Kyi faced her first charge just days after the February coup, she not allowed her first face-to-face meeting with her lawyers until May 24, when she made her first actual appearance in court for a pre-trial hearing. Since then, she had another brief meeting with them before seeing them in court Monday.

A photo of her May 24 appearance released by state media showed her sitting straight-backed in a small courtroom, wearing a pink face-mask, her hands folded in her lap. Alongside her were her two co-defendants, the former president as well as the former mayor of Naypyitaw, Myo Aung.

More than four months since the coup, members of the U.N. team on the ground remain deeply concerned over the security forces use of violence, with reports of deaths and injuries on a daily basis, deputy spokesman Haq said.

The team reports at least 861 women, children and men killed since Feb. 1, thousands more injured and 4,800 people in detention including politicians, authors, human rights defenders, teachers, health care workers, civil servants, journalists, monks, celebrities and ordinary citizens, Haq said.

The U.N. calls on security forces again to protect civilians as widespread and systematic breaches of human rights law  such as extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture and ill treatment, and enforced disappearance  continue, Haq said.
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LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz.  A 16-year-old California boy has suffered critical injuries after his personal watercraft collided with a boat on Lake Havasu.

The Mohave County Sheriffs Office says the collision happened Saturday around 3:40 p.m. in the lakes North Basin.

The impact of the crash with the 28-foot (8.5- meter) boat threw the teen off his watercraft.

Authorities say the 49-year-old man steering the boat and other bystanders immediately called 911 and pulled the teen out of the water.

They took him to Lake Havasu State Park to meet paramedics.

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The teen, who is from Rialto, California, was later flown to a Las Vegas hospital.

He is listed in extremely critical condition.

The Mohave County Sheriffs Office Division of Boating Safety so far believes speed and operator behavior of the personal watercraft were contributing factors.

The incident remains under investigation.
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PHOENIX  The parents of a Texas man fatally shot five years ago by a Mesa police officer at an Arizona hotel has agreed to settle their legal claims against the city over their sons death.

The Arizona Republic reports that the city has declined to reveal how much it will pay to settle the lawsuit over the 2016 shooting death of 26-year-old Daniel Shaver of Granbury, Texas.

Then-Officer Philip Brailsford shot Shaver as Shaver lay on the ground outside his hotel room and was ordered to crawl toward officers.

Brailsford was charged with murder in Shavers death, but a jury acquitted him of the charge.

The newspaper reported that the city and police officers settled with Shavers parents on May 28 but have failed to reach an agreement with Shavers widow, Laney Sweet, and two children, court documents show.

Mesa refused to provide the settlement amount with Shavers parents until it finalizes the full terms of the settlement.

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Sweet filed a lawsuit in 2017 seeking $75 million in damages, alleging Shaver had not provoked the killing and the event could have been avoided if officers had investigated more.

Sweet, in a statement emailed to The Republic, said she looks forward to a trial date.

The U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil-rights violation investigation against Brailsford. The Mesa Police Department in March 2018 said the DOJ had subpoenaed the department for all documents about the January 2016 shooting.

Results from that investigation have not been released.

Mesa initially fired Brailsford, but he was later rehired to apply for a pension and then took medical retirement.
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ALEXANDRIA, La.  A man accused of killing a 19-year-old Louisiana woman in 2004 and dumping her body in Texas told people details that police never made public, a detective says.

Alexandria Police Detective Tanner Dryden told a judge that David Anthony Burns, 45, of Boyce, mentioned such details to two or three people, The Town Talk reported.

Burns is charged with second-degree murder of Courtney Coco during a robbery or attempted robbery on Oct. 3, 2004. Her body was found the next day in an abandoned building in Winnie, Texas, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Alexandria.

Dryden said a comforter was among items missing from Cocos home in Alexandria, and Burns told others that he smothered Coco with a pillow and wrapped her body in a comforter.

Dryden testified Monday at a bond hearing for Burns, who was indicted and arrested two months ago. Judge Mary Lauve Doggett rejected a defense request to cut bond from $500,000 to $50,000.

Dryden, Mondays only witness, said Burns was developed as a suspect in 2011 but investigators didnt have enough evidence to present to a grand jury until several people told police about Burns alleged statements.

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Defense attorney Christopher LaCour asked Dryden about DNA reportedly found on the trunk. Dryden said detectives found DNA from Coco and an unknown male, but at the time couldnt make a match.

He said he was getting a warrant for Burns DNA, but the sample was so tiny that he had been told it would be difficult to match.

Investigators believe Coco was killed in her home, where a safe was broken into, Dryden said.

A pretrial conference is scheduled Aug. 11.
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WASHINGTON  Democrats are committed to passing legislation this year to curb prescription drug prices, but theyre still disagreeing on how to cut costs for patients and taxpayers while preserving profits that lure investors to back potentially promising treatments.

It boils down to finding a balance: How big a stick should Medicare have to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies?

With hundreds of billions of dollars in potential savings, the stakes are enormous. Medicare spends upward of $200 billion a year on prescription drugs, a category that keeps growing as costly new drugs enter the market. An Alzheimers medication approved this past week comes with a price of $56,000 a year, for example, and co-payments could skyrocket for patients who use it.

A successful bill would advance a key plank of President Joe Bidens domestic agenda even as Democrats struggle to make progress on other fronts. Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices consistently wins strong public support in opinion polls.

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In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is steering legislation that imposes a steep tax on drugmakers that refuse to deal with Medicare, while using an average of prices in other economically advanced countries as a reference point for fair rates here. Her bill would limit price increases and allow private health plans to receive Medicares negotiated rates.

In the Senate, Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore, is also working to craft legislation. His starting point is a less ambitious bipartisan bill from a previous Congress. It would have limited price increases for drugs already on the market, but not initial prices. It would have capped Medicare recipients out-of-pocket costs for pharmacy drugs, which is in the Pelosi bill.

Wyden said he personally is convinced that its long past time to give Medicare the authority to negotiate better prices for prescription drugs. But cajoling enough votes in the Senate is another matter. Its unclear whether Wyden can even count on all the Democrats in the divided chamber or whether any Republicans would sign on.

Progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., want to use Medicares savings to create new benefits for dental, vision and hearing coverage. That would represent an historic expansion of a program thats under a lengthening financial shadow, its giant inpatient trust fund projected to be in the red in 2026.

Democrats are talking privately among themselves and organizing coalitions around different approaches. In public, they still sound like they can overcome their differences.

Democrats are going to pass Medicare prescription drug reform and Im going to be part of it, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., told The Associated Press. The first-term lawmaker has raised concerns that Pelosis approach is not a negotiation but a price control system. His voice matters because Auchincloss is helping lead a group of like-minded Democrats, and Pelosi cant afford to lose many votes.

The powerful and deep-pocketed drug industry lobby is closely engaged. Already, ads are stirring fears that government price controls will squelch development of breakthrough treatments.

Stephen Ubl, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said the industry wants to see lower out-of-pocket costs for patients, and believes that insurers and companies that manage prescription benefits must be scrutinized as well.

We would like to see a balanced drug pricing bill emerge from the Congress this year, Ubl told AP in a recent interview. He later added that our industry understands that there is going to be some pain involved in the process.

But so far the industry has given no indication that its willing to accept Medicare negotiations or significant curbs to its pricing power.

Health economist Len Nichols, who has advised Democrats in health care policy debates, said there is a logic behind the basic elements of Pelosis approach.

Youve got to have that reference price that is somewhat objective as a basis for negotiation, and then you have to have a way to compel the drug companies to come to the table, he said. Its directionally correct.

That said, getting the balance right would be critical.

Weve just experienced an amazing example of incredibly effective innovation, Nichols said, referring to COVID-19 vaccines that have pushed back a deadly pandemic in this country. Innovation is important, and the structure of any bargaining arrangement has to balance the need for affordability with the need to incentivize innovation.

The industrys success with COVID-19 vaccines comes with a big asterisk: Taxpayers have invested about $20 billion in research and development, manufacturing, and supply of vaccine candidates. Thats according to estimates by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which advocates for reducing federal deficits. Still, the money went to companies that knew what they were doing and they delivered.

Joshua Gordon, director of health policy for the budget group, said there is a clear trade-off between restraining drug prices and reducing incentives for innovation. But that doesnt mean a better balance cant be found.

Obviously the government creates a market for drugs through patents and (Food and Drug Administration) exclusivity, and there are clearly areas where the companies are taking advantage, he said.

Lawmakers arent necessarily tied to the approaches now on the table, Gordon added. They could follow of the example of Germany, where drugmakers set the initial price of a medication, but then a review process determines if its worth to keep paying that.

One of Pelosis top lieutenants said recently that he is open to discussing different approaches, but they have to include negotiating authority for Medicare.

We cant veer away from the basic idea that the government  should have the right to negotiate prices, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said on a call sponsored by the advocacy group Protect Our Care. I believe that the Democrats as a whole and some of the Republicans in the Senate will vote for that.
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The Latest on the NATO summit taking place in Brussels:

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BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden has paid tribute at NATOs 9/11 memorial as he wraps up his meeting with members of the military alliance.

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Biden crossed himself and stood silently Monday in front of the memorial at NATOs headquarters in Brussels, which features a steel beam from the World Trade Center. The installation pays tribute to the support NATO allies gave the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including the deployment of thousands of troops from NATO countries in Afghanistan.

Biden said earlier Monday that the United States own commitment to NATOs mutual defense pact for member countries is sacred.

Bidens NATO trip is meant to shore up U.S. relations with the alliance. President Donald Trump frequently questioned the value of military partnership, calling it obsolete.

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BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden says U.S. allies were shocked and surprised by the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, but they nevertheless are unconcerned about American leadership on the world stage.

Speaking Monday at the NATO summit in Brussels, Biden was pressed on how former President Donald Trumps baseless electoral challenges and the assault on the Capitol by his supporters were received overseas.

Biden says of American allies, They, like I do, believe the American people are not going to sustain that type of behavior.

He was sharply critical of Trump, blasting his phony populism and saying it was disappointing more Republicans havent permanently distanced themselves from him.

Biden says U.S. partners recognize that The Trump wing of the party is the bulk of the (Republican) party, but it makes up a significant minority of the American people.

The U.S. leader adds, I think this is passing  I dont mean easily passing  thats why its so important for me to succeed in my agenda.

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BRUSSELS __ Two days from his Wednesday meeting with Russias leader, President Joe Biden has called Vladimir Putin a worthy adversary but declined to say how hell measure the success of the meeting in advance.

Asked during a press conference after Mondays NATO summit about the upcoming meeting, Biden wouldnt offer any specifics on what hes hoping to gain from his time with Putin, saying only that theyll discuss areas where we can cooperate, and a warning that if Russia refuses to cooperate on things like cybersecurity we will respond in kind.

Biden said, however, that Putin is bright and tough and expressed hopes the Russian president would show interest in changing the perception the world has of him.

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BRUSSELS __ President Joe Biden says NATO will stand firm against alleged Russian and Chinese efforts to drive a wedge between members of the alliance.

Biden spoke Monday at the end of a NATO summit in Brussels that focused in part on challenges from those two countries.

Bidens comments at a press conference focused partly on what he called aggressive hacks by Russia, and other malicious cyberactivity.

Biden is calling NATO a strong foundation for continued building of security for the 30 member countries.

The meeting ended with a communique expressing strong concern about China as an alleged security challenge and threat to world order.

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BRUSSELS  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey would expect diplomatic, logistical and financial assistance from the United States if its to maintain a presence in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of NATO troops.

Turkey is reported to have offered to operate and protect Kabuls international airport after the departure of the NATO force.

Erdogan did not say if an agreement was reached on the issue but said Turkey wanted Pakistan and Hungary to be involved in a possible new mission.

The Turkish leader also said he had a constructive meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit and has invited him to visit to Turkey. Biden said he had a heavy schedule but could pay a visit, according to Erdogan.

Erdogan signaled that the two leaders failed to find a way to overcome differences over Turkeys purchase of the S-400 advanced Russian missile defense systems. The U.S. says the technology is a threat to NATO and has removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet program.

Our thoughts on the S-400 are the same as before, I relayed our same thoughts to Mr. Biden, Erdogan said.

Erdogan also called for an end to U.S. support to Syrian Kurdish militia, which Turkey considers to be terrorists affiliated to a Kurdish insurgency.

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BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden says he had a very good meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.

Bidens brief comment came after he and Erdogan met privately on Monday before being joined by other officials.

The two leaders spent in total more than an hour together.

Biden was expected to raise a range of issues with Erdogan, including Afghanistan, Syria and Turkeys purchase of advanced Russian missile systems which has complicated Washingtons relations with Ankara.

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BRUSSELS  French President Emmanuel Macron has downplayed NATOs wording in declaring China a global security challenge, saying it must not divert us from the heart of NATOs tasks.

In a news conference Monday, Macron said: I think it is very important not to scatter our efforts and not to have biases in our relation to China. Its much broader than the military topic: Its economic, strategic, about values and technological.

Macron called for not diverting NATO from its many other challenges, including the fight against terrorism and security issues related to Russia.

China is both a major power with which we are working on global issues to move forward together and a competitor, he said.

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MOSCOW  The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on a disputed espionage conviction, has released a statement from him calling for President Joe Biden to push for his release during the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an audio file distributed by Whelans family on Monday, he says: I implore you to bring this appalling case of hostage diplomacy to an end. I remain innocent. No crime of espionage occurred. The secret trial, without evidence, proves those facts.

He made the statement in a May 30 telephone call with his parents, the family said. Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and later sentenced to 16 years in prison. He claims he was in Russia only as a visitor.

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BRUSSELS  NATO leaders agree that China poses a constant security challenge and is working to undermine the global rules-based system, and they are worried about how fast its developing nuclear missiles.

In a summit statement Monday, the leaders said that Chinas goals and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.

While the 30 heads of state and government avoid calling China a rival, they did express concern about its coercive policies, the opaque ways it is modernizing its armed forces and its use of disinformation.

They called on Beijing to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power.

But the leaders also said they welcome opportunities to engage with China on things like climate change.

The statement, endorsed Monday at their summit in Brussels, lays out the military organizations stance on China for the first time. Diplomats say it was one of the hardest parts of the statement to draft.

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LONDON  Chinas Embassy in the U.K. reacted sharply Monday to the Group of Sevens post-summit statement that called out Chinas nonmarket policies and human rights abuses.

The embassy challenged the leaders of the worlds largest industrial nations for distorted remarks that slandered China and arbitrarily interfered in Chinas internal affairs.

This serious violation of the basic norms of international relations exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries, such as the United States, an unnamed embassy spokesperson said in the statement. We are strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this.

The G-7 leaders agreed to call on Beijing to respect human rights in Xinjiang, the remote western region where Chinese authorities are accused of committing serious rights abuses against the Uyghur minority, and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

The statement came after a push by U.S. President Joe Biden, who wanted to persuade fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front in its relations with Beijing.

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BRUSSELS  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the revival of a dialogue between NATO members Turkey and Greece to resolve long-standing disputes will serve stability and prosperity in the region.

Speaking at a German Marshall Fund think tank event held inside the NATO headquarters complex on Monday, Erdogan lamented, however, what he said was a lack of support by Turkeys NATO allies in its fight against terrorism. It was a veiled reference to Turkeys disappointment with U.S. military support for Syrian Kurdish fighters, who Ankara argues are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

Turkey is on the front line in the fight against terrorism in all relevant international platforms, especially NATO, Erdogan said, adding that some 4,000 Islamic State group fighters were neutralized in Turkish cross-border operations.

Turkey is the only NATO ally which has fought face-to-face and gave his young sons martyrs for this cause, Erdogan said. Unfortunately, we did not receive the support and solidarity we expected from our allies and partners in our fight against all forms of terrorism.

Last summer, a longstanding dispute between Turkey and Greece over boundaries and rights to natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean flared anew after Ankara sent energy research vessels into waters where Greece asserts jurisdiction.

Diplomats from the two countries have held two rounds of talks in recent months for the first time in five years, while the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey also held reciprocal visits.

I believe that reviving the channels of dialogue between (Turkey) and our neighbor and ally, Greece, and the resolution of bilateral issues will  serve the stability and prosperity of our region, Erdogan said.

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BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden has met with the leaders of three Baltic nations at the NATO summit in a move to reassure them of U.S. support before his Wednesday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

The White House says Biden met Monday with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia, President Egils Levits of Latvia, and President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania and underscored strong U.S. support for their security.

The White House added: The four leaders committed to further strengthening our political, military, and economic partnerships, including working together through NATO to address challenges posed by Russia and China.

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BRUSSELS  French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he wants to move forward with Turkey toward a demanding and respectful relationship, after meeting with the countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Both men talked Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. It was their first meeting since the dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October after Erdogan questioned Macrons mental health.

Macron said he wants all NATO allies to make a clear commitment to the military organizations values, principles and rules, according to the French presidency.

Both men discussed Libya and Syria issues, the Elysee said. Macron has notably accused Turkey of flouting its commitments by ramping up its military presence in Libya and bringing in jihadi fighters from Syria.

Macron also highlighted that Frances secularism respects all religions, including Islam. The French presidency said a clarification was needed in response to Erdogans tough criticism of Macrons attitude toward Islam and Muslims, as the French government proposed a law to fight Islamist radicals.

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BRUSSELS  Italian Premier Mario Draghi made a not-so-subtle dig at former U.S. President Donald Trump in welcoming Biden to NATO and back into the European fold.

This summit is a continuation of yesterdays G7 and is part of the process of reaffirming, of rebuilding the fundamental alliances of the United States that had been weakened by the previous administration, he said. Think that President Bidens first visit is to Europe and try to remember where President Trumps first visit was?

We are here to reaffirm these alliances, but also to reaffirm the importance of the European Union in all of this: a stronger European Union means a stronger NATO, he added.

Trumps first trip was to Saudi Arabia.

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BRUSSELS  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says NATO leaders do not see China as an adversary in the same way that the military organization views Russia, but that they must come to terms with the Asian giants growing influence.

Johnson told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels Monday that China is a gigantic fact in our lives and a new strategic consideration for NATO.

He says I dont think anybody around the table today wants to descend into a new Cold War with China.

He says the leaders of the 30-nation alliance see challenges, they see things that we have to manage together, but they also see opportunities, and I think that what we need to do is to do it together.

NATO leaders are set to endorse a communique later laying out their view of China and how its rising influence and the security challenges it poses should be managed.

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BRUSSELS President Joe Biden is reaffirming the U.S. commitment to NATOs mutual-defense pact as he makes his first visit to the alliance since taking office.

After meeting Monday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shortly arriving at the alliances headquarters in Brussels, Biden says the U.S. takes Article 5, which guarantees that an attack on one NATO nation is considered an attack against all, as a sacred obligation.

He adds: I just want all of Europe to know that the United States is there. The United States is there.

Biden said the alliance is essential for America and said he looked forward to discussing challenges from Russia and China with other leaders at the daylong summit.

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BRUSSELS  Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says NATO allies are looking to put the past behind them, after four stormy years under the Trump administration and infighting between member countries.

De Croo said at a NATO summit Monday that were coming out of turbulent times, where we had major disagreements on a lot of things that are really at the basis of this alliance.

He says that I think now we are ready to turn the page.

Trump routinely berated other NATO countries for not spending enough on defense and even threatened to pull the U.S. out of the worlds biggest security organization.

Rows have also simmered between Turkey, France and Greece over aggressive Turkish military actions in the Mediterranean and Ankaras contentious energy exploration work in waters off Cyprus.

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BRUSSELS  German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Russian disinformation is one issue that will be discussed at Mondays NATO summit.

Merkel said as she arrived at the gathering that hybrid challenges are a growing issue  cyberattacks, and particularly with a view to Russia, of course, disinformation campaigns. She added that many allies in NATO, including Germany, are affected.

Merkel said the summit also will discuss the situation in Ukraine, where we see great challenges, of course, and the situation in Belarus.

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva later this week.
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SUPERIOR, Ariz.  A flare-up with an ongoing wildfire in south-central Arizona is leading to the evacuation of two rural communities.

The Gila County Sheriffs Office on Monday urged the community of El Capitan, which stretches on both sides of State Route 77, to evacuate. The community of Dripping Springs has also been affected.

An estimated 60 households between both places have been evacuated, said Carl Melford, Gila County emergency manager.

The American Red Cross has shelters at High Desert Middle School in Globe and at Skyline High School in Mesa.

Fire officials say fire lines are holding around a majority of the so-called Telegraph Fire, which is at 74% containment. The blaze, which was human-caused, was first reported June 4 less than 2 miles (3 kilometers) southeast of Superior. It has burned more than 137.5 square miles (97 square kilometers) and destroyed 22 structures.

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Fire officials had initially estimated reaching full containment by June 20.

Meanwhile, evacuation orders lasted less than a day for a fire burning a few miles east of Cornville in northern Arizona. An estimated 600 people were initially told to evacuate but the order was lifted by Sunday night, said Tiffany Davila, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. The fire, which was first reported earlier in the day, led to an evacuation area from east of Page Springs Road between Windmill Lane and the Oak Creek Vineyards, officials said.

The fire has grown to nearly 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) and has not yet been fully contained.

The Sedona Fire District is assisting even though there are currently no evacuation concerns for Sedona residents.
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DENVER  Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has rejected a request by Colorados Republican congressional delegation to stop paying jobless residents $300 extra a week in federal pandemic relief. The GOP representatives argue the payment, scheduled to run through Sept. 6, is hurting business by deterring unemployed workers from seeking jobs.

U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn, Ken Buck and Lauren Boebert noted in a Friday letter to Polis that Colorado restaurants and numerous other firms are struggling to hire workers. Many states led by Republican governors have ended the supplemental benefit.

We have to stop paying people that should be working to sit at home on the couch, Boebert said in a statement. Its well past time for the government to end COVID bonuses and stop disincentivizing work.

Colorado Politics reports that Polis rejected the proposal, arguing in part that the benefit is helping business. If Colorado ended these benefits prematurely, it would harm individuals, business owners, and the broader economy, he wrote.

Colorado is offering its own cash incentives for job seekers. A Jumpstart program rewards those getting hired by months end with up to $1,600 in incentives.

The state labor department reports that some 3,800 new claims for regular state benefits were filed last week, the lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic began.

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In the Rio Grande Basin, the water management challenges posed by a highly variable and extremely limited water supply have been exacerbated in recent decades by prolonged drought, combined with increasing basin temperatures. Water scarcity plays a key role in water management. Climate change projections, such as those developed by the Bureau of Reclamation, indicate water supply in this basin is decreasing, while demand for that water, even without further development, is increasing as a result of increasing temperatures. Timing and spatial distribution of water availability is also changing, placing new demands on existing operational strategies and physical infrastructure. Water managers are now planning for a hotter, drier and even more variable future.

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) had no formal way to assess drought conditions and, therefore, had no policies in place to modify operations to respond to different drought stages. Through a grant under Reclamations WaterSMART Drought Response Program, the MRGCD developed a drought contingency plan that includes an innovative drought contingency tool to calculate a monthly drought status and corresponding triggers for drought severity designations. MRGCD is testing the system internally this year and hopes to begin posting a monthly drought status to its website next year. This status update will allow the districts farmers, as well as other water users such as municipalities, to know what actions they might expect from the district in response to drought status. This tool was designed to enhance consistency of drought mitigation actions and improve stakeholder outreach during water-short times. It also allows all water management agencies to share information and operate based on consistent drought level indicators. Other districts could use this approach for drought monitoring and management.

For several decades, Reclamation has been leasing water, which it releases strategically to meet the needs of the endangered species in the basin, including the Rio Grande silvery minnow and southwestern willow flycatcher. Although most of these leases of supplemental water are made by Reclamation, under dire conditions during the summer of 2018, Reclamation entered into a partnership with the Audubon Society of New Mexico to release nearly 1,000 acre-feet of water to keep a reach of the Rio Grande from drying up. Reclamation hopes to continue to make such partnerships in the future, and to make better use of the state of New Mexicos strategic water reserve in order to share the responsibility for maintaining river flows with local water management partners and non-governmental organizations.

In response to diminishing supplies of water in the Rio Grande Basin, Reclamation and the MRGCD have initiated a pilot leasing program for irrigation water within the MRGCD service area. The program is being coordinated by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through a 5-year cooperative agreement funded by Reclamation. The program aims to build tools and operational flexibility needed to support river flows  in balance with irrigation needs  through efficiency gains and water transactions. This is the first program of this type in this reach of the Rio Grande. The pilot leasing program is a commitment by both Reclamation and MRGCD to the 2016 Middle Rio Grande Biological Opinion (USFWS, 2016).

An example partnership includes Reclamations Cooperative Agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Next steps include implementing, testing and monitoring several initiatives in two key areas: (1) improving deliveries to the river, including enhancing the benefits of those deliveries for species; and (2) decreasing irrigation demand through infrastructure efficiency, operational changes and late-season forbearance by irrigators.

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Santiago Maestas is a participant in the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District Conservation Advisory Committee and the Bureau of Reclamation New Mexico Basin Study Community Organizations Sector committee.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Bernalillo County Sheriffs detectives have arrested a man they say shot at a deputy 2 weeks ago.

No one was injured in the shooting.

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Ryan Dunn, 44, was arrested on Friday. He is charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer and prosecutors have asked that he be held pending trial.

The public was not informed of the shooting until Monday, breaking from the practice of other local law enforcement agencies which typically inform the media  and therefore the public  of such incidents shortly after they occur.

The incident occurred the night of May 27 as a deputy was driving eastbound on Interstate 40 in a marked patrol unit. A black truck began to drive recklessly around her, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, and it stayed in front of her as she turned onto southbound Interstate 25.

The deputy worried that the other driver was trying to bait her into conducting a traffic stop so she and other deputies made a plan for the other deputies to pull it over near the Sunport.

The deputy exited at Gibson, but an unrelated vehicle was in the way and so the truck could not change lanes to follow her, according to the complaint.

The black truck stayed on the freeway and as the deputy began to drive off the off ramp, at least one gunshot was fired at the deputys patrol vehicle, a detective wrote in the complaint. This incident was recorded on the dashcam of the unit.

The deputy tried to turn around and give chase but the truck got away.

Investigators examined the area the next day and found one defect on the guard rail with a copper jacket of a missile underneath the defect and multiple defects in the dirt that appear to be where bullets had impacted the dirt.

BCSO spokeswoman Jayme Fuller said she can confirm that multiple shots were fired.

However, the exact number will not be released until Dunn has had his detention hearing, which has not happened yet, Fuller said.

The dashboard camera video showed the suspected vehicle was a Toyota Tundra with aftermarket tires, black rims and silver door handles, according to the complaint. It was found the following day abandoned near the South Broadway neighborhood and towed away by a property owner.

Deputies visited the tow yard and executed a search warrant  finding a shell casing, multiple firearms, cellphones, the Nevada drivers license of Ryan Dunn and narcotics, according to the complaint. The trucks Nevada license plate was registered to Dunn.

When the detective called Dunn he said his truck had been stolen along with his wallet and cellphones. However, deputies pointed out holes in his story including that he flew home to Nevada using a credit card with a photo of him on it as an ID and that he took Spirit Airlines  which does not fly out of the Sunport.

Dunn later claimed he had been surrounded by vehicles driven by whites, Mexicans and reds and they had forced him off the freeway and then forced him out of the truck at gunpoint.

On June 7, detectives analyzed his cellphone records and found that both his cellphones were in the area of the shooting at the time it occurred, according to the complaint. The description the deputy gave of the man who shot at her matched Dunn.

Doug Wilber, Dunns public defender, said while its very early on in the case, its important to remember that although the allegations are serious, they are just allegations.

Hell be represented by me throughout the process so well be careful to make sure that his rights are upheld in whatever court hearings there are, Wilber said.

In response to a question about why the public was not notified of the shooting earlier, Fuller  whose title is sheriff transparency and public information coordinator  said, This individual tried to potentially murder one of our deputies. We take this very seriously. Our priority was to maintain the investigations integrity, which led to the successful apprehension of this dangerous offender.

Fuller added that it appeared the Journal is constantly asking why we dont notify the public and she accused reporters of wanting a press release in order to get the scoop first.

In light of this, this is the last time we are going to address the issue, Fuller wrote in an email. We release information in a time and manner that we determine when it is feasible to do so and in the overall interest of both justice and the public interest.

The Journal has previously reported that the agency let months go by without alerting the public about two homicides that occurred in its jurisdiction.
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BUTTE, Mont.  A central Colorado man was charged with deliberate homicide Monday in the weekend stabbing death of a woman at a residence in Butte, Butte-Silver Bow County officials said.

Carmen Edwards, 38, was stabbed at noon Saturday, Sheriff Ed Lester said. She was declared dead shortly after she arrived at the hospital.

Ronald Walter Roberts of Salida, Colorado, made an initial appearance in Justice Court Monday morning. Justice of the Peace Jimm Kilmer set Roberts bail at $250,000.

Roberts, 46, did not enter a plea. His case has been assigned to the public defenders office. Officials there did not immediately return a phone call seeking to learn if Roberts had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Edwards and Roberts had come to Butte about two weeks ago from Colorado, officials said.

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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The share of fully vaccinated adults in New Mexico inched up to 57.9% on Monday as the state began its final push to a goal of 60%.

The state is 34,738 vaccinations short of its goal.

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The Department of Health is offering $100 to anyone who either gets the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Thursday or the second of the two shots required for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

Federal stimulus funding is covering the cost.

The vaccine is free, no insurance is required and registration is available at vaccinenm.org.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration plans to lift business capacity restrictions about two weeks after 60% of the states population is fully vaccinated.

The target applies to residents 16 and older.

The percentage of fully vaccinated residents climbed 0.3 percentage points, from 57.6% on Friday to 57.9% on Monday.

In its daily update Monday, the Department of Health reported:

 230 new COVID-19 cases in the state for the three-day period ending Monday, including 57 cases in Bernalillo County.

 Five more coronavirus-related deaths, pushing the statewide total to 4,302. Four of the five deaths reported Monday happened within the last 30 days, including two women and a man from Bernalillo County, all in their 70s.

 89 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in New Mexico, a 15% decline since the beginning of the month.
Instagram Celebrity

An obsessed male fan has been taken into police custody after showing up at the house that belongs to the youngest Jenner daughter and refusing to leave.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - A man has been arrested for trespassing at Kylie Jenner's home.

The 35 year old refused to leave the property when confronted by security guards and insisted he wanted to see Kylie and profess his love to her in person.

TMZ sources claim the reality TV star was not home at the time of the incident and her security staff detained the man until police officers arrived.

It's not the first time he showed up at Kylie's home in Los Angeles, but he has previously left when asked by security.

The unnamed man was charged with misdemeanour trespassing before being released.

This is the latest alarming incident for the Kardashian-Jenner family after Kylie's sister Kim Kardashian was recently granted a temporary restraining order against an alleged stalker who wanted to "pursue a physical relationship" with her.

Charles Peter Zelenoff managed to find her home and "filmed videos outside the edge of her property."

The "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star is particularly concerned because she has never shared her address.

Meanwhile, their sister Kendall Jenner's alleged stalker was recently sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Shaquan King was arrested in March (21) after he was caught swimming naked in Kendall's pool and was later taken into custody for felony stalking after showing up at Kylie's gated community.

King recently took a deal and pleaded no contest to one count of trespassing and one count of loitering with the intent of committing a crime. He has been sentenced to 180 days in jail.
Facebook Celebrity

The 'Hall of Fame' rapper has been taken into police custody after he allegedly hurled threats at Miami police officers following the release party of his new album.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - Rapper Polo G was arrested on Saturday morning (12Jun21) following an incident after the release party for his new album, "Hall of Fame".

The star, real name Taurus Bartlett, was taken into custody in Miami, Florida and charged with battery on a police officer, threats to a public servant, resisting an officer with violence to his person, resisting an officer without violence to his person, and criminal mischief.

He was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

A police report also suggests Bartlett hurled threats at police officers as he was taken into custody.

A Miami Police spokesman has tweeted, "The Miami Police Department is aware of the incident involving Mr. Taurus Bartlett, also known as Polo G, and another male juvenile. We will provide updates as they become available. The department has initiated a review of this incident, which will include an examination of all camera footage to ensure adherence to departmental policy and law."

Bartlett's mother and manager, Stacia Mac, has defended the rapper, accusing police officers of stopping his vehicle "because they were driving while Black."

"None of these charges would be possible if the POLICE did not make contact with my son Polo G!!!" she writes. "He was NOT the driver. He was a PASSENGER in a professionally licensed vehicle with security. He was moving smart and correctly. What more could he have done (sic)."

Meanwhile, the rapper tweeted, "1 of the officers told us they was on us since we got Off our Jet..... They playin foul in Miami & dat s**t been like that for a minute."
Instagram Celebrity

The president of the United States and First Lady Jill Biden flew to London following three-day summit of leaders of the world's wealthy democracies in Cornwall, in southwestern England.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - President of the United States Joe Biden met Queen Elizabeth II during his last set-piece event on Sunday, June 13 before concluding the U.K. leg of his overseas trip. Things went smoothly aside from Biden apparently breaking royal protocol during the meeting.

According to a report by Newsweek, Biden made a mistake when he and First Lady Jill Biden arrived at Windsor Castle on helicopter Marine One for a military Guard of Honor and tea with the British monarch. According to a former royal butler, the president had his signature aviator sunglasses on when he met the Queen, while "he should have removed them."

Grand Harrold, who used to work for Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, claimed to the news outlet that Biden was allowed to wear his shades to the event. However, he was required to remove his sunglasses when he greeted Elizabeth.

"If you're meeting the queen face-to-face there's no sunglasses or anything like that at all because eye contact is quite important with any introduction," Harrold explained. "It's fine for Biden to have had sunglasses on but he should have removed them when he actually met the queen."

He continued, "Everyone else has to, it doesn't matter who you are, even royals remove sunglasses when they meet royals. It's one of those rules I always write about in my etiquette texts. It is a breach of protocol. I get the sun might have been shining in his eyes but the queen didn't have sunglasses on. Jill, the first lady, didn't have sunglasses on."

Biden and his wife flew to London following three-day summit of leaders of the world's wealthy democracies in Cornwall, in southwestern England. When they left the dais, the president tried to offer the Queen an elbow, though the 95-year-old monarch declined. She opted to use the handrail. Biden and wife reportedly spent a full hour with the queen before boarding helicopter for the return trip to London.

At Heathrow Airport, Biden recalled their meeting to reporters. "We had a long talk. She was very generous," POTUS said, 'I don't think she'd be insulted but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity."
WENN/Instagram/FayesVision Celebrity

The Tiffany 'Pennsatucky' Doggett depicter on 'Orange Is the New Black' looks emotional after Anne Cline proposes to her at a bar and grill in Panama City, Florida.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - Congratulations are in order to Taryn Manning. Having gotten engaged to her artist girlfriend Anne Cline, the actress portraying Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett on "Orange Is the New Black" is said to be "thrilled" with their engagement.

The 42-year-old's now-fiancee is also "thrilled" to have proposed to the actress, according to TMZ. The proposal itself took place on Friday evening, June 11 at a bar and grill in Panama City, Florida.

In a video published by TMZ, Anne was seen performing a song before hopping down into the crowd to get down on one knee. As she popped the question, Taryn looked overwhelmed with emotion as she covered her face with her hands.

Taryn then kissed her musician fiancee on the lips before the latter put the engagement ring on her finger. After the big moment, someone took the microphone and told everyone to give the newly-engaged couple a hand and the crowd erupted in applause. The "Sons of Anarchy" alum herself told TMZ, "It was the easiest YES I ever said!"

It was unclear how long Taryn has been dating Anne, who fronts a band called Cline Street. The pair, however, were photographed together in March this year. In some pictures that surfaced online, they were seen walking side-by-side as they were joined by two puppies.

For the outing, the "Cleveland Abduction" star opted to go with a gray jacket, matching sweatpants and flip flop slides. Her companion, meanwhile, donned a black Calvin Klein outfit that she paired with white sneakers.

Taryn has long been private about her love life. Back in 2017, however, she revealed that she had dated women in the past despite identifying herself as straight. "I'm not gay, meaning I love men," she said in an interview with PEOPLE. "I love gay people. I've experimented. It's good. I just prefer men."
Instagram Celebrity

Having met each other in the U.K. in early June, the Duchess of Cambridge and the wife of President Joe Biden stress the importance of nurturing parents, guardians and caregivers.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - Catherine Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Jill Biden have co-written an article on early childhood education.

The 39-year-old royal and the 70-year-old First Lady of the United States, who was a lifelong teacher before her husband Joe Biden was elected President last year (November 2020), met in the U.K. last week (ends June 11) and discussed their ideas on nurturing young children.

"We both believe that part of this vision for the future must include a fundamental shift in how our countries approach the earliest years of life," they wrote in an opinion piece for CNN. "If we care about how children perform at school, how they succeed in their careers when they are older, and about their lifelong mental and physical health, then we have to care about how we are nurturing their brains, their experiences and relationships in the early years before school."

The pair also spoke about the importance of nurturing parents, guardians and caregivers.

"We can all do our part by valuing the role of mothers, fathers and caregivers," they said. "If we want strong economies and strong societies, we need to make sure that those raising and caring for children get the support they need."

"We can all make sure that the parents in our lives - the young couple who lives next door, the single mother or father we work with or the brother or sister raising their first child - feel valued, supported, and cared for. We also need to value those who work with babies and young children; they play an essential part in the future of our communities."

"As we look to a post-pandemic future, there are few issues more worthy of our attention than the transformative power of early childhood care and education for our communities and nations. We look forward to championing this work in the years to come."
WENN/Derrick Salters/Lia Toby Celebrity

While looking back at one of his first tasks as music video helmer, the 'Panic Room' actor praises 'The Social Network' director for having 'a grasp of storytelling and film.'

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - David Fincher helped give his future "Panic Room" star Forest Whitaker his start as a director.

The Oscar winner was just starting out after leaving college and he landed a job at Propaganda Films, where bosses were interested in snapping up a screenplay he had written, and one of his first tasks was directing a music video.

"My first music video was 'Thanks for My Child' by Cheryl 'Pepsii' Riley and in order for me to be able to do it, they had to assign someone who would oversee, and David was the person that was assigned to oversee my very first music video," Forest tells Deadline. "I went and shot it, and he came by and gave me the thumbs up."

And Whitaker admits he has always enjoyed working with Fincher, calling him "a brilliant filmmaker."

"I've worked with so many different types of filmmakers, from the Robert Altmans to the Oliver Stones, Scorseses, Eastwoods and I think that David has a grasp of storytelling and film," he gushes.

"I think he's able to use [technical expertise] to bring out great storytelling, to zero in on something really well, and I really liked working with him."

During the chat, Whitaker also talks about his critically-acclaimed portrayal of Bumpy Johnson in "Godfather of Harlem". He explains, "[Johnson]'s a very complicated guy. He was always a leader, I think. He wanted to be a lawyer. He tried to get into law school, they wouldn't take him because of his color, and he ended up going into the only business that he had access to."

"He became kind of like a banker, but then at certain times, he's a poet. He's a master chess player. He's a family man, a drug dealer, all of these things. He's a very complicated character who cares deeply about his family, yet has abandoned his daughter because of her drug addiction, which is another contradiction of the education of [Johnson]."
WENN/Adriana M. Barraza Celebrity

Just one day before she spends time with her British ex-husband, the 'Salt' actress was photographed taking a stroll in New York City in a white chic ensemble.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - Angelina Jolie might have rekindled her romance with her former husband Jonny Lee Miller. More than two decades since she split from the British native, the "Those Who Wish Me Dead" actress was spotted visiting his apartment in New York City as she brought a bottle of Peter Michael Wine.

On Friday evening, June 11, the 46-year-old Oscar winner was seen entering her ex's apartment building in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Dumbo. In one picture obtained by Page Six, she was seen wearing a long tan trench coat over her outfit and a Louis Vuitton handbag.

According to the outlet, the Thena depicter in "Eternals" spent time with the "Elementary" alum inside the building for three hours. She was captured leaving his flat at around 10:30 P.M. as she put her face mask on.

Jolie and Miller, who first met on the set of the 1995 movie "Hackers", tied the knot in March 1966. The pair called it quits in September 1997 before officially filing for divorce in 1999. The "Salt" actress, however, previously admitted that she regretted their separation. When speaking to B magazine in 2004, she allegedly said their divorce "was probably the dumbest thing I've ever done."

Just one day before stopping by Miller's place, Jolie was captured taking a stroll in the Red Hook neighborhood in Brooklyn. One snap published by Washington Dailies saw her rocking a white chic ensemble with nude colored ballet flats and a $5,400 Louis Vuitton "Capucines" bag.

Jolie and her six children have been in New York since June 7 to celebrate her belated birthday, as reported by Page Six. This came just a few weeks after her ex-husband Brad Pitt was granted joint custody over their kids.

Despite the court's decision, Jolie allegedly will still fight against Pitt to have primary custody over their kids. "[Angelina] will never forgive him," a source spilled to Us Weekly. "[She will use] everything she's got [to appeal the arrangement]. She maintains it's far from over and still believes that justice will prevail."
Celebrity

The Oscar-winning actor is reported to have died in his sleep while surrounded by his family at his home on Sunday, leaving his wife, Sandra Johnson and his eight children as well as his grandchildren.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - Ned Beatty has passed away at the age of 83. The death of the actor, who famously voiced the Lotso Bear character in "Toy Story 3", was confirmed by his manager who stated that it was due to natural causes.

The family of the Kentucky-born actor told TMZ that he died in his sleep on Sunday, June 13 while being surrounded by family at his home. Though no further information about the circumstances of his death was immediately available, the family declared that it was unrelated to COVID-19.

Following Ned's passing, stars and pals quickly took to social media to express their grief. Actor Ralph Macchio tweeted, "Ned Beatty. Superb character actor - my fave being his brilliantness in NETWORK (one of the greatest screenplays and films of all time) So ahead of its time. And same for Mr. Beatty. RIP." "Aliens" actor Lance Henriksen also penned, "Another huge loss for the acting community."

In the meantime, "Sweet Home Alabama" screenwriter Douglas Eboch posted a tweet that read, "Ned Beatty was a fantastic actor with so many great credits and memorable roles. But I will always remember him for that time he dropped by burgers and beer night at my fraternity at USC." He continued praising the late actor, "He was so friendly and down to earth. RIP."

Ned was once described as "the busiest actor in Hollywood" with his career that lasted five decades. He made his acting debut in "Deliverance", but he was best renowned for his memorable monologue in "Network" from 1976. His role in the hit comedy-drama film earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 1976 Oscars.

The legendary actor also took part in hit productions including "Superman", "Friendly Fire", "All the President's Men", "Nashville", "Captain America", "Prelude to a Kiss", "Hear My Song" and "Shooter" as well as countless more.

Ned is survived by his wife, Sandra Johnson and his eight children as well as grandchildren.
WENN/Apega Celebrity

In a new PSA for the non-profit RepresentUs, the 'Hunger Games' actress accuses some 'radical' Republicans of 'gerrymandering' as they are working to pass stricter voting regulations.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - Jennifer Lawrence has some words to say to some "radical" Republicans. Claiming that they are "dismantling" America's rights to vote by working to pass stricter voting regulations, "The Hunger Games" actress accused them of "cheating."

The 30-year-old shared her message in a PSA for the non-profit RepresentUs on behalf of the For the People Act. "Whatever your personal politics are, whatever side of the aisle you find yourself on, you need to know that your vote matters and the outcome of our elections are not maneuvered and manipulated," she said in the clip shared on Thursday, June 10.

"In Texas, Georgia and Florida and 44 other states, there's a radical wing of the Republican Party that is actively dismantling America's right to vote because they don't have the numbers to win otherwise," she added. "Without Gerrymandering or shutting down hundreds of voting facilities within reach of minorities, and specifically targeting and carving out people of color, they can't win. But this is cheating and it is not democracy."

"There's a law in the Senate right now called the For the People Act and it can reverse these anti-voting laws and it can stop billionaires from being able to buy our elections," the Oscar winner continued. "It even says that all voting machines need to be made here in the U.S. But it's going to take a lot of pressure from us to get it to pass."

Jennifer went on to urge viewers to contact their respective senators with the help of RepresentUs. She then concluded her message by stating, "Let the politicians bicker and throw tantrums, let's just make sure they remember who they work for."

Jennifer's PSA came just a few days after West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin declared that he will vote against the "partisan bill." When speaking on "Fox News Sunday", Joe said, "It's the wrong piece of legislation to bring our country together and unite our country, and I'm not supporting that because I think it would divide us more. I don't want to be in a country that's divided any further."
WENN/Nicky Nelson Celebrity

Prior to the robbery, which took place on Sunday morning outside a Manhattan hotel, a 25-year-old man named Byron Morales from Brooklyn was fatally shot outside the same hotel.

Jun 14, 2021

AceShowbiz - French Montana's driver reportedly was assaulted and robbed outside a Manhattan hotel on Sunday morning, June 13. The incident took place outside the Chelsea hotel, where a man was fatally shot just three days ago, according to PageSix.

The news outlet reported that the rapper's 18-year-old was targetted because of his $300,000 Richard Mille Watch and a $40,000 gold Cuban link chain. Both items were taken by the culprits, who were two men in black asks.

The assailants allegedly approached the driver around 4.50 A.M. when he was standing outside his car. They hit him before trying to take the chain off his neck. The driver refused to take to give in, prompting one of the men to brandish a gun and fire at the ground. In fear for his life, the driver eventually gave them his watch and necklace before they fled the scene with his valuables.

Prior to the robbery, a 25-year-old man named Byron Morales from Brooklyn was killed outside the same hotel. He was shot on his torso when he was reportedly leaving dinner at Tao Downtown Restaurant.

French, meanwhile, was said to be staying at the hotel. Rumor has it, the rapper is in New York City to film visuals for his new single.

The "Unforgettable" rapper recently released his latest song and music video for "FWMGAB" or "F**k With Me Get a Bag" which earned praises from P. Diddy. Calling the track "song of the summer," the rap mogul gushed in an Instagram video, "We make hits. We been making hits all yall lives. Your whole lives, ever since yall been born. Even before you were thought of, we been making hits. And we not gone stop this summer, alright? Song of the summer."
Breezy and near normal temperatures will start the work week, but those seasonal days will be short-lived, as an extreme heat wave is set for mid to late week. High pressure is strengthing in the Desert Southwest, working to push a weak storm to our north further north into British Columbia. That will bring breezy conditions, primararily out of the southwest, for the first week days of the week.

But as that ridge of high pressure begins to completely dominate the West Coast by Wednesday, look for triple digits to return and then excessive triple digits and very warm overnight lows Thursday through Saturday. Valley daytime highs are expected to be up around records, near 110 or higher.

It looks like the triple digits will hang around through next weekend with no relief in sight until next Monday or Tuesday.

The heat wave has prompted the National Weather Service to issue an Excessive Heat Watch for Thursday through Saturday. This means the heat can be extremely dangerous for sensitive groups. It's advised to stay indoors during daytime hours and find a cool place to hang out if you don't have air conditioning.
Good morning, North State. Here's what you need to know to start your day on June 14.

California will reopen Tuesday from pandemic restrictions

Today marks the last day of statewide pandemic restrictions in California. When the clock strikes midnight later tonight, there will be no capacity limits for any businesses. People will not have to practice social distancing whether you are an attendee, a customer or guest of a business and in most settings, if you are fully vaccinated you can ditch the mask.

Brothers Fire burned 63 acres near Gridley-Biggs Cemetery

CAL FIRE firefighters are mopping up a weekend burn in Butte County Monday morning. The Brother's Fire was 40% contained at 63 acres as it broke out Sunday near Highway 99 and the Gridley-Biggs Cemetery. Train service near the area was stopped temporarily and some crews remain there patrolling the fire area watching for hotspots.

North State Traffic Alerts: Segments of Highway 99 in Sacramento closed through Wednesday morning

If you're traveling Highway 99 through Sacramento, you'll find a complete closure from 47th Ave. to U.S. 50. CalTrans asks that you use Interstate 5 instead as the closures will continue through 4 a.m. Wednesday. Work crews are replacing the bridge deck on Highway 99 at first ave. to extend the life of the 62-year-old bridge.

Nationwide gas prices rise two cents in three weeks

If you're are filling up your gas tank this morning, expect to dig deeper into your wallet. The average price nationwide is up two cents over the last three weeks, at $3.13 per gallon. The highest price in the country is right here in California at $4.31 a gallon in the San Francisco Bay Area. The lowest average was $2.60 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

District Attorney identifies victim dragged behind motorcycle in Red Bluff

In court on Monday is the setting of a new trial date for an accused killer Ray Cain Jr. of Cottonwood which had an original trial date of May 26. In the motorcycle dragging death of Johnny Gregory. Police say Cain dragged Gregorys body behind his motorcycle during a police pursuit on Feb. 8, until the rope broke. Cain was arrested after he crashed. He's due in court Monday at 8 a.m.

American Legion to host first flag retirement ceremony

The first annual flag retirement ceremony by American Legion Post 705. Monday is National Flag Day and in recognition, Post-705 will be at the Sutter Cemetery at 9 a.m. Monday morning. There the legion will properly retire close to a thousand flags. The Chico Boy Scouts, the local Lion's Club and other groups will be in attendance.

Climate activist finish walk from Paradise to Bay Area

A group of young climate activists from paradise arrived in San Francisco after a 226-mile journey. The seven northern Californians are working with the Sunrise movement, a national coalition of climate activists. These young activists hope to encourage Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein to support a civilian climate corps. The CCC is a proposal of the green new deal, to employ thousands of climate-focused workers.
AKVO Atmospheric Water Systems Pvt Ltd, the largest AWG manufacturers of the country, strengthened their foothold in the B2C segment, with a breakthrough campaign #OwnYourWater. The pioneering campaign showcases, in a witty way, how water can literally come from thin air. Indeed, when people have their own access to drinking water, they have to be at the mercy of large corporations with deep pockets overcharging them for something that is our basic right. One should not have to keep buying water containers, keep changing filters, keep calling our local shops for a refill every time they are thirsty. It is time to change the system, so the next world war is not fought for mans most basic need. It is time to de-commodify the worlds biggest commodity.

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Elaborating about the campaign, Mr. Navkaran Singh Bagga, Founder and CEO AKVO Atmospheric Water Systems Pvt Ltd stated, Through this campaign we wanted to send out a simple yet strong message of #OwnYourWater. In India, less than 50% of the population has no access to safe drinking water and about 200,000 people die every year for the lack of clean water. Half a billion of the world face severe water scarcity all year around. The fact that drinking water is soon going to be a scarce resource is not new information anymore. AKVO Atmospheric Water Generators are the solution to the problem. These machines work on a simple plug and play method and consumes one unit of electricity to run for an hour. AKVO uses a powerful proprietary organic filtration process that outputs pure drinking water that contains no harmful chemicals, bacteria, viruses or pesticides. The water collected from the AWG is almost distilled in its collection stage and then minerals are added to the water in the machine itself to make it reach recommended drinking standards. It is time to reduce our dependency on groundwater, bottled water or paying in any form for mans basic need. We aim to make everyone water independent and change the system. When I was looking for partners for the second phase of our growth, the ideas from The Voice Company really stood out in how simple they were, and how interesting, from a content perspective.

The creative mandate has been given to The Voice Company, a hybrid advertising and content agency based out of Gurgaon for its phased-out launch. The Voice Company, founded by Bodhisatwa Dasgupta in 2020, specializes in creating voices for emerging brands, through various mediums. The company has worked closely with Milkbasket, ibis Hotels, MG Motor, Fahrenheit, Crossbeats and a few other accounts.

Bodhisatwa Dasgupta, Founder and Intern, The Voice Company further added, What really stood out for me was the technology AKVO had built. It was something straight out of a science fiction movie. The films sort of wrote themselves. I am happy that the films have gotten the traction we hoped they would, and the enquiries are beginning to pour in. With the great collaboration of The Hip Element who are revamping the website and the lovely people at DhikChik Productions who turned around the films in record time, I think we have a nice little launch planned.

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Rationale behind the campaign:

Sometimes, the technology itself is the idea. So, the fact that one could get drinking water from thin air became the visual hook for the entire campaign. More often than not, its the simplest of stories that connect with people and that, pretty much is where the campaign was born.

Objective of the campaign:

The objective was very clearly to educate people about this revolutionary technology, to have AKVO in the consideration set of people wanting to make a change from water cans to something that they could own.

Approach:

All that had to be shown was the fact that there was drinking water present in the air. The stories wrote themselves.
If you thought that the big data revolution is about to begin, think twice. We are in the middle of a big data revolution. And if your organisation is not data-driven still, it is time to act now.

People, organisations, and government agencies generate staggering amounts of data every day. Even devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers, and wearables produce a mammoth amount of data that can transform the way businesses operate. It makes strategic sense to leverage gigantic data, and data science is all about understanding and simplifying mammoth data to enable smarter data-driven decisions. And this takes us to marketing analytics best practices.

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Data science has a strong bearing on how your organisations' marketing and advertising functions eventually perform. Given that India has better growth prospects than other emerging economies, it is essential to understand its advertising landscape.

According to FICCI EY M&E Report 2021, advertising reduced to INR 199 billion in 2020, a decline of 25% compared to last year. Most brands preferred digital advertising in their marketing plan last year. Hence, digital advertising increased to 32% in 2020 from 24% in 2019. E-commerce advertising, a part of digital advertising, spends grew to INR 35 billion in 2020.

Small and medium enterprises intensified their focus on digital advertising and adopted diverse ways to sell their products on prominent e-commerce platforms. Media owners, in particular, news brands, saw their reach surpass the 450 million marks in 2020. As a result, their revenues improved drastically.

Personalisation enables marketers to send hyper-targeted content and offers that are more likely to drive purchases and foster brand loyalty. Although personalisation helps marketers optimise ad spends and drive improvements in customer lifetime value, basket size, and retention, its still untenable at scale in many organisations.

To solve the challenges of integrating data science into their operations, forward-looking marketing teams follow some best practices, five of which are summarised below.

Collapse silos to create a 360-degree view of customers

By consolidating customer data sets in the Data Cloud and the platform, which can natively support structured and semi-structured data in the same system, marketers can harness more power from their marketing analytics tools. They can also access and query customer information in real-time, which is critical for achieving a holistic and up-to-date understanding of customers to scale personalisation models.

Give users fast and easy access to data

Once organisations have unified their data, they need the ability to support concurrent workloads. Marketing organisations should invest in a data platform that can instantly scale up capacity to deliver more computing power on demand, freeing up teams to produce outputs as quickly as they can. Instant elasticity removes the need to schedule and batch jobs, letting data scientists run complex models, while at the same time, allowing non-technical users to access marketing analytics dashboards without bandwidth challenges.

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Build efficient data pipelines

As data evolves from a novelty into an essential part of operations, organisations build an increasing number of data pipelines to support critical use cases, such as personalisation and regulatory reporting. While the price of getting started is low, as complexity increases, it can quickly compound to become a huge cost centre, costing up to tens of millions of dollars a year. This proliferation of pipelines also leads to challenges with data quality and maintenance and efficiency and scale. When underlying data or data formats change, channels often have to be rebuilt, which creates mounting technical debt. To help break this cycle, organisations need modern tools to support a flexible extract, load, transform (ELT) process that can handle data type changes in the source system without breaking. Legacy extract, transform, load (ETL) systems, on the other hand, tend to be slow, brittle, and expensive, and they rarely meet the evolving needs of an entire organisation.

Embed data science into business teams

To create a thriving culture of data, getting buy-in from the top is key. CMO and other C-suite executives should communicate the investments made in data science and the value it will deliver to the organisation. It is wise to embed data scientists inside business teams while creating alignment around centralised data resources. By experiencing real business problems first-hand, data scientists will be closer to their internal customers (brand and digital marketing teams), leading to quick and easy wins.

Invest in attracting and retaining top data science talent

Notwithstanding how difficult it can be to hire data scientists, maintaining a high bar for talent is important. This is especially true for initial hires, who will be indispensable in ongoing talent acquisition efforts by tapping into their professional networks to recruit colleagues and direct reports. Skilled professionals are more likely to hire others at or near their level of expertise and proficiency. It's also important to look for good communicators with a track record of working cross-functionally with non-technical teams.

Conclusion

There are myriad ways companies can adopt to transform their marketing analytics. Without a structured approach and deep expertise in data science and marketing analytics, the entire exercise can become paralysed. The right choice is to seek specialist help  and at Snowflake, we partner our clients in every step of their journey to help them realise the business results they desire.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and Adgully.com does not necessarily subscribe to it.
National crush Rashmika Mandanna, took to her social media to share what made her smile today. The actress recently traveled to Mumbai to resume the shoot of her Bollywood project 'Goodbye', co-starring Amitabh Bachchan.

Rashmika has been sharing messages of hope and positivity with her fans and followers. Sharing a picture of her adorable furball, 'Aura', she wrote about the little things that made her heart full. She wrote, 12/6/21

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Dear Diary,

Little things that made me smile today -

*got the opportunity to FaceTime my family and see their smiles in the morning 

*got to see two of my friends before leaving 

*made it to the airport in time 

*Aura was permitted to travel with me on flight 

*Landed in Bombay 

*there was no trouble checking in the hotel 

*I had some really really good dinner 

*the weather both in Bombay and Hyderabad was BEAUTIFUL 

*Aura and I slept well after playing. 

Ps: The little things do matter. 

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https://instagram.com/stories/rashmika_mandanna/2595110867685513813?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&utm_medium=share_sheet

Rashmika recently even launched an initiative to bring in stories of ordinary people doing extra ordinary stuff, called #SpreadingHopes. She has been sharing stories of people all around the country, to bring in a weave of positivity in these dire times.

On the work front, Rashmika will be soon making her debut with 'Mission Majnu', co-starring Sidharth Malhotra. She has now resumed shooting of her 2nd Bollywood project, 'Goodbye', alongside Amitabh Bachchan.
Following massive participation from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, in the Art For Freedom Challenge, the institute steps forward to play an active part in the fight against rape! In a dedicated virtual knowledge session led by experts from forensics, legal and law enforcement - The scientific value of DNA forensic evidence in sexual offence and rape cases, and importance of DNA in court proceedings, as most conclusive evidence in such cases, was discussed.

The core focus of discussion was on, what to save and how to save evidence in a rape case where the family, friends and persons in close proximity to the survivor have a key role in preventing destruction of the bodily substance found at the scene of crime or on the survivors body. Sharing standard operating protocols for use of DNA evidence, Dr. Vivek Sahajpal, Assistant Director, Himachal Pradesh FSL, said, DNA forensics offers the gold standard in forensic evidence whenever establishment of identity from biological evidence is required. DNA evidence plays a pivotal role is in case of scientific examination of sexual assault cases and not only brings the perpetrators to justice but also exonerates the innocent. However like any other biological evidence the DNA evidence also degrades with time and hence correct identification, collection and preservation of DNA evidence is vital. Still further the masses also need to be made aware about this evidence so that they understand the value of preserving the DNA evidence and timely reporting of such crimes.

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Further, contributing with a legal perspective in the matter, and explaining the growing value of DNA evidence in court proceedings and expediting justice, Senior Advocate Vivek Sood (Supreme Court of India), cited examples of success and failure. He added, DNA evidence fills the gaps that existed in the traditional system of leading evidence in sexual assault cases which heavily depended on the testimony of the victim. Oral evidence of the victim, though crucial, has its shortcomings such as loss of memory due to lapse of time, getting insignificant contradictions on record through incisive and aggressive cross examination and highlighting them to create doubts in the mind of the court to secure acquittal. DNA evidence is scientific and easy to collect and prove. DNA evidence is an effective weapon to identify culprits of sexual assault and secure convictions. Its a perfect evidence to corroborate the oral testimonies. DNA also helps those falsely implicated to prove their innocence.

Advocating greater demand for DNA testing and citizen participation, Arneeta Vasudeva, National Head PR & Influence, Ogilvy India, elaborated on the need for such orientation, It is extremely important to educate the youth on their role in saving the evidence and how it potentially helps in expediting justice. Making them better aware of the context of DNA and what accounts for crucial evidence in such cases of heinous crimes is sure to aid first line responders in fastracking investigation. This would amount to quicker justice delivery. And with that we are certain to put the fear of the law in the minds of the perpetrator.

With experts providing deep insight into the subject, the session was followed by an engaging panel discussion on the role of citizens in combating rape. Joined by Isha Pant, DCP Command Centre, Bengaluru who has long been involved in initiatives for safety of women & children, learnings from her experience with Be Together Bangalore campaign and Safe City Project to make public spaces safer for women, was discussed with the students of SIBM, In this modern age of technology, it becomes imperative that we make use of available resources to provide justice and punish the actual offender. DNA evidence, being scientific and objective in nature, offers that credibility. We must ensure that this knowledge regarding the importance of DNA based evidence reaches every nook and corner of the country

Kamal Manwani, Counselling Therapist shared few recommendations during the panel discussion, highlighting importance of better counselling aids and mentoring not only for survivors of rape but educating people at large, given the current mindset of our society. She said, The way our society deals with rape survivors must change. We must put the accountability on the offenders and the society at large and stop victim shaming and blaming. Here it is also essential that not only the victims of rape but also the first responders and youth are equiped with right kind of mindset and scientific know-how for the use of DNA evidence. Then only can this carve the path for a much needed transformation in our society.

Crimes against women in India have been steadily rising over the years. According to the latest NCRB report, 2019 saw over 4 lakh reported cases of crimes committed against women, up from 3.78 lakh in 2018 and 3.59 lakh cases in 2017. NCRB reported 32,033 rape cases which translates to a shocking 88 rape cases a day  and this is just 10% of all crimes against women.

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In some parts of the world it is said that people awareness on DNA forensic evidence and its application in crime investigation is far more advanced. As a result when a crime like rape occurs, the reporting incidence goes up and the investigation process follows through much quicker. This ensures faster justice delivery and reducing case backlogs. Tim Schellberg, Founder & President, Gordon Thomas HoneywellGA shares his point of view, The level of public awareness about DNA forensics in a country is directly linked to the quality of criminal investigations and efficiency of its justice system. For example, few realise that in a rape case, the survivors family & friends can play a critical role in improving the chances of catching and convicting the offender by helping protect DNA evidence from the crime scene. The reason behind a higher success rate in rape cases in the West is not so much about better technology and has more to do with the public understanding of how DNA works and its value in building a strong case. This has created a culture of timely reporting of sexual crime, not disturbing or cleaning off bodily evidence, and ensuring that the victims medical examination is conducted at the earliest. India too can see a great deal of success in its fight against rape with similar public consciousness and the countrys youth are best placed to lead this change.

Over the last couple of years, increasing awareness of forensic DNA technology in India has led to the doubling of the number of DNA tests conducted in criminal cases from 10,000 cases in 2017 to nearly 20,000 in 2019. However, despite growth in the number of profiles being tested, the absolute volume remains low due to poor conviction and the long road to justice, especially in crimes against women and children.
Indian multinational and global leader in Solar EPC, Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited (SWSL / Company) (BSE Scrip Code: 542760; NSE Symbol: SWSOLAR), has announced the appointment of Mr. Amit Jain as Global CEO. He succeeds Mr. Bikesh Ogra, who relinquished the position with effect from 31st May 2021. Mr. Ogra will continue as a Director on the Board of the Company.

Mr. Jain has been associated with Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited since January 2019 as the Country Head for US and Australia. He has been instrumental in developing US and Australia as key markets for the Company.

Mr. Jain will take over the global operations of the Company and report to the Board of Directors. He will now be responsible for business development, market growth and the P&L for SWSL that has its operations across 25+ countries. He will continue to operate from Dubai.

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Mr. Khurshed Daruvala, Chairman, Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited said, We are delighted to elevate Amit as the Global CEO of SWSL. His rich experience in the EPC space across geographies coupled with his expertise in building long-term partnerships will be invaluable as we continue to accelerate our growth strategy. We believe that he will be the right leader to take on this role given his strong command of our business and proven ability to drive results in our largest market.

At the same time, we are glad to continue to benefit from Bikeshs experience in his active role as the Director of the Company. He has been an exemplary leader under whom the Company has grown from being India focused to a global organization, he added.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Amit Jain said, I am humbled to take on this new challenge and dedicated to meeting the high expectations that our customers, partners, employees and other stakeholders have for SWSL. I am deeply passionate about the renewable industry and look forward to making valuable contributions to the green energy transition in the world.

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Mr. Jain is a veteran in the EPC sector with over 29 years of experience in various industries such as Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas, Chemical/ Process plants, Power Transmission and Telecom Infrastructure. His expertise lies in developing new markets as well as the management and execution of mega projects in challenging environments. He is an Engineer from Delhi University and holds an MBA degree in International Business from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation

Bern, 14.06.2021 - State Secretary Martina Hirayama participated in the AfricaEurope Space Earth Observation High-Level Forum in Lisbon on 11 and 12 June. Organised as part of the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU, the forum focused on how Earth observation can facilitate sustainable development while fostering new skills and creating jobs. The forum also provided an opportunity for bilateral discussions with the Portuguese minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor.

At the High-Level Forum, State Secretary Hirayama highlighted the importance of Earth observation as well as Switzerlands contribution to the activities of the European Space Organisation (ESA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). She also emphasised the importance of data access and current data-processing technologies, pointing out that free access to data and scientific publications can help significantly to accelerate potential applications for these technologies.

Europe and Africa have been working together on Earth observation for decades, beginning with the provision of crucial information for African weather and climate services. More recently, ESA and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have been collaborating on the 50x2030 initiative, which aims to fill the global agricultural data gap by transforming national data systems in 50 countries, including several in Africa, by 2030. Current state-of-the-art systems provide large quantities of data on the local and regional situations, and the technology to analyse it is available. Yet potential users access to this data remains a major obstacle. The initiative aims to remedy this. Space technologies play a key role in the development of the African continent: enabling researchers to access scientific findings is equally as important as enabling governments and entrepreneurs to access the technologies.

Switzerland and Portugal: a long-standing research partnership

State Secretary Hirayama also used her time in Lisbon to hold bilateral talks with the Portuguese minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor. She reiterated Switzerland's interest in joining the EU's Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation as an associated country. In its predecessor programme, Horizon 2020, Portuguese and Swiss researchers worked together on around 400 projects. Cooperation between the two countries is most clearly evidenced in areas such as information and communication technology, mobility funding through Marie Skodowska-Curie Actions and research infrastructure.

Since 2011, the Swiss National Science Foundation has supported more than 110 projects involving researchers from Portugal. Portuguese students also formed the sixth-largest group among international students in Switzerland, with over 500 students enrolled at Swiss universities in the 202021 academic year (only counting students who completed their entire schooling in Portugal). Researchers from Portugal have been awarded almost 90 Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships since 1963.

Address for enquiries

Communication

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI

medien@sbfi.admin.ch

Publisher

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation

http://www.sbfi.admin.ch




Federal Office for Gender Equality

Bern, 14.06.2021 - With immediate effect, the Confederation is extending the use of an online equal pay analysis tool to smaller companies and organisations free of charge. Logib Module 2 allows employers with fewer than 50 employees to easily and independently check their pay practices. In this way, the Confederation is creating a basis for all Swiss employers to implement the constitutional right to equal pay for work of equal value.

In addition to the equal pay analysis tool for employers with 50 or more employees (Logib Module 1), a free web tool for smaller companies and organisations, Logib Module 2, is now available at www.logib.ch. Using Logib Module 2, Swiss SMEs with fewer than 50 employees can now also carry out an equal pay analysis. This increases the number of Swiss employers who can carry out an equal pay analysis using Logib from 10,000 to around 200,000. The seven-step application guides users to the analysis result and does not require any specific expertise.

2030 Gender Equality Strategy measure

The elimination of pay discrimination is of great importance to the Federal Council. This is a central goal of the 2030 Gender Equality Strategy adopted by the government in the spring. The introduction of Logib Module 2 is one of the priority measures mentioned in the strategy to achieve this goal. This measure also meets a requirement of the Gender Equality Act (GEA): Article 13c states that the Confederation shall provide all employers with a standard analysis tool free of charge. The Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) set up by the ILO, UN Women and the OECD, has awarded Logib Module 2 its Good Practice label.

Statistics show that the pay gap still exists

Employers in Switzerland are required to ensure their employees are paid equally. Women and men have been entitled to equal pay for work of equal value under the Federal Constitution for 40 years. Nevertheless, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Offices latest earnings structure survey (ESS 2018) the average unexplained pay gap between women and men is 8.1% (ESS 2016: 7.7%). This equates to an average of CHF 686 per month less for women. The ESS 2018 also showed that the unexplained pay gap is above average in smaller companies.

Efforts to achieve equal pay in the private and public sector

Logib Module 2 also boosts public sector efforts to combat pay inequality: communes and state-related companies with fewer than 50 employees are invited to conduct equal pay analyses. This has been met with growing interest: 16 cantons, 113 communes and 63 state-related companies have signed the federal charter for equal pay in the public sector.

Under last years revised Gender Equality Act, employers with 100 or more employees must conduct an equal pay analysis by the end of June 2021. This must be audited by an independent body by the end of June 2022 and the employer must inform employees and shareholders of the results by the end of June 2023 at the latest.

Address for enquiries

Federal Office for Gender Equality FOGE

Sina Liechti, tel. +41 58 467 42 04

sina.liechti@ebg.admin.ch

Publisher

Federal Office for Gender Equality

https://www.ebg.admin.ch/ebg/en/home.html



Federal Department of Home Affairs

http://www.edi.admin.ch




Ask most folks how agricultural commodities are transported to market; theyll probably say truck or train. Some might say ships.
ST. ROSE, Ill.  Paul Meyer still gets to work at 4 a.m. every day. But he doesnt face the same stresses he did a decade ago.

Thats when the Clinton County dairy farmer replaced his parlors with robotic milkers and an automated feeding system. He still works long hours, but he appreciates the valuable assistance from workers who never call in sick, get tired or complain.

Hes convinced he made the right decision 10 years ago. But the transition is not always seamless.

Its a piece of equipment that operates 24 hours a day. You have to come to terms with that, Meyer said.

Modern technology has its attractions. But old-style dairies are still plugging along, and high-tech doesnt necessarily mean high profit.

Some of our more profitable farms tend to be on the low-tech route, said Larry Tranel, a dairy specialist with Iowa State University Extension in eastern Iowa. We have some very successful small- to medium-size farms that would not be classified as high tech. They have what we would call parlor technology. There continue to be low-cost ways to remodel facilities, to milk cows. That will continue to be a part of the dairy industry.

Fewer than 5% of dairy farms in the Midwest incorporate robotic milkers, according to an Iowa State University study.

The return on investment in robotic milk production  Meyers four machines cost $200,000 each  varies. Production can be higher. A study by Western Illinois University determined cows milked by robots produce five additional pounds of milk daily. Some benefits are less tangible, such as flexibility for the producer. But the biggest impetus driving the trend may be difficulty finding labor, an issue increasing in agriculture overall.
The use of aerial imagery in production agriculture has continued to grow and evolve over the last several years since its debut on the market. With significant changes in how imagery is captured and processed and the quality of images available, there are now many applications for this technology on farms.
The soybean market during the summer growing season oftentimes takes its direction from the weather, and the way this summer is shaping up it looks like this could be a very volatile one.

In my area of northwest Minnesota, several elevators have stopped bidding for old crop soybeans, said Betsy Jensen, Northland Farm Business Management and a producer/marketer from Stephen, Minn. Theyre using November futures at this time. They are not using July futures. There have been crush plants in Minnesota that have shut down, as well.

If you have old crop soybeans you need to talk to your grain buyer to find out what the plan is and what they anticipate because your local market could change significantly, she continued. There will be a good price for soybeans somewhere, you just might have to truck it a couple hundred miles and I dont know that anyone really wants to do that.

So for old crop soybeans, definitely look at your market, talk to your grain buyer and find out if theyre going to continue to bid off of the July futures or if theyre going to be switching to November because thats a huge difference, she added.

On June 7, USDA released its first soybean condition report, which indicated that this years crop is already 5 percentage points under last years rating at this point in time. This years crop is rated 67 percent in good-to-excellent condition.

Its not a bad crop, but last year we were at 72 percent good-to-excellent and once again we need every bushel of beans we can find, so it is a little bit of a concern, she said.
Mother Nature giveth and she taketh away. That is the sentiment felt by most Montanans after much of the state received desperately needed moisture for the week ending May 21, just to have temperatures reach record-breaking highs by June 1 and dry everything out again. Areas of eastern Montana even experienced temperatures in excess of 100 degrees during first weekend of June.

Temperatures that high rapidly deplete snowpack and soil moisture holdings. According to the

Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, for the week ending June 4, topsoil moisture conditions were rated at 48 percent adequate-to-surplus, decreasing from 57 percent the previous week and way off from the 74 percent experienced last year at this time. Subsoil moisture conditions actually picked up a bit from 40 percent adequate-to-surplus the prior week to 44 percent for the week ending June 4.

Most of Montana is still classified in some level of drought with the eastern one-third of the state rated in extreme drought.

Emily Standley, MSU Extension agent for Fergus and Petroleum counties in central Montana, says her area is rated as severe drought. She said a lack of snowpack this past winter and little spring moisture has led to these conditions.

We are not too bad compared to the places east of us, but we are still definitely not on par with normal, she stated.

Wheat and hay are the predominate crops grown in Fergus and Petroleum counties, as well as some pulse, specialty, barley and cover crop acres. Standley said, aside from the drought, the biggest concern for her area producers is grasshoppers.
https://www.aish.com/ci/s/The-Tulsa-Race-Massacre-and-Oklahomas-Jews.html

How local Jews  some with fresh memories of European pogroms  did their small part to help victims of one of the worst acts of racial violence in US history.

The Tulsa Race Massacre  also known as the Black Wall Street Massacre and the Tulsa Race Riot  was one of the most horrendous incidents of racial violence in United States history. On May 31  June 1, 1921, hundreds of people were injured and killed, and thirty-five blocks of the city were destroyed, along with over 1,200 homes.

"Ruins of the Tulsa Race Riot, 6-1-21 (Public Domain via DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)

While relatively few whites exhibited empathy and compassion to the persecuted African American community of Tulsa  largely due to the influence of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and others  many Jewish families made efforts to help African American families by taking them into their homes or businesses, feeding and clothing them, as well as hiding them during and after the atrocity.

During the time of the Race Massacre, a number of the Jewish families went into North Tulsa to secure their black employees, friends, and their families, in order to protect them at least until Martial Law was over on June 3rd some even longer.

Many of the Jews in the city were recent immigrants from Eastern Europe who remembered firsthand suffering through violent pogroms and anti-Semitic policies in the Russian Empire and elsewhere.

Scenes like this undoubtedly brought back memories for many Tulsa Jews who had survived pogroms in Europe (Public Domain via DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)

Here are a few family stories from that terrible time that have been passed down within the Oklahoma Jewish community.

Pickle vats and underskirts

Jewish Latvian immigrant Sam Zarrow (1894-1975) and his wife Rose (1893-1982) owned a grocery store and hid some black friends in their large pickle vats at the store, while Rose concealed some of the little kids under her skirt! In addition, they hid others in the basement of their home. Sam and Roses sons, Henry (1916-2014) and Jack Zarrow (1925-2012) became two of the most well-known and philanthropic men in Tulsas history, supporting a range of causes across the city.

Waiting with a shotgun

Tulsan Abraham (Abe) Solomon Viner (1885-1959) and his wife Anna (1887-1976) owned the Peoples Building and Loan Association. On the day of the Massacre, Abe went to all of the homes on his block, collected all of the maids from their quarters and assembled them in his living room. He then sat by the front door with a shotgun in case anyone broke into the house.

Smoke billowing over Tulsa during the Race Massacre (Photo: Alvin C. Krupnick Co. / Public Domain via Library of Congress)

Threatening the Klan

The Race Massacre had a far-reaching effect even outside of Tulsa. At the time, Mike Froug (1889-1959), his wife Esther (1889-1967) and daughter Rosetta Froug Mulmed (1914-2003) were living in Ponca City, Oklahoma running a clothing store called the Pickens Department Store. Immediately after the Massacre, several Ku Klux Klan members came to his house at night and set a cross on fire on his front lawn.

Knowing who the perpetrators were (frequent shoppers in his store), Froug went to the head of the Klan with his gun and told him that if they ever did that again, he would shoot them. This act had such a profound effect on Froug that when he and his cousin Ohren Smulian (1903-1984) opened the first Frougs Department Store in Tulsa in 1929, they became the first store in the city after the Massacre to allow whites and blacks to not only shop together but to try on clothes at the same time. In fact, Frougs was also the first white-owned store in Tulsa to have black salespeople.

Get your Jew crew out of Tulsa

Successful oilman N.C. Livingston was an active leader in the Tulsa Jewish community, heading the establishment of the burial society and Orthodox synagogue, where he also served as president and taught a Talmud class. From Bnai Emunah, 1916-1966, part of the National Library of Israel collections

Jewish Lithuanian immigrant and oilman Nathan C. Livingston (1861-1944) and his wife Anna Livingston (1871-1934) had a newly married black couple named Gene and Willie Byrd working for them in 1921. Gene was the family driver while Willie was their housekeeper. During the Race Massacre, the couple and eight others of their family stayed in the Livingstons basement and in their garage apartment for several days until they felt safe to go home. The following year, N.C. Livingstons son Julius received a letter from the KKK telling him and his brothers Jay K. and Herman to get your Jew crew out of Tulsa.

1922 Letter to Julius Livingston telling him to get his Jew Crew out of Tulsa (SMMJA Livingston Archives)

Staying home

During the Massacre, Jewish Lithuanian immigrant and oil producer Jacob Hyman Bloch (1888-1955) and his wife Esther Goodman Bloch (1895-1927) told their two young daughters, Jean and Sura, to stay away from the windows and no to go to school or outside to play, while hiding their housekeeper in their home.

Jacob Hyman Bloch was also an active member in the local community, succeeding N.C. Livingstone as synagogue president in 1924. From Bnai Emunah, 1916-1966, part of the National Library of Israel collections

Driving to safety

Jewish Latvian immigrant Jacob Fell (1885-1959) and his wife Esther Fell (1886-1980) owned The Mis-Fit Clothing Store in Tulsa. During the race riots, Jacob gathered up several black friends, hid them in his large storage car trunk, and drove them to a safe area.

The Mis-Fit Clothing Store in Tulsa

But not you Mr. Katz

In Stillwater, Oklahoma the Ku Klux Klan also had a robust chapter. German immigrant Jacob Katz (1873-1968) started his department store in Stillwater in 1894, becoming the first Jew in the town. Katz was a highly respected merchant and town promoter and was on the Stillwater Board of Commissioners. During the heyday of the KKK, right after the Tulsa Massacre, members marched through Stillwater with anti-Jewish signs (there were only 12 Jews in Stillwater at the time!), along with one that read at the end of the line: But not you Mr. Katz.

This article previously appeared on The Librarians, the National Library of Israels official online publication dedicated to Jewish, Israeli and Middle Eastern history, heritage and culture. A version of the article was originally published in the May 2021 edition of theTulsa Jewish Review.
Lake Charles, Louisiana (70615)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
There are many reasons to doubt the 2020 election results. No question, strange things were happening on Election Night. Democrats' push for universal mail-in balloting made fraud much easier to commit. There is evidence of massive foreign cyber-interference as well. The media say there is nothing to see here, but we cannot move on from November 3 until we fully understand what happened.

Voting fraud has been going on for many years and has not been confronted in any meaningful way. The Democrats' playbook for a long time has been to steal elections. This time, it was on a grand scale. Ironically, had Trump won his second term, election fraud would continue endlessly into the future with little comment.

Arizona is nearing the completion of a full forensic audit, and lawmakers from other states are traveling there to see how it is done. The issue is reaching critical mass. Election integrity is finally getting the attention it deserves, and the truth of the 2020 election is going to come out.

In his report, Peter Navarro provides abundant evidence that the presidential election results resulted from widespread fraud, ballot-stuffing, and other election irregularities.

Navarro claims that the Democrat grand strategy was to dramatically increase absentee and mail-in ballots while dramatically decreasing ballot verification in battleground states. The goal was to tip the election to Biden with a flood of illegal votes. Molly Ball confirms this strategy in her infamous TIME Magazine article.



Source: The Navarro Report.

Trump received millions more votes in 2020 than in 2016, and Republicans swept most congressional and down-ballot offices. It is simply not believable that Biden won the election honestly.

Trump won bellwether Ohio, which no winning president has failed to carry in that state's history, by a more considerable margin than he did in 2016. Pennsylvania was trending the same on Election Night until they mysteriously stopped counting votes late in the evening. Moreover, Philadelphia blocked access to Republican poll-watchers on Election Day  despite a U.S. Supreme Court order  to investigate the irregularity. Similar fraudulent actions occurred in Maricopa County, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Detroit, and Milwaukee.

And then there is the cyber-fraud. Against all odds, a private citizen, Mike Lindell, is exposing the cyber-election fraud in his friendly Midwestern way. He has a new social media site that cannot be de-platformed by Big Tech. He has done his homework on foreign cyber-interference in the election.

Yes, Lindell is that guy who was a gambling and crack addict and is now a born-again Christian. He believes that God will deliver him on his divine appointment. He is fearless, and there is nothing Joe Scarborough or Rachel Maddow can do to stop him. The more the big-box stores ban his MyPillow products, the more the deplorables step up their online purchases directly from the company. The spectacle of Lindell's approach brings much attention to his message and the scale of the cyber-fraud in the 2020 election.



Data compiled by Mike Lindell, edited by Jeff Lukens. Source: Mike Lindell Presents: Absolutely 9-0.

Lindell estimates that close to 3,000 cyber-attacks occurred from around the world on Nov. 34. He has identified 20 attacks alone where Trump votes were flipped for Biden votes and were enough to change the election outcome. Notice the timestamp, source, and target I.P. address, and the number of Trump votes flipped to Biden. This evidence demonstrates irrefutable foreign interference in our election. The evidence is hard proof that cannot be changed or altered or explained away.

Lindell has filed a court case and insists that Biden will be removed from office after a 9-0 Supreme Court decision on his case, but that remains to be seen.

Both Navarro's ground fraud and Lindell's cyber-fraud were enough to swing the election independently. Together, there is overwhelming evidence that the election was stolen.

So now, further evidence is being uncovered ballot by ballot in a laborious forensic audit in Arizona. The audits will find corroborating documentation to help frame the questions that need to be asked as we go forward with this process.

The 2020 election saw an unusual influx of private funds into local election offices, which then decided to ignore state laws regarding election integrity. Where are the ballot transfer forms documenting the chain of custody of Fulton County, Georgia, on ballots placed in neighborhood drop boxes? How were millions of dollars from Facebook used by local election offices, and did it give preference to one candidate over the other? Why did state officials make a deal with a voting machine contractor that doesn't allow them to obtain data and computer code on the machines essential for a forensic audit?

To have confidence in the 2020 election, these questions and more will need to be answered. Government officials dodging questions makes us question the election even more. If there is nothing to hide, why are Democrats putting up huge money for criminal defense attorneys for election issues?

Maricopa County, Arizona is nearing completion of its full forensic audit, and Georgia is about to begin its own. There are rumblings that Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and other states will soon do the same.

The U.S. Senate may look quite different after the audits are complete. We may find that David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler from Georgia should be seated in the Senate, and Martha McSally from Arizona, and John James from Michigan.

The 2020 election fraud is one of the most egregious crimes in history. Much detailed preparation went into stealing this election across all states. It was planned well in advance to be sprung on Election Day to put Biden over the top, and it will soon be fully exposed.

We all know that elections matter. Well, stolen elections matter even more. And a groundswell is brewing on the right. These folks were once called the Silent Majority, but now they're suddenly not so silent anymore. When the left invalidated the people's votes with all their cheating, they also lost the people's consent to be governed by them. People are ticked off and have had it with the lies of the left and are not going to take it anymore.

Jeff Lukens is a West Point graduate, U.S. Army veteran, and conservative political activist. He can be reached here.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
We trust skilled physicians with our lives for good reason. But even the best doctors wouldnt demand unconditional faith. Anyone whos had a serious misdiagnosis, or received a damaging treatment, knows the staff of Hermes is no sign of infallibility. For all their victories, medical scientists are only human. Im willing to forgive that, but that may soon be irrelevant.

In 2012, the founder of Sun Microsystems predicted that artificial intelligence would replace 80% of doctors. Today, AI is proving more effective than human doctors in the fields of radiology, cardiology, oncology, and radiation therapy. With artificial intelligence now biting at their heels, we see an arrogant medical establishment caught between its members own egos and the prospect of becoming obsolete.

Even before the dubious COVID response, many of us viewed medical authorities with intense skepticism. A 2016 study suggests that roughly 10% of deaths in America are due to medical mishaps. Authored by Johns Hopkins patient safety experts, the paper puts medical error as the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S.just above respiratory illness. In raw numbers, thats around 250,000 people a year.

If that estimate is accurate, it means that every two years about as many American lives are lost to careless nurses, incompetent physicians, or clinical accidents as were supposedly lost to COVID-19. During the eight-year period the study covered (2000-2008), medical error appears to have killed nearly four times the number of people that the Covidian cult now upholds as martyrs.

Skeptics say the studys estimates are inflated. Others say the situation is far worse. Good! Every doctor should welcome a second opinion. Thats why the ongoing campaign to silence, shout down, and shame the faithless should have everyone on edge.

Its anyones guess as to how many COVID deaths were actually due to medical practices themselves. To be fair, doctors faced an unknown disease with novel symptoms, so its likely that, despite their best efforts, a fair number of patients perished from traumatic therapies. For instance, the invasive intubation process has long been known as a potentially lethal option. The embattled Dr. Peter McCullough maintains that many physicians were unwilling to use Ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine, not because of evidence of danger, but in response to political invective.

At the helm of this incoherent response was Dr. Fauci, the High Priest of Scientism. As Tucker Carlson said, Fauci is Jesus for people who dont believe in God. Theres one major difference, though. The medical priesthoods healing powers rely on the fluctuating opinion of public health officials, so you run into all kinds of petty politics. In worst-case scenarios, medical staff make critical decisions based on political considerations, with little concern for open inquiry.

Scientism is an unforgiving religion that ordains experts to decide whats good or evil. After a year of lockdowns and mask hysteria, half the country is psychologically prepared to segregate the population into sacred and profanei.e., vaxxed and not-vaxxedon the basis of this priesthoods questionable advice.

Why?

Mortal terror makes us vulnerable to suggestion. Because were only human, most people are incapable of critical thinking when fear consumes them. After fourteen months of media-driven frenzywhether pointed at disease-ridden rednecks or evil scientistsits past time to calm down and think clearly. At least one Nobel-winning psychologist agrees.

Last month, The Guardian published a revealing interview with Daniel Kahneman. In a rare moment of candor, he questioned the believe the Science crowd:

I think there is less difference between religion and other belief systems than we think. We all like to believe were in direct contact with truth. I will say that in some respects my belief in science is not very different from the belief other people have in religion.  We shouldnt think that because we are not religious, that makes us so much cleverer than religious people. The arrogance of scientists is something I think about a lot.

The psychologist gained fame in 2012 after publishing Thinking: Fast and Slow. Condensing decades of research, the book distinguishes our quick, deeply intuitive decision-making process from our slower, more rational faculties. The former is the source of much folly, leading many to wonder if machines could do better.

Take the cognitive bias toward unrealistic optimism, for instance. Life is messy and unpredictable, but according to Kahneman, human nature creates the illusion of control. If I may offer my own illustration, public health officials confronted with a deadly pandemic might believe they could easily save the day using strict lockdowns and sweeping mask mandates, regardless of the psychological damage and social fragmentation.

An associated concept is the overconfidence effect: the instinctive sense that were capable of sound decisions based on limited information. Imagine Fauci staring into his Zoom self-view and repeating, Im good enough. Im smart enough. And doggone it, people like me. Meanwhile, your lonely kindergartner contemplates suicide.

On the public side, the framing effect is another powerful bias. If I tell you that one out of fifty Americans who contract COVID-19 will die by slow suffocation, youd probably give up your civil rightsand mineto avoid that fate. Whereas if I tell you the coronavirus has a 98.2% survival rate, youd be ready to burn your mask on a bonfire.

An excellent JNS column highlights relevant passages from Thinking: Fast and Slow, where Kahneman writes:

Lawmakers and regulators may be overly responsive to the irrational concerns of citizens, both because of political sensitivity and because they are prone to the same cognitive biases.  The danger is increasingly exaggerated as the media compete for attention-grabbing headlines. Scientists and others who try to dampen the increasing fear and revulsion attract little attention, most of it hostile.

Surely Dr. Peter McCullough and the Great Barrington Declaration signatories can relate to that statement.

In the final analysis, Kahneman argues that consequential decisionsincluding those made by public health officialsare subject to the same irrational forces that keep superstitious goobers from stepping on cracks. However, the book does offer the possibility that slower, more rational cognition, enshrined in rigorous institutions, can overcome our natural biases.

Some eight years later, Kahneman has a more misanthropic take. In the Guardian interview, he argues that human fallibility will lead to our replacement by artificial intelligence as the arbiter of truth and falsehood:

Some medical specialties are clearly in danger of being replaced, certainly in terms of diagnosis. And there are rather frightening scenarios when youre talking about leadership.  When linear people are faced with exponential change, theyre not going to be able to adapt to that very easily. So clearly, something is coming.  And clearly AI is going to win [against human intelligence]. Its not even close.

Kahneman may be correct here, despite his biases. If human beings cant slow down and think clearly and then act deliberately, authorities will justify having computers make our decisions for us. Take a moment to think that over.

Joe Allen covers technology for the War Room: Pandemic. His work has appeared in The Federalist, ColdType, This View of Life, The American Spectator, IBCSR: Science on Religion, Disinformation, and elsewhere. Follow him @JOEBOTxyz and www.joebot.xyz.

IMAGE: Made using Doctor by Pixabay and Robot head from Wikimedia.

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Justice High School, a school that's part of the Fairfax County Public Schools District in Virginia, has traveled a long way since its founding in 1959. Back then, the school board opposed racial integration and named it JEB Stuart High School after the Confederate general. Today, the school is 50.3% Hispanic, 23.4% White, 13.6% Asian, 10.1% Black, 0.2% Native American, and 2.4% mixed race. It also has a Muslim school board member who, after giving an exceptionally woke commencement speech in English, switched to Arabic to urge that the students engage in "jihad."

If you check out the Justice High School home page, you're instantly plunged into a social-justice woke world. The big image shows 11 students, none of them White, holding myriad flags, none of them American. One young woman in a hijab holds a Somalia Mogadishu flag. Another holds the flag of Libya. And yet another has the flag of Eritrea in his hands. The school's mascot is a wolf, and the students are wearing sweatshirts that play on that name: "Woke Pack," they say. It is certainly a rebuke to the White Democrats who founded the school.

However, the school may also be a rebuke to America entirely. Word is getting around about the unusual graduation day ceremony for Justice High School seniors on June 7. The speaker was Abrar Omeish, who is described as the sole Muslim on the Fairfax County School Board. She gave her commencement speech twice  once in English and once in Arabic. The speech came after the class president led the Pledge of Allegiance, which she ended by calling the U.S. "one nation under Allah."

After saying that the school was on land stolen from the Manahoac people, Omeish went on to castigate America:

'We struggle with human greed, racism, extreme versions of individualism and capitalism, white supremacy growing wealth gaps, disease, climate crisis extreme poverty amidst luxury and waste right next door, and the list goes on,' she told the group, who she referred to as the 'Justice Class of 2021.' 'The world may try to quiet you by deciding for you what's cool, what's weird, what is or isn't objective. It may try to convince you that what you hold dear is too different to be accepted. But who gets to decide? 'You are walking into a world that will be uncomfortable when you seek to cause good trouble. And that may seek to intimidate you or make you think the truth is controversial,' she said. 'Every part of your being may scream in rage at the ways others have wronged you,' but 'let compassion for your fellow human beings, not anger or rage  and believe me this is hard to do  fuel you.'

Omeish comes by her hatred for America honestly. According to the Daily Wire:

[H]er father, Esam Omeish, was a "leader and a board member of the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center" who "raised his daughter to be an outspoken woman." Dar al-Hijrah is a mosque attended by two of the 9/11 hijackers as well as the shooter in the 2009 attack on Fort Hood. Its imam was Anwar al-Awlaki, who President Barack Obama ordered killed by drone strike for plotting terrorism for Al Queda [sic].

Certainly, the Democrat establishment approves of her, for she claims to have received favorable reviews from the Washington Post, Sen. Tim Kaine, and Atif Qarni, a Pakistani-born former U.S. Marine and Democrat who is currently Virginia's secretary of education.

Omeish then pulled what I call an Arafat, after Yasser Arafat, who famous would say one thing in English and then give a different, and definitely more inflammatory, statement in Arabic:

In English, she told them that: 'The world sees the accolade, the diploma, the fruit of all your years yet be reminded of the detail of your struggle.' But when she repeated the speech in Arabic, she told students to remember their 'jihad'  meaning holy war waged on behalf of Islam, according to Merriam Webster. It can also mean a crusade for a principle or belief.

We've learned since 9/11 that, no matter how much activist Muslims try to pretend "jihad" merely means a spiritual struggle, in practical fact, they're pretty much always speaking about actions accompanied by the cry of "Allahu akhbar."

By the way, if you feel you've heard Omeish's name before, it was because she sent out a tweet in May that was decidedly hostile to Israel, which she claimed "kills Palestinians & desecrates the Holy Land," as well as being guilty of "Apartheid & colonization."

Ironically, while Omeish supports Hamas and Fatah, both of which routinely slaughter homosexuals, and despises Israel, which is the only place in the Middle East that gives gays full civil rights, she's all on board with the U.N. Women's stand for LGBTIQ+ Youth:

Omeish is just one school board member in one district. However, she is a reminder that it's not facts and logic that drive the left. Its common denominator is hatred for America and everything for which it stands.

Image: Abrar Omeish. Daily Mail video.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made a big deal about President Trump supposedly spying on his political opponents. In the most recent case, a slew of leaks to top media organizations over Russia collusion leaks has got her and her sidekick, Rep. Adam Schiff, hopping.

According to the New York Times:

Mr. Schiff called the subpoenas for data on committee members and staff another example of Mr. Trump using the Justice Department as a "cudgel against his political opponents and members of the media. "It is increasingly apparent that those demands did not fall on deaf ears," Mr. Schiff said in a statement. "The politicization of the department and the attacks on the rule of law are among the most dangerous assaults on our democracy carried out by the former president."

But according to the Washington Free Beacon, it wasn't just Trump who had reason to suspect that Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee were leaking.

... Strzok's FBI text messages show that even investigators scrutinizing Trump suspected that Democrats were behind two separate leaks to reporters. Strzok wrote on March 17, 2017, of a leak of documents to an unnamed reporter who he said "has great sources on [the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence], especially minority side." Democrats were in the minority of Congress at the time. Strzok also suggested in a message on March 23, 2017, that Democrats on the Gang of Eight were sources for a CNN story about the Russia probe. CNN reported that same morning that U.S. officials said the FBI had information that Trump associates may have communicated with Russian operatives to coordinate the release of information damaging to the Hillary Clinton campaign.

This, given Strzok's animosity to Trump in his other text messages, suggests that leaking was exactly what was going on. Schiff, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, ran a professional leak operation for their own aggrandizement that both Trump and his enemies could see.

Such a bipartisan consensus on the leaks raises the question: why does this pair still have security clearances at all?

The most sensitive of America's secrets are divulged to the House Intelligence Committee based on its oversight role. Hideous leftists have occasionally sat on that panel  think Berkeley congressman Rep. Ron Dellums  but they've always been able to keep secrets. Dellums was respected on that front by all sides, bad as his politics were.

But not this pair. And Swalwell has been additionally compromised by his "swallow," an apparent Chinese spy named Fang Fang, or "Christine Fang," which is an absolute no-no. People get rejected from employment at intelligence or military agencies all the time for lesser stuff seen as compromising. Swalwell, though, is still on the intel board after that, and so is the leaky Schiff. Unpunished, they will continue leaking like a sieve, and even the Trump-hostile intelligence elements know it.

Why again do they have security clearances? An ordinary person wouldn't have them after the kinds of things they've done. To get a clearance, one must be honest and trustworthy. This pair has repeatedly violated that trust, and the two certainly aren't honest.

Billions are spent on intelligence agencies in the creation of the nation's secrets. The taxpayers pay it, and what do they get? Leaks from people who can't keep their pants on around the ChiComs, or Hollywood schlocksters who can't stop talking? Like a lot of things associated with Eric Swalwell, this has a bad smell.

What is the point of doing that if the secrets just keep leaking out? Professional intelligence agencies, if they have a lick of sense in them, should refuse to deliver any secrets until this pair is off the committee. Better still, the House should act to the extent possible to toss this pair off. Leaks like this serve only enemy interests and open the door further to blackmail and extortion. Leaving this pair on won't end well.

Image: Bad Q Garage video screen shot via shareable YouTube.

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Most conservatives I know have all but given up on the hope that the special counsel investigation underway by John Durham will ever result in prosecution of the miscreants who used the intelligence apparatus to spy on the Trump administration under cover of the Russiagate hoax. The shockingly light penalty in the plea deal exacted on the FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who lied to the FISA Court on warrant applications seemed to indicate that Durham is not serious about punishing serious wrongdoing.

But there is still the possibility that Clinesmith revealed some secrets that implicate higher-ups, even though the fruits of such possible cooperation with prosecutors have not been evident yet.

Friday, the disgraced and fired former number two at the FBI, Andrew McCabe, used some interesting language about the Durham investigation in a segment broadcast on CNN, where he now works as a contributor. It came in a segment that was supposed to be attacking Trump (of course, this characterizes most CNN reports that are not weather forecasts). Daniel Chaitin of the Washington Examiner writes:

The wave of investigations stemming from the Justice Department under the Trump administration is "relentless," said a former top FBI official dogged by these inquiries. One such pursuit is special counsel John Durham's criminal inquiry into the Russia investigation, which fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe brought up as he appeared alongside CNN anchor Pamela Brown on Friday to comment on the revelation that the Trump-era Justice Department seized data from at least two House Intelligence Committee Democrats and reporters as part of a leak investigation  a matter which is now under review by the DOJ inspector general. (snip) McCabe talked about his personal experience, casting himself as being the victim of an unprecedented retaliatory campaign. That's when he mentioned Durham's review. "It's the relentless pursuit of these cases despite no factual results, right? Despite unproductive investigations. And look, that's been my own experience. I've been under investigation since January of 2017, right? It's one investigation after another. I guess if you count John Durham, then maybe I still am," he said. "It is the relentless pursuit of retaliation against perceived enemies, and I don't think we've seen anything like that from the Justice Department or any part of this government prior to the Trump administration," McCabe added.

I sure hope Durham's long, long investigation  his report is now about a year overdue  is "relentless." We know that the secrecy around the effort has been strict, but a potential target like McCabe would know what he has been questioned about and what evidence he has been forced to provide.

It's a ray of hope, nothing more. Until I see indictments, there will be no excitement.

But the idea of Andrew McCabe squirming is entertaining.

Photo credit: CBS screen grab (cropped).

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Eighty-three days into Kamala Harris's tenure as Joe Biden's border czar, a slew of new border detention facilities are suddenly being constructed. Those are to house the growing wave of illegal border crossers. Seems that Harris hasn't been effective.

According to Breitbart News:

Construction is set to begin on temporary detention facilities at the Border Patrols Interstate 35 checkpoint and other locations in Laredo, Texas. The shelters are military-style general-purpose tents and can house 60 people per tent. Plans for the climate-controlled structures, designed only for short-term detention, do not include funding for contract personnel to staff the facilities. According to a law enforcement source within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Laredo Sector is accepting hundreds of migrant transfers from the Del Rio Sector. The source says nearly 100 migrants are transferred from Del Rio to Laredo, Texas daily.

Which doesn't sound like a success story for someone who's charged with halting the border surge, supposedly, by tackling root causes. Fact is, the problem is getting worse.

And here's the border surge problem by the Border Patrol's official numbers. These are the land-based southwest border "encounters."

January: 75,313

February: 97,640

March: 169,204

April: 173,686

May: 172,011

This month, they're reportedly on track to surpass 180,000.

The surge is getting bigger, even as the hot summer months beckon.

Breitbart cites one reason for the likeliness of all the newly constructed detention facilities: Joe plans to rescind the Centers for Disease Control order that states that on the grounds of COVID risk in the time of the pandemic, unvetted migrants rolling in illegally need to be immediately sent back, (except, as Joe has determined, unaccompanied children, which is why the kid surge still goes full blast).

The other reason, of course, is that word is getting out, well beyond the Northern Triangle countries that Harris is supposedly focusing on.

Notice that in March, the "other" nationalities category numbers surpassed those first of El Salvador, then did the same of Guatemala and El Salvador in May, and then surpassed all three Northern Triangle countries in May, meaning, Harris's focus on "root causes" in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala is kind of a horse-has-left-the-barn matter. The dominant category now fueling the surges is all the Venezuelans, Cubans, Indians, Nigerians, Haitians, and nationals from other countries coming across at Joe's invitation, something Harris is behind the curve on.

Every day Harris is on the job, the problem actually gets worse.

That's why Americans of both political parties are asking Harris to come to the border, that's why coming to the border is important. Yet, the more she's asked, the more she digs in vowing not to come. What would a company say to having a project manager as incompetent as this one? The more she stays on the job, the bigger the surge gets. It's time for Joe to fire this incompetent and appoint someone capable of getting results.

Image: U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, Office of Field Operations, government chart and official data // public domain

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Yesterday, at the G-7 meeting, President Biden said twice in a row, "America is back at the table," in an unsubtle dig at President Trump. He forgot to add that the other people at the table were laughing at him.

Dementia Joe interrupted U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson as he was presiding over a session where visitors were being introduced and insisted on adding the president of South Africa  who had already been introduced. P.M. Johnson maintained a calm voice but was clearly annoyed, as this transcript from TGP shows:

Boris Johnson: And welcome to those who just joined us President Ramaphosa (South Africa), President Moon (South Korea) Joe Biden: And the President of South Africa. Boris Johnson: And the President of South Africa as, as, as I said. Joe Biden: Oh, you did? Boris Johnson: I certainly did. [emphases added]

Here is video, in which laughter can be heard from the other heads of government of the richest countries.

Boris Johnson insists to Joe Biden that he already introduced the president of South Africa to a G7 meeting.



Read the latest from the G7 here: https://t.co/LLt2KjJhOE pic.twitter.com/mjwKvbvDo6  Sky News (@SkyNews) June 13, 2021

I am certain that the agitprop media will bury this story, and most Americans will never know that their leader is an object of derisive laughter from his near peers. Based on his goofy facial expression as the laughter erupted, it's not even clear that Joe knows that, either:

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Photo credit: Twitter screen grab (cropped).

Needless to say, had President Trump done such a thing, the headlines would dominate the news for a week, and talk of the 25th Amendment would be front and center, along with worries that the standing of the United States internationally had plummeted to laughingstock levels.

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A month ago, I went to Maryland to see my ailing mother. I learned from friends that Baltimore has a terrible police shortage. They need 1,100 but have only 500 officers. It's happening because the political class is failing to let the police do their job.

Well, something has to give, because local businesses are threatening to hold back money. This is the story:

More than three dozen businesses in Baltimore's Fells Point are threatening to withhold tax and permit payments amid "chaos and lawlessness" that they say has been "going on for far too long," according to local reports. The coalition of 37 businesses sent a letter Tuesday to officials, including the mayor, council president, police commissioner and state's attorney, complaining about illegal alcohol and drug sales, public drinking, poor trash pickup and parking enforcement, and other problems, according to several local reports. They are calling for Baltimore officials to restore "basic and essential municipal services." "[W]e are fed up and frustrated, and we now realize that nothing will change unless we demand action," the letter states, according to local affiliate FOX Baltimore.

Can you believe that this is happening in a major U.S. city?

It started back in 2014, when six policemen were charged in the death of Freddie Gray. This incident introduced us to Baltimore state's attorney Marilyn J. Mosby. She seemed more interested in appearing on TV than fixing crime in Baltimore. In the end, the officers were acquitted.

Then, in 2015, the city exploded, businesses burned, and the police were forced to watch.

Thankfully, the taxpayers are fed up. They plan to hold their taxes back until the city does its job. Maybe this is the start of a national movement that will finally bring city Democrats to their senses.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: formulanone.

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Even though Dr. Anthony Fauci vehemently denies that any federal money was paid to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for gain of function research, Senator Rand Paul accuses him of lying and has hard evidence:

"There's a famous scientist in the Wuhan lab, her name is Dr. Shi [Zhengli], and she published a paper a couple years ago which has been reviewed by MIT, and says that it's a gain-of-function research," Paul said. "But in the byline, she has to list the sponsors. She lists Dr. Fauci and the NIAID as a sponsor of her research, which everybody acknowledges [is] gain-of-function research, juicing up these superviruses. So, I don't know how you get around this."

The federal funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology first passed through the hands of a nonprofit organization headed by Peter Daszak, Ph.D., the Eco Health Alliance. This troubles me quite a bit, and I have a couple of basic questions about the arrangement.

First of all, why was an intermediary involved in channeling the money? When a third party is used to disguise the origins of funds, this is usually called "money-laundering." Some have alleged that Daszak's organization was used to evade federal restrictions on funding gain of function research, which makes existing viruses even more dangerous, as appears to have happened with the COVID-19 virus, a modified version of a virus found in bats. In terms used by law enforcement when investigating illicit money flows, the third party is often called a "cutout."

Weren't the federal funds supplied to the Wuhan lab an example of money laundering? If not, why not? And wasn't the Eco Health Alliance functioning as a cutout? Why was its role even necessary? Can't the federal government make such grants directly?

The second basic question derives from the first. How much money (if any) did Eco Health Alliance and its president, Peter Daszak, receive for their role as a cutout (or if you prefer, "intermediary")? If it received a substantial sum, why? What value did it add, aside from evading funding restrictions on gain of function research?

I have no direct evidence, but an examination of the Eco Health Alliance's IRS Form 990  the public reporting document required of all nonprofits  for the years 2018 and 2019 suggests that it might have received a very large sum indeed.

Here is the relevant section of the 2019 Form 990 of the Eco Health Alliance (the entire form is available here):

Notice that well under half of the $17,703,253 (line 8) that the organization received in grants (presumably a substantial portion of which came from the federal government) was paid out as grants to other entities (such as the Wuhan Institute of Virology). The $6,816, 476 (line 13) paid out is just over 38.5% of the funds received. The money paid out to staff at the Eco Health Alliance, $6,060,055 (line 15), is just over 34% of total revenues, in the same ballpark as the grants paid out. Details of compensation show a very well paid staff for a nonprofit, with Daszak topping $400,000 total compensation (pretty close to what Dr. Fauci receives as the highest-paid federal employee):

So what did Daszak and others at his nonprofit receive for serving as cutouts and laundering the money?

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The worst epithet one can be called in the America of tribal identities, traveling snowflakes in search of a trigger, BLM comrades, critical race propagandists, and purportedly systemic white privilege Kens and Karens, is a racist.

In today's mass social milieu, if one is the wrong skin color, religion, nationality, or political party affiliate, one must be a racist. That accounts for at least half of us. So what's the issue?

Since the accusation has become so ludicrous  in that it encompasses everything from drinking pre-woke Coke to having the right math answer  it has lost its zing along with its original connotation.

So in this age of insanity, where all things are defined as the opposite of what they are supposed to mean: call me racist.

I must be a racist because: I believe that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, regardless of original intent, has devolved into a Marxist, anti-American, anti-Semitic, anti-family racist hate group.

I must be racist because: I believe that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are the same anti-Jew hatred that has existed for millennia.

I must be racist because: I believe that while anti-Semitism exists on the far right, it is powerless and negligible as compared to the very vocal and ever-growing anti-Semitism, overtly coalescing in the Democrat-controlled U.S. House.

I must be racist because: I believe that American Jews in the Democrat party have sold out Israel and their brethren in the United States by not opposing the hatred and lies espoused by Ilhan Omar and her squad in Congress. (To date, only 12 of the 33 Democrat Jewish congresspeople have expressed concern over Omar's geopolitical positions.

I must be racist because: I believe that the riots, looting, and burning of American cities are criminal and were manufactured to threaten Americans into voting for Biden, in exchange for thwarting future violence.

I must be racist because: I resent the hypocrisy of state governments letting rioters riot during the COVID-19 pandemic but not permitting religious people to assemble for worship.

I must be racist because: I believe Governors Cuomo and Wolf have blood on their hands by sending seniors with Covid to senior living facilities, thereby causing the needless deaths of hapless thousands.

I must be racist because: I believe that illegal immigration is immoral and anti-American in that it snatches jobs from Americans, and the cost for their care represents a forced transfer of wealth as government spends at least three times the average Social Security recipients' monthly stipend per illegal alien.

I must be prejudiced because: I believe that our "free press" is neither free nor newsworthy. Rather, it is delivered by mindless propagandists who repeat the Democrats' party line du jour.

I must be racist because: I believe that college students blocking speakers on campus, with opposing viewpoints from their own, are violative of free speech.

I must be racist because: I cannot fathom the inanities of speaking truth to power, being one's best self, and being one's authentic self. Just be it. Most of us don't give a flying fig regarding your sexual orientation.

Essentially: Do not be silenced for dread of being called a racist  or worse, being fired. If fired, one has protection in extant employment law in the form of retaliatory firing.

Do the right thing, and never mind the labels hurled back at you.

Photo credit: janinsf CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.

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For decades, the most trusted institution in America has been our military. It's been colorblind and completely apolitical. Young men and women join it, where they learn institutional discipline, self-discipline, and useful skills, all in the service of our country. However, in a mere six months, the Biden administration has launched an all-out attack on the integrity of the American military. While Obama was obsessed with LGBT representation in the military, Biden is taking it to the next level by bringing in Critical Race Theory and openly seeking to purge Republicans and Trump supporters.

At Power Line, David Horowitz, John Perazzo, and Mark Tapson wrote at some length about what's happening. It's a long essay, but the first five paragraphs will give you the flavor and, I'm sure, send you running to read the rest:

No institution in America  from government offices to schoolrooms to corporate boardrooms and beyond  is safe today from the poisonous racism of Critical Race Theory and the "1619 Project" which posit that United States history is rooted in slavery and white supremacy, and that "whiteness" is an incurable disease. The institution whose subversion poses the greatest threat to our national security is the military, now overseen by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a determined advocate of these repulsive anti-American views. Austin has required both Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project as core elements of the Pentagon's military training programs  concealing their sinister agendas under the innocuous-sounding "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" label. He has ordered a purging of the military ranks of what he calls "extremists," defined as opponents of these noxious views and supporters of Donald Trump and the Capitol protest of January 6th. This transformational focus of our military forces is the Biden administration's answer to the growing threat of a heavily-militarized China  a purging of "whiteness" and patriotic pride from the ranks of our frontline defenders. Lloyd Austin III was nominated in late 2012 for CENTCOM commander by President Barack Obama, who openly sought the "fundamental transformation" of America, and spent his eight-year tenure politicizing the military command. When Austin retired from active duty with the U.S. military in 2016, Austin was a four-star general. He spent the next few years in the private sector as a founder and/or board member of various corporations until last December, when President Biden nominated him for the position of U.S. Secretary of Defense. The Senate subsequently confirmed Austin on January 22 by a vote of 93-2, making him the first black Defense Secretary in American history, and also the most radical  even though most black Americans are patriots and are not radical. Austin was a natural choice for an administration that seems to value the skin color, gender and politics of its appointees over all other characteristics, and  like the President, the Vice President, and the Democratic Party generally  views America as a nation so scarred by its racist history that nothing short of a radical transformation would make it worthy of celebrating and defending. Like Obama, Austin is intent on transforming the American military with dangerous consequences for the 330 million Americans it is its mission to defend. During Austin's Senate confirmation hearing on January 19, he vowed to rid the U.S. military of the many "racists and extremists" that allegedly have infiltrated it. "The job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies," he said. "But we can't do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks."

Just to give more context to what you'll read at the Power Line link, news recently broke that troops are speaking out about an Army officer who denigrated White men:

An Army commander is under not-so-friendly rhetorical fire from troops outraged at comments the officer reportedly made denigrating white men as a class. The episode has prompted a formal investigation and reinvigorated a debate over whether the Biden administration is imposing a leftist agenda on the military. Social media pages for a soldiers' network reported the comments in Tuesday posts on Instagram and Facebook. The posts alleged Lt. Col. Andrew Rhodes, a new battalion commander at Fort Carson, Colo., told his troops: "If you're a white male, you are part of the problem."

It's likely that the troops are accurate. Certainly, Lt. Col. Rhodes's now-deleted Twitter page has him describing himself as a "Fervent anti-racist & anti-sexist." In other words, he's a social justice warrior steeped in Critical Race Theory, who loathes himself, for he is a White male, and who is trying to imbue his troops with that same self-loathing:

Just a hint to the military: You cannot have an effective military if the troops hate their country, themselves, and each other. And while that's clearly what the Biden administration seeks to create in the American military, some small part of me hopes that there is at least a pocket of courage in the Pentagon that will see politically placed officers push back.

Image: Lt. Col. Andrew Rhodes's now-deleted Twitter page.

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Winston Churchill said that "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." The latter point is especially true when it comes to socialized medicine. The system can function only if people with alternatives cannot exercise those alternatives. If they do, and are successful, the blind faith that keeps the system afloat vanishes. Britain's National Health Service (NHS) knows this, which is why it holds sick babies as prisoners when their parents attempt to get them alternative care that might save their lives.

The first time Americans became aware of what amounts to medically dictated infanticide in the NHS was in 2017, when the parents of Baby Charlie, a critically ill infant, tried to pull him out of the NHS and take him to America for experimental treatment. Instead, beginning with the medical establishment and then extending to the entire judicial system, including the European Court of Human Rights, officialdom said absolutely not. Once the NHS decided that it was better for Charlie to die under its care than for his parents to try to save him, that was the end of the parents' rights. Charlie died, untreated.

The same thing is happening again in England, but this time with a twist: the baby the NHS is holding prisoner is an Israeli subject, as are his parents:

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin appealed to Prince Charles on Tuesday to allow a critically ill child to be brought to Israel for medical treatment. In May, a British court ruled that Alta Fixler, age 2, should be taken off life support. "I am writing to you today on a matter of grave and urgent humanitarian importance," wrote Rivlin in a letter to the Prince of Wales. The court's decision, he continued, contradicted the beliefs of the child's Orthodox Jewish parents, who are also Israeli citizens, and it would be a "tragedy" if their wishes could not be respected. "Their religious beliefs directly oppose ceasing medical treatment that could extend her life, and [they] have made arrangements for her safe transfer and continued treatment in Israel," he wrote. [snip] In May, the U.K. Family Division of the High Court ruled that Alta's parents could not take their daughter to a Jerusalem hospital, agreeing with an earlier decision by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust that "there was no prospect of her ever getting better," The Jewish Chronicle reports.

One cannot help but conclude that the "High Court" is less concerned with the baby's well-being than it is with the possibility that its doctors will be proven wrong. That the baby isn't even a British subject is irrelevant. The NHS is a roach motel for desperately ill people: once they check in, they don't check out.

Years ago, when Holland first made euthanasia legal, I heard an NPR interview with a Dutchman who said euthanasia was great for Holland but should never be used in America. The reason, he said, was that Holland had socialized medicine. In America, where medical costs could bankrupt families, those with terminal illnesses could be actively or passively coerced into turning to euthanasia to save their family's finances.

History has proven that this is bass-ackwards. The state does not love you. The state will send people sick with COVID into old age homes, where all the vulnerable patients are. It might do this out of sheer negligence, or, perhaps, even if only subliminally, it may do this to reduce the economic burden old people put on the state. After all, they're no longer producing taxable wealth. They're just using up money that could be better spent finding housing for illegal aliens. Either way, the family doesn't think that way. Only the state does.

England's NHS, especially, showed that lack of state love with its Liverpool Care Pathway. This was meant to be a national hospice program providing palliative care to the terminally ill in their final days. What ended up happening, when the NHS started running out of money, is that thousands (even tens of thousands) of elderly patients who were terminally ill, but weren't anywhere near death's door, were hastened to their deaths. They had become too expensive or just too difficult to manage.

When a British judge tells you your child is as good as dead, and that you cannot try to save her life, what he may well be saying is something akin to, "Don't take your child somewhere else and make us look bad. The only thing that holds the NHS together is the British people's blind faith that they're actually getting good, free health care, rather than minimal health care paid for thanks to excessive taxes." As always, Winston Churchill was correct.

Image: The Sick Child by Oscar Wergeland. Public domain.

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By and large, politicians are a different breed of person from the average voter. This is especially true for those who are dishonest. The most avaricious of politicians are worlds apart from the rest of us. Their avarice is not merely for personal wealth, but for power. They literally lust for it, and not just a little of it. Many of them are control freaks. The worst of them are sociopaths, which may seem like an extreme accusation, but their sociopathy is not that of the serial killer; it is more like that of the lion on the hunt, having no sympathy for the lamb.

Oddly enough, the case can be made that a certain degree of sociopathy is a useful trait in leaders, even necessary. Consider the military general officer, who must order his soldiers to attack an enemy. As he does so, he is aware that he is sending good men to their deaths. Yet it must be done. Ask yourself, how easily could you do it? How much effort would it take for you to visit the troops (as General Eisenhower did on the eve of D-Day), look them in the eye, speak with them, ask about their families, knowing all the while that, in a few hours, many of them will have died, following your orders?

Our natural abhorrence of doing so is one that must, at least temporarily, be overcome when the occasion requires it.

For some, however, sociopathy is anything but temporary. Politically, its most horrific manifestations are evident in the Josef Stalins and Adolf Hitlers of history  but in slightly less reprehensible forms, they are apparent in many leaders of today. Why is this so?

Witness Hillary Clinton, who brushed off the avoidable deaths of American heroes with such words as "What difference does it make?" Consider Andrew Cuomo, whose policies killed many hundreds of nursing home residents.

On a lower level, consider the impudence of governors such as Whitmer, Newsom, and others, who violated their own orders for masking and distancing, only to be caught (as was Speaker Pelosi) on camera, and then made lame apologies for expediency.

Those politicians who possess the will to power are not like the rest of us. They use other people in the pursuit of that power and cold-heartedly discard them the moment they no longer have utility.

President Trump found the right balance. He did not have the political predisposition that many professional politicians have. He would have been content to remain in his life as a private citizen, but duty called, and he answered, not for personal profit, but at great and painful cost to himself and his loved ones.

There are others who we hope, and expect, will emulate him, such as governors Abbott and DeSantis.

Why would they? Why would any honorable person undertake the perilous journey, neck-deep through a swamp inhabited by sociopathic politicians?

I can never understand, but I am glad we have such people.

Image: Matt Reinbold.

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(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 14 - Marco Zennaro, an Italian businessman detained in Sudan for around two months over commercial disputes, was released from prison to house arrest in a hotel on Monday.

The Italian ambassador in Sudan and Director-General Luigi Vignali have been working to secure Zennaro's release from jail.

Vignali visited Sudan recently at the behest of Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

Zennaro is to stay in Sudan to address the various business cases in which he is involved. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - VENICE, JUN 14 - Venice police on Monday arrested eight people in Austria, Estonia and Finland on suspicion of taking part in an attempted jewel heist in Venice's St Mark's Square in March 2017.

The three-year Europol-led op saw the Italian police make the arrests along with French, Austrian, Estonian and Finnish colleagues.

In the attempted robbery, the gang set off two flares in the square, one of them under the belltower, in order to make people think a terror attack was underway.

But an alert tourist saw the men in action and called in police who forced the gang to flee.

The gang was said to be based in Estonia and specialised in robbing European chic jewelry stores.

They had an overall robbery haul of over one million euros, police said. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 14 - Approximately two-thirds of Italy is classed as low COVID-19 risk white zone as of Monday thanks to improved contagion data.

As a result five regions, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Lazio, Piedmont and Puglia, plus the autonomous province of Trento, have become white zones, joining Abruzzo, Liguria, Umbria, Veneto, Molise, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Sardinia - totalling 40.5 million people or two thirds of the Italian population.

This means that many of the nation's coronavirus restrictions can be eased in these regions, except for the obligation to wear facemasks and respect physical distancing.

The rest of the country is a moderate-risk yellow zone in the nation's tiered system of COVID restrictions.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza has said he hopes 95% of the nation will be a white zone next week. (ANSA).


ALGIERS - The main Islamist party on the list for the early parliamentary elections in Algeria, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) has claimed victory ahead of the publication of initial results of Sunday's vote.



This electoral round was marked by a high abstention rate, yet another sign of disinterest by the population after the Hirak protest movement and opposition called for a boycott.



The MSP said in a statement that it had come in first in the wilayat (prefectures) and abroad.



The MSP is considered conservative but moderate.



It went on to warn against "numerous attempts to modify the results of the vote like what happened before".
BEIRUT - Over one thousand people on Monday were fleeing parts of northwestern Syria after Syrian government airstrikes on areas outside of central government control intensified.



The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that about 350 families - consisting mostly of women and children - had fled the Jabal al-Zawiya region in the southwestern part of the Idlib province.



Much of the province is under Turkish military influence.



The zone is officially part of a ceasefire negotiated between Turkey and Russia in March 2020.



Government artillery and airstrikes have in recent days resumed, however, against positions held by opposition forces backed by Turkey.



On Sunday, a hospital was hit by artillery rounds in the northwestern region of Afrin, under the control of opposition groups backed by Turkey.



It is not clear who opened fire on the hospital, in which 18 people including women and children were killed.



Near Afrin are both Syrian Kurdish PKK affiliates and Syrian government forces.


BRUSSELS - "We must go back to thinking of shared EU actions in the Mediterranean to save people, actions that take ground away from traffickers. There is the need for a European search and rescue mechanism at sea," European Parliament president David Sassoli said Monday.



He was speaking at the opening of a high-level conference on migration and asylum at the European Parliament.



"It is our duty to save lives. We cannot leave this to NGOs, which at the moment are serving as a substitute," he added.



He stressed that it is necessary to "ensure that people in need can arrive in Europe in a safe manner and not risking their lives" through the setting up of "humanitarian corridors".



"We must move beyond the Dublin system and create one based on solidarity, sharing, and responsibility," Sassoli said.
TEL AVIV - The first test for the Naftali Bennett government will be seen on Tuesday, after the outgoing government under Benyamin Netanyahu authorized the holding of a Jewish nationalists march commonly called a 'Flag Dance' near the Old City in Jerusalem.



This event, which will end at the Wailing Wall, celebrates the reunification for Israel of two sectors of the city after the 1967 Six Days' War.



Some 2,000 police will be deployed to maintain security and public order.



The new interior minister, Labor Party member Omer Bar Lev, said that on Monday he would study the route of the march alongside police chiefs.



Thousands of people are expected to take part.



Police say it has been planned in such a way to reduce to the lowest possible level friction with the Palestinian population, which has nevertheless protested against it: on Tuesday there will be a 'Day of Rage'.



Hamas has also threatened that it might react with its forces from the Gaza Strip, "if a dangerous situation were to be created for the Aqsa mosque complex".
Israel's Bennett wins confidence vote, sends Netanyahu home Govt with only one vote more than opposition,Tel Aviv celebrates

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, 14 GIU - Naftali Bennett managed to pass a vote of confidence and as of Sunday evening is now Israel's 13th prime minister.



In so doing, he has sent Benyamin Netanyahu to the opposition for the first time in 12 years.



The government was voted in by a very slim margin but for now it is enough: 60 PMs from the eight parties of the new coalition from both rightwing and leftwing parties as well as Raam.



Some 59 - all the MPs of the old majority - instead supported Netanyahu and voted against it.



Only one PM - from the Raam - left the assembly at the time of voting and abstained.



After the official announcement of the new Knesset speaker, Miki Levy, applause rang out through the assembly from supporters of the new government.



However, before the final vote there were several incidents from the opening statements on: the opposition interrupted Bennett throughout his entire speech.



Bennett ordered the opposition to "stop the chaos" and vowed to put "an end to the terrible period of hate among the Israeli population".



The extremely heated atmosphere led centrista leader Yair Lapid - who according to the agreement meant to take over from Bennett in late August 2023 - to give up on the idea of speaking, as it would have been useless in his opinion.



Iran, Israel's 'top enemy', was also a source of polemics despite the fact that Bennett was clear in saying that Israel "will not allow Tehran to get nuclear weapons".



"Reviving the nuclear accord with Iran." he said, " is a mistake that will make one of the most violent regimes in the world legitimate. Israel maintains its full freedom of action." "In Iran today they are celebrating. They understand that there will now be a weak government in Israel that is obsequious" towards the US, Netanyahu claimed.



In any case, Bennett's victory seems to have started a new era. Thousands took to the streets of Tel Aviv to celebrate in the evening and two thousand people gathered near Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem to sing 'Bibi Ciao' as a take on the well-known Italian song 'Bella Ciao'. (ANSAmed).




BRUSSELS - "Turkey is on the frontline in the fight against terrorism in all relevant international platforms, especially NATO," both inside and outside the country's borders, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday. He was speaking at a forum at the German Marshall Fund on the sidelines of a NATO summit.



"Turkey is the only NATO ally which has fought face-to-face and gave its young sons as martyrs for this cause," he added.



"Unfortunately, we did not receive the support and solidarity we expected from our allies and partners in our fight against all forms of terrorism." Instead, he stressed, Turkey has "witnessed that terrorist leaders who have innocent people's blood on their hands were supported and addressed on the highest level as if they were legal actors in Syria, Iraq and Turkey".



He was apparently mainly referring to US support for the Syrian Kurdish armed organisation the YPG, which Turkey considers the Syrian branch of the PKK.



The PKK has long been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU.



Nevertheless, he added, Turkey acts as a "reliable ally" and praised the "revitalization of channels for dialogue with Greece".
How much and what taxes to cut is one of the largest remaining questions for the Legislatures budget-writing committee to tackle this week as it nears the end of its work writing the state budget


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Ned Beatty  the actor whose first film role in 1972s Deliverance launched him on a long, prolific and accomplished career  has died at the age of 83.

Beattys manager, Deborah Miller, said he died on Sunday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by friends and loved ones.

After years in regional theatre, Beatty was cast in Deliverance as Bobby Trippe, the happy-go-lucky member of a male river-boating party terrorised by backwoods thugs.

The scene in which Trippe is brutally attacked became the most memorable in the movie and established Beatty as an actor whose name moviegoers may not have known but whose face they always recognised.

For people like me, theres a lot of I know you! I know you! What have I seen you in? Beatty remarked in 1992.

Beatty received only one Oscar nomination, as supporting actor for his role as corporate executive Arthur Jensen in 1976s Network, but he contributed to some of the most popular movies of his time and worked constantly, his credits including more than 150 movies and TV shows.

He was equally memorable as Otis, the idiot henchman of villainous Lex Luther in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies and as the racist sheriff in White Lightning.

Other films included All The Presidents Men, The Front Page, Nashville, and The Big Easy.

In a 1977 interview, he had explained why he preferred being a supporting actor.

Stars never want to throw the audience a curveball, but my great joy is throwing curveballs, he said.

Being a star cuts down on your effectiveness as an actor because you become an identifiable part of a product and somewhat predictable. You have to mind your Ps and Qs and nurture your fans. But I like to surprise the audience, to do the unexpected.

He landed a rare leading role in the Irish film Hear My Song in 1991. The true story of legendary Irish tenor Josef Locke, who disappeared at the height of a brilliant career, it was well reviewed but largely unseen in the United States.

Between movies, Beatty worked often in TV and theatre. He had recurring roles in Roseanne as John Goodmans father and as a detective on Homicide: Life On The Streets.

On Broadway he won critical praise (and a Drama Desk Award) for his portrayal of Big Daddy in a revival of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, a role he had first played as a 21-year-old in a stock company production.

He created controversy, however, when he was quoted in The New York Times on the skills of his young co-stars, Ashley Judd and Jason Patric.

Ashley is a sweetie, he said, and yet she doesnt have a lot of tools. Of Patric, he remarked: Hes gotten better all the time, but his is a different journey.

His more recent movies included Toy Story 3 in 2010 and two releases from 2013, The Big Ask and Baggage Claim. He retired soon after.

Ned Thomas Beatty was born in 1937 in Louisville, Kentucky, and raised in Lexington, where he joined the Protestant Disciples of Christ Christian Church.

It was the theatre I attended as a kid, he told The Associated Press in 1992. It was where people got down to their truest emotions and talked about things they didnt talk about in everyday life. The preaching was very often theatrical.

For a time he thought of becoming a priest, but changed his mind after he was cast in a high school production of Harvey.

He spent 10 summers at the Barter Theatre in Abingdom, Virginia, and eight years at the Arena Stage Company in Washington, DC. At the Arena Stage, he appeared in Chekhovs Uncle Vanya and starred in Arthur Millers Death Of A Salesman.

Then his life changed forever when he took a train to New York to audition for director John Boorman for the role of Bobby Trippe.

Boorman told him the role was cast, but changed his mind after seeing Beatty audition.

Beatty, who married Sandra Johnson in 1999, had eight children from three previous marriages.
Pub bosses have warned that the four-week delay to lifting coronavirus restrictions will cost the sector 400 million.

It came after the Prime Minister said plans to ease trading restrictions and distancing measures will now be pushed back from June 21 to July 19 amid concerns over the spread of the Delta variant.

Hospitality firms are among those which still have trading restricted by service and distancing measures.

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), said the delay is hard for our sector to stomach.

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She said: The delay will cost our pubs 400 million for this period alone, but inevitably much more as confidence deteriorates and as a key part of the summer season is lost that is so critical to our sectors viability.

Pubs and licensees are struggling to recover with the current restrictions they face and debts are accumulating.

Every week the current restrictions stay and uncertainty continues, the likelihood of pubs being lost forever increases.

A full package of Government support is now critical for our sector until it is guaranteed to open fully without any restrictions.

The Government also confirmed on Monday that it will not further extend furlough and other financial support schemes despite the delay.

Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie (Greene King/PA)

Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of pub group Greene King, described Boris Johnsons update as a huge blow.

We now face further uncertainty and must wait even longer before we can start profitably trading, something that we have been unable to do since the start of the pandemic, he added.

We also risk losing out on the substantial amount of trade that comes with the Euros, a disappointment for us and for our customers that were looking forward getting that matchday atmosphere back.

The business rates holiday ends on the June 30, dramatically increasing our outgoing costs by 250,000 a day at a time when we will be losing millions every day in trade due to capacity constraints.

Industry trade body UKHospitality also called for significant financial support, warning that businesses will fail without a strong plan from the Chancellor.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the group, said: This four-week delay to lifting restrictions will cost the sector around 3 billion in sales, put at risk 300,000 jobs and have a knock-on impact on bookings throughout the summer and into the autumn.

Simply put, if the supports provided by the Chancellor are not sustained and adjusted, businesses will fail and getting this far will count for nought.
Fears have been raised that unaccompanied child migrants arriving in Dover will be detained at a controversial facility after Kent County Council announced it cannot take in any more.

Large numbers of migrant children travelling to the UK on board small boats has led to a repeat of the unthinkable situation where the council says its resources are significantly overwhelmed.

It came as more people were believed to have reached Dover on Monday morning as high numbers of English Channel crossings in May and June continue.

On Thursday, council leader Roger Gough said he was profoundly saddened at the situation around unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC)  the second time it has arisen in the last year.

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Kent County Council confirmed on Sunday afternoon that no new resolution has been reached with the Home Office and it would no longer be able to take in unaccompanied migrant children from Monday.

Any new UASC will stay at the Home Offices Kent Intake Unit (KIU) in Dover while a permanent place is sought for them with another local authority, officials said.

This has led to fears over their possible detention at the KIU, which was among sites criticised by inspectors last year for holding children for far too long and often overnight  in one case for more than 66 hours.

The Home Office says unaccompanied migrant children are always prioritised and stay at the KIU for as short a period as possible.

It described the KIU as a short-term holding facility for processing asylum applications and making arrangements for the care placement of child migrants.

Reacting to the news, Bella Sankey, director of charity Detention Action, told the PA news agency: It is of deep concern that the Home Office is going to start detaining traumatised refugee children at our border.

The Home Secretary (Priti Patel) has the statutory power to require local authorities to take responsibility for these children but she declines to bring it into force and to provide adequate funding, preferring instead to hold children  indefinitely  in a deeply inappropriate detention facility including with adult strangers.

We believe these detentions are unlawful and are currently exploring our options to challenge this practice.

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Ms Sankey told PA that while children are usually taken to the KIU, this is generally a logistical process that should take no more than a few hours.

Now, like last summer, they will be detained for days, possibly weeks, as Kent County Council is unable to take them in, she said.

A Home Office spokesman said: The Home Office is grateful for the role Kent County Council has played in supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and we have provided them with substantial operational support, including transferring those in need of support to other local authorities in the UK.

We recently announced vital updates to the National Transfer Scheme to alleviate pressures on certain areas and continue to work closely across Government on provision for unaccompanied minors.

The spokesman added that responsibility for taking in unaccompanied migrant children is to be more evenly distributed across the UK as part of updates to the scheme.

The KIU was among sites criticised by inspectors from HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) last year following a surprise visit.

They found that in one case a 15-year-old boy was held for more than 66 hours at the KIU and records were not clear as to why this had happened.
Business leaders have called on the Treasury to extend financial support measures as they warn that Government plans to stall the lifting of lockdown restrictions will be a blow for Covid-hit firms.

The Prime Minister is expected to tell the nation that the road map easing earmarked for June 21 in England will be delayed for four weeks to July 19.

It is likely to mean that pubs, restaurants, cinemas and many other venues will continue to face limits on numbers and distancing restrictions, while nightclubs will remain shut.

Businesses are hoping that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will extend support measures (Alberto Pezzali/PA)

Dr Roger Barker, director of policy at the Institute of Directors (IoD), said: Clearly this is a blow for many businesses, particularly those in the retail and hospitality sectors.

We are now approaching a cliff edge, with Government support for business ending or beginning to taper off.

It is vital that this support is pushed out commensurately with the lockdown extension.

Economic support and public health measures must be aligned.

A number of state financial support measures are due to alter at the end of this month, having been devised on the basis that all restrictions would be eased on June 21.

The ban on commercial rent evictions is due to end on June 30, while furlough will change from an 80% state contribution to 70% state contribution with employers having to cover the other 10%.

Business rates relief, which has eliminated all of the property tax for hospitality, retail and leisure operators, will also taper off to a 67% discount limited to 2 million at the end of the month.

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), warned that a delay will make businesses in the sector highly reliant on Government support as they are already heavily burdened with debt.

He added: We should not underestimate the importance of the 21st June to these businesses, employees, entertainers and freelancers.

Its a day when they should be given back their opportunity to trade, regain their livelihoods, careers, social wellbeing and the day that the Government is due to give culture back to the UK.

Many of these businesses and individuals have adapted, overcome and survived for an exceptional length of time with the bare bones of support, and have arrived at this opportunity to find that it could be ripped away from them.

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Nigel Morris, employment tax director at MHA MacIntyre Hudson, said the Chancellor should consider changes to furlough if a delay is announced at 5pm.

He said: The Chancellor does not need to change the end date of the scheme but just the phasing.

Keeping Government contributions at 80% throughout July  instead of going ahead with the proposed reduction to 70% support for businesses with a mandatory 10% employer contribution  would be an enormous help given the delay to Freedom Day.

Nevertheless, Londons markets were in a strong position on Monday morning.

The FTSE 100 was 0.4% higher at 7,162.5 points after early trading, although travel stocks were particularly weak.
SAS: Who Dares Wins star Connor has said he hopes his success in the programme will put Irish dancing on the map.

Along with Keiran, the professional Irish dancer passed the SAS selection course in Sundays episode of the Channel 4 programme.

Series six of SAS: Who Dares Wins saw 21 men and women leave the comfort of their homes and head to Scotland for an unforgiving selection course including tasks built around abseiling, freezing water and chemical weapon attacks.

Connor (Channel 4/PA)

The final episode saw the seven remaining recruits face an interrogation.

After completing the tasks, Connor said: Passing the course is hard to put into words, such an outpouring of emotions, Im just over the moon after the most amazing experience but at the same time I feel massive relief because I put myself under so much pressure.

I guess for me it was confirmation, backing up my beliefs about the mental and physical strength of Irish dancers and male dancers especially.

I feel such pride and Im so thankful to my family for the support throughout this journey and my life.

I put so much into my preparation beforehand and I gave it my absolute all throughout the course.

My sole focus was to do my family, my colleagues and the Irish dancing world proud and to put Irish dancing on the map, so hopefully Ive done that.

Kieran (Channel 4/PA)

Kieran said passing the course is a crazy feeling.

I had to keep it quiet for such a long time that now is my first chance to properly celebrate, he added.

He said he thinks he passed the course as he is not one to give in.

Ill just dig deep and keep driving, he said.

On the first day I didnt perform as well as I would have liked so I spent the next 10 days proving to myself and the DS why I belonged there.

Adam, DJ, Justine, Sean and Tyler failed to pass the interogation.
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Delta plus is resistant to the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment for COVID-19 recently authorised in India

Delta plus is resistant to the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment for COVID-19 recently authorised in India. (Representational Image: Reuters)

New Delhi: The highly transmissible Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has mutated further to form the Delta plus' or AY.1' variant but there is no immediate cause for concern in India as its incidence in the country is still low, scientists here said.

The new Delta plus variant has been formed due to a mutation in the Delta or B.1.617.2 variant, first identified in India and one of the drivers of the deadly second wave. Though there is no indication yet of the severity of the disease due to the new variant, Delta plus is resistant to the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment for COVID-19 recently authorised in India.

One of the emerging variants is B.1.617.2.1 also known as AY.1 characterized by the acquisition of K417N mutation, Vinod Scaria, clinician and scientist at Delhi's CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), tweeted on Sunday.

The mutation, he said, is in the spike protein of SARS-COV-2, which helps the virus enter and infect the human cells.

According to Public Health England, 63 genomes of Delta (B.1.617.2) with the new K417N mutation have been identified so far on the global science initiative GISAID.

In its latest report on coronavirus variants, updated till last Friday, the health agency said Delta plus was present in six genomes from India as of June 7.

The variant frequency for K417N is not much in India at this point in time. The sequences are mostly from Europe, Asia and America, Scaria wrote on Twitter.

The earliest sequence of this genome was found in Europe in late March this year.

Noting that the travel histories for the variant are not readily available to make assumptions, Scaria said an important point to consider regarding K417N is the evidence suggesting resistance to monoclonal antibodies Casirivimab and Imdevimab.

This cocktail recently received emergency-use authorization in the country from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. Drug majors Roche India and Ciplas have priced the antibody cocktail at a steep Rs 59,750 per dose.

Similar to antibodies which are proteins that the body naturally produces to defend itself against the disease, monoclonal antibodies are artificially created in a lab and tailor-made to fight the disease they treat.

Casirivimab and Imdevimab are monoclonal antibodies that are specifically directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, and designed to block the virus' attachment and entry into human cells.

Scaria also indicated the mutation may be associated with the ability to escape the immune response against the virus.

Allaying fears, immunologist Vineeta Bal noted that while there may be some setback in the use of commercial antibody cocktail due to the new variant, resistance to the therapy is not an indication of higher virulence or severity of a disease.

How transmissible this new variant is will be a crucial factor to determine its rapid spread or otherwise, Bal, guest faculty at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, told PTI.

She also noted that the quality and quantity of neutralising antibodies, responsible for defending cells from pathogens, generated in the individual infected with the new variant is unlikely to be affected because of the mutation.

Thus in individuals catching infection with the new variant, it may not be a matter worth worrying, she added.

Pulmonologist and medical researcher Anurag Agrawal concurred.

There is no cause of concern due to the new variant in India as of now, Agrawal, the director of CSIR-IGIB, told PTI.

The scientist said the blood plasma from many fully vaccinated individuals will have to be tested against this variant to determine whether it shows any significant immune escape. As the Delta variant continues to evolve and acquire new mutations, there is a lot of interest in understanding its evolution. He said SARS-CoV-2 has a nearly constant rate of acquiring genetic variants, and each variant has acquired additional variants in a stepwise fashion.

Understanding this continued evolution is of great importance in mapping the evolutionary landscape of emerging variants. Largely the virus has tried to optimise for transmission and immune escape by step-wise acquisition of new mutations, he added.
Parents will not be allowed to accompany the students to the US to help them settle as tourist (B1/B2) visas are still not being issued

New Delhi: Indian students who have taken admission in American universities in the 2021-22 academic year can book appointments for visas from Monday at the United States embassy in New Delhi and US consulates in other Indian cities. The US embassy has decided to start an intensive two months of interviews starting July 1. Embassy officials said tens of thousands of interview slots would be available from Monday. However, parents who want to go to the US to help their children settle cannot accompany them at this time as the US government has still not opened B1/B2 visas for tourists.

The US stopped the entry of Indians after President Joe Biden signed Presidential Proclamation 10199 suspending most non-immigrant travel from India on April 30 due to the intense Covid-19 second wave that saw a huge number of Indians infected with the contagious Delta variant. Now, with the wave abating and fresh cases largely under control, the US government has decided to open its borders for Indian students who will be joining classes in the fall semester.

Student visas remain a top priority for the US Mission to India and we are making every attempt to facilitate student travel in time for the fall semester. As such, on June 14, 2021, we will open limited July and August student visa appointments at posts across India, the embassy said.

The embassy added that students need not carry the original hard copy of I-20 forms (certificate of eligibility for non-immigrant student status) given by the institutions. Instead, the electronic I-20 provided by schools is accepted by the embassy. Students need to get it printed and carry it with them while coming for their visa. Also, fully funded students do not need to show proof for financial support during the visa interview if it is mentioned in the I-20 form. The students also do not need to give a letter from the university specifying that the classes will be in person.

However, parents will not be allowed to accompany the students to the US to help them settle as tourist (B1/B2) visas are still not being issued. The embassy said that students would need to travel on their own. This is because under the presidential proclamation, those seeking to travel to the US on tourist visas are not allowed due to the Covid situation. A majority of Indian parents travel on tourist visas to help their children settle in a new country. The embassy said parents who already have B1/B2 visa would need a national interest exception in order to fly and the embassy will not be issuing any NIEs in such cases right now.

Travellers who already possess a valid student or exchange visitor (M) visa and who will begin their programmes on or after August 1, 2021, may travel to the United States without further action from the embassy or consulates in India. Direct travel to the United States from India with an F or M visa may begin no more than 30 days prior to the start date of a students classes. We are unable to facilitate travel for F or M visa holders with a programme start date before August 1, 2021, including those who have already been issued a visa. Students with a programme start date before August 1, 2021 should contact their respective educational institutions to discuss their options Please note that currently, due to safety concerns, the US embassy and consulates in India are only accepting emergency appointments. We remain committed to student visa applicants and will add additional student visa appointments as soon as we are able to do so safely, the embassy posted on its website.

Those travelling to the US have been advised to avoid booking flights with a stop in Europe due to the strict quarantine policies. Everyone needs a RT-PCR test before 72 hours of flying and there is no need to quarantine in the US as of now. The embassy has said that the type of vaccination now depends entirely on individual schools that may accept Indian vaccines or may ask the student to get revaccinated.
Farmers agitation has an important political aspect to it as elections to the UP and Punjab Assemblies are due in the next few months

New Delhi: In a bid to break the longstanding deadlock with protesting farmers from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh who have been camping at Delhis borders for over six months, Union home minister Amit Shah may take the initiative to enable the resumption of dialogue between the Centre and the farmer unions. Sources said, however, that while the home minister may not directly hold talks with the farmers himself, this could largely be done by agriculture minister Narendra Tomar and railway and commerce minister Piyush Goyal, Mr Shah could hold back-channel talks with the farmers to end the deadlock and bring the two sides once again to the negotiating table.

The talks between the Centre and the protesting farmers hit a roadblock in January this year as even after 11 rounds of negotiations no solutions could be reached between the two sides. While the Centre agreed to suspend the three controversial agricultural reform laws for almost two years and even agreed to make all the amendments in the laws that the farmers objected to, the agitating farmer unions remained adamant on a complete repeal of the law.

Since January, no talks have been held between the two sides, though senior government sources now claim that some back-channel talks had started in a bid to break the deadlock. The sources said that even last year the home minister had a detailed meeting with the farmers, and even now his assessment is that the two sides should start talks again.

The farmers are continuing their protest at the three main Delhi borders -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- for more than six months now and have hardened their stand that they will not settle for anything less than the scrapping of the three contentious farms laws.

The farmers agitation has an important political aspect to it as elections to the crucial Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Assemblies are due in the next few months. Farmers from Punjab and western UP have been at the forefront of this agitation and the BJP fears it may pay a heavy political price in the two states if this issue remains unresolved.

The sources said that therefore the home minister could play a critical role in the coming days in breaking the ice between the Centre and the farmers unions to bring them to the negotiating table. Sources said that a few senior officials were in touch with some of the farmers leaders and talks were progressing well to help find a solution.
SUV

The Korean Car Blog reports that every trim is getting a 10.25-inch TFT touchscreen display with split-screen functionality, and the same can be said about satellite navigation. As ever, the LX opens the lineup with a gloss-black front grille as well as chrome trim. Move on up to the S, and customers are treated to a wireless smartphone charger for Qi-enabled mobile devices.From the S all the way to the range-topping SX, the mid-size crossover offers a gloss-black front grille with satin-chrome trim for the 2022 model year. And finally, the cited publication reports that Navigation Smart Cruise Control-Curve and Highway Driving Assist will be standard for every Telluride sold in the United States of America. Pricing, however, still is a mystery.As long as you can find a dealership that wont mark up the family-hauling SUV like theres no tomorrow, Kia currently asks $32,190 for the front-wheel-drive LX while the SX with all-wheel drive tallies $44,390 excluding freight. The Nightfall Edition thats currently listed at $1,295 will soldier on with new exterior emblems and wheel caps according to The Korean Car Blog.All variants rely on a 3.8-liter GDi for propulsion, the Lambda II Atkinson-cycle engine that provides efficiency to the detriment of power density. The V6 lump develops 291 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 262 pound-feet at 5,200 rpm, enabling a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) when equipped with the $795 Towing Package.All Tellurides feature an eight-speed automatic transmission. Its not the quickest-shifting box in the biz, and it doesnt need to be considering that Kias quirkyserves as a competitor to the ever-popular Honda Pilot.
However, the GR Yaris isn't just another hot hatch. In a time when most manufacturers look to make their cars as modern as possible, the Japanese model seems to follow the recipes of old that favored an engaging driving experience above everything else.Automatic transmission? Nope, just a six-speed manual that likes to be roughed a little. Front-wheel-drive? How about adjustable all-wheel-drive that can, and will, send more of the power to the rear wheels when needed. Two-liter four-cylinder turbo? Wrong again because, as you know, the GR Yaris has a three-cylinder 1.6-liter turbocharged powerplant that makes way more power than a unit this size ever should: 257 hp (260 PS).But those are all just numbers and, try as they might, they can't possibly do justice to just how immensely fun it is to hoon this car around a track - or a dirt road, for that matter, seeing how it's the street-legal homologation special of a rally car. The fact it can do both of these so well is yet another reason to stand in awe at what Toyota has created.But just how good is it around a track? Well, we could give you some lap times and compare them to those of other models but we feel like the GR Yaris deserves something a little more action-packed. So instead of that, how about a lap where it's chased by the new BMW M4 Competition?The guys at Auto Express looked at the two cars and decided something needed to be done to level the playing field a little. With that in mind, they decided to give the Yaris a flying start, whereas the M4 would have to make use of its launch control system to get up to speed as quickly as it could.Once both cars were in motion, each had a very simple task: the BMW had to try and catch the Yaris, while the latter obviously had to stay in front of its chaser. With 503 hp (510 PS) and the renowned BMW proficiency around a track, it's pretty hard to predict how this is going to pan out. Obviously, the length of the track plays a big role, as do the drivers of the two cars, so just sit back, enjoy, and don't expect any science-proof results.
This past weekend, on the menu were a stealth fighter jet an F-16 wearing leopard overalls, but as we set out in the new week, massive transport aircraft comes into play. And what better machine to represent the genre than the C-17 Globemaster III?This name hides a Boeing (McDonnell Douglas, to be fair) aircraft designed to carry equipment, supplies and troops to small airfields and forward-operating bases at a moments notice. In service since the early 1990s, there are presently close to 300 of them in the skies, serving the needs of several of the worlds militaries.The thing can carry a payload of 164,900 pounds (75 metric tons), while taking off from a runway that is only 7,000 feet long (2,100 meters). After flying for as much as 2,700 miles (4,300 km), it can land on a strip no longer than 3,000 feet (914 meters).The aircraft can transport cargo, but also huge military vehicles like the M-1 tank, or 100 soldiers. Every single item that goes into its cargo bay can be dropped from high up in the sky in case of need.Like most other military aircraft, regardless of type, the C-17 too is packed with flares . These are countermeasures meant to defend the aircraft from heat-seeking missiles and other weapons.The C-17 we have in the main piece of this piece, deployed with the Joint Base Charleston, is making full use of its flares in the photo captured by Tech. Sgt. Chris Hibben during a training exercise in an area outside Charleston, South Carolina, earlier this month.And it looks so spectacular in doing so, possibly more than when say dropping a tank, we couldnt miss the chance of featuring in our Photo of the Day section.
After a 60-Year Wait, Aviation Legend Wally Funk Goes to Space With Jeff Bezos

3 NASA to Land Payloads on the Dark Side of the Moon for the First Time

2 Venus Is the New Hotpot for Space Agencies,ESA to Send Probe to Study the Planet

1 After Surviving a Wild Ride on Mars, NASA Ingenuity Takes to the Martian Sky

Humans Look Like Ants Next to NASA's Newly-Assembled SLS 'Megarocket'

NASA released photos of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket coming together at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This 'megarocket', which will stand taller than the Statue of Liberty, is getting closer to its first uncrewed flight. 9 photos



It will serve as the primary launch vehicle for NASA's deep space exploration missions, including the



However, before it embarks on its space journey, the rocket needs to be assembled first here, on Earth. That's what NASA has shown us recently. The rocket was assembled on Friday, June 11th, at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. The engineers with Exploration Ground Systems lifted the 212-foot (64.6 meters) core module and placed it in between smaller booster rockets.



As SLS is getting ready to takeoff later this year, there are still many steps and tests that need to be done. Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, crews will finish outfitting and other crucial assembly work before Artemis I rolls out to the launch pad.



The final configuration will stand 322 feet (98 meters) tall and weigh 5.75 million lbs (2,608 metric tons). That's bigger than the



Artemis I is set to take place on November 22nd this year. Once above Earth, the rocket will officially kickstart the Artemis space program, which will see its first crewed lunar landing mission in 2024.





Engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and @JacobsConnects lifted the @NASA_SLS rocket core stage for the @NASAArtemis I mission in the Vehicle Assembly Building at @NASAKennedy. Check out this timelapse from operations. pic.twitter.com/Vnv6GnJ7VX  NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) June 11, 2021 SLS is a super-heavy-lift launch vehicle that sets the foundation for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. Providing massive power, it's the only rocket that can send astronauts, cargo, and the Orion space capsule to the Moon on a single mission. The first SLS vehicle, called Block 1, can send more than 59,500 pounds (29 tons) to orbits beyond the Moon and provide the power to help Orion reach an astonishing speed of 24,500 mph (39,429 kph).It will serve as the primary launch vehicle for NASA's deep space exploration missions, including the Artemis program 's planned lunar flights and a possible human journey to Mars. The Artemis I mission will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions aimed at re-establishing human presence on the Moon.However, before it embarks on its space journey, the rocket needs to be assembled first here, on Earth. That's what NASA has shown us recently. The rocket was assembled on Friday, June 11th, at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. The engineers with Exploration Ground Systems lifted the 212-foot (64.6 meters) core module and placed it in between smaller booster rockets.As SLS is getting ready to takeoff later this year, there are still many steps and tests that need to be done. Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, crews will finish outfitting and other crucial assembly work before Artemis I rolls out to the launch pad.The final configuration will stand 322 feet (98 meters) tall and weigh 5.75 million lbs (2,608 metric tons). That's bigger than the Statue of Liberty . SLS will also produce 8.8 million lbs (3,992 metric tons) of maximum thrust.Artemis I is set to take place on November 22nd this year. Once above Earth, the rocket will officially kickstart the Artemis space program, which will see its first crewed lunar landing mission in 2024.
EV

Stadler took the car for a spin on German autobahns in Sport mode after driving it for a while in Eco and Normal mode. His impression is that the electric crossover has firm steering but that he would prefer the car to be a little more powerful. He also said the suspension is too soft for his liking.One of the things he enjoyed the most about the car is the fact that the vehicle has a blind-spot system that also shows images from the rear-view side mirrors in the digital instrument panel. The Ioniq 5 can have cameras instead of these mirrors, but Stadler was driving a unit with the conventional solution.The YouTuber also criticized the fact that the Ioniq 5 does not have a rear wiper. The excuse for that is to avoid additional aerodynamic drag. The issue is that the Ioniq 5 has a truncated rear, in which the airflow can make a lot of dust and other materials accumulate on the rear window. Sedans do not need that because the turbulence area is not on the rear window but behind the trunk lid.Hyundai must have found an aerodynamic solution for that, but we will have to ask the company how it managed to avoid the component in a crossover that looks so much like a hatchback. According to Stadler, Hyundai probably just ignored the problem: he said he could not see anything behind the Ioniq 5 while driving on a rainy day. Another issue Stadler found was that changing the driving modes made the car jerk around a bit.Stadler made a series of videos about the Ioniq 5, including one about how fast it charges that we have already covered here. If you are interested in this new, check his impressions. To sum them up, he thinks the Ioniq 5 is a huge car with lots of space and less power than he would like. Overall it has good features, just make sure this is what you need.
One of the toughest adventure races one can take part in is the famed Red Bull X-Alps. For up to twelve days, athletes will have to cover more than 747 miles (1,200 km) of unforgiving terrain through one of the most difficult mountain ranges in the world.All 32 contestants will combine hiking, ultra-running, mountain climbing, and paragliding in the ultimate test of both physical and mental endurance. On a typical day in this grueling contest, they are expected to hike over 31 miles (50 km), encountering vertical ascents of up to 1,6404 feet (5,000 meters), all while burning up to 6,000 calories.For this years edition, Land Rover is supplying several of the competing athletes, medical crews, and support staff with adventure-prepped versions of their capable Defenders.Aimed at providing transport for vital supplies and equipment, as well as shelter from the unpredictable weather conditions of the Alps and a safe place to rest in, the five-door 110s will be fitted with Autohome roof tents, a portable shower system, exterior side-mounted gear carriers, and integrated air compressors. Additionally, each Defenders built-in 4G Wi-Fi connectivity will allow teams to keep in touch with each other, as well as with the families back home.With a maximum payload of up to 1,984 lbs (900 kg), dynamic roof load of 370 lbs (168 kg), the British manufacturer believes that each vehicle will be more than up to the task without featuring any mechanical modifications which is pretty bold considering that the new models aren't as reliable through rough terrain as their legendary predecessors. Thats because, unlike the athletes, they wont have to climb up the same perilous routes and will be stationed across several checkpoints.Still, their capabilities will be tested considering that the support vehicles will be spend most of their time off-road and will be jam-packed with gear and supplies. For that, the Terrain Response 2 technology will undoubtedly come in handy as it allows drivers to choose one of several modes that optimize performance to better suit the trails theyll have to navigate through.Seven of the competitors will be supported by Land Rover , including six-time Red Bull X-Alps winner Christian Maurer. Joining the Swiss are veterans Paul Guschlbauer from Austria, Markus Anders from Germany, Tobias Grossrubatscher from Italy, and American Gavin McClurg, who is also known for his sailing endeavors, circumnavigating the Earth twice. French athletes Laurie Genovese and Theo de Blic, both newcomers in the competition will also be supported by the British automaker.The tenth edition of the Red Bull X-Alps is scheduled to start on 20th June 2021 from the Mozartplatz in the center of the Austrian city of Salzburg. A total of 33 participants have been confirmed for the event which will feature new routes and end in the beautiful town of Zell am See.
The chronology of events opens with an investigation from March 26th following a number of quality reports. The engineering team reported back that more than 10 milliseconds of runtime trigger the PCM to switch off, a problem that was traced back to the Connected Diagnostic Services system.How does Land Rover plan to fix the software-based issue? According to recall documentation, an over-the-air update has been designed to switch off the CDS and disable the over-the-air diagnostics functionality. If the remote update cant be successfully completed, the customer will be notified and advised to visit an authorized dealer to have the software updated manually.No fewer than 163 units of the Defender with the six-cylinder engine are called back, all of them built from April 8th, 2020 to January 12th, 2021 at the British automakers Nitra assembly plant in Slovakia. Land Rover mentions that no accidents, fires, or injuries are connected to this concern, and known owners will be informed of the recall by first-class mail on July 30th.This, however, isnt the only callback of the Defender. Over in the Land Down Under, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has recalled 533 examples of six-cylinder turbo diesel-engined vehicles over exhaust downpipe fixing nuts that havent been tightened to specification.Pretty much never a byword for quality or reliability, Land Rover also has a bit of a problem with the Defenders image. The Fast Lane s four-cylinder turbo model comes to mind after throwing a check light with 167 miles (267 kilometers) on the clock. As fate would have it, dealer technicians and JLR engineers couldnt fix the issue, warranting a replacement engine.
That fancy name implies the Nio ES8 complies with the 2018/858 EU regulation. Despite the code, this regulation only became effective on September 1, 2020. From what Nio said, the rules apply not only to the ES8 but also to the systems, components, and separate technical units. If you think you know what that means, think again.Nio did not have to approve only the systems in the car, but also the Power Swap Stations with which it works. They promise to replace the depleted battery pack with a fully charged one in about five minutes and have been delivering on that promise for quite some time in the Chinese market. Nio states on its Norwegian website it will be even faster: three minutes to complete the whole process. All things included, that can be faster than filling up a fuel tank, depending on its size. The company did not mention it, but Nomi  Nio's virtual assistant that reminds us of a tamagochi  was likely also evaluated and approved.Another task for European authorities was approving the Nio App, which has multiple functions in China: schedule test drives, customize and buy a vehicle, request maintenance, ask the NioPower service vehicle for a quick charge wherever you are, read Nio news, chat with other Nio owners, and buy Nio Life gear. The company has not disclosed yet which of these functions it plans to offer in Norway.Finally, the press release revealed that Nio will produce a specific ES8 for the European market. We will ask the company about the changes it had to present compared to the Chinese vehicle, but we guess that they have to do mainly with the ride and handling.For Norwegian customers, the time to find out what Nio has to offer starts in September 2021. The Chinese automaker is yet to disclose the prices for this vehicle in Norway. The following vehicle Nio plans to sell there is the ET7 , an elegant sedan that can offer a range of up to 700 km.
And furthermore, they come with all kinds of extras, including voice guidance and Google Assistant integration to therefore control the navigation hands-free.But on the other hand, there are moments when even the smallest change makes things go south, and this time, it appears this small change was installing the latest version of Android Auto.Several users who updated Android Auto to the most recent version claim Google Maps is no longer working properly in their cars, as the app gets stuck on the screen reading loading route without getting past it.While at this point its hard to tell how widespread this problem really is, the error has been confirmed by a handful of users on Googles forums , with some saying theyve tried the generic workarounds to no avail.The car brand doesnt seem to make any difference, as it affects Chevrolet, Volkswagen , Kia, and Subaru, with various phone models also impacted, including, Huawei, Samsung, and even the Google Pixel.Is there anything you can do to restore Google Maps in your car? Not really, as someone says theyve tried restarting the car and the phone, unplugging the mobile device and plugging it back, obviously with no improvements after that. Another potential fix you could try is downgrading to earlier versions of Android Auto and Google Maps, as such a workaround could help you figure out if these apps are to blame for the error in the first place.Someone says Google Maps only works the first time after the phone starts, but its just a matter of time until it eventually gets stuck on the loading route screen.Google is yet to acknowledge the problem so far, so it remains to be seen if a bug investigation is started.
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The Group of Seven leaders ended their summit on Sunday by demanding that Russia take action and investigate the use of chemical weapons within its territory and hold accountable those behind ransomware attacks and other cyber crimes.

Why it matters: The allied language come as all eyes turn to President Biden's Wednesday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

The state of play: The leaders called on Russia to "end its systematic crackdown on independent civil society and media."

They also reiterated their support for Ukraine and pressed Russia to deescalate tensions between the two nations by withdrawing troops from Ukraine's eastern border and the Crimean peninsula.

The big picture: Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows and tried to temper expectations about the upcoming meeting between Biden and Putin, saying that it would not be a "flip-the-light switch moment" for U.S.-Russia relations.

Biden himself told reporters on Sunday that he agreed with Putin's recent comments that U.S.-Russia relations are at their lowest point in years, per Reuters.

A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 49% of Americans trust Biden to negotiate on their behalf with Putin.

But, but, but: Lawmakers from both parties want Biden to take a tough stance with Putin on the issue of ransomware gangs, and convey the message that if Russia doesn't crack down on cybercriminals within its borders, the United States will, according to Politico.

Putin has expressed willingness to hand over cybercriminals to the United States if the United States returns the favor, per Reuters.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has also expressed reservations about the upcoming Biden's decisions vis-a-vis Russia.

Of note: The issues of chemical weapons and cyberattacks are in the spotlight at this year's G7 summit in light of the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a chemical nerve agent and the ransomware attack on America's Colonial Pipeline, reports Reuters.
Behind the scenes in colleges across the U.S., institutions are having trouble paying their bills.

Why it matters: Theres a reckoning coming in higher education  especially for smaller, private liberal arts schools  thats been years in the making. In obvious ways, COVID-19 accelerated some of the trends, but college finances have been hurting for a while.

Pandemic-era government stimulus funds helped a slew of schools gain another year or two of financial runway.

Yes, but: Restructuring advisors that work with higher ed institutions as clients say theres been an uptick in schools that are beginning to explore financial transactions to keep from going under.

Demographics is destiny: A declining birthrate means the pool of college-age Americans has been declining, and could it be as much as 15% lower by the mid-2020s compared with the early 2000s.

Catch up quick: Smaller, nonurban liberal arts schools take the brunt of the shrinking student body, more so than elite universities with huge endowments, or large state schools that receive public funding.

These schools "find it hard to differentiate themselves from other small, private liberal arts institutions"  and amid intense competition wind up offering substantial tuition discounts to a large chunk of students, Matthew Roseman, head of the bankruptcy practice at Cullen Dykman, tells Axios.

Theyre also often entirely tuition dependent, with low to no endowments, he says.

Then COVID hit.

Schools lost much of their room-and-board revenue over the last year. And some of that may never come back as remote learning expands.

This falls enrollment numbers will be make-or-break for many.

Be smart: Colleges cant file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the way insolvent companies can because they would lose their accreditation and student access to federal loans.

Banks and other lenders that provide loans to colleges are usually willing to provide more leeway than they would to corporate borrowers  with maturity extensions and other relief, says Mark Podgainy, managing director at consultant Getzler Henrich.

No bank wants to see headlines about it tossing kids out of school, he says.

In return, lenders usually require the universities to shore up their balance sheets, through mortgaging or selling real estate, or by inking an M&A or cost-sharing transaction with another school.

If a school still cant survive, the insolvency process it uses is called a teach-out  where another school takes over its facilities and offers classes to students, while the legacy school liquidates its assets.

Higher Ed Dive has cataloged recent transactions in higher ed, finding at least 18 schools closed or were consolidated into another institution during 2019 and 2020, after 25 such deals in the prior two years. Here's a snapshot of some of those deals.

The intrigue: A new playbook might be emerging for struggling schools if a recent three-way tie-up centered around the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut goes as planned.

Goodwin University acquired the University of Bridgeports real estate and academic programs. Meanwhile, Paier College of Art will relocate to Bridgeports campus and share resources. The three will remain independent institutions.

The bottom line: Students don't usually evaluate a school's wherewithal to pay its bills when choosing a college  but they're the ones who stand to lose the most from closures. The earlier schools deal with their problems, the more likely theyll be able to provide a smooth path for students to finish their degrees.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency tells "Axios on HBO" that it's "essential" to have a nuclear deal with Iran because otherwise "we are flying blind."

Driving the news: Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi sat down with "Axios on HBO" at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, ahead of Iran's June 18 presidential election and a June 24 extension on negotiations seeking to restore curtailed surveillance of Iranian nuclear sites and salvage the 2015 deal.

The Biden administration wants to re-enter the deal but impose new restrictions. Iran, which has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, wants sanctions lifted without opening itself to broader limitations.

Flashback: Former President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal in 2018. Iran has since disclosed enriching uranium at levels that far exceed the deal's limits but technically fall below the 90% considered weapons-grade purity.

What they're saying: Asked whether he believes Iran has an active nuclear weapons program, Grossi responded: "No, there is no information indicating that at the moment."

But he raised concerns about Iran's stepped-up enrichment combined with the international community's reduced visibility in recent months.

"This is very serious," Grossi said. "When you enrich at 60%, you are very close. It's technically indistinguishable from weapon-grade material. So when you combine this with the fact that our inspection access is being curtailed, then I start to worry."

The big picture: Grossi also addressed North Korea; Israel's resistance to joining the Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT); and the limits of what the IAEA knows about the programs of the U.S., Russia and other nuclear powers.

As for nuclear threats posed by hackers and criminals: "The reality is that the possibility of misuse of nuclear material is higher than of a nuclear war. ... We have growing alertness on this issue."

What's next: Since taking the helm in December 2019, Grossi has elevated the IAEA's visibility in global efforts to address climate change and pandemics, saying that's part of the agency's job.
A national police union is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking The Squad, records show.

Why it matters: The $510,000 in spending by two PACs associated with the International Union of Police Associations is the largest independent political expenditure of the 2022 cycle to date. It appears geared less toward unseating any of the members and more toward raising money for the groups themselves.

What's happening: Both groups  Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC and Honoring American Law Enforcement PAC  are affiliated with the International Union of Police Associations.

The Florida-based IUPA represents about 20,000 law enforcement professionals.

Together, the two PACs reported spending $127,500 attacking each of the four House Democrats in the progressive "Squad": Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

That's more than any independent political group has reported, so far, on a single independent expenditure in a 2022 midterm race.

The actual content of the text messages was not immediately clear. Neither PAC responded to requests from Axios for comment.

Between the lines: None of the four members the PACs are targeting is particularly vulnerable, suggesting the goal of the expenditures is, at least, partly to raise more money for the PACs themselves.

The two PACs spent nearly $18 million during the 2020 cycle. But the vast majority went toward fundraising. They spent just over 5% on political activity, much of which appears to have also asked for additional donations.

The IUPA union also spends the vast majority of its money on fundraising, with very little going toward grants or union representation and organizing.

The union and its PACs have been scrutinized over allegedly misleading fundraising practices, frequently involving telemarketing calls.

The big picture: Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley and Tlaib are lightning rods for conservatives  and potent fundraising draws as a result.
Pashinian attacked the church during at least two of his campaign rallies held late last week.

They are telling us that we are trying to discredit the Armenian Apostolic Church and traditional values, he told supporters rallying in the town of Sevan on Saturday. No, those values are discredited by corrupt clergymen.

Pashinian claimed that those clergymen are part of Armenias traditional political, intellectual and spiritual elites that did everything to prevent the 2018 velvet revolution that brought him to power or make it a failure. He said the country needs another revolution to get rid of these elites.

The church responded to the accusations with a statement released by its Echmiadzin-based Mother See.

The attitude of the current government towards the national and spiritual values of the Church is known to our people, it said. The behavior of the Acting Prime Minister towards the Church and the clergy should be considered in this context.

The Armenian Church, despite all kinds of obstacles and the attitude of the authorities, will continue to implement its soul-saving, patriotic mission in the life of the Armenian people, added the statement.

Last Thursday, the ancient churchs supreme head, Catholicos Garegin (Karekin) II, and bishops based in Armenia expressed deep concern over they described as hate speech spread by political forces running in the June 20 snap elections.

In a joint statement issued after a meeting in Echmiadzin, they urged all election contenders and especially the ruling party to refrain from offensive statements and threats of violence, warning that such rhetoric could lead to violent unrest.

Armenias human rights ombudsman, Arman Tatoyan, likewise denounced Pashinian and his rivals for resorting inflammatory rhetoric on the campaign trail. He singled out the prime ministers pledges to purge the state bureaucracy and wage political vendettas against local government officials supporting the Armenian opposition.

Pashinian has had frosty relations with Garegin throughout his three-year rule. They deteriorated further late last year after Garegin joined President Armen Sarkissian, opposition leaders and prominent public figures in calling for his resignation after Armenias defeat in the autumn war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In January, Pashinian and his associates declined to attend a Christmas mass celebrated by Garegin in the countrys largest cathedral.

And on April 24, the Armenian pontiff and other high-ranking clergymen were conspicuously absent from an official ceremony to mark the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey. For the first time in many years the annual ceremony attended by Pashinian and Sarkissian did not feature a traditional prayer service.
The audio clip which was posted on news websites on Sunday night purportedly revealed a conversation between Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Suren Papikian and Diana Gasparian, the mayor of Echmiadzin affiliated with Civil Contract.

None of them disputed the audios authenticity. It was not clear whether they spoke during the ongoing parliamentary election campaign or earlier this year.

I have realized that for the sake of the state he [Pashinian] must go, Gasparian can be heard telling Papikian. Let the team choose someone else, let them choose you -- you are the most understandable person with the highest approval rating -- so that this situation is defused.

He got carried away, she adds. His psyche probably cant cope anymore, his nerves have probably frayed. Let him retire and take rest. We cant carry on like this.

The 32-year-old mayor seems upset with Pashinians treatment of his political allies. He is forgetting that there are people with values and principles here, she says. He cant trample them underfoot every time because of not controlling his emotions.

Papikian, who also manages Civil Contracts election campaign, responds by telling Gasparian to calm down and dont do anything today. He then promises to talk to Pashinian the next morning.

Papikian declined to comment on the leaked audio as he accompanied Pashinian on a campaign trip to Armenias southern Ararat province on Monday. The prime minister also refused to answer questions from journalists.

Lilit Makunts, who leads the ruling partys group in Armenias outgoing parliament, dismissed the recording as a very unimportant subject. We are focused on our campaign, Makunts told reporters.

We have not discussed that issue. I have no comment on the recording, she said.

Campaigning in Ararat towns and villages, Pashinian continued to deliver fiery speeches and lambaste Armenias former leaders challenging him in the elections. He again brandished a hammer symbolizing a popular steel mandate which he says he needs to continue ruling Armenia with a more firm hand.

With the steel mandate we will take out all rusty nails, including in Ararat, Pashinian told supporters rallying in Masis, a small town just south of Yerevan.

Pashinian pledged to purge the state bureaucracy and wage political vendettas against local government officials supporting the Armenian opposition after launching his partys election campaign last week.

Opposition figures have accused him of threatening his political opponents with violence and other abuses.
Municipal authorities have allowed it to simultaneously rally supporters in the citys two largest squares from June 21 through June 24. Each of those rallies can start at 10 a.m. and last until midnight.

Campaigning in Yerevans Malatia-Sebastia district on Monday, Pashinian urged supporters to converge on Republic Square on June 21 to celebrate his and his partys election victory which he said will mark another revolution in Armenia.

Neither he nor his associates explained the rationale for staging more demonstrations in the following days.

When the purpose of the events is decided  we will announce that, a senior Civil Contract figure, Vahagn Hovakimian, told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

Hovakimian also did not clearly explained why the ruling party has reserved two squares at a time for demonstrations. No Armenian political force is known to have done that before.

Some opposition figures and other critics of the Armenian government speculated that Pashinian is making contingency plans for his possible defeat in the early elections. In that case, they claimed, his supporters could put pressure on the Central Election Commission or provoke violent clashes with opposition protesters to have such vote results annulled.

Pashinian has repeatedly said on the campaign trail that he expects his party to garner at least 60 percent of the vote.

Former President Robert Kocharian warned late last month that the opposition Hayastan alliance led by him will stage street protests if the Armenian authorities rig the upcoming elections. Other opposition forces have also not ruled out post-election protests.

Both Hayastan and Civil Contract have secured the Yerevan municipalitys permission to organize rallies on Friday, the last day of official campaigning, raising fears that violence could break out even before election day.

Hayastan was initially allowed to hold its June 18 rally until 8 p.m. Acting on the opposition blocs appeal, a Yerevan court ruled that the rally can last until 9 p.m. The Civil Contract demonstration is to start later that evening.

Aram Vardevanian, a Hayastan spokesman, criticized the ruling partys decision to schedule its Republic Square gathering for the same evening. He said the Armenian police warned the municipality against authorizing rival rallies in the same venue and on the same day.

We will do everything to prevent clashes, insisted Civil Contracts Hovakimian.

Nina Karapetiants, a civil rights activist, said the risk of such violence will be high and the two bitter rivals are recklessly ignoring it.

Karapetiants also denounced Pashinians unacceptable pre-election rhetoric and accused the prime minister of adopting the worst campaigning methods of Armenias former leaders harshly criticized by him.

The lies and insults will not help him, she said. I think the people will make a right choice.
The 41-year-old man, Viken Euljekian, travelled to Karabakh with a Lebanese-Armenian friend, Maral Najarian, on November 10 hours after a Russian-brokered ceasefire stopped last years Armenian-Azerbaijani war. They were detained in the Karabakh town of Shushi (Shusha) and taken to Baku.

Euljekian, who lived in Shushi and worked as a taxi driver before the war, was accused of being a terrorist and mercenary and illegally entering Azerbaijan. Najarian risked similar accusations before being released and repatriated in early March.

Euljekian, who has dual Armenian and Lebanese citizenships, was found guilty after a short trial condemned by Armenias government and human rights groups as a travesty of justice.

Liparit Drmeyan, an aide to Armenias representative to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), said Euljekian did not have access to lawyers chosen by him and the Azerbaijani authorities failed to substantiate the charges leveled against him.

Drmeyan said the Armenian government will appeal against the verdict in the Strasbourg-based court. We are convinced that Azerbaijan has violated Viken Euljekians rights, he told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

Euljekian is one more than 100 Armenian soldiers and civilians believed to remain in Azerbaijani captivity. Yerevan regularly demands their immediate release, citing the terms of the truce agreement.

Baku has branded the remaining Armenian detainees as terrorists not covered by the agreement. At least 42 of them are facing what the Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned last week as trumped-up criminal charges.
WICKENBURG, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Four people are dead following a crash involving a semi-truck on US 93 near Wickenburg Monday morning.

Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) says the crash involved two vehicles, a semi-truck and a passenger car. The car, DPS says, reportedly crossed the center line and hit the semi. The driver and three other people in that car died at the scene. One person in the front passenger seat was airlifted for medical treatment.

US 93 was closed in both directions between Interstate 40 and State Route 71, but has since reopened. No further information has been provided. The investigation is ongoing.

In a little over a month, there have been other deadly crashes on the same stretch of US 93 near Wickenburg. On April 30, a DPS trooper was helping a woman, Catherine Winegar, who was low on gas coming from Tucson. As the two cars began heading south on US 93, DPS says a northbound 2011 Honda Accord, driven by 23-year-old Alexis Wilson from Chandler, was speeding and passing in no-pass zones. Wilson struck Winegar's vehicle head-on, causing the vehicle to roll over and block the northbound lane. Wilson's car spun out of control and hit the trooper's vehicle. The trooper was trapped inside but was pulled out by two people who stopped after the crash. After the trooper was pulled out, the trooper's vehicle became fully engulfed in flames. Wilson and Winegar died at the scene. The trooper was seriously injured.

A second crash happened on Thursday, May 20, when a van collided with a semi-truck that was heading south. The driver of the van died at the scene. The driver of the semi-truck was not injured.

The most recent on Tuesday, June 1, was a head-on crash between a tractor-trailer and a truck. DPS says a truck was heading south when it drifted into northbound traffic, crashing head-on with a tractor-trailer. The crash caused both cars to erupt in flames. The driver of the truck died on the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Is that dust or smoke? A number of Arizonas Family viewers have been wondering what was filling the sky over the Phoenix area on Monday, making things seem hazy and overcast.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) said smoke from the Mescal and Telegraph fires has moved toward the west, into the Phoenix area. The smoke is higher up in the atmosphere so impacts to the surface air quality are minimal.

It does look pretty bad out there, I mean the sun is blocked out you have that orange tinge, but the smoke monitors we have around the Valley actually arent recording higher levels of smoke this afternoon, said ADEQ meteorologist Matt Pace.

Pace said the smoke from the Telegraph and Mezcal fires has made its way to Valley skies to where we see it with our eyes, but it's about 15 to 20,000 feet up, so it's not something we're actively breathing in.

We dont see this all that often, especially in Phoenix, Pace said. Its not down here at the surface and again, there may be localized pockets where it will be down just a little bit, but for the most part we arent seeing widespread smoke on the surface in the Valley.

However, it is affecting the ozone layer of the atmosphere, which is why ADOT signs are flashing new warnings on local freeways.

There is an ozone high pollution advisory in effect for today and then a high pollution watch in effect for tomorrow stretching all the way through the week, Pace said.

Our viewers sent us dozens of photos of what the skies looked like from their homes. Folks in Phoenix, Chandler, Avondale, and as far away as Woods Canyon Lake shared their photos through email and on our Arizona's Weather Authority Facebook page.

As of 2:45 p.m., the highest air quality levels in the Valley were located near 43rd Avenue and Broadway Road and Higley and Williams Fields roads.

While the air quality levels are elevated they are still considered in the moderate range and not labeled as unhealthy for sensitive groups. See readings for your area here.

If you see, smell or taste smoke and it is affecting you and your family, here are some tips from the ADEQ:

If you are beginning to experience symptoms, temporarily locate to another area as long as it is safe for you to do so.

Stay indoors with doors and windows closed.

Run the air conditioning on recirculate with a clean filter or the fan feature on your home heating system with the heat turned off.

Run room air filtration units that use HEPA filters.

Reduce your physical activity, and do not exercise.

If your symptoms persist or become more severe, please contact your doctor. ADEQ says even people who are considered healthy can experience symptoms when exposed to smoke.

ADEQ expects additional smoke to move toward the west on Tuesday.

One perk of the hazy skies? It made things just a tiny bit cooler in the Phoenix area, as we sweat it out with Excessive Heart Warnings this week. Right now, were a few days into the hottest heatwave for metro Phoenix so far this year. Saturday, we topped off at 110. Sunday was 113. Monday, as of the early afternoon, most Valley locations were running above 110.

And it's just getting worse. Tuesday, were expecting the hottest day of the week with a 117. That will, of course, set a record for the date.

Check the latest forecast from Arizonas Weather Authority here.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Mainly clear. Low 74F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low 74F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has been promoting the newly-reopened California under the banner "California Roars Back" while also advocating for measures
Bluefield, WV (24701)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 62F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 62F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
The Great Depoe Bay Fire of 1936 a Chilling Bit of Oregon Coast History

Published 06/08/21 at 6:10 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Depoe Bay, Oregon)  1936 was not a very good year on the Oregon coast. In fact, in August and September, the region  recently bursting with tourism activity because of the new Highway 101  was plagued with conflagration after conflagration. It was the year the Oregon coast burned. (Above: Depoe Bay in the '40s, courtesy North Lincoln County History Museum)

By mid September of 36, Bandon had just experienced its complete devastation, Gold Beach and Marshfield (Coos Bay) were in the middle of their own set of forest fires, and Yachats and Waldport were fighting a blaze. There were some 25 different fires along the coastline. Right about then, somewhere between September 15 and 20, a fire broke out near Depoe Bay.

At first it was a somewhat distant forest fire. According to the City of Depoe Bay, there are two versions of how it started. One is that a shingle mill caught fire (possibly arson), almost a mile east of town. The second is that a homesteader's cabin caught fire. What's been handed down through the ages  but wasn't in newspaper reports at the time  is that local fire officials didn't take it seriously, figuring it would just burn itself out. It was largely burning five miles to the east of town. According to the city, six days later the fire re-erupted and made its way into town.

An odd history side trip including the fires: Surprise-Filled History Surrounds Oregon Coast Landmark: Elephant Rock, Devil's Punchbowl, Otter Crest

There's considerable discrepancies in the exact timelines, as one newspaper report dated September 24 indicates the forest fire to the east started around September 15 or earlier, then came under control on Sunday, September 20. In any case, it had ravaged land that had been mostly logged for almost a week, then fanned to new life on Tuesday, September 22, lighting up the green timber just east of Depoe Bay.

This article shows the fire within 500 yards of the community on the 24th, with firefighters guarding the area and soaking everything with water. A man named Cy Olson and his family were getting set to be evacuated as their home was just across the street from the flames, and then came the order. They moved all their belongings across the bay.



Depoe Bay in the '20s, showing a remarkably bare, undeveloped North Point. Courtesy North Lincoln County History Museum

Flames were encroaching on the schoolhouse, being driven by heavy winds on the coast  a hot east wind that apparently shot up to 35 mph at certain points.

Then, according to the city, it hit the town with a roar and it jumped the highway. The Capital Journal (Statesman Journal) called it a spectacular blaze in the timber between the highway and the ocean.

Some 200 men fought against it, using small but powerful pumps attached to any little stream or body of water they could find. Boys from the Civilian Conservation Corps helped out along with soldiers stationed in the area, and even tourists who had driven in by car out of curiosity got out and assisted.

At one point, the fire marshal, now backed with federal authority, issued get out now orders to just about all the towns people. If you have any valuables, move them out, he told everyone in town. Many simply moved their stuff into the streets to keep it away from their own walls.

One family moved in and out of their home six times over a few days.

12 families were left destitute by the fire, according to the city, and newspaper reports indicate not a single home stands without blackened stumps and logs almost touching them. Several homes had caught fire but were put out eventually.

By September 28 it had all come under control and stopped menacing the town, although some areas just east were still smoldering. Then came a series of rain storms, and according to reports it was the first the population slept at night for awhile.

Some two and a half miles along the beaches had burned.



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Fireworks Reinstated at Central Oregon Coast's Florence After Previous Cancellation

Published 06/09/21 at 6:30 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Florence, Oregon)  After shutting down its big fireworks celebration in a decision back in May, the central Oregon coast town of Florence has worked out a way to whoop it up for the Fourth of July after all. The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and the Port of Siuslaw have come together to save the town's annual display, based at least partially on the county being in a lower risk category now.

Once again, fireworks will explode over the Siuslaw River, fired off from the east end of the Siuslaw Port Campground in Historic Old Town beginning. It happens on Sunday, July 4 at about 10 p.m., with a wide variety of vantage points for viewing.

The May 21 decision to kill the display did not come easily, said chamber president/CEO Bettina Hannigan. Behind the scenes, they kept working on it in spite of the announcement.

Over the past two weeks, we have been holding our collective breaths, biting our nails, and working with key stakeholders - the show's producer Western Display Fireworks, the Port of Siuslaw, and the City of Florence - for a safe contingency plan in the event that circumstances changed, Hannigan said.

It was the governor's ruling last Friday that changed those circumstances

With the governor's ruling last Friday, the circumstances did change. Hannigan said Lane County reached the state's minimum benchmark vaccination rate of 65% to move into the low risk category.

The clouds essentially parted for the famed central Oregon coast display to get reinstated.

Big thanks go to the Port for their generosity in providing the launch location and to Chamber members whose annual dues are underwriting this year's big event (more than $18,000) for everyone who happens to be in town, Hannigan said. And we are especially grateful to Western Display for keeping the date open even after we thought we had to cancel and not requiring an expensive cancelation fee. We look forward to celebrating our nation's independence and encourage everyone in Florence to find safe and fun ways to celebrate Independence Day this year and look to the skies that evening for the beautiful display we have planned.

Hannigan said the various collaborators had to weigh economic impacts, visitor experience, and public health concerns in a declining yet still changing COVID-19 environment.

Over the past 18 months we have learned that these are not easy decisions and that they can be forced to change by quickly shifting governmental edict, she said. It has been challenging, even frustrating, but we have become more adept at shifting with them. That's why we are thankful to those who have supported us and understood the depth, breadth, and length of time it takes to coordinate such events.

As Lane County and this part of the Oregon coast gets closer to the state's goals for a complete reopening, Hannigan said they are looking towards the return of other high profile public festivals like October's Wine & Chowder Trails and Great Glass Float Giveaway Weekend. MORE FLORENCE BELOW

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UPDATED: Fourth Of July, 2021 Displays on Oregon Coast: What's On and What's Gone

Updated 06/30/21 at 6:30 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Oregon Coast)  While things are slowly turning towards the normal for Oregon coast tourism, it's clearly not there yet. Fourth of July celebrations along the beaches are not yet fully re-instated, but happily some are.

Here is a run down on what Independence Day holds along the beaches, with mostly confirmed information. Some bits may change  check back with this article after June 15.

Astoria Fireworks Display. Fireworks will be shot from a barge in the river near Astoria's downtown, creating a multitude of viewpoints from which to see them. Ohana Media Group will be synching the pyrotechnics to patriotic music, creating what the Astoria Visitors organization called something bigger than ever before.

Seaside. No fireworks this year, and no other events listed.

Cannon Beach. The north Oregon coast town never has fireworks but in most years has a parade or some celebration. Nothing is offered this year. The town has banned fireworks of any kind within its city limits as well.

Manzanita. No fireworks.

Rockaway Beach. Fireworks will go off as usual at Rockaway Beach, fired off on the beach.

Pacific City. Fireworks on the 4th. Parade at Oceanside at 10 a.m.

Third and Fourth of July, Lincoln City. The Devil's Lake fireworks happen on July 3, with a barge set up in the middle of the water and the massive mortars fired off from there.

The Lincoln City Visitors Bureau suggests watching from East Devil's Lake State Park  you can't really see them from Devil's Lake State Recreation Area itself as there's a tree-covered campground there. Regatte Park is also excellent. If you have a boat, Devil's Lake will be prime viewing from the water.

The main show is at Siletz Bay, with the rockets fired off from the Salishan Spit across the bay on July 4. There, crowds gather to watch the colorful spectacle, made even more dramatic by the trails and explosions reflected in the waters of the bay. Up and down all of Lincoln City beaches and much of its inland blocks are exceptional places to watch.

Depoe Bay. The little town never hosts firework displays.

Newport. Fireworks are officially on, shot off from the bay.

Yachats / Waldport. No fireworks this year for Yachats, but Waldport is as usual holding theirs on the 3rd..

Florence Fireworks. Once again, fireworks will explode over the Siuslaw River, fired off from the east end of the Siuslaw Port Campground in Historic Old Town beginning. It happens on Sunday, July 4 at about 10 p.m., with a wide variety of vantage points for viewing.



Coos Bay  July 3. Celebrations in the Coos Bay area all happen on July 3. The massive southern Oregon coast display has be moved to the entrance of the Marshfield Channel, in Coos Bay (across from the Coos History Museum), where the fireworks can be seen from the Coos Bay Boardwalk, all along Front Street and Highway 101 to the North Bend Boardwalk. The visitor center said anywhere that you can see the bay, you will be able to see the fireworks  which includes the top of Telegraph Hill.

The 20-minute fireworks show starts up at 10 p.m. and will be synchronized to music on K-DOCK radio. Tune in to K-DOCK radio 92.9 fm for the live remote and firework display broadcast.

Bandon Fireworks and Celebrations. It all starts on July 4 with the parade through Old Town. Then after dusk, fireworks go off over the Coquille River.

Port Orford. Not completely confirmed at this time but the town's visitor site is listing a large display on the Fourth near Battle Rock.

Gold Beach. RECENT UPDATE: Fireworks held at the Port, with views from both sides of the river. See Facebook page

Extreme Southern Oregon Coast: No firework displays for Brookings this year.

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Oceanside of Old: Tiny Oregon Coast Resort As It Was Long Ago

Published 06/10/21 at 6:30 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Oceanside, Oregon)  There's not a lot to Oceanside along the Three Capes Route on Oregon's north coast  or so it seems. In reality, there's a ton of aspects to the tiny town that could keep you occupied for a couple of days, including that lighthouse at Cape Meares and exploring those neighborhoods.

If you want even more aspects to the place, go back in time. There you're confronted with a host of eyebrow-raising factoids, like for a bit it was a major player in terms of being a resort, more so than many coastal destinations. During World War II, it was switched over to being a camp for soldiers waiting to be shipped out, and most people don't know that President Teddy Roosevelt loved the area (long before it had the name) and declared Three Arch Rocks a wildlife refuge.

There's so much behind this cute and comely Oregon coast mini-hotspot, especially its past.

In a 1922 article in the Oregon Daily Journal, one reporter writes about the newly-opened little resort area of Oceanside and provides glimpses into one of the Rosenberg brothers who created it  and who eventually blasted the tunnel out of Maxwell Point.

It notes how a homesteader named Maxwell originally purchased the area around the turn-of-the-century. Then in 1921, two businessmen from Tillamook, the Rosenberg brothers, purchased all 325 acres of that land. Tillamook County poured money into making a decent road to the place and when reporter Fred Lockley wrote about this in June of 1922 it hadn't quite been completed yet.

Lockley notes how H.H. Rosenberg was quite a character. He had lost his forearm in a railway accident years before. Still, driving the reporter and others to the little resort with one arm, Rosenberg drove like a speed demon along the tightly-wound roadway and rather frightened Lockley. He would even sometimes take that one hand off the steering wheel and point out scenery to the group.

Getting to Oceanside still meant driving on the beach from Netarts. Finally arriving atop Maxwell Point, Lockley describes an idyllic scene with grassy area covered in colorful flowers. It must have been quite a powerful sight back then.

Another newspaper blurb in 1926 talks of a nicely-graded full road to Oceanside, touting the views from cliffs the plunge below the roadway and numerous other attractions along this part of the Oregon coast at this point.

Somewhere in there, the pair blasted the tunnel through Maxwell Point, and people were able to wander safely back and forth. A few times over these 100 years it had been shut off by landslides, including one rather long stint in the early 80s.

That happened again in January, 2021, with a whole lotta people and media lamenting the closure. It was reopened with absolutely no notice almost a month later.





Another famous resident of the place was the arched rock at what was called Tunnel Beach. In the late 90s it helped get the area nicknamed Star Trek Beach, because it looked like the Guardian of Forever in the original Star Trek series episode City on the Edge of Forever. It definitely had that time portal vibe.



What the rocks look like now

However, somewhere in the winter of 2004 it crumbled, after millions and millions of years getting batted by waves. Now, there's two pointy rocks where one stood, and it's entirely possible one of them will develop an arch someday and follow the same fate.

There's an enormous amount of history to this place. See Odd Oceanside History, N. Oregon Coast, Part 1: Roosevelt to Start Trek and Curious History of Oceanside Part 2: WW II, Lighthouse on Oregon Coast

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New Publication About Oregon Coast Killer Whales Will Be...Well...Killer

Published 06/07/21 at 6:30 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Oregon Coast)  A new publication is coming out soon that will be a treasure trove of information about killer whales off the Oregon coast and California coastline, featuring hundreds of big, clear, color photos of the mysterious transient Orcas of this region. It's a multi-agency effort, spearheaded by the Transient Killer Whale Project of the U.S. and Canada, and put out through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the University of British Columbia and others. (Photo above: Orcas off Newport, courtesy Josh McInnes)

Josh McInnes is one of the leaders on the publication, Transient Killer Whales of Northern and Central California and Oregon, which will be a freebie and full of remarkable finds and discoveries for both science nerds and naturalists. He said some 150 killer whales were identified in the research, which took place over almost a decade, and they're all featured in the book.

Transient Killer Whales of Northern and Central California and Oregon should be out any day now. However, where and how you can get a copy has not yet been released.

The group that he's a part of, Transient Killer Whale Research Project, is responsible for the Oregon coast killer whale sightings Facebook group that has turned up the heat along these shores with the eye-popping number of reports.



Back in 2018, the group made a series of revelations about Orcas along this coastline: namely that there was more known about them than Oregon scientists were aware of. For one thing, these transient killer whales were largely cataloged by the group.

The publication will reveal more, McInnes said. For one thing, there are two categories of these transients along the West Coast and Oregon: the inner coast and outer coast groups, or assemblages. There's about 350 whales of the inner coast assemblages that live from California through Alaska, but the outer coast group, which spends its time at least 200 kilometers offshore, is a fairly unknown number. The entire combined population is called the West Coast.

They range from Alaska to California, but they're unevenly distributed, McInnes said. My job is to discern how many assemblages there are out there. Do they need specific habitat protection? In that way, Oregon is really fascinating.

Of the five Oregon encounters documented in the book, there were some mysteries that sprung up with the outer coast group far offshore.

We found some animals that were unique, McInnes said. And by unique I mean they were never seen before. We don't know much about them: they resemble transients; they formed small group sizes. But they were never identified before. Some animals had bite marks from Cookie Cutter Sharks, which are warm water palagic sharks making circular bit marks on their bodies. Which says some whales represent an oceanic outer coast population we don't know anything about. It's really exciting: there are some killer whales we don't know about.

One of those discoveries happened about 200 kilometers off of Newport, he said.

Another trippy find: Oregon waters are a real mystery to these whale researchers.

Oregon is a distributional hiatus, McInnes said. That means not a lot of sightings.

Compared to California or Washington and British Columbia, reports here are much less frequent he said. There could be several variables involved, including the fact that since gray whales are so plentiful close to shore whale tours and scientists don't have to go out as far as they do in B.C. There's the resident Orcas of Washington for Seattle residents, and in general waters are calmer up north than in Oregon. McInnes said it's also possible there's something different about the habitat here or food sources that cause them to be rarer.

One of the things Oregon coast officials have long talked about with the run of Orcas each spring is that they're up here chasing gray whale calves. Yet McInnes has a different take on that: Orcas are more interested in the seal pups that are being born right now.

I've never been able to figure out which group of transients are hunting calves, he said. It's easier to grab a seal pup that's less maneuverable, and easy to kill compared to a gray whale calf which isn't as easy to kill and has a large defensive mother.

He said he doesn't doubt it happens  and indeed Oregon's Whale Spoken Here program has reported seeing this in the past. Yet he's not totally convinced himself that this is the main reason they're here. McInnes notes transient Orcas hit the northern Pacific waters in great numbers when harbor seals reach pupping season in late summer. MORE ORCA PHOTOS BELOW

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Construction Begins on Futuristic Wave Energy Test Facility Off Oregon Coast

Published 06/08/21 at 2:20 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Newport, Oregon)  A cutting-edge energy testing facility begins construction off the central Oregon coast in June, located underwater and about seven miles offshore from Newport. The approximately $80 million facility will test wave energy, connected via cables to an ocean test site at a shore-based facility in Seal Rock.

It's been nearly a decade of work to obtain approval from energy regulators. Now the futuristic PacWave South will be the first commercial-scale, utility grid-connected wave energy test site in the United States, boasting a network of power and data cables buried beneath the seafloor  like a sci-fi movie or something out of the mind of Irwin Allen. PacWave South will create for wave energy developers a means to try out different technologies that harness the power of the Pacific Ocean, transmitting that energy to the local power grid.

All this means shutting down the parking lot at Driftwood Beach near Waldport as of this week as construction begins. The entrance will be barricaded at Highway 101 to allow crews to move construction equipment to the site. In about two weeks, drilling will commence on both the land around Driftwood Beach State Recreation Site and on the ocean floor. This will include the underground installation of the conduits that will house the subsea cables.

Crews will begin assembling this week in the parking lot of Driftwood Beach, where the horizontal directional drilling to install cable conduits will take place over about 10 months, said Dan Hellin, PacWave's deputy director.



The project will not disturb the beach. A sound wall made of shipping containers will enclose the work site to reduce noise and visibility from the beach. A publicly-accessible restroom will be available to beachgoers at the site and pedestrian access to the beach will be maintained throughout construction.

All this could become a bit of an Oregon coast attraction on its own.

We also plan to have a place where the public can view the construction operations if they like, but the exact location is still being determined, Hellin said.

The parking lot will be closed for up to 10 months for the construction as well as restoration and improvements to the site after construction is complete, Hellin said. No public parking will be available at Driftwood, including on the access road, during the closure.

An underground vault in the Driftwood parking lot will house the cable connections, Hellin said. When all the work is complete, the only thing visible at Driftwood will be some manhole covers. Everything else will be buried.

Sometime in June OSU expects preparations to begin for the shore-based utility connections and the monitoring facility, which operate in much the same manner as a power substation. At this construct, wave-generated power will be conditioned, a process to ready the power so it can be added to the local power grid, which is operated by the Central Lincoln People's Utility District.

The shore-based site is located on Northwest Wenger Lane, just off Highway 101. Wenger Lane is a private drive and construction at that site is not likely to be visible to the public. However, the project also includes improvements to the intersection of the highway and Wenger Lane that will be visible, Hellin said.

Hellin said current timelines suggest the Wenger Lane site will be prepared this year and construction of the facilities will occur in 2022. The installation of the subsea cables is expected to occur in 2022 or 2023, and the facility would begin operating after that.

OSU said the testing equipment is well underwater and away from popular commercial or fishing reefs. The ocean site will have four different testing berths, which combined can accommodate up to 20 wave energy devices at any one time.

For additional information or construction updates, visit http://pacwaveenergy.org/constructionupdates/.

PacWave South is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the state of Oregon and other public and private entities. Oregon State's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences is managing the construction and operation of the facility. PHOTOS OF THE AREA BELOW

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Beaumont transit workers have voted down a contract offer from the citys transportation contractor and given union leadership the green light for a strike if negotiations break down.

The Amalgamated Transit Union announced Monday morning that members of Local 1031 unanimously rejected what First Transit has called its final offer for a new contract.

According to union leadership, 69% of eligible voters in the local cast a vote, all of which were against the offer and in favor of authorizing a potential strike.

Related: Beaumont Transit workers picket amid contract negotiations

The last thing we want to do is impact our riders, but if thats what we have to do to get city leaders to stop treating us like dirt, we are prepared to do so, Arlon Jackon, local 1031 president and business agent, said in a statement.

A vote to authorize a strike doesnt mean one will necessarily happen, but it gives ATU leadership permission from members to initiate one if other options in negotiations fail.

According to the contract between the ATU and First Transits subsidiary, Transit Management of Beaumont, the union has to give the company a seven-day notice that it doesnt want to extend the agreement that has automatically been renewing each month since the last annual contract expired.

But that notice might be little consolation to transit users wondering if they will be without a ride during the heat of the summer.

Curtis Moore was among those at a downtown bus transfer station Monday waiting for their ride, which he said is his only means of transportation.

If workers strike and the transit system comes to a halt, Moore said he couldnt afford on a taxi or ride-share service to fill in the gap.

I guess I have to walk, he said. What other choice I got?

First Transit was hired by the city of Beaumont last year to take over management of the transit system after the former provider declined to seek renewal of its contract.

Since it took on the job and negotiations, First Transit said its subsidiary has met with the union around 10 times.

Representatives with the company on Monday told the Enterprise that it had accepted additional terms to its original contract and was continuing to meet at the bargaining table but was unaware that the union was headed to a vote.

The union has previously noted demands for employees that include a wage increase, provisions to ensure job security and safety improvements.

In an email to the Enterprise, Transit Management of Beaumont spokesperson Jay Brock said many of those requests are out of the companys control due to the nature of its role as a manager of the resources ultimately set by the city of Beaumont.

The additional funding request by ATU 1031, right now at more than $1 million, is not within the approved budget issued from the City of Beaumont and used by First Transit, Transit Management of Beaumont, Brock wrote. The City of Beaumont is responsible for the financials, capital, and budget for the Beaumont Municipal Transit System, including all funding requests above the budgeted amount set for the current fiscal year, ending on September 30, 2021.

The union has also repeatedly called on the city to intervene in the dispute, but with little response in return.

Members held an informational picket outside city hall in May to highlight issues and demands members say they need to have a safer and more fair workplace.

Beaumont Planning and Community Development Director Chris Boone told the Enterprise on the day of the picket that the city had no interaction with negotiations outside of periodic updates on its status.

On the other hand, ATU Local 1031 Vice President Amanda Haynes said members have continually been told by management that the city is the only entity that can answer their demands, leaving them with few options

Weve continually reached out to the city to no avail, so the only thing left to do was ask the membership how they felt about the offer, Haynes said.

Staff photographer Kim Brent contributed to this report.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
BRUSSELS (AP)  President Joe Biden used his first appearance at a NATO summit since taking office to call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to step back from provocative actions targeting the U.S. and its allies on Monday. NATO leaders joined the United States in formally accusing Moscow and Beijing of malign actions.

Biden's sharp words for Russia and his friendly interactions with NATO allies marked a sharp shift in tone from the past four years and highlighted the renewed U.S. commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump.

Biden, wearing a NATO lapel pin, said that in his extensive talks with NATO leaders about his planned meeting with Putin on Wednesday, all were supportive of his plans to press the Russian leader to halt Russian-originated cyber attacks against the West, end the violent stifling of political dissidents and stop interfering in elections outside its borders.

Im going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate, if he chooses," Biden told reporters as he ended his day at NATO headquarters. And if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past relative to cybersecurity and other activities, then we will respond, we will respond in kind."

Biden is on an eight-day visit to Europe in which he is seeking to rally allies to speak with a single voice on countering Russia and China.

To that end, NATO leaders on Monday declared China a constant security challenge and said the Chinese are working to undermine global order, a message in sync with Bidens pleas to confront Beijing on Chinas trade, military and human rights practices.

In a summit statement, the leaders said that Chinas goals and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.

The heads of state and government expressed concern about what they said were China's coercive policies, the opaque ways it is modernizing its armed forces and its use of disinformation.

The NATO leaders also took a big swipe at Russia in their communique, deploring what they consider its aggressive military activities and its snap wargames near the borders of NATO countries as well as repeated violations of their airspace by Russian planes.

They said that Russia had ramped up hybrid actions against member countries by attempts to interfere in elections, by political and economic intimidation, by disinformation campaigns and malicious cyber activities.

Until Russia demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities, there can be no return to business as usual,' they said.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an alliance of European and North American countries formed after World War II as a bulwark against Russian aggression. The new Brussels communique states plainly that the NATO nations will engage China with a view to defending the security interests of the alliance.

Biden arrived at the NATO summit after three days of consulting with Group of Seven allies in England, where he successfully pushed for a G-7 communique that called out forced labor practices and other human rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in China's western Xinjiang province.

However, differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to criticize Beijing.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said NATOs decision to name China as a threat shouldnt be overstated because Beijing, like Russia, is also a partner in some areas. China is Germany's top trading partner, and she said it is important to find the right balance.

France's President Emmanuel Macron urged the alliance not to let China distract it from what he saw as more pressing issues facing NATO, including the fight against terrorism and security issues related to Russia.

I think it is very important not to scatter our efforts and not to have biases in our relation to China," Macron said.

The Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom on Monday issued a statement saying the G-7 communique deliberately slandered China and arbitrarily interfered in Chinas internal affairs." There was no immediate reaction from the Chinese government to the new NATO statement.

Biden arrived at his first NATO summit as president as leading members declared it a pivotal moment for an alliance beleaguered during the presidency of Trump, who questioned the relevance of the multilateral organization.

Biden sat down with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and underscored the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on any member is an attack on all and is to be met with a collective response.

Article 5 we take as a sacred obligation, said Biden. I want NATO to know America is there.

It was a marked contrast to the days when Trump called the alliance obsolete" and complained that it allowed for global freeloading countries to spend less on military defense at the expense of the U.S.

Biden was greeted by fellow leaders with warmth and even a bit of relief.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said Bidens presence emphasizes the renewal of the transatlantic partnership." De Croo said NATO allies were looking to get beyond four stormy years with Trump and infighting among member countries.

I think now we are ready to turn the page," de Croo said.

The alliance also updated Article 5 to offer greater clarity on how the alliance should react to major cyber attacks  a matter of growing concern amid hacks targeting the U.S. government and businesses around the globe by Russia-based hackers.

Beyond extending potential use of the mutual defense clause to apply to space, the leaders also broadened the definition of what might constitute such an attack in cyberspace, in a warning to any adversary that might use constant low-level attacks as a tactic.

The organization declared in 2014 that a cyber attack could be met by a collective response by all 30 member countries, and on Monday they said that the impact of significant malicious cumulative cyber activities might, in certain circumstances, be considered as amounting to an armed attack.

The president started his day meeting with leaders of the Baltic states on NATO's eastern flank as well as separate meetings with leaders of Poland and Romania to discuss any threat posed by Russia and the recent air piracy in Belarus.

Biden also met with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the summit sidelines.

Biden has known Erdogan for years, but their relationship has frequently been contentious. Biden, during his campaign, drew ire from Turkish officials when he described Erdogan as an autocrat." In April, Biden infuriated Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was genocide"  a term that U.S. presidents have avoided using.

___

Associated Press writers Frank Jordans, Sylvie Corbet, Zeke Miller and Alexandra Jaffe contributed reporting.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A woman was killed and three other people were injured when a vehicle drove into demonstrators during a protest in the Minneapolis neighborhood where a Black man was fatally shot this month during his attempted arrest by members of a federal task force, police said Monday.

The crash happened at about 11:40 p.m. Sunday in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood. Witnesses said the driver of an SUV struck a parked car, tossing it into the crowd of demonstrators. Police spokesman John Elder did not confirm that account, and said authorities are still investigating.

Police said protesters pulled the driver from his vehicle and witnesses told police that demonstrators began striking him. The driver was taken into custody and was being treated for injuries at a hospital. Authorities have not released his name or the names of the three people who were injured.

The brother of the woman who died identified her as Deona M. Knajdek. Garrett Knajdek told the Star Tribune his sister would have celebrated her 32nd birthday on Wednesday. He said she had 11- and 13-year-old daughters, and was actively involved in issues surrounding social justice.

She constantly (was) sacrificing herself for everyone around her, he said, no matter the cost, obviously.

Police said the drivers motive was not immediately known, but that a preliminary investigation indicated drugs or alcohol may have been a contributing factor. A 35-year-old St. Paul man was booked into the Hennepin County Jail early Monday on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide, driving after a license was canceled and providing false information to police. The man, who hasn't been formally charged, has multiple convictions for driving while impaired, according to online court records.

A witness told Minnesota Public Radio that the SUV was going very fast and appeared to accelerate as it got closer to demonstrators who had blocked off a street. D.J. Hooker said the driver struck a car parked across one of the traffic lanes, sending that car flying.

There was one line of barriers and then a second barrier, and he sped up. He sped up. He went even faster as he approached us. You could hear it ... start going even faster as he got close to us, Hooker said. He told Minnesota Public Radio News, the car went through the air and it hit a young woman.

Another witness, Brett Williams, said Knajdek was thrown into a stop light.

Her mother, Deb Kenney, asked for prayers for the driver's family.

The emotion we need to have right now is we need to be grateful that Deona was here and she shared it all with us, Kenney said, according to KARE-11. She wouldnt want us to be angry at that man. She would have let it go in a minute, and said, what could we have done for him? What would have made a difference for him?

She added: "She was here on her own accord, she chose to do this. She wanted to make that impact.

Kenney said she hopes people dont stop protesting because of her daughter's death, but she said demonstrators should make sure they are staying safe.

Other injuries and deaths have been reported involving vehicles at protests across the U.S. as people have increasingly taken to streets to press their grievances. In Minneapolis, marching onto freeways has become a common tactic in recent years. Last year, a semitrailer rolled into a crowd marching on a closed Minneapolis freeway following George Floyd's death. No one was seriously injured.

In response to such protests, Republican politicians in several states, including Oklahoma, Florida and Iowa, have sought legal immunity for drivers who hit protesters.

There had been ongoing protests in Uptown, about 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) south of downtown, since the June 3 shooting of Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old father of three, by members of a federal U.S. Marshals Service task force. The Uptown area includes a mix of trendy restaurants, shops and theaters popular with the citys younger professionals, many of whom live in apartments and condominiums in the area.

The city of Minneapolis has been on edge since Floyds death under an officers knee and the more recent fatal police shooting of another Black man, Daunte Wright, in a nearby suburb.

Smith was killed earlier this month. According to authorities, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were trying to arrest Smith on a warrant for allegedly being a felon in possession of a gun. The Marshals Service said in a statement that Smith, who was in a parked vehicle, didnt comply with law enforcement and produced a handgun resulting in task force members firing upon the subject. State investigators said evidence showed he fired the gun from inside his vehicle.

Smith died at the scene. A 27-year-old woman who was a passenger in Smith's vehicle said she never saw a gun on Smith or in the vehicle, her attorneys said last week  contradicting authorities' account about Smith's actions.

___

This story has been updated to correct the name of the neighborhood to Uptown, not Upton.
The backlash is sparking a backlash of its own.

On Saturday, thousands of educators and others gathered virtually and in person at historic locations in more than 20 cities to make clear that they would resist efforts in at least 15 Republican-led states to restrict what teachers can say in class about racism, sexism and oppression in America.

Organized by local educators across the country in association with several social justice organizations, the National Day of Action is meant to raise public awareness about the legislation and to send a message that they will not lie to students about the country's racist past and present.

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Several thousand teachers have signed a pledge that says: "We, the undersigned educators, refuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current events - regardless of the law."

Ever since the May 2020 slaying of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis sparked a national social justice protest movement, many public schools have attempted to introduce and expand lessons on the systemic racism that has existed since the nation's founding.

That sparked a backlash among conservatives. Republican-led legislatures are or have already passed legislation (whose wording is remarkably similar or identical, reflecting a coordinated effort) with such restrictions. On Thursday, Florida's State Board of Education voted to ban the teaching of critical race theory in the state's public schools.

Critical race theory is a decades-old academic framework that holds that racism is systemic, embedded in government policies and laws that are evident in any serious examination of American history. Critics say that racism is the work of individual bad actors, and, they say, teachers are improperly injecting race in the classroom. Teachers say it is impossible not to discuss race in any honest discussion or lesson about American history.

As my Washington Post colleagues Laura Meckler and Hannah Natanson reported, the educators who are teaching about racism aren't actually pushing critical race theory into the classroom. What they are doing, they say, is addressing systemic barriers that have harmed students of color.

In Iowa, where Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds this week signed legislation banning the teaching of "specific defined concepts," including critical race theory, teachers say the law is already a chilling effect.

"I will say it's already playing out," sixth-grade teacher Monique Cottman said in an interview with Jesse Hagopian, a Seattle high school teacher and co-founder of Black Lives Matter at School.

"The White teachers who started doing a little bit more teaching about race and racism are now going back to their old way of teaching," she said. "I've had conversations with teachers who said things like, 'I'm getting so much pushback for teaching Alice Walker, I'm going to go back to teaching what I used to teach.' So all the teachers who would have done a little bit of what I was doing - anti-racism work and culturally responsive teaching - they're not going to do anything next year. They're already declaring, 'I'm not doing nothing,' or 'It's not safe,' or 'I don't want to lose my job.' "

At dozens of sites across the country on Saturday, educators and others gathered to push back.

In Memphis, protesters met at site where Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, ran a market of enslaved people from 1854 to 1860. Then they walked to the marker for the 1866 Memphis Massacre at Army Park and the National Museum of Civil Rights. The event was organized by educators who teach on the downtown lot where Forrest's enslaved person market was located.

The organizers of Saturday's Memphis event issued a call for action with the following explanation about why the state's new law, passed last month by the legislature, is so problematic.

Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the country, said the restrictions on teaching racism are dangerous.

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"No matter our color, background, or Zip code, we want our kids to have an education that imparts honesty about who we are, integrity in how we treat others, and courage to do what's right," she said in a statement. "But some lawmakers want to play politics with the truth and do more than that. The most feared phrase in education is, 'I'm a politician and I am here to tell you how and what to teach.' "

Saturday's National Day of Action was organized by the Zinn Education Project, a nonprofit group that provides learning materials based on the approach to history highlighted in Howard Zinn's best-selling book, "A People's History of the United States," which emphasizes the role of working people, women, people of color and organized social movements in shaping history.

Materials from the Zinn Project have been targeted by those promoting state action, including the right-wing Goldwater Institute, which has promoted model legislation for legislators to adopt.

Also targeted is the 1619 Project, a collection of essays and stories published in the New York Times magazine in 2019 which argue that America was not founded in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, but rather in 1619, the year that enslaved Africans were first brought to the land that became the United States.

Other organizers of Saturday's event include Black Lives Matter at School, a national social justice movement inspired by Black Lives Matter; the D.C.-based nonprofit organization Teaching for Change; and the Milwaukee-based Rethinking Schools, a nonprofit publisher and social justice advocacy organization.
Demands for political loyalty. Disputes about racism. A fight between conservatives and ultra-conservatives. It sounds like current debates within the GOP, but on Tuesday thousands of Southern Baptists will gather in Nashville to vote on issues that will shape the massive denomination's future, including the choice of its next president.

More than 16,000 people are expected to attend what is likely the largest religious gathering since the pandemic, as well as the biggest Baptist meeting in decades. What is especially unusual about the meeting is infighting at the highest levels of leadership that has become public in recent weeks. New details released to news media outlets have shined a light on the backroom dealings of several of its high-profile leaders.

Russell Moore, who previously led the SBC's public policy arm, recently left his position and his church for a new position at Christianity Today magazine. On his way out, two letters he sent to SBC leadership were leaked to media, in which Moore described a culture of racism and mishandling of sexual abuse claims.

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Since Moore's letters were leaked, several leaders have called for a third-party investigation into how the SBC leadership has responded to the issue of sexual abuse within its churches.

The letters also exposed how many institutional leaders are unable to speak openly about what is taking place inside the convention without committing professional suicide within the SBC. The Washington Post interviewed a dozen employees of SBC institutions, as well as five pastors, all of whom said they could not speak openly about what has taken place without jeopardizing their jobs.

The SBC is full of highly influential pastors and Bible teachers who vouch for one another and promote one another's books, conferences and networks. With no pope or hierarchy and a democratic system of voting, its system is designed to protect its own leaders and the institution by generally not publicly criticizing one another. Several people, however, have recently broken those unspoken rules.

- - -

One Black pastor has decided to share his removal earlier this year from his job as director of information technology (IT) at the SBC's missions and church planting institution, the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

Tez Andrews, who also serves as an SBC pastor in Atlanta, said that in March, he published a Facebook post about one of the candidates running to be SBC's president, Mike Stone, who spoke on a podcast against critical race theory (CRT), an intellectual framework used to examine systemic racism in the U.S.

NAMB, which poured $130 million into SBC churches in 2020, is a powerful force within the convention since it decides how to distribute money to things like relief efforts and church planters, generally with the expectation that recipients will remain Southern Baptist.

On a podcast posted in March, Stone compared people who use CRT as a framework to Catholics, Methodists and Pentecostals - Christians with whom Baptists have major theological differences and who cannot be in the SBC. He compared CRT to issues of women's ordination and LGBT-endorsing churches. He complained that SBC leaders have bent over backward to apologize over Black pastors who have left the SBC over leaders' disagreement with CRT.

"If one group in the Southern Baptist Convention believes that critical race theory is a helpful tool but another group believes it is completely incompatible with the Bible and ultimately destructive to our gospel efforts, there can be union, but there cannot be true biblical unity," Stone said.

Andrews responded to Stone on Facebook: "Critical Race Theory is a theory and a model that helps predict systemic race issues in society. Mike Stone and people like him are afraid of losing their supremacist position."

Andrews was told to take his post down, which he did, but he was later told he would still be fired.

"They basically said, you disrespected Mike Stone, so you're gone," said Andrews, who will attend the Nashville meeting. "To me, it's the good 'ol' boy system."

Stone wrote in an email that he was told by the president of NAMB that an unnamed employee was fired but that he was not trying to force anyone out of their job.

When asked about Andrews, a spokesman for NAMB said that NAMB's core values were publicly violated.

"Respecting our partners, especially in this era of divisiveness, is a critical core value to which we consistently hold every member of our team accountable," the organization said in a statement.

Andrews said NAMB leaders told him it would invest money in his lower-income community, yet he is still waiting for the money to come through. When Andrews negotiated his severance, NAMB leaders had Andrews sign a nondisclosure agreement and a nondisparagement clause, which Andrews signed. It said he agreed to not say anything bad about NAMB.

Dwight McKissic, a Black pastor in Arlington, Texas who decided not to go to Nashville this year, said the SBC has an "unwritten code" in SBC life.

"You have rules outside the Baptist Faith and Message that you don't know. Now CRT is becoming one of those litmus tests, and whether you vote Republican, and whether you against women preaching. It's a test of whether you're in or out," McKissic said. "When you don't know the players or don't have the good grasp of the cultural dos and don'ts, it's extremely difficult for a person of color when you're trying to navigate waters that are not your waters."

Another person recently singled out for speaking out about SBC issues is Jamie Ivey, a prominent Southern Baptist Bible teacher and podcaster. She was disinvited to events around the SBC's annual meeting because of comments she made to The Washington Post about being a mother of Black children and raising them in a mostly White evangelical world that of late has been highly critical of CRT. After describing herself as someone who doesn't think of herself as a Southern Baptist and isn't looking to attend an SBC seminary, she was disinvited to speak at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's breakfast, as well as at NAMB's conference where she was originally listed alongside SBC President J.D. Greear.

"From my understanding they pulled me from their women's track the day the article released because they didn't feel I was all in as a Southern Baptist and that the article was full of disdain and disgust of the SBC," Ivey wrote in an email.

Two people involved said that the decision was made because leaders were concerned that Ivey calls herself a preacher and that she and her husband drink alcohol. (NAMB has a policy that doesn't allow its church planters to consume alcohol.)

"We fully respect her right to speak what is on her heart and mind," a spokesman said in a statement.

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The SBC prides itself in the"autonomy" of individual churches, which operate independently but contribute to multimillion dollar budgets for missions, seminaries and other collective efforts. The transactional nature of the denomination allows pastors and lay members to financially benefit from things like pastors' health insurance and reduced tuition rates at its schools. What matters at the convention is that individual members come forward and vote collectively to find a unifying voice on different matters and to vote for its next president.

One insider said that NAMB has been pouring money into getting urban church leaders to the annual meeting to get enough votes to secure the presidency for Ed Litton, an Alabama pastor who has promoted work on racial reconciliation. Litton's wife, Kathy, heads NAMB's ministry for wives. A NAMB spokesman said that it will send 150 church planters to the meeting this year.

- - -

Some Southern Baptists have been raising the issue of transparency among SBC leaders for several years. Ben Cole, a Baptist member from Texas who used to work for Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson and considered him a mentor, has been posting internal SBC documents and audio files online in recent years. He told The Post he is "on a warpath of transparency for the SBC."

Cole believes Patterson, who helped lead a conservative takeover of the denomination in the 1970s and 1980s, generated a high level of secrecy and manipulation.

"What I have done is given a tiny window into the backhanded ways that denominational power brokers have spoken to each other and about each other for decades," Cole said.

In other documents obtained by The Washington Post, Patterson criticized one of the SBC's most prominent pastors, Rick Warren, who is based in California and wrote the best-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life." In a 2005 email, Patterson described Warren's influence as "not wholesome for the church of God" and detailed his attempts to work against Warren. "My involvement with it has to be carefully orchestrated," he wrote, noting that California pastor John MacArthur, a prominent pastor who is not Southern Baptist, was also working to undermine Warren.

A spokesman for MacArthur said that his critiques of a Warren's church ministry are public, and that Patterson probably found his work helpful. Patterson and Warren did not return requests for comment.

Patterson, who in 2018 was fired from his job as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for his handling of rape allegations at seminaries, is expected to return to this year's meeting.

Several SBC insiders said they are worried Patterson is attempting to stage another hard-right takeover of the convention by getting allies elected to key leadership positions, including Stone as president. They said a member of Patterson's group, called the Conservative Baptist Network, is working to unseat Rolland Slade, the first Black chair of the executive committee, which helps run the operations of the SBC, such as the big annual meetings.

Slade said he is aware of such efforts to unseat him, but he's not paying much attention to them.

RACISM IN TEXAS: KARAMO BROWN OPENS UP ABOUT RACIST ENCOUNTER IN TEXAS

"I've seen behind-the-scenes deals happen in the business world," said Slade, who is a pastor in El Cajon, Calif. "I'm disappointed that it's so entrenched in the SBC."

Slade wants to see a revival take place at the SBC, but he believes that first the convention has to be "cleaned up."

"This stuff has to be exposed and acknowledged and we need to own the truth and repent of it and turns toward God," he said. "That's what the majority of SBC wants to be a part of."

---

On Thursday, several audio recordings of high-profile meetings were leaked by a pastor who used to work for Moore. In newly leaked audio recordings of meetings between Moore and Ronnie Floyd, the head of the SBC's executive committee that runs the denomination's finances, Floyd said ahead of a Southern Baptist conference focused on caring for survivors of sexual abuse that he wasn't not worried about what they would say but he said he was particularly concerned about "the base" of the SBC.

"I just want to preserve the base," Floyd said. "And that's what I would say to y'all, as you think through the strategy, do everything you can to remember the base."

In a statement, Floyd said the tapes were released as an "attempt to mischaracterize" the meetings. He also apologized "for any offense that may have resulted from my remarks."

Speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing his current job, a former employee of Moore, the departed SBC leader, said Moore used to make fun of people who left the denomination because the institution would cultivate people, provide training and often an education. Through its financial and relational transactions, that employee said, the denomination cultivates a kind of loyalty usually only broken once a person says farewell.

Moore did not return requests for comment.
Juneteenth has a special meaning here in Texas, and even moreso in Galveston, the birthplace of the holiday.

On June 2, Galveston City Council officially recognized Juneteenth as a city holiday after a unanimous vote.

JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS: Top Chef Dawn Burrell to host 'Jubilee' dinner in Houston for Juneteenth

In 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to announce the freedom of all slaves with the reading of General Order No. 3. According to Juneteenth's official website, General Order No. 3 began with, "The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."

The news of their freedom was announced more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. But in reality, the Emancipation Proclamation didnt instantly free any enslaved people. There was significant pushback from slave owners in Texas, and there wasn't much acknowledgment that slaves were free, as Texas was the last state to find out that slavery had been abolished and the Civil War was over.

HONORING THEIR LIVES: The Sugar Land 95 will be honored with a special celebration on Juneteenth

"Juneteenth is such an important day in our city's history. Today in our community, it teaches the lessons of freedom and absolute equality. I am proud to be a part of the City of Galveston in recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday," Councilman William Schuster said.

With the holiday being observed in an official capacity this year, Juneteenth will be observed on Friday, June 18, because June 19 is on a Saturday. City facilities in Galveston will be closed and will resume normal operations on Monday.
Actress Priyanka Chopra is currently in London, shooting for 'Citadel', a multi-series with productions from India, Italy and Mexico and hubby Nick took to Instagram to share a pic of him with wifey Priyanka and said, "Her. That's it. That's the post. Missing my heart". The mushy post got several thousand likes and comments with many writing, "Cutest couple ever", "Aww you both are so sweet" and "Omg". In the photo, PeeCee looks ravishing in a blue saree.

Here's the post:

A month ago, Nick revealed that he had fractured his rib and continued hosting the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. He said, "I started this last week by taking a brutal tumble on a bike fracturing my rib and ended it hosting the @bbmas with my incredible wife by my side who helped me every step of the way to recover and feel my best. I love you @priyankachopra."

Priyanka, too, was all praises for Nick as she said, "Not even a cracked rib can stop this force of nature. So proud of you baby. With everything you do! Your work ethic, your pursuit of excellence! You inspire me everyday! Crushed it today! I love you so much!"

Priyanka and Nick got married at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in 2018. Priyanka was last seen in Netflix's 'The White Tiger', based on Aravind Adiga's Booker Prize winning novel.
A man wearing a protective mask receives a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine during the mass vaccination program for transportation workers at Kampung Rambutan bus station in Jakarta, June 11, 2021.

Indonesia will involve the military and police to accelerate inoculations, the health minister said Monday, as the average number of daily new COVID-19 cases doubled from a month ago.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo wants the vaccination campaign to be ramped up to target 1 million people a day, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said, even as epidemiologists expressed doubts this target would be met.

The president has assigned the TNI and the national police to help administer vaccines to 400,000 people per day, Budi told a news conference, referring to the Indonesian Armed Forces.

Local governments have been tasked with inoculating 600,000 people daily, he said.

Only about 20 million people in Indonesia have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while around 11 million have been completely inoculated.

Indonesia recorded 8,189 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the total to 1,919,547, amid fears of a second wave similar to the one that devastated India in April-May. The virus-related death toll rose to 53,116 after 237 fatalities overnight.

Daily infections in Indonesia have surged to an average of nearly 7,900 a day in the past week, from an average of 3,500 daily in mid-May, due to people returning to their hometowns to celebrate the post-Ramadan Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, which fell on May 13 this year.

Many new infections were also from the highly contagious Delta variant, first detected in India, Budi said. This strain is highly transmissible and causes more severe illness.

We reported to the president that confirmed cases of the B.1617.2 Delta variant from India has dominated the cases in Kudus, Jakarta, and Bangkalan, he said.

In Jakarta, active cases rose by 50 percent in the past week, to 18,000, from 11,000 in the previous seven-day period, said the citys governor, Anies Baswedan.

On Monday, Jokowi called on authorities in the capital to increase the number of people vaccinated daily to 100,000 starting next week, from fewer than 10,000 currently, so that the city could achieve herd immunity by August.

I have told the governor of Jakarta that by the end of August, 7.5 million residents in Jakarta should have been vaccinated, Jokowi told reporters. The capitals population is 10.6 million.

This is indeed a very ambitious target, but like it or not we have to go for it to achieve herd immunity.

Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, expressed doubt that the government would achieve the target.

Absolutely impossible. Indonesias vaccination rate is very low. Even the U.S., where vaccinations are widespread, has not achieved herd immunity, Budiman told BenarNews.

Jakarta governor Anies said he was optimistic his administration would be able to vaccinate 100,000 people a day.

With this, we will have vaccinated 7.5 million people at the end of August, he said.

He also said the capital might impose stricter mobility measures as the positivity rate had risen to 17 percent from 9 percent and daily cases had risen to more than 2,000 in the last four days.

If the situation gets out of hand, we will enter a critical phase, and in such a situation we will have to take drastic steps, said Anies.

This is very serious

Griffith Universitys Budiman said he expected this latest surge in COVID-19 infections to peak in early July.

He urged the government to continue to strengthen testing, tracing and treatment to deal with new virus variant that may infect even people who had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Budiman said the Delta variant was more dangerous because it attacked the immune system even in people who have been vaccinated.

We still dont know how long the immunity obtained through vaccination lasts and how effective is the vaccines in preventing the transmission of new variants, said Budiman.

What we really need to watch out for is the Delta variant because it meets the super-strain criteria, which can destroy our health system. So, this could be an epidemic disaster in the midst of a pandemic. This is very serious.

Indonesia wants to vaccinate 181.5 million of its 270 million people to achieve herd immunity early next year. The country has received 93.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 84.5 million doses of the jab made by Chinas Sinovac Biotech and 8.2 million doses of AstraZeneca.

This month, Jakarta rolled out vaccinations for people 18 years or older, after previously targeting health workers, public service workers and elderly people.

The citys administration said nearly 2.9 million people in Jakarta had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Jakarta governor Anies said the capital was preparing a low-cost new apartment complex to be converted into a temporary hospital to treat COVID-19 patients as bed occupancy rates in the capital had reached 75 percent.

There are more than 2,500 beds that can be used. So now we are moving in stages, said Anies.

Meanwhile, the athletes village in central Jakarta, which has been converted into a COVID-19 hospital, is preparing 2,000 additional beds to anticipate a surge in patients, said Maj. Gen. Ratmono, who is in charge of the facility.

He said the hospital was now treating 4,836 COVID-19 patients.

We hope that there will be no surge in patients, but we still have to be prepared to ease public worries, he said.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday refused to stay bankruptcy proceedings against former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak for allegedly failing to pay 1.7 billion ringgit (U.S. $413 million) in taxes, saying all citizens are equal under the law.

Separately, an appeals court is scheduled on Wednesday to hear Najibs plea to dismiss a 2020 high court ruling ordering him to pay those taxes, from 2011 to 2017.

As every taxpayer, like every citizen, stands equal before the law, and if this stay is granted to the defendant, who is a former prime minister and the former finance minister, the plaintiff will be stopped from filing any recovery actions against him, Justice Ahmad Bache ruled.

This court holds that, the defendant has no strong grounds for a stay of execution to be granted as the defendant had failed to discharge the burden of proving the existence of special circumstances to the satisfaction of this court.

Ahmad noted that ordering a stay on Najibs bankruptcy proceedings may set a poor precedent and lead to an inference that double standards are being allowed and being practiced.

The judge said that Najibs concerns that he would not be able to pay the amount sought and might lose his parliamentary seat if declared bankrupt did not warrant a stay.

The grounds relied on by the appellants are nothing more than fear of losing. All that the applicant has to do to avoid such fears is to settle the judgment debt, Ahmad said while proposing Najib discuss a payment plan with the Internal Revenue Board.

Under Malaysias election regulations, a person who is declared bankrupt, or has been sentenced to more than a year in prison and fined at least 2,000 ringgit ($486) would lose his/her seat in parliament.

In a post on his Facebook page, Najib said the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) government  which he is a part of  is trying to push him into bankruptcy.

Even if PN succeeds, it does not mean that I will stop speaking up for the people  and no one said that a bankrupt status cannot be overturned in a short span of time because being bankrupt does not mean I am crippled, he said.

Appeal hearing on Wednesday

Farhan Shafee, the lawyer representing the ex-PM, said the defense team was focusing on Wednesdays appeal to outright quash the 2020 court ruling that ordered Najib to pay the back taxes.

Because the substantive appeal on the order is this week on the 16th, we will proceed with those arguments first before deciding if we want to apply for a further stay from the Court of Appeal, Farhan told BenarNews.

The government through the IRB had filed the suit against Najib on June 25, 2019, seeking a total payment of nearly 1.7 billion ringgit for unpaid income taxes from 2011 to 2017.

In July 2020, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Najib had to pay the amount.

Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said being declared bankrupt could help Najibs image among his ardent supporters.

He has been keeping his political flame [alive] burning by running a very sophisticated public relations campaign, and there is no sign that even a bankruptcy would stop him, especially when people now are desperate for some sort of  albeit somewhat half-baked  leadership in times of pandemic desperation, Oh told BenarNews.

The former PM was convicted last year and sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption-related charges in a trial over the looting of money linked to a subsidiary of sovereign fund 1MDB, but he is out on bail and appealing the conviction.

The appeal hearing ended in May, but the Court of Appeal reserved its judgment for an unspecified date.

Najib is standing trial in another court on 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering connected with 2.3 billion ringgit ($551 million) that went missing from 1MDB.

Malaysian and U.S. prosecutors had alleged that at least $4.5 billion (18.8 billion ringgit) was stolen from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014, in a corruption scandal that implicated foreign and local financial institutions and high-ranking officials, including Najib.
American Marines stand on their Amphibious Assault Vehicles during drills as part of the annual joint U.S.-Philippines military exercise, on the shores of San Antonio town in Zambales, Philippines, April 11, 2019.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has put off by another six months his decision on whether to scrap a key military pact with the United States, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Monday, amid new tensions between Manila and Beijing over contested South China Sea waters.

The announcement by Manila  the third time since January 2020 that it has postponed a threat to withdraw from the bilateral Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)  comes as the Southeast Asian nation has been filing daily diplomatic protests with Beijing since April over the presence of Chinese ships within the Philippines exclusive economic zone in the waterway.

I have just come from a meeting with the president and Ambassador Jose Romualdez on the subject of the Visiting Forces Agreement, Locsin said in a statement, referring to Manilas envoy to Washington.

The president conveyed to us his decision to extend the suspension of the abrogation of the Visiting Forces agreement by another six months while he studies [it], and both sides further address his concerns regarding particular aspects of the agreement, Locsin said.

The foreign secretary did not elaborate on what those particular aspects were. The foreign office was waiting for guidance from the [presidential] palace on the specific areas the president would like to look more closely into, a spokeswoman said.

In Washington, the State Department did not immediately respond to a BenarNews request for comment on the Philippine move.

In January last year, the Philippine president first threatened to end the VFA after the United States revoked a visa for Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, his former national police chief who had led the Duterte administrations controversial war on illegal drugs.

The last time the Philippines postponed the decision on the pact was in November 2020, when Manila said that bilateral efforts with the U.S. had brought the renewal of stability in the South China Sea.

Then in December 2020, Duterte warned that he would scuttle the pact if American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer did not deliver at least 20 million doses of the vaccine to the Philippines to help it fight the coronavirus pandemic. As of last week, the Southeast Asian country had acquired only about 2.4 million doses of the Pfizer-made vaccine.

Analysts have said it would be unwise for Manila to weaken its alliance with Washington amid Chinas increasing aggressiveness in the contested maritime region.

Meanwhile, beginning in late March 2021, the Philippine government has been engaged in a verbal tussle with Beijing over the presence of suspected Chinese militia ships within the Philippines exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

China has denied the allegations and said its ships were fishing vessels, while reiterating that its ships were operating inside territorial waters that Beijing also claims.

Signed in 1999, the VFA allows large-scale joint military drills, which are seen as vital in Manilas efforts to protecting its territorial claims in the South China Sea. The last such exercise was in April.

In February, Lloyd Austin, the defense chief in the new Biden Administration, reaffirmed Washingtons commitment to both the VFA and the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty during his first official phone call with Philippine counterpart Delfin Lorenzana.

The U.S. has repeatedly pushed for freedom of navigation and overflights in the South China Sea. Washington has also sent its navy ships into the maritime region as a show of support for the Philippines and other allies in the region who use the waterway.

In April, the U.S. Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group sailed South China Sea waters to carry out maritime strike exercises, anti-submarine operations, coordinated tactical training and other activities, the U.S. Navy had said.

On Monday night, the Philippine Department of National Defense said it fully supported the presidents decision to delay his decision on the VFA for another six months.

Our bilateral cooperation with the U.S. is geared towards upholding our national interest and to the extent necessary to enhance the Philippines defense capability, Defense Secretary Lorenzana said in a statement.

With the additional six months, we will further review the pros and cons of the VFA especially regarding various concerns of mutual importance to our two countries with the end in view of helping the President arrive at an informed decision on the matter.
Philippine relatives and friends of Mark Anthony Ruivivar, who was killed during an alleged shootout with police during an anti-drug campaign, participate in his burial ceremony in Manila, Dec. 15, 2019.

Updated at 7:53 a.m. ET on 2021-06-17

The International Criminal Courts chief prosecutor on Monday asked for a full investigation into the Philippine governments war on drugs, as she concluded that tens of thousands of civilians may have been victims of extrajudicial killings.

In her request to the pre-trial chamber of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda asked for the greenlight to investigate President Rodrigo Dutertes counter-narcotics campaign which, human rights groups say, has killed thousands since he took office in mid-2016.

As she had said in December when she introduced preliminary findings, Bensouda in her report issued on Monday said there was reason to believe that crime against humanity had occurred in the Philippines.

Today, I announce that the preliminary investigation into the situation in the Republic of the Philippines has concluded and that I have requested judicial authorization to proceed with an investigation, Bensouda said in a statement from the ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands.

Her investigation covers the period when Duterte became president on June 30, 2016, and launched his drug war, until March 2019 when his government pulled out of an international treaty that created the ICC.

Following a thorough preliminary investigation process, the available information indicates that members of the Philippine National Police and others acting in concert with them, have unlawfully killed between several thousand and tens of thousands of civilians during the time, Bensouda said.

She said that she has notified the ICCs Pre-Trial Chamber of her intention to prosecute. While the Philippines has withdrawn from the statute, she insisted that the court retains jurisdiction over crimes that are alleged to have occurred when it was a member.

In her filing, Bensouda noted that there was reason to believe that vigilantes who carried out some of the killings were either themselves police officers or were private citizens recruited, coordinated, and paid by police to kill civilians.

The document said that the total number of civilians killed in connection with Dutertes drug war appears to be between 12,000 and 30,000, from the period July 2016 to March 2019.

Philippine government figures list the death toll at nearly 8,000.

These extrajudicial killings, perpetrated across the Philippines, appear to have been committed pursuant to an official state policy of the Philippine government, the report said.

Police and other government officials planned, ordered, and sometimes directly perpetrated extrajudicial killings. They paid police officers and vigilantes bounties for extrajudicial killings, it said, adding that officials at the highest levels of government encouraged it.

Duterte and his spokesmen could not be immediately reached for comment late Monday, but he has said that his war on drugs would continue until his last day in office in June 2022.

The ICC report calls for the investigation to include the city of Davao beginning in 2011, where Duterte served as mayor before being elected president.

The same types of actors also allegedly committed strikingly similar crimes in the city and region of Davao (Davao), starting in 1988 and continuing through 2016. Given the similarities between those killings and the nationwide WoD killings from July 2016 to March 2019, and the overlap of individuals involved during both periods, the prosecution requests that the 2011-2016 events in Davao be included within the requested investigation, it said using an acronym for war on drugs.

Change of prosecutors

The request is one of Bensoudas last actions as the courts chief prosecutor because her term ends on Tuesday, according to the Agence France-Presse news service. She said she expected her successor, Karim Khan, to carry on with the investigation.

Duterte, whose six-year term ends next year, had repeatedly denied that he told the police to carry out the killings, but his public exhortations has been carried by state and private media.

Aurora Parong, a spokeswoman for the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court which has been pushing for prosecution of Duterte, welcomed Bensoudas statement while adding she hoped Khan would take the Philippines to actual prosecution.

This is a very welcome development, Pijuan said. It is a ray of hope for justice for families of the victims of killings in the war on drugs.

She said she hoped that the ICC probe would lead to charges against those who pulled the trigger as well as those who encouraged mass executions.

Parampreet Singh, associate international justice director of the Human Rights Watch, said that if Bensoudas request is approved it could bring victims and survivors closer to seeing those responsible for their suffering finally brought to justice.

Until now, President Rodrigo Duterte has callously worn his support for the governments deadly war on drugs like a badge of honor, Singh said.

In December when Bensouda announced preliminary findings, Duterte spokesman Harry Roque dismissed that report as speculative.

It is up to the prosecutor if she wants a second ruling, but you cant just investigate if there is no cooperation, from the Philippines, Roque said at the time.

Meanwhile, Duterte last week told televangelist Apollo Quiboloy that the anti-drug campaign had led to improved peace and order in the country.

We have seen a lessening of the drugs actually in the Philippines, he said at the time, noting that in his home city of Davao, drug dealing has been defeated.

In other places they still operate, but in Manila they are almost paralyzed because we have better intelligence now and its working. Like I said in the past, I will end the problem of drugs in Manila or the Philippines.

CORRECTION: An earlier version had an incorrect name for the spokeswoman for the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court.
Human rights groups have condemned the shaming of six women and girls in the southern Philippines who were forced to have their heads shaved in public because they were accused of being lesbians.

A video posted on June 8, and which circulated on social media before it was taken down over the weekend, showed residents of Ampatuan town witnessing the spectacle. The town is in Maguindanao, a predominantly Muslim province on Mindanao Island.

The independent Commission on Human Rights said it was investigating the incident, calling it deeply concerning because it occurred during Pride Month.

No person should ever suffer discrimination and harm based on ones affiliation or creed, or because of ones sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, or sex characteristics, Commission spokeswoman Jacqueline Ann de Guia said in a statement.

Religious freedom, while it includes the absolute right to believe in dogma, cannot transgress on the rights of others nor be used to justify harm and violence, she said in a statement posted on the commissions website over the weekend.

This is especially so when current laws, such as the Safe Spaces Act, uphold the right of all persons from harassment, including protection from remarks and slurs that betray hatred and fear of members of the LGBTQI community.

On Monday, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed similar concerns.

Officials should ensure that justice is served for the victims and the perpetrators are held accountable, and lawmakers should redouble efforts to prohibit and eradicate discrimination against LGBTI people throughout the Philippines, said Ryan Thoreson, an HRW researcher focusing on LGBT rights.

Meanwhile, King Mangudadatu, a Maguindanao provincial board member, told reporters that an investigation was under way to determine if an existing anti-discrimination law was broken during the public shaming.

He said local officials were to meet with the parents of the women and girls in the video who are between the ages of 16 and 20, along with community leaders to ensure the incident will not happen again.

We have a law that prohibits discrimination, especially in the Philippines, Mangudadatu said.

Shortly after the incident last week, LGBT rights group Ladlad Party List said its members respected Islam as a religion, but teens have civil and political rights and the shaming suffered by the six was legally wrong.

We respect the Islam religion, but wed like to remind the parents and the Muslim leaders that we have no state religion. Therefore, our children, our youth, Filipinos, have civil and political rights, Ladlad president Danton Remoto said.

Previous incident

In April 2020, local officials in Pampanga province, near Manila, stopped and detained three LGBTQ people who violated curfew, alleging they were seeking illicit sex. As punishment, the three were humiliated publicly by ordering them to kiss, dance and do push-ups on live viral broadcasts on social media, HRW reported at the time.

Despite public condemnation against the treatment of the three, no official was punished, officials said.

The Philippines, a deeply devout majority-Catholic nation, has been accepting of homosexuality and members of the LGBT community.

In 2016, the first transgender woman, Geraldine Roman, won a seat in Congress.

Still, three years later, President Rodrigo Duterte, said he had cured himself of homosexuality with the help of beautiful women.
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Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
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Investigations editor

Larry Parnass, investigations editor, joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and CommonWealth Magazine.
LENOX  A major upgrade for facilities at Mass Audubon's Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is on a faster track after approval of a $300,000 grant by the town's Community Preservation 

In his own words ...

Mass Audubon President David ONeill, named to the post a year ago, offered some additional thoughts in an Eagle interview:

On the Action Agenda strategic plan:

It was tied to, when we get to post-COVID time, well have a plan thats hopeful, ambitious, energetic for the public to rally around. We want to continue to capture the interest in nature, seeing how important it was to society during the pandemic, to continue to engage people who were experiencing nature, perhaps for the first time, or re-experiencing it so they could become part of this grassroots movement to protect nature in Massachusetts.

On how the plan impacts the Berkshire Sanctuaries:

For the first time in its 125-year history, Mass Audubon has set statewide conservation goals, so all parts of the organization will be working collectively to accomplish something bigger than any one part of it. So, theres this unifying force, drawing from the best resources across the state.

On how the commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion plays out locally:

Our Canoe Meadows Sanctuary in Pittsfield is underutilized, so, how can we repurpose it to reach more people in a low-income community, as well as for people from different backgrounds into our program? And were thinking about how Canoe Meadows and Pleasant Valley can work together to provide more people with opportunities to connect with nature.

On the decision to mobilize and advocate for action on climate change:

It wasnt getting the time, energy and resources it would need for Mass Audubon to make a contribution. Our focus is using nature to help us adapt to climate change, to continue to protect land, forests, ecosystems, soils and also, as we warm, the opportunities for land to change so wildlife can survive.

"In the Berkshires, we have an unbelievably important place for us to commit to protecting nature with a goal of net-zero carbon emissions for the commonwealth by 2050. Were going to start to become more active on policy and mobilize our 135,000 members to become an incredibly powerful voice for the policies that help address climate change.

On how to evaluate the success of the Action Strategy:

Weve set our targets each year and measuring our progress against the goals, being accountable to our board of directors and partners. If were way behind or ahead on certain things, we can adapt what we need to do to catch up or expand our thinking.

"And well have to raise more capital for a more robust operating budget. Were raising the first $12 million toward a $50 million price tag to help implement the Action Agenda, and were close to $7 million over three months for land protection and capital improvements that we need on properties like Canoe Meadows and Pleasant Valley.
Clarence Fanto can be reached at cfanto@yahoo.com, on Twitter @BE_cfanto or at 413-637-2551.
The Orchards Hotel will be sold at auction June 30. As the coronavirus pandemic got worse, and many hotels and restaurants had to close, so did The Orchards, on March 27, 2020.
LENOX  Tanglewood will roar back to life this Fourth of July, hosting the annual Boston Pops spectacular, which typically is held on the Espl
The nation just got through a vicious election season and now Massachusetts has officially embarked upon the 2022 campaign season. Blame, or c
Authorities charged two Louisiana rappers in connection to the killing of rival hip-hop artist Michael Brock.

Chambers County Sheriffs deputies arrested Quardavion Tyvon White during a traffic stop east of Houston on Thursday (June 10), according to WWL-TV.

The second suspect, Tauj Chardez Taplin, fled in the car after the traffic stop, leading the officers on a high-speed chase that the police called off because it endangered the innocent lives on the highways.

Later, the Louisiana State Police located Taplin and arrested him near Lake Charles.

Both men faced charges for the fatal shooting of Brock, as well as for scuffling with the police and a vehicle pursuit in Texas.
Kamala Harris made history over the weekend as the first sitting U.S. vice president to participate in a Pride event.

According to People, Harris marched with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff through the streets of Washington, D.C. during the citys Capital Pride parade on Saturday (June 12), celebrating with fellow attendees and making a brief statement.

RELATED: Kamala Harris To Would Be Migrants from Guatemala: Do Not Come

"We need to make sure that our transgender community and our youth are all protected. We need, still, protections around employment and housing," Harris said, according to NBC Washington. "There is so much more work to do, and I know we are committed."

The vice presidents march went viral as the community celebrated her appearance.

The vice presidents march went viral as the community celebrated her appearance.She also tweeted a remberance of the 49 victims who died at the gay nightclub shooting at Pulse in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016.

RELATED: Vice President Kamala Harris Congratulates High School Graduates
Former NFL tight end Kevin Ware Jr. was arrested Friday (June 11) after missing his bond supervision hearing and was expected to face questions from investigators stemming from the disappearance of his girlfriend Taylor Pomaski , KPRC 2 reported.

Kevin Ware Jr. was arrested and wanted on several bond violations in Montgomery County. https://t.co/WVdWzY3kth

Deputy U.S. Marshals apprehended Ware in the parking lot of a Spring, Texas shopping center. The arrest warrant stemmed from previous charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with the intent to deliver controlled substances.

Pomaski, 29, was last seen at an April 26 house party.

After the arrest, Eric Zulegar, Pomaskis ex-boyfriend, told KPRC 2 that Pomaskis family believes Ware knows something about her disappearance.

There could be others that were around the house that night, he said. Im not for certain, but Kevin knows exactly what happened.

RELATED: NFL Players Terrifying Arrest Video Shows Cops Gun In Bashaud Breelands Face

The police first arrested Ware on April 19 on weapon and drug charges, ABC 13 reported. He was released on a $23,000 bond. Days later, witnesses said Ware and Pomaski got into a fairly violent fight during the party at their home.
News

Buc-ee's store clears hurdle to build in Smiths Grove

Buc-ees, the Texas-based travel center chain known for its oversized retail stores, is bringing its second Kentucky location to Smiths Grove.

And, fittingly, it will come with a Texas-sized sign.

The Warren County Board of Adjustments on Thursday approved the application of Buc-ees Kentucky LLC for a waiver to erect a 380-square-foot sign that will exceed by 180 square feet the maximum for the Smiths Grove area.

The approval all but assures that the 54,000-square-foot store and its 116 fueling stations and 565 parking spaces will be coming to the 31-acre site in the southeast corner of the Smiths Grove interchange (exit 38) on Interstate 65.

Well start construction by the end of the year, Buc-ees Director of Real Estate Stan Beard said after the waiver was approved in a 6-0 vote.

Buc-ees, which opened its first store in 1982, began a multi-state expansion strategy in 2019 that is only now reaching into Kentucky. The chain known for its beaver mascot, its Texas barbecue and its jerky announced in April that it is building a 53,000-square-foot store along Interstate 75 in Richmond.

Beard said the Smiths Grove location, like the Richmond site, fits with the companys strategy of catering to travelers.

This is a great location for us, he said. It will catch a lot of travelers between Nashville and cities to the north.

For Buc-ees, catching those travelers generally means erecting a large eye-catching sign.

Beard explained during the meeting: This is kind of an odd request for us. This is the smallest allowable sign size weve come across. Our standard sign is crazy big.

He said the typical sign includes the circular Buc-ees logo that has the beaver mascot image and the name of the location.

We want to equate Buc-ees with the small towns were in, Beard said. The button logo with Smiths Grove on a panel below it will be equal to the smallest sign weve ever built.

Approval of the sign on land that is zoned highway business gives the green light to a travel center that normally employs about 200 people.

Once located strictly in Texas, Buc-ees is expanding into Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Kentucky. The companys website lists 40 locations, but many more are in the works.

Another growing chain, Florida-based Sonnys BBQ, also won approval from the board of adjustments Thursday and moved a step closer to moving into the former Bob Evans restaurant building at 145 Three Springs Road.

Sonnys BBQ was approved unanimously for a variance of 7.92 feet to allow a freestanding sign to be 12.08 feet from the edge of the pavement instead of the normal allowable distance of 20 feet.

Bob Evans, an Ohio-based chain owned since 2017 by San Francisco-based Golden Gate Capital, closed its Bowling Green location suddenly Feb. 22.

Sonnys was making plans to occupy the building before that closure.

A building permit filed Jan. 28 with the city of Bowling Green shows that the barbecue restaurant plans to spend $75,000 on a renovation that includes installing a drive-through window.

Sonnys BBQ was started in 1968 in Gainesville, Fla., by Floyd Sonny Tillman and his wife, Lucille Tillman.

Tillman began franchising the Sonnys brand in 1977 and sold the growing restaurant chain in 1991 to Bob Yarmuth.

Today, according to the companys website, there are 95 Sonnys BBQ locations across eight states, with 72 of them in Florida.

Sonnys, which has Kentucky locations in Corbin, Nicholasville, Richmond and Somerset, has a menu that includes pulled and sliced pork barbecue as well as ribs and smoked turkey.

While Buc-ees and Sonnys received unanimous approval for their applications, a conditional-use permit application for operation of a short-term rental in a residential area was voted down.

Frances Denis, who had been operating an Airbnb short-term rental at her property at 451 Drakesborough Drive since last year, applied for the CUP after a code enforcement complaint was filed with the City-County Planning Commission.

Denis, who splits her time between California and Bowling Green and rents the Drakesborough home while shes away, said she was unaware that a permit was needed to operate an Airbnb.

I want to let everyone know that I have no intention of degrading the neighborhood, Denis told the board members. I bought the home in 2007. We love it and visit several times a year. My ultimate goal is to retire here.

But the board heard from 12 different residents of the Drakesborough subdivision who were opposed to permitting an Airbnb in the neighborhood.

David Lyng, a Drakesborough Drive resident for 18 years, was among those speaking against the application.

We have a vested interest in our community, Lyng said. Short-term rentals have their place, but there has been a lot of growth in hotels in Bowling Green.

I dont see where theres a need for one more rental unit.

The board of adjustments members agreed. John Fitts made a motion to deny the CUP application, and the board passed it 6-0.
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Southern California fire agencies are getting two large-scale helicopters that can each carry up to 3,000 gallons of water or retardant to try to limit the spread of wildfires _ and just as hot dry weather is setting in
When a person has a heart attack, we send an ambulance. But if a person is having a mental health crisis, the police show up. Why?

Its a question many cities and states are asking as they look at issues surrounding policing, and its a conversation we should be having in Michigan, too.

The risks of law enforcement officers responding to situations they arent trained to handle are many. We read too often about the worst cases: according to statistics collected by the Washington Post, at least 1 in every 4 people killed in an interaction with law enforcement has a serious mental illness.

But there are other, lesser-reported ill effects, too, such as people not getting the mental health care they need, or suffering from the stigma that occurs when we treat mental illness like its a crime.

As longtime advocates who work in Michigans network of mental health Clubhouses, weve witnessed many incidents that would have turned out better had our communities responded to mental health calls with caregivers instead of police.

One example: A young woman who was frustrated during a medication review with her provider started becoming upset and agitated. Her voice was raised, she began picking at a scab from a previous injury, and refused to leave the office. Seeing that the woman was distraught and bleeding, the provider called 911. A Clubhouse social worker who happened to be in the building was also summoned and successfully worked with the woman to de-escalate the situation. The woman was getting ready to leave the office calmly when the police arrived.

She was immediately triggered by the presence of law enforcement and her anxious behavior escalated again, ultimately resulting in her being charged with assaulting a police officer. Because of this charge, she was jailed for seven days which now prevents her from being able to live in public housing. The mere presence of armed officers can create stress in anyone, but particularly in those who are already in or near a crisis state.

If dispatchers sent what we call care respondersteams that include a medical professional and mental health expert (often a trained peer) instead of police to mental health emergencies, situations like this could be avoided. Mental health emergencies deserve a mental health response.

We know that the care response model works. A leading example is CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets) in Eugene, Ore., which for 30 years has used unarmed social workers and medics to help people experiencing mental health crises.

Of the 24,000 calls CAHOOTS responded to last year, police backup was requested just 250 times  thats 1% of calls. In addition to lives saved and violence avoided, the program estimates that in 2019 it saved $14 million in ambulance and emergency room treatment costs, as well as $8.5 million in public safety costs. These are significant amounts in a city with an annual budget around $800 million.

Other programs, such as Denvers STAR (Support Team Assistance Response), also are making an impact. STAR has responded to more than 350 mental health crisis calls since it began in 2020 and so far has not once called for law enforcement backup.

We urge Michigan leaders to look at these programs for inspiration. We also warn them not to confuse care response with co-response programs that necessitate response by law enforcement officers. Despite co-responders pairing police with medical professionals, this approach still criminalizes mental illness.

Those in a health crisis are still being met by someone with a gun and badge, rather than just by caregivers, and this raises the risk of panic, violence and tragedy. If there is a need, care response teams can call for backup. But as shown by CAHOOTS, this need tends to be rare.

The call for change is clear. Our state should seize this moment to adopt programs that not only reduce violence, but save and change lives. We encourage leaders to meet with stakeholders from the medical and mental health fields and, most importantly, with people who have lived experience to create a care response model that meets the needs of Michigan.

Sue Stewart, LMSW is the Director of New Journey Clubhouse in Big Rapids. Summer Berman, LMSW is the Director of Fresh Start Clubhouse in Ann Arbor and sits on the Board of Directors of Clubhouse Michigan.
Online conference to explore the latest insights on how smart technology advances drug development, regulatory processes, and clinical trials.

The 2021 DIA-CoRE Singapore Annual Meeting is all set to kick start virtually on 7 & 8 July 2021. The event is themed around the Catalysts for Changes and How to Prepare for the Future of Healthcare. ASEAN industry professionals, pharmaceutical and medical technology innovators, as well as ASEAN regulators, will convene to share their powerful insights to reinvent advanced healthcare technologies and smart solutions.

The online conference will open with the Plenary Session involving Key Speakers, from the industry and regulatory experts. The deep-dive sessions will explore,

Innovations for better patient outcome

Innovative processes for regulatory review

Medical devices and technology

The paradigm shift in clinical trials

ASEAN Townhall (by pharma and medical devices regulators)

Over the two days, experts from around the ASEAN region will unveil their best practice cases in technology implementation, covering all perspectives of the professional spectrum. The conference will provide the latest insights on how smart technology advances drug development, regulatory processes, and clinical trials. The session is also open to discussing the learnings from other regulatory systems.

Program Co-Chair, James Leong, Head, Health Products & Regulatory Science, Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE), Duke-NUS Medical School shared the current COVID-19 pandemic indicated a need for preparedness and an environment of close partnerships across all stakeholders in healthcare  patients, policy makers, regulators, healthcare professionals, the industry, and researchers. The rapid development and availability of diagnostic kits and vaccines is testament to the benefit of such partnerships to bring health products innovation to patients in a timely manner. This year, we continue to explore the opportunities among the stakeholders to further strengthen the foundations of collaboration in healthcare and better position us for the new challenges. I believe you will gain from the insights of the esteemed speakers in this conference. 

Program Chair, Dorothee Grimald, Director - Global Regulatory Policy, MSD sums it up After one year of preparation, we are very excited and looking forward to the fourth DIA-CoRE Singapore Annual Meeting in July! This year again, we have excellent speakers and experts from the life science spectrum. We can expect great discussions and exchanges! More than ever, agility and changes are needed to adapt to a rapid and challenging environment, while maintaining our key standards (Q, S & E) and adopting risk-based approaches. It is time to foster and leverage innovative technology and initiatives to prepare the future healthcare and provide better patient outcome.
Additional doses to support equitable access to vaccines in 2021 and 2022, with the aim to deliver at least half by the end of 2021 in support of global equitable access

In a landmark agreement at G7 summit, held in Cornwall, UK, global leaders have pledged to share COVID-19 vaccine doses internationally, in support of global equitable access and to help end the acute phase of the pandemic.

Building on the momentum of the G20 Global Health Summit hosted by Prime Minister Draghi and President von der Leyen and the Gavi COVAX AMC Summit hosted by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan, G7 countries committed to share at least 870 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines directly, with the aim to deliver at least half by the end of 2021, and reaffirmed their support for COVAX as the primary route for providing vaccines to the poorest countries.

COVAX partners welcome this commitment, along with continued support for exporting in significant proportions, promotion of voluntary licensing and not-for-profit global production. COVAX will work with the G7 and other countries that have stepped up to share doses as rapidly and equitably as possible. This will help address short-term supply constraints currently impacting the global response to COVID-19 and minimize the prospect of future deadly variants.

In anticipation of the large volumes available through the COVAX Facility deals portfolio later in the year, COVAX also urges multilateral development banks to urgently release funding to help countries prepare their health systems for large-scale rollout of vaccines in the coming months.
Increased occurrences of myocarditis and pericarditis after the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations have been observed overseas

The Expert Committee at Singapore government has been closely monitoring international reports that the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may be associated with a small risk of myocarditis and pericarditis in young men.

The experts have reviewed the currently available international and local data. Their assessment is that the benefits of receiving the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, i.e., reduction in COVID-19 infections and severe complications even if infected, continue to outweigh the risks of vaccination.

Myocarditis and pericarditis are inflammatory conditions affecting the heart muscles and the outer lining of the heart respectively. They occur more often in men compared to women. Patients present with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or abnormal heartbeats.

Most cases are mild, recover without the need for significant intervention and do not suffer any long-term effects, although very rarely, severe cases may result in damage to the heart muscles. Myocarditis and pericarditis are separate and distinct conditions from heart attacks which are caused when blood flow to the heart is blocked.

Increased occurrences of myocarditis and pericarditis after the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations have been observed overseas (Israel and the United States [US]) in adolescents and young men below the age of 25 years.

The risk of this has been estimated to be 1.6 cases per 100,000 doses for mRNA vaccines in the US, which is comparable to the risk of anaphylaxis observed in Singapore. To date, there is no observed incremental risk of myocarditis and pericarditis after the first dose of vaccine.

As a precaution, experts recommend that vaccinated persons, in particular adolescents and younger men, should avoid strenuous physical activity for one week after their second dose. During this time, they should seek medical attention promptly if they develop chest pain, shortness of breath or abnormal heartbeats.
The present study has established that OA patients had a 41% higher risk of PD than those without OA

A team of researchers at the National Taiwan University Hospital has conducted a study linking osteoarthritis (OA) with Parksinson's disease (PD).

OA is a progressive and degenerative joint disease, commonly affecting weight-bearing synovial joints, such as knee and hip joints. It is widely accepted that inflammation is one of the key elements in the pathogenesis of OA.

On the other hand, PD is a common neurodegenerative disorder, causing substantial disability and socioeconomic burden worldwide. As well as being usually characterized by neuroinflammation, PD has been linked to exacerbated neuroinflammatory processes such as glial-mediated reactions and increased expression of proinflammatory substances.

Because a growing body of literature reports that peripheral inflammation may induce neuroinflammation in the brain, leading to neurodegeneration, researchers have hypothesized that having OA may increase peoples risk of later developing PD. However, because data on the relationship between OA and PD was lacking, the research team chose to evaluate the risk of PD among patients with OA via the present population-based, longitudinal follow-up study.



The study, based on data from Taiwans National Health Insurance database in 20022005, included 33,360 patients with OA and the same number of age- and sex-matched controls without OA.

The present study has established that OA patients had a 41% higher risk of PD than those without OA. This study is considered to be the first large-scale longitudinal follow-up study to suggest a link between OA and PD.

Further studies are required to explore the underlying mechanism of this association.
Phumelela Malinga -  Lawrence Symonds

What was the inspiration behind By Phume?

How did you transition from mechanical engineer to fashion designer?

Design was drilled into my DNA. I found it easy to conceptualise ideas and communicate them to people. This is how I fell in love with fashion design. What really catalysed the transition is how well my designs were received by my peers.

 Asanele Mfengu  Asanele Mfengu

How would you describe your aesthetic and style when it comes to your designs?

Why the decision to focus on an androgynous style of clothing?

 Asanele Mfengu

What have been some of your career highlights?

What advice would you give to aspiring young creatives?

 Asanele Mfengu  Asanele Mfengu

If you could give a message to your younger self, what would it be?

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

By Phume is an androgynous designer apparel brand. The inspiration behind the brand is making eye-catching statements using bold design, quality, craftsmanship and colour. The brand originated from the lack of variety in the retail clothing market. Naturally, I saw the gap in the market and set out to fill it.Growing up, I always dreamt of being a Formula 1 driver. However, getting into racing is very expensive and I could never quite get started. The second-best thing was studying mechanical engineering in order to be at least close to the cars. While I was studying at the University of Pretoria, I really got into modelling and fashion.I am really fascinated by Japanese fashion. I mimic their silhouettes a lot in my designs. But if I summarised the overall aesthetic, it would be hippie/punk.Androgynous fashion is a massive trend. I initially made my designs for the stylish and progressive gent. However, when I launched my initial pieces, the ladies screamed the loudest. I could not ignore them. When I launched the brand, I added androgyny as my fundamental design principle.Making my first sale was pretty satisfying! My career highlights in the fashion industry include being invited to be part of the Design Indaba Emerging Creatives Programme in 2020. Some of South Africa's most celebrated artists such as Laduma of Maxhosa have been part of that programme. So, for me, it was very encouraging to be considered as a talented creative on such a massive and inspirational platform.Own race, own pace! Start small. Develop your craft. Collaborate with your peers. Have fun with it.Life is lit young blood. Every single day is a blessing. Don't waste it on just anything or with just anyone. Be intentional.Honestly, I'm prepared for my mind to be blown. That's what I am working towards.
The One Club's Creative Week is five days dedicated to giving creative leaders and pioneers an online platform to come together and discuss issues, changes and ideas across different industries. Today, I report on a panel hosted on Thursday, 10 June about the state of creativity in South Africa.

Neo Mashigo, Ann Nurock, Xolisa Dyeshana and Camilla Clerke

Xolisa Dyeshana: chief creative officer at Joe Public United

Camilla Clerke: executive creative director at Ogilvy

Neo Mashigo: chief creative officer at M&C Saatchi

Purpose-driven work

South African authenticity

Unique storytelling

What are the challenges facing the global and SA Creative industries?

Hosted by Bizcommunity and The Creative Circle, the Global Media Talks, SA session was led by Ann Nurock, the panel discussed the unique challenges and opportunities that South Africans bring to the creative table. The full panel included:See the link to the full webinar below this articleEffective advertising, branding and marketing uses experiences and stories to connect with audiences - and South Africa truly has a distinctive way of storytelling. Though it has a deeply tragic past, South Africa boasts a rich and diverse cultural landscape. With 11 official languages, the most in the world, there is no one true way to tell the South African story - which presents its own challenges. The panel for Creative Week looked at what unique storytelling means in the South African context, the importance of purpose-driven work and how the advertising landscape has been changing.Purpose-driven work speaks to the idea that companies take issues and topics which are important to the consumer and use it effectively in their brand campaigns.In South Africa, there is no shortage of social issues which are close to the heart of the people. This can be used to great effect by popular brands to make a stand and speak to these issues as they align with the brands messaging. Carling Black Labels #NoExcuse campaign which they did in collaboration with Ogilvy is an excellent example of speaking to a prominent issue in the country - gender based violence - and using their audience power to send an important message.People have managed to truly connect with brands, because they align with the causes, said Clerke. I think it has turned brands into the more authentic version of themselves.According to Mashigo, the consumer is more interested in brands that are interested in bringing about change in society. Particularly in South Africa, it makes sense for brands to refocus and see how these issues align with the purpose of the brand. People want to see the authentic engagement in purpose-driven work, he said.The financial sector, for example, has become about helping the consumer in terms of handling their finances instead of making it a situation where they are trying to get people to spend more. Financial literacy in the country is one of the places where opportunities exist for brands to engage and help, said Mashigo.Inspiration in South Africa often comes from the people who live here. Dyeshana said, South Africans, just by nature, are some of the most creative people that are out there, despite all the challenges. I was often asked which brand won during the Covid-19 pandemic and every time my answer used to be the people. In the context of brands that want to be relevant, they need to find a way to align themselves to things that the people of South Africa care about. Its no longer about merely trying to sell a product, but truly caring about the general health of the country. Campaigns that truly connect with this concept are most likely to be successful.Making a stand or sending a message through campaigns is only effective when accompanied by true authenticity. According to Dyeshana, there has been a rising trend over the last few years which has started to give the work of South Africa an aesthetic that is unique to its people. Showing this has truly helped transcend stereotypes and consumers are responding well to this idea because they can see themselves in the realness.We have a very unique humour and I think its about time it gets shared, said Clerke. She expressed that in the past, branding has focused on strong universal truths. Now, however, branding is more focused on truths which are pertinent to South Africans - and this brings out true authenticity.This is not a unique trait of branding and advertising, however, as a lot of inspiration comes from the consumer. Mashigo mentioned that brands need to negotiate the approval process and how they can be quicker about making decisions - because they might get left behind by the consumer who creates and posts on social media.What they are getting right, however, is making themselves more relatable. What Im loving the most right now is how our different brands can lead us to better work, said Mashigo. He continued to say that brands are becoming more human due to the banter which is starting to arise between them. This is an effective way to further connect with the consumer - and this connection creates a strong precedent for brands to effectively spread their message and understand what the people of South Africa want.Nandos and Chicken Licken are two iconic brands in South Africa. Nandos specifically has been a giant of excellent advertising. [Nandos] allowed us to actually break the rules, its a brand that is happy to go anywhere you take it, said Mashigo. They are interested in causing conversations with consumers and bring these conversations to the forefront. Together with Nandos, Chicken Licken continues pushing these boundaries with a unique way of storytelling.For example, Chicken Licken recently released an advertisement which plays on the classic series Knight Rider for their sliders. In the advertisement, we see Michael Nyathi cruising the streets of Mzansi in Kitt - making it intrinsically South African through a unique twist on the original.This advertisement is exceptional at what it does - bringing out the uniqueness of South African storytelling while still relating to something which comes from a different culture. An essential idea when brands think about campaigning in this country.South Africas story comes from the socio-economic reality it finds itself in. This country has seen extreme pain and tragedy, but its people have taken it upon themselves to find a way through using humour. When youre living in a country that was as divided as we were, as restricted as we were, you have to find creative ways to find your way around, said Dyeshana. He said that a brilliant avenue for expression in this country is social media.People are able to create something which connects with the rest of the country - something that everybody wants to and can be a part of. Jerusalema, for example, became an international phenomenon - and is a beautiful tribute to the way South Africans find joy despite what may be happening around them.If you can laugh during tough times, you allow the space to come up with solutions, said Mashigo. This attitude, he believes, is how South Africans always believe they will come out alright on the other side. This is also the way campaigns can be successful - by bouncing off of this humour. Finding the light side is the way we like to bring ourselves back to normality.Although there are many positives about being part of the creative industry in South Africa, there are some significant challenges which make it difficult to be authentic to brand messaging.For Clerke, the biggest challenge is the relatively small client base which exists against the comparatively many agencies. What happens is the importance of appeasing the client becomes more valued than the creative work, she said. When youre constantly trying to hold onto the client rather than put out the best work that you know, the situation becomes dangerous for the brand.Youve got a lot of clients sending tips through to the creatives and thats not what theyre there to do. It makes the work a bit lukewarm, it makes the agencies afraid. You sometimes feel like if you dont do what the client says, you could lose the client, lose the business, lose money, lose creatives. Thats not what this should be about, it should be about the work, said Clerke. This issue is exacerbated by the fact that there are too few clients for the amount of agencies who are available to help them with their needs.In many ways, it highlights that were not doing enough of the work that we were speaking about earlier to persuade enough clients to give us the freedom we know needs to be done in order to make their brands successful, added Dyeshana.Covid-19 has made some clients braver, but it has also made many clients more wary of taking the risks which are so often necessary for success. The greatest antidote to that is to use the few pockets of clients that are allowing agencies to really bring the value that they can bring without the threat that theyll go to somebody else. said Dyeshana. I think we need to create more and more of those case studies so we can really start to turn the tide.For Magisho, the pitch process is a challenge as it is counter-intuitive to the creative process. The frequency of pitching, in terms of building a brand, is particularly important. You need to have consistency to understand each other and how you work the brand and work with the consumer, he said. Secondly, figuring out what needs to be brought out from the pitching process needs more attention.Dyeshana believes that a more united front is the key to solving the challenges agencies face in advertising and branding. The idea of having the business people on one side and having the creative people sitting on one side is not going to get us far in terms of structurally starting to relook at some of these things we need to look at, he said.
From East London to some of South Africa's most storied agencies. After winning on global stages and achieving what she set out to on the inside of the corporate advertising machinery, Leigh-Anne Salonika is living her purpose, and in doing so working with brands to unlock theirs

Can you tell us more about OnlyKind and what your role entails?

Our aim is to make great work that is brave enough to stand out and kind enough to really mean something to the people and planet that it was created to move.

You've worked in the advertising industry for about 10 years. Briefly tell us about your journey.

What is the one project you have worked on that you are incredibly proud of?

You now run your own company. Tell us more. How did you get into it, and what is your goal?

What are the victories that youve had since starting out?

What is your biggest motivation?

What has your biggest achievement been?

If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give yourself?

If you could have dinner with any 3 people (alive or dead), who would they be and why?

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

As we celebrate Youth Month, do you have any words of encouragement for the youth?

Fast forward to 2021, Leigh-Ann Salonika is the founder of OnlyKind and we find out more from her this Youth Month OnlyKind was created to find every brands purpose and tell it with intuitive and intelligent thinking and design.We take responsibility for the fact that creativity is only useful if it creates ripples of visible impact and influence.As the founder of a startup in a pandemic, my role is to oversee all our partners and guide them, align with the creative and strategic teams to ensure we are headed in the same direction, and to ensure the business is always delivering on our promise of Human-First and Impact Only. Simply, I am just the conductor that gets to have a little fun with some great minds in the industry, propelling brands to live their purpose with a sustainable view.In 2011, I started off as a graphic designer at Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg. Here I had the privileged to learn from some of the top minds in the industry which resulted in an international award-winning campaign We Sent Their Briefs BackIronic, because it was these awards (D&AD/Loeries/Cannes/One Show) that were the catalyst for me to change my path from a creative to the business side of advertising.It was Ivan Moroke, my CEO at the time, who walked up to me on the Loeries night to congratulate me and in the discussion he referred to me as milk. No this was not due to my pale complexion, which is a sight, but as Ivan eloquently stated I might look pure and innocent, but I am more than meets the eye, I am the calcium in peoples bones that they dont even know they need in order to move forward.I told him that night that I was going to come and work with him and nine months later I was promoted as the new business marketer for Hunt Lascaris. From there I have had the privilege to work at Xfacta, Grid and did a three-month stint at T&W, the content team that created Chasing the Sun. All three of these places equipped me with a knowledge of brands, clients / partners, business, strategy and content creation.It is this eclectic experience that has allowed me to open up my own company.We are currently working on Phase 2 of Rand Refinerys 100-year celebrations, it has been amazing to work with some old colleagues and get a 100-year-old business to reshape its views on how they deliver on their purpose authentically... So, watch this space!We have had the opportunity to work with some old partners in Qatar. This was an interesting brief as we were tasked to name and position their Make-Up fridges in the market in order to reduce the waste of make-up going off. Understanding that this industry is estimated to be worth $53bn by 2023, it was great to guide the client on a purpose for their product that added impact and influence not only to their consumers but the planet too.After researching and unpacking the mindsets of cosmetic users in the Middle East (ME) and understanding that 70-80% of salaries are used on cosmetics, we combined these insights with the current trends of organic make-up and ethical behaviour to position these fridges as an enabler to sustainable beauty.YuQi was the name we landed on as it means happiness and snow which is the feel one should get when make-up doesnt go off enabling you to be responsible and not waste. This allows the consumer to hold the key to their sustainable beauty.Simply, I took a gamble and pitched on a piece of business, bringing a group of eclectic minds together, that allowed us to start OnlyKind. I would like to say there was a plan, but anyone that owns a startup will tell you it is just about being agile, adaptable, learning fast, seeing the opportunities and being brave enough to try.The 18-month goal for OnlyKind is to up scale the business with a creative partner and bring on more clients that enable us to put the people and planet at the centre of all we do. I would like OnlyKind to be the company that brands come to to find solutions together that truly add an impact It could be as simple as making our people smile.We were given the opportunity to create a campaign with the most capped Springbok in South Africa, Victor Matfield. The best part was on set, as we had just had the reports come through in June 2020 of how many women, 2 million, had lost their jobs in SA due to Covid. Therefore, we hired an all female team which guided, shot, dressed and outperformed the days expectations to capture the biggest name in rugby.Failure. Because when you own your own business this concept of failing being a negative connotation slowly subsides.To have people come back and work with OnlyKind because we didnt just deliver impactful work, but that we were a pleasure to work with along the journey. To have work published in Hong Kong and Qatar during a pandemic, as well as having the privilege to shoot the most capped Springbok and launch Rand Refinerys 100yr celebrations within the 1st 12months of the business.Dont be scared to do something most people are afraid to even try You win just by doing it, and the results can be beyond your expectations.Hard work never fails anyone.Read, explore, be more curious about anything and everything, because an idea can come from anywhere and anyone.Maya Angelou: Ive learnt that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. I have used this quote a lot in my presentations, because I believe this is the essence of what purpose lived brands should aim to do with their consumers. She embodies strength through her life story, and it would be a privilege to dine with her.Freddie Mercury: I grew to love him from my dad. I appreciate that he was the square peg in a round hole of his time. It was his differences in every facet of life that enabled him to change the music world as we know it. He was relentless in his pursuit to be the best, it was shown in his last performances while terminally ill.Sir David Attenborough: His knowledge, passion, bravery and story telling about his adventures on our planet would make for riveting conversation. In particular, I would like to unpack his point about the world population being 50% urbanised and as a result losing sight of what is happening in the natural world due to their lack of knowledge.I always say five years is a long time, as we have seen, a lot can happen in three months. But, where I hope to be overall is guiding OnlyKind, which is an international company with a great team of creative minds that push us all to think differently and challenge the norm with an office mascot aka a dog. Surrounded by all my loved ones along the journey.You are smarter than you think, have more grit than you comprehend and wiser than most would give you credit for, never doubt who you are and what you can do along this crazy journey called life.Be curious and brave, it's amazing where these two traits can take you.
Professor of Plant Breeding Maryke Labuschagne is working with a group of more than 20 African PhD students and postdoctoral fellows to improve the nutritional status of poor rural communities on the continent. Labuschagne is works within the University of the Free State's (UFS) Department of Plant Sciences and is also heading the NRF-SARChI chair in disease resistance and quality in field crops.

Prof Maryke Labuschagne; Dr Berhanu Ertiro, former PhD student; and Dr Peg Redinbaugh from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Big irrigation projects in Africa have failed to deliver. What's needed next In 1938, French colonial authorities in what is today Mali started on an ambitious infrastructure plan to transform the desert into an area of agricultural production...

Increasing food production

Nakai Matongera, PhD student; Prof Maryke Labuschagne; and Nyika Rwatirera, also a PhD student. Both students are working on maize bio-fortification.

Feeding Africa from Africa: Smallholder farmers to leverage on AfCFTA Senamiso Ndlovu, 32, is a smallholder farmer with big food production dreams. The seed of her farming ambitions is the growing urban food demand...

Making a positive difference

The group are from several countries on the continent, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Eswatini, Tunisia, Ethiopia, and South Africa. She says through decades of research and collaboration, they have established a strong network of researchers on the continent.We collaborate mainly with the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR). These include the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) based in Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria and Kenya, as well as the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Kenya, says Labuschagne.Many of the research projects are funded by the Gates Foundation and other international sponsors, adds Labuschagne.All the research that has been done focuses on enhancing food security in Africa by increasing food production, especially under the increasingly adverse climatic conditions that prevail in Africa, and by improving the nutritional value of crops in a sustainable way.Cowpea is indigenous to Africa and is widely grown by small-scale farmers. It is very high in protein content and minerals, but almost no genetic improvement of this crop has been done. Currently, two PhD students  one in Ghana (working with IITA in Nigeria) and one at the Agricultural Research Council in Pretoria  are researching the genetic variability of cowpea and improving its nutritional value.These students are determining levels of genetic variation for various characteristics to assist in future breeding efforts of this crop. A similar project is being done by a PhD student from Zambia who is working on Bambara groundnut  related to cowpea  which also has significant potential to contribute to food security, says Labuschagne.One PhD student from Zambia is working on the biofortification of cassava for provitamin A. To determine its reaction to stress conditions, he is also testing these provitamin A cassavas in various environmental conditions. Vitamin A deficiency is rampant in Africa, causing blindness in severe cases. With genetic manipulation, the provitamin A is incorporated into the cassava, explains Labuschagne.A PhD student from Ethiopia and another from the Agricultural Research Council in Potchefstroom are working on sorghum yield and nutritional value. In the process, they will do genome-wide association studies to identify genes and groups of genes that determine yield and nutritional characteristics.In order to improve maize production and nutritional value, a PhD student from Eswatini is looking at yield stability and iron and zinc variability in maize grown in this country.Another five PhD students are working on maize, looking at various aspects of the genetic improvement of maize. A student in Ethiopia is working exclusively on quality protein maize to determine the genetic potential of newly released hybrids under adverse production conditions, compared to normal maize, elaborates Labuschagne.A PhD student from Zimbabwe is working on maize, which is high in provitamin A, zinc, and high essential amino acids, as a package for farmers to grow.Another angle on maize research is a study of the effect of a male sterility gene on production by small-scale maize farmers in Southern Africa. A PhD student in Zimbabwe (in collaboration with Agronomy at the UFS) is doing this study.Pest resistance is the focus of another PhD study by a student in Zimbabwe. He is investigating the devastating fall armyworm, and how pest resistance can be genetically enhanced.The research by collaborative teams and students is leading to the release of new commercial varieties of cassava, maize, sorghum, and other crops with better nutritional value, resilience to adverse climatic and production conditions, and biotic constraints such as pests and diseases.One of the most rewarding things is to see former students taking up their places all over Africa to become significant role-players and decision-makers in agriculture and plant breeding, and in this way directly contributing to food security on the continent, states Labuschagne.
South African health inspectors on Sunday said they will not release Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines that may have been contaminated during production at a US plant.

Vials labelled "Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine" and syringe are seen in front of displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken, February 9, 2021. Reuters/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said it made the decision after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised concerns over manufacturing practices at the Baltimore plant."Sahpra reviewed the data provided by the FDA and has made a decision not to release vaccine produced using the drug substance batches that were not suitable, Sahpra said in a statement.The findings by the FDA would impact two million vaccines that are awaiting release at Aspen Pharmacare's Gqeberha manufacturing site, acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said on national broadcaster, SABC.Kubayi-Ngubane said the government was in talks with J&J over replacing the affected vaccines.Fears of a third Covid-19 wave are mounting in the country, which has recorded the highest number of infections and deaths on the continent, with daily infections rising to over 9,000 per day.South Africa launched phase two of its vaccine rollout in May, aiming to inoculate fiv- million people aged over 60 by the end of June.Local heath regulators said 300,000 doses of the J&J vaccine have been cleared by the FDA and will be shipped to South Africa.Manufacturing at the Baltimore plant was halted in April after it was discovered that ingredients from AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, produced at the plant at the time, had contaminated a batch of J&J's vaccine.A further inspection by the FDA also turned up a long list of sanitary problems and bad manufacturing practices at the Emergent plant.
A new poll shows that Democrats and Republicans are just about as divided on an employees right to choose whether to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as they are on a womans right to choose whether to abort her unborn child.

Nearly 80% of Democrats agreed that employers should be able to force their workers to get Covid-19 shots, according to a CBS News-YouGov poll released on Sunday. In contrast, only 39% of Republicans approved of giving businesses such authority over their employees medical choices. The overall response was 56-44 in favor of forced jabs.

Supporters of the two major parties are more split on vaccine choice than on Covid-19 inoculation in general. While 95% of Democrats have already been vaccinated or are at least considering it, 71% of Republicans are on board or thinking about taking the jab, the poll showed.

That result suggests some improvement in vaccine acceptance in the past two months. A Monmouth University poll released in mid-April indicated that 43% of Republicans dont intend to get vaccinated against the virus. In the CBS News-YouGov survey, 29% of Republicans said they had ruled out the shots. Overall, only 18% of respondents said they wont get vaccinated, while 71% said they had either already gotten a jab or planned to do so. The other 11% were undecided.

The issue of employer-mandated vaccination is heating up, as a Texas judge on Saturday issued the nations first federal court ruling on whether workers can be ordered to receive Covid-19 shots.

The judge dismissed a lawsuit against the Houston Methodist hospital system, in which employees argued that they faced wrongful termination of their jobs for refusing to receive Covid-19 vaccines. The ruling, which will likely be appealed, affirmed the hospital systems right to mandate vaccination, even though the three inoculations available in the US have received only emergency use authorization, not full FDA approval.

Ironically, while Democrats are pro-choice on abortion, its Republicans who favor individual choice on vaccination. A Pew Research Center poll released last month showed that 80% of Democrats and 35% of Republicans said abortion should be legal.

Americans are increasingly comfortable with various activities as the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic. For instance, 72% of respondents said theyre comfortable with going to a workplace, up from 57% in March. And 71% said theyre fine with gatherings of friends, up from 43% three months ago.

Those who wont get vaccinated are the boldest about returning to pre-pandemic activities, with 59% saying theyre comfortable going to large events, compared with 45% of all respondents. Among those who are fully vaccinated  and therefore presumably the most protected from infection  only 42% were willing to risk the crowds at a large event.

While 56% approved of employer-mandated vaccines, even more wanted forced jabs when their own safety might be at risk. Asked what large event venues, airlines and cruise ships should do, 65% of respondents called for mandatory worker vaccinations, and 57% agreed with making customers get their shots or be shut out.
The World Economic Forum is not only thoroughly bonded to Sustainable Development, aka Technocracy, but also to Transhumanism leading to biodigital convergence. All is based on scientism and the worship of science as the only source of truth for mankinds future.  TN Editor

The COVID pandemic has ushered in a new era of biodigital convergence  one thats been in the works for decades but is now accelerating in the name of public health and new normalcy. As I said June 7, 2021, the most freedom in this new era will be awarded to those who are vaccinated.1

Speaking with The Andrew Narr Show, Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, affirmed this, stating, Its important to distinguish between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. Giving the vaccinated the most amount of freedoms.2

Freedom, however, isnt something to be granted to you by authorities in exchange for obedience, but in this altered reality segregation between the vaccinated and unvaccinated is increasing.

Those who comply will earn their freedom back, setting the mindset that by getting vaccinated and going along with governments industrial process youre being enhanced, while if you do not youre holding society back, are noncompliant and may be a threat to others. As James Corbett covers in The Corbett Report above, were in the midst of:3

 the implementation of a medical martial law system presided over by unappointed, unelected, unaccountable public health authorities who now have literal control over your everyday movements, who are constructing a total surveillance grid that comes with it the prospect of not just vaccine passports but health passes generally, which will be used to restrict your ability to access public life and that you will be guilty until proven innocent of infection under this new paradigm that is being installed.

This is only the beginning. The next step isnt only about freedom but synthetic enhancement that will redefine what it means to be human. In all likelihood, opting in to biodigital convergence will come with rewards while resisting or rejecting will come with penalties.

Your Guide to the Great Convergence

I warned about the COVID pandemic ushering in the Great Reset and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which has been in discussion since at least 20164 and is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres.

The long-term agenda is not about COVID-19 or even the implementation of a biosecurity state but, as noted by Corbett, will be used for the extinction of homo sapiens  the end of humanity as you know it.

This isnt conjecture. The notion of transhumanism is being actively researched and explored. In an article titled Looking Forward to the End of Humanity, The Wall Street Journal noted that COVID-19 has spotlighted the promise and peril of transhumanism, the idea of using technology to overcome sickness, aging and death.5

It talks about the need for technological protection to protect our species from being wiped out from nuclear war, asteroid collision, a technological accident or a pandemic. The problem is that, in so doing, humans are no longer human, at least, not the way you think of them now. According to The Wall Street Journal:6

Ultimately, however, the hope is that we wont just use computers  well become them. Today, cognitive scientists often compare the brain to hardware and the mind to the software that runs on it. But a software program is just information, and in principle theres no reason why the information of consciousness has to be encoded in neurons.

The Human Connectome Project, launched in 2009 by the National Institutes of Health, describes itself as an ambitious effort to map the neural pathways that underlie human brain function. If those pathways could be completely mapped and translated into digital 0s and 1s, the data could be uploaded to a computer, where it could survive indefinitely.

The human/computer metaphor was also used in a 2017 TED talk by Dr. Tal Zaks, chief medical officer at Moderna, who referred to mRNA technology as the software of life.7 Moderna, which was founded on the concept of being able to modify human biological function through genetic engineering, went on to develop one of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines being pushed in the mass vaccination campaign.

The potentially permanent modification of humans is an existential threat to the human species, according to Corbett, yet hardly anyone is talking about it.

Exploring Biodigital Convergence

To get an idea of whats on the horizon, look no further than Exploring Biodigital Convergence, a terrifying report by Policy Horizons Canada, which explores in detail what happens when biology and digital technology merge.8 Policy Horizons Canada is a Canadian government organization, whose director general is Kristel Van der Elst, the former head of strategic foresight at the World Economic Forum (WEF).9

In the reports Foreword, Van der Elst is very open that, in the coming years, biodigital technologies may become integrated into everyday life the way digital technologies are now. She states quite clearly that this will redefine what it means to be human: More than a technological change, this biodigital convergence may transform the way we understand ourselves and cause us to redefine what we consider human or natural.10

And theres more. The report outlines ways in which biodigital convergence is emerging and developing new ways to:11

Change human beings bodies, minds and behaviors Change or create other organisms Alter ecosystems Sense, store, process and transmit information Manage biological innovation Structure and manage production and supply chains

Blurring What Is Considered Natural, Digital or Engineered

In biodigital convergence, biological and digital entities become fully integrated, creating new hybrid forms of life and technology, each functioning in the tangible world, often with heightened capabilities.12 Policy Horizons Canada makes it sound like this is no big deal, since robots with biological brains and biological bodies with digital brains already exist, as do human-computer and brain-machine interfaces.

But theyre literally talking about tapping into the nervous system and manipulating neurons to add technology to organisms with the intent of altering its function and purpose.13 What could possibly go wrong? For just one example of how the use of tech can quickly backfire, eerie snippets from the World Economic Forums 2016 meeting detailed research underway to decode your thoughts, read your mind and even use your own thoughts against you in a court of law.14

Ultimately, the plan is for a coevolution of biological and digital technologies, such that, There is also a blurring between what is considered natural or organic and what is digital, engineered, or synthetic.15 The section of the report titled, Good morning, biodigital is perhaps most disturbing of all, as it outlines a possible glimpse into a future biodigital world. I suggest you read it in its entirety, but heres a snippet:16

While Im brushing my teeth, Jamie, my personal AI, asks if Id like a delivery drone to come pick up my daughters baby tooth, which fell out two days ago. The epigenetic markers in childrens teeth have to be analysed and catalogued on our family genetic blockchain in order to qualify for the open health rebate, so I need that done today.

I replace the smart sticker that monitors my blood chemistry, lymphatic system, and organ function in real time. Its hard to imagine the costs and suffering that people must have endured before personalized preventative medicine became common.

Also, Ill admit that it sounds gross, but its a good thing the municipality samples our fecal matter from the sewage pipes. Its part of the platform to analyze data on nutritional diversity, gut bacteria, and antibiotic use, to aid with public health screening and fight antibiotic-resistant strains of bacterial infections.

Genobility  Creating a Superior Class of People

Wearable technology and neurotechnology are upon us, with brain computer interfaces and electrodes in development that would neurologically enhance humans. Currently, such interfaces are aimed at people with disabilities, but likely would progress into other enhancements, like super intelligence or preferred physical traits.17

Already, preimplantation genetic diagnosis is used to identify embryos without genetic defects, with claims that it will soon be able to screen for embryos with the highest IQ.18 CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology has also been used to alter DNA in human embryos in a way that would eliminate or correct the genes causing certain inherited diseases.

Read full story here
The Technocrat hand of tyrannical government is coming down on the un-vaxxed all around the world. Pakistan now has at least two programs in place; disabling sim cards in cellular phones for all citizens and refusing to pay government employees who refuse to take the vaccine.  TN Editor

The extreme decision was made during a meeting of high-ranking civil and military officials chaired by Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid.

Rashid said that the policy would disable SIM cards belonging to those who fail to get vaccinated beyond a certain time.

We are doing all we can to compel people to get vaccinated The government cannot allow individuals, who do not want to get vaccinated, to risk lives of those who are already vaccinated, the health minister told Pakistans Express Tribune. She said that the provincial government would devise a timeline for the policys implementation once it received formal approval from the National Command and Operation Center, which coordinates Pakistans national response to Covid-19.

Punjabs Primary and Secondary Health Department announced the measure on Thursday in a tweet detailing the outcome of the meeting.

Mobile SIMS of people not getting vaccinated may be blocked, the department wrote.

Officials later signaled that the plan was moving forward.

[A] final decision has been taken to block the mobile SIM cards of people not getting vaccinated, Punjab Specialized Healthcare Department spokesman Syed Hammad Raza told Dawn, a Pakistani daily.

Citing a senior health department official, the paper said that the Punjab government will seek help from the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) in order to implement the policy.

The measure is designed to counter negative propaganda about the jab and ensure that vaccination targets are met, Dawn reported, citing the official. The provincial government is aiming to vaccinate 40 million residents by November.

In addition to the SIM card restrictions, authorities might also ban unvaccinated people from going to parks, restaurants and malls, according to media reports.

Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, containing more than half the countrys total population, as well as the countrys second-largest city, Lahore. The regional government began its vaccination drive in March, but has struggled to drum up enthusiasm for the public health initiative. Mobile vaccination camps are being deployed near religious shrines across the province in an effort to make the jab more accessible.

Governments around the world have adopted a range of measures to promote vaccination efforts, but some policies have been criticized as gimmicky or heavy-handed.

In the US state of Washington, legal marijuana retailers are giving free joints to those whove taken at least one dose of the Covid vaccine. Restrictions have also been used to compel people to get the shot. In some countries, such as Israel, unvaccinated citizens are barred from entering certain venues.

Punjab isnt the only region in Pakistan to take a more extreme approach to vaccination. In Sindh province, plans have been announced to stop the salaries of government employees who refuse to receive the jab.

Read full story here
Rhodes College will require the COVID-19 vaccine for all students, staff, and faculty on campus after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally approves the vaccines. As of this writing, the school strongly encourages vaccination.

Students who choose not to receive the vaccine can file a medical or religious vaccine exemption before the start of the Fall semester. Non-vaccinated students will also be required to undergo weekly COVID testing.

Rhodes College Vice President for Student Life Meghan Weyant told WREG3 asymptomatic testing was free for all students in the Spring semester, but as vaccines have become available, the college expects students to get fully vaccinated.

As we prepare to welcome our returning students home and the largest incoming class in Rhodes history, we believe a campus-wide commitment to vaccination will really allow us to do our part in getting our students back on campus for the academic experience that we know they so much want, Weyant said.

She added that she has not received push back from students saying they dont want to take the vaccine. The response has been positive, she said. Students want to be back on campus.

Weyant said in the same interview that international students who do not have access to vaccines in their home countries will be offered a chance to take part in a vaccine clinic upon arrival.

Campus Reform reached out to Rhodes Director of Communication Dylan Sandifer asking for a breakdown of expenses included in the $1,500 fee as well as the reasoning behind the fee. This article will be updated accordingly.
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JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  New COVID-19 cases are declining across the most of the country, even in some states with vaccine-hesitant populations. But almost all states bucking that trend have lower-than-average vaccination rates, and experts warn that relief from the pandemic could be fleeting in regions where few people get inoculated.

Case totals nationally have declined in a week from a seven-day average of nearly 21,000 on May 29 to 14,315 on Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. For weeks, states and cities have been dropping virus restrictions and mask mandates, even indoors.

Experts said some states are seeing increased immunity because there were high rates of natural spread of the disease, which has so far killed nearly 600,000 Americans.

We certainly are getting some population benefit from our previous cases, but we paid for it, said Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. We paid for it with deaths.

More than 7,300 Mississippians have died in the pandemic, and the state has the sixth-highest per capita death rate.

Dobbs estimated that about 60% of the states residents have some underlying immunity.

So were now sort of seeing that effect, most likely, because we have a combination of natural and vaccine-induced immunity, Dobbs said.

Just eight states  Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Missouri, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Wyoming  have seen their seven-day rolling averages for infection rates rise from two weeks earlier, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. All of them except Hawaii have recorded vaccination rates that are lower than the US average of 39.7% fully vaccinated, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 10 states with the fewest new cases per capita over that time frame all have fully vaccinated rates above the national average. That includes the nations three most vaccinated states: Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Medical experts said a host of factors is playing into the drop in case counts across the country, including vaccines, natural immunity from exposure to the virus, warmer weather and people spending less time indoors.

But Dr. Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University, said she is concerned that the natural immunity of those who have been exposed to coronavirus may soon wane. And shes worried that states with low vaccination rates could become hot spots.

Just because were lucky in June doesnt mean well continue to be lucky come the late fall and winter, said Wen, the former health commissioner for the city of Baltimore. We could well have variants here that are more transmissible, more virulent and those who do not have immunity or have waning immunity could be susceptible once again.

In Mississippi, about 835,000 people have been fully vaccinated, or 28% of the population, compared to the national average of 43%. But despite the lagging vaccination rate, the state's rolling average of daily new cases over the past two weeks has decreased by about 18%, according to Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Albert Ko, who chairs Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale, said there is no accurate data to show what percentage of the population in high burden states such as Alabama or Texas have been exposed to the virus, but he said estimates have put it as high as 50%.

I think it doesnt deny the importance of vaccination, particularly because the levels of antibodies that you get that are induced by natural infection are lower than that of what we have for our best vaccine, Ko said.

Ko said it is important that even those exposed to the disease get vaccinated because natural immunity does not last as long as vaccine immunity and the levels of antibodies are lower.

Wen said research strongly suggests that vaccinations provide a benefit to those who already have some antibodies due to infection.

"I think it is a fallacy that many people have that recovery means they no longer need to be vaccinated, she said.



Pat Eaton-Robb contributed to this report from Connecticut.
BRUSSELS (AP)  President Joe Biden makes his entrance at a NATO summit aiming to consult European allies on efforts to counter provocative actions by China and Russia while highlighting the U.S. commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump.

The summit Monday comes as Biden tries to rally allies for greater coordination in checking China and Russia, two adversaries whose actions on economic and national security fronts have become the chief foreign policy concerns in the early going of the Biden presidency.

Biden will use his time at the summit to underscore the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on one member is an attack on all and is to be met with a collective response.

I will make it clear that the United States commitment to our NATO alliance and Article 5 is rock solid, Biden told U.S. troops in the United Kingdom last week on the first stop of his eight-day European trip. Its a sacred obligation."

The White House said the communique to be signed by alliance members at the end of the NATO summit is expected to include language about updating Article 5 to include major cyber attacks  a matter of growing concern amid a series of hacks targeting the U.S. government and businesses around the globe by Russia-based hackers.

The update will spell out that if an alliance member needs technical or intelligence support in response to a cyber attack, it would be able to invoke the mutual defense provision to receive assistance, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

The president will begin his day meeting with leaders of the Baltic states on NATO's eastern flank regarding the "threat posed by Russia, China and the recent air piracy in Belarus, according to Sullivan. He'll also meet with NATO secretary Jens Stoltenberg.

Biden's itinerary in Europe has been shaped so that he would first gather with Group of Seven leaders for a three-day summit on the craggy shores of Cornwall and then with NATO allies in Brussels before his much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

At the G-7, leaders sought to convey that the club of wealthy democracies  Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States  is a better friend to poorer nations than authoritarian rivals such as China and Russia.

The G-7 meeting ended with a communique that called out forced labor practices and other human rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province. The president declined to discuss private summit negotiations over the provision, but said he was satisfied with the communique, although differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to call out Beijing.

Biden is focused on building a more cohesive bond between America and allies who had become wary of U.S. leadership after enduring four years of Trump's name-calling and frequent invectives about the relevance of multilateral alliances like NATO.

The last administration was at odds with some leading NATO members, including Britain, Germany and France, over Trumps 2018 decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement that was brokered during the Obama administration. The accord limited Irans uranium enrichment program in exchange for an easing of sanctions.

Trump and other critics felt the deal gave Tehran too many economic benefits without doing enough to prevent Iran from eventually developing a nuclear weapon. The Biden administration is now seeking a path to resurrecting the accord.

Trump also complained that the NATO alliance allows global freeloading countries to spend less on military defense at the expense of the U.S. and dismissed the alliance as obsolete.

Biden offered a pointed rejoinder on Sunday, saying: We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket. We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security for ... the remainder of the century. And theres a real enthusiasm.

When alliance members last met for a summit in England in December 2019, Trump grabbed headlines by calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau two-faced and French President Emanuel Macron nasty."

Trump lashed out after Trudeau was caught on a hot mic gossiping with other leaders about Trump turning photo opportunities into long news conferences. Ahead of the summit, Macron had declared NATO brain dead" because of a void in U.S. leadership under Trump.

Biden has already acknowledged during his Europe tour that the alliance needs to ensure better burden sharing and needs stepped up American leadership. Hes also highlighted NATO members' contributions in the war in Afghanistan.

The U.S. and the alliance are winding down their involvement in the nearly 20-year war that killed tens of thousands of Afghans and more than 3,500 U.S. and allied troops, while raising profound questions about whether NATOs most ambitious effort was worth it.

The military effort followed the 2001 arrival of a U.S.-led coalition that ousted the Taliban for harboring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

For now, NATO plans to leave civilian advisers to help build up government institutions. Its unclear who will protect them. The alliance is also weighing whether to train Afghan special forces outside the country.

NATO members are also expected to endorse the creation of a new cyber defense policy to improve coordination with countries impacted by the increasing frequency of ransomware attacks, a climate security action plan to reduce greenhouse gases from military activities in line with national commitments under the Paris Agreement and a commitment to strengthen NATOs deterrence to meet threats from Russia and elsewhere, according to the White House.

Biden will also meet with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday on the sidelines of the summit.

The two leaders were expected to discuss Syria and Iran as well as what role Turkey can play on Afghanistan following the U.S. troop withdrawal, according to the White House. Also on the agenda: how Washington and Ankara deal with some of our significant differences on values and human rights and other issues, Sullivan said.

The unsettled security situation in Libya, as well as overlapping concerns on China and Russia are also expected to be discussed.
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At least 5,000 pounds of food was collected during Saturdays food drive for Samaritan House Ministries.

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At least 5,000 pounds of food was collected during Saturdays food drive for Samaritan House Ministries.

A further update will be provided today, executive director Barbara McNish said Sunday, adding various company donations still need to be accounted for.

"We were in need of some foodstuff, so this was huge welcome," she said. "We are so grateful for the Physiofirst food drive because they and their partners always help us every year."

The food drive was the 16th Physiofirst has hosted for the organization, with the first held in 2004.

Its usually hosted out of the physiotherapy centres 1129 19th St. location, but owner Doug Treloar said COVID-related health measures forced them to pivot and hold it at Samaritan House Ministries this year.

Last years food drive was cancelled altogether, since Treloar said it was early in the pandemic, when it wasnt quite as clear how to remain safe around the virus.

But he said it was well worth the effort to salvage some form of the food drive this year.

"Its just been an awesome event for us to be part of, and we really like to help the community in need," he said between hauling in donations from vehicles on Saturday afternoon.

"Brandonites have just been phenomenal in supporting the event, and its just been so exciting."

This years food drive was held in a similar fashion to last Decembers food drive, wherein donors lined up along Pacific Avenue to have a volunteer come out and grab donations from vehicles.

Although the event served its purpose and contributed greatly to the local food bank, Treloar said itll be nice to hopefully go back to normal next year.

The pre-pandemic food drive consisted of Ecole secondaire Neelin High School students joining Lions Club members in driving around the community to pick up donations from peoples doorsteps.

Plastic bags are distributed through The Brandon Sun, which people are encouraged to fill with donations.

"Its a really easy way to donate the food," Treloar said, adding its always nice to see high school students develop a rapport with Lions Club members.

Plus, he said helping instil a sense of social consciousness in students is always rewarding.

Although a final tally isnt expected until today, McNish said the annual Physiofirst food drive typically brings in enough to float them through the summer.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
BRUSSELS - Canada's prime minister spent his time at a summit of political and military allies underlining the need to present a united front against Russia, China and the general threat of authoritarianism.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves as he arrives in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, June 13, 2021. The Prime Minister is in Brussels today for a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and then a Canada-EU summit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

BRUSSELS - Canada's prime minister spent his time at a summit of political and military allies underlining the need to present a united front against Russia, China and the general threat of authoritarianism.

Justin Trudeau was in Brussels on Monday attending a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and then a Canada-EU summit.

Trudeau began his day by meeting with the president of Latvia, where the Canadian military is leading a NATO alliance battlegroup whose mission is to deter Russian aggression in the region.

The prime minister then sat down with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, where he said the alliance is entering a new chapter and that Canada has always been a defender of the North American alliance with Europe.

Some summit leaders observed the gathering had a renewed sense of unity after what Trudeau called an "interesting" period at NATO, without necessarily having to name the reason why.

It's the first one to take place in several years without former U.S. president Donald Trump in the White House, who had called NATO "obsolete."

"It's different," Stoltenberg said when asked about the dynamics of the alliance with U.S. President Joe Biden now in the room.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen during an official welcome to the NATO Summit Monday June 14, 2021 in Brussels, Belgium. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

During his earlier meeting with Stoltenberg, Biden reinforced the importance of the U.S.'s participation in NATO, including its historical past, and North America's commitment to its European allies.

And for the first time, the military alliance took a stand on China.

The closing position statement issued on topics discussed at the summit and endorsed by NATO leaders characterized China as a security concern that behaves assertively in an attempt to undermine the global rules-based system.

It said China had "coercive policies" and expressed concern over its growing arsenal of nuclear warheads.

"We remain concerned with Chinas frequent lack of transparency and use of disinformation," it read.

"We call on China to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power."

The leaders did, however, agree to welcome chances to work with China on issues that impact the alliance, like fighting climate change.

That is also the position Trudeau has adopted.

He has said that to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, China needs to be included, which he believes can be done while still opposing its human rights violations and working with other allies to become a competitive economic and trade alternative.

While sitting down with Stoltenberg, Trudeau said the NATO allies "were more united than ever."

"And it is more important than ever that we be united."

Trudeau said nations need to stand together to fight crises from COVID-19 to climate change, which is why he said Canada stepped up to offer to become a policy hub looking at global warming's effects on defence and security.

Theres also been a geopolitical shift, he added, with the world now seeing a general rise in authoritarianism.

He said NATO allies need to demonstrate there is an alternative to what he called the strong arm tactics that countries like China are taking.

He also noted Russia has been worse now in its engagement with NATO nations and more disruptive than it's been in decades, saying in a separate appearance he sees Russia as a rival.

Trudeau later met with European leaders Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, where they are expected to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the trade agreement between Canada and the European Union.

Trudeau's office says he's pitching to the European Union that Canada can be a potential supplier of critical minerals, which can be used to power electric car batteries.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.

 With files from The Associated Press
OTTAWA - A former Conservative cabinet minister is apologizing for not pushing against his party's culturally divisive policies of the Stephen Harper era, including an effort to ban face coverings during citizenship ceremonies.

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Conservative MP Tim Uppal is seen during a news conference on Parliament Hill Tuesday June 9, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - A former Conservative cabinet minister is apologizing for not pushing against his party's culturally divisive policies of the Stephen Harper era, including an effort to ban face coverings during citizenship ceremonies.

In a Facebook post, Tory MP Tim Uppal says he has been talking to people about how to make all Canadians feel safe following the deadly attack this month on a Muslim family in London, Ont.

As minister of state for multiculturalism in the Harper government, Uppal was the spokesman for a bill to ban wearing the niqab while taking the oath of citizenship.

Campaigning for re-election in 2015, the party also proposed a "barbaric cultural practices" hotline people could call to tell authorities about the supposedly objectionable practices of others.

Uppal says after the Liberals beat the Conservatives at the polls, he spent considerably more time talking to Canadians outside the partisan political bubble.

He says it was through these conversations that he came to understand how the niqab policy and other pronouncements during the election campaign alienated Muslim Canadians and contributed to the growing problem of Islamophobia in Canada.

"When it came to these policies, I should have used my seat at the table to push against divisiveness that promoted the notion of the other," he said in the Facebook post. "I regret not being a stronger voice and sincerely apologize for my role."

Many have parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who blazed the trail for them in Canada because they believed it would provide their families with a safer and prosperous future, Uppal said.

"The Canada that they believed in was one that held, in its core, the belief that your race, your religion, your gender, or your sexuality would be accepted here," he wrote.

"It is up to us all to make Canada a better place."

Uppal, who returned to Parliament in 2019 after being defeated four years earlier, said he is "proud to stand" with Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole due to his commitment to equality.

Asked Monday if the Conservatives owe an apology to the Muslim community over past policies, O'Toole said "all parties need to do better."

"I'm proud that my members are reaching out to members of the Muslim community, reaching out trying to build trust with Canadians," he said.

"We have to build trust with more and more Canadians before the next election, and I'm committed to do that."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.
HALIFAX - Dog owners in Nova Scotia should be on the lookout for blue-green algae in lakes and ponds this summer after two dogs died following a potential exposure to the bacteria, a veterinarian at the clinic that treated the fatally ill animals said.

A sign marks a closed beach on Grand Lake in Oakfield Provincial Park in Oakfield, N.S., Thursday, June 10, 2021. Nova Scotia's Environment Department is investigating apotential toxic bloom of blue-green algae in a large lake north of Halifaxafter one person was hospitalized and two dogs died on Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - Dog owners in Nova Scotia should be on the lookout for blue-green algae in lakes and ponds this summer after two dogs died following a potential exposure to the bacteria, a veterinarian at the clinic that treated the fatally ill animals said.

Juanita Ashton with the Elmsdale Animal Hospital said one of the two Golden Retrievers was dead and the other was suffering from seizures and diarrhea when they arrived at the clinic north of Halifax.

The cause of the illness has not yet been confirmed, but she said the symptoms were consistent with an exposure to toxic blue-green algae blooms.

The big risk for dogs is when they go swimming in it, they're usually ingesting a lot of the water, she said. If they ingest enough of it, it is potentially fatal.

Residents of the area around Grand Lake, near Enfield, N.S., were informed of the potential danger in the water after one person was hospitalized and two dogs died last week.

Blue-green algae produce toxins that pose a range of health threats to humans and animals.

Dogs can develop mild skin rashes or suffer from organ failure and death, Ashton said.

If a dog consumes enough of the bacteria, veterinarians can offer supportive treatments but its very hard to get these dogs to a normal state of health, she said.

While the older dog had died before arriving at the clinic, the younger puppy was extremely sick, Ashton said.

It was so devastating, she said. They were just the best pet owners. They were very responsible.

Nova Scotias Environment Department said people with wells that have a depth of 30 metres or less and are located within 60 metres of the lake should not use their well water for drinking, bathing or cooking until further notice.

An official with the department said the water is being tested for pesticides, organic materials and petroleum hydrocarbons, but the toxin produced by blue-green algae is the likeliest cause.

A picture was taken the first evening ... and it has that quite vibrant colour to it, suggesting it is blue-green algae,'' Deputy Environment Minister Julie Towers said in a briefing on Friday, adding that it came after an unusually warm series of days.

The frequency and size of the blooms may be linked to climate change, she said.

Algae like any plant responds to warmth. We're getting warmer. We're seeing climate change effects, Towers said. I suspect we're going to have more blooms in more sites.

For dog owners, Ashton said its important to keep an eye out for a bright green scum on lakes and ponds, especially during a heat wave.

Toxic blue-green algae can range in colour from bright neon green to turquoise, olive-green, or even red, according to Nova Scotia Environment Departments website.

Blooms can look like fine grass clippings in the water or a large carpet of scum on the surface. The algae can be seen floating on the surface or suspended in the water.

When there are hot days, not windy  this is when the bacteria likes to form on the top of water, Ashton said. In Grand Lake, it's a big, giant lake, so it's not going to be all over that lake but it could be at the shoreline.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2021.
BRUSSELS - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is joining a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with Canada reiterating its broad support for Ukraine, but not whether it will back a move by Kyiv to join the military alliance amid tensions with Russia.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a closing news conference at Tregenna Castle following the G7 Summit in St. Ives, Cornwall, England, on Sunday, June 13, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

BRUSSELS - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is joining a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with Canada reiterating its broad support for Ukraine, but not whether it will back a move by Kyiv to join the military alliance amid tensions with Russia.

The federal government said last week Canada will continue to help address security threats in the region, but did not go as far as saying it would throw its unbridled support behind Ukraine's push for NATO membership at the summit.

Ukraines call to join NATO comes ahead of this week's first face-to-face meeting in Geneva between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after years of strained relations between Moscow and western nations.

Russias military buildup on Ukraines border, Moscows 2014 annexation of Crimea, alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections, and allegations that the Kremlin was behind the SolarWinds hacking campaign have all contributed to inflamed tensions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly lobbied to join the military alliance, raising the issue recently in separate discussions with Trudeau and Biden.

A readout from the Prime Minister's Office said Trudeau and Zelensky discussed Russia's actions, and "highlighted Canadas continuing support for Ukraines Euro-Atlantic aspirations" when they spoke last Tuesday.

Asked specifically whether Canada supports Ukraine having a membership action plan from NATO, a Trudeau spokeswoman said there was nothing to add.

Earlier, Global Affairs Canada did not answer a specific question on Ukraine joining NATO, saying that Canada remains unwavering in its support for Ukraines sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and the people of Ukraine." It also noted allies decided at the 2008 summit that Ukraine "will" eventually join the organization.

The Canadian government has in the past been an advocate of Ukraine joining NATO.

Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper expressed Canada's "strong support" for the move, extolling Ukraine's democratic reforms and both countries' shared values.

At the time, Harper called on leaders to agree Ukraine be allowed to move along in the membership process and pledged that Canada would back the bid, so long as "the country keeps making progress on democratic reform and opening up its economy."

The party still holds that view, a spokesperson for Conservative Leader Erin OToole said in a statement.

Alexander Moens, director of the NATO field school and simulation program at B.C.'s Simon Fraser University, says the issue is "one would wish the Canadian government would speak a little bit more openly about."

He pointed to the fact there are one million people in Canada who are of Ukrainian descent, and noted that the country has been a supporter of Ukraine, including when it brought sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

But at the same time, Moens says, Canada knows it needs to be sensitive.

"Ukrainian membership in NATO could very well be a red line for Russia, meaning a dangerous reaction by Russia, so there is a lot of caution on how to proceed," he said.

"The biggest issue here is how to not make the relationship with Putin worse and at the same time, not discourage the Ukrainians."

Seeing how NATO handles the matter and whether it moves any closer to Ukrainian membership is worth watching, he says, adding that allies are likely to tread carefully.

Allen Sens, a political-science professor at the University of British Columbia, believes the issue will be raised only out of politeness to Ukraine, but that it's largely "off the table."

"I can't imagine anything more provocative," he says.

"It would be among the most divisive, provocative dialogues for NATO to be having at this moment when there are so many other things that this summit has to address, there's so many other things that NATO has to do."

Those include making progress on new strategic planning priorities and modernization. As well, experts say there will be a focus on tackling cybersecurity and information warfare, not to mention the challenges presented by Russia and more recently China.

They believe a defining characteristic of this year's summit will undoubtedly be a sense of renewal because of the absence of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who panned NATO's existence.

"Every member of NATO will remember that Donald Trump called the alliance obsolete," said Roland Paris, international affairs professor at the University of Ottawa.

"Having Joe Biden arrive at a NATO summit and express in unreserved ways the United States' commitment to its allies will be an important symbolic shift."

He added that "the legacy of the Trump years will continue in the sense that NATO members, particularly the NATO members in Europe, are aware of the fact the United States produced Trump  and could elect one again."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2021.

 With files from The Associated Press.
CARBIS BAY, United Kingdom - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged 13 million surplus vaccines to help the world get immunized against COVID-19 as he and other G7 leaders wrapped up a weekend summit in Britain dominated by the pandemic, climate change and China.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participates in a plenary session at the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, England on Friday June 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

CARBIS BAY, United Kingdom - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged 13 million surplus vaccines to help the world get immunized against COVID-19 as he and other G7 leaders wrapped up a weekend summit in Britain dominated by the pandemic, climate change and China.

Canada previously said it would offer up to 100 million vaccine doses to help poorer countries beat back the global pandemic, but was the only country from the G7 to not say how many of those would be actual shots rather than money.

Trudeau on Sunday said in addition to the 13 million shots it deemed as surplus, Canada paid for the purchase and distribution of 87 million doses through money already sent to the ACT-Accelerator, a global program to make sure the entire world has access to COVID-19 testing, treatments and vaccines.

The prime minister told reporters during a closing news conference that some of the promised jabs are already on their way to countries lagging wealthy nations in the worldwide immunization effort. But he stopped short of saying when the rest would arrive.

"A number of these doses are on their way as we speak, more will come in the coming months," Trudeau said. "We're going to be able to share around the world as we see Canadians getting vaccinated to higher and higher levels, and we simply do not need those doses."

The Prime Minister's Office later provided a breakdown showing more than seven million of the doses being donated are from pharmaceutical firm Novavax, whose vaccine remains in clinical trials and has yet to be approved for use in Canada.

Last month, the company said it expected to start delivering doses in the third quarter of 2021.

The remainder are Oxford-AstraZeneca doses and shots from Johnson & Johnson that Canada bought through COVAX, an international vaccine sharing initiative.

Canada has been criticized for being the only G7 country to take and use shots from COVAX.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen during a news conference at Tregenna Castle following the G7 Summit in St. Ives, Cornwall, England, on Sunday, June 13, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

U.S. President Joe Biden started the summit by announcing a commitment to share 500 million coronavirus vaccine doses with the world. All told, G7 leaders confirmed their intent to donate more than one billion doses to low-income countries in the next year.

But the commitment falls far short of the 11 billion doses the World Health Organization said is needed to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the world's population and truly end the pandemic.

Trudeau emphasized that the donation would not affect Canada's own vaccination efforts, which have ramped up in recent months with the delivery of shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and, to a lesser degree, Moderna.

He said on top of sending vaccines, Canada has already spent $2.5 billion on international aide for COVID-19.

COVID-19 was not only a point of policy discussion for the G7 leaders, it also meant a new way of holding an international gathering. Elbow bumps took the place of traditional handshakes, while signs reminded those gathered behind closed doors to try and keep them open.

Masks were only donned on occasion. Trudeau wore his publicly while bumping elbows with another leader, but then went maskless when seated or standing further apart.

During one group photo taken on a beach, Trudeau was the only leader who put on a mask while greeting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, and then folded it away when their elbows dropped.

Pictures from a reception with the Queen and Prince Charles showed a bearded Trudeau without a mask in close conversation.

While the pandemic figured prominently in the G7 leaders' discussions and Canada's post-summit pledges, the thorny issue of how to handle increasing competition and aggression from China was also top of mind throughout the weekend.

G7 leaders presented an infrastructure plan called "Build Back Better for the World," calling for spending hundreds of billions of dollars alongside the private sector while adhering to climate standards and labour practices.

It is designed to compete with China's "Belt and Road Initiative," which launched a network of projects in large parts of the world, primarily Asia and Africa. Critics say China's projects often create massive debt and expose nations to undue influence by Beijing.

Trudeau did not explicitly mention the new initiative or China's treatment of ethnic minorities such as Uyghur Muslims, topics touched on during the summit, but did thank fellow G7 leaders for supporting Canada's calls for the immediate release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The official post-summit communique from all leaders condemned the practice of arbitrary detentions in China, but made no specific mention of the Canadians.

"What has happened to the two Michaels should not have happened, and indeed could happen in any country in the world," Trudeau said. "The use of arbitrary detention and coercive diplomacy by China is a concern to us all."

Beijing detained the two Canadians days after the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the Vancouver airport on an extradition request from the United States.

Biden, attending his first G7 summit as president, fought for the leaders' joint statement to include specific language criticizing China's use of forced labor and other human rights abuses as he worked to cast the rivalry with Beijing as the defining competition for the 21st century.

The final communique called for another investigation by the World Health Organization into the origins of COVID-19, urged China to respect human rights in Xinjiang and democracy in Hong Kong, and expressed concern about Chinese aggression in the South and East China Seas.

Canada, the United Kingdom and France largely endorsed the Biden administration's position, while Germany, Italy and European showed hesitancy, according to an administration official who observed some of the talks and briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.

When asked if he would describe China as an adversary, Trudeau emphasized the need to both work with the country on global challenges like climate change while recognizing it as a competitor on trade and a source of concern when it comes to human rights.

The leaders of the world's richest countries also agreed to endorse a global minimum tax of at least 15 per cent on multinational corporations. The decision had been widely anticipated after finance ministers earlier this month embraced the plan to stop corporations from using havens to avoid taxes and thus deprive some countries of much-needed revenue.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2021.

with files from The Associated Press.
HALIFAX - Classified, Les Hay Babies, Maxim Cormier, Rich Aucoin and Rose Cousins have emerged as the big winners of the 2021 East Coast Music Awards, snagging two of Atlantic Canada's biggest music prizes each.

Neon Dreams pose on the red carpet at the Juno awards show, Sunday, April 2, 2017 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

HALIFAX - Classified, Les Hay Babies, Maxim Cormier, Rich Aucoin and Rose Cousins have emerged as the big winners of the 2021 East Coast Music Awards, snagging two of Atlantic Canada's biggest music prizes each.

The awards were announced Sunday evening as part of a show hosted by Heather Rankin and livestreamed on the ECMA's social media platforms.

Top accolades went to Halifax's Neon Dreams for album of the year, Prince Edward Island's Catherine MacLellan for songwriter of the year and Cape Breton's Beolach for fans' choice entertainer of the year.

New to the awards this year was the category of African Canadian artist of the year, which went to Halifax's Zamani.

The late Rita MacNeil was also inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Altogether, artists from Cape Breton earned six ECMA awards, mainland Nova Scotia claimed 16 awards, New Brunswickers took home nine, P.E.I. artists snagged four and artists from Newfoundland and Labrador claimed six.

The first batch of ECMA award winners were announced Thursday evening during a virtual show that included live performances.

Next year's ECMA awards will be held in Fredericton  returning to the New Brunswick capital for the first time since 2008.

"We would like to express our sincere gratitude to each and every artist and industry professional, as well as our staff, contractors, and partners, who adapted to each change along the way with positivity and perseverance, ECMA CEO Andy McLean said in a statement.

Wed also like to thank all those who participated in the preparation of this show, those who tuned-in, and to Sydney and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality for their inimitable hospitality over the past year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2021.
This week's episode of "Loki" offers a look into the Variant  a different version of the God of Mischief. Breeze writer Michael Russo dives into the second episode of the new fan-favorite of the MCU.
Want to praise someone or get something off your chest? Darts and Pats is the place to do it.
For too long, its looked as though the ABC has been afraid of the arts. Over the years, Aunty has marginalised and axed arts programs, shunting them off its main channel or consigning them to obscure timeslots, like 10pm Tuesdays. Early in 2021, The Mix, which ran unheralded for seven years on ABC News, was quietly retired.

The short-lived Art Nation was terminated in 2011 and were now a long way from the days when magazine-style overviews such as Express and Review occupied prime-time slots, and when Sunday Afternoon offered hours of interviews, documentaries, films and feature stories. More recently, whenever the ABC has produced arts programs, its discomfort has been evident. One indication of a lack of confidence has been the push to insert comedians at any opportunity. Its as if the operative thinking is that, unless attention to books, film, theatre, visual arts, opera and music comes with a few laughs, no one will be interested.

Arts coverage is seen as an eat-your-veggies undertaking that viewers must be baited into consuming. So with Anh Do, Aunty struck gold: a comedian who can paint and interview. Bingo, win-win for Anhs Brush With Fame.

Arts coverage is seen as an eat-your-veggies undertaking that viewers must be baited into consuming. So with Anh Do (pictured with Archie Roach), Aunty struck gold; a comedian who can paint. Credit:ABC

With that in mind, remember Critical Mass, Vulture, Mondo Thingo or Screen Time? Theres a good reason why you might not: they were deservedly brief embarrassments as the ABC attempted to apply an upbeat spin to an area it has been reluctant to tackle without gimmickry. Meanwhile, proven programs with dedicated audiences  The Book Club, At the Movies  were axed and not replaced.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been asked about Australia and Scott Morrisons climate change ambitions.

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Mr Morrison has previously been pressured by Johnson and other world leaders to do more on climate change, with Britain privately urging the Morrison government to be more ambitious in its emissions reduction targets.

Australia was denied the opportunity to speak at last years climate summit because Mr Johnson wanted to encourage nations to set more ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Heres what the UK Prime Minister had to say in London today:

On the climate change ambitions of Australia, I think that Scott has declared for net zero by 2050. When you consider the situation Australia is in, it is a massive coal producer, it is having to change the way things are oriented.

In 2012 this country had 40 per cent of its power from coal, it is now less than 2 per cent, going down the whole time. So it can happen fast.

I am impressed by the ambition of Australia and obviously we are going to be looking for more the whole time, as we go into COP 26 in November. But we want to work with Scott, with Australia, on the clean-tech solutions.

Because I think what we both strongly believe that you can have a green industrial revolution that drives high wage, high skilled jobs. You do both. And that is what we are going to work on together.
The next day the main engine was broken, seawater got into the engine. We used the small engine but it couldnt cope with the rough ocean. The second day that engine was broken, so we were adrift. We encountered very stormy seas the next three days. It would have been easy to capsize and for everyone to drown.

I was the watchout person. I tried to find any vessel passing by. We used flares or burnt rags for SOS and then we saw two cargo vessels. Somehow they ignored us and slowly passed by. I do believe they saw us. The people just prayed. On the fifth day we saw an airplane but we were afraid because we didnt know what country it belonged to.

At his home in Oatley, Stephen Nguyen looks at photos from the night he was rescued by the HMAS Melbourne on June 21, 1981. Credit:Kate Geraghty

It was a Grumman S-2 Tracker anti-submarine warfare aircraft attached to HMAS Melbourne with navigator Stephen Langlands in the front. We were returning to the carrier from a surveillance exercise and I spotted what appeared to be a boat on fire, he said. We circled it, reported its position to the Melbourne and they sent a Wessex helicopter out from the carrier. We were running out of fuel so we returned to the ship.

Commander James Morrice, who lives in Bowral, was second in charge on HMAS Melbourne and responsible for the rescue on June 21, 1981. He said it was late on a Saturday afternoon when the carrier and escort HMAS Torrens were messaged. There were a number of children, some others had lost limbs, they were dehydrated and some had dysentery and in general they were in a pretty sad state, he said.
In a small flat above his familys clothing store on Morees main shopping strip, Daniel Assef has seen out an unusually dull long weekend.

Its normally a really busy weekend for us, because theres the races at Mallawa, Mr Assef said.

Four generations of Morees Assef family, whose clothing store was visited by a couple who tested positive to COVID-19 last week. Credit:Grace Quast

Instead, Assefs, a pastel art deco arcade opened by his grandfather in 1940, temporarily closed its doors last week after 10 of its staff were directed to self-isolate by health authorities.

It was one of a number of Moree businesses affected after a Melbourne couple drove up the Newell Highway before testing positive to COVID-19.
A third bandit who stood outside armed with a pistol fired two shots through a side window as the other two robbers grabbed the money. The bullets smashed into the inside walls. At least seven shots were fired in the two-minute battle, but nobody was hurt. The banks security camera was not activated during the hold-up. The three raiders wore overalls. One is thought to have had a dark beard. They ran from the bank, firing as they left, and sped off in a stolen blue-and-white Holden sedan.

Teller Alan Misson points to a window that was shattered by a bullet during the hold-up. Credit:The Age Archives They dumped the car about a mile away from the bank. It was found about 15 minutes later in Marama Street, East Burwood. Police sealed off the street and made a house-to-house search. They believe the bandits jumped into another blue-and-white Holden sedan parked in the street.

Five employees, including two young women, were in the bank when the bandits crashed in at about 6.15 p.m. after smashing the front glass door with a fire hydrant cover they grabbed from nearby. They were working late counting and sorting a large amount of money that had accumulated over the long weekend. The bank manager (Mr D B McDonald) sand Mr Misson were counting takings ready for storage in the banks vault. The two girls, both aged about 20, were in an upstairs part of the bank. One girl, Joan Gerecke, 24, telephoned police when she heard the first shot. Only bank staff witnessed the robbery, which took place in the deserted Forest Hill shopping complex off Canterbury Road.

Loading But two men working in a nearby hairdressing salon heard the bandits open fire and they dived for cover. Salon owner Mr Gary Augustine, 26, of Box Hill, said: I heard glass smashing and looked out the door. There was a bloke in a coat and a woolly mask standing there nursing a gun. Then the shooting started.

I dived face first under the counter and stayed there. I was scared to death. Salon manager Mr Glen Cooper, 20, also dived behind a counter when the shooting started. Last night bank officers were examining the extensive damage the robbers left in their wake. Blasts from the raiders guns demolished a tellers screen, blew a huge hole in a window of a managers office and blew out a set of glass louvres above the office. Shotgun pellets chipped woodwork in the bank counter. The two shots fired by the teller smashed into the banks front windows.

Loading The fire hydrant cover used by the bandits to break down the front door ended up against the bank counter. Consorting squad detectives were searching for the bandits last night. Early this morning they raided criminals haunts. The ANZ Bank last night offered a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of the hold-up men.

It was lucky no one was killed tonight, the ANZ Banks chief security adviser (Mr E. Hamilton) said last night. It was a desperate attack, with great danger to our officers. Its lucky these men wont also face murder charges when theyre caught. The bandits stole the tellers revolver before they left, but they left behind two spent cartridges from a sawn-off shotgun found later in the abandoned getaway car. Police science experts started tests on the shotgun, the getaway car and bank debris last night.
After that flurry of activity over the two new cases announced at the press conference this afternoon were going to leave it there but heres a quick recap of whats happened today:

We started the day with zero local cases of coronavirus, but two positive tests have been found after a pop-up testing blitz at the Southbank apartment complex where four people were previously positive. Those two cases will go in tomorrows numbers.

People from regional Victoria will be able to travel to South Australia again, as long they have a test on arrival and isolate until they get their result. Melburnians, however, are still not welcome across the border.

The online vaccine booking portal is up and running, after dedicated phone lines buckled under the number of calls it was receiving at the start of the outbreak and when vaccine eligibility was opened to people aged 40-49.

The advice on the interval between Pfizer doses seems to have morphed from three weeks to between three and six weeks, with Professor Terry Nolan of the Doherty Institute saying the longer break may even improve immunity.

There is no word yet on whether travel restrictions will ease in time for the impending school holidays, and Health Minister Martin Foley refused to be drawn on that topic at todays outing.

Thats all for today, see you tomorrow.
For too long, big technology companies the world over have been given a free pass allowing them to operate in ways that benefit their bottom line rather than the safety and wellbeing of their users.

There have been persistent failures by Big Tech in consistently and transparently enforcing their own policies and standards, often turning a blind eye to violent online threats, hate speech, racism, misogyny, misinformation, political polarisation and targeted abuse.

Harm to Australians also takes place on video gaming platforms. Credit:iStock

This failure has led to an internet more akin to dystopian nightmare than the Utopian ideal many of the founders of these platforms likely envisaged, as we see the fragile fabric of our society starting to fray.

The big platforms have known the harms for decades and with almost limitless financial and intellectual capital at their disposal, they have always possessed the means to tackle them.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed his governments current climate settings as the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies forged ahead with more ambitious emissions reduction commitments at this weeks summit.

Australia was a guest at the G7 leaders meeting in England, where the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan vowed to achieve an overwhelmingly decarbonised power system in the 2030s.

Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US President Joe Biden at the G7 summit. Credit:Adam Taylor

Australia has been under pressure from allies including the US and Britain to increase both its commitment to reach net zero as soon as possible and preferably by 2050 and a 2030 target to reduce emissions by 26 per cent from 2005 levels.

Following the lead of US President Joe Biden, G7 nations have each recently upped their 2030 goals and set deadlines to decarbonise their economies by 2050.
The Tamil asylum seeker family from Biloela that has been on Christmas Island for two years has now reunited in Perth, where they will live in the community while the youngest daughter is being treated in hospital and their legal appeals play out.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke made the decision on compassionate grounds to allow the Murugappan family to move to community detention. He is also considering two applications to use his ministerial discretion to grant them visas.

But he said the familys immigration status had not changed and they were still unlawful non-citizens who had been on a pathway to deportation before a court granted injunctions.

If people are not found to be owed protection obligations, the expectation is, where is it safe to do so, that they return home and that remains the Australian governments position, he said.
The federal government may be forced to make major changes to its overhaul of the $3.2 trillion superannuation sector to get it through the Senate after key crossbencher Rex Patrick raised serious concerns about workers possibly becoming under-insured if the bill goes ahead as planned.

The Your Future, Your Super package passed through the lower house earlier this month after the federal government removed powers that would have allowed the Treasurer to intervene on super funds investment decisions following opposition from Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce and others.

Superannuation Minister Jane Hume says no matter what amendments are made, the reforms will never get the super fund lobbys support. Credit:Joe Armao

Superannuation Minister Jane Hume said at the time these were last resort powers and getting rid of them didnt change the most fundamental components of the package, which the government estimates will save consumers $17.2 billion over 10 years.

The legislation is now due in the Senate on Wednesday. Senator Patrick is proposing several amendments, including exempting workers in dangerous jobs from being stapled to their funds so they dont end up with inadequate insurance, broadening the rules to include more retail funds, and scrapping regulation-making powers he is concerned still give the government too much control.
A Tamil asylum-seeker family is expected to be released from almost two years of detention on Christmas Island as early as Tuesday but a decision on their longer-term future is still likely to play out through the courts.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has been considering whether the government would intervene in a long-running court dispute over the familys bid to remain in Australia amid growing pressure from health professionals, Labor and even some Coalition MPs to let them stay.

Priya and Nades Murugappan and their Australian-born children, Kopika and Tharnicaa, in a photo taken during their court fight to remain in Australia. Credit: Supplied

It is anticipated the family will be removed from detention straight away, according to government sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. However, ongoing court processes would have to run their course before the government made any decisions relating to their visa status, the sources said.

Priya and Nadesalingam Murugappan fled Sri Lankas civil war by boat to Australia in 2012 and 2013. The couple and their Australian-born daughters, Kopika, 6, and Tharnicaa, 4, have been held on Christmas Island since August 2019 after being removed from the Queensland town of Biloela following unsuccessful asylum claims by the parents.
Karakax, Xinjiang: Yerzhan Kurman was relieved to be released after nine months in a re-education camp in Chinas Xinjiang region. Kurman, a Kazakh Muslim, remembers being shocked by cattle prods and forced to sing Communist party songs during his detention.

But within days of his release, the 42-year-old was sent to work 12-hour shifts in a garment factory, where managers demanded he produce 200 pairs of gloves a day - a high quota to meet. I could only make 30 to 50 a day, and they threatened not to pay or to make us work even longer if we couldnt finish, he said. It was impossible.

Uyghurs and other members of the faithful pray during services at the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar in western Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Outside observers say scores of mosques have been demolished. Credit:AP

No matter how quickly Kurman and others worked, the factory continued to withhold wages. Like him, many had been forced into the factory from Chinas vast network of re-education camps where more than a million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other ethnic Muslim minorities have disappeared since 2017. Beijing policies in Xinjiang region have been described by the US government as well as British and Canadian lawmakers as a genocide.

Others were wives of men still in detention. As the government described it, this was their way to support the family by giving work to the wives, he said.
Windsor: US President Joe Biden and his aviator sunglasses met Queen Elizabeth II on a bright Sunday afternoon.

The Queen hosted the President and first lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle, her royal residence near London. Biden flew to London (on Monday AEST) after wrapping up his participation in a three-day summit of leaders of the worlds wealthy democracies in Cornwall, in southwestern England.

US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden smile while standing with Britains Queen Elizabeth II watching a Guard of Honour march past before their meeting at Windsor Castle. Credit:AP

He arrived at the castle aboard the presidential helicopter and was ferried to the queen in a black Range Rover.

The 95-year-old monarch greeted the Bidens in the castles quadrangle, where she waited beneath a covered dais that shielded her from the sun on one of the hottest days of the year so far in the United Kingdom.
London: With Angela Merkel preparing to exit the international stage, the longest-serving leader of the Group of Seven nations is Canadas Justin Trudeau.

While he is positioning himself as the new elder statesman, no one sees him owning the role in the way the German Chancellor has.

Trailing but hoping to lead: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau behind US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron. Credit:AP

Joe Biden has decades of experience, even if hes new to the US presidency. Frances Emmanuel Macron has aggressively positioned himself as Merkels heir in Europe (she will step down after an election in September) and Italys Mario Draghi, with his years running the European Central Bank, is used to being heard wherever he goes.

In the company of such heavyweights, the leader of the smallest G7 economy cuts a marginal figure in spite of efforts to be the new dean, as he became known among the Canadian delegation at this weekends summit in Carbis Bay on the southern English coast.
Moscow: Belarusian authorities have presented the detained journalist Raman Pratasevich at a news conference in an attempt to claim he is not being mistreated.

Pratasevich, who was seized last month when authorities forced a Ryanair flight to land in Minsk, said he was being treated well and cooperating with investigators.

Journalists from the BBC walked out of the event, saying it was clear he appeared under duress.

A hostage: Belarusian dissident journalist Raman Pratasevich at a news conference at the National Press Centre of Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Minsk. Credit:AP

Dozhd, a Russian TV channel, chose not to ask Pratasevich any questions because its correspondents could not be sure that he was free to speak.
Victorville, California: In March 2020, Delta pilot Chris Dennis left a note in the aircraft he was parking in a storage lot in Victorville, California, thinking it would be found after a two-week quarantine.

But after being discovered 435 days later, the note is now being called a time capsule.

Dennis said he parked the aircraft with dozens of other planes and said each represented hundreds of jobs. He described the scene as Chilling, apocalyptic, surreal in a Facebook post in March 2020.

Delta Airlines aircraft parked at Victorville, California. Credit:AP

Airlines were parking passenger planes en masse as travel fell to historic lows.
Washington: NATO leaders have issued their strongest ever criticism of China, saying in a joint statement that the rising superpowers nuclear ambitions and assertive military behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order.

NATO - a military alliance of 30 North Atlantic nations in Europe and North America launched at the beginning of the Cold War - has traditionally focussed on the threat of Russian military aggression.

Us President Joe Biden speaks during a media conference during a NATO summit in Brussels. Credit:Pool EPA

But in this years joint communique, issued after a summit in Brussels on Tuesday (AEST), the leaders hit out at Beijings coercive policies which they said stand in contrast to the fundamental values that underpin the alliance.

China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal with more warheads and a larger number of sophisticated delivery systems to establish a nuclear triad, the communique said.
Lansdale, PA (19446)

Today

Occasional rain. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Occasional rain. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Two Americans suspected of helping former Nissan chairman flee Japan while he was out on bail go on Monday in Tokyo.

Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, and his son Peter Taylor are suspected in the Houdini-like operation where Ghosn hid in a box for music equipment that was loaded onto a private jet that flew him to Lebanon, via Turkey in December 2019.

Unlike the US, Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship.

The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts in May last year and extradited in March on charges of helping a criminal. The authorities say Ghosn hired the Taylors for at least USD 1.3 million.

Ghosn led Japanese automaker Co. for two decades before his arrest in November 2018. He was charged with falsifying securities reports in under-reporting his compensation and of breach of trust in using Nissan money for personal gain. Ghosn says he is innocent.

At Monday's court session, the Tokyo District Prosecutors will outline the allegations against the Taylors before Presiding Judge Hideo Nirei and two other judges.

The Taylors will also likely make statements. They have been held in a Tokyo detention center since arriving in Japan and were not available for comment.

Peter Taylor said in a statement to a Massachusetts court in January that he met Ghosn in 2019 in Japan to pitch his digital marketing company to repair Ghosn's tarnished reputation. He said Ghosn asked him to bring him gifts, food and DVDs from his wife, as well as to deliver gifts, including to family members in Lebanon.

Peter Taylor also said he left Japan for Shanghai on Dec. 29, 2019, and was not in Japan at the time of the alleged escape. He denied he was in touch with his father at that time, according to a document from the Massachusetts District Court.

A third person, George-Antoine Zayek, also is suspected of helping Ghosn escape Japan. Zayek has not been arrested.

Ghosn has said he fled Japan while out on bail because he did not expect to get a fair More than 99% of criminal cases in Japan result in convictions.

No Japanese executives have been charged in the scandal at Nissan, Yokohama-based manufacturer of the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models.

If convicted, the Taylors face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($2,900). Extraditions between Japan and the U.S. are relatively rare, even for serious crimes. The possible penalty of three years in prison is the minimum required for an extradition.

Separately, the of another American, Greg Kelly, a former executive vice president at Nissan, is also underway at the Tokyo District Court. It began in September. Kelly says he is innocent of the charge of under-reporting Ghosn's compensation and was only involved in finding legal ways to pay Ghosn more to prevent him from leaving the company for a rival automaker.

Before his arrest, Ghosn was an auto industry star for having orchestrated Nissan's rebound from the brink of bankruptcy after he was sent to Japan by its French alliance partner Renault in 1999.

Ghosn slashed his pay by about 1 billion yen ($10 million) to half of what he'd been getting, starting in 2010, when disclosure of high executive pay became required in Japan. The concern was that his relatively high compensation might be viewed unfavorably since Japanese top executives tend to draw lower pay packages than their peers in other countries.

At the heart of Kelly's trial is the question of whether the so-called shortfall in Ghosn's pay violated the law in deferring compensation that should have been reported. Several high-ranking officials, including non-Japanese executives, knew about the shortfall.

(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.)
Hyundai Motor, South Korea's biggest carmaker by sales, said on Monday it will suspend its US plant for three weeks due to lack of semiconductors and routine maintenance.

will halt the Alabama plant for one week from June 14 on a chip shortage and two weeks from June 16 to July 11 for the plant's maintenance work, a company spokesman said by phone.

In recent weeks, chip parts shortages continue to affect production of carmakers and other manufacturers in the United States and other markets, reports Yonhap news agency.

Last month, Hyundai halted its Indian plant for five days starting May 25, as two workers in the Tamil Nadu plant were infected with COVID-19 and several workers staged a sit-in at the plant on May 24 amid rising virus fears among workers.

On the domestic front, the company has temporarily halted some of its domestic plants on a chip shortage.

Hyundai has seven domestic plants -- five in Ulsan, one in Asan and one in Jeonju -- and 10 overseas plants -- four in China and one each in the United States, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Russia, India and Brazil. Their combined capacity reaches 5.5 million vehicles.

Hyundai's affiliate Kia Corp. also temporarily halted its U.S. plant and domestic plant in Gwangmyeong, just southwest of Seoul, last month due to the same problems.

Kia said it is considering changing the current three-shift system in the Georgia plant to a two-shift system as early as this week.

The maker of the K5 sedan and the Sorento SUV has eight domestic plants in Korea and seven overseas ones -- three in China and one each in the United States, Slovakia, Mexico and India. Their overall capacity is 3.84 million units.

Hyundai and Kia together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales.

--IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India is considering making it easier for foreign investors to acquire control of Bharat Petroleum Corp., according to people familiar with the matter, as the government tries to sell the state firm and bridge a widening budget deficit.



If the cabinet clears the proposal, overseas funds would no longer need government approval to purchase a 100 per cent stake in state-run refiners cleared in-principle for disinvestment, the people said, asking not to be identified as the deliberations are private. The limit will stay 49 per cent for firms not lined up for asset sales.



India needs to find a buyer for its 53 per cent stake in BPCL, one of two major state firms -- the other being Air India Ltd. -- identified by the government to help shore up its finances following a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections. The government has budgeted $23 billion from divestments in the financial year that started April 1.



A finance ministry spokesperson refused to comment on the matter.



swung to a record profit of 119.4 billion rupees ($1.6 billion) in the three months ended March 31 from a loss of 13.6 billion rupees the previous year. The numbers were aided by the sale of a unit.
Glance, the worlds leading lock-screen platform owned by mobile ad network InMobi, has forayed into the fast-growing influence-led shopping segment by acquiring Shop101 for an undisclosed amount.

The cash-equity deal is a bet on live commerce, a segment that is at a nascent stage in India but has seen major success in markets like China.

This will provide Glance and its short-video platform Roposo end-to-end capability for launching celebrity- and influencer-led live commerce, the firm said on Monday, as it looks to transform mobile shopping experience for consumers globally.

This will transform the shopping experience on mobile. Traditional e-commerce that we are accustomed to is intent-led. We are redefining the experience in a fun and entertaining manner with influence-led live commerce, said Piyush Shah, co-founder, Group, and President & COO, Glance.

This is the first major deployment of the funds raised in December, he told PTI.

It will be available in several categories such as beauty, fashion and homecare.

According to a RedSeer report, live commerce is expected to clock a gross merchandise value (GMV) of $4-5 billion in India by 2025. While fashion is expected to contribute 60-70 per cent of the GMV, beauty and personal care will contribute the remaining 30-40 per cent. This model has seen success in China accounting for over 20 per cent of the total e-commerce sales.

We had started Shop101 as a social e-commerce platform with a vision to democratise entrepreneurship and commerce for the masses using a technology-first approach. With Glance and Roposo, Shop101 will now be part of a company that shares our goal of transforming the shopping experience for millions of consumers globally, said Abhinav Jain, founder & CEO of Shop101.

Glance and Roposo will have access to Shop101s market-leading e-commerce technology platform, supply chain infrastructure and the team required to build the celebrity- and influencer-driven commerce platform. It will also benefit Shop101s suppliers who can leverage Glances 125 million-plus daily active users to grow their businesses.

We feel that the countrys creators now want to become microentrepreneurs and make it a stable career option. So we can enable a breed of entrepreneurs with this initiative the way Meesho did for home makers, said Shah.

Beyond advertising, live influencer-led commerce is going to be the second leg of monetisation for the platform and the company will also have a revenue-share model with content creators, added Shah.

Glance, which became a unicorn in December after backing from technology giant Google, is looking at other acquisitions to enhance its capabilities over the next few years.

Google came in as a strategic investor and liked the fact that we have managed to reimagine the lock screen surface into a content platform. They are partnering with us on various fronts to make this content far richer, said Shah.

Glance had acquired video-sharing social media platform Roposo in November 2019.
Jumbotail, a new retail platform and B2B marketplace for food and grocery products, has raised Rs 35 crore from



This venture debt round comes after a $25 million equity round concluded in January 2021. The company plans to use the funds to expand its operations across the entire country, fund its working capital requirements, and scale its SME focused fintech business.



Ashish Jhina, co-founder, Jumbotail, said, Covisd has accelerated the digital transformation of the food and FMCG sector and it is very evident to all players that digital marketplaces are indispensable for their continued growth. We are seeing rapid adoption of our platform and services from retailers and brands across all geographies. Our J24 store network is growing fast and a large number of FMCG brands are signing up for our go-to-market suite of services to get national reach. We are looking to bring in more top talent across the entire company to power this explosive growth.



Ankit Agarwal, partner, commented,  is emerging as a market leader in the $500B+ B2B grocery market, driven by scalable tech platforms, full stack logistics and supply chain network, and fintech and SME lending solutions. We believe Ashish and Karthik are building as an industry defining company of the decade and we are glad to partner with them in their mission to transform food and grocery retail in India.



serves 50,000+ kirana stores via its full stack e-commerce model consisting of its B2B marketplace platform, an industry leading warehousing and last-mile delivery supply chain network, and a fintech platform for payment and credit solutions to kirana store owners. Jumbotails new retail platform transforms kirana stores into modern omni-channel convenience grocery stores under the J24 brand within 24-48 hours - offering kirana retailers a full suite of in-store POS technology and insights, daily fulfillment of thousands of products, a B2C online store as well as loyalty solutions to better connect retailers to their consumers, in addition to omnichannel integrations with hyperlocal platforms.



Sameer Brij Verma, MD, Nexus Venture Partners, adds, Jumbotails new retail platform powering J24 Stores is revolutionary, and their full stack approach is the most cost efficient and scalable way to modernize kirana stores. We have been firm believers in the team and their approach from the very beginning.



Jumbotail was founded by S Karthik Venkateswaran, and Ashish Jhina, Stanford MBA classmates. Karthik served with the Indian Army in hard combat and is a marketplaces tech/product veteran from eBay-US and Flipkart. Ashish is a third generation apple farmer, and a former consultant with BCG, with deep experience in agricultural production and supply chains.



An estimated 12 million kirana stores in India control more than 95% of the countrys $500B+ food and grocery market. Technology, supply chain, and fintech solutions from startups like Jumbotail are poised to transform the kirana store ecosystem at an unprecedented pace and scale over the next few years.
Cloudtail  a joint venture between ecommerce giant Amazon and Infosys co-founder NRN Murthys Catamaran Ventures  has been slapped with a service tax demand of Rs 54.5 crore.

According to a report in The Guardian, the company has received a showcause notice from the Directorate General of Goods and Service Tax Intelligence amounting to Rs 54.5 crore, along with interest and penalties, for service tax-related matters.

The report does not mention the exact detail of the tax dispute. Cloudtail has disputed the service tax claim by the authorities and the matter is before the adjudicating authorities. Cloudtail has been disclosing this as a contingent liability in its Annual Report since 2019 as per Indian Accounting Standards. Since this matter is subjudice we are unable to comment any further. Cloudtail reiterates that it is in full compliance with the laws of India, Cloudtail said in a statement.

According to several media reports, Cloudtail reported revenue of Rs 11,413 crore for FY20, an increase of 27.76 per cent compared to Rs 8,945 crore reported the previous year. The company posted a profit of Rs 67.5 crore for FY20.

Cloudtail, one of the largest sellers on Amazon India, is owned by Prione Business Services.

Catamaran Ventures increased its stake in Prione in 2019 to 76 per cent from the earlier 51 per cent. Subsequently, Amazons stake went down to about 24 per cent in the company.

Amazons stake in Cloudtail has come under fire from several traders associations in the country. Both CAIT and DVM alleged that Amazon had a direct relationship with Cloudtail and was giving it preferential treatment, along with another seller, Appario. Appario Retail is a subsidiary of Frontizo, which is a joint venture between Amazon and the Patni Group.

There seem to be numerous inconsistencies in Amazons selling tactics with Cloudtail, and the true picture will emerge if the probe continues. If Amazon is found to be in violation, it will face a significant financial penalty, said Sonam Chandwani, managing partner at KS Legal & Associates.

Legal experts said Amazon, like other retail operators and online retail players in India, has exploited policy loopholes. Amazon signed both Cloudtail and Appario deals between 2014 and 2017.

However, the revised e-commerce laws restricted marketplace platforms shareholdings in direct retail suppliers.

Meanwhile, on June 11, the Karnataka High Court dismissed the pleas of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart against a probe by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for alleged violation of competition laws.

In 2020, the CCI announced a probe into Amazon and Flipkart following a complaint filed by Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh (DVM), representing the small and medium business owners in Delhi, accusing the two ecommerce giants that they were favouring some preferred sellers which in turn is hurting small businesses.

Both the had managed to get a stay on the CCI probe by saying they had done nothing wrong, up until now.
Solar Ltd on Monday announced the appointment of Amit Jain as Global

Indian multinational and global leader in Solar EPC, Solar Ltd has appointed Amit Jain as Global CEO, the company said in a BSE filing.

He succeeds Bikesh Ogra, who relinquished the position with effect from May 31, 2021.

Ogra will continue as a Director on the Board of the company.

Jain has been associated with Solar Ltd since January 2019 as the Country Head for the US and Australia.

He has been instrumental in developing the US and Australia as key markets for the company.

Jain will take over the global operations of the company and report to the Board of Directors.

He will now be responsible for business development, market growth and the P&L for SWSL that has its operations across 25+ countries.

He will continue to operate from Dubai.

Khurshed Daruvala, Chairman, Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd, said in a statement, We are delighted to elevate Amit as the Global of SWSL. His rich experience in the EPC space across geographies coupled with his expertise in building long-term partnerships will be invaluable".

Jain is a veteran in the EPC sector with over 29 years of experience in various industries such as renewable energy, oil & gas, chemical/process plants, power transmission and telecom infrastructure.

He is an Engineer from Delhi University and holds an MBA degree in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

Sterling and Wilson Solar Ltd, a company, is a global pure-play, end-to-end solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) solutions provider.

The company provides EPC services for utility-scale, rooftop and floating solar power projects with a focus on project design and engineering and manage all aspects of project execution from conceptualising to commissioning.

(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.)
Solar Limited (SWSL), part of the Shapoorji Pallonji group, has announced the appointment of Amit Jain as global He succeeds Bikesh Ogra, who relinquished the position on May 31, 2021.

Ogra would continue as a director on the company's board. Jain has been with Solar Limited since January 2019 as the country head for the United States and Australia which are now key markets for the company.

Jain would take over the global operations of the company and report to the board of directors. He would now be responsible for business development, market growth and the P&L for SWSL that has its operations across more than 25 countries.
In a first-of-its-kind effort, Tata Digital backed health and fitness platform cult.fit has rolled out a Covid-19 vaccination drive to inoculate their customers at cult centres across India.

The platforms 200,000 offline fitness members will be eligible for this free vaccination drive being launched in partnership with digital healthcare platform MFine. It will also be extended to new members who will join the platform in the coming months as well as those who are awaiting their second dose of vaccination.

We are preparing to vaccinate about 500-600 people a day at each Cult centre. We think of our fitness members as part of our community, just like our own employees and trainers, who we are already vaccinating, said Naresh Krishnaswamy, Growth Head, cult.fit.

The Bengaluru-based startup has so far vaccinated about 80 per cent of their ground staff, fitness trainers and employees.

Healthcare platform MFine will be responsible for maintaining a safe and hygienic environment, as well as administering the vaccine, having doctors on call for any kind of emergencies.

These customers will also have an option to vaccinate their dependent at cost. The company aims to provide a smooth and safe experience at the centres with proper logistics, operations, hygiene, and safety measures in place. The drive will run in 20 cities at around 40 cult.fit centres across India.

Cult.fit, previously known as CureFit, has seen a setback in its offline business with the shutdown of its 200 gyms and fitness centres during the first and second waves of the pandemic. The way we saw after the first wave, we are hopeful things will steadily pick up month-on-month as gyms start reopening, said Krishnaswamy.

Tata Digital, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Sons, had earlier last week announced an investment of up to $75 million in the company with its cofounder & CEO Mukesh Bansal joining the President. The startup is on a mission to create the country's largest fitness network, and has already made eight acquisitions in the space including gyms, fitness chains, gym aggregators and a hardware equipment company.
on Monday said its board has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 500 crore through the issue of on a private placement basis.

A meeting of the duly authorised committee has approved subscription, on a private placement basis, up to 5,000 rated, listed, unsecured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures (NCDs) of face value Rs 10 lakh each, aggregating up to Rs 500 crore, the auto major said in a regulatory filing.

The Mumbai-based company, however, did not share details as to how it plans to use the capital.

Shares of the company were trading 1.03 per cent down at Rs 347.15 apiece on the BSE.

Tata Motors, a USD 35 billion organisation, is a leading global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses.

Part of the USD 113 billion Tata group, the company is India's largest automaker with operations in India, the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa, and Indonesia through a strong global network of 103 subsidiaries, 10 associate companies, 3 joint ventures and 2 joint operations as on March 31, 2020.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A six-month old who was touched inappropriately by her father while they were stuck at home during the Covid-19 lockdown. A 14-year-old who might not be able to go back to school as his father, the family's only earning member, has died from the disease. Five siblings surviving on just one meal a day after their parents lost jobs. A 14-year-old pushed into labour. This is the toll Covid-19 is exacting on children, say staff from child welfare non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

While they may be less susceptible to the virus itself, in South Asia are profoundly affected by the fallout, including the economic and social consequences of measures such as lockdowns to counter the spread of the virus, the United Nations Children's Fund had said in June 2020. A year later, the second wave of Covid-19 in India has meant that its 424 million (aged 0 to 17 years) continue to be vulnerable.

"There is frustration, anger and sorrow around," said Bhavani, a 15-year-old from Madanapalle town in Andhra Pradesh' Chittoor district. In joint families, people who otherwise used to go to schools, colleges or to work, are now fighting over land for farming or arguing over money. Many families take this frustration out on children, she says.

Though there are few comprehensive data on how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected in India, apart from illness, anecdotal evidence, data collected from non-governmental child welfare organisations and piecemeal government data show that the number of children vulnerable to early marriage, labour and abuse has increased. India urgently needs a higher child care and protection budget, a focus on child rights and more schemes to take care of children in an emergency, people involved in relief efforts and child protection told us.

This is the second of a two-part series on the pandemic's impact on India's children. Read the first article about caring for children who have lost both parents to Covid-19 in the context of India's adoption system here.

'A sea of broken children'

Over the two waves of Covid-19 in India, millions of men and women, many of whom have insecure jobs and rely on daily wages, lost work or saw their income reduced. This has had a spiralling impact on children, staff of organisations working on child welfare told us. Households, where they were cooped up because of the countrywide and now state-specific lockdowns, are often unhappy places, with scarce food and, in some cases, violence and abuse towards children.

As schools were shut and online education was accessible to only a few, children had nothing to do and many were forced into to help support their families, a survey by the NGO Save the Children found. Over three-fourths of children did not have access to online learning and over a third of children did not have access to any learning material during the first Covid-19 wave in 2020. Parents, worried about the future and relieved that the restricted gatherings during the pandemic meant fewer guests and less costly marriages, forced their children--mostly girls but also boys--to get married early. Child marriages have doubled in four southern states, nonprofit staff told us.



Read More: India starts preparation to make Covid-19 care safe for children



"The pandemic is creating a sea of broken children," said Sonal Kapoor, the founder and director of Protsahan India Foundation, a nonprofit working in 48 slums in Delhi. "An entire generation of children are in jeopardy of losing their safe spaces, their parent(s) and their childhood," says a May 2021 Protsahan report on the pandemic's impact on children living in Delhi's slums.

How many children are vulnerable?

Since before the pandemic, India's children, particularly those from vulnerable communities, suffered from "multiple deprivations"--in 2015-16, over one-third of children under five years were malnourished; more than half were anaemic; and a quarter of women between the ages of 20 and 24 years in 2015-16 were married before they had turned 18 years of age, according to fourth National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2015-16).

The central government's national Childline helpline 1098 had responded to 460,000 calls in 21 days, or nearly 22,000 calls a day, with a majority of them received during the countrywide lockdown from March 20, 2020, to April 10, 2020, a Save the Children report published during the first wave of the pandemic, said. Call volumes had risen by 50% compared to their average regular calls, per an April 6, 2020 newsletter by Childline, which Save the Children quoted in its report. This was despite the fact that many children might not have had the opportunity to reach out for help as they were at home, Childline reportedly said.

"We are not authorised to speak to the media during this time of the pandemic since our priority is attending to children in need," a spokesperson for Childline told IndiaSpend via email, in response to a request for up-to-date data on children in distress who contacted the helpline.

Two factors reduced the number of calls we would have received, Archana Sahay of Aarambh, a Bhopal-based nonprofit that is also Childline's partner in that city, told IndiaSpend. First, fewer children were able to access the helpline as they were always inside the house, especially if the source of distress was within the household. Second, Childline often receives calls from people who notice children in distress, but with everyone inside their own houses, these incidents stay hidden, Sahay explained.

The last months during the second wave of Covid-19 lockdowns have been bad, with cases of everything from hunger to to child marriage growing, said Sahay. In two months to May 28, 2021, Aarambh intervened in 121 distress calls from children in Bhopal. This is equivalent to almost a third of all calls they intervened in, in 2020-21 and nearly equal to all calls in 2018-19.





In 2019-20, Childline had run a special campaign popularising the helpline and to find children pushed to beg on the streets, so the data from that year (463 distress calls on the helpline) are not directly comparable to the other years, said Sahay.

Cases of and child marriage have doubled in villages of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana where nonprofit Child Rights and You (CRY) and its partner organisations work, John Roberts, programme head for southern India, told IndiaSpend. CRY works in 19 states in India.

About 13% of girls reported facing sexual abuse during the pandemic, according to another survey by Protsahan, conducted in May, June and July 2020, along with its partners Deepalaya, Martha Farrell Foundation and the Shades of Happiness Foundation. The survey of 416 girls aged 11-18 years old was conducted in Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Odisha and Chattisgarh.





Cases of children in distress that are usually counted by both the government and nonprofits are usually of those from low-income families, said Sahay. Children from middle-class families, whose parents have lost jobs or are working on reduced pay, very rarely reach out to helplines or nonprofits and are not considered for most relief efforts, she explained, adding that these children are mostly not even included in data.

Education out of reach, pushed into labour

Over three-fourths of children did not have access to online learning and over a third of children did not have access to any learning material, the nonprofit Save the Children found in its survey during the first wave of Covid-19. Schools have now remained closed for over a year since March 24, 2020, and will impact learning, IndiaSpend reported in December 2020.

In families like Bhavani's, whose father is an auto driver and mother is a daily wage worker, siblings share one smartphone. Bhavani often misses classes because her college-going brother needs the phone for his online classes, she told us. Bhavani misses going to school where she would take part in essay writing and oratory competitions, she said.

Further, schools are not just places where children study, say NGO staff. Schools are often the first place where a teacher can identify if a child is in distress and the child can reach out for help. "If a poor child is going to school, the chances that they are being pushed into early marriage, labour or trafficked, are significantly reduced," said Roberts of CRY. With schools not functioning, along with the demand for cheap labour and low family incomes, children are pushed into labour, Roberts said.

During the second Covid-19 lockdown, some of the 265 adolescent girls in Delhi and their parents interviewed by Protsahan were heading back to their villages after the parents lost work, and some girls among those families who stayed back had joined their parents in selling vegetables. Some were helping their family by sewing toy clothes for Rs 100-150 a day, the survey found.

Protsahan also identified 41 children who had lost their father, the major breadwinner of the family, to Covid-19, which makes children in the family vulnerable to child labour, among other dangers. Children are also pushed into begging during such times, said Sahay.

When India began unlocking after the countrywide lockdown in 2020, fewer trains than usual were functioning. Traffickers arranged buses to ferry trafficked children across states when industries started opening up, said Suresh Kumar, executive director of Centre Direct, a nonprofit in Patna working to rescue and rehabilitate trafficked child labourers. Because most civil society groups are used to keeping an eye on trains as those are commonly used for trafficking, initially many of these cases where buses were used must have been missed, said Kumar.





Nonprofits have found it hard to visit villages and keep in touch with families during the second wave of Covid-19 lockdowns, said Kumar. "Now that we have started calling on and visiting families, traffickers--many of whom are local--have already convinced the parents to send their children to work to supplement their meagre incomes," Kumar said. "We will only know of the scale of child labour once things start opening up over the next two months."

Globally, around 160 million children were in child labour in the early stage of the pandemic at the beginning of 2020, accounting for almost one in 10 of all children worldwide, according to a new UNICEF report. Without urgent mitigation measures, the Covid-19 crisis is likely to push millions more children into child labour globally, said UNICEF.

One meal a day

India's mid-day meal programme in government schools is a source of nutrition for the school-going child. The missing mid-day meals during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, coupled with low incomes, have left many children eating just rice or roti with salt or sugar, IndiaSpend reported in June 2020. Though the central government had ordered that local fair price shops give even those without ration cards subsidised grains under its Atmanirbhar package, not everyone was able to access these.

In May 2021, because schools were closed, the government suggested that the cost of the cooking component of the mid-day meal scheme be transferred to 118 million students as a direct benefits transfer. Since the first wave, mid-day meals are also being provided as take-home rations to families. In addition, the government had also announced free food grains monthly under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY), which has been extended till November 4, 2021. Yet, those working on the ground told us about hunger increasing during the pandemic.

For instance, many of those who migrate to cities do not have ration cards or have left their ration cards in the village, without which they might not be able to access subsidised grains, nonprofit staff said. Children sometimes manage with just one meal. This lack of food in the formative years of life could cost children their health and lives even years after the pandemic, as we reported.

Nutrition becomes even more important in the Covid-19 pandemic, said Roberts from CRY, as it helps give the body strength to fight the disease. To reduce hunger, CRY tries to ensure that take-home rations from closed anganwadis reach families of pregnant women and young children, so that they can use it to supplement their meals, Roberts said.

Child marriage increases

Between June and October 2020, child marriages reportedly increased by more than 33%, compared to the same period in 2019. Separately, in April 2020, Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani tweeted that Childline had helped prevent 898 child marriages during the 2020 lockdown.

Some parents that Aarambh staff in Bhopal interacted with told them that they were getting their children married because they were worried about getting Covid-19 and their child's future if they did not survive the disease. Further, given the Covid-19 restrictions on large gatherings, some parents see it as an opportunity to have a small wedding and save money, nonprofit staff said.

Locked indoors with abusers

Even in the families her NGO works with, children are beaten routinely as they become easy targets for parents and grandparents venting out their frustration, said Jalla Lalithamma from the People's Organisation for Rural Development (PORD), a CRY partner. Children asking for better food that the family cannot afford, fights over toys, phones, everything leads to more tension in the household, said Lalithamma.

Within the household, one of the most hurtful outcomes for children has been more cases of sexual abuse. Families and even the children are reluctant to report or pursue a case, NGO staff say. In one case, in which a 12-year-old child was raped by their father, if the case goes through, the father is likely to get the death penalty, said Kapoor of Protsahan. But the child would be confused and might even feel guilty for what happened with the father, she explained. "Children need counselling and help to go through such experiences," she added.

Further, sometimes when abuse takes place within the household, the reaction might be to take the child away. Instead of the child being moved away from all that they know and are familiar with, especially if one of the parents can take care of the child, the abuser should be taken away, said Kapoor.

Children protecting children

When Bhavani was a grade VII student at the Vivekananda Municipal High School, she gave an inspirational speech on Babasaheb Ambedkar, freedom and India's constitution. A PORD worker heard the speech and came up to her, Bhavani told IndiaSpend. "She appreciated me and said I should use this skill to bring other children together and participate in the activities [of the NGO]," Bhavani, now 15, said. Bhavani, along with 20 other children, is part of a community group that tries to spread the message against child marriage.

When NGO staff try to educate people on child marriage, they get angry, Bhavani said. "But, if children like me confront the parents saying we [the children] should all study together and ask them why they are marrying their daughters off" it would be more effective, she said. She and other children in the group inform the NGO staff if they hear of a child marriage being planned.



Read More: Pleas to adopt 'Covid orphans' illegal, shelter homes last resort, say Experts

Such community groups can help prevent child labour and child marriage, but they can be effective only when backed by the local authorities and police, said Centre Direct's Kumar. The effectiveness of such groups would also depend on the village, its caste hierarchies, power struggles and vulnerable groups, he explained. There ought to be Child Protection Committees (CPC) in every village and district as mandated under India's Integrated Child Protection Scheme, but that is not always the case, Kumar added. The village head, an anganwadi worker, school principals, children, parents and grassroots health workers are all part of the CPC.

Intervention to address a growing national emergency

Just like every other message on WhatsApp nowadays is about Covid-19, the government needs to ensure the message against child labour and child marriage is put out strongly, said Roberts. The government needs to go all out, he added. Civil society organisations play their part but a message from the government would "make it a lot safer for children", said Roberts.

Kapoor asked that workers with Childline be designated as frontline workers and be vaccinated on priority. She also suggested that organisations working on child rights within communities have permission to travel freely even when lockdowns are instated.

For child labour, two states--one where the child is from and the other where the employers are--need to work in collaboration with courts to bring traffickers and those who employ child labourers to book, Kumar explained. Currently, many children and their families are unable to travel to the state where the employers are to fight cases, which means that many cases do not see an end and traffickers and such employers can "work with impunity", he said.

A mindset shift is required in police and government officials, Kumar said. "Garib ka baccha kamaega nahin to khaayega kya," (If the child of a poor family does not earn, how will they eat) is how most people think. This creates a vicious cycle in which a poor child stays out of school because of work and stays poor because of a lack of education and this cycle can persist in the next generation too, Kumar explained.

Further, there needs to be stronger political will to fight child labour and trafickking, according to Kumar. For instance, "often governments point to the nearly universal school enrollment and attendance to claim that few children are trafficked or employed but they do not verify if the attendance records are accurate", he added.

To prevent children from falling off the education bandwagon and to keep them busy with learning, CRY is providing children with learning and play material. They also have a 14-week programme in which children come to an activity centre set up in the village once a week where they play games, do arts and crafts, etc. Some of these activities have now moved online where possible.

"Civil society organisations are helping children but how many can they help? Large-scale action is needed to protect children," Kumar said.
AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine remains authorised for all populations, European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said.

The clarification camme after Italian newspaper La Stampa earlier quoted Marco Cavaleri, head of the EMA's vaccine strategy, recommending a stop to administration of AstraZeneca's Covid shots in Europe to people aged over 60 and younger age groups, amid fears over very rare blood clotting.

"Misinformation is making the rounds today. This is the situation: Benefit/risk balance of AstraZeneca #Covid19 vaccine is positive and it remains authorised for all populations," the EMA said in a tweet on Sunday.

Cavaleri was also quoted by the newspaper advising the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine preferentially for the over-60s.

The European Union has approved AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for all populations aged 18 and above. However, both viral vector-based jabs have been marred by various reports of rare blood clots.

The EU has also authorised Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's mRNA based Covid-19 vaccines.

Asked by the newspaper whether it would be better to stop using AstraZeneca for all age groups, Cavaleri had said: "Yes, and it is an option that many countries, such as France and Germany, are considering in the light of the increased availability of mRNA vaccines."

"However, incidents were very rare after the first dose. It is true that there is less data on the second dose, but in the United Kingdom it (the vaccination programme) is going well," he added.

On June 11, Italy restricted the use of AstraZeneca doses to those aged 60 years and above, after a teenager who had received the shot died from a rare form of blood clotting.

In March, the two-dose vaccine was briefly halted by many European countries, including Italy, over concerns about the rare blood clotting problems.

But, its usage was resumed in April, after the EMA said its benefits outweighed any risks.

--IANS

rvt/vd

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
on Sunday extended border closure with India till June 30 as the COVID-19 situation in neighbouring districts of the country continued to deteriorate.

The decision for extending the closure of border areas was taken during an inter-ministerial meeting on June 13, a top official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Dhaka Tribune.

A gazette notification to this end will soon be published, the official said, requesting anonymity.

Earlier on April 26, shut down its border with India for two weeks, which was later extended twice - on May 8 and then on May 29 - in light of the severe crisis in India due to the second wave of the pandemic.

However, Bangladeshi nationals with a valid visa of 15 days or less will be allowed to return home subject to a 14-day compulsory quarantine, reported Dhaka Tribune.

is also experiencing an alarming rise of COVID-19 related deaths and new cases every day, with the highest single-day death tally recorded in over a month on Sunday.

The country on Sunday recorded 47 deaths from COVID-19, the highest single-day death toll reported in more than a month. It also registered 2,436 new cases.

The health authorities have also detected the presence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is highly contagious.

(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 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took over the security of vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech's premises in Hyderabad on Monday to protect it against any terror threat or sabotage that may lead to a biological disaster.

A contingent of 64 personnel, headed by an inspector-rank officer of the paramilitary force, was inducted at a ceremony held at the Genome Valley in the Shameerpet area of Telangana's capital city, a spokesperson said in Delhi.

Bharat Biotech produces a number of vaccines, including Covaxin, one of the three vaccines authorised in the country to be injected for COVID-19 immunisation, with Covishield and Sputnik V being the other two.

Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director (CMD) Dr Krishna Ella, joint MD Dr Suchitra Ella, Inspector General in-charge of the southern sector Anjana Sinha and Deputy IG (south zone-II) Shyamala Dinavahi were part of the induction ceremony, the spokesperson said.

The flag was unfurled on the Bharat Biotech campus.

"The bio-hazard of any accidental or sabotage-related leakage of the material has the potential of a widespread disaster.

"In the light of the increased threat perception to the biotechnology company, BBIL is inherently vulnerable to threats from anti-nationals and saboteurs. The CISF will provide a round-the-clock armed security cover to the Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), Hyderabad," the spokesperson of the force said.

A statement issued by the CISF said Bharat Biotech is an Indian bio-technology company engaged in drug discovery, drug development and manufacture of vaccines, bio-therapeutics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare products.

"BBIL is one of the first to develop vaccines for viral diseases like Chikungunya and Zika. It also produces vaccines for Japanese Encephalitis and it is the first fully indigenous manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin in India," the statement said.

The force had earlier carried out a survey of the facility following a directive issued by the Union home ministry to provide an armed security cover to the premises of the company.

The force will now control access to the facility and its armed troops, including a vehicle-borne quick response team (QRT), will be stationed at vantage positions in case of a terrorist attack or sabotage.

This is the 11th facility in the private sector that will be guarded by the CISF.

It was authorised to secure private installations of public importance following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, where a few five-star luxury hotels and a Jewish Chabad house were targeted by members of the Pakistan-based terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Toiba.

The other private facilities where the CISF is deployed include the Infosys campuses in Bengaluru, Pune and Mysuru, the Reliance Corporate IT Park in Navi Mumbai and Yoga exponent Ramdev's Patanjali factory premises in Uttarakhand's Haridwar.

(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 Union government on Monday told the Bombay High Court that its national guidelines do not at present allow a door-to-door drive to vaccinate people against COVID-19.

The Union government's counsel, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, said some state governments and municipal bodies had decided to ignore its advisory guidelines and were conducting door-to-door vaccination for special categories of citizens, but it was not possible yet to make such drives a part of the national policy.

ASG Singh was responding to a previous query posed by a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni on what the Centre thought about the BMC's request seeking its permission to conduct door-to-door vaccination for the elderly, bedridden, or such category of citizens.

"On the BMC's permission letter to Union ministry of health and family welfare, the ministry says its current advisory against such drives has been formulated based on recommendations of experts," ASG Singh said.

"Some states and municipal bodies have been carrying out door-to-door vaccination but from the national angle, the national policy should be followed. We request the court to bear with us for sometime. For the time being, it is not practical or possible," he said.

The ASG said the Centre, however, kept improvising and updating its policy from time to time and perhaps, sometime in future, it might permit door-to-door vaccination drives.

ASG Singh said since the Union government's policy was merely advisory in nature, it had not asked states such as Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand, which were conducting such drives, to roll them back.

The HC then pointed out that in case Maharashtra, which has already expressed its desire to conduct door-to-door vaccination drives for the bedridden, decides to go ahead with it, then the state would stand on the same footing as the states mentioned above.

The bench also asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) if it would follow the Centre or the state's guidelines in case Maharashtra began a door-to-door drive.

"We will follow the state's guidelines. The state is thinking about the drive but issues like lack of manpower, since three persons will be needed to visit each person getting vaccinated, requirement of ambulance, and ensuring no wastage of vaccine, have to be be considered," BMC counsel Anil Sakhre said.

The state's counsel, Gita Shastri, told HC that while news reports had quoted state health minister Rajesh Tope expressing a willingness to begin door-to-door vaccination drives for the bedridden, and for formulating a separate protocol for the same, she was yet to take instructions as to when a final decision would be taken.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by lawyer Dhruti Kapadia, seeking door-to-door vaccination drive for citizens above 75 years of age, and for those who were specially-abled or bedridden.

HC said it will pass detailed directions on the same later this evening. It will hear the plea further on June 22.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Monday reported a net reduction of 53,001 in active cases to take its count to 973,158. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 8.01 per cent (one in 12). The country is second among the most affected countries by active cases. On Sunday, it added 70,421 cases to take its total caseload to 29,510,410. And, with 3,921 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 374,305, or 1.27 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 1,499,771 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Sunday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 254,849,301. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 28,162,947  or 95.43 per cent of total caseload  with 119,501 new cured cases being reported on Saturday.

With a daily increase of 70,421 in total cases, Indias tally of coronavirus cases has risen from 29,439,989 on Monday to 29,510,410 an increase of 0.2%. has reached 374,305, with 3,921 fatalities, an all-time high in daily spike. Now the second-most-affected country by active cases, total cases and recovery, and third by death, India has added 600,435 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 8.01% of all active cases globally (one in every 12 active cases), and 9.7% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths).

India has so far administered 254,849,301 vaccine doses. That is 863.59 per cent of its total caseload, and 18.29 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Maharashtra (30652860), Uttar Pradesh (27809670), Rajasthan (24465057), Gujarat (24223971), and West Bengal (21764222).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (386827), Delhi (380669), Gujarat (379256), Uttarakhand (345495), and J&K (318734).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 11 days.

The count of active cases across India on Monday saw a net reduction of 54,531, compared with 40,981 on Sunday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are West Bengal (1056), Mizoram (159), Bihar (105), and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (25).

With 132,062 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 95.26%, while fatality rate increased to at 1.26%.

The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.65%), Uttarakhand (2.06%), and Nagaland (1.92%). The rate in as many as 18 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 123,422  3,921 deaths and 132,062 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 3.17%.

Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.3%.

Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 290.1 days, and for deaths at 65.8 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Tamil Nadu (14016), Kerala (14016), Maharashtra (10442), Karnataka (7810), and Andhra Pradesh (6770).

Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Tamil Nadu (92.37%), Karnataka (92.27%), Kerala (95.07%), and Maharashtra (95.44%).

India on Sunday conducted 1,492,152 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 3,796,24,626. The test positivity rate recorded was 4.7%.

Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR)  percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases  are Goa (18.71%), Maharashtra (15.53%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.45%), Kerala (12.86%), and Sikkim (12.44%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are Goa (13.99%), Kerala (12.24%), Sikkim (11.97%), Nagaland(10.62%), and Manipur (10.48%).

Among states and UTs with more than 10 million population, five that have carried out the highest number of tests (per million population) are Delhi (1082988), J&K (674178), Kerala (594433), Karnataka (468324), and Uttarakhand (456314).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (5908992), Karnataka (2765134), Kerala (2728239), Tamil Nadu (2353721), Andhra Pradesh (1809844).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 10,442 new cases to take its tally to 5908992. The state has added 117,579 cases in the past 10 days.

Karnataka, the second-most-affected state, has reported 7810 cases to take its tally to 2765134.

Kerala, the third-most-affected state by total tally, has added 11584 cases to take its tally to 2728239.

Tamil Nadu has added 14016 cases to take its tally to 2353721.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 6770 to 1809844.

Uttar Pradesh has added 452 cases to take its tally to 1702624.

Delhi has added 255 cases to take its tally to 1431139.
The government on Monday banned the sale, storage, transportation, and marketing of soaps and detergents not conforming to the latest BIS parameters to curb pollution in the river.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had in January accepted recommendations of the Monitoring Committee (YMC) which had suggested directing the government to issue orders "prohibiting sale, storage and transportation and marketing of detergents which do not conform to the revised BIS standards".

The NGT had also directed to launch awareness campaigns about the harmful effect of using substandard soaps and detergents.

All the authorities concerned, including local bodies, civil supplies department and district administrations having control over shops and other establishments dealing with sale, storage, transportation and marketing facilities for soaps and detergents in should ensure the compliance of directions through strict vigil and surprise checks, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) said in an order issued on Monday.

The pollution body has asked the authorities concerned to submit monthly action taken reports of inspections conducted and subsequent action taken without fail.

Experts have cited soaps and detergents as one of the major reasons behind the pollution in the river.

Many times, visuals of toxic froth floating on the surface of the river in Delhi also make their way to social media.

The primary reason behind the formation of the toxic foam in the is high phosphate content in the wastewater because of detergents used in dyeing industries, dhobi ghats and households, according to an official of the Central Pollution Control Board.

"A large number of unbranded detergents are also used in households and dyeing industries. The wastewater containing high phosphate content reach the river through untapped drains," he said.

These detergents and other organic matter get deposited in the riverbed when the river is flowing normally.

When water falls from a height on reaching a barrage, it leads to turbulence and churning which causes froth.

As per a DPCC report, against a discharge standard of 5 mg per litre for dissolved phosphates, their concentration in the Yamuna varies from 6.9 mg/l at Okhla to 13.42 mg/l at Khajoori Paltan (downstream of Najafgarh drain).

A comparison of the 2001 and 2002 Bureau of Indian Standards and those prescribed in 2020 show that Sodium Tripolyphosphates percentage for the household laundry detergents bars have been decreased from 9.5 (percentage by mass) to 5 for detergent bars, 2.5 for powder and to zero for household detergents for woollen and silk fabrics.

In its report submitted to the NGT, the YMC had also suggested that all the manufacturers of soaps and detergents be directed to disclose the ingredients present in the product and display the same on the package.

This is a matter which will only be effective if the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, under which the BIS functions, is directed to bring out a policy and notify not just standards but a mandatory requirement to declare the ingredients along with their proportion, it had said.

Soap making is not confined only to Delhi and even if efforts are made by the Delhi government, it will not have the intended effect on soap and detergent manufacturing in other states. Since the effluent joins the drains and the river in Delhi, the problem will continue, the committee had pointed 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.)
West Bengal Chief Minister on Monday said across the country are suffering due to the Centre's indifference, and vowed to fight for the welfare of the "very backbone" of society.

Banerjee also said the day marked the 10th year of the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill that was passed in the assembly after a "long struggle".

"Today, it pains me that across the nation our farmer brethren are suffering owing to the indifference of the Together, we shall continue our fight to ensure the well-being of the very backbone of our society. Upholding their rights remains a top priority," the CM tweeted.

"On this day, 10 years back, the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill 2011 was passed in the WB assembly after a long & difficult struggle. We unitedly fought for the rights of our & addressed their grievances, bringing in positive change in their lives," she added.

The Trinamool Congress supremo has been raising her voice and rendering support to the farmers' protests against the controversial agri laws passed in Parliament last year.

Sha had also assured farmer leaders led by Rakesh Tikait and Yudhvir Singh during a meeting last week of support to their agitation against the three farm laws.

The Bhartiya Kisan Union led by Tikait and Singh had supported the 'No vote for BJP' campaign ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, and have plans to extend that in other upcoming state elections as well.

(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.)
Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its shot was highly effective against Covid-19 and also protected against variants in a large, late-stage study in the US and Mexico.

The vaccine was about 90 per cent effective overall and preliminary data showed it was safe, the company said.

While demand for Covid-19 shots in the US has dropped off dramatically, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting vaccine supplies in the developing world.

That help is still months away, however. The company says it plans to seek authorization for the shots in the US, Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

Many of our first doses will go to low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with, Novavax Chief Executive Stanley Erck told The Associated Press.

While more than half of the US population has had at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, less than 1 percent of people in the developing world have had one shot, according to Our World In Data.

Novavax's study involved nearly 30,000 people ages 18 and up in the US and Mexico. Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart, and the rest got dummy shots.

There were 77 cases of Covid-19 14 in the group that got the vaccine and the rest were in volunteers who received dummy shots. None in the vaccine group had moderate or severe disease, compared to 14 in the placebo group.

The vaccine was similarly effective against several variants including the one first detected in the U.K. that's dominant in the US, and in high-risk populations including the elderly and people with other health problems.

Side effects were mostly mild tenderness and pain at the injection site. There were no reports of unusual blood clots or heart problems, Erck said.

Novavax reported the results in a press release and plans to publish in a medical journal, where it will be vetted by independent experts. The Maryland-based company previously released findings from smaller studies in Britain and South Africa.

Covid-19 vaccines train the body to recognize the coronavirus, especially the spike protein that coats it, and get ready to fight the virus off. The Novavax vaccine is made with lab-grown copies of that protein. That's different from some of the other vaccines now widely used, which include genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

The Novavax vaccine can be stored in standard refrigerators, making it easier to distribute.

Novavax previously announced manufacturing delays due to supply shortages. The company now expects to reach production of 100 million doses a month by the end of September and 150 million doses a month by December.

The company has committed to supplying 110 million doses to the US over the next year and a total of 1.1 billion doses to developing countries.

In May, vaccines alliance Gavi announced it had signed an agreement to buy 350 million doses of Novavax's vaccine, with deliveries estimated to begin in the third quarter. Covax, the global initiative to provide vaccines to countries, is facing a critical shortage of vaccines after its biggest supplier in India suspended exports until the end of the year, Novavax has been working on developing vaccines for more than three decades, but hasn't brought one to market. The company's vaccine work is partly funded by the US government.

(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 along with other entities on Monday floated a "draft letter offer" with regard to an open offer for acquisition of over 7 crore equity shares representing 26 per cent stake in Finance.

This forms part of the proposed deal to invest Rs 4,000 crore in the company through a preference issue.

An open offer is a mandatory offer an acquirer and persons acting in concert (PACs) have to make to the shareholders of a company in case the acquisition is in excess of 25 per cent stake, as per Sebi regulations.

The offer price for the open offer has been fixed at Rs 403.22 per share.

Pluto Investments S.a r.l alongside Salisbury Investments, Carlyle Asia Partners IV S C Sp, Carlyle Asia Partners V, S C Sp, Quality Investment Holdings and CAP IV AIV Mauritius -- collectively the PACs -- have made the open offer to the shareholders for acquisition of up to 70,793,011 equity shares of Finance.

Salisbury Investments is the family investment vehicle of Aditya Puri, ex-CEO of HDFC Bank, who is also a senior advisor for Carlyle in Asia.

On May 31, the board of directors of Finance cleared the proposal for Rs 4,000 crore capital infusion into the company in lieu of preference shares and warrants to the PACs.

Under the proposed deal, Rs 3,200 crore is to be raised through equity shares and Rs 800 crore by issuance of warrants.

Notably, PNB Housing Finance has not raised any equity capital in the past three years, except equity shares issued under the Employee Stock Option Plan.

Earlier in February this year, the Reserve Bank had rejected PNB's proposal for a capital infusion into its subsidiary PNB Housing.

An extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the shareholders of the housing financier is slated for June 22 to seek their approval for allotment of shares and warrants to the proposed investors, among others.

HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) is managing the open offer on behalf of the acquirers. The public announcement about the open offer was made on May 31, 2021.

The last date of the public announcement for completing the offer is June 28 and the last date for receipt of comments from markets regulator Sebi on the draft letter of offer (in case the regulator seeks additional information) is July 5, 2021.

The offer opening date is fixed at July 22 while the closing date is August 4, 2021, as per the draft letter of offer.

Last week, proxy advisory firm SES raised concerns about the proposed preferential issue and said that it will change the control of PNB Housing Finance -- from PNB being the sole promoter of the company to a joint control holder with

With this, PNB's stake in the company will come down to 20.28 per cent from the existing 32.64 per cent, while that of Carlyle will rise to 50.16 per cent from 32.21 per cent.

Carlyle will become the major shareholder and promoter along with its PACs, including Puri, SES said in a report.

It also said the proposed deal was an 'unfair transaction' which is against public shareholders as well as the promoter bank PNB.

SES further said the open offer is a mere formality given the present market price. "It is highly unlikely that any shareholder would tender their shares,' said the report.

PNB Housing Finance stock closed at Rs 776.85 apiece on BSE, down 5 per cent from previous close.

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Bar Association (SCBA) president Vikas Singh's proposal to consider apex court lawyers for elevation as high court judges is detrimental to the autonomy of HC collegiums and humiliating for the advocates practising in these courts, lawyers of the Rajasthan HC here said.

Taking objection to the proposal, the Advocates' Association (RHCAA) has written to the chief justice of India (CJI), urging him not to consider it as it will lead to discrimination among advocates based on the courts where they practise.

The SCBA president had written to N V Ramana on May 31.

On Sunday, Singh issued a clarification, saying his limited purpose behind the proposal was to press for the elevation of lawyers practising at the as high court judges. He added that he had only raised a long-pending demand of apex court lawyers.

Objecting to the proposal in his letter to the CJI, RHCAA president Nathu Singh Rathore said appointment of judges was an exclusive privilege of the high courts concerned.

"This proposal not only interferes with this privilege and this autonomy of the high courts, but also questions the talent and competence of advocates practising in the various high courts of the country," Rathore wrote.

The land of Rajasthan may be arid but it has no drought of talented and meritorious lawyers, he added.

The has produced the finest of jurists, Rathore wrote, adding that many of them rose to become chief justices of various high courts and judges at the

"One of them went on to serve as a judge at the International Court of Justice," he said.

With these assertions, the association appealed to the not to accept the proposal of the SCBA under any circumstances.

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Cloudtail India Pvt Ltd - the online retailing joint venture of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy's firm and com - faced a 5.5 million pounds ($7.7 million) demand, including interest and penalties, from tax authorities after it paid "meagre" taxes over the past four years, a media report said on Monday.

reportedly developed independent sellers such as Cloudtail, as 'special merchant' which enjoyed over 35 per cent of total sales on the platform until 2019.

While Murthy's Catamaran Ventures indirectly holds 76 per cent in Cloudtail and the remaining 24 per cent, the firm's two top posts - chief executive and finance director - were with the US retailer. Cloudtail's holding company, Prione is also run by a former Amazon manager, the report in 'The Guardian' newspaper said.

It said that it is not known precisely what the tax dispute is about and the company said that it was contesting the bill, adding that since the "matter is sub judice, we are unable to comment any further.

Following the report, the office of UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, who is son-in-law of Murthy, was forced to comment.

The revelations come just days after Sunak led the G7 finance ministers' charge to agree to a global deal designed to make tech companies pay more tax.

"Reaching an international agreement on how large digital companies are taxed has been a priority for the chancellor since he took office," said a spokesperson for his UK Treasury office.

"The Chancellor's consistent position has been that it matters where tax is paid, and any agreement must ensure digital businesses pay tax in the UK that reflects their economic activities. That is what our taxpayers would expect and is the right thing," the spokesperson said.

Sunak has been dubbed the UK's richest minister, largely as a result of his wife Akshata Murty's family wealth. The latest Guardian' report claims that an analysis of Cloudtail's accounts and activities shows that it is one of the largest sellers on Amazon.in, as part of a 76-24 per cent joint venture with Amazon.

"The company has received a show cause notice in the current year from Directorate General of Goods and Service Tax Intelligence amounting to INR 5,455 lakhs [5.5m] along with interest and penalties for service tax-related matters, it quotes Cloudtail's most recent accounts as saying.

It claims that the annual report further reveals that Cloudtail which only sells via the Amazon platform paid Amazon fees of 95 million pounds last year, almost 10 times more than the Indian business reported in profit.

According to its analysis, Murthy created the venture capital firm Catamaran, a trustee of the Hober Mallow Trust, which ultimately owns the stake in Cloudtail and whose beneficiaries are the Murthy family.

"The whole structure raises questions if Cloudtail is really an asset of Amazon and if the Murthys are the name lenders. The exact detail of the deal will only be known if the investigation agencies seek details of their shareholder agreements, Rashmi Das, an author specialising in Indian e-commerce, is quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The questions around the control of Cloudtail also recently prompted the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) to ask the Indian minister of commerce, Piyush Goyal, in February to investigate the joint venture to discover why its key personnel have typically joined from Amazon.

In a letter to Goyal, found on CAIT's Twitter account, it notes: Even though Murthy holds the majority of shares, he has allowed the (so-called) former employees of Amazon on the driver's seat of both Cloudtail and Prione The role of Murthy requires appropriate investigation.

Amazon maintains that it is operating in full compliance with local laws. However, last week the Indian competition commission got the go-ahead to relaunch an investigation into Amazon's selling practices in India.

After a court ruling, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) will examine complaints by a traders' group that small sellers are being driven out of business because the big US platforms are giving preferential treatment to preferred sellers.

A spokesperson for Prione Cloudtail's holding company, Catamaran and the Murthys told the Guardian': "Cloudtail has not violated any law and is in full compliance with the law of the land in letter and in spirit. The Murthy family has put in the required equity capital in Prione [parent company of Cloudtail], commensurate with its shareholding. The allegations are baseless and incorrect.

"Cloudtail is an independent company that makes business decisions to protect its interests. Cloudtail is governed by a board of directors. Catamaran has [a] majority of the directors and therefore controls the board. The members on the board from Catamaran are high-quality professionals with extensive business experience. The details of the decisions and deliberations of the board of Cloudtail are minuted and available for inspection by the relevant Indian authorities."



A spokesperson for Amazon said: "Amazon in India has always been fully compliant with all Indian laws.

"Specifically, our joint venture with Catamaran, as well as our marketplace operations, are in compliance with Indian [foreign direct investment] laws, and that includes Cloudtail as a seller.

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India's direct tax collection has nearly doubled this fiscal year so far over the equivalent period in 2020-21 in spite of economic disruption due to the second pandemic wave. The leading private equity player ICICI Venture is re-entering the start-up space after around two decades. Business Standard brings to you top headlines on Monday

Direct tax mop-up zooms 85% in spite of economic disruption

India's direct tax collection has nearly doubled this fiscal year so far over the equivalent period in 2020-21 in spite of economic disruption due to the second pandemic wave. Strong growth is visible as part of the first installment of advance tax flows in.

Also, the trend is in contrast to the moderation in goods and services tax collection seen last month.

Direct tax collection, net of refunds, stood at Rs 1.62 trillion up to June 11 this year against Rs 87,000 crore in the same period last year, posting 85 per cent growth. Read More

India gets wide support on TRIPS waiver for Covid-19 vaccines at G-7 meet

Prime Minister found widespread support from leaders, including the Australian prime minister, the director general of the WTO, as well as the UN Secretary General, for text-based negotiations for a temporary patent waiver for Covid-19 vaccines, proposed by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

He sought strong support for the proposal, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs P Harish told reporters. Read More

Banks' pricing of micro-finance loans may soon be linked to MCLR

Banks pricing of micro-finance loans may soon be linked to their marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) and caps imposed on per customer exposure to arrest levels of indebtedness.

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) may also be allowed leeway with a mark-up over 10 per cent of their cost of borrowings when pricing loans.

This takes into account the fact that they are not able to absorb the additional credit costs arising out of the pandemic for two consecutive financial years. Read More

ICICI Venture eyes digital start-ups, real estate fund of $300-400 million

ICICI Venture has decided to invest in digital start-ups and is considering setting up a separate fund for this purpose. It is also looking at setting up a new fund in real estate of around $300-400 million to leverage the post covid-19 requirements in the commercial space.

The leading private equity player is re-entering the start-up space after around two decades.

When it started as a venture capital fund in 1988, ICICI Venture focused on investing in early stage companies such as naukri.com but from 2002 on, it shifted back to later stage companies and bigger deals. Read More

Tata Digital's 1mg buy a prescription for strong e-pharma growth

Continuing its push into the digital online ecosystem, Tata Digital, which is building its super application ecosystem, has put online pharmacy player 1mg in its cart after betting on e-grocery BigBasket and fitness start-ups Cult.fit.

According to sources, Tata Digital, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Sons, has acquired 60 per cent stake in the start-up.

The deal size is valued at $270 million. 1mg has presence in the online health space and enables access to medicines, health and wellness products, diagnostics services, and teleconsultation. Read More
The Cabinet on Monday cleared a proposal for the construction of a bus station on par with international standards in at a cost of Rs 400 crore.

The cabinet also gave its nod to a proposal for the construction of a four-lane flyover on the Ayodhya-Sultanpur road.

The decisions were taken at an in-person cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Briefing reporters about the meeting, Cabinet minister Siddharth Nath Singh said, "A grand temple of Lord Ram is being built in and hence devotees from far-off places will come to visit. Keeping this in mind, a proposal to build a bus station of international standards has been approved."



"For the construction of the bus station, nine acres of land of the culture department will be given to the transport department. The bus station, which will be built at a cost of Rs 400 crore, will have all essential facilities for the devotees," he said.

Buses will be run between and all major cities of the state from this station.

Singh said the Cabinet also approved a proposal to build a four-lane flyover on the Ayodhya-Sultanpur road. The 1.5-km-long flyover will be built at a cost of over Rs 20 crore.

The Cabinet also approved the construction of a bus station at Anoopshahr in Bulandshahr and a four-lane flyover at GT Road in Allahabad.

The ministers who are in-charge of different districts of the state will be undertaking 'pravaas' (stay) at the block level in June and July. During their stays, the ministers will inspect community health centres and primary health centres. They will also seek feedback from the people on the various developmental schemes, Singh said.

The ministers will take part in Yoga Day celebrations on June 21 in their areas, he said.

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The Uttarakhand government on Monday extended the Covid-19 curfew in the hill state by one more week to June 22.

State minister Subodh Uniyal said that old guidelines will remain in place but with some minor changes.

In an important relaxation, the residents of Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi have been permitted to visit the Char Dham sites of Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri-Yamunotri, respectively. For this, a negative report of RTPCR was made mandatory.

"Covid curfew has been extended from June 15 to June 22. Old SOPs to be followed with some changes. People from Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi are now allowed to visit Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri-Yamunotri, respectively, only with a negative RT-PCR report," Uniyal said.

According to Uniyal, a negative report of RTPCR is still mandatory for those coming to Uttarakhand from outside states, some more concessions have also been given in the current system in Covid curfew.

The markets will open for three days a week, sweet shops for five days. Autos have been allowed to operate in cities, as well as it has been decided to open revenue courts.

(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.)
Fed-up young workers fear they need offices to save their careers

In what comes as a surprise to many, young employees are keen to get back to their office desks, more so than their older colleagues. Young white-collar workers feel that they have been cut off from their office teams and the pandemic has left them under-informed. There are now growing concerns that they are missing out on career opportunities older colleagues took for granted. According to a survey by Sharp Corp, more than half in the age group 21-30 said they are willing meet colleagues and work in-person. Half of the respondents in the age group 18-45 say they feel anxious about lack of of training and career opportunities, while the older colleagues have well established professional networks. Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 175,965,974

Global deaths: 3,804,217

Vaccine doses administered: 2,342,810,714

Nations with most cases: US (33,462,038), India (29,510,410), Brazil (17,412,766), France (5,802,314), Turkey (5,330,447).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

Japan gains backing from Biden, G7 for staging safe Olympics

US President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders backed Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the safe conduct of Olympics despite the pandemic. "We at G7 reiterate our support for the holding of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 in a safe and secure manner as a symbol of global unity in overcoming Covid-19," the G7 said in its final communique. The White House also said that Biden and his counterpart Suga had a convesrsation on the sidelines of the G7 summit. The statements come about five weeks before the curtain is set to rise on the unprecedented staging of the worlds biggest multisports event amid a pandemic. Read here

China invites Taiwanese to come to get vaccinated against Covid

China's government said that it welcomes Taiwanese to come and get vaccinated against Covid-19 and called on Taiwan to remove obstacles and allow its people to receive the "highly effective" Chinese shots. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly offered to send vaccines to the island, which is battling a spike in domestic infections but has expressed concern about the safety of Chinese shots and has not cleared them for use. About 62,000 Taiwanese had been vaccinated in China as of May 31. Read here

Covid restrictions eased across as infection rates fall

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is likely to delay the lifting of lockdown over Delta variant concerns. Where are other European countries on their roadmap out of lockdown? After the seven-day average of new daily infections fell from 16,600 to 5,100 over the past month, France entered the third phase of its relaxation. In Germany, with infection rates plunging, the countrys 16 states have begun opening up  although each sets its own rules. Italy's rolling seven-day average of new daily cases has fallen from 9,100 to 2,100 in the past month. All the countrys regions are expected to be classified as low-risk by the end of June. Read here
After registering dissent over the Council decisions on Covid-related materials, West Bengal Finance Minister, Amit Mitra,on Monday said that the Council was moving away from a consensus-based approach and slipping into an authoritarian and majoritarian approach.

Citing several examples of a dramatic shift, Mitra said that the Council was the only federalist institution, but in the last few years, an omnipotent, authoritarian and majoritarian approach was creeping into the Council.

One of the instances that Mitra pointed out related to borrowing to meet compensation shortfall of states. We had said that the Centre should borrow from its special window of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). But despite long sittings in the 42nd meeting of the GST Council, no decision was made, he said.

But when the RBI suggested the same, the Union government accepted, he pointed out. The decision was made outside the council. This undermines the credibility of the GST Council, added Mitra.

Mitras comments came after his letter to Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, expressing anguish, shortly after the single agenda GST Council meet on Covid-related materials held on Saturday.

He mentioned in the letter that his voice was muzzled and some of his comments were deleted as sought by the minister from UP.

Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Anurag Thakur, however, had commented on Saturday itself and said that it seemed as if the Finance Minister from West Bengal did not have a stable VC connection.

Mitra today said that microphones were controlled by central government establishments and asked to investigate why he was muted at a critical time when he was going to put forward his dissent.

Mitra had proposed a zero-rate for Covid-related materials. Alternatively, he had proposed a 0.1 per cent GST, which was within the power of the GST Council. Eight to nine states had proposed a zero-rate or 0.1 per cent.

However, the Council retained the GST on Covid-19 vaccine at 5 per cent and reduced tax rates on many Covid items from 18 to 5 per cent and from 12 to 5 per cent; on Tocilizumab and Amphotericin B (black fungus medicine), it was slashed to nil.

The decisions were in line with the recommendations by a group of ministers (GoM). The eight-member panel was mandated to examine tax exemption and concessions on Covid items.

However, Mitra pointed out that the GoM decision was not unanimous as Kerala minister had given a letter saying, zero-rating.

Other non-BJP states also expressed angst after the GST Council meeting.

Punjab finance minister, Manpreet Singh Badal, made a series of tweets on submissions before the Council on Saturday and commented: once in a century crisis, GST Councils GOM should stop acting like a Shahenshah.

Former Kerala Finance Minister, Thomas Isaac, tweeted that it was absolutely shocking that Bengal FM had to publicly complain that his voice was muzzled, some of his comments deleted and mike switched off in GST Council.

The Council doesnt meet for prolonged period. And this is what happens when it meets. Tragic! he added in the tweet and also said that urgent reforms were needed for GST Council and called for setting up a dispute resolution mechanism.

Elect a Vice Chairperson for the Council. Create an independent secretariat for the Council. Meetings to be held regularly, he further tweeted.

Mitra said at the press conference on Monday that according to procedure of conduct of business, the GST Council is supposed to meet every quarter. But after October, for seven months, there was no meeting and there was no intimation to ministers on this.

Mitra also pointed out that the GST implementation committee or GIC formed of officials to decide on procedural issues was amending important rules and they were being brought before the council for information.

On the fitment committee  which looks into tax rate changes  Mitra said, volumes of recommendations were sent to ministers close to the Council meeting leaving little time to evaluate.
West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Monday alleged that the has turned majoritarian and decisions were no longer taken on the basis of a consensus as originally envisaged.

He also said voices of the Group of Ministers in the council remained unheard.

Mitra said that he had tried his best to "raise objections" during the 44th meeting on Saturday, but the virtual link was snapped at a "critical time".

The veteran economist demanded a probe into how and who had "muted" his microphone when the meeting was in progress.

"Authoritarianism and majoritarianism have taken over the .. It's most unfortunate," he told reporters.

Mitra had also written a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after the meeting to record his "dissent" against decisions of the council.

"I was heard repeatedly in the meeting. But during the concluding part, I kept on raising my hand and you could see me... All (other) microphones were unmuted by the Centre's web management team.

"My microphone was muted and I could see it... I am not a fool. Please investigate and let me know. Why was my microphone muted at a critical time when I wanted to put across my dissent? I am giving the benefit of doubt," he said on Monday.

Stressing that he shared a "very cordial relationship" with Sitharaman, Mitra said he is yet to receive a reply from her.

Mitra had Saturday termed the GST Council's decision not to reduce taxes on COVID-19 vaccines as "anti-people".

The council has slashed tax rates on coronavirus drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab as well as on medical oxygen and oxygen concentrators, but ignored demands for a reduction in taxes on vaccines.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's and Brazil's first-quarter 2021 real GDP data show a strong rebound in both economies following a contraction last year of 4.4 per cent in Brazil and 7.1 per cent in India, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday.

Brazil's first-quarter GDP expanded 1.2 per cent from the previous quarter and 2.3 per cent from first-quarter 2020. India's first-quarter GDP rose 1.5 per cent quarter on quarter and year on year.

Therefore, in the first quarter of this year, Brazil's GDP reached and India's GDP surpassed their pre-Covid-19 fourth-quarter 2019 levels, said Moody's in its latest credit outlook report.

Brazil's GDP growth beat Moody's forecast, leading it to upgrade GDP growth forecast to 4.9 per cent in 2021 versus 3.3 per cent previously.

India's first-quarter GDP data suggests that the economy was rebounding strongly just before its second Covid-19 wave and renewed restrictions slowed economic activity in March and April.

"We expect India's real GDP to grow about 9.6 per cent in 2021 and 7 per cent in 2022."

The economic outlook for both countries is quite uncertain because of the downside risks of potential third waves of coronavirus, said Moody's.

Nevertheless, both countries' recoveries in real GDP since the second-quarter 2020 pandemic shock suggest that the pace of activity will improve markedly if the pandemic is brought under control on a sustained basis with the help of vaccinations.

India's household and government consumption as well as an 11 per cent year-on-year increase in fixed investment drove its first-quarter recovery.

Net exports which rose slower than imports diminished GDP growth. On the supply side, agriculture, manufacturing and construction led the recovery.

High-frequency indicators show that India's overall economic activity continued to rebound until March this year despite a resurgence of Covid-19 cases toward the end of February.

However, targeted lockdown measures in economically important states began taking a toll on economic activity starting in April. With infections now off their peak, states are beginning to ease restrictions.

As in Brazil, India's mobility and economic activity will likely accelerate in the second half of the year as the pace of vaccinations accelerates. The government's recently announced strategy to vaccinate 940 million people by December will support economic recovery.

In both countries, said Moody's, the pace of economic recovery will likely be uneven. Ultimately, the rebound will depend on increased private consumption which can be delayed by weaker household balance sheets as a result of job, income and wealth losses.

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The recruitment for the clinical trial of the country's first indigenously-developed Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, among children in the age group of 6-12 years will begin at the AIIMS here from Tuesday.

This will be followed by the clinical trial of children in the age-group of 2-6 years.

The enrolment of children volunteers aged 12-18 years at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been completed and they have been given the first dose of Covaxin.

"The recruitment process for the clinical trial of Covaxin among children in the age group of 6-12 years will begin from Tuesday," Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at the Centre for Community Medicine at the AIIMS, told PTI.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had granted permission for conducting the phase 2/3 clinical trial of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin among children aged two to 18 years on May 12.

The trial is to be conducted in three parts -- 175 volunteers each in the groups aged 12-18, 6-12 and 2-6 years.

In the trial, the vaccine will be given by the intramuscular route in two doses on day 0 and day 28.

Covaxin, indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is being used in adults in the country's ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive.

The will evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of the vaccine in children.

The government recently cautioned that even though COVID-19 has not taken a serious shape among children till now, its impact can increase among them if there is a change in the virus behaviour or epidemiology dynamics and said preparations are being strengthened to deal with any such situation.

A national expert group has been formed to review COVID-19 cases in children and approach the pandemic in a renewed way to strengthen the country's preparedness, NITI Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul had told a press conference.

The group has examined signs that were not available four-five months before, he had said.
A constituted panel is yet to submit its recommendations for the criteria to evaluate class 12 students whose exams have been cancelled in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to sources.

The 13-member panel, set up by the board for the purpose, was supposed to submit its report by Monday. However, it is likely to take a few more days for finalising the criteria.

"The panel has not submitted its report. Widespread discussions have been held to come up with a fair and objective criteria. The final recommendations will be submitted soon," a source said.

"Most panel member are in favour of giving weightage to class 10 and 11 scores besides pre board and internal exams for class 12. However, a final call is yet to be taken and the report will be submitted in a few days," the source added.

The Supreme Court on June 3 granted the central government two weeks time to devise a well-defined objective criteria for assessment of Class 12.

The had on June 4 constituted a 13-member committee to work out the criteria. The panel was given ten days to submit its report.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has also written to Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' suggesting that the result for class 12 students, whose exams were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, should be tabulated taking into account the marks scored during class 10, 11 and pre-board exams.

The government on June 1 cancelled the class 12 board exams amid the continuing pandemic across the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that the decision was taken in the interest of students, and the anxiety among students, parents and teachers must be put to an end.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Modi in which it was decided that the CBSE will take steps to compile the results of Class 12 students according to a well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner.

It was also decided in the meeting that in case some students desire to take the exams, such an option would be provided to them by the CBSE as and when the situation becomes conducive.

The exams were scheduled to be conducted in May-June and were postponed in view of the second wave of the pandemic. The CBSE had already cancelled class 10 board exams and announced an alternative marking policy.

According to the policy, while 20 marks for each subject will be for internal assessment as every year, 80 marks will be calculated on basis of the students' performance in tests or exams throughout the year.

The weightage in terms of maximum marks for schools which have conducted the tests and exams through the year will be -- periodic test/unit test (10 marks), half-yearly exam (30 marks) and pre-board exams (40 marks).

For class 10, schools have been asked to submit the tabulated marks by June 30 and the result is expected to be declared in July.

(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 global minimum corporate tax would generate around $150 billion in extra revenue for governments across the world, according to the official overseeing frenetic talks to get a deal between 139 countries in coming weeks.

This is not an anecdotal amount, Pascal Saint-Amans, director of the center for tax policy at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), said on BFM Business television on Monday. In some ways, this is the end of the work on regulating globalisation for greater tax justice.



After seven years of technical work on an overhaul of taxation, negotiators at the OECD will meet in Paris June 30 with the aim of making a proposal before a meeting of the Group of 20 industrialised nations in July. That follows an agreement between the Group of Seven to set a floor on corporate tax rates of at least 15 per cent instead of the current average of 6 per cent to 7 per cent.

The $150 billion estimate by Saint-Aman takes into account the OECD deal on minimum tax, as well as a revised version of existing US measures on taxing foreign profits known as GILTI.

Alongside negotiations on a global minimum rate, the OECD is also working on a system to divide up between governments the rights to tax multinationals, particularly tech firms. The G7 proposed applying new rules to the largest and most profitable businesses, but that has raised concerns that Amazon.Com would not be included because of its thin margins.

Saint-Amans said those concerns are a false debate, because the OECD plans to segment its operations to isolate the online retailers high-margin cloud services operations. The draft agreement foresees that cloud profits would be part of the solution and shared out between states, Saint Amans said.

He added that political momentum to stop firms parking profits in tax havens, and a need for governments to repair finances after the pandemic, mean that a G-20 deal is possible.

Its a month already that weve had little sleep, and the next two weeks will be very important, Saint-Amans said. Common sense is difficult for the community, but I think we can get there.


President has arrived in the capital of Belgium for the upcoming summit, wearing a mask because of the as an honour guard and trumpeters greeted him.

The US president wrapped up a three-day meeting for the Group of Seven nations on Sunday and after a tea with Queen Elizabeth II flew to Brussels for the meeting scheduled to begin Monday.

Biden says that a strong partnership is vital for maintaining U.S. national security for the remainder of the century.

Cyber defence and climate change are among the topics being discussed at the summit.

Biden will also meet Tuesday with European Union leaders as well as visit Belgian King Phillipe. The president will finish the eight-day trip Wednesday by meeting in Geneva with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(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.)
President makes his entrance at a summit aiming to consult European allies on efforts to counter provocative actions by China and Russia while highlighting the US commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump.

The summit Monday comes as Biden tries to rally allies for greater coordination in checking China and Russia, two adversaries whose actions on economic and national security fronts have become the chief foreign policy concerns in the early going of the Biden presidency.

Biden will use his time at the summit to underscore the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on one member is an attack on all and is to be met with a collective response.

I will make it clear that the United States' commitment to our alliance and Article 5 is rock solid, Biden told US troops in the United Kingdom last week on the first stop of his eight-day European trip. It's a sacred obligation."



The White House said the communique to be signed by alliance members at the end of the summit is expected to include language about updating Article 5 to include major cyber attacks a matter of growing concern amid a series of hacks targeting the US government and businesses around the globe by Russia-based hackers.

The update will spell out that if an alliance member needs technical or intelligence support in response to a cyber attack, it would be able to invoke the mutual defense provision to receive assistance, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

The president will begin his day meeting with leaders of the Baltic states on NATO's eastern flank regarding the "threat posed by Russia, China and the recent air piracy in Belarus, according to Sullivan. He'll also meet with NATO secretary Jens Stoltenberg.

Biden's itinerary in Europe has been shaped so that he would first gather with Group of Seven leaders for a three-day summit on the craggy shores of Cornwall and then with NATO allies in Brussels before his much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

At the G-7, leaders sought to convey that the club of wealthy democracies Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States is a better friend to poorer nations than authoritarian rivals such as China and Russia.

The G-7 meeting ended with a communique that called out forced labour practices and other human rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province. The president declined to discuss private summit negotiations over the provision, but said he was satisfied with the communique, although differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to call out Beijing.

Biden is focused on building a more cohesive bond between America and allies who had become wary of US leadership after enduring four years of Trump's name-calling and frequent invectives about the relevance of multilateral alliances like NATO.

The last administration was at odds with some leading NATO members, including Britain, Germany and France, over Trump's 2018 decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement that was brokered during the Obama administration. The accord limited Iran's uranium enrichment programme in exchange for an easing of sanctions.

Trump and other critics felt the deal gave Tehran too many economic benefits without doing enough to prevent Iran from eventually developing a nuclear weapon. The Biden administration is now seeking a path to resurrecting the accord.

Trump also complained that the NATO alliance allows global freeloading countries to spend less on military defense at the expense of the US and dismissed the alliance as obsolete.

Biden offered a pointed rejoinder on Sunday, saying: We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket. We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security for ... the remainder of the century. And there's a real enthusiasm.

When alliance members last met for a summit in England in December 2019, Trump grabbed headlines by calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau two-faced and French President Emanuel Macron nasty."



Trump lashed out after Trudeau was caught on a hot mic gossiping with other leaders about Trump turning photo opportunities into long news conferences. Ahead of the summit, Macron had declared NATO brain dead" because of a void in US leadership under Trump.

Biden has already acknowledged during his Europe tour that the alliance needs to ensure better burden sharing and needs stepped up American leadership. He's also highlighted NATO members' contributions in the war in Afghanistan.

The US and the alliance are winding down their involvement in the nearly 20-year war that killed tens of thousands of Afghans and more than 3,500 US and allied troops, while raising profound questions about whether NATO's most ambitious effort was worth it.

The military effort followed the 2001 arrival of a US-led coalition that ousted the Taliban for harboring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

For now, NATO plans to leave civilian advisers to help build up government institutions. It's unclear who will protect them. The alliance is also weighing whether to train Afghan special forces outside the country.

NATO members are also expected to endorse the creation of a new cyber defense policy to improve coordination with countries impacted by the increasing frequency of ransomware attacks, a climate security action plan to reduce greenhouse gases from military activities in line with national commitments under the Paris Agreement and a commitment to strengthen NATO's deterrence to meet threats from Russia and elsewhere, according to the White House.

Biden will also meet with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday on the sidelines of the summit.

The two leaders were expected to discuss Syria and Iran as well as what role Turkey can play on Afghanistan following the US troop withdrawal, according to the White House. Also on the agenda: how Washington and Ankara deal with some of our significant differences on values and human rights and other issues, Sullivan said.

The unsettled security situation in Libya, as well as overlapping concerns on China and Russia are also expected to be discussed.

(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.)
Nato leaders agree that poses a constant security challenge and is working to undermine the global rules-based system, and they are worried about how fast it's developing nuclear missiles.

In a summit statement Monday, the leaders said that Chinas goals and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based order and to areas relevant to alliance security. While the 30 heads of state and government avoid calling a rival, they did express concern about its coercive policies, the opaque ways it is modernising its armed forces and its use of disinformation.

They called on Beijing to uphold its commitments and to act responsibly in the system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power. But they welcomed opportunities to engage with China on issues like climate change.

Earlier, G7 nations meeting in Britain over the weekend had scolded over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy and demanded a full investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China.

Chinas embassy in London said it was resolutely opposed to mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which it said distorted the facts and exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, shortly after arriving at the alliances headquarters for the first Nato summit reaffirmed the US sacred commitment to Nato. His predecessor Donald Trump had questioned the relevance of the multilateral organisation.

China tried to warn US off strengthening Quad



Earlier, on Sunday, Biden revealed how China tried to warn him off strengthening the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, referred to as the Quad as an informal strategic partnership between India, Japan, Australia and the United States.

Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of the UK-hosted G7 Summit in Cornwall, the President who took charge in the White House earlier this year said that in his conversation with a Chinese leader he was asked about his international relations plans before he assumed the presidency. Biden did not reveal the identity of the Chinese leader.

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Biden for two hours in February, days after he assumed office as the US President.

On February 11, President Biden said: I was on the phone for two straight hours with Xi Jinping... and it was a good conversation... Biden then recalled of the meeting with an unidentified Chinese leader  When I was asked what I was going to be doing after being elected, I said were going to re-establish the strength of American relationships so we can be counted on again



The US president said the Chinese leader suggested that, Well, maybe you (Biden) shouldn't get the Quad
US President has revealed how China tried to warn him off strengthening the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, referred to as the as an informal strategic partnership between India, Japan, Australia and the United States.

Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of the UK-hosted G7 Summit in Cornwall on Sunday, the President who took charge in the White House earlier this year said that in his conversation with a Chinese leader he was asked about his relations plans before he assumed the presidency. Biden did not reveal the identity of the Chinese leader.

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Biden for two hours in February, days after he assumed office as the US President.

On February 11, President Biden said: "Last night, I was on the phone for two straight hours with Xi Jinping. And you all know as well as I do, these folks - and it was a good conversation. I know him well. We spent a lot of time together over the years I was Vice President."



When I was asked what I was going to be doing after being elected, I said we're going to re-establish the strength of American relationships so we can be counted on again, Biden recalled on Sunday of the meeting with the unidentified Chinese leader.

The Chinese leader then requested him to not get India, Japan, Australia, and the US together under the umbrella.

Biden said the Chinese leader suggested that, "Well, maybe you (Biden) shouldn't get the Quad" - meaning India, Japan, Australia, and the United States - "working together."



Known as the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, representatives for the four member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007.

Interestingly, Biden hosted the first virtual summit of leaders on March 12.

During the summit, President Biden told leaders of the coalition that a "free and open" Indo-Pacific is essential to their countries and vowed that his country was committed to working with its partners and allies in the region to achieve stability.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga attended the virtual summit.

The Quad member states have been resolving to uphold a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

The Quadrilateral alliance is often projected in the official media in China as an alliance against the Communist giant's rise.

China's military and the foreign ministry have repeatedly criticised the Biden administration for continuing the Trump era "Indo-Pacific strategy", saying the US should not form "cliques" or provoke "new Cold War" featuring bloc confrontation.

In November 2017, India, Japan, the US and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.

The US has been favouring Quad as a security architecture to check China's growing assertiveness.

China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are also vital to global trade.

With reference to China, the US President pointed out that unlike the previous G7 Summits there was a clear action plan related to the region this time, including a climate-friendly, transparent alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative in the US-proposed Belt and Road Initiative: the Build Back Better.

"I think we're in a contest not with China per se, but a contest with autocrats, autocratic governments around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in the rapidly changing 21st century, he said.

"You're going to see just straightforward dealing with China. And again, we're not looking as I've told Xi myself, I'm not looking for conflict. Where we can cooperate, we'll cooperate. Where we disagree, I'm going to state it frankly, and we are going to respond to actions that are inconsistent, noted Biden, in response to a question on China.

The US President on Sunday also highlighted American leadership of the "Build Back Better" theme across the fields of transitioning the world to cleaner energy sources on an urgent basis and also fighting corruption and cyber threats at a global level.

On the issue of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinations, Biden made a special reference to India's role in the global vaccination drive.

"This is a gigantic logistical effort we are also providing the ability for other countries to manufacture their vaccines. We've all agreed on that. India has the capacity to do that. They don't have the material capacity thus far to do the manufacturing. But there's a lot going on to provide not only to, quote, 'give' vaccines, but to provide the ability of the countries in question to produce their own vaccines," he said.

And, to send out a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden responded to a question about a low point in US-Russia relations with a message about the importance of acting consistent with norms.

"We're not looking for conflict. We are looking to resolve those actions which we think are inconsistent with international norms, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The head of the World Organization said on Monday that barriers related to medical supplies used against Covid-19 had risen and urged member states to drop them, as it intensified efforts to reach a deal on vaccine-sharing.

The trend is going in the wrong direction, Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told a virtual UN forum, referring to barriers on goods related to the pandemic. We need to bring those restrictions down so we can move ... medical goods and supplies and vaccines (faster).



She said the number of trade restrictions reported by member states was 109 at the start of the pandemic early last year, and had later fallen to 51 but had since risen to 53, without giving a time-frame.

One such measure is the European Unions export authorisation scheme for COVID-19 vaccines, which is set to expire on 30 June. Okonjo-Iweala has previously said she is disappointed by the scheme.
The overall number of nuclear warheads in global stockpiles appears to be increasing this year, a new finding released by the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday reveals.

"The nine nuclear-armed states - the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) - together possessed an estimated 13 080 at the start of 2021. This marked a decrease from the 13 400 that SIPRI estimated these states possessed at the beginning of 2020," SIPRI said.

However, SIPRI research shows that this declining trend appears to have stalled.

"Despite this overall decrease, the estimated number of currently deployed with operational forces increased to 3825, from 3720 last year," the research institute said.

According to SIPRI, the US and Russia continued to reduce their nuclear weapon arsenals in 2020, but both are estimated to have had around 50 more nuclear warheads in operational deployment at the start of 2021 than a year earlier.

"Both countries' deployed strategic nuclear forces remained within the limits set by the 2010 Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START), although the treaty does not limit total nuclear warhead inventories," SIPRI specified.

The institute also pointed out that China is modernizing and expanding its nuclear weapon inventory, along with India and Pakistan.

In February, Russia and the United States agreed to extend the New START treaty for five more years without renegotiating any of its terms. The treaty, now set to expire on February 5, 2026, is the only arms control agreement between two countries that is still in force.

The treaty limits each party's nuclear arsenal to 1,550 deployed warheads, 800 launchers, and 700 missiles. Both the United States and Russia met the central limits of the New START Treaty in 2018, and have stayed at or below them ever since.

According to the White House, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden are expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues related to strategic stability and arms control during their Wednesday summit in Geneva.

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Benjamin Netanyahu, unseated after a bruising, two-year battle to hold on to his job, is already plotting a comeback.

The once-invincible Israeli leader was voted out of office on Sunday after 12 uninterrupted years in power, replaced by a shaky governing alliance beset by deep internal divisions.

When Netanyahu addressed parliament in his waning moments as prime minister, there were no pro forma well wishes for his successor, religious Jewish nationalist Naftali Bennett, but rather a pointed warning, delivered in his U.S-accented English: Well be back -- soon.

The new coalition will govern with the slimmest majorities -- commanding 61 of parliaments 120 seats -- and runs the gamut of Israeli politics: secular and religious factions, hawks and doves, free marketeers and social democrats, and an Arab party for the first time in Israeli history.





Survival could prove a challenge, given the conflicting ideologies. At the same time, the alliance coalesced around a desire to oust Netanyahu, whos standing trial on corruption charges -- and that might prove to be the glue that holds it together to block any comeback bid he might make.

Under a power-sharing agreement that allowed the new government to get off the ground, Bennett, a 49-year-old former Netanyahu ally, will serve until August 2023. Hell be replaced by centrist Yair Lapid, who was the main architect of this unlikely coalition and will lead the country through November 2025. Stocks and the shekel were little changed early Monday.



ALSO READ: Netanyahu out, Naftali Bennett in as Israel marks end of an era

Netanyahu -- still Israels most popular politician -- made it clear that hed waste no time trying to reclaim his old job.

If were destined to be in the opposition, we will do it with our heads held high until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country in our way, he said in a speech preceding parliaments vote of confidence in the new government, which passed by a hair -- 60 to 59, with one abstention.

After four elections in two years and one short-lived and dysfunctional government, the disparate new coalition plans to focus on issues where common ground can be staked out. One of the things its pledged to immediately pursue is a term-limit law to ensure another run like Netanyahus never happens again. In all, Israels longest-serving prime minister governed for 15 years, including a three-year stint in the late 1990s.

The new government also aims to approve a national budget -- last done in 2018 -- within 145 days, with a focus on reducing inequality, and boosting employment in the nations booming tech sector. It will be much harder to find agreement on diplomatic and security issues like the conflict with the Palestinians and how to deal with the Iranian nuclear program.

The coalition must steer away from issues that divide it and concentrate instead on matters where they can find consensus, such as upgrading infrastructure, and investing in the health system and Israeli Arab communities, said Gideon Rahat, a senior fellow at the Israeli Democracy Institute research center in Jerusalem.

They have to concentrate on the things that unite them and continue to feel that Netanyahu is out there waiting for their failure, Rahat told Bloomberg TV on Monday.

Ultimately, the fate of any comeback could depend on whether allies see Netanyahu as impeding the right wings return to power, he said in a separate interview on Sunday. That could be his end, he said.

Goldman Sachs economists, in a note late Sunday, said the wide range of political views means the new coalitions long-term stability remains uncertain.





ALSO READ: Explained: What will change under Israel's new administration?

Nevertheless, we continue to think that the impact of political uncertainty on Israeli asset prices remains limited, they said. If a national budget is passed, this could provide a more positive backdrop for the economy, they added.

Netanyahu, 71, finds himself outside the halls of the power after former nationalist allies turned against him following more than two years of political turmoil closely linked to his legal woes. A world-lauded coronavirus vaccination drive couldnt save him. Neither could diplomatic deals with four mostly Muslim states in the Persian Gulf and Africa, or close ties with former U.S. President Donald Trump that yielded gifts including U.S. recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israels capital.





Naftali Bennett. Photo: Bloomberg

He possesses an especially strong incentive to try to get back to the prime ministers office. A return to power gives him the chance to suspend his graft trial by passing legislation shielding a sitting leader from prosecution.

Hes accused of illicitly accepting gifts from billionaire friends and trying to win sympathetic press coverage by shaping regulation to benefit media moguls -- charges he denies.
leaders on Monday will expand the use of their all for one, one for all, collective defense clause to include attacks in space, the military organization's top civilian official said.

Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty states that attack on any one of the 30 allies will be considered an attack on them all.

So far, it's only applied to more traditional military attacks on land, sea, or in the air, and more recently in cyberspace.

"I think it is important (with) our Article 5, which states that an attack on one will be regarded as an attack on all, that we all will respond," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, at a German Marshall Fund think tank event.

"We will make it clear at this summit that, of course, any attack on capabilities like satellites and so on or attacks from will or could trigger Article 5," he said, a few hours before chairing a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts.

Around 2,000 satellites orbit the earth, over half operated by countries, ensuring everything from mobile phone and banking services to weather forecasts. Military commanders rely on some of them to navigate, communicate, share intelligence and detect missile launches.

In December 2019, NATO leaders declared to be the alliance's fifth domain of operations, after land, sea, air and cyberspace. Many member countries are concerned about what they say is increasingly aggressive behaviour in space by China and Russia.

Around 80 countries have satellites, and private companies are moving in, too. In the 1980s, just a fraction of NATO's communications was via satellite.

Today, it's at least 40 per cent. During the Cold War, NATO had more than 20 stations, but new technologies mean the world's biggest security organisation can double its coverage with a fifth of that number.

NATO's collective defense clause has only been activated once, when the members rallied behind the United States following the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Former President Donald Trump raised deep concern among U.S. allies, notably those bordering Russia like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, when he suggested that he might not rally to their side if they didn't boost their defense budgets.

Biden has been trying to reassure them since taking office and will use the summit as a formal opportunity to underline America's commitment to its European allies and Canada.

(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.)
leaders are expected to brand a security risk to the Western alliance when they meet on Monday, a day after the Group of Seven rich nations issued a statement on human rights in and Taiwan that Beijing said slandered its reputation.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has described the summit, which U.S. President Joe Biden will attend for the first time, as a "pivotal moment".



Members aim to show that the seven-decades-old defence alliance remains a central support for U.S. efforts to uphold peace and democracy around the world, including standing up to and its rapid military rise.



"We know that China does not share our values ... we need to respond together as an alliance," Stoltenberg said as he arrived for the one-day summit in Brussels.



"China is coming closer to us. We see them in cyber space, we see China in Africa, but we also see China investing heavily in our own critical infrastructure," he said, a reference to ports and telecoms networks.



Diplomats said the summit's final communique would not call China an adversary - and Stoltenberg said China was not an enemy - but would demonstrate concern, calling it a "systemic" challenge to Atlantic security as it joins Russia with military drills, launches cyber attacks and rapidly builds up its navy.



nations meeting in Britain over the weekend scolded China over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy and demanded a full and thorough investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China.

China's embassy in London said it was resolutely opposed to mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which it said distorted the facts and exposed the "sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States".



"China's reputation must not be slandered," the embassy said on Monday.



RUSSIA ALSO ON NATO RADAR



White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday leaders had rallied around the need to "counter and compete" with China on challenges ranging from safeguarding democracy to technology.



"China will feature in the (NATO) communique in a more robust way than we've ever seen before," Sullivan told reporters aboard Biden's plane, Air Force One, from the summit in England to the Belgian capital.



Since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, NATO has modernised its defences but has only recently begun to look more seriously at any potential threat from Chinese ambitions.



From China's investments in European ports and plans to set up military bases in Africa to joint military exercises with Russia in the Baltic, NATO is now agreed that Beijing's rise deserves a strong response.



Meanwhile, Russia's efforts to divide the West will run through discussions, diplomats said, ahead of a meeting between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in Geneva.



"The relationship between NATO and Russia is at a low point, the lowest point since the end of the Cold War," Stoltenberg told The Times Radio on Sunday.



"We see the willingness to use military force against neighbours; Ukraine, Georgia. But we also see cyber attacks. We see attempts to meddle in our political democratic processes, to undermine the trust in our institutions and efforts to divide us," he said.



Given the threats, leaders hope to hear Biden recommit the United States to NATO's collective defence after his predecessor Donald Trump's confrontational rhetoric towards allies from 2017 to 2019 at summits created an impression of crisis, envoys said.



"We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security and I want them to know that NATO is a sacred obligation," said Biden on Sunday at the end of the G7 before flying to Brussels.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK (Reuters) - rose on Monday, hitting their highest levels in more than two years, supported by economic recovery and the prospect of fuel demand growth as vaccination campaigns in developed countries accelerate.

Brent rose 34 cents to $73.03 a barrel by 12:56 p.m. EDT (1656 GMT). Earlier in the session, it reached $73.64 a barrel, its highest since April 2019.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 27 cents to $71.18 a barrel. It hit a session high of $71.78 a barrel, its highest since October 2018.

"The two leading crude markers are trading at (almost) two-and-a-half-year highs amid a potent bullish cocktail of demand optimism and OPEC+ supply cuts," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

"This backdrop of strengthening oil fundamentals have helped underpin heightened levels of trading activity."

Motor vehicle traffic is returning to pre-pandemic levels in North America and much of Europe, and more planes are in the air as anti-coronavirus lockdowns and other restrictions are being eased, driving three weeks of increases for the oil benchmarks.

The mood was also buoyed by the G7 summit where the world's wealthiest Western countries sought to project an image of cooperation on key issues such as recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the donation of 1 billion vaccine doses to poor nations.

The Energy Agency said on Friday that it expected global demand to return to pre-pandemic levels at the end of 2022, more quickly than previously anticipated.

The IEA urged the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, to increase output to meet the rising demand.

The OPEC+ group has been restraining production to support prices after the pandemic wiped out demand in 2020, maintaining strong compliance with agreed targets in May.

On the supply side, heavy maintenance seasons in Canada and the North Sea also helped prices stay high, said Rystad Energy analyst Louise Dickson.

"In June 2021, Rystad Energy estimates more than 330,000 barrels per day of oil and condensate supply is offline at Canada oil sands projects, and 370,000 bpd of supply offline in the North Sea," Dickson said.

U.S. oil rigs in operation rose by six to 365, the highest since April 2020, energy services company Baker Hughes Co said in its weekly report.

It was the biggest weekly increase of oil rigs in a month, as drilling companies sought to benefit from rising demand.

(Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in New York; additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, visited the city of Philadelphia during which he interacted with some of the top pharmaceutical companies and had a meeting with the city mayor, who applauded for supplying with two million N-95 masks last year.

A pleasure to start the day in Philadelphia with a meeting" with Philadelphia Mayor Jim F Kenney, Sandhu said in a tweet as he kicked off his two-day trip to the city on June 11.

This was his first travel out of the national capital area during the COVID-19 crisis.

During the meeting, Kenney thanked for supplying two million N-95 masks to Philadelphia in 2020, Sandhu said.

In September 2020, the mayor had sought India's assistance in facilitating export of N95 masks for the frontline workers of Philadelphia. The Indian Embassy responded by expediting the request and facilitating a supply of 1.8 million masks which were received by Philadelphia on October 5, 2020.

During the meeting between Sandhu and Kenney, the discussions focused on economic, healthcare and education ties and the dynamic diaspora.

They also discussed future healthcare cooperation, including in therapeutics. The mayor was keen on increasing air connectivity between Philadelphia and

Kenney and Sandhu discussed the potential to collaborate on sustainability initiatives, including electric mobility.

From economic, healthcare and education ties to the dynamic diaspora, India values partnership with this historic city, Sandhu said in another tweet.

Sandhu visited the Ocugen facilities and Jubilant Pharma office in Philadelphia.

The Jubilant Pharma based in Yardley, Pennsylvania, is a subsidiary of Jubilant Life Sciences Limited based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Ocugen Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercialising gene therapies to treat rare and underserved eye diseases and developing a vaccine to fight COVID-19.

Noting that Indian pharmaceutical companies are playing an important role in expanding public health in the US, Sandhu tweeted, A fruitful interaction with Jubilant Pharma leadership in #Philadelphia at the new office. Their critical drugs lead the fight against the pandemic.

Jubilant Pharma has signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc for the manufacturing and distribution of Remdesivir (API) which has received an Emergency Use Authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of COVID-19 pandemic. The authorisation belongs to the injectable form of Remdesivir only.

During his meeting with Jubilant CEO Pramod Yadav, Sandhu discussed the critical drugs that Jubilant manufactures in the fight against pandemic.

The company officials briefed the Ambassador on the range of their activities and production capacities in the US. The company has created 2400 job in the US.

In April, Jubilant Pharma concluded safety and pharmacokinetic/absorption studies of a new oral formulation of remdesivir in animals and health human volunteers in India. The novel formulation can potentially lower the capacity constraint faced by the injectable form of remdesivir and guarantee broader and timely availability for the patients.

Ocugen CEO Dr Shankar Musunuri and other Board members briefed Sandhu that they were in discussions with the FDA, on development and commercialisation of COVAXIN in the US market.

In February, Ocugen entered into an agreement with Bharat Biotech Limited (Bharat Biotech) for development and commercialisation of Covaxin.

The India-US healthcare partnership continues to grow! Visited Ocugen facilities in Philadelphia and met their Board members. Discussed issues relating to bringing #Covaxin into the US," Sandhu tweeted.

As home to some of the top academic research institutions in the country, Philadelphia has attracted a number of high-tech sectors, including pharmaceuticals. In 2019, Philadelphia became the sixth largest life sciences market in the US.

Sandhu also met Prof Tariq Thachil, Director of the Centre for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania. It is the first research institution in the US dedicated to the study of contemporary India.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The American father-son duo charged with helping former Chairman flee trial in Japan a year and a half ago pleaded guilty in a Tokyo court Monday.

Appearing for the first time since they were extradited to Japan from the U.S. earlier this year, Michael Taylor, 60, and Peter Taylor, 28, listened as the prosecutor read out the charges. Asked by the judge whether there was any problem with the charges, Michael replied No, your Honor while Peter said No, maam.

The duo, dressed similarly in dark jacket and pants, white shirt with no tie and plastic slippers, arrived in handcuffs. Michael appeared frail, his hair thinning and voice raspy. His son appeared stronger and spoke with confidence. Both have spent time in solitary confinement.

The Taylors were brought to Japan in March to face charges related to their involvement in Ghosns escape in late 2019 from Japan, where he was facing charges of financial misconduct. After smuggling himself in a case for audio equipment and boarding a private jet, the former auto executive made his way to Beirut, where he currently resides.

ALSO READ: 2 Americans stand trial in Japan, accused in Carlos Ghosn's escape

The pair face a maximum of three years in prison on charges of harboring or enabling the escape of a criminal. They had already served time in the U.S. before being extradited, and its not clear whether that time will be factored into their sentencing in Japan. The State Department said it would inform the Japanese government of the amount of time the Taylors had served so that it could be factored into any sentence imposed, according to a letter seen by Bloomberg News.

A former Green Beret, Michael has never denied his involvement in Ghosns escape, even describing how he executed the operation in an interview with Vanity Fair before he was arrested. A longtime security consultant, Michael said he had been planning the operation for months, though he had maintained that his son, Peter, had no role in the escape.

Private Jet Payment

Upon entering the courtroom at the Tokyo District Court on Monday afternoon around 2 p.m. local time, the Taylors, represented by five lawyers, were handed earphones to listen to the translation, asked their particulars by one of the judges and then read details of their indictment by one of two prosecutors.

The prosecutor outlined how Ghosn was facing a trial for falsifying financial reports and breach of trust, and knowing that he was supposed to face this trial and he should not hide or go abroad, knowing all that, you helped him avoid the trial by helping him escape via Turkey to Lebanon?

He then read from a statement that said the Taylors hid Ghosn in some luggage, then took him to a hotel in Osaka and then onto Kansai airport, still hidden. The box with Ghosn was then moved to the airport past the premium gate, past security and placed on a jet that left Japanese territory.



Both Michael and Peter, who appeared calm throughout and briefly looked at reporters in the audience box, said there was no problem with those allegations.

The court was also provided with a description of some of the mechanics surrounding Ghosns dramatic escape, including how in order to provide Ghosn with a private jet, around $862,000 was transferred to the bank account of a company that Peter was involved with, and how Ghosn and the Taylors used a particular mobile app to communicate and exchange messages.

Deep Regrets

At one stage, it was relayed to the court that Peter had said helping Ghosn escape was the worst thing he did in his life and he has deep regrets.

The Taylors case in Tokyo is the latest addition to multiple legal proceedings around the world left in Ghosns wake. Former Nissan director Greg Kelly is currently standing trial in Tokyo for allegedly helping to understate Ghosns compensation and Nissan is suing Ghosn for 10 billion yen ($95 million) in damages in a separate suit thats proceeding slowly in Yokohama. French investigators have been questioning Ghosn in Beirut on accusations he siphoned Renault SA funds, and last month the former executive was ordered to pay almost 5 million euros ($6 million) to a local unit of Nissan in a case in the Netherlands.

The Taylors are next back in court on June 29, when the defense team will present statements from the Taylors and the pair will be cross-examined.
The is assessing a report of a leak at a Chinese plant, after French frim EDF that partly owns and helps to operate it warned of an "imminent radiological threat."



The warning included an accusation that the Chinese safety authority was raising the acceptable limits for radiation detection outside the Taishan Plant in Guangdong province in order to avoid having to shut it down, CNN quoted a letter from the French company to the US Department of Energy.

EDF said a build-up of inert gases at the station in Taishan seemed to be due to issue with some fuel rods. A spokesman for the company told reporters measurements of inert gases in the plant were below maximum levels authorised in State-run General Nuclear Power Group, just before the report was published, said operations at its power station meet safety rules and the surrounding environment is safe.
Russian President has sharply dismissed allegations that his country is carrying out cyberattacks against the United States as baseless.

Putin's comments in an interview aired on NBC on Monday come two days before he is to meet U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva and underline the tensions between the two countries.

Where is the evidence? Where is proof? It's becoming farcical, Putin said.

We have been accused of all kinds of things election interference, cyberattacks and so on and so forth and not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof, just unfounded accusations.

In April, the United States announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and new sanctions connected to the hacking of the SolarWinds information technology company.

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The World Health Organization's first phase of study on the origins of COVID-19 pandemic is "highly deficient", said US Secretary of State on Sunday (local time) and added that leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) countries will insist China to cooperate with a second phase of WHO study.

"The World Health Organization, you're right, the first study they put out was highly deficient," Blinken told Fox News on Sunday, as quoted by the US State Department press release.

"The leaders of the G-7 have come together insisting that China to cooperate with the so-called phase two study by the WHO to really get to the bottom of what happened. But that's not enough."

Backing the calls for further probe into the origin of the virus, Blinken said that "We need to get to the bottom of what happened."

"We need accountability, but we also need to understand what happened, why it happened, how it happened, if we're going to be able to put in place the necessary measures to prevent it from happening again, or at least be in a better place to mitigate the next pandemic if we can't fully prevent one," he added.

On Sunday, the G7 leaders called for a "timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened" investigation into the origins of COVID-19, including, as recommended by the experts' report, in China.

"Strengthening transparency and accountability, including reiterating our commitment to the full implementation of, and improved compliance with, the Health Regulations 2005. This includes investigating, reporting, and responding to outbreaks of unknown origin. We also call for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened Phase 2 COVID-19 Origins study including, as recommended by the experts' report, in China," the G7 leaders said in the Carbis Bay communique.

Recently, the calls to investigate further the origins of the virus have intensified. President Biden has also ordered a fresh US intelligence inquiry into the origins of the pandemic.

The origin of novel that caused havoc around the world has remained unclear even after 1.5 years the first case of infection was reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

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Listed companies have got a rap on the knuckles from the stock exchanges for issuing manipulative or distorted statements. Amid a boom in the stock market, stock exchanges have come out with a list of dos and don'ts companies need to keep in mind while communicating with their

In a strongly-worded statement, exchanges warned companies exchanges said the listed entity should not make any statement, promise, or forecast which is untrue or misleading.

"The company can position itself as a leader, pioneer, expert, or any word indicating it as the best only based on factual data which is widely available and not based on single-source unless such source is a recognised source and has the third-party certification. The company shall also indicate the source based on which such claim is being made. And the information on such sources should be in the public domain and verifiable," BSE and NSE told listed companies in a communication.

If the company presents any financial data, the statement shall also include data for the past three years. The data should include details regarding sales, gross profit, net profit, share capital, reserves, earnings per share, dividends, debts, and the book values. The companies should also provide a link to the company's website where the details are available and verified. Moreover, the company should only provide publicly reported financial information and not give any forward-looking statement.





Gaurav Mistry, Associate Partner, DSK Legal, said the circulars would work as a screening checklist for statements and information proposed to be released to the public. And will act as a catalyst in safeguarding the interest of investors.

If the company receives awards, disclosure should include whether the listed entity has any relations with the awarding agency. The disclosure should also provide details of the number of evaluated participants, recognition of the awarding agency in the field in which the award is given, and publicly available information relating to the awarding agency.

The exchanges have acknowledged that publication, discussion about plans, awards, and performance are imperative for the sustenance of the companies. But has emphasised on the confidentiality of price-sensitive information, thereby holding the stakeholder's interest paramount to the functioning of the market," said Sonam Chandwani is the Managing Partner at KS Legal & Associates.
Shares of dipped 5 per cent to Rs 1,173 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Monday after the pharmaceutical company said it has received a Warning Letter (WL) for its manufacturing plant at Somerset, New Jersey. This is the only manufacturing plant of located in the US.

However, said the company does not believe that the warning letter will have an impact on disruption of supplies or the existing revenues from operations of this facility.

At 09:57 am, Lupin was trading 3 per cent lower at Rs 1,194, as compared to 0.37 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. A combined 1.4 million shares have changed hands on the counter on the NSE and BSE, so far.

The Company has received a warning letter from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for the Companys Somerset, New Jersey facility. The USFDA had inspected the Lupin Somerset site from September 10, 2020 to November 5, 2020, Lupin said in exchange filing.

The company further said it is committed to addressing the concerns raised by the USFDA and will work with the FDA and the New Jersey District to resolve these issues at the earliest. We uphold quality and compliance issues with utmost importance and are committed to be compliant with Good Manufacturing Practice standards across all our facilities, Lupin said.

While the revenue impact from the issuance of the WL is minimal, it has prolonged the process for future approvals from this site. With this, LPC has five sites under WL / Official Action Indicated (OAI) from the USFDA.

The near-to-medium term earnings trajectory remains unperturbed as critical inhaler products are manufactured at the site that is USFDA-compliant. However, the extended period to resolve regulatory issues at the five sites (partly due to the pandemic) is impacting the overall utilization of assets for the US market, Motilal Oswal Securities said.

Although regulatory issues persist at select sites, we expect a 35 per cent earnings CAGR over FY2123E, led by a 19 per cent/14 per cent sales CAGR in the US / Domestic Formulation (DF) market, supported by 400bp margin expansion. This is attributable to potential inhaler launches, increased traction in existing commercialized niche products, and a better outlook for the DF segment, the brokerage firm said.
By Aaron Sheldrick

TOKYO (Reuters) - rose on Monday, extending three weeks of gains that have been underpinned by an improved outlook for as increased COVID-19 vaccinations help lift travel curbs, along with tightness in supply.

was up 33 cents, or 0.5%, at $73.02 by 0455 GMT. It earlier rose to $73.12, the highest since May 2019, having gained 1.1% last week.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate gained 31 cents, or 0.4%, to stand at $71.22 a barrel, earlier reaching $71.32, the highest since October 2018. The contract rose 1.9% on the week.

Motor vehicle traffic is returning to pre-pandemic levels in North America and much of Europe, and more planes are in the air as anti-coronavirus lockdowns and other restrictions are being eased, driving three weeks of increases for the oil benchmarks.

"In the short term the oil market may be volatile with frequent pull-backs as crude prices are beginning to struggle as demand in Europe and India faces headwinds," said Avtar Sandu, senior manager commodities at Phillip Futures in Singapore.

"The major trend is, however, still intact and deep pullbacks would provide opportunities for buying the dips," he said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies, known as OPEC+, need to increase output to meet recovering demand, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly report on Friday.

The OPEC+ group has been restraining production to support prices after the pandemic wiped out demand in 2020, maintaining strong compliance with agreed targets in May.

"OPEC+ needs to open the taps to keep the world oil adequately supplied," the IEA said.

Goldman Sachs said last week it expects Brent to rise to $80 per barrel this summer as the rollout of inoculations boosts economic activity around the world.

U.S. oil rigs in operation rose by six to 365, the highest since April 2020, energy services company Baker Hughes Co said in its weekly report.

It was the biggest weekly increase of oil rigs in a month, as drilling companies sought to benefit from rising demand.

(Reporting by Aaron Sheldrick; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Kenneth Maxwell)

(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.)
Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange traded 56 points lower at 15,766, indicating a negative start for the benchmark indices on Monday.

Here are the top stocks to track in today's session:

Results today: Coal India, Indian Overseas Bank, Kajaria Ceramics, Greenply Industries and Uttam Sugar Mills are among 50 firms slated to release their quarterly numbers today.

Adani group shares are likely to be in focus today after an Economic Times report said that National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) has frozen the accounts of three foreign funds  Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund  which together own over Rs 43,500 crore worth of shares in four Adani Group companies.

Reliance Power Limited has announced it will raise Rs 1,325 crore by issuing preferential shares and warrants to its parent, Reliance Infrastructure.

Lupin on Sunday said it has received a warning letter from the US health regulator for its Somerset facility in the US.

Retail, Restarurants: The government of Delhi, in line with its stated objective, has furthered the scope of unlocking from next week. All retail and trading establishments will now be allowed to operate at full capacity between 10 am and 8 pm from Monday. However, restaurants will be operating at 50 per cent capacity

BHEL's consolidated net loss narrowed to Rs 1,036.32 crore in the March 2021 quarter, mainly on the back of higher revenues. The company's consolidated net loss had stood at Rs 1,532.18 crore in the quarter ended on March 31, 2020.



DLF reported a 6.4 per cent year-on-year rise in its net profit for the January-March quarter at Rs 481 crore. During the period, its consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 1,713 crore, growing 1.1 per cent over the year-ago quarter.

Sun TV Network reported sharply higher profit at Rs 449.88 crore in Q4FY21 against Rs 250 crore in Q4FY20, revenue increased to Rs 782 crore from Rs 735.16 crore YoY.

DHFL: BSE and NSE will suspend trading in the shares of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) with effect from Monday. The move, aimed at avoiding "market complications", comes against the backdrop of the NCLT approving Piramal Group's resolution plan for the bankrupt-DHFL.

BEML has incorporated its wholly owned subsidiary for demerger of surplus land and asset as part of its strategic disinvestment process undertaken by Government of India.

JK Cement reported higher consolidated profit at Rs 214.3 crore in Q4FY21 against Rs 160.82 crore in Q4FY20, revenue jumped to Rs 2,134.14 crore from Rs 1,545.65 crore YoY.
Shares of six Adani Group companies tumbled amid media reports of the National Securities Depository (NSDL) freezing three Foreign Portfolio Investors' (FPIs) accounts that own shares in four of the listed Adani companies.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (down 12.56%), Adani Enterprises (down 11.05%), Adani Green (down 5%), Adani Total Gas (down 5%), Adani Transmission (down 5%) and Adani Power (down 4.99%) crashed.

The media reported that NSDL has frozen the accounts of three foreign funds that together own shares worth Rs 43,500 crore in four Adani Group companies. The accounts of Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund were frozen on or before 31 May 2021. An account freeze indicates that the funds would not be able to sell any of the existing securities or buy any new securities.

As per the latest shareholding data, Albula Investment Fund holds 2.23% stake in Adani Transmission, 2.1% stake in Adani Enterprises, 1.9% stake in Adani Total Gas and 1.2% in Adani Green Energy.

Cresta Fund holds 3.93% stake in Adani Transmission, 2.98% stake in Adani Enterprises and 1.34% stake in Adani Total Gas.

APMS Investment Fund holds 2.7% stake in Adani Total Gas, 2.3% stake in Adani Green Energy, 1.9% stake in Adani Transmission and 1.7% stake in Adani Enterprises.

According to the media reports, the freeze on the three accounts could be because of insufficient disclosure of information regarding beneficial ownership under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Custodians usually warn clients of such action but if the fund does not respond or fails to comply then the accounts can be frozen.

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BEML's standalone net profit dropped 14.16% to Rs 159.94 crore on 66.33% increase in net sales to Rs 1,773.81 crore in Q4 March 2021 over Q4 March 2020.

Profit before tax soared 25.30% to Rs 177.95 crore in Q4 FY21 as against Rs 142.01 crore in Q4 FY20.

During the financial year, BEML's net profit climbed 9.39% to Rs 74.80 crore on 17.45% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 3,557.21 crore in FY 2021 over FY 2020.

The board has recommended a final dividend of Rs 1.20 per equity share for the year ended 31 March 2021.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed that the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and NITI Aayog have concurred to the proposal of incorporation of wholly-owned subsidiary (WoS) of BEML for demerger of surplus land and asset as part of BEML's strategic divestment process undertaken by Government of India (GoI).

BEML is a multi-technology schedule 'A' company under the Ministry of Defence. The company operates in three verticals viz. defence & aerospace, mining & construction and rail & metro. As on 31 March 2021, the Government of India held 54.03% stake in BEML.

Shares of BEML advanced 2.20% to Rs 1,356 on BSE.

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The domestic equity benchmarks pared early losses in morning trade. The Nifty was trading below the 15,750 mark. Adani Group stocks crashed.

At 10:23 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 184.7 points or 0.35% to 52,290.06. The Nifty 50 index lost 69.40 points or 0.44% to 15,729.95.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, surged 6.13% to 14.97.

In broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index fell 1.77% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index declined 0.75%.

The market breadth was weak. On the BSE, 1083 shares rose and 1842 shares fell. A total of 149 shares were unchanged.

COVID-19 Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 175,910,592 with 3,800,590 global deaths.

India reported 973,158 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 374,305 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Economy:

India's index of industrial production (IIP) rose by a sharp 134.44% in April 2021, as per data from the National Statistical Office which stressed that the numbers are not strictly comparable with April 2020 when the country was in the midst of a national lockdown.

April's industrial output was just 0.08% higher than the pre-pandemic levels of April 2019. The manufacturing sector recorded a 197.1% uptick this April, though it was still 0.9% lower than April 2019 levels.

Electricity output rose 38.5% in April 2021 from a year ago, and was 6.81% higher than the pre-COVID-19 levels of April 2019. Similarly, Mining output grew 37% year-on-year in April, but was only 0.2% higher than the same month in 2019.

Buzzing Segment:

Shares of Adani Group companies slumped. Adani Enterprises (down 21.18%), Adani Ports & SEZ (down 15.47%), Adani Green (down 5%), Adani Total Gas (down 5%), Adani Transmission (down 5%) and Adani Power (down 4.99%) crashed.

The media reported that National Securities Depository (NSDL) has frozen the accounts of three foreign funds that together own shares worth Rs 43,500 crore in four Adani Group companies. The accounts of Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund were frozen on or before May 31. An account freeze indicates that the funds would not be able to sell any of the existing securities or buy any new securities.

According to the media reports, the freeze on the three accounts could be because of insufficient disclosure of information regarding beneficial ownership under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Custodians usually warn clients of such action but if the fund does not respond or fails to comply then the accounts can be frozen.

Stocks in Focus:

State-run Coal India was down 1.72% ahead of Q4 results today.

DLF fell 2.73% at Rs 301.50. On a consolidated basis, the realty major posted a net profit of Rs 480.94 crore in Q4 FY21 as against net loss of Rs 1,857.76 crore in Q4 FY20. The realty major registered a 1.1% rise in net sales to Rs 1,712.57 crore in Q4 FY21 from Rs 1,694.20 crore in Q4 FY20.

DLF said demand in the residential business exhibited a strong comeback in the fiscal. New sales bookings for the fiscal stood at Rs 3,084 crore, reflecting a Y-o-Y growth of 24%. Optimized cost structures and efficient working capital management coupled with a steady ramp-up in collections led to positive cash flows in all quarters. Consequently, the company's net debt stood at Rs 4,885 crore, a reduction of Rs 382 crore.

BEML advanced 1.77% to Rs 1350.40. The company's standalone net profit dropped 14.16% to Rs 159.94 crore on 66.33% increase in net sales to Rs 1,773.81 crore in Q4 March 2021 over Q4 March 2020.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has informed that the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and NITI Aayog have concurred to the proposal of incorporation of wholly-owned subsidiary (WoS) of BEML for demerger of surplus land and asset as part of BEML's strategic divestment process undertaken by Government of India (GoI).

ABB India shed 0.53% to Rs 1642. The company's board has granted in-principle approval for divestment/sale of company's turbocharger and dodge mechanical power transmission businesses. The board's decision to review India businesses for potential divestment is in line with ABB Group's already announced ongoing systematic portfolio restructuring to strengthen competitiveness, focus on quality of revenue and higher growth segments, ABB India said in an exchange filing.

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Cochin Shipyard rose 2.28% to Rs 422.20 after the company's consolidated net profit surged 71.8% to Rs 236.22 crore on 32.3% jump in net sales to Rs 1,080.32 crore in Q4 March 2021 over Q4 March 2020.

Profit before tax (PBT) soared 66.1% to Rs 304.47 crore in Q4 FY21 as against Rs 183.30 crore in Q4 FY20.

During the financial year, Cochin Shipyard's consolidated net profit declined 3.69% to Rs 608.66 crore on 17.63% fall in revenue from operations to Rs 2,818.89 crore in FY 2021 over FY 2020.

The board has recommended a final dividend of Rs 2.50 per share for the FY 2020-21.

Cochin Shipyard is the largest shipbuilding and maintenance facility in India. It is part of a line of maritime-related facilities in the port-city of Kochi, Kerala. As of 31 March 2021, the Government of India held 72.86% stake in the company.

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Indiabulls Housing Finance gained 2% to Rs 293 after Blackrock Emerging Markets Fund bought 0.55% stake via bulk deal on 11 June 2021.

As per the bulk deal data on the NSE, Blackrock Emerging Markets Fund bought 25,50,957 equity shares (or 0.55% stake) of Indiabulls Housing Finance at an average price of Rs 287.84 each on Friday, 11 June 2021.

As of 31 March 2021, Blackrock Strategic Funds - Blackrock Emerging Market Fund held 1.19% stake in Indiabulls Housing Finance.

Shares of Indiabulls Housing Finance have rallied 18% in five days from its previous closing low of Rs 247.80 posted on 7 June 2021.

Indiabulls Housing Finance is a housing finance company, regulated by the National Housing Bank (NHB). The company offers competitively priced home loans in the affordable housing segment.

On a consolidated basis, Indiabulls Housing Finance reported 117.8% jump in net profit to Rs 276.23 crore in Q4 FY21 as against Rs 126.85 crore in Q4 FY20. Total income declined 18% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 2,421.96 crore during the quarter.

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Indian Overseas Bank gained 2.91% to Rs 21.25 after the PSU bank's standalone net profit soared 143% to Rs 349.77 crore on 10.75% increase in total income to Rs 6,073.80 crore in Q4 FY21 over Q4 FY20.

The bank's operating profit improved 44% to Rs 1,724 crore in Q4 FY21 from Rs 1,197 crore in Q4 FY20. The PSU bank reported a profit before tax of Rs 343.65 crore in Q4 FY21 sharply higher than Rs 83.48 crore posted in Q4 FY20.

Net interest margin declined to 2.22% in Q4 FY21 from 2.6% in Q4 FY20. Provisions (other than tax) and contingencies increased by 30.1% YoY to Rs 1,380.46 crore in Q4 FY21 over Q4 FY20. Provision coverage ratio stood at 90.34% as on 31st March 2021 as against 91.91% as on 31st December 2020 and 86.94% as on 31 March 2020.

On the asset quality side, gross non-performing assets (NPAs) stood at Rs 16,323.18 crore as on 31 March 2021 as against Rs 16,753.48 crore as on 31 December 2020 and Rs 19,912.7 crore as on 31 March 2020.

The gross NPA ratio stood at 11.69% as on 31 March 2021, compared to 12.19% on 31 December 2020 and 14.78% as of 31 March 2020. The net NPA ratio stood at 3.58% as on 31 March 2021 from 3.13% as on 31 December 2020 and 5.44% as on 31 March 2020.

The bank reported a net profit of Rs 831.47 crore in year ended March 2021 (FY21) compared with net loss of Rs 8,527.40 crore in the year ended March 2020 (FY20). Total income increased 8.7% to Rs 22,521.55 crore in FY21 over FY20.

Totol deposits increased to Rs 2,40,288 crore as on 31st March 2021 as against Rs 2,22,952 crore as on 31st March 2020.

The bank's CASA improved to 42.52% (domestic 42.70%) as on 31st March 2021 as against 40.26% (domestic 40.67% as on 31st March 2020). Total CASA has increased from Rs 89,751 crore as on 31 March 2020 to Rs 1,02,165 crore as on 31 March 2021 and registered 13.83% growth as of 31st March 2021 over 31st March 2020.

Gross advances stood of Rs 1,39,597 crore as on 31st March 2021 as against Rs 1,34,771 crore os on 31st March 2020. The bonk has evolved a policy of not toking fresh exposures in stressed sectors, below hurdle rated accounts and BB and below rated accounts. The bank has also exiled from accounts in the stressed sectors, wherever feasible.

In a separate announcement, Indian Overseas Bank announced that its board has approved issuing upto 125 crore equity shares with appropriate premium to the public, by way of follow-on public offer/rights issue with or without participation from GoI/issue of equity shares to qualified institutional buyers/issue of shares to employees/issue of shares on preferential basis to LIC and other insurance companies/mutual funds/QIBs, after obtaining the approval of the shareholders.

The board also approved to raise Tier II capital by issue of BASEL III Compliant Tier II Bonds up to a maximum extent of Rs 1,000 crore with or without applicable green shoe option, in one or more tranche/s, on private placement to retail segment by way of public issue either domestically or overseas.

The Government of India held 95.84% stake in Indian Overseas Bank as on 31 March 2021.

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Japan stock market finished session higher on Monday, 14 June 2021, as risk sentiments improved on eased concerns about the U. S. Federal Reserve tapering stimulus and after official data showed that Japan's seasonally adjusted index for production rising 2.9% in April from the previous month. Meanwhile, sentiments also boosted up after the government lifted the COVID-19 state of emergency in Olympics city Tokyo and downgraded it to quasi-emergency state in three prefectures.

At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average advanced 213.07 points, or 0.74%, to 29,161.80. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange inclined 5.73 points, or 0.29%, to 1,959.75.

Trading volume turnover in the 1st section decreased to 854 million shares from 1,221 million shares in previous session. Trading value turnover decreased to 1.964.64 billion yen from 2,908.25 billion yen in previous session.

Total 20 sectors of 33 sectors sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange ended higher, with Marine Transportation, Rubber Products, Metal Products, Electric Appliances, Securities & Commodities Futures, Glass & Ceramics Products, and Chemicals sectors being notable gainers, while Construction, Banks, Iron & Steel, Real Estate, and Warehousing & Harbor Transportation Services issues were notable losers.

Shares of marine transportation, rubber product and metal product issues gained. Mitsui O. S.

K. Lines gained 1%, while Kawasaki Kisen rose 1.8%. Nippon Yusen added 2.3%. Bridgestone advanced 1.3%, while Yokohama Rubber gained 2.9%.

Tech-linked shares followed their U. S. peers higher, with industrial robotics maker Fanuc jumping 3.2%, while Keyence added 2.7%. M3 rose 4.5%.

Financial stocks lost ground, with Mizuho Financial Group down 0.9% and MUFG dropping 1%.

CURRENCY NEWS: The U. S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 90.526 following a recent climb past the 90.3 level. The Japanese yen traded at 109.65 per dollar, weaker than levels below 109.5 seen against the greenback last week

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Lupin has received a warning letter from the U. S. FDA for the Company's Somerset, New Jersey facility.

The U. S. FDA had inspected the Lupin Somerset site from 10 September 2020 to 05 November 2020.

The company does not believe that the warning letter will have an impact on disruption of supplies or the existing revenues from operations of this facility.

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Power stocks were trading in red, with the S&P BSE Power index decreasing 71.3 points or 2.36% at 2953.66 at 13:49 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Power index, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (down 10.63%), Adani Transmission Ltd (down 5%),Adani Green Energy Ltd (down 5%),Adani Power Ltd (down 4.99%),Tata Power Company Ltd (down 1.75%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were K E C International Ltd (down 1.68%), Siemens Ltd (down 1.49%), CESC Ltd (down 1.33%), NTPC Ltd (down 1.05%), and Torrent Power Ltd (down 0.86%).

On the other hand, NHPC Ltd (up 0.37%), Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (up 0.16%), and ABB India Ltd (up 0.14%) turned up.

At 13:49 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 31.16 or 0.06% at 52505.92.

The Nifty 50 index was down 2 points or 0.01% at 15797.35.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 11.38 points or 0.05% at 25104.92.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 43.1 points or 0.54% at 7866.52.

On BSE,1509 shares were trading in green, 1704 were trading in red and 158 were unchanged.

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The issue received bids for 2.59 crore shares as against 2.10 crore shares on offer.

The initial public offer (IPO) of Shyam Metalics and Energy received bids for 2.59 crore shares as against 2.10 crore shares on offer, according to the stock exchange data at 17:00 IST on Monday (14 June 2021). The issue was subscribed 1.23 times.

The issue opened for bidding on Monday, 14 June 2021, and it will close on Wednesday, 16 June 2021. The price band for the IPO is set at Rs 303-306 per share. An investor can bid for a minimum of 45 equity shares and in multiples thereof.

The issue comprises of fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 909 crore comprising of a fresh issue of up to Rs 657 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to Rs 252 crore (including anchor portion of 88,21,764 equity shares).

The existing shareholders selling shares in the OFS are Subham Capital, SubhamBuildwell, NarantakDealcomm, KalpataruHousefin and DoriteTracon. Total selling shareholders pre-issue shareholding was 88.22%, which shall decrease to 77.56% at the upper price band of Rs 306.

Ahead of the IPO, the company finalized allocation of 88,21,764 equity shares to anchor investors at Rs 306 per share aggregating to Rs 269.94 crore.

The company proposes to utilize the net proceeds of the fresh issue towards repayment and/or pre-payment, in full or part, of debt of the company and SSPL (Shyam SEL and Power), one of the subsidiaries amounting Rs 470 crore and balance towards general corporate purposes. Gross debt was Rs 886.292 crore at the end of 31 December 2020.

On a consolidated basis, Shyam Metalics and Energy reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 456.32 crore and sales of Rs 3,933.08 crore in the nine months ended on 31 December 2020.

ShyamMetalics and Energy is a leading integrated metal producing company based in India with a focus on long steel products and ferro alloys. It is amongst the largest producers of ferro alloys in terms of installed capacity in India, as of February 2021.

The company sells intermediate and final products across the steel value chain. As of March 31, 2020, it is one of the leading players in terms of pellet capacity and the fourth largest player in the sponge iron industry in terms of sponge iron capacity in India. It is also one of the leading integrated steel and ferro alloys producers in the eastern region of India in terms of long steel products, as of March 31, 2020.

The company currently export products to Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, United Kingdom, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan, and is currently exploring newer geographies in North America, South America, Europe and Africa in order to increase exports.

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The issue received bids for 1.13 crore shares as against 10.71 crore shares on offer.

The initial public offer (IPO) of Sona BLW Precision Forgings received bids for 1.13 crore shares as against 10.71 crore shares on offer, according to the stock exchange data at 17:00 IST on Monday (14 June 2021). The issue was subscribed 0.11 times.

The issue opened for bidding on Monday, 14 June 2021, and it will close on Wednesday, 16 June 2021. The price band for the IPO is set at Rs 285-291 per share. An investor can bid for a minimum of 51 equity shares and in multiples thereof.

The issue comprises of fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 5,550 crore comprising of a fresh issue of up to Rs 300 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to Rs 5,250 crore (including anchor portion of 8,58,24,742 equity shares).

One of the promoters, Singapore VII Topco III, an affiliate of The Blackstone Group Inc is selling part of its stake through offer for sale aggregating upto Rs Rs 5,250 crore. Post OFS, the shareholding of Singapore VII Topco III will decline to 34.18% on expanded post issue equity down from 66.28% pre-IPO.

Ahead of the IPO, the company finalized allocation of 8,58,24,742 equity shares to anchor investors at Rs 291 per share aggregating to Rs 2,497.50 crore.

Proceeds from fresh issue will be used for repayment and pre-payment of identified borrowings in full availed by the company to the extent of Rs 241.117 crore and balance for general corporate purposes.

Total debt of the company as end of 31 March 2021 stood at Rs 366.26 crore including long term loan of Rs 249.748 crore up from Rs 306.782 crore as end of March 2020.

On a consolidated basis, the company reported a net profit of Rs 215.17 crore and sales of Rs 1,566.30 crore in the twelve months ended on 31 March 2021.

Sona BLW Precision Forgings (SBPF) is primarily engaged in designing, manufacturing and supplying highly engineered, mission critical automotive systems and components such as differential assemblies, differential gears, conventional and micro-hybrid starter motors, BSG systems, EV traction motors [Brushless direct current (BLDC) motor and Permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM)] and motor control units to automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across US, Europe, India and China, for both electrified and non-electrified powertrain segments.

The company is among the top ten players globally in the differential bevel gear market and in the starter motor market on the basis of respective volumes supplied to its end segments in calendar year 2020 and has been gaining global market share across products.

The company is one of a few companies globally, with the ability to design high power density EV systems handling high torque requirements with a lightweight design, while meeting stringent durability, performance and NVH specifications, enabling EV manufacturers to enhance the vehicle range, acceleration and the overall efficiency.

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Sterling and Wilson Solar (SWSL) has announced the appointment of Amit Jain as global chief executive officer (CEO), succeeding Bikesh Ogra, who relinquished the position on 31 May 2021.

Ogra will continue as a director on the board of the company. Jain has been associated with SWSL since January 2019 as the Country Head for US and Australia. He has been instrumental in developing US and Australia as key markets for the company.

SWSL's consolidated net profit slumped 55.4% to Rs 22.45 crore in Q3 FY21 from Rs 50.28 crore in Q3 FY20. Net sales during the quarter increased by 21.9% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 1,311.73 crore in Q3 FY21.

SWSL, a Shapoorji Pallonji group company, is a global pure-play, end-to-end solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) solutions provider. The company provides EPC services primarily for utility scale solar power projects with a focus on project design and engineering and manages all aspects of project execution from conceptualizing to commissioning. It also provides operations and maintenance (O&M) services, including for projects constructed by third parties.

Shares of Sterling and Wilson Solar fell 1.68% to Rs 240 on BSE. The scrip hovered in the range of Rs 234.10 to Rs 245.75 so far.

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Tata Steel Ltd is quoting at Rs 1173.5, up 1.31% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 283.25% in last one year as compared to a 60.37% spurt in NIFTY and a 178.2% spurt in the Nifty Metal index.

Tata Steel Ltd gained for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 1173.5, up 1.31% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.39% on the day, quoting at 15738.4. The Sensex is at 52311.7, down 0.31%. Tata Steel Ltd has risen around 1.97% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Metal index of which Tata Steel Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 3.02% in last one month and is currently quoting at 5406.8, down 0.77% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 115.71 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 167.49 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark June futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 1149.45, up 0.84% on the day. Tata Steel Ltd is up 283.25% in last one year as compared to a 60.37% spurt in NIFTY and a 178.2% spurt in the Nifty Metal index.

The PE of the stock is 12.31 based on TTM earnings ending March 21.

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Lupin said that the company has received a warning letter from the U.S. FDA for the company's Somerset, New Jersey facility.

The U.S. FDA had inspected the Lupin Somerset site from September 10, 2020 to November 5, 2020.

The company does not believe that the warning letter will have an impact on disruption of supplies or the existing revenues from operations of this facility, Lupin said.

We are committed to addressing the concerns raised by the U.S. FDA and will work with the FDA and the New Jersey District to resolve these issues at the earliest, the company said.

The announcement was made on Sunday, 13 June 2021. Shares of Lupin rose 0.05% to settle at Rs 1,230.25 on Friday, 11 June 2021.

Lupin is an innovation-led transnational pharmaceutical company. The company develops and commercializes a wide range of branded and generic formulations, biotechnology products and APIs in over 100 markets in the U.S., India, South Africa and across Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), Europe and Middle-East regions.

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There is a well-worn analogy in American politics that harks back to the Great Depression. Governments and political parties may look strong and impregnable from the outside. But many of them are like the big banks in 1929. The banks looked powerful and secure.

But one day, a depositor asked to pull his money out of one bank and the whole structure came tumbling down. Thats the thing about politics, the analogy suggests. Just because something looks too big to fail from the outside, does not mean that it is not riven with flaws and weaknesses on the inside. I thought of that ...
BJP leader on Monday informed that a delegation of party MLAs will meet Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar today to discuss the law and order situation in the state.

Taking to Twitter, Adhikari wrote, "A big delegation of BJP MLAs will meet the Honourable Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar today to apprise him of the several inappropriate incidents happening in Bengal and discuss other important matters at 4 pm in Raj Bhavan, Kolkata."

Informing about the meeting, the Governor wrote, "Opposition delegation led by Sri Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly will be calling on the Governor of at 4 p.m. today as regards the grave law and order situation @MamataOfficial in the State of West Bengal."

Adhikari will be meeting the governor for the second time this month.

Earlier he met the governor and submitted a representation about unabated post-poll retributive violence.

Amidst all, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra had accused the Governor of being a "puppet" of the Centre and alleged he had appointed relatives as officers on special duty in his personal staff.

Moitra said the Governor appointed six of his relatives in the Raj Bhawan through "Jugaad". Taking names, the TMC MP said Raj Bhawan's website listed them as OSDs in his personal staff.

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With the hardline supporters of Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh ruling out any rapprochement with dissenting leader and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, the task of the three-member negotiating group led by senior leader has become harder.

The group spent time on Sunday with Rahul Gandhi, to share its findings with him after meeting Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and other leaders, including the CM in

Amarinder Singh or Captain, as he is known, has already made it clear that he is happy to accommodate Sidhu in the Council of Ministers, but has ruled out giving him the deputy chief ministership or the position of state party chief.

His supporters say there is no question of replacing the CM  not only does he continue to enjoy the backing of the Legislature Party and many members of Parliament, but there is simply no one in the government who has the stature to replace him in a state where elections are due in a matter of months.

The Kharge-led panel is understood to have recommended that Amarinder Singh be retained. But the CMs supporters say that the constant attrition and humiliation of the CM must stop. The bottom line is that New Delhi must withdraw the patronage given to Navjot Singh Sidhu, they say.





ALSO READ: Govt must practise what it preaches to world: Chidambaram on PM's G7 speech

Till a few months ago when the farmer movement was at its zenith, there was only one leader in  and that was Captain. Now because of all these self goals, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is well on the path to revival, says an advisor to the Punjab government.

It is common knowledge that in at least 15 Assembly seats in Punjab, the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will have a friendly fight: old friends making allowances for each other. The would have fared best in a scenario of division where SAD, BJP, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) thrown in for good measure had fought separately. That is no longer the case; the Congress has united its enemies, he said.

The Congress is particularly concerned about the announcement of a pre-poll alliance between the SAD and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). There was a time when BSP was a strong force in Punjab; it had nine MLAs in the Assembly in 1992. Now, with the Dera Sacha Sauda founder Ram Rahim in jail convicted of rape and murder, the Dalit following in Punjab needs a political anchor.

Punjab with 31.94 per cent has the highest population of Scheduled Castes in the country, including Valmiki and Mazhabi Sikhs, according to the 2011 Census.

Even with all these pressures, Amarinder Singh could have beaten back an Opposition that was disorganised and divided three months ago, his supporters say. Now, with the encouragement given to Sidhu, the Congress has proved it is its own worst enemy, they say.
While announcing new games for fans during the E3 2021 virtual gaming conference, has also unveiled the first look of a cool Series X-shaped mini fridge.

The Mini Fridge is "the world's most powerful mini fridge," according to the company, that will help gamers stay cool as they go through immersive play experience.

When the Xbox Series X was first announced in 2019, people made memes on its shape and compared it to a refrigerator.

Inspired by this, the company took to social media and after defeating Skittles in a Twitter poll, said that an actual mini-Xbox fridge will be released in holiday 2021.

In April, Aaron Greenberg who is GM, Xbox Games Marketing at Microsoft, tweeted: "Thanks to everyone who voted, this was down to the wire and thrilling to follow. Now that @Xbox won, we will move forward on our promise to make those Xbox Series X Mini Fridges. First one off the line will be filled with games & headed to our friends @Skittles of course! Green heart."

The Xbox mini-fridge is now a reality and will be available later this year during the holiday season.

The refrigerator was unveiled during the Xbox + Bethesda E3 event.

--IANS

na/

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Corp's chairman on Monday pushed back against calls from shareholders to resign, saying he wanted to help to put things right at the crisis-hit Japanese conglomerate and would bring in new directors.

is in the spotlight after an independent investigation last week alleged that management colluded with Japan's trade ministry to block foreign investors from gaining board influence, in what one top shareholder called the world's worst corporate scandal in a decade.

The shareholder-commissioned investigation has marked an explosive turn in a struggle between management and foreign shareholders and has revived concerns about corporate governance in

Toshiba, in response to the investigation, has said it would no longer put forward the names of two directors for re-election and that two other executives would also resign.

But this was not enough for proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc, which on Monday reiterated that Board Chairman Osamu Nagayama should step down - a call echoed by other investors.

Nagayama apologised at a news conference on Monday and said there were lapses in governance, but the former pharma executive said he wanted to stay on and help to reconstruct Toshiba's management.

"There's different kinds of responsibility," Nagayama said when asked if he would step down to take responsibility for the scandal. "I want to focus on fulfilling the duties that must be fulfilled."

The company needs directors with a global perspective and a background managing similar firms, he said, adding that Toshiba would call an extraordinary general meeting and speed up plans for a strategic review.

Once one of Japan's corporate titans, Toshiba has been hit by accounting scandals and massive writedowns for its U.S. nuclear business as well as the sale of its semiconductor unit, leaving it a shadow of its former self.

Still, it remains hugely important to the Japanese government as a manufacturer of nuclear reactors and defence equipment.

THE BLAME GAME

The investigation's findings mark a critical turn in a long-running battle between management and foreign shareholders, which include Effissimo, a Singapore-based fund, and 3D Investment Partners.

3D Investment Partners, Toshiba's second-largest shareholder, on Sunday also called for the resignation of Nagayama and other company executives.

Nagayama, at the news conference, blamed Toshiba's former CEO, Nobuaki Kurumatani, for helping to pitch the company into crisis.

"We cannot ignore responsibility of Mr. Kurumatani for creating management turmoil and damaging shareholder trust," he said. He said the former chief executive had taken a "confrontational stance" toward shareholders, leading to the discord.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach Kurumatani for comment. Toshiba said it was not in a position to provide his contact details.

One investor, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Nagayama should step down.

"It rings hollow for Chairman Nagayama... to try and shift the blame to just Kurumatani alone," the investor told Reuters.

"If anyone should resign to take responsibility over the governance failures in monitoring management, it should be him."

CHANGE IN

Toshiba has faced and dismissed a $20 billion bid from CVC Capital. But leading shareholders have called on it to explicitly seek offers from potential suitors.

Nagayama said the company has not received offers from private equity funds since CVC, but said the new committee for the strategic review would consider various options.

He said he wanted to include two of the company's foreign directors in the four- or five-member strategic review committee. Toshiba currently has four foreign directors among its 11-member board.

Some investors have said that the independent investigation into Toshiba and its startling findings do show some progress in Japan's corporate governance.

Former Olympus Corp CEO Michael Woodford, who blew the whistle on a $1.7 billion accounting scandal at the Japanese medical equipment maker in 2011, said the investigators' report was potentially a sign of improvement in

"This time what offers some hope that things may be really changing is that a shareholders' commissioned investigation by outside lawyers has been explicit in its findings, and that these have actually seen the light of day," he told Reuters.

"That several of Toshiba's major shareholders have apparently also been demanding, albeit in private, accountability by seeking the resignation of the company's chairman is very different to the total silence I encountered of Olympus's institutional shareholders in 2011."

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Additional reporting by Kirstin Ridley in London; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Jane Merriman)

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Hosur (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 14 (ANI/NewsVoir): TVS Motor Company, a reputed manufacturer of two-wheelers and three-wheelers in the world has welcomed the increase in subsidy under FAME II Scheme as it will help increase EV two-wheeler penetration in the country.

Quote from Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director, TVS Motor Company on Revision in FAME II Subsidy, "We welcome the government's continued support to EVs. Sustainable mobility solutions are very important for the future and TVS is investing significantly behind this. The improved incentives for electric two-wheelers will increase penetration. Such policy direction should lead to indigenous development of future technology."

TVS Motor Company is a reputed two and three-wheeler manufacturer and is the flagship company of the USD 8.5 billion TVS Group. We believe in Championing Progress through Mobility. Rooted in our 100-year legacy of Trust, Value, and Passion for Customers and Exactness, we take pride in making internationally aspirational products of the highest quality through innovative and sustainable processes.

We endeavour to deliver the most superior customer experience at all our touch points across 60 countries. We are the only two-wheeler company to have received the prestigious Deming Prize. Our products lead in their respective categories in the JD Power IQS and APEAL surveys for five years. We have been ranked No. 1 Company in the JD Power Customer Service Satisfaction Survey for consecutive four years.

For more information, please visit (https://www.tvsmotor.com)

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has accused Amazon, Walmart-backed Flipkart and other foreign-funded e-commerce companies of following unethical business practices with the dual objectives of controlling India's e-commerce scene and destroying the country's retail business.

The unethical practices cited by CAIT include predatory pricing, deep discounting, loss funding, controlling inventory, and adoption of preferential sellers.

CAIT noted that the "sinister designs" of these companies have corrupted the e-commerce landscape of India. The traders' body has also launched an 'e-commerce purification week' from June 14-21, which is getting huge backing from traders' associations across India.

As part of this week-long campaign, trade associations from all over India will hand over a memorandum to the District Collectors in all states. Trade association delegations will also hold meetings with the Chief Ministers and state Finance Ministers.

These meetings with Chief Ministers and Finance Ministers of states will be aimed at setting up a monitoring mechanism for e-commerce trade and ensuring strict compliance with the Centre's FDI policy vis-a-vis e-commerce.

They will also send an e-mail to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. In this letter, the traders' associations will urge the Centre to direct the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to investigate the business modules of Amazon and Flipkart. In this letter, the traders' associations will also urge the Centre to set up a regulatory mechanism for monitoring e-commerce business in India, IANS reported.

As per CAIT, e-commerce business saw a 36 per cent growth in India in the last one year, more so in the case of personal care, beauty and wellness products. Grocery and FMCG product sales via e-commerce saw a growth of 70 per cent while electronics' sales saw a rise of 27 per cent.

It further noted that e-commerce business rose from 32 per cent in 2019 to 46 per cent in 2020 in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, citing the rising number of smartphone users in India.

"Therefore, there is an urgent need to purify the e-commerce landscape of the Country so that even a small trader can also adopt and accept the e-commerce business as an additional avenue for raising his revenue and make Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign a success," CAIT said on the importance of its campaign against e-commerce.

"The traders across the country are fully geared up to take on any challenge on this account and have firmly decided to free the e-commerce business from all evils. More than 40 thousand trade organisations from across will join with full force to make the purification campaign a success," CAIT further noted.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal; with agency inputs

Also read: Karnataka HC rejects Amazon, Flipkart plea to quash antitrust investigation

Also read: Traders' body disappointed with COVID-19 unlocking in Delhi, calls for opening of markets

Also read: Finalise FDI policy on e-commerce! Traders' body says they have had enough
Honeywell International Inc said on Monday it was partnering with the Indian government to ramp up oxygen production in the country.

Honeywell, which makes aircraft parts for planes manufactured by Boeing Co and Canada's Bombardier Inc, said its researchers will collaborate with Indian scientists to test and validate suitability of adsorbents for oxygen production in India.

Indian hospitals ran out of beds and life-saving oxygen during a devastating second wave of coronavirus in April and May and some people died in parking lots outside hospitals and at their homes. The South Asian country's total COVID-19 case load now stands at 29.51 million, while total fatalities are at 374,305.

Also read: Biotechnology company MyLab appoints Akshay Kumar as brand ambassador
National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) has frozen the accounts of three foreign funds that together own shares worth Rs 43,500 crore in four Adani Group companies. The accounts of Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund were frozen on or before May 31, as per the depository's website. An account freeze indicates that the funds would not be able to sell any of the existing securities or buy any new securities.

Officials at custodian banks that handle foreign investors said that the freeze on the three accounts could be because of insufficient disclosure of information regarding beneficial ownership under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), as mentioned in a report in The Economic Times. They stated that custodians usually warn clients of such action but if the fund does not respond or fails to comply then the accounts can be frozen.

Adani Group is yet to issue a statement. All the three funds, based out of Mauritius, are registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as foreign portfolio investors (FPIs). They together hold 6.82 per cent in Adani Enterprises, 8.03 per cent in Adani Transmission, 5.92 per cent in Adani Total Gas, and 3.58 per cent in Adani Green, as mentioned by the daily. They are registered at the same address in Port Louis and don't have websites, the daily reported.

The capital markets regulator had reworked the know your customer (KYC) documentation for FPIs. Funds were given time till 2020 to comply with the new norms. If they were to fail, their demat accounts were to be frozen. The regulator sought additional information from FPIs, including disclosures on common ownership and personal details for key employees.

Adani Group has six listed companies, the other two being Adani Ports and Adani Power. Adani Group have gained between 200 per cent and 1,000 per cent in the past one year.

Also read: Adani Group initiates talks to spin off airport biz, launch IPO

Also read: Adani Group enters cement business, incorporates Adani Cement Industries
A proposal by India and South Africa to temporarily waive patents on COVID-19 vaccines to ensure their equitable access received widespread support at the G7 summit in the UK, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday.

In a virtual address at an inaugural outreach session of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought the support of the grouping to lift patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines.

The MEA said PM Modi's call was supported by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, WTO Director-General Okonjo Iweala and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"I can confirm that there was widespread support in deliberations for text-based negotiations on the India-South Africa proposal for TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)," P Harish, additional secretary (economic relations) in the MEA, said at a press conference.

The TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) council of the WTO is likely to start text-based negotiations on the proposal.

Calling on the G7 to demonstrate leadership, Modi sought the grouping's strong support for the proposal for a TRIPS waiver at the WTO, Harish said about the prime minister's remarks on Saturday at the session titled ''Building Back Stronger-Health''

"His call was echoed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Referring to his conversation with the prime minister earlier, PM Morrison expressed his strong support for the TRIPS waiver, as did the Director-General of the WTO, Okonjo Iweala, and the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who identified the TRIPS waiver as an important element of his ''Global Vaccination Plan''- a roadmap to vaccinate the entire global population by doubling vaccine production," Harish said.

He said French President Emmanuel Macron also highlighted the need to focus on ramping up production capacity in Africa and called on India to lend its expertise as an important production hub globally.

The Group of Seven (G7) comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. As chair of G7, the UK invited India, Australia, South Korea, South Africa to the summit as Guest countries.

The G7 has pledged to donate an additional one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines within the next year.

Asked about G7's views on making available finances to boost vaccine production, the additional secretary said there was a general agreement to increase capacity in various regional manufacturing hubs and provide financing, technology transfer and skilling in these regions.

On whether the summit deliberated on how the COVID-19 originated in China, Harish did not give a direct reply.

"The leaders of the G7 and guest countries had a very intense and detailed discussion on the need for reforming the global health governance," he said.

"I would like to emphasise in this regard that India has been actively engaged with the international community at the levels of the G20, the G7 and the World Health Assembly on various aspects related to dealing with the current pandemic, learning lessons and preparing for future pandemics," he added.

Harish said Prime Minister Modi thanked the G7 and guest countries for the support shown to India during the difficult second wave of the pandemic and urged caution and vigilance even as things were getting better.

Modi also highlighted India's ''Whole of Government, Whole of Society'' approach to the pandemic, with the efforts of governments at all levels, civil society and industry synergized for best results.

Also read: G7 summit: PM Modi calls for reform of multilateral institutions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his best wishes to Naftali Bennett for taking the reigns as the Israeli Prime Minister. Modi also said that he looks forward to meeting him and bolster the strategic partnership between India and Israel further.

Prime Minister Modi tweeted, "Excellency @naftalibennett, congratulations on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. As we celebrate 30 years of the upgradation of diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries. @IsraeliPM."



Excellency @naftalibennett, congratulations on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. As we celebrate 30 years of the upgradation of diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries. @IsraeliPM Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2021 The Prime Minister also thanked his former counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu for his "leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership." As you complete your successful tenure as the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, I convey my profound gratitude for your leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership @netanyahu. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2021 Prime Minister Modi was not the only one to congratulate Bennett on his first innings as the Israeli Prime Minister. US President Joe Biden also congratulated the incoming Israeli PM Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid during a telephonic conversation. Biden added he looks forward to working to strengthen US-Israel relations. Prime Minister Bennett thanked Biden for his wishes and for his support to Israel during the recent conflict with Hamas in the Gaza strip, adding he considers the latter 'a great friend of the State of Israel'. Prime Minister Bennett noted his appreciation for the President, and for his support for Israel during the recent operation in Gaza (Guardian of the Walls), and noted that he considers him a great friend of the State of Israel. PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 13, 2021 In their conversation, the leaders emphasized the importance of the alliance between Israel and the United States, as well as their commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries, and maintaining the security of the State of Israel. PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 13, 2021

Naftali Bennett, the 49-year old leader of the right-wing Yamina party, was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Israel putting an end to Benjamin Netanyahu's era and political uncertainty due to inconclusive elections. Bennett took the oath of office after the Knesset (Parliament) elected him as the 13th Israeli PM.

The new government-a combination of diverse parties from the Right, the Left and the Centre secured a razor-thin majority of 60-59 in the 120-member Parliament as one lawmaker abstained from voting. His government has 27 ministers, out of whom 9 are women.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal; with agency inputs

Also read: Naftali Bennett sworn in as Israel's new PM, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-yr rule
The government should practise in India what it preaches to the world, Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Monday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on democracy and freedom of thought at a G7 meet.

Prime Minister Modi on Sunday said India is a natural ally for the G7 and its partners in defending democracy, freedom of thought and liberty from a host of threats stemming from authoritarianism, terrorism, violent extremism and economic coercion.

"PM Modi's speech at the G7 Outreach meeting is inspiring as well as ironic. The Modi government should practise in India what it preaches to the world," Chidambaram tweeted in response.

He added that it was "sad" the prime minister was the only guest not physically present at the outreach meeting.

"Ask yourself why? Because India is an outlier as far as the fight against Covid 19 is concerned. We are the most infected and least vaccinated country (as a proportion of the population)," the former Union minister said.

The prime minister made a virtual address at an outreach session of a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) richest democracies held in Cornwall in Britain.

Also read: 'Look forward to deepening partnership': PM Modi congratulates Israeli PM Naftali Bennett
Apple Inc. is planning to relax the requisite of wearing masks for vaccinated customers at many of its stores and offices across the United States (US) from next week.

The move will mark yet another major retailer moving away from the COVID-related safety protocol as states ease curbs. Walmart Inc., Trader Joe's, Starbucks Corp., and Costco Wholesale Corp. had recently relaxed the same conditions.

The tech giant has started informing its employees of the imminent change in impacted markets. The policy change will come into effect as early as Tuesday.

Also Read: Apple to shift to 3-day work weeks from September

Apple has told its employees not to ask customers for verification of vaccination, Bloomberg reported. However, the staff will be required to wear masks at stores.

However, the company could change its plans or defer the loosening of the restriction. As per a memo sent to its corporate employees, the requisite of face coverings will also be dropped at some of Apple's US offices.

"Given the progress being made in response to COVID-19 in the US, we wanted to let you know that a number of sites are now moving to the next phase of resumption and will begin to operate under Phase 3 onsite protocol," as per the memo.

Also Read: Apple's Tim Cook says 'threat profile' of iPhone warrants App Store rules

"In Phase 3, where allowed, Apple protocols are being updated to permit optional masking for vaccinated individuals. Physical distancing requirements are also being relaxed in this phase," it added.

Apple was one of the first corporates to shut its stores as the COVID-19 pandemic spread globally. The tech giant had said in March 2020 that it was closing hundreds of its stores and encouraged staff to work remotely.

Apple had earlier dropped mask requirements in some other regions, comprising Australia. The company had told its employees earlier this month that they are expected to resume office by September this year for at least three days a week.

The iPhone maker's employees have been working remotely for the past year to check the spread of COVID-19.
Naftali Bennett was on Sunday sworn in as Israel's new Prime Minister, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year hold on power and the political uncertainty that gripped the Jewish nation for months after inconclusive elections. Bennett, the 49-year-old leader of the right-wing Yamina party, took oath of office after the Knesset (Parliament) elected him as the 13th Prime Minister of Israel by approved with a razor-thin majority of 60-59 in the 120-member house. One lawmaker abstained.

His government has 27 ministers, nine of them women. The new government - an unprecedented coalition of ideologically divergent political parties drawn from the Right, the Left and the Centre, along with an Arab party - has a razor-thin majority in a 120-member house.

Mickey Levy of Yesh Atid party was elected as the speaker of Parliament with the support of 67 lawmakers. Earlier, Bennett presented his new government's ministers in the Knesset (Israeli parliament) in a speech constantly interrupted by supporters of 71-year-old Netanyahu.

Amid incessant heckling from rival bloc's lawmakers, Bennett said that he is proud "of the ability to sit with people of different opinions". "At the decisive moment we took responsibility," he said. "The alternative to this government was more elections, more hate, which would have broken up the country."

"It is time for responsible leaders from different parts of the nation to stop this madness, he asserted. Agitated Likud, ultra-orthodox and ultra-nationalist lawmakers constantly jeered at Bennett during his speech calling him "a criminal" and a "liar".

In his speech, Bennett also said that Israel "will not allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons." "Israel will not be a party to the agreement and will continue to preserve full freedom of action, he said, opposing the US efforts to revive Iran's nuclear deal. US President Joe Biden congratulated Prime Minister Bennett and said he is looking forward to working with him.

On behalf of the American people, I congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and all the members of the new Israeli cabinet. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations, Biden was quoted as saying by The Times of Israel.

Israel has no better friend than the United States. The bond that unites our people is evidence of our shared values and decades of close cooperation, and as we continue to strengthen our partnership, the United States remains unwavering in its support for Israel's security.

"My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region, the US president said. Bennett, a former ally turned rival of Netanyahu, is leading a fragile coalition of eight parties - Yamina, Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid, New Hope, Labor, Meretz, United Arab List, Kahol Lavan and Yisrael Beiteinu.

The alliance contains parties that have vast ideological differences, and perhaps most significantly includes the first independent Arab party to be part of a potential ruling coalition, Ra'am. Bennett has entered into a power-sharing agreement with Centrist leader Yair Lapid, the head of the Yesh Atid party, under which the latter would take over premiership in September 2023, serving for two years till the end of the term.

Lapid, the leader of the second-largest faction in the Knesset with 17 seats was invited by President Reuven Rivlin to form a coalition after Netanyahu, leading the Likud party with 30 seats, expressed his inability to put together a government backed by a majority of the lawmakers.

The unstable coalition that Lapid has managed to put together faces severe challenges and the glue that seems to hold them together is the 'unity of purpose' created by the agenda of ousting Netanyahu. The approval of the new government by the Knesset ended 12 years of uninterrupted rule by Netanyahu, who holds the record of being the longest-serving Prime Minister in the country's history.

Having served in the position earlier between 1996 and 1999, Netanyahu last year surpassed the record held by one of the Jewish state's founding leaders, David Ben-Gurion. In his address to parliament, Netanyahu vowed to bring down this "dangerous government".

"If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country in our way, Netanyahu said as he made clear he has no plans on giving up leadership of the Likud Party. Iran is "celebrating" the formation of a "weak government in Israel, Netanyahu said. "From the moment the US returns to the nuclear deal with Iran, the incoming government won't approve significant operations in Iran," he said.

"A government that is not able to forcefully oppose the international community on the pressing issues for our fate is not worthy of leading Israel," he said, claiming that Bennett doesn't have the credibility or the global standing to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capability.

The formation of the new government ended the political impasse in the country that saw four elections in less than two years leading to inconclusive results. But opinion polls suggest that majority of the Israelis do not look too hopeful regarding the longevity of the coalition of eight parties who do not see eye-to-eye on most of the critical issues facing the country.

Many analysts feel that the two factors likely to prolong or determine the tenure of the new fragile coalition are the fear of Netanyahu's return and also a possible political demise of some of the right-wing factions that have gone against the wishes of their voting constituency to join hands.

It also includes Bennett's Yamina party which has to score some "major wins" to restore the faith of its supporters in the movement. Interestingly, almost one-third of the people standing in unity to oust Netanyahu would otherwise be his 'natural allies' ideologically, having also worked as his close associates in the past.

Many analysts believe that Netanyahu's long-term 'invincibility' led to arrogance because of which he went on pushing his friends away from him each time there were differences of opinion, simultaneously also labelling them as Leftists as if it was a stigma. It is still not all over for Netanyahu, who has dominated Israel's political landscape for years and would remain the head of the right-wing Likud party and become the leader of the opposition.

The coalition agreement involving eight factions with the 61 seats required for a majority was signed on June 2, just about half an hour before a deadline was due to expire. Netanyahu is fighting corruption cases on fraud, bribery and breach of trust charges, which he denies. If he were to go into the opposition, he might be denied parliamentary immunity.

Also read: Days of small group of countries dictating global decisions long gone: China on G7 summit

Also read: Two-state solution only answer to Israel-Palestine issue, will help rebuild Gaza: Joe Biden

Also read: COVID-19 crisis: Israel dispatches second consignment of medical aid to India
Sensex and Nifty are likely to open lower on Monday following a mixed trend in Asian markets. At 7:00 am, the Nifty was trading 55.00 points or 0.35 percent lower at 15,768.

On Friday, Sensex and Nifty closed at record highs, led by gains in index heavyweights Reliance Industries, Infosys and TCS amid positive trend in global equities. Sensex ended 174.29 points or 0.33 per cent higher at 52,474 and Nifty rose 61 points or 0.39 per cent to its lifetime peak of 15,799.

Here's a look at stocks which are likely to remain in news today.

Adani Group stocks: National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) has frozen the accounts of three foreign funds that together own shares worth Rs 43,500 crore in four Adani Group companies. The accounts of Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund were frozen on or before May 31, as per the depository's website.

Adani Enterprises: The company has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary by the name of Adani Cement. In its filing, Adani Enterprises informed that Adani Capital has a authorised share capital of Rs 10 lakh and paid-up share capital of Rs 5 lakh. The fresh subsidiary has 50,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each.

Coal India: State-run Coal India has lifted the embargo on coal exports under its e-auction sales policy. Now coal purchasers, including traders, can export the coal bought through this route.

Reliance Power: The firm's board has approved preferential issue of shares and warrants of up to Rs Rs 1,325 crore to promoter company Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra).

Ruchi Soya: The firm has filed a draft document with SEBI to launch a follow-on public offer (FPO) for raising up to Rs 4,300 crore.

Lupin: The pharma company has received a warning letter from the US health regulator for its Somerset facility in the US. The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) had inspected the company's Somerset, New Jersey, facility from September 10, 2020, to November 5, 2020.

Axis Bank: The private lender is likely to raise its stake in Max Life Insurance to about 20 per cent over the next 12-18 months, the insurance company's CEO Prashant Tripathy said. Currently, Axis Bank and its two subsidiaries -- Axis Capital Ltd and Axis Securities -- collectively own 12.99 per cent in Max Life Insurance post approval of the deal in April this year.

NTPC: The power firm has floated a global expression of interest (EoI) for setting up hydrogen fuel-based power backup system and a standalone fuel-cell based microgrid system.

Indiabulls Housing Finance: Blackrock Fund bought over 25 lakh shares in Indiabulls Housing Finance on June 11, taking its stake in the mortgage lender to more than 3 percent.

Blackrock Emerging Markets Fund bought 25,50,957 shares in Indiabulls Housing Finance (representing half a percent of total paid-up equity) at Rs 287.84 a share on the NSE, bulk deals data showed.

Accelya Solutions India: Plutus Wealth Management bought seven lakh shares in Accelya Solutions India (representing 4.68 percent of the paid-up equity) at Rs 1,194.91 a share. Promoter's shareholding stood at 89.27 percent in Accelya. The firm is a leading provider of technology products and services to the travel and transport industry.

Globus Spirits: Templeton Strategic Emerging Markets Fund IV LDC sold 3.31 lakh shares in the liquor manufacturer at Rs 383.22 a share on the NSE. Rajasthan Global Securities bought 1,80,210 equity shares in the company at Rs 383.66 a share.

Bharat Forge: Ajinkya Investment & Trading Company, a part of the promoter group, sold 46,56,000 shares in Bharat Forge, one of the leading forging companies in India, at Rs 750.8 per share.

Bank of Maharashtra: The lender is looking to raise up to Rs 2,000 crore through qualified institutional placement (QIP) route before July-end, its Managing Director and CEO AS Rajeev said. In April this year, the Pune-based lender had received board approval to raise Rs 5,000 crore by way of QIP/rights issue/ preferential issue or by issuing Basel III bonds.

Info Edge: The company has inked an agreement to buy 100% of the share capital of Zwayam Digital Pvt Ltd.

Shriram Transport Finance: The auto finance company has raised close to Rs 2,000 crore through its latest qualified institutions placement (QIP) issue. The issue opened on 7 June and closed on 11 June, the company said.
Domestic airline IndiGo is building a $1 billion war chest as it prepares to tide over a third wave of COVID-19. The airline's plans come amid receding daily cases in the country after a disastrous second wave. Even so, chief executive Ronojoy Dutta believes that the airline's business would return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.

The budget airline plans to raise $410 million through a qualified institutional placement (QIP) to prepare for the worst-case scenario, stated a report in Financial Times. It also plans to raise $600 million from bank credits, sales and leasebacks of aircraft.

Dutta told the daily that there is no 'ifs and buts' about the third wave. He stated that doctors have been warning about the next wave, and it is likely to come around November-December.

"The board says 'look, the environment is volatile...what if we go for another three months' shutdown, then what?' And the revenue is zero? It's for that sort of disaster scenario that we are building insurance," said Dutta to the daily.

While being cautious of the third wave, Dutta also believes that it is not likely to be as damaging as the second one. He says that as long as India keeps vaccinating about 7 lakh people a day, the third one will be a very flat wave.

The IndiGo chief is also looking forward to 'revenge vacations' that Indians are anticipated to take after being cooped up at home for months. Dutta expects it to benefit the airline. IndiGo has, in fact, added new destinations at holiday hotspots such as Maldives.

Dutta told the daily that the pandemic has set India back at least two-three years. "But we'll catch up...I have great faith in the Indian growth story," he added.

Also read: COVID-19 impact: IndiGo announces compulsory leave without pay policy for senior employees

Also read: IndiGo hopes to attain pre-COVID-19 traffic by Q2 of 2022: CEO
Paytm on Monday announced that its users will now be able to search, discover and book their vaccination slots for both Covishield and Covaxin at the nearest centre via the app.

The move comes after the Centre had late last month introduced fresh guidelines for the integration of CoWIN with third-party developers, easing the way for the latter to provide vaccine bookings via their applications.

The government had cleared 91 such apps for offering COVID-19 vaccine booking slots in India. Paytm was among the platforms to have received the approval. Users can book vaccination slots on the app on the basis of age, location, vaccine type, dose number, etc. They can also pick between free and paid vaccines.

Also Read: Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay, other mobile wallets to be interoperable from April 2022

"Paytm users can now search, discover & also book their vaccination slots for both Covaxin and Covishield at the nearest centre through the Paytm app. The service would help Indians seamlessly book vaccination slots and gain immunity, helping in fighting the ongoing pandemic," Paytm said in a statement.

CoWIN head RS Sharma recently said over a dozen entities, including large digital companies like Paytm, MakeMyTrip and Infosys, are looking at approval to offer vaccine bookings. Previously, giants like Facebook and Google and startups such as HealthifyMe have introduced a slew of tools to help people find slots for vaccination appointments.

Platforms like Under45 and GetJab became popular overnight as they alerted users when vaccine slots opened up and then directed them to the CoWIN platform to secure an appointment.

Also Read: Paytm, Infosys, MakeMyTrip seek approval to conduct online COVID-19 vaccine bookings

In May, Paytm too launched a ''Vaccine Finder'' feature on the app to help users find leads for vaccine bookings, including information such as the type of vaccine available and the fee charged for it.

"It is our endeavour to help India come out of this pandemic a lot stronger. Our vaccine finder will help citizens seamlessly book slots at the nearest centre and get vaccinated," a Paytm spokesperson said.

India has been ramping up vaccination to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The country has so far administered over 25.4 crore jabs to eligible beneficiaries.

The government has been undertaking vaccinations in a phased manner, starting with those over 60 years, then for those over 45 years and most recently, for those aged between 18-44 years.

Also Read: Paytm board meeting to okay India's biggest-ever IPO today; here's what you need to know

(With inputs from PTI.)
WhatsApp head Will Cathcart has termed government demands to weaken encryption as Orwellian that will put the personal freedom of users at stake through surveillance. WhatsApp, which brought in its new privacy laws, is currently fighting the Indian government in court for its new IT rules that demand the traceability and identification of the first originator of a message. This means that the app will have to break the end-to-end encryption of chats no longer keeping them private. WhatsApp faces similar demands from Brazil, which is its second-largest market after India. The United States of America, Canada, and the UK have also pressured WhatsApp to weaken its encryption.



"Imagine there was a proposal from the government to put a video camera in every living room in a country hooked up to the internet, so the government can turn it on when they're investigating a crime," Cathcart told The Guardian. "I think people immediately recoil in horror at that proposal because they have a built-up understanding of just how bad that would be. And yet it feels like people can make identical proposals for a digital world. And because it's technical, sometimes the horror of what's being proposed is lost," he added

Cathcart told the publication and reiterated that WhatsApp's updated privacy policy does not enable the app to read private chats. "The concern we heard, and the proof that they care, was 'We're worried you're gonna start reading our messages'. We're not. The privacy of people's personal conversations did not change at all in any way with our update, let alone around end-to-end encryption. We think it is very important that people in the long term understand how the privacy of their personal messages is protected."

While WhatsApp boss is talking of encryption loopholes and the potential for entail perpetual monitoring, it is worth noting that Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, do monitor users rather pervasively through its Facebook and Instagram apps. Although this user's monitoring and data collection happens after users agree to the terms and conditions.

WhatsApp had first announced that the new terms of service would come into effect from February 8, 2021. However, the company delayed the update in India to May 15 because it was criticised massively with people switching to alternatives like Telegram and Signal. The Indian government asked WhatsApp to withdraw the new policy but WhatsApp noted that it complied with all the existing IT rules and that it would stand its ground till the personal data protection bill goes into effect.

Whatsapp is currently working on an ad campaign in the UK and Germany over the next 15 weeks highlighting the "everyday benefits of end-to-end encryption." Cathcart also emphasised the changes that have been brought about in law enforcement over the last 30 years and noted that technology has only helped in that area as lives became more digital.

"All we're saying is that the most sensitive thing, which is the private messages people send, should stay private. Beyond that, we do incredible work with the limited data we have," he said.

Cathcart noted that WhatsApp bans 300,000 accounts a month on suspicion of sharing images of child sexual abuse and reports 400,000 leads to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the US every year, based on information such as IP addresses, profile pictures and user reports.
The Cadillac Lions Club is again hosting its citywide Medallion Hunt and whoever finds this medallion somewhere within Cadillacs city limits will win $300, the medallion that pictures KISS and bragging rights for the year. There also will be a second hunt for a "mini-medallion"
The Chinese embassy in the U.K. on Monday criticized a statement by the leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) for the deliberate slandering of China, accusing the countries leaders of gross interference in its internal affairs.

The joint statement, issued by the leaders of the G-7, a club of the worlds seven top industrialized nations, during their summit in the U.K. on Saturday, criticized, among other issues, Chinas conduct in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and expressed concerns over the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

Chinas embassy in the U.K. hit back with its own statement, expressing strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition. It denounced the G-7 summit as block and power politics in a small circle that intentionally creates confrontation and division.

The embassy said the G-7 joint statement distorted the facts regarding issues related to Chinas northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and cross-strait relations, the statement said, resulting in deliberate slandering against the Chinese side and gross interference in Chinas domestic affairs.

We urge the United States and other G-7 members to respect the facts, understand the situation clearly, and stop smearing China, interfering in Chinas domestic affairs and harming the Chinese sides interests, the embassy said.

In the joint statement, the G-7 leaders, from the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada, also called for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened Phase 2 investigation into the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In response, the Chinese embassy accused some politicians from the U.S. and several other countries of politically manipulating the Covid-19 origin investigation.

A certain country even used its intelligence agencies in [the virus] origin-tracing, whose political motives are abundantly clear,  the statement said, referring to the U.S. President Joe Bidens ordering American intelligence community to investigate the origin of Covid-19 last month.

Regarding to Chinas business practices, the G-7 leaders also said we will continue to consult on collective approaches to challenging nonmarket policies and practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy.

In response, the Chinese embassy said in its statement that it is the U.S. that is attacking Chinese companies under the pretext of national security, which is a typical non-market policy that violates the market competition rules of the World Trade Organization.

In a separate Saturday statement, the Chinese embassy in the U.K. rebuked the U.S. for advocating rules-based international system during the G-7 summit.

There is only one system and one order in the world, that is, the international system with the United Nations at the core and the international order based on international law, the statement said, not the so-called system and order advocated by a handful of countries.

The G-7 countries also endorsed a grand infrastructure plan, known as Build Back Better World (B3W) to compete with Chinas multitrillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative in the developing world.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that she hoped that a new G-7 task force could present first infrastructure projects of the B3W plan in 2022, when Berlin takes over the G-7 presidency.

Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

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There is no law against the practice in China, nor is any legislation against it on the table

Jul 01, 2021 08:03 PM
St. Johnsbury, VT (05819)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
Francafrique and the Neocolonial state in Africa :: AFRICA

In his latest book Neither Settler nor Native, Ugandan scholar Mahmood Mamdani argues that the nation-state and the settler colony happened to each other in tandem. Both the colonial state and the nation state were built around the politics of an ethnic or religious majority at the expense of an arbitrarily constructed minority. At the heart of the matter is how the politicization of identity  and of ethnicities  and genocide are at the heart of the creation of the nation-state.

As such, the CL2P has always worked for an  epistemic revolution , in which humans come to see themselves as  survivors of a story  rather than victims in an endless cycle of violence.

At the CL2P, we recognize human agency, and we are not simply toys of stronger and broader structural and abstract forces like Francafrique. Because Francafrique cannot be the only horizon assigned to French-speaking Africans.

In international relations, no partner should consider himself indispensable and irreplaceable 

Because all countries, including the poorest, obey  when they have legitimate rulers  first the pursuit and then the preservation of their own interests.

This is how France conceives its foreign policy, regardless of the political color of its successive leaders.

France must finally admit that many of its former colonies are doing the same, without permanently investigating a trial for  anti-French feeling  or making miserable blackmail at the termination of a derisory aid to development which has benefited little. to the populations, but to an African elite complexed and corrupted to the core.

The Committee For The Release of Political Prisoners  CL2P

http://www.cl2p.org


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Do you have an athlete in mind that contributes to the team or sport, holds sportsmanship and team spirit, has epic playmaker moments and/or in general makes the the sports fun? If yes, please make your nominations for our edition of Athlete Spotlight.

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(En espanol)

ATLANTA (June 14, 2021)  The Carter Center today released the final report from its electoral expert team on Bolivias Oct. 18, 2020, general elections. The report commends the work of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, known by its Spanish acronym, TSE, for conducting a complex election process with independence, impartiality, and transparency, paving the way to return to the constitutional framework. The report also highlights the record participation and intense competition, which happened despite the political tensions and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tribunals task was particularly challenging: It had to organize elections in a short timeframe with new personnel and with a significant part of its infrastructure demolishedall in the context of extreme political polarization. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic erupted onto this delicate scene, prompting the TSE to twice postpone the elections. The tribunal sought consensus between the legislative and executive branches before making these postponements, an approach that enabled the unanimous approval of three postponement laws. Setting an election date of Oct. 18 helped protect the health of Bolivian citizens while also complying with the Constitutional Courts ruling that newly elected authorities be sworn in by the end of the year.

The Carter Centers three-person electoral expert team focused its analysis on the legal framework for elections and on the election administrations degree of independence, impartiality, transparency, and technical efficiency. It also examined respect for political participation rights and freedom of the pressparticularly in the context of the pandemicand provided a limited assessment of the results aggregation process.

Because of the limited size and scope of the electoral expert team, which did not include long-term or short-term observers, it was not able to observe the campaign or conduct firsthand observation of the voting and counting processes, and therefore did not provide an assessment of the overall electoral process.

The Carter Center also collaborated with Chequea Bolivia to analyze online disinformation targeting the electoral process and monitored political advertising on social media during the three months prior to election day. The Centers analysis noted a limited use of paid political advertising on social media, and conversely, a proliferation of disinformation aimed at eroding the reputations of candidates and the electoral tribunal.

The electoral expert team assessed the Bolivian electoral process based on the national legal framework and the principles and commitments on democratic elections enshrined in the regional and international instruments that Bolivia has ratified. On the basis of this analysis and evaluation, The Carter Center respectfully offers a set of recommendations aimed at improving certain aspects of electoral processes. Some seek to ensure that Bolivian election processes are aligned with international principles and commitments, while others aim to strengthen efficient implementation.

Some of the main recommendations in the Centers final report are:

Limitations on the right to stand. Priority should be given to replacing the sanction that provides for the cancellation of a political partys legal status, currently provided for by articles 136.III of the LRE and 58.1(k) of the Law on Political Organizations (LOP, Law 1096 of Sept. 1, 2018), with sanctions that are more proportionate to offenses and that do not jeopardize political pluralism. Campaign finance. Electoral legislation does not establish campaign spending limits, except for spending on political advertising in the media, which can lead to great inequalities in resources for competing parties. Bolivia should consider establishing limits for all campaign spending, not just political advertising in the media, to help level the playing field for political competitors. Results publication. Given the reliability and transparency of the official results aggregation process, and the significant difficulties in ensuring that the preliminary results system is sufficiently representative of the elections results, the TSE should consider abandoning the preliminary results system and instead rely from the outset on the official results system provided for by law, at least until a more financially feasible, fully representative, and realistically implementable system is found. Out-of-country voting. The electoral tribunal should consider creating social media channels and dedicating a part of its website exclusively for voters living abroad, to facilitate communication of important election information on topics such as voter registration and voting centers. Social media and disinformation. The TSE should reach agreements with the leading social networks to provide access to their systems so that the entities authorized by the tribunal can monitor content, as is done with traditional media. The TSE also could reach agreements with the leading social networks to enable mechanisms for reporting suspicious activity to the tribunal, facilitating rapid responses. Political advertising on social media. Some provisions of Bolivian law that already apply to traditional media should be made more explicitly applicable to social networks. This should include the requirement that rates charged for electoral advertising be the same for all parties, which would help level the campaign playing field.

Final Report | Analyzing Bolivias 2020 General Elections (PDF)

Translations

El Centro Carter Publica Informe Final sobre las Elecciones Generales Bolivianas de 2020 (PDF)

Informe Final | Analisis de las elecciones generales bolivianas de 2020 (PDF)

###

Contact: Soyia Ellison, associate communications director, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org



The Carter Center

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
DNEG has announced plans to expand to Bangalore. The vfx and animation giant is onboarding a team of artists and technicians in the city, its fourth Indian location (after Mumbai, Chennai, and Chandigarh), and its eighth worldwide (alongside London, Vancouver, L.A., and Montreal).

The company, which is headquartered in London, cites the current boom in demand for content, much of it fueled by streamers, as a reason for the expansion. The Bangalore team will work on a variety of high-profile international projects across features (including animated features) and streaming releases.

Merzin Tavaria, DNEGs president of global production and operations, said in a statement: Were extending our footprint into Bangalore to provide both further capacity and support for our global teams, and to explore the potential of the incredible talent in the area while providing opportunities to work on the biggest international projects.
Theres been a change of leadership at Locksmith Animation, the young London studio behind the upcoming feature Rons Gone Wrong. Natalie Fischer, former COO of Illumination Entertainment, has joined as CEO.

Sarah Smith, one of the studios co-founders, has stepped down in order to focus on her own projects. She co-directed and co-wrote Rons Gone Wrong. Julie Lockhart, another Locksmith co-founder and the producer of Rons Gone Wrong, has been named the studios president of production. The announcements were made by Elisabeth Murdoch, Locksmith chair and co-founder (and daughter of Rupert).

Fischer was with Illumination from its infancy, playing a key role in its launch in 2007. She joined in 2009 as head of business development, and since 2017 she has been a senior advisor to the company. She previously held roles at Universal and the U.K.s Channel 4.
Photo: The Canadian Press A makeshift memorial is laid out beside the Indian Head RCMP detachment in Indian Head, Sask., on Sunday, June 13, 2021. The memorial is laid out for for Const. Shelby Patton who was killed while on duty in Wolseley, Sask. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kayle Neis

WOLSELEY, Sask. - A province mourned the loss of a slain RCMP officer on Sunday, remembering the Mountie as a compassionate fixture of his rural Saskatchewan community.

Const. Shelby Patton, 26, died Saturday morning after he stopped a suspected stolen truck in the small town of Wolseley, Sask., east of Regina. He was hit by the truck while outside of his police vehicle, RCMP said.

The truck took off and Patton died at the scene.

Flags at RCMP stations across Saskatchewan flew at half-mast, while a growing memorial of flowers, notes and stuffed animals took shape outside the Indian Head detachment where Patton was posted.

Those who knew him said he was tailor-made for the Mounties.

"It's a fine line between being a kind person and being authoritative and in control, which sounds bad, but I mean that in a nice way," said Brennan Risling, a drama teacher at Patton's high school in Yorkton, Sask.

The young Patton wanted to be backstage, so Risling made him the stage manager for a play.

"He was organized. He knew when people had to be on stage and he knew what they had to do. But he was also kind in a way that wouldn't make people feel bad, which in drama might seem like a small thing, but it's not," his former teacher said.

He also praised Patton's backstage ingenuity, recalling the time the student was tasked with reproducing the sound of a 1930s-era car. Patton solved the problem by rigging up an old fan inside a bucket.

"What I appreciated was how original he could be," Risling said. "... He was able to think outside the box and use what we had in the school to make it feel effective."

Risling left the school in Patton's hometown in 2013 and hadn't heard that his former student had joined the Mounties.

"Finding out he was an RCMP officer makes a lot of sense," he said, adding his heart broke when he heard Patton was dead. "He was a great person."

Patton was similarly liked and respected by those who knew him in adulthood.

Gillian Solomon, who works at the Ace Hardware store across the street from the Indian Head RCMP detachment, said Patton was a regular customer.

"He was really nice," she said. "An awful lot of the time, you run into RCMP officers in their private lives and theyre cautious, (but) he was a really pleasant, nice guy."

In his six years of service in Indian Head, Solomon said Patton touched many lives in town. She described him as compassionate and caring, and said he will be missed.

"A lot of people are really devastated by what happened to him, whether they knew him or not," she said. "And of course, theres the fact that he was just too freaking young."

The police investigation into Patton's death is ongoing.

A man and a woman were arrested in a field outside the small town of Francis, Sask., two hours after the crash that claimed Patton's life, but no charges have yet been laid.

In Wolseley, Varinder Ghotra, who works at the town's lone hotel, said he heard the building's alarm go off around 8 a.m. on Saturday. The doors were still locked when he checked them, so he reset the alarm and went back to sleep.

Only later would he learn that Patton had died on the street in front of the hotel at around that time, and the people in the truck that struck him had driven away.

Fredrick Runs, a hotel guest, saw an RCMP patrol vehicle parked at the end of the street just across from the railway tracks that morning. He believes it must have belonged to Patton.

"Things like this don't happen in little towns," he said.

A Facebook post from Kaela Patton said she doesn't know what to do now that her brave big brother is gone.

"I'm so proud of how brave you were, you were a darn good officer and an even better brother," the post read.

RCMP said Patton had been a Mountie for six years and four months, almost all of which he spent at Indian Head. He was briefly assigned to Parliament Hill in 2015.

Saskatchewan RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore has said Patton was known as a hard-working, dedicated police officer and his colleagues have been traumatized by his death.

She said it's a close-knit team with a "family-like environment," and there will be supports in place to help them through their grief.

Messages of support have poured in from politicians, including Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.

"Our grief is only matched by our tremendous gratitude to Constable Patton for his service, and to every police officer who serves and protects us every day," he tweeted on Saturday night. "My deepest condolences to Constable Pattons wife, family, friends and colleagues."

Back at the memorial outside the Indian Head detachment, a poster in what appeared to be a child's handwriting had a message of comfort for the officers family

"He is a hero and always will be," it said. "Thank you for your service. P.S. We love you."
Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves as he arrives in Brussels on Sunday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Brussels today for a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and then a Canada-EU summit.

Trudeau began his day by meeting with the president of Latvia, where the Canadian military is leading a NATO alliance battlegroup whose mission is to deter Russian aggression in the region.

The prime minister then sat down with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a room in front of a photo of the NATO building and Canadian and U.N. flags.

Stoltenberg said NATO is entering a new chapter and Canada has always been a defender of the North American alliance with Europe.

He thanked Canada for its participation in NATO missions in Latvia and for deciding to have a centre of excellence for climate change, which he noted is an issue that affects security.

Trudeau also spoke briefly, saying its been an interesting few years for NATO, and that the alliance is more united than ever, which is important at this crucial time in history.

He said nations need to stand together to fight crises from COVID to climate change, which is why Canada has stepped up to offer a centre for excellence.

Trudeau said theres been a geopolitical shift, with the world now seeing a general rise in authoritarianism, including from China.

He said NATO allies need to demonstrate there is an alternative to what he called the strong arm tactics that countries like China are taking.

He also noted that Russia has been worse now in its engagement with NATO nations and more disruptive than it's been in decades.

While he said that should concern everyone, he added that NATO continues to stand strong against Russian interference.

Trudeau said the NATO summit provides an opportunity to not just reaffirm commitment to nice and strong principles, but talk about how to deliver them.

Meanwhile, a lot of eyes will be on U.S. President Joe Biden and how he plans to renew a relationship between his country and the military alliance.

His predecessor, Donald Trump, had called NATO "obsolete."

Experts say there will be a focus on tackling cybersecurity and information warfare, as well as how to handle challenges presented by Russia and more recently China.

Trudeau will later take part in a summit with European leaders Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, where they are expected to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the trade agreement between Canada and the European Union.
Photo: The Canadian Press Carlos Ghosn

Two Americans suspected of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was out on bail go on trial today in Tokyo.

Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, and his son Peter Taylor are suspected in the Houdini-like operation where Ghosn hid in a box for music equipment that was loaded onto a private jet that flew him to Lebanon, via Turkey in December 2019.

Unlike the U.S., Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship.

The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts in May last year and extradited in March on charges of helping a criminal. The authorities say Ghosn hired the Taylors for at least $1.3 million.

Ghosn led Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. for two decades before his arrest in November 2018. He was charged with falsifying securities reports in under-reporting his compensation and of breach of trust in using Nissan money for personal gain. Ghosn says he is innocent.

At Mondays court session, the Tokyo District Prosecutors will outline the allegations against the Taylors before Presiding Judge Hideo Nirei and two other judges.

The Taylors will also likely make statements. They have been held in a Tokyo detention center since arriving in Japan and were not available for comment.

Peter Taylor said in a statement to a Massachusetts court in January that he met Ghosn in 2019 in Japan to pitch his digital marketing company to repair Ghosns tarnished reputation. He said Ghosn asked him to bring him gifts, food and DVDs from his wife, as well as to deliver gifts, including to family members in Lebanon.

Peter Taylor also said he left Japan for Shanghai on Dec. 29, 2019, and was not in Japan at the time of the alleged escape. He denied he was in touch with his father at that time, according to a document from the Massachusetts District Court.

A third person, George-Antoine Zayek, also is suspected of helping Ghosn escape Japan. Zayek has not been arrested.

Ghosn has said he fled Japan while out on bail because he did not expect to get a fair trial. More than 99% of criminal cases in Japan result in convictions.

No Japanese executives have been charged in the scandal at Nissan, Yokohama-based manufacturer of the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models.

If convicted, the Taylors face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($2,900). Extraditions between Japan and the U.S. are relatively rare, even for serious crimes. The possible penalty of three years in prison is the minimum required for an extradition.

Separately, the trial of another American, Greg Kelly, a former executive vice president at Nissan, is also underway at the Tokyo District Court. It began in September. Kelly says he is innocent of the charge of under-reporting Ghosns compensation and was only involved in finding legal ways to pay Ghosn more to prevent him from leaving the company for a rival automaker.

Before his arrest, Ghosn was an auto industry star for having orchestrated Nissan's rebound from the brink of bankruptcy after he was sent to Japan by its French alliance partner Renault in 1999.

Ghosn slashed his pay by about 1 billion yen ($10 million) to half of what hed been getting, starting in 2010, when disclosure of high executive pay became required in Japan. The concern was that his relatively high compensation might be viewed unfavorably since Japanese top executives tend to draw lower pay packages than their peers in other countries.

At the heart of Kelly's trial is the question of whether the so-called shortfall in Ghosn's pay violated the law in deferring compensation that should have been reported. Several high-ranking officials, including non-Japanese executives, knew about the shortfall.
Photo: The Canadian Press President Rodrigo Duterte

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday that she has sought authorization to open an investigation into the Philippine governments deadly crackdown on drug crime.

Fatou Bensouda said that a preliminary probe she opened in February 2018 determined that there is a reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder has been committed in the Philippines between July 1, 2016 and March 16, 2019, the date the Philippines withdrew from the court.

The suspected crimes happened in the context of the government of Philippines war on drugs campaign, Bensouda said in a statement.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced in March 2018 that the Philippines was withdrawing its ratification of the treaty that created the ICC. The decision came into force a year later.

But Bensouda stressed that the court still has jurisdiction over crimes that allegedly happened while the country was still a member of the court.

Bensouda, whose nine-year term as the courts chief prosecutor ends this week, said that information gathered in the preliminary probe indicates that members of the Philippine National Police, and others acting in concert with them, have unlawfully killed between several thousand and tens of thousands of civilians during that time.

She said prosecutors also reviewed allegations of torture and other inhumane acts, and related events dating back to Nov. 1, 2011, all of which we believe require investigation.

When he announced he was going to withdraw from the court, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended his drug crackdown, saying in a 15-page statement that it is lawfully directed against drug lords and pushers who have for many years destroyed the present generation, specially the youth.

Judges at the global court have 120 days to issue a decision on the prosecutors request.
Photo: The Canadian Press NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

NATO leaders on Monday declared that China poses a constant security challenge and is working to undermine global order, and they said they're worried about how fast the Chinese are developing nuclear missiles.

In a summit statement, the leaders said that Chinas goals and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.

While the 30 heads of state and government avoided calling China a rival, they expressed concern about what they said were its coercive policies, the opaque ways it is modernizing its armed forces and its use of disinformation.

They called on Beijing to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system.

The statement comes as President Joe Biden has stepped up his effort to rally allies to speak in a more unified voice about Chinas human rights record, its trade practices and its militarys increasingly assertive behavior that has unnerved U.S. allies in the Pacific.

Biden, who arrived at the summit after three days of consulting with Group of Seven allies in England, pushed for the G-7 communique there that called out what it said were forced labor practices and other human rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province. The president said he was satisfied with the communique, although differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to criticize Beijing.

The new Brussels communique states plainly that the NATO nations will engage China with a view to defending the security interests of the alliance.'

The Chinese Embassy to the United Kingdom on Monday issued a statement saying the G-7 communique deliberately slandered China and arbitrarily interfered in Chinas internal affairs, and exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries, such as the United States. There was no immediate reaction from the Chinese government to the new NATO statement.

Biden arrived at his first NATO summit as president as leading members declared it a pivotal moment for an alliance beleaguered during the presidency of Donald Trump, who questioned the relevance of the multilateral organization.

Shortly after arriving at the alliance's headquarters for the first NATO summit of his presidency, Biden sat down with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and underscored the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on one member is an attack on all and is to be met with a collective response.

Article 5 we take as a sacred obligation, Biden said. I want NATO to know America is there.

It was a sharp shift in tone from the past four years, when Trump called the alliance obsolete" and complained that it allowed for global freeloading countries to spend less on military defense at the expense of the U.S.

Looking forward, Stoltenberg noted myriad challenges still facing the alliance.

We are meeting at the pivotal time for our alliance, the time of growing geopolitical competition, regional instability, terrorism, cyber attacks and climate change," Stoltenberg said at the start of a joint session of the NATO leaders. No nation and no continent can deal with these challenges alone. But Europe and North America are not alone."

Biden, who came to Brussels following three days of consultations with Group of Seven leaders in England, was greeted by fellow leaders with warmth and even a bit of relief.

Belgium Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said Bidens presence emphasizes the renewal of the transatlantic partnership." De Croo said NATO allies were looking to get beyond four stormy years under the Trump administration and infighting among member countries.

I think now we are ready to turn the page," de Croo said.
Photo: Royal Canadian Navy

For the first time in 10 years, the Victoria-class submarine HMCS Corner Brook is heading to sea.

Sunday morning, Seaspans Careen barge transported the vessel from Esquimalt Graving Dock to Ogden Point.

The submarine, which was acquired from the United Kingdom in 1998, has been subject to significant repair and refit work and will undergo sea trials.

Public affairs officer Capt. Chelsea Dubeau said the submarine has had 47 equipment upgrades including a new communication mast to allow high-speed and highly-secure satellite communications and equipment to allow it to fire modernized torpedoes.

Following the completion of its (extended docking work period) in early 2022, HMCS Corner Brook will be the most advanced submarine in the fleet, said Dubeau. The remaining Victoria-class submarines will receive these upgrades as they progress through their respective work periods.

The vessel has seen plenty of repair work since it struck the bottom of the ocean off B.C. in 2011. A fire broke out while it was docked in Victoria in August 2019.

Dubeau said the 2011 deployment was the last time it was at sea. It was put into a state of preservation between 2011 and 2015 when it entered the extended repair and refit process.

We currently expect HMCS Corner Brook to return to full service in 2022, she said.
Photo: BC Gov Flickr

B.C. health officials are closely monitoring for a rise in the spread of the COVID-19 variant dubbed Delta, but said on June 14 that they are not letting their concern about Delta's spread alter the province's reopening plan.

The news comes on a day when U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he would delay lifting lockdown restrictions in his country, to July 19, from what had been June 21. In the U.K., indoor gatherings are limited to six people, while outdoor gatherings are capped at 30 individuals. Restrictions are in effect for pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues.

One of the ways that B.C. differs from the U.K. is that far more teenagers and young adults have had at least one dose of vaccine in B.C. than in the U.K., provincial health officer Bonnie Henry said June 14.

"A lot of transmission that they're seeing, right now in the U.K., is in people in their teens, and 20s and 30s," Henry said. "We have very high [vaccination] rates, even in young people."

Statistics that Henry provided last week show that about half of all British Columbians aged 12 through 19 had received at least one dose of vaccine as of June 9.

The Delta variant, which originated in India, is responsible for about 90% of new COVID-19 infections in the U.K., with Public Health England (PHE) data showing 42,323 cases of the Delta variant across the U.K., up 240% from a week ago.

The PHE has said that the variant is 64% more transmissible in homes, even after adjusting for a range of demographic factors, including age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, as well as vaccination status.

Henry stressed that the province is taking the Delta variant seriously.

British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) researchers in April stopped conducting full genome-sequencing analysis on each new COVID-19 infection because the work was overwhelming. Back then, B.C. was averaging more than 1,000 new infections per day.

Those researchers have since resumed conducting full genome sequencing on each confirmed COVID-19 case in B.C., so as to be certain about the spread of so-called variants of concern (VOC), she said.

Henry last week released a COVID-19 update that included a breakdown of variants of concern in B.C. up until May 30. Almost all new COVID-19 cases in B.C. are some kind of variant, she said. There are more than a dozen variants that health officials are not particularly concerned about, while four others are VOC.

The VOC are thought to either transmit more readily, cause more severe illness or have comparatively more resistance to vaccines.

The Delta variant only accounted for 4% of VOC on May 30, Henry said last week. In contrast, the Alpha variant, which was first discovered in the U.K., accounted for 54% of all new VOC in B.C. at the end of May. The Gamma variant, which was first discovered in Brazil, was responsible for 42% of new cases. Finally, the Beta variant, which was first discovered in South Africa, was responsible for less than 1% of new COVID-19 cases in B.C. at the end of May.

In the week that ended on May 30, B.C. had a daily average of slightly more than 282 new COVID-19 infections per day. The province's average daily case count has since fallen by about 43%, and was an average of slightly more than 161 new COVID-19 infections per day in the week that ended June 11.

Henry added that the same measures the province is taking to limit COVID-19's spread works to prevent infections in any of the variants.

The province's reopening plan progresses to Step 2 on June 15.

Among the loosened restrictions in Step 2 are that:

British Columbians will be allowed to travel freely throughout B.C.;

bars, pubs and restaurants can sell liquor up until midnight;

indoor gatherings can range up to 50, meaning that cinemas can reopen, and banquet halls can operate; and

spectators will be allowed to watch sporting events when gatherings are 50 people or fewer.

Masks must still be worn in condominium common areas, retail stores and other public venues. The province continues to advise against travel outside B.C., while nightclubs and casinos must still remain closed.

The next step of the province's reopening plan is slated for no earlier than July 1.
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Uganda has made great public health strides through UNIPH. A 2017 Joint External Evaluation of Ugandas global health security capacity showed that our systems are now faster, smarter, and more effective at identifying and responding to public health threats as compared to a 2015 GHSA External assessment as baseline. Also, the 2019 National Action Plan for Health Security included support for UNIPH activities further demonstrating the governments appreciation for and commitment to having an NPHI. In 2020, UNIPH solidified plans for legislation which is the final step in becoming an official government autonomous entity.

Planning for Future Success

I continue to emphasize to MOH and political leadership the importance of UNIPHs establishment and continued evolution. Disease outbreaks respect no national borders, and an outbreak in a neighboring country poses a grave risk to the region. One of our goals is to become a regional leader in public health system strengthening and to be able to support our neighbors when necessary. UNIPH aims to be well-positioned to respond to any public health emergency within our borders and the larger region. We plan to sustain our momentum so that UNIPH can serve its people and its neighbors in the best way possible.
As the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) celebrates the 10th anniversary of its National Public Health Institute (NPHI) Program, we reflect on its growth, achievements, and value to global health security and public health.

NPHIs: Providing Leadership and Coordination for Public Health at the National Level

CDC, like many national public health institutes, started small by occupying one floor of a building in downtown Atlanta in 1946.

NPHIs are government-based agencies that serve as the national focus for a countrys public health activities. They coordinate and lead efforts to promote health and prevent, detect, and control diseases. Because each countrys health system is different, these agencies have varied names including CDCs, National Institutes of Public Health, or Public Health Agencies. In most countries, NPHIs typically are under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Over the past century, many countries have created public health institutes. Among the oldest are Brazilexternal icon (1900) and Colombiaexternal icon (1917). More recent models include the U.S. CDC (1946), China CDCexternal icon (1983), Canadaexternal icon (2004), and Liberiaexternal icon (2017). As of December 2020, membership with the global network of NPHIs, International Association of National Public Health Institutesexternal icon (IANPHI), consists of 110 NPHIs in 95 countries. These NPHIs help more than 5 billion people.

CDCs NPHI Program: Helping Build Better Public Health Systems

In 2019, National Public Health Institute of Liberias bioengineers perform calculations to assess and repair bio safety cabinets as part of the Bio Safety Cabinet Certification training program. Photo: Dennis Jarvis, CDC

The world experiences the emergence of new diseases, the re-emergence of existing ones, and the threat of disease outbreaks that know no borders. This has highlighted the acute need for strong national public health systems that can carry out essential public health functions. These systems are prepared to rapidly detect and stop outbreaks from spreading. They can also collect, analyze, and disseminate critical data during a health crisis. Often, these functions are spread out among different agencies which complicates coordination and leads to inefficiencies. Gathering the functions within a single entity  an NPHI  helps resolve these issues.

NPHIs play a critical role in strengthening public health systems. They allow countries to be better equipped to collect and use data, as well as plan, implement, and monitor programs. Ultimately, stronger NPHIs save money and lives. As stated by Dr. Kip Baggett, Chief of the Workforce and Institute Development Branch where CDCs NPHI program is housed, An NPHI is the glue that pulls together essential public health functions that are crucial for health security, including disease surveillance, emergency response, laboratory systems, and public health workforce development. These critical activities work better and are better coordinated under the leadership of one NPHI.

In 2015, Colombias then-President Juan Manuel Santos (fourth from left) and INS Director Martha Ospina (second from right) celebrate the official opening of the PHEOC, which was instrumental in stopping the spread of Zika across the country.

Seeing the global value of NPHIs, CDC partnered with IANPHI and the Gates Foundation in 2011 to launch a new program. CDCs NPHI Program provides technical assistance, guidance, and support to countries developing new NPHIs or strengthening existing ones. When a country asks for assistance, CDC can

help devise a strategic plan aligned with public health priorities;

help focus operational and sustainability planning;

provide technical assistance for core functions; and,

make connections with other established institutes or U.S. state health departments.

Over the past decade the program has worked with more than 30 countries worldwide, linking with critical platforms such as PEPFAR, the World Bank, WHO, Africa CDC, and many others. CDC has been a successful role model for National Public Health Institutes, emphasizing science, service, prevention and surveillance, says Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, former director of the CDC and co-founder of IANPHI. Its efforts over the years, including its support of IANPHIs programs, have strengthened public health globally and promoted best practices.
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Lami cement plants warned of need for local correspondence on emissions

14 June 2021

Cement companies in Lami, Fiji, have been urged to hold virtual meetings with the residents. Permanent Secretary for Environment, Joshua Wycliffe, says this will ensure that the companies are in regular talks with the residents, so their concerns do not fail to get attention during these challenging times.

Mr Wycliffe says there have been resurgent reports indicating clinker emissions in the airspace in Lami. He adds they are in touch with the cement companies clearly instructing them that they will need to abide by the conditions set in their permit and any other COVID-19-related operational requirements set by other government agencies.

He added that a key condition set in the approval conditions was for the companies to call for monthly meeting with the residents. He said that many not have occurred due to the existing coronavirus restrictions.

Mr Wycliffe confirmed to FBC News that he is considering legal options and advice available to him. In the meantime the companies are to meet with the residents through virtual means, he added.

Published under
Ghana cement plant construction could be halted by injunction

14 June 2021

President of the McCarthy Hill Residents Association, Eddie Quaynor, has disclosed the association will take out an injunction to stop the new construction of the new Empire cement factory in South McCarthy Hill, Ghana, if authorities do not ensure its closure.

The McCarthy Hill Residents Association recently held a press conference to protest against the location of a cement factory at South McCarthy Hill along the main road leading to Weija.



Mr Quaynor informed that several petitions have been sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and although their grievances were welcomed with grave concern nothing has yet been done to stop works at the factory.



"We want to have a peaceful and serene environment, free of constant cement dust particles in the air as the wind direction blows over the cement factory area in the direction of the catchment areas mentioned," said Mr Quaynor.



Residents are also concerned that the site of the cement factory is next to Panbros Salt Industries Ltd, the oldest and largest wholly-Ghanaian-owned salt company that produces quality salt for the whole country and the west African sub-region.

Published under
Vietnam market expands 16% in April

ICR Newsroom By 14 June 2021

Cement dispatches in Vietnam reached 6.551Mt in April 2021, up 16 per cent YoY, according to the Vietnam Cement Association (VNCA). VICEM reported a 17 per cent YoY rise in sales to 2.26Mt while its affiliated companies saw a six per cent YoY uptick to 1.661Mt. Other Vietnamese producers supplied 2.63Mt, up 22 per cent when compared with April 2020.



Exports advanced 79 per cent YoY to 4.323Mt in April 2021. Of this total 2.826Mt was clinker, which saw a 17 per cent YoY hike, and 1.498Mt was cement, which saw a 13 per cent YoY drop to 1.498Mt.



January-April 2021

In the first four months of 2021 domestic deliveries edged up by four per cent to 20.078Mt. VICEM posted a four per cent rise YoY to 6.714Mt. Its affiliated companies saw a four per cent drop to 5.063Mt in the 4M2021 when compared with the year-ago period. Other cement producers reported a 10 per cent hike in sales to 8.3Mt in the 4M21.

Published under
Chatham, VA (24531)

Today

Showers and thundershowers this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
The manager at 7324 Shallowford Road said a guest left a firearm on the mattress that was found by housekeeping. The manager said another man and woman were earlier trying to get into the room, per the hotel staff. They left when police arrived. The officers found the room was full of clothing. However, according to the front desk, the registered room occupant had been kicked out due to arguing and allowing several people into the room. The weapon was found on the bed and was loaded with five rounds. The weapon was run through NCIC and there was no return. The weapon was secured and logged into the CPD property room.

* * *

While on patrol on West Road an officer saw a yellow Penske moving truck with its running lights on in the parking lot. When the officer pulled into the lot the officer noticed that the electronic gate was wide open. After checking the Penske truck for occupants police patrolled the inside perimeter of the storage units but found no one or signs of forced entry. The officer contacted dispatch to locate a key holder or responsible person but they had none on file. The officer inspected the cab and cargo area of the Penske truck and found no one or items inside. The officer shut off the running lights and locked the passenger door. The officer said the electronic gate attempted to automatically shut, stall out and reopen several times. The business was placed on a one-week watch list for third shift.

* * *

Police were called to Mountain Creek Road to investigate suspicious activity. The caller said a tan Jeep like SUV was traveling northbound on Mountain Creek Road with its lights off. According to the caller, the vehicle swerved into the southbound traffic lane as they were going south. The caller then had to swerve into the parking lot at 1001 Mountain Creek Road to avoid a collision. The caller believed that the reckless driving was intentional, however he knew no one that drove a similar vehicle. The caller didn't have a driver description or license plate information. The man said there was no car or property damage and no injuries. He drove to his house on Signal Mountain and then called police, causing a near 15 minute delay. While in the area police saw no vehicles matching the basic description provided by the caller.

* * *

A man on Eldridge Road said he was reading inside his home and heard a bang outside his house. He went outside and saw his mailbox had been damaged and was lying in the grass next to the mailbox post. The man thought it would cost around $200 to repair the mailbox and post. There is was suspect information or any evidence to process at the scene.

* * *

Police were called to East 13th Street on the report of a disorder. When the officers arrived they found a man and a woman further down the road at South Willow Street parked on the side of the street. The man just wanted the woman to get out of his car so he could go home. She didn't want to get out because she said she gave him $5 to give her a ride to Wilson Street. He agreed but then realized he did not have enough gas to get her there. He then took her to East 23rd Street and she got out of the vehicle, taking his keys to his car. She then gave the keys back and said that she only took the keys because she forgot her phone in the car. The man returned the phone and got his keys back.

* * *

Police were called to Brainerd Road where a woman said she needed her key to her car from a room. Police spoke with the woman in the room who handed over the key. The key was then given to the first woman.

* * *



A man on Tanner Avenue said he co-signed on a car with his mother and she would not let him have the vehicle. He wanted to report the car stolen but due to the fact that his mother is a co-owner of the vehicle it is not stolen. He said he would take her to court.

* * *

A woman on Grove Street said her roommate accused her of taking cigars from her purse. The first woman was upset that she was accused and wanted the roommate to leave. There is a history of calls that police have received from this address. The roommate has an alcohol dependence, and the woman has some intellectual disabilities. Police explained to the woman that the roommate is sub-leasing from her and that police are unable to remove her from the property. Police explained to the woman that they needed to separate until they both calmed down. The roommate said she didnt care about the cigars as the woman's friend gave her money for the cigars and didnt even want police involvement.

* * *

A woman on Sunbeam Avenue told police Cubans and Israelites were stealing her identity. She was unable to provide police with any suspect information.

* * *

A man on Mountain View Road called police to say his vehicle had a flat tire so he had it towed by Alvey's Towing to Tire Discounters. He said as the tow truck driver was unloading his vehicle, he noticed damages being caused to the rear of the vehicle and attempted to notify the driver. After the vehicle was fully unloaded, the man and staff at Tire Discounters noted significant damage to the rear muffler. The man requested a police report in hopes of damages being repaired.

* * *

A woman on West 37th Street said her vehicle was broken into and items were stolen. There was a broken front window on the driver's side. The woman said that the items taken included $3,000 in cash, four debit cards, two birth certificates, state ID, and a purse. There is no suspect information.
The stories about country and pop superstar Dolly Parton and how Cas Walker gave her her first singing job on radio and television are well known. At the age of 10 she became a regular on his early morning television show on WBIR-TV in Knoxville and Dolly credits Cas with giving her a start in her career.

However, one story is both acknowledged and denied by acquaintances of Cas and Dolly. After she started appearing on Cas radio and television shows she also was expected to perform at live shows in surrounding areas. Cas had rented a place in Sevierville, Tennessee and would put on live music shows.

One of his gimmicks to raise crowds was to take a 50-foot long wooden pole, dig a hole in the ground and then put the pole in it and surround it with concrete around the bottom. The pole would be covered with grease and before the pole was installed in the ground Cas would attach $50 dollars on top. Every Saturday the contest drew a large crowd to see if any contestant could climb the pole and get the money without sliding off of it.

According to one story Dolly had tried to climb the pole every weekend when she was six years old in a pair of overalls but couldnt make it to the top. Finally, one Saturday she allegedly had her mother take her down to the river and Dolly waded out and got wet. She then rolled in a sandbar and had grit and sand all over her clothes. With this sand on her clothes she was able to climb the pole and get Cas $50 and end his greasy pole contest.

Another acquaintance, Larry Mathis, refuted the story and claimed that neither Dolly nor anyone else ever climbed the greasy pole although a great many people tried and that it was a great crowd attraction. Larry and several of his friends make the same assertion that no one ever climbed that pole and nearly all of them are dead.

Dolly may be the only survivor that can verify Cas claim that she climbed the greasy pole as he expressed in his autobiography, Cas Walker, My Life Story.

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
The White House Correspondents Association has announced a new scholarship at the University of Tennessee in memory of a recently deceased journalist with Chattanooga ties.



The Carter Holland memorial scholarship will be in honor of the late Carter Holland, a promising young journalist and the son of Lucie and Steven Holland, a longtime White House correspondent for Reuters and a former president of the WHCA. Carter Holland died in 2020.

Both the former Lucie Stephens and Steven grew up in Chattanooga and formerly worked at the Chattanooga News-Free Press.

"The WHCA is excited to partner with the University of Tennessee to help support the next generation of promising young journalists like Carter Holland, said Zeke Miller, president of the association.

The annual scholarship will be for $4,000, with the WHCA and the university each contributing half.

The School of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee is truly grateful for this new scholarship from the White House Correspondents Association, said Catherine Luther, director of the school. It will allow our students who are focusing on political and investigative reporting to have the invaluable experience of visiting Washington, D.C. and meeting with established professional journalists covering the White House. I am confident that this prestigious scholarship will serve to further inspire our journalism students to pursue impactful stories involving politics and democracy.

With the new partnership with the University of Tennessee, the WHCA will now sponsor scholarships at 11 universities around the United States. The others are American University, Arizona State University, Columbia University, Howard University, Northwestern University, Ohio University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Kansas, the University of Maryland and the University of Missouri.

The WHCA also co-sponsors two additional scholarships in partnership with the Asian American Journalists Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

Since the association started helping journalism students in 1991, it has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships, and leveraged another $1.25 million in aid.

The scholarships are financed by proceeds from the annual White House Correspondents Dinner and tax-deductible contributions to the WHCA.
Former Chattanooga Mayor Pat Rose was among the Ashwood Square Retirement Community residents who welcomed members of the Viet Nam Veterans of America Chapter 203 to celebrate Flag Day on Monday.

Flag Day is celebrated June 14 to commemorate the adoption of the U.S. Flag in 1777 by the second Continental Congress. Lifestyle Director Tammy Huddleston invited the VVA, Chapter 203, to present a Flag Day program.

The 91-year-old former mayor was a member of the Marine Corps Reserve in high school and then went on to serve in the United States Navy. He was activated during the Korean War but never was sent to Korea. While mayor, he helped promote veterans programs including the Armed Forces Day parade.

VVA Chapter 203 president Charlie Hobbs led the honor guard ceremony, which consisted of raising the American flag in front of the East Brainerd retirement community with a rifle and flag folding team. There was a 21-gun salute by members of the honor guard.

Ashwood Square has 29 veterans living in the retirement community including former Mayor Rose. He said was totally surprised to see the Viet Nam veterans and thanked them for their service. He had his picture made with the vets. He said he was so thankful to have served his city and especially his country.

Richard Williams offered the invocation. He is now a resident at Ashwood Square and retired from Hamilton County Juvenile Court. He served in the 101st Airborne out of Fort Campbell as a Sergeant Major and was in Viet Nam in 1967.

Dr. Holly Dieken, who served as Lieutenant Colonel in the Army from 1973 to 1998, received the Viet Nam Vets throw as a thank you for her service. Dr. Dieken served in Desert Storm among other places.

VVA Chapter 203 members enjoyed coffee and visited with residents who included Bob and Joan Gutherie dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Uncle Sam, Dr. Rueben Dubrow who was a dentist and Izzie Fruman who served as a refuelman. Both men are Air Force veterans.

Mrs. Bonnie Wright is a resident at Ashwood Square. Her husband, LTC Michael Wright, was only 32 when his helicopter was shot down in Viet Nam and he was killed. Mrs. Wright said she appreciates the flag and what it stands for. Mrs. Wright said she was impressed with chapter 203 and what they are doing to help Viet Nam veterans. Shes proud to have the flag that draped her husbands coffin.

Tim Morford, who is with the facilitys management team, said Ashwood was honored to have these service members present a program to celebrate the countrys flag. He said there is always a special place at Ashwood Square Retirement Community for vets.
Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reintroduced the Saving American History Act, legislation to prohibit the use of federal funds to teach the 1619 Project by K-12 schools or school districts.

Schools that teach the 1619 Project would also be ineligible for federal professional-development grants.

Bill text may be found here

U.S. Reps. Ken Buck (R-Colo.-4) and Rick Allen (R-Ga.-12) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Senator Blackburn said, American schools should be a place for education - not indoctrination.

The 1619 Project is based on a false narrative and a stack of untruths and misrepresentations about our country. This state sponsored anti-American propaganda must be kept out of the classroom. The Saving American History Act ensures that taxpayer funding will not subsidize the brainwashing of our nations future.
Looking for a news scoop? Look no further than CNNs Anderson Cooper. The silver fox turned his news anchor persona into a bona fide celebrity.

Coopers not a stranger to the spotlight, though. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, was a fashion designer and heiress. Growing up in a wealthy family led to certain privileges for the young Cooper, but hes not afraid to act like an average Joe, especially when it comes to his air travel.

Anderson Coopers storied career

Anderson Cooper | Steven Ferdman/Getty Images

Coopers silver spoon childhood started with him attending a private prep school, followed by an African trip after graduation, and culminating in his attendance at Yale University. Although he pursued political science in college, Cooper started work at Channel One, a news agency that broadcasts youth-oriented news throughout schools across the country. He filmed various up close and personal stories throughout war-torn regions, like Rwanda and Somalia, and spent a good amount of time in Asia, documenting everyday life.

After growing accustomed to witnessing everyday violence, Cooper knew he needed to make a change. He took a job as a news correspondent with ABC News before co-anchoring World News Now. He also dabbled with side projects like hosting the reality show The Mole. After 9/11, Cooper knew he had to get back into broadcasting and signed on with CNN.

At the burgeoning news network, Cooper made a name for himself. Initially working alongside Paula Zahn as an anchor on American Morning, he also became the main weekend news guy. His on-air success led to his own show, Anderson Cooper 360. The coverage showcased Coopers reliability and trustworthiness, while he reported on hard-hitting stories like Hurricane Katrina, the Sri Lanka tsunami, and the Cedar Revolution in Beirut.

Flying around the world and making passengers nervous

Contrary to previous reports, Anderson Cooper will receive an inheritance from his mother. https://t.co/od2qHQ4wpD  WealthManagement.com (@wealth_mgmt) July 3, 2019

His job takes him around the world, and Cooper spends plenty of time in an airplane. But just because hes a prominent news guy doesnt mean he only flies first class. In a Q&A with Wired via YouTube, Cooper was asked if he flew commercial. Of course. Yes. I work for basic cable. I fly commercial certainly when I pay my own way, I can tell you that much.

He goes on to say that other passengers are often nervous when they see him on the plane, and for good reason. He reports on big news stories and not always the most uplifting ones at that. Passengers question if something bad is happening at their destination when he walks by. Cooper understands their concerns, its a valid point, but a guys still got to fly.

A snippet of some of the intense news stories hes covered

"I'm not sure when comparing one terrible human tragedy to another terrible human tragedy became acceptable."  @andersoncooper, rebuking Rep. Steve King for remarks disparaging Hurricane Katrina survivors. "There should be no sliding scale of suffering." https://t.co/MiWT40TMoR pic.twitter.com/UgmsJafMlt  CNN (@CNN) March 23, 2019

Showing real emotion while reporting the surrounding devastation from Hurricane Katrina helped solidify Coopers likability as an anchor. He demanded action from government officials when seeing the destruction and talking with locals. His empathy towards the struggles real people deal with in the face of these disasters is what turns people onto his broadcasts. While other reporters are often stiff, Cooper is full of emotion  and its genuine, not something contrived just for the camera.

During an interview with Joplin, Missouri locals after a deadly EF-5 tornado hit their town, Cooper worried about their well-being, telling interviewees to get to safety when warning sirens shrieked around him. He also worried about family pets and asked concerned animal lovers how their precious pals were doing.

During the BP oil spill in the Gulf, Cooper wanted to know whose fault it was. He wasnt just reporting but trying to get to the bottom of the debacle. Thats part of the reason so many viewers trust him.

RELATED: Anderson Cooper Spilled Why The Kardashians Were Banned From His Show
As we await the Dexter revival, fans have been wondering which cast members are returning. While Michael C. Hall is the only original actor confirmed so far, the series was set up in a way that makes it possible for other stars to show up. Amid ongoing speculation about the cast, actor Julie Benz has revealed whether she would be open to appearing in the Dexter reboot.

Julie Benz on the red carpet at a TV event in Beverly Hills, California | Jesse Grant/WireImage

Julie Benz shared her thoughts about the Dexter reboot

Benz interviewed with TVLine about her new Lifetime movie Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer, which premiered June 13. But of course, the conversation turned to Dexter.

Benz starred on the show as Rita Bennett, Dexter Morgans first serious girlfriend. The two eventually married, blending their family to include Ritas two children, Astor and Cody. They also had a son, Harrison. But Ritas life was cut short when she was killed by the Trinity Killer in Dexter Season 4.

RELATED: Dexter: Ritas Death Was a Total Shock to Julie Benz: I Found Out an Hour Before

Although she died, showrunner Clyde Phillips has said there is some flexibility to do some movie magic in the Dexter revival. But does that mean Benz will return? Well, for her, it doesnt make sense to bring Rita back.

I think Dexter has moved way past Rita, she told TVLine. It doesnt make sense for her to be on his mind as a ghost because she was only his cover. He didnt internalize her, so there are no plans for Rita to show up. I would obviously do it in a heartbeat if they asked. But Ive always said Rita shouldnt make an appearance in his head because she didnt know the real him. She didnt know the Dark Passenger.

Her comments come amid widespread speculation that Jennifer Carpenter will actually return as a ghost-like figure, but nothing has been confirmed so far. Representatives for Carpenter did not return our requests for comment.

Dexter Morgans life is completely recontextualized compared to the last time you saw him

After seven years and eight seasons, Dexter ended in 2013 with its main character moving to Oregon and living a solitary life as a lumberjack. His life has continued to evolve since then, with Dexter now residing in the fictional Iron Lake, New York, under the alias Jim Lindsay.

As far as what I can reveal about the new show is, I dont want to say much, other than as you can imagine given where we left him his life is completely recontextualized, Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter Morgan, said in an interview with Louder Than War. Hes in a different place leading a different life surrounded by different people.

Time has passed, and we acknowledge that, Phillips added to the Massachusetts newspaper The Greenfield Recorder. Its obviously not Miami anymore; were in a cold climate, and Dexters trying to assimilate into this town.

Theres no set release date for the Dexter reboot just yet, but its coming later in 2021.

We *know* Dexter is on your #2021Watchlistlets just hope youre not on his pic.twitter.com/dqdv0UtKAm  Dexter on Showtime (@SHO_Dexter) December 30, 2020

RELATED: Dexter: Yvonne Strahovski Reveals Whether Shes in the Revival
Travel to the Italian Riviera with Disney and Pixars upcoming release. Luca is a Disney+ original film starring a few sea monsters on a new adventure together. When does this movie debut on the streaming platform? Heres what we know about Luca and where to watch it.

A clip from Disney and Pixars animated film, Luca | Walt Disney Studios

Disney and Pixar released their official trailer for Luca, the animated Disney+ original

In February 2021, Disney and Pixar released their teaser trailer for their animated film, Luca. With the clip, viewers saw the dynamic friend duo of Luca and Alberto. These two would just be normal best friends if it wasnt for their huge secret  theyre sea monsters.

In a society that fears these creatures, these two embark on a land adventure with their friend Giulia, traveling across the Italian Riviera.

This Disney and Pixar film comes just a few months after the release of Soul, the Academy Award-winning Disney and Pixar production. Luca will be a Disney+ original, available to subscribers on almost any device.

RELATED: From Raya and the Last Dragon to Luca  Heres What Movies to Watch on Disney+ in June 2021

When does Disney and Pixars Luca come out?

This wouldnt be the first Pixar movie that released straight to Disneys streaming platform. Due to coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on Disney and Pixars release schedule, Soul became available to all subscribers during December 2020.

After just weeks of playing in theaters and being available for purchase digitally and physically, Onward, featuring the voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, made the switch to Disneys subscription service.

Unlike some recent releases, including the live-action film Cruella, this movie will not be available in theaters. That makes Disney and Pixars Luca a Disney+ original, available to all subscribers on June 18.

RELATED: Cheers Actor John Ratzenberger Has Voiced Over a Dozen Pixar Characters to Date

What is the inspiration behind this animated film?

Some Disney and Pixar movies take place in specific locations for a reason. Coco takes place on Dia de Muertos in Mexico. This film takes place in Italy because of its special relationship with the director of Luca.

This is a deeply personal story for me, not only because its set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship, director Enrico Casarosa said in a statement, according to Variety.

Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in Luca, he continued. So in addition to the beauty and charm of the Italian seaside, our film will feature an unforgettable summer adventure that will fundamentally change Luca.

Disney and Pixar originals like Coco, Toy Story, and Inside Out are already available on Disney+. To learn more about Disneys streaming platform and to subscribe, visit their website.
Brian OConner (Paul Walker) drove off into the sunset in Furious 7. But what is his character doing while the family continues to go on their dangerous missions? Jordana Brewster, who plays Mia, gave her theory.

Whats Brian OConner doing now? Jordana Brewster gave her theory

Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster attends Fast and Furious photocall | Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

RELATED: Paul Walker Thought Fast and Furious Franchise Was Stale

The sequels havent mentioned Brians character much after his big exit. But Brewster gave her theory on what her characters family has been up to after their last scene.

[Shes] with Brian, so I cant think of a better place for her to be, Brewster told ABC News in 2017. In the seventh one, Mia was pregnant with a girl. So, I imagine theyre on some island, on some idyllic island, just living the life.

Brewster also gave her theory on which island they would pick for their new home. I think it was like Fiji they were talking about, and it was always the island life they wanted, she said.

Jordana Brewster is back as Mia to face Jakob in F9

RELATED: F9 Trailer Reveals Which Character Cant Drive

The family is back for F9, and this time theyll be going against Dominic Torettos (Vin Diesel) brother, Jakob (John Cena). Mia will also be back to face him too. Itll be tough since Jakob is an assassin working for Cipher (Charlize Theron).

We dont know what tore Dominic and his little brother apart. But Jakob accuses Dominic of turning his back on him. Jakob also seems resentful of living in his older brothers shadow.

"Michelle was like, 'Dude, we've never had a scene together. We're always secondary with the guys. We don't interact. We have a sisterhood. We need to explore this,'"  @JordanaBrewster chats w/ me about Mia and Letty finally(!) getting to interact in #F9https://t.co/lRO6PEQDve pic.twitter.com/qzwF3B1dwR  Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) May 5, 2021

RELATED: Fast & Furious 9: Cardi B Snagged Role Thanks to Vin Diesels Daughter

The trailer shows Mia fighting men next to Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Brewster claimed it was Rodriguezs idea for them to have a good scene together finally.

Michelle [Rodriguez] was like, Dude, weve never had a scene together. Were always secondary with the guys. We dont interact. We have a sisterhood. We need to explore this, Brewster told Insider.

Im really grateful we got a chance to do that. And hopefully, we continue to explore it because there is so much to unearth there, she added.

The main run of the movies is coming to an end. The tenth movie will be the last, but there will be spinoffs. This has already started with Hobbs & Shaw, which was released in 2019.

Its unclear if there will be any tricks used to include Brians character in F9. The trailer does show Dominic looking at a video of Brian on the beach with his son from Furious 7. That scene was made using body doubles and CGI. Fans will most likely hear Brian mentioned in F9 and will see if Brewsters theory is right. By now, the married couple has at least two children.
Gigi Hadid is a famous supermodel. Since 2015, she has walked countless runway shows, been on the cover of high-profile magazines, and landed numerous advertising deals.

While it may look like Hadid has all the confidence in the world, she recently opened up about some difficulties of being biracial.

Gigi Hadid | Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Gigi Hadid is half-Dutch, half-Palestinian

Hadid was born to mother Yolanda Hadid and father Mohamed Hadid.

Yolanda (who was born Yolanda van den Herik) is from the Netherlands. She was born and raised there, and she later moved to the United States to pursue a modeling career.

Meanwhile, Mohamed was born in what is now Israel to a Palestinian family. When he was a baby, his family fled to Syria. They later went to the United States when Mohamed was 14 years old.

Gigi Hadid talks about feeling too white for her Arab heritage

'You will not erase Palestine': Gigi and Bella Hadid offer their support to Gaza after Israeli air strikes https://t.co/fg3xvDJxlj  Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 12, 2021

RELATED: Gigi Hadids Dad Claims Shes Self-Made; Critics Argue: They Literally Bought Gigi & Bella a Career

Hadid has often shown she is proud of her biracial background. However, like many multiethnic people in the world, Hadid occasionally has conflicting feelings about her heritage.

In certain situations, I feel  or Im made to feel  that Im too white to stand up for part of my Arab heritage, she said in a new interview with i-D. You go through life trying to figure out where you fit in racially. Is what I am, or what I have, enough to do what I feel is right?

She continued, But then, also, is that taking advantage of the privilege of having the whiteness within me, right? Am I allowed to speak for this side of me, or is that speaking on something that I dont experience enough to know?

Gigi Hadid is raising a multiethnic child with Zayn Malik

ZiGi's baby is finally here! Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik have officially welcomed their first child together. https://t.co/7bHiLWHxcn pic.twitter.com/ikkNbz6KJT  E! News (@enews) September 24, 2020

RELATED: Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid Believe They Are Soulmates, Source Claims

In any case, Hadids family is becoming even more culturally diverse. Last year, she welcomed a baby daughter, Khai, with her partner, Zayn Malik. Malik was born in the United Kingdom to parents who are ethnically Pakistani, English, and Irish.

Hadid told i-D that she and Malik want to raise Khai to be aware of the different cultures she comes from.

We think about it and talk about it a lot as partners and its something thats really important to us, but its also something that we first experienced ourselves, Hadid said. Because both of our parents are their own heritage. We are that first generation of those mixed races, and then that comes with that first generational experience of being like, Oh damn, Im the bridge!.

She continued, Thats not something that my parents experienced or that they can really help me through. Its something Ive always thought about my whole life.

Hadid noted that she would like to help her daughter understand her different heritages, but ultimately, Khai will have her own journey.

I think that Khai will grow up feeling out the way that she can or wants to be a bridge for her different ethnicities, Hadid shared. But I think that it will be nice to be able to have those conversations, and see where she comes from [with] it, without us putting that onto her.
When Jinger Duggar got married in 2016, her life changed in a major way.

Id never lived outside of Arkansas, never moved out of my parents house, never woken up or gone to sleep without the sound of muffled voices around me, the Counting On star shares in her new book The Hope We Hold, co-authored with her husband, Jeremy Vuolo.

But being a newlywed didnt just mean getting used to living away from her large family and adjusting to life in a new state. Jinger also found herself questioning some of her long-held beliefs after she got married.

Jinger Duggar began to reconsider her beliefs after marrying Jeremy Vuolo

(L-R) Jeremy Vuolo and Jinger Duggar Vuolo attend Discoverys Serengeti premiere | Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Discovery Channel

RELATED: Jinger Duggar Recalls the Strange Gifts Creepy Guys Would Send Her and Her Sisters When They Were Single

While Jinger and Jeremy were both Christians, they came from somewhat different religious traditions, they explain in their book, which was released in May 2021. Theological differences even threatened to torpedo their burgeoning relationship, Jeremy recalls. Before dating Jinger, Jeremy had to get approval from her father Jim Bob Duggar, and as he shared in The Hope We Hold, differences on issues of faith were initially a deal-breaker.

Eventually, Jeremy was able to win over Jim Bob. And once he and Jinger were married, she found herself questioning some religious beliefs shed previously taken for granted. As she and her husband began studying the Bible together, she wanted to see if the convictions Id always held were true.

The Counting On star makes a big decision about pants

As Jinger delved deeper into her Bible studies, she started to reconsider the standards that I took as givens, especially around the issue of modest dress.

I realized I wanted to revisit some secondary issues, like not wearing pants, she writes.

Jingers mother Michelle Duggar had always dressed her daughters in skirts and dresses. It was a choice inspired by a Bible verse that says, A woman shall not wear a mans garment.

I never really questioned it, Jinger shares. Modesty was a huge topic in our house, and we believed that skirts instead of pants was a central part of being modest.

Eventually, Jinger came to the conclusion that the idea of modesty is deeper and more profound than wearing skirts instead of pants.

[A]s I searched the Scriptures for answers, I never found a passage specifically forbidding women from wearing pants, she writes.

Jinger still struggled with her decision to wear pants

Jinger had concluded there was no religious reason for her to not wear pants. Still, the decision to don jeans was not an easy one.

I struggled with believing something that was different from my family, she shares.

Duggar family followers were quick to notice Jingers style change when she began sharing photos of herself wearing pants on social media. They speculated that her choice might be causing conflict with her family. Some wondered if it was a sign she was abandoning some of their most conservative beliefs.

In a 2019 episode of Counting On, Jinger and her mom talked about the pants issue. Jinger said she gave her parents a heads up about her decision to ditch the skirts-only wardrobe. They didnt have an issue with it.

Its OK that my kids may have different convictions than me, Michelle said in the episode. I know that hes leading them and thats the most important thing  their walk, their relationship with God. And they really love the Lord. And I can honestly say I can have no greater joy.

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Outer Banks Season 2 will release this July. After combing over the trailer, fans expect a lot from the new season of the Netflix series. Between an emotional reunion of the Pogues plus more of the forbidden Pogue-on-Pogue macking, heres what fans can expect from Outer Banks Season 2. Plus, a healthy recap of the first season to get fans caught up.

JONATHAN DAVISS, MADISON BAILEY, and RUDY PANKOW | JACKSON LEE DAVIS/NETFLIX  2021

Since fans binge-watched season 1 of Outer Banks during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic quarantine, many have been waiting for news about season 2. When the second season got confirmed, most fans promptly started stalking the cast on social media to piece together when filming began.

Thanks to Instagram posts, fans knew the Outer Banks cast wrapped filming for season 2 in April 2021. Now, Netflix has announced the second season of Outer Banks will come out on July 30.

Outer Banks Season 2 will reunite the Pogues

When Netflix released the teaser trailer for Outer Banks Season 2, fans started theorizing about what to expect in the new season. The trailer opens with J.J. (Rudy Pankow), Kiara (Madison Bailey), and Pope (Jonathan Daviss) mourning the presumed loss of John B. (Chase Stokes). In true Pogue fashion, they burn John B.s name into a tree with the sentiment P4L  Pogues for Life.

To John B., J.J. says in the clip. And to Sarah, Kiara adds.

Then the teaser cuts to John B. and Sarah in the Bahamas. Back in the G-game, baby, John B. says to her regarding the $400 million in gold theyve been after since season 1.

The trailer also includes a few chase scenes. One involves Kiara and the other involves Sarah driving a blue car. Theres also a glimpse at what appears to be more Pogue-on-Pogue macking.

WAS THAT KIE AND POPE KISSING IN THE TRAILER?? a fan on Reddit asked. Eagle-eyed fans believe the two share a kiss in season 2.

Theres not much else to pick apart in the trailer, but the clips were certainly effective. The teaser has many fans counting down the days until the new season.

What happened in Outer Banks Season 1?

For those fans looking for a recap of Outer Banks Season 1 before season 2 drops on Netflix, weve got you! The first season introduced fans to a group of Pogues, the kids from the poor side of the Outer Banks. John B. is in search of his missing father, Big John (Charles Halford).

Later, fans learn Big John is dead at the hands of Ward Cameron (Charles Esten). But before John B. discovers what happens to his father, he and his Pogue pals J.J., Pope, and Kiara go on a treasure hunt for $400 million in gold. Thanks to Big Johns clues, the Pogues find the gold with the help of a wealthy Kook, Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline).

RELATED: Outer Banks: Was the Netflix Series Based on This Book?

Along the way, John B. and Sarah fall in love. Eventually, when John B. discovers Ward is responsible for his dads death, all bets are off. After watching Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey) shoot Sheriff Peterkin (Adina Porter), John B. and Sarah sail into a tropical storm.

While the rest of the Outer Banks community assumes theyre dead, John B. and Sarah are rescued by a large cargo ship  one that happens to be heading to the Bahamas. Tune in to see where the Netflix series picks up on July 30.
Caitriona Balfe is younger than Claire Fraser will be in Outlander Season 6. Balfe has played Claire throughout the decades of her life, starting in her 20s in season 1 and now in her 50s in seasons 5 and 6. And as it turns out, seeing herself in Claires aged hair and makeup helped Balfe evolve her own perspective on aging.

Caitriona Balfe | Michael Tran/Getty Images

Caitriona Balfe age

Balfes big acting break was Outlander. Before landing the lead role on the STARZ series alongside Sam Heughan, Balfe was a model. And a rather successful one at that. She walked in Chanel, Givenchy, and Dolce & Gabbana runway shows, and even worked with the late Karl Lagerfeld. Balfe signed with the Ford Modeling agency when she was 18 and is now 41. Heughan is also 41  just six months younger than his co-star.

Balfes other acting credits include Ford v. Ferrari, Super 8, Lost Angeles, Now You See Me, The Beauty Inside, and more. But Outlander changed her life forever. And it has landed Balfe four Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of the time-traveling surgeon.

RELATED: Outlander Season 6 Will Be the Shortest Season Yet

Claires aged hair and makeup helped Caitriona Balfe get comfortable with aging

Balfe has learned a lot from playing Claire. And one particular lesson will help her in the long run long after Outlander ends. (Dont worry, its not ending yet. Outlander Season 7 has already been green-lit at STARZ, and it will be the longest season since season 1.)

In November 2019, Balfe participated in an #AskCait Q&A on Twitter. One fan asked if it was hard to see herself in Claires aged hair and makeup. Balfe responded saying it actually had the opposite effect. She said:

No its good. it helps counter balance all the crap pressure I feel from all the bombardment of pictures and ads about how we should all look like teenagers. We shouldnt. Wrinkles equals time equals life  trying to love them #AskCait.

Working in the beauty and fashion industry from such a young age would make anyone feel self-conscious about their faces and bodies changing. Balfe told the Thanks a Million podcast the pressure to be perfect was a struggle for her during her modeling days. She said:

Theres so many times where you would go into castings or even fittings for jobs that you already supposedly had and somebody in the room would just be annihilating how you look or your lack of personality or you talk too much. All in front of you. Its really tough. I have so much admiration for girls who can come through that unscathed.

Playing a character older than herself helped Balfe rethink her perspective on what it means to age. But aging was even a difficult conversation for Jamie and Claire to have when they were reunited.

Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan in Outlander Season 6 | Robert Wilson/STARZ

RELATED: Outlander Was Supposed to Be a TV Movie, EP Says

How old are Jamie and Claire at the beginning of Outlander?

For Outlander fans, it has been a delight to see Jamie and Claire get to grow old together. Their epic romance began in season 1, when Jamie was 23 and Claire was 27. They were together in Scotland/France for three years before Jamie sent Claire back through the stones at Craigh na Dun in order to protect their child, with whom Claire was pregnant. She ended up raising their daughter, Brianna, with her first husband, Frank Randall, for 20 years.

When Jamie and Claire were reunited in Outlander Season 3, Claire was in her early 50s. In season 5, Jamie was 50 years old and Claire was 54. Theyll likely be around the same age in season 6, given there wont be a large time jump from season 5 to 6.

Balfe and Heughan are also playing grandparents in the series now, as Brianna and Roger share a toddler, Jeremiah. Author Diana Gabaldons Outlander book series hasnt ended yet (it will conclude with book 10). But hopefully Jamie and Claire will be able to continue to grow old together.
Longtime Power fans are ready to flip the page to the next chapter in Courtney Kemps growing franchise with Power Book III: Raising Kanan. This spinoff hits the reverse button and takes viewers back to Southside Jamaica, Queens in the 1990s and follows Kanan Starks family.

In real life, that era was rife with drug trafficking that included dealers like Pappy Mason and Fat Cat, and Colombian cartels. Lots of violence, death, and pain reigned. Raising Kanan is no based on a true story portrayal, but fans can count on a specific type of grittiness in the show when it arrives on Starz on July 18. With that in mind, here are some key details about the series.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 1 Key Art featuring Mekai Curtis | Starz

Power Book III: Raising Kanan is not a Kanan, Ghost, and Tommy prequel

After a post-credits scene in the Power series finale showed a glimpse of Tommy, Angela, and James as high school teenagers, fans hoped that shot offered a window into one of the spinoffs. Many thought it signaled that viewers would finally get to see how Tommy, Kanan, and Ghost came up in the drug game.

Not the case. During a Deadline panel in June 2020, showrunner/creator Courtney Kemp already explained that Power Book III: Raising Kanan would not be about the trio. The story kicks off with 15-year-old Kanan and follows his arc, and in the timeline, he doesnt connect with Ghost or Tommy until around age 19 or so.

No, were not going to explore them as teens. We may in the late seasons of Raising Kanan, Kemp said, noting their ages. Further, Kemp reiterated in an Instagram Live chat that shes not interested in exploring the Ghost and Tommy angle in a prequel. Why? Because everyone knows they made it out alive and into adulthood. She said there are no stakes.

RELATED: Power: Flashback Scene of Teenage Ghost, Tommy, and Angela Finally Explained

50 Cent described his role as having Goodfellas vibes

While there are questions about whether Raising Kanan is autobiographical when it comes to 50 Cents life, its not true. There may be a few parallels that can be drawn from the rapper/moguls past, but the show is based on the fictional character, Kanan Stark (played by Mekai Curtis). With that said, he will be narrating the story.

In a 2020 interview with Angie Martinez, Fif broke down how he fits into the spinoff.

Think Goodfellas, he told Martinez. My voiceover is present. But you see, like Ray Liottas voiceover is there when you see the young version of Sonny. He was referring to Liotta serving as a narrator for his character Henry Hill (not Sonny Bunz) in the gangster film, Goodfellas.

Kanans mom, uncles, and cousin Jukebox are in the series

Like other moms in the Power universe, Raquel Raq Thomas will teach her son about the drug game. Patina Miller steps into the role as Kanan Starks mother, a woman who rakes in money for the family business. But shes not alone.

Viewers will also meet her brothers Marvin (London Brown) and Lou-Lou (Snowfalls Malcolm Mays). Lou-Lou is the youngest Thomas sibling and very close to Raq. Marvin is the eldest and according to Deadline, the hot-tempered muscle for their crew. Hes also Jukeboxs father.

In addition to young Kanan, young Jukebox appears in the series. Fans are familiar with the adult character played by Anika Noni Rose. That Jukebox became a corrupt cop who helped mend her cousin Kanan after the fire, kidnapped Tariq, and ended up dead at Kanans hands. She also made a point to remind him about their tight childhood bond.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 1 drops on July 18 at 8 p.m. EST.
In the June 8 episode of The CWs Arrowverse series, Superman & Lois, viewers discovered that Kyle Cushing secretly participated in Morgan Edges sinister project. Despite his faults, Kyle is a family man at heart. So how will the emergence of his new Kryptonian identity affect his wife Lana, and daughter, Sarah?

Inde Navarrette and Erik Valdez in Superman & Lois | The CW Network/Youtube

Kyles new dark side is revealed in Superman & Lois

At the beginning of Superman & Lois episode 9, Loyal Subjekts, Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez) is seemingly happy and chirpy when he drops his daughter Sarah (Inde Navarrette) at school. He thanks Jordan (Alex Garfin) for stepping in and saving Sarahs audition and sends his daughter off with a smile.

Hes having some sort of personality crisis, Sarah tells Jordan. He keeps telling me how hes changed for good and how he feels better.

Yall remember THIS scene from yesterdays ep of #SupermanAndLois!? Head over to my IG page for some exclusive BTS clips of how it was made! https://t.co/08S408JEoO pic.twitter.com/e1efPjpshC  Erik Valdez (@erikvaldez) June 9, 2021

RELATED: Superman & Lois Writer Reveals Why Steel Speaks Kryptonian

But by the end of the episode, we learn why Kyles been acting this way. Without telling his wife Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui), the Smallville fireman approached Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner) and offered himself up for the self-help project.

But he didnt know that Edge put a sentient Kryptonian consciousness inside him as part of the project. And when Edge activates this new dark side, Kyle flips into his Kryptonian identity and tries to kill Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) and Jon (Jordan Elsass).

Kyle returns home in a panic and tells Lana that he blacked out. The last memory he has is from Sarahs school, and he seems to have no recollection of his visit to the Kent farm.

So how will Kyles new identity affect his family?

In a recent chat with EW, Superman & Lois star Erik Valdez talked about Kyles state of mind. And he noted that the character is genuinely trying to be a better father and husband.

Every time something starts to get better, something else happens, Valdez said. This guy doesnt have a lot of luck. In this regard, you see him really realize that hes made mistakes and hes not good at trying to be better, but hes got a great heart and hes really genuinely trying to be better for his family and girls.

The actor also suggested that Kyle only approached Edge to better his life. But unfortunately, he didnt know that would entail onboarding a sentient Kryptonian.

RELATED: Superman & Lois Star Wole Parks Really Believed He Was Playing Lex Luthor

Hes going after things with the best of intentions, Valdez explained. He just makes really poor decisions. So at this point when the family is starting to finally come around and his daughter is starting to maybe trust him a little more, then he lets her down.

Lana already knows Edge is up to something fishy. And Valdez teased that when she finds out about his new evil alter-ego, it will impact how he fits into the family.

He and Lana are rekindling and getting closer, and now she knows, even more than Kyle does, what this meeting with Edge really means because shes talked to Lois about it, Vadez added. So its definitely a drastic shift in the family dynamic, and youll see some of that going forward.

New episodes of Superman & Lois air Tuesdays on The CW.
Will June choose Luke or Nick in The Handmaids Tale? That question has been on fans minds ever since June and Nick fell in love in season 1. However, now that June and Luke have been reunited in Canada, things have gotten even more complicated. The Handmaids Tale Season 4 Episode 9, Progress, featured a touching reunion between June, Nick, and their daughter, Nichole. Elisabeth Moss directed the episode herself, and she revealed what she thinks fans should take away from the reunion in a new interview.

[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for The Handmaids Tale Season 4.]

Elisabeth Moss as June and Max Minghella as Nick in The Handmaids Tale Season 4 | Sophie Giraud/Hulu

June and Nick reunite in The Handmaids Tale Season 4 Episode 9

The penultimate episode of The Handmaids Tale Season 4 reunited Nick with his daughter for the first time since season 2. At Lukes suggestion, June brought the baby to a safe location near Gilead where they met with Nick. This is the first time Nick has ever seen June truly free. And despite the time and space between them, it was clear their feelings for each other hadnt changed.

June met with Nick to see what he could do to help get Hannah out of Gilead. Luke suggested they seek out his help earlier in the episode. He hated the idea of June and Nick being together, but he also knew Nick was their biggest ally in Gilead. Nick gleaned June would ask for his help in this regard, so he came prepared with information about Hannahs whereabouts. Nick still thinks getting her out is impossible, but now June and Luke know shes living in Colorado Springs and have new, recent photos of her to hold onto.

At the end of the reunion, as June drives away with Nichole, Nick puts a wedding band back on, revealing he got married in Gilead during their separation. June is still unaware.

RELATED: The Handmaids Tale Season 4: Serena Joy Gets More Dangerous With Each Episode, Sam Jaeger Says

Elisabeth Moss says Junes love for Nick is simple

Moss told The Wrap that Junes demeanor during the reunion should be telling. She said:

I think its pretty simple as far as, shes in love with Nick. When she turns around at that house, he says her name and she turns around and you see that smile on her face. We havent seen her smile like that in maybe the entire season. And the sun came out, by the way. The sun happened to come out in that shot and it was one of those glorious moments where youre like, ah, thank you! But the way that she is with Nick is different than the way she is with anyone else. Shes softer. Shes herself. She loves him. I think its pretty simple.

June feels amazing in the moment with Nick, especially during this rare moment where their family can be together. But Moss was sure to point out how guilty Junes feelings for Nick make the her feel.

But the simplest part of it is that she loves him, Moss said, noting Junes love for Luke is still strong.

O-T Fagbenle as Luke and Samira Wiley as Moira in The Handmaids Tale Season 4 | Sophie Giraud/Hulu

RELATED: The Handmaids Tale: Junes Daughters Could Have Huge Roles in The Testaments Spinoff Series

Will Nick die getting Hannah out of Gilead in The Handmaids Tale Season 4?

Episode 9 was all about love, according to Moss. And also about trying to new ways to get Hannah out of Gilead. June and Lukes first attempt was to ask Commander Lawrence for help. But unlike in past seasons, Lawrence wasnt willing to risk himself to help this time around. He told June she should be happy with the freedom she has and accept the fact that Hannah might be better off in Gilead. Of course, only people who made Gilead would think anyone is better off there.

A trailer for episode 9 (released after episode 8 debuted) made fans think Nick might do more to help save Hannah. Clips from the trailer showed June distraught and screaming and Nick talking about getting Hannah out. This led them to believe Nick could die saving her. But episode 9 revealed Junes screaming was actually aimed at Mark Tuello, who made a deal with Fred Waterford. Waterford would spill his knowledge about Gilead in exchange for his freedom. The prosecution dropped the charges against him and Serena Joy as a result. June snapped when she learned her abusers will walk free.

Promos for The Handmaids Tale Season 4 finale indicate June will try to have Fred killed, by someone elses hands or even her own. It doesnt seem likely that the finale will have enough time to both get Hannah out of Gilead and resolve the new June and Fred conflict created in episode 9. Perhaps Nick wont die saving Hannah in season 4, but whos to say whats in store for season 5?

The Handmaids Tale Season 4 finale debuts June 16 on Hulu.
According to a June 9 post on its Facebook page, the Cherokee Nation will host a series of drive-thru application assistance events focused primarily on helping elders with applying for the tribes $2,000 COVID-19 assistance payment.
Shown is the Cherokee Nations courtroom at the Tribal Complex in Tahlequah. The CN has seen an expanded case load since the Supreme Courts McGirt decision and subsequent Hogner ruling found that the CN reservation had never been disestablished.
A private family graveside service will be held for Wayne Robnett at the Marlow Cemetery in Marlow, OK. Wayne passed away on June 18, 2021 at the age of 83 in his home in Chickasha, Oklahoma with his family at his side after battling cancer. Wayne was born on June 4, 1938 in Oklahoma City, O
An unusually strong atmospheric river in our vicinity churned up the seas off the Oysterville Road beach approach. There is beauty and danger on our shores  rip currents are prevalent and tidal changes can catch people and cars seemingly unaware. The Ocean Park Area Chamber has tide books available, as do many local businesses. Excellent information on how to prepare for a visit for to our beaches can be found at the NOAA website: www.weather.gov/safety/ripcurrent.
I come from a long line of freedom-loving religious nonconformists. I can trace my lineage back to Swiss Anabaptists who fled Europe for Pennsylvania in the late 1600s, and I grew up in an unaffiliated congregation in the same commonwealth 300 years laterworking and worshiping under the certain belief that God had endowed me with certain inalienable rights. Ive also spent my adult life ministering in churches descended from English Baptists (whose exact relationship to continental Anabaptist groups is best left to historians).

Today, I live in Virginia, where Thomas Jefferson drafted the 1777 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom that eventually gave us the religious liberty clause of the First Amendmenta proposal spurred in part by Virginias state-sanctioned persecution of Baptists.



Despite this pedigree, I find myself perplexed by my fellow Baptists, who seem to think that our soul libertythe belief that the individual is directly responsible to God in all matters of faith and consciencestands opposed to our communal responsibilities. During the pandemic, for example, tension between individual rights and the common good emerged as religious liberty issues. When civil authorities placed limits on large gatherings, including church worship services, Baptistic pastors like John MacArthur cited soul liberty and local church autonomy as their reasons for opposing such measures.

But another, more pressing question about independence confronts the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention this week as they gather for the annual meeting in Nashville. In early 2019, Houston Chronicle special investigation detailed how sexual predators used the autonomy of SBC-affiliated churches to prey on members, moving from church to church to escape accountability. At the time, SBC leaders like Russell Moore and then SBC president J. D. Greear called for structural changes, including the formation of a database of known predators.



Others, like former SBC Executive Committee vice president and general counsel Augie Boto, opposed such measures, suggesting that the autonomous nature of Baptist churches would itself make such changes impossible. And in recently released audio from an October 2019 debriefing of the Caring Well Conference, Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, objected to the public discussion of a mishandled abuse case, suggesting that it would disturb the base.



In some churches, such matters could be left to denominational heads to sort out, freeing the base from the supposed unseemliness of it all. But how does the conversation change when a church tradition is built on the democratization of power? How does responsibility shift when the people in the pew are the ones in authority?



Instead of protecting the base from such difficult conversations, Baptist polity actually draws them in. So while it is true that the majority of Southern Baptists dont know the names of convention leaders and employees, it is also true that the majority of Southern Baptists deeply value the autonomy and individual freedom they enjoy through voluntary association.

Baptists believe church authority resides in individual members filled with the Holy Spirit. That is precisely why those same membersor in Floyds words, the basecannot pass the buck. To forgo the responsibilities of autonomy while taking its privileges would multiply injustice upon injustice.



All of this has implications for the work SBC messengers must do in Nashville this week. As representatives of their own individual churches, the messengers might be tempted to excuse themselves from the larger questions facing the convention, including claims that key leaders mishandled abuse and even harassed and belittled survivors. But to forgo responsibility for these matters would be to deny core tenets of Baptist doctrine and polity.

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As sex abuse survivor and advocate Rachael Denhollander puts it, the SBCs theology of autonomy and representative-based structure is intended to create a system with extra accountabilitywhere power isnt concentrated in a few, but rather placed on the consciences of all.

In many ways, the history of Baptist polity runs parallel to the history of modern democratic ideals. Civil values like individual freedom, the right to vote, and local representation find religious parallel in soul liberty, congregationalism, and local church governance. Ideas that would have been radical in any other time (radical enough to get you kicked out of 17th-century Europe, for example) are today the hallmark of American religious life.



But to understand the responsibility that the base will have in Nashville, we have to understand the relationship between power and accountability. In a given communitywhether family, church, or nationa persons responsibility is proportionate to the power they hold in it. The greater power you wield, the more responsible you are to wield it for the well-being of others, especially for those who do not have power to protect themselves.



This dynamic is why its particularly shameful for those with power to act the coward. It is one thing when the weak can do little in the face of corruption. It is another thing when the powerful choose to do nothing and instead turn their energies and attention to consolidating their own power. Conversely, this privilege-responsibility dynamic is also why its particularly heroic when those without power commit themselves to fighting evil and pursuing systemic change, risking what little they have for the good of all.



Ultimately, resisting evil does not depend on having a certain structure or polity. It depends on the moral choices of those within the structure and polity. Andy Rowell, a professor of ministry leadership at the historically Baptist Bethel University, makes a related observation. When teaching seminary students to navigate polity and power in congregations and denominations, he commented, I emphasize that a structure cannot make up for bad character. Even the ideal system will fail without compassion, collaboration, oversight, wisdom, sobriety, and experimentation.



So while members are not individually responsible for the sins of others, we are responsible for how we respond to those sins. We are responsible for what we do when they come to light. Even if we lack the power to bring about justice on our own, we must stand on the side of justice. Because while particular leaders may be guilty of particular sins, the choices of the individuals around them determine whether these sins go unchallenged.



In this respect, we need not be actively engaged in corruption to be complicit with it. We simply have to do nothing when we learn of it. We simply have to look the other way. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim, writes Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.



Within Baptist polity, members are responsible for those we entrust with power, those we authorize to work on our behalf. We are responsible to select good leaders, and we are responsible to hold them accountable to use their power well.

Reporting on the work of the Executive Committee in their plenary session today, Kate Shellnutt summarized public comments from the committees secretary, Joe Knott, who opposes widening investigations of abuse cases. Knott believes such a move would challenge church independence and suggests that SBC churches are safe from abuse because Sunday schools are run by kids mothers and grandmothers.

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But our Baptist commitment to soul liberty and local church autonomy means greater structural accountability, not less. Leaders like Knott, who refuse to take the steps necessary to ensure transparency, must be removed. Its up to the individual messengers to ensure this happens.



Whether the person in the pew can carry this kind of moral and ethical weight is the purview of philosophers. That we do carry it is the reality of Baptist polity.



In a recent interview, Gladys Sicknick, mother of slain Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, raises a crucial question for all who enjoy the benefits of individual libertywhether political or soul. After decrying congressional leaders for their response to the January 6 attack, she asks, Do they really want to live in the country theyre creating? Do they want their children to grow up like this?



Sicknick understands what too many of us seem to have forgottenincluding those who champion soul liberty and local church autonomy. We are right now, in real time, creating the world that we live in. What we consent to, what we allow, is who we are. And the choices we make today will birth the communities and churches our children inherit tomorrow. May God grant the base wisdom and virtue this week in Nashville. May they steward both the privileges and the responsibilities of membership well.

Hannah Anderson is the author of Made for More, All Thats Good, and Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul.

Speaking Out is Christianity Todays guest opinion column and (unlike an editorial) does not necessarily represent the opinion of the magazine.
After delaying weddings for a year, an unusually high number of couples are celebrating nuptials or one-year anniversaries this summer as the CDC lifts social-distancing restrictions for vaccinated people.

But watching the joyous announcements and photos of this season triggered an internal battle over my status as a single woman and my success in adult life. As I learned from 17 months of researching Christian singleness around the world, many cultures deem marriage a mark of maturity into adulthood, a view that too often sidelines single people.

The Bible takes a different view of maturity: one based on a relationship with Christ rather than with another person. The apostle Paul, for example, called believers to develop certain qualities rather than hit certain life markers. That ought to have significant implications for what and how we celebrate.

Celebrating the important events in our lives is a rich and beautiful part of living in community. But when our churches and communities take a milestone approach to celebrations and achievements such as weddings, baby showers, and graduation ceremonies, we can often unintentionally leave out the single, disabled, and infertile who may not wed or have children. When we celebrate qualities of maturity, however, we recognize many more ways to rejoice with and encourage each other. A wedding, for example, entails both an event and a celebration of commitment and service to each other.

In her doctoral research on singleness in the church, theologian Dani Treweek said milestones like weddings and anniversaries came up frequently in her interviews. Its something that lots of singles have told me they feel quite intently and grieve quite intently, she told me. For many singles, celebrations year-round can resurrect a similar pang: the sense that most of lifes important milestones require a relationship to which they dont have access.

But there are many ways in which Christians can celebrate each other in community outside these more traditional life eventsfrom honoring a persons dedication to education to acknowledging the impact someone has had by hitting a significant work anniversary. Melody Owen, a 37-year-old single woman, told me she was moved when her community in Vancouver, British Columbia threw her a surprise party after she completed her music therapy program. When writer Alicia Akins sold her book, she tweeted that her housemates threw her a shower to celebrate the deal and support her in the writing process.

Some achievements, like completing a period of sobriety or a mom sending her last kid off to school, provide a chance to honor both costly human effort and Gods faithfulness. Such achievements arent always obvious, Treweek noted. Nobody ever celebrates another year of faithful singleness  or costly obedience. Thats just not something we think about, she said.

Or as Owen told me in 2019, What can we declare and know that God is for us and that our community is for us?

The rich communal life of our brothers and sisters in non-evangelical traditions can also provide an inspiring example. Orthodox Christians describe a very full calendar of fasts and feasts; some I interviewed said they might fast in some form for nearly half the year.

As the Roman Catholic Church has recognized, Christians make other commitments and sacrifices worth celebrating too. James Millikan, a Jesuit priest, recalled a great aunts diamond jubilee to celebrate her 60th year as a nun. As a relatively new priest himself, 34-year-old Millikan also observes the anniversary of his vow each year, often with a phone or Zoom call to reconnect with other members of his class.

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And on a Zoom call earlier this year, Millikan described celebrating a number of patron saints days alongside the Jesuits with whom he lives. The feast of Saint Ignatiustheir founderis an especially big occasion, which they might observe with a mass and prime rib dinner, he said.

But our community celebrations need not be so large. Monica Costea, 37, is a Romanian Orthodox Christian who incorporates the practice of celebration on a smaller scale: through tea with friends. Due to the pandemic, Costea has been hosting people in her home more often. When her friends gather for tea, she said, we toast and I try asking, OK, what are we drinking for? Whatever comes up, its something deeply meaningful from our day.

Kat OKeefe, 25, who lives in Fargo, North Dakota, described a vibrant routine of celebration among a group of mostly Christian friends she knows through prior work as Boy Scout staff. Over the past four or five years, the group has developed a regular routine of gathering. Early in the year, despite the cold, they gathered to stargaze, eat, and celebrate that theyd all survived 2020 and that a few of the immune-compromised among them had gotten their first COVID-19 vaccine shots.

We dont have to do big things in order to have a life full of joy and full of love, OKeefe said. We dont have to have these ground-shaking moments in our lives all the time in order to  share time and share company and be exuberant in our lives.

Her staff alumni group has celebrated things ranging from the completion of projects like costumes (several of them attend Renaissance fairs and the like) to one persons finding a complete set of cups with nostalgic significance after all of the first set had broken.

So much of what I see in the world is this idea that we have to reserve ourselves, we have to reserve celebration for things that are often either focused on material success  or married life, and specifically a focus on children, OKeefe said.

Among her friends, though, theres a recognition that we should celebrate not just big events, but small things.  We can bring specialness; we can bring joy and happiness into small things we do.

In-person gatherings arent the only way to celebrate small moments, however. Each week in the Heart of Dating podcast Facebook group, member Anthony Bowman, 31, asks what the group can celebrate with each other that week. The Greenbelt, Marylandbased music teacher said he started asking the question some time before the pandemic, as a way to encourage the groups 4,000-plus members.

Celebrating milestones allows us to recognize the imago Dei in others. And to the extent celebrations help us show gratitude, they may be an especially important practice for Christian singles. Gratitude focuses on what we have, whereas, all too often, singles and churches frame this season as a time of not having.

Thanksgiving also helps us remember Gods goodnessa practice that usually takes more than words. Is it any coincidence God appointed first the Passover, then the Lords Supper, to physically remember his deliverance? Such celebrations help our whole bodies remember who God is. No matter our life stage, Gods done far too much for his people for us to limit our celebrations to weddings and communion.

Anna Broadway is the author of Sexless in the City: A Memoir of Reluctant Chastity. Shes currently working on a book based on her singleness research.

Speaking Out is Christianity Todays guest opinion column and (unlike an editorial) does not necessarily represent the opinion of the magazine.
Americans are trading their masks for their sunglasses as vaccine numbers rise and COVID-19 cases drop. But many pastors are wondering: will the publics renewed fervor for the outside world include a return to church?

This question centered discussion during the second installment of Barnas forums last week. Pastors and Christian leaders in South Florida, Kansas City, Columbus, and Dallas-Fort Worth gathered to learn how members of their local communities are practicing their faith and how the pandemic changed their engagement with the church.

Charlie Dates, pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, shared early in each forum that, when the pandemic first hit, members at Progressive asked him if they could call off their congregational fast that had begun before the crisis struck. But as they persisted in the fast, many realized that they needed such a spiritual practice more than ever before. They began to find new ways they could minister to their hurting community members by partnering with others to distribute meals, Instacart codes, and laptops for virtual schooling.

These are things that we should have already been doing, Dates said. But God has given us the blessed privilege of trouble.

The COVID-19 pandemic was difficult to navigate, but it wasnt the only challenge Dates and fellow pastors faced over the past year. Political unrest and racial tensions escalated. Unemployment and isolation rattled individuals and families alike. And shifting to digital church services and engagement not only presented a technological challenge, but, for many pastors, this transition revealed a theological tension: what role should digital spaces play in the gathering of believers?

The blessed privilege of trouble may not feel as painful as it did during the pandemics height, but pastors now reckon with this question in a new context, wondering if their pews will ever fill as they once did.

Favoring the Physical

78 percent of US adults agree with the statement experiencing God in a church service alongside others, in person, is very important to me. This was one of the many valuable insights offered in the forums as David Kinnaman, President of Barna Group, and Savannah Kimberlin, Barna's Director of Published Research, shared their latest research.

Several pastors in attendance noted the disconnect between that statistic and the number of people who are slowly returning to their churches. But having this knowledge, understanding that their local communities do value in-person services, can change the way these pastors plan for and navigate the next few months as summer grows hot and church attendance traditionally tapers off.

Kimberlin and Kinnaman also shared that some respondents say they have been drifting from their faith practice during the pandemic. Kinnaman highlighted this phenomenon specifically among Millennials, noting the opportunity that churches have to support the Millennial population in new and creative ways. In Kansas City, 13 percent of Millennial churchgoers agreed with the statement Im not interested in church engagement because Ive been rethinking or drifting from my faith practice. They were joined by 18 percent of their peers in Columbus and 17 percent of their peers in South Florida. The numbers were lower in Dallas-Fort Worth, where only 15 percent of Millennials said they were drifting from their faith.

These differences across regions underscored the importance of church leaders listening to locals. As pastors learn about which national trends matched their cities and which differed, they are better equipped to respond to the needs of the community members within their specific contexts.

Highlighting the Hybrid

Perhaps the most staggering statistic came from Kimberlins research: one in three US adults who have ever attended a church expect churches to make some form of digital worship option available after the pandemic. In Kansas City, while most people said they expected primarily physical gatherings, a third said they expected both, which Kimberlin referred to as a hybrid option. Similar polling was seen in South Florida, Columbus, and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Mark Matlock, Insights Lead for Barna, used this polling to walk attendees through a framework for putting data into practice. We cant predict the future, Matlock said, but we can imagine it in our contexts through a few different lenses: embrace, challenge, adapt, and ignore.

As the demand for a hybrid church solution grows, Matlock argues that embracing this idea may lead a church to offer online services that seek to provide as much connection and engagement as their in-person counterparts. Challenging that data point may look like questioning the digital-as-equal-to-physical trend and emphasizing the importance of the physical gathering of believers. Adapting may look like the approach Bennett Johnson in South Florida has taken: viewing the online experience as the lobby, a place of welcome and connection but not a replacement for the full, in-person experience. Lastly, Matlock said, churches can choose to ignore the data point, simply moving forward with the plans they already have in place.

In the forum chats and breakout sessions led by Global Leadership Network and Great Commandment Network, pastors and ministry leaders discussed their evolving relationship with the digital space and their desires to use it well in service of others to the glory of God. Reward Sibanda in Dallas-Fort Worth clung to the data that said four in ten unchurched people in his community have watched a church service online during the pandemic. What might it look like, he wondered, to continue engaging that population that was reached during a time when physical proximity wasnt an option but will be in the months to come?

Nicole Dinsmore in Kansas noted that the data showed that women have felt less connected to church digitally than men. She pointed out that women often post more on social media, which means they are spending time in digital spaces, but the fact that they say they felt less fulfilled by online church made her want to think more creatively and hospitably about how to steward the digital space as she reached out to women.

Brad Hill, Chief Solutions Officer at Barna, shared a few digital tools and services that are helping pastors connect with people in their communities. The Lifes Big Questions Campaign, for example, reaches people through targeted ads that speak to major issues like mental illness and divorce. Those who engage with the ads can request contact from a pastor, which has led to text conversations, phone calls, and even face-to-face meetings between pastors and community members.

People will go deep, and quickly, online, Hill said as he relayed stories of domestic abuse and depression that respondents have shared. By connecting hurting people with pastors who can care for them and refer them to mental health professionals and additional services, these tools empower churches to steward the digital in service of the personal.

As pastors and ministry leaders connected with each other during the forums, even inviting each other into local collaborations and initiatives, the power of the body of Christ coming together revealed itself as one of the many blessings of the privilege of trouble. Barna and Gloo will continue to provide cutting edge data and opportunities to come together around difficult questions and creative solutions during the third set of forums in South Florida, Kansas City, Columbus, and Dallas-Ft Worth on August 11 and 12.
Boris Johnson quotes the Bible when asked if he believes in God The foolish man has said in his heart there is no God

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Responding to the question of whether he is now a practicing Roman Catholic, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who recently got married in Westminster Cathedral, quoted from the Psalms while speaking to a reporter during the G7 summit in England.

When ITVs Robert Peston asked the question, Johnson initially sought not to respond by saying, I dont discuss these deep issues, certainly not with you.

The reporter then told Johnson that Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer had said he does not believe in God. The prime minister then quoted Psalm 14: The foolish man has said in his heart there is no God.

While the prime minister was baptized a Catholic, he twice married as an Anglican before his third marriage with Carrie Symonds.

The question of his faith as Britains first Catholic prime minister (while in office) became a serious issue last week because, as a Catholic, Johnson can no longer send the names of Church of England bishops to Queen Elizabeth.

Instead, Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland "will send the names of new Church of England bishops to the queen, after a warning that the prime minister could be banished from office if he keeps doing so himself," The Telegraph reported.

An unnamed source at No. 10 told the publication that the rule is "incredibly anachronistic" because a Jewish or Muslim prime minister could nominate a bishop but not a Catholic.

In response to questions about Johnson's Christian faith and conversion to Catholicism, one senior Tory reportedly said the prime minister: Does not have a religious bone in his body.

Johnsons great-grandfather, Ali Kemal, was a Turkish Muslim journalist and politician who was brutally murdered by a mob that supported Ataturk. He knew England well, and when the British occupied Constantinople for four years at the end of World War I, he collaborated with them, according to The Spectator.

In the BBC series Who Do Think You Are, Johnson talked about his great-grandfather having memorized the entire Quran as a young boy. And it was in that interview that Johnson also mentioned that, as a student, he had won a scripture knowledge prize.

As part of a Bible reading project for the King James Bible Trust, in which a reading of the entire Bible was posted on YouTube, Johnson read from Isaiah Chapter 11. He called the King James version the single most beautiful and influential work of English literature.

Johnson, twice-divorced, married Symonds in a private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral on May 29.

Symonds, a 33-year-old political activist and conservationist, is the third wife of Johnson, 56. Johnson and Symonds share a son, Wilfred, who was born in April 2020.

The secretive ceremony was officiated by a Catholic priest, Father Daniel Humphreys, who baptized the couples son last year, Newsweek reported.

Johnsons multiple marriages and having children out of wedlock sparked controversy due to the Catholic Churchs stance on such issues and its opposition to divorce.

The Roman Catholic Church does allow divorcees to remarry if the previous marriages were outside the Roman Catholic Church. Johnsons former marriages to Allegra Mostyn-Owen and Marina Wheeler were not Catholic ceremonies and thus not recognized by the Catholic Church.

Father Mark Drew, assistant priest at St. Joseph's Church in Penketh, Warrington, told the BBC that hes had to tell Catholic couples going through a divorce that they cannot remarry in the Catholic Church.

"It looks to them  rightly or wrongly  as if the Church is applying double standards and I do fear that this decision does make the church look bad, Drew said.

Christopher Lamb, a correspondent for the Catholic magazine The Tablet, told BBC Radio 5 about how Johnsons third marriage reflects that there is one law for the rich and powerful and another for everyone else.

There will be a feeling that, why are some people who are divorced allowed to be married in the church and others not? And I think thats where the church can look at its current roles and see how it can become more welcoming. It has been welcoming to Boris Johnson, why not to others? he asked.
Youth pastor accused of hiding camera in bathroom, charged with child porn possession

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A Florida youth pastor who was previously accused of hiding a camera in a church bathroom has now been charged with possession of child pornography.

David Patrick Nims, a youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church of Pensacola, was previously arrested after being accused of hiding a camera in a church bathroom.

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office announced on Facebook Friday that they were charging Nims with possession of child pornography a week after arresting him for the earlier charge.

According to the sheriffs office, investigators found more than 100 files of child pornography at Nims home, with more charges possibly being added later.

None of those child victims appear to have a local connection and were not videotaped by Nims himself. The files appear to have been downloaded off the internet, the Sheriff's Office added.

ECSO Special Victims Unit Investigators are still working on this case, analyzing additional digital files. More charges could be added.

Earlier this month, a hidden surveillance camera was found by a teenager in the mens bathroom at Calvary Baptist Church, with authorities being called soon after the discovery.

According to an arrest report cited by ABC News affiliate WEAR, the hidden camera was located at the drain pipe under the sink in the stall and faced towards the toilet he was sitting on.

When police viewed the video clips from the camera, they reportedly saw a man retrieving the electronic device whom witnesses identified as Nims.

All of them state it appeared Nims was installing the camera and was wearing the same clothes in the video that they saw him wearing at church that day, continued the report.

Calvary Baptist Church Pastor Walt Magaha released a statement to WEAR in response to the first arrest, explaining that his church was grieved and saddened by the allegations and circumstances regarding the arrest of Patrick Nims.

We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as they conduct their ongoing investigation and stand ready to provide care and ministry toward those involved and/or affected as information is shared with us, if it shared, Magaha stated.

Nims was charged with one count of "video voyeurism by a person 18 or older, who is responsible for the welfare of a child younger than 16," according to NorthEscambia.com. Anyone that believes they may be a victim of Nims, or knows that someone that may be a victim, is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriffs Office.

After his first arrest on the video voyeurism charge, Nims was released on a $10,000 bond hours after he was booked, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Lobster diver survives being trapped in whale's mouth, compared to Jonah

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In a story reminiscent of the Old Testament account of the prophet Jonah, a lobster diver has survived being trapped inside the mouth of a whale off the coast of Cape Cod.

First reported by The Cape Cod Times, diver Michael Packard, 56, was diving to pluck lobsters from the ocean floor off the coast of Provincetown, Massachusetts, Friday morning in his second dive of the day when the dive took an unusual turn 10 feet from the ocean floor.

All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove, and the next thing I knew, it was completely black, Packard said Friday afternoon after he was released from the hospital.

I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth."



The diver thought his death was imminent and started thinking about his sons.

I was completely inside; it was completely black, Packard recounted.



I thought to myself, theres no way Im getting out of here. Im done. Im dead. All I could think of was my boys  theyre 12 and 15 years old.

News of Packard's encounter has spurred many comparisons of his story to that of the biblical prophet Jonah as some headlines in the media have used phrases like "Real-Life Jonah," "Jonah and the whale in real life," "Cape Code lobster diver's Jonah moment" and "A Modern Day Jonah."



Unlike Jonah, however, whom Scripture says was trapped inside the belly of a giant fish for three days, the diver estimates that he was inside the whale's mouth for approximately 30 to 40 seconds before the animal surfaced.

I saw light, and he started throwing his head side to side, and the next thing I knew, I was outside [in the water], the diver said.

A crewman with Packard reportedly told Packards sister that he saw the whale surface and initially thought the animal was a great white shark, which he frequently sees in the coastal waters.

Packard, who lives in the Cape Cod peninsula town of Wellfleet, had no broken bones from the incident and described the injuries he sustained as a lot of soft tissue damage.

The diver plans to return to the waters as soon as he has recovered.

Marine experts are describing what happened to Packard as so rare as to be almost non-existent, given that humpback whales are not known to be aggressive creatures, especially toward human beings.

"Based on what was described, this would have to be a mistake and an accident on the part of the humpback," The Cape Cod Times quoted Jooke Robbins, director of Humpback Whale Studies at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, as saying.

Robbins said that when humpbacks open their mouths to feed, it billows out like a parachute and blocks the whales forward vision. This is a reason why many of them get their mouths and jaws entangled in fishing gear, she said.

"It is not something I have heard happening before," Robbins added, speaking of Packard's encounter with the mammal.

"So many things would have had to happen to end up in the path of a feeding whale."

Robbins added that the esophagus on nontoothed whales is too small to swallow a human.

Echoing Robbins, marine biologist Iain Kerr told the Canada-based Global News Sunday that whales are not interested in humans. In 30 years, Kerr said he has only ever heard of an incident like what happened to Packard twice, adding that such encounters are likely an accident.

The whale does not want a human dessert. [Packard] just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, Kerr said.
Naftali Bennett sworn in as Israels new prime minister; PLO, Hamas threaten to attack Jerusalem

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As Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israels new prime minister Sunday, ending the rule of the longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas threatened to attack Jerusalem.

The parliament approved by a razor-thin 6059 majority a new government of change led by 49-year-old Bennett, while Netanyahu, 71, pledged he would soon return to power, The Epoch Times reported, adding that as part of a deal with his centrist and left-wing coalition, Bennett will be replaced as prime minister by 57-year-old Yair Lapid in 2023.

Bennett is not likely to introduce any drastic measures in relation to sensitive international issues, including policy toward the Palestinians, and has said he will focus more on healing the countrys divisions and restoring a sense of normalcy, The Associated Press reported.

Netanyahus support had declined since 2009, and he was going through a corruption trial though he had denied any wrongdoing.

The new prime ministers alliance includes a party that represents its 21% Arab minority, which has close family relations with the Palestinians, although Bennett is opposed to Palestinian independence and supports Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Bennett is also expected to maintain Israels hard-line stance on Iran and oppose U.S. President Joe Bidens efforts to revive its international nuclear deal, according to analysts.

Bennett has briefly served as head of the West Bank settlers council, called Yesha, and as cabinet minister of diaspora affairs, education and defense in various Netanyahu-led governments.

On the day of his swearing-in, the PLOs Jerusalem Department threatened to carry out an explosion to push his administration to cancel a march called Flag Parade, which is planned to be held Tuesday in celebration of Jerusalem Day, YNet News reported.

In a statement, the PLO said that its violence could extend beyond Jerusalem to the Palestinian territories if the march takes place.

Hamas has also reportedly issued a warning saying it had not ruled out the option of resuming rocket fire at cities across the country.

Organizers of the march have reached an agreement with police and altered the route to avoid the Damascus Gate and the Old Citys Muslim Quarter, where violence could erupt, Israel Hayom reported.

The parade, which is to commemorate the reunification of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, was scheduled for May 10, which was Jerusalem Day this year but was postponed after Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem, which led to 11 days of hostilities.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to the new Israeli prime minister on the phone late Sunday to congratulate Bennett and to continue to strengthen ties between the two countries, The Jerusalem Post reported.

On behalf of the American people, I congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and all the members of the new Israeli cabinet, Biden said in a statement. Israel has no better friend than the United States. The bond that unites our people is evidence of our shared values and decades of close cooperation.

Biden added, My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region.

The Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates also congratulated both Bennett and Lapid, saying, We look forward to working together to advance regional peace, strengthen tolerance and coexistence, and embark upon a new era of cooperation in technology, trade, and investment.
Pro-life group files complaint with SBA over Planned Parenthood clinic obtaining $2.7 million PPP loan

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A pro-life group has filed a complaint with the Small Business Administration, alleging that a Planned Parenthood affiliate improperly obtained Paycheck Protection Program loans designed for small businesses.

In a June 7 complaint addressed to SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman, the New Hampshire Right to Life accuses Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country of obtaining Paycheck Protection Program loans provided to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which requires its affiliates to submit to a rigorous PPFA accreditation review every three years, has well in excess of 500 employees, the limit to qualify as a small business.

As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress provided Paycheck Protection Program loans to small businesses that were forced to close their doors when federal, state and local governments implemented lockdowns in response to the novel coronavirus. As New Hampshire Right to Life President Jason Hennesseey explained in the letter to Guzman, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England applied for a PPP loan and received $2,717,300 in taxpayer dollars.

Big businesses such as Planned Parenthood unlawfully applied to PPP and should not have their loans forgiven, he wrote. Noting that tax returns filed by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in 2019 showed a total gross revenue of $27,153,085 and net earnings of $1,562,789, while the Planned Parenthood Federation of America claimed $274,186,594 and net earnings of $24,901,341. Hennessey asserted in the letter that these are not the type of revenue streams that are typical of a small business.

Hennessey added: Planned Parenthood of Northern New England did not identify as an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. when applying for a PPP loan. Under the rules of the Paycheck Protection Program, In most cases, a borrower will be considered together with its affiliates for determining eligibility for the PPP. The SBA had previously determined that PPFA is known to have and to exercise control over its local affiliates.

Citing a May 2020 SBA notice to another Planned Parenthood affiliate explaining that it was ineligible for a PPP loan because of its affiliation with PPFA and its number of employees, Hennessey concluded that, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Inc. also cannot qualify for a PPP loan under this same logic because [as] an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. it has more than 500 employees.

Just as SBA properly held Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, Inc. to have misrepresented its qualification and demand[ed] return of the PPP funding a similar letter must be sent to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Inc. requesting the $2,717,300 first draw PPP loan award be returned, he added.

Hennessey expressed hope that SBA can recover PPP loans from national conglomerates who fraudulently received relief funds instead of the New Hampshire family-owned restaurants, daycare centers, barbershops, and lawn care/snow removal companies  all successful businesses based solely on the hard work and effort of New Hampshire citizens.

The letter from the New Hampshire Right to Life comes after the Republicans on the Senates Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship wrote to Guzman on April 15, expressing concern about Planned Parenthood affiliates continued receipt of PPP loans.

Led by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the senators asserted that, according to data provided to Congress on March 23, not only have most of the PPFA affiliates not returned their PPP funds, as requested by SBA, but two have applied for and been approved for a second draw loan, with full knowledge of their ineligibility.

On May 10, Paul and the other Senate Republicans on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship wrote another letter to Guzman, reporting that since our April 15 letter to you, SBA approved PPP loans for at least two additional PPFA affiliates according to the most recent data posted to the Agencys website.

Specifically, they said, one Planned Parenthood affiliate received a $10 million loan, the maximum loan amount under the Paycheck Protection Program. The senators described the $10 million loan to Planned Parenthood of Greater New York as unacceptable.

In both letters, the senators asked the Small Business Administration to provide a detailed explanation regarding how two PPFA affiliates were approved for second draw loans despite the SBAs determination that they were ineligible for the PPP and a detailed explanation of the SBAs process for ensuring entities that were determined to be ineligible for first draw loans do not get second draw loans.

Additionally, the senators requested all forgiveness information associated with loans to PPFA entities, and a description of any and all actions the SBA has taken to recover PPP funds unlawfully provided to PPFA affiliates. In the follow-up letter, the senators asked for complete PPP loan-level data for all PPFA affiliates and unredacted copies of any and all agency decisions, determinations, guidance, policies and/or documents related to PPP loans to PPFA affiliates.
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Im deeply thankful that I live here in America rather than a country like North Korea, and I truly appreciate the freedom of the press that we enjoy. At the same time, when the mainstream media outlets can collude so powerfully in disseminating lies and withholding truths, are we that much better than countries with state-controlled media?

Again, its absolutely true that, here in America, every narrative put forth by media outlet A can be challenged by media outlet B. At the same time, if the dominant media outlets only report one narrative, suppressing or censoring or dismissing out of hand all counter-narratives, isnt the brainwashing effect all the same for those who rely on those dominant outlets?

This, then, is reinforced when the dominant media outlets effectively demonize other news outlets. As a result, those who follow the dominant media will never even think of checking out the other news outlets. Talk about an effective propaganda campaign.

Taking this one step further, if the social media and search engine giants further collude in advancing one narrative while suppressing or removing other narratives, the cycle of brainwashing is now virtually complete.

You think you have access to a wide array of viewpoints. You think you are hearing (or reading or viewing or finding) all the news thats fit to hear (or read or view or find). Instead, you are hearing (or reading or viewing or finding) the news that the dominant (and leftist!) media leaders want you to hear (or read or view or find).

Worse still, by the time the lies and misinformation get exposed, its already too late, since the misinformation has now taken hold in the conscience of the nation. And popular myths do not die easily (just think of Hands up, dont shoot! as one example of many).

It is now well-documented (actually, proudly-documented) that a veritable cabal of media, social media, business leaders, and other left-wing activists colluded to stop Trump from being elected (this is completely unrelated to the question of election fraud).

We also know all too well that certain stories were ignored or suppressed (such as Hunter Bidens laptop) while others were peddled ad infinitum (think Russia collusion). And lets not even mention the question of fairness, as in the leftwing medias constant reporting on Trumps mental health (its amazing hes still walking and talking, based on what we were told to expect) vs. their reporting on Bidens mental health (he might run again in 2024!).

Now, thanks to an independent report from the inspector general, another, Trump-damning myth has been revealed. As noted by Greg Gutfeld:

So here's a question: how many media screw-ups do you need to hear before you realize it's deliberate. How many times does Wolf Blitzer get to cry wolf?

Every week an explosive story we are told was true turns out to be as false as Julie's eyelashes. Todays big lie  The story of how President Donald Trump ordered Lafayette Square cleared with tear gas to vacate peaceful protesters for a callous photo-op. The press covered it with a cicada-like fervor.

Specifically, the inspector generals report on the matter concluded: We found that the USPP had the authority and discretion to clear Lafayette Park and the surrounding areas on June 1. The evidence we obtained did not support a finding that the USPP cleared the park to allow the president to survey the damage and walk to St. Johns Church. Instead, the evidence we reviewed showed that the USPP cleared the park to allow the contractor to safely install the antiscale fencing.

Not only so, but the protests were hardly all peaceful. As noted by the Wall Street Journal, The inspector general report said 49 Park Police officers were injured while policing the Lafayette Square protests, which while mostly peaceful during the day turned violent at night. Park Police did not know about the Presidents potential movement until mid- to late afternoon on June 1hours after it had begun developing its operational plan and the fencing contractor had arrived in the park, according to the report.

But will these facts undo the damage that the false reports already did, especially if they contributed to Trump losing the elections? And, while fully acknowledging Trumps many failings, including his poor judgment in holding up a Bible in front of the damaged church building, did these false reports further demonize the man?

Perhaps, even worse than this is the collusion of the leftwing media and internet giants in deciding what we can and cannot be told about the origins of COVID-19 or about the efficacy, necessity, or safety of the vaccines.

In this case, were not just talking about misinformation that might affect our political or cultural points of view. Were talking about life and death issues, issues of health and safety and even freedom.

For good reason, we should be very concerned about all this.

Unfortunately, this rightful suspicion of the fairness and honesty of the dominant media outlets has, in turn, produced a fake news frenzy where we now reject as false any narrative that we dont like. This, in turn, leads to the embracing of every kind of wacky conspiracy theory, especially on the right.

The solution, then, is to verify the stories we are following across numerous platforms, to challenge dominant narratives will well-researched, carefully-documented dissents, and to see what is being reported (and not being reported) on news sites we differ with.

Then, we can make informed decisions. Otherwise, if we are not diligent, we might find ourselves brainwashed, all while thinking we are enlightened, broadminded, and well-informed. Careful!
Whistleblower challenges SBC leaders response to Russell Moore letters Executive Committee searching for firm to conduct independent review

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Days after Southern Baptist Convention leaders Mike Stone and Ronnie Floyd challenged claims by the former leader of the denominations Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Russell Moore, that they mishandled a crisis of sexual abuse in the convention, a Texas pastor has come forward with evidence that he claims supports Moores claims.

Phillip Bethancourt, the lead pastor of Central Church in College Station, Texas, who at the time was an ERLC staffer, said he felt compelled to become a Southern Baptist whistleblower in a letter to Stone and Floyd published publicly on Thursday.

Floyd, who is president of the SBC's Executive Committee, said he did not have the same recollection" of accounts presented by Moore of the SBC's mishandling of sexual abuse allegations lodged against SBC churches.

Stone, a former chairman of the Executive Committee who is now an SBC presidential nominee, was accused of trying to delay the formation of a credentials committee to assess churches reported to be mishandling sexual abuse." But he dismissed the claims as scandalous, unscriptural, ungodly and outrageous. He also noted that he is a survivor of sexual abuse himself.

In his Thursday letter, however, Bethancourt suggested the SBC leaders were not being truthful.

I am writing to you in regard to your public responses to the recently publicized letters from Russell Moore. Ronnie, you said you do not have the same recollection of the events. Mike, your video called Moores claims absolutely slanderous, ungodly, and an outrageous lie, the Texas pastor began. I cannot remain quiet in light of your responses, so I am compelled to do something no one would want to do--become a Southern Baptist whistleblower.

He continued: Wouldnt the best way to get to the truth be to hear the two of you in your own words? Your own words actually corroborate the claims in Russell Moores letters--the same claims you now suggest are false. I believe that when Southern Baptists hear you in your own words, they will be wise enough to recognize the truth.

He shared three audio clips from the Nashville Caring Well Conference debrief meeting from October 8, 2019. At the conference, attorney and abuse advocate Rachael Denhollander was allowed to speak freely about sexual abuse in the denomination. In a conversation with Moore, she voiced strong words about how the SBC Executive Committee staff handled a sexual abuse survivor.

In the first clip shared by Bethancourt, Floyd appears to question why conference speakers weren't restricted on what they were allowed to say because it came off as an attack on SBC leadership.

How are we supposed to respond, in your minds, to people who would say, Why in the world, would we have a conference and let people degrade the Southern Baptist Convention, attack its leadership, our churches?'  How are we supposed to do that, and we let them say what they want to say? Floyd asked while mentioning that the Executive Committee financially supported the SBC Sexual Abuse Advisory Group.

Moore noted that the speakers were not restricted because were not in a criminal conspiracy to cover up what happened.

If we had [put parameters on what speakers could say], what you would end up with right now is three days of Washington Post stories and New York Times stories about the parameters that we put on people," Moore replied. "So that the charge would be only the people that were willing to come in and participate in the cover-up were allowed to be there."

In a second clip, Floyd asked how he should handle Executive Committee trustee complaints about how Denhollander has come after them in her Caring Well Conference interview.

Moore noted that the ERLC didnt script anybody and added that the commission wanted to "hear from everybody's heart without a muzzle put on them." He suggested that the Executive Committee not do stupid stuff again when dealing with a survivors public disclosure of abuse.

In a third clip, Floyd also explained that his primary focus was not survivors of sexual abuse but to preserve the base.

Moore replied, "What I would say to you is that we don't have one base."

Floyd had already stated that he is hearing threats that some churches may stop their Cooperative Program giving because of the Caring Well Conference," Bethancourt wrote in the letter. "So, it certainly seemed to us in the room that what it meant to preserve the base was to protect the money."

Bethancourt also shared audio clips from a May 2019 meeting in Atlanta on sexual abuse that included Stone and Floyd, in which he claims that "their resistance to the immediate formation of a standing credentials committee became a primary point of disagreement." The credentials committee was to assess churches reported to be mishandling sexual abuse allegations.

"Stones own words corroborate Russell Moores recounting of our contentious discussion on this subject," Bethancourt wrote.

Bethancourts revelations come as a growing chorus of SBC messengers call for an independent investigation of how the denominations leaders have dealt with what Moore called a crisis of sexual abuse in the denomination via two leaked letters.

Moore alleged leaders mishandled the crisis through methods such as intimidating whistleblowers into silence and exonerating churches with credible allegations of negligence of sexual abuse victims.

In a statement Thursday, Floyd said he called the May 2019 meeting in Atlanta to discuss how to handle charges of sex abuse in the denomination. He said the discussion was confidential and argued that Bethancourt's release of the audio from the meeting was an attempt to mischaracterize them as an effort to avoid addressing the realities of sex abuse."

"The fact of the matter is that immediately following the meeting and even before leaving the airport, I instructed our staff and legal team to begin the creation of an SBC Credentials Committee," Floyd explained. "That work continued throughout the weekend, and by early the next week, the framework for what we now know as the Credentials Committee was born."

"Any suggestion that the purpose of the meeting was to oppose efforts to address sex abuse is not credible when given the full context of the meeting and our immediate action to create the Credentials Committee."

Floyd said the discussions from the meeting "reflect leaders engaging in a scriptural process of coming together with others who have differing opinions on complicated issues and of discussing those differences honestly with a goal of how to best move forward.

Floyd added that following the October Caring Well Conference, he requested a meeting with Moore and Bethancourt to "better understand how to respond to churches that had questions coming out of the conference."

"That was the extent of the conversation," he stated. "However, I apologize for any offense that may have resulted from my remarks."

The executive committee president further added that since last weekend, "the Executive Committee staff leadership has been in the process of talking with and potentially securing a highly credible outside firm with the intent of conducting an independent third-party review of the accusations recently levied at the SBC Executive Committee."

Stone has denied allegations that he tried to delay the formation of the committee investigating how the SBC handled claims of sex abuse against churches. Last Saturday, he released a video stating that Moore's second leaked letter lacked credibility.

"If you take his letter at face value, then [Moore] has known about cover-up, intimidation, bullying, stonewalling, barriers, pressure, all of these sorts of things against victims of sex abuse," Stone said. "He has known about lies and back-room deals and corruption. He has known about it, not for days or weeks, or literally months. He has known about it, supposedly for years while he has not breathed a word. Russell hasn't stood behind these accusations. He doesn't even have the professional decency to issue this as a press release through credible news sources."

Stone added that his "very first act as chairman" of the SBC executive committee in the summer of 2018 was to "put together a motion to accept a request from the ERLC that we give them what ultimately was $250,000." He said he requested permission to do that because of his personal story, "not known to anybody else in the world at the time except me and the man who abused me."

"I wanted the privilege of initiating this action on the part of the executive committee. ... After that was unanimously passed by the subcommittee and I knew that it was going to be approved by the full plenary body, I left that committee room to a nearby bathroom where I vomited, not because I am weak or I was upset, but just the emotion  decades of emotion  came bubbling forth as I was so grateful to be a part of addressing this horrific and heinous injustice committed against the most vulnerable members of our Southern Baptist churches," he said.

"To think that somebody with that passion and that personal past is later going to get together in a back room with the subcommittee and conspire to cover up for pedophiles and the molestations they commit against our most vulnerable children, it's outlandish."

Ronnie Parrott of Christ Community Church in Huntersville, North Carolina, and Grant Gaines, pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, are two of the most prominent SBC voices calling for an independent investigation.

In light of the recent allegations made against the executive committee by Russell Moore, former president of the ERLC, in letters dated February 24, 2020 and May 31, 2021  we move that the messengers ask the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention to appoint a task force to hire a third party to investigate the allegations made against the executive committee of the SBC in said letters, including but not limited to allegations of mishandling sexual abuse cases, mistreatment of sexual abuse victims, a pattern of intimidation, and resistance to sexual abuse reform initiatives, the pastors wrote in a statement Saturday.

We further move that the task force report back to this convention at our next annual meeting with the findings of the investigation as well as suggestions for actions to be taken by our convention.

The 2021 SBC Annual Meeting, set to take place June 15-16 in Nashville, Tennessee, is expected to draw a historic crowd. The convention is expected to address a range of disagreements on critical race theory, sexual abuse and gender issues.
Chinese authorities forcibly detain pastor, wife by chaining door to their home Chinese authorities forcibly detain pastor, wife by chaining door to their home

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A Christian minister from Early Rain Covenant Church, a heavily-persecuted house church in southwestern Chinas Sichuan province, and his wife have been confined to their home since April 1 as the passageway to the home has reportedly been chained by police, according to reports.

Persecution watchdog China Aid reported that the door to the home of the ERCC minister, Wu Wuqing, and his wife, Xiong Meifang, was locked up with a chain from the outside on June 4.

The Christian couple, who live in Damian Towns Longquanyi District in Chengdu City, was detained on April 1, according to the United States-based watchdog International Christian Concern.

Chinese Communist Party authorities have monitored the only passageway to Wus condo with unknown individuals chaining the corridor connecting the elevator and the fire door in the hallway.

The nonprofit added that those monitoring the couple also routinely refused to allow visitors. None of the monitors disclosed their identities or showed the couple their identification cards.

Wu repeatedly phoned the police, but officers have not done anything to resolve the situation.

Xiong reportedly told church members: Our Heavenly Father locked the door, and He will unlock it when the time comes. We will pray for the police and CCP authorities every day. May the Lord gain their souls.

Last month, Pastor Yang Hua of another heavily-persecuted house church, Guiyang Living Stone Church in southwest Guizhou Province, was hospitalized after being detained and brutally beaten by CCP authorities.

China Aid reported that on May 23, as Yang planned to visit Christians in Qingdao, police seized and transported him to their station. At the station, a Guiyang Yunyan District Party Committee leader punched the pastor, injuring him so severely that an official called emergency medical personnel. The pastor was then transported to a nearby hospital.

Numerous reports have documented how religious persecution in China intensified in 2020, with thousands of Christians affected by church closures and other human rights abuses.

Authorities in China are also continuing their crackdown on Christianity by removing Bible Apps and Christian WeChat public accounts as new highly restrictive administrative measures on religious staff went into effect earlier in May.

Open Doors USAs World Watch List ranks China as the 17th-worst country in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians. The organization notes that all churches are perceived as a threat if they become too large, too political or invite foreign guests.

Christians are not the only religious minority to face persecution at the hands of the CCP.

Estimates suggest that as many as 1 million Uighur and other ethnic Muslims have been subject to internment camps in the western Xinjiang province, where they are taught to be secular citizens who fall in line with the ruling Communist Party.
Christian families forced to flee homes into forest after women attacked by Hindu villagers

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Ten Christian families in the east Indian state of Odisha have been living in a forest for weeks after their houses were destroyed by villagers in retaliation for filing a police complaint against a group of Hindu men who allegedly sexually harassed two Christian women as they drew water from a public well.

The families have been living in fear and without light, water or a change of clothes in a forest near the Sikapai village in Rayagada districts Kalyansingpur block since mid-May, according to the United Kingdom-based nonprofit Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Tensions began on May 15 when two women went to a nearby tube well to fetch water to prepare food, CSW reported. A few Hindu villagers reportedly approached the women, tore their clothes, touched them inappropriately and told them that Christians could not use that well.

The villagers also damaged the tube at the well so that the women wouldnt be able to access the water.

The womens families filed a police complaint but no investigation followed. The Christians also reported the incident to administrative officials, who allegedly told them to reconvert to Hinduism.

On May 25, when the attackers learned about the complaints, they destroyed the roofs of six houses belonging to Christians and also beat some of them.

The following morning, a severe cyclonic storm caused flooding in the area, which destroyed the damaged houses. The families were forced to find shelter using polythene sheets and wood in the forest outside the village.

CSWs founder and President Mervyn Thomas said his group is deeply concerned by the rise in crimes against minorities in India and the inadequate response from the authorities.

Last June, a 14-year-old Christian boy was lynched in Kenduguda village in Odishas Malkangiri district, according toreports. The boy was allegedly crushed to death with a stone by a group of people. His body was reportedly chopped into pieces. His remains were buried in several different places.

The boy and his family converted to Christianity three years earlier and had been attacked due to their conversion.

Christians are estimated to make up about 2.3% of Indias population. Attacks on Christians have been on the rise since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won the 2014 national elections.

A recent report from Human Rights Watch warned that "prejudices embedded in the government" of the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have infiltrated independent institutions, such as the police and the courts, empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass and attack religious minorities with impunity.

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 against Muslims and Christians following the release of its report recommending the U.S. State Department designate India as a Country of Particular Concern.

In a statement to CP, 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.
How really free are you where God is concerned?

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A recent article I wrote for Christian Post on the doctrine of limited atonement generated exactly the type of responses I knew it would, with some calling me brave and others the devil himself. I actually have a soft spot for those critical of the teaching because I used to be one of them.

That is, until I came to study more deeply another tenet of the Christian faith, which most all believers hold to in some form or fashion  the doctrine of depravity. In short, this precept says all human beings are born sinners, natural enemies of God (Rom. 5:12-19), and incapable of coming to God on their own.



Its my opinion that, once the domino of total depravity falls, all the other supposed hard-to-accept teachings of reformed theology (including limited atonement) become easy to accept. Let me explain.

The crux of the issue

In his debate with his academic rival Erasmus on the subject of reformed teachings, Martin Luther commended him on choosing the doctrine of depravity as his starting point: I praise and commend you highly for this also, that unlike all the rest you alone have attacked the real issue, the essence of the matter in dispute.

For this reason, Luther called his book The Bondage of the Will his most important work. He sums up his position as: Free will without Gods grace is not free at all, but is the permanent prisoner and bondslave of evil, since it cannot turn itself to good.

It wasnt just the reformers who thought this; John Wesley (sounding much like Jonathan Edwards[1]) admitted: Such is the freedom of the will; free only to evil; free to drink iniquity like water; to wander farther and farther from the living God, and do more despite the Spirit of grace!

The reason both reformed and non-reformed believers adhere to the doctrine of depravity is that it flows freely through Scripture. We are told that (all emphasis mine):

There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside (Rom. 3:1012); the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so (Rom. 8:67); For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18); and the clincher: But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (1 Cor. 2:14).

So, if this doctrine enjoys near universal acceptance, why the debate?

How are spiritually blind eyes opened?

With few exceptions, theologians dont disagree on whether we come into life alienated in our soul towards God, but more so, how limited is our spiritual free will and how does that limitation pertain to salvation? There are a number of views to consider.

Pelagius, was a British monk who emerged as a spiritual leader of both clergy and laity in Rome around A.D. 380. His stance was there is no connection between Adams sin and the state all people are born into; i.e., people are born innocent without sin and have the free will to choose good or evil.

Catholicism, accepting the teaching of depravity, agreed at the Council of Trent that the sacrament of baptism removes the guilt of Adam from every child and leaves them in a state of innocence with a free will that may or may not choose to sin. In addition, the Catholic church responded to the reformers beliefs with the teaching of Jesuit Luis de Molina, who spearheaded the concept of Molinism and Gods middle knowledge that speaks to humans salvific free will.

Jacob Arminius resisted the reformers and argued that the relationship between God and humanity is one of cooperative assistance where the Holy Spirit is not overcoming a hostile will to make it compliant so much as it is assisting a persons natural faculties to respond to God. The Holy Spirit only succeeds so far as a person concurs; people can prevent the grace of God by resisting it.

Wesley adopted a position that straddled reformed and Arminian teaching. He asserted that because of Christs work on the cross, a grace termed preventing or prevenient grace comes upon all people making us capable of freely cooperating with God where our salvation is concerned.

Finally, the reformed position is well summed up by Dr. James White: Reformed Christians believe that people believe and choose. It is the order of events that is in dispute. Every Christian has chosen Christ, believed in Christ, embraced Christ, and even more, continues to do so. The question is not must a person believe, but can a person believe while a slave to sin? Further, whose decision comes first: the decision of God to free the enslaved, dead sinner and give them the ability to believe, or the free-choice decision of the sinner that then makes him or her one of the elect? (emphasis in the original).[2]

So which is it?

So, how do we determine which, if any, position is correct? Let me crack my knuckles and quickly  given the space we have with which to work  go through the options.

At the council of Carthage in A.D. 412, Pelagius views were officially condemned and, based on Scripture, I believe rightfully so.

With respect to the Catholic teaching, there is no explicit biblical support for baptism freeing a person from their spiritual blindness. Regarding Molinism, while interesting philosophy, it also has no meaningful, overt coverage in Scripture that supports its opinion.

The Arminian stance of humans born in sin not being innately adversarial to God appears to contradict numerous biblical passages, some of which have already been cited. Perhaps the clearest on our natural state is Eph. 2:3, which says: Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest (my emphasis).

The Wesleyan position of prevenient grace is interesting in that, Wesley believed it was irresistible much like the reformed doctrine of irresistible grace. The key difference is that once a person was spiritually re-enlightened by the former, they could then re-resist Gods offer of salvation. The most cited verses in support of prevenient grace are John 1:9 and John 12:32.

In my opinion there are numerous problems in using these two verses as convincing proof of prevenient grace, all of which are covered by Dr. Thomas Schreiner here. And, as Robert Chiles says, once prevenient grace falls, the Calvinist logic is irrefutable. Wesley admitted as much too.

That leaves us with the reformed position of everyone born being numb to God and staying that way unless God decides otherwise. This fits with numerous biblical passages such as (all emphasis mine):

No one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father (John 6:65); To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted; (Matt. 13:11); You do not believe because you are not of My sheep (John 10:26); For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them (John 12:3940); Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word (John 8:43).

TheLord opened her [Lydias] heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14); For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6); Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezek. 36:26); (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made you) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist (Rom. 4:17); But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:1213); For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes (John 5:21); It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life (John 6:63); When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions (Col. 2:13); For to you it has been granted for Christs sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Phil. 1:29).

Its not fair

If youve read up to this point, congratulations  this can be some tough sledding. Let me now quickly wrap up.

Whether you agree with the doctrine of depravity or not, you can see that if it is true, then the rest of reformed teachings fall into place with little concern. For me, this was the primary reason I came to accept reformed theology.

The most common objections to the reformed view of depravity include that it wrongly depicts God as unloving, insouciant, and unfair.

As to being unloving, if you believe that God must offer mercy equally to everyone, then youre saying He is not good unless He extends grace to all. Realize by doing this, youve just made his mercy obligatory via your own form of human justice.

As to being unfair, of course its not fair. Whats fair is for God to relegate everyone to an eternity without Him. Its like the problem of evil: the question is not so much why bad things happen to good people but more why good things happen to bad people, which we all are.

There is no greater example of a good thing happening to a bad person than God, through His grace alone, regenerating that person and liberating them from their slavery to sin so they then freely choose Christ as their savior. The person (like everyone else) in no way deserves it, but God graciously calls them back from spiritual death much like Jesus did Lazarus from physical death.

True liberty, wrote Arthur Pink, is not the power to live as we please, but to live as we ought. On our own, we lack that true liberty and thus cannot turn to God. But once the Spirit, who blows where He wishes (John 3:8) comes upon us, then we are born of the Spirit and are saved, as the old saying goes, even before we know it.

[1] Edwards wrote what is perhaps the most quintessential work on the subject, The Freedom of the Will.

[2] James White, The Potter's Freedom (Amityville, NY: Calvary Press, 2000), Pg. 184.
Parents mourn pastor son shot dead after ministering to gunmen

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Pastor Rodney Booth wants the killers of his 25-year-old son, Pastor Robert Booth of Hood Holiness Church of God in North Carolina, to know that they took a great man away from" the world.

"I would want to tell the shooters they took a great man away from this Earth," Booth said in an interview with WFMY last Thursday. "You had a person who really wanted to make a difference."

Friends say Robert Booth was driven to share the Gospel with anyone willing to listen. But on May 25, he was shot dead by gunmen after he ministered to them outside his home in High Point.

I want people to know that it wasnt a drug deal gone bad. It wasnt him being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just Robert being Robert, helping, and his life was ended like that, Booth's friend, Brandon Smith, a fellow ministry worker, told Fox 8.

According to police, the late senior pastor of Hood Holiness Church of God saw a vehicle described as a 2008 to 2010 burgundy Nissan Rogue cruising through East Village Apartment Condominiums on Ardale Drive.

Booth went outside to try to find out what was going on, Smith said. And two male suspects wearing ski masks were reportedly inside the vehicle. Smith told Fox 8 that at some point during the encounter, the young preacher began sharing Gods word with the men.

He believed in street ministry. He would go to the corner where the homeless were and just minister to them and just feed them, practically give you the shirt off his back, Smith explained.

Gunshots soon rang out in the area, according to 911 calls, and one of the bullets struck and killed Booth.

The boys is running towards the hotel. They got black masks on. Its two boys. They shot (inaudible). They look like theyre about 15 to 16 years old, one 911 caller cited by Fox 8 said.

The High Point Police Department is now looking for two suspects, described as black men of varying heights. They believe that the pastors killing is connected to someone close to the victim and suspects in another High Point homicide.

The late pastors parents say that while they are frustrated that no arrests have been made yet for their sons murder, they believe fear of retribution is causing witnesses to stay silent. They urge anyone with information to come forward to the police.

"We are very disappointed," Deneka Booth told WFMY. "I know it's only been two weeks, but that two weeks for us is a lifetime."

The parents, who affectionately called him Bert, recalled how their son had tried to minister to others with a difference.

"He wasn't just this dry preacher," the mother said. "He was a grown man calling me mommy. He always had kids over at the house because they gravitated towards him. I don't think there was any instrument that he couldn't play."

Bishop Kerry A.T. Thomas, the founder of Grace Ecumenical Commune of Churches, who installed Booth as lead pastor of Hood Holiness Church of God in a May 21 service, said in a statement shared on Facebook that he had never experienced a death so crushing in his 24 years of ministry.

Elder Brandon Smith called me to share a situation that involved Robert. Without hesitation, I arose from my bed of comfort and maintained my watch at High Point Regional until I was allowed entry into the hospital. After 24 years of ministry, I have never experienced a death so crushing and a responsibility so arduous as to relay the message of his passing to his parents, siblings, his fiancee and church family, Thomas stated.

Thomas described Booth as a zealous follower of Christ who freely shared his musical talents.

When I first met Robert, he was a budding musician with a love for God and a heart for the underdog. He was accompanied by Deacon Shawn Snead, who you could not tell me was not his blood brother. We quickly became friends but unbeknownst to me, he knew that I would one day become his Pastor, Thomas wrote.

Pastor Booth was the affiliate pastor that everyone wanted. I assigned him as the director of outreach over the organization, and he immediately got to work. You never had to micromanage him or recommit him to the vision because he took ownership over the weight of ministry. I literally watched him give himself to dozens of churches, funeral homes and independent artists, not for the love of money but to share his gift of music and ministry to all that would have him. When he was received, he rejoiced. When he was rejected, he mourned but he continued."

He further noted that Booth played music at his installation service on May 21, showing him to be a man who was a servant first.

On Friday, May 21st 2021, the Grace Ecumenical Commune of Churches came from across the country to celebrate and officially install Robert as Senior Pastor of the Hood Holiness Church of God, a work that had already been in effect throughout the City of High Point," Thomas said. "Pastor Booth, being a servant first, played at his own service. The amount of passion and genuineness displayed by this giant of a man was indicative of perhaps him knowing that he was not here to stay."

Video shared on Booths Facebook page also shows that he proposed to his girlfriend just a day after he was ordained senior pastor of Hood Holiness Church of God.

The Christian Post reached out Booths fiancee for comment. But a response was not received by press time. His friends remained grieved that his killers also robbed Booth's 2-year-old son of his father.

There is  never will, never be another Robert Booth, Smith told Fox 8. To the guys [who did this], you didnt even give him a chance to live. You didnt give him a chance to be that husband, to be that great father. You took his life before it could even begin.
Virginia parent who survived Mao's 'cultural revolution' in China blasts CRT as communist threat Florida bans critical race theory from being taught in public schools

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A woman who grew up in China during Mao Zedongs Cultural Revolution condemned the teaching of critical race theory in U.S. schools, saying it's "heartbreaking" for Chinese Americans to see the communism they escaped infiltrate the country.

I have been very alarmed about whats going on in our schools. You are now teaching, training our children to be social justice warriors and to loathe our country and our history, said Xi Van Fleet in a statement at the Loudoun County School Board meeting on June 8 that was later shared by The Virginia Project, a political action committee working to combat what it deems as "un-American" ideologies, including CRT.

Growing up in Maos China, all of this seems very familiar, she continued. "The communist regime used the same critical theory to divide people. The only difference is they used class instead of race."

Van Fleet, whose son graduated from Loudon High School in 2015, told Fox News Wednesday that she lived through the Mao's Cultural Revolution until she immigrated to the United States.

The Cultural Revolution was led by Mao, a brutal dictator who purged so-called impure elements of Chinese society. The Cultural Revolution lasted from 1966 to 1976, and resulted in the death of around 1.5 million people, while millions more were imprisoned, tortured or humiliated, according to History.com.

To me, and to a lot of Chinese, it is heartbreaking that we escaped communism and now we experience communism here, Van Fleet continued in her statement to the school board.

CRT, which is tied to Marxist critical theory, criticizes the U.S. and Western nations as being oppressive and promoting institutional systemic racism or white supremacy. It teaches that systemic racism is ingrained in every aspect of American life.

Many opponents have noted that the ideology uses Marxist tactics of class struggle to divide people among race, gender and ethnicity. Critical theory, which first arose in academic journals three decades ago, is now being taught at public schools, government agencies and business training programs.

Van Fleet said CRT reminds her of growing up in Maoist China.

They are a communist regime [that] uses the same critical theories to divide people, she said. The only difference is that they use class instead of race. During the cultural revolution, I witnessed students and teachers turn against each other, we changed school names to be politically correct, we were taught to denounce our heritage. The red guards destroyed everything that is not communist ... statues, books and anything else.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

Evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein, a former professor at Evergreen State, was among the first to warn the public that critical theory, now CRT, was not going to remain an issue on college campuses but would later affect all aspects of society.

The critical race theory has its roots in cultural Marxism. It should have no place in our schools, Van Fleet said as she concluded her remarks that were met with applause.

"I just want Americans to know that their privilege is to be here living in America, that is just the biggest privilege," Van Fleet told Fox News. "I do not think a lot of people understand. They are thinking they are doing the right thing, be against racism sounds really good. But they are basically breaking the system that is against racism."

CRT has received pushback and condemned as toxic and divisive in nature.

Former President Donald Trump banned critical race theory training in federal agencies, but President Joe Biden reversed it on his first day in office.

When Biden reversed Trumps ban, Christopher Rufo, a director at the Discovery Institute, announced a new coalition to stop critical race theory and wage relentless legal warfare against race theory in America's institutions.

"Critical race theory is a grave threat to the American way of life. It divides Americans by race and traffics in the pernicious concepts of race essentialism, racial stereotyping, and race-based segregationall under a false pursuit of 'social justice, Rufo wrote at the time.

Today, President Biden doubled-down on critical race theory in the federal government.



In response, I am announcing a new coalition of legal foundations and private attorneys that will wage relentless legal warfare against race theory in America's institutions.



The fight is on. pic.twitter.com/JZJYpjla1k  Christopher F. Rufo ?? (@realchrisrufo) January 20, 2021

Floridas Board of Education announced Thursday that it voted 8-0 to prohibit CRT from being taught in public schools in an effort to stop the "distort[ion] historical events, according to The Washington Examiner.

"Some of this stuff is, I think, really toxic," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said about CRT in a video. "I think it's going to cause a lot of divisions. I think it'll cause people to think of themselves more as a member of particular race based on skin color, rather than based on the content of their character and based on their hard work and what they're trying to accomplish in life."

The woke class wants to teach kids to hate each other, rather than teaching them how to read, but we will not let them bring nonsense ideology into Floridas schools, DeSantis said in a statement.
Biden admin. says it can defend Christian colleges' exemption to Title IX discrimination law

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The Biden administration says it can defend federal exemptions for faith-based colleges and opposed a motion by Christian organizations to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to strike down religious colleges' exemptions to Title IX law dealing with LGBT discrimination.

The Oregon-based Religious Exemption Accountability Project, an LGBT activist organization, filed a federal lawsuit in March on behalf of dozens of LGBT current and former students at several Christian colleges and universities who felt discriminated against because their school's upheld policies consistent with gender and sexuality beliefs.

REAPs lawsuit seeks to end what it says are sexual, physical and psychological abuses perpetrated under the religious exemption to Title IX at thousands of federally-funded schools, colleges and universities across America." It wants to strip the ability of schools that espouse traditional sexuality beliefs to be protected from sex discrimination law. Some argue the federal ban on sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Considering the exemption is utilized by dozens of prominent Christian colleges, a prominent legal organization and an association representing over 140 Christian colleges submitted motions to intervene in the lawsuit, Hunter v. U.S. Department of Education.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal group that has won several Supreme Court cases in recent years, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities are skeptical of the administration's ability to defend the exemption, given the administration's policies and statements on prohibiting LGBT discrimination.

In the filing opposing intervention submitted Tuesday, the Justice Department said the proposed Intervenors have failed to show that either mandatory or permissive intervention is warranted here" and haven't shown that the U.S. government "will not adequately represent their interests."

"Specifically, the Federal Defendants ultimate objective is to defend the statutory exemption and its current application by [Education Department], which is the objective sought by the Proposed Intervenors here," the motion assures.

The government refuted the arguments that it can't adequately defend the religious exemption because of the "statements and actions taken by the current Administration regarding protecting LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination in a variety of contexts." The motion argues that proposed interveners "leap to concluding" that the administration won't defend the exemption.

"[N]one of the statements cited by the Proposed Intervenors expressly discusses the Religious Exemption in Title IX or suggests that the Federal Defendants will not defend the constitutionality of that statutory exemption," the motion reads.

"To be sure, the Department of Education is conducting a comprehensive review of its regulations implementing Title IX pursuant to Executive Order 14,021, which sets forth the current administrations policy on guaranteeing an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex."

The motion assures that "neither the Administrations stated policy positions nor the Departments review of existing regulations abrogate the governments duty to defend federal statutes and regulations in court as a legal matter."

Further, the government argues that the groups wanting to intervene can only "speculate" that the Biden administration will "back away from a full defense of the Religious Exemption and its challenged application."

The Christian Post reached out to the CCCU for comment and was pointed to the organization's May 12 statement on why it looks to intervene in the case.

CCCU President Shirley Hoogstra told The Washington Post that she was encouraged that the administration wants to defend the religious exemption. However, she believes Christian schools should still have a party representing them in the case.

"This lawsuit would take federal financial aid away from hundreds of thousands of students who choose to attend faith-based colleges and universities," CCCU's May 12 statement argues. "This would restrict student choice in an unprecedented way, preventing middle- and low-income students from being able to take their federal aid to these institutions."

REAP was disappointed with the filing submitted on Tuesday and objected to the strong wording found in the DOJ's original filing. The Justice Department updated the filing after objections were raised to the motion saying the administration would "vigorously" defend the religious exemption.

REAP argues against taxpayer funding for schools that it claims "discriminate against #LGBTQ students, which includes expelling them for being queer & forcing them into 'conversion therapy.'"

"The Biden administration did not need to defend this unconstitutional religious exemption, and they certainly did not need to say that it 'shares the same ultimate objective' as anti-LGBTQ extremist group Alliance Defending Freedom," REAP Director Paul Southwick said in a statement.

In a tweet, REAP claimed: "This out-of-touch position will only serve to harm more LGBTQ students at religious colleges  & permit continued taxpayer-funded discrimination at these institutions."

In May, CCCU filed its motion to intervene, stating that removing Title IXs religious exemption poses an existential threat to religious higher education.

CCCU argues that removing religious exemptions will deprive religious colleges of the oxygen that gives them life by forbidding them, on pain of losing federal assistance for their students, from teaching and expecting adherence to their core religious beliefs.

Title IX of the Civil Rights Act forbids sex-based discrimination in education. However, religious institutions with biblical definitions for marriage and sexuality can request a religious exemption that allows them to adhere to scriptural beliefs on matters of sexuality and still receive grant funding from the federal government.

Seven out of 10 CCCU students receive some federal funding, according to the association. The CCCU maintains that making these schools ineligible for funding would have a "disproportionate impact on low-income and first-generation college students, as well as students from racial and ethnic minority groups."

"CCCU institutions subscribe to sincerely held biblical beliefs, which include specific religious convictions around human sexuality and gender, and are transparent about their policies and behavior guidelines, which students voluntarily agree to when they choose to attend the institution," CCCU argues.

ADF filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit in April on behalf of college students at Corban University in Oregon, William Jessup University in California and Phoenix Seminary in Arizona.

The very existence of Title IXs Religious Exemption is at stake here, yet none of the current parties [in the lawsuit] are religious educational institutions that benefit from this exemption, ADFs motion states.

The Court should not assess the Religious Exemptions constitutionality without hearing from the very institutions the exemption was designed to protect, the motion continued.

ADF contends the Biden administration seeks to redefine Title IX in a way that would threaten the freedom of religious schools. President Biden signed an executive order to prevent and combat discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation on his first day in office.

Last month, a judge dismissed a Christian college's lawsuit against a directive on LGBT discrimination from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that the school feared would require it to open womens' dorm rooms and showers to trans-identified male students.

However, attorneys representing HUD argued in a hearing 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. The attorney further stressed that there was no immediate threat to the college.
Texas creates 1836 Project to teach patriotic education, Christian heritage

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Texas has passed a law creating an 1836 Project aimed at promoting values considered fundamental to state identity, as well as the launching of an advisory committee aimed at promoting patriotic education.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 2497 earlier this week, saying in a statement posted to Twitter that we must never forget why Texas became so exceptional in the first place.

The 1836 Project promotes patriotic education about Texas and ensures that the generations to come understand Texas values, said Abbott. Every newcomer to Texas who gets a drivers license will also get a pamphlet that outlines Texas rich history.

The law also establishes the Gubernatorial 1836 Award to recognize students knowledge of the founding documents about Texas history.

Lucy Meckler, campaign manager for the Next Generation Texas initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told The Christian Post that she supported the new law, calling it "a unique and robust way to educate Texans on our states founding principles, rich history, and diverse culture."

"[The 1836 Project ensures] that all voices have the ability to participate in the creation and dispersing of Texas history and civics education to the public," Meckler said.

"At a time when our state is struggling with a civic literacy crisis and growing rapidly in population, it is more important than ever to ensure that every Texan has the opportunity to learn about what makes this state so great."

According to the law, the advisory committee will have nine members who are reflective of the diversity of the state, with the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the House each picking three people to serve a two-year term.

Topics that the project is expected to promote under Texas history will include: the indigenous peoples of this state, the Spanish and Mexican heritage of this state, Tejanos, the African American heritage of this state, the Texas War for Independence, Juneteenth, annexation of Texas by the United States, the Christian heritage of this state, and this states heritage of keeping and bearing firearms in defense of life and liberty and for use in hunting.

Critics of the Texas law include Valerie Street, president of the Texas Progressive Action Network, who told CP that she considered it an unnecessary piece of legislation.

Texas state history is already part of public school curriculum, she said. We agree wholeheartedly with the need for Texas students to be given opportunities to deepen their knowledge of history.

Our hope, however, is that the history we provide in our schools be full, accurate and whole and we share concerns that our state is still struggling to overcome a tendency toward the whitewashing of that history and a failure to bring in the lesser-heard, lesser-known perspectives that are just as integral a part of our story.

Regarding the criticism of the 1836 Project, Meckler told CP that the law "does not gloss over Texas unique history but instead embraces it."

"In addition, the bill specifically mentions that 'The 1836 Project is composed of nine members reflective of the diversity of the state,' ensuring that all voices have the ability to participate in the creation and dispersing of Texas history and civics education to the public," Meckler said.

The name alludes to The 1619 Project, a New York Times Magazine series of essays arguing that slavery continues to influence the United States in various ways.

While many pundits and scholars have critiqued the 1619 Project for its historic inaccuracies, it nevertheless has been featured in the curricula of some public school districts throughout the country.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the reporter who headed the project, said in a series of Twitter posts last year that it was not a history but rather a challenge to the national narrative.

The crazy thing is, the 1619 Project is using history and reporting to make an argument. It never pretended to be a history, she tweeted at the time. We explicitly state our aims and produced a series of essays. Critique was always expected, but the need to discredit it speaks to something else.

On Wednesday, The Washinton Times reported that the U.S. Department of Education has been "inundated" with over 35,000 complaints in response to the Biden administration's plan to urge K-12 schools to teach the 1619 Project and critical race theory.
Trump's Bible photo-op not the reason why police cleared protesters out of DC park: govt report

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President Donald Trumps controversial photo shoot of him holding a Bible outside of a church near the White House in Washington, D.C. was not tied to the police clearing of Lafayette Park outside the White House earlier in the day, according to a new federal government report.

The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Interior released a report Wednesday titled Review of U.S. Park Police Actions at Lafayette Park."

On June 1, 2020, the U.S. Park Police and National Guard dispersed protesters who had gathered in Lafayette Park following the death of George Floyd, an incident in which police in riot gear used chemical irritants.

Minutes after the clearing operation, then-President Trump walked over to St. Johns Episcopal Church for a photo shoot at the church that had been damaged by protesters the day before.

The report concluded that the police had the authority and discretion to clear Lafayette Park and the surrounding areas on June 1 and that, contrary to previous claims, there was no link between the dispersal of demonstrators and the Trump photo.

The evidence we obtained did not support a finding that the USPP cleared the park to allow the President to survey the damage and walk to St. Johns Church, stated the report.

Instead, the evidence we reviewed showed that the USPP cleared the park to allow the contractor to safely install the antiscale fencing in response to destruction of property and injury to officers occurring on May 30 and 31.

The report stated that the police had already planned to disperse before they learned of Trumps plan to walk over to the church.

Further, the evidence showed that the USPP did not know about the Presidents potential movement until mid-to late afternoon on June 1hours after it had begun developing its operational plan and the fencing contractor had arrived in the park, continued the report.

The report said that the USPP incident commander stated that a Secret Service deputy chief

told him that the "President's visit would likely occur later that day or in the evening, after

protesters had been removed from the area."

"The USPP incident commander told us that he could not recall the specific time he learned about the President's potential visit to Lafayette Park," the report explained. "When we interviewed the USPP acting chief of police, he told us the USPP incident commander

told him sometime between 3 and 5 p.m. about the President's potential visit to assess the

damage to the park; although he could not identify precisely when during that 2-hour period he obtained this information, he confirmed that he learned of the potential visit before the DCNG arrived in Lafayette Park at approximately 5 p.m."

Some had raised concern about how then-Attorney General William Barr visited the park before 6 p.m. The report stressed that the attorney general asked the commander if the people would still be in the park when Trump came out. The report claims that the commander had not known until then that Trump would be coming through the park.

"The USPP operations commander denied that the Attorney General ordered him

to clear Lafayette Park and H Street," the report reads.

The Inspector General's Office noted that the report did not review individual uses of force by USPP officers, since they are the subject of separate inquiries or ongoing lawsuits.

On June 1 of last year, Lafayette Square Park in D.C. was one of many places across the country where activists were protesting the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin.

The park lies between the White House and St. Johns Church, a historic Episcopal congregation where presidents going back to James Madison have attended services.

Park Police and National Guard troops forcefully cleared the pathway from the White House to the church, reportedly using tear gas and pushing peaceful protesters in the process.

Some in the media and public figures had claimed that the authorities cleared the park so that Trump would be able to walk peacefully to the church and give some remarks to the press.

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington denounced Trumps alleged clearing of the square for the sake of the photo shoot and brief comments to the media.

The President just used a Bible and one of the churches of my diocese as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for, stated Bishop Budde in a Facebook post at the time.

To do so, he sanctioned the use of tear gas by police officers in riot gear to clear the church yard. I am outraged  In no way do we support the Presidents incendiary response to a wounded, grieving nation.

Others, including the Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, commended Trump for the walk to the church and photos holding the Bible.

Trump made a statement by walking through Lafayette Park to St. Johns Episcopal Church that had been vandalized and partially burned Sunday night, stated Graham in a Facebook post.

He surprised those following him by holding up a Bible in front of the church. Thank you President Trump. God and His Word are the only hope for our nation.
Jury imposes $500K verdict on pastor accused of rape after he refused to apologize to victim

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Pastor Lewis Clemons of Kingdom Awareness Ministries International in Columbus, Georgia, could have settled a civil case against him for zero dollars if he agreed to acknowledge and record a public apology for allegedly sexually abusing and raping his former congregant, Lequita Jackson. He refused and went to trial.

On Wednesday, a jury in the Superior Court of Muscogee County ruled in favor of Jackson and imposed a $500,000 verdict against him.

Lequita Jackson is a wonderful client and it was an honor to provide her with her day in court, Jacksons attorney, Jeb Butler of Butler Law Firm, said in a statement to The Christian Post on Thursday. Lewis Clemons is a liar and a fraud, and I hope neither my client nor I have to see him again for as long as he lives.

Fellow attorney Morgan Lyndall praised Jackson for her strength in standing up to Clemons and noted that she hopes the verdict sent a message that sexual assault and rape are never OK.

In 2017, Jackson and another of Clemons former congregants, Lakisha Smith, accused the pastor in a civil lawsuit of using his position as a spiritual leader to sexually abuse them.

"He was a child molester," said Jackson at the time, alleging that Clemons began abusing her at 15.

Now 33, Jackson, who is married with two children of her own, said she was so traumatized by her experience, it took her five years before she was able to open up to her husband about what she endured.

"He was a sexual predator who needed to be stopped. I just kind of accepted it at that age," she said.

In their statement to CP on Thursday, Jacksons lawyers explained how she wasnt really interested in money. She simply wanted Clemons to own and properly apologize for the trauma he caused her.

In a letter to Clemons, Jackson's lawyers said:

" ... To seriously discuss settling this case, you would have to be willing to make a video statement that: 1. acknowledged all of your sexual misconduct ; and 2. genuinely apologized for that sexual misconduct; and 3. acknowledged that you have seriously harmed many, many women who trusted you as their spiritual leader.

Ms. Jackson would then watch the video. She would then decide, in her sole discretion, whether the video sufficiently met the requirements above. She would have sole control over the distribution of the video. She would be authorized to share the video publicly and with anyone that she chose.

Our client, Mrs. Jackson, offered in writing to settle the case against Clemons for zero dollars if he would record a video in which he acknowledged his sexual abuse and apologized for it. He refused. So we took the case to trial. Our client and several other victims told the truth about Lewis Clemons sexual abuse and rape of themselves and others. Their testimony was detailed, impactful, true, and emotional, the attorneys said in their statement to CP.

Butler and Lyndall argued at the trial that Clemons would find a girl from a troubled background, gave them positions in his church so he could spend more one-on-one time with them, made increasingly sexual requests of them, justified his actions with scripture, asked them to stimulate his nipples, gave them a body anointing in which he had them strip down so that he could rub oil all over their bodies.

He allegedly raped and sexually abused some of his victims who were younger than 16 at the time.

Clemons, who revealed she was an abuse survivor before finding solace in the church, said in recorded testimony that Clemons took advantage of her after she received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.

He told her she would need to do a body anointing where he paid special attention to her breasts and her buttocks before lying on top of her unclothed body to keep the power of the Holy Spirit properly sealed in. Jackson said Clemons told her that his activities were biblical, but he denied he told her so during a deposition in 2019.

In our initial meeting about the body anointing  he read a few Scriptures to me to try to justify the situation.  I do remember he had me read the book of Acts and the other Scripture. I cannot recall off the top of my head, but it had to do with the laying on of hands, Jackson said.

Clemons claimed he learned about body anointing from an older pastor when he was younger and said he tried it with a woman who was suffering from cancer once and she was healed after he anointed her breast.

Jackson explained in a previous report that Clemons activities with her over time resulted in two pregnancies which Clemons paid for her to abort while posing as her guardian.
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The Star-Spangled Banner lyric, Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just echoed in my mind as I walked through the open, grassy field of the Saratoga Battlefield outside of Schuylerville, New York. Up to this point in my life, I had viewed history through the eyes of a learning childa child who couldnt fully grasp the concept of war. Now as a young woman with a little more life experience, I finally was beginning to understand the sacrifice war requires.

The Revolutionary War, fought between 1775-1783, pitted a young America against England as she battled for her freedom to be a separate nation. On May 10, 1775, Reverend Jacob Duche opened the Second Continental Congress by quoting Psalm 80:14: Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine (Psalm 80:14, KJV). Reverend Duche called upon God to return to the vine He planted that was America, and for the leaders of this country to dedicate the United States to Almighty God. The Second Continental Congress ushered in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation and also marked the adoption of the official flag of the United States of America.

After learning of the new flag design, but not yet receiving one, soldiers in the Revolutionary War created the first new flag flown in battle with scraps of soldiers uniforms. This battle fought in Rome, New York brought a victory that launched the turning point of the war the Battles of Saratoga. The Battles of Saratoga were fought during September and October of 1777 and marked the turning point of the war. The Continental Army led by commander-in-chief George Washington had successfully beat back the British troops and cut their supply route. The victory greatly boosted American morale and persuaded the Dutch, French, and Spanish to join the American cause. For the first time in world history, the British Army surrendered. One month after the fighting in Rome and with our nations new flag proudly displayed, the decisive victory in Saratoga occurred 244 years before I walked these same grounds.

As I made my way to the edge of the hill, looking upon the battlefield, I imagined the skirmish unfolding. The firing of muskets, the clash of swords, the grunts and cries of desperate soldiers. It was surreal to stand where the beginning of my beloved country took place. A new feeling arose inside me. A feeling of pride, honor, patriotism, and overwhelming gratitude for the sacrifices of human life made here. Two cannons overlooking the Hudson Valley sat in the middle of the battlefield as a reminder of the fierce fighting that occurred there. As I watched an American flag waving gently in the breeze atop one of the cannons, Flag Day suddenly took on a heavy, personal significance.

For me, the American flag is a symbol of freedom and costly sacrifice. It serves as a reminder of the patriots, past and present, who gave their all for the sake of America. Flag Day was made a national holiday in 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. In his federal proclamation, President Wilson called upon the nation to observe Flag Day with special patriotic exercises to give significant expression to our thoughtful love of America, our comprehension of the great mission of liberty and justice to which we have devoted ourselves as a people, our pride in history and our enthusiasm for the political programme of the nation.

Perhaps now more than ever, our nation must allow these words of President Wilson to take root: Let us on that day rededicate ourselves to the nation We shall stand with united hearts, for an America which no man can corrupt, no influence draw away from its ideals, no force divide against itself.

Flag Day serves as a necessary reminder of the vision our Founding Fathers had for our country and a chance to renew our commitment to it. May this Flag Day cause our nation to remember what our flag stands for, the patriots that sacrificed on our behalf, and our Pledge of Allegiance affirming that we are, one nation under God.
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In my hometown, prominently sitting high on a hill, is an old and empty Episcopal church. No one attends there anymore. It's a historic edifice, which serves no purpose for the community except to reminisce about the way things were. For me, that old church depicts both a reminder and a warning.

In an interesting article for The Atlantic, Jonathan Merritt writes about "America's Epidemic of Empty Churches." Merritt says:

"Many of our nation's churches can no longer afford to maintain their structures  6000 to 10,000 churches die each year in America  and that number will likely grow. Though more than 70 percent of our citizens still claim to be Christian, congregational participation is less central to many Americans' faith than it once was. Most denominations are declining as a share of the overall population, and donations to congregations have been falling for decades. Meanwhile, religiously unaffiliated Americans, nicknamed the 'nones,' are growing as a share of the U.S. population."

Merritt's assessment matches a recent report by Yonat Shimron, a Religious News Service reporter, who notes a study from the Center for Analytics, Research, and Data, affiliated with the United Church of Christ. That study says "that in the decade ending in 2020, 3,850 to 7,700 houses of worship close per year in the United States, or 75 to 150 congregations per week." Shimron added these figures are expected to "double or triple in the wake of the pandemic."

Many reasons could be offered as to why such declines are occurring, but most of them, I believe, would only address symptoms and not the root cause.

In an article for ChurchLeadership.org, Dr. Richard J. Krejcir makes an astute observation:

"What we hear as responses from most of our church leaders are the excuses of 'cultural decay' and 'changing values' and that 'the average American views the church with little regard.' These are authentic factors, but they are just symptoms. The bigger question seems to be what led up to these 'symptoms?' What led to the problems of cultural decay and the downgrading of moral absolutes? There is more to it than changing values; after all, a change in values has a root cause. A symptom is usually caused by a systemic disease or an explicit psychological problem."

It may sound like an oversimplification of the dilemma, but I believe the real issue has to do with the sincerity and earnestness of our love for Christ.

In Revelation 2 is recorded Jesus' letter to the church of Ephesus. The letter commends the church's good points, such as their labor, patience, intolerance of those who worked evil, and their discernment of religious fraud. Nevertheless, said Jesus, "I have this against you, that you have lost your first love" (Rev. 2:4).

Some scholars say it's unclear whether the reference talks about their diminished love for God or their love for each other, but it's hard to read the Scriptures and not conclude that the two passions hang together.

Thus, Christ commands them to return to their first love, or He will remove their lampstand from its place, which speaks to the power of their influence.

In his commentary on the book of Revelation, Dr. Henry Morris says that in Ephesus, "the warmth of their original love  for one another, for the lost, for the Lord was beginning to cool. But this sad testimony can be applied to multitudes of churches in every age, and every church needs continually to search its heart and test its lovethe Ephesian warning still applies."

Today, there is no church in the Turkish location once known as Ephesus. In fact, there is no Ephesus. Islam has been firmly established in the regiona region the apostle Paul himself once thoroughly evangelized. One can only wonder what that area might be like now if only the church had maintained and practiced its first love.

Do you remember what first love was like when you fell in love with your wife or husband? You could barely do anything but think of him or her. You were thrilled at your newfound relationship. You wanted to tell everyone. You couldn't do enough for the one you loved. You took every opportunity to be with your beloved. Such is first love, which tends to wane if we're not careful.

It can be this way in our churches too.

"We can build our lovely buildings and make them worshipful and comfortable. We can sing the sweetest music and listen to the most orthodox sermons," wrote the late Southern Baptist preacher, W. Hershell Ford. "We can have everything just right, but if it is not all done in love for Christ, it means nothing, and God is greatly displeased. Every true church is started in love. The people have a love for Christ, making them work and sweat and pray to get the church going. Then when things are running smoothly, the danger of leaving love out arises."

When my fellow Southern Baptists meet in Nashville, Tennessee, for their annual convention in the next few days, I hope they will remember this lesson from our Lord about losing our first love.

This convention meeting is expected to host one of the largest, if not the largest group of messengers in convention history. A firestorm has already started, and some serious wrongs may need to be righted. This can be a necessary part of church life and shouldn't be neglected. Still, I earnestly pray it's not forgotten that no amount of religious orthodoxy, labor, or loyalty can ever suffice for a deficit in Christian love.

To forget this will only leave our great nation strewn with more empty church buildings. It may even mean the loss of our country.
Woman testifies about brutality of Islamic extremism in Nigeria, says babies were ripped from wombs

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A Muslim woman who formerly lived in Nigeria and witnessed persecution firsthand criticized the Nigerian government's response to the rampant violence impacting millions and told a top United States religious freedom oversight body that the country is a "time bomb" in dire need of reform.

The bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, tasked with advising the federal government and Congress on global religious freedom issues, hosted a panel on Wednesday to discuss "extremism and government inaction" in Nigeria.

Hafsat Maina Muhammed, the founder of Choice for Peace, Gender and Development, shared that as an outspoken Muslim woman living in the northeastern region of Nigeria, she faced persecution from both Boko Haram terrorists and the government.

She said she faced persecution because she is a Muslim and a woman, saying "there is a way a Muslim woman should behave act or be in the society."

"Religious leaders back in the northern part of Nigeria say I am too educated and I am too outspoken, which I shouldn't be," she explained. "Every day, I ask, why was I persecuted because I am a Muslim woman? Why should I act the way they want me to act or believe the way they want me to believe?"

She continued that Boko Haram, the Islamic extremist group that has displaced millions and killed thousands in northeast Nigeria in the past several years, "unleashed mayhem" in her local government, state, and on her personally.

Ive been a victim of rape from these people, she continued. Ive been a victim of brutal beating. Ive been a victim of their incarcerations. And Ive escaped.  But this is to say that many women and many people in Nigeria, especially the northeastern part of Nigeria, regardless of their faith  and this is what I believe based on my research and what I have seen  regardless of them being Muslims or Christians, have faced persecution and are still facing persecutions.

She added that a lot of women "are still there because they have nowhere to go."

They have nothing to turn to," Muhammad added. "So in the end, they are stuck where they are. So I am privileged to be out of a situation that I once thought I would never come out alive from.

The NGO head shared how she has even seen pregnant women cut open and their babies removed from them. She said she has run into the forest to retrieve these babies.

She warned the government in Nigeria lacks both transparency and accountability.

The government in Nigeria, weve known for far too long, is not working, she explained. The laws are not working Yes, there is religious intolerance, but its not about Islam, its not about Christianity, its not about Hinduism or Buddhism. Its about a people that cant come together to live in peace and understand each other respectfully. There is lack of tolerance. There is lack of mediation.

People in Nigerian government and terrorists and jihadists [want] to inflict pain by forcing people to believe what they believe or act the way they want them to act, she continued  The U.S. government needs to focus on the Nigerian government, and I dont know, educating them perhaps, or bringing them to  [communicate] with their people.

She argued that the government needs a constitutional review and should separate church and state.

Muhammad believes politicians and state actors allow the situation to remain and even drive conflict in Nigeria because they want the chaos to continue. She called this situation a time bomb.

Frank Wolf, former U.S. congressman, religious freedom advocate and author of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, shared how the U.S. cannot refuse to intervene in the genocide happening in Nigeria.

When the world and the U.S. ignored  genocide in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of people died, Wolf said. History is repeating itself. Because of the atrocities in Rwanda that we had ignored, President Bill Clinton flew to Rwanda and apologized to the Rwandan people near the end of his term.

If what is happening in Nigeria were happening to nearly any country in Europe, the world would be enraged and engaged. But in Nigeria, there is no action, Wolf continued.

The 82-year-old Wolf said, we do now know what is taking place in Nigeria, so we cant pretend that we do not.

Mike Jobbins, vice president of Global Affairs and Partnerships at Search for Common Ground, said this is a critical moment for the U.S. to act.

We need a whole-of-government response. , he said. There is an enormous opportunity for the administration to think creatively about how we rally the whole of the U.S. government to support this economic frustration, deep security and injustice, things that arent necessarily within the human rights toolbox. 

Part of this response, he said, includes restoring cultural heritage and rebuilding destroyed holy sites.

Around half of Nigeria's population identifies as Christian. There are over 95 million believers, and the divide between Christians and Muslims is roughly even, according to the global persecution watchdog organization Open Doors. More Christians are killed in Nigeria than in any other country in the world each year, the organization reports.

In addition to Boko Haram and Islamic State extremists terrorizing northeast Nigeria, thousands of Christians have reportedly been killed in farming communities across Nigeria's Middle Belt in recent years in attacks blamed on radicalized Fulani herders. Activists have claimed that the violence occurring in the Middle Belt has reached the standard for "genocide," and many have accused the Buhari administration of not protecting its citizens.

The government has claimed that the violence in the Middle Belt has less to do with religion and is due to longstanding ethnic clashes between farmers and herders.

The Global Terrorism Index ranked Nigeria as the third-most affected country by terrorism in 2020. It is reported that over 22,000 people were killed by acts of terror from 2001 to 2019.

The U.S. Commission on International and Religious Freedoms 2021 annual report warned Nigeria will move relentlessly toward a Christian genocide if action is not taken quickly.

Nigeria was the first democratic nation to be added to the U.S. State Department's list of "countries of particular concern" under the International Religious Freedom Act for engaging in tolerated systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.
160 killed, 40 injured in Burkina Faso's deadliest attack in years amid rise in Islamic extremism

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As many as 160 civilians, including children, were killed and 40 others wounded in a violent raid on a village in Burkina Faso, marking the African countrys deadliest attack in years.

Jihadists assaulted and shot civilians, and burned down homes and the market in Solhan village in the Sahel country's Yagha province on the night of June 4, according to The Associated Press. Yagha is in northeastern Burkina Faso and borders Niger.

Hundreds of people fled to a nearby town to escape.

No group has claimed responsibility, but terrorism analysts have predicted the attack was likely carried out by al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, which has strengthened its presence in the troubled Sahel region.

The attacks were allegedly a response to volunteer fighters in the area who fight alongside the Army as community volunteers, which makes their area a more significant target.

The attack comes as Burkina Faso's military has struggled to stifle the exponential rise of Islamic extremism that has taken root in recent years and displaced thousands of people.

Agence France-Presse reports the military had virtually deserted the area in recent months.

After the attack, Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore called for three days of national mourning, condemning the civilian slaughter as barbaric and despicable.

The U.N.'s Peacebuilding Commission released a statement Monday saying that it's "profoundly saddened by the killing of over 160 civilians" by "unidentified armed assailants in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso."

Echoing statements issued earlier by the United Nations secretary-general, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, and other friends and partners of Burkina Faso, the commission condemns in the strongest terms the atrocious attack and expresses heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, to the people and to the government of Burkina Faso, the statement continued.

In the face of this attack and other recent grave incidents that jeopardize peacebuilding and development gains, the commission calls for strengthening the bonds of solidarity and intensifying support to Burkina Faso and the Sahel region. It underlines the need to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Like many neighboring countries, Burkina Faso faces a security crisis due to armed raids and kidnappings across the region.

The U.N. estimates that more than 1.1 million people are internally displaced in Burkina Faso. According to the U.N., clashes between armed groups and security forces and attacks against communities prompted further displacement in recent months in northern and eastern Burkina Faso.

A spokesperson for the U.N. secretary-general said he is outraged by the killing and strongly condemns the heinous attack and underscores the urgent need for the international community to redouble support to member states in the fight against violent extremism and its unacceptable human toll.

This deadly attack in the middle of the night gave citizens no time to seek safety, a source said.

The slaughter of over 100 civilians, the highest number of casualties from a single attack in recent years in Burkina Faso, marks a shocking escalation in the violence that has engulfed the country since 2015," Manenji Mangundu, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Burkina Faso, said in a statement.

"Killed in the middle of the night by armed assailants, the victims include women and children who were given no choice to flee, no chance to live."

Open Doors USAs World Watch List ranks Burkina Faso at No. 32 among countries where Christians face the most severe persecution due to a very high level of Islamic oppression.

Out of Burkina Fasos population of 20.9 million, around 4.9 million are Christian, and many Christians in the country are internally displaced persons.

Attacks on both Muslim and Christian houses of worship and religious leaders have spiked as jihadist and other militia groups expand their area of influence throughout the country, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom stated in a report last year. The government is struggling to rein in the violence, and poor performance and misconduct by government-affiliated forces are exacerbating the situation.

Suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso killed 15 Christians at a baptism ceremony last month.

In March, over 130 people were killed in a series of suspected Islamic extremist raids in neighboring Niger.
Once again, Elon Musk proved that his word weighs heavily in the crypto arena. This time, the tycoon declared that his company Tesla sold about 10% of the Bitcoins he owned and that he will accept them again as a form of payment when there is a more ecological way to mine them, which caused an immediate increase in their price.

Related: It Is a Bad Idea for El Salvador to Accept Bitcoin as Legal Currency, IMF Alerts

It all started when Musk replied to a tweet where he was accused of manipulating the price of Bitcoin.

"This is inaccurate. Tesla only sold about 10% of the holdings to confirm that BTC could be easily liquidated without moving the market," wrote the CEO of Tesla on Twitter at 12:42 p.m. on Sunday (GMT-5, Central Mexico time).

"When there is confirmation of reasonable clean energy use (~ 50%) by miners with positive future trends, Tesla will once again allow Bitcoin transactions," he added.

This is inaccurate. Tesla only sold ~ 10% of holdings to confirm BTC could be liquidated easily without moving market.



When there's confirmation of reasonable (~ 50%) clean energy usage by miners with positive future trend, Tesla will resume allowing Bitcoin transactions. - Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 13, 2021

In a matter of minutes, following the billionaire's statements, Bitcoin entered a bullish streak that culminated this Monday at 9:29 a.m. (GMT-5) when the cryptocurrency reached $40,971 per unit, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

That morning, before Musk's tweet, Bitcoin was trading at $35,843 per token, meaning it rose just over 14% in 24 hours.

Source: CoinMarketCap.com .

Elon Musk, Tesla and Bitcoin: a complicated relationship

In February 2021, Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla, his electric vehicle company, bought $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin. This made it the second largest BTC holder in the world, only behind MicroStrategy, a company that offers data software.

Related: Does Elon Musk Have a New Enemy? Binance CEO Taunts Him Over Tesla Bitcoins

Soon after, Musk announced on Twitter that Tesla would accept Bitcoin as a form of payment, but in May he backed off, citing environmental concerns over the large amount of power required to mine Bitcoin. Despite underlining that Tesla would not sell its tokens, the statement caused the price of the cryptocurrency to drop more than 10%.

However, a few weeks later, the businessman launched another tweet showing his optimism about Bitcoin, boosting it again.

"I spoke with the North American Bitcoin miners. They pledged to make public the current and planned use of renewable energy and to ask miners around the world to do so. Potentially promising," Elon Musk tweeted.

Now we just have to wait for the next movements of Elon Musk and see how he continues to move millions of dollars with just a few words on Twitter.

Related: A Tweet From Elon Musk Collapsed Bitcoin and This New Tweet Lifted It in Minutes, Can We Now Talk About the 'Musk Effect'?

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi scoffed at the denials by the attorneys general who served under former president Trump about having any knowledge of the Justice Departments decision to secretly seize Democratic lawmakers data. Pelosi said their claims were beyond belief and called on them to testify under oath before Congress.

Former Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and William Barr, as well as former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, have all claimed ignorance on the matter that is now under review by the DOJs inspector general.

For the attorneys general  Barr and Sessions, at least  to say that they didnt know anything about it is beyond belief. So, we will have to have them come under oath to testify about that, Pelosi told CNN on Sunday.

Pelosi also said the actions by Trump and his justice department went beyond what disgraced former president Richard Nixon did.

What the administration did, the Justice Department, the leadership of the former president goes even beyond Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon had an enemies list. This is about undermining the rule of law, the speaker said.

In 2018 the Trump administrations Justice Department subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of House Intelligence Committee Democrats as part of a leak investigation. Data from the lawmakers families and aides were also collected. According to the New York Times, prosecutors were hunting for the sources behind news media reports about contacts between Trump associates and Russia. The committee at the time was investigating the president.

Pelosi was asked whether shed seek a subpoena to force the former attorneys general to testify if they refuse. Well, lets hope they will want to honor the rule of law, the speaker replied.
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Although President Biden has said he wants 70 percent of Americans to have at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose by July 4th, as things currently stand the country is on track to miss that goal. And while most states that voted for Biden will likely meet or exceed the 70 percent mark, many states that Trump won are behind.

Seventeen of the 18 states with the lowest adult vaccination rates voted for Trump, according to an NPR analysis of CDC data. The top 22 states, including D.C., with the highest adult vaccination rates voted for Biden. And, CNN reported, the partisan gap has grown substantially in recent months. As of April 1, there was only a weak correlation between the 2020 election results and vaccination rates, but now the relationship is much stronger.

With how vehemently Republicans have been making vaccines a partisan issue, its not a huge surprise that vote red-voting states would be lagging. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson was recently suspended from YouTube for one week after his account added a video of the senator spreading disinformation about the virus, including touting two drugs, hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, as Covid-19 treatments. YouTube explicitly lists recommending those medications as treatment misinformation in their Covid-19 medical misinformation policy.

Johnson has also publicly claimed he does not intend to get vaccinated, as has fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul. In mid-May, CNN reported that while 100% of Democrats in Congress said they were vaccinated, a much smaller number of Republicans  at least 44.8 percent in the House and 92 percent in the Senate  said they were. All members of Congress have had access to the vaccine for months. And although Trump did receive the vaccine in January while he was still president, he did not announce or publicize it to his supporters, so the public did not know until the New York Times Maggie Haberman broke the news in March.

Groups also differ in vaccination rates across demographics. Younger people are less likely to be vaccinated. And black Americans are also trailing behind, although it appears that is because some may not yet have access to the vaccine. Three out of four black adults asked in a May poll by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist said they had either received a vaccine dose or would get one when one became available.

Despite the lagging vaccination rates, the U.S. will still get somewhat close to Bidens 70 percent goal by July 4th, likely falling short by a few percentage points. But not having a large portion of the population vaccinated can be dangerous and can promote the spread of Covid-19. And unvaccinated people are the most at risk, especially as variants are coming from across the globe. According to preliminary data from the Cleveland Clinic, 99 percent of patients admitted to the hospital with coronavirus from January to mid-April 2021 were not fully vaccinated.
Whoever you choose to celebrate this June, do so with some delicious food and drink in their honor. Need an array of options for Dad/Pop/Abbu/Padre? Houston, as always, delivers, and often quite literally.

SUMMER FISHING: A guide to night fishing in Texas

Heres where and how to feast this Fathers Day.

Pinstripes

Brunch buffet options abound on Fathers Day, but Pinstripes bistro is one of the few if not the only in town offering all-you-care-to-eat barbecue for $29. Offerings include balsamic ribs, pesto chicken, grilled corn, mac and cheese, and parmesan potato chips. Refresh after your repast with unlimited watermelon slices, then take out that good ol latent family aggression with a game of bocce or bowling.

Etoile

Feeling fancy and have a Francophile for a father? Head to Etoile for a special brunch menu designed by Chef Phillippe Verpiand. Grab a cocktail or two, then tuck into a first course of soupe vichyssoise a l'huile de truffe, an earthy sumptuous chilled potato and leek soup garnished with truffle oil or salade de homard, fresh greens with avocado, tomato, and crowned with Maine lobster and cocktail sauce.

Then indulge in a plat de cotes de boeuf braises, tender braised short ribs flanked by potato mousse and drizzled with cabernet syrup, or the equally toothsome mushroom and gruyere omelet. Those feeling botanically-minded should try Etoiles risotto aux legumes d'ete, a luscious assemblage of seasonal vegetables, short grains, aged Parmesan and white truffle oil. Conclude with a sweet toast in the form of Etoiles pistachio ice cream profiteroles served with a slightly bitter hot chocolate sauce or the light-as-a-cloud peach clafoutis adorned with bourbon caramel ice cream.

Stephanie Lam Photography

Is your Apa a total sweetheart with a sweet tooth? Becca Cakes beckons you to gift the paternal loved one in your life with its limited edition Fathers Day chocolate chip cookie cake ($90). Visually impressive as well as tremendously tasty, this multi-tier confection is layered with your choice of buttercream frosting (vanilla, chocolate or peanut butter.) Online pre-orders close Monday or until sold out, and pickup is on Saturday only.

Courtesy of Brittany Salinas

Whether your father is hoppin to get out of the house or embracing the never getting out of this La-Z-Boy lifestyle, consider hitting up Hopdoddy this holiday. In addition to offering a special whereby a second beef patty is on the house with the purchase of a burger or burger bowl (available both in-house and for takeout), the Bar is also relaunching two mean but not so lean dine-at-home packages. The DIY Doddy Burger Kit ($29.95), which is available starting Wednesday, contains ingredients to make cheeseburgers and truffle fries for a family of five. Or you can revel with a special Fathers Day select steaks box designed via a collaboration between Hopdoddys head chef Matt Schweitzer and Certified Piedmontese.

Order the latter on the Certified Piedmontese website and use promo code HDFD to get 20 percent off and free shipping.

On Fathers Day weekend, Liberty Kitchen is freeing fathers of having to choose one protein over another by offering a robust mixed grill comprising braised short ribs, a seared rack of lamb and grilled jumbo shrimp. This surf and turf mashup is served on a bed of boursin whipped potatoes alongside three different sauces. Included in the price of the platter ($70) is a glass of Macallen 12 Year scotch.

Speaking of booze, should you wish to treat Dad to a liquid lunch but dont want to force him to belly up to the actual bar, present him with one of Loch Bars curated kits ($100). Each package contains 200ml of Weller Full Proof and 200ml of 1792 Bottled in Bond (both Loch Bar Barrel Picks) as well as 200ml of Makers Mark Private Select. Accompanying these premier potables is a Bay of Loch Edition 1 etched Weller Rocks Glass and one of its signature chocolate chip cookies.
ATLANTA (AP)  Congressmen from Georgia and Texas have filed a federal lawsuit claiming that using metal detectors to screen members of Congress is unconstitutional and that the security measure is being used unfairly against Republicans.

Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Louie Gohmert of Texas filed the lawsuit Sunday in federal court in Washington D.C., against House Sergeant at Arms William Walker and House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor.

Clyde, a gun dealer and first-term member from northeast Georgia, has been fined twice for going around the metal detector, including $5,000 after a Feb. 3 violation and $10,000 after a Feb. 5 violation. On that second occasion, Clyde said he went around the metal detector because he was running out of time to vote on the floor. Clyde said he missed another vote on April 14 because he was stuck in line for the metal detector.

Gohmert said he was fined following a Feb. 4 incident during which he left the floor to use the bathroom and refused to be screened a second time, saying that on previous occasions he was not required to be screened. Gohmert is in his ninth term representing an east Texas district.

Walker did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Clyde and Gohmert said Democrats have been allowed to enter the floor without being screened, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Feb. 4.

Speaker Pelosi has instituted an unconstitutional policy of enforcing the screening rule against only members of the Republican minority in the House of Representatives, and exempting members of the Democratic majority from its enforcement, resulting in only Republican members being fined and having their congressional salaries reduced, all for the purpose of creating a false narrative for the political benefit of the Democratic majority," the lawsuit alleges.

This claim ignores the House Ethics Committee's $5,000 fine against the House's 3rd-ranking Democrat, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who was caught entering the chamber without being screened in April.

The House voted to mandate metal detectors after rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Some Republicans said thereafter that they carried weapons in Washington, and Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., set off a metal detector when he tried to enter the chamber with a concealed handgun late January. Guns are banned in U.S. Capitol, but lawmakers aren't screened at the perimeter of the complex and can bring unloaded guns to their offices.

The suit claims the fines, which are deducted from their salaries if members don't pay them voluntarily, violate the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which bans changes to congressional salaries until after an ensuing election. It also says the security measure violates the Constitution because refusing to go through a metal detector is not disorderly conduct for which a member can be punished, and because members can't be arrested except for treason, felony and breach of the peace.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
FABENS, Texas (AP)  A 21-year-old man was killed and seven other people were injured when a vehicle crashed through a guardrail and plowed into a crowd at a mud racing event in Texas, officials said Monday.

The crash happened at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday at a racetrack in Fabens, Texas, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of El Paso and less than a mile from the Mexican border, the El Paso County Sheriff's Department said.

Eight people were taken to a hospital, including three spectators in critical condition, the sheriff's department said in a statement. Willie Valadez Ramirez was pronounced dead at the hospital and two people remained in critical but stable condition Monday, according to the department.

Today what happened was what we all hoped doesnt happen ... a wreck while racing," said Scott Smith, owner of Rock Solid Protection, an El Paso-based security firm. Smith, speaking at a news conference, said that the mud can tell the car where to go, at times" and that is what he said happened in this crash.

Karla Huerta, who was watching the race when it turned tragic, described the scene as pretty ugly.

Well, they started the race. And when they started, one of the trucks lost control and slammed into a pile of cars and people," Huerta said.

Three other vehicles were also struck as a result of the initial crash, the statement said. It was not immediately known what caused the vehicle to leave the track.

Police said an investigation remains ongoing. Sheriff's officials have not responded to requests for comment.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Advocates in southern Nevada are building momentum toward setting aside a wide desert area rich with biological diversity and Native American cultural significance for permanent environmental protection.

The site would be called Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and encompass a Spanish Colonial Revival house that once belonged to 1920s-era Hollywood actors Clara Bow and Rex Bell on their historic Walking Box Ranch.

The rugged and dry landscape is dotted with Joshua trees between mountain ranges west of Searchlight. At more than 594 square miles (1,538 square kilometers), it covers an area larger than San Francisco Bay.

There are threats to the sort of peace and the environment that were in right now, Gabriel di Chiara, a Nevada Conservation League organizer, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. And we believe establishing this monument will preserve this land and this way of life for future generations, and its vitally important.

Conservation advocates providing a tour of the 5,000-square-foot (465-square-meter) homesite on June 9 said they saw hope in President Joe Bidens administration, a federal conservation plan that aims to protect 30% of American lands and water by 2030 and the appointment of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as the first Native American head of a presidential cabinet post.

They said overlapping issues have prompted the push for protection, including a proposal for a big wind farm 2 miles (3 kilometers) from Walking Box Ranch.

I think were at a crossroads of a lot of things that are happening positively at once, Taylor Patterson, executive director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada, told the newspaper.

From the site of the tour and information session, Spirit Mountain was visible in the distance on the eastern boundary of the proposed monument. It is called Avi Kwa Ame by the Fort Mojave Tribe, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a sacred place to Indian tribes.

Walking Box Ranch is also on the Register.

I dont want to say eternal thing, but for Fort Mojave, its been a consistent thing that this is their ancestral land, these are spaces that are really important to their cosmology, to their oral tradition, and it needs to be protected, Patterson said.

The Searchlight Town Advisory Board recently passed a resolution supporting monument designation, with advocates saying that it could boost the local economy. The Boulder City Council offered similar support in late March.

Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, whose district encompasses the proposed monument, and Commissioner Justin Jones participated in the tour.

Naft said local support for a monument is key, but national monument designation must come from Congress or the president.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada toured Avi Kwa Ame earlier this month. Spokeswoman Lauren Wodarski told the Review-Journal the senator, a Democrat, looked forward to learning more about the proposal.
ALBANY  Albany County is on track to set another deadly record this year when it comes to fatal opioid overdoses.

At least 37 people are confirmed to have died of an opioid-related overdose in the county since the start of the year through the end of May, County Executive Dan McCoy revealed Monday. In addition, opioids are suspected to have played a role in the deaths of another 13 people whose bodies were discovered in the county, he said.

Theyre still awaiting toxicology reports, which could mean a total of 50 for the first five months of this year  which is alarming, he said.

The county recorded 99 fatal opioid overdoses last year  a 60 percent increase over 2019, when 62 such deaths were recorded, and the most in a single year since the overdose epidemic began.

McCoy said 89 percent of the deaths recorded so far this year have involved fentanyl, an extremely potent opioid that can kill in trace amounts and is increasingly common in drugs around the nation.

The rise of fentanyl-laced drugs was already a major concern among public health officials when the COVID-19 pandemic hit  destabilizing the finances and mental health of millions of Americans. Many turned to drug and alcohol use to cope, including those who had previously been in recovery from addiction.

Its hard, said McCoy, who has previously shared that his brother struggles with addiction. I watch family, friends that have addiction issues that have fought this and for whatever reason it has rocked their world and they are struggling.

So if you know anyone that has been sober reach out to them, just make sure that theyre OK, he continued. Because unfortunately whats going on is not good and its not just the county of Albany but the state of New York and across this nation.

Albany Countys opioid task force will reconvene at the end of June to go over education and prevention efforts, as well as an overdose spike response plan, he said.

Also on Monday, McCoy called on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to sign a recently passed bill that would protect future payouts from opioid-related legal settlements from being used for anything other than addiction-related services and programming. The bill was introduced just weeks after addiction treatment advocates learned an initial multimillion-dollar payout from one such settlement had been swept into the states general fund rather than being used to increase addiction services.

Unfortunately when money comes in you have the money grab, said McCoy, whose administration filed its own suit against opioid manufacturers and distributors several years ago. Hopefully the governor signs this so this money will go to the people that need it.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday his country would need diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance from the United States if it were to maintain troops in Afghanistan to protect and run Kabul's international airport, following the withdrawal of other NATO troops.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a series of meetings with NATO leaders on the sidelines of the alliance summit, Erdogan also said Turkey was seeking Pakistan and Hungary's involvement in a new mission in Afghanistan following the departure of the U.S.-led NATO force.

Turkey is reported to have offered to guard the airport as questions remain on how security will be assured along major transport routes and at the airport, which is the main gateway to Kabul.

If they dont want us to leave Afghanistan, if they want a (Turkish) support there, then the diplomatic, logistic and financial support that the United States will give us will of great importance, Erdogan said. Turkey, a majority Muslim nation which has close historic ties to Afghanistan, currently has some 500 soldiers in the war-torn country.

Erdogan also said he held a constructive meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and invited him to visit Turkey. The two leaders have known each other for years, but it was their first face-to-face meeting as heads of state and came at a difficult time in the two NATO allies relations.

There is a strong will for the start of a new era in all areas, based on mutual respect and interest, Erdogan said. There is no problem in Turkey-US relations that cannot be solved.

Biden told reporters he was confident well make real progress with Turkey.

On Afghanistan, Biden said: There was a strong consensus in the room among the leaders ... on Afghanistan. Our troops are coming home, but we agreed that our diplomatic, economic, humanitarian commitment with the Afghan people ... will endure

Turkey has been angered by U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria while the U.S. has sanctioned Turkey over its purchase of a Russian weapons system. In April, Biden infuriated Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was genocide.

Turkey denies the deportations and massacres, which began in 1915 and killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians, amounted to genocide.

Erdogan said the Armenian issue was not discussed during the meeting. The Turkish leader however, renewed a call for an end to U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish fighters, who Ankara argues are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

I openly stated that the support given to the (Syrian Kurdish fighters) should be ended, Erdogan said.

Erdogan signaled that the two leaders failed to find a way to overcome difference over Turkeys purchase of the S-400 advanced Russian missile defense systems which Washington says is a threat to NATO. It has removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet program and imposed sanctions on defense industry officials. It has demanded that Ankara abandons the $2.5 billion system.

Our thoughts on the S-400 are the same as before, I relayed our same thoughts to Mr. Biden, Erdogan said.

Earlier, Erdogan who is trying to mend battered relations with Turkey's Western partners, said that a revival of dialogue with fellow NATO member Greece to resolve long-standing disputes will serve stability and prosperity in the region.

Last summer, a dispute over boundaries and rights to natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean flared anew after Ankara sent research vessels into waters where Greece asserts jurisdiction.

Diplomats from the two countries have held two rounds of talks in recent months for the first time in five years, while the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey also held reciprocal visits.

Erdogan said on Monday he and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed to call each other over a direct line without involving others.

The Turkish strongman has recently toned down his anti-Western rhetoric as he seeks foreign investments for his country, which has been troubled by a currency crisis and an economic downturn made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

In Brussels, Erdogan also met with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

After his meeting with Erdogan, Macron tweeted that he wants to move forward with Turkey.

Macron later told reporters that he and Erdogan have found some areas of convergence to preserve the cease-fire in Libya and meet the goal to hold elections in December in the country.

France and Turkey agreed to work together over the summer on the departure of foreign fighters and mercenaries, he said, calling that a major step.

Erdogan expressed his will that they leave Libya as soon as possible, he added.

It was their first meeting since a dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October, after Erdogan questioned Macrons mental health.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  The wife and brother-in-law of a Rhode Island coin and precious metals dealer convicted of laundering millions of dollars for a Colombian drug cartel have lost their latest bid to hold on to $136 million each they have been ordered to forfeit.

A three-judge panel for the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week let stand a lower court finding that Donna Saccoccia, wife of coin dealer Stephen Saccoccia, and her brother, Vincent Micky Hurley, played critical roles in the conspiracy to launder the money, The Providence Journal reported Monday.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  Cyprus top lawyer on Monday suspended criminal cases against 15 members of the police force for allegedly botching the countrys first serial killer investigation, which eventually led to an army officer being jailed for life over the murder of seven foreign women and girls.

The office of Attorney General George Savvides said in a statement that a thorough re-examination of the cases found that the prosecution couldnt prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the police members deliberately neglected their duties.

Savvides office said that evidence suggests that officers assigned to the investigation had been negligent in carrying out their duties to one degree or another, but theres no proof that they did so deliberately.

The office said the actions of the assigned officers didnt demonstrate the intent to carry out their duties to the required degree or to look the other way.

If they failed to understand that the (missing persons) cases being investigated were connected to possible murder cases, than this by itself doesnt necessarily mean willful and deliberate negligence in carrying out their duties, the Attorney Generals office said.

However, the offices said a probe into how the investigation had been handled showed a series of systemic problems within the police force regarding its organization, training and its members competence, including an underlying racist perception by some of its members.

The office said the cases of the 15 police members will revert back to the Independent Police Complaints Authority report for possible disciplinary action which under no circumstances should its significance or power be ignored.

Cyprus previous attorney general launched the criminal probe amid allegations that that police had failed to take seriously initial missing persons reports about the victims.

The victims were three women from the Philippines and the daughter of one of them, a Romanian mother and daughter and a Nepalese woman.

Army captain Nicholas Metaxas, 35, was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms in prison after pleading guilty to premeditated murder and kidnapping over a 2-year period.

The case, which shocked the small island nation, came to light in April 2019 when the decomposing body of Filipina Mary Rose Tiburcio was found by chance down a flooded shaft in an abandoned copper mine.

Metaxas, a divorced father of two small children, initially refused to cooperate with investigators, but eventually confessed to the killings in a 10-page handwritten note.

In handing down its sentence, the court said Metaxas appeared to have focused on defenseless women, most of whom came to Cyprus looking for work.

Prosecutors said he sought out many of his adult victims on online social networks and had sex with them before killing them.
DENVER (AP)  Denver police shot and killed a man suspected of firing shots into an unoccupied vehicle before threatening officers with a gun.

Division Chief Ron Thomas says the man in his 20s was shot Sunday evening and taken to a hospital, where he died.
YAKIMA, Wash. (AP)  A Yakima tavern was destroyed by a fire Saturday after its owner testified in a federal murder trial.

Yakima firefighters were called around 4:40 a.m. about the fire at the Brownstone Tavern near Harrah. Fire Chief Kevin Frazier said the fire was well involved when firefighters arrived.

Tavern owner Tim Castilleja testified last week in the trial of Jordan Stevens, who on Thursday was found guilty of murder in the 2019 death of Alillia Lala Minthorn of Toppenish, The Yakima Herald-Republic reported.

A witness said she believed Minthorn, 25, was killed for talking to FBI agents about something Stevens and another witness had done, according to a trial brief.

Castilleja was arrested last week after he failed to show up to testify and brought to court. He said he was afraid to testify against Stevens.

Castilleja testified that Stevens and two women visited the tavern shortly after Minthorns killing. He told jurors one of the women was cleaning the SUV they drove up in and was visibly upset, while he saw Stevens carrying a rifle.

The cause of the tavern blaze hasnt been determined and whether it was connected to the trial wasnt clear.

The FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will lead the fire investigation.

Yakama Nation Tribal Police guarded the site Saturday, where fire continued to burn in the basement. Most of the building walls had collapsed and a vehicle with fire damage was next to the building.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP)  Police in western Iowa said Monday they were seeking a woman suspected of assaulting and setting another woman on fire overnight.

The incident happened around 4:30 a.m. Monday, when Council Bluffs officers were called to North 15th Street and found a woman with severe burns outside a homeless services center, police said in a news release. The woman was taken to a hospital across the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska, for treatment, police said.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A Kentucky lawmaker, her daughter and a Louisville activist have filed a lawsuit over their arrests on felony riot charges during last summer's racial injustice protests.

State Rep. Attica Scott, a Democrat, filed the suit Monday in Louisville with Ashanti Scott and Shameka Parrish-Wright, a local activist and candidate for mayor, the Courier Journal reported.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP)  A Leavenworth woman has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of her fiance, officials said Monday.

Eva O. Banks, 39, was charged in the death of Jerrold Rhodes, 44, who was found dead at a Leavenworth home the couple shared, Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said.
Gwen Merz was fresh out of college in 2014, working an information technology job she hated, when she decided early retirement was the answer. She socked away every dollar she could, saving as much as 70% of her income so that she could quit when she was 35.

Now 30, Merz thinks she may have saved too much. Her job and life goals have changed, but most of her $300,000 savings is in retirement accounts that cant be touched without tax penalties. If she could do it over, she says she would either save less aggressively or put some of the money into a taxable investment account with less strict withdrawal rules.

I would pay a little bit more in taxes on my salary but I would have that money available for me, says Merz, who lives in St. Louis.

Some people save prodigious amounts so they can retire early or because theyre worried they wont have enough for a comfortable retirement. But aggressive saving can have significant and sometimes unexpected costs, which is why its important to strike the right balance between saving for the future and living your life today.

ON FIRE, BUT LESS SO

Many people struggle to save anything for retirement, so the idea of saving too much may seem absurd. But there is a movement known as Financial Independence, Retire Early , or FIRE, that promotes saving enough to gain control over how you spend your days long before typical retirement age. Some FIRE bloggers retired in their 30s from well-paying jobs by dramatically cutting their expenses and saving 50% or more of their incomes.

Saving for a 20-year retirement is difficult enough. Planning for one that lasts 50 years or more often requires extreme frugality both before and after retirement, as FIRE adherents try to make their money last.

The FIRE movement inspired Merz to set her initial early retirement goal. After finding a more enjoyable job and buying a house, however, Merz has throttled back her savings goals and now plans to retire at 55. One unexpected bonus from saving less aggressively: Shes less stressed about money.

I always felt like I could do more since there were people online doing more than me, Merz says. I really put myself under a lot of unnecessary stress and strain.

Certified financial planner Malcolm Ethridge of Rockville, Maryland, doesnt try to talk his clients out of the idea of retiring young. Many work in high-paying but demanding jobs in technology or finance and are feeling burned out by 80-hour workweeks.

Youre getting compensated well for the time youre putting in, but its not sustainable, Ethridge says. Theres only so long you can burn both ends of the candle before it disappears.

Instead, he encourages them to save enough so they can switch to work theyre more passionate about, such as teaching, working for a nonprofit or starting a business.

Its not so much I hate the job as The thing that I do for a living takes a ton of my time and I dont feel like it makes the world that much better off, Ethridge says.

Working at least part time in retirement can not only reduce the amount you need to save, but also gives structure and purpose, Ethridge says.

Retiring at 30 with $2 million sounds great. It makes me sound like Ive conquered the world, Ethridge says. But I have nothing to do and nothing to be holding on to.

MOST WILL GET TO RETIREMENT AGE, BUT SOME WONT

Merz says that even while she was saving most of her income, she still enjoyed occasional splurges, such as trips to Australia and Ecuador and a $4,000 sewing machine for her quilting hobby.

Some super-savers, by contrast, are so focused on their futures that they neglect their present, says certified financial planner and physician Carolyn McClanahan of Jacksonville, Florida. As someone who has worked in hospital emergency rooms, McClanahan knows that the future isnt guaranteed.

We see people that die way too soon, or get some serious illness that totally changes the trajectory of their lives, McClanahan says.

McClanahan wants people to save enough to live comfortably after they retire, but also to start working on their bucket list of experiences long before they quit work. If they love to travel or spend time with their families, for example, she recommends that they not wait until retirement to start.

Its making certain that if they found out they were going to die tomorrow, that they would be at peace with what theyve done, she says.

_____________________________________________________

This column was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance site NerdWallet. The content is for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and author of Your Credit Score. Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lizweston.

RELATED LINK :

NerdWallet: How to Achieve Early Retirement
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A man who worked as an employee services contractor at a Mississippi poultry processing plant pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge connected to one of the largest workplace immigration raids in the U.S. in the past decade.

Salvador Delgado-Nieves, 58, of Pelahatchie, pleaded guilty to harboring a person who was in the U.S. illegally, according to court records.
BRUSSELS (AP)  NATO leaders on Monday expanded the use of their all for one, one for all, mutual defense clause to include a collective response to attacks in space.

Article 5 of NATOs founding treaty states that an attack on any one of the 30 allies will be considered an attack on them all. Until now, its only applied to more traditional military attacks on land, sea, or in the air, and more recently in cyberspace.

In a summit statement, the leaders said they consider that attacks to, from, or within space" could be a challenge to NATO that threatens "national and Euro-Atlantic prosperity, security, and stability, and could be as harmful to modern societies as a conventional attack.

Such attacks could lead to the invocation of Article 5. A decision as to when such attacks would lead to the invocation of Article 5 would be taken by the North Atlantic Council on a case-by-case basis, they said.

Around 2,000 satellites orbit the earth, over half operated by NATO countries, ensuring everything from mobile phone and banking services to weather forecasts. Military commanders rely on some of them to navigate, communicate, share intelligence and detect missile launches.

In December 2019, NATO leaders declared space to be the alliances fifth domain of operations, after land, sea, air and cyberspace. Many member countries are concerned about what they say is increasingly aggressive behavior in space by China and Russia.

Around 80 countries have satellites, and private companies are moving in, too. In the 1980s, just a fraction of NATOs communications was via satellite. Today, its at least 40%. During the Cold War, NATO had more than 20 stations, but new technologies mean the worlds biggest security organization can double its coverage with a fifth of that number.

NATOs collective defense clause has only been activated once, when the members rallied behind the United States following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Former President Donald Trump raised deep concern among U.S. allies, notably those bordering Russia like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, when he suggested that he might not rally to their side if they didnt boost their defense budgets.

President Joe Biden has been trying to reassure them since taking office and has used the summit, his first at NATO, as a formal opportunity to underline Americas commitment to its European allies and Canada.

Biden said Monday that Article 5 is a sacred obligation among allies. I just want all of Europe to know that the United States is there," he said. "The United States is there.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  Officials welcomed the first woman to lead the police department in Memphis, Tennessee, on Monday as she began her first day on the job.

I was proud to participate in the pinning ceremony this morning of our new Police Chief C.J. Davis, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland tweeted.
BANGKOK (AP)  Myanmars ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial Monday on charges that many observers say are an attempt by the junta that deposed her to eliminate her as a political force, erase the countrys democratic gains and cement the militarys power.

Suu Kyi's prosecution poses yet another major setback for Myanmar, which had been making slow progress toward democracy when a February coup prevented elected lawmakers from her National League for Democracy party from taking office following last year's landslide victory.

Human Rights Watch said that the allegations being heard in a special court in the capital, Naypyitaw, are bogus and politically motivated with the intention of nullifying the victory and preventing Suu Kyi from running for office again.

This trial is clearly the opening salvo in an overall strategy to neuter Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy party as a force that can challenge military rule in the future, said Phil Robertson, the organization's deputy Asia director.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, responding to a question on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' reaction to the trial, said the U.N. position is clear: We want her and all of the senior members of her administration to be freed."

The secretary-general has called for and continues to call for a reversal of the Feb. 1 coup and the restoration of the legitimate government of Myanmar, of whom Aung San Suu Kyi is a member," Haq said.

The army seized power on Feb. 1 before the new lawmakers could be seated, and arrested Suu Kyi, who held the post of special counsellor, President Win Myint and other members of her government and ruling party. The Southeast Asian country went seemingly overnight from an emerging democracy to the international pariah it had been for decades while under military rule.

The army justified its coup by alleging the government failed to properly investigate accusations of voting irregularities. Since then it has said it has found evidence of fraud  an assertion contested by the independent Asian Network for Free Elections and many others. Junta officials have threatened to dissolve the National League for Democracy and any conviction for Suu Kyi could see her barred from politics.

The junta has claimed it will hold new elections within the next year or two, but the countrys military has a long history of promising elections and not following through. The military ruled Myanmar for 50 years after a coup in 1962, and kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years after a failed 1988 popular uprising.

The militarys latest takeover sparked nationwide protests that continue despite a violent crackdown that has killed hundreds of people. Although street demonstrations have shrunk in number and scale, the junta now faces a low-level armed insurrection by opponents in both rural and urban areas.

The trial against the 75-year-old Suu Kyi is closed, but her lawyers said at the end of the days hearing that the prosecution began presenting its case.

Suu Kyi has been charged with illegally importing walkie-talkies for her bodyguards use, unlicensed use of the radios and spreading information that could cause public alarm or unrest, as well as for two counts of violating the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly breaking pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign, her lawyers said Sunday.

All these charges should be dropped, resulting in her immediate and unconditional release," said Human Rights Watch's Robertson. "But sadly, with the restrictions on access to her lawyers, and the case being heard in front of a court that is wholly beholden to the military junta, there is little likelihood she will receive a fair trial."

Government prosecutors will have until June 28 to finish their presentation, after which Suu Kyis defense team will have until July 26 to present its case, Khin Maung Zaw, the teams senior member, said last week. Court sessions are due to be held on Monday and Tuesday each week.

Two other more serious charges against Suu Kyi are being handled separately: one for breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum 14-year prison term, and another for bribery, which has a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine.

Although Suu Kyi faced her first charge just days after the February coup, she not allowed her first face-to-face meeting with her lawyers until May 24, when she made her first actual appearance in court for a pre-trial hearing. Since then, she had another brief meeting with them before seeing them in court Monday.

A photo of her May 24 appearance released by state media showed her sitting straight-backed in a small courtroom, wearing a pink face-mask, her hands folded in her lap. Alongside her were her two co-defendants, the former president as well as the former mayor of Naypyitaw, Myo Aung.

More than four months since the coup, members of the U.N. team on the ground remain deeply concerned over the security forces use of violence, with reports of deaths and injuries on a daily basis," deputy spokesman Haq said.

The team reports at least 861 women, children and men killed since Feb. 1, thousands more injured and 4,800 people in detention including politicians, authors, human rights defenders, teachers, health care workers, civil servants, journalists, monks, celebrities and ordinary citizens, Haq said.

The U.N. calls on security forces again to protect civilians as widespread and systematic breaches of human rights law  such as extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture and ill treatment, and enforced disappearance  continue," Haq said.
WINGMEAD, Va. (AP)  Virginia State Police are investigating how the apparent driver of an abandoned Cadillac sedan ended up dead beneath a highway.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the car had run into the jersey wall and was left across the travel lanes of a flyover from Route 288 to Interstate 64 in Goochland County early Sunday.
Correction Officer Ginny Ligi says she was working 80-hour weeks in April 2020, often without the needed personal protective equipment, when she began feeling sick.

A test soon confirmed her worst fear  the intense vertigo, nausea and headaches were symptoms of COVID-19. She is one of an estimated 1,700 Connecticut Department of Correction workers to contract the coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to her union.

Ligi, who works at the Cheshire Correctional Institution, spent the next month at home, much of it in bed, worried about her future and whether she would pass the coronavirus on to her husband and three children.

It was horrible, she said. After I came home sick, my 3-year-old would sit at my bedroom door crying, wanting to come in and see me and I couldn't let her. So, it was devastating for everybody.

The Connecticut AFL-CIO on Monday asked Connecticut lawmakers to use this week's special legislative session to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds to all those deemed essential workers during the pandemic, such as Ligi.

They are calling it hero pay," and are asking for a dollar an hour for every hour worked, which would be an estimated $500 million for all of the state's essential employees.

State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, co-chair of the General Assembly's Appropriations Committee, said $22.5 million in total has been set aside at Gov. Ned Lamont's request for hazard pay during the height of the pandemic. Of that sum, about $10 million would go to essential state employees and $12.5 million to members of the Connecticut National Guard. Osten said she doesn't know how Lamont intends to dole out those funds.

His people have not given us the list of where thats going. So I dont know, she said. My question is, what state employees does he consider essential? What is the job classification that youre covering?

Ligi said people don't understand the fear she and coworkers had to overcome every day just to report to work, not knowing which inmates and which coworkers might be infected. In the first weeks of the pandemic they had no N95 masks and gloves were in scarce supply, she said.

We still had to tour every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, depending on what block we were on, she said. And unfortunately, you're with 104 inmates with two officers in a unit and really no place to social distance.

The Correction Department, while not specifically endorsing the call for hero pay, released a statement Monday saying it is deeply indebted to those workers.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to put a value on the importance of serving the greater good, the department said. The countless acts of selfless service the men and women of the DOC performed during the pandemic were truly invaluable, and will leave a legacy for others to admire and emulate for a long time to come.

Ligi, 37, came back to work in late May of last year, working 16-hour shifts through much of the pandemic. She said she still is suffering from inner-ear problems and chronic fatigue and her doctors can't tell her if she will ever fully recover.

She said the hero pay would be a morale booster.

We're all just very tired and frankly feeling defeated," she said.

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Associated Press Writer Susan Haigh contributed to this report
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Republicans who control Pennsylvania's Legislature are reprising a fight from last year, passing legislation Monday to require Gov. Tom Wolf to go through them if he wants to impose a price on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

The bill passed 35-15 in the Senate, a veto-proof majority for a bill that Wolf's office said he will veto. Six Democrats joined every Republican in voting for the measure, which has support from blue collar labor unions whose workers maintain power plants, build gas pipelines and mine coal.

The bill still must go to the House.

Wolf, a Democrat, last year vetoed a similar bill to prevent him from unilaterally bringing Pennsylvania into the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Wolf's top priority to fight climate change. The organization sets a price on carbon dioxide emissions that fossil fuel-fired power plants emit.

Environmental advocacy organizations and companies with solar, wind and nuclear power interests support Wolf's plan.

Under the bill, legislative approval is required to join the consortium, after six months of public comment and four public hearings on the governors proposed legislation.

The sponsor, Sen. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, said joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative will prematurely force coal-fired power plants in his district to close, throwing people out of work and drying up million of dollars in property taxes that fund schools there.

He also warned that it will hurt waste-coal plants, which have been instrumental in cleaning up piles of waste coal that poison rivers with acidic runoff, and send demand for power to neighboring West Virginia and Ohio.

Imposing a price on carbon emissions would raise hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the state. The Wolf administration expects regulatory approval later this year, with carbon pricing to begin next year.

With Wolf's support on Monday, Democratic lawmakers unveiled legislation on how to spend the money, including grants to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency and aid communities hurt by plant closures.
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP)  Southern California fire agencies are getting two large-scale helicopters that can each carry up to 3,000 gallons (11.356 liters) of water or retardant to try to limit the spread of wildfires  and just as hot dry weather is setting in.

Fire agencies in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, which are home to a combined 14 million people, said they are entering a partnership starting Tuesday that will help deploy critical air resources quickly to wildfires, including the two large-scale Boeing Chinook helitankers known as CH-47s, a helitanker that can carry up to 1,000 gallons (3,785 liters), a coordinating helicopter and a mobile retardant base.

However, the tankers were pressed into service early Monday to handle a fire in Ventura County. By evening, firefighters were making good progress on stopping the blaze from spreading and no buildings had burned, fire officials said.

The tri-county effort, dubbed the quick reaction force program, will be in place for up to six months and funded with up to $18 million from regional electric utility Southern California Edison. It comes as much of the region is bracing for an early season heat wave and red flag warnings signaling the potential for wildfires.

The fact that were bringing these copters is a plus, a significant plus, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby told reporters at a demonstration of the helicopters at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California.

The agencies said the CH-47s will be able to drop fire retardant through the night, something they havent done before, and that could significantly help firefighters limit the spread of these blazes.

Fire officials throughout the region are concerned by the tinder-dry weather conditions and a decline in the number of hand crews who work on the ground to contain wildfires. Osby, for one, said he has 10 hand crews ready for the upcoming fire season compared with 28 of these crews about five years ago.

The use of these large-scale helicopters is also an advantage, Osby said, adding his agency until now has been counting on helicopters capable of carrying 350 gallons (1,325 liters) or 1,000 gallons of water at a time.

Orange County had use of a CH-47 last year. It was equipped to drop water overnight, but not retardant, which is used around the edges of a fire to try to limit its spread, Orange County Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said. He said he was looking forward to having this capability at night when winds tend to die down and temperatures fall.

In California, fire conditions have worsened in recent years. Last years record-setting wildfire season scorched more than 4% of the state while killing 33 people and destroying nearly 10,500 buildings.

Numerous studies have linked bigger wildfires in America to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Scientists have said climate change has made California drier, meaning trees and other plants are more flammable.

This week, much of the state faces an early season heat wave as high pressure over the Southwest expands westward. Red flag warnings will be in effect through Wednesday morning along the south Santa Barbara County coast. Critical fire weather conditions are also expected in southeastern California.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  A Sri Lankan court granted bail to the captain of a fire-ravaged container ship on Monday, hours after he was arrested by police, officials said.

The ship, the MV X-Press Pearl, is sinking off the country's capital, Colombo, and causing severe environmental pollution.

Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said the captain was arrested under the provisions of the Marine Pollution Prevention Act, which prohibits the dumping of oil, harmful substances and other pollutants in the ocean and coastal areas. He has not been formally charged, which is done by prosecutors.

Russian captain Tyutkalo Vitaly appeared before the magistrate on Monday and was later released on bail. The court banned him from leaving the country. The case will be heard again on July 1.

The fire broke out when the ship was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometers) northwest of the capital and waiting to enter the countrys main port. It burned for 12 days.

The Sri Lankan navy believes the blaze was caused by the vessels cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals, most of which was destroyed in the fire.

Authorities extinguished the fire last week, but the ship then began sinking and attempts to tow it into deeper waters failed when the vessels stern sank to the seabed.

The ship remains partly submerged in waters about 21 meters (70 feet) deep.

On Saturday, the government said it is seeking an interim claim of $40 million from the ships operator to cover part of the cost of fighting the fire. Officials are still assessing the total damages.

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This story corrects that the captain has not been formally charged.
The Latest on the NATO summit taking place in Brussels:

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BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden has paid tribute at NATOs 9/11 memorial as he wraps up his meeting with members of the military alliance.

Biden crossed himself and stood silently Monday in front of the memorial at NATOs headquarters in Brussels, which features a steel beam from the World Trade Center. The installation pays tribute to the support NATO allies gave the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including the deployment of thousands of troops from NATO countries in Afghanistan.

Biden said earlier Monday that the United States own commitment to NATOs mutual defense pact for member countries is sacred.

Bidens NATO trip is meant to shore up U.S. relations with the alliance. President Donald Trump frequently questioned the value of military partnership, calling it obsolete.

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BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden says U.S. allies were shocked and surprised by the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, but they nevertheless are unconcerned about American leadership on the world stage.

Speaking Monday at the NATO summit in Brussels, Biden was pressed on how former President Donald Trumps baseless electoral challenges and the assault on the Capitol by his supporters were received overseas.

Biden says of American allies, They, like I do, believe the American people are not going to sustain that type of behavior."

He was sharply critical of Trump, blasting his phony populism and saying it was disappointing more Republicans havent permanently distanced themselves from him.

Biden says U.S. partners recognize that The Trump wing of the party is the bulk of the (Republican) party, but it makes up a significant minority of the American people.

The U.S. leader adds, I think this is passing  I dont mean easily passing  thats why its so important for me to succeed in my agenda.

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BRUSSELS __ Two days from his Wednesday meeting with Russia's leader, President Joe Biden has called Vladimir Putin a worthy adversary but declined to say how hell measure the success of the meeting in advance.

Asked during a press conference after Mondays NATO summit about the upcoming meeting, Biden wouldnt offer any specifics on what hes hoping to gain from his time with Putin, saying only that theyll discuss areas where we can cooperate, and a warning that if Russia refuses to cooperate on things like cybersecurity we will respond in kind.

Biden said, however, that Putin is bright and tough and expressed hopes the Russian president would show interest in changing the perception the world has of him.

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BRUSSELS __ President Joe Biden says NATO will stand firm against alleged Russian and Chinese efforts to drive a wedge between members of the alliance.

Biden spoke Monday at the end of a NATO summit in Brussels that focused in part on challenges from those two countries.

Bidens comments at a press conference focused partly on what he called aggressive hacks by Russia, and other malicious cyberactivity.

Biden is calling NATO a strong foundation for continued building of security for the 30 member countries.

The meeting ended with a communique expressing strong concern about China as an alleged security challenge and threat to world order.

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BRUSSELS  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey would expect diplomatic, logistical and financial assistance from the United States if it's to maintain a presence in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of NATO troops.

Turkey is reported to have offered to operate and protect Kabuls international airport after the departure of the NATO force.

Erdogan did not say if an agreement was reached on the issue but said Turkey wanted Pakistan and Hungary to be involved in a possible new mission.

The Turkish leader also said he had a constructive meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit and has invited him to visit to Turkey. Biden said he had a heavy schedule but could pay a visit, according to Erdogan.

Erdogan signaled that the two leaders failed to find a way to overcome differences over Turkeys purchase of the S-400 advanced Russian missile defense systems. The U.S. says the technology is a threat to NATO and has removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet program.

Our thoughts on the S-400 are the same as before, I relayed our same thoughts to Mr. Biden, Erdogan said.

Erdogan also called for an end to U.S. support to Syrian Kurdish militia, which Turkey considers to be terrorists affiliated to a Kurdish insurgency.

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BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden says he had a very good meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.

Bidens brief comment came after he and Erdogan met privately on Monday before being joined by other officials.

The two leaders spent in total more than an hour together.

Biden was expected to raise a range of issues with Erdogan, including Afghanistan, Syria and Turkeys purchase of advanced Russian missile systems which has complicated Washingtons relations with Ankara.

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BRUSSELS  French President Emmanuel Macron has downplayed NATOs wording in declaring China a global security challenge, saying it must not divert us from the heart of NATOs tasks.

In a news conference Monday, Macron said: I think it is very important not to scatter our efforts and not to have biases in our relation to China. Its much broader than the military topic: Its economic, strategic, about values and technological.

Macron called for not diverting NATO from its many other challenges, including the fight against terrorism and security issues related to Russia.

China is both a major power with which we are working on global issues to move forward together and a competitor, he said.

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MOSCOW  The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on a disputed espionage conviction, has released a statement from him calling for President Joe Biden to push for his release during the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an audio file distributed by Whelans family on Monday, he says: I implore you to bring this appalling case of hostage diplomacy to an end. I remain innocent. No crime of espionage occurred. The secret trial, without evidence, proves those facts.

He made the statement in a May 30 telephone call with his parents, the family said. Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and later sentenced to 16 years in prison. He claims he was in Russia only as a visitor.

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BRUSSELS  NATO leaders agree that China poses a constant security challenge and is working to undermine the global rules-based system, and they are worried about how fast its developing nuclear missiles.

In a summit statement Monday, the leaders said that Chinas goals and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.

While the 30 heads of state and government avoid calling China a rival, they did express concern about its coercive policies, the opaque ways it is modernizing its armed forces and its use of disinformation.

They called on Beijing to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power.

But the leaders also said they welcome opportunities to engage with China on things like climate change.

The statement, endorsed Monday at their summit in Brussels, lays out the military organizations stance on China for the first time. Diplomats say it was one of the hardest parts of the statement to draft.

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LONDON  Chinas Embassy in the U.K. reacted sharply Monday to the Group of Sevens post-summit statement that called out Chinas nonmarket policies and human rights abuses.

The embassy challenged the leaders of the worlds largest industrial nations for distorted remarks that slandered China and arbitrarily interfered in Chinas internal affairs.

This serious violation of the basic norms of international relations exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries, such as the United States, an unnamed embassy spokesperson said in the statement. We are strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this.

The G-7 leaders agreed to call on Beijing to respect human rights in Xinjiang, the remote western region where Chinese authorities are accused of committing serious rights abuses against the Uyghur minority, and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

The statement came after a push by U.S. President Joe Biden, who wanted to persuade fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front in its relations with Beijing.

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BRUSSELS  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the revival of a dialogue between NATO members Turkey and Greece to resolve long-standing disputes will serve stability and prosperity in the region.

Speaking at a German Marshall Fund think tank event held inside the NATO headquarters complex on Monday, Erdogan lamented, however, what he said was a lack of support by Turkeys NATO allies in its fight against terrorism. It was a veiled reference to Turkeys disappointment with U.S. military support for Syrian Kurdish fighters, who Ankara argues are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

Turkey is on the front line in the fight against terrorism in all relevant international platforms, especially NATO, Erdogan said, adding that some 4,000 Islamic State group fighters were neutralized in Turkish cross-border operations.

Turkey is the only NATO ally which has fought face-to-face and gave his young sons martyrs for this cause, Erdogan said. Unfortunately, we did not receive the support and solidarity we expected from our allies and partners in our fight against all forms of terrorism.

Last summer, a longstanding dispute between Turkey and Greece over boundaries and rights to natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean flared anew after Ankara sent energy research vessels into waters where Greece asserts jurisdiction.

Diplomats from the two countries have held two rounds of talks in recent months for the first time in five years, while the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey also held reciprocal visits.

I believe that reviving the channels of dialogue between (Turkey) and our neighbor and ally, Greece, and the resolution of bilateral issues will ... serve the stability and prosperity of our region, Erdogan said.

___

BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden has met with the leaders of three Baltic nations at the NATO summit in a move to reassure them of U.S. support before his Wednesday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

The White House says Biden met Monday with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia, President Egils Levits of Latvia, and President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania and underscored strong U.S. support for their security.

The White House added: The four leaders committed to further strengthening our political, military, and economic partnerships, including working together through NATO to address challenges posed by Russia and China.

___

BRUSSELS  French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he wants to move forward with Turkey toward a demanding and respectful relationship, after meeting with the countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Both men talked Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. It was their first meeting since the dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October after Erdogan questioned Macrons mental health.

Macron said he wants all NATO allies to make a clear commitment to the military organizations values, principles and rules, according to the French presidency.

Both men discussed Libya and Syria issues, the Elysee said. Macron has notably accused Turkey of flouting its commitments by ramping up its military presence in Libya and bringing in jihadi fighters from Syria.

Macron also highlighted that Frances secularism respects all religions, including Islam. The French presidency said a clarification was needed in response to Erdogans tough criticism of Macrons attitude toward Islam and Muslims, as the French government proposed a law to fight Islamist radicals.

___

BRUSSELS  Italian Premier Mario Draghi made a not-so-subtle dig at former U.S. President Donald Trump in welcoming Biden to NATO and back into the European fold.

This summit is a continuation of yesterdays G7 and is part of the process of reaffirming, of rebuilding the fundamental alliances of the United States that had been weakened by the previous administration, he said. Think that President Bidens first visit is to Europe and try to remember where President Trumps first visit was?

"We are here to reaffirm these alliances, but also to reaffirm the importance of the European Union in all of this: a stronger European Union means a stronger NATO, he added.

Trump's first trip was to Saudi Arabia.

___

BRUSSELS  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says NATO leaders do not see China as an adversary in the same way that the military organization views Russia, but that they must come to terms with the Asian giants growing influence.

Johnson told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels Monday that China is a gigantic fact in our lives and a new strategic consideration for NATO.

He says I dont think anybody around the table today wants to descend into a new Cold War with China.

He says the leaders of the 30-nation alliance see challenges, they see things that we have to manage together, but they also see opportunities, and I think that what we need to do is to do it together.

NATO leaders are set to endorse a communique later laying out their view of China and how its rising influence and the security challenges it poses should be managed.

___

BRUSSELS President Joe Biden is reaffirming the U.S. commitment to NATOs mutual-defense pact as he makes his first visit to the alliance since taking office.

After meeting Monday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shortly arriving at the alliances headquarters in Brussels, Biden says the U.S. takes Article 5, which guarantees that an attack on one NATO nation is considered an attack against all, as a sacred obligation.

He adds: I just want all of Europe to know that the United States is there. The United States is there.

Biden said the alliance is essential for America and said he looked forward to discussing challenges from Russia and China with other leaders at the daylong summit.

___

BRUSSELS  Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says NATO allies are looking to put the past behind them, after four stormy years under the Trump administration and infighting between member countries.

De Croo said at a NATO summit Monday that were coming out of turbulent times, where we had major disagreements on a lot of things that are really at the basis of this alliance.

He says that I think now we are ready to turn the page.

Trump routinely berated other NATO countries for not spending enough on defense and even threatened to pull the U.S. out of the worlds biggest security organization.

Rows have also simmered between Turkey, France and Greece over aggressive Turkish military actions in the Mediterranean and Ankaras contentious energy exploration work in waters off Cyprus.

___

BRUSSELS  German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Russian disinformation is one issue that will be discussed at Mondays NATO summit.

Merkel said as she arrived at the gathering that hybrid challenges are a growing issue -- cyberattacks, and particularly with a view to Russia, of course, disinformation campaigns. She added that many allies in NATO, including Germany, are affected.

Merkel said the summit also will discuss the situation in Ukraine, where we see great challenges, of course, and the situation in Belarus.

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva later this week.
ORONO, Maine (AP)  A key committee approved a resolution Monday to hold in-state tuition flat for University of Maine System students in the coming year.

The Finance, Facilities and Technology Committee of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees made the recommendation. The move would help keep the cost of a UMaine education down for students and families impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the system said in a statement.

The $578 million budget could be adopted later this month. It would be the seventh time in the last 10 years it has held the line on tuition rates for Maine students, the system said.

Chancellor Dannel Malloy said the system believes it can "provide a more affordable return to normalcy for our Maine students."

The average full-time tuition for in-state students who attend University of Maine System universities would be $8,572 for the upcoming academic year under the proposal.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The new U.N. special envoy for crisis-wracked Mali warned Monday that further insecurity, especially in the countrys center and north, will have drastic consequences for the immediate region and beyond, and urged the military-led transitional government to prepare for elections next February.

El-Ghassim Wane told the U.N. Security Council that the West African nation is at a critical juncture, calling the situation challenging, desperate and frustrating. He said, there are now more displaced Malians than at the peak of the crisis in June 2013, many living in very difficult conditions amid disturbing reports of human rights violations.

The encroachment of violent extremism on many Malian communities presents a serious setback, he said, including that many extremist groups violate the rights of women and seek to remove women from the public sphere altogether.

Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising prompted mutinous soldiers to overthrow the president of a decade. The power vacuum that was created ultimately led to an Islamic insurgency and a French-led war that ousted the jihadists from power in 2013. A peace agreement was signed in 2015 by three parties  the government, a coalition of groups who seek autonomy in northern Mali, and a pro-government militia.

However, the insurgents quickly regrouped in the desert and began launching frequent attacks on the Malian army and its allies fighting the insurgency. The extremists, affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State militant group, have moved from the arid north to more populous central Mali since 2015 where their presence has stoked animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the area.

In the latest turmoil, Col. Assimi Goita grabbed power in August 2020 by overthrowing Malis democratically elected president. He eventually agreed to a transitional government led by a civilian president and prime minister but on May 24 he ousted those civilian leaders after they announced a Cabinet reshuffle that sidelined two junta supporters without consulting him. Last Friday, Goita was sworn in as president.

Both the African Union and the West African regional group ECOWAS suspended Malis membership and reaffirmed that the original transitional timeframe for elections -- Feb. 27, 2022 -- must be respected. ECOWAS reiterated that the transition president, vice-president and prime minister should not be candidates in the upcoming presidential election.

Wane, the U.N. envoy and head of the more than 18,000-strong strong U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, said president Goita and prime-minister Choguel Maiga have reassured international partners that they will respect the transitional calendar for elections and that neither would run for office.

He said they also reiterated their commitment to work with the armed movements who signed the 2015 peace agreement and are represented in the new government, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the agreement.

These commitments now need to translate into urgent and concrete actions, which requires support from all Malian parties, Wane said. The time has come for Malian leaders to rise above partisan politics and personal interests and work together in earnest to address the crisis in the interest of their country and its future.

He said this is especially needed now as the security situation in northern and central Mali remains of utmost concern. He also called for immediate action ... to initiate critical reforms and lay the groundwork for a credible electoral process.

Ambassador Nicolas De Riviere of France, Mali's former colonial power, stressed that the absolute priority must be organizing presidential elections on Feb. 27, 2022 where leaders of the transition are barred from participating.

On June 3, France announced it was suspending joint military operations with Malian forces until the junta complies with international demands to restore civilian rule. Last Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Frances military presence fighting Islamic extremism in Africas broader Sahel region, including Mali and neighboring countries, would be reduced but gave no timeframe.

Frances Operation Barkhane now has more than 5,000 troops in the Sahel. Macron said Barkhane will formally end and will be replaced by another mission focused on fighting Islamic extremists that relies more on regional partners. He said details will be unveiled at the end of June, including on the number of troops France is keeping in the region.

De Riviere said that in the center of Mali, the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MINUSMA has only 2,000 peacekeepers and three helicopters available every other week.

We would therefore like to seriously consider the question of increasing the resources and the troop ceiling, he said.

But no other member of the 15-nation Security Council expressed support for increasing the troop ceiling, and China and Vietnam said they want to keep the current ceiling.
Since the early days of the pandemic, cryptocurrency has enjoyed a huge boom. Now, the state of Texas is hopping on the bandwagon.

CNBC reported that the value of the cryptocurrency market topped $2 trillion for the first time in April. Citizens and celebrities alike have taken a keen interest in cryptocurrency.

CRYPTO BOOM: Rappers everywhere are getting in on the fun with cryptocurrency

Now, as first reported by Natalie Walters at The Dallas Morning News, Texas banks will be able to provide crypto banking services.

The Texas Department of Banking announced Thursday that state-chartered banks have the authority to provide custody or safekeeping services for virtual currencies.

Marcus Adams, the state banking departments assistant general counsel, said it's good that Texas was able to get in front of the cryptocurrency boom. Adams told the Morning News that "Texas is seeing the rise in the virtual currency industry and trying to get out ahead of it and ensure our regulated banks are prepared to remain competitive."

WHERE TO PURCHASE: 5 Best Places To Buy Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Online

If someone has shares of Bitcoin or other virtual currencies like Ethereum or Litecoin, they can give that responsibility to a third-party bank in Texas. The bank can store a copy of the key as they do with important documents, or the customer can transfer the cryptocurrency into one of the state-chartered banks.

The Texas Department of Banking announcement comes before Abbott's signing ceremony for the forthcoming "Virtual Currency Bill" that recognizes virtual currencies' legality. Texas would become the second state after Wyoming to recognize blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Abbott is seemingly on board with virtual currency, as he's shared multiple tweets in support of the bill.

"Blockchain is a booming industry that Texas needs to be involved in. I just signed a law for Texas to create a master plan for expanding the blockchain industry in Texas," Abbott tweeted out last week.

Although this new role is available for banks, not all will be capable of taking it on once risk management is assessed.
Florida, FL (34429)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Here is a glance at some of the ways U.S. residents and citizens can move to Canada.

How you can move from the U.S. to Canada

How you can move from the U.S. to Canada Here is a glance at some of the ways U.S. residents and citizens can move to Canada.

How you can move from the U.S. to Canada Here is a glance at some of the ways U.S. residents and citizens can move to Canada.

How you can move from the U.S. to Canada Here is a glance at some of the ways U.S. residents and citizens can move to Canada. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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The U.S. is one of the top source countries of foreign nationals who move to Canada.



Each year, including over the past year during the coronavirus pandemic, tens of thousands of U.S. residents and citizens move to Canada to immigrate, work, and study. If you are among those in the United States looking to move north, here is an overview of the most popular options.

Immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker

Both the United States and Canada are federal countries, but Canada is different because its provinces and territories are allowed to select immigrants. This explains why Canada has more than 100 different merit-based immigration pathways for foreign nationals who want to immigrate to Canada for economic reasons.

Canadas over 100 economic class streams assess candidates on their human capital factors including age, education, language skills and work experience. While having a valid job offer can help you in the immigration process, the vast majority of successful economic class immigrants arrive to Canada without prearranged employment.

Canadas main pathway for U.S. citizens and residents to immigrate as skilled workers is Express Entry.

How to immigrate to Canada from the United States A step-by-step guide on how to immigrate to Canada if you live in the U.S.Fill out a free immigration assessment form for assistance: https://www.canadavisa.

Express Entry is the main way that Canada manages skilled worker applications and it is run by the federal department called Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Approximately every two weeks, even during the pandemic, IRCC has Express Entry draws inviting candidates to apply for permanent residence. Upon receiving an invite, candidates have a few months to submit their permanent residence application to IRCC.

Get a free Canadian immigration assessment

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is the next common way for economic class immigrants to move to Canada. Almost every province and territory operates the PNP. Each has their own selection criteria which conforms to their jurisdictions labour market needs. Successful applicants receive a provincial nomination certificate. They then submit the certificate with their permanent residence application to IRCC.

If you are eligible for Express Entry, it may be a good idea to submit an Express Entry profile. While in the Express Entry pool, a province or territory may decide to invite you to apply to their PNP, and this would give you 600 extra points under Express Entry which would pretty much guarantee that you will obtain permanent resident status.

Other options for U.S. citizens and residents include Quebecs immigration system as well as Canadas federal and provincial options for business immigrants such as self-employed persons.

Get a free Canadian immigration assessment

Moving to Canada with a work permit

Thousands from the U.S. move to Canada as foreign workers.

Work permits in Canada fall under two categories.

The first category involves a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Canadas federal government uses the LMIA to determine how the hiring of foreign workers may impact the wages and employment of workers in Canada. Some job offers require an LMIA, and hence, employers in Canada need to petition the federal government and obtain either a positive or neutral LMIA before bringing the foreign worker in.

The second category does not require an LMIA. Under this category, LMIAs are not required due to Canadas economic and social interests. U.S. citizens, for example, may be eligible for an LMIA-exempt work permit under the former NAFTA, now known as the United States-Canada-Mexico-Agreement (USMCA). U.S. citizens have greater flexibility to work in Canada under the USCMA if they have a job available through their current employer or a new one, or if they are going to engage in substantial investments or trade in Canada.

The Global Talent Stream has become an increasingly popular option in recent years, and tech talent in the U.S., irrespective of their nationality, have been able to benefit from fast-track processing of their Canadian work permits.

It is important to note that coming to Canada as a foreign worker provides an advantage if you wish to immigrate. Many of Canadas economic class immigration streams either provide more points or are designed for foreign nationals who have Canadian work experience. For instance, you can gain more points under Express Entry for your local experience.

Are you a U.S. citizen or resident with a job offer in Canada? Contact a lawyer for work permit assistance.

Immigrating to Canada under the family class

Canadas second leading immigration category is the family class. The largest group of family class immigrants are spouses and partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. In addition, Canada allows its citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their dependent children and parents and grandparents.

Looking for family sponsorship help? Complete a contact form for legal advice.

Becoming a Canadian citizen

U.S.-born citizens and residents with a Canadian parent are eligible to automatically qualify for Canadian citizenship.

They need to submit a Proof of Citizenship application to IRCC.

Canada also offers one of the worlds most accessible paths to citizenship. Upon gaining permanent residence, you can be eligible for Canadian citizenship after living in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the last five years. About 85 per cent of Canadas immigrants go on to become citizens.

Are you looking to submit a Proof of Citizenship application? Contact a lawyer for assistance.

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
Many companies are exploring advanced automation as an essential part of how we address our new normal. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the dynamics of business and how we work. One example is YouTube, which serves over a billion hours of video daily for 2 billion logged-in users. In a recent blog post, the company noted that with fewer people in its offices around the world, automation software is doing more content moderation. We have started relying more on technology to help with some of the work normally done by [content] reviewers, the company said.

Supercharging automation with AI

Our new normal is driving client-demand to automate processes that eliminate repetitive, monotonous tasks and augment humans to produce super-human results more rapidly. To meet this demand, we are turbocharging automation with artificial intelligence (AI) to enable enterprises to automate a broader set of tasks, as the following examples illustrate:

Task elimination targets simple, repetitive tasks across business and IT. Automating these tasks will free employees up to do more thoughtful work. For example, with closed offices keeping many of its workers away, PayPal has turned to chatbots, using them for a record 65% of message-based customer inquiries in recent weeks. The resources we are able to deploy through AI are allowing us to be more flexible with our staff and prioritize their safety and well-being, PayPal said in a statement.

Task augmentation supports, speeds up, and increases employee efficiency. For example, with the increased use of online services during the coronavirus pandemic, AI-powered customer service agents can allow a single agent to help more users, decrease service queues, and increase customer advocacy. AI is used to gauge user intent and capture information and the nature of the problem the customer is asking the company to solve. An automation workflow can then examine possible resolutions without engaging a human. That being said, the most powerful form of task augmentation is when humans and AI systems work hand-in-hand in achieving the desired outcome.

To achieve these results, we are actively working to advance automation technology towards AI-powered automation, which we declare to be Automation 2.0. AI-powered automation is defined as a continuous closed-loop automation process where data patterns are discovered and analyzed, such that decisions on insights from the data can be translated into automated actions, with AI providing proactive optimizations during each stage of the process. AI-powered automation uses actionable intelligence to deliver IT and business operations with speed, lower cost, and improved user experience. The next section examines these four stages, illustrating how AI is transforming at each of these stages.

IBM

Discover

Better understand and classify unstructured data and processes so you can lessen the burden of manually analyzing and orchestrating actions.

Without AI, data discovery associated with automation is mostly limited to structured processes and structured data. Unstructured data is inherently noisy and usually slows down the automation process. With the use of machine learning (ML), models are produced to cut through, tease out, and detect patterns in the noisy data. For example, with a properly trained classifier model, documents can be classified as an invoice or insurance claim. Similarly, alerts from an IT system can be grouped and matched to a specific trouble ticket. With AI, the discovery process is no longer blocked by lack of structure; it uses AI intelligently to move from discovery to decision making.

For a deeper explanation of the nuances between different types of AI technologies, see "AI vs. Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning vs. Neural Networks: Whats the Difference?"

Decide

Combine the precision of IT automation with well-defined methodology of business automation to automate faster and with more accuracy in both IT and business.

AI-powered automation aims to comprehensively provide a converged business and IT automation system that operates across a broad range of labor types, including business workers, solution architects, software engineers, IT operations, SRE, security, and compliance engineers. By discovering data patterns across business and IT, decision making can now be more impactful versus systems that are siloed to specific parts of an enterprise. An example of this is to correlate activity across software development and IT operations. In this case, changes to source code and configuration during development can be matched against incidents happening in a running IT system to predict risk associated with future changes to that code or configuration. By applying AI to automation, we are greatly improving the speed with which an enterprise can react to new patterns discovered.

Act

Engage software bots more naturally and collaboratively so engagements become more self-service and productive.

The automation process is further differentiated in how automated actions are carried out. The gold standard in automating actions is robotic process automation (RPA) technology. With power from AI, we are evolving RPA from simple robotic scripts to a tech that is more like a digital employee in the workplace. This pairing of the virtual and physical worlds allows actions to be simulated in order to head off problems before they even occur, prevent downtime, and develop new opportunities. Furthermore, Automation 2.0 uses advanced natural language processing to produce a more collaborative relationship between AI and employees to produce a hybrid-workforce.

Optimize

Predict potential incidents earlier so systems can proactively resolve issues before they impact normal operations.

Optimizations are continuously applied during discover, decision, and action phases, capitalizing on new insights to autonomously enhance business and IT operations through closed-loop feedback. In Automation 2.0, optimizations move beyond reactive to predictive and proactive. With an end-to-end view of data across business and IT, AI-powered automation can anticipate fluctuations and help avoid overreacting. For example, by combining structured and unstructured properties of historical change and incident records from enterprise IT, linkages can be extracted between change-incidents to create empirical evidence as new inputs to a change risk model. As new changes are rolled out by IT, real-time proactive alerts can be issued based on predictions that illustrate why these changes are high-risk based on past evidence. Gartner Market Guide for AIOps platforms declares this proactive style of risk management as the most sophisticated stage of automationRead about the importance of speed of automation in the complete blog here.

Interested to leverage AI-powered automation for reducing the amount of time spent on manual processes by 80% and decrease customer wait times by half? Read about IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation here.



 IBM Client Story: Banco Popular

 IBM Solution Brief: Brownells, Inc.
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Rigoberto Lopez had struggled with mental illness since he was a teenager. But what his relatives described as typical, rebellious adolescent behavior escalated as he got older. After turning 18, he left home, bouncing between relatives homes before entering New York Citys shelter system in May 2019. Then, as his drug addiction worsened, he started getting in trouble, his brother told The New York Times.

Within a few months, Lopez attacked his father with a stick after the man refused to give him money, then showed up at work to threaten him, according to news reports based on police accounts. Weeks later, he punched an officer in the face and spent four months in jail until his father paid bail in March 2020, just as the city went into lockdown. In the fall, Lopez was again arrested in Washington Heights with 48 bags of cocaine and a knife, after which a judge placed him under court-ordered supervision. During his string of arrests, he was taken to the hospital for psychiatric treatment, but each time was released after being held for a few days.

Lopez had skipped several court appearances and more than a dozen check-ins by February 12, when he went on a killing spree on the New York City subway. Over the course of 24 hours, Lopez stabbed two people to death on the A-line and seriously injured two others at the 181st Street Station before police apprehended him covered in blood with the murder weapon.

I want people to know, were going to do whatever the hell it takes to keep subways safe, said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who dispatched 500 additional police officers to patrol the transit system.

Despite the influx of officers and the MTAs still-depressed ridership, subway assaults have continued to rise, reaching a 23-year high in the first quarter of 2021. Within a few hours on one day in May, a 60-year-old woman was stabbed on the No. 3 line, another was hit in the face with a skateboard and a man was slashed with a knife.

As the number of vaccinated New Yorkers climbs and the streets and subways fill with crowds again, the city is only beginning to come to terms emotionally with the fallout from the pandemic. While the staggering death count of 33,000 and the 750,000 jobs lost in New York City are quantifiable, it is difficult to measure the effects on New Yorkers mental health. The pandemic upended lives through the isolation of lockdown and social distancing, unmet childcare needs, job loss, homelessness, or grief and anxiety over illness and death, leaving New Yorkers to deal with the repercussions. Americans across the country experienced similar hardships, but given its population density and status as the epicenter of the first major U.S. outbreak, New York has experienced an outsized share of the viruss psychic toll.

Everyone in New York has been affected by the pandemic, whether by financial insecurity, loss of loved ones, or uncertainty about the future, said Susan Herman, director of the Mayors Office of Community Mental Health, formerly the Office of ThriveNYC. Its going to take some time to fully understand the impact the pandemic has had on mental health.

However, the city hasnt yet met its pre-Covid goal of addressing the underlying mental health needs of its citizens, which the next administration will have to pick up in the context of an ongoing crisis.

In 2015, two years into his first term, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made mental health a signature priority when he announced the creation of ThriveNYC, a series of 54 initiatives with a budget of $850 million over four years. Helmed by the mayors wife Chirlane McCray, the initiative morphed into the Office of ThriveNYC in January 2019. This May, it was moved into City Hall and made permanent as the Mayors Office of Community Mental Health.

The pandemic was nothing if not a major stress test for Thrives various programs and the citys sprawling mental health infrastructure. The vast majority of people with mental illness are not prone to violence; the recent spate of subway attacks are only the most visible example of the Citys unmet needs. Most of the suffering caused by COVID-19 has occurred out of public view.

At the height of the lockdown in May 2020, more than one-third of state residents reported experiencing depression and anxiety because of the pandemic, according to the New York State Health Foundation. 70% of New Yorkers reported an increase in anxiety and stress between May and June. Calls to the citys mental health hotline, NYC Well, jumped from 5,000 per week in 2019 to 6,000 per week in 2020.

These numbers reflect the traumatic experiences of the pandemic and its economic fallout. Unemployment jumped from just above 4% before COVID-19 hit to a high of 20% in June 2020. The number of shootings doubled in the city last year, while homicides jumped 45%. Homelessness among single adults grew by 10%, reaching a record high of 20,822 per night in February, according to the Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit advocacy organization. Around 4,200 of the citys children lost a parent, and 325,000 more kids were pushed into poverty. As with nearly every other index of well-being, people of color and the poor suffered disproportionately, with 45% of white New Yorkers reporting income loss compared with 67% and 68% of Latino and Black residents, respectively.

Above all, COVID-19 exacerbated existing mental health inequalities. Those who lost jobs often lost insurance as well, leading to a dropoff in care; Zoom calls replaced in-person psychiatric visits; poor and homeless New Yorkers, who may lack consistent access to mobile phones and the Internet, lost contact with providers.

Quite simply, we do not have mental health services available at a time when people are experiencing anxiety and depression at levels never experienced before, said Matthew Shapiro, associate director of public affairs for New York at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

When ThriveNYC launched in November 2015, one of its primary goals was to change the culture around mental health. Public policy generally focuses on those in crisis, such as people who may harm themselves or others.

Gary Belkin, deputy health commissioner for New York City and chief of ThriveNYC from 2014 until 2018, said the initiative was intended to break past this narrow focus. Only reaching the guy sleeping in the subway or woman screaming on the street corner leaves you stuck chasing crises, Belkin said. There is far more burden of disease in depressed mothers and suicidal kids and unemployed workers and distressed and traumatized neighborhoods than in people with schizophrenia.

For Belkin, addressing mental health fully meant going beyond the traditional network of delivery, such as hospitals and clinics, to partner with community-based organizations, and connecting the efforts of an array of city agencies whose primary functions may not be related to mental health. Mental illness, he noted, is not only a health care problem but an education problem, a police problem, a youth problem.

ThriveNYCs original launch plan, developed with the input of 200 organizations and backed by a scientific advisory group, listed six areas of focus, which included intervening early on mental health problems before they escalate, better coordinating the efforts of government agencies and nonprofits and using data to help close treatment gaps. Housed in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the program included 54 initiatives  23 of them new, the rest existing programs  that ThriveNYC would support and oversee.

We want New York City to be a place where people can live their lives to the fullest, McCray said at the programs launch. ThriveNYC is about more services, better services and easier access to services.

The plans marquee directives included a public-awareness campaign to decrease stigma and the creation of NYC Well, a mental health hotline, a year later. ThriveNYC also pledged to hire 400 clinicians to deploy in high-needs communities, bring 100 mental health consultants into public schools to better respond to students needs, and train 250,000 New Yorkers in mental health first aid.

In its first year, ThriveNYC directed $44 million  $35 million less than what was earmarked  across more than 15 city agencies, including $3.9 million on media. McCray went on a national publicity tour that included speaking with congressional leaders.

Nearly as soon as it launched, ThriveNYC attracted criticism from some experts who said it should focus on serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and more severe forms of bipolar disorder and major depression.

The mayor dedicated over $2 million to an ad campaign trying to get people who have anxiety, depression or need someone to talk to to call a referral line, D.J. Jaffe, former executive director of the Mental Health Policy Org., wrote in the Daily News six months after ThriveNYCs launch. The ads don't ask those who are psychotic, delusional, and eating out of dumpsters to call.

Manhattan Institute fellow Stephen Eide argues that for those with serious mental illness, social anxiety about seeking treatment is often less of an impediment to care than the symptoms of the illness itself. There are many reasons why people dont get access to quality care and stigma is relatively low down on that list when talking about seriously mentally ill people, Eide said.

Statistics show that many of those with serious mental illness in New York City are not receiving care. While 87% of those eligible for the states Health and Recovery Plans  New Yorks Medicaid plan for those with significant behavioral health needs  are enrolled, only about 3% accessed care in the last year. According to Jaffes organization, between 19% and 24% of ThriveNYCs 2020 budget focused on those with serious mental illness.

Another frequent criticism of ThriveNYC, especially in the New York Post, was that the first lady, an unelected official, was handed the position through nepotism to raise her public profile. McCray does not have a background in mental health policy and has spent most of her career in communications. She has said in interviews that her own familys struggles with mental illness inspired her to take on ThriveNYC.

In the first few years of ThriveNYCs existence, McCray rolled out a series of initiatives including the Mental Health Service Corps, which dispatches clinicians to high-need communities; Sisters Thrive, which trains African American girls in psychiatric first aid; and a program to distribute kits of naloxone and buprenorphine to social-service agencies in case of an opioid overdose.

As McCray spoke about her signature program at conferences and events, her political aspirations became controversial. In March 2018, McCray told news outlets that she was considering a run for office. That same month, she appointed Alexis Confer, who helped create the mayor's universal pre-K program, as ThriveNYCs first executive director. Less than a year later, de Blasio created the Office of ThriveNYC and put Herman, former deputy commissioner of collaborative policing at the New York City Police Department, in charge.

In March 2019, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who is currently running for mayor, expressed concern over ThriveNYCs lack of metrics and opaque finances. He sent a letter to Herman asking for better accounting of the programs spending, which is spread across city agencies, and proof of its initiatives efficacy.

We are having trouble looking at what Thrive is, Stringer wrote. One of the basic questions we are trying to figure out is, what is Thrive?

Stringer noted that almost half of the 54 programs had disappeared from ThriveNYCs most recent budget, and asked for an accounting of the number of people it had reached and helped.

At a City Council oversight hearing the next month, McCray distanced herself from the programs day-to-day operations, saying her role is to take its message to the public rather than execute its goals. She deflected questions about ThriveNYCs budget and outcomes to its incoming chair, Herman. In a letter, Herman told Stringer ThriveNYC was not yet affecting a citywide metric on mental health because it was too early in the program.

Under pressure, the Office of ThriveNYC released 472 metrics related to the success of its various programs, but few metrics on patient outcomes. Some initiatives struggled to attract and retain staff. The Mental Health Service Corps, for example, had only been able to fill 263 of the allocated 395 slots for clinicians to conduct outreach to needy communities.

Calls for reform became even louder after a string of violent incidents perpetrated by those with serious mental illness, including the bludgeoning death of four people in Chinatown by a man with 14 prior arrests in October 2019.

Under Hermans leadership over the next year, ThriveNYC underwent a major overhaul. Herman streamlined the programs six areas of focus to four  improving prevention and response, reaching youth, eliminating barriers to care and promoting mental health for those with serious illness  and cut its number of initiatives from 54 to 31. Working with CUNYs Institute of State and Local Governance, she released nearly 100 metrics to measure the efficacy of ThriveNYCs dozens of initiatives, publishing the data on the organization's website and pledging to update it regularly.

Thrive was in the midst of a reorganization when the pandemic hit. In April, the initiative dispensed with its name altogether, becoming the Mayors Office of Community Mental Health, a permanent organization at City Hall.

According to Belkin, the initiatives expansive, innovative vision was winnowed down under political pressure to focus again on the most severely afflicted, rather than serving as a hub connecting efforts across city government and embedding mental health resources in the community. When faced with criticism, instead of doubling down on Thrives vision and being more transparent and aggressive, the administration really ran away from the core part of the vision, Belkin said.

Herman takes issue with this characterization. Thrive, from the very beginning, has been about mental health for all New Yorkers. That is the ambitious vision that still informs our work, she said. To us, that has always meant that we reach people who might otherwise go without care  reaching everyone with need is what it means to serve all New Yorkers, in all neighborhoods, and at all levels of need.

Among the key ThriveNYC programs that were jettisoned or scaled back was the beleaguered Mental Health Service Corps; the Maternal Collaborative, which focused on outreach to new mothers; and its collaboration with CUNY to measure its outcomes.

Along with Herman, Belkin bristles at the notion that ThriveNYC did not do enough to address serious mental illness. A huge proportion of Thrive funding was specifically for what people often mean when they are talking about seriously mentally ill, he said, citing Thrives 24-hour mobile crisis teams and investments in supportive housing.

Advocates for mental health say the city needs to dedicate more resources to addressing the issue in the wake of the pandemic. A lot of people are experiencing anxiety or depression at levels never experienced before and seeking out mental health services in a way they havent before, Shapiro said. Community providers have been underfunded for a long time. Theres not enough of a workforce available and that really got exposed during the past year.

Activists also want more money to replace hundreds of inpatient psychiatric beds that hospitals diverted to help address the needs of COVID-19 patients, increase services in schools for children who have been traumatized by the pandemic and expanded diversion programs to take responding to acute crises out of the hands of police.

Last year, the state government mandated that 30% of hospital beds be left vacant in case of surges in coronavirus cases. When the pandemic hit last spring, New York state appropriated around 400 hospital slots for COVID-19 needs, including 100 in New York City.

Many hospitals disproportionately targeted detox and psychiatric beds to meet that mandate, Shapiro said. Even after the mandate is lifted, those beds arent coming back. Psychiatric and detox services are among the most costly for hospitals. State regulators say they dont expect any of those psychiatric beds to be permanently eliminated. Advocates counter that private hospitals were already reducing their in-patient psychiatric treatment capacity.

Absent a joint effort with New York state, the city is limited in its ability to reach those with the most serious forms of mental illness, said Giselle Routhier, policy director at the Coalition for the Homeless. (ThriveNYC) has been able to chip away around the edges by providing a central phone resource for people to call, increasing its funding for street-medicine teams and expanding the citys clubhouse services  community centers where those with mental illness can access an array of resources, she said. Those are all things that are helpful, but they dont substitute for a broader fixing of the system, where we need adequate inpatient beds and outpatient services without having to jump through a bunch of bureaucratic hoops.

Juvenile mental health advocates say schools need not just social workers who can refer students to outside services, but in-school professionals who can provide them directly.

This is a really great time to do things differently and not operate how schools have been before the pandemic, where thousands of students a year in emotional crisis face NYPD law-enforcement interventions instead of mental or behavioral health professionals, said Dawn Yuster, director of the School Justice Project at Advocates for Children of New York. We need not just more social workers, but behavioral specialists who are clinically trained.

The ultimate fate of ThriveNYC and the citys mental health infrastructure lies in the hands of the next mayor. De Blasio is term-limited and the Republican candidates running to replace him have demanded an investigation into the programs spending and efficacy. Democratic candidates have praised the intentions behind ThriveNYC, but criticized their execution. While some plan to keep or expand some of its initiatives, the ThriveNYC branding will likely be retired.

Andrew Yang, one of the top contenders in the mayoral race, proposes to increase the number of social workers and mental health professionals in schools, create rapid-response services for crises currently handled by police and expand psychiatric care support for COVID-19 long-haulers and medical providers who have been traumatized by the pandemic.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams plan, on the other hand, pledges to focus on those with serious mental illness, including building 15,000 supportive housing units over the next 10 years. Our primary focus must be on supporting individuals with severe mental health challenges, Adams said in a statement. My administration will increase the number of inpatient psychiatric beds. Adams also promised to invest in crisis stabilization centers for those whose acute crises do not require a hospital stay.

Stringer and nonprofit executive Dianne Morales plan to do away with the concept of ThriveNYC entirely. "Mental health must be at the center of our COVID-19 recovery, and as mayor, I'll make that happen by replacing ThriveNYC with a true, world-class mental health care system, Stringer told City & State.

Morales, who like Stringer has pledged to keep ThriveNYCs NYC Well hotline but move it into the Department of Social Services, said the fallout from the pandemic showed that ThriveNYC failed to address the root causes of mental illness, which she identified as poverty, homelessness, employment insecurity and policing.

In the middle of the pandemic, we had an increase in homelessness and safety issues, she said in an interview. All these things were linked. We need to acknowledge the complex and comprehensive solutions to address these issues. For too long, weve taken a siloed approach to addressing mental health.

Like Yang, former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcias plan includes addressing the impact of the pandemic on school children and intervening in mental health crises  whether in schools or on the streets  before police involvement is required. She plans to expand the number of psychiatric beds available in New York City and promote telehealth to improve access. The Garcia campaign has said it would invest in existing mobile-crisis teams and ensure mental health professionals respond to 911 crises alongside police.

Noting that ThriveNYC was a good idea badly implemented, former de Blasio administration counsel Maya Wiley pledged to keep some of its programs while doing away with the name.

We dont want to scrap what works as punishment for a new label that got tarnished by the current administrations branding, she said. It is not enough to have good ideas. They must be effectively implemented. That requires innovation and partnerships inside and outside of government and transparency and accountability so we celebrate what works and fix what doesnt.

Herman, ThriveNYCs former director and now head of the Mayors Office of Community Mental Health, said the idea behind ThriveNYC was not to try to replicate or create an alternative mental health care system, but to fill gaps in the system. The organization, she noted, has made many of the investments critics and the mayoral candidates want. She defended the program from those who say it either focuses too little on those with serious mental illness or has abandoned its broad scope in the face of political pressure.

Both in response to feedback and in response to our desire to do more in many areas, we have done significant work for people with serious mental illness, Herman said.

In addition to expanding mental health mobile crisis teams, in February ThriveNYC launched a pilot program in Harlem and East Harlem that dispatches psychiatric care workers and EMTs, rather than police, to mental health crises. Herman noted that ThriveNYC has added to the citys Health Engagement Assessment Teams, which follow up with those with frequent 911 contact, and invested in the existing clubhouse system.

Its very important to serve people and think about the entire lifespan, from birth to old age, and to think about prevention as well as crisis response, Herman said. The Mayor's Office of Community Mental Health promotes mental health for all New Yorkers  in every community, at every level of need, and at every stage of life. It's not a question of either/or  we need all of the above.

Whatever the next mayor makes of the Mayors Office of Community Mental Health, the work of expanding the citys services to meet all New Yorkers needs has only just begun. McCray, however, has abandoned talk of any run for political office.

Correction: Subway assault statistics do not specify whether the perpetrators were mentally ill.
As New York City progressives urge consolidation around Maya Wiley in the Democratic mayoral primary, a new poll from progressive think tank Data for Progress shows her in second place in the race, trailing just Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

The poll shared exclusively with City & State shows Adams in first place, as 26% of likely Democratic primary voters top choice, Maya Wiley, former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, in second, with 20%, Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, in third with 16% and Kathryn Garcia, the former New York City sanitation commissioner, in fourth with 14%. All other candidates are in the single digits. The text message poll of 998 likely voters was conducted between June 7-13. That followed a period when prominent progressive elected officials and organizations lined up behind Wiley alone. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman and state Sen. Julia Salazar all endorsed Wiley between June 4-5, and on June 4 the New York Working Families Party said Wiley would be the only mayoral candidate it would be supporting.

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer lost major endorsements and support in the polls following accusations of sexual misconduct in 2001 and 1992, and former nonprofit executive Dianne Morales lost endorsements and grassroots support following complaints about working conditions on her campaign that led to a labor dispute and the firing of more than 50 campaign staffers. That has left Wiley as the last progressive standing, hoping to garner some of the energy that helped elect de Blasio in 2013 and has flipped so many legislative seats from moderate Democratic incumbents to more progressive newcomers in the last few years.

Data for Progress is actively rooting for Wiley and against Adams, who is more conservative. After a volatile race for Mayor, Data for Progress polling shows that the race has narrowed and that Maya Wiley remains the only viable progressive who can win this race, Data for Progress Political Director Marcela Mulholland said in a statement emailed to City & State. In close second, Wiley has a window of opportunity to bring together a winning coalition ahead of next Tuesday  and block Eric Adams, a veritable Republican whos looking out for the NYPD and corporate interests instead of working New Yorkers, from becoming Mayor.

Data for Progress had previously polled the mayors race between March 21-April 5, when it found Yang in first place as 26% of likely Democratic voters first choice, Adams in second with 13%, Stringer in third with 11% and Wiley in fourth with 10%.

With support from many major labor unions and elected officials and a massive campaign warchest buoyed by outside spending from super PACs, nearly every public poll of the mayoral race in the last six weeks has shown Adams leading. A WNBC/Telemundo 47/POLITICO/Marist Poll conducted from June 3-9 also released Monday showed Adams with a comfortable lead. Insiders were eagerly awaiting a poll from the trusted Marist Institute for Public Opinion, since many of high-profile pollsters have stayed away from the mayoral race, thinking it would be difficult to accurately poll the first citywide use of ranked-choice voting in New York. The Marist poll found Adams in first, as 24% of likely Democratic voters top choice, Garcia in second with 17%, Wiley in third with 15% and Yang in fourth, with 13%. All other candidates were in the single digits, and 13% of voters are still undecided ahead of election day on June 22.

Data for Progress also polled the comptroller race, finding New York Council Speaker Corey Johnson and City Council Member Brad Lander tied for first place, as 23% of likely Democratic voters top choice. However Johnson outperformed Lander when voters were asked for their second and third choices. Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former financial journalist, was in a distant third with 10% of voters top choices, and every other candidate was in single digits  but 29% of voters were undecided. Public polling in the comptroller race has been limited, but this poll would be the best result for Lander by far. Lander has positioned himself as the most progressive candidate in the race. He has consolidated support on the left and has been running TV ads touting support from Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Willians and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Data for Progress is also releasing a text message and web poll of 642 likely Democratic voters in Manhattan, asking who they would vote for in the race for Manhattan district attorney, which will not use ranked-choice. Alvin Bragg, former chief deputy state attorney general and Tali Farhadian Weinstein, former general counsel to the Brooklyn district attorney, were tied for first with 26% each. Some 21% of voters were undecided and every other candidate was in single digits.

Farhadian Weinstein is running on a much more moderate platform than some of her competitors, including Bragg. Progressive activists including former state attorney general candidate Zephyr Teachout and former Manhattan district attorney candidate Janos Marton have urged Manhattanites who support progressive criminal justice reform to consolidate behind Bragg, though supporters of other progressive candidates in the field like civil rights attorney Tahnie Aboushi have pushed back. But just about every one of Farhadian Weinsteins opponents criticized her this past weekend after campaign finance filings revealed that she has donated $8.2 million of her own money to her campaign in the span of just two weeks. That massive sum was more than any other candidate had raised for the race in total. And Data for Progress is openly advocating against Farhadian Weinstein. Tali Farhadian Weinstein poured $8 million dollars of her own coin into her campaign for DA  and still is only tied, DFP Executive Director Sean McElwee wrote in an emailed statement. Its clear that progressives have an obligation to consolidate and block Weinsteins Bloomberg-esque run for Manhattan DA and back Alvin Bragg, the only progressive positioned to beat Weinstein.
For an elected office thats often described as largely powerless, there sure are a lot of people lining up to run for borough president. New York City will have six borough president primaries this month  a Democratic primary in each of the five boroughs, plus a Republican primary in Staten Island. Only Queens Borough President Donovan Richards is running as an incumbent, as each of the other borough presidents is term-limited. One term-limited borough presidents promising mayoral run is a good indication of the self-promoting role the borough presidency sometimes serves, even if it is a mostly ceremonial position that controls a tiny fraction of the citys budget and wields some influence over land use proposals. As City & State wrote last year, the real power of the borough presidency lies in its bully pulpit.

But that bully pulpit can be influential, and this years candidates hope to use it promote their boroughs needs  be it equitable health care access or a lack of affordable housing. While the citys Democratic mayoral primary may be dominating the election conversation, the borough president primaries cant be ignored.

Bronx

Democratic primary

Incumbent: Ruben Diaz Jr., who is term-limited

Candidates: City Council Member Fernando Cabrera, Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez, City Council Member Vanessa Gibson, state Sen. Luis Sepulveda and retired NYPD Lt. Samuel Ravelo.

Public and private fundraising total:Cabrera: $1,217,996*, Gibson: $777,756*, Fernandez: $516,262*, Sepulveda: $295,520 *, Ravelo: $259,452*

* indicates receipt of public matching funds

Key endorsements: The Northwest Bronx Democrats endorsed Cabrera and the New York City Police Benevolent Association ranked Cabrera first in ranked-choice voting;state Sens. Gustavo Rivera and Julia Salazar and Transport Workers Union Local 100 have endorsed Fernandez;Rep. Ritchie Torres and the United Federation of Teachers have endorsed Gibson; andthe Police Benevolent Association ranked Ravelo as its second choice.

The story: The end of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.s term  and retirement from politics  could pave the way for the borough to get its first female borough president (Council Member Vanessa Gibson or Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez). First on the ballot of the five-person race is Fernando Cabrera, the socially conservative, longtime Bronx council member, who has occupied the establishment lane of the race and far outraised his opponents. But Gibson and Fernandez have built their own momentum, with the former piling up union endorsements and the latter winning the support of progressive state lawmakers. A poll by Benenson Strategy Group suggests the four Latino candidates may splinter Latino voters, opening a lane for Gibson, the only non-Latino candidate. The poll in question had Gibson in the lead and Fernandez in second, though ranked choice voting makes this years primaries hard to predict.

Brooklyn

Democratic primary

Incumbent: Eric Adams, who is term-limited and running for mayor of New York City

Candidates: City Council Members Robert Cornegy Jr., Antonio Reynoso and Mathieu Eugene; Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, former hospital executive Khari Edwards, Democratic State Committee person Anthony T. Jones, the Rev. Kimberly Council, District Council 37 Local 205 Daycare Workers Union President Robert Ramos, public school teacher Robert Elstein, Community Board 17 member Pearlene Fields, Bishop Lamor Miller Whitehead, housing advocate Trisha Ocona.

Public and private fundraising total: Simon: $1,506,484*, Cornegy: $1,424,381*, Reynoso: $1,283,995*, Edwards: $822,944*, Council: $544,871*, Miller-Whitehead: $240,742, Eugene: $60,643, Jones: $55,003, Ocona: $28,663, Elstein: $6,282, Ramos: $5,938, Fields: $4,236

* indicates receipt of public matching funds

Key endorsements: Former Brooklyn Democratic Party chair Frank Seddio and the TWU Local 100 have endorsed Cornegy; Rep. Nydia Velazquez and the Working Families Party have endorsed Reynoso;Rep. Jerry Nadler and the UFT have endorsed Simon; Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel and District Council 37 have endorsed Edwards;Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd, has endorsed Miller-Whitehead; and political action committee Democracy for America has endorsed Ramos.

The story: A dozen candidates are on the ballot to replace Eric Adams, and its no wonder why. The office commonly thought of as a political stepping stone seems to have served mayoral front-runner Adams pretty well. The Brooklyn Democratic Party has not officially endorsed in the race, though Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. has won support from a handful of district leaders and several local Democratic clubs. The other elected officials in the race largely comprise the top tier candidates, though Khari Edwards and Kim Council each post impressive fundraising numbers. In the Benenson Groups poll of the borough, however, Cornegy and progressive Council Member Antonio Reynoso finished neck and neck, followed by longtime Brooklyn political fixture Jo Anne Simon in third.

Manhattan

Democratic primary

Incumbent: Gale Brewer, who is term-limited and running for City Council in District 6

Candidates: Former state deputy secretary for Economic Development and Housing Lindsey Boylan, former Community Board 7 Chair Elizabeth Caputo, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, Council Member Ben Kallos, Council Member Mark Levine, Community Education Council 3 President Kimberly Watkins and Guillermo A. Perez.

Public and private fundraising total: Levine: $1,790,349*, Hoylman: $1,752,060*, Kallos: $1,675,343*, Caputo: $727,514*, Boylan: $663,808*, Watkins: $40,025

* indicates receipt of public matching funds

Key endorsements: Manhattan Democratic Party Chair Keith Wright and the UFT have endorsed Hoylman; Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Communications Workers of America Locals 1101, 1102, 1106 and 1109 have endorsed Kallos; Rep. Adriano Espaillat and 32BJ SEIU have endorsed Levine; and the Grand Street Democrats have endorsed Boylan.

The story: The race to replace the popular sitting Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer has become a fierce one, with Mark Levine and Ben Kallos  City Council colleagues  and state Sen. Brad Hoylman each raising upwards of $1.5 million for the seat. That trio has accumulated the bulk of influential endorsements and as a result, makes up the top tier of the race; Levine has been called a front-runner for beep since 2019, and his profile has only grown during the COVID-19 pandemic as chair of the councils health committee. Still, the non-lawmaker candidates can also boast impressive fundraising numbers and decent name recognition. Former government official Lindsey Boylan was the first to accuse Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment late last year and has become a de facto leader of Albanys reckoning on the issue.

Queens

Democratic primary

Incumbent: Donovan Richards, first elected in a special election in 2020 and running for reelection

Candidates: Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, former City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer

Public and private fundraising total: Crowley: $1,224,556*, Van Bramer: $1,044,241*, Richards: $744,082*

* indicates receipt of public matching funds

Key endorsements: Rep. Greg Meeks and the UFT have endorsed Richards; TWU Local 100 has endorsed Crowley; and state Sen. Jessica Ramos and mayoral candidate Dianne Morales have endorsed Van Bramer.

The story: Queens Borough President Donovan Richards heads into his reelection race with the incumbents advantage, even if hes only been at borough hall for less than a year. Carrying a slate of labor endorsements and the backing of much of the Queens Democratic establishment, Richards faces a rematch from Elizabeth Crowley, who lost to him by 7 percentage points in the 2020 primary. Crowley goes into this rematch with the largest campaign warchest, while Van Bramer carries the support of Queens progressives.

Staten Island

Republican primary

Incumbent: James Oddo, who is term-limited

Candidates: Council Member Steven Matteo, former Community Board 1 Chair Leticia Remauro, business owner Jhong Uhk Kim and former Rep. Vito Fossella.

Public and private fundraising total: Matteo: $838,421*, Remauro: $572,688*, Kim: $80,000, Fossella: $59,460

* indicates receipt of public matching funds

Key endorsements: The Staten Island Republican Party and Assembly Member Michael Reilly have endorsed Matteo; and former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik and the New York League of Conservation Voters have endorsed Remauro.

The story: Staten Island, the only borough with a Republican beep, is also the only borough to have a Republican primary this year. Four people are on the ballot to replace James Oddo, but it may be Council Member Steven Matteo's race to lose, having won the support of the Staten Island GOP and maintained a sizable fundraising lead. Leticia Remauro, however, has raised nearly half a million dollars and is also running on the Conservative Party line, meaning shell still have a shot at the seat in November even if she loses the Republican primary. Former Congress member and City Council Member Vito Fossella, a late entry to the race, hasnt made much of a mark on the campaign trail and is out-fundraised by political newcomer Jhong Uhk Kim.

Democratic primary

Candidates: Attorney Cesar Vargas, labor leader Radhakrishna Mohan, real estate developer Mark Murphy, activist and business owner Lorie Honor and Brandon Stradford, community liaison to City Council Member Debi Rose.

Public and private fundraising total: Honor: $433,460*, Murphy: $414,041*, Mohan: $175,889*, Vargas: $129,227*, Stradford: $119,450*

* indicates receipt of public matching funds

Key endorsements: Stonewall Democrats and New York Immigration Coalition have endorsed Vargas; the Staten Island Democratic Party has endorsed Murphy; Rep. Carolyn Maloney and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club have endorsed Honor; and Tenants Political Action Committee has endorsed Stradford.

The story: Democrats face somewhat long odds to win a borough-wide race in Staten Island, but that hasnt stopped a slate of borough president hopefuls from lining up to try this year. The last Democratic borough president, Ralph Lamberti, left office in 1989. Mark Murphy, son of the late former Rep. John Murphy, is running with the backing of the Staten Island Democratic Party, though Lorie Honor has pulled in more money and impressive endorsements of her own.
Year after year, mental health remains one of New York Citys biggest policy challenges, as lawmakers, mental health advocates and clinicians work on measures to reduce the stigma around mental illness, increase access to affordable services and reimagine how the criminal justice system responds to individuals with a mental health condition. In the past year, COVID-19 has only intensified these discussions as pandemic-related depression, anxiety, isolation, drug use and job loss increased the need for access to mental health services. City & States inaugural Mental Health Power 50 list  researched and written in partnership with journalist Cassandra Brooklyn  recognizes some of the most influential public officials, academics, health care professionals, advocates and activists who are making a difference in the lives of people living with mental illness.

1. Ann Marie T. Sullivan

Commissioner, New York State Office of Mental Health

Commissioner_Ann_Sullivan.png Alt Text: Dr. Ann Marie Sullivan

As the states chief public official on mental health, Ann Marie Sullivan oversees more than 4,500 local government and nonprofit programs serving over 700,000 individuals each year. Sullivan has continued to transition statewide services toward a community-based mental health model. Her office also launched the New York Project Hope Emotional Support Helpline in March 2020, which has handled more than 63,700 calls during the coronavirus pandemic.

2. Chirlane McCray & Susan Herman

New York City First Lady; Director, Mayors Office of Community Mental Health

Chirlane McCray - Demetrius Freeman_Mayoral Photography Office.jpg Alt Text: Chirlane McCray Title Text: Chirlane McCray Caption: Chirlane McCray Description: Chirlane McCray Image Credit: Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office

Susan Herman.jpg Alt Text: Susan Herman Title Text: Susan Herman Caption: Susan Herman Description: Susan Herman Image Credit: Michal Krinke

In addition to her role as first lady and one of her husbands closest advisers, Chirlane McCray chairs the Mayors Fund to Advance New York City and is credited with creating the Office of ThriveNYC, an effort to integrate and build out existing mental health and substance abuse services. The budget and effectiveness of the program have come under scrutiny, and the office is now led by Susan Herman, a former deputy commissioner at the New York City Police Department and the first person to serve as deputy commissioner of collaborative policing.

3. Aileen Gunther

Chair, State Assembly Committee on Mental Health

A former registered nurse with decades of experience in the field, Assembly Member Aileen Gunther recently sponsored legislation  signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November  to introduce a frontline workers care advisory council to develop recommendations addressing the mental health needs of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her role as chair of the Assembly Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee, she helped secure a deal raising the wages of professionals that provide direct care to New Yorkers with developmental disabilities and mobility limitations.

4. Paul Tonko

Member of Congress

Paul Tonko-Office of Congressman Paul D. Tonko.jpg Alt Text: Paul Tonko Title Text: Paul Tonko Caption: Paul Tonko Description: Paul Tonko Image Credit: Office of Congressman Paul D. Tonko

Now in his seventh term, Rep. Paul Tonko is pushing legislation to study how COVID-19 has impacted mental health, particularly among children and essential workers. He is currently fighting to bring $440 million in direct federal coronavirus aid to the municipalities he serves: Albany and Schenectady Counties and parts of Montgomery, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. He is also backing a federal bill to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for mental health programs from the current 50%-75% range to 90%.

5. Samra Brouk

Chair, State Senate Mental Health Committee

Samra Brouk-New York State Senate .jpg Alt Text: Samra Brouk Title Text: Samra Brouk Caption: Samra Brouk Description: Samra Brouk Image Credit: New York State Senate

During her first term as a state senator representing Monroe and Ontario counties, Sen. Samra Brouk (along with Assembly Member Harry Bronson) introduced Daniels Law, a piece of legislation that would change the protocol for 911 responses to mental health emergencies and substance abuse crises in order to minimize the role of law enforcement and the use of force. The law is named after Daniel Prude, a Black man whose encounter with Rochester police, while he was experiencing a mental health crisis, resulted in his death.

6. Farah Louis

Chair, New York City Council Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions

Farah Louis-Roman Vail Photography.jpeg Alt Text: Farah Louis Title Text: Farah Louis Caption: Farah Louis Description: Farah Louis Image Credit: Roman Vail Photography

Lifelong Brooklynite and activist Farah Louis has elevated the issue of mental health to the forefront of her reelection campaign, calling attention to the dearth of services in communities of color. Newly elected as chair of the New York City Councils Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions, Louis called Mayor Bill de Blasio to task in a recent budget hearing for not doing enough to combat the racial disparities in mental health care, the New York Post reports.

7. Amy Dorin

President and CEO, The Coalition for Behavioral Health

With demand for behavioral health services skyrocketing during the coronavirus pandemic, Amy Dorins organization  which serves 600,000 New Yorkers every year  is urging New York City and state to reimburse agencies for crisis-related costs incurred during the pandemic, and to provide incentive pay and counseling to direct care workers. A recent Coalition for Behavioral Health report showed that behavioral health agencies saw a 77% increase in demand for services while losing over $500,000 in revenue in the early months of the pandemic.

8. Glenn Liebman & Melissa Ramirez

CEO; Deputy Director, Mental Health Association in New York State

Glenn Liebman-Josh Crystal.JPG Alt Text: Glenn Liebman Title Text: Glenn Liebman Caption: Glenn Liebman Description: Glenn Liebman Image Credit: Josh Crystal

Melissa Ramirez-Timothy Raab_Northern Photo.jpg Alt Text: Melissa Ramirez Title Text: Melissa Ramirez Caption: Melissa Ramirez Description: Melissa Ramirez Image Credit: Timothy Raab/Northern Photo

Under the leadership of Glenn Liebman and Melissa Ramirez, the Mental Health Association in New York State has fought tirelessly to end the stigma against mental illness and to promote mental health and wellness across the state  with services including advocacy and policy work, public education and access to supportive services for individuals and families. The organization has called attention to the mental health pandemic that continues even as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

9. Wendy Burch & Matt Kudish

Executive Directors, NAMI New York State; NAMI-NYC Metro

Matt Kudish-Joshua Simpson_NAMI.jpg Alt Text: Matt Kudish Title Text: Matt Kudish Caption: Matt Kudish Description: Matt Kudish Image Credit: Joshua Simpson/NAMI

Matt Kudishs New York City branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is one of the citys leading organizations supporting families and individuals affected by mental illness. Under the guiding principle of families helping families, NAMI NYC-Metro has advocated for additional government resources to help New Yorkers struggling with the increased anxiety, depression, isolation and drug use associated with the coronavirus pandemic.. Kudishs counterpart at the state level is Wendy Burch, who oversees programs with the National Alliance on Mental Illness New York State and works with local affiliates around the state. She pushed to create a 988  as opposed to 911  hotline to call for suicide prevention and mental health crises.

10. Corey Johnson

Speaker, New York City Council

Corey Johnson - New York City Council.jpg Image Credit: New York City Council

When City Council Speaker Corey Johnson bowed out of the 2021 mayoral race in September, citing his ongoing battle with depression, he shared his personal struggle with mental health in order to encourage others to do the same. Too often mental health issues are shrouded in secrecy and stigmas, he said. Johnson, who entered the race for New York City comptroller in March, applauded the recent expansion of mental health services in city schools.

11. Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez

Commissioner, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports

Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez has served as commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports for over a decade. She oversees prevention, treatment and recovery services for an estimated 2.5 million New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, as well as providing training on opioid overdose prevention. The agency recently awarded a Nassau County nonprofit organization $208,554 for a mobile addiction treatment van.

12. Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez

Commissioner, New York City Department for the Aging

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Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez is in charge of an agency dedicated to preserving the quality of life, health and safety of approximately 1.64 million older adults living in New York City. Though the coronavirus pandemic initially shuttered the nearly 250 senior centers that Department for the Aging funds across the five boroughs, many pivoted to offer pick-up meal services and the distribution of crucial information about coronavirus safety, vaccine access and mental health services. Cortes-Vazquez recently stated that senior centers will follow city safety guidelines as they resume indoor programming starting June 14.

13. Harvey Rosenthal

CEO, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services

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The coronavirus pandemic has only increased the demand for mental health services, including supportive online programming. One of the organizations helping to meet this growing need is the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, which provides recovery-oriented, community-based health programs. Under the leadership of Harvey Rosenthal, the organization has launched a free webinar series providing courses on understanding isolation, healing through humor and counteracting burnout.

14. Donna Bradbury

Associate Commissioner, Office of Prevention and Health Initiatives, New York State Office of Mental Health

New York State Office of Mental Health Associate Commissioner Donna Bradbury now leads the newly created Office of Prevention and Health Initiatives after working in the agency's Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families since 2012. She previously worked at the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, first as a program specialist and then as coordinator of integrated community services. Her new office proposes policy and programs emphasizing primary and secondary prevention efforts for children, youth and adults and addresses social determinants of mental health.

15. Kimberly Williams

President and CEO, Vibrant Emotional Health

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After stepping into the role of president and CEO of Vibrant Emotional Health in 2017, Kimberly Williams expanded several programs that enabled the city to respond to the mental health needs of residents during the coronavirus pandemic. To meet the growing demand for services such as National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Disaster Distress Helpline and NYC Well  a mental health program serving over 300,000 New Yorkers annually  Williams oversaw her staffs transition to remote work in the midst of a crisis.

16. Kelly Clarke

Program Director, NYC Well, Vibrant Emotional Health

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Under the leadership of Kelly Clarke, NYC Wells 230 staff members transitioned to working remotely in the early weeks of the pandemic, continuing to provide New Yorkers with 24-hour support for mental and behavioral health. The program usually reaches between 1,000 and 1,200 people per day, but daily numbers shot up as New Yorkers sought help to cope with isolation, uncertainty, grief and economic hardship. In November, ThriveNYC announced that NYC Well staff members had responded to over 1 million calls, texts and chats since the helplines launch.

17. Tricia Hartnett

Interim Director of Operations, Suicide Prevention Center, New York State Office of Mental Health

Under the supervision of Tricia Hartnett, the Suicide Prevention Center of New York leverages 57 county coalitions across the state, combining clinical and public health approaches in school-based workshops to prevent suicide among youth and college students. The organization provides consultation to local and state agencies, professional organizations and school districts, training over 10,000 school personnel each year.

18. Myla Harrison

Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner, Mental Hygiene Division, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Myla Harrison was appointed to her current role in February after spending two decades at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she focused on improving the mental health of New Yorkers and the system that serves them. She is responsible for a budget of over $500 million, including programs and services that support New Yorkers living with mental illness, substance misuse and developmental disabilities, with a particular focus on eliminating racial inequities in mental health outcomes.

19. Linh An

Executive Director, Chinese-American Family Alliance for Mental Health

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As anti-Asian sentiment and violent crimes have increased across the city, state and country, the role of mental health providers serving Asian communities has never been more vital. Led by Linh An, the Chinese-American Family Alliance for Mental Health raises community awareness about mental illness and encourages mutual support among Chinese-Americans afflicted with mental illness and their caregivers. To better serve the community during the pandemic, the organization began offering online caregiver support classes in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

20. Amit Paley & Gina Munoz

CEO and Executive Director; Chair, The Trevor Project

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Since 1998, The Trevor Project has focused on preventing suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth. Amit Paley, who was named by the World Economic Forum as one of its Young Global Leaders in March, leads what is now the worlds largest suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ young people. In addition to operating a free, confidential hotline (the TrevorLifeline), the organization also provides training for counselors, administrators, school nurses and social workers. The organizations chair is Gina Munoz, an attorney as well as the director of provider information for the care management company at Montefiore Medical Center.

21. Ashwin Vasan

President and CEO, Fountain House

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Under Ashwin Vasans leadership, Fountain House has led social justice efforts including addressing how police respond to mental health emergencies, as well as advocating for increased funding and support for community-based public health, housing, and social programs for people living with mental illness and those at risk of developing it. As a result of the organizations advocacy efforts, the New York City Mayors Office recently announced funding initiatives to combat serious mental illness, including bolstering support for Fountain House and the coalition of programs it leads across the city.

Vasan is a member of City & States advisory board. He played no role in the ranking of this list.

22. Sebrina Barrett

Executive Director, Association for Community Living

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After joining Association for Community Living in May 2020, Sebrina Barrett has led the organization through a challenging year helping its members provide safe housing to 40,000 New Yorkers living with mental illness. The organization has been leading the Bring It Home coalition, joining mental health advocates, housing providers, faith leaders and others to fight for state funding for community-based housing for people with psychiatric disabilities  most recently through an e-letter writing campaign.

23. Liz Roberts

CEO, Safe Horizon

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Safe Horizon, which bills itself as the largest victim services agency in the country, guides individuals subjected to violence on a path to recovery. One key element of those efforts is its counseling center, which is licensed by New York state as a mental health clinic focusing on trauma-focused treatment for survivors of all ages. Liz Roberts, who has held various roles at the nonprofit over the past decade, took the reins on a permanent basis in February, succeeding Ariel Zwang.

24. Donna Colonna

CEO, Services for the UnderServed

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According to longtime leader of the nonprofit Services for the UnderServed, Donna Colonna, We dont empower people, we give people the tools to empower themselves. Colonnas organization serves New Yorkers struggling with mental illness, disabilities and homelessness, among other challenges, and has helped provide housing for vulnerable New Yorkers during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, she was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the administrations Medicaid Redesign Team II.

25. Mitchell Netburn

President and CEO, Samaritan Daytop Village

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Where Good Lives is the motto of Samaritan Daytop Village, which for over 60 years has been providing treatment services to veterans, seniors, homeless individuals and others who are struggling  reaching more than 33,000 people per year. Trained in law and biology, Mitchell Netburn previously led Project Renewal and served as first deputy commissioner at the New York City Department of Homeless Services, where he oversaw supportive programs for 23,000 homeless New Yorkers.

26. Ronald Richter

CEO, JCCA

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Under the leadership of Ronald Richter, JCCA (formerly known as the Jewish Child Care Association) launched a crisis fund during the coronavirus pandemic to support families in need with cash to pay for groceries, rent and other necessities, and worked with Jewish celebrities like Tiffany Haddish to offer virtual programming for children in the organizations residential and foster home programs. JCCA provides comprehensive care to thousands of children suffering from abuse, neglect, poverty and mental illness.

27. Bill Baccaglini

President and CEO, The New York Foundling

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Under Bill Baccaglinis leadership, The New York Foundling launched its School Based Mental Health Services initiative, partnering with public schools across New York City to ensure that at-risk students have access to mental health services and developing intervention plans for in-school counseling. Baccaglini previously spent more than two decades working in state government, helping create the state Office of Children and Family Services and leading initiatives to expand mental health services in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.

28. Gary Belkin

Visiting Scientist, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

A leading international expert on the design of comprehensive policies and public health approaches to mental health, Gary Belkin served as executive deputy commissioner at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where he played a key role in developing ThriveNYC and oversaw the strategic policy direction for various other programs. His recent co-authored article in The Lancet discusses the long-term mental health ramifications of COVID-19.

29. Amy Monahan

Area Director, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, New York City Chapter

Under the direction of Amy Monahan, the New York City Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has partnered with the New York Public Library to hold virtual presentations  including events in Spanish and events focusing on the LGBTQ community  that educate the public on suicide and suicide prevention. Perhaps the most well-known suicide prevention organization in the country, AFSP also raises money for research and supports those who have lost someone to suicide.

30. Alan Ross

Executive Director, The Samaritans of New York

Alan Ross is the longtime leader of The Samaritans of New York, having served as its executive director for the past three decades. The nonreligious community-based organization seeks to reduce suicide and provide assistance through a 24-hour suicide prevention hotline as well as educational and public awareness programs. The New York branch is part of a major network of hundreds of suicide prevention offices around the globe.

31. Nancy Harvey

CEO, Service Program for Older People

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Nancy Harvey, who joined Service Program for Older People over 30 years ago and became its CEO in 2014, oversees a range of behavioral health care services for older adults, including bereavement support and counseling for substance use disorders. The organization was founded in 1972 and describes itself as New York Citys only agency entirely dedicated to meeting the behavioral health needs of older adults. SPOP has been offering services for anyone over the age of 55 via telehealth throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

32. Michael Walrond Jr. & Lena Green

Senior Pastor; Executive Director, First Corinthian Baptist Church; The HOPE Center

In addition to serving as the spiritual leader of his congregation at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, Michael Walrond has been a vocal advocate for more mental health services during the coronavirus pandemic. Several years ago he worked with the church to create the HOPE Center in Harlem. Led by clinical social worker and psychotherapist Lena Green, the center strives to minimize the stigma associated with communities of color seeking mental health services, while also providing supportive programs for those navigating depression, trauma and grief.

33. Oren Frank & Roni Frank

Co-Founders, Talkspace

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Not everyone feels comfortable seeking mental health services in person and many people, particularly the un- and under-insured, have difficulty paying for traditional talk therapy. Enter Talkspace, a mobile app created by husband-and-wife team Oren and Roni Frank in an effort to make therapy more affordable and accessible. Licensed therapists are on-hand 24/7 through the app  meaning that someone experiencing a crisis at 2 a.m. can reach out immediately instead of waiting until normal business hours  and the company has partnered with several major insurance companies.

34. Tomer Ben-Kiki

Co-Founder and CEO, Happify

Entrepreneur Tomer Ben-Kiki had a suspicion that people could use brief moments of spare time to build skills leading to lasting happiness, so he did what tech entrepreneurs do best: he created an app. Centered around the science of happiness, also known as the field of positive psychology, the Happify app relies on techniques developed by experts in psychology, mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy to create activities and games that  according to users  can improve mood, motivation and confidence.

35. Jeffrey Lieberman

Director, New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University

Jeffrey Liebermans work  which also includes positions as chair of the psychiatry department at Columbia University and psychiatrist-in-chief at Columbia University Medical Center  has focused on advancing the understanding of psychotic disorders, leading to strategies for the early detection and prevention of schizophrenia. In addition to authoring or co-authoring over 600 scientific articles on mental illness, Lieberman has contributed to government policy and federal legislation to address mental health issues. He also delivered aTED Talk on stigma and mental illness.

36. Stephanie Le Melle

Director of Public Psychiatry Education, Columbia University Department of Psychiatry/New York State Psychiatric Institute

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Public psychiatry, sometimes referred to as community psychiatry, refers to the care of people with complex mental health needs who are typically underserved and receive their treatment in public and community organizational settings. Dr. Stephanie Le Melles program at Columbia University Medical Center is training the next generation of psychiatrists in using a trauma and social justice-informed approach to better serve communities that tend to get left behind  with many of its over 400 alumni holding leadership positions nationwide.

37. Jennifer Havens

Interim Chair, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone

Led by Jennifer Havens, NYU Langones Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry connects clinicians, researchers and educators to advance the treatment of mental health and developmental disorders in children. One of its signature programs, WonderLab, uses smartphone apps to help families, doctors and researchers identify common early childhood social-emotional developmental and behavioral issues including anxiety, sleep problems and hyperactivity. Havens is also director of child and adolescent behavioral health in the NYC Health+ Hospitals Office of Behavioral Health.

38. Michael Lindsey

Executive Director, NYU McSilver Institute

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A prominent scholar in generational poverty and adolescent mental health, Michael Lindsey oversees a team of researchers studying the root causes of poverty and working to develop policy-based solutions. Last year, the institute provided training and technical assistance to 70% of all New York state organizations that deliver mental health services  reaching over 23,000 people. Lindsey also leads a group of experts that support the Congressional Black Caucus Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health.

39. Debbie Pantin

President and CEO, Outreach

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What began as a small assessment and referral center in a former candy store in Queens evolved to provide a comprehensive array of treatment programs 40 years later. In addition to providing youth and family support services, Debbie Pantins Outreach is a pioneer in community-based adolescent residential programs that treat clients recovering from substance abuse. The organization also provides training for behavioral health professionals, boasting the largest Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor training program in New York state. Pantin is also the president of the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York State.

40. Loree Sutton

Former Commissioner, New York City Department of Veterans' Services

A retired U.S. Army general and former mayoral candidate, Loree Sutton earned a Bronze Star for her actions in combat during Operation Desert Storm and went on to serve as the founding commissioner of New York City's Department of Veterans' Services, an agency that during her tenure housed hundreds of homeless veterans and established veterans as a protected class under New York City human rights law. Sutton also played a key role in building out veterans-specific programs at nonprofit organizations like Fountain House.

41. Amanda Spray

Director, Steven A. Cohen Military Family Center at NYU Langone

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The stress and trauma of the coronavirus pandemic have been felt acutely by the front-line health care workers caring for not only themselves and their families, but also their entire city  and Amanda Spray is among the experts studying efforts to bolster the mental health resources available to them. Spray is director of an NYU Langone organization providing free mental health services to veterans who are struggling with unemployment and other difficulties, as well as to their family members.

42. Hawthorne Smith

Director, Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture

A project of Bellevue Hospital, since 1995 the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture has helped nearly 6,500 people from over 112 countries rebuild their lives. Hawthorne Smith, who has served as director of the program since 2019, is a professor in the psychiatry department at the NYU School of Medicine and also provides human rights consultations and other services for private legal firms and for the U.S. government.

43. Claire Green-Forde

Executive Director, National Association of Social Workers New York City Chapter

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As a self-proclaimed unapologetic social justice advocate, Claire Green-Forde has focused her career on the intersection of behavioral health, criminal justice, social disparities, trauma and human development. In her previous role as the director of Behavioral Health Services for the New York City Department of Probation, Green-Forde, a licensed clinical social worker, led a team of citywide clinicians and played a key role in building the departments Behavioral Health Division.

44. Ann-Marie Louison

Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer, Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services

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When Ann-Marie Louison joined CASES, the criminal justice organization strongly focused on mental health in 1999, it was to launch the award-winning Nathaniel Project. Over the following 16 years, she oversaw this alternative-to-incarceration program for adults with serious mental illness that have been convicted of felony crimes. Louison has served as chief strategic initiatives officer since 2017 and now manages the agencys response to criminal justice and health care reforms.

45. Susan Wiviott

CEO, The Bridge

Susan Wiviott became CEO of The Bridge in 2014 after more than two decades working in public service, and oversees the operation of over 40 programs for adults with mental illness in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Founded in 1954 and now a $65 million agency, every year The Bridge provides behavioral services and housing for 3,500 New Yorkers. This is what I would say about our clients: People dont see them," Wiviott told Vice in 2017.

46. Rosa Gil

Founder, President and CEO, Comunilife

Led by Rosa Gil, a former NYC Health + Hospitals chair, Comunilife focuses on providing housing and supportive services for at-risk or homeless Latino New Yorkers. Finding that many issues their clients faced began with an inability to secure safe and affordable housing, Comunilife launched transitional and permanent housing programs aimed at homeless adults living with mental illness, HIV and other chronic illnesses  including an 89-unit residence that opened in 2019 on the Woodhull Medical Center campus in Brooklyn.

47. Thelma Dye

Executive Director and Chief Executive Director, Northside Center

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Founded by pioneering psychologists who showed how racial inequality negatively affects childrens self-esteem, the Northside Center has provided distinguished behavioral health and education services for over 70 years. The organizations executive director since 1994, Thelma Dye has also worked as a clinical psychology consultant for schools and health care organizations. She oversees programs that serve over 1,500 children and their families annually in Harlem and the Bronx.

48. Christian Huygen

Executive Director, Rainbow Heights Club

Trained as a clinical psychologist with roots in San Franciscos LGBTQ community, Christian Huygen has run the Brooklyn-based organization providing support and advocacy programs for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people with mental illness since 2002. Through the organizations E/Quality Care Program, he has provided training at over 200 agencies, hospitals and clinics to help them effectively meet the needs of thousands of LGBTQ people in recovery.

49. Dior Vargas

Mental Health Activist

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Dior Vargasis an advocate and educator  and a self-described queer Latina feminist mental health activist  who has spent the past decade helping organizations, corporations, and universities understand and respond to the needs of people of color with mental illness. As a member of the health working group for the New York City Councils Young Women's Initiative, she focused on how the city could prioritize the needs of young women, and particularly young women of color. In 2019, she released a photo essay book titled The Color of My Mind: Mental Health Narratives from People of Color.

50. David Carlucci

Former Chair, State Senate Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities

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Serving in the state Senate between 2011 and 2020, David Carlucci focused on mental health care and substance abuse policy, including as chair of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee beginning in 2013 and as co-chair of a joint task force on opioid addiction and overdose prevention. Since he left office at the start of the year, he has continued to use his expertise as a consultant for organizations navigating local and state mental health care bureaucracy.

Corrections: An earlier version of this post incorrectly described the state's mental health helpline as text-based. An earlier version of this post also had an outdated title for Donna Bradbury and incorrectly stated that she oversees New York Project Hope, a state crisis hotline for coping with the coronavirus pandemic. An earlier version of this post also described the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture as a joint program of Bellevue Hospital and NYU. It's now solely a Bellevue program.
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This weekend, global leaders of the seven wealthy democratic nations known as the G-7the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UKmet for their annual summit, along with leaders from Australia, India, South Korea, and South Africa. Those who spent the past year heralding the transformation effect the pandemic might catalyze across the world may find themselves disappointed; much of the coverage emphasized a return to convention, with some modest markers of change. Pew surveys showed that, under the Biden presidency, public opinion has rebounded significantly in at least a dozen countries, including all of the six other countries included in the G-7; CNN reported sighs of relief. The US is back at the table, Biden said, and the group recycled the Biden campaign slogan in their infrastructure aid program, calling it Build Back Better for the World. Three subjects rose to the top of summit coverage: the groups pandemic response, commitments to climate action, and foreign policy toward China.

On Friday, the first day of the meetings, the group announced that it would donate one billion vaccine doses to other countries over the next year, a headlinegrabbing move that vows to add 870 million new doses to those already promised or funded since last Februarys summit. The International Monetary Fund and the World Health Organization both quickly responded to say the plan was not ambitious enough, the WHO suggesting that eleven billion doses would be necessary to end the pandemic. The United Nations echoed the sentiment, saying we need more.

On climate action, critics also noticed the groups disproportionate power in the world and felt that its action failed to match its influence. Though the Times called the G-7 climate action aggressive, the BBC reported that the group disappointed activists. Reversing some of the US stonewalling on climate that marked the status quo of the Trump era, the Group of Seven promised to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030; they agreed on the need to end the use of coal, but did not choose a deadline by which to do so. Recently, Mark Hertsgaard at The Nation (and executive director of Covering Climate Now, the media collaborative co-founded with CJR) wrote that most media coverage has focused on such emissions cuts, though a Paris Agreement promise to provide $100 billion to under-resourced countries has not been fulfilled; the pledge, Hertsgaard wrote, is equally important, though much less discussed, despite the truism that climate change is overwhelmingly caused by the rich but disproportionately punishes the poor.

ICYMI: Why Cant We Call it an Emergency?

The groups foreign policy toward China was less unified in message, and coverage waffled between highlighting consensuslike the groups collective condemnation of Chinas human rights abuses in Xinjiang and anti-democratic action in Hong Kongand emphasizing divisionslike many leaders hesitance to go as far as Biden had hoped. The Times wrote that the session had distinctly Cold War overtones  a reflection of the deepening sense that a declining Russia and rising China are forming their own adversarial bloc to challenge the West, adding that Bidens foreign policy doctrine is framed in terms of a struggle between dissonant, often unruly democracies and brutally efficient but repressive autocrats, a framing that some newsrooms acceptedespecially in pieces leading up to the summit. The president even submitted an Op-Ed to the Washington Post to promote his agenda, writing, Will the democratic alliances and institutions that shaped so much of the last century prove their capacity against modern-day threats and adversaries? I believe the answer is yes. For its part, China pushed back, saying through a spokesman at the London embassy, The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone.

After more than a year of domestic news coverage on global events that clearly acknowledged the interconnectedness of the world, the press in G-7 countriesmany of which now find their pandemic response on more solid footing than the rest of the worldwill struggle to balance the traditional framing of foreign policy news coverage against one of the epiphanies of the last year: things that happen over there also matter here. Climate action cannot be limited to domestic policies, or it will fail, both globally and domestically. The global vaccination effort cannot be limited to a small group of nations, or it will fail, too. Reporting for ones audience also requires situating such coverage in collective terms, because thats the nature of the world. The past year has shown the value of globally-minded reporting, and as the world shifts again, thats a value to maintain.

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Below, more on summit coverage:

The written record: For the AP, Ellen Knickmeyer detailed the flurry of work that interpreters, diplomats, and aides undergo to produce official memos amid presidential summits. In one-on-one meetings between world leaders, those in the room are responsible for keeping records of conversations that are eventually declassified. Because its in the dark spaces, its in the unlit spaces of government activity that abuses occur, or can occur, NYU professor Timothy Naftali told Knickmeyer.





For the AP, Ellen Knickmeyer detailed the flurry of work that interpreters, diplomats, and aides undergo to produce official memos amid presidential summits. In one-on-one meetings between world leaders, those in the room are responsible for keeping records of conversations that are eventually declassified. Because its in the dark spaces, its in the unlit spaces of government activity that abuses occur, or can occur, NYU professor Timothy Naftali told Knickmeyer. Protest, visualized: The Guardian published a photo essay documenting the protesters that gathered in response to the Cornwall summit in support of various causes: Pro-Palestine activists marched on Downing Streetwhich houses the offices and residence of the British Prime Ministerwhile surfers and paddle boarders took to the water to protest environmental degradation.

Other notable stories:

ICYMI: What the ephemerality of the Web means for your hyperlinks

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Lauren Harris is a freelance journalist. She writes CJR's weekly newsletter for the Journalism Crisis Project. Follow her on Twitter @LHarrisWrites.
A federal appellate court rejected a Texas trucking companys attempt to force a California state agency to pursue a $6,180 fine for workplace safety violations in a Texas court.

Bulkley & Associates filed suit twice to challenge the California Department of Industrial Relations jurisdiction over its business, which is headquartered in the Dallas suburb of Brashear, Texas. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals shot down the second lawsuit on Thursday, ruling that Texas courts did not have personal jurisdiction over the department.

Bulkley had argued that California has no jurisdiction over a company engaged in interstate commerce, even though its employee was injured while in California.

Bulkley is an employer whose only involvement in the state of California is through engagement in interstate commerce, specifically the delivery to and pickup up from customers certain freight originating in or to be delivered to another state, the company said in its pleadings. Therefore Bulkley is not subject to the legislative power of the state of California at least with regard to its work rules and employee safety.

The Department of Industrial Relations fined Buckley in 2015 after one of its drivers fell off a truck while picking up refrigerated goods at a customers facility in Salinas, California. The departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration division cited Bulkley for failing to report the accident, for failing to implement and illness and injury prevention program and for failing to provide proper footwear to the truck driver.

Bulkley filed and administrative appeal in California and lost. The company then filed a lawsuit in Hopkins County court in Texas. The company argued that Texas has jurisdiction because it is a resident of Texas and the California state law that authorizes judicial review of agency actions directs litigants to the county court where they reside.

The case was removed to federal district court, which ruled that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.

Bulkley filed a second lawsuit in Hopkins County after it received a letter from the California Department of Industrial Relations in September 2019 stating that it would pursue a judgment in California court if it did not pay the fine. The departments letter also threatened that it would inspect Bulkleys place of employment if it did not confirm that the workplace safety violations had been remedied.

Bulkley argued that California regulators had in effect handed jurisdiction over to Texas courts by giving notice that it plans to conduct an inspection at its place of employment, which is in Texas.

The department again removed the lawsuit to federal court. A district court judge again ruled that it had no jurisdiction and dismissed the case. Bulkley appealed to the 5th Circuit.

Bulkley noted in its pleadings that California state law instructs parties that challenge workplace safety citations to file suit in the county where they reside.

Perhaps the California Legislature did not provide alternative venue options because the Legislature never envisioned its agencies going so rogue as trying to regulate the work practices of non-resident employers, attorney Erwin Cain wrote on behalf of Bulkley.

Deputy State Attorney Nelson Richards countered that Bulkley had appealed the citation through Californias administrative process, so clearly was able to operate within California. While Texas law does give the states jurisdiction over out-of-state defendants who do business, in Texas, the state of California does not do business in Texas simply by sending a resident notice of a fine.

The 5th Circuit panel examined three prior cases where it examined the authority of Texas courts over government officials for other states. In two of those cases, the courts found a Texas real estate business company that did business in Florida, California and Arizona could not avail itself to Texas law to challenge the authority of regulators in the states where it did business.

In a case titled Defense Distributed v. Grewal, the 5th Circuit did find in August 2020 that a Texas company that that distributed materials relating to the 3D printing of firearms could sue in Texas court to challenge an order by the state attorney general in New Jersey to cease doing business nationwide.

The appellate panel said the Grewal precedent does not apply in Bulkleys case. Firstly, Cal-OSHA issued a citation for a violation that took place in California. Secondly, the laws mentioned in the letter to Bulkley are limited to persons and events within California.

About the photo: Trucks operated by Bulkley & Associates are shown in photograph posted on the companys website.
AN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Authorities said Friday they are investigating what sparked a fire at a key substation that plunged 900,000 customers into darkness across Puerto Rico, with thousands still without power.

Wayne Stensby, CEO of Luma Energy, which took over transmission and distribution this month for Puerto Ricos 1.5 million electricity customers, said he expects power to be fully restored by late Friday. He said officials dont know what caused a transformer to blow on Thursday evening in a secured area monitored by cameras.

We have not located the source of the fault, he said. Its clear that the electrical system here in Puerto Rico is very fragile.

Some 13,000 customers affected by the fire were still without power on Friday, including Gertrudis Calderon, who lives in a working-class neighborhood in the capital of San Juan. While the area has a solar-powered community center that was built after Hurricane Maria razed Puerto Ricos electrical grid in 2017, she worries about the elderly people in her neighborhood who are bedridden and dependent on oxygen or refrigerated insulin.

They have to pay attention to the infrastructure of less privileged communities because were sometimes the most affected, she said. We have to think of the elderly.

Luma was already struggling with thousands of outages that affected more than 1 million customers this month before the fire occurred. Some mayors declared states of emergency, saying the company told them it didnt have sufficient brigades to restore power quickly.

Many Puerto Ricans also have criticized Luma, which faced high expectations that problems could be solved immediately despite a decades-old, unstable infrastructure. Many people say they have had problems reporting outages.

Hours before the fire, Luma said it was the target of a cyberattack in which its website received 2 million hits per second, preventing customers from accessing it.

Some customers like Ivan Quiles, who lives in the western mountain town of San Sebastian, said he has given up contacting Luma and calls the mayor directly instead. His sister relies on oxygen to stay alive, and he worries with every outage.

Its very hard, he said. When the lights go out, my biggest concern is my sisters health.

Stensby, Lumas CEO, said he doesnt expect an event like Thursday to occur often: I hope yesterday was not normal. This cannot be normal.

Luma, a consortium made up of Calgary, Alberta-based Atco and Quanta Services Inc. of Houston, will operate the transmission and distribution system of Puerto Ricos Electric Power Authority under a 15-year contract.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Monica,

I have rheumatoid arthritis. I was excited to get my second Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on March 3. I take 7.5 mg of Methotrexate once a week and I stopped taking the medication for two weeks after each dose. After getting the vaccine I had some mild side effects, mild fever, tired and sore arm. However, recently I was led to believe that I may not be protected by the vaccine.

First and foremost, always talk to your doctor about any concerns you may have regarding the vaccine and your condition.

The American College of Rheumatology says rheumatoid arthritis patients should get the vaccine at a time when their disease is well controlled. People with RA were included in the clinical trials but not those who were taking immune-dampening drugs.

There is concern that some immune-compromising drugs may make the vaccine less effective.

A small study published last month in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, found 62% of patients taking methotrexate did not produce a strong immune response to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, compared to 90% of those who were not taking the drug.

The American College of Rheumatology recommended patients work with their doctors to consider shifting the timing of some common RA medications, including methotrexate.

These recommendations are not intended to replace your doctors clinical judgment: For methotrexate, the recommendation suggests holding for one week after each vaccine dose for people with well-controlled disease.

For JAK inhibitors, hold for one week after each dose regardless of the patients state of disease.

With abatacept for subcutaneous delivery, hold for one week before and one week after the first dose only. For IV delivery, time the first vaccine only to occur four weeks after the drugs infusion, then postpone the subsequent infusion by one week, for a five-week gap. For those not yet on subcutaneous or intravenous abatacept, therapy can be started following the recommended one-week delay after the first vaccine dose.

For rituximab, schedule the vaccine about four weeks before your next scheduled cycle and delay the drug two to four weeks after the vaccine series is completed, if possible

For cyclophosphamide, time drug administration about one week after each vaccine dose, if possible.

There were no recommendations to alter drug regimens for hydroxychloroquine, intravenous immunoglobulin, prednisone less than 20 milligrams per day, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, mycophenolate, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, TNF inhibitors, belimumab, oral calcineurin inhibitors, or IL-6R, IL-1, IL-17, IL-12/23, or IL-23.

ACR admitted there was a lack of evidence from the COVID-19 research, so they made these recommendations from the experience of other vaccines.

The most common side effects of the vaccines are pain and swelling at the injection site. Fever, chills, and headache are more common after the second shot.

Again, I strongly suggest talking to your doctor about your concerns.

Monica Robins is the Senior Health Correspondent at 3News. The information provided in this column is for educational and informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this column or on our website.

Watch Monica Robins nightly on 3News
Beachwood, OH (44122)

Today

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
What happens when you have a football team with no drama? Suddenly you need to create some. Case in point, the Cleveland Browns.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14) - Everyone who was part of the trip underwent RT-PCR testing and everything was coordinated with the local government unit.

This was the Tourism Departments reaction to Senator Nancy Binays call out to Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyats supposed violations of COVID-19 health protocols during a trip to Bohol.

Binay earlier said that Instagram stories posted by Puyat showed a series of health violations as she accompanied the Belo family -- including minor Scarlet Snow Belo -- in touring different sites in the province.

One of the photos in question showed the secretary with six-year-old Scarlet Snow at the South Farm in Panglao, Bohol without facemasks.

Puyat assured that the gesture of removing the mask briefly was done only for photo opportunity. She said their masks were worn again immediately once the photo was taken.

The DOT cited IATF Resolution 118A which states: "Point-to-point travel from NCR plus to areas under modified general community quarantine shall be allowed without age restrictions subject to an RT-PCR test-before-travel requirement for those below eighteen year olds (18) and above sixty-five (65), and other protocols and restrictions as may be imposed by the DOT and the local government unit of destination."

According to the DOT, the agencys visit to Bohol with the Belo Family is part of a campaign to inspire Filipinos to travel locally and safely all of them complied with the travel requirements of the host province.

I'm with Scarlet Snow Belo," said Puyat during a DOT virtual presser. "This is what weve been pushing in the Department of Tourism. Filipinos travel as a family."

"Bohol is such a family place," Puyat continued. "Malungkot naman kung hindi mo kasama ang mga lolo or yung below 18 (It would be sad if you don't bring the elders and those 18 years old below), thats why we are glad that the IATF approved it. That was a May 31 resolution,

Meantime, during the same event, the DOT announced that some 10,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines intended for 5,000 workers will be arriving in Bohol as early as this week in a bid to create a travel bubble between the province and tourist destinations in Asia.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14) - The Department of Tourism on Monday said it is planning to allocate some 10,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 5,000 tourism workers in Bohol.

I am delighted to bring the good news that vaccine czars Sec. Carlito Galvez and Sec. Vince Dizon have approved our request for additional vaccines for Bohol," said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat during a virtual meeting.

"With this, the industry's frontliners can start preparing for a bigger reopening of tourism in the coming days, she said.

The tourism workers will be given Russias Sputnik V vaccine, said the DOT.

Meanwhile, Bohol Governor Arthur Yap said to be prioritized in the early vaccination program are workers from DOT-accredited establishments with certificate of authority to operate, and the provinces tourism seal of excellence -- the Ultimate Bohol Experience seal.

Bohol draws its income from remittances abroad and the services sector, and both sources have been impacted during this crisis," said Yap.

"The promise of more vaccines arriving sooner than later is indeed great news so we can protect not only our residents but assure visitors that we are taking measures to assure their safety as well, Yap also said.

With the vaccination of tourism workers, Puyat expressed hope that this would make the travel bubble between Bohol and other destinations in Asia feasible in the future.

There are no standard procedures in confronting this pandemic," the tourism chief said. "We have to find innovative measures for the nation to recover."

"It will be a constant challenge and new hurdles will occur, but discovering and addressing them is the way to adapt to this crisis, she also said.

Bohols local procedures have always strived to keep the locals safe while remaining welcome to tourism," Puyat added. "This makes Bohol a prime candidate when we begin opening up direct travel bubbles with select regional destinations very soon."

The province known for its Chocolate Hills, old stone churches, white sand beaches and tarsiers opened its doors last year for domestic travelers and residents provided that they have a negative RT-PCR test result and has an accommodation in a DOT-accredited hotel with the provinces tourism seal of excellence.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  President Rodrigo Duterte is holding off for six more months the abrogation of the countrys Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. said on Monday.

In a video announcement, Locsin said the President decided to extend the suspension to further study the move while both sides address his concerns regarding particular aspects of the agreement.

The decision came after Philippine and US officials submitted to Duterte an improved version of the VFA, which Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said officials had worked on over the past few months.

RELATED: US hopeful VFA to be extended given decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty  envoy

The President terminated the agreement in February 2020. The termination process, however, was suspended in June last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging threats in the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippine government again held off the suspension in November 2020.

The VFA provides the legal framework for the presence of American troops in the Philippines as they conduct joint military exercises.

READ: EXPLAINER: The Visiting Forces Agreement
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  Thirteen Filipino seafarers who have been stranded in China are begging for assistance to help them leave the ship they have been stuck in for one year and five months now.

The bulk carrier MV Angelic Power is currently anchored in South China. The vessel carrying the Filipino crew that came from Indonesia reached Guangzhou's port last year. But the restrictions brought by the pandemic and legal issues hounding their company have delayed the seafarers homecoming.

Seafarer Leonardo Lansang told CNN Philippines that they were detained by the Guangzhou Maritime Court on Dec. 11 due to an "economic dispute" between the cargo receiver Guangzhou South China Coal Trade Center Co and the ship's owners Angeliki Dynamic Investment Corp. He added their passports were taken, leaving them to become "hostages." He also said they were abandoned by the owner of the vessel.

"Nagmamakaawa kami na bigyang pansin kaming mga seafarer dito. Bakit hindi kami kayang pauwiin? Bawat subo po namin naalala namin ang pamilya. Araw-araw po walang hinanaing pamilya namin, puro problema sa pinansyal halos hindi namin masubo ang pagkain," Leonardo Lansang told CNN Philippines.

[Translation: We are begging for help and attention. Why can't they bring us home? Every bite we take, we are reminded of our families. Every day our families complain about financial problems. We can barely eat.]

After more than a year of being stranded, the seafarers are now worried about dwindling food supplies and the deteriorating health of their fellow crew members. They also claim that the company they work for, the Magsaysay Maritime Corporation, has also withheld their salary since the start of 2021.

"Wala na po kaming insurance expired na po insurance na po namin dito maraming nagkakasakit pero wala na pong gamot. Walang sahod mentally tortured na po kami," Lansang said.

The manning agency, Magsaysay Maritime Corporation (MMC), confirmed that legal and regulatory "complications" are hindering their efforts to bring home the crew. It said they could be summoned to give their insights during possible proceedings.

"The ship and its owners are currently embroiled in legal proceedings affecting not only their interests, but the crew's as well. We understand that the Chinese court might even require the crew to participate and be heard in these proceedings in some way before they can be sent home," Magsaysay said in a statement.

The company added it will continue to coordinate with Chinese and Filipino authorities to safely bring home the seafarers.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday ordered officials to speed up the process of bringing home the Filipino seafarers.

"Oh God. Yes. I heard about them. Right now. @DFAPHL WHATEVER IT TAKES INCLUDING ME BEGGING. TAGAL NA ITO. REPAT FLIGHT. HERE FIRST," he said in a tweet.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said he instructed Philippine Overseas Employment Administration chief Bernard Olalia to order MMC to immediately bring home the stranded seafarers "on or before the end of June."

Bello also said MMC committed to pay the unpaid wages of the maritime workers.

"Our seafarers don't have a case here, it is the owner of the vessel who has. I don't see any reason why we should not bring them back home," Bello told CNN Philippines' News.PH.

The Philippine Embassy in China said they will look into the plight of the stranded seafarers. They will also seek the help of Chinese authorities to resolve the matter and bring home the stranded Filipinos.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said they will also look into the seafarers' situation and extend help.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  A House of Representatives committee has approved a bill that will undo what it calls a "cruel punishment" for private schools in the hands of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The House Committee on Ways and Means stepped in with a substitute bill to clarify BIR Revenue Regulation 5-2021 subjecting private educational institutions to a 25% income tax, when the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act signed in March reduced the tax rate to these schools to just 1% from July 2020 until June 30, 2023.

Lawmakers said the pandemic led to lower enrollees and tuition fee collections, which forced schools into bankruptcy.

"The increase in the taxation of proprietary educational institutions is a serious and urgent concern not only for me, but for the entire educational institutions especially considering the severe impact of the pandemic on the current financial position on private schools all over the country," Baguio City Representative Mark Go said during the Monday morning hearing.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez also called out the "erroneous interpretation" of the BIR on how to tax proprietary educational institutions by lumping them with hospitals.

Around 800 private schools have shut down since the local COVID-19 outbreak forced learners to resort to distance learning in March 2020.

The Coordinating Council for Private Educational Associations earlier asked President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the implementation of the tax policy.

READ: Senators to BIR: Withdraw income tax hike on 'distressed' private schools

Albay Representative Joey Salceda, the committee chairman, added that collecting just a 1% tax on private schools will allow the re-hiring of 12,996 teachers, while charging a 25% tax rate could force schools to let go of over 21,661 educators and staff.

The bill still needs to go through plenary approvals in the House and secure subsequent approvals from the Senate.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14) - The country logged 6,426 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the Department of Healths latest bulletin showed.

Of the 1,322,053 total cases nationwide, 59,096 or 4.5% are active cases. At least 91.8% are experiencing mild symptoms, 3.9% are asymptomatic, 1.3% are in critical condition, 1.8% are severe, and 1.28% are experiencing moderate symptoms.

Meanwhile, the death toll climbed to 22,845 after 57 more patients died of the viral disease.

The number of recoveries also rose to 1,240,112, with 7,145 new survivors.

The DOH said 12 duplicates were removed from the nationwide tally, of which nine are recoveries.

It added that 10 cases previously reported as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.

The DOH also said all laboratories were operational last June 12, but 10 of them failed to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System. Based on data in the last 14 days, the 10 non-reporting laboratories contribute, on average, 1.9% of samples tested and 2.1% of positive cases.

Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate or percentage of individuals who tested positive is 13.7% based on 41,244 tests done as of June 12. The World Health Organization recommends percentage below 5% as higher rates may mean high transmission.

With the idea being floated to shift NCR Plus to a regular general community quarantine on the second half of June, the DOH also warned on Monday that the COVID-19 situation is worsening in areas surrounding the bubble.

The OCTA Research Group earlier said the daily average number of new cases in the capital region decreased by 17% to 926 on June 4 to 10.

The DOH said improvements in the COVID-19 situation in Metro Manila and nearby provinces could easily diminish if restrictions will be lifted hastily.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported 174 new COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad, bringing the total number to 20,267.

The death toll among overseas Filipinos rose to 1,217 with 18 new deaths. The number of COVID-19 survivors abroad also climbed to 12,085 after eight more patients recovered.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte fired back at Vice President Leni Robredo over the latter's statement on the city's surging coronavirus cases, seeing this as "politicking" for the 2022 presidential election.

"The Vice President should refrain from giving advice if she knows nothing about what is happening on the ground," Duterte said in a statement issued Monday.

A day earlier, Robredo in her weekly radio show advised the city government of Davao to study the approach of Cebu City in handling its COVID-19 situation, which involves not just the local government, but also a "very active" medical community.

Robredo also pointed out that Quezon City has a larger population than Davao City, and yet the latter topped the list of LGUs with most new cases per day, based on data from the OCTA Research Group, covering the June 5 to 11 period.

READ: OCTA sees Davao City, Western Visayas as among COVID-19 epicenters

Duterte defended Davao City's efforts to combat the pandemic, stressing Robredo "lacks understanding and knowledge on and does not offer anything helpful to solve a problem."

The mayor said they have long been working closely with the private sector to boost Davao City's COVID-19 response.

"In addition, The VP should not attack the medical community of Davao City as being inactive when they have been silently suffering and working tirelessly to help save lives since March of last year," Duterte said.

"The VP should avoid involving the Covid-19 surge in Davao City in her attempt at politicking. There will be a proper time to attack my performance as an LCE (local chief executive) in this pandemic if she dares to run for President," she added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 14)  Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is open to not running for next year's polls at all, if Vice President Leni Robredo pushes through with her presidential bid.

In an interview with CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday, Trillanes stressed that his political plans are "hinged" on the decision of Robredo, his fellow nominee in the opposition coalition 1Sambayan for president and vice president.

"I keep on mentioning that my decision to run for office is hinged on the decision of VP Leni. On the assumption she gets picked as presidential nominee of 1Sambayan, its her prerogative to choose her running mate," Trillanes said.

He added: "I am prepared not to run at all and just push for her candidacy but if she would tap me as her running mate Ill be ready for it."

Back in May, Trillanes expressed interest in becoming the opposition's presidential candidate following rumors that Robredo will just run for governor of her home province, Camarines Sur.

Robredo then refuted this and said while she remains focused on the pandemic, she is still open to running for the highest post in the land.

READ: VP Robredo still undecided, but open to running for President in 2022

Robredo and Trillanes are among the six nominees of 1Sambayan, together with Senator Grace Poe, CIBAC party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva, Atty. Chel Diokno, and Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto.

Poe and Santos-Recto rejected their nominations. Villanueva's son, Sen. Joel Villanueva said his father was not interested in running for president. Diokno said he was honored by the nomination but never aspired for those positions, and now remains focused on his free legal service.

None from the Duterte's administration also openly declared their election plans, with five names so far bandied about as the President's supposed top picks: Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte; his former aide Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go, former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso, and PDP-Laban partymate Sen. Manny Pacquiao.

Without naming names, Trillanes urged aspiring candidates to decide and declare at the soonest possible time their election plans, with the "survival of democracy and the country at stake."

"Hindi ako naniniwala doon sa 'pakipot politics,' kasi parang isinasantabi mo yung importansya ng laban at ng bayan. In this case kasi survival of our democracy and even our country ang at stake," he said.

[Translation: I do not believe in 'pakipot poltiics' because it's like you are setting aside the country's fight. in this case, it's the survival of our democracy and our country at stake.]

The Commission on Elections has set the filing of candidacies for the 2022 elections on October 1 to 8.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 15)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday lauded efforts made by community pantry organizers, but also urged them to ensure compliance to minimum health protocols to prevent superspreader events.

During his weekly address, Duterte mentioned a specific food aid event held last month in Brgy. Matandang Balara, Quezon City, which was attended by over 900 residents. According to latest report he received, he noted that 86 attendees have tested positive for COVID-19.

While we have the best of intentions we must ensure that these activities will not go out of control and become super spreader events, the President said.

While he salutes their efforts, Duterte emphasized that organizers should also ensure that health guidelines are being followed to prevent transmission of the coronavirus.

I salute the people behind this and those who originated it. Ang ano lang kasi they are ignorant of the prohibition imposed by law, not by me, Duterte noted.

If its a matter of assessing whether or not you are doing good, you are doing super good. Saludo ako at maganda iyong konsensiya ninyo sa kapwa tao ninyo (I salute your intention, but please read the restrictions first, he added.

Duterte warned that if people will continuously flock to community pantries or food distribution areas, transmission will continue, and the pandemic will not end.

Aside from this, another community pantry event held in April also caused concern after a huge crowd attended as well.

To date, the country has a nationwide tally of 1,322,053 COVID-19 cases, of which 59,096 or 4.5% are currently ill patients.
The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas.
Columbia, SC (29201)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
Make no mistake: moving from an on-premises Microsoft Exchange deployment to Exchange in the cloud is a gargantuan undertaking. Earlier this year, I explored the major issues youll need to consider and decisions youll need to make when moving to hosted Exchange.

But for most folks, further guidance is necessary. What are some of the gotchas to watch out for? What are some best practices to factor into your planning? Here, Ill take a look at several important dos and donts when it comes to getting your organization into Exchange Online.

Note: This story focuses on migrating from Exchange Server on-premises to some version of Microsofts hosted Exchange service (under an Exchange Online, Office 365, or Microsoft 365 subscription), or to a hybrid configuration with the 365 apps in the cloud and Exchange remaining in some fashion on-premises in production. It is not intended to apply to migrations to other providers services.

Dont underestimate the time it will take to move all of your data over.

Depending on a number of factors, including how many users you have, how much data each mailbox has stored, bandwidth constraints, and more, migrating email to the cloud can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks. One unexpected slowdown may come from Microsoft itself: a non-obvious protective feature of Exchange Online is that it throttles inbound sustained connections in order to prevent a small number of bad actors from overwhelming the system.

Once youre up and running and fully in the cloud for production, you will come to appreciate this defense, which works for the benefit of the general subscription base. But when you are trying to ingest data you will see transfer rates sometimes slow to a crawl. There's unfortunately little you can do about this other than simply endure. Be sure to include this in your planning, as moving hundreds or thousands of multi-gigabyte mailboxes into Exchange Online may take a lot longer than you might expect.

Do use a delta-pass migration.

Reduce the time pressure on yourself, if you can, by using a delta-pass migration rather than a strict cutover migration. With delta-pass migration, multiple migration attempts are made while mail is still being delivered on-premises. The first pass might move everything from Sunday, May 1 backward, for example, and then another pass is made later in the week to move the delta  or changes  from Sunday, May 1 through Wednesday, May 4, and then another and another until essentially the mailboxes are up to date.

This is a useful technique, as each successive migration batch is smaller than the last. Typically over a weekend, your last delta batch will finish in a few minutes, and then your moves are complete and you can throw your MX records over to Exchange Online. Your users never experience missing historical mailbox data, because until the mailboxes are identical, they use the mailbox that already holds their data.

Dont forget to configure edge devices and intrusion detection systems to recognize Exchange Online as a trusted partner.

If you forget this all-important step, your migrations may be interrupted because your IDS thinks that a denial-of-service attack is happening. Conveniently, Microsoft makes available a regularly updated list of IP addresses used by all 365 services to use specifically when configuring your edge devices to trust traffic where necessary.

Do run the Office network health and connectivity tests ahead of time.

Microsoft has developed a comprehensive tool that can alert you to routing or latency issues between you and the Microsoft 365 data centers. The tool runs a suite of tests of speed, routing, latency, jitter, and more on your network connection to identify and isolate common issues that could lead to a degraded experience  especially with voice applications  for Microsoft 365 users.

Any performance issues the tool finds will almost certainly have a negative impact on the speed of your migration attempts and passes. Solving or mitigating any issues you find will speed up the entire project.

In a hybrid environment, do use the EAC in Exchange Online to initiate mailbox moves.

If you choose a hybrid model for your deployment, then you will by definition have some mailboxes on-premises (at least for a time) and some in the cloud. In this scenario, it can be tempting to trust your old go-to Exchange Management Console to do all of your mailbox move work, shifting mailboxes to and fro. Dont give in to that temptation; its best to pull mailboxes into the cloud from the web-based EAC in the Microsoft 365 administration center, rather than using outdated on-premises tools.

Dont forget about Outlook client version updates.

Updating an office suite across a large enterprise is no easy task and takes a while, which means theres often a prevalence of older copies of Outlook among your users. When you control your Exchange deployment, thats fine, because you control the timing of your moves.

But one of the side gotchas that comes with using the cloud is that someone else gets to decide the baseline level of software that will work with its services. Microsoft is really pushing everyone toward the subscription-based Office suite (Microsoft 365 or Office 365) and away from the old per-user perpetual volume licenses with the year attached (Office 2013, 2016, or 2019, for example).

In fact, as of October 2020, the company declared that Outlook 2013 and older versions are no longer supported for connecting to Office 365 and Microsoft 365 services. While it wont actively block these older clients, they may encounter performance or reliability issues over time. And theres no telling when Microsoft will pull the plug entirely.

So dont forget about developing a plan to update your clients to Office 2016 or beyond, or move to a subscription license and deploy those apps instead of the volume license editions.

Do plan to implement two-factor authentication.

One of the biggest advantages to moving to Exchange Online and Microsoft 365 is the ability to use all of the new security features available in the cloud, the most important of which by far is the ability to turn on two-factor authentication. 2FA reduces your attack surface significantly as soon as you turn it on, and since Microsoft has done all of the rewiring of the directory and Exchange security model on its servers to make it work, all you have to do is flip the switch and show your users where to plug in their mobile phone numbers.

Better yet, use the Microsoft Authenticator app to reduce the security and social engineering risks of using SMS text messages. But dont let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Deploying Authenticator across tens of thousands of phones can be difficult, especially with BYOD setups and remote-work environments where employees dont have access to an in-person help desk. In contrast, setting up SMS requires nothing from the end user and can be done entirely by IT. So if the choice is between two-factor authentication with SMS and no two-factor authentication, then by all means turn on 2FA and use SMS.

In a hybrid environment, dont remove your last Exchange Server.

One cardinal rule of operating a hybrid Exchange environment is that you must keep at least one Exchange Server running on premises in order to manage users. There exists a way to continue to use the Active Directory attribute editing functionality to manage recipients, but its not really supported  and if it breaks, youll have to file a ticket with Microsoft, wait three days, and maybe, just maybe, itll come back.

It is much easier to use the Exchange admin console of your on-premises server to manage recipients in a hybrid environment, and you cant do that unless you leave an Exchange Server running in your on-premises deployment. Microsoft has repeatedly said its working on a solution to this issue of having to have an existing licensed server on-prem with hybrid deployments, but even after several years there's been little progress toward solving that problem.

The last word

A transition time is always challenging, and that's certainly true when migrating your organization to Exchange Online. By factoring in the advice and warnings above, youll make that path smoother and reach the finish line more quickly.
06/14/2021

Photo (c) Stefan Cristian Cioata - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 33,464,566 (33,457,794)

Total U.S. deaths: 599,813 (599,672)

Total global cases: 176,040,344 (175,729,104)

Total global deaths: 3,805,713 (3,769,696)

Novavax says its vaccine is 90% effective

There may soon be a fourth coronavirus vaccine available in the U.S. Novavax reports that its recombinant nanoparticle protein-based COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated just over 90% efficacy in clinical trials in the U.S. and Mexico.

Better yet, the company said it showed 100% protection against moderate and severe cases of the disease. The trial took place amid the populations growing exposure to the highly contagious Delta variant. The next step is to seek emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (CDC).

"Novavax continues to work with a sense of urgency to complete our regulatory submissions and deliver this vaccine, built on a well understood and proven platform, to a world that is still in great need of vaccines," said Stanley C. Erck, Novavaxs CEO.

FDA takes steps to increase Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply

With the Novavax vaccine waiting in the wings, the FDA said it is taking steps to increase the supply of Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine. It is allowing more production at a plant that had issues earlier this year.

The agency issued an order allowing the use of two batches of vaccine doses manufactured at the Emergent BioSolutions facility in Baltimore. In April, a human error caused 15 million potential doses of the vaccines to be discarded because of contamination.

Before making this decision, the FDA conducted a thorough review of facility records and the results of quality testing performed by the manufacturer, the agency said in a statement. Based on this review and considering the current COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA concluded these batches are suitable for use.

Hospital prevails against nurses resisting vaccination mandate

A federal judge in Texas has dismissed a lawsuit against Houston Methodist Hospital that was filed by 117 nurses who sought to overturn the hospitals requirement that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The plaintiffs claimed that they shouldnt be fired for refusing to be vaccinated because the available vaccines have not been fully approved by the FDA. However, the judge was not impressed.

"Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them ... COVID-19," U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Hughes wrote in the dismissal of the lawsuit. "It is a choice made to keep staff, patients, and their families safer.

Weather can be a factor in the virus spread, researchers say

New research from the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) links meteorological variables such as temperature, humidity, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation to the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

A research team investigated 2,669 counties throughout all regions and states in the U.S. from March 15, 2020, to December 31, 2020, to determine how readily the virus was transmitted. They found warmer temperatures and more UV light led to a lower transmission rate.

The research team determined that 17.5% of the virus reproductive number was attributable to weather-related factors. Specifically, they found that temperature accounted for 3.73%, humidity accounted for 9.35%, and UV radiation for 4.44%.

Pace of vaccinations continues to slow

Cases of the virus are declining sharply nationwide, but states where fewer people have been vaccinated are seeing case levels rise. Nationwide, the pace of vaccinations has slowed because people who want to be vaccinated have already gotten the shots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 143,921,222 people in the U.S. are now fully vaccinated, accounting for about 43% of the total population. But a large segment of the population -- children age 11 and under -- are still not eligible.

More than half of Americans age 12 and older have been fully vaccinated, and 62% have gotten at least the first dose. The CDC data shows that more than 76% of Americans aged 65 and older, the first age group to be eligible to receive the vaccine, are now fully vaccinated.

Around the nation
Durablefaith.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 26 Feb 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the durablefaith homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if durablefaith has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the durablefaith homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the durablefaith homepage on Twitter + the total number of durablefaith followers (if durablefaith has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the durablefaith homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the durablefaith homepage on Delicious.

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE Durable Faith | Faith, Freedom, Preparedness DESCRIPTION Faith, Freedom, Preparedness KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS world, faith, reply, church, will be, about, what is



The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English UTF-8English DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER nginx OPERATIVE SYSTEM

Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. Operative System running on the server. The language of durablefaith.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for durablefaith.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND

A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
Congratulations, mannastores.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site:

Mannastores.com scored 63 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 28 Dec 2012, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the mannastores homepage on Twitter + the total number of mannastores followers (if mannastores has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the mannastores homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the mannastores homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if mannastores has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the mannastores homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the mannastores homepage on StumbleUpon.

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PAGE TITLE Manna Stores: Shop online from UK and we will deliver to you in Nigeria DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS



The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The title found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache (PHP/5.2.17) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Operative System running on the server. Type of server and offered services. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of mannastores.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Character set and language of the site.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for mannastores.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/mannamart DESCRIPTION d': '100002193932964 LIKES d': '100002193932964 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 932964 PAGE TYPE 100002193932964 TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE

The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The type of Facebook page. The URL of the found Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK FOUND TWITTER PAGE twitter.com/#!/mannastores DESCRIPTION '} ACCOUNT CREATED ON 23 May 2012 LOCATION null TWEETS 6 FOLLOWERS 17 LISTED 0
100%

Website wmoov.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 35506 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 45812 bytes (44.74 kb uncompressed) and 12164 bytes (11.88 kb compressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2020-12-13, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
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The day before, LHW member Miguel Lamboy, who had been maintaining the property, had returned to the home to find a group of other members had arrived after traveling in from California. Those members, along with their leader, had been staying at an RV park near Mount Shasta until they were asked to leave due to overcrowding.

Lamboy was greeted and led into the house by Jason Castillo, also known to the group as "Father God." Lamboy was told that the group's leader, Amy "Mother God" Carlson, was in the back bedroom. Technically, she was there. What Lamboy found in the room was the mummified remains of Carlson, placed in a sleeping bag and wrapped with Christmas lights, with glitter on her face, in what looked like some sort of shrine. Oh, and reportedly her eyeballs were missing.

Love Has Won/Facebook At least she didn't see what happened to her then.

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As Miguel Lamboy tried to, understandably, get the hell out of there, he was angrily confronted in the driveway by another member of the group. Miguel went to grab his two-year-old son, but the boy was snatched up by a member named Karin and taken into the house. As other members got involved, Lamboy fled the scene and went straight to the police station in Salida ... a town 50 miles away, as the local police in Saguache County wasn't exactly trusted by the group. Who would've thought, a group that'd keep a mummy in a sleeping bag would have trust issues with law enforcement?

Salida Police listened to Miguel's story, no doubt pausing him frequently to keep their brains from melting. Then, they handed the case over to the Saguache County Sheriff's Office, who sent eight squad cars over to the compound in the wee hours of the morning. Once inside, they found the mummy, and arrested seven members of Love Has Won on various charges, including "tampering with deceased human remains", "abuse of a corpse", and two counts of child abuse for each. Miguel's son was returned to him safely, and a 13-year-old girl found in the house was placed in protective custody, which is about the happiest ending we could hope for here.
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The movie shows how Zuckerberg assumed full control over Facebook, by ignoring all of Saverin's decisions until he quit in disgust, and settling up with the twins by paying them a small fraction of his billion-dollar fortune. In exchange, he gets to sit alone, atop the trash pile that is everything Facebook has done for the world.

Columbia Pictures It's impressive to be the creepiest person in a confrontation with blonde identical twins.

So What Happened Next?

Now that they aren't involved with Facebook, Saverin and the Winklevi haven't been in the headlines the same way Zuckerberg has -- especially not the headlines about terrible haircuts or pathetic attempts to seem relatable. What have they been doing with themselves? The short answer is getting rich.

Gravesv38/Wiki Commons Money, privacy, and people thinking you look like Andrew Garfield instead of this -- what more could you want?

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Saverin has given up US citizenship and is officially a resident of Singapore, which he promises is only because he loves Kaya toast so much, and totally not because it's laughably easy to get away paying zero taxes there. The setup has worked, and his fortune has gone well into eleven figures (that's tens of billions for everyone too poor to have a working calculator app). He was briefly the wealthiest man in the entire country, and if you've seen Crazy Rich Asians, you have some sense of the competition there

Meanwhile, you know that one friend of yours, who constantly regrets that he didn't buy Bitcoin back when it first started out and was really cheap? Maybe you should make sure that friend doesn't find out what the Winklevoss twins did with the money Zuckerberg paid them to get off their backs.

cellanr/Wiki Commons "A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool? A few dozen Bitcoin having the same value."

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The twins were a laughingstock for buying over ten million dollars' worth of the cryptocurrency nearly a decade ago, but in a classic case of "who's laughing now?", their investment has grown to over a billion dollars for each twin. It makes sense that the guys who thought "Maybe Mark Zuckerberg could help us with our social network" would also be the guys to think "Maybe there's something to this cryptocurrency idea."
Crossville, TN (38555)

Today

A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low near 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low near 65F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
There are many amazing battles in the Bible, but one of the most important victories was the battle of Jericho. There have been songs written about it, incredible sermons on it, and there are even children shows focused on Joshua 6. Today, we are going to take a closer look at not only the battle but the preparation and the greater purposes that we see within the Scriptures.

What Happened in the Story of the Battle of Jericho?

As the Bible is studied, we can see how men establish plans, even cities, but the Lords plans will always prevail (Proverbs 19:21). The city of Jericho was sitting on the land of promise for the people of God. After wandering for 40 years in the desert, the Israelites were about to enter the promised land. Moses, unfortunately, made poor decisions and would not enter with them (Numbers 20:2-5). However, in Gods great mercy, He allowed Moses to see the land before he died.

Deuteronomy 34:1-5 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land Then the LORD said to him, This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it. And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said.

Joshua 1 shares of the new leader for the Israelites, Joshua. He calls them to courage as they enter the land of promise. Chapter 2 encompasses the two spies who Rahab protected and helped successfully get back to the Israelites. The people of God put feet to their faith yet again through the waters in Chapter 3. The priest carried the ark of the covenant across the dry ground and stood in the middle of the river as the people passed through.

Fast forward to Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua had an encounter with an angel and just as the Lord had Moses take off his sandals at the burning bush, Joshua removed his sandals on the holy ground. Just as God was preparing Moses for the movement and victory, He was preparing Joshua for Jericho and the victories in the promised land to come. The people may have missed Moses, but I think of Moses fear to even speak before Pharaoh. This was Joshuas assignment to lead in battles and to conquer the land. He was the one for this time.

Joshua 6 is the crux of our story today. This secure fortress was locked down so no one could enter or exit. Instead of charging the walls, God gave clear instructions in verse 3  March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Then, He says in verses 4-5, Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.

This must have been a strange experience to give yourselves away by marching around the city and to literally walk in circles hoping to have a victory. I wonder what was going through their heads marching every day? I wonder if they were tired by day seven?

Then, we see that Rahab is not forgotten. Even though this city was being destroyed, the Lord remained faithful to Rahab and her house (Joshua 6:17). She and her loved ones remained with the Israelites and were a beautiful picture of being grafted into the family of God.

Joshua 6:20-21 says, When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in itmen and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Joshua cursed Jericho and the Lord was with him

Why Is the Battle of Jericho Important?

Jericho was an important battle because it was the first conquered city by the Israelites in the promised land. Not only that, but Jericho was a pretty large town to begin the conquest. I guess the Lord wanted Canaan to have a heads up of Who was coming.

Not only was the battle itself important, but the step of faith that the Israelites took was also a huge change from distrust and complaints. The Jews learned to trust in their Great God. They marched and they shouted and then they claimed the victory.

The woman Rahab comes into the picture because of this attack. She was a heroine and a convert to the Lord. She is a prime example of us being in our own fortresses of sin and Jesus coming in to rescue us from the coming destruction. I imagine the amount of faith it must have taken Rahab not being able to leave the city with her family until the walls came down. She heard the marching for days and then finally the sound of freedom as the walls came down and the two spies came to rescue her and her loved ones. This broken woman would be in the genealogy of Jesus Himself. We can be reminded that in our mess, our Savior meets us there and pulls us out. He invites us to His promised land.

What Can We Learn from the Battle of Jericho?

Dont Skip on the Preparation: All of the prayers, circumcision, and worship before the battle led to a stronger confidence in the Lord during the fight. When we neglect to spend time with God and ignore meditating on His Word, we miss out on confidence and training.

Following God Is What Leads to True Victory: Kyle Norman from Crosswalk shares, The Lord was not present to serve the wishes of Israel. Rather, Israel is called to follow the way of the Lord. To overtake Jericho, Israel had to acknowledge that God fought for them. There was simply no possible way that the odd-ball strategy could ever provide the victory otherwise.

I think of Psalm 18:29, With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.

Our God is Greater than Our Sin: Maybe you feel entrapped by your sin. Joshua 6 shows us that the Lord conquers strongholds and frees us just like Rahab. Never give up on God, He is always faithful, and He can pull you out of the most unexpected barriers.

Facts You Didn't Know about Jericho

1. This was the first battle and victory of the Israelites in the promised land of Canaan.

2. Joshua declared that whoever would rebuild Jericho would be cursed. Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho in the time of Ahab (1 Kings 16:34).

3. Elijah and Elisha went to Jericho and just as the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground, the two of them did as well (2 Kings 2:14).

4. Jesus Himself went to Jericho and healed blind men (Matthew 20:29-33, Luke 18:35-43).

5. Zacchaeus lived in Jericho and Jesus went to his house (Luke 19).

No matter what Jericho walls you are facing, remember that you have victory in Christ. Follow Him and He will never lead you wrong. Even if we are as helpless as Rahab, God can intervene and bring success.

Further Reading

What Is the Significance of the Battle of Jericho?

Photo credit: GettyImages/John Theodor

Emma Danzeys mission in life is to inspire young women to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. Emma is a North Carolina resident and green tea enthusiast! She is married to her husband Drew and they serve international college students. She enjoys singing, dancing, trying new recipes, and watching home makeover shows. During her ministry career, Emma recorded two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, ran the Refined Magazine, and served in music education for early childhood. Currently, she is in the editing stages of her first two writing projects: a Bible study on womanhood and a non-fiction book on singleness. You can visit her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com
Yes, I'm concerned we're going to end up back where we were last fall and winter.

I'm not concerned for the vaccinated but cases could surge among the unvaccinated, shutting things down.

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The Biden Administration has been thrown into a thicket of cybersecurity troubles in its first six months, forcing the White House to issue complex cybersecurity executive orders, directives and policy changes in rapid succession. Congress, meanwhile, is teeing up an ambitious cybersecurity agenda of its own, sparking hopes that the recent spate of cybersecurity crises might break through the partisan logjam that has increasingly blocked meaningful legislative action.

Last week, Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) initiated a review of recent high-profile ransomware attacks in the run-up to new legislation. Then, Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), chair and ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee sent a letter to national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Shalanda Young, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, asking the two officials to spell out within 30 days the legal authorities they think federal agencies need to combat ransomware attacks. Their responses could serve as the basis for new legislation to rein in ransomware.

Solarium commission recommendations, complex equities to consider

Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI), the co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), a public-private initiative formed two years ago to help guide Congress on complex cybersecurity issues, hopes the Senate moves quickly on the Cyber Diplomacy Act, a CSC recommendation that passed the House in April. "I also hope the Senate will look carefully at the findings of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission about systemically important critical infrastructure. Recent ransomware incidents have made it clear we need a new governance structure for companies that perform vital national functions," he tells CSO.

Despite the almost universally recognized need for a new cybersecurity governance structure, some industry experts warn that lawmakers should carefully craft any new legislation to avoid imposing unnecessary burdens. "It's a complicated question and topic, and there are lots of different equities that need to be taken into account," Andy Ellis, former CSO at Akamai Technologies and current operating partner at YL Ventures, tells CSO. "I see people calling for punishments on people who pay a ransom, which I think is a disaster of an approach. I would much prefer to punish people who take ransom."

Around 115 cybersecurity-related bills in the offing

Although Schumer's nascent legislative push is the most high-profile initiative so far, around 115 pieces of legislation have already been introduced in the 117th Congress that directly deal either in whole or part with a broad spectrum of information security issues. These bills range from shoring up the digital integrity of America's pipelines to enhancing further the security of America's electoral system.

The current Congress kicked off cybersecurity-related legislation with its first bill, H.R. 1, the sprawling For the People Act. That bill contains several provisions related to the security of America's elections, including sections that address the need for information sharing between federal and state governments regarding cybersecurity threats to election systems and developing a national strategy and implementation plan to protect democratic institutions from cyberattacks and disinformation. However, the voting rights nature of the bill has aligned the Republicans in both the House and the Senate against H.R. 1, almost certainly dooming its chance of passing.

Other notable bills introduced early in the current Congress include:

Other bills passed by committee head to the full House

May saw a flurry of bipartisan bills reported out of the House Homeland Security Committee to address "a string of disturbing cyberattacks," including the SolarWinds and Microsoft Exchange server hacks, the Oldsmar water facility intrusion, and the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack. These bills, which are slated to hit the full House next, include:

Since mid-May, other legislation with cybersecurity provisions has been introduced, including:
With the Connecticut Department of Housing now swamped with applications for rental assistance, Gov. Ned Lamont signed off on free legal services for lower-income renters on the brink of eviction.

On June 3, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a right to counsel bill to ensure renters have legal representation in negotiations with landlords, and in housing court if mediation proves unsuccessful.

The program is being funded with federal money set aside for states during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Connecticut put an eviction ban in place at the start of the pandemic; it has since been extended through the end of June. The new right-to-counsel law takes effect in July.

The executive director of the West Haven-based Connecticut Veterans Legal Center called it exponentially more difficult for people to obtain new leases after being evicted from prior rentals, and said that the state eviction moratorium was one of the most important measures government put in place during the pandemic.

This is huge  its a giant step for protecting the most vulnerable renters in our state and I think it will make the whole process more fair, said Liam Brennan, executive director of CVLC. I still think we can expect a wave [of evictions]. ... I dont think it will be as bad as it would have been if it had happened while we were still in economic free fall.

Earlier this spring, Connecticut earmarked $235 million in pandemic relief funding for rental assistance, offering up to $10,000 to cover rent payments for three months, and $1,500 for electricity bills. To qualify for free legal help, renters must have income of less than 80 percent of median earnings for their town, with the Department of Housing maintaining a list of qualifying thresholds online.

After a slow initial start to ramp up the program, the Department of Housing had approved more than 1,800 applications as of last Friday. Another 6,500 are under review, and close to 600 more have started the application process. The program is generating the greatest interest in New Haven County with some 3,000 applications, followed by Hartford County with 2,600 and Fairfield County with 1,800.

Applications can be completed online or at housing assistance centers statewide. Another option is a UniteCT mobile bus making the rounds including in New Haven on Monday and Tuesday followed by stops on successive days in Guilford, Bridgeport, West Hartford and Hartford; and Norwalk, Old Saybrook and Bloomfield on the calendar the following week. The itinerary is online at portal.ct.gov/doh as well as applications and instructions.

Brennan was among the advocates who pressed in early March for adoption of the right-to-counsel law, including residents of Hartford, New Haven, Fairfield and Southbury who described traumatic experiences in getting ousted from their dwellings after hitting financial problems.

John Pollock testified as well in his role as coordinator for the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, saying Connecticut landlords average about 20,000 evictions a year and that only about 7 percent of renters can afford an attorney to intervene on their behalf.

He added that a right-to-counsel provision in New York City has resulted in 86 percent of people getting assistance remaining in their rented quarters, and that other cities have calculated big payoffs for the upfront costs of providing legal services.

In Philadelphia they found that a $3.5 million investment in right-to-counsel ... would save about $45 million, Pollock said. Those numbers are not surprising, because homeless shelters, foster care, medical care  theres so many costs that come out of evictions, and then there are some you cant even quantify like mental health and school disruption and employment loss.

But several people identifying themselves as landlords voiced opposition, saying they have shouldered a larger financial burden. That includes situations in which landlords say tenants have the means to pay, but are pocketing extra income instead with the moratorium preventing any legal action.

A few more property owners noted that many landlords are themselves mom and pop businesses who foot the cost of legal bills only in extreme scenarios.

All my experience with the housing system, you dont really need a lawyer, said John Souza, president of the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners. You go in there and you say, Im sorry, I was sick and I want to make an agreement  and the landlords happy to have you. ... Landlords dont make any money going to housing court  its not a vacation.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
"Lift Every Voice and Sing," written by brothers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson, began as a poem in 1900 for schoolchildren. Before long, the song spread across the nation at NAACP events, within Black churches, and in community meetings, gaining prominence each time it was sung. Known as the "Black National Anthem," "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a triumphant story that chronicles and acknowledges the past while marching forward toward freedom.

Lift Every Voice connects young Black journalists with Black elders in our communities to celebrate and learn from their life experiences - deepening connections with the past to position us all for a better future. Hearst Connecticut Media has joined Hearst newspapers, magazines and television stations across the nation to publish dozens of profiles as part of the project.

Adrianne Baughns-Wallace was the first African-American news anchor in New England when she joined the WFSB team in 1974. Before making history as a broadcast journalist, she joined the Air Force and attended the University of Albany despite some doubts from others, including teachers at her all-girls high school and a college professor of communications, because she was a nontraditional student. When adversity followed her into her career as a journalist, she advocated for racial equity so that other Black people would not have to endure what she did.

Below is a Q&A with Baughns-Wallace that has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q. There were times when you felt unsupported in your career. How did those experiences make you feel and how did you respond?

A. The first line of Black professionals coming into these organizations didn't know how to navigate, but we learned on the job because we werent going to be pigeonholed. When I got to WFSB, I decided that the most important thing for me was to influence how our community was being represented in the news. People assumed that it was all me and it wasnt. We got together one night and started documenting what was happening to everybody and how we didnt feel comfortable going into HR at that time. We worked behind the scenes to support young people that were coming through and being made to feel as though they were totally incompetent. It wasnt that they were incompetent. They were not getting the same mentorship and support.

Q. Can you describe the times when your group gathered together to share information?

A. Sometimes they were gatherings at peoples houses. If there were events that we were invited to, we wanted to make sure that there was a presence to try to raise the visibility. There were ways in which the community needed to learn how to advocate for itself. At that time, the producer would decide what was news and the folks sitting around the table could advocate for things inside, but the best advocacy came from the pressure from outside. There was an education that we were all getting and needed to share within the community.

Q. What was your group able to accomplish from gathering and sharing information about how Black employees were being treated?

A. We were able to persuade a WFSB producer. We talked about profiling the African-American middle class and it had never been done, as far as we knew, in television news at that time. That may not seem like a lot, but back then, that was an important series to put in. I think that began to help people open up their eyes to the reality of the perceptions of the African-American community. That was also around the same time as Black Enterprise so this was a great opportunity for us to highlight and profile, not only the folks that got into Black Enterprise and Ebony Magazine but everybody else in the middle and the young people who were leaving universities and beginning to emerge in new sectors of the economy.

Paul Pettie / For Hearst Connecticut Media

Q. What was the response to the work that your group was doing?

A. I think the response was positive. My lens, for the most part, was how I chose to share with the general audience. I came in the old Walter Cronkite era. You just gave the news and you moved on. This is a whole new day.

Q. How have you seen news change since you were a broadcast journalist, specifically with how Black Americans are portrayed in the news?

A. When we look at the numbers of African Americans that show up on the screen, were way ahead of where we ever were. We have a diversity of opinions. We can speak not only to issues that are germane to us directly as a culture and as a people, but we have a diversity of opinions in so many other areas  but we need to look deeper. Whos making the decisions? Whos running the organizations? Who decides whats news today? Who decides what the opinions are? Who decides the diversity of opinions? Thats where the power is. Thats not to demean the talented people that are in front and communicating and are delivering the truth and the information in journalism. I think thats going to be critical to our survival  not only as a people but as a country.

Paul Pettie / For Hearst Connecticut Media

Q. What would the news, or media in general, look like for you to think weve finally got it right?

A. I think that our schools are going to be very important in that change, to some extent. Even the basic part of how we communicate and what our expectations are for our children. How do we teach folks  and not just by the textbook  about life? That would be an ideal world for me. The desire has to be nurtured in the earlier stages. You have to have a thirst for wanting to know more and be open to exploring other sides. I think thats part of education. Its part of a culture that our society would have to adapt. I'm hopeful that you, as young people, can see a future and that you have the energy, the will and the desire to make it happen. We should be doing what we can to support you because the future is your vision now, not ours.

Q. Before we close out, is there anything else you want to say?

A. Someone asked me recently, What would you tell your 30-year-old self today? The word that came out was "bold." I think that's somewhat connected to how I perceived myself as not having a level of self-confidence. I could do things behind the scenes more comfortably than I could upfront. I look at these young activists today, and Im just so proud of them. I just think they have such courage to confront systems. Unfortunately, I think that discrimination and oppression had such an effect on us. Im glad to see that the succeeding generations are not feeling that level of pressure that we did at that point. So I would say boldness. I think thats critically important.

Q. In addition to being bold, what advice would you give to aspiring journalists, especially Black journalists?

A. To be bold, authentic, and get in good trouble just like John [Lewis] said, because whenever you confront any situation where people dont want to change, the truth has to be told. Youve got to know what your point of integrity is.
STAMFORD  Leigh Shemitz looked out at a crowd of donors, politicians and staff. They all wore rain gear and SoundWaters-branded baseball caps while attempting to stay dry.

Despite the threat of a downpour, all the maskless movers and shakers had arrived to celebrate.

Were here, as we know, for a groundbreaking, Shemitz, the maritime education nonprofits president, said from under a canopy. For a building: the Cohen SoundWaters Harbor Center. And yet, this project is about more than a building. Its about community, access and opportunity.

Surrounded by whos who of Fairfield County, the Long Island Sound-centric organization on Monday broke ground on its $8 million education complex at Boccuzzi Park, which will house a handful of SoundWaters educational and workforce development initiatives.

Shemitz stood surrounded by a smattering of some of Stamfords most recognizable faces. Mayor David Martin and Stamford Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tamu Lucero sat neatly under a canopy, joined by Gov. Ned Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Cynthia Blumenthal, wife of Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

The programs SoundWaters will run out of the harbor education center all focus on equitable access to the waterfront. The Young Mariners program teaches middle school students how to sail. Harbor Corps gives young adults maritime career skills, and the SoundWaters Research Initiative gives college-bound students a way to hone their marine biology research abilities.

The public will also be able to rent kayaks and paddleboards out of the new harbor center.

Funding for the newly-christened Steve and Alexandra Cohen Harbor Education Center came, in large part, from its wealthy namesakes. The Greenwich residents  who own the New York Mets  donated $3 million to SoundWaters to jumpstart the project. The state government provided another $2 million grant for the 12,000-square-foot campus.

This building is about helping kids better understand the environment they live in, and its about learning in a different way, the governor said. Lamont stressed that the education kids can get at the new SoundWaters facility could provide reprieve for students still recovering from the pandemics academic and emotional side effects.

My job, Susan (Bysiewicz)s job, is to make sure these resources we get are invested in a way that helps us continue to heal, help our kids continue to heal, Lamont added.

On top of the millions from donors and Lamonts administration, the city of Stamford is also playing a hand in creating a newer Boccuzzi Park.

While we are focused on this great new part of SoundWaters continuing life, I would say its not just whats happening in this building, Martin told the crowd. We are changing what were doing at the waterfront.

Though the city has yet to approve its final capital budget, Martin allocated $700,000 in capital project funds for improvements to the surrounding park, including changes to the parking lots within the park and the nearest intersection at Southfield Avenue. Another $750,000 of city cash will go towards building the Harbor Education Center itself.

SoundWaters expects construction for the new building will run until April 2022. The organization estimates that Harbor Education Center will open formally in June of that year.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
BRIDGEPORT  Four new board members from local businesses and higher education have joined the Housatonic Community College Foundation.

The foundation announced Monday the addition of Douglas H. Wade Jr., Andrea Jones, Jennifer Cutrali and Marilyn Ward Ford to its board.

The not-for-profit organization broadens access to higher education through more than $600,000 in scholarships and awards to students, and other financial assistance to the college. The foundation also provides book and emergency funds, exam fees, transportation assistance and academic program development, and supports the Housatonic Museum of Art.

We are fortunate to welcome this strong and distinguished team of new board members who bring diverse expertise and insight to our work, said the foundations board president, Bruce Murray, who is senior institutional trust officer and senior vice president of Peoples United Bank.

Wade is the president of Wades Dairy, Inc., which has been his familys business for four generations. He is an advocate for reduced poverty, quality education and greater opportunity, according to a news release.

Jones most recently was vice president of human resources at Bigelow Tea. The business, which is based in Fairfield, and the Bigelow family, have been strong supporters of Housatonic Community College for about 20 years.

Cutrali is the vice president and credit administration manager of Fairfield County Bank.

And Ward Ford is a professor of law at Quinnipiac Law School and the founder and past director of the clinical program at the University of Bridgeport School of Law. Shes won several awards for her published work and services, including the Thurgood Marshall Award for Community Service, the Presidential Award from the Bridgeport Chapter of the NAACP and was honored as an All Star by the Connecticut Bar Association.

The new board members are slated for three-year terms beginning this year.

Housatonic Community College depends upon the work of the Foundation and we are grateful to its board members who dedicate their passions and expertise to supporting our community college, said Dwayne Smith, CEO of HCC. They understand that investing in HCC has a lasting impact on students, their families and our wider community.

Housatonic Community College celebrated the graduating class of 2021 last month. The school presented an honorary degree to Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO of Bigelow Tea.
HARTFORD  Two individuals were hurt in a shooting early Monday on Bliss Street, police said.

Lt. Aaron Boisvert said officers responded to the 20 block of Bliss Street on a ShotSpotter gunfire activation around 1:30 a.m.

Officers found a man in his 20s with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, Boisvert said. He was taken to Hartford Hospital, where he is in stable condition.

Shortly after, a second man in his 20s arrived at the hospital suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg. He is also in stable condition, Boisvert said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the tips line at 860-722-TIPS.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A new federal intelligence report warns that adherents of QAnon, the conspiracy theory embraced by some in the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol, could target Democrats and other political opponents for more violence as the movement's false prophecies increasingly fail to come true.

Many QAnon followers believe former President Donald Trump was fighting enemies within the so-called deep state to expose a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals operating a child sex trafficking ring. Trumps loss to President Joe Biden disillusioned some believers in The Storm, a supposed reckoning in which Trumps enemies would be tried and executed. Some adherents have now pivoted into believing that Trump is the shadow president or that Biden's victory was a sham.

The report was compiled by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and released Monday by Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat. It predicts that while some QAnon adherents will pull back, others likely will begin to believe they can no longer trust the plan referenced in QAnon posts and that they have an obligation to change from serving as digital soldiers towards engaging in real world violence.

As major social media companies suspend or remove QAnon-themed accounts, many followers have moved to less well-known platforms and discussed how to radicalize new users on them, the report says.

The report says several factors will contribute to QAnons long-term durability, including the COVID-19 pandemic, some social media companies allowing posts about the theories, societal polarization in the U.S., and the frequency and content of pro-QAnon statements by public individuals who feature prominently in core QAnon narratives.

The report does not identify any of those public individuals. But Trump, who has praised QAnon followers as people that love our country," has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the election is over and spoken baselessly of his victory being stolen, despite multiple court rulings and a finding by his own Justice Department upholding the integrity of the election. One longtime ally told The Associated Press that Trump has given credence to a conspiracy theory that he could somehow be reinstated into the presidency in August.

Heinrich and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., requested the assessment in December. Heinrich pressed FBI Director Chris Wray during an intelligence committee hearing in April to release an assessment of how the government views QAnon. The public deserves to know how the government assesses the threat to our country from those who would act violently on such beliefs, he said then.

The movement around QAnon has already been linked to political violence, notably during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection in which some rioters believed they would reverse Trumps defeat. At least 20 QAnon followers have been charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6, according to an AP review of court records.

Some charged in the riot wore attire bearing the telltale letter Q when they stormed the Capitol. One of the defendants, Jacob Chansley, calls himself the QAnon Shaman and wore a furry hat with horns, face paint and no shirt that day. Others had posted about QAnon on social media before the riot.

The Justice Department has arrested more than 400 people in the insurrection, during which pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, caused about $1.5 million worth of damage and sent lawmakers running for their lives. Five people died and dozens of police officers were wounded. Defendants have argued that Trump himself spurred them on, or they were just following the crowd, or law enforcement allowed them in, or they were the victims of disinformation stoked by right-wing media.

Lawyers for some of the defendants have argued their clients were specifically misguided by QAnon.

Defense attorney Christopher Davis argued that his client, Douglas Jensen, is a victim of internet-driven conspiracy promoted by very clever people, who were uniquely equipped with slight, if any, moral or social consciousness. Jensen now realizes that he bought into a pack of lies, his lawyer maintains.

For reasons he does not even understand today, he became a 'true believer' and was convinced he doing a noble service by becoming a digital soldier for 'Q.' Maybe it was mid-life crisis, the pandemic, or perhaps the message just seemed to elevate him from his ordinary life to an exalted status with an honorable goal, Davis wrote.

A witness told the FBI that another defendant, Kevin Strong, expressed a belief that Jan. 6 would usher in "World War 3" and the military would be involved. Strong, who was a Federal Aviation Administration employee in San Bernardino, California, had a flag with a QAnon slogan on his house and has declared that he had Q clearance," an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit.

He had recently purchased a new truck and believed that QAnon would cover the debt, the agent wrote.

___

Kunzelman reported from College Park, Md. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.
You dont have to sell too many people on the importance of higher education. It is the foundation that helps us build prosperous careers and achieve financial security. Education allows us to increase our opportunities and improve our overall quality of life.

Educational institutions and colleges are the epicenters of training and knowledge. They are important to all industries and provide people with new skills to meet the unique challenges that each student will face upon graduation.

By now you are probably wondering what education, colleges or institutions have to do with breaking down barriers through community and immersion.

I think it would be a good exercise for us to think about community and immersion as two centers for learning. I am a firm believer that knowledge is power. If we commit to educating ourselves on the true meaning of community and understanding the value of immersion, then we can break down barriers on the path to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

At first glance, community and immersion are simple words that we all comprehend. But I fear that the terms are overused and have possibly lost their value during our discussions on DEI. These words can mean different things to different people  which is expected and understandable.

As is the case with all educational institutions, there will be varying opinions on what we uncover as we learn more. Our primary goal, though, is to find common ground and to learn, grow, and develop in our education.

The College of Community

Community is both a unified body of individuals and a social state. We can view community as a group of people who share a common bond and a feeling of fellowship with others as a result of that common bond. In fact, educational institutions are a hub for cross-cultural interaction and a place that encourages a general sense of community among students.

In the College of Community we can learn how to nurture and foster the development of an inclusive community, so that the entire student body feels valued and seen. In the credit union movement, the common bond that we share is people, and helping people. That is what makes us a community, that is what brings us together. It is the secret sauce that makes us stand out amongst other financial communities.

The good thing is, there is already a deep sense of community in the credit union movement. But the not-so-good thing is, members of our community (those who serve with us and those we serve) do not always feel valued or seen. On the outside, these members of our community may seem completely content. But I would bet that on the inside, they wrestle every day with the known and unknown struggles that come with inequities, or to put it simply, the known and unknown struggles that come with being different.

When more credit union professionals enroll in the College of Community, our industry has the power to create a vibrant community that encourages a healthy respect for differences.

The Institution of Immersion

Immersion is absorption; it is allowing our minds to be soaked with information and to take in as much as possible. We hear the term immersion also in the academic research field. In this sense, an immersion is instruction based on extensive exposure to surroundings or conditions that are vital to a particular object of study. In an article for the New York Times, Dr. Daniel Polishar of Shalem College in Israel encourages cross-cultural immersion and learning programs that start as early as high school. Dr. Polishar notes that the changing landscape of our world requires leaders who can overcome cultural differences and work together to address critical needs.

In the Institution of Immersion we can learn how to embed ourselves in communities outside of our own so that we may come to understand and appreciate different customs, practices, and ways of life. The credit union movement is in dire need of students who will study at the Institution of Immersion. We need leaders who are willing to be uncomfortable for the sake of strengthening, growing, and retaining diverse credit unions and organizations. Without those brave individuals, I fear that we will be unable to understand the cultural nuances of the very communities we serve and seek to make an impact for.

We have so much to gain when we learn through cultural immersion. Unconscious bias trainings and DEI seminars are great, but we gain authentic cultural awareness when we learn from firsthand experience.

In his World War II research, Harvard sociologist Samuel Stouffer found that white soldiers were more likely to view their black counterparts as equals when they fought alongside them. This uncovers the profound truth that cultural immersion not only impacts how we perceive others, but also is the next wave in leadership development and DEI  an idea brought to light in a Chief Learning Officer article.

When more credit union professionals attend the Institution of Immersion, members of our mission-driven movement can truly come in alignment with one another.

If we graduate from the College of Community and matriculate through the Institution of Immersion, we will be one step closer to becoming a diverse, equitable and inclusive movement.
Worldwide Internet Outage Caused By Single Configuration Error

The June 8th Internet outage which affected websites in dozens of countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia, as well as South Africa has been traced to a single configuration error at a little known but important IT infrastructure company, Fastly.

Amazon, eBay and Boots were among retailers whose websites disappeared during the outage. Amazon and Boots alone report a combined 25bn in annual sales in the UK, meaning they would typically earn nearly 3m between them in the course of an average hour. Payment provider PayPal which processed $936bn of transactions in 2020, approximately $106m for every hour, was also temporarily unavailable.

Fastly said it had identified a service configuration that triggered disruptions across its servers and has now disabled that configuration.

The network run by Fastly had the outage for more than an hour and in most cases was occurring mid-morning London time. Investigation reveals the incident was caused by a cloud configuration fault affecting governments and businesses around the world in sectors ranging from media to online retail and telecoms. We experienced a global outage due to an undiscovered software bug that surfaced on June 8 when it was triggered by a valid customer configuration change. We detected the disruption within one minute, then identified and isolated the cause, and disabled the configuration.... Within 49 minutes, 95% of our network was operating as normal, said Fastlys SVP of Engineering & Infrastructure in a statement.

The basic issue appears to be that Fastly had mitakenly taken down its own network with a bad software update, resulting in a blockage affecting millions of dollars in revenue for numerous corporations around the world.

All UK government websites using the gov.uk domain were swept up in the outage, which temporarily knocked out crucial services such as the online system by which taxpayers can file annual returns with HM Revenue and Customs. The British Government said it was investigating reports that users were unable to book Covid-19 tests online as a matter of urgency.

Visitors to the official website of the White House were also greeted with a message likely to have been seen by hundreds of millions of internet users: Error 503 service unavailable.

According to analysis of data from Googles AdSense platform, outlets lost approximately $300,000 in revenue during the period, as they missed out on clicks that would usually translate into payments from advertisers. The calculation, made by marketing agency connective3, covers lost revenue at affected advertising-reliant media sites including the The BBC, The Guardian New York Times, the Financial Times, CNN, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, the Independent and the Evening Standard., were all among the websites that crashed.

Fastly is a content delivery network (CDN), which maintains a network of servers that transfer content quickly from websites to users. It provides a layer of support between Internet companies and customers trying to access the various online platforms it services, when it goes down, access to those platforms can be blocked entirely.

One of the reasons that the outage was so wide is that cloud computing service companies like Fastly are consolidating, leaving websites dependent on a shrinking number of providers, a critical vulnerability demonstrated recently by a similar large scale outage affecting Amazon Web Services in December 2020.

Fastly: CNN: Vox: Computing: Guardian:

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SANS Institute book: Practical Guide To Security In The AWS Cloud:
Weather Alert

...The Flood Advisory is extended for the following river in Illinois... Kankakee River near Wilmington affecting Will, Kankakee and Grundy Counties. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Flood Advisory means water levels near flood stage are already occurring. Water may overtop low stream banks in some areas. Persons in the advisory area should use caution and avoid flood waters. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/Chicago and water.weather.gov The next statement is expected around 1200 PM CDT Friday afternoon. && ...The Flood Advisory is now in effect until early Sunday morning... The Flood Advisory continues for the Kankakee River near Wilmington. * Until late Saturday night. * At 7:45 PM CDT Thursday the stage was 5.3 feet. * Action stage is 5.0 feet. * Flood stage is 6.5 feet. * Forecast...The river will remain around 5.3 feet until just after midnight tonight and then begin to fall. * Impact...At 5.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding begins in areas immediately adjacent to the river. &&
Elizabeth City, NC (27909)

Today

Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

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Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 74F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Dalton, GA (30720)

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Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

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Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
STONE RIDGE, N.Y.  Marbletown officials have initiated the first of two possible legal acti
The following items are based on information provided by officials in law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
Phyllis Ann Broughton, 92, of Ashland, passed away Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at the Hospice Care Center in Ashland. Mrs. Broughton was born March 11, 1929 in Westwood, a daughter of the late Roy Taylor and Lenora Ellington Cook. Her mother passed away at a young age and her mother's sister Lucy
Sunbury, PA (17801)

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Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 63F. Winds light and variable..

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Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Slight chance of a shower throughout the evening. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
Madison, SD (57042)

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable..

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
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West Chester

Chester County K-9 first in nation to earn therapy certification
Residents heard officials from Voices for Children Coalition discuss the results of a new poll that indicated 606 registered Delaware County voters in March 2021 found that county voters support increasing local government funding for a variety of social services and believe that programs for children should be increased.
Well, if the meeting of leaders of the G7 group of Western nations in sunny Cornwall was meant to create an image of unity and harmony, it has not been an unmitigated success.

Or not, at least, between the British host, Boris Johnson, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The two men had a sulphurous exchange on Saturday, its impact now rippling out in waves, like the effect of a large boulder hurled into the peaceful waters of Carbis Bay.

The Prime Minister had complained to Macron that, because of the relentless way in which the EU had been checking food products passing between Great Britain and Northern Ireland (now responsible for 20 per cent of goods border checks at the periphery of the entire European single market), we faced the prospect, when the Northern Ireland Protocol part of the Brexit agreement comes into full force next month, of an EU ban on chilled meats crossing from Britain into Northern Ireland.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, had a sulphurous exchange on Saturday, its impact now rippling out in waves, like the effect of a large boulder hurled into the peaceful waters of Carbis Bay

Offensive

'How would you like it if the French courts stopped you moving Toulouse sausages to Paris?' Johnson asked his French guest.

To which Macron allegedly responded that this was a duff analogy because Paris and Toulouse are 'part of the same country'.

Later that day, a furious Boris Johnson told a television interviewer: 'I've talked to some of our friends here today, who do seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country, a single territory. I just need to get that into their heads.'

Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab followed through, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr: 'Various EU figures, not just at Carbis Bay, but for years, have characterised Northern Ireland as somehow a separate country [from Great Britain]. It is offensive. I wouldn't dream of talking about Catalonia or Corsica in that way.'

Powerful stuff. But there is a problem here for the British Government.

It was Boris Johnson who, having declared in August 2020 that 'there will be no border down the Irish Sea  over my dead body', signed up to exactly that (his aim was to avoid any kind of goods border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland).

During their encounter on Saturday, Mr Johnson asked Mr Macron: 'How would you like it if the French courts stopped you moving Toulouse sausages to Paris?'

His complaint now, that Brussels is being unexpectedly pernickety in its checks  even though there is not the slightest risk to the integrity of the single market from a Sainsbury's in Belfast selling a sausage made in Yorkshire  seems at best disingenuous, given Johnson made his journalistic career by detailing the obsessive and unnecessary rules and regulations beloved of the EU Commission.

I don't think the prospect of British bangers being excluded from Northern Ireland will, as Downing Street sometimes seems to suggest, seriously put 'the peace process at risk' via an outbreak of Loyalist terrorism.

However, it is true, as one British minister complained to me, that 'there is an almost theological approach to single market regulations in Brussels, which they regard as much more important than peace in Northern Ireland'.

'President Macron in particular sees any disruption to British life that can be attributed to Brexit as a desirable political objective,' he added.

Here is the heart of the matter. The French President  who before landing in Carbis Bay summarily dismissed Boris Johnson's desire to renegotiate or temper the Northern Irish Protocol ('nothing is negotiable, everything is applicable')  is, above all, determined to make Brexit as unpleasant as possible for UK traders, even if that also makes life unnecessarily difficult for French exporters.

He was open about that to Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May. I learned that he told her in a private meeting that while he wanted the best possible bilateral relations between the UK and France, it was also essential (to him) for Britain to be seen to pay the highest price, politically and economically, for Brexit.

This has less to do with any principled devotion to the cause of an increasingly federalised European state, as sought by the European Commission, so much as pure domestic politics.

Dangerous

Macron's most dangerous challenger for the presidency, in next April's general election, is Marine Le Pen. And while Madame Le Pen does not advocate 'Frexit', she was an open admirer of the UK's decision to leave: any benefit that the UK is seen to gain from its decision strengthens her anti-Brussels campaign.

More generally, President Macron sees Brexit and Le Pen as part of the same phenomenon  a 'populist' revolt against the elite political establishment tied to the institutions of the EU.

When asked by the BBC's Andrew Marr in 2018 whether the French people would have voted to leave the EU, given the choice, Macron answered frankly: 'Yes.'

The main difference, he said, was he wouldn't risk asking the voters in the first place.

Macron's most dangerous challenger for the presidency, in next April's general election, is Marine Le Pen

Infuriatingly for the self-regarding Macron, a poll published a fortnight ago by the French journal Le Point revealed that Johnson is much more popular than he is  with French voters.

Not only did the British PM have a remarkably high 85 per cent 'recognition' factor in France  in other words, he's big there  51 per cent of French voters approve of him, which is way better than Macron gets from his own people.

Most maddeningly of all for the current tenant of the Elysee Palace, the same poll showed that no fewer than 74 per cent of the French believe the British Prime Minister has dealt with the coronavirus better or at least as well as Macron has.

This, clearly, is all to do with the UK's much more impressive vaccination performance. Le Pen has seized on this, declaring that the sluggish French vaccination programme would be 'Waterloo' for Macron (a brutal reference to the most bitter of all French military defeats by the British).

In turn, this is intimately connected with Brexit, and whether it will be seen to be a success  Macron's worst nightmare.

While the UK, had it remained part of the EU, could still have opted out of the over-regulated European vaccine procurement and approval programme, even as an ex-member it was invited to join in by Brussels.

Triumphant

The decision to go it alone turned out to be a triumphant demonstration of the gains to be made by taking an independent path unfettered by the pan-European 'one size fits all' bureaucratic imperative.

This clearly drove not just Emmanuel Macron but also the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to distraction.

At one point, she, without even consulting the Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, invoked Article 16 of the Northern Irish Protocol (in effect, suspended it) to set up a border between the Republic of Ireland and the North to stop any vaccines crossing from the EU to the UK.

Von der Leyen rapidly withdrew this, after a call from an irate Mr Martin (among others). But it clearly indicated that the pieties expressed in Brussels about the sacrosanct nature of the peace process and how it relates to the Northern Ireland Protocol were very easily cast aside when the Commission's own political interests appeared threatened.

The decision to go it alone on vaccine procurement turned out to be a triumphant demonstration of the gains to be made by taking an independent path unfettered by the pan-European 'one size fits all' bureaucratic imperative. This clearly drove not just Emmanuel Macron but also the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen (pictured), to distraction

The embarrassment of this, and especially the way that his own citizens have observed the clean pair of heels Britain showed to the EU in the vaccine race, will have made Macron all the more determined to make the Northern Ireland Protocol a stick with which to beat bumptious Boris Johnson (as the French President sees the PM).

Obviously, the EU is not obliged to fall in with Macron's demands for complete implacability in its discussions with the UK over the implementation of customs border checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

But Brussels' own post-Brexit strategy has long been to use the Irish border issue as a way to force the UK to remain part of its regulatory ambit (hence its current offer to show more 'flexibility' if London agrees to follow automatically all EU phytosanitary and veterinary regulations).

Theresa May had, through her so-called 'Irish backstop', fallen in with this approach. It was this which ultimately caused Boris Johnson to resign as Foreign Secretary. So he's not likely to reverse that now. And especially not at Emmanuel Macron's insistence.
Last night, after a hell of a lot of sweat and many very real tears, GB News made it to air on the hottest day of the year.

Over the past few weeks, the GB News team has been rehearsing out of a construction site as our state-of-the-art studio is put together.

Last night its fair to say, it wasnt quite finished  our facilities are a bit like the channel itself: Lean and mean.

But last night as the team of presenters all poured in alongside guests like Nigel Farage (who admitted to quaffing a glass of fizz before going to air), that didnt matter.

Alastair Stewart  one of the best live British news presenters of all time  has instantly become a mentor and friend to our rising star presenters like Alex Phillips, Inaya Folarin Iman and Mercy Muroki, who Im convinced will all become household names in the years to come.

Over the past few weeks, the GB News team (pictured) has been rehearsing out a construction site as our state-of-the-art studio is put together

Andrew Neil posed for selfies with young producers who grew up watching him and are now working with their broadcasting hero.

Unlike the Beeb or ITV, theres no make-up or styling team. I powdered myself in a makeshift dressing room as Gloria adjusted the spanx beneath her stunning dress.

As the screens dotted around the newsroom counted down to zero, spontaneous applause erupted, writes Dan Wootton

No presenters get any special treatment - we're all part of the team and it feels like we've become a little family.

To relieve the tension as we posed for our full presenting team photo in the studio before going live, Simon McCoy jokingly massaged Andrews back to help relieve the palpable tension.

As the screens dotted around the newsroom counted down to zero, spontaneous applause erupted as Andrew uttered the words wed been waiting to hear: This is GB News, Britains News Channel.

My show Tonight Live launched the regular schedule at 9pm, with guests including anti-lockdown resistance hero Lord Sumption, cheeky Apprentice host Lord Alan Sugar, and Chinese virologist turned whistle-blower Li-Meng Yan.

For the past six months Ive been one of 150 crazy, brave and very passionate folk at GB News attempting to launch a new 24-hour news network for the UK in the midst of a never-ending lockdown.

If youre anything like me, Im pretty sure youve wanted to throw the remote control at the gogglebox this past year as increasingly woke news networks tell us what we should be thinking.

My WTF moment was when Robert Peston announced on ITV News that he would never return to normal life again following the pandemic. Er, why?

But maybe for you it was when ITVs Tom Bradby started acting as some sort of PR for the latest utterings of The Duke and Duchess of Woke Harry and Meghan in Californian exile.

Or when Beth Rigby of Sky News was relentlessly gunning for government ministers over minor Covid rule breaches, while living it up without a care for the guidance on Saturday nights herself.

Maybe the final straw has been C-list actor Adil Rays relentless verbal bullying of anyone connected to the government on Good Morning Britain.

Whats clear is that an alternative has been so desperately needed.

There was one given about our first night: The snobby London metropolitan media elite were going to hate it  and, of course, they did.

Before we broadcast a single second, the woke warriors on Twitter had launched a series of campaigns to try to defund and cancel us. If that doesnt sum up the madness of 2021

But despite dealing with inevitable technical gremlins  were launching an entire new broadcasting system on a tiny fraction of the budget of BBC, ITV or Sky  real Brits were overwhelmingly positive.

In fact, my launch-night ratings peaked at 271,000 at 10pm, many times the audience of Sky News or the BBC News channel.

But how many watched on TV is just a small part of the puzzle. The world has changed now  you can view us online or on your phone via an app. Soon GB News will be available to watch on YouTube and listen to on the wireless.

But this is just the start of what I hope will be a broadcasting revolution in the UK, where presenters like me are honest about what we believe.

My launch-night ratings peaked at 271,000 at 10pm, many times the audience of Sky News or the BBC News channel

Free speech and democracy have been increasingly under attack over the last five years, nodded through by a monolithic bloc of privileged and out of touch Londoners who want to tell you what you should think.

They completely missed the march towards Brexit and then did everything they could to try and stop it being delivered.

So many debates about thorny issues have been shut down in the broadcast media, where woke producers proudly make decisions on what stories should be covered based on what matters to them, not you.

In fact, often judgements can be made about what stories the media chooses NOT to cover.

Last night as the team of presenters poured in alongside guests like Nigel Farage (who admitted to quaffing a glass of fizz before going to air)

Why, for example, have the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News devoted hours and hours to covering Black Lives Matters and Extinction Rebellion demonstrations, while declaring a near blackout on protests by those who oppose lockdowns.

The BBC spent more on copies of the left-wing Guardian than any other newspaper, even though its the least popular in the country.

What I hope GB News can do is bring you all the facts from all perspective, without censoring our guests.

I will always be honest and up front with you about my point of view, just like I am in my MailOnline columns.

I am proud to be an outsider.

I have never worked for any political party.

Im not friends with folk in Westminster and dont hang out with Carrie Johnson like so many other journalists who write about her husband.

I am completely independent and what I care about is fighting for the Brits so often ignored by the broadcast media in this country.

What I hope GB News can do is bring you all the facts from all perspective, without censoring our guests

I want to give the silenced majority a voice again.

What on earth is there to feared from a balanced broadcaster that will feature all perspectives of the debate?

In fact, that phrase  All Perspectives  is the name of the parent company of GB News for good reason.

Ill tell you what I do believe in and support: capitalism, genuine free speech, social liberties and respecting democracy. Thats pretty basic, right?

Making GB News a success is not going to be easy. There are a series of challenges that will be difficult to overcome.

But we are collectively up for the fight.

Ive never professionally felt the buzz that existed in the GB News newsroom last night as the clock counted down for Andrew Neil to launch a manifesto for the new station in our studio, which is still under construction.

GB News will not be defined by one political viewpoint, no matter what our detractors say.

But it will be defined by honest presenters sharing their genuine opinions and making judgements based on what viewers want, not what impresses their mates in the chattering classes at dinner parties.
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From shadows on a coffee house wall showing all the people who have visited to a penny which was kept in a pocket for 50 years and now has no face, these incredible pictures reveal how objects are worn down with time.

Bored Panda has rounded up a gallery of stunning snaps that capture how items have become more interesting with age.

Among the images that give a glimpse back in time are the stairs on the Great Wall of China, which have been worn away by years of footsteps and layers of spray paint sealed into a broken piece of the Berlin Wall.

Another image shows an old coffee shop, believed to be in Reykjavik, Iceland, which has shadows of past visitors.

Here, FEMAIL rounds up a selection of the most captivating dated objects...

Fine dining! One photo, believed to have been taken in Reykjavik, Iceland, shows how the sun has bleached walls, while leaving eerie shadows showing people on either side of the table having conversations

Another image from the Pompeii ruins shows a 'Beware of the Dog sign, which is still visible despite dating back to the second century BC. The image shows a stunning mosaic at the House of the Tragic Poet, which was made to resemble the image of a black dog, complete with a chain around it's neck

Up, up and away! Carved out from years of people eager to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the footfall on The Great Wall of China has resulted in dipped stairs

One photo snapped at an abandoned cemetery in the small village of upkow in Poland, shows how a sculpture of Jesus has been slowly absorbed by a tree over the past 12 years

One person, who lives in the United States, claimed their father has been carrying this Liberty Dollar coin for more than 50 years, despite the engravings having worn away

Another image reveals what paint looks like if it is not removed, with a broken piece of the of the Berlin wall showing layers of graffiti that have built up over the years

Weathering the storm! An image, believed to have been taken in the US, shows years of paint buildup from a trestle - with layers of bright colours withstanding over time to form a solid block

The telephone boxes graveyard is located in the small village of Carlton Miniott, North Yorkshire, shows the iconic symbol of Britain in various states of decay. As the years go by, decommissioned red phone boxes are replaced and deposited in this site. In the 1980s, over 73,000 red telephone boxes were in use, and by 1992 there were at least 92,000 red boxes dotted all over the UK. As mobile phones became more popular, the need for public phone boxes decreased, and after a while only one third were able to provide a service. During the early 2000's, only about 40,000 were still working and the rest were disabled, with many eventually ending up here

Another individual, who lives in the UK, revealed a street on their way to work has worn away enough to reveal the cobblestones that were covered over

In for a penny! One person took to Reddit to joke about how the coin in their father's baby book had only remained clean in the areas covered by sellotape

Out of service! A Reddit user, who is believed to live in the United States, shared a photograph of an abandoned vending machine advertising a Star Wars film first released in the 1990s

One baffling image, believed to have been taken in America, shows cubic crystals starting to form in old Play Doh. Children have enjoyed playing with the moulding substance since the 1950s

Another photograph, shared on U.S-based forum Reddit, shows how an old railing is slowly merging with a large tree after being in the same position for years

Thirst quencher! One image shows 'biodegradable' cups that remained in an almost usable condition, 15 years after being placed in a composter
Carrie Johnson looked to the Duchess of Cambridge for her style inspiration for the G7 summit.

The newlywed, 33, showed off her style prowess over the long weekend in Cornwall in which she wore a host of rented dresses from websites Hurr and My Wardrobe HQ.

Several of the outfits appeared almost direct replicas of Kate Middleton's, 39, including floral midi dresses, colourful gowns and vibrant trouser suits.

The mother-of-one also opted for some of the royal's favourite brands for the occasion including high street stalwarts like LK Bennett and Zara, as well as designer label The Vampire's Wife.

Carrie Johnson, 33, looked to the Duchess of Cambridge, 39 for her style inspiration for the G7 summit in Cornwall this weekend (pictured left, Kate Middleton wearing green D&G at Wimbledon in 2019, and right, the newlywed in a similar gown from LK Bennett)

Several of the newlywed's outfits appeared to be almost direct replicas of Kate Middleton's, 39, including floral midi dresses, colourful gowns and vibrant trouser suits (pictured left, the Duchess at Chelsea Flower Show in 2019; right, Carrie wearing a similar gown on Saturday)

Eco-conscious Carrie is hired multiple some of her wardrobe for the event - two collections from dress hire companies My Wardrobe HQ and Hurr Collective were delivered before the summit last week.

Meanwhile she also opted for a similar silhouette to one favoured by the Duchess: narrow and feminine with a high neckline, pouffy shoulders and a mid-calf-length skirt.

Meeting with President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden, Carrie donned a scarlet 325 LK Bennett gown, a well known favourite of Kate's.

The vibrant red dress was described online as inspired by the 'glamour of the chic 1930s'.

While the Duchess was praised for stepping out in a cobalt blue suit while filming for the Pride of Britain awards last year (left) Carrie opted to wear a similar 990 two-piece from royal-favourite Amanda Wakeley for a trip to the theatre (right)

It was remarkably similar to a dress worn by the Duchess during an outing to Wimbledon in 2019, with identical bow detailing across the front, oversized pearl buttons to the bodice and puff shoulders.

The VERY rock and roll brand that counts Kate Middleton AND Carrie Johnson among it's celebrity fans Best known as a former model and wife of Nick Cave, frontman of the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Susie Cave is also the designer behind fashion house The Vampires Wife. Launched in 2014, the brand takes its name from an unfinished novel by Nick. Full of ultra-feminine dresses tinged with vintage touches, the designs are timelessly beautiful rather than trend-focused. The brand has also developed a cult following, with celebrity fans including Alexa Chung, Sienna Miller, Cate Blanchett and Keira Knightley. Advertisement

And while Kate was praised for stepping out in a cobalt blue suit while filming for the Pride of Britain awards last year, Carrie opted to wear a similar 990 two-piece from royal-favourite Amanda Wakeley for a trip to the theatre.

Elsewhere, she also looked to some of Kate's favourite designers for the event.

Carrie rented her 805 gown from The Vampire's Wife to attend an evening reception at the Eden Project, while Kate opted to wear her green metallic version of the same dress during her tour of Ireland last year.

She also donned a vibrant bright pink gown from London-based designer Roksanda Ilincic.

The Duchess of Cambridge is just one of the famous fans of her bold colour-blocking and clean, unfussy lines, with others including Princess Beatrice, Samantha Cameron, Michelle Obama and Tilda Swinton.

Similarly to the mother-of-three, Carrie also opted to champion little-known British brands during the summit, and made sure to wear local designers on each event over the weekend.

On Thursday, the mother-of-one looked stylish in a chic mustard yellow dress from small British brand Alice Early for a beach walk with Boris Johnson.

The 265 dress, which was made in London, is described online as 'a jewel' which will 'brighten up the dullest of days'.

During a beach BBQ on Saturday, Carrie wore a floral printed gown from Damselfly London dress, which retails for 295 but was believed to have been rented.

Carrie rented her 805 gown from The Vampire's Wife to attend an evening reception at the Eden Project (right), while Kate opted to wear her green metallic version of the same dress during her tour of Ireland last year (left)

Carrie also donned a vibrant bright pink gown from London-based designer Roksanda Ilincic (right) The Duchess is just one of the famous fans of her bold colour-blocking and clean, unfussy lines (left, in Sydney in 2014)
Princess Michael of Kent has made her first appearance since battling 'blood clots' after receiving her Covid-19 vaccinations earlier this year.

The royal, 76, who is married to the Queen's first cousin Prince Michael of Kent, looked in good spirits as she was presented with a bouquet of flowers at a 'private charity event held in London' on May 25.

In a photo shared to Twitter, the princess can be seen wearing a cream polo neck jumper paired with a coat in a matching shade for the event with her hair pulled back into a low pony tail, showcasing a pair of statement earrings.

Princess Michael of Kent, 76, looked in good spirits as she was presented with a bouquet of flowers at a charity event in London on May 25, in her first outing since battling blood clots

She beamed as she spoke with a woman at the event, who grasped her hand as she presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

Earlier this year, the Czech-born royal was reported to have fallen ill with blood clots and said to have been ill for nearly a month.

A source close to the princess claimed she has 'sought medical attention' after amid the concerns for her health.

In May, the source told The Sun: 'It has been a worrying time for those around her. It has been difficult for those close to her to see her suffering. She's really been through it.'

The royal, who is married to the Queen's first cousin Prince Michael of Kent (pictured together in 2019), was reported to have battled blood clots earlier this year and was ill for a month

Princess Michael's spokesman Simon Astaire told the publication: 'I cannot comment on health issues.'

MailOnline contacted Princess Michael's representatives for comment at the time.

She is understood to have had both of her Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccinations earlier this year.

Earlier this year, it was decided that Britons under-30 would be offered an alternative vaccine to AstraZeneca because of the higher incidence of blood clots in recipients.

A source close to the Czech-born princess, (pictured in 2019) claimed that Princess Michael has 'sought medical attention' after amid the concerns for her health

However the benefits of getting the vaccine for older people still outweighed the risks because the incidence of blood clots was so low and the risk posed by coronavirus so much higher for older age groups.

It comes after the royal was diagnosed with coronavirus last November and suffered from 'extreme fatigue and terrible fevers'.

Simon Astaire said Princess Michael tested positive for the virus after her housekeeper 'fell ill three weeks' previously, and she and her husband remained in isolation at Kensington Palace.

Prince Michael of Kent, 76, is the paternal cousin of the Queen.

His father, Prince George, Duke of Kent, was the younger brother of King Edward VIII and the Queen's father, King George VI.

In 1978 Prince Michael married divorcee Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz in Vienna.

She was then given the title Princess Michael of Kent.
A generation ago, infertility was a lifelong sentence. Medicine could offer no help and couples had to choose between adopting or remaining childless. Now, IVF  and all its satellite services, from egg-freezing to sperm donation  promises women they can have it all.

The past four decades have seen astonishing advances in science and technology, which has meant fertility is now considered a right; something to be expected and fixed. An entire private industry has sprung up around the promise that everyone, regardless of biology, can be a parent. Focus on your career and relationships and see the world, and when youre ready to settle down, medicine will step in and help you defy the odds by becoming pregnant.

But women have been sold a lie. As far as nature is concerned, having a child is not a right but a biological privilege  and one with a tight time frame. Delay at your peril. While science may allow us to improve the odds, slightly, it is far more limited than those in the IVF industry would have us believe.

Dr Max Pemberton warns having a child is not a right but a biological privilege - with a time frame (file image)

IVF doctors champion their speciality and the incredible advances made in recent years in their field, but many other doctors are more reticent.

Working in mental health, I have seen the fall-out of women who have left motherhood until their late-30s or even early-40s under the impression they can buy their way there. When they fail to do this, they are racked with grief and guilt that they left it so late.

Among women aged 42 to 43, just 3 per cent will end up with a baby. For those over 44, the success rate is 1 per cent. The message from these statistics should be that IVF rarely works and women shouldnt bank on it being able to help them.

Yet women have been falsely reassured IVF will give them what they want. Something needed to change. Last week, it was announced that IVF clinics must finally be clear with patients about their success rates and charges, under new guidance from the Competition and Markets Authority.

About time. IVF operates in the Wild West of medicine. While there are strict guidelines around its procedures and processes, there is little regulation over the promises it makes.

Clinics are free to play on peoples emotions and downplay the risks or chance of failure.

NHS guidelines recommend that women under the age of 40 should be offered three cycles, and those between 40 and 42 offered only one.

It is not recommended over the age of 42 at all, owing to the incredibly low success rate.

However, this opens up a whole lucrative market for private clinics, which can target women who are desperate and aware that time is rapidly running out.

Dr Max (pictured) said there's incentive for clinics to overstate the success of IVF to encourage women to delay trying for a baby, so they will need costly procedures later on

Some clinics charge up to 20,000 per IVF cycle, despite the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) advising it should not cost more than 5,000. The price often increases because clinics offer add-ons, treatments that supposedly help the chances of a successful pregnancy.

However, a research project led by Carl Heneghan at Oxford University found the majority of these add-ons were unnecessary, with some having no evidence backing them up at all.

Too many in the IVF industry are little more than snake-oil salesmen. Theres also a perverse incentive for clinics to overstate the success of IVF to encourage women to delay trying for a baby, and thus ensure they will need increasingly costly procedures later on.

Yes, for some women these clinics might offer hope  and even the slimmest glimmer is, for many, better than nothing.

Bosses got into trouble after an employment tribunal found they should not have told an employee to take off her headphones as it helped with her anxiety. Am I the only one who rolls his eyes at these kinds of stories? It seems that mental health is increasingly being used by people to demand what they want.

But its not just the appallingly low success rates of IVF that are ignored. The psychological aspects of going through this procedure  especially for older women who have a sense of panic as time moves on  are also routinely brushed under the carpet by the industry.

Couples embarking on IVF for the first time will struggle to appreciate quite how gruelling, exhausting, disappointing, frustrating and, ultimately for many, futile it will be. Even for those for whom it is successful, the toil of treatment can leave nerves frayed and relationships rocky.

But because the technology exists, there is an assumption that those who struggle to conceive must go down the IVF path without question. People dont talk so much about the negative impact of IVF, so the psychological and physical strain couples are placed under, the true cost, is never properly aired.

Theres a sense that this treatment is sold as a definitive answer to infertility  a cure-all, even  when the reality is much less straightforward.

The brave new world of reproductive technology  ushered in with the birth of Louise Brown, the worlds first test-tube baby, in 1978  promised a cure to the alleged blight of infertility. Yet this has not proved to be the case.

It still fails more often than it works. Thats pretty poor odds for something that is so costly and so draining.

Vaccine boss is a true Dame

Dr Max said he's very pleased to see that the Queen is to honour Kate Bingham (pictured) with a damehood

Ive often thought that honours go to the wrong people  fading pop stars and celebrities are given gongs, while the amazing work and dedication of so many regular people goes unnoticed and unrewarded.

I think of the nurses I work with who care for incredibly unwell people with severe mental illness, and who go above and beyond to help them, and yet get no recognition for this. Then some actor in a soap who does a bit of charity work to raise their profile gets a gong. It seems unfair.

So I was very pleased to see that the Queen is to honour Kate Bingham with a damehood. Surely we all owe this woman an enormous debt of gratitude. As head of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, she presided over an astonishing vaccine roll-out programme that has been the envy of the world and made us proud to be British. Her work has had a dramatic effect on everyone in this country. Thank you, Kate, and congratulations on becoming a Dame  richly deserved.

People with mental illness and learning disabilities were given do not resuscitate (DNR) orders during the pandemic by doctors, an investigation has uncovered.

Im very angry. There are times when DNR forms are indicated depending on someones medical condition, but the slapdash, uncaring way it has been communicated to patients and families is shameful. It smacks of a total lack of respect for those with mental illness, as though having one of those conditions is reason alone not to try to resuscitate someone.

Studies claim strawberries reduce cholesterol when eaten regularly (file image)

Dr Max prescribes...

British strawberries

This years crop of British strawberries seem extra delicious and juicy. Ive been eating a punnet every evening for the past few weeks. Studies have shown they reduce cholesterol when eaten regularly.

Containing alpha-linolenic acid, a fatty acid linked to mood, they have also been proven to boost the brains happy chemicals serotonin and melanin. Make mine a double helping!
Ah, newborns, in all their soft-skinned, surprised-looking, downy-haired, dozy loveliness. The heft of them, the smell of their sweet heads . . . then, frankly, the relief of handing them back before they fill their nappies, posset, or cry, piercingly, to be fed.

My days in the milk-scented exhaustion of early motherhood are behind me now. My last child was born a decade ago, into an April heatwave that preceded the royal wedding of Kate and William. Harry and Meghans daughter is a June bug, a proper child of summer. Lilibet seems the perfect cutesy name for a kid with Hollywood and Highnesses in her heritage.

Many literary plots revolve around a childs destiny, identity or the impact of their arrival. But which infants would win a Best Books Beautiful Baby competition? A personal favourite would be Eppie in George Eliots Silas Marner, the golden child abandoned on the weavers doorstep, who gives the old curmudgeons life meaning.

Patricia Nicol reveals a selection of the best books on new babies, including Stacey Halls's The Foundling (pictured left) and M.L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans (pictured right)

Like Eppie, many of fictions cutest babies are born out of wedlock. In Elizabeth Gaskells Ruth, the Bensons offer refuge to Ruth, a woman seduced then abandoned pregnant. When baby Leonard arrives, the pious Miss Benson is reluctant to become attached. Just one touch, however, and the doors of her heart were thrown open wide for the little infant to go in and take possession.

Stacey Hallss recent bestseller The Foundling is set in the 18th century. Bess takes her day-old daughter Clara to the Foundling Hospital, but vows to return as soon as she can afford to. When she does, she is astounded to learn that Clara has already been claimed.

Someone elses lost baby becomes the focal point of M.L. Stedmans The Light Between Oceans. Tom and Isabel Sherbourne live in a remote Australian lighthouse. One day, a dinghy washes ashore, with a dead man and a healthy baby girl on board. The couple, whose hopes of becoming parents have been disappointed, adopt the child, naming her Lucy, instead of alerting the authorities.

All newborns, and their strung-out parents, deserve to be cared for.
A thrifty woman has revealed how she keeps her shower screen sparkling clean with a $2.50 spray from Woolworths.

Posting her trick in an Australian cleaning group on Facebook, the woman said she has been wiping her shower glass with Strike cleaning spray from Woolworths for the past two years - and claims it has never let her down.

She said the budget-friendly product lifts all traces of grime and scum with minimal effort in just three minutes.

The woman said the 750ml bottle generally lasts her 24 cleans, which means each scrub costs just 10c.

An Australian woman claims a $2.50 bathroom cleaner is the secret to turning grimy shower screens (left) sparkling clean (right)

'I have lost years of my life (ok maybe not years but definitely weeks) cleaning shower screens,' the woman wrote.

'The past two years I've been using this amazing (and amazingly cheap) product and it literally adds three minutes to my shower once a week (or fortnight or month whatever).

'My shower screen is always perfectly clear no matter how much build up is on it.'

She said she uses a soft loofah to spread the spray across her shower screens, adding: 'It dries so clear!'

Strike bathroom and shower cleaner (pictured) is sold in Woolworths for $2.50

Earlier this year, Australians raced to buy using a similar 'no scrub' cleaner that lifts dirt off oven racks after a mother raved about it on social media.

The mum used $8.70 Oven Power, a kit from Queensland cleaning brand Oz Kleen which contains a detergent and plastic bag that racks can be left to soak in overnight.

The kit, which is also stocked in other major supermarkets including Coles and Woolworths, comes with gloves to protect your hands from chemicals.

The mother said she left her racks in the bag for 24 hours, 'turning often' to ensure the detergent covered every inch.

These photos uploaded to Australian Facebook group Aldi Mums show the racks before and after cleaning

Oven Power (pictured) is a kit from Queensland cleaning brand Oz Kleen which contains a detergent and plastic bag that racks can be left to soak in overnight

Photos uploaded to Australian Facebook group Aldi Mums show the racks before and after cleaning.

'I swear by this product I bought a while ago from Aldi and was hesitant to use,' the mother wrote.

'Wow, I should have used this a long time ago. Never ever will I use anything else again. Best product by far on the market for your ovens and barbecues.'


KitKat has released a new Lotus Biscoff flavour for Australian customers to enjoy.

The 'special edition' contains a crunchy, caramelised cinnamon spread made from Lotus Biscoff biscuit sandwiched between classic KitKat wafers covered in creamy milk chocolate.

Biscoff is an iconic Belgium biscuit often served with tea or coffee.

The new flavour is available from the KitKat Australia website for $8 per 85g packet or $30 per pack of four.

The 'special edition' contains a crunchy, caramelised cinnamon spread made from Lotus Biscoff biscuit sandwiched between classic KitKat wafers covered in creamy milk chocolate

The brand has one boutique in Sydney's Mid City shopping mall and another in Melbourne CBD, which became the first permanent 'KitKat Chocolatory' outside Japan when it opened in 2016.

Customers in Sydney and Melbourne can also try the latest treat exclusively at KitKat Chocolatory stores.

But because the bar is a 'special edition', it is likely to be available for a limited time only.

Earlier this month Nestle hinted vegan KitKat could be coming to Australia soon after the brand delighted fans across the globe with the launch of the plant-based version.

The new flavour (pictured) is available from the KitKat Australia website for $8 per 85g packet or $30 per pack of four

One of the world's most popular chocolate bars have been transformed into a vegan option, with many claiming it tastes just as good as the real deal.

The plant-based version features a 'perfect balance' between crispy wafer and smooth chocolate that people know and love.

'It's absolutely divine and tastes. It tastes just how I remember a regular KitKat to be, very impressed,' a UK vegan food blogger wrote on Instagram.

Earlier this month Nestle hinted vegan KitKat could be coming to Australia soon after the confectionery brand delighted fans around the globe with the launch of the plant-based version

A Nestle spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia the vegan KitKat will be launched later in the year across a number of countries worldwide but remained tight lipped about the exact launch date.

The new vegan KitKat - called KitKat V - has so far launched in the UK, with several countries expected to follow suit.

'One of the most common requests we see on social media is for a vegan, so we're delighted to be able to make that wish come true,' Nestle head of confectionery, Alexander von Maillot, said.
Woolworths workers say returning groceries to shelves after they have been discarded by shoppers is the 'worst' part about their job at the supermarket.

Australian employee Rachel Karlene Moor recently filmed herself pushing a trolley and putting items back in their rightful place after customers decided they no longer wanted to buy them.

Ms Moor uploaded the footage to TikTok with the caption: 'Always putting people's crap they don't want away!'

Fellow staff members related to her frustration, with one branding it 'the worst job to do'.

Australian employee Rachel Karlene Moor recently filmed herself pushing a trolley and putting items back in their rightful place after customers decided they no longer wanted to buy them

One person said they often spend an hour in each aisle figuring out where everything belongs.

'Legit the worst job to do. I just find it boring walking around putting stuff back on shelves,' said another.

A third wrote: 'Yes! I literally carried a packet of bay leaves around in my hand until we got to the aisle it belonged in.'

Staff said it is particularly annoying to find perishable items left outside fridges and freezers.

Staff said it is particularly annoying to find perishable items left outside fridges and freezers (stock image)

'Having to dump s*** from deli because a customer walked around the store before deciding they didn't want it,' one person wrote.

'I found $60 worth of my roasts in the back of the store the other day,' added a second.

Ms Moor responded to the comments saying while she wouldn't call it the 'worst' job, she would appreciate it if shoppers took more care in store.

'Wouldn't say it's the worst job, but definitely would make it easier if people knew how to put s*** back or don't grab it if they don't actually want it,' she wrote.
A woman has revealed how she felt 'empowered' after deciding to have a baby by herself on her 40th birthday.

Michele Elizaga, now 43, from Arizona, was fed up with waiting for the right man to come along and decided, after celebrating her big day with her girlfriends, she was going to have a baby by herself.

She spent all of her $5,000 savings on one vial from a sperm donor and ended up falling pregnant with her son, Matthew, now two, in June 2019.

Michele now feels she is unlikely to meet a partner because she spends all her time with Matthew, who has Down syndrome, saying: 'I wouldn't change it for the world and I couldn't imagine him any other way. It has been such an empowering experience and I have been astounded by my strength and ability.'

Michele Elizaga, now 43, from Arizona, was fed up with waiting for the right man to come along and decided that after celebrating her big day with her girlfriends she was going to have a baby by herself

She spent $5,000 on one vial from a sperm donor and ended up falling pregnant with her son, Matthew, now two, in June 2019

After spending years dreaming of meeting her ideal man and starting a family, Michele decided it was time to take matters into her own hands after turning 40 as she felt like time was running out.

Michele said that during her 40th birthday celebrations she sensed that something big was on the horizon for her and had a baby on her mind.

She explained: 'I have never been married and it has been such a long time since my last serious boyfriend.

'I have always wanted to get married and I'd hoped I'd become a mother, but it just wasn't working out for me.'

Michele said: 'My birthday is in January and every year I think to myself that this would be the year I would meet someone.

Michele now feels she is unlikely to meet a partner because she spends all her time with Matthew, who has Down syndrome (pictured together)

'I was away in Costa Rica with my best friend to celebrate my 40th birthday and I was hoping more than ever that this would be my year to meet my perfect man.

'I wanted to have a family and now that I was turning 40 I was aware that the clock was ticking.

'I was talking about how much I would have liked to have been a mom and that I feared my time was running out.

'And then one of my girlfriends said something that shocked me. She told me that I could have a baby without a man.'

Michele said she was immediately taken by the idea, explaining: 'That next morning I woke up with a baby on my mind and I felt compelled to pursue this path.

'So I started googling the process and that's where it all started.'

Michele gave birth to her son Matthew after deciding on her 40th birthday to become a single mother

Michele spent all of her $5,000 savings on one vial of sperm in a desperate attempt to fall pregnant - and was over the moon when she learned she was expecting Matthew (pictured)

Michele had $5,000 in her savings but knew the process was going to be expensive.

She chose to go with IUI, where sperm is directly inserted into a woman's womb. because it was the most affordable option and she could pay for one vial from a sperm donor.

Michele said: 'The doctors told me that it would be unlikely that it would work after the first time and that I should have bought more sperm.

'But it was all I could afford, so I kept moving forward with the process with the faith that it was going to work out.

'Two weeks later, I woke up anxiously at 3am and I took a test. I looked back at the pregnancy test and I saw those two lines show up.

'I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. I was in complete shock but I was so happy.'

Matthew, who was born in June 2019, spent two months in NICU before being allowed home, with Michele calling it 'quite the journey'

Because of her age, Michele underwent prenatal testing at 12-weeks pregnant, which looks out for genetic conditions and revealed what gender her baby was going to be.

More than a FIFTH of women having IVF in the UK are now over 40 - double the proportion in 1991, new figures show More single women, those in same-sex relationships and those aged 40 and over are undergoing IVF, new figures show. The proportion of all IVF cycles to patients aged 40-plus has more than doubled from 10 per cent (689 cycles) in 1991 to 21 per cent (14,761 cycles) in 2019, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The average age of women undergoing IVF was 35.7 years in 2019, while those needing donor insemination were typically aged 34.5 years. Both of these figures are older than the average age (30.7) of women having children nationally. Advertisement

Michele was told that she was going to be having a boy.

However, this was also the moment that she found out that there was a nine out of ten chance that her baby was going to have Down Syndrome.

Michele said: 'I was devastated. I cried a ton. But I knew that I was still going to have this baby.

'There was no way I was going to terminate the pregnancy.

'When I heard the news that it was likely that my baby was going to have Down Syndrome I was in shock.

'I had no experience of Down Syndrome, so I spent the rest of my pregnancy doing research.'

After a smooth pregnancy, Michele had an emergency C-section and gave birth to her baby boy, Matthew, on 3 June 2019.

She says that by the time she came back around after the surgery, he was already in NICU.

Michele added: 'A nurse told me he was alive, beautiful and looked just like me.

'I went down to meet my baby a few hours later. It was the sweetest moment and I was so happy to be reunited with him.

'He spent two months in NICU before coming home. It's been quite the journey.'

Michele said despite welcoming Matthew in an unconventional way, she has no regrets, explaining: 'Being a single mother is exhausting and hard, especially as Matthew has additional needs.

Michele said she 'wouldn't change Matthew for the world' and called her two-year-old son 'hilarious and sweet'

'But I wouldn't change it for the world and I couldn't imagine him any other way. It has been such an empowering experience and I have been astounded by my strength and ability.

'Matthew is a hilarious and sweet baby with the best energy. He is just amazing and I am so grateful for being his mom.

'I do still hope that I will meet someone one day as I would like to share my life with the right person.

'But I have been single for so long and didn't meet anyone, so I can't see how I will meet anyone now especially with a baby who has Down syndrome as I am constantly busy making sure I am doing everything I can to support him.'
Queen Letizia of Spain dazzled in a ice blue gown as she stepped out with King Felipe in Seville today.

The Spanish royal, 48, cut an elegant figure as she joined her husband, 52, as he was awarded the first Andalucian Medal of Honour at San Telmo Palace this morning.

The mother-of-two opted for a stunning blue midi gown for the occasion, which she paired with a matching clutchbag and sky-high tan heels.

The King is the first person to achieve this distinction because he 'embodies the most solid affective bond of Andalucia with all the State institutions,' according to the Junta de Andalucia.

Queen Letizia of Spain, 38, dazzled in a ice blue gown as she stepped out with King Felipe, 52, in Seville today

The Spanish royal cut an elegant figure as she joined her husband as he was awarded the first Andalucian Medal of Honour in Seville this morning

She accessorised with a pair of silver hoop earrings and a chunky gold ring, while wearing a plain white face mask in line with Spanish Covid regulations.

The monarch wore a soft brown smokey eye and wore her dark tresses loose around her shoulders.

She appeared in high spirits at the event, and could be seen waving to crowds as she arrived on the red carpet alongside her husband.

The pair were also joined by Vicepresident Carmen Calvo and Andalusia President Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla at the event today.

The monarch wore a soft brown smokey eye and wore her dark tresses loose around her shoulders

The mother-of-two opted for a stunning blue midi gown for the occasion, which she paired with a matching clutchbag and skyhigh tan heels

It comes amid a busy period for Letizia, who last week attended the Women Now summit for equality and women leadership wearing an embellished, wool-blend midi dress in bubblegum pink.

Letizia is on the honorary committee of the summit and chaired the closing ceremony of the event, which sees female professionals from various industries come together to discuss their experiences.

The in-person and online event, sponsored by Santander, takes place over three days and was organised by Spanish multimedia communications group Vocento.

The event boast guests such as author Dylan Farrow, chef Jose Andres, designer Diane von Furstenberg, astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and presenter Ana Rosa Quintana.

The couple could be seen waving to waiting crowds as they walked the red carpet at the event in Seville today

The pair were also joined by Vicepresident Carmen Calvo and Andalusia President Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla at the event today

Speakers at this year's conference include - Alejandra Kindelan, the bank's Head of Research and Public Policy; Head of Responsible Banking for Santander Espana Marta Aisa and Santander Espana Chairman Luis Isasi.

The look is a favourite of Letizia's - most recently donning it mark the 125th anniversary of local paper El Heraldo de Aragon at the newspaper's headquarters in Zaragoza.

In July 2019 she donned during a welcoming ceremony at Zarzuela Palace and in June 2018 opted for a look during a state visit to the US to meet Donald and Melania Trump.

She accessorised with a pair of silver hoop earrings, while wearing a plain white face mask in line with Spanish Covid regulations

Meanwhile King Felipe opted for a navy suit for the occasion, and coordinated with Queen Letizia by wearing an ice blue shirt

Meanwhile she also attended the opening of 'Odaliscas: From Ingres to Picasso' at the Museum of Fine Arts inside the Palace of Carlos V at Alhambra, in Granada.

For the occasion, she sported a floaty number from Maje, which featured an asymmetric hemline and highlighted her slender waist.

Known for re-wearing her favourite pieces, it was the third time the monarch has sported the floral number after first wearing on a visit to Ovideo Archeology Museum in July 2019, and again last summer on a trip to Palma de Mallorca.
The top British baby names of 2021 so far have been revealed - with Lily taking the top spot for girls and Muhammad proving the most popular for boys.

Parenting website Baby Centre revealed that while Lily has been creeping up the girls name chart for years, it has clinched the top spot in the UK, proving the popularity of the name chosen by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for their second child.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex called their first daughter Lilibet in honour of the Queens childhood nickname - with a derivative of the name beating favoured monikers such as Olivia and Sophia for the top spot.

And it seems the royal trend is present throughout the list, with Elizabeth entering the top 100 for the first time in recent years, while Archie is up two places at number 12.

The top British baby names of 2021 have been revealed - with Lily taking the top spot for girls and Muhammad proving the most popular for boys. Stock image

The UK website shared with the Mirror the 100 most popular choices from the last year so far using data from thousands of parents who had visited the site to register the names of their babies.

Sarah Redshaw, managing editor for BabyCentre, said: 'Lily swept in to take the crown and Elizabeth, the name that inspired Meghan and Harry's choice, is a new entry.

'Perhaps the spotlight on the names will mean they stay popular for a few more years now, as has happened with Archie.

For the fifth year running, Muhammad remained in top position on the baby boys list while Noah clung to the runner-up spot and Oliver took third place for another year.

While they were knocked off the top spots, Sophia and Olivia remained popular choices for girls names and both placed in the top five monikers.
A California teen who is battling cancer in the hospital was able to walk his mom down the aisle, thanks to the kindly hospital staff who staged a makeshift wedding ceremony on his ward.

Anita Sanchez, 48, decided to have her sons Sergio, 17, and Manny, 30, walk her down the aisle after her father passed away last year.

Unfortunately, Sergio, who has been battling leukemia since he was six and received a bone marrow transplant from Manny in April, was unable to be discharged from Children's Hospital Los Angeles in time for the ceremony.

Amazing: Sergio Sencion, 17, from California, was able to walk his mother, Anita, down the aisle after hospital staffers hosted a makeshift wedding in his ward

Recovery: Sergio has been battling leukemia since he was six and received a bone marrow transplant from his brother Manny, 30, in April

Timing: Anita wanted both of her sons to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, but Sergio was unable to be discharged from Children's Hospital Los Angeles in time

'I thought it would be an amazing idea that both my sons walk me down the aisle, especially knowing that one is a donor and one is a recipient,' said Anita, a nurse.

'Our goal was to be out of the hospital by the time I got married, but unfortunately, with the complications, Sergio wasn't allowed to get discharged, which bummed him out.

'The nurses were like, "You know what, we'll do something here for you guys. We'll do a little ceremony."'

They created decorations out of paper, strung up lights, made Anita a bouquet, and one of the nurses served as her maid of honor.

Sergio, Anita, and her husband, Peter, all wore cowboy attire to celebrate the occasion.

Heartwarming: Knowing that Sergio was upset that he would have to miss his mother's wedding, nurses threw Anita and her husband, Peter, a little ceremony

All smiles: The hospital staffers created decorations out of paper, strung up lights, and made Anita a bouquet of paper flowers

Big day: Sergio, Anita, and Peter all wore cowboy attire to celebrate the occasion

Emotional: Sergio even had the strength to give a speech during the small ceremony

Sergio walked Anita to the room where Peter waited and even gave a speech.

'I'm thankful that God allowed him to walk me down the aisle and also gave him the strength to give me a speech,' Anita said.

'It was very emotional.'

At the official wedding ceremony that was held three days later, a clip of Sergio walking Anita down the aisle in the hospital played on the screen right before Manny walked her down, so she could still have both of her sons with her on her big day.

'I'm thankful that God has allowed him to be here with me on my special day and gave him the strength to get up and be able to walk me down, because he was really sick about a week before that,' Anita said.

'I hope it shows other parents our kids can fight and accomplish anything and they're our little warriors.'

Grateful: 'They knew how much it meant to Sergio to be a part of my wedding, and Children's Hospital made it happen,' Anita said

Special: At the official wedding ceremony, a clip of Sergio walking Anita down the aisle in the hospital played on the screen right before Manny walked with her

Another celebration: Sergio also graduated from high school during his hospital stay and the staff made sure to help him celebrate that as well.

Graduate: The nurses made a banner for him and got him root beer after he wasn't able to eat or drink anything for nearly two months

Sergio also graduated from high school during his hospital stay and the staff made sure to help him celebrate that as well.

'The nurses made a banner for him, and they allowed him to have a root beer,' Anita said.

'He wasn't able to eat or drink anything for almost two months and he just wanted a root beer, so they got him a root beer.'

Anita is very grateful to the staff for putting together the immensely meaningful ceremony.

'They knew how much it meant to Sergio to be a part of my wedding, and Children's Hospital made it happen,' she said.

'They went that out of their way to fulfill the moment and make Sergio stronger and wanting to fight.'
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands stunned today as she recycled a white blazer and trousers set for her attendance at the annual symposium of the Money Wise platform in The Hague.

The Dutch royal, 50, first wore the suit for her family's annual portrait last year, but chose to refresh the look with brown accessories for today's solo engagement.

The mother-of-three appeared summery as she arrived at the prevention of money worries event wearing large round sunglasses.

Queen Maxima, 50 (pictured) attended the annual symposium of the Money Wise platform on Monday afternoon in The Hague

Maxima looked trendy in a white blazer and trouser suit, complete with a brown blouse and coordinating accessories. Pictured: The royal and Dutch Minister of Finance Wopke Hoekstra, talking with general practitioners

Maxima opted for a brown clutch bag of a similar shade to her court heels and blouse to complete her outfit.

The power dresser then opted for loose waves and a side-parting in her hair, along with a classic red lipstick to draw attention to her smile.

She joined leadership of the day chair Sabine Uitslag and Minister Hoekstra to speak with a general practitioner from the Schilderswijk in The Hague and a youth health care adviser about the impact money worries can have on health.

The theme of the annual symposium follows research which shows money woes can cause physical and mental health concerns, which not only cause stress but also alter the ability to think critically.

Maxima (pictured) wore her hair in loose waves with a side-parting and opted for a classic make-up look with a bold lipstick

Two experts spoke candidly about the consequences of financial stressful situation on their lives.

This was followed by a presentation of a fan with building blocks for organisations that offer help to financially vulnerable people.

The fan was included following three questions Queen Maxima had posed to participants during the 2020 Money Wise Symposium.

The honourary chair of the Money Wise Platform had asked, 'How do we get in touch with financially vulnerable people as early as possible? How do we contribute to their resilience? How do we strengthen cooperation between organisations that come into contact with these people?'

Representatives discussed the relationship between financial worries and health. Pictured: Queen Maxima and Dutch Minister of Finance Wopke Hoekstra

Towards the end of the engagement a fan was presented based on the questions Maxima had asked at the 2020 event. Pictured: The royal and Dutch Minister of Finance Wopke Hoekstra, talking with general practitioners

Queen Maxima has continuously used her role within the organisation to champion financial education and the sensible use of money.

Money Wise, which is an initiative of the Ministry of Finance, invites participants who want to promote financial fitness within the Netherlands to be in the audience of the symposium.

Partners can include people from the government, science as well as the financial sector.

Queen Maxima, who is the wife of King Willem-Alexander, 54, and mother to daughters Amalia, 17, Alexia, 15, and Ariane, 14, appeared committed to the cause as she spoke animatedly at the event today.
Rita Moreno has admitted that she almost backed out of her Oscar-winning role of Anita in the 1961 film West Side Story because of a song verse that was 'disparaging to Puerto Rico.'

The Puerto Rico-born actress opened up about why she was on the verge of quitting the film during an interview on Good Morning America Monday, saying she took issue with the original lyrics in Anita's song 'America.'

'My character Anita is a person who loves America and wants nothing to do with Puerto Rico, and the verse of the song originally was really quite disparaging to Puerto Rico,' Moreno, 89, explained.

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Candid: Rita Moreno, 89, opened up about why she almost backed out of her Oscar-winning role of Anita in 1961 film West Side Story during an interview on Good Morning America

Looking back: The Puerto Rico-born actress explained that an original verse in the musical's song 'America' was 'quite disparaging to Puerto Rico'

'I completely forgot that, and then I got the part after working very hard to get it, screen tests all over the place, and I realized, oh my God, this verse to "America," I don't think I can do this. I don't think I can do this to my people.'

The 1961 film starring Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood as star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria was the first adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name.

Inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, it was written by Arthur Laurents with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

The production is about the love and tension between the Jets, a white gang, and the Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang, as they fight for control of their neighborhood on the Upper West Side.

Moreno said she was about to call her agent to say she couldn't be a part of the film because of the verse, but then fate intervened.

'It just happened  honestly  that just about that time Stephen Sondheim changed the lyric... and made it possible for me  not knowing, of course  that I could now do that film,' she recalled. 'I was heartbroken. I thought my agent was going to kill me.'

Fate: Moreno said she was about to call her agent and drop out of the film when composer Stephen Sondheim changed the lyric

Making history: Moreno went on to become the first Latin American actress to win an Oscar for her role in the film

In an interview with NPR last week, Moreno said she was originally supposed to sing: 'Puerto Rico, you ugly island, island of tropic diseases.'

But then Sondheim, at the request of a producer, changed the lyric to: 'Puerto Rico, my heart's devotion, let it sink back in the ocean.'

West Side Story scored 10 Academy Awards after its release, including best picture in 1962. Moreno became the first Latin American actress to win an Oscar when she took home the award for best supporting actress that year.

She went on to make history again as the first Latin American person to earn an EGOT  a designation given to the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.

Moreno paved the way for younger generations, but she told Good Morning America that she never had anyone to look up to when she was younger.

'There was no such thing as a role model  not for children like me,' she said. 'There were no mentors for people like me. Everybody always says, "Who supported you? Who helped you?" Nobody. That's how it was.'

The actress explained that she has never considered herself a 'tough person,' noting: 'I'm a resilient person.

Remake: Moreno is slated to appear in Steven Spielberg's highly-anticipated adaption of West Side Story. She plays Valentina (pictured), a reconceived version of the store owner Doc

Fan club: Ariana DeBose (center) has taken on the role of Anita in the remake, and Moreno gushed that she is 'wonderful'

Looking back: Moreno (pictured this week) said she never had a role model or mentor growing up, explaining that it made her 'a resilient person'

Sixty years after West Side Story was released, she is slated to appear in Steven Spielberg's highly-anticipated adaption of the musical.

Moreno plays Valentina, a reconceived version of the store owner Doc, while actress Ariana DeBose has taken on the role of Anita in the remake.

'The girl who plays my part, Anita, is wonderful,' she gushed, adding: 'I have a part. I have a real part in it. I even sing one song. I can't believe it.'

Moreno has previously spoken about how she and her other castmates had to wear brownface while filming the first West Side Story adaptation.

'We all had the same color makeup, it was a very different time,' she shared during a 2017 interview on the 'In the Thick' podcast.

'I remember saying to the makeup man one day  because it was like putting mud on my face, it was really dark and Im a fairly fair Hispanic  and I said to the makeup man one day, "My God! Why do we all have to be the same color? Puerto Ricans are French and Spanish..." And its true, we are very many different colors, were Taino Indian, we are black some of us.

'And the makeup man actually said to me, "What? Are you a racist?"' she recalled. 'I was so flabbergasted that I couldnt come back with an answer.'
Deaths in assisted living facilities in the U.S. increased by nearly one-fifth amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study finds.

Researchers led by Brown University looked at data from licensed assisted living facilities with 25 or more beds from 49 states between 2019 and 2020.

They found that there was a 17 percent increase in fatalities from all causes through August of last year and a 24 percent increase in deaths in the 10 states with the highest rate of COVID-19 cases.

In both the overall data and the data only pertaining to the 10 states, the largest surge of deaths was at the end of April and in early May.

The data suggests what many knew, that coronavirus itself, plus deaths indirectly tied to the pandemic, caused a massive swell of deaths among older residents at nursing homes.

The researchers add that the findings give those studying the pandemic their first opportunity to see the true toll the pandemic had on its most vulnerable population at its very start, and can be a foundation for future research.

Deaths in assisted living facilities rose by 17 percent in the first half of 2020 when compared to 2019. Pictured: Deaths per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries living in these facilities by week in both years

Deaths increased by 24% in the 10 states with the highest COVID-19 rates, especially during the early pandemic surge

Researchers used data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to track deaths among Medicare beneficiaries in assisted living facilities in 2019 and through August 2020.

They found that rates of all-cause mortality, deaths from any cause, increased from 2.02 per 1,000 residents during the first half of 2019 to 2.30 in 2020.

At the worst week in late April, 3.28 out of every 1,000 residents died in 2020, compared to only 2.24 in 2019, a 46 percent increase.

The biggest disparity was in New York, where 2.5 residents out of every 1,000 died in 2020, compared to only 1.57 the year before, an increase of nearly 60 percent.

The ten states with the highest rate of COVID-19 included in the study are Rhode Island, South Carolina, New Jersey, Georgia, Alabama, New York, Mississippi, Florida, Arizona, and Louisiana.

Nursing homes were the hardest struck in the early stages of the pandemic, and new research gives us our first glimpse into the true death toll of the pandemic last year

Minnesota was the only state not included in the study as the state licenses agencies instead of operating physical long term assistance residences, like other states do.

New York City was one of the nation's early hotbeds for COVID.

It has also since been revealed that nursing home death data was not properly reported in the early stages of the pandemic.

Other states, like Michigan, are also believed to have potentially misreported data on COVID-19 deaths during early surges of the virus.

The study makes up for some of those potential aberrations in data by looking at all-causes of death, but researchers believe that their data could potentially be incomplete as well.

Due to lags in the reporting of some deaths, some deaths that might have occurred during the first six months of 2020 may not have appeared in their data as well as an surges that occurred during the winter.

Many believe that counting excess deaths is the true way to find the death toll from the pandemic.

Due to a lack of testing and reporting, especially early on in the pandemic and in some developing nations, not all COVID related deaths are attributed to COVID.

There are also many non-COVID deaths that are indirectly a cause of the virus, such as people dying from diabetes or heart disease after not seeking treatment for a year due to lockdowns.

Some experts believe the true death toll of the pandemic could be up to 8 million, according to excess death data.

The full study will be available in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday.
The number of pediatric hospital units and beds in the U.S. has declined over the last decade, making it harder for children in certain areas to access care.

A new study published on Monday found that the number of hospital units has dropped by 19 percent and the number of beds fell by 12 percent.

In addition, rural areas were hit harder than urban areas, following a trend of the decreasing access to health care in rural areas.

Results showed that about one in four children now have to travel farther to visit a hospital than they did 10 years ago.

The team, from the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, says its findings show a worrying trend that access to care for people in rural areas is shrinking, and many may not be able to get the help they need in time in case of an emergency.

The United States has 12 percent less pediatric hospital beds as it did a decade ago, and the country has suffered a 19 percent decrease in pediatric units

Access to rural care in general has shrunk in recent years, and the problems were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 100 rural hospitals have closed in the last decade, including 20 rural hospitals that closed last year.

As many of these hospitals financially struggle, they are more likely to close down pediatric units due to higher expenses to operate them and the lower likelihood that beds will be filled.

'If you think about a pediatric ICU bed, that's expensive to have empty,' Dr Mark Holmes, a professor at the University of North Carolina who was not involved in the study, told STAT News.

Holmes explained that many of the patients in rural areas are also on Medicaid or Medicare, which means hospitals are getting less revenue per patient than if they were on private health insurance.

Hospitals that do remain open in rural areas have also reduced their services, including specialty care, primary care and in some example, pediatric care, leaving many patients without any access to specified care.

Not having access to a primary care physician can also exacerbate health problems patients are facing, as they will not come to an emergency room until they absolutely need to.

Instead of preventative care, which is cheaper, instead patients come in and go to the emergency room, the least efficient form of health care delivery.

Many rural areas are currently suffering from a primary care shortage.

Patients having to travel longer distances for care also leads to increased mortality for both cardiovascular issues and for severe injuries.

Rural areas have faced shortages of all types of health care, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made matters worse

Lack of care in rural areas became a point of concern during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many areas were unequipped to deal with large surges of cases.

While the same load was not placed on pediatric care, as it was rare for children to suffer serious symptoms of COVID-19, if a similar outbreak were to occur again that does often harm children, many areas would be ill-equipped.

'We would probably not be prepared for something on a similar scale [to COVID] with pediatrics,' said Anna Cushing, a pediatric emergency medicine fellow at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and lead author of the study.

Lack of access to pediatric care means that many issues, like asthma or epilepsy, may either go untreated or unnoticed.

The growing disparity in health care access has created a disparity in death rates among rural and urban populations in America.

A study published last week found that the disparity of 'deaths of despair' - alcoholism, drug addiction and opioid use - and chronic illnesses between urban and rural populations tripled from 2009 to 2019.

As many rural areas shrink, and their economies begin to contract, the financial struggles of rural hospitals are likely to continue.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a $1 billion grant to rural hospitals across the nation, providing some temporary relief.

The full study is available in this month's issue of the American Academy of Pediatrics journal.
President Joe Biden's former Covid czar said the pandemic would not have been as deadly if Americans 'had sacrificed a little bit' more.

In an appearance on CBS This Morning to promote his new book Preventable, Andy Slavitt, the former White House Senior Adviser for COVID-19 Response, said much of what occurred in the U.S. was avoidable.

Slavitt said there were mistakes early on with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's flawed testing kit and a lack of personal protective equipment sent to frontline workers, but that the U.S. made other fatal mistakes.

'One were just plainly political leadership mistakes. We denied the virus for too long out of the Trump White House. There was too much squashing of dissent and playing on divisions,' Slavitt said.

'But I also think we all need to look at one another and ask ourselves what do we need to do better next time and in many respects, being able to sacrifice a little bit for one another is going to be essential and I think that's something we could have all done a little bit better.'

It comes as the U.S. approaches the grim milestone of 600,000 dead from COVID-19, leaving many to feel that Slavitt's comments were very insensitive.

Andy Slavitt, the former White House Senior Adviser for COVID-19 Response, said on Monday that said one fatal mistake Americans made during the pandemic was not sacrificing 'a little bit' more for one another (above)

Slavitt's comments caused outrage as hundreds of people took to social media to express their frustration over the tone-deaf attitude.

'The pandemic wouldn't have been as bad if public health officials had realized most people regard in-person social interaction as 'essential', are not bad people for it, and that a strategy centered around expecting them to sacrifice it for months at a time was never gonna work,' wrote Nate Silver, the founder of FiveThityEight.

Another Twitter user listed things she and her family scarified including a book deal, financial security and being able to see friends.

'I sacrificed a 20-year career & book deal, & a good bit of sanity. Spouse took a huge pay cut for [six] months in an executive position & physically went into work every workday,' she wrote.

'Kids gave up real school, friends, activities, & emotional health Yet it's not enough for Andy Slavitt.'

One user said it was absurd to assume the country did not sacrifice enough.

Social media users took to Twitter to express their outrage at Slavitt over his comments and reveal what they had sacrificed over the last year

'There were certainly a lot of selfish a**holes out there (see the MAGA rallies), but for Slavitt to say Americans didn't sacrifice enough is asinine,' he or she tweeted.

'Most of us sacrificed a whole year of our social life that we will never get back. It was mentally draining.'

Slavitt's comments come just two days after it was revealed in an excerpt from his new books that one of former President Donald Trump's top advisers during the pandemic suggested that she wanted him to lose the 2020 election.

Dr Deborah Birx, the former White House coronavirus response coordinator, allegedly dropped the hint at a meeting with Minnesota state officials in August 2020.

Slavitt claims he asked Birx if she would want to continue her service should Biden win the election.

'At one point, after a brief pause, she looked me in the eye and said, "I hope the election turns out a certain way,"' Slavitt wrote.

'I had the most important information I needed.'

Birz eventually fell out of favor with Trump and, while she remained on the task force, was replaced as coordinator by Dr Scott Atlas.

Atlas is a radiologist who has no epidemiological experience, but whom Trump had seen speak on Fox News.

'Fighting the virus and Scott Atlas together is the hardest thing I've had to do,' Dr Birx is reported to have said at the Minnesota meeting.

Birx told Slavitt she had been 'completely silenced' by Trump and barred from appearing on any national news media.

'Her early optimism was long gone,' Slavitt wrote.
When 17-year-old Will Laird came home with a slightly sore arm after being vaccinated against Covid-19, his mother Nicky admits she felt a little envious.

My husband and I were still waiting for our first jabs at the time, in March, so I did wish it had been our turn, she says.

But I was delighted that Will would be protected against the coronavirus.

Will, a sixth-form student, was given the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine on his first day volunteering at a vaccination centre after there were leftover doses at the end of the day that would otherwise have had to be thrown away.

I was happy and proud to be one of the first young people to be vaccinated, he says.

But I hardly slept that night  I had a high temperature and felt shivery.

When 17-year-old Will Laird came home with a slightly sore arm after being vaccinated against Covid-19, his mother Nicky admits she felt a little envious

It made me feel a bit anxious but I was fine the next day, adds Will, who lives with his parents, 49-year-old Nicky, an art exhibition organiser, and her husband Adam, 48, who runs a software company, and brothers Alexander, 15, and Julian, 13, near Oxford.

He was among the first of a still small number of children and teenagers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 (the others received a jab because of underlying health conditions, such as diabetes or asthma, that put them at high risk if infected).

Boris Johnson yesterday announced that Covid-19 vaccinations are to be offered to those aged 23 and above.

But that could change further, as the Governments Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to soon announce an extension in its vaccination programme to include children, after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ruled the Pfizer vaccine was safe for those as young as 12.

A trial of the AZ jab involving 12 to 15-year-olds is expected to report its findings later this summer. This will provide preliminary data that could form part of a package for approval. (Currently the AZ jab is recommended only for those aged 40 and over, after a small number of people suffered blood clots after vaccination.)

But as the JCVI considers future extensions of the vaccination programme  expected in August, in preparation for the new school year  vaccinating younger groups has become a contentious topic.

Partly this is because they have a small risk of becoming seriously ill; and some worry that there may be long-term risks which are currently unknown with such new vaccines.

However, others argue that children are at higher risk of complications if they are infected with coronavirus, such as long Covid, where symptoms such as fatigue and breathlessness last many months.

Also, immunising children would serve to protect other more vulnerable or older people and contribute to so-called herd immunity  the idea that when a significant proportion of the population is immune to a contagious infection, it is harder for that infection to spread.

Professor Peter Openshaw, a respiratory physician and member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), recently urged ministers to consider vaccinating school-aged children against Covid-19.

As the JCVI considers future extensions of the vaccination programme  expected in August, in preparation for the new school year  vaccinating younger groups has become a contentious topic

He said he had come on balance to believe there was a very strong case for vaccinating children, as there was evidence to show they are now spreading the Delta variant, first discovered in India, to a far greater extent than was the case for the original Wuhan variant.

A lot of people are sitting on the fence about this but Im coming to the view that vaccination of children  theres a very strong argument there, Professor Openshaw told Radio 4s Today programme last week.

Dr Raghib Ali, a senior clinical research associate in epidemiology at the University of Cambridge, also believes vaccinating younger age groups is important.

It is thought that we need about 85 per cent of the community to be immunised with any vaccine for herd immunity to occur  its unlikely we will reach this level without extending the vaccination programme to younger people, says Dr Ali.

We know the Pfizer vaccine reduces infection rates in adults and in 12 to 15-year-olds by over 90 per cent, and also reduces transmission rates in adults  so I see no reason for this not to be the case for children aged 12 and upwards too.

He argues that because infection rates are highest among those aged 12 to 24 (because they socialise in larger groups), they could play a major role in spreading the virus generally, particularly as this group is also less likely to experience symptoms that would alert them to the fact that they are infected.

Indeed, recent data from Public Health England shows that with most adult cases now being prevented by vaccination, children aged ten and over have been responsible for more than a quarter of recent Covid cases (according to official data for the week ending June 6).

This is relevant for 12 to 17-year-olds who still live at home  and particularly for families where three generations live together, Dr Ali told Good Health. Transmissions of this type are likely to be an important factor behind the higher death rates among ethnic minorities, he says.

Another reason to vaccinate children is to cut their risk of complications. It is becoming increasingly apparent that a large number of children with symptomatic or asymptomatic Covid-19 are experiencing long-term effects many months after the initial infection.

It made me feel a bit anxious but I was fine the next day, adds Will, who lives with his parents, 49-year-old Nicky, an art exhibition organiser, and her husband Adam, 48, who runs a software company, and brothers Alexander, 15, and Julian, 13, near Oxford

A report from the first study of long Covid in 129 children in Italy suggested that more than half of children aged between six and 16 who contract the virus have at least one symptom lasting more than 120 days, with symptoms affecting the daily activities of 42.6 per cent, reported the journal Acta Paediatrica in April.

Sir Andrew Pollard, a professor of paediatric infection and immunity at Oxford University who is in charge of running the Oxford/AstraZeneca trials, says: Some children with mild coronavirus symptoms develop long Covid or the newly identified inflammatory condition PIMS-TS [paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome, temporally associated with Sars-CoV-2].

Unlike with long Covid, in PIMS-TS many organs including the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, skin, eyes and gut become inflamed. About 70 per cent of those affected need intensive care in hospital (in very rare cases, it can be fatal), with 250 cases reported in the UK in the first wave last year. It is thought this figure now could be as high as 1,000.

Helping to prevent long Covid or PIMS-TS could be something to consider when deciding whether to vaccinate younger people, says Professor Pollard.

However, reservations remain. Some argue that it is more valuable for the UK and other developed nations to donate vaccine doses to lower-income countries rather than start vaccinating low-risk groups such as children.

Last month, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, said: I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to COVAX [a worldwide vaccine-sharing scheme].

Not only would this help developing countries to control Covid cases, but it could prevent more variants spreading across the world, including to the UK. While vaccinating children might eventually be deemed appropriate, vaccinating older adults in other countries to prevent them from dying is a better use of the available doses, to protect them and to protect us from further spread of the virus and new variants, says Professor Pollard.

Like all decisions in healthcare, the step to vaccinate children will come down to the balance between risk and benefit  which isnt clear-cut.

The risk-benefit balance for children is different from the one for adults as they are less likely to become severely ill with coronavirus and the risk of side-effects is greater, says Dr Ali.

Reported side-effects postvaccination include temporary muscle pain, headaches, nausea and fever, which are common for most vaccines.

However, rare side-effects have been observed too. For example, blood clots have been reported after the AZ vaccine; there have also been reports of rare cases of inflammation of the heart muscles in men aged 16 to 30 following the Pfizer vaccine.

And an analysis of data from people at low risk of serious Covid by the University of Cambridge concludes that 20 to 29-year-olds are more likely to suffer a blood clot due to the AZ vaccine than to be prevented by vaccination from ending up in intensive care  although the opposite is true for those aged 30 to 39.

While experts agree that vaccination is highly effective at reducing the risk of hospital treatment or death from coronavirus, this is less relevant for younger people, who generally get mild symptoms.

Furthermore, while research shows that vaccinating young people against flu, for instance, can significantly reduce the likelihood of them passing it on to their parents and grandparents, theres so far not enough research to know whether this also holds true for Covid-19, adds Professor Pollard.

Trials of how all the major vaccines affect younger people are continuing. The AZ trial in children involves those as young as six, while Pfizer has announced it is studying the effects of its vaccine on babies from six months.

For the Lairds, there is no doubt that Wills vaccination brought them a sense of relief.

If our younger sons are offered the vaccine, Ill be very quick to ensure they get it, says Nicky.

Weve always ensured our children have all the childhood vaccinations recommended by our GP  and have even paid privately for jabs such as HPV (to protect against certain viruses linked to the transmission of cervical cancer) or the meningitis ACWY vaccine if our children didnt qualify for these on the NHS.

So getting the coronavirus vaccination is just as important to ensure we stay healthy as a family but also that we dont pass it on to someone else.
Congratulations to Antonio Horta-Osorio, who has been elevated to Sir AHO. The Lloyds' chief executive, familiarly known by his initials, is the most prominent bank boss to have been knighted since the profession entered disgrace in the financial crisis more than a decade ago.

The only other that springs to mind is hugely respected Sir Douglas Flint, formerly a senior player at HSBC and now chairman of absurdly-named fund manager Abrdn.

The unforgiving might feel that, if Sir Douglas played a part in the deletion of the e's in Aberdeen, then he deserves to have his 2018 knighthood surgically removed.

Honoured: Decorating business people is always a hostage to fortune: Sir Philip Green (pictured) is an example, but not the only one

Joking apart, the traffic in banking circles has been in that direction: Fred Goodwin was stripped of his knighthood in 2012 and James Crosby, a former chief executive of HBOS, renounced his a year later.

So the garlands for Horta-Osorio represent a significant moment. As well as a recognition of his personal achievements, it is a signal from the establishment that the British banks have reached a milestone in their long rehabilitation.

Some will feel this is premature  and Horta-Osorio's honour will be resented by those who claim to have suffered badly at the hands of his bank. The biggest black mark against him in his Lloyds career is the accusation he let down business owners who say their firms and lives were wrecked in the notorious HBOS Reading scandal.

The debacle itself took place before his time, but his handling came under attack and he apologised in 2019 for the bank's fail ings towards the victims. A sobering point is that Lloyds' share price now is lower than when he took the helm in 2011, though it has been hit by Brexit and Covid, neither of which can be laid at his door.

Overall, AHO's time is felt to be a success. He cleaned up the balance sheet, reduced the risks and bolstered capital. He brought back the bank from the verge of ruin and left it stronger, safer and better run.

That is a huge accomplishment and a very real service to the nation. But do business people need knighthoods on top of all their other rewards?

As well as earning a total of 60m during his time at Lloyds, Horta-Osorio already has more gongs than a Ruritanian general, including the Commander of the Spanish Order of Civil Merit and Brazil's Order of the Southern Cross.

It must be gratifying to become a member of the great and the good. Yet business leaders should not be in thrall to the establishment: their priority should be customers and shareholders.

Decorating business people is always a hostage to fortune: Sir Philip Green is an example, but not the only one.

The CBE given in 2019 to former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells looks incongruous, now it is revealed that she failed to prevent the hounding of her own innocent sub-postmasters.

Even the most brilliant and upstanding bosses can find themselves in the quicksand, at which point their honours, doled out in happier days, look ill-judged.

Perhaps for this reason, Horta-Osorio has not been given his knighthood until after the end of his time at Lloyds. Still only in his 50s, he is off to Credit Suisse, which is mired in scandals involving Greensill Capital and family office Archegos.

No reason he should not clean up with aplomb, but there is scope for mishaps.
British Airways could be spun off if Covid ravages it further, the ex-head of its parent company has said.

Willie Walsh, who led BA's owner IAG from 2011 to 2020, said splitting up the company could not be ruled out if one part of the business is underperforming.

Tough talk: Willie Walsh led British Airways' owner IAG from 2011 to 2020

BA is the biggest earner of IAG's airlines, but its reliance on transatlantic travel has put it at a greater disadvantage than many rivals in the pandemic.

Short-haul flights are expected to pick up much sooner than the long-distance routes BA specialises in.

Walsh said: 'There's nothing to say that bits of IAG could not be sold off or cut loose. That was my thinking as CEO. If one part of the business wasn't performing, you could dispose of that part. I don't think that will happen, but it could.'

Disadvantage: Short-haul flights are expected to pick up much sooner than the long-distance routes BA specialises in

Walsh, who is head of the International Air Transport Association, said that as each of IAG's companies has its own balance sheet, they could 'in effect be sliced off and sold off'.

IAG was founded through the merger of BA and Iberia in 2011.
The boss of payments giant Klarna would want a golden share to veto a takeover if the company lists on the London Stock Exchange.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, 39, is mulling a company float on the public markets, but is undecided whether he would choose London or New York.

Yet he will want to keep control over the business, Siemiatkowski told the Mail  and reforms to the City's listing rules proposed by Lord Hill could make London more attractive.

Attractive: Gaining Klarna as a listed company would be a huge win for the UK  it is one of the largest financial technology firms, and is valued at 32billion

Gaining Klarna as a listed company would be a huge win for the UK  it is one of the largest financial technology firms, and is valued at 32billion.

Just this month, British healthcare tech company Babylon chose a US listing because it claimed markets across the pond are 'more innovative'. But Swedish native Siemiatkowski has an affinity for London. 'I genuinely feel that there's this amazing ambition and drive [in the UK],' he said. 'There's a belief in business, entrepreneurship, in having global companies working in different markets.'

Companies with so-called dual class shares  where some of the stock, usually held by the founder, carries greater voting rights  are not allowed on the 'premium' segment of the London Stock Exchange.

This can put companies off, Siemiatkowski, who launched Klarna with Niklas Adalberth and Victor Jacobsson in 2005, said: 'I was a believer in one vote, one share. But then I found myself in a boardroom where some people said we must sell the company urgently. Other people like myself said: 'You're wrong.'

Siemiatkowski won the showdown, but the experience has left him cautious  and he doesn't want short-term investors to target his firm if it goes public. 'That has hurt some amazing companies,' he said.

The father of three would not want to pass his privileged shares onto his children: 'My kids are getting nothing. I don't think passing on wealth forever is a good idea.' But his point is one which has been picked up by Lord Hill, whose listings review recommended that dual class shares should be allowed on the London Stock Exchange's premium segment to attract more founder-led companies.

The Financial Conduct Authority and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have said they will 'carefully consider' Lord Hill's recommendations.
Meatless Farm, a plant-based burger and sausage company based in Leeds, has given its customers a chance to invest in the company as it launches a 5million crowdfunding campaign.

Individual investors can start with buying just 10 into the company, which already sells its meatless products in most major supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury's and Ocado.

It comes as demand for meat alternatives is growing across the world, with Meatless Farm seeing sales rise 150 per cent in 2020 and expecting revenues of up to 30million this year.

'We're reaching a tipping point': Meatless Farm's founder Morten Toft Bech said that eating meatless meals a couple of times a week is no longer niche

'We are reaching a tipping point where replacing meat with plant-based protein a couple of times a week is no longer niche, but we know that it's people power which will create a full-blown revolution in food culture,' said Meatless Farm's founder Morten Toft Bech.

Meatless Farm claims it's not 'anti-meat or pro-vegan', but it aims to provide 'tasty, healthy and affordable' meatless meals 'to build a sustainable global food system'.

Toft Bech said that in the UK, we could reduce around 8 per cent of the country's total emissions if we all ate just one less meat meal per week.

Demand for plant-based meat is growing across the globe, with the global market for these products forecast to be worth $8.3billion (5.9billion) by 2025, according to recent research by Markets and Markets.

A spokesman for Meatless Farm said: 'The market for plant-based food is experiencing exponential growth fuelled by growing consumer appetite for alternatives amid increasing awareness of the health and environmental benefits of eating less meat.'

Some 54 per cent of consumers said they want to reduce their meat consumption and 92 per cent of plant-based meals in the UK are consumed by 'flexitarians' - semi-vegetarians who do not eat meat often - the spokesman added.

A meat-free burger from the Meatless Farm's pop-up Drive Thru in East London last year

Meatless Farm, which is still loss-making, has previously restricted investment only to large investors, raising 38million in the last three years from private and family offices.

But for the first time, it is opening up the fundraising to retail investors too through the crowdfunding platform Crowdcube.

Investors can register their interest on the company's website, with the investment set to open from Tuesday 22 June.

Meatless Farm was founded in 2016 by Toft Bech, and launched in the UK in 2018. It now operates in more than 20 countries, including the US, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.

It sells a range of meatless products, such as burgers, hot dogs, mince and sausages, made of pea protein and other plant-based ingredients - but not soy.

Last year, it opened its first pop-up Drive Thru in Hackney, east London, for three days.

Toft Bech said they were investing heavily in the entire supply chain, 'from farm to fork', to improve their products and create new ones, including pizza toppings, chicken, and a new range of snacks.

It comes as investors are eager to cash in on the growing trend for plant-based foods.

Oat milk maker Oatly listed on the US stock market last month, with shares soaring 30 per cent on its debut.
In one corner of a nondescript industrial estate, situated just outside of Cornwall, a small tap pokes up out of the rubbly ground.

A technician wearing a visor, to protect himself not from Covid, but from heat, gently turns the tap, and a clear liquid flows quietly out and into a plastic bottle.

Clear, yes. But it's not water, or not exactly. In fact this is brine, and what it contains represents the potential transformation not only of the Cornish economy, but of the British economy as a whole.

Boris Johnson at a press conference on the final day of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall

Because it's here, on this industrial estate, that the practical end of one British company's efforts to create a home-grown lithium production industry are starting to bear fruit.

Cornish Lithium was the brain-child of mining industry veteran Jeremy Wrathall, who unearthed a few years ago centuries-old reports of hot liquids appearing inside some of Cornwall's ancient tin and copper mines.

It took a man with trained mining eye and a keen awareness of the latest dynamics in the commodities markets to put two and two together.

Back in the day, the hot brines that gushed into Cornwall's underground mines were a very unwelcome distraction. Now though, they could be the key to unlocking a multi-million or billion dollar nascent industry.

Lithium is in high demand for use in electric vehicles and the next generation of energy storage batteries, and Britain for the past couple of decades has been a major manufacturing hub for the European car market.

But Brexit has complicated matters in that regard, with new treaties stipulating that a certain amount of raw material for manufactured goods must be sourced locally. Where will Britain get the raw materials that will allow its car manufacturing to continue to prosper?

The small tap in the industrial estate offers one possible answer.

How much lithium can be extracted from the brines in Cornwall is an open question. On the evidence so far, it's not likely to be small though, and indeed it's quite possible that there could be decades worth of supply available.

Cornish Lithium has gathered together a sizeable land package and is confident that when the appropriate tests are complete and the time comes to start commercial extraction, it will be able to produce the lion's share of the lithium in brines that Cornwall ends up producing.

In the background there are also hard rock mines, but for now the brines are the focus because the footprint is so small and the upside is so great.

Lithium is in high demand for use in electric vehicles and the next generation of energy storage batteries

Current work is focusing on how best to extract the lithium from the brines. On one side of the small tap sits a small container full of high-tech machinery owned by a French firm.

Across the yard, beyond the cuboid containers that are used for the shipment of bulk samples, in a shed sits another potential method of processing that uses special beads.

This is the property of a Canadian company brought in by Cornish Lithium, and has the virtue of being a closed-loop in terms of processing  almost all the waste generated gets reused.

A decision on processing is imminent, and it's expected that a pilot plant will be ready by the end of March next year.

Cornish Lithium has assembled the largest singled database of mining rights and ownership in the West Country

In the meantime, Cornish Lithium has plenty to do. First off, it's hosting several high profile visits this week, as the arrival of the G7 up the road has thrown the spotlight firmly on local opportunities in regards to renewables.

After that, the emphasis will shift to getting pilot-scale production underway, and to a proposed listing on the Aim market of the London stock exchange.

There's also the question of Cornwall's mineral rights in general. Through the work initiated by Jeremy Wrathall which is now being continued by his capable staff, the company has assembled the largest singled database of mining rights and ownership in the West Country. This puts Cornish Lithium in a position of some strength as a regional player.

Already it's played a key role in the latest copper discovery of Cornish Metals Ltd, a London-listed company (16.4p) which also has tin projects in the area.

And across the road from the industrial estate with the tap that gushes lithium brines, across a field, the thin cylinders and supports of a drill rig rise up into the air, silhouetted over the hedge rows.

Here, Cornish Metals is looking to follow up on that copper intercept in an area that used to be known as 'the richest square mile on earth' because of its huge-mineralized endowment.

Will any part of Cornwall ever be worthy of such a title again? It's ambitious idea, but several mining companies are having a go at making it happen, and Cornish Lithium is in the vanguard.
A 'perfect storm' is brewing around public sector pensions, as nearly a quarter of a million workers have opted out of their pension schemes due to rising living costs, MPs have said.

In a report published last week, the Commons public accounts committee said that the Treasury seemed to be 'unconcerned about the drop in enrolment by some workers', even though this may end up costing the taxpayer more in the long run.

It also criticised the Treasury for a 'lack of curiosity' about other important issues, such as the impact of pensions on recruiting and retaining staff.

And it said that the Government's public sector pension reform blunder aimed at cutting costs will take decades to resolve fully and was already affecting some public services.

MPs have warned of a 'concerning' drop in enrolment by younger public sector workers

MPs pointed to a 'concerning' drop in pension enrolment by younger public sector workers, such as nurses and teachers, saying that the Treasury had not done enough to ensure people understood the value of their pensions.

'There is a danger of a perfect storm where some young people believe they cannot afford pension contributions because of high costs of living and retire with no equity and a reduced public sector pension as a result,' the report states.

'The cost of supporting this generation will fall on future taxpayers,' it added.

It said that the Treasury did not have a 'clear understanding' as to why over 238,000 public sector employees had dropped out of the pension scheme and warned of the possible knock-on effect this could have on other parts of public spending, such as benefits.

'There are understandable reasons why people may choose to opt out of pension schemes for example, owing to short-term spending priorities, but inadequate pensions are likely to cause issues in the future and push costs into other policy areas, such as if people are more likely to be reliant on the benefits system,' the report stated.

Around 25 per cent of pensioners and 16 per cent of the working-age population are members of one of the four largest public service pension schemes covering the armed forces, Civil Service, NHS and teachers, the committee said.

In 201920 the four schemes made payments of 33.5billion to 2.8million pensioners, with almost 24billion of this coming from the taxpayer.

'Given the value of pensions paid out in 2019/20 [...] you would expect the Chancellor to take at least a passing interest in whether this huge outlay represents value for money,' said Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell.

Public service pension policy is also affecting the delivery of frontline services in some areas, such as education and health, MPs warned.

Retirees' pension benefits are paid out of current workforce contributions - and the committee has seen evidence of independent schools opting out of pension schemes because of increasing costs.

The report said there was evidence that pensions can have an impact on staff choices about their work, which in turns has an impact on public services - for example a large number of doctors have reduced their working hours due to changes to the NHS pension scheme

In 2019-20, a substantial increase in employers' pension contributions directly affected employer budgets.

This rise in costs mean that around 200 independent schools are set to withdraw from the Teachers' Pension Scheme, the committee said.

'This may put further pressure on the remaining schools, who may not be unable to withdraw from the scheme despite others in the sector viewing it as increasingly unaffordable,' the report states, adding that at least one higher education institution had had to make redundancies in response to the increase in costs.

MPs said there was also evidence that pensions can have an impact on staff choices about their work, which in turns has an impact on public services.

'For example, the interaction between the NHS Pension Scheme rules and the tax system means a large number of doctors have reduced their working hours, opted out of the scheme, or retired early,' the report stated.

A focus on affordability means the Treasury has lost sight of the potential for public service pensions to support employers in recruiting and retaining the staff they need to deliver public services, the committee said.

The report also highlighted a 45 per cent gap in the average pension being paid to male and female pensioners.

It said different pensions outcomes between male and female pensioners exist because of past differences in pay, and the Treasury seemed resigned to the pension gap enduring for many decades after the pay gap is closed.

But the committee said it is concerned that this will lead to inequalities persisting and could prompt legal challenges in the future.

PAC chairwoman Meg Hillier MP said that the Treasurys 17billion mistake on pensions reform was 'a ripple' compared to the 'tsunami' of costs to the public purse if Government fails to address the growing number of young people unable to afford to plan for a proper pension

It also said that the Treasury's botched reforms of public sector pension may take decades to resolve fully.

In a 2015 shake-up of public sector pensions, the Government ended costly 'final salary' schemes and moved members into career average ones, and made other reforms to accrual rates and pension ages.

But many employers offered a 'transitional protection' deal to workers close to retirement, which the court found discriminated against their younger colleagues, and led indirectly to race and sex discrimination as well.

That resulted in the Government losing an age discrimination court fight  the McCloud case - which means taxpayers are now facing a 17billion to put that right.

PAC chairwoman Meg Hillier MP said: 'The Treasurys 17billion mistake on pensions reform is a ripple compared to the tsunami of costs to the public purse if Government fails to address the growing number of young people unable to afford to plan for a proper pension.'

She added: 'Pension planning must be long term; mistakes and poor planning have an impact for decades.

'Short term cost savings can become long term costs to individuals with lower retirement incomes and the taxpayer who may end up supporting them.'

A Treasury spokesperson said: 'Public sector pensions are among some of the very best on offer and the vast majority of public sector workers elect to enrol in these schemes.

'We welcome the report by the committee and will respond in due course.'
The G7 summit will be remembered as an 'unforgivable moral failure' after leaders failed to finalise a plan to vaccinate the world against Covid, Gordon Brown has claimed.

The former prime minister warned 'thousands' of unvaccinated people in poor nations will die as a result of the 'missed opportunity' in Cornwall last week.

Boris Johnson hailed the summit as a 'triumph' after the heads of the world's leading democracies yesterday committed to providing 1billion vaccine doses over the next year.

But the pledge was criticised by Mr Brown and charities for being far short of the 11bn jabs the World Health Organization says are needed to end the pandemic.

Experts have repeatedly said vaccinating the global population will prevent troubling new Covid variants from spawning, as well as save countless lives.

Mr Brown told Sky News: 'When we needed 11billion vaccines, we've only got offered a plan for 1billion.

'I think this summit will also go down as an unforgivable moral failure, when the richest countries are sitting around the table with the power to do something about it.'

It also emerged that only 870million of the 1billion doses will be directly donated to impoverished nations, with the remaining 130m distributed through a global vaccine sharing programme.

Oxfam said the 1bn headline figure was an attempt by the G7  made up of Britain, the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Japan  to 'cook the books'.

Speaking at a news conference yesterday marking the end of the three-day summit in Carbis Bay, Mr Johnson said he 'really must reject' claims the vaccine pledge had been a failure.



Gordon Brown blasted the G7's commitment to deliver 1billion vaccine doses to poor nations over the next year. He claimed thousands of people would die from the disease because the pledge did not go far enough

The G7 summit - which saw leaders from the world's leading democracies meet in Cornwall last week - will be remembered as an 'unforgivable moral failure', a former UK prime minister has said

The World Health Organization has said wealthy nations need to donate at least 11bn doses to get 70 per cent of the world's population immunised and effectively end the pandemic. Pictured: Hospital staff transport a Covid patient in New Delhi

Mr Brown told Sky's Trevor Phillips on Sunday earlier in the day: 'We will have a huge problem of a division between the richest countries that are safe and the poorest countries that are not safe.

'The problem will come back to haunt the richest countries because we will have contagion spreading that will hurt even the people who are vaccinated because of mutations and variants.'

Responding to the comments while closing up the summit on Sunday, Mr Johnson said: 'I really must reject that.

'This is another billion (doses) made up of a massive contribution by the US, other friends  the UK putting in another 100million.

Figures from an Oxford University-backed website shows the nations that have managed to achieve the best vaccination rates. Israel, for example, has jabbed more than 60 per cent of the country's population

Separate data also shows the countries that have dished out the most vaccines, with India closest to the 200million mark

G7 divided on lab leak: Biden says it may have been an 'experiment gone awry' - but UK says it 'most likely' came from animals World leaders are split on the theory that Covid leaked from a lab - with Joe Biden giving credence to the theory even as Boris Johnson sought to downplay it. The US President told reporters at the end of the G7 conference in Cornwall that he is 'undecided' on the lab-leak theory because some intelligence agencies back it. But the UK Prime Minister took a slightly different tone, saying 'it doesn't look as thought this particular disease... came from a lab' - though added that he is 'keeping an open mind about that'. The pair spoke as G7 leaders jointly called for a fresh investigation into the virus's origins, after a WHO report released early this year was widely panned. Biden, who has ordered his own intelligence review of the origins of COVID-19, called on China to cooperate with the Phase 2 investigation by the WHO. Biden said it was important to get access to uncover 'whether or not this was a consequence of a from the marketplace of bat interfacing with animals in the environment that caused this COVID-19, or whether it was an experiment gone awry in the laboratory.' He was referencing the possibility, that many scientists and public officials are now embracing as a possibility, that the virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China. Advertisement

'This is June to June, now until next June, and don't forget this vaccine has literally only been invented very recently, these vaccines have only come onstream very recently.'

He added the G7 were 'going flat out and we are producing vaccines as fast as we can, and distributing them as fast as we can'.

The PM said the plan to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022 will be 'very largely thanks to the efforts of the countries who have come here today'.

The UK is expected to contribute 100million doses within 12 months as part of the pledge.

US President Joe Biden has already promised to donate half a billion Pfizer vaccines for 92 low and lower-middle income countries and the African Union.

The G7 leaders are yet to set out a plan to expand vaccine manufacturing in order to achieve that goal.

The seven member countries are also split over whether to allow the waiving of jab patents, to allow nations like India and South Africa to produce already approved jabs like AstraZeneca's and Pfizer's domestically.

The US and France are in favour of the move but the UK and Germany have opposed it, saying it would stunt future innovation.

Asked why he did not support waiving intellectual property rights on vaccines, Mr Johnson said: 'The crucial thing is to make sure we build up capacity, build up manufacturing capacity - fill and finish and manufacturing - around the world, particularly in Africa.

'I think we should be sharing knowledge as much as we can, whilst obviously protecting the... incentives for innovation. You've got to accomplish both things at once.'

The scale of the 1bn vaccine dose pledge was criticised by Oxfam, with the charity's head of inequality policy Max Lawson condemning the G7 for not backing the waiving of intellectual property rights on the jabs.

'A billion vaccine doses donated would have been a drop in the bucket, but they didn't even manage that,' he said.

'Sharing vaccines will only get us so far - we need all G7 nations to follow the lead of the US, France and over 100 other nations in backing a waiver on intellectual property.

'By holding vaccine recipes hostage, the virus will continue raging out of control in developing countries and put millions of lives at risk.'

The WHO has said that 11billion doses are needed to vaccinate 70 per cent of the world's population and achieve 'herd immunity', effectively ending the pandemic.
An Australian man engaged to a Burmese woman has not seen his fiance for two years because of the closed international border and fears that he may never see her again with no end in sight to the closure (pictured, Jake Denton with his partner)

An Australian man engaged to a Burmese woman has not seen his fiancee for close to two years because of the closed international border - and he fears he may never see her again.

Jake Denton, 25, has been forced to rely on FaceTime and Line, an instant-messaging app, to communicate with his 23-year-old partner* who is living in Myanmar.

The last time he saw her face-to-face was when he visited and stayed with her family in 2019.

Mr Denton had to return to his hometown at Gladstone, on the Queensland coast, but not before becoming engaged to the love of his life.

He immediately began the long and arduous process of applying for a Prospective Marriage visa through the Department of Home Affairs.

The matter became even more pressing after Myanmar was thrown into civil instability following a military coup in February - with street executions, kidnappings, and rolling blackouts now a part of everyday life for his partner.

'In her neighbourhood, people are kidnapped and bashed,' Mr Denton told Daily Mail Australia.

'Bombs go off across the road. If she's in the wrong place at the wrong time she will die.'

Mr Denton planned to bring his fiancee to his hometown so the pair could buy a house together, settle down and begin a family in a safe and stable country.

The last time Mr Denton saw her face-to-face was when he visited and stayed with her family in 2019

The matter became even more pressing after Myanmar was thrown into civil instability following a military coup in February - with street executions, kidnappings, and rolling blackouts now a part of every day life for his partner (pictured, police charge at protestors in Myanmar in February, 2021)

The Covid-19 pandemic then hit Australia and Mr Denton finished his application in mid-to-late 2020.

By this time the federal government had already closed Australia's international border to all overseas travellers.

Only citizens, permanent residents and some visa holders have been allowed to enter under some of the strictest Covid-19 border rules in the world since March 2020.

The federal government had hoped to reopen the borders in October 2020 - when it planned to have vaccinated the entire country.

But a bungled start to the rollout forced the government to push back the reopening of the border to mid-2022 - but even that is based on the assumption most Australians will be fully vaccinated by then.

Mr Denton said he has sunk $12,000 into the application for the marriage visa and jumped through all the legal hoops and collected the necessary documents to finally get it approved.

However, his joy was short-lived as he claims he has been informed by the Australian Border Force that the marriage visa is not enough to provide a travel exemption for his fiancee.

This comes despite the fact that in order to obtain the marriage visa Mr Denton had to prove to immigration authorities that he was determined to marry his fiancee and set aside a date to be married.

Mr Denton said the pair settled on a date in October, but he isn't sure he will now make the deadline.

'We just want to start our lives together,' he said. 'She's studying online in basic IT and hopes to one day work in computer animation. It's her dream job.'

Jake Denton, 25, has been forced to rely on FaceTime and Line, an instant-messaging app, to communicate with his 23-year-old partner* who is living in Myanmar

Mr Denton said the pair settled on a date in October, but he isn't sure he will now make the deadline

Living in the centre of Myanmar, his partner is too terrified to leave her home on most days with public shootings an everyday reality.

Mr Denton said he has spoken on Facetime to his fiancee and their conversation has suddenly been cut short after hearing loud bangs in the background on several occasions.

'It's terrible having to do this relationship long distance,' he said. 'I don't know what's happening over there: we can't do anything at all. We can't console each other, or just be there for one another.'

His partner often has to visit a hospital or school to use the internet - as public facilities are one of the few places in the country that has fiber cable and continuous access to electricity.

Sometimes Mr Denton goes days without speaking to his partner and he can't help but fear for the worst.

'At the start of the military coup there were three or four days where I didn't hear anything from her,' he said.

Mr Denton met his Burmese partner while on missionary work in the Phillipines in 2017

Mr Denton then flew over to Myanmar to visit his partner where he was finally given his father-in-law's blessing to marry in 2019

Mr Denton admitted the unending long distance relationship had taken a toll on his mental health.

'I've started taking therapy, I talk to my mum, my mates,' he said.

'It's hard to cope with everything that is happening. We do one thing and there's another thing that keeps coming.'

Mr Denton met his partner while on missionary work in the Philippines in 2017.

The pair crossed paths at the training seminar where they were both taught how to speak Filipino.

'I had a rough time trying to learn it, but she picked it up much quicker than me,' Mr Denton said.

The pair then headed to different parts of the country to finish their volunteer work but stayed in touch.

Mr Denton said he is at his wit's end on what to do but he will take it one day at a time as he remains determined to reunite with his partner

Mr Denton then flew over to Myanmar to visit his partner where he was finally given his father-in-law's blessing to marry in 2019.

'I couldn't really speak Burmese at all, so I relied on my partner to translate everything,' he said.

'She took me to lots of different tourist attractions, we spent Christmas together.'

Mr Denton said he is at his wit's end on what to do but he will take it one day at a time.

An Australian Border Force spokesperson said the marriage visa was not enough to provide an exemption for travellers.

'Unless there are compelling and compassionate reasons to travel to Australia, holders of Prospective Marriage visas are not exempt from travel restrictions, as an intention to marry is not sufficient evidence to demonstrate a temporary visa holder is an immediate family member of an Australian citizen or permanent resident,' they said.

*Name of partner has been withheld over fears of political repercussions in her home country
A self-proclaimed 'kinky sex overlord' accused of keeping a slave and forcing her into prostitution is being kept in solitary confinement behind bars and wants to be freed for the birth of his first child.

James-Robert Davis was due to apply for bail in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Wednesday but proceedings were delayed after his lawyer attempted to prevent the media from reporting on his case.

The former soldier's five girlfriends, including one who is six-months pregnant, were at the court to tell the judge their relationship is consensual and they want him home for the September baby arrival.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal Davis, 40, is struggling in jail where he is kept in isolation for 24-hours a day. He is housed in a one-man segregation cell, has no access to an open yard and doesn't interact with other inmates.

Davis was arrested in March and charged with possessing a slave, reducing a person to slavery and causing a person to remain in servitude after an AFP investigation and a 15-hour raid on his property near Armidale in the New South Wales Northern Tablelands.

Sophie, Hanne, Hunter and Finlay and Charlotte entered the NSW Supreme Court side by side as their boyfriend, James-Robert Davis, appeared via video link on Wednesday afternoon

James-Robert Davis was due to apply for bail in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Wednesday but proceedings were delayed after his lawyer attempted to prevent the media from reporting on his case

Davis (centre) had allegedly been living with as many as six women he called 'slaves' at his home near Armidale in northern New South Wales

Davis and his pregnant girlfriend Charlotte own this farm house near Armidale in the New South Wales Northern Tablelands. AFP officers raided the property and found he lived there with five lovers

Until then, Davis was living with five woman in a 'consensual polyamorous BDSM relationship' at the sprawling rural property.

The home, which is 30km out of town, is owned by Davis and his pregnant girlfriend Charlotte, and has bedrooms for each of his girlfriends.

They split household bills evenly.

The court heard that Charlotte is willing to be cross examined under oath, at which point she is expected to explain how important it is to her that Davis is home to witness the birth of his first child.

But she will have to wait at least another three weeks for another opportunity to plead their case.

The court previously heard the women deny allegations that Davis is in the business of keeping women as his slaves.

He is accused of making a woman sign a contract to enter into slavery, forcing her to wear a steel collar and locking her in a cage for up to three days.

Davis has spent his entire custodial sentence in solitary confinement without access to prescription medication used to treat his diagnosed PTSD after years in the army

James Robert Davis (pictured), 40, has been charged with slavery offences

Charlotte, Sophie, Hanne, Hunter and Finlay entered the court side by side to support their boyfriend, James-Robert Davis

Davis spends 24 hours a day in his cell, which has a small concrete yard attached for exercise and is granted leave rarely, only for the occasional telephone call or legal conference. Officers remove inmates from their cells at Parklea prison in 2017

The women, who are all in a polyamorous relationship with Davis, made the six-hour trek from the home they share in Yarrowyck, about 30km outside of Armidale, to put on a united front

Police allege the woman was subjected to extreme violence and threatened with court action if she broke the contract for the most minor of indiscretions, like going to the toilet without permission.

It is further alleged the woman was forced to work as a prostitute at a brothel six nights a week and hand over every dollar she earned when Davis was tight on cash.

None of the charges relate to his present girlfriends, and they all insist they are in a consensual and loving polyamorous relationship with the 40-year-old.

The delay in presenting a bail application to the magistrate will be a blow to Davis' morale after enduring a 'particularly onerous' time behind bars due to his work as a corrections officer in the past.

Daily Mail Australia understands Davis has spent his entire custodial sentence in solitary confinement without access to prescription medication used to treat his diagnosed PTSD after years in the army.

Davis spends 24 hours a day in his cell, which has a small concrete yard attached for exercise, and can only leave for an occasional telephone call or legal conference.

Davis' five girlfriends put on a united front in court The women made the six-hour trek from the home they share in Yarrowyck, about 30km outside of Armidale, to put on a united front as the court heard they remain in a consensual polyamorous BDSM relationship. Among the five partners was Davis' pregnant girlfriend of six years Charlotte. The women wore matching black face masks and sunglasses. They entered and exited the court in a pack, moving in sync before sitting next to one another in front row of the court, all craning to get a good look of their lover on the main screen. Each of the women is educated, most have stable jobs and they all have access to personal bank accounts, own their own cars and are free to travel however they wish. Charlotte is an English as a second language teacher with a Master of Teaching. The court heard the woman has filed an affidavit in which she described living with Davis and his four other girlfriends in an 'openly polyamorous relationship with aspects of BDSM'. One of the women is completing a Bachelor of Laws while another works with animals. A third is undertaking a finance degree and the final girlfriend is employed as a nurse. As someone familiar with the make up of the relationship put it; 'they're not just some junkies from Mt Druitt who have grabbed onto a sex cult because it's thrilling.' Advertisement

Five highly educated, sexually adventurous women (pictured) have arrived at the NSW Supreme Court to stand by their man as he languishes in jail accused of keeping a sex slave

Pictured is a supplied Australian Federal Police photo of their Thursday afternoon raid on the sprawling rural estate

Pictured: Robert James Davis (centre) with lingerie-clad women. He has been charged with slavery offences

The property also contained a shed which had a barber's chair and boxes filled with whips, collars and other sex instruments

Concerns have been raised in the past to New South Wales Police that Davis struggles with depression and anxiety which may worsen in custody without access to support services and his medication.

On Wednesday, Davis' barrister Ian Lloyd QC, supported by solicitor Bianca Barnes, from George Sten & Co, were expected to make a bid for Davis' bail.

Instead, they asked the court for a suppression order on the entire case, arguing that their client would not be granted a fair trial due to media scrutiny.

The magistrate admitted it was unlikely the request would be granted, but adjourned the bail application until after she could make a decision on the application of a suppression order.

'There is obviously significant media interest... I can assume that reflects the wish of the public,' Justice Helen Wilson said.

Several small wooden huts are scattered throughout the rural property, several hundred metres from the main home

A self-described 'kinky sex overlord' accused of keeping a woman as a slave and forcing her into prostitution remains in solitary confinement behind bars at Parklea. Officers are pictured searching Parklea prison for drugs, weapons and phones in July 2017

None of the charges relate to his present girlfriends, and they all insist they are in a consensual and loving polyamorous relationship with the 40-year-old

Images released by the Australian Federal Police show the property contained a shed with large wooden doors

Mr Lloyd, who was the state's Senior Crown Prosecutor before returning to private practice, is representing Davis and will be rigorously defending the charges.

He maintains Davis has 'done nothing wrong' and is simply in a consensual polyamorous relationship with five women which 'may have elements of BDSM'.

'As strange as this case may be, it is very defendable,' Mr Lloyd said. 'And it will be strenuously defended because my client has said all along he's done nothing wrong.'

Davis styles himself as the patriarch of the 'House of Cadifor' which includes the five women who have allegedly signed 'slavery' contracts.

Finlay is employed as a laboratory technician while undertaking a Bachelor of Finance and finally, Hunter is a registered nurse and also completing a Diploma in Mathematics

Australian Federal Police vision is pictured of the moment Davis was arrested by officers outside the Bunnings in Armidale, northern New South Wales on Thursday afternoon

An Australian Federal Police supplied picture of multiple cabins on the rural NSW property

'I'm instructed that nothing that has occurred in their interplay with my client is a slave relationship or non-consensual,' Mr Lloyd said at a previous court hearing.

'It's said that when my client's premises were raided a cage was seen. I'm instructed that, as much as a cage may have been involved with the complainant, that cage had no bottom, could be lifted up, and one could simply unlock the door by putting one's arm around through it.'

'Each of these women  if they're a slave  has had the opportunity to run away; they have not done so,' Mr Lloyd said.

'My client won't be on trial for being a member of a cult even if, ultimately, that was accepted as a fact,' Mr Lloyd said, according to The Telegraph.

'There is no crime in lifestyle choices, no crime associated with consensual BDSM, these matters are not crimes and he has not been charged.'

ALLEGED VICTIM'S ALLEGATIONS AGAINST 'SEX SLAVER' DAVIS According to a statement of facts tendered to the court, the alleged victim met Davis met in 2012 when he was in the army and the pair soon began living together at Maroubra in Sydney's eastern suburbs. The woman allegedly initially consented when Davis began to introduce bondage, discipline sadism and masochism (BDSM) during sex because it did not intrude on their day-to-day lives. But two months into the relationship Davis allegedly punched her to the ground. He allegedly began isolating the woman from her family and friends and took over handling her finances. About a month later BDSM began to be incorporated into all aspects of the couple's lifestyle, according to the tendered statement of facts. Davis allegedly told the woman she had to wear a 'submissive collar', described as a thick stainless steel ring which was secured by an Allen key and worn around her neck at all times. By the end of 2012 a second woman was allegedly introduced to the relationship, followed by a third. Davis allegedly told the victim she was being promoted to 'slave' and asked her to sign a 'slave contract' which had accompanying 'slave protocols'. 'The accused informed her that the contract was a legally binding contract and if she breached the contract she could be criminally charged in a court,' the statement of facts said. Davis allegedly told the woman she was 'worthless', 'broken' and useless each time she broke the rules. The woman was allegedly forced to ask Davis for permission to perform everyday activities, including going to the toilet, or face punishment. One of the punishments was allegedly being hit with a cane until she bled, which had led to permanent scarring. The woman allegedly had to be naked at the front door when Davis returned home and remove his shoes so she could kiss his feet. Police will allege Davis choked the woman to the point of unconsciousness multiple times and locked her in a cage for two nights and three days in a row. 'While the victim was in the cage he would assault her by repeatedly ramming a pole through the bars of the cage and into the victim,' the statement of facts said. In 2014 the couple moved to Emerald in Queensland where Davis worked as a security guard for a strip club and the woman worked as the madam, allegedly without being paid. 'The accused forced the victim to have her slave number tattooed on her body,' the statement of facts said. 'The victim recalls the slave number started with S/N 95, followed by a unique number.' Davis is also accused of coercing the woman into prostitution without payment when the pair moved back to Sydney in 2015 and the woman began work in a Surry Hills brothel. The woman allegedly worked at the brothel six nights a week and was paid cash which Davis allegedly collected from her each morning. In 2015 the woman escaped and moved into share accommodation, according to the statement of facts. Advertisement
Britain's most audacious art thief can finally be revealed for the first time.

A new movie starring Helen Mirren tells the story of how Kempton Bunton was put on trial in 1965 for stealing a portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery, London, four years earlier.

But secret papers reveal his son Jackie - pictured here for the first time by MailOnline - confessed that he was the real thief who shimmied through a window to snatch the priceless Francisco Goya depiction of the Duke in 1961.

The 80-year-old has lived a solitary life in a flat on the banks of the River Tyne since the death of his wife three years ago.

When approached about his confession, made five years after his dad was jailed, Jackie declined to comment and said he'd rather leave the escapade in the past.

The theft has been turned into new film 'The Duke' with Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent, which has thrown a fresh focus on the infamous incident.

The sensational crime captured the imagination of the British public  and even earned itself a cameo part in the first James Bond film, Dr No in 1962, a year after the mysterious theft.

Jackie Bunton, 80, is pictured walking near his home in Newcastle last week

Kempton Bunton was convicted in 1965 of stealing Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington

The theft is being turned into new film The Duke with Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent (above)

When Sean Connery is first led into the secret undersea lair of the arch-villain, he stops and does a double-take by what appears to be the stolen painting, the implication being that Dr No had stolen it to order.

The truth was more like an Ealing comedy than a Hollywood heist.

Kempton claimed it was he who stealthily evaded the guards after climbing through an open window and escaping with the portrait.

The new movie will tell the story of how Kempton, who died in 1976, turned the theft into a noble cause, holding it hostage whilst demanding better care for Britain's elderly from the Government.

But something about the story didn't add up. Kempton, a 57-year-old retired bus driver wasn't in the best of health and at 18 stone would have struggled to wriggle through the narrow gap he claimed to have negotiated.

Years later a new theory emerged - that Jackie, then a fit 20-year-old, was in fact responsible and his dad had taken the rap to spare him a spell in jail.

The National Archives released a prosecutor's file which claimed that Jackie had made a detailed confession to the crime.

At his home today, however, he was less talkative.

The Duke has received strong reviews from the critics as it brings the daring theft to life

Asked by MailOnline whether he stood by his confession, Jackie gave a secretive smile and said: 'Those things are best left in the past. Everything that needed to be said was said in the court case all those years ago, I don't get involved any more.

'I know about the film, the film company has been kicking around for about three years now.

'I'll probably watch it, but I don't talk about what happened back then.'

Jackie, of North Shields, North Tyneside, declined to say whether he'd cooperated with the making of the movie.

The Duke of Wellington portrait is a painting by Francisco Goya, which was finished in 1812

His confession came about in 1969 because that year he was arrested in Leeds for a petty offence, it is claimed, and realised whilst being fingerprinted that his crime of eight years earlier may now be detected.

He told police that just before dawn on Monday, August 21, 1961, he had used a parking meter to haul himself over the back wall of the gallery.

Spotting a 20ft ladder left by builder he used it to access the open window and squeezed through the gap - a more likely version of events for a 20-year-old than that told by his father.

He saw the painting in its customary place on an easel in a nook at the top of the main staircase.

Jackie told sceptical detectives that his motive in stealing the painting was to 'draw attention to my father's campaign against pensioners having to pay the BBC licence fee.'

When the police asked why he or his brother, Kenneth, who knew the secret, hadn't come forward when his father faced an Old Bailey trial, he replied: 'He told us not to. Ordered us. It was his wish.'

According to the prosecutor's file, Jackie told police how he stole the painting, which he referred to as 'the photo.'

'I went there, grabbed it and carried it back to the men's room,' he said. 'I climbed the wall, still holding the photo in one hand. . . I put the photo in the back seat of the car and drove back to Grafton Street (where he lived). I then put the photo under my bed.'

Kempton (left) was jailed over the theft but it is claimed he admitted the crime and created a bogus reason for committing it to spare his son Jackie (right) from a jail term

In the style of a true British caper, Jackie told the bemused officers his old Wolseley car wouldn't start and he had to push his getaway vehicle until the engine fired.

His dad, he claimed, had ordered him to keep the truth secret and made a bogus confession to spare his boy.

Sir Norman Skelhorn, the then Director of Public Prosecutions, told police that Jackie's confession alone was not enough to prosecute him.

The case remained in the forefront of the public consciousness because of the extraordinary series of anonymous ransom notes, sent to the media. The first arrived at Reuters news agency in August 1961, postmarked 'London SW1'.

The writer gave details of identifying features on the back of the painting that could only have been known to the thief, then went on: 'Query not that I have the Goya . .. The picture is not, will not be for sale . . . it is for ransom  140,000  to be given to charity.'

On September 26 a reward of 5,000 was offered for the painting's return. Another 'COM' letter, postmarked 'Lancaster, Morecambe', was received by the Exchange Telegraph News Agency on July 4, 1962, and read, enigmatically: 'The Duke is safe. His temperature cared for  his future uncertain . . .'

The authorities stone-walled the demands, and finally, realising perhaps that his scheme  whether a money-making scheme or a laudable act on behalf of pensioners  was doomed to failure, Kempton decided to fess up.

On May 25, 1965, he sent a final note to the Daily Mirror, containing a left-luggage ticket, Number F24458, from Birmingham New Street station. Police rushed to the station found the missing painting of the Duke of Wellington  none the worse for wear, but minus its frame. The Goya was declared to be genuine by the National Gallery.

Two months later, Kempton walked into New Scotland Yard and confessed to having stolen the portrait. He feared blackmail after letting something slip to a friend down the pub.

He told police, 'My sole purpose in all of this was to set up a charity to pay for television licenses for old and poor people who seem to have been neglected in our affluent society.'

Broadbent stars in the dramatisation of the audacious art theft from the National Gallery

Kempton (left) claimed he stole the painting to set up a charity to pay for old people's TV licenses. Broadbent (right) bares a striking resemblance to the man he's playing

In his native Newcastle, Kempton had started a campaign to exempt retirees from paying the licence fee and he became a local hero because of it.

In 1960, he spent a total of 69 days in prison for refusing to pay a television license after modifying his set to receive only ITV. He struck  or far more likely his son did  the following year whilst unemployed and living on 8 a week National Assistance.

In 1961, Charles Bierer Wrightsman, a rich American art collector the painting painting Portrait of the Duke of Wellington for the sum of 140,000 or 3million today. He had plans to take it to the US until the UK government stepped in and bought the painting, for the same sum, to prevent the painting leaving Britain. The move was reported to have enraged Kempton, however, who was embittered at having to pay the television licence fee from his modest income.

Broadbent stars in the dramatisation of the audacious art theft, with Dunkirk star Fionn Whitehead playing Jackie, though it is believed the film  which received a rapturous reception at the 2020 Venice Film Festival  portrays Kempton as the mastermind of the heist.

In fact, his son's witness statement, and that of Pamela Smith, who was dating Kempton's eldest son, Ken, made it clear that Jackie only roped in his father after the theft.

In 1965 Ms Smith told officers: 'When Jackie stole it from the gallery, he had just taken any picture, he didn't go there for the Goya. Jackie was alone in London, he stole the painting and then wrote to his father, told him he was in trouble.

Ken told me that Jackie wanted to burn it or write it off as a bad job.' She claimed that Kempton and Jackie agreed to try to sell their story to a newspaper after the trial and split the proceeds.

The release of the film was held up by the pandemic and is set for September.
A mother whose entire family was involved in a horror car crash has revealed the final moments she shared with her 10-year-old daughter - before making the agonising decision to switch off her life support.

Sommar Lee, 42, her husband Geoff, 44, her daughter Chloe and son Declan, 8, were all in the car when it slammed into a tree near Williams, a town 170km south-east of Perth, on the morning of May 30.

The family were airlifted with the children separated from their parents and sent to be treated at Perth Children's Hospital - where Chloe was placed on to life support after suffering untreatable head and spinal injuries.

Mrs and Mr Lee last Wednesday made a decision that no parent ever wants to make - to shut down the life support of their daughter.

Mrs Lee took to Facebook to reveal the final moments she shared with her 'beautiful, sassy, amazing 10-year-old'.

'We told her how much we loved her and how much she was loved by her friends and family,' she wrote.

Sommar Lee, 42, her husband Geoff, 44, and her daughter Chloe (pictured) and son Declan, 8, were all involved in a car crash when their car slammed into a tree near Williams, a town 170kilometres south-east of Perth, on the morning of May 30

The family were airlifted with the children separated from the parents and sent to be treated at Perth Children's Hospital - where Chloe was placed onto life support after suffering untreatable head and spinal injuries

'I thanked her for choosing us to be her parents. I'm so thankful this amazing girl so full of mischief and life was ours.'

Mrs and Mr Lee made the heartbreaking decision while they were still recovering from their serious injuries at Royal Perth Hospital.

Mr Lee broke both ankles and suffered spinal and internal injuries and Sommar broke her pelvis, legs and wrist.

The pair were still bed bound and relied on medical staff to transport them to the hospital where their children were being treated.

'Physically broken laying flat on beds either side of her,' she wrote.

'Holding her hands either side. Our beautiful girl took her last breaths. While our hearts were breaking, shattering into a million pieces one of the angels who walk among us, wrapped Chloe in his arms and held her tight.

'Thank you for being our arms when we couldnt.

Mrs Lee revealed one of the hardest things during the time was breaking the news to her eight-year-old son.

'Having to tell our son, that his other half, his best friend and sister has to go to heaven,' she wrote.

'That the machines breathing for and keeping her precious heart pumping need to be turned off is one of the hardest things we have had to do.

'Especially not being able to hold him in our arms, barely able to hold his hands.'

Mrs and Mr Lee made the heartbreaking decision while they were still recovering from their serious injuries at Royal Perth Hospital

Their sudden loss has been made even more devastating with the family still too badly injured to properly mourn the passing of their loved one

Their sudden loss has been made even more devastating with the family still too badly injured to properly mourn the passing of their loved one.

'So for now we are stuck in limbo trying to heal our broken bodies. Unable to grieve properly the loss of our beautiful Chloe Mackenzie,' Mrs Lee said.

'Our main goal is to get mended enough so that we can take her home to Caboolture and be with our family.'

A close family friend has started a GoFundMe to help the Lee family 'kiss their baby girl goodbye' as they have to wait to fly her home to Queensland from Western Australia to say their final goodbyes.

Family friend Barbara Wilkinson started the fundraiser to help the Lee family pay for medical costs to transport Chloe back to Coobulture.

'Geoff is currently employed on a casual basis and has no holiday/sick pay. They have a house that they rent south west of Perth and a mortgage on their home in Caboolture,' Ms Wilkinson wrote on the GoFundMe.

'The family will be under significant financial pressure due to Geoff not being able to work and costs associated with the accident.

Chloe's mother Sommar, 42, (pictured) broke her pelvis, legs and wrist following the car crash

'Sommar and Geoff have expressed their wish to return Chloe to her home town of Caboolture for a funeral so that her friends and relatives have the opportunity to commemorate her short life.'

The fundraiser has already surpassed its $20,000 goal, sitting at $43,934 at the time this article was published.

The family from Caboolture, situated between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, are well known in the area for their involvement in the local schools and community.

They had recently moved from Queensland to the West Australian south coast before the tragic accident occurred.

You can help the Lee family by donating to the GoFundMe here.
An American tourist was shot and wounded in Cancun after two assassins leapt off jet skis and sprayed a beach gift shop with bullets, killing two workers inside.

The woman, named as Kanya, was struck while browsing the store on the Playa Tortugas around 2pm Friday afternoon.

She is not believed to have been targeted by the executioners, but got caught in the crossfire of their shooting.

Afterwards, the assassins sprinted back to their jet skis and fled the scene. The victims have not been named, and no arrests have been made.

According to Noti Caribe, Kanya was taken to Amerimed clinic, where she was denied treatment because she did not have enough money to cover the medical expenses.

Kanya was then transferred to Cancun General Hospital, where she is in stable condition and will remain under observation for at least five days.

Video footage from newspaper De Peso showed Kanya being wheeled to an ambulance and asking for water while a female friend stood by her side.

The outlet also reported that the airline that Kanya flew with to Cancun was charging her a fee to change the date of her return flight back home.

Quintana Roo State Attorney General's Office said the U.S. Embassy had contacted Kanya's family and assisting them in the process, De Peso reported.

A State Department source told DailyMail.com that they are aware of the injured woman's situation and stands ready to provide necessary assistance.

A 30-year-old American woman, identified as Kanya, was wounded Friday at a beach in Cancun, Mexico, after two gunmen stepped off their jet skis and opened fire, killing two male workers outside a gift shop before escaping

Cancun forensic workers record evidence near the body of one of the two male workers who were gunned down by a pair of assassins at Playa Tortuga on Friday. The attack left a U.S. tourist with a gunshot wound

Security forces guard the scene of Friday's attack at a beach in Cancun, where two gunmen arrived in jet skis and opened fired, wounding a 30-year-old woman from Kentucky and killing two male workers

City workers clean up the debris at Playa Tortuga in Cancun, where gunmen opened fired, killing two male workers and wounding a U.S. tourist on Friday. The section of the beach where the shooting took place remained closed until Sunday

Violence in the Mexican coastal state of Quintana Roo, which is home to resorts like Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, has declined somewhat from the high levels of 2018 and 2019, when there was an upsurge in killings. There were 209 killings in the state in the first four months of 2021, down from 266 in the same period of 2020.

Violence in the coastal state, which is home to resorts like Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, has declined somewhat from the high levels of 2018 and 2019, when there was an upsurge in killings. There were 209 killings in the state in the first four months of 2021, down from 266 in the same period of 2020.

Drug cartels operate in the state, which is known for a lucrative retail drug market and as a landing spot for drug shipments.

However, tourists have rarely been targeted in gang violence.

In January 2017, a shooting at a music festival in Playa del Carmen left three foreigners and two Mexicans dead. Prosecutors have said that shooting was motivated by low-level drug sales.
Naftali Bennett, who was sworn in Sunday as Israel's new prime minister, embodies many of the contradictions that define the 73-year-old nation.

He's a religious Jew who made millions in the mostly secular hi-tech sector; a champion of the settlement movement who lives in a Tel Aviv suburb; a former ally of Benjamin Netanyahu who has partnered with centrist and left-wing parties to end his 12-year rule.

His ultranationalist Yamina party won just seven seats in the 120-member Knesset in March elections - the fourth such vote in two years. But by refusing to commit to Netanyahu or his opponents, Bennett positioned himself as kingmaker.

Even after one member of his religious nationalist party abandoned him to protest the new coalition deal, he ended up with the crown.

Naftali Bennett during his IDF days with the elite commando unit

Naftali Bennett (C), head of the Israeli hard-line national religious party, Jewish Home, and his wife Gilat (R)

AN ULTRANATIONALIST WITH A MODERATE COALITION

Bennett has long positioned himself to the right of Netanyahu. But he will be severely constrained by his unwieldy coalition, which has only a narrow majority in parliament and includes parties from the right, left and center.

He is opposed to Palestinian independence and strongly supports Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians and much of the international community see as a major obstacle to peace.

Bennett fiercely criticized Netanyahu after the prime minister agreed to slow settlement construction under pressure from President Barack Obama, who tried and failed to revive the peace process early in his first term.

He briefly served as head of the West Bank settlers council, Yesha, before entering the Knesset in 2013. Bennett later served as cabinet minister of diaspora affairs, education and defense in various Netanyahu-led governments.

'Hes a right-wing leader, a security hard-liner, but at the same time very pragmatic,' said Yohanan Plesner, head of the Israel Democracy Institute, who has known Bennett for decades and served with him in the military.

He expects Bennett to engage with other factions to find a 'common denominator' as he seeks support and legitimacy as a national leader.

On Sunday evening, Bennett (right) held his first cabinet meeting as prime minister

RIVALRY WITH NETANYAHU

The 49-year-old father of four shares Netanyahu's hawkish approach to the Middle East conflict, but the two have had tense relations over the years.

Bennett served as Netanyahu's chief of staff for two years, but they parted ways after a mysterious falling out that Israeli media linked to Netanyahus wife, Sara, who wields great influence over her husband's inner circle.

Bennett campaigned as a right-wing stalwart ahead of the March elections and signed a pledge on national TV saying he would never allow Yair Lapid, a centrist and Netanyahu's main rival, to become prime minister.

But when it became clear Netanyahu was unable to form a ruling coalition, that's exactly what Bennett did, agreeing to serve as prime minister for two years before handing power to Lapid, the architect of the new coalition.

Netanyahu's supporters have branded Bennett a traitor, saying he defrauded voters. Bennett has defended his decision as a pragmatic move aimed at unifying the country and avoiding a fifth round of elections.

A GENERATIONAL SHIFT

Bennett, a father of four and a modern Orthodox Jew, will be Israel's first prime minister who regularly wears a kippa, the skullcap worn by observant Jews. He lives in the upscale Tel Aviv suburb of Raanana, rather than the settlements he champions.

Bennett began life with his American-born parents in Haifa, then bounced with his family between North America and Israel, military service, law school and the private sector. Throughout, hes curated a persona thats at once modern, religious and nationalist.

After serving in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, Bennett went to law school at Hebrew University. In 1999, he co-founded Cyota, an anti-fraud software company that was sold in 2005 to U.S.-based RSA Security for $145 million.

Bennett has said the bitter experience of Israels 2006 war against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah drove him to politics. The monthlong war ended inconclusively, and Israels military and political leadership at the time was widely criticized as bungling the campaign.

Bennett represents a third generation of Israeli leaders, after the founders of the state and Netanyahu's generation, which came of age during the country's tense early years marked by repeated wars with Arab states.

'He's Israel 3.0,' Anshel Pfeffer, a columnist for Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, wrote in a recent profile of Bennett.

'A Jewish nationalist but not really dogmatic. A bit religious, but certainly not devout. A military man who prefers the comforts of civilian urban life and a high-tech entrepreneur who isnt looking to make any more millions. A supporter of the Greater Land of Israel but not a settler. And he may well not be a lifelong politician either.'

Sunday's vote ended a two-year cycle of political paralysis in which the country held four elections. Pictured: People celebrate the result and light a red flare in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Sunday

The Israelis celebrated with a foam party as a cannon launched the white liquid into the crowd in Tel Aviv

On Sunday evening, Bennett opened his first cabinet meeting as prime minister with a traditional blessing for new beginnings.

He said: 'We are at the start of new days,' adding this his government will work to 'mend the rift in the nation' after two years of political deadlock.

'Citizens of Israel are all looking to us now, and the burden of proof is upon us,' he said. 'We must all, for this amazing process to succeed, we must all know to maintain restraint on ideological matters.'

Alternate prime minister Yair Lapid, who will serve as foreign minister for the first two years of the government's term, said in brief remarks that 'friendship and trust' built their government, and that's what will keep it going.

US President Joe Biden was the first world leader to congratulate Bennett on his win and said the United States remained committed to Israel's security.

'I look forward to working with Prime Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations,' Biden said. 'Israel has no better friend than the United States.'

'United States remains unwavering in its support for Israel's security,' Biden, who is currently in Cornwall, UK, for the G7 Summit, continued. 'My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region.'

Bennett tweeted: 'Thank you Mr. President! I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ties between our two nations.'

Bennett's office said he later spoke by phone with Biden, thanking him for his warm wishes and longstanding commitment to Israel's security.

The leaders agreed to consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran, the White House said, adding that Biden said his administration intends to work closely with the Israeli government on advancing peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.
US President Joe Biden on Sunday offered incoming Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett his 'warm congratulations' in telephone talks, the White House said, after an alliance of parties ousted Benjamin Netanyahu and formed a new government.

'I congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and all the members of the new Israeli cabinet,' Biden said in a statement issued shortly before the call.

'Israel has no better friend than the United States.'

'Israel has no better friend than the United States': President Joe Biden has congratulated incoming Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett

Bennett responded not long afterwards on Twitter, saying: 'Thank you Mr. President! I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ties between our two nations.'

In the telephone talks, Biden 'highlighted his decades of steadfast support for the US-Israel relationship and his unwavering commitment to Israel's security,' the White House said.

'The president also conveyed that his administration intends to work closely with the Israeli government on efforts to advance peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians,' it added.

'The leaders agreed that they and their teams would consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran,' the White House noted.

Bennett (right) will be prime minister until September 2023 before handing the power over to Yair Lapid (left), the leader of centrist Yesh Atid party, for a further two years as part of a power-sharing deal

Yair Lapid is set to become the Prime Minister in 2023 in a power-sharing deal. Pictured: Lapid arrives for the parliamentary meeting on Sunday before the vote.

Israelis celebrate in Tel Aviv with foam as the new government is sworn in on Sunday night

Hundreds of people gathered for a foam party in Tel Aviv in celebration of the vote, with many dancing and cheering

Bennett said he considers Biden 'a great friend of the State of Israel,' according to a readout from his team.

A right-wing Jewish nationalist and former tech millionaire, Bennett is taking over at the helm of an Israeli government pieced together by an eight-party coalition, united only by their shared disdain for the hawkish right-wing Netanyahu.

In a Knesset speech before the vote, the 49-year-old Bennett promised the new government, a coalition of ideologically divergent parties, 'represents all of Israel.'

Separately, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin congratulated Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz, who will remain in his post in the new government.

Austin said he 'looks forward to continuing the important cooperation and dialogue with Minister Gantz to deepen the US-Israel strategic partnership,' adding: 'The US commitment to Israel's security remains ironclad.'

Biden didn't speak to Netanyahu for nearly a month after his own inauguration Jan. 20th.
Kamala Harris' unfortunate week came to a disappointing end on Sunday, when her trip to Guatemala and Mexico - the first foreign visit as vice president - was slammed by a CNN panel.

Harris, tasked by President Joe Biden with working to stem soaring migration levels, found herself mocked for being unable to answer the obvious question as to when she would visit the U.S.-Mexico border during a Univision interview.

To her visible irritation, she was asked multiple times by Univision anchor Ilia Calderon when she would go and see for herself - and each time, she stumbled over an answer.

'I've said I'm going to the border,' Harris told the anchor. 'And also if we are going to deal with the problems at the border, we have to deal with the problems that cause people to go to the border, to flee to the border. So my first trip as vice president of the United States was to go- in terms of a foreign trip- to Guatemala, to be on the ground there to address and to be informed of the root causes why are the people of Guatemala leaving.'

'Do you have a date for your trip to the border?' Calderon asked.

'I will keep you posted,' Harris replied.

'It's just a little cringeworthy, and I know that her allies in the White House and elsewhere are watching it and just kind of wondering what is going on,' said Abby Phillip, host of CNN's Inside Politics Sunday show.

Harris, tasked by President Joe Biden with working to stem soaring migration levels, found herself mocked for being unable to answer the obvious question as to when she would visit the U.S.-Mexico border during a Univision interview (pictured)

Abby Phillip, host of CNN's Inside Politics Sunday show, said that Harris' response to repeated questions about when she would visit the border was 'cringeworthy'

CNN's panel on Sunday agreed that Harris' trip had not been a success, and was overshadowed by repeated questions as to when she would visit the U.S.-Mexico border

CNNs Abby Phillip on Kamala Harris first foreign trip: Cringeworthy, Harris allies are wondering what is going on? pic.twitter.com/vkfotrzN0r  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 13, 2021

Panelist Laura Barron-Lopez, a CNN Political Analyst, agreed that it was a failure.

'It didn't go the way the White House wanted it to go,' she said.

'Again, immigration, as you mention, is a hot potato no one wants to touch, and Harris has been dealt it and so she has to handle now what Biden had to handle when he was VP which is relationships with the northern triangle.'

The panel were also dismayed at Harris' interview with Lester Holt of NBC.

'At some point, you know, we are going to the border,' she told Holt. 'We've been to the border. So this whole thing about the border. We've been to the border. We've been to the border.'

Kamala Harris lashed out during an interview on Monday when asked again why she hasn't visited the southern border. 'I haven't been to Europe,' the vice president snapped at interviewer Lester Holt. 'And I mean, I don't understand the point that you're making'

He replied: 'You haven't been to the border.'

'And I haven't been to Europe,' Harris snapped, then quickly laughed.

'And I mean, I don't understand the point that you're making. I'm not discounting the importance of the border.'

Migrant numbers are on track this year to reach highs not seen since 2006.

Washington Post reporter Olivier Knox said it was baffling that she was not better prepared.

'To be clear, she was going to be asked this question,' he said.

'And the fact that they didn't have something better than 'I haven't been to Europe' is fairly notable.'

Harris has faced strong criticism for her performance on Monday and Tuesday in Latin America.

Harris and Guatemalan President Alejandro Giamattei (right) held a bilateral meeting in Guatemala on Monday as part of talks to deal with 'root causes' of mass migration from Latin America to the U.S.

Harris doubled-down that she will not be visiting the border during her trip  or any time soon. 'I will continue to be focused on [addressing root causes of migration and corruption] as opposed to grand gestures'

Axios on Sunday evening reported that part of the problem was that there were issues with how she prepares.

Harris is 'intensely intellectually curious,' one former aide told the site, which often sends briefings into a 'rabbit hole' on topics that may not necessarily be relevant to the appearance or interview at hand.

The source also said she only listens to a select group of people, most prominently her sister, Maya.

'If somebody doesn't knock it out of the park their first time, then they will always have a tough time,' a former aide said.

'And so that often leads to the people who she relies on the most being in charge of leading prep on everything, which is impossible to do well, regardless of who you are.'

Harris' trip came amid mounting concern about the number of arrivals along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Border crossings have exploded, rising 674 per cent in May 2021 compared to May 2020.

Authorities recorded 180,034 migrants crossing into the U.S. last month.

That represented a slight increase over the approximately 178,000 migrants encountered in April, and the 172,000 encountered in March.

In February, roughly 100,000 migrants illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into the United States.

This graph shows the number of migrants caught by the Office of Field Operation (OFO) and US Border Patrol agents in April and May

Border Patrol agents in Texas look on as migrants are processed. This year is on track to have the highest level of arrivals since 2006

Border Patrol agents in Laredo, Texas, are seen rescuing migrants from the back of a truck

Central American migrants sit on the ground while waiting to be transported by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States

Chanel, 7, and her sister Adriana, 10, both unaccompanied minors traveling alone from Honduras, sits among other asylum-seeking children as they await to be transported to a U.S. border patrol processing facility

Cruz Estuardo Tunpumay (L), a 32-year-old migrant from Guatemala, stands with other asylum seekers while waiting to enter a Mexican government facility in Tijuana. There, they will be examined before being taken to the border by UNHCR and Mexican authorities. The Biden-Harris administration has promised a more 'humane' approach to the border

Single adults still represented the majority of border-crossers, data from the U.S. Border Patrol showed.

In May there was a decrease in the number of unaccompanied minors, from roughly 16,910 to 13,906, Border Patrol found.

CBP also said that a majority of those who crossed the border were already expelled due to Title 42, which allows the U.S. government to quickly remove people using the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 180,034 crossers, 112,302 had already been expelled.

CBP also pointed out, according to Fox News, that Title 42 is leading people to try to cross the border more than once, which could also factor into the high numbers.

Axios reported Tuesday that preliminary CBP data from the fiscal year 2021 showed that illegal crossings have been the most since 2006 - with four months still to go.

Additionally on Tuesday the Department of Health and Human Services reported that 16,200 children were still in custody, which is 50 per cent higher than the levels in March.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra appeared before the Ways and Means Committee to face questions on the border crisis.

Biden has promised to reunite families separated during the Trump administration and to expedite processing unaccompanied minors who arrived at the border in the last few months.

However, a new report from Biden's task force on reuniting families indicates that 2,127 children have 'not yet been reunified' with their parents.

On March 24, President Joe Biden announced: 'I've asked her, the VP, today  because she's the most qualified person to do it  to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border.'

Harris has insisted since then - but especially this week - that her focus is on the root causes of migration, rather than dealing with the crisis at the border.

CNN reported that officials were concerned within the administration that whatever progress Harris had made on the leader-to-leader level might have been undermined by her conflicting answers and PR missteps.

'It's left some of the administration officials perplexed, and the vice president's team frustrated,' the network reported on Wednesday.

'There was hope the trip would be a success, and in the end, they feel it may have been overshadowed by some of her answers to these questions.'

On Thursday, she raised further eyebrows during an interview with Univision, snapping at a reporter once again when asked why as 'border czar' she hadn't been to the site.

Harris spoke to Colombian journalist Ilia Calderon, an anchor with the Miami-based network, the day after her return from Mexico and Guatemala, where she spoke to presidents of both countries about ways to curtail soaring arrivals at the border.

'I've said I'm going to the border,' said Harris, visibly irritated.

'And I - '

Calderon, speaking via video link, interrupted and asked: 'When are you going?'

Harris continued saying: 'The administration has asked...'

She paused, hearing Calderon's question, and replied curtly: 'I've not finished.

'I've said I'm going to the border. And also, if we are going to deal with the problems at the border, we have to deal with the problems that cause people to go to the border - to flee to the border.

'And that is the root causes.

'So my first trip, as vice president of the United States, was to go - in terms of a foreign trip - to Guatemala.

'To be on the ground there. To address, and to be informed of, the root causes - why are the people of Guatemala leaving.'

Harris on Thursday spoke to Univision reporter Ilia Calderon, who grilled her about when she would be visiting the U.S.-Mexico border to see the migrant situation with her own eyes. A visibly irritated Harris snapped at her for interrupting her, to press her on the question

Harris told Calderon that she had not finished speaking, accusing the reporter of interrupting her. She then explained that she had not yet visited because she wanted her first foreign trip - to Guatemala and Mexico - to be about addressing the root causes of migration

Harris wagged her finger at Calderon, telling her: 'I've not finished' - as the Spanish subtitles show. She laughed awkwardly as she reprimanded the reporter

Calderon asked: 'Do you have a date for your trip to the border, to see the situation with your own eyes?'

Harris replied: 'I will keep you posted.'

Her rebuke of Calderon, with a terse 'I've not finished', bore echoes of her dismissal of Mike Pence, when he attempted to interrupt her during their vice presidential debate last October.

'I'm speaking,' she reprimanded him, with a smile, before continuing her point.

The moment became a meme, and 'I'm speaking' was emblazed on t-shirts worn by Biden-Harris supporters.

This time round, the put down was less celebrated.

On Tuesday, in Mexico City, she had been asked the same question, and responded that it was 'short-sighted' to focus on the border when dealing with migration.

'I think it's short-sighted, for any of us who are in the business of problem solving to suggest we're only going to respond to the reaction as opposed to addressing the cause,' she said.

It echoed her earlier comments in Guatemala, where she characterized such a visit as being for show.

'I came here to be here on the ground, to speak with the leader of this nation around what we can do in a way that is significant, is tangible and has real results,' she said.

'And I will continue to be focused on that kind of work as opposed to grand gestures.'
Fears are growing that thousands of Covid loans were fraudulently claimed and will never be returned to the taxpayer.

Experts issued the warning after the number of companies being shut down rocketed.

Figures show that in the first three months of this year almost 40,000 firms were 'struck off', a rise of 743 per cent on the same period of last year.

Businesses are 'struck off' from the Government's register  known as Companies House  when they have not traded or sold any stock for three months.

Many legitimate firms have been forced to close during the pandemic, particularly smaller ones.

But there are now worries that thousands of others deliberately stopped trading so they could be struck off and avoid repaying their loans.

This could add millions of pounds of bad loans to banks' books.

Experts issued the warning after the number of companies being shut down rocketed. Pictured: A London high street (stock)

As well as furlough support, companies were able to claim money from the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), which was aimed at small companies.

The pressures the Government faced to rapidly hand out Covid loans meant that banks did not carry out some standard checks before they granted the loans.

Around 22billion is estimated to have been handed out through the BBLS, which was thought to be the most vulnerable scheme.

It provided up to 50,000 to small firms, with most cash going to companies with fewer than ten employees. The Government has underwritten 80 per cent of all CBILS loans and 100 per cent of BBLS lending  though banks will probably need to exhaust all their options before asking the taxpayer.

Some lenders have already started paying to have companies reinstated on Companies House in an attempt to recover the debt.

In the March Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that 100million would be used to fund a taskforce of 1,000 investigators in HM Revenue & Customs

The figures on the number of businesses being struck off were produced by accountancy firm Mazars.

Michael Pallott, its director of restructuring services, said: 'Even though some level of fraud was anticipated with CBILS and BBLS, these strike-off numbers suggest that the worst-case scenario might be in play for some lenders.

'Many of these loans will have gone to legitimate businesses who have not survived the last year. When it comes to those who were less honest, however, the task of pursuing bad debtors who never intended to pay these loans back will be costly and time-consuming without the right tools.'

The Government has proposed enhancing the Insolvency Service's powers so that it can investigate and disqualify the directors of dissolved companies. This is expected to become law by the end of the summer.

As well as fears about Covid loans, ministers have been concerned that other support schemes could be vulnerable to crime.

In the March Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that 100million would be used to fund a taskforce of 1,000 investigators in HM Revenue & Customs to crack down on the misuse of the furlough and self-employment income support schemes.
Major City firms face having to scupper their plans to bring employees back to the office if Freedom Day is pushed back beyond June 21.

Banks including NatWest, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan had told staff to prepare to start commuting again from next Monday, when restrictions on social distancing are due to be lifted.

But some are considering pushing this back as far as September if there are delays to the lockdown roadmap, which allows workers to sit next to one another again and fill offices up to pre-pandemic levels.

London's Square Mile is seen above. Some UK banks, including HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds, have not set hard dates for workers to return to their desks, although all say they are following Government guidance

One bank executive involved in the process of bringing colleagues back to the office told the Financial Times: A lot of work has gone into preparing for more staff returning to the office from June.

If the dates get pushed back after late June, there is a feeling among most banks that we may as well push our own return dates back to September.

Some UK banks, including HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds, have not set hard dates for workers to return to their desks, although all say they are following Government guidance.

But the American investment banks JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs have taken a much harder line and insist that employees have to be in the office in order to do their jobs properly.

Banks including NatWest, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan had told staff to prepare to start commuting again from next Monday, when restrictions on social distancing are due to be lifted. Commuters are seen above on the London Underground last week

German banking giant Deutsche Bank had told staff to prepare for a slow return from June 21.

It has also been less open to the idea of flexible working, in which staff work from home for part of the week. British groups such as NatWest, on the other hand, have backed it.

The lender has said just 13 per cent of staff will be in the office full time, with around a third based at home and the remainder switching between the two.

Lingering restrictions following the second Covid wave have kept offices empty  and there are even proposals in the City of London to convert workplaces into flats.

Firms providing serviced offices claim occupancy rates are still sharply lower than they had hoped. But they are being inundated with enquiries about booking spaces  suggesting there is a growing appetite for office working.

Beyond the financial industry, businesses in other sectors  from cinemas and restaurants to live events groups and beauticians  are also desperate for social distancing requirements to lift.

If Freedom Day is pushed back, transport groups will suffer as staff continue to stay at home, and city centre shops and restaurants will miss the lunchtime office trade.
Scott Morrison has thrown his support behind a second investigation into the origins of Covid-19 amid growing concern the virus may have leaked from a lab in Wuhan.

The Prime Minister backed US President Joe Biden's calls for Beijing to agree to a 'complete and transparent' international inquiry after a probe by the World Health Organisation failed to reach a conclusion earlier this year.

After meeting Mr Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Cornwall, Mr Morrison said a second phase of investigations was needed to trace the origins of the pandemic and learn valuable lessons.

Scott Morrison (left) greets British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (centre) and his wife Carrie (right) at the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on June 12

'We support that being done and we support there being greater transparency around all of these issues,' he told reporters.

China faced criticism for hampering the WHO inquiry by not releasing key data from the early stages of the pandemic after the virus was identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

Last month, President Biden asked his spies to further investigate after they failed to work out if the virus spawned naturally in the wild or was accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a high-security lab that experimented with coronaviruses.

Mr Morrison said an effective probe was crucial to preventing another outbreak from ravaging the world.

'We need to know how we must learn from this pandemic,' he said.

'It's not about apportioning blame, it's not about politics. It's not about anything. It's how could this have been avoided.'

Mr Morrison has thrown his weight behind a second investigation into the origins of Covid-19 amid growing speculation the virus may have leaked from a lab (pictured) in Wuhan

Mr Morrison also rallied his key allies to push back against China after he warned that there was a 'growing' risk of conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

Since president Xi Jinping came to power, and particularly in recent months, Beijing has pushed increasingly assertive foreign policy.

China has reinforced territorial claims in the South China Sea, killed Indian troops in the Himalayas, and frequently flown fighter jets over Taiwan.

The world's most populous nation of 1.4 billion also caused global outrage by cracking down on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and repressing the Uyghur ethnic minority in the country's west.

Australia's relationship with China - its largest trading partner by far - has rapidly deteriorated since the Morrison government called for a pandemic inquiry last year, with Beijing blocking several key Aussie exports including coal, barley, beef, seafood and wine.

Asked if the US and UK 'have got your back on China', Mr Morrison said: 'Well, I think I would put it this way. Our alliance with the United States, the relationship we have with the United Kingdom, has never been stronger.

Pictured: Boris Johnson (left), Scott Morrison (centre) and Joe Biden (right) at the G7 summit

'We see the world in similar ways. And that's not surprising given our history. And we see the challenges in similar ways and we stand together always.'

The prime minster said he welcomed upcoming joint navy exercises by the US, UK and Australia in the South China Sea, which are being led by the UK's new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Mr Morrison also discussed his government's approach to handling coronavirus and said he would not allowed international travel until medical experts said it was safe.

He said his government hadn't set a target on the number of Australians who need to be vaccinated before international travel resumes and revealed this would only occur 'when the medical advice suggests we should'.

Mr Morrison said he would 'rather be living in the arrangements we have in Australia than anywhere else in the world' and pointed out that the UK, despite a high vaccination rate, was still recording high numbers of new cases.

Mr Morrison has warned that the risk of conflict in the Pacific is growing. Pictured: Chinese troops in Mongolia

Australia's suppression strategy has kept the nation's borders closed and seen states go into lockdown over a handful of cases.

'At this stage of the pandemic, it is not clear where it goes next given the potential for new strains and other things to occur,' Mr Morrison said.

The prime minister said Australians could 'go to sporting games, or they can go to work, they can live in an economy that is bigger today than it was before'.

Also at the G7, Mr Morrison had a bilateral discussion with German chancellor Angela Merkel.

The two nations on Sunday signed a bilateral alliance on hydrogen production and trade to try to facilitate a renewable energy-based hydrogen supply chain.

Germany's Economy Minister Peter Altmaier and Education and Research Minister Anja Karliczek signed a letter of intent to set up a 'Germany Australia Hydrogen Accord' with Australian Energy Minister Angus Taylor, the German Economy Ministry said.

It said the cooperation was about enabling 'the import of sustainably produced hydrogen in relevant volumes, which is an important factor to reach our tighter climate targets.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the the President of France Emmanuel Macron talking to a Red Arrows pilot at the G7 Summit

Mr Morrison said international collaboration was key to getting new energy technologies like hydrogen to commercial parity.

'Our ambition is to produce the cheapest clean hydrogen in the world, which will transform transport, mining, resources and manufacturing at home and overseas,' he said.

The prime minister is now heading for trade talks with Mr Johnson in London as Australia and Britain try to thrash out a free trade deal.

Mr Morrison said he was prepared to be patient and wait for the right deal as agriculture remained the final sticking point.

Australia wants tariff-free access to the British market for its farmers but the UK is nervous this may put some British producers out of business.

Mr Morrison will then meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris before flying home and doing two weeks of coronavirus quarantine at The Lodge in Canberra.
Ben Roberts-Smith has enjoyed his long weekend break from his 'trial of the century' by stepping out for PDA-packed lunch with his girlfriend Sarah Matulin.

Roberts-Smith, 42, spent the past week defending his honour in a Sydney courtroom as he denies committing war crimes in Afghanistan.

The claims, published in three newspapers, are made by former and serving SAS soldiers who the Victoria Cross recipient says have broken his heart.

But Australia's most-decorated soldier put the case out of mind as he doted on his girlfriend during a stroll through the Harbour City on Saturday.

Ms Matulin, 28, who he met when she was working at Channel Seven, stayed at home in Queensland for the first week of the trial against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

Ben Roberts-Smith was spotted lunching with his girlfriend Sarah Matulin at CHI by Lotus at Barangaroo on Saturday

Ms Matulin flew to Sydney from Brisbane for the long weekend as Roberts-Smith enjoys a few days out of the court room

But she flew down from Brisbane for the Queen's Birthday long weekend, with the pair arriving at CHI by Lotus, in Barangaroo, at 2.30pm.

The pair were seen kissing and cuddling over lunch before making their way to Barangaroo House for drinks.

Roberts-Smith will return to Federal Court on Tuesday, where he is suing the newspapers and three journalists over their reports that he murdered prisoners and bullied colleagues.

While his version of various engagements will be contested, there can be no question he displayed extraordinary heroism in battle.

During one long stint in the witness box Roberts-Smith gave a first-person account of a mission that read like a film script and puts the actions of some of his comrades in doubt.

The couple packed on the PDA throughout lunch, kissing and cuddling in the ritzy restaurant

The pair then made their way to Barangaroo House two hours later to enjoys some drinks

That mission resulted in two days of heavy fighting on a mountain range called Korangal, south of Chora, and in the valley below in June 2006.

Roberts-Smith was a scout and sniper in a Special Air Service patrol sent out to establish an observation post over the Chora Valley and report on enemy activities ahead of a large-scale assault by American forces.

The patrol commander is known in court proceedings as Person 33 and the second-in-command was Sergeant Matthew Locke. Roberts-Smith's fellow trooper Person 2 was a sniper. Person 1 was the machine gunner and medic.

With the Australians was Person 23, an American 'joint terminal attack controller' - or JTAC - who was on the mission to coordinate airstrikes.

The patrol was dropped off at night by vehicles which conducted a 'feint' - slowing down but not stopping for the soldiers to jump out.

Ben Roberts-Smith has spent the past week defending his honour in a Sydney court room as he denies allegations he committed war crimes in Afghanistan. The claims published in three newspapers are made by former and serving SAS soldiers. Roberts-Smith is pictured

Roberts-Smith is suing three newspapers and three journalists over allegations which include that he murdered prisoners. While his version of various engagements will be contested, there can be no doubt he displayed extraordinary heroism in battle. He is pictured with the Queen

During one long stint in the witness box Roberts-Smith gave a first-person account of a mission that sounds like a movie and puts the actions of some of his comrades in doubt. He is pictured at Woolloomooloo exercising before his trial

The next stage of the mission was on foot. The patrol had ten hours to get from the base of the mountain to the top.

Each man carried about 70kg of equipment, including including 25 litres of water, ammunition, camouflage netting, radios and medical kits.

'Chora was a Taliban stronghold,' Roberts-Smith told Justice Anthony Besanko.

'No one had really got into Chora prior to this particular operation.

'Other squadrons before us had tried and always got into contact, and would pull out.'

The soldiers wore night vision goggles and the epic hike was arduous.

'I don't really know how else to explain it other than to say it's like looking through green toilet rolls and trying to walk up a mountain.'

The patrol arrived at the top of the ridge at daybreak on June 1 and chose a position in a saddle - a low piece of ground between two high points.

What we know about Ben Roberts-Smith and the 'trial of the century' Ben Roberts-Smith is suing Nine-owned newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, plus The Canberra Times over allegations he committed battlefield crimes including murder. His case, being heard in the Federal Court in Sydney, is expected to last ten weeks and is being bankrolled by his employer, the Seven Network's billionaire owner Kerry Stokes. Mr Roberts-Smith served six operational tours in Afghanistan with the elite Special Air Service and left the regular army in 2013 with the rank of corporal. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions at Tizak in June 2010 and the Medal for Gallantry for an earlier battle near the Chora Pass in May 2006. The newspapers will plead that Mr Roberts-Smith was complicit in and responsible for the murders of six people in Afghanistan, and that those actions constituted war crimes. Nine alleges Mr Roberts-Smith killed insurgents who had been captured and none of the killings was the result of decisions made in the heat of battle. Mr Roberts-Smith has also been accused of bullying other SAS troopers and punching a woman in the face at a Parliament House function in 2018, which he denies. The 42-year-old says some of his onetime colleagues who are making allegations against him are jealous of his feats of soldiering and are telling lies. He is the first witness to give evidence. His testimony will be followed by what is likely to be a week of cross-examination by lawyers for Nine. Character witnesses will then testify on his behalf, followed by witnesses for the newspapers. Mr Robert-Smith's ex-wife Emma Roberts, the mother of his two children, is expected to give evidence for the publisher after 'flipping' sides. Ms Roberts' friend Danielle Scott, John McLeod - a former bodyguard of drug smuggler Schapelle Corby - alleged Afghani eye-witnesses and 21 serving and former SAS members will also be called by Nine. Mr Roberts-Smith's team will then call evidence from his other witnesses, understood to include former SAS comrades. Advertisement

They established an observation post on the northern side of the ridgeline and a lay-up position - or LUP - about 10m away on the south.

The two-man OP would rotate every hour or two, maintaining eyes on the valley and recorded anything they saw in a log.

The vehicles that had dropped off the patrol had made their way through the Chora Pass and driven into the valley where they were visible from the observation post.

In the valley, which is about 10km long and 3km wide, they came to the 'green belt', a heavily vegetated area full of orchards, farms, aqueducts and pockets of bush.

As the vehicles approached the green belt, according to Roberts-Smith, 'the whole valley, effectively, erupted on them.'

The convey came under heavy machine gun fire and a volley of rocket-propelled grenades exploded above the vehicles in an airburst.

Roberts-Smith took part in a hair-raising mission that took place on June 1 and 2, 2006 on a mountain range called Korangal, south of Chora, and in the valley below. He is pictured with ex-wife Emma

Roberts-Smith was a scout and sniper in a Special Air Service patrol sent out to establish an observation post over the Chora Valley and report on enemy activities ahead of a large-scale assault by American forces

Person 23 was able to direct aircraft fire onto the enemy forces as one coalition solider was wounded and the cars began to pull back through the Chora Pass.

The next morning, Person 1 and Person 2 were in the observation post while Roberts-Smith was in the lay-up position with Person 33, Person 23 and Sergeant Locke.

'We became aware from what I recall was a radio transmission that there was a male approaching the observation post,' Roberts-Smith told the court.

'And the individual, from what I recall, was wearing chest webbing, but I cannot say if he had a weapon or not.'

That person, who was 50 to 60m away, suddenly stopped walking towards the OP and broke off to the left. Roberts-Smith said it was obvious he had seen the patrol.

'Person 33 said to myself and Sergeant Locke to go, which we took as an order to go after the spotter. Sergeant Locke left first and I followed.'

Sergeant Locke had a suppressed M4-203 5.56mm assault rifle fitted with a 40mm grenade launcher and Roberts-Smith had a suppressed SR-25 sniper rifle.

Sergeant Matthew Locke (pictured) was the second-in-command on the mission in the Chora Valley in June 2006 for which he would be awarded the Medal for Gallantry

Mr Roberts-Smith served six operational tours in Afghanistan with the elite Special Air Service and left the regular army in 2013 with the rank of corporal. Stock image of Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan

The pair moved out, turned right and 'caterpillared' forward, until they could put themselves into a dip formed by a waterway cut.

Sergeant Locke saw a spotter and fired at him from a range of 70 to 80m as Roberts-Smith dropped to his stomach and set up his sniper rifle mounted on a bipod.

'He was already down when I started to engage him. As I engaged him, some type of ordnance went off in his chest webbing on his chest. It was literally in the centre of his body and it started to flare up.'

The pair decided not to examine the body because it was too dangerous and because he was no longer a threat. Instead they went back to the lay-up post.

'We were all on what we call 100 per cent stand-to because a spotter had come, which means everyone has to be alert, everyone goes on the picket, so everyone is on guard duty, every other duty stops.'

After about an hour the patrol stood down from picket duty and re-occupied the observation post.

Mid-afternoon there was a radio transmission that voices were heard moving up behind the lay-up position so Sergeant Locke and Roberts-Smith joined their fellow soldiers just above that spot.

Roberts-Smith could hear the voices and saw an insurgent on the ridgeline. He and Sergeant Locke began shooting and enemy automatic weapon fire broke out.

'The fire was sporadic, because the first individual that came around the corner, we engaged and killed - and he went down - but there was still fire coming.' Roberts-Smith thought there was a short burst of machine gun fire from the patrol then the friendly gun stopped.

Nine alleges Mr Roberts-Smith killed insurgents who had been captured and none of the killings was the result of decisions made in the heat of battle. Stock image of Australian troops in Afghanistan

'At that point, the fire kept coming in from the rear and Sergeant Locke was yelling to Person 1 to keep firing his machinegun, which didn't fire.

'And I recall seeing him cock it once or twice, but, at that point, I was not necessarily focussed on that.'

Concerned the enemy might try to flank their position, Sergeant Locke moved closer to Roberts-Smith and started to climb the side of the saddle with his rifle slung over his shoulder.

Roberts-Smith said Sergeant Locke could not have used his rifle and the side of the saddle wasn't a sheer cliff - 'but it was pretty close'.

'He climbed up. He got over the top.' Then Roberts-Smith lost sight of Locke.

'We were all on what we call 100 per cent stand-to because a spotter had come, which means everyone has to be alert, everyone goes on the picket, so everyone is on guard duty, every other duty stops.' Stock image of Australian troops in Afghanistan

Roberts-Smith and Person 33 yelled out, 'Are you all right? What's happening? What do you have up there?' Locke said he was all right and more gunfire broke out.

Realising the observation post was no longer secure, Roberts-Smith got out into open ground.

'Unfortunately, when I moved out there, I started to receive fire from the enemy that was on the ridgeline to the north that Sergeant Locke was engaged with,' he said.

'For whatever reason, I could not see that individual, but he could clearly see me. But, at the same time as that was happening, I went to ground and could see enemy approaching the observation post from the front.'

Bullets were kicking up dirt around Roberts-Smith and cracking near his ears as more insurgents massed in the valley below and started moving up.

Roberts-Smith was part of a patrol that held a post above the Chora Valley against attack by insurgent forces in June 2006. Australian Special Operations Task Group soldiers are pictured during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive

Through his sniper rifle scope Roberts-Smith could see the insurgents were 800 to 900m away - outside the weapon's effective range. He counted 16 anti-coalition militia in an arrowhead formation.

'That's why I remember that, because it was quite different to see the enemy behaving with some kind of structure and tactic.'

The insurgents, mostly armed with rifles, had an RPG on the right flank and a Soviet-designed PKM belt-fed machine gun on their left.

'Even though it was outside the range of my weapon, I started to engage them because I just wanted to slow them down,' Roberts-Smith said.

'Because if they got to a certain point, where we couldn't see them at the base, they would be able to advance up the hill with no fire, which means they could get up there very quickly because we couldn't put fire onto them.'

Through his sniper rifle scope Roberts-Smith could see the insurgents were 800 to 900m away - outside the weapon's effective range. He counted 16 anti-coalition militia in an arrowhead formation. Stock image of Taliban fighters

Meanwhile, Locke was still engaged with the nearby insurgents - 'I think Matt was keeping them pretty busy in his firefight.'

Person 33 ordered Person 2 down to Roberts-Smith's position to put further fire on the massing enemy that was trying to move up the hill.

But according to Roberts-Smith when Person 2 reached him his SR-25 sniper rifle would not fire and he ejected two rounds.

'At that point, I was thinking that we were going to need all the ammunition we had,' Roberts-Smith said. 'Because I really felt that we were not in a great position, knowing that 16 ACM moving up and who knows how many else from behind.'

Roberts-Smith thought Person 2 might not have fitted the firing pin properly in his weapon and he sent him back to strip it down.

'There's no point him sitting out there in the open with me while his weapon was malfunctioning. That's all I thought at the time.'

As Person 2 stood to move back to the lay-up position another burst of fire came from the ridgeline where Locke was engaged and Roberts-Smith continued shooting onto the valley floor.

Roberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions at Tizak in June 2010 and the Medal for Gallantry for the battle near the Chora Pass in May 2006. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment are pictured in Afghanistan in 2008

'Sometime later, roughly 10, maybe 20 minutes later, Person 2 moved back to the front to my position and laid down next to me. His weapon was functioning, and he would continue to fight.'

'We both continued to engage the enemy on the valley floor, and that went on for quite some time.'

Person 33 and Person 23 were trying to establish communications with aircraft to get support because they feared the position would be overrun.

At that time a Dutch special forces unit was engaged with the enemy in another part of Afghanistan and there was not enough air support to go around.

'For that reason, we didn't get aircraft for quite a long time, and that became a concern.'

Person 33 had ordered all packs and equipment the patrol had brought up the mountain to be put in a central position so they could be destroyed by ordnance if they had to 'bug out'.

Roberts-Smith said Person 1 was on the northern side of the observation post with a 5.56mm Minimi machine gun but he did not hear that weapon being fired.

Person 1 had not brought oil for the weapon, making it useless, Roberts-Smith said. The Minimi represented at least 25 per cent of the squad's firepower.

Ben Roberts-Smiths' case, being heard in the Federal Court in Sydney, is expected to last ten weeks and is being bankrolled by his employer, the Seven Network's billionaire owner Kerry Stokes

As the soldiers put their packs in the centre of the lay-up position, Person 33 asked Person 23 to use a code word reserved for special forces about to be overrun.

'If you use that code word, it will scramble all available aircraft to your position,' Roberts-Smith said.

'At that point, Person 33 decided that was necessary, that code word was given and aircraft were scrambled to us.'

What happened next is reminiscent of the closing action in the Vietnam War film Once Were Soldiers.

'I don't have a recollection of how many aircraft, what they were,' Roberts-Smith said. 'That was all run by Person 23. I just knew they were coming in.'

At one point Person 23 called in an A-10 Thunderbolt fixed-wing aircraft to fire explosive-tipped shells from a 30mm cannon mounted in its nose.

'He had them doing strafing runs along the ridgeline on either side of where we were, which is quite the experience as it sort of explodes around you.'

Mr Roberts-Smith has also been accused of bullying other SAS troopers and punching a woman in the face at a Parliament House function in 2018, which he denies.

'So when that happened, that effectively broke the back of the enemy and they started to retreat and... I believe at that point, it's starting to get dark.

'We had regained our security and felt that the enemy weren't likely to attack us now that we had so much aircraft support.'

Once the bombs and gun runs had finished, an AC-130 gunship was stationed over the patrol for the rest of the evening because P33 had decided they would stay put.

The AC-130 was armed with a 105mm recoilless rifle in its side - 'basically an artillery piece with wings,' Roberts-Smith said.

'It flies a circular pattern around your location and can provide that kind of intimate artillery fire to protect you. Because we had that, obviously, it made it more of a safer proposition.'

Overnight the AC-130 illuminated the patrol's position with an infrared spotlight, which could only be seen through nigh-vision goggles, in case it had to open fire.

Roberts-Smith is pictured with another soldier drinking from the prosthetic leg of a soldier which was taken from the battlefield as a war trophy. Roberts-Smith killed its owner but did not take the leg or drink from it

At one point in the Chora Pass mission Person 23 called in an A-10 Thunderbolt fixed-wing aircraft to fire explosive-tipped shells from a 30mm cannon mounted in its nose. Stock image of Afghan insurgents

Roberts-Smith said that during the night Person 1 woke up behind him and started to scream, 'I'm a friendly, I'm a friendly' five or six times.

He told the court Person 1 - who he believed was asleep - turned around and pointed his Minimi machine gun straight at him until Person 33 stepped in and woke him up.

'Person 33 eventually got Person 1 to wake up and calm him down, but that incident was obviously difficult for everyone to sort of understand.'

'The fact of the matter is if someone is pointing a weapon at you and they're asleep, there could have been a catastrophic engagement of our own forces between each other.'

Eventually, the American assault force landed and the Australians slowly made their way back down to the valley floor to be picked up before daylight.

Ben Roberts-Smith and Sergeant Matthew Locke were awarded the Medal for Gallantry for their actions in the operation. Sergeant Locke was killed in Afghanistan in October the next year. He was 33.
The family of a close friend of Prime Minster Scott Morrison were so concerned with his obsession with the QAnon conspiracy theory that they contacted a national security hotline more than once.

Tim Stewart, who had been friends with the prime minister since the 1990s, was banned from Twitter for engaging in 'coordinated harmful activity'.

He also ran a blog on which he claimed 'elites' in Western nations were running a paedophile ring 'designed to harvest children's blood'.

Monday night's ABC Four Corners program examines the beliefs of Mr Stewart, his family's reaction to his increasing obsession with QAnon, and his relationship with Mr Morrison.

Tim Stewart (right) had known Scott Morrison since the 1990s, before his radicalization by QAnon

The airing of the program was controversially delayed by senior ABC news figures, with managing director David Anderson telling a Senate estimates hearing last week that he had 'queries and concerns' about the program.

Mr Morrison was also asked about the program in a press conference.

'I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,' Morrison told the media.

'It is also disappointing that Four Corners would seek to cast this aspersion not just against me but members of my own family. I just think that is really poor form.'

Questions about the friendship of Mr Morrison with Mr Stewart increased when it was revealed that Mr Stewart's wife, Lynelle, who had been friends with the Prime Minister's wife, Jenny, since they were teenagers, was given a security clearance in mid-2019 to work as an attendant at the PM's Sydney residence, Kirribilli House.

It is not suggested, however, that Mr Stewart's wife posed any security risk. She also did not raise the alarm about his views as his mother and sister did.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded to a question about the Four Corners program on his friend Tim Stewart at a press conference at Parliament House on Friday, June 4.

QAnon gained worldwide prominence during the Trump presidency. The conspiracy theory makes many different assertions but chief among them is that 'leftist' politicians, celebrities and elites are satanic paedophiles who operate through a 'deep State'.

'The true nature of these crimes shows that humans are being treated as a commodity and human energy is being harvested without permission,' Mr Stewart wrote on his blog.

'Furthermore, it is focused on children, who are more innocent and unaware...

'Why do evil people wish to rob a young child of their virginity? ... Why do they drink blood? Why do they need to sacrifice humans?'

Mr Stewart's sister Karen tells the program that her brother believes the world had been taken over by this supposed group of people.

Among his more radical beliefs, she said, Mr Stewart believed he could talk to cockroaches and that both former American first lady Michelle Obama and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were really men.

A 2018 post from Mr Stewart's Sideways Step blog. The title of tonight's episode of Four Corners is 'The Great Awakening'

Ms Stewart said her brother told her that if people wore red shoes, it's so they could disguise the splatter of blood from slaughtered babies as it falls to the ground.

He also supported online the theory that last year's US election was stolen from Donald Trump via his blog, Sideways Step.

'Tim believes that the world has really been taken over by satanic paedophiles, or Luciferian paedophiles,' Karen told Four Corners.

'I don't understand why the PM would want to be seen to be with someone who has such radical beliefs.'

Ms Stewart said her family felt it was their 'civic duty' to report the radicalisation of her brother by the QAnon conspiracy community.

'I'm not a psychologist, I'm his mum and I hope that one day, some of this might be in the past,' his mother Val said.

'But I know that there are just concerns that we would have in hearing and watching some of what has happened over particularly this last year or so.'

Karen, a candidate for The Greens, said disagreements over her brother's extreme views tore their family apart.

'I think almost all of us have broken down on the phone trying to explain the loss of a family member,' she said.

'And I know my mother has viewed it, she's described it as grieving. Grieving the loss of someone who's still alive and that's - it's a very confusing emotion.'

Tim Stewart's mother Val and his sister Karen spoke to Four Corners about the radicalization of their loved one

The program includes an interview with Miles Taylor, former chief of staff of the US Department of Homeland Security, who urged Mr Morrison to condemn Qanon.

'It wasn't just a law enforcement concern, we started to view it as a real national security threat,' Mr Taylor said of QAnon.

'I think it's important for the prime minister and any other national leader to disavow individuals either within their orbit or outside of their orbit who harbour these types of extremist views.'

QAnon flags and insignia were seen during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol building earlier this year. The 'QAnon shaman', Jake Angeli, who stormed the building with a US flag and a horned fur hat, became an instant symbol of the movement.

There had been speculation over whether Mr Stewart wielded any influence over the prime minister since he claimed Mr Morrison's use of the word 'ritual' in the 2018 parliamentary apology to survivors of institutional sex abuse reflected QAnon beliefs.

Tim Stewart responded to questions from Four Corners by describing reports about him as 'hit pieces'.

'I am too busy to read questions relating to the nonsense that's been put out there, which are just hit pieces,' he said.

In a statement to the program, the Mr Morrison said its focus was 'a politically motivated slur'.

'This is a politically motivated slur against the prime minister and his family by a Four Corners program that is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism,' a statement from his office said.

'[It] is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the Prime Minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group.'
Bianca Jagger has condemned the oppressive leader of a Central American state after he detained rivals on trumped-up charges in a bid to secure a fourth term as president

Bianca Jagger has condemned the oppressive leader of a Central American state after he detained rivals on trumped-up charges in a bid to secure a fourth term as president.

Nicaraguas Daniel Ortega has picked off contenders ahead of elections in November and faces mounting international fury over his authoritarian rule.

At least seven presidential hopefuls have been rounded up there since June 2.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has urged their release, while the US has announced sanctions against Nicaraguan officials over alleged human rights abuse.

Mrs Jagger, a Nicaraguan human rights defender and former wife of rock star Sir Mick, said: Daniel Ortega would do anything to stay in power  there is no limit to the repression he would employ.

The tyrant is also a coward for preventing members of the opposition from being able to participate in the next presidential elections  the relentless persecution of opposition candidates, the violent attacks, harassment and the arrest of presidential candidates.

Daniel Ortega has made a mockery of our right to participate in a fair, free and democratic election. The next elections, if they ever happen, will be once again a fraudulent election in Nicaragua.

Ortega, 75, spent a decade in power after the Sandinista Revolution, which deposed Anastasio Somoza in 1979. He returned to office in 2007, winning re-election in 2011 and 2016. Recent widespread protests have been met with violent crackdowns.

Opposition leader Suyen Barahona was detained yesterday, for allegedly inciting foreign interference in internal affairs [and] requesting military interventions.

Nicaraguas Daniel Ortega has picked off contenders ahead of elections in November and faces mounting international fury over his authoritarian rule

The first to be detained, on trumped-up money laundering charges, was Cristiana Chamorro  tipped to beat Ortega. Next was ex-ambassador to the US Arturo Cruz, held under a repressive treason law.

Juan Sebastian Chamorro and Felix Madariaga were held after being accused of inciting foreign interference in domestic affairs. Jose Adan Aguerri, former head of the biggest business lobby, opposition activist Violeta Granera and ex-foreign minister Jose Pallais were also detained.

Four more opposition leaders held over the weekend included Dora Maria Tellez, Ana Margarita Vijil, Tamara Davila and former general Hugo Torres. Mr Torres said: This is not a transition to dictatorship, it is a dictatorship in every way.
A driver shortage has triggered calls for the Army to be on standby to deliver food to convenience stores, pubs, restaurants and care homes.

The Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) says the situation has reached crisis point, leading to bare shelves and a risk of empty plates. Local convenience stores are now resorting to putting up notices warning customers of shortages due to the lack of delivery drivers.

Pub and restaurant chains are also not getting the fresh produce deliveries they expect. Supplies of beer, milk and other chilled products are being hit, while there are fears the situation might affect tanker deliveries of fuel to petrol stations.

James Bielby, chief executive of the FWD, said there is an estimated 70,000 shortfall in HGV drivers.

Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) says the situation has reached crisis point, with convenience stores are now resorting to putting up notices warning customers of shortages due to the lack of delivery drivers (file photo)

The Road Haulage Association said the crisis has been triggered by a combination of Brexit, which has led to a cut in European truckers, and Covid, which has seen no new HGV drivers trained for a year.

Mr Bielby said: The situation has reached crisis point and it is likely to get worse as more hospitality venues open and demand increases. The Government needs to act very quickly.

We are concerned enough to suggest that the Government considers having Army trucks on standby to ensure there are enough vehicles and drivers to distribute food. FWD members supply food and drink to independent shops, restaurants, pubs, hotels and care homes.

Mr Bielby added: With the estimated 70,000 shortfall in HGV drivers, some wholesalers have had to limit the number of deliveries they make to convenience stores which has led to some availability issues.

The product manufacturers who supply into the wholesale channel have similar issues with drivers, and our members reporting particular difficulties getting soft drinks, beer, and chilled products like cream, cheese, yoghurt and meats.

The government extended the hours that professional delivery drivers are allowed behind the wheel during the pandemic, however this ended recently.

James Bielby, chief executive of the FWD, said there is an estimated 70,000 shortfall in HGV drivers

The FWD has asked the Government to re-instate this and make Army drivers available to deliver to vulnerable communities.

A sign erected in the window of a Budgens store at Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, in Suffolk, reads: Due to a national shortage of delivery drivers we are experiencing cancellations in deliveries resulting in low stock around the store. Thank you for patience and support.

Dairy giant Arla said: There is a real crunch this Summer because of Covid causing a backlog of new drivers passing their tests, changes to tax rules, some drivers from EU countries returning home, some others on furlough and other factors. Like many others in the industry we are seeing costs go up and were working hard to limit the effect this will have on prices.

There has been a growing shortage of haulage drivers for many years. It is really important that we attract many new drivers into the sector.

The managing director of Nationwide Produce, which supplies fruit and veg to major restaurant chains and retailers, Tim OMalley, said: The acute shortage of HGV drivers is now the direct cause of perfectly good, graded and packed fresh produce being dumped or left rotting in cold stores, waiting for wheels to go under it.

Supermarket shelves and restaurant plates are going empty, and this is now a crisis of national importance.
Civil rights attorney, Maya Wiley, who is running as a candidate to be the next mayor of New York City, has been backed by Democrats who regularly speak out against special interests and big money in politics, yet she has worked for organizations that have been bankrolled by hedge-fund billionaire George Soros for decades.

Soros has ties to Wiley that date back to the 1990s and last month he dropped $500,000 into an independent expenditure group, 1199 for Maya, that backs Wiley's City Hall campaign.

The contribution was matched dollar for dollar by 1199SEIU, an influential healthcare workers union that has endorsed Wiley.

Civil rights attorney, Maya Wiley, received a $1bn contribution into a Super PAC from hedge-fund billionaire George Soros and a healthcare workers union

Wiley has been bankrolled by hedge-fund billionaire George Soros, pictured, for decades

Wiley has presented herself as a candidate for working class people in the city

Most of the money will go towards a $1.2 million political advertising campaign in a last-ditch effort to lure voters before the Democratic primary on June 22.

PACs can raise and spend unlimited funds but cannot coordinate directly with the campaigns.

That legal distinction makes it possible for candidates to denounce independent expenditures, even as they benefit from them.

Soros is often the object of criticism by Republicans for his outsize political influence.

Wiley has been backed by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez whose district includes the eastern part of the Bronx, portions of north-central Queens

Yet despite the influx of cash for use either directly or indirectly by her campaign, Wiley tweeted a quote last week to soliciting campaign donations.

Wiley has been endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams who often speak out against big money influence.

'If we don't come together as a movement, we will get a New York City built by and for billionaires, and we need a city for and by working people,' said democratic socialist Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx. 'So we will vote for Maya #1.'

The massive sums given by Soros to the campaign are not yet reflected on the New York City Campaign Finance Board website which tracks the flow of money in local politics.

Cortez speaks at a rally last week where she endorsed progressive candidates, including Maya Wiley, in upcoming election for city wide offices in City Hall Park

'There is the belief that billionaires are bad for society  except for when they're giving to my campaign,' Doug Muzzio, a veteran political science professor at Baruch College, told the New York Post of the hypocrisy. 'That's the logic.'

Wiley has distanced herself from her financial backers by saying she can't control who chooses to donate to her.

'I can't comment on independent expenditures because I've been very clear that I have no control over them,' she told the Post.

Wiley's links to Soros goes back to the late 1990s when she worked for The Open Society Foundations, founded Soros. The non-profit is 'the world's largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights,' according to its website.

A few years later, in 2002, Wiley set up the Center for Social Inclusion which looks to 'end racial inequities through structural reform.'

Despite her claiming to represent working families, Wiley's background has her working at organizations often funded through grants backed by organizations and foundations set up by George Soros

Wiley has also worked for the Tides Foundation, a progressive activist organization.

Both groups have also been backed by large grants from Soros' Open Society organization.

Wiley's links to Soros don't end there. Her longtime partner, Harlan Mandel, who is the CEO of the Media Development Investment Fund, is also another organization funded by the Open Society.

Billionaire Soros is said to have paid no income tax between 2016 and 2018, according to a recent, wide-ranging investigation on tax inequality by ProPublica.

Wiley has said she would support a bill to raise the state income tax rate to 7.01 percent for single earners making $300,000 annually, and raise it as high as 13.81 percent for those making $100 million or more.

Soros' contribution was matched dollar for dollar by 1199SEIU, an influential healthcare workers union that has endorsed Wiley

When it comes to policy, Wiley has said she would cut the police budget by $1 billion annually 'and invest those funds directly into the communities most impacted by gun violence,' according to her platform.

A Wiley campaign ad shows police driving into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters last year. She says in the ad that it's 'time the NYPD sees us as people who deserve to breathe,' a reference to the deaths of Eric Garner and George Floyd.

Wiley appeared to waffle last Thursday during a debate when a moderator asked whether she favored taking guns away from police officers.

'I am not prepared to make that decision in a debate,' Wiley said. A Wiley campaign spokesperson later called the question 'ridiculous' because 'no one is even discussing taking guns away from cops.'

Maya Wiley attends the Puerto Rican Day parade on Sunday

Maya Wiley is pictured stumping with Amit Singh Bagga, who is running for City Council in Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City on Sunday

Amid a deluge of criticism, Wiley later tried to amend her answer, insisting that she did not intend to strip cops of their service weapons.

Candidates in New York City's heavily contested Democratic mayoral primary urged people to go to the polls in the coming days as early voting kicked off this weekend.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has topped some recent polls, though the 13-candidate race remains tight.

Other top contenders include 2020 presidential candidate Yang, former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia and city Comptroller Scott Stringer.

This primary is especially hard to predict because the city is debuting ranked choice voting, with voters ranking up to five candidates.

Democrats dominate in New York City, and the winner of the party's primary is considered highly likely to win the general election in November and succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The Republican primary features Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa and Fernando Mateo, a restaurant owner and advocate for taxi drivers.

NYC Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley leaves her home in Brooklyn. Wiley, left her beautiful home in a very pretty area of Brooklyn as she got into an awaiting car to be taken to another campaign event
A 25 year-old IT worker has died in agonizing pain after he was one of 14 people shot at random while enjoying themselves on a bustling Austin street.

Douglas John Kantor, 25, who was hospitalized with critical gunshot wounds following the early Saturday morning shooting, and died 36 hours later on Sunday at 12:01 pm. He was one of 14 people caught in the crossfire when two groups began shooting at one another.

Kantor's brother revealed how his sibling 'suffered from the time of the injury until the time of death'.

'He was shot through the abdomen just below the rib cage, straight through,' brother Nick Kanton told KXAN.

'He suffered from the time of the injury until the time of death, it was the most gruesome thing I could think to wish on someone.

'It's painful to discuss, but I think the public deserves to know that my brother suffered.'

Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon said the shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday on a street packed with bars and barricaded off from vehicle traffic. He said investigators believe the shooting began as a dispute between two parties, with those struck by bullets caught in the crossfire.

Chacon said at least one suspect was arrested. The department provided no other details other than to say it is continuing to follow up on leads for a second suspect who is still at large. An investigation is ongoing.

The mass shooting - one of at least three in the U.S. overnight Saturday - sparked panic along 6th Street, a popular nightlife destination in the city thats home to the University of Texas.

Douglas John Kantor, 25, has died from his injuries following a mass shooting on a crowded downtown Austin street

Doug Kantor pictured with his high school sweetheart of 10 years Adrianna Esposito

Kantor's family released a statement in the wake of his death, saying that he had been looking forward to marrying his high school sweetheart

Meanwhile, a man was killed and seven people were injured after gunfire broke out in Savannah, Georgia, in the early hours of Saturday

Kantor's family released a statement in the wake of his death, saying that he had been looking forward to marrying his high school sweetheart of 10 years, Adrianna Esposito, and starting a family.

'He was loved by all who knew him and had an infectious smile that would light up any room. He was loved by his family, friends and everyone who met him,' the statement read.

Kantor was originally from Airmont, New York and had been living in Michigan.

He received his bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan and had been working at Ford Motor Company at the time of his death.

'He motivated everyone he came in contact with, was a team player and advanced quickly in the IT department at Ford working as a product manager...

'This senseless tragedy has put an end to all his dreams,' the statement read.

Top cops say they fear that the US could be hit by a horrific summer of mass shootings - with four states alone witnessing gun atrocities within a 24-hour period over the weekend.

Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter Jr and Chuck Wexler, from the Police Executive Research Forum, said a recent explosion in the number of shootings appears to be a long term trend, rather than a blip.

Minter spoke after a man was killed and seven were injured in a mass drive-by shooting in the Georgia city on Friday night. The victim has since been named as Arthur Milton, 20. Seven others were injured.

Kantor was originally from Airmont, New York and had been living in Michigan. The shooting victim is pictured with partner Adrianna Esposito

He said: 'It's very disturbing what we're seeing across the country and the level of gun violence that we're seeing across the country.

'It's disturbing and it's senseless.'

Minter made the remarks as three men were also killed in a shooting at a gas station in Cleveland, Ohio, in the early hours of Saturday, with two of the victims aged 40, and the third aged 36. One of the victims was named as Rahim Head by his grief-stricken mom Brenda Cole.

Speaking outside the gas station in the city's Buckhead area where her son died, Cole said her son had seven kids.

She answered 'I don't know,' through tears when asked if she knew more about what had led to the shooting. Three other women were injured, with cops yet to share further information on that shooting.

A woman was killed and nine injured in a shooting in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood, with 14 also shot and injured in downtown Austin, with both shootings also happening in the early hours of Saturday.

The Cleveland shooting happened at this gas station in the city's Buckhead neighborhood

Meanwhile, a man was killed and seven people were injured after gunfire broke out in Savannah, Georgia, in the early hours of Saturday

Rahim Head, a 36 year-old father of seven, was one of three men killed at a shooting at a gas station in Cleveland, Ohio, in the early hours of Saturday

Commenting on the wider trend, Wexler said: 'There was a hope this might simply be a statistical blip that would start to come down.

'That hasn't happened. And that's what really makes chiefs worry that we may be entering a new period where we will see a reversal of 20 years of declines in these crimes.'

The Chicago attack also involved two shooters, both of them men, who escaped on foot afterwards, and who have not been identified.

Those injured in Savannah include an 18 month-old toddler and 13 year-old, with Minter saying gunfire broke out following a dispute between two families at an apartment complex earlier this week. No information on arrests has been shared.

Police unions say repeated calls to defund - or even abolish - their departments in the wake of George Floyd's murder and other instances of brutality against black Americans have led to mass-resignations, and caused staff shortages.

The attacks come amid an easing of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in much of the country, including Chicago, which lifted many of its remaining safeguards on Friday.

Many hoped that a spike in U.S. shootings and homicides last year was an aberration perhaps caused by pandemic-related stress amid a rise in gun ownership and debate over policing.

But those rates are still higher than they were in pre-pandemic times.

Tracking ups and downs in crime is always complicated, but violent crime commonly increases in the summer months. Weekend evenings and early-morning hours also are common windows for shootings.

According to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University, only three mass shootings occurred at public places - the lowest total for that category in a decade - out of 19 total mass shootings in 2020.

Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter Jr, pictured speaking at a press conference on Saturday, says he fears that a summer of bloody violence lies ahead

The database tracks all mass killings including shootings, defined as four or more people dead not including the perpetrator.

According to that definition, there have been 17 mass killings, 16 of those shootings, already this year, said James Alan Fox, a criminologist and professor at Northeastern University.

'Its worrisome,' Fox said. 'We have a blend of people beginning to get out and about in public. We have lots of divisiveness. And we have more guns and warm weather. Its a potentially deadly mix.'

The Gun Violence Archive, which monitors media and police reports to track gun violence, defines mass shootings as those involving four or more people who were shot, regardless of whether they died. Overall, according to its database, more than 8,700 people have died of gun violence in the U.S. this year.

The GVA also found that mass shootings spiked in 2020 to about 600, which was higher than in any of the previous six years it tracked the statistic. According to this year's count, there have been at least 267 mass shootings in the U.S. so far, including the latest three overnight Friday into Saturday.
Victoria has recorded two new cases of coronavirus overnight, both of which are primary contacts of a previously known case and have been self isolating.

The latest cases have been quarantined during their entire infectious period so they pose no risk to the community, the Victorian Department of Health said.

Victoria lifted many lockdown restrictions on Friday, but said the chances of all remaining measures being eased hinged largely on testing numbers.

The local authorities were concerned about the drop in numbers seeking Covid tests, with just 16,932 results received in the 24 hours to Monday.

Ideally, government officials said upwards of of 20,000 per day were required for there to be a confidence the virus was not circulating undetected in the community.

There were 64 active cases of Covid in Victoria as of Monday morning, with just three people receiving hospital treatment and none in intensive care.

Melbourne's lockdown has ended - but overnight 19 new exposure sites were added to the Victorian Health website

The Victorian Health Department added six locations to the exposure list overnight which are listed as Tier Two exposure sites meaning anyone who visited must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.

A confirmed positive case visited the McDonald's at Freshwater Place at Southbank in the CBD, between 5pm and 5.30pm on Friday, June 11.

The person also went to Woolworths Melbourne Square on Hoff Boulevard, at Southbank, between 4pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday, June 8.

A popular McDonalds in the heart of Melbourne's Southbank has been forced to close after a customer infected with Covid dined in the restaurant last Friday

The Medibank office on level seven of 720 Bourke Street, Docklands, was also visited between 7.45am and 4.15pm on May 18.

The office building 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank, was also flagged as an exposure site, with the confirmed case visiting the site between 8.40am and 9.25am, and 4.35pm and 5.30pm on June 9.

There are currently more than 130 venues on Melbourne's exposure list - down from 400 that were listed last week.

Ideally, government officials are hoping to see testing numbers north of 20,000 each day to feel confident the virus is not circulating undetected in the community. Pictured: Australian swimmer Cate Campbell receives a Pfizer vaccine

Covid fragments have also been detected in the sewage systems of a handful of suburbs, sparking concerns the virus could be in the region undetected.

Wastewater in the northeastern suburbs of Balwyn North, Bulleen, Bundoora, Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights, Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East, Kew East, Macleod, Rosanna, Viewbank, Watsonia and Yallambie are of particular concern.

There are no confirmed cases in the areas, prompting fears there is an undiagnosed infectious case still in the community.

Anybody who visited the areas between June 9 and 10 are urged to seek testing if they develop any Covid symptoms.
Town hall officials used a counter-terrorism programme to investigate if school history lessons are fuelling extremism.

Teachers were quizzed by Derby city council after concerns were raised in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The audit, which took place under the guise of the Governments Prevent strategy, said schools could provide a more rounded view of history to stop Right-wing extremism.

The Prevent strategy calls for any use of the programme in schools to be proportionate

The council reportedly surveyed primary and secondary schools. Its report, seen by The Daily Telegraph, said that some interpretations of UK history could contain biases and misconceptions that may underpin far-Right extremism.

The Prevent strategy calls for any use of the programme in schools to be proportionate.

The council said its work was not a criticism or endorsement of any single view of the curriculum. The Department for Education said: It is inappropriate to use Prevent as a pretext for pursuing reforms to the wider curriculum.

Black Lives Matter protestors have called for schools to decolonise curriculums by focussing on critical aspects of British history, such as its leading role in the slave trade.

The audit noted how teachers wanted to present a more realistic version of history and had adopted creative techniques.

It found that schools had taught pupils about the toppling of the Edward Coulson statue in Bristol, the crusades and Enoch Powells rivers of blood speech.

Sir John Hayes, a former security minister, told The Telegraph: Prevent in no way should be used to interfere with the school curriculum, that can never be justified, it does raise questions.

Britain has an immensely glorious history, weve made a huge positive contribution to the world.

Black Lives Matter protestors have called for schools to decolonise curriculums by focussing on critical aspects of British history

Part of the purpose of learning in schools is to gain a knowledge of that contribution, the great canon of English literature, and all aspects of the past which have made us as a people.

History cannot be bent to fit with popular prejudices. You cannot reinvent history.

Derby City Council said the work was undertaken as part of Black History Month last year after a Black Lives Matter manifesto was submitted to it drawing attention to the school manifesto.

It called for focus on adopting inclusive school policies and tackling different rates of exclusions, opportunities and outcomes by ethnicity.
Nato must combat the growing challenge posed by China, Boris Johnson will warn today.

Speaking at a Nato summit in Brussels, the Prime Minister will warn that the Cold War alliance must address the rising threat posed by China, as well as maintaining its traditional focus on Russia.

Ministers have been alarmed by the increasing muscularity of Chinas diplomacy, including a clampdown on human rights in Hong Kong.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson will use todays summit to outline the need for Nato to look beyond the Euro-Atlantic to address challenges further afield, including in the Indo-Pacific.

The Prime Minister will warn that the Cold War alliance must address the rising threat posed by China, as well as maintaining its traditional focus on Russia

A source said: The Wests neighbourhood is much bigger than it used to be. If you look at trade, what happens in the Indo-Pacific in terms of disruption has direct effects here. Nato has to evolve to address that.

Mr Johnson said: Nato is not just important to the UKs security, it is our security. Nato owes it to the billion people we keep safe every day to continually adapt and evolve to meet new challenges.

US President Joe Biden is expected to restate US support for Nato following years in which Donald Trump threatened to pull out.

Mr Johnson will also urge Nato allies to step up investment in cyber warfare following a pandemic in which hostile states have carried out attacks on Western health systems and attempted to steal vaccine research.

Allies will hold initial discussions about who should succeed Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general next year.

Theresa May and former cabinet secretary Lord Sedwill have both been mentioned as potential candidates.

But David Camerons bid has been badly damaged by his involvement in the Greensill lobbying scandal.

Allies are also expected to discuss the timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan following 20 years of conflict.
Barnaby Joyce has called for the Biloela refugee family to be allowed to stay in Australia and claimed it wouldn't be in question if their daughters were white girls named 'Jane and Sally'.

Mr Joyce said three-year-old Tharnicaa Murugappan and her sister Kopika, 6, should be settled here permanently because they were born in Australia.

The sisters are the daughters of Nadesalingam and Priya and have been detained for three years as the family fights deportation to Sri Lanka.

Tharnicaa was last week evacuated to Perth to be treated for a blood infection and will require months of specialist treatment.

Barnaby Joyce has called for the daughters of the detained Tamil family to be settled in Australia and claimed it would be a different story if they were called 'Jane and Sally' (pictured, Mr Joyce appearing on Sunrise on Monday morning)

Distressing images of the three-year-old crying on a hospital bed has renewed calls to settle the family in Australia, with Mr Joyce the latest to join the chorus.

'Tharnicaa and Kopika were born in Australia,' he said on Sunrise on Monday.

'Maybe if their names were Jane and Sally and they were playing the local netball side, we'd think twice about sending them back to another country which they're not from.

'Why not send them to Southern Sudan, why not send them to Rwanda to Belarus? They're also countries they were never born in.'

Mr Joyce said anyone who was born in Australia had every right to stay in the country.

'Tharnicaa and Kopika didn't buy this ticket,' he said. 'I think it's incumbent upon us, despite what the allegations might be against their parent or their father, who actually had a job, these people should be staying here.'

Mr Joyce made the call for three-year-old Tharnicaa Murugappan and her sister Kopika, 6, to be made permanent residents while appearing on Channel Seven's Sunrise on Monday morning

Tharnicaa and Kopika are the daughters of Nadesalingam and Priya and have been detained on Christmas Island for three years as the family fights deportation to Sri Lanka

Pressure is mounting on the Morrison Government to let the family stay in Australia, with politicians from across the spectrum calling for them to be allowed to return to their adopted home of Biloela in Central Queensland.

Mr Morrison signalled his government could finally back away from its hardline stance and allow the family to stay in Australia, at least on a temporary basis.

'There are options that are being considered that are consistent with both health advice and the humanitarian need and the government's policy,' he said.

However, the prime minister said permanent resettlement was out of the question.

'That wouldn't be government policy for a pathway to permanent settlement - that is not the government's policy.'

Pressure is mounting on the Morrison government to let the family stay in Australia, with politicians from across the spectrum calling for them to be allowed to return to their adopted home of Biloela in central Queensland

Distressing images of the three-year-old crying on a hospital bed has renewed calls to settle the family in Australia with Mr Joyce the latest to join the chorus

With the decision pending, nine health organisations representing tens of thousands of medical experts across Australia have signed an open letter calling for the family's release.

Paediatrician Jacqueline Small from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians said the children must be allowed to develop and grow in the community.

'We feel very strongly keeping these children in held detention, particularly offshore detention, represents an extreme and unacceptable risk to the children's health, development and mental wellbeing,' she told ABC radio.

'Given both children were in held detention from their toddlerhood, the risks are even higher.'

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke could allow the family to stay in Australia by granting a visa not reserved for refugees, such as skilled migrant or work permits.

Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon rejected the argument that showing the family compassion and exercising discretion would somehow restart the people-smuggling trade.

Tharnicaa was recently evacuated to Perth to be treated for a blood infection and will require months of specialist treatment

Tharnicaa and her older sister Kopika were both born in Australia after the couple established themselves in Biloela

'That would be a very, very hard argument to run,' he said.

'I don't accept finding a solution - and surely we are smart enough to find a solution for this family - is going to open those floodgates again. I just don't believe it.'

Priya and Nades Murugappan met after fleeing Sri Lanka's civil war by boat in 2012 and 2013.

Tharnicaa and her older sister Kopika were both born in Australia after the couple established themselves in Biloela.

Their deportation from Australia is being fought in the courts.
Toyah Cordingley's parents have celebrated what would have been her 27th birthday almost three years after she was found dead on a beach with her distressed dog.

The 24-year-old's father, Troy, found her naked body on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, in October 2018 and has campaigned for her killer to be brought to justice.

Rajwinder Singh, the prime suspect in Toyah's death, fled to India - leaving behind his wife, child and job as a nurse - the day she was killed and the Australian Government issued an extradition request.

But on Monday Mr Cordingley said he 'chooses to be happy' and celebrate Toyah's life on her birthday rather than dwell on her death.

'I choose to be happy and remember all the wonderful times that we had together. Today, I know that you are with me, so we will have fun and smile and laugh together,' he said.

Toyah's mother Vanessa Gardiner reflected on her daughter's death while celebrating with a vegan chocolate birthday cake, espresso martini and photos of the would-be 27-year-old

Mr Cordingley said he 'chooses to be happy' and celebrate Toyah's life on her birthday rather than dwell on the tragedy of her death

Toyah's mother Vanessa Gardiner also reflected on the past two-and-a-half years since her daughter's death, sharing her grief that Toyah's life was cut short.

'You should have been celebrating with family and friends... drinking your espresso martini and enjoying your vegan chocolate cake and captivating everyone with your contagious laugh and beauty.

'Not a day passes without thinking of you... We will never give up.'

In March, Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General Amanda Stoker confirmed she personally signed an extradition request to India for Singh.

'[The] man is wanted by Queensland Police in relation to the murder of Toyah Cordingley,' she said.

Toyah Cordingley (pictured) was murdered north of Cairns in October 2018

Nurse Rajwinder Singh reportedly left his wife, child and job in Cairns for India the day the 24-year-old was killed while taking her dog for a walk

Ms Stoker said the Australian Government does not typically comment on individual steps taken along the extradition process in an individual manner.

'However, given the intense community and media interest in this matter, I am publicly confirming that a formal extradition request has been approved by me,' she said.

Pictured: Toyah Cordingley

'The next step in the extradition process is to formally lodge the request with India.'

Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said Attorney-General Christian Porter had worked closely with Queensland Police to prepare a brief of evidence for Indian authorities, Cairns Post reported.

'We've got an extradition order agreement with India but a very high level of evidence is required  you've almost got to prosecute the case to have a change of getting it accepted by India,' he said.

'That's why it has taken so long.

'It has been back and forth between Queensland Police and the Attorney-General because you generally only get one whack of this.'

The order does not mean Mr Singh is guilty of murder and the Indian government do not have to immediately send him back to Australia.

While the extradition process can take years, Mr Entsch said authorities are sure to 'get it right' to ensure they can 'bring a perpetrator to justice'.

Mr Cordingley discovered the 24-year-old's naked body in sand dunes almost 12 hours after she was reported missing.
A producer of YouTube channel Friendlyjordies has been charged with stalking NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro.

Police arrested Kristo Langker, 21, at his Dulwich Hill home, in Sydney's inner west, and charged him with stalking offences on June 4.

Officers allege Mr Langker committed the offences against the deputy premier at Macquarie University on April 19 and in Sydney on June 4.

'A man has been charged following investigations by the Fixated Persons Investigation Unit into alleged stalking offences,' NSW Police said in a statement.

It is the latest development between the YouTube channel and Mr Barilaro who is suing its star Jordan Shanks-Markovina for defamation over a series of 'vile and racist' videos - one which calls the deputy state premier a 'big, fat, wog c***'.

Police arrested Kristo Langker, 21, at his Dulwich Hill home, in Sydney's inner west, and charged him with stalking offences on June 4

Officers allege Mr Langker committed the offences against NSW deputy premier John Barilaro at Macquarie University on April 19 and in Sydney on June 4

Mr Langker has been granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Newtown Local Court on June 24.

Footage of the arrest was uploaded to the YouTube channel showing Mr Langker being escorted by plain-clothed police from his home.

Mr Langker is seen in the video being told he is not allowed to film the arrest and he goes to hand his phone to his mother who is also filming.

An argument then appears to break out and the camera is lowered in the commotion. Several moments later Mr Langker is seen lying on the front lawn, with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Mr Langker's mother exclaimed during this period that a police officer had assaulted her.

The police officer responds in the video by saying he tripped over.

An outraged Mr Shanks-Markovina presented the footage in the YouTube clip to slam the arrest.

He accused police of 'storming in' to Langker's home, assaulting his family and taking him away in an unmarked police car, and said this was akin to an arrest in 'Pinochet's Chile'.

Mr Langker's lawyers have also slammed the conditions of their client's bail conditions - which includes prohibiting him from possessing images or caricatures of Mr Barilaro, or commenting on his 'personal appearance or behaviour'.

In the YouTube video, Mr Shanks-Markovina also hit out at the defamation case brought against him by Mr Barilaro.

He claimed the state's deputy premier had 'impulsively, maliciously escalated the situation at every turn'.

'In all honestly, every move I have made, no matter how ridiculous it appeared, has been both legal and considered,' he said.

Footage of the arrest was uploaded to the YouTube channel showing Mr Langker being escorted by police from his home

Mr Langker has been granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Newtown Local Court on June 24

'Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the deputy premier.'

According to a statement of claim filed in the Federal Court in May by the MP, the videos in question greatly injured his reputation.

'(He) has been and will be brought into public disrepute, odium, ridicule and contempt,' the document said.

In one video, the entertainer refers to Mr Barilaro as a 'big, fat, wog c***', 'greasy Ned Kelly' and 'a conman to the core, powered by spaghetti'.

The NSW Nationals leader also complained he was given no opportunity to respond to the allegations in the videos, titled 'bruz' and 'Secret Dictatorship' and which were aired in September and October 2020.

Mr Barilaro's solicitors sent Mr Shanks-Markovina and Google letters in December 2020, demanding the videos be taken down due to their alleged defamatory nature.

The videos were also the subject of another letter sent to Google in January.

'No response was ever received to the letter,' the statement of claims said.

After news broke that the case was being filed, Mr Shanks-Markovina took to Twitter.

'Hahahahaha,' he posted.

The YouTube channel's star Jordan Shanks-Markovina is already being sued by the deputy premier for defamation over a series of videos

Jordan Shanks-Markovina then turned his attention to the current defamation case that has been brought against him by Mr Barilaro

He then released a statement and said he was not as rich as Mr Barilaro and didn't have a lawyer but the suit 'could have terrible implications for free speech in this country'.

'The very fact that John filed it proves he doesn't care about his constituency... as he'll be too busy in court to do his job.'

Shanks-Markovina has said he would be using a truth defence and had 'a lot of people' to subpoena.

He said in one video posted to YouTube that being sued by Mr Barilaro was 'a long time coming' and promised to call Mr Barilaro a 'greasy little scrotum' more often.

'The deputy premier of NSW really likes destroying the environment of NSW and is using his office to enrich himself,' Shanks-Markovina said.

'I made fun of him for this so naturally, his response was to call me racist for putting on an Italian accent while doing this.'
Actor Chris Hemsworth, former prime ministerial advisor Peta Credlin and the nation's first female police chief commissioner are among more than 1,100 Australians getting a royal nod this Queen's birthday.

But the vast majority of those honoured weren't Hollywood actors, political staffers-turned pundits, or senior cops.

Instead they were unsung heroes in the Australian community, including children's cancer nurses, prison volunteers, retired ambulance officers and the sister of a high-profile murder victim.

Actor Chris Hemsworth was named a Member of the Order of Australia for 'significant service to the performing arts, and to charitable organisations'. But most awarded were not famous celebrities

Most of those honoured in the awards expressed humility about their work serving the community.

'I feel very honoured by it, but I feel there's a lot more people more deserving than me,' children's cancer nurse Mary McGowan told The Age. 'I don't see it as just for me, it's a team effort.'

Ms McGowan worked in the pediatric oncology ward at the Royal Children's Hospital for 40 years before taking on a role as community liaison manager with the Children's Cancer Centre.

Awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in today's announcement, she acknowledged that working with childhood sufferers of cancer could be sad, but emphasised the improved recovery rates from childhood cancer since she'd first started.

She was one of 416 women on the general awards list, which equals 44 per cent of recipients, a record number of females.

Mary McGowan's work as a children's cancer nurse for 40 years at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, and later with the Children's Cancer Centre, was recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia

Nevill Knell, also awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia, visited prisons to speak to inmates for 28 years.

The 85-year-old retired engineer originally answered an ad run by Prison Fellowship Australia, a Christian organisation that organises visits for prisoners.

'I can give the prisoners a listening ear, friendship, and the possibility, on release, of continuing to support them, if they want to,' he told the newspaper.

In Queensland the sister of murder victim Allison Baden-Clay, Vanessa Fowler, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to social welfare organisations.

Ms Fowler helped establish the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation after her sister's death at the hands of her husband Gerard in 2012, becoming director and chairman of the board.

She is now co-chairwoman of the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Council.

'I share this honour with my family and those who work tirelessly for the Allison Baden-Clay Foundation,' she told The Courier-Mail.

Vanessa Fowler (left), the sister of murder victim Allison Baden-Clay, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to social welfare organisations

Chas Martin, 83, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to community history as founder of the Ambulance Victoria Museum

Chas Martin, 83, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to community history. Mr Martin, who joined Victoria's Civil Ambulance Service back in 1962, founded the Ambulance Victoria Museum in 2006, showcasing vintage ambulances.

The museum at Bayswater features more than 20 restored ambulances dating back to 1912.

'I believe that all history should be kept and that's why I'm doing this,' Mr Martin told The Age.

There were 947 recipients of awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia this year, including 640 Medal of the Order of Australia recipients.
Joe Biden hinted at being 'controlled' by his press advisors during a G7 summit press conference on Sunday where he joked he shouldn't be answering extra press questions or he will 'get in trouble' with his staff.

Biden spoke for 12 minutes to sum up the meeting, held in the United Kingdom.

'Now, why don't I take some of your questions?' he said at the end of his remarks.

After fielding a question from the Associated Press on his plans for meeting President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Geneva, he turned to a Bloomberg reporter for his second question.

'I'm sorry, I'm going to get in trouble with staff if I don't do this the right way,' he said, then calling on Jennifer Jacobs of Bloomberg.

He took further questions from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and, as his final question, NBC News.

Yet as he began to walk away, more questions were shouted at him.

'I'm going to get in trouble with my staff,' he said, turning back to the press pack. 'Yeah, go ahead. But I can pretend that I didn't answer you.'

During the press conference he also mixed up Syria and Libya.

'I'm hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in  for example, in  in Libya,' the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, which is in the Middle East.

The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that it was indeed, Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war, which the president was referring to.

Joe Biden on Sunday held a press conference in the United Kingdom at the end of the G7 summit. The president's team had made preparations for him to take questions from five media outlets - AP, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and NBC News. He joked that he could not stray from their list

Biden, 78, frequently jokes that he has been told by aides to stick to their script

The exchange bore echoes of a similar encounter last month at the White House.

Biden, following a series of meetings on the COVID-19 vaccine and infrastructure, chatted to the press before remarking: 'I'm not supposed to be answering all these questions.'

His remarks have given fuel to right-wing critics, who accuse Biden of being senile and being controlled by minders. Sean Hannity, the Fox News host, has nicknamed him 'Sippy Cup', saying that he needs treating like a child.

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said that she frequently urged the 78-year-old to refrain from chatting with the media and taking questions.

'He takes questions nearly every day he's out from the press,' Psaki said on a podcast in May.

'That is not something we recommend. In fact, a lot of times, we say, 'Don't take questions.'

'But he's going to do what he wants to do because he's the president of the United States.'

Biden is known for his folksy style of speaking, and of frequently worrying aides by freewheeling with his answers - straying at times from their highly-restrictive script

Biden on Sunday is seen speaking to the press at Newquay airport in Cornwall, shortly before departing the U.K.

Earlier on Sunday Biden and his wife Jill visited the Queen at Windsor Castle

Biden hugs his wife on Sunday, as he flies on to Brussels and she returns to the United States

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, told a podcast in May that she frequently recommended that Biden do not take questions, but he was sometimes unable to resist

On Sunday the White House was forced to clarify that Biden is not doing any 'swaps' of cyber criminals with Moscow, after Biden appeared to take at face value a proposal floated by Vladimir Putin to extradite any U.S. ransom hackers to Russia in exchange for sending any Russian hackers to the U.S.

Biden entertained an idea Putin floated in a TV interview, that aired on Sunday, about extraditing 'criminals' who engaged in ransom hacking against either the U.S. or Russia.

It was Putin's response to a top national security issue Biden is planning to raise at their summit on Wednesday.

Biden said he had been briefed on the idea in flight, and called it a potential sign of 'progress'  only to have his security advisor later note the U.S. already holds hackers to account.

Walk back: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, right, said the U.S. was not doing 'exchanges or swaps or anything like that,' after President Joe Biden entertained a proposal floated by Russian President Vladimir Putin

It all happened at an event where Biden said he did not want to hold a joint press conference with Putin next week because he wasn't interested in getting into a 'contest' once he raises serious issues with his counterpart.

Putin said on Sunday: 'If we agree to extradite criminals, then of course Russia will do that, we will do that, but only if the other side, in this case the United States, agrees to the same and will extradite the criminals in question to the Russian Federation,' according to the Interfax news agency.

Biden sounded uncharacteristically open to the idea.

'Yes, I'm open to, if there's crimes committed against Russia, then in fact people committing those crimes are being harbored in the United States, I'm committing to holding them accountable,' Biden said.

But on a flight from London to Brussels, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan clarified that Biden was not contemplating any kind of a 'swap.'

'This is not about exchanges or swaps or anything like that,' he said.

He also noted that people suspected of cyber crimes in the U.S. are already held accountable.

'What the president was responding to in the affirmative was not the specific proposal of the exchange of cyber criminals,' Sullivan said.

'What he was saying was that if Vladimir Putin wants to come and say Im prepared to make sure that cyber crimes will be held accountable, Joe Biden is perfectly willing to say cyber criminals will be held accountable in America because they already are.

He said when the U.S. knows someone is committing a cyber crime against a foreign target 'we take action against them.'

He said Biden is 'all in' if Putin wants a common commitment that no country 'will harbor cyber criminals.'

'I dont want to get into being diverted by did they shake hands who talked the most and the rest,' he told reporters, President Joe Biden said when asked why he doesn't want a side-by-side press conference with Russia's Vladimir Putin next week

The quick walk-back was an illustration of the type of situation the White House may be trying to avoid by keeping Biden out of a joint press conference with Putin, where the Russian former KGB officer might try to steer the event to his advantage.

Biden at the presser explained why he did not want to hold a side-by-side presser with the Russian strongman.

'This is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference or try to embarrass each other,' Biden said at the end of the G7 summit.

'It's about making myself very clear what the conditions are to get a better relationship with Russia. We are not looking for conflict.

'We are looking to resolve those actions which we think are inconsistent with international norms,' he said.
Daniel Andrews is pictured announcing he will return to work on June 28 after breaking his back

The Victorian Opposition has listed 30 'fundamental mistakes' made by the state government as it calls for another inquiry into its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

After Victoria's fourth crippling lockdown ended last week, the Liberal Nationals want to re-open a parliamentary inquiry which was suspended in late 2020.

The inquiry heard public evidence from Premier Daniel Andrews, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton - but no-one could say who made the decision to use private security instead of police to guard quarantine hotels, a key reason for the state's 112-day lockdown last winter.

Victorian Liberal leader Michael O'Brien accused the government of making 30 mistakes since then and says another inquiry is required to find out why.

The list includes the fact that Victoria failed to introduce a uniform QR code check-in system until May 28, five months after NSW, a delay which hampered contact tracers in their battle contain the latest outbreak.

The opposition also slammed the government over yet another hotel quarantine breach after it was revealed the Delta Indian variant of the virus got into the community from a returned traveller in a Melbourne hotel.

Mr O'Brien also listed the 'alarmist language' used by Professor Sutton - who was criticised for 'inciting fear' by describing the virus as a 'beast' - as a major failure.

He said only 13 per cent of small businesses were supported during the state's fourth shut down and slammed the government for releasing 5,000 prisoners early because they spent extra time in their cells during Covid-19 lockdowns.

Staff at the Novotel Ibis Hotel in Melbourne are seen wearing face masks on June 9 during lockdown

Announcing his call for another inquiry, Mr O'Brien said: 'Victorians have worked hard to build a recovery, but it has all been put at risk by Labor failing to learn from its previous mistakes.

'If the Andrews Labor Government continues to force lockdowns and restrictions on Victorians, then the Victorian community should have key questions about Labor's decisions answered.

'Victorians are suffering. Small businesses are closed, students are missing school, all the while the government is playing politics and not releasing the health advice Labor's lockdowns are based on.

'Victorians deserve an open and transparent government. It's clear the Andrews Labor Government is making decisions on the run and has no plan for Victorians.'

A Japanese restaurant closed with tables packed on June 11 during Melbourne's fourth lockdown

The previous inquiry was set up by Victoria's Public Accounts and Estimates Committee.

Deputy Chair Richard Riordan said: 'With small businesses currently suffering and forgotten, calls to mental health services at very high levels, taxpayers still picking up the bill for staff at hotels that have no quarantine guests and problems with contact tracing, the PAEC inquiry should be reopened immediately.

'Victorians are demanding answers of their government and they are not getting them. This has to change.'

The 30 mistakes made by the Victorian government  Further breaches from Victoria's hotel quarantine system;  Covid testing centres experiencing multi-hour wait times over the New Year period, as government locks down state borders leaving Victorians on holiday stranded;  Victorian Auditor-General investigates government's hotel quarantine contracts with security companies;  Unified Security prepares to sue the Victorian Government;  WorkSafe Victoria inquiry continuing with potential prosecution of the Premier, Ministers and government Departments;  Hotel quarantine operators who never hosted returned travellers paid millions;  Hotel quarantine workers paid full salary despite not working a single day;  Government apologises for incorrectly quarantining Brisbane travellers;  Former hotel quarantine worker complains of 'hostile and intimidating behaviour';  Novotel's manager and head of infection control fired over 51 infection control breaches;  Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria's general manager of infection control stood down over Covid protocol breaches;  Leaked incident reports document months of hotel quarantine protocol breaches;  Epidemiologists and hygienists criticise flaws in hotel quarantine;  Five-day lockdown of Victoria in response to Covid escaping hotel quarantine (impact to businesses over Valentine's Day period);  Use of nebuliser blamed by government for Victoria's third wave with official leaked documents showing the government was wrong;  Exposure sites listed by DoH incorrectly or without prior notification of establishment;  Andrews declares Victoria's hotel quarantine has 'higher standards' than other states';  Initial poor uptake of government QR code system with Parliament choosing its own stand-alone system;  Police Association Victoria attacks Covid fine leniency;  Jim's Mowing founder to legally challenge last year's Victorian lockdowns;  Beyond Blue experiences increase in calls during snap 5-day lockdown and Lockdown 4;  Academics find Covid lockdowns affected Victorian children more than in other states;  Permit system to re-enter Victoria from NSW quickly overwhelmed, plagued with technical difficulties;  Almost 5,000 prisoners to be released early due to the pandemic;  Crime Statistics Agency 2020 figures show significant jumps in family violence, and drug and sex offences during lockdowns;  Government announces Mickleham quarantine facility, demands Federal Government money to pay for it;  Avalon Airport on agenda to host quarantine facility despite close relationship between owners and Premier;  Alarmist language and rebuke by health experts;  Only 13% of small businesses supported during Lockdown 4; and,  Failure by the State Government to follow through with its mandatory vaccination legislation, including the revelation only half of Victoria's paramedics have had the vaccine. Source: Liberal-National Opposition Advertisement

On Monday Victoria recorded two new cases of Covid-19, both of which are primary contacts of a previously known case and have been self isolating.

The latest cases have been quarantined during their entire infectious period so they pose no risk to the community, the Victorian Department of Health said.

Victoria lifted many lockdown restrictions on Friday, but said the chances of all remaining measures being eased hinged largely on testing numbers.

The local authorities were concerned about the drop in numbers seeking Covid tests, with just 16,932 results received in the 24 hours to Monday.

Ideally, government officials said upwards of of 20,000 per day were required for there to be a confidence the virus was not circulating undetected in the community.

There were 64 active cases of Covid in Victoria as of Monday morning, with just three people receiving hospital treatment and none in intensive care.

Melbourne's lockdown has ended - but overnight 19 new exposure sites were added to the Victorian Health website

The Victorian Health Department added six locations to the exposure list overnight which are listed as Tier Two exposure sites meaning anyone who visited must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.

A confirmed positive case visited the McDonald's at Freshwater Place at Southbank in the CBD, between 5pm and 5.30pm on Friday, June 11.

The person also went to Woolworths Melbourne Square on Hoff Boulevard, at Southbank, between 4pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday, June 8.

The Medibank office on level seven of 720 Bourke Street, Docklands, was also visited between 7.45am and 4.15pm on May 18.

The office building 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank, was also flagged as an exposure site, with the confirmed case visiting the site between 8.40am and 9.25am, and 4.35pm and 5.30pm on June 9.

There are currently more than 130 venues on Melbourne's exposure list - down from 400 that were listed last week.

A popular McDonalds in the heart of Melbourne's Southbank has been forced to close after a customer infected with Covid dined in the restaurant last Friday

Covid fragments have also been detected in the sewage systems of a handful of suburbs, sparking concerns the virus could be in the region undetected.

Wastewater in the northeastern suburbs of Balwyn North, Bulleen, Bundoora, Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights, Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East, Kew East, Macleod, Rosanna, Viewbank, Watsonia and Yallambie are of particular concern.

There are no confirmed cases in the areas, prompting fears there is an undiagnosed infectious case still in the community.

Anybody who visited the areas between June 9 and 10 are urged to seek testing if they develop any Covid symptoms.
The two latest people to be infected with Covid in Victoria are children known to a previously recorded case.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said on Monday one of the children is linked to a household cluster in Reservoir while the other child is a close contact of the case in Melbourne that was picked up at the weekend.

Both children have been quarantined during their entire infectious period so they pose no risk to the community, the Victorian Department of Health said.

Mr Foley is yet to reveal the ages of each child.

'What these figures tell us, they continue to give us confidence that the system is working,' Mr Foley said.

The two latest people to be infected with Covid in Victoria are children known to a previously recorded case

Mr Foley also revealed contact tracers identified a link between two previously known cases.

The case identified on Saturday lives in the same complex of 100 townhouses in Southbank where an aged care worker at Arcare Maidstone who tested positive to Covid also lives.

Once the connection was established, contact tracers were able to contact other people in the building who may have been exposed to Covid to ask them to isolate while specialist nurses opened a pop up testing clinic out the front of the building on Monday.

'Rather than wait for the community to come to the contact tracers and the testing facility, local public health took the view that they should go to them, and I think that is a good thing,' he said.

Most of the residents will only be required to isolate until they receive a negative result, but there are a select amount of people in the complex who will be forced to undergo 14 days quarantine.

Victoria lifted many lockdown restrictions on Friday, but said the chances of all remaining measures being eased hinged largely on testing numbers

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said on Monday one of the children is linked to a household cluster in Reservoir while the other child is a close contact of the case in Melbourne that was picked up at the weekend

Victoria lifted many lockdown restrictions on Friday, but the chances of all remaining measures being eased hinged largely on testing numbers.

The local authorities were concerned about the drop in numbers seeking Covid tests, with just 16,932 results received in the 24 hours to Monday.

Ideally, government officials said upwards of of 20,000 per day were required for there to be a confidence the virus was not circulating undetected in the community.

At the height of the latest outbreak, in excess of 50,000 people were turning out each day to get tested.

Victoria's Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimer said the sharp decline in those numbers was 'a little bit concerning' - days after urging Victorians to 'call out' people if they went out with the sniffles.

Melbourne's lockdown has ended - but overnight 19 new exposure sites were added to the Victorian Health website

'While we're still dealing with new cases emerging, I would really encourage people to help us keep those testing numbers up,' he said.

'That will give us a good feel that we're getting a good cross section of people coming forward.'

There were 64 active cases of Covid in Victoria as of Monday morning, with just three people receiving hospital treatment and none in intensive care.

The Victorian Health Department added six locations to the exposure list overnight which are listed as Tier Two exposure sites meaning anyone who visited must get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.

A confirmed positive case visited the McDonald's at Freshwater Place at Southbank in the CBD, between 5pm and 5.30pm on Friday, June 11.

A popular McDonalds in the heart of Melbourne's Southbank has been forced to close after a customer infected with Covid dined in the restaurant last Friday

The person also went to Woolworths Melbourne Square on Hoff Boulevard, at Southbank, between 4pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday, June 8.

The Medibank office on level seven of 720 Bourke Street, Docklands, was also visited between 7.45am and 4.15pm on May 18.

The office building 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank, was also flagged as an exposure site, with the confirmed case visiting the site between 8.40am and 9.25am, and 4.35pm and 5.30pm on June 9.

There are currently more than 130 venues on Melbourne's exposure list - down from 400 that were listed last week.

Ideally, government officials are hoping to see testing numbers north of 20,000 each day to feel confident the virus is not circulating undetected in the community. Pictured: Australian swimmer Cate Campbell receives a Pfizer vaccine

Covid fragments have also been detected in the sewage systems of a handful of suburbs, sparking concerns the virus could be in the region undetected.

Wastewater in the northeastern suburbs of Balwyn North, Bulleen, Bundoora, Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights, Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East, Kew East, Macleod, Rosanna, Viewbank, Watsonia and Yallambie are of particular concern.

There are no confirmed cases in the areas, prompting fears there is an undiagnosed infectious case still in the community.

Anybody who visited the areas between June 9 and 10 are urged to seek testing if they develop any Covid symptoms.
The CDC has been accused of deliberately misleading the public about COVID-19, after claiming that teenagers were being hospitalized in increasing numbers - when preliminary data was already showing the number was actually declining.

The June 4 report showed that, in April, hospitalizations of people aged 12-17 rose to 1.3 per 100,000 people.

Yet Fox News host Steve Hilton pointed out that when the report was published, the data actually showed figures had been falling. The May and June data showed that hospitalizations among the teens were starting to fall but those figures had been kept out of the report.

Steve Hilton on Sunday night used his Fox News show to accuse the CDC of deliberately scaring parents in a bid to try and get their children vaccinated against COVID-19. The CDC issued a report on June 4, showing hospitalizations rising among teenagers. But it did not include the preliminary data from May and June (in yellow) which showed the rate falling

Hilton accused Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, of intentionally misleading parents with the selective release of data, to try and panic them into vaccinating their children

Hilton, the CEO of Silicon Valley political crowdfunding and data start-up Crowdpac, accused the CDC of deliberately keeping the provisional data out of their report, to panic people into vaccinating their children.

'They knew the rate had fallen even as they were trying to terrify parents about a troubling rise,' said Hilton, on Sunday.

'It is the latest example of elite experts like CDC director was Rochelle Walensky and her minions knowingly and deliberately pushing misinformation about the pandemic, recklessly riling up America, and in this case cynically exploiting the fears of parents.

'Instead of trusting us with the truth, they treat us like fools incapable of making responsible decisions - and then they wonder why public health experts have fallen into public contempt.'

Hilton pointed to Walensky's statement on the report where the CDC director warned he was 'deeply concerned' by the numbers of hospitalized adolescents and 'saddened to see the number of adolescents who required treatment in intensive care units or mechanical ventilation.'

The CDC, in their report, showed this chart with the data until April 24. It does indeed show the hospitalization rate increasing. But they did not include the May and June data, which shows hospitalizations falling

The British tech entrepreneur said that the data provided by the CDC was incomplete

Hilton concluded that the risk for teenagers of getting sick from COVID was incredibly low

Hilton also pointed out that the risk for teenagers still remained incredibly low.

Among 204 adolescents, who were hospitalized mainly for COVID-19 between January 1 and March 31, 31.4 per cent were admitted to an intensive care unit and about 5 per cent required mechanical ventilation, the agency said.

The CDC's latest data was based on a surveillance system of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19associated hospitalizations, covering approximately 10 per cent of the U.S. population.

Hilton noted that 204 teenagers hospitalized, over a period of 90 days, worked out at 2.2 a day.

The study was based on 10 per cent of the population, so multiplying that by 10 gives a total of 20 teenagers a day on average being hospitalized, out of 25 million in America.

'At the moment the CDC tried to create panic in the population of a troubling rise, it was a tiny number - and even the tiny number would go down, not up,' Hilton said.

The British-born Fox host said the selective data usage was typical of a government set on controlling people.

'They told us we have to shut everything down, even though the vast majority of people have mild or zero symptoms,' Hilton said.

'The dogmatic insistence on total lockdown meant more lives lost. Instead of protecting the vulnerable, they allow them to die.

'They ignored the totally-avoidable harm from their lockdown.

'Never forget what they did to this country and never let them say that they were trying to protect public health.

'They knew the facts and had an alternative but they did it anyway. It was deliberate cruelty.'

The CDC is yet to respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment about Hilton's allegations.
A family-of-four being held in immigration detention on remote Christmas Island is expected to be released on Tuesday, paving the way for them to remain in Australia.

The federal government has been weighing up what to do with the Murugappan family as it faces mounting pressure to let them stay in Australia, where both of their children were born.

The family's plight is back in the spotlight after four-year-old Tharnicaa was flown with her mother from Christmas Island to the mainland for medical treatment.

Tharnicaa's mother Priya is with her at Perth Children's Hospital, but her father and older sister were forced to stay behind on the island.

Tharnicaa Murugappan (pictured) was medically evacuated to Perth after being hospitalised on Christmas Island with a suspected blood infection

The family's plight is back in the spotlight after four-year-old Tharnicaa was flown with her mother from Christmas Island to the mainland for medical treatment

It is understood Immigration Minister Alex Hawke will announce their release from detention in Canberra on Tuesday.

However, it is unclear whether he will announce their new visa status or just a process for them to follow in order to get a visa.

A spokesman for the minister said the decision was 'imminent'.

The release would enable the family to reunite in Perth.

Earlier on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said work was underway to bring Nades and Kopika, 6, to Perth.

'I understand the health authorities in WA also make these considerations as to whether the whole family gets reunited," he told reporters.

'But as I understand, there was work being done towards that.'

Mr Murugappan and Kopika were still on Christmas Island as of Monday afternoon.

Priya and Nades Murugappan and their two young daughters (pictured) have been on the island for the past three years

It is unclear whether they will be flown to Perth on a commercial flight or a government chartered plane.

The head of the Western Australian health department wrote to the Department of Home Affairs last week advising the Murugappan family be reunited in Perth.

It was not a plea for compassion but based on clinical advice of the Tharnicaa's treating doctors that she must be with family.

Her treatment for pneumonia and sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection, could take up to eight weeks.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was considering its options and would take advice from medical experts at the Department of Home Affairs.

Pressure has been mounting on Mr Morrison to let the family stay in Australia, with politicians from across the spectrum calling for them to be allowed to return to their adopted home of Biloela in Queensland.

Kopika (left) gets taken to school by guards while Priya stays inside to look after four-year-old Tharunicaa (right)

He has signalled the government could finally back away from its hardline stance and allow the family to stay in Australia, at least on a temporary basis.

'There are options that are being considered that are consistent with both health advice and the humanitarian need and the government's policy,' Mr Morrison said.

However, the prime minister said permanent resettlement was out of the question.

'That wouldn't be government policy for a pathway to permanent settlement - that is not the government's policy.'

Nine health organisations representing tens of thousands of medical professionals across Australia have signed an open letter calling for the family's release.

Paediatrician Jacqueline Small from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians said the children must be allowed to develop and grow in the community.

Tharnicaa reads a book from her bed in Perth hospital on Thursday where she is being treated for sepsis. The announcement comes amid growing calls for the federal government to resettle the family

'We feel very strongly keeping these children in held detention, particularly offshore detention, represents an extreme and unacceptable risk to the children's health, development and mental wellbeing,' she told ABC radio.

'Given both children were in held detention from their toddlerhood, the risks are even higher.'

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has supported calls for the family to stay in Australia for more than two years.

'Tharnicaa and Kopika were born in Australia,' he told Network Seven.

'Now, maybe if their names were Jane and Sally and they were playing in their local netball side, we'd think twice about sending them back to another country which they're not from.'

The government is expected to announce the Murugappan family's (pictured) release from detention on Tuesday, allowing father Nades and Kopika, 6, to reunite with mother Priya and Tharnicaa in Perth

Mr Joyce also argued Mr and Mrs Murugappan had jobs and were valued members of their local community.

'In regional Australia, we need people who have jobs. These people should be staying here.'

Labor leader Anthony Albanese rejected the argument showing the family compassion and exercising discretion would somehow restart the people-smuggling trade.

'This is about a family who are here, this is not a threat to our national sovereignty,' he said.
A racecar veered off a mud racing course, smashing through a guardrail, where spectators were watching the race, injuring 29 people on Sunday.

Video from the scene shows two of the cars taking off at the Fabens Mud Races in Texas at around 6:30 p.m., when the one closer to the videographer starts to veer off course.

At that point, the video shows people scrambling out of the way.

A second video, which starts after the crash, shows people running to the scene as others are heard screaming. A third video, posted by FitFamElPaso, shows people trying to help the injured before the ambulances ultimately arrived.

Video from the scene of the Fabens racetrack shows one of the racecars veering off the mud track on Sunday at around 6:30 p.m.

The vehicle managed to break through a guard rail and slam into spectators watching the race

The video which was posted to social media then shows people running from the scene

It remains unclear what caused the driver to exit the track and crash into the crowd of spectators, but Scott Smith, the owner of Rock Solid Protection, which had cleared the track for the race, said the incident occurred when the car hit a patch of mud and lost control.

'So what happened is the cars took off and in the mud as they raced, the mud can tell the car where to go at times, and that's exactly what it did,' he told KVIA.

'It told the car to go, it jumped out of the pit right at the end of the track and as it landed at that point, it did hit the guard rail between the fans and the racetrack,' he said, 'and it went through the guardrail and impacted cars that were behind it.'

Three other vehicles were hit in the incident, and KVIA reported that 29 people were injured, with eight hospitalized. Three were in critical condition.

In the aftermath, pedestrians gathered around the wounded as they waited for help

One woman could be seen trying to help an injured bystander

KTSM reported that authorities arrived on the scene within 15 minutes of the incident

The authorities continued to investigate the incident throughout the night

Authorities arrived on the scene within 15 minutes, according to KTSM, with several ambulances and even a medevac helicopter to assist the wounded, but even more people transported themselves to the local hospital.

Cars were still pressed up against each other in the aftermath of the crash, KTSM showed, while authorities continued to investigate the incident.

Families, meanwhile, gathered outside the Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, about 33 miles from Fabens, for information about their loved ones.

A spokesman for the hospital told KTSM the hospital had received just four patients from the incident.
Fruit and vegetable pickers in Australia are working up to 20 hours a day and for as little as $1 an hour, according to a shocking new report seen by Daily Mail Australia.

Piece-rate workers on grape and zucchini farms sometimes earn as little as $9 per day while blueberry farm workers can earn just $10 per day, according to a survey of 1,300 pickers by Unions NSW and the Migrant Workers' Centre.

Under Australian law, farmers do not have to pay the minimum wage to piece-rate workers, who instead get paid for the amount of fruit they pick.

The average hourly wage for picking lychees was just $12.10, less than half the minimum casual hourly rate of $24.80, while for asparagus the figure was $13.15, pineapples $13.85, grapes $13.90 and melons $14, the survey found.

Fruit pickers in Australia are working up to 20 hours a day and for as little as $1 an hour, a shocking new report has revealed. Pictured: Backpackers on a farm in New South Wales

Some 15 per cent of piece-rate workers earned between $0 to $7 an hour and 29 per cent earned $8 to $11 an hour, while only two per cent earned $26 or more an hour.

The survey, conducted between September and February, appeared to show that conditions are still bleak for many horticulture workers, who are mostly immigrants, despite a huge labor shortage due to the Covid-19 border closure.

The federal government has even offered $6,000 relocation payments to workers who move from cities but farmers still cannot get enough Australians to fill roles.

The work can be gruelling and hours can be long, with the survey revealing 115 blueberry pickers had worked at least one 20-hour day, while 49 melon pickers had worked a 19-hour shift and 55 apple pickers had done a 14-hour day.

Farmers say the best pickers can earn well above the minimum wage and argue the system is needed to make sure workers are doing their jobs - but unions say it leads to exploitation and want a minimum hourly rate instead.

Farmers do not have to pay the minimum wage to piece-rate workers who get paid for the amount of fruit they pick

The rule - which is outlined in the Horticulture Award - is currently under review in the Fair Work Commission.

The results of the survey are in a report titled 'Working for $9 a day; Wage Theft and Human Rights Abuses on Australian Farms' which also recorded several reports of sexual harassment and abuse.

Examples included employers threatening to refuse to give pay slips or sign off on a workers' visa extension; employers threatening to report workers to immigration authorities for deportation; and employers keeping hold of workers' passports.

Stories of harassment in the industry are common and regularly reach the national media. Last year, for example, one backpacker said she was forced to clean her manager's sprinklers wearing only a bikini.

Dozens of workers also said they had worked in return for only accommodation and food, were charged transport fees for a lift to work, or were forced to accept overcrowded accommodation provided by their employers.

Mark Morey, Unions NSW Secretary, said that workers are being treated like 'pawns' and huge overhaul is needed.

'Farmers and the National Farmers' Federation have made fantasy submissions to the Fair Work Commission, claiming that the piece rates system allows workers to earn above the minimum wage.

'However the toxic reality is that the overwhelming majority of workers in this sector are being ripped off,' he said.

'They are also being treated like pawns, with about 12 per cent of those surveyed having worked as many as 20 hours a day under piece rates at least once, while a quarter of respondents say they have had shifts as short as one hour a day,' Mr Morey added.

The report also found that 63 per cent of workers were not given a choice between working on a piece-rate or an hourly rate, as required by the The Horticulture Award.

Some 84 per cent of respondents were on a temporary visa, while 11 per cent were Australian citizens and five per cent were permanent residents.

Matt Kunkel, Migrant Workers Centre Director, said many farm managers were engaging in 'rampant wage theft and outright abuse'.

This converted shipping container housed four Pacific Islander farm workers for $120 each per week. The landlord was making $480 per week on one container- the same price as a three-bedroom house in the Coffs Harbour region

'All workers, regardless of where they're from or their visa status, deserve to earn a living wage, work in safe conditions, and be treated with dignity and respect,' he said.

'Many are also responsible for injuries sustained by workers, along with discrimination, bullying, sexual assault and harassment.'

The report recommends that the Fair Work Commission should amend the Horticulture Award to guarantee workers are paid at least the minimum wage.

The authors also want to see stronger oversight of backpackers' accommodation to make sure housing laws are adhered to and changes to the visa system to allow fruit pickers a pathway to permanent residency.

It comes after an investigation by The McKell Institute in December found blueberry pickers in the Coffs Harbour region of New South Wales are being as little as $3 an hour and forced to stay in cramped, overpriced accommodation.

Some have even been scammed by dodgy labour hire firms who issued fake payslips but never actually transferred the workers their money.

Australian backpacker Sally realised she had been scammed by a subcontractor when her pay failed to show up in her bank account.

She messaged the person who hired her on WhatsApp but was spammed with 2,000 messages calling her a 'dog' and a 'pig'.

The labour hirer was not registered with an ABN and contact details on the payslips did not work.

Researchers who spent 12 weeks on the mid North Coast during the 2020 picking season also found several examples of workers being grossly underpaid.

Some were given as little as $7 a bucket to pick low-quality fruit  which sometimes worked out as $3 an hour - well below the award rate of $24 an hour.

In one case, 28 year old German worker Jonas earned an average of just $6.21 per hour for 17 days of back-breaking work.

Other backpackers described common employment arrangements where accommodation, transport, food, and even vital equipment like gloves and berry containers had to be bought directly from farm owners, reducing daily earnings.

Left: Australian backpacker Sally was spammed with 2,000 messages calling her a 'dog' and a 'pig' by her labour-hire firm boss. Right: One undercover investigator messaged a hiring company which offered a job picking fruit at $3.50-$4 per kilo in September 2020

The investigation found that labour hire companies use Facebook, WeChat and Gumtree to falsely promote fruit-picking as fun work and lie about the potential wages.

One undercover investigator messaged a hiring company which offered a job picking fruit at $3.50-$4 per kilo in September 2020.

Via Asian messaging app Line, the contractor said the workers would pick for 63 hours a week from 7am to 4pm every day, earning $600 at just $9.50 an hour.

The company also offered cramped share house accommodation for $130 a week.

Exploitation and wage theft: What did the report find? No worker shortage in Coffs Harbour The COVID-19 outbreak actually increased numbers of migrant workers (mainly Working Holiday Makers) to around 2000 in the Coffs area during the study. The rapid growth of industry has led to bad behaviour An increase of blueberry farms over five years has resulted in an influx of labour-hirers who exploit an abundance of short-term workers. Backpackers are being set up for exploitation Tourists on the Working Holiday Maker visa wanting to extend their stay are vulnerable to underpayment, because of rules requiring them to work 88 days in regional Australia. Wage theft is a business model Some workers have alleged gross underpayments as low as $3 an hour, orchestrated through the systemic abuse of piece-rates. Source: McKell Institute Advertisement

The report said there was a 'considerable' power-imbalance between employers and workers because backpackers are required to complete 88 days of farm or mining work to qualify for a second-year visa to stay in Australia.

McKell Institute Policy Director Edward Cavanough said the backpackers he spoke to felt intimidated and 'powerless to complain'.

'These foreign workers are often aware they are being exploited, but feel frightened and uncertain about making formal complaints,' Mr Cavanough said.

'Those who do complain often face hurdles like language barriers and bureaucratic delays which means their allegations are never investigated.'

The Australian Workers' Union, the Transport Workers' Union, and the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association, jointly funded the investigation.

AWU National Secretary Daniel Walton has called for a royal commission to investigate exploitation.

'This shocking new report can be added to the mountain of research indicating that Australian farms have become a hotbed of wage theft, exploitation, and worker abuse. It's not just Coffs Harbour either  pick a spot on the map, and you will find outrageous exploitation,' Mr Walton said.

'This idea that exploitation is limited to a few bad apples needs to be done away with. This is a sector defined by and built on illegality.

'By turning a blind eye, the government has created a system of rules and structures that rewards labour abusers and punishes those operators doing the right thing.

'We'd like to see good farmers stand with us and call out the bad operators, rather than staying silent and let the rip offs continue.'

In December Agriculture Minister David Littleproud - who has described wage theft as 'disgraceful' - said he is open to a royal commission but changing the law to better protect workers would be quicker.

'Look, you never say never to a royal commission, but I think you need to work through these issues calmly and make sure that you use common sense about how you can address it,' he said.

'You can address it with legislation and if you can do that quickly, then why go through the torture of a long, protracted royal commission when you could, in fact, rectify this with legislation and particularly if it's harmonised across the country? That would be a far stronger leadership way in which to deal with this.'

The McKell report outlined a range of reforms including a crackdown on rogue recruiters, stronger penalties, greater enforcement from workplace investigators, reforms of Australia's visa schemes and new laws to ensure farmers are required to pay a minimum hourly rate.
Joe Biden will hear directly from Turkish President Recep Erdogan how his recent statement on the Armenian genocide 'disturbed and upset us' during their one-on-one meeting Monday, the NATO ally said.

Erdogan is set to meet with Biden in a key bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels. It will be their first sit-down since Biden's official White House statement on the subject infuriated the Erdogan government.

'An ally country taking such a stance on an issue that has nothing to do with NATO, the issue of Armenians, has disturbed and upset us. It is not possible to go on without reminding (Biden of) this,' Erdogan said in comments before traveling to the summit.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan says he will bring up the White House statement formally recognizing the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during Ottoman rule as 'genocide.' The issue is one of several tension points during their bilateral meeting at the NATO summit Monday

He said he would also raise the White House recognition of the 1915 massacres of Armenians during the then Ottoman Empire as 'genocide.'

He will revisit the issue after taking a more restrained approach than some analysts expected after the initial April statement.

He also plans to raise U.S. removal of Turkey from an F-35 fighter jet program amid security concerns over its purchase of Russian-made air defenses.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces in World War One, but denies the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute genocide.

After years of debate in Washington, the White House in April released a statement on the historical event that resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million.

Biden will meet Erdogan amid tensions over its purchase of a Russian defense system. In April an official White House statement marked the anniversary of the Armenian 'genocide,' infuriating Ankara

'Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring,' Biden said in the official White House statement.

'And we remember so that we remain ever vigilant against the corrosive influence of hate in all its forms,' he said.

Erdogan said he and Biden must use their meeting to move on from past troubles, including a bitter dispute over Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 missiles.

Before travelling to Monday's NATO summit in Brussels, Erdogan said he expected an 'unconditional approach' from Washington when he sat down with Biden for their first face-to-face session since last year's U.S. elections.

The Turkish president, who relied on a close personal relationship with Biden's predecessor Donald Trump to iron out past crises, has been frustrated by the more critical and distanced approach from the new U.S. administration.

He waited days before calling Biden to congratulate him on his election win.

Erdogan had to wait three months after Biden's inauguration for their first contact, an awkward phone call in April when the U.S. president informed him of the genocide-recognition plan.

'We need to put Turkey-U.S. ties on the table first-hand,' Erdogan told reporters at Istanbul's airport on Sunday.

'There was a lot of gossip internally and externally, so we need to talk about how we can leave these troubles behind, what we can do and what we will do. Turkey is not just any country - it is an allied country.'

The cooler ties between the two NATO members underline an array of disputes including over U.S. support for Syrian fighters deemed terrorists by Turkey and more vocal U.S. criticism of Ankara's human rights record.

The United States cancelled the sale of 100 F-35s to Ankara after the S-400 purchase in 2019. Erdogan has accused Washington of breaking promises over the alternative U.S. Patriot missiles.

'Unfortunately there is a Turkey that has realized its promises and a United States that has not kept its (promises) or abided by the contract,' Erdogan said of the program.

'We must see an unconditional approach from the United States, without any 'buts', that will add to the cooperation and strength of NATO,' he added.

Washington says the Russian S-400s are incompatible with NATO defenses and the F-35 fighter jets, concerns Ankara has rejected.
The father of a teen saxophone player who died in the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing made it his mission to find out who was behind the deadly attack.

But firefighter Tom Day, the father of 19-year-old Darcy, was warned to stop looking for answers.

'I remember Dad saying what was told to him, "Give up, Tom, you're getting too close,"' Darcy's sister Dianna Day said in a statement read on Monday to an inquest into the 1973 arson attack that killed 15 people.

The heartache Darcy's parents felt at losing their youngest son was extremely painful as it was for his siblings, Ms Day said.

While their mother attended every court hearing, Mr Day made it is mission to find out who was behind the bombing.

Until he was warned to stop.

'Fearing for his safety and his family's, he stopped looking,' Ms Day told the inquest.

Sonya Carroll (centre), whose mother Decima Carroll, 29, died in the fire is seen arriving at the inquest into the 1973 Whiskey Au Go-Go nightclub fire deaths at the Brisbane Coroners Court in Brisbane

Donna Phillips, who was working inside the nightclub, is seen leaving the pre-inquest conference into the 1973 Whiskey Au Go-Go nightclub fire deaths

The inquest into the firebombing re-opened for a two-week sitting in Brisbane on Monday - some 48 years after the first three-day inquest ended when two men were arrested.

Coroner Terry Ryan is set to determine whether the two men - James Richard Finch and John Andrew Stuart - convicted and sentenced to life over the firebombing were the only people who caused or contributed to the deaths.

Counsel assisting the coroner Stephen Keim asked in his opening address whether there was 'some evidence at least' that indicated whether Finch and Stuart may not have been the only people responsible.

'The answer to that question is that such evidence does exist,' he said.

Two drums of fuel were thrown into the downstairs foyer of the bustling nightclub in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley and set alight about 2am on March 8.

More than 60 patrons and staff tried frantically to escape as air conditioning vents acted as chimneys, pouring black smoke into the club.

There was a single fire extinguisher, a locked hose and an emergency exit blocked by oil-filled drums, making escape slippery and dangerous.

Fifteen people succumbed to deadly smoke, with autopsies confirming their death from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Police inspect the scene of the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing at Fortitude Valley in 1973

The firebombing of Brisbane's Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub (pictured) was Australia's worst mass murder until the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre

Bodies pictured inside the Whiskey Au Go Go. The 15 dead were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning

Denise Koch told the inquest the hurt of losing her sister Wendy Drew was still raw in her family.

'I remember, vividly, that before I returned Wendy's belongings to Mum, I scrubbed and scrubbed the handbag that Wendy had taken with her to the nightclub - I wanted to remove the residue of soot and erase the smell of petrol,' she said in a statement read on her behalf.

She hopes families will be able to start to heal when the findings are released.

'There has been no resolution regarding responsibility for this awful tragedy,' she said.

The inquest was reopened after the firebombing was mentioned in a trial in which Vincent O'Dempsey and Garry Dubois were convicted over the deaths of Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters in January 1974.

That trial was told the killings may have been motivated over fears Ms McCulkin would try to implicate O'Dempsey in the firebombing.

O'Dempsey - who is expected to be a key witness - sat in the dock of the courtroom during the inquest opening, but was not be present when statements from the victims' family members were read out.

Stuart died in 1979 and Finch - who had been due to give evidence in the inquest - died this year in the UK where he had been deported after serving 15 years.

James Finch, one of two men convicted over the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing in 1973. Finch died this year in the UK where he had been deported after serving 15 years

Dubois was found dead in his cell at Maryborough Correctional Centre earlier this month.

The inquest is set to consider whether Finch and Stuart were the only people who caused or contributed to the 15 deaths and the identity of the other parties involved.

Mr Ryan will also look into the adequacy of investigations into the deadly attack immediately after the firebombing and over subsequent years.

Mr Keim said there was considerable evidence that people associated with the nightclub knew an attack was pending and 'in some cases warned acquaintances not to be present'.

There were also several earlier suspicious fires at other nightclubs and restaurants shortly before the Whiskey Au Go Go attack that will provide an 'important context'.

The Whiskey Au Go Go attack was Australia's worst mass murder until the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
The Bank of England has been accused of taking part in a 'bonfire of the vanities' after removing portraits of governors linked to the slave trade despite the government's 'retain and explain' guidance.

Eight oil paintings and two busts were recently transferred to a private area following last June's review into former Bank leaders' links to slavery, which was announced last summer amid the Black Lives Matter protests.

Today a spokesman for the Department of Culture made clear it opposed the decision, saying: 'The Government does not support the removal of historic objects.'

Senior bank officials Sir James Bateman, who acted for the Royal African Company; and Robert Bristow, a slave trader and owner

Bank governor Andrew Bailey last June his intention to remove statues of slavers following a review

Robert Poll, the founder of the Save Our Statues campaign, told the Telegraph: 'The Bank should not be spending its time pointlessly sitting in judgment of the past, or be party to the current vogue for reducing history through the single lens of slavery.'

He accused Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey of taking part in a 'latter-day Bonfire of the Vanities'.

The seven figures include colonial trader Sir Gilbert Heathcote and slave traders Sir Robert Clayton, and Robert Bristow.

Sir James Bateman acted for the Royal African Company - the foremost slave trading enterprise of the time - while William Manning and John Pearse held investments in plantations.

The seventh figure is William Dawsonne, director of the bank from 1698 to 1719.

A spokesman for the Bank of England said: 'In June 2020, the Bank announced a review of its collection of images of former governors and directors, to ensure none with known involvement of the slave trade remain on display anywhere in the Bank.'

John Pearse, who had investments in slave plantations; and colonial trader Sir Gilbert Heathcote

William Manning, who was involved in the Caribbean slave economy; and Sir Robert Clayton, a member of the Court of Assistants to the Royal African Company

Who were the seven Bank of England chiefs and what are their links to the slave trade Sir Robert Clayton: The merchant banker and Lord Mayor of London (16791680) was a member of the Court of Assistants to the Royal African Company, the largest slave trading enterprise of the time. He was director of the Bank of England from 1702 to 1707. Sir James Bateman: Merchant and MP from 1711 to 1718 who served as Lord Mayor of London and Governor of the Bank of England. He acted as a teller in favour of preserving the Royal Africam Company's monopoly on the British slave trade. Sir Gilbert Heathcote: A British merchant and Whig politician who was an MP between 1701 and 1733. He was a Governor of the Bank of England and was Lord Mayor of London in 1711. He was a colonial trader whose brothers were based in Jamaica. He appears not to have owned land or enslaved people there, according to UCL's Legacy of Slavery project. William Manning: Governor of the Bank of England from 1812 to 1814, he was a key figure in the slave economy of a number of islands in the Caribbean. As an MP he resisted moves towards emancipation. John Pearse: MP for Devizes and Governor of the Bank from 1810 to 1812. He had investments in Caribbean slave plantations. Robert Bristow: An MP and the slave owning and slave trading grandson of Alderman Robert Bristow who inherited his namesake's slaves and plantations in Virginia and was a director of the East India Company and the Bank of England. William Dawsonne: Director of the bank from 1698 to 1719. Source: UCL, Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery and others. Advertisement

Last year the portraits of 11 other senior figures were removed by the Bank as it apologised for their 'inexcusable' role in 'an unacceptable part of English history'. The Bank noted that it was never directly involved in slave trading or owning.

The former chiefs owned a total of 5,000 slaves, from Daniel Giles in 1795 who was the co-mortgagee of estates in Grenada to Benjamin Buck Greene in 1873 who was a plantation manager in St Kitts.

Others were Jeremiah Harman in 1816 who had 409 slaves and three estates in St Kitts; John Palmer in 1830 with 238 slaves and two estates in Grenada; and Timothy Curtis in 1837 who had 206 slaves and an estate in St Vincent.

John Reid in 1839 had 3,112 slaves and 17 estates in Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and other areas; Thomson Hankey Jnr in 1851 who owned 534 slaves and four estates in Grenada; and West Indian merchant Sheffield Neave in 1857.

The final two former governors were Alfred Latham in 1861 who owned 402 slaves, three estates in Jamaica, Nevis and Tobago; while Bonamy Dobree in 1859 had 19 slaves and two estates in British Guiana.

The Bank acknowledged its role in the trading and transportation of thousands of people for the first time, lamenting the 'unacceptable part of English history' and saying it will remove images of governors and directors involved in the 'inexcusable' trade.

On Saturday it emerged that a statue of Scottish inventor James Watt in Birmingham will be reinstalled with a plaque explaining his 'dark side' and links to slavery.

The steam engine pioneer, who died in 1819, was a key figure in the Industrial Revolution and was honoured with a gilded statue with colleagues Matthew Boulton and William Murdoch, known as the 'golden boys'.

Even though the monument is in storage, Birmingham City Council identified it as a 'possible risk' in a statue review amid the Black Lives Matter protests.

The engineer, who developed the idea of horsepower and lends his name to the unit of power, had family connections to the slave trade.

The council has decided to reinstate the statue in the city centre with the addition of an explanatory plaque, reported The Telegraph.

The information on the plaque will explain the 'dark side to the story of the Watt family'.

In the dossier of 'at risk' statues by the council, it states: 'Watt's family and Watt himself were not only complicit in the slave trade - they participated directly and benefited extensively from the profits that slavery generated.

'His father paid for Watt's education; an element of his father's income was from colonial trade.'
A former Green Beret and his son have admitted smuggling fugitive Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a speaker box during their first appearance in court.

Michael Taylor, 60, and his 28-year-old son Peter were extradited by US authorities after being accused of orchestrating Ghosn's audacious escape while awaiting trial in Japan.

At the Tokyo district court Monday, the pair said they did not contest the facts laid out by prosecutors in an indictment, effectively conceding their role in the saga.

Michael Taylor and his son Peter (both pictured), have admitted smuggling fugitive Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a speaker box as they appear in court for the first time

The Taylors are believed to have masterminded the escape of former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn (pictured) from Japan in December 2019

The pair face up to three years in prison if convicted of helping Ghosn, who is currently an international fugitive living in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Ghosn was out on bail while awaiting trial on four counts of financial misconduct, which he denies, when he managed to slip past authorities onto a private jet, transit in Turkey and land in Lebanon.

The escape was hugely embarrassing for Japanese authorities, who termed it 'one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history'.

The Taylors, along with a Lebanese national still at large, are suspected of orchestrating the December 2019 escape - including putting Ghosn inside an musical instrument case to get him onto the private jet.

The pair fought their extradition to Tokyo, claiming they could face torture-like conditions, and have not commented on their case since arriving in early March.

Japanese authorities believe Ghosn was packed into one of these audio-equipment case and then smuggled out of the country on a private jet

This graphic shows details of Carlos Ghosn's escape from Japan in December 2019

An image from security camera video shows Taylor, center, and George-Antoine Zayek at passport control at Istanbul Airport in Turkey in December 2019

Tokyo's Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto has declined to comment on their arraignment, but local media said both men have admitted wrongdoing during questioning.

Public broadcaster NHK has said Peter received 144 million yen ($1.3 million) from the Ghosns for their help.

The Asahi Shimbun daily said the pair spent most of the money on preparations for the escape, including the costs of chartering a private jet, claiming that they were not paid for their help.

Ghosn remains at large in Lebanon, where he was questioned last month by French investigators over a series of alleged financial improprieties.

Among the allegations are improper financial interactions with Renault-Nissan's distributor in Oman, payments by a Dutch subsidiary to consultants and lavish parties organised at the Palace of Versailles.

A transport vehicle, believed to be carrying Michael Taylor and his son Peter, arrive at the Tokyo District Court on June 14

Taylor (right) and his son (left, when he was much younger) were arrested in May 2020 over their purported involvement in Ghosn's December 2019 escape. They were extradited

The questioning took place with his defence team and a Lebanese prosecutor present. Ghosn was heard as a witness as he would need to be in France to be formally indicted.

Others involved in the Ghosn case have faced legal proceedings, including his former aide at Nissan, Greg Kelly, who is also on trial in Tokyo for his alleged role in underreporting the tycoon's income.

And a Turkish court has sentenced two pilots and another employee of a small private airline to four years and two months in prison for their role in Ghosn's escape.

Ghosn switched planes in Turkey on his way to Lebanon, and the three Turks were charged with involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle a migrant.
Health officials in Queensland have detected fragments of coronavirus in sewage from catchments in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

While one of the 27 suburbs affected is Caloundra, where a couple from Victoria tested positive last week, many other suburbs with no known cases are also on alert.

Sewage testing by Queensland Health revealed on Monday that a catchment serving four Brisbane suburbs recorded traces of the virus, along with a catchment serving 23 neighborhoods on the Sunshine Coast.

Health officials in Queensland have detected fragments of coronavirus in sewage from catchments in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast

Pictured: A women is seen taking a COVID test at the Murarrie COVID Testing Clinic on March 30, 2021 in Brisbane

The 27 suburbs at risk after Covid was found in wastewater: The Kawana catchment on the Sunshine Coast detected traces of Covid-19 in wastewater testing. Suburbs wholly or partly serviced by the Kawana catchment include: Aroona, Battery Hill, Bells Creek, Birtinya, Bokarina, Buddina, Caloundra, Caloundra West, Currimundi, Dicky Beach, Golden Beach, Kings Beach, Little Mountain, Meridan Plains, Minyama, Moffat Beach, Palmview, Parrearra, Pelican Waters, Shelly Beach, Sippy Downs, Warana and Wurtulla. The Fairfield catchment in Brisbane also detected traces of Covid-19 in wastewater testing. Suburbs wholly or partly serviced Fairfield catchment include: Annerley, Fairfield, Yeerongpilly and Yeronga. Advertisement

Weekly sewage testing is carried out in the state as a way to monitor potential outbreaks.

Brisbane's Fairfield catchment which covers the Annerley, Fairfield, Yeerongpilly and Yeronga areas, was found to have Covid-19 fragments.

The Kawana catchment on the Sunshine Coast, which feeds into suburbs like Aroona, Buddina, Golden Beach, Little Mountain, Meridan Plains, Pelican Waters and Shelly Beach, also recorded traces of the virus.

Queensland Health said residents living in the affected areas are urged to monitor their symptoms and immediately get tested if they feel unwell.

A shock Covid-19 alert was issued on Queensland's Sunshine Coast (Noosa pictured) last week after a couple travelled from locked down Victoria, both infected with coronavirus

The woman was potentially infectious at Stockland Caloundra Shopping Centre (above) - Coffee Club and Kmart stores between 10.45 - 11.30am on June 7

The concerning results come after a woman and her husband who left Melbourne while it was in lockdown and went on a road trip through three states tested positive for coronavirus in Queensland.

Several regional centres in NSW and Queensland were placed on alert after her initial positive case was confirmed June 9.

She and her husband left an unidentified suburb on the edge of greater Melbourne on June 1, while the Victorian capital was in lockdown to control community transmission of the virus.

They then travelled through regional Victoria, crossed the border into NSW where they visited regional centres, and then entered Queensland on June 5 - two days after she started showing symptoms of coronavirus.

The 44-year-old woman from Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast was tested last week on Tuesday and returned a positive result on Wednesday.

She had been experiencing symptoms from June 3 but only sought a test on June 8 when the couple had to do so for the man's work commitments.

Brisbane residents queue to be processed through a drive-in Covid testing site at Bowen Hills in Brisbane, Monday, March 29, 2021

But despite the presence of the deadly disease in wastewater it does not necessarily mean there are any active cases spreading in the community.

'A positive sewage result means that someone who has been infected or is currently infected, is shedding the virus,' Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said.

'Infected people can shed viral fragments and that shedding can happen for several weeks to months after the person is no longer infectious.'

But Dr Young urged Queenslanders not to be complacent.
A daughter whose mother's body lay dead and undiscovered in her 700,000 home for weeks is suing a family friend over the 'mysterious disappearance' of her jewellery.

The 'decomposed' body of Lucille Maeda, 77, was found by police in September 2015 in her Surrey home after her USA-based daughter Deborah Ziparo raised the alarm when she failed to return her calls.

When the former secretary flew over from the states in November 2015 to sort out her mother's possessions,she claims a long list of valuable items, including her wedding ring and other jewellery, had 'mysteriously vanished' from her home.

After hiring private investigators to solve the puzzle, Ms Ziparo is now suing family friend, neighbour and former executor of her mother's will Christopher Martin, accusing him of 'taking items' from her late mother's home before she arrived in the UK.

Mr Martin 'vehemently denies the serious allegations' against him, which he says are 'baseless'.

Central London County Court heard that the body of 'world traveller' Mrs Maeda was found by police on the floor of her home in Merrow, Surrey, on September 24, 2015, after the alarm was raised by Ms Ziparo.

She had been calling her mother up to 20 times a day for weeks and getting no response, and told a coroner's inquest that she had 'feared the worst'.

Deborah Ziparo, the daughter of Lucille Maeda, outside Central London County Court

Christopher Martin, Lucille Maeda's neighbour, outside Central London County Court

A post-mortem examination was carried out, but the cause of death as 'unascertained' because the pathologist was unable to conduct a toxicology report because there were no fluids or blood to take.

The inquest concluded that Mrs Maeda, who had become a 'reclusive hoarder' after the death of her husband Susumu in 2011, could have been lying undiscovered for weeks before the police found her corpse.

Neighbour and family friend Mr Martin had been appointed one of the executors of Mrs Maeda's estate by her will made in 2012, but Ms Ziparo took him to court and succeeded in getting him removed from that role by a judge in 2019.

Now she is suing him in Central London County Court, demanding that he pay her mother's estate for the missing valuables and the costs of her investigation.

Her barrister Gideon Roseman told Judge Simon Monty QC that Mr Martin had 'secretly attended the property on repeated occasions' but 'failed to carry out any inventory of the chattels in the property during any of his repeated visits.

'It is clear a number of valuable chattels have mysteriously vanished from the property, which is of concern given that there is no evidence that anyone ever broke into the property and the deceased was a recluse and something of a hoarder,' he said.

The 700,000 house in Guildford, Surrey, where Lucille Maeda lived and her body was found

Ms Ziparo, giving evidence, told the judge that a long list of her mother's valuables were missing, including her jewellery, which she had placed in an envelope having promised to send it to her daughter in the USA.

'Her wedding ring was not on her body. I never received my mother's wedding ring. It was photographed on the coffee table with the ashes - never to be seen again. She had two, her mother's and her own. She sometimes wore them both. The police stated they didn't find her wedding band. I saw it amongst the ashes on the table. I do not know where it is.

'There were certain things that were gone that never turned up anywhere...I'm accusing Christopher Martin of taking items,' she said.

Other things she says are missing include a diamond and ruby ring, a 12 place-setting bone china dinner set, a jewellery box, furs, clocks, porcelain dolls, crystal decanters and glasses.

Mr Roseman told the judge that a jewellery box containing items passed from Mrs Maeda's late husband and seen at the house in November 2015 'was full' but 'by 23 December 2015 it was empty'.

'There are photographs...that confirm the presence of a number of the chattels in the property on 7 October 2015 onwards, which subsequently disappeared,' he said.

'There are a number of photographs of the deceased wearing various chattels, such as her fur coat, watches and jewellery, which were not found in the property.

'The deceased had been a recluse and something of a hoarder, which meant it was inherently unlikely she would have disposed of her chattels.

'Despite the fact there is clear evidence the deceased owned expensive jewellery and other valuable chattels, many of these items have disappeared.'

The barrister asked the judge to order that Mr Martin 'should account to the estate and/or pay equitable compensation in respect of the missing chattels'.

If Ms Ziparo succeeds Mr Martin will have to pay for her legal expenses of more than 200,000 on top of any order made against him.

But William Moffett, for Mr Martin, told the judge: 'The defendant is perplexed and upset that he should have been the subject of very serious but baseless allegations.

'He is accused of stealing property from the estates of Susumu Maeda and Lucille Maeda of which Christopher Martin was a personal representative.

'It seems to Mr Martin that Ms Ziparo has lost all sense of proportion and reality in this matter.

'The case against him is purely circumstantial. It amounts to no more than pointing to the fact that he was one of several persons with access to the property at various times during the period that (Ms Ziparo) claims items went missing.

'In respect of various of the items identified...there is no evidence that they were actually still in the property at the date of discovery of Mrs Maeda's body on 24 September 2015.

'Communications between Mr Martin and Ms Ziparo became increasingly strained. She instructed private investigators to investigate the alleged thefts.

'There is no evidence on which the allegation of theft / conversion could properly have been raised against Mr Martin and this claim should never have been brought.

'He vehemently denies the serious allegations. Given the lack of any evidence, other than circumstantial insinuations, it is regrettable that these allegations have been raised against him at all,' he concluded.

The hearing continues.
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Did you see the rescue or do you know owners of the vehicle? Get in touch at katie.feehan@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

A couple who were filmed confronting police officers as they smashed their car window to rescue dogs from the sweltering vehicle have also been caught on CCTV stealing tips from a seafront cafe on the same day.

In footage obtained by MailOnline, the couple can be seen appearing to take the cash left for staff - after demanding a refund on the food they had eaten - from a family-run cafe.

In a second video recorded nearby later on in the day, the pair were filmed by witnesses as they returned to find police smashing the windows of their car, which is untaxed, to rescue dogs left inside in cages on what was the second hottest day of the year.

The RSPCA told MailOnline the temperature inside of the car could have reached up to 117F.

Staff at Carats Cafe and Bar in Southwick, near Brighton, shared the footage of the couple in a bid to identify them after they were caught helping themselves to the cash.

The team described the theft, which took place shortly before midday on Saturday, as 'unfair and completely unacceptable' and said the man and woman had received a full refund after ordering two breakfasts because they complained they were unsatisfactory.

It wasn't until management later checked the CCTV that they realised the couple had appeared to take coins from the tip jar and had also not paid for drinks which had been taken from fridges next to the counter.

In separate footage which was filmed by a bystander hours later, police officers smashed their way into the black vehicle belonging to the same couple on Brighton seafront after concerns were raised about the dogs who were sweltering inside.

Sussex Police did not respond to MailOnline when asked if the couple would face charges for theft.

Sources told MailOnline that the family - the mother, father, and two sons aged around nine and six - had been on the pier having parked up outside Sealife a short while beforehand. The father became infuriated with police as they tried to give him a verbal warning, it was claimed.

Speaking to MailOnline, cafe manager Zoe Kibble said: 'They came to the till and ordered two breakfasts and while the member of staff was distracted, they just opened the fridge next to the counter and helped themselves.'

A couple helped themselves to the tip jar at a cafe in Southwick, near Brighton, before complaining about food and receiving a full refund. Hours later, police smashed into the couple's car to rescue their two dogs who were found sweltering inside

The woman can be seen taking coins out of the tip jar while staff are busy at Carats Cafe and Bar in Southwick, near Brighton

The owners of a vehicle confronted police officers after they were forced to break into the car to rescue a beagle and another dog who had been left unattended inside while temperatures reached 75F on a scorching hot day on Brighton seafront

It was at this point that the video footage shows the woman steal several one and two pound coins from the tip jar at the counter.

Ms Kibble continued: 'They sat down, for their breakfasts and ate most of them before complaining to the manager who was working at the time. They said there was some hair in one and complained about the other as well.

'We don't get many complaints so we just offered a full refund. The manager noticed there were drinks on the table that weren't in the same order but at the time assumed they had been paid for separately.'

Staff went back to check CCTV to see if the drinks had been bought but at no time on the security cameras could they be seen paying for them.

Ms Kibble, who has worked at Carats for three years, estimates in total the couple cost the cafe 100, with the cost of the two breakfasts, the drinks and the tips that were taken.

Describing the team's disappointment, she added: 'We take on young people and it's going to have a knock on their confidence.

'They've worked hard for their tips on a really busy, hot weekend so for them to be told their food isn't good enough and have their tips taken from them is just not on.'

Ms Kibble says the unpleasant incident is a rare occurrence at the popular seafront eatery and that it is thought the couple were from out of the area.

Prior to their appeal today, footage had already been shared of police breaking into the couple's car to rescue two dogs who had been left in sweltering heat only for the man and woman to complain about the damage.

Pictured: the owners returned to the car and asked the police officers why they had smashed their vehicle's back window

This is the moment the officers were smashed the window to rescue a beagle and another dog who had been left alone inside

One officer attempted to use his baton before resorting to a glass punch to break the window to let fresh air into the vehicle

Officers said the beagle and another dog looked instantly relieved when they had fresh air and water after the rescue on Brighton seafront, where temperatures reached 75F (24C) on Saturday.

Video shows one officer using his baton to smash the back window of the black vehicle as the owners rushed back to the scene in horror.

The woman can be heard saying 'you broke my window out' as the car alarm goes off.

Another officer can be heard responding to the woman, saying: 'It's a hot day. You shouldn't be leaving the dog in the car in this weather.'

A crowd of beach-goers gathered to watch the dramatic rescue unfold on Brighton seafront.

One witness told MailOnline: 'The police were called by a member of the public who noticed the dog in the car.

'The police attempted to contact the owner of the vehicle but they failed. This is when they attempted forceful entry to stop the risk to the pups from the heat.

'First the PC attempted to use his baton but this failed. Then he used a glass punch four times and the window smashed.

The officer smashed the window which had been left slightly open but the car was not in shade and the two dogs were inside

Police officers said the dogs looked relieved once they had fresh air and water after the dramatic rescue in front of a crowd

What should you do if you see a dog in a car during hot weather? The RSPCA says you should try and establish if the dog is showing any signs of heatstroke such as heavy panting or drooling. Other signs of heatstroke include lethargy and vomiting. If the dog is showing signs of heatstroke, the charity says dial 999 immediately. If police are unavailable and the situation becomes critical, you must be careful before taking the decision to smash the window as this could be considered criminal damage and you may have to defend your actions in court. Make sure you tell the police what you intent to do and why. Take pictures or videos of the dog and the names and numbers of witnesses to the incident. Advertisement

'Then he used the baton to remove the window. I think the driver had some tint film in the window so it smashed but stayed in the same place.

'A member of the public then gave the PC some water for the dogs (who never left the car).

'The owner came back clearly agitated with their window being smashed and because there was a crowd.'

Another witness said the owners appeared unaware of the dangers posed to animals left in hot vehicles.

The witness, who said the dogs were 'panting solidly' told the Sun: 'Where they had parked there is just no shade.

'At first it was 'what the f*** are you doing, why did you break my car window? I was only gone for 10 minutes'.

'The bloke obviously thought he was completely in the right. He didn't really seem to have much empathy.'

The RSPCA says that, despite the common belief it is OK if windows are open or the car is in shade, dogs should never be left alone in vehicles during hot weather.

The charity says a car can become as hot as an oven very quickly, even when it doesn't feel that warm.

When it's 22 degrees, in a car it can reach an unbearable 47 degrees within the hour and a dog in these conditions could be susceptible to heatstroke.

Launching their Dogs Die In Hot Cars campaign, RSPCA dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines said: 'We know families love their pets and want to keep them close but, sometimes, it may be safer to leave your four-legged friends at home.

'Dogs can suffer from heatstroke during hot weather and this can be extremely dangerous, and even prove fatal.

'We're calling on pet owners to put the welfare of their dogs first this summer. If you're heading out and about then consider whether your pet may be happier in the cool at home, only walk them during the cooler hours of the day, and never leave your dog in a car unattended on a warm day.'

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: 'We were called about two dogs left locked inside a car in the heat of the day Saturday on Madeira Drive, Brighton.

'Police officers attended and tried to get a contact number for the owners of the car but were unable.

'Officers had no choice but to smash the side window to gain access and a kind member of the public donated a bottle of water.

'The owners were given strong words of advice on returning to the car a short time later.

'The dogs, who were much improved after fresh air and water, were left with the owners.

'Dog owners should never leave a dog alone in a car on a warm day. If you see a dog in distress in a hot car, dial 999.'

Did you see the rescue do you know the owners? Email katie.feehan@mailonline.co.uk
The White House has acknowledged that the there were indeed special electronic security precautions at the G7 summit where leaders of the world's richest nations huddled about how to stem ransomware attacks and called out China for its market practices.

Members of the media who covered the event had been asking about disruption in cell and Internet service when President Biden and other world leaders gathered in Cornwall, England.

Reporters at the event noted that even some government aides weren't able to connect near the summit meeting rooms, and pressed the White House to explain.

At first, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan blamed the problem on lousy cell service in Cornwall along the southern coast.

WIFI PROBLEMS: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan blamed the problem on lousy cell service in Cornwall for cell and Internet problems at the G7. The White House later said following questions about it that some summit meetings were 'conducted in a more secure format'

'Like many beautiful coastal spots in America, Cornwall has spotty cell service, which I experienced considerably,' he told reporters as Biden flew out of the country to join NATO meetings in Brussels.

'I wasn't in that session, so I can't say for sure,' he said of one meeting where phone problems occurred. When told it seemed like phones were being jammed, he responded: 'I don't think this is correct.' But he said he would look into it and that he wasn't 'trying to hide the ball here.'

Late Sunday, the White House sent out confirmation that the initial suspicions were correct.

'We were told that some of the G7 Summit sessions were going to be conducted in a more secure format. As the host country, the United Kingdom would oversee the communications networks at the Summit,' said a White House official.

The nations have reasons to take precautions: U.S. intelligence has repeatedly called out China for hacking and intellectual property theft. Leaders who gathered for meetings sought to develop a unified posture on ransomware hacking after activities the U.S. believes originated from Russia.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Media members and aides reported having problems with cell and Internet service when near meetings between G7 leaders

G7 leaders spoke about contending with Russian President Vladimir Putin and dealing with ransomware hackers believed to be harbored in Russia

The G7 leaders called for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, and called out China for its labor and economic practices

DON'T HACK ME: There was an international incident in 2013 when it was revealed the U.S. National Security Agency had German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone number in its database

HEAVY SECURITY: The U.S. already takes multiple measures to protect the president, including flying in special vehicles and aircraft

Biden is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, who the U.S. assesses had knowledge of 2016 election hacking, this week.

Russia and China aren't the only nations with sophisticated monitoring abilities. There was an international incident in 2013 when it was revealed the U.S. National Security Agency had German Chancellor Angela Merkel's personal phone number in its database. Merkel took part in the G7 summit meetings.

And during the Trump administration, it was revealed that the U.S. intercepted phone communications between Russia's former ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kilyak, who was being monitored, and former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn.
Fears that the G7 summit in Cornwall may have triggered a coronavirus outbreak are continuing to grow, after five venues were forced to shut over the weekend because of cases.

Three hotels, a cafe and hotel bar in St Ives  the town closest to the main venue of Carbis Bay  were temporarily closed due to Covid.

The leaders of the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy descended on the region on Friday for the three-day summit, along with their teams, security staff, journalists and protesters.

But there were concerns the event could trigger a spike in infections because of the huge influx. Locals have called the situation 'really worrying'.

At least five hospitality venues in St Ives have closed following Covid outbreaks or concerns about rising case numbers following the G7 summit

Department of Health data shows cases in the region are beginning to rise, with 89 people testing positive on Friday and 45 on Saturday. For comparison, the average stood at around five each day at the start of June. However, this data is currently incomplete due to a lag in reporting. The true figure for positive tests over the weekend will increase over the next few days

The Lifeboat Inn and Pedn Olva, hotels owned by Staustell Brewery, state on their websites that they are temporarily closed.

Local newspapers reported that signs in the windows of the Lifeboat Inn say that the pub has temporarily closed.

A spokesperson for Staustell Brewery told MailOnline that a member of its Lifeboat Inn team tested positive for Covid and 'a number of' staff are self-isolating.

The inn has stopped offering food and drink services due to reduced capacity, but guest rooms at the hotel remain open, they said.

'We continue our extensive measures to keep everybody safe, including staff testing, regular cleaning practices, social distancing and face coverings in all public areas,' the spokesperson said.

Staustell Brewery told the BBC on Thursday that it decided to close Pedn Olva after some of its staff caught the virus.

It said the hotel  which was reportedly hosting media and security workers for the G7  will reopen after conducting a deep clean and once it has enough staff to operate.

Porthgwidden Beach Cafe told the Guardian it decided to shut due to uncertainty over local Covid cases, while the bar at the Western Hotel has also closed.

The number of people infected with Covid-19 in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly hit 89 on Friday, but no deaths have been recorded since May 19. Meanwhile, 76.8 per cent of people have received their first dose and 60.8 per cent have received their second

Images of world leaders gathered together on the sands of Carbis Bay in Cornwall for the G7 barbecue drew anger from the wedding industry who have been left in limbo about whether large gatherings will be allowed to take place again

According to the newspaper, another undisclosed hotel situated in the harbour has also closed. Local staff claimed it was because of Covid.

MailOnline has approached all five of the venues.

It comes after staff from JD Wetherspoon were drafted in from Newcastle to Newquay last week to work at a pub near the summit after a Covid outbreak forced staff to isolate.

Two police officers who were working at the the summit, drafted in from other forces, also tested positive for the virus, causing 21 others to self-isolate.

Wetherspoon move bar staff from Newcastle to Cornwall to run G7 pub after four workers test positive for Covid and rest of workforce are sent into isolation Staff working at JD Wetherspoon were transported across the country to work at a pub near the G7 summit after a covid outbreak forced the regular team to isolate. Workers had to travel to Cornwall to keep the Towan Blystra Pub in Newquay open after four members of the usual team at the pub tested positive for coronavirus. It is understood that the staff who were brought in to fill the gap came from other Wetherspoon pubs, with some coming from as far away as Newcastle on Tyne. Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: 'In accordance with NHS guidelines, these employees are required to self-isolate for the requisite ten-day period. 'As a precaution, in accordance with public health guidelines, 19 other members of staff who may have come into close contact with the employees who tested positive have also been asked to self-isolate for 10 days. 'We are working closely with Cornwall Council, Public Health England and other relevant authorities and have followed their advice in relation to the cases. 'We have not been asked to close the pub and it remains open. 'In order to support the pub, given the number of employees self - isolating, additional experienced Wetherspoon managers and staff from a number of our pubs, both in Cornwall and beyond, have worked at the pub since the 4th June.' The pub is five miles from Newquay airport where attendees and staff flew in for the G7 summit. The G7 is a group comprising of the world's seven largest advance economies, and includes the UK, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. The summit is the main event of the year, when the groups come together to discuss the big issues of the day. The nations signed what the Carbis Bay Declaration, after the Cornish resort where the summit is being held. As part of the strategy, Britain will build a 25million animal vaccine centre to halt the spread of new diseases and therefore prevent them from jumping to humans. Advertisement

Devon and Cornwall police said in a statement that a testing regime put in place for the event detected the cases.

An Extinction Rebellion protester also caught the virus and tested positive while at its campsite on the outskirts of the town.

The group called on the G7 nations to take action on the climate crisis, insisting they were 'largely responsible' for it.

Cornwall is just one authority for the Government, making it hard to pinpoint exactly where any spike in coronavirus cases is situated.

Department of Health data shows cases in the region are beginning to rise, with 89 people testing positive on Friday and 45 on Saturday. For comparison, the average stood at around five each day at the start of June.

However, this data is currently incomplete due to a lag in reporting. The true figure for positive tests over the weekend will increase over the next few days.

Cases were already starting to increase before the summit, statistics also show. The number of weekly Covid cases per 100,000 people increased from 3.3 on May 31 to 19.2 by June 8.

But no deaths have been recorded in the area for nearly a month and over 76 per cent of people have had their first dose of the vaccine.

Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George, who was elected to Cornwall Council in May, called on the government to publish its risk analysis and scientific advice for the summit.

In a post on his website earlier this month, he said it would be 'better to conduct the summit online than to take irresponsible risks'.

He said most G7 invitees came from amber list countries and if they did not follow government advice to quarantine it would be seen as the Barnard Castle 'one rule for us' approach.

Mr George told the Guardian that he did not think the leaders of the seven countries were 'vectors' for the disease, but other people associated with the even, such as security, police and the media, have been 'intermixing'.

Theatre director Sarah Green told the Guardian that 'its getting really worrying'.

She said there had been a lot of tourists in the area, so it was hard to know the summit's impact on rising case numbers, but there had been a 'massive influx' of support workers coming in from big cities.

It comes after images of world leaders gathered together on the sands of Carbis Bay drew anger from the wedding industry, which has been left in limbo about whether large gatherings will be allowed to take place again.

No10 denied the feast on Saturday breached current Covid rules  which allow 30 people to gather together outside.

Weddings are also limited to just 30 guests, although there had been plans to lift those restrictions on numbers next week.

But concerns over the Indian variant of the virus have prompted ministers to reassess the roadmap, with Boris Johnson suggesting he will delay the initial plan.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council told MailOnline that it is aware of confirmed Covid cases at a 'small number of hospitality venues', but 'no venues have been asked to close'.

The businesses are 'working closely' with Cornwall Council's Public Health team and Public Health England South West to prevent further transmission, they said.

'While Covid-19 cases remain relatively low in Cornwall, we are now seeing a sharp rise in case numbers.

'This reflects the national picture over the past fortnight, following changes in the Roadmap on 17th May.'
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Britons are being offered the chance to book an UberPool-style shared private jet for a fraction of the price of hiring a plane amid a surge in demand for private flights during the pandemic.

Dutch charter firm Hyer Aviation is launching a new operation from London Biggin Hill Airport and Farnborough Airport in Hampshire from next month which will offer shared domestic and international flights.

A shared trip from Biggin Hill to Edinburgh will cost about 1,440 per passenger, compared to chartering a whole jet for that route which would be between 6,000 and 8,000, while a shared flight to Manchester will be 880.

International shared options from Biggin Hill, which is located in the London Borough of Bromley, are also being made available, such as Cannes for 1,225 per passenger, Ibiza for 1,800 and Malaga for 2,175.

It comes as wealthy Britons have caused a surge in demand for private jets during the coronavirus crisis despite the plunge in general air travel, with travellers facing long waits at airports due to Covid-19 protocols.

A shared trip from Biggin Hill to Edinburgh will cost about 1,440 per passenger, compared to chartering a whole jet for that route which would be between 6,000 and 8,000, while a shared flight to Manchester will be 880

The Phenom 300 private jet is one of the aircraft that will be available for sharing when Hyer Aviation launches next month

The interior of the Cessna CJ3 private jet which will be one of the aircraft available for use by Hyer Aviation passengers

Two people sit on the Cessna Citation CJ4 which will be available for hire in an UberPool-style service from Hyer Aviation

One of the seats on board a Cessna Citation XLS+ ahead of the Dutch charter firm launching its new operation next month

A man boards the Pilatus PC-12 turboprop private jet which will be among those available when the services launches in July

Customers who wish to reserve a flight need to pay a refundable deposit of 30, and then pay the remainder if it is confirmed

Some passengers have reported six-hour waits after landing at London Heathrow - and amid the risk of being near someone carrying Covid-19 in an airport or a plane, rich travellers are looking at hiring a private jet instead.

And Surbiton-based charter firm Air Charter Service said bookings for leisure trips by private jet had gone up by a quarter in April compared with the same period in 2019, reported The Times.

How much does it cost to fly on a shared private jet from London? Manchester - 880 shared (6,000 for whole jet)

- 880 shared Edinburgh - 1,400 shared (8,000 for whole jet)

- 1,400 shared Cannes - 1,225 shared (6,000 for whole jet)

- 1,225 shared Ibiza - 1,800 shared (9,000 for whole jet)

- 1,800 shared Malaga - 2,175 shared (10,000 for whole jet) Advertisement

The business plan from Hyer, which also runs flights from Amsterdam, is based on the UberPool service which allows different passengers to share cars to travel to a similar destination and therefore spread the cost.

Hyer, which describes its service as 'like an extra-comfortable UberPool with wings', said passengers can book their own flight or join flights proposed by others.

This means they can fly on a private jet for a fraction of the cost - with the company attempting to fend off environmental concerns by insisting passengers can also offset the carbon emission of their flights.

One of its main selling points is the lack of queuing at airports upon arrival, with a press release last week quoting Heathrow's chief solutions officer Chris Garton as saying waiting times at Heathrow in April had been 'well in excess of two hours and up to six hours'.

There are a maximum of seven passengers allowed on each flight, and travellers can arrive at the airport only 15 minutes before departure. Hyer also quoted a report by the International Air Transport Association suggesting that the time passengers spend in the airport could reach 5.5 hours per trip if the travel demand reaches 75 per cent of pre-Covid levels.

Helder Reis, Hyer's customer experience director, told MailOnline today: 'Last year we started offering clients stuck abroad the option to split the cost of chartering a plane so they could still fly back home, after so many travel restrictions and airline cancellations.

The Embraer Phenom 300E, which is the fastest and longest-ranged single-pilot business jet, is among the jets available

The interior of the Embraer Phenom 300 is pictured, ahead of the launch of Hyer Aviation's UberPool-style service next month

The Cessna Citation CJ2 will be among the aircraft available to Hyer Aviation customers when they fly from next month

Passengers board the Pilatus PC-12 private jet, which will be among the fleet available to Hyer Aviation customers

Hyer quoted a report by the International Air Transport Association suggesting that the time passengers spend in the airport could reach 5.5 hours per trip if the travel demand reaches 75 per cent of pre-Covid levels, as shown in the graph above

One of its main selling points is the lack of queuing at airports upon arrival. London Heathrow Airport is pictured last month

'Then, as travel restrictions started to be lifted this year, we have seen a surge of new customers considering flying private for the first time, but still could not move forward with the reservation due to budget constraints.

This graphic by Hyer Aviation compares flying from London to Ibiza on a private jet and a commercial aircraft

'Usually, from the UK, they want to fly to similar destinations - Cannes, Ibiza, Nice. So we decided to make it easier for them to aggregate in groups and split the cost of chartering.

'By doing so the price per seat start fitting the budget of more passengers. Via our system they can find a flight already open by another person or they can request a new route.'

He added that customers who wish to reserve need to pay a refundable deposit of 30, and then just pay for the remaining amount if the flight is confirmed - if not, they get the deposit back.

Mr Reis also said flights have already been proposed by customers in London to both Athens and Cannes, with trips departing according to demand.

Speaking about the environmental impact, the firm's business development director Max van Doorne added: 'We are also aware of the impact on the environment caused by the aviation industry.

'Private electric planes on a larger scale are unfortunately quite far off. Therefore, Hyer offsets 100 per cent of the emission of its shared flights investing in certified offset projects.'

It comes as Office for National Statistics (ONS) data suggested around one in eight British adults are planning a trip abroad this summer.

Some 12 per cent of adults said they plan to go on a trip abroad before September - and, of these, 71 per cent said this would be for a holiday.

Younger groups were more likely to be planning a trip, 16 per cent of 30-34-year-olds said they plan to do so compared to 8 per cent of adults aged 70 and over.

A traffic light risk-based system with red, amber and green ratings for countries around the world determines the quarantine and coronavirus testing requirements people face when returning to the UK.

The ONS said it collected responses during the week that it was announced that Portugal was to move from the green to the amber list. It analysed responses from 4,153 individuals surveyed between June 2 and 6.

The survey also asked people what measures they would be willing to carry out.

The majority (91 per cent) said they would be willing to wear a face covering while travelling to and from their destination, and provide proof that they had been vaccinated (86 per cent).

Almost three quarters said they would be prepared to take tests before and after travelling (74 per cent) and provide details of their accommodation, travel dates and home address (73 per cent).
Until recently, the location of executed wartime Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo's remains was one of World War II's biggest mysteries in the nation he once led.

Now, a Japanese university professor has revealed declassified U.S. military documents that appear to hold the answer.

The documents show the cremated ashes of Tojo, one of the masterminds of the Pearl Harbor attack, were scattered from a U.S. Army aircraft over the Pacific Ocean east of Yokohama, Japan's second-largest city, south of Tokyo.

It was a tension-filled, highly secretive mission, with American officials apparently taking extreme steps meant to keep Tojo's remains, and those of six others executed with him, away from ultra-nationalists looking to glorify them as martyrs.

The seven, who also included General Iwane Matsui, the man held responsible for the Nanjing Massacre, were hanged for war crimes just before Christmas in 1948, three years after Japan's defeat.

Tojo was prime minister of Japan throughout most of the Second World War, when millions of civilians and more than 100,000 Western prisoners of war were murdered by the regime.

Until recently, the location of executed wartime Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo's remains was one of World War II's biggest mysteries in the nation he once led

The documents show the cremated ashes of Tojo, one of the masterminds of the Pearl Harbor attack, were scattered from a U.S. Army aircraft over the Pacific Ocean about 30 miles (50 kilometres) east of Yokohama, Japan's second-largest city, south of Tokyo

The discovery brings partial closure to a painful chapter of Japanese history that still plays out today, as conservative Japanese politicians attempt to whitewash history, leading to friction with wartime victims, especially China and South Korea.

After years spent verifying and checking details and evaluating the significance of what he'd found, Nihon University Professor Hiroaki Takazawa publicly released the clues to the remains' location last week.

The operation to scatter Hideki Tojo's remains December 23, 1948, 2.10am: After Hideki Tojo is hanged, his body and those of five others is loaded on a truck and taken out of Sugamo Prison in Tokyo. 3.40am: A motorcade guarded by truckloads of armed soldiers to protect the bodies arrives at a U.S. military graves registration platoon in Yokohama for a final check. 7.25am: The truck leaves the area and arrives at a Yokohama crematorium 30 minutes later. The caskets are unloaded from the truck and placed directly in the ovens, while soldiers guard the area. Later that day: The remains are then taken to nearby airstrip, loaded onto a plane and scattered over a 'wide area' in the Pacific Ocean, east of Yokohoma. Advertisement

He came across the declassified documents in 2018 at the U.S. National Archives in Washington.

It's believed to be the first time official documents showing the handling of the seven war criminals' remains were made public, according to Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies and the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records.

Hidetoshi Tojo, the leader's great-grandson, said that the absence of the remains has long been a humiliation for the bereaved families, but he's relieved the information has come to light.

'If his remains were at least scattered in Japanese territorial waters ... I think he was still somewhat fortunate,' Tojo said.

'I want to invite my friends and lay flowers to pay tribute to him if further details about the remains' location becomes available.'

Tojo, prime minister during much of World War II, is a complicated figure, revered by some conservatives as a patriot but loathed by many in the West for prolonging the war, which ended only after the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

About a month after August 15, 1945, when the then Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's defeat to a stunned nation, Tojo shot himself in a failed suicide attempt as he was about to be arrested at his modest Tokyo home.

Takazawa, the Nihon University professor specializing in war tribunal issues, found the documents during research at the U.S. archives into other war crimes trials.

The documents, he said, are valuable because they officially detail previously little-known facts about what happened and provide a rough location of where the ashes were scattered.

He plans to continue research into other executions.

More than 4,000 people were convicted of war crimes in other international tribunals, and about 920 of them were executed.

Tojo and the six others who were hanged were among 28 Japanese wartime leaders tried for war crimes at the 1946-1948 International Military Tribunal for the Far East.

Professor Hiroaki Takazawa came across the declassified documents (pictured) detailing the scattering of Tojo's remains in 2018 at the U.S. National Archives in Washington

Tojo and the six others who were hanged were among 28 Japanese wartime leaders tried for war crimes at the 1946-1948 International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Pictured: Tojo (centre) is seen in the dock at the trial in Tokyo

About a month after August 15, 1945, when the then Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's defeat to a stunned nation, Tojo shot himself in a failed suicide attempt as he was about to be arrested at his modest Tokyo home

How many people died under Hadeki Tojo's rule? Hadeki became prime minister of Japan in October 1941 and remained in the post until July 1944. Before that, he had been chief of staff of the Japans Kwantung Army and led military operations against the Chinese. A study by American academic RJ Rummell estimated that as many as 10million people were murdered by the Japanese military regime from 1937  when Japanese forces invaded China  to 1945. An estimated six million civilians, including Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos were killed. Around 140,000 prisoners of war  including American and British troops  were also killed in brutal internment camps. Among the crimes carried out by Japanese troops was the burying alive of Chinese civilians, massacres and the use of chemical weapons. Advertisement

Twenty-five were convicted, including 16 sentenced to life in prison, with two getting shorter prison terms. Two others died while on trial and one case was dropped.

In one of the newly revealed documents - dated December 23, 1948 and carrying a 'secret' stamp - U.S. Army Major Luther Frierson wrote: 'I certify that I received the remains, supervised cremation, and personally scattered the ashes of the following executed war criminals at sea from an Eighth Army liaison plane.'

The entire operation was tense, with U.S. officials extremely careful about not leaving a single speck of ashes behind, apparently to prevent them from being stolen by admiring ultra-nationalists, Takazawa said.

'In addition to their attempt to prevent the remains from being glorified, I think the U.S. military was adamant about not letting the remains return to Japanese territory ... as an ultimate humiliation,' Takazawa said.

The documents state that when the cremation was completed, the ovens were 'cleared of the remains in their entirety.'

'Special precaution was taken to preclude overlooking even the smallest particles of remains,' Frierson wrote.

The remains were then transported under guard to a nearby airstrip and loaded onto a plane that Frierson boarded.

'We proceeded to a point approximately 30 miles over the Pacific Ocean east of Yokohama where I personally scattered the cremated remains over a wide area,' he explained.

Today, even without the ashes, bereaved families and conservative Japanese lawmakers such as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regularly pay tribute at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where the executed war criminals are enshrined with 2.5 million war dead considered 'sacred spirits' in the Shinto religion.

No remains are enshrined at Yasukuni.

Former Japanese Prime Minister and military leader Hideki Tojo answers 'not guilty' during war crimes trial in Tokyo, November 1948

After the seven executed war criminals were enshrined there in 1978, Yasukuni has become a flashpoint between Japan and its neighbors China and South Korea, who see the enshrinement as proof of Japan's lack of remorse over its wartime aggression.

Tojo, prime minister during much of World War II, is a complicated figure

Yasukuni also enshrines five other convicted wartime leaders and hundreds of other war criminals.

Hidetoshi Tojo said his great-grandfather was consistently made a taboo in postwar Japan, never glorified.

'Everything about my great-grandfather was sealed, including his speeches.

Taking that into consideration, I think not preserving the remains was part of the occupation policy,' he said.

'I hope to see further revelations about the unknown facts of the past.'

The 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the US Naval base in Hawaii, saw 2,335 Americans killed in less than two hours. A further 1,143 servicemen were wounded.

In the devastating raid, a fleet of Japanese fighter pilots descend on the base, sinking four battleships and damaging many others. They also destroyed 188 aircraft.

The tragedy at Pearl Harbor would mark the beginning of the US involvement in the Second World War.
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Turkish President Recep Erdogan gave President Biden an awkward fist bump and stroked his arm when they met on Monday at the NATO summit for the first time since the US officially recognized the Armenian genocide.

Erdogan rose from his seat and smiled at the president's badly-timed gesture before engaging in a long conversation surrounded by aides ahead of their official bilateral meeting later on Monday.

The pair seemed cordial despite Erdogan's fury over Biden's announcement in April that his administration would call the deaths of up to 1.5 million Armenians during the First World War a genocide.

It is a moment that could be potentially embarrassing for the Turkish president who has never shied away from condemning the Wes.

They met after Biden said NATO is facing 'new challenges' from China and Russia and stressed his 'sacred obligations' to allies ahead of his summit with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

The Turkish president has made it clear he will let Biden know the president's statement on the Armenian genocide 'disturbed and upset us'.

'An ally country taking such a stance on an issue that has nothing to do with NATO, the issue of Armenians, has disturbed and upset us. It is not possible to go on without reminding (Biden of) this,' Erdogan said in comments before traveling to the summit.

He said he would also raise the White House recognition of the 1915 massacres of Armenians during the then Ottoman Empire as 'genocide.'

Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces in World War One, but denies the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute genocide. After years of debate in Washington, the White House in April released a statement on the historical event that resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million.

President Joe Biden greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a plenary session at a NATO summit in Brussels

The two men shared an awkward fist bump ahead of their private sit down, where President Erdogan will tell Biden his disappointment that the US recognized Armenian genocide

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Joe Biden are seen ahead of their meeting within the NATO summit

Erdogan made it clear he will let Biden know the president's recent statement on the Armenian genocide 'disturbed and upset us' during their one-on-one meeting later on Monday.

President Biden also met with the leaders of three Baltic nations and the leaders of Russia and Poland to discuss the threat posed by Russia

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) speaks with President Joe Biden (R) next to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a plenary session at a NATO summit in Brussels

The bodies of deportees who died of typhus and other diseases in a forest near the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, about 15 miles from the capital of Yerevan, in 1915. An estimated two million Armenians were deported and 1.5 million were killed in the events known as Metz Yeghern

'There is a slight power dynamic showing as in the first photo when Erdogan is half seated half standing. Erdogan leans forward and bows his head slightly to the standing President Biden as they fist bump. Erdogan, pat on the back is a normal inclusion signal in Turkish culture in other cultures that may show paternal comfort. Still, here it means, You are one of us,"' body language expert Patti Wood told DailyMail.com.

The tense meeting is part of many Biden is holding at his first NATO summit as American president.

He met with the leaders of three Baltic nations to reassure them of US support before his Wednesday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

'It was a constructive warm vigorous engagement with the three leaders,' a senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call.

The president sat down with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia, President Egils Levits of Latvia, and President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania and "underscored strong U.S. support" for their security, according to the White House.

'The four leaders committed to further strengthening our political, military, and economic partnerships, including working together through NATO to address challenges posed by Russia and China,' the administration said in a statement.

The president also met with the leaders of Poland and Russia to talk about the threat posed by Russia.

'Let them know his intent for the summit on Russia on Wednesday,' a senior administration official said.

Biden will talk tough on China and Russia as he seeks the support of the transatlantic alliance and rebuild ties frayed under Donald Trump.

'I want NATO to know America is there,' Biden told Secretary General Jean Stoltenberg at the start of Monday's conference.

The president used the meeting to reaffirm America's commitment, calling NATO 'essential for America.'

And he reiterated the threat China and Russia pose to all members of the alliance.

'There is a growing recognition over the last couple years that we have new challenges. We have Russia, which is acting in a way that is not consistent with what we had hoped, and we have China,' he said.

Biden was cheerful the first day of the summit, smiling broadly and chatting with various world leaders. There were lots of pats on the back and arm slapping as the heads of the 30 member nations gathered around a large, round table at NATO headquarters.

Before the meeting, the leaders gathered for a 'family photo,' standing several feet apart and wearing face masks in compliance with Belgian COVID restrictions.

Biden had a prime spot in the center of the front row. Stoltenberg stood just over his right shoulder. Turkey's Erdogan was to his left, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to his right.

The leaders were asked over the loudspeaker to remove their masks and look at the camera for 15 seconds. Then they were asked to turn back to the video cube to watch a video presentation  a highlight reel of sorts for the NATO alliance that had the organizations objectives ('combat climate change', 'support the rules based international order') interlaced with still photos and video and a heavy orchestral soundtrack.

Then the man on the loudspeaker said: 'Please put your masks back on and proceed to Room One' so the meeting could begin. The opening remarks from Stoltenberg were broadcast and then the meeting continued privately.

At the leader meeting, Biden fist-bumped Romanian President Klaus and also spoke with British PM Boris Johnson and NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Goeana.

And Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo recognized Biden when he formally opened the meeting: : 'His presence emphasizes the renewal of the transatlantic partnership.'

President Joe Biden and other NATO heads of the states and governments pose for a family photo at the annual meeting

There are 30 member nations of the NATO alliance

France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, speaks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a plenary session of the NATO summit

NATO leaders gather for their annual meeting

From left, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, France's President Emmanuel Macron, and U.S. President Joe Biden during a plenary session during a NATO summit

President Joe Biden meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a NATO summit at its headquarters in Brussels

President Joe Biden is preparing to talk tough on China and Russia when he meets with NATO allies

Biden reaffirmed America's commitment to the alliance

Biden is using his first trip to Europe as president to rally allies to his side as he works to counter Beijing and Moscow's economic might, their cyber threat and a threat to national security. He has emphasized the countries' shared interest in democracy as a means to combat the authoritarian stance of Russia and China.

NATO leaders welcomed the new American president.

'I welcome the fact that we have a president of the United States who is strongly committed to NATO, to North America and Europe, working together in NATO,' Stoltenberg said.

The president stressed the United States had a 'sacred obligation' to the 30-member alliance and the principle of collective defense, stressing America's commitment to Article 5.

Trump refused to reaffirm NATO's Article 5 - which says when one member of the alliance is attacked, it is treated as if all members were attacked. And he complained about the amount of dues America paid to the alliance.

But Biden said he will 'make the case that we are back' when he speaks to allies and will defend the alliance.

'We do not view NATO as sort of protection racket. We believe that NATO is vital to maintaining American security for the remainder of the century,' the president said at a press conference in England on Sunday after he finished the G7 summit.

He reaffirmed the American commitment to Article 5.

'Remember what happened on 9/11. We were attacked. NATO immediately supported us,' he said. 'We believe NATO and Section 5 is a sacred obligation. Bottom line is I think we made some progress in re establishing American credibility among our closest friends.'

Additionally, the White House said the communique that will be signed by NATO members at the end of the summit is expected to include language about updating Article 5 to include major cyber attacks.

American companies and the federal government have fallen victim to a number of ransomware attacks made by hackers based in Russia.

The update will lay out that f an alliance member needs technical or intelligence support in response to a cyber attack, it would be able to invoke the mutual defense provision to receive assistance, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

Trump strained international ties with his isolationist strategy and his provocative comments about NATO leaders.

At Trump's last NATO meeting, in December 2019 in England, Trump feuded with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Trump was angry after Trudeau was caught on a hot mic gossiping with other leaders about Trump during a reception at Buckingham Palace.

And Trump said that Macron's description of NATO as brain dead was insulting and a 'very, very nasty statement.'

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures during family photo

Joe Biden touched down in Brussels on Sunday evening as he continues his first foreign trip as president

President Joe Biden is greeted as he steps off Air Force One in Brussels

President Joe Biden will spend his time in Brussels strengthening transatlantic relations frayed under President Donald Trump

During the meeting of the 30 NATO nations, the White House said they will launch an 'ambitious' set of initiatives to ensure the alliance keeps providing security through 2030 and beyond.

It said the member countries would agree to revise NATOs 'Strategic Concept' that will guide its 'approach to the evolving strategic environment, which includes Russia's aggressive policies and actions; challenges posed by the People's Republic of China to our collective security, prosperity, and values; and transnational threats such as terrorism, cyber threats, and climate change.'

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US would come out of the G7, NATO and EU meetings in a position of strength.

'What we're demonstrating in each of these meetings and summits is that democracies can come together and work effectively to actually deliver results for our people, and by the way, for people around the world, and also when we're working together militarily, economically, diplomatically, politically, we're a very powerful force,' he said on 'Fox News Sunday.'

After Brussels, Biden will travel to Geneva to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16.
A man who was convicted of raping and murdering a Girl Scout has died in a New Jersey prison.

Joseph McGowan was sentenced to life behind bars for the 1973 murder of Joan D'Alessandro, 7, in Hillsdale, New Jersey.

D'Alessandro was out selling cookies in her neighbourhood on April 19, 1973 when McGowan attacked her. She was assaulted and murdered after knocking on his door.

Joseph McGowan was sentenced to life behind bars for the 1973 murder of Joan D'Alessandro, 7, in Hillsdale, New Jersey

McGowan sexually assaulted, beat and strangled Joan before wrapping up her body and taking it with him in his car.

Her body was later found at New York's Harriman State Park on April 22.

McGowan was working as a chemistry teacher at Tappan Zee High School at the time of her murder, and lived three doors down from her.

McGowan had been serving a maximum life term at South Woods State Prison in Cumberland County, New Jersey, at the time of his death.

He died June 5, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

According to the victim's family, McGowan would have been up for parole in 2025.

'The first thought that came into my mind is now we could concentrate on the 50th anniversary of Joan's impactful and loving legacy, which will be 50 years in 2023,' said the victim's mother, Rosemarie D'Alessandro.

'We won't have to use the time and energy to fight to keep him in prison.'

She added: 'I am thankful to all those who came together for the victories we had to make sure he would stay in prison and not harm any more innocent children or anyone else.

'He was not only a child killer he was a serial killer in the making.'
Boris Johnson trolled Emmanuel Macron with a jibe about a vintage wine coming from 'when the French last won a naval battle' as the pair clashed at the G7 summit.

The PM made the quip at the gathering in Cornwall amid a rumbling row over Northern Ireland's Brexit rules.

He kicked off the final behind-closed doors session yesterday with leaders by admitting to being a 'little heavy-headed' after their beach barbecue at Carbis Bay the night before.

And he apparently blamed the hangover on the heaviness of the wine Mr Macron had brought, saying it 'was as old as when the French last won a naval battle', according to The Sun.

Britain has inflicted famous defeats on the French at sea, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Mr Macron is thought to have brought the tipple as a gift for Joe Biden, but the US president left his counterparts to drink it after going to bed early.

The swipe came after Mr Johnson and EU leaders locked horns over the trade restrictions being imposed between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK under Brexit terms.

Boris Johnson (right) trolled Emmanuel Macron (left) with a jibe about a vintage wine coming from 'when the French last won a naval battle' as the pair clashed at the G7 summit

MrJohnson kicked off the final behind-closed doors session yesterday with leaders by admitting to being a 'little heavy-headed' after their beach barbecue at Carbis Bay the night before (pictured)

The PM complained about having to remind other leaders that the UK is 'indivisible' after the French president suggested Northern Ireland was not part of the country.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab yesterday described Mr Macron's comments as 'offensive' and said it was time for the president and other EU leaders to show 'a bit of respect' to the territorial integrity of the UK.

Mr Macron hit back at a press conference last night accusing the PM of launching 'polemics' and demanding he 'stay very calm'.

He claimed it was the Brexit deal signed by Mr Johnson that led to the current impasse - even though the UK argues that the EU is implementing the terms in an unreasonable way.

The row centres on rules that would ban the sale of British sausages and other chilled meats in Northern Ireland from the end of this month.

Under the terms of the Brexit deal, Northern Ireland remains part of the EU's single market to prevent the need of a border with Ireland.

But ministers say a 'purist' approach by the EU to checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland has made the situation intolerable.

The PM is poised unilaterally to extend a 'grace period' for chilled meats which is due to expire at the end of this month, despite warnings from the EU that it could spark a trade war.

Mr Johnson and Mr Macron (pictured holding talks on Saturday) locked horns over the trade restrictions being imposed between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK under Brexit terms.

Johnson's China warning to Nato NATO must combat the growing challenge posed by China, Boris Johnson will warn today. Speaking at a Nato summit in Brussels, the Prime Minister will warn that the Cold War alliance must address the rising threat posed by China, as well as maintaining its traditional focus on Russia. Ministers have been alarmed by the increasing muscularity of China's diplomacy, including a clampdown on human rights in Hong Kong. Downing Street said Mr Johnson will use today's summit to 'outline the need for Nato to look beyond the Euro-Atlantic to address challenges further afield, including in the Indo-Pacific'. A source said: 'The West's neighbourhood is much bigger than it used to be. If you look at trade, what happens in the Indo-Pacific in terms of disruption has direct effects here. Nato has to evolve to address that.' Mr Johnson said: 'Nato is not just important to the UK's security, it is our security. Nato owes it to the billion people we keep safe every day to continually adapt and evolve to meet new challenges.' US President Joe Biden is expected to restate US support for Nato following years in which Donald Trump threatened to pull out. Advertisement

A government source told the Mail that the EU's stance meant there were already likely to be shortages of chilled meat products in Northern Ireland next month, because many supermarkets order their goods four weeks in advance.

Mr Johnson has warned he is ready to invoke Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol section of the Brexit deal, which would enable the UK to unilaterally suspend all border checks.

Mr Macron is said to have questioned Northern Ireland's status during face-to-face talks with the PM at the weekend.

Mr Johnson had asked him: 'How would you like it if the French courts stopped you moving Toulouse sausages to Paris?'

Mr Macron responded that it was not a good comparison because Paris and Toulouse were part of the same country, prompting the PM to snap back: 'Northern Ireland and Britain are part of the same country as well.'

Mr Johnson yesterday said some EU leaders needed to 'get it in to their heads' that Britain would never accept measures that would drive a wedge between parts of the country.

He added: 'What I am saying is that we will do whatever it takes to protect the territorial integrity of the UK.'

Meanwhile Mr Raab told Sky News: 'We have serially seen senior EU figures talk about Northern Ireland as if it was some kind of different country to the UK.

'It is not only offensive, it has real world effects on the communities in Northern Ireland, creates great concern, great consternation.'

Mr Macron yesterday said EU leaders had spent 'thousands of hours' discussing British sovereignty during the Brexit negotiations and needed no lessons in it.

Asked about the row, he told reporters: 'Let's not waste time on polemics.... France has never questioned British sovereignty or British territorial integrity.'

But he said Brexit was 'the child of this British sovereignty'  and claimed that the current row stems directly from the deal negotiated by the PM.

Mr Macron said the EU should not be blamed for 'certain inconsistencies which were clear from the beginning'.
A horse has been shot dead by police in the street having been hit by several cars and a van after being spooked while on a ride.

The 35-year-old rider was taken to hospital with leg injuries when his horse was struck by a car on Stacey Street in Bankstown in Sydney's west at about 2.30pm on Monday.

The horse then collided with a truck about 5km away after being spooked and running through traffic.

The animal has since been euthanised by police.

A horse that was hit by a car while being ridden has been shot dead by police in Sydney's west

Upsetting footage showed the injured horse lying in the middle of the road in a pool of blood.

When asked where the horse was bleeding from by a dispatcher, a man replied: 'Everywhere.'

The rider has been taken to Liverpool Hospital in a stable condition and police are investigating the incident.

'The horse suffered critical injuries and was humanely euthanised at the scene,' police said in a statement.
A whistleblower at the UK's only gender identity development service is suing them at a tribunal today - after a ruling which said under 16s were unlikely to be able to give 'informed consent' for puberty blockers.

Sonia Appleby is claiming she was 'subjected to detriments' by the controversial Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust after she made the warnings over patients' health and safety being endangered.

Her action against the trust - which has been crowdfunded to the tune of some 117,000 online - begins at the Central London Employment Tribunal this morning.

Ms Appleby, who is still the safeguarding lead at the hospital group, alleges that Tavistock misused procedures to 'besmirch her' and jeopardize safety.

She is also claiming there was an unwritten directive from management that safeguarding concerns should not be brought to her and clinicians were discouraged from reporting to her.

It comes six months after Kiera Bell, a 23-year-old woman treated there, was victorious in a High Court action against the trust which saw judges rule children under 16 are unlikely to be able to give 'informed consent' to take puberty blockers.

MailOnline has contacted Tavistock about Ms Appleby's claims but has not yet received any response. It is understood they deny her allegations.

The employment tribunal is unusual in that the complainant is still working for the body she is targeting with legal action.

Sonia Appleby is claiming she was 'subjected to detriments' by the controversial NHS trust

The employment tribunal is unusual in that the complainant is still working for the trust

While the case officially starts this morning, it is a reading day so evidence will not begin to be heard until tomorrow.

Ms Appleby's crowdfunding page explains: 'I am currently the Named Professional for Safeguarding Children and the Safeguarding Children Lead at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. I am therefore still employed by the Trust against which I am bringing my claim.

'I lodged a whistle-blowing claim in November 2019 at the Central London Employment Tribunal. Since then I have made two applications to amend my claim as new information came to light.

'In my claim, I allege that because I made "protected disclosures" to my line manager regarding concerns raised by Gender Identity Development Service staff - that the health or safety of patients was being, had been or was likely to be endangered - I was subjected to detriments.'

She added: 'I want it known that I have always supported the availability of a gender identity service for children, adolescents, adults and their families, and staff who deliver these services, but like other NHS services, the National Gender Identity Service, in doing its work, needs to be transparent and open to safeguarding commentary regarding the delivery of its services.

Keira Bell, 23, who began taking puberty blockers when she was 16 before 'detransitioning'

Psychiatric nurse reveals Tavistock referred children for medication in 'quick' process Susan Evans, who was previously employed by the Tavistock as a psychiatric nurse, previously said she hoped for a 'change their attitude' at the NHS trust. She said: 'It was just to ensure that there was a sort of pause on what's currently happening with this kind of, at times quick, process towards a medicalised treatment and to allow more time for assessment and psychological treatments for young people.' She added: 'I'm hoping now that they will be asked to take serious steps towards addressing their treatment protocols... Certainly what is not going to happen is children won't go to the Tavistock and after two or three appointments be referred for medication, which is what was happening, despite their denials.' Asked about whether the ruling would have an impact on transgender adults, Ms Evans said: 'Generally, this is just my clinical opinion, is that really anyone who considers taking steps to transgender should certainly examine their kind of emotional world, their mental state before progressing to something physical and taking those steps, you shouldn't do any of that without (a) kind of consideration and investigation. 'I certainly think that if you're going to alter your body, and make adjustments to your body, that it's worth, whether you go on to do it or not, taking steps in that way.' An NHS spokesperson said: 'We welcome the clarity which the court's decision brings. 'The Tavistock have immediately suspended new referrals for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for the under 16s, which in future will only be permitted where a court specifically authorises it. 'Dr Hilary Cass is conducting a wider review on the future of gender identity services.' Advertisement

'This is not an "anti-trans" case. I am supportive of the transgender community and their right to seek services that are both supportive and safe.'

In December campaigners celebrated a victory for 'common sense' after the High Court ruled children under 16 were unlikely to be able to give 'informed consent' to take puberty blockers.

The ruling came after Keira Bell brought legal action against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.

Ms Bell began taking puberty blockers when she was 16, was injected with testosterone at 17 and had a mastectomy aged 20, before 'detransitioning'.

She claimed she was treated like a 'guinea pig' at the clinic, and said doctors failed to carry out a proper psychiatric assessment and should have challenged her more over her decision to transition to a male as a teenager.

The judges said in their ruling: 'It is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers.

'It is doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers.'

Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Ms Bell said she was 'delighted' with the High Court's ruling.

She said: 'This judgment is not political, it's about protecting vulnerable children. I'm delighted to see that common sense has prevailed.'

Though she is now in the process of transitioning back to a woman, she faces further legal hurdles because by law she is now a man, and may be infertile.

Her lawyers had argued that children going through puberty cannot properly consent to taking puberty blockers.

They said there was 'a very high likelihood' that children who start taking hormone blockers will later begin taking cross-sex hormones, which they say cause 'irreversible changes'.

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust had argued that taking puberty blockers and later cross-sex hormones were entirely separate stages of treatment.

The trust argued that medical specialists in this field should be able to make calls based on their assessments and claimed it was 'a radical proposal' to suggest children did not have the capacity to give consent.

But judges ruled that both treatments were, 'two stages of one clinical pathway and once on that pathway it is extremely rare for a child to get off it'.

This means doctors may now seek approval or support from the court before prescribing puberty-blocking drugs to children, to try and avoid liability.
A music teacher has pleaded guilty to faking a coronavirus 'Fit to Fly' certificate to travel to Egypt after altering the date on a negative test result from earlier in the year.

Phillip Cunningham, a 33-year-old music teacher from Kings Norton, Birmingham, sent police on a 'wild goose chase' after trying to leave the UK on Monday, May 4.

He pleaded guilty to a forgery and counterfeit offence of making a false instrument at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Friday, after an eagle-eyed Egyptian worker spotted a missing digit on the certificate.

He was granted bail is now due to fly out of the country for work. He told the judge he would be back for the sentence hearing and said he has an up to date negative test certificate.

Judge Briony Clarke criticised him for only confessing his con after 'sending officers around the houses a bit'.

Phillip Cunningham (pictured), a 33-year-old music teacher from Kings Norton, Birmingham, altered the date on a negative result from February as he tried to fly to Egypt on Monday, May 4

Prosecutor Ros Butler said police were called to Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport after a man 'presented what they believed was a fraudulent negative Covid-19 certificate'.

She added: 'The airline member of staff noticed a digit was missing in the passport section.'

Cunningham showed staff the certificate in a Pdf document on his phone and claimed his bosses organised the test and sent him a copy of the result.

Police contacted the testing company which confirmed he had a negative test in February but could not have revisited the same test centre the day before his flight, May 3, because they no longer subcontracted to his employer.

Ms Butler added: 'He provided an account to officers at the scene. They made further enquiries and were not happy with the situation. He was arrested.

Cunningham (pictured) showed staff the certificate in a Pdf document on his phone and claimed his bosses organised the test and sent him a copy of the result

'He was interviewed at the police station and did go on to make a full admission. He admitted using a previous negative certificate and altering the date to make it look like a valid Covid-19 certificate.

'He said he had done this, he didn't want to lie and that he had sent officers on a wild goose chase. He had paid for a Covid-19 test before. He is a music teacher and was worried this could affect "most of my life".

'The situation escalated quicker than he expected.'

The prosecutor stated there were 'potentially very serious consequences' to the scam.

The judge said it was a 'very serious offence' but adjourned Cunningham's case until later this month in order for the probation service to assess him and write up a pre-sentence report.
Boris Johnson today warned that NATO must confront the 'challenges' and 'opportunities' of China's rise as kicked off talks with the alliance's leaders.



Arriving at the summit in Brussels, the PM said the military group had to 'modernise' and recognise that Beijing is a 'gigantic fact in our lives'.

But he insisted that none of the Western leaders wanted a 'new Cold War'. 'I don't think anybody around the table today wants to descend into a new Cold War with China. I don't think that's where people are,' he said.

'They see challenges, things we have to manage together, but they also see opportunities.'

Mr Johnson hailed Joe Biden recommitting the US to the pact, pointing out that the UK is still the second biggest contributor.

The president has insisted he views NATO as 'vital to America's security' rather than just a 'protection racket', and said today that he wants to open a 'new chapter' after Donald Trump.

Mr Johnson also urged vigilance against Russia, ahead of Mr Biden's crucial talks with Vladimir Putin. The PM said he was 'always hopeful' of improved relations with Moscow but swiped that the reality had been 'pretty disappointing' and Mr Putin must 'change the way you behave'.

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden chatted as the summit got under way in Brussels today

Boris Johnson (left in Brussels today) warned that NATO must confront the 'challenges' and 'opportunities' of China's rise. Right, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg

The leaders posed for a 'family photo' before starting their discussions today

Mr Biden and Mr Johnson were seated next to each other for the alliance's discussions today

Ministers have been alarmed by the increasing muscularity of China's diplomacy, including a clampdown on human rights in Hong Kong.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson will use today's summit to 'outline the need for Nato to look beyond the Euro-Atlantic to address challenges further afield, including in the Indo-Pacific'.

But Mr Johnson made clear that Russia still had to be a focus. 'I'm always hopeful that things will improve with Russia but I'm afraid that so far it's been pretty disappointing from the UK point of view,' he said.

'When I saw President Putin I made that very clear, I said 'Look, you know, we're ready to do things differently, we are ready to try to have closer relations but you have got to change the way you behave'.

'You'll remember what happened at Salisbury where innocent members of the public faced the poisoning from Novichok, one woman tragically lost her life.

'That's no way to behave. Nato allies stood by Britain then and I know that President Biden will be taking some pretty tough messages to President Putin in the course of the next few days.'

A No10 source said: 'The West's neighbourhood is much bigger than it used to be.

'If you look at trade, what happens in the Indo-Pacific in terms of disruption has direct effects here. Nato has to evolve to address that.'

Ahead of the summit, Mr Johnson said: 'Nato is not just important to the UK's security, it is our security. Nato owes it to the billion people we keep safe every day to continually adapt and evolve to meet new challenges.'

Mr Biden is expected to restate US support for Nato following years in which Donald Trump threatened to pull out.
Joe Biden repeatedly confused Syria with Libya while discussing ways of working with Russia during a press conference at the G7 on Sunday.

The 78-year-old gaffe machine spoke of working with Vladimir Putin to provide economic assistance to the people of Libya, prompting some confused glances from the press pack at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.

'I'm hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in  for example, in  in Libya,' the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, which is in the Middle East.

The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that the president was indeed referring to Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war.

'I'm hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in  for example, in  in Libya,' the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, in the Middle East

The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that it was indeed, Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war, which the president was referring to

WATCH: Joe Biden confuses Syria with Libya THREE TIMES. pic.twitter.com/8iewTindfr  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 13, 2021

Some had guessed that he was confused when he mentioned Libya, which most would not put at the top of a list when sitting down to negotiate with Putin.

Although there are similarities between the two countries - both have been plagued by civil war, Islamism and seen the military intervention of Washington and Moscow - these are only surface issues.

Lebanese geopolitical commentator Sarah Abdallah tweeted: 'I guess when you're bombing so many countries at once, it's hard to keep up.'

The blunder came days after he called Britain's Royal Air Force the 'RFA' while addressing US military personnel at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk during his first-ever speech as President on British soil.

Mr Biden told US troops: 'These partnerships have been hardened in the fire of war. Generations of Americans and service members fought them. Like the original Bloody Hundredth, and those RFA pilots.'

He had already been admonished by his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, who told him to 'pay attention' as the President stared at troops positioned behind the stage at the military base.

The US commander-in-chief, the oldest ever to occupy the White House, has been the subject of repeated questions about his mental faculties and fitness to be in charge of the world's largest nuclear arsenal.

He is known to make mistakes, have mix-ups or even digress during speeches or while answering questions.

And British pro-Brexit politicians today called him 'senile' in a feud over White House accusations that Boris Johnson has 'inflamed' tensions in Northern Ireland in a dispute with the EU over trade arrangements.

In March, the President was seen falling up the stairs three times while boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews before finally reaching the top and saluting. White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later claimed that he had been blown over by the wind.

Biden also referred to his vice president Kamala Harris as 'President Harris', forgotten the name of his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and confused his granddaughter with his late son, Beau.

His most recent gaffe came on the last day of the G7 summit of world leaders in Cornwall, southeast England.

Biden and First Lady Jill with the Queen at Windsor Castle on Sunday

Biden as VP meeting Putin in 2011. The pair are set for another in Switzerland on Wednesday, with a lot more on the table this time

Transcript of Biden mixing up Syria with Libya And so, there's a lot going on where we can work together with Russia. For example, in Libya, we should be opening up the passes to be able to go through and provide  provide food assistance and economic  I mean, vital assistance to a population that's in real trouble. I think I'm going to try very much  hard to  it is  and, by the way, there's places where  I shouldn't be starting off on negotiating in public here. But let me say it this way: Russia has engaged in activities which are  we believe are contrary to international norms, but they have also bitten off some real problems they're going to have trouble chewing on. And, for example, the rebuilding of  of Syria, of Libya, of  you know, this is  they're there. And as long as they're there without the ability to bring about some order in the  in the region, and you can't do that very well without providing for the basic economic needs of people. So I'm hopeful that we can find an accommodation that where we can save the lives of people in  for example, in  in Libya, that  consistent with the interest of  maybe for different reasons  but reached it for the same reason  the same result. Advertisement

The countries include Britain, the US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy, but Biden is planning to meet Putin in Switzerland on Wednesday - a summit organised following a rise in tensions at the Ukrainian border which led to fears of an invasion in mid-April.

Biden and First Lady Jill visited the Queen for a private audience at Buckingham Palace later on Sunday. He is the 13th president to meet the 95-year-old monarch.

He is due to meet with European Union chiefs in Brussels on Tuesday before travelling to Switzerland.

'We expect this meeting to be candid and straightforward,' a White House official said.

Biden is set to discuss the Kremlin's frayed relationship with the West, including cyber attacks on the United States, aggression against Ukraine and the jailing of dissidents.

Biden referred to Putin as a 'killer' in an interview in March.

Asked about this characterisation by a US broadcaster last week, Putin said: 'This is not something I worry about in the least.'
Covid patients infected with the Indian variant are getting sicker more quickly than in previous waves, doctors in China have claimed.

In the city of Guangzhou, where the mutant strain is known to be spreading, medics say about 12 per cent of patients become severely ill within four days of symptoms starting.

The proportion had previously been as low as 2 or 3 per cent with the original Wuhan virus and the variant which first emerged in Kent and went on to become world-dominant.

The testimonies in China add to a growing body of evidence that the so-called Delta strain is not only far more virulent than previous versions, but also more dangerous.

In Britain, officials estimate the strain is twice as likely to cause hospitalisation than the Kent strain, and is at least 60 per cent more infectious.

UK experts say younger people also appear more likely to be admitted with the new variant, due to a combination of fewer young people being vaccinated and because the strain seems to pose a greater risk of severe illness.

But British doctors have not mirrored any claims about infected patients becoming sicker quicker.

Some scientists believe symptoms of the virus have become milder since the variant began to take off, which may be down to younger people  who are less vulnerable to the disease  getting infected.

Guan Xiangdong, director of critical care medicine at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, said the amount of Indian variant virus detected in the body rises to higher levels and declines more slowly than with previous strains.

This could partly explain why the mutant virus is more infectious, with patients coughing out more viral particles, and more deadly, because the immune system has to fight off a larger amount of the disease.

Cases in Guangzhou: The city in China's southern Guangdong province has seen a slight uptick in cases since late May after an outbreak of the Indian 'Delta' variant. Source: John Hopkins University

It was first detected in a 75-year-old woman on May 21. Since then, the province has seen more than 200 symptomatic Covid cases. China does not class a patient as a confirmed case if they don't have any symptoms. Source: John Hopkins University

Authorities in China's southern Guangdong province are carrying out mass testing and have rolled back lockdown restrictions to curb an outbreak in Guangzhou.

The city's latest wave of cases is being driven by the Indian variant which was first detected in a 75-year-old woman on May 21.

Since then, the province has seen more than 200 symptomatic Covid cases. China does not class a patient as a confirmed case if they don't have any symptoms.

Checkpoints have been set up to monitor movement in and out of parts of Guangzhou and flights have been grounded in the city and neighbouring Foshan to get a grip of the latest outbreak.

An extraordinary testing blitz has also been launched in both cities, with 42million swabs carried out in three weeks  almost enough to vaccinate every resident twice over. The cities have a combined population of 28m.

Guangdong province recorded seven new cases yesterday, and the average number of daily infections is currently sitting at 12.

Professor Guan told state-run media last week the symptoms in patients infected with the Indian variant are different to older strains.

Headache and sore throat are now the most common Covid symptoms, study claims A headache, sore throat and runny nose are now the most reported Covid symptoms, scientists say. NHS bosses only recognise three tell-tale signs of the virus - a temperature, new continuous cough and loss of taste and smell. But King's College London scientists, who run a coronavirus surveillance project, say the disease is 'acting differently now'. Scientists believe the Indian Delta variant, which has been spreading rapidly since early May, may be behind the change in symptoms. It could also be down to younger people getting infected and them being more likely to only suffer a mild illness. Advertisement

He said eight in 10 symptomatic patients in Guangzhou, in China's southern Guangdong province, developed a fever.

It is not clear how this compares to previous waves in China but it is in line with findings from a major UK symptom tracking study by King's College London.

The rolling British study found that the mutant strain caused symptoms more akin to a 'bad cold' than the typical Covid symptoms.

Professor Tim Spector, who runs the research, said Indian variant patients were more likely to report headaches, sore throat, runny nose and fever.

Previously the most common signs of the disease were a continuous cough, or loss of appetite or smell.

Officials in China have not said how many of the new infections from the Indian variant have been in people already vaccinated.

There has been questions about how effective China's vaccines are and the nation has been reluctant to publish data from trials of the jabs.

But there is evidence in the UK that vaccines work less well against the new variant, particularly after just one dose.

Public Health England's latest analysis, published last week, found that a dose of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer's vaccine was about 33 per cent effective at stopping infection from the Indian variant, compared to around 50 per cent against the Kent one.

Two doses provided more than 80 per cent protection against the Delta strain, slightly less than for the 'Alpha', or Kent, version (88 per cent).
A young pregnant mother who had been suffering from headaches has been given a shocking terminal brain cancer diagnosis after being rushed to hospital.

Neurologists at Gold Coast University Hospital discovered multiple brain lesions when they examined Elise Squillari, who was 32-weeks pregnant, just over a week ago.

The life-threatening bleeding in her brain was caused by a stage four metastatic melanoma - an extremely aggressive cancer - with doctors forced to perform emergency surgery.

Before Ms Squillari (pictured with Dylan and Gigi) could undergo urgent immunotherapy treatment, doctors would have to deliver her baby early at just 33 weeks

Neurologists at Gold Coast University Hospital discovered multiple brain lesions when they examined Ms Squillari (pictured) who was 32-weeks pregnant

But before Ms Squillari could undergo urgent immunotherapy treatment, doctors would have to deliver her baby early at just 33 weeks.

Fortunately the procedure went to plan and baby Romeo is now is 'doing well'.

But the hospital's oncology team have told Ms Squillari her cancer treatment will be 'life prolonging, not curative'.

Thousands of supporters from Queensland and across the globe have rallied behind the young mum, her husband Dylan and their three-year-old daughter, Gigi, after the 'unthinkable' ordeal.

A fundraiser set up by a family friend has now raised over $265,000.

'This is just the start of a very challenging time for Elise and Dylan,' GoFundMe organiser Olivia Smith said.

'Dylan will be unable to work for some time as he looks after Elise.

'The best way we can all help is to relieve this financial stress so Elise and Dylan can focus on whats important right now  Elises health and their new baby.'

Young pregnant mother Elise Squillari (pictured with husband Dylan and their year-old daughter, Gigi) was admitted to hospital just over a week ago and told she needed to have emergency brain surgery

A fundraiser set up by a family friend has now raised over $265,000 for Ms Squillari and her family

The funds raised here will go towards helping Elise and Dylan with their loss of income, as bills and living expenses start to pile up.

Part of the money will also go towards donor breastmilk for Romeo and alternative cancer therapies.

Ms Smith said with more than 2,400 donors so far, its clear just how much people want to help this beautiful family.

'Thank you again for your generosity, support and love. I know it means so much to Dylan and Elise. What an incredible support network they have,' she said.
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Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted US President Joe Biden in a 'scorched earth' speech on his last day in office before officially handing over power on Monday, warning Iran will be 'celebrating' his defeat because Israel will be 'weak'.

In a scathing speech that was meant to last 15 minutes but ran for more than half an hour, Netanyahu said the Islamic Republic would celebrate his loss because 'they understand that starting today there will be a weak and unstable government that will align with the dictates of the international community.'

He then turned on his replacement, and former ally, Naftali Bennett, in the rambling speech, branding the new government 'terrible' and 'dangerous' and vowing he would soon return to the top of Israeli politics.

'The opposition in Israel will have a clear and strong voice', he said, promising to 'fight daily' to 'topple' the fragile coalition.

Minutes after meeting Bennett on Monday, Netanyahu, 71, repeated the pledge, saying 'it will happen sooner than you think,' in public remarks to legislators of his right-wing Likud party.

Netanayhu aide Topaz Luk also reiterated the comments in an interview with Army Radio on Monday, saying the former prime minister will 'fight this dangerous and horrible government' as opposition leader.

'He's full of motivation to topple this dangerous government as soon as possible,' Luk said.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted US President Joe Biden in a 'scorched earth' speech as he left office on Sunday, warning Iran will be 'celebrating' his defeat because Israel will be 'weak'

Benjamin Netanyahu was ousted by Yair Lapid (left) and new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (right) after the country's parliament voted 60-59 in favour of the new coalition government comprising eight ideologically opposed parties

The new Israeli government was sworn in on Sunday, ending the reign of the country's longest serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured, front row, L to R: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, President Reuven Rivlin, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid)

In Sunday's speech, Netanyahu went on to warn Biden against talks to revive the nuclear deal with Iran, saying a return to the agreement 'threatens Israel's existence'.

'The prime minister of Israel needs to be able to say no to the president of the United States on issues that threaten our existence', he told the Knesset.

Netanyahu made the comments despite being asked by Washington 'not to discuss our disagreement on Iran publicly' and in a warning to the Islamic Republic, Hamas, and Hezbollah, declared 'we'll be back soon.'

In a directly assault on Bennett, Netanyahu said he was 'concerned' over the new government because the prime minister 'does the opposite of what he promises'.

He 'does not have the international standing, he doesn't have the credibility, he doesn't have the capabilities, he doesn't have the knowledge, and he doesn't have the governmental support' to stand up to Iran.

Netanyahu added a government 'that is not able to stand up to the international community on issues that determine our fate is not fit to lead Israel for even one day - and this is the incoming government!'

'I will fight daily against this terrible, dangerous left-wing government in order to topple it', he said. 'With God's help, it will happen a lot earlier than you think it will.'

He added: 'If it's our destiny to be in the opposition, we'll do so with our heads high until we take down this bad government and return to lead the country our way.'

Netanyahu spent much of his speech lauding praise on himself, saying his achievements had 'turned Israel from a marginal state into a rising force on the global stage.'

Adding as a final quip: 'I have just one, modest request - try to ruin the economy that we are leaving you as little as possible, so that we can fix it as quickly as possible when we return to power.'

It was a fiery end to 12 consecutive years as prime minister that came after the country's parliament voted 60-59 in favour of the new coalition government and Bennett was sworn as his replacement on Sunday.

As the new prime minister, Bennett will have to maintain an unwieldy and fragile coalition of eight parties with deep ideological differences.

Netanyahu sat silently during the vote. After it was approved, he stood up to leave the chamber, before turning around and shaking Bennett's hand.

A dejected Netanyahu, wearing a black medical mask, then sat down in the opposition leader's chair.

Benjamin Netanyahu sat silently during the vote. After it was approved, he stood up to leave the chamber, before turning around and shaking Bennett's hand

Naftali Bennett has become Israel's new Prime Minister after the country's parliament voted in his coalition government, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12 years in power

People cheer and wave flags as the new coalition government wins the parliamentary vote on Sunday in Jerusalem

Israelis celebrate the swearing in of the new government in Tel Aviv with a foam party as a cannon shoots foam into the crowd on Sunday

Israel's parliament narrowly voted 60-59 in favour of the new government on Sunday and shortly afterwards, Bennett was sworn in as prime minister. Pictured: People are covered in foam as they celebrated the vote

The Israelis celebrated with a foam party as a cannon launched the white liquid into the crowd in Tel Aviv

Sunday's vote ended a two-year cycle of political paralysis in which the country held four elections. Pictured: People celebrate the result and light a red flare in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Sunday

Sunday's vote ended a two-year cycle of political paralysis in which the country held four elections.

Minutes later, Bennett was sworn into office, followed by members of the new Cabinet.

Bennett will be prime minister until September 2023 before handing the power over to Yair Lapid, the leader of centrist Yesh Atid party, for a further two years as part of a power-sharing deal.

In Jerusalem, supporters of the new coalition cheered as the results of the parliamentary vote came in and waved their flags in the air.

Meanwhile thousands of delighted revelers poured into Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Sunday night after hearing of the results as they danced, hugged each other and cheered.

'I am here celebrating the end of an era in Israel,' said Erez Biezuner in Rabin Square. 'We want them to succeed and to unite us again,' he added, as flag-waving supporters of the new government sang and danced around him.

'I have mixed feelings about this government,' said 19-year-old Tal Surkis about the change coalition, but he added that 'it's something Israel needs'.

The supporters brought their own foam cannon to the square in Tel Aviv and celebrated with a foam party.

World leaders have congratulated Mr Bennett on becoming the 13th person to hold the office of Israeli prime minister.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Bennett and Lapid on forming a government, tweeting that 'this is an exciting time for the UK and Israel to continue working together to advance peace and prosperity for all'.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, who shared close ties with Netanyahu, congratulated Mr Bennett in a tweet in Hebrew, saying he 'looks forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic relations between our countries'.

Mr Modi also voiced his 'deep recognition' of Netanyahu's leadership.

Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, remains the head of the largest party in parliament and is expected to vigorously oppose the new government. If just one faction bolts, it could lose its majority and would be at risk of collapse, giving him an opening to return to power.

Bennett (right) will be prime minister until September 2023 before handing the power over to Yair Lapid (left), the leader of centrist Yesh Atid party, for a further two years as part of a power-sharing deal

Yair Lapid is set to become the Prime Minister in 2023 in a power-sharing deal. Pictured: Lapid arrives for the parliamentary meeting on Sunday before the vote.

People were covered with foam as they celebrated the parliamentary vote which saw Bennett become the new prime minister

Israelis celebrate in Tel Aviv with foam as the new government is sworn in on Sunday night

Thousands of people gather for spontaneous celebrations in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv after the confidence vote on Sunday

Hundreds of people gathered for a foam party in Tel Aviv in celebration of the vote, with many dancing and cheering

The supporters gathered in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv and had a foam party, with the white foam contrasting with the night sky

'We are aware that this step has a lot of risks and hardships that we cannot deny, but the opportunity for us is also big: to change the equation and the balance of power in the Knesset and in the upcoming government,' said Mansour Abbas, an Arab member of the new Israeli government.

But in a sign of what is to come, Bennett was heckled and repeatedly interrupted by Netanyahu's supporters who shouted 'shame' and 'liar' as he addressed parliament on Sunday. Several of the Netanyahu loyalists were escorted out of the chamber.

The eight parties, including a small Arab faction that is making history by sitting in the ruling coalition, are united in their opposition to Netanyahu and new elections but agree on little else.

They are likely to pursue a modest agenda that seeks to reduce tensions with the Palestinians and maintain good relations with the U.S. without launching any major initiatives.

Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12 years in power has now come to an end after the vote

Bennett reaches out to touch Netanyahu's arm following the vote which ended Netanyahu's 12 years in power

People celebrate in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Sunday night after Israel's parliament voted in the new coalition government

People cheer as they celebrate the confidence vote which has meant a new coalition has formed a government. A woman held a sign which seemingly told Netanyahu to 'sashay away'

A man and woman dressed in fancy dress hug each other as they celebrate the results of the confidence vote on Sunday in Jerusalem

Hundreds of people, including small children, gathered in front of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Sunday as they awaited the results from the parliamentary vote in Jerusalem

On Sunday evening, Bennett opened his first cabinet meeting as prime minister with a traditional blessing for new beginnings.

He said: 'We are at the start of new days,' adding this his government will work to 'mend the rift in the nation' after two years of political deadlock.

'Citizens of Israel are all looking to us now, and the burden of proof is upon us,' he said. 'We must all, for this amazing process to succeed, we must all know to maintain restraint on ideological matters.'

Alternate prime minister Yair Lapid, who will serve as foreign minister for the first two years of the government's term, said in brief remarks that 'friendship and trust' built their government, and that's what will keep it going.

US President Joe Biden was the first world leader to congratulate Bennett on his win and said the United States remained committed to Israel's security.

'I look forward to working with Prime Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations,' Biden said. 'Israel has no better friend than the United States.'

'United States remains unwavering in its support for Israel's security,' Biden, who is currently in Cornwall, UK, for the G7 Summit, continued. 'My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region.'

Bennett tweeted: 'Thank you Mr. President! I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ties between our two nations.'

Bennett's office said he later spoke by phone with Biden, thanking him for his warm wishes and longstanding commitment to Israel's security.

The leaders agreed to consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran, the White House said, adding that Biden said his administration intends to work closely with the Israeli government on advancing peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.

On Sunday evening, Bennett (right) held his first cabinet meeting as prime minister

On Sunday evening, Bennett opened his first cabinet meeting as prime minister with a traditional blessing for new beginnings. He said: 'We are at the start of new days,' adding this his government will work to 'mend the rift in the nation' after two years of political deadlock

One man was having a particularly good time during the foam party celebrations in Tel Aviv and decided to lie in the foam

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday congratulated Bennett.

'Germany and Israel are connected by a unique friendship that we want to strengthen further. With this in mind, I look forward to working closely with you,' Merkel said in a message addressed to Bennett and shared by her spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer on Twitter.

Britain's Prime Minister also tweeted his congratulations to both Bennett and Lapid on their victory and said it is an 'exciting time' for the UK and Israel to work together.

Mr Johnson said: 'On behalf of the UK, I offer my congratulations to @naftalibennett and @yairlapid on forming a new government in Israel. As we emerge from COVID-19, this is an exciting time for the UK and Israel to continue working together to advance peace and prosperity for all.'

Palestinian militant group Hamas said they will confront the new Israeli government that is expected to take office.

Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman for the Islamic militant group, said Sunday any Israeli government is 'a settler occupier entity that must be resisted by all forms of resistance, foremost of which is the armed resistance.'

Israel's deep divisions were on vivid display as Bennett addressed parliament ahead of the vote as he was heckled by supporters of Netanyahu.

Bennett said the country, after four inconclusive elections in under two years, had been thrown 'into a maelstrom of hatred and in-fighting'.

'The time has come for different leaders, from all parts of the population, to stop, to stop this madness,' he said to angry shouts of 'liar' and 'criminal' from right-wing opponents.

Ahead of the vote, a parliamentary debate became heated as Netanyahu vowed to 'topple' the new coalition, which is led by Bennett

Israel has a change of government but Benjamin Netanyahu will be back, experts say Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, was succeeded on Sunday by a coalition that includes for the first time a party from Israel's Arab minority. The 71-year-old right-winger was ousted by an unlikely coalition of right-wing, centrist and other parties who clinched a deal to form a government that would break a period of unprecedented political deadlock that saw four elections in two years. WHO ARE THE NEW GUARD? Naftali Bennett, 49, heads the ultra-nationalist party Yamina - 'Rightwards'. The religious, pro-settler, party won only seven of the Knesset's 120 seats in the March 23 election but he emerged first as kingmaker, then kingslayer and now king as the new prime minister. Naftali Bennett (above), 49, heads the ultra-nationalist party Yamina - 'Rightwards' Yair Lapid (pictured), 57, and his centre-left party Yesh Atid - 'There is a Future' - came second, with 17 seats A high-tech millionaire who dreams of annexing most of the occupied West Bank, Bennett spent some of his childhood in North America. He may face cries of betrayal for forming a government with centre-left partners instead of his natural allies on the right. Yair Lapid, 57, and his centre-left party Yesh Atid - 'There is a Future' - came second, with 17 seats. The former finance minister and TV host campaigned to 'bring sanity' back to Israel, a dig at Netanyahu. But the coalition with Bennett will likely be unstable, uniting unlikely allies from across the political spectrum. Lapid will become prime minister in 2023 as part of a power-sharing deal. Gideon Saar, 54, a former member of Netanyahu's Likud who quit to set up the New Hope party. He rejected Netanyahu's offer of a rotating premiership to keep him in power. WHAT WENT WRONG FOR NETANYAHU? Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) fought the most recent election by asserting that he turned Israel into the 'vaccination nation' His supporters love the man they call 'King Bibi' - admiring his hawkish stance on issues such as Iran and the Palestinians, and his high profile on the international stage. But critics accuse him of being a polarising figure. They also highlight corruption allegations that led to the tag 'Crime Minister' - Netanyahu is on trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies wrongdoing. A canny political operator, many expected him to glue together a coalition. But his deal-making touch deserted him, with many rivals wanting to emerge from his shadow. DIDN'T HE GET CREDIT FOR ISRAEL'S VACCINE RECORD? Netanyahu fought the most recent election by asserting that he turned Israel into the 'vaccination nation', leading the world in the recovery from COVID-19. Even as the ballots were being counted, Israel passed the mark at which 50% of the population received two vaccine shots. But such is the polarisation in Israeli politics that even this could not break the stalemate. Netanyahu was also accused of mismanaging earlier pandemic lockdowns that hit Israel's economy hard. WILL HE BE BACK? Yes. A quarter of the electorate voted for his Likud Party, which remains the largest party with 30 of 120 Knesset seats. While he is no longer prime minister, Netanyahu is now the leader of the opposition. This is familiar territory - in the mid-1990s he made life very uncomfortable for then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Reporting by Associated Press Advertisement

Bennett, an observant Jew, noted the Jewish people twice lost their homeland in biblical times due to bitter infighting.

'This time, at the decisive moment, we have taken responsibility,' he said. 'To continue on in this way - more elections, more hatred, more vitriolic posts on Facebook - is just not an option. Therefore we stopped the train, a moment before it barreled into the abyss.'

The coalition, including a small Islamist faction that is making history as the first Arab party to sit in a coalition, agree on little beyond their opposition to Netanyahu.

'We will forge forward on that which we agree - and there is much we agree on, transport, education and so on, and what separates us we will leave to the side,' Bennett said. He also promised a 'new page' in relations with Israel's Arab sector.

Israel's Arab citizens make up about 20 per cent of the population but have suffered from discrimination, poverty and lack of opportunities. Netanyahu has often tried portray Arab politicians as terrorist sympathizers, though he also courted the same Arab party in a failed effort to remain in power after March 23 elections.

Bennett, who like Netanyahu opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, made little mention of the Palestinians beyond threatening a tough response to violence.

Bennett, a former defence minister, also expressed opposition to U.S. efforts to revive Iran's nuclear deal with world powers.

'Israel will not allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons,' Bennett said, vowing to maintain Netanyahu's confrontational policy. 'Israel will not be a party to the agreement and will continue to preserve full freedom of action.'

Bennett nevertheless thanked President Joe Biden and the U.S. for its decades of support for Israel.

Netanyahu, speaking after him, vowed to return to power. He predicted the incoming government would be weak on Iran and give in to U.S. demands to make concessions to the Palestinians.

He also accused Bennett of carrying out the 'greatest fraud in Israel's history' after he formed a coalition with Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid, despite saying he had ruled out a government with Lapid before the election.

Netanyahu said: 'I've heard what Bennett said [about standing firm against Iran], and I'm concerned, because Bennett does the opposite of what he promises,' Netanyahu said. 'He will fight Iran the same way he won't sit with [Yesh Atid leader Yair] Lapid, Labor and Ra'am.'

'The prime minister of Israel needs to be able to say no to the president of the United States on issues that threaten our existence,' Netanyahu said during the 30-minute speech, which went past the 15 minutes allocated to him.

'Who will do that now?... This government does not want and is not capable of opposing the United States.'

Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, said the new government will likely be more stable than it appears.

'Even though it has a very narrow majority, it will be very difficult to topple and replace because the opposition is not cohesive,' he said. Each party in the coalition will want to prove that it can deliver, and for that they need 'time and achievements.'

Still, Netanyahu 'will continue to cast a shadow,' Plesner said. He expects the incoming opposition leader to exploit events and propose legislation that right-wing coalition members would like to support but can't - all in order to embarrass and undermine them.

The new government is meanwhile promising a return to normalcy after a tumultuous two years that saw four elections, an 11-day Gaza war last month and a coronavirus outbreak that devastated the economy before it was largely brought under control by a successful vaccination campaign.

The driving force behind the coalition is Yair Lapid, a political centrist who will become prime minister in two years, if the government lasts that long.

'A morning of change,' promised a Sunday tweet by Lapid, who would serve as foreign minister under the coalition deal before taking over the premiership in 2023.

Lapid called off a planned speech to parliament, instead saying he was ashamed that his 86-year-old mother had to witness the raucous behavior of his opponents. In a brief speech, he asked for 'forgiveness from my mother.'

'I wanted her to be proud of the democratic process in Israel. Instead she, along with every citizen of Israel, is ashamed of you and remembers clearly why it's time to replace you,' he said.

Netanyahu, who is battling corruption charges in an ongoing trial he dismisses as a conspiracy, has been the dominant Israeli politician of his generation, having also served a previous three-year term in the 1990s.

Thousands of protesters rallied outside his official residence late Saturday, waving 'Bye Bye Bibi' signs.

The anti-Netanyahu bloc spans the political spectrum, including three right-wing, two centrist and two left-wing parties, along with an Arab Islamic conservative party.

The improbable alliance emerged weeks after an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, and following inter-communal violence in Israeli cities with significant Arab populations.

Netanyahu, who long ago earned a reputation as Israel's ultimate political survivor, has meanwhile tried to peel off defectors that would deprive the nascent coalition of its wafer-thin legislative majority.

Supporters of the new coalition watch the voting session at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Sunday

Children were among those who were covered in foam as they all celebrated the formation of the new coalition government on Sunday in Tel Aviv

The driving force behind the coalition is Yair Lapid, (centre with Bennett on Sunday in parliament) a political centrist who will become prime minister in two years, if the government lasts that long

The new prime minister Bennett and Lapid, who is now the Foreign Minister, were in good spirits following the vote on Sunday

Listed: The agreements outlined by Israel's 'unity government' Among the agreements outlined by parties in what Lapid described as a 'unity government' are: Limiting the prime minister's term of office to two terms, or eight years.

An infrastructure push to include new hospitals, a new university and a new airport.

Passing a two-year budget to help stabilize the country's finances - the prolonged political stalemate has left Israel still using a pro-rated version of a base 2019 budget that was ratified in mid-2018.

Maintaining the 'status-quo' on issues of religion and state, with Bennett's Yamina party to have a veto. Possible reforms include breaking up an ultra-Orthodox monopoly on overseeing which foods are kosher, and decentralizing authority over Jewish conversions.

An 'overall plan for transportation' in the Israeli- occupied West Bank.

A general goal to 'ensure Israel's interests' in areas of the West Bank under full Israeli control.

Allocating more than 53 billion shekels ($16 billion) to improve infrastructure and welfare in Arab towns, and curbing violent crime there.

Decriminalizing marijuana and moving to regulate the market. Advertisement

It's unclear if Netanyahu will move out of the official residence. He has lashed out at the new government in apocalyptic terms and accused Bennett of defrauding voters by running as a right-wing stalwart and then partnering with the left.

Netanyahu's supporters have held angry protests outside the homes of rival lawmakers, who say they have received death threats naming their family members. Israel's Shin Bet internal security service issued a rare public warning about the incitement earlier this month, saying it could lead to violence.

Netanyahu has condemned the incitement while noting that he has also been a target.

His place in Israeli history is secure, having served as prime minister for a total of 15 years - more than any other, including the country's founder, David Ben-Gurion.

As Netanyahu has lost the premiership, he will not be able to push through parliament changes to basic laws that could give him immunity on charges he faces in his corruption trial.

Netanyahu began his long rule by defying the Obama administration, refusing to freeze settlement construction as it tried unsuccessfully to revive the peace process. Relations with Israel's closest ally grew even rockier when Netanyahu vigorously campaigned against President Barack Obama's emerging nuclear deal with Iran, even denouncing it in an address to the U.S. Congress.

But he suffered few if any consequences from those clashes and was richly rewarded by the Trump administration, which recognized contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital, helped broker normalization agreements with four Arab states and withdrew the U.S. from the Iran deal.

Netanyahu has portrayed himself as a world-class statesman, boasting of his close ties with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has also cultivated ties with Arab and African countries that long shunned Israel over its policies toward the Palestinians.

But he has gotten a far chillier reception from the Biden administration and is widely seen as having undermined the long tradition of bipartisan support for Israel in the United States.

His reputation as a political magician has also faded at home, where he has become a deeply polarizing figure. Critics say he has long pursued a divide-and-conquer strategy that aggravated rifts in Israeli society between Jews and Arabs and between his close ultra-Orthodox allies and secular Jews.

In November 2019, he was indicted for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. He refused calls to step down, instead lashing out at the media, judiciary and law enforcement, going so far as to accuse his political opponents of orchestrating an attempted coup. Last year, protesters began holding weekly rallies across the country calling on him to resign.

Netanyahu, who long ago earned a reputation as Israel's ultimate political survivor, has meanwhile tried to peel off defectors that would deprive the nascent coalition of its wafer-thin legislative majority

Netanyahu has become a divisive figure in Israeli politics, with the last four elections all seen as a referendum on his rule

Netanyahu remains popular among the hard-line nationalists who dominate Israeli politics, but he could soon face a leadership challenge from within his own party. A less polarizing Likud leader would stand a good chance of assembling a coalition that is both farther to the right and more stable than the government that is set to be sworn in.

Sunday's vote comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which has grown more bitter in the Netanyahu years, in part due to the expansion of settlements considered illegal under international law in the occupied West Bank.

Meanwhile, right-wing anger has grown in Israel over last week's postponement of a controversial Jewish nationalist march through flashpoint areas of east Jerusalem.

The 'March of the Flags' is now slated for Tuesday, and the agitation surrounding it could represent a key initial test for a new coalition government.

Gaza's rulers Hamas said that the political developments in Jerusalem wouldn't change its relationship with Israel.

'The form the Israeli government takes doesn't change the nature of our relationship,' said spokesman Fawzi Barhoum. 'Its still a colonising and occupying power that we must resist.'

The end of an era: From Trump to corruption probes, how Netanyahu has dominated Israel's politics like no other leader

By Lauren Lewis for MailOnline

Israel's longest serving prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ousted from power on Sunday after dominating the country's politics for more than 25 years.

Netanyahu was replaced by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid who took the reins after forming a coalition government with six other parties, including Mansour Abbas's Islamic conservative Raam party.

Netanyahu became the country's longest-serving prime minister in 2019, surpassing Israel's founding father David Ben Gurion, after holding the office office continuously for 12 years since 2009.

During his reign, the Israeli prime minister oversaw the unveiling of the Deal of the Century; signed four normalisation deals with Arab states; and presided over three conflicts with the Gaza Strip.

He also railed against the Iranian nuclear deal, and became the first sitting Israeli president to be indicted.

Benjamin Netanyahu served as the 9th Prime Minister of Israel between 1996 and 1999, he returned to the role in 2009 (pictured attending a Likud Party meeting at the Knesset in March 2009)

Four conflicts in Gaza Strip

In November 2012, Netanyahu oversaw his first operation in Gaza - Operation Pillar of Defence.

The conflict started when after rocket fire from Gaza prompted Israel to strike back, killing Hamas' military chief in an air attack and carrying out hundreds of assaults on militants' underground rocket launchers and weapons stores.

An Egyptian-brokered truce was eventually agreed on November 21, ending the war.

A second conflict came in 2014 - Operation Protective Edge - after Hamas allegedly kidnapped and killed three Israeli teenagers, prompting Israel to launch a military operation with the stated aim of ending rocket fire and destroying tunnels used for smuggling.

The war left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, mostly civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers. A ceasefire was agreed on August 26 and both sides claimed victory.

Smoke from explosions are seen over Gaza City following Israeli strikes on November 19, 2012, during Operation Pillar of Defence

Following the conflict, Netanyahu vowed a 'very strong action if fire is resumed', warning Hamas not to restart the war.

He also said he was no longer willing to renew peace talks with Abbas, saying the Palestinian leader would have to first distance himself from Hamas militants.

'He has to choose,' Netanyahu told Israeli Channel Two in an interview at the time. 'It's either yes to Hamas or no to Hamas.'

Mass protests then erupted in Gaza in March 2018. Demonstrators demanded the right to return to homes in Israel that Palestinians fled or were expelled from after the creation of the Jewish state in 1948.

The protests sparked a surge in violence on the border where Palestinians gathered every Friday. From March 2018 to December 2019, at least 352 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire. Eight Israelis also died in related incidents.

Protests intensified in May 2018 after the new US embassy opened in Jerusalem following Donald Trump's announcement that it would move from Tel Aviv.

Rockets seen in the night sky fired towards Israel from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on May 14, 2021

On May 10, 2021, the fourth conflict of Netanyahu's premiership broke out following days of unrest in east Jerusalem.

Hamas issued Israel an ultimatum to withdraw soldiers from the Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem on May 10. When the ultimatum expired without response, Hamas launched several rockets towards Israel, sparking an air offensive by the IDF.

At least 256 Palestinians, including 66 children, and 13 Israelis were killed during the 11-day conflict.

Netanyahu later claimed victory in the conflict and said Israel's bombing campaign had killed 'more than 200 terrorists' in Gaza.

He promised a 'very powerful' reaction if Hamas breached the truce which ended 11 days of bloodshed. He said: 'If Hamas breaks the calm and attacks Israel, our response will be very powerful'.

Political turmoil with four elections in two years

The right-wing Likud party chief became prime minister for a second time in March 2009, after a first stint between 1996 and 1999.

He formed a coalition firmly anchored in the right, with ultra-nationalist Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister.

A snap poll in January 2013 returned him to the premiership, this time in a coalition with hardliners keen to build settlements on Palestinian land seized during the 1967 Six-Day War.

He returned again to government after winning a confidence vote in parliament in May 2015.

Two years later, Netanyahu oversaw the construction of the first new government-sanctioned settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories since 1991, in defiance of international opinion.

In a general election in April 2019, Netanyahu's party Likud won 35 of the 120 parliamentary seats in a general election, the same number as centrist challenger Benny Gantz.

Netanyahu was tasked with forming a government but was unable to secure a majority and instead decided to call another election on September, which returned the same results.

Neither managed to form a coalition, propelling the country into a third poll - the third election in less than a year.

Likud won 35 of the 120 parliamentary seats in the April 2019 general election (pictured, Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara celebrate after the vote)

An election in March 2020 returned a stalemate, forcing Gantz and Netanyahu to work together. On April 20, the pair unveiled a three-year unity government.

The deal allowed Netanyahu to stay in office for 18 months while Gantz, a former army chief, headed the defence ministry.

Under the agreement, Gantz would then take over as premier for another 18 months before a new round of elections. But, the agreement only held for a few months.

Likud came first in new elections on March 23, 2021, but Netanyahu was not able to form a government within the month-long deadline.

On May 5, centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid was tasked with forming a government, gathering support from nationalist hardliner Naftali Bennett - an arrangement Netanyahu warned would be 'a danger for the security of Israel'.

Indicted on charges of corruption, bribery, fraud, and breach of trust

The three key cases brought against 'Bibi' Case 1000: Fraud and breach of trust Opened in 2016, and involves valuable presents and gifts - such as cigars and bottoms of champagne - allegedly received by Netanyahu and his wife from several wealthy acquaintances in exchange for favours. Case 2000: Fraud and breach of trust Relates to recorded conversations between Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes, chairman and editor of Yedioth Ahronoth, one of the largest newspapers in circulation in Israel. The conversations are said to have discussed legislation that could harm a major competitor of the newspaper - Israel Hayom, despite it being seen as pro-Netanyahu. In exchange, Netanyahu is said to have received positive coverage. Case 4000: Bribery, fraud and breach of trust Alleges Netanyahu promoted regulatory decisions favourable to the controlling shareholder in the Bezeq telecom giant, Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for positive coverage on his Walla news site. Advertisement

In November 21, 2019, Netanyahu was indicted by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on charges of corruption, bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three separate cases.

'It is an attempted coup based on fabrications and a tainted and biased investigative process,' Netanyahu said during a televised speech after the indictment was announced.

'I will continue to lead the country, according to the letter of the law, with responsibility, devotion and concern for all of our futures,' he said, standing at a podium against the backdrop of four Israeli flags in his official residence.

Netanyahu added that the indictment was based on 'false accusations' and a systematically 'tainted investigation.'

It is the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister has been charged with a crime.

The first case involves him allegedly receiving gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy friends, including Hollywood film producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer.

In the second case, he is accused of trying to orchestrate positive coverage in a major Israeli paper in exchange for curbing distribution of a free pro-Netanyahu tabloid.

The third, dubbed Case 4000, which will be the focus of Monday's first witness testimony, alleges that he backed legislation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the owner of Israeli telecom giant Bezeq in return for positive coverage on its news site Walla.

He was formally charged over the alleged offences in January 2020 after he withdrew his appeal for immunity - which the Knesset was widely expected to reject.

Netanyahu has maintained his innocence and denied any wrongdoing in the three corruption cases, saying he is a victim of a political witch-hunt.

Netanyahu appeared in court for the first evidentiary hearing of his trial on charges of corruption, fraud, bribery, and breach of trust, on April 21.

Israeli law does not require prime ministers to resign while under indictment, and Netanyahu has refused to do so.

His trial, in which he pleaded not-guilty, started last year and expected to take up to two years.

A protester wearing a mask, depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attends a gathering outside the district court in Jerusalem on April 5

A close relationship with Trump

Netanyahu enjoyed a positive relationship with US President Donald Trump after years of strained relations with Barack Obama.

Together Netanyahu and Trump worked towards the Deal of the Century - an agreement intended to move towards ending the Arab-Israeli conflict by providing a framework for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The deal, unveiled in January 2020, recognised Israeli sovereignty over major settlement blocs in the West Bank while offering to more than double the territory currently under Palestinian control.

Netanyahu and Trump presented the deal as a 'win-win', but it was widely rubbished by Palestinians, who were not involved in negotiations - and termed the deal the 'slap of the century'.

US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak to the press on the West Wing Colonnade prior to the unveiling of the Deal of the Century in January 2020

Four Arab countries - the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco - normalised relations with Israel in late 2020 in a deal known as the Abraham Accords.

The agreements were signed by Trump, Netanyahu, and the Emirati and Bahraini foreign ministers at the White House on September 15.

Each of the four leaders signed four copies of the Abraham Accords - one in English, one in Hebrew and two in Arabic.

At the time, Netanyahu said Israel was negotiating normalisation deals with five other Arab states, but he did not offer hints as to which ones those may be.

He later signed normalisation agreements with Sudan and Morocco in October and December respectively.

The deals were a dramatic shift of power dynamics in the Middle East, where Israel had been consigned to relative pariah status.

Trump then gifted Netanyahu US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, moving the US embassy there, as well as recognising Israel's annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights.

The four leaders hold up the signed copies of the Abraham Accords - they signed one in English, one in Hebrew and two in Arabic - at the White House on September 15, 2020

Netanyah's 'red lines' on Iran - shown with a cartoon drawing of a bomb and a red felt tip

In September 2012, Netanyahu warned the UN 'red lines' were needed to stop Iran from making nuclear weapons.

In a memorable speech, Netanyahu used a visual aid - a cartoon drawing of a bomb - to demonstrate the necessity of taking action against the Islamic Republic.

He told delegates the failure to establish 'red lines' to stop Tehran from building a nuclear bomb 'by next spring, at most by next summer' would be catastrophic.

'At this late hour', he said. 'There is only one way to peacefully prevent Iran from getting atomic bombs and that's by placing a clear red line on Iran's nuclear weapons programme. Red lines don't lead to war; red lines prevent war.'

Towards the end of his speech, Netanyahu held up a board showing a cartoon-like diagram of bomb that separated Iran's nuclear efforts into three stages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brandishes a cartoon of a bomb during a speech against a nuclear deal between the US and Iran in September 2012

He said that Iran has completed the first stage of developing enough low-enriched uranium and that it was almost at the end of the second stage, the further enrichment of the uranium to weapons grade.

Once that stage was completed next spring or summer, a third stage, preparing an actual weapon, could then be accomplished within 'a few months, possibly a few weeks'.

Building a detonator for the highly enriched uranium would be relatively simple and easily concealed - and by implication not possible to stop militarily.

Using a felt tip pen, he drew a red line across the diagram and said that Iran must be stopped before it completed the second stage. 'I believe that faced with a clear red line, Iran will back down,' he said.

Netanyahu later argued the nuclear deal with Iran was a 'very bad' deal that would make the world a 'much more dangerous place'.

In April 2015, hours before the US and Iran signed the Nuclear Deal, Netanyahu made a furious televised statement claiming the agreement was a threat to the Jewish state.

He said: 'A deal based on this framework would threaten the survival of Israel... such a deal would not block Iran's path to the bomb. It would pave it.'

Despite Netanyahu's protestations, the deal was signed in Vienna on July 14, 2015. It came into force in January 2016.
Peace in Northern Ireland is 'at risk' as Sinn Fein threatens to block a new First Minister and collapse powersharing unless it gets concessions.

DUP leader Edwin Poots voiced anger over the republicans trying to exploit the process of replacing Arlene Foster.

The standoff could see the institutions at Stormont collapse again unless a compromise can be found in the coming days.

Mrs Foster formally quit as joint head of the devolved Executive today, setting the clock ticking on a seven-day time frame within which the DUP must nominate successor Paul Givan.

However under the Good Friday Agreement the unionist First Minister must have a republican deputy - meaning that unless Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill is renominated the process fails.

When the executive collapses the UK Government has a legal responsibility to call an Assembly election - although it has some leeway over the timing.

The resignation of Arlene Foster, due today, sets the clock ticking on a seven-day time frame within which the DUP must nominate successor Paul Givan (pictured left with leader Edwin Poots)

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald (left) with Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill

Yesterday Sinn Fein made clear it would only play its part if there were assurances about the commencement of legal protections for Irish language speakers.

But Mr Poots insisted today that there can be no conditions attached to the nomination process.

He reiterated that he was committed to implementing all outstanding aspects of the 2020 deal to restore powersharing, including Irish language legislation.

However, he declined to indicate whether he would move on the language laws in the current Assembly mandate  a Sinn Fein demand  and insisted there were other priorities the Executive should be focusing on, including the health service and economy.

'Setting preconditions is not appropriate, it's not respecting someone's mandate, and we cannot be in a circumstance where we have preconditions set for the selection of our First Minister. And I'm not setting preconditions to the selection of Sinn Fein's deputy First Minister,' said Mr Poots.

'Our community is at a very tense situation at this moment in time.

'We saw riots on the streets of Belfast earlier this year. And I have serious concerns about the potential for conflict once again on our streets.

'Not only if Sinn Fein do not nominate the deputy First Minister are all of those issues not going to be served well, we are putting our very peace at risk as a consequence of that action.

'If Sinn Fein are going to play fast and loose with the very peace that people enjoy at this moment in time, then that is a very, very serious consideration for them to take. Hopefully they won't.'

The Irish language legislation is one of several outstanding elements of the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) deal that resurrected powersharing in Northern Ireland after a three-year impasse.

Since becoming the new DUP leader, Mr Poots, who succeeded Mrs Foster after an internal revolt forced her out, has repeatedly said he is committed to implementing all of the NDNA agreement.

Sinn Fein has however demanded specific and immediate action on the Irish language aspect, insisting the legislation must be tabled at Stormont ahead of the summer recess if it is to become law before the end of the current Assembly mandate next spring.

Mr Poots warned over a repeat of the riots seen on the streets of Belfast in April

Mrs Foster was forced out in a DUP coup and is due to stand down as First Minister today

Yesterday a Sinn Fein source accused Mr Poots of being 'disingenuous' in his public comments on the NDNA.

The source said Sinn Fein assessed that the DUP was 'acting in bad faith'.

'We do not believe they will deliver on the Irish Language Act,' said the source.

'Our position is that the nomination for first minister and deputy first minister has to be accompanied by legislation on the Irish language.'

The cultural elements of the NDNA, which include protections for Irish and Ulster Scots speakers, would be delivered in the form of amendments to the 1998 Northern Ireland Act.

With the law changes having already been drafted as part of the NDNA deal, the draft legislation can commence its journey through the Assembly once the Executive gives it the green light.

This could be done at a meeting of the devolved administration or by way of an urgent written procedure initiated jointly by the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

The Executive cannot meet in the period between Mrs Foster resigning and a successor being confirmed in the role.

It is understood Sinn Fein would engage in the renomination process if that was followed by a swift meeting of the Executive to sign off on the language legislation.
Novavax Inc says its coronavirus vaccine is more than 90 percent effective at preventing people from falling ill.

The biotechnology company, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, released data from its Phase III clinical trials involving nearly 30,000 participants across 113 sites in the U.S. and six in Mexico.

Only 14 volunteers who had been given the vaccine caught COVID-19 compared to 63 percent in the placebo group, resulting in an overall efficacy of 90.4 percent.

What's more, the vaccine appeared to be safe and well-tolerated, with the most common side effects being fatigue, headache, muscle aches and pain at the injection site, which lasted no more than two or three days.

'It's really very impressive,' Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The Washington Post.

'It's very important for the world's population to have, yet again, another highly efficacious vaccine that looks in its trial to have a good safety profile.'

If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it would the fourth shot made available in the country - and could also be sent abroad to help other nations that are struggling with vaccine shortages.

Novavax said it plans to seek approval in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

Novavax released Phase III clinical trial data on Monday showing its vaccine had overall efficacy of 90.4% at preventing people from contracting COVID-19 (file image)

The U.S. has ordered 100 million doses of Novavax's vaccine, and the company hopes to produce 100 million doses per month by September

Novavax's trial - the final hurdle in scientific testing - launched in December 2020 and involved 29,960 participants aged 18 and older.

Two-thirds of volunteers received two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart, and the rest were given a placebo.

Overall, there were 77 cases of COVID-19, of which 14 were in the group given the vaccine and the rest were in volunteers who received dummy shots.

None in the vaccine group had moderate or severe disease, compared to 14 in the placebo group.

All of the cases in the vaccinated cohort were defined as 'mild', while 10 in the unvaccinated group were considered 'moderate' and four 'severe.'

Novavax said its recruited participants that represented groups most impacted by the disease, including elderly people and those from poorer backgrounds.

Despite the trial finding Novavax's vaccine was 100 percent effective at preventing serious illness, the true figure will be lower because no jab is perfect.

Additionally, the team looked at sequencing data for 54 of the 77 cases in the study.

Researchers found that the vaccine effective against the original strain and 93.2 percent effective against some variants.

'Our vaccine will be a critical part of the solution to and we are grateful to the study participants and trial staff who made this study possible, as well as our supporters, including the US government,' Dr Gregory Glenn, president of research and development for Novavax, said in a statement.

Britain has ordered more than 500 million doses of the most promising COVID-19 vaccines, including 60 million of Novavax

In the UK, the government has ordered 60 million doses, despite having enough doses on order from vaccines already approved - Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Modern and Johnson & Johnson - to vaccinate the entire nation multiple times over.

Novavax, which is also making jabs aimed at other variants, has said its priority will be to supply first doses to low and middle-income countries.

Less than one percent of people in the developing world have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to Our World In Data.

On Sunday, leaders at the G7 summit committed to providing one billion vaccine doses to impoverished nations over the next year.

But the pledge was criticised by charities for being far short of the 11 billion jabs the World Health Organization says are needed to end the pandemic.

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline will support the manufacturing of up to 60 million doses of the Novavax jab in the UK.

In a deal announced in late March, GSK will 'fill and finish' supplies of the vaccine at its factory in Durham starting from May.

The GSK deal means the Novavax jabs will not have to leave the UK. The raw chemicals are being produced at a site in Stockton-on-Tees, but the original plan was for the vials to be prepared and packaged in Europe.

The Novavax jab differs from those already being used in the UK.

It combines a genetically engineered protein that causes a weakened version of Covid with a plant-based ingredient to help generate a stronger immune response.

Novavax says people should be given two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart. The vaccine, officially named NVX-CoV2373, can be stored in a regular medical fridge.

The GSK site at Barnard Castle is a specialised facility in global manufacturing network which supports production of GSK pharmaceutical and vaccine products.

The protein antigen component of NVX-CoV2373 is also produced in the North East of England by Novavax's manufacturing partner, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, at their site in Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees.
The widow of a married hospital doctor who took his own life after being accused of sexually assaulting a teenage patient is suing over his death.

Dr Sridharan Suresh, 50, a senior consultant anaesthetist at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, was found dead in the River Tees near Jubilee Bridge in Stockton on May 2, 2018.

The allegation against him had centred around a teenage patient claiming Dr Suresh had touched her sexually after administering a sedative.

An inquest had previously Dr Suresh was under the impression the police investigation was to be discontinued as the drug can cause hallucinations and there were no witnesses to the alleged incident.

His hopes were shattered when he received an email from the General Medical Council (GMC) announcing it was continuing its probe.

He was found dead the same day after messaging his architect wife, Visalakshmi, to say he had done nothing wrong.

Dr Suresh's wife said the agencies had failed her husband, whom she described as a loving family man and a dedicated doctor, and accused them of negligence.

Dr Sridharan Suresh, 50, a senior consultant anaesthetist at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, was found dead in May 2018

Legal papers, claiming the trust's failings contributed to Dr Suresh's suicide, have been served.

The British Medical Association said in a statement: 'The widow of a doctor who took his own life is to be supported by the BMA in her claim against her husband's former employer, and the GMC, for negligence and under Article 2 of the Human Rights Act - the right to life.

'The letter will say the trust's failings contributed to Dr Suresh's decision to take his own life. It will say the trust owed him a duty of care and breached that by wrongly informing Dr Suresh that he would not be referred to the GMC, failing to update Dr Suresh or their medical director when the police made a referral to the GMC and failing to take steps to protect Dr Suresh's mental health in light of those developments.'

'A letter before action has been sent to the GMC, from the BMA appointed lawyers. It says the GMC should have known there was a real and immediate risk of suicide, and that there were system failures after the GMC failed to take any steps to liaise with Dr Suresh's employer or the police to assess his vulnerabilities, despite Dr Suresh telling his trust how the investigations were affecting him and his family.'

Visalakshmi Suresh said the agencies had failed her husband, whom she described as a loving family man and a dedicated doctor, and accused them of negligence.

At the earlier inquest Mrs Suresh said her husband had felt isolated, there had been a lack of support and that even a reassuring phone call 'would have made a huge difference'.

Calling it a 'systematic failure from the organisation', she said: 'He was totally dedicated to serving his patients.'

A spokesperson for the GMC said: 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic case of Dr Suresh and the devastation this has brought his family. It's so important we keep listening, learning and improving our processes, and we have made a number of changes since the inquest.

'New safeguards including the offer of a phone call with our first email, and pre-disclosure checks following police referrals, will help us ensure sensitive messages are delivered in the best possible way, so extra support can be arranged if necessary.

'We are seeking legislative reform, including greater flexibility, to the way we work with employers and investigate complaints. This will allow us to protect patients and reduce the impact of investigations on doctors.'

For confidential support in the UK call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details.
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Boris Johnson announced a four-week delay to the end of the Covid lockdown roadmap as experts fear the now-dominant Indian 'Delta' variant is on the cusp of triggering a third wave.

Cases have spiked 50 per cent in a week across the UK and the number of people needing hospital treatment for Covid is rising slowly in its wake, with more than 1,000 people now on wards with the virus.

Infections are mostly in the young, with rates up to seven times higher among people in their 20s than in the over-80s, and scientists and ministers are still confident that vaccines will keep a lid on the death toll.

But a single dose is no longer enough to protect most people from catching Covid and Mr Johnson must buy the NHS more time to get second jabs out to millions more middle-aged people, who are still at risk of hospitalisation.

The PM is expected to announce that curbs such as large event number limits, social distancing and unlimited indoor mixing will have to stay until at least mid-July and potentially until England's school summer holidays.

He hinted strongly at the delay when he said on Friday: 'What everybody can see very clearly is that cases are going up and in some places hospitalisations are going up... We will be driven by the data, we will be looking at that and setting it out on Monday.'

Here is a look at the data that may have spooked him:

The trend of total number of people in hospital has remained relatively flat, fluctuating between 800 and 1,100 for the past month but creeping upwards in the most recent week. Experts say the current surge in cases will see it tick up in the coming days and weeks.

Public Health England data showed that in the week ending June 6 the highest infection rate was 121 cases per 100,000 people among those aged 20 to 29. Rates were also high in teenagers (99 per 100,000) and adults in their 30s (73). They are significantly lower among older age groups

CASES ARE RISING ACROSS UK BUT BIGGEST SPIKES IN UNDER-30s

Coronavirus cases have undeniably been rising in the UK, and quickly, in recent weeks after the ending of most lockdown rules on May 17 coincided with the takeover of the Indian variant.

The average number of positive tests announced each day is now above 7,000 for the first time since the tail end of the second wave in March, after 7,490 cases were confirmed yesterday after 8,125 on Friday.

There were 50,017 cases confirmed between Monday and Sunday last week, a 50 per cent spike from 33,496 the week before.

But a ray of hope among the rising infections is the fact that cases are up to 17 times higher among young adults than they are in the at-risk elderly, suggesting vaccines are protecting older people.

Public Health England data showed that in the week ending June 6 the highest infection rate was 121 cases per 100,000 people among those aged 20 to 29. Rates were also high in teenagers (99 per 100,000) and adults in their 30s (73).

But they were significantly lower in the middle-aged and elderly, with the lowest rate in over-70s, at 7 per 100,000, followed by 14 per 100,000 among people in their 60s and 32 per 100,000 in people in their 50s.

And while the rate had doubled in just a week in people in their 20s, it rose by only 17 per cent in the over-80s, showing most of the surging epidemic at the time was in young people.

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS ARE CREEPING UP WITH VARIANT HOTSPOTS LEADING THE WAY

Hospital admissions are creeping up across the UK and more notably in Delta variant hotspots.

The increase has been significantly slower than cases  there was a 15 per cent increase in the most recent week, from 875 new admissions by June 1 to 1,008 in the week to June 8  but this is likely an effect of the lag between someone getting infected and then getting sick enough to need hospital treatment.

The real test of how well vaccines will taking pressure off hospitals will come in the next week or two, when there has been enough time  two to three weeks  since the spike in cases to see what happens.

Professor Neil Ferguson, Imperial College London epidemiologist and member of SAGE, said scientists were hoping the ratio of cases to hospital admissions could be cut by 85 per cent from the pre-jab rate of around nine per cent.

In the most recent data, for June 8, there were 187 people admitted to hospital with Covid in the UK, the highest since April 14. By Thursday, June 10, there were a total of 1,089 patients in hospital.

The trend of total number of people in hospital has remained relatively flat, fluctuating between 800 and 1,100 for the past month but creeping upwards in the most recent week. Experts say the current surge in cases will see it tick up in the coming days and weeks.

Places where infection rates with the Delta variant are comparatively high  Bedfordshire, London, Birmingham, Manchester and East Lancashire  had the highest admission rates in the most recent data but even those, the worst-hit hospitals, still had only five patients admitted on June 6.

They also have the most people in hospital in total, with 44 Covid patients on wards in Manchester University NHS Trust on June 8. This was the highest in the country and up almost 60 per cent in a week from 28 on June 1.

Inpatient numbers were rising in all but three of the areas with the most patients  falling only in Bolton and Croydon, and flat at King's College London, while rising in Imperial College London, East Lancashire, Bedfordshire, Salford Royal in Manchester, Southampton and Birmingham.

The increase in new admissions to hospital has been significantly slower than cases  there was a 15 per cent increase in the most recent week, from 875 new admissions by June 1 to 1,008 in the week to June 8  but this is likely an effect of the lag between someone getting infected and then getting sick enough to need hospital treatment

INTENSIVE CARE CLOSE TO 2021 LOW BUT RISING SLOWLY WITH NORTH WEST WORST HIT

The number of patients with Covid in intensive care remains low in the UK, with only 158 people critically ill in hospital by June 10.

This figure rose slightly compared to previous weeks but the trend has been broadly flat  the lowest point of 2021 was 119 on May 29, just two weeks ago, after it fell from over 4,000 in late January.

More detailed information for England, up to June 8, showed that 47 out of a total 140 intensive care patients were all in the North West.

Just two Indian variant hotspots East Lancashire and Bolton hospitals accounted for 21 of these patients  15 per cent of the country's total, or one in seven.

The delay between cases and the need for intensive care is even longer than it is between people getting infected and getting admitted to a general hospital ward, so these numbers could begin increasing in the coming weeks.

But the vaccines are also expected to have an effect on the number of people who become gravely ill. While the jab should stop most people from ending up in hospital at all, even those who do end up in hospital do not seem to be as sick as they used to be.

Chief of the NHS Providers union, Chris Hopson, said last week: 'What chief executives are consistently telling us is that it is a much younger population that is coming in, they are less clinically vulnerable, they are less in need of critical care and therefore they're seeing what they believe is a significantly lower mortality rate which is, you know, borne out by the figures.

'So it's not just the numbers of people who are coming in, it's actually the level of harm and clinical risk.'

GOVERNMENT MUST BUY MORE TIME FOR VACCINE ROLLOUT OF SECOND DOSES

The Government's four-week delay to the ending of lockdown will be designed to buy time for the vaccine rollout to get second doses to more adults to try and protect them from the Delta variant.

Government data show that more than half of adults have had their second vaccine doses already but millions more still need them. A staggering eight out of 10 have had their first dose

Public Health England has warned that a single dose of vaccine, which used to protect well against the virus, no longer cuts it for most people.

In a report published last week it said the estimated protection from one dose of either jab has fallen from 50 per cent against the Kent variant to just 33 per cent against Delta. The reduction in protection after two doses is much smaller, with it falling from an estimated 88 per cent to 81 per cent.

MailOnline analysis of official figures last week showed all people aged 50 and above could all have had their second vaccine dose by June 17, at the current rate of immunisation, with protection kicking in a week or two later.

But the under-50s may not all have received by their final jab until September 18, fueling concerns a surge in Covid infections caused by the Indian variant may result in a spike in deaths and hospitalisations among the unvaccinated.

This assumes the rollout will continue at its current average daily pace of around 265,000 second doses a day, which would be dependent on both supply and uptake rates.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, agreed that the data suggests delaying lockdown easing by two weeks would make sense.

He said: 'June 17 for all over-50s to have had both doses does seem realistic. And I think they are going to delay June 21 because it takes two weeks for those vaccines to kick in and over-50s are going to be the most important to get done.'

All over-50s in England could be fully protected against Covid by July 1  nearly two weeks after 'freedom day on June 21  but it will take until September for all adults to have had two jabs, MailOnline analysis can reveal

DEATHS STILL FLAT  BUT QUARTER OF NEW VARIANT VICTIMS WERE FULLY VACCINATED

The number of people dying each day of coronavirus remains relatively flat  the daily average reported deaths is nine and the figure has been between eight and 10 for the past three weeks.

It briefly fell to a daily average of six for four days in mid-May but has not been lower than that at any time in the pandemic, not even last summer when the virus had been all but stamped out.

Deaths usually take between two weeks and a month to react after a spike in cases because it can take people so long to die of Covid after they test positive.

Although the success of the vaccines now means that there were will have to be significantly more cases per death compared to earlier waves of the virus, scientists still expect the number of fatalities to rise and fall along with infections  they just hope there will be fewer.

Professor Neil Ferguson said last week: 'It's well within the possibility that we could see another, third, wave at least comparable in terms of hospitalisations as the second wave. At least deaths, I think, certainly would be lower.'

A lingering worry, however, is the fact that vaccines won't perfectly protect people and that 'vaccine failure' is inevitable in some people  most likely the old and frail.

Public Health England figures show that almost a third of the 42 Britons who have so far died from the Indian (Delta) Covid had been given two vaccine doses.

The PHE report showed that of those 42 people who died, 12 were fully vaccinated. From the remaining members of the group, 23 were unvaccinated, while seven had received their first dose more than 21 days before, suggesting they had one-dose protection.

The latest data puts the vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease against the Delta variant at 33 per cent after one dose. After two doses, this rises to 81 per cent. This is is lower than the Alpha variant, where the figures are 51 per cent after the first dose, and 88.4 per cent after the second.

DELTA VARIANT NOW DOMINANT IN 263 OUT OF 315 AREAS OF ENGLAND

The Indian 'Delta' variant is now dominant in 263 out of 315 areas of England, up from 201 last week.

Surveillance data gathered by the Wellcome Sanger Institute revealed that the variant accounted for more than half of infections in 85 per cent of areas across the country in the two weeks leading up to June 5.

The strain  known by scientists as B.1.617.2  is more contagious than the Kent 'Alpha' variant and is now dominant in every borough of Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London.

The variant is likely to be even more dominant, due to the delay in determining which variant a positive test was caused by  Public Health England said last week it was accounting for 96 per cent of positive tests.

Across the country, the variant is responsible for 88.4 per cent of all cases, according to the Sanger report. The once-dominant Kent strain now only accounts for 11.3 per cent of cases.

Havant, in Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight are the only areas that have not recorded any cases of the Delta variant, according to the statistics. All of the cases examined in those two regions were identified as the Kent mutation.

In nearly 40 parts of England  including Cambridge, Newcastle and York  the strain is thought to be responsible for all Covid infections.

The strain is not yet dominant in 28 areas of the country, such as Doncaster, Sheffield and Southampton.

But 24 regions did not provided data for the weeks leading up to June 5, so it is unclear how those places  which include Darlington and Eastbourne  have been hit by the variant.

Data from the Wellcome Sanger Institute shows how the proportion of cases being caused by the Indian 'Delta' variant rose during the first half of May, with hotspots (shown in purple) first emerging in the North West, London and central England
A school has come under fire for marking its students with a black Sharpie to signal their vaccination status at prom.

Earlier this month, students at Exeter High School in New Hampshire were marked unvaccinated and vaccinated with pen.

In a statement posted to the school web site, administrators defended the policy. During the prom, students were asked to raise their hand every few songs so that event organizers could 'determine who they were around.'

The school said that it does not know of any COVID-19 cases linked to the prom. It said that just one of the organizers possessed a list of prom attendees in which numbers written corresponded to the names of students.

'The prom attendee list does not have any personally identifiable information on it regarding student vaccinations and did not list the numbers assigned to students,' according to the school.

'Only a single set of cards with this information exists for tracking purposes and the class advisor was the only individual that possessed them.

According to state Rep. Melissa Litchfield, children who had not been vaccinated were marked with the black Sharpie. Those who had been vaccinated were marked with a red pen.

'What does that mean to you? I'm just going to let that sit there,' state Rep. Melissa Litchfield said of the prom policy to mark revelers vaccinated or unvaccinated.

'Those cards will be destroyed in the next few days.'

The move sparked outrage among some parents and drew criticism from a state lawmaker.

According to Republican state Rep. Melissa Litchfield, children who had not been vaccinated were marked with the black Sharpie.

Those who had been vaccinated were marked with a red pen.

'You had to produce your papers, and if you didn't produce your papers, you were branded with a black Sharpie,' Litchfield said.

'What does that mean to you? I'm just going to let that sit there.'

According to Litchfield, parents were not notified of the move ahead of the event.

The state lawmaker made a Facebook post drawing attention to the incident.

One unimpressed parent said: 'We truly feel they are literally branding our kids if they don't get the "approved vaccine."'

In an emailed statement provided to NBC10 Boston, Principal Mike Monahan defended the decision, saying: 'Our student and parent feedback has been extremely positive regarding the prom experience.

High school students at Exeter High School in New Hampshire were marked unvaccinated and vaccinated with pen. School is pictured above

Republican state Rep. Melissa Litchfield posted about the controversial prom policy on Facebook. 'You had to produce your papers, and if you didn't produce your papers, you were branded with a black Sharpie,' she said

'We are aware that some concerns have been expressed that students were singled out or had their privacy violated.

'We made every effort possible  while adhering to contact tracing guidelines  to ensure that this did not happen.

'We hope the community will understand that while no model is perfect, this model let the students enjoy a close to normal and highly desired experience to cap off their senior year.

'That's the memory we want to leave them with.'
A police officer accused of causing death by dangerous driving after a child actor and his aunt were killed by a motorist fleeing him has denied any wrongdoing.

Met PC Edward Welch, 32, faces four charges, including two counts of causing death by dangerous driving after Makayah McDermott and Rozanne Cooper were killed in a police chase nearly five years ago.

Joshua Dobby - the estranged son of a millionaire - ploughed into talented 10-year-old Makayah and his aunt Ms Cooper, 34, after losing control of the stolen Ford Focus in August 2016.

He drove four times over the speed limit of 20mph, the wrong way down a one way street and was still travelling at 50mph as he mounted the kerb.

Ms Cooper had been walking down the busy road in Penge, south east London, with her daughter Eva, Makayah and his older twin sisters Niyah and Yahla, 13, when the car ploughed into them.

The three girls were taken to hospital for their injuries, but survived the crash.

Makayah McDermott (left), ten, and Rosie Cooper (right), 34, were killed by the stolen car

Joshua Dobby, then 23, was sentenced to two years for two counts of manslaughter in court

Dobby stole the car after finding the keys in the street and was on his way to sell it to buy drugs, the Old Bailey heard when he was jailed for 12 years in February 2017.

Police abandoned their chase as he drove at 80mph through red lights and through a 30mph zone at 70mph in Penge, the court was told.

Eight months after Dobby was jailed, the police watchdog, the IPCC now called the IOPC, announced an investigation was being launched and that the two officers involved in the chase could face criminal charges.

Welch was the driver of a marked police car that pursued the vehicle driven by Dobby which crashed into Makayah and Ms Cooper.

Today Welch appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court where he indicated not guilty pleas to charges of causing death by dangerous driving over the deaths of Makayah and Ms Cooper.

When asked if Welch would be indicating a plea, his lawyer, Ailsa Williamson, said: Not guilty.

People laid flowers on Lennard Road in Penge, south-east London, where the car struck

A forensic police officer examining the scene in Lennard Road in south-east London at the time

Dobby's black car on the pavement following the crash that killed Makayah McDermott and his aunt Rozanne Cooper

She added: There will be issues as to whether he caused the collision as he was driving the police vehicle pursuing Mr Dobby who collided with the pedestrians.

District Judge Tan Ikram added: The issue is recorded as the driving wasnt dangerous.

Welch, of Chatham, Kent, will stand trial on four charges, including two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, one count of causing injury by dangerous driving and one count of dangerous driving.

Ben Southam, prosecuting, said: These allegations arise from a police pursuit on August 31, 2016 involving another vehicle driven by Joshua Dobby who lost control of the vehicle and collided with pedestrians on the pavement.

He was driving the vehicle pursuing Joshua Dobby.

He was released on unconditional bail and is next due to appear at The Old Bailey on July 12.

A second PC who was with PC Welch has not been charged as the CPS concluded there was no legal basis for prosecution.

Makayah had been given leading roles in productions at his south London theatre school and just weeks before his death auditioned for a part in a major new television series.

His 13-year-old twin sisters also appeared in a string of national advertising campaigns.

The three siblings all attended the Pop School and Stage Academy (PSSA) in Beckenham, south east London, and Makayah starred in a production of Wizard of Oz spin-off The Wiz not long before he died, in which his two sisters also appeared.

The young star had also performed at nearby Catfords Broadway Theatre.

After the accident, around 20 passers-by were said to have rushed to lift the car in order for the twins to crawl free.

After pleading guilty, Dobby was jailed for 12 years concurrently after admitting two counts of manslaughter as well as three years and four months in prison for causing serious injury by dangerous driving on August 31, 2016, and 16 months for dangerous driving five days earlier.

He was also banned from driving for 15 years and will have to retake a driving test.

The charges follow a year-long investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which finished in August 2017.

In August 2017 the IOPC handed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service. The file related to both PC Welch and the other officer involved for their actions during and following the pursuit.

Then in June 2019 an inquest ruled Makayah and Ms Cooper were unlawfully killed by Dobby.
The public inquiry into the death of Jermaine Baker, who was shot by a Metropolitan Police marksman during a foiled prison break, began today as its chairman praised his family for their patience.

Mr Baker, 28, was among a group of men trying to free two Wormwood Scrubs inmates from a prison van near Wood Green Crown Court in north London in December 2015.

He was shot dead by a marksman known only as W80, who said he thought Mr Baker - the front seat passenger in a stolen Audi waiting for the van - was reaching for a gun.

Jermaine Baker, 28, was among a group of men trying to free two inmates from a prison van near Wood Green Crown Court in north London in December 2015

No firearm was found, but police did recover an imitation Uzi machine gun in the rear of the car.

An inquest was originally opened into Mr Baker's death, but in February last year Home Secretary Priti Patel announced that a public inquiry would be held instead.

Today inquiry chair Clement Goldstone QC praised Mr Baker's family for their conduct as they waited for hearings to begin.

He said in an opening statement: 'Jermaine Baker's family have waited anxiously but patiently and always courteously for this day.'

The chairman stressed that he will be led by the evidence when he comes to write his report on the case later this year.

He said: 'I wish to emphasise now to all core participants that I will not shirk my duty if I am driven on the evidence to make findings of fact which are unpalatable to some and unwelcome to others.

'But equally the fact that an unarmed man was fatally shot in tragic circumstances does not mean that it is the objective of this inquiry to be in the position to find fault with the actions or omissions of an individual or individuals, or with corporate systems and practices.

'That will be my duty if but only if the evidence drives me to such conclusions.'

Mr Baker was fatally shot by an officer during a Metropolitan Police operation which thwarted a plot to snatch Izzet Eren (above) and his co-defendant in December 2015

Oral hearings, being live streamed online while coronavirus restrictions remain in place, are being held at a venue in Fleet Street in the City of London.

They are expected to run until early August.

As well as the events of the day of the shooting, the inquiry, chaired by Clement Godstone QC, will look at the planning of the armed operation and the aftermath.

The Crown Prosecution has not brought criminal charges against the armed officer, saying there was insufficient evidence.

In 2019, police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed that the Met should bring disciplinary proceedings for gross misconduct against the officer.

That decision is now the subject of legal wrangling in the High Court.

It was initially successfully challenged by W80, then that judgment was overturned following an appeal by the IOPC, but lawyers for the marksman said they intended to apply for leave to appeal again.
Holiday booking company TUI has cancelled more trips to Greece, Spain and Italy until July as it was announced that Freedom Day is being pushed back by four weeks.

It has already been forced to cancel bookings before during the pandemic so it is believed that the latest decision is a bid to avoid losing more money.

The move comes after Jet2 cancelled all international flights and holidays up to July 1 and Easyjet is 'reviewing' its flights in the wake of traffic light chaos.

The latest TUI holidays to get the axe, according to Travel Weekly, are:

Up to and including July 4: Aruba, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece  Crete (Chania), Kavala, Kefalonia, Mykonos, Preveza, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki, Italy, Jamaica, Malta, Spain  Mainland Spain, Formentera, Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, La Palma, all Tui, Lakes & Mountains destinations.

TUI has already been forced to cancel bookings before during the pandemic so it is believed that the latest decision is a bid to avoid losing more money. Pictured: Passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport last month

The latest holidays to get the axe are: Up to and including July 4: Aruba, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece - Crete (Chania), Kavala, Kefalonia, Mykonos, Preveza, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki, Italy, Jamaica, Malta, Spain (pictured) - Mainland Spain, Formentera, Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, La Palma, all Tui, Lakes & Mountains destinations

Up to and including July 11: Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey.

The company also had to cancel all holidays which include non-Tui flights to Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and UAE up to including July 11.

Jet2 originally suspended its services up to June 24 when the green list was announced.

But now all flights for this month have been cancelled amid a spate of changes - including moving Portugal, Madeira and the Azores to the amber list.

Flights to Turkey, which is on the red list of the Government's traffic light system, will be held until July 22 as the restrictions look unlikely to ease.

Jet2 boss Steve Heapy blasted the Government for confusion surrounding the last-minute changes.

He called for 'openness and transparency' on coronavirus data so that the industry could better understand decisions affecting airlines and their customers.

TUI told Travel Weekly: 'We want to offer our customers flexibility and choice this summer, so where borders are open and FCDO advice allows travel, we will operate to those destinations as planned.

TUI also had to cancel all holidays which include non-Tui flights to Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and UAE up to including July 11

'We are constantly reviewing our holiday programme and cancellations in line with the government updates every three weeks, with the next update expected on 24 June.

'All customers will be contacted as soon as possible if there is any change to their booking.'

'All customers impacted by these cancellations will be contacted directly and will be able to request a full cash refund, or to change to a later date or alternative holiday and receive a booking incentive,' Tui added.

'If we need to cancel any future holidays because of updated government guidance, we will be in touch directly and aim to give customers at least seven days' notice.

Which holiday destinations have been cancelled and when? Up to and including July 4: Aruba

Croatia

Cyprus

Greece  Crete (Chania)

Kavala

Kefalonia

Mykonos

Preveza

Samos

Santorini

Skiathos

Thessaloniki

Italy

Jamaica

Malta

Spain  Mainland Spain

Formentera

Mallorca

Ibiza

Menorca

La Palma

All Tui, Lakes & Mountains destinations Up to and including July 11: Bulgaria

Cape Verde

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Egypt

Mexico

Morocco

Tunisia

Turkey The company also had to cancel all holidays which include non-Tui flights to Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and UAE up to including July 11. Advertisement

'We would like to thank our customers for their understanding at this time.'

Meanwhile, budget airline EasyJet said it is reviewing flights to Portugal after the country was taken off the green list for travel.

A spokesman said: 'As a result of the Government's sudden announcement placing Portugal on the amber list from next week, we are currently reviewing our flying programme to the country in the coming days.

'If customers want to change their plans, we offer the option to transfer their flights to another date or destination on EasyJet's network without a change fee up to two hours before departure.

'Any customers whose flights are cancelled will be provided with their options which include receiving a full refund or transferring to an alternative flight free of charge.'

It comes after travel industry chiefs last week blasted the Government's 'crippling' decision to axe Portugal from its green list of safe destinations amid growing concern over the Nepal coronavirus variant.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the Mediterranean country, whose economy relies greatly on UK tourists, is being moved to the amber list from 4am Tuesday following a rise in positive tests.

But the move triggered fury from travel industry chiefs, including the chief executives of Heathrow and EasyJet, who accused the Government of trying to 'isolate' Britain from the world and warned that another 'lost summer' could lead to a jobs bloodbath and billions more being wiped from the economy.

Figures compiled for the Mail by the all-party Future of Aviation group of MPs last night projected that the cost to the economy could be as much as 11.5billion in outbound travel alone if the current restrictions remain through the next three months. Meanwhile, fears were raised for the 1.6million jobs the aviation, travel and tourism sector creates.

It comes after furious Tory MPs lashed out at Boris Johnson as he prepares to delay Freedom Day and the end of lockdown for four weeks.

The Prime Minister will urge Britons to be patient as he announces that the relaxation of Covid restrictions will be pushed back until July 19 because of the rampaging Indian variant, to allow more people to receive their second vaccine dose.

But he is set to offer an olive branch to some industries that will be worst-hit by the delay, including lifting the cap on the number of guests who can attend weddings. He is also expected to permit more outdoor seated spaces at sporting events.

The concessions come as Tory MPs join hospitality and other business leaders in venting their fury at the postponement, warning it will cost firms millions of pounds.

The Prime Minister faced calls for a 'break clause' to cut short the lockdown extension after two or three weeks' if the data allows it.

Conservative MP Damian Green has told the Westminster Hour that there should be a break clause after two or three weeks of the extension.

'I get the point that because of the deltas variant the cases have gone up, hospitalisation has gone up a bit but not a lot and is below the level of some of the Sage predictions of a few months ago,' he said.

'So I think if there is a delay I hope it's only for a few weeks and I think if it is as long as a month then there should be a break clause after two or maybe three weeks, to say that if we can tell by then that the rise in cases is not lading to a sort of rise in the serious illness that sends people into hospital, then we can unlock earlier.'
Britain may shorten the gap between the first and second dose for everyone getting AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine, a top government adviser said today.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)  which advises No10, said the move would 'make sense' and boost the race against the Indian variant.

Boris Johnson is tonight expected to announce a four-week delay to the end of lockdown, which had been slated for June 21, to buy time for the vaccine roll-out after it emerged that a single dose does not protect well against the Indian 'Delta' strain.

Currently under-50s get their second dose appointments scheduled for around 12 weeks after their first jab.

The policy brought in at the start of the programme to help spread supplies over more people. The gap was shortened for over-50s  who are most vulnerable to the disease  when the new variant appeared.

And Professor Harnden said slashing the gap to eight weeks for under-50s as well would help the country get more people protected in a shorter space of time.

He said 'plentiful' stocks of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab meant it could be done with younger adults getting that vaccine. Pfizer supplies, however, are expected to be 'tight' in the coming weeks because it is being used for the majority of under-40s.

Professor Harnden said slashing the gap to eight weeks for under-50s as well as over-50s would help the country get more people protected in a shorter space of time

Almost 30million people  over half of adults  have already had two vaccine doses but Boris Johnson is planning to delay the end of the lockdown to boost this coverage and limit the damage a new wave of the Indian variant will do

Professor Harnden said on BBC Radio 4: 'We are still vaccinating over 50-year-olds with their second dose in the UK at the moment so we would want to complete that, and we would want to carry on reaching out those unvaccinated individuals above 50 or at risk.

'But as we move down the age groups, particularly with plentiful supply of AstraZeneca vaccine, it would make sense to shorten that dose interval from 12 to eight weeks for 40-plus.'

People younger than 40 are generally not being given the AstraZeneca vaccine because there were concerns they might be at risk of developing blood clots.

Some people have had it but it is now NHS policy to give younger adults a different jab unless there is no other option.

A possible downside to shortening the gap, Professor Harnden said, would be that the jab appears less effective when doses are closer together.

He said 'you really wouldn't want to give it less than eight weeks' and added: 'One must bear in mind that the shorter duration of the AstraZeneca probably offers less protection longer term and therefore there would be a short term trail off.

How well do vaccines work against the Indian variant? Public Health England has warned that a single dose of vaccine, which used to protect well against the virus, no longer cuts it for most people. In a report published last week it said the estimated protection from one dose of either jab has fallen from 50 per cent against the Kent variant to just 33 per cent against Delta. This number measures the reduction in symptomatic illness  protection remains higher for severe illness or death but is still lower than it was for the Kent strain. The reduction in protection after two doses is much smaller, with it falling from an estimated 88 per cent to 81 per cent. The reason vaccines are less effective than against the Kent variant is because the Indian strain has mutated to look even less like the original Wuhan strain the vaccines are based on. Vaccines produce antibodies that target the virus like keys to locks and, the more different a virus becomes when it mutates into different variants, the less well the antibodies can stick to and destroy it. Advertisement

'But we have got an emerging problem with this Delta variant in the country at the moment and it would seem very sensible to get as many people immunised with that second dose as possible.'

On whether it had still been the right choice to rattle through first doses and extend the gap between the jabs  at which most other countries and the World Health Organization turned up their noses  Professor Harnden said different strategies were needed for different variants.

The JCVI boss said: 'This is the problem  of course earlier on in the second wave, when we had the Alpha variant, we knew that one dose of a vaccine was highly effective against the Alpha variant and actually getting many, many more doses into many, many more people was the right strategy.

'But now we know that with this Delta variant the first dose only offers about 33 per cent protection against infection.

'That's not against serious illness, it will offer more against that, but still it is less than against the Alpha variant, hence the drive to get as many second doses done as quickly as possible.'

The UK has so far given 41.5million people their first dose of a vaccine and 29.8million their second doses.

This means more than half of adults are fully vaccinated but at least 20million still don't have maximum protection, including millions of at-risk people.

Public Health England has warned that a single dose of vaccine, which used to protect well against the virus, no longer cuts it for most people.

In a report published last week it said the estimated protection from one dose of either jab has fallen from 50 per cent against the Kent variant to just 33 per cent against Delta.

This number measures the reduction in symptomatic illness  protection remains higher for severe illness or death but is still lower than it was for the Kent strain.

Public Health England says the effectiveness of a single vaccine dose plummets to just 33 per cent against the Delta variant, meaning two out of three people would still get symptoms. Two doses still work well, at an estimated 81 per cent protection

The reduction in protection after two doses is much smaller, with it falling from an estimated 88 per cent to 81 per cent.

The reason vaccines are less effective than against the Kent variant is because the Indian strain has mutated to look even less like the original Wuhan strain the vaccines are based on.

Vaccines produce antibodies that target the virus like keys to locks and, the more different a virus becomes when it mutates into different variants, the less well the antibodies can stick to and destroy it.

But antibodies are not the only part of the immune system, meaning none of the existing variants can completely evade vaccine-triggered immunity.
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Joe Biden was today accused of breaching royal protocol by revealing the Queen asked him about Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping during their talks at Windsor Castle - and for not removing his sunglasses.

The US President, who visited the monarch with his wife Jill Biden yesterday following the G7 summit in Cornwall last week, said she 'wanted to know' about the Russian and Chinese presidents and they had a 'long talk'.

Mr Biden told reporters before leaving London Heathrow Airport yesterday: 'We had a great talk. She wanted to know what the two leaders that I the one I'm about to meet with, Mr Putin, and she wanted to know about Xi Jinping, and we had a long talk, and she was very generous.'

However, it is generally frowned upon for anyone to reveal the contents of their private talks with the Queen  something that also happened when Mr Biden's predecessor Donald Trump visited her in Britain in 2018.

Speaking about the latest protocol breach, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline today: 'The Queen is supposed to have told Michelle Obama that royal protocol was rubbish. It has nonetheless been a rule that an audience with the Queen is strictly private and to reveal its contents is a breach of trust.

'President Biden, by revealing that the Queen had asked about the Russian and Chinese leaders, did breach this rule. It is very possible that, as the G7 sees itself as a bulwark of democracy against regimes such as Russia and China, that this comment may have been prearranged in line with this theme.

'The President, who will soon be meeting President Putin, naturally gave no details. Biden's revelation of what the Queen asked was surprising, but it appeared to emphasise the message of her government and its transatlantic ally, which is the world's only superpower, that there is a great deal of concern about the activities of President Putin's totalitarian regime and that of China's President Xi too.'

Mr Biden is set to meet with Mr Putin face to face this Wednesday in Geneva, having levied sanctions against Russian entities over allegations of interference in last year's US election and the hacking of federal agencies.

As for China, Mr Biden has developed a rapport with Mr Xi, spending days travelling with him, but he has also vowed to confront the country's 'economic abuses' and push back against human rights violations.

Separately today, Mr Biden was also accused of breaking a second protocol by keeping his sunglasses on when he met the Queen despite the intense sunshine on a very hot day that saw temperatures hit 84F (29C) in London.

US President Joe Biden wears sunglasses next to Queen Elizabeth II and First Lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle yesterday

Queen Elizabeth II with Joe and Jill Biden in the Grand Corridor during their visit to Windsor Castle in Berkshire yesterday

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden smile while standing with the Queen watching a Guard of Honour yesterday

Grant Harrold, a former butler to Prince Charles and Camilla, said Mr Biden should have removed his sunglasses at the point he greeted the Queen, rather than midway through the ceremony.

Mr Harrold told Newsweek: "If you're meeting the Queen face-to-face there's no sunglasses or anything like that at all because eye contact is quite important with any introduction.

When Donald Trump also broke royal protocol by revealing he spoke to the Queen about Brexit Donald Trump also broke royal protocol after meeting the Queen in 2018 when he discussed what they spoke about. After meeting the Queen in 2018, Mr Trump told Piers Morgan on ITV's Good Morning Britain of their discussions about Brexit: 'She said it's a very  and she's right  it's a very complex problem. I think nobody had any idea how complex this was going to be. 'Everyone thought it was going to be 'Oh it's simple, we join or we don't join, or let's see what happens.' The Queen stands with Donald and Melania Trump in July 2018 It is very rare for heads of state to discuss their private conversations with the Queen, especially about anything political, because she must remain completely apolitical publicly. In fact, the former President actually acknowledged this when he was pushed for more detail. Mr Trump was pushed for more detail, but added: 'Well, I can't talk, you know I've heard very strongly from a lot of people, you just don't talk about that conversation with the Queen, right? You don't want to do that. 'Let me tell you what I can talk about. She's an incredible woman, she is so sharp, she is so beautiful, when I say beautiful  inside and out. That is a beautiful woman.' Mr Trump also broke royal protocol again in 2019 when he touched the Queen's back and shook hands with her as well as Prince Charles instead of bowing. Advertisement

It's fine for Biden to have had sunglasses on but he should have removed them when he actually met the Queen. Everyone else has to, it doesn't matter who you are, even royals remove sunglasses when they meet royals.

It's one of those rules I always write about in my etiquette texts. It is a breach of protocol. I get the sun might have been shining in his eyes but the queen didn't have sunglasses on. Jill, the First Lady, didn't have sunglasses on.

During his meeting with the Queen yesterday, Mr Biden praised her generosity and said she reminded him of his mother after the monarch hosted him and the First Lady for tea at the Berkshire royal residence

Before leaving the UK, the 78-year-old President shared details of his conversations with the 95-year-old head of state and revealed he had invited her to visit the White House.

The Bidens landed in the grounds just before 5pm yesterday, a few minutes ahead of schedule, and were greeted by the Queen in the castle's quadrangle.

A Guard of Honour formed of The Queen's Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards gave a royal salute and the US national anthem was played beneath blue skies and hot sunshine.

Mr Biden accompanied the Officer Commanding the Guard of Honour, Major James Taylor, and Major General Christopher Ghika to inspect the Honour Guard, before returning to the dais to watch the military march-past with the Queen and First Lady.

The Queen was wearing a Stewart Parvin dress in a floral print jacquard in shades of pink, olive and russet, and she teamed it with a hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan and the diamond Jardine star brooch.

The Bidens walked into the castle with the monarch via the Sovereign's Entrance at 5.18pm. Mr Biden walked alongside the Queen who said to the president: 'You completed your talks.' He replied: 'Yes we did.'

Before going inside, the Queen introduced the Bidens to her lady-in-waiting Dame Annabel Whitehead. With bright sunshine overhead, Mr Biden was wearing dark sunglasses when he got out of his vehicle.

The President was wearing a dark suit while Dr Biden was wearing a powder blue skirt suit.

The palace said the couple left at 6.03pm - meaning they spent around 40 minutes inside the castle, with the whole visit lasting more than an hour in total. It is believed the visit overran by 10 minutes.

The chefs at Windsor Castle have trained in the best restaurants and hotels in the country, and will likely have made classic sandwiches and a range of cakes - with some of the ingredients sourced from royal estates.

The tea in the castle's Oak Room comes after the Bidens met the Queen on Friday when she attended a reception for G7 leaders at the Eden Project.

Following the visit and before his departure from the UK, Mr Biden spoke about the Queen to reporters.

He said: 'We had a long talk. She was very generous. I don't think she'd be insulted but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity. She was very gracious.'

US President Joe Biden speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at London Heathrow Airport yesterday

US President Joe Biden inspects a Guard of Honour after arriving to meet the Queen at Windsor Castle yesterday

The Queen and the Bidens watch as the Queen's Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards pass by at Windsor yesterday

Mr Biden speaks to members of the media at Heathrow Airport yesterday as he discusses his conversation with the Queen

He added he had invited the monarch to the White House, saying: 'She said, 'What's it like in the White House?' I said, 'Well it's magnificent but it's a lot of people'.'

The carefully-choreographed arrangements to welcome Mr Biden echo the welcome given to Mr Trump in 2018, when he travelled to Windsor to meet the monarch.

The Queen and Mr Biden walk together at Windsor yesterday

On that occasion however, the Queen joined Mr Trump in inspecting the troops.

As they walked across the lawn to view the troops, the Queen appeared to gesture and point several times for him to move closer to the front line of soldiers.

Mr Trump moved slightly nearer but then stood still in front of the Queen, meaning she had to navigate her way around him so they could walk side by side.

Escorting a visiting head of state to inspect the troops is a role which usually fell to the late Duke of Edinburgh, before he retired in 2017.

Mr Trump and the Queen had afternoon tea together, also in the Oak Room, with the meeting lasting longer than expected. It was due to last around half-an-hour, but overran by almost 20 minutes.

The Queen also entertained the Obamas at Windsor Castle in 2016 when the Duke of Edinburgh, then 94, famously drove Mr and Mrs Obama the short distance to the castle after Marine One touched down on the lawns of the residence.

In 2008, when then-US president George W Bush met with the monarch at Windsor, he enjoyed a traditional English afternoon spread of tea, small sandwiches and cakes in the White Drawing Room.

There have been 14 US presidents during the Queen's 69-year reign - from Harry S Truman to Mr Biden.

Mr Biden, who is in the UK for the G7 summit, will be the 13th American leader to meet the monarch, with Lyndon B Johnson the only one the Queen has not met.

Her tea with Mr Biden comes the day after the Queen received her official birthday gift from the nation's armed forces - a ceremony of pomp and pageantry in her honour - which was held at the castle.

The traditional Birthday Parade or Trooping the Colour ceremony, which is normally staged in London, was ruled out for the second successive year because of the threat of coronavirus.
Two boy racers have been jailed for a total of nine years after a horrific crash at a street race that left 19 people injured.

Shocking footage from the unauthorised event captured the cars colliding then veering into crowds in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in July 2019.

It shows one of the motors plough into onlookers at the Roaring Meg Retail Park as spectators shout 'no' and 'stay back'.

The video then shows the aftermath of the crash with wounded people writhing in agony on the floor as locals rush to help.

A Nissan 350z had clipped a black Toyota GT86, sending both vehicles ploughing into huge crowds that had lined the roadside.

Julian Castano-Perez, 21, from Dunmow, Essex, was driving at 60mph in the Nissan before ploughing into the Toyota being driven by Dominic Brown, also 21, from St Albans, who works in a Toyota dealership.

The blue Nissan on the right hurtles along the A602 in Stevenage, clipping the slower-moving black vehicle on the left and sending them both crashing into spectators at a Thursday night car meet

Police at the scene of the event the day after the crash, with the car park covered in skid marks left by cars performing 'donut stunts' last night before the crash

A diagram showing how the collision took place on the A602 in Hertfordshire as two cars ploughed into car meet spectators. The map also shows the 'circuit' drivers regularly perform in the road, as well as tyre marks left in the retail park (inset) by vehicles performing 'donut' stunts

The Nissan was sent flying across a central reservation while the Toyota went careering to its left by the impact, smashing into more spectators who were on the pavement and a grassy bank behind it.

Witnesses said the Toyota had performed a 'reckless donut stunt' moments before the crash, and the driver had to be cut free from the vehicle by emergency services.

After the July 2019 race cops launched an investigation and charged the drivers with 19 offences.

Both admitted eight offences of serious injury by dangerous driving and 11 offences for wanton/furious driving prior to appearing at St Albans Crown Court on Friday.

Brown was given a five-year prison term and was disqualified from driving for seven and a half years. Castano-Perez was hit with a four-year sentence and given a seven-year-and-four-month driving ban.

Julian Castano-Perez (left), 21, was driving at 70mph in the Nissan before ploughing into the Toyota being driven by Dominic Brown (right), also 21, from St Albans, who works in a Toyota dealership

The 'meet'  part of a series organised by the Cruise Herts group that occurred on Thursday evenings in Stevenage - was described on Facebook as an 'extra special' one to raise money for families affected by stillbirth and miscarriage.

Locals said they had often complained about the gatherings, but police had failed to shut them down.

'It was an accident waiting to happen,' one resident said at the time of the crash.

Witnesses had claimed Mr Brown had spun the car with a donut stunt seconds before.

Its tyres could be heard screeching as it pulled out of the retail park and on to the road moments before Mr Castano's Toyota appeared.

A passenger in the Toyota, Mindaugas Dambrauskas, 26, said he was amazed that he and driver Mr Brown both emerged uninjured.

Mr Castano, left, has previously shared pictures of the Nissan 350z, right, on social media, calling it the 'smiling maker'

'It happened so quickly,' he said. 'We pulled out of the car park and the Nissan crashed straight into us and pushed us up on the kerb  we travelled for about 20 metres.

'We were knocking people over like bowling pins, it was horrific.' Mr Dambrauskas, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, said Mr Brown was 'frozen' with shock.

'I jumped out of the car and saw bodies covered in blood all over the place,' he said. 'A man shouted that we needed to lift the car up because someone was stuck underneath. We all lifted it up and he got free.'

Spectators, many of them teenagers, rushed to help. Ambulances and an air ambulance arrived as Hertfordshire Police declared a major emergency.

One resident, Claire Budge, said: 'They can't handle these cars properly as a lot of them are young new drivers.'

The badly damaged blue Nissan was pictured being removed from the scene by the emergency services

The blue vehicle, believed to be a Nissan 350z, is seen with its chassis and windscreen damaged after the crash

More than a dozen ambulances and police cars gathered at the scene after the collision

A police vehicle on the scene after the collision

Victims included Robert Binns, who posted a photo of himself in a neck brace. He said: 'I was flipped up in the air by the GT86 and landed on my head. Have whiplash, concussion, cuts and bruises. So I'm very lucky.'

Films drove a surge in deadly craze Loud music and burning rubber have been attracting scores of boy racers to meetings across the UK for decades. But there was a surge of interest in car cruise gatherings following the global success of The Fast and the Furious, a 2001 street racing film, which was followed by a string of sequels. The 2013 car crash death of Paul Walker, one the film franchises stars, did nothing to diminish the craze. Organised events are static, agreed by police and regulated by council officers. However, the authorities have little control over spontaneous meets which gain traction on social media, spilling out of car parks and industrial estates and on to the roads. In 2014 a judge banned car cruise events in the West Midlands after boy racers caused 31 accidents and four deaths, along the Black Country Route linking Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Standwell. In March, a boy of ten and his 23-month-old brother were killed when their familys BMW was struck by a Audi S3 street racing in Wolverhampton. Advertisement

Witness Ciaran O'Connor, 33, was on his way home when he saw the crash. 'The car veered off into the crowd,' he said . 'The kids that were standing there had one second to react and they went flying.'

Event organiser Rix Sidhu, 29, said he saw the Toyota 'recklessly do a donut manoeuvre'.

He said: 'It pulled out of the car park on to the main road and then it was hit by the Nissan, which was coming at speed.'

Nurse Kimberly Chowdhary was one of the people in the crowd by the side of the road and spoke of the horrific scene.

She told the BBC: 'We were just sitting on the side of the verge and a car was pulling out and another car came up really fast from the other side of the road.

'I'm not really sure why people were standing [in the central reservation] because the speed these cars were coming at means it's just not safe. I think it's more the thrill of it and being able to get good video and pictures.'

She added she went into 'nurse mode' when she saw the stricken victims and did what she could to help.

She said: 'Usually on that specific road you get people speeding up and down it, but yesterday it was starting to get a little bit out of hand as everyone was excited.'

After the sentencing Detective Sergeant James Thorne , who led the Hertfordshire Constabulary probe, said: 'This kind of irresponsible behaviour always puts lives at risk and it was incredible that no one was killed as a result of the events of that night.

'I hope this sentence sends a clear message to those that think it is acceptable to drive at speed/race and show off their motor vehicles in this way, the consequences of such irresponsible behaviour and that we will pursue the severest penalty.'

Pictures show the black car had its roof completely ripped off. It was also seen being taken away from the scene this morning

Chief Inspector for Stevenage Simon Tabert added officials were working to stop another race.

He said: 'Much work has been done in conjunction with Stevenage Borough Council to make sure this horrific event will never be repeated.

'The council now has an injunction in place that will provide police with powers to prevent the kind of activity that caused the accident and we are working with them to enforce this legislation.'
China on Monday accused G7 leaders of 'slander' after they vowed to investigate the origins and Covid-19 and take a harder line on Beijing's human rights abuses in a joint statement.

The statement scolded Beijing over a range of issues as a gross interference in the country's internal affairs, and urged the grouping to stop slandering China.

The G7 leaders on Sunday blasted China's human rights record in the heavily Muslim region of Xinjiang, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy, and underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan strait - all highly sensitive issues for Beijing.

The statement sparked a backlash from China's embassy in London which said it was strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan that distorted the facts.

Leaders of the G7 agreed to calls by US President Joe Biden to band together to compete with China, making a joint statement condemning the country's human rights record

It added the joint statement exposed the 'sinister intentions of a few countries, such as the United States.'

The Embassy called for unity and cooperation among the international community, rather than 'cliquey' power politics sowing division, as the world continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

China is a peace-loving country that advocates cooperation, but also has its bottom lines, the embassy said.

'China's internal affairs must not be interfered in, China's reputation must not be slandered, and China's interests must not be violated,' it added.

The G7 joint statement blasted China's human rights record, especially with Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province

An estimated 1 million people or more  most of them Uighurs  have been confined in reeducation camps in Chinas western Xinjiang region in recent years (pictured, Number 3 Detention Centre in Dabancheng)

'We will resolutely defend our national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and resolutely fight back against all kinds of injustices and infringements imposed on China.'

China's embassy said the G7 should do more that is conducive to promoting international cooperation instead of artificially creating confrontation and friction.

'We urge the United States and other members of the G7 to respect the facts, understand the situation, stop slandering China, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop harming China's interests.'

Residents of Hong Kong attend a pro-democracy protest in London's Piccadilly Circus on October 1

Hong Kong was convulsed by months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests in 2019 in the most serious challenge to Beijing's rule since the city's 1997 handover

The Chinese embassy also said work on looking at the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic should not be politicised, after the G7 in the same statement demanded a full and thorough investigation of the origins of the virus in China.

The joint expert group on the virus between China and the World Health Organization has been conducting research independently and following WHO procedures, the embassy added.

'Politicians in the United States and other countries ignore facts and science, openly question and deny the conclusions of the joint expert group report, and make unreasonable accusations against China.'

The G7 joint statement also underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan strait (pictured)

What's happening in the Taiwan strait? 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 that will eventually be unified with the mainland. As such, the strait of Taiwan is seen by China as part of its territory, rather than international waters, leading to disputes over autonomy. The state was recognised by the UN as independent in 1971. Taiwanese soldiers hoist the flag of Taiwan in Taipei in May 2020 Advertisement

Taiwan's government welcomed the G7 statement, saying the Chinese-claimed island will be a 'force for good' and that they will continue to seek even greater international support.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday's statement from G7 was a significant move forward for the group as leaders rallied around the need to 'counter and compete' with China on challenges ranging from safeguarding democracy to the technology race.

The UK-hosted summit in Cornwall agreed to calls by US President Joe Biden to band together to compete with China, which since 2013 has been using its 'Belt and Road Initiative' to finance big projects in poor countries  making them politically and economically indebted to Beijing in the process.

President Biden's administration secured agreement for a G7 equivalent of the Chinese scheme that will dovetail with moves to tackle climate change.

Under the new scheme, which is being dubbed the 'Green Belt Initiative', the countries will form a 'partnership on green investment' for developing countries, which the UK Government said would offer them a 'democratic alternative' to China.

Sources said the plan, called 'Build Back Better for the World', after Biden's election slogan, will finance 'everything from railways in Africa to wind farms in Asia' by 'giving developing countries access to better and faster finance, while accelerating the global shift to renewable energy and sustainable technology'.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped the Trump Administration Justice Department Sunday for allowing the seizure of phone data of two prominent Trump Democratic critics in Congress  and said the episode is worse than Watergate.

'What the administration did, the Justice Department, the leadership of the former President, goes even beyond Richard Nixon,' Pelosi said.

'Richard Nixon had an enemies list. This is about undermining the rule of law,' she said, referencing Nixon's infamous enemies list, which included journalists and other figures.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared the seizure of lawmakers' data to Nixon's enemies list, saying: 'This is about undermining the rule of law'

Democrats are demanding two former Trump attorneys general, Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions, come and testify, although each has denied knowing about the seizure. Apple informed those whose communications were seized, following the expiration of a court's gag order.

Schiff and Swalwell - both members of the House Intelligence Committee and favorite Trump foils - had metadata gathered from their devices by Justice Department prosecutors as officials tried to work out who was leaking information about meetings between Trump associates and Russian leaders.

Both have denied leaking, and neither was charged with doing so.

Another bombshell report revealed that former White House counsel Don McGahn also had his information seized. Apple told McGahn last month that the DOJ had sought his information back in 2018.

McGahn testified in Congress this month about his statements to former special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors during the Russia probe.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., both had their communications targeted

Pelosi compared the incident to Nixon's 'enemies list'

Prosecutors also reportedly got a subpoena for information from McGahn's wife, Shannon.

The New York Times reported that a dozen people linked to the Intel committee  which would conduct an impeachment probe into Trump  had their information seized. The probe began in 2017 under Sessions.

Members of the media also were targeted in a leak probe, and execs from three media organizations  CNN, the Washington Post l, and the New York Times  were set to meet Monday with Attorney General Merrick Garland about it.

'It's a simple goal -- it's to protect the freedom of the press now and in the future,' CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist said on the network's air Sunday.

In a slashing op-ed, longtime CNN military correspondent Barbara Starr, who says DOJ attempted to obtain thousands of her work and personal emails, blasted the probe in a scorching op-ed.

'Speaking for myself, I don't know what the government was looking for when it snuck into my life. I am not the subject of an investigation and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing. But as a CNN journalist, myself and my newsroom clearly were being used as a tool by the Trump Justice Department,' she wrote.

She had doubts about assurances from the new Biden team that the practice would end.

'President Biden has said the seizing of reporters' records will be stopped under his administration. But with all respect to him and his stated intentions, that is a promise of limited relevance. Unless new protections are codified, this could all happen again to any journalist. Secret proceedings, gag orders so CNN attorneys can't speak to me, and eight reporters being swept up in investigations with no explanation -- these are not part of a free press in the United States,' she wrote.

'I am genuinely horrified by what happened. I have covered the military as a CNN Pentagon correspondent for nearly 20 years and have always been honored to say I am part of the extraordinary fraternity known as the Pentagon press corps. Since the morning the plane hit the building on 9/11, we have traveled into harm's way with the troops to cover America's wars. Journalists have died in this endeavor. None of us should forget: America's armed forces take a vow to uphold the Constitution, and that includes the First Amendment protections for a free press,' she added.

'Simply put, America's armed forces are willing to die to protect all of our rights, including freedom of the press. The Justice Department must find a way to absolutely protect a free, functioning press as well.'
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Dozens of boy racers have caused chaos in central London as Maseratis and modified Mercedes 'performed handbrake turns and sped at 60mph' along Pall Mall in the early hours of this morning, MailOnline can reveal.

Residents' lives have been made a misery for months as 50 to 100 cars descend on Waterloo Place in Westminster every weekend so drivers can perform stunts and show off their motors, according to those living nearby.

Footage shot by one embittered local shows cars emerging from trails of smoke caused by their revving engines before speeding along Pall Mall, less than a mile from Buckingham Palace.

Lamborghinis worth 250,000, BMW M5s costing over 100,00 and flashy Porsches make a regular appearance in central London as drivers show off their rides during car meets.

And petrolheads last night raced their souped up Mercedes', 100,000 Maseratis and Audis along Pall Mall, keeping frustrated locals awake in the early hours of the morning.

One woman, who asked not to be named, told MailOnline 'every Monday is ruined' as the level of noise impacts her worklife. 'They assume no one lives here but we do. Were not all rich "not in my back yard" people.'

She said drivers 'play a game' where they wait in Waterloo Place revving their engines and 'people stand on Pall Mall to film them shooting across the road'.

Residents' lives have been made a misery for months as 50 to 100 cars descend on Waterloo Place in Westminster every weekend so drivers can perform stunts and show off their motors, according to those living nearby

Footage shot by one embittered local shows cars emerging from trails of smoke caused by their revving engines before speeding along Pall Mall, less than a mile from Buckingham Palace

The resident, a media lawyer, added: 'I had to work at 9am this morning and if I dont work I dont get paid. But Im so wrecked I can hardly do anything.'

She said the drivers had congregated near her home in the early hours of the morning at weekends for the last few years but never caused as much noise as they had recently.

'Almost every weekend theres a car gathering in Waterloo Place with between five and 100 cars and motorbikes. These cars, theyre not supercars, theyre souped up normal cars with tuned engines and parts added to their exhausts so they can shoot flames out the back.'

She said the drivers 'arrive in huge numbers making an incredible racket' and she 'almost saw one hit a bus last night'.

Up to six 999 calls were made to police after the racers arrived at Waterloo Place at 11.30pm.

The 'booming' noise of the modified engines 'sounded like bombs going off', according to another anonymous Pall Mall resident.

He added: 'Somebody is going to be killed. Its not something that happens by chance. Theyre doing handbrake turns and going at speed. The noise from the engines echoes off the tall buildings.

Up to six 999 calls were made to police last night after the racers arrived at Waterloo Place at 11.30pm. The 'booming' noise of the modified engines 'sounded like bombs going off', according to another anonymous Pall Mall resident

Petrolheads have taken to parading their souped up Mercedes' and 100,000 Maseratis along Pall Mall, regularly keeping frustrated locals awake in the early hours of the morning

'Then you get the ordinary traffic caught up in it, thats what's so terrifying.'

He said it took him four minutes to get through to a 999 operator when he called the police last night, adding: 'its not very reassuring'.

In one video of last night's event a police car can be seen pulling up, but a witness told MailOnline officers quickly drove away again without dispersing the drivers.

Nick W, who didn't want his full name reported, told MailOnline last night was 'diabolical'. He said there are always 'lots of cracking and banging noises'.

'They congregate on Waterloo Place, rev their engines and create lots of smoke,' he added. 'They go down Pall Mall at probably around 60mph. A police car drove past, stopped for a minute and then passed on.'

Nick W, who didn't want his full name reported, told MailOnline the noise was 'diabolical'. He said there are always 'lots of cracking and banging noises'

MailOnline has contacted Met Police and Westminster City Council for comment.

It comes after hundreds of cars have fallen foul of 'noise cameras' set up in Chelsea to catch nuisance supercars that cruise the area revving their engines.

Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council installed the cameras on September 22 and the cameras were activated more than 130 times in the first 11 days since being switched on.

One of the cameras captured a car revving its engine at 104db, a similar noise level to a passing helicopter, while a Range Rover on Sloane Street set off a camera at just under 100db.

WHAT ARE ACOUSTIC CAMERAS? As speed cameras are designed to discourage fast cars, 'acoustic cameras' will discourage loud ones. Technically, all vehicles must comply with noise regulations to legally use the road. These rules can be difficult to enforce in practice, however. Acoustic cameras will be fitted with microphones to detect the noise levels of passing cars. When the camera hears a vehicle making a noise of 80db, it will automatically record eight seconds of video in both directions along the road. These real-time images are then sent to enforcement officers who scan the footage to get a view of the licence plate. This will then be used to issue a finemuch like a regular traffic camera would for a speeding ticket. At the moment, the legal noise limit for road cars is 74 decibels - the equivalent noise of a hoover at top blast. Advertisement

Angry residents said the high-end area has become a magnet for Lamborghini and Ferrari drivers who use London's streets like a 'racetrack' - distressing residents who have to put up with the 'disruptive and irritating' sound of revving engines.

Drivers are issued with a warning and told they will be fined a 100 fixed penalty notice at the next offence.

Persistent offenders in extreme cases could have their vehicle seized, according to the council.

Kensington and Chelsea took action in 2018 by introducing a Public Space Protection Order and issued 163 fixed penalty notices, with local police numbers being increased on summer weekends.

But it was not enough with 35 reports of nuisance noise in the area from engines revving between June and August last year.

The council is the first to pilot its own noise camera technology, which will take a picture and capture sound of the offending vehicle when it 'hears' over 80 decibels.

Councillor Johnny Thalassites, lead member for transport, said the council consistently hears from residents who are blighted by the 'disruptive and irritating' noise.

He said: 'Residents have had enough of drivers using our streets as a racetrack.

'We have had fines in place for a while now, but this new noise camera technology will make sure we are catching more of the worst offenders.

'Supercars look good and most drivers are considerate but when they they're not, it is disruptive and irritating for people living and working in the area.'

Many of London's most exclusive streets become 'race tracks' for the wealthy in the summer as millionaires bring their expensive vehicles out.

The problem typically intensifies in the hotter months when wealthy people from Arabic countries flee the scorching temperatures of the Middle East and cruise around London, with rich Kuwaitis, Saudis and Emiratis seeking to out-do each other over who can own the most fancy sportscar.

The spectacle also attracts enthusiastic car spotters to see the customised vehicles.

The cars' owners tend to ship their machines over in the months leading up to the summer, so they are here when they arrive in July and August.

Owners fly their expensive and often highly customised vehicles over to the UK for a holiday, costing upwards of quarter of a million pounds.

Rich owners will pay a small fortune - in excess of 20,000 for a return journey - for their vehicles to be flown around 3,000 miles, and often leave them parked in some of London's most desirable spots.

Noise cameras are already in use in Canada, Singapore, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, but they are new to Britain.
A German mother accused of killing five of her six children by drugging their breakfast and smothering them after a row with her ex-husband has appeared in court.

Christiane K, 28, is accused of murdering five of her children, aged between one and eight, after feeding them 'high doses' of drugs in Solingen last September.

She today stood trial at the District Court in Wuppertal, Germany, though the mother-of-six did not speak and is not expected to testify.

The defendant fed her children a cocktail of three drugs and 'deliberately brought them into a state of twilight' so they would be more docile, the court heard.

Christiane then took the children into the bathroom one-by-one and drowned or smothered them in the bath, prosecutors claim.

She is accused of killing the children because her ex-husband had found a new lover.

Christiane K, 28, is accused of murdering five of her children, aged between one and eight, after feeding them 'high doses' of drugs in Solingen, Germany, last September

The mother-of-six, who faces a life sentence if found guilty of the murders, alleges the children were instead killed by a masked intruder.

The bodies of Christiane's three daughters aged one, two and three, and two sons aged six and eight were discovered in the family flat in in North Rhine-Westphalia on September 3.

They were found lying on their beds, each wrapped in a towel.

Prosecutors believe the mother mixed medication into the children's breakfast drinks to make them sleepy, before killing them in the bath.

The woman then attempted suicide by throwing herself in front of a train at Duesseldorf Central Station, but she was rescued and did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

Christiane K's sixth and eldest child, Marcel, 11, was unharmed and is now being looked after by his relatives (pictured: the mother kissing her eldest)

A female forensic investigator enters the apartment building where five children were found dead in Solingen on September 3

The bodies were discovered at an apartment building in Solingen, 20 miles from Cologne in western Germany

A hand-print is seen in the window of the apartment building where the defendant lived

Her sixth child, 11-year-old Marcel, survived the grim ordeal because he was in school.

Christiane has maintained her innocence and says a masked man entered the flat and killed the children.

According to prosecutors, investigators have found no evidence to support that claim.

The motive for the killings remains unclear but prosecutor Heribert Kaune-Gebhardt said the suspect had shortly before had a row with her estranged husband about his new girlfriend.

The man, Christiane's third husband, is the father of four of the six children.

Prosecutors have charged Christiane with 'malicious murder', saying she took advantage of the children's innocence and defencelessness.

The family was known to social services but local authorities said there had been no indication at the time the children were in danger.

Last year, German police alleged Christiane was suspected of carrying out the murders as she was feeling 'emotionally overwhelmed.'

Police found the bodies of Melina, one, Leonie, two, Sophie, three, Timo, six, and Luca, eight, after they were alerted by the suspect's mother.

She had learnt of her grandchildren's fate directly from her daughter.

'We were informed shortly before 2pm that five children had died and this has unfortunately been confirmed,' police spokesman Stefan Weiand said.

The mother was not at the apartment when they arrived at the scene, they said.

Rescuers themselves were said to be traumatised by what they found in the building, and also shocked by the state of the flat.

One report said that rescuers had tried to resuscitate the children but arrived too late to save their lives.

'The family tragedy in Solingen fills me with great sadness and at the moment my thoughts and prayers are with the five small children whose lives were snatched from them so terribly early,' said Herbert Reul, interior minister for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Tim Kurzbach, the mayor of Solingen, said: 'I am shocked and deeply saddened by the news that five dead children have been found in our city.'

Solingen is a city of 160,000 people around 20 miles from Duesseldorf and Cologne.

Emergency personnel outside the apartment block in Solingen where five children were found

An investigator in forensic gear works on the balcony of the apartment building where a mother is suspected of having killed her five children

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details.
The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has spoken for the first time to claim he's innocent.

Convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner, 44, claimed the investigation was 'scandalous' and condemned prosecutors who 'brought shame to the legal system,' in a letter obtained by German newspaper Bild.

It was accompanied by a strange sketch which depicts two prosecutors ordering food at a restaurant. They have speech bubbles over their heads, with one saying, 'I'll take the filet forensics,' and the other replying, 'Yummy, me too.'

It may refer to the lead prosecutor Hans Wolter's previous admission that there was no forensic evidence against Bruckner in the McCann case.

Christian Brueckner, 44, claimed the investigation was 'scandalous' and condemned prosecutors who 'brought shame to the legal system,' in a letter obtained by German newspaper Bild. He has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance

Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal's Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007.

Her parents Kate and Gerry had put her and her siblings to bed in the flat before meeting friends for dinner at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Brueckner was living in a camper van near Praia da Luz at the time of the disappearance.

Last June, German and UK police revealed Brueckner as a suspect after first becoming aware of his potential connection to the case in 2017.

He has not yet been interrogated by police and the letter published in Germany today is the first time he has spoken publicly since the allegations surfaced.

Brueckner wrote: 'Charging an accused is one thing. Something completely different, namely an unbelievable scandal, when a public prosecutor starts a public prejudgement campaign before the main proceedings are opened.

'Freedom of expression is not a basic right so that everyone can say and write what they want. Freedom of expression does not protect the majority.

'It protects the minority. It does not protect the most logical, most convincing or most popular views, but rather the outsider position.

'I call on the Brunswick public prosecutors Wolters and Lindemann to resign from their offices.'

Lead prosecutor Hans Wolter's has previously conceded that there was no forensic evidence against Bruckner in the McCann case

The paedophile continued: 'You both prove worldwide, through arbitrary convictions in the past and through scandalous prejudgement campaigns in the present, that you are unsuitable for the office of an "advocate for the honest and trusting German people" and that you bring shame to the German legal system.'

The letter and the bizarre accompanying cartoon are signed with his signature and dated May 8. It is not clear why it has only now been unsealed.

Brueckner is serving seven years for raping an elderly woman in Praia da Luz.

He is also being investigated for allegedly exposing himself in a playground while children were present.

Brueckner has denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, refusing to speak to police or prosecutors so far.

Investigators have interviewed a number of potential witnesses in Germany and Portugal, including Brueckner's British ex-girlfriend, who claims he assaulted her.

Chief prosecutor Wolters, who believes Madeleine is dead, said authorities have not spoken to her parents Kate and Gerry McCann.

Last month, the McCanns said they 'hang on to hope, however small' that they will see their daughter again as they marked the 14th anniversary of her disappearance.

Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007. Pictured: A timeline showing his movements up until 2020 where he remain in a Kiel prison

In a message shared online, they noted that this year's anniversary was even more poignant because it would have been Maddie's 18th birthday.

The message, which was shared on the Find Madeleine website, read: 'Every May is tough  a reminder of years passed, of years together lost, or stolen.

'This year it is particularly poignant as we should be celebrating Madeleine's 18th birthday. Enough said.'
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A police officer was dragged away amid chaotic scenes outside Downing Street yesterday as Laurence Fox and Piers Corbyn joined maskless anti-lockdown protesters demanding an end to all Covid restrictions.

Mr Fox, 43, was shown speaking with police while holding a copy of an anti-lockdown magazine, while Jeremy Corbyn's 74-year-old brother held an anti-vax banner alongside protesters calling climate change a 'con' and complaining about the 'New World Order'.

Other activists held signs calling for masks and testing to be scrapped, with others said '99.7% of people do not die' and 'the media is a virus'.

Social media messages showed the demonstration had been specifically planned to coincide with Mr Johnson's announcement to the Commons about the fate of the opening plans for June 21.

Footage from the demonstration shows a female police officer being hauled away by her colleagues, as protesters scream 'traitors' and 'it's all right when it happens to one of us, isn't it'.

Boris Johnson yesterday urged Britons to be patient as he announces that the relaxation of Covid restrictions will be pushed back until July 19 because of the rampaging Indian variant, to allow more people to receive their second vaccine dose.

Police officers help an injured colleague during an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest in London, June 14

Laurence Fox, 43, was shown speaking with police while holding a copy of an anti-lockdown magazine during a protest against Covid restrictions today

Piers Corbyn (right) held an anti-vaxxer banner alongside protesters calling climate change a 'con' and complaining about the 'New World Order'

Demonstrators protest outside Downing Street against the delay in easing of lockdown restrictions on June 14

Anti-lockdown protesters gathered outside Number 10 today to protest Covid restrictions as Boris Johnson was set to give his announcement about the June 21 reopening

A man gestures at a policeman outside the gates of No10. The Prime Minister is delaying the reopening, to anger from Tory backbenchers

An anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine demonstrator holds a placard as he takes part in a protest in Downing Street

Activists held banners calling for masks and testing to be scrapped, with one describing the organisers as 'a collective of the concerned'

The Prime Minister faces a ferocious backlash from all wings of the Tory Party over his decision to delay Freedom Day last night  as his own MPs warned of curbs lasting through winter and beyond.

Horrified backbenchers expressed concerns about a ' lockdown without end' and said they were losing confidence in the prospect of coronavirus restrictions being lifted for the foreseeable future.

In the wake of the Prime Minister's announcement of a four-week delay to removing curbs in England, they accused him of 'panicking' and said that they feared a return to even tighter curbs in the autumn.

One Cabinet minister said last night the frontbench team were 'resigned' to the fact there would be a delay, but added: 'We must now deliver on vaccinations.'

No ministers stuck their head above the parapet to publicly criticise the lockdown extension.

It emerged that MPs will be given a vote tomorrow on whether regulations enforcing the lockdown should be extended until midnight on July 19  the new supposed Freedom Day.

But the enraged Tory rebels conceded they were effectively powerless to block the postponement as the support of Labour meant Mr Johnson was 'unassailable'.

Piers Corbyn takes part in an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest in Downing Street on June 14

A Trump 2024 flag was among those waved at the protest outside Downing Street during the protest yesterday

A demonstrator with a pentagram tattoo holds up a sign saying 'This NHS workers has had enough'

Police officers stand guard during an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest at Downing Street, London, June 14

A woman is seen holding onto a police officer's high visibility vest at the London protest on June 14

Police are seen linking arms at the Downing Street anti-lockdown protest in London yesterday as Boris Johnson delayed plans to lift Covid restrictions

Police carry away an officer amid chaotic scenes at the protest outside Downing Street on Monday

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, said: 'I don't see the evidence for us suddenly panicking like this.

'If we are not careful we will drift into late summer and autumn, and the scientists will say, 'You cannot unlock now because we are heading into winter'. Where are we going with all of this?'

The Tory grandee warned that the country needed to get 'business going so we can pay our taxes and can afford the Health Service and cut our borrowing'.

'We seem to think there is only one risk and that risk is Covid and everything else is irrelevant. That is a serious problem,' he added.

Some hardline anti-lockdown Tories are furious about any delay at all, as they wanted the lifting of lockdown to be faster that it has been.

Former minister Steve Baker channelled classic war film The Great Escape in a message to Covid Recovery Group MPs last night, according to Politico, saying: 'It is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape.

'If they cannot escape, then it is their sworn duty to cause the enemy to use an inordinate number of troops to guard them, and their sworn duty to harass the enemy to the best of their ability.'

And theatre impresario Sir Howard Panter warned the industry will suffer 'significant damage' if the final lifting of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England is put on hold.

A conspiracy theorist holds a sign saying 'flu stats swapped for killer Covid' during protests against the lockdown on Whitehall yesterday

Flags were held aloft, including a banner bearing a smiley face and the word 'freedom' during the demonstration outside the gates of Downing Street

A man holding a megaphone in one hand and a can of beer in the other speak to police manning the Number 10 cordon

Social media messages showed the demonstration had been specifically planned to coincide with Mr Johnson's announcement to the Commons about the fate of the opening plans for June 21

Protesters speaking with masked police officers outside the gates of Downing Street during the protest yesterday morning

Conservative MP Damian Green told the Westminster Hour that there should be a break clause after two or three weeks of the extension.

'I get the point that because of the deltas variant the cases have gone up, hospitalisation has gone up a bit but not a lot and is below the level of some of the Sage predictions of a few months ago,' he said.

'So I think if there is a delay I hope it's only for a few weeks and I think if it is as long as a month then there should be a break clause after two or maybe three weeks, to say that if we can tell by then that the rise in cases is not lading to a sort of rise in the serious illness that sends people into hospital, then we can unlock earlier.'

Ignoring a mounting revolt by Tory MPs and dire warnings from the hospitality and theatre industries, Mr Johnson argued that scrapping all restrictions now is likely to fuel the surge  and the public needs to be 'patient' so the country does not go into reverse.

The PM outlined a delay in the relaxation of restrictions in an attempt to push forward with the vaccination effort.

Protesters with signs saying '99.7% are not dying', 'the media is a virus' and 'freedom is not negotiable' at the event

Several hundred could be seen at yesterday's protest, which saw demonstrators march to Downing Street from the Houses of Parliament

A government source told The Times Mr Johnson considers it the 'final stretch' to extend the protection of the jabs as far as possible before normality can return.

Mr Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Michael Gove and Health Secretary Matt Hancock signed off on the four-week delay, it was reported.

A senior UK government source told The Telegraph the message had always been 'cautious but irreversible', adding: 'That has been our mantra throughout and that continues.

'It would be far worse to have uncertainty and go backwards. It is better to be cautious and have certainty. It is one last heave. It is a straight race between the vaccine and the virus.'

Mr Johnson is expected to put the delay to the vote later this month. While it is likely to pass easily with opposition support, he faces a sizable Tory rebellion that will show the dept of anger on his own backbenches.
Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to try to pick apart U.S. claims on a media tour in advance of his summit with President Biden  denying in an interview airing Monday that Russia engaged in cyber attacks and saying there was no proof it interfered in U.S. elections.

'Where is the evidence? Where is proof? It's becoming farcical,' Putin said in a sit-down interview with NBC's Keir Simmons in Moscow.

'We have been accused of all kinds of things - election interference, cyberattacks and so on and so forth - and not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof, just unfounded accusations,' he told the network's Kier Simmons.

'I'm surprised that we have not yet been accused of  provoking the Black Lives Matter movement. That would have been a good line of attack. But ...' Putin said, ridiculing the attack.

Then he waded further into U.S. domestic politics, saying: 'We have always treated with understanding the fight of African Americans for their rights,' but said he couldn't approve of any 'extreme' actions associated with the movement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC sharply dismissed allegations that his country is carrying out cyberattacks against the United States as baseless

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team issued detailed indictments for Russian intelligence operatives accused of 2016 election interference. But Russia didn't hand over the alleged hackers, and they have not stood trial.

The U.S. government has said Russia may be housing cyber hackers who carried out the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, but has not said it was a government operation.

U.S. intelligence does assess that Russia interfered in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Putin's comments come as Biden kicked off the NATO summit in Brussels by saying Russia and China had not acted 'in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped.'

Putin once again sought to deflect U.S. pressure to respect opposition groups by bringing up the arrest of hundreds who took part in the Capitol riot in Washington

Biden kicked off the NATO summit in Brussels by saying Russia and China had not acted 'in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped'

Former President Donald Trump (L) chats with Russia's President Vladimir Putin as they attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on November 11, 2017

Putin denied Russia was behind ransomware hacking like the attack on Colonial Pipeline

Putin once again brought up Capitol rioters when pressed on Russia's treatment of the political opposition

Vladimir Putin could be open to prisoner swap for jailed Americans Paul Whelan and 'troublemaker' Trevor Reed Putin also discussed the fate of two Americans held in Russia, Trevor Reed, a former Marine sentenced to nine years in prison for allegedly punching a Russian police officer, and Paul Whelan. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted of spying. This secret trial in which no evidence was produced is an egregious violation of human rights and international legal norms, U.S. ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan said following Whelans conviction. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. was outraged over the secret trial, with secret evidence, and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses. Whelan, who also holds passports from the U.S., Britain, Canada, and Ireland, denied the espionage charges. His lawyer said following his arrest at a Moscow hotel in late 2019 that Whelan had been given a flash drive containing state secrets that someone handed him, but that he had not opened it or looked at its contents. He was expecting it to contain personal information. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said President Biden would raise both cases when he meets with Putin, having already said he will be direct with the Russian leader. Putin indicated he was open to a potential prisoner swap, according to NBC. He called Reed was a troublemaker, referring to him a drunk who got himself s**t-faced and started a fight." Reed is an executive from Michigan. He and his family as well as his Russian girlfriend have denied the charges. Sullivan said following his conviction last year: This is not a good story for U.S.-Russia relations. And it is not good for encouraging U.S. private citizens and business to visit and invest here if what they did to [Reed] can be done to anyone, NBC reported at the time. Advertisement

Putin once again sought to undermine a U.S. push the Kremlin to respect press freedoms and allow a sphere for political opponents to exist  by bringing up U.S. prosecution of rioters who stormed the Capitol Jan. 6th.

Putin, who is to meet President Joe Biden at a summit Wednesday, has suggested that the hundreds of people arrested for rioting at the U.S. Capitol are being subjected to 'persecution for political opinions.'

Charging documents reveal many of those who have been arrested were carrying sticks and poles, attacked police officers, or broke through windows to enter the seat of legislative power.

'We have a saying: "Don't be mad at the mirror if you are ugly,"' Putin said.

'It has nothing to do with you personally. But if somebody blames us for something, what I say is, why don't you look at yourselves? You will see yourselves in the mirror, not us.'

Putin is likely to come under strong criticism from Biden at their meeting in Geneva for moves against his political opponents in Russia, particularly the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the detention of thousands of demonstrators protesting his arrest, and the outlawing of Navalnys organizations as extremist.

Anticipating that Biden will raise issues of human rights and the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Putin said: 'You are presenting it as dissent and intolerance towards dissent in Russia. We view it completely differently.'

He then pointed to the Jan. 6 unrest in Washington when protesters barged into the Capitol to try to halt the count of electoral votes to certify Bidens election victory over Donald Trump.

'Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress? ... They came there with political demands,' he said.

Putin also reiterated denials that the Kremlin was behind last year's poisoning of Navalny with a nerve agent that nearly killed him.

'We don't have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody,' Putin said.

'Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman?' Putin said, referring to Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through a window that led to the House floor.

In April, the United States announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and new sanctions connected to the so-called SolarWinds cyberattack in which several U.S. government branches experienced data breaches. U.S. officials blamed the Russian foreign intelligence service.

In May, Microsoft officials said the foreign intelligence service appeared to be linked to an attack on a company providing services to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The two men shared an awkward fist bump ahead of their private sit down, where President Erdogan will tell Biden his disappointment that the US recognized Armenian genocide

President Joe Biden greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a plenary session at a NATO summit in Brussels
The ABC has accused Scott Morrison of endorsing bizarre 'QAnon' conspiracy theories about satanic padeophiles during a 2018 speech about child abuse.

Offering recognition to victims of child sex abuse, the Prime Minister's speech was well received by survivors and the wider nation when he made the apology in Parliament.

But according to a controversial Four Corners episode that almost didn't make it to air, he also uttered a phrase some conspiracy theorists claim was a dog whistle to the far-right fringe group QAnon.

During the speech, the prime minister described the long history of sexual crimes committed at institutions such as churches and children's homes across Australia as 'ritual sexual abuse'.

The Four Corners episode, which aired on Monday, claimed a friend of Mr Morrison, Tim Stewart, who is deeply embedded in the bizarre QAnon movement, lobbied the nation's leader to get those words in the speech.

The baseless internet cult gained worldwide prominence during the Trump presidency and assert that 'leftist' politicians, celebrities and elites are satanic paedophiles who operate through a 'deep state'.

Tim Stewart (right) had known Scott Morrison since the 1990s, long before his radicalisation by QAnon. But the ABC has since claimed he tried to gain influence with his powerful friend

The group also bizarrely claims, without evidence, that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former First Lady of the US Michelle Obama are men in disguise.

Elise Thomas, an open source intelligence analyst for the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, said the term 'ritual' for QAnon followers denotes the satanic elements of their beliefs, rather than the ordinary meaning of something occurring regularly.

'The use of the phrase "ritual sex abuse" will have been taken as validation of the conspiracy theory by QAnon followers because it's a person in authority using this phrase which appears to directly reference the conspiracy theory,' she told the program.

The Prime Minister's office has vehemently denied he used the words as a subtle nod to the QAnon group.

'The term "ritual" is one that the Prime Minister heard directly from the abuse survivors and the National Apology victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Reference Group he met with in the lead up to the apology,' an earlier statement said.

The Prime Minister's wife Jenny Morrison (left) is pictured with Lynelle Stewart (right) - who is QAnon believer Tim Stewart. The women have been friends for many years

'It refers not just to the ritualised way or patterns in which so many crimes were committed but also to the frequency and repetition of them.'

The man at the centre of the alleged push to get the term included in the apology, Mr Stewart, who had been friends with the prime minister since the 1990s, was recently banned from Twitter for engaging in 'coordinated harmful activity'.

He also ran a blog on which he claimed 'elites' in Western nations were running a paedophile ring 'designed to harvest children's blood'.

His family have now become so concerned about his spiraling obsession with QAnon that they phoned the the national security hotline several times.

A 2018 post from Mr Stewart's Sideways Step blog. The title of the Four Corners episode is 'The Great Awakening'

Mr Stewart's wife, Lynelle, has been friends with the Prime Minister's wife, Jenny, since they were teenagers, and was given security clearance in mid-2019 to work as an attendant at the Prime Minister's Sydney residence, Kirribilli House.

It is not suggested, however, that Mr Stewart's wife posed any security risk. She also did not raise the alarm about his views as his mother and sister did.

The airing of the program was previously delayed by senior ABC news figures, with managing director David Anderson telling a Senate estimates hearing last week that he had 'queries and concerns' about the program.

Mr Morrison was also asked about the program in a press conference.

'I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,' Mr Morrison said.

'It is also disappointing that Four Corners would seek to cast this aspersion not just against me but members of my own family. I just think that is really poor form.'

Mr Stewart's sister Karen told the program that her brother believes the world had been taken over by this supposed group of paedophiles.

QAnon blogger Tim Stewart is pictured with his wife Lynelle Stewart - a close friend of Jenny Morrison

Tim Stewart's mother Val and his sister Karen spoke to Four Corners about the radicalisation of their loved one

The QAnon group claims without evidence that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (right) and former First Lady of the US Michelle Obama (left) are men in disguise

Among his more radical beliefs, she said, Mr Stewart believed he could talk to cockroaches and that both former American first lady Michelle Obama and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were really men.

Ms Stewart claimed her brother told her that if people wore red shoes, it's so they could disguise the splatter of blood from slaughtered babies as it falls to the ground.

He also supported online the theory that last year's US election was stolen from Donald Trump via his blog.

'Tim believes that the world has really been taken over by satanic paedophiles, or Luciferian paedophiles,' Karen told Four Corners.

On Mr Stewart's blog, Sideways Step, he wrote: 'The true nature of these crimes shows that humans are being treated as a commodity and human energy is being harvested without permission.'

'Furthermore, it is focused on children, who are more innocent and unaware,' he said.

'Why do evil people wish to rob a young child of their virginity?... Why do they drink blood? Why do they need to sacrifice humans?'

Ms Stewart said her family felt it was their 'civic duty' to report the radicalisation of her brother by the QAnon conspiracy community.

'I'm not a psychologist, I'm his mum and I hope that one day, some of this might be in the past,' his mother Val said.

'But I know that there are just concerns that we would have in hearing and watching some of what has happened over particularly this last year or so.'

The baseless internet cult gained worldwide prominence during the Trump presidency and assert that 'leftist' politicians, celebrities and elites are satanic paedophiles who operate through a 'deep State'. Pictured: Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley, known as the QAnon Shaman, is seen at the Capital riots on January 6

Karen, a candidate for The Greens, said disagreements over her brother's extreme views tore their family apart.

'I think almost all of us have broken down on the phone trying to explain the loss of a family member,' she said.

'And I know my mother has viewed it, she's described it as grieving. Grieving the loss of someone who's still alive and that's - it's a very confusing emotion.'

The program included an interview with Miles Taylor, former chief of staff of the US Department of Homeland Security, who urged Mr Morrison to condemn Qanon.

'It wasn't just a law enforcement concern, we started to view it as a real national security threat,' Mr Taylor said of QAnon.

'I think it's important for the prime minister and any other national leader to disavow individuals either within their orbit or outside of their orbit who harbour these types of extremist views.'

QAnon flags and insignia were seen during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol building earlier this year. The 'QAnon shaman', Jake Angeli, who stormed the building with a US flag and a horned fur hat, became an instant symbol of the movement.

Supporters of US President Donald Trump, including member of the QAnon conspiracy group enter the US Capitol Building on January 6

There had been speculation over whether Mr Stewart wielded any influence over the prime minister since he claimed Mr Morrison's use of the word 'ritual' in the 2018 parliamentary apology to survivors of institutional sex abuse reflected QAnon beliefs.

Tim Stewart responded to questions from Four Corners by describing reports about him as 'hit pieces'.

'I am too busy to read questions relating to the nonsense that's been put out there, which are just hit pieces,' he said.

In a statement to the program, the Mr Morrison said its focus was 'a politically motivated slur'.

'This is a politically motivated slur against the prime minister and his family by a Four Corners program that is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism,' a statement from his office said.

'[It] is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the Prime Minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group.'

Mr Stewart's wife, Lynelle (right), has been friends with the Prime Minister's wife, Jenny (left), since they were teenagers, and was given a security clearance in mid-2019 to work as an attendant at the Prime Minister's Sydney residence, Kirribilli House
A struggling electric truck startup could be on its last legs after its share price plunged 20 per cent after its two top bosses left amid severe cash flow issues.

Lordstown, whose factory is in Warren, Ohio, saw its share price dip as low as $9 after trading opened Monday morning, after it was revealed its CEO Steve Burns and CFO Julio Rodriguez had stepped down.

That was a sharp drop from the $11.41 its shares closed at on Friday, and a huge slump from the record $29.01-per-share record set in September 2020.

Shares prices have dropped by 40 per cent since the start of the year, with worse likely to come after Lordstown's former CEO and CFO warned that the firm's $587 million cash pile would not be enough to start production of its high tech Endurance truck.

The departures come less than a week after Lordstown cautioned that it may not be in business a year from now as it struggles to secure funding to begin full production.

In a quarterly regulatory filing, the company said that the cash it had on hand as of March 31 would still not be enough to bein production at its factory, a former General Motors plant in Ohio near Youngstown. Lordstown also reported a first-quarter loss of about $125 million.

Lordstown Motors Chief Executive Officer Steve Burns and Chief Financial Officer Julio Rodriguez stepped down Monday, citing fears that the company would fold within a year

Electric car company Lordstown Motors has had undulating share prices since it began last year

The company saw its shares drop from a high of roughly $31 in February to a low of a little under $10 on Monday, after Rodriguez and Burns left

The company blamed the coronavirus pandemic and industry-wide related issues that resulted in 'significantly higher than expected' spending on parts, expedited shipping costs and third-party engineering resources, according to a Reuters article.

Dubbed Endurance, Lordstown's electric pickup truck must compete with rival offerings from Tesla, Ford and General Motors.

It was mooted as being able to travel 250 miles per charge and tow 7,500 pounds with its 650 bhp.

Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk boasted that the upcoming Cybertruck has more than 250,000 pre-orders. The wedge-shaped truck, modelled to look like something out of a sci-fi movie, has an entry-level price of $39,000 and is still slated to begin production later this year at Musk's Giga factory near Austin in Texas.

Ford has also muscled in on the e-truck market. Its F-150 Lightning pickup truck, will be available in spring 2022 and will cost from $39,974 to about $55,000.

Lastly, GMC's new five-seat Hummer EV SUV, which while have the ability to drive diagonally, is going for $105,595 and is set to debut in early 2023.

Other all-electric start-ups are also doing better than Lordstown. Rivian, based in Normal, Illinois, has been asked to build 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon, with the first 10,000 vehicles due to join the online delivery giant's fleet by the end of 2022.

Workhorse in Cincinnati, Ohio, has hailed its C-Series electric van as a future contender in the electric vehicles market, but its factory has also been hit by staff shortages caused by a COVID outbreak. The firm must also win a large order from the United States Postal Office to guarantee its future.

Meanwhile, Lordstown is contending with a search for new leadership among other publicity concerns that began shortly after it became a publicly traded company through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC).

In January, a prototype of the Endurance pickup truck caught fire 10 minutes into its initial test drive in Michigan. In February, company shares began to drop and, the following month, the company failed to pay $570,000 in real estate taxes.

Around the same time, short-selling firm Hindenburg Research accused Lordstown of lying about the number of pre-orders the company claimed to have received for its flagship Endurance vehicle.

When it announced its deal to go public through a reverse merger last August, Lordstown said it had pre-orders for its Endurance pickup truck worth about $1.4 billion. But Hindenburg filed a report concluding that Lordstown's figures did not seem likely.

'After months of denials, Lordstown is finally beginning to acknowledge its precarious financial state and that its earlier production projections were nowhere close to reality,' Hindenburg said a statement to CNN Business.

The report spawned four potential class-action lawsuits against Lordstown by investors who claim they were defrauded.

Lordstown responded to the Hindenburg report on Monday and said it conducted an independent investigation revealing the report to be 'unsubstantiated.' However, it acknowledged that one potential buyer that made a large number of preorders doesn't appear to have adequate resources to make those purchases. Other preorders appear too vague or weak to be relied on, the company said.

In a quarterly regulatory filing, the company said that the $587 million it had on hand as of March 31 isnt enough to begin commercial production of its full-sized electric pickup called Endurance

Lordstown introduced the public to the $52,500 electric pickup truck last May

The Endurance will have a range of 250 miles per charge, a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, and peak horsepower of 600hp. Above designers are working with a clay model of the car

Specs released last May show that the Endurance will dispense with a traditional drive train in favor of using in-wheel hub motors that independently power each wheel

Now as Rodriguez and Burns leave the company, its troubles may only worsen.

Burns is Lordstown's largest shareholder and still holds 26.25 percent stake, according to FactSet. Investors that still remain may not want to stick around to find out what happens if and when Burns begins to unload his shares, according to Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley.

That dynamic is playing out as Lordstown's operations are coming under increasing scrutiny, which it was partially shielded from when it went public through a SPAC.

SPACs can cut up to 75 percent off the time it takes for a company to get its stock trading on an exchange, versus the traditional process of an initial public offering. SPACs can also make it easier to get prospective buyers on board. Companies going the SPAC route often feel more license to highlight projections for big growth theyre expecting in the future, for example. In a traditional IPO, the company is limited to highlighting its past performance, which may not be a great selling point for young start-ups that typically fail to put up big profits or revenue.

Investors in Lordstown include General Motors, which took a 5 percent stake. Spokesman Jim Cain said Monday that the companys investment is unchanged.

Following the resignations of Rodriguez and Burns, Lordstown named Angela Strand, the managing director of advisory firm Strand Strategy, as executive chair Monday and said that she will oversee the organizations transition until they tap a permanent CEO. They also named Becky Roof as interim CFO. Her past roles include interim CFO at Eastman Kodak, Hudsons Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue.

'Lordstown Motors has achieved significant milestones on the path to developing the first and best full-size all-electric pickup truck, the Lordstown Endurance,' Board Member David Hamamoto said ' in a press release published by Lordstown following the resignations. 'We thank Steve Burns for his passion and commitment to the company. As we transition to the commercial stage of our business  with planned commencement of limited production in late-September  we have to put in place a seasoned management team with deep experience leading and operating publicly-listed OEM companies.'
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NATO will confront China's military ambitions for the first time and designate Beijing as presenting 'systemic challenges' in a joint communique that is expected to be issued later today.

A draft of the message was seen by reporters during Monday's summit between leaders of the alliance in Brussels, the first to take place since Joe Biden took over from Trump as president.

'China's stated ambitions and assertive behaviour present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security,' the communique will say, marking an historic pivot as the alliance - which was set up to counter Russia - adapts to Beijing's rising presence on the world stage.

Leaders will also expand NATO's mutual defence pledge to include attacks on satellites and cyber attacks, saying that an assault on any one member of the 30-nation alliance will be seen as an attack on all of them.

Earlier in the day, Biden had firmly committed the US to the defence pact, drawing a line in the sand from Trump's policies after he prevaricated when asked the same question ahead of his first summit.

Meanwhile NATO leaders expressed relief that they are dealing with BIden and not his predecessor, with Dutch PM Mark Rutte saying relations are now 'more normal' than they were.

Italian PM Mario Draghi said the alliance is 'rebuilding' after years of 'undecided' policy from Trump, while Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo added that it was time to 'turn the page' after 'turbulent times'.

Joe Biden met with Tayyip Erdogan for talks on the sidelines of NATO's summit in Brussels today, with the two men greeting each-other with what at first appeared to be a kiss on the hand - though this was only a trick of perspective

Biden kicked off the summit by committing the US to NATO's mutual defence pact, saying he views it as a 'sacred obligation' in a break from Trump - who notoriously refused to commit to the pledge

Biden is attempting to rally his allies ahead of his first meeting with Vladimir Putin in Geneva later this week, as relations between the two countries plunge into the deep-freeze

Erdogan was rising out of his chair when Biden offered him a fist-bump which he reciprocated, though for a moment and at the right angle it appeared the Turkish president was kissing Biden's hand

'Article Five is a sacred obligation,' Biden said, referring to the transatlantic alliance's collective defence pledge. 'I want all Europe to know that the United States is there.'

'NATO is critically important to us,' said Biden, who is seeking to mend ties after Trump's denigration of the alliance and what the ex-president called its 'delinquent' members over the past four years.

Biden said both Russia and China were not acting 'in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped', referring to Western efforts since the mid-1990s to bring both countries into the fold of liberal democracies.

In a sign of a common position emerging on China, no longer seen as a benign trading partner, the European Union has already designated Beijing a 'systemic rival'.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte was keen to draw a line under the Trump era, saying relations are 'more natural' with Biden

Although Moscow denies any wrongdoing, allied leaders are concerned about Russia's military build-up near Ukraine, as well as its covert and cyber attacks to undermine Western states.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said China's growing military presence from the Baltics to Africa meant nuclear-armed NATO had to be prepared. 'China is coming closer to us. We see them in cyberspace, we see China in Africa, but we also see China investing heavily in our own critical infrastructure,' he said, a reference to ports and telecoms networks.

'We need to respond together as an alliance.'

G7 nations meeting in Britain over the weekend scolded China over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy and demanded a full investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China.

China's embassy in London said it was resolutely opposed to mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which it said distorted the facts and exposed the 'sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States'.

'China's reputation must not be slandered,' the embassy said on Monday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, arriving at the summit, said there were both risks and rewards with Beijing.

'I don't think anybody around the table wants to descend into a new Cold War with China,' he said.

Since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, NATO has modernised its defences but has only recently begun to look more seriously at any potential threat from Chinese ambitions.

From China's investments in European ports and plans to set up military bases in Africa to joint military exercises with Russia, NATO is now agreed that Beijing's rise deserves a strong response, although envoys said that would be multi-faceted.

Allies are mindful of their economic links with China. Total German trade with China in 2020 was over 212 billion euros ($256.82 billion), according to German government data, making Beijing the top trade partner in goods.

Total Chinese holdings of U.S. Treasuries as of March 2021 stood at $1.1 trillion, according to U.S. data, and total U.S. trade with China in 2020 was $559 billion.

Also on the agenda for Biden on Monday was a sideline meeting with Turkish President Erdogan, in an attempt to patch ties that have become strained lately.

During his campaign, Biden drew ire from Turkish officials after he described Erdogan as an 'autocrat.'

In April, Biden infuriated Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was 'genocide' - a term that U.S. presidents have previously avoided using.

The two leaders were expected to discuss Syria and Iran as well as what role Turkey can play on Afghanistan following U.S. withdrawal, according to the White House.

Also on the agenda: how Washington and Ankara 'deal with some of our significant differences on values and human rights and other issues,' White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

The unsettled security situation in Libya, as well as overlapping concerns on China and Russia are also expected to be discussed.

Biden is attempting to rally his allies as he takes a tough line on both China and Russia in the early days of his presidency. In two days, he will fly to Geneva for his first meeting with Vladimir Putin since becoming president.

Emmanuel Macron speaks with Biden as leaders prepare to take part in his first NATO meeting since becoming president

Boris Johnson (left), Emmanuel Macron (centre) and Joe Biden (right) are seen ahead of the NATO summit in Brussels today

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (centre) pledged a 'new chapter' for the alliance under Biden, which he said comes at a 'pivotal' moment in its history (pictured left, Polish president Andrzej Duda)

Joe Biden speaks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a plenary session at a NATO summit in Brussels

The president started his day meeting with leaders of the Baltic states on NATO's eastern flank regarding the 'threat posed by Russia,' China and the recent air piracy in Belarus, according to Sullivan.

The White House says Biden met Monday with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia, President Egils Levits of Latvia, and President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania and 'underscored strong U.S. support' for their security.

The White House added: 'The leaders committed to further strengthening our political, military, and economic partnerships, including working together through NATO to address challenges posed by Russia and China.'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Russian disinformation is one issue that will be discussed at Monday's NATO summit, as she spoke before the meeting.

Merkel said that 'hybrid challenges' are a growing issue - 'cyberattacks, and particularly with a view to Russia, of course, disinformation campaigns.' She added that 'many allies in NATO, including Germany, are affected.'

Merkel said the summit also will discuss the situation in Ukraine, 'where we see great challenges, of course,' and the situation in Belarus.

Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he wants to 'move forward' with Turkey toward a demanding and respectful relationship, after meeting with the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Both men talked Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. It was their first meeting since the dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October after Erdogan questioned Macron's mental health.

Macron said he wants all NATO allies to make a clear commitment to the military organization's values, principles and rules, according to the French presidency.

Both men discussed Libya and Syria issues, the Elysee said. Macron has notably accused Turkey of flouting its commitments by ramping up its military presence in Libya and bringing in jihadi fighters from Syria.

Macron also highlighted that France's secularism respects all religions, including Islam. The French presidency said a 'clarification' was needed in response to Erdogan's tough criticism of Macron's attitude toward Islam and Muslims, as the French government proposed a law to fight Islamist radicals.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson added that NATO leaders do not see China as an adversary in the same way that they view Russia, but that they must come to terms with the Asian giant's growing influence.

Johnson told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels Monday that China is 'a gigantic fact in our lives and a new strategic consideration for NATO.'

He says 'I don't think anybody around the table today wants to descend into a new Cold War with China.'

He says the leaders of the 30-nation alliance 'see challenges, they see things that we have to manage together, but they also see opportunities, and I think that what we need to do is to do it together.

NATO leaders gather for the summit in Brussels today, taking place just 48 hours before Biden meets with Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the NATO summit in Brussels

The NATO summit also comes on the tail of the G7 meeting that took place just a few days prior in the UK.

At the G-7, leaders sought to convey that the club of wealthy democracies - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States - is a better friend to poorer nations than authoritarian rivals such as China and Russia.

The G-7 meeting ended with a communique that called out forced labor practices and other human rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province.

The president declined to discuss private summit negotiations over the provision, but said he was 'satisfied' with the communique, although differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to call out Beijing.

Biden is focused on building a more cohesive bond between America and allies who had become wary of U.S. leadership after enduring four years of Trump's name-calling and frequent invectives about the relevance of NATO.

Trump complained that the NATO alliance allows 'global freeloading' countries to spend less on military defense at the expense of the U.S. and dismissed the alliance as 'obsolete.'

Biden offered a pointed rejoinder on Sunday, saying: 'We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket. We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security for ... the remainder of the century. And there's a real enthusiasm.'

When alliance members last met for a summit in England in December 2019, Trump grabbed headlines by calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'two-faced' and French President Emmanuel Macron 'nasty.'

Trump lashed out after Trudeau was caught on a hot mic gossiping with other leaders about Trump turning photo opportunities into long news conferences.

Ahead of the summit, Macron had declared NATO 'brain dead' because of a void in U.S. leadership under Trump.

Biden has already acknowledged during his Europe tour that the alliance needs to ensure better burden sharing and needs more American leadership.

He's also highlighted NATO members' contributions in the war in Afghanistan, noting that 'NATO stepped up' after America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

The U.S. and NATO are winding down their involvement in the nearly 20-year war that killed tens of thousands of Afghans and more than 3,500 U.S. and allied troops.

The war also raised profound questions about whether NATO's most ambitious effort was worth it.

For now, NATO plans to leave civilian advisers to help build up government institutions. It's unclear who will protect them.

The alliance is also weighing whether to train Afghan special forces outside the country.

NATO members are also expected to endorse the creation of a new cyber defense policy to improve coordination with countries impacted by the increasing frequency of ransomware attacks.

That will come alongside a climate security action plan to reduce greenhouse gases from military activities in line with national commitments under the Paris agreement and a commitment to strengthen NATO's deterrence to meet threats from Russia and elsewhere, according to the White House.
The Yale University graduate student, whose body was found on a Connecticut street next to his car in February, was shot multiple times at close range in an attack that investigators said was carried out by an MIT researcher who wanted to date the victim's fiancee.

The possible motive behind the February 6 killing of Kevin Jiang was included in a detailed arrest warrant unsealed in court on Friday.

The 96-page document also stated that Jiang's suspected killer, 30-year-old Qinxuan Pan, has been tied to a string of other recent shootings in New Haven, including one targeting a local school district official, which took place the night before the homicide.

Jiang, 26, had gunshot wounds to his head, chest and extremities when he was found dead next to his fiancee's home in the East Rock section of New Haven, according to the warrant.

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Qinxuan Pan, 30 (left) appears in Connecticut court on June 1 to face charges for the killing of Kevin Jiang, 26 (right), who was found shot in the face at close range

A judge set bail for Pan at $20million after he was deemed 'armed and dangerous and an extreme flight risk'

Pan's attorney, William Gerace, has applied for the amount to be reduced to $1million

Pan, 30, was charged with first-degree murder in connection to Jiang's death and arrested in Alabama in May following a three-month international manhunt. He was extradited back to Connecticut and arraigned May 20.

Investigators discovered that Pan and Jiang's fiancee, Zion Perry, were friends on Facebook, and had met while at MIT, from which both had graduated. Pan was working as an artificial intelligence researcher. The two interacted at various Christian group events on campus and also communicated online.

According to the documents cited by New Haven Independent, Perry told authorities 'they never had a romantic or sexual relationship, they were just friends, but she did get a feeling that he was interested in her during that time.'

Jiang proposed marriage to Perry during a hike on January 30, and she posted photos and a video of the engagement that same day on Facebook, where it was accessible by her friends and the public, including Pan.

At a June 1 court appearance, a judge set bail for Pan at $20million after he was deemed 'armed and dangerous and an extreme flight risk.'

Pan's attorney, William Gerace, applied for the amount to be reduced to $1million. Asked for comment about the court documents, Gerace said in an email, 'Mr. Pan is presumed innocent.'

Pan's mother spoke to reporters outside the courtroom, describing what happened in February as 'sad,' according to Fox 61.

Gerace said Pan is his parents' only child, and that he has been their 'whole world' since they moved to the US from China in 2007.

Jiang's fiancee, Zion Perry (right), who knew Pan from MIT and was friends with him, told police she felt 'he was interested in her'

According to court documents released June 11, Jiang had gunshot wounds to his head, chest and extremities when he was found on February 6 at the corner of Nicoll and Lawrence Street in New Haven (pictured)

Pan has yet to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. He is due back in court on July 13.

Gerace told NBC Connecticut that his client has no criminal record and is an 'affable' young man.

'I cant imagine him doing this crime,' he said.

The arrest warrant and search warrants outlined that Jiang had left the apartment of his fiancee after a day of fishing.

Perry told authorities that she heard gunshots but didn't think of Jiang because she assumed he had already left the area.

In the documents, authorities said audio and video surveillance records showed Jiang getting out of his car after what sounded like a collision and approaching a vehicle behind him. Then the sounds of gunshots is audible.

The warrants also include authorities saying a short time later, police in nearby North Haven had to tow a car from railroad tracks where it had gotten stuck. The driver was Pan, who told them the car was a rental but couldn't produce any documentation.

Authorities said he disappeared after being taken to a motel, which police discovered when they went to find him the next day. They had gone looking for him after workers at an Arby's restaurant next door reported finding a bag with a gun, ammunition, license plates and a briefcase outside. One of the officers recognized the bags as having been in Pan's car the day before.

Pan allegedly killed Jiang less than a week after the victim proposed marriage to Perry, who posted photos (pictured) and a video of the engagement on Facebook

This photo from March 2020 shows Zion Perry (left), laughing with Pan (far right). The two knew each other from their involvement in Christian groups on campus

Bullets allegedly used by Pan (left and right) in Jiang's killing have been tied to at least four other recent shootings, one of which took place the night before. Pan was arrested in Alabama in May after a three-month search

Jinag's blood and tissue were recovered from the stolen SUV Pan was caught driving, from a grey knit hat he was observed wearing, as well as from a leather briefcase that was found abandoned at the Arby's, according to the warrant.

An analysis by authorities determined that bullet casings found near Jiang's body were not connected to the gun recovered by Arby's workers.

However, police were able to connect the bullets recovered at the scene of Jiang's killing to those used in at least four other recent shootings, including an incident that took place the night before the homicide where shots were fired at the Beaver Hills home of New Haven Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Paul Whyte.

The affidavit states that the bullets used to kill Jiang were also linked to shots that were fired in December 2020 on Huntington Street, in January 2021 on Stimson Road, and on Shepard Street in Hamden just hours before the Yale student's death. No one was hurt in any of the other shootings.

The documents did not outline how authorities found Pan in Alabama, where prosecutors said he had rented an apartment under a false name, and was found with $19,000 in cash, his father's Chinese passport and several cellphones.
A Chicago cop wore a hoodie emblazoned with his department's logo to riot in the US Capitol while on sick leave, and shared his shock at how many black people were there, investigators say.

Officer Karol J. Chwiesiuk, 29, was arrested Friday over claims he travelled from the Windy City to Washington DC to join in the deadly violence, and was branded a 'disgrace' by Mayor Lori Lightfoot after news of his alleged crime was shared.

Chwiesiuk joined a mob of rioters who broke into and vandalized the office of Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, according to a 19-page criminal complaint released by prosecutors Friday.

The complaint includes screen shots of texts Chwiesiuk exchanged with a close friend leading up to the Jan. 6 riot. The texts, which the unidentified friend provided to authorities, begin on Jan. 3, with a message from Chwiesiuk saying he was going to Washington DC 'to save the nation.

His friend appeared to deter him and said, Fat man child lost. Give it up, in an apparent reference to Donald Trump, but Chwiesiuk responded, Didnt read. Busy planning how to f**k up some commies.

Then, on Jan. 6, he texted the same friend that he Knocked out a commie last night. It is not clear if Chwiesiuk was serious, as he has not been charged with assault.

Later on Jan. 6, he texted his friend again and said Theres so many blacks here Im actually in disbelief and shortly after he wrote, we inside the capital [sic] lmfao. Then, seven days later, he texted his friend unprompted and wrote, N***a dont snitch.

Officer Karol J. Chwiesiuk, 29, was arrested Friday over claims he took part in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Investigators obtained the above selfie that Chwiesiuk sent to a friend

Crowd photos from the Jan. 6 attack reveal Chwiesiuk among them, highlighted in red

Chwiesiuk is accused of being part of a mob which broke into Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley's office

Prosecutors released a 19-page criminal complaint detailing Chwiesiuk's arrest

Chwiesiuk, who worked in the CPDs 11th District in Harrison, faces five misdemeanor counts that include entering a restricted building, disrupting government business and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds with the intent to impede a congressional proceeding.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel Fuentes ordered Chwiesiuk released on $15,000 bond under the conditions that he relinquish any firearms, surrender his firearm owners identification card and could never travel to the Capitol again.

Chwiesiuk was on medical leave from the police department at the time of the Jan. 6 insurrection, although the department has refused to offer further details on his condition. He served as a Chicago police officer since 2018 after a stint as a Cook County sheriff's deputy.

On receiving news of his arrest, CPD Superintendent David Brown stripped him of his police powers and placed him on desk duty. He spoke at a news conference with Chicago city officials on Friday.

CPD Superintendent David Brown condemned Chwiesiuk's actions at a news conference with Chicago city officials on Friday

Brown said that if the allegations are true, it is 'a betrayal of everything we stand for.'

'The fact that a Chicago police officer has been charged in that attack on American democracy makes my blood boil, Brown said.

'We have a zero tolerance for hate and extremism of any kind within the Chicago Police Department. And if you harbor such ignorance in your heart, you should take off your star now and find another line of work, or I'll do it for you.'

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at the news conference that Chwiesiuk brought a total disgrace to the Chicago police department.

We have to stand in one, clear united voice and say not in this time, not in this place, will we ever tolerate hate, she said.

CPD must always hold officers accountable for their actions both on and off duty. This kind of behavior could never be tolerated in the city of Chicago. Hate has no home here.

Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died and hundreds of people were injured on Jan. 6 when rioters, some of whom were armed, stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to disrupt the Electoral College from certifying the results of the 2020 election. Two other officers died by suicide in the months following the attack.

More than 465 people from throughout the country have been criminally charged to date.

Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died and hundreds of people were injured at the Jan. 6 Capitol riots
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr spoke out for the first time Monday about the Trump administration's effort to secretly gain access to 30,000 of her emails.

'Speaking for myself, I don't know what the government was looking for when it snuck into my life. I am not the subject of an investigation and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing,' Starr wrote in an op-ed. 'But as a CNN journalist, myself and my newsroom clearly were being used as a tool by the Trump Justice Department.'

Starr also appeared on CNN's New Day saying, 'To say I was dumbfounded would be such a vast understatement.'

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr (right) spoke out for the first time Monday about the Trump administration's effort to secretly gain access to 30,000 of her emails. She appeared on New Day with Brianna Keilar (left)

President Donald Trump's Justice Department went after the records of eight reporters as part of a so-called 'leak' investigation. The effort was only made public in the last few weeks by the news organizations that were targeted

Attorney General Bill Barr ran President Donald Trump's Justice Department when efforts to sniff out leaks to the media were stepped up

'I have no idea, what they were looking for, apparently a leak investigation,' she continued.

This month The New York Times, Washington Post and CNN revealed that they had been informed by the Department of Justice that some of their reporters' records had been seized during former President Donald Trump's tenure.

As president, Trump was vehement about finding out who in government was leaking information to the press.

Starr was the lone CNN reporter, while four reporters were targeted at The Times and three reporters were targeted at The Post.

On top of that, records of Democratic lawmakers and their families - including House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff - were also pursued.

On Monday, senior personnel from CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times are scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland to try and get an explanation for why the Trump-era DOJ went to great lengths to obtain these records.

The whole effort was shrouded in secrecy, with CNN's general counsel David Vigilante put under a gag order so he could only speak about the government's efforts to the network's president, lawyer's a CNN's corporate parent and attorneys working at an outside law firm, CNN said.

'In secret court proceedings last year they went after 30,000 of my emails and phone records. And not just my work email, my work phone, but they went after my personal accounts, my personal emails, my personal phone ... they wanted all of it,' Starr told CNN's Brianna Keilar Monday morning. 'And I wasn't even allowed to know about it.'

Starr said Vigilante had to appear before a 'secret court' for records from 2017.

Starr said as a Pentagon correspondent she was covering U.S. actions in a number of places including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and North Korea.

The New York Times journalists targeted - Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eric Lichtblau and Michael S. Schmidt - were writing about how FBI Director James Comey had handled politically charged investigations during the 2016 presidential election cycle.

The three Washington Post reporters - Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller, and former Post reporter Adam Entous - were writing about Russia's role in the 2016 election.

None of the journalists were specifically told what stories triggered the seizures.

Starr wasn't told about the government's effort until late May 2021, she said.

'I got a phone call at home telling me that this had happened,' Starr said.

On Friday, the Department of Justice's Inspector General said it would investigate the Trump-era seizure of journalists' and Democratic lawmakers' records.

While journalists are protected by the First Amendment, Starr encouraged passage of stronger journalism shield laws that would prevent government spying in the future.

'President Biden has said the seizing of reporters' records will be stopped under his administration. But with all respect to him and his stated intentions, that is a promise of limited relevance,' Starr said in the op-ed. 'Unless new protections are codified, this could all happen again to any journalist.'

'Secret proceedings, gag orders so CNN attorneys can't speak to me, and eight reporters being swept up in investigations with no explanation - these are not part of a free press in the United States,' the veteran Pentagon correspondent added.
A young man has tearfully described how he fell to his knees and screamed when he found the lifeless bodies of his girlfriend and her sister in a park.

Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, were allegedly savagely attacked by Danyal Hussein, 19, following his blood pact with a demon to win the lottery.

Earlier that night, they had been celebrating Ms Henry's birthday with friends in Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north-west London.

On Monday, Ms Smallman's boyfriend Adam Stone broke down at the Old Bailey as he told of his frantic search for his girlfriend and her sister.

Mr Stone, who had known Ms Smallman for six years, had not been at the party on June 5 last year but have given her money for a minicab home.

Just after 1am on June 6, he received a last text message from her saying: 'I'm dancing in a field.'

The next day she did not respond to his reply and he became increasingly worried that neither her friends nor family had seen her, the court heard.

He reported Ms Smallman missing to police and even attempted to track her mobile phone, without success, the jury was told.

By the morning of Sunday June 7, Mr Stone decided to go in search of Ms Smallman in the park where she had been last seen, the court heard.

Speaking from behind a screen in court, he said: 'I spoke to my mum and said we need to go looking. I received a message from Nicole's mum, the address where they had gone.'

Once in the park, he separated from his parents and they began searching by 'shouting and looking in bushes', he said.

He said: 'The second I saw the knife I started running. I already had my phone ringing 999.'

He spotted some shoes in undergrowth and ran round and 'dived into the bushes', he said.

Danyal Hussein, 19, is alleged to have stabbed and killed Ms Henry and Ms Smallman in Fryent Country Park in Wembley in June last year

Nina Esmat had partied with Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, (pictured on the night they were killed) in Fryent Country Park, before they were attacked and killed in June last year

The knife similar to the one allegedly bought by Danyal Hussein in Asda in Colindale prior to the death of Nicole Smallman and Henry Bibaa

Symbols, inscriptions and other documents were also recovered by officers - and shown as part to jurors today

Mr Stone became emotional as he described finding the two women's bodies.

Mr Glasgow said: 'Did you touch either of the bodies?'

Mr Stone said: 'No. I fell to my knees in front of Nicole.'

'I screamed and I saw my mum and dad were a couple of metres behind me.

'I jumped up and turned around, gave my phone to my dad.

'I was still connected to 999 and grabbed them by the shoulders and told them not to look in there.'

Nina Esmat had partied with the two girls before they were attacked and killed in June last year.

She and other friends had spent the day with the sisters as they celebrated Ms Henry's birthday in the park, in Wembley, north-west London.

The friend said the 'lovely get together' turned to 'dread' when she spoke to friends after hearing the pair had not returned home that night.

Ms Esmat was one of a group of friends who went to the park the following today in the hope of finding the sisters.

She told the court: 'For half an hour I rode my bike around looking for where she was.

'I didn't know what I was doing to be honest, it was very surreal. Adam (another friend) and I found each other, I think at that point I noticed her glasses.

'I saw them glinting in the sun, my heart sank, I knew that she just wouldn't have left them behind.'

She described the glasses as 'mangled' and told the court.

'I think I remember seeing a long line of flattened grass. I'm not sure whether I thought that was big at the time.'

Ms Esmat called police who told her to take the glasses to a nearby police station.

'He just said to me 'I don't know what to do', I said 'if you can bear it just keep looking'.

She drove to two police stations, which were both closed, before speaking to officers at Wembley Police Station.

'I had contact with Adam, unfortunately with Covid they have this system, you walk towards the desk and the door closes.

'After some time I could hear their radios talking about dogs.

'I was really, really worried. At that point Adam had texted me to say 'I have found them, they're gone'.

An image of Bibaa and Nicole and their friends taken on Bibaa's phone before the tragedy. The pair were found dead at Fryern Country Park - where they had been with their friends - the following day

The teenager was caught on CCTV in a nearby supermarket buying a knife, which was allegedly used in the deaths of the two sisters

'I knew what he meant but I did not want to believe it. I did reply 'what do you mean they are gone?'

'He said 'they are dead'.'

Ms Esmat had earlier told the court that she, the two sisters, and other friends had enjoyed a 'lovely to get together' at the park.

'It was a beautiful evening, amazing view, amazing sunset,' she told the court.

'We were all taking pictures remarking on the sky at night.'

Ms Esmat was one of the last to leave at around 11.45pm, while the sisters stayed on, the court heard.

She told jurors: 'I had the impression they were not going to stay long. It felt a safe space.'

Afterwards, Ms Esmat texted Ms Henry by WhatsApp to ask about her evening and sent her some photographs from the party but heard nothing back.

She said: 'I thought it was strange but it didn't worry me too much. I didn't feel that worried.

'The next morning her cousin messaged me and as soon as I heard her voice I knew something was wrong. I was filled with dread.'

She told jurors that the sisters' mother was really worried because they had not returned home.

Ms Esmat joined another concerned friend, Adam Stone, to search the park. It was Mr Stone who later found the bodies before texting Ms Esmat.

On Friday, jurors in the trial were shown the pictures of the blood pact signed by Hussein, who had offered the devil 'six sacrifices every six months'.

The blood-pact signed by Danyal Hussein, 19. The teenager is facing a murder trial over the deaths of sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman who were found dead in London last year

Danyal's signature, written in his own blood, was shown to a court today as part of the trial

A jury was also shown the lottery tickets purchased by Danyal that were found by police in his room

PC Lindsay Barnet told jurors she found a number of folded coloured file dividers with symbols drawn on them on a shelf underneath the television in Hussein's bedroom at his mother's house in Lewisham.

Alongside his six offerings, the 19-year-old had promised to build a temple to 'mighty King Lucifug Rofocale' in exchange for 'fruitful rewards' and his freedom.

The signature at the bottom of the agreement was allegedly signed off by Danyal in his own blood, a court heard today.

Pictures of the three lottery tickets the teenager purchased, alongside drawings of symbols found in his room, were also shown to the court as part of the murder trial.

Hussein was arrested at his mother's house in Eltham, South London in the early hours of July 1 last year.

The court heard Ms Henry, a social worker, had been stabbed eight times and Ms Smallman, who worked in the hospitality industry, had suffered 28 injuries.

When the sisters' bodies were discovered by a horrified friend on June 7, Hussein's blood and DNA was found on their bodies and various items including the tonic bottle.

The last CCTV footage of the sisters showed them entering the park on 7:39PM, carrying a number of bags including a heavy duty blue plastic bag.

The bodies of Nicole Smallman (right), 27, and Bibaa Henry (left), 46, were found intertwined and concealed in a hedgerow, the court was told

CCTV footage shows Bibaa and Nicole heading into the Kingsbury Co-op store

Danyal Hussein (sketched in the dock by a court artist) appearing in the dock at the Old Bailey, London, where he is on trial accused of killing sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry

Hussein's DNA and that of Ms Smallman was found on the knife, which was identical to one the man had bought in a set from Asda.

His blood was also found in the undergrowth near to the bodies of the two women, on drinks bottles from the party and on a pair of latex gloves discarded at the park.

Hussein was caught on CCTV returning to his home at 4am on the Saturday morning.

Later that day he went to Northwick Park hospital to seek treatment for cuts to his right hand and told doctors that he had been mugged at 10pm the night before.

Hussein, of Blackheath, southeast London, denies two counts of murder and possessing a knife.

The trial continues.
The parents of a former US Marine jailed in Russia for assaulting a Moscow cop have blasted Vladimir Putin's claim their son was a 'sh*tfaced troublemaker' - and have begged Joe Biden to free a Russian criminal so he can come home.

Speaking on NBC's Today show on Monday, Joey and Paula Reed lashed out the Russian president for branding their son a 'drunk,' claiming he had been convicted and given an unprecedented nine year prison sentence by a 'kangaroo court,' and asked the US government to consider a prisoner swap scheme to bring their son Trevor home.

Asked about the Russian premier's insult, Joey said: 'Well, obviously the statement was very offensive and untrue.'

But the Reeds, who live in Fort Worth, Texas, insisted they did not want to be political, or get into a slanging match with Putin, and just wanted Trevor back in the US.

'We don't care how he comes home. If they want to exchange Trevor for some criminals that were low-level criminals or whatever' Trevor's father told NBC's Savannah Guthrie on Monday.

'We're fine with that. We want our son home,' his wife Paula added.

Former US Marine Trevor Reed's parents say the 28-year-old was unfairly sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison Reed after allegedly assaulting a Moscow cop

Pictured: Reed has been languishing in the Russian prison ever since his incarceration began in July 2020, having recently contracted COVID-19, his family says

'Your guy, the marine (Reed) is just a drunk and a troublemaker,' Putin told NBC News during an interview first screened Friday.

'As they say here, he got himself sh*tfaced on vodka and started a fight, among other things he hit a cop,' the Russian leader added.

On Sunday, President Biden told a G7 press conference that engineering a swap of suspected computer hackers between the US and Russia was 'potentially a good sign of progress' between the two countries, whose diplomatic relations are currently in the deep freeze.

But later that day, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the president was not endorsing a 'prisoner swap,' dashing hopes of US families who claim their loved-ones have been wrongly convicted in Russia.

Trevor Reed is pictured in court in Moscow in July 2020. He is now serving a nine year sentence in a Russian prison over claims he drunkenly assaulted a cop

Paul Whelan, a 50-year-old former US Marine and corporate security director, was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison after being accused of espionage

Putin will be meeting with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland, where the two world leaders will look to establish a better relationship with one another following increased tension over the years.

The Biden administration is working on repairing relations with Russia after their meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and 2014 annexation of Crimea, which set off worldwide condemnation at the time.

Reed's family were excited at the prospect of their son potentially returning home, and were in full-support of the prisoner exchange between the two world leaders.

'We're very happy to hear that president Putin is open to a prisoner exchange and we hope that that's something that happens very soon because Trevor and Paul Whelan both have been there long enough considering that they're innocent of the charges against them,' Trevor's mother Paula said of Putin's prison exchange offer to President Biden.

The possible prisoner exchange can't happen soon enough for Reed, who contracted COVID-19 while incarcerated in the Russian prison, with his parents telling NBC's Today Show that 'he still had a fever, chest pain, and lost his sense of smell.'

The Reeds have gone weeks without contact with their son, they say, before adding that the last time they spoke, he hadn't even received a COVID-19 test despite showing obvious symptoms.

Putin will be meeting with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss possible a prisoner exchange

'Your guy, the marine (Reed) is just a drunk and a troublemaker,' Putin said of Reed. 'As they say here, he got himself sh*tfaced on vodka and started a fight, among other things he hit a cop'

'They wouldn't even give him a test for COVID, which I think is pretty standard in their jails,' Trevor's father revealed.

Reed, a student, moved to Moscow in 2019 in order to be near girlfriend Alina Tsibulnik, 22, who he had met on holiday in Greece.

The pair lived together for two months and had planned to marry in September, when they were both invited to a party for Tsibulnik's colleagues on August 15.

At the party, which took place just a few days before he was due to fly out to Texas, Reed says he was encouraged to drink a large amount of vodka.

'There is also a possibility that he may have been given other substances without his knowledge,' a statement put out by his family said.

Meanwhile, Biden and US officials believe that both Reed and fellow former US Marine Paul Whelan, who is currently incarcerated on a 16 year prison sentence in a Russian jail after being accused espionage, are being wrongfully imprisoned on trumped up charges in the first place.
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Two Covid vaccine doses are extremely effective at reducing hospitalisations in patients infected with the Indian variant and just one jab prevents more than seven in 10 from being admitted, according to official figures.

In a glimmer of hope in the UK's fight against the mutant strain, latest analysis by Public Health England published tonight estimated that Pfizer's vaccine slashes the risk by 96 per cent after two doses and AstraZeneca's jab cuts it by 92 per cent.

PHE's study of 14,000 cases of the Indian 'Delta' variant also found a single dose of either vaccine provides roughly 75 per cent protection against being admitted to hospital three weeks after getting the jab.

It suggests the vaccines work just as well at reducing Covid hospital rates from the Indian variant  which spooked ministers into delaying the final easing of lockdown  as they do against the previously dominant Kent version.

The report didn't calculate the level of protection the jabs provide against mortality from the Delta variant but PHE said it expects that figure to be 'high'.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock praised the latest findings which showed 'how crucial it is' to get jabbed, adding: 'Our vaccination programme continues at pace and has already saved thousands of lives. It is our way out of this pandemic.'

Officials had always believed the jabs would work well against the variant but there were growing doubts after multiple studies found it made vaccines significantly weaker at preventing infections.

However, PHE has warned that unvaccinated people are twice as likely to be hospitalised with the Indian strain compared to the Kent one. The increased risk also applies to people who have not had enough time to develop immunity following a jab,

This, combined with the fact the Indian variant is around 60 per cent more transmissible than the Kent version, has led to England's June 21 Freedom Day being delayed by a month.

SAGE warned there could be up to 500 Covid deaths a day if Boris Johnson were to press ahead with next week's unlocking. But the group's models were based on older, more pessimistic data about the Indian variant.

Latest analysis by Public Health England estimates that Pfizer's vaccine slashes the risk of being hospitalised by the Indian variant by 96 per cent after two doses and AstraZeneca's jab cuts it by 92 per cent. Previous real-world analysis by PHE found that Pfizer's jab was 97 per cent effective at preventing admissions from the Kent variant. PHE has not yet published data on AstraZeneca's effect on older strains

In a report published last week it said the estimated protection from one dose of either jab has fallen from 50 per cent against the Kent variant to just 33 per cent against Delta. The reduction in protection after two doses is much smaller, with it falling from an estimated 88 per cent to 81 per cent

A slide presented at Downing Street's press conference tonight looked at the average protection provided against hospitalisations by both vaccines. England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty hailed the results as 'very encouraging indeed'

Above, PHE's estimates on the jabs' effect on symptomatic illness from the Indian variant were presented as a range at tonight's press conference

PHE's analysis included 14,019 cases of the Delta variant  166 of whom were hospitalised  between April 12 and June 4, looking at emergency hospital admissions in England.

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said tonight's PHE report was 'extremely encouraging' and urged people to come for their second vaccine appointment.

'It is extremely encouraging to see today's research showing that vaccines are continuing to help break the link between hospitalisation and the Delta variant after one dose, and particularly the high effectiveness of two doses.

'If you're getting the call to bring forward your second dose appointment - do not delay - get the second jab so you can benefit from the fullest possible protection.'

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, added: 'These hugely important findings confirm that the vaccines offer significant protection against hospitalisation from the Delta variant.

'The vaccines are the most important tool we have against Covid. Thousands of lives have already been saved because of them.

'It is absolutely vital to get both doses as soon as they are offered to you, to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants.'

So far almost 42million Britons  almost 80 per cent of adults  have been given one vaccine dose and 30million have been fully immunised. It leaves a fifth of people unvaccinated and almost half only partially protected.

PHE has previously published analysis showing one dose is 17 per cent less effective at preventing symptomatic illness from the Indian variant, compared to the Kent version, but there is only a small difference after two doses.

It comes after analysis of Scotland's coronavirus crisis found that the Indian variant was most prominent in younger people while the elderly - who have mostly been double jabbed - appeared to have high levels of protection. Red bars represent the Indian variant and green the Kent version. The blue chart highlights cases suspected of being the Indian variant

Covid patients 'are getting sicker FASTER' in China as south of nation battles flare-up fuelled by Indian variant Covid patients infected with the Indian variant are getting sicker more quickly than in previous waves, doctors in China have claimed. In the city of Guangzhou, where the mutant strain is known to be spreading, medics say about 12 per cent of patients become severely ill within four days of symptoms starting. The proportion had previously been as low as 2 or 3 per cent with the original Wuhan virus and the variant which first emerged in Kent and went on to become world-dominant. The testimonies in China add to a growing body of evidence that the so-called Delta strain is not only far more virulent than previous versions, but also more dangerous. In Britain, officials estimate the strain is twice as likely to cause hospitalisation than the Kent strain, and is at least 60 per cent more infectious. UK experts say younger people also appear more likely to be admitted with the new variant, due to a combination of fewer young people being vaccinated and because the strain seems to pose a greater risk of severe illness. But British doctors have not mirrored any claims about infected patients becoming sicker quicker. Some scientists believe symptoms of the virus have become milder since the variant began to take off, which may be down to younger people  who are less vulnerable to the disease  getting infected. Guan Xiangdong, director of critical care medicine at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, said the amount of Indian variant virus detected in the body rises to higher levels and declines more slowly than with previous strains. This could partly explain why the mutant virus is more infectious, with patients coughing out more viral particles, and more deadly, because the immune system has to fight off a larger amount of the disease. Advertisement

In a report published last week it said the estimated protection from one dose of either jab has fallen from 50 per cent against the Kent variant to just 33 per cent against Delta.

The reduction in protection after two doses is much smaller, with it falling from an estimated 88 per cent to 81 per cent.

Commenting on PHE's latest findings, Dr Peter English, former chair of the BMA Public Health Medicine Committee, said: 'This is more excellent news about the vaccines and their real-world effectiveness against the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

'With over 14,000 symptomatic cases, 166 of whom were hospitalised, this provides good quality evidence of real-world effectiveness.

'The effectiveness is not surprising  we know that vaccines are generally increasingly effective at preventing increasingly severe illness.

'Nevertheless, it is extremely reassuring to see that vaccines' efficacy against hospitalisation with Delta variant disease is so close to their efficacy against the Alpha and original variants, and over 90% after two doses, for both vaccines.

'This gives us more hope that the anticipated extension of the 21 June data for relaxing restrictions will not need to be delayed for too long, especially if further data show marked indirect protection.'

It comes after analysis of Scotland's coronavirus crisis found that AstraZeneca and Pfizer's jabs were equally effective at reducing admissions from the Indian and Kent strains after 28 days of a follow up vaccine.

The finding is in line with PHE's promising finding and will raise hopes that the new strain will not totally derail the UK's lockdown-ending hopes.

However, the Delta strain was shown to be 80 per cent more likely to put unvaccinated people in hospital compared to the Kent version.

For the study period  April 1 and June 6 this year  there were 7,723 cases and 134 hospital admissions with the Indian variant.

Lead researcher Professor Aziz Sheikh, director of the University of Edinburgh's Usher Institute, told a briefing today that he welcomed the delay of England's June 21 Freedom Day.

He said: 'If there is a delay, I think that will give us the opportunity to widen coverage, which is incredibly important for those who at the moment have only got one dose.

'It will give the opportunity to increase the proportion of the population with two doses and then what we want is a period of time where people can actually maximise their immune responses.

'I think any sort of increase in the window of opportunity before lockdown measures are completely brought to an end, will be helpful, because that will help us to control community transmission.'

'So, overall, I'd be very supportive of any delays that might be announced.'

Meanwhile, the Edinburgh researchers found that both vaccines were significantly less likely to prevent infection of the Indian variant than the Kent one.

The Pfizer/BioNTech jab was found to provide 79 per cent protection against infection from the 'Delta' variant, compared with 92 per cent against the 'Alpha' variant.

While the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offered 60 per cent protection against infection with the Delta variant compared with 73 per cent for the Alpha variant.

Experts say this lower vaccine effect may reflect that it takes longer to develop immunity with the Oxford jab.

Professor Sheikh added: 'Over a matter of weeks the Delta variant has become the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in Scotland.

'It is unfortunately associated with increased risk of hospitalisation from Covid-19.

'Whilst possibly not as effective as against other variants, two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines still offer substantial protection against the risk of infection and hospitalisation.

'It is therefore really important that, when offered second doses, people take these up, both to protect themselves, and to reduce household and community transmission.'

The findings are published as a research letter in The Lancet.

The numbers that delayed Freedom Day: Official data shows cases ARE spiralling but not in over-60s and ICU admissions are rising slowly

Boris Johnson today announced a four-week delay to the end of the Covid lockdown roadmap as experts fear the now-dominant Indian 'Delta' variant is on the cusp of triggering a third wave.

Cases have spiked 50 per cent in a week across the UK and the number of people needing hospital treatment for Covid is rising slowly in its wake, with more than 1,000 people now on wards with the virus.

Infections are mostly in the young, with rates up to seven times higher among people in their 20s than in the over-80s, and scientists and ministers are still confident that vaccines will keep a lid on the death toll.

But a single dose is no longer enough to protect most people from catching Covid and Mr Johnson must buy the NHS more time to get second jabs out to millions more middle-aged people, who are still at risk of hospitalisation.

The PM announced that curbs such as large event number limits, social distancing and unlimited indoor mixing will have to stay until at least mid-July and potentially until England's school summer holidays.

Here is a look at the data that may have spooked him:

The trend of total number of people in hospital has remained relatively flat, fluctuating between 800 and 1,100 for the past month but creeping upwards in the most recent week. Experts say the current surge in cases will see it tick up in the coming days and weeks.

Public Health England data showed that in the week ending June 6 the highest infection rate was 121 cases per 100,000 people among those aged 20 to 29. Rates were also high in teenagers (99 per 100,000) and adults in their 30s (73). They are significantly lower among older age groups

CASES ARE RISING ACROSS UK BUT BIGGEST SPIKES IN UNDER-30s

Coronavirus cases have undeniably been rising in the UK, and quickly, in recent weeks after the ending of most lockdown rules on May 17 coincided with the takeover of the Indian variant.

The average number of positive tests announced each day is now above 7,000 for the first time since the tail end of the second wave in March, after 7,490 cases were confirmed yesterday after 8,125 on Friday.

There were 50,017 cases confirmed between Monday and Sunday last week, a 50 per cent spike from 33,496 the week before.

But a ray of hope among the rising infections is the fact that cases are up to 17 times higher among young adults than they are in the at-risk elderly, suggesting vaccines are protecting older people.

Public Health England data showed that in the week ending June 6 the highest infection rate was 121 cases per 100,000 people among those aged 20 to 29. Rates were also high in teenagers (99 per 100,000) and adults in their 30s (73).

But they were significantly lower in the middle-aged and elderly, with the lowest rate in over-70s, at 7 per 100,000, followed by 14 per 100,000 among people in their 60s and 32 per 100,000 in people in their 50s.

And while the rate had doubled in just a week in people in their 20s, it rose by only 17 per cent in the over-80s, showing most of the surging epidemic at the time was in young people.

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS ARE CREEPING UP WITH VARIANT HOTSPOTS LEADING THE WAY

Hospital admissions are creeping up across the UK and more notably in Delta variant hotspots.

The increase has been significantly slower than cases  there was a 15 per cent increase in the most recent week, from 875 new admissions by June 1 to 1,008 in the week to June 8  but this is likely an effect of the lag between someone getting infected and then getting sick enough to need hospital treatment.

The real test of how well vaccines will taking pressure off hospitals will come in the next week or two, when there has been enough time  two to three weeks  since the spike in cases to see what happens.

Professor Neil Ferguson, Imperial College London epidemiologist and member of SAGE, said scientists were hoping the ratio of cases to hospital admissions could be cut by 85 per cent from the pre-jab rate of around nine per cent.

In the most recent data, for June 8, there were 187 people admitted to hospital with Covid in the UK, the highest since April 14. By Thursday, June 10, there were a total of 1,089 patients in hospital.

The trend of total number of people in hospital has remained relatively flat, fluctuating between 800 and 1,100 for the past month but creeping upwards in the most recent week. Experts say the current surge in cases will see it tick up in the coming days and weeks.

Places where infection rates with the Delta variant are comparatively high  Bedfordshire, London, Birmingham, Manchester and East Lancashire  had the highest admission rates in the most recent data but even those, the worst-hit hospitals, still had only five patients admitted on June 6.

They also have the most people in hospital in total, with 44 Covid patients on wards in Manchester University NHS Trust on June 8. This was the highest in the country and up almost 60 per cent in a week from 28 on June 1.

Inpatient numbers were rising in all but three of the areas with the most patients  falling only in Bolton and Croydon, and flat at King's College London, while rising in Imperial College London, East Lancashire, Bedfordshire, Salford Royal in Manchester, Southampton and Birmingham.

The increase in new admissions to hospital has been significantly slower than cases  there was a 15 per cent increase in the most recent week, from 875 new admissions by June 1 to 1,008 in the week to June 8  but this is likely an effect of the lag between someone getting infected and then getting sick enough to need hospital treatment

INTENSIVE CARE CLOSE TO 2021 LOW BUT RISING SLOWLY WITH NORTH WEST WORST HIT

The number of patients with Covid in intensive care remains low in the UK, with only 158 people critically ill in hospital by June 10.

This figure rose slightly compared to previous weeks but the trend has been broadly flat  the lowest point of 2021 was 119 on May 29, just two weeks ago, after it fell from over 4,000 in late January.

More detailed information for England, up to June 8, showed that 47 out of a total 140 intensive care patients were all in the North West.

Just two Indian variant hotspots East Lancashire and Bolton hospitals accounted for 21 of these patients  15 per cent of the country's total, or one in seven.

The delay between cases and the need for intensive care is even longer than it is between people getting infected and getting admitted to a general hospital ward, so these numbers could begin increasing in the coming weeks.

But the vaccines are also expected to have an effect on the number of people who become gravely ill. While the jab should stop most people from ending up in hospital at all, even those who do end up in hospital do not seem to be as sick as they used to be.

Chief of the NHS Providers union, Chris Hopson, said last week: 'What chief executives are consistently telling us is that it is a much younger population that is coming in, they are less clinically vulnerable, they are less in need of critical care and therefore they're seeing what they believe is a significantly lower mortality rate which is, you know, borne out by the figures.

'So it's not just the numbers of people who are coming in, it's actually the level of harm and clinical risk.'

GOVERNMENT MUST BUY MORE TIME FOR VACCINE ROLLOUT OF SECOND DOSES

The Government's four-week delay to the ending of lockdown will be designed to buy time for the vaccine rollout to get second doses to more adults to try and protect them from the Delta variant.

Government data show that more than half of adults have had their second vaccine doses already but millions more still need them. A staggering eight out of 10 have had their first dose

Public Health England has warned that a single dose of vaccine, which used to protect well against the virus, no longer cuts it for most people.

In a report published last week it said the estimated protection from one dose of either jab has fallen from 50 per cent against the Kent variant to just 33 per cent against Delta. The reduction in protection after two doses is much smaller, with it falling from an estimated 88 per cent to 81 per cent.

MailOnline analysis of official figures last week showed all people aged 50 and above could all have had their second vaccine dose by June 17, at the current rate of immunisation, with protection kicking in a week or two later.

But the under-50s may not all have received by their final jab until September 18, fueling concerns a surge in Covid infections caused by the Indian variant may result in a spike in deaths and hospitalisations among the unvaccinated.

This assumes the rollout will continue at its current average daily pace of around 265,000 second doses a day, which would be dependent on both supply and uptake rates.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, agreed that the data suggests delaying lockdown easing by two weeks would make sense.

He said: 'June 17 for all over-50s to have had both doses does seem realistic. And I think they are going to delay June 21 because it takes two weeks for those vaccines to kick in and over-50s are going to be the most important to get done.'

All over-50s in England could be fully protected against Covid by July 1  nearly two weeks after 'freedom day on June 21  but it will take until September for all adults to have had two jabs, MailOnline analysis can reveal

DEATHS STILL FLAT  BUT QUARTER OF NEW VARIANT VICTIMS WERE FULLY VACCINATED

The number of people dying each day of coronavirus remains relatively flat  the daily average reported deaths is nine and the figure has been between eight and 10 for the past three weeks.

It briefly fell to a daily average of six for four days in mid-May but has not been lower than that at any time in the pandemic, not even last summer when the virus had been all but stamped out.

Deaths usually take between two weeks and a month to react after a spike in cases because it can take people so long to die of Covid after they test positive.

Although the success of the vaccines now means that there were will have to be significantly more cases per death compared to earlier waves of the virus, scientists still expect the number of fatalities to rise and fall along with infections  they just hope there will be fewer.

Professor Neil Ferguson said last week: 'It's well within the possibility that we could see another, third, wave at least comparable in terms of hospitalisations as the second wave. At least deaths, I think, certainly would be lower.'

A lingering worry, however, is the fact that vaccines won't perfectly protect people and that 'vaccine failure' is inevitable in some people  most likely the old and frail.

Public Health England figures show that almost a third of the 42 Britons who have so far died from the Indian (Delta) Covid had been given two vaccine doses.

The PHE report showed that of those 42 people who died, 12 were fully vaccinated. From the remaining members of the group, 23 were unvaccinated, while seven had received their first dose more than 21 days before, suggesting they had one-dose protection.

The latest data puts the vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease against the Delta variant at 33 per cent after one dose. After two doses, this rises to 81 per cent. This is is lower than the Alpha variant, where the figures are 51 per cent after the first dose, and 88.4 per cent after the second.

DELTA VARIANT NOW DOMINANT IN 263 OUT OF 315 AREAS OF ENGLAND

The Indian 'Delta' variant is now dominant in 263 out of 315 areas of England, up from 201 last week.

Surveillance data gathered by the Wellcome Sanger Institute revealed that the variant accounted for more than half of infections in 85 per cent of areas across the country in the two weeks leading up to June 5.

The strain  known by scientists as B.1.617.2  is more contagious than the Kent 'Alpha' variant and is now dominant in every borough of Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London.

The variant is likely to be even more dominant, due to the delay in determining which variant a positive test was caused by  Public Health England said last week it was accounting for 96 per cent of positive tests.

Across the country, the variant is responsible for 88.4 per cent of all cases, according to the Sanger report. The once-dominant Kent strain now only accounts for 11.3 per cent of cases.

Havant, in Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight are the only areas that have not recorded any cases of the Delta variant, according to the statistics. All of the cases examined in those two regions were identified as the Kent mutation.

In nearly 40 parts of England  including Cambridge, Newcastle and York  the strain is thought to be responsible for all Covid infections.

The strain is not yet dominant in 28 areas of the country, such as Doncaster, Sheffield and Southampton.

But 24 regions did not provided data for the weeks leading up to June 5, so it is unclear how those places  which include Darlington and Eastbourne  have been hit by the variant.
Earl Spencer today tweeted 'It won't end with this' after an internal BBC report found there was 'no evidence' the BBC rehired Martin Bashir to cover-up his dirty tricks in securing his bombshell interview with Diana.

The report, published yesterday, criticised executives for failing to do 'due diligence' about the rogue reporter's past before bringing him back to the corporation in 2016, and said that another candidate thought it was a 'done deal'.

But it said there was 'no evidence' the move was intended to 'contain and/or cover' up the events surrounding the 1995 programme, and found Tony Hall, who led the internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Panorama interview, did not play a part in the decision to rehire him.

Earl Spencer tweeted a link to a BBC article about the report's findings, with the message: 'It won't end with this, I promise.'

Today, DCMS committee chair Julian Knight MP said the committee is 'deeply concerned' the 'disturbing' decision to rehire him as MPs will this morning grill the corporation's bosses at the time, including Lord Hall.

The inquiry was set up to establish the facts around the decision to allow Bashir to return to the BBC in 2016 after being appointed by then Head of News, James Harding.

Martin Bashir met Mr Harding and other senior executives twice for coffee to discuss the role and Mr Harding had already decided that he wanted to interview him before the job had been advertised and before Bashir had applied.

The report also says that while then former Director General Lord Hall will have known Mr Bashir was being appointed - he did not interfere with the process, Ken MacQuarrie, a BBC executive of 43 years who conducted the probe, concluded.

Bashir returned to the corporation five years ago despite years of controversy over his handling of the Diana interview and the faking of bank statements. He was also forced to resign from MSNBC in 2013 over comments disparaging Sarah Palin before returning to the BBC. He was even promoted to religion editor in 2018 and handed a 10% pay rise.

Mr MacQuarrie admitted, however, that Bashir, who has now resigned from the BBC due to ill health, would not have been re-appointed in 2021, adding there were questions over the transparency of the process.

In evidence an unnamed BBC journalist, named only as Candidate X, said they were told they 'shouldn't expect to get it, but it's a good chance to get some time with [James Harding]'. The reporter was also told there was an external candidate who was 'the favourite' - and this was believed to be Bashir.

Earl Spencer - pictured on Lorraine on June 10 - immediately commented on the report when it came out yesterday

He tweeted above a link to a BBC article about the report's findings: 'It won't end with this, I promise'

Martin Bashir, 58, wore casual clothing and a gloomy expression as he left his 1.7million house in Hampshire earlier this month

A damning report by Lord Dyson recently condemned the methods used by Martin Bashir to secure his interview with the Princess of Wales (above) in 1995

Former BBC Head of News James Harding appointed Bashir in 2016 and while Tony Hall played no part in the process, he would have known of the decision, the report found

With BBC bosses past and present including Lord Hall set to give evidence about the Bashir scandal tomorrow, DCMS committee chair Julian Knight MP said the committee is 'deeply concerned' by revelations in the BBC's report into the decision to rehire him.

He said: 'That the BBC considered rehiring Martin Bashir when there were high level doubts over his integrity stretches incredulity to breaking point. By this point, as the Dyson report concluded, senior members of the BBC knew that Bashir had lied about the use of faked bank statements to gain access to Princess Diana.

'If the BBC considered him 'unanimously' the best candidate, where was the due diligence that should have prevented the corporation from rehiring a former member of staff who had not told a very important truth? Where were senior level discussions?

'What is disturbing is that it appeared the BBC wanted to interview Bashir at the outset, regardless of who else applied for the job. And, not only did they re-employ him, they promoted him.

Key findings of report into BBC's 'disturbing' decision to bring back Martin Bashir in 2016 A review into the decision to appoint Martin Bashir as religious affairs correspondent at the BBC following his Panorama interview has concluded. It found: 'No evidence' the journalist was given the job to 'contain and/or cover' up the events surrounding the 1995 programme;

Martin Bashir was viewed as the leading candidate for the appointment from an early stage... and led to other candidates or potential candidates being disadvantaged;

A candidate known only as X was told that they 'shouldn't expect to get it' and it was a 'done deal' because there was already a 'favourite' for the job;

James Harding failed to do proper due diligence on Bashir before appointing him;

Lord Hall did not interfere in the process - but will have 'at least known' Bashir was being appointed; Advertisement

'We look forward to getting answers tomorrow when former director-general Lord Hall comes before our committee along with the former DG Lord Birt, the BBC's current DG Tim Davie and its chair Richard Sharp.'

Mr Harding said: 'As I said a few weeks ago, I was in charge of BBC News when we hired Martin Bashir to be religious affairs correspondent.

'The responsibility sits with me. Today's report shows we chose the person we thought was the best candidate for the job.

'He was appointed after a formal interview process and once references were taken and considered.

'As the report concludes, we didn't know then what we know now. Of course, if I had known, he wouldn't have got the job.'

The inquiry was set up by the broadcaster following the publication of Lord Dyson's incendiary report in May, to establish the facts around the decision to allow Bashir to return to the BBC in 2016, and his subsequent move to become religion editor in 2018.

It found Lord Tony Hall, the former director-general of the BBC who led the internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Panorama interview, did not play a part in the decision to rehire Bashir - but will have known he was being appointed.

'I am satisfied that although Tony Hall knew that the role was being recruited, he was not involved in the selection of Martin Bashir as the religious affairs correspondent,' it said.

'Some individuals appear to have been of the view that the director-general had sanctioned the appointment.

'I have seen no evidence to support the idea that there was sign-off of Martin Bashir by Tony Hall prior to the appointment.

'However, I consider that he would have at least known of the decision to appoint Martin Bashir.'

It concluded the decision to rehire Bashir was 'ultimately taken' by then-director of news James Harding and that he did not give 'sufficient regard' to the other public controversies the journalist had been involved in.

These included being suspended from ABC News in 2008 after making allegedly sexist remarks during a dinner speech at the Asian American Journalists Association convention in Chicago and criticising US politician Sarah Palin in 2013 for comments she made comparing the Federal debt to slavery.

'Although it is not possible to say whether or not consideration of these matters would have changed the recruitment outcome, I consider that James Harding, as the individual ultimately responsible for the appointment, should have given proper consideration to these matters prior to appointing Martin Bashir,' the document said.

'In my view, this was not done.'

Tim Davie (left) will face questions about the broadcaster's handling of investigations into how Martin Bashir, 58,(right) obtained the world exclusive in 1995, in addition to his plans to reform the broadcaster

According to the report, the religious affairs correspondent role was advertised internally and there were originally seven internal applications.

Ex-BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey wanted John Birt to quit as director-general over Martin Bashir Panorama debacle A former BBC chairman tried to force the resignation of the director-general over Princess Diana's interview, it has emerged. Marmaduke Hussey was horrified by the broadcaster's secret Panorama interview with the Princess of Wales, recorded without the knowledge of Buckingham Palace. He asked BBC governors to condemn the interview and the conduct of then director-general John Birt and attempted to force his resignation. Executives did not tell Lord Hussey about the interview until the last minute because they feared he might stop the broadcast. The Tory peer resigned two months later and wrote in his memoir that the episode had 'darkened my last months at the BBC'. He was known to be a Prince Charles 'loyalist' and had close links to the Royal Family as his wife Lady Susan is a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. The decision not to tell Lord Hussey, who died in 2006, was discussed in a BBC documentary filmed to mark the tenth anniversary of Diana's interview with journalist Martin Bashir. Lord Birt told the 2005 BBC2 Arena documentary: '[Hussey] tried to get the governors to condemn the programme, which they refused to do. 'Having failed at that he tried to get the governors to condemn the way in which I had handled the programme and particularly the fact that I hadn't alerted him as chairman. He failed to get what he wanted: a stinging rebuke which, he calculated, would force my resignation.' The documentary, The Princess and Panorama, was shown to former High Court judge Lord Dyson as part of his investigation into the 1995 interview. Advertisement

An eighth internal candidate was identified and invited to apply and on July 28 2016 three applicants were shortlisted.

The interview panel was unanimous in selecting Bashir.

The BBC's former director of nations and regions Ken MacQuarrie, who conducted the inquiry, concluded: 'In my view, the recruitment process for the religious affairs correspondent was targeted at finding the right person for the role.

'Although there were some shortcomings in the process by which he was re-employed, I am satisfied that that he was ultimately appointed because his knowledge and experience were considered to be the best match to the requirements for the role at that time.

'It said I have found no evidence that Martin Bashir was re-hired to contain and/or cover up the events surrounding the 1995 Panorama programme.

'In my view, that theory is entirely unfounded.

'As regards the due diligence conducted on Martin Bashir, the actions of the individuals involved in the recruitment and re-grading of Martin Bashir can only properly be judged against the state of the BBC's corporate understanding as it was in 2016 and not as it stands now in 2021.

'None of the individuals involved in the recruitment of Martin Bashir had knowledge of all of the matters contained in the Dyson Report.

'I have no doubt that if any of the individuals involved in the appointment of Martin Bashir in 2016 had been aware of what is now publicly known as a result of the Dyson Report, Martin Bashir would have never been reappointed to the BBC.'

The BBC's director-general Tim Davie said: 'I would like to thank Ken MacQuarrie for his report.

'It finds the recruitment process was targeted to find the right person for the role and it was conducted in good faith.

'While the report finds processes were largely followed at the time, it is clear we need to reflect on the findings to ensure consistent best practice is applied in our recruitment.

'Finally, it is without doubt that had the organisation been aware of what is now publicly known because of the Dyson report Martin Bashir would have never been reappointed.'

A recent report by Lord Dyson criticised the methods Bashir used to secure his bombshell interview in 1995, including using fake bank statements.

It came as Tim Davie was ordered to appear before MPs this week to be grilled over the Bashir Panorama scandal.

The new director general will face questions about the broadcaster's handling of investigations into how Bashir, 58, obtained the world exclusive in 1995, in addition to his plans to reform the broadcaster.

A damning report by Lord Dyson recently condemned the methods used by the journalist to secure his interview, including using fake bank statements to encourage Diana's brother Earl Spencer to make introductions.

Former BBC director-generals Lord Hall (left) and Lord Birt (right) will be questioned by MPs about the events leading up to Martin Bashir's Panorama interview with Princess Diana

Former BBC director-generals Lord Hall and Lord Birt will also appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, in addition to the corporation's chairman Richard Sharp.

Mr Davie has previously said that reform at the BBC needs to continue 'at pace' at the corporation, saying the organisation had made changes since 1995.

'We've had a number of new editorial guidelines going through the system. And I have say I'm very proud of the BBC today and how it operates,' he said.

'But I think you have to reflect on this. It was very, very serious.'

Mr Davie added that he has 'no intention' of airing Mr Bashir's infamous interview ever again.

Mr Davie has contacted the royal family to apologise for what happened and is also returning all awards the explosive interview accrued, including a Bafta TV gong won in 1996.

Lord Dyson's report suggested the BBC had failed to uphold 'governance, accountability and scrutiny' with its internal investigation, carried out by Tony Hall in 1996 when he was the managing director of news and current affairs and John Birt was director-general.

Lord Hall was director-general of the BBC from April 2013 to August 2020.

He was among corporation bosses who were attacked by Prince William for 'looking the other way rather than asking tough questions' in the aftermath of the interview.

Last month, the peer quit his Government-backed job as chairman of the National Gallery after he was criticised in Lord Dyson's bombshell report.

Ministers had viewed the Lord Hall's job at the National Gallery as untenable given the museum's close connection to Prince Charles, its royal patron.

Lord Birt, who was director-general of the BBC from 1992 to 2000, was also criticised following the Panorama interview with Diana, recorded without the knowledge of Buckingham Palace.

It emerged in May that an ex-BBC chairman, Prince Charles 'loyalist' Marmaduke Hussey, had immediately attempted to force his resignation.

Former judge Lord Dyson's report found the BBC covered up Bashir's 'deceitful behaviour' in obtaining the interview with Diana, and labelled Lord Hall's 1996 internal investigation 'woefully ineffective'.

Bogus bank statements commissioned by Bashir 'deceived and induced' Earl Spencer to help the journalist 'to arrange a meeting with Princess Diana', it said.

His lies landed the Panorama reporter the interview of the century and multiple awards - but hastened the end of Diana's marriage to Prince Charles and saw her stripped of her HRH status just two years before her death.

The BBC made a 'full and unconditional apology' for Bashir's conduct and the subsequent cover-up in May.

Friends of Diana's have claimed she may still be alive today 'if she hadn't spoken to Bashir', who they nicknamed 'The Poison Dwarf' after his betrayal emerged, while Patrick Jephson, the Princess of Wales' private secretary at the time, said a 'line' leads from her interview with Bashir to the night she died in 1997 in a Paris car crash.

In his report, Lord Dyson, who carried out a six-month investigation, said: 'Mr Bashir deceived and induced him [Earl Spencer] to arrange a meeting with Princess Diana.

'By gaining access to Princess Diana in this way, Mr Bashir was able to persuade her to agree to give the interview.

'This behaviour was in serious breach of the 1993 edition of the BBC's Producer Guidelines on straight dealing.'

Lord Hall's subsequent 1996 investigation into claims Diana was hoodwinked by Bashir was 'woefully ineffective', the judge said, especially because their inquiry 'did not scrutinise' Bashir despite knowing he had lied three times about showing the fake bank statements to Earl Spencer.

'Lord Hall could not reasonably have concluded, as he did, that Mr Bashir was an honest and honourable man', the report said.

The BBC had 'without justification' 'covered up' Mr Bashir's tricks and 'thereby fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark', said Lord Dyson.

Lord Birt, director-general of the BBC at the time of the interview, said: 'We now know that the BBC harboured a rogue reporter on Panorama who fabricated an elaborate, detailed but wholly false account of his dealings with Earl Spencer and Princess Diana.

'This is a shocking blot on the BBC's enduring commitment to honest journalism, and it is a matter of the greatest regret that it has taken 25 years for the full truth to emerge.

'As the director-general at the time, I offer my deep apologies to Earl Spencer and to all others affected.'

Lord Hall insisted his 'integrity' remained intact despite the criticism and pointed the finger at the shamed journalist, saying he was 'wrong to give Martin Bashir the benefit of the doubt'.

Lord Birt, director-general of the BBC at the time of the interview, said: 'We now know that the BBC harboured a rogue reporter on Panorama who fabricated an elaborate, detailed but wholly false account of his dealings with Earl Spencer and Princess Diana'

He had previously excused Bashir's 'lapse' in having the fake statements produced and declared him an 'honest and honourable man'.

However, Lord Hall has since admitted his 1996 investigation 'fell well short of what was required'.

But a defiant Mr Bashir said in a statement last month: 'This is the second time that I have willingly fully co-operated with an investigation into events more than 25 years ago.

'I apologised then, and I do so again now, over the fact that I asked for bank statements to be mocked up.

'It was a stupid thing to do and was an action I deeply regret. But I absolutely stand by the evidence I gave a quarter of a century ago, and again more recently.'
China has taken a vicious swipe at the G7 leaders with an eerie cartoon of the West's 'last supper' after Australia received support in its push for a new inquiry into the origin of the Covid-19 virus.

The cartoon, titled 'the last G7', is a parody of Leonardo da Vinci's painting of Jesus Christ's Last Supper before he was crucified, and depicts the US, UK, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, India and Australia as their national animals plotting to 'rule the world'.

In the illustration, published by artist 'Bantonglaoatang' on Weibo and later republished by the Communist Party mouthpieces including The Global Times, the animals are sitting around a table with a Chinese-map-shaped cake.

The cartoon, which went viral on Chinese social media on Sunday after the world leaders met in Cornwall, UK, for the G7 Summit, depicts the Last Supper of Jesus and his apostles before his crucifixion.

The title of the image reads 'through this we can still rule the world' and shows the leaders surrounded by piles of money.

Social media users in China shared the cartoon on Weibo and mocked G7 leaders, with one saying it was 'perhaps their "last supper"'.

The fresh propaganda attack comes after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison won key backing from world leaders at the summit, with a multilateral pledge to tackle Chinese economic distortion as well authoritarian crackdowns in Hong Kong.

The Last G7: A cartoon parody of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper featured in an article by the Communist Party mouthpiece, The Global Times, depicts the US, UK, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, India and Australia as various animals

World leaders at the G7 summit were treated to a glass of Australian shiraz in a not-so-subtle dig against China. Pictured: Boris Johnson (left), Scott Morrison (centre) and Joe Biden (right)

In the cartoon, the US is portrayed as a bald eagle at the centre of the table, while the UK is a lion, Australia a kangaroo, France a rooster, India an elephant, Canada a beaver, Italy a wolf, Japan a dog and Germany a hawk.

The image soon went viral on Chinese social media among Communist Party supporters.

In the satirical cartoon, the kangaroo - representing Australia - reaches across the table to reach the money the US has printing.

'The kangaroo symbolizes the double-faced Australia which actively cooperates with the US in containing China, but is also eager to earn money from China, its largest trading partner,' the Global Times said.

The cartoon went viral on Weibo on Sunday, with scores of users praising the artist.

'But this is perhaps their "last supper", one user mocked. 'With different positions, for various interests of their own, these countries and regions can't form a real league against China.'

The cartoon emerged as the G7 leaders, alongside guest nation leaders from Australia, South Africa and South Korea, issued a joint statement criticising China over a range of issues.

The joint statement was highly critical of China and called on the authoritarian regime to be more transparent about the origins of the Covid pandemic, while also slamming Beijing for its human rights record.

The G7 leaders on Sunday took China to task over human rights in the heavily Muslim region of Xinjiang (pictured, Chinese soldiers during a military parade at a training base)

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed 'the very strong support for the stand that Australia has taken very consistently in standing up for liberal democratic principles in our region'.

But Beijing hit back on Monday by claiming the G7 was 'slandering' China.

The G7 leaders on Sunday took China to task over human rights in the heavily Muslim region of Xinjiang, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy and underscored the importance of peace with Taiwan - all highly sensitive issues for Beijing.

China's embassy in London said it was strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan that 'distorted the facts' and exposed the 'sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States'.

The G7 beach BBQ was hosted by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's wife Carrie (pictured, leaders at the event on June 12)

With the COVID-19 pandemic still ranging and the global economy sluggish, the international community needs unity and cooperation of all countries rather than 'cliquey' power politics sowing division, the embassy added.

'China's internal affairs must not be interfered in, China's reputation must not be slandered, and China's interests must not be violated,' it added.

'We will resolutely defend our national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and resolutely fight back against all kinds of injustices and infringements imposed on China.'

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday's statement from G7 was a significant move forward for the group as leaders rallied around the need to 'counter and compete' with China on challenges ranging from safeguarding democracy to the technology race.

Scott Morrison (pictured, left) greets British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (centre) and his wife Carrie (right) at the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on June 12

Although the G7 event is featuring a best-of-British menu including scallops, crab claws, mackerel, barbecued beef sirloin, lobster, leeks and brie, the accompanying vino was from Australia (pictured, G7 leaders at the beach BBQ in Cornwall)

China's embassy said the G7 should do more that is conducive to promoting international cooperation instead of artificially creating confrontation and friction.

'We urge the United States and other members of the G7 to respect the facts, understand the situation, stop slandering China, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and stop harming China's interests,' the embassy said.

The embassy also said investigations into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic should not be politicised, after the G7 in the same statement demanded a full and thorough probe into how it was developed and spread in China.

The joint expert group on the virus between China and the World Health Organization has been conducting research independently and following WHO procedures, the embassy added.

'Politicians in the United States and other countries ignore facts and science, openly question and deny the conclusions of the joint expert group report, and make unreasonable accusations against China.'

But Mr Morrison has thrown his support behind a second investigation into the origins of Covid-19 amid growing concern the virus may have leaked from a lab in Wuhan.

The Prime Minister backed US President Joe Biden's calls for Beijing to agree to a 'complete and transparent' international inquiry after a probe by the World Health Organisation failed to reach a conclusion earlier this year.

Mr Morrison has thrown his weight behind a second investigation into the origins of Covid-19 amid growing speculation the virus may have leaked from a lab (pictured) in Wuhan

Mr Morrison has warned that the risk of conflict in the Pacific is growing. Pictured: Chinese troops in Mongolia

After meeting Mr Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Cornwall, Mr Morrison said a second phase of investigations was needed to trace the origins of the pandemic and learn valuable lessons.

Prime Minister Morrison, in a closed-door address, addressed the summit on Sunday emphasising the need to 'embrace a liberal, rules-based order' against ongoing authoritarianism, The Australian reported.

Canberra's relationship with Beijing sensationally unraveled in April last year, when Mr Morrison's government called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the Covid pandemic.

The call for transparency outraged Beijing and the authoritarian state targeted an array of Australia exports with arbitrary bans and tariffs as apparent payback.

One of those key sectors hit with a soaring 212 per cent tariff was the $6billion wine industry, which exported 39 percent of all total product to China in 2019.

Barley, cotton, seafood, beef, copper, and coal were among the other industries crippled by the fallout.
Officials are searching for two crew members who snuck out of a Chinese ship container in the middle of the night.

They reportedly left the Glorious Plumeria ship docked at the Geelong Port in Victoria on Sunday around 2am.

On May 22, the ship left the Port of Yangpu in the Hainan province of China, reported the Geelong Advertiser.

Officials are searching for two crew members who snuck out of a container from Chinese ship Glorious Plumeria (pictured)

The ship Glorious Plumeria - which usually transports wood chips - was understood to be docked a few hundred metres from a Geelong Port exit.

Australia's international borders have been closed since March 2020 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and ship workers are not allowed to enter the country.

When ships are docked at Australian ports, workers are required to remain on board.
Jailed Belarus journalist Roman Protasevich was paraded at a press conference in Minsk on Monday, telling reporters he felt 'wonderful' and had 'no complaints'.

The 26-year-old activist who was arrested when his Ryanair flight was forced to land on May 23, assured reporters he had not been beaten at the conference where officials presented their version of events.

Protasevich sat alongside four officials, two of whom were in uniform, adding he had not been made to cooperate with the authorities.

Officials then flatly refuted claims of a state-sponsored hijacking, telling reporters 'there was no interception, no forced diversion from the state border or forced landing of the Ryanair plane.'

Protasevich, 26, was arrested with his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23, when their flight from Athens to Lithuania was forced to land in Minsk amid bogus reports of a bomb threat.

Jailed Belarus journalist Roman Protasevich appeared at a press conference in Minsk on Monday, telling reporters he felt 'wonderful'

Protasevich sat alongside four officials, two of whom were in uniform, saying he had not been made to cooperate with the authorities

Protasevich offered to undergo a full medical examination, if investigators would let him, to prove he was in 'good health'.

He also addressed reporters 'who wrote a lot about my health' telling them 'as you can see, I am in good health. I do not have any complaints, no one beat me, no one touched me at all.'

'I understand the damage I have caused not only to the state, but also to the country. Now I want to do everything in my power to rectify this situation,' he added.

'This is not a press conference but a scene of either Kafka or Orwell,' Franak Viacorka, a senior adviser to exiled opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, wrote on Twitter.

BBC reporters walked out of the conference saying on Twitter they were 'not taking part' because Protasevich was 'clearly there under duress'.

BBC reporters walked out of the conference saying on Twitter they were 'not taking part' because Protasevich was 'clearly there under duress'

Officials told their own version of events, disputing claims of a state-sponsored hijacking, at the press conference in Minsk on Monday

Four officials, including two in uniform, told the press conference there was 'no forced diversion' of the Ryanair flight on May 23, using maps to demonstrate their point

It is his fourth appearance since he was arrested when his flight was forced to land in Belarus after controllers told the crew there was a bomb threat against it on May 23.

Protasevich, 26, and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, 23, were arrested when the plane from Athens to Vilnius landed in Minsk.

Both are being held in pre-trial detention and have appeared on Belarusian state TV apparently confession their crimes.

Protasevich was last seen on June 4 in a tearful interview aired on state media in which he confessed to calling for protests last year and praised Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Roman Protasevich appeared on state television on June 4 in a tearful interview (pictured) in which he praised Lukanshenko and confessed to calling for protests last year

At the end of the 1.5-hour interview broadcast by Belarus state-run channel ONT on June 4, Protasevich began crying and covered his face with his hands

Another video, released on June 2, showed a relaxed Protasevich, smoking as spoke about the opposition with an unidentified interrogator (pictured)

Another video, released on June 2, showed a relaxed Protasevich, smoking as spoke about the opposition with an unidentified interrogator.

He made his first appearance following his arrest on May 24 and told viewers he was in good health and cooperating with the investigation.

The same day, state media released a video of Sapega showing her confessing to organising mass riots and admitting to editing a social media channel that published personal information about Belarusian police officers.

Dissident journalist Roman Protasevich (left) and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega (right) were arrested when their Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk on May 23

Belarus was rocked by strikes and weekly street protests after authorities announced that Lukashenko, who has ruled in authoritarian fashion since 1994, had secured re-election on August 9 with 80 per cent of votes.

More than 35,000 people were arrested amid the protests and thousands beaten - moves that made him a pariah in the West. The flight's diversion has now cornered the Belarusian strongman even more.

There are fears both Protasevich and Sapega have been tortured and confessed under duress.

Sapega's parents say the confession is false, that she did not attend mass anti-government rallies in Minsk last summer, and that she only met her boyfriend in Lithuania in the New Year.

Belarus has used video confessions to justify detentions and to attempt to dissuade the population from showing support for the opposition.



Belarus was rocked by strikes and weekly street protests after authorities announced that Lukashenko, who has ruled in authoritarian fashion since 1994, had secured re-election on August 9 with 80 per cent of votes

Belarusian dog handler checks luggage from the Ryanair flight in Minsk International Airport on May 23

Ryanair flight FR4978 was 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

The forced diversion of the commercial liner mere miles from the Lithuanian border was denounced as an act of piracy by EU leaders.

They responded by barring Belarusian carriers from the bloc's airspace and airports, and advising European airlines to fly around the country.

On Saturday, May 30, the bloc offered Belarus 2.8 billion if Lukashenko stepped aside and the country peacefully transitioned to democracy.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the 'development funding' is ready once 'the democratic choice of the Belarusian people' is respected - after elections last year which Lukashenko claimed to have won but is widely thought to have lost.

Von der Leyen said: 'To the people of Belarus: We see and hear your desire for change, for democracy, and for a bright future.

'And to the Belarusian authorities: No amount of repression, brutality or coercion will bring any legitimacy to your authoritarian regime.'

But, the same weekend Lukashenko met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and 'agreed a loan deal' during a yacht tour in Sochi.

Putin is the only world leader to defend Lukashenko over the hijacking.

Russia promised Belarus a 1.06 billion loan last year as part of Moscow's efforts to stabilise its neighbour and longstanding ally. Minsk received a first installment of 352 million in October.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko (left) 'agreed a loan deal' during a yacht tour in Sochi on May 30
A black teenager was filmed being surrounded by five white police officers and tasered after he allegedly ignored a request to stop vaping on a Maryland boardwalk.

Taizier Griffin, 18, was zapped with the device in Ocean City, Maryland, on June 6 despite his apparent cooperation with the five officers surrounding him, and was filmed tumbling to the ground moments later.

Griffin, who was seen holding his hands up at the start of the clip, was struck by the taser as he reached for the strap of his backpack. One eyewitness claimed Griffin had been asked by police to remove the bag from his back, although that order was not captured on the video since shared online.

The video of Griffin's arrest was shared as four other teens were filmed being arrested on Saturday after being stopped by cops about vaping on the beach resort's boardwalk. Ocean City Council has banned smoking and vaping on its boardwalk, and only allows people to do so on several designated areas of its beach.

Police told the the teenagers, all from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that vaping was prohibited on the boardwalk, except in designated areas.

The group walked away but police said they continued to vape.

The viral clip , which has been viewed more than 1.9 million times on Twitter, shows the black teen standing a few feet away from officers with his hands up

Maryland police arrest 18-year-old Taizier Griffin after tasering him in front of an outraged crowd

Other teens were filmed squaring up to police in Ocean City Beach, Maryland, on Sunday as Anderson was arrested

The viral clip, which has been viewed more than 1.9 million times on Twitter as of Monday, begins with Griffin standing standing a few feet away from officers with his hands up.

An officer yells 'get down on the ground,' and Griffin appears to reach for the strap of his backpack but is instantly tasered by an officer and falls to the ground clutching his stomach in pain.

'Stop! He was standing there!' a woman screams at the officers as they handcuff Anderson on the boardwalk.

'What is wrong with you?' one person ask the police as one officer tells the small crowd to back up.

'Y'all did that for no reason' the woman tells the officers.

Additional footage captured Khalil Dwayne Warren's arrest in front of a large crowd as three officers are on top of the teen attempting to handcuff

Footage captured an officer telling 19-year-old Khalil Warren (pictured) to 'stop resisting' ato which he responds 'I'm not resisting'

Two adults were also filmed remonstrating with police officers as four teens were arrested

The town of Ocean City said in a release that Griffin was arrested for failure to provide necessary identification for vaping.

Police said Griffin resisted arrest and was charged with disorderly conduct, resistance and interference with an arrest, second-degree assault, and failure to provide proof of identity. He has since been released on his own recognizance, and has not commented on the arrest.

Three other teens were arrested after 'a large crowd of people began to form around the officers,' including Kamere Day, 19, who was arrested for yelling profanities and approaching officers during Anderson's arrest, the release said.

Jahtique Lewis, 18 was also arrested for allegedly pushing an officer in the chest while yelling profanities and trying to throw a bike at an officer and Khalil Warren, 19, was arrested for becoming disorderly after being warned that he was standing on private property, the release said.

Brian Anderson, 19, was arrested after being asked to stop vaping, then refusing to put his vape pen away, he told Good Morning America on Tuesday.

Additional footage captured Warren's arrest in front of a large crowd as several officers were filmed on top of the teen attempting to handcuff the teen.

A group of teenagers was filmed remonstrating with Ocean City Police on Saturday

An officer tells Warren to 'stop resisting' and he responds 'I'm not resisting.'

At one point an officer is seen kneeing him three times on his side.

Those other three teens have also been freed, and have yet to speak out on their arrests.

Police said in a statement that they are aware of the various clips circulating online and defended the officers use of force - but said a review had also been launched.

'We are aware of the social media videos circulating regarding this incident,' Police said in a statement. 'Our officers are permitted to use force, per their training, to overcome exhibited resistance.'

'All uses of force go through a detailed review process,' police added. 'The uses of force from these arrests will go through a multi-level examination by the Assistant Patrol Commander, the Division Commander and then by the Office of Professional Standards.'

Ocean City saw a 21 per cent jump in violent crime during 2020, including rapes, robberies and burglars.

Those serious offenses rose from 1,509 in 2019 to 1,825 in 2020. Forcible rapes triples from six in 2019 to 18 in 2020, while aggravated assaults jumped 76 per cent over the same period, from 66 in 2019 to 116 in 2020.
A teenage photography student was murdered by her father to silence her claims that he sexually abused her, a court heard.

Jurors were told both her parents then sent messages from her phone pretending to be her and saying she had run away to divert officers who were investigating her disappearance.

Bernadette Walker, 17, was last seen alive on July 18 last year when her father Scott Walker, 51, collected her in the car from his parents' house in Peterborough where she had stayed overnight, Cambridge Crown Court heard.

Lisa Wilding QC, opening the prosecution case, said Bernadette's body has not been found.

She said the girl's father and her 38-year-old mother Sarah Walker formed an 'unholy alliance', in a nine-minute phone call on July 18, to cover up her death.

Her mother did not report her missing to police until July 21, the prosecution say.

Ms Wilding said Bernadette, who wore glasses, had a habit of dying her hair in rainbow colours, was described by friends as 'something of a goth' and 'socially awkward', with many of her friendships online.

Bernadette Walker was killed by father Scott Walker (both pictured) after she accused him of sexual abuse, prosecutors have told Cambridge Crown Court where he stands trial for murder

Bernadette was last seen in July 2020 after staying at her grandparents' following her claims of sexual abuse against her father, until 'things calmed down a little' prosecutors told the court

She was also known as Bea.

Ms Wilding said that on July 16, Bernadette told her mother that her father 'had been sexually abusing her over a number of years'.

'Mother and daughter spoke about that allegation that night and into the following morning,' said Ms Wilding.

'Sarah Walker told Bernadette that she did not believe her.

'The following day, it was decided that Bernadette should go and spend the night with her paternal grandparents while things calmed down a little.'

Bernadette's father dropped her at her grandparents' house on the evening of July 17 and he collected her the following morning, prosecutors say.

'Since the day she disappeared she has not used or sought to access her telephone or social media accounts, she has had access to no money or banking and has not been seen at any hospital or other surgery,' said Ms Wilding.

'No-one who knew her or loved her has heard from her since that day.

Scott and 38-year-old Sarah Walker, both pictured, are accused of perverting the course of justice after prosecutors say they formed an 'unholy alliance' to cover up Bernadette's murder

'She is presumed dead and, as you will come to hear, it's likely that her body was disposed of, probably in the countryside in the hours that followed her killing.

'The prosecution allege that Scott Walker killed Bea to prevent her pursuing her allegations of sexual abuse any further.

'He then enlisted the help of her mother, his wife, to cover his tracks and to provide them both with some time to formulate the next part of their plan.

'In those hours and days in which they hid her disappearance from everyone and deliberately set a false trail, they achieved their goal.

'They diverted the investigation into her disappearance and death for sufficiently long and sufficiently well, that any hope of finding Bea's body disappeared with her.

'To this day, neither of them accepts that Bea is dead.'

An undated handout photo issued by Cambridgeshire Police of Bernadette. She was last seen in July in Peterborough. Her body has not been found, but police believe she has been killed

Ms Wilding said that Scott Walker collected Bernadette from his parents' home between 10am and 11am on July 18.

'When her grandparents said goodbye to Bernadette that morning, it was the last time that they, or anyone other than Scott Walker, saw her alive,' said Ms Wilding.

'At 11.23am on July 18 Scott Walker's telephone, which was usually in regular use, was off.

'It remained off until 12.54pm and the prosecution say that in that hour and a half he killed Bea.'

She said when his phone reconnected to the network at 12.54pm the first call he made was to Sarah Walker, which lasted for more than nine minutes.

'As you will come to see from all of the evidence, the only sensible conclusion that can be drawn from that telephone call is that Scott Walker told his wife that he had killed Bernadette and needed her help, immediately, to cover up Bea's disappearance and death, and to buy them both time to work out what should happen next,' said Ms Wilding.

Pictured: Cambridgeshire Police during the search for missing Bernadette in October last year. Cambridgeshire Police said the last searches took place near Etton in mid-December

'The story they concocted in that call, and which both relied on from that moment on, even until now, was that Scott had stopped the car on the short drive home to confront Bea about her allegations, that Bea jumped out of the car when he pulled over and that she ran off.

'Then, that Scott tried and failed to run after her and so returned home without her.

'From that moment on, Scott and Sarah Walker  Bea's own mother and father  were joined, the prosecution say, in an unholy alliance, designed and intended to mislead, to divert and to pervert the inevitable investigation into the disappearance and ultimately the death of Bea Walker.

'In the minutes, hours and days that followed, Scott and Sarah Walker hacked into Bea's social media accounts, sent false messages from her telephone which was still in their possession, pretending to be from her to her friends and family, and which were designed to lay a false trail to explain their subsequent failure to report her missing to the police.

'They lied to everyone around them  about her disappearance and they were unflinching in their pursuit of their devious, wicked plan.

'All parental love and responsibility was gone, if ever it actually existed.'

She said Bernadette's parents 'selfishly and ruthlessly  maintained their lying accounts which were designed to protect only themselves.'

Both were arrested more than six weeks later, Ms Wilding said.

Scott Walker denies Bernadette's murder on or after July 18 last year and four counts of perverting the course of justice.

Sarah Walker denies two counts of perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden's administration to give its views on whether the justices should hear a challenge to Harvard University's consideration of race in undergraduate student admissions that the plaintiffs claim discriminated against Asian Americans.

The case, should it be taken up by the court, would give the court's conservative majority a chance to end affirmative action policies used to increase the number of Black and Hispanic students on American campuses.

The action by the court signals the interest of at least some of the nine justices in considering an appeal brought by a group called Students for Fair Admissions, founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, of a lower court ruling that upheld Harvard's program.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden's administration to give its views on whether the justices should hear a challenge to Harvard University's consideration of race in undergraduate student admissions that the plaintiffs claim discriminated against Asian Americans

The lawsuit accused Harvard of discriminating against Asian American applicants in violation of a landmark 1964 federal civil rights law.

The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority.

Blum said in a statement his group 'remains hopeful that, regardless of the views of the (Biden administration's) solicitor general, the justices will grant to hear our case and end race-based affirmative action in college admissions.'

Harvard declined to comment.

The use of affirmative action has withstood Supreme Court scrutiny for decades, including in a 2016 ruling involving a white student backed by Blum who challenged a University of Texas policy, though the justices have narrowed its application.

The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in November ruled that Harvard's consideration of race was not 'impermissibly extensive' and was 'meaningful' because it prevented the racial diversity of its undergraduate student body from plummeting. A federal judge in 2019 also ruled in favor of the Ivy League school after a three-week trial.

Harvard, one of the world's most prestigious schools, has said that the number of Black and Hispanic students would drop by nearly half if its affirmative action program were to be struck down. Lawyers for Harvard said it considers race 'only in a flexible and non-mechanical way' and does not automatically favor certain races in deciding which students to accept.

Blum's group sued in 2014, accusing Harvard of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination based on race, color or national origin under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Harvard is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that receives federal funding.

Students for Fair Admissions has said its members include Asian American applicants rejected by Harvard. The identities of these Asian Americans have been withheld throughout the litigation.

Blum has said all of them earned high test scores and participated in extracurricular activities in high school and that Harvard's lawyers questioned many of them during the litigation

The Supreme Court has weighed in on college admissions several times over more than 40 years.

The current dispute harks back to its first big affirmative action case in 1978, when Justice Lewis Powell set out the rationale for taking account of race even as the court barred the use of racial quotas in admissions.

In the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, Powell approvingly cited Harvard as 'an illuminating example' of a college that takes 'race into account in achieving the educational diversity valued by the First Amendment.'

Twenty-five years later, Justice Sandra Day OConnor likewise invoked the Harvard plan in her opinion upholding the University of Michigans law school admissions program.

Now its Harvard program in the crosshairs of opponents of race-based affirmative action.

The challenge to Harvard is led by Edward Blum and his Students for Fair Admissions. Blum has worked for years to rid college admissions of racial considerations.

The group claims that Harvard imposes a 'racial penalty' on Asian American applicants by systematically scoring them lower in some categories than other applicants and awarding 'massive preferences' to Black and Hispanic applicants.

Harvard flatly denies that it discriminates against Asian American applicants and says its consideration of race is limited, pointing out that lower courts agreed with the university.

In November, the federal appeals court in Boston ruled that Harvard looked at race in a limited way in line with Supreme Court precedents.

The class that just finished its freshman year is roughly one-quarter Asian American, 15% Black and 13% Hispanic, Harvard says on its website. 'If Harvard were to abandon race-conscious admissions, African-American and Hispanic representation would decline by nearly half,' the school told the court in urging it to stay out of the case.

The Trump administration backed Blums case against Harvard and also filed its own lawsuit alleging discrimination against Asian Americans and whites at Yale.

The Biden administration already has dropped the Yale suit and almost certainly will take Harvards side at the Supreme Court if the case goes forward.

The lead attorney on the appeal is William Consovoy, who also represented Trump in his unsuccessful bid to shield his tax returns from the Manhattan district attorney.

When the court upheld the Michiga's law school program in Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, OConnor took note of the quarter-century that had passed since the Bakke decision.

'We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today,' O'Connor wrote.

O'Connor's timeline set 2028 as a potential endpoint for racial preferences. A more conservative court than the one on which she served could advance that expiration date by several years.
An Asian food delivery man has been stabbed in the back by another cyclist in New York City in a horror attack carried out in broad daylight as the United States struggles with the rising violent crime wave gripping the country with four mass shootings this weekend alone.

The latest attack in New York was carried out on Sunday afternoon as the victim was making a food delivery in Brooklyn.

Surveillance video captured the moment the suspect cycled after the delivery man, pulled out a huge knife and stabbed the victim in the back.

The suspect fled the scene as the victim crashed to the ground in the middle of the street. Police said the victim was treated in hospital for a 'non-life-threatening puncture wound' to his lower back.

Police are investigating it as a hate crime given the victim's race and how attacks on Asians have surged this year.

It is just the latest in a series of vicious attacks across the country as mayors struggle to deal with rising crime as they work to revive the cities devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last year.

An Asian food delivery man was stabbed in the back by another cyclist (above) with a knife in Brooklyn, New York, in a horror attack carried out in broad daylight on Sunday afternoon

Surveillance video captured the moment the suspect cycled after the delivery man, pulled out a huge knife and stabbed the victim in the back

The NYPD have now set up a command post and metal barriers in Midtown Manhattan in a bid to crack down on violent crime that is being fueled, in part, by an illegal drug market between Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Police say crime has spiked in that area, which is surrounded by hotels and offices, after hundreds of homeless were rehoused there because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The stretch of Eighth Avenue between Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal is close to Times Square and its hotels. Business leaders estimate that about 1,300 homeless people were relocated from shelters to hotels in that area amid the pandemic.

In that area alone, crime data shows there has been 174 assaults, 150 robberies and four shootings that left two tourists injured between January and May this year.

Separately, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday downplayed the violence and chaos that has been occurring Washington Square Park in recent weeks that has seen people partying until the early hours of the morning.

'We've had some particular issues for a limited period of time in Washington Square Park and there's been an effort to figure out the right approach,' he said.

Elsewhere across the country this weekend, one of 14 people shot in a mass shooting in Austin has since died of their injuries; one man was killed and seven injured in a drive-by shooting in Savannah; three men were killed in Cleveland; and a woman was gunned down in Chicago.

Murders are also currently up 60 percent in Atlanta compared to last year.

Police fear the explosion of shootings and violent crimes in recent months is a long term trend rather than just a blip.

In Austin, 25 year-old IT worker Douglas John Kantor died in hospital on Sunday after he was one of 14 people shot at random on a street packed with bars hours earlier.

Kantor, who was a tourist from New York, was shot through the abdomen when shots rang out at about 1.30am on Saturday in the Sixth Street area when two men opened fire on each other.

The suspect fled the scene as the victim crashed to the ground in the middle of the street. Police said the victim was treated in hospital for a 'non-life-threatening puncture wound' to his lower back

The NYPD have now set up a command post and metal barriers in Midtown Manhattan in a bid to crack down on violent crime that is being fueled, in part, by an illegal drug market between Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal. Police say crime has spiked in that area after hundreds of homeless were rehoused there in hotels during COVID

A heavy police presence was found outside the Holiday Inn Hotel on Eighth Ave between 38th and 39th Street on Monday

The NYPD have now set up a command post and metal barriers in Midtown Manhattan in a bid to crack down on violent crime

Police said that most of the wounded people were innocent bystanders and that the fight appeared to be 'an isolated incident between two parties'.

One suspect in the shooting has already been taken into custody while the other remains at large.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler called Kantor's death 'tragic' and noted that the United States had undergone four mass shootings in the span of six hours over the weekend.

'We must do more to prevent gun violence in this country. This should never happen,' Adler said in the statement.

In Savannah, 20-year-old Arthur Milton was killed and seven were injured - including an 18 month-old toddler and 13 year-old - in a mass drive-by shooting on Friday night.

Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter Jr said gunfire broke out following a dispute between two families at an apartment complex earlier this week.

'It's very disturbing what we're seeing across the country and the level of gun violence that we're seeing across the country. It's disturbing and it's senseless,' Minter Jr said.

Separately, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday downplayed the violence and chaos that has been occurring Washington Square Park in recent weeks

Scores of revelers gathered in Washington Square Park on Sunday and partied well into the night as police declined to enforce a midnight curfew

Three men were also killed in a shooting at a gas station in Cleveland in the early hours of Saturday.

Two of the victims were aged 40 and the third was 36. Three other women were injured.

One of the dead victims was named as Rahim Head by his grief-stricken mother Brenda Cole.

Speaking outside the gas station in the city's Buckhead area where her son died, Cole said her son had seven kids. She answered 'I don't know,' through tears when asked if she knew more about what had led to the shooting.

Police have not shared details of that shooting.

A 29-year-old woman was also killed and nine others injured in a shooting in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood in the early hours of Saturday.

The Chicago attack involved two male shooters who escaped on foot afterwards and have not been identified.

Meanwhile, homicides are up nearly 60 percent in Atlanta in the first six months of the year compared to 2020.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has referred to the spike in her city as a 'COVID crime wave.'

AUSTIN: In Austin, 25 year-old IT worker Douglas John Kantor died in hospital on Sunday after he was one of 14 people shot at random on a street packed with bars hours earlier.

AUSTIN: Kantor, who was a tourist from New York, was shot through the abdomen when shots rang out at about 1.30am on Saturday in the Sixth Street area when two men opened fire on each other. Doug Kantor pictured with his high school sweetheart Adrianna Esposito

CHICAGO: A 29-year-old woman was also killed and nine others injured in a shooting in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood in the early hours of Saturday

CHICAGO: A woman was also shot dead in Chicago on Saturday, with nine others injured in the same gun attack. Victims are pictured being transported to hospital

She had previously admitted in December she doesn't know how to stop the alarming wave of violence.

Andrew Worrell, a 41-year-old father of three, was injured last week while out jogging in Atlanta's wealthiest neighborhood of Buckhead by a mentally ill man who police say also opened fire on two others and mowed down a neighbor with his car.

Gaelen Newsom, 22, was charged with attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm over the incident.

His wife, Annie, later told Fox News that residents are fleeing the area 'because they feel unsafe' amid growing calls for the community to secede from the city and get its own police force.

Chuck Wexler, who runs the Police Executive Research Forum, said he believes the recent crime wave across the country is part of a long-term trend.

'There was a hope this might simply be a statistical blip that would start to come down,' Wexler said.

'That hasn't happened. And that's what really makes chiefs worry that we may be entering a new period where we will see a reversal of 20 years of declines in these crimes.'

It comes as police retirements have risen by 45 percent in the past year, with officers opting out of forces across the country amid Black Lives Matter demonstrations that fueled anti-cop rhetoric.

The alarming statistic was revealed by the Police Executive Research Forum on Sunday, with the organization also revealing that resignations rose by 18 percent during the same twelve month period.

CLEVELAND: Three men were also killed in a shooting at a gas station in Cleveland in the early hours of Saturday

CLEVELAND: Rahim Head, a 36 year-old father of seven, was one of three men killed at a shooting at a gas station in Cleveland, Ohio, in the early hours of Saturday

'It is an evolving crisis,' Wexler told The New York Times, adding that police forces are also struggling to attract new recruits.

Anti-police sentiment was sparked by the murder of George Floyd by white cop Derick Chauvin in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

It prompted some politicians to say they were in favor of abolishing or defunding police forces across the United States. Commissioners claimed that rhetoric caused a spike in violent crime and led officers to feel betrayed by their elected officials.

New York City, for instance, saw large-scale BLM marches during which some participants threw bottles at police and set their patrol cars on fire.

Mayor Bill de Blasio subsequently slashed $1 billion from the NYPD's operating budget, despite a surge in shootings and murders.

In 2020, 2,600 New York Cops handed in their resignations - almost double the 1,509 resignations clocked the year before.

It was a similar story in many police departments in large and mid-size cities around the nation.

In Portland, Oregon, 69 officers resigned and 75 retired between April 2020 and April 2021. That was in comparison to 27 resignations and 14 retirements the year before.

In Seattle, Washington, resignations almost quadrupled to 123 from 34 and retirements more than doubled to 96 from 43.

Meanwhile, in Asheville, North Carolina, Police Chief David Zack told The Times that he had lost about one-third of staff to resignation and retirement.

'Certainly with the way that police have been portrayed and vilified in some cases, they have decided that it is not the life for them,' he said.
Masked thieves have been caught on camera smashing into a Sloane Square optician owned by celebrity eyewear designer Tom Davies and stealing 500,000 worth of frames.

The thieves even stole glasses designed for the new Disney movie Cruella from the high-end eyewear store in west London.

CCTV footage shows the thieves using a concrete block to smash their way into the store before helping themselves to hundreds of frames.

With the burglar alarm blaring away, the pair unceremoniously sweep hundreds of pairs of frames into a shopping bag and managed to seize six bespoke frames made especially for Cruella.

Masked thieves have been caught on camera smashing into a Sloane Square optician owned by Tom Davies and stealing 500,000 worth of frames

The thieves even stole glasses designed for the new Disney movie Cruella from the high-end eyewear store in west London

Despite dropping several pairs of glasses on the floor, they were in and out within 50 seconds and scarpered before police were able to respond.

Mr Davies, 46, intended to auction the frames for charity before discovering they were missing after the 2am raid last week.

'It's quite sinister in a lot of ways when you watch the video,' he told MailOnline.

'It's not my home but it feels like it. All my staff are devastated. In the film, Jasper and Horace are petty thieves who go about stealing from people and these two burglars are just like Jasper and Horace with face masks on.

With the burglar alarm blaring away, the pair unceremoniously sweep hundreds of pairs of frames into a shopping bag and managed to seize six bespoke frames made especially for Cruella

Mr Davies (pictured), 46, intended to auction the frames for charity before discovering they were missing after the 2am raid last week

'I had six pairs of the most iconic frames in the centre console, including both Emma Thompson's and Emma Stone's sunglasses and cat eyes. They are very valuable to me but they are so recognisable they won't be able to sell them on.

'Luckily we still have one set so, as long as we can get the window repaired, we can still go ahead. But I shall keep them under lock and key until then.'

The auction will be in aid of global charity Orbis International, which aims to fight avoidable blindness in the developing world.

Staff arrived at the store to discover the store had been ram-raided at 2.13am and the windows had been boarded up after the alarm was tripped and police called.

Pictured: Emma Stone wearing a pair of glasses designed by Mr Davies in a scene from Cruella

Mr Davies is now planning to put up wild west-style wanted posters

Mr Davies, who lives in Petersham, south west London, with wife Kirsten, 44, and children Oscar, 14, and Amelia, 12, is now planning to put up wild west-style wanted posters.

They will read: 'WANTED! #TomDaviesTheft' - on lamp posts in the hope that someone will return them.

'If you are offered any sunglasses with 'TOM DAVIES FOR CRUELLA' engraved on the inside arm, please can you let us know @tdtomdavies,' the posters state.

'Our store was broken into on 9 June at 2am and hundreds of frames were taken.

'The thieves probably didn't know they had also stolen glasses recently made for the film Cruella which were due to be auctioned off for charity.

'These distinctive frames have a far bigger value at a charity auction than to the criminals who vandalised our store and will struggle to sell them.

Mr Davies said: 'The thieves probably didn't know they had also stolen glasses recently made for the film Cruella which were due to be auctioned off for charity'

'If you are offered any of these frames or have any information you can share, please let us or the local police know. If you have the glasses in your possession, we will swap them for a pair of Tom Davies sunglasses.

'Unless you're one of the thieves, in which case we will happily hand you over to the authorities.'

Mr Davies was commissioned by Cruella's Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan to create a pair of glasses for Emma Thompson, who plays Baroness von Hellman, the narcissistic head of a London fashion house, in the movie.

But he ended up making 120 frames - for nearly every member of the cast. 'It had to be a really amazing signature piece for this elite fashion designer,' added Davies.

'When I was doing it, I said to her: 'You do realise everyone wore glasses in the 1970s because there was no laser surgery, there were no contact lenses.'

Davies is known for his off-the-wall approach, making glasses out of crushed meteorites and glow-in-the-dark stars, in his Brentford factory

'So we got the archive photos out and there were all these fashionable ladies wearing glasses. From that moment on I was the official glasses man for Cruella.'

Davies is known for his off-the-wall approach, making glasses out of crushed meteorites and glow-in-the-dark stars, in his Brentford factory.

He earned his reputation as the King of Specs after bespectacling celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Heston Blumenthal, Carrie Fisher and Susannah Constantine.

He has also created frames for a dozen Hollywood films including Superman, Spiderman, Angelina Jolie in the Tourist, Brad Pitt in Allied, Rowan Atkinson in Keeping Mum.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Police were called at 02:13hrs on Wednesday, 9 June to reports of a burglary at a commercial property in Sloane Square, SW1.

'Officers attended and it was reported that a quantity of sunglasses had been stolen by a group of men who had left before police arrived. Enquiries are ongoing; there have been no arrests.'
The parents of British twin sisters who fought off a vicious attack by a ten-foot crocodile have flown out to Mexico to support them.

Sean and Sue Laurie flew out of Heathrow to Mexico City today to support twins Melissa and Georgia after a horrifying crocodile attack on June 6.

Melissa was dragged under the water and put into a terrifying death roll as the predator tried to drown the 28-year-old, who had not been warned by 'rogue' tour guides that a lagoon she was swimming in was infested with them.

She only survived because her twin Georgia fought off the ten-foot predator- punching it repeatedly in the face as she dragged her sister to safety.

Sue, 62, told MailOnline: I dont want to go to Mexico  you hear terrible stories about how dangerous it is  but the girls need their mum.

Sean and Sue Laurie (left), parents of crocodile attack twins Melissa and Georgia (right) have flown to Mexico today to support the sisters as they recover

Melissa (left) was attacked by a crocodile while swimming in a lagoon late at night, while sister Georgia fought the reptile to save her sister's life

Georgia has been fantastic and did everything she could for her sister. But she needs support. The needs the comfort of her family.

She tries to put on a brave face but really she is quite fragile. Georgia wants me to come there. She wants her mum. So obviously I am going.

Melissa suffered terrible injuries from the attack including deep bites to her body, legs, hands and wrists  some of which turned septic.

She also suffered a suspected punctured lung and was put in a medically induced coma to aid her recovery.

But she has been brought round now and is able to speak to Georgia who visits her regularly at the private hospital where she is being treated.

Her husband Sean added: Obviously we want to do everything we can for our girls. We can be by Melissas bedside but we can also help in getting her home.

It comes after sister Georgia spoke for the first time about punching the croc after it grabbed her twin.

'It was trying to take her away,' Georgia said. 'I punched it in the nose with both fists and it felt hard, like hitting a table, but it scared it off.'

'No one warned us there were crocodiles there at all. We hadn't been drinking, there was no alcohol involved.

Georgia Laurie is seen outside the hospital in Puerto Escondido in Mexico, where here sister is recovering from the crocodile attack

Georgia Laurie has jokingly described herself as Crocodile Dundee after saving her sister from a 10ft croc in Manialtepec lagoon, Mexico

'We were just there for a chill-out. Melissa swan off by herself and got into trouble. I didn't know what was happening but I swan towards her.'

As she got closer Georgia, a qualified diver, noticed the reptile viciously attacking her sister.

'I saw her getting jerked around and I saw a croc's head which was about two feet long. The croc swam off, but kept coming back,' she said, the Sun reported.

'That's when it grabbed her by the leg and got her in a death roll. She went round and round and it was trying to drag her away.

'I was pounding it, and that's when it grabbed me and bit my arm. I bashed it with the other hand and it let me go. That happened three times.

'The croc battle seemed to go on a long time but adrenalin kicked in.'

Melissa was then pulled from the water by Georgia with the help of Moises Salinas, a 16-year-old deck hand on a tour boat named Espatula Rosada.

Salinas jumped into the shallow murky waters along the Manialtepec River and helped pull Melissa onto the boat before rushing her and her sister to a waiting ambulance 20 minutes away.

Once Melissa was on the boat, the extent of her injuries became clear, Georgia said.

Georgia (right) added that Melissa is out of the medically induced coma that doctors placed her in to aid her recovery

'She had puncture wounds everywhere but wasn't bleeding out. She was drifting in and out of consciousness,

'The thing that worried me was she was coughing up blood and saying, 'I'm drowning, I'm drowning'. It was scary, and she screamed too.

'I thought of how I had seen her face down in the water for a long time, so I was worried how much water she had swallowed.'

Once at hospital, Georgia explained: 'the doctors were worried about her lungs, because they thought she may have got pneumonia from an infection.

'I had to sign some papers saying treatment could go ahead, which included an induced coma. That was scary, because it seemed touch and go.'

Melissa was woken from the coma last week and in a short voice message from her hospital bed told MailOnline: 'I am extremely grateful that I came out of this alive.

'And that I had Georgia fight my side for me. So I am very happy for that.'

Melissa suffered terrible injuries from the attack including deep bites to her body, legs, hands and wrists  some of which turned septic. She also suffered a suspected punctured lung.

Mum Sue Laurie told MailOnline: 'Georgia sent us a picture of her in hospital bed in intensive care and we've seen Melissa for the first time.

The tour guide reportedly told the twins it was safe to swim in the water of Manialtepec Lagoon (stock image)

'She is looking quite a bit better. She has traces of black eyes and a scratch on her face.

'She still has monitors on her fingers  she's still all wired up. And she has an oxygen tube going into her nose. But it's great to see to see her.

'She is trying to smile but it's obvious that she is in a lot of pain.'

The family have also received the first medical bill for Melissa's treatment, which dad Sean has described as 'eye-watering!' at 11,000.

A GoFundMe page set up for the family has so far raised over 43,800. .

The sisters had been back-packing around the world. They left the UK in March and planned to return in November. The twins parents are flying out to Mexico to support the girls next week.
It was the bloodiest conflict of the Falklands War, killing 23 members of the Parachute Regiment and injuring 48 others.

The Battle of Mount Longdon was fought between British and Argentine troops on the night of June 11-12, 1982.

After a night of heavy losses on both sides, UK forces took control of the key rocky terrain around Port Stanley.

Two days later, Argentina was forced to surrender in the Falklands War itself  less than two months after Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sent troops to engage an Argentine invasion force.

James O'Connell, then 22, was one of the men who was injured in the key battle and only survived after being carried through a minefield on a makeshift stretcher.

Speaking in an interview with History of War magazine ahead of the publication of his book 3 Days in June, Mr O'Connell, now 61, told how an Argentine bullet 'took out' his nose, his right eye, cheekbone and front teeth.

James O'Connell, then 22, was one of the men who was injured in the key Battle of Mount Longdon in the Falklands War. He only survived after being carried through a minefield on a makeshift stretcher

Mr O'Connell, now 61, told how an Argentine bullet 'took out' his nose, his right eye, cheekbone and front teeth

The assault on Mount Longdon was carried out by the members of the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, in the hope of overcoming the heavily entrenched Argentine forces there.

Despite its ferocity, the battle has been overshadowed by far more famous  but less consequential  skirmishes, such as the conflict at Goose Green.

Argentina lost 44 men, with 120 wounded and a further 50 captured.

British victory in the battle meant that UK forces occupied the key position around the Argentine garrison at Port Stanley, allowing them to zero in on the enemy and force them to surrender.

As a result of Mount Longdon's geography, only one company of troops could advance along it.

The night-time approach was a success until a corporal stepped on a landmine, alerting the Argentine forces to the attack.

The members of the Parachute Regiment, including Mr O'Connell, a Private, then came under heavy and sustained attack.

After the war, Private O'Connell (pictured recently) had 'numerous' operations over the course of five years

Mr O'Connell in his position on Mount Vernet during the trek from San Carlos Water to Mount Longdon

Mr O'Connell said the noise of the mortar and artillery rounds landing was 'tremendous'.

He said he was hit after his section commander asked him to hand him a night sight.

He said in his book: 'I received a glancing gunshot wound, a bullet passing from left to right clipping my face as it passed in front of my left eye, then went through the bridge of my nose, took out my right eye and cheekbone, then carried on its deadly journey.

'The impact also caused my teeth to bang together with such force it knocked out my top front teeth.'

Britain and Argentina's 10-week war Fascist military leaders in Argentina invaded the British Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982. At a time of economic crisis, Argentine leaders believed recapturing the Falklands would restore support for the ruling party. The UK had ruled the islands for 150 years at the time of the invasion, which the junta justified by saying they had inherited the land from Spain in the 1800s, citing the Falklands' proximity to South America as a further reason. But Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher deployed a task force to fight on behalf of the traditionally British residents of the Falklands. In the short war that followed, 649 Argentinians died, along with 255 British servicemen and three islanders. Following a tough sea battle, British forces made landing to the north of Stanley, before fighting their way in to the capital. The Argentinians surrendered on 14 June Advertisement

He added: 'Experiences like mine were very common on Mount Longdon, which saw a truly shocking number of horrific casualties on both sides.'

After being hit, Mr O'Connell was dragged into a shell hole, which soon became filled with other wounded soldiers.

Because of the constant machine gun fire, the horrifically wounded Mr O'Connell and his comrades were unable to leave their shell hole.

Doctors were at the Regimental Aid Post (RAP) just over half a mile away.

Speaking in History of War magazine, he told how medics would repeatedly shake or slap anyone who fell asleep.

He said they would say: 'Don't you fall asleep, stay awake!'.

However, by 6am, it was decided that the wounded men needed help and so ponchos were repurposed as stretchers to move them.

They then set off through a minefield towards the RAP. They continued to come under heavy artillery fire, prompting the wounded to be dropped and the fit men running to take cover.

Mr O'Connell described how comrade Lance Corporal Paul Wray 'lay across' him to prevent him getting injured.

When they finally made it to the RAP, doctors decided that Mr O'Connell would not survive and so he was moved to a separate area for dead soldiers who were going on to the temporary mortuary.

Amazingly, a stretcher-bearer saw Mr O'Connell move, prompting him to shout 'this one's alive!'

The wounded soldier was then taken back and loaded into a Snowcat troop vehicle.

As soon as the Snowcat left the RAP, it came under shellfire because it was moving at such a slow speed.

Eventually, the vehicle made it to an area west of the Murrell River on East Falkland, where the men then waited for a helicopter.

A Gazelle helicopter then arrived and rescued soldiers including Mr O'Connell.

He was first taken to Teal Inlet on East Falkland, before he was flown off the islands entirely.

After the war, Mr O'Connell had 'numerous' operations over the course of five years. He said he and many others 'medicated' with alcohol.

Speaking in his book of his inability to find a job after leaving the army in late 1984, he writes: 'I found it extremely difficult getting work.

'I found a couple of temporary jobs, but a lot of employers simply said, 'We'd employ you but for your one eye'.'

The assault on Mount Longdon was carried out by the members of the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, in the hope of overcoming the heavily entrenched Argentine forces there. Pictured: Parachute Regiment troops raise the British flag on the summit of Mount Longdon on the morning after the battle

Yet, despite the challenge of having one eye, Mr O'Connell did eventually get a job as a taxi driver.

He described the job  which he died for 23 years and went on to employ five people - as a 'lifesaver'.

While writing his book, Mr O'Connell interviewed numerous veterans, both British and Argentinian.

He even spoke to a man who had killed a friend of his and wounded others.

Mr O'Connell said he got 'fed up' of people asking 'Were you at Goose Green?'. The Battle of Mount Longdon is less well remembered partly because the Falklands War itself ended just two days later.

He added that 'everybody' had heard of Goose Green because it was 'in all the newspapers'.

Three Days in June, by James (Jimmy) O'Connell, is published by Monoray, 25 hardback (octopusbooks.co.uk)

Three Days in June by James (Jimmy) OConnell, published by Monoray, 25 hardback (octopusbooks.co.uk)
A police station has been dubbed the 'most sexist in Britain' after a series of probes into officers' behaviour.

Hastings police station has come under scrutiny after a series of scandals exposing pervert PCs.

As well as conducting affairs with each other while on duty and viewing and exchanging pornographic pictures, officers also moonlighted as prostitutes, arranged to have sex with prostitutes and sent pornographic selfies to members of the public.

Some officers have been sacked from the force while others have been handed final written warnings

Sources say a major crackdown on 'lad culture' at the Hastings station was launched after complaints by several female officers and members of the public.

Rob Adams created pornographic Secret Santa gift, while Damien Cotgrave sent porn selfies

Hastings police station is where the officers have been based during their wrongdoing

Whatsapp and Facebook groups used to exchange explicit sexual messages and images have been shut down, rowdy behaviour has been banned and officers have been read the Riot Act.

In the latest scandal, PC Steve Lodge, 39, was hauled before a court charged with two counts of sexual assault and one of voyeurism on fellow female officers.

He was alleged to have put his hand up the skirt of one female officer, tried to kiss another and lifted the skirt of a third female officer to reveal her bottom and knickers on a series of booze-fuelled nights out with fellow officers.

The incident occurred during rowdy, drunken nights out in pubs and clubs around Hastings where officers downed up to 10 pints of larger while necking Jager bombs

Chichester Crown Court where PC Steve Lodge was cleared of charges but faces disciplinary

Police roll of shame Detective Constable Damien Cotgreave from Hastings station was sacked after sending hundreds of obscene and graphic text messages to the women while on duty. He bunked off work for two hours to visit one woman at her home and gave her an intimate back massage and sent pornographic selfies of himself to other women taken while he was on duty. In one incident he took a lewd photo of himself in a crown court toilet while he was attending a drugs trial. In December 2020 Sergeant Rob Adams of Hastings Station was handed a final written warning for sticking a photo of a female officer onto a pornographic image of a naked model. In the same month Detective Sergeant Paul Elrick also from Hastings Station received a final written warning for pinging a ruler across the bottom of a female colleague and sending her obscene messages. In 2016 PC Daniel Moss of also of Hastings station was sacked after advertising himself as a male prostitute while off sick from work. The force said he was moonlighting as a male escort on an adult website after reporting off sick with a stress-related illness. He was sacked for gross misconduct and later took his own life. In 2015 Inspector Lee Lyons, of Hasting station, was sacked after he admitted contacting prostitutes for sex, even arranging a location and fee for one woman, 'Natalie', services for after his shift ended. Chief Superintendent Tanya Jones said work to weed out sex pests on the force was taken very seriously. 'When there are officers and staff who behave in a way the force deems to be inappropriate, rest assured that action is taken.' Advertisement

The court was told there was a culture of boozing, banter, wind-ups and flirting at the station.

PC Lodge was cleared of the charges at Chichester Crown Court last week but now faces a disciplinary hearing which could lead to him being sacked.

He told the court he was transferred to Hastings police station and had never come across such a culture of boozing and banter in his 16 years in the force.

He said the station was a hotbed of drinking, banter, sexual teasing and winds ups and he and colleagues were often out on the town together getting drunk.

He said: 'I've never worked on a team where we went out so much in all my 16 years of service.'

He said officers used Whatsapp groups and Facebook messages to contact each other and exchange jokes and 'humorous' messages.

The court heard the three alleged offences happened on drunken nights out with colleagues between April 2018 - June 2019 when he and fellow officers downs pints of larger, Jager bombs and other shots.

In April 2018 the court heard the officer accosted a female colleague on a night out in Tin Tin's pub in Hastings and asked her for a kiss.

PC Lodge said: 'We were all drunk, very drunk. I had drunkenly said: 'Give us a kiss' and she said: 'No it wouldn't be right.' When I got back to the table I thought what the f**k was I thinking.'

He admitted he had done this despite his girlfriend, who is also a police officer, being at the event that evening.

The court heard the drunken evening continued into the early hours with officers ending up in a 'grotty' strip club.

In a second incident PC Lodge allegedly approached another female officer on the dance floor in a pub during a night out on the town and lifted her up.

He then 'rammed' his hand under her skirt and rested it on her upper thigh near her bottom and then asked her to kiss him on the lips. She declined.

The alleged incident happened during a night out with colleagues at the Old Market pub in Hastings, East Sussex in August 2018.

The court heard that at his girlfriend's 30th birthday party Bexhill and Hastings Rugby Club in June 2019 he lifted the skirt of a female colleague as he pointed his mobile phone torch at her.
The Justice Department's top national security official is resigning from his position following revelations that the department secretly seized records from Democrats, former President Donald Trump's counsel Don McGahn and members of the media.

John Demers will leave his position by the end of next week, a Justice Department official told The Associated Press. The New York Times reported the departure was planned months ago but now comes as the agency is facing backlash over the secret seizures.

The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

It comes amid questions about what Demers knew about the Justice Department's efforts to secretly seize the phone data from House Democrats and reporters as part of the Trump-era aggressive investigations into leaks.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday, 'What has happened here are fingerprints of a dictatorship, not a democracy.'

News emerged last week that the Justice Department had secretly subpoenaed Apple for metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and another Democratic member of the panel, California Rep. Eric Swalwell, in 2018, as their committee was investigating Trump's ties to Russia.

Schiff at the time was the top Democrat on the panel, which was led by Republicans.

The Justice Department also subpoenaed Apple for data belonging to then White House counsel Don McGahn.

Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division John Demers will leave his position by the end of next week, a Justice Department official told The Associated Press

TARGETED: The Justice Department secretly subpoenaed Apple for metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (left) and another Democratic member of the panel, Rep. Eric Swalwell (right) as the committee investigated Trump's ties to Russia

Apple informed McGahn last month, according to The Times, with his wife receiving a similar notice.

McGahn testified in a closed door session to the House Judiciary Committee last month backing up some of the claims found in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report - such as that Trump tried to push officials to remove Mueller, claiming he couldn't run the Russia investigation because he had conflicts of interest.

Eight reporters - one from CNN, three from The Washington Post and four from The New York Times - were also targeted for their records.

A number of them were also reporting on the Russia investigation.

Attorney General Merrick Garland is meeting with representatives from those news organizations Monday.

Garland referred the matter to the DOJ's inspector general to investigate.

'There are important questions that must be resolved in connection with an effort by the department to obtain records related to Members of Congress and Congressional staff,' Garland said in a statement Monday. 'I have accordingly directed that the matter be referred to the Inspector General and have full confidence that he will conduct a thorough and independent investigation.'

'If at any time as the investigation proceeds action related to the matter in question is warranted, I will not hesitate to move swiftly,' Garland continued.

'In addition, and while that review is pending, I have instructed the Deputy Attorney General, who is already working on surfacing potentially problematic matters deserving high level review, to evaluate and strengthen the departments existing policies and procedures for obtaining records of the Legislative branch,' Garland added.

He vowed to assure the 'full weight is accorded to separation-of-powers' going forward.

The announcement of Demers' resignation comes a day after Schumer said he should appear before Congress voluntarily or face a subpoena to answer questions about the subpoenas, in addition to former attorneys general Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions.

'This was nothing less than gross abuse of power, an assault on the separation of powers,' he continued. 'I dont think weve ever had a record of this ever happening in the past.'

Barr and Sessions have denied knowing about the orders targeting the Democrats and journalists.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also condemned the Trump administration's actions Sunday.

'What the administration did, the Justice Department, the leadership of the former President, goes even beyond Richard Nixon,' Pelosi said on CNN's State of the Union.

Pelosi said she didn't buy Barr's and Sessions' ignorance.

'The Justice Department has been rogue under President Trump in so many respects,' she said. 'How could it be that there could be an investigation of the members in the other branch of government and the press and the rest too, and the attorneys general did not know?'

Demers had been charged with combating Chinese intellectual property theft, but the division, a consolidation that was part of the post 9/11 Patriot Act, oversaw all the DOJ's primary national security operations.

Demers will be replaced by Mark Lesko, the acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, the official said.

Demers has been in charge of the department's national security division since February 2018, being sworn in a few weeks after the subpoena was issued to Apple for the Democrats' records, and his division has played a role in each of the leak investigations.

HOW TRUMP'S DOJ SOUGHT DATA APPLE DATA FROM DEMOCRATS AND REPORTERS TO HUNT DOWN LEAKERS The Justice Department under Donald Trump subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of at least two Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee - including Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell in 2017 and 2018, it was revealed last week. In all, around a dozen people connected to the committee were targeted, according to reports. It was an extraordinary measure by prosecutors on behalf of an administration trying to find out who was leaking stories to the press. The revelations include: . Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell were told last week that their data had been subpoenaed under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. . Attorney General Bill Barr revived the investigations a year later. . On Sunday it was reported that Donald Trump's White House counsel Don McGahn was also the subject of a subpoena issued by the DOJ. Apple told McGahn last month that they had handed over information to the FBI, but wouldn't reveal the content of the data. . The DOJ also sought records from reporters from the New York Times, Washington Post and CNN in 2017. . CNN's Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr said prosecutors were seeking around 30,000 emails. . Officials in the DOJ put the news organization under a gag order that meant their general counsel couldn't reveal to their staff that the data had been sought. . Sessions, Barr and longtime deputy AG Rod Rosenstein have all denied knowledge of the attempts to access the records. . The Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland has now launched its own internal inquiry into the bid to get records. . The Biden administration has called the revelations 'appalling'. . Critics and leading Democrats have said what happened under Trump's DOJ is worse than what happened with President Nixon during Watergate. Advertisement

CNN Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr says Trump's DOJ was using her as a 'tool' when they 'snuck into my life' and tried to obtain 30,000 emails and says Biden's promise to stop seizing phone records is 'limited'

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr spoke out for the first time Monday about the Trump administration's effort to secretly gain access to 30,000 of her emails.

'Speaking for myself, I don't know what the government was looking for when it snuck into my life. I am not the subject of an investigation and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing,' Starr wrote in an op-ed. 'But as a CNN journalist, myself and my newsroom clearly were being used as a tool by the Trump Justice Department.'

Starr also appeared on CNN's New Day saying, 'To say I was dumbfounded would be such a vast understatement.'

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr (right) spoke out for the first time Monday about the Trump administration's effort to secretly gain access to 30,000 of her emails. She appeared on New Day with Brianna Keilar (left)

President Donald Trump's Justice Department went after the records of eight reporters as part of a so-called 'leak' investigation. The effort was only made public in the last few weeks by the news organizations that were targeted

Attorney General Bill Barr ran President Donald Trump's Justice Department when efforts to sniff out leaks to the media were stepped up

'I have no idea, what they were looking for, apparently a leak investigation,' she continued.

This month The New York Times, Washington Post and CNN revealed that they had been informed by the Department of Justice that some of their reporters' records had been seized during former President Donald Trump's tenure.

As president, Trump was vehement about finding out who in government was leaking information to the press.

Starr was the lone CNN reporter, while four reporters were targeted at The Times and three reporters were targeted at The Post.

On top of that, records of Democratic lawmakers and their families - including House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff - were also pursued.

On Monday, senior personnel from CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times are scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland to try and get an explanation for why the Trump-era DOJ went to great lengths to obtain these records.

The whole effort was shrouded in secrecy, with CNN's general counsel David Vigilante put under a gag order so he could only speak about the government's efforts to the network's president, lawyer's a CNN's corporate parent and attorneys working at an outside law firm, CNN said.

'In secret court proceedings last year they went after 30,000 of my emails and phone records. And not just my work email, my work phone, but they went after my personal accounts, my personal emails, my personal phone ... they wanted all of it,' Starr told CNN's Brianna Keilar Monday morning. 'And I wasn't even allowed to know about it.'

Starr said Vigilante had to appear before a 'secret court' for records from 2017.

Starr said as a Pentagon correspondent she was covering U.S. actions in a number of places including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and North Korea.

The New York Times journalists targeted - Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eric Lichtblau and Michael S. Schmidt - were writing about how FBI Director James Comey had handled politically charged investigations during the 2016 presidential election cycle.

The three Washington Post reporters - Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller, and former Post reporter Adam Entous - were writing about Russia's role in the 2016 election.

None of the journalists were specifically told what stories triggered the seizures.

Starr wasn't told about the government's effort until late May 2021, she said.

'I got a phone call at home telling me that this had happened,' Starr said.

On Friday, the Department of Justice's Inspector General said it would investigate the Trump-era seizure of journalists' and Democratic lawmakers' records.

While journalists are protected by the First Amendment, Starr encouraged passage of stronger journalism shield laws that would prevent government spying in the future.

'President Biden has said the seizing of reporters' records will be stopped under his administration. But with all respect to him and his stated intentions, that is a promise of limited relevance,' Starr said in the op-ed. 'Unless new protections are codified, this could all happen again to any journalist.'

'Secret proceedings, gag orders so CNN attorneys can't speak to me, and eight reporters being swept up in investigations with no explanation - these are not part of a free press in the United States,' the veteran Pentagon correspondent added.
Music industry giants Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine announced plans last week to invest their own billions in a new high school in South Los Angeles.

The school, in partnership with the LA Unified School District, is aimed at motivating members of its predominantly Black and Latino student population to become the next generation of entrepreneurs and critical thinkers.

Dre, born Andre Young, said he never had much interest in school and wanted to reach 'the inner-city kid, the younger me,' he told the Los Angeles Times. 'Heres a place that you can go where theres something that you can learn that youre really interested in.'

Music industry titans Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine announced plans last week to partner with the LA School District and launch a high school in fall, 2022

'This is for kids who want to go out and start their own company or go work at a place... like Marvel, or Apple or companies like that,' Iovine said.

The LA Board of Education approved plans for the school last week, and it is slated to open in the fall of 2022.

Dre and Iovine are the only private investors for the school, and are supplementing funding from the LA school district funding.

It is intended to be a magnet school, meaning students can apply from anywhere in the district, and will provisionally be called Regional High School No. 1 located at the current Audubon Middle School in Leimert Park.

LA school officials said they they chose Audubon as the site for the magnet program because of declining enrollment at the school.

Dre and Iovine's vision for the school will be based on the University of Southern California's Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, which the pair launched with a $70 million donation in 2013.

The school will open at the current site of the Audubon Middle School in South LA, pictured above

The concept behind the USC academy is to create the next generation of entrepreneurs through problem solving exercises and learning labs in partnership with private industry and nonprofit experts.

The new high school version is intended to follow a similar model, the LA Times reported, with planned private-industry partnerships and high-tech learning equipment.

While it is not clear how much curriculum will deviate from a traditional LA public high school, Iovine maintained that it is not a music or hip-hop school.

Criteria for enrollment at school will follow that of the district's 310 other magnet programs, which account for factors such whether the student's resident school is overcrowded or has a predominantly non-white population, and whether the student has already been a part of a magnet program in the district or is on a waiting list to enter one.

Dre and Iovine are among a handful of figures from sports and entertainment who have made investments in education.

In the early 2000s former Phoenix Suns player Kevin Johnson launched a series of charter schools in Sacramento.

And in 2018, NBA star Lebron James joined in a partnership with the Akron school system in Ohio to reopen a troubled public elementary school with funding from the Lebron James Family Foundation.

At least in James' project, the school appears to be working, with a marked improvement in test scores in the school's inaugural year, the New York Times reported.

Dre, 56, grew up in Compton and attended Fremont High School in South L.A.

He rose to prominence in the 1990s with the hip-hop group N.W.A. and became an influential solo artist and producer. He has a reported net worth of around $600 million.

Iovine, 68, started as a music session engineer after growing up in Brooklyn, and worked with artists such as Bruce Springsteen and John Lennon.

The high school will me modeled after the University of Southern California's Iovine and Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, which was launched with a $70 million contribution from Dre and Iovine in 2014

He founded Interscope Records in 1990, and through that, became a longtime collaborator with Dre. He has a reported net worth of around $1 billion.

They founded Beats Electronics, makers of the popular headphones line Beats by Dre, which they sold to Apple for $3 billion in 2014.

The goal behind the school is to increase enrollment in the district's public schools where middle-class Black families in the area have been increasingly sending their children to charter and private schools. Public school enrollment has been down on average around 2 percent per year, the LA Times reported.

Superintendent Austin Beutner said the district hopes the partnership will create, 'the coolest high school in America,' he said and increase interest.

Dre and Iovine have been partners in the music industry since the 1990s, and have mentored a number of music artists over the years

The proposal, however, initially was met with concerns from the district's Board of Education over state funding for the school, which at its size, would be financially unsustainable for the proposed number of around 250 students.

Dre and Iovine, however, promised they would pay whatever is necessary to keep it running.

Dre said it was frustrating to see the resistance, and, 'how difficult it is to do something positive and to help.'

'We want to do it in the public system,' Iovine told the LA Times. 'We wanted to go to where its most needed  and its most difficult. And we will not be satisfied if this doesnt scale. We want people inspired enough to scale it.'
Republicans will introduce a resolution to censure four members of the so-called squad of progressive Democrats for defending terrorist organizations and using rhetoric they say contributed to anti-Semitic attacks across the U.S.

It comes amid deep tensions within the Democratic Party about how to handle different stances on the Middle East.

Last week Rep. Ilhan Omar triggered outrage by comparing the U.S. and Israel with Hamas and the Taliban among those who have committed 'unthinkable atrocities.

The resolution being introduced by Reps. Michael Waltz, Jim Banks and Claudia Tenney carries no punishment and is unlikely to pass but will heap further pressure on Democratic leadership.

It alleges that Omar and her three closest allies Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley 'publicly support the actions of a recognized terrorist organization.'

'We cannot turn a blind eye to Members of Congress openly defending terrorist attacks by Hamas against our close ally Israel nor their dangerous rhetoric which has contributed to anti-Semitic attacks across the country,' said Waltz.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (left) was roundly condemned last week after comments her critics said found moral equivalence between democracies and terrorist groups. Now, Republicans have fellow Squad members including Rashida Tlaib (right) in their sights

A resolution written by Republican House members alleges that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (left) and Ayanna Pressley 'publicly support the actions of a recognized terrorist organization'

The Squad's 'support' of terrorist groups: How Ilhan Omar, AOC, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley have condemned Israel for 'war crimes' The text of the Republicans' resolution lists ways in which four Squad members criticized Israel or the U.S. in ways that 'support the actions of a recognized terrorist organization over the defense of one of our long-time allies'. The following are extracts from the resolution: Tlaib claimed that Israel, our democratic ally, is 'promoting racism and dehumanization' Omar argued that Israels military response to Hamass strikes was 'an act of terrorism' rather than self defense Omar accused the U.S. of backing crimes against humanity Ocasio-Cortez claimed the Israeli military is 'inhumane' and responsible for 'inflicting violence' Ocasio-Cortez accused the Government of Israel of committing 'human rights abuses' Pressley equated any support of our democratic ally to supporting oppression, violence, and apartheid Pressley accused Israel of egregious human rights violations Each of the claims made by Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, Omar, and Pressley inaccurately depict the democracy of Israel as an oppressive, violent, abusive nation These claims publicly support the actions of a recognized terrorist organization over the defense of one of our long-time allies These false claims, further perpetuated over social media, have resulted in increased violence and anti-Semitic hate crimes throughout the United States Advertisement

He said he had seen for himself atrocities committed against women and ethnic minorities by the Taliban.

'For members of the U.S. Congress to make equivalencies to Israel and the American military, which puts its own soldiers at risk to avoid civilian casualties, is ignorant of the facts, shameful, and should be condemned in the strongest terms,' he added.

Democratic Rep. Andy Levin quickly offered his support to Omar, saying she had simply been asking hard questions about accountability and international law.

He said her words had been mischaracterized.

'Can we really expect to get to a world of peace and justice for all if we are not willing to hold everyone accountable for war crimes & human rights violations? I will continue to join in asking these questions and condemn these attacks against her,' he tweeted.

The row erupted last week when Secretary of State Anthony Blinken appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on which Omar sits.

She quizzed him about the Biden administration's decision to oppose the International Criminal Court taking up an investigation into alleged war crimes in Israel and Afghanistan.

He responded by saying that courts in the U.S. and Israel were the right forum for such claims.

Afterwards, she tweeted a video of the exchange and wrote: 'We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity.

'We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.'

The Republican right responded with howls of outrage, accusing her of anti-Semitism.

And some of her own Democratic Party colleagues joined in.

'Equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided,' said a group of 11 Jewish Democrats.

House Democratic leaders including Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded with a statement hoping to head off damaging splits, saying that criticism of Israel and the U.S. was protected free speech.

'But drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the US and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress,' they added.

Omar offered a clarification saying her comments were about accountability for specific abuses, not a moral comparison between Hamas and the Taliban and the U.S. and Israel.

'I was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems,' she said.

Omar accused members of the House Democratic caucus of using 'Islamophobic tropes' after they called criticized her tweet for appearing to find moral equivalence between democracies and terrorist organizations

Tlaib defended her colleague in the Squad by accusing fellow Democrats of 'policing' Omar

AOC also came to the defense of Omar as tensions erupted into public last week

Rep Andy Levin said Omar's critics had twisted her words when it was clear she was not equating the U.S. and Israel with Hamas and the Taliban

Fellow squad members leaped to her defense. Ocasio-Cotez and Tlaib both criticized members of their caucus for targeting Omar and 'policing' her words.

Even so, Republicans know that every day they can keep the Squad at the head of a news cycle is a win for them.

And on Monday they signaled they wanted Democratic leadership to be forced to make a decision on their resolution.

Banks said: 'Reps. Omar, Tlaib, Pressley and Cortez have repeatedly denigrated America and our closest ally. Democrat leadership finally responded to their unhinged comments last weekwith a press release.

'Actions speak louder than squishy words. Speaker Pelosi can let members vote on our resolution, or she can cover for the Hamas Caucus and their anti-Israel and anti-American rhetoric. Well see.'

Their resolution targets the four best-known Squad members. Their ranks are now six strong, following the election of Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman in last year's midterms.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is planning to introduce a resolution to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, according to Punchbowl News.

'Rep. Omar's anti-Semitic & anti-American comments are abhorrent,' he tweeted.

'Speaker Pelosis continued failure to address the issues in her caucus sends a message to the world that Democrats are tolerant of anti-Semitism and sympathizing with terrorists.

'Its time for the speaker to act.'

At the end of last week, the eight House Republicans who voted to oust Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments say Democrats should impose the same punishment on Omar.

They wrote to Pelosi saying: 'It is the responsibility of the party's leadership in the House of Representatives to hold accountable egregious words and actions made by Members of the Party.

'Now is the time for you to rise to the challenge you have set for yourself.'
The virologist who led bat research at the Wuhan lab has condemned suspicions that Covid leaked from the facility as 'filth' and claimed that nobody ever got sick there.

Shi Zhengli, also known as the Bat Woman, has been accused of conducting controversial 'gain of function' experiments which genetically modify viruses in order to better understand the risks they pose.

But she says that claims that coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were baseless, although she was unable to provide any supporting evidence.

'How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence?' She told The New York Times.

'I don't know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist,' Dr Shi added.

She said the theories were completely unsubstantiated and said it was untrue that three of her colleagues had fallen ill with Covid before the outbreak emerged.

Dr Shi Zhengli (pictured) is known as 'Bat Woman' by her colleagues because of her pioneering virus-hunting expeditions to bat caves in remote parts of China over almost two decades

Western intelligence agencies had seemingly written off the 'remote' chance that the laboratory - where research into bat-derived coronaviruses is conducted - had played a role. Pictured: Researchers in a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province, February 2017

'The Wuhan Institute of Virology has not come across such cases,' she wrote. 'If possible, can you provide the names of the three to help us check?'

But China has blocked an independent probe of the lab and hasn't released any of the raw data from the facility, making it impossible to validate anything Dr Shi says.

Many virologists presume that Dr Shi is correct, saying it is much more likely that Covid-19 jumped from an animal to human outside of a lab setting.

But the lack of proof means that a growing number of experts and politicians are demanding a new probe and investigation of the lab leak theory.

The Trump administration attempted to raise the alarm with intelligence dumps about the lab which said researchers fell ill in the fall of 2019 with symptoms consistent with Covid-19. That was at least a month before Beijing officially reported the existence of a new respiratory illness to the world on December 31, 2019.

Among the dossiers were claims that the Bat Woman's team were working with a bat coronavirus that is 96.2 percent similar genetically to the virus that causes Covid and that the lab had secret links to Chinese military.

Beijing agreed to allow a WHO team of experts to visit Wuhan earlier this year, but only gave limited access to the lab.

The WHO's conclusion that the lab leak theory was 'highly unlikely' is not deemed credible and its report is largely regarded as a whitewash, with their fact-finding mission hamstrung by the Chinese Communist Party.

No independent research was permitted, nor were WHO officials allowed to scrutinise lab data, safety logs or records.

Even WHO's director-general, Tedros Ghebreyesus, agreed that the resulting report was unsatisfactory. Fourteen countries, including the U.S. and UK, issued a joint statement expressing concerns that the investigation had not been sufficiently thorough.

Joe Biden, who has ordered his intelligence agencies to redouble their efforts to find the origins of Covid, told a reporter at the G7 summit at the weekend: 'I have not reached a conclusion because our intelligence community is not certain yet.'

Boris Johnson echoed that sentiment saying of the lab leak theory: 'Clearly anybody sensible would want to keep an open mind about that.'

Before Covid struck, Dr Shi was regarded as foremost in her field and a symbol of China's global scientific clout.

She had gained fame as the Bat Woman for her pioneering virus-hunting expeditions to bat caves in remote parts of China over almost two decades.

Dr Shi concluded that the men had died of a fungal infection caused by a pathogen lurking in the fungus that covered the bat guano.

Dr. Robert C. Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told the NYT: 'She's a stellar scientist  extremely careful, with a rigorous work ethic.'

In an interview earlier this month President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, agreed that a lab escape was 'a possibility'. He said he would also back a second investigation by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)

The first investigation in January by Western scientists, which was strictly supervised by Beijing from start to finish, resulted in a report that a Wuhan laboratory incident was 'highly unlikely' to have caused the pandemic. Pictured: Scientists at the WIV in 2017

The Wuhan Institute of Virology employs nearly 300 people and is the home to only two Chinese labs given the top bio-safety clearance, Level 4. It is the only lab in China permitted to handle deadly viruses such as ebola, bird flu and HIV.

Unlike most scientists at her level, Dr Shi is not a card-carrying member of the Communist Part, according to Chinese media.

The 57-year-old obtained her PhD from the University of Montpellier in 2000 and began the study of bats after the SARS outbreak of 2004.

'In all the work we do, if just once you can prevent the outbreak of an illness, then what we've done will be very meaningful,' she told CCTV, China's state broadcaster, in 2017.

But others argue that the risk is not worth the reward and condemn her for the gain of function research she has undertaken, whereby coronaviruses have been genetically modified to see how they behave.

In 2017, she and her colleagues published a paper which described the creation of a new hybrid bat coronavirus which was almost transmissible to humans after combining pieces of genetic code from different pathogens.

Proponents say this research helps to counter pandemics but critics say it risks creating one, and in fact many go further, claiming that Dr Shi and her team engineered Covid-19.

But Dr. Shi said their genetic modifications would never set out to make a virus more dangerous.

'My lab has never conducted or cooperated in conducting GOF experiments that enhance the virulence of viruses,' she told the NYT.

One of the viruses, originating from the anus of a horseshoe bat (pictured), was given the name RaTG13 by Dr Shi

But there has been speculation that bat viruses were not handled with the correct protocols and that some of Dr Shi's experiments were done in Level 2 labs - not the maximum safety available at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Dr Shi told the NYT it's acceptable to use Level 2 labs because there is no evidence to suggest bat coronaviruses directly infected humans.

But speculation has fallen on Dr Shi's research on a group of miners in Yunnan Province who suffered from a respiratory infection in 2012.

They worked inside the same cave where Dr Shi would later find bat viruses which are genetically similar to Covid-19.

Dr Shi claims that they didn't discover SARS-like coronaviruses in the cave and publish more details soon.

Critics claims she has deliberately withheld information vital to understanding the origins of the virus.

The scientists said she'd been completely open with WHO investigators who visited the lab earlier this year.

This is no longer a question of science, Dr Shi said. It is speculation rooted in utter distrust.
A CIA officer who was forced to take early retirement after suffering from 'Havana Syndrome' feared to have been caused by a secret Russian microwave weapon claims the condition is an 'act of war' against the US.

Marc Polymeropolous claims he was zapped with the frequency while visiting a Moscow hotel room back in 2017, and blames it for destroying his career, as well as debilitating headaches he continues to suffer from this day.

Recalling that trip, he said: 'Even in my hotel room, I'd go to the gym, and a guy in a black trench coat comes down and, you know, checks on me down there,' he told CBS News' Catherine Herridge. 'Not unexpected. Part of the job.'

'I woke up in the middle of the night, because I had this incredible case of vertigo. It felt almost as if I was in some kind of carnival ride. And I'll tell you, Catherine, I had spent years in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.'

'I put my life on the line. This was the most terrifying experience of my life. I had no control.'

Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropolous was on assignment in Moscow in 2017 when he noticed he was being watched by 'guys in black trench coats'

'I had spent years in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. I put my life on the line. This was the most terrifying experience of my life. I had no control' he said

The Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran believes that the 'Havana Syndrome' is an 'act of war against the US,' after experiencing it for himself.

Polymeropolous went to a CIA medical office upon returning stateside, where he was surprised to hear doctors say that his ailments were not caused by the controversial sonic weaponry, of which no known photographs exist.

'I said, "Is this consistent with Havana Syndrome?" And their answer was no.'

'I've had a headache for three years,' he said. 'It feels like a vice clamp down here. And there's pressure that comes over the top of my head.'

After three years, he finally received the diagnosis he believed he had all along at the Walter Reed military hospital.

'They diagnosed me with a traumatic brain injury. It's on paper. I have it.'

Polymeropolous's CIA colleague was also affected by the controversial syndrome, saying 'this is the invisible wound that, you know, no one believed us for a long time.'

He says he was forced to stand down after the condition left him unable to concentrate for longer than a few hours at a time.

The weapon believed to cause Havana Syndrome is said to be a smaller version of this 1990s Soviet microwave generator, which is kept at the University of New Mexico

The former CIA officer was forced into retirement after suffering from the mysterious and debilitating 'Havana Syndrome' while on assignment in Russia

The Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran says the symptoms still persist to this day, with a military hospital diagnosing him with a traumatic brain injury

'Havana Syndrome' is described as a mysterious neurological condition which was first brought to the State Department's attention five years ago in Cuba.

There have been at least 130 suspected cases of the mysterious illness as of this year, according to CBS News, with many occurring near Russian facilities.

Two cases were detected close to the White House in recent months, with the US government now fast-tracking sensor technology to try and identify the microwave technology and track it down.

Senate support has also been agreed for victims suffering from Havana Syndrome.

'This is clearly an escalation,' Republican Senator Susan Collins said. Collins had authored legislation to help victims of the 'Havana Syndrome' with medical and financial support.

'This bill will provide much-needed assistance to the employees of the intelligence community, the State Department, and other federal agencies.'

Although the syndrome may have first been noted by US and Canadian embassy staff in the island nation of Cuba, Collins believes the culprit in Polymeropolous' case is very clearly Russia.

'Russia is certainly a likely suspect,' Collins added. 'President Biden should send an unmistakable message to the Russians that if they are behind these attacks, they must stop them immediately. We have to have full cooperation from the Russians, or they must be made to pay a price.'

'Who feels safe to serve now overseas with this happening?' Polymeropolous questioned. 'My contention is that it's the Russians. But whatever adversary is doing this certainly has not seen anything from the U.S. government that's telling them to stop.'

Polymeropolous is currently writing a book about his 30-plus year career at the CIA, titled 'Clarity in Crisis,' which he says has been cathartic.

Meanwhile, a State Department spokesperson told the news outlet that 'Secretary Blinken has made clear that there is no higher priority than the health and safety of our workforce.'

'At this time, we do not know the cause of these incidents, which are both limited in nature and the vast majority of which have been reported overseas. We also do not know whether they constitute an attack of some kind by a foreign actor, but these are areas of active inquiry.'

'Nothing is more important than taking care of CIA officers  both by ensuring that they get the care and treatment they deserve, and making sure that we get to the bottom of what caused these incidents,' CIA director of public affairs Tammy Thorp told CBS News.
A man who attempted to smuggle migrants into the UK hidden inside sofas from France and Belgium has been jailed.

Arman Yusuf Rahmani, who himself was granted asylum in this country after entering in the back of a lorry, hired six 'man with van' drivers advertising their services.

The 21-year-old Iranian arranged for them to drive from the UK to the continent to collect second hand furniture but told them not to help with loading the vehicles.

Upon arrival at the UK border in France, Border Force officers searched the vans and found the migrants, all Iraqi males aged under 18, hiding inside, Preston Crown Court heard.

The men, said to be under 18, were found hidden inside furniture such as armchairs and sofas

UK Border Force officials discovered the drivers, unaware of the migrants in their vans, would not have been able to hear their cries for help

He was arrested a short time later and pleaded guilty to breaking UK immigration law. He has now been sentenced to two years and seven months in prison.

The court had been told the drivers did not know people were hidden inside the items they had been paid to transport

Video footage and photographs later taken of the hiding spots show that any plea for help from those in the back of the van would not have been heard.

The evidence confirmed Rahmani had no regard for the welfare of the people he was paid to hide, it was heard.

Rahmani had established a criminal network to facilitate foreign nationals illegally entering the UK.

Speaking after the sentencing, Minister for Immigration Compliance & Justice, Chris Philip, said: 'Rahmani showed a blatant disregard for the laws of the UK, a country which provided him with safety and a place to live for which he has rightly paid the price.

The men attempting to illegally enter the country were crammed inside tight spaces such as this one

'This case shows the lengths criminals will go to profit from our broken asylum system by putting people's lives at risk

Arman Yusuf Rahmani, 21, pleaded guilty to breaking UK immigration law and has been jailed for two years and seven months

'We are aiming to step up prosecution of those smuggling people into the country which is why this government is bringing legislation through our New Plan for Immigration, breaking the business model of these heinous people-smuggling networks and save lives.'

Rahmani faces deportation as foreign national offender at the end of his sentence.

Katie Brown, a Criminal and Financial Investigations (CFI) investigator added: 'Today's sentence is the result of an excellent investigation which brought to an end Rahmani's pattern of criminality.

'People smugglers are motivated by money alone and show no regard for the safety of those they exploit.

'This case is a message that we never stop looking for those involved in immigration crime.'
Police have confirmed they have resumed their search for missing Brit hiker Esther Dingley as her devastated boyfriend continues to walk trails in the Pyrenees in his own efforts to find her.

Specialist officers have been able to comb the 8,796ft Pico Salvaguardia summit where the Oxford graduate last made contact with partner Dan Colegate around 4pm on November 22 after the winter snow thawed.

Sergeant Jorge Lopez Ramos, whose elite mountain search and rescue team led the eight-day search for Esther last year before it was halted because of the bad weather, said snow on the north face of the peak on the French side of the border meant work there had to wait still.

He also said officers were counting on the possibility of information from the hikers who throng the Pyrenees in the peak months of July and August.

Esther Dingley, 37, who went missing on November 22 while walking in the Pyrenees

Esther Dingley (pictured with her boyfriend Daniel Colegate) disappeared on November 22 while solo hiking in the Pyrenees mountains

Civil Guard officers who have been working on the ground will be supported by a helicopter from mid-June which have a permanent base in the town of Benasque where Esther had been staying before she vanished.

A Spanish court probe that opened after the Durham-born 37-year-old went missing on November 22 remains open.

Mr Lopez Ramos said: 'We have spent some time going into the mountains and seeing what the snow is like and looking at places where we think Esther could have had an accident.

'A helicopter has been assisting officers on the ground but we haven't found anything.

'The south face of the Pico Salvaguardia can now be hiked to the summit without any problem.

'That's one of the places we've looked because that's where we know Esther made her last contact with her boyfriend and we haven't found any clues that help us get any closer to finding her.

Heavy snow and freezing temperatures have covered the mountains around Benasque where Esther Dingley was last spotted

'There's still snow on the north side near the summit on what would be the French side so nothing can be ruled out there for the moment.

'The snow there could take a month to melt but it's impossible to give a precise date.'

He added: 'Our busiest period of the year when we have to carry out most rescues is about to begin and we won't be able to search for Esther systematically like we did at the beginning because of the resources we have and the fact that it would make no sense to repeat searches of possible accident locations which have already been looked at several times.

'But we'll have a helicopter again here from June 19 and we'll use it to rule out areas whilst looking at others on foot that we know to be difficult and maybe haven't been searched as closely as the ones on the route Esther indicated she was going to take.

'The summer is the most likely time of the year when we'll get information that could help us because that's when most people are walking in the mountains.

'At the end of the day 1,000 eyes see more than eight, the summer is when more people leave the well-trodden paths for whatever reason and we've got a good chance of seeing some change to a situation which at the moment is the same as it was last year when the search was called off.

'The number of hikers in the area starts to increase towards the end of June but July and August are the two months when there is most people.'

Well-placed sources said Esther's business development manager boyfriend remained in the area and the missing Brit's mum Ria Dingley-Schoneveld had travelled to the Spanish Pyrenees earlier this year although she is thought to have left the region now.

Missing Esther Dingley's camper van was spotted parked up in Benasque . Witness Lucie was walking her dog Tipo when she spotted the camper van with the light on and someone inside on December 2

Dan Colegate revealed in his last Facebook post in April that he had been exploring the lower altitude parts of the trail Esther had walked before she vanished, paying particular attention to woodlands bordering her proposed route.

Using the post to deny reports at the time the police search had resumed, he repeated an earlier claim he found it hard to understand why his girlfriend was not found in November 'if she had suffered an accident', and vowed to 'continue to search because it is all I can do.'

He added: 'I remain in regular contact with the authorities and I am recording all of my activities using a GPS device, passing this information to the police and search teams to assist their own planning when the time comes.'

Dan, who is being assisted by support group LBT Global, ruled out the idea of a voluntary disappearance in January and insisted Esther could have been harmed by someone and a criminal investigation was 'absolutely necessary' while winter weather prevented police from searching for her in the mountains in the event she had an accident.

A woman judge based an hour's drive away from the Pyrenees village of Benasque in Boltana remains in charge of the Spanish judicial probe sparked by Esther's disappearance.

Maria Saenz Martinez has yet to approve the return of the camper van Esther had travelled to Spain in to her boyfriend.

The vehicle remains at a Civil Guard station in Benasque where it was taken for forensic analysis soon after Esther vanished.

French investigators have made their own inquiries and share information with their Spanish counterparts on a regular basis but are understood to have obtained no new indications about what might have happened to the missing Brit since the suspension of the mountain search.

Esther was expected to spend the night in an unmanned shelter on the French side of the border the day of her last conversation with her boyfriend but it is not known if she ever arrived.

They spoke after she reached the summit of Pico Salvaguardia, which the French call Pic de Sauvegarde, for the second time in two days.

She was seen by several witnesses including an Olympic Spanish skier asking for some fruit hiking on the path leading up to the summit.

Esther's mum admitted in February: 'Each day has been nothing short of an excruciating hell for me, balancing on the edge of breaking down.

'Not knowing where she is or what has happened to our beautiful Esther is destroying me and our family.'
An ambulance service commander has agreed 'no leadership' was provided by him on the night of the Manchester Arena terror attack, an inquiry has heard.

Deputy director at North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) Neil Barnes was the on-call Gold commander, the most senior NWAS officer, on the night suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated explosives at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.

The suicide bomber hid for nearly an hour on the upstairs level of the foyer out of sight of CCTV cameras before he detonated his Karrimor rucksack filled with explosives - killing 22 people and inuring 119.

Mr Barnes, who had overall responsibility for 'command, response and recovery' in the event of a major incident, chose to stay at home and await more information after taking the first call about an 'incident' at the arena, the inquiry heard.

He denied the fact that being on annual leave the next day and him being due to catch a flight out of the country had anything to do with the decision.

The deputy director at North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) Neil Barnes said he chose to stay at home and await more information after taking the first call about an 'incident'

Salman Abedi (pictured) hid for nearly an hour on the upstairs level of the foyer at Manchester Arena before he detonated his home-made explosives in May 2017

Pictured: Officers outside the Manchester Arena on the night of the terror attack

At 10.40pm on May 22 2017, the night of the attack, Mr Barnes was at home and heard his work phone ringing and took a call from NWAS Silver commander Annemarie Rooney.

He said he was told of a 'suspected bombing attack' at the arena and agreed with a decision for Ms Rooney to go to the tactical co-ordinating group established at the headquarters of Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

Mr Barnes said he was awaiting a second call from Ms Rooney and more information before leaving home himself.

Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, suggested Mr Barnes was 'reactive' rather than 'proactive'.

Mr Barnes agreed he did not call the emergency operations centre of NWAS or use his radio to listen in on radio traffic to find out what was going on.

Mr Greaney said that by 10.54pm paramedic Paddy Ennis had been into the City Room and reported back a scene of 'devastation', with people dead and dying, and NWAS had declared a major incident.

Mr Greaney said: 'Just sitting at home, waiting for information... does not seem like leadership, let alone strategic leadership.'

Mr Barnes said: 'I think the process is clear. I don't get involved as a strategic commander.'

Mr Greaney said: 'Did the fact you had a flight to catch the next day at midday make any part in your decision to stay at home?'

Mr Barnes replied: 'None whatsoever.'

The inquiry heard that Mr Barnes then got a call from Steve Taylor, a tactical adviser, telling him a strategic command group would be held at GMP HQ and he needed to attend.

Mr Barnes said he left home at 11.40pm, an hour after the initial call from Ms Rooney.

Mr Greaney said: 'Given you arrived at 12.30am, you arrived in the command suite two hours after the explosion, 50 minutes after the last living casualty was evacuated from the City Room. In the first two hours after the attack, you provided no leadership?'

Mr Barnes said: 'I agree sir.'

The public inquiry is looking at all the circumstances of the terror attack in Manchester carried out by Abedi

The suicide bomber (pictured on night of the attack) detonated his large Karrimor rucksack which contained the explosive at 10.31pm

Pictured: Ambulances and police arriving to Manchester Arena following the explosion

Mr Greaney continued: 'You made no decision that made any difference to the response on the ground?'

Mr Barnes said: 'I agree sir.'

The hearing was told the 'whole point' of Mr Barnes going to GMP HQ was so that strategic Gold commanders from the police and fire service could hold a joint meeting to co-ordinate the response to the attack.

But before this could happen, Mr Barnes had requested to be relieved by another NWAS commander, as he was scheduled to catch a flight the next day, the hearing heard.

Mr Barnes was subsequently awarded the Queen's Ambulance Service Medal as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2018.

During the terror attack, suicide bomber Salman Abedi waited nearly an hour in the City Room, the foyer outside the venue, before detonating his large Karrimor rucksack which contained the explosive at 10.31pm.

The forensic investigators recovered 1,675 nyloc nuts, 156 flanged nuts, 663 plain nuts and 11 fragments from the deceased, survivors, and crime scene.

It was previously revealed that the Arena bomber who had been studying for a degree in business and management at Salford University, had used his student loan to fund the terrorist attack with the help of his brother.

The inquiry is looking at all the circumstances of the terror attack, carried out by Abedi.

The hearing continues.
A teenage extremist who 'hated Jews and Muslims' hoped to spark a revolution based on his racist ideology, the Old Bailey heard.

Matthew Cronjager, 18, allegedly drew up plans for a storage bunker and provided instructions for the manufacture of two firearms - a 'FGC-9' and a 'Cheetah' - using a 3D printer.

Cronjager is said to have transferred funds to help purchase materials to build weapons between 31 October and 19 December 2020.

Alistair Richardson, prosecuting, said: 'He wanted to bring about a change of government by violence. He hated people of different colour skin, he hated Jews, he hated Muslims, he hated people of different sexual orientation to his own.

Teenage extremist Matthew Cronjager, 18, allegedly drew up plans for a storage bunker and provided instructions for the manufacture of two firearms. Pictured: The Old Bailey

'He hated Asians who had sexual intercourse with white people. He wanted to bring about his own revolution, based on his own racist ideology.

'To that end, he sought to produce a firearm, using a 3D printer.'

Cronjager allegedly posted manuals like the 'KGB Alpha Team Training Manual' detailing techniques on how to seriously injure and kill and other far right material.

On one group, Cronjager posted 'Not sure which kind of racism you're into but I'll do all of them' before signing off with 'May dreams of Hitler and swastikas guide you to sleep.'

Asked about the death of George Floyd by one user, Cronjager replied, 'All this stuff about 'I can't breeefff' is complete s***' and went on to talk about 'anti-white racism'.

In another group Cronjager wrote: 'I'd prefer pure whiteness in our country but if we had to compromise I'd want segregation.'

Cronjager was then added to a messaging group on Telegram called 'Exiled 393 UK' by a user called 'Bull' based in Spain on 20 September 2020.

Mr Richardson said: 'There was then discussion of what skills would be most useful - those, for example, of an electrician or a welder.

'Bull explained that welding was one of the most important skills. A welder could fix metal, create ammunition and weapons.

'The defendant offered his own view that they 'should all be able to at least put together the parts and also be able to reload our own ammo.'

Cronjager, who is said to have transferred funds to help purchase materials to build weapons between 31 October and 19 December 2020, was added to a messaging group on Telegram called 'Exiled 393 UK'. (Stock image)

Jurors heard Bull went on to ask who the UK leader of the UK division of Exiled 393 UK was as he would need to start training sessions and recruiting others.

Mr Richardson said: 'We then see the first appearance of the undercover officer (UCO) in our messages.

'He asked whether anyone wanted to be leader. The defendant immediately replied that 'I wouldn't mind being the leader'.

Cronjager told group members he had 'some experience with strategy from army cadets' and was 'charismatic' and 'decently intelligent'.

Bull then confirmed Cronjager was the leader of the group.

Mr Richardson said: 'He then told everyone they must not talk about the group and must not leave their phones open with their screens on the group messages.

'He told the others to get compasses so they could navigate, as well as familiarising themselves with their local areas.

'The defendant then went on to explain that he was going to begin construction of an underground hideaway nearby.

'He was preparing a bunker in which to store the firearms he was seeking to obtain.'

Jurors heard Cronjager posted a sketch plan of an underground bunker in October 2020 along with two PDFs detailing how to carry out the 'revolution'.

Cronjager told the group: 'Here are my bunker plans. Nothing special. It'll work tho. I'll used pallets for the walls, ceilings and floors.'

Asked by one member what they should read next, Cronjager said he would assemble a library and 'dump books into it'.

The publications included a manual written by extreme right wing Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, and other documents about homemade firearms.

Jurors heard Cronjager then suggested creating a PayPal account to buy things like big tents or a 3D printer to create bits of 'art'.

Mr Richardson said: 'In this context, he meant guns. The defendant explained that it would be a way of funnelling the money without it being traced directly to individuals.

'They even went as far as suggesting setting up a fake charity page in support of refugees - on the basis it could end up mistakenly attracting donations intended for that legitimate cause.'

Mr Richardson said the undercover officer and Cronjager exchange messages discussing the manufacture of the firearms.

Cronjager told the officer: 'I don't want to start anything too soon, but I want to conduct at least one offensive action within two years.'

Mr Richardson added: 'In furtherance of his cause, he set up an online library, where he, and those of a like mind, could store their propaganda, and their manuals in furtherance of their cause.'

Cronjager, of Ingatestone, Essex, denies engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts.

The charge alleges that 'with the intention of committing acts of terrorism engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect to that intention, namely, drew up plans for a storage bunker, provided information for the manufacture by a 3-D printer of two firearms, namely a FGC-9 and a Cheetah and transferred funds to another for the purchase of materials to manufacture those firearms'.

The teenager also denies dissemination of terrorist publications and four counts of collecting information likely to help others preparing an act of terrorism - including 'The KGB Alpha Team Training Manual'; Workbench Silencers - The Art of Improvised Designs' by George Hollenback; 'Ragnar's Big Book of Homemade Weapons.pdf and;Expedient Homemade Firearms'.

The trial continues tomorrow.
More than 100 migrants who were found inside a stash house operated by smugglers in Texas, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents, Homeland Security Investigations and the Laredo Police Department raided the south Laredo home, used to hide migrants smuggled illegally across the US southern border, last Thursday morning.

The undocumented individuals were identified as natives of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Mexico.

Video footage released by the U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector showed migrants sitting in a group outside the home while others were being patted down and questioned by the agents on site.

CBP did not say if any smugglers were apprehended during the sting.

Pictured are some of the 100 migrants who were detained last Thursday when Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents, Homeland Security Investigations and the Laredo Police Department raided a stash house used by smugglers to hold the border crossers

One of the four bedrooms at a home in Laredo, Texas, where more than 100 undocumented migrants found last Thursday. The individuals being held there by smugglers as part of the process of being ferried through the United States-Mexico

Kitchen area inside a multi-room residence in south Laredo, Texas, where more than 100 migrants were found by a team of law enforcement officers led by U.S. Border Patrol. The individuals were identified as natives Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Mexico

As part of the process of being ferried illegally across the United States-Mexico border, the migrants slept on mattresses and on the floors of at least four bedrooms and the living room during their stay at the stash house.

They are then moved into cities to start their new lives in the US.

All of the migrants were taken into custody and provided medical care - U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. The investigation is still ongoing.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent checks a male migrant who was among more than 100 undocumented individuals found inside a house in Laredo, Texas, last Thursday

A photo of the stash house interior shows the squalid and spartan conditions the migrants were forced to endure

Thursday's stash house bust was among a string of raids that U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector agents led last week throughout several neighborhoods in Laredo  a border town with a population of some 260,000 residents

The smuggling and housing of large groups of individuals in stash houses has not been deterred by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, CBP said. Stash house incidents such as this pose a threat not only to the people exploited by human smuggling but also to the people and safety of our Nation.

The stash house bust was among a string of raids that U.S. Border Patrol Laredo Sector agents led last week throughout several neighborhoods in Laredo  a border town with a population of some 260,000 residents.

A total of 216 migrants were apprehended during searches at five homes last Monday and Tuesday.

Arrests of undocumented migrants at stash houses in Laredo has skyrocketed in the last year

The arrests of undocumented migrants at stash houses in Laredo has skyrocketed in the last year.

Data provided by the Laredo Sector Border Patrol to DailyMail.com showed that 3,998 migrants were arrested at 189 stash houses from October 1, 2020 until June 9.

In comparison, the sector took just 464 migrants into custody after raiding 46 homes in the whole year between October 1, 2019 and September 31, 2020.

A new monthly report released by CBP on Wednesday showed that Border Patrol agents stopped 180,034 migrants in May, a slight increase from 178,854 the prior month, with the increase driven largely by single adults.

Laredo Sector border officers saw encounters with migrant individuals spike from 10,926 in April to 76,670 in May.
A wildlife park in Doncaster is now the largest polar bear centre in the world outside of Canada after the arrival of three cubs and their mother.

They join four male polar bears already living at the park, which has been dubbed the polar bear capital of Europe.

The 18-month-olds are triplets, which are rare for polar bears, and are settling into a new enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park with their mother, Flocke, aged 12.

Dr Charlotte Macdonald, animal director at the park, said: 'We have been delighted to welcome the new polar bears to YWP, especially a complete family.'

Dr Macdonald also said the cubs have adapted well and are enjoying their new home.

They moved from their previous home at Marineland, in the south of France, following the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Programme

Dr Macdonald also said the cubs have adapted well and are enjoying their new home

'One of the cubs has just been exploring the climbing frames, going up high off the ground, and they've been playing in the water a lot.

'The cubs are very, very curious, and I can see that they will get into mischief in the future,' she added.

The family consists of Flocke; two boys, Indiana and Yuma, who are already catching up to their mother in size; and their smaller sister, Tala.

They moved from their previous home at Marineland, in the south of France, following the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Programme.

Dr Macdonald said the new additions make the park, on the outskirts of Doncaster, the second biggest polar bear centre in the world with the only one bigger located in Canada.

She said the park provides an excellent environment for its bears, complete with the large areas of land and deep water needed by the largest land carnivore.

Project Polar 1, which is home to the original four bears, is a 10-acre reserve with several lakes, and she said that in the new Project Polar 2 the bear family enjoy a similarly spacious enclosure with cool water for when the cubs fancy a dip.

The bears are currently finishing their quarantine and it is expected that visitors will be able to meet them from later this week

YWP hopes the new additions will also benefit its Project Polar, through which it supports conservation, research, and education programmes, in association with Polar Bears International and Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation (YWPF).

YWPF trustee Cheryl Williams said: 'Working together with YWP, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation will continue to work to conserve polar bears and inspire people to care about them and the Arctic.

'Let's hope that seeing Flocke and her youngsters at YWP inspires people to support bears in the wild, who face so many challenges, and ra se awareness to effect change in governments for action for climate change.'

The bears are currently finishing their quarantine and it is expected that visitors will be able to meet them from later this week.
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Delaying the end of lockdown by four weeks could halve the number of people who get admitted to hospital with Covid, SAGE told the Government last week in a meeting that persuaded Boris Johnson to cancel June 21.

Reports from the scientific advisers' meeting and modelling shows that if 'Freedom Day' had gone ahead as planned there could have been a summer peak of more than 200,000 infections per day along with more than 2,000 daily admissions to hospital and over 500 deaths per day.

The ghastly predictions warn of a wave to rival the first crisis in March 2020 and close to the second wave, although top researchers are still in the dark about how well vaccines would control this.

The Indian 'Delta' variant has turned the lockdown roadmap on its head after measures appeared to be working against the 'Alpha' Kent variant but not strong enough to control the new strain.

SAGE warned there would be a 'large resurgence in infections and admissions' in any scenario in which lockdown rules were lifted on June 21. It added: 'The scale of this resurgence is highly uncertain, and it could be either considerably smaller or larger than previous waves.'

Early data suggest that single vaccine doses are only 33 per cent effective against symptomatic Covid, meaning almost half of adults have inadequate protection, and Boris Johnson has delayed the final step of his roadmap in order to buy time for second vaccines to be given to millions more.

SAGE clearly lobbied for a delay and said the longer restrictions can stay in place, the more hospital admissions and deaths could be reduced, but added: 'Most of the benefit comes from the first four weeks of delay.'

The group, headed up by Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, said: 'This is partly because four weeks is long enough to ensure significantly more vaccination coverage and would push Step 4 close to the school holidays, when transmission is expected to be reduced.'

Boris Johnson's spokesperson said today that a delay of just a mount would prevent 'thousands of deaths' and added: 'You have a significant proportion of cohorts one to nine who have yet to have second doses, and we have seen a potentially a higher level of hospitalisations. We are seeing below 50s going into hospital.'

Analysis by Warwick University modellers showed how daily Covid hospital admissions could hit up to 2,500 a day, if June 21 went ahead. Scientific estimates also showed how the curve of admissions would peak at just over 1,000 a day if Freedom Day was pushed back to July 19. The team also looked at what would happen if the final unlocking took place on August 23

Scientists estimated that a longer delay would flatten the curve and lead to a smaller hike in the number of patients taking up hospital beds with Covid, with the smallest peak if social distancing carried on until December and the highest one if June 21 went ahead. But in the meeting last week they admitted: 'Most of the benefit comes from the first four weeks of delay'

DEATHS: SAGE modelling by experts at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (right) and Warwick University (left) suggested there could be between 250 to more than 500 deaths per day in the third wave this summer if Step 4 went ahead as planned on June 21

HOSPITAL PATIENTS: Both teams estimated that there would be the same number of people in hospital by August as there were in the first wave in the spring of 2020

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS: The modellers did not expect daily hospital admissions to reach the levels seen in the spring peak, with them topping out at between 2,000 and 3,000 per day in August

INFECTIONS: SPI-M warned that the number of people catching the virus each day could spike to more than 250,000 per day over the summer wit the new fast-spreading variant and no lockdown rules. The second wave appeared to peak at a total of 1.1million people being infected at any one time  daily cases are not accurately measured except through testing, which peaked at around 70,000 a day

SAGE modelling sub-group SPI-M, the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, said that there was no scenario in which they could be confident it was safe to open up the country to normal life next Monday.

HOW ENGLAND FAILED THE TESTS FOR COMING OUT OF LOCKDOWN The Government set out four tests earlier this year that it said the country would have to meet if it wanted lockdown to come to an end completely: Test one: The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully = SUCCESS By July 19, which is the next date earmarked for the lifting of Englands remaining restrictions, officials hope around two thirds of all adults will have been offered both doses of vaccine, ahead of the original schedule for the end of the month. Test two: Evidence that jabs reduce hospital and death rates = SUCCESS Analysis by Public Health England suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective against hospitalisation after two doses, while the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective after a second jab. Efficacy rates are expected to be high even for the Delta variant but they will be less able to prevent infection. Test three: Infection rates do not risk putting unsustainable pressure on the NHS = FAIL Scientists and officials do not yet believe it is possible to contain the virus without some social distancing, until more people have been vaccinated. Modelling suggests that had the easing of lockdown not been delayed, hospital admissions could have reached the heights of the first peak in March 2020. Test four: A new variant has not changed the risk to the public = FAIL This is the main reason why the Prime Minister felt he could not proceed with the June 21 reopening. The Delta variant, first identified in India, is believed to be between 40 and 80 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha strain and twice as likely to lead to hospital admission. There are now around 8,000 new cases a day, the highest since February. In around one third of England, cases are doubling every week. Unvaccinated people have twice the risk of hospital admission with the Delta variant as the Alpha variant, while among those who are vaccinated 12 people in every 100 may end up in hospital with Delta compared with eight for Alpha. Source: Press Association Advertisement

Members said they still weren't sure how much faster the Delta variant spreads  although it is thought to be between 40 and 80 per cent, likely 60  nor how well vaccines protect against severe disease, or how people would change their behaviour after the roadmap had ended.

Scientists have thought it is unlikely people would immediately return to life as if Covid didn't exist, but if they did it could have disastrous consequences.

SPI-M said in a report published today: 'In all scenarios modelled, even a short delay to the timing to Step 4 results in a significant drop in the number of people being admitted to hospital as more people are vaccinated and as the school summer holidays get closer.

'Even a two-week delay would have a significant effect, but a four-week delay is modelled as reducing the peak in hospital admissions by around a third to a half.

'A delay would also allow evidence to build up on the effectiveness of vaccines against delta, potentially increasing precision in future modelling scenarios.'

The team said that, although hospitals are not under a lot of pressure from Covid right now, this is expected to 'rapidly increase' in the short term.

Another 187 people were admitted to hospital with Covid last Tuesday, June 8, the highest figure since April and a spike of a fifth on the previous Tuesday.

There are expected to have been even more in the six days since then following in the trail of a huge surge in infections.

The amount of hospital admissions that could happen in the next wave of the virus will depend partly on how much faster the variant transmits than the current strain.

In the SPI-M modelling the researchers suggested that if the strain were 80 per cent more transmissible  the upper limit of the team's estimate  admissions could peak at more than 6,000 per day, higher even than the second wave.

The virus is assumed in the models to be around 56 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha Kent variant.

The main models presented to SAGE did not estimate the size of future waves of the virus in the autumn or winter because they are uncertain about how the next resurgence will play out.

The fact that the next spike is not expected to end in a lockdown means there is a chance the virus will burn out naturally, which could reduce the risk of another huge surge caused by the same variant in future. Experts have repeatedly warned, however, that the virus is seasonal and it is expected to cause problems next winter.

Allowing the June 21 relaxation could have put millions of people who have yet to have a jab at risk, as well as those who have only had one dose and elderly people who remain vulnerable.

The move means that current rules will essentially remain in place until July 19 - with social distancing in force in bars and restaurants, and the edict to work from home where possible staying.

At the same time the vaccine rollout will be intensified, with dosing intervals reduced to eight weeks. As a result around two thirds of adults could have been double-jabbed by July 19.

How well do vaccines work against the Indian variant? Public Health England has warned that a single dose of vaccine, which used to protect well against the virus, no longer cuts it for most people. In a report published last week it said the estimated protection from one dose of either jab has fallen from 50 per cent against the Kent variant to just 33 per cent against Delta. This number measures the reduction in symptomatic illness  protection remains higher for severe illness or death but is still lower than it was for the Kent strain. The reduction in protection after two doses is much smaller, with it falling from an estimated 88 per cent to 81 per cent. The reason vaccines are less effective than against the Kent variant is because the Indian strain has mutated to look even less like the original Wuhan strain the vaccines are based on. Vaccines produce antibodies that target the virus like keys to locks and, the more different a virus becomes when it mutates into different variants, the less well the antibodies can stick to and destroy it. Advertisement

Government experts say hospitalisations should be slashed by between half and a third as a result, preventing 'thousands' of deaths. Modellers have indicated that otherwise hospital admissions could hit 2,000, with 250 or even 500 deaths a day possible.

In an effort to sweeten the pill for people who have been putting their lives on hold for more than a year, there will be some easing on the rules for weddings. The 30-person limit on services and receptions will be abandoned - but venues will still be restricted by how many they can accommodate while respecting social distancing rules.

Dancing will also still be out in another blow to couples hoping to celebrate.

In a sop to critics, Mr Johnson is offering a 'break clause' with another review of the situation in two weeks' time - although officials warned that it is very unlikely to conclude restrictions can be eased quicker.

And the premier is adamant that there will be no further slippage from the new July 19 timetable. One aide said almost all the 'benefit' from additional jabs will have accrued by that date.

'The PM is confident we won't need any more than a four week delay,' the aide said.

But Mr Johnson's own MPs are livid at the move, with fears running high that this delay is only the first and lockdown might not be dropped at all.

He will face a Commons showdown with them on Wednesday, with the new regulations requiring a debate and a vote.

Although they are certain to go through with Labour support, the scale of the rebellion from Tory MPs will show the level of anger he is facing.

Vice chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs Sir Charles Walker said that 'existing isn't living' as he raised concerns that restrictions will stay in place all summer.

SPI-M modellers from Warwick University laid out best, worst and central scenarios of how hospital admissions could pan out in the third wave this summer. In the best case  which assumes a smaller transmission advantage for the new variant and high vaccine efficacy  the resurgence is much smaller than the first wave in March 2020 (bottom left). But in the worst case scenario it is almost twice as bad as last year's crisis (bottom right)

In the SPI-M modelling the researchers suggested that if the strain were 80 per cent more transmissible  the upper limit of the team's estimate  admissions could peak at more than 6,000 per day, higher even than the second wave

SAGE said that, as the vaccine rollout moves forward and more people get jabs, a greater proportion of people admitted to hospital are likely to be there despite having had a vaccine. It is likely, however, that the overall numbers will be slower and that unvaccinated people will still make up a large proportion of patients

How modellers looked at a circuit-breaker, reversing the unlocking or pushing back the final stage until AUGUST Boris Johnson tonight confirmed that England's June 21 Freedom Day will be pushed back for a month. SAGE advised the Government that the four-week delay would likely be enough to keep cases of the Indian variant at manageable levels and prevent hospitalisations from spiking. However, before arriving at the advice, the expert group modelled various other, more drastic measures, which included: Circuit-breaker Scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine looked at the effects of a circuit breaker in mid-to-late June. They found it would likely push the third peak to October or November, estimating that the Indian variant was 50 per cent more transmissible. But the experts noted that the more stringent short-term measures are, the larger the bounce-back in cases later in autumn. This rebound could be further exacerbated by other factors at that time of year, like schools being open and colder weather pushing people indoors, where Covid spreads more easily. Returning to step 2 in the roadmap Returning to step 2 in the roadmap would be the safest measure, LSHTM researchers found. This would involve closing gyms, shops, restaurants and pubs once again. It would result in a third peak about four times smaller than opening as planned on June 21, but this was unacceptable to the Government, who insisted this time would be irreversible. Pushing back lockdown Researchers at Imperial College London and Warwick University, which also feed their findings into SAGE, considered the effect of pushing the unlocking back to various dates. The team, which included Imperial's 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson, concluded that if step four of the roadmap happens on June 21, a third wave would 'very likely' be as big as the second - when there were 4,000 daily hospital admissions - or potentially larger. The longer 'Freedom Day' is pushed back, the more the Indian variant is suppressed, creating a more gradual the increase in cases, they said. This also gives the country more time to vaccinate people. Easing Step 4 in stages Warwick also touted releasing remaining lockdown measures in two stages. It modelled the effects of easing half of curbs in August and October. This would result in a peak about a quarter of the size compared to releasing all restrictions on June 21, but it would again require a very strung-out period of restrictions which ministers are desperate to avoid. Advertisement

The numbers that delayed Freedom Day: Official data shows cases ARE spiralling but not in over-60s and ICU admissions are rising slowly

Boris Johnson today announced a four-week delay to the end of the Covid lockdown roadmap as experts fear the now-dominant Indian 'Delta' variant is on the cusp of triggering a third wave.

Cases have spiked 50 per cent in a week across the UK and the number of people needing hospital treatment for Covid is rising slowly in its wake, with more than 1,000 people now on wards with the virus.

Infections are mostly in the young, with rates up to seven times higher among people in their 20s than in the over-80s, and scientists and ministers are still confident that vaccines will keep a lid on the death toll.

But a single dose is no longer enough to protect most people from catching Covid and Mr Johnson must buy the NHS more time to get second jabs out to millions more middle-aged people, who are still at risk of hospitalisation.

The PM hinted strongly at the delay when he said on Friday: 'What everybody can see very clearly is that cases are going up and in some places hospitalisations are going up... We will be driven by the data, we will be looking at that and setting it out on Monday.'

Here is a look at the data that may have spooked him:

The trend of total number of people in hospital has remained relatively flat, fluctuating between 800 and 1,100 for the past month but creeping upwards in the most recent week. Experts say the current surge in cases will see it tick up in the coming days and weeks.

Public Health England data showed that in the week ending June 6 the highest infection rate was 121 cases per 100,000 people among those aged 20 to 29. Rates were also high in teenagers (99 per 100,000) and adults in their 30s (73). They are significantly lower among older age groups

CASES ARE RISING ACROSS UK BUT BIGGEST SPIKES IN UNDER-30s

Coronavirus cases have undeniably been rising in the UK, and quickly, in recent weeks after the ending of most lockdown rules on May 17 coincided with the takeover of the Indian variant.

The average number of positive tests announced each day is now above 7,000 for the first time since the tail end of the second wave in March, after 7,490 cases were confirmed yesterday after 8,125 on Friday.

There were 50,017 cases confirmed between Monday and Sunday last week, a 50 per cent spike from 33,496 the week before.

But a ray of hope among the rising infections is the fact that cases are up to 17 times higher among young adults than they are in the at-risk elderly, suggesting vaccines are protecting older people.

Public Health England data showed that in the week ending June 6 the highest infection rate was 121 cases per 100,000 people among those aged 20 to 29. Rates were also high in teenagers (99 per 100,000) and adults in their 30s (73).

But they were significantly lower in the middle-aged and elderly, with the lowest rate in over-70s, at 7 per 100,000, followed by 14 per 100,000 among people in their 60s and 32 per 100,000 in people in their 50s.

And while the rate had doubled in just a week in people in their 20s, it rose by only 17 per cent in the over-80s, showing most of the surging epidemic at the time was in young people.

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS ARE CREEPING UP WITH VARIANT HOTSPOTS LEADING THE WAY

Hospital admissions are creeping up across the UK and more notably in Delta variant hotspots.

The increase has been significantly slower than cases  there was a 15 per cent increase in the most recent week, from 875 new admissions by June 1 to 1,008 in the week to June 8  but this is likely an effect of the lag between someone getting infected and then getting sick enough to need hospital treatment.

The real test of how well vaccines will taking pressure off hospitals will come in the next week or two, when there has been enough time  two to three weeks  since the spike in cases to see what happens.

Professor Neil Ferguson, Imperial College London epidemiologist and member of SAGE, said scientists were hoping the ratio of cases to hospital admissions could be cut by 85 per cent from the pre-jab rate of around nine per cent.

In the most recent data, for June 8, there were 187 people admitted to hospital with Covid in the UK, the highest since April 14. By Thursday, June 10, there were a total of 1,089 patients in hospital.

The trend of total number of people in hospital has remained relatively flat, fluctuating between 800 and 1,100 for the past month but creeping upwards in the most recent week. Experts say the current surge in cases will see it tick up in the coming days and weeks.

Places where infection rates with the Delta variant are comparatively high  Bedfordshire, London, Birmingham, Manchester and East Lancashire  had the highest admission rates in the most recent data but even those, the worst-hit hospitals, still had only five patients admitted on June 6.

They also have the most people in hospital in total, with 44 Covid patients on wards in Manchester University NHS Trust on June 8. This was the highest in the country and up almost 60 per cent in a week from 28 on June 1.

Inpatient numbers were rising in all but three of the areas with the most patients  falling only in Bolton and Croydon, and flat at King's College London, while rising in Imperial College London, East Lancashire, Bedfordshire, Salford Royal in Manchester, Southampton and Birmingham.

The increase in new admissions to hospital has been significantly slower than cases  there was a 15 per cent increase in the most recent week, from 875 new admissions by June 1 to 1,008 in the week to June 8  but this is likely an effect of the lag between someone getting infected and then getting sick enough to need hospital treatment

INTENSIVE CARE CLOSE TO 2021 LOW BUT RISING SLOWLY WITH NORTH WEST WORST HIT

The number of patients with Covid in intensive care remains low in the UK, with only 158 people critically ill in hospital by June 10.

This figure rose slightly compared to previous weeks but the trend has been broadly flat  the lowest point of 2021 was 119 on May 29, just two weeks ago, after it fell from over 4,000 in late January.

More detailed information for England, up to June 8, showed that 47 out of a total 140 intensive care patients were all in the North West.

Just two Indian variant hotspots East Lancashire and Bolton hospitals accounted for 21 of these patients  15 per cent of the country's total, or one in seven.

The delay between cases and the need for intensive care is even longer than it is between people getting infected and getting admitted to a general hospital ward, so these numbers could begin increasing in the coming weeks.

But the vaccines are also expected to have an effect on the number of people who become gravely ill. While the jab should stop most people from ending up in hospital at all, even those who do end up in hospital do not seem to be as sick as they used to be.

Chief of the NHS Providers union, Chris Hopson, said last week: 'What chief executives are consistently telling us is that it is a much younger population that is coming in, they are less clinically vulnerable, they are less in need of critical care and therefore they're seeing what they believe is a significantly lower mortality rate which is, you know, borne out by the figures.

'So it's not just the numbers of people who are coming in, it's actually the level of harm and clinical risk.'

GOVERNMENT MUST BUY MORE TIME FOR VACCINE ROLLOUT OF SECOND DOSES

The Government's four-week delay to the ending of lockdown will be designed to buy time for the vaccine rollout to get second doses to more adults to try and protect them from the Delta variant.

Government data show that more than half of adults have had their second vaccine doses already but millions more still need them. A staggering eight out of 10 have had their first dose

Public Health England has warned that a single dose of vaccine, which used to protect well against the virus, no longer cuts it for most people.

In a report published last week it said the estimated protection from one dose of either jab has fallen from 50 per cent against the Kent variant to just 33 per cent against Delta. The reduction in protection after two doses is much smaller, with it falling from an estimated 88 per cent to 81 per cent.

MailOnline analysis of official figures last week showed all people aged 50 and above could all have had their second vaccine dose by June 17, at the current rate of immunisation, with protection kicking in a week or two later.

But the under-50s may not all have received by their final jab until September 18, fueling concerns a surge in Covid infections caused by the Indian variant may result in a spike in deaths and hospitalisations among the unvaccinated.

This assumes the rollout will continue at its current average daily pace of around 265,000 second doses a day, which would be dependent on both supply and uptake rates.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, agreed that the data suggests delaying lockdown easing by two weeks would make sense.

He said: 'June 17 for all over-50s to have had both doses does seem realistic. And I think they are going to delay June 21 because it takes two weeks for those vaccines to kick in and over-50s are going to be the most important to get done.'

All over-50s in England could be fully protected against Covid by July 1  nearly two weeks after 'freedom day on June 21  but it will take until September for all adults to have had two jabs, MailOnline analysis can reveal

DEATHS STILL FLAT  BUT QUARTER OF NEW VARIANT VICTIMS WERE FULLY VACCINATED

The number of people dying each day of coronavirus remains relatively flat  the daily average reported deaths is nine and the figure has been between eight and 10 for the past three weeks.

It briefly fell to a daily average of six for four days in mid-May but has not been lower than that at any time in the pandemic, not even last summer when the virus had been all but stamped out.

Deaths usually take between two weeks and a month to react after a spike in cases because it can take people so long to die of Covid after they test positive.

Although the success of the vaccines now means that there were will have to be significantly more cases per death compared to earlier waves of the virus, scientists still expect the number of fatalities to rise and fall along with infections  they just hope there will be fewer.

Professor Neil Ferguson said last week: 'It's well within the possibility that we could see another, third, wave at least comparable in terms of hospitalisations as the second wave. At least deaths, I think, certainly would be lower.'

A lingering worry, however, is the fact that vaccines won't perfectly protect people and that 'vaccine failure' is inevitable in some people  most likely the old and frail.

Public Health England figures show that almost a third of the 42 Britons who have so far died from the Indian (Delta) Covid had been given two vaccine doses.

The PHE report showed that of those 42 people who died, 12 were fully vaccinated. From the remaining members of the group, 23 were unvaccinated, while seven had received their first dose more than 21 days before, suggesting they had one-dose protection.

The latest data puts the vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease against the Delta variant at 33 per cent after one dose. After two doses, this rises to 81 per cent. This is is lower than the Alpha variant, where the figures are 51 per cent after the first dose, and 88.4 per cent after the second.

DELTA VARIANT NOW DOMINANT IN 263 OUT OF 315 AREAS OF ENGLAND

The Indian 'Delta' variant is now dominant in 263 out of 315 areas of England, up from 201 last week.

Surveillance data gathered by the Wellcome Sanger Institute revealed that the variant accounted for more than half of infections in 85 per cent of areas across the country in the two weeks leading up to June 5.

The strain  known by scientists as B.1.617.2  is more contagious than the Kent 'Alpha' variant and is now dominant in every borough of Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and London.

The variant is likely to be even more dominant, due to the delay in determining which variant a positive test was caused by  Public Health England said last week it was accounting for 96 per cent of positive tests.

Across the country, the variant is responsible for 88.4 per cent of all cases, according to the Sanger report. The once-dominant Kent strain now only accounts for 11.3 per cent of cases.

Havant, in Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight are the only areas that have not recorded any cases of the Delta variant, according to the statistics. All of the cases examined in those two regions were identified as the Kent mutation.

In nearly 40 parts of England  including Cambridge, Newcastle and York  the strain is thought to be responsible for all Covid infections.

The strain is not yet dominant in 28 areas of the country, such as Doncaster, Sheffield and Southampton.

But 24 regions did not provided data for the weeks leading up to June 5, so it is unclear how those places  which include Darlington and Eastbourne  have been hit by the variant.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday if he has the Senate majority he'll block President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominees in 2024, the year of the next presidential election.

'I think it's highly unlikely - in fact, no, I don't think either party, if it were different from the president, would confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election,' McConnell said on Hugh Hewitt's radio show.

McConnell was asked if he'd repeat what he did in 2016 to then President Barack Obama by refusing to give his Supreme Court pick, now Attorney General Merrick Garland, a vote, because it was during a presidential election year.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would block President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee if the person was nominated in 2024, the next presidential election year

McConnell famously blocked President Barack Obama's (left) pick to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, Judge Merrick Garland (right), who now serves as President Joe Biden's Attorney General

McConnell, however, had no problem pushing through the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett (right), a week before the election. She's photographed with then President Donald Trump (left) during her nomination ceremony on September 26, 2020

Obama announced Garland in March 2016, nearly nine months before voters headed to the polls.

He was to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died the month before.

Then, in 2020, when liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away in September, now former President Donald Trump swiftly picked Judge Amy Coney Barrett to take her place.

Against Ginsburg's dying wishes, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Barrett to the bench on October 27, one week before the presidential election.

McConnell and the Senate Republicans have defended their actions pointing out that in 2016 party control of the White House and Senate was split, whereas in 2020, the same party, the Republicans, controlled both.

'What was different in 2020 was we were of the same party as the president. And that's why we went ahead with it,' McConnell said.

On the show, McConnell said holding open Scalia's seat - so the late justice was eventually replaced by Trump with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch - was 'the single most consequential thing I've done in my time as majority leader of the Senate.'

Conservatives now hold a 6-3 majority on the high court.

McConnell wouldn't say what he would do if, for example, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer retired at the end of the 2023 court session, and Republicans retook the majority after the 2022 midterms.

'Well, we'd have to wait and see what happens,' the Kentucky Republican said.

Hewitt told McConnell he was worried about some of the Republicans jumping into Senate primaries in states the GOP needs to hold on to if there's any chance of becoming the majority party again next year.

Hewitt warned 'unelectable Republicans' could lose the GOP 'easily defended seats.'

McConnell answered, 'yes, if necessary,' he would get involved if it looked like someone who didn't appeal to a general election audience was poised to win.

'You have to appeal to the general election audience,' McConnell said.

'I'll be keeping an eye on that, hopefully we won't have to intervene, but if we do, we will,' the minority leader added.
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A massive explosion at an Illinois chemical plant saw fireballs and smoke billow into the air, and forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes, with one firefighter left injured as a result of the blast.

The blast struck Rockton Chemtool in Rocktown - around an hour north west of Chicago - around 7am local time on Monday morning. Neighbors reported hearing a series of bangs around the time the inferno started, with all homes and businesses within a mile of the blast site now evacuated.

A firefighter injured by the explosion has been taken to hospital, and further updates on their condition have not been shared. Officials have yet to say what may have caused the blast, with an investigation likely to begin when the flames have been quelled.

Bosses also ordered the evacuation of 70 employees who were working at the plant, which makes grease, lubricants and fluids, many of which are highly-flammable, and likely contributed to the fire, according to ABC7 Chicago.

Meanwhile, doctors have advised locals to wear masks all day today and tomorrow to protect themselves from chemicals in the air

A gigantic fireball erupts from Rockton Chemtool on Monday morning after the chemical plant caught fire, injuring one and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes and businesses as smoke and flames shot into the sky

The Rockton Fire Department ordered the mandatory evacuation for 70 employees, as well as all residents and businesses in a one mile radius to the Chemtool plant

Firefighters were seen pouring water onto the blaze, as the plant began to collapse because of the intense flames tearing through it

This aerial photo shows the extent of the smoke pouring from the plant following the blast, which is expected to take days before clearing up, according to Rockton fire officials

An aerial photo taken by a drone shows smoke billowing as firefighters from more than 40 Illinois and Wisconsin agencies continue to battle a massive fire at the Chemtool chemical plant in Rockton, Illinois

Pictured: Neal Nuber, of South Beloit, Ill., watches the smoke billowing from a chemical plant fire in Rockton, Ill., on Monday

Authorities say the fire began around 7am, when several neighbors reported hearing small explosions next to the Chemtool plant at 1165 Prairie Hill Rd not far from the Wisconsin border, CBS Chicago reports.

Drivers nearby are being advised to avoid the area as emergency crews continue to work to quell the flames and massive smoke plumage, according to Rockton town officials.

The US Environmental Protection Agency online database shows that the company happens to have a good record when it comes to compliance, having received no violations over the past three years.

Another overhead photo showed thick black smoke belching out of the ruined plant as the fire continued to burn

The plant manufactures lubricants, fluids and other grease products, all of which are flammable and likely contributed to Monday's massive conflagration

Thick black smoke is seen belching out of the building from a news helicopter. Local residents have been urged to wear masks throughout Monday and Tuesday to protect them from any chemicals in the air

Emergency crews descended on the town of Rockton following the chemical plant explosion Monday morning. The town is about an hour and a half away from Chicago and not far from the Wisconsin border

A loading bay is seen ablaze in the wake of the blast. The plant manufactures multiple highly flammable products which likely contributed to the intensity of the subsequent blaze

The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services arrived on scene shortly after fire crews responded to the chemical explosion, providing responders with drinks and food, according to ABC7 Chicago.

'The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services ("EDS") staff and volunteers are responding to the Chemtool fire in Rockton. EDS is deploying a mobile feeding unit, as well as a field kitchen and rapid response unit to provide meals, snacks, and hydration to first responders,' their statement read.

Investigators with the US Environmental Protection Agency were en route to the explosion site from Chicago and said they would be issuing a statement later in the day, spokeswoman Rachel Bassler told the news outlet.

The agency said they were coordinating efforts with the Illinois EPA, who also sent a team to investigate the scene.

Meanwhile, those close enough to the explosion took to social media to express their horror over Monday's massive chemical plant explosion.

Massive smoke clouds bellow out from the remains of the Chemtool plant, which happens to have a good record when it comes to compliance, having received no violations over the past three years according to the EPA

'Huge chemical plant explosion. We're supposed to evacuate but I'm not leaving my animals!' wrote Colleen Christian.

'This is scary!'

'Bad news, good news!' another commenter wrote, along with the hashtag #newgarage.

'Quite the view from our front yard today,' Brad Martin posted alongside a photo of the smoke plumage hovering over his neat bungalow and immaculate lawn.
The builder accused of murdering a doctor and her teenage daughter in their home tried to steer the blame on the schoolgirl for the deaths, a jury has heard.

Shahbaz Khan, 51, who was arrested last year over the murders of Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi, 49, and her 14-year-old daughter Vian Mangrio in Lancashire, made a 'cynical attempt' to portray the relationship between the pair as bitter.

The handyman wrote 'Covid 19 house my mum is evil' and 'Help me' on the walls inside the property in an attempt to steer the blame onto Ms Mangrio for her mother's death, prosecutors said today.

Khan, who had previously carried out repairs at Dr Sacharvi's home, had arrived at her address near Burnley, Lancashire, shortly before 11.50am on September 30 where he was expected to continue more building work, the court was told.

But on October 1, Dr Sacharvi, a doctor with Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, and her daughter were found dead in their smoke and fire-damaged house.

Dr Saman Mir Sacharvi, 49, and her 14-year-old daughter Vian Mangrio were found dead in their smoke and fire-damaged house near Burnley, Lancashire, on October

Investigation teams outside the property belonging to the mother and daughter following their deaths

Post-mortem examinations revealed the doctor died from pressure to the neck and the schoolgirl died of asphyxia.

David McLachlan QC, opening the prosecution case, said in the previous week the doctor collected her daughter early from school after she reported Covid-19 symptoms.

The clinician emailed colleagues at the NHS on September 28 to inform them they were self-isolating as they awaited Miss Mangrios coronavirus test result, which later proved negative.

When the police and crime scene investigators entered the address they saw writing on the walls, continued the prosecutor.

Mr McLachlan said: 'The writing said things such as ''Covid 19 house my mum is evil'', ''Covid home'' and ''Help me''.

'It is the prosecution case that this was a cynical attempt by Shahbaz Khan to portray the relationship between Dr Saman and her daughter Vian Mangrio as a bitter one in order to steer the blame away from him. An attempt to put the blame onto Vian Mangrio for her mother's death.'

Khan had arrived at the address shortly before 11.50am on September 30 where he was expected to continue more building work, the court was told.

Moments later, Dr Sacharvi sent an email to a colleague and was expected to join a Microsoft Teams meeting between 1pm and 4pm, but did not attend and the Wi-Fi was no longer active from about 1.50pm.

It is alleged that Khan killed the doctor before Miss Mangrio arrived back home from school at 3.25pm and then attacked her daughter.

Both victims' mobile phones were detached from the network later in the afternoon and Khan did not return calls to his phone as he left the house at 10pm, the court heard.

Vian Mangrio was described as a 'loving, caring, intelligent and gifted child' by her father

Flowers left at the scene in Burnley following the deaths of the mother and daughter

Later recovered from the crime scene were two small bottles of Blossom Hill rose wine and a small bottle of strawberry and banana Innocent smoothie bought by the defendant the day before the killings, said Mr McLachlan.

Mr McLachlan said when news of the deaths emerged in the following days the defendant told a friend he had last seen Dr Sacharvi a few days ago when he put some picture frames up for her and said to someone else he had not been at the house since the extension work.

Khan was arrested on October 4 and police searched his home where they discovered in the loft a bag containing items of gold jewellery, worth tens of thousands of pounds, belonging to Dr Sacharvi.

Last year, Vian's father Dr Shaukat Mangrio paid tribute to his daughter, explaining how his 'loving, caring, intelligent and gifted child' had a dream to attend Cambridge University.

'She had a bright future, which sadly has been cut short,' he said.

'She was a young lady with a beautiful smile; she was vibrant and lit up a room when she entered it; she had a zest for life, fashion, art and passion to pursue a career in law.

'It was her dream to gain admission to Cambridge University and I have no doubt she would have achieved this goal and much more.

'I am deeply saddened and heartbroken that she is no more amongst us and unable to pursue a life she deserved.

'I miss my Vian, whose company I adored and would never tire of; there was no joy beyond this. She was an innocent child, pure and full of hope, for whom I lived for; she was my friend, my life, my everything.'

Khan, of Burnley, denies two counts of murder and one count of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

His wife, Rabia Shahbaz, 45, also denies doing an act intended to pervert the course of public justice, namely providing a false alibi for her husband.

The trial is estimated to last up to four weeks, with the prosecution opening continuing on Tuesday.
National Security Agency whistleblower Reality Winner has been released from federal prison early for 'good behavior'.

The 29-year-old was released on Monday from the prison in Fort Worth, Texas, her lawyer said.

She was sentenced to five years in prison back in 2018 after pleading guilty to leaking a classified document to the media concerning alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

Winner, who was arrested in Georgia in June 2017 and spent more than a year in prison prior to being sentenced, was scheduled to be released in November this year.

Her lawyer Alison Grinter Allen said Winner's early release was due to good behavior and not because she has been pardoned in any way.

'Her release is not a product of the pardon or compassionate release process, but rather the time earned from exemplary behavior while incarcerated,' the lawyer said.

National Security Agency whistleblower Reality Winner has just been released from federal prison for 'good behavior'. She is pictured above in June 2018 after being sentenced to five years for leaking classified documents

Winner is still in custody in the residential reentry process, according to her lawyer.

She will be released to home confinement.

Winner's lawyers unsuccessfully tried to get Trump's Justice Department to commute her sentence in February last year, saying she had 'suffered enough'.

Her team also asked for compassionate release in April last year because they believed her asthma and eating disorder made her more susceptible to COVID-19.

Winner was arrested in June 2017 just two months after she copied a classified NSA report suggesting that Russian hackers attacked a US voting software supplier before the 2016 presidential election.

She then gave the document to online news publication The Intercept.

Her arrest came the same day the outlet published an in-depth report about Russian cyber-attacks on a US voting supplier.

Winner, who had security clearance due to her history in the Air Force, was just three months into her job at the time.

The decorated former US Air Force linguist told federal authorities that she smuggled the documents out of her office by stuffing them in her pantyhose.

Winner, who was a decorated former US Air Force linguist, was working as an NSA contractor with security clearance when she leaked the documents

Winner was arrested in June 2017 just two months after she copied a classified NSA report suggesting that Russian hackers attacked a US voting software supplier before the 2016 presidential election

When she was arrested, Winner told FBI agents: 'Yeah, I screwed up royally.'

The NSA was quickly able to link the leak back to Winner after the news outlet presented them with stolen documents for verification.

NSA officers were able to determine, by analyzing creases in the pages and a secret series of 'tracking dots' on the paper, that they had been printed at the NSA's offices in Augusta, Georgia.

Only six people had access to those printers.

Winner was arrested after investigators found communication between her and the news site.

Her punishment was the longest sentence ever given for a federal crime involving a leak of secret information to the news media.

She was also the first person sentenced under the Espionage Act since Trump took office.

Despite warnings from prosecutors that Winner may have stolen other US secrets, she was never charged with any additional crimes.
A young daredevil who was jailed for climbing the Shard scaled the worlds tallest climbing wall today with no ropes or safety equipment.

Incredible footage shows George King, 21, from Oxford, go 282 feet up the CopenHill climbing wall in Copenhagen, Denmark.

George started the climb at 5am today to become the first person in the world to free-solo the worlds highest climbing wall built on the side of a powerplant.

The 282-foot wall was created by architectural company Bjarke Ingels Group and George decided to climb it to highlight Denmarks outstanding eco innovation.

Incredible footage shows George King, 21, from Oxford, go 282 feet up the CopenHill climbing wall in Copenhagen

The 282-foot wall was created by architectural company Bjarke Ingels Group and George decided to climb it to highlight Denmarks outstanding eco innovation

He told MailOnline: Im absolutely buzzing. You get to the top and cant really believe what is happening  you are in a state of shock.

What was a visualisation for the past two months is now a reality. It takes a bit of time for it to sink in.

I dont think anything could compare to the feeling.

When I got to the top, I avoided capture by climbing down the other side of the building, so I didnt get arrested.

It is illegal to climb the CopenHill wall without some form of safety kit.

After going up The Shard in London, George gained fame from a Channel 4 documentary that followed his journey, explored his motives and his familys reaction to the extreme climb.

A policeman met George at the top of The Shard, where he shook his hand instead of arresting him.

He was not charged for trespass as it was seen as a civil offence rather than a criminal one but was jailed for contempt of court after breaching a High Court injunction on the building.

Piers Morgan dubbed him as The Great British Daredevil when he featured on Good Morning Britain in January 2020 after he was released from prison.

After serving half of his six-month sentence he released a documentary with Channel 4 in 2020 called The Boy Who Climbed The Shard.

Back in 2018 George became the first in the world to freeclimb the former worlds tallest climbing wall, Excalibur in Groningen, Netherlands.

He was also the first to do the same on the UKs tallest climbing wall, ROKT in Bridghouse, West Yorkshire, which at 36m is taller than both the Tower of London and the Angel of the North.

This years climbs have seen George arrested twice after going up two major skyscrapers in Barcelona, Hotel Melia and Tower Agbar.

He told MailOnline: In order to not have any fear whilst doing it I had to accept death beforehand.

I had to do that so I wasnt worried about what my parents would think if I died, will I go to prison, there was no what ifs because I just accepted fate.

It was a tactic I came up with in the moment [on the Melia building] and it has worked really well.

Its as simple as saying, if I die, I die.

I didnt want to die, that wasnt my intention, I wanted to live, but by doing that it allowed me to climb without the fear of death.

If anything distracts your mind whilst youre doing something like that could be highly detrimental so by me just accepting fate, then Im not focusing on it.

George described spending Christmas in prison as just another day and was able to see families giving gifts around the tree from his cell window at HMP Pentonville.

George started the climb at 5am today to become the first person in the world to free-solo the worlds highest climbing wall built on the side of a powerplant

After going up The Shard in London, George gained fame from a Channel 4 documentary that followed his journey, explored his motives and his familys reaction to the extreme climb

Now living in Bermondsey, London, George left prison to soon be in national lockdown and started adding train surfing to his list of extreme activities.

He said: In a situation like being stuck prison I laugh at it because I like struggling through something, I like discomfort.

The whole thing of me being incarcerated was to deter me but if anything, it did quite the opposite.

It only intensified my obsession with climbing buildings.

I enjoy it, because I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and there is always something positive to gain out of the struggle.

Speaking on his climb today, he said: As a young person I feel concerned about our environment and the legacy we leave for our children and for future generations.

I chose CopenHill because it is a world leader in environmental matters. The climb itself was exhilarating.

It worked well too because it enabled me to complete a trinity of climbs and to be the first to free-solo all three of the highest climbing walls in the world without ropes or safety.

Channel 4 has just finished filming a series with the young free-climber called George Kings Adrenaline Addicts which will be released later this month.

The three-part series will feature George speaking to like-minded people who enjoy an adrenaline rush, including bare knuckle boxers and base jumpers.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is demanding a criminal investigation into the leaking of confidential tax information, insisting that whoever was responsible be imprisoned.

He wants the Justice Department and FBI to investigate who released information about some of the country's wealthiest taxpayers including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffet.

'Our tax returns are, by law, confidential because of just this kind of shenanigans,' he told conservative host Hugh Hewitt's radio show.

'These people, ought to, whoever did this, ought to be hunted down and thrown into jail.'

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos paid no income tax in 2007 and 2011, while Tesla founder Elon Musk's income tax bill came to zero in 2018, according to IRS records obtained by ProPublica and published on Tuesday

In a letter with Sens. Chuck Grassley and Mike Crapo, McConnell said: 'It has become clear that bad actors are more than happy to weaponize Americans tax information for political purposes.' They demanded prison for the person responsible for the leak

HOW CAN THE SUPER-RICH PAY LOWER TAXES? Many billionaires are able to reduce their federal tax bills using legal tax strategies. Among the ways they can reduce tax bills are: Making sizable donations to charity The rich can reduce tax bills through the use of charitable donations. They can deduct up to 60 percent of adjusted gross income with donations. Investing in stocks to avoid wage income The rich can reduce taxes by avoiding wage income, which can be taxed at up to 37 percent. They can instead benefit from investment income, which is often taxed at 20 percent. Paying themselves lower salaries If the mega-rich pay themselves a lower salary, they can then take a higher portion of the income as dividends. The lower salary is then taxed a normal rate. Dividends are often taxed the same as the capital gains rate, which is between 15 to 20 percent. Another option is to opt for part of their compensation in their company stock options. Stock is usually only taxed when the options are exercised. Advertisement

The details were published in a ProPublica report describing how some of the country's wealthiest people paid little income tax.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos 's income tax bill was zero in 2007 and 2011, according to the non-profit investigative journalism organization.

Tesla founder Elon Musks also paid no income tax 2018 while financier George Soros went three years in a row without paying any federal income tax.

It cited an anonymous source 'who provided us with large amounts of information on the ultrawealthy, everything from the taxes they paid to the income they reported to the profits from their stock trades.'

McConnell, along with Sens. Chuck Grassley and Mike Crapo, announced Monday he had written to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Waray to demand those responsible be prosecuted and and jailed.

They wrote that tax filers are expected to disclose personal information and in return can expect that their information is treated confidentially.

'Paying ones taxes is a civic duty, and that duty requires taxpayers to disclose to the IRS deeply personal financial information' including where they live and work, how much they spend on healthcare and child care, and the size of retirement funds, they said.

'But those compelled disclosures should not, and do not, make that financial information public.'

Confidentiality is a vital step to preventing the information being used for illicit purposes,' they said.

'Th[e] rule of confidentiality is about more than just protecting individual privacy, although that is an important objective,' they wrote.

'The rule is a vital check against the use of the incredible power of federal taxation for nefarious political purposes.'

TAX DATA FOR RICHEST AMERICANS: 2014 to 2018 Warren Buffett Year Total taxes paid Total income reported 2014 $7.93 million $46.8 million 2015 $1.85 million $11.6 million 2016 $3.82 million $19.6 million 2017 $4.75 million $22 million 2018 $5.36 million $24.8 million Jeff Bezos Year Total taxes paid Total income reported 2014 $85.4 million $367 million 2015 $126 million $542 million 2016 $320 million $1.35 billion 2017 $398 million $1.68 billion 2018 $43.5 million $284 million Elon Musk Year Total taxes paid Total income reported 2014 $30.4 million $165 million 2015 $78.5K $3.15 million 2016 $42 million $1.34 billion 2017 $73.7K $6.22 million 2018 $8.41K $3.85 million Source: IRS DATA OBTAINED BY PROPUBLICA

Details emerged, they continued, just before the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to consider President Biden's proposed 2022 budget increases for the IRS.

'It has become clear that bad actors are more than happy to weaponize Americans tax information for political purposes,' they wrote.

'It is further clear that this wanton and criminal abuse of the tax system disproportionatelyindeed, exclusivelyadvances the objectives of the political left in this country.'

They added: 'Ultimately, the only way to prevent these dangerous disclosures is to ensure that those who unlawfully disclose tax information go to jail.'

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig revealed last week that authorities had already launched an investigation.

'We have turned it over to the appropriate investigators, both external and internal,' he said during a previously scheduled Senate Finance Committee hearing.

The trove of data also showed how investor Carl Icahn did not pay federal tax in 2016 and 2017.

ProPublica calculated what it described as the 'true tax rate' for the billionaires based on the amount they paid from 2014 to 2018 compared how much Forbes estimated their wealth had grown during that period.

It found that the 25 richest Americans paid a lower rate than the average worker.

The median American household earned an average salary of about $70,000 and paid 14 percent in federal taxes per year.

In comparison, the richest 25 paid a true tax rate of 3.4 percent from 2014 to 2018 on wealth growth of $401 billion.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has sued New York horse racing officials for suspending him from running horses at state racetracks following a positive drug test for the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit after it won the Kentucky Derby.

In a complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court, Baffert, a seven-time Kentucky Derby winner and one of the sport's best-known figures, said the New York Racing Association (NYRA) usurped the authority of the state's gaming commission by suspending his trainer's license.

Baffert said the suspension unconstitutionally stripped him of his right to run horses at its tracks or stable them at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course. Baffert is seeking unspecified damages and an injunction to lift the suspension, which kept Medina Spirit out of the June 5 Belmont Stakes. Craig Robertson, a lawyer for Baffert, declined to discuss the lawsuit.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert (pictured) has sued New York horse racing officials for suspending him from running horses at state racetracks following a positive drug test for the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit after it won the Kentucky Derby

Medina Spirit faces possible disqualification as winner of the Derby after two tests following the May 1 race showed the presence of the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone at a prohibited level

'NYRA's impulsive decision to deprive Baffert of his professional livelihood within the State of New York is one that it had no legal authority to make,' the complaint said.

NYRA officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Medina Spirit faces possible disqualification as winner of the Derby after two tests following the May 1 race showed the presence of the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone at a prohibited level.

Baffert chose the lab to perform the second test. He has said he treated Medina Spirit with the anti-fungal ointment Otomax, and had not known it contained the steroid betamethasone.

Following the second test, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert for two years, including the Derby in 2022 and 2023.

If Medina Spirit is disqualified, Mandaloun would be elevated as the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Zedan would be forced to relinquish the $1.8 million winner's purse.

At least five of Baffert's horses have failed drug tests in a little over one year.

Only one horse - Dancer's Image in 1968 - has been disqualified as Kentucky Derby winner in the race's 147-year history because of a failed drug test.
Sinaloa Cartel

Founded in 1989 by Hector Palma, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, the Sinaloa Cartel today stands as one of the most established transnational drug trafficking organizations. While it has carved out a presence in 15 of the 32 Mexican states, the cartel also expanded its operations into the United States, Europe, Asia and South America.

With El Chapo in prison, the cartel has been plagued by internal fighting between Zambada and three of El Chapo's four sons, known as 'Los Chapitos'.

The Drug Enforcement Administration views the Sinaloa Cartel as one of the top two criminal organizations along with its rival, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

The DEA said the Sinaloa Cartel 'exports and distributes wholesale amounts of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana in the United States by maintaining distribution hubs in various cities.'

How they get drugs into the US: 'Illicit drugs distributed by the Sinaloa Cartel are primarily smuggled into the United States through crossing points located along the [south west border]. The cartel employs gatekeepers assigned to Ports Of Entry and controls Arizona and California area smuggling corridors into the United States.'

Jalisco New Generation Cartel

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was once allied to the Sinaloa Cartel as El Chapo depended on its firepower to combat Los Zetas.

Commandeered by Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera, the group set itself apart from other cartels in the country butchering its enemies and today is considered by the Mexican government as the most dangerous group in the country.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is spread out across 23 of the Mexico's 32 states and currently finds itself at war with at least ten cartels.

The group has been known to have increased the power that its members have by purchasing military weapons and parts from the United States.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the DEA, specializes 'in manufacturing and distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine.'

How they get drugs into the US: 'The CJNG smuggles illicit drugs into the United States by accessing various trafficking corridors in northern Mexico along the SWB including Tijuana, Juarez, and Nuevo Laredo. The CJNG also has influence over the busiest port in Mexico, the Port of Manzanillo, and utilizes that influence for the distribution of large quantities of drugs.'

Beltran-Leyva Organization

For a while, the Beltran-Leyva Organization [BLO] was born out of the Sinaloa Cartel and became one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico led by the Beltran Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo, Mario Alberto and Hector.

The Beltran-Leyva Organization was involved in a deadly war with the Sinaloa Cartel after the brothers accused their cousin, El Chapo, of being responsible for the January 2008 arrest of Alfredo. The brothers retaliated by reportedly plotting the murder of El Chapo's 22-year-old son, Edgar Guzman, in May 2008.

Alfredo's arrest sparked one of the worst periods in Mexico's war on drugs as the BLO's new ally, the Juarez Cartel, went to war with the Sinaloa Cartel in Ciudad Juarez, a border town across from Texas.

The BLO also expanded its might by going toe-to-toe with the Gulf Cartel, Sinaloa Cartel and La Familia Cartel in the northeastern border city of Reynosa.

While the cartel remains viable today, the organization's members over time split into 11 factions.

How they get drugs into the US: 'BLO relies on its loose alliances with larger cartels for access to drug smuggling corridors along the [south west border].'

Los Zetas and the Cartel del Noreste [Northeast Cartel]

Los Zetas were created by Mexican military deserters who formed an alliance with the Gulf Cartel in 1999 and based its operations in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, across from Laredo, Texas. The group quickly carved out a named for itself through its savage killings. By 2010, Los Zetas split from the Gulf Cartel.

Los Zetas at one point dominated more cities across Mexico than the Sinaloa Cartel, with whom it clashed amidst a threat from the Gulf Cartel to eliminate it completely.

Like some of the other Mexican cartels, Los Zetas saw some of its members split and form their own groups.

Los Zetas role play in the drug trade is enforced by one of its factions, the Cartel del Noreste [Northeast Cartel]. Together, the criminal groups have set up its small, but lucrative, drug trade business into the Texas border cities of Laredo and Eagle Pass while controlling routes and turfs in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas.

How they get drugs into the US: 'Members smuggle the majority of their illicit drugs through the [south west border] in the areas of Laredo, Texas; Eagle Pass, Texas; and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and parts of Tamaulipas.'

Guerrero Unidos

Operating in central Mexico, the Guerrero Unidos broke away from the Beltran-Leyva Organization and formed an alliance with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to traffic drugs into the United States and bring back its profits into Mexico.

The cartel is accused of being behind the September 2014 disappearance of 43 students, who were kidnapped by local police in Iguala, a city in the southern state of Guerrero.

How they get drugs into the US: 'The cartel has a working partnership with the CJNG and uses the same transportation networks to move drug shipments into the United States and to return drug proceeds back to Mexico.'

Gulf Cartel

The Gulf Cartel is considered to be one of the oldest active criminal organizations in Mexico and is believed to have close ties to other gangs in Europe, West Africa, Asia, Central America, South America, and the United States.

The organization started off by smuggling alcohol into the United States during the Prohibition Era. It was not until the 1980 that it got itself immersed into the drug trade.

The DEA believes the Gulf Cartel has been working closely with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as it ships heroin and cocaine to the Texas border cities of McAllen and Brownsville.

How they get drugs into the US: 'The Gulf Cartel focuses its drug trafficking activities on heroin and cocaine by transporting loads into the United States near the McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, areas.'

Juarez Cartel and La Linea

The Juarez Cartel cemented itself as one of the mayor players in the drug trade business back in the 1970s. It founder, Amado Carrillo, was known as 'El Senor de los Cielos' or 'The Lord of the Skies' due to the massive fleet of planes he owned to transport drugs, especially cocaine from Colombia and other countries in Latin America.

The cartel was once allied to El Chapo before that relationship fell apart after the notorious drug lord declined to pay the Juarez Cartel for the right to use its drug smuggling routes.

The Juarez Cartel has depended on its armed wing, La Linea, to transport heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas.

How they get drugs into the US: 'These cartels' greatest territorial influence is in the state of Chihuahua near the [south west border]. This area has profitable smuggling opportunities between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas.'

La Familia Michoacana

La Familia Michoacana was once linked to the Gulf Cartel before it went on its own in 2006.

Between 2009 and 2010, the cartel proposed to the Mexican government that it had plans of laying down its arms as long as its home state of Michoacan was granted protection. However, President Felipe Calderon shot down their offer, which led to the cartel becoming increasingly involved in the funding of political candidates.

La Familia Michoacana today maintains a relationship with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and other criminal groups as part of its drug smuggling operation.

How they get drugs into the US: 'LFM has some ties to the CJNG and also works with other smaller groups to further the cartel's drug trafficking activities.'

Los Rojos

Just like Guerreros Unidos, Los Rojos was formed as an armed wing and broke away from the Beltran-Leyva Organization.

According to a 2020 Congressional report, Los Rojos 'operates in Guerrero and relies heavily on kidnapping and extortion for revenue as well as trafficking cocaine, although analysts dispute the scope of its involvement in the drug trade.'

How they get drugs into the US: 'Los Rojos is involved in heroin trafficking'
Two paratroopers have been found dead in their barracks room at Fort Bragg Army Base - and investigators believe they were killed by illegal drugs.

Spc. Joshua Diamond, 35, of Plymouth, MA and Pfc. Matthew Disney, 20, of Aberdeen, MD were discovered unresponsive in their room in the North Carolina military installation on Friday.

Matthew was last seen alive on Thursday night, his mother Racheal Bowman said on Facebook, and was found dead on Friday.

Emergency responders declared the paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division dead that the scene, a news release from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command said.

It remains unclear if they had taken the same suspected drugs, with an investigation into their deaths ongoing.

Pfc. Matthew Disney, pictured with his sister Faith, was found dead at Fort Bragg Army base in North Carolina Friday, of a suspected drug overdose

'At this point in the investigation we do have credible information that the Soldiers were involved with illicit drugs,' Chris Grey, a spokesperson for the Army's investigation command said in a statement.

No further information on what drugs the soldiers might have taken has been shared, although illegal drug manufacturers have recently started mixing fentanyl with other recreational substances, such as heroin or cocaine.

The synthetic painkiller is extremely powerful, and has caused a spate of accidental fatal overdoses across the US.

Paying tribute to her son, Matthew's mom Racheal Bowman wrote: 'I know everyone wants answers, no one more than I, and a lot of speculation is going on. Unfortunately, the only facts we have right now is that Matt was last seen alive around 11pm Thursday night and was located around 10pm Friday night.

'I was told that he did not do anything to hurt himself and he was found on base at Ft Bragg. There is an investigation and it may take some time before we have any real answers.

Spc. Joshua Diamond was also found dead of a suspected drug overdose on Friday

I just ask that people respect Matt and his family as we grieve and figure out what to do next and wait, as we are, for the facts.

'I know Matt is loved by many and it is so amazing to see that love pouring out, both here at home and from his family in the 82nd Airborne. I appreciate every single person who has called, messaged and stopped by.

'His smile truly is infectious and he is the best person I know in this world. I have no idea what happens next and I feel nothing in this world will ever be the same again. But feeling all of the love people have for him is so comforting right now."

Disney and Diamond both joined the Army in 2019, with Diamond arriving at Fort Bragg in 2019 and Disney the following year, Stripes.com reported.

Diamond served in combat during a 2020 deployment to Iraq and received several awards, including the Army Commendation Medal with Combat Device, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and the Army Parachutist Badge, officials said.

Disney's decorations included the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and the Army Parachutist Badge.

More than 44 soldiers from Fort Bragg died across the US in 2020, with the base - which is home to multiple secretive elite units - said to be rife with illegal drug use

'We mourn the passing of Matthew and Joshua. They remain part of our Family of Falcon Brigade Paratroopers,' Col. Phillip J. Kiniery III said in a statement.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones and fellow Paratroopers during this difficult time,' he added.

The potential drug overdose death comes a few weeks after a senior noncommissioned officer assigned to Fort Bragg and his son were arrested for trafficking more than two kilograms of cocaine, Armytimes.com reported.

An April report from Rolling Stone said that at least 44 soldiers from Fort Bragg died in the US during 2020, including several brutal homicides.

The report concluded there was a pattern of drug abuse at the base that has gone unaddressed by those in charge.

Fort Bragg is home to both U.S. Army Special Operations Command, or USASOC, which includes the Rangers and the Green Berets; and JSOC, as well as the far more secretive 'black ops' component of the US military.

JSOC - which stands for Joint Special Operations Command - controls most of the elite units in the military, including Navy SEAL Team 6, and the Army's Delta Force.

Their missions - including the killing of ISIS boss Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi are cloaked in secrecy, and have led to claims that those elite units are effectively 'a military within a military.'

That lack of oversight has been blamed for an alleged explosion in drug abuse among members of those units, with whistleblowers claiming their fellow troops had failed drugs tests after testing positive for cocaine, heroin and crystal meth.


CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour revealed on Monday she has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Amanpour, 63, shared news of her cancer battle at the top of the latest installment of her CNN International show.

'I've had successful major surgery to remove it, and I am now going through several months of chemotherapy for the very best possible longterm prognosis, and I am confident,' the veteran reporter said matter-of-factly into the camera.

Some personal news from me: pic.twitter.com/D5noRnfXfA  Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) June 14, 2021

CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour revealed on Monday she has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer

Amanpour said she had successful surgery to remove the tumor and was undergoing chemotherapy 'for the very best possible longterm prognosis'

Amanpour, who lives in the UK, said she was fortunate to have health insurance through work and offered words of praise for doctors treating her through the UK's 'brilliant' National Health Service.

'I am telling you this in the interest of transparency, but really as a shout out to most early diagnosis,' Amanpour said, urging women to get all 'regular screenings and scans,' listen to their bodies and 'ensure that your legitimate medical concerns are not dismissed or diminished.'

Monday marked Amanpour's first day back in the anchor's chair after a four-week absence from her CNN show. She thanked her colleague Bianna Golodryga for filling in for her.

Amanpour, pictured delivering a keynote address at the 2019 James W. Foley Awards at the National Press Club, urged women to get all 'regular screenings and scans'

Amanpour is an award-winning journalist who's been at CNN, off and on, since 1983. She is pictured with her Directorate Award during the 2019 International Emmy Awards Gala

Golodryga later tweeted at Amanpour, saying: 'youre not only one of the best journalists in the business, youre also one of the toughest. Wishing you a speedy and healthy recovery in the weeks ahead. No doubt youll end up on top. Its been a privilege helping you and your extraordinary team.'

Over a career spanning more than three decades, Amanpour has covered major crises in countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea.

She has won a range of TV journalism awards, including 11 News and Documentary Emmy Awards and four Peabody Awards.

She has been at CNN off and on since 1983, beginning as an entry-level desk assistant and rising through the ranks to become the cable news network's chief international correspondent ,as well as the anchor of a self-titled daily interview program.

In 2010, Amanpour left CNN to ABC News, which tapped her to anchor This Week, but she returned to CNN in 2012.

Over a career spanning more than three decades, Amanpour has covered major crises in countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea

In 2018, PBS announced that Amanpour permanently would replace Charlie Rose, who left amid allegations of sexual misconduct. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been hosting her PBS show Amanpour & Company from her home in London.

Amanpour has a grown son, Darius, with her former husband, American diplomat and journalist James Rubin. The couple divorced in 2018 after a 10-year marriage.

Ovarian cancer is the eighth-most common cancer for women. American Cancer Society estimates that more than 21,000 women in the US will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer this year, and more than have will die from it.

This cancer mainly develops in older women. About half of the women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer are 63 years or older.

A woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 78. Her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 108.
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Billionaire CEO Elon Musk announced on Monday that he was selling his last home, a little more than a year after saying he was working to sell 'almost all physical possessions.'

A little more than a year since his vow last May to sell nearly all of his possessions, and 'own no house,' billionaire CEO Elon Musk appears to be nearing his goal, announcing Monday that he plans to sell his last remaining home.

The California Bay Area mansion, which was listed for sale on Sunday for $37.5 million, is on Crystal Springs Road in Hillsborough, and was used chiefly as a rental space for events, he said.

Musk said he would like to sell it to a large family who will live there. 'It's a special place,' he tweeted.

He currently lives in a home he rents worth $50,000 in Boca Chica, Texas near his Space Exploration Technologies Corp. Starbase rocket manufacturing plant, where he moved last year.

Musk had gone on a spree the past 13 months, selling six of his properties, as well as one in 2019, for a total of $114 million.

He tweeted last May: 'I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.'

He said he was doing it as a way to defuse criticism of his wealth, telling podcast host Joe Rogan last May: 'I think possessions kinda weigh you down. And theyre kind of an attack vector. People say, "Hey, billionaire, you got all this stuff." "Well, now I dont have the stuff  now what are you gonna do?"'

The announcement that Musk is selling his mansion on Crystal Springs Road means he has nearly rid himself entirely of his properties in

Typical for Musk, he made his announcement in an early Monday tweet

It was a final make-good for a vow he made last May

The announcement comes after a ProPublica report last week that revealed he had paid little, and in some cases, no federal income taxes in recent years.

Musk said on Wednesday that despite divesting himself of his properties in the state, he would, 'continue to pay income taxes in California proportionate to my time in state, which is & will be significant.'

Musk started his sell-off in June 2020, with a 20,200-square foot mansion in Los Angeles' Bel Air area that sold for $29 million.

It featured a library, fruit orchard, five-car garage, guest suite, theater, and ocean and city views among many other amenities, according to its Zillow listing.

He purchased it in 2013 for $17 million.

Then, in October, Musk sold a home near the mansion that he said was particularly special to him because it formerly belonged to Gene Wilder.

After more than a year of divesting himself of his various California homes, Musk said he finally decided to sell his Bay Area mansion in Hillsborough (pictured above)

Musk said he chiefly rents the mansion, also pictured, out for events and would like to sell it to a large family that plans to live there

The mansion is currently listed for $37.5 million

He stipulated: 'It cannot be torn down or lose any of its soul.'

He bought the property in 2013 for $6.75 million, and sold it to Wilder's nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman for $7.2 million.

Musk even helped finance the purchase by giving him a loan, Variety reported.

In December 2020, Musk sold four neighboring homes in Bel Air for a combined $61.8 million.

Musk began his grand sell-off with a 20,200-square-foot mansion in Bel Air for $29 million in June 2020

Then, in October, 2020 Musk sold a house he owned that had been formerly inhabited by actor Gene Wilder. He stipulated: 'It cannot be torn down or lose any of its soul.'

He had told Rogan in 2018 that he only actually lived in one of them, and purchased three as privacy buffers.

They included a two-story, six-bed, seven-bath house on Somera Road that went for $29.7 million; a two-story, six-bed and eight-bath on Chalon Road for $21 million; a two-story, four-bed, five-bath on Somera Road for $6.7 million; and a single-story, four-bedroom, four-bath home on Somera Road built in the 1960s that appears to have not been renovated since for $4.4 million.

Before those, however, Musk sold his first major California property in August 2019.

It was a three-bedroom, three-bath modern house in Brentwood that he initially purchased in 2014 for $3.7 million.

It featured floor-to-ceiling windows and a salt-water pool.

He would sell it for $4 million.

That leaves the Hillsborough mansion, which is set apart from the other homes by its geographical location just south of San Francisco.

In December, 2020 Musk sold four Bel Air homes for a combined $61.7 million. They included this Somera Road property for $29.7 million

Musk also sold this Somera Road colonial house for $6.7 million

This Chalon Road home was sold for $21 million. Musk said he only lived in one of the four properties, and purchased the other three as privacy buffers

Musk also sold this Somera Road house for $4.4 million. It was built in the 1960s and has apparently not been renovated since
North Tyneside Council has come under fire after it demanded that Tory councillors took down Union Jack flags that were decorating the party's Group Room in the council building.

Bryn Roberts, head of Law and Governance at North Tyneside Council, allegedly deemed the flags 'not appropriate' in a message sent to Councillor Sean Brockbank, leader of North Tyneside Conservatives.

Mr Roberts stated that the UK's national flag was 'overtly political' and could not be used as decoration within the council building, Guido Fawkes reports.

He reportedly wrote: 'Hi Councillor Brockbank - whilst delivering post today, it was noted that the above pictures, together with a quantity of Union Flag bunting, has been erected in the Conservative Group Room.

'This is not an appropriate use of the room (and risks becoming an overtly political matter in an apolitical venue), so I will make arrangements for them to be removed at the end of the day.'

Bryn Roberts of North Tyneside Council, allegedly deemed the flags (left) 'not appropriate' in a message sent to Councillor Sean Brockbank, and had them removed (right)

Bryn Roberts, North Tyneside Council law chief

The council official continued: 'I would be grateful if you could reinforce to your group that the facility is provided within a publicly funded building and, as such, should not be used in this fashion. Kind regards, Bryn.'

A spokesperson from North Tyneside Conservatives said: 'The Union Flag is part of our national identity and is indeed flown in government buildings up and down the country - it is astonishing that this is not allowed in North Tyneside.

'The flag is one of the most recognisable symbols of the UK across the world, people look to it as a sign of hope and freedom - we firmly believe it should be flown, and indeed displayed with pride.'

Mr Roberts stated that the UK's national flag was 'overtly political' and could not be used as decoration within the council building

Neil Garratt, Conservative London Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton, tweeted: 'Google Street view looks like they have the Union Jack flying outside the North Tyneside Council.

'If it's OK outside the building, how can it be 'political' and forbidden inside the building? Idiots.'

Constituent Liz Rhodes Lobb wrote: 'Shame on North Tyneside Council - ordered the removal of the National flag of our country, the Union Jack as it's too political. Disgraceful!.'

Constituent Liz Rhodes Lobb wrote: 'Shame on North Tyneside Council ordered the removal of the National flag of our country'

Neil Garratt, Conservative London Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton, tweeted: 'Google Street view looks like they have the Union Jack flying outside'

Paul Hanson, Chief Executive of North Tyneside Council said: 'Unfortunately the information shared with the media is only part of the story.

'The display was more extensive and more political because it included pictures of past Conservative politicians. And we would have said the same thing to any other political party about any other politicians.

'This was not about the Union Jack which we are proud to fly every day.

'We operate in a leased building and avoid informal displays as they cause damage and bring maintenance costs. We also operate a politically neutral public building. We explained that to the Councillors involved when we took down the full display.'
Foreign holidays for Britons are unlikely to restart in large numbers until at least August, UK's ambassadors to destination countries have warned local officials.

As Boris Johnson tonight announced lockdown will be delayed by a further four weeks, foreign tourist chiefs are not expecting to welcome a large number of British holidaymakers to their countries for two months.

Toni Mayor, President of the Valencian Hotel Association Association (HOSBEC), said he believed UK tourism will only be in full swing in August after speaking to the UK ambassador Hugh Elliott.

'The overall infection levels in Spain are still high in places and the picture is uneven, so I think we will have to wait, possibly until July 20 [for restrictions on travel to ease],' Mr Mayor told The Telegraph.

Mr Mayor explained that this would mean UK tourism would not restart in large numbers until at least August as tour operators would need two weeks to get back to their normal operation capacity.

Foreign holidays for Britons are unlikely to restart in large numbers until at least August, UK's ambassadors to destination countries have warned local officials. Pictured: A largely empty beach in Fuengirola, southern Spain

Local tourist officials in Turkey (pictured: an empty Oludeniz beach in Turkey) were also reportedly told by Foreign Office officials they should not expect travel restrictions from the UK to be lifted until August

Local tourist officials in Turkey were also reportedly told by Foreign Office officials they should not expect travel restrictions from the UK to be lifted until August.

The development comes as airlines have started shrinking their schedules until late July as the government pushed back Freedom Day by a month.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet are cancelling flights until after the new July 19 date as demand plummets.

Virgin Atlantic pushed back journeys from Heathrow to Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago until October as well as transatlantic flights until mid-July.

Budget airline easyJet started dropping trips to Greece and France as Britons face a second summer trapped at home.

Meanwhile Stobart Air, which operates regional services for Aer Lingus, this morning ceased trading due to a lack of demand.

Holiday booking company TUI has cancelled more trips to Greece, Spain and Italy until July today.

Giving the bad news at a Downing Street briefing, the PM defied fury from Tory MPs and the hospitality industry to insisted he cannot press ahead until more people are double-jabbed

Tonight, Mr Johnson announced he will delay the end of lockdown until July 19 after doctors urged him to wait until more people have been double jabbed after a sharp rise in the Indian variant.

The rise in cases has meant only 11 countries are on the Government's green travel list. The government took a snap decision to axe Portugal from its 'green' travel list over fears of rising coronavirus cases in the UK and risks posed by new variants.

That forced tens of thousands of British holiday makers to rush back to the UK, and ruined the holiday plans of hundreds of thousands more.

The rise in cases has meant only 11 countries are on the Government's green travel list. The government took a snap decision to axe Portugal from its 'green' travel list over fears of rising coronavirus cases in the UK and risks posed by new variants. Pictured: A largely empty beach in Albuferia, Portugal

The green travel list will be reviewed next week to see if any countries could be added - but it is unlikely as government ministers believe Europe are two months behind Britain in stemming the rising number of coronavirus cases.

It means it could be late July until major restrictions could be lifted on overseas travel to Europe.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency said airlines were shrinking their schedule because demand is plummeting.

He told MailOnline: 'Airlines are reducing their flying schedules fast as government policies on overseas travel are putting off consumers from flying.

'There simply isn't enough demand to fly when so many countries are on amber and swab testing is so expensive.

'So we're now seeing airlines cutting their flying and staffing costs rapidly, as they ground more aircraft and return thousands of cabin crew and other staff to furlough.

'The government is strangling the aviation sector even though the majority of adults in the UK have received both vaccine doses and should be given the freedom to fly.'

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet are cancelling flights until after the new July 19 date as demand plummets (file photo)

He added: 'Why are we in a worse position than last summer when we had no vaccines?

'The government should follow America's and Europe's lead and enable fully-jabbed citizens to fly more flexibly.'

'Why doesnt the Government give an opening up date for the travel sector in the same way as it is doing for the domestic sector, so that both can benefit from the vaccination rollout,' Mr Charles said.

Nicky Kelvin, head of travel website The Points Guy UK, added: 'The majority of the travel industry predicted a further opening up of travel at the last Government announcement.

'But instead further restrictions were put in place and most surprisingly, Portugal was removed from the green list of destinations for travellers to visit.

'Unsurprisingly, this has caused confusion and reduced confidence for holidaymakers and the tightening of revenue potential for airlines and other holiday companies.

'For leisure travel to be truly viable in the UK, we'll need to see the opening up of further travel corridors and a reliable roadmap by the Government which will in turn instil confidence that would push would-be holidaymakers to make bookings.

'Elsewhere in Europe we are seeing a steady influx in travel. It was revealed this week that Lufthansa would begin flying its 747-8 Jumbo jets and Airbus A350 widebodies between Frankfurt and Palma de Mallorca in order to cope with an increased demand.

'Meanwhile in the UK, airlines have been forced to slash schedules and re-furlough thousands of staff because of the delays to the restart of international travel.'

It comes after travel industry chiefs last week blasted the Government's 'crippling' decision to axe Portugal from its green list of safe destinations amid growing concern over the Nepal coronavirus variant.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the Mediterranean country, whose economy relies greatly on UK tourists, is being moved to the amber list from 4am Tuesday following a rise in positive tests.

But the move triggered fury from travel industry chiefs, including the chief executives of Heathrow and EasyJet, who accused the Government of trying to 'isolate' Britain from the world and warned that another 'lost summer' could lead to a jobs bloodbath and billions more being wiped from the economy.

Figures compiled for the Mail by the all-party Future of Aviation group of MPs last night projected that the cost to the economy could be as much as 11.5billion in outbound travel alone if the current restrictions remain through the next three months. Meanwhile, fears were raised for the 1.6million jobs the aviation, travel and tourism sector creates.
Children could be given Covid jabs to stop the virus disrupting their education or increasing their future risk of physical or mental health problems.

Professor Chris Whitty said today that officials were still considering whether to vaccinate children but that the 'big priority' is now reaching over-18s over summer.

Regulators have begun approving vaccines for children  Pfizer's jab has been deemed safe for anyone aged 12 or over  but ministers have not yet decided what to do.

The issue is a thorny one because most children would not be getting a jab to protect their own health but to boost the chances of society getting back to normal.

Therefore any side effects they might have could outweigh their personal benefit.

For adults, the much-reduced risk of dying if they catch the virus is generally enough to make it an obvious choice, but children almost never die of Covid.

Professor Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said a major consideration could become whether constant Covid outbreaks in schools could damage children's education and life chances, and whether avoiding this through vaccination would be the sensible choice.

Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said tonight that children could be vaccinated if constant school outbreaks of Covid were damaging their education and future health and life chances

He told a Downing Street briefing tonight: 'The key thing for children is safety. We know that the risks in terms of of physical disease to children, other than for some children with significant pre-existing problems of physical health, are much, much lower than for adults.

'So you wouldnt want to vaccinate unless the vaccine was very safe. Vaccines are now being licensed in some countries and were accruing safety data on the safety of these vaccines in children.'

DECISION ON CHILDREN'S JABS COULD FALL TO BORIS JOHNSON The decision on whether to vaccinate children could fall to Boris Johnson and his government ministers, instead of health chiefs and scientists, because it is ethically complicated. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to 'come up with a menu of options' for the Prime Minister but not to offer a definitive recommendation on jabs for those under the age of 18. Children aren't yet given vaccines because their risk of getting serious Covid is so tiny and their immunity would likely only protect older adults, making it a complex issue - vaccinating against measles, for example, directly protects the child so is more clear-cut. Ministers will be forced to decide whether the tiny risk of side effects in children is worth the benefit of protecting more adults and stifling the virus. JCVI deputy chair Professor Anthony Harnden said on BBC Breakfast in May: 'We do know that the majority of children do not have huge risk of complications, whether we vaccinate for educational purposes, whether we vaccinate to protect others in the population, these are the ethical issues, there are a lot of issues to think about. 'It's a complicated position to decide on the immunisation of children, of course, then there's the wider global ethical argument about the use of vaccine in children when there are other people in the world that are at risk of not being vaccinated. 'So we need to think about all these issues, we probably will give the Government a range of options.' Advertisement

The main vaccine-makers have already started, and in some cases published results, from clinical trials on the jabs on children.

Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen  the four to have been approved in the UK  are all being tested on under-18s.

In its own clinical trial Pfizer found that the vaccine appeared 100 per cent effective, with no cases of Covid in the vaccinated group, and there were no serious side effects.

Blood tests on the 2,000 children aged 12 to 15 who took part in the trial showed that the jabs appeared to be triggering immunity just as well as they did in adults.

Professor Whitty said that helping schools to stay open could be a big benefit of giving jabs to children.

School-age children and teenagers currently have some of the highest infection rates in the country, and every time a pupil tests positive their whole class is at risk of being sent home to self-isolate.

Public Health England data showed that 10 to 19-year-olds, most of whom are not included in the current vaccine rollout, had the second highest infection rate in the country in the first week of this month, with 99 cases per 100,000 people. This was behind only 121 per 100,000 among people in their 20s.

Professor Whitty added: 'There are two possible reasons you would want to vaccinate children, potentially, but with caution  and this is the point Im trying to stress.

'The first would be those groups who actually are at high risk of Covid, and I think JCVI will be putting forward advice on this about which of the groups they think are at particularly high risk. Those children, specifically, should be vaccinated to reduce the risk of them having serious disease and  in a very, very small number of cases, but it does happen, mortality.

'But the wider question is around also the effect on children's education.

'Is the multiple disruptions it [Covid] might have going to have a very negative impact on their life chances, including the effect it will have on long-term risk of physical and mental ill health?

'This is going to be a decision thatll have to be based on the data we have available.

'But at the moment the big priority, as the Prime Minister said, is getting through all the adults down to 18, making sure theyre vaccinated and then double-vaccinated.'
A federal judge on Monday agreed not to order the Department of Justice to release the second part of an internal memo arguing that there was not enough evidence to prosecute then President Donald for obstruction of justice during the Mueller investigation.

The decision is a blow to advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington which is pushing for the memo to be published.

In her ruling, Judge Amy Berman Jackson criticized the government for misrepresenting its previous positions on the memo and disputed the Department of Justice's claim that it was protected under attorney-client privilege.

But she said, absent from the public conversation has been why the Attorney General had issued an opinion in the first place - something answered for the first time when the first section was released.

'While there may be some additional public benefit in revealing the contents of Section II, the court will not deny the department the opportunity to challenge its ruling in order to advance that interest at this time,' she wrote.

Last month Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered the release of an internal Department of Justice memo that found there was not enough evidence to charge President Trump with obstruction of justice. On Monday, she granted a stay the Department of Justice as it fights the decision to release a second part of the memo

President Trump said he was vindicated by special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian interference in the 2016 election. However, the reporter also details instances where Trump may have obstructed justice, without giving clear conclusions

The Department of Justice released part of the memo last month but kept a second section secret.

It was written in March 2019 after special counsel Robert Mueller had submitted his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, including questions about whether Trump was responsible for obstruction.

Mueller and his investigators outlined 10 potential areas of obstruction in their report.

Even so, the DOJ made clear it would not file criminal charges against a sitting president.

But the memo, written by its Office of Legal Counsel, concluded that even without that bar there was insufficient evidence to charge Trump with a crime.

Jackson initially ordered the memo be released in its entirety in response to a Freedom of information Act request.

But the DOJ asked for a stay on the ruling while it appealed the case.

Government lawyers said they were entitled under public records law to withhold the memo because it reflected internal deliberations among lawyers before any formal decision had been reached.

Jackson previously said those arguments were disingenuous because the memo was prepared for Barr at the same time as a separate Justice Department letter informing Congress and the public that Barr and senior department leaders had concluded that Trump had not obstructed justice.

But on Monday, Jackson granted the stay for the second part of the memo.

However, she dismissed part of its appeal, that the memo had been used to advise Trump and so releasing it would breach attorney-client confidentiality.

Barr put out a summary document before release of the Mueller report that Democrats blasted as mischaracterizing its conclusions

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller outlined 10 potential areas of obstruction of justice, while noting DOJ guidelines that bar charging a sitting president

The Court found  given the unique circumstances surrounding the drafting of the Barr Memo, including the timing and joint nature of its creation, and the unique issues presented by DOJ's pleadings, including the inconsistencies between the declarations and the memo itself  that DOJ failed to meet its burden to establish that the record was protected under the established law governing the privileges it asserted,' she wrote.

The court 'found with respect to this particular document, based on these particular declarations, that the elements of the privilege had not been established. But it agrees that without a stay, the battle would be lost before it begins. Therefore, this factor weighs heavily in favor of a stay.'

In a letter to President Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland on May 14, Senate Democrats urged him not to appeal the court's order to 'help rebuild the nation's trust in independence after four years of turmoil'.

However, the Biden administration has apparently taken the decision to avoid setting a new precedent where more sensitive internal documents would have to be released.
President Joe Biden on Monday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'worthy adversary' ahead of their summit in Geneva  and declined to label him a 'killer' when asked to repeat a label he accepted in the past.

Instead, Biden called Putin 'bright' and 'tough'  but vowed that if Russia should continue its current posture on cybersecurity other issues the U.S 'will respond in kind.'

Biden said in Brussels that allied leaders do not consider his summit meeting with Putin any kind of reward  and that fellow heads of state have thanked him for sitting down with the strongman.

Speaking to reporters after a day of meetings with NATO alliance members, Biden said leaders were on board with his decision to sit down with the head of a nation he variously called an adversary or a potential one.

He has been making a point of soliciting their views on what he should say when he finally gets together with Putin, who has confounded numerous U.S. presidents and with whom he has met before, Wednesday.

'They thanked me for being willing to talk with them about the meeting,' Biden said, fielding a handful of questions after making reporters wait two hours for a delayed press conference.

'Im going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas we can cooperate if he chooses,' Biden said in Brussels

He said there was consensus among 'Every single one that spoke.' They thanked him 'for meeting with Putin now.' He said fellow leaders thought it was 'thoroughly appropriate' that he do so. Biden rejected the supposition of a question that it was a reward for Putin to meet him so early in his term.

'Im going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas we can cooperate if he chooses,' Biden said.

'If he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past,' Biden said, 'then we will respond. We will respond in kind.'

But he offered a caveat. 'There need not be. We should decide where its in our mutual interests and the interests of the world to cooperate,' he said.

Biden also took a question over what it would mean if Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny were to die in prison, having been sentenced after a poison attempt on his life with a nerve agent.

'Navalny's death would be another indication of Russia has little or no intention of abiding by basic fundamental human rights. It would be a tragedy. It would do nothing but hurt his relationships with the rest of the world in my view. And with me.'

Biden's musings came during back-and-forth where he once again selected reporters to call on from a list written on a white card that he carried with him.

Several of the questions were about Putin. Another dealt with Ukraine, and whether the nation fighting a war with Russia would never get into the alliance due to that status.

Biden said that wasn't the case, but that Ukraine had to meet criteria spelled out for membership.

One topic that didn't come up was Turkey, after Biden had a long meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that was followed by a lengthy delay with nothing public on Biden's schedule.

When asked if he would repeat his assertion that Putin was a 'killer'  a notion Putin laughed at in a recent interview  Biden chose not to repeat the charge that caused an uproar early in his term.

Rather than use an incendiary label two days before their meeting, Biden came up with a word salad response, following a lengthy pause.

'The answer is, I believe he has in the past, essentially, acknowledged that he was, or certain things, that he would do or did do.'

Biden was reluctant to divulge more of what he would say to Putin.

Biden fielded questions from reporters at a brief press conference that started two hours late. Numerous questions were about his upcoming Putin summit

President Joe Biden touches a piece of steel from the North Tower of the World Trade Center while visiting a memorial to the September 11 terrorist attacks at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021

Biden noted now NATO nations rallied to the defense of the U.S. after Sept. 11th. Leaders are discussing how to stay involved in Afghanistan after the removal of troops

Biden held a press conference after a day of meetings at NATO

Biden took questions from several reporters, reading from a list of pre-printed names. A reporter for the French wire service AFP asked if Ukraine would make it into NATO given that Russia had already annexed some of its territory

'I've been doing this a long time. The last thing anyone would do is negotiate in front of the world press as to how you're going to approach a critical meeting with another adversary and/or someone who could be an adversary,' Biden said.

'But I will tell you this: I'm going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate if he chooses. And if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past relative to cybersecurity and some other activities, then we will respond. We will respond in kind.'

'We should decide where it's in our mutual interest and the interest of the world to cooperate, and see if we could do that,' he said.

He said of Putin: 'He's bright, he's tough, and I have found that he is, as they say when I used to play ball, a worthy adversary.'

Biden started his press conference more that two hours after it was scheduled to begin after a long day of preparing for Wednesdays meeting with Putin, a formal NATO meeting, and individual meetings with Eastern European leaders.

He acknowledged his tardiness but didnt explain it. Folks I know it's after 9:30 pm and I'm still at NATO. You're all excited about that I know, he said.

The NATO plenary session earlier in the day ran over an hour late and his meeting with the Turkish president went long.

He also was asked if he could reassure transatlantic allies after Trumps 'America First' policies given the former presidents vocal group of supporters who still play a role in American Republican politics.

Biden downplayed Trumps influence on American politics. I think it's appropriate to say the Republican Party is vastly diminished in numbers. The leadership of the Republican Party is fractured. And the Trump wing of the party is the bulk of the party, but it makes up a significant minority of the American people, he said.

Biden, on his way out of NATO headquarters, stopped to visit the 9/11 memorial, a piece of the World Trade Center, that sits on the lawn outside the main building.

He walked out alone to see the monument to the biggest terrorist attack in American history. He read the plaque and then stepped up to the piece of steel from the WTC, touched it briefly as the sun set behind him, and then stepped back in front of the plaque to gather his thoughts.

The visit was part of Bidens effort to reaffirm Americas commitment to Article 5 of the NATO charter. Donald Trump refused to reaffirm Article 5 - which says when one member of the alliance is attacked, it is treated as if all members were attacked.

Biden, during his time at NATO, pointed out repeatedly that NATO invoked Article 5 on the behalf of the United States in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

'Remember what happened on 9/11. We were attacked. NATO immediately supported us,' he said.

Biden spoke hours after Putin continued to try to pick apart U.S. claims on a media tour in advance of his summit with President Biden  denying in an interview airing Monday that Russia engaged in cyber attacks and saying there was no proof it interfered in U.S. elections.

'Where is the evidence? Where is proof? It's becoming farcical,' Putin said in a sit-down interview with NBC's Keir Simmons in Moscow.

'We have been accused of all kinds of things - election interference, cyberattacks and so on and so forth - and not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof, just unfounded accusations,' he told the network's Kier Simmons.

'I'm surprised that we have not yet been accused of  provoking the Black Lives Matter movement. That would have been a good line of attack. But ...' Putin said, ridiculing the attack.

Then he waded further into U.S. domestic politics, saying: 'We have always treated with understanding the fight of African Americans for their rights,' but said he couldn't approve of any 'extreme' actions associated with the movement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC sharply dismissed allegations that his country is carrying out cyberattacks against the United States as baseless

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team issued detailed indictments for Russian intelligence operatives accused of 2016 election interference. But Russia didn't hand over the alleged hackers, and they have not stood trial.

The U.S. government has said Russia may be housing cyber hackers who carried out the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, but has not said it was a government operation.

U.S. intelligence does assess that Russia interfered in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Putin's comments come as Biden kicked off the NATO summit in Brussels by saying Russia and China had not acted 'in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped.'

Putin once again sought to deflect U.S. pressure to respect opposition groups by bringing up the arrest of hundreds who took part in the Capitol riot in Washington

Biden kicked off the NATO summit in Brussels by saying Russia and China had not acted 'in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped'

Former President Donald Trump (L) chats with Russia's President Vladimir Putin as they attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on November 11, 2017

Putin denied Russia was behind ransomware hacking like the attack on Colonial Pipeline

Putin once again brought up Capitol rioters when pressed on Russia's treatment of the political opposition

Vladimir Putin could be open to prisoner swap for jailed Americans Paul Whelan and 'troublemaker' Trevor Reed Putin also discussed the fate of two Americans held in Russia, Trevor Reed, a former Marine sentenced to nine years in prison for allegedly punching a Russian police officer, and Paul Whelan. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine was sentenced to 16 years in prison after being convicted of spying. This secret trial in which no evidence was produced is an egregious violation of human rights and international legal norms, U.S. ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan said following Whelans conviction. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. was outraged over the secret trial, with secret evidence, and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses. Whelan, who also holds passports from the U.S., Britain, Canada, and Ireland, denied the espionage charges. His lawyer said following his arrest at a Moscow hotel in late 2019 that Whelan had been given a flash drive containing state secrets that someone handed him, but that he had not opened it or looked at its contents. He was expecting it to contain personal information. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said President Biden would raise both cases when he meets with Putin, having already said he will be direct with the Russian leader. Putin indicated he was open to a potential prisoner swap, according to NBC. He called Reed was a troublemaker, referring to him a drunk who got himself s**t-faced and started a fight." Reed is an executive from Michigan. He and his family as well as his Russian girlfriend have denied the charges. Sullivan said following his conviction last year: This is not a good story for U.S.-Russia relations. And it is not good for encouraging U.S. private citizens and business to visit and invest here if what they did to [Reed] can be done to anyone, NBC reported at the time. Advertisement

Putin once again sought to undermine a U.S. push the Kremlin to respect press freedoms and allow a sphere for political opponents to exist  by bringing up U.S. prosecution of rioters who stormed the Capitol Jan. 6th.

Putin, who is to meet President Joe Biden at a summit Wednesday, has suggested that the hundreds of people arrested for rioting at the U.S. Capitol are being subjected to 'persecution for political opinions.'

Charging documents reveal many of those who have been arrested were carrying sticks and poles, attacked police officers, or broke through windows to enter the seat of legislative power.

'We have a saying: "Don't be mad at the mirror if you are ugly,"' Putin said.

'It has nothing to do with you personally. But if somebody blames us for something, what I say is, why don't you look at yourselves? You will see yourselves in the mirror, not us.'

Putin is likely to come under strong criticism from Biden at their meeting in Geneva for moves against his political opponents in Russia, particularly the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the detention of thousands of demonstrators protesting his arrest, and the outlawing of Navalnys organizations as extremist.

Anticipating that Biden will raise issues of human rights and the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Putin said: 'You are presenting it as dissent and intolerance towards dissent in Russia. We view it completely differently.'

He then pointed to the Jan. 6 unrest in Washington when protesters barged into the Capitol to try to halt the count of electoral votes to certify Bidens election victory over Donald Trump.

'Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress? ... They came there with political demands,' he said.

Putin also reiterated denials that the Kremlin was behind last year's poisoning of Navalny with a nerve agent that nearly killed him.

'We don't have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody,' Putin said.

'Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman?' Putin said, referring to Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through a window that led to the House floor.

In April, the United States announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and new sanctions connected to the so-called SolarWinds cyberattack in which several U.S. government branches experienced data breaches. U.S. officials blamed the Russian foreign intelligence service.

In May, Microsoft officials said the foreign intelligence service appeared to be linked to an attack on a company providing services to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The two men shared an awkward fist bump ahead of their private sit down, where President Erdogan will tell Biden his disappointment that the US recognized Armenian genocide

President Joe Biden greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a plenary session at a NATO summit in Brussels
A toddler whose body was found strapped in his car seat inside his Tennessee home died of starvation and dehydration after his mother fatally overdosed on meth and fentanyl, autopsies show.

Tiffany Spears, 32, and her 15-month-old son, Nicholas Crowder, were found dead inside the home in Portland, north-east of Nashville, back in February but the results of their autopsies were only released on Monday.

The medical examiner, who ruled both deaths an accident, said Spears had been dead several days after dying of a drug overdose.

It is not clear how long Nicholas had been dead before he was found but his cause of death was starvation and dehydration.

Tiffany Spears, 32, and her 15-month-old son, Nicholas Crowder, were found dead inside the home in Portland, Tennessee in February

His three-year-old sister, who was found alive inside the home, appeared to have tried to care for the little boy prior to him dying.

The medical examiner noted that food, including dried egg and eggshells, were found in and around his car seat.

Authorities were first alerted after a probation officer went to the home on February 9 and found it locked.

The probation officer called 911 after she looked through the window and saw Spears lying on the floor and the little girl running around the home.

The medical examiner, who ruled both deaths an accident, said Spears had been dead several days inside the home after dying of a drug overdose. It is not clear how long Nicholas had been dead before he was found but his cause of death was starvation and dehydration

Spears' body was lying on the bathroom floor and authorities said there was drug paraphernalia inside the home. Spears is pictured above with her boyfriend and Nicholas' father James Crowder

Officers found Spears' body lying on the bathroom floor and drug paraphernalia inside the home.

Nicholas was found strapped in his car seat on the floor of a bedroom.

The little girl was taken to hospital for treatment.

Authorities had always suspected Spears had died of a drug overdose. Her toxicology report came back showing signs of meth and fentanyl in her system.

Back when the bodies were discovered, authorities said there had previously been other drug-related deaths at the rental home.

It wasn't immediately clear if those deaths were related to previous tenants.
A woman deliberately reversed her car into a crowded bar in Brazil moments after leaving and made its roof collapse before fleeing the scene, cops say.

Authorities in northeastern Brazil searching for a woman plowed her vehicle into a group of bar customers who were enjoying drinks on June 12.

Surveillance video shows over a dozen people sitting and milling around four tables when the driver reversed her SUV and crashed into the crowd Saturday night in Feira de Santana, Bahia.

The impact of the accident destroyed a beam, which sent the bars outdoor roof collapsing on top of some of the customers.

Brazilian authorities in the northeastern state of Bahia are searching for the female driver of a vehicle (circled) who slammed into a group of bar customers celebrating Valentine's Day on Saturday night. At least two people were hospitalized with injuries

The driver put the SUV into reverse and plowed into at least four tables before hitting a pole which sent the outdoor roof collapsing on top of several customers

Despite being struck by shards of the collapsed roof, bar attendees jumped into action and tried to help those who were hurt.

Brazilian online news portal G1 reported that several customers were injured.

At least two people who were sitting at a table of eight - which was the first one struck by the car - were were rushed by ambulance to an area hospital.

Further updates on their condition have not been shared.

A driver drove into a bar with her car last Saturday night in Feira de Santana, Brazil. Security camera footage captured the moment when the vehicle drags dozens of people who were enjoying the night at the site

A woman driving a SUV (circled) reversed the vehicle and slammed into a group of customers who were out celebrating Valentine's Day in Brazil on Saturday night. The driver, according to Brazilian online news portal G1, had been drinking before the terrifying accident

Witnesses told the outlet that the woman, whose name is unknown, had been at the bar drinking moments before the horrifying accident.

Instead of looking to help out the injured, the woman fled the scene. Police say it is unclear if she was drunk when she reversed into the bar, and a possible motive for the car attack remains unknown.

The woman remained at-large as of Monday evening.
A Royal Marines recruit has been found dead on a railway track amid claims of bullying at a training camp.

Detectives were last night investigating the suspected suicide of Connor Clark just weeks into a commando course.

The probe is being led by British Transport Police, whose officers were called to the railway line early on Saturday morning.

Passers-by had reported seeing a body and paramedics were also dispatched. Mr Clark was declared dead at the scene.

He had apparently scaled a fence to gain access to the Exeter to Exmouth line near the commando training centre in Lympstone.

Detectives were last night investigating the suspected suicide of Connor Clark just weeks into a commando course. Pictured: Conor Clark with his mother Tracy Clark

His fellow recruits and their instructors will be interviewed as part of the criminal probe into his death. Senior officers have pledged full cooperation.

Recruits  possibly including Mr Clark  are said to have expressed concern about their treatment by instructors before the tragedy.

Royal Navy sources said senior officers were 'open-minded' about the possible causes and an internal inquiry had been launched.

This could lead to instructors facing military charges even if they are not accused under civilian law.

In a harrowing tribute on Facebook Tracy Clark, understood to be the recruit's mother, said: 'Yesterday this beautiful son, brother and friend Connor Clark tragically took his own life whilst following his dream during Royal Marines commando training.

'I spoke to him ten hours prior and there were no signs. Anyone who knows us will know how beautifully close we were.

'I write this with a broken heart and solely to share as a warning. Hug your precious kids close.'

Detectives were last night investigating the suspected suicide of Connor Clark just weeks into a commando course at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines in Lympstone (file photo)

Mr Clark's death is a major blow to the morale of the Royal Marines, especially since Navy bosses have worked to stamp out bullying on ships and in amphibious units.

Recruits in Mr Clark's unit have been offered counselling and are being comforted by the training centre's chaplain. The commanding officer of the base, Colonel Simon Chapman, is ensuring all cooperation is given to British Transport Police and the Devon and Cornwall force.

The commando centre on the banks of the Exe estuary is the Royal Marines' principal training base. Each year, an average of 1,300 recruits and 400 potential officers attend its gruelling courses.

Defence officials said the thoughts and sympathies of the Naval Service were with Mr Clark's friends and family. A spokesman added: 'We can confirm that Recruit Connor Clark died on June 12, 2021. His next of kin have been informed. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further.'

Clark had apparently scaled a fence to gain access to the Exeter to Exmouth line near the commando training centre in Lympstone (file photo of the train station)

Mr Clark is understood to have started his training at the end of last month. For the first period of the 32-week course recruits live together in a large room and their instructors are billeted nearby.

They are supported as they try to adapt to military life and win a coveted green beret. But, according to sources, the mentoring system, which involves senior Marines offering one-to-one help, has been compromised by the pandemic.

In 2019, a video emerged of a Royal Marine on HMS Albion with a swastika scrawled on his chest, apparently the result of a humiliating initiation ceremony during a military exercise.

And in 2012 an instructor at Lympstone was fined 1,750 after admitting three charges of ill-treatment of recruits.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123, or go to www.samaritans.org
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With lockdowns lifted, Americans are heading for the great outdoors but in doing so some of the country's National Park are becoming overrun with visitors.

As a result, the parks and nearby towns are becoming overcrowded with visitors with some even requiring reservations including California's Yosemite National Park and Maine's Acadia National Park.

The main reason for such high visit numbers well before the peak summer season is due to a higher percentage of first-timers checking out the nation's natural wonders, according to the Bureau of Land Management after people were forced to endure months of lockdown and strict travel restrictions.

For much of 2020, many of the country's National Park's were closed to the public. It has led to a huge amount of pent up demand now that warmer months have arrived.

194,000 people visited Arches National Park in April in eastern Utah. The numbers were 15 percent higher than the number of visitors in 2019. The park was closed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Canyonlands, in southeastern Utah saw a 30 percent increase in visitor numbers in in April, compared with 2019.

At Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, 438,000 people visited in May compared with 434,000 in 2019 - an 11 percent rise and the busiest May on record.

The surge in visitors means long wait times, sometimes of several hours in order to visit the parks. The higher footfall can also sometimes make them less enjoyable to visit.

Nationwide, some U.S. parks were emptier than normal during the pandemic, while Yellowstone and others were near capacity.

At Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, 438,000 people visited in May compared with 434,000 in 2019 - an 11 percent rise and the busiest May ever. : Visitors watch black bears in Yellowstone National Park on June 8

In Maine, Acadia National Park began requiring a $6 reservation for vehicles heading up on Cadillac Summit Road, an extremely popular perch to watch the sunrise. Cars are pictures lining up on a weekend in mid-May this year

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is just one of many Parks that are experiencing record visitor numbers. Pictured, Old Faithful, a cone geyser. Memorial Day weekend is pictured

Visitor numbers are seen standing around Old Faithful at Yellowstone. Memorial Day weekend is pictured

At Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, 438,000 people visited in May compared with 434,000 in 2019 - an 11 percent rise and the busiest May ever

On Monday, the park was forced to close just after 9am were forced to turn visitors away

Top Ten Most Visited National Parks 1.) Great Smoky Mountains National Park 12.1m 2.) Yellowstone National Park 3.8m 3.) Zion National Park 3.6m 4.) Rocky Mountain National Park 3.3m 5.) Grand Teton National Park 3.3m 6.) Grand Canyon National Park 2.9m 7.) Cuyahoga Valley National Park2.8m 8.) Acadia National Park 2.7m 9.) Olympic National Park 2.5m 10.) Joshua Tree National Park 2.4m Advertisement

Outdoor experiences provided refuge from the pandemic for 237 million visitors to America's national parks in 2020. The number represents a 28% decrease from the previous year due largely to temporary park closures and restrictions implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic .

Although overall visitation dropped, a number of parks experienced record crowds and welcomed new visitors. Trails, overlooks and open spaces provided safe ways for visitors to get some fresh air and stay active.

'This past year has reminded us how important national parks and public lands are to overall wellbeing,' said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge.

'Throughout the country, national parks provided close-to-home opportunities for people to spend much needed time outdoors for their physical and psychological health.'

During the pandemic, 66 of the 423 parks of the National Park System were fully closed for two months or more.

The majority of parks  particularly those with outdoor spaces  remained accessible to the public. Just a handful of historic and cultural parks, primarily historic homes with limited indoor space, remain closed.

But now parks are once against becoming crowded.

'Anywhere you go, there's going to be a line,' Libby Preslock told the Wall Street Journal.

Preslock recently visited Arched and showed up at 9am only to find the park already at capacity. She was advised to return between three and five hours later.

At Canyonlands there was also a wait but only for one hour.

'Out of the five national parks, this is probably one of the most unique, but I definitely wouldn't say it's my favorite because there's too many people,' said Susan Mathews to the New York Post who recently visited Arches.

It's not clear what the solution to overcrowding might be. Businesses in the area are against any kind of reservation system that are in place at Yosemite and Acadia.

People show up early at Canyonlands National Park in Utah in order to catch the sunrise. A sunrise is pictured last week

Zion National Park is pictures with crowds as witnessed during memorial day weekend 2021

Yellowstone is similarly seeing a record number of visitors since all entrances were open for the 2021 tourist season. Visitors are pictured last week

Visitors, pictured last week, watch black bears in Yellowstone National Park last week. Yellowstone is seeing a record number of visitors since all entrances were open for the 2021 tourist season

Kent Green, the owner of Moab Cowboy Country Offroad Adventures based in Moab, Utah, is against the introduction of reservations fearing such a policy might put off last-minute visitors from coming to the area.

'I think it will kill our economy,' he said.

At some privately owned attractions, reservation systems have been introduced to handle the fast-growing number of visitors including at the privately owned Adirondack Mountain Reserve.

Similar management systems are in place this summer season for outdoor attractions from Maui to Maine, typically in response to the pandemic or to crowds that were surging even before lockdowns inspired more wilderness visits.

Trails elsewhere in New York's 6 million-acre Adirondack Park remain reservation-free but hikers throughout the reserve are now checked in by staff in the parking lot and at the trailhead.

The reservation system offers a trade-off to visitors, sacrificing spontaneity and ease of access for benefits like a guaranteed parking spot and more elbow room in the woods.

Visitors watch bison and their newborns as they cross the road in Yellowstone National Park, pictured last week

The coronavirus pandemic saw many National Parks shut in 2020. With summer approaching people more people than ever are visiting outdoors. Visitors watch black bears in Yellowstone National Park on June 8

Early-rising visitors to Acadia National Park await the sunrise on the summit of Cadillac Mountain, near Bar Harbor, Maine, pictured, last month. The Maine Governo Janet Mills eliminated most outdoor distancing requirements imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic as the tourism season begins to kick into gear

Arches National Park in Utah has also been experiencing long traffic jams with staff. This was the scene on Thursday

Popular trailhead parking lots are typically filled before dawn on summer weekends. Summits like Cascade Mountain are packed.

The three-year pilot reservation system, announced by the reserve and the state in March, is designed both to protect natural resources and for public safety. State officials hope the managed entry will reduce illegal roadside parking.

Outdoor reservation systems are not new, especially for camping spots. But they are popping up more as parks brace for a busy summer now that the coronavirus pandemic is waning in the U.S. and restrictions are being lifted.

Waianapanapa State Park in Hawaii began requiring entry and parking reservations for non-residents. Yosemite and Rocky Mountain national parks have entry reservation systems in place.

Tanya Wyler takes a photograph as Matthias Zather and Ines Zather, all of Switzerland, gather at the Grand Canyon Friday last May after the Grand Canyon National Park increased recreational access at the South Rim to selected viewpoints

A parking reservation sign alerts visitors at the entrance to the Adirondack Mountain Reserve trailhead in St. Huberts, New York A free reservation system went online recently to control growing numbers of visitors packing the parking lot and tramping on the trails through the private land of the Adirondack Mountain Reserve. Pictured last month

Adirondack Mountain Reserve Ranger Mike Ryan, right, checks in two hikers at the trailhead of the reserve, pictured in May

In Maine, Acadia National Park began requiring a $6 reservation last month for vehicles heading up on Cadillac Summit Road, an extremely popular perch to watch the sunrise. The move, part of a larger park transportation plan, was designed to cut down on traffic backups.

Glacier National Park in Montana recently launched a similar advance vehicle reservation on its 50 mile Going-to-the-Sun Road and quickly sold out the initial slots, prompting complaints on social media from frustrated tourists.

More reservations are made available daily on a rolling basis.

Advocates say the inconvenience is outweighed by the need to protect wilderness from overuse. Though the day-use reservation system at Yosemite National Park was enacted because of the pandemic, it has helped solve congestion problems that have plagued the attraction, said Neal Desai, a senior program director with the National Parks Conservation Association.

'We need peoples experience to match their expectations, and theres a massive disconnect right now,' said Desai, who advocates for Yosemite. 'People think theyre getting nature and beautiful trails and instead theyre inhaling car exhaust for hours and finding trails and facilities overcrowded.'

The number of Americans who hiked last year increased by 8.1 million, the largest one-year gain on record, according to the Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Outdoor Industry Association.

National park visits dropped precipitously last year amid pandemic-related park closures and restrictions. But the drop followed years of high use and crowds are expected back in force this year.

'We expect that there will be significant increases in visitation at many parks as COVID mitigation measures are reduced, vaccination rates rise, and Americans increase their travel,' National Parks Service deputy director for operations Shawn Benge told a Senate committee last month.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell went after Senate Democratic leadership for wanting former Attorneys General Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions to testify before Congress over the Trump-era Justice Department's decision to secretly go after records of Democrats and journalists.

'Late last week the Democratic leader and the Democratic whip gave in to the urge to pick at the scab of politically motivated investigations that have become their party's favorite weapon against the previous administration,' McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor.

McConnell said it 'rings completely hollow' for Democrats to be howling about the recent revelations that the DOJ tried secretly obtaining records from House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff and Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell - along with eight journalists - when 'clear abuses of power' infected the investigation into former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he was against having former Attorneys General Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions testify before Congress over the DOJ's decision to secretly go after the records of top House Democrats and journalists

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that former Attorneys General Jeff Session (left) and Bill Barr (right) should testify before Congress. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the inquiry should be left to the DOJ's inspector general

McConnell also stood up for Barr, pointing out that the leak investigations began before his time serving as the top official at the Justice Department.

'Attorney General Barr served our nation with honor and integrity,' McConnell said. 'These latest attempts to tarnish his name bear the telltale signs of a witchhunt in the making.'

The Kentucky Republican acknowledged that Attorney General Merrick Garland already said the DOJ's inspector general would be looking into the matter, calling the IG 'fully equipped.'

'So I'm confident that the existing inquiry will uncover the truth,' McConnell said.

'There's no need for a partisan circus here in the Congress,' the top Senate Republican added.

On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hammered Trump's Department of Justice for secretly seizing records from Democrats and journalists during his Sunday news conference.

'What has happened here are fingerprints of a dictatorship, not a democracy,' Schumer said.

Schumer said Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division John Demers, who's planning to resign from the department, as well as former attorneys general Barr and Sessions, should testify before Congress voluntarily or face a subpoena.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a Sunday press conference in New York City that President Donald Trump's Department of Justice showed the 'fingerprints of a dictatorship, not a democracy'

He asked his Senate Republican colleagues, who twice acquitted Trump on impeachment charges, to join him in the push.

'This was nothing less than a gross abuse of power, an assault on the separation of powers,' Schumer continued. 'I don't think we've ever had a record of this ever happening in the past.'

Schumer's No. 2, Majority Whip Dick Durbin, also called on the former DOJ heads to testify.

Both Barr and Sessions deny knowing about the orders.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that was 'beyond belief' when she appeared on CNN's State of the Union Sunday.

Former President Donald Trump was obsessed with sniffing out government officials who were leaking to the press, often resulting in embarrassing news coverage

'The Justice Department has been rogue under President Trump in so many respects,' she said. 'How could it be that there could be an investigation of the members in the other branch of government and the press and the rest too, and the attorneys general did not know?'

'What the administration did, the Justice Department, the leadership of the former President, goes even beyond Richard Nixon,' Pelosi also said.

During his presidency, Trump wanted to sniff out government officials who were leaking to the press, as his White House was plagued by embarrassing media reports.

Last week the news broke that the Justice Department had secretly subpoenaed Apple for metadata from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who was then the top Democrat on the GOP-controlled committee, which was investigating Trump's ties to Russia.

Another top Democratic Intelligence committee member, Rep. Eric Swalwell, was also targeted.

Swalwell said he didn't 'buy it' that Sessions are Barr were kept in the dark.

'That's not the way the department works. I know from my experience on the Intelligence Committee that for special matters - whether it involves the members of Congress or senior members, you know, in the press - this would go to the attorney general's office,' Swalwell said.

The Justice Department also asked Apple for metadata belonging to then White House counsel Don McGahn and his wife.

McGahn recently testified behind closed doors to the House Judiciary Committee, backing up many of the claims found in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The DOJ also secretly went after communications belonging to eight journalists - one from CNN, three from The Washington Post and four from The New York Times.

CNN's Barbara Starr, the network's Pentagon reporter and the journalist targeted, spoke about it publicly Monday saying, 'To say I was dumbfounded would be such a vast understatement.'

The network's own attorney was under a gag order and so Starr only learned that the government was going after 30,000 of her emails from 2017 this May.
Melbourne is on high alert after two popular shops in the city's CBD were added to Victoria's long list of Covid-19 exposure sites.

Strandbags and Sketchers, both located in the Spencer Outlet Centre, in Docklands, were added on Monday afternoon after Victoria recorded two new locally acquired cases.

A positive case visited the Strandbags store on May 18 between 12.00pm-12.25pm, while another attended the sketchers shop on the same day from 12.10pm-12.40pm.

The Victorian Health Department has listed the stores as tier 2 exposure sites, with those who visited the store advised to get tested urgently and isolate until receiving a negative result.

A Coles express, on the Melton Highway in Taylor Lakes, was also added to the list as a tier 2 site on Monday after positive case visited the petrol station store on May 21 between 10.30am-11.00am.

Busy Melbourne shopping outlet Spencer Outlet Centre (pictured) has been added to the list of exposure sites

The Strandbags (pictured) and Sketchers stores were added on Monday afternoon after they were visited by positive cases on May 18

The two new local cases of COVID-19 on Monday are both children, who are close contacts of previous cases and have not been in the community while infectious.

One is linked to the Reservoir household reported last week, while the other is linked to the man who tested positive at the Southbank townhouse complex. It was previously reported by authorities that the man had a young family.

Authorities are yet to establish a link between the Reservoir family of four, who tested positive on Thursday, to the wider City of Whittlesea outbreak.

Mr Foley said contact tracers were looking at a number of cases that have contracted the virus near a Thomastown industrial precinct, just south of the Metropolitan Ring Road.

'There are as many as 10 public and private exposure sites within this particular pocket of Thomastown, with some broad overlap between a number of the positive cases,' he said.

'We want to use this as an opportunity to remind everyone who was in that industrial precinct, whether you deliver goods there, whether you are part of the service delivery to that particular industrial precinct, just to think about any symptoms that you may have had.'

A Coles Express in Melbourne (pictured) has been identified as a Covid exposure site by health authorities

There are more than 130 venues currently on Melbourne's exposure list - down from 400 that were listed last week

The Victorian Health Department also added six locations to the exposure on Sunday night after confirming a positive Covid-19 case visited the locations - they are all Tier Two exposure sites.

The confirmed case visited the McDonald's Freshwater Place at Southbank in the CBD between 5pm and 5.30pm on Friday, June 11.

They also went to Woolworths Melbourne Square on Hoff Boulevard at Southbank between 4pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday, June 8.

The Medibank office on level seven of 720 Bourke Street, Docklands, was also visited between 7.45am and 4.15pm on May 18.

The office building at 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank, has also been flagged as an exposure site.

The confirmed case visited that site between 8.40am and 9.25am, and 4.35pm and 5.30pm on each of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week.

The Boyd Community Hub and its Maternal Child and Family Health Services on 207 City Road at Southbank was also visited by the Covid-19 positive case between 2.45pm and 3.45pm on Tuesday, June 8.

Melbourne's lockdown ended on Friday, but was replaced with strict restrictions including a ban on home gatherings, a 25km travel limit and mandatory masks indoors and out, which will remain until at least June 18. Pictured: People walk through Bourke Street Mall on Friday

A confirmed case also went to Woolworths Melbourne Square, Shop 1/10 on Hoff Boulevard, at Southbank, between 4pm and 5.30pm on June 8

The park play area at the same location was also flagged as an exposure site with the case visiting between 3.30pm and 4.30pm on the same day.

There are more than 130 venues on Melbourne's exposure list - down from 400 that were listed last week.

Covid fragments have also been detected in the sewage systems of a handful of suburbs, sparking concerns the virus could be in the region undetected.

Wastewater in the northeastern suburbs of Balwyn North, Bulleen, Bundoora, Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights, Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East, Kew East, Macleod, Rosanna, Viewbank, Watsonia and Yallambie are of particular concern.

There are no confirmed cases in the areas, prompting fears there is an undiagnosed infectious case still in the community.

Anybody who visited the areas between June 9 and 10 are urged to seek testing if they develop any Covid symptoms.

Wastewater in the northeastern suburbs of Balwyn North, Bulleen, Bundoora, Eaglemont, Heidelberg, Heidelberg Heights, Ivanhoe, Ivanhoe East, Kew East, Macleod, Rosanna, Viewbank, Watsonia and Yallambie are of particular concern

Meanwhile, residents of a townhouse complex in Melbourne's CBD are being ordered to isolate for up to a fortnight after authorities established a link between two coronavirus cases who live there.

Victoria's Health Minister Martin Foley confirmed a case reported on Saturday lives in the same Southbank townhouse complex as a worker from Arcare Maidstone, who earlier contracted the virus via the aged care facility.

Authorities believe the aged care worker infected the man, aged in his 30s, in a common area of the low-rise complex, prior to testing positive.

'The epidemiology, the interviews with the two cases involved and the genomic sequencing seems to support that,' Mr Foley told reporters on Monday.

'What we're trying to do is to run down the particular circumstances of that and make sure that if there are any chains of transmission out there, that we identify them early and cut them off.'

Victoria's Covid Commander Jeroen Weimer also had a message for his fellow Victorians - get tested as soon as possible (pictured, people on Lygon St on Friday after the lockdown ended on Thursday night

The aged care worker was transferred to hotel quarantine upon testing positive.

Mr Foley said authorities are investigating two possible sites of transmission within the complex.

'As I understand it, it is not laundries,' he said.

The complex has not been listed as a public exposure site.

All registered owners of the more than 100 townhouses have been contacted, while a pop-up testing facility is being established on site.

Nurses will go door-to-door to ensure people are tested.

'Most residents will simply be required to test and isolate until negative ... but a smaller number ... will most likely have to isolate for 14 days,' Mr Foley said.

Melbourne's lockdown has ended - but overnight three new exposure sites were added to the Victorian Health website

A confirmed case visited the McDonald's Freshwater Place on Freshwater Place, at Southbank, between 5pm and 5.30pm on June 11

More than 2000 Victorians are isolating after coming into contact with a positive case, while about 130 exposure sites remain listed as of Monday afternoon.

Some 16,932 Victorians were tested for COVID-19 in the 24 hours to Monday morning, while 13,764 received a vaccine dose at state-run hubs.

Mr Foley said increased testing would help authorities 'run down those last few chains of transmission' left in the outbreak.

The outbreak, which began in the local government area of Whittlesea, forced Melbourne into a two-week lockdown, which ended on Friday.

The lockdown was replaced with strict restrictions, including a ban on home gatherings, a 25km travel limit and mandatory masks indoors and out, which will remain until at least June 18.

Regional Victorians are allowed two visitors at home, while density limits are in place at restaurants, pubs and cafes, gyms and other venues.

Mr Foley said the state was 'on track' to further ease restrictions later in the week.
President Joe Biden on Monday said Ukraine must clean up corruption and meet other criteria if it wanted to join NATO.

Ukraine's president has said he is worried this week's U.S.-Russia summit will leave his country in an uncertain position and has been pushing for clear backing on its push for NATO membership.

After meeting allies in Brussels, Biden signaled he was open to the idea and that Russia's annexation of Crimea did not mean Kyiv would be barred.

But he said the country still had work to do.

'The fact is they still have to clean up corruption,' Biden said after a NATO summit.

'The fact is they have to meet other criteria to get into the action plan.

'And so school's out on that question. It remains to be seen.'

President Biden said, 'School's out,' when asked whether Ukraine was joining NATO. He said the country had to meet several criteria, including tackling corruption, in order to being the joining process

The question of Ukraine is certain to come up when Biden meets President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine in 2014

In this April 22, 2021, file photo provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian military vehicles prepare to be loaded into a plane for airborne drills during maneuvers in Crimea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants NATO members to accelerate his country's entry into the alliance following a tense standoff with Russia this year that saw Moscow mass troops and military hardware near its borders.

In an interview with Reuters, the Associated Press and Agence France-Press he said most of the troops had yet to withdraw.

'Every day we prove that we are ready to be in the alliance more than most of the countries of the European Union,' he said.

Before Biden spoke, Zelensky triggered speculation that Ukraine had already been given the green light.

'NATO leaders confirmed that [Ukraine] will become a member of the Alliance & the [Membership Action Plan] is an integral part of the membership process,' he wrote on Twitter.

In its joint communique, NATO members reaffirmed their decision made in 2008 about Ukraines process for becoming a member.

'The success of wide-ranging, sustainable, and irreversible reforms, including combating corruption, promoting an inclusive political process, and decentralisation reform, based on democratic values, respect for human rights, minorities, and the rule of law, will be crucial in laying the groundwork for a prosperous and peaceful Ukraine,' it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for a clear timetable for Ukraine to get a Membership Action Plan and a path to joining NATO

On Monday, Zelenskiy seemed to suggest that NATO leaders had given the go-ahead for Ukraine to join the alliance. However, Biden said Kyiv still needed to tackle corruption and meet other criteria

This image released on Thursday, April 22, 2021 by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service shows, Russian military vehicles move during drills in Crimea. Earlier this year, Russia bolstered its forces near Ukraine and warned Kyiv that it could intervene militarily if Ukrainian authorities try to retake the rebel-controlled east.

Biden is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland.

The future of Ukraine is expected to be near the top of the agenda.

On Monday, Biden made clear that Ukraine had his support in standing firm against Russia.

'In the meantime, we will do all that we can to put Ukraine in a position to be able to resist Russian physical aggression,' he said.

'And it will not just depend on me whether or not we conclude that Ukraine can become part of NATO, will depend on the alliance and how they vote.'

Earlier, Biden called Putin a 'worthy adversary' but declined to call him a 'killer' as he has done before.

He has been making a point of soliciting views of other world leaders on what he should say when he finally gets together with Putin.

'They thanked me for being willing to talk with them about the meeting,' Biden said, fielding a handful of questions after making reporters wait two hours for a delayed press conference.

He said there was a consensus that it was 'appropriate' for them to meet and rejected the notion that it constituted a reward for Putin to win a meeting so early in his presidency.

'If he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past,' Biden said, 'then we will respond. We will respond in kind.'

But he offered a caveat saying he was willing to cooperate where it was in their mutual interests to do so.

But he offered a caveat. 'We should decide where its in our mutual interests and the interests of the world to cooperate,' he said.
Chuck Schumer sparked an angry backlash by referring to mentally disabled homeless children as 'retarded'.

The Senate minority leader, who represents New York, was asked on a Sunday podcast about housing in New York City.

Schumer, 70, was discussing the complexities of social housing, and especially homeless shelters, when he used the offensive term for the mentally disabled.

'I wanted to build, when I first was an assemblyman, they wanted to build a congregant living place for retarded children, and the whole neighborhood was against it,' he said.

He later apologized for the 'outdated' and 'hurtful' language, claiming he'd used it because the homeless program he was discussing was led by the AHRC.

The AHRC, an organization dedicated to fighting for people with mental disabilities, previously stood for 'the Association for the Help of Retarded Children,' though the group has dropped 'retarded' from its title.

Schumer, 70, appeared on the OneNYCHA podcast on Sunday to discuss New York City's housing problems. The senator told how, years ago, he faced a struggle to build a shelter for 'retarded' homeless children. His spokesman later apologized

'For decades, Senator Schumer has been an ardent champion for enlightened policy and full funding of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,' Schumer's spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.

'He used an inappropriate and outdated word in his description of an effort he supported that was led by the AHRC to build a group home in his Brooklyn district decades ago to provide housing and services to children with developmental disabilities.

'He is sincerely sorry for his use of the outdated and hurtful language.'

Critics seized upon Schumer's ill-advised phrasing.

Sean Spicer, who served as Donald Trump's first press secretary and now has his own Newsmax show, was quick to share the link to the DailyWire story.

'WTF? Did @SenSchumer actually say retarded? Please tell me this is a doctored video,' another Twitter user wrote.

One man noted that the remark would have generated a firestorm if Trump had said it.

'Hey @DonaldTrumpJr, what would the press do if your father had said this?' he asked.
The Biloela family that have been detained on Christmas Island and separated for more than two years are set to be reunited in Australia.

The federal government has been weighing up what to do with the Murugappan family as it faces mounting pressure to let them stay in Australia, where both of their children were born.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Tuesday morning the family would be reunited 'very soon' and that they will be returning to Australia.

'This process, this family have gone on Christmas Island for a very long time,' he told Sky News.

'The good news, the positive development is the family will be reunited on Autsralian shores very shortly.'

He would not confirm if they would be allowed to stay in Australia.

The Biloela family that have been detained on Christmas Island and separated for more than two years are set to be reunited in Australia

The family's plight is back in the spotlight after four-year-old Tharnicaa was flown with her mother from Christmas Island to the mainland for medical treatment

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke confirmed the news in a statement in Canberra on Tuesday, saying the family would be allowed to 'reside in the Perth community'.

'In making this determination I am balancing the government's ongoing commitment to strong border protection policies with appropriate compassion in circumstances involving children in held detention,' he said.

'The family will now reside in suburban Perth through a community detention placement, close to schools and support services, while the youngest child receives medical treatment from the nearby Perth Children's Hospital and as the family pursues ongoing legal matters.

Today's decision releases the family from held detention and facilitates ongoing treatment, while they pursue ongoing litigation before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Federal Court and High Court. Importantly, today's decision does not create a pathway for a visa.

'The Government's position on border protection has not changed. Anyone who arrives in Australia illegally by boat will not be resettled permanently.

'Anyone who is found to not be owed protection will be expected to leave Australia.'

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten told Today Tuesday morning 'enough is enough' and the family should be allowed to return to their home in Queensland.

'The Biloela community in central Queensland years ago signed a petition in massive numbers to say could the family stay where they had been living and working for years,' he said.

'Instead, they've had this three-year ordeal in our detention. We should reunite the family and let them live in a community who signalled they want to have them.

'Every year governments exercise discretion. I think the community have shown they want them, so tick.

'I don't think it sets a precedent, tick. So let them be reunited.'

Priya and Nades Murugappan and their two young daughters (pictured) have been on the island for the past three years

Tharnicaa Murugappan (pictured) was medically evacuated to Perth after being hospitalised on Christmas Island with a suspected blood infection

The family's plight is back in the spotlight after four-year-old Tharnicaa was flown with her mother from Christmas Island to the mainland for medical treatment.

Tharnicaa's mother Priya is with her at Perth Children's Hospital, but her father and older sister were forced to stay behind on the island.

Earlier on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said work was underway to bring Nades and Kopika, 6, to Perth.

'I understand the health authorities in WA also make these considerations as to whether the whole family gets reunited,' he told reporters.

'But as I understand, there was work being done towards that.'

Mr Murugappan and Kopika were still on Christmas Island as of Monday afternoon.

It is unclear whether they will be flown to Perth on a commercial flight or a government chartered plane.

The head of the Western Australian health department wrote to the Department of Home Affairs last week advising the Murugappan family be reunited in Perth.

It was not a plea for compassion but based on clinical advice of the Tharnicaa's treating doctors that she must be with family.

Her treatment for pneumonia and sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection, could take up to eight weeks.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was considering its options and would take advice from medical experts at the Department of Home Affairs.

Pressure has been mounting on Mr Morrison to let the family stay in Australia, with politicians from across the spectrum calling for them to be allowed to return to their adopted home of Biloela in Queensland.

Kopika (left) gets taken to school by guards while Priya stays inside to look after four-year-old Tharunicaa (right)

He has signalled the government could finally back away from its hardline stance and allow the family to stay in Australia, at least on a temporary basis.

'There are options that are being considered that are consistent with both health advice and the humanitarian need and the government's policy,' Mr Morrison said.

However, the prime minister said permanent resettlement was out of the question.

'That wouldn't be government policy for a pathway to permanent settlement - that is not the government's policy.'

Nine health organisations representing tens of thousands of medical professionals across Australia have signed an open letter calling for the family's release.

Paediatrician Jacqueline Small from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians said the children must be allowed to develop and grow in the community.

Tharnicaa reads a book from her bed in Perth hospital on Thursday where she is being treated for sepsis. The announcement comes amid growing calls for the federal government to resettle the family

'We feel very strongly keeping these children in held detention, particularly offshore detention, represents an extreme and unacceptable risk to the children's health, development and mental wellbeing,' she told ABC radio.

'Given both children were in held detention from their toddlerhood, the risks are even higher.'

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has supported calls for the family to stay in Australia for more than two years.

'Tharnicaa and Kopika were born in Australia,' he told Network Seven.

'Now, maybe if their names were Jane and Sally and they were playing in their local netball side, we'd think twice about sending them back to another country which they're not from.'

The government is expected to announce the Murugappan family's (pictured) release from detention on Tuesday, allowing father Nades and Kopika, 6, to reunite with mother Priya and Tharnicaa in Perth

Mr Joyce also argued Mr and Mrs Murugappan had jobs and were valued members of their local community.

'In regional Australia, we need people who have jobs. These people should be staying here.'

Labor leader Anthony Albanese rejected the argument showing the family compassion and exercising discretion would somehow restart the people-smuggling trade.

'This is about a family who are here, this is not a threat to our national sovereignty,' he said.
Boris Johnson faced a ferocious backlash from all wings of the Tory Party over his decision to delay Freedom Day last night  as his own MPs warned of curbs lasting through winter and beyond.

Horrified backbenchers expressed concerns about a lockdown without end and said they were losing confidence in the prospect of coronavirus restrictions being lifted for the foreseeable future.

In the wake of the Prime Ministers announcement of a four-week delay to removing curbs in England, they accused him of panicking and said that they feared a return to even tighter curbs in the autumn.

The Prime Minister received backlash from all wings of the Tory Party last night after he announced the four-week delay to Freedom Day with lockdown curbs lasting until July 19

One Cabinet minister said last night the frontbench team were resigned to the fact there would be a delay, but added: We must now deliver on vaccinations.

No ministers stuck their head above the parapet to publicly criticise the lockdown extension.

It emerged that MPs will be given a vote tomorrow on whether regulations enforcing the lockdown should be extended until midnight on July 19  the new supposed Freedom Day.

But the enraged Tory rebels conceded they were effectively powerless to block the postponement as the support of Labour meant Mr Johnson was unassailable.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, said: I dont see the evidence for us suddenly panicking like this.

If we are not careful we will drift into late summer and autumn, and the scientists will say, You cannot unlock now because we are heading into winter. Where are we going with all of this?

The Tory grandee warned that the country needed to get business going so we can pay our taxes and can afford the Health Service and cut our borrowing.

We seem to think there is only one risk and that risk is Covid and everything else is irrelevant. That is a serious problem, he added.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, (pictured) accused Boris Johnson of panicking and said he feared lockdown curbs lasting into late summer and autumn

Following the PMs warning of further delays if other new variants emerge, former Tory minister Steve Brine added that he feared the country will be held hostage by new variants as long as coronavirus is in existence.

Mr Johnson faced widespread anger from all sides of his own party. Stephen Hammond, a former health minister who had the whip removed over Brexit before having it reinstated, said it was extraordinary we have more restrictions in place now than when we did not have the vaccine.

Damian Green, Theresa Mays former deputy, warned of a slight danger that people will assume that the Government is responsible for taking all decisions in their private lives.

At times you have to tough it out... existing isnt living - Sir Charles Walker

Another former Tory Cabinet minister, David Jones, said Mr Johnson urgently needed to start liberating people again.

He compared the lockdown extensions to the repeated delays to Brexit. It does feel very similar to March 2019 when people had expected that we would be leaving the EU and of course the Government pushed it further into the long grass, he said.

The Prime Minister has got to take control. Whilst he has to listen to experts, he has to exercise his own judgment and free people again. The impact on the morale of the country is going to be massive  it is a lockdown without end.

Mark Harper, chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs (CRG), said: The data published today shows that the vaccines are very effective at preventing hospitalisation  both after the first and second doses.

Sir Charles Walker, vice chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, (pictured) also fears further lockdowns could be ahead saying he now has an 'overwhelming sense of pessimism'

Theres nothing new in the data that we didnt know when the PM was happy to proceed with June 21. Its very concerning that the PM couldnt rule out either a further delay beyond July 19 or the imposition of further restrictions in the autumn and winter.

Sir Charles Walker, vice chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, also fears further lockdowns could be ahead. He told BBC Radio 4s World At One programme: I just have an overwhelming sense of pessimism now.

Its extraordinary we have more restrictions in place now than when we did not have the vaccine - Stephen Hammond

If you cant lift restrictions at the height of summer, and we are in the height of summer, then you almost certainly are looking at these restrictions persisting and tightening into the autumn and winter. I dont think the July 19 date will be met. If it is, it will be met for weeks before we enter further lockdowns.

He added: Eventually, if you say you are going to live with Covid-19, ultimately at times you are going to have to tough it out. Existing isnt living.

Asked if he thought the easing of restrictions could be reversed, Sir Charles said: Yes I do.

Labour sources suggested last night their MPs would back the renewal of lockdown regulations in the Commons vote. Steve Baker, deputy chairman of the CRG, said: Labour again make Boris Johnson unassailable.

The last time MPs voted on coronavirus legislation in March, they overwhelmingly backed an extension by 484 votes to 76.
Police will search a rubbish tip as part of their investigation into the suspicious disappearance of a Melbourne mother.

Kelly 'Ju' Zhang, 33, was last seen leaving her Epping home on February 1, wearing a pink nightgown and possibly slippers.

Her boyfriend, Joon Seong Tan, 35, was charged with her murder on February 11, a day after he was arrested at Melbourne Airport.

Police on Tuesday will begin a four-day search of landfill at Wollert Waste Management Centre in an effort to find Ms Zhang's body.

Kelly 'Ju' Zhang, 33, was last seen leaving her Epping home on February 1, wearing a pink nightgown

A number of searches were conducted for the mother-of-one earlier this year, including in bushland in Heidelberg West and Alphington.

Police have already searched an area of Darebin Creek Reserve as part of their investigation.

Missing Persons Squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said police wanted to provide Ms Zhang's China-based family with some answers.

'We're hopeful that the search this week will move us closer to ultimately being able to find Ju and give her family even a small amount of comfort that she's been located,' he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Police on Tuesday will begin a four-day search of landfill at Wollert Waste Management Centre in an effort to find Ms Zhang's body

'This has been an incredibly difficult few months for them, however, our investigators are as tenacious and committed as ever.'

He urged anyone with information about Ms Zhang's disappearance to come forward.

Tan is due to face court again on July 16.

The 35-year-old appeared in court in February where it was revealed detectives were looking into 3,500 hours of CCTV footage in relation to Ms Zhang's disappearance.

The pair are believed to have been together for just weeks before Ms Zhang vanished.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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The twins who survived a lagoon horror crocodile attack have been pictured for the first time since the nightmare incident.

Melissa Laurie is seen smiling from hospital alongside her sister Georgia after narrowly escaping death at a waterway in Mexico.

Georgia, 28, had repeatedly punched the crocodile on the nose after seeing it pounce on her sister on June 6.

She told ITV News she had seen her sister's body 'floating towards her' after Melissa, who alerted the group to the danger, did not make it back to the bank.

The pair had been swimming at Manialtepec Lagoon with two friends when the animal attacked Melissa and dragged her beneath the water.

Georgia had managed to escape, but went back into the water after her sister did not respond to her calls, and confronted the crocodile.

Mel Laurie is seen smiling from hospital alongside her sister Georgia after narrowly escaping death at a waterway in Mexico

Pictured: The twins and friends in hospital following the horrific crocodile attack in Mexico

'I thought at one point she was dead': Georgia Laurie explains what happened as the crocodile launched three attacks on her sister

Georgia added: 'We saw the crocodile and we tried to swim to safety but unfortunately my sister didn't escape that - so it took her under.

'We tried to call her name but there was no answer so I went towards my friends and tried to find my friends and then I just saw her body floating towards me.

'I jumped into action with my rescue training that I remember and dragged her body towards me and laid her on my chest and tried to revive and she started going into a fit.

Georgia Laurie outside the hospital where twin sister Melissa is recovering from a crocodile attack

'And the crocodile came back twice - so I beat it off but the third time is when I sustained the most injuries'.

Georgia said that Melissa remembers being dragged underwater in the first crocodile attack, feeling like she was going to drown and thinking her arm was being ripped off.

The only other thing Melissa remembered was her sister singing to her on the boat to comfort her as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

Georgia explained how a boat with tour guide went past at the right time, but those onboard could not help at the time.

The crocodile then came back for a third time, injuring Melissa as it tried to death roll and take her away, but it eventually fled following Georgia's sustained punching on the nose.

Melissa sustained puncture marks covering her abdomen and legs, along with a fractured wrist, cuts to her stomach and water in her lungs, Georgia said.

She was last week seen walking around the hospital with wounds to her hand - sustained from punching the crocodile during the on June 6 ordeal.

Speaking at the hostel where she is staying, Georgia, from Sandhurst, Berkshire, had said: 'It was fight or flight and you fight for the ones you love.'

The parents of the British twin sisters have now flown out to Mexico to support them.

Sean and Sue Laurie flew out of Heathrow to Mexico City to support twins Melissa and Georgia after a horrifying crocodile attack on June 6.

Sue, 62, told MailOnline: 'I don't want to go to Mexico  you hear terrible stories about how dangerous it is  but the girls need their mum.

Georgia Laurie was pictured with a bandaged hand on Thursday outside the hospital where Melissa is still recovering

The 28-year-old walked around the hospital with a male companion after suffering wounds to her hand while punching off the crocodile

Georgia Laurie (right) has described how she risked her own life to fight off the ten-foot-long predator who had dragged her sister Melissa (left) under the water

'Georgia has been fantastic and did everything she could for her sister. But she needs support. The needs the comfort of her family.

'She tries to put on a brave face but really she is quite fragile. Georgia wants me to come there. She wants her mum. So obviously I am going.'

Melissa suffered terrible injuries from the attack including deep bites to her body, legs, hands and wrists  some of which turned septic.

She also suffered a suspected punctured lung and was put in a medically induced coma to aid her recovery.

But she has been brought round now and is able to speak to Georgia who visits her regularly at the private hospital where she is being treated.

Her husband Sean added: 'Obviously we want to do everything we can for our girls. We can be by Melissa's bedside but we can also help in getting her home.'

It comes after sister Georgia spoke for the first time about punching the croc after it grabbed her twin.

Sean and Sue Laurie (left), parents of crocodile attack twins Melissa and Georgia (right) have flown to Mexico today to support the sisters as they recover

Georgia, an experienced diver, told how she did not realise the severity of her own injuries until a nurse examined her at the hospital in the surfing resort of Puerto Escondido

'It was trying to take her away,' Georgia said. 'I punched it in the nose with both fists and it felt hard, like hitting a table, but it scared it off.'

'No one warned us there were crocodiles there at all. We hadn't been drinking, there was no alcohol involved.

'We were just there for a chill-out. Melissa swan off by herself and got into trouble. I didn't know what was happening but I swan towards her.'

As she got closer Georgia, a qualified diver, noticed the reptile viciously attacking her sister.

'I saw her getting jerked around and I saw a croc's head which was about two feet long. The croc swam off, but kept coming back,' she said, the Sun reported.

'That's when it grabbed her by the leg and got her in a death roll. She went round and round and it was trying to drag her away.

'I was pounding it, and that's when it grabbed me and bit my arm. I bashed it with the other hand and it let me go. That happened three times.

'The croc battle seemed to go on a long time but adrenalin kicked in.'

Melissa was then pulled from the water by Georgia with the help of Moises Salinas, a 16-year-old deck hand on a tour boat named Espatula Rosada.

Georgia praised the work of the Mexican doctors at the hospital (pictured) to save her sister and the support of British Embassy staff

She explained that due to the adrenalin pumping around her body, it wasn't until the nurses opened up her fists that she saw she had lacerations on her own hands

Salinas jumped into the shallow murky waters along the Manialtepec River and helped pull Melissa onto the boat before rushing her and her sister to a waiting ambulance 20 minutes away.

Once Melissa was on the boat, the extent of her injuries became clear, Georgia said.

'She had puncture wounds everywhere but wasn't bleeding out. She was drifting in and out of consciousness,

'The thing that worried me was she was coughing up blood and saying, 'I'm drowning, I'm drowning'. It was scary, and she screamed too.

'I thought of how I had seen her face down in the water for a long time, so I was worried how much water she had swallowed.'

Once at hospital, Georgia explained: 'the doctors were worried about her lungs, because they thought she may have got pneumonia from an infection.

'I had to sign some papers saying treatment could go ahead, which included an induced coma. That was scary, because it seemed touch and go.'

Georgia stood outside the hospital wearing a backwards cap while on her phone as the sisters continue their recovery

The heroic sister walked with a bandaged hand after suffering cuts from punching the crocodile

Melissa was woken from the coma last week and in a short voice message from her hospital bed told MailOnline: 'I am extremely grateful that I came out of this alive.

'And that I had Georgia fight my side for me. So I am very happy for that.'

Melissa suffered terrible injuries from the attack including deep bites to her body, legs, hands and wrists  some of which turned septic. She also suffered a suspected punctured lung.

Georgia had earlier explained that due to the adrenalin pumping around her body, it wasn't until the nurses opened up her fists that she saw she had lacerations on her own hands.

Up until then she had been fully focused just on her sister's well-being.

Georgia added that Melissa is out of the medically induced coma that doctors placed her in to aid her recovery.

Georgia told the BBC: 'I just want to let you know that I saw Mel earlier and she doing really much better.

'She is doing really good.

The heroic British woman who saved her twin sister from the jaws of a crocodile in Mexico described her battle to save her as 'fight or flight'

Georgia added that she had checked with the tour guide whether it was a safe place to swim before she and her sister went into the water. Pictured: Manialtepec Lagoon

'They took the tube out of her. She has been on her own very well.

'However she can't talk because of the soreness in her throat from the tube.

'They [medical staff] said that when they were explaining the procedure to her before they did it that she comprehended and understood everything.

'She recognised me and knew who I was.

'She seemed happy to see me and she is doing much better.'

Georgia added that she had checked with the tour guide whether it was a safe place to swim before she and her sister went into the water.

Georgia said to the guide; 'this looks a place where crocodiles would make their nests, would make their home.'

But the guide, who it later emerged is unlicensed and inexperienced, said the area was safe to swim.

Georgia said: 'It was terrifying.'

One of her friends described how Georgia scrambled onto mangroves at the edge of the water to call for help.

A local boatman Lalo Escamilla came to their rescue.

He said: 'I pushed through the undergrowth using my oar.'

Lalo chastised the rogue guide known as Richie, who had taken the sisters in the jaws of the crocodile.

He said: 'They're not guides. They're not federally-approved experts, they don't know this place. That's the problem.'

Georgia (right) added that Melissa is out of the medically induced coma that doctors placed her in to aid her recovery

Georgia said: 'It wasn't until the nurse opened my fist to clean my hand that I realised that it had been slashed too,' Georgia said.

The 28-year-old described the harrowing moment she had to call her parents at 4am to tell them her twin had been attacked by a crocodile.

And then how she had to phone hone again when doctors told her that Melissa was fighting for her life after her condition got worse.

She said: 'When they told me her condition was deteriorating, I had to let the family know.'

But she told of the family's relief when Melissa's medical condition improved.

She said: 'We are all so happy.'

Georgia praised the work of the Mexican doctors to save her sister and the support of British Embassy staff.
The price of bitcoin hit a two-week peak just shy of $40,000 on Monday after Elon Musk said Tesla may resume accepting the cryptocurrency for its cars.

Bitcoin has gyrated to Musk's views for months ever since Tesla announced a $1.5 billion bitcoin purchase in February and said it would take the cryptocurrency in payment.

He later said the electric car maker would not accept bitcoin due to concerns over how mining the currency requires high energy use and contributes to climate change.

The CEO tweeted on Sunday night that Tesla will start taking bitcoin payments for cars when miners can ensure 'reasonable clean energy usage'.

'When there's confirmation of reasonable (~50%) clean energy usage by miners with positive future trend, Tesla will resume allowing Bitcoin transactions,' Musk tweeted.

Bitcoin rallied more than 9 percent after that message, breaking above its 20-day moving average, to hit $39,838.92.

Tesla will start taking payment for cars in bitcoin when miners can ensure 'reasonable clean energy usage,' according to CEO Elon Musk

Bitcoin rallied more than 9 percent after that message, breaking above its 20-day moving average, to hit $39,000

Bitcoin rose 5.1 per cent to $37,360.63 (26,529.60) on Sunday, adding $1,817 (1,289) in value after Musk sent his latest tweet about renewable energy usage in mining

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF BITCOIN Earlier this year, billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates highlighted the negative impact mining Bitcoin has on the environment. 'Bitcoin uses more electricity per transaction than any other method known to mankind,' Gates said, speaking to the The New York Times. 'It's not a great climate thing.' The cryptocurrency is 'mined' by high-powered computers that continuously solve computational maths puzzles, the complexity of which means the processors require huge amounts of energy. Currently fossil fuels, through connection to national grids, are the primary source of power for many of these mining farms. A 2018 study published in Nature found huge farms of computers used to mine Bitcoin could produce enough greenhouse gases to raise global temperatures 3.6F (2C) in less than three decades. Studies have shown that the annual carbon emissions from the electricity generated to mine and process the cryptocurrency is equal to the amount emitted by whole countries, including New Zealand and Argentina. There are calls, and some efforts, to switch to full renewable power generation for these facilities. Advertisement

Musk had announced in May that Tesla would no longer accept bitcoin for car purchases, citing long-brewing environmental concerns for a swift reversal in the company's position on the cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin fell more than 10 per cent after that tweet.

'The market had been going through another round of correction over the weekend... until Elon Musk's tweet of accepting BTC again for Tesla purchases changed sentiment,' said Bobby Ong, co-founder of crypto analytics website CoinGecko.

He said the market was also supported by software company and major bitcoin-backer MicroStrategy raising half a billion dollars to buy bitcoin.

Bitcoin is up about 33 per cent this year but has collapsed from a record peak above $60,000 (42,000) amid a regulatory crackdown in China and Musk's apparently wavering enthusiasm for it.

Telsa stock is down about 30 per cent since the company's bitcoin purchase.

Musk's tweet on Sunday night was made in response to an article based on remarks from Magda Wierzycka, head of cybersecurity firm Syngia, who in a radio interview last week accused him of 'price manipulation' and selling a 'big part' of his exposure.

'This is inaccurate,' Musk said. 'Tesla only sold ~10 per cent of holdings to confirm BTC could be liquidated easily without moving market.'

Musk had tweeted in May that Tesla 'will not be selling any bitcoin' and 'has not sold any bitcoin,' but investors are keenly awaiting Tesla's next earnings update - due next month - for any disclosure of changes to its position.

Musk has taken issue with the vast computing power required to process bitcoin transactions and in posted messages appearing to lament a breakup with bitcoin.

Other cryptocurrencies were steady after weekend gains, with Ether at $2,491 (1,767) and one-time Musk darling Dogecoin buying about 32 US cents (23p).

Bitcoin is up about 33 per cent this year but has collapsed from a record peak above $60,000 (42,000) amid a regulatory crackdown in China and Musk's apparently wavering enthusiasm for it

The billionaire said that he believed cryptocurrency has a promising future, but it cannot be at great cost to the environment

THE PROBLEM WITH BITCOIN Bitcoin emerged in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. It is unregulated, hard to trace and exists only in cyberspace in the form of a numerical code. It can be exchanged anonymously with anyone in the world at the click of a mouse. Police have described cryptocurrencies as one of the biggest emerging threats in organised crime. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond backed calls for reform, warning that the world needs to 'be cautious about Bitcoin'. Advertisement

Bitcoin, the world's most popular cryptocurrency, was launched back in 2009.

Major companies already accepting Bitcoin  like Microsoft, Wikipedia and AT&T  typically use specialist payment processors that convert the cryptocurrency into traditional currency and send the sum to the company.

Like other cryptocurrencies including Ether and Dogecoin, Bitcoin is still little used for commerce in major economies, hampered by its volatility and relatively costly and slow processing times.

Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said the ride-hailing company discussed and 'quickly dismissed' the idea of investing in Bitcoin, although he said Uber could potentially accept the cryptocurrency as payment.

While Tesla rival General Motors Co said it would evaluate whether Bitcoin could be accepted as payment for its vehicles.

The problem with bitcoin is the energy involved in mining new coins and verifying existing value, according to billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

It uses more electricity per transaction than any other method or currency known to humanity due to the way it is mined by high-powered computers.

The machines continuously solve maths puzzles that require fast, expensive processors that use huge amounts of energy to run and keep cool.

These farms are often connected to the electricity grid, and in most countries fossil fuels are the main source of energy for these national grids.

A 2018 study published in Nature found huge farms of computers used to mine Bitcoin could produce enough greenhouse gases to raise global temperatures 3.6F (2C) in less than three decades.

Studies have shown that the annual carbon emissions from the electricity generated to mine and process the cryptocurrency is equal to the amount emitted by whole countries, including New Zealand and Argentina.

The main cost of sourcing new bitcoins is in the cost of electricity.

In the earliest days of bitcoin a miner could earn 50 BTC every few minutes, but the more bitcoin are uncovered, the harder it is to find them, creating a scarcity.

Today a dedicated $2,000 (1,419) bitcoin miner will generate about $8 (5.68) in bitcoin revenue per day, not including the cost of electricity.
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NASA has finished assembling its massive $18.6 billion (13.18 billion) Space Launch System (SLS) 'megarocket' that will fly astronauts back to the moon over the coming decade.

SLS will launch for the first time in November this year, sending the Orion capsule on an uncrewed jaunt around the moon as part of the first Artemis mission.

Engineers working at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre finished lowering the 212ft tall core stage between two smaller booster rockers on Friday.

This is the first time the core stage and two boosters have been together in their launch configuration since the project was announced in 2011.

NASA has finished assembling its massive $18.6 billion Space Launch System (SLS) 'megarocket' that will fly astronauts back to the moon over the coming decade

ARTEMIS-1 TO LAUNCH IN NOVEMBER NASA's Orion module, sitting atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will launch for the first time in November. It will take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and travel to the moon without a crew in the capsule. This uncrewed flight will see Orion travel into Distant Retrograde orbit around the moon. It will then travel out a further 30,000 miles, reaching 275,000 miles in total. The mission will last 22 days and is designed to test system readiness for future crewed operations. Artemis-2 will see a crew travel around the moon and return, followed by Artemis-3 that will land a crew on the moon in 2024. Advertisement

Teams of experts in Florida had to use a specialised crane to lift the 188,000lb core stage in between the twin solid rocket boosters, to complete the launch configuration.

The complete setup now sits fully assembled on the mobile launcher inside the Kennedy spaceport's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).

The 212-foot-tall core stage, which will provide more than two million pounds of thrust at launch, arrived at Kennedy on April 27.

The massive core stage houses propellant tanks and four engines to provide the thrust necessary to get the heavy payload of the ground.

Together with the two solid rocket boosters, the SLS rocket will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch the first of NASA's next-generation Artemis Moon missions, with Artemis-1 launching in November this year.

Artemis-1 is the name given to the first test flight of the next generation Orion crew capsule, that will take astronauts to lunar orbit ahead of a landing.

Now the core stage is in place with the boosters, NASA will integrate other elements of the rocket needed for launch preparedness testing to begin.

These tests, to be carried out inside the VAB, are required before the Orion spacecraft can be added and the vehicle can be moved to the launchpad.

SLS will launch for the first time in November this year, sending the Orion capsule on an uncrewed jaunt around the moon as part of the first Artemis mission

Engineers working at Florida's Kennedy Space Center finished lowering the 212ft tall core stage between two smaller booster rockers on Friday

This is the first time the core stage and two boosters have been together in their launch configuration since the project was announced in 2011

The mobile launcher serves as a platform not just for stacking but as a key supplier of power, communications, coolants, and propellant for the rocket and spacecraft.

The core stage has undergone extensive testing in Mississippi as part of the Green Run evaluation, including static fire tests of the engines.

In March the core stage engines were fired for eight minutes - the time it takes for SLS to get from the ground up into space.

With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of colour on the Moon and establish sustainable exploration in preparation for missions to Mars.

Teams had to use a specialised crane to lift the 188,000lb core stage in between the twin solid rocket boosters, to complete the launch configuration

The massive core stage houses propellant tanks and four engines to provide the thrust necessary to get the heavy payload of the ground

SLS and NASA's Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway in orbit around the moon, are NASA's backbone for deep space exploration, fulfiling the goal of making lunar exploration sustainable.

The plan is that in the future, astronauts will launch in Orion atop SLS, reach lunar orbit where they will dock with the Gateway, and be taken to the surface in a lander.

SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission, according to NASA.
In a new attempt to part customers from their cash, Netflix has announced an Amazon-like e-commerce store called 'Netflix.Shop'.

The online store lists a range of clothing, apparel and collectables related to Netflix shows including anime series Yasuke and French mystery thriller Lupin.

Netflix says it will add new items to the store every month related to other original shows, including 'exclusive products' from its smash hit Stranger Things.

Netflix calls Netflix.Shop 'an exciting new destination combining curated products and rich storytelling in a uniquely Netflix shopping experience'.

Items on the store include hoodies, some of which are priced as high as $82 (nearly 60), as well as t-shirts, reaching up to $55 (40).

The two most expensive items on the store  a clock and a link necklace, both made of plastic  are $135 (95), while the least expensive are $30 (20).

The online store, now live, lists a range of clothing, apparel and collectables related to Netflix shows

WHAT IS NETFLIX.SHOP? Netflix.Shop is a new online web store from the streaming giant. It lists a range of clothing and accessories related to its original shows. The store is delivering to only US customers, but it will expand to other countries 'in the coming months'. Advertisement

'Netflix.Shop will drop exclusive limited editions of carefully selected high-quality apparel and lifestyle products tied to our shows and brand on a regular basis,' said Josh Simon VP consumer products at Netflix in a blog post.

'Among the items debuting this month are streetwear and action figures based on anime series Yasuke and Eden; as well as limited-edition apparel and decorative items inspired by Lupin in collaboration with the Musee du Louvre.

'We're thrilled to give fans a new way to connect with their favourite stories, and to introduce them to the next wave of artists and designers who embrace the power of storytelling in all its forms.'

Netflix.Shop will first be available in the US before expanding into other countries around the world in the coming months, the firm said.

Currently, the US is the only shipping location listed when anyone attempts to checkout with items.

Netflix-branded products have already appeared in physical stores around the world, including 'trusted partners' like Target in the US.

But Netflix.Store will add new items online that won't be available anywhere else.

Shares in Netflix tumbled 10 per cent on Tuesday after the firm reported cooling growth in paid subscriptions that had spiked during lockdown

Netflix, the world's largest streaming service with 200 million global subscribers, is known for hit shows like The Crown, Stranger Things, Black Mirror and The Queen's Gambit, all fuelled by its own production company.

However, it's increasingly facing competition from the likes of Disney+, which rolled out a new channel in February featuring a wide range of content for older viewers, in an effort to show it's not just tailored for children.

As Netflix doesn't host adverts on its platform, it relies on its monthly subscription charge to generate revenue.

At the end of April, Netflix's shares tumbled more than 10 per cent following cooling growth in paid subscriptions that had spiked during the start of lockdown.

Roughly 3.98 million people signed up for Netflix from January through March this year  down fourfold on the same period last year when first-time users turned to the service to help them through the pandemic.

It seems Netflix is increasingly looking to branch out from streaming  a recent survey sent to Netflix customers indicates the firm is testing a new supplemental service called N-Plus.

N-Plus would feature behind-the-scenes content for its TV programmes and films, as well as podcasts, user-generated playlists, how-to videos and more.

From the survey, it sounds like N-Plus could also consist of some kind of encyclopedic database, akin to Wikipedia or IMDB.

Introducing new services can be interpreted as an attempt by Netflix, the world's biggest streaming service, to help boost user numbers and revenue

The survey, which was first noticed by Protocol, asks users how they would feel about such a service, which it called a 'future online space'.

Netflix hasn't done much to make itself popular with existing subscribers recently, including price hikes and moves to restrict password sharing, a popular practice among families.

Since March, Netflix has been testing a feature that asks viewers to verify that they share a household with the account holder, in an effort to clamp down on sharing of passwords.

Netflix appears to be combating password sharing. A small number of Netflix users are receiving a message (pictured) asking them to confirm they live with the account owner by entering details from a text message or email sent to the owner

A small number of Netflix users are receiving a message asking them to confirm they live with the account owner by entering details from a text message or email sent to the owner.

'If you don't live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching,' the message says.

Some Netflix users who had seen the alert went into meltdown on Twitter, with one saying rival Disney+ had 'won the streaming wars'.

However, security experts have applauded the move for promoting online safety, by reducing the likelihood that credit card details could fall into the wrong hands.
Humanity has yet to find extraterrestrial life, but a new study suggests that the exomoons of 'rogue planets' could be a good place to look.

The research notes that rogue exoplanets - planets outside the Solar System that are not associated with a star - that have their own moon could have conditions that are ripe for atmospheres and liquid water, thanks to cosmic radiation and the planet's tidal forces.

Tidal forces from the planet on the moon could be a source of heat to keep the water in a liquid state, the researchers said in a statement.

If carbon dioxide is 90 percent of the moon's atmosphere, there could be a great enough greenhouse effect to retain the heat and keep the water liquid.

'Together, these energy sources would suffice to keep water in the liquid state.'

It's unclear how many rogue exoplanets there are, but 'conservative estimates' suggest the Milky Way hosts 'at least as many Jupiter-sized orphan planets as there are stars,' the statement added.

The Milky Way has more than 100 billion stars, making it a strong possibility there are over 100 billion of these so-called planetary nomads.

The study has been published in the International Journal of Astrobiology.

Exomoons have yet to be officially discovered, although the first candidate was identified in October 2018.

An illustration of a 'rogue exoplanet' (blue, pictured) not attached to a star, but with an exomoon (orange, pictured) that could support life.

NASA's Hubble and now retired Kepler telescopes discovered the first evidence of an exomoon several years ago, more than 8,000 light-years from Earth. It has yet to be confirmed, though

More than 8,000 light-years from Earth, the object orbits a star known as Kepler-1625.

It was discovered by both the Hubble and the now-retired Kepler Space Telescopes.

Six other exomoon candidates were thought to be discovered in June 2020.

Tidal forces from the planet on the moon could be a source of heat to keep the water in a liquid state, the researchers suggest

If carbon dioxide is 90 percent of the moon's atmosphere, there could be a great enough greenhouse effect to retain the heat and keep the water liquid

The new research added that if water is able to form in a significant amount on the atmosphere, it could be held in a liquid form.

The amount of water would be 10,000 times smaller than the volume of Earth's oceans, but 100 times more than what's found in our planet's atmosphere.

'This would be enough to enable live to evolve and thrive,' the statement added.

'The presence of water on the surface of the exomoon, affected by the capability of the atmosphere to keep a temperature above the melting point, might favor the development of prebiotic chemistry,' the authors wrote in the study.

'Under these conditions, if the orbital parameters are stable to guarantee a constant tidal heating, once water is formed, it remains liquid over the entire system evolution, and therefore providing favorable conditions for the emergence of life.'

This is not the first time that exomoons have been suggested as capable of having liquid water and supporting life.

In June 2019, astrophysicist at the U.K.'s University of Lincoln Dr. Phil Sutton said exomoons 'can be internally heated by the gravitational pull of the planet' and thus 'offer a promising avenue to finding extra-terrestrial life.'

Several moons in the Solar System are believed to have subterranean oceans, which may be home to life - Saturn's Enceladus, and Jupiter's Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.

Earlier this month, NASA's Juno spacecraft released close-up photos of Ganymede, as it flew just 645 miles within the celestial satellite.

It's believed there may be as many as 100 exoplanets with exomoons, according to Space.com.
Researchers in northern Florida believe they've uncovered the remains of a long lost Native American settlement last reported on in the 16th century.

Sarabay was mentioned by both French and Spanish colonists in the 1560s, but it's been considered a 'lost city' until now.

Excavating the southern end of Big Talbot Island off the coast of Jacksonville, archaeologists uncovered both Indigenous and Spanish pottery and other artifacts dating to the late 16th or early 17th century that match cartographic evidence of the Mocama people in the area.

They hope to confirm the discovery of Sarabay over the next few years by finding evidence of houses and public architecture.

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Archaelogists in northern Florida believe they've found evidence of the 'lost' Mocama city of Sarabay, first encountered by Europeans in 1562

The style and amount of Native pottery found on the island is consistent with Mocama culture, according to researchers from the University of Northern Florida.

A team led by UNF Archaeology Lab director Keith Ashley also found over 50 pieces of Spanish pottery that would align with colonists' encounters with the tribeas well as bone, stone and shell artifacts, and charred corn cob fragments.

'No doubt we have a 16th-century Mocama community,' Ashley told the Florida Times-Union. 'This is not just some little camp area. This is a major settlement, a major community.'

The Mocama, who lived along the coast of northern Florida and southwest Georgia, were among the first indigenous populations encountered by Europeans when they arrived in 1562, nearly a half century before the founding of the Jamestown colony.

The style and amount of Native pottery found on the island is consistent with Mocama culture, archaeologists say

A 16th century painting by Jacques le Moyne depicting Huguenot explorer Rene Goulaine de Laudonniere (far right) with a Timucuan leader. The Mocama-speaking Timucua were among the first indigenous populations encountered by European explorers in the 1560s

They were long lumped in with the larger Timucua people, an Indigenous network with a population of between 200,000 and 300,000 split among 35 chiefdoms, according to the National Park Service.

But Ashley maintains they were a distinct sub-group that lived on the barrier islands from south of the St. Johns River to St. Simons Island.

They didn't call themselves the Mocamatheir endonym is actually unknown: the name was derived from the language they spoke.

It translates loosely to 'of the sea,' fitting for a group that lived by the mouth of the St. Johns River and subsisted mostly on oysters and fish.

'The Mocama were people of the water, be it the Intracoastal or the Atlantic,' UNF anthropologist Robert Thunen told the Times-Union in 2009.

The Mocama were a subset of the larger Timucua people, an Indigenous network in northern Florida with a population of between 200,000 and 300,000. Researchers believe they've discovered Sarabay, a major Mocama settlement, on modern-day Big Talbot Island (pictured)

Human habitation on local islands dates back more than 2,500 years, and they have produced some of the oldest known pottery in what is now the US.

Nearly 1,000 years ago, the Mocama were engaged in long-distance tradingwith copper from the Appalachian Mountainsfound at Mocama sites, and Mocama shells and shark teeth uncovered in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Huguenot explorers who arrived in Florida in 1562 delineated two major Mocama chiefdoms, the Tacatacuru and the Saturiwa, the latter of whom quickly allied with the French colonists.

Shards of pottery found on Big Talbot Island in 1998. Additional artifacts discovered since then have crystalized archaeologists opinion the island was home to Sarabay

It was at Fort Caroline, in modern-day Jacksonville, that French Huguenots planted their flag in the New World, 'living among - and eventually annoying - the native Mocama speakers,' the Times-Union wrote in 2009.

At the time of first contact, they were the largest and best known Timucua tribe, so much so that the Spanish came to refer to the entire region as the 'Mocama Province.'

French and Spanish colonists describe Timucua villages with wooden palisade walls, houses, public buildings, and granaries.

By the 1600s, their numbers dwindled rapidly due to the spread of new diseases and ongoing warfare with both English colonists and other Indian tribes.

Survivors relocated to St. Augustine, where they merged with the Guale to form the ethnically diverse Yamasee people.

Their descendants were among the 89 'mission Indians' who evacuated to Cuba in 1763 when their land was ceded to Great Britain and most traces of their habitation lost to time.

In the 1560s, French and Spanish explorers describe Timucua villages as having wooden palisade walls, houses, public buildings, and granaries. By the 1600s, their numbers plummeted due to invasive diseases and ongoing warfare with both English colonists and other Indian tribes

The long-term impact of European contact was 'disastrous' for the Mocama, Ashley told the Times-Union in October 2020. 'They only had another 150 years left in northeast Florida. They just didn't know it yet.'

Part of the lab's ongoing Mocama Archaeological Project, the new discovery builds on digs started in 1998, making it the most extensive excavation of a Mocama-Timucua site in northeastern Florida history.

Previous excavations have found burial mounds and piles of oyster shells.

Over the next three years, researchers will continue to explore the island in hopes of confirming the site is home to Sarabay and plotting its physical layout.

They've opened several large excavation blocks and are searching for evidence of houses and public architecture.
E-cigarettes are often touted as a good alternative for people trying to wean themselves from tobacco.

But a new study from researchers at the University of Southern California reveals a certain kind of e-cigarettes may do the complete opposite.

The researchers found the use of 'ice' flavoured e-cigarettes is positively associated with smoking conventional cigarettes among young adults.

'Ice' e-cigarettes are marketed with both sweet and cooling properties, in combination with fruit or desserts (such as blueberry ice and melon ice).

The researchers also noted that the use of ice e-cigarettes is linked with nicotine vaping frequency and dependence.

While e-cigarettes contain fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes, they usually contain nicotine, an addictive chemical.

It's already known that nicotine constricts blood vessels and over time this leads to a loss of elasticity, which can increase the risk of developing heart disease.

E-cigarettes are particularly risky for the developing brains of teenagers and can also damage babies in the womb, according to the World Health Organisation.

Whether using e-cigarettes - known as vaping - is safe has been a topic of debate for years as their use has increased rapidly, particularly among young people (stock image)

Despite this, the NHS says: 'Many thousands of people in the UK have already stopped smoking with the help of an e-cigarette, and there is growing evidence that they can be effective.

It's thought switching to e-cigarettes provide a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes while still providing a nicotine hit.

The NHS says the liquid and vapour in e-cigarettes contain some potentially harmful chemicals also found in cigarette smoke but at much lower levels.

Public Health England and the Royal College of Physicians estimate e-cigarettes are at least 95 per cent less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

This new study hints at the possibility that there's something about ice e-cigarettes in particular that makes them a possible gateway to both smoking traditional cigarettes and more frequent vaping  but the experts aren't sure what.

Public Health England and the Royal College of Physicians estimate e-cigarettes are at least 95 per cent less harmful than traditional cigarettes (stock image)

WHAT ARE E-CIGARETTES? E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, are devices that allow you to inhale nicotine in a vapour rather than smoke. E-cigarettes don't contain tobacco and don't produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most damaging constituents in cigarette smoke. E-cigarettes work by heating a solution (e-liquid) that typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine, and flavourings. Using an e-cigarette is known as vaping. Source: NHS Advertisement

'Young adult use of ice flavoured e-cigarettes may be common and positively associated with combustible tobacco use, nicotine vaping frequency and dependence and use of disposable e-cigarette devices,' the authors say.

'Because ice flavours represent a hybrid that may contain both cooling and fruity flavouring constituents, it is unclear how these flavours fit into current and future regulatory policies that place differential restrictions across different flavour categories.

'Further studies of the specific cooling agents and chemical constituents in ice flavoured products and health effects of ice flavoured e-cigarette use are warranted.'

As ice e-cigarettes have only recently entered the US market, the researchers wanted to gauge their appeal and see if they're linked to other behaviours around vaping and/or smoking among young adults.

For their study, they drew on 344 online survey responses submitted between May and August 2020.

The survey was part of the Happiness & Health Study  a prospective study of health behaviours which originally recruited 3396 ninth grade students in Los Angeles in 2013.

The survey aimed to find out if respondents vaped and if so, which flavour they had used most often in the preceding 30 days  menthol/mint, fruit/sweet or ice.

Respondents, whose average age was 21, were also asked if they smoked regular cigarettes, what symptoms of vaping dependency they had and how often and what type of vaping device they used.

Overall, 168 (49 per cent) reported most often using ice flavours, 60 (17 per cent) menthol/mint and 116 (34 per cent) fruit/sweet.

VAPING 'DOESN'T WORK AS A QUITTING AID' AND ACTUALLY LEADS TO TOBACCO Vaping doesn't work as an aid for quitting tobacco and actually has the opposite effect, suggests new research. Researchers said there was 'no evidence that e-cigarettes were helpful in the quit attempt' in a large-scale study in the US. Scientists from the University of California in San Diego carried out an analysis of data on 45,971 Americans included in the government-commissioned Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Participants in the study were interviewed in 2013 and 2014 and are interviewed every year. A quarter of smokers who tried to quit in the first years of their enrolment used e-cigarettes to help with their attempt. And at their follow-up interview one year later, 9.6 per cent had managed to stay away from tobacco over the previous 12 months. However, even though some had stopped smoking, researchers say the number who quit was hardly different at all from smokers who didn't use e-cigs. One of the studies' authors, Dr John P. Pierce, said: 'Among this representative sample of US smokers trying to quit, we found no evidence that e-cigarettes were helpful in the quit attempt. 'This lack of effectiveness was also apparent in the sub-sample who used e-cigarettes on a daily basis for this quit attempt.' The study was published in the journal PLOS One. Advertisement

Compared with the vapers of menthol/mint flavoured e-cigarettes, those vaping ice flavoured e-cigarettes were more likely to report smoking regular cigarettes over the previous 30 days  31.5 per cent versus 22 per cent.

Ice flavour vapers were more likely to report symptoms of vaping dependence than fruit/sweet flavour vapers (67 per cent versus 43 per cent).

They were also more likely to have started vaping during high school (74 per cent versus 65 per cent), and to report more daily vaping episodes  11 versus eight.

And they were also more likely than fruit/sweet or menthol/mint flavour vapers to report more vaping days over the past month  17 versus 12 on average.

The study authors point out that their research relied on recall and didn't measure nicotine intake, nor did it differentiate between e-cigarettes containing nicotine and those that didn't.

'While causality cannot be inferred from this cross sectional study, it is possible that exposure to e-cigarettes in ice flavours may somehow increase nicotine vaping frequency and dependence,' they say.

One possibility is that the novel combination of flavours in ice e-cigarettes make users more inclined to take a puff, or they're just a more appealing purchase in vape shops.

'Previous clinical laboratory studies show that fruit and menthol flavours each independently increase the appeal of e-cigarettes and suppress the aversive qualities of nicotine in young adults by creating perceptions of sweetness and coolness, respectively,' the authors say.

'Ice flavours represent a hybrid that may contain both cooling and fruity flavouring constituents.

'Further studies of the specific cooling agents and chemical constituents in ice flavoured products and the health effects of ice flavoured e-cigarette use are warranted.'

The peer-reviewed study, which was also authored by experts at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, has been published in Tobacco Control.

Earlier this year, a study warned that taking up vaping increases the likelihood that young people will end up smoking traditional cigarettes daily by threefold.

The authors, from UC San Diego, said: 'Trying e-cigarettes and multiple other tobacco products before age 18 years is strongly associated with later daily cigarette smoking.'

A report ordered by the Department of Health in the UK found that vaping, which is touted as a healthier alternative to smoking, would be a harmful choice unless replacing cigarettes (stock image)

Last year, a UK government-commissioned report found that e-cigarettes can worsen heart disease and lung disorders while the risks posed by inhaling flavouring ingredients are still unknown'.

The report warned users who do not already use tobacco products risk negative effects on their health by vaping, although vaping is a better option for traditional smokers than sticking with the cigarettes.

Health threats to bystanders were considered low but people can suffer an increased heart rate from high nicotine exposure, if stood close to someone vaping, the report added.

Meanwhile, a major UK clinical trial published in 2019 revealed that, when combined with expert face-to-face support, people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking were twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products such as patches or gum.
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New satellite images reveal how badly western US reservoirs have been depleted as a result of the mega-drought plaguing much of that region, impacting millions.

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Sentinel-2 satellite captured alarming images of the reservoirs stretching from California to Utah and up to Oregon this year, along with shots from 2020 that shows a dramatic decline in water levels.

Lake Shasta, California's largest reservoir, is filled only to 42 percent capacity, while Lake Powell sits below 35 percent.

Lake Mead, the reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in southern Nevada, is at a historic all-time low of just 34.7 percent.

Approximately 89 percent of the western US is experiencing drought conditions, with more than half reported to be in 'extreme' and 'exceptional' drought, reported The Weather Channel, and this region is on track for its most severe drought in history.

Scroll down for video

 Slide me  Lake Mead is currently making headlines after officials announced it met its lowest level on record, which puts millions under emergency rations. Left is a satellite image from 2020 and right is 2021

The mega-drought stems from a severe lack of rainfall over the past two years, combined with warming temperatures that creates a perfect mixture for a catastrophic fire season this year, Gizmodo reports.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) notes that above-average temperatures are expected throughout the US that could expand the dryness to all corners of the nation  but will increase the levels of dryness in states hit by the mega-drought.

Lake Mead is currently making headlines after officials announced it met its lowest level on record, which has put millions under emergency rations.

On Thursday, Lake Mead's water level is projected to hit an elevation of 1,071.61 feet, sinking to its lowest elevation on record since the 1930s, said a Bureau of Reclamation spokeswoman.

 Slide me  Lake Powell has experienced more changes since 2020 (left) amid the mega-drought and much of its riverbed can be seen from space (right)

 Slide me  Folsom Lake, another getaway destination in California, is only at 35 percent water capacity. ESA's satellite images show the shoreline extends much father into the center of the lake that is littered with dry vegetation. Dry plants can also be seen in the surrounding land of the lake, which spells trouble as California nears its wildfire season

Thursday's level is about four feet below the level that would trigger a federal declaration of a water shortage which would cut water supplies to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico.

The drought does not seem as dramatic in the satellite image, but changes can be seen along the shoreline with receding levels revealing dead vegetation.

Although Lake Mead is getting a lot of attention, Lake Powell had more changes amid the mega-drought and much of its riverbed can be seen from space, as it only has received 39.4 percent of its average water inflow since the start of the year.

The lake, located along the Colorado River and touching parts of Utah and Arizona, is at just 34.7 percent capacity; water levels were measured Friday at 138 feet below the full mark.

Image shows an aerial view of Granite Bay at Folsom Lake snapped in May amid the mega-drought

Officials made the announcement about the massive 254-square-mile lake on June 4 and shortly after, Utah Governor Spencer Cox declared a 'Weekend of Prayer' that asked residents to pray for rain.

California's largest reservoir, Lake Shasta, recently was observed at 42 percent capacity.

The lake is a destination for many Americans who typically enjoy boating, fishing and hanging by the lush shoreline.

However, this year's mega-drought left only dusty riverbanks and water levels too low for recreation.

Nearly three hours south of Lake Shasta is another reservoir drying up from a lack of rain. Folsom Lake, another getaway destination in California, is only at 35 percent water capacity.

 Slide me  Castaic Lake is also drying up and wildfires have already been reported in the area around the body of water that sits outside of Los Angeles. Most of Los Angeles County has already experienced 'extreme' drought intensity, which is a level that usually occurs 3 to 5 times every 100 years

ESA's satellite images show the shoreline this year extends much farther into the center of the lake that is littered with dry vegetation.

Dry plants also can be seen in the surrounding land of the lake, which spells trouble as California nears its wildfire season.

However, Castaic Lake is also drying up and wildfires have already been reported in the area around the body of water that sits outside of Los Angeles. Most of Los Angeles County 'extreme' drought intensity, which is a level that usually occurs three to five times every 100 years.
Roy Keane has told Holland to 'forget' about making major progress at Euro 2020 as they will get 'found out' defensively by top teams in the latter stages.

Holland beat Ukraine 3-2 on Sunday night at the Johan Cruyff Arena in a game that showcased both their creativity and their defensive vulnerability.

Keane also believes that Ukraine's struggles at the back will count against them.

Roy Keane believes Holland's defence will cost them in the latter stages of Euro 2020

Keane, who also criticised Ukraine's defending, believes that Holland will soon get 'found out'

Speaking on ITV, Keane said: 'Credit to Holland they got momentum back and showed a bit of character. Holland at the back, Ukraine at the back, forget about it. In the latter stages of the competition they will get found out by the top teams.'

Holland are missing Virgil van Dijk at the tournament, with the Liverpool captain having not played since October because of injury.

In addition, Matthijs de Ligt is in their 26-man squad but wasn't fit enough to feature against Ukraine.

Netherlands started with a three-man central defence of Jurrien Timber, Stefan de Vrij and Daley Blind, although the latter was replaced by Nathan Ake in the 64th minute.

Former Holland international Nigel de Jong criticised the defending in the build up to Ukraine's goals and also questioned the decision to take off Blind.

The absence of injured Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is set to be keenly felt by Holland

De Jong said: 'This is just poor defending. It showed Netherlands' complacency after the 2-0. I'm wondering why the substitution was made with Blind coming off.'

Given that Austria and North Macedonia are the other teams in Group C, Holland will be confident of making it through to the last-16.

However, it is clear that they need to be more resolute at the back if they are to progress further.

Georginio Wijnaldum gave Holland the lead in the 52nd minute, with Wout Weghorst doubling their advantage.

Ukraine mounted a spirited response as Andriy Yarmolenko reduced the deficit with a stunning strike before Roman Yaremchuk equalised.

Denzel Dumfries then scored a dramatic late winner for Holland, who are next in action on Thursday against Austria.
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Let us take you on a flight across some of Europe's most breathtaking landscapes, courtesy of these incredible drone images.

They have been taken by 35-year-old photographer Gabor Nagy, from Budapest, and show beautiful islands, dramatic volcanic landscapes, serene lakes and stunning waterfalls above the likes of Iceland, Italy, Austria and Norway.

Gabor, from Budapest, told MailOnline Travel: 'People like aerial photography because they can admire areas from a very different perspective. And maybe everyone dreams about flying like a bird?

'Every photo I take is special to me because I like to shoot in hard-to-reach regions.

'These locations are super-remote. Usually, I have to cross several glacier rivers or hike 20 to 25km (12 to 15 miles) to reach them. These pictures have their own story to me.'

Scroll down and prepare to take off...

Gabor snapped this incredible drone image over the Lofoten Islands archipelago in Norway. He always uses drones for his aerial work and said: 'This way I can easily find new and never-before-seen compositions. Just a few years ago, I would've had to spend thousands of euros on a helicopter ride to capture the same pictures'

LEFT: This wintry scene shows a bird's-eye view of Kavicsos Lake near the Hungarian capital, Budapest. Its name translates into English as Pebble Lake. According to Amusing Planet, 'the lake sits at the site of a former pebble quarry, hence its name'. RIGHT: A beautiful lake in the small village of Apc in northern Hungary. Gabor said: 'People like aerial photography because they can admire areas from a very different perspective. And maybe everyone dreams about flying like a bird?'

Gabor said: 'I love being in the mountains, so I'd rather climb up to high peaks and use my cameras from there instead of just sending up a drone from the parking lot and finish shooting in literally five minutes.' This amazing picture was taken in the Italian Dolomites

A striking shot of the Lofoten Islands. Gabor said he got involved in drone photography as a 'natural progression' as technology evolved. He explained: 'The constant experimenting and opportunities of never-before-seen compositions are the things that sucked me into the genre'

A stunning shot of the ruins of a 12th-century Gothic church near the village of Somogyvamos in western Hungary. Gabor said: 'Most of my images are taken in very remote places without habitation because I dont want to disturb anybody with my flying camera'

An amazing shot of Langisjor - one of the largest natural lakes in Iceland. It is located in Vatnajokull National Park, which covers approximately 14 per cent of the country. According to Lonely Planet, it contains some of Iceland's 'greatest natural treasures, created by the combined forces of rivers, glacial ice, and volcanic and geothermal activity'

Gabor captured this serene scene in Austria's Gesause National Park, which covers 12,000 hectares in the mountainous state of Styria

LEFT: A stunning shot of Iceland's Landmannalaugar area, known for its geothermal activity. Gabor said: 'I've always been fascinated by the endless summer nights in Iceland when the sunsets are three hours long.' RIGHT: Another spellbinding shot of Kavicsos Lake, which Gabor joked is like the 'Hungarian Maldives'. According to Amusing Planet, once the quarry that formerly sat on the site of the lake closed, its excavated pits began to fill with rainwater creating the lake. It added: 'Nature has reclaimed the area and rich wildlife has taken root in and around the lake'

Gabor said: 'Every photo I take is special to me because I like to shoot in hard-to-reach regions. These locations are super-remote. Usually, I have to cross several glacier rivers or hike 20 to 25km (12 to 15 miles) to reach them.' Pictured is the beautiful landscape of the Landmannalaugar area of Iceland

LEFT: This stunning image shows the Sigoldqugljufur canyon in the Icelandic Highlands. According to Guide to Iceland, it is known as the 'Valley of Tears' and 'earned its nickname from its sheer number of waterfalls'. RIGHT: Another beautiful shot taken in the Highlands of Iceland. Gabor said: 'These pictures have their own story to me'

Gabor captured this mesmerising scene near the stunning town of Pienza in Tuscany. He wrote on Instagram: 'I visited this extraordinary region to capture the unbeatable vibes of the Tuscan autumn with my cameras and, of course, I wasn't disappointed. Sometimes I felt like I was flying above an infinite yellow sea'

LEFT: This eye-popping shot shows Blahylur - a crater lake in the Icelandic Highlands. Guide to Iceland describes it as a 'magnificent body of water nestled in a dormant volcanic crater'. RIGHT: Gabor snapped this amazing image off Iceland's Dyrholaey peninsula. After posting this image to Instagram, one follower wrote: 'Mesmerising image. Like a star in the ocean'

Gabor described this shot as showing a 'black hole'. He snapped it over the volcanic landscape of the Highlands of Iceland. He added: 'I spent nearly two months on Google Earth flying over the Highlands of Iceland searching for these incredible red craters, then I saved the exact locations and scouted the F roads [main roads] that lead to them. It was so good to see this incredible phenomenon with my own eyes and capture them properly'

LEFT: An epic shot showing Iceland's Eldgja, the largest volcanic canyon in the world. It is 40km (25 miles) long, 885ft (270m) deep and at its widest point is 1,968ft (600m) wide. RIGHT: Gabor snapped this incredible image at the Hvannargil canyon in Iceland. He pointed out on Instagram: 'Even though most of the valley is covered by golden birch forests in the autumn, the closer you hike to the glaciers the greener the valleys become'

A spectacular shot taken near the town of Hrinova in Slovakia that stars Gabor. Giving tips to budding drone photographers, he said: 'Respect the rules, always do your research before flying, know your gear inside out, have at least six batteries, shoot in panorama mode, change the SD card between flights and always record videos as well'
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Should Britons be free to holiday in Mallorca this July, they may find competition for sun loungers from Germany hotter than ever  because national carrier Lufthansa is flying tourists out in jumbo jets and Airbus A350s.

The airline is taking the 'extraordinary measures' in response to a significant increase in booking demand for flights to Palma de Mallorca from Frankfurt and Munich.

It said bookings between April and the beginning of June 2021 were 25 times higher than normal.

Should Britons be free to holiday in Mallorca this July, they may find competition for sun loungers from Germany hotter than ever  because national carrier Lufthansa is flying tourists out in jumbo jets (pictured) and Airbus A350s

Lufthansa usually flies single-aisle Airbus A321s from Frankfurt and Munich to the Balearic island, but for four Saturdays in a row starting in July it will lay on a 747-8 from Frankfurt and for one Saturday in July an Airbus A350 from Munich.

The Boeing 747-8, also known as the 'Queen of the Skies', is the largest aircraft that Lufthansa currently operates and offers up to 364 seats, instead of the 215 available on the A321.

Of these, 88 are business class and first class and 276 are economy, including premium economy.

Business class on board a Lufthansa 747-8 aircraft. Travel expert Gilbert Ott, who runs the flight tips site God Save The Points , describes the Lufthansa business-class offering as 'swoon-worthy'

The Boeing 747-8, also known as the 'Queen of the Skies', is the largest aircraft that Lufthansa currently operates and offers up to 364 seats. Pictured is Lufthansa's jumbo-jet economy cabin

Lufthansa says that its A350, pictured, offers 293 seats

Lufthansa says that its A350, meanwhile, offers 293 seats, including 48 in business class and 245 in economy class (including premium economy).

The airline says: 'The Airbus A350 is the most sustainable long-haul aircraft in the Lufthansa fleet. It consumes 20 per cent less kerosene and is 50 per cent quieter than previous models.'

The jumbo and Airbus A350 flights to Palma de Mallorca are now available for booking.

The first 747 flight, LH1152, will be departing Frankfurt on Saturday July 17 at 10.20am and arrive at Palma de Mallorca airport at 12.25pm. The return flight, LH1153, will take place the same day at 2.25pm, arriving in Frankfurt at 4.45pm.

It will then operate for an additional three weekends - July 24 and 31, and August 7.

The A350 flight to Palma de Mallorca will take place at the start of the Bavarian summer vacations on Saturday, July 31. Departure from Munich is planned for 9.50am under flight number LH2658, arriving in Palma de Mallorca at midday. The return flight, LH2659, will take place the same day at 1.30am, arriving in Munich at 3.35pm.

Travel expert Gilbert Ott, who runs the flight tips site God Save The Points, describes the Lufthansa business-class offering as 'swoon-worthy' and says that flying an intra-Europe flight in a long-haul aircraft is 'rare'.
Anthea Turner helped serve lunch to a charity's staff, volunteers and beneficiaries at an event to help vulnerable children who have been adversely affected by the pandemic.

The television presenter, 61, looked chic in a scarlet ensemble as she served a meal at Action for Children in London as part of the Big Lunch initiative.

She also urged others to host their own fundraising Big Lunch fundraising events.

Good cause: Anthea Turner helped serve lunch to a charity's staff, volunteers and beneficiaries at an event to help vulnerable children who have been adversely affected by the pandemic

Turner said: 'I am absolutely overjoyed to be part of Action for Children's Big Lunch, celebrating the wonderful Action for Children family.

'I've worked with them for many years now and know the amazing work they do for children, young people and families up and down the country.

'The kids and I had lots of fun today, so I'd encourage everyone to get together for their own Big Lunch and if they can fundraise for this fantastic charity at the same time even better!'

Action for Children chief executive Melanie Armstrong said: 'Action for Children is at the heart of communities right across the UK and we wanted to hold a Big Lunch to celebrate this, as well as all of our incredible frontline staff who have been working tirelessly over the past year to support vulnerable families everywhere throughout the pandemic.

Go for it: The television presenter, 61, served a meal at Action for Children in London as part of the Big Lunch initiative

Delight: The star, who looked chic in red, was delighted to be lending her support

'We're encouraging as many of our supporters as possible to hold their own Big Lunch and raise much-needed funds so that we can ensure more vulnerable children have safe and happy childhoods.'

The Big Lunch was launched by Cornwall's Eden Project visitor attraction and charity to support a range of charitable and community projects.

Eden Project executive director Peter Steward said: 'It's been one of the toughest years, hitting the most vulnerable people in our communities hardest.

Cuppa: She also urged others to host their own fundraising Big Lunch fundraising events

Well wisher: Turner said: 'I am absolutely overjoyed to be part of Action for Children's Big Lunch, celebrating the wonderful Action for Children family'

She said: 'The kids and I had lots of fun today, so I'd encourage everyone to get together for their own Big Lunch and if they can fundraise for this fantastic charity at the same time even better!' (pictured with Susan)

Blowing bubbles: The star threw herself into the fundraising day and blew some bubbles

'That's why it's more important than ever to have a Big Lunch to show our support for the good causes that keep people going.'

This comes after Anthea opened up about her past 'feud' with Eamonn Holmes, which resulted in her leaving her job at GMTV.

The housekeeping expert and Eamonn, 61, co-hosted ITV1 breakfast show GMTV from 1994 to 1996 but their relationship was famously frosty, with it reported at the time that he had given his bosses an ultimatum - either they sack Anthea or he would leave.

And now in a new interview, Anthea has hinted that she still feels sensitive over the fallout and her being branded too 'ambitious', remarking that she was 'made out to be a ruthless person'.

Smile: Anthea was in great spirits as she enjoyed herself on the day

Candid: This comes after Anthea opened up about her past 'feud' with Eamonn Holmes , which resulted in her leaving her job at GMTV (pictured in 2018)

Reflecting on the difficult time in her career, Anthea told how she wished that social media was around in those days that she could have her say and fight back against her critics directly.

She told The Sun: 'Revenge is a dish best served sweet. Best of all, I'm still here.I thought it was sad. I just wanted to do the job I enjoyed, but unfortunately the roles have to be labelled.

'I was always asked if I was ambitious and, if I said yes, I was made out to be a ruthless person who would walk over anybody to get where I wanted. It would be said that I was hormonal, or I was stamping my feet.'

She added: 'And yet ask that question to a man, and if he's ambitious, we think, 'What a guy'. You'd never hear anyone say that about Eamonn or Phillip Schofield. No, they're just doing their job.'

Tense: The housekeeping expert and Eamonn, 61, co-hosted ITV1 breakfast show GMTV from 1994 to 1996 but their relationship was famously frosty (pictured in 1995)

Anthea quit GMTV in 1996 and was replaced by Fiona Phillips, but a decade after their fallout, Eamonn, who famously branded her 'Princess Tippy Toes' reached out to bury the hatchet.

Sharing how she now feels about the experience, Anthea noted that growing older has helped her to heal as she says she can look back and 'smile', remarking that it's water off a duck's back'.

She joked that she doesn't have the words 'bitter' or 'twisted' tattooed on her forehead, nor has she 'weighed herself down' with any negativity from the past.

The TV personality, who after her exit went on to appear on reality shows including Celebrity Big Brother and Hell's Kitchen, added that the way she feels now differs to how she felt at the time, adding she had 'terrible moments'.

Fallout: In an interview, Anthea has hinted that she still feels sensitive over the fallout and her being branded too 'ambitious', remarking that she was 'made out to be a ruthless person'

Past: Reflecting on the difficult time in her career, Anthea told how she wished that social media was around in those days so she could fight back against her critics directly (pictured in 1996)

She went on to say that nobody 'like injustice' or wishes to be 'misinterpreted', adding 'It hurts, it really hurts.'

As she opened up about the past, she remembered reading about herself and thinking she 'didn't know that person'.

And she noted that if it had occurred in the present day, she could have used social media and have had an 'immediate chance' to reply to criticism.

At the height of the tension at work, she told how she felt physical sick at the thought of coming to work in the 'hostile' environment.

Harsh: 'I was always asked if I was ambitious and, if I said yes, I was made out to be a ruthless person who would walk over anybody to get where I wanted'

Observation: 'Yet ask that question to a man, and if he's ambitious, we think, 'What a guy'. You'd never hear anyone say that about Eamonn or Phillip Schofield'

Adding that she felt 'gutted' and 'hurt' when she did eventually leave the show after two years.

Meanwhile, Anthea told that while she was one of the biggest stars on television back in the 90s, unlike today's celebrities, she didn't have a team of PRs to help her, only a management company.

The beauty used Holly Willloughby as an example, observing that there's an 'infrastructure' and a PR who looks after the This Morning host's publicity.

She said that her management were 'shocked' at how much attention she had during the height of her fame and recalled how they were not 'prepared'.

Exit: Anthea quit GMTV in 1996 and was replaced by Fiona Phillips, but a decade after their fallout, Eamonn, who famously branded her 'Princess Tippy Toes', reached out to bury the hatchet

Over it: Sharing how she now feels about the experience, Anthea noted that growing older has helped her to heal as she says she can look back and 'smile' (pictured in 2017)

Anthea went on to say that she felt 'slightly naked' as being subject to that much attention.

Back in 2018, Anthea appeared on This Morning with Eamonn and his wife Ruth Langsford and they let bygones be bygones as they addressed their famous feud.

When talking about if you can be friends with an ex, Eamonn said: 'Well you are an ex of mine and we're on good terms, some people think we hate each other.'

Anthea joked: 'Ruth's not bothered at all.'

All is well! Putting their feud to an end: Eamonn and Anthea let bygones be bygones as they reunited on screen on This Morning in 2018

Enemies? When talking about if you can be friends with an ex, Eamonn said: 'Well you are an ex of mine and we're on good terms, some people think we hate each other'

Ruth, replied: 'No, we're married, we're properly married', while Anthea quipped: 'Yes, but we were on screen husband and wife.'

She continued: 'There is a fine line between hate and love isn't there? We were chatting in the break, Eamonn and I are a bit lazy and it's easier to stay friends', with Ruth Langsford adding it was 'nice' they could be.

Quipping back, Eamonn, who made up with the television present in 2009, said: 'It's about morality, life's too short', before standing up to present his former enemy a birthday cake and a hug.
She enjoyed a brief stint on TOWIE before departing the reality show in 2019.

And Chloe Ross turned heads in a pale blue skirt and matching cropped blazer as she headed out in London on Sunday.

The reality star, 28, went to the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant for dinner and drinks with friends.

Stunning: Chloe Ross, 28, turned heads in a baby blue skirt and matching cropped blazer jacket as she headed out for dinner at The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant on Sunday

The beauty completed her going-out look with a pair of nude open toe heels and kept accessories to a minimum with a gold chain.

Her brunette locks were pulled back in a chic pony-tail as she struck her pose on her way to the dinner.

Back in October Chloe revealed her plans to get married and have children with her boyfriend, Ben.

The former TOWIE star explained to MailOnline that she previously split with her beau before deciding to get back together in 2019, and said the break has only made them 'stronger'.

Beautiful: The reality star enjoyed dinner and drinks with friends at the swanky eatery in London

Pose: The beauty completed her going-out look with a pair of nude open toe heels and kept accessories to a minimum with a gold chain

During an interview about her new Ann Summers Halloween campaign, Chloe revealed: 'I do have a boyfriend, he's my ex-boyfriend basically. He was my boyfriend, then we split up.

'Then I joined TOWIE, and then we started dating again just before my second series and now we're back together, and I'm really, really happy.

Some relationships need a break and so did ours, but it made us stronger. We are really good, and I think our relationship is coming up to a year now.'

Chloe exited the hit reality show in 2019 alongside Jayden Beales, and said that her relationship played a part in her departure.

Happy couple: Back in October Chloe revealed her plans to get married and have children with her boyfriend, Ben

The brunette beauty added: 'For me, I got back with Ben and I didn't really want to have my relationship on the show and there wasn't much storyline for me to be on there.

'It's not like I was going to be dating anyone, so it was just the perfect time for me to leave the show.

She also divulged their plans to have children in the future, as she declared: 'Definitely, I would love to have children. Because I'm one of four, I've always said I want four but Ben says, "No, I want two".

'You never know what the future holds, I'll just be grateful if I can have one child, so it will happen when it is meant to happen.'
Alesha Dixon has reportedly scored a six-figure deal to become a judge on Australia's Got Talent after plans to sign Amanda Holden fell through.

Sources claimed the Heart Radio presenter, 50, turned the opportunity down in order to continue with projects in the UK - so producers then turned to Alesha, 42, instead.

An inside source told The Sun: 'Amanda was the first choice for Australias Got Talent and she had a series of meetings but logistically she just could not make it work.

Thanks! Alesha Dixon (right) has reportedly scored a six-figure deal to become a judge on Australia's Got Talent after plans to sign Amanda Holden (left) fell through

They continued: 'Her daughters are in school here so even if she didnt have work commitments, it would have been difficult to be away from them.

'Although Alesha wasnt who they wanted originally, she has secured a lucrative contract and its a good deal which will really heighten her career Down Under.'

Amanda and Alesha have been judges on Britain's Got Talent together for the past nine years after Alesha joined the panel in 2012.

While this year's series of the talent show was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic, Amanda has kept busy with her family commitments, her job hosting the Heart Radio Breakfast show, and an upcoming series on Channel 4.

MailOnline have contacted representatives for Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Australia's Got Talent for comment.

Exciting: It was confirmed on Sunday that the singer would be joining the judging panel Down Under for its new series

Co-workers: The pair have been judges on Britain's Got Talent together for the past nine years after Alesha joined the panel in 2012

It comes after the line-up for Australia's Got Talent judging panel for 2021 was announced on Sunday.

How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris and UK pop star Alesha Dixon will join an all-star panel of Australian artists including Kate Ritchie and Shane Jacobson.

'To say I'm a fan of the AGT franchise is an understatement. I've been watching since the very first season,' Neil said.

'Australia has phenomenal talent across so many disciplines, and I couldn't be more thrilled to join AGT in 2021 to see firsthand what the country's awesome contestants have to offer,' he added.

Meanwhile, Alesha is a seasoned talent show judge, having appeared on the British's Got Talent and America's Got Talent.

She said: 'I'm super excited to be joining the panel at AGT. I can't wait to see what talent Australia has to give and I'm really looking forward to working with my fellow judges.'

Coming soon: It comes after Neil Patrick-Harris was confirmed for the upcoming series, and he is expected to arrive in Australia for filming

Filming for the new series will begin at the end of the month, with production set to take place at the Star Event Centre in Sydney from June 30 to July 6.

Neil is expected to arrive in Australia soon along with his husband David Burtka and their two children.

Meanwhile, former Australian Idol star Ricki-Lee Coulter will be returning to the show as host.

Stepping back into position: Shane Jacobson (pictured) starred on the 2019 season of AGT alongside Lucy Durack, Nicole Scherzinger and Manu Feildel

Back to TV: Kate Ritchie's (pictured) new role on AGT marks her return to TV after an eight-year break to focus on her radio career

Shane starred on the 2019 season of AGT alongside Lucy Durack, Nicole Scherzinger and Manu Feildel.

Kate is best known for playing Sally Fletcher on Channel Seven's Home and Away from 1987 to 2007.

Her new role on AGT marks Kate's return to TV after an eight-year break to focus on her radio career.
They rose to fame on the first winter series of Love Island in 2020.

And Jess and Eve Gale looked every inch the reality TV starlets as they were spotted arriving at Bagatelle in Mayfair for dinner on Sunday.

The twin sisters, 22, caught the eye in contrasting but equally stylish outfits as they strutted into the eatery.

Style: Love Island's Jess and Eve Gale, 22, looked every inch the starlets as they were spotted arriving at Bagatelle in Mayfair on Sunday

Eve looked incredible in tiny white denim shorts which she paired with a beige off the shoulder crop top.

She completed the look with clear open toe heels and she carried her belongings in a Louis Vuitton clutch bag.

Jess wowed in a stunning white ribbed dress which she paired with the same clear heels as her sister.

The reality star complemented her outfit with a cream Gucci chain strap bag.

Looking good: Jess wowed in a stunning white ribbed dress, which she complemented with a cream Gucci chain strap bag

Sizzling: The dress highlighted every inch of her jaw-dropping physique, including her perky bust and toned pins

Gorgeous: The twin sisters caught the eye in contrasting but equally stylish outfits as they arrived at the swanky eatery

Eve and Jess were just two of many celebrities who jetted to Dubai throughout the pandemic, as they visited the sun-soaked city in December.

They joined many other Love Islanders including Joanna Chimonides, Hayley Hughes and Francesca Allen.

After Dubai joined UK's travel ban list, celebrities then began flocking to Mexico's bars and beaches as it established itself as the next COVID getaway destination.

Stunning: Eve also displayed her peachy posterior in tiny white denim shorts which she paired with a beige off the shoulder crop top

Revealing: She displayed her endless pins in thigh-skimming white ripped shorts and her towering heels

Pose: Eve carried her belongings in a Louis Vuitton clutch bag as she arrived for a meal with her twin sister

Many stars insisted their trips were for 'work purposes' after criticism from Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Several influencers were forced to hit back at fans after they were criticised for jetting off on holiday during the global pandemic.

Jess and Eve rose to fame on the first ever series of winter Love Island back in 2020.

While Eve was booted off after less than a week, Jess made it to the final with Ched Uzor - with the pair going their separate ways shortly afterwards.

Love Island: The twins entering the villa in South Africa January 2020
Laura Dern and her daughter Jaya stepped out Sunday for a casual breakfast in Los Angeles.

The 54-year-old actress and Jaya, 16, were spotted together in the upscale Brentwood eating and running errands.

The Big Little Lies star dressed comfortably in a brown striped T-shirt, with a tan sweater wrapped around her waist along with black jeans and matching sandals.

Hollywood star: Laura Dern and her daughter Jaya stepped out Sunday for a casual breakfast in Los Angeles

Laura accessorized with sunglasses and covered her mouth and nose with a black face mask amid the waning coronavirus pandemic.

Jaya sported a baby blue hoodie with San Diego written on the front, along with dark blue jeans and sneakers.

She had her short curly hair down and also covered up with a face mask.

Laura shares Jaya and 19-year-old son Ellery with ex-husband Ben Harper, 51.

Family time: The 54-year-old actress and Jaya, 16, were spotted together in the upscale Brentwood eating and running errands

Mask on: Laura wore a black face mask amid the waning coronavirus pandemic

The actress and musician got married in 2005 and split in 2013.

Laura will reprise her role as Dr. Ellie Sattler in the highly anticipated sequel Jurassic World: Dominion, which is scheduled for release in June 2022.

The Los Angeles native originally played the character in the original Jurassic Park film in 1993, as well as the third installment in 2001.

Two children: The Los Angeles native, shown in April at the Oscars in Los Angeles, has daughter Jaya and 19-year-old son Ellery with ex-husband Ben Harper

Laura gushed to People last month over reuniting with co-stars Sam Neill, 73, and Jeff Goldblum, 68.

'I can say that it was incredible to be back together. It was an amazing thing to join my original cast members and go down memory lane, from that experience in the beginning of a franchise through the whole course of these films together with all the key cast members who have been working on these movies, as well as [director] Colin Trevorrow and Steven Spielberg, who is like family to me,' she said.

Laura said that her and her castmates 'had a beautiful time remembering what we loved about the origin story, and the first CGI and working with the animatronics of the brilliant Stan Winston, and what we want to hold and protect of the original characters.

'So it's just been amazing. And I hope everybody next summer, June of 2022, will be ready for some fun,' she concluded.
ITV News' UK Editor Paul Brand has welcomed a baby son, Tomos George.

The journalist announced the news on Instagram on Sunday, sharing a snap cradling the baby, sat next to his beaming husband Joe Cuddeford.

The couple - who wed in 2017 - had their child via surrogacy, with Paul sharing an image with their surrogate a few days prior.

Baby joy: ITV News' UK Editor Paul Brand has welcomed a baby son, Tomos George with his husband Joe Cuddeford

In Sunday's announcement, he penned: 'Welcome to the world, Tomos George Cuddeford-Brand. Born 10th June at 9lb 5oz.

'We have never known love like this before. You are the most priceless gift.'

Civil servant Joe shared the same images on his Instagram, adding: 'Introducing Tomos George Cuddeford-Brand, born Thursday 10 June at 10.40pm.

'So thankful to have this perfect bundle of joy in our lives. Our surrogate and her whole family have been incredible.

Newborn: The couple - who wed in 2017 - had their child via surrogacy

Dream team: Paul shared an image with their surrogate a few days prior to the birth

'In awe of the expertise and support from the midwives and labour ward team at @nottmhospitals not least Jayney, Michelle and Sophie. What a team effort!'

Several ITV stars commented under Paul's announcement, with Loose Women anchor Charlene White typing: 'Huge congrats to you both and welcome to the world Tomas! xx'

Ranvir Singh penned: 'How bloomin wonderful - what a gorgeous trio you make! Congrats Paul!'

New parents: Paul shared a snap with his dad, husband and son on Sunday

And Susanna Reid wrote: 'So wonderful '

A few weeks earlier, Paul shared a snap with Joe during a trip to Wales.

He captioned this - along with an image of a sonogram: 'Perfect weekend in Wales. Next time were back therell be three of us!'

Paul has been ITV's UK News Editor since January. Prior to this he was a Political Correspondent for ITV News, a post he had been in since 2016.

He is a patron for LGBT+ young people's charity Just Like Us, which is currently promoting School Diversity Week at primary schools, secondary schools and colleges.

This takes place between 2125 June and is Just Like Us' annual celebration of LGBT+ equality in education.

Last year, schools and colleges representing 1.97 million pupils signed up to take part.
She is one of Australia's most in-demand models.

But Montana Cox is preparing to swap the fashion runway for Ramsay Street as she joins the cast of Channel Ten's long-running soap Neighbours.

The network shared the exciting news to the show's official Instagram page on Monday, sharing a photo of the 27-year-old on set.

From the runway to Ramsay Street! Model Montana Cox (pictured) will be joining the cast of Channel Ten soap Neighbours

'We are thrilled to announce that Montana Cox will be heading to Erinsborough soon! Keep your eyes peeled, you won't want to miss this,' the caption read.

The announcement comes after Montana walked the runway for the Manning Cartell show at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney.

She showed off her figure in a stunning short gold dress which had a peep hole design at the front.

Exciting! Channel Ten shared the exciting news to the show's official Instagram page, sharing a photo of the 27-year-old on set

The model had her short hair curled and teamed the frock with a pair of long boots.

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.

Flaunt it! The announcement comes after Montana walked the runway for the Manning Cartell show at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney

In February, Montana revealed that she'd contracted coronavirus twice while living in London last year.

The glamazon told the Herald Sun at the time that she'd 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'.

Montana rose to fame on the 2011 season of Australia's Next Top Model.
She never misses an opportunity to flaunt her sense of style.

And Bella Thorne didn't disappoint while getting dressed up for lunch in Beverly Hills on Sunday.

The actress/filmmaker, 23, looked radiant while wearing a plunging white dress by designer Are You Am I which was equal parts Old Hollywood and sexy, summer goddess.

Wowing in white: Bella Thorne looked super chic in a tiny white Are You Am I dress in Beverly Hills on Sunday

All eyes were on the gorgeous red head as she made her way through the Beverly Hills Hotel clad in a clingy ivory dress which dipped low to reveal her cleavage.

But before heading out Bella showed off her look in the mirror.

Playfully grabbing at the short hem of her frock, the Chick Fight actress offered up a view of her toned, tan legs, which were clad in shimmery nude boots which platform soles.

Bella had her rich crimson locks styled smoothly with a bit of volume while keeping a pair of sunglasses perched on her crown. She carried her things in a small black bag slung to her side.

Center of attention: All eyes were on the gorgeous red head as she made her way through the Beverly Hills Hotel in her tiny white dress

Mirror, mirror: Before heading out Bella showed off her look in the mirror

Sizzler: The Disney Channel alum had her rich crimson locks styled smoothly

The starlet - who got engaged to Italian pop star beau Benjamin Mascolo earlier this year - gave fans a closer look at her makeup and accessories during her ride to lunch, sharing a few smoldering selfies.

In the snaps, Bella puckered up to show off her full pout, which was painting a dusty rose hue.

Her skin was glowing, seen with a peachy flush across her cheeks and dewy skin peppered with her natural freckles.

Keeping a 'less is more' approach, Bella rounded out her beauty look with fluttering eyelashes and full, upswept brows.

She held her pink, rhinestone-framed sunglasses in a hand, revealing a long, sharp iridescent manicure with colorful gems on each talon.

Ready for her close up: The starlet gave fans a closer look at her makeup and accessories during her ride to lunch, sharing a few smoldering selfies

Bella is gearing up for a big summer, with not one but two films set for blockbuster season.

Her quirky action caper Habit comes out in August and the thriller Masquerade is set for release July 30th.

Teasing her forthcoming features on Instagram Friday, Thorne shared a screenshot of a USA Today article previewing the top summer flicks.

'So stoked to be starring in some of the biggest movies this summer,' Bella wrote in her caption. 'Thank u USA today!! which one are you most excited for??'
Julianne Moore and her second husband Bart Freundlich attended the world premiere of volume one of their film With/In at the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan on Sunday.

Impressively, August 23 will mark the the 60-year-old Oscar winner and the 51-year-old Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee's 18th wedding anniversary.

But the empty nesters originally met 25 years earlier when Bart directed Julianne in The Myth of Fingerprints way back in 1996.

Special date night! Julianne Moore and her second husband Bart Freundlich attended the world premiere of their film With/In at the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan on Sunday

'What's really funny about it is that you say years ago, it was 24 years ago, that's what's shocking to us, we are like, "We met 24 years ago?"' Moore marveled on the September 28th episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.

'The only thing I can say is I think that you both have to really want to be married. I do feel like I've seen situations where things aren't working out for people because one member of the couple doesn't want to be there. I think if you are both invested in it working out that's important.

'You really have to have a good time. My god, I think they have to make you laugh, if they don't make you laugh it's just deadly. And somebody asked me the other day if it felt long a long time and I was like, "Oddly no it doesn't." That's what has been nice about it, it doesn't feel like a long time.'

The Spirit Untamed actress divorced her first husband, stage director John Gould Rubin, in 1995 after nine years of marriage.

Still going strong! Impressively, August 23 will mark the the 60-year-old Oscar winner (R) and the 51-year-old Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee's (L) 18th wedding anniversary

'You both have to really want to be married': But the empty nesters originally met 25 years earlier when Bart directed Julianne in The Myth of Fingerprints way back in 1996

Moore marveled on the September 28th episode of The Drew Barrymore Show: 'You really have to have a good time. My god, I think they have to make you laugh, if they don't make you laugh it's just deadly...it doesn't feel like a long time'

Joining the inseparable couple on the red carpet was Talia Balsam, who acts opposite Julianne (born Julie Anne Smith) in With/In.

The 62-year-old niece of actor Dick Van Patten is perhaps best known for eloping with George Clooney in Las Vegas back in 1989.

Freundlich wrote and directed one of the 13 shorts of the COVID-set anthology film - titled 'Intersection' - which also features Don Cheadle and Taj Swaminathan-Sipp.

With/In was truly a family affair as the Little Voice helmer enlisted their 23-year-old son Caleb - accompanied by his girlfriend of four years Kibriyaa Morgan - to compose the music.

Castmate: Joining the inseparable couple on the red carpet was Talia Balsam (L), who acts opposite Julianne in With/In

Divorced in 1993: The 62-year-old niece of actor Dick Van Patten is perhaps best known for eloping with George Clooney in Las Vegas back in 1989

Rooftop screening! Freundlich wrote and directed one of the 13 shorts of the COVID-set anthology film - titled 'Intersection' - which also features Don Cheadle and Taj Swaminathan-Sipp

'Hurddd you!' With/In was truly a family affair as the Little Voice helmer enlisted their 23-year-old son Caleb (2-R) - accompanied by his girlfriend of four years Kibriyaa Morgan (R) - to compose the music

Cal is reportedly pursuing a master's degree in music/screen scoring at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

Moore and Freundlich are also parents of 19-year-old daughter Liv, a freshman attending Northwestern University in Illinois.

The two-time Emmy winner currently stars as widow Lisey Debusher Landon in Pablo Larrain's eight-episode series Lisey's Story, which airs Fridays on Apple TV+.

Poolside: Moore and Freundlich are also parents of 19-year-old daughter Liv (pictured Sunday), a freshman attending Northwestern University in Illinois

'Jim Dandy': The two-time Emmy winner currently stars as widow Lisey Debusher Landon in Pablo Larrain's eight-episode series Lisey's Story, which airs Fridays on Apple TV+

The horror-drama - based on Stephen King's 2006 novel - also features Clive Owen, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joan Allen, and Dane DeHaan.

Also at the With/In world premiere was Independent Spirit Award winner Rebecca Hall - who starred in the segment 'Mother!!' - showing a little leg in a black maxi-dress.

Zonia Pelensky - who starred in the segment 'One Night Stand' - flaunted her taut tummy in a cut-out black dress, which she paired with a pink purse and red platform Mary Janes.

Starred in the segment 'Mother!!': Also at the With/In world premiere was Independent Spirit Award winner Rebecca Hall showing a little leg in a black maxi-dress

Starred in the segment 'One Night Stand': Zonia Pelensky flaunted her taut tummy in a cut-out black dress, which she paired with a pink purse and red platform Mary Janes

Team work! Oscar winner Chris Cooper (R) and his wife of nearly 38 years, Marianne Leone (L), both acted in the segment 'Nuts'

Oscar winner Chris Cooper and his wife of nearly 38 years, Marianne Leone, both acted in the segment 'Nuts.'

Oscar nominee Celine Rattray was one of seven producers credited on With/In.

Also enjoying the premiere festivities were Vogue contributor Maya Singer and CBS Sunday Morning contributor Alina Cho.

Little navy dress: Oscar nominee Celine Rattray was one of seven producers credited on With/In
Sutton Stracke recently apologized after becoming embroiled in a tense argument about race with her castmate Crystal Kung Minkoff during a trip to Lake Tahoe.

Now Garcelle Beauvais has come to her defense, insisting her costar is not racist.

'I think she's misunderstood,' Beauvais, 54, told Hollywood Life. 'Sutton is not a racist. Nobody on the show is a racist.'

'Sutton is not a racist': Garcelle Beauvais defended her costar Sutton Stracke in an interview with Hollywood Life (pictured 2020)

Beauvais broke down the events that led to Stracke's comment, explaining the cast had started talking over one another after a long day of traveling and drinking.

'We flew to Tahoe, we shot all day, we're drinking the entire time and when people are talking, they tend to talk over each other.'

Beauvais does not believe Stracke meant any harm with her comments, nor was she 'trying to take anything way from Crystal's story'.

'Sometimes you want to tell your story too and you might talk over a friend and I think people can be really hard and she owned up to what people were saying in terms of her interrupting Crystal. She didn't mean any harm.'

Tough conversation: The conflict started after Minkoff started discussing her experiences with racial stereotyping

Breaking barriers: Minkoff is the first Asian-American to be cast on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

The conflict all started after Minkoff, the first Asian-American cast on the show, started talking about her experiences with racial stereotyping during a trip to Lake Tahoe.

Stracke refused to get involved in the conversation.

'I'm not doing this,' Stracke told Minkoff, in addition to 'I am not talking about racial stereotypes.'

'It's easy for you not to,' Minkoff informed Stracke, who is white.

Reluctance: Stracke refused to get involved in the discussion

Stracke said she didn't want to discuss stereotypes because she faces them as someone hailing from the South.

'Are you those people that you don't see color? Tell me you're that girl,' Minkoff replied, characterizing her reluctance to discuss the issue as 'insane.'

'Are you serious with me right now?' Stracke asked Minkoff.

Touchy subject: Stracke said she didn't want to discuss stereotypes because she faces them as someone hailing from the South

'It was disrespectful to interrupt her': Stracke apologized for her behavior in a statement posted Thursday

In a statement posted to Instagram after the remarks were aired, Stracke Minkoff and promised to 'do better.'

'Despite Crystal and my strained relationship at the time, it was disrespectful to interrupt her and not listen to her express her truth,' Sutton began in the statement posted to her Instagram account.

'My life is blessed by the diversity of my relationships and I am committed to become a better listener to understand the painful realities experienced by people of color. I am sorry. I will do better and be better.'

'I will do better and be better': Stracke promised to 'do better' as she issued an apology to Crystal

Speaking with People in May 2021, Minkoff discussed the importance of being the first Asian-American cast on the show.

'It's a huge honor and a huge responsibility I feel to represent not only Chinese Americans, but all AAPI,' she said. 'And with the uprise of anti-Asian hate, it's a collective problem.'

'Sometimes the conversations were challenging,' the reality star added. 'Everyone comes from different perspectives and from different backgrounds. But we have to move the needle. And the more conversations there are, the more understanding.'

'It's a huge honor and a huge responsibility': Crystal discussed the importance of being the first Asian American cast on the show during an interview with People (pictured on Watch What Happens Live)

Crystal's casting was announced back in October 2020 shortly after news emerged Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave and Denise Richards would not be returning for next season.

Crystal has been married to Rob Minkoff since 2007 and they share son Max and daughter Zoe.

Minkoff directed the original Lion King movie, The Haunted Mansion, Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2.

Crystal is the founder of the company Real Coco, which sells products like coconut-based coffee creamer, water, milk and chips.
Rita Moreno was spotted giving a talk at Sunday's Puerto Rican Day Parade Celebration that was held during the 2021 Tribeca Festival.

The 89-year-old icon appeared to be in good spirits as she posed for a few shots at the event before she took to a stage to speak about her experiences as an actress.

Her appearance at the celebration occurred prior to the release of the highly-awaited remake of West Side Story, in which she is set to appear and executive produce.

Having fun: Rita Moreno looked amazing while attending Sunday's Puerto Rican Day Parade Celebration during the 2021 Tribeca Festival

Moreno was dressed in a stylish black jacket that was offset by a flowing white shirt during her appearance at the festival.

She was also seen in a pair of pants and a set of high-heeled shoes that both matched the color of her outerwear.

The EGOT-winning actress accessorized with an eye-catching necklace and an ornate pair of gold earrings while speaking to her fans.

Her beautiful silver hair was cut short and fell to just below her eyebrows as she spent time at the celebration.

Dressed to impress: The EGOT-winning actress wore a striking black coat and a matching pair of pants, which were both offset by a white shirt

Accessorizing well: The performer also wore an eye-catching necklace and an ornate pair of gold earrings while giving her talk

Mariem Perez Riera, who directed the soon-to-be-released documentary Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It, was also present during the event.

Moreno's appearance during the celebration comes prior to the release of the remake of West Side Story.

The actress portrayed Anita in the original 1961 film, which was adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

The play itself was originally based on Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet, and it follows its storyline closely.

Showing up: Mariem Perez Riera, who directed the forthcoming documentary Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It, was also present

Big things coming: Moreno's appearance at the event comes before the release of the upcoming remake of West Side Story

The film version of West Side Story was met with widespread critical acclaim following its 1961 release, and it won a total of ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Moreno herself won the distinction for Best Supporting Actress for her efforts on the feature.

Development on the film's remake was first announced in 2014 when director Steven Spielberg initially expressed his desire to helm a new version of the flick, and his involvement with the project was made official in 2018.

Three years later, screenwriter Tony Kushner, who previously collaborated with the 74-year-old filmmaker on Lincoln and Munich, revealed that he was working on the movie's script.

Famous role: The much-celebrated actress portrayed Anita in the 1961 adaptation of the Broadway musical

Long process: Director Steven Spielberg initially spoke about his interest in directing a new version of the movie in 2014, and his involvement in the project was eventually announced four years later

Performers began being added to the film's cast in 2018, with Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler taking on the roles of Tony and Maria, respectively.

Moreno is set to portray Valentina, a reworked version of Doc, who was played by Ned Glass in the original flick, while her old part will be filled by Ariana DeBose.

The much-celebrated actress also serves as an executive producer on the project.

Other performers who will appear in the much-awaited feature include Brian d'Arcy James, Corey Stoll and Ana Isabelle.

Sticking around: Moreno will appear as Valentina in the upcoming film and will serve as one of its executive producers

Physical production initially began in the summer of 2019, with shooting taking place in and around New York City.

The film's crew then moved to nearby New Jersey before filming eventually wrapped in September of that year.

The feature was originally supposed to make its debut in December of last year, although its premiere was delayed due to the onset of the global pandemic.

West Side Story is currently set to be made available to the public on December 10th, which falls on the anniversary of the original film's release.
There's been no shortage of drama onscreen, but it looks like there's been even more chaos behind-the-scenes on the set of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia this season.

According to a report by New Idea magazine on Monday, there were accusations of perceived unfair advantages, special treatment when it came to makeup allowances, and celebrities threatening to quit.

Meanwhile, producers used clever tactics to help generate additional drama, while some of the contestants formed secret alliances off-camera.

Scandal: While there's been no shortage of drama onscreen, it doesn't even come close to what went on behind the scenes on the set of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. Pictured, Camilla Franks

Some of this year's contestants were rumoured to have prearranged 'big cheques for their chosen charities' before they appeared on the show.

Because of this, many of the celebrities who hadn't organised money in advance felt like their co-stars were had an unfair advantage.

Speaking to New Idea, a production assistant for the show revealed that some contestants were given more makeup assistants than others.

Behind the scenes: According to a report by New Idea magazine on Monday, there were accusations of cheating, special treatment when it came to makeup allowances, and celebrities threatening to quit. Pictured, Michelle Bridges

All made up: Speaking to New Idea, a production assistant for the show revealed that some contestants were given more makeup assistants than others. Pictured, Martha Kalifatidis

'If it was on-brand to your character or personality type to be flawless, you were allowed an entourage - take two guesses who!' they added.

And with the often intimidating Lord Alan Sugar assuming the role of chief executive officer on this year's show, many of the contestants threatened to walk.

After repeatedly facing the wrath of the 74-year-old business magnate, many started to 'question if the show was even worth it'.

Put to the test: Contestants were often left feeling hungry and exhausted in an attempt to wear them down

But producers managed to keep the fed up celebrities on the show, and even employed sneaky tactics to generate even more drama.

Contestants were often left feeling hungry and exhausted in an attempt to wear them down.

'The celebrities were always up early and shooting all day - the hours are very long,' a source told New Idea.

Boss: With the often intimidating Lord Alan Sugar (pictured) assuming the role of chief executive officer on this year's show, many of the contestants threatened to walk

'The general consensus from the cast was that they were the most interesting to producers when they were on edge!'

Meanwhile, other celebrities were accused of forming a 'secret alliance', with the most noticeable one being between Shaynna Blaze and Martha Kalifatidis.

A source claimed they 'both had smugness' and accused of them of being 'overly familiar' with the show's crew.

Too close for comfort: Meanwhile, other celebrities were accused of forming a 'secret alliance', with the most noticeable one being between Shaynna Blaze and Martha (pictured)

Shaynna, 58, even called out Lord Sugar after he told her she had a 'face like a slapped a**e'.

'You can't talk about people and their physical appearance in a derogatory way to get a cheap laugh,' she told him.

The billionaire businessman later apologised for his crude remarks.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Nine for comment.
She's the former model who shed an impressive 50kg last year after embarking on a weight loss journey.

And on Monday, Tziporah Malkah confidently flaunted her new figure as she stripped completely naked in a sizzling photo shoot for New Idea.

The 47-year-old, formerly known as Kate Fischer, protected her modesty with her hands as she posed in a swimming pool.

Stripping down! Tziporah Malkah, 47, (pictured) has posed completely nude in a swimming pool in a new photo shoot for New Idea

She then changed into a stylish floral black dress for another shot, posing with her legs crossed as she gently smiled at the camera.

During her candid interview with New Idea, Tziporah also shared intimate details about what she's like in the bedroom.

'I am receptive and optimistic, but I am not this big raunch girl at home. I think that's where I've possibly come into trouble with dating and relationships,' she said.

Leggy lady! She then changed into a stylish floral black dress for another shot, posing with her legs crossed as she gently smiled at the camera

'I am not this big raunch girl at home': During her candid interview with New Idea, Tziporah also shared intimate details about what she's like in the bedroom

'I date men who are fans and they keep bludgeoning me with 'What's wrong, what's wrong?' because they want the bells and whistles that I'm perhaps more known for.'

In November, Tziporah, who was engaged to James Packer in the late '90s, revealed she had lost 50kg thanks to healthy eating, surgery and hypnotherapy.

She revealed her dramatic weight loss transformation and showed off her incredible new slim frame on A Current Affair.

Transformation: Tziporah shed an impressive 50kg last year after embarking on a weight loss journey

She also underwent a 'mini lipo tuck' and a Brazilian butt lift and worked with Mark Stephens, a hypnotherapist specialising in weight loss.

Breaking down in tears, she said: 'I'm proud but I'm also incredibly vain! I love myself right now.'

Tziporah's weight had ballooned after she relocated to the U.S. in the early 2000s.

She decided to slim down after tipping the scales at 120kg during her appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2017.
Angelina Jolie spent one-on-one quality time with three of her teenage children - including 16-year-old daughter Zahara Marley - during her 46th birthday trip to the Big Apple last Wednesday.

The Oscar-winning actress - who relies on stylist Jen Rade - looked sophisticated wearing a white pantsuit over a matching tank top and beige kitten heels.

At all times, Angelina was wearing a grey face mask to protect herself and others from the coronavirus as she left her hotel to sightsee and shop.

Holding hands: Angelina Jolie spent one-on-one quality time with three of her teenage children - including 16-year-old daughter Zahara Marley (R) - during her 46th birthday trip to the Big Apple last Wednesday

After visiting Madison Avenue with Zahara, Jolie - rocking a bright red mani-pedi - bonded with her son Pax Thien.

The Those Who Wish Me Dead star and her Vietnamese-born 17-year-old had lunch at ramen hotspot Momofuku Noodle Bar Uptown in Columbus Circle.

Pax - whom Angelina adopted in 2007 - looked fresh in a lavender T-shirt, matching bucket hat, khakis, and a b&w-patterned face mask.

Later that day, Jolie emerged from a yellow taxi cab with 15-year-old Shiloh Nouvel after enjoying a shopping spree at Dover Street Market.

Chic: The Oscar-winning actress - who relies on stylist Jen Rade - looked sophisticated wearing a white pantsuit over a matching tank top and beige kitten heels

Safety first! At all times, Angelina was wearing a grey face mask to protect herself and others from the coronavirus as she left her hotel to sightsee and shop

Rocking a bright red mani-pedi! After visiting Madison Avenue with Zahara, Jolie bonded with her son Pax Thien (R)

Ramen hotspot: The Those Who Wish Me Dead star and her Vietnamese-born 17-year-old had lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar Uptown in Columbus Circle

Just the two of us: Pax - whom Angelina adopted in 2007 - looked fresh in a lavender T-shirt, matching bucket hat, khakis, and a b&w-patterned face mask

Shiloh sported a messy top bun and wore a black face mask, grey Nike Air Jordan hoodie, and Vans skateboard sneakers.

'The kids are growing up and are so close,' a source told People on Sunday. 'They were out to museums and dinner with each other through the trip and had a nice time.'

The former Hollywood wild child toted her favorite Louis Vuitton bag and covered up in a chic $4,800 Christian Dior trench coat.

Missing from Angelina's side were her eldest son - 19-year-old Maddox Chivan, who's attending Yonsei University in Seoul - as well as fraternal twins Knox Leon & Vivienne Marcheline, 12.

Who needs a limo? Later that day, Jolie emerged from a yellow taxi cab with 15-year-old Shiloh Nouvel (R) after enjoying a shopping spree at Dover Street Market

'The kids are growing up and are so close': Shiloh sported a messy top bun and wore a black face mask, grey Nike Air Jordan hoodie, and Vans skateboard sneakers

Coffee in hand: The former Hollywood wild child toted her favorite Louis Vuitton bag and covered up in a chic $4,800 Christian Dior trench coat

Mother-of-six: Missing from Angelina's side were her eldest son - 19-year-old Maddox Chivan, who's attending Yonsei University in Seoul - as well as fraternal twins Knox Leon & Vivienne Marcheline, 12

Jolie and her estranged husband #3 Brad Pitt will next face off in court on July 9 when a three-justice panel will weigh in on her appeal for primary custody of their five underage children - according to Us Weekly.

The Come Away actress and the 57-year-old Oscar-winning producer famously tied the knot in 2014 after portraying a married couple on the 2004 set of spy flick Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

The couple formerly known as 'Brangelina' - who didn't have a prenup - officially finalized their divorce in 2019.

Angie made headlines last Friday when she spent three hours reconnecting with her ex-husband #1 Jonny Lee Miller over a bottle of Peter Michael Wine at his Dumbo apartment.

Legal war wages on: Jolie and her estranged husband #3 Brad Pitt (R, pictured in 2015) will next face off in court on July 9 when a three-justice panel will weigh in on her appeal for primary custody of their five underage children

Night cap: The Come Away actress made headlines last Friday when she spent three hours reconnecting with her ex-husband #1 Jonny Lee Miller (L, pictured in 1999) over a bottle of Peter Michael Wine at his Dumbo apartment

Playdate? Angelina's 12-year-old son Knox Leon (L, pictured in 2019) and the 48-year-old Englishman's 12-year-old son Buster Timothy (R) are said to be close pals

'There is a very good possibility that we could get married again some time in the future': The Hackers castmates (pictured in 1995) divorced in 1999 after nearly three years of marriage

Jolie's 12-year-old son Knox Leon and the 48-year-old Englishman's 12-year-old son Buster Timothy are said to be close pals.

The Hackers castmates divorced in 1999 after nearly three years of marriage, and Jonny later appeared in the 2007 documentary A Place In Time that she directed.

'It's not fair to the other person that I'm so busy with my career and that I'm often distant even when I am with someone,' The One and Only Ivan producer-star once told Calgary Sun.

'Jonny and I never fought and we never hurt each other. I really wanted to be his wife. I really wanted to commit. We were living side by side, but we had separate lives.

Hitting US/UK theaters on November 5! Jolie will next play fierce warrior Thena, who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy, in Marvel Comics flick Eternals

Ensemble: Two-time Oscar winner Chloe Zhao's $200M-budget epic also stars Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, and Kumail Nanjiani

'I wanted more for him than I could give. He deserves more than I am prepared to give at this time in my life, but there is a very good possibility that we could get married again some time in the future.'

Miller is next scheduled to attend the world premiere of Wyatt Rockefeller's sci-fi flick Settlers this Friday at the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan.

Angelina will next play fierce warrior Thena, who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy, in Marvel Comics flick Eternals hitting US/UK theaters on November 5.

Two-time Oscar winner Chloe Zhao's $200M-budget epic also stars Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, and Kumail Nanjiani.
Gayle King admired her daughter Kirby's growing baby bump in a series of sweet snaps that were shared to her Instagram account on Sunday.

The 66-year-old television personality took the photos during a trip to Los Angeles that she took to see her family, and the grandmother-to-be appeared ecstatic about the state of her child's pregnancy.

And the CBS This Morning host made it clear how happy she was about the birth of her soon-to-arrive grandchild in her glowing caption.

Happy parent: Gayle King shared a few sweet snaps to her Instagram account on Sunday to show off her daughter Kirby's growing baby bump

King was outfitted in an eye-catching yellow-and-blue patterned dress in all of the photos in the set.

The journalist paired her dress with a stylish pair of heeled shoes and accessorized with several bracelets during her visit.

Her beautiful brunette hair remained free-flowing as she spent time with her children and fell towards her shoulders.

Kirby, 32, wore an equally eye-catching blue floral dress while hanging out with her mother, who appeared to be ready to take on her new role in life.

Excited: The television personality was seen feeling her daughter's stomach, and wrote that her first grandchild was 'on the way' in the post's caption

The author's message regarding her daughter's pregnancy partially read: 'FIRST GRANDCHILD on the way! fav daughter @kirbybump is cooking!

King also included a few other shots of her spending time with her son William, who was recovering from a recent surgery.

The mother and her children seemed happy to be seeing each other as they sat down together to watch In The Heights.

The television personality made an announcement about her daughter's pregnancy during an April episode of CBS This Morning, where she noted that Kirby and her husband, Virgil, had only recently tied the knot in December.

Quality time: King also shared a few shots of her spending time with her son William, who had been recovering from a recent surgery

Breaking the news: The author made an announcement about her daughter's pregnancy during an episode of CBS This Morning in April

King then humorously declared that she was going to be a grandmother by slipping her daughter's name into a nursery rhyme.

She told her co-hosts, 'you know how it goes: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Kirby with the baby carriage!'

The author went on to note that the happy couple was planning on welcoming their child this coming September.

King also spoke about how she was trying to figure out what her granddaughter would refer to her as and noted that she had come up with a particularly creative option that one of her good friends did not take a liking to.

Having fun: King made the announcement with a nursery rhyme, which went: 'First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Kirby with a baby carriage!'

Not her thing: During her time on the show, the television personality noted that she did not 'want to be called "grandma"'

'I don't want to be called "grandma." like Gaia, that means Mother Earth. Oprah thinks its stupid and pretentious. I like it,' she said.

'Somebody said Gammy but that sounds like an old lady with no teeth,' she jokingly added.

King then noted that she would not be an overbearing grandmother and that she would let Kirby take the lead in raising her child and responded enthusiastically when asked if she would be changing diapers in the future.
The winner of Celebrity Apprentice Australia will finally be unveiled on Tuesday night's grand finale.

And as of Monday afternoon, leading online bookmaker Sportsbet has tipped Shaynna Blaze as the favourite to win the show.

The Block's interior design expert, 58, has odds of $1.25, making her the clear winner, while Martha Kalifatidis comes in second with odds of $4.00.

The secret's out? The winner of Celebrity Apprentice Australia will finally be unveiled on Tuesday night's grand finale. And as of Monday afternoon, leading online bookmaker Sportsbet tips Shaynna Blaze (pictured) as the favourite to win the show

Meanwhile, comedian Ross Noble sits third at $7.

Shaynna and Martha's extremely short odds suggest some degree of insider knowledge that one of these two women wins.

Celebrity Apprentice was filmed in Sydney in October and there are plenty of people - including the cast, crew and publicists - who know the outcome.

Runner up? At Sportsbet, Martha Kalifatidis (pictured) comes in second with odds of $4.00

It's possible one of these insiders leaked the result, causing a surge in online bets that resulted in Shaynna and Martha's odds being slashed significantly.

Alternatively, somebody close to production may have let slip the ending to a friend, partner or family member, who in turn spread the news.

It comes after CEO Lord Alan Sugar revealed which Celebrity Apprentice stars riled him up the most during filming.

Recently appearing on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the 74-year-old admitted he was less than impressed with some of the cast.

Who's in his good books? It comes after CEO Lord Alan Sugar revealed which Celebrity Apprentice Australia stars riled him up the most during filming

The British billionaire confessed he did have a soft spot for Nova breakfast host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli, as well as kaftan queen Camilla Franks.

Radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson later said she 'fell in love' with Shaynna on the show and asked Lord Sugar for his opinion.

'Oh. Right,' he gruffly replied. 'We were in the boardroom a couple of times and she looked like she was about to burst out into tears.'

Jackie and Lord Sugar both agreed Martha Kalifatidis was a breakout star. He even referred to her as a 'bright kid' and said she gets underestimated.

Celebrity Apprentice Australia continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine
He was imprisoned in Sweden in 2019 amid an assault case that saw high-profile figures including Kanye West and former President Donald Trump getting involved.

And A$AP Rocky was ready to tell his side of the story on Sunday when he arrived at the premiere of the documentary Stockholm Syndrome, about his career and brush with prison time, at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City's Battery Park.

The 32-year-old rapper looked dapper in a well-tailored black double-breasted suit.

Looking sharp! A$AP Rocky, 32, looked dapper in a black double-breasted suit on Sunday as he arrived at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of his documentary Stockholm Syndrome in NYC

Rocky (real name: Rakim Mayers) paired the suit with a classic white dress shirt and a black tie decorated with white spots.

He spiced up the outfit with a strand of thick pearls tied around his neck and draped over his tie.

The necklace matched several large pearl rings, and he added some more flair with a diamond-encrusted luxury wristwatch.

The chart topper sported more diamonds, including a modest stud in one ear and a more opulent diamond-covered spike in the other ear.

Stylish: Rocky spiced up the outfit with a strand of thick pearls tied around his neck and draped over his tie

Luxurious: The chart topper sported more diamonds, including a modest stud in one ear and a more opulent diamond-covered spike in the other ear

He had his hair styled in intricate braids that were tied back in a short ponytail.

Rocky's film, which is directed by The Architects, traces his early years and stratospheric rise to become one of the most acclaimed rappers working today.

But the film's title is derived form an 2019 incident in Stockholm, Sweden, in which he was arrested for aggravated assault, which was later reduced to simple assault.

The songwriter, along with his bodyguard and members of his entourage, were accused of assaulting a man named Mustafa Jafari.

Rocky later published videos of the incident, although they were reportedly edited and missing footage apparently showing his bodyguard scuffling with the man.

While in prison awaiting trial, American musicians and celebrities advocated for his release, and former President Donald Trump tweeted his support for him and sent his Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs to observe the trial.

Rocky was eventually convicted and given a suspended sentence, though he had to pay around $1,270 to the victim.

After his release, he opted not to appeal the verdict, though the international conviction later prevented him from entering Canada for a performance.

Rise to riches: Rocky's film, which is directed by The Architects, traces his early years and stratospheric rise to become one of the most acclaimed rappers working today

Dark times: But the film's title is derived form an 2019 incident in Stockholm, Sweden, in which he was arrested for aggravated assault, which was later reduced to simple assault

The documentary also features appearances from Rocky's girlfriend Rihanna.

The two have been the subject of romance rumors going back to 2013, but it wasn't until she ended things with her billionaire boyfriend Hassan Jameel that things started to heat up between the two musicians.

Prior to the premiere, he gushed to ET about her being featured in the documentary, saying it was 'important having that support in real life, you know?'

'It's amazing and I'm honestly truly blessed, for real,' he added.

He also stressed that it was important to present a fair portrait of his brush with the law in Sweden.

'I just wanted to tell my story without really complaining or without, you know, seeming like a victim, or like I wanted a pity party or what not,' he said. 'So, here it is.'
Coronation Street legend Beverley Callard is teaming up with Radio 1's Jordan North for a new ITV travel show.

The pair became good friends after appearing on last year's I'm A Celebrity and 'both jumped at the chance' to work together when approached by channel bosses.

Beverley, 64, and Jordan, 31, hit it off while filming in the ruins of Gwrych Castle in Wales and their new show promises 'not just good culture and amazing food  but a whole load of laughs'.

Teaming up: Coronation Street legend Beverley Callard, 64, is teaming up with Radio 1's Jordan North, 31, for a new ITV travel show

A source told The Sun: 'They have a very natural chemistry and that relationship continued off screen.

'Everything is still being mapped out for the pair and producers are currently working on the exact locations the duo will travel to.'

The paper added that due to their close friendship, the show is destined to be 'a huge success'.

MailOnline has reached out to both Beverley and Jordan's representatives for comment.

Close: The pair became good friends after appearing on last year's I'm A Celebrity and 'both jumped at the chance' to work together when approached by channel bosses

Jordan finished the competition in second place, with Giovanna Fletcher crowned the first-ever Queen of the Castle.

He quickly became a fan favourite as he faced many of his fears, during the show's Bushtucker Trial, including his intense phobia of snakes.

Meanwhile, Beverley  best known for playing Liz McDonald in ITV soap  was voted off of the show alongside Victoria Derbyshire the series' first double elimination in November.

The actress credited her stint in the I'm A Celebrity castle with giving her a new lease of life.

Taking to Instagram last month, Beverley joked she was 'growing old disgracefully' as she shared a series of pictures of herself sat on her new Vespa.

Beverley returned to social media after a five week absence to show her 160,000 followers her new scooter.

Second place: Jordan finished the competition in second place, with Giovanna Fletcher crowned the first-ever Queen of the Castle (pictured: 2020's celebrity contestants)

She said: 'I know I've been a bit boring and a bit quiet on here recently. Hope everyone is enjoying life now that some restrictions have lifted.

'We definitely are... @jonmmac55 [her husband Jon] and I have been on a few little adventures that I'm so excited to share with you soon but for now.. I wanted to show you this... growing old disgracefully [laughing face emoji]'

The actress beamed from ear to ear as she sat on the seat of her bike for pictures, even lifting her feet in the air at points.
Karl Stefanovic, 46, and Ally Langdon, 42, have gotten candid about starting their Today show hosting journey during a turbulent 2020.

The TV personalities admitted that beginning their tenure during the catastrophic Australian bushfires - followed by the pandemic - was 'the best thing' for the Channel 9 morning show in an interview with TV Week.

'The focus was the story, as opposed to us and our relationship,' Langdon said.

Dynamic duo: Karl Stefanovic, 46, and Ally Langdon, 42, have gotten candid about starting their Today show hosting journey during a turbulent 2020

Karl meanwhile described the timing as 'probably the best thing for us to try to cement what we were going to be to the Australian public'.

The veteran journalist then explained he wanted to be serious first, and entertaining second.

However, the duo conceded that despite making some inroads, they were still trailing their Channel 7 rival Sunrise in the ratings.

Stefanovic, who is already on his second go-around on the breakfast show, admitted if they don't start winning the ratings battle, he'll 'be off the show again'.

Every cloud: The TV personalities admitted that beginning their tenure during the catastrophic Australian bushfires - followed by the pandemic - was 'the best thing' for the Channel 9 morning show

Channel Nine sacked Stefanovic shortly after his 'lavish' second wedding in Mexico amid speculation women did not like him leaving his first wife for a younger woman.

The TV anchor had been married to journalist Cassandra Thorburn for 21 years and he has three children aged 13 to 20 with the 50-year-old.

The couple split in 2016 and in 2018 he married shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough, now 36.

Word hard play hard: 'The focus was the story, as opposed to us and our relationship,' Langdon said of their turbulent start. The pair pictured on the red carpet with colleague Brooke Boney

The pair share one child together, Harper, aged one.

Langdon meanwhile shares son Mack and daughter Scout with husband and fellow journalist Michael Willesee Jr.

Addressing fatherhood, Karl told TV Week he was 'very open' to having a second child with Jasmine.

It would however, quipped the father-of-four, mean another 15 years of hosting Today in order to pay school fees.
She has been enjoying a break in sunny St Tropez for the past week.

And Dame Joan Collins, 88, looked like she was loving her trip as she showcased her youthful legs while lounging on a boat with her husband Percy Gibson, 56.

The actress sent her fans into a frenzy after showing off her statuesque physique as she sat in a white summery shirt and matching sun hat.

'You always look incredible': Dame Joan Collins, 88, stunned her fans as she put on a leggy while lounging on a boat in St Tropez with husband Percy Gibson in a post on Instagram

Accessorising her look, Joan also wore a pair of blue-lens sunglasses and a single gold pendant necklace.

Meanwhile, her husband added a splash of colour to their day of leisure as he wore a purple and black flower-pattern shirt paired with bright purple swimming shorts.

Joan captioned the picture: 'Verified Nothing beats #alifeontheoceanwave #summerfun #boatlife.'

Her fans were left in awe of her breathtaking physique, with one commenting: 'You always look incredible Joan.'

'ever the elegant stunning Joan': Her fans were left in awe of her breathtaking physique, with one commenting: 'You always look incredible Joan', while another asked Joan for tips on how she keeps her legs looking so good

While another fan said: 'Joan can you please give us all some tips on how to keep our legs looking as young as yours? We are all admiring your legs!'

A third commented: 'Ever the elegant stunning Joan, have a beautiful day.'

Joan's trip to St Tropez comes after she visited the Spanish island of Mallorca last month.

Youthful: The actress looked sensational as she sat in a white summery shirt and matching sun hat while enjoying a boat trip with her friends

She looked as elegant as ever as she attended a press event for a new villa in the popular holiday spot after flying in from the UK.

Joan looked typically stylish in a blue patterned dress which she teamed with a chic white blazer as she took a tour of the stunning house.

Spain is currently on the UK's amber list of countries and travel there for holidays is discouraged.

A representative for Joan confirmed she had travelled to the Spanish island for work.

Dame Joan showed off her youthful figure in the midi number which featured statement sleeves and was cinched in at the waist.

She completed her look with a pair of huge black sunglasses, black and white pointy heels and accessorised with silver jewellery.

The star wore her dark tresses in her classic blow dried style and opted for a typically glamorous makeup look complete with a slick of bright red lip.
Coleen Rooney marked her and husband Wayne's thirteenth wedding anniversary on Sunday with a sweet Instagram snap, revealing they had celebrated the day with a family day out in London.

Sharing a photo of the pair, both 35, standing outside London's Southbank Centre in the sunshine, Coleen captioned her post: '13 years married! Happy Anniversary @waynerooney.'

In a photo shared by Wayne, the couple beamed while posing with their four sons - Kai, 11, Klay, eight, Kit, five, and Cass, three - revealing their boys were included in the anniversary fun.

Family: Coleen Rooney marked her and Wayne's thirteenth wedding anniversary on Sunday with a sweet Instagram snap, revealing they celebrated the day with a family day out in London

Coleen looked typically stylish in a luxury Chloe T-shirt and kept the sunshine at bay behind circle sunglasses.

She wore her glossy hair loose and lovingly rested her hands on her sons' shoulders.

Wayne cut a dapper figure, also wearing shades teamed with a grey T-shirt.

Childhood sweethearts Wayne and Coleen met at school when they were 12, before they started dating after they finished school at 16.

Parents: In another snap, the pair - both 35 - stood outside London's Southbank Centre in the sunshine, with Coleen writing: '13 years married! Happy Anniversary @waynerooney'

They tied the knot in a romantic ceremony in Italy, with wedding said to have cost an estimated 5m.

After both a civil and church ceremony - and three dress changes for Coleen - the newlyweds celebrated at the Villa Durazzo, for a champagne reception, which continued on until 4am.

A live band played a medley of Frank Sinatra songs and enjoyed a 50,000 firework display. True to form, the couple reportedly decided against sophisticated fare, opting for a sit-down meal of pizza.

Since then, the pair have welcomed four sons and have battled through their fair share of hardships, but have continued to stand by one another.

Hardships: Since then, the pair have welcomed four sons and have battled through their fair share of hardships, but have continued to stand by one another (pictured in 2009)

In 2009 it was revealed that former escort Helen Wood had a threesome with the then-Manchester United player and her friend, and former escort, Jenny Thompson.

Helen has previously said that the glare of the media spotlight was unwelcome and uninvited and came only after Jenny went to the tabloids to name her.

In 2019 the former England captain's marriage was said to be 'hanging by a thread' after he was spotted drinking with barmaid Vicki Rosiek until 2.30am.

In 2017, just before he was due to move to the US, the former England captain apologised for his 'unforgivable lack of judgement' as he was banned from driving for two years and given 100 hours' community service after a drinking heavily with a party girl.

He was stopped by police while driving 29-year-old Laura Simpson home from a night out in her Volkswagen Beetle in Wilmslow, Cheshire, at 2am on September 1. Rooney was stopped because Miss Simpson's car had a faulty brake light.

Coleen was then pregnant with the couple's fourth child - and was seen without her wedding ring. For a period it appeared they were living separately but Mrs Rooney took him back after his apology.

MailOnline revealed last month that the family are finally set to move into their 20 million mansion ending four troubled years of delays and planning rows.

But they will have to contend with increased noise levels and groups of walkers who can ogle the mansion from a public footpath close-by.

Their home  dubbed the 'Morrisons Mansion'  due to its similarity to the supermarket chain, is on the flightpath to Manchester Airport with planes flying directly over it, as revealed by MailOnline.

One local resident at Knutsford, Cheshire, said: 'It has been fairly quite in the skies above their home because of the pandemic and lesser planes flying about.

'But I think they are going to be at their wits end when the holiday season arrives and if things are back to normal. The planes are in swarms each hour usually.

'They have put security cameras up around their border, but there are areas when you can get very close from public land. There is little they will be able to do about it.

'But I wish them well as do most of us around here. They are a young family just like any other moving into a new home.'

Finally finished: Wayne and Coleen are finally set to move into their 20 million mansion ending four troubled years of delays and planning rows

Work ground to a halt for several weeks during lockdown as building materials deliveries stopped during the pandemic.

They had originally pencilled in January of 2020 as their moving in date, but with the pandemic and other issues that was delayed.

Coleen had requested several changes to the original plans with designers about the interior and fittings and she and her husband made regular visits for updates and remained patient, said a source.
She regularly enthuses about going on long hikes, which help to keep her mentally and physically healthy.

And, Carol Vorderman has detailed her three month struggle with Long Covid, revealing that she 'couldn't walk 100 yards' as she battled the debilitating lingering impact of contracting coronavirus.

During an appearance on Monday's Good Morning Britain, the Countdown presenter, 60, told how she caught the deadly virus last year, before lockdown, but put on a brave face to teach her free online maths lessons to children across the country.

Oh no! Carol Vorderman, 60, has detailed her three month struggle with Long Covid, revealing that she 'couldn't walk 100 yards' as she battled the lingering impact of coronavirus

Carol said: 'Lockdown has been horrendous for many,' before touching on her own experience.

She continued: 'I got Covid before lockdown. Long covid. You know I'm a walker, so I can be like "oh I'll go off and find a nice 15 miler today" - I couldn't walk 100 yards. And months later I still couldn't.'

Carol mimicked taking a long, strained gasp for air as she explained: 'I would be like... "uhhhh"... Yeh months, probably three months.'

Thankfully, the popular presenter asserted that she has fully recovered, insisting: 'I'm fine now, absolutely fine.'

Open and honest: The Pride of Britain host said: 'Lockdown has been horrendous for many,' before touching on her own experience

Chat: The presenter was in good spirits as she chatted to hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley

What happened? During an appearance on Monday's Good Morning Britain, the Countdown presenter told how she caught the deadly virus last year, before lockdown

Hiker: 'I got Covid before lockdown. Long covid. You know I'm a walker, so I can be like "oh I'll go off and find a nice 15 miler today" - I couldn't walk 100 yards' she said (Pictured on a hike)

LONG COVID: WHAT IS IT AND COULD IT BE FOUR DIFFERENT SYNDROMES? Covid-19 is described as a short-term illness caused by infection with the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Public health officials tend to say people will recover within two weeks or so. However it's become increasingly clear that this is not the case for everyone, and that the two-week period is only the 'acute illness' phase. The North Bristol NHS Trust's Discover project, which is studying the longer-term effects of coronavirus, found that out of a total of 110 patients given a three-month check up, most (74 per cent) had at least one persistent symptom after twelve weeks. The most common were: Excessive fatigue: 39%

Breathlessness: 39%

Insomnia: 24%

Muscle pain: 23%

Chest pain: 13%

Cough: 12%

Loss of smell: 12%

Headache, fever, joint pain and diarrhoea: Each less than 10% Other long term symptoms that have been reported by Covid-19 survivors, both suspected and confirmed, anecdotally, include hearing problems, 'brain fog', memory loss, lack of concentration, mental health problems and hair loss. The impact of Long Covid on people who had mild illness have not been studied in depth yet. Data from the King's College London symptom tracking app shows that up to 500,000 people in the UK are currently suffering from the long-term effects of Covid-19. In October, scientists claimed Long Covid could actually be split into four different syndromes. Academics at the National Institute for Health Research  headed up by Professor Chris Whitty  were asked to review the limited evidence on long Covid to help both patients and doctors understand the 'phenomenon'. Their findings warned that even children can suffer and it can't be assumed that people who are at lower risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19 are also at low risk of lasting side effects. Doctors cautioned some mental health problems such as anxiety and depression in 'long-haulers', as they are known, could be down to lockdowns, as opposed to the virus itself. The experts also claimed that the symptoms could be grouped into four different groups: Post intensive care syndrome (PICS)

Post viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS)

Permanent organ damage (POD)

Long term Covid syndrome (LTCS) Advertisement

Carol recently admitted that she 'feels like she's still 20,' after wowing fans with her ageless complexion.

The maths whizz confessed she's in denial about her age and has embraced feeling young at heart, adding she's also 'genuinely happy' being single and has no plans to start hunting for 'the One.'

Speaking as nominations opened for this year's Pride Of Britain Awards, Carol told The Mirror: 'I know I'm 60  I know that because my birth certificate says so.... In my head I feel like I'm 20!'

Fully recovered: Thankfully, the popular presenter asserted that she has fully recovered, insisting: 'I'm fine now, absolutely fine'

Hard worker: Carol gave free online maths lessons during lockdown despite battling Covid-19

Carol split from her Red Arrows pilot boyfriend Graham Duff five years ago and has been keeping in shape since with intermittent fasting and a personal trainer.

Of the prospect of a new romance, the presenter coyly explained: 'I am genuinely happy being single with 'special' friends.'

And Carol will have plenty of time for dating whoever she pleases as she also revealed that she will no longer be working on TV projects.

The presenter detailed how she'd worked incredibly hard in 2020 and that her health suffered as a result, so she decided enough was enough.
He's been an Emmerdale regular for two years.

But Max Parker's days on the ITV soap will soon be over, with the actor, 29, already trying out for new roles.

Max first appeared on the show as Luke Posner in 2019 and he was revealed to be the brother of the man who raped Victoria Sugden, Lee Posner.

End of an era: Max Parker, 29, has quit ITV soap Emmerdale, with his final scenes as character Luke Posner airing in the coming weeks

The television star's time on the soap will end in the coming weeks, with a source telling The Sun: 'Max was never going to stay on the soap for years.

'Hes ambitious and a talented guy - hes already auditioning for new roles and excited for the future.

'But never say never - theres always a chance he could return one day.'

Max's character Luke recently admitted to his mother Wendy that he got into a fight with his brother Lee before his death in 2019.

TV regular: Max first appeared on the show as Luke Posner in 2019 and he was revealed to be the brother of the man who raped Victoria Sugden, Lee Posner

Luke had revealed he was dating a man, prompting an angry Lee to beat him up in a homophobic attack.

During the altercation Luke pushed Lee to the ground where he fell unconscious.

He later woke up but the storyline concluded with Robert Sugden hitting him over the head with a shovel hours later, causing Lee to die from a bleed to the brain and Robert to go to prison.

Soap hunk: Max is not averse to whipping his top off on his Instagram page and fans may see him on-screen again soon as he is already auditioning for other roles

Meanwhile, Max is dating his on-screen brother - Kris Mochrie who played Lee - in real life, with the couple sharing a penthouse in Manchester.

Max discovered Kris on Tinder after Kris left the soap, prompting Max to contact him on Instagram.

Max previously told Attitude of their meeting: 'He was filming his last day on set... That was the first time we met. I didn't know he was gay, but I remember thinking he's very handsome

'It was later I thought "I've never done Tinder, so I'll have a go," so I went on Tinder and I saw him pop up, and I was like "OK this is a sign"  so I made the first move by sending a message on Instagram.

'I didn't know he was gay and I didn't know that he would fancy me, but then he did.'

Coupling-up: Max is dating his on-screen brother in real life - Kris Mochrie who played Lee Posner - with the couple sharing a penthouse in Manchester

Kris previously spoke to The Mirror about their romance, admitting: 'It's great to meet someone through work and have so many things in common and an understanding of each other's jobs.

'We didn't actually share any scenes together on Emmerdale but kept in touch after I left.

'I don't want to jinx things. We are seeing how we get on. We had a great time on holiday in Dubai. Let's see how it goes.'
Katie Price's son Harvey swore live on Good Morning Britain on Monday, with host Richard Madeley forced to apologise.

Former glamour model Katie, 43, and Harvey, 19, were appearing on the show to discuss their recent NTA nomination for documentary, Harvey And Me, but the interview was disrupted when a light fell onto the pair as they chatted.

A laughing Katie said: 'Oh did that fall down. Don't worry, Harv. That's live TV for you' as a crew member pulled the light back into place.

Following the blunder, Harvey uttered: 'What the f*** is that?' with Richard later apologising.

On-air: Katie Price's son Harvey swore live on Good Morning Britain on Monday, with host Richard Madeley forced to apologise

He said: 'We just have to quickly say there was a little bit of inadvertent swearing earlier.

'It was completely inadvertent. Obviously if you were affected by it, we apologise. But I think we can live with it.

Co-host Susanna Reid responded: 'Was that you, Richard?' with the star responding: 'No it wasn't me, although I have done that.'

Fall: Katie, 43, and Harvey, 19, were appearing on the show to discuss their recent NTA nomination for documentary, Harvey And Me, but the interview was disrupted when a light fell onto the pair as they chatted

This isn't the first time Harvey has sworn on live TV. In 2016, the then-then 13-year-old shocked viewers when he used the C-word during an interview about trolling.

Disabled teenager Harvey also melted viewers' hearts when he called Richard 'beautiful' as the interview began, shortly after playfully refusing to put in his earpiece.

Katie said:'Richard, who's on there Harv, last time you were on his show you were a baby. What do you want to say to Richard?'

Harvey responded: 'Hi Richard. You look beautiful.'

Richard laughed at the adorable remark, with Susanna Reid asking how she looked.

'Do I look alright, Harvey?' Susanna asked, with Harvey also saying the star looked beautiful.

Oh dear: A laughing Katie said: 'Oh did that fall down. Don't worry, Harv. That's live TV for you' as a crew member pulled the light back into place'

Oh no: Following the blunder, Harvey uttered: 'What the f*** is that?' with Richard later apologising

Katie also spoke about feeling 'upset' and 'angry' after the man who shared an offensive video of her son Harvey was found not guilty.

Katie told Susanna and Richard, 'I have two campaigns - Harvey's Law and Track A Troll - and I'm here to talk about Track A Troll. It's not just about Harvey, it's about everyone else.

'If it was on the street and it was happening to Harvey live and then a person came along and said, 'Hey everyone, come and have a look at this,' it would be viewed differently. Because it's online, it's treated differently when it should be treated the same. Harvey is so innocent and he's such a gorgeous guy and he doesn't deserve it.'

She added: 'They were mocking me too. But I have a voice, I can speak up, Harvey can't and it's such a shame the man got off. All we need is one judge to make it clear there can be a consequence. In my eyes, if you retweet it, you're still a part of it.'

Sorry: He said: 'We just have to quickly say there was a little bit of inadvertent swearing earlier'

Noticed: One fan tweeted about Harvey's swearing shortly afterwards

Talking about the man being cleared, Katie said: 'I was upset, even in court and I was being cross-examined, I made it clear to everyone, 'I am a mother' and it's really upsetting and it makes me angry and all I'm trying to do is my best to defend Harvey, be his voice and also it'll help protect everyone else.'

Fans took to Twitter to praise the mother and son, writing: 'Loved this interview and loved Harvey. @KatiePrice youre an amazing mum to him and he is besotted with you.

Moment: This isn't the first time Harvey has sworn on live TV. In 2016, the then-then 13-year-old shocked viewers when he used the C-word during an interview about trolling

Compliment: Disabled teenager Harvey also melted viewers' hearts when he called Richard 'beautiful' as the interview began, shortly after playfully refusing to put in his earpiece

Beautiful: Katie said:'Richard, who's on there Harv, last time you were on his show you were a baby. What do you want to say to Richard?' Harvey responded: 'Hi Richard. You look beautiful'

Another penned: Aww hes such a lovely boy actually brought tears to my eyes hes such a gentle soul.

On Thursday, June 10, it emerged that the man accused of trolling Katie's son Harvey was found not guilty at a trial after the court heard he had shared the video clip as a joke.

The ex-model told MailOnline that the outcome at Hastings Magistrates' Court was a 'blow' but insisted it 'only drives me onwards to fight for what is right - for justice'.

The defendant, Philip Lewer, allegedly shared the video on Twitter last November after receiving it over WhatsApp - and Sussex Police arrested him ten hours later.

The 52-year-old, from Hastings, was detained on suspicion of sending an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message by a public communication network.

Cute: 'Do I look alright, Harvey?' Susanna asked, with Harvey also saying the star looked beautiful

Lewer, who allegedly shared the clip of someone in blackface after it was originally posted by another person, appeared at the court as Price took to the witness box.

The defendant - who was charged under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 earlier this year - told magistrates that he wanted to say sorry but said: 'I didn't find it offensive. I didn't think people would be offended.'

Price said: 'This one I found absolutely disgusting, because they managed to paint the colour of their skin, clearly being racist.

'They mimicked how he speaks and they are doing the eye movement. They are mocking me and him together. He can't defend himself.'

Praise: Fans took to Twitter to laud Harvey and Katie in the wake of the emotional interview

The court heard Lewer had posted the video on his Twitter page after someone else made it.

The court was also told that the clip had been retweeted 46 times, quote-tweeted 369 times and liked by 107 people.

Lewer was then said to have changed his account name 'so people could not find him' after he received messages telling him it was 'vile'.

But he was arrested the next day, despite telling police: 'It's just a tweet, a tweet. I can just delete the tweet. I was sent the link on WhatsApp.'

Asked why he posted the video, he told the court: 'It was the half-a***d way they went about it - she has a push-up bra and is caked in fake tan and he is blacked-up.'

Shocking: On Fridau, it emerged that the man accused of trolling Harvey was found not guilty at a trial after the court heard he had shared the video clip as a joke

He said the man who was featured in the clip was 'playing a character badly' and claimed the Loose Women episode it was based on would 'go down in history'.

Lewer said people have blacked their faces 'right through to Little Britain' but added it had 'been a very chastening experience'.

Lewer was found not guilty of the charge after the court was told that he shared the clip as a 'joke' and did not mean to cause any offence.

Price issued a statement through her representative after the hearing, telling MailOnline: 'Firstly I would like to thank Sussex Police for their hard work and efforts in bringing unacceptable online abuse to the court room today.

Justice: The ex-model told MailOnline that the outcome at Hastings Magistrates' Court was a 'blow' but insisted it 'only drives me onwards to fight for what is right - for justice'

Unacceptable: 'Trolling and online abuse is unacceptable, Harvey's Law and Track a Troll are steps towards the much needed regulation of online behaviour'

'It is unheard of for a stranger to walk down the street hurling racial or similar abuse at a complete stranger.

'The government needs to take urgent action to stop these faceless keyboard warriors from emotionally harming innocent and vulnerable people from the safety and comfort of their own home.

'Trolling and online abuse is unacceptable, Harvey's Law and Track a Troll are steps towards the much needed regulation of online behaviour.

'I hope that today's case has shone a spot light on the issues that need urgently addressing.'

She added: 'Today's outcome was indeed a blow and only drives me onwards to fight for what is right - for justice.'

Last year Price sat down with MPs to talk about the internet trolling her son Harvey - who has Prader-Willi syndrome - faces.

She has called for 'Harvey's Law', which is to make social media abuse a specific offence with a register to catalogue offenders.
Celebrity Apprentice could be getting an All Stars season.

According to a report in New Idea magazine this week, Channel Nine are pleased with the current season, and want to capitalise on its success.

A network insider told the publication a best-of season was 'absolutely on the cards', due to the success of the current crop of stars.

In the works: Celebrity Apprentice: All-Stars is 'absolutely on the cards' with Channel Nine 'impressed' with the latest season. Pictured: Martha Kalifatidis

'Ian Dickson, Sophie Monk and Gina Liano could be back in the boardroom sooner rather than later,' the source said.

All Stars seasons have certainly been a hit with other successful TV franchises, most recently being MasterChef.

The report comes ahead of Celebrity Apprentice's grand finale on Tuesday.

As of Monday afternoon, a leading online bookmaker has tipped Shaynna Blaze as the favourite to win the show.

Star-studded: 'Ian Dickson, Sophie Monk and Gina Liano could be back in the boardroom sooner rather than later,' the source told the publication. Pictured: Gina Liano

The Block's interior design expert, 58, has odds of $1.25, making her the clear winner, while Martha Kalifatidis comes in second with odds of $4.00.

Meanwhile, comedian Ross Noble sits third at $7.

Shaynna and Martha's extremely short odds suggest some degree of insider knowledge that one of these two women wins.

Backing a winner? All-Stars seasons have certainly been a hit with other successful TV franchises, most recently being MasterChef. Pictured: Sir Alan Sugar

It comes after CEO Lord Alan Sugar revealed which Celebrity Apprentice stars riled him up the most during filming.

Recently appearing on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the 74-year-old admitted he was less than impressed with some of the cast.

The British billionaire confessed he did have a soft spot for Nova breakfast host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli, as well as kaftan queen Camilla Franks.

Celebrity Apprentice Australia continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Nine
Russell Crowe is known to be a great friend to the Irwin clan.

And on Sunday, Terri Irwin, 56, thanked the Hollywood star, 57, for his donation to Australia Zoo, which resulted in the rescue of an ailing kookaburra called Archie.

The bird underwent surgery on Saturday after swallowing a fishing hook, with Russell's funds having gone towards an endoscope which was used in the life-saving procedure.

Pals: Russell Crowe is known to be a great friend to the Irwin clan. And on Sunday, Terri Irwin, 56, thanked the Hollywood star, 57, for his donation to Australia Zoo, which resulted in the rescue of an ailing kookaburra called Archie. Pictured together in 2007

Terri wrote on Twitter: 'Thank you @russellcrowe for donating the funds to purchase this life-saving endoscope. Archie really appreciated it!'

A Tweet shared by Australia Zoo on Saturday further explained: 'Archie the kookaburra had swallowed a fishing hook when he arrived at the #AustraliaZoo Wildlife Hospital.

'An endoscope was used to locate the hook, following which it was safely removed using a protective sleeve.

Lucky ducky: The bird underwent surgery on Saturday after swallowing a fishing hook

Ouch! Russell's funds went towards an endoscope which was used in the life-saving procedure

Terri wrote on Twitter: 'Thank you @russellcrowe for donating the funds to purchase this life-saving endoscope. Archie really appreciated it!'

'Thankfully, Archie recovered and he has returned back to the wild.'

Last year, the Gladiator actor gifted Bindi Irwin, 22, and Chandler Powell, 24, a fig tree as a wedding present.

To celebrate his 56th birthday from afar in April 2020, the newlyweds hugged the tree in a sweet Instagram picture, since they couldn't see him in person.

Lovely: Last year, the Gladiator actor gifted Bindi Irwin (right) and Chandler Powell (left) a fig tree as a wedding present. To celebrate his 56th birthday from afar, the newlyweds hugged the tree in a sweet Instagram picture, since they couldn't see him in person

Sweet: 'Happy birthday Russell. You'll always be part of our family,' Bindi wrote in the caption

'Happy birthday Russell. You'll always be part of our family,' Bindi wrote in the caption.

She added: 'Even though we can't see you right now, we're giving the beautiful fig you gifted us a hug and thinking of you. Hope your day is extraordinary!'

Bindi went on to share a second photo of the heartwarming gift tag attached to the Port Jackson fig tree.

'Presented to Bindi and Chandler to commemorate their wedding. Love from Russell Crowe and family,' it read.
They've been going strong since 2019.

And Faye Brookes looked smitten with beau Joe Davies as she enjoyed a relaxing beach day during their sun-soaked trip to Mykonos on Monday.

The former Coronation Street actress, 33, flaunted her sensational figure in a black bikini which featured a slight frill and tie-sides.

Stunning: Faye Brookes looked incredible as she enjoyed a beach day with her beau Joe Davies during their sun-soaked trip to Mykonos on Monday

Ensuring to make the most of the sunshine and tanning time, Faye tied her top's straps around her back to create a strapless number and avoid any lines.

The brunette beauty wore her long locks down while soaking up the sunshine and sported a pair of stylish sunglasses.

After kicking back next to Joe - and enjoying some refreshing cold drinks on their wooden beach loungers - the star donned a pink cover-up.

It also seemed that Faye had indulged in a spot of shopping as she was seen toting a large Soho Soho boutique bag away from the beach.

Relaxing: The soap star, 33, and her personal trainer beau worked on their tans while sitting on wooden loungers at the beach

Personal trainer Joe also kept things laid-back for the outing, donning a light blue tank top and swimming shorts.

Greece and its islands are currently on the UK government's Amber list, meaning those returning to Britain must quarantine for 10 days on their return.

The government also requires that travellers take a Covid test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8. It may be possible to end quarantine early if a private Covid test through the Test to Release scheme is paid for.

It comes after Faye revealed in February the couple's plans to get married and have children as she declared he was the 'best cheerleader' when appearing on DOI.

Sizzling: Faye ensured to keep topping up her sun cream while displaying her toned physique

Clever: She tied her straps around her back to create a strapless number and avoid any lines

On the move: Faye added a pink cover-up with a white fringe over her bikini during the day trip

Laid-back: She added only a few bracelets to complete her look and wore her locks down

Soaking it up: Faye went make-up free while working on her tan on Monday

When asked if an engagement is on the cards, Faye responded to OK! magazine: 'I would love to get married and I know Joe would too, but right now we love our lives and there is no pressure.'

Her partner Joe concurred: 'There's a huge future ahead for both of us and we're on our own journey.'

The actress also spoke of their elaborate wedding plans as she added: 'It's going to have to be a big wedding! As much as we'd love it to be intimate and have our parents there as witnesses, there are too many important people in our lives.'

According to Faye, she and Joe are incredibly close to their families, and they have a 'great group of friends,' who they want to attend their wedding ceremony.

Been shopping? It also seemed that Faye had indulged in a spot of shopping as she was seen toting a large Soho Soho boutique at the beach

Casual: Joe donned a tank top and swimming shorts while he manned the loungers

Getting in a round? He got out his bank card from a backpack while Faye stood nearby

Sunshine: The couple seemed to be in good spirits while chatting on the end of their loungers

She also confirmed they have 'fur babies' for now - referring to their dogs - and that they haven't made 'any plans' to have children.

However, she did reveal they have discussed the possibility of having kids as Joe subtly added: 'There will be a time and place for everything.'

The loved-up couple confirmed they met through mutual friends at Barry's Bootcamp in Manchester, they were first spotted together at the end of 2019.

Faye was introduced to her personal trainer beau through his colleague, Amy, as he covered one of her fitness classes.

Wow: Faye put on a sizzling display as she confidently rocked her swimwear

Colourful: The soap star's cover-up boasted hues of pink and cream in a snake-print pattern

Added extras: Faye donned some stylish sunglasses and held onto her phone while showing Joe some silver sandals from the boutique bag

They initially embarked on a friendship but apparently, their mutual friends predicted a romance. The couple reflected that they weren't 'looking for a relationship' but rather, it 'became one'.

'Not only is he my best friend, but hes the best cheerleader,' Faye gushed over Joe's support since her Dancing On Ice debut in January.

Joe revealed he got a bit tearful during her first official skating performance as Faye thanked him for keeping her 'calm, grounded' and 'present'.

She also credited her dance partner Hamish Gaman for being a 'pure professional' and a 'perfectionist.'

Beach day: The couple had several glasses and a bottle sitting on the table at their sunny spot
Perth twins Anna and Lucy DeCinque are engaged to their shared partner of a decade.

Ben Byrne, 37, proposed to the identical twin sisters, 35, in the most recent episode of TLC's reality TV series Extreme Sisters.

During the nighttime proposal, the electrician gave both sisters matching engagement rings with three bands to signify their unorthodox union.

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Engaged: Perth twins Anna and Lucy DeCinque (pictured) are engaged to their shared partner of a decade

After slipping the rings on their fingers, Ben said, 'Anna you mean the world to me and I want to spend my life with you and Lucy you mean the world to me and I want to spend my life with you, too.'

He then added: 'I love you, I love you both.'

'Im willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy.'

He put a ring on them! Ben Byrne, 37, proposed to the identical twin sisters, 35, in the most recent episode of TLC's reality TV series Extreme Sisters

Symbolic: During the nighttime proposal, the electrician gave both sisters matching engagement rings with three bands to signify their unorthodox union

In recent episodes of Extreme Sisters, Anna and Lucy were shown both trying to get pregnant simultaneously.

During a 2019 interview with Today, they spoke about the difficulties of both falling pregnant to the same man, admitting, 'Its going to be another challenge. Theres a lot of pressure on Ben.'

The sisters share a king sized bed, with Ben in the middle, in their mother's house.

Up for the challenge: After slipping the rings on their fingers, Ben said, 'Anna you mean the world to me and I want to spend my life with you and Lucy you mean the world to me and I want to spend my life with you, too'

Sister sister: Anna and Lucy - who have earned the world title of the 'most identical twins' - are so close that they go to the toilet together

Anna and Lucy - who have earned the world title of the 'most identical twins' - are so close that they go to the toilet together and measure out their food to ensure they are eating exactly the same amount.

'When she goes to the toilet, I come with her; when she has a shower, I come with her,' Anna told the New York Post.

'You name it and we do it. We're never apart. I don't think we'd function without each other. We have separation anxiety. We're bound to each other.'

Difficult: In recent episodes of Extreme Sisters, Anna and Lucy were shown both trying to get pregnant simultaneously

Awkward! The sisters share a king sized bed, with Ben in the middle, in their mother's house

'We were ready to showcase our love story,' Lucy told Confidential of their decision to join the TLC reality TV series.

'We are the show to be quite honest, I don't think there's anyone more extreme than the two of us.'

The sisters have been dating Ben since 2012 and want to get married, but polygamy is banned under the Australian Marriage Act 1961.

The trio hope to one day achieve their nuptials overseas.

Open books: 'We were ready to showcase our love story,' Lucy told Confidential of their decision to join the TLC reality TV series

Although the DeCinques have featured in many media appearances over the past decade, the show will be the first time Ben's side of the story will play out on screen.

'He was the one who really wanted us to do this show,' Lucy said.

'People were waiting to hear his voice, his views and what it's like living with two girlfriends. Ben is such a chilled guy, he's not really like "look at me I've got two girlfriends" he just loves us for who we are.'

Last year, the twins revealed they eat just one meal a day and work out for six hours everyday to maintain their svelte physiques.
Kevin Hart slammed celebrity cancel culture after reflecting on his decision to stand down as presenter of the 2019 Oscars in a candid new interview.

In an interview with the The Sunday Times, the 41-year-old actor said fans involved in cancel culture - needed to 'shut the f**k up' when the hostility was based around 'nonsense' remarks.

Hart also looked back on his own career in which he had been 'canceled many times' - he did not appear in his role as host of the 2019 Oscars after tweets and some of his early stand-up routines featuring homophobic comments resurfaced.

Despite apologizing to the LGBTQ community, he refused a demand from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to apologize again, saying at the time that he had addressed the issue enough.

'What are you talking about?' Kevin Hart slammed celebrity cancel culture after reflecting on his decision to stand down as presenter of the 2019 Oscars in a candid new interview (pictured 2020)

He said: 'If somebody has done something truly damaging then, absolutely, a consequence should be attached. But when you just talk about nonsense? When you're talking, "Someone said! They need to be taken [down]!" Shut the f**k up! What are you talking about?'

Kevin went on to say that comedians struggle to express themselves out of fear that their jokes might get them canceled.

He said: 'You're thinking that things you say will come back and bite you on the ass. I can't be the comic today that I was when I got into this.'

The star added that people need to remember that comedians tell jokes to make people laugh, and not to make them angry.

Kevin also said that he gets angry over people expecting others to behave perfectly all of the time.

He said: 'I don't expect perfection from my kids. I don't expect it from my wife, friends, employees. Because, last I checked, the only way you grow up is from f*****g up. I don't know a kid who hasn't f****d up or done some dumb s**t.'

He did not appear in his role as host of the 2019 Oscars after tweets (pictured) and some of his early stand-up routines featuring homophobic comments resurfaced

Hart said in his latest interview that he cringes when he thinks about those comments (pictured) and now knows that he has grown as a person since publishing them

Looking back: In an interview with the The Sunday Times , the 41-year-old actor said fans involved in cancel culture - needed to 'shut the f**k up' when the hostility was based around 'nonsense' remarks (pictured 2020)

Talking about the tweets, Kevin welcomed people to pull them up as they would be looking at a younger version of himself who failed to be funny on one particular attempt.

He added that he cringes when he thinks about those comments and now knows that he has grown as a person since publishing them.

His new film, Fatherhood is based on the 2011 memoir Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love, which was a New York Times best seller.

Hart stars as Matt, based on the true story of Matthew Logelin, who gained a daughter, Madeline, but lost his wife Liz all within a 27-hour period.

Kevin and his wife Eniko celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary last August and welcomed their second child in October.

Along with Kaori, the Harts are also the proud parents of son Kenzo, who turned three last November.

The Ride Along actor also has a daughter Heaven, 16, and a son Hendrix, 13, from his previous marriage to Torrei Hart.

The comedian announced he would step down and then apologized to the LGBTQ community for his 'insensitive words'

On the work front Kevin was been busy filming Netflix's eight-episode limited series True Story in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Independent Spirit Award nominee Wesley Snipes also has a role in the show portraying Kid's (Hart) wayward big brother Carlton in the fictionalized drama based on his rise as a comic.

True Story marks the Philadelphia-born 41-year-old's TV drama debut as part of his lucrative four-picture deal with the streaming giant.

'It's pretty dope!' Hart - who boasts 204.2M social media followers - marveled last month about the production.

True Story will also feature Black Lightning's William Catlett, Star Trek: Lower Decks' Tawny Newsome, Titanic alum Billy Zane, and Ghosts of War's Theo Rossi.

Watchmen director Stephen Williams helms the first four episodes while Star Trek Picard director Hanelle Culpepper will helm the final four episodes, according to Deadline.
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She's set to play protagonist Anne Elliot in Netflix's upcoming 'modern and witty' take on Jane Austen's classic book Persuasion.

And Dakota Johnson was seen in character for the first time as she donned a white shirt and long black dress while filming in Salisbury on Saturday.

The Fifty Shades Of Grey actress, 31, sipped wine during the shoot and chatted to her co-star Nikki Amuka-Bird, 45, who is thought to be playing Lady Russell, in the adaption which has embraced colour-blind casting.

In character: Dakota Johnson was seen playing Anne Elliot for the first time as she donned a white shirt and long black dress while filming for Netflix's Persuasion with co-star Nikki Amuka-Bird, 45, in Salisbury on Saturday

Dakota appeared to be in good spirits while relaxing on a swing and chatting, with the star cradling a glass during the conversation.

She sported a long charcoal grey dress with a thin long-sleeved shirt buttoned up over the top, which Dakota removed and swapped for a warm black jacket in between takes.

At one point, Dakota was even seen throwing the remnants of her drink into the grass and sporting an animated expression suggesting lively scenes await viewers.

Nikki, who has previously starred in TV series Gold Digger, donned a more period costume for the location shoot with her purple dress featuring ruffled long sleeves and a pleated skirt as well as a smart hat.

On location: The Fifty Shades Of Grey actress, 31, sipped wine during the shoot and chatted to her co-star Nikki Amuka-Bird, 45, who is thought to be playing Lady Russell

Getting notes? Dakota and Nikki attentively listened as another woman joined them on the the colour-blind casted set of the latest period drama getting the Netflix treatment

Nikki is thought to be playing Lady Russell, who is a widow after her husband Sir Henry died. She was a good pal of the late Lady Elliot and is the godmother of Anne, with Anne being her favourite of the Elliot children because she reminds her of her late friend.

Actresses to have previously portrayed the character include Marian Spencer in 1971, Susan Fleetwood, in thee 1995 film, and Alice Krige in 2007.

In April, Variety reported that Netflix's adaption will be a 'modern, witty approach' on the classic tale, however it seems that the costumes will not be updated.

There is no official release date for the film yet, but filming has now kicked off with the stars being seen shooting the upcoming adaption on Saturday.

The Persuasion remake is the latest in a line of reinterpretations of Austen's classic novel and period dramas opting to embrace colour-blind casting, most notably following Netflix hit Bridgerton.

In January Netflix's vice-president of inclusion strategy revealed that Bridgerton's racially diverse cast was the result of an 'inclusion lens' being applied to casting decisions.

Conversation: Dakota held onto the swing and looked up at her co-star, who was wearing a long purple dress, during the chat

Cheeky: She looked rather pleased with herself after throwing out the remnants of her drink while Nikki's character watched

Looking good: Dakota donned a thin white shirt and had hair styled up for the shoot while Nikki's role sported a more elegant look and carried black gloves

Another take: Several crew members could be seen filming the scene around the actresses, with them all wearing face masks

Verna Myers said the company supported diverse lead producers and showrunners for the series as well as its executive producer Shonda Rhymes.

Bridgerton is a romantic drama set in Regency London which re-imagines the period as one where black and white people were equal, with Phoebe Dynevor and Rege-Jean Page taking on the lead roles of Daphne and Simon.

It features a very diverse and talented cast which also boasts Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Kathryn Drysdale as Genevieve Delacroix, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Ruby Barker as Marina Thompson.

Ms Myers told The Guardian: 'Weve got to get folks in front of the camera and behind the camera. When that happens youre going to get something youve never seen before. Bridgerton is something we have never seen before.

'We help out all of our creative folks in content and marketing with what we call an inclusion lens, when theyre casting and when theyre green lighting: see who's there, see who isnt.'

Ms Myers continued that the historical lack of black employees in the technology and entertainment industries is down to industry trends and said Netflix has put special emphasis on recruiting black employees.

Diverse: The Persuasion remake is the latest in a line of period dramas to opt for colour-blind casting, most notably following Netflix hit Bridgerton (pictured, Rege-Jean as Simon, the Duke of Hastings, and Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne)

Story: Bridgerton is a romantic drama set in Regency London which re-imagines the period as one where black and white people were equal (left, Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury and right, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte)

Different approach: Bridgerton's diverse cast was the result of an 'inclusion lens' (pictured right is Kathryn Drysdale as Genevieve Delacroix with Polly Walker as Portia Featherington, middle, and Ruby Barker, middle, as Marina Thompson)

'Moving forward': Channel 5's Anne Boleyn drama also featured Jodi Turner-Smith as the leading lady, making her the first black actress to play the queen, with Henry VIII actor Mark Stanley defending the casting (pictured together in character)

Progress: Jodie (left) also said that she was 'aware it's going to be a stretch for some people' to see her playing the role

She explained: 'We had a special person to think about recruitment, specifically for underrepresented groups, and we started with people of colour, and we really emphasised black.'

The VP added she did not think the problem was specific to Netflix, continuing that companies should back up talk of diversity with action such as Netflix's 350,000 investment scheme to help develop black creative talent.

Channel 5's Anne Boleyn drama also featured Jodi Turner-Smith as the leading lady, making her the first black actress to play the doomed queen.

She did face some backlash for her casting, however Mark Stanley, who played King Henry VIII in the three-part drama, insisted such colourblind casting needs to 'be the way forward' to improve representation, and said Jodie's performance was more about capturing the 'energy' of the Queen.

Speaking to Digital Spy, he said: 'You look at people from that period, and of course the world was shaped in a certain way back then. But it's not shaped like that now. And we've got to be able to make sure that people are represented.'

Quick break: Dakota and Nikki looked relaxed and chatted to each other in between takes of the new Jane Austen show

Bit of downtime: Dakota relaxed on the swing while waiting for Nikki's dress to be fixed and paid attention to the repair

Smart: She sported a long charcoal grey dress with a thin long-sleeved shirt buttoned up over the top for most of the shoot

Previously seen: Actresses to have already portrayed the character ahead of Nikki (right) taking on the role include Marian Spencer in 1971, Susan Fleetwood, in the 1995 film (middle), and Alice Krige in 2007 (left)

Back then: Marian Spencer played Lady Russell and Ann Firbank played Anne Elliot in the 1971 TV mini-series of Persuasion

Versions: Persuasion was most recently adapted in 2007 with Sally Hawkins taking the role of Anne (right and left) with Searchlight Pictures are also preparing to adapt the book for their own film

The upcoming Persuasion film is set to focus on Jane Austen's protagonist Anne, a woman who doesn't want to conform to society's rules, choosing to live with her near-bankrupt family instead.

Anne remains unmarried at 27-years-old, but when she reconnects with a man she once rejected she realises she has another chance at love.

Persuasion was most recently adapted in 2007 with Sally Hawkins taking the role of Anne and Searchlight Pictures are currently also preparing to adapt the book for their own version which will star Succession's Sarah Snook.

Carrie Cracknell is set to make her directorial debut with the feature film, and made her name directing Jake Gyllenhaal in Broadway's production of Sea Wall/ A Life.

It was also revealed that Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow have adapted the book for the silver screen, and production is expected to begin in May.

All smiles: Dakota seemed to be in good spirits as she smiled at Nikki (left) and listened to what she had to say (right) while on the swing

All done: Dakota also emptied her glass as the stars walked past a large white screen which had been put up at the shoot

Simple: Dakota sported only a light touch of blusher and lipstick, with her hair mostly tied back apart from two sections at the front to frame her features

Also set to be joining Dakota in the star-studded Netflix film is Crazy Rich Asian's star Henry Golding, with Deadline reporting he's set to play Mr William Elliot.

Mr. Elliot is described as an unscrupulous charmer who is 'black at heart' with 'no feeling for others'. In the novel, he is a distant relation of Anne's who comes into a great deal of money after his heiress wife dies.

He then swoops in on Anne's family who are facing serious financial problems after her profligate father spends them into debt.

Anne takes a liking to the dashing and charismatic Mr. Elliot who aggressively pursues her romantically and even plans to pop the question.

Knocking it back: Dakota happily sipped the drink during the countryside shoot, with Nikki also holding onto a fancy glass

Safety first: While chatting to another woman on the set, Dakota donned a plastic face shield and carried a bottle of water

Second look: She also sported a warm jacket with a fluffy hood over her black dress while not in front of the camera

Takes a team: The camera men and crew members all donned face masks while working on the upcoming Netflix film which is said to be a 'modern and witty' interpretation

Classic tale: Persuasion was Austen's final book before her death in 1817, she also wrote other classics like Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility (Dakota pictured filming)

Her family adores William because of his money and status, which elevates them in the city of Bath by association, but Anne is less convinced.

She discovers he only married his first wife for her money - and she is also fielding the affections of her old flame Frederick Wentworth who returns to the scene.

Elsewhere, Cosmo Jarvis is said to be playing Anne's love interest Captain Frederick Wentworth, and Nikki Amuka-Bird, who was seen shooting with Dakota on Monday, will also appear in the upcoming film as widow Lady Russell.

Suki Waterhouse and Richard E. Grant are also starring in the Netflix feature.

Refill: A man handed Dakota a fresh drink while she was sitting with Nikki who flashed a glimpse at her elegant frilly sleeves

One of many: Persuasion was most recently adapted in 2007 and Searchlight Pictures are also preparing to adapt the book for their own version (pictured Dakota filming the Netflix version)

Getting along: The two actresses seemed to be relaxed in each other's company, with Dakota staying on the swing while Nikki stood close to her with a glass of wine

Joking: Dakota put on an animated display during one part of the scene with her on-screen godmother, who was a close friend of her character's late mother Lady Elliot

Persuasion was Austen's final book before her death in 1817, she also wrote other classics like Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility.

2021 is proving to be a busy year for Dakota, with the actress currently having several film projects in the pipeline, with one set to make its debut later this year.

She will also star alongside Olivia Colman and Peter Sarsgaard in Maggie Gyllenhaal's upcoming directorial debut, The Lost Daughter.

The feature is based on Elena Ferrante's 2006 book of the same name, which is centered on a woman whose encounter with another individual and her daughter causes a flood of suppressed memories to resurface.

Touchups: Crew pinned Nikki's costume together and fixed her hair while Dakota chatted to another member of the team
She's well known for donning showstopping ensembles while strutting her stuff on the catwalk.

But Bella Hadid opted for a somewhat more understated look on Sunday as she rocked a casual outfit while out and about in Manhattan, New York.

The model, 24, slipped into a baby pink T-shirt and ripped blue jeans as she went about her day in the city.

Relaxed: Bella Hadid opted for a somewhat more understated look on Sunday as she rocked a casual outfit while out and about in Manhattan, New York

Bella teamed her outfit with a blue shirt adorned with black crosses and white and blue trainers.

Accessorising her low-key look, the runway star added several colourful bracelets, delicate gold jewellery and brown tinted sunglasses.

The beauty appeared in good spirits as she enjoyed her solo outing, with Bella also rocking a leopard print face mask as she walked.

It comes as Bella and her sister Gigi , whose father Mohamed is a Palestinian born in Nazareth, waded controversially into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last month.

Casual attire: The model, 24, slipped into a baby pink T-shirt and ripped blue jeans as she went about her day in the city

Bella was accused of antisemitism after posting cartoons denouncing Israel, which she has since deleted from her Instagram.

The post, which Gigi liked, argued that Israel was 'not a country' and accused the Jewish State of 'ethnic cleansing, military occupation and apartheid.'

Bella preempted allegations of bigotry by posting a clip of Bernie Sanders arguing: 'It is not anti-Semitic to be critical of a right-wing government in Israel.'

'Hate from either side is not okay - I do not condone it!!' wrote Bella. 'I will not stand to hear people talk badly about Jewish people through all of this.'

Low-key style: Bella teamed her outfit with a blue shirt adorned with black crosses and white and blue trainers

Finishing touches: Accessorising her low-key look, the runway star added several colourful bracelets, delicate gold jewellery and brown tinted sunglasses

Day to herself: The beauty appeared in good spirits as she enjoyed her solo outing, with Bella also rocking a leopard print face mask as she walked

Gigi also wrote on her Instagram: 'One cannot advocate for racial equality, LGBT & women's rights, condemn corrupt and abusive regimes and other injustices yet choose to ignore the Palestinian oppression. It does not add up. You cannot pick and choose whose human rights matter more.'

Bella also found herself in hot water when she went Live on Instagram from a pro-Palestinian protest in New York City.

She filmed herself chanting the popular Palestinian slogan: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!' along with other protestors.

The State Of Israel directly condemned her on its official Twitter account writing: 'When celebrities like @BellaHadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State.'
Jon Snow was every inch the doting father as he was seen with his baby son for the first time in London on Sunday.

The Channel 4 news presenter, 73, and his wife Dr Precious Lunga, 46, stepped out with their three-month-old son - who they welcomed via surrogate on March 2 - in a baby car seat.

Zimbabwean-born academic Precious lovingly placed the couple's baby boy into a car while Jon followed behind carrying a baby bouncer and what appeared to be a nappy bag.

Family outing: Jon Snow was every inch the doting father as he was seen with his baby son for the first time in London on Sunday

Baby boy: The Channel 4 news presenter, 73, and his wife Dr Precious Lunga, 46, (above) were seen carrying their three-month-old son - who they welcomed via surrogate on March 2 - in a baby car seat

Jon and Precious' son, whose name has not been publicly revealed, looked adorable in a blue onesie and socks.

The couple looked in great spirits as they enjoyed quality time as a family on the sunkissed day.

In March, Jon announced the birth of his son in a statement. The TV journalist said he and his wife used a surrogate after 'numerous medical setbacks and miscarriages'.

The presenter said he and Precious were 'delighted' to announce their baby boy's arrival.

Cute: Jon and Precious' son, whose name has not been publicly revealed, looked adorable in a blue onesie and socks as he was carried by the couple's friend

Family: Precious and Jon looked happy to be spending a sunny Sunday with their baby boy

Doting; Precious held onto her baby boy as she made her way out in the capital

On it: Jon carried baby equipment as he made his way down the street

In a statement, Jon, who has two older daughters from his first marriage to former partner Madeleine Colvin, 64, said: 'In our desire to seal our now 11 years of marriage with a baby, my wife suffered numerous medical setbacks and miscarriages.

'Consequently, we will always be deeply grateful to our surrogate, who carried our embryo to term.

'Amid these challenging times, we feel doubly blessed to be able to celebrate our good fortune.'

Snow has had an eventful romantic life. He was once briefly engaged to fellow ITN journalist Anna Ford, 70.

Style: The new mother looked stylish as she carried her son in a car seat

Stroll: Precious was seen making her way out into the sunshine with her son

Out and about: Jon was enjoying a break from his hectic schedule as he stepped out

And proving that age is no barrier to love, he married Precious in March 2010.

Snow said her mental age was far higher than his, saying: Shes somewhere in her forties. Shes very, very mature. I mean, shes a serious boffin.

Snow, the son of a former Bishop of Whitby, walked Precious down a beach rather than the aisle.

The pair married on the Caribbean island of Mustique, the exclusive hangout of rich and famous.

How does surrogacy work and what are the laws in the UK? Surrogacy is when a woman carries a baby for a couple who are unable to conceive or carry a child themselves. Such couples may include those who have suffered recurrent miscarriages, repeated IVF failures, premature menopause or a hysterectomy. The risks of being a surrogate mother are the same as for every pregnancy, and include nausea, heart burn and back ache. In extreme cases, surrogates can suffer high blood pressure or gestational diabetes. Straight surrogacy This involves using the surrogate's egg and the intended father's sperm. It is the least expensive and simplest form of the procedure. Host surrogacy Host surrogacy requires IVF with either the intended mother's eggs or donor eggs rather than those of the surrogate. In this case, the surrogate is genetically unrelated to the baby. Donor eggs can be from friends or relatives, or anonymously donated. What are the laws? Surrogacy is legal in the UK, however, it cannot be advertised. No third parties are allowed to be involved and surrogates can only receive payments to cover expenses incurred as a result of being pregnant. In the US, surrogacy costs around $100,000 (75,879), with laws varying between states. Source: Surrogacy UK Advertisement

It was conducted at the 800-a-night Firefly Hotel, where past guests have included rocker Mick Jagger, royal Zara Phillips and actors Liz Hurley and Hugh Grant.

At the time, Snow himself said: Yes, I have got married, but I have absolutely no interest in discussing my private life. It was actually some time ago.

Unlike Snow, who failed to complete his Liverpool University degree, Precious is a serious scholar.

She is an epidemiologist with the Medical Research Council, specialising in HIV prevention in Africa, and a Yale World Fellow.

She also captained the Cambridge University womens karate team while doing a PhD in neuroscience there a decade ago.

He is best known for being the longest-running presenter on Channel 4 News, which he has fronted since 1989.
Lisa Curry has penned a heartbreaking message to her late daughter Jaimi.

The former Ironwoman, 59, shared a photo of herself with Jaimi, who passed away last year at the age of just 33.

Lisa began the post's caption, 'Everyday in our thoughts. Every sunrise, every sunset and every moment between.'

Gone too soon: Lisa Curry (left) has penned a heartbreaking message to her late daughter Jaimi (right)

The athlete concluded the tribute, 'We miss you Jaimi #9months #rememberingjaimi'.

Last month, Lisa admitted that mourning her daughter has left her so heartbroken that 'some days its just plain hard to get out of bed'.

'Analysing the constant thoughts of losing our most precious firstborn, our Jaimi, has been sad and exhausting,' she wrote in her column for The Sunday Telegraph.

'The fun in my soul has disappeared': The former ironwoman, 59,has revealed that she struggles to get out of bed and exercise, nine months after her daughter Jaimi's tragic death

She continued: 'It's overwhelming. It's never-ending. I'm tired of being tired. I'm tired of being sad and exhausted.'

The former Olympian also revealed that she lost the motivation to exercise in the wake of Jaimi's death.

'I'm sad that the fun in my soul has disappeared. But I'm sure that's not how our loved ones who have passed would want us to feel,' she wrote.

Broken: 'Analysing the constant thoughts of losing our most precious firstborn, our Jaimi (right), has been sad and exhausting,' she wrote in her column for The Sunday Telegraph

Loss: 'I'm sad that the fun in my soul has disappeared. But I'm sure that's not how our loved ones who have passed would want us to feel,' she wrote

Lisa, who has since launched Australia-based women's health and lifestyle company, Happy Healthy You, is on a journey to inspire others.

'My muscles ache so much, and the pain feels like I have been hit by a truck. But, despite all these negatives, I still have a life to live. We all do,' she wrote.

Lisa shared the tragic news of Jaimi's death in a social media post on September 15 last year, one day after her passing.

Tragic: Lisa announced Jaimi's (pictured) death in a social media post on September 15 last year, one day after her passing

'Our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side,' she wrote at the time.

It was later reported that Jaimi had battled alcoholism and an eating disorder before her death at a Sunshine Coast hospital.

Lisa and her ex-husband Grant Kenny, 57, are also parents to son Jett, 27, and daughter Morgan, 29.

For confidential support in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au. Alternatively, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
Martha Kalifatidis was fired on Monday's episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, after revealing her selfish reasons for appearing on the show.

And the 33-year-old was quick to try and backtrack on her comments, blaming stress and anxiety for her behaviour in an Instagram post shared on Monday night.

'Filming is super stressful, let alone being in a boardroom. I obviously don't spend much time in boardrooms,' she wrote.

Backtrack: Martha Kalifatidis (pictured) was fired on Monday's episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, after revealing her selfish reasons for appearing on the show. And the 33-year-old was quick to try and backtrack on her comments, blaming stress and anxiety for her behaviour in an Instagram post shared on Monday night

'I was out of my comfort zone, nervous and anxious, though you probably couldn't tell because I tried hard to put in a brave face.

'But the pressure did get to me and I may have said things under pressure that I didn't really mean.'

She added: 'It is what it is and I know my mistakes don't define my time on the show. The money that I raised and will continue to raise for my charity is all that matters'.

Stress: 'Filming is super stressful, let alone being in a boardroom. I obviously don't spend much time in boardrooms,' she wrote. 'I was out of my comfort zone, nervous and anxious, though you probably couldn't tell because I tried hard to put in a brave face'

Important: 'But the pressure did get to me and I may have said things under pressure that I didn't really mean,' she said. 'It is what it is and I know my mistakes don't define my time on the show. The money that I raised and will continue to raise for my charity is all that matters'

When she was facing firing, Martha slipped up and admitted to Lord Sugar that she was hoping to raise her profile by appearing on the reality program - when each contestant is meant to be competing to raise funds for their charity of choice.

'Can I say something? This will change my life. It will literally open so many doors,' Martha said, when pleading her case.

'I'm not just an influencer, I'm not just a beauty blogger, I'm not just a make-up artist, and it will give me so many opportunities,' she added.

Oops! When she was facing firing, Martha slipped up and admitted to Lord Sugar that she was hoping to raise her profile by appearing on the reality program - when each contestant is meant to be competing to raise funds for their charity of choice

Comments: 'Can I say something? This will change my life. It will literally open so many doors,' Martha said, when pleading her case. 'I'm not just an influencer, I'm not just a beauty blogger, I'm not just a make-up artist, and it will give me so many opportunities,' she added

Not happy: Advisor Janine Allis, 55, was shocked and reminded Martha that the aim of the show was to raise money for charity, not to raise her profile. Lord Sugar (pictured) said: 'You have put your foot in it. The way you're worried about yourself rather than your charity'

Advisor Janine Allis, 55, was shocked and reminded Martha that the aim of the show was actually to raise money for charity, not to raise her profile.

Lord Sugar said: 'You have put your foot in it. The way you're worried about yourself rather than your charity'.

Martha was fired, with The Block's Shaynna Blaze, 58, and comedian Ross Noble, 45, through to Tuesday's grand finale.

Fun! Alongside her Instagram post, Martha also shared a series of behind-the-scenes videos from her time on the set

Happy days: 'To the top four, congratulations. We endure so much together, from sleep deprivation, weight gain, starvation, constipation, tears, tears of joy, and mostly a lot of laughs. You guys made this an unforgettable ride,' she wrote

Alongside her Instagram post, Martha also shared a series of behind-the-scenes videos from her time on the set.

'To the top four, congratulations. We endure so much together, from sleep deprivation, weight gain, starvation, constipation, tears, tears of joy, and mostly a lot of laughs. You guys made this an unforgettable ride,' she wrote.

She added: 'It was the craziest journey I have ever been on. I learnt so much, I made life long friends and most importantly I raised $40,000 for my charity Bully Zero'.

Celebrity Apprentice continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine
She shares custody of her pooch with her television presenting ex.

And Lisa Armstrong looked delighted to be in the company of dog Hurley after former husband Ant McPartlin handed him over so they could spend some quality time together.

The make-up artist, 44, shared some adorable snaps of herself with her pet pooch on Monday after they went for a trip out to the beach.

Cute: Lisa Armstrong looked delighted to be in the company of her dog Hurley after former husband Ant McPartlin handed him over so they could spend some quality time together

Posting a picture online of Hurley licking her face, Lisa wrote: Beach day with the baby..... Loving the water!!!', along with the hashtags 'water baby', 'beach boy', 'mama's boy' and 'getting a Hurley wash'.

Lisa looked relaxed in a denim jacket as she wore her sunglasses up on her head.

A grin was spread across her face as her hound gave her cheek a lick in one picture, and looked lovingly at her in another.

In the past: Lisa shared her beloved dog with ex Ant before they split in 2018 after 12 years of marriage

Hounds of love: The make-up artist, 44, shared some adorable snaps of herself with her pet pooch on Monday after they went for a trip out to the beach

Lisa shared her beloved dog with ex Ant before they split in 2018 after 12 years of marriage.

She is now dating electrician James Green, sharing a loved-up picture of herself with him on Valentine's Day back in February.

The romance is Lisa's first since her 31 million divorce was finalised in April 2020.

First V-Day! She is now dating electrician James Green, sharing a loved-up picture of herself with him on Valentine's Day back in February

Sweet: Simply captioning the post with 'HVD....', Lisa cuddled up to James, 37, in the images, with him planting a kiss on her cheek as she pulled a cute face

She and James went public with their relationship last August, a few months after he separated from his wife Kirsty.

Lisa and father-of-two James went public with their relationship last August, a few months after he separated from his wife Kirsty.

The couple are believed to have spent the third lockdown together.

Exes: Lisa, the head of make-up and hair for Strictly Come Dancing, finalised her divorce with Ant back in April 2020 after their split in January 2018 (pictured on their wedding day in 2006)

Earlier this year, Saturday Night Takeaway co-host Ant was reported to have handed over 31 million to Lisa, including their 5 million home in West London, following his highly documented battle with painkillers and alcohol.

While she remains on good terms with him, Lisa is understood to have felt that Ant 'got away with a lot' following their split.

Meanwhile, Ant and his fiancee Anne-Marie Corbett are reportedly planning to wed in August in a low-key ceremony.

The TV presenter, 45, and his partner, 43, are said to be keen for a simple nuptials with just their loved ones present.
The producer of Australian films such as Wolf Creek and Rogue has passed away.

David Lightfoot died in hospital at the age of 61 on Sunday, following a heart attack, according to a statement from his Ultrafilms production company.

'David dedicated his life to the film industry, and was passionate about Australian film and telling Australian stories,' read the statement.

RIP: David Lightfoot (pictured) died in hospital at the age of 61 on Sunday, following a heart attack, according to a statement from his Ultrafilms production company

'Ultrafilms has a number of projects underway and will continue its future slate under the direction of Davids business partner and Co Producer Sabella Sugar,' it concluded.

The veteran producer began his film career in 1982, after joining the South Australian Film Corporation following a stint serving in the Australian Army.

He worked his way up in the industry through a variety of roles, including location manager for the 1995 blockbuster Babe and associate producer on the 1993 cult classic Bad Boy Bubby.

Classics: He served as line producer on the 2003 Toni Collette film Japanese Story, before producing hit horror films Wolf Creek (pictured) and Rogue

He served as line producer on the 2003 Toni Collette film Japanese Story, before producing hit horror films Wolf Creek and Rogue.

Most recently he produced Never Too Late, a romantic comedy starring Jacki Weaver and James Cromwell.

David is survived by his son Joshua.
Tracee Ellis Ross, Anya Taylor-Joy and Eileen Gu are the new faces of Tiffany & Co.

The luxury jewelry brand has announced the High Note actress, 48, Golden Globe-winner, 25, and model and skier, 17, as their newest global ambassadors.

The trio were photographed by Mario Sorrenti for Tiffany's brand new T1 jewelry collection, Give Me the T.

New look: Tracee Ellis Ross, Anya Taylor-Joy and Eileen Gu are the new faces of Tiffany & Co

Le look: The luxury jewelry brand has announced the High Note actress, 48, Golden Globe-winner, 25, and model and skier, 17, as their newest global ambassadors. The trio were photographed by Mario Sorrenti for Tiffany's brand new T1 jewelry collection, Give Me the T

Anya said on Instagram: 'Taylor in Tiffany has a nice ring to it :).'

She added in her statement: 'Shooting the campaign was a welcome moment of inspiration and glamour after the challenging year that we've all experienced. I love jewelry that has symbolism in it. I love it to mean something to me. It doesn't necessarily have to mean anything to anybody else, but I like to look down at my fingers and have a story.'

Ross said in a statement: 'Growing up, I would often wander through the flagship on Fifth Avenue, imagining myself as a grown woman wearing the bold elegance of Tiffany's signature diamonds. All these years later, to be the face of this iconic brand and to represent the T1 collection is a dream come true.

On set: Here the star is seen during in April for a photo shoot for Tiffany & Co. in the Lower East Side on in New York City

So chic in black: The beauty had on a top with a sweetheart neckline and tailored trousers

Gu added: 'Wearing a beautiful piece of jewelry, especially one that is meaningful or motivational in a personal sense, is an inexorable feeling  it's empowering, inspiring and exciting to express myself, to feel seen and heard without having to utter a single word. I'm obsessed with the balance between elegant simplicity and striking boldness that the new T1 collection offers.'

The latter two are also featured in the brand's Tiffany Knot campaign, the final collection designed by former artistic director Reed Krakoff.

Last week Taylor-Joy was cast with Ralph Fiennes in The Menu.

The 25-year-old actress and 58-year-old actor have been tapped to feature in the dark comedy flick for Searchlight.

Mark Mylod  who has played a key part in the success of the acclaimed TV series Succession  is directing the film with Adam McKay producing through his Hyperobject Industries banner together with Betsy Koch.

Dreamy: Ross said in a statement: 'Growing up, I would often wander through the flagship on Fifth Avenue, imagining myself as a grown woman wearing the bold elegance of Tiffany's signature diamonds'

The movie is a darkly comedic psychological thriller set in the world of eccentric culinary culture that focuses on a young couple who visit a restaurant on a remote island where a famous chef has prepared a lavish menu and some shocking surprises.

Anya will star as one half of the couple with Ralph playing the role of the chef.

Will Tracy and Seth Reiss have penned the screenplay with DanTram Nguyen and Zahra Phillips overseeing the project for the studio.

Elegant: She added, 'All these years later, to be the face of this iconic brand and to represent the T1 collection is a dream come true'

Anya's previous movie credits include 'Glass', 'Emma' and 'The New Mutants' and she also stars in the TV series 'The Queen's Gambit'.

Her upcoming projects include the lead role in the 'Furiosa' spin-off in the 'Mad Max' series. Anya will portray a younger version of Charlize Theron's character in the movie and she previously revealed that she wanted to be at the centre of the action in the flick.

She said: 'I've never wanted to do anything halfway and I have been looking forward to a role like this for my whole life.

'So yes, I will be doing as much as I can physically do.'
Big Brother star Tilly Whitfeld is the latest housemate to be evicted from the show.

But all wasn't lost for the bubbly blonde on Monday's episode.

Following her eviction, she was ushered to a secret mirrored room by Big Brother, which in itself was a sight to behold.

Saved: Big Brother's Tilly Whitfeld [left] was evicted from the house on Monday night - only to be sent to a 'secret mirrored room'. Pictured with Daniel Hayes

In an emotional eviction ceremony, Danny told the housemates to send him home and save Tilly, saying 'she deserves to win'.

But Danny's wishes weren't about to be granted and Tilly was sent packing.

But in the ultimate twist, Tilly was saved by Big Brother and she was sent to secret room, where she'll no doubt wait for a possible roommate.

Surprise: Following her eviction, Tilly was ushered to secret mirrored room by Big Brother, which in itself was a sight to behold.

Tilly's faux eviction comes after it was confirmed the Big Brother live grand finale has been confirmed for Tuesday, June 29.

On the night, host Sonia Kruger will chat to the final three contestants before a winner takes home the $250,000 prize.

The grand finale will be broadcast from Sydney's Hordern Pavilion in front of a live audience.

Favourite: Tilly's faux eviction comes after it was confirmed the Big Brother live grand finale has been confirmed for Tuesday, June 29

Viewers can apply for finale tickets at That's The Ticket.

Model Chad Hurst took out last year's series.

Big Brother continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Seven
Rebel Wilson is looking slimmer than ever in her new selfie.

The Australian actress, 41, shared a photo to Instagram Stories on Monday, in which she posed alongside her friend, Sam Kennedy.

The blonde star showed off her shrinking physique and taut arms in a black dress with a white Peter Pan collar.

Stunner: Rebel Wilson is looking slimmer than ever in her new selfie. The Australian actress, 41, shared a photo to Instagram Stories on Monday, in which she posed alongside her friend, Sam Kennedy. Both pictured

The photo was taken at an IPIC Theater location in the United States, with the Fat Pizza actress taking in a film.

It comes after Rebel spoke to Shape about her 'year of health' and said it was regular walking, not gruelling workouts, that helped her shift the kilos.

Rebel revealed that 'moderate walking' was actually a key component to her weight loss and helped her shed 'unnecessary body fat'.

Changes: It comes after Rebel spoke to Shape about her 'year of health' and said it was regular walking, not gruelling workouts, that helped her shift the kilos

'I never properly considered wellness from all angles,' the Pitch Perfect star said of her transformation.

'But I was turning 40 and thinking about freezing my eggs, and the experts told me that the healthier I am, the better the process can go.'

Rebel admitted she sometimes gets emotional when she thinks about why she didn't place more importance on her health earlier.

They see me strolling: Rebel revealed that 'moderate walking' was actually a key component to her weight loss and helped her shed 'unnecessary body fat'

Private space: During her health journey, Rebel attended a 'wellness retreat' in Austria where she learned about the benefits of 'moderate walking', which soon became a new routine

'It just wasn't a priority, and I didn't know how to do it right,' the star, who is currently in Atlanta, said.

During her health journey, Rebel attended a 'wellness retreat' in Austria where she learned about the benefits of 'moderate walking', which soon became a new routine.

As she focused on her 'year of health', Rebel eventually reached her target weight of 74kg by late 2020.
He's the New Zealand-born actor who's won the Best Actor Oscar on three separate occasions.

But his humble beginnings started out in show business way back in 1976, based on an unearthed grab of the then 12-year-old.

The still in question shows a pre-teen Russell Crowe during a guest stint on the Australian TV series Young Doctors.

Guess who? You'll never believe which iconic Hollywood star this Young Doctors actor grew up to become

Young Doctors was an Aussie evening soap opera that ran from 1976 to 1983.

The scene in question showed Crowe reclining on a hospital bed while chatting to a nurse.

It predates his breakout role as 'Kenny Larkin' on Neighbours by 10 years.

Through the ages: Crowe seen here on the left in the 2000 film Gladiator, and on the right earlier this year

Meanwhile, Crowe is known to be a great friend to the Irwin clan.

And on Sunday, Terri Irwin, 56, thanked the Hollywood star, 57, for his donation to Australia Zoo, which resulted in the rescue of an ailing kookaburra called Archie.

The bird underwent surgery on Saturday after swallowing a fishing hook, with Russell's funds having gone towards an endoscope which was used in the life-saving procedure.

Pals: Crowe is known to be a great friend to the Irwin clan. And on Sunday, Terri Irwin, 56, thanked the Hollywood star, 57, for his donation to Australia Zoo, which resulted in the rescue of an ailing kookaburra called Archie. Pictured together in 2007

Terri wrote on Twitter: 'Thank you @russellcrowe for donating the funds to purchase this life-saving endoscope. Archie really appreciated it!'

A Tweet shared by Australia Zoo on Saturday further explained: 'Archie the kookaburra had swallowed a fishing hook when he arrived at the #AustraliaZoo Wildlife Hospital.

'An endoscope was used to locate the hook, following which it was safely removed using a protective sleeve.

Lucky ducky: The bird underwent surgery on Saturday after swallowing a fishing hook

Ouch! Russell's funds went towards an endoscope which was used in the life-saving procedure

Terri wrote on Twitter: 'Thank you @russellcrowe for donating the funds to purchase this life-saving endoscope. Archie really appreciated it!'

'Thankfully, Archie recovered and he has returned back to the wild.'

Last year, the Gladiator actor gifted Bindi Irwin, 22, and Chandler Powell, 24, a fig tree as a wedding present.

To celebrate his 56th birthday from afar in April 2020, the newlyweds hugged the tree in a sweet Instagram picture, since they couldn't see him in person.

Lovely: Last year, the Gladiator actor gifted Bindi Irwin (right) and Chandler Powell (left) a fig tree as a wedding present. To celebrate his 56th birthday from afar, the newlyweds hugged the tree in a sweet Instagram picture, since they couldn't see him in person

Sweet: 'Happy birthday Russell. You'll always be part of our family,' Bindi wrote in the caption

'Happy birthday Russell. You'll always be part of our family,' Bindi wrote in the caption.

She added: 'Even though we can't see you right now, we're giving the beautiful fig you gifted us a hug and thinking of you. Hope your day is extraordinary!'

Bindi went on to share a second photo of the heartwarming gift tag attached to the Port Jackson fig tree.

'Presented to Bindi and Chandler to commemorate their wedding. Love from Russell Crowe and family,' it read.
Katie Price has begun moving back into her 'mucky mansion.'

On Sunday, the glamour model, 43, was seen moving her belongings back into her Sussex home, a day before she jetted off on holiday with fiance Carl Woods, 32, as she prepares to have more plastic surgery.

After an incredibly turbulent year, Katie has managed to secure the property, and has begun moving back in with the help of her two youngest children Jet, seven, and Bunny, six, who she shares with ex Kieran Hayler.

Moving back in! Sunday, Katie Price, 43, was seen moving her belongings back into her Sussex home, which has been dubbed the 'mucky mansion'

Clad in a vibrant Adidas tracksuit and a white T-shirt, Katie got stuck in hauling boxes into the property with her two youngest kids helping out.

The TV personality was ready for action in a pair of white trainers, and scraped her short brunette tresses into a low ponytail to keep it out of the way.

Katie struggled through 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic hit, when she was forced to declare herself bankrupt.

High Court found the reality star - who was once worth more than 45 million - had failed to stick to a plan to repay her debts, estimated to be 800,000.

None-stop! The following day, the glamour model jetted off on holiday with her fiance Carl Woods, 32, and took to Instagram to document their adventure

Helping hands: On Sunday, Katie began moving back in with the help of her two youngest children Jet, seven, and Bunny, six, who she shares with ex Kieran Hayler

Getting it done: Clad in a vibrant Adidas tracksuit and a white T-shirt, Katie got stuck in hauling boxes into the property

The 'mucky mansion': Katie previously had troubles at home in her mucky mansion, with her telling fans it was a 'police issue'

She was forced to give up her 2 million 11-bedroom mansion a month later after signing the property over to a trustee.

Katie took out a second mortgage on the property in 2015, but faced monthly payments of 12,300, and is now thought to be 100,000 in arrears.

Katie's ex Kieran refused to let Jett and Bunny stay at the 'mucky mansion' but offered to redecorate their rooms.

Excited! Katie flashes a smile as she and her two youngest moved back into her Sussex abode

Hot tub summer! The reality star and her son looked at sorting out the hot tub

Taking a break: Little Jet paused to sit down and have a break in the sunshine

After a flood damaged the property, the reality star and her children had been living with Carl - while they weren't with their fathers.

As well as Jet and Bunny, Katie is mum to Harvey, 18, from her relationship with Dwight Yorke. While she shares children Junior, 15, and Princess, 13, with ex-husband Peter Andre.

On Monday, after moving back into her 'mucky mansion', Katie and Carl took to Instagram where they revealed that they were at the airport ahead of another holiday.

Checking out the facilities: Katie opened up the hot tub to see what condition it was in

Family effort: Jet walked barefoot while carrying ornaments from the removal van into the house, while Katie lugged heavier items

Dragging it out: Jet looked eager to help as he dragged out a plastic sheet

Although neither confirmed their destination, Katie recently confirmed that she has full body liposuction booked in with Mono Cosmetic Surgery in Turkey.

Turkey is on the UK's red list meaning the couple will have to stay in a mandatory quarantine hotel when they get back, costing 1,750 per person.

MailOnline has contacted Katie Price's representatives for comment.

In March Katie revealed she'd had her 12th boob job, after vowing in 2018 she'd never have surgery on her face again following a botched procedure.

But over the weekend it was reported that she plans to get a brow and face lift as well as new teeth, in addition to liposuction she booked in after gaining over two stone amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Artwork: Katie handed. over portraits of ballerinas for her son to take inside

Team effort: Jet and Bunny helped their mum to lift up the hot tub lid

Last week, Katie revealed earlier this week that she was going on a surgery holiday to have her excess fat 'sucked out' before she and fiance Carl begin IVF treatment.

The mum-of-five broke both feet last summer after jumping off a 25ft wall while on holiday with her family, which has left her unable to do much cardio.

A source told The Sun: 'Katie has really struggled to lose the two stone she put on after her foot surgery, because she can't run or stand on her feet for long after her injury - so she'll get full body lipo when she goes to Turkey this summer.

'She's also planning a brow and upper face lift, and she'll get new teeth. Katie says this is the only way for her to lose weight.'

Holiday time! Katie and Carl posed for videos and photographs as they arrived at the airport on Monday afternoon

Food before the flight: Carl shared a snap of them sitting together in a restaurant before boarding the plane

Sparkler! Katie was keen to show off her sparkling engagement ring as they waiting for their flight to take off

On Thursday, Katie took to Instagram where she shared a behind-the-scenes video from a new photoshoot and confirmed she had chosen Mono Cosmetic Surgery for upcoming procedures.

Katie's representatives also told the Sun that she is looking forward to 'feeling and looking like herself again' and explained that without being able to run, Katie has been unable to shed any weight, but is otherwise healthy.

Her representative continued: 'After overcoming her horrific injuries - two broken feet and subsequent extensive surgery to fix them - Katie has opted for a procedure she deems a mental "pick me up".

'This weight is also putting pressure on her feet causing her constant pain. She is not addicted to surgery and will be upset if anyone takes this stance.'
Basking in the Mediterranean sun, Kate Hudson and her beau Danny Fujikawa are pictured with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell on a family holiday in Greece.

The Hollywood A-listers arrived on a boat at a remote beach on the stunning island of Skiathos, catching a handful of tourists who were also there, by surprise.

After enjoying the tranquil water, Kate and her famous family then took their seats at a rustic beach side restaurant for a lazy Sunday lunch.

Family getaway: Basking in the Mediterranean sun, Kate Hudson and her beau Danny Fujikawa are pictured with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell on a family holiday in Greece

After knocking back a few glasses of Aperol Spritz they enjoyed a sumptuous feast of freshly caught squid and sardines accompanied by a Greek salad.

One onlooker told Dailymail.com: 'There were only four other people in the restaurant, and we recognized Kate's party straight away. It was quite a surprise to see these famous people in a very down to earth place on a quiet beach.

'It's not a popular spot at all and quite hard to get to, which is why I think they came here because they knew nobody would bother them. Even when we realized who they were, we left them alone.

The actress was seen in a skimpy bikini as she manned a boat the group rented to get to the beach spot

Relaxing trip: Kate, Goldie and Danny lingered in the warm sea as they stood around laughing and chatting

Secluded spot: The Hollywood A-listers arrived on a boat at a remote beach on the stunning island of Skiathos, catching a handful of tourists who were also there, by surprise

Worked up an appetite: After enjoying the tranquil water, Kate and her famous family then took their seats at a rustic beach side restaurant for a lazy Sunday lunch

Yum! After knocking back a few glasses of Aperol Spritz they enjoyed a sumptuous feast of freshly caught squid and sardines accompanied by a Greek salad

She added: 'But being Americans, they were quite loud, and we could hear Goldie talking about how she loved sardines and how wonderfully cooked they were.'

Kate and her mother Goldie, 75 enjoyed the view of the beach while her stepfather Kurt, 70 walked along it to dry off.

At one point during their two-and-a-half-hour visit, Kate, Goldie and Danny lingered in the warm sea as they stood around laughing and chatting.

This is not the first time that Skiathos has been visited by illustrious actors as it was also used as one of the main filming locations for Mamma Mia!

Oscar nominated actress Kate, 42 was also pictured over the weekend passionately kissing Lightwave Records co-founder Danny Fujikawa.

Enjoying the view: Danny Fujikawa's mother Melissa Linehan snapped photos of the beach

Aya aye captain: Kate appeared to be in charge of mooring the group's boat

Paradise: The family trip to Greece is the first vacation the actress has been on with her family since the pandemic began

The Fabletics founder first met Danny in 2002 through his stepsisters Erin & Sara Foster.

But Kate and Fujikawa didn't go on their official first date until December 3, 2016.

They only just celebrated the former Chief guitarist's 35th birthday last Thursday and are now enjoying some quality time in Greece although it was not known until now that they have been joined by her parents.

Kate, shares daughter Rani, two, with the musician, and is also mum to Bingham, nine, whom the actress shares with her ex-fiance, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy and Ryder, 17, from her previous marriage to rock star Chris Robinson.

Dip: Kate and her mother Goldie, 75 enjoyed the view of the beach while her stepfather Kurt, 70 walked along it to dry off

Greek getaway: Goldie, Danny and Melissa were seen near the water's edge

Kates biological father is actor Bill Hudson but her mother and Kurt have been together most of her life and she has openly admitted that she considers him to be her 'real' father, referring to him as 'Pa.'

On Sunday, Kate - who boasts 15M Instagram/Facebook followers - shared a cute snap of herself holding little Rani's hand at the airport.

Hudson captioned her Instagram: 'Been since March 2020 and now it's time to roll little lady. We got this!'

The Los Angeles native got to Greece early ahead of the summer start of production on the Netflix sequel Knives Out 2.

Kate scored a mystery role in the 2022 whodunnit which, once again, will be helmed by Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig as the Southern private detective Benoit Blanc.

Loved up: Kate and Danny shared a kiss on the beach on Sunday during another beach outing on Saturday

Stylish beach look: Kate, 42, rocked a plunging black one piece

Hudson was cast alongside Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Janelle Monae, Dave Bautista, and Edward Norton.

'In my mind, I don't even think of it in terms of like a sequel,' the 47-year-old filmmaker told SiriusXM last year.

'To me it's just, ever since we started working on this I was like, "Look, if we can keep this going, the same way Agatha Christie wrote a bunch of Poirot novels. I mean, do that with Blanc and keep making more mysteries."

'Whole new cast, whole new location, whole new mystery. It's just another Benoit Blanc mystery and it seems like there's just so many different things you can do with it, you know? It seems like it'd be really fun.'
Sara Cox has revealed she once 'ate a little bit of dog by accident'.

Speaking on Alan Carr's podcast Life's A Beach, the BBC Radio 2 presenter, 46, explained the moment unfolded in Seoul when she was a teenager, after being sent their during her stint as a model.

The DJ recalled: 'It was in a fried chicken sort of bucket-style thing. It was only when I got to the bone I realised it wasn't bone. It was kind of like an elbow.'

Oh dear: Sara Cox, 46, has revealed she once 'ate a little bit of dog by accident' while speaking on Alan Carr's podcast Life's A Beach

Sara  who often gushes over Beano, her Maltese Terrier, on social media - then insisted: 'I would never, ever want to actively eat dog on purpose.'

The doting mother added: 'It is a weird. My dogs will be listening like, "what?"'

She also joked: 'Hi to all the dog lovers out there!'

Opening up about her modelling stint in Seoul, Sara told Alan, 45: 'They sent me to South Korea, Seoul, fashion capital of the world... not, so I went there and worked two separate trips and about five months in total.

Many moons ago: the BBC Radio 2 presenter, 46, explained the moment unfolded in Seoul when she was a teenager (pictured with her beloved Maltese Terrier Beano)

'It's amazing but if I went there now I'd be all like, "oh let's really drink in the culture," but I just drank their booze, I didn't want any culture, all this amazing unusual food and I was just like, "there's not even a McDonald's here it's rubbish!" Cos you're 19, you don't care.'

Last year, Sara rubbished claims she had 'drifted apart' from her partying pal Zoe Ball after years of friendship.

Speaking to The Mirror in October, Sara explained that since having children and moving further apart they're not as close as they once were, but they still text regularly.

Sara and Zoe were regulars on the party scene throughout the 1990s, but it was reported last year they were 'no longer close' after she missed out on hosting the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

She said: 'I always have to be careful what I say about Zoe because it always sounds like we've drifted apart, big drama, high hell and it's just not.

'We've always supported each other, we just live quite far away from each other.

'We were friends and were out partying and then, you know, kids and life kind of happened. But it's true that we text each other quite a lot now.'

Sara added that she and Zoe also chat on Zoom with their Radio 2 colleagues every Tuesday.
Rob Riggle has accused his estranged wife of planting a hidden camera in his home, hacked his Apple account, and took upwards of $28K in cash from him.

His wife Tiffany had filed for divorce from the 51-year-old actor back in October after 21 years of marriage as she cited 'irreconcilable differences' at the time.

However things began to get very interesting after the filing as $28,000 from his own home office went missing and he began to feel like he was being watched according to court documents obtained by TMZ on Monday.

Tough times: Rob Riggle has accused his estranged wife of planting a hidden camera in his home, hacked his Apple account, and took upwards of $28K in cash from him according to a Monday report from TMZ

It has been claimed that Riggle has been staying at their smaller home while Tiffany stayed with their two children in the main family home and that the actor had confronted his former partner about the money but she denied knowing anything about it.

Around the same time the actor alleged that Tiffany had hacked into his Apple account and downloaded his emails, texts, contacts, and photos.

Rob goes on to claim in the court documents that Tiffany somehow had knowledge of private conversations he'd had in his home office either with or about his girlfriend and assistant, and she - or other anonymous sources - would text or email them referencing the private information.

Due to the alleged data leaks, the actor claimed that he and his girlfriend would form a misinformation scheme by planting false information to test whether any of it would leak out and that his suspicions were confirmed.

Moving on: His wife Tiffany had filed for divorce from the 51-year-old actor back in October after 21 years of marriage as she cited 'irreconcilable differences' at the time, as they are pictured in March 2012

According to the court documents obtained by TMZ, Rob went on to have his home electronically swept for devices in April and claims that a hidden spy camera was found in his smoke detector.

Rob claims that the device had a memory card with more than 10,000 videos with sound on it and that he believes that it had been installed in August 2020 and possibly monitored him until it was discovered.

The actor also claimed that one of the videos shows Tiffany standing on a ladder to install the disguised camera while another clip showed her sitting on the floor in his home office counting money which he believes is the $28K which went missing.

Rob has been granted a temporary restraining order against Tiffany and another hearing is set in July about his request for a forensic expert to go through all the alleged spy footage.

Parting ways: Things began to get very interesting after the filing as $28,000 from his own home office went missing and he began to feel like he was being watched according to court documents obtained by TMZ on Monday. (seen in 2014)

Back in October, Tiffany filed for divorce citing 'irreconcilable differences'. After 21 years of marriage, the former couple reportedly separated on May 2, 2020, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ at the time.

In addition to checking off the box asking for spousal support and seeking joint custody of their two children, the star's wife listed her car wash, purchased in 2014, as separate property.

Meanwhile, she marked two of their homes, 'several bank accounts' and 'interest in vodka and whiskey companies' under community property, according to the outlet.

The pair, who share their 16-year-old daughter Abigail and 12-year-old son George, first met in 1997, as he was preparing to move to New York City.

After quitting flight school to pursue his comedy dreams, Rob was introduced to Tiffany during a trip back home, after a mutual pal invited her to join them for drinks.

Divorcing: The actor alleged that Tiffany had hacked into his Apple account and downloaded his emails, texts, contacts, and photos; pictured in 2012

'I was so impressed, then I got nervous and squirrely. But I got her laughing, and that's all that mattered,' he recalled to the Kansas City Star in 2013.

Rob, who is known for his roles in The Hangover and Step Brothers, was a Marine for 23 years, 'with deployments to Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan before retiring in 2013 as a lieutenant colonel,' according to People.

Most recently, Rob appeared in The War with Grandpa, alongside Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman, which was released this month.
Chrissy Teigen has written a blog post to apologize for her past bullying tweets including one which told then-16-year-old Courtney Stodden to commit suicide.

The 35-year-old model took to Medium on Monday morning to write a lengthy post in which she admitted to being a 'troll' and an 'a**hole' while insisting that she is 'no longer that person.'

She has come under fire in recent weeks for cruel posts on Twitter aimed at Stodden, Lindsay Lohan, Quvenzhane Wallis, and others.

In 2011, Teigen published a barrage of tweets telling then-16-year-old Stodden, who had just married 50-year-old actor Doug Hutchison, to 'go to sleep forever'.

Stodden said this was only part of the picture, saying Teigen would also 'privately DM me and tell me to kill myself.'

Stodden incurred relentless bullying both publicly and in private from Teigen, who tweeted at the then-teen in 2011: 'My Friday fantasy: you. dirt nap. mmmmmm baby', followed by: 'go. to sleep. forever.'

Old tweets from 2013 have also resurfaced in which she described nine-year-old Oscar nominee Wallis as 'cocky' and called Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham, then 21, a 'wh***'.

'Not a day, not a single moment has passed where I havent felt the crushing weight of regret for the things Ive said in the past': Chrissy Teigen (seen last month) has written a blog post to apologize for her past bullying tweets

Teigen has been the target of backlash since abusive tweets by the star, originally made in 2011, resurfaced online, including one that urged then 16-year-old TV personality Courtney Stodden (pictured above in 2019), who identifies as non-binary, to kill themselves

Lindsay Lohan was also the subject of an insensitive post by Teigen. A tweet from January 2011 read: 'Lindsay adds a few more slits to her wrists when she sees emma stone'

Relentless: In one tweet Teigen told the non-binary reality star to 'take a dirt nap,' which is slang for death

Hatred: In another tweet she told Stodden 'I hate you,' and insinuated that drugs must be responsible for her affected speech

'Lindsay [Lohan] adds a few more slits to her wrists when she sees emma stone,' read the tweet dated January 16 2011

Teigen apologized to Stodden last month, but the television personality, who identifies as non-binary, questioned the sincerity of the apology.

Earlier this month, Abraham, 30, said Teigen needs professional help over her 'highly disturbing' past tweets, and calls her an 'unfit person in society.'

'It's really just a pathetic statement after someone has gone to therapy publicly for sex shaming, working through my own depression, bereavement, and vulnerabilities at that time,' Abraham told Fox News.

In her Medium post, Teigen wrote that she plans to reach out personally to the other celebrities she insulted.

Row: Farrah Abraham calls Chrissy Teigen an 'unfit person in society' and tells her to 'get therapy'... after she called Teen Mom star a 'w***e' in past 2013 tweets amid cyberbullying scandal

Vitriolic: Teigen shared this tweet about Farrah in 2013

Amid the backlash, Teigen has been dropped by several companies, including Safely, the cleaning brand she founded with Kris Jenner; Macy's; Target; and Bloomingdale's.

The large retailers have removed her line of Cravings cookware from its shelves. Teigen has also pulled out of Netflix's Never Have I Ever.

Teigen was slated to be one of the guest narrators for the series, co-created by Mindy Kaling, but is exiting the gig amid the fallout following her cyberbullying scandal.

Teigen began by writing: 'Hi all. It has been a VERY humbling few weeks.

Teigen began by writing: 'Hi all. It has been a VERY humbling few weeks.'

'I won't ask for your forgiveness, only your patience and tolerance,' Teigen wrote

'I know Ive been quiet, and lord knows you dont want to hear about me, but I want you to know Ive been sitting in a hole of deserved global punishment, the ultimate "sit here and think about what youve done",' the supermodel wrote.

'Not a day, not a single moment has passed where I havent felt the crushing weight of regret for the things Ive said in the past.'

Teigen has been the target of backlash since abusive tweets by the star, originally made in 2011, resurfaced online, including one that urged a then 16-year-old Stodden to kill themselves.

Lohan was also the subject of an insensitive post by Teigen. A tweet from January 2011 read: 'Lindsay adds a few more slits to her wrists when she sees emma stone'

Under pressure: After the barrage of tweets came to light and people called for the model to be 'canceled' she issued an apology to Stodden

Moving on: 'I accept her apology and forgive her. But the truth remains the same, I have never heard from her or her camp in private,' Stodden wrote last month after the scandal broke

Jaw-dropping: 'I said yes,' they gushed in the caption, adding that 'the ring made me gag it's so beautiful'

Taking the plunge: The ring appears to be from their longtime boyfriend Chris Sheng - in March 2020, Courtney told Us Weekly that they had been dating Sheng for 'three years,' adding, 'It isn't easy to believe in love. It's hard for me to completely open up to him and trust'

The tweet was shared by user @Leyton last month.

'I was a troll, full stop. And I am so sorry,' Teigen writes in her Medium post from Monday.

She added: 'There is simply no excuse for my past horrible tweets. My targets didnt deserve them. No one does.

'Many of them needed empathy, kindness, understanding and support, not my meanness masquerading as a kind of casual, edgy humor.'

Teigen continued: 'When I first started using social media, I had so much fun with it.

'I made jokes, random observations. Think of all the engineers, working day and night to develop this amazing new platform and technology, connecting people all over the world to learn, create, and find kindred spirits.

'And I used it to snark at some celebrities.'

Teigen writes that her tweets were borne out of being 'insecure, immature and in a world where I thought I needed to impress strangers to be accepted.'

'If there was a pop culture pile-on, I took to Twitter to try to gain attention and show off what I at the time believed was a crude, clever, harmless quip,' she wrote.

'I thought it made me cool and relatable if I poked fun at celebrities.'

Teigen wrote that when she is now confronted with some of her past posts, 'I cringe to my core.'

Chrissy Teigen founded Safely with Kris Jenner and previously appeared in its marketing materials

Jenner advertising the brand. She is said to be in 'crisis mode' after the bullying scandal erupted

'Ill honestly get sharp, stabbing pains in my body, randomly remembering my a*****e past, and I deserve it,' she wrote.

Teigen said that the Twitter persona she built as a 'bad a** b***h' was not in step with who she was as a person.

'I wasnt mean in my everyday life. More than once, someone would come up to me and say, Youre so much nicer in person,' she wrote.

'Why was that not a huge red flag?'

Teigen wrote that she wasn't 'deserving of sympathy' and that she explained this in order to provide 'context.'

'There's no justification for my behavior,' Teigen wrote.

'I'm not a victim here. The subjects of your sympathy - and mine - should be those I put down.'

Teigen wrote that she has changed and matured in recent years.

'The truth is, Im no longer the person who wrote those horrible things,' the cookware entrepreneur wrote.

'I grew up, got therapy, got married, had kids, got more therapy, experienced loss and pain, got more therapy and experienced more life.

'AND GOT MORE THERAPY.'

Teigen added: 'Life has made me more empathetic.

'Im more understanding of what motivates trolling  the instant gratification that you get from lashing out and clapping back, throwing rocks at someone you think is invincible because theyre famous.

'Also, I know now how it feels to be on the receiving end of incredible vitriol.

'Believe me, the irony of this is not lost on me.'

Teigen, who has two children with singing superstar John Legend, wrote that she hopes to set an example for their kids.

'The world needs more kindness and love and I want to contribute to it,' she wrote.

'Ive been on a path of self-improvement for the past decade and that path is going to continue.'

Teigen is feeling the financial pinch triggered by the backlash to her decade-old tweets.

She was dropped from the marketing campaign for Safely, the cleaning brand she founded with Kris Jenner, after sales reportedly plunged because of the controversy over her tweets.

The new brand, Safely, debuted in early May and included both stars in its marketing campaigns, but following the bullying scandal the 35-year-old model has not been seen once.

Before June 5, Teigen hadn't been seen on husband John Legend's Instagram since May 16 and hasn't posted on her own accounts since sharing an apology on Twitter on May 12. The couple is seen above in Los Angeles in February 2020

A source told The Sun: 'Kris Jenner has been in crisis mode for weeks with Chrissy's scandal.

'She likes Chrissy but she's a numbers girl first and their sales tanked after all of Chrissy's tweets came out.

'It's the worst case scenario for them, they just launched their cleaning brand days before the scandal.'

The backlash against Teigen's tweets is a blow to the brand, which had hoped to focus on her and her children in advertising campaigns.

Dailymail.com has contacted both Safely and Teigen for comment.

Earlier this month, Teigen made her first appearance on Instagram since the scandal erupted.

The model looked peaceful as she beamed with her daughter Luna, 5, while celebrating her first-ever dance recital. The image was posted to her husband's account.

At the time of the scandal, Target had discontinued their partnership with Teigen's line of Cravings cookware  though it was said the two came to an agreement in December before the social media eruption.

Expedia-owned rental site VRBO came under fire for recently running a promo with Teigen, Legend, and their kids Luna and Miles, to celebrate 'joy and togetherness'

But just weeks later, retail giant Macy's also dropped her cookware line and it was reported that Bloomingdale's also backed out of a huge deal with the internet personality.

Expedia-owned rental site VRBO came under fire for recently running a promo with Teigen, Legend, and their kids Luna and Miles, to celebrate 'joy and togetherness.'

The promo push on social media prompted many enraged users to speak out that the company shouldn't promote partnerships with a 'bully.'

After Vrbo retweeted an article about the commercial from People, one user responded: 'VRBO, cancel the collab you have with Chrissy NOW unless you support telling children to commit suicide.'

Another tweeted: Hey, @vrbo You're paying @chrissyteigen to do ads for you after she repeatedly messaged an abused minor, telling them to commit suicide? Really?'

'Using an abuser bully as a spokesperson no thanks,' another wrote.
Salma Hayek looked effortlessly chic as she stepped out in a polka dot blouse at the premiere of her latest film, the Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, on Monday night.

The actress, 54, paired the timeless chiffon top with a white pleated maxi skirt as she worked her angles for the camera at the screening in Cineworld in Leicester Square.

She completed the monochrome ensemble with a pair of black open-toed platform heels and beamed at onlookers as she made her way into the cinema.

Stylish: Salma Hayek looked effortlessly chic as she stepped out in a polka dot blouse at the premiere of her latest film, the Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, at Cineworld on Monday night

Salma styled her chestnut tresses in a sleek straight style for the film screening and kept accessories to a minimum as she let her outfit speak for itself.

Going full glam for the outing, the actress sported a sultry smokey eye makeup look and accentuated her lips with lashings of lip liner.

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is an action comedy and stars Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, who is assigned to protect his former colleague [Samuel L. Jackson], as well as his wife, played by Salma.

The movie serves as a sequel to the original Hitman's Bodyguard film, which was released in 2017 and received praise for the on-screen chemistry between its stars.

Chic: The actress paired the timeless chiffon top with a white pleated maxi skirt as she worked her angles for the camera at the screening in Leicester Square

Sequel: The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is an action comedy and stars Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, who is assigned to protect his former colleague [Samuel L. Jackson], as well as his wife, played by Salma

In it, Ryan's character is forced out of his therapist-mandated psychological sabbatical for more gun-toting adventures with the Kincaid couple.

Director Patrick Hughes' latest project- hitting UK theaters on June 23 - also features Frank Grillo, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, and Richard E. Grant.

'After completing the first film, I realized that Ryan's sarcastic smarm was the perfect foil for Sam's no-bullshit demeanor and to not ride that pony for another lap would be a crime against the spirit of [Beverly Hills Cop director] Martin Brest,' the Australian 43-year-old filmmaker told Collider.

Patrick added: 'Directing Ryan and Sam is difficult and physically taxing, because I spent a lot of my time being chastised by crew and producers for laughing too loudly behind the monitor.'

Flawless: Going full glam for the outing, the actress sported a sultry smokey eye makeup look and accentuated her lips with lashings of lip liner

The lead actors received much critical praise for their portrayals of the lead characters in the original 2017 film, with many reviewers pointing to their comedic timing and genuine action-star appeal.

The Hitman's Bodyguard's Wife was originally supposed to be released in August of last year before the premiere date was pushed back due to the onset of the global pandemic.

And Salma was joined by a whole host of famous faces for the long-awaited screening in Leicester Square.

Gorgeous: She completed the monochrome ensemble with a pair of black open-toed platform heels and beamed at onlookers as she made her way into the cinema

Curtis and AJ Pritchard cut dapper figures in chinos and suede shoes as they took to the blue carpet.

Curtis, 25, opted for a crisp open collared white shirt, which he accessorised with a pair of aviator sunglasses and a chain necklace.

Meanwhile, AJ, 26, donned a shortsleeved cotton-blend polo and brushed his chestnut locks back into a carefully crafted quaff.

Sibling outing: Curtis and AJ Pritchard cut dapper figures in chinos and suede shoes as they took to the blue carpet

Dapper: AJ, 26, donned a shortsleeved cotton-blend polo and brushed his chestnut locks back into a carefully crafted quaff

Happy guy: AJ beamed at the cameras as he posed with his hands in the pockets of his clean cut black trousers

The brothers were also joined by AJ's long-term girlfriend Abbie Quinnen.

Bringing full glam to the film screening, the professional dancer, 24, looked sensational in a sheer white lace jumpsuit.

Styling her blonde tresses into gorgeous curls, Abbie looked incredible as she flaunted her toned figure in the figure-hugging flared all-in-one ensemble.

Beautiful: The brothers were also joined by AJ's long-term girlfriend Abbie Quinnen who looked sensational in a sheer white lace jumpsuit

All together: The trio looked in high spirits as they smiled and posed together in front of the cinema

Perfect: Abbie looked incredible as she flaunted her toned figure in the figure-hugging flared all-in-one ensemble and oozed glamour with a smokey-eye make-up look

Happy couple: Abbie and AJ put on a loved-display as they wrapped their arms around each other at the film screening

Loved-up: The pair beamed and posed for the cameras before heading in to watch Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

Bright evening: AJ arrived in a pair of effortlessly cool black sunglasses, which he later removed for the screening

Looking elegant as ever, Clelia Theodorou put on a leggy display in a baby blue body con skirt at the premier.

The TOWIE star, 26, flaunted her taut abs in a white crop top, which she paired with a chic white blazer.

The brunette bombshell completed her outfit with a pair of stylish double-strapped stiletto sandals and accentuated her features with minimal makeup.

Elegant: Clelia Theodorou put on a leggy display in a baby blue body con skirt and white crop top at the premier

On trend: The TOWIE star, 26, flaunted her taut abs in a white crop top, which she paired with a chic white blazer

Date: Clelia arrived at the event with TOWIE's latest cast member Tommy Cole who donned light grey skinny jeans and a black graphic T-shirt for the screening

Former EastEnder's actor Brian Conley was the epitome of smart casual at the special screening.

The TV personality, 59, paired casual indigo jeans with a two button blazer as he posed for cameras before heading into watch Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard.

He layered the jacket over a stylish white speckled shirt and looked upbeat as he smiled at the star-studded event.

Laidback look: Former EastEnder's actor Brian Conley was the epitome of smart casual at the special screening as he paired casual indigo jeans with a two button blazer

Happy days: He layered the jacket over a stylish white speckled shirt and looked upbeat as he smiled at the star-studded event

Meanwhile, Dancing on Ice professional Vanessa Bauer sizzled in a red silk co-ord with a thigh skimming wrap around skirt.

The skater, 25, showcased her flawless physique in the cropped halter neck top and accessorised with a pair of stylish diamond studded hoops.

Vanessa made her eyes pop with a slick of black winged eyeliner and drew attention to her smile with a brown toned lipstick.

Wow: Dancing on Ice professional Vanessa Bauer sizzled in a red silk co-ord with a thigh skimming wrap around skirt

Lady in red: The skater, 25, showcased her flawless physique in the cropped halter neck top and accessorised with a pair of stylish diamond studded hoops

All smiles: Vanessa made her eyes pop with a slick of black winged eyeliner and drew attention to her smile with a brown toned lipstick

Stunning: The professional skater beamed as she arrived at the event with a friend

Lucy Alexander looked upbeat as she posed in an eye-catching floral jacket with sunglasses perched on top of her head.

The Homes Under the Hammer presenter, 51, flashed a warm smile as she arrived at the cinema in nude wedges and black cuffed trousers.

She layered her statement jacket over a bright coral top and accessorised with a selection of long beaded necklaces.

Feeling good: Lucy Alexander looked upbeat as she posed in an eye-catching floral jacket

Lizzy Cundy posed up a storm in a very racy sheer black chiffon skirt and towering nude heels.

The TV personality, 53, put on a glamorous display in the sizzling skirt, which she paired with a Bardot strapless puff-sleeved top.

She flicked her long chestnut tresses as she posed for the cameras and had accentuated her eyes with a sultry winged eye liner makeup look.

Daring: Lizzy Cundy posed up a storm in a very racy sheer black chiffon skirt and towering nude heels

Racy: The TV personality, 53, put on a glamorous display in the sizzling skirt, which she paired with a Bardot strapless puff-sleeved top

Also in attendance, Lady Camilla Beresford looked stylish in nude Valentino studded heels and a frilled white knee-length smock dress.

The socialite, 26, styled her ombre tresses into bouncy waves with a middle parting and accessorised the all-white ensemble with a dainty gold charm necklace.

She kept makeup minimal and added a slick of peachy gloss to her lips, as well as a sweep of foundation across her complexion.

Camilla toted a matching white leather clutch bag and completed the elegant outfit with a gold watch.

Sweet: Lady Camilla Beresford looked stylish in nude Valentino studded heels and a frilled white knee-length smock dress

All white: The socialite, 26, styled her ombre tresses into bouncy waves with a middle parting and accessorised the all-white ensemble with a dainty gold charm necklace

Imogen Thomas donned an all white ensemble in a crisp jumpsuit with a plunging lace neckline.

The model, 38, looked stunning in the puff-sleeved romper, which she paired with some chic strappy black stilettos.

The brunette beauty wore her locks in loose beachy waves and kept her makeup simple with clear lipgloss and a slick of bronzer.

Stunning: Model Imogen Thomas donned an all white ensemble in a crisp jumpsuit with a plunging lace neckline

Smile: The model, 38, looked stunning in the puff-sleeved romper, which she paired with some chic strappy black stilettos

Natural: The brunette beauty wore her locks in loose beachy waves and kept her makeup simple with clear lipgloss and a slick of bronzer

Jess Impiazzi kept things glamorous in a light green jumpsuit and perspex heels.

The The Seven actress, 31, styled her hair in a sweet half-up-half-down style and accentuated her eyes with bold winged eyeliner.

Accentuating her figure with a waist height bow, Jess looked flawless as she displayed her toned figure before the film screening.

Premiere posing: Actress Jess Impiazzi kept things glamorous in an emerald jumpsuit and perspex heels

Cute: The The Seven actress, 31, styled her hair in a sweet half-up-half-down style and accentuated her eyes with bold winged eyeliner

Tyla Carr opted for a laidback look and donned white jeans and a plunging floral vest top for the event.

The former Love Island contestant, 23, wore her long chestnut tresses loose and let them cascade around her shoulders.

She completed the relaxed ensemble with a pair of tan sliders and toted an enviable Yves Saint Laurent handbag.

Summer ready: Love Island's Tyla Carr opted for a laidback look and donned white jeans and a plunging floral vest top

Relaxed: The former Love Island contestant, 23, wore her long chestnut tresses loose and let them cascade around her shoulders and toted an enviable Yves Saint Laurent handbag

Alex Murphy looked sensational in a fuchsia floral midi dress and nude stilettos as she took to the blue carpet.

The Dancing on Ice professional, 32, looked effortlessly stylish in the plunging pink gown.

Beaming at the cameras, Alex posed with her hand on her hip in the puff-sleeved summer dress and flicked her strawberry blonde locks behind her shoulders.

Pink lady: Dancing on Ice professional Alex Murphy looked sensational in a fuchsia floral midi dress and nude stilettos

Floral: The Dancing on Ice professional, 32, looked effortlessly stylish in the plunging pink gown.

Heatwave style: Alex posed with her hand on her hip in the puff-sleeved summer dress and flicked her strawberry blonde locks behind her shoulders

Amber Doig-Thorne put on a chic display in a one-shoulder black midi dress that featured a ruffled hem detail.

The actress, 26, smized in a cherry-toned lipstick and copper-toned eye makeup as she worked her angles for the cameras with her hands on her hips.

She completed the outfit with a pair of bedazzled earrings and two matching bracelets and added a pair of classic black heels.

Timeless look: Amber Doig-Thorne put on a chic display in a one-shoulder black midi dress that featured a ruffled hem detail

Pose: The actress, 26, smized in a cherry-toned lipstick and copper-toned eye makeup as she worked her angles for the cameras with her hands on her hips

TOWIE's Saffron Lempriere looked sun kissed as she arrived at the event in a stripey clue co-ord.

The reality star, 28, donned a pair of statement grey, white, navy, electric and light blue trousers, which she paired with a matching cardigan.

Saffron broke up the stripes with a simple white scoop neck T-shirt and came prepared to tie up her blonde tresses with a blue hair scrunchie on her wrist.

Statement stripes: TOWIE's Saffron Lempriere looked sun kissed as she arrived at the event in a stripey clue co-ord

Saffron broke up the stripes with a simple white scoop neck T-shirt and matching Fendi handbag as she came prepared to tie up her blonde tresses with a blue scrunchie on her wrist

Charlotte Coleman turned heads in a canary yellow strapless ruffle dress and pointy-toed pumps.

The Television presenter, 42, wore a chunky chain necklace across her bare decolletage and added gold bracelets and a watch to her wrists.

The former Sky Sports presenter looked flawless as she went full glam for the occasion with a full face of flowing makeup and a slick of dark nude lipstick.

Eye catching: Former Sky Sports presenter Charlotte Coleman turned heads in a canary yellow strapless ruffle dress and pointy-toed pumps

And Angie Greaves looked gorgeous in a plunging baby pink floral midi dress that accentuated her curves.

The radio presenter, 53, added some eye-catching bedazzled black stilettos to the ensemble and accessorised with a thin silver chain necklace.

Meanwhile, Leo Alexander opted to keep things casual in a white T-shirt, high tops and navy trousers.
Katie Holmes was spotted in New York City on Monday running errands.

The 42-year-old newly single actress was seen in a cream tank top and wide-leg jeans as she strolled in Manhattan with her hands in her pockets.

The day before, JLo's ex Alex Rodriguez had been seen leaving the swanky apartment building where Katie lives.

However, a rep for the former Dawson's Creek star quickly shot down rumors that A-Rod had been at the location to visit her, telling E! News: 'She doesn't know him.'

Out and about: Newly single Katie Holmes is pictured out on Monday running errands solo in New York City a day after Alex Rodriguez was pictured exiting her apartment building

It was recently reported that the MLB star is shopping for a new property in Manhattan following the demise of his relationship with Jennifer Lopez, 51.

And on Monday a source told Page Six that Alex was simply looking at a potential bachelor bad in the same building as Katie and the duo have never actually met.

'Alex is looking at lots of different apartments, he didn't even realize it was Katie's building  he's never met her.' a rep told the site.

Checking out real estate: Rodriguez, 45, was just checking out a potential bachelor pad after his split from Jennifer Lopez and a rep for Katie made it clear the actress 'doesn't know him'

Running errands: Katie was seen in a cream tank top and wide-leg jeans as she strolled in Manhattan with her hands in her pockets

Keeping connected: Holmes briefly stopped to check her phone

Hitting her stride! The star enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the Big Apple

Katie, who is mom to daughter Suri, 15, with ex Tom Cruise, split with boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr. in April after nine months of dating.

On Sunday, the chef and aspiring actor was spotted enjoying the company of a mystery woman during a lunch date.

Emilio donned a black T-shirt and shorts and carried an umbrella as he shared a laugh with the pretty redhead.

Moving on? Katie's ex-boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr. was spotted laughing alongside a mystery woman during a lunch date on Sunday

Meet-up: The duo put on a flirty display as they enjoyed a lunch date two months after Emilio split from Katie

Katie split from actor and restauranteur Emilio, 33, in April, with sources saying their relationship 'fizzled'.

'They figured out theyre better off as friends. Theres no drama that went down with the breakup and in fact, theyre still friends.' a source told Us Weekly.

Emilio collaborates with his father to run the popular Italian restaurant Emilio's Ballato, a favorite of celebrity visitors including Tom Hanks, Bradley Cooper and even former president Barack Obama.

His romance with Katie reportedly faded after she left for Connecticut to film her second feature as a director.

She stars in the untitled film with Jim Sturgess as two strangers stuck in unhealthy relationships who find themselves forced to quarantine together at an Upstate New York Airbnb, according to Deadline.

According to ET, Katie took a 'wait and see' approach to her relationship while she was out of the state filming.

'Before she left, [Katie and Emilio] were inseparable, but their relationship was existing in a bubble,' said an insider. 'Because of the pandemic, she wasn't jet setting around the country for jobs and he wasn't tied up every night working at his family's restaurant.'

But once their regular social lives resumed, the couple found they were not 'as compatible anymore.'
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake are notoriously private about their family life.

The 39-year-old actress, who quietly gave birth to her second child last year, opened up about her 'secret COVID baby' during an appearance on Dax Shepherd's Armchair Expert podcast.

Dailymail.com broke the story in July of 2020 that Biel and Timberlake became parents for the second time and welcomed a new baby boy together, Phineas.

Mom of two: Jessica Biel, who quietly gave birth to her second child last year, opened up about her 'secret COVID baby' during an appearance on Dax Shepherd's Armchair Expert podcast

'I'm spending a lot of time at home on Zooms in my apartment,' Biel told Dax Shepherd. 'Hanging with my baby, changing diapers, doing nap time.'

'I had, like, a secret COVID baby,' the actress continued. 'It wasn't like it was supposed to be a secret. It was just COVID happened, and then I went to Montana with my family and never left.'

As DailyMail.com previously reported, Biel and Timberlake were staying in Montana with her family when the 7th Heaven actress gave birth. Jessica and Justin are parents to six-year-old son Silas.

She explained during her podcast appearance that, since it was the height of the coronavirus pandemic, there was a real concern that her popstar husband wouldn't be able to be by her side in the hospital.

'I had, like, a secret COVID baby,' the actress told Dax. 'It wasn't like it was supposed to be a secret. It was just COVID happened, and then I went to Montana with my family and never left.'

'The hospital restrictions had just changed and there was a moment there that there was nobody allowed at all and I was really getting nervous about that situation,' she recalled. 'But yes, he was allowed. I think if I had to be there alone, that would have been horrible. I would have been really scared.'

Prior to DailyMail.com revealing the birth, the couple hadn't gone public with the fact that Biel was pregnant. The star was able to keep her baby bump away from the cameras due to the pandemic.

Biel was also strategic in her social media posts ensuring that no photos from the waist down were released after her birthday in March 2020, when she would have been around four months pregnant.

Having a house full of boys hasn't been easy on the star who revealed that going from parenting an only child to two was a major transition.

'The hospital restrictions had just changed and there was a moment there that there was nobody allowed at all and I was really getting nervous about that situation,' Biel recalled on the podcast. 'But yes, he was allowed. I think if I had to be there alone, that would have been horrible. I would have been really scared.'

'Someone said to me, "Two is like having a thousand." And that's exactly what it feels like,' Jessica said. 'The balance of everything is very different and super hard. But I agree. I mean, it's amazing. It's so interesting. It's so funny.

'The conversations I'm having now with my six-year-old is so cool. Like, he's a real person saying the funniest stuff and he's so sensitive and tender. It's just so interesting to see that part of it happen and the little one is just cute as h**l.'

Phineas isn't even a year old yet but Biel is already thinking about his future and how to handle whether her two boys will want to follow in their parents' footsteps.

On the downlow: As DailyMail.com previously reported, Biel and Timberlake were staying in Montana with her family when the 7th Heaven actress gave birth. Jessica and Justin are parents to six-year-old son Silas

When asked if she would want Silas and Phineas to go into show business the The Sinner star admitted that her 'knee-jerk reaction' would be a resounding no.

'But then I look at these kids and I'm like, 'Oh s**t, they're probably going to be musical. What are we going to do? Like, not let them play the piano or not let them take a voice lesson if that's their passion?,' she mused.

Jessica went on to say that she wouldn't 'stifle' her kids' dreams if they wanted to play music or act.

She added, however: 'I would so much rather them be an engineer or something.'
Irina Shayk is getting back to her normal life in New York City after being thrust into the spotlight from being pictured with Kanye West in France last week.

The Vogue model, 35, was seen walking by with her daughter Lea De Seine in her arms while in a very casual outfit on Monday afternoon.

She did not forget to include her favorite designers: the Russian star showed off a black Intimissimi bra, wore a Burberry logo print shirt and white Nike trainers, and carried a Burberry bag.

With her baby: Irina Shayk is getting back to her normal life in New York City after being thrust into the spotlight from being pictured with Kanye West in France last week

Good mommy: The Vogue model, 35, was seen walking by with her daughter Lea De Seine in her arms while in a very casual outfit on Monday afternoon. The runway favorite cuddled her child who was in a pink and red striped shirt and jeans with black rainboots

She also had on above-the-ankle ripped blue jeans that fit her well.

The runway favorite cuddled her child who was in a pink and red striped shirt and jeans with black rainboots.

Later she carried Lea's lunch bag which was pink with Dalmatian dots; the father is A Star Is Born actor Bradley Cooper.

Irina had her black hair pulled back and wore very little makeup as she modeled black sunglasses. Shayk also had several gold necklaces on - one had a cross pendant - for added sparkle as well as hoop earrings.

Always put together: Though she was in a casual outfit it came off well for a day of errands

Designer duds: She did not forget to include her favorite designers: the Russian star showed off a black Intimissimi bra, wore a Burberry logo print shirt and white Nike trainers, and carried a Burberry bag

Her little one: And in her hand was her daughter Lea De Seine's lunch bag which was pink with Dalmatian dots; the father is A Star Is Born actor Bradley Cooper

The rapper, 44 - whose estranged wife Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce in February after almost seven years of marriage - and the model were spotted on a walk in the French region of Provence on his birthday on Tuesday.

In photos shared by DailyMail.com, the pair were seen near the luxury boutique hotel Villa La Coste, where they arrived on Sunday before departing on Wednesday.

A source told People he is 'smitten' and invited the model to France .

New love? The rapper, 44 - whose estranged wife Kim Kardashian filed for divorce in February after almost seven years of marriage - and the model were spotted on a walk in the French region of Provence on his birthday on Tuesday. Seen with Kim in 2020

The pair are also said to have spent time together in New York City before heading to France.

The source added: 'They have known each other professionally for years. He started pursuing her a few weeks ago. Kanye is a persuasive guy. He hung out with her in NYC before they celebrated his birthday in France.'

In 2010, Irina played an angel in Kanye's Power' music video, and she has previously modelled for Yeezy.

The kids: Together they have four kids: North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two; seen in 2019

Single lady: Last week Kim flaunted her flat tummy as she modeled new SKIMS

And TMZ has claimed that Irina and Kanye have been dating for three months. The beauty dropped a clue in early June she was close to the artist when she wore a DMX memorial shirt designed by West before it was released to the public.

Earlier this week, Kim was said to have become adjusted to single life.

An insider said: 'Kim has completely moved on from the marriage, [but she] still has love for Kanye.'

The 40-year-old star also wished Kanye a happy 44th birthday this week, in which she declared she will 'love' him forever.

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star - who has kids North, seven, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two with Kanye - captioned a throwback snap of them with three of their kids on a private jet: 'Happy Birthday 'Love U for Life!'

But last week Kim and Kanye unfollowed each other on social media.
She has been hitting the town on numerous occasions since lockdown was eased.

And Imogen Thomas put on another stylish display while attending a screen for the Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard in London's Leicester Square on Monday.

The reality star, 38, donned a white jumpsuit with funky puffed sleeves and a black lace trim as she walked the blue carpet for the star-studded screening.

Style: Imogen Thomas, 38, cut a stylish figure while attending a screen for the Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard in Leicester Square on Monday

The star paired the ensemble with black strapped heels and accessorised with a gold bangle and an elegant necklace.

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is an action comedy and stars Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, who is assigned to protect his former colleague [Samuel L. Jackson], as well as his wife, played by Salma.

The movie serves as a sequel to the original Hitman's Bodyguard film, which was released in 2017 and received praise for the on-screen chemistry between its stars.

The Hitman's Bodyguard's Wife was originally supposed to be released in August of last year before the premiere date was pushed back due to the onset of the global pandemic.

Stunning: The reality star, 38, donned a figure hugging white jumpsuit with puff sleeves and a black lace trim along the bust

Screening: The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is an action comedy and stars Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, who is assigned to protect his former colleague [Samuel L. Jackson]

Flick: The movie serves as a sequel to the original Hitman's Bodyguard film, which was released in 2017 and received praise for the on-screen chemistry between its stars

Imogen, who now describes herself as an 'investor and content creator', is a mother to daughters Ariana and Siera who she shares with partner Adam Horsley.

The outing came after Imogen paid tribute to her late friend Nikki Grahame, saying she '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.

Nikki was found dead 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.

Imogen - who met the reality icon on Big Brother in 2006 - reflected on their best memories together in a poignant post last month.

Chic: The star paired the ensemble with black strapped heels and accessorised with a gold bangle and an elegant necklace

Taking to her Instagram Story Imogen replied 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.'

For help and support with eating disorders contact SEED on (01482) 718130 or visit www.seedeatingdisorders.org.uk.
She's newly single following her split from Hollyoaks star Owen Warner.

And Chloe Ferry was keen to show her ex what he was missing as she posed in racy lingerie for a sultry Instagram snap on Tuesday.

The Geordie Shore star, 25, posed in a jaw-dropping corset and matching suspenders for a pair of sexy images after slipping into the revealing look in her bedroom.

Wow! Chloe Ferry, 25, was keen to show her ex Owen Warner what he was missing as she posed in racy lingerie for sultry Instagram snaps on Tuesday

Chloe showed off her incredible curves in the jaw-dropping black and pink laced corset with floral embroidery.

The star also donned the matching bottoms to pose up a storm in front of her mirror, in her latest sexy social media post.

Perhaps alluding to her recent split from beau Owen, Chloe captioned the post: 'Do I have your attention now baby..'

Sizzling: The Geordie Shore star posed in a jaw-dropping corset and matching suspenders for a pair of sexy images

On Monday Chloe also appeared to reflect on the end of her romance while showcasing her curves on a country stroll.

The star slipped into a tiny black crop-top and scanty shorts as she penned: 'Always looking ahead of me, never behind baby' in what appeared to be a hint at her recent heartbreak.

The star seductively flaunted her toned midriff as she pulled at the front of her shorts.

Looking forward: On Monday Chloe also appeared to reflect on the end of her romance while showcasing her curves on a country stroll

She also showcased her thigh tattoo and endless legs in the racy outfit.

Chloe wore her brunette tresses sleek and straight and sported a glamorous palette of make-up and oversize shades.

This comes after Chloe said she is planning a 'hot girl summer' as she took to Instagram on Sunday to share a collection of sizzling swimwear snaps.

Wow: She wore her brunette tresses sleek and straight and sported a glamorous palette of make-up and oversize shades

The star left little to the imagination in a tiny mint green bikini as she posed up a storm in the skimpy ensemble.

It comes after Chloe confirmed she had split from Owen over the weekend amid claims he reportedly messaged glamour model, Apollonia Llewellyn, begging to meet up.

Newly-single: This comes after Chloe said she is planning a 'hot girl summer' as she took to Instagram on Sunday to share a collection of sizzling swimwear snaps

Putting the drama behind her on Sunday, the reality star looked to the future as she said on her Instagram Story: 'My plan this summer... hot girl summer with me and the girls.'

Chloe shared the caption alongside a slew of sultry swimwear snaps where she could barely contain her very ample assets in a tiny triangle top and matching skimpy high-rise bottoms.

The reality star revealed that she was relaxing in her lavish hot tub at home and penned on a different sizzling photo: 'If I want it I'm gonna have it.'

It comes after Chloe confirmed she had split from Hollyoaks hunk Owen, 21, over the weekend, saying that they live 'very different lifestyles' and that it wasn't the 'right time' for their romance.

Work it: The star left little to the imagination in a tiny mint green bikini as she posed up a storm in the skimpy ensemble

It's OVER! It comes after Chloe confirmed she had split from Owen over the weekend amid claims he reportedly messaged glamour model, Apollonia Llewellyn, begging to meet up (pictured together in May)

The Geordie Shore star went Instagram official with the actor in May during her recent Portugal break and hinted they were engaged at the time.

Writing a lengthy caption to her Story, Chloe penned: 'Getting a lot of messages asking if me and Owen are together just to clarify I am SINGLE.

'We just live very different lifestyles and it's just not the right time at the moment... what will be will be... also I'm very grateful to have had some amazing memories with the boy amazing person inside and out.'

Over the weekend, The Sun reported that Owen was sliding into the [Instagram] DMs of OnlyFans model Apollonia Llewellyn, just days before he went public with Chloe.

Work it: Chloe shared the caption alongside a slew of sultry swimwear snaps where she could barely contain her very ample assets in a tiny triangle top and matching skimpy high-rise bottoms

Statement: It comes after Chloe confirmed she had split from Hollyoaks hunk Owen, 21, over the weekend, saying that they live 'very different lifestyles' and that it wasn't the 'right time' for their romance

A source told the publication: 'They met when she was an extra on Hollyoaks. Owen had his eye on Apollonia as soon as he saw her on the set of Hollyoaks and slid right into her DMs.

'He has been desperate to get her to go on a date with him and was trying to pin her down in late April and early May. They made plans a few times but the weather and work got in the way.

'Chloe clearly has no idea what he was up to before going official with her and has been telling everyone how into him she is.'

According to the insider, he began 'putting the moves' on Apollonia straight after his split from The Apprentice star, Camilla Ainsworth.

Claims: Over the weekend, The Sun reported that Owen was sliding into the [Instagram] DMs of OnlyFans model Apollonia Llewellyn, pictured, just days before he went public with Chloe

Following the claims, Chloe stopped following Owen on social media.

MailOnline contacted both Chloe and Owen's representatives for comment at the time.

Only last week, Chloe revealed her new romance with Owen was going swimmingly as she spoke to MailOnline about their passionate union - even revealing she could see herself marrying the 'Greek God'.

The Geordie Shore legend spoke at the launch of her best pal and co-star Bethan Kershaw's BB The Label clothing collection, during which she lauded praise on the hunk who she says has helped with her many insecurities.

Former flame: The Geordie Shore star went Instagram official with the actor in May during her recent Portugal break and hinted they were engaged at the time

She said: 'So me and Owen have been meeting before. He's absolutely lush - that body is to die for - I said he looks like a Greek God...

'We're not official but we're just seeing how we go. It's good. I know that he would be the perfect husband and he's the sort of person I would marry. I've never felt passion like I do with him, I can't believe it.'

On how he quells her insecurities, she went on: 'Do you know what it is with him. He gets annoyed when I put myself down. He says what are you talking about? And I'm so insecure but you wouldn't thinking it looking at me and that's what I need...

Moving on? Following the claims, Chloe stopped following Owen on social media and MailOnline have reached to her and the Hollyoaks star's reps for further comment

'I went for the wrong people before but now I'm working on myself. I'm buying my own house, it was the right person.'

On her recent holiday and her upcoming plans, excited Chloe said: 'Hot girl summer - all about it! It was good to get back to normal life and it was so hard. Not seeing people was the hardest in lockdown.'

Chloe is believed to have been single for more than a year following a turbulent relationship with Sam Gowland which began in 2017. The on-and-off couple parted ways for good in February 2020.

Since then, the reality star has been embracing the single life, having appeared on the 2020 series of Celebs Go Dating.

She built a connection with Kieran Bishop and they reportedly spent time together when they left the show's mansion. However, the alleged romance didn't last long as Chloe failed to confirm they were ever dating.

She even shared a series of flirty exchanges with her Celebs Go Dating co-star Wayne Lineker, 59, who sent fans wild when he posted a fake engagement photo.
Former RHONJ star Danielle Staub has slammed Erika Jayne in a new Hulu documentary exploring the disgraced former attorney Tom Girardi and his alleged financial wrongdoings, The Housewife and the Hustler.

Appearing in the documentary to reflect on her experiences with Jayne, who once worked at the same strip club as her, Staub remarked she did not get the 'best vibes' from Jayne, 49, during their interactions with one another.

'Erika Jayne, I have seen on the show, and I also worked with her on Watch What Happens Live one or two times. Didn't get the best vibe from her  I know a lot of fake people, and it turns out, she's just one of them,' the reality star, 58, said.

'Didn't get the best vibe from her': Former RHONJ star Danielle Staub has slammed Erika Jayne in a new documentary exploring Tom Girardi and the millions he is accused of stealing from clients, The Housewife and the Hustler

Speaking of Jayne's foray into the music industry, Staub said: 'I liked that even though she can't hold a tune, she sang. She entertained. She's entertaining.'

As for Jayne's lavish lifestyle on the Bravo series, Staub said most Housewives have a propensity towards 'flaunting' beyond their means.

'The ladies, they have a tendency to flaunt and still do, well beyond their means,' she said.

Exactly how much - if anything at all - Jayne may have known about her husband's alleged financial discrepancies is also explored in the documentary. Girardi has been accused of stealing and embezzling millions from clients.

Controversial: Exactly how much - if anything at all - Jayne may have known about her husband's alleged financial discrepancies is also explored in the documentary

The documentary claims that one of Girardi's LLCs had Jayne listed as a secretary. Money was also sent to her company EJ Global.

Sunny Hostin alleged many of Jayne's lavish items were claimed by her as 'gifts to her.' This meant the items became 'separate property' from Girardi amid their legal separation.

Jayne, who has not been charged with any crimes, was however accused alongside her husband of embezzling money earmarked for families of the victims of the fatal 2018 Lion Air plane crash in a lawsuit.

The over-the-top lifestyles displayed by Girardi and Jayne on The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills also came under scrutiny, with some noting it was inappropriate for a lawyer representing victimized clients to be showing off such wealth.

Accusations: Jayne, who has not been charged with any crimes, was however accused alongside her husband of embezzling money earmarked for families of the victims of the fatal 2018 Lion Air plane crash

Kim Archie, a former legal consultant for Tom who later became his client, blasted the absence of 'decorum' exhibited by the lawyer on the show.

'There's plenty of lawyers that have private jets and beautiful homes, but there's one way to do it and one way that's basically like a middle finger to people,' Kim said.

Lawyer Brian Kabateck took issue with the couple's two private planes.

'That's, I think, crossing the line in what we do. We represent people that are victimized by big corporations and rich people and here you're putting it out that you're super wealthy and that you're basically the man.

Lavish: Legal professionals appearing in the documentary blasted Tom and Erika's show of wealth on the show

'We sue the man, you don't want to be the man and he's showing people that he's the man.'

The case of Joe Ruigomez, who hired Girardi's firm after surviving a gas explosion in 2010, was also explored on the program.

In 2010, a gas line blew up under Joe's home in San Bruno, California, resulting in burn injuries for the then 19-year-old. Though he survived, the incident will require him to undergo surgeries for the rest of his life.

Tragically, his girlfriend died in the incident.

Girardi represented the Ruigomezs against Pacific Gas & Electric and won them a large, unrevealed amount.

'Snake': The Ruigomez family recalled their alleged experiences working with the disgraced lawyer

'We just didn't know how much of a snake he was going to be along the way,' Joe's sister said on the program.

Girardi allegedly informed the Ruigomezs that the court mandated him to distribute the money to them in monthly payment plans.

However, a mediator for the lawsuit denied Girardi's monthly payment plan claims as 'false.' He also said he was 'unaware of Mr. Girardi's actions.'

The Ruigomezs subsequently sued him for the remainder of the settlement.

'Your lawyer basically robbed you': Joe Ruigomez has accused the lawyer of stealing from him after hiring the attorney following his gas explosion

Girardi agreed to pay them the remaining $12 million in increments, but after the first installment stopped paying them.

'It's very disappointing knowing your lawyer basically robbed you, knowing he knows everything you've been through. I just don't get it,' Joe recalled.

Now that the payments have stopped, the settlement has turned into a judgement.

In a September 2020 deposition related to the lawsuit, Tom admitted he had lost all his money.

'At one point, I had $80 million, or $50 million in cash. That's all gone,' he said.

'I also had a stock portfolio of about $50 million,' he said. 'And that's all gone.'

Girardi, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, is now in a court-ordered conservatorship and under the legal guardianship of his brother. Girardi's license to practice law in California was revoked in March when he also was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease the same month.

The Lion Air lawsuit is also explored in the documentary. In December, both Jayne and Girardi faced a $2 million class action lawsuit claiming fraud and embezzlement from the firm Edelson PC in connection with the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash, in which all 189 people onboard died. They were sued for allegedly embezzling funds meant for families of victims.

Edelson PC reps said in court docs the divorce was orchestrated to 'fraudulently protect Tom and Erika's money' as they're 'on the verge of financial collapse.'

Hasnawati binti Nawazar was tragically killed in the crash, and her son Bias Ramadhan has still not received his payment.

'This is a tragedy, right?' Bias said. ''And then the lawsuit is also emotionally draining and there's almost no night that anybody like this is not crying.'
Christine Quinn has snapped back after welcoming her first child, a 'healthy baby boy,' named Christian Georges Dumontet on May 15 in Los Angeles with her husband, Christian Richard, by her side.

On Sunday the bombshell blonde, 31, let fans get a good look at her incredibly slender frame as she nearly spilled out of her corset top with a sweetheart neckline.

The Selling Sunset standout added a heavy gold chain necklace as she was gassing up her taxi yellow SUV.

One month post baby: Christine Quinn has snapped back after welcoming her first child Christian Georges Dumontet on May 15. On Sunday the bombshell blonde let fans get a good look at her incredibly slender frame

Showstopper: The Tv staple wore a skintight outfit that clung to her shape. The Selling Sunset standout added a heavy gold chain necklace as she was gassing up her taxi yellow SUV

Christine had on a print outfit - a Cupid themed corset with a sweetheart neckline and leggings with white Balenciaga platform heels. The look made the most of her 5ft9in figure.

In her hand was a gold structured Dolce & Gabbana purse.

Her long blonde hair was down as she bought a soda and put gas in her very bright car.

The day before the Texas native modeled for her Instagram page as she wore a dramatic mini dress with a large cut out on the side that revealed not just her tummy but some underboob.

So fashionable: Christine had on a print outfit - a Cupid themed corset with a sweetheart neckline and leggings with white platform heels. The look made the most of her 5ft9in figure. In her hand was a gold structured Dolce & Gabbana purse

Her knee high boots matched the dress.

'Hair looking like CVS receipts,' joked the real estate agent in her caption.

It has been almost a month since she welcomed her baby: 'It's official! I'm a mommy!' Quinn shared in May.

She continued: 'Baby C made his grand entrance over the weekend. I am beyond grateful to my husband, and to all the wonderful doctors and nurses who helped me. It was a little scary, but we are beyond grateful. Swipe up to read the full story in my ig story.'

Le look: The day before Quinn modeled for her Instagram page as she wore a dramatic mini dress with a large cut out on the side that revealed not just her tummy but some underboob

All Prada: And the slender siren's knee high boots matched the dress

Matchy matchy: Her knee high Prada boots matched the skimpy dress

The news was first reported by UsWeekly . 'Christian Georges Dumontet was born a healthy baby boy on Saturday, May 15, at 4:22 p.m. in Los Angeles  less than two days after she appeared at the MTV Movie & TV Awards: Unscripted taping,' a rep confirmed to the publication.

She announced she was expecting her first child in February, a little more than one year after marrying the tech millionaire during an opulent Gothic Winter Wonderland wedding in LA.

Her million dollar wedding was the focus of Selling Sunset's third season finale and featured black swans, falling snow and a horse drawn carriage.

'I'm going to be a mommy,' she wrote on Instagram in February. 'My heart is already bursting with love and gratitude for this little life inside me. I'm humbled, awestruck and inspired.

Breaking the news: Christine told her followers, 'It's official! I'm a mommy!' in May

'It's already a feeling like no other that I've ever experienced, and all I can think about is how we can be the best parents possible. We can't wait to start our family!'

She largely documented her pregnancy on social media with extravagant photo shoots as she attempted to embrace her changing figure.

'I'm trying to embrace it, but with wardrobe, it's been a lot more difficult,' she explained at the time. 'It's definitely challenging to find things that look fashionable and I can still fit in at the same time because I'm definitely bigger up here and I'm bigger down there. So, it's a math equation.'

Days before giving birth, Christine was the guest of honor as she hosted a jungle-themed baby shower complete with a sloth and parrots.

A few of her Selling Sunset co-stars were on hand as cameras appeared to be rolling on season four of the popular Netflix show.

She said last week that during the ceremony she started going into labor.
She's been in the midst of a slow recovery after suffering horrific burns.

And AJ Pritchard's girlfriend Abbie Quinnen was dressed to impress as she joined her dancer beau at a screening for The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard in London's Leicester Square on Monday.

The dancer, 24, dressed up in a form-fitting white lace jumpsuit as she cosied up to her beau at the event.

Cute: AJ Pritchard's girlfriend Abbie Quinnen, 24, was dressed to impress as she joined her beau at a screening for The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard in London on Monday

Abbie certainly stood out in the sheer lace one-piece as she arrived on the blue carpet, and teamed the look with a taupe handbag.

The blonde beauty beamed alongside former Strictly star AJ, who was also accompanied by his own brother Curtis.

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is an action comedy and stars Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, who is assigned to protect his former colleague [Samuel L. Jackson], as well as his wife, played by Salma.

Gorgeous: The dancer, 24, dressed up in a form-fitting white lace jumpsuit as she walked the blue carpet

Wow! Abbie certainly stood out in the sheer lace one-piece that highlighted her toned figure as she arrived on the blue carpet

The movie serves as a sequel to the original Hitman's Bodyguard film, which was released in 2017 and received praise for the on-screen chemistry between its stars.

In it, Ryan's character is forced out of his therapist-mandated psychological sabbatical for more gun-toting adventures with the Kincaid couple.

Director Patrick Hughes' latest project- hitting UK theaters on June 23 - also features Frank Grillo, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, and Richard E. Grant.

Loved-up: The blonde beauty beamed alongside former Strictly star AJ as they arrived for the screening together

Happy couple: Abbie and AJ beamed together as they headed home following the screeningin the midst of the warm weather

Sweet: The pair made for a picture perfect couple in their stylish ensembles for the film event

It comes after Abbie suffered horrific burns in a freak fire accident while she was filming a YouTube video with the dancer in January.

Abbie needed three skin grafts after a YouTube video she was filming with her boyfriend went horribly wrong and saw a wine bottle explode and set fire to her hair and clothing on January 19.

She detailed the fears she felt for her life during the accident while her beau AJ spoke about how 'seconds felt like a lifetime' when he attempted to quell the flames consuming her during an appearance on Lorraine.

And despite the ordeal, Abbie remained positive about her recovery as she said: 'I'm doing OK a lot better than I was, that's for sure. My face has almost healed now.'

Scary: It comes after Abbie suffered horrific burns in a freak fire accident while she was filming a YouTube video with the dancer in January

She continued: 'I think when it happened I was just thinking the worst, my face is never going to look the same again, I'm always going to have scars on my body.

'I'm never going to be able to dance or perform and do what I love doing, so I instantly thought that was it for me. Luckily my face is healing really well.'

Abbie revealed last month that she struggles to find clothes to wear because she has to wear a compression vest '23 hours a day' and keep her scars out of the sun.

Taking to Instagram, the dancer made the candid admission, revealing that she is always left 'panicking' before she leaves home.
Queensland's film industry will receive a $71million budget boost to help lure more productions to the Sunshine State.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says $53million will go towards attracting international and domestic production companies to Queensland.

Another $18million will be invested in local film, television and games production, a new north Queensland film fund and an incentive for post, digital and visual effects.

The investment comes after NSW emerged as the location of choice for Hollywood productions during the Covid pandemic, with Thor: Love and Thunder based out of Sydney's Fox Studios and Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers being shot in Byron Bay.

Queensland's film industry will receive a $71million budget boost to help lure more productions to the Sunshine State. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (right) says $53million will go towards attracting international and domestic production companies to Queensland

Queensland attracted the most international productions of any state last year and the funding will help attract more, Ms Palaszczuk said.

'Our screen success is not an accident, but the result of long-term planning and strategic investment in the industry, led by Screen Queensland,' she said.

Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said the new funding would give the industry more certainty, continue to woo big screen international productions and foster the local film producers.

Productions currently filming in Queensland include Ron Howard's Thirteen Lives, season two of the Amazon Original series The Wilds, and the Jim Henson Company's The Portable Door. Pictured: Ron Howard with his wife, Cheryl, on March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills

'This budget support will allow us to further maximise benefit from the current boom for the widest possible cross-section of the Queensland screen industry,' Ms Munnich said.

Productions currently filming in Queensland include Ron Howard's Thirteen Lives, season two of the Amazon Original series The Wilds, and the Jim Henson Company's The Portable Door.

Other productions to be filmed in the Sunshine State include Netflix's Jessica Watson biopic, Matchbox Pictures' TV series Irreverent, and Ticket to Paradise starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

Treasurer Cameron Dick said the funding in Tuesday's budget comes on top of $100 million invested in attracting film production to Queensland since 2015.

The strategy had lured films such as Thor: Ragnarok, Aquaman, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic.

'From big blockbusters to local productions, this is about having a pipeline of projects to support a sustainable industry and to create local jobs - from crew right through the supply chain to set designers, construction workers, drivers and hospitality,' he said.
She shot to fame after winning Australian reality show Make Me A Supermodel in 2002.

And Nicole Trunfio, 35, proved she's still a catwalk queen on Sunday as she strutted her stuff in not one but two eye-catching ensembles while out and about in New York City.

Nicole turned the East Village sidewalk into her very own runway as she left her hotel in an all-black ensemble early in the day, before later slipping into a pink frock for the evening.

Double delight! Australian model Nicole Trunfio, 35, wowed in two stunning outfits on Sunday as she turned the NYC sidewalk into her very own runway

Nicole's daytime outfit consisted of a sequin-covered cropped blazer, satin split-hem trousers and a tiny crop top - all in black.

The mother-of-three accessorised her striking look with a pair of narrow black sunglasses, patent black heels with pointed toes, a box clutch bag and a delicate chain necklace.

Nicole's brown tresses fell loosely by her shoulders in a centre parting, while her eyes were accentuated with dramatic winged eyeliner.

Razzle dazzle! Nicole's daytime outfit consisted of a sequin-covered cropped blazer, satin split-hem trousers and a tiny crop top - all in black

Making a style statement: The mother-of-three accessorised her striking look with a pair of narrow black sunglasses, patent black heels with pointed toes, a box clutch bag and a delicate chain necklace

The rest of her makeup was kept minimal and understated, consisting of a swipe of bronzer and a slick of taupe-hued lipstick.

She was joined by her equally-stylish husband Gary Clark Jr., who dressed to impress in a black button-down shirt, matching skinny jeans and his trademark fedora.

The musician completed his look with a pair of sunglasses, a gold wrist watch and tan-coloured boots.

Glamour couple: At times, she was joined by her equally-stylish husband Gary Clark Jr., who dressed to impress in a black button-down shirt, matching skinny jeans and his trademark fedora

Suave: The musician completed his look with a pair of sunglasses, a gold wrist watch and tan-coloured boots

As the sun began to set, Nicole was spotted leaving her hotel in yet another chic look.

This time, the glamazon slipped her lithe figure into a light pink mini dress featuring bejewelled shoulder straps and a cowl neckline.

The form-fitting frock clung to Nicole's curves in all the right places as she strutted her stuff next to a graffiti-covered building.

Outfit change: As the sun began to set, Nicole was spotted leaving her hotel in yet another chic look. This time, the glamazon slipped her lithe figure into a light pink mini-dress featuring bejewelled shoulder straps and a cowl neckline

Va va voom! The form-fitting frock clung to Nicole's curves in all the right places as she strutted her stuff next to a graffiti-covered building

These shoes were made for strutting! She added height to her frame with a pair of metallic silver pointed-toe pumps by Mach and Mach, which retail for around AUD$1,700

She added height to her frame with a pair of metallic silver pointed-toe pumps by Mach and Mach, which retail for around AUD$1,700.

Showcasing her expensive taste, the stunner also carried a satin evening bag by Mach and Mach, worth $1,482.

Not present for that outing were Nicole and Gary's three children - daughters Ella, one, and Gia, three, and son Zion, six.

Dark edge: She added a touch of grunge to her look by painting her nails black
EastEnders bosses have confirmed that Charlie Brooks will be returning to the soap to reprise her role as Janine Butcher.

The actress, who departed the soap in 2014, is set for a rollercoaster comeback, with bosses hinting she'll take centre stage in the soap's 'biggest storyline of the year.'

Announcing the news, the bosses assured fans of the show that 'drama and scandal' are never far behind Janine, and she'll make a stormy return to the soap in the coming months.

She's coming home! EastEnders bosses have confirmed that Charlie Brooks, 40, will be returning to the soap to reprise her role as Janine Butcher

Speaking about returning to the role, actress Charlie, 40, said: 'I am beyond excited to be slipping back into Janines shoes and returning to The Square.

'The time feels right and I cant wait to find out what shes been up to for the last seven years! She is and always has been SO much fun to play.

'Feels a bit like coming home. Its good to be back.'

Return: The actress, who left the soap in 2014, is set for a rollercoaster comeback, with bosses hinting she'll take centre stage in the soap's 'biggest storyline of the year' (pictured in 2008)

Giddy: Rumours of Charlie's return to the show had been circulatinG and it appeared they were confirmed when she was spotted on the set earlier this week

Jon Sen, executive producer for EastEnders, added: 'Janine is one of EastEnders most iconic characters who is loved, and often despised, in equal measure by viewers and all those in Walford.

'Charlies portrayal of Janine over the years has created some of EastEnders most memorable moments and we are all really excited to see Charlie bring her incredible portrayal of Janine back again.'

Appearing to provide a hint for fans about future story lines, he continued: 'We have lots of drama in store for Janine, in fact it may be wise for some of the residents of Walford to invest in some slip on shoes'

Viewers were quick to comment about their excitement for her return, with one writing: 'SHE IS COMING TO SAVE 2021.'

Comeback: Announcing the news, the bosses assured fans of the show that 'drama and scandal' are never far behind Janine (pictured on EastEnders in 2013)

Another said: 'Omg we NEED Janine. The best character ever!.

One remarked: 'yesss!!!! weve been waiting for this announcement. im so excited for her to come back.'

Rumours of Charlie's return to the show have been circulating in recent weeks and it appeared they were confirmed when she was spotted on the set at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire earlier this week.

The actress was taken to set in a blacked out people carrier as show bosses aimed to keep her return top secret.

'Feels like coming home': Actress Charlie said: 'I am beyond excited to be slipping back into Janines shoes and returning to The Square (pictured with Ricky Butcher in 2003)

It was previously reported that Charlie would resurrect her role as the murderous Janine on EastEnders, seven years after she departed Albert Square.

It was claimed that Charlie would make an explosive return to Albert Square, leaving fans swarming social media to state she would 'save the soap'.

The murderous character is said to be part of a 'huge' storyline planned by BBC bosses, according to The Sun.

Charlie explained why she is excited to reclaim the role of Janine on the podcast.

She added: 'She's good fun, I love Janine. I always wonder what she's been up to. I think it's really important to sympathise with your characters and for me, she became so layered.

Jon Sen, executive producer for EastEnders, said: 'we are all really excited to see Charlie bring her incredible portrayal of Janine back again

'I honestly believe she's completely misunderstood in so many ways, although she does get more and more difficult to defend. But that is where all the juicy stuff is.'

Plot details of her return are not yet known, but Janine has been involved in her fair share of drama during her time on the soap, which first began in 1999.

Most notably, Janine married Barry Evans  played by Shaun Williamson  for his money before pushing him off a cliff.

She went on to marry a rich elderly Jewish businessman called David, who died of a heart attack at the ceremony, before tying the knot with Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott), whom she also tried to kill.

Shocking: Most notably, Janine married Barry Evans  played by Shaun Williamson  for his money before pushing him off a cliff

Although she was unsuccessful in her murder plot against Ryan, she framed arch-rival Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) for the attempted crime.

Janine married a fourth time to Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd) and had her daughter Scarlett with him, before she eventually set out to kill him too.

The evil killer was successful in ending Michael's life, but was found not guilty in court - leading to her being shunned by locals which made her eventually leave Walford.

She was last seen at St Pancras as she boarded a train to go to Paris - where she joined daughter Scarlett and sister Diane.
The ex-wife of late millionaire Geoffrey Edelsten - who died on Friday aged 78 - has denied claims she is a 'gold digger' and insists she was in love with the flamboyant businessman when she married him in June 2015 - when he was 72 and she was 26.

American model Gabi Grecko, 32, refuted the allegation she was with Edelsten for his fortune after a troll commented 'gold digger' on a tribute post she uploaded to Instagram over the weekend.

Ms Grecko responded to the hurtful remark: 'I'm going to leave your comments up so you can just look at them whenever you want and think, "Dam, I'm a pretty f**king big jerk."'

Hitting back: Gabi Grecko - the ex-wife of late millionaire Geoffrey Edelsten, who died on Friday aged 78 - has denied claims she is a 'gold digger' and insists she was in love with the flamboyant businessman when she married him in June 2015 - when he was 72 and she was 26

Another Instagram follower then asked her, 'Did you love him?', to which Ms Grecko replied: 'At one time.'

A third user pointed out that her marriage to Edelsten was quite tumultuous, and even saw the Allied Medical Group founder take out an AVO against her.

Ms Grecko downplayed the AVO matter, saying her then-husband did it 'out of hurt' after she left Australia and that they reconciled afterwards.

Troll: Ms Grecko, 32, refuted the allegation she was with Edelsten for his fortune after a troll commented 'gold digger' on a tribute post she uploaded to Instagram over the weekend

Hurt: Ms Grecko responded to the hurtful remark: 'I'm going to leave your comments up so you can just look at them whenever you want and think, "Dam, I'm a pretty f**king big jerk"'

Holding a candle: Another Instagram follower then asked her, 'Did you love him?', to which Ms Grecko replied: 'At one time'

'We got back together after that. He did it out of upset, trying to strike back [after] I had left Australia. But again we were together after, so that wasn't the end,' she said.

She added in another reply: 'I did love him. It's weird, you think that I wouldn't love him when everyone is more infatuated with his lifestyle and how unique and driven and colourful was, you think I couldn't love the coolest personal in all of Australia?'

It comes after Ms Grecko - Edelsten's third wife following his marriages to Brynne Gordon and Leanne Nesbitt - claimed she was in with a shot at a slice of his fortune.

Rocky: A third user pointed out that her marriage to Edelsten was quite tumultuous, and even saw the Allied Medical Group founder take out an AVO against her

Response: Ms Grecko downplayed the AVO matter, saying her then-husband did it 'out of hurt' when she left Australia and that they reconciled afterwards

Ms Grecko, who was 46 years his junior when she married the disgraced medical entrepreneur in 2015, shared a bizarre post from an Instagram follower claiming Edelsten had told her three years ago he would leave Grecko 'something' in his will.

'I met Mr Edelsten at a hospital in Australia three years ago. He told me that Gabi is the only woman that he has ever loved and that he can never love another woman,' the post read.

'He also mentioned that unlike the others, she was not with him for his money and that he intends to leave her something in his last will and testament upon his passing.

'He said Gabi never judged him and made him feel youthful and optimistic about life again.'

In the will? It comes after Ms Grecko - Edelsten's third wife following his marriages to Brynne Gordon and Leanne Nesbitt - claimed she was in with a shot at a slice of his fortune

Claim: Ms Grecko, who was 46 years his junior when she married the disgraced medical entrepreneur in 2015, shared a bizarre post from an Instagram follower claiming Edelsten had told her three years ago he would leave Grecko 'something' in his will

The model and rapper, who now lives in New York, has been active on Instagram since news of her ex-husband's death broke on the evening of Friday, June 11.

Edelsten was found dead by a cleaner at his Melbourne apartment earlier that day. Coincidentally, June 11 was the anniversary of his wedding to Ms Grecko.

Their marriage only lasted a few months.
It has been a year to the biggest story Bollywood witnessed last year. It has been a year the film industry lost Sushant Singh Rajput, and his fans, their idol. The case went through twists and turns that can put any thriller to shame. Three Central Agencies were roped in to pass a verdict on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, but one year on, there's no closure.

June 14, 2021 marks one year of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput

On Sushant's first death anniversary, Rhea Chakraborty had an emotional note to share for her 'guardian angel'. Millions of fans of the star, meanwhile, still await justice on social media and out on the streets from Patna to Mumbai. But justice, as we have seen multiple times, is often delayed if not denied.

From Mumbai, we move to Delhi where restrictions have been lifted as Covid cases decrease. Under the new guidelines, restaurants are allowed to function with 50 per cent seating capacity. Malls, markets, market complexes are allowed to be open from 10 am to 8 pm. However, all the relaxed restrictions come with a caveat: if Covid cases are seen increasing, Delhi will be locked again. You can read more on what's allowed and what's not here.

Delhi re-opened today. Photo: PTI

All talk of lockdown and business brings us to the biggest news from the world of business: what happened to the Adani group's stocks on the share market. So, a leading daily published a news report saying the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) had taken action against three foreign funds that are among the top stakeholders in three Adani group firms. As a result, shares of all six listed Adani group companies plunged on stock exchanges to hit lower circuits. The Adani group rejected the report, calling it "blatantly erroneous".

But what does the work stock mean?

Our Word Of The Day stock has many meanings but for sake of brevity, we will concentrate on the one we're talking about. The word stock in finance. So a stock or stocks are shares in the ownership of a company, or investments on which a fixed amount of interest will be paid, says Collins Dictionary.

The Adani group's stocks fell sharply today. In pic: Gautam Adani. Photo: Getty Images

If you own stocks in the Adani group, for example, today is not a good day.

It's also not a good day for Benjamin Netanyahu, who was ousted from the position of the Prime Minister of Israel, ending his 12-year rule. The new Prime Minister of Israel is Naftali Bennett. Now Netanyahu and Bennett differ on Palestine, the issue that has seen countries world over either siding with Israel or against it. For now, we will go back to Benjamin Netanyahu for a bit.

Netanyahu was the longest serving Prime Minister in the history of Israel. Now while that might be common knowledge, what is not is Netanyahu suffering a bullet injury during a plane hijack. Let us tell you what happened on May 8, 1972, on board the Sabena Flight 571.

The Boeing 707 had taken off from Brussels in Belgium and was supposed to go to Vienna in Austria. British pilot Reginald Levy was in-charge of the cockpit. Four members of the Black September Organization, a Palestinian terrorist group, hijacked the plane and forced the pilot to land it at Lod airport near Tel Aviv in Israel. Their demands were nothing that we haven't seen in hijackings: they demanded release of Palestinian prisoners in return for the lives of the hostages.

The Sabena Flight 571 at Lod airport on May 9, 1972.

Israel was not the one to cave so easily. So while they negotiated the demands with the four terrorists on board, the country was planning to rescue the hostages. This plan was code-named Operation Isotope. That's hardly the most interesting bit of this story. It is this: Two people among the rescue team later went on to become Israel's Prime Ministers. Benjamin Netanyahu was one of them; and Ehud Barak was the other. Netanyahu, one of the four Black September terrorists later said, suffered a bullet injury in the exchange of bullets between the terrorists and Israeli forces. The bullet from one of the soldiers' guns apparently first struck Theresa Halsa, went through her, and lodged itself in Netanyahu's biceps.

Operation Isotope resulted in two of the male terrorists killed and the two women terrorists captured.

Quite the story, you'd agree.

Coming back from Israel to India, Sushant Singh Rajput's fans are remembering him with Twitter posts and memories. You can also join the tributes by watching Dil Bechara, Rajput's last film. Dil Bechara was released a month after Sushant's death last year. The film is currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

If you'd want a good meal to go with the movie, take our Aamras recipe and thrown in some pooris with it.

Aamras. Photo: India Today

See you tomorrow. Keep the mask on.

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Also Read: Can India inoculate its 900 million adults by December 31?
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Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 75F. Winds light and variable.
Neel Bhatt, a UW assistant professor of otolaryngology, specializes in treating patients with voice problems. Through his work, he began to realize people did not like the sound of their own voices. With the transition to school over Zoom, many students can relate to the discomfort of hearin
NEWQUAY, England (AP)  President Joe Biden on Sunday said the United States had restored its presence on the world stage as he used his first overseas trip since taking office to connect with a new generation of leaders from some of the worlds most powerful countries and more closely unite allies on addressing the coronavirus pandemic and Chinas trade and labor practices.

As he wrapped three days of what he called an extraordinarily collaborative and productive meeting at the Group of Seven summit of wealthy democracies, Biden said there was genuine enthusiasm for his engagement.

Americas back in the business of leading the world alongside nations who share our most deeply held values, Biden said at a news conference before leaving Cornwall to visit Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle. I think weve made progress in reestablishing American credibility among our closest friends.

The president, who is on an eight-day, three country trip, left his mark on the G-7 by announcing a commitment to share 500 million coronavirus vaccine doses with the world and pressing allies to do the same. The leaders on Sunday confirmed their intent to donate more than 1 billion doses to low-income countries in the next year.

This is going to be a constant project for a long time, Biden said of the global vaccination campaign, adding that he hoped the world could stamp out the pandemic in 2022 or 2023. Its not just the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, Biden said, but also the correct thing to do in terms of our own health."

He also said the U.S. might be able to donate an additional 1 billion vaccine doses to the world in the coming years.

Biden also fought for the leaders' joint statement to include specific language criticizing China's use of forced labor and other human rights abuses as he worked to cast the rivalry with Beijing as the defining competition for the 21st century. The president declined to discuss the private negotiations over the provision, but said he was satisfied with the tough rhetoric, though difference remained among the allies about how forcefully to call out Beijing.

Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Japan largely endorsed the Biden administrations position, while Germany, Italy and the European Union showed hesitancy during the talks, according to a senior official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.

Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, played down the division, but acknowledged countries had different levels of conviction about the depth of the challenge."

But when you add it all up, actually the whole became greater than the sum of its parts because there is a broad view that China represents a significant challenge to the worlds democracies, on a number of different dimensions," Sullivan said.

The leaders also embraced Biden's call for a 15% global minimum corporate tax rate.

The other G-7 allies did their part in creating the impression that Biden was part of the Club and sought to help reinforce Bidens America is back mantra, including by embracing the his campaign slogan to Build Back Better from the pandemic.

Most European allies had been disenchanted with President Donald Trumps grumbling of global freeloaders and espousing an America First policy, so Biden had the challenge of convincing a skeptical audience that the last U.S. administration was not a harbinger of a more insular country.

We're totally on the same page, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said of Biden.

Implicitly criticizing his predecessor, who had said other countries should pay for the presence of Americas military presence abroad, Biden said he does not view NATO as a protection racket. Biden also reported that global leaders were gratified that the U.S. president accepted the science of climate change.

One of the things some of my colleagues said to me when I was there was, Well, the United States leadership recognizes there is global warming, Biden said.

The president was ending his day in Brussels for meetings with NATO and European Union leaders on Monday and Tuesday before his summit with Putin on Wednesday in Geneva. U.S. officials said that one-on-one meeting would test whether the two men could develop a constructive relationship even as Biden was poised to rebuke Putin for a range of rights abuses and election interference.

Pressed at the news conference on why Putin has not changed his behavior after waves of U.S. sanctions, Biden replied with a laugh. Hes Vladimir Putin.

The summit marked some of Biden's first face-to-face meetings with global leaders since taking office in January amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including Frances Emmanuel Macron, with whom he was meeting for the first time.

The 43-year-old Macron, who came into office in May 2017, months after Bidens two terms as the U.S. vice president ended, appeared to have quick chemistry with the 78-year-old American. The two draped their arms around each other and chatted animatedly when they walked together after the leaders' photo at the beginning of Fridays summit.

In remarks to reporters, Macron did not utter Trumps name but offered an unambiguous shot at the former president. Macron noted his his relief that with Biden, he was now working with an American president willing to cooperate.

What you demonstrate is leadership is partnership, Macron said of Biden.

During Trump's term, Macron tried to find common ground but often bristled at Trump's nativist rhetoric.

Macron, who has worked to portray France as a more prominent power in recent years, also used the rise of Trumpism to make the case for greater global European leadership.

He complained in November 2019 that a lack of U.S. leadership was causing the brain death of NATO, insisting in an interview with the Economist that the European Union must step up and start acting as a strategic world power. Biden, in his remarks, seemed to acknowledge Macrons concerns, noting that Western Europe was providing backbone and the support for NATO.

During the summit, Biden also met with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.

At the news conference, Biden briefly confused Syria and Libya when he described the importance of providing humanitarian aid to countries torn apart by civil war. It was among a handful of verbal stumbles the president made.

Biden then traveled to Windsor Castle for a private audience with the queen  becoming the 13th president to have met with the 95-year-old monarch. Biden greeted the queen on a dais in the castle courtyard and reviewed an assembled ceremonial guard before he and first lady Jill Biden joined her for tea.

He said in a brief exchange with reporters that the queen asked him about Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin during their meeting. The president described her as very gracious and invited her to visit the White House.

I dont think shell be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother, Biden said.

___

Madhani reported from Brussels and Miller from Washington.
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Hyderabad: Additional collectors of the 33 districts in Telangana state who attended Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's review meeting at Pragathi Bhavan were in for a pleasant surprise on Sunday. After the meeting, the Chief Minister handed over brand new Kia Carnival SUVs to each of them.

Official sources said each SUV cost over Rs 30 lakh and nearly Rs 10 crore was spent to purchase 33 SUVs at one go. The transport department purchased the SUVs on the directions of the Chief Minister.

While the meeting was on at Pragathi Bhavan, the fleet of 33 SUVs arrived outside the Chief Ministers camp office and was parked on its sprawling premises.

The Chief Minister gave a small break to the meeting in between and examined the SUVs along with a few ministers and senior officials. He expressed satisfaction over the SUVs and asked the officials to hand over them to additional collectors after the meeting.

Later, transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar flagged off the vehicles and formally handed them over to additional collectors.

A festive atmosphere prevailed at Pragathi Bhavan as additional collectors thanked the Chief Minister for giving them the unexpected and expensive gift. The reason for their jubilation was that no one expected the Chief Minister to offer this high-end car in these difficult times when the state government is facing severe financial crisis due to Covid outbreak since March 2020.

In the meeting, the Chief Minister is learnt to have justified his decision saying additional collectors deserved high-end cars to travel the entire district and discharge their duties effectively.

The government had earlier provided Toyota Fortuners to district collectors and joint collectors in 2015 at a cost of Rs 5.25 crore. At that time, the state had just 10 districts, which were now reorganised to 33 districts. High-end cars were provided to collectors of new districts later.
Chief Minister on Sunday held a seven-hour meeting with additional collectors of all 33 districts at Pragathi Bhavan to review the progress of Palle Pragathi and Pattana Pragathi programmes. (Photo:Twitter@TelanganaCMO)

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has warned officials that he will not spare anyone found slack in their works during his surprise visits to districts from June 20.

The Chief Minister on Sunday held a seven-hour meeting with additional collectors of all 33 districts at Pragathi Bhavan to review the progress of Palle Pragathi and Pattana Pragathi programmes being taken up by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government for the overall development of rural and urban areas.

The Chief Minister said even after explaining the matters through meetings like this, if the officials failed to correct their working methods, strict action would be taken against them. The Chief Minister has once again made it clear to additional collectors and DPOs (district panchayat officers) that their performance would be assessed during his surprise visits and stringent action would be followed and he would listen to none on this matter.

The CM announced that he would adopt a district and participate personally in Palle Pragathi and Pattana Pragathi programmes there. I will directly monitor the development in the district, he said.

He said he would undertake surprise visits on June 20 in Siddipet and Kamareddy and Warangal on June 21. During his Warangal trip on June 21, the Chief Minister said he would inaugurate the Warangal district collectorate complex and lay foundation stone to the proposed multi-super specialty hospital there.

The Chief Minister instructed the principal secretary (finance) to immediately allocate Rs 25 lakh each to the additional district collector to sanction funds for the local bodies for solving certain issues immediately.

He instructed that the proposed multi-speciality hospital in Warangal should be built with 24 floors with all the modern facilities and it should be developed as a green building having a helipad facility on its terrace to meet emergencies. He wanted the construction to be in Canadian style of cross ventilation and asked the officials concerned to visit Canada to have first-hand experience.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, There is no doubt that additional collectors and DPOs are working very hard to develop villages and urban areas in all the sectors. But reports from the field to me suggest that the progress is not happening on the expected lines. This is the reason why I have been raising the matter with you time and again. After giving you sufficient time, I have decided to undertake surprise visits. I have convened this meeting to talk to you once again, take your opinion before starting my surprise visits. It will be a mistake on my part if I do not forewarn you.

Despite all this, if some additional collectors and DPOs are negligent about their work, show laxity in their duties and if it is proved during my surprise checks, I will not listen to anyone. I will not pardon and stringent action would be taken forthwith. Since his surprise visits are 10 days away, corrections can be made during that period, the Chief Minister said.

He directed the officials concerned to suspend sarpanches and secretaries if they failed to conduct Gram Sabhas and this should be done even if the sarpanches belonged to the ruling party. If the TRS sarpanches committed any mistake, take action against them first, the Chief Minister told the officers.
Three months are required to produce the vaccine. Whether 213 crore of vaccines will be available by December is a big question, Owaisi said.  PTI

HYDERABAD: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has alleged that the Narendra Modi government botched up the actual number of Covid-19 casualties and was hiding the reality. He also said, on the other side, the Hindutva elements continue perpetrating heinous acts on Muslims even in these critical times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to the media, Owaisi said that as per the Economist magazine 20 lakh people had died in the second wave. The Union health ministry had in its rebuttal portrayed the claim as speculative.

Owaisi alleged that states are not following the guidelines of the ICMR and furnishing daily district-wise data. When the High Court raised the issue, the Bihar government revised the figures overnight and added 3,000 deaths to its list. Every epidemiological module and expert in the country has claimed that the toll is five to six times higher than the shown figure, he said.

The government has no concern about the deaths. It is aloof. The number of insurance claims and death certificates issued during the second wave debunked the governments claim. The government had not made preparations for the second wave, delayed in making the orders for the vaccines. The supply process for the vaccination was wrong. To hide its failures, the BJP government is not accepting these factual figures, the AIMIM leader said.

On vaccines, he asked: Why have you started administering Covaxin without peer-reviewed scientific data? The data is still being compiled. Why has AYUSH issued a certificate to Coronil if you do not have any reliable data on this.

Refuting the claims that the BJP and the NDA are becoming stronger, he said the Akali Dal and other parties are leaving the NDA. One of its allies has contested against the BJP in Bihar. What is the benefit of strengthening the NDA if the poor are dying? Bodies of the dead were floating in the Ganges.

Owaisi asked the Centre as to when the vaccine will be given free. There is a need for 30 crore vaccine doses in July for frontline warriors and people above 45 years. The government has assured the Supreme Court in May that it will provide 13.20crore. Is Modi a magician who can provide an additional 17 crore vaccines with the wave of a wand? Three months are required to produce the vaccine. Whether 213 crore of vaccines will be available by December is a big question, he said.

Owaisi claimed that in the Nagarjunasagar bypoll, the BJP failed to save its security deposit. It lost in the Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Mahbubnagar MLC elections. In Nalgonda, Warangal and Khammam MLC elections for graduate constituencies, the BJP moved to the fourth place, he said.
Backing the campaign, Dakshina Kannada MP and BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel tweeted in Tulu saying, Efforts and talks are on to include Tulu in the eighth schedule. (PTI Photo)

Mangaluru: A Twitter campaign demanding official language status for Tulu launched by various Tulu organisations on Sunday received support from politicians and the public in the coastal belt.

Launched with the hashtag #TuluOfficialinKA_KL, the campaign began from 6 AM on Sunday till midnight. The organisations, including 'Jai Tulunad', took up the campaign to urge both Kerala and Karnataka to declare Tulu as an official language.

Backing the campaign, Dakshina Kannada MP and BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel tweeted in Tulu saying, Efforts and talks are on to include Tulu in the eighth schedule. A few technical issues need to be sorted out. All efforts will be made to announce Tulu as official language during our tenure itself."

Former MLC Ganesh Karnik, in his tweet, said, Lets all be proud Tuluvas with our distinct identity, our unique culture, our entrepreneurship and all our all-inclusive live and let live philosophy of co-existence with people speaking many languages. Tulu language is our mother tongue. Every one of us want Tulu to get official language status, tweeted Vedavyas Kamath, MLA.

Mangalore city north MLA Bharath Shetty, in his tweet, said Tulu, the language of coastal Karnataka, has a rich oral tradition and historical, cultural significance. Dakshina Kannada district-in-Charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary tweeted saying he supported the demand of the people of Tulunadu to get special status for Tulu.

Tulu is not only a language but also a culture and tradition with a history of its own, he said. More than 2.5 lakh people tweeted in support of the campaign during the day.
It was interesting that the day after Congressman Jitin Prasada joined the BJP, the political future of Rajasthans Sachin Pilot has become the subject of renewed media speculation. The two have one political antecedent in common.

Both their fathers were regarded as being close to Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. The Congress Party apparatchik, the late Devendra Nath Dwivedi, would often lament that many Congressmen, including himself, had to pay a political price for their loyalty to the late Prime Minister. Perhaps the Prasadas and the Pilots continue to pay that price.

Those who imagine that the decline of the Congress Party began in 2014, attributing this to Narendra Modis campaign for a Congress mukt Bharat, are unaware of the roots of the partys decline. It began the day the party ceased to be a party, as Narasimha Rao famously put it in his book The Insider, and became a proprietorship. When I suggested to late President Pranab Mukherjee that a book on the decline of the Congress Party was waiting to be written, he asked me when I thought the decline had begun. I said to him that the turning point was the 1989 election. Mukherjee sat back in his chair, thought for a while and said: The analysis should begin from 1969.

While Manmohan Singh was the head of a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance that was in office thanks first to the Communists and then to the Lohia socialists, it was Narasimha Raos tenure that marks the partys last hurrah.

The way in which Narasimha Rao stabilised his party and government at a time when it was shattered by two successive assassinations of its top leaders, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, was a stellar example of political leadership on a national and historic scale.

In remembering P.V. Narasimha Rao this month, when the nation commemorates his birth centenary, many will recall his leadership during a period of economic crisis.

Narasimha Rao lent his prime ministerial imprimatur to the sweeping industrial and trade policy reforms that set India on a new growth path. It is useful to recall the role of the political leadership in economic policy change and management at a time when its absence is being acutely felt.

A second set of policy initiatives that many will credit Narasimha Rao with, as they recall his leadership, will be the shifts in Indias foreign and strategic policy. He steered the country through the turbulent years of the end of the Cold War, the implosion of the Soviet Union, at that time Indias closest ally, and the changes in the global balance of power. Prime Minister Rao authorised the testing of nuclear weapons that his successor, Atal Behari Vajpayee, finally sanctioned and declared India a nuclear weapons power. Narasimha Rao also launched the Look East

Policy, making India reconnect to the Rising Asia to her east. India came close to the nations of Southeast Asia and East Asia, including South Korea and Japan.

Narasimha Rao also took important initiatives to improve Indias ties with both China and the United States. While these two aspects --economic and foreign policy -- of Prime Minister Raos leadership will be much commented upon, few are willing to give him any credit for his leadership of the Congress Party. His critics point to the aborted attempt at internal democracy at the Tirupati session of the All-India Congress Committee in April 1992, where organisational elections were held for the first time in two decades, and to the political fallout of the handling of the Babri Masjid demolition as evidence of failed political leadership. The Congress also yielded space to the BJP during Narasimha Raos tenure, enabling the BJP to make its first attempt at forming a government in 1996.

While some of this criticism is justified, the political importance of Narasimha Rao lies in his demonstrating to the Congress Party that someone from outside the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty can in fact run the party and the government quite successfully. He was not only the first Congress leader after the Nehru-Gandhis to remain in office for a full term but was also the first South Indian Prime Minister. The political significance of this cannot be underestimated, as it continues to be.

The loyalists of the Nehru-Gandhi family continue to chant the mantra that without the family at the helm, the party would disintegrate. Of course, at one time it also used to be said that without a Nehru-Gandhi at the helm the country would disintegrate. Narasimha Rao proved the loyalists wrong and earned their enduring dislike. Narasimha Raos success in New Delhi emboldened several Congress leaders at the state level to strike out on their own. From G.K. Moopanar to Sharad Pawar to Mamata Banerjee, many Congress leaders have demonstrated that the

party did not need a Nehru-Gandhi to secure electoral success at the state level. It is now clear that the Nehru-Gandhis cannot deliver power even at the national level.

Narasimha Raos political legacy as Prime Minister deserves a more objective analysis than is so far available. Interestingly, the growing disappointment across the country with the assertive and domineering political leadership of Narendra Modi has sparked off renewed interest in the quiet and low-brow leadership of a man who in fact altered Indias destiny. If Narendra Modi promised more and has delivered less, P.V. Narasimha Rao promised much less and delivered much more.

Grappling economic and strategic challenges in a period of political

uncertainty and, at the same time, calming communal tensions aroused by the BJPs aggressive Hindutva project, Narasimha Rao pushed India on to a new trajectory of growth. No one viewed India as an emerging economy till 1990. By the end of the 1990s the world began to view India not only as a country catching up with the Asian tigers, but also as a rising power. Three consensual leaders -- Narasimha Rao, Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh -- set India on a new path. For the first time in three decades the world is now wondering whether India would return to that rising path or return to its Third World status.
Just days after Sri Lanka moved closer to allowing China to develop a port city just less than 300 kilometers from Kanyakumari on the southern tip of India, the communist country gifted the island nation 5 lakh doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccines.

Beijing last month also inked an agreement with Colombo, committing a $500-million loan for Sri Lanka to help it revive its economy that was hit hard by the pandemic. It was a follow-up to a loan of equal amount China had given Sri Lanka in March 2020. China had also agreed on a $1.5-billion currency swap arrangement with Sri Lanka a couple of months back.

With the economic crisis and the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic forcing India to slow down its outreach to Sri Lanka, China has gone full steam ahead to expand its footprints in the Indian Ocean nation. What particularly caused unease in New Delhi is the recent approval of the Sri Lankan Parliament to a Bill to set up a panel, which would govern the Colombo Port City developed by China Harbour Engineering Company. The government led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa got the bill passed even as the Opposition parties expressed apprehension that it might undermine the sovereignty of Sri Lanka. The new law clears the way for the CHEC  a unit of China Communications Construction Company  to develop the port city on 269 hectares of land reclaimed from the ocean as a Special Economic Zone. The CHEC already invested $1.4 billion for reclamation of land from ocean and for building infrastructure

New Delhi is worried as it anticipates that the CHEC Port City Colombo could eventually be turned into an overseas colony of China, sources told the DH. The communist country stepped up its effort to acquire or build strategic assets in the Indian Ocean region as well as in Bangladesh and Nepal, particularly during the past 12 months, which saw the relations between New Delhi and Beijing hit a new low over the stand-off between the Indian Army and Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

Indias concerns over Chinas bid to expand its geopolitical influence over Sri Lanka are also shared by other members of the Quad  Japan, Australia, and the United States, sources in New Delhi said.

Chinas debt-trap diplomacy already succeeded in making Sri Lanka giving it the Hambantota Port on a lease for 99 years.

Sri Lanka a few months back scrapped a trilateral deal with India and Japan to develop the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port. It later awarded the contract to develop the West Container Terminal to the Adani Group of India.

New Delhi extended a $400-million currency swap facility to Sri Lanka in July 2020 to help its economy recover from the Covid-19 crisis. The negotiation for another $1-billion currency swap arrangement, however, failed to make much headway so far. The discussion between New Delhi and Colombo for a deal to allow Sri Lanka to delay repayment of debt to India also did not make much progress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led governments outreach to other nations in the neighbourhood was stymied by economic constraints and the second Covid-19 wave that wreaked havoc across India.

India supplied 5 lakh vaccines to Sri Lanka by the end of January 2021. But a shortage of doses forced it to suspend its Vaccine-Maitri initiative of providing jabs to other nations.
In some big bad news for Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's son, Chirag Paswan, five of Lok Janshakti Party's (LJP) six Lok Sabha MPs barring him have staged a coup of sorts pitching his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras as Leader of House replacing him, a development that is sweet revenge for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

LJP MPs have already met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla apprising him of their decision to choose Paras as Leader of Lok Sabha.

Battling rebellion in the party, Chirag Paswan on Monday drove to the residence of uncle Pashupati Paras at 18, Rajendra Prasad Road in New Delhi. After high drama outside the residence of Paras and a 10-minute long wait, Chirag was allowed entry, where he spoke with Paras.

A sullen looking Chirag ducked media queries. While Paras hailed Nitish Kumar as 'Vikaspurush,' making no bones where his loyalty lies, Team Chirag chose to state that they are with the NDA.

LJP sources said that in order to save the party from faltering, Chirag proposed to resign from the post of national President of LJP but that the party should not be divided. While Chirag wanted his mother Reena Paswan to be made party chief in place of him, the faction led by Paras is not quite keen on it.

Split imminent?

The split looks imminent and is yet another setback for Chirag, who has been receiving one jolt after another ever since he severed ties with NDA ally Janata Dal (United) (JDU) in Bihar, fielding candidates on JDU seats and targeting Nitish Kumar in the October 2020 Assembly polls, which though ensured that BJP emerges the main party in the state and JDU substantially reduced, brought no gains for LJP, which could win just one seat.

In April this year LJP's lone Bihar MLA Rajkumar Singh had joined the JDU after voting in favour of JDU candidate Maheshwari Hazar in the post of Deputy Speaker in March that had prompted the party to seek explanation from him. Earlier in February, LJP's lone member in the Bihar legislative council Nutan Singh, married to a BJP minister in the state, joined the BJP.

Also Read | BJP sacks its Bihar MLC whose utterances against Nitish Kumar could rock NDA boat

The sidelining of Chirag by his own Lok Sabha MPs after a Chacha (uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras) and Bhatija (nephew Chirag Paswan) slugfest may perhaps be music to Kumar's ears, whose proximity with Paras is well known. In 2017, Paras was inducted into Nitish's cabinet when he was not even an MLA. Later he was made an MLC by Nitish Kumar. In 2019, Paras became an MP.

Sources say that the Paras-led group in the party will back JDU.

A simmering broil

The power tussle in LJP began in 2014 when Chirag had become BJP's Parliamentary Board Chairman. The tussle kept simmering but the senior Paswan (Ram Vilas Paswan kept it under wraps and made his son party chief in November 2019 against the wish of his brother. Union Minister Paswan's death in October 2020 took away that command structure in the party. The massive debacle of LJP in Bihar polls after its decision to go solo and target Nitish Kumar, proved the proverbial 'last nail in its coffin' adage.

In February, Nitish Kumar's meeting with LJP Nawada MP Chandan Kumar Singh had kicked in speculations but Kumar had then insisted that not much should be read into this. The same month, over 200 mid-level and lower-rung leaders of LJP joined the JDU.

That Chirag Paswan's party was getting sandwiched between competing ambitions of BJP and JDU in Bihar was evident when the LJP leader did not turn up for an NDA meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on January 30 citing ill-health. JDU, however, claimed that the invitation was withdrawn after its opposition as it does not consider LJP an NDA ally.

Nitish Kumar, despite getting substantially lower number of seats than BJP is heading the government there but his trusted leader in BJP Sushil Kumar Modi was not named for Deputy Chief Minister this time. Recently JDU had taken strong umbrage to BJP poaching its six MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh reminding the ruling party at the Centre of 'coalition dharma'.

Eye on the big pie

BJP, which rules the neighbouring UP, and has, in the past, ruled another neighbouring state  Jharkhand, has its eyes for a long time on Bihar, where it could not have a Chief Minister of its own despite having emerged as the single largest party this time and having more number of seats than the JDU. There is a tension at the middle rung between cadres of BJP and JDU, both of which are trying hard to strengthen themselves for the bigger pie-

In the first week of June, the BJP had to sack MLC Tunnaji Pandey to keep the alliance going, days after Pandey had launched a vitriolic attack against Kumar sparking a bitter war of words. A big section in JDU believes that BJP had a hand in pitting Chirag Paswan against JDU in last Assembly polls as well as behind such occasional utterances of lower and middle-level BJP leaders against the Chief Minister.

Clearly the Bihar politics pot is boiling and a churning seems underway. A similar Chacha-Bhatija (uncle-nephew) political slugfest had taken place in Uttar Pradesh between Akhilesh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav but that was settled in favour of the nephew. In Bihar, however, it seems the other way round.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday discussed the global and regional issues, including the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, with Kenyas top leadership and the two sides also recognised the importance of ensuring through shared endeavours greater security, safety and prosperity of the Indian Ocean Region.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Kenya on Saturday on a three-day visit to strengthen India's relations with the major East African country, called on Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to him.

"Assured the President that his focus on deeper people-to-people and business-to-business ties are also ours. Our defence partnership contributes to the safety and security of the Indian Ocean Region. Look forward to closer collaboration, Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.

Assured the President that his focus on deeper people-to-people and business-to-business ties are also ours. Our defence partnership contributes to the safety and security of the Indian Ocean Region. Look forward to closer collaboration.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 14, 2021

He also met senior Kenyan ministers at the Ministerial Roundtable during which the two sides reviewed all aspects of the bilateral relationship and discussed building a comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

The two sides "expressed their concern at the growing radicalisation and the increase in international terrorism and violent extremism in parts of Africa and Asia" and noted that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations are a "common threat to humanity", said a joint statement issued after the meeting.

"The two sides held extensive exchanges on global and regional issues including the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region and the Horn of Africa," it said, amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

Read | Rise of modern Africa a 'long awaited expectation': Jaishankar

India and Kenya also reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based multilateral system and underlined the important role of the United Nations in addressing global challenges.

"As maritime neighbours, India and Kenya recognised the importance of ensuring through shared endeavours greater security, safety and prosperity of the Indian Ocean Region in mutual interest, the statement said, noting that the appropriate institutions of the two sides will explore expanding cooperation in the area.

The two sides also reviewed bilateral development cooperation and agreed to work together to enhance partnership through exploring further opportunities both in the government and private sector in the areas of health, environment, ICT, tourism, higher education, automotive, defence and security.

The meeting was attended by Kenya's Foreign Minister Raychelle Omamo, Defence Minister Monica Juma, Trade and Industry Minister Betty C Maina, Information and Communication Technology Minister Joe Mucheru EGH, Energy Minister Charles Keter, Asst Treasury Minister Nelson Gaichuhie, Assistant Health Minister Rashid Abdi Aman and Interior Secretary Eng Karanja Kibicho.

After the meeting, Jaishankar in a tweet thanked the senior ministers for their valuable contributions and appreciated the "ideas, enthusiasm and commitment" of all the participants.

"Discussed building a comprehensive partnership at the Ministerial Roundtable today. Thank FM Raychelle Omamo for chairing," he tweeted.

Also Read | Jaishankar, senior Kenyan ministers hold ministerial roundtable

The joint statement hailed the cordial and historic relations between the two countries, underpinned by common values and strong people-to-people links dating back many centuries.

"The two sides deliberated on the impact of Covid-19 situation globally and called for joint efforts to combat the disease as well as consolidate economic collaboration during the pandemic and post-Covid-19 period. They emphasised the need for equitable and affordable access to vaccines and ensuring treatment for all," it said.

During the deliberations, Jaishankar recognised the Big Four Agenda of Kenya on manufacturing, affordable housing, universal health and food security, and underlined that India will further build upon its partnership taking these into account.

Both sides reiterated their strong commitment to South-South Cooperation and expressed confidence that their bilateral partnership would be an exemplar, the statement said.

The two sides acknowledged the recent rise in bilateral trade and noted the potential to further increase trade volumes and value.

India and Kenya are currently serving in the United Nation Security Council as non-permanent members. They are also members of the Commonwealth. Kenya is an active member of the African Union, with which India has longstanding ties.

"As UNSC members currently serving together, we have taken our closeness onto the larger global stage, Jaishankar said in a tweet.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Kenya's top ministers on Monday discussed building a comprehensive partnership between the two countries at the Ministerial Roundtable here.

The Ministerial Roundtable, chaired by Kenyan Foreign Minister Raychelle Omamo, reviewed all aspects of the bilateral relationship.

The meeting was attended by Kenya's Defence Minister Monica Juma, Trade and Industry Minister Betty C Maina, Information and Communication Technology Minister Joe Mucheru EGH, Energy Minister Charles Keter, Asst Treasury Minister Nelson Gaichuhie, Assistant Health Minister Rashid Abdi Aman and Interior Secretary Eng Karanja Kibicho.

After the meeting, Jaishankar in a tweet thanked the senior ministers for their valuable contributions and appreciated the "ideas, enthusiasm and commitment" of all the participants.

"Discussed building a comprehensive partnership at the Ministerial Roundtable today. Thank FM Raychelle Omamo for chairing," he tweeted.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Kenya on Saturday on a three-day visit to strengthen India's relations with the major East African country, earlier interacted with Indian business representatives here.

On Sunday, he held a "productive" online interaction with a cross section of Indian diaspora in Kenya. The meeting was moderated by the High Commissioner of India to Kenya, Dr Virander Paul.

Kenya has a vibrant community of persons of Indian origin presently numbered around 80,000, including an estimated 20,000 Indian citizens.

India and Kenya are currently serving in the United Nation Security Council. They are also members of the Commonwealth. Kenya is an active member of the African Union, with which India has longstanding ties.
National award-winning actor Sanchari Vijay is in critical condition after suffering injuries in an accident in Bengaluru on Saturday night.

Police said Vijay was riding pillion on his friend's bike (Yamaza FZ) when it skidded and hit a light pole at JP Nagar 7th Phase.

Dr Arun L Naik, neurologist at Apollo Hospital, said they have operated on Vijay's brain after finding internal bleeding. "He is on ventilator. We can't comment further," he said.

As per the statement given by Vijay's brother Siddesh Kumar, the actor had gone with his friend Navin to buy medicine. "Kumar has complained that Navin's carelessness led to the accident. We will get a statement from the injured riders once they recover," police said.

Vijay is known for movies such as Nanu Avanalla Avalu, Harivu and several plays.
Swarthmore, PA (19081)

Today

Periods of rain, heavy at times early. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch..

Tonight

Periods of rain, heavy at times early. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.
Monica Jones ,left, Administrative Director of the Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Candy Bantum, right, Prevention of Blindness Specialist at CBVI, gave a presentation about CBVIs activities at a recent Springfield Lions Club dinner meeting. They are pictured with Springfield Lions Vice President Tony DiSanto, center.
In 2002, blockbuster action thriller The Bourne Identity, starring Matt Damon, went on general release in the U.S. (June 14)
Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana sales strong, but legalization still on back burner
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Don't let the Republicans steal your vote
Unionist councillors on Derry City & Strabane District Council have withdrawn from a group which aims to ease community tensions ahead of bonfire season and ensure the pyres are free from toxic materials.

The local council set up a bonfire working group in 2017.

The purpose was to have councillors from different backgrounds representing all political parties in order to show respect for cultural traditions, respect for the law, and respect each other.

The group recognised that bonfires can be expressions of culture and some support them while others wish to explore alternatives.

Importantly, the group aims to ensure bonfires are safe, clean and respectful to people of all backgrounds who live near and around them.

In recent years, successful negotiations have taken place to encourage the removal of tyres and other toxic materials to respect the health and well-being of all people.

Burning tyres on bonfires even for one day can damage the health of people especially those most vulnerable like older people, children and those with respiratory problems.

The burning of flags, emblems or any material that knowingly causes offence to others also had to be sensitively managed to avoid damaging community relations.

The local council today held a special meeting to decide which councillors would sit on the various groups managed by the council.

When it came to nominating for the Bonfire Working Group, DUP Alderman Hilary McClintock and UUP Alderman Darren Guy told the meeting that neither of their parties would be nominating councillors to the group this year.

Aontu Councillor Emmet Doyle said: This unilateral move by my Unionist colleagues without explanation will cause distress to many and is potentially sending a signal to communities that bonfires - contentious enough as some are - will be unregulated and that is not a position we want residents anywhere to be in.

"I urge them to reconsider.

Meanwhile, SDLP Councillor Brian Tierney who has been a member of the group since it was formed, added: "I believe the bonfire working group has successfully dealt with a number of difficult issues.

"The reason for that success, in my opinion, is due to the fact that all parties and independent councillors have been represented.

"Today DUP and UUP Councillors refused to nominate to the group. I urge both parties to reconsider and have requested a meeting takes place between parties to identify the reasons for leaving the group so close to the summer when most of that work is done."

Bonfires are traditionally burned in unionist areas on July 11 ahead of widespread parades the following day.

In some unionist areas of Derry youths have been gathering bonfire material for months.

Signs were erected at Irish Street in April advising people to leave fire wood.

It came at a time when there was unrest in loyalist areas across the country over the NI protocol.

In recent days the group running the Irish Street bonfire took to Facebook to ask people to stop dumping wood because it had become unmanageable and needed to be moved behind barriers.
A DUP councillor on Derry City and Strabane District Council has resigned from the party.

Ryan McCready said his beliefs are 'incompatible' with those of the party under the new leadership of Edwin Poots.

Alderman McCready was elected to the council in 2019 and represents the Faughan ward.

He said he will staying on as an independent councillor.

In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, the former soldier had said he supported Jeffrey Donaldson in the recent DUP leadership contest.

Alderman McCready said he as shocked at the treatment of former DUP leader Arlene Foster who is today expected to resign as First Minister.

The local councillor said Mr Poots had phoned him last week to ask him to reconsider his decision to leave the party.

However, Alderman McCready said nothing said during the conversation had made him change his mind.

"I see the politics of the Poots' leadership as regressive, and I'm uncomfortable with that," he told the Telegraph.

Alderman McCready said the incident on Thursday night when DUP MP Ian Paisley joined Van Morrison on stage at the Europa Hotel to chant that Health Minister Robin Swann was 'very dangerous' reaffirmed his decision to leave the party.
A prominent member of the British Government has been made aware of Derrys unique levels of deprivation and urged to provide funding during a surprise visit to the city.

Michael Gove took the opportunity to call at local charity Destined at its North West Learning Disability Centre on Foyle Road on his way to fly back to London from City of Derry Airport after attending the Irish-British Council meeting in Enniskillen on Friday.

Established in August 2002, Destined, which also has a centre in Feeny village in Co Derry, is a voluntary charitable organisation which seeks to address the needs of people with learning disabilities.

Empowering people with learning disabilities and promoting social inclusion, Destined has as its core ethos the involvement and full participation of its members in all aspects of activity and at all levels of the decision-making process.

During the visit, Dermot O'Hara, chief executive of Destined, made Mr Gove aware of a unique cocktail of problems facing Derry, including deprivation and rising mental health issues.

The Minister was informed that the centre was damaged in an arson attack last year and receives very little funding.

Money is very, very tight, leaving the disabled community in a dire condition, Mr O'Hara said.

He urged Mr Gove to recognise the difficulties facing the city as it emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic and called on the British Government to make a one off contribution to get us over this hill.'

Speaking at the meeting, Donna Burke, of Dove House Advice Services, said they work closely with Destined.

She took the opportunity to point out that Derry had the highest unemployment rate and some of the most deprived wards  the council area features in five of the top ten most deprived areas in the entire country.

People are having to choose between eat or heat, she said.

Most people with learning disabilities or autism are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

She asked Mr Gove why these individuals were being reassessed whenever they were lifelong disorders.

She added: The duration of the award is a huge problem, how can claimants with learning disabilities receive an award that needs to be reviewed in two years?

It is a serious waste of departmental time because these are lifelong conditions.

While acknowledging that Universal Credit aims to get people back in to work, Ms Burke said it was nowhere near enough to live on, adding: There is not enough work for people in this area.

It needs to be addressed. Social welfare reform is failing to deliver.

We are extremely reluctant to put someone on Universal Credit because of the five week waiting period.

They have to borrow money and a deduction is made after the first payment.

In response, Mr Gove accepted that people were having to turn to payday loans or unscrupulous lenders.

He said the British Government was aware of problems and was trying to make the process less traumatic.

Charles Lamberton, of Triax Neighbourhood Partnership, raised the issue of Brexit and how it would impact on local com- munities.

He said PEACE funding and the European Social Fund targeted the most deprived areas and without them, places like Derry would suffer additional hardship.

Mr Gove said the British Government would be replacing these funding pots with at least the same amount of money.

Mr Lamberton questioned that assertion, saying we are a lead partner on the ESF programme and the funding being offered was nowhere near the same amount of money.

He added that City Deal monies were about skills and said the British Government should compensate Derry for what it would lose through EU funding.

Assurances were given by Mr Gove that specific funding would be examined to ensure that no damage is done as a result of the transition with new funds to take up slack in other areas.

Explaining the difference Destined made to their lives, service users, including Roisin Doherty and Carmen McCallion, told Mr Gove that moving to a bigger facility had been amazing.

To round off the visit, service users gave Mr Gove a guided tour of Destined's facilities and the adjacent Foyle Valley Railway Museum.
A man accused of being involved in a plot to murder a PSNI officer in the Eglinton area of Derry has been refused bail.

Kieran Maguire, 33, of Kippure Park in Dublin, has been charged with possessing explosives with intent to endanger life and attempted murder on June 18, 2015.

Two other men have appeared before the courts in connection with the foiled murder bid.

One has been sentenced to 25 years in prison while the other will face trial in January 2022.

Appearing at Derry Magistrates Court today, a senior Public Prosecution Service (PPS) representative outlined details of the case.

He said around 2.45am on June 18, 2015, an emergency 999 call was made by a member of the PSNI notifying them of an under vehicle booby-trap bomb at Eglinton.

Two vehicles, a VW Passat and Toyota Corolla were noticed travelling away from the scene.

The PPS said checkpoints were set up at both sides of the Foyle Bridge but the vehicles fled through police lines.

An Garda Siochana stopped the Passat around 3.52am in Killygordon, Donegal, according to the PPS representative.

He said gloves were thrown from the car which were linked to explosives after forensic examination.

The public prosecutor told the court that the vehicles could be placed close to the scene where the bomb was planted.

He added that Maguire was convicted in the past for illegal membership of the IRA when he was found to have intimidated a man.

The PPS representative submitted that Maguire was sent to Northern Ireland in February and first appeared in court on April 21.

As an organisation, he added, the IRA has a history of helping people to evade the police.

The PPS argued that there is a clear risk of reoffending.

He also said that a poster of Maguire was placed outside the home of a witness in the case which may have been a coincidence but is a fact.

Bail addresses put forward were also unsuitable, the public prosecutor concluded, citing links to dissident republican group Saoradh at one property.

Defence barrister Seamus McIlroy said police only carried out basic computer checks on the addresses proffered and didnt visit the properties.

Addressing the conviction for IRA membership, he added that an appeal is due to be heard in the next month or two in the Republic of Ireland.

He also noted that Maguire was convicted for the equivalent of riotous behaviour which related to a Love Ulster parade in 2006.

The charges currently before the court, he said, are totally based on circumstantial evidence.

Defence counsel referred to evidence that cars were caught at the bomb location and argued that it was based on an expert who was brought in to make out cars using CCTV footage from the house.

It is by no means a certainty, theres some conjecture about what type of car it could have been, he added.

Mr McIlroy said his client has not attempted to flee the jurisdiction and has abided by bail conditions.

A curfew and electronic tag could form part of any conditions if released, he added.

Deputy District Judge McStay said the defendant is before the court on serious charges but is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

The judge said he was satisfied there is a clear prima facie case.

He accepted there is an issue of flight as the defendant could attempt to flee from serious charges and a risk of reoffending due to previous convictions and alleged involvement in the IRA.

Judge McStay ruled that Maguire was not a suitable candidate for bail.

The accused has a right to appeal the decision at the High Court.
The minister in charge of transport has again spoken of her ambition to improve rail services to Derry.

Nichola Mallon, Minister for Infrastructure, made her comments in a response to a question at Stormont.

Alliance MLA Andrew Muir had asked the minister to detail the scope of the feasibility study concerning provision of additional rail halts on the line from Derry to Coleraine.

Mrs Mallon said she was ambitious for the rail network and is keen to do all that she can to progress rail improvements 'within the limited budgetary envelope that I have available'.

"I believe that rail has huge untapped potential to deliver multiple benefits across our island and I am committed to addressing regional imbalance by improving connectivity to the North West area.

"In line with this, I have commissioned a feasibility study to get Phase 3 of the Coleraine to Derry project back on track.

"I have also commissioned additional studies to explore the possibility of a half hourly service from Derry to Belfast as well as providing additional halts at Ballykelly, Strathfoyle and City of Derry Airport/Eglinton.

"In terms of their scope, the feasibility studies are considering the future demand and benefit for those future halts located between Bellarena and Derry.

"They will also consider the additional halts within the context of their impact on the overall network timetable," she added.
Amit Sadh remembers Sushant Singh Rajput; says Whenever I will miss him too much, I will watch Sonchiriya

After winning hearts with his performances in television shows like Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil and Pavitra Rishta, the handsome and very talented Sushant Singh Rajput made a smooth transition into Bollywood. His smashing debut with Kai Po Che not only earned him awards for Best Male Debut, but also gave him two wonderful friends-- his co-actors Amit Sadh and Rajkummar Rao. Today on his first death anniversary, Amit remembers Sushant fondly as a cool and intelligent guy who shared a great bond with his fans.

In a chat with Bombay Times, Amit was quoted saying, To get over the fact that Sushant isnt around anymore will take time. I will always remember him. He has left good work behind. Whenever I will miss him too much, I will watch Sonchiriya and raise a toast to him. Wherever in heaven he is, I believe he is happy and busy. I hope his beautiful mind has forgotten all the heartache, sadness and hardship that he was going through here. I am sure he is in a much better place. Amit also lauded Sushants consistent and admirable enthusiasm for his work.

The actor further shared that they did different films and had different journeys, but Kai Po Che was the most special of all because the three of them-- him, Sushant and Rajkummar-- could create. They were inseparable and Sushant was the light and energy of that bond. Amit went on to add, He was full of life and enthusiasm. Whenever anyone talks about the way he passed away, I freeze. Nobody should have to leave like that.

Well, we wish he didnt. We miss you Sushant Singh Rajput, you were one of a kind.
Shahid Kapoor to romance Triptii Dimri in Sujoy Ghosh's next? Here's what we know

For quite some time, reports had been doing the rounds that Shahid Kapoor would be collaborating with filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh. It was being said the duo had been discussing a film and it might happen soon. Now, it is being said that the filmmaker has also found his leading lady, and it is none other than Triptii Dimri.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Triptii Dimri (@tripti_dimri)

According to Pinkviila, a source claimed, Triptii has really liked the script and is looking forward to collaborating with Shahid and director Sujoy. As of now, the plan is to take the film on the floors in September, however, final dates are yet to be locked.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor)

It would be interesting to see Shahid Kapoor along with Triptii Dimri, isn't it? Shahid Kapoor is currently shooting for Raj and Dk's upcoming web series which would be shot in Goa, and where he will be seen opposite Raashii Khanna. He also has Jersey remake which is ready for release. In the film, he will be seen opposite Mrunal Thakur. Triptii, on the other hand, will be seen in Qala, which will also mark Babil Khan's debut in the industry. She will also be seen in Animal opposite Ranbir Kapoor where she'll reportedly play his mistress.
Erica and Shaheer shake a leg together; Divyanka calls other boys paani kam chai in front of Rohit Shetty

After winning our hearts with their chemistry in Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi seasons 1 and 2, Shaheer Sheikh and Erica Fernandes reunited for season 3 which is expected to premiere soon. The actors have been sharing interesting promos of the same and have already left us intrigued about the twist in Dev and Sonakshis love story. Well, the team is currently in Siliguri shooting the show and Ericas latest post featuring Shaheer is beyond adorable! The two took up the Iko Iko Challenge which is trending on social media and shook a leg together. Take a look:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ERICA JENNIFER FERNANDES (@iam_ejf)

Television actress Divyanka Tripathi, on the other hand, shared a new post with filmmaker and action king Rohit Shetty. For the uninitiated, the beauty is currently in Cape Town, South Africa busy shooting for Khatron Ke Khiladi season 11, which is hosted by the filmmaker. In her post, Divyanka can be seen posing next to a barrel while Rohit is up in the air beside her, flaunting his flying kick! Along with the picture, Divyanka wrote: With sir's kick that high...aaj ke boys you are paani kam chai! Just for kicks! Keep rocking @itsRohitShetty Sir. We cant help but agree with her!

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya (@divyankatripathidahiya)

The first promo of Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 was shared by Shetty a few days ago and the show is expected to premiere on television sometime in July. According to buzz, Vishal Aditya Singh and Nikki Tamboli have already been eliminated from the stunt reality show. However, no confirmation has been shared yet.
Min Coveney visits the Gulf to hold discussion on a number of key issues for the UN Security Council

Press release

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney T.D will visit the Gulf on 14-16 June, to hold discussions with countries of the region on a number of key issues for the UN Security Council.

Ireland has a particular role on the Security Council as Facilitator for the Iranian nuclear deal, and acts as co-penholder with Norway on the Syrian humanitarian file. Meetings with countries with the region will provide a valuable opportunity to exchange views on these issues, as well as discuss other key issues on the Council agenda including Yemen, Iraq, and the Middle East Peace Process.

The Minister will begin his visit in the UAE, which has just been elected to the UN Security Council for the 2022-23 term, where he will meet Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of UAE, and also with Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020. As well as foreign policy discussions, the Minister will have an opportunity to review preparations for Dubai EXPO 2020, where Ireland will be one of over 180 participating countries, and to visit Irelands national pavilion.

In Riyadh, the Minister will meet Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, as well as Deputy Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. He will also meet with Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf, the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which is based in Riyadh.

In Riyadh, Minister Coveney will also meet with the President of Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, to discuss efforts to end the terrible conflict in Yemen.

ENDS

Press Office

14 June 2021

 Previous Item | Next Item 
Statement by Ambassador Byrne Nason at the UNSC Briefing on the Situation in Mali

Statement

Thank you very much Mr President and I also want to thank SRSG Wane for his briefing this morning. And Ms. Maiga, I want to welcome your presence as a really strong voice and advocate for women in Mali. Your message, which was thoughtful and forward looking, has really resonated with us this this morning. You have Irelands support.

I also want to welcome friend, and colleague, Ambassador Issa Konfourou amongst us.

Mr. President,

The events unfolding in Mali are deeply concerning, we have heard that from several speakers.

Two weeks ago, this Council collectively called for the release of all detained officials. The fact that today, Bah NDaw and Moctar Ouane remain under house arrest is completely unacceptable. We reiterate our call for their immediate, unconditional, and safe release.

We want to especially welcome the constructive leadership of the region in resolving this crisis. We believe that all parties should strictly adhere to the conditions set out by ECOWAS and the African Union, which call for compliance with the Transition Charter. The transition is intended to be inclusive, and lead to a return to constitutional order and democratic elections within the established 18-month timeline. We also commend the good offices support provided by MINUSMA over recent weeks in difficult circumstances.

The Transition Charter guarantees an inclusive and democratically elected civilian government for the citizens of Mali. These guarantees must be upheld. As set out in the Charter, the Transitional President and Transitional Vice President are not eligible for election in the presidential and legislative elections. We want to see that respected.

Mr. President,

Delaying elections will not help political stability in Mali. We are concerned that, as of yet, no decision has been taken on the establishment of a single electoral management body. We call for this body to be appointed as soon as possible, and it must be independent and inclusive.

We have said it before, but it bears repeating again today: the implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation is vital to a just and durable peace in Mali. There can be no doubt in the minds of Malians that this is the case; and no wavering from this path by the leadership of the country.

As the Special Representative said earlier, now is the time to rise above the political challenges in the interests of ordinary Malians and Malian Society.

We encourage MINUSMA to continue outreach in support of the Peace Agreement, not just at a political level, but also at the local level. Increasing understanding of, and support for, the Agreement will lead to greater buy in and commitment at all levels. On this point, my country Ireland speaks from experience.

Ms Maiga, I want to thank you again for your powerful call to action. As I see it gender equality is not about idealism, nor should it be seen as a luxury to be enjoyed only after peace is achieved. Its fundamentally a peace and security issue in itself. Gender equality is about the distribution of power in the interests of society as a whole. For that reason, in Mali its imperative that civil society space for women is protected and indeed increased, not that women be restricted in the public sphere. I recently met with Malian women and like the Special Representative I have found them engaged and action oriented. Above all, they are courageous.

We believe that Malian Women must be encouraged, supported, and empowered to participate fully in the upcoming elections, both as voters and as candidates on the ballot paper. Their representation is also a critical consideration in the filling of Cabinet positions. Supporting Malian women to assume those responsibilities is in all our interests, above all, in the interests of Mali as a whole.

On that point, I want to underline that womens political participation is a right, not a request, and we regret that not enough progress has been made. As we heard this morning, we cannot, as Ms. Maiga has said, wait and see.

Mr. President,

We are deeply concerned by the lack of justice afforded to victims and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Mali. The documentation of CRSV cases remains disturbingly low, we heard that earlier.

We call on MINUSMA to support the Malian authorities in urgently prosecuting perpetrators, and we urge the Malian authorities to adopt legislation on sexual and gender-based violence in compliance with international and regional conventions, and establish specialised prosecutors and police units dedicated to tackle this issue.

Monsieur le President,

Limpunite pour la violence sexuelle liee au conflit, ainsi pour les violations continues des droits de lhomme commis par plusieurs acteurs au Mali, y compris les forces armees, doit cesser. En tant que contributeur des troupes a la MINUSMA, lIrlande se felicite du progres fait par les autorites Maliens en ce qui concerne la premiere conviction directe pour le meurtre dun casque bleu. Cela constitue un jalon important et nous encourageons plus de progres a cet egard.

En plus du soulevement contre lautorite politique, ainsi que des besoins humanitaires, linsecurite continue a aggraver la souffrance des Maliens. Nous sommes preoccupes par laugmentation des attentats contre des civiles. Cette augmentation souligne la necessite dune priorisation de la protection des civiles au sein du mandat de la MINUSMA. Cela demontre aussi quil est urgent que les autorites Maliennes prennent des mesures afin de prevenir et de reduire la violence contre les civiles. Les violations persistantes contre les enfants sont extremement preoccupantes, et le gouvernement Malien doit sassurer que les mesures de protections des enfants sont mises en place avec urgence.

Pour conclure, Monsieur le President,

Nous felicitons la MINUSMA pour son role important dans des conditions extremement difficiles. Le travail de la Mission est crucial et lIrlande soutient pleinement le renouvellement de son mandat a la fin du mois.

Cependant, les defis, auxquels le Mali fait face, ne peuvent pas etre resolus uniquement par des efforts securitaires. Nous devons repondre aux causes premieres de linstabilite. Les elections prochaines presentent une occasion dinaugurer une nouvelle ere de gouvernance democratique et inclusive. Je voudrais reiterer le soutien profond de mon pays, lIrlande, en accompagnant le Mali dans ces efforts.

Merci, Monsieur le President.

 Previous Item | Next Item 
We're celebrating our 20th birthday this month, and we've invited industry experts, researchers and scientists to write in and paint a vision of the future, 20 years from now. Here's what Mr. Sanjiv Kela, Director, Net Protector Antivirus had to share about his vision of the future.

Twenty years ago the target audience of cybercrime were businesses because there just werent as many users accessible to cybercriminals back then. By 2041, the worlds population is expected to be 9.2 billion people, and the internet penetration is expected to be in excess of 75%, or about 7 billion people connected to a network that is as vulnerable as the least protected device on it.

Today were already connecting to the internet with multiple devices  primarily a smartphone, but also perhaps using a laptop or desktop, a tablet, various wearable devices (smartwatches and fitness bands). Even our TVs, smart home devices such as lights and security systems, and app-connected appliances, all talk to one another, exchange data and authorization information, and most likely are doing it all over a wireless network thats enabled by your home router. Offices have even more networking complexity and have to deal with not just work devices but also all of the personal devices that people carry into the offices with them. During the pandemic, offices have had to evolve fast to allow people to be able to work from home and give them access to data that is usually a lot easier to secure on-site for a business.

The future is going to see an exponential increase in the use of technology. Because technology and cybersecurity are tightly coupled to one another, an exponential increase in technology complexity means that security firms like mine have to plan for an exponential increase in cybersecurity threats, which, honestly, is very exciting for any security researcher.

Though exciting is not the word a victim of cybercrime would use, and with the advancements expected in the next 20 years, there are bound to be more and more people falling victim to cybercriminals. I foresee a rapid increase in cybercrimes such as e-mail/internet frauds, identity frauds (where personal information is stolen and used maliciously), data hacking, ransomware attacks, etc.

India is expected to overtake China as the most populous country soon (as early as 2022, but definitely by 2027). With the rapid progress of technology penetration across our population, and the pandemic forcing technology adoption in even the poorest sections of our society, India is also expected to be the country with the most internet users well before 2040. The cybersecurity platforms of India will be held up to the world as examples, and Net Protector is gearing up to play our role in this exciting future.

We see our role of protecting businesses, consumers, and all of the data shared between them, against cybercriminals changing and adapting as the underlying technology develops. There are five key areas in which we foresee the most changes happening, and of course, these will also result in the most exciting challenges.

1) Ransomware attacks.

There will be a rise in Ransomware Attacks. Both individuals and organisations will be targets of a Ransomware attack, and businesses will have to use solutions such as NPAV Total Security, which prevent ransomware attacks. We are continuously evolving to predict and stop these attacks.

2) Secure Remote Access.

The recent shift to remote working is causing the need to guarantee the security of remote access. To solve this there are methods like a remote worker having a uni-purpose laptop that is only capable of performing a single task and wont have access to email, social media, or any public network connections at all.

3) Data Leak Prevention.

Due to the hybrid style of working from home and office, companies have been using new software, cloud services, etc., for internal processes, to host their data. With increased data online there is increased complexity and the next generation will have to be refined and will use all new systems of security.

4) Internet of Things.

A recent forecast report by the US National Intelligence Council suggests that we will have 64 billion IoT devices by 2025, and this number will rise exponentially to several trillion by 2040. Each of these devices will connect via 5G networks and will need to be secured.

5) Increased Automation.

Its not just users that need to be protected, because, with increased penetration of IoT devices, there will be increased automation in systems. Whether in the form of software automation, or hardware devices such as sensors automatically accessing databases to update them, there will need to be increased monitoring of systems, and that monitoring will also be largely automated and conducted by heuristic software and AI.

We are using machine learning to help us predict attacks faster and inform us of attacks before they happen. We will provide an end-to-end platform to both individual users and organizations which can solve all their security needs.

- By Sanjiv Kela - Director - Net Protector Antivirus

To read what other industry leaders and experts have to say about the future in their respective fields, visit our 20th Anniversary Microsite.
Realme Narzo 30 5G and Narzo 30 4G will launch in June in India, the company has confirmed. Realme Narzo 30A and Narzo 30 Pro were both launched in India earlier this year and now the standard Narzo 30 is all set to arrive in two variants. Realme CEO Madhav Sheth has also revealed that the Narzo 30 5G will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor which we have previously seen on phones such as the Realme 8 5G and Poco M3 Pro 5G.

Carrying forward the #PowerMeetsStyle legacy, #realmeNarzo30, and #realmeNarzo305G is all set to win the hearts of Young Players once again!



Launching this month, RT if you are excited. pic.twitter.com/Pmtac8T53U  Madhav Max 5G (@MadhavSheth1) June 14, 2021

According to a tweet by Madhav, the company has been working on the 4G and 5G version of the standard Narzo 30 and is ready to bring it to India this month itself. The Narzo 30 4G and 5G models will sit between the Narzo 30A and Narzo 30 Pro, completing the lineup. Furthermore, in a separate tweet, Madhav has revealed that the Narzo 30 5G will be powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G processor.

The Realme Narzo 30 4G and 5G variants have launched globally in the past few months and both of them are quite similar inbuilt and specifications. Heres everything you need to know about the Realme Narzo 30.

Realme Narzo 30 4G and Narzo 30 5G expected specifications

The Realme Narzo 30 4G and 5G variants that launched globally feature the same 6.5-inch Full HD+ display that offers 90Hz refresh rate support. The screen has a punch-hole notch cutout in the top-left corner. The Narzo 30 5G measures 8.5 millimetres in thickness and weighs 185 grams while the Narzo 30 4G has a thickness of 9.4 millimetres and is a little bit heftier at 192 grams.

The Narzo 30 5G is powered by the Dimensity 700 processor while the Narzo 4G is powered by the Helio G95 processor. The phones run on Realme UI 2.0 which is based on Android 11. There is a microSD card for storage expansion as well.

The Narzo 30 5G and Narzo 4G both have a 48MP primary camera, 2MP macro camera and 2MP depth sensor. There is a 16MP selfie camera on the front as well. The power buttons on both phones double up as a fingerprint reader.

Both phones have a 5,000mAh battery with the Narzo 30 5G supporting 18W fast charging and Narzo 30 4G supporting 30W fast charging out-of-the-box.
With the increase in the use of technology over the years, one thing users have started to be scared about is losing their data and privacy. Since users have private data and information stored into their devices which can be at risk when users go to different platforms and websites. The threats of cyber security have been constantly increasing and data can be easily stolen.According to a study conducted in 2019, around 68% of web applications can be used by hackers to breach data. Yearly survey suggests that data breaching incidents have been constantly increasing by a great percentage each year.The tech giant Google has a reputation of always being a company that comes up with quick and effective solutions for its users. Google understood user concerns about privacy which is why they developed the 'Privacy Sandbox'.Privacy Sandbox aims to keep the efficiency of ad delivery intact without using any third party cookies thus promising its users of a cookie less future excellent anonymity of their data. With Privacy Sandbox, Google wants targeting, measurement and fraud prevention to happen as per the standards that are set by the Privacy Sandbox. Privacy Sandbox will make sure that user data stay on their devices and is privacy complaint. The Privacy Sandbox surely provides users with excellent privacy.Google recently reached out to the UK's regulator and said that they would work with them to reconcile privacy and competition concerns. Google also offered a series of Privacy Sandbox commitments to them.The commitment says that Google will inform the web advertising ecosystem and UK's regulator of changes they make or test they conduct during the development period of the Privacy Sandbox.Google also committed that they would have no extra data advantages for its own advertising products.Moreover, the tech giant said that the Privacy Sandbox will give no competitive advantage or better treatment to advertising products and sites owned by Google.The regulator thinks that these three commitments made by Google are satisfactory. However, 'Tim Cowen' chairman of the antitrust practice said that Google has a history of breaking its commitment and that CMA should take their decision once they look at Google commitments very closely and make sure that the commitments Google makes are practical and useful.Read next: Google Will Never Be Stable, Says Companys Top Search Advocate
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Gov. Gavin Newsom last month unveiled a budget that includes $4.2 billion for the project, including the bond money approved by voters in 2008.



SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  The federal government has reached an agreement to restore nearly $1 billion in funding for California's troubled bullet train, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.

The U.S. Department of Transportation finalized settlement negotiations to restore the money for the high-speed rail project that was revoked by the Trump administration in 2019, Newsom said Thursday night.





. . .
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SPOKANE (AP)  Gonzaga University is joining the list of schools that will require students to prove they are vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to participate in campus activities this fall.

Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh made the announcement Thursday in a message to the university community, The Spokesman-Review reported.





. . .
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RENTON  A fairly new Residence Inn by Marriott, at 1200 Lake Washington Blvd. N. in Renton, sold for over $36.7 million, according to King County records.

The seller was RI Renton Property LP, associated with Texas Western Hospitality, which acquired the land in 2014 for $1.5 million, then developed it.





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A County Louth man who showed up at a nearby garda station to alert officers to the fact that he had just tried to rape a young woman has been jailed for three years.

Oliver Kane (41), who was homeless at the time, told gardai that when he saw the woman walking by he decided I am going to run towards her and get as close as I can. He said his intentions were to get her into a side area but she fought him off and managed to get away.

God knows what would have happened, Kane told gardai before he admitted he was going to rape her.

Garda Roisin ODonnell agreed that Kane said in subsequent interviews with gardai if you were homeless and wanted a shag, you wouldnt care where it came from.

Kane pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to attempted rape of the now 21-year-old in Ardee, County Louth on November 16, 2020. He has one previous conviction for a public order offence.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey sentenced Kane to four years with the final year suspended on strict conditions including that he engages with his local mental health service for three years upon his release from prison.

He also registered him as a sex offender and imposed a three-year post-release supervision order during which time Kane must engage with the Probation Service.

Mr Justice Coffey said Kane intended to abuse his natural physical strength to degrade the victim. He said Kane had embarked upon the crime opportunistically in shocking circumstances during which the woman was attacked from behind while walking home late at night.

The judge noted that the woman has had to endure the continual ill effects of the crime in that she suffers from severe depression, sleepless nights and never feels safe.

Mr Justice Coffey acknowledged that Kane was instantly overcome with remorse and admitted his crime to the gardai. He said coupled with his plea of guilty, this admission has been of very considerable value to the prosecution.

Finally, the judge noted that Kane has only one previous conviction for a minor public order offence, was from a decent law-abiding family, was homeless at the time of the attempted rape and has a minor intellectual disability.

Carl Hanahoe BL, prosecuting, told the court at an earlier hearing that although the complainant does not wish to waive her right to anonymity, she is satisfied that reporting the name of her attacker and the location of the incident would not identify her.

She stated in a victim impact statement, read to the court by Garda ODonnell, that Kanes attack changed her life.

He attempted to rape me and violate me. I was strong enough to escape but it has still affected my mental health, the woman said.

She described how she suffered from constant nightmares and struggled to sleep. She took two weeks off work. She has started counselling since last Christmas after initially thinking I could do this my own and has since been treated for depression.

The woman said the worst part of the whole ordeal was seeing her mother upset and she added that she is now more careful.

No human being should be violated and taken advantage of and never feel unsafe, the woman concluded.

Michael Bowman SC, defending said that his client is aware of the behaviour that brought him here and the distress that he has brought on the complainant.

He said Kane was sleeping rough at the time in both Drogheda and Dundalk but had come to Ardee that night to look for help.

Counsel said his client was being treated for both depression and psychosis at the time but had not taken his medication for the two weeks prior to the attack.

Kane interrupted Bowmans address to the court and shouted nothing excuses what I have done before counsel continued and added that Kane does not seek to hide behind any of his difficulties.

Garda ODonnell told Mr Hanahoe that the victim had left a friend's house around 1am that morning and was walking home to her fathers when she heard a noise and became aware that there was a man behind her. She had been listening to music and had headphones in.

Kane asked her for a lighter. She told him she didnt have one but he continued to ask for one and walked after her.

He suddenly grabbed her from behind and put his hand over her mouth. The woman attempted to get away and struggled with Kane.

She later told gardai that she believed he was trying to get her to the entrance of a nearby housing estate where there is a green area behind a small wall.

The woman eventually managed to break free although Kane tried to grab her a second time. She ran away and shouted to him that she was calling the gardai. Kane fled the scene and the woman immediately called the gardai.

Garda ODonnell told Mr Hanahoe that she was just about to leave the station to respond to the womans call when Kane arrived at the station and admitted he had just tried to rape a woman.

She agreed with Mr Bowman that his client has considerable mental health issues and his behaviour on the night was bizarre.

She acknowledged that he was crying when he first arrived at the station and was still quite upset during his later garda interviews.

Garda ODonnell agreed that Kane expressed regret for what had taken place and understood that he had hurt the woman.

She accepted that he was from a decent law-abiding family and at the time was in desperate need of help and accommodation.
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After Oregon lifts them, masks requirements will be unlikely to return even in areas with coronavirus flare ups
Forest Service officials have had to scramble to find a fire lookout to work this summer on Mount Ireland
Most who responded expressed support of the police department, which pleased Mesa Police Chief Ken Cost, who shared his thoughts at a Mesa City Council study session.
IT is a Sunday afternoon, I am nine years old and a rerun of Land of the Giants is playing on a retro television set in the living room of my grandparents flat in London.

I am lying on the floor, one eye on the TV. More of a bookworm than an artist, I am attempting to draw a house in the Irish countryside, the land of my grandparents and the scene of blissful summer days that stretched far into the night. Dusk never seemed to come.

My brother and I enjoyed the way strangers would call out; Hi, how are ye?, quick, 20-minute Masses, and climbing onto our cousins garage roof during a game of hide-n-seek.

I announce that the house Ive drawn is the house I will one day live in, in Ireland, with my husband (whoever he might turn out to be) and four children.

I always knew I would leave England. But it was Africa that claimed me first.

Joanne Dwyer's grandparents, Richard and Josie Cantwell, with my mother as a child in Ireland.

My time as a young volunteer teacher in Kenya would define the next decade-and-a-half of my life, put me in the path of my husband Peter, and, ultimately, bring me to Ireland.

Peter and I met in a tiny airport in the sweltering, lake-side city of Kisumu, in western Kenya. I was not supposed to be there but things rarely run to plan in Africa.

Id spent an entire morning trying to track down the bus Id booked to take me across the Ugandan border. The bus was stuck in Nairobi, several hours away, so I pinned all hopes of making my midnight flight out of Entebbe on a last-minute flight to Nairobi where I could pick up a connection to Uganda. Mine was the last available seat on the plane.

Peter spoke first, asking if I was married or had children. He had two daughters. He was South African, older than me, and working in Kisumu. He had once lived in England and knew the town where I had grown-up.

I was in and out of Kenya, running an educational charity and spending time in the place I loved. Peter gave me his card so that we could meet-up.

Five months later, I swapped London for the beginnings of a life in Africa with Peter.

Travel was woven into our first few years together. Weekends were spent off the beaten track, cranking up the speakers in Peters 4x4 and exploring remote places.

Kenya's Great Rift Valley.

Epic is a word that belongs to Africa and the stirring sight of the Rift Valley caught me every time. We celebrated my birthday in the Mara, where I danced with the Maasai, and travelled to Kenyas stunning coastal region. We visited Peters girls and his family in South Africa and flew to England and Ireland, to see mine.

We left the laidback shores of Lake Victoria (where Peter had been working for a prominent political family until the South African shareholders whod appointed him pulled out) to set up a wine import business amid the vibrant colours and chaos of Mombasa, spending a few months in the old Swahili town of Malindi, before settling in Diani.

Diani Beach.

A balmy, tropical oasis with soft white sands and swaying coconut trees, Diani was an alluring paradise. The sparkling Indian Ocean and salty sea air were an antidote to the stresses and strains of urban life, punctuated only by the distant rattling of tuk-tuks chugging along the main road.

The vast expanse of beach embraced fishermen in traditional sailing dhows, women selling handmade kikois, and people enjoying leisurely strolls.

Peter and I married on Chale, an idyllic island haven, 15km down a bumpy, dusty road; accessible at high tide by a small motorised boat and, otherwise, by a short tractor ride. Ours was a low-key, pre-sunset wedding: my locally made dress came in a brown paper bag (Nice packaging, our wedding planner remarked) and only my parents and Peters girls were in attendance  or so we thought beforehand. The manager and several hotel staff turned up, too. It was happy and carefree. We dined afterwards on a lantern-lit beach under the starry African sky, with the sand beneath our feet and the sound of the waves teasing the shoreline.

Our lives were solidified in Diani. The girls lived with us now, and we were having a baby.

Three children in six months. Our oldest girl was home-schooling and the youngest was a student at the small primary school I was running. Peter and I had been presented with a school to take over and said yes.

A mix of children, all pulled from Dianis eccentric community of work permit holders, locals and long-term residents, went to school in flip-flops and usually wound-up barefoot.

They learned together, played together, had endless sleepovers and always wanted to prolong the school day. It was a lovely, lively school and the realisation of a dream.

We moved the school (and ourselves) from the beach to a forested estate populated by monkeys and baboons. Peter fenced the school himself and built an entire playground from scratch. Our house was not fenced off. Some days resembled Planet of the Apes, with human-sized baboons sauntering through the open plan living area on the hunt for food.

Joanne Dwyers husband Peter, with daughters Georgia and Erin.

Once, holding the baby over my shoulder in the bathroom, I locked eyes in the mirror with a baboon standing in the doorway behind me.

It was a unique childhood for our younger children. When he turned two, our little boy began rocking up at playgroup on a piki-piki (motorbike) taxi with Peter. I still havent told his Nana how he got there.

But the winds of change had begun to blow. We tried to hang on, but too many things ollided at once and my heart broke knowing we could not stay. Our oldest needed more than Africa could give her; Peters wine business was hit by the collapse of Kenyas largest supermarket chain; and a second school had opened in a town that could only sustain one.

It was always Ireland.

We sent my parents on a recce to Fermoy and our oldest Skyped her future classmates. But it was a-year-and-a-half before we could all leave.

My visa expired during a tortuous wait for the girls passport renewals from South Africa, so I sat out a further five months at my parents house in England with our little boy, while Peter stayed in Kenya with the girls.

Some 25 years after I had first imagined a life in Ireland, I was waiting anxiously in the arrivals hall at Dublin airport.

This is your home now, a security guard had said as he helped me manoeuvre two trolleys, a pushchair and a toddler.

Our little one jumped into Peters arms and the girls wrapped themselves in mine, none of us able to hold it completely together.

Another set of adventures stretched out before us. A life of lockdowns, with just a brief respite from the home-schooling wed tried to escape, was coming. But in the pre-pandemic world, we had a train ride to Cork ahead of us where Peter would start his unlikely stint as a pig farmer and wed find a place to live the day before our Airbnb stay was up.

Peter had never set foot in Cork, though his ancestors had before setting sail for Port Elizabeth and making their way along the South African coastline to Durban.

My own childhood memories contained glimpses of an old train station and the sense of a city less daunting than London.

The Rebel County suited us, though it was also chosen for more prosaic reasons. We had no idea where or when Peter would find a job in his field and North Cork seemed an ideal spot from which to launch ourselves. A city would be within our grasp. I had been the one to always soak up flying visits to the eclectic buzz and endless traffic of Nairobi. But part of me had missed bookshops and coffee shops, early evening strolls and cobbled streets.

My family was spread across different counties, Cork among them, and none felt too far away.

Tipperary was only next-door and Limerick was close enough. This was our pre-Covid thinking, anyway. Even my parents in England saw more of us in Kenya.

Google Earth helped us settle on Fermoy and it was sealed by the kindness of staff at the girls school, whose warmth was palatable even over email; patiently answering every question we had on the schooling and wider opportunities available to them and painting a picture of the life they could have.

That life unfolded in the shadow of a pandemic but also, in spite of it. A return to home- schooling, which both girls were doing by the time they left Kenya, was easier on them than most. It was familiar, but this time they were not alone.

Ours was a fairly self-contained unit and the biggest change for us came in the few short months between our arrival and March 12, 2020, with school buses, new friendships and classrooms to navigate; Peter no longer running a business from home (instead returning at lunchtime carrying the distinct aroma of pig manure, before landing a job in town); cloud cover where once we had lived under persistently blue skies; and our little one embarking on a stop-start approach to his pre-school career, when all he really wanted was to be at home and to understand why planes were bringing parcels but not Nana and Pops. I returned to studying and began to write again.

We found our home in SuperValu. A quick scan of the advertising board and we were moving to the lush green countryside Id sketched out in my grandparents living room, surrounded by fields and cows and overlooking the Galtee Mountain range.

The longing for Africa remains, but life is mostly on a more even keel.

Content, Peter would say.

We have watched one child start secondary school, the oldest graduate via Zoom and plan for college, and the youngest get excited about Big School, mainly on account of the playground and a picture of the Junior Infants drinking hot chocolate.

With bunnies and a baby on board, we are all finding our way on the Emerald Isle, helped by those who carried us through difficult days and a deep gratitude that we made it here at all.
Cork City Council says it is seeking to "animate the city centre" and to continue to expand the outdoor dining experience.

It has confirmed that supports for alfresco dining for more than 1,000 people are in the pipeline following the issue of tenders for parasols and awnings for four additional streets in the city centre. These have already been installed on Princes St.

A spokesperson for City Hall said: Cork City Council is supporting alfresco dining for over 1,000 people (and helping business through weatherproofing grants), the installation of parklets and planters, and public realm improvements.

With the help of local traders and communities, we are working with arts and our cultural partners to animate the city centre.

The spokesperson added: Cork City Council is seeking to continue to expand the outdoor dining experience in the city centre subject to the availability of funding from Failte Ireland under the Weather Proofing scheme.

In the coming months, large parasol umbrellas and awnings will be installed on Union Quay, Pembroke Street, Caroline Street, and Beasley Street.

Tender documents have been issued for the supply and installation of the coverings in the four locations.
A grandmother who told gardai that she didn't believe in the Covid restrictions has pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to wear a mask whilst shopping in West Cork.

Last month Margaret Buttimer (66) received a suspended sentence and a fine for her refusal to wear masks in shops.

Prior to sentencing for her previous conviction she was jailed for the weekend as she had declined to wear a mask in the body of the court.

Today at Bandon District Court Ms Buttimer, who has an address at The Cottage, St Fintan's Road in Bandon, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health Act by refusing to wear a mask in Boots Store and an Aldi supermarket last month.

Inspector Emmet Daly outlined the details of the offences to Judge James McNulty.

He said that on the morning of May 12th last Ms Buttimer went in to the Boots Store on South Main Street in Bandon.

She was asked to don a mask with staff even offering her one. However, she refused to wear a mask onsite. She also refused to wear a mask when gardai called to the incident urged her to put one on.

The second incident occurred two days later when Ms Buttimer refused to wear a mask in Aldi in Bandon. When gardai arrived she informed them she would not wear a mask as she disagreed with the Covid regulations.

Inspector Daly said that Buttimer left the store but made several attempts to re enter.

Judge McNulty heard that Ms Buttimer had two previous convictions for similar offences which occurred last February. One was for breaches of the Health Care Act and the other was a public order offence.

On May 24th last Ms Buttimer had appeared before Bandon Court for refusing to wear a mask at Dunnes Stores in Clonakilty on February 12th last. She was found guilty of the offence of not wearing a mask in the store in breach of Covid 19 regulations.

She has called the manager of the store an a**hole. She apologised for calling the manager an expletive.

At the previous hearing Judge Colm Roberts imposed a three-week prison sentence which he suspended for a period of two years. He also fined Ms Buttimer 350 for verbally abusing a store manager.

Today Judge James McNulty asked if the fine had been paid for her last offence. Her solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said he did not think the funds had been handed over as of yet.

Ms Buttimer arrived in the body of the court without a mask today but was allowed sit at the back of the room for the brief hearing.

Mr Taaffe applied for an adjournment of the case as he said that his client was due to attend a consultant. He stressed that medical reports may shed light on recent events.

Judge McNulty asked if there were some concerns about the health of the defendant. Mr Taaffe said "That is the position Judge."

Judge McNulty convicted Ms Buttimer on both charges. Sentencing in the case was adjourned until July 12th next. Buttimer was remanded on continuing bail until her next court appearance.
World leaders have recently, under the auspices of the United Nations, renewed their commitment to ending AIDS.

The new phase offers much needed hope for the future, provided the commitments made are fulfilled. The adopted political declaration and its recommendations offer strategies for ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV and paediatric AIDS. They also address inequalities faced by adolescents living with HIV.

The commitments include an interim target of suppressing the viral loads of 75 per cent of all children living with HIV by 2023. Greater emphasis on innovative tools and strategies to locate and diagnose children of all ages living with HIV are very welcome. These include early infant diagnosis at the point of care, family testing and self-testing to find older children and adolescents who are not on treatment.

Looking back, children have been one of the most neglected groups affected by HIV. The paediatric targets for 2020 were missed by a significant distance. For example, the global target for the HIV treatment coverage rate for children by 2020 was 95 per cent. But by 2019 only 53 per cent of children were on treatment. In 2020, an estimated 150,000 children acquired HIV globally. The target was to reduce infections to 20,000. Not meeting these targets represents a global failure. To make matters worse, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted HIV services for children and pregnant women. Failure to achieve these targets for children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, home to 90 per cent of the children living with HIV, means that new infections will continue to increase and HIV related mortality will be a reality for decades to come.

The June 2021 United Nations high level meeting was an opportunity to get the paediatric HIV response on track. The new political declaration is a result of extensive analysis of HIV data and consultation with member states, communities and partners from over 160 countries. In line with the 2021 political declaration, we emphasise that national governments should review their national strategies and commit resources to three key paediatric HIV issues. These are prevention of mother-to-child transmission, HIV testing and treatment in children and prevention and treatment of TB and HIV.

Prevention of vertical transmission: Programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV have been scaled up. But this transmission is rising in several African countries. Of equal concern, antiretroviral therapy coverage for pregnant women living with HIV is considerably lower in western and central African countries such as Nigeria and Angola (below 50 per cent) than in southern Africa. South Africa and Botswana have coverage of over 90 per cent. In 2017, an alarming one in five children born to mothers living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa became HIV positive during childbirth or breastfeeding. We advocate for better planning for comprehensive HIV prevention during pregnancy and breastfeeding, access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and other new prevention technologies. As per World Health Organisation guidelines, pregnant women must be tested for HIV multiple times during pregnancy. And women who test positive for HIV should immediately be placed on antiretroviral therapy. The efficacy of prevention of mother-to-child transmission practices needs to be reviewed and monitored closely in many African countries. Increasing access to viral load testing for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers living with HIV will also ensure the health of the mother and help to reduce vertical transmission.

Paediatric HIV testing and treatment:

In 2020, 74,000 children were newly infected with HIV in eastern and southern Africa. And 46,000 deaths among children younger than 15 in the region were due to AIDS. The treatment coverage rate for children in eastern and southern Africa is 57 per cent compared with 78 per cent for adults. It is critical to ensure that all newborn babies exposed to HIV are tested between four and six weeks of age. Those living with HIV must start HIV treatment, because without treatment 50 per cent will die before they reach two years of age. This step is just the first of many in a process to ensure the health of HIV-exposed children as they grow older.

READ ALSO: #ThrowBackToday: Back in 2013 today, two-year-old 'Mississippi baby' cured of AIDS, only to relapse next year

We advocate for more resources to achieve the following, 95 per cent of HIV-exposed children tested by two months of age and again after cessation of breastfeeding, 95 per cent of infants tested for HIV receive their test results no later than 15 days after blood sample collection, 95 per cent of infants diagnosed with HIV infection initiate antiretroviral therapy no later than 15 days after receiving their test results, 85 per cent of all children living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy must have suppressed viral load by 2023 and 95 per cent by 2025, scale up point-of-care early infant diagnostic testing, starting with areas that are hard to reach, scale up efforts to actively track mother-baby pairs using a digital register of positive results; -greater use of family-based index testing and use of HIV oral tests for children aged 2-11.

Childhood TB and HIV Tuberculosis (TB) is a major contributor to illness and death in children living with HIV, particularly in TB endemic settings. Children under 15 account for around 12 per cent of the 10 million TB cases globally. TB preventive therapy is a proven and effective intervention, particularly in young children. But only 27 per cent of the 1.3 million eligible children under five received preventive therapy in 2018.

For children (and adolescents) living with HIV, TB is the most common opportunistic infection. Those with severe immune suppression have a five-fold higher risk of TB compared to those with mild immune suppression. National governments should therefore strengthen TB services for children with HIV so that 90 per cent of them receive treatment for both conditions. TB and HIV health services need to be integrated.

Family approaches to TB preventive treatment must be scaled up to include HIV-negative households. Access to short-course TB preventive therapy regimens must be expanded. Innovative approaches for TB diagnosis among children must be considered, including the use of non-sputum biomarker-based samples such as stools and urine. Getting back on track In view of the threat to paediatric HIV services posed by further waves of COVID-19, we highlight the need to eliminate vertical transmission and prioritise paediatric testing and treatment services to achieve the new commitments.

The commitment can be delivered through strong community-led responses in partnership with governments; maintaining and increasing domestic and donor funding for HIV and AIDS, particularly for low-income countries with limited fiscal ability and weak health systems; and ring-fencing resources for paediatric HIV and TB services.
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Law enforcement vehicles cluster around Prime Sole on Avenue of Mid-America during an investigation into an armed robbery where a pistol was fired toward employees from the parking lot about 1:45 p.m. April 18, 2017.
Manx Government warned about 'significant risks' for re-opening borders on 28th June

The Manx Government has been warned of 'significant risks' if the Island's borders are re-opened this month.

The newly formed Emergency Advisory Group was asked by the Council of Ministers for advice on the further easing of border restrictions.

A document has been published in response to the request by CoMin.

The group says the rise of transmission rates of the Delta - or Indian - variant in the UK are an 'early warning'.

A 'minority' of the group's members believe the Island's borders should return to Level 3 for at least 4-6 weeks.

The Isle of Man is due to move to Level 1 on June 28th - it would allow for unrestricted travel between the Island and British Isles.
Independent review into capacity and capability of Department of Infrastructure published

An independent review of the Department of Infrastructure has been published.



Commissioned by the Council of Ministers earlier this year, the aim of the review was to appraise the capacity and capability of the centre of the Department given its relative size and the scope of its work.



The review focussed on the management of the interface between the centre of the Department and its divisions, including an assessment of policies, practice, procedures and protocols. This included how existing management and organisational arrangements could be improved to provide more effective governance and accountability.



The report makes a number of recommendations:



 There should be changes to the structure of the Department to ensure the effective development, management and co-ordination of service provision

 Project management within the Department needs strengthening, with additional resources to ensure effective delivery of major schemes

 The strategy and policy work of the Department should be a key focus that sits separately from the operational divisions.



Minister for Infrastructure Tim Baker MHK said: The review clearly recognised the critical part the Department plays in supporting the daily life of the Island. It also includes a number of important recommendations which can help the Department to improve the way it operates to deliver these crucial services. This is an exciting opportunity to ensure the Department is fit for the future and can deliver for our people and our Island. There is a great deal of work ahead. Some changes can be made quickly, others will take more time, planning and resource. But I am confident we have a blueprint for the future.

You can read the report here.
Broadway Roundel: "You'll get used to it" says Tim Baker



Photo: Isle of Man Drone

The Department of Infrastructure says drivers will 'get used' to two roundels being installed as part of the Douglas Prom Refurbishment Scheme.

The roundels have been built on Broadway and Church Road Marina.

The design has divided people living and working in the area with one motorist describing it 'as having an hallucination'.

DOI says roundels are designed not to have a traditional central island or a white domed marking due to the nature of their design. They also act as a form of traffic calming, with both roundels sited within the 20mph speed limit for Douglas Promenade.

Infrastructure Minister, Tim Baker MHK commented: roundels are part of modern highway design, having been used in the UK for a number of years. I feel, once the overall area is complete, motorists will soon get used to them.
Josephine Smith Lively Davis passed away June 27, 2021, at the age of 83 at her home in Decatur, Alabama. A celebration of life will be at Ridout's-Brown Funeral Home on Friday, July 2, 2021. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to noon. Funeral services will follow in the chapel at noon with Cha
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Jabra's premium wireless earbuds, the Elite 85t, were 22 percent off about one month ago, but you have another chance to grab them at their best sale price today. The earbuds are on sale for $180 at Amazon and Best Buy again, which is $50 off their normal price and a record low. All three color options are discounted, too, so you have your pick from titanium black, copper black and gold beige.

Buy Jabra Elite 85t at Amazon - $180 Buy Jabra Elite 85t at Best Buy - $180

The predecessors to the Elite 75t came out last fall and earned a score of 86 from us. While slightly larger than the 75ts, the 85ts remain comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The added heft was almost unavoidable as Jabra added larger speakers to the buds as well as noise-cancelling components.

Sound quality is good, but active noise-cancellation is a stand-out here. The 85ts can hold their own against Bose and Sony in this regard thanks to the dedicated chip inside that enables Advanced Active Noise Cancellation. This feature lets you adjust just how much of your surroundings you want to block out and you can use Jabra's Sound+ companion app to change noise-cancellation levels easily. The app also lets you change HearThrough, or Jabra's ambient sound feature.

Jabra also added wireless charging capabilities to the Elite 85t's case, which can contain roughly 25 hours of extra juice. In practice, the buds last about five and a half hours on a single charge, which is in line with most other wireless earbuds.

If the 85ts were to stay at this sale price, they'd probably bump the Elite 75ts off the top spot on our list of best wireless earbuds. The 75ts remain an even better value since Jabra brought ANC to them via a firmware update  you just won't get wireless charging on those. Another solid option are Sony's WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds, which are down to $178 at Amazon and Best Buy as well. Sony just came out with the XM4, but if you're willing to sacrifice the new design and some updated features, the XM3s remain solid buds.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Streamers and TV networks seeking to replicate the success of The Social Network and HBO's Succession are turning to biting corporate drama as their latest source of content. Apple has its WeWork series starring Jared Leto; Showtime has tapped Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the lead in its show about Uber; and Hulu recently cast Amanda Seyfried to replace Kate McKinnon as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout. Naturally, Netflix is also in the mix courtesy of its original series based on Spotify and its co-founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. Today, the streamer announced that production is underway on the "fictional" show and that it will be available globally in 2022.

It also announced the principle players in the David vs Goliath story about Spotify's transformation from a streaming music upstart to a recording industry kingmaker. Vikings star Edvin Endre will play the company's CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek; Ulf Stenberg (Beartown) will play former Universal Music Sweden managing director and early Spotify supporter Per Sundin; Gizem Erdogan (Love & Anarchy) will co-star as Petra Hansson, one of the architects of Spotify's freemium business model; Joel Lutzow (Gasmamman) will play ex-Spotify CTO Andreas Ehn; and Christian Hillborg (The Last Kingdom) will appear as Spotify co-founder Martin Lorentzon.

There's no word on whether Sean Parker  played by a deliciously unlikeable Justin Timberlake in The Social Network  will appear in the Netflix show. The Napster co-founder was an early investor in Spotify.

By now, you're probably familiar with the Spotify story: A small Swedish company releases an almost-instantly popular app that lets you stream an exhaustive library of music, much to the chagrin of defensive Big Tech behemoths, record labels clinging to physical releases in the face of digital piracy and disgruntled pop stars peeved about scant royalty payments.

Netflix says its fictional series is inspired by the book 'Spotify Untold by authors Sven Carlsson and Jonas Leijonhufvud. The biography has been described as a fast-paced tale that reads like a movie script, making it a perfect fit for a bingeable streaming show. It also goes into extreme detail about Spotify's lengthy (and ongoing) conflict with major rival Apple, including an account from Ek claiming that Steve Jobs tried to intimidate him by calling and breathing over the phone.

Labeling the show as "fictional" could be Netflix's attempt at avoiding another fiasco in the vein of the backlash over the fourth season of The Crown. In the UK, members of the ruling Conservative party accused the show of inaccurately representing the monarchy, even going so far as to request the streamer add a note to clarify that the series was a drama.
The US federal government has released Reality Winner, the former NSA contractor who leaked information about Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, from prison into supervised custody. Winner is currently at a Residential Reentry Management center in Texas, according to The Independent.

"Her release is not a product of the pardon or compassionate release process, but rather the time earned from exemplary behavior while incarcerated," Alison Grinter Allen, Winner's attorney, said on Twitter.

Some very exciting news for #RealityWinner and her family!! pic.twitter.com/yjZf7xiitk  Alison Grinter Allen (@alisongrinter) June 14, 2021

While Winner will likely end her sentence in November, her family is pushing for a full pardon from President Joe Biden. "Reality has served a lot of time and gone through quite a bit of trauma to fight for essentially one man's feelings about his election's validity," Allen told The Independent. "It's the only way to make this right."

Winner's mother, Billie Winner-Davis, recently told MSNBC she has been contacting the White House every day since President Joe Biden took office to try and secure her daughter's pardon. So far, she has only received a form letter in response, notifying her that a different agency had taken up the case.

"The Trump administration persecuted Reality so strongly because of the information she released. And the continued silence from this administration is a continued persecution," she told the network. "All it's going to take is [Biden's] signature to commute her sentence and bring her home to us."

The US government arrested Winner in 2017 and sentenced her to five years and three months in prison, the longest ever sentence of anyone charged under the Espionage Act, after she plead guilty to sharing classified documents with the press. Much of the blame for Winner's arrest has been attributed to The Intercept. The outlet's reporters reportedly forwarded the original document Winner sent to them to the government for validation. It included metadata that pointed authorities directly to Winner, leading to her arrest two days before The Intercept published its report. The outlet has since acknowledged that it mishandled the situation.
Thailand is the latest country to impose curbs on cryptocurrency trading. The southeast Asian nation's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has implemented a ban on meme coins like Dogecoin. Last week, exchanges were ordered to delist the coins, along with NFTs, utility tokens and social tokens, within 30 days.

According to the Thai SEC, the new rules are aimed at protecting traders from tokens that have "no clear objective or substance" and whose prices are swayed by social media trends and influencers. Dogecoin, in particular, has seen its online buzz skyrocket thanks to mentions from Elon Musk (including during his stint hosting SNL). The so-called meme coin's price has fluctuated more recently amid crypto volatility fuelled by bans in China and potential restrictions in India. On the flip side, El Salvador recently became the first nation to accept Bitcoin as legal tender.

Alongside Dogecoin, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) were also all the rage earlier this year. The assets essentially allow for one-of-a-kind digital art purchases to be tokenized, thereby acting as certificates for ownership. A few months ago, they were impossible to ignore, riding a wave of hype after Twitter's Jack Dorsey and Grimes sold their respective NFTs for millions. But, more recently, mainstream interest in the assets has waned as celebs have opportunistically jumped on the bandwagon and quickly diluted a once eye-catching market.

In addition, the Thai SEC announced it's also banning exchange tokens, reports Decrypt. These are the proprietary coins issued by crypto exchanges that can be used to trade and pay fees.

The latest crackdown is part of Thailand's push for regulatory reform of the crypto market. In May, the Thai Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) announced rules instructing digital exchanges to verify accounts through a "dip-chip" machine that requires clients to be physically present. In addition, AMLO said the documents would be verified by relevant government agencies, according to the Bangkok Post.
The services celebrating and honoring the life of Kim Wheeler will be 10:00 A.M. Friday in the Meno Faith Center with Pastor Cody Anderson under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home. Condolences may be shared online at www.Brown-Cummings.com.
Thomas Markle thinks his daughter - whom he does not have a good relationship with - is being used by none other than Oprah. According to the distraught dad, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are merely tools for the talk show host, used to further her own career.

Meghan Markle's father did not mince words when he shared what he thinks of the renowned talk show host Oprah Winfrey's explosive interview with his daughter and husband, which transpired this spring.

Thomas Markle, whom the public knows has been estranged from Meghan for years, said Winfrey of "using" the couple to benefit her own career by taking advantage of Prince Harry's vulnerability at this moment.

Thomas Markle was interviewed by "60 Minutes Australia and he did not hold back. "Oprah Winfrey, for one, I think Oprah Winfrey is playing Harry and Meghan," he said. "I think she's using them to build her network and build her new shows. I think she's taking advantage of a very weakened man and getting him to say things that you just shouldn't be saying on television," he added.

ALSO READ: Amy Schumer Reacts To Viral Trucker Lookalike, Draws Hilarious Tweets From Fans

It can be recalled that this interview with Oprah was very damning of the palace as the couple aired many dirty laundry. While some believed that it was only Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's way of getting attention, some believed that all that they have shared were merely the truth. The fact that Prince Harry has supported his wife and did not deny any of the allegations was, for many, quite telling.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Revealed All During Oprah Bombshell Interview

Meghan and Harry made accusations of racism during the sit-down, not just towards them, but against their kid, baby Archie. The two also said even though Meghan was already making several cries for help with her mental health issues, these were largely ignored. As a result, Meghan Markle said she was suicidal at one point. Both said their issues were only given attention when they exited their roles as senior royals last year.

All in all, it was really a bombshell interview. But Thomas Markle does not see it as her daughter's chance to reveal what truly she suffered in the palace. Instead, he thinks it was Oprah's blatant disregard for Harry's weaknesses, using these instead to further her own career.

Prince Harry Vulnerable in the US

Thomas did not imagine Prince Harry's weakened state. It has been reported several times that Harry feels lost in America. Many analysts also claimed that Harry, given the fact that he is a true-born royalty, is struggling to live like a normal person in the United States, regardless if this is entirely his choice.

It can be remembered that after that Oprah bombshell interview, Harry spoke to the talk show queen once more for their new Apple TV+ show, "The Me You Can't See. Here, he revealed his deeply personal struggles after the tragic death of her mom and well-loved princess, Princess Diana.

"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," Harry, now 36, shared.

ALSO READ: Sir Kipsta 'Graphic' Cause of Death Detailed: Youtuber Withstood 7 Hours of Operation Before His Heart Gave Up

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Some analysts believe that Lindsay Lohan can genuinely make a comeback, even though her career was almost destroyed by events that transpired in her life. Analysts claimed that if Britney Spears can do it, then she could, too.

At one point, Lindsay Lohan is always on the news - almost 24/7. The thing is, most of this news indeed turned negative and practically destroyed her career.

It can be recalled that in an era earlier than TikTok and whatnot, there wasn't a day that the former child star is not part of a day's headlines. This is why, for years, Lohan strived to keep out of the spotlight, making the decision to even get away to as far from Tinseltown as possible.

This does not mean she just vanished, though. She still kept herself busy and would still sometimes make news, but no longer at the rate in the past.

SO READ: Amy Schumer Reacts To Viral Trucker Lookalike, Draws Hilarious Tweets From Fans

This might change in 2022. The "Mean Girl" actress, 34, will make her return to acting next year in a Netflix holiday rom-com.

Some observers and analysts could not believe she's returning or even wanted to return in the first place. She's already living a swell life in Dubai with her long-time banker boyfriend and even own her lifestyle business. She's made.

Not only that, she also owns a slew of eponymous clubs in Greece and a new passion for "NFTs" - non-fungible tokens - wherein exclusive pieces of art are being sold digitally. It's a lucrative business since it can drive in millions of dollars.

Some analysts, however, think it's just right for Lohan to return now. For them, the timing is perfect because the generation today is kinder to women, including young stars, than the generations in the past.

As reported by Page Six, women who were treated poorly by the press 20 years ago - including but not limited to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton are now perceived in a more compassionate light. Fans are more understanding that being a female star is not easy. Moreover, this is the era wherein rude press people are no longer tolerated.

People are also more aware of mental health issues and how people who look fine on the outside, as many celebrities certainly would, can be struggling deeply on the inside.

This is why analysts claimed that doing a Netflix movie can be Lohan's ticket way back in Hollywood.

The movie, described as comparable to Goldie Hawn's 1987 comedy "Overboard," is set for a 2022 holiday viewing.

Lohan's role is that of a "newly engaged, spoiled hotel heiress" who would figure into a skating accident that would cause her to suffer amnesia. While in this delicate situation, Lohan's character will find "herself in the care of a handsome, blue-collar lodge owner and his precocious daughter in the days leading up to Christmas."

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CNN's Chief International Anchor Christian Amanpour has ovarian cancer. This is what she shared with the world when she returned to work on June 14, after a month-long absence that had her viewers worried.

The renowned journalist revealed that she is receiving treatment for her cancer.

The CNN anchor, 63, is amazingly calm when she made the news, thanking her colleague Bianna Golodryga for holding down the fort in her absence.

She said that the past few weeks have been "a bit of a rollercoaster for me, because during that time, like millions of women around the world, I've been diagnosed with ovarian cancer."

Some personal news from me: pic.twitter.com/D5noRnfXfA  Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) June 14, 2021

Christian Amanpour Receiving Treatment for Ovarian Cancer

The anchor said that her absence was due to her making sure she fights this cancer as early as possible and urges other women to make sure to have regular checkups so they can do so as well.

"I've had successful major surgery to remove it, and I am now undergoing several months of chemotherapy for the very best possible long-term prognosis, and I am confident," she said.

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She gives praises to the NHS, or the U.K.'s National Health Service, known to provide free healthcare to all citizens through funds sourced from taxes.

Amanpour Shouts Out to "Brilliant NHS"

"I'm also fortunate to have health insurance through work and incredible doctors who are treating me in a country underpinned by of course the brilliant NHS," she said.

The anchor said that although she's revealing her condition out of transparency, she is also doing it because she saw firsthand how better it would be for women if they have early diagnoses of whatever diseases they might have.

She urges her female viewers to get all the regular screenings and scans that they can. She added that it is as important for women to always listen to their bodies and, when they have some medical concerns, not to dismiss them or view them as nothing.

Amanpour Has No COVID-19

Her unexplained absence the past few weeks has people naturally worried that she had been infected with the COVID-19 virus. Her revelation coincided

with what cancer experts in the U.K. have been saying lately - that there are an increasing number of missed cancer cases because of the focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. According to The Times of London, experts have given a warning that the country is now facing a "ticking time bomb" after the most recent figures uncovered at least 350,000 patients hadn't been referred for hospital treatment.

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2021-06-14

Maeci

The Italy-Iran Chamber of Commerce is organising a series of initiatives, which will take place throughout 2021, with a view to boosting economic relations between the two countries and providing Italian companies with tools for information and business training.

The first of these initiatives is a webinar entitled "Diplomatic and commercial relations between Italy and Iran - 160 years of mutual cooperation", which will be held on 15 June at 10:00 on the Zoom platform, with the participation of - among others - the Italian Ambassador to Iran, Giuseppe Perrone, and the Diplomatic Advisor to the Ministry of Economic Development, Paolo Dionisi.

The programme of the event will take stock of the evolution of diplomatic and commercial relations, the agreements currently in force between the two countries, as well as the opportunities and potential for Italian companies, thanks to Iran's position and its role as an industrial and commercial centre for the Middle East and Central Asia. To participate in the webinar please write to the email address: info@ccii.it
2021-06-11

Maeci

Today the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi di Maio, received the Vice President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, at the Farnesina.

During their meeting Minister Di Maio stressed the need to put the migration issue at the heart of the European political debate, with particular reference to the question of solidarity with Member States of first entry, and in view of the European Council on 24-25 June.

The need for a common approach at EU level on the sharing of responsibilities - added Minister Di Maio - is made all the more urgent by the current phase of increased migratory pressure in the Central Mediterranean.

In the framework of the new proposals on the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, Minister Di Maio reiterated Italy's constructive approach to the negotiations, underlining the importance of reaching permanent and effective forms of solidarity centred on redistribution mechanisms for managing arrivals.

Pending adoption of the new Pact, Di Maio recalled the importance of reactivating temporary redistribution mechanisms similar to those sanctioned by the 2019 Malta Declaration, referencing the fundamental role that the European Commission can play in supporting Member States who adhere to it.

Finally, in relation to the external dimension of migration, Minister di Maio confirmed Italy's support for strengthening collaboration with countries of origin and transit, establishing targeted and advantageous partnerships at EU level that enable concrete progress to be made towards a European return policy.
2021-06-13

Maeci

We favourably welcome the arrangements reached yesterday between Armenia and Azerbaijan, hoping for the strengthening of a climate of mutual trust in the South Caucasus, a strategic region for Italian and EU interests.

Italy supports the strengthening of dialogue between the two countries, with the support of the EU and the OSCE, aimed at regional stabilisation and growth.

We will follow the further development of Armenian-Azeri relations very closely, continuing our support for strengthening mutual relations of trust between the two countries, to the benefit of the entire region.
2021-06-12

Maeci

Concerning the case of Saman Abbas, a young Pakistani woman who disappeared from the province of Reggio Emilia in recent months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifies that no contact has taken place with the Embassy of Pakistan in Italy. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in international judicial cooperation have no possibility for an autonomous initiative. However, as always, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide any valuable assistance to the competent Italian judicial authorities currently carrying out the necessary investigations and having the power to decide on judicial cooperation.



As widely known, Italy strongly condemns the practice of forced marriages, which constitute a severe violation of human rights. It is at the forefront of all international forums dedicated to safeguarding the rights of women and girls. Our country is one of the promoters of the UN Resolution on early and forced marriages, which was last adopted in the General Assembly in December. Italy has also ratified the main international conventions - including the 1979 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the 2011 Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) - to protect the dignity and freedom of women in marriage matters.
2021-06-14

Maeci

The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Marina Sereni, has participated today in the meeting of the European Union's Foreign Affairs Council chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The topics on the agenda have been cooperation with middle-income countries and human development.

The discussion on the first item has seen the High Representative, the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and the European Development Ministers discuss ways to improve cooperation with Middle Income Countries (MICs), which are indispensable players for a durable and sustainable post-pandemic recovery. Ministers have recognised the need for support that takes into account the specificities of countries and prepares them to respond to emergencies.

The discussion on human development has focused on the role of young people and vaccines. Commissioner Urpilainen and the Ministers have agreed to earmark 10% of the resources of the new Global Europe cooperation instrument for education, to enable young people to become informed and aware players in development. With regard to vaccines, Ministers have agreed on the need to share doses with partner countries and to encourage the development of production capacities in those countries to ensure their independence.

Vice Minister Sereni has pointed out that over half the priority countries for Italian cooperation are MICs: they play a key role in the fight against climate change and are essential partners for development. Moreover, financing sustainable development is a key issue to enable MICs to recover from the pandemic and is a priority theme of our G20 Presidency.

The Vice Minister has also emphasised the role of young people: strengthening education systems fosters peaceful, just and inclusive societies. Finally she has added, human development also depends on strengthening health systems and on fair and global access to vaccines.
Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent. 1. A third dose of COVID-19 vaccine increased antibody levels in organ transplant recipients with a suboptimal response following standard 2-dose vaccination

Study is the first to report on response to a third vaccine dose

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ L21-0282

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

A case series published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that a third dose of vaccine increased antibody levels in organ transplant recipients who had suboptimal response to standard vaccination. These findings suggest that clinical trials are warranted to determine whether booster doses should be incorporated into clinical practice for transplant patients, just as they have been for hepatitis B and influenza vaccinations. This is the first study to report on response to a third vaccine dose.

The antibody response after 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is excellent in the general population, yet the antibody responses in transplant recipients may be markedly attenuated. In addition, reports of COVID-19 breakthrough infections in vaccinated transplant recipients have prompted interest in administering additional doses of vaccine.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine studied 30 organ transplant recipients who received a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to describe antibody responses and vaccine reactions after the booster. They found that a third of the patients who had negative antibody levels and all patients who had low levels of antibody before the booster increased their antibody levels after the third dose of vaccine. Self-reported reactions to the booster were relatively minor, including injection site reactions, fever, chills, headache, myalgia, and diarrhea. The authors could not say for sure whether one case of mild rejection was related to the vaccine, but conclude that the benefits of vaccination likely outweigh the cons. Also, this study was examined only antibody levels and future studies are needed to show if those antibody levels were associated with lower infection rates in those who received a third vaccine dose.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Dorry Segev, MD, PhD, please contact Michael Newman at mnewma25@jhmi.edu. 2. History of systemic capillary leak syndrome may put patients at risk for severe adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccination Prophylaxis with Intravenous immunoglobulin prior to vaccination recommended for at-risk patients

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ L21-0250

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

Experts warn that severe systemic capillary leak syndrome-like (SCLS) events are a rare but serious potential side effect of COVID-19 vaccination for some patients with a history suggestive of SCLS. They recommend that patients with a diagnosis or a suspected diagnosis of SCLS should receive intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) prophylaxis before vaccination. Findings from 3 case reports are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Flares of SCLS release plasma into peripheral tissues, which typically leads to hypotensive shock and multiple organ dysfunction. Between episodes, patients are typically asymptomatic and the diagnosis of SCLS attacks is based on characteristic clinical findings that include hypotension, hemoconcentration, and hypoalbuminemia. Prophylaxis with IVIG can prevent flares and improve survival.

Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID) describe 3 cases of a patient with SCLS or a history suggestive of SCLS who developed a life-threatening flare 1 to 2 days after COVID-19 vaccination. The events were classified as non-dose-related, unexpected, and serious adverse events according to the World Health Organization. While the researchers could not rule out other causes of the patients' flares, they were unable to identify any other trigger, suggesting that SCLS was the culprit. As such, the researchers warn that SCLS-like events could occur in some patients after vaccination and clinicians should be aware of the risk factors so that they can advise patients and take proper precautions prior to vaccination.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Kirk Druey, MD, please contact Jennifer Routh at Niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov. 3. Metagenomic sequencing used to diagnose rare, lethal bacterial infection in patient with nonspecific symptoms

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ L20-1470

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

Metagenomic sequencing successfully detected T whipplei bacterium, a lethal pathogen that causes Whipple disease, in a patient who presented with ocular symptoms not typical to the condition. This is important because Whipple disease is often difficult to diagnose and lack of prompt treatment can result in serious issues, such as rapidly progressive dementia and death. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Whipple disease, a rare but serious bacterial infection often causes gastrointestinal, lymphatic, and neurologic infection and inflammation. It is so uncommonly seen in ophthalmology that it is rarely on the differential diagnosis when a patient shows ocular symptoms. Furthermore, directed molecular diagnostics for T whipplei do not exist for ocular tissues outside of research laboratories, making timely diagnosis even more challenging.

Researchers from the Proctor Foundation at the University of California, San Francisco describe the case of a 45-year-old man with gradual vision loss in both eyes and subsequent neurological deficits. Imaging revealed a localized mass in his brain which prompted concerns for malignancy, but an exhaustive work-up using conventional diagnostics did not reveal an infectious etiology. The researchers report that metagenomic sequencing was conducted on a tiny volume of ocular fluid just as the patient was exhibiting progressively devastating neurologic dysfunction. The positive result directed appropriate antimicrobial therapy just in time to prevent death.

According to the authors, these findings suggest that unbiased molecular testing with metagenomic sequencing can be especially helpful in situations where a patient presents with nebulous ocular symptoms and time is of the essence. Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Thuy Doan, MD, PhD, please contact her directly at Thuy.Doan@ucsf.edu.

Also new in this issue:

"We do not want him because he is a Jew": The Montreal Interns' Strike of 1934

Halperin

History of Medicine

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ M20-7121

Editorial: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ M21-0648

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CHICAGO (June 11, 2021): One of the world's most influential reproductive scientists, Patricia Kilroy Donahoe, MD, FACS, will receive the 2021 Jacobson Innovation Award of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during a virtual event to be held in her honor this evening. Dr. Donahoe, a general and pediatric surgeon, is director of pediatric surgical research laboratories and chief emerita of pediatric surgical services at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston.

The prestigious Jacobson Innovation Award honors living surgeons who have been innovators of a new development or technique in any field of surgery. The award is made possible through a gift from Julius H. Jacobson II, MD, FACS, and his wife, Joan. Dr. Jacobson is a general vascular surgeon known for his pioneering work in microsurgery.

Dr. Donahoe is the award's 27th recipient. She is the leading expert in reproductive developmental biology and oncology. Her extraordinary career encompasses both pediatric surgery and lifelong innovative research. Research has always been part of Dr. Donahoe's medical education and professional life. She performed research during medical school and throughout her surgical fellowship training in the laboratory of Judah Folkman, MD, FACS, at Boston Children's Hospital, as well as with W. Hardy Hendren III, MD, FACS, at MGH. Both Drs. Folkman and Hendren are previous recipients of the Jacobson Innovation Award for their work.

Dr. Donahoe then completed registrar and senior registrar posts at Adler Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, England, under Drs. Peter Rickham and Herbert Johnston. In 1973, she joined the MGH department of surgery as the first female surgeon on staff and was also asked to develop MGH's pediatric surgical research program, where she combined her passions of surgery and research.

Pioneering research on MIS

During her years as a junior faculty member at MGH, Dr. Donahoe began her pioneering ongoing research on Mullerian Inhibiting Substance (MIS), which has changed the way clinicians understand reproduction. MIS has clinical applications in the regulation of normal reproduction and a potential role in the control of ovarian and other reproductive tumors.

Dr. Donahoe's initial research efforts may have been focused on ovarian cancer and treatments options. However, early on, her pediatric surgical research led a molecular understanding of the biology behind the development of reproductive structures and function. MIS is a gonadal hormone that causes regression of the Mullerian ducts, the anlagen of the female internal reproductive structures, during male embryogenesis.

In non-clinical terms, "Dr. Donahoe discovered one of the key molecular codes for what makes a boy a boy, and a girl a girl," explained H. Randolph Bailey, MD, FACS, ACS First Vice President, who will moderate the award ceremony this evening.

This research has been key to a more sophisticated understanding of the complications of disorders of sexual differentiation. Disorders/Differences of Sex Development (DSDs) are rare congenital conditions that are seen when a baby is born with variations in either or both male and female reproductive organs, making it difficult to distinguish their naturally intended gender. These discoveries opened up a new area of pediatric surgery. Thousands of children have benefitted from her research into the causes of these abnormalities.

Dr. Donahoe's research has also contributed to the understanding of the molecular and genetic causes of birth defects, particularly congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which adversely affects lung development. Her interest in lung development led her to devise a new technique for the repair of laryngotracheal esophageal clefts where there were no previous survivors.

A career of numerous honors and awards

Dr. Donahoe is the recipient of consecutive National Institute of Health (NIH) grants, which covered the years, unabated, from 1976 to the present. She is the author of more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and has trained and mentored more than 100 fellows in her research laboratory. She holds multiple patents of composition and use of MIS. A Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and the National Academy of Medicine, she is also presently one of only two surgeons honored as a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences since 1999. Her research on MIS as a potential anti-cancer agent and in enhancing fertility garnered her the Pincus Medal by the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Worcester Foundation. She has also been awarded the American Surgical Association's Flance-Karl Award and the Gold Medallion for Research, the Fred Conrad Kock Award of the Endocrine Society, and the William Ladd Medal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a past-president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, The Boston Surgical Society, and the New England Surgical Society.

A mentor to surgeon-scientists and endocrinologists

Dr. Donahoe has led a remarkable career both as a pediatric surgeon and as a world-class investigator. Not only has she contributed enormously to women's health and reproductive endocrinology, but has also expanded the reach of her work by training and mentoring an entire generation of young surgeons and endocrinologists, including both MDs and PhDs, in developmental biology, genetics, and genomics.

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About Patricia Kilroy Donahoe, MD, FACS

Dr. Donahoe is a board certified general and pediatric surgeon from Boston. Born in 1937, she grew up in Brookline and Braintree, Mass. She completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University before being accepted into medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City. Of 120 students in her medical school class, only 10 were woman. She excelled in medical school, earning a medical doctorate (MD) in 1964. Dr. Donahoe performed cardiac surgery research from day one of medical school, culminating in her research team winning the Borden Undergraduate Award at graduation.

While in medical school, she married her childhood sweetheart, Jack Donahoe, who was pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Columbia University. While both balanced their studies, she gave birth to two children, Shauna and Tara. Upon completion of Jack's MBA degree, he was offered a prime opportunity to join the Ford Motor Corporation in Boston. Graduating medical school in 1964, Dr. Donahoe only applied for surgical residency programs in Boston and was accepted into the Tufts University New England Medical Center program. She subsequently trained under Judah Folkman, MD, FACS, during which time she had her third child, John II ("Jake"). This seminal training was followed by a clinical and research fellowship with W. Hardy Hendren III, MD, FACS.

Dr. Donahoe further specialized her studies in newborn surgery under the direction of Dr. Peter P. Rickham at the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, England. Drs. Rickham and Isabella Forshall had founded the first neonatal surgical unit in the world, which later became the benchmark for similar units across the globe. This unit's work at Alder Hey immediately brought significant improvements in the survival of newborn infants undergoing surgery.

Following her success at Alder Hey, Dr. Donahoe returned to Boston in 1973, joining the staff of MGH as its first female clinical surgeon in the surgical unit of Dr. Hendren, where she also began development of their research team. She has devoted her entire professional life to MGH with astonishing results. The American College of Surgeons recognized her as an Icon in Surgery in 2019 (view video here).

Previous Jacobson Innovation Award recipients

About the American College of Surgeons
Researchers from University of Adelaide published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines how advertising can increase the informativeness of a firm's stock price by reducing its stock price synchronicity.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "Tarred with the Same Brush? Advertising Share of Voice and Stock Price Synchronicity" and is authored by Chee Cheong, Arvid Hoffmann, and Ralf Zurbruegg.

Firms are sometimes "tarred with the same brush" by investors instead of being traded based on firm-specific information. This is problematic when influential incidents happen, such as product recalls, because firms in the same industry as the offender also experience a drop in firm value despite not being involved in the incident themselves. This study demonstrates that advertising can help firms avoid such a situation by differentiating themselves from their financial market competitors through communicating firm-specific information to investors.

The researchers argue that advertising provides information to investors in financial markets, analogous to its role for customers in product markets. Hoffmann explains that "Although advertising is typically intended to increase awareness of and provide information about a firm's products rather than its shares, it also attracts investor attention, constitutes an important source of information, and is eventually internalized by investors to affect stock trading behavior. We expect that advertising can increase the informativeness of a firm's stock price by reducing its stock price synchronicity, or the extent to which its stock price is driven by general market and industry trends instead of firm-specific information."

The study uses a comprehensive data set based on all U.S. publicly listed firms from 1994 to 2018 and supplements this quantitative data with qualitative data from in-depth interviews with executives of such publicly listed firms to examine three interrelated research questions.

First, if a firm advertises more relative to its industry peers, does this increase its stock price informativeness and thus reduce its stock price synchronicity? The researchers expect that the larger a firm's so-called "advertising share of voice," the more visible it will be among (potential) investors, thus making it more likely that investors incorporate in their pricing the firm-specific information conveyed in the firm's advertising.

Second, is the effect of advertising more pronounced if there is more demand for information about the firm in the financial market (for example, because the firm has more complex products)? In such situations, advertising would potentially be more valuable and informative for investors.

Third, is the effect of advertising less pronounced if there is more supply of information about the firm in the financial market (for example, because institutional ownership is greater as these professional investors have access to better information)?

Cheong says that "We find support for our expectation that firms with a larger advertising share of voice are more successful in differentiating themselves in the financial market, as expressed by having a lower stock price synchronicity. Furthermore, this effect is stronger for firms with more complex products and weaker for firms with a larger proportion of institutional ownership." Sensitivity analyses show that the effect of advertising is also more pronounced when there is congruence between a firm's corporate name and its ticker symbol and when a firm has a corporate branding strategy, providing actionable insights for managers. An event study analyzing product recalls as influential marketing-relevant incidents illustrates the practical importance of the results. Firms with high synchronicity are "tarred with the same brush" in terms of experiencing negative abnormal returns when competitors have a recall, while firms with low synchronicity are not affected.

Managers can tap advertising not just to help consumers understand the benefits of the firm's products, but also to communicate firm-specific information to (potential) investors. Ultimately, when stock prices are more informative, investors experience less information asymmetry and are more willing to provide capital to a firm, allowing it to invest in profitable projects.

"To maximize the benefit of the positive spillover effects between product-market advertising and financial market outcomes, managers of publicly listed firms should ensure that investors can easily link the product names as used in advertising campaigns to their corporate name in the stock market; for example, by having a congruent ticker symbol and a corporate branding strategy instead of a house of brands or mixed branding strategy," says Zurbruegg. Finally, it is critical to realize that the results of advertising are above and beyond the effect of a firm's news coverage, meaning that advertising provides new information to investors that they did not yet obtain from other media. Accordingly, the marketing and finance functions of firms should work together when designing ad campaigns.

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Full article and author contact information available at: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1177/ 00222429211001052

About the Journal of Marketing

The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Christine Moorman (T. Austin Finch, Sr. Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University) serves as the current Editor in Chief. https:/ / www. ama. org/ jm

About the American Marketing Association (AMA)
BOSTON - The cost of cancer care in United States was an estimated $183 billion in 2015 and is projected to rise by 30 percent by 2030, according to the American Cancer Society. While private and government insurance may cover much of the cost of care, even patients with insurance can struggle to pay for office visit co-payments, prescription medications or other cancer-related expenses. Yet limited data describes how financial hardship impacts patient behavior and how that in turn may impact patient health.

In a new study designed to provide a more comprehensive picture of how a diverse cohort of gynecologic cancer patients are affected by financial distress -- also called "financial toxicity" in acknowledgment of the health hazards it can pose -- researcher-physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) analyzed previously collected survey data of gynecologic oncology patients from their respective institutions. Their findings are reported in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

"To broaden our understanding of financial toxicity in gynecologic oncology, we combined data from our two very geographically distinct institutions - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and the University of Alabama at Birmingham - to create a diverse cohort of patients," said corresponding author Katharine M. Esselen, MD, MBA, a physician-researcher in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at BIDMC. "Yet despite the many differences in the demographic characteristics of the surveyed patients at each institution -- including important risk factors for financial toxicity, such as race, income, education, employment status, and insurance status -- patients had a similar risk of financial toxicity."

Using the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) to measure the economic burden experienced by patients with cancer, Esselen and colleagues analyzed previously collected survey data from 308 patients with gynecologic cancer -- 240 patients surveyed at BIDMC and 121 surveyed at UAB. The team adapted a proposed grading scale to define three groups: no/mild, moderate, and severe financial toxicity and evaluated the frequency of financial toxicity among each group. They found that nearly half of patients with gynecologic cancer reported experiencing moderate to severe financial toxicity.

Further analysis of survey data revealed that younger patients were at greater risk of experiencing financial toxici-ty for a variety of reasons. Younger patients are not eligible for Medicare, and diagnosis and treatment may im-pact their ability to work. They have also had fewer earning years to accumulate a financial safety net.

Patients reporting severe financial toxicity accounted for 15 percent of those surveyed. Esselen and colleagues found this group more likely to report changing spending habits and borrowing money due to the costs of cancer care. Most alarmingly, those reporting severe financial hardship were nearly five times more likely to attempt to cope with the high cost of care through medication non-compliance.

"Our study confirms that financial toxicity is a very common problem among patients with gynecologic cancers and that there are increasingly worrisome cost-coping strategies employed with increasing severity of the financial toxicity, including medication non-adherence as a cost-coping strategy.," said Esselen. "As this is a relatively new area of investigation, we need to continue to identify patient and disease characteristics that most contribute to the development of financial toxicity. Further, we need to identify which risk factors are potentially modifiable and begin to design and test interventions to learn how we can better treat financial toxicity."

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Co-authors included senior author Margaret I. Liang of University of Alabama at Birmingham; Annika Gompers, Michele R. Hacker and Meghan Shea of BIDMC; Sara Bouberhan of Massachusetts General Hospital; and Sarah S. Summerlin, Lindsay R. Rucker and Warner K. Huh and Maria Pisu of University of Alabama at Birmingham.

This work was supported in part by the National Institute of Child and Human Development (5K12HD001258), the Retention and Recruitment Shared Facility at O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center (P30CA013148), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (UL 1TR002541), Harvard University and its affiliated academic healthcare centers and the Eleanor and Miles Shore 50th Anniversary Fellowship Program.

The authors declare no competing interests.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston - Hypertension, or high blood pressure, kills more Americans than any other health condition. It is especially prevalent in Black Americans and is exacerbated by structural barriers to accessing high quality healthcare. In a 2018 randomized trial called the Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study (LABBS), barbers were trained to screen their Black male patrons for hypertension and refer them to a pharmacist who visited the barbershop to counsel and treat individuals with high blood pressure. Participants in the barbershop-based, pharmacist-led program saw a 20-point drop in systolic (top number) blood pressure that they were able to sustain beyond the duration of the trial.

In a new paper published in the journal Circulation, researchers built a model to examine the potential impact of implementing similar blood pressure control programs at barbershops nationwide. The team found that such programs could reach one in three Black men with uncontrolled blood pressure nationally. Among men who participate, the program could avert 40 percent of major cardiovascular events like heart attacks or stroke.

The team also examined the economic constraints under which the program would have to be implemented in order to be considered cost-effective, and estimated that if barbershop-based programs could be delivered at a cost of roughly $1,500 per enrolled participant per year, it would be considered cost-effective by U.S. standards.

"Barbershop-based, pharmacist-led blood pressure control programs represent a novel and effective way to deliver hypertension care to Black men, who represent an underserved population that is disproportionately affected by the complications of uncontrolled hypertension," said lead author Dhruv S. Kazi, MD, MS, Associate Director of the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). "Our findings provide a blueprint to guide nationwide implementation of a program that has the potential to save lives and improve health outcomes at a reasonable cost per participant."

Kazi and colleagues projected clinical outcomes and direct healthcare costs of implementing barbershop-based, pharmacist-led blood pressure control programs, relative to usual care over 10 years. The team based these projections on the likely clinical outcomes for a hypothetical cohort of Black men ages 35-79 years living in U.S. metropolitan areas with a systolic (top number) blood pressure of 140 or above. Assuming the programs could reduce mean systolic blood pressure by 20 points, as was achieved in the LABBPS program, these community-based interventions would avert 8,600 major cardiovascular events annually relative to usual care, including 1,800 myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, and 5,500 strokes. This is projected to lower healthcare costs by more than $200 million dollars a year.

Despite a range of pre-existing programs and incentives, blood pressure control in the U.S. has worsened in recent years. "There is no reason for us to accept the status quo - there are plenty of effective and affordable medications for blood pressure control if we can address the structural barriers to getting them to people," said Kazi, who is also Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. "The barbershop-based blood pressure control program, pioneered by the late Ronald G Victor, MD, challenges the dogma that high-quality blood pressure control can only happen in healthcare settings. By changing the locus of care to a trusted community setting and allowing trained pharmacists to prescribe antihypertensives and escalate doses of medications, Dr. Victor's program achieved really impressive declines in blood pressure in an underserved population."

Kazi concluded that to improve the health and lives of diverse communities, experts need to learn how to translate the findings of successful clinical trials into large-scale, cost-effective programs using tools from health economics and implementation science. "Our analysis advances that conversation by showing the way forward, clarifying how these programs can be scaled nationally and quantifying the enormous potential health benefits such a scale-up would bring."

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Co-authors include senior author Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, and colleagues Pengxiao C. Wei, MPH, Joanne Penko, MS, MPH, Pamela Coxson, PhD, Valy Fontil, MD, MPH, Courtney Lyles, PhD, Ross Boylan, PhD, Mark J. Pletcher, MD, MPH and of University of California San Francisco; Brandon K. Bellows, PharmD, MS, Kelsey B. Bryant, MD, MPH, Yiyi Zhang, PhD, Andrew E. Moran, MD, MPH of Columbia University; Ciantel A. Blyler, PharmD, Joseph Ebinger, MD, Florian Rader, MD, MSc, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Kathleen Lynch, PharmD, of John Wayne Cancer Institute; and Gabriel S. Tajeu, DrPH, MPH, of Temple University.

Kazi declares no competing interests. For a full list of disclosures, please refer to the study.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01HL117983, R001HL130500, 3R01HL117983-01A1S1); the UCLA CTSI (grants UL1TR001881, K01-HL140170, K23-HL153888, 1K01HL151974-01, 3R01DK108628-05S1, K24DK 103992); the California endowment (2 0131872 and 20162257); and the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching, and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit http://www. bidmc. org .

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,000 physicians and 35,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- By adding behavioral components to an infectious disease model, Brown University researchers have developed a new modeling approach that captures the peaks and valleys in new COVID-19 cases seen over the past 16 months.

The approach, published in the journal Scientific Reports, could be useful in forecasting the future trends in the current pandemic, as well as in predicting the course of future ones.

"We know that people's behavior matters in terms of how an infection is spread," said Vikas Srivastava, an assistant professor of engineering at Brown and principal investigator of the research. "We wanted to see if we could quantify those behavioral aspects, incorporate them into a model and see whether that model is able to capture waves of infection rates we saw in the U.S. and elsewhere."

A commonly used approach to modeling infectious disease transmission is what's known as an SIR model. The approach separates a population into distinct categories: susceptible, infected and recovered. The model moves people from one category to another according to two parameters. The transmissibility of the disease, along with the rate at which people contact each other, predict how quickly people move from susceptible to infected. The rate of recovery moves people from infected to recovered. ("Recovered" in these models generally means "no longer contagious," which also includes those who have died from the infection.)

The standard SIR model produces a curve with a single peak -- the one that infectious disease experts urged people to flatten through social distancing, masks and other measures that reduce virus transmission. But over the last 16 months, actual case rates in individual states, in the U.S. as a whole and in other nations didn't produce a single curve. Instead, they produced multiple waves of infection that created a significant challenge for the infectious disease modeling community, Srivastava says.

As the pandemic unfolded, Srivastava was teaching a class that included a section on infectious disease modeling in Brown's School of Engineering. He and his students were surprised to see the mismatch between model predictions and actual case rates.

"We saw cases going up and down, creating multiple peaks, but models were falling short in capturing it," Srivastava said. "That's what got us thinking about using population behavior and response as a way to explain and predict what is happening."

Srivastava worked with two Brown undergraduate students, Zachary LaJoie and Thomas Usherwood, to develop the new modeling strategy. They modified a standard SIR model to include the effects of vaccination, and also added two behavioral parameters to the model. The first, "level of caution," estimates people's tendency toward safe behavior -- social distancing, mask-wearing and other safety measures -- as reported cases increase. The parameter also captures government actions in response to rising case rates, such as closures and quarantines, that increase safe behavior. A second parameter, "sense of safety," models people's confidence in a return to pre-pandemic activities as more people get vaccinated.

The team then used an optimization algorithm to calibrate values for the new parameters based on case rates reported in the U.S. With the parameters optimized, the team found that the model accurately reproduced case rates throughout the pandemic in the U.S. as a whole and in individual states and cities.

"When we looked at New York City, for example, we saw a spike in our level of caution variable right around the same time government action went into effect in late March," LaJoie said. "Then as cases went down later on, we saw the level of caution come down, and there was another surge in cases going into the holidays."

With the model properly fit to the data, it enables insights into how the pandemic may unfold in the future. For example, the team was able to measure how different rates of vaccine uptake might affect case rates. Rising rates of vaccination could drive a reduction in cases, but they could also reduce levels of caution and increase the sense of safety among the unvaccinated. That could put an upward pressure on case rates even as vaccines are pulling them down. In fact, the model predicts scenarios where brief periods of rising infection rates occur as vaccines are rolled out, before they eventually begin to decline again.

In the U.S., for example, the model captures a short period of increasing infection in mid-April before rates began falling again. Larger surges in places like India look similar to the more extreme post-vaccination surges the model predicts. At its current rates of vaccination, the model predicts that cases in the U.S. should approach zero by August 2021.

Insights like that, the researchers say, could be useful in places where vaccination programs are just getting underway.

"When we developed the model, we focused on the U.S., but it would definitely be useful for making predictions in other places like India, Europe or South America where case rates are still pretty high," LaJoie said.

The modeling approach could also be applied to future outbreaks or pandemics.

"There's really nothing in this model that limits it only to COVID-19 as a disease," Usherwood said. "We think this has applicability to any situation where people's behavior is important, which is basically any infectious disease."

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(Boston)-- Prevalence rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) have increased dramatically, accompanied by a surge of overdose deaths--nearly 50,000 in the U.S. in 2019. While opioid dependence has been extensively studied in preclinical models, an understanding of the biological alterations that occur in the brains of people who chronically use opioids and who are diagnosed with OUD remains limited. To address this issue, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have conducted the largest transcriptomic (the study of all the RNA molecules within a cell) study to date using postmortem brains from people with OUD.

Their findings for the first time show a critical role for neuroinflammation as the driver of the pathological brain alterations produced by chronic opioid use. They also identify microglia (the most prominent immune cells of the central nervous system and the first to respond when something goes wrong in the brain) as the cell type responsible for many of these changes.

"Our study has yielded a number of surprising and important findings, including how two of the most critical brain regions associated with opioid dependence, the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, communicate with one another under "healthy" conditions, as well as how opioids alter fundamental brain processes contributing to opioid dependence," explained corresponding author Ryan W. Logan, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology & experimental therapeutics at BUSM.

To investigate the molecular changes in the human brain associated with opioid dependence, the researchers used transcriptomic and computational approaches to examine gene changes in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens and discovered changes associated with inflammation and synaptic structure/function in the brains of people who are diagnosed with OUD. "The data reveals a new mechanism by which opioids may alter the brains' structure to change synaptic plasticity, ultimately resulting in behavioral changes," said Logan.

According to the researchers, inflammation in the brain is related to several psychiatric disorders and neurological disorders including neurodegeneration and aging-related brain diseases. "Our findings highlight the potential role for activation of specific inflammatory pathways in the brain and their interplay in brain processes related to cognition, impulsivity, risk-taking and substance use," he added.

The researcher believe this this work offers a new context for neuroinflammatory actions in the human brain that may explain how opioids produce circuit dysfunction. In addition, it may provide new insights into potential targets for therapeutic development in treating people suffering with opioid dependence.

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These finding appear online the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Funding for this study was provided by the Hamilton Family Prize for Basic Neuroscience Research in Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to R.W.L., NHLBI R01HL150432 to R.W.L, and NIDA R01DA051390 to R.W.L and M.L.S.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 11, 2021) -- In recent years, community science--also known as citizen science--has become a global phenomenon, engaging millions of people through wildlife observation platforms like iNaturalist and contributing unparalleled amounts of data on the natural world. Despite this, however, community science data remains widely underutilized by the scientific community due to its perception as being less reliable than expert-collected data. In a paper published last week in Oikos, California Academy of Sciences researchers--with support from the California Ocean Protection Council--present a new framework for how community-generated data can be effectively used to monitor and protect our planet's biodiversity. Their findings show that community science data is not only useful, but necessary for uncovering the real-time impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.

"Community-generated data has had tremendous potential for a long time, specifically for monitoring global biodiversity change," says study author and former Academy data scientist Giovanni Rapacciuolo, PhD, who is now Director of Applied Science Programs at NatureServe. "By synthesizing the best available knowledge into a framework for how to make community science data usable and readily available for conservationists and land managers, this paper serves as a key to unlock that potential."

Whereas traditional biodiversity monitoring methods, such as standardized surveys, are heavily structured--conducted in a particular area for a specific amount of time and focused on certain species--community science data is generally unstructured with anyone capable of uploading an observation of any species anywhere in the world at anytime.

By using their framework, however, the researchers were able to take community-generated data and retroactively apply structure to measure biodiversity change similarly to traditional methods. Instead of comparing biodiversity between two surveys with specific parameters, for example, you filter uploaded community science data for areas where a similar number of observers made a similar number of observations over a similar period of time.

"Traditional, long-term monitoring is critically important, but it is not the only way to gather meaningful data," says Academy Co-director of Community Science and study co-author Rebecca Johnson, PhD. "We empower people to share their nature observations wherever they are and apply structure and statistical corrections after those observations are made as opposed to asking community scientists to follow the same strict protocols experts would."

To ensure their framework accurately captures large-scale biodiversity change, the researchers compared treated community-generated species observations from iNaturalist with nearly a decade of long-term standardized monitoring surveys conducted along the California coast and found that they agreed in many cases.

Ultimately, the research team sees the framework leading to the development of easily accessible tools that allow researchers and land managers to integrate community-generated data with traditional data sources to get a more complete picture of global biodiversity change.

But more than just another tool for monitoring species, according to the researchers, community science may be the best--and perhaps the only--way of answering important questions about our planet's biodiversity.

"Community scientists can collect a breadth of data across time, space, and taxa that complements gaps left by traditional methods," Rapacciuolo says. "Using the framework laid out in this paper, these data can be used to identify real-time, systemic changes in biodiversity. As the impacts of climate change accelerate, leveraging community-generated data to monitor these changes will be more important than ever."

While directed initiatives such as Snapshot Cal Coast--an annual two-week event starting June 11th this year that encourages people to upload observations of wildlife along the California coast to iNaturalist--are already providing researchers with an abundance of rich biodiversity data, the researchers say their framework can help community-generated data reach its full potential.

"Through programs like Snapshot Cal Coast, researchers are already utilizing community science data to better understand and protect ecosystems on a statewide level," Johnson says. "This paper lays out the framework for doing so at national, even global, scales."

By unlocking the potential of community science, they also hope it will inspire more people than ever to get out into nature and contribute to platforms like iNaturalist.

"People are always looking for what they can do to help the planet," Johnson says. "By implementing this new framework and working in partnership with land and coastal managers we can ensure that uploading wildlife observations and participating in community science events that monitor local biodiversity will be one of the most meaningful things a person can do to protect nature. It doesn't hurt that it's a lot of fun, too."

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About Research at the California Academy of Sciences

The Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences is at the forefront of efforts to understand two of the most important topics of our time: the nature and sustainability of life on Earth. Based in San Francisco, the Institute is home to more than 100 world-class scientists, state-of-the-art facilities, and nearly 46 million scientific specimens from around the world. The Institute also leverages the expertise and efforts of more than 100 international Associates and 450 distinguished Fellows. Through expeditions around the globe, investigations in the lab, and analysis of vast biological datasets, the Institute's scientists work to understand the evolution and interconnectedness of organisms and ecosystems, the threats they face around the world, and the most effective strategies for sustaining them into the future. Through innovative partnerships and public engagement initiatives, they also guide critical sustainability and conservation decisions worldwide, inspire and mentor the next generation of scientists, and foster responsible stewardship of our planet.
Announcing a new article publication for BIO Integration journal. In this article the authors Yuhao Chen, Yue Li, Meng Du, Jinsui Yu, Fei Gao, Zhen Yuan and Zhiyi Chen from The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China, University of South China, Hunan, China and University of Macau, China discuss ultrasound neuromodulation: integrating medicine and engineering for neurological disease treatment.

Neurological diseases associated with dysfunctions of neural circuits, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), depression and epilepsy, have become increasingly prevalent. To tackle these issues, artificial stimulation or regulation of specific neural circuits and nuclei are employed to alleviate or cure certain neurological diseases.

Ultrasound neuromodulation is an emerging interdisciplinary approach, which integrates medicine and engineering methodologies in the treatment. With the development of medicine and engineering, ultrasound neuromodulation has gradually been applied in the treatment of central nervous system diseases. In this review, the authors summarize the mechanism of ultrasound neuromodulation and the advances of focused ultrasound (FUS) in neuromodulation in recent years, with a special emphasis on its application in central nervous system disease treatment.

FUS shows great potential for the treatment of epilepsy, tremor, AD, depression, and brain trauma. The authors also suggest future directions of ultrasound neuromodulation in clinical settings, with a focus on fusion with genetic engineering or nanotechnology

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Article reference: Yuhao Chen, Yue Li, Meng Du, Jinsui Yu, Fei Gao, Zhen Yuan and Zhiyi Chen, Ultrasound Neuromodulation: Integrating Medicine and Engineering for Neurological Disease Treatment. BIO Integration, 2021, https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 15212/ bioi-2020-0026

BIO Integration is fully open access journal which will allow for the rapid dissemination of multidisciplinary views driving the progress of modern medicine.

As part of its mandate to help bring interesting work and knowledge from around the world to a wider audience, BIOI will actively support authors through open access publishing and through waiving author fees in its first years. Also, publication support for authors whose first language is not English will be offered in areas such as manuscript development, English language editing and artwork assistance.

BIOI is now open for submissions; articles can be submitted online at: https:/ / mc04. manuscriptcentral. com/ bioi

Please visit http://www. bio-integration. org to learn more about the journal.

Editorial Board: https:/ / bio-integration. org/ editorial-board/

BIOI is available on the IngentaConnect platform (https:/ / www. ingentaconnect. com/ content/ cscript/ bioi ) and at the BIO Integration website (http://www. bio-integration. org ).

Submissions may be made using ScholarOne (https:/ / mc04. manuscriptcentral. com/ bioi ). There are no author submission or article processing fees.

Follow BIOI on Twitter @JournalBio; Facebook (https:/ / www. facebook. com/ BIO-Integration-Journal-108140854107716/ ) and LinkedIn (https:/ / www. linkedin. com/ company/ bio-integration-journal/ ).

ISSN 2712-0074

eISSN 2712-0082

Keywords: Nanogenerator, neuromodulation, neurological disease, sonogenetics, ultrasound
ITHACA, N.Y. - A $300,000 investment from New York state has paved the way for a new hops breeding program at Cornell AgriTech, which will grow and develop signature New York hops varieties - selected for high yield, preferred flavors and disease resistance - in support of the state's $3.4 billion craft brewing industry.

The program - to be led by Larry Smart, professor of horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - will integrate AgriTech expertise to help the state's hops growers overcome breeding and disease-management challenges.

Craft brewing is one of the fastest growing segments of New York's craft beverage industry, with more than 440 licensed breweries across the state. The industry contributes 20,000 full-time jobs and produces 1.2 million barrels of craft beer annually.

But as the industry has grown, so too has the demand from consumers for locally sourced craft beers with a unique flavor profile. Under current terms of the state's 2013 farm brewing law, for a brewery to receive a state license no less than 60% of a brewery's hops and 60% of all other ingredients must be grown in New York state.

New York craft breweries struggle to keep up with these demands, due to in part to a lack of access to New York-developed hops varieties.

"Quirky hop varieties are all the rage to today's craft beer consumer," said Rick Pedersen, owner of Pedersen Farms, which produces hops for a number of Finger Lakes breweries. "Consumers want 'new and different,' and this is why a hops breeding program is needed in New York state."

Smart will tap into expertise from the Cornell Craft Beverage Institute (CCBI), at Cornell AgriTech, to identify suitable flavor profiles for the New York craft beer industry and ideal varieties for New York growers.

"I think craft beverages are most successful and consumers are most engaged when there is a unique sense of place expressed," said Chris Gerling, senior extension associate at CCBI. "We've gained the most traction with products that suit New York as opposed to imitations of what works in other places. This breeding program will play a crucial role in providing hops to help brewers further demonstrate our own regional strengths and our own preferred styles."

Smart will ensure that any new hop varieties the program develops are offered to New York growers first, through Cornell's Center for Technology Licensing, although the development and release of new varieties could take several years.

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New treatment combination for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an additional affordable option for millions still waiting for access to lifesaving treatments in middle-income countries

The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) of Malaysia has granted a conditional registration for a safe, effective hepatitis C treatment developed by a public-private partnership bringing together the Malaysian Ministry of Health, not-for-profit research and development organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Egyptian pharmaceutical company Pharco, Malaysian pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga Berhad, and non-governmental-organization Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

This is the very first drug for hepatitis C virus (HCV) to be developed through South-South collaboration and with funding and clinical support from non-profit organizations.

This partnership was formed to address one of the more intractable public health challenges of the past decade: the lack of access to affordable direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), a newer generation of powerful HCV treatments that can cure patients in three to six months. HCV, which can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, cancer, and death, affects about 58 million people worldwide, but only about 13% have received treatment to date. The disease causes around 300,000 deaths a year.

'Although hepatitis can be cured, there is a vicious circle that stands in the way of providing treatment to all in need: the disease is mostly a 'silent killer', the diagnostic process is complex, so people go unfound, and DAAs are often too expensive,' said Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Director General of Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. 'Malaysia decided to act to break this vicious circle. We are actively screening to find 'missing' patients, rolling out simpler diagnostic tests, and ensuring we have access to the best prices for treatments, including by conducting clinical research to identify additional affordable treatment options. Today's announcement is a milestone on Malaysia's long journey to achieve the World Health Organization goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030.'

The approval today concerns a new drug, ravidasvir, for the treatment of chronic HCV infection in adults in combination with other medicinal products. Ravidasvir was developed by the partnership for use with sofosbuvir, an existing DAA, as an affordable, simple, and efficacious public health tool.

DNDi and partners conducted STORM-C-1, an open-label clinical trial to assess the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of ravidasvir combined with sofosbuvir in Malaysia and Thailand. The study was sponsored by the Ministries of Health of Malaysia and Thailand, and DNDi. In results published in April 2021 in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, the combination showed cure rates of 97% and was well tolerated in a diverse adult population with chronic HCV infection. This included people infected with genotype 3 of the virus, which is particularly hard to treat. No clinically significant drug-drug interactions with the antiretrovirals commonly used to treat HIV were found, which will make this new combination particularly useful to clinicians.

'The development of this new drug is the result of a partnership between public and private actors sharing the same public health objective from the very start: the development of an affordable medicine. It is a concrete example of how research and development can deliver innovation driven by public health needs, rather than market imperatives,' said Dr Bernard Pecoul, Executive Director of DNDi.

Ravidasvir is an oral NS5A inhibitor discovered and owned by Presidio Pharmaceuticals. It was licensed to Egyptian drug manufacturer Pharco Pharmaceuticals and DNDi for clinical development and commercialization. In an earlier Phase III clinical trial in Egypt conducted by Pharco, ravidasvir + sofosbuvir showed cure rates of up to 100% in patients with genotype 4. Pharco and DNDi partnered with Malaysian drug manufacturer Pharmaniaga for the registration and supply of ravidasvir in Malaysia and South-East Asia.

'This new treatment will be a powerful tool in our arsenal to make the vision of a hepatitis C-free world a reality,' said Dr Sherine Helmy, CEO of Pharco Pharmaceuticals. 'This is why this new combination will be sold at an affordable price between USD 300-500 for a 12-week treatment course.'

'NPRA approval is a huge milestone for all parties who have been working tirelessly to make a safe, effective, accessible and, most importantly, affordable treatment for hepatitis C in Malaysia,' said Datuk Zulkarnain Mohamed Eusope, Pharmaniaga Group Managing Director. 'This is a first for us at Pharmaniaga, a generics company, being involved in the development of a new chemical entity. We thank the NPRA for their continuous support, and for prioritizing the approval, obtained within 15 months, compared to standard timelines of two years or more. We hope this latest development will increase options and facilitate access for the public to obtain a more affordable treatment for HCV.'

The STORM-C project was financed by MSF's Transformational Investment Capacity initiative, with the objective of increasing access to treatment for HCV patients in low- and middle-income countries.

'Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from the consequences of hepatitis C and expanding the access to cure is a medical humanitarian imperative,' said Pierre Mendiharat, Deputy Operations Director for MSF. 'HCV affects vulnerable and often marginalized populations including people who use drugs and people co-infected with HIV. To eliminate HCV, we need easy-to-use, simple, and affordable treatments that work, like the ravidasvir + sofosbuvir combination.'

Plans to register the new ravidasvir + sofosbuvir combination are advancing in other countries, including in Latin America.

'Our goal is now to help foster the political will and financing needed for wide-scale roll-out of lifesaving testing and treatment for hepatitis C globally,' said Dr Bernard Pecoul. 'The Malaysian example is a showcase of what can be done with the right will, the right partners, and the right tools.'

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A current challenge for sustainable aquaculture is how to increase the quantities of farmed fish while also reducing waste products that can lead to the accumulation of harmful fish sludge. New research aims to understand how this fish waste can be treated for use in aquaponics systems, by removing excessive carbon, yet preserving the mineral nutrients required by plants to grow.

In this study in Frontiers in Plant Science, researchers from the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, demonstrate a novel and effective way to convert this fish sludge into plant fertilizer and therefore improving the nutrients available for plants in hydroponic plant cultivation. The lead author, Mr Victor Lobanov explains:

"Fish sludge is a waste product made up of uneaten food and fish feces and is normally broken down by bacteria in the water. In addition to physically harming fish gills, excess carbon in the solids leads to excessive bacterial growth - diminishing oxygen in the water and hampering the ability of the fish to breathe. We wanted to find out whether this waste could be used to fertilize plants in aquaponics systems by removing the excessive carbon, yet preserving the minerals needed for growing crops."

Fish waste as fertilizer

The researchers investigated a potential solution inspired by sewage and wastewater treatment plants found around the world, called enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). This process was adapted by the researchers so that the risk of bacteria build up in the water was reduced, but the minerals from the fish waste were soluble in the water and could therefore be biologically available for plants to take up.

They found that the solid treatment system they developed was highly effective at delivering nutrients from the fish waste to the aquaponic system in the form of a liquid fertilizer equally as efficiently as a commercial nutrient solution. Although the fertilizer did not meet plant needs entirely as some nutrients such as manganese were missing, the researchers hope to optimize this system in future studies:

"Hopefully we can scale the system more efficiently in the future, not just for lettuce as used in this study but as well as for other plants, with the right number of fish corresponding to the size of the system. By further optimizing the breakdown of fish solids by the solid treatment system, we can also achieve a faster treatment rate and make the whole process more efficient," explains Mr Lobanov.

Commercial fertilizer solutions often have very high levels of nitrogen, stimulating crops to swell and absorb large amounts of water and giving the appearance of improved growth but often decreasing the amounts of minerals in the plant. Despite the fertilizer created by the solids treatment system containing lower levels of nitrogen than commercially available chemical fertilizers, plants were not nutrient deficient. This suggests that the high nitrogen levels commonly used are in excess of what the plants need. The authors hope that this finding will stimulate further research into the connections between plant nutrients, health and taste:

"Our work shows that this type of cultivation is not only more sustainable, but it is also capable of providing nutrients in a form that is easily accessible to plants. Farmers can take this system and optimize it for their specific crops and production volumes, potentially even supplementing with additional nutrients if required."

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Luxembourg's research community has strengthened its commitment to Open Access through a new national publishing agreement, announced this week. The Bibliotheque Nationale du Luxembourg, the country's national library, and the open access publisher Frontiers have reached a three-year publishing deal that will run until February 2024.

Managed by the Consortium Luxembourg national library service, participating organizations include: the Bibliotheque Nationale du Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Institute of Health, and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, as well as the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), making it the first publisher agreement to include the main funder in Luxembourg. This is also the first deal between a national consortium and Frontiers with an annual payment structure, a model designed to help streamline and simplify operations.

Eligible authors from participating institutions now benefit from reduced administration when they publish in any one of Frontiers' portfolio of 116 open access journals at no cost to themselves. Frontiers, the Consortium and FNR will now directly manage tasks such as making payments and managing communications. Organizations benefit from online tools for eligibility verification, transparent and comprehensive reporting on expenditures, a dedicated account support manager, and publishing fee discounts.

Crucially, the agreement also means participating organizations and researchers are immediately Plan S compliant. Plan S is a multi-funder open access mandate, which from January 2021 required all scientific articles that result from research funded by public grants to be published immediately open access in compliant venues. All research published by Frontiers is inherently compliant with the policy.

Dr. Marc Schiltz, secretary general of the Luxembourg National Research Fund and President of Science Europe, said: "This agreement is another step forward in ensuring immediate open access for publicly funded research results. It also proves that open access can be easy and does not create additional administrative burdens for the parties involved."

Annual payment model

The agreement marks Frontiers' sixth national deal and its tenth consortium agreement, bringing the total number of agreements in Frontiers' institutional membership program to 250, which includes more than 500 institutions worldwide.

This deal is Frontiers' first national agreement with a payment structure in which publishing fees are forecast and reconciled annually. The new payment model will simplify the financial administration for the deal's stakeholders in a similar vein to the way traditional subscription or hybrid publishers operate, although all Frontiers research articles are of course Open Access and free to read regardless.

Dr. Fred Fenter, chief executive editor of Frontiers said: "Today's announcement marks an important step for Luxembourg's research community, for Open Access, and Frontiers. Our national-consortium partners understand the value of Gold Open Access in our common mission to achieve open science; we salute the flexibility of Consortium Luxembourg which allowed us to find an innovative, fair, and manageable membership plan including the national funder. Luxembourg's research community joins a growing roster of countries that recognize the benefits of working at the national level with Frontiers, including the UK, Norway, Qatar, Sweden, and Austria."

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Notes to editors:

About the National Library of Luxembourg

The National Library of Luxembourg (BnL) is the largest scientific library in Luxembourg holding more than 1.8 million physical documents as well as a growing number of online resources. As a heritage library, the BnL hosts an essential part of the nation's memory as all publications published in or about Luxembourg are collected through legal deposit. The printed Luxemburgensia collection is further complemented by both digital-born publications and by documents digitised by the BnL. The BnL is also a research library and offers its users access to international works in all areas of knowledge.

ABOUT FNR

The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) is the main funder of research activities in Luxembourg. We invest public funds and private donations into research projects in various branches of science and the humanities, with an emphasis on selected core strategic areas. Furthermore, we support and coordinate activities to strengthen the link between science and society and to raise awareness for research. We also advise the Luxembourg government on research policy and strategy.

ABOUT FRONTIERS
Fully occupied intensive care units (ICUs). Physically and mentally exhausted health workers. Chaotically overcrowded hospitals. These and similar problems posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil have created ideal conditions for the emergence of Candida auris, a microorganism some are calling a "superfungus" because of the speed with which it has developed drug resistance.

The first two cases were confirmed in December 2020 at a hospital in Salvador (state of Bahia, Northeast Brazil), and are described in the Journal of Fungi by a group of researchers led by Arnaldo Colombo, head of the Special Mycology Laboratory at the Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP). The study was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP.

"Nine other C. auris patients have since been diagnosed at the same hospital, some colonized [with the fungus in their organism but not doing harm] and others infected," Colombo told. "No other cases have been reported in Brazil, but there are grounds for concern. We're monitoring the evolutionary characteristics of C. auris isolates from patients at the hospital in Salvador, and we've already found samples with reduced sensitivity to fluconazole and echinocandins. The latter belong to the main class of drugs used to treat invasive candidiasis."

Except for C. auris, fungi of the genus Candida are part of the human gut microbiota and cause problems only when there are imbalances in the organism, Colombo explained. These include infections such as vaginal yeast infection and thrush (oral candidiasis), often caused by C. albicans.

In some cases, however, the fungus enters the bloodstream and causes a systemic infection known as candidemia, the most common form of invasive candidiasis, similar to bacterial sepsis. Invasion of the bloodstream and the immune system's exacerbated response to the pathogen can cause damage to several organs and even lead to death. According to scientific evidence, mortality among candidemia patients infected by C. auris can reach 60%.

"The species quickly becomes resistant to multiple drugs and isn't very sensitive to the disinfectants used by hospitals and clinics," Colombo said. "As a result, it's able to persist in hospitals, where it colonizes health workers and ends up infecting patients with severe COVID-19 and other long-stay critical patients."

Several factors make patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 ideal targets for C. auris, including long hospital stays, urinary and central venous catheters (allowing invasion of the bloodstream), and steroids and antibiotics (which disrupt the gut microbiota).

"The virus can damage the intestinal mucosa of severe COVID-19 patients [facilitating invasion of the bloodstream by pathogens] so that the patient becomes vulnerable to candidemia," Colombo said.

Several countries have reported the emergence of C. auris during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added, making the need to intensify control of hospital-acquired infections throughout Brazil even more urgent. Rational use of antimicrobial drugs in ICUs is equally important. Since the start of the pandemic, azithromycin and other antibiotics have been more widely prescribed, mostly without a genuine justification.

Monitoring

C. auris was first isolated in Japan in 2009 but the scientific community paid it little attention until some years later when outbreaks of candidemia caused by the superfungus occurred in Asia and Europe. In 2016, an article by the UNIFESP group in the Journal of Infection reported the arrival of the species in the Americas via Venezuela. It was soon detected in Colombia, Panama and Chile.

"In 2017 we participated in a task force convened by the Health Ministry and ANVISA [Brazil's health surveillance authority] and wrote a technical standard [Risk Notice 01/2017] warning health services that precautionary measures should be taken to monitor the possible arrival of C. auris in Brazil, which was confirmed only at the end of last year," Colombo said.

Since then, the UNIFESP team has been monitoring the emergence of novel fungal pathogens in bloodstream infections documented by medical centers across Brazil, without detecting C. auris until now.

Five clades or lineages of C. auris have so far been described in the world. According to Colombo, the clade isolated in Salvador resembles the Asian original more closely than the variant detected in Venezuela and other South American countries, suggesting a second independent arrival of the superfungus on the continent.

"Alternatively, there may be a local environmental source, since none of the Brazilian patients infected by the fungus traveled abroad or had infected relatives," Colombo said.

Every month since December, the researchers have received samples of the clade isolated at the hospital in Salvador for testing of its sensitivity to antifungal drugs in their laboratory.

"In these tests, we expose the cultured microorganism to progressive concentrations of antifungals in order to determine the lowest dose that can inactivate it. In the case of C. auris present in samples recently isolated in Salvador, for example, the dose has to be four to five times larger than the dose used to inactivate the isolate cultured in December 2020," Colombo said.

In partnership with Dutch colleagues, the UNIFESP group is conducting a genetic sequencing study to see if the gene that confers drug resistance on C. auris has mutated during the period.

"The mechanism that enables the species to develop drug resistance isn't enzymatic degradation, as in so many bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics," Colombo said. "The fungus develops structural modifications in the proteins to which the drug binds to inhibit cell wall synthesis [glucan synthase in the case of echinocandins], which is key to its survival. We're seeing this phenomenon happen here in Brazil."

In addition to redoubled care with hygiene, surveillance efforts to detect suspected pathogens should be stepped up, he added. Confirming the presence of C. auris in a sample is no trivial task, requiring specific equipment. The most widely used technique is matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, fairly commonplace in microbiology laboratories but not always available in hospitals in Brazil.

"If the analysis is conducted using conventional automated methods, C. auris can be confused with other species, such as C. haemulonii or C. lusitaniae. Ideally, any strain of Candida that displays drug resistance should be sent for analysis to a reference laboratory," Colombo said.

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About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
Researchers at the University of Sao Paulo discover that the fungus Fusarium verticillioides uses volatile compounds to manipulate insects and plants, promoting its own dissemination

The fungus Fusarium verticillioides is one of the causes of red rot, the most serious sugarcane disease. Losses average around USD 1 billion per harvest in Brazil alone.

The traditional approach to the etiology of this disease is that it is triggered by Diatraea saccharalis, a moth usually referred to as the sugarcane borer. In the caterpillar stage, this insect bores into the stem of the plant, which is later infected opportunistically by the fungus.

However, a study conducted in Brazil by the University of Sao Paulo's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) has turned this model upside down, showing that the trigger is not the insect but the fungus. "It's the first scientifically demonstrated case of a pathogenic fungus manipulating both its vector [the insect] and host [the plant] for its own benefit," Jose Mauricio Simoes Bento, a professor at ESALQ-USP and one of the principal investigators for the study, told.

An opportunistic fungus does not depend on vectors but infects the host by entering it through a lesion in its structure. This case is different. F. verticillioides changes the characteristics of the vector and host to promote its dissemination. "We establish a new paradigm for the association plant-insect-fungus in sugarcane plantations," Bento said.

The research was supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP via grants for two Thematic Projects (Grants 14/50275-9 and 14/50871-0), as well as a PhD scholarship and a master's scholarship awarded to members of the research group.

The group's findings are reported in an article entitled "Fungal phytopathogen modulates plant and insect responses to promote its dissemination", set to publish on June 14 in the prestigious ISME Journal, the official Journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology, owned by Springer Nature.

"Previously the moth was the target and the idea was that the fungus merely took advantage of holes made in the stem by its caterpillars. We discovered this is not the case. The fungus manipulates the insect in order to penetrate the plant and manipulates the plant to attract more insects," said Marcio de Castro Silva Filho, also a professor at ESALQ-USP and co-principal investigator for the study.

Through several experiments, the researchers discovered that sugarcane plants infected by F. verticillioides produce volatile compounds that are irresistible to pregnant females of the moth Diatraea saccharalis. Attracted by these compounds, the moths lay their eggs in the plants. When the caterpillars hatch, they penetrate the stems and are themselves attracted by the volatile compounds, which they ingest. When they enter the pupal stage and develop into adult moths, they are already carriers of the fungus.

"These infected young moths transmit the fungus to the next generation via their eggs," Silva Filho said. "Unlike healthy moths, they're attracted by the volatile compounds in healthy uninfected plants, which they infect by laying eggs in them. The fungus thereby manipulates both the plant and the insect to promote its dissemination."

Instrumentalized by the volatile compounds, females that do not carry the fungus prefer to lay their eggs in infected plants, while infected females prefer healthy plants. Red rot spreads to more and more cane plantations via this insidious mechanism.

Red rot destroys between 50% and 70% of the sucrose content of infected sugarcane stems. "Our study revolutionizes the science of this disease, considered the most serious threat to sugarcane and responsible for huge losses to ethanol and sugar producers," Silva Filho said. "We show that the caterpillar is the vector, in contrast with the view that the fungus enters the plant via the holes made by the caterpillar."

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About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
Not only the very concise 11-year cycle, but also all other periodic solar activity fluctuations can be clocked by planetary attractive forces. This is the conclusion drawn by Dr. Frank Stefani and his colleagues from the Institute of Fluid Dynamics at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and from the Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics in Perm, Russia. With new model calculations, they are proposing a comprehensive explanation of all important known sun cycles for the first time. They also reveal the longest fluctuations in activity over thousands of years as a chaotic process. Despite the planetary timing of short and medium cycles, long-term forecasts of solar activity thus become impossible, as the researchers in the scientific journal Solar Physics (DOI: 10.1007/s11207-021-01822-4) assert.

Solar physicists around the world have long been searching for satisfactory explanations for the sun's many cyclical, overlapping activity fluctuations. In addition to the most famous, approximately 11-year "Schwabe cycle", the sun also exhibits longer fluctuations, ranging from hundreds to thousands of years. It follows, for example, the "Gleissberg cycle" (about 85 years), the "Suess-de Vries cycle" (about 200 years) and the quasi-cycle of "Bond events" (about 1500 years), each named after their discoverers. It is undisputed that the solar magnetic field controls these activity fluctuations.

Explanations and models in expert circles partly diverge widely as to why the magnetic field changes at all. Is the sun controlled externally or does the reason for the many cycles lie in special peculiarities of the solar dynamo itself? HZDR researcher Frank Stefani and his colleagues have been searching for answers for years - mainly to the very controversial question as to whether the planets play a role in solar activity.

Rosette-shaped movement of the sun can produce a 193-year cycle

The researchers have most recently taken a closer look at the sun's orbital movement. The sun does not remain fixed at the center of the solar system: It performs a kind of dance in the common gravitational field with the massive planets Jupiter and Saturn - at a rate of 19.86 years. We know from the Earth that spinning around in its orbit triggers small motions in the Earth's liquid core. Something similar also occurs within the sun, but this has so far been neglected with regard to its magnetic field.

The researchers came up with the idea that part of the sun's angular orbital momentum could be transferred to its rotation and thus affect the internal dynamo process that produces the solar magnetic field. Such coupling would be sufficient to change the extremely sensitive magnetic storage capacity of the tachocline, a transition region between different types of energy transport in the sun's interior. "The coiled magnetic fields could then more easily snap to the sun's surface," says Stefani.

The researchers integrated one such rhythmic perturbation of the tachocline into their previous model calculations of a typical solar dynamo, and they were thus able to reproduce several cyclical phenomena that were known from observations. What was most remarkable was that, in addition to the 11.07-year Schwabe cycle they had already modeled in previous work, the strength of the magnetic field now also changed at a rate of 193 years - this could be the sun's Suess-de Vries cycle, which from observations has been reported to be 180 to 230 years. Mathematically, the 193 years arise as what is known as a beat period between the 19.86-year cycle and the twofold Schwabe cycle, also called the Hale cycle. The Suess-de Vries cycle would thus be the result of a combination of two external "clocks": the planets' tidal forces and the sun's own movement in the solar system's gravitational field.

Planets as a metronome

For the 11.07-year cycle, Stefani and his researchers had previously found strong statistical evidence that it must follow an external clock. They linked this "clock" to the tidal forces of the planets Venus, Earth and Jupiter. Their effect is greatest when the planets are aligned: a constellation that occurs every 11.07 years. As for the 193-year cycle, a sensitive physical effect was also decisive here in order to trigger a sufficient effect of the weak tidal forces of the planets on the solar dynamo.

After initial skepticism toward the planetary hypothesis, Stefani now assumes that these connections are not coincidental. "If the sun was playing a trick on us here, then it would be with incredible perfection. Or, in fact, we have a first inkling of a complete picture of the short and long solar activity cycles." In fact, the current results also retroactively reaffirm that the 11-year cycle must be a timed process. Otherwise, the occurrence of a beat period would be mathematically impossible.

Tipping into chaos: 1000-2000-year collapses are not more accurately predictable

In addition to the rather shorter activity cycles, the sun also exhibits long-term trends in the thousand-year range. These are characterized by prolonged drops in activity, known as "minima", such as the most recent "Maunder Minimum", which occurred between 1645 and 1715 during the "Little Ice Age". By statistically analyzing the observed minima, the researchers could show that these are not cyclical processes, but that their occurrence at intervals of approximately one to two thousand years follows a mathematical random process.

To verify this in a model, the researchers expanded their solar dynamo simulations to a longer period of 30,000 years. In fact, in addition to the shorter cycles, there were irregular, sudden drops in magnetic activity every 1000 to 2000 years. "We see in our simulations how a north-south asymmetry forms, which eventually becomes too strong and goes out of sync until everything collapses. The system tips into chaos and then takes a while to get back into sync again," says Stefani. But this result also means that very long-term solar activity forecasts - for example, to determine influence on climate developments - are almost impossible.

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Publication: F. Stefani, R. Stepanov, T. Weier, Shaken and stirred: When Bond meets Suess-de Vries and Gnevyshev-Ohl, in Solar Physics, 2021 (DOI: 10.1007/s11207-021-01822-4)

For more information:

Dr. Frank Stefani

Institute of Fluid Dynamics at HZDR

Phone: +49 351 260 3069 | Email: f.stefani@hzdr.de

Media contact:

Simon Schmitt | Head

Communications and Media Relations at HZDR

Phone: +49 351 260 3400 | Email: s.schmitt@hzdr.de

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) performs - as an independent German research center - research in the fields of energy, health, and matter. We focus on answering the following questions:

How can energy and resources be utilized in an efficient, safe, and sustainable way?

How can malignant tumors be more precisely visualized, characterized, and more effectively treated?

How do matter and materials behave under the influence of strong fields and in smallest dimensions?

To help answer these research questions, HZDR operates large-scale facilities, which are also used by visiting researchers: the Ion Beam Center, the High-Magnetic Field Laboratory Dresden, and the ELBE Center for High-Power Radiation Sources.

HZDR is a member of the Helmholtz Association and has six sites (Dresden, Freiberg, Grenoble, Gorlitz, Leipzig, Schenefeld near Hamburg) with almost 1,200 members of staff, of whom about 500 are scientists, including 170 Ph.D. candidates.
The internet era that we live in depends completely on the transfer of vast information over optical fibers. Optical fibers are literally everywhere. In fact, the overall length of optical fibers installed on our planet is sufficient to reach planet Uranus and back. However, the transfer of information from point A to point B is not enough. The information that we send and receive must also be processed. Light waves take up an increasing role in addressing that task as well. In addition, optical fibers can do more for us than just relay information: They constitute an exceptional sensing platform. Optical fibers support measurements from a long stand-off distance, simply installed within structures, and suitable for hazardous environments. Optical fibers also support spatially distributed mapping, in which every section serves as an independent node of a sensory network. In both signal processing and sensing tasks, the operation of optical fibers can be significantly aided by an ex-factor that is initially surprising: ultrasound.

Prof. Avi Zadok from the Faculty of Engineering of Bar-Ilan University, Israel, explains: "We are accustomed to think of the propagation of light and ultrasound as two separate realms. However, this would be an oversimplification. The propagation of light down a fiber, for example, can excite ultrasonic elastic waves. At the same time, the same ultrasonic waves affect and scatter light." Such inter-relation goes beyond an academic exercise. Prof. Zadok continues: "Ultrasound waves can make optical fibers do a better job. They can help us select specific information that belongs to specific users. They can also perform sensing measurements beyond the boundaries of the fiber itself, where light does not reach." The formulation and employment of such interaction between light and sound waves is therefore of much potential consequence.

In a paper published recently in Light: Science and Applications [1], a team of researchers from Prof. Zadok's group analyze and measure the interplay of light and ultrasound in a particularly interesting class of fibers. Doctoral student Gil Bashan explains: "The most standard optical fibers are called single-mode fibers. In those, the opportunities for tailoring the light-and-ultrasound interplay are rather limited. In this study we turned to fibers that are called polarization maintaining, or PM fibers. Such fibers are still readily available and employed on a very large scale, so there is no difficulty of gaining access to them. However, they give us more options to play with."

They key factor in PM fibers is that like can propagate in two different ways. Gil Bashan continues: "Light that is polarized in the vertical direction inside the fiber takes up a certain speed, however light that is polarized in the horizontal direction takes up another one. This property of PM fibers was not meant to assist in ultrasonics. Nevertheless, we find it very interesting and useful for our purposes. When light can be either 'fast' or 'slow' along the PM fiber, we have more options to chose from, and larger freedom to design and employ the interplay of light and ultrasound."

One particularly interesting result is the removal of symmetry between directions of propagation. Fellow student Hagai Diamandi describes what this means: "In standard conditions, light should propagate the same way either from left to right, or from right to left. The physics knows no difference. The ultrasonic waves supported by PM fibers are able to change that. Once introduced, they may lead to non-reciprocity. Light in one direction gets switched between the vertical and horizontal states, but that does not happen at the opposite direction of propagation." Non-reciprocal propagation is fundamentally intriguing, but they may also assist in advanced sensor networks, as explained in [1]. Hagai Diamandi concludes: "There have been brilliant reports on non-reciprocal propagation of light due to ultrasound before. However previous demonstrations required specialty fibers or photonic circuits that are custom-made in research labs. These PM fibers come off the shelf."

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New Orleans, LA - The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing a $1.25 million grant over five years to improve access to mental and behavioral health care. The funding will increase the number of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners integrated into primary care settings and improve education and training for primary care nurse practitioners who encounter patients with substance abuse disorders, intimate partner, or exposure to other forms of violence, and depression, among other mental and behavioral health needs.

The project will increase the number of clinical training sites to promote the integration of behavioral health into primary care settings in medically underserved areas. More trained advance practice nurses in mental and behavioral health will help fill a gap in these high-demand services and increase access to care, particularly among children, adolescents and transitional-aged youth living in medically underserved areas.

Key elements of health disparities in Louisiana include a lack of access to mental health care, poverty, low educational levels, and a lack of health insurance coverage. Most children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youths receive Medicaid, which does cover mental health services, but because a significant percentage of this population lives in rural areas with few providers, they have little or no access to mental or behavioral health care.

The project will also increase the diversity of the nursing workforce by recruiting graduate students who are from underrepresented ethnic and/or disadvantaged backgrounds.

"This grant will provide primary care and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner students enhanced clinical placement within community-based, integrated care clinics," says project leader Leanne Fowler, DNP, MBA, APRN, AGACNP-BC, CNE, Director of Nurse Practitioner (NP) Programs at LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing. "Additionally, the grant will provide psychiatric mental health NP students with tuition relief and an immersive clinical experience over three semesters with potential psychiatric mental health NP employers."

A 2020 Mental Health America report ranks Louisiana 45th for overall mental health care, demonstrating that the state has a high prevalence of mental illness and scarce resources and access to care. Rankings also indicate that Louisiana ranks 21st for mental illness among youth. Data indicate that 52.7% of youth in Louisiana who had experienced a Major Depressive Episode did not receive mental health care, and in the last year, only 9% of children (age 3 -17) in the state have received treatment or counseling for mental health from a mental health provider.

Psychiatric mental health and primary care Nurse Practitioners are an essential component of the health care system. To recognize mental health issues and other disparities in Louisiana residents, it is imperative that psychiatric mental health and primary care NP students be prepared to meet the unique needs and challenges of caring for all populations, but especially among medically underserved populations. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the demand for mental health providers will exceed supply by 2025 in the United States.

"I am very encouraged that this opportunity will contribute greatly to building the capacity of a primary care NP and psychiatric mental health NP workforce in Louisiana - a state with a tremendous primary care and mental health workforce deficit," adds Dr. Fowler.

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Despite advances in prevention and therapy, cardiovascular diseases are still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Scientists have only recently begun to understand the key role of alternative splicing - the "stitching together" of messenger RNA during gene transcription - in cardiovascular diseases. The Leducq Foundation is providing 7 million U.S. dollars over the next five years to support the Cardiac Splicing as a Therapeutic Target (CASTT) project, which is comprised of six European and U.S. researchers. They will focus on examining the regulation and disease relevance of alternative splicing in different types of heart cells.

"Our goals include mapping the path from splicing factor discovery to drug development, and creating a database that will make it easier in the future to incorporate complex splicing information into heart disease diagnostics," says Professor Michael Gotthardt, group leader at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) and the European coordinator of CASTT. Professor Leslie Leinwand, biologist and founder of several successful BioPharma companies who is the North American Coordinator adds: "The Leducq Foundation allows us, as scientists and clinicians, to think outside the box of what is traditionally considered effective treatments for heart disease. It enables us to connect different research directions from animal models to patients with innovative genomic and computational approaches."

Other network members include Professor Euan Ashley, a cardiologist at Stanford University; Professor Maria Carmo-Fonseca, a cell and oncobiologist at the University of Lisbon; Professor Benjamin Meder, a cardiologist at Heidelberg University Hospital; and Professor Lars Steinmetz, a geneticist at the EMBL Heidelberg and Stanford University.

Splicing errors can cause heart disease

Heart muscle cells require a variety of proteins so that they can develop, contract, transmit electrical impulses to neighboring cells, and respond to external influences such as stress. The blueprints for producing these proteins are contained in the genes and are transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), which then carries this information to the cell's protein factories - the ribosomes.

Some cells, especially those of higher organisms, use a trick to produce a wide variety of protein molecules. The genes of these cells do not only encode one particular protein, but can serve as the blueprint for several proteins. Genes usually contain alternating coding segments called exons, and non-coding regions called introns. The latter can be removed as needed during transcription, while exons can be linked together in a variable fashion. This creates mRNAs with different exon compositions. This process, known as "alternative splicing," is executed by the spliceosome - a complex machinery made up of splicing factors and splicing regulators. Errors in the splicing process can lead to heart disease. "While remodeling processes dominate in the embryonic heart, allowing the heart to grow and mature, the most important processes at work in the adult heart are those that ensure effective pumping," explains Gotthardt. "In diseased hearts, however, we see gene expression patterns that partly transition back toward the embryonic state in terms of protein formation. As a result, the heart no longer operates within the normal range."

A heart for large meals

The researchers work both clinically as well as experimentally with human cell lines, artificial heart tissue, and animal models. In addition to mice, this includes Burmese pythons, because this powerful strangler is one of only a few living creatures capable of rapidly growing the size of its heart - within a day of swallowing its large prey. This increases blood flow and speeds up the distribution of nutrients throughout the reptile's body. The organ then shrinks back to its original size when digestion is completed. "We want to elucidate the very specific regulation of splicing processes in the python heart because we think these findings could be of therapeutic use - for example, in patients suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which involves a thickening of the heart muscles," says Leinwand, chief scientific officer for the BioFrontiers Institute at University of Colorado Boulder.

The Leducq Foundation was created in 1996 in Paris by industrialist Jean Leducq and his wife Sylviane to drive forward transatlantic collaboration on cardiovascular disease and stroke research. Since then, the foundation has supported more than 70 international networks in these areas, involving more than 800 investigators at more than 100 institutions in 25 countries.

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Scientific contacts

Professor Michael Gotthardt

Neuromuscular and Cardiovascular Cell Biology Lab

Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC)

+49-(0)30-9406-2245

gotthardt@mdc-berlin.de

Professor Leslie Leinwand

BioFrontiers Institute

University of Colorado Boulder

Leslie.Leinwand@Colorado.EDU

Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC)

The Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) is one of the world's leading biomedical research institutions. Max Delbruck, a Berlin native, was a Nobel laureate and one of the founders of molecular biology. At the MDC's locations in Berlin-Buch and Mitte, researchers from some 60 countries analyze the human system - investigating the biological foundations of life from its most elementary building blocks to systems-wide mechanisms. By understanding what regulates or disrupts the dynamic equilibrium in a cell, an organ, or the entire body, we can prevent diseases, diagnose them earlier, and stop their progression with tailored therapies. Patients should benefit as soon as possible from basic research discoveries. The MDC therefore supports spin-off creation and participates in collaborative networks. It works in close partnership with Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin in the jointly run Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC ), the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charite, and the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK). Founded in 1992, the MDC today employs 1,600 people and is funded 90 percent by the German federal government and 10 percent by the State of Berlin.

The University of Colorado Boulder

The University of Colorado Boulder is a bold, innovative community of scholars and learners who accelerate human potential to solve the humanitarian, social and technological challenges of our time. Its BioFrontiers Institute brings together researchers from the life sciences, physical sciences, computer science and engineering to uncover new knowledge at the frontiers of science and partner with industry to transform discoveries into tools for improving human health.
The potential of a class of materials called perovskites to enable solar cells to better absorb sunlight for energy production is widely known. However, this potential has yet to be fully realised, particularly under real-world operating conditions.

New research published today in the prestigious journal Nature Energy, has revealed defects in a popular perovskite light absorber that impede solar cell performance. The researchers found a change in the nature and density of these 'intragrain planar defects' correlated with a change in solar cell performance.

The discovery by an international team of researchers, led by Monash University and Wuhan University of Technology, could lead to improved solar cell technology and provide another step towards reducing the use of fossil fuels for energy.

Perovskite light absorbers have the potential to improve the efficiency of established silicon solar cells by adding an additional layer that can absorb colours, or parts of the energy spectrum, of sunlight which current silicon solar cells cannot.

The highest possible performance of silicon solar cells is around 32 per cent of capacity. This means only about 32 per cent of the energy available in sunlight can be captured by silicon solar cells.

Placing such a perovskite solar cell on top of a silicon solar cell, known as a tandem solar cell, can effectively boost the overall performance of the stack up to roughly 42 per cent.

Since small changes to the perovskite composition can tune the absorption spectrum of perovskite solar cells relatively easily, it is possible to create a perovskite solar cell that absorbs the higher energy light but lets the lower energy light pass through.

The research team used the imaging and diffraction protocol developed at the Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy (MCEM) to study the crystal structure of a range of perovskite solar cell materials in their pristine state.

Lead corresponding author, Professor Joanne Etheridge, Director of the MCEM and Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, said disruptions in the periodic crystal structure can have a strong influence on the material's electronic properties.

"Being able to map the local crystal structure of a thin film of perovskite light absorber and correlate this with the overall solar cell device performance provides exciting new insights into how device performance can be improved," Professor Etheridge said.

Lead author, Dr Wei Li from the Wuhan University of Technology said: "To make a good solar cell, a material must be able to transform sunlight into electricity efficiently and do so outdoors for many decades.

"Producing electricity from light involves absorbing photons to generate excited electrons, separating these electrons from the holes they left behind before they recombine, and finally extracting the separated electrons and holes in an external circuit.

"How these charge carriers behave within a crystalline semiconductor, and subsequently affect the overall performance of a solar cell, strongly depends on the crystallographic properties of the material."

The research team was able to control the presence of certain types of crystal defects - intragrain planar defects - by tuning the chemical composition of the perovskite films.

Planar defects are imperfections in the arrangement of atoms that occur on certain crystal planes.

These imperfections break the otherwise continuously repeating arrangement of atoms in a crystal lattice. Intragrain planar defects are a special type of disruption to the arrangement of atoms in the perovskite material.

The type and density of these defects in MA1-xFAxPbI3 (a type of perovskite solar cell) was changed by tuning the ratio of the small methylammonium (MA) molecules relative to the large formadinium (FA) molecules.

The compositions that contained no intragrain planar defects had the best solar cell performance. This research suggests that such crystal defects can have an important influence on perovskite solar cells and may be a factor limiting their current performance.

Joint lead author, Dr Mathias Rothmann, conducted part of this work during his PhD at Monash University and is now continuing work on perovskite solar cells at Oxford University. Dr Rothmann said this information opens new avenues for improving perovskite solar cell performance.

"For example, a blacksmith introduces defects in hot steel by hammering it, locking the defects in by quenching the steel in water, making the steel harder but less malleable as a result. In conventional silicon solar cells, however, defects are often associated with shorter charge carrier diffusion lengths and lifetimes, resulting in lower power conversion efficiencies," he said.

"We found a similar reduction in performance with the presence of these intragrain planar defects in these perovskite solar cells. We hope that our work can make a contribution towards a fossil fuel-free future based on the abundant availability of sunlight."

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Funding partners for this study include the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, the ARC Discovery Program, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China and the Hong Kong Research Grants Council.

For access to the full research paper, and the list of co-authors, please visit: https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41560-021-00830-9

Read more about the great potential of perovskites in generating solar energy at Monash Lens

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

Leigh Dawson

T: +61 455 368 260 E: media@monash.edu

For more Monash media stories, visit our news and events site
With Oskar Aszmann and his team at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, MedUni Vienna has long been regarded as a world leader in bionic limb reconstruction. It was only last year that the world's first fully integrated bionic arm prosthesis was developed at MedUni Vienna. This is ready-to-use and is described as "Plug and Play". Although all bionic aids have so far been used in humans, the technique known as osseointegration (direct skeletal attachment) has now been used for the very first time in a bearded vulture - the creature was given a new foot. A paper on this ground-breaking procedure has been published today (Friday) in the prestigious Journal Scientific Reports.

In large birds such as vultures, the loss of limbs results in the loss of the ability to walk and ultimately to death from malnutrition. The limb can be replaced by a prosthesis but, so far, it has not been possible to use conventional prosthesis shafts in avian limbs, given the extreme loads they have to withstand in daily use.

Life-saving bionic reconstruction

In the case of "Mia" the bearded vulture from the Owl and Bird of Prey Sanctuary in Haringsee (Lower Austria) run by Dr Hans Frey, Sarah Hochgeschurz from Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine turned to Oskar Aszmann's team for help. Bearded vultures are the largest flying birds in Europe with a wingspan of up to 2.6 m and this particular bird had injured its foot so badly that it had to be amputated. "However, feet are vital tools for a vulture, not only for landing and walking but also for holding their prey, so that their feet have to withstand various loads," explains the researcher from Vetmeduni Vienna.

Aszmann adds: "Following a clinical visit to Haringsee, it was clear that the rare bird could not survive long in its current condition. We designed and fabricated a special bone implant that could be surgically attached to the stump."

This new technique is known as osseointegration and Aszmann's working group recently used it for the first time in Austria on a patient who had lost an arm - however, it had never previously been attempted on a bird. In osseointegration, external parts of the prosthesis are directly connected to a bone anchor to guarantee a solid skeletal attachment. Aszmann explains: "This concept offers a high degree of embodiment, since osseoperception provides direct intuitive feedback, thereby allowing natural use of the extremity for walking and feeding. For the first time we have now successfully bionically reconstructed the limb of a vulture."

The operation on the bearded vulture was successfully carried out, together with Rickard Branemark from the Center for Osseointegration Research (San Francisco), at the Center for Biomechanical Research at MedUni Vienna (Director: Bruno Podesser). Rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment took place back in Haringsee. "The bird made the first attempts to walk after just three weeks and the prosthesis was under full load after six weeks. Today the bearded vulture can once again land and walk using both feet, making it the first 'bionic bird'," says Aszmann, who is famous throughout the world for his ground-breaking work on bionic hands.

In particular, the case of Patrick Mayrhofer created a sensation in the world media in 2011: the young electrician touched a live circuit at work in 2008 and suffered very severe injuries, losing the use of his left hand. He then decided to have his hand amputated and replaced a few weeks later by a bionic prosthesis at MedUni Vienna - a world first.

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North Carolina State University researchers continue to track the evolution of different strains of the plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, which set down roots in the United States before attacking Europe.

NC State plant pathologists studied the genomes of about 140 pathogen samples - historic and modern - from 37 countries on six continents to track the evolution of differing strains of Phytophthora infestans, a major cause of late-blight disease on potato and tomato plants.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, shows that the historic lineage called FAM-1 was found in nearly three-fourths of the samples (73%) and was found on all six continents.

"FAM-1 was much more widespread than previously assumed, spreading from Europe to Asia and Africa along British colony trade routes," said Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology and the corresponding author of the study. "The lineage was also found over a span of more than 140 years."

FAM-1 caused outbreaks of potato late blight in the United States in 1843 and then two years later in Great Britain and Ireland. It was also found in historic samples from Colombia - suggesting a South American origin. FAM-1 caused massive and debilitating late-blight disease outbreaks in Europe, leaving starvation and migration in its wake. Ristaino theorizes that the pathogen arrived in Europe via infected potatoes on South American ships or directly from infected potatoes from the United States.

FAM-1 survived for about 100 years in the United States but was then displaced by a different strain of the pathogen called US-1, Ristaino said.

"US-1 is not a direct descendant of FAM-1, but rather a sister lineage," Ristaino said. "We found US-1 in 27% of samples in the study and they were found much later."

US-1 has since been elbowed out of the United States by even more aggressive strains of the pathogen that have originated in Mexico. Winter tomato crops - grown in Mexico and imported into the U.S. - harbor the pathogen, Ristaino said.

The study also suggests that the pathogen spread first in potatoes and then later jumped into tomatoes. Spread of the pathogen in ripe tomatoes in ships' holds would have been unlikely, Ristaino said.

The pathogen's effects aren't limited to the decimation of Ireland's potato crop some 175 years ago. Billions are spent worldwide each year in attempts to control the pathogen, Ristaino said. Potatoes in the developing world are particularly vulnerable as fungicides are less available and often unaffordable.

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Amanda Saville, a research technician, works in the Ristaino lab and co-authored the paper. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (Grant 5197-NCSU-USDA-3179 and Grant 2011-68004-30154) and by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service.

"Global historic pandemics caused by the FAM-1 genotype of Phytophthora infestans on six continents"

Authors: Amanda C. Saville and Jean B. Ristaino, North Carolina State University

Published: June 11, 2021 in Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90937-6

Abstract: The FAM-1 genotype of Phytophthora infestans caused late blight in the 1840s in the US and Europe and was responsible for the Irish famine. We examined 140 herbarium specimens collected between 1845 and 1991 from six continents and used 12-plex microsatellite genotyping (SSR) to identify FAM-1 and the mtDNA lineage (Herb-1/Ia) present in historic samples. FAM-1 was detected in approximately 73% of the historic specimens and was found on six continents. The US-1 genotype was found later than FAM-1 on all continents except Australia/Oceania and in only 27% of the samples. FAM-1 was the first genotype detected in almost all the former British colonies from which samples were available. The data from historic outbreak samples suggest the FAM-1 genotype was widespread, diverse, and spread to Asia and Africa from European sources. The famine lineage spread to six continents over 144 years, remained widespread and likely spread during global colonization from Europe. In contrast, modern lineages of P. infestans are rapidly displaced and sexual recombination occurs in some regions.
Niigata, Japan - Biomarkers are important determinants of appropriate and effective therapeutic approaches for various diseases including cancer. There is ample evidence pointing toward the significance of immune check point inhibitors (ICI) against cancer, and they showed promising clinical benefits to a specific group of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Several reports demonstrated the efficacy of biomarkers such as programmed death-1 protein ligand (PD-L1), density of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and tumor mutational burden (TMB), to determine the patient responsiveness for the efficient use of ICIs as therapeutics against cancer.

A high level of TMB (TMB-H), which reflects elevated total number of non-synonymous somatic mutations per coding area of a tumor genome and normally derived from gene panel testing, is recognized as a promising biomarker for the ICI therapies of various solid cancers. However, in clinical practice, it is not feasible to perform gene panel testing for all cancer patients.

Dr. Yoshifumi Shimada and coworkers from the Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, regarded TMB-H from a specific CRC patient subgroup, as a more robust marker for predicting the efficacy of ICIs, and developed a convolutional neural network (CNN) - based algorithm to predict TMB-H CRC directly from the histopathological characteristics, in particular, the TIL, obtained from the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained slides. A representative microscopic image of the H&E stained tumor mutational burden-high colorectal cancer tumor is shown in the accompanying figure, demonstrating the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in significantly elevated level compared to normal surrounding tissue. Digital information from such this neoplastic and also non-neoplastic images obtained from JP-CRC-cohort is transformed and normalized for building a predictive Convoluted Neural Network model employing Inception V3 learning model, by Dr. Shimada group. The CNN-based model developed by Dr. Shimada and coworkers has the potential to not only reduce the burden of proper diagnosis on pathologists but also provide the necessary information on the patients' responsiveness to the ICI based therapeutics, without the use of expensive, time consuming and not easily available gene panel testing. This study by Dr. Shimada and coworkers is published in a recent issue of Journal of Gastroenterology (2021; vol. 56: pp. 547-559; https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1007/ s00535-021-01789-w ).

In addition, the studies of Dr. Shimada group also provided means to predict TMB-H CRC only by using the TIL information from the H&E slides from the patients' tumor tissues. However, considering that the patients in the studied cohort were not treated with any ICIs, no conclusions could be drawn regarding their ICI responsiveness following the TMB-H diagnosis and it was suggested that future clinical trials need to be conducted to address whether TIL alone can be useful as a predictive biomarker for the efficacy of ICIs. Dr. Shimada says about the present study: "We have developed artificial intelligence to predict genetic alterations in colorectal cancer by deep learning using hematoxylin and eosin slides. This artificial intelligence is important in solving the cost problems associated with genetic analysis and facilitating personalized medicine in colorectal cancer."

Overall, the studies by Dr. Shimada and associates provide a cost and time effective and reliable method to inform the clinicians if the CRC patient they are managing can benefit from Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (including inhibitors of the PD-1 protein and its ligand, PD-L1) therapy, without implicating the use of gene panel.

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Those who deactivated their Facebook profiles report a lower regard for other ethnic groups, and this effect was more prevalent among people living in more ethnically homogenous areas, shows a new study of users in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The findings run counter to a commonly held view that social media usage exacerbates societal polarization.

The work, conducted by researchers at New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics (CSMaP), appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"For all our attention to the online drivers of polarization, we should not forget about the importance of offline factors as well," observes Nejla Asimovic, a doctoral candidate in NYU's Department of Politics and the lead author of the paper.

While a majority of Americans see social media as having a negative effect on the way things are going in the U.S. today, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, and see it as fomenting polarization, the impact of social media on inter-ethnic attitudes has yet to be rigorously evaluated.

In the PNAS research, the paper's authors conducted an experiment in early July of 2019, coinciding with the 24th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. This period commemorating the 1995 atrocities--resulting in the deaths of over eight thousand Bosniak Muslims at the hands of Bosnian Serb forces--was chosen because of the heightened discourse around the past conflict during the studied days (July 7-July 14).

Participants were recruited through Facebook advertisements in BiH using both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets. The more than 350 participants included those who identified themselves as Bosniaks (58.9 percent), as Serbs (15.7 percent), and as Croats (6.5 percent). Approximately 13 percent of respondents chose to identify as Bosnians and nearly 5 percent opted to not report their ethnic identification.

The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: one whose Facebook accounts remained active during the studied period (the control group) and one whose accounts were deactivated during this time. Deactivation was confirmed through the monitoring of users' Facebook URLs; the control group was instructed to continue to use the platform as it normally would.

After the studied period, users filled out a questionnaire in which they were asked not only about attitudes toward those of other ethnic groups in the region (out-groups), but also about their knowledge of current events ("news knowledge") and about their well-being (e.g., feelings of loneliness, isolation, and joy).

Surprisingly, those in the group who deactivated their Facebook accounts reported more negative attitudes about ethnic out-groups than did those in the group who continued to use the platform. In response to these unexpected findings, the researchers turned to a question that had asked participants what they did in the time they were off Facebook.

"The most popular response was that people spent more time with friends and family," said NYU Professor Joshua A. Tucker, a co-author of the study. "This led us to suspect that perhaps our findings were being driven by people who were spending more time offline with people of their own ethnic group."

To test this intuition, the researchers decided to examine whether the effect of Facebook deactivation in driving worse out-group attitudes was more prevalent among people living in ethnically homogenous areas of the country. Notably, this is exactly what they found: these effects were largely concentrated among those who live in more ethnically homogeneous environments--and whose offline environments were therefore likely to be more ethnically homogeneous than their online environments. Moreover, these effects were not found among users living in parts of the country that were more ethnically mixed.

"Our research suggests that social media experience can be particularly influential in shaping out-group attitudes where the experiences of offline contact is low, especially in contexts of limited media fragmentation and no language barrier between groups," notes Asimovic. "We should keep in mind that offline environments or states' rhetoric may be as divisive, if not more, than online environments that may still allow people to engage--directly or indirectly--with the out-group."

In addition, they found that Facebook deactivation led to a significant decrease in the levels of news knowledge, but an improvement in users' subjective well-being--consistent with an earlier study of U.S. Facebook users.

"Our findings suggest that simply deactivating from social media is not a panacea to ethnic polarization, especially if the offline environment provides little to no opportunities for positive intergroup contact," says Asimovic. "Given these results, future work should be mindful in making assumptions about social media's impact and consider, with it, contextual factors and opportunities for intergroup contacts."

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The paper's other authors were Jonathan Nagler, a professor in NYU's Department of Politics, and Richard Bonneau, a professor in NYU's Department of Biology and Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Tucker, Nagler, and Bonneau are co-directors of the NYU Center for Social Media and Politics, where Asimovic is a graduate research associate.
HOUSTON - (June 11, 2021) - Scientific studies describing the most basic processes often have the greatest impact in the long run. A new work by Rice University engineers could be one such, and it's a gas, gas, gas for nanomaterials.

Rice materials theorist Boris Yakobson, graduate student Jincheng Lei and alumnus Yu Xie of Rice's Brown School of Engineering have unveiled how a popular 2D material, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), flashes into existence during chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

Knowing how the process works will give scientists and engineers a way to optimize the bulk manufacture of MoS2 and other valuable materials classed as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), semiconducting crystals that are good bets to find a home in next-generation electronics.

Their study in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano focuses on MoS2's "pre-history," specifically what happens in a CVD furnace once all the solid ingredients are in place. CVD, often associated with graphene and carbon nanotubes, has been exploited to make a variety of 2D materials by providing solid precursors and catalysts that sublimate into gas and react. The chemistry dictates which molecules fall out of the gas and settle on a substrate, like copper or silicone, and assemble into a 2D crystal.

The problem has been that once the furnace cranks up, it's impossible to see or measure the complicated chain of reactions in the chemical stew in real time.

"Hundreds of labs are cooking these TMDs, quite oblivious to the intricate transformations occurring in the dark oven," said Yakobson, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering and a professor of chemistry. "Here, we're using quantum-chemical simulations and analysis to reveal what's there, in the dark, that leads to synthesis."

Yakobson's theories often lead experimentalists to make his predictions come true. (For example, boron buckyballs.) This time, the Rice lab determined the path molybdenum oxide (MoO3) and sulfur powder take to deposit an atomically thin lattice onto a surface.

The short answer is that it takes three steps. First, the solids are sublimated through heating to change them from solid to gas, including what Yakobson called a "beautiful" ring-molecule, trimolybdenum nonaoxide (Mo3O9). Second, the molybdenum-containing gases react with sulfur atoms under high heat, up to 4,040 degrees Fahrenheit. Third, molybdenum and sulfur molecules fall to the surface, where they crystallize into the jacks-like lattice that is characteristic of TMDs.

What happens in the middle step was of the most interest to the researchers. The lab's simulations showed a trio of main gas phase reactants are the prime suspects in making MoS2: sulfur, the ring-like Mo3O9 molecules that form in sulfur's presence and the subsequent hybrid of MoS6 that forms the crystal, releasing excess sulfur atoms in the process.

Lei said the molecular dynamics simulations showed the activation barriers that must be overcome to move the process along, usually in picoseconds.

"In our molecular dynamics simulation, we find that this ring is opened by its interaction with sulfur, which attacks oxygen connected to the molybdenum atoms," he said. "The ring becomes a chain, and further interactions with the sulfur molecules separate this chain into molybdenum sulfide monomers. The most important part is the chain breaking, which overcomes the highest energy barrier."

That realization could help labs streamline the process, Lei said. "If we can find precursor molecules with only one molybdenum atom, we would not need to overcome the high barrier of breaking the chain," he said.

Yakobson said the study could apply to other TMDs.

"The findings raise oftentimes empirical nanoengineering to become a basic science-guided endeavor, where processes can be predicted and optimized," he said, noting that while the chemistry has been generally known since the discovery of TMD fullerenes in the early '90s, understanding the specifics will further the development of 2D synthesis.

"Only now can we 'sequence' the step-by-step chemistry involved," Yakobson said. "That will allow us to improve the quality of 2D material, and also see which gas side-products might be useful and captured on the way, opening opportunities for chemical engineering."

The Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences program supported the research, and computations were performed at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.

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Read the abstract at https:/ / pubs. acs. org/ doi/ 10. 1021/ acsnano. 1c03103 .

This news release can be found online at https:/ / news. rice. edu/ 2021/ 06/ 11/ rice-lab-peers-inside-2d-crystal-synthesis/

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Yakobson Research Group: https:/ / biygroup. blogs. rice. edu

Department of Materials Sciences and NanoEngineering: https:/ / msne. rice. edu/

George R. Brown School of Engineering: https:/ / engineering. rice. edu/

Video:

https:/ / youtu. be/ 3Us5-NLarxE An animation by Rice University engineers shows the incorporation of MoS6 into a crystal lattice of molybdenum disulfide. (Credit: Yakobson Research Group/Rice University)

Image for download:

https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2021/ 06/ 0614_MOS2-1-WEB. jpg

Three gas-phase molecules react at high temperatures during chemical vapor deposition to form molybdenum disulfide, a two-dimensional semiconductor that could find use in next-generation electronics. In this illustration, molybdenum atoms are purple, oxygen is red and sulfur is yellow. (Credit: Illustration by Jincheng Lei/Rice University)

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,978 undergraduates and 3,192 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Jeff Falk

713-348-6775

jfalk@rice.edu

Mike Williams

713-348-6728

mikewilliams@rice.edu
RUDN University scientists together with colleagues from Switzerland proved in a clinical trial the effectiveness of a new dosage form -- amorphous solid dispersion. This is the first such study in humans to show the mechanism of action of this form of drug release. In the future, it will help to increase the effectiveness of drugs and use new active substances for treatment. The results of the study are published in Pharmaceuticals.

One of the main reasons for the dropout of new oral drugs at the preclinical and clinical stages of development is low bioavailability. The drug itself can be effective, but it is poorly absorbed in the body because of its low solubility. Amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) is a new form of drug release that has the potential to solve this problem. ASD consists of a drug substance and a polymer framework that "binds" the drug and improves its solubility, thus increasing bioavailability. RUDN University scientists in the field of pharmaceutical technology, together with colleagues from Switzerland, conducted a clinical study and proved the effectiveness of ASD. This is the first such human trial.

"Despite the research effort on mechanisms of increased bioavailability through ASDs during the last decades, these mechanisms are far from being understood in every detail. Furthermore, the translation from preclinical studies to clinical outcomes in humans has not been validated. This clinical study aimed to investigate the mechanisms and effects of a particle forming ASD on bioavailability in humans to understand the complex absorption from ASDs in humans. To our best knowledge, there are currently neither documented data nor methods providing such insights", Rimma Abramovich, Doctor of Pharmaceutical, Director of the Shared Research and Education Center of the RUDN University

The clinical study involved 16 volunteers; healthy men aged 20 to 38 years. As a model medicine, doctors used the antiviral drug efavirenz, which is used in the treatment of HIV infection. Participants in the study took efavirenz orally in three different forms in three interventions -- 50 mg in the form of solid ASD, 50 mg in the form of dissolved ASD, and 3 mg of a molecular solution of efavirenz. To avoid distortion of the results, doctors maintain a washout period of 14 to 21 days. After each intervention, the doctors took a blood test and measured the pharmacokinetic profile -- the dynamics of efavirenz concentration in blood plasma over time.

It turned out that ASD in solid form works in the same way as a regular efavirenz tablet -- the maximum concentration of about 6.5 nanograms per milliliter is reached in two hours. And the dissolved ASD acts as a molecular solution of the drug -- the concentration of the drug in the blood reached approximately the same value after the same time -- about 10 nanograms per milliliter after 50-60 minutes. However, given that the molecular solution is absorbed from the intestine into the blood passively (that is, without additional chemical reactions), the scientists calculated that the actual concentration of the drug in the intestine in the case of dissolved ASD is 16.7 times higher than in the case of conventional efavirenz. This means that the dissolved ASD behaves like a so-called supersaturated solution; meaning that it contains 10 times more dissolved matter than it can dissolve under normal conditions.

"We could show that drug absorption from drug-rich particles, formed upon the dissolution of the ASD, was fast and complete in humans", Rimma Abramovich, Doctor of Pharmaceutical, Director of the Shared Research and Education Center of the RUDN University.

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Mary Jane West Eberhard, staff scientist emeritus at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, has just received the 2021 Linnean Medal for Zoology, one of the most important distinctions in the field of biology. She joins an impressive list of zoologists who have received the medal since it was first given in 1888, including Thomas Henry Huxley, Ernst Haeckel, Ernst Mayr, George Gaylord Simpson, John Maynard Smith and William D. Hamilton. Since 1958, the Linnean Medal is given to one botanist and one zoologist each year

"Her unification of developmental plasticity and genetics is a huge advance in our understanding of evolution," reads the statement issued by the Linnean Society. "Her decades-long work with tropical social wasps focusing on careful field observation is testimony to what a careful observer of natural history can contribute to evolutionary biology."

The Linnean Society, named for Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl von Linne, is the oldest extant natural history society in the world, founded in 1788. The society was the venue for the first public presentation on the theory of evolution by natural selection in 1858 by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace.

Women have been admitted to the society since 1904. Winners of the medal need not be members of the society, but only seven women have been awarded the Linnean Medal in Zoology.

West Eberhard's fascination with social insects and what they have to teach people about the evolution of societies began as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan where she completed all of her academic degrees (B.Sc. 1963, M.A. 1964 and Ph.D. 1967).

"The trick is to start with the specifics--a single wasp species or a biological process that doesn't seem especially significant--and to arrive at much more general interpretations of nature," West Eberhard said. "I asked why organisms live in societies. It doesn't matter if they're insects, elephants or human beings."

In 1973, West Eberhard began to receive a small stipend from STRI, and by the time the political situation in Colombia drove the couple to seek another home, they were able to arrange two half-time positions at STRI as Bill began to teach at the University of Costa Rica and Mary Jane continued to study wasps at home.

West Eberhard has championed the important role of concepts including kin selection (behaviors that may seem altruistic, but actually contribute to the survival of family members and thus, the transmission of shared genes) and sexual selection (the way competition for mates via social interactions leads to differences in reproductive success and genetic evolution). She showed that the division of labor between a queen (a reproductive individual) and her non-reproductive daughters who go outside and bring food back to the nest can be a mutualistic or a kinship arrangement that works for individual benefit.

In 2003, she published her 618-page tome, Developmental Plasticity and Evolution, which clearly spells out the concept and draws together countless examples of phenotypic plasticity, including the contribution of flexible behavior to survival, and thus, to evolution. In the same year, she received the Sewall Wright Award, given to an active researcher who contributes to the unification of ideas in the biological sciences. West Eberhard is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Costa Rican Academia Nacional de Ciencias. She has been president of the Society for the Study of Evolution (1991) and in 2005, she became a member of Italy's Accademiadei Lincei.

West Eberhard has played an active role on the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Human Rights and has helped to support the careers of countless young scientists, especially in Latin America. She has also served on the Advisory Council for the National Center for Science Education. "I would encourage people to look for things they love and that they have a passion for, and that passion does not have to reflect how much money they can raise."

West Eberhard is currently an Associate in Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

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The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The institute furthers the understanding of tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Promo video.
Male infertility affects more than 20 million men globally and is a contributing cause to around 50% of infertility in couples. Frequently, male infertility is the result of defects in the sperm tail, the flagellum, which allows the sperm to swim toward an egg. Males with severe infertility can experience multiple sperm malformations, including flagella that are shortened, irregular, coiled or even absent, preventing them from swimming.

In humans, several genetic mutations lead to malformed sperm, including those affecting the sheath that covers the sperm; the mitochondria, which power sperm as they swim; and a tiny sac, the acromosal vesicle, which releases the enzymes that allow one successful sperm to break down the exterior lining of the egg cell to fertilize it.

To understand more about the causes of male infertility, Drs Na Li and Ling Sun, research group leaders at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, collected sperm samples from infertile men and identified one individual with multiple defects affecting his sperm flagella. Through genetic analysis, they found a mutation in a largely unknown sperm protein, FSIP2 (Fibrous Sheath-Interacting Protein 2), a component of the fibrous sheath. "The fibrous sheath covers the tails of sperm found in humans, mice and other species in which fertilisation occurs within the animal's body", explains Li. "It offers the sperm tails flexibility and strength, which is necessary for sperm to swim in the dense and sticky medium of the human body before they meet the egg. Interestingly, animals whose sperm swim through water because fertilization occurs outside of the body, such as fish, either do not have the FSIP2 protein or, at most, a defective version."

To study the function of FSIP2, Li, Sun and their team of researchers generated two sets of mice: one in which they recreated the FSIP2 mutation of the human patient and another in which the animals overproduce the FSIP2 protein. They found that mice with the FSIP2 mutation become infertile; their semen contained fewer live sperm and over 50% could not swim forward, even though some of them could still beat their flagella. In contrast, the mice that overproduced the FSIP2 protein remained fertile and, compared to normal mice, had over 7 times more super-long sperm, which could swim faster and be more capable of fertilizing an egg.

To understand the reasons for these changes in the sperm flagella, the researchers looked at the composition of the sperm. They found that the sperm of mice with the FSIP2 mutation had lower amounts of the proteins that make up the sheath surrounding the sperm, the mitochondrial power generators and the acrosomal vesicle. In contrast, the sperm of the mice that were overproducing FSIP2 made more sperm tail proteins, particularly in the fibrous sheath, which could allow sperm to swim more easily through the body. They published this discovery in Development at http://journals. biologists. com/ dev .

The findings of Li, Sun and their team offer hope that scientists can begin to develop treatments for infertility, either by finding drugs that restore sperm movement or even by finding ways to correct the debilitating mutation that causes the problems in the first place. Ultimately, such treatments could give men suffering from infertility the chance of becoming fathers.

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IF REPORTING THIS STORY, PLEASE MENTION DEVELOPMENT AS THE SOURCE AND, IF REPORTING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A LINK TO:

https:/ / journals. biologists. com/ dev/ article-lookup/ doi/ 10. 1242/ dev. 199216

REFERENCE: Fang, X., Gamallat, Y., Chen, Z., Mai, H., Zhou, P., Sun, C., Li, X., Li, H., Zheng, S., Liao, C., Yang, M., Li, Y., Yang, Z., Ma, C., Han, D., Zuo, L., Xu, W., Hu, H., Sun, L., Li, N. (2021) Hypomorphic and hypermorphic mouse models of Fsip2 indicate its dosage-dependent roles in sperm tail and acrosome formation. Development, 148, dev199216. doi:10.1242/dev.199216

doi:10.1242/dev.199216

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The concentration of potentially toxic metals is increasing in the population of the franciscana dolphin --a small cetacean, endemic from the Rio de la Plata and an endangered species-- according to a study led by a team of the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.

The impact of human activity in the region could be the cause for the increase of trace elements such as chromium, copper, iron and nickel in the dolphins' biological tissues, as stated in the study. The paper counts on the participation of members from the National History Museum of Uruguay, and is subsidized through a project of the research and conservation program of the Barcelona Zoo Foundation, with Massimiliano Drago (UB-IRBio) as principal researcher.

One of the smallest and most threatened dolphin species worldwide

The franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) is an endemic species of the marine regions of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, and it is considered a vulnerable species according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Currently, it is considered the most threatened cetacean in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and its population decreased due to accidental bycatches that accelerated by mid-20th century with the artisanal shark fishing to take vitamin A. Now, the future of this species is in danger due to accidental fishing --it causes between 1200 and 1800 dolphin deaths every year, mainly juvenile ones-- and the progressive degradation of the environment due to the impact of maritime transport, tourism and environmental pollution.

Rio de la Plata: biological productivity and anthropogenic pollution

The Rio de la Plata estuary, in the western coast of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, is one of the richest and most productive ecosystems worldwide. It is an affected marine region by the anthropogenic activity (maritime transport, industry, expansion of urban areas, untreated wastewaters, etc.) which favours the accumulation of pollutants. Also, the estuary receives the transported pollutants by the water network of the river branches of the Parana and Uruguay rivers and other secondary rivers. With more than three million kilometres of expansion, this large water system transports a great volume of water masses that are highly polluted during their passing for big towns and urbanized regions in the South American continent.

In the internal area of the estuary --the most polluted one-- there is a lot of freshwater from river branches and the waste from nearby cities (Buenos Aires, Montevideo, la Plata, etc.). The area in the middle has freshwater with marine influence and is less polluted while the external area has salty waters with a salinity gradient. There are marine currents, generated by the regime of tides in the estuary, that drive the entrance of the marine water in the intermediate area and the exit of freshwater towards the external section.

Analysis of trace elements on dolphin bone remains

The pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyl, pesticides, hydrocarbons, plasticizers, or some metals can be endocrine or cancer disruptors, and they can cause adverse reproductive effects or osteoporosis, among others. Among the pollutants that are thrown into the estuary "are trace elements, which are specially worrying, such as certain heavy metals that can be highly toxic for the marine fauna and indirectly, for humans", notes Odei Garcia-Garin, first author of the article and member of the Research Group on Large Marine Vertebrates, led by Professor Alex Aguilar.

The paper analyses the concentration of trace elements in franciscana dolphin bone remains in Rio de la Plata during the 1953-2015 period. According to the results, the concentration of chromium, copper, iron and nickel, has increased in sixty-two years, while the levels of lead have been reduced in the dolphin bone remains.

Anthropogenic activities could be the origin of the growing concentration of metals in marine mammals, as stated in the study. The trace elements coming from the waste of the industries of leather, petroleum refineries and painting from boats would accumulated progressively in the sediments of the Rio de la Plata estuary and eventually, in the tissue of the franciscana dolphins. Contrary to this, the prohibition from the nineties to use lead as additive in fossil fuel involved the progressive reduction of the concentration of this metal in the dolphins' bones.

The study also points out to a temporary increase in the concentrations of aluminium and manganese, and parallelly, a decrease in the concentrations of arsenic and strontium. These temporary tendencies are hard to relate to the anthropogenic pollution and will require more studies to reach conclusions. The results indicate a higher concentration of aluminium, iron and chromium in females, although the differences are not significant.

The paper published in Science of the Total Environment confirms the suitability of the trace element studies on bone remains conserved in museums or private collections to conduct large-scale temporary studies. Using this methodology, we can analyse both the impact of pollutants on a species in temporary series and the evolution of compounds in the environment.

Protecting the franciscana dolphin for the conservation of the marine environment

The franciscana dolphin is an apical marine predator and plays an essential role in the marine ecosystem. It shapes the abundance of several species --fish, octopuses, prawns, etc.-- that hold a medium trophic level in the ocean. Therefore, if the population of Franciscan dolphins decreases, it would completely alter the whole trophic marine network in the estuary. "In addition, the franciscana dolphins act as an 'umbrella' species. That is, protecting their populations would benefit many other species whose viability depends on the presence of the franciscana dolphin in the marine ecosystem", notes Odei Garcia-Garin, member of the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences and IRBio.

"In order to improve the survival of the species, we need to reduce the accidental fishing as the first urgent measure", continues Garcia-Garin. "Since juvenile individuals are the most affected ones, it would be important to implement ban periods during the breeding seasons, the most critical ones for the species. Promoting fish farms would help reduce the accidental fishing, although this measure could bring other negative effects for the marine environment (eutrophication and contamination by the waste produced by fish farms, etc.). "It would be convenient to create or expand marine reserves where the species live and reduce the contamination produced by large cities and industries --improvement of wastewater treatment systems and rivers that run into the sea, --also key strategies to improve the conservation of this vulnerable mammal", concludes the researcher.

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- When two similar atomic layers with mismatching lattice constants -- the constant distance between a layer's unit cells -- and/or orientation are stacked together, the resulting bilayer can exhibit a moire pattern and form a moire superlattice.

Moire patterns are interference patterns that typically arise when one object with a repetitive pattern is placed over another with a similar pattern. Moire superlattices, formed by atomic layers, can exhibit fascinating phenomena not found in the individual layers, opening the door to technological revolutions in many areas, including electricity transmission, information engineering, and quantum computing.

By shining laser light on semiconducting moire superlattices formed by stacking two atomically thin materials -- monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ) and monolayer molybdenum diselenide (MoSe 2 ) -- a team led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, and Academia Sinica in Taiwan found a new class of electronic excited states called "moire trions."

"These trions, which are confined trion states in moire potential wells -- dips in potential energy -- of the WSe 2 /MoSe 2 structure, exhibit novel characteristics that differ markedly from those of conventional trions," said Chun Hung (Joshua) Lui, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UC Riverside, who led the research.

The study, published June 2 in Nature, opens up new opportunities to develop trion-based quantum optical emitters and offers new approaches to explore moire physics.

A trion is a bound state of two electrons and one hole, or one electron and two holes. A hole is the vacancy of an electron. Trions are the dominant light emitters and energy carriers in atomically thin semiconductors with extra charges. By applying external voltages, electric or magnetic fields, many characteristics of trions, such as their population, emission polarization, and motion, can be controlled. The trions' versatile tunability makes them useful for light emitters, energy transport, and, potentially, information transmission.

In homogeneous semiconductors, trions are free to move and scatter, resulting in broad optical spectra. However, in moire superlattices, trions get trapped near moire potential wells and become moire trions. Their confinement there prevents random scattering.

"We find the emission lines of moire trions are more than 10 times sharper than those of free trions," Lui said. "As the moire trions are spatially isolated, they can emit single photons, making them a feasible optical source for quantum information technology."

"Our work points to the possibility of generating two-dimensional arrays of trions in the periodic moire potential wells," said Erfu Liu, a postdoctoral researcher in Lui's lab and the first author of the research paper. "Such 2D trion arrays may exhibit spatial coherence, reveal new physics, and find applications in laser technology."

The research on moire trions also reveals some new physics that can be useful in further study of moire superlattices.

"Moire superlattices are known to host many 'minibands' in their electronic energy band structure," Lui said. "Such minibands are crucial for fascinating phenomena, such as superconductivity, in moire superlattices. Due to the small energy spacing between these minibands, it is challenging to probe their detailed structure. Moire trions inspire a new approach to probe the minibands."

Liu explained that in conventional semiconductors with relatively simple electronic bands, a trion decays into the same final electronic state and shows just one emission line. But in moire superlattices with multiple electronic minibands, a trion can decay into states in different minibands, he said.

"This will produce multiple emission lines, and the energy separation of these lines reflects the energy spacing of the minibands," he added. "Our results support such novel behavior of moire trions and suggest that moire trion spectroscopy can be developed to probe electrons in moire superlattices."

Given the novel characteristics of moire trions, Lui expects research on moire trions will attract much attention.

"Indeed, related studies of moire trions were also recently reported by researchers at Heriot-Watt University in the United Kingdom, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and Tsinghua University in China," he said. "I believe moire trion research will surge and lead to many exciting discoveries in the future."

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The research was supported by a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award to Lui, additional NSF funds, a UC Riverside startup fund, the U.S. Department of Energy, and other sources.

Lui and Liu were joined in the study by theoretical physicist Yia-Chung Chang of Academia Sinica in Taiwan; graduate students Jeremiah van Baren and Matthew Wilson and faculty members Yongtao Cui and Nathaniel Gabor of UC Riverside; Elyse Barre and Tony Heinz of Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; and Takashi Taniguchi and Kenji Watanabe of the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan.

The research paper is titled "Signatures of moire trions in WSe 2 /MoSe 2 heterobilayers."
A biorepository of Micronesian marine specimens at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory is welcoming its largest addition yet -- a private collection of around 30,000 coral specimens from Richard Randall, a UOG professor emeritus of marine biology.

The facility -- the Guam Ecosystems Collaboratorium for Corals and Oceans (GECCO) Biorepository -- is both a physical and cyber warehouse of records and images that is operated by the Guam EPSCoR program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Randall's collection includes specimens from Guam and throughout the Pacific and reflects the 56 years he spent at the UOG Marine Laboratory researching coral reef biology and geology.

"It's an impressive collection that's really important for us to take care of and share with the world and try to use it to provide an impetus for collaborative research," said David Burdick, the biorepository's collections manager.

During the late 1960s, Randall witnessed the first crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak in Guam and managed to retrieve a few coral samples before they were eaten. He claims some of the specimens in his collection may be new species, and others may no longer exist.

"In some cases, if he's described a new species, we'd have to publish in a book or a journal about it [to officially establish it as a new species]," Burdick said. "I feel like we're always trying to play catch-up trying to understand more about these organisms before we lose some of them."

Randall took meticulous field notes about each of the specimens, Burdick said.

"He recorded an unusual amount of data, like where it was living, its name, and how much light it was exposed to, and how that may have influenced its shape. That information can help us understand their habitat requirements and discern between similar species," Burdick said.

So far, the facility has received less than one-tenth of the collection, and it may take years to catalog each item and upload them to the GECCO Biorepository's online database.

"Right now, we're going through all of the coral specimens and cataloging the ones we have," said Kelsie Ebeling-Whited, the biorepository's technician. "We log the specimen number, the note number, its species and family. We want that all in a database so that we know what corals we have [in Guam and the region]."

Once the collection has been processed, it will serve as a resource for researchers around the world to reference and better understand the diversity of the corals found in the Pacific. The collection will also be accessible to the public as it's added to the biorepository's online database at https:/ / specifyportal. uog. edu/ .

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Nearly 12,000 people in Sweden received sickness benefit from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency for COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. The median duration of sick leave in this group was 35 days, but for many it was considerably more long-drawn-out, according to a University of Gothenburg study.

A research group in rehabilitation medicine at the University of Gothenburg has studied sick-leave patterns. The study now presented in the scientific journal BMC Public Health.

The study included all recipients of sickness benefit from the Social Insurance Agency for COVID-19 diagnoses in Sweden during the first pandemic wave, from 1 March to 31 August 2020, and monitored them for 4 months from the start of the sick-leave period.

Sickness benefit from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency is normally paid from day 15 of a sick-leave period. People whose sick leave lasted two weeks or less, with sick pay from the employer, were not included in the study.

Data from the Social Insurance Agency, the National Board of Health and Welfare, and Statistics Sweden were used. Describing sick leaves is a way to investigate the impact of diseases on society and individuals, but few other studies have specifically looked at this repercussion of the pandemic.

The results show that 11,955 people received sickness benefit for COVID-19 during the first wave. For a sizable proportion, sick leave was lengthy. The median time was 35 days, and for 9% sick leave was still underway at the end of the follow-up period, i.e., after 4 months.

The proportion of participants who were on sick leave for more than 12 weeks, i.e., those who may have been affected by what is known as "long-term COVID-19," was 13.3%.

Inpatient hospital care for COVID-19 was the strongest predictor of prolonged sick leave. Another major factor was sick leave in the previous year, 2019. Age, too, appears to have a bearing on the duration of sick leave.

However, the study showed no socioeconomic factors that clearly and consistently predicted long-drawn-out sick leave.

The research group behind the study belongs to the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Hanna C Persson is the study's corresponding author.

"The results indicate that the category of people who had been on long-term sick leave due to COVID-19 is heterogeneous, and that the disease is complex. For us to understand the whole picture, more studies are needed in this subject, and with a longer follow-up period," Persson says.

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Quantum technologies are based on quantum properties of light, electrons, and atoms. In recent decades, scientists have learned to master these phenomena and exploit them in applications. Thus, the construction of a quantum computer for commercial applications is also coming within reach. One of the emerging technologies that is currently being advanced very successfully is ion trap quantum computers. Here, charged particles are trapped with electromagnetic fields in a vacuum chamber and prepared in such a way that they can serve as carriers for information and be used for computing, which includes cooling them to the lowest temperatures permitted by quantum mechanics. However, the quantum mechanical properties exploited in this process are highly error prone. Even the smallest deficiencies can heat up the strongly cooled particles and thereby lead to errors in the processing of quantum information. Possible sources of such faults are weakly conducting or non-conducting materials, which are used, for example, as insulators in a metallic ion trap, or optics, which are necessary for coupling ions with laser light. "Even for ion traps made exclusively of metal, oxide layers on the metals would cause such failures," explains Tracy Northup at the Department of Experimental Physics of the University of Innsbruck in Austria. Northups team together with collaborators in Innsbruck and in the U.S. have found a way to determine the influence of dielectric materials on the charged particles in ion traps.

Experimentally confirmed

This was achieved because the Innsbruck quantum physicists have an ion trap in which they can precisely set the distance between the ions and dielectric optics. Based on an earlier proposal by Rainer Blatt's group, the physicists computed the amount of noise caused by the dielectric material for this ion trap and compared it with data from experiment. "Theory and experiment agree very well, confirming that this method is well suited for determining the influence of dielectric materials on the ions," explains Markus Teller from the Innsbruck team. To calculate the noise, the so-called fluctuation-dissipation theorem from statistical physics was used, which mathematically describes the response of a system in thermal equilibrium to a small external perturbation.

"In quantum computers, there are many possible sources of noise, and it is very difficult to sort out the exact sources," says Tracy Northup. "Our method is the first to quantify the influence of dielectric materials in a given ion trap on the charged particles. In the future, designers of ion trap quantum computers will be able to assess this effect much more accurately and design their devices to minimize these perturbations." After having successfully demonstrated the method on their own ion trap, the Innsbruck physicists now want to apply it to the ion traps of collaborators in the U.S. and Switzerland.

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The research was financially supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF and the European Union, among others. The results have been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Publication: Heating of a trapped ion induced by dielectric materials. Markus Teller, Dario A. Fioretto, Philip C. Holz, Philipp Schindler, Viktor Messerer, Klemens Schuppert, Yueyang Zou, Rainer Blatt, John Chiaverini, Jeremy Sage, and Tracy E. Northup. Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 230505 doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.230505
High running capacity is associated with health and longevity. However, whether high genetic running capacity promotes more efficient metabolism with aging is not known. A new study conducted in collaboration between the universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) and Jyvaskyla (Finland) investigated the effects of genetic running capacity and aging on tissue metabolism. The study reveals that adipose tissue may have a key role in healthy aging.

Running capacity, expressed as aerobic capacity, refers to an individual's capacity to utilize oxygen and is known to decrease with age, thereby affecting the whole body metabolism and health.

"We currently lack the information whether high genetic aerobic capacity promotes healthier metabolism in different tissues as we age," explains Academy of Finland postdoctoral researcher Sira Karvinen from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland.

To study the question, animal models of high-capacity runners (HCR) and low-capacity runners (LCR) were utilized. These rodent lines differ in their aerobic capacity genetically. Samples of serum, muscle and adipose tissue were harvested from young and aged animals to explore the tissue metabolites.

"According to our results, high genetic running capacity was associated with more efficient amino acid metabolism in skeletal muscle. Inefficient amino acid metabolism is linked to increased adiposity and risk of metabolic diseases," says Karvinen.

High genetic running capacity and aging interactively affected lipid metabolism in muscle and adipose tissue, possibly contributing to healthier metabolism with aging.

The results suggest that adipose tissue may have a more significant role in promoting healthy aging than previously thought. According to the current literature, around 50% of an individual's aerobic capacity is genetically inherited and the other 50% can be gained via physical activity.

"Regular exercise promotes health whether you have genetically high or low aerobic capacity. Hence, it is highly recommended to promote one's metabolism with exercise especially at older age, when aerobic capacity as well as other health parameters decline," says the principal investigator, Professor Heikki Kainulainen from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland.

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The study was carried out in collaboration between Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China) and Jyvaskyla University (Finland) and was funded by the Academy of Finland, Biocenter Finland, HILIFE, Finnish Government Scholarship Pool, EVO research grant, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhiyuan Foundation, China Postdoc Scholarship and National Institutes of Health (NIH, USA).
A study led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers uncovered a property of magnetic materials that will allow engineers to develop more efficient spintronic devices in the future. Spintronics focuses on using the magnetic "spin" property of electrons instead of their charge, which improves the speed and efficiency of devices used for computing and data storage.

The research is published in Physical Review B, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Physical Society.

One of the major roadblocks in developing better spintronic devices is an effect called "damping," in which the magnetic energy essentially leaks out of the materials, causing them to be less efficient. Traditionally, scientists have blamed this property on the interaction between the spin of the electron and its motion. However, the University of Minnesota-led team has proven that there is another factor--magnetoelastic coupling, which is the interaction between electron spin, or magnetism, and sound particles.

"Our work doesn't say that [the original theory] is wrong, it just says that that's only part of the story," explained Bill Peria, lead author of the study and a Ph.D. student in the University of Minnesota's School of Physics and Astronomy. "We were able to show that in these magnetic materials, we do see that behavior, but it's actually only a relatively minor fraction of the entire damping. There's also this other mechanism by which the magnetism can be damped that is not usually considered."

The researchers used a technique called ferromagnetic resonance, which measures how much magnetic energy is released or leaked. In order to understand the phenomenon, they had to perform this technique at multiple temperatures, ranging from room temperature to 5 Kelvin, just five degrees above absolute zero and the equivalent of about -450 degrees Fahrenheit.

The study's findings provide a more holistic picture of what causes damping. This will allow engineers to develop magnetic materials with "ultralow" damping that are more energy efficient, ultimately leading to higher quality computers of the future.

"We care about low damping because we, along with our collaborators, are trying to make devices in which magnetic excitations can propagate over long distances," said Paul Crowell, senior author of the paper and a professor in the University's School of Physics and Astronomy. "We are trying to build the 'wires' in which magnetic signals can propagate across a chip without losing their strength."

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In addition to Peria and Crowell, the research team included University of Maryland researchers Ichiro Takeuchi (professor), Xinjun Wang (postdoctoral researcher), and Heshan Yu (Ph.D. student); and Seunghun Lee, a professor of physics at Pukyong National University in Busan, South Korea.

The research was supported by the University of Minnesota's Spintronic Materials for Advanced Information Technologies (SMART) center, which is funded by nCORE, a Semiconductor Research Corporation program sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
KINGSTON, R.I. - June 14, 2021 - The rarest frog in Rhode Island may not be as rare as scientists once thought after a study by University of Rhode Island researchers using a seldom-used methodology turned up many more of the endangered animals than they expected.

Eastern spadefoots - often called spadefoot toads, though they are actually frogs - have long been considered highly secretive and difficult to find outside of their one- or two-day annual breeding periods on rainy nights. In some years, they don't breed at all. But after scientists reported just 50 sightings of the frogs over the previous 70 years, the Rhode Island researchers observed 42 spadefoots in 10 nights of searching last summer using the new methodology.

"We collected all the myths and misconceptions about spadefoots that have been published or told to us by herpetologists, and we decided to conduct surveys to show that the frogs aren't secretive, that they don't only come out when weather is suitable, and they can be detected easily using a noninvasive censusing method," said Anne Devan-Song, a former URI graduate student who is now a doctoral student at Oregon State University.

While working as a URI research associate in collaboration with Associate Professor Nancy Karraker, Devan-Song led a team that conducted amphibian surveys in Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia from 2015 to 2017 by using a spotlight at night to detect the animals' eyeshine in forests. A previous researcher conducted amphibian surveys at the park 15 years ago and only detected two Eastern spadefoots, but Devan-Song and her team found up to hundreds of them, even on dry nights, and a total of more than 3,000 individuals.



"It completely contradicted everything we'd read about them in the scientific literature, with the exception of recent studies in Massachusetts and Connecticut," said Devan-Song, whose research was published this month in the Journal of Herpetology. "The perception is that they're difficult to detect in large numbers outside of rainy weather conditions, but I was stumbling all over them everywhere I went at this particular site, even in drought years when I was nowhere near a known breeding pond."

To be sure that she could distinguish between the eyeshine of spadefoots and the eyeshine of other creatures active at night - a concern expressed by previous scientists who rejected the spotlighting method - Devan-Song confirmed her ability to accurately identify spadefoot eyeshine by capturing every frog whose eyeshine she detected.

Since the Virginia site may have been home to an uncharacteristically high number of the frogs, Devan-Song collaborated with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management herpetologist Scott Buchanan to use her spotlighting technique at scattered sites around Rhode Island, where the frogs were believed to be located at only one site and were seldom seen there.

"Spadefoots are at the northern end of their range in Rhode Island and are incredibly rare there," Devan-Song said. "You can't just drive around at night and hear them, and there's little chance of finding them by chance. And yet with just a little bit of spotlighting effort, you can find them."



For sites that were occupied, the frogs were detected on nine out of ten survey nights in Rhode Island, the same rate as they were found in Virginia, and a new breeding population was discovered at a site in Westerly. In both states, the majority of spadefoots observed were sub-adults, an age class seldom detected using traditional survey methods.

"The lack of appropriate methods has hindered the study of this species, which is considered endangered in many states, including Rhode Island," said Devan-Song. "Without appropriate field methods, you can't gather information about certain demographic classes and you can't make accurate population assessments.

"By looking for them only on rainy nights or only near ponds, it has hindered the study of this species for decades," she added. "There is a huge amount of information that can be collected, especially on these overlooked demographic categories."

The research team has at least two additional scientific papers in the works that will shed more light on the life history of Eastern spadefoots, both based on the data collected from Rhode Island and Virginia. One describes the social structure of the species, which had been unknown outside the breeding season.

"The general idea had been that these frogs are solitary and don't interact much except when they go to their ponds to breed," she said. "But the reality is that they're doing lots of interesting things in the uplands. Their social structure is much more complex than we imagined."

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Most of Asia, Europe, North America and South America have never experienced heatwave conditions that would prohibit electric fans from being a safe, effective and clean alternative to air conditioning, according to a new study.

The biophysical modelling study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, challenges outdated public health guidance that discourages fan use in temperatures higher than 35 degrees Celsius / 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Based on human studies carried out at the University of Sydney's Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, the researchers developed a model to determine the humidity-dependent temperature thresholds at which fans could become detrimental, providing conditions that exacerbate heat stress.

"The effectiveness of a fan depends on temperature and relative humidity and our previous human studies have shown that it is only when the air temperature is very high and humidity is extremely low that fans can be detrimental," said senior author Professor Ollie Jay, Professor of Heat and Health at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Medicine and Health and Charles Perkins Centre.

"In this study we were able to model the impact of different conditions based on historic weather data. We have shown that for younger adults fan use could be recommended most of the time in most regions around the world, except for those living in extremely hot and arid areas.

"This is extremely important as air conditioning, both directly and indirectly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Electric fans on the other hand require 30 to 50 times less energy to operate. They are more sustainable and more accessible particularly in low- and middle-income countries." Key findings

Based on weather data from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2019 the researchers found that contrary to many public health recommendations - including from the World Health Organization (WHO) - electric fan use for effective cooling without air conditioning could have been universally recommended for young healthy people during peak heatwave conditions in all populous cities in Bangladesh, China, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Canada, eastern regions of the USA, all of South America and Oceania and most of Europe (excluding some Mediterranean cities).

Fan use alone should not have been routinely recommended during hot weather in northern India, Pakistan, the Middle East, and the southwestern regions of the USA, because it would have regularly worsened heat stress.

The researchers note that alternative cooling strategies may be required in some regions for healthy older adult and particularly those taking anticholinergic medications (a class of drugs that block the Acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter) that impair sweating, the primary way in which our bodies cool down.

The authors conclude by demonstrating that worldwide guidance for electric fan use during heatwaves should be modified.

Specifically, they propose that the simplified fan use temperature threshold of 35?C currently recommended by the WHO should be increased to 39?C for young healthy adults, 38?C for healthy adults older than 65 years, and 37?C for older adults taking anticholinergic medication.

Lead author Dr Nathan Morris, a post-doctoral researcher in environmental physiology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark said: "Our hope is that public health authorities will modify their current heatwave recommendations to align with the latest scientific evidence. Broadening the use of these devices during heatwave conditions has the potential to both drastically reduce peak power demands and offer a low-resource alternative for those who do not have access to air conditioning."

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Declaration: Professor Jay receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Multiple Sclerosis Australia, and the Welcome Trust. All other authors declare no competing interests.

View the paper: Electric fans for cooling during hot weather: biophysical modelling with global weather analysis

Image: Larger version available for download. Credit: Reprinted from The Lancet Planetary Health, authored by the University of Sydney, Fan use recommendations according to proposed biophysically modelled humidity-dependent temperature threshold curves for healthy younger and healthy older adults based on the peak and 95th percentile environmental conditions recorded between Jan 1, 2007 and Dec 31, 2019, Copyright (2021), with permission from Elsevier.
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba develop a safer and cheaper method for performing bone marrow transplantation in mice to study the immune system

Tsukuba, Japan - To study the immune system in human health and disease, scientists commonly use the genetic manipulation of mouse hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) as a powerful model system. These studies have been extremely valuable in the fight against a number of human diseases. However, the current procedures are complex, time-consuming, and expensive.

In a new study published in NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, researchers at the University of Tsukuba have developed a novel technique that has the potential to overcome the limitations associated with these models, which are known as bone marrow (BM) chimeric mice. This system allows scientists to observe and investigate how genetic alterations affect immune cell phenotypes and behaviors in a physiological setting.

The first step of generating BM chimeric mice is using irradiation to destroy the immune system of the host mouse. BM is then acquired from a donor mouse and HSPCs are isolated using a process called fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Next, the HSPCs are genetically manipulated and then engrafted in the irradiated host mouse, where they reconstitute the immune system. This process has some shortcomings, including the expense of FACS and the technical expertise needed to perform it. Furthermore, irradiation can detrimentally affect the mouse's health, even following immune system reconstitution. For these reasons, the University of Tsukuba research group aimed to address these downfalls with a new method.

"BM chimeric mice are extremely useful in the immunology field," says Professor Satoshi Yamazaki, senior author of the study. "We wanted to optimize this model to improve animal welfare and reduce the need for specialized equipment."

The team developed a specific cell culture medium that was used to grow HSPCs in the lab. This medium was supplemented with certain stimulating molecules, called growth factors and cytokines, that promoted the growth of the HSPCs in culture.

"Growth of HSPCs in our newly formulated medium eliminated the need for FACS," explains Professor Yamazaki. "We could also genetically manipulate HSPCs within this culture system."

Additionally, the authors explained how these cultured HSPCs can be successfully engrafted in non-conditioned immunocompetent recipient mice. This means that the host mice do not need to be irradiated, eliminating the negative experimental and toxic effects associated with this process.

Overall, this groundbreaking approach can be applied to study the immune system in both healthy and diseased states and will help to facilitate a more cost-effective, safe, and scientifically rigorous method.

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The article, "Non-conditioned bone marrow chimeric mouse generation using culture-based enrichment of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells," was published in NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (DOI): 10.1038/s41467-021-23763-z
BURLINGTON, VT -- Findings from a study on the feasibility of addressing anxiety, pain and stress with Olfactory Virtual Reality (OVR) -- a new form of VR that incorporates the sense of smell into its augmented reality -- paint a clearer picture for clinical psychiatrists about how it could be used to safely and effectively help mental health and mood disorders. What's more, it holds promise for improved access and inclusion of patients impacted by physical limitations or constraints, such as patient mobility, comorbidities and safety.

Building on previous research proving VR's effectiveness in "distraction for pain and medical procedures, relaxation and calming, and immersion therapy for trauma, PTSD and phobias," the study -- published by the Journal of Medical Research and Health Sciences this spring -- provides evidence that stimulating the olfactory system via scent in practitioner-administered virtual realities can trigger memory, cognition and emotion, and may improve the therapeutic benefits of augmented realities targeting chronic pain, anxiety and mood disorders.

"The OVR sessions...were focused on creating a more immersive, realistic, evocative, meaningful and emotional [virtual and altered reality] experience," explains the study led by David Tomasi -- a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at UVM Medical Center (UVMMC) and teacher of integrative health at the University of Vermont -- "by allowing for the subjects enrolled therein to enter a calming and realistic environment, in order to decrease the amount of anxiety, stress and pain experienced."

Tomasi and a team of psychotherapists at UVMMC's Inpatient Psychiatry Department collaborated with OVR Technology, a Burlington, Vermont-based company that specializes in olfactory virtual reality in this context, to design a relaxing, virtual forest and campsite that could be independently, fully experienced in an area of just 100-square-feet. Using software, scentware and hardware supplied by OVR Technology, the team created a simulation complete with a virtual tent, picnic table, fire pit, logs and other objects to touch, and aromas of fresh bacon and toasted marshmallows.

"At OVR, designing new scents is a collaborative process between what the desired outcome is of the experience, along with what makes sense given the auditory and visual stimuli," says Vice President of Scentware for OVR Technology Sarah Socia, who collaborated on the study. "We focus on the entire experience -- the mix of audio, visual and olfactory stimuli that give rise to the experience and then the feelings follow suit."

Participants -- all inpatient psychiatry patients that voluntary participated in the study -- were immersed in the forest camp environment for 8-12-minutes, in weekly OVR sessions that coincided with their standard clinical treatment plans. Following the OVR sessions, participants reported significant and immediate improvements to their anxiety, stress and pain levels that lasted up to three hours after a session.

Among the most dramatic improvements reported by participants were reduced anxiety levels. Asked throughout the sessions to rate their anxiety levels on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest), nearly half the participants (45.6%) rated their anxiety levels prior to OVR as either a 9 or 10. Roughly the same percent of participants (44.6%) rated their anxiety levels immediately after the session as either a 1 or 2. Between one to three hours later, half the participants (50%) rated their anxiety levels as either a 2 or 3. In all, participants' anxiety dropped a median of 5 levels from start to finish through the process.

"OVR allowed patients whose circumstances excluded them from physical activity and exposure to nature to virtually experience physical activity in nature with similar sounds, sights and smells to a real-world scenario," says Tomasi. "Those similar sensations evoked memories and responses that reduced anxiety and improved mood, just as the real experience would."

While the study was years in the making, it reflects data collected over a four-month span between September and December 2020 -- a critical point in the COVID-19 pandemic. The timing certainly was not ideal, Tomasi says, but the unlikely circumstance opened a window of silver lining that brought new understanding to the potential of OVR within the context of forced social isolation.

"The added COVID-19 restrictions, on top of an already very limiting situation for many individuals suffering with mental health disorders, presented a very difficult challenge to the research," he says. "However, we can say that precisely because of this situation, we were able to see how important this approach is to help mental health in general."

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Early migrations of humans to the Americas from Siberia around 12,000 years ago have been traced using the bacteria they carried by an international team including scientists at the University of Warwick

International team used the stomach bacteria Helicobacter pylori as a biomarker for ancient human migrations

DNA sequences catalogued at University of Warwick in EnteroBase, a public genomes database, demonstrate that a migration of Siberians to the Americas occurred approximately 12,000 years ago

Project began in 2000s but new statistical techniques allowed researchers to reconstruct and date the migrations of Siberian Helicobacter pylori

Early migrations of humans to the Americas from Siberia around 12,000 years ago have been traced using the bacteria they carried by an international team including scientists at the University of Warwick.

Using samples of a stomach bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, which has shared a tight co-evolutionary relationship with humans for at least the past 100,000 years, analyses using new statistical techniques provide evidence that humans colonised the Americas through a pre-Holocene migration of evolutionarily ancient northern Eurasians across the Bering land bridge.

The study entitled "Helicobacter pylori's historical journey through Siberia and the Americas" is published this week (14 June) in the prestigious international journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) by a team of researchers led by Professor Yoshan Moodley at the University of Venda, South Africa.

The research used genetic information on H. pylori catalogued in EnteroBase at the University of Warwick to trace the evolutionary history of the bacteria. H. pylori is a stomach bacteria that infects approximately half of individuals worldwide, but scientists have found that its genetic sequence also varies with the region that it is identified in.

Previous analyses had identified three populations of H. pylori from individuals in Eurasia and the Americas, and current data demonstrates that H. pylori from Siberia define additional previously unknown subpopulations of those groupings. The data also indicated one of these bacterial populations, which includes H. pylori from indigenous Americans, was distributed over the breadth of Siberia, suggesting that this population may have travelled with humans to the Americas at some point.

However, classical statistical analyses of the sequences were partially inconsistent with each other. To reconstruct the most likely evolutionary history for H. pylori in Siberia, researchers compared the most likely evolutionary models and timings using a technique called approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). The results showed that a tiny population of H. pylori colonised the Americas in a single migration event approximately 12,000 years ago.

Professor Mark Achtman of Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, senior co-author on the paper, said: "This project began in the early 2000s, when nothing was known about the genetic diversity of Helicobacter pylori in central Asia. By 2007, hundreds of Siberian H. pylori strains had been cultivated and selected genes had been sequenced. But repeated attempts by multiple talented population geneticists failed to shed light on their evolutionary history.

"This study now uses the powerful approach of ABC statistics to reconstruct and date the migrations of Siberian H. pylori (and their human hosts) across Siberia and to the Americas."

Originally, all modern humans came from Africa. About 60,000 years ago small groups of hunter-gatherers left Africa on foot and made their way into Eurasia where they settled. These were the world's first human immigrants. Astonishingly, by the end of the ice age some 50,000 years later, modern humans had already reached the American continent which, if travelling over land, is almost as far away from Africa as it is possible to get.

These ancient human migrations took place during the last glacial period, or ice age, which lasted from 115,000 to 11,700 years ago. At that time, most of northern Eurasia, also known as Siberia, would have been a frozen wasteland, and presumably inhospitable to long-term human settlement. So how then, did humans manage to migrate across this vast region and find their way to North America? This is one of the most important, and as yet unanswered, questions in human prehistory, because it would explain how humans were able to colonise the whole world from an African origin, in such a short space of time.

The team took the unusual approach of using the DNA of a human stomach bacterium named Helicobacter pylori as a biomarker for ancient human migrations. They successfully collected, sequenced and analysed bacterial strains from indigenous people across Siberia and the Americas. The bacterial DNA sequence database they generated suggested that, remarkably, some groups of humans, known as ancient northern Eurasians, did manage to reside in Siberia throughout the bitter ice age. Yet, other human groups who originally inhabited warmer latitudes in Asia, colonised Siberia after the end of the ice age, leading to the complex mix of human populations we see in that region today.

The team also used their bacterial data set to model human migration into the Americas. It is important to remember that during the ice age, much more water was frozen at the earth's poles, making the sea level at that time over 100 metres lower than the present-day sea level, thus exposing a land bridge between Eurasia and North America and allowing human migration. The team showed that one small group of ancient northern Eurasians managed to successfully cross this land bridge about 12,000 years ago, and this population subsequently expanded to give rise to the indigenous Americans we see today.

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* 'Helicobacter pylori's historical journey through Siberia and the Americas' will be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Link: https:/ / www. pnas. org/ cgi/ doi/ 10. 1073/ pnas. 2015523118

* This research involved an international team of researchers from the University of Venda, University of Ferrara, Research Institute for Physical-Chemical Medicine (Moscow), Pirogov National Medical and Surgical Center (Moscow), University of Warwick, Instituto Politecnico Nacional (Mexico City), University of Cambridge and Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg

Notes to editors:

PNAS provides journalists with access to embargoed content through EurekAlert!. Journalists should register with EurekAlert! at https:/ / www. eurekalert. org/ register. php and request access to PNAS materials. If they are already registered with EurekAlert!, they can request access to PNAS at https:/ / www. eurekalert. org/ account. php .

For interviews contact:

Peter Thorley

Media Relations Manager (Warwick Medical School and Department of Physics) | Press & Media Relations | University of Warwick

Email: peter.thorley@warwick.ac.uk

Mob: +44 (0) 7824 540863
From: Fred Litwin - Author of On the Trail of Delusion - Jim Garrison--The Great Accuser For Immediate Release: Dateline: Ottawa , Ontario Monday, June 14, 2021

Confidential Magazine from August 1968. The article about the "homosexual ring" was written by Joel Palmer, a part-time investigator for Jim Garrison. According to the article, Kennedy was the "victim of a sick and vicious homosexual plot." The homosexual ring consisted of Oswald, Ruby, Ferrie, Shaw, Russo and J. D. Tippit - they were tied together "into one of the most unique and diabolical plots in the history of the world." You can see more of that article here. At the beginning of his probe, Jim Garrison believed that the JFK assassination was a homosexual plot. He met journalist Hugh Aynesworth at his home in January 1967 and told him a remarkable story: (Witness to History, page 193) Hugh, he said at last, youre lucky youre in town today. Weve just verified this guy, and believe me, its dynamite. Explaining no more for the moment, Garrison then called one of his assistant DAs, ex-boxer Andrew Sciambra, known as Moo, who arrived a short while later with this slight little guy from Houston, a piano player, who proceeded to tell us how he knew that Ruby and Oswald were long time gay lovers. He went into great detail, naming clubs in Dallas and Houston where he said he had been performing when Ruby and Oswald dropped by. He even described one occasion when the owners of a Houston club had booted out the two of them because, he said, they had been groping each other all evening long. Garrison beamed. You might be the most important witness weve run across yet, he told the piano player. And you are certain they were with each other on several occasions?The little man vigorously nodded yes, clearly pleased that Garrison was buying his story. Garrison told James Phelan of the Saturday Evening Post a very similar story: (Scandals, Scamps and Scoundrels, page 150-151) In an effort to get Garrisons story into focus, I asked him the motive of the Kennedy conspirators. He told me that the murder in Dallas had been a homosexual plot.They had the same motive as Loeb and Leopold when they murdered Bobby Franks in Chicago back in the twenties, Garrison said. It was a homosexual thrill-killing, plus the excitement of getting away with a perfect crime. John Kennedy was everything that Dave Ferrie was nota successful, handsome, popular, wealthy, virile man. You can just picture the charge Ferrie got out of plotting his death. I asked how he had learned the murder was a homosexual plot. Look at the people involved, Garrison said. Dave Ferrie, homosexual, Clay Shaw, homosexual. Jack Ruby, homosexual. Ruby was a homosexual? Sure, we dug that out, Garrison said. His homosexual nickname was Pinkie. Thats three. Then there was Lee Harvey Oswald. But Oswald was married and had two children, I pointed out. A switch-hitter who couldnt satisfy his wife, Garrison said. Thats all in the Warren Report. He named two more key figures whom he labeled homosexual. Thats six homosexuals in the plot, Garrison said. One or maybe two, okay. But all six homosexuals? How far can you stretch the arm of coincidence? These early beliefs of Jim Garrison are no trivial matter - they are at the heart of whether he was running an honest investigation or running one racked with homophobia, paranoia, and just plain nuttiness. People forget that when the case started in late 1966, homosexuality was still taboo and gay people in New Orleans were regularly arrested for crimes against nature. While Clay Shaw was a respected member of New Orleans society, his outing as a homosexual helped to paint him as something more sinister - someone with a hidden life - and making it easier for people to wonder about his possible role in a conspiracy. He was also someone who was extremely vulnerable. - he didn't want to talk about his homosexuality and his interest in S&M. In fact, Garrison, and others, felt that Shaw would commit suicide. Ultimately Garrison abandoned the homosexual theory. The many buffs who swarmed to New Orleans probably found it improbable and distasteful. And they convinced Garrison to go after a much bigger target like the CIA. Supporters of Jim Garrison like James DiEugenio not only do not discuss the issue of homosexuality in the case, they deny it was ever a factor. Here's James DiEugenio from a review of my book, On The Trail of Delusion: For the record, there is not one memo I have read that shows Garrison ever outlined such a homosexual-oriented plot. At the beginning of the inquiry, there is evidence that Garrison was suspecting a militant rightwing plot. And as Garrison developed cases against Shaw and Ferrie, he was checking out leads that would connect them in the gay underworld. But nothing that either Peter Vea or Malcolm Blunt ever uncovered shows what Litwin is trying to impute to Garrison. Those two men are the two best pure archival researchers ever on the JFK case. And Vea specialized in the Garrison files. and Just as Jim Garrison never said anything about Shaw being a homosexual during the two years of that being a live case, Garrison has never written anything about Bloomfield being Jewish. And, of course, he is right that there is no such memo from Jim Garrison about a homosexual plot. But, as seen above, Garrison did discuss such a plot with many people. And the concept of homosexuality animated his investigators who probed people's sexuality and fed Garrison a steady stream of gossip, innuendo and rumors about gay people in New Orleans. Even as late as 1977, Garrison was still interested in homosexuality - he gave a list of suggested questions that the HSCA should ask of Thomas Beckham. Here's one about Fred Crisman: But there was an article, under Jim Garrison's name, that appeared in the April 9, 1967 edition of QUICK, a German weekly magazine. Here is the article and a translation. What QUICK reported six months ago is now confirmed by Jim Garrison, the public prosecutor from New Orleans: The murder of the President was a conspiracy. Read pages 14 to 24. Jim Garrison: Here are my proofs! The Kennedy assassination was a conspiracy. For the first time, Jim Garrison, public prosecutor from New Orleans, is revealing the implications of the conspiracy: Kennedy's murderers were sick homosexuals. This is the leader of the plot: Clay Shaw, well-respected businessman from New Orleans. It was but a fantastic vision of his disturbed mind that drove him to plan a sensational perfect crime. The deeper cause was homosexual exuberance. Blood-stained chains and whips were found in Shaw's cellar. Garrison: "My evidence against him is enough." Five perverted men and a frigid woman are connected to the biggest plot of the century. Because Lee Oswald could not get any sexual satisfaction from his wife, he sought contact in homosexual circles. He happened to meet Ferrie, a pilot, who was the male lover of Clay Shaw. Together with the Cuban Manuel Garcia Gonzales, they planned the plot. Oswald and the homosexual Ruby were nothing but puppets Marina Oswald's cold feeling drove her husband to the homosexuals. Clay Shaw was the cold cynical brain of the plot. His first accomplice was the pilot Ferrie. Lee H. Oswald had a love affair with Ferrie. During the assassination attempt, he was supposed to divert attention from the murderer. David W. Ferrie was willing to reveal his knowledge. When his name became known, he died suddenly. This man, a Cuban exile, was picked out to be the killer. He is still hunted by Garrison. Vanished without leaving a trace: Manuel Garcia Gonzales. Jack Ruby, the Dallas bar owner, was given the order from Ferrie to kill Oswald. I, Jim Garrison, have been investigating the Kennedy case for three years. I did not spend $900,000 dollars like the Warren Commission, I only spent $4,600. But by the time of the Clay Shaw trial, I will be able to produce evidence that President Kennedy was the victim of a plot by homosexuals. I'm going to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald was involved in the plot, but I will also prove that Lee Harvey Oswald didn't shoot alone. The real culprit is Manuel Garcia Gonzales. And the head of the plot is Clay Shaw. This is the milieu of the conspirators: The bars of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Here they were looking for abnormal friendships, and here they found each other. At the gay meeting place, "Wanda's Bar," (above) Shaw discussed Oswald's role in the plot. The sexually abnormal conspirators had a model for their deed from American criminal history: the Leopold and Loeb case from Chicago. This is my theory. And here is the evidence that led me to this theory: Clay Shaw's male friend was the pilot, David W. Ferrie. Ferrie met Oswald by chance and fell in love with him. By then, in the spring of 1962, Shaw and Ferrie had already decided to assassinate the president. They had already found a man to be the killer: Manuel Garcia Gonzales. Ferrie told Oswald about the forthcoming murder and Oswald agreed to take part. He was supposed to distract the police with his shots, after the real killer, Gonzales, had already finished the job. I know the whole thing sounds like ... as they say, a pretty wild story. But I'll show, point by point, how I came to believe that this "wild story" is the only possible truth in the Kennedy murder case. I was instructed by the FBI three years ago to interrogate Ferrie. Somehow the Federal Criminal Police had become aware of Ferrie in connection with the Kennedy murder. When I talked to him, he said things that puzzled me. Immediately after the assassination, Ferrie drove with two other men, whose names he never mentioned, from New Orleans to Houston, Texas, where he went with his two companions to the city ice rink and waited two full hours next to the public telephone for a call. After the call, the three men drove to Galveston that night. Here again they waited for a call. This time for three hours in a snack bar. When I asked Ferrie what this strange trip meant, he said, "It was a vacation." As I said, I was puzzled the first time I arrested Ferrie and handed him over to the FBI. When I stopped hearing from the FBI, I became curious, and continued my own research. I found out that the night Ferrie and his companions were waiting for a call in Houston and Galveston, a certain Breck Wall was also in Houston and then in Galveston. And now it gets interesting - Breck Wall is a close friend of Jack Ruby's - and oddly enough - Jack Ruby was also a homosexual, word of which has strangely enough to this day not gotten around. Ferrie Ordered Ruby: "Kill Oswald!" His 'male girlfriends' called him Pinky. Ruby was so serious about his homosexual tendencies that he had a vagina tattooed under his left upper arm. When I found out, I already knew two things: Immediately after the assassination, the homosexual Ferrie and his two companions went on a trip to the vicinity of Dallas, and there was suspicion that the homosexual Ferrie got in touch with a friend of the gay Jack Ruby. That wasn't much, but it was a start. [SIDEBAR] The Key to Action Model of the Conspirators: The Chicago child murderers Leopold and Loeb In May 1924, the two sons of millionaires Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold planned "the perfect crime." They killed a child just to understand "what a murderer feels like." Despite the sophistication, after the murder, they committed a mistake and were caught. It is known in forensic science as the Loeb-Leopold complex. Jim Garrison is certain that Shaw, Ferrie, Oswald and Gonzales were planning the assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy out of the same complex. The Munich psychiatrist and neurologist, Professor Dr. Max Mikorey, wrote in an assessment: "I believe that socially inferior homosexuals can easily plunge into conspiracies when driven by hatred and envy. Hate and envy, for example, of a radiant hero. In such a homosexual conspiracy, the number of strange deaths after the assassination of Kennedy could be explained: the pronounced group spirit demands a radical extermination of all people who are dangerous to the group because they reveal their abnormal disposition." Next, I was interested in what Jack Ruby had been up to from the time when Kennedy was murdered to the minute he shot Kennedy killer Lee Harvey Oswald. Lo and behold, I found that Jack Ruby had done something very unusual: he paid off his debts. To get the full picture, one must know that Ruby had debts his whole life, and that he never thought of voluntarily paying off his debts. Now he paid $25 to a strip-tease dancer, hawked part of his nightclub for $2,000, and divided it up among those who had been waiting for months. But besides paying off debts, he did something else: at 11:44 PM he called Breck Wall in Galveston. Today it is evident that Ruby had been given the order from Ferrie through Breck Wall to kill Lee H. Oswald. Jealousy Causes a Death Order It's been a long journey from my first suspicion of this homosexual plot to what I know about it today. A path that led me through human peculiarities, perverse passions, and a lot of dirt. I don't want to say that the Warren Commission and the FBI tried to avoid the path through this filth in their research. But I now know that with their methods of investigation, there was no way to find out anything about the circles that planned and carried out the murder of Kennedy. To get an intelligent homosexual criminal talk, you need a gay man who is familiar with the homosexual mentality. The main investigator who worked for me is one such man (his name is known to the editors). He knows all the gay boys in the French Quarter from his earlier days. He was one of them. He knows how they think, how they feel, and how they react. Although he has been married three times by now, he hasn't forgotten. And he did a good job. He led me to Clay Shaw. And what kind of homosexual this man is has never been in any newspaper before. In his apartment, we found whips and chains, and there was blood on the whips and chains. We found a pair of shoes that previously belonged to a Chinese executioner, and we found a ... [SIDEBAR] The Warren Commission Kept a Secret "The Scavengers and Critics of the Warren Report" is what Larry Schiller calls his report, about the people who cashed in on the death of the President, which will be published next week in America. The American author points out that the Warren Commission committed gross errors in the investigation of the Kennedy murder. The main points are: A policeman named J. D. Tippit was murdered. He was one of the witnesses to the assassination. The Commission ignored that there were three policemen named Tippit. The other two were often guests at Jack Ruby's strip club. They probably got the wrong guy.

The Commission never tried to find out where Oswald bought the ammunition for his rifle. DA Garrison now knows that Oswald was accompanied by Ferrie during the purchase.

Why did the Commission allow only 65 of the 69 original X-rays and photographs of the President's body in the hospital to reach the National Archives? The four that are missing show that the face has a bullet wound. This was never mentioned in the Warren Report.

Why didn't the Commission question Ms. Carolyn Walther? She told the FBI three times that she saw two men at the window from which Oswald shot during the assassination.

The Commission spent 3.6 million Marks on its investigation. But they did not correctly reconstruct the events. The attack took place on a sunny afternoon at 12:30 PM. The reconstruction took place on a cloudy morning. The presidential limousine was a "Lincoln Continental." But the reconstruction used a Cadillac, which is 15 centimeters higher than the original car. It was simply assumed that the shot had been fired from the 6th floor. Other angles were not even checked. In any case, the Commission didn't do a gun test. ... gun. That was important to us than the instruments of sexual torture, because it was the same type of rifle that Lee Harvey Oswald used when he shot Kennedy. I was almost certain that such a rifle would turn up at Shaw's because, back then, at the very beginning of my investigation, I had a list drawn up of the 1,600 people who owned such a gun. At the time I had the idea that in such an assassination attempt - if you want to blame someone else for it - all those involved would use the same type of weapon. At the end of lengthy investigations, it will indeed be possible to find out which bullet came from which barrel - but for the time being, the first one caught with a weapon of this type will go to jail, and the real perpetrators have enough head start to leave the country. This is exactly how the plot had been planned. Lee H. Oswald, who was only supposed to fire to distract attention, was chosen to be the man to blame. I suspect that Clay Shaw had given this role to the unfortunate Oswald because he was jealous of Oswald. After all, Oswald had taken his male friend Ferrie away from him. The questioning of Shaw's male lover James Dondson made me even more certain that Shaw was head of the plot. At the very hour Kennedy was killed, Shaw was in bed with Dondson in the same hotel room. A few minutes after the assassination, a certain Richard Randoff called the hotel and told Shaw that Kennedy had been shot. Even though the caller only used the word "shot," it was immediately clear to Shaw that Kennedy was dead. He hung up the phone, turned to Dondson, and said, "Now I have to call a few people right away." Lying was second nature to them And now comes the most important link on which the whole chain of evidence against Shaw hangs. At the same time that Shaw was on the phone, attorney Dean Andrews received a call from Clay Bertrand, asking that Andrews defend Oswald. The lawyer, who specialized in taking homosexual cases, knew Oswald. The FBI never ... managed to identify the caller, Clay Bertrand. I claim: Clay Shaw is Clay Bertrand. First of all, it can be assumed that homosexuals change their surnames in order to protect themselves from possible blackmail. However, they always keep their first names. Of course, this is only an empirical truth and not proof that the two Clays were the same person. But I was sure I was on the right track and I made my way through Shaw's homosexual environment until I discovered some witnesses who knew Shaw by the name Bertrand. It was not easy to get them to talk, and it was even more difficult to find out the truth. Homosexuals, whether they are persecuted or not, are well aware that society believes they are abnormal. But since they cannot afford to be totally excluded from society, they lead a life of lies. They lie until lying becomes second nature to them. Yes, I hypnotized witnesses There were only two means of learning the truth from them: hypnosis and truth serum. I've used both and that's how I came to the last link in the chain of my evidence. As Clay Shaw, this man with his male lover Ferrie, in the presence of other homosexuals, hatched a conspiracy. Immediately after the assassination, as Clay Bertrand, he appointed a defense attorney for Oswald. There was a direct connection from the homosexual Ferrie to the homosexual Ruby. The contours of the plot were clear to me. Now I was looking for details. But I would not be astonished, if by these details, the whole Warren Report, the whole official report would become nothing but a useless packet of paper. I realize that neither the Warren Commission or the FBI are going to be very pleased by my activities. When I mentioned Shaw publicly, the FBI claimed they had questioned Shaw a long time ago and found nothing suspicious. Since the Warren Commission's investigation report contains FBI reports, and since Shaw's interrogation is missing in the official report, one can only conclude: The FBI did not forward the contents of the Shaw inquiry. Of course, people will wonder what other important interrogations have been withheld by the FBI. If not all the material has been given to the official commission, their whole report is nothing but worthless. And if the Warren Commission's report is worthless, then it is time for another investigation. An investigation that will finally clear up the mystery surrounding Kennedy's murder. I am sure I will be able to convince the court in Shaw's trial about the homosexual conspiracy. I know that I am expected to expose a much larger conspiracy. A few weeks ago, I myself spoke of Cuban backers. When my inquiry was prematurely disclosed, I simply had to blow smoke in the wrong direction so that my investigation would not be disturbed. Let them all believe I am after political assassins from Cuba ... The real killer is still free. In all seriousness, there are some vague connections to extremists from Cuba in this plot. Oswald undoubtedly had such connections. But I have reason to believe that Shaw, as the inventor of the plot, tried to keep his active participation in the plot to a minimum, when he learned about Oswald's political connections. It may have been these political reasons or the jealousy of Oswald - in any case, Shaw was not involved in the last phase of the attack. The fact that he planned the plot with Ferrie should be enough to get him ten years in prison. But I am more than happy to let him go if he would help me find the real shooter: Manuel Garcia Gonzales. Tomorrow's Post Was this article written by Jim Garrison?


About 20 San Antonio residents on Monday lambasted an East Side development for not including more lower-priced units and for hastening gentrification.

And they criticized a city nonprofit whose involvement means the project would receive a lucrative tax break.

They also were angry that a key vote on the project was scheduled before Councilman-elect Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, who will represent District 2 on the East Side, is sworn into office.

But the San Antonio Housing Trust Public Facility Corp. (PFC) board gave the green light Monday to plans that had been years in the making. Board members said the project could be shelved if financing fell through because of their denial or delay.

Provident Realty Advisors plans to demolish most of the buildings making up the Friedrich complex, a hodgepodge of structures at East Commerce, North Pine, North Olive and Gibbs streets that have been vacant since 1990.

The Dallas-based company would build 358 apartments through a partnership with the PFC, which is overseen by five City Council members. The PFC provides a full property-tax exemption under state law in exchange for developers building units for lower-income renters.

Last week, the PFC board delayed a vote on the project after members sparred over its affordability and location.

District 9 Councilman John Courage said the projected rents would be out of reach of many nearby residents and the housing trust would not receive a transaction fee if the complex was sold.

Courtesy of Provident Realty Advisors

Outgoing District 5 Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales opposed postponement because the sites redevelopment has been planned for years, theres a shortage of housing in San Antonio and people that do well for themselves have really no choice but to leave the neighborhood because they dont have options for new housing.

Since last week, the developer raised the number of apartments proposed for residents earning up to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) from 14 to 24.

On ExpressNews.com: Flat-out racism: Councilmembers spar over East Side Friedrich building redevelopment

The remainder of the development would include 179 market-rate apartments and 155 apartments for residents making up to 80 percent of the AMI, which many housing advocates do not consider truly affordable.

Rents would range from $767 to $1,800 per month, depending on renters income level and apartment size. The units would include studios and one- and two-bedrooms.

At the meeting Monday, residents said the development would hasten displacement in the area and contain too few affordable units in exchange for a major tax break. That would deprive the city, Bexar County, local school districts and other taxing entities of revenue, with the burden falling on homeowners  who are grappling with rising tax bills as their home values increase, they said.

Irasema Cavazos, a senior citizen living on a fixed income on the East Side, said neither she nor anyone she knows could afford to rent at the Friedrich development.

Affordability is in name only, she said. Its not the reality.

Another resident, T.C. Calvert, agreed. The East Side is gentrifying and residents are being pushed out, and the project does not serve the working class and poor people in the area, he said.

Voting on it before McKee-Rodriguez is in office is disrespectful and to try to push this down the throat of the people  its just un-American, its un-Christian and you ought to be ashamed of yourself, added Calvert, a longtime community activist.

McKee-Rodriguez, who has not yet taken office, did not weigh in on the development during the meeting.

In an interview, he said hed been playing phone tag with some council members who sit on the PFC board.

The scheduled Friedrich vote was purposely rushed, he said.

The project does not meet the communitys affordable housing needs and doesnt even begin to address the wealth disparity, he said, adding that he would have pushed for at least 20 percent of the units being reserved for residents earning up to 60 percent of the AMI.

The vote was scheduled for Monday because the PFC will not be able to meet during the summer due to the recent elections, council members July break and the process of adding new members to the PFCs board, said Pete Alanis, the housing trusts executive director.

There are also timing requirements attached to financing for the development, which is funded with $63.3 million in debt, $11.8 million in private equity, $1.7 million from a city Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone and $1.1 million in parking garage reimbursements.

Without approval, Provident could not move forward and its partner, American South Real Estate Fund, could pull the equity, Alanis said. The development could stall.

Another reason for the hurried vote: the possibility of the city and housing trust defaulting on the Friedrich property if the conditions in a sales agreement with the seller were not met.

As part of the housing trusts acquisition of the site, they forced the seller to drop a $20 million lawsuit against the city, said PFC attorney Jim Plummer. Under the settlement, they must pay the balance of the sales price in August. If the development falls through and they cannot pay it, they would be in default and the seller could reclaim the property, he said.

Outgoing Councilwomen Rebecca Viagran and Gonzales, along with Courage, said they support the project in part because outgoing District 2 Councilwoman Jada Andrews-Sullivan is in favor and the timing forced them to make a decision Monday.

Outgoing District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino was the sole vote against the proposal. There should be more discussion about the benefits to the East Side, levels of affordability and safeguarding the neighborhood, he said.

Its a project that will happen. I think its a great project, he said. I just have to agree that the cost to subsidize these units is simply too high.

Last week, Courage supported postponing the vote in part because the trust would not receive a transaction fee if the complex were sold. Thats since changed  the trust will get a fee.

Courage voted for the plans Monday. Any project at the site is going to affect property values and the city should develop ways to address that, he said.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
When Martin Biallis went to see Michelangelos frescoes in the Sistine Chapel about 10 years ago, he found the overall experience wanting.

Its 10,000 square feet, youre there with 2,000 people, crammed in with lots of noise, said Biallas, CEO and founder of the international exhibition company Special Entertainment Events. There are about 100 guards making sure you dont even think about taking a photo, and then you have 15 minutes and youve gotta get out. And then you look up, and all these beautiful frescoes, because theyre 60 feet high (on the ceiling), look like stamps.

The second I left the chapel, I thought: You can never replace the original. But what can we do, if somehow its possible to get the license, to re-create these for people to see them up close?

Biallas is just the guy to make that kind of thing happen. His company creates big touring exhibitions digging into such diverse topics as Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, the 50th anniversary of the sitcom I Love Lucy and the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. For the past six years, the lineup has included that exhibit he first thought up a decade ago.

Michelangelos Sistine Chapel is now on display in San Antonio at Lambermont Events, a wedding venue in Government Hill. The exhibit comprises high-resolution photographs, many to scale, of the frescoes from the chapel ceiling as well as The Last Judgment, which Michelagnelo painted later on the altar wall.

On ExpressNews.com: Botanical Gardens Frida Kahlo show brings Casa Azul to SA

As Biallas envisioned when he first started thinking about this exhibit, visitors can get close to the images, seeing all of the tiny details  the space between the fingers of God and Adam as they reach toward one other in The Creation of Adam, the look of fierce concentration on the face of the prophet Joel and the violence of the angels driving the damned into Hell in The Last Judgment.

The images are printed on material that captures the texture of the frescoes as well as Michelangelos images.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

You are able to see them up close, take all the time you want, take all the pictures you want, Biallas said. And then we have this great audio guide that explains and gives you all the background stories and the secret messages and all that good stuff. Itll take you about an hour and a half if you really listen to every track.

The details that are clear in the exhibit reflect the amount of time and care that the artist took with the frescoes. Michelangelo started painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508 at the behest of Pope Julius II. The initial plan was for the artist to adorn the vast vaulted ceiling with images depicting Jesus 12 apostles, but he shifted gears and testaments, setting a much more ambitious course for himself.

He covered the ceiling with richly detailed biblical scenes from the book of Genesis, starting with the creation and going through the flood. He also painted Christs ancestors as well as the prophets and sibyls who told of his coming.

Working on scaffolding he designed himself, Michelangelo completed the ceiling in four years. He returned to the chapel in 1536 to paint The Last Judgment. He worked on that massive fresco, which depicts the Second Coming, for five years.

In the exhibit, each image is accompanied by bilingual signs explaining what is depicted and also showing precisely where the originals are located in the chapel.

There are several iterations of the show out and about now, including one in Europe, one in Asia and four in the United States.

The San Antonio exhibit is the first in the United States to be installed in a mansion.

On ExpressNews.com: Guide to summers arts and entertainment offerings

The venue was built in 1894 for the family of Edwin Holland Terrell, who had been ambassador to Belgium, said current owner Dona Liston. Terrell asked architect Alfred Giles to design a home similar to the chateaus and castles he had seen during his diplimatic service and earlier travles in Europe.

Liston purchased it 13 years ago for her wedding planning business. She has done other kinds of events in the space but never anything quite like the Sistine Chapel show.

Michelangelos Sistine Chapel Where: Lambermont Events, 950 E. Grayson St. When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays through Sept. 6 Tickets: $10-$17.50; $20-$23.50 for VIP access, which allows ticketholders to skip the line. Audio guides $10. sistinechapelexhibit.com/san-antonio See More Collapse

She said the images fit right into the space, which delighted her. She also was delighted by the response: About 20,000 advance tickets had been purchased by the time the exhibit opened on Friday.

Its so exciting to see that San Antonio is embracing it, she said.

The exhibit has drawn similarly large advance sales in other markets, Biallas said. Interest in the exhibit has always been high, he said, but advance sales have spiked in many markets as pandemic restrictions are lifted.

I think it has to do with a lot of people wanting to make sure they secure a ticket because they have been locked up so long, he said.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
Mike Johnson, owner of Coopers Meat Market in Alamo Heights, has some of the most exotic meat case items in all of San Antonio. Right now he has skinned rattlesnake from Oklahoma, whole rabbits, turtle meat and even calf fries, the wee bits of a bull that also go by the name Rocky Mountain oysters.

Demand for these meats is growing, and exotic sales account for approximately 20 percent of his annual sales.

Our business increased during the pandemic because they were looking to cook new things beyond steaks, burgers and whatnot, Johnson said. Elk and venison are probably the biggest sellers because they have the most awareness to them.

While Coopers may have the most variety, pretty much any area meat market will have at least one exotic or unique offering for sale. Here are eight standouts I found recently:

On ExpressNews.com: Build a better backyard kabob with these 6 helpful tips

Chuck Blount /Staff

Alligator fillet: Wiatreks Meat Market typically sticks to the classics in the meat case, but if you look inside the cooler to your left near the entrance, things get swampy. There you will find 16-ounce packages of alligator fillet ($14.99). Fry it. Grill it. Smoke it. Wiatreks Meat Market, 8517 Blanco Road, 210-562-3222

Chuck Blount /Staff

Beef bacon: Most bacon is made from pork belly, but beef has belly, too, with a comparable fat ratio. At The Farmers Butcher, owners Mark and Kelley Escobedo make it with cured Wagyu or Black Angus ($24 per pound). When frying, the lengthy slices dont shrink as much as pork strips, but they do take on similar flavors. Give it a whirl and see for yourself. The Farmers Butcher, 1602 E. Houston St., Suite 107, 830-534-7993

Chuck Blount /Staff

Chicken sausage with broccoli, cheddar cheese and rice: This is broccoli cheese soup in a sausage. The Smoke Shack Meat Market has all the traditional cuts, but it is extremely creative with the sausage blends. These links ($10 per pound) are dead ringers for the classic soup  no bowl or spoon needed. Owner Chris Conger recommends calling ahead to check availability, because they rotate out flavors, but it can be made with enough advance warning. Smoke Shack Meat Market, 3710 Broadway, 210-549-1090

Chuck Blount /Staff

Chuleta Can-Can: Yeah, I didnt know what this was either, until Kelley Escobedo plopped it on the counter and explained it. Technically, it is a pork chop ($16 per pound), but its a special cut shaped like a hunting bow and that includes skin, a spare rib, loin meat and pork belly all in a single cut. Its a signature dish in Puerto Rico, where its usually fried to crisp up the pork skin and then finished off on the grill. The Farmers Butcher, 1602 E. Houston St., Suite 107, 830-534-7993

Chuck Blount /Staff

Frog legs: Theres no way to know if these legs came from a frog jumping champ, but they sure do catch your eye. The skin is removed, and you can get four legs for the reasonable price of $4.72 if you want jump in this culinary pond. Bread them and fry them up, or toss them on the grill. Coopers Meat Market, 6002 Broadway, 210-820-3838

On ExpressNews.com: In praise of parisa, the renowned steak tartare of Medina County

Chuck Blount /Staff

Parisa: A staple in nearby Medina County, parisa is made the traditional way at the Tri-County Meat Market: a blend of coarsely ground chopped beef mixed with cheese, onion, chopped jalapeno ($8.99 per pound). And if you arent familiar with this uniquely Texan dish, its all designed to be eaten raw like steak tartare. Tri-County Meat Market, 13215 Huebner Road, 210-474-6827

Chuck Blount /Staff

Pheasant: This game bird is difficult to find in Texas, but Coopers stocks it ($35 per bird). People pay a lot of money to hunt them in the sprawling Midwestern grasslands. Way larger than quail, but not quite as big as the standard chicken, pheasant has a slightly smoky, gamy flavor, and its great roasted. Coopers Meat Market, 6002 Broadway, 210-820-3838

Chuck Blount / Staff /

Stuffed chicken: A company named La Boucherie located in Spring makes crazy stuffed chicken varieties with a Louisiana twist. At Wiatreks, you can get a 3-pound bird stuffed with shrimp and pork sausage jambalaya  almost all of the major food groups  for $15.99. These beg to be grilled, and everything is done when the chicken hits 165 degrees.Wiatreks Meat Market, 8517 Blanco Road, 210-562-3222

cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver
Contract award is complete. You better get that Audi RS5 on order. The Millions are coming!

The Sept. 18, 2013, text was from Keith Alan Seguin, then a civilian worker at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, to government contractor David Bolduc Jr.

The pair were secretly working together. They had already rigged a $413 million contract for flight simulation training products and services to steer it to megacontractor Booz Allen Hamilton.

Bolduc, of Herndon, Va., stood to profit because the Beltway-area company he co-owned, QuantaDyn Corp., collected about $100 million from the deal as a subcontractor.

Seguin, who made about $65,000 a year at his government job, illegally controlled where the contract went, and Bolduc gave him a cut, an arrangement that sustained his high-rolling lifestyle, according to investigators.

In the text, Seguin was telling Bolduc to pay for a high-performance luxury car  an RS 5 cost about $70,000 at the time.

Seguin, 55, of Spring Branch, is set to plead guilty Tuesday in federal court in San Antonio to wire fraud conspiracy. In signing an agreement with prosecutors, he admitted conspiring with Bolduc and others to rig a series of government contracts, an arrangement that netted him $2.3 million in bribes between 2006 and 2018.

Seguin also plans to admit stealing items meant for fulfilling some of the contract work and selling them online, and to not reporting the money he got in the bribery scheme to the IRS.

The kickback scheme, which continued even after Seguin retired in 2017 after 28 years with the government and went to work at QuantaDyn, is the largest military graft case to come out of San Antonio in more than a decade.

Army Maj. John Cockerham, who was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, was sent to prison for 17 years after pleading guilty in 2009 to rigging multimillion-dollar contracts for bottled water and other services at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, to collect about $15 million in bribes.

Had investigators not found Seguin was sharing confidential information, he and Bolduc would have collected on another rigged contract worth $1.2 billion to $1.8 billion, records show.

This thing was huge, said one federal source familiar with the investigation, which lasted several years. These (defendants) were about to cut a deal of over a billion dollars until they were stopped.

In October, QuantaDyns majority owner, William T. Dunn Jr., entered a guilty plea on behalf of the company to charges that it participated in the graft. U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced QuantaDyn to five years probation, and the company agreed to pay a $6.3 million fine and $37 million in restitution.

Even with Seguins guilty plea, the case wont be over. Bolduc and another co-defendant, Rubens Wilson Fiuza Lima of Atlanta, are still awaiting trial on bribery, fraud or money laundering-related charges.

And court documents show the feds also are taking a close look at Booz Allen Hamilton  a decades-old engineering and information technology consulting company  because investigators believe Seguin and Bolduc might have had other help.

Court documents say Booz Allen Hamilton and a subsidiary served merely to pass through the contracts to QuantaDyn and that Booz Allen Hamilton and its subsidiary profited for doing little to no work.

Booz Allen Hamilton has denied any wrongdoing and has stressed that neither the corporation nor the subsidiary it acquired have been charged in the case.

The company has been a longstanding, trusted government partner, and, consistent with our policies and practice, we are fully cooperating with the governments investigation, a Booz Allen Hamilton spokesperson said via email. We have zero tolerance for violations of law. While we cannot comment on the specifics of the investigation, we disagree with the allegations concerning the companys conduct. We will continue to cooperate with the government.

During the scheme, Bolduc, a friend of Seguin, was married to Mickie Bolduc, at the time a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton.

A 35-page factual basis document accompanying Seguins plea deal alleges that he provided confidential government information to the Booz Allen Hamilton subsidiary, as well as to employees of the larger company.

Court records allege that David Bolduc arranged for Seguin to meet with a high-level Booz Allen Hamilton executive in the Washington, D.C., area, which resulted in an offer for a partnership to land the billion-dollar deal.

Seguin admitted divulging confidential contracting information to employees of the companies, inflating independent government cost estimates and enabling employees of Booz Allen Hamilton and a subsidiary it acquired in 2012 to contrive fraudulent quotes roughly equal to what the government had estimated rather than honest quotes based on real labor hours, costs and profit, the factual basis said.

As a fee for subcontracting the work to QuantaDyn, Booz Allen Hamilton and the subsidiary  which had been the engineering division of another contractor, ARINC  got up to 10 percent of each contract order, Seguins plea documents said.

The documents said Seguin even had a Booz Allen Hamilton employee draw up a logo for him so Seguin could use it for a shell company he formed to funnel some of the bribes.

As a reward for their preferential treatment of QuantaDyn, Booz Allen Hamilton and its subsidiary received contracts from which they earned substantial profits even though they provided virtually no goods or services, the factual basis said.

Mickie Bolduc retired from Booz Allen Hamilton in 2019, records show. Court records do not mention any direct involvement by her in the case, but they indicate that agents raided the Bolducs home in Virginia during the probe.

Federal prosecutors cited the ongoing investigation in keeping the search warrant affidavits sealed when a reporter requested the court make them public. Mickie Bolduc could not be reached for comment, and David Bolducs lawyers did not respond to calls seeking comment.

They entertained Seguin, said another federal source familiar with the investigation. He was in their home. They got along well.

Scott Amey, general counsel for the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group, surmised that the government didnt have enough information to proceed until some defendants start cooperating.

There might have to be a lot more digging, Amey said. This may be the tip of the iceberg. You could have other government officials or contractors involved.

Its unclear if Seguin is cooperating. His lawyers did not respond to calls seeking comment, and federal prosecutors do not discuss cooperation agreements.

QuantaDyn, with the insider help from Seguin at Randolphs 502nd Trainer Development Squadron, grew from a fledgling company of five or six workers and gross revenues of less than $4 million per year to 50 employees and more than $20 million a year by 2018, the factual basis said.

The document identifies about $2 billion in contracts that were tainted, though not all were awarded: One went to QuantaDyn directly, while the others went to Booz Allen Hamilton and its subsidiary.

Seguin admitted making a series of illegal moves to influence how the contracts were awarded and to make sure some of the work went to QuantaDyn. In one case, he helped end a contract that forced other Air Force purchasers in Florida and elsewhere to buy simulation equipment exclusively from QuantaDyn, records show.

The contracts included orders for boom simulators capable of training Air Force personnel in aerial refueling operations, along with flight simulation software, equipment, training and related services. They ranged from $4.3 million to $13.2 million, though some allowed higher ceilings.

In September 2013, Booz Allen Hamilton was awarded a $413 million TD-1 contract for simulation trainer development. Booz Allen Hamilton subcontracted some of the work to QuantaDyn at Seguins urging. By June 2019, the federal government had paid $440 million to Booz Allen Hamilton, and that company had paid QuantaDyn $99.7 million, the factual basis said.

Booz Allen Hamilton got that contract after Seguin influenced the evaluation criteria, even though the companys proposal was $58.5 million higher than the next competitor, the factual basis said.

Over the years, Bolduc sent Seguin 47 bribe payments, ranging from $9,000 to $209,000. Some of that money came after Seguin eyed at least one Audi car and demanded that Bolduc buy it for me.

In February 2015, Seguin proposed a new $1.2 billion multiple award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to replace the TD-1 deal. Early on, Seguin and Bolduc wanted to steer it to QuantaDyn, and Seguin offered to try to increase the contract ceiling from $1.4 to $1.8 billion to make more money in case a larger company offered to buy QuantaDyn.

But because QuantaDyn might not be able to meet the financial requirements for the contract, Bolduc first sought a line of credit, and then the pair pursued an alliance with Booz Allen Hamilton, the factual basis said.

In 2015, Bolduc and an unnamed Booz Allen Hamilton employee from Ohio helped arrange for Seguin to meet with a senior executive from Booz Allen Hamiltons parent company and business development leaders at a restaurant in Virginia. Seguin flew there for the visit in October 2105 on official government travel.

They discussed the billion-dollar contract, and Booz Allen Hamilton paid for Seguins meal, the factual basis said. The next day, the senior executive extended a draft offer for QuantaDyn and Booz Allen Hamilton to work as a team to develop a proposal for the contract.

In April 2016, details for the solicitation proposal were shared with Seguin by the General Services Administration, which had awarded the previous contracts. Seguin forwarded the details to Bolduc.

Later that year, GSAs inspector general learned that Seguin had made unauthorized disclosures, and the government removed some of Seguins contracting authority, limiting his ability to fix any more contracts. He retired in mid-2017, then went to work for a company affiliated with QuantaDyn as director of programs at a salary of $175,000, with a $10,000 sign-on bonus and multiple fringe benefits.

He reported directly to Bolduc. On April 24, 2018, Seguin texted Bolduc about the remaining $650,000 in bribe payments he was owed.

Seguin acknowledged he would love to have it all, but knew that was hard to deal with, the factual basis said, quoting Seguins text.

Seguin asked for $400,000 to $450,000, and the rest could be made by increasing his  salary to $190,000 to $195,000 per year. Seguin also indicated in the text message he was open to exploring other payment options to collect the remaining $650,000 in bribes and would call Bolduc later.

More than a year later, both were indicted.

guillermo.contreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
BANDERA  At first glance, it all looks disconnected.

The Bandera Natural History Museum on Old San Antonio Highway, an hour northwest of San Antonio, welcomes visitors with a collection of life-size dinosaur replicas.

Inside, in the museums original wing, more than 100 mounted specimens from throughout the world  gazelles, springboks, a lion, a leopard, a 17-foot-tall Masai giraffe and more  will either awe or alarm you.

The collection playfully includes Trixie, the triceratops skeleton that appeared in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

So the museums newest wing seems to come out of nowhere.

Its a 4,000-square-foot space dedicated to the art of New Spain, the vast colonial empire that lasted from 1521 to 1821. On display are paintings, sculptures, furniture, works in silver and ivory, a model of a Spanish galleon and exquisite examples of Talavera pottery.

The exhibits grand opening this week marks the museums fifth anniversary.

Theres lots to celebrate in a young educational institution carving out a new niche. Texas cant have too many museums and universities, too many new books and works of art.

As disjointed as its separate parts may seem, the Bandera museum reflects the expansive vision of a husband-wife team of collectors, one of them a big-game hunter.

Billy Calzada, Staff / Staff Photographer

Theyve traveled the world and made a home for their collection in a Hill Country town best known as the cowboy capital of the world.

So, its quirky.

Their art collection, smartly displayed, took about 40 years to build. They want to give locals an opportunity to see works they might never see otherwise. Some visitors have told the staff its the first museum theyve ever been in.

Thats why Juan Carlos Infante, 86, and his wife Mary, 73, who live on the 2,400-acre Rocky River Ranch in Medina, decided to make a home here after living in Mexico City for decades.

Hes a mechanical engineer who was born in Argentina and worked in the oil industry in the U.S. and in Mexico, where the couple met.

In retirement, theyve devoted themselves to creating and operating the museum. Most days, theyre on the premises, where orange-red and turquoise walls frame a collection thats visually impressive.

The Spanish baroque music that fills the multi-room art gallery was specially commissioned and composed by Adan Herrera Jr. of Mexico City.

To celebrate the halls opening, the museum has published a 120-page book that showcases about a third of the more than 150 works on display.

It contains all the disciplines, Infante said. Its a complete collection.

The items were produced largely for churches and for New Spains wealthiest patrons. They include the work of noted painters of the period: Cristobal de Villalpando, Juan Correa and Miguel Cabrera.

The collection, originally housed in the couples Mexico City home, is known as the St. Joseph collection. A statue of the saint was placed within the gallerys walls during construction.

There has been a resurgence of interest in art from the Spanish vice-regal period because people are finally learning the history, said the museums managing director, Maggie Schumacher.

In the book about the collection, Schumacher poses the same question I did when I learned about the new art hall in Bandera.

Does it belong there?

She answers by saying that Bandera, like San Antonio, sits on Native American land that once was part of New Spain.

It has been home to so many peoples, she writes, from its ancient prehistoric inhabitants to the Comanche and Lipan Apache, to the Spanish, Mexicans, Tejanos and finally to European immigrants.

Now its home to Mexican transplants who have migrated north to Texas because they feel at home here.

We dont need to fit, Schumacher writes. Like the generations before us, we will carve our niche by doing what we love. We will educate visitors about wildlife and prehistoric life and cultures in the Natural History Museum and continue our education mission as we share the beauty of the New Spain Art Collection.

Mary Infante emphasizes, especially to her husband, that they are done collecting. But in the book, he writes about having primeval instincts as both a hunter and a gatherer.

I dont get the impression that hes quite finished.

Sometimes I think that the biggest decision in my life was to leave my country, he said. Sometimes, it was to build this museum.

It has the potential, he said, of growing forever.

eayala@express-news.net
They are high-tech burglaries  only worse.

Cyberattacks are the electronic equivalent of war; instead of corpses scattered on the battlefield, businesses face the brunt of the burden, with commerce disrupted and psyches shaken.

A new and chilling form of terrorism, the attacks emerge from the murky world of the dark internet  a term which, unfamiliar to many, may become all too common.

We witnessed the damage, both real and potential, on May 7, when a criminal gang launched a ransomware hit against Colonial Pipeline Co.

The company, which says it transports about 45 percent of all gasoline consumed on the East Coast, shut down operations after the attack, causing a fuel shortage across the region.

Gasoline prices rose an average of 6 cents a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association, and motorists searched frantically for pumps that had not gone dry.

The federal government declared a regional emergency, allowing the transportation of fuel through tanker trucks instead of the 5,500-mile pipeline between New York and Texas.

How did the attack happen?

Described by the FBI as a Russia-based cybercrime group, DarkSide used malware to encrypt company files, threatening to leak the data it downloaded if its ransom demands were not met.

Colonial officials said a catastrophe was averted when the company, a day after the hit, paid a ransom of $4.4 million in bitcoin; U.S. officials later said they recovered $2.3 million.

I know how critical our pipeline is to the country, Colonial CEO Joseph Blount told the Senate Homeland Security Committee, defending his decision to pay the ransom. And I put the interests of the country first.

Both the government and the private sector must guard against the potential danger of these attacks. The enemies do not wear uniforms or brandish guns. They emerge from the dark labyrinth of the internet, and they are cold, calculating and brutal.

The analogy would be I break into your house, and once I get access to your house, I change all of the locks, and lock you out of your own house, Eric Cole, author of Cyber Crisis, Protecting your Business from Real Threats in the Virtual World, told reporters.

The FBI identified the perpetrators as a gang based in Russia, although investigators are not sure if the organization was connected to the Russian government, Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser, said in a White House briefing.

Regardless of the affiliation of the attackers, a cyberattack against a business can be as devastating as a bomb dropped on company headquarters; instead of stone and mortar toppling, the damage centers on vital information, which could be stolen or compromised.

Following the attack, the administration issued new regulations requiring companies to conduct cybersecurity assessments.

The move came before another business, meat producer JBS, suffered an attack masterminded by another criminal organization based in Russia, according to federal investigators. JBS says it paid $11 million in bitcoin as ransom to cybercriminals.

Administration officials said President Joe Biden would discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip to Geneva this week.

In its effort to thwart future hits, the administration will also address the role of bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that makes it more difficult for law enforcement officials to follow the money after the cyberattacks.

Cyberattacks have become a huge, complex problem, and the administration must enlist the aid of the private sector in the war against high-tech terrorism.

As in real war, defense is preferable to offense; that means creating firewalls that thwart attacks before they start, with businesses undergoing frequent and thorough backups that protect data, according to Homeland Security officials.

This is the new reality  every staffer, from the CEO down, is a soldier in this conflict.
Pointing to vile and despicable social media posts, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff plans to reject a $32,000 check from a local business for a rescue boat.

Instead, he wants to use county funds  pending the approval of county commissioners.

Sheriff Javier Salazar said he understands Wolffs position. Without elaborating, he said he is working on a proposal to buy a boat that would not use taxpayer funds. Although commissioners meet Tuesday, theres no agenda item concerning a rescue boat.

The unfortunate area drowning deaths being reported on as I write this illustrate our need for this lifesaving equipment in Bexar County, Salazar said in a statement.

Over the weekend, a man and a woman in Guadalupe County went missing after saving two children from drowning in the Guadalupe River. The body of 22-year-old Casandra Kendrick was later recovered, but authorities have not found the man.

On ExpressNews.com: DeBerry, Salazar spar over donation for rescue boat

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff's letter to Sheriff Salazar Read the full letter here

Commissioner Trish DeBerry balked at an initial request from Sheriff Javier Salazar in April to spend $20,000 from the nonprofit Bexar County Sheriffs Foundation for a rescue boat. The foundation was created two years ago and is maintained by the San Antonio Area Foundation to fund non-budgeted items for the department.

DeBerry said it was insulting for the sheriff to bring a request for a shiny new toy when there were other needs, such as equipment for deputies. At the time, commissioners asked Salazar to return with details about storage, liability, maintenance and operation of the boat.

It seemed as if controversy over a search and rescue boat for the Bexar County Sheriffs Office had nearly been resolved once Black Rifle Coffee Company, a veteran-owned business, donated funds for the watercraft earlier this month. Its co-owners posed with the sheriff and an oversized $32,000 check in a photo widely circulated online.

In a letter to the sheriff released Monday, Wolff said one of the owners of the shop then went on a social media attack against DeBerry. He called the post and comments that followed one of the ugliest and most blatant displays of sexism and personal attacks that I have ever seen in the fifty years that I have been in politics.

As a result, Wolff is willing to expend county funds for a rescue boat, but only after Salazar appears before commissioners to answer questions on its storage, operation and other details.

You want to talk about garbage politicians? reads the post from Jarred Taylor on Instagram. Lets talk about @trishforcommish our county commissioner that sat and mocked our Sheriff when he asked for funds to purchase a rescue johnboat for the Bexar County Sheriffs department.

He adds that Black Rifle Coffee will make sure our communities have the equipment they need as you sit on your high horse.

The coffee brewery co-owners post, Wolff said in the letter, gave rise to hundreds of other vile and despicable posts which attacked Commissioner DeBerry as a woman, a leader and her family.

DeBerry said shes less upset with Black Rifle for the online attack than Salazar because she believes he misrepresented the discussion at the April 6 meeting.

The Sheriffs Office, one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the county, runs the Bexar County Jail, which has been on pace to accrue $4 million in unbudgeted overtime costs this year, with about 200 staff vacancies. Since the San Antonio Police Department, city parks police, constables and some county emergency service districts have boats, water rescue has not historically been under the sheriffs purview.

I didnt say no to the boat. I said come back and brief us. I dont think that context was ever given, DeBerry said. This is about getting your house in order. Prioritize. And a boat is not the priority right now.

Hes had two months to come brief all of us, she said. And then all of a sudden theres this big announcement regarding this $32,000 check from Black Rifle Coffee. It still would be nice to know the details associated with that.

DeBerry noted that its up to commissioners to accept or decline the $32,000.

Since the donation was announced on social media and in news reports in early June, DeBerry has received hundreds of angry comments on her county commissioner Instagram site from people from across the country.

My Instagram account blew up. These offensive, threatening, harassing texts from across the country  more than 800  each were laden with (expletives) and threats of a political backlash, DeBerry said.

On ExpressNews.com: BCSO receives $32K check for rescue boat

Salazar said he was not aware of angry comments directed at the commissioner.

The first I saw of any specific comments regarding this issue were the ones apparently cut and pasted into Judge Wolffs letter, he said in the statement, without further comment.

Wolff said he would refuse to accept the donation for any county-related purpose. His letter chided Salazar for fueling the ire directed at DeBerry.

The despicable behavior displayed in this matter is not less than an affront to human dignity and the values of tolerance and respect that we as a community share  it should not be tolerated, Wolff wrote.

shuddleston@express-news.net
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Carolina on Monday to kick off a nationwide push to vaccinate millions more Americans against the coronavirus as July 4 holiday celebrations loom.

Harris spoke at the Phillis Wheatley Community Center at a vaccine mobilization event, reminding an audience of more than 150 that the coronavirus vaccines available are safe, free and effective in an effort to debunk misinformation and dislodge vaccine skepticism experts say have slowed down the administration of the shots across the country.

They are safe, and they are free, Harris said of the vaccines. They are inspected, and it is that simple.

Monday's visit kicks off the launch of a national tour thats part of the White Houses month of action, announced by President Joe Biden earlier this month urging more Americans to get their shots before the July 4 holiday. Harris will next head to Atlanta on Friday, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan plans to make Tuesday stops in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina.

The White House effort includes an early summer sprint of incentives and a slew of new steps to ease barriers and make the vaccines more appealing to those who have not received them. Its aimed at helping the president close in on his goal of getting 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day.

Some of those efforts, Harris said Monday, include partnering with rideshare services to offer free rides to vaccine sites, having pharmacies across the country that are open 24 hours a day and working with childcare facilities to offer free childcare as people get vaccinated and recover from their side effects.

Americans care for one another. Americans love our neighbor and in a perfect strangers face we see a friend  thats who we are when we are at our best, Harris said. And for that reason alone, Americans are going to keep getting vaccinated.

The vice presidents visit also coincides with the states COVID-19 Vaccine Action Week. South Carolina health officials are making a concentrated push to get state residents rapidly vaccinated, offering walk-in events at rural health clinics, pharmacies, hospitals and even breweries in the coming days.

South Carolina NAACP leaders and public health officials joined Harris at the community center Monday, decrying how few people in Greenville had received their shots so far.

The South has been home to some of the lowest coronavirus vaccination rates in the country, with Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, West Virginia and South Carolina all in the bottom ten states for doses administered per capita as of Sunday, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Less than 39% of South Carolina's population was fully vaccinated as of last week, according to the state health department. South Carolina State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said the state has worked to eliminate barriers to ensure vaccine access in many non-traditional settings.

Barriers to the vaccine is no longer the greatest issue, Bell said. It is choice.

Harris later toured a pop-up vaccination site at an indoor basketball court at the YMCA of Greenville, where she spoke with staffers administering the shots and people who had just received their vaccine that afternoon. She was also scheduled Monday to join a conversation about voting rights with community leaders.

___

Liu 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.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
Plans to improve powers to deal with livestock worrying cases are welcomed but proposals could have gone further, the sheep sector has said.

The government last week announced a strengthening of legislation on livestock worrying by dogs.

New measures include increasing the scope of livestock species and locations covered by the law, such as llamas and donkeys.

Police will also gain more power to seize dogs after particularly serious incidents, if there is a reason to believe that dog might pose an ongoing risk to livestock.

But sector groups have said that the new powers should have been further backed up by a 'significant increase' in the maximum fines that could be imposed.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) said it was an opportunity for the government to create a 'major deterrent to this antisocial behaviour'.

Chief executive Phil Stocker said: "Defra and Ministers responsible for English legislation are missing a trick in not taking the opportunity to increase fines in line with what the Scottish parliament has done.

The provisions of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021, which received Royal Assent on 5 May, includes imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, a fine not exceeding 40,000, or possibly both.

A person who commits a similar offence in England under the new proposed Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill is liable to a summary conviction and a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale  currently 1,000.

Mr Stocker said there was 'very little' to reduce the number of dog attack incidents that were increasing year-on-year.

"In fact, the lack of clarity in defining 'under close control' puts farmers and dog owners in a difficult, potentially conflicting position," he said.

Recent reports of out-of-control dogs causing harm to livestock include a Highland cow being chased over an embankment leading to its death.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Danny Kruger was recently fined after his dog chased deer in Richmond Park, London.

The NSA said this underlined a significant increase in the number of incidents amid an increase in dog ownership during the pandemic.

The results from the group's own sheep worrying by dogs survey has also revealed a concerning increase in dog attacks on sheep over the past year.
A farmer and his two horses is making a 650 mile charity trip in memory of his police officer brother who died after a road accident which rendered him unconscious for 14 years.

Jamie Alcock is driving Millie and Willam from his farm in Gloucestershire to Elgin in Morayshire to raise funds for a charity that helped support his brother for all that time.

Jamie has just passed through Loughborough at his 100 mile mark, supported by members of the public and local businesses.

The momentum is growing each day, and his wife Katie who is working to keep him on a safe route is receiving messages for places to stay, and stops for the horses.

Jamie is the brother of the late PC John Christopher Alcock, who was a serving officer with Grampian Police stationed at Elgin.

In August 2003 Christopher was involved in a road traffic accident whilst on duty. He was travelling with colleagues to do their shift on Royal Protection at Balmoral.

Christopher was unconscious at the scene of the accident, never recovered consciousness and died 14 years later.

He was buried with full police honours at Garmouth, just north of Fochabers, in October 2017.

The local Police Federation and Chief Constable, looked after Christophers needs and issues as much as they could.

They did their best for his partner and young son too. Christophers name is recorded on the Police Roll of Honour.

Jamie said: I have always thought that I could never repay the charities that helped, but I know with what has happened with Covid in the last 12 months, charities have taken a massive hit.

"Now I want to raise money to put it back in the pot to help other people," he added.

Jamie, who lives in Gloucestershire and works Shire horses on Coldcroft Farm, set off on Saturday 5 June and has already raised 7,700.

He is hoping to raise 15,000 for his chosen charities - Police Care UK receiving 75% and the Fire Fighters Charity receiving 25% of donations.

The charities both support serving and retired police officers and firefighters when they have been harmed as a result of their work.
Farmers are being asked to assist in a new study looking at the spread of rat's tail fescue, a grass weed that is already posing problems in Europe.

The weed is predominantly a threat in no-till winter cereals and grasses, where it can rapidly form dense carpets and compete with the crop.

But it can also be found in orchards and vineyards, and if it does take hold, can cause significant economic damage.

The weed has been spreading in France, Switzerland, Spain and Denmark, and is now starting to take hold in England and Wales.

In Australia, where it has been present in fields for more than 50 years, it has incurred million dollars of losses through crop yield reduction and contamination of forage and wool.

Project lead of the new study, Dr Lucie Buchi, said rats tail fescue was a relatively new grass weed in cropping systems in Europe, but of increasing concern.

In the UK, it is present in natural habitats, but its distribution in arable fields is yet unknown," she explained.

"For this reason, we are launching a UK-wide survey to better understand the current knowledge and distribution of this species in the UK, and its association with cropping practices.

Its really important we get on top of this before it becomes another blackgrass.

As part of the survey, farmers will be asked to answer questions about their location, soil type and general agronomy to see if there is any correlation between these factors, and the distribution or abundance of rats tail fescue.

This will help researchers identify areas of the country or agronomic practices that may be at higher risk of this species becoming a problem.

Dr Buchi from the National Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, along with Laura Cook and Richard Hull from Rothamsted, are also inviting farmers to send them rats tail fescue seeds so they can start to study the weed in preparation for its likely spread across the UK.

Mr Hull said: We would like farmers that have rats tail fescue on their land to send us a mature seed sample and we can provide them with instructions for obtaining as good a seed sample as possible.

We plan to run a series of experiments looking at how rats tail fescue may adapt to future climates and to study the differences in the life cycle of wild and natural populations compared to seed collected from farmers fields.

The anonymous survey launched on Monday (14 June) and will remain open until the 31 August.
A Fife farmer has become the first Scottish producer of buffalo mozzarella following years of work to realise his ambition.

Farmer and star of the BBCs This Farming Life, Steve Mitchell, has been given the green light to start full production.

It follows rigorous tests that food products need to adhere to, particularly for dairy products.

Steve established the business in 2005, on Buffalo Farm in Kirkcadly, with his small herd of water buffalo.

His dream was further fuelled with the visit of Gordon Ramsay several years back, where they made a trial batch of Buffalo mozzarella.

At that point, Gordon said he wanted to invest if he was to produce the cheese.

But Steve thought his dream was over when a major investor pulled out at the last minute  leaving him with no option but to sell a large part of his herd.

He decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign just under two years ago, where he successfully raised 800,000 from donors across the UK.

Steve has been able to build his custom-designed dairy parlour and mozzarella production facility, where production is now underway.

We are now embarking on the most exciting and the most terrifying part of the project," he said.

"We now have to live up to the targets and expectations we have set ourselves and discover whether the market enjoys our Scottish buffalo mozzarella as much as we do.

The Buffalo Farm has already ready received interest from retailers, restaurants and wholesalers who are keen to take the new product.

Steve is working with his team to support the continued growth of the product without compromising the quality.

He said: I would much rather produce small batches of world-class cheese than compromise what we have.

"We have been given the opportunity to create something quite special and the team is determined to make Scotland a force to be reckoned with in the world buffalo mozzarella market.
Fourteen Scottish farming groups have warned the UK government that future trade deals could be 'detrimental' to the industry if handled incorrectly.

Agricultural organisations have written to International Trade Secretary Liz Truss amid ongoing negotiations between the UK and Australia.

The bodies, which include NFU Scotland, Quality Meat Scotland and First Milk, say they are 'concerned' over the pace of the talks.

Farming, along with the food and drink industry, is one of Scotlands fastest growing and globally recognised sectors, with a value of 15bn employing 120,000 people.

Central to its success over the past 10 years has been growth in export markets across the world, with exports of Scottish food alone up over 100% since 2007.

But the European Union remains the most important export market, with it being the destination of two-thirds of all Scottish food exports.

The organisations highlight how the industry is 'disproportionately important' to Scotlands economy compared to the UK as a whole.

And while the sector is 'very ambitious' to grow in new markets, they warn that their biggest export market is now 'costlier and more complex' to supply to.

They add that they remain 'hugely concerned' over new trade deals, such as with Australia, as they could be completed 'too quickly and without proper scrutiny'.

"Trade deals are complex, and markets are sensitive; the impact of the Brexit deal has demonstrated this," the organisations say in their letter to Ms Truss.

"The risks here are enormous for the whole food and drink supply chain and, in the absence of any formal impact assessment to suggest the contrary, we remain hugely concerned at the impact on sensitive sectors of our industry."

They add that while they have heard references to 'critically important' safeguards, they have not seen any detail on this.

The groups add: "On a wider point, any trade deal which does not prioritise the maintenance of our standards of animal welfare and environmental protection would be detrimental to businesses, consumers and the UKs reputation.

"It would also run completely contrary to the recommendations of the Trade and Agriculture Commission."

They say that an FTA with Australia has 'added significance', as it could establish a framework for other Free Trade Agreements, such as with the US and Canada.

In their letter, the groups urge the UK government to establish 'a more rigorous and meaningful process of engagement and consultation with industry'.

"We feel extremely disconnected to the process and are concerned that agreements are reached without full knowledge of the implications, both positive and negative, for the agriculture and wider food sector," they say.

The organisations also urge the government to publish their response to the Trade and Agriculture Commissions report and move to implement the recommendations, particularly in relation to putting it on a statutory footing.

"The Commission should have a critical role in scrutinising all potential Free Trade Agreements and, in doing so, at a point in the process that is meaningful and prior to FTAs being signed and ratified.

"This will help ensure that any agreement upholds and protects our environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards."

Among the groups which signed the letter include Scotland Food & Drink, Quality Meat Scotland, Scottish Crofting Federation, Road Haulage Association and Scottish Pig Producers.
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Have you ever witnessed fashion crossovers that left you stunned? The fashion industry has always had a knack for taking inspiration from anything around us and making it into costumes. Be it wearing a quilt on the runway or wearing a pillow as a dress, there is nothing that fashion hasnt seen, and one of them is experimenting with food items.There are some outrageous fashion statements made by celebrities, but none can compare to when they decide to dress as food. If youre thinking about cute little prints that everyone has access to, youre in for a surprise. We are not talking about just the prints on the clothes, we are referring to life-size food-inspired clothing that the Hollywood celebs seem to love.It is fun to see known personalities step out of their comfort zones to dress up in something that draws more than just attention. Over the past few years, we have seen celebs dressing as anything from avocados to burgers. There is hardly anything that seems outrageous to them, and in return, we get to see a visual treat as they strut down the carpets like normal.Are you curious about what we are talking about? Well, your wait is over because we have curated some of the best food inspired clothing worn by celebrities that is bound to make you crave something to eat!Image: @the.nostalgicfeed Who can forget the iconic meat dress that Lady Gaga wore back in 2010 at the VMAs? She is one star who has never shied away from experimenting and this ensemble left many jaws dropped. You cant deny that it always makes you double take whenever you look at it!Image: @gisele Gisele Bundchens adorable avocado and toast costume with hubby is legit #goals. If there is anyone who can make this breakfast item look cute, it has to be the supermodel herself. We cant deny that we lowkey wish to see a full family breakfast costume. Imagine how endearing that would be!Image: @meritleighton Teenage actor Merit Leightons costume is definitely one to tease our sweet tooth. Super adorable in the donut costume, she sure looks like a treat. We cant get over how yummy her outfit looks. Are you suddenly craving donuts as well?Image: @mindykaling Mindy Kaling sure knows how to dress up at home and have fun while doing it! Be it an avocado or a seasoning, we have to agree that this superstar can rock just about anything while looking like a delight. Why is it making us want to dress as food?Image: @kyle_maclachlan Kyle MacLachlan is here to show us that age has no bar when it comes to dressing up the way you like! Making the road his runway, he is here to remind you to eat your greens. You can never go wrong with a bowl of salad, after all!Image: @katymykillerqueen Going beyond the average imagination, Katy Perrys Cheeto outfit is one to steal the spotlight. Bringing every midnight snackers fantasy to life, this pop star showed her love for the flaming hot chips in style. Who knew someone could look good even as an orange Cheeto?Image: @spainlovestaylor13 Looking like a happy meal combo, both the pop stars look exactly like our routine order at a fast-food joint. Their scrumptious outfits are making our junk food dreams come true! There is no better combo than a burger and fries and the adorable chemistry between these stars shows us just that!Also Read: Mood-Boosting Mix-Match Printed Bottoms For The Lockdown
The Uravugal Trust in Chennai, started by Khaalid Ahamed, provides unclaimed bodies with a dignified burial. The trust has performed the last rites of many who have died due to COVID, free of cost



What started as a small initiative with 10 friends in 2017 has grown into a full-fledged NGO with 500 volunteers. Khaalid Ahamed, the 25-year-old founder and president of the Uravugal Trust, says that life and death both deserve dignity. It was with that thought that the friends started the trust, which helps with the burial of unclaimed corpses and homeless people. I saw a homeless man die in front of my eyes, Ahamed recalls. We rushed him to the nearby hospital, informed the police station, but no one came to claim his remains. That really upset me. How can someone not have anyone around them when they are dead? Isnt that the least one can expect?



How can someone not have anyone around them when they are dead? Isnt that the least one can expect?  Khaalid Ahamed

Ahamed and his team have carried out the final rites of more than 2,000 deceased souls, of which over 1,500 died due to COVID. During the lockdown period, his team looked after many homeless people and treated the injuries they sustained. They also helped patients reach their hometowns. We have our own ambulances for this purpose, to attend to the medical needs of homeless people, take seriously ill patients to the hospital for free, carry out cremations and burials, says Ahamed who, at times, has broken his Ramzan fast at the crematorium. Work is a priority; my phones have not stopped ringing since the start of the pandemic, he reveals.



We consider ourselves their son or daughter, or a sibling, and perform the rituals according to the religion they belong to.  Khaalid Ahamed

The word Uravugal means relationship in Tamil, and the trust has nearly 500 volunteers, out of which nearly half are women, and first-year college students. We work with police officers and hospitals across Chennai; we receive calls from them if there is an unclaimed body, for which we then carry out the final rites, Ahamed explains. We consider ourselves their son or daughter, or a sibling, and perform the rituals according to the religion they belong to. The team carries out the cremation of COVID patients donning PPE kits, masks, and gloves, with the use of sanitiser. All the cremations are performed in electric crematoriums, but the possibility of getting infected is still high, he admits. A few months into the service, he tested positive for COVID-19. After his quarantine period and recovery, he went back to serving the needs of the dead. No matter how wealthy or famous you are, death is inevitable, he concludes as he rushes away to attend to an emergency call. Every life ends in the same way  that is my greatest learning from my work.



Also read: Dr Anamika Giri Pulls 12-hour Shifts Daily To Help Patients Fight COVID
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Today is actor Sushant Singh Rajputs first death anniversary. He passed away last year on June 14 and left everyone in a state of shock. Soon what followed was the media jumping the gun and blaming people without evidence for being behind his demise. However, the case is still impending in the court. On his first death anniversary his two close co-stars Kriti Sanon and Sara Ali Khan, both of who were rumoured to be dating him at some point, came out and posted emotional posts about the actor.



and Ill bump into you somewhere..I dont think itll EVER sink in..But i pray that you are happy and at peace in whichever world you are in..#sush. Thanks @anaitashroffadajania for sharing this collage.. brought back a lot of memories.. Sara Ali Khan captioned her post as, Whenever I needed help, advice or a laugh you were always there. You introduced me to the world of acting, made me believe that dreams could come true, and gave me all that I have today. Still cant believe youre gone. But every time I look at the stars, the rising sun or the moon I know youre here. From Kedarnath to Andromeda. Sweet, isnt it?



While Kriti posted a collage and captioned it as, The first time i ever shot with you.. Our look test..2 complete strangers, meant to cross each others path,For a film that spoke of inexplainable connection,Based in two worldsToday, it feels so painfully weird to knowThat You and I are not in the same world anymore..Still feels like it hasnt happened for real. Like maybe you are still around
The pandemic restrictions which were implemented from April onwards brought several film shoots to standstill. Luckily Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon had already finished shooting the first schedule of their upcoming film Bhediya. The two were shooting in Arunachal Pradesh for the film and now after almost a two-month break, they are ready for their second schedule.

According to reports in a leading daily, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon will shoot for the second schedule from June 26 in Mumbai itself. A set is being constructed in Mira Road for the same and the schedule will be eight to ten days long. A song will be shot amidst this schedule with minimal crew. Director Amar Kaushik says to the daily that the lockdown didnt affect them much. He wanted his actors to have a break between two schedules as they had shot extensively in Arunachal Pradesh.

Varun Dhawan who had tied the knot in January, soon jumped into work with Bhediya. In fact, he even had his wife Natasha Dalal accompanying him to the shoot. With busy schedules and flying restrictions, the just married couple found their own way to enjoy some time.

Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon teamed up for Bhediya after working together in Dilwale (2015) Kriti Sanon has her bag full of projects, apart from Bhediya she has Mimi, Bachchan Pandey, a film with Rajkummar Rao, Adipurush and it's even said that she will have Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo remake in her kitty and reunite her with Luka Chuppi co-star Kartik Aaryan.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - PotlatchDeltic Corp. (PCH) confirmed that a fire occurred at its Ola, Arkansas sawmill on the morning of Sunday June 13. The Ola and Galla Rock Fire Departments responded quickly and brought the fire under control. There were no injuries reported from the fire or environmental issues, the company said. According to the company, the damage was principally to the primary log breakdown area of the mill. The planer mill, kiln, and shipping department were not affected. Processing of existing rough lumber inventories will be completed as soon as possible. A determination regarding downtime and costs to repair the Ola mill will be made as the extent of damage is fully assessed, the company noted. PotlatchDeltic stated that it is preparing an insurance claim, including business interruption. PotlatchDeltic log deliveries will be diverted to other mills in the area as much as possible, however harvesting operations may be impacted. The Ola, Arkansas sawmill employs about 148 people in the mill and wood procurement operations. The sawmill has the capacity to produce about 150 million board feet of lumber a year. PotlatchDeltic is committed to its operations in Ola and will be assessing options and timing for repair to the damaged areas. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2021) - BMEX Gold Inc. (TSXV: BMEX) (OTCQB: MRIRF) (FSE: 8M0) ("BMEX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that diamond drill hole TUT-21-018 has intersected visible gold assaying 81.89 g/t Au over 0.45 metres at its King Tut Gold Project ("King Tut" or the "Project"), located in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada (Figures 1 and 2). A re-assay of the sample returned 143.79 g/t Au. All assay results for the Company's recently completed its 2020-21 drill program at King Tut have now been received. Results for drill holes TUT-21-011 to TUT-21-019 can be found in Table 1; collar coordinates and hole orientations are listed in Table 2. Previous results were reported in press releases dated March 11, 2021 and March 23, 2021.

Warner Uhl, President and CEO of BMEX Gold, commented, "I am very pleased with the assay results from hole 18, which was one of the last holes targeting the main structure at King Tut. In addition, we are pleased that nearly all our drill holes have returned gold mineralization over variable widths which is very encouraging for a first pass drill program. The system carries high-grade gold and our geological consulting team will be evaluating the whole drill program in conjunction with other geophysical tools and modelling to create a robust follow-up exploration program. We are well financed for this work and we are collaborating with one of the best geological teams in Canada."

Figure 1: Location Map of King Tut property.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5785/87417_e709fb50844bba3a_002full.jpg

Figure 2: Location Map for 2020-21 Drill Program.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5785/87417_e709fb50844bba3a_003full.jpg

Figure 3: VG in Drill Core (TUT-21-018).



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5785/87417_e709fb50844bba3a_004full.jpg

Assay results for the 19-hole, 5119-metres drill program are currently being compiled with the historic drill results as the Company continues to build a comprehensive exploration model for the Project. Recent results, especially this new high-grade interval, confirm the presence of high-grade gold system at King Tut. Upcoming work includes a drone magnetic survey this summer to support detailed geological modelling. The new exploration model will provide the basis for a targeting study ahead of a follow-up diamond drill program in the fall.

DDH From (metres) To (metres) Length (metres) Au (g/t) TUT-21-018 185.65 186.10 0.45 81.89 TUT-21-018 33.00 34.10 1.10 0.80 TUT-21-018 89.60 90.60 1.00 1.20 TUT-21-018 144.15 145.40 1.25 0.96 TUT-21-011 72.00 78.50 6.50 1.18 including 72.00 73.00 1.00 5.82 TUT-21-011 92.50 98.00 5.50 0.59 including 94.90 95.50 0.60 2.50 TUT-21-011 118.90 127.50 8.60 0.22 including 125.25 126.00 0.75 0.99 TUT-21-012 8.00 12.00 4.00 1.30 including 8.00 9.00 1.00 3.62 TUT-21-013 7.00 7.80 0.80 2.16 TUT-21-014 16.50 19.50 3.00 0.66 including 18.50 19.00 0.50 2.41 TUT-21-014 26.00 33.00 7.00 0.43 including 29.40 30.00 0.60 1.79 TUT-21-014 54.00 63.00 9.00 0.35 Including 55.00 55.50 0.50 1.80 including 61.00 62.00 1.00 1.52 TUT-21-014 248.80 249.35 0.55 0.52 TUT-21-015 9.75 15.20 5.45 0.20 including 9.75 10.80 1.05 0.39 TUT-21-016 232.75 233.40 0.65 2.08 TUT-21-017 NSR* TUT-21-019 NSR*

* Note that results are presented uncapped and lengths represent core lengths. NSR = No Significant Result.

Table 1: Results from TUT-21-011 to TUT-21-019

Table 2: Localization of diamond drill hole TUT-21-011 to TUT-21-019.



To view an enhanced version of Table 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5785/87417_table2.jpg

QAQC

Diamond drill core was logged and sampled at the Services Geologiques T-Rex Inc. facility located in Evain, Quebec. Samples consist of NQ-size core sawed in half over variable sample intervals, with one half bagged and tagged for delivery to Techni-Lab - S.G.B. Abitibi Inc., a division of Actlabs. Quality assurance and quality control protocols include the insertion of blank samples (1 every 50), certified reference material (standard) samples (1 every 50), preparation duplicates (1 every 50) and quarter core duplicates (1 every 50), in addition to the regular insertion of blank, duplicate, and standard samples accredited by the lab. Holes TUT-20-005 to TUT-21-019 were assayed for gold using standard fire assay on a 30 g fraction with atomic absorption finish, and gravimetric finish for grades above 3 g/t.

Qualified Person

Maxime Bouchard, Geo, M.Sc. (OGQ #1752), Consulting Geologist with Laurentia Exploration is the Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) for the Company and has approved the technical disclosure contained in this news release.

About BMEX Gold Inc.

BMEX Gold Inc. is a junior Canadian mining exploration company with the primary objective to acquire, explore, and develop viable gold and base metal projects in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Quebec, Canada. BMEX is currently fully focused on earning 100% interest in its two projects, both located in the prolific Abitibi greenstone belt:

King Tut Project consists of 120 contiguous claims on 5,206 hectares

consists of 120 contiguous claims on 5,206 hectares Dunlop Bay Project consists of 76 mineral claims that cover 4,226 hectares

BMEX common shares trade under the symbol "BMEX" on the TSX-V and under the symbol 8M0 on the Frankfurt Exchange.

For further information please contact:

BMEX Gold Inc.

Dylan Sidoo, Business Development

Tel: 1 (604) 423 4499

Email: info@bmexgold.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87417


2022 PAN EUROPEAN LAUNCH OF OKUMA REELS, RODS AND COMBOS BY RAPALA VMC CORPORATION SUPPORTED BY MASSIVE MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Rapala VMC Corporation ("Rapala VMC") announced on January 27, 2021 the acquisition of Okuma European and Russian trademarks and associated intangible assets. Rapala VMC is now pleased to announce that the largescale launch of Okuma reels, rods and combos in Europe and Russia will occur January 1, 2022.

Svendsen Sport A/S ("Svendsen") and Okuma Fishing Tackle Co Ltd ("Okuma") have recently agreed that Okuma's long term exclusive distribution agreement with Svendsen covering Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Russia ("Svendsen Territory") will terminate effective December 31, 2021 and that Svendsen's rights to collect pre-orders terminates September 15, 2021. To facilitate a smooth transition, Rapala VMC has agreed to acquire Svendsen's inventories of Okuma reels, rods, and combos at year end, when the exclusive distribution agreement will terminate.

Okuma's product range is highly suited to European and Russian fishing methods, and Okuma will become the flagship brand in Rapala VMC's European rod & reel product portfolio. Together with 13 Fishing and other Rapala VMC Group brands, the Group's impressive product portfolio will form a winning platform in the region. Furthermore, Rapala VMC will invest heavily into marketing efforts to support the Okuma brand in its growth journey - Okuma's customers and consumers will be at center stage. Through both Okuma's and Rapala VMC's strong network of marketers, ambassadors and brand advocates, the joy of fishing with Okuma will be brought to every local market in Europe and Russia. Rapala VMC will implement a renewed and consistent in-store presence at retail outlets that will elevate the modern Okuma brand to the highly respected level that it deserves; and a new digital marketing strategy will remold Okuma's European social media and website landscape to deliver more value to existing Okuma fans, and to help new anglers develop their fishing skills. The consumers in Europe will see Team Okuma exploding onto the growing online fishing tournament scene, catching big fish and winning trophies with high performance Okuma tackle! Okuma will be everywhere.

"We have been planning the 2022 Pan-European and Russian Okuma launch already for several months. Coming to an agreement concerning the termination of the distribution agreement between Svendsen and Okuma is the last piece of the puzzle. Rapala VMC sales teams will soon be in contact with the customers in Europe that are outside of Svendsen Territory, and pre-sales for customers inside Svendsen Territory will commence from the second half of September. We are really excited to have all the support from Okuma factories to make this happen. Charles Chang and his team have done an excellent job to build the Okuma brand and product portfolio in Europe and now we will together take it to next level. Our new PD&I center for Rods & Reels in Taiwan, Taichung, headed by Enrico Ravenni has been rapidly preparing together with Charles Chang's PD team to scale up the Okuma product range in rods and combos. We see significant opportunities for growth in Okuma reels, rods and combos across Europe", says Nicolas Warchalowski, President and CEO of Rapala VMC Corporation.



"I am very pleased that we were able to reach an amicable agreement allowing for a 2022 Pan-European launch of Okuma brand by Rapala VMC. We already see the benefits of the co-operation with Rapala VMC, which is made easier given that the Okuma head office and Rapala VMC main sourcing office are both located conveniently in Taichung, Taiwan. Where Okuma excels in new product innovation and manufacturing, Rapala VMC excels in brand building, marketing, operations, and customer service. Being able to join Rapala VMC in Europe and in Russia will allow Okuma to concentrate into its core manufacturing and innovation strengths. This Pan-European launch of the Okuma brand will increase the awareness and strength of Okuma among consumers worldwide", says Charles Chang, Chairman and Founder of Okuma Fishing Tackle Co. Ltd.

RAPALA VMC CORPORATION

Nicolas Warchalowski Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Nicolas Warchalowski, Chief Executive Officer, +358 9 7562 540

Olli Aho, Investor Relations, +358 9 7562 540

Attachment
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks were moving higher on Monday as investors await monetary policy decision from the Federal Reserve for guidance on its policy action. A two-day meeting of the Fed ends on Wednesday, with economists expecting no change to rate and QE program. Investors will be watching Powell's remarks for indications about the strength of the economic recovery and the timing of tapering its asset purchase program. In economic releases, Eurozone industrial production figures for April beat expectations. Eurostat said that output from factories, mines and utilities across the single-currency area rose by 0.8 percent over the previous month in April - beating forecasts for a 0.4 percent increase. The benchmark CAC 40 index was up 23 points, or 0.3 percent, at 6,623 after rising 0.8 percent in the previous session. Banks traded mixed while automaker Renault gave up half a percent. Total SE shares rose over 1 percent as oil prices hovered near multi-year highs, underpinned by an improved outlook for demand backed by the lifting of travel curbs due to increased vaccinations. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2021 / Further to its news release dated June 10, 2021, in which Cyber Apps World Inc. (OTC PINK:CYAP) ("Cyber Apps" or the "Company") (Cyberappsworld.com) announced that it has commenced legal action against EMA Financial, LLC's ("EMA") in Nevada District Court for breach of contract claims relating to a share purchase agreement and corresponding convertible promissory note, the Company wishes to clarify that it still intends to seek additional financing through the issuance of additional convertible notes.

Since November 2019, Cyber Apps has been successful in raising funding for the acquisition and development of its various cyber technology products by issuing convertible notes to different accredited investors. While the Company's experience with EMA was disappointing and is now the subject of litigation, Cyber Apps maintains good relationships with several investment companies and is negotiating the issuance of additional convertible notes for funding that would allow the company to develop existing projects and acquire interests in new technologies.

About Cyber Apps World Inc.

Cyber Apps World, Inc. is a company that is dedicated to acquiring and developing a worldwide e-commerce internet platform with the purchase and sale of products and services by way of mobile/computer applications worldwide. Cyber Apps World anticipates making available to subscribers, an ever-growing list of applications and programs.

For more information go to: https://cyberappsworld.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. That includes the possibility that the Company is not able to raise funding as required or only on terms that are not favorable to the Company. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Cyber Apps World, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein. Except for any obligation under the U.S. federal securities laws, Cyber Apps World, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Company Address

9436 W. Lake Mead Blvd.

Suite 5-53

Las Vegas, NV 89134

Phone: (702) 805-0632

For All Inquiries Contact:

info@cyberappsworld.com

SOURCE: Cyber Apps World Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/651498/Cyber-Apps-CYAP-Seeks-Additional-Financing-Through-Convertible-Notes


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude prices rose again on Monday with WTI breaching $71 per barrel levels and Brent breaching $73 per barrel levels as demand-push factors accelerated and risk of supply shocks abated. The upward trajectory of the black liquid continued for the fourth week as progress in vaccinations triggered travel freedom and the mobility so unleashed fuelled oil demand.



Brent crude for August settlement rose to a high of $73.63 in early trade, and is currently at $73.40, a surge of 0.98 percent from previous close. Likewise, West Texas Intermediate crude for July settlement rose to a high of $71.69 in early trade and is currently trading at $71.47, higher by 0.80 percent from previous close.



The International Energy Agency (IEA)'s Oil Market Report for the month of June, which expects the global oil demand to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022, also supported the rally in crude prices. IEA's reiteration that OPEC+ needed to open the taps to keep the world oil markets adequately supplied also reflected on the likely demand-supply gap and supported firmer crude prices.



Meanwhile Goldman Sachs reiterated its projection of $80 for the Brent crude this summer as vaccine rollouts boost global economic activity and exacerbated the bullish sentiment for the commodity.



Crude Oil's trajectory in the days to come would be influenced both by the demand indications on the current phase of travel led economic rebound and the likelihood of supply shocks if any from Iranian crude, should the now resumed Vienna talks lead to a lifting of sanctions against the Middle East nation.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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CHICAGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Ride Sharing Market by Type (E-hailing, Station-Based, Car Sharing & Rental), Car Sharing (P2P, Corporate), Service (Navigation, Payment, Information), Micro-Mobility (Bicycle, Scooter), Vehicle Type, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Ride Sharing Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.6% during the forecast period, from an estimated USD 85.8 billion in 2021 to USD 185.1 billion by 2026. Increase in urbanization, internet and smartphone penetration and increase in cost of vehicle ownership is boosting the growth of the market for ride sharing.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Ride Sharing Market"

194 - Tables

51 - Figures

221 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id= 198699113

Electric vehicle segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period

In China, according to David Xu, Didi's head of strategy, a whopping 21% of the ride-hailing fleet is electric. Beijing-based Didi Chuxing Technology Co., the world's largest ride-hailing company, has about 1 million EVs on its network, with a goal to hit 10 million by 2028.

Moreover, various developments in recent year as, in 2020, Uber announced a new partnership with Lithium Urban Technologies that is among India's largest electric vehicle fleet operators. This partnership will deploy over 1,000 electric vehicles for Uber India's Rentals and Premier services in the upcoming years. Additionally, Uber launched its 'Uber Green' service in London. With this, Uber users in central London can now request a zero-emission vehicle instead of wholly or partly fossil-fueled cars. In January 2021, Uber and in January 2021, expanded the Uber Green service in the USA after launching in 15 US cities in September. Such developments will bring more people toward using ride sharing with electric vehicles.

The e-hailing segment by type is expected to hold the largest market share in 2021

The growing demand for e-hailing services can be attributed to ease of booking, increasing traffic congestion, passenger comfort, and rising government initiatives to increase awareness among people regarding air pollution are propelling the demand for ride sharing, predominantly e-hailing. Also, the increasing partnership between domestic and international service providers, such as Uber and Didi in China, is also likely to help the e-hailing market grow.

Request FREE Sample Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id= 198699113

Asia Pacific is estimated to be the dominant regional market

In Asia Pacific, developing countries are expected to experience significant growth, primarily in urban transportation. The high population growth rate in the region and increasing urbanization have intensified the need for transportation. Most of the countries in the region are shifting their focus on smart personal mobility to reduce travel time and congestion. Asia Pacific accounts for a significantly lower number of vehicles per 1,000 persons as the per capita income in most of these countries is lower than in Western countries. Hence, ride sharing offers users a sense of owning a vehicle at a much lower cost than actually owning one. Therefore, consumers prefer ride sharing services over personal vehicles. Additionally, factors such as a rise in the daily commute to workplaces in urban areas and an increased need to save fuel by providing a ride to commuters and colleagues heading along the same route are anticipated to fuel the Asia Pacific Ride Sharing Market.

Key Market Players:

The report analyzes all major players in the Ride Sharing Market including Didi Chuxing (China), Uber Technologies, Inc (US), Gett (Israel), Lyft, Inc (US), and Grab (Singapore) are the major companies operating in the global Ride Sharing Market. These companies adopted new product development, and expansion strategies to gain traction in the Ride Sharing Market.

Browse Related Reports:

Mobility as a Service Market by Service (Ride Hailing, Car Sharing, Micro Mobility, Bus Sharing, Train), Solution, Application, Transportation, Vehicle Type, Operating System, Business Model and Region - Global Forecast to 2030

Bike and Scooter Rental Market by Service (Pay as you go and Subscription-based), Propulsion (Pedal, Electric, and Gasoline), Operational Model (Dockless and Station-based), Vehicle (Bike, Scooter), and Region - Global Forecast to 2027

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MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

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MarketsandMarkets INC.

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HANZA Holding AB (publ) estimates that the operating profit for the second quarter will exceed SEK 35 million, with a turnover exceeding SEK 600 million

STOCKHOLM, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Through continued good development of the Group's two operating segments and a stable market development, the company estimates that the Group will achieve sales exceeding SEK 600 million during the second quarter of 2021 (SEK 559 million in the second quarter, 2020).

Operating profit for the second quarter is estimated to exceed SEK 35 million (SEK 17,7 million in the second quarter, 2020, after adjustments for non-recurring costs).

External analysts have estimated the Group's margin for the second quarter of 2021 at approx. 4.6-5.0% after possible adjustments for non-recurring costs. The Group's operating margin according to the company's assessment above is expected to amount to approx. 5.8%, which is thus approx. 0.8-1.2 percentage points higher. No non-recurring costs are expected in the second quarter.

HANZA normally reports operating profit as earnings before amortization of intangible assets (EBITA), which also applies to this estimate. Complete information will be published in HANZA's interim report for the second quarter on July 27, 2021.

Contact:



Erik Stenfors, CEO, HANZA Holding AB

Tel: +46-709 50 80 70,

e-mail: erik.stenfors@hanza.com



Lars Akerblom, CFO, HANZA Holding AB

Tel: +46-707 94 98 78,

e-mail: lars.akerblom@hanza.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/hanza-holding-ab/r/hanza-experiences-strong-profit-development-during-the-second-quarter,c3366586

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2021) - Humble & Fume Inc. ("Humble" or the "Company"), announced today that it expects to commence trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. On June 3, 2021, the Company received conditional approval from the CSE to list under the symbol "HMBL", on completion of the reverse-takeover (the "RTO") by Humble of Canada Iron Inc. ("Canada Iron").

Humble is uniquely positioned as one of North America's leading cannabis distribution solution providing customer-centric services and accessories.

"Our first day of trading will mark an exciting new chapter for Humble & Fume. As the only cannabis industry player in North America to offer a fully integrated cannabis distribution solution, we aim to establish ourselves as the North American leader in this market. Listing on the CSE will provide widespread exposure to the investment community which we look forward to keeping up-to-date on our upcoming achievements," said Shawn Dym, Executive Chairman of Humble. "With a strengthened balance sheet of over C$10 million in cash and no debt, we are well positioned to execute on our strategic priorities to continue to grow the business and create shareholder value."

On closing of the RTO, Humble intends to amalgamate with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canada Iron, with the resulting amalgamated entity becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer (that is, Humble & Fume Inc. (being the former Canada Iron) an Ontario corporation and reporting issuer. Pursuant to the RTO, shareholders of Humble will exchange their common shares of Humble for common shares of the Resulting Issuer, on a one-for-one basis, including those shareholders resulting from the conversion of approximately $20M aggregate principal of Humble's outstanding convertible debentures plus interest and approximately $10.2M subscription receipts of Humble, immediately before closing of the RTO. In addition, the Resulting Issuer will also issue options, warrants and restricted share units in exchange for, and on the same terms as, current existing Humble options, warrants and restricted share units, as applicable.

The Company and Canada Iron will issue a comprehensive disclosure press release after closing of the RTO and on confirmation of final listing approval from the CSE, which at this time remains outstanding. Additional information regarding the RTO is available on Canada Iron's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

About Humble & Fume

Humble & Fume is one of North America's leading cannabis distribution solution providing customer-centric services and accessories. Humble & Fume works with over 200 leading industry brands and offer more than 10,000 accessories and extract products, and is the only major cannabis industry player to provide a fully integrated cannabis and accessories distribution solution with complete sales, distribution, and trade market support. Servicing more than 3,000 clients continent-wide, we can reach 90% of North American customers within 48 hours. Leveraging decades of North American Cannabis industry experience, we are committed to being a leading partner and brand representative by offering a comprehensive portfolio of leading brands and products to head shops, smoke shops, dispensaries, and consumers.

Learn more at humbleandfumeinc.com.

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the closing of the Company's RTO with Canada Iron, the proposed listing of the Company's common shares on the CSE, and the focus of the Company's business and growth strategy. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements about, among other things, the closing of the RTO, the expected listing and trading on the CSE, Humble &Fume's strategic plans are all forward-looking information. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the RTO will close, the listing and trading of the Company's shares on the CSE will occur or that, if they do occur, they will be completed on the terms and timing described above. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Listing Statement for information as to the risks and other factors which may affect the Company's business objectives and strategic plans.

For more information, please contact:

Company Contact:

Edge Communications Group

Email: invest@humbleandfume.com

Phone: 1 778 400 7894

Investor Contact:

Allison Soss

KCSA Strategic Communications

Email: humbleandfume@kcsa.com

Phone: 212-896-1267

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87442
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2021) - Provenance Gold Corp. (CSE: PAU) (FSE: 3PG) (OTCQB: PVGDF) (the "Company") is pleased to report that all assays have been reported for its initial 23-hole RC drilling program at its Silverbow gold-silver project on the Blue Horse patented mining claim. The drill program was limited to the patented claim. Drilling beyond this claim is planned to commence after permitting. Two target types were envisioned for this initial program: the first was the potential for high grade gold which was mined in the 1930s, and the second was a large bulk mineable breccia identified by drilling in 1993. The high-grade gold target remains promising while the bulk mineable mineralization was confirmed and is open ended.

The drill program confirmed potential bulk-tonnage mineralization on and north of the patented claim. Review of the drilling supports Provenance's interpretation that cross-faults have brought a potentially economic bulk-tonnage breccia zone to open-pit levels in the northern half of the patented claim and beyond. This mineralization likely continues to the north of the claim into an area which had historic mining of a high-grade gold and silver vein system.

The breccia mineralization extends to the north onto the Silver Glance target area, which has returned surface samples up to 3 g/t Au with 60 g/t Ag. A selected dump sample from the Silver Glance Mine returned 1 g/t Au and 2310 g/t Ag. BLM permitting will be required to continue drilling in the Blue Horse and Silver Glance target areas.

Historically, miners produced extremely high-grade gold ores from veins on the patented claim. Provenance confirmed this with random dump samples that returned 293 g/t Au with 673 g/t Ag, 12.4 g/t Au with 225 g/t Ag, and finally 10.2 g/t Au with 785 g/t Ag. The breccia portion of the target was tested in 1993 with three holes which returned typical intervals of 45 to 82 meters of 0.13 to 1.03 g/t Au and 5.6 to 75.8 g/t Ag. No known historic drilling has occurred on the high-grade vein zone.

The longest intercept of mineralization reported from this drilling campaign was BH-17 with 80.6 meters of 0.246 g/t Au and 14.6 g/t Ag, and another hole BH-20 reported 46.7 meters of 0.34 g/t Au and 10.6 g/t Ag. These intercepts were typical of the mineralization found in other holes drilled into the breccia zone. The best high grade vein intercept was found in hole BH-3 which returned 1.5 meters of 3.92 g/t Au and 58.9 g/t Ag. This target area remains open and requires additional drilling.

The Silver Bow project hosts a gold and silver system that extends across the five-kilometer length of the property, with numerous small historic mines and prospects across the property. The drilling at Blue Horse is just one target identified in the larger Silverbow mining district. Other prime targets include the North Dome area where past drilling intercepted thick zones of breccia mineralization. A key target on the domes is untested banded quartz veins which cross the dome. A second key target is the Breccia Ridge on the north face of the dome. Anomalous to multigram gold samples were assayed across the extent of the breccia zone. Provenance intends to continue developing these and other targets in the district with the intent of drilling them as BLM drilling permits are developed and approved.

Rauno Perttu, Provenance Gold's CEO stated "This first program on the Blue Horse patented claim returned significant results and confirmed a mineralized breccia zone that appears to continue to the north for a considerable distance. This first target is only the start in this extensive mineral system which we are planning to permit and drill other targets in the near future.

We are looking forward to permitting and drilling the Dome targets three kilometers to the west of this program which host the best currently known targets on the property. One exceptional target is the extensive bulk-tonnage mineralization in a large breccia zone that extends down the north face of the dome and under gravel cover to the northwest. Another intriguing area of interest includes the potential bonanza grade targets in the boiling zones of the sheeted veins that cross the dome. These types of targets have historically been the source of major discoveries in Nevada."





Figure 1: Silverbow Property Key Target Areas



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5654/87447_prov.h2.jpg

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

The reverse-circulation drilling program utilized by Provenance completed a quality assurance / quality control program (QA/QC) with control samples, standards, blanks and duplicates inserted approximately every 100 feet. The RC drill sampling was in five-foot sample intervals. Drill samples were taken to Paragon Geochemical in Sparks, Nevada for fire assaying for gold and silver. The rejects and pulps remain with Paragon in Sparks, Nevada. A QA/QC program was implemented as part of the sampling procedures for the exploration program. Standard samples were randomly inserted into the sample stream prior to being sent to the laboratory.

Rauno Perttu, P. Geo., a Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101), and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this News Release.

About Provenance Gold Corp.

Provenance Gold Corp. is a precious metals exploration company with a focus on gold and silver resources within North America. The Company currently holds interests in three properties in Nevada, USA. For further information please visit the Company's website at https://provenancegold.com or contact rclark@provenancegold.com.

On behalf of the Board,

Provenance Gold Corp.

Rauno Perttu, Chief Executive Officer

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange, nor its regulation services provider, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to the intended development and exploration of the Mineral Hill silver property, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87447
BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Accenture (ACN) on Monday agreed to acquire umlaut, a German engineering consulting and services firm. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. The move will significantly scale Accenture's deep engineering capabilities to help companies use digital technologies like cloud, artificial intelligence, and 5G to transform how they design, engineer and manufacture their products as well as embed sustainability. The acquisition of umlaut will add more than 4,200 industry-leading engineers and consultants across 17 countries to Accenture's Industry X services, and expand the company's capabilities across a range of industries, including automotive, aerospace & defense, telecommunications, energy and utilities. Industry X combines Accenture's powerful data and digital capabilities with deep engineering expertise to offer clients the broadest suite of services for digitizing their engineering functions, factory floors and plant operations, improving productivity, speeding up the transformation of hardware into software-enabled products, and allowing for faster and more flexible product development. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that most companies' operations and supply chains are far from resilient or flexible enough to respond to crises. Digital technologies can help mitigate disruptions. Umlaut will be next in a series of 22 acquisitions Accenture has made since 2017 to build its Industry X capabilities. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund - Notice of AGM

TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund Limited

(a closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernseywith registration number 57985)

(The "Company")

LEI Number: 549300P9Q5O2B3RDNF78

14 June 2021

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given that the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at the offices of Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited Trafalgar Court, Les Banques, St Peter Port, Guernsey on Thursday 8 July 2021 at 3.30pm.

The Notice of AGM has been posted to shareholders.

In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.3, the Notice of Annual General Meeting, proxy form and accounts have been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

Enquiries:

Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited

The Company Secretary

Trafalgar Court

Les Banques

St Peter Port

Guernsey

GY1 3QL

Tel: 01481 745001

END
CHICAGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this Brazil data center market report.

Brazil data center market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 9.63% during the period 2020-2026.Brazil data center market research report includes market size in terms of area, investment, power capacity, and colocation revenues. Get insights on 43 existing data center and 10 upcoming facilities spread across 8 locations.

Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Brazil is the top data center market in Latin America , driving over 40% of the overall investment in the region. Some of the major market drivers in Brazil are increasing adoption of cloud, the impact of COVID-19, and the introduction of the General Data Protection Act (LGPD) by the government. Sao Paulo is the leading data center market in Brazil , with 27 unique colocation data center facilities accounting for around 85% of the existing power capacity. Rio de Janeiro is an upcoming market in the country. Brazil is witnessing increased investment by cloud service providers within the forecast period, with Microsoft, IBM, AWS, and Huawei having recently opened, or planning to open, availability zones in the country. Brazil accounted for around 50% of the overall colocation revenue generated across Latin America in 2020, with Ascenty, Equinix, and Scala Data Centers as some of the major revenue contributors in the market. Scala Data Centers has two facilities under construction, both of which are expected to be operational in 2021. The company has also acquired the Algar Tech data center in 2021 and will develop a 100 MW data center campus spread over an area of around 1.4 million square feet at full built. BSO, the telecom provider, is working on connecting to B3 Data Center, Brazil's largest liquidity hub, and a significant financial center for international trade, banks and financial services companies.

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Area, Power Capacity, Investment, and Colocation Revenue | 2020-2026

Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Market

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in Brazil

Facilities Covered (Existing): 43



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 10



Coverage: Sao Paulo, Rio De Janerio , and Other Cities

, and Other Cities

Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Brazil

Market Revenue & Forecast (2020-2026)



Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Market Dynamics - Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation - A detailed analysis by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standard

Key Market Participants - List of 9 IT infrastructure providers, 7 construction service providers, 14 support infrastructure providers, and 5 data center investors

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/brazil-data-center-market-investment-analysis-report-2025

Brazil Data Center Market - Segmentation

In Brazil , enterprise, cloud and financial service providers are the major end-users of servers that can help reduce space in the data center environment without affecting their performance. The revenue server market in Brazil increases with the rise in development of data center and the launch of LGDP or Brazilian GDPR.

, enterprise, cloud and financial service providers are the major end-users of servers that can help reduce space in the data center environment without affecting their performance. The revenue server market in increases with the rise in development of data center and the launch of LGDP or Brazilian GDPR.

The emergence of lithium-ion batteries is likely to replace the usage of VRLA batteries and contribute significant revenues to the market by the end of the forecast period. Scala Data Centers are equipped with static redundant UPS systems. In addition, Equinix adopts flexible design of UPS redundancy of N+1.



During the forecast period, large data center developments in Brazil will mostly include CRAH units, and small data centers will mostly consist of CRAC units. Equinix's SP4 data center facility in Sao Paulo is installed with N+1 redundancy of air-cooled chillers and CRAH units.

Market Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer, Switches & Switchgears

Rack PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Market Segmentation by General Construction

Building Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Building Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Market Segmentation by Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

Market Segmentation by Geography

Sao Paulo

Other States

Brazil Data Center Market - Dynamics

Private cloud spending in Brazil will be valued at around USD 600 million in 2021, with a 10% growth from 2020. Moreover, according to the IDC, Brazil's public cloud market will be valued at around USD 3 billion in 2021. Public cloud infrastructure and PaaS services in the country will reach a market size of around USD 3 billion in 2021, a jump of over 45% YoY. In February 2020, Qualcomm Ventures partnered with Brazilian Bank and invest around USD 40 million investment to support IoT start-ups and ecosystems in Brazil. TIM Celular, a telecom provider in Brazil, partnered with Oracle & Microsoft to migrate its entire on-premises workload to the cloud. AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Huawei have all announced new cloud regions/availability zones in Brazil, some of which are already live, and others that will be available within the next one to two years. The government of Brazil has signed an MoU with the UK government for accelerated digitalization and public services delivery innovation in the country. Industries such as healthcare, education, BFSI, transportation, professional services, smart city operators, and government will be the major adopters of big data solutions during the forecast period.

Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth:

Rise in Digital Economy in the Country

Increasing Colocation Investments in the Country

COVID-19 Spikes Data Center Demand

Increased Demand for Edge Solutions

Brazil Data Center Market - Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers

Existing Facilities in the country (Area and Power Capacity)

Rio De Janeiro



Sao Paulo



Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the country (Area and Power Capacity)

Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/brazil-data-center-market-investment-analysis-report-2025

Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Cisco

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Lenovo

NetApp

Pure Storage

Construction Contractors & Sub Contractors

AECOM

Aceco TI

Constructora Sudamericana S.A.

Fluor Corporation

ZFB Group

Jacobs Engineering Group

Quark

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Axis Communications

Caterpillar

Eaton

Generac Power Systems

Honeywell International

Legrand

Munters

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Rittal

Siemens

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Vertiv Group

Data Center Investors

Ascenty (Digital Realty)

Equinix

ODATA

Scala Data Centers

Quantico Data Center

Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry.

Read some of the top-selling reports:

Indonesia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

India Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Australia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Netherlands Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

About Arizton:

Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services.

We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts.

Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports.

Mail: enquiry@arizton.com

Call: +1-312-235-2040

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In 2021, the Internet penetration in Spain stands at 91%. The percentage of Internet users in Spain has increased by 3% from 2020 to 2021. The percentage of social media users in the country has increased by over 8 million users, growing at a rate of over 25% from 2020 to 2021. As of 2021, the number of mobile connections in Spain stands at over 54 million. With over 85% people's participation, WhatsApp was the most used social media in Spain, followed by Facebook YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram in 2020. The increasing use of internet facilities is aiding the growth of data center facilities in Spain.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2021) - Cypherpunk Holdings Inc. (CSE: HODL) (OTC Pink: KHRIF) ("Cypherpunk" or the "Company"), a sector leader for privacy-technology investments, is pleased to announce that Daniel Cawrey has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the Company effective immediately. In this role, Mr. Cawrey will have responsibility for the Company's operations and strategy, reporting directly to the Company's board of directors.

Mr. Cawrey has significant experience driving growth in blockchain businesses, in senior roles for almost a decade. He first became involved with blockchain technology at CoinDesk, one of the largest information resources in the cryptocurrency industry, where he has been contributing since 2013. Mr. Cawrey has worked on and advised many blockchain-based projects, including as CEO of a cryptocurrency-focused hedge fund for several years. He earned his B.S. in information science from Central Michigan University and is a co-author of the book, "Mastering Blockchain."

Antanas Guoga, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "On behalf of the Company's board of directors, we welcome Daniel to the team and look forward to working with him in his role as Chief Operating Officer. As Cypherpunk continues to evolve its investment strategy to drive long-term value, the appointment of a Chief Operating Officer will add further depth and breadth to its senior management team."

About Cypherpunk Holdings Inc.

Cypherpunk is a company set-up to invest in companies, technologies and protocols, which enhance or protect privacy. Its strategy is to make targeted investments in businesses and assets with strong privacy, often within the blockchain ecosystem, including select cryptocurrencies. Current equity investments include Samourai Wallet, Wasabi Wallet, Chia, NGRAVE, and Hydro 66.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Antanas Guoga

Chief Executive Officer

Email: tony@cypherpunkholdings.com

Office: +1 647 946 1300 & +44 (0) 20 3143 7418

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Generally, any statements that are not historical facts may contain forward-looking information, and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or indicates that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" taken, "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the Company's goal of making investments in the blockchain and other sectors and enhancing value and with respect to the breadth of its management team. There is no assurance that the Company's plans or objectives will be implemented as set out herein, or at all. Forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions the Company believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by law. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Investor Relations Contacts:

Veronika Oswald

Cypherpunk Holdings Inc., veronika@cypherpunkholdings.com

Office: +1 647 946 1300 & +44 (0) 20 3143 7418

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87526
Acquisition will further support Company's mission of making access to personalized health available to everyone; lay the foundation for future expansion into UK Europe; add best in class distribution capabilities, including pharmaceutical compounding

Hims Hers Health, Inc., the multi-specialty telehealth platform focused on providing modern personalized health and wellness experiences to all consumers, today announced plans to expand their UK footprint and acquire London-based vertical health platform, Honest Health. Honest Health offers consumers hair loss-related products, including access to compounded products, such as a topical Finasteride with Minoxidil solution when appropriate, through an exclusive relationship with the first UK compounding pharmacy and fulfillment center. The proposed transaction provides Hims Hers with best-in-class operational capability and infrastructure to support the beginnings of the Company's long-term plans for expansion across the United Kingdom and Western Europe. Financial details of the transaction will not be disclosed at this time.

"Honest Health has demonstrated a powerful combination of leadership, passion and innovation in digital health -- at scale -- that will further elevate our ability to provide the Hims Hers personalized healthcare experience to a new segment of consumers in the United Kingdom," said Andrew Dudum, CEO and co-founder of Hims Hers. "Adding Honest Health to our family not only perfectly aligns with our mission but also unlocks new category and geographic opportunities to even further accelerate growth. We are thrilled to have the Honest Health team join the Hims Hers family."

Honest Health, founded by Sam Gluck and Pavlo Maherovsky, launched in November 2018 with Freshman, its next generation hair loss virtual clinic for men.

"Since launching Honest Health in the UK two and a half years ago, we have been dedicated to demolishing the obstacles standing between people and better health," said Gluck. "We are excited to join the Hims Hers team to take this mission of healthcare access and personalization for all to the next level."

The deal is expected to close during the second fiscal quarter of this year.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words "believes," "estimates," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "may," "will," "potential," "projects," "predicts," "continue," or "should," or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to the Company's expansion plans, the Company's ability to consummate the anticipated transaction, the ability of Honest Health to distribute products outside the UK, and the anticipated impacts of the transaction on the Company's business. These statements are based on management's current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with Honest Health's ongoing operations; the possibility that the acquisition will not occur; the possibility that the expected benefits of the acquisition are not realized when expected or at all; and consumer acceptance and changes in demand for Honest Health's and the Company's products, as well as those factors described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2021, and our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

About Hims Hers

Hims Hers is a multi-specialty telehealth platform that connects consumers to licensed healthcare professionals, enabling them to access high-quality medical care for numerous conditions related to primary care, mental health, sexual health, dermatology, and more. Launched in November 2017, the company also offers thoughtfully created and curated health and wellness products. With products and services available across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Hims Hers is able to provide access to quality, convenient and affordable care for all Americans. Hims Hers was founded by CEO Andrew Dudum, Hilary Coles, Jack Abraham and Joe Spector at venture studio Atomic in San Francisco, California. LionTree Advisors served as exclusive financial advisor to Hims Hers. For more information about Hims Hers, please visit forhims.com and forhers.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005241/en/

Contacts:

Linda O'Connor

press@forhims.com
Extraordinary general meeting of Alussa Energy shareholders (the "Special Meeting") to approve the proposed business combination with FREYR AS expected to be held on June 30, 2021

Record date for the special meeting is April 30, 2021

Alussa Energy shareholders as of April 30, 2021 voting by proxy should submit their vote by June 28, 2021. For more information regarding how to vote, please visit https://www.cstproxy.com/alussaenergy/2021

Upon closing of the business combination, the ordinary shares and warrants of the combined company will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols "FREY" and "FREY.WS", respectively

Alussa Energy and FREYR will jointly host a Capital Markets Update webcast on June 22, 2021

Alussa Energy Acquisition Corp. ("Alussa Energy") (NYSE: ALUS) announced today that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has declared effective the registration statement on Form S-4 of FREYR Battery (as amended, the "Registration Statement"), which has been amended by a definitive proxy statement/prospectus in connection with Alussa Energy's Extraordinary General Meeting of Alussa Energy shareholders (the "Special Meeting") to consider matters related to the previously announced proposed business combination with FREYR AS ("FREYR"). Additionally, Alussa Energy today announced that it has set a meeting date of June 30, 2021 for the Special Meeting and a record date of April 30, 2021 (the "Record Date"), as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

"We are excited to deliver our transaction to the final stages of the business combination process. Approval from Alussa Energy's shareholders will enable FREYR to deliver on its ambition of providing some of the world's cleanest and most cost-effective batteries as a New York Stock Exchange-listed company," said Daniel Barcelo, CEO, President and Director of Alussa Energy. "The Alussa Energy team remained true to its mission to facilitate the accelerating energy transition movement by partnering with FREYR to build a company focused on sustainability and decarbonization of transportation and energy systems around the globe. We thank our shareholders, investors in the private investment in public equity offering and other stakeholders for their strong commitment and support throughout our entire transaction process."

Tom Einar Jensen, Co-Founder and CEO of FREYR, added, "The capital to be delivered in the business combination with Alussa Energy will catalyze FREYR's plan to deliver 43 GWh of next-generation battery cell manufacturing capacity in Norway by 2025 and galvanize the rapidly developing battery ecosystem throughout the Nordic region. Since announcing the proposed business combination in January 2021, the interest for our planned clean, low-cost battery cells continues to accelerate. In the future, we look forward to announcing collaborations with offtake customers across transportation and energy storage market segments, global supply chain partners and other entities dedicated to providing battery electrification solutions at scale. FREYR is uniquely positioned to combine next-generation battery technology with a localized supply chain that leverages Norway's distinctive advantages to realize our ambition to produce some of the world's cleanest and most cost-effective batteries."

Alussa Energy Shareholder Vote

Alussa Energy's shareholders of record at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to receive notice of the Special Meeting and to vote their Alussa ordinary shares at the Special Meeting. The meeting will be a completely virtual meeting of shareholders and will be conducted via live webcast. In connection with the Special Meeting, Alussa Energy shareholders that wish to exercise their redemption rights must do so no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 28, 2021 (two (2) business days prior to the Alussa Special Meeting) by following the procedures as specified in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus for the Special Meeting. There is no requirement that shareholders affirmatively vote for or against the business combination at the Special Meeting in order to redeem their shares for cash.

As announced previously, the business combination is to be effected through a newly created holding company, FREYR Battery ("Pubco"). Alussa Energy will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pubco, and the legacy business of FREYR (other than FREYR's wind business) will be operated by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pubco upon the consummation of the transaction. FREYR Battery's ordinary shares and warrants are expected to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the new symbols "FREY" and "FREY.WS", respectively. At the closing of the business combination, each Alussa Energy unit will separate into its components consisting of one Alussa Energy ordinary share and one-half of one warrant and, as a result, will no longer trade as a separate security.

The Record Date determines the holders of Alussa Energy's ordinary shares entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof, whereby shareholders will be asked to approve and adopt the business combination, and such other proposals as disclosed in the definitive proxy statement included in the Registration Statement. If the business combination and other proposals are approved by Alussa Energy shareholders, Alussa Energy anticipates closing the business combination shortly after the Special Meeting, subject to the satisfaction or waiver (as applicable) of all other closing conditions.

The Special Meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on June 30, 2021 via a virtual meeting at the following address: https://www.cstproxy.com/alussaenergy/2021. Investors who hold Alussa Energy's ordinary shares in "street name" or in a margin or similar account, which means that the shares are held of record by a broker, bank or nominee, should contact their broker, bank or nominee to ensure that votes related to the shares they beneficially own are properly counted. In this regard, they must instruct their broker, bank or other nominee how to vote the shares they beneficially own in accordance with the voting instruction form they receive from their broker, bank or other nominee. If they wish to virtually attend the Special Meeting and vote, they must contact their broker, bank or other nominee to obtain a legal proxy and instructions on the procedures to be followed. Beneficial investors who own their investments through a bank or broker and wish to attend the meeting will need to contact Continental Stock Transfer Trust Company to receive a control number at least 72 hours before the Alussa Special Meeting. Alussa Energy recommends that its shareholders wishing to vote at the Special Meeting log in at least 15 minutes before the Special Meeting start time. Please note that Alussa Energy shareholders will not be able to attend the Special Meeting in person. Alussa Energy encourages its shareholders entitled to vote at the Special Meeting to vote their shares via proxy in advance of the Special Meeting by following the instructions on the proxy card.

A list of Alussa Energy shareholders entitled to vote at the Special Meeting will be open to the examination of any Alussa Energy shareholder at Continental Stock Transfer Trust Company's offices, for any purpose germane to the Special Meeting, during regular business hours for a period of ten calendar days before the Special Meeting.

Alussa Energy/FREYR Capital Markets Update Webcast

Alussa Energy and FREYR will jointly host a virtual Capital Markets Update at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on June 22, 2021 to discuss items related to the business combination and provide an update on business activities at FREYR. In addition, the webcast will feature Jarand Rystad, CEO of Rystad Energy, who will provide the firm's macro outlook for global energy transition trends and the battery industry. Alussa Energy and FREYR will provide registration information for the event in a subsequent press release ahead of the webcast.

About Alussa Energy Acquisition Corp.

Alussa Energy is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. While Alussa Energy may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry or sector, Alussa Energy intends to focus on businesses across the entire global energy supply chain. For more information, please visit www.alussaenergy.com

About FREYR AS

FREYR plans to develop up to 43 GWh of battery cell production capacity by 2025 to position the company as one of Europe's largest battery cell suppliers. The facilities will be located in the Mo i Rana industrial complex in Northern Norway, leveraging Norway's highly skilled workforce and abundant, low-cost renewable energy sources from hydro and wind in a crisp, clear and energized environment. FREYR will supply safe, high energy density and cost competitive clean battery cells to the rapidly growing global markets for electric vehicles, energy storage, and marine applications. FREYR is committed to supporting cluster-based R&D initiatives and the development of an international ecosystem of scientific, commercial, and financial stakeholders to support the expansion of the battery value chain in our region. For more information, please visit www.freyrbattery.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains, and certain oral statements made by representatives of Alussa Energy and FREYR and their respective affiliates, from time to time may contain, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Alussa Energy's, Pubco's and FREYR's actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "might" and "continues," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, expectations with respect to the shareholder approval of the business combination, the listing of Pubco's common stock and warrants on the New York Stock Exchange, the production of clean and cost-effective batteries, the plan to deliver 43 GWh of next-generation battery cell manufacturing capacity in Norway by 2025, collaborations with customers and global supply chain partners across the transportation and energy storage sectors, the ability to leverage the Nordic region's developing battery ecosystem and the closing of the business combination shortly after the Special Meeting. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results. Most of these factors are outside the control of Alussa Energy, Pubco or FREYR and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the inability to consummate the transaction due to failure to obtain approval of the shareholders of Alussa Energy; the inability to obtain the listing of Pubco's common stock and warrants on the New York Stock Exchange following the transaction; the failure of capital to be delivered in the business combination; the risk that the transaction disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement and consummation of the transaction; the inability to recognize anticipated benefits of the proposed business combination; the possibility that Alussa Energy, Pubco or FREYR may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive conditions that might lead to, among other things, a failure to develop clean and cost-effective batteries, deliver on the targeted battery cell manufacturing capacity, leverage Norway's perceived advantages in battery production and build collaborations with customers in the transportation and energy markets; and other risks and uncertainties identified in the registration/proxy statement relating to the transaction, including those under "Risk Factors" therein, and in other filings with the SEC made by Alussa Energy, Pubco and FREYR. Alussa Energy, Pubco and FREYR caution that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. None of Alussa Energy, Pubco or FREYR undertakes or accepts any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, subject to applicable law.

No Offer or Solicitation

This press release is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities pursuant to the transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

No Assurances

There can be no assurance that the transaction will be completed, nor can there be any assurance, if the transaction is completed, that the potential benefits of combining the companies will be realized.

Information Sources; No Representations

This press release has been prepared for use by Alussa Energy, Pubco and FREYR in connection with the transaction. The information herein does not purport to be all-inclusive. The information herein is derived from various internal and external sources, with all information relating to the business, past performance, results of operations and financial condition of Alussa Energy was derived entirely from Alussa Energy and all information relating to the business, past performance, results of operations and financial condition of FREYR and Pubco was derived entirely from FREYR. No representation is made as to the reasonableness of the assumptions made with respect to the information herein, or to the accuracy or completeness of any projections or modeling or any other information contained herein. Any data on past performance or modeling contained herein is not an indication as to future performance.

No representations or warranties, express or implied, are given in respect of this press release. To the fullest extent permitted by law in no circumstances will Alussa Energy, Pubco or FREYR, or any of their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, shareholders, representatives, partners, directors, officers, employees, advisors or agents, be responsible or liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or loss of profit arising from the use of this press release, its contents (including without limitation any projections or models), any omissions, reliance on information contained within it, or on opinions communicated in relation thereto or otherwise arising in connection therewith, which information relating in any way to the operations of FREYR or Pubco has been derived, directly or indirectly, exclusively from FREYR and has not been independently verified by Alussa Energy. Neither the independent auditors of Alussa Energy nor the independent auditors of FREYR or Pubco audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to any projections or models for the purpose of their inclusion in this press release and, accordingly, neither of them expressed any opinion or provided any other form of assurances with respect thereto for the purposes of this press release.

Important Information about the Transaction and Where to Find It

In connection with the transaction, Alussa Energy and Pubco have filed and will file relevant materials with the SEC, including a Form S-4 registration statement filed by Pubco on March 26, 2021 and amended on May 7, May 27, and June 9, 2021 (the "S-4"), which includes a prospectus with respect to Pubco's securities to be issued in connection with the proposed business combination and a proxy statement (the "Proxy Statement") with respect to Alussa Energy's shareholder meeting at which Alussa Energy's shareholders will be asked to vote on the proposed business combination and related matters. ALUSSA ENERGY SHAREHOLDERS AND OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS ARE ADVISED TO READ THE S-4 AND THE AMENDMENTS THERETO AND OTHER INFORMATION FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION, AS THESE MATERIALS WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ALUSSA ENERGY, PUBCO, FREYR AND THE TRANSACTION. The Proxy Statement contained in the S-4 and other relevant materials for the transaction are being mailed to shareholders of Alussa Energy as of April 30, 2021. The preliminary S-4 and Proxy Statement, the final S-4 and definitive Proxy Statement and other relevant materials in connection with the transaction (when they become available), and any other documents filed by Alussa Energy with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov) or by writing to Alussa Energy Acquisition Corp. at c/o PO Box 500, 71 Fort Street, Grand Cayman KY1-1106, Cayman Islands.

Participants in Solicitation

Alussa Energy, Pubco and FREYR and their respective directors, executive officers and employees and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the holders of Alussa Energy ordinary shares in respect of the proposed transaction. Alussa Energy shareholders and other interested persons may obtain more detailed information regarding the names and interests in the transaction of Alussa Energy's directors and officers in Alussa Energy's and Pubco's filings with the SEC, including when filed, the S-4 and the Proxy Statement. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005792/en/

Contacts:

For investor inquiries, please contact:

For Alussa Energy:

Chi Chow

Investor Relations

cchow@alussaenergy.com

Tel: (+1) 929-303-6514

For FREYR:

Steffen Fried

Chief Financial Officer

steffen.foreid@freyrbattery.com

(+47) 975 57 406

Harald Bjrland

Investor Relations

Harald.bjorland@freyrbattery.com

(+47) 908 58 221

For media inquiries, please contact:

For Alussa Energy:

Emma Wolfe

alussa@kitehillpr.com

For FREYR:

Hilde B. Rnningsen

Director of Communications

Phone: +47 4539 7184

hilde.ronningsen@freyrbattery.com
Employment Law

Employment law is the section of United States laws that determines how an employee and employer can work together. It regulates the relationship between workers, managers, and owners to ensure everyone is treated fairly and respectfully. It includes how and when an employee can work, what they should be paid, and the minimum conditions that are safe and appropriate to work in. It also determines when someone can be hired or fired and outlines the rights of employees and employers.

Both federal and state governments have enacted a wide range of employment laws protecting employees from discriminatory treatment, unfair labor practices, unsafe work conditions, and more. This section provides in-depth resources on all phases of the employment process  from the interview and hiring stage to promotion and termination. In addition, you'll find information about privacy in the workplace, wage and hour laws, workplace safety, family leave policies, and detailed advice on hiring an employment lawyer.
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is to acquire umlaut, an Aachen, Germany-headquartered engineering consulting and services firm.

The amount of the deal, whose completion is subject to customary closing conditions, was not disclosed.

The acquisition will scale Accentures deep engineering capabilities to help companies use digital technologies like cloud, artificial intelligence, and 5G to design, engineer and manufacture their products as well as embed sustainability.



umlaut will add more than 4,200 engineers and consultants across 17 countries to Accentures Industry X services, and expand the companys capabilities across a range of industries, including automotive, aerospace & defense, telecommunications, energy and utilities.

Umlauts capabilities span traditional and digital engineering services; testing and validation of smart connected products; strategy, process and organizational consulting; and hardware product development as well as software development.

Industry X combines Accentures data and digital capabilities with deep engineering expertise to offer clients a broad suite of services for digitizing their engineering functions, factory floors and plant operations, improving productivity, speeding up the transformation of hardware into software-enabled products, and allowing for faster and more flexible product development.

FinSMEs

14/06/2021










Klarna, a Swedish global payments provider, retail bank, and shopping service, raised USD$639m in equity funding.

The round, which post-money valued Klarna at USD 45.6 billion, was led by SoftBanks Vision Fund 2 with participation from existing investors Adit Ventures, Honeycomb Asset Management and WestCap Group, Klarnas other investors include Sequoia Capital, SilverLake, Dragoneer, Permira, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bestseller Group, Ant Group, Northzone, GIC  Singapores sovereign wealth fund  as well as funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and HMI.

The company intends to use the funds for international expansion and global retail growth.

Led by Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Founder and CEO, Klarna enables consumers to shop, pay and bank via smart tools including a consumer shopping app, used by 18m customers worldwide as well as at over 250,000 retailers globally. In the app, consumers can browse and shop at any brand online with Klarna payment options, allowing them to pay immediately or later, manage spending and available balances, add favorite items to collections, initiate refunds, access tailored discounts, receive price-drop notifications, track deliveries intelligently and join Klarnas loyalty program, Vibe.



Klarna is now live with 24 of the top 100 US retailers across 17 markets. Over 250,000 global retail partners, including H&M, Saks, Sephora, Macys, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, ASOS, Peloton, Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and Shein have enabled Klarnas shopping experience online and in-store.

FinSMEs

14/06/2021
Thomas Markle believes he would get on "quite well with Prince Charles and would like to go for a drink with him.

The 76-year-old estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex also suggests he and the Prince of Wales have something in common having both been ghosted by Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan.

Speaking during an interview with Australian television programme 60 Minutes, Thomas - who has not spoken to his daughter since 2018 - spoke about the similarities he supposedly shares with Charles, despite never having met the heir to the British throne in person.

And he also thanked Charles personally for walking Meghan down the aisle after Thomas pulled out of attending her 2018 wedding to the Duke of Sussex owing to health problems.

He said of Charles: I think we would get on quite well [if we went for a drink together] and I think its unfortunate whats happened to him as well. He seems like a likeable guy and I appreciate the fact that he walked my daughter down the aisle.

I could certainly not have asked for a better replacement, although I would have liked to have done it myself. I see them both ghosting their families completely and now they are alone in a huge house where they can probably accommodate 20 people in but its just the four of them. I don't think they are going to have relatives over for a barbecue next week or next month. I don't know why.

During the interview, Thomas accused his daughter - formerly known as Meghan Markle when she was an actress - of treating him worse than an axe murderer with her anger about him staging paparazzi photos before the nuptials being over-the-top.

He said: "Of course it hurts, there are axe murderers in prison and their family comes to see them. Im not an axe murder.

I made one dumb mistake and Ive been punished for it. This show theyve been on, they talk about compassion, theres no compassion for me, no compassion for my family."
NVIDIA, the company well-known for their high-performance GPUs, is reportedly planning to drop driver support on older versions of Windows later in the year. Starting from October 2021, NVIDIAs GPU drivers will only be supported on Windows 10, and only release critical security updates for older version of Windows.

At the moment, NVIDIA releases drivers for their GPUs for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10. According to NVIDIA, a vast majority of their customers have upgraded to Windows 10, and since it takes a lot of time to develop driver updates for older versions of Windows, the company has decided to simply drop support for them.

Windows 10 is the most popular operating systems among PCs at the moment, and Microsoft themselves have already dropped support for Windows 7 and Windows 8, with extended support for Windows 8.1 dropping later in January 2023. According to Steam charts, Windows 10 accounts for about 93 percent of users, so it makes sense for NVIDIA to focus on developing drivers only for them.

NVIDIA will end support for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 after its last driver release on August 31st, and from October 4th, it will only support Windows 10.

Source | Via
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE surfaced in press renders last week after the CAD-based renders recently. Earlier rumours said that the Galaxy S21 FE will be introduced at an Unpacked event tentatively scheduled on August 19th. Yesterday, a report from South Koreas ETNews said that the company has halted the production of the phone due to global chip shortage, but the article has been taken down.

Today, in response to the report to Bloomberg, Samsung said that it has not yet decided whether to suspend production of the S21 Fan Edition. The ETNews report mentioned that Samsung had asked the suppliers to halt the production of parts for the phone on the June 11th itself, and the reason might be due to Snapdragon 888 yield issues from Samsung foundry rather than the global demand for chips.

Regarding this, Samsung in a statement, said:

While we cannot discuss details of the unreleased product, nothing has been determined regarding the alleged production suspension.

Based on earlier rumours, the S21 FE 5G is said to feature a 6.4-inchFHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED Display with 120Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 888 with up to 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 256GB storage, 12MP rear camera with OIS, LED Flash, 12MP Ultra Wide sensor, f/2.2 aperture, Telephoto camera, 32MP front camera, IP68 water-resistant body and a 4500mAh battery with 25W fast charging, 15W Qi wireless charging.

Samsung already said that it will not be launching the Galaxy Note20 series this year, but the Galaxy Fold Z3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are expected to be introduced at an Unpacked event in the first week of August.

Source 1, 2 (cache) | Images via
A new realme smartphone with the model number RMX3366 has been certified by TENAA in China. This is said to be realme X9 Pro, successor to the realme X7 Pro that was introduced in China back in September last year. Compared to Dimensity 1000+ in the predecessor, this is said to be powered by Snapdragon 870, but there are also rumours of Dimensity 1200 version.

This is said to feature 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor, 1.0m pixel size the is being used in the top-end OPPO and OnePlus phones. Even the camera bump looks similar to the OPPO Reno5 series.

realme X9 Pro rumoured specifications

6.55-inch (2400  1080 pixels) Full HD+ 3D 90Hz OLED display

Octa Core (1 x 3.2GHz + 3 x 2.42GHz + 4 x 1.8GHz Hexa) Snapdragon 870 7nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 650 GPU

8GB / 128GB LPDDR4x RAM with 256GB / 512GB (UFS 3.1) storage

Android 11 with realme UI 2.0

Dual SIM

50MP rear camera with Sony IMX766 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, OIS+EIS, LED flash, 16MP 119 Ultra Wide Lens with f/2.2 aperture, 2MP macro camera f/2.4 aperture

32MP front-facing camera with f/2.45 aperture

In-display fingerprint sensor

Super linear Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio

Dimensions: 159.972.58mm; Weight: 185g

5G SA/ NSA, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6 802.11 ax, Bluetooth 5, GPS (L1 + L5)/GLONASS/Beidou, NFC, USB Type-C

4500mAh (typical) / 4400mAh (minimum) battery with 65W ultra-fast flash charging

The realme X9 series is expected to be introduced in China sometime in July, and we should know the exact date sometime later this month.

Source | Via
Paxton, IL (60957)

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Mostly clear. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

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MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -- Police said a teenager died and another person was wounded in a Saturday night shooting in Mobile.

Officers were called to a home on Dawes Road around 10 p.m. after getting reports of shots in the area. When police arrived, they found a large party and 18-year-old Isiah Dickerson suffering from gunshot wounds. Dickerson was later pronounced dead at the scene from his injuries.

Police said they learned a second shooting victim arrived at a hospital shortly after it happened. That person was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Detectives released surveillance video of nine people who were seen in the area of the shooting. Investigators want to identify the group as they believe the people in the video may have information about the incident.

Anyone who can help is asked to call MPD at 251-208-7211 or leave a tip at mobilepd.org.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  Two nights of protests outside a South Carolina police station have followed the arrest of two men seen on a Facebook video being wrestled and punched by Rock Hill officers.
FILE - In this July 29, 2020 file photo, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster speaks during a COVID-19 briefing as state epidemiologist Linda Bell, left, looks on, in West Columbia, S.C. McMaster ended South Carolinas ongoing pandemic-related state of emergency on Monday, June 7, 2021. The Republican said during a news conference that the coronavirus situation in the state had improved to the point that it was no longer necessary. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard, File)
Keep the conversation about local news & events going by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Recent updates from The News-Post and also from News-Post staff members are compiled below.
Patient navigator John Masembe works with African American and African-descent cancer patients at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance as part of the Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium's efforts to improve cancer outcomes in Black populations.

It might start with your symptoms being misdiagnosed. Or dismissed entirely. You need to lose weight; thats why youre having back pain. That lumps nothing to worry about. Youre too young for breast cancer. Maybe the doctor  predominantly white; often male  wont touch you, even during a physical exam, when touch is standard of care. Maybe he stops listening the moment you mention youre in pain.

Stephanie Walker was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer de novo  stage 4 from the start  in 2015. Though shed worked in healthcare for decades, Walker said she didnt realize how differently Black patients like her were treated by providers until she moved to a different state, switched oncologists and started having breakthrough pain from her metastatic bone disease.

I was having a lot of discomfort and nobody could figure out why, said the 62-year-old patient advocate, who now lives in North Carolina. And this new oncologist decided I was drug seeking. I shouldnt be having pain, he told me. My scans were negative; my bloodwork was great. Maybe it was all in my head.

A former hospice nurse who taught and practiced nursing for 30 years, Walker was floored.

I felt like if he could say that to me, knowing Im an educated nurse, what was he saying to other Black women, she said. Women who happened to be poor, or illiterate, who didnt have the things I had  what was he saying to them?

Cancer can be a completely different experience for people who are Black. And their cancer outcomes clearly show its not a good one. Black and African American people in the U.S. have the highest cancer mortality and shortest survival rate of any racial or ethnic group. And its not because of genetics. Research shows its unequal treatment when it comes to accessing and receiving timely, high-quality cancer care.

Racial bias in cancer care has been with us a long time, as have calls for its demise. But how do you take down centuries of baked-in structural bias against Black patients? Health disparities researchers, providers and educators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and its partners within the Fred Hutch/University of Washington Consortium are doing it in a number of ways.

They have to: Its killing people.
Galveston, TX (77553)

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A few passing clouds. Low 81F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Gamasutra is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.
"I think most people deserve a prom. It's like a regular high school experience," Galvan said.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

"Dances are a huge thing at South Albany," she added. "With the year that we've had, not even being able to go to high school ... dances are something we go to in high school, and I wanted to do that."

Galvan started thinking about how she could put on an event at the beginning of her senior year, but at that point, pretty much everything was still on pandemic lockdown.

That changed, she said, after classmates Stocking and Rena Howard  who are on their way to West Point and Yale this fall, respectively  got personal calls from Mayor Alex Johnson II to congratulate them.

"He said if you ever need anything, call," Galvan said. "Rena called, and said, 'We're trying to plan this thing, what do you feel about it?'"

The phone call led to a meeting to discuss downtown options. Johnson expressed his support and gave the students some other potential contacts.

"Once we told him what we thought was a crazy idea and he loved it, that's when I thought, 'Really, this could happen and become a thing,'" Galvan said.
The importance of the circuit cannot be overstated," Durbin said.

Two Republicans, Graham and John Cornyn of Texas, voted with Democrats in advancing her nomination out of the committee by a vote of 13-9. Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican from Iowa, voted no, saying that he was not satisfied Jackson would adhere to the Constitution as originally understood.

Jackson graduated from Harvard Law School and served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. In 2005, she began work as an assistant federal public defender in Washington. She joined a private firm in 2007 and then served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission beginning in 2010. President Barack Obama nominated her to serve as a federal district judge in 2012, and the Senate confirmed her the following year.

In one of her most high-profile decisions, she ordered former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before Congress in a setback to Trumps effort to keep his top aides from testifying.

Groups supporting her confirmation have cited the need to bring more racial diversity to the federal judiciary.
Red Cross assisting evacuees

ROCKTONThe American Red Cross of Northwest Illinois chapter got a call to assist first responders Monday morning with canteen service, providing water and food items as firefighters fought the fire at the Chemtool plant.

The chapter then reached out to its partners, including the McDonald's in Roscoe, which donated lunch for all of the first responders, according to Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Northwest Illinois chapter Leslie Luther.

As of Monday afternoon, Luther said the chapter was working with the Salvation Army to provide meals in the evening. As of midafternoon, there were more than 20 evacuees at the reception sites. The American Red Cross chapter was going to assess if there was a need for overnight sheltering later in the day.

Domino's Pizza in Beloit donated around 30 pizzas at noon and were planning to deliver another 30 to Roscoe Middle School, according to Domino's Supervisor Amanda Spranger. The school was serving as a shelter area for people who had to leave their home due to close proximity to the Chemtool fire.

We do it because its the right thing to do. We appreciate our community. Its a small way we can give back when we can, Spranger said.

Hillary Gavan, Adams Publishing Group
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.
Gillette, WY (82718)

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Mainly clear skies. Low 63F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph..

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Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
In Mesa County, older adults need to stay away from young people
--Proceeds to advance companys pipeline of next-generation cytokine immunotherapies--

--Laura Shawver, Christine Siu join as independent directors--

BASEL, Switzerland and SAN DIEGO, Calif., June 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bright Peak Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing next-generation cytokine immunotherapies to treat cancer and autoimmune disease, today announced that it raised $107 million in a Series B financing. The round was led by RA Capital, with participation by founding investor Versant Ventures and new investors Fidelity Management & Research Company, Invus, Qatar Investment Authority, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Alexandria Venture Investments and an undisclosed leading healthcare investment fund.



Bright Peak uses a novel technology to chemically synthesize therapeutic cytokines by ligating together customized peptide segments. This proprietary technology provides unique flexibility to both tune and enhance cytokine biology through affinity modification and orthogonal, site-specific conjugation. The companys platform also allows for the conjugation of its enhanced cytokines as payloads to certain antibodies, creating novel and proprietary Bright Peak Immunocytokines. These Immunocytokines will allow tissue- and cell-specific targeting of the cytokine payload with the added potential for synergistic efficacy through potency-enhancing avidity effects.

The investment from this accomplished crossover syndicate underscores the enthusiasm for our platform and re-affirms our commitment to transform the therapeutic utility of cytokines to treat people with cancer and autoimmune diseases, said Fredrik Wiklund, president and CEO of Bright Peak. This capital will allow us to expand our Immunocytokine platform and advance our deep pipeline of programs across IL-2, IL-18 and IL-7.

Also today, Bright Peak announced key additions to its board of directors with the appointments of independent directors Laura Shawver, Ph.D., and Christine Siu. Dr. Shawver, currently CEO of Silverback Therapeutics, is an industry veteran with an extensive scientific, translational and clinical background as well as a broad range of strategic expertise. Most recently, she was president and CEO of Synthorx, a developer of engineered cytokines for cancer and autoimmune disorders that was acquired by Sanofi in 2020 for $2.5 billion. She received her Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Iowa.

Ms. Siu is the chief operating officer in-residence at BridgeBio Pharma Inc., and former CFO at Eidos Therapeutics Inc., a BridgeBio subsidiary, where she transformed Eidos from a preclinical biotech start-up company to a late-stage clinical public company. Prior to that, she was the CBO at The Bluefield Project to Cure Frontotemporal Dementia, where she built a therapeutic pipeline and executed seven collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry. Earlier, she was senior director, corporate development at Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (GBT), and before that, a venture principal at Third Rock Ventures. Previously, Ms. Siu invested in life science companies in venture capital and private equity and held roles of increasing responsibility at Warburg Pincus LLC and Thomas, McNerney & Partners, LLC and began her career in healthcare banking at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. Ms. Siu holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. with distinction in cellular molecular biology and economics from the University of Michigan.

On the Bright Peak board, Dr. Shawver and Ms. Siu join RA Capitals Josh Resnick, M.D., and Michael Rosenzweig DVM, Ph.D., who joined in connection with the Series B financing, as well as existing board members Alex Mayweg, Ph.D., and Tom Woiwode, Ph.D., of Versant Ventures.

We are pleased to lead a financing that will enable Bright Peak to broadly invest in its platform technologies, development programs, people, and, ultimately, towards delivering a pioneering new category of cytokine immunotherapies to patients in need, said Dr. Resnick.

We warmly welcome Laura, Christine, Josh, and Michael to our Board of Directors. Their deep domain expertise and business acumen will serve as a tremendous resource to the Company, said Dr. Mayweg.

About Bright Peak
New York, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Hydrogen Storage: Materials, Technologies and Global Markets" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05089376/?utm_source=GNW

Hence, the hydrogen storage space requires the presence of companies that are specialized in various hydrogen storage technologies. BCC Research defines hydrogen storage technologies as various forms of materials, storage media and technology used to store hydrogen in a form that can be used as energy source as and when required.



Hydrogen can be stored physically, or it can be stored using chemical or material-based methods.Physical storage currently dominates the market, and in physical form, hydrogen can be stored as either a gas or a liquid.



Materials-based hydrogen storage includes metal hydride, chemical hydrogen storage and sorbent materials.



Hydrogen storage is the key enabling technology for the advancement of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in various end-user industries such as chemicals, oil refining, metal processing and transportation.Of these, the chemicals end-user segment accounts for the majority of the market; however, the transportation end-user segment is witnessing the strongest growth in almost all geographical regions.



The transportation end-user segment includes the mobility sector.



To calculate and segment the market, BCC Research has considered physical, chemical and material-based storage technologies for the hydrogen storage market. Along with product and solutions revenue, BCC Research has also considered the services revenue that a company reports within its total revenue. The report covers distinct types of companies such as -

Hydrogen production, fuel cell and hydrogen storage material and technology providers.

- Manufacturers of industrial gases and related products.

- Metal and advanced material manufacturers.

- Others, including storage (such as high-pressure cylinder) suppliers and manufacturers.



However, stand-alone service providers that most often provide post-sales services are out of the scope of this report. Services that are not directly related to hydrogen storage technologies such as education, consulting, training, etc., are also beyond the scope of this report. Further, other forms of energy storage providers (companies) are beyond the scope of this report and hence are not covered.



The report begins by introducing the reader to how the market for hydrogen storage materials and technologies has evolved over time and how various factors impact the market. Building on this, the study proceeds to identify the following -

- Primary forces with a direct impact on the hydrogen storage materials and technologies markets.

- Secondary forces that have an indirect impact.

- Key funding and financing in this space.

- Some key challenges that may hinder the growth of this market.

- Key trends visible in the market.

- Leading applications of hydrogen storage technologies, along with leading end-user segments.

- Demand in APAC, North America, Europe, MEA and South America for hydrogen storage technologies.



Report Includes

- 33 data tables and 15 additional tables

- An overview of the global markets, technologies, and materials for hydrogen storage

- Estimation of the market size and analyses of global market trends, with data from 2020, estimates for 2021 with projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2026

- Market share analysis of the hydrogen storage by type, application, end-user, and region

- Identification of market drivers, restraints and other forces impacting the global market and evaluation of current market size and forecast, and assessment of the changes and new developments in the hydrogen storage technologies market

- Discussion on hydrogen usage as an energy source and how hydrogen can be used as an alternative fuel, and coverage of benefits and evolution of the hydrogen storage market, and comparative description of physical storage vs material-based storage

- Insights into government regulations and stringent environmental standards for cleaner fuel and discussion on effect of urbanization and increased disposable income on hydrogen storage market

- Market share analysis of the key companies of the industry and coverage of their proprietary technologies, strategic alliances, and other key market strategies and a relevant patent analysis

- Comprehensive company profiles of the leading players of the industry, including Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Cella Energy Ltd., Hexagon Composites, Linde AG, Plug Power Inc.



Summary

BCC Research examines the way in which the hydrogen storage materials and technologies market is changing and how it has evolved.This analysis includes a detailed survey of new organizations (innovators) in the market as well as existing organizations.



At the industry level, BCC Research identifies, examines, describes and provides global and regional market sizes for 2020 and forecasts demand from 2021 through 2026.



While a wide range of companies operate in this market, below is a broad classification of the companies involved -

- Hydrogen production, fuel cell and hydrogen storage material and technology providers.

- Manufacturers of industrial gases and related products.

- Metal and advanced material manufacturers.

- Others, including storage (such as high-pressure cylinder) suppliers and manufacturers.



APAC is the most prominent region in the hydrogen storage materials and technologies market.In APAC, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and India are the leading countries in the market.



APAC is followed by North America, and the U.S. is the major revenue generating region for the hydrogen storage materials and technologies market in North America. North America is followed by Europe, MEA and South America. APAC, MEA and South America (the developing regions) are witnessing the strongest growth. However, South America and MEA have very low penetration compared to other regions.



In the analysis presented in this report, BCC Research identified the following key points -

- Global demand for hydrogen storage materials and technologies market is estimated to have reached REDACTED in 2020.

- Global demand is expected to increase from REDACTED in 2021 to about REDACTED in 2026.

- The total geographically and technology-wide compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is projected to be REDACTED over the forecast period of 2021 through 2026, indicating a strong growth market.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05089376/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________
Press Release

Nokia Deepfield global analysis shows most DDoS attacks originate from fewer than 50 hosting companies

In-depth analysis across large sample of networks globally fingerprints and traces origins of most DDoS attacks (by frequency and traffic volume); finds that majority of DDoS attacks originate from fewer than 50 hosting companies and regional providers





Nokia Deepfield shares strategies for fingerprinting and tracing primary DDoS sources; makes recommendations for addressing DDoS security with networking community





Analysis shows more than 100% increase in daily DDoS peak traffic between January 2020 and May 2021





Identifies the threat potential for possible DDoS attacks over 10 Tbps  four to five times the scale of largest attacks reported so far (just above 2 Tbps)  due to rapidly growing number of open and insecure internet services and IoT devices





Delivers Nokia Deepfield Defender, specifically designed to safely, securely and efficiently orchestrate DDoS mitigation across multiple vendors, including next-generation IP routers such as the Nokia FP-based Service Routers enabling low-latency, high-scale, deterministic protection





14 June 2021

Espoo, Finland  Nokia Deepfield today announced the results of its global DDoS traffic analysis, which examined service provider network traffic encompassing thousands of routers on the internet between January 2020 and May 2021. Among the findings, which were presented by Dr. Craig Labovitz, Nokia Deepfield CTO, at NANOG82: more than 100% increase in daily DDoS peak traffic in this time period; newly identified DDoS threat potential over 10 Tbps  four to five times higher than the largest current attacks reported  due to rapidly growing number of open and insecure internet services and IoT devices.

In an environment where attackers constantly leverage opportunistic resources to source their attacks, Nokia Deepfield found in the past 15 months accessibility of DDoS for hire services has increased the threat potential of the existing botnet, IoT and cloud-based attack models. The results trace the origins of most of the high-bandwidth, high-intensity (volumetric) attacks to a limited number of internet domains, finding that most global DDoS attacks (by frequency and traffic volume) originate in less than 50 hosting companies and regional providers.

As COVID lockdown measures were implemented in 2020, Nokia Deepfield noticed a 40-50% increase in DDoS traffic. The continued increases in intensity, frequency and sophistication of DDoS attacks have resulted in a 100% increase in the high watermark levels of DDoS daily peaks  from 1.5 Tbps (January 2020) to over 3 Tbps (May 2021).

With broadband connectivity becoming an essential service, the fight against DDoS is critical. These large-scale DDoS attacks can inflict major damage on individual and large-scale connectivity and service availability, resulting in damages costing hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in production and operational losses.



Accurate DDoS detection and cost-effective, automated mitigation are becoming paramount requirements for service providers, cloud builders and network operators to protect their network infrastructures, services and users.

The newly enhanced Nokia Deepfield Defender provides fast and accurate DDoS detection and facilitates agile mitigation of volumetric DDoS attacks at the network edge. With its ability to scale to petabyte-levels and advanced features such as multi-layer protection and auto-mitigation, Deepfield Defender delivers an intelligent and automated approach to thwart and minimize the security risks associated with a new generation of DDoS threats and attacks.

Drawing DDoS security expertise from its global network deployments and insights from Deepfield Security Genome, Nokia Deepfield Defender accurately and rapidly detects hosts, botnets and IoT devices involved in active attacks, and programs router-based mitigation with tens/hundreds of thousands of highly precise filters resulting in network-wide, cost-effective DDoS protection.

Nokia Deepfield Defender is a component of the Deepfield portfolio of IP network intelligence, analytics and security applications and uses network-based big data. The advanced analytics are combined with the embedded, multi-layer network security capabilities of Nokia 7750 Service Router and 7950 XRS routers to eliminate highly distributed, high-volume DDoS attacks from impacting service provider networks and customers.

Dr. Craig Labovitz, CTO, Nokia Deepfield, said: It is equally important for every participant in the network security ecosystem  end users, vendors, service providers, cloud builders, regulators and governments  to understand the dangers DDoS poses to the availability of internet content, applications and critical connectivity services. With this knowledge and a community commitment to solving the DDoS problem, we can go a long way towards making our networks, services and subscribers more secure.

Dr. Labovitz added: With the new Nokia Deepfield Defender solution, we take a unique approach in leveraging the combined power of high-performance IP networks and big data analytics to protect the network on all fronts from all volumetric DDoS attacks, at petabit scale, without lifting a hand. It will allow network operators to make a big leap towards improving overall security and availability of their networks and services for all their customers.

Nokia Deepfields DDoS traffic analysis is based on a large global sample of service providers, ranging from companies which provide global transit and residential broadband services, to regional providers, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), webscale and hosting companies. The analysis examined overall changes in internet traffic pattern, with a specific focus on DDoS security.

Resources:

About Nokia

We create technology that helps the world act together.

As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.

Media Inquiries:

Nokia

Communications

Phone: +358 10 448 4900

Email: press.services@nokia.com






VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. (TSX-V: REVO), (Frankfurt: IJA2) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that on the 11th of June 2021, it received notification from (NYSE: PNC) PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (Hereinafter "PNC.") concerning the continuation of the commercial relationship with RevoluPAY EP S.L. subsequent to the regulatory approved PNC acquisition of BBVA USA. The Company further provides a corporate update.



About PNC

PNC is one of the largest banks in the United States by assets. It is the 4th largest bank by the number of branches, surpassing Suntrust (Truist) Bank since the BBVA USA acquisition. In addition, it is 6th largest by deposits and 4th largest in number of ATM.s. On June 1st, 2021, its merger with BBVA USA closed, and it became the 7th largest U.S bank by assets. PNC Bank offers consumer and business banking services via 2,945 branches in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, & Wisconsin.

Company CEO Steve Marshall commented: "We are excited about our future relationship with our new partners PNC. Our U.S subsidiary RevoluGROUP U.S.A. Inc. has been preparing to take full advantage of this synergy since news broke concerning the possible acquisition of our partner BBVA USA late last year. While business begins immediately with PNC, we further expect that the eventual regulatory approval of our pending U.S financial license should greatly enhance this partnership, both fomenting and cultivating our relationship with PNC towards broader horizons. In the meantime, RevoluPAY is adapting the BBVA USA legacy-linked financial systems to the now amplified PNC U.S coverage that this contractual partnership has provided. RevoluPAY services are unaffected throughout this technical transition. I want to remind shareholders that all other agreements with BBVA worldwide remain active and are unaffected by the disposition of their U.S subsidiary BBVA USA. In my view, we have gained a huge U.S partner while maintaining international exposure through BBVA. "

MSB License USA

Further to the news release dated the 1st of June 2021, the Company is pleased to announce that CEO Steve Marshall attended the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) office to capture biometrics and fingerprint live-scan. Said data was successfully uploaded to the FDLE's encrypted system. Since FDLE approval was the only remaining requisite, the Company expects to receive word from the Floridian Financial Regulator concerning the pending financial license shortly.

RevoluGROUP USA Inc. New Corporate Headquarters

The Company is pleased to announce that the wholly-owned subsidiary RevoluGROUP U.S.A. Inc. entered into a new office lease on the 4th of June 2021. The larger and more centrally located offices in the Financial District of Miami, 444 Brickell Avenue, have been leased to prepare for the commencement of financial activities related to the planned enhanced synergy with PNC allied to the MSB ("Money Service Business") currently awaiting Floridian Financial Regulator approval.

Bitcoin 2021 Miami

Company CEO Steve Marshall attended the world's largest Bitcoin event held in Miami, Florida, between June 4th and 5th. Featuring prominently at the event were the proposed plans for El Salvador to introduce a bill to make Bitcoin legal tender, allied to the Mayor of Miami, Francis Xavier Suarez, plans to allow many of the city's services and taxes to be paid in CryptoCurrency. Additionally, the Company's proprietary Crytpo to Fiat platform RevoluEX was widely embraced, with numerous supplementary Digital Currency Exchange ("DCE") partner synergies tentatively emerging from the principally decentralized finance-focused encounters.

Top Tier Card Issuer Negotiations

Further to the news release dated the 1st of June 2021, the Company is pleased to announce that negotiations with one of the world's top four payment card issuers have intensified. As previously stated, the relationship could allow RevoluPAY to issue a new multicurrency payment card supplanting the current Euro-based RevoluPAY debit card. In addition, talks include an eventual liaison with various previously announced DCE partners, in which RevoluPAY would be the principally licensed card issuing party. RevoluPAY could also be authorized to administer and manage all financial matters for internationally branded cards issued to third parties. These negotiations remain subject to a binding non-disclosure agreement ("NDA"). The Company expects a final deal to be inked in short order.

RevoluSEND Increased Country Integration

The Company is pleased to announce that the following countries were activated for bilateral remittance flows through RevoluSEND on 7th June 2021: Australia, Chile, Ethiopia, Malawi, Myanmar, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

Management COVID19 Vaccinated

The Company wishes to advise shareholders that all executive Directors and most senior staff have been successfully vaccinated against the global pandemic known as COVID19. In addition, CEO Steve Marshall, having contracted COVID19 in February 2020, testing positively for natural anti-bodies, has further received Pfizer shots to obtain the more internationally recognized sanitary passport allied to vaccinations, including the recently introduced EU sanitary passport. Mr. Marshall has thus rescheduled his trip to the United Kingdom to commence early July with numerous planned meetings with certain financial institutions located in the London Financial Center of Canary Wharf. Since prospects for travel under the new vaccinated rules seem promising, Mr. Marshall expects to recommence international televised media appearances in the fall.

Links Used in this News Release.

NYSE: PNC. https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/pnc

PNC Bank https://www.pnc.com/en/about-pnc.html

RevoluEX https://www.revoluex.com/

About RevoluPAY

The Company's flagship Neobanking technology is RevoluPAY, the Apple and Android multinational payment app. Conceived entirely in-house, RevoluPAY features proprietary, sector-specific technology of which the resulting source code is the Company's intellectual property. RevoluPAY's built-in features include Remittance Payments, Forex, Crypto-to-fiat exchange, Retail and Hospitality payments, Real Estate Payments, pay-as-you-go phone top-ups, Gift Cards & Online Credits, Utility Bill payments, Leisure payments, Travel Payments, etc. RevoluPAY employs blockchain protocols and is squarely aimed at the worldwide multi-billion dollar Open Banking sector and + $595 billion family remittance market. RevoluPAY is operated by the European wholly-owned subsidiary RevoluPAY EP S.L situated in Barcelona. RevoluPAY is a dual-licensed Canadian FINTRAC and European PSD2 payment institution 6900 under the auspices of E.U. Directive 2015/2366 with EU Passporting. RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. controls five wholly-owned subsidiaries on four continents.

About RevoluGROUP Canada Inc.:

RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. is a multi-asset, multidivisional publicly traded Canadian Company deploying advanced technologies in; Banking, Mobile Apps, Money Remittance, Mobile Phone Top-Ups, EGaming, Healthcare Payments, Esports, Invoice factoring, Online Travel, Vacation Resort, Blockchain Systems, and Fintech app sectors. Click here to read more.

For further information on RevoluGROUP Canada Inc. (TSX-V: REVO), visit the Company's website at www.RevoluGROUP.com. The Company has approximately 175,180,592 shares issued and outstanding.

RevoluGROUP Canada, Inc.

"Steve Marshall"

______________________

STEVE MARSHALL

CEO

For further information, contact:

RevoluGROUP Canada Inc.

Telephone: (604) 332 5355

Facsimile: (604) 687 3119

Email: info@revolugroup.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles , a Japanese cultural destination in the heart of Hollywood, announces a special Fermentation Master Class summer cooking series, featuring chef, cookbook author, and Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis, and chef Shinji Ishida of the Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurant Nogizaka Shin. Part of the popular Japanese Food Lab program, the two-part video series explores fermentation  foundational elements of Japanese food and wellness and an essential part of Japanese culture  and its influence on Japans cuisine. Episode 1: Chirashi Sushi is now available online.



Filmed simultaneously with Giada at the JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles demonstration kitchen (located inside the Level 5 Salon) and with Chef Ishida in his Tokyo restaurant, the two chefs share classic fermentation techniques across the ocean, and delightful ingredient tips that might surprise even those familiar with Japanese cuisine. In Episode 1, Chef Ishida guides Giada in creating chirashi sushi, a dish where subtle flavors of vinegar, rice, and raw fish come together in various combinations. Episode 2: Pickled Vegetables and Miso Salmon launches later this month.

Japans cuisine is deeply influenced by fermentation  not only in iconic products like sake rice wine, tsukemono pickles, or natto, but by the fermented staples that are the building blocks of Japanese cooking such as miso, mirin, and soy sauce, said Yuko Kaifu, president, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles. It is captivating to see Giada and Chef Ishida compare cooking traditions across cultures and find points of commonality through ingredients. We hope viewers will enjoy exploring Japanese culture through the fermentation series and the always common universal language of food.

For millennia, the process of fermentation has helped shape human civilization  from preserving food products through long winters, to creating libations like beer and wine. In Japan, it has played a special role in shaping not only individual food products, but the entire flavor profile of Japanese cuisine.

I think what has attracted me to Japanese cuisine for years is the attention to detail, remarked Giada De Laurentiis. Everything is so artistic. Japanese chefs create a story around the way they handle food. They almost dance around the kitchen and it is just so mesmerizing to watch.

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles worked with leading fermentation experts Takeo Koizumi and Makoto Kanauchi to create and curate content as part of its focus on fermentation.

For more information, visit the JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles website and social channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

ABOUT JAPAN HOUSE

JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs, London, Los Angeles and Sao Paulo, conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japan in the international community. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles occupies two floors at Hollywood & Highland. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles offers a place of new discovery that transcends physical and conceptual boundaries creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan through its spaces and diverse programs.

Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

Website: www.japanhousela.com

Media Contacts:

Nerissa Silao | 310-874-9230 | nerissas@ca.rr.com

Lisa Nakanouchi | 323-904-9298 | lnakanouchi@japanhousela.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3de0581a-4992-4367-b5ab-3fcf6ba8b62e
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acreage Holdings, Inc. (Acreage) (CSE: ACRG.A.U, ACRG.B.U), (OTC: ACRHF, ACRDF) a multi-state operator of cannabis cultivation and retailing facilities in the U.S., announced today it has completed the sale of US$28.0 million in promissory notes receivable (the Notes) that it received as consideration for the previously announced sale of its Acreage Florida subsidiary to Red White and Bloom Brands, Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF).



The Notes, which are due from Red White and Bloom Brands, Inc., were sold to Viridescent Realty Trust, Inc. (Viridescent) for total cash proceeds of US$26.0 million. This represents the upper range of the estimated fair market value of the Notes as determined by an independent financial advisor retained by Acreage to consider the fair market value of the Notes. No additional fees or commission were paid related to the sale of the Notes.

US$21.0 million of the proceeds from the sale of the Notes will be used to repay IP Investment Company, LLC (IP Investment) as part of a credit agreement previously announced on February 7, 2020. This amount was borrowed from IP Investment in order to post collateral in a Credit Agreement with SAFB Harmony LP, as agent for certain lenders, also announced on February 7, 2020 (the SAFB Credit Agreement). The collateral, which is held in a restricted account, will be released to repay the SAFB Credit Agreement and also result in the return of approximately $1.0 million to Acreage.

The sale of the promissory notes that we received as consideration for the sale of our Florida operations, as well as the use of these proceeds to extinguish other debts of the Company, represent an important next step in strengthening our balance sheet, said Steve Goertz, Chief Financial Officer of Acreage. As we have previously communicated, Acreage remains focused on our three key strategic objectives - driving profitability, strengthening our balance sheet, and accelerating our growth in our core markets.

Viridescent is an entity controlled by Kevin Murphy, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Acreage. Because of Mr. Murphys interest in Viridescent, the sale of the Notes to Viridescent constitutes a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Company has relied on the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 at Sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of such sale on the basis that neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction exceeded 25% of the Companys market capitalization (as determined under MI 61-101). Further details will be included in a material change report to be filed by the Company. The material change report will be filed within 10 days of the date sale of the Notes.

ABOUT ACREAGE HOLDINGS, INC.

With its principal address in New York City, Acreage is a multi-state operator of cannabis cultivation and retailing facilities in the U.S., including the companys national retail store brand, The Botanist. Acreages wide range of national and regionally available cannabis products include the award-winning The Botanist brand, the highly recognizable Tweed brand, the Prime medical brand in Pennsylvania, the Innocent edibles brand in Illinois and others. Acreage also owns Universal Hemp, LLC, a hemp subsidiary dedicated to the distribution, marketing and sale of CBD products throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 2011, Acreage has focused on building and scaling operations to create a seamless, consumer-focused, branded experience. More information is available at www.acreageholdings.com.

On June 27, 2019, Acreage implemented an arrangement under section 288 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) with Canopy Growth Corporation (Canopy Growth), which was subsequently amended on September 23, 2020 (the Amended Arrangement). Pursuant to the Amended Arrangement, upon the occurrence (or waiver by Canopy Growth) of changes in federal laws in the United States to permit the general cultivation, distribution and possession of marijuana (as defined in the relevant legislation) or to remove the regulation of such activities from the federal laws of the United States (the Triggering Event), Canopy Growth will, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, acquire all of the issued and outstanding Class E subordinate voting shares (the Fixed Shares) on the basis of 0.3048 of a Canopy Growth share per Fixed Share (following the automatic conversion of the Class F multiple voting shares and subject to adjustment in accordance with the terms of the arrangement agreement entered into between Acreage and Canopy Growth on April 18, 2019, as amended on May 15, 2019 and on September 23, 2020).

In addition, Canopy Growth holds an option, exercisable at the discretion of Canopy Growth, to acquire all of the issued and outstanding Class D subordinate voting shares (the Floating Shares) at the time that Canopy Growth acquires the Fixed Shares, for cash or Canopy Growth shares, as Canopy Growth may determine, at a price per Floating Share based upon the 30-day volume-weighted average trading price of the Floating Shares on the CSE relative to the trading price of the Canopy Growth shares at the time of the occurrence or waiver of the Triggering Event, subject to a minimum price of US$6.41 per Floating Share.

For more information about the Amended Arrangement please see the Acreage proxy statement and management information circular dated August 17, 2020 (the Circular) and the respective information circulars of each of Acreage and Canopy Growth dated May 17, 2019, which are available on Acreages and Canopy Growths respective profiles on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and filed with the SEC on the EDGAR website at www.sec.gov. For additional information regarding Canopy Growth, please see Canopy Growths profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS AND NON-GAAP MEASURES

This news release and each of the documents referred to herein contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation, respectively. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information, including, for greater certainty, statements regarding the Amended Arrangement, including the likelihood of completion thereof, the occurrence or waiver of the Triggering Event, the satisfaction or waiver of the closing conditions set out in the Arrangement Agreement and other statements with respect to the proposed transactions with Canopy Growth. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. 

Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Acreage or its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, but not limited to financing and liquidity risks, and the risks disclosed in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, dated March 25, 2021 and the Companys other public filings, in each case filed with the SEC on the EDGAR website at www.sec.gov and with Canadian securities regulators and available on the issuer profile of Acreage on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Acreage has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 

Although Acreage believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and Acreage does not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws.

This release contains tables that reconcile our results of operations reported in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) to adjusted results that exclude the impact of certain items identified as affecting comparability (non-GAAP). We use EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA from core operations, adjusted net loss attributable to Acreage, same store sales trends, among other measures, to evaluate our actual operating performance and for planning and forecasting future periods. We believe the adjusted results presented provide relevant and useful information for investors because they clarify our actual operating performance, make it easier to compare our results with those of other companies and allow investors to review performance in the same way as our management. Since these measures are not calculated in accordance with GAAP, they should not be considered in isolation of, or as a substitute for, our reported results as indicators of our performance, and they may not be comparable to similarly named measures from other companies. The tables below reconcile our results of operations in accordance with GAAP to the adjusted results mentioned above:

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider has reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

For further information contact:

Steve Goertz

Chief Financial Officer

investors@acreageholdings.com








Sparks, Maryland, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KCI Technologies Inc., a multi-disciplined engineering firm with offices throughout the United States, is pleased to announce the promotion of Chief Operating Officer Christopher J. Griffith, PE, CCM, to president. The promotion follows Griffiths exemplary career of over two decades of leadership for KCIs core business units. Under his new post, he will retain the role of COO.

KCIs board of directors and Nathan J. Beil, PE, D.WRE, who became president in 2006 and chief executive officer in 2018, made the announcement. Beil will remain CEO.

Griffith joined KCI in 1997 after serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps. Within two years, he was leading KCIs construction management group as senior vice president, and by 2006, was heading up KCIs Mid-Atlantic region as executive vice president. In 2010, he became discipline manager for construction services. His continued success led to his appointment of overseeing the firms Environmental, Communications Infrastructure, Site/Facilities and Resource Management disciplines. In 2017, Griffith was promoted to chief operating officer where he has since been responsible for KCIs performance measures, financial goals, business development and risk management.

Chriss leadership across the organization positions us to exceed our clients expectations as we grow and advance the firm, said CEO Nathan J. Beil, PE, D.WRE. I am confident that in this new role he will drive our strategic plan forward and continue to strengthen KCI.

Griffith earned a bachelors degree in civil engineering from the United States Naval Academy and masters degrees in business administration, civil engineering, and ocean engineering from Boston University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Hawaii, respectively. He is a registered professional engineer and a certified construction manager.

Being active in supporting the betterment of the industry and his community has always been a priority for Griffith, with his most recent contribution being his election to the board of directors for the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. In 2021, he was appointed as a member of the National Aquariums board of directors where he works to meet the organizations mission of inspiring conservation of the worlds aquatic environment. Griffith is also a longstanding member of the Society of American Military Engineers, the Harford County Chamber of Commerce, and the YMCA of Harford Countys Community Leadership Board.

Previously, Griffith served as board member for the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) and chaired the CMAAs Standards of Practice/Professional Development Committee, where he became involved in training the next generation of industry leaders.

Photograph attached.

###

KCI Technologies

With sales in excess of $343 million in 2020, KCI Technologies Inc. is ranked among the top 50 engineering firms in the country by Engineering News-Record. Roughly 1,750 employee owners support clients from more than 55+ offices throughout the U.S. KCI offers environmental, transportation, telecommunications, construction, facilities and land development services to government, institutional and private-sector clients. For more information, visit www.kci.com.

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LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ordermarks Nextbite company, the leader in virtual restaurants, today announced that CEO and co-founder Alex Canter was named an Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 Great Los Angeles Award finalist. Nextbite is the only complete virtual restaurant solution for existing restaurants and kitchens that pairs a proven ordering/delivery management solution with a selection of highly visible, on-trend, delivery-only brands. Canter was selected as a finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year award by a panel of independent judges.



Now in its 35th year, the Entrepreneur of the Year program honors unstoppable business leaders whose ambition, ingenuity and courage in the face of adversity help catapult us from the now to next and beyond. Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. Finalists were evaluated based on six criteria: entrepreneurial leadership; talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries throughout the world.

Ordermark/Nextbite has grown from serving restaurants that saw the promise of our order management technology to expanding to become the leader in the virtual restaurant category, said Canter. Building a successful business has its challenges, but being an entrepreneur is an incredibly rewarding experience. Its an honor to see all of our hard work recognized. Im thrilled to be an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist.

Greater Los Angeles Entrepreneur of the Year award winners will be announced on July 29th during a virtual awards ceremony. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of The Year National Awards to be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nations most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur of The Year Award in June 2022.

About Ordermark/Nextbite

Nextbite is focused on helping restaurant partners successfully enter the virtual restaurant space by diversifying their portfolio, using under-utilized labor and kitchen capacity, and driving demand to increase margins and revenue. Founded in 2017, Nextbite is the only complete virtual restaurant solution for existing restaurants and kitchens that pairs Ordermark, a proven ordering/delivery management solution, with a selection of highly visible, on-trend, delivery-only brands. Headquartered in Denver, Ordermark/Nextbite recently announced the close of its $120M funding round led by SoftBank.

Media Contact:

Lisa Hendrickson/LCH Communications for Ordermark/Nextbite

516-767-8390

lisa@lchcommunications.com
Cheyenne, Wyoming, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Federal Credit Union proud to announce that employees have raised a total of $10,090 by shaving their heads for the St. Baldricks Foundation, an organization focused on raising funds to help find cures for children with cancer.

This whole journey started with a desire to get involved and help rid the world of childhood cancers, says George Jankowski a Blue Member Solutions Representative and the organizer of the event. I am blown away by both the response from Blue staff and the community at large for raising so much for St. Baldricks. My initial goal was $5,000 and we blew that out of the water!

The event was 100% initiated by Blue employees and supported by Blue Federal Credit Union. Eighteen Blue employees pledged to shave their heads in support of St. Baldricks including four women. Blue Federal Credit Union donated $100 for every employee that committed to and followed through with shaving their heads.

When George approached Public Relations with the idea of hosting a fundraiser for St. Baldricks, we wanted to support him in any way possible, says Chandler Elmore Community Development and Engagement Lead at Blue. We wanted to show support not only for George but also the employees that got behind him in support of the cause. Being able to support our employees and their passions is what makes Blue a great place to work and a great community partner.

All money raised was given directly to St. Baldricks. The event was hosted free of charge at Blue World Headquarters. If you would like to donate, you can do so at https://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/14086/2021.

Blue Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial institution serving communities across Wyoming and Colorado as well as members worldwide. Our purpose is to create a true cooperative connected to and inspired by the communities we serve and to help discover new pathways to realize your possibilities. To learn more about joining Blue, visit bluefcu.com/join.

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French English

PRESS RELEASE

Global Bioenergies and Swift Fuel plan the first international flight of an aircraft powered by aviation gasoline made from over 97% renewable resources

A one-hour flight from Saarbrucken to Reims

Aviation gasoline, a one billion-litre market in Europe and the USA

A step towards the emergence of an aviation biofuel sector





Evry (France), 14 June 2021 - Global Bioenergies (Euronext Growth: ALGBE), a French company that develops petroleum derivative substitutes made from renewable resources, and Swift Fuel GmbH, a specialist in green aircraft fuels, are planning on 15 June 2021 the first international flight powered by a fuel made from over 97% renewable sources. A VAN RV_8 aircraft will leave Saarbrucken, Germany, and land at Reims en Champagne airfield (Prunay) during a ceremony attended by Jean Rottner, President of the Grand Est Region, Roland Theis, Saarland Secretary of State for Justice and Plenipotentiary for European Affairs, Catherine Vautrin, President of the Grand Reims urban community, and Arnaud Robinet, Mayor of Reims.

Composed of over 97% biofuel, the aviation gasoline used for this flight is an environmentally friendly alternative to the 100LL fuel usually marketed for piston-engine aircraft.

This technological achievement is the first step towards a bio-based aviation fuel market. Avgas (short for aviation gasoline), which is used for piston-engine aircraft, represents a market of 100 million litres per year in Europe and 900 million litres in the United States, or a total of one billion litres in those two markets alone. The gasoline developed by Swift Fuel for this historic flight is lead-free and made up of over 97% plant-based compounds produced by Global Bioenergies.

A bio-based aviation fuel, the result of over 10 years of R&D

Since 2008, Global Bioenergies has been developing a fermentation process for the conversion of renewable resources into isobutene and its derivatives, which are useful in areas as diverse as fuels, ingredients for cosmetics and materials. In 2014, the company set up a pilot plant in association with ARD at the Bazancourt-Pomacle agro-industrial complex near Reims, which brings together leaders in agricultural processing, such as Cristal Union and ADM. This was followed in 2017 by the inauguration of an industrial demo plant ten times larger on the Leuna refinery site in Germany. The company recently announced the establishment of a production unit based in Bazancourt-Pomacle, which is currently under construction.

Since 2011, Swift has been developing environmentally friendly aviation fuels with the main focus on unleaded alternatives for current 100LL. Five years ago, the company introduced UL 94 in the US marketplace, the first lead-free aviation gasoline for the majority of airplanes. Consequently, Swift conducted research on 100R, an unleaded fuel that can be used by the entire fleet and has a minimum of 10% renewable content. The certification by the FAA and subsequently other aviation authorities around the world is ongoing.

Grand Reims, a world-class bio-refinery cluster

In recent years, Grand Reims has become a world-class centre of excellence in bio-refinery (food processing, production of biofuels, energy, cosmetic active ingredients, surfactants, etc.). The region and its aspirational outlook have attracted leading green chemistry companies such as Global Bioenergies, which has just announced the upcoming relocation of its isobutene production to Pomacle. This first European flight of an aircraft powered by biosourced gasoline partly developed by ARD on the BioDemo platform is a source of pride for the Grand Reims area and, more broadly, for the Grand East Region, declared Catherine Vautrin, President of the Grand Reims urban community.

The Grand Est Region has made the Bioeconomy a priority for economic and sustainable development in its territories. It has just adopted a sector contract for the sustainable development of biofuels in the Grand Est Region, signed with 44 players in the sector, in order to become the European leader in the production of sustainable biofuels. The challenge is to double the share of sustainable biofuels in the regional energy mix for mobility within 3 to 5 years, particularly for light, heavy, rail, river and air vehicles.

Today, the Region has 6 bioethanol and biodiesel production sites, 39 methanization sites for injection into the network and plans to have 30 hydrogen stations by 2030.

A century after the first city-to-city flight by aviation pioneer Henri Farman, which landed in Reims, initiatives in the field of sustainable aviation biofuels are multiplying. This first cross-border flight of an aircraft powered by fuel made from over 97% renewable sources is a historic step towards the decarbonisation of the aviation sector. We look forward to working with our partners for the emergence of a truly green aviation fuel sector, said Bernard Chaud, Head of Industrial Strategy at Global Bioenergies.

Thomas Albuzat, CEO of Swift Fuel, concluded: Swifts focus is the certification of its 100R alternative fuel, which can satisfy the entire piston-powered fleet. It is free of lead and other toxic additives and therefore better for health and the environment. Additionally, the fuel burns much cleaner which reduces maintenance costs for pilots and operators. It currently contains 10% renewables, but with the compounds supplied by Global Bioenergies which are ideally suited for 100R, we can even provide a completely renewable fuel. Swift calls on investors and public authorities to support the project.

About GLOBAL BIOENERGIES

Global Bioenergies has developed a process to convert plant-derived resources into a key family of ingredients used in the cosmetics industry. The process was first developed in a laboratory, where the Company is further enhancing performance. It now operates as a pilot and a demo plant, with sufficient capacity to enable the Company to access the market by first creating a long-lasting makeup home brand. The Company is gradually increasing its production capacities and is looking to improve the environmental footprint of not only the cosmetics industry but also that of other areas such as transportation and materials. Global Bioenergies is listed on Euronext Growth Paris (FR0011052257  ALGBE).

Should you like to be kept informed, subscribe to our news feed on www.global-bioenergies.com

Follow us on Twitter: @GlobalBioenergi

Contact

GLOBAL BIOENERGIES

Phone: +33 (0)1 64 98 20 50

invest@global-bioenergies.com

Press contact

Ulysse Communication

Iva Baytcheva

+33(0)6 28 59 07 03

Nicolas Daniels

+33(0)6 63 66 59 22

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Dallas, TX , June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Being prosecuted for a criminal offense is a deeply troubling situation for anyone to find themselves in, but college students, whose professional careers have not yet even begun, have additional pressures to consider. Many institutions of higher education may expel or suspend students with criminal convictions against them, the consequences of which may affect the student for decades to come.

Universities and other educational institutions take alleged behavior that reflects poorly on their reputation very seriously. Dallas-area college students charged with any criminal offense should consult a Texas legal college student defense legal expert to protect the safety of their future.

Common Offenses That Lead to Arrests for Texas College Students

College students can be arrested and face additional disciplinary action from their institution for any violation of federal, local, or state laws. Common offenses that college students may be arrested for or charged with include:

Drug possession or distribution

Driving while under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs

Shoplifting and minor theft

Assault

Criminal mischief

Disorderly conduct

Criminal trespassing

Assault

Underage drinking

Sexual assault and related crimes

When Will North Texas Universities Hold Disciplinary Hearings?

Universities vary in which criminal offenses they will hold disciplinary hearings for. In general, colleges hold a disciplinary hearing for criminal conduct that occurred on campus, especially if it occurred during operating hours. However, this does not mean that off-campus criminal conduct will not be investigated by the institution.

In addition to a criminal trial, or in place of a criminal trial, depending on the offense, college students charged with criminal offenses may be subject to a disciplinary hearing at their university. The University of Texas at Dallas Student Code of Conduct states that the university will conduct an investigation into alleged criminal offenses conducted off-campus if the conduct impairs, interferes with, or obstructs any institutional activity or the mission, processes, and functions of the institution and whether the conduct adversely affects University interests, in addition to other reasons.

UTDs Student Code of Conduct also notes that outcomes including finding of responsibility and sanctions shall not be subject to change because of criminal or civil outcomes. In other words, the outcome of an external trial or court case will not affect the outcome of the disciplinary hearing, so a student may still be suspended, expelled, or face other disciplinary action from the university even if the outcome of their criminal trial is favorable.

Disciplinary Hearing Resources for Texas College Students

Each college will vary in its approach to a disciplinary hearing. Institutions may have different rules about which off-campus offenses they will investigate and different procedures for disciplinary hearings. It is important to familiarize yourself with your universitys Code of Conduct so that you know your rights before a disciplinary hearing. Find your universitys policy below, or contact a Dallas-Fort Worth area criminal defense attorney to assist you in navigating the complex legal language used in policy documents.







Consult a Dallas Criminal Defense Attorney to Protect Your Future

Effective legal counsel from an attorney can mean the difference between being able to continue your education and beyond and being suspended or expelled from your university. If you or your child is a Texas college student facing criminal charges that may threaten their future, it is essential to consult a legal expert with experience in criminal defense who knows how to protect your interests in a criminal trial as well as best advise you in a university disciplinary hearing. Clint Broden and Mick Mickelsen have a proven track record of obtaining not guilty verdicts for their clients and decades of experience as criminal defense attorneys.

Contact Broden and Mickelsen today to schedule a confidential case review.



Dallas Criminal Defense Attorney

https://www.brodenmickelsen.com/





***ATTORNEY ADVERTISING***

Prior results cannot and do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future case.

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held on 14 June 2021, at 11 a.m. at Vaduzer-Saal, Giessenstrasse 7, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein

EPH European Property Holdings Ltd, the real estate investment company listed on SIX Swiss Exchange, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 14th June 2021. All resolutions proposed in the Notice of the AGM released on 20 May 2021 were passed.

The following approvals and resolutions were duly passed by the Annual General Meeting:

Approval of Hans Messmer as Chairman Representative/ Chair, Quorum and Notice Approval of Sele Frommelt & Partner Rechtsanwalte as Independent Representative Approval of the results of the year ended 31 December 2020 Approval to not pay a dividend from the 2020 results. Re-election of Deloitte AG as Auditor for a period of one year Change of the par value of the Companys shares to USD 1 per share and respective amendment of the Memorandum and Articles of Association

The proposed changed Memorandum and Articles of Association are attached. The Memorandum and Articles of Association become effective upon registration with the Companys registrar today.

EPH is managed by Valartis International Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary of Valartis Group AG. Additional information on EPH European Property Holdings is available by contacting Anna Bernhart Tel: +41 44 503 5400 or at contact@europeanpropertyholdings.com.

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Arterra Wines, owned by the teachers via the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, turned down calls from striking workers to resume bargaining over the weekend. Talks remain at a standstill while Wine Rack continues to recruit scab labour and refuses to accede to demands for fair wage and scheduling policies which would end the dispute.



TORONTO, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wine Rack workers unionized with SEIU (Services Employees International Union) Local 2 began their strike on June 7th after talks collapsed following the employers refusal to accede to two of their three core demands: a fair scheduling system and a livable wage. The current approach to wages and scheduling leaves worker remuneration up to individual management discretion. This makes workers vulnerable to racial and other discrimination and with no recourse to due process.

Over the weekend, the workers indicated to Arterra Wines that they were ready to return to the table. The employer ignored the call and has continued recruiting scabs to staff stores to undermine the workers fight for a fair scheduling system and livable wages. Wine Rack workers have so far spent a week picketing at Wine Rack stores throughout Toronto and garnering significant support amongst community members and the broader labour movement.

Arterra Wines is owned by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (OTPP). The workers are grateful for the outpouring of support from rank-and-file teachers. However, the workers are disappointed that the response of the presidents of the teachers unions have been limited to statements and no meaningful action.

Arterras actions throughout bargaining and this strike are in complete conflict with the OTPPs commitment to responsible investment. Whats more, allowing Arterra Wines to continue with their current wage and hour scheduling policies exposes the OTPPs investment to significant reputational risk and legal complaints. The lack of action from the teachers unions is not a question of inability - the pension answers to the teachers alone. The lack of action is due to a lack of political will.

The Canadian Labour movement is coming together during the Canadian Labour Congress upcoming this week. The ongoing Wine Rack workers strike will mean that the teachers unions will be walking into the congress with their pension plan actively enabling a vicious attack on workers rights. With this stark reality looming over the conference, the usual show of unity which the Canadian Labour Congress represents will instead be one of disunity.

SEIU Local 2 represents workers in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and British Columbia.




New York, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proactive, provider of real-time news and video interviews on growth companies listed in the US and Canada, has covered the following companies

About Proactive 

With six offices on three continents and a team of experienced business journalists and broadcasters, Proactive works with innovative growth companies quoted on the worlds major stock exchanges, helping executives engage intelligently with investors.

Proactives platform delivers the right message to the right audience, digitally and in real time, leveraging a range of media, investment research, digital investor targeting and website development services to support over 1,000 fast-growing companies globally.

Proactives network reaches over 12 million engaged private, professional and institutional investors looking for opportunities.

 Our written and video content is published on Proactive sites that collectively attract up to 10 million views per month.

 We syndicate our content to hundreds of mainstream and specialist news sites that expand our reach into networks that can be difficult for press releases to penetrate.

 We custom build corporate websites from the ground up, empowering clients and their brands with a modern online presence and the latest insight on effective SEO strategy

 Our news coverage ranks high on the worlds most popular search platforms, and we can further amplify online presence and outreach with sophisticated digital investor targeting.

 We help the world understand what makes companies stand out from the crowd with in-depth investment research from a team of experienced analysts.

For more information on how Proactive can help you make a difference, email us at action@proactiveinvestors.com




TORONTO, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cities are where most people live, work and play. But as cities strive to create sustainable communities for all, they face a myriad of challenges. Future Cities Canada, the national cross-sector initiative designed to accelerate innovation to transform cities, presents a series of live discussions on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 focusing on how to create more inclusive spaces in our cities. The one-day free virtual event is part of Future Cities Canada: The Summit , a monthly program led by Evergreen and hosted by Future Cities Canada, that brings together urban thought leaders, private- and public-sector innovators, mayors and community leaders to showcase the whats-next in creating more resilient communities of the future. The first of the TD Future Cities Speaker Series in 2021 features a powerful panel discussion focusing on issues stemming from inequality in arts and cultural sector.



Bringing together diverse people to plan, design, manage and program shared-use spaces is integral to creating more inclusive cities, said Orit Sarfaty, Chief Program Officer, Evergreen, one of the founding partners of Future Cities Canada. The TD Future Cities Speaker Series continues to inspire us to push the boundaries of how we approach our city systems and care for our public places. The first in this years series is a thought-provoking discussion that will encourage us to rethink and reimagine whats needed to shape and create public spaces that are accessible and welcoming to all.

TD is pleased to support the TD Future Cities Speaker Series via its global corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment. Building liveable and resilient urban spaces where innovation can thrive is one of the ways were working towards a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow, said Andrea Barrack, Global Head of Sustainability & Corporate Citizenship at TD.

For more details and to register, visit https://thesummit.futurecitiescanada.ca/

The Summit line-up for Wednesday, June 23, 2021

(Re)claiming Our Common Grounds: Indigenous Placekeeping in Public Spaces  11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EDT



Across Canada, municipalities and civic organizations are being called to engage with Indigenous partners through reflexive, equitable and reciprocal relationships and partnerships. Tanya Chung-Tiam-Fook, Director of Research and Thought Leadership at Centre for Indigenous Innovation and Technology, and Civic-Indigenous Indigenous Engagement Associate for Evergreen and Future Cities Canada, is the author of the Civic-Indigenous Placekeeping & Partnership Building Toolkit. Together with Toronto-based civic and Indigenous practitioners Terence Radford, Principal, Trophic Design, Ange Loft, Interdisciplinary Performing Artist and Initiator, and Selina Young, Director, Indigenous Affairs Office, City of Toronto, the panel will discuss their experience and efforts to do parks planning differently. Through the case studies of Toronto Island Parks Master Plan process and The Don River Valley Park, they explore the need for city builders to work in step with Indigenous partners and cultural protocols. Followed by a live Q&A.



TD Future Cities Speaker Series: Transforming Spaces into Inclusive Places  1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT



The panel discussion focuses on issues stemming from inequality in the arts and cultural sector. Will Kwan, Artist and Associate Professor, Department of Arts, Culture and Media, University of Toronto Scarborough, Dr. Julie Nagam, Associate Professor, History of Art, University of Winnipeg, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts, Collaboration and Digital Media, Director of Aabijijiwan New Media Lab, Sean Lee, Director, Programming, Tangled Arts + Disability, and moderator Joy Bailey Bryant, President, Museums (US), Lord Cultural Resources will explore untold stories and awaken new perspectives. The session will shed light on the challenges and benefits of what it means to be inclusive and what it will really take to make significant contributions to the generation of a more open, diverse and inclusive society. Followed by a Live Q&A.



PLUS:

A World Cafe: Improving Pre-Development Processes

French session: 10 a.m.  12 p.m. EDT

English session: 1 p.m.  3 p.m. EDT



The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) hosts a virtual World Cafe as part of the Housing Supply Challenges Getting Started round. This event will include a series of short group discussions focused on the barriers and potential solutions to improve pre-development processes of housing that is affordable. The World Cafe is one of many activities offered through the Housing Supply Challenge Support Program led by Evergreen. This is an opportunity to share information, build awareness, network and collaborate and a not-to-miss event for those interested in applying to the next round of the Housing Supply Challenge. Limited space is available.

About Future Cities Canada: The Summit

From May through to October, The Summit provides an important meeting place to spark partnerships and create opportunities from across the country and around the world on topics ranging from Housing & Infrastructure, Placemaking and Placekeeping, Data & Technology, Climate Change Adaptation, Education and the Future of Work. The monthly Summit began on May 19 and continues June 23, July 21, August 18, September 22, followed by the final gathering in October 2021.

More sessions and speakers to be announced shortly.

Led by Evergreen, this is the fourth national gathering by Future Cities Canada, a collaborative platform founded in 2018 by Evergreen, McConnell Foundation, TD Bank Group, Maison de l'innovation sociale and Community Foundations of Canada.

To be the first to learn about new speakers and sessions, sign up for the Future Cities Canada newsletter and join the conversation at @FutureCitiesCA

Future Cities Canada: The Summit

Lead Funder: Infrastructure Canada

Lead Sponsors: TD Bank Group, McConnell Foundation, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Lead Media Partner: The Globe and Mail

Convened by: Evergreen

Media contact:

Renee Tratch, Sr. Manager, Public Relations & Content, Evergreen

416-596-1495 Ext. 273, rtratch@evergreen.ca

Future Cities Canada is a national cross-sector initiative with the mission to accelerate innovation to transform cities for the benefit of all. Drawing on the expertise of its founding organizations - The McConnell Foundation, TD Bank Group, Evergreen, Maison de linnovation sociale and Community Foundations of Canada - and together with a diverse and growing network of partners, Future Cities Canada collectively strives to address the challenges facing cities and city-dwellers to reimagine cities that are equitable, regenerative and prosperous. www.futurecitiescanada.ca
Pompano Beach, FL, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brownies Marine Group, Inc. (OTCQB: BWMG), a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of tankless dive equipment and high-pressure air and industrial compressors in the marine industry, today announced that its subsidiary, BLU3, Inc.s products will be participating in Amazon Prime Day with a 20% discount on Nemo products.



BLU3, Inc. has been shipping increased quantities of its Nemo product line to the Amazon warehouses to prepare for a potential spike in orders of Nemo on Amazon Prime Day, June 21-22, 2021.

Amazon revenues have shown consistent increases from our launch on the platform in November, 2020. We have expanded with Amazon into Europe and the UK, and will continue to look at the platform as a way to put more divers in the water with Nemo. Stated Blake Carmichael, CEO, BLU3, Inc. This will be our first Amazon Prime Day, and we are looking forward to the results. Amazons marketing material indicates that stores on Amazon receive an average of 84% more visitors and brands that highlighted deals in their stores saw 646% higher store attributed sales than brands who did not advertise a special. We have our 20% off special ready to go, loaded the warehouses and are primed for the results.

BLU3, Inc. has also provided its worldwide dealers with an opportunity to offer their customers with the same discount on June 21-22, 2021. Blake stated our worldwide dealer base continues to grow, and we want to give them every opportunity for success with Nemo, and have them looking forward to the launch of Nomad in late August/early September.

About Brownies Marine Group

Brownies Marine Group, Inc., is the parent company to a family of innovative brands with a unique concentration in the industrial, and recreational diving industry. The Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, tests, manufactures, and distributes recreational hookah diving, yacht-based scuba air compressors and nitrox generation systems, and scuba and water safety products in the United States and internationally. The Company has three subsidiaries: Trebor Industries, Inc., founded in 1981, dba as Brownies Third Lung; BLU3, Inc.; and Brownies High-Pressure Services, Inc., dba LW Americas. The Company is headquartered in Pompano Beach, Florida.

For more information, visit: www.BrowniesMarineGroup.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may contain forward looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected. 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. Stockholders and potential investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements in this report are reasonable, we cannot assure stockholders and potential investors that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, a change in events, conditions, circumstances or assumptions underlying such statements, or otherwise. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made under the heading Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and our other periodic and quarterly filings with the SEC.

Source: Brownies Marine Group, Inc.

Contact Information: (954)-462-5570

investors@browniesmarinegroup.com

Brownies Marine Group, Inc
English French

PepsiCo Beverages Canada to become exclusive national distributor of GURU plant-based energy drinks effective October 4, 2021





to become exclusive national distributor of GURU plant-based energy drinks effective October 4, 2021 Long-term agreement to significantly accelerate GURUs Canadian growth plans





GURU to benefit from PepsiCo Beverages Canadas expansive direct-to-store distribution network across Canada



MONTREAL, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GURU Organic Energy Corp. (TSX: GURU) (GURU), Canadas leading organic energy drink brand, and The Pepsi Bottling Group (Canada), ULC (PepsiCo Beverages Canada) announce that they have entered into an exclusive long-term national distribution agreement in Canada for GURUs energy drinks.

Effective October 4, 2021, PepsiCo Beverages Canada will sell, distribute, and merchandise GURUs organic, plant-based and better-for-you energy drinks to convenience, foodservice and retail customers nationwide. This agreement will significantly broaden GURUs distribution and reach in Canada.

Partnering with PepsiCo Beverages Canada at this stage of our growth for the Canadian distribution of our better-for-you energy drinks is a game changer for GURU and has the potential to accelerate our sales and distribution plans. This agreement is also a strong endorsement of GURUs growing brand profile, which is quickly setting the standard as the Canadian consumers organic plant-based energy drink of choice. This is thanks to our differentiated brand and clean list of ingredients that delivers good taste and good energy, said Carl Goyette, President and CEO of GURU.

GURU quickly made its mark as a disruptive energy drink brand with ingredients that are organic and plant-based, said Mike Ruff, President of PepsiCo Beverages Canada. As we continue to focus on being consumer-centric, this partnership will help us expand our energy drink portfolio and meet the rapid changes in consumer demand for more functional beverages.

The agreement is for an initial term of 10 years, subject to 5-year renewal periods.

In addition, GURU has granted PepsiCo Beverages Canada warrants in respect of up to 1,650,000 shares in tranches based on commercial milestones that are exercisable only on a change of control and that would be repurchased for cash if a third party were to acquire GURU or exercisable for shares of GURU if PepsiCo Beverages Canada or an affiliate were the acquirer.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.ca.

About GURU

GURU Organic Energy Corp. (TSX: GURU) is a dynamic, fast-growing beverage company launched in 1999, when it pioneered the worlds first natural, plant-based energy drink. GURU markets organic energy drinks in Canada and the United States through a distribution network of more than 21,000 points of sale, and through guruenergy.com and Amazon. GURU has built an inspiring brand with a clean list of organic plant-based ingredients. Its drinks offer consumers good energy that never comes at the expense of their health. GURU is committed to achieving its mission of cleaning the energy drink industry in Canada and the United States. For more information, go to www.guruenergy.com or follow us @guruenergydrink on Instagram and @guruenergy on Facebook.

PepsiCo Cautionary Statement

This release contains statements reflecting our views about our future performance that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are generally identified through the inclusion of words such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "drive," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "strategy," "target" and "will" or similar statements or variations of such terms and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in such statements, including the impact of COVID-19; future demand for PepsiCo's products; damage to PepsiCo's reputation or brand image; issues or concerns with respect to product quality and safety; PepsiCo's ability to compete effectively; changes in the retail landscape or in sales to any key customer; disruption of PepsiCos supply chain; failure to successfully complete or manage strategic transactions; imposition or proposed imposition of new or increased taxes aimed at PepsiCos products; imposition of limitations on the marketing or sale of PepsiCos products; and failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations. For additional information on these and other factors that could cause PepsiCo's actual results to materially differ from those set forth herein, please see PepsiCo's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. PepsiCo undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

GURU Cautionary Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, information with respect to our objectives and the strategies for achieving those objectives, as well as information with respect to our beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of words such as may, would, should, could, expect, intend, estimate, anticipate, plan, foresee, believe, or continue, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding GURU and its business, operations, prospects and risks at a point in time in the context of historical and possible future developments, and the reader is therefore cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include the following: continued uncertainty in the financial markets; an economic downturn; adverse changes in general economic or political conditions; the COVID-19 pandemic; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; increased competition; reliance on energy drinks as our sole source of revenues; changes in consumer preferences; the changing retail landscape; significant changes in government regulation; criticism of energy drink products and/or the energy drink market; reliance on co-packers to manufacture our products; our ability to maintain good relations with our existing customers; increases in costs and/or shortages of raw materials, ingredients, fuel and/or co-packing; failure to accurately estimate demand for our products; loss of intellectual property rights; our ability to retain senior management or to maintain brand image or product quality; climate change; our ability to achieve and manage growth; conflicts of interest; litigation; and catastrophic events. Certain assumptions were made in preparing the forward-looking statements concerning availability of capital resources, business performance, market conditions and consumer demand. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements contained herein are qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements, and there can be no guarantee that the results or developments that we anticipate will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences or effects on our business, financial condition or results of operation. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the forward-looking statements contained herein are provided as of the date hereof, and we do not undertake to update or amend such forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

For further information, please contact:

GURU Organic Energy

Investors

Carl Goyette, President and CEO

Ingy Sarraf, Chief Financial Officer

514-845-4878

investors@guruenergy.com

Media

Lyla Radmanovich

PELICAN PR

514-845-8763

media@rppelican.ca



PepsiCo Beverages Canada

Melanie OSullivan

Melanie.osullivan@pepsico.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/49438be8-98b6-4a6e-ada3-7b8fb5918297
SPOKANE, Wash., June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avista (NYSE: AVA) and all parties to the Companys electric and natural gas general rate case have reached a settlement agreement that has been submitted to the Idaho Public Utilities Commission for its consideration.



If approved, the settlement agreement is designed to increase annual base electric revenues by $10.6 million or 4.3%, effective Sept. 1, 2021, and by $8.0 million or 3.1%, effective Sept. 1, 2022. For natural gas, the settlement agreement is designed to decrease annual base natural gas revenues by $1.6 million or 3.7%, effective Sept. 1, 2021, and increase annual base natural gas revenues by $0.9 million or 2.2%, effective Sept. 1, 2022. The parties have agreed to use the customer tax credits included in Avistas original filing to offset overall proposed changes to base electric and natural gas rates over the two-year plan.

After accounting for the base rate change and the tax customer credits, the overall billed revenue changes agreed to by the parties are provided below:

Electric Year 1= no change

Electric Year 2 = decrease of 0.8%

Natural Gas Year 1 = decrease of 4.5%

Natural Gas Year 2 = increase of 1.5%

The settlement capital structure includes a 9.4% return on equity (ROE) with a common equity ratio of 50% and a rate of return (ROR) on rate base of 7.05%. The overall outcome is in line with the Companys expected margin in this case. The primary element of the difference in the agreed upon base revenues in the settlement agreement from Avistas original request is the continued recovery of costs for Avistas wind generation power purchase agreements, which will include Palouse Wind and Rattlesnake Flat, through the power cost adjustment mechanism rather than through base rates, as well as reductions in overall net power supply costs, together totaling $5 million.

Were pleased to pass the benefits of the offsetting tax credits to our customers at this time. This settlement agreement will provide new rates in Idaho that are fair and reasonable for our customers, the Company, and our shareholders, said Dennis Vermillion, Avista president and CEO. This outcome provides us the opportunity to continue to earn a fair return in Idaho and supports Avistas efforts to invest in and maintain our infrastructure so we can continue to provide the reliable energy our customers expect.

Residential Customer Bills

If the settlement is approved, a residential electric customer using an average of 892 kilowatt hours per month would see a modest 0.6% billed increase of $0.49 per month for a revised monthly bill of $86.12 effective Sept. 1, 2021, and a 0.4% billed increase of $0.31 per month for a revised monthly bill of $86.43 effective Sept. 1, 2022. A residential natural gas customer using an average of 63 therms per month would see a billed 4.6% decrease of $2.30 per month for a revised monthly bill of $47.19 effective Sept. 1, 2021, and a 1.6% billed increase of $0.76 per month for a revised monthly bill of $47.95 effective Sept. 1, 2022.

2021 & 2022 Electric Revenue Impact by Rate Schedule Rate Schedule Description 2021 Billing

Change 2022 Billing

Change Residential Service Schedule 1 0.6% 0.3% General Service Schedules 11 & 12 0.0% -2.5% Large General Service Schedules 21 & 22 0.0% -0.8% Extra Large General Service Schedule 25 0.0% -2.2% Extra Large General Service 25P Schedule 25P -3.1% -3.2% Pumping Service Schedules 31 & 32 0.0% -0.8% Street & Area Lights Schedules 41 - 49 0.0% -0.8% Total 0.0% -0.8%





2021 & 2022 Natural Gas Revenue Impact by Rate Schedule Rate Schedule Description 2021 Billing

Change 2022 Billing

Change General Service Schedule 101 -4.6% 1.6% Large General Service Schedules 111 & 112 -3.7% 1.3% Transportation Service Schedule 146 -6.5% 2.3% Total -4.5% 1.5%

The actual percentage rate change will vary by customer rate schedule and will depend on how much energy a customer uses.

Avista serves more than 138,000 electric and 89,000 natural gas customers in Idaho.

Avistas Original Request

Avistas original request was designed to increase annual electric base revenues by $24.8 million or 10.1% effective Sept. 1, 2021 and $8.7 million or 3.2% effective Sept. 1, 2022. However, the Company proposed to apply a tax customer credit that would fully offset the increase for Sept. 1, 2021, resulting in no bill change for customers. For natural gas, the rate request was designed to increase annual base revenues by $0.1 million or 0.1% effective Sept. 1, 2021 and $1.0 million, or 2.2% effective Sept. 1, 2022. The Company proposed to offset those increases with the tax customer credit and other deferred customer credits.

The electric and natural gas requests were based on a proposed rate of return (ROR) on rate base of 7.30% with a common equity ratio of 50% and a 9.9% return on equity (ROE).

Customer Resources

To assist customers in managing their energy bills, Avista offers services for customers such as comfort level billing, payment arrangements and Customer Assistance Referral and Evaluation Services , which aid customers through referrals to area agencies and other resources for help with housing, utilities, medical assistance, and other needs. Avista also provides funding for energy assistance programs and Project Share which are administered through community action agencies.

Avista provides energy efficiency and outreach programs that include rebates and incentives as well as tips and resources to help customers manage their energy use and energy bills. Customers can learn more at www.myavista.com .

About Avista Corp.

Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission, and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is the operating division that provides electric service to 400,000 customers and natural gas to 367,000 customers. Its service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.6 million. Alaska Energy and Resources Company is an Avista subsidiary that provides retail electric service in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, through its subsidiary Alaska Electric Light and Power Company . Avista stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com .

This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the companys current expectations. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than historical facts. Such statements speak only as of the date of the news release and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the companys control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, in addition to those discussed herein, all of the factors discussed in the companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2020 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.

To unsubscribe from Avistas news release distribution, send a reply message to lena.funston@avistacorp.com
Toronto, Ontario, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pizza Nova presented a cheque for $201,727 to Variety  the Childrens Charity of Ontario at an official cheque presentation this morning. It was a touching and tear-filled moment amidst the pandemic. Charles Taerk, Board Chair, attended the ceremony and revealed plans to honour the Primucci family by renaming the lobby at Variety Village The Primucci Pavilion. Mayor John Tory, who couldnt be present, acknowledged Pizza Nova and the familys contribution with an official letter. This is certainly a well-deserved honour. Its because of City-builders such as yourself that communities thrive and kids play. Thank you for your leadership, wrote Mayor John Tory.

This years Thats Amore Pizza for Kids was an incredible success. Throughout the month of May, 50 cents for every dip sold at Pizza Nova was donated to Variety to help ensure that kids with a disability have a chance to play and build life-skills. The campaign resulted in a record-breaking donation of $201,727 and increased awareness of the important work of Variety. We are also pleased to be able to honour the Primucci family and Pizza Nova through the renaming of the front lobby at Variety Village to the Primucci Pavilion. The Primucci Pavilion at Variety Village will highlight the incredible partnership between Pizza Nova and Variety as well as the legacy of support that Domenic and his family have provided to kids in communities throughout Ontario. The Variety team thanks the Pizza Nova team for their ongoing commitment and dedication, said Karen Stintz, President and CEO, Variety, the Childrens Charity of Ontario.

A surprised and somewhat speechless Domenic Primucci thanked Variety as he bumped elbows with Variety Brand Ambassador Madi Ambos. Its so wonderful to see what our support has and will continue to do for children with disabilities. I am very touched, and very appreciative of this kind gesture. We do this for the kids. They represent the future, without them there is no laughter or joy. I want to thank Variety for all that you do, you are very special to Pizza Nova and we look forward to continuing to support such a great cause, said an emotional Domenic Primucci, President, Pizza Nova.

For more information on Pizza Novas Thats Amore Pizza for Kids, visit pizzanova.com or varietyvillage.ca

About Pizza Nova

Voted Best Pizza of 2020! Pizza Nova, founded in 1963, is a family-operated business and has helped over 100 families open and operate their own Pizza Nova store in 145+ locations across Southern Ontario. They are well recognized for their community involvement and passion for Italian Food with a focus on the ingredients and traditional preparation methods. Pizza Nova offers a variety of fresh toppings, and a wide range of menu items including lasagna, meatballs, chicken wings, Italian sandwiches, FOCACCIA BARESE, salads, panzerottis and a specialty line of Primucci branded products featuring Hot Sfilatello, Homestyle Tomato Sauce, Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Italian Hot Peppers, Spicy Green Olives and Sundried Black Olives. The addition of plant-based pepperoni was launched in early 2021, providing more options to serve flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans. Pizza Nova locations offer contactless delivery, pickup, online ordering via app and website and some sit-down service. Visit www.pizzanova.com and follow @pizzanova on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. For further information contact Tina Sinfarosa at 416-439-0051 or tina@pizzanova.com

About Variety the Childrens Charity Ontario

For 72 years Variety  The Childrens Charity of Ontario has made a significant impact in the lives of children and youth with disabilities and their families in the greater Toronto area at Variety Village and throughout the province. Varietys specialized programs and services have supported its promise to improve the quality of life and integration into society of all children, regardless of ability. Varietys kids are breaking down societal barriers every single day by showcasing their abilities at Variety Village and in their own communities. Visit www.varietyontario.ca. For further information, contact Karen Stintz at 416-699-7167 ext. 227 or kstintz@varietyontario.ca

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Attachments
PHILADELPHIA, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Carpenter Technology Corporation (NYSE: CRS) today announced that Dr. David Graf has been appointed to lead Carpenter Technologys Specialty Alloys Operations (SAO) business segment as Vice President and Group President  SAO, effective July 1, 2021.



Davids demonstrated leadership, strong business acumen and deep technical knowledge will play a pivotal role in ensuring SAO and Carpenter Technology continually deliver as the preferred solutions provider to our customers, said Tony R. Thene, President and CEO.

Since joining Carpenter Technology in 2018 as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Dr. Graf has been instrumental in driving improvements in multiple disciplines. As CTO, Dr. Graf increased the focus of the Research & Development (R&D) organization on strategic alignment with commercial targets, resulting in higher value, customer-driven R&D investments, as well as accelerated innovation. He also oversaw the Companys intellectual property portfolio and developed and executed a strategy to increase the quality and quantity of the Companys patent filings. Dr. Graf partnered with the Commercial team to launch the Companys electrification center of expertise at the Reading, PA facility, hiring top talent and driving capital investments. In addition, in 2020, Dr. Graf assumed leadership of the Carpenter Additive business where he led activities to restructure, reorganize and streamline the business activities.

Prior to joining Carpenter Technology, Dr. Graf worked for W.R. Grace for eight years, where he served as Global R&D Director; as well as General Manager Americas and Vice President of Marketing for the Specialty Catalysts division. Prior to that, he worked for The Dow Chemical Company for 12 years in a variety of R&D leadership roles.

Dr. Graf received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Michigan State University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

About Carpenter Technology

Carpenter Technology Corporation is a recognized leader in high-performance specialty alloy-based materials and process solutions for critical applications in the aerospace, defense, transportation, energy, industrial, medical, and consumer electronics markets. Founded in 1889, Carpenter Technology has evolved to become a pioneer in premium specialty alloys, including titanium, nickel, and cobalt, as well as alloys specifically engineered for additive manufacturing (AM) processes and soft magnetics applications. Carpenter Technology has expanded its AM capabilities to provide a complete end-to-end solution to accelerate materials innovation and streamline parts production. More information about Carpenter Technology can be found at www.carpentertechnology.com.
Gloucester, MA (01930)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 61F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 61F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
Courtesy image/VNA Care recently donated its painting, "Always at Your Service" by Emile A. Gruppe, to the Cape Ann Museum. This artwork is among the works featured in the museums current exhibition, "CAM (Re)Connects," which showcases objects and artworks featured as part of the museums virtual outreach during the pandemic.
ELKHART [mdash] Helen Free was born Feb. 20, 1923 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to James S. Murray and Daisy Piper Murray, who died when Helen was six years old. Graduating as valedictorian of Poland Seminary High School in 1941, she attended the College of Wooster, initially majoring in Engli
Lovinas Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher , Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Readers can write to Eicher at PO Box 1689, South Holland, IL 60473 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email LovinasAmishKitchen@MennoMedia.org and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.
The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below.

On Friday, in the morning, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey hosted a morning tea in support of the Queensland Community Foundation, and the Governor presented certificates and addressed the guests.

In the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency and Mrs de Jersey hosted an afternoon tea to celebrate the 115th anniversary of the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland, and the Governor addressed the guests.
After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the drivers have a fortnight to unwind before the next race. GPblog's F1 Social Stint finds out what drivers and teams do in between these Grands Prix.

Red Bull Racing takes road trip from Czech Republic to Slovakia

Last weekend we saw footage of David Coulthard doing a demo for Red Bull on the streets of Prague, but according to the Twitter channel, the team is now on their way to Slovakia. So it's time for a road trip. Wow, what a ride,' says Coulthard himself in the Red Bull video.

An all-new road trip adventure Departing June 15 pic.twitter.com/oV21kqBj6w  Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) June 13, 2021

Red Bull Racing toont prachtige beelden vanuit Praag

Verstappen tests reaction speed of his followers

Always wanted to know if you have the same fast reaction speed as the Formula 1 drivers? In a new post by Max Verstappen, he runs a counter. The faster you click, the better your time is. What time will you be able to set?

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram Een bericht gedeeld door Max Verstappen (@maxverstappen1)

Read more Verstappen shows class after the race in Baku: Personal congratulations to Vettel
It's race week again, and that means we can get ready for the French Grand Prix. At the Paul Ricard circuit Max Verstappen will be keen on a victory, after it was taken away from him in Azerbaijan. Whether he succeeds, we will see this weekend. Find out what time you need to switch on for each session here.

The 2021 Formula 1 season is more exciting than the last seven years put together. At last there is a real title fight again, and with it the excitement and action on and off the track. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are fighting together for the world title, but both failed to score any points in Azerbaijan.

Revenge for Verstappen

It was a huge blow for Verstappen, who had victory in his hands five laps from the end when he suffered a sudden tyre blowout. Hamilton then had an ideal position to start hurting Verstappen in the standings, but made a mistake on the restart and also failed to score any points.

In France both will be looking for revenge, and that promises to be a good spectacle. At Paul Ricard we haven't seen a lot of good races yet. It is a test circuit with all kinds of different corners, but overtaking is not very easy. Normally this was a circuit that suited Mercedes very well, but they seem to have lost their touch in recent weeks.

Timetable of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Friday

First free practice: 10:30am - 11:30am

Second free practice: 2pm - 3pm

Saturday

Third free practice: 11:00am - 12:00pm

Qualification: 2pm - 3pm

Sunday

Race: 2pm - 4pm
Indianapolis may have shown a thumbs-down to the speculation, but a second US grand prix at Austin appears to be a possibility for 2021.

As F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali struggles to maintain a full 23-race calendar amid the ongoing covid crisis, it emerged that more races in America could be part of a back-up plan in the event of more cancellations.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Roger Penske, however, said the former US GP road course is not an option for F1 - at least this year.

"We're not in any position at the moment" to do that, he told the Associated Press.

However, current US GP chief Bobby Epstein has now indicated that a second race in Austin cannot be ruled out.

Less than two weeks ago, he told the AP that it was just "paddock rumours". But he has now told ESPN that a second grand prix this year at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas is indeed "possible".

"As long as I put the word possible in front of it, then we're good," Epstein said. "'A second race in Austin is possible' - I read that and thought, 'well, that's true'.

"A second race in Austin is a done deal - that is not true," he insisted.

"But it's easy to flip it if they decide they want to and they need to and it's the best decision for the sport, they can make that decision and we're there for that."

(GMM)
Gunther Steiner has a "good feeling" after visiting Maranello to check on the progress of Haas' 2022 car.

Although with bases in the UK and US, the American team has also outsourced much of the design of its Formula 1 car to Dallara in Italy.

However, Haas has now changed direction to align much more closely with Ferrari, where at Maranello a separate building has been commissioned to design the 2022 car.

According to the German broadcaster n-tv, team boss Steiner visited Ferrari's Italian headquarters after Baku to inspect the 2022 Haas car in the wind tunnel.

"We are developing the car at full throttle," he said, "because this is our future.

"At the moment everything is going in the right direction," added Steiner, who decided even before the start of this season that the team would not develop the 2021 car at all.

"I have a good feeling that we are finally getting out of this 'no chance for points' situation," he said.

(GMM)
German Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier and Federal Minister of Research Anja Karliczek, together with their Australian counterpart, Energy Minister Angus Taylor, have signed a letter of intent to establish a Germany Australia Hydrogen Accord to facilitate a green hydrogen supply chain between the countries.

Germany is looking to the partnership as a means of enabling the import of sustainably produced hydrogen in relevant quantities.

The accord is to be embedded in the work of the already existing German-Australian energy partnership, with a focus on hydrogen. Australia is ready to provide substantial financial support for this collaboration. German companies are very interested in participating in hydrogen projects in Australia, including as suppliers of electrolyzers.

Among other things, we will promote the production of hydrogen on an industrial scale in Australia with German-Australian Hydrogen Hubs using German technology and explore possibilities for cooperation within the framework of our new international funding instrument H2-Global. Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of Economics

The German-Australian cooperation gives German companies the opportunity to export technology. With the HyGATE technology incubator, we bring together players from science and business from both countries in order to develop, demonstrate and test green hydrogen technologies along the entire value chainfrom generation, through storage and transport to use. Another great advantage of the partnership: a country like Australia, which has previously exported coal on a large scale, is building up a new, climate-friendly perspective as an energy exporter, true to the motto shipping the sunshinepractically packaged sunshine from Australia. Anja Karliczek, Federal Research Minister

The accord provides for three different initiatives:
Egypt is planning to invest up to $4 billion in a project to generate green hydrogen via electrolysis, according to a report in Arab News, citing the Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker.

The project is currently in the feasibility studies stage, in consultation with the Sovereign Fund of Egypt and a group of concerned ministries, and will be presented next week.

Shaker said that an area of more than 7,000 sq. km has been allocated for renewable energy production projects in Egypt, from which it can produce about 90,000 megawatts (MW).

The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy has set a goal for 42% of the total energy produced in Egypt to be sourced from renewables by 2035. By the end of this year, it will have achieved 20%a year ahead of schedule.

Egypt is also home to the Benban solar park, one of the largest solar power plants in the world, with a total capacity of 1,465 MW.
Swiss research intsitute Empas future mobility demonstrator, move, is investigating three paths for CO 2 reduction in road trafficelectric mobility, hydrogen mobility and synthetic fuelsagainst the background of a rapidly changing energy system.

All these concepts have advantages and drawbacks in terms of energy, operation and economics. In order to use them in a smart way, we need a deeper understanding of the overall system. Christian Bach, Head of Empas Automotive Powertrain Technologies lab

The latest project focuses on the production of synthetic methane from hydrogen and CO 2 . Such fuels, produced synthetically with renewable energy, can be transported via conventional routes and made available through the existing infrastructure.

The basic chemical process of methanization has been known for more than 100 years as the Sabatier reaction. In move, another process developed further at Empa will be usedsorption-enhanced methanization. Empa researchers hope that this novel process engineering concept will lead to simpler process control, higher efficiency and better suitability for dynamic operation.

Methanization works by producing methane (CH 4 ) and water (H 2 O) by catalytic conversion from carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and hydrogen (H 2 ). Water causes problems with conventional processes, however; to remove it, serial methanization stages are typically requiredwith condensation areas in between. Due to the high reaction temperatures, a proportion of the water is converted back into hydrogen by the water-gas shift reaction. The gaseous product of the methanization reaction thus contains a few percent hydrogen, which prevents direct feeding into the gas grid; the hydrogen must first be removed.

CO 2 for the methanization as well as water for hydrogen production is taken directly from the atmosphere with a CO 2 collector from the ETH spin-off Climeworks. The system sucks in ambient air and CO 2 molecules remain attached to the filter. Using heataround 100 Cthe CO 2 molecules can be released from the filter.

Empa researchers see further potential for optimization in the heat required for this CO 2 desorption.

Both hydrogen production and methanization continuously generate waste heat. By means of a clever heat management, we want to cover the heat requirements of the CO2 collector as much as possible with this waste heat Christian Bach

In addition to CO 2 , the Climeworks plant also extracts water from ambient air, which is used for hydrogen production in the electrolysis device. This means that such plants are also conceivable in regions without water supply, for example in deserts.

In addition to new knowledge about technical and energetic aspects, insights about the economic efficiency of synthetic methane are one of the projects prime goals. The project is supported by the Canton of Zurich, the ETH Board, Avenergy Suisse, Migros, Lidl Switzerland, Glattwerk, Armasuisse and Swisspower.

Currently, Bachs team is concentrating on the investigation of water adsorption on porous materials and the process control of the catalytic reaction. Construction of the plant is planned for mid-2021.

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The Latest on the Group of Seven nations meeting being held in England:

BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden has arrived in the capital of Belgium for the upcoming NATO summit, wearing a mask because of the coronavirus as an honor guard and trumpeters greeted him.

The U.S. president wrapped up a three-day meeting for the Group of Seven nations on Sunday and after a tea with Queen Elizabeth II flew to Brussels for the NATO meeting scheduled to begin Monday.

Biden says that a strong NATO partnership is vital for maintaining U.S. national security for the remainder of the century. Cyber defense and climate change are among the topics being discussed at the summit.

Biden will also meet Tuesday with European Union leaders as well as visit Belgian King Phillipe. The president will finish the eight-day trip Wednesday by meeting in Geneva with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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WINDSOR, England - U.S. President Joe Biden says he has invited Queen Elizabeth II to stay at the White House.

Biden and his wife, Jill, had tea with the 95 year-old queen at Windsor Castle on Sunday. The 78 year-old president says he felt a maternal warmth from the monarch, who now has met 13 U.S. presidents.

Biden said: I dont think shell be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother.

The president says the queen asked him about Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Biden has a summit with on Wednesday, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The queen also inquired about living at the White House.

Biden says he told her, We could fit the White House in the courtyard of the castle.

Asked if he invited Elizabeth to come to the White House, Biden replied, Yes.

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NEWQUAY, England  French President Emmanuel Macron stressed his appreciation for the return of the United States to the world stage and what he said was the boost President Joe Biden has given to the European Union, in particular.

His remarks were in part a dig on the distance former President Donald Trump created with trans-Atlantic partners.

With Biden, we found once again a real common vision and, above all, a way to work together. That means a conviction that the leadership is stronger through partnership, Macron said at a news conference at the close of the G-7 summit hosted by Britain  no longer part of the EU.

Macron had his first meeting with Biden at the summit. He had tried hard to win over Trump, making him the guest of honor at a Bastille Day military parade, but the former president turned his back, notably pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord.

Biden returned the United States to the accord.

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WINDSOR, England -- U.S. President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are greeting the United Kingdoms Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.

The Bidens emerged from a Land Rover on Sunday to meet the awaiting queen, who stood on a dais dressed in a pink hat and floral dress. The U.S. president wore his aviator sunmark glasses as he joined the monarch, only to remove them as he inspected the red-uniformed and bearskin-capped Guard of Honor assembled on the castle grounds.

The queen and the U.S. first lady stayed on the dais as Biden walked along the guard. During President Donald Trumps 2018 visit, Trump broke royal protocol by walking ahead of Queen Elizabeth II during the inspection.

Once Sundays inspection was completed, the queen and the Bidens went into the castle for tea.

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CARBIS BAY, England  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Britain wants further investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the end of the Group of Seven summit in southwest England, Johnson says that while it doesnt look as if this particular disease came from a lab, the world needs to keep an open mind.

Though the notion was once dismissed by most public health experts and government officials, the hypothesis that COVID-19 leaked accidentally from a Chinese lab is now under a new U.S. investigation ordered by President Joe Biden.

The G-7 leaders endorsed calls for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based further investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.

Many scientists still believe the virus most likely jumped from animals to humans.

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NEWQUAY, England  Italian Premier Mario Draghi says the dominant theme of the Group of Seven summit was how to respond to China and other autocratic governments.

Draghi said Sunday that China has the right to a great economy but that practices like coercive detention and using forced labor were out of step with the vision of the worlds democracies.

He said the position taken wasnt particularly tough, but was rather realistic, in view of the necessity to cooperate on climate change, rebuilding the world after the coronavirus pandemic and other issues.

He also said his Cabinet would be reviewing the controversial 2019 trade and infrastructure deal Italys previous government signed with Beijing. Over U.S. and other objections, Italy in 2019 became the first G7 country to sign onto Chinas Belt and Road initiative, Beijings global investment project that envisions overland and maritime routes connecting China with Europe.

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NEWQUAY, England  President Joe Biden is hinting that he could make a change to the steel and aluminum tariffs originally imposed during the Trump administration.

Asked Sunday at a news conference how Biden justified the tariffs to European allies now that Trump is out of office, Biden suggested that future action could be taken without specifying what that would be.

120 days, says Biden, who technically became the U.S. president 144 days ago. Give me a break. Need time.

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NEWQUAY, England -- President Joe Biden says helping the world battle the COVID-19 pandemic will be a constant project for a long time.

Biden spoke Sunday of a clear consensus among the other leaders attending the Group of Seven summit that commitments they made to donate vaccines wouldnt be the end.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the summit host, announced on Sunday that G-7 leaders had pledged over 1 billion vaccine doses for poorer nations.

Biden is responsible for about half of that donation, or about 500 million doses. He says the U.S. may be able to contribute 1 billion more doses.

The U.S. president says its a gigantic, logistical effort to get shots in arms around the world, a the goal he said may not be achieved until 2023.

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NEWQUAY, England  President Joe Biden is taking a series of subtle jabs at Donald Trump at the end of the Group of Seven summit, suggesting there was a genuine sense of enthusiasm among foreign leaders that the United States was engaged on world issues.

The president is highlighting very fundamental differences with Trump over climate change and national security at a news conference Sunday. Biden says that he does not view NATO as a protection racket. Thats a contrast to Trump who said that foreign countries should pay for the presence of the U.S. military abroad. Biden is following the G-7 by attending a NATO summit Monday.

Biden says that climate change is the existential threat facing humanity, stressing that Trump did not recognize it as a problem.

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NEWQUAY, England  President Joe Biden has closed his first Group of Seven leaders summit, saying it was an extraordinary, collaborative and productive meeting.

Biden on Sunday praised agreements to help the world combat COVID-19 and to set a global minimum tax for corporations everywhere.

He spoke at a news conference in Newquay, England, after the conclusion of a three-day summit in nearby Carbis Bay of leaders of the worlds largest economies.

Biden is on the first overseas trip of his nearly 5-month-old presidency.

His next stop is London and Sunday afternoon tea with Queen Elizabeth II, joined by first lady Jill Biden.

Afterward, Biden flies to Brussels to attend a NATO summit. The trip ends Wednesday in Geneva, where Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet.

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CARBIS BAY, England The leaders of the worlds richest countries have agreed to endorse a global minimum tax on multinational corporations.

The decision had been widely anticipated after finance ministers earlier this month embraced placing a global minimum tax of at least 15% on large multinational companies to stop corporations from using tax havens to avoid taxes and thus robbing some countries of much-needed revenue.

The minimum rate was championed by the United States and dovetails with the aim of U.S. President Joe Biden to focus the three-day G-7 summit in England on ways the democracies can support a more fair global economy by working together. The summit ended Sunday with broad agreements for cooperation on fighting the coronavirus pandemic, challenging China's economic and human rights policies and other issues.

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CARBIS BAY, England  Leaders from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are calling on China to respect human rights in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong and in Xinjiang, where the Uyghur minority lives.

The group also lashed out at China's economic policies in a statement published Sunday. The group said it would continue to "consult on collective approaches to challenging non-market policies and practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy.

The G7 summit aimed to show that international cooperation is back after the upheavals caused by the pandemic and the unpredictability of former U.S. President Donald Trump. And they want to convey that the club of wealthy democracies  Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States  is a better friend to poorer nations than authoritarian rivals such as China.

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CARBIS BAY, England  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the Group of Seven wealthy nations will pledge over 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses for poorer nations.

Speaking at the end of a G-7 leaders summit in southwest England on Sunday, Johnson said the doses would come both directly and through the international COVAX program.

The commitment falls far short of the 11 billion doses the World Health Organization said is needed to vaccinate at least 70% of the worlds population and truly end the pandemic.

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FALMOUTH, ENGLAND  The International Monetary Fund managing director says there's a moral imperative for the worlds richest countries to back programs to end the COVID-19 pandemic but the donation of excess vaccines is only the first step.

Kristalina Georgievas comments in a virtual press conference at the Group of Seven summit Sunday came after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped G-7 leaders would agree to provide at least 1 billion vaccine doses for poorer countries. Humanitarian groups have welcomed the donations, but are calling for money, increased production and logistical support to help developing countries where the virus is still raging.

Georgieva said the donations are a good step but more needs to be done to overcome the hurdles needed to deliver shots into arms.

This is a moral imperative, but it is a necessity for the economic recovery to stick, because we cant have the world split into two tracks without negative consequences, Georgieva said.

While almost half of the combined population of the G-7 nations has received at least one dose of vaccine, the worldwide figure is less than 13%. In Africa, its just 2.2%.

The war is not yet won, she said.

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FALMOUTH, England  Prime Minister Boris Johnsons office has defended coronavirus arrangements at Saturday nights G-7 beach barbeque after criticism that the event did not comply with England's COVID-19 social distancing requirements.

World leaders and their partners were seen mingling on the beach as they were treated to a barbeque dinner including steak, grilled fish and lobster after a second day of talks in a seaside resort in Cornwall, southwest England.

Johnsons spokesman Max Blain said there were fewer than 30 guests at the barbeque in accordance with the U.K.s restrictions.

It was done in an entirely COVID-secure way within the existing rules, he said. You can see it was a relaxed atmosphere and gave the leaders a chance to discuss outside of a formal setting.

Many in the U.K. are concerned about a resurgence of coronavirus infections in the country, driven by the Delta variant. Johnson is widely expected to announce a delay in the next stage of Englands roadmap out of lockdown restrictions.

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FALMOUTH, England  Churchgoers in a seaside resort in England say they have been left gobsmacked when U.S. President Joe Biden and the first lady Jill Biden dropped in for a Sunday service.

The Bidens are in Cornwall, southwest England, where the U.S. president is attending a Group of Seven wealthy democracies summit. On Sunday morning, ahead of the summits conclusion, they were seen attending mass at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in St. Ives.

I think gobsmacked is probably a very true word, said Annie Fitzpatrick, 58. Its quite amazing, we went into the church and they took some details from us and I thought this is a bit unusual. About 10 minutes into the service the doors opened up and President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden walked in and just sat in the pew just across from me.

The president quietly got on with his prayer like everyone was doing, she said, adding: He looked around and said peace be with you, and I was one of them so Im delighted. Im not sure I will ever get over this moment completely.

Gayle Wood, 63, said Biden appeared to make a very generous donation to the church before leaving.

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FALMOUTH, England  Britain is accusing European Union of holding the offensive view that Northern Ireland is not fully part of the United Kingdom, as Brexit continues to cast a shadow over the Group of Seven summit.

Britain and the EU are in a spat over post-Brexit trade arrangements that could see British sausages banned from entering Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that borders the 27-nation bloc. The dispute is raising political tensions in Northern Ireland, where some people identify as British and some as Irish.

British media are reporting that Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked French President Emmanuel Macron when they met at the summit in Carbis Bay, England, how he would feel if sausages from Toulouse could not be moved to Paris. They said Macron replied the comparison did not work because Paris and Tolouse were part of the same country.

The French presidency did not deny Macron had made the comments. It said he meant that Toulouse and Paris were on a geographical unity of territory, Northern Ireland is on an island. The president wanted to stress that the situation was quite different and that its not appropriate to hold that kind of comparison.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the idea Northern Ireland was not an integral part of the U.K. was not only offensive, it has real world effects on the communities in Northern Ireland, creates great concern, great consternation.

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FALMOUTH, England  Group of Seven leaders are talking about climate change on the final day of their summit in England, with naturalist David Attenborough warning they must take urgent action to avoid human-based environmental catastrophe.

All G-7 countries have pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but many environmentalists say that will be too late. The leaders also plan to announce new green-financing plans to help poorer countries reduce carbon emissions.

Attenborough, who is due to address the leaders on Sunday by video, said global warning and loss of biodiversity are beyond doubt, as is the fact that our societies and nations are unequal.

He said the question science forces us to address specifically in 2021 is whether as a result of these intertwined facts we are on the verge of destabilizing the entire planet?

If that is so, then the decisions we make this decade  in particular the decisions made by the most economically advanced nations  are the most important in human history, Attenborough said in comments released by summit organizers.

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FALMOUTH, England  The head of the World Health Organization has welcomed the vaccine-sharing announcements coming out of the Group of Seven summit but says we need more, and we need them faster.

The challenge, I said to the G-7 leaders, was that to truly end the pandemic, our goal must be to vaccinate at least 70% of the worlds population by the time the G-7 meets again in Germany next year, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Saturday at the summit in southwest England.

To do that, we need 11 billion doses, Tedros said, adding that it was essential for countries to temporarily waive intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the summit's host, has said the group would pledge at least 1 billion doses, with half that number coming from the United States and 100 million from Britain over the next year.

Tedros reiterated his target of vaccinating 30% of the population of every country by the end of 2021. He said that reaching the goal requires 100 million doses in June and July, and 250 million more by September.

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FALMOUTH, England  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, have welcomed leaders from South Korea, Australia and South Africa, as well as the secretary-general of the United Nations, to the Group of Seven summit taking place on the coast of southwestern England.

The leaders elbow-bumped and posed for photos Saturday on a pristine beach in Cornwall.

The G-7 nations are the U.K., the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. The British government said the guest nations were invited to take part in the summit as part of Johnsons Global Britain agenda and that the expanded group can help the G-7 intensify cooperation between the worlds democratic and technologically advanced nations.

India was also invited, but its delegation is not attending in person because of the severe coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The leaders, whose 3-day summit is scheduled to end on Sunday, are expected to commit to a new plan, called the Carbis Bay Declaration, to quash future pandemics within the first 100 days.

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CARBIS BAY, England  French President Emmanuel Macron says its good that U.S. President Joe Biden is able to lead through cooperation, adding that the United States is definitely back as Europe's partner.

Biden and Macron met Saturday as part of the Group of Seven summit in southwest England, where they and other leaders of the world's wealthy democracies are discussing the coronavirus pandemic, the environment, national security, relations with China and economic issues.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump took an adversarial approach with NATO allies, but Macron said Biden has shown that leadership is partnership.

The desire for cooperation cuts both ways. Biden described the European Union as incredibly strong and vibrant, which he said not only helps with tackling economic challenges but also provides a backbone for NATO.

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BERLIN  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Joe Biden have met on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in England.

A spokesman for the German chancellor tweeted two pictures of the leaders sitting at a table in Carbis Bay on Saturday.

At noontime on the second day of the G7 summit the chancellor talked to U.S. President Biden in between the work meetings," read the caption accompanying the photos.

Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert didnt give any details about what the two discussed.

Merkel, who is leaving office later this year, plans to visit Biden in Washington next month. The president invited her to the White House earlier this week.

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FALMOUTH, England  Hundreds of environmental protesters took to the Cornish seaside Saturday morning in a bid to draw the attention of world leaders and the international media outlets that have descended on southwest England for the G-7 summit.

Some protesters paddled out to sea, while others sunbathed on the beach wearing masks of leaders' faces.

A crowd of surfers, kayakers and swimmers gathered Saturday on a beach in Falmouth for a mass paddle out protest organized by the group Surfers Against Sewage, which is campaigning for more action to protect oceans.

U.S. President Joe Biden and fellow leaders from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are meeting near the town of St. Ives for talks focusing on the pandemic and climate change.

Earlier, activists from Oxfam assembled on Falmouth beach to protest climate change and put on masks depicting the leaders attending the G-7 summit.

Max Lawson, Oxfams head of policy, said activists want the G-7 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the United States - to commit to bigger reductions in carbon emissions and to financing to help poor countries adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its COVID-19 shot was highly effective against the disease and also protected against variants in a large study in the U.S. and Mexico, potentially offering the world yet another weapon against the virus at a time when developing countries are desperate for doses.

The two-shot vaccine was about 90% effective overall, and preliminary data showed it was safe, the American company said. That would put the vaccine about on par with Pfizer's and Moderna's.

While demand for COVID-19 shots in the U.S. has dropped off dramatically and the country has more than enough doses to go around, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting supplies in poor parts of the world.

That help is still months away, however. The company, which has been plagued by raw-material shortages that have hampered production, said it plans to seek authorization for the shots in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and will be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

Many of our first doses will go to  low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with, Novavax CEO Stanley Erck said.

While more than half of the U.S. population has had at least one vaccine dose, less than 1% of people in the developing world have had one shot, according to a data collection effort run in part by the University of Oxford.

The Novavax shot stands to become the fifth Western-developed COVID-19 vaccine to win clearance. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are already authorized for use in the U.S. and Europe. Europe also uses AstraZeneca's formula.

Novavax's study involved nearly 30,000 people ages 18 and up. Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart, and the rest got dummy shots. Nearly half the volunteers were Black, Hispanic, Asian American or Native American, and 6% of participants were in Mexico. Altogether, 37% had health problems that made them high risk, and 13% were 65 or older.

There were 77 cases of COVID-19  14 in the group that got the vaccine, the rest in volunteers who received the dummy shots. None in the vaccine group had moderate or severe disease, compared with 14 in the placebo group. One person in that group died.

The vaccine was similarly effective against several variants, including the one first detected in Britain that is now dominant in the U.S., and in high-risk populations, including the elderly, people with other health problems and front-line workers in hospitals and meatpacking plants.

These consistent results provide much confidence in the use of this vaccine for the global population, said Dr. Paul Heath, director of the Vaccine Institute at the University of London and St. Georges Hospital.

Side effects were mostly mild  tenderness and pain at the injection site. There were no reports of unusual blood clots or heart problems, Erck said.

A study underway in Britain is testing which of several vaccines, including Novavaxs, works best as a booster shot for people who received the Pfizer or AstraZeneca formula. Industry analyst Kelechi Chikere said the Novavax shot could become a universal booster because of its high effectiveness and mild side effects.

Novavax reported the results in a news release and plans to publish them in a medical journal, where they will be vetted by independent experts. The Gaithersburg, Maryland-based company previously released findings from smaller studies in Britain and South Africa.

COVID-19 vaccines train the body to recognize the coronavirus, especially the spike protein that coats it, and get ready to fight the virus off. The Novavax vaccine is made with lab-grown copies of that protein. That's different from some of the other vaccines now widely used, which include genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

The Novavax vaccine can be stored in standard refrigerators, making it easier to distribute.

As for the shortages that delayed manufacturing, Erck said those were due to restrictions on shipments from other countries.

"That's opening up," he said, adding that Novavax now has weeks' worth of needed materials in its factories, up from just one week.

The company has committed to supplying 110 million doses to the U.S. over the next year and a total of 1.1 billion doses to developing countries.

In May, vaccines alliance Gavi, a leader of the U.N.-backed COVAX project to supply shots to poorer countries, announced it signed an agreement to buy 350 million doses of Novavaxs formula. COVAX is facing a critical shortage of vaccines after its biggest supplier in India suspended exports until the end of the year.

Novavax has been working on developing vaccines for more than three decades but hasn't brought one to market. Its coronavirus vaccine work is partly funded by the U.S. government.

Dr. Peter English, a vaccine expert previously with the British Medical Association, called the Novavax results excellent news. English said that because vaccine production is complicated, its crucial to have as many shots as possible.

Any minor imperfection in the production plant can shut down the production for days or weeks, he said in a statement. The more different manufacturers we have producing vaccine, the more likely it is we will have availability of vaccines.

He said it was also encouraging news that Novavax would be able to adapt its vaccine to any potentially worrying variants in the future if necessary.

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Follow Linda A. Johnson on Twitter: LindaJ_onPharma

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AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE has been delayed, Korean sources reported earlier today. The news agency ETNews has failed to confirm its report and has since deleted the article. Samsung then stepped in to clear the air on the matter, although it didn't really give a lot of specifics.

The manufacturer said that nothing has been determined regarding the alleged production suspension, hinting that there might be an issue, but the delay is not certain yet.

The Galaxy S21 Fan Edition was supposed to arrive as a follow-up of the Galaxy S20 FE that was a massive success due to its lower pricing while keeping key flagship features. The current edition has appeared on Geekbench with Snapdragon 888 and 8GB RAM.

It also appeared in CAD renders, revealing the design will stick to the general Galaxy S21 looks with three cameras, lined up vertically, but on a slightly altered island.

Source




Haiti - Social : Mrs. Odette Roy Fombrun celebrates her 104 years





Author of numerous educational books, a collection on citizenship and several novels, the former Haitian teacher and well-known and respected feminist activist Odette Roy Fombrun, who was crowned "Living National Treasure" in 2009 celebrated Sunday 13 June 2021 his 104th birthday.



Mother of 5 children, grandmother and great-grandmother of more than 30 grandchildren Odette Roy Fombrun has been particularly noted in recent years for her interventions and public positions in the political life of Haiti.



Read some speeches and positions taken by Odette Roy Fombrun :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29432-haiti-flash-odette-roy-fombrun-102-years-old-takes-position-in-the-file-state-against-sogener.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29423-haiti-flash-sogener-state-lawyers-demand-the-disqualification-of-all-judges-of-the-tpi-of-port-au-prince.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29324-haiti-flash-message-of-odette-fombrun-102-years-to-the-gravediggers-of-the-motherland.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-29381-haiti-flash-the-prosecutor-s-office-issues-warrants-to-bring-in-the-case-state-against-sogener.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26974-haiti-politic-at-101-odette-roy-fombrun-accuses-the-core-group.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-22298-haiti-politics-message-of-wisdom-from-odette-fombrun-to-jovenel-moise.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20958-haiti-politics-odette-roy-fombrun-proposes-a-revolution-to-the-pm.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20609-haiti-politics-constructive-proposals-by-odette-roy-fombrun.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20356-haiti-social-odette-roy-fombrun-appeals-against-immorality.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19363-haiti-politics-odette-fombrun-launches-an-appeal-to-presidential-candidates.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19434-haiti-politics-odette-r-fombrun-s-2nd-message-to-the-presidential-candidates.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - DR : The construction of the Haitian canal on the Massacre river, on the way to becoming an international affair





Former Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, President of the opposition Party "People's Force" during an interview on RNN, channel 27, speaking on the latent conflict between the two countries of the island around the ongoing construction of an irrigation canal in Haiti, which will capture water from the Massacre River when completed, said Saturday, June 12 that the Dominican Republic "cannot maintain a dialogue with those who are not willing to comply with the cessation of construction of this canal."



Note that the temporary stop of the construction of this canal is "a precondition of the Dominican President Luis Abinader to the resumption of any bilateral dialogue https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33945-haiti-flash-canal-on-the-massacre-river-in-haiti-dominican-president-abinader-raises-the-tone.html



For the President Fernandez the construction of this canal is a violation of the Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Arbitration signed on February 20, 1929, he affirms that a clause stipulates that when there is a transboundary river, "none of the two States cannot carry out an action or activity that does not have the support or consent of the other party."



He recalled that the Dominican State has repeatedly asked Haiti to stop the construction of this canal, however, so far, the Haitian Government has not formalized the stopping of this work which continues,



He says that if Haiti continues to refuse to officially announce the suspension of construction work on this canal, the Dominican Republic should submit the dispute to the United Nations.



Furthermore, he believes that it is the responsibility of the Organization of American States to intervene and help resolve the dispute which is brewing a latent conflict, asserting that an international issue of this nature could not be resolved unilaterally because that would be declaring a war, and that is not what we do."



Recall that faced with the indifference of the Haitian authorities to Dominican demands, President Abinader warned "If they do not stop it in the coming days, they will have an official response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dominican Government." https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33945-haiti-flash-canal-on-the-massacre-river-in-haiti-dominican-president-abinader-raises-the-tone.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33953-haiti-flash-dominican-geologist-osiris-de-leon-denies-haiti-s-assertions.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33945-haiti-flash-canal-on-the-massacre-river-in-haiti-dominican-president-abinader-raises-the-tone.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33854-haiti-flash-president-abinader-announces-the-construction-of-a-dam-on-the-artibonite-river-in-dominican-soil.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33823-haiti-agriculture-diversion-of-the-massacre-river-in-search-of-a-solution-with-the-dr.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33596-haiti-flash-conflict-with-the-dr-over-a-canal-diverting-the-massacre-river-to-haiti.html



SL/ HaitLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Pierre Esperance death threatened

Pierre Esperance, the Executive Director of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), again threatened with death. Jimmy Cherizier aka "Barbecue", leader of the "G9" gang coalition, said in a statement circulating on social networks that he would attack Pierre Esperance very soon.



5 police officers killed each month

From January to June 2021, at least 32 police officers were assassinated in Haiti, denounces an investigation by the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH).



The PNH takes back control of the St-Joseph sub-police station

On Sunday June 13, the Haitian National Police regained control of the St-Joseph sub-station. Several thugs, members of the "krache dife" gang who occupied the sub-station, were fatally injured in exchanges of fire with the police officers. law enforcement.



Pulitzer Prize for History for a Haitian

The Embassy of Haiti in Washington D.C. wishes to congratulate Dr. Marcia Chatelain on receiving the Pulitzer Prize for History for the publication of her book "Franchise : The Golden Arches in Black America". This important achievement brings out once again the under-exploited wealth of the Haitian diaspora. The author, who is not his first publication, is also Professor of History and African American Studies at the prestigious Georgetown University.



French Guiana : two compatriots are the pride of Haiti

The Consulate General of Haiti in French Guyana sends its warmest congratulations to two young Haitians, Nitza Cavalier and James-Son Derisier, who have each won a prize in the prestigious International Francophone Writing Competition". Nitza Cavalier was declared co-winner of the Competition and James-Son Derisier won the "Young Guyanese Historian" Prize. These two young compatriots made the pride of our dear country in a foreign land.



Prolonged preventive detention

The Steering Committee responsible for monitoring the effective implementation of the Strategic Plan to Combat "Prolonged" Preventive Detention will be installed at the Ministry on Wednesday June 16.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Editor: I see Kami, our vice-president, is finally going to go to the border after
Pearl Jam bass player Jeff Ament and members of Montana Pool Service came together Saturday with Havre Parks and Recreation Department personnel and local youth for a graffiti cleanup effort at the Havre skatepark.

Ament, who grew up in Big Sandy and now lives in Missoula, has been an avid skateboarder since his teenage years. He works with Evergreen Skateparks' Montana Pool Service, which develops skateparks for communities across Montana.

Jeff Ament's Army, another facet of skatepark development, describes itself on social media as "a fan-based, grassroots organization (and division of the Montana Skatepark Association) dedicated to supporting Jeff Ament's charitable and artistic activities."

And Ament stays active with the parks.

"I'm always looking for an excuse to come back to where I grew up," Ament told Havre Daily New Saturday. "I was here about a month ago and I ran into a bunch of kids that were skating here. I said, 'If I come back in a month, will you guys show up and help me clean the bowl out?'

"It's good community building," he added. "Part of what we're trying to do when we build these skate parks is we're trying to develop a skate community that takes ownership of the park. I think if they have ownership in the park, then they're going to take care of it and they're going to want to make it last."

The Havre Skatepark was originally created back in 2005, driven by an association trying to set an area where skateboarders wouldn't have to worry about being charged with trespassing or have other issues.

"I'm a community person. So I think this is absolutely amazing that somebody like this wants to come back to Havre and contribute," Parks and Recreation Director Chris Inman said.

"He has been not only a wonderful friend to me over the years, but a wonderful person for the whole state of Montana and building skateparks, and taking such pride in that, and this is what we need to do, not only in Havre but other places. People don't need to be doing this (vandalism.) It's sad, but good for him to come home and want to come do this for our community," she said.

Ament and his foundation helped the Havre park expand substantially, starting in 2015. In 2019 Ament funded more work on the park, placing new obstacles on the concrete slab including a mound in the center of the park.

Ament has helped create or upgrade multiple skateparks, in addition to adding to the Havre park, including in Big Sandy, Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation and Hays on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.

He said more work might be needed to clean up the Havre skatepark.

"We'll work on it a few hours today. If we can't get a couple spots lifted up, we might put a little bit of paint over those spots," Ament said. "I'll probably leave a bunch of the product with Chris Inman, the head of the parks department. So if they want to have another session on their own, they sort of have all the tools and the right stuff to put on it."

Ament's organization also is developing a new skatepark in Superior. He said his organization has helped develop 20 to 25 parks in Montana and South Dakota, with a focus on isolated areas, and Havre fit the bill perfectly

"I was born here, so I have history here. The original park, which was this slab and a little bit of that bank over there, I knew that that existed here. I knew that there were skaters here. That's when you know that there's a need for a skatepark or additions to the skate park," Ament said.

Pearl Jam also recently released a beer in collaboration with Missoula's KettleHouse Brewing Company, MPS Pool Ale, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting skatepark development.

Additionally, Pearl Jam announced on its website they will be streaming their Aug. 13, 2018, 29-song Missoula show performed at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Pearl Jam's The Ten Club will be hosting "Stream In The Park," an in-person streaming event at Missoula's riverfront stadium, Ogren Park at Allegiance Field, Friday, June 18, at 8 p.m.

The pay-per-view event will be online from Friday through Monday, June 21, at 9:59 p.m. exclusively on nugs.net.

Ament said money from the streaming event will go to the Poverello Center and the YWCA, which helps the homeless community in Missoula. He said Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will be available as the band wants to do whatever it can to help people get back to a safe point where they can congregate.

The show will feature "never before seen footage, rare songs and memorable covers and was captured with multiple high definition cameras by videographer Blue Leach with additional editing by Pearl Jam archivist Kevin Shuss, making it specially edited for the best digital screening experience. Portions of the stream will be in glorious black and white," an announcement on the Pearl Jam website says.

"Feels like it's sort of a reintroduction to concerts, you know, like people aren't quite doing full-on concerts yet. So I felt like it was a good way for us to sort of like dip our feet back into getting people together," Ament said.

Exclusive Pearl Jam Missoula streaming merchandise will be available inside the stadium when doors open at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time for the general public while supplies last.

"We're doing some cool things, making the beer with KettleHouse. I think all the proceeds to that will go towards the Superior skatepark this fall," Ament said.

Aside from his music with Pearl Jam, Ament completed work on his solo album, "I Should Be Outside." He said the album, his fourth solo project, is the result of being at home by himself a lot during the pandemic.

It is now being produced.

Pearl Jam was forced to cancel a planned tour in 2020 due to the pandemic but Ament said the band will soon be back to playing shows.

Pearl Jam is booked at the Ohana Festival in Laguna Beach, California, and then we have a show at "Sea.Hear.Now Festival" on the New Jersey Shore.

"That felt like the right time and the right environment for us to sort of, you know, get back into playing shows. It's outdoors so it's a lot safer, just get a couple shows and see how everything goes, make sure everything happens smoothly," Ament said.
Jeremy C. "JC" Ervin, 46, passed away at his residence on Tuesday, June 8, 2021.

Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of JC's life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in the Holland & Bonine Funeral Chapel with Pastor Sean Janssen officiating.

JC's family has suggested memorial donations be made in his memory to 406 Pride, 310 N. 27th Street, Billings, MT 59101.

Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and arrangements.

Please visit JC's online memorial page and leave a message of condolence for his family at http://www.hollandbonine.com .

JC was born on January 11, 1975, in Havre to Richard and Ruth (Tronet) Ervin. He was raised in Havre, graduating from Havre High School in 1994, and went on to attend Montana State University-Northern, obtaining his master's degree in computer programming. He worked for a while in Havre for the Havre Public Schools, then moved to Helena to work for the Department of Justice. JC then moved to Seattle, where he lived for many years before returning to Havre in 2020, where he worked from home for the past year.

JC enjoyed anything related to computers, gaming, hiking, just being outdoors in the fresh air, time with his family and friends, and stargazing. He was a wonderful cook, and enjoyed sharing the fruits of that particular labor with his family and friends who were very appreciative.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Ruth Ervin; grandparents, Benct and Ulla Tronet, Ray "Bud" Ervin, and Cora Solheim.

JC is survived by his father, Richard Ervin of Havre; sister, Stacey (Randy) Keller of Havre; nephews, Kyle, Kameron, and Kody Pribyl, and Lex (Megan) and Keavan Keller; niece, KortLynn Keller, and many, many wonderful friends.
George Clooney is such a fun dad to his twins.

The Midnight Sky star has four-year-old twins Ella and Alexander with his wife Amal Clooney, and has been spending more time than ever at home with his brood amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

And sources have now said the 60-year-old actor was very positive about his increased time at home over the past year, and has been a fun dad to his brood.

The insider said: "George and Amal took every day as it came. They have always prioritised family time, so they were very positive about all the extra time with the kids. They are the most amazing parents.

"George is such a fun dad. The kids adore him."

George and Amal recently flew out to their vacation home in Lake Cuomo, Italy, to celebrate their twins birthday, and are thrilled to be back after the health crisis stopped them from visiting last year.

The source added to People magazine: "They didn't spend time in Lake Como last year. It's the first time in two years that they are back in Italy. They seem thrilled to be back. Friends that they didn't see during the pandemic are very excited that they are back.

Meanwhile, the Gravity star  who wed the human rights lawyer in 2014  recently said he didnt realise there was something missing in his life until he met his spouse.

He said: There are some people, their goal was: I have to have children. Mine wasnt. I wasnt looking at life, going: My life will be unfulfilled without children. I felt like I had a pretty full life. Then I met Amal and realized that my life had been pretty empty. And then when you throw these two kids in there, then suddenly you realize how incredibly empty it was.

George admitted fatherhood has also made his life less empty, and explained having children has given him everything that Hollywood could not.

He added: [I have] a sense of belonging and a sense of home and unconditional love  all the things that you were hoping you could get from a really good career and a dog. You realise that this is a lot more than that.

And the Oceans Eleven actor has since been teaching his young children to play pranks on their unsuspecting mother.

He said: My whole job really is to teach them terrible things. And I really do enjoy teaching my children to do things that shock their mother. And its fun because, you know, Amal, shell be talking to a judge on a trial in the Sudan or a trial in Myanmar  shes having very serious conversations and then my sonll come in with a nappy on his head. This is a stroke of genius, you know.
GOOD JOB!/NEEDS WORK: Morehead winner, water wars, hazard pay

Good job!

Architects, the general contractor Vannoy, the countys construction manager and its business and community development director announced in April that the new Hendersonville High School will be ready for students in August 2022, a full year ahead of schedule and up to $500,000 under budget. The $60 million new construction/renovation project has produced one of the finest public school buildings anywhere in Western North Carolina. In the new school year, students will move in to the new facility while the original Stillwell classroom building and auditorium are renovated. These people have done amazing work together, County Manager Steve Wyatt said. To be clear, were talking about delivering this school a school year ahead of schedule at a half a million dollar savings to the taxpayer.

Needs work  In stark contrast to the cooperative spirit that produced the HHS construction project, the Health Sciences Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center at Pardee and the Ecusta Trail agreement, county commissioners continue to resist a common sense, fair solution to fund SROs in county public schools in the Hendersonville city limits. Commissioners this week rejected a compromise negotiated by Commission Chair Bill Lapsley to appropriate $205,000 to cover half the annual cost of the school resource officers. As four commissioners who rejected the idea made clear on Monday night, its all about the ongoing water wars. Commissioners sounded as if they wont cooperate with the city on any subject unless the city immediately cedes control of its water and sewer system to the county, equalizes rates and drops its policy requiring annexation in exchange for sewer service. Theres a need for discussion, yes, on the very big topic of utility service, especially considering that the county has just launched a comprehensive land-use rewrite. Holding smaller, achievable, unrelated goals hostage is a poor signal to send on their willingness to cooperate.

Good job! Speaking of HHS  A high schools quality is based not on its physical attributes  impressive as they will soon be  but on its classroom rigor and faculty dedication and its graduates success in life. By that measure, HHS claimed another A-plus with the news that class of 21 graduate Jake Patterson is heading to Chapel Hill on a prestigious Morehead-Cain scholarship. Im a little biased but I think its one of the best high schools in the nation, Jake told the Lightning. Its just a great high school because theres something for everyone and there are people for everyone.

Needs work  The Henderson County Elections Board has made a convincing case in its appeal of the county commissioners decision to block $16,000 in Covid-related hazard pay for elections office employees. The federal CARES Act money came through the state Elections Board to all 100 counties by the authority of the General Assembly. The state Elections Boards associate general counsel made clear to Henderson County commissioners that county elections boards authority to grant the bonuses is clear, especially given that no county money is being appropriated and the use of the funds in no way impacts the county governments budget. Fortunately, the commissioners' bad call before they had all the information is easily fixable. They should simply reverse their denial of the bonus checks and turn them loose.
NC Supreme Court upholds free expression in zoning hearing

RALEIGH  The N.C. Supreme Court has thrown out a lawsuit against owners of an Orange County quarry. Chief Justice Paul Newbys opinion in the case focuses attention on the fundamental importance of the right to petition government.

The quarry owners had been sued because of comments their representatives made during a public local zoning hearing.

Expressing ones views to government officials is foundational to our political system, Newby wrote for the unanimous court. This fundamental right to petition the government is protected by both the United States and North Carolina Constitutions.

Lawsuits that seek to impose liability based on petitioning activity inevitably chill the exercise of this fundamental right, Newby added. Here defendants exercised their constitutional right to petition the government when speaking at the public zoning hearings, a political process. We hold that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 12 of the North Carolina Constitution explicitly protect petitioning activity, including defendants speech in this case.

Back in 2013, a land investment company was working on a deal to sell 45 acres in Hillsborough to a developer. Plans for 118 townhomes would require rezoning from the town.

Five-and-a-half acres of the property sat next to an active open-quarry mine. During a public hearing on the proposed rezoning, representatives of the quarry owners argued that their future neighbors could be endangered by fly rock, excessive air blasts, and excessive ground vibrations from the blasting operations, according to the court record.

Supporters of the rezoning objected, saying the quarry representatives had maliciously, intentionally, and without justification misrepresented the facts. When questioned, the quarry owners admitted that they had not reported any violations of their mining permit. They admitted that they could avoid future violations by taking additional safety precautions.

Town officials ignored the quarry owners objections. Hillsborough granted necessary permits for the new development.

Nonetheless, the developer excluded property near the quarry from the deal. The land investment company sued the quarry owners, claiming their public hearing comments interfered with the Plaintiffs prospective economic advantage.

A trial judge sided with the quarry owners, but the N.C. Court of Appeals reversed that ruling. Appellate judges would have allowed the lawsuit to proceed.

Now the case is over. The right to petition the government, protected by both the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 12 of the North Carolina Constitution, prevents a person from being subjected to a lawsuit based on that persons petitioning activity, Newby wrote for the Supreme Court. Here plaintiffs suit is based on defendants presentation at the rezoning hearings, which is protected petitioning activity. We hold that defendants petitioning is protected by the First Amendment and Article I, Section 12.

The right to petition government has a long history. The Magna Carta of 1215, the fundamental source of Anglo-American liberties, states that if the kings officials were at fault toward anyone, then the barons could lay the transgression before [the king], [and] petition to have the transgression redressed without delay,' Newby wrote.

North Carolinas constitution has protected the right to petition since 1776, predating the federal Bill of Rights.

The right to petition protects petitioning activity regardless of intent or purpose because whether a private partys political motives are selfish is irrelevant,' Newby wrote. In a political process meant to address public concerns, a commitment to free and open debate means other parties are free to counter selfish or misleading speech with speech of their own.

The chief justice highlights the potential negative impact of lawsuits challenging such a fundamental right. Protecting the right to petition requires early dismissal of lawsuits that impermissibly seek to infringe on the right and thus chill petitioning activity occurring in these political contexts, Newby wrote.
POLICE are trying to trace a man in connection with a violent robbery in Caversham.

Marcin Morkso, 27, is wanted by Thames Valley Police following the incident in Woods Road at about 3.30pm on April 9.

A 35-year-old man was assaulted and sustained bruising to his face.

A 24-year-old man from Salford has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary and bailed until July 8.

Morkso is described as 6ft 4in, of medium build with a brown beard and a shaved head and glasses.

He may be in the Reading area but has links to Bradford in West Yorkshire.

Dc Susan Proctor, of Reading police, said: If you see him, please do not approach him, but call the police instead.

Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting the reference number 43210149356.
TWO of the UKs leading Celtic fusion musicians are joining forces for an online gig in association with Nettlebed Folk Club.

Ross Ainslie and Tim Edey will be in concert from 8pm on Monday (June 14).

They will play two sets separated by a short interval before joining fans for a post-gig Zoom call.

Folk club organiser Mike Sanderson said: These award-winning musical geniuses are old friends and two of the best musicians of their generation.

They come together for a rare virtual performance of tunes and songs at Tpot Studios in Rosss native Perthshire, now Tims adopted home.

These are uncertain times and hopefully this wee gig will lift your spirits and give you some much-needed optimism.

Hailed as an instrumental genius, Edey was named musician of the year at the 2012 Radio 2 Folk Awards, also winning best duo with harmonica player Brendan Power.

A multi-instrumentalist, he has toured with Irish folk veterans The Chieftains in recent years as their guitarist and accordionist of choice.

Having also forged a long-standing solo career, he is rated by many as one of the best guitarists and melodeon players on the Celtic folk scene.

Ross Ainslie has been nominated three times for musician of the year at the Radio 2 awards, having won best duo with pipes and whistles player Ali Hutton.

He has also been named composer of the year at the Scots Trad Music Awards.

Ross has released four solo albums to date and performs with bands including Treacherous Orchestra and Salsa Celtica.

Tickets for Mondays concert start at 10.

For more information and to book, visit www.

myplayer.uk/rossandtim
A PERMANENT memorial could be erected at the site where a Leander Club rower and RAF pilot died in a crash during the Second World War.

Flt Lt Richard Holdsworth, who stroked a Leander crew at Henley Royal Regatta in 1933, was killed on April 30, 1942, when his Bristol Beaufort twin-engine bomber crashed in Northern Ireland.

The 31-year-olds story remained untold until 2017 when amateur historian Mike Willoughby pieced together an outline of his life from extensive research.

An overview was published in the Henley Standard that year but the exact location of the disaster wasnt known at the time.

Now Mr Willoughby, who lives in Woodcote with his wife Lesley, has found out more after tracing relatives of Flt Lt Holdsworth and two other crewmen who died.

Their plane was on a training exercise, practising dropping casualties from the aircraft on a static parachute line. The line became entangled in the planes tail, sending it spinning to the ground.

It came down just outside the village of Ballykelly, about 12 miles east of Londonderry, killing Flt Lt Holdsworth, observer Flt Sgt Frederick Chadwick and Flt Lt Archibald Livingstone, who was also a pilot.

Flt Lt Livingstones nephew David Livingstone, a former Royal Navy pilot who took part in the Falklands War, has spent the past nine years tracing the stricken crafts final movements using official reports and anecdotes from witnesses.

Because the crew were on a secret mission, the RAF removed most of the wreckage immediately but last month a team of aviation archaeologists managed to dig up some fragments.

The group, which also included students from a local sixth-form college, were working with the Ministry of Defences permission and were filmed for the BBCs archaeology series Digging For Britain.

They are now raising funds to put up a memorial and hope to stage a commemoration event later in the year. The excavated fragments will be sent to a museum.

Mr Willoughby, who founded the Lest We Forget project to honour all fallen servicemen and women with a connection to the Henley area, said: Unfortunately the actual facts of the mission, which has always been thought to have been a little bit implausible and misguided, will never be known as certain official files appear to have been lost.

My grateful thanks to the family members of the crew for supplying me with their details and for permission to use them in my research.

Its always pleasing when more information comes to light on those who lost their lives in the wars  thats the joy of this project.

Flt Lt Holdsworth is one of hundreds of rowers connected to Henley who became casualties of war.

He was born in Kent in 1911 and educated at Shrewsbury School then went to Brasenose College, Oxford. He rowed in the Brasenose eight from 1931 until 1933, becoming stroke and captain of the college boat club in the final year.

He represented Oxford at the Boat Race in 1931, 1933 and 1934, each time losing to Cambridge.

He joined the university air squadron and in 1939 was appointed dean of the college.

In September 1940, he married Mary Zvegintzov at St Peters in the East Church in Oxford.

His best man was John Cherry, a fellow rower and Leander athlete who also died in the war.

Flt Lt Holdsworth trained as a pilot in north-east Scotland with Richard Hillary, another Leander member, and was then posted to 502 Squadron Coastal Command at RAF Aldergrove in County Antrim.

Mr Hillary went to Fighter Command and later died in the war.

After the crash, Flt Lt Holdsworths body was returned to England for a funeral service at University College Chapel, Oxford, on May 4, 1942.

He was buried at Wolvercote cemetery in Oxford and is remembered on the Lincolns Inn Fields memorial in London, the Brasenose College and University College memorials in Oxford and the Leander Club memorial in Henley.

Flt Lt Livingstone and Obs Flt Sgt Stanley Chadwick were buried in Tamlaghtfinlagan churchyard which is by the crash site.

To make a donation to the new memorial, visit www.justgiving.com/

crowdfunding/bristolbeaufortaw271
The War of the Worlds | Oxford Playhouse | Tuesday, June 8

HG Wellss The War of the Worlds, the tale of a Martian invasion of Earth, was a late Victorian classic of science fiction. Like all good stories, its capable of updating and reinvention.

Every recreation seems to reflect its era. In 1938, in the shadow of a looming world war, Orson Welles produced a breaking news-style version for radio that panicked US listeners into believing the country was actually being overrun by tentacled aliens.

In the Seventies there was a stadium rock version, while Steven Spielbergs 2005 film vision gave more than a nod to the terror attacks of 9/11.

And now the Rhum and Clay Theatre Company are touring a production which gives a highly contemporary spin to an old subject. Devised by the company and written with Isley Lynn, this War of Worlds links the Orson Welles broadcast with modern anxiety over media manipulation, fake news and online trolling.

The first part recreates the 1938 broadcast and shows the fear it induced in some listeners. Apparently, people switched on late because theyd been listening to a popular ventriloquism show and so believed they were hearing a record of actual, terrifying events.

In the present day, Meena, an aspiring British podcaster, spots an intriguing story after befriending an old American expat who, as a 13-year-old girl, was left behind by her family fleeing in terror of the Martians.

Meena visits the New Jersey town of Grovers Mill, a place full of tourist tributes to an invasion that never happened, and inveigles herself into the confidence of her dead friends family descendants, under false pretences.

She wins the trust of the geeky son who spends his time peddling fake stories online because thats where the money is and because the truth doesnt matter. Inevitably, Trump and Brexit surface.

Meena has her podcast story, one of family betrayal, and a larger betrayal of the truth. But the play shows that the absolute truth isnt that simple to establish. And it also asks whether, however much we might laugh at American credulity, we would really be immune to the kind of hoax that Welles perpetrated. Or more modern examples of fakery.

All the parts are played by an energetic, versatile cast of four, including Julian Spooner who also directs, with Hamish Macdougall.

Sound and light evoke anything from a Thirties radio studio to the sweep of Martian death rays. Altogether this War of the Worlds is an adventurous, engaging and sometimes comic addition to the many versions of the classic story.

And, if youre considering a return to the theatre, then do visit the Oxford Playhouse. The staff make sure you feel welcome and secure, and whats on stage will entertain and make you think.

Philip Gooden
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The parliament of Israel debated the formation of a new government that would conclude the 12-year-rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The new government has a very thin majority of one seat.

Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister of Israel. He has held the job continuously since 2009. The tenure of "King Bibi" -- a moniker earned by his prolonged stay in office and authoritarian inclinations -- has come to an end.

"Government of Change"

Right-wing nationalist Naftali Bennett has been inducted as PM, leading a "government of change." He will spearhead an unprecedented coalition of parties approved by a majority of 60-59. One minister abstained. Briefly following the tally of the votes, the now-former PM Netanyahu approached his opponent and the two shook hands, reported NPR.

The diverse coalition has vowed to break the country's political gridlock. Bennett, who formerly worked for Netanyahu, became Israel's new prime minister for two years in a coalition agreement that involves eight separate parties and is spearheaded by centrist Yair Lapid and Bennett, reported USA Today.

The opposition leader, Lapid, a centrist former TV news anchor, won a confidence vote in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, by an advantage of 60-59 seats on Sunday night. He will not initially become prime minister.

The new government will be made up of a broad group of Netanyahu opponents that involves the United Arab List. It is known in Israel as Ra'am, which made a mark in history as the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition.

Read Also: Israel's Netanyahu Could Lose Prime Minister Job as Yamina Party Leader Joins Forces With Opposition

Bennett, the son of American immigrants, is a former settler leader whose nationalist politics deviates from those of several of the dovish left-wing parties included in his cumbersome coalition.

Netanyahu has struggled in the past few years with controversy. He is now on trial for corruption, including fraud and bribery. He has also not been able to secure a majority in parliament and establish a successful government, despite Israel holding four elections in the past two years.

Bennett is the head of an ultranationalist party that dominates six seats in the 120-seat Knesset. He will lead an unlikely alliance of centrist, left-wing, and right-wing parties. He will also lead a party that represents Palestinian citizens of Israel, which covers 21 percent of Israel's population.

In the course of the previous 12 years, Netanyahu has dominated Israeli politics. He has not only successfully implemented a throng of right-wing policies, including entrenching Israel's presence in the West Bank. He also integrated a dangerous amount of power into his own hands.

Bennett will be PM until September 2023 as part of a power-sharing negotiation. He will then hand the power over to Lapid for a further two years.

Netanyahu took to Twitter and instructed his supporters to hold their heads high and keep the faith. He pledged to return.

He wrote on Twitter, "I ask you: do not let your spirit fall. We'll be back - and faster than you think."

           .   :   .   -     .  Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) June 13, 2021

Related Article: Israel, Hamas Agree to a Ceasefire After Most Serious Escalation of Violence Since 2014 and More Than 200 Killed

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New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, expressed her support on Sunday for the retirement of Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, arguing he should step down from his position when the court's current term ends.

During an interview with CNN, AOC was asked about her stance with the notion led by New York Rep. Mondaire Jones that Breyer should retire. In April, he said Breyer's retirement should be a given from what the country has learned with previous similar incidents. On Sunday, AOC said her fellow representative had a point.

The incident Jones was referring to involved the late Justice Ruth Bade Ginsburg who died in September 2020. Former United States President Barack Obama has been calling out to Ginsburg to retire so a candidate could be nominated to replace her before the 2016 elections where a Republican could have taken power.

Issue With The Court

A year before her death, Ginsburg fired back at critics when she chose to continue her service with the court. During an event in September 2019, the late Ginsburg said there was no one else that could get through the Republican Senate other than her, Business Insider reported.

While AOC said she would be contemplating the issue a bit more, she said she was inclined to agree with the recommendation. The current term of the court is set to end at the end of the month.

Read Also: US, South Korea Reaffirm Commitment Toward Denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

Former President Bill Clinton appointed Breyer to the court in 1994. Currently, he is the oldest-serving person on the court at 82 years old. Former President Donald Trump appointed three justices to the court during his term. The Senate confirmed all of the Republican's nominees.

Trump also nominated Justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017 to the court after Justice Antonin Scalia's seat was left vacant in 2016 due to his death. The Republican also nominated Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 for the seat Justice Anthony Kennedy left open after retiring.

Refusal to Step Down

On the other hand, Breyer has refused to discuss his potential retirement plans. He previously disagreed with the notion of expanding the court's size of nine members during a speech in early 2021, CNN reported.

Due to his age, Breyer's reluctance to pursue a retirement puts Democrats at risk of losing the seat to another Republican if a Republican wins the next election.

Previously, Breyer voted in support of conservatives' perspective regarding giving police broad powers to take DNA samples of criminal suspects. He also joined Chief Justice John Roberts in criticizing the 2012 Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion provision, The Atlantic reported. That decision resulted in the deprivation of health care to millions of Americans considered to be low-income earners. Critics also said Breyer has not been able to fill the shoes that Ginsburg left behind as a liberal icon. He did not have the same criticism of the court's impact on poor people and people of color, similar to what Justice Sonia Sotomayor previously opened up about.

Related Article: Kamala Harris Snaps Again on Border Crisis After Awkward Exchange With NBC's Holt: "I'm Not Finished"

Related Article: Kamala Harris Snaps Again on Border Crisis After Awkward Exchange With NBC's Holt: "I'm Not Finished"

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The US President, Joe Biden, and first lady, Jill Biden, arrived at Windsor Castle via Marine One helicopter for a military Guard of Honor and tea with the 95-year-old Queen. The 78-year-old kept his dark glasses on for parts of the event.

According to Grant Harrold, a former butler to Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the President had the right to wear his shades to the ceremony but should have taken them off when he greeted Queen Elizabeth II. "There are no sunglasses or anything like that if you're meeting the Queen face-to-face because eye contact is essential with any introductions," said Harrold, who runs the etiquette website The Royal Butler, as per Newsweek via MSN.

Joe Biden donned the sunglasses as he initially approached the floor in Windsor Castle's quadrangle to welcome the Queen, while holding hands with the first lady. He wore them while standing, hand on heart, for the national anthem of the United States, but he took them off halfway through the event.

The Bidens joined Queen Elizabeth II inside the castle for tea away from the media once the ceremonies were over. While neither side revealed what was discussed between the prominent personalities, an image provided a view inside the 1,000-year-old castle's decorations.The trio was taken in front of a backdrop of fuchsias, royal artwork, and two grandfather clocks.

After the meeting, the President and the first lady were again in the air and on their way to their next destination, Brussels, Belgium, just an hour and 15 minutes after touching down in Windsor.

Queen Elizabeth II reminds Joe Biden of his mother

Shortly after the two met at Windsor Castle on Sunday, President Biden told reporters that Queen Elizabeth II reminded him of his mother. President Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived at Windsor Castle with the Queen after ending a conference with the Group of Seven (G-7) nations.

The president took part in a Guard of Honor inspection before joining the Queen and first lady to see a military exercise. The three then proceeded to the queen's apartment for tea. He told reporters on the tarmac of London Heathrow airport following his visit that the queen was "very gracious."

"She didn't seem insulted, but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of her appearance and sheer generosity, "Biden said, The Hill reported. Queen Elizabeth II was interested in learning more about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping claims the President.

After attending the NATO meeting in Brussels, Biden will meet with Putin in a bilateral session in Switzerland. Queen Elizabeth also inquired about Biden's impressions of the White House. Biden told reporters that he had extended an invitation to her to the White House.

Read Also: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Daughter's Name, Lilibet: Duke of Sussex Threatens to Sue Reports That He Did Not Consult Queen Elizabeth II

Joe Biden got the best of the British

After being greeted by Coldstream Guards on the runway at Newquay Airport as they arrived in Cornwall for the G7 summit this weekend, the couple spent the weekend in an old castle, the Tregenna Hotel, ate fish and chips with an ale-drinking Prime Minister, and were then invited to tea with the Queen at Windsor yesterday afternoon.

More scarlet tunics and marching, this time from the Grenadier Guards, greeted them there. The Bidens, on the other hand, are not complaining. According to Daily Mail's Robert Hardman, it was a delight for them as Bidens got the best of British.

This was the President's first trip outside of the United States since his election last year. Windsor Castle looked just as beautiful as it had been during Saturday's scaled-down Birthday Parade. As the Bidens arrived at the castle quadrangle yesterday, the Queen appeared to be in similarly brilliant shape.

They had flown Air Force One from Cornwall to Heathrow and then taken their Marine One helicopter to Windsor Home Park. The Queen, on the other hand, had dispatched her best Range Rover, complete with dog rack, for the final stage of the journey.

Related Article: Joe Biden, Boris Johnson to Sign New Atlantic Charter; to Pledge Restart US-UK Air Travel "As Soon as Possible"

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Millions of tax refunds and stimulus check payments were delayed after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) flagged many potential identity theft transactions that affected legitimate applications as well.

Americans looking to utilize their tax refunds will have to first verify their identity, which has been seen as a difficult and complicated process. The agency is rattled with clogged phone lines and unavailable online authentication processes.

One resident, 42-year-old Jeff Lavigne, wanted to use his tax refund money to finance his medical bills. However, he was unable to get his nearly $2,700 since mid-March. He is suffering from chronic back pain, which makes it challenging to work for extended periods.

Delayed Payments

Lavigne is a former restaurant manager who no longer has a full-time job or health insurance to fall back on. The tax refund money would have given him some leeway amid the pandemic and given him the chance to seek professional assistance. He has been planning out the help he would need, saying he was taking things one step at a time, Lavigne said, CNBC reported.

It remains unclear how many residents have had their tax refunds affected by the mass delay, but it has since become a growing concern for a majority of Americans. Last year, 5.2 million tax refunds were flagged by the IRS, which was a 50% increase to the same number from 2019, the Taxpayer Advocate Service said.

The IRS delayed the payments to avoid having fraudulent applications getting through their system and getting money belonging to someone else, but has been criticized by the slowness of its response, reported ABC 7. However, the Taxpayer Advocate Service found out 63% of the flagged transactions were legitimate.

Read Also: Joe Biden, First Lady Meet Queen Elizabeth II; Royal Expert Claims Donning Glasses While Greeting Was Offensive

For affected residents, the agency will be giving the money, with interest, but at a later time, a fear many have that could stretch for months. Nearly 18% of identity-flagged refunds took more than 120 days to reach their recipients, the Taxpayer Advocate Service said. It also said that one of the top 10 most problematic issues that taxpayers faced in 2020 was tax refund delays.

It took nearly a year for Dan Herron's, a certified financial planner and accountant, tax refund in 2019 to come, Eminetra reported.

Identity Theft

The process of getting the tax refund was arduous and challenging, Herron said. He expressed his desire for the IRS to streamline its process to allow residents to get their payments much easier and faster.

Experts believe the delay was made even more prominent because of the coronavirus pandemic. The IRS became short-staffed after temporarily suspending some of its in-person operations, Executive Director and Founder of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, Nina Olson, said.

However, taxpayer advocates said the idea of increasing security to fend off criminals from taking other people's money is an admirable thing to do. Since 2005, identity theft has seen a dramatic increase in the number of cases, with Olson arguing thieves were getting smarter.

In 2019, the IRS was able to protect $3.5 billion in revenue from being stolen, about $2.5 billion of which was due to identity theft filters. The agency also reassured 98% of tax returns were not hampered by the process.

Related Article: IRS Sends Out Another Batch of $1,400 Stimulus Checks, Who Are Getting the Payments?

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The Group of Seven or G7 leaders, after their consultation, will be working on major key points to further their common agenda. All the member countries, like France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, UK, and the US will cover these major developments that are major priorities for the bloc of the richest nations, reported AOL.

Welcome back America

Donald Trump departed early from the meeting in Canada in 2018 and afterward revoked his endorsement for the final communique. Because of reservations about US foreign policy stance, there was really no effort to agree on a communique a year later in France, the very last time the leaders spoke face to face.

Joe Biden went to Cornwall and landed in RAF Mildenhall before G7 leaders arrived. It was his first trip outside of the US. He said, noted by Cornwall Live, "The United States is back, and the world's democracies are banding together to face the toughest challenges and problems that impact our future."

One major objective is dealing with climate change, an issue opposed by both China and Russia. It is expected that Biden will rally the association of seven nations on the issue despite the opposition of the two nations.

Coronavirus

One of the key points of the agenda is to help the world start recovering from the pandemic with a promise of billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines, via direct distribution or donation. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give 100 million surplus vaccines. The G7 Summit the agenda decided on it as a major objective.

Read also: Is a Trade War Looming Between U.S. and India?

But, the World Health Organization reported that 11 billion doses are needed to stop the outbreaks. "All through the summit, we have heard strong sentiments from the leadership except without the fresh investment to make their aspirations a reality," said Edwin Ikhuoria of the anti-poverty movement One, mentioned News Chain

He added," Critically, the failure to deliver life-saving vaccines to everyone on earth as rapidly as feasible implies this was not the significant event that people around the world had hoped for, and that we are still a still far from ending the contagion."

China

China's growing influence on the world is a subject on the agenda. China is bolder than it was a year ago. G7 leaders agreed to establish the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative, with the White House planning to invest in infrastructure, particularly green technologies, to support growth in developing countries. The proposal is recognized as a challenger to Beijing's Belt and Road initiative, which has enabled China to extend its influence on the world stage.

Lastly, the summit communique will promote values, respect human rights, and fundamental freedoms, especially in regards to Xinjiang, and Hong Kong.

Going green

All member countries are ready to support a green revolution that creates more jobs, reduces emissions, and intends to keep temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Leaders outlined their plans to lessen carbon emissions, citing measures such as ending the use of unfettered coal power, but no deadline was set for this. However, the leaders did agree to stop funding overseas projects by the end of this year.

Another goal of conserving or protecting at least 30% of their land and marine resources by 2030, the G7 Summit the agenda decided on it.

Related article: UK Warns G7 Countries: China to Dominate Global Trade

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While everyone is waiting for the first of what will be a new monthly series of stimulus checks beginning July 15 - owing to an extension of the federal child tax credit - there is another stimulus payment available to families that is more valuable than all of that. Many families are presumably unaware of its existence.

It's a considerable tax credit on top of a slew of other provisions in President Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which included funding for a new round of $1,400 stimulus checks as well as an expansion of the federal child tax credit that will give families up to $3,600 for each eligible child. This is the increase of the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and here's all you need to know about it.

Extra stimulus payment may give you $8,000

According to Nerdwallet, the Child and Dependent Care Credit can get you up to 50% of up to $8,000 in child care and similar costs for a child under 13, a spouse or parent who cannot care for themselves, or another dependent so that you can work and up to $16,000 of expenses for two or more dependents for the 2021 tax year only. In other words, if you have two or more qualifying dependents and fulfill the income standards, a working family with two or more eligible dependents might receive up to an $8,000 tax credit - again, for one year only.

Another significant adjustment introduced for 2021 only is that this tax credit may be refundable for people. Let's assume you file your federal tax return for 2021 and you owe $0 in federal taxes, but you calculate that the Child and Dependent Care Credit will provide you a $1,000 credit. When contrasted to a non-refundable tax credit, that money will be paid out to you. A non-refundable tax credit may only be applied to decrease or eliminate your tax obligations in the latter case, thus if you owe no taxes after completing your federal tax return, a non-refundable tax credit will provide you with nothing.

Per BGR, Kiplinger's noted that, despite the name, this tax credit isn't just for child-care expenses. In addition to spending for the care of a child under the age of 13, the credit can be used to care for:

A spouse who was physically or mentally incapable of self-care and lived with you for more than half of the year, or

Someone who was mentally or physically incapable of self-care, who lives with you for more than half of the year, and was either your dependent or could have been your dependent if he or she earned $4,300 or more, filed a joint return, or your spouse, if filing jointly, could have been claimed as a dependent on another person's tax return.

Read Also: Missing Stimulus Check: How to Track Your Payment Through The IRS Tool

How to qualify for an extra $8,000 stimulus payment

You can claim up to $8,000 in care-related expenses if you look after one kid or dependent. Those who look after more than one kid or dependent are eligible for up to $16,000 in benefits.

Costs related to caring for a disabled child or relative, such as transportation, daycare, and babysitters, are often eligible costs. Anyone who qualifies might get up to 50% of their money back in the form of a cash refund.

The expenses may be recovered back in your 2021 tax return, but there's a catch: you'll need to start gathering information right away to avoid missing out on any money when you submit your taxes next year, as per The Sun. The tax credit is only available for the tax year 2021, so if you don't claim it this year, you won't be able to claim it next year.

The legislation raised child tax credits and widened child and dependent care credits when Biden's America Rescue Plan was enacted into law in March. Parents will begin receiving monthly payments totaling $3,600 per child from July 15 this year and next year under the plan.

Those who are qualified may choose to get their reimbursement in one check when they file their taxes next year, rather than monthly payments. Last year, the child and dependent care credits were also dramatically enhanced.

The highest amount a family could claim for several children before the bill's signing was $6,000. That figure has now risen to $8,000 for a single child and $16,000 for two or more.

Before the America Rescue Plan, the child and dependent care credit was nonrefundable, which meant you could decrease your tax bill to zero but not get a return on the remaining amount. However, the credit is now refundable, which means that even individuals who do not owe taxes would get money back. Money experts advise anybody qualified to keep a careful record of all spending up to the end of the year, including receipts for childcare and after-school programs.

Related Article: Child Tax Credit Worth $3,600 Coming: How NOT to Miss the Stimulus Check By Doing This Step





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At least 12 people have been confirmed dead after a massive explosion in a market in central China on Sunday. It also injured 138 people, 37 of whom received treatment for severe wounds.

Authorities said they were still investigating the potential cause of the blast that occurred at around 6:40 a.m. in Shiyan, in the Hubei Province. Many residents shared pictures of the incident on social media.The photographs showed bricks and debris scattered across the street due to the extent of the damage to the buildings in the area. Many rescue workers wearing helmets and orange suits continued to look for trapped residents under the rubble.

Massive Explosion

Residents in the area were buying and selling products while some people were eating breakfast at the market shortly before the blast, reports said. The area where the explosion occurred is a residential area in the Zhangwan District. At least 913 households and merchants were evacuated from the scene of the incident, city officials said.

The rescue was directed by Hubei Governor Wang Zhonglin, who came rushing to the area after the blast occurred, authorities said. Gas pipelines, chemical factories, power plants, and older residential neighborhoods in the Hubei region were inspected for safety risks after Provincial Communist Party Secretary Ying Yong's orders, the New York Times reported.

The deadly incident brought many "profound" lessons to be learned, Chinese President Xi Jinping said afterward. Being aware of potential dangers and being ready for immediate emergencies create a favorable atmosphere, Xi also said in his statement, reported by Bloomberg.

Read Also: Raytheon and Huntington Ingalls Industries Will Install the Spy-6 Radar on the Flight III of Arleigh-Burke- Class Destroyers

Authorities said a gas pipeline is the first believed cause of the massive blast. Social media platforms went viral with video footage of the incident that showed the destruction of the market and nearly all of the windows and doors filled with debris.

The gas pipeline officials suspected of causing the blast ran underneath the building, which housed food stalls on the ground floor and residential flats on the second floor. Authorities called for residents for blood donations to help the victims of the incident, the South China Morning Post reported.

Similar Accidents

The massive explosion came a day after eight people lost their lives and three others were injured when a vehicle at a chemical handling facility leaked toxic methyl formate in the southwestern city of Guiyang.

Officials keep track of frequent deadly accidents to monitor weak adherence to safety standards, poor maintenance, and corruption among local enforcement agencies. Authorities often give out harsh punishments to people found responsible for skipping safety over their own agendas.

In 2015, a massive explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin was considered one of the worst accidents in the history of the country. The incident took the lives of 173 people, most of whom were firefighters and police officers. Authorities said the deadly event resulted from illegal construction and unsafe storage of volatile materials.

President Xi conducted his speech regarding the incident ahead of the July 1 centenary of the Chinese Communist Party's founding. Officials are sending the message that the CCP is the only way to bring China to the leading role globally.

Related Article: Russia Conducts Massive Pacific Drills in Asia, Intercepts US Spy Plane

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The Puerto Rican Day Parade's festivities were held virtually on Sunday. Crowds did not line up in Fifth Avenue for a second consecutive year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade did not take over the avenue again. The situation will be the same until 2022 because of the pandemic. Instead, the event was televised in a two-hour show that commemorated all that is Puerto Rico. It was similar to last year's commemoration in which thousands of citizens tuned into a virtual event while watching the parade and dancing.

"A Good Day to Be Puerto Rican"

The festivities were more humble. However, the energy was palpable for the 64th yearly Puerto Rican Day Parade.

"Everyday is a good day to be Puerto Rican. And the Puerto Rican Day Parade embodies everything that we are: education, beauty, literature are everything good," according to Clara Galvano Rivera, reported NY1.

The event is traditionally the biggest celebration of Puerto Rican culture in the United States. It commenced at noon, reported CBS New York.

The parade was also streamed live online with the cast of "In the Heights" serving as the 2021 grand marshals.

Lin-Manuel Miranda was the creator behind the Tony Award-winning musical. He also produced and starred in the film that premiered on Thursday evening in Washington Heights.

Because it is virtual, according to organizers, they focused on themes they would not be able to during the parade. This includes honoring 500 years of San Juan and the history of Puerto Rican poetry, reported News 12.

Read Also: New York Face Mask Guidelines Relax for Schools and Camps, Masks Will Not Be Required Outdoors

In the previous years, the annual parade has attracted up to one million people. Before its virtual broadcast, Mayor Bill de Blasio joined grand marshals Quiara Alegria Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda in a small march.

National Puerto Rican Day Parade Board Chair Louis Maldonado touted "In the Heights" a milestone that celebrates all Puerto Ricans and their work.

The virtual parade was hosted at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. Museo Del Barrio and the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture on the island was also involved as quintessential institutions within the community.

Hudes was the writer for the screenplay for the film "In the Heights." It was held in Manhattan's predominantly Latin neighborhood, Washington Heights.

According to Miranda, "This isn't a normal parade by any means, but it hasn't been a normal year. Our movie is a big reminder of what it was like to gather together and wave our flag with pride, and this is like a small segment of that."

Meanwhile, de Blasio remarked, that when Puerto Rico is celebrated, New York is the place to do it.

Milteri Tucker has performed in the Puerto Rican Day parade every yearly. She also appeared dancing in "In the Heights."

Related Article: New York's Excelsior Pass Is First COVID-19 Vaccine Passport in the United States, Will It Catch On?

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President Joe Biden on Sunday signaled he is open to swapping cybercriminals with Moscow ahead of his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Geneva.

Biden, who had just attended the G-7 Summit, held a press conference in the United Kingdom where he voiced a potential partnership with Russia. A Fox News segment reported that President Biden said he would be open to holding those who commit a crime against Russia accountable. who are in the United States accountable and that he considered it "potentially a good sign of progress."

Exchanging Cybercriminals

In an interview with Russian news agency TASS, Putin also raised the possibility of extraditing American cybercriminals to the U.S. and vice versa.

"If we agree on the extradition of criminals, then Russia will naturally do that but only if the other side, in this case, the United States, agrees to the same and will also extradite corresponding criminals to the Russian Federation," he was quoted as saying.

Moments after Biden's post-summit press conference, however, the White House walked back on the president's comments.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told press aboard the Air Force One that Biden was not pertaining to cybercriminals when he floated the idea of exchanging hackers and ransomware attackers with Russia.

Sullivan also noted that they have yet to find any cybercriminal who has committed crimes in Russia that the U.S. wants to attain. He later said the comments were "misread" in the press, according to the New York Post.

Read Also: Fourth, Fifth Stimulus Check Possible As Lawmakers Push for Next Relief Payments, But Release Date Still Uncertain

President Biden is expected to confront Russian President Putin over the recent wave of ransomware attacks conducted by hackers believed to be based in Eastern Europe or Russia.

On May 30, JBS USA, one of the largest suppliers of meat in the United States, announced its servers were attacked by a group of ransomware hackers believed to be based in Russia. In its news release, the company said the cybercriminals attacked the servers supporting its IT systems in North America and Australia.

Protection From Cybercrimes

JBS USA later paid an $11 million ransom to the hackers, saying it would protect the company from being targeted by future attacks and would likely prevent potential risks for its customers.

In early May, DarkSide, a hacker group based in Russia, attacked Colonial Pipeline. The incident forced the company to shut down more than 5,000 miles of its pipeline across Texas to New York in an effort to contain the breach.

The cyberattack led to a rise in gasoline prices across the East Coast and led to panic buying and gasoline shortage.

Colonial Pipeline later paid 75 Bitcoins to the hackers, worth more than $4 million, to recover their computer systems. Federal investigators were able to recover at least 73.7 Bitcoins or $2.3 million in ransom payments after tracking more than 23 different electronic accounts belonging to the hacker group.

Biden is expected to hold a solo press conference following his meeting with Putin.



Related Article: Joe Biden, First Lady Meet Queen Elizabeth II; Royal Expert Claims Donning Glasses While Greeting Was Offensive

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In South Korea, Busan, two shipbuilding firms have presented their concept for the small aircraft carrier, designated as CVX, that will be similar to the Wasp-class amphibious ships. One of them is Hyundai Heavy Industries.

Future carriers need not be humongous

These firms showed their concepts at the four-day International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX), which is a biennial naval defense show that started last June 9, in the southern port city located in Busan, remarked News Break.

From the MADEX, South Korea's arms procurement agency said the government is looking to spend $2 billion on a Korean-made 30,000-ton small carrier, that will see service by 2033. The project is now conducting a feasibility study by the Defense Ministry in readiness for official approval by the National Assembly, reported DefenseNews.

Hyundai Heavy Industries' model (HHI)

One firm showed its CVX concept, with a completed design from a year ago that offered several specifications that were part of the specifics included in the design proposal of the government agency. A feature included in the HHI concept vessel is a modular, ski jump takeoff ramp, which is a key feature that is found in the British Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth class.

The ski-jump is a cheaper alternative to the steam catapults on the US Nimitz class, although the new Ford-class supper carrier has a magnetic catapult under testing. Still, the CVX future light carrier will be made by two Korean shipbuilders after it is approved by the government.

Read also: LHD-1 Wasp Class: Amphibious Warfare Vessel for 3,000 US Navy; Boilers Can Energize City of 160,000 People!

A model displaced by the shipwrights or shipbuilders has a 1-to-400 scale model of the proposed carrier, which has a length of 270 meters and 60-meters wide as its main dimensions. On the deck are two islands that are its exposed superstructure. The ship would be about 30,000-tons and when fully loaded, a whipping 450,000-500,000 tons said a company representative.

According to Hyundai's representative in a statement on June 11, cited by Flipboard," to improve the operational capabilities of fighter jets on board, the design concept offers a flight deck which is 30% bigger than the original concept including an optional ski jump ramp over the bow." One of the options is to remove the take-off ramp and use a catapult on the flight deck.

In the statement, the carrier is designed to hold about 16 short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing aircraft on the flight deck and a further eight in its hanger. The ski jump ramp would permit jets without the STOVL to take off from the ship. In addition, some 24 helicopters without planes are the total number on the CVX.

The proposed model includes an extra deck at the stern for launching tiny rotary-wing drones and an adapted well deck for releasing unmanned surface or subsurface drone vehicles. A contract with U.K.-based Babcock International for consultancy services helped design the Future Light Aircraft carrier. This is only one of the two Korean shipbuilders. The other one is Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.

Related article: South Korea Building First Light Aircraft Carrier Armed With F-35bs

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Im sure, it would be bad news to shut the government down.

Probably. Its the same old, same old every year - special sessions, more money paid to legislators.

Im not so sure - everything is always so divided.

Vote

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14 June 2021

Point Loma welcomed its first new hotel in over a decade with the grand opening of The Monsaraz San Diego, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Developed by Lamming Co. in partnership with Alliance Development, KNA Design, R&R Construction and JWDA architects, The Monsaraz celebrates Point Loma, often referred to as the place "where California began," through its design, amenities and guest experience, offering a sea-centric havenand an escape from day-to-day lifein the heart of one of San Diego's iconic coastal towns.

The boutique hotel, designed to create an immersive and welcoming ecosystem with an evocative and effortless use of hand-hewn materials, custom handcrafted tiles, mid-century modern furniture and inspiring art features, features 92 guest rooms, including three suites, with distinct views of the rolling hills of Point Loma, the Bay and the Downtown skyline. The hotel's design story stems from a story about young lovers meeting in Portugal for a magical weekend, and departing to go their separate ways, with a memory of the adventure and a new outlook on life to take back to their own homes. With that story in mind, hallways lead guests on an art-lined journey to the elegant and approachable comfort of each guest room, which feature bedrooms accented with blues that range from soft -to vibrant, grays and pops of wood. Reflecting the ever-changing nature of work-meets-play, mobile desks in all guest rooms make for a customized work and leisure experience; bathrooms feature blue ceramic patterned tile, inspired by classic Portuguese styles, with oversized walk-in showers and standout vanities.

Guests and locals are invited to gather and connect in common spaces, including the hotel's centerpiece: a 4,000 square-foot open-air courtyard accented by an enchanting live tree, locally painted and designed mural and living plant wallthe ideal destination for cocktails by the fire, weekend workouts, live music, art installations, pop-up cooking classes that enable local chefs showcase their talents, and Sunday "Fun-days" of all kinds. The courtyard is purpose-builtwith a goal to create an inclusive atmosphere that fosters the curation of ideas, inspires new friendships and connectionsand even helps make the world a better place. Guests may also find their way to The Monsaraz's third floor "Hideaway"the perfect place to take in the San Diego sunset with a cocktail in-hand.

The Monsaraz is also home to Westerly Public House, a 60-seat Cali-Aussie concept that will showcase coastal cuisine inspired by both Aussie and SoCal beach culture. Westerly Public House's menu embodies the coastal lifestyle with a strong focus on sustainability and locally sourced ingredients, with signature dishes including Mushroom Toasties, fish and chips, and peri peri chicken, plus a selection of classic, quintessentially "California" favorites and a dynamic wine and cocktail list.
Pipeline

14 June 2021

IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel companies, has signed a management agreement with Samplast Resorts to develop Holiday Inn Express & Suites Jalandhar GT Road. The new-build hotel featuring 110 keys is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2024. With an existing portfolio of hotels from the Holiday Inn brand family across key cities in Punjab, the new development will further strengthen the brand's presence in the country and the state, in line with market demand.

Strategically located on the Grand Trunk Road, also known as NH1 which connects the country's capital city of Delhi to Amritsar, the hotel will benefit from the excellent visibility and convenient access. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Jalandhar GT Road will be a short drive from the city's central business district as well as shopping destinations. Additionally, the hotel will have an adjoining strip mall that will offer multiple dining options for hotel guests.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Jalandhar GT Road will feature well-equipped modern guest rooms and state-of-the-art facilities. For recreation, the hotel will offer 'Great Room', a bar and a lounge. Other facilities will include a fitness room, meeting rooms, 15,000 sq. ft. of banqueting space, as well as signature amenities in line with brand's promise of offering a comfortable stay to guests.
Press Release

14 June 2021

MCLEAN, Va. - After a year of staying at home, Americans are returning to travel and making up for lost time by booking their dream vacations. According to a new survey conducted by Hilton, 59% of respondents plan to jump back into travel with a bucket list vacation they would not have considered prior to the pandemic. The survey analyzed the impact COVID-19 had on Americans' travel habits and determined their most sought-after wish list destinations. The top locations included international and domestic landmarks like the Grand Canyon, Eiffel Tower, Niagara Falls, Statue of Liberty, the Colosseum in Rome and the Las Vegas Strip.

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The survey showed a strong desire to begin traveling post-pandemic: 64% of Americans agreed they are in desperate need of a vacation, especially since 26% have not taken a vacation in over a year, at the time of survey.

"The results show both international and domestic destinations are at the top of Americans' wish lists for their next vacation," said Jenna Hackett, global brand head, Curio Collection by Hilton. "It's no surprise 30% strongly agree they will book a dream vacation that they normally wouldn't have considered  our guests are looking for those authentic, one-of-a-kind experiences, especially after more than a year without making travel memories."

A Domestic Travel State of Mind

Given many are transitioning from staycations to dream vacations, survey respondents felt domestic travel was their best shot at a bucket list trip. In fact, 57% of those surveyed said they would be more comfortable traveling within the U.S. for their first post-pandemic vacation. The top U.S. cities Americans plan to visit include Honolulu (29%), New York City (25%) and Las Vegas (24%). Whether it's Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, Canopy by Hilton Jersey City Arts District or Millennium Hilton New York Downtown, there are many options for travelers seeking adventure and culture in their most sought after cities post-pandemic.

Hilton is especially excited to welcome guests back to Las Vegas. Travelers heading there will have more options than ever, ranging from the recently opened Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton which is located off of the Las Vegas Strip, to the newest jewel on the Las Vegas Strip, a marquee Hilton Hotels & Resorts hotel, the largest Conrad Hotels & Resorts property in the world and one of the first LXR Hotels & Resorts locations in the U.S., at the Resorts World Las Vegas complex. Resorts World Las Vegas will offer 3,500 luxury guest rooms and suites from these three premium Hilton brands  the largest multi-brand deal in Hilton's history.

Additional cities on the survey takers' travel wish list include:

Los Angeles (selected by 21% of respondents)

Miami (selected by 20%)

New Orleans (selected by 20%)

San Francisco (selected by 19%)

San Diego (selected by 18%)

Global Destinations

While many plan to stay stateside this year, there was still a large desire for eventual overseas travel. European countries topped the international wish list, with Italy being the most popular destination at 26%, followed closely by United Kingdom (24%), France (20%) and Greece (18%).

As travelers consider specific cities they want to explore, Rome was the top choice with nearly 27%. Paris and London were close seconds at 26% and 25%, respectively. Hilton has no shortage of breathtaking properties for travelers to take advantage of once they are ready to book their dream vacation at these locations, including Aleph Rome Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, a historic building in the heart of the city that is a 10-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese; Canopy by Hilton London City opening this summer, which will feature a rooftop bar with dazzling views of the city and St. Paul's Cathedral; and Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadero, which includes design that draws inspiration from Trocadero's rich history along with thoughtfully local touches that help guests make the most of their stay in Paris.

Additional international wish list travel destinations included:

Venice (23%)

Sydney (22%)

Dublin (20%)

Tokyo (18%)

Barcelona (17%)

Amsterdam (17%)

Madrid (16%)

"Whether traveling internationally or domestically, we've found that guests today are looking to dive into the local scene more and more, especially during these dream vacations," said Phil Cordell, global brand head, Canopy by Hilton. "While they are looking for those once-in-a-lifetime moments, they also want to immerse themselves in the culture of their destination, as evidenced by 29% of those surveyed who wanted access to explore the nearby area and city and almost 1 in 5 wanting to feel like a local."

Travelers also are ready to go all-in on their dream vacation: 30% said a top priority would be booking an all-inclusive vacation. Hilton offers best-in-class hospitality at its expanding portfolio of all-inclusive resorts, including Hilton La Romana, an All-Inclusive Family Resort, and Hilton Cancun, an All-Inclusive Resort opening later this year.

Additional results of the consumer survey include:

Reconnecting with Friends and Family : Two in five respondents plan to visit family they haven't seen during the pandemic and 27% plan to travel with friends and family. In fact, 38% of respondents said spending quality time with friends and family is one of the top things they miss about traveling.

: Two in five respondents plan to visit family they haven't seen during the pandemic and 27% plan to travel with friends and family. In fact, 38% of respondents said spending quality time with friends and family is one of the top things they miss about traveling. Making up for Lost Travel Time : Most respondents plan on staying at their destination longer (59%) and traveling further (46%) than they previously would have.

: Most respondents plan on staying at their destination longer (59%) and traveling further (46%) than they previously would have. A Safe and Reliable Travel Experience: Safety is still top of mind for consumers when it comes to traveling this summer. The top priorities related to booking their next vacation are being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (48%) and ensuring their hotel has COVID-19 cleaning protocols and safety measures in place (35%).

Safety is still top of mind for consumers when it comes to traveling this summer. The top priorities related to booking their next vacation are being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (48%) and ensuring their hotel has COVID-19 cleaning protocols and safety measures in place (35%). More Money, More Travel: The survey also found that nearly half of respondents (49%) said they used the pandemic as an opportunity to save up more money for a dream vacation they have always had on their wish list, while 55% said they plan to spend more than they usually would on their next trip since they haven't traveled in a while: an average of $2,173.11.

To learn more, visit Hilton.com or HiltonHonors.com for ways to earn and use Points to book the next wish list vacation.

This online survey of 2,000 nationally representative American adults was commissioned by Hilton and conducted by market research company OnePoll, in accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct. Data was collected in May 2021. All participants are paid an amount depending on the length and complexity of the survey. This survey was overseen and edited by the OnePoll research team, who are members of the MRS and have corporate membership to ESOMAR and AAPOR.
Opinion Article

14 June 2021

In March 2021, Medallia, in collaboration with the School of Hotel Administrations (SHA) Center for Hospitality Research, launched an online hospitality community to crowdsource ideas with impact. With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting travel and the hospitality industry especially hard, the community was conceived as a place for hospitality thought leaders, from industry professionals to SHA professors and alumni, to support each other with innovative ideas and solutions to the industrys most pressing issues and challenges.

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Since its launch, the community grew quickly to 276 members, who, together, came up with 24 original ideas to the three challenges that were posed. In this series of articles, well cover each challenge, along with the top-voted ideas and insights for each one.

Challenge 1: What can organizations do to support employees and staff on the front lines during this time?

Community members were asked to think about their businesses ramping back up and hiring to meet new demandwhat could they do to provide an excellent experience for frontline staff and guests?

Approach the workplace with empathy. The personal lives of so many frontline workers within the industry have been impacted by the pandemic, and its effects are likely to linger even after we resume some level of normalcy. An empathic leader who possesses a heightened level of awareness in regards to the impact of COVID on his/her employees will likely be more successful in making employees feel supported, resulting in more positive experiences for guests, posted one community member. Commenters agreed that empathetic leaders can have a powerful and positive ripple effect that goes far beyond direct reports and has the potential to influence the culture of the entire organization.

Guests who are unhappy with certain health mandates can benefit from a little empathy, too. One community member suggested verbal de-escalation training for frontline employees to help them identify an escalated guest, understand triggers, use proper language, be aware of the physical environment, and take appropriate actions when a guest begins recording an encounter. If a team member understands the basic concepts of verbal de-escalation, it would greatly increase the odds of turning an unpleasant situation into a pleasant encounter [while] increasing safety.

Collect and implement real-time employee feedback. This idea was inspired by how the pandemic has necessitated instant communication within an organization, especially for frontline staff who rely on these communications to stay up to date on frequently changing health guidelines. We need to enable our teams to provide feedback and give the organization the ability to act on that feedback as quickly as possible. Our employee experiences are evolving in real-time and we need processes that evolve at that same rate.

Instant communication and feedback could be helpful now and post-COVID by keeping employees informed about changing processes, guest preferences and other need-to-know information, and it could help organizations track all of these things over time for the purpose of improving the employee and guest experience, and making more informed business decisions.

And if a company does not have the resources for instant communication technology, it should provide some way for employees to submit feedback. Give employees access to submit questions/concerns anonymously, said one member. Now is the time for employees to be heard and for employers to listen.

Be flexible and supportive. As a result of the pandemic, many people are juggling increased responsibilities at work and at homethey may be taking on more work as a result of furloughs and decreased staffing, acting as a teacher to their children while schools are closed or as a caretaker for an ill family member. If employers can be flexible and help their employees maintain a saner work life balance by giving someone an extra day off, experimenting with a shorter work week, or allowing for a hybrid or flex schedulewhatever accommodation an individual might needemployees will be in a better all-around position to provide the best guest experience. Its a great real-life example of the airplane adage: Put your own [oxygen] mask on before you help others, referring to the fact that if you dont take care of yourself first, you wont be able to take care of anyone else. In the context of frontline employees, we cant expect overworked, stressed people to provide an excellent guest experience.

Commenters felt that a shift from hours worked to what needs to be done is on the horizon for the hospitality industry too, meaning the focus will be on productivity versus hours on the clock. In other words, when the work is done, employees wont have to stick around for the rest of their eight hour shift, and most importantly, their take home pay wont be any less.

Recognize, appreciate, and empower employees. Let employees know that they are appreciated and valued by giving them paid time off, gift[s],snacks, meals, bonus[es]. Meet with them. Take an interest in them. Community members noted that these incentives and personal touches are encouraging and motivating for employees, while also demonstrating to employees that their company cares about their well-being.

Connect employees from across the organization.Form communities around philanthropic [activity]; productivity; learning; fitness; and diversity, equity, and inclusion, wrote one community member. The idea is to encourage employees to connect over shared interests and hobbies with people of different ages, cultures, locations, and job titles.

Running through all of the communitys ideas for supporting frontline employees were themes of connection and communication. Employees are the heart of the hospitality business, and now, more than ever, they need to feel supported, heard, and understood. With everything going on in the worldfrom a pandemic to social upheaval to widening political dividestodays workplace is in a unique position to be that safe place, where people of all different backgrounds can belong and work together to accomplish shared goals.

Learn more about the Center for Hospitality Research, a hub for students, faculty, hospitality industry leaders, and innovators to connect and drive cutting edge research and thought leadership.
TOKYO (AP)  Americans Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor go on trial in Tokyo on Monday on charges they helped Nissan's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, skip bail and flee to Lebanon in December 2019.

HOW DID THE TAYLORS END UP IN JAPAN?

The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts in May 2020 and extradited to Japan in March. They have not been released on bail and are not available for comment, which is standard in Japan. They were formally charged in March with helping a criminal escape. Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, told The Associated Press while still in the U.S. that Peter was not in Japan when Ghosn fled the country. The elder Taylor has helped parents rescue abducted children, gone undercover for the FBI and worked as a contractor for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH GHOSN?

Ghosn led Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. for two decades before his arrest in Tokyo in November 2018. He was charged with falsifying securities reports in underreporting his compensation and with breach of trust. He says he is innocent and the compensation he is accused of not reporting was never decided on or paid. Ghosn says he feared he would not get a fair trial in Japan, where more than 99% of criminal cases result in convictions. Japanese prosecutors say he paid at least $1.3 million to organize his escape. Ghosn is on Interpol's wanted list, but Japan has no extradition treaty with Lebanon.

ESCAPE IN A BOX

Tokyo prosecutors say Michael Taylor and another man, George-Antoine Zayek, hid Ghosn in a large box meant to carry audio equipment, snuck him through airport security in Osaka, central Japan, and loaded him onto a private jet to Turkey. Peter Taylor is accused of meeting with Ghosn to help with the escape. Zayek has not been arrested. A U.S. appeals court rejected the Taylors' petition to put their extradition on hold.

COURT PROCEEDINGS

The Taylors will go through the Japanese equivalent of entering a plea before a panel of three judges. They may also give statements. They have said they didnt break any laws because skipping bail is not technically illegal in Japan. But Ghosn was not supposed to leave the country. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hiroshi Yamamoto said prosecutors will outline the charges, but he declined to comment specifically on the case. Japanese suspects are tried even if they plead guilty.

The Taylors are held at the Tokyo detention center on the city's outskirts. Their lawyer can visit them, and they can receive snacks and books. Ghosn spent more than 100 days at the center before his release on bail. The cells are simple, with Japanese-style futon mattresses. The facility has an exercise area and clinic.

WHAT LIES AHEAD?

English translations will be provided and media coverage is allowed, but no filming or recording. If convicted, the Taylors face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($2,900). They also could get suspended sentences and not serve time. In principle, people accused of crimes in Japan are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the conviction rate is higher than 99%.

ANOTHER AMERICAN

Former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, also an American, is being tried on charges of falsifying securities reports in underreporting Ghosns pay. He says he is innocent and was trying to find legal ways to pay Ghosn, partly to prevent him from leaving Nissan for a rival automaker. Kelly's trial began in September and a verdict isn't expected for months. If convicted, Kelly faces up to 15 years in prison.

WHAT DOES GHOSN SAY?

During the interview in Lebanon in May, Ghosn told The Associated Press he was eager to clear his name. He declined to give details of his escape. Ghosn accuses other Nissan executives of plotting to force him out to prevent him from giving its French partner, Renault, more power in their alliance. Renault sent Ghosn to Japan in 1999 to rescue the automaker when it was on the verge of bankruptcy.

HOW IS NISSAN FARING?

Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car, the Z sportscar and Infiniti luxury models, has struggled as sales slumped during the pandemic. It expects to remain in the red this fiscal year, the third straight year of losses. Ghosn's successors have promised a turnaround.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Houston-based Hello Alice, a machine learning platform connecting small business owners to capital, networks and business services, said it had closed a $21 million Series B funding round.

The investment was led by QED Investors of Alexandria, Va., with participation from new investors including Backstage Capital, Green Book Ventures, Harbert Growth Partners and How Women Invest. The valuation was not disclosed.
Frank Paul never wanted to be without electricity again after losing power and heat for 12 hours during the February freeze. He knew hurricane season was on its way.

So, Paul, 46, went shopping, hunting for a 9,400-watt Firman tri-fuel generator that could run on gasoline, natural gas or propane and power his entire Cypress home. He called his local Costco and asked the manager if the store had the $800 generator in stock.

He started laughing, Paul said.

Generators are always highly sought after in Texas, which has its fair share of hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes, but the extended outages during the February freeze has supercharged demand. Consumer say popular models of generators are hard to come by, flying off the shelves almost as soon as they arrive.

Electricians say they have a backlog of customers waiting to install generators as memories of the winter storm that plunged millions of Texans into frigid darkness and caused nearly 200 deaths and billions of dollars in property damage remain raw.

People really dont have confidence in government and elected leaders anymore to provide basic necessities, said Paul. At the end of the day, you have to have a backup plan.

Data on generator sales is scant, and comparisons between 2020 and 2021 are skewed by the pandemic. Anecdotally, however, consumers said certain brands of generators, such as the Firman tri-fuel generator, are often sold out at stores.

Generator sales, especially during Texas sales tax holiday for emergency supplies in April, were particularly brisk this year, retailers and consumers said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How Houstons winter storm went from wonderland to disaster

Harbor Freight Tools, a California equipment retailer that sells its Predator-branded portable generator, declined to disclose exact figures, but said it has seen a modest to healthy increase in its portable generator sales across Texas in the aftermath of the winter storm. While some customers are buying portable generators for camping and tailgating, the California retailer said others are buying its generators as backup power for emergencies.

The company said it saw a spike in generator sales during Texas sales tax holiday for emergency supplies in April.

Weve seen interest in our line of portable generators across the board, Harbor Freight spokesman Craig Hoffman said. Its reasonable to assume that the storms have increased the desire for home backup generators.

DIY generators

Even before the freeze, generators that can power entire homes, such as those made by Generac and Kohler, were in high demand. These standby generators typically cost upwards of $10,000 and have maintenance fees of about $25 a month.

Some buyers were waiting a couple of months or longer to get one.

After Februarys winter storm, many Houstonians are opting for a less-expensive do-it-yourself home generator setup. They are purchasing portable generators that can run on natural gas, and hiring plumbers to connect natural gas line to power their generators. Some are having electricians install special hookups that feed generator power directly to wall outlets and wired light fixtures -- eliminating the need to run separate wires from the generator throughout the house.

These jury-rigged home generator setups can cost less than $2,000 to purchase and install, a fraction of the price of traditional whole-house generators. If installed by professional electricians and plumbers, these DIY setups are legal and code compliant. Homeowners can do their own maintenance and repairs to portable generators, and easily take them when they move.

These DIY home generators are gaining popularity after a Sugar Land man generated widespread attention by powering his home with a similar setup during the February freeze.

In Katy, a man used his hybrid gasoline-electric Ford F-150 truck to power his home during the storm. The trucks gasoline engine charged the vehicles electric battery, which fed power to the house. Fords all-electric F-150 Lightning has a similar feature, allowing owners to power their home for three days using the trucks battery.

During the winter storm, Brian Milan used a Firman tri-fuel generator to power his nearly 3,700-square-foot home in Cypress for 64 straight hours. The Louisiana transplant said his $1,500 generator setup was able to power his washer and dryer, his heater and all the lights inside his home.

After sharing his experience with some neighbors, he decided to create a Facebook group to help others set up DIY home generators. The group, called Generators: portable generators to power entire house, has more than 800 members across the Houston area. Milan said about 90 people have visited his home for show-and-tell demonstrations.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Homeowners find power, piece of mind in backyard generators

I didnt have any issues with the freeze, Milan said. The only downside was we didnt know when the power was back on.

New work

Before the winter storm, master electrician Glen Searcy said his typical workday consisted of installing ceiling fans and recessed lights and troubleshooting wall plugs that stopped working. These days, the northwest Houston electrician is spending most of his days installing portable generator hookups.

Searcy said he receives about three or four calls a day from customers looking to hook up portable generators, and expects to complete 10 generator hookups a week for the foreseeable future. The job typically takes about three hours and costs around $600 for labor and materials.

Theres so much demand for portable home generator installations, Searcy said, electrical parts such as circuit breakers and power inlet boxes are backordered for weeks.

It really just exploded since the freeze, Searcy, 69, said. Its the busiest Ive ever been.

Plumbers, who have been in high demand since the freeze to fix broken pipes, are now seeing a new wave of work coming from installing natural gas lines to portable generators.

Gino Boutros, a third-generation plumber serving the northwest Houston area, said his family business, Tonys Plumbing, has installed nearly 100 natural gas lines for portable generators since the freeze, and expects to do five installs a day through the summer. The job typically costs around $350.

The first month and a half was all pipe repairs, Boutros, 29, said. Now, I have one technician doing just generator hookups.

Paul, a United Airlines flight attendant, last month purchased his Firman 9,400-watt portable generator, then hired Searcy to install the electric hookup so it could power his Cypress home. With hurricane season here, Paul said the $1,300 he spent on the equipment and installation was well worth the peace of mind to keep his family comfortable when power goes out again.

I have an 8-year-old girl and a baby boy coming in July, said Paul, 46. I didnt want to get caught in the heat with a newborn. I can breathe easier knowing we can keep cool.xxxx

paul.takahashi@chron.com

twitter.com/paultakahashi
Q: A few weeks ago, we had outside patio reservations at a highly acclaimed restaurant that recently opened. A few hours before our reservation, the restaurant called to say the outside patio would be closed due to weather, and we needed to reschedule. We complained, and were allowed to eat there that night. Turns out the patio was open and completely full, and its covered as well. Last weekend, the same thing happened to some friends at the same restaurant on a night with only a slight chance of rain. They ate elsewhere. We feel certain the restaurant canceled on both of us to make room for other customers they deemed more important. Was this legal?

A: A restaurant can overbook and cancel reservations as they wish. And its not against the law for a restaurant to lie.

On HoustonChronicle.com: More columns from Ronald Lipman

Unlike the airline industry, restaurants can overbook and cancel reservations without having to pay compensation.

Clearly, canceling reservations is a bad long-term decision, as it establishes no customer loyalty. All the restaurant had to do was call to apologize and admit they had made a mistake. They could have offered free drinks or desserts at a later date for inconveniencing you.

But apparently lying and saying their covered patio would be closed was a poor business decision. Word will definitely get around about how this restaurant treats its customers.

Q: I have a will with several beneficiaries. Probate cannot be avoided because I own several houses that will need to be sold. Will any Payable on Death assets need to go through probate, more specifically stocks, IRAs and bank accounts?

A: Assets that pass directly to a beneficiary or to several beneficiaries will not need to go through probate.

Q: My husband died with a will that left everything to me, and I have completed the probate. I wrote a certified letter to the mortgage company notifying them of my husband's death, and I asked them to remove his name from our mortgage. They say they can't remove his name unless I refinance my mortgage. But they did agree to remove his name from correspondence. Is this correct?

A: By going through probate, you have established that title to the home is in your name alone. You have also notified the mortgage company that your husband has died, as required by Texas law.

The fact that his name is still on the mortgage is of no consequence. You should be sure to make all mortgage payments on time to avoid any problems with the mortgage company.

If you refinance your mortgage, you can remove his name at that time.

The information in this column is intended to provide a general understanding of the law, not legal advice. Readers with legal problems, including those whose questions are addressed here, should consult attorneys for advice on their particular circumstances. Ronald Lipman of the Houston law firm Lipman & Associates is board-certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Email questions to stateyourcase@lipmanpc.com.
Politicians have turned everything from public health to energy efficiency into partisan bludgeons, so executives should not be surprised the public is dragging them into debates that have little to do with commerce.

Chicken sandwich purveyors have to address LGBT rights. Bankers have to become experts on climate change. Some executives love telling the world what they think, while others prefer to limit their public speaking to quarterly earnings calls.

Yet, when employees and customers get fired up and demand action, CEOs must lead or see their company get left behind.

Across the globe, people are becoming frustrated with the persistent problems of racial injustice, income inequality, climate change, health care, and the widening wealth gap.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Business leaders should get into good trouble by opposing voter suppression

Anger is fueling doubts about the viability of capitalism and democracy, which underpin our laws, businesses and economies. Frustrated by politicians dividing us, more Americans are looking to their employers and vendors for answers, according to a new report from The Conference Board, a non-partisan business research organization.

Providing equal opportunity for all Americans is fundamental to sustaining capitalism. It is a leadership responsibility, a moral obligation, and a business imperative, according to a white paper produced from a virtual conference of CEOs in March.

Top executives were quick to say equal opportunity is not a partisan issue; its a practical one. Unjust societies will never reach their full potential socially, economically or scientifically if they dont give every citizen a chance to thrive.

Addressing the fundamental challenge of racism, providing equal opportunity, and building a more just society is not only a social good in itself but an essential part of doing business, the report states. It isnt about politics, partisan preferences or altruism; it is about sustainable business growth, workforce engagement and productivity, customer loyalty, competitive advantage and, most importantly, providing prosperity for all Americans.

Several CEOs shared their experiences, and a key takeaway was the necessity of examining the internal workings of your own enterprise before stepping into the public debate. To become an authentic advocate, business leaders must first ensure their own house is in order.

Nor will platitudes delivered at an industry luncheon prove sufficient. Boards of directors are increasingly expecting tangible results from hiring, promotion and equity efforts. A well-crafted applause line is not as powerful as improved metrics.

American Express, Nike, Starbucks and McDonalds have tied CEO bonuses to adding more women and people of color to management ranks. Achieving those goals requires adding diversity at every level.

Your talent pipeline is a good place to look for signs of inequality and unequitable employment and promotion outcomes, the white paper states. Talent takes time to develop, and that means paying attention now to your pipeline with an eye towards nurturing diverse talent and creating advancement opportunities.

Businesspeople should also acknowledge that what happens outside the gates determines what happens within them. In the short-term and the long.

Investment in high-quality early education can yield a range of long-term economic and social benefits such as higher wages, less crime and higher graduation rates, the report found.

Navigating these waters is tough. Partisans on both sides demand fealty from CEOs, and they are not afraid to use social media and boycotts to punish companies that do not conform. While CEOs must speak up, they should consider their words carefully or risk unintended interpretations.

Robert Unanue, CEO of the Latin American food maker Goya, got into hot water when he attended a White House ceremony with President Donald Trump last summer. He said the United States was truly blessed to have a builder like Trump as its leader.

Unanue was praising an executive order intended to improve Hispanic access to education and economic opportunities. But while the measure would help his customer base, many Goya consumers felt betrayed by Unanue because of Trumps racist comments about people from Mexico.

Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro urged Americans via Twitter to think twice about buying Goya products.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Tough-guy leadership tactics don't build teams, they destroy them

Dont pity the CEOs too much. The latest compensation data show they are richly rewarded for leading their companies through perilous waters.

Median compensation for CEOs of companies included on the S&P 500 reached $13.4 million a year in 2020, despite low revenues and earnings, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. Most CEOs got a 5 percent raise while laying off millions of American workers.

Companies do not work in a vacuum. They must adhere to a social contract that allows a business to operate only if it contributes to the betterment of society. CEOs must hold up their end of the bargain, which means standing up for the issues most important to us.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
AFP, Contributor / TNS

Iran said it has reached a broad agreement with the U.S. over the lifting of sanctions on its industrial sectors, including energy, but warned there was very little time left for world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Irans Foreign Ministry, didnt give more detail on the potential easing of trade restrictions, which have all but prevented the Islamic Republic from exporting oil and battered its economy. The landmark accord was being delayed because there are still sticking points, he told reporters in Tehran on Monday.
Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by oil companies including BP and Exxon Mobil, leaving intact an important procedural ruling favoring two California cities suing for billions of dollars to address the impact of climate change.

The justices, without comment, refused to consider the industrys bid to shift the lawsuit into federal court, where companies tend to fare better than they do before state tribunals.
Johnny Bugeja/AFP/Getty Images

Oil hit a 32-month high as the rollout of coronavirus vaccines boosted demand expectations for Europe and the U.S., and confidence faded over a quick return of Iranian crude supply.

Futures rose 0.9 percent in New York, building on a run of three weekly gains. Irans foreign ministry said Monday there was very little time left for world powers to resolve outstanding differences to revive a 2015 nuclear deal, even though an agreement was in place to remove sanctions on the countrys energy sector. Iran goes to presidential elections this week.
Popeyes, KFC and Church's look out; Bojangles is coming to town.

The beloved southeast chain is bringing its seasoned fried chicken and made-from-scratch biscuits to the Lone Star State and that includes a spot in the Bayou City.

Bojangles announced Monday it will open three stores in both the Dallas and Houston markets in mid 2022 as part of a new partnership with Sajib Singha and Asish Baidya of SAT Restaurant Group, LLC and Khalid Siddiqui of LASH Foods, LLC, according to a release.

Now, Hallie Dean, a spokesperson for the brand, said Tuesday the Houston-area's first store will open in Humble, the second in Conroe and the third in The Woodlands.

But she is certain this is just the beginning.

"Sajib Singha and Asish Baidya of SAT Restaurant Group do not plan to stop at three," she said. "They have plans to open 10 (plus) in the area over time. This deal just includes the three at this time, though."

The company will also simultaneously open corporate-owned restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth market in the first quarter of 2022.

Get ready, Texans, because our delicious chicken and biscuits are headed your way, and we cant wait to serve you up some real deal, Southern flavor like only Bojangles does, said Jose Costa, the brand's chief growth officer in a release.

Were proud to be working alongside two experienced, multi-unit operators in LASH Foods and SAT Restaurant Group to make the move to Texas, and we look forward to the great successes that will come from those partnerships.

This is Bojangles third major franchise development this year.

In March, the chain signed an expansion agreement with longtime franchisee Jeff Rigsby to open 45 new stores, including 15 in Columbus, Ohio, and in early May, it signed a deal with Chaac Foods Restaurants to open 40 new stores, including 15 in Orlando, Florida.
Last years Fathers Day was a pandemic blur. This year, the holiday that honors our favorite fathers, husbands, sons and uncles will be in celebration mode. Americans are set to spend an estimated $20.1 billion on Fathers Day, according to the National Retail Federation, up from $17 billion last year.

Here are some ideas to make Dad smile on his special day.

Plaid tidings

Hamilton Shirts, Houstons legendary home for fine threads, will have Dad doing the happy dance with this red, navy and white plaid seersucker charmer; $245 at Hamilton, 5700 Richmond or hamiltonshirts.com.

Fit for a king

Landrys Kitchen, offering nationwide delivery of the same steaks and seafood used at your favorite Landrys restaurants, has created gifts such as King Ranch Texas Kitchen kits. This one offers a rack of baby back ribs, eight half-pound burgers, seasoning and a King Ranch-branded denim apron; $159 at landryskitchen.com.

Norse sense

House of Creed continues its Viking voyage with a second chapter of the original scent. The new Viking Cologne is an invigorating marriage of sandalwood, bergamot, mandarin, pink pepper, nutmeg, lavender, frankincense and vetiver; $335 and $445 at creedboutique.com, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

Thrill of the grill

Weber Slate Blue Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill is the grill-makers elevated version of the classic two-wheel kettle. It includes electronic gas ignition, cook timer and built-in thermometer, and one-touch cleaning system; $459 at Crate & Barrel and crateandbarrel.com.

Travelin man

Anthony Bourdains keen observations about the world, its people and its food continue to resonate with fans. The new World Travel: An Irreverent Guide, which the master storyteller was working on when he died in 2018, was completed by his longtime assistant Laurie Woolever, offering a look at some of Bourdains favorite places on the planet; $21 at your favorite bookstore or online retailer.

Life of pie

If your dad has a sweet tooth, treat him to one of Goode Companys Fathers Day gift sets. This bundle includes a personal pie, T-shirt and a Goode koozie; $55 at goodecompany.com. The online company store also offers smoked meats, jerky, pies, coffee, condiments and other Houston-proud, made-in-Texas gifts.

The Hye life

Garrison Brothers, the Texas whiskey maker based in Hye, produces the coveted Balmorhea Twice-Barreled Bourbon Whiskey, aged six years in two separate rounds of American white oak barrels. Described as candy in a bottle, the 115 proof whiskey offers flavors of pecan brittle, sticky buns, Fudgesicle bars and amaretto coffee; $180 at select Specs and Total Wine stores.

Up in smoke

The Davidoff of Geneva cigar emporium at River Oaks District offers more than fine stogies. Gifts include lighters, cases, humidors, ash trays and nifty cutters, including punch and double-blade cutters; $190 to $270 at 4444 Westheimer or us.davidoffgeneva.com.

Scents and sensibility

Light up his life with this Pick Your Poison Votive Set of scented candles from Jonathan Adler design. Three hangover-free scents include Champagne, Bourbon and Vodka for the scent-conscious, design-minded dad; $68 at jonathanadler.com.

Royal flush

Aerin Lauders world of home decor includes this Shagreen Poker Set that includes two decks of playing cards, an embossed dealer button and poker chips; $2,500 at aerin.com (Longoria Collection also carries Aerin accessories).

Blue Hawaii

Beaches Aviator Sunglasses by Maui Jim offer a fresh take on the classic aviator shape. With a titanium frame and distortion-free lenses, these cool shades will help make you the sharpest dude on the beach; $350 at Tommy Bahama and tommybahama.com.

United front

Professional soccer inspires the new Boss Bottled United Eau de Parfum, a limited-edition fragrance that offers notes of blood orange, spearmint, peppermint, vetiver, patchouli and cashmere; $97 at Macys and macys.com.

greg.morago@chron.com
Moez Mangalji describes himself and wife Sultana Mangalji as global citizens. When a friend introduced them to Asia Society Texas Center, he thought, "I feel very much at home. I think my background checks all the boxes.

"We are of Indian origin, Muslim faith and both lived in Uganda," he explains. "We both went to school in England until 1972, when a dictator kicked us out. We became refugees, then Canada open its arms. We ended up, of all places, in Houston, Texas."

Now he's a five-year board member and co-vice chair of Asia Society's executive committee, while Sultana spearheads the women's leadership program. Asia Society president Bonna Kol adds that Moez is particularly generous with his time in regards to guiding the board and implementing strategy. She says the couple is fun, believes in the power of art, and represents every aspect of Asia Society's values.

In other words, the Mangaljis were ideal candidates to honor at the 2021 Tiger Ball, which raised $1.3 million Friday and surpassed all expectations.

Those funds will support some of Asia Society's 150-180 annual programs that promote cross-cultural understanding for a more inclusive society. By Kol's estimation, the money raised adds roughly five to seven arts exhibits, 30 performing arts programs and 30-plus business and dialogue programs.

"A critical piece of our efforts is making sure that our city is welcoming of diverse people and perspectives," she says. "With the divides that we have, it's needed now more than ever."

When Kol first joined Asia Society more than seven years ago, she felt the organization's offerings were premiere, though many of its leaders were male and mainstream. There was room for improvement -- then Sultana entered the picture. Through her work shaping the women's leadership program, Sultana prioritized students and young professionals with a goal of expanding their horizons. She invited Indra Nooyi, former PepsiCo chairperson and CEO, and Cherie Booth, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, to speak in-house among others.

"Having been involved with (Art of the) Islamic World for Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, this was a terrific platform for me to get engaged with," Sultana says. "Those are incredible institutions of learning, educating people and allowing people to understand who the 'other' is and who immigrants are."

Moez notes the backlash aimed at Muslims after the Sept. 11 attacks. With what's happening in China, he now worries about continued backlash against Asians.

"Fostering cultural understanding is so important to Houston. It's up to institutions to really step up and educate," he says. "There are 14 Asia Societies all over the world, and there's a connection between them and the business aspect. So many companies doing business in Houston are connected to Asia. There's connection to the world right here through the port of Houston."

That's been his favorite part of helping to plan this year's Tiger Ball -- speaking with the couples' friends about Asia Society and all it has to offer.

"The building is amazing, where the architecture is world-class," Moez says of the Yoshio Taniguchi-designed, 40,000 square-foot Museum District structure. "What goes on in the building are so many exhibits, so many festivals." And most years, Tiger Ball.

The coronavirus pandemic forced gala organizers to make a few key changes. Attendance lowered from 700-plus to approximately 500 guests. The event date moved from late winter to early June to allow for maximum vaccination rates. And in lieu of the usual run-of-show -- with cocktail reception, dinner and dancing alternating between a tented parking lot and Asia Society's main building -- Kol and her team opted to host all festivities under one tent.

It's tradition for Tiger Ball honorees to select which country is celebrated. The Mangaljis suggested "Incredible India," which is how Friday evening's tent ended up swathed in hundreds colorful saris.

"We have to thank Richard Flowers for that. All of the Events Company is an incredible machine," Sultana says.

"With the pandemic in India it was really difficult for manufacturers to come up with the sari selection," Moez shares. "They were shipped to Mumbai, wrapped into three bundles and driven on three motor scooters to the DHL offices. Then we had a breakdown here with the winter freeze, so the saris arrived only 10 days ago. We take so much for granted."

Kol adds that Flowers ordered silver Thali platters for the first time so that City Kitchen could serve a traditional Indian feast. The catering team reportedly cooked up 39 menu items for the Mangaljis to choose from.

Unlike other soirees, when swag is doled out at night's end, traditional Indian scarves and bangles were given to male and female guests, respectively, upon arrival.

During his remarks, Moez described this year's Tiger Ball as a coming out party where people could gather again. He also compared Houston to a lyric from John Legend's well-known "All of Me" ballad, citing Bayou City's "perfect imperfections," much to the crowd's delight.

Kol understands where he's coming from. "When I read or hear about the rise of anti-Asian violence that's occurring across the United States, tonight is is a testament against that. Our differences are our strength, it's not a divide."

amber.elliott@chron.com
One of 14 people injured this weekend in a shooting on Austin's Sixth Street has died, police said.

Douglas John Kantor, 25, succumbed to his injuries Sunday afternoon at an Austin hospital, according to the Austin Police Department. He was identified by the Austin American-Statesman as a tourist from New York.
Houston ISD trustees made the hire of superintendent Millard House II official Monday, unanimously agreeing to a three-year contract with a base salary of $350,000.

The pro forma vote follows the May 21 decision by trustees to name House, who served the past four years as superintendent of Tennessees Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, the lone finalist for the job. Texas law mandates that school boards name a lone finalist, then wait at least 21 days before formally approving their selection.

House will take the reins of HISD on July 1 from Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan, who held the position for three years. His base pay, which is $5,000 more than the salary given to Lathan and former superintendent Richard Carranza, would have ranked tied for 15th-highest in Texas this past school year, according to Texas Education Agency data.

Under terms of the agreement, House can earn up to $150,000 in incentive pay each year for exceeding student performance goals, which are tied to state standardized test scores and measures of students readiness for life after high school, and scoring a C or better grade at all 275 campuses under the states academic accountability system.

House also will receive an annual $25,000 contribution to a retirement plan and $35,000 in moving expenses. If two-thirds of HISD board members vote to terminate the contract before August 2024, House will get one year of base salary and the value of a years worth of benefits.

House has led the seventh-largest district in Tennessee, served as chief operating officer of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina and held top administrative roles at Tulsa Public Schools in Oklahoma, among other positions.

The 49-year-old emerged as an unexpected pick for the job, given that he has no significant Texas ties and leads a district roughly one-fifth the size of HISD. However, trustees and former colleagues described House as a dedicated, open-minded and even-keeled leader who is well-suited to navigating the complexities of the states largest public school district.

This work will be difficult, there will be tough decisions, but its worth our children, House said Monday.

Lathans three-year tenure stretched an abnormally long time for an interim, largely the result of the potential for severe state sanctions against the district and the boards unwillingness to remove her temporary tag. She is set to become the superintendent of Missouris Springfield Public Schools on July 1.

House has made brief comments twice in the past several weeks about his selection as HISD superintendent, largely focusing on his commitment to working in collaboration with board members and the Houston community. He has not granted interview requests made by the Houston Chronicle.

House will inherit several issues upon his official arrival next month.

Most immediately, House will face key decisions about HISDs leadership team, which currently features interim chief academic and operating officers. Board members also expect House to propose teacher raises by August, despite the districts chief financial officer suggesting that pay increases could require future cuts.

HISD leaders also are in the process of deciding how to spend a huge influx of one-time federal stimulus funding, which could total roughly $1 billion over the next three years. Those plans could result in big structural changes and significant staffing additions aimed at supporting students who struggled the most during the pandemic.

In the long-term, House will be asked to rebuild public confidence in the district, which would help set the stage for a long-overdue bond election in 2022, and boost HISDs academic standing.

Im confident that were going to work together as a team to overcome some of these challenges, Flynn Vilaseca said.

For now, the threat of the school boards ouster also looms. HISD and Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath remain locked in a legal battle over the states effort to replace board members, the result of chronically low academic ratings at Wheatley High School and multiple findings of misconduct by trustees. State officials are appealing a temporary injunction blocking the boards ouster to the Texas Supreme Court.

The contract does not specify any payouts that House will receive if Morath replaces board members and chooses a new superintendent. Under Texas law, the education commissioner picks the superintendent in the event of a boards ouster.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com
As COVID-19 began its sweep through the Houston area last spring, on its way to killing more than 4,700 residents and infecting many more, Javier Quiroz found himself in a critical role at Houston Methodist West Hospital.

The 30-year-old nurse was the only Spanish-speaker in the hospitals rapidly swelling COVID ward. With Latino communities in the area feeling the pandemic the hardest, he took it upon himself to care for as many Latino patients as he could, answering phone calls from their families and providing them a sliver of solace during some of the countrys most terrifying days in recent memory. He ended up catching COVID-19 himself last October and passing it to his wife and 1-year-old child, with whom he lives in Katy.

Quiroz, who was brought to the United States from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, when he was 3 years old, was granted authorization to live in the country when President Barack Obama announced the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) nine years ago Tuesday. In the time since, however, Congress has not passed legislation that would create a permanent pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, and a lawsuit pending in Houstons federal courts could shut down the program in its current state.

I think Ive done enough to prove that DACA was a success, Quiroz said. Weve got careers, weve got goals, weve built a house and Ive started a family. DACA has given me all those opportunitiesIm living the American dream but its only a two-year subscription that I have to renew, and its been threatened.

In June 2020, then-President Donald Trumps attempt to shutter DACA was shot down by the Supreme Court, but a court challenge brought by Texas Republicans and eight other states in 2018 still threatens to undo the program. Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District of Texas last heard status updates on the case, titled Texas v. United States, in March.

The states are saying that DACA should never have been created in the first place by executive order, that immigration is something that needs to go through federal regulations  and that the Immigration Act doesnt grant the President the authority to grant immigration status to the hundreds of thousands of people that it did, said Edna Yang, co-executive director of American Gateways, an immigrant advocacy group.

Proponents of DACA say thats not correct, that executive powers really do allow for this type of thing and that this is exactly what executive actions are supposed to be, Yang said.

Legal experts do not expect an imminent ruling due to the evolving politics behind the case. On his first day of office, President Joe Biden issued a memorandum protecting the program, entitled Preserving and Fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

The Department of Homeland Security also is working on policy proposals related to DACA that could be announced in a matter of months, according to Nina Perales, vice president of litigation at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which is serving as counsel in Texas v. United States.

Though the plaintiff states led by Texas are arguing the illegality of DACA, they are not pushing for the immediate termination of the grants that DACA recipients get every two years, instead asking Hanen to bar renewals and new applications. If Hanen does side with the state, MALDEF has asked that he refer the program back to the Department of Homeland Security for modifications so it falls in line with new legal guidelines.

Its important for current DACA recipients to understand that this is an evolving situation, and that its likely that protections will continue even if there is a court ruling in favor of Texas in this litigation, Perales said.

Jesus Contreras, 27, calls DACA a blessing but not the solution. A suburban ambulance operator who lives in The Heights, Contreras left Tamaulipas, Mexico, for Houston with his mother when he was 6 due to a surge of crime and violence in the area. He says he did not start to really notice the differences of being undocumented until his teenage years, when he learned that his options for college were limited despite a love for school and near-perfect grades.

He was accepted to the University of Houston but could not afford the hefty international tuition. He ended up running track and cross country at a local junior college until DACA was enacted and he was able to enroll in a paramedic program at Lone Star College in 2013.

In that time, Ive had the privilege and opportunity to work during national and local emergencies, like Hurricane Harvey, during the freeze, during COVID-19. Ive had the chance and the opportunity through DACA to provide my skills and my ability to work with other people, Contreras said.

Contreras and Quiroz say they have learned to detach their concerns about DACA from their work, which is stressful enough, but both hope the day comes soon that their existence in the United States does not always feel under attack.

It was stressful for a long time but its coming to a point where its just another fight that were going to have to fight and come in strong and defend ourselves, Contreras said, speaking about the Texas v. United States court case. Unfortunately, its just part of the territory of being an undocumented immigrant, to always have someone trying to tear you down or take your freedom away and take your opportunities away.

sam.kelly@chron.com
Houston Police Department

A man was charged with intoxication manslaughter for a crash that killed a 60-year-old woman riding in his car on Sunday in north Houston, according to police.

Hector Ricardo Laines, 62, failed to stay in a single lane as he drove a silver Nissan Sentra west around 12 a.m. in the 100 block of West Greens Road near I-45 and hit a traffic pole, Houston Police Department detectives said.
A woman was arrested and charged with murder in the Monday morning stabbing death of her boyfriend at a west Houston hotel, according to police.

Letoia Monique Steward, 39, originally told police that her partner fell on the knife during an altercation around 12:09 a.m.outside of a hotel room on the third floor of the Hometown Studios by Red Roof at 2130 S Texas 6. He was stabbed in the chest, according to investigators.
Craig Hartley, Freelance / For the Chronicle

Robert Mock, who has led the Houston Emergency Center on an interim basis since Feb. 1, will take permanent control of the job, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Monday.

The center functions as the citys hub for emergency communications, taking round-the-clock 911 calls. The agency usually takes in 1.8 million emergency calls per year and another 800,000 non-emergency calls, according to its website. Mock will oversee 161 employees.
National Weather Service

A tropical depression has formed in the Atlantic and is expected to strengthen to a tropical storm tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

The system, currently off the coast of North Carolina, is expected to move northeastward over the next couple of days toward Canada, the National Hurricane Center says.
Long before there were pop-up ads cluttering our computer screens and spam crowding our inboxes, a riot of billboard advertising crowded Americas highway vistas and urban landscapes.

That began to change in 1965, with the passage of the Highway Beautification Act, championed by first lady Lady Bird Johnson of Texas. Progress continued into the 1970s as local governments woke up to the eyesores unregulated signage had become in cities.

In Houston, at least 12,000 so-called off-premises billboards loomed by 1980, when the city at last took decisive action to limit the visual mayhem, banning permits for nearly all new billboards and imposing tight restrictions on existing structures.

Then-Mayor Jim McConn called the ordinance a way to get rid of some of the slop that mars the views on numerous streets.

The new rules survived years of court battles, debates in the Texas Legislature and periodic efforts at City Hall to revise, rescind or otherwise weaken them. Today, about 1,000 of the advertising platforms still stand.

All of that could change once more, if an idea floating around Mayor Sylvester Turners administration since last fall comes to fruition. In November, the city invited proposals to build and operate dozens of giant new double-facing digital billboards on city-owned right of way. Ads would rotate every eight seconds.

Environmentalists are understandably alarmed. Opponents with Scenic Houston told the editorial board recently that the proposal is a potential death knell for the citys decades-old moratorium. Lawyers for the group argue that relaxing the rules for some signs would invite equal-protection claims from rival firms, threatening to permit a wave of new construction.

Weve eliminated so many billboards, Scenic Houston board member emeritus Jonathan Day said. Houston is well on our way to restoring some of the opportunity for introducing our guests to a much more beautiful city.

This editorial board reached out twice to Turners administration to discuss the proposal. I am told there is nothing to share at this time, Turners spokeswoman Mary Benton responded. The City is still evaluating to determine the best path forward.

That tight-lipped approach is worrisome from a mayor who has long championed Houstons quality of life. Turner surely knows how explosive the idea of upending the citys billboard protections would be. He knows this issue ought to be debated in the full glare of public scrutiny. Its reasonable to work out some details in private 

the outdoor advertising industry is outrageously litigious  but refusing to discuss even basic components of the plan is unacceptable.

In a previous, unsuccessful campaign for mayor in 2003, Turner vowed to support the citys billboard restrictions, calling an update a decade earlier a reasonable compromise, consistent with the aim of beautifying Houston.

Three years later, Houston went to federal court to stop sign company RTM, which had erected 59 giant new billboards in a five-mile zone just outside of city limits. In 2010, a federal judge ordered RTM to remove the signs and pay $50,000 to the city. In 2007, Clear Channel ended a 20-year court battle to resist the citys mandates, agreeing to fast-forward the removal of two-thirds of its roughly 1,300 small and medium-sized signs in the city.

Houston has fought long and hard to clear our skies of distracting visual pollution and were wary of any plan to reverse course now, even if industry is promising sweet financial incentives to a city plagued by a vexing structural deficit.

Based on the request for proposals, the city is looking for at least $10 million in an upfront payment and at least $2 million per year in revenue-sharing. For every new digital billboard, three older, existing static billboard structures would have to be removed.

There may be some legitimate debate over whether those benefits outweigh the risk to the citys decades-old moratorium on new billboards. But the arguments do face strong headwinds.

For starters, the minimum deal hardly seems competitive. With a current operating budget of $5.1 billion, $10 million upfront plus $2 million a year is no windfall. In the few places where similar deals have been struck, cities have demanded much more revenue. They have also required a much more aggressive ratio of old signs being removed for each new sign erected.

In Chicago, City Council debated for over a year a proposal by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel to allow up to 60 new digital billboards. Approved in 2012, Chicago was promised $15 million in the first year, and at least $155 million over 20 years.

But a series of snarls slowed the signs installation. By 2019 only $22 million of the guaranteed payments had been made. An amended deal spreads those payments out and reduces the number of signs.

Its understandable that Turner was searching for new revenue last year, after the pandemic left the citys fiscal forecasts a fright. A year later, though, federal aid has come to temporary rescue.

Bottom line: any proposal to renegotiate Houstons strong historic stand against billboard blight needs a public debate.. Turner owes the City Council and the public straight answers on where the proposal stands, what the response has been from industry, and when and if he plans to bring the matter to a vote  and why.

There is no such thing as an ad blocker for the bright billboards that accost us on daily commutes or leisurely bike rides. For more than 40 years, the next best thing has been Houstons no-nonsense billboard restrictions. Weakening them could be a sign of trouble  one that Houstonians cant fully assess if they remain in the dark.
The claim: Texans have some of the highest property taxes in the nation, and the tax only goes up. We will put the broken property tax system on a path to zero.  Republican Don Huffines, who is challenging Gov. Greg Abbott in the 2022 primary election.

To cure the state of its taxation problem, Huffines campaign proposes an unusual solution for a state that already doesnt collect income taxes  the elimination of property taxes altogether.

PolitiFact rating: Mostly True. There are several different ways to compare and rank states property tax burden. Depending on the ranking methodology used, Texas has between the 6th highest and 13th highest property taxes.

Discussion

Huffines, a former GOP state senator from Dallas, recently launched gubernatorial bid is wagering that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott isnt Republican enough for Texas.

Theres little question that property taxes in Texas have generally been rising year over year. The Texas Comptrollers Biennial Property Tax Report shows that single family home values have been on the rise since 2010, resulting in a corresponding rise in the property taxes levied by local governments in each of those years.

About PolitiFact PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made. See More Collapse

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

In 2010, local governments in Texas collected $40.2 billion in property taxes. By 2019, the latest year for which data is available, that number had risen to $67.2 billion. Nearly half of these totals is collected from property taxes levied on single family homes.

But has this rise launched Texas taxes into the realm of high-tax states like New York, California and New Jersey? Does Texas now have some of the highest property taxes in the nation, as Huffines claims?

State and local governments depend on tax revenue flowing from three different categories, explained Kevin Erdmann, a tax policy expert at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

Theres three pretty basic areas of taxation: sales tax, income tax and property tax, he said. Those are the big three to choose from and each state has chosen to weight each one slightly differently. But at the end of the day they all have bills to pay.

Texas is one of nine states with no income tax, therefore relying more heavily on the two other areas of taxation.

I dont think theres much dispute about Texas focusing on property taxes, Erdmann explained.

But there isnt a perfect method for comparing Texas dependence on property tax revenue to other states. This is partly because states tax real property in a variety of ways. For instance, while some states impose a tax rate on a homes market value, others impose it on a percentage of the market value, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan and pro-business think tank. In some states, counties also can differ in how levies are calculated.

According to Janelle Cammenga, a policy analyst with the Tax Foundations Center for State Tax Policy, theres a variety of ways property tax burdens on residential properties can be measured.

There are a couple different ways you can compare, none of them are perfect, but they can all kind of give you an idea of where Texas is going to lie, said Janelle Cammenga, an analyst with the Tax Foundations Center for State Tax Policy

For instance, state rankings could be organized by property tax collections per capita, which would provide a rough estimate by dividing a states total residential property tax payments by its number of residents.

Under this methodology, Texas would have the 13th highest property tax burden with property owners paying $1,973 per year, according to a Tax Foundation analysis. Washington D.C., New Jersey and New Hampshire would top that list, each with over $3,000 in annual per capita property tax payments.

Another way to rank states would be to compare states effective tax rates on owner-occupied housing, or the average amount of residential property tax payments. This method takes home values into account by expressing this average amount as a percentage of home value.

Here, Texas would rank No. 6, with homeowners paying about 1.6% of their home value in property taxes per year, according to the Tax Foundations analysis. New Jersey again tops that list, followed by Illinois and New Hampshire.

This methodology also was used in an analysis cited by Huffines campaign spokesperson. According to a Wallet Hub study released earlier this year, Texas effective tax rate is the 7th highest in the nation.

Its unclear exactly how feasible it would be for a state to eliminate property taxes altogether, especially one that already doesnt collect income taxes, experts said. In 2018, property taxes made up 44 percent of state and local tax collections in Texas.

Both experts PolitiFact spoke with agreed that, if Huffines were elected and able to fulfill this campaign promise, Texas would be the first state in the nation to eliminate property taxes.

Eliminating that is a really tall order. Thats almost half of (Texas) tax collections, Cammenga said. I dont know of a state that has eliminated property taxes, because its such an essential part of local finances.
More than just the Houston heat fired up the crowd at voting rights rally Sunday, where former Congressman Beto ORourke urged action against a restrictive bills being championed by Republicans.

I dont care about the Democratic Party, ORourke told the crowd nearly two hours into the rally in 95-plus-degree heat at a Fifth Ward park. I dont care about the Republican Party. I care about democracy, and we are going to lose it if we do not stand up.

More than three dozen bills about voter integrity have been passed or filed in state capitols, prompted by Republican calls to improve election integrity. While some invalid ballots in past elections were cast and a handful of criminal charges filed, claims of widespread or organized fraud have gone unproven.

In Texas, Democrats at the last minute scuttled Senate Bill 7 in the legislative session, saying it included several racist provisions, including restricting Sunday polling hours to weaken voting drives at predominantly Black churches and easing the process to challenge election results with virtually no proof of fraud.

Drive-thru voting options, overnight voting and use of large voting centers would be outlawed, as would sending en masse offers for people to apply to vote by mail. In some earlier proposals, which drew criticism from disability rights groups, a voter would need to provide proof to claim a disability entitles them to vote by mail.

It would have criminalized innocent people, Rep. Penny Morales Shaw, D-Houston.

The offices of State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, and State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park  the bill sponsors  did not respond Sunday to a request for comment.

JUNETEENTH: Just the beginning of freedom for Black Texans

Texas lawmakers who have the final say are expected to return to Austin later this year for a special session. If Republicans prevail, Harris County voters would face limitations from how they voted in 2020.

Lets make no bones about this, Republicans have the votes, said former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, who managed the countys 2020 election that expanded voting options and drew GOP ire. Everything we did is under attack.

OVERTURN OOPS: Texas Republicans say lowering the bar for overturning elections is bad policy. So why did they try?

Sundays rally doubled as a voter registration event, part of a series of efforts to preserve voting options and increase engagement. Democrats have said part of their push in recent elections has focused on reigniting the political activity of some residents.

A Saturday event with ORourkes group, Powered by People, in Tarrant County led to 1,608 registrations, said Angeanette Thibodeaux, national director of the National Assistance Corporation of America, which is working with ORourkes group on outreach.

Of those registered, however, Thibodeaux said 442, or more than one-quarter of the people signed up to vote, lack a personal identification. She said people must prepare themselves.

This might not make me popular with everyone on this side, but if there is a rule, be compliant with the rule, Thibodeaux said. If I go to the doctor, I need to have my ID. You just have to prepare for that.

Houston marks the midway point for ORourkes barnstorming tour to rally against the proposed changes. He will be in Brenham and Prairie View on Monday before heading to Beaumont on Wednesday. The scheduled events conclude June 20 in Austin.

I want us to hold the biggest voting rights rally in the state of Texas, ORourke said.

dug.begley@chron.com
Weather Alert

The National Weather Service in Springfield has extended the * Flood Advisory for... Western Howell County in south central Missouri... Southwestern Texas County in south central Missouri... Southeastern Christian County in southwestern Missouri... Douglas County in southwestern Missouri... Ozark County in southwestern Missouri... Stone County in southwestern Missouri... Taney County in southwestern Missouri... Southwestern Wright County in southwestern Missouri... * Until midnight CDT Friday. * At 549 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated the heaviest rain has shifted south of the area, however some flooding will continue during the evening. Between 1 and 2.5 inches of rain has fallen within the advisory area. * Some locations that will experience flooding include... West Plains, Branson, Ava, Kimberling City, Forsyth, Willow Springs, Highlandville and Hollister. This includes the following low water crossings... Highway 142 at The Spring River west of Lanton, Highway 13 at Pine Run northwest of Galena, Highway 13 at Railey Creek near Reeds Spring, Route FF at Hunter Creek east of Ava and Route FF at Turkey Creek east of Ava. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Many flood deaths occur in vehicles. &&
West Plains Bank and Trust Company now offers full-service banking at its Houston branch, 6783 U.S. 63, Suite 2, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The location first opened as a Loan Production Office in January 2021 and, after receiving approval from the State of Missouri and FDIC, began offering retail banking services on June 4.

According to Branch Manager Amanda Hamilton, the Houston branch is a full-service bank operating in a temporary location until the permanent branch, which will be located at 1473 S. Sam Houston Blvd., in Houston, is constructed. Work on the permanent facility is expected to begin later this year. Hamilton said a full-service, deposit-capable ATM will be operational within the next couple of months on the site of the permanent facility.

The Houston location offers checking and savings (including health savings) accounts for personal and business customers, time deposits, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and business and personal loans. Staff includes Loan Officer Curt Hugenot, Loan Assistant Johnna Huff, Branch Manager Amanda Hamilton and Universal Bankers Rebecca Mills, Kayla Merida and Kaileigh Barker.

We invite anyone interested in banking with a true community bank to stop in and get to know us, Hamilton said. We believe in the importance of relationship banking, knowing our customers and doing everything we can to help them with their financial needs. We also value community involvement and look forward to adding our already growing list of ways we support the communities in and around Texas County.

For additional information about services provided at Houston branch or to schedule an appointment to discuss loan or deposit banking needs, call 417-505-5110.

West Plains Bank and Trust Company opened its doors to customers in 1883, making it the oldest continually operating business in Southern Missouri. With more than 138 years of service to the local region, total assets of West Plains Bank and Trust Company have grown to more than $550 million with seven locations and a loan production office.
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The capped areas of Building 71 and Hill 78 lie between Allendale School and the co-generation plant.

Mass DPH to Conduct Cancer Evaluation of PCB Exposure

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The state Department of Public Health will be reviewing for selected types cancer related to the problematic Hill 78 and Building 71.

Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say the capped-off General Electric landfills are not harmful, yet the last public health study that was conducted on them was in the 2000s.

In January, the City Council's Public Health and Safety subcommittee requested that MassDPH provide an updated study on cancer cases in that area.

The subcommittee on Thursday received news on the upcoming cancer evaluation from Julie Cosio, Jessica Burkhamer, and Brenda Netreba from the Bureau of Environmental Health at the Mass DPH.

They are planning on looking at four of the six cancer types evaluated previously in a 2002 report: breast cancer, liver cancer, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Reportedly, epidemiological literature shows some evidence of association of these cancers with exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

GE for many years used PCBs in its transformer manufacturing. The chemicals have been banned since 1979 but GE discharged them into the river and environment during its use of them.

While there is no evidence of an association between PCB exposure and bladder cancer, they are planning on evaluating bladder cancer in Pittsfield because there were increased rates in the previous evaluation.

Two previously evaluated cancer types that will not be included in the study are thyroid cancer and Hodgkin's disease because both are reportedly not associated with PCB exposure.

"Since the release of the last evaluation in 2002, the scientific literature has identified some additional cancer types that may be associated. For example, we plan to evaluate melanoma based on new evidence suggesting association and PCB exposure," Burkhamer said.

"And there might be other cancer types that we may add upon further review of the literature, we're currently working on that literature now."

The areas that will be included in the evaluation include Pittsfield as a whole and each of its 11 census tracts, as well as the communities of Great Barrington, Lenox, Lee, and Stockbridge to be consistent with the 2002 report.

Data will be evaluated in five-year increments from 1996 through 2015.

The DPH also refers to the Massachusetts cancer registry that is a part of the North American Association of cancer registries that collect data from physicians and hospitals. It is said to be a "very complete data set" that has received a gold standard for the past 10 to 15 years.

Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi asked the representatives if there have been any specific reports tracking the cancer incident rates of previous faculty and students of Allendale School, which directly abuts the landfills.

Burkhamer reported that DPH has previously done work at Allendale School, where it offered to test PCBs in staff at the school and based on that evaluation, found no unusual opportunities for exposure to PCBs.

"Because of the way the cancer registry works here, the registry is based on the address of the individual at the time that diagnosed so there's no way for us to know if that individual happens to be a teacher at the school or former student at the school," she added.

"This is a screening-level evaluation, we're looking to see if this type of evaluation finds any cause for concern in the cancer patterns, we have a stepwise approach where we do increasingly detailed evaluations so if we did find something that was very concerning, there would be the possibility of additional work."

Cosio added that when the DPH did a study with Allendale School in 2007, it included an environmental sampling of dust and carpet to look for measuring levels of PCBs and found nothing unusual on the environmental side.

The length and time of the evaluation will reportedly depend on the departments current project load and the scope of the evaluation. It will roughly take a few months for the evaluation and then the findings will need to be evaluated with senior-level staff.

Morandi said he was thankful for the DPHs participation in the concerns raised by Ward 2 residents who live in close proximity to the pollutants.

"I wanted to thank you for being here tonight," he said. "I really appreciate this, it's such a real important subject, that's for sure, especially being in my ward I certainly had to try to monitor it as best I could with my constituents and what I've learned from them."
BCC Offers Medical Coding and Health Information Management Certificates

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Berkshire Community College (BCC) is ready to prepare students for the growing field with its hybrid Medical Coding courses, which focus on how to use the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), CPT, ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS coding manuals.

Courses also include hands-on practice using medical coding software.

Students may enroll any time to begin the program this fall. The Medical Coding Certificate may be completed in two semesters, while the Health Information Management Certificate may be completed in three semesters.

Medical coders and health information specialists are responsible for safeguarding medical records, transmitting information for third-party reimbursement (insurance, Medicare, etc.), handling requests for patient records, and a new field called "informatics."

Upon course completion, students study for the credential exam of their choice:

Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam, offered by the American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC)

Certified Coding Associate (CCA) exam, offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)

"In a recent survey of 22 health care facilities within a 100-mile radius of Berkshire Community College, 88 percent reported job openings in medical coding and health information management," said Marsha Estabrook-Adams, Adjunct Faculty, Medical Coding. "If you are fascinated by the world of medicine but not the clinical hands-on experience, this may be the career for you."

For information on how to enroll, visit berkshirecc.edu/academics.
SVHC Announces DAISY Award Winner

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Kaitlyn Daniels of the Women's and Children's Unit, was May's recipient of Southwestern Vermont Health Care's (SVHC) DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

"Kaitlin has forged an extraordinary bond with the patients who nominated her," said Pamela Duchene vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer. "It is a pleasure to honor her for her skillful nursing and her deeply compassionate care."

Duchene presented the award during a surprise presentation on the Women's and Children's Unit at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC).

Daniels was nominated by two families, both of whom experienced distress during labor and delivery.

The husband of one patient wrote, "[Kaitlyn] was positive the whole time and helped my wife tremendously and with great kindness I hope if we have future kids, Kaitlin is our nurse."

The second patient noted, "[Kaitlyn] handled everything calmly and smoothly I honestly don't think I could have done it without her positive attitude and her being there every step of the way She is simply an amazing nurse."

Daniels received her bachelor's in nursing from Southern Vermont College, where she received several honors including the Vermont State Nursing Association Clinical Excellence Award. She has worked as a registered Nurse at Rutland Regional Medical Center and as an Emergency medical Technician for the Bennington Rescue Squad. She lives in Bennington.

"I feel honored that patients recognized me for my nursing care," said Daniels said.

The DAISY Award is part of a national merit-based recognition program established by the DAISY Foundation. It celebrates nurses' education, training, and skill. Nominations can be submitted by patients, families, physicians, and colleagues. All nominations are blinded, so that they are anonymous before being reviewed by a selection committee. One nurse is then chosen as the DAISY Award winner. DAISY Awards are presented on a regular basis, usually bi-monthly or quarterly.
The Berkshire Workforce Board held its annual meeting on Thursday.

Workforce Board Recognizes 5 with Impact Awards, Highlights Pandemic Efforts

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board on Thursday held its annual meeting virtually during which five local professionals were recognized with Workforce Impact Awards and the board highlighted its yearly efforts in meeting the demand for highly skilled workers in Berkshire County.

During fiscal 2021, the board leveraged more than $3.5 million to assist 662 employers, 2,600 job seekers, and 3,400 youth with workforce needs.

"Since March 2020, the Workforce Board assisted over 650 companies with their workforce needs, answering their immediate employment questions, connecting them to grants and economic development opportunities, referring them to the Career Center, and collaborating with them with numerous training grants," Executive Director Heather Boulger said.

"These efforts led to $165,000 for manufacturing training and $286,000 for career readiness programming. We are also happy to be announcing this morning that the Berkshire Workforce Board has received an additional $225,000 in health-care resources to train additional nursing and medical assistants."

The board also worked with the Berkshire Skills Cabinet and implemented training in health care, manufacturing and hospitality as a part of the Berkshire Workforce Blueprint. This gave more than 120 organizations labor-market data from the board that helped generate $1.6 million in new resources.

State Sen. Adam Hinds and Pittsfield Director of Administrative Services Roberta McCulloch-Dews were in attendance at the meeting to applaud the board's work during the COVID-19 pandemic and congratulate the award recipients.

"This was where the action happened before a global pandemic and an economic downturn," Hinds said. "And now your work has been more critical than ever this past year, and it will be for some time."

 Tony Dobrowolski, business editor of The Berkshire Eagle, was given the 2021 Workforce Ambassador award for his advocacy of workforce items and for demonstrating "strong civic value in community journalism with integrity, honesty, and fairness."

 Sherwood Guernsey of First Congregational Church of Williamstown was given the 2021 Youth Ambassador award for establishing and supporting the North County YouthWorks program for the past seven years that has made a "significant" difference in the lives of local youths.

 Sarah Miller, Berkshire Healthcare System's director of education and training, and Susan Choquette, a registered nurse and clinical trainer, were presented the 2021 Employer of the Year award for establishing a blended hybrid nursing assistant program during the pandemic to help get people back to work while keeping residents, staff, and students safe.

 Christopher Kapiloff and John Lafleur of LTI Smart Glass were presented the 2021 Employer of the Year award for being strong supporters of manufacturing initiatives and for providing on-the-job training opportunities to get people back to work.

 Taylor Gibeau, community relations and cash management coordinator for Adams Community Bank, was presented the 2021 Youth Champion award for assistance in planning, establishing, and participating in the first Virtual Career Week for area students and having employers submit videos for the board's career readiness library.

"On behalf of Mayor [Linda] Tyer, I just want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Berkshire Workforce board members, the staff and partners collectively all are a powerful catalyst in helping our employers with their workforce needs and connecting our workforce with essential resources and opportunities," McCulloch-Dews said.

"And to today's awardees, thank you for your consistent diligence and commitment to workforce development. Your efforts and collaboration have truly made a powerful difference and our community it's better for it."

McCulloch-Dews spoke on the work that the city did to support local businesses with COVID-19 Economic Recovery funding that was implemented in April 2020. With the funding, 90 small businesses in Pittsfield received a total of $682,000 and the program continues to accept applications.

She added that every effort, every admission, and every program makes an impact and helps the city and county continue to keep moving forward in the right direction.

Hinds reported that the county's unemployment rate is down to just over 7 percent as compared to the 80 percent unemployment rate in March. He also highlighted the advantages of remote work, as people can apply for jobs elsewhere while being based in Berkshire County with a "high quality of life and a lower cost of living."

He is chairing a new committee called Reimagining Massachusetts Post-COVID Resiliency that is focused on preparing for the workforce of the future, the economy of the future, and recognizing what vulnerabilities when there is a shock to the system.

Making sure the state budget is supporting connecting activities such as youth works and the workforce board funding its self is important, he added.

"You keep showing when it matters, that you get the job done and your key piece of how we have a vibrant thriving economy here locally," Hinds said to the board.

Also in this meeting, the BWB voted on the Workforce Business Plan for FY2022 and elected a slate of officers.

Eva Sheridan of Boyd Technologies was appointed as president; Michael Taylor, Pittsfield's director of human resources, and Albert Ingegni III of Berkshire Health Care Systems, as vice presidents; Doug McNally of Frosthollow Associates as Youth Council chair; Superintendent James Brosnan of McCann Technical School as treasurer; and Chelsea Tyer of Neenah Paper as secretary.

"Our annual meeting is an opportunity to revisit our yearly accomplishments, recognize our workforce champions, and to set the stage for a productive new fiscal year," board President Eva Sheridan said. "Today's theme is really all about appreciation, collaboration, and opportunity. Everything that we do, we do with input, engagement, and involvement from all of you and we truly appreciate your voice and continued participation."
Fire Officials Warn Against Fireworks

STOW, Mass.  Fire Officials Urge People to Leave the Fireworks to the Professionals.

"Public fireworks displays are back this year, and fire departments across the state are making sure they are safe for spectators and for shooters," said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. "Illegal fireworks are risky, especially around children who will imitate what they see adults do. Let's keep our children safe."

Children and teens under 15 account for more than one-third of the severe fireworks burn injuries requiring emergency room visits in Massachusetts.

4th of July No Holiday for Firefighters

"The Fourth of July holiday is a busy time for firefighters," Centerville-Osterville-Marston Mills Fire Chief Michael J. Winn, president of the Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts, said. "We respond to all types of fires and medical emergencies. In fact, the week of July 4 is one of the busiest times of the year for fires. So please leave the fireworks to the professionals and enjoy the many supervised fireworks displays."

"Remember, fireworks are illegal to transport into Massachusetts, even if they were purchased legally elsewhere," Ostroskey said. "The State Police Bomb squad is coordinating enforcement efforts with local fire and police departments to help avoid a repeat of last year, where citizen complaints about the unsafe use of illegal fireworks increased sharply."

Fireworks Cause Many Dangerous Fires

There were many fires, amputations and burn injuries from illegal fireworks in Massachusetts last year. Dozens were displaced during the pandemic by fires started by fireworks. In the past decade (2011-2020), there have been 941 major fire and explosion incidents involving illegal fireworks reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS). The incidents caused 12 civilian injuries, 42 fire service injuries, and an estimated dollar loss of $2.1 million

On May 27, 2020, illegal fireworks ignited the exterior stairs of a 2-family home in New Bedford. Damages from this fire were estimated to be $3,000.

On June 14, 2020, the Worcester Fire Department responded to a fire in a 3-decker started by illegal fireworks. A firework set off in the street landed on the roof and ignited it. Eleven people were displaced. Smoke alarms failed to operate and damages were estimated at $145,739.

On June 16, 2020, fireworks ignited a fire on the first-floor porch of a 2-family Springfield home. Damages from the fire were estimated at $10,000.

On July 16, 2020, the Boston Fire Department responded to a car fire. Someone lit fireworks on top of a Mercedes Benz. Damages were estimated at $8,000.

On August 10, 2020, the Orange Fire Department and several surrounding communities responded to a brush fire on Tully Mountain in Orange. It took several days to put the fire out in the rugged terrain and hot and humid weather. Remnants of fireworks and a campfire were found at the seat of the fire.

On October 10, 2020, someone set off fireworks in the rear hallway of a 6-unit Boston apartment building. Twenty people were displaced and the fire caused $3,250 in damages.

Burns and Injuries Caused by Fireworks

In the past decade (2011-2020), 32 people were treated at Massachusetts emergency rooms for severe burns injuries from fireworks (burns covering 5 percent of more of the body) according to the Massachusetts Burn Injury Reporting System (M-BIRS). Fifty-four percent of the victims were people under age 25 who will spend the rest of their lives with these scars.

On July 18, 2020, a 13-year old boy visiting Randolph, MA suffered burns to 10 percent of his body surface area from illegal fireworks.

On July 4, 2019, a 29-year old Charlton man received burns to 9 percent of his body and puncture wounds to his back from a fireworks explosion. State Police confiscated a large cache of illegal fireworks from his home.

On July 5, 2019, a 16-year old male from Dartmouth received 1st- & 2nd-degree burns on the lower portions of his body from a fireworks explosion.

On July 9, 2019, a 4-year old Boston girl grabbed a burning sparkler that someone else was holding and suffered burns to her left hand.

On July 7, 2020, fireworks a young boy was holding went off causing severe injuries to his hand. This happened near Carson Beach in South Boston.

On July 20, 2020, a 43-year old Turners Falls man suffered a serious leg injury from illegal fireworks.

All Fireworks Are Illegal in Massachusetts

The possession and use of all fireworks by private citizens is illegal in Massachusetts. This includes Class C fireworks, which are sometimes falsely called "safe and sane" fireworks. Class C fireworks include sparklers, party poppers, snappers, firecrackers, spinners, cherry bombs and more. Sparklers burn at 1800F or higher. It is illegal to transport fireworks into Massachusetts, even if they were purchased legally elsewhere. Illegal fireworks must be confiscated on the spot by law enforcement officials.
Hopes dashed for Kampong Cham fishermen in Cambodia as conservation lake dries

by Moeun Chhean Nariddh

June 14,2021 | Source: Khmer Times

For many years, illegal and over-fishing have depleted the population of fish in the lakes and rivers across Cambodia, particularly during the dry season.



For fishermen in Kampong Cham provinces Kang Meas district, they have pinned their hopes on a conservation lake on the border with Kandal province which has bred all kinds of fish to be released into six other lakes when the Mekong River flows into them during the rainy season.



However, the hopes of fishermen living around the six lakes in the district have been dashed as the conservation lake has dried up this year before the Mekong River fills it with water.







Yet, the conservation lake in Kang Meas district, known as Boeng Bak Rotes, has dried up due to human causes and not climate change like other lakes.



According to Eang Nam, head of Kang Meas District Fishing Community, Beong Bak Rotes covers an area of around 50 hectares with the centre of 30 hectares as being reserved for conservation.



Fishermen can catch fish in the surrounding area but not in the centre, he says.



During the rainy season, he says the lake is between 5 metres and 6 metres deep but it shrinks to 1.5 metres and 1 metre deep during the dry season.



This lake has never dried up no matter how low the water is, he says.







This year, however, Nam says rice farmers have looked at the conservation lake as the last source of water for their farming after they had claimed more forest and lake land and turned it into rice fields.



When there was no water anywhere near, they started pumping water from the conservation lake, he says. Before long, Beoung Bak Rotes has dried up and the fish have been caught or killed.



The loss of the main breeding fish from Beoung Bak Rotes has turned the fish population from bad to worse and will have a domino effect on fishermen, fish vendors and consumers as a whole in Kang Meas district and other people near and far.



May Kien, a 46-year-old father of two who has been a fisherman for 15 years, says it has become harder and harder for him and other fellow fishermen to catch fish in the lakes in Kang Meas district.



I used to catch between 10 and 15 kilogrammes of fish but now I can catch only about 2 to 4 kilogrammes per day, he says. Our life will become even more difficult after the conservation lake has dried up.







However, Kien says he still hopes that there will be some fish left if there is no illegal fishing in the lakes in his district when the lakes are filled with water from the Mekong River.



Kien says he is now making a living by fishing in the Mekong River instead using a casting net when he cannot fish in the lakes.



But, illegal fishing is even more serious in the Mekong River, he laments. Some fishermen have used illegal pulling fishing nets that can catch even the smallest fish.



Because of the sharp decline of fish, Kien says he tries to find whatever daily work he can as a manual laborer to supplement his fishing career.



When people die, their families hire me to dig and build graves for them, he says, looking at a new grave behind his house.



Likewise, Ry Kim Sreang, a 43-year-old villager who has been a fisherwoman for more than 20 years in Kampong Cham province, says she and husband also face difficulties in catching fish by using seine fishing nets.



In the past, we could just deploy a 200-metre seine net and we could catch enough fish to sell and feed our children, she recalls. Now, we use a 500-metre seine net and can catch only a few kilogrammes of fish.



Kim Sreang says her family has now focused more on rice farming and raising cows to make a living.



How can we rely on fishing if there are no fish in the lakes and rivers? she asks. We would rather work on the land doing whatever jobs we can find.



On the banks of the Mekong River, fish vendors also resort to whatever source of fish they can buy to sell at a small market which sits on the boundary between Kampong Cham and Kandal provinces.



I think there may be no more natural fish from the lakes and rivers in the future, says 28-year-old Chim Samban, adding that virtually all fish he sells are from aquaculture fish farms.



Samban says he used to earn around $20 per day when there were a lot of natural fish. But, he says he can earn only about $5 now and that he has to work as a vegetable farmer in between his fish selling career.



You cannot rely on selling fish alone, he says.



Sin Srey Touch, a 38-year-old fish vendor who works next to Samban in the same market, says life is not better for her either.



People dont like to eat fish from aquaculture farms that use chemical feed, she says.



Srey Touch says most fishermen sell the fish they catch in the lakes and rivers for $5 per kilogramme to middlemen who then sell them in Phnom Penh for a higher price.



We sell fish from aquaculture farms for only $2.50 per kilogramme, she says. But, they do not taste as good as the natural fish from the lakes and rivers.



Meanwhile, Kith Sareth, a 55-year-old fish vendor from Kang Meas district, says she also sells chicken and duck meat as well as bananas and other fruits to make a living.



When I go home after working at the market, I also collect and buy recyclable materials to sell, she says. You have to work much harder to feed the family.



Nevertheless, Eang Nam from Kampong Cham fishing community says the future is not too bleak for fishermen in his district.



If the government can find an alternative source of water for rice farmers, we can preserve the water and fish in the conservation lake, he says. They may help dig a water reservoir for rice farmers to use during the dry season.



But, fishermen like Kien and Kim Sreang in Kang Meas district will continue to make their living from fishing in the Mekong River before they can find more fish in the lakes again in the future.

 2021 Virtus Media Pte., Ltd. (Khmer Times)

Theme(s): Fisheries Resources.
Invest in vulnerable communities to end child labour - Ghana rights group urges govt.

by Gilbert Mawuli Agbey

June 14,2021 | Source: Graphic Online

The President of Challenging Heights, a child rights organisation based in Winneba, Ghana, Mr James Kofi Annan, has called on the government to make critical investments in vulnerable communities in a bid to tackle the menace of child labour.



According to him, many parents in such communities were poor due to inadequate job opportunities for them, hence their inability to provide the basic needs of their children which invariably pushed such children into child labour.



He said if parents in vulnerable communities are provided with the needed employment opportunities or employable skills to be able to earn decent wages and salaries, they will be in a better position to take proper care of the children.



Mr Annan was speaking at a durbar organised by the NGO to commemorate this years World Day against Child Labour at Gomoa Akyease in the Gomoa Central District in the Central Region.



The World Day against Child Labour is held annually on June 12. It is an international day to raise awareness and prompt action to stop child labour in all its forms.



The International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the day in 2002, which focused attention on the prevalence of child labour throughout the world and the action and efforts essential to eliminating it.



Mr Annan noted that child labour was prevalent in some communities due to poverty, and that if the needed opportunities were provided to engage them in income generating activities, it would prevent them from allowing their children to engage in hazardous work.



I can tell you that if parents are self-sufficient, they will not give out their children to relations or others to go and live with them or sometimes sell them to middlemen who often exploit them by engaging in work beyond their strength he said.



Mr Annan noted that a critical thing the government and other stakeholders could do was to introduce policies and programmes capable of boosting the local economies so that people in vulnerable communities could engage in profitable ventures to better their lives.



For instance, he noted, due to scramble for developments and settlements, many farmers had lost their farmlands which were their source of livelihood to such a phenomenon which had made it very difficult for such people to take care of themselves and their children.



He stressed children whose parents are confronted with such a situation are often forced onto the streets to engage in all forms of work although hazardous to be able to earn some income to support the family.



Commenting on fishing communities, where child labour is prevalent, he said the government, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, could create fish markets in such areas to improve the local economy to improve the living conditions of the people.



He said in order to win the fight against child labour, the government must deliberatively come up with aggressive policy interventions and measures that would revamp the local economies for the benefit of the people.



He further advised parents to allow their children to go school and not push them onto the streets to work, stressing parents must change their attitude and ensure that children are enrolled into school to acquire the needed education to have a better future.



He said children had a lot of potential in them and that through education they would be able to unearth such talents to fit into the society and to contribute to the growth of the country.



For his part, the Programme Head, Childs Rights Promotion and Protection at the Department of Social Welfare in the Central Region, Mr Daniel Wallace Akyeampong, advised parents against allowing their children to stay with other people since such children were often forced into child labour.



He further entreated the children not to allow themselves to be carried away by what they saw around them since societal pressures had the tendency to destroy their future if they fell prey to them.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Irish fishermen to stage protest in Dublin to highlight threat to income

Fishermen in Ireland are to stage a major demonstration in Dublin city centre to highlight the threat to incomes from Brexit and EU fish quota cuts.



The protest will take place on Wednesday, June 23 and will include boats from Dublin, Louth, Donegal, Wexford, Waterford, Kerry, Cork and other counties.



It follows a major equality protest by fishermen in Cork last month.



Boats will gather from 3am and then travel from 5am upriver through the East Link Bridge, to John Rogerson's Quay, where a special 'show and tell' event will be staged to explain the plight of Irish fishing families.



It will conclude with a noon rally at Guild Street Park, at Spencer Dock.



After the rally, fishing representatives will hand deliver a letter outlining the plight of the industry to Taoiseach Micheal Martin.



Irish fishing groups warned their livelihoods are now at stake because of quota cutbacks and the impact of the Brexit deal.



"We want a renegotiation of (EU) Common Fisheries Policy so that Ireland is allocated a fair share of fish quotas that reflect the contribution of our fishing grounds to the EU," a spokesperson said.



"The Brexit/TCA agreement between EU and UK was both unfair and unjust and penalised Ireland's fishing industry. There must be equal burden sharing throughout the EU member states.



"On the issue of enforcement, we submit that penalty points for fisheries offences should only be applied to license holders and skippers following a court conviction."



Irish fishermen have also demanded that traditional access to fishing grounds around Rockall be reinstated immediately.



"Fishermen who spend in excess of 24 hours at sea must also be granted equal rights with all seafarers and marine workers under our revenue and taxation laws."



The planned protest is supported by major Irish fishing groups including the IS&WFPO, KFO, IS&EFPO, IFPO, IFP&EA, IIMRO, IFSA and inshore fishermen.



All Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing requirements will be observed by participants.

  INDEPENDENT.IE

Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade.
Livelihoods of fishermen in Sri Lanka sink deep in troubled waters

by Nadia Fazlulhaq

June 14,2021 | Source: The Sunday Times

While the ship disaster has left small and medium scale fishermen in the western and northwestern coasts of Sri Lanka struggling to keep their livelihoods afloat, the demand for deep sea fish has triggered a price increase in some varieties.



Prices of deep sea fish such as tuna, snapper, seer fish (thora), paraw, thalapath (sailfish) continue to soar due to short supply and increased demand while smaller fish such as herrings, sardines, small mullet, prawns, crabs and other crustaceans are seeing a price drop.



In the retail market, paraw is sold at an average of Rs. 1350 per kilo whereas in June, last year a kilo was about Rs. 1250. Mullet is presently sold at Rs. 1375 a kilo an increase from last years Rs. 1230. A kilo of kelawalla is Rs. 1140 whereas it was Rs. 1107 last year. A kilo of thalapath is presently about Rs. 1392 , close to a hundred rupee increase from last year. A kilo of mora is now Rs. 1213 whereas last year it was Rs. 1018.



Prawn prices came down from last years Rs.1290 to Rs. 1250 a kilo and in some places sold at an even lesser rate. Balaya, small mullet, saalaya, linna fish prices are seeing a drop in prices. A kilo of Balaya is presently Rs. 620 a kilo, whereas it was Rs. 760 in the retail market.



The seas are rough, during (warakan) season and maa-del fishermen are reluctant to go deep sea fishing . The ship incident has resulted in people being wary about consuming fish. Therefore the livelihoods of small-scale fishermen have been severely affected, said All-Ceylon Fisherfolk Trade Union secretary Dinesh Fernando.



Fishermen are jobless, they cannot go to sea. In some cases their fishing gear is damaged by the plastic pellets from the sinking ship. Due to the lockdown, shops that sell fishing gear are closed. Travel restrictions have left them unable to even engage in other daily paid jobs on land, he said.



He said the Government should take immediate measures to compensate fishermen affected by the ship disaster and also purchase fish from northern and eastern fishermen and ensure fish is available all over the country at reasonable prices.



This is the fishing season in the seas of Kalpitiya, Mannar and northern and eastern seas and fish there are mostly safe to consume as well, Mr. Fernando said.



At the wholesale fish market in Peliyagoda, fish traders complained of a drastic drop in the demand for fish.



We have fish supplies, but few buyers. The Fisheries Corporation should step up to promote and distribute fish. They need to initiate an effective programme to purchase our fish, a vendor said.



Meanwhile, the consumption of fish still remains a debatable topic.



Dr Lanka Wickremasinghe, Head of the Department of Aquaculture and Seafood Technology at the Ocean University of Sri Lanka, said consuming fish, especially fish caught in the seas off the coast affected by the pollution from the ship, should be avoided.



One can argue that cleaning the gills and intestines will make the fish safe. But some chemicals can be absorbed into the flesh. Unless the chemicals released from the ship are thoroughly investigated, it is safe to stay away from consuming fish especially from the area exposed to plastic pellets and other chemicals. If people really want to consume fish, deep fried is recommended, she said.



Thushan Kathurusinghe, Project Leader of the Turtle Conservation Project, said that consuming deep sea fish caught in multi-day trawlers in international waters is safe for consumption while fish caught close to the coast should be avoided for some time.

 The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
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Inc.com columnist Alison Green answers questions about workplace and management issues--everything from how to deal with a micromanaging boss to how to talk to someone on your team about body odor.

A reader asks:

I've worked for a company for a little over 10 years. "Lysa" started soon after I did. We work in a semi-small and close department, and about a year after she started she ran into a streak of bad luck. Her husband asked for a divorce and she found out her young daughter had cancer. The children's hospital was an almost two-hour drive, so she was in the car a lot. She was tired and as a department we came together to help. People would bring her lunch and coffee and everyone pooled money and bought her a gas card.

Her daughter's health improved, and she met a new boyfriend. She was always gushing about him, showing everyone pictures and having loud phone conversations. It became worse when he proposed, because any conversation with her was about her wedding in Italy and how this weekend she was flying to Italy to check on the wedding venue and next weekend was a trip to New York for the dress fitting. (Her fiance was wealthy and was paying for everything.)

A group of co-workers decided to throw a bridal shower at the office and invite her friends and family as well. So one lunch, they headed to her mother's house (whom one of them knew) to invite her to the bridal shower. The mother's response: "What are you talking about? She doesn't even have a boyfriend."

Lysa lied ... about all of it. Her daughter was never sick. She was never married. She never met the rich man of her dreams, but she told us that. The long phone conversations were her talking to herself, not connected to anything (we checked the phone log). We believe the flowers and gifts she sent to herself.

When she was confronted, she said her mother doesn't like him and doesn't acknowledge his existence. It was the same with the daughter's illness. She pretended it was real but it didn't fit. She had already told us that her mother had gone with her to Italy to check out the venue and was excited. And during her daughter's illness, she talked about how her mother was so helpful and supportive.

We reported it to management. Since it didn't affect the business, they said there wasn't anything they could do, but now we have a department with an outcast. Even management doesn't believe her. When her daughter was in an accident, they asked her to bring in the police report to excuse the absence when before they would have just believed it. How should our company have handled this?

Green responds:

Well, it's not quite true that since it doesn't affect the business, there's nothing that your management can do. They may decide they don't want to do anything, and reasonable people could disagree on whether or not they should do something, but they could if they wanted to.

And if the situation is impacting Lysa's ability to be effective in her job, then it's work-related anyway.

My first question, though, is how absolutely sure you are that Lysa lied. When you're accusing someone of lying about a child with cancer, you really, really don't want to get it wrong. (For example, if you're just going on her mother's word, it's possible that her mother is troubled or otherwise not giving you correct info. You shouldn't necessarily believe the mom over the co-worker, unless you have other reasons to consider Lysa not credible.)

If you're not 100 percent sure, I'd put this in the "wow, that seems really suspicious, and I'm taking everything she says with a large grain of salt" category. That's different than the "my co-worker is a horrible person and I will shun her" category. It's more like the "I'm giving her a wide berth and not going out of my way to help if she reports future crises" category.

But if you are sure, then it's not unreasonable for Lysa's manager to intervene. What that would look like could vary and should depend on the type of role Lysa has, how much she needs to interact with colleagues for her job, and what the impact has been on the office as a whole. If she can still be effective in her job after this, the appropriate consequence might simply be a serious and unpleasant conversation: "Your co-workers are upset because they sacrificed their own time and money to help you out when they thought you were in need -- what is your plan for repairing those relationships?" But there are other contexts that mean you could reasonably argue that it would be too disruptive to keep her around (again, assuming there's no chance you're wrong about what happened).

Whatever the resolution, it's worth noting that while what Lysa did was very wrong, it's also something that happy, healthy people don't do. So something's going on with her -- mental illness, deep insecurity, or something else -- and keeping that in mind might help if you do have to keep working with her.
As the U.S. begins to understand the post-Covid-19 world, this much is clear: We are in the early days of a dramatic, long-term shift in how work is done. In this emerging world, the work of leaders will less frequently occur face-to-face, and more of it will be done virtually, by audio, video, email, text, Slack, Teams, or whatever new technologies emerge. In Leading at a Distance, we present what we've learned from interviews with more than 100 CEOs, CHROs, and top business leaders about how companies are preparing for the new world of work. In the excerpt below, we take a look at the factors that have lead us to this point, and how they will influence the future:

"If there is an office in the future," wrote Charles Handy in a 1995 Harvard Business Review article on virtual work, "it will be more like a clubhouse: a place for meeting, eating, and greeting, with rooms reserved for activities, not for particular people." Admittedly, most organizations have not reached that point yet, but the way we work has certainly changed dramatically since Handy's predictions. Before the pandemic, some organizations instituted telecommuting and created "hoteling" options for employees who visit the office only occasionally. Now, as hybrid forms of work grow more common, most organizations are preparing to adapt to virtual work as the new normal.

History will look back on the pandemic as a dramatic accelerator of this trend. Most CEOs and CHROs we interviewed for Leading at a Distance take pride in the fact that they were able to move thousands of employees to working from home in a matter of days. The dramatic shift was made possible by the technology infrastructure that had been built up over recent years. No technology company saw its usage jump more dramatically than Zoom, whose market capitalization rose 10-fold to $160 billion between January and October 2020.

But even before Covid-19, there were reasons why some organizations were expanding their reliance on virtual work. In the war for talent, many organizations have realized that they need to hunt further afield for the very best talent and create the conditions that allow them to work from afar without relocating. Being able to hire people who live anywhere is also a major advantage for organizations pursuing increased diversity in their workforces. McKinsey and Leanin.org's Women in the Workplace study found that 70 percent of the companies reported that remote work will allow them to increase the diversity in their hiring practices. In addition, the report illustrated that remote work expands options for employees who are caregivers or who have disabilities that interfere with travel or long commutes.

The second reason for the increase in virtual work is the combination of technology advances and globalization. Multinationals have always had to develop systems to manage through distributed organizational structures and share information to keep things on track. However, as technology has increased people's ability to work together virtually, instead of having a separate team run each of a company's operations in different countries or regions, firms have increasingly used distributed teams to work together across locations and time zones to capitalize on shifts in the marketplace, innovate, and bring new products to market.

Using virtual collaboration can also be an important benefit to an organization's clients. Rather than simply drawing on local talent in one area, or forcing their professionals to travel to client locations, as had been done for decades, nowadays professional firms can tap into teams throughout the world to draw on their thought leadership and expertise -- at a much lower expense.

And of course, virtual work offers enormous potential savings on real estate, especially in high-cost cities. Some technology companies, such as Stripe, have offered bonuses for employees who relocate to less expensive cities to help minimize commercial real estate expenses. More companies are likely to follow suit and embrace the work-from-anywhere (WFA) trend.

Some leaders see demographics as another driver. "By 2025, 75 percent of the workforce will be from the millennial generation," says Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow, in our conversation. "These employees didn't want to work from office cubicles before Covid-19, and the pandemic only accelerated the need for global businesses and organizations to address this workforce reality. It's essential to give workers choice and make digital businesses work for them; and this reality will persist after we emerge from the pandemic."

That's the good news. Despite those widely cited advantages to working virtually, our research found that many organizations that took the leap into the virtual world were not fully equipped for success. In a 2008 study we conducted of 50 global virtual teams, we found that many virtual teams were not performing to their full potential due to ineffective team leadership, lack of accountability among team members, lack of time to focus on the team, and lack of skills training. In fact, that study found that more than 25 percent of the virtual teams were not performing up to par, largely because organizations and leaders were approaching work as if the dynamics were the same as working in the same physical location.

Even though that study is more than a decade old and was conducted in a dramatically different context, our central finding remains true to this day: Far too many companies and leaders have not recognized or appreciated the need to operate differently when at a distance.

The abrupt shift to remote work during the pandemic revealed other challenges. Millions of professionals complained of Zoom/video burnout. Many recognized the widespread challenges managing the blur between work and family life, as well as the increased stress from the health risks and economic crises. The pandemic has been particularly hard on working mothers, who are now spending 71 hours a week working compared with about 50 hours for fathers, according to the Leanin.org study.

A 1989 book by sociologist Arlie Hochschild called The Second Shift found that women tended to assume most of the household and child care responsibilities, even though more women were working. Thirty years later, Covid-19 demonstrated that this remains true. As schools shifted to all-remote or hybrid setups, many parents found themselves also trying to be educators, creating tremendous stress and challenges. Yanbing Li, VP of engineering at Google Cloud, shared a phrase that captured this perfectly. "There's an expression in Silicon Valley," she said, "that with this pandemic, we're all in the same storm, but in different boats." Yanbing is right, that we all have different home setups, family demands, support systems, individual contexts, and financial circumstances. Even though many people are now not commuting to the office or traveling for business, we hear endless stories about people working harder than ever. According to one study, U.S. employees logged 22 million extra hours working during the first months of the pandemic. While technological advancements have made collaboration easier than ever before, people have experienced overload.

Finally, as organizations began planning for after the pandemic recedes, many are focused on what a hybrid solution may look like -- a workforce that is partially in the office and partially working remotely. This blended approach presents its own set of challenges. For example, in some company cultures, remote workers feel that their colleagues who are in the office more receive preferential treatment. Other organizations struggle to conduct effective meetings with some people sitting around the conference table and others beaming in on a video screen.

As companies shift to virtual work, it will be especially important for leaders to be mindful of potential biases and make sure that they are treating people equitably. In our interviews with senior leaders, we have even seen examples of some organizations creating a new role such as the head of remote work and culture, and others who are focused on virtual productivity and collaboration. If the current trends continue, these roles may well become ubiquitous.

For more from Leading at a Distance, please check out this excerpt on Fast Company.
The Morning Show season two has been given a release date and its first trailer.

The Apple TV+ original is centred around a #MeToo-esque sexual misconduct scandal on the set of a New York breakfast programme and the subsequent rivalry it sparks between news anchor Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) and newcomer Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon).

Season two will arrive on 17 September, with new episodes dropping weekly on the streaming service.

*Spoilers for season one of The Morning Show below*

The trailer, which was released on Monday (14 June), picks up after the end of season one, in which Alex and Bradley exposed the toxic culture of sexism and cover ups at their network live on air.

Alex has now left The Morning Show, but channel executive Cory (Billy Crudup) is now desperate to get her back to the show.

Meanwhile, Bradley is still working on the show, where she now co-hosts alongside new presenter Eric (Hasan Minhaj).

Returning cast members including Steve Carell, Bel Powley and Marcia Gay Harden.

They are joined by newcomers including The Good Wifes Julianna Margulies, Russian Dolls Greta Lee, Patriot Act host Minhaj, Ruairi OConnor, Holland Taylor, Tara Karsian and Valeria Golino.

The Morning Show season two comes to Apple TV+ on 17 September.
Amsterdam has become the worlds first city to ban high-carbon adverts on its metro system. As of 23 May, adverts promoting flights and fossil fuelled cars were banned  and I applaud it.

As governments battle the climate emergency, it is insane to have billions pouring into advertising the industries fuelling the greatest threat to humanity. It is time for a global ban on advertising for fossil fuel corporations and high-carbon products  just as governments realised that in order to tackle the tobacco health crisis, they needed to ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship.

In fact, there are many parallels between the battle to ban tobacco adverts and the new campaigns to ban fossil fuel adverts. These were outlined in the report Smoking out the Climate, which pointed out that pollution from burning fossil fuels contain many of the same toxins as tobacco smoke  and both industries pursue similar marketing strategies to block or delay regulations.
It took months for Charlotte Wright to accept what killed her husband. His passing was sudden and unexpected, the causes desperately unclear at the time. After appearing to have suffered a stroke, Dr Stephen Wright was rushed to hospital in the early hours of 26 January. Later that day, at 6.33pm, time of death was called.

Only now, after medical confirmation, does Charlotte acknowledge that her 32-year-old husband, and father to two young boys, died as a result of vaccine-induced clotting in the brain. Because we were both pro-vaccine, Charlotte says, I was in denial about everything and scared to suggest that had been the cause.

A clinical psychologist who regularly worked in A&E, Stephen is just one of 66 people in the UK to die from the rare syndrome, having received a first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab on 16 January. With more than 40 million shots of the vaccine administered up to 2 June, the statistics speak loudly for themselves. Stephens death was heartbreakingly rare  a moment of cruel chance that carried catastrophic consequences for his loved ones.
A convicted pedophile has spoken out for the first time since he was named Brunswick prosecutors prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, German media reports.

The 44-year-old reportedly released a handwritten letter, headed Christian Brueckner press release, which was obtained and published by German tabloid Bild.

The letters writer  believed to be Brueckner  accuses prosecutors of perpetrating an unbelievable scandal by starting a public prejudice campaign against him.

The writer goes on to claim that prosecutors Hans Christian Wolters and Ute Lindemann have brought shame to the German legal system and demands their resignations.

The letter, dated 8 May, was reportedly accompanied by a hand-drawn cartoon of two people ordering filet forensics at a restaurant, perhaps in reference to Mr Wolters comment that there is no forensic evidence to suggest that Madeleine is dead.

Mr Wolters has also said that the childs disappearance could be solved in months.

Madeleine, then three years old, disappeared in May 2007 from a Praia da Luz resort in the Algarve region of Portugal. Brueckner was living in a camper van nearby at the time.

He is alleged to have confessed to abducting Madeleine while talking to a criminal associate at a bar.

Brueckner denies being involved in Madeleines disappearance and has refused to talk to police.

Prosecutors say that they will interview him at the end of their investigation.

Mr Wolters said: When we have completed our investigations, we will inform the public about the result and then also about further details.

He also said that his team have received some very interesting tips.
Churchgoers in Cornwall have said they were left gobsmacked after Joe Biden, the US president, and his wife Jill Biden were spotted at Sunday service.

The couple attended a small Catholic church in St Ives in the morning of the final day of the G7 summit.

One parishioner, known only as Margaret, said it was lovely that the president and his wife joined their service at the Sacred Heart and St Ia Catholic Church.

Another woman at the church on Sunday, Annie Fitzpatrick, said: I think gobsmacked is probably a very true word.

Its quite amazing, we went into the church and they took some details from us and I thought this is a bit unusual, the 58-year-old said.

About 10 minutes into the service the doors opened up and President Biden and Dr Jill Biden walked in and just sat in the pew just across from me.

Ms Fitzpatrick said Mr Biden quietly got on with his prayer like everyone was doing.

She added: He looked around and said peace be with you, and I was one of them so Im delighted. Im not sure I will ever get over this moment completely.

The church sits in St Ives, which is not far from Carbis Bay, where they had been staying for the G7 summit.

The motorcade of U.S. President Joe Biden is parked as he attends a church service with first lady Jill Biden (AP)

Father Philip Dyson said he had not been given advance warning that the president and his wife would be joining them for the service.

We realised people were coming with security so I thought maybe the president would be coming along so we just welcomed him, he said.

He admitted he was slightly nervous while conducting the service.

Its the President of the United States of America, he said. Its a great occasion to welcome him into our parish, into the church, and its lovely to know he made the time in his busy schedule in order to come to Mass.

The priest added that he had managed to have a quick word with Mr Biden.

I welcomed him to Cornwall and he said he was enjoying his time here and there were many serious matters they were discussing and just hope its going to come to fruition, he said.

Leaders of the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan met at Carbis Bay in Cornwall for the three-day G7 summit.

After the summit ended on Sunday, Mr Biden travelled to meet Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, saying afterwards the monarch had reminded him of his mother.

Additional reporting by agencies
Joe Biden urged Boris Johnson to ensure the Northern Ireland peace process is protected in his bitter row with Brussels over post-Brexit trading arrangements, the White House has disclosed.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed the president did hold a candid discussion with the prime minister about the issue at the G7 summit in Cornwall.

Boris Johnson had claimed after his Thursday meeting with Mr Biden that they were in complete harmony on Northern Ireland  and No 10 insisted Mr Biden had not raised concerns about protocol arrangements.

But Mr Sullivan said the president had indeed expressed his views on the issue with deep sincerity  suggesting Mr Biden may have delivered his message with some feeling.

All Im going to say: they did discuss this issue. They had a candid discussion of it in private, Mr Sullivan said late on Sunday, answering questions from American reporters.

The White House adviser added: The president naturally, and with deep sincerity, encouraged the prime minister to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the progress made under it. The specifics beyond that, Im not going to get into.

Mr Sullivan would not be drawn on whether the president had linked the issue to a free trade deal with the UK, and did not specify when the conversation took place.

The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on Thursday before the main summit began and afterwards Mr Johnson played down any differences between them on the issue.

The disclosure came as the gathering ended with a furious diplomatic spat after foreign secretary Dominic Raab accused French president Emmanuel Macron of talking about Northern Ireland as if it was some kind of different country to the UK.

At his closing news conference, Mr Macron strongly denied that he had ever questioned British sovereignty and insisted the UK must honour its commitments under the Brexit deal.

Mr Johnson is said to have teased Mr Macron about French military prowess on Sunday. The prime minister said the wine he gave to Biden was as old as when the French last won a naval battle, according to The Sun.

Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson together at G7 (PA)

The continuing row over the protocol  intended to protect the peace process by ensuring there is no return to a hard border with the Republic  overshadowed much of the summit.

Mr Johnson repeated his warning that he could unilaterally delay the legally agreed checks on chilled meats moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland at the end of the month unless new arrangements are agreed.

The EU has previous said that its patience is wearing very, very thin and had threatened to launch a trade war unless the UK abides by its treaty obligations.

The Republic of Irelands foreign minister Simon Coveney claimed on Sunday there was still a middle ground when it came to aligning food standards, saying a compromise could reduce some checks on food imports from GB to NI.
The government's "pathetic" policy on border control is responsible for the expected delay to lifting the last lockdown regulations, Keir Starmer has said.

Speaking on Monday ahead of Boris Johnson's announcement the Labour leader said the expected four-week extension to regulations was "the net result" of the prime minister's "pathetic approach".

Addressing a radio phone-in Sir Keir lambasted the government for being slow to introduce hotel quarantine, allowing people travelling from high-risk and low-risk countries to mix at airports, and being slow to put India on the red list.

"Here we are, June 21 was supposed to be Freedom Day, and why are we not going to hit it? And it looks like we're not: Answer, because of the government's pathetic borders policy, absolutely pathetic," he told LBC radio.

"They didn't introduce hotel quarantine until I think February of this year, and then only 1 per cent [of travellers].

"Then we went through this ridiculous 'red, amber, green' [traffic light system] ... nobody knows where they are on that.

"And then the inexplicable delay from the 9th I think to the 23rd of April in putting India on to the red list, with lots of people coming in, and then on top of all of that and mixing at Heathrow Airport of people on red lists and green lists. Pathetic.

"That is why we are here and the Delta variant has got in because of the government's pathetic control of the borders."

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 June 2021 Dancers from the Billingham Festival and Balbir Singh Dance Company, during a preview for the The Two Fridas, UK Summer tour, presented by Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance in collaboration with Balbir Singh Dance Company, inspired by the life and times of female artists Frida Kahlo and Amrita Sher-Gil , which opens on July 10 at Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens in Durham PA UK news in pictures 29 June 2021 A boy kicks a soccer ball in front of the balconies and landings adorned with predominantly England flags at the Kirby housing estate in London AP UK news in pictures 28 June 2021 Emergency services attend a fire nearby the Elephant & Castle Rail Station in London Getty UK news in pictures 27 June 2021 People walk along Regent Street in central London during a #FreedomToDance march organised by Save Our Scene, in protest against the governments perceived disregard for the live music industry throughout the coronavirus pandemic PA UK news in pictures 26 June 2021 A pair of marchers in a Trans Pride rally share a smile in Soho Angela Christofilou/The Independent UK news in pictures 25 June 2021 Tim Duckworth during the Long Jump in the decathlon during day one of the Muller British Athletics Championships at Manchester Regional Arena PA UK news in pictures 24 June 2021 A member of staff poses with the work 'The Death of Cash' by XCopy at the 'CryptOGs: The Pioneers of NFT Art' auction at Bonhams auction house in London EPA UK news in pictures 23 June 2021 Bank of England Chief Cashier Sarah John displays the new 50-pound banknote at Daunt Books in London Bank of England via Reuters UK news in pictures 22 June 2021 Actor Isaac Hampstead Wright sits on the newly unveiled Game of Throne's "Iron Throne" statue, in Leicester Square, in London, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The statue is the tenth to join the trail and commemorates 10 years since the TV show first aired, as well as in anticipation for HBO's release of House of the Dragon set to be released in 2022 AP UK news in pictures 21 June 2021 Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon receives her second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 20 June 2021 Joyce Paton, from Peterhead, on one of the remaining snow patches on Meall aBhuiridh in Glencoe during the Midsummer Ski. The event, organised by the Glencoe Mountain Resort, is held every year on the weekend closest to the Summer Solstice PA UK news in pictures 19 June 2021 England appeal LBW during day four of their Womens International Test match against India at the Bristol County Ground PA UK news in pictures 18 June 2021 Scotland fans let off flares in Leicester Square after Scotland's Euro 2020 match against England ended in a 0-0 draw Getty UK news in pictures 17 June 2021 Members of the Tootsie Rollers jazz band pose on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 16 June 2021 A woman and child examine life-size sculptures of a herd of Asian elephants set up by the Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective to help educate the public on the elephants and the ways in which humans can better protect the planets biodiversity, in Green Park, central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 June 2021 Hydrotherapists with Dixie, a seven-year-old Dachshund who is being treated for back problems common with the breed, in the hydrotherapy pool during a facility at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's in Battersea, London, to view their new hydrotherapy centre PA UK news in pictures 14 June 2021 Scotland's David Marshall in the net after Czech Republic's Patrik Schick scored their second goal at Hampden Park Reuters UK news in pictures 13 June 2021 Raheem Sterling celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring Englands first goal of the Euro 2021 tournament in a match against Croatia at Wembley Reuters UK news in pictures 12 June 2021 Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall EPA UK news in pictures 11 June 2021 Members of the Vaxinol team, who are commercial, industrial and residential cleaners specialising in disinfection and decontamination, use electrostatic spray systems to deep clean the Only Fools Bar in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 10 June 2021 A woman walks her dogs as the incoming tide begins to wash away the heads of G7 leaders drawn in the sand by activists on the beach at Newquay, Cornwall AP 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. 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The government had hoped to end all legal restrictions by 21 June but rising cases of the more transmissible Delta variant have made ministers think twice, with an announcement expected by Mr Johnson at 6pm.

Polls suggest relatively strong support for a delay to the final lifting of regulations which include the reopening of some final hospitality venues like nightclubs.

Health minister Edward Argar told the BBC on Monday morning that delaying the lifting of restrictions by a month would allow allow another 10 million second coronavirus vaccine doses to be put into people's arms.
Rishi Sunak will not extend the furlough scheme despite a likely delay to the lifting of the last lockdown regulations, it has been reported.

The temporary social security scheme is set to begin phasing out from July 1 and end on September 30  only partially covering the expected new longer unlocking.

Boris Johnson this evening is expected to confirm on Monday evening that the last restrictions will be extended for another four weeks into late July.

But despite the planned delay the Chancellor is not expected to extend the scheme to cover the longer lockdown - which seems some businesses remain shut by government order.

Business groups including the British Chamber of Commerce have reportedly urged the chancellor Mr Sunak to extend the support to prevent job losses in sectors like hospitality. The Treasury has not denied the claims.

Asked about furlough on Monday morning ahead of the announcement, Health minister Edward Argar told Sky News: "I know that when he addresses his decision, sets out what he intends to do around the easing on the 21st, he will address those points as well.

"I think he is very mindful of the need for businesses and others to get the support they need if they continue to be locked down or unable to open.

"But I don't want to pre-empt what he will say, but I know he is very sensitive to those factors."

Mr Argar said that delaying the June 21 lockdown easing for one month would allow another 10 million second coronavirus vaccine doses to be delivered.

"Were there to be a delay, were that to be what the Prime Minister announces, we will see what he says and he will make a judgment if he were to delay it on how long by," he told BBC Breakfast.

"If we are going at a run rate of about 250,000 to 300,000 second jabs being done each day, a month gives you roughly that 10 million, which closes the gap... 10 million you have got to do to get from 29 million to 40 million, so that all 40 million have had their second jabs."

The government currently pays 80 per cent of wages up to 2,500. Month for people on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, colloquially known as furlough.

But from July those contributions will fall to 70 per cent, up to 2,187.50, with employers having to pick up a further 10 per cent or let the employee go.

In August and September the government will further cut its support to 60 per cent up to 1,875 and employers will be asked to up their contributions to 20 per cent. After September the scheme is planned to end altogether.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 30 June 2021 Dancers from the Billingham Festival and Balbir Singh Dance Company, during a preview for the The Two Fridas, UK Summer tour, presented by Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance in collaboration with Balbir Singh Dance Company, inspired by the life and times of female artists Frida Kahlo and Amrita Sher-Gil , which opens on July 10 at Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens in Durham PA UK news in pictures 29 June 2021 A boy kicks a soccer ball in front of the balconies and landings adorned with predominantly England flags at the Kirby housing estate in London AP UK news in pictures 28 June 2021 Emergency services attend a fire nearby the Elephant & Castle Rail Station in London Getty UK news in pictures 27 June 2021 People walk along Regent Street in central London during a #FreedomToDance march organised by Save Our Scene, in protest against the governments perceived disregard for the live music industry throughout the coronavirus pandemic PA UK news in pictures 26 June 2021 A pair of marchers in a Trans Pride rally share a smile in Soho Angela Christofilou/The Independent UK news in pictures 25 June 2021 Tim Duckworth during the Long Jump in the decathlon during day one of the Muller British Athletics Championships at Manchester Regional Arena PA UK news in pictures 24 June 2021 A member of staff poses with the work 'The Death of Cash' by XCopy at the 'CryptOGs: The Pioneers of NFT Art' auction at Bonhams auction house in London EPA UK news in pictures 23 June 2021 Bank of England Chief Cashier Sarah John displays the new 50-pound banknote at Daunt Books in London Bank of England via Reuters UK news in pictures 22 June 2021 Actor Isaac Hampstead Wright sits on the newly unveiled Game of Throne's "Iron Throne" statue, in Leicester Square, in London, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The statue is the tenth to join the trail and commemorates 10 years since the TV show first aired, as well as in anticipation for HBO's release of House of the Dragon set to be released in 2022 AP UK news in pictures 21 June 2021 Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon receives her second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 20 June 2021 Joyce Paton, from Peterhead, on one of the remaining snow patches on Meall aBhuiridh in Glencoe during the Midsummer Ski. The event, organised by the Glencoe Mountain Resort, is held every year on the weekend closest to the Summer Solstice PA UK news in pictures 19 June 2021 England appeal LBW during day four of their Womens International Test match against India at the Bristol County Ground PA UK news in pictures 18 June 2021 Scotland fans let off flares in Leicester Square after Scotland's Euro 2020 match against England ended in a 0-0 draw Getty UK news in pictures 17 June 2021 Members of the Tootsie Rollers jazz band pose on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 16 June 2021 A woman and child examine life-size sculptures of a herd of Asian elephants set up by the Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective to help educate the public on the elephants and the ways in which humans can better protect the planets biodiversity, in Green Park, central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 June 2021 Hydrotherapists with Dixie, a seven-year-old Dachshund who is being treated for back problems common with the breed, in the hydrotherapy pool during a facility at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's in Battersea, London, to view their new hydrotherapy centre PA UK news in pictures 14 June 2021 Scotland's David Marshall in the net after Czech Republic's Patrik Schick scored their second goal at Hampden Park Reuters UK news in pictures 13 June 2021 Raheem Sterling celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring Englands first goal of the Euro 2021 tournament in a match against Croatia at Wembley Reuters UK news in pictures 12 June 2021 Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall EPA UK news in pictures 11 June 2021 Members of the Vaxinol team, who are commercial, industrial and residential cleaners specialising in disinfection and decontamination, use electrostatic spray systems to deep clean the Only Fools Bar in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 10 June 2021 A woman walks her dogs as the incoming tide begins to wash away the heads of G7 leaders drawn in the sand by activists on the beach at Newquay, Cornwall AP 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 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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

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality said: "We recognise that the Chancellor has provided long-term support for the sector which extends into the recovery period, but there is no doubt that any extension to the restrictions will be challenging for sectors yet to open and those still trading at a loss to navigate.

"Businesses need a swift, publicly-stated commitment that such support will be in place in the event of any delays, giving them much-needed reassurance after more than 15 months of closure and severely disrupted trading.

"Hospitality is desperate to get back to what it does best and can play a key role in the economic recovery of the UK  but only if it is given the proper support."
Sir Lindsay Hoyle delivered an extraordinary double rebuke to Boris Johnson on Monday, saying it was entirely unacceptable that the prime minister held his televised news conference about changes to the Covid roadmap timetable without informing MPs in the House of Commons.

The House of Commons speaker said Johnson must now lead from the top and follow the guidance in the ministerial code, which states major announcements should be made first in parliament.

I will be pursuing this matter with him, Sir Lindsay said. I do not find it acceptable at all. Members of this house are elected to come here to serve their constituents, not to serve them via Sky or BBC.

Health secretary Matt Hancock took questions from MPs at 8.30pm, two hours after the TV announcement.

As he waited on the front bench, Sir Lindsay said: The prime minister should be here. I am sorry if his dinner would have been affected because I was told he was in Brussels. The nearest Brussels tonight were the sprouts on his dinner being served.

I say now, prime minister, you are on my watch and I want you to treat this house correctly.

Sir Lindsay earlier said Mr Hancocks statement only came after he got involved with Downing Street, adding: Were not accepting it and Im at the stage where Im beginning to look for other avenues if theyre not going to treat this house seriously.

He was responding to points of order from two senior Conservative MPs, Peter Bone and Sir Edward Leigh, who voiced their unhappiness with the handling of the announcement.

Mr Bone, the Tory MP for Wellingborough, told MPs he could think of no more important policy announcement than changes to regulations that restrict the freedom of the British people, meaning it was all the more concerning that the press and public were being informed before legislators.

What makes this matter more concerning is that about 30 minutes ago the media were given an embargoed copy of the statement, he said during an appearance at the Commons. So the media have the statement in advance, there will be a public press conference at 6pm and the last people to know about the changes to the Covid regulations will be members of parliament.

Mr Bone added it was very disrespectful and even suggested the move might be considered a contempt of parliament.

This was followed by a senior figure in the Conservative Party, MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, querying if it would be possible for the government to provide a statement to parliament at 6pm  before Mr Johnson goes live to the nation.

If somebodys willing to do that from Downing Street, I will always ensure that this house will hear it, Sir Lindsay responded.

My view is I was told no decisions have been taken. Thats why Im more shocked to know there is an embargo [with the press], a list of whats going to happen to this country, without this house knowing.
The northern highlands of Ethiopia became a global byword for famine in the mid-1980s, when drought and conflict combined to create a disaster that killed as many as one million people. Now hunger is stalking the Tigray region again, and a senior UN official alleges that starvation is being used as a weapon of war.

More than 350,000 of Tigrays nearly six million people are living in famine conditions, according to an analysis by United Nations agencies and global aid groups first reported by Reuters on Thursday. Nearly two million others are one step away from such dire deprivation, they said. Ethiopia has disputed these estimates.

Fighting since November between Ethiopias government and the regions ousted ruling party, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), has displaced more than two million people. The conflict broke out just before the main harvest, with each side blaming the other. The neighbouring country of Eritrea and the next-door Ethiopian region of Amhara sent forces in support of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds government.

In some of his strongest public comments to date on the crisis, the UNs top humanitarian official, Mark Lowcock, accused Eritrean forces of trying to deal with the Tigrayan population by starving them. In an interview with Reuters, Mr Lowcock said Eritrean soldiers and local fighters are deliberately blocking supplies to the more than one million people in areas outside government control. Food is definitely being used as a weapon of war.

Ethiopias government, the United Nations and aid agencies have delivered food and other help to some 3.3 million Tigray residents since March, according to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA. But most of that aid is going to government-controlled areas, Lowcock said.

Eritrea - which fought a brutal border war against Ethiopia in 1998-2000, when the TPLF dominated the central government - didnt respond to questions for this article. Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel has previously said accusations that Eritrean soldiers are blocking or looting aid are fabricated.

The Ethiopian military, the prime ministers office and the head of a national taskforce on Tigray did not respond to requests for comment on Mr Lowcocks remarks. At a 3 June news conference, Abiys spokesperson, Billene Seyoum, dismissed accusations that the countrys defence forces are using food as a weapon as baseless and politically motivated.

Mitiku Kassa, head of Ethiopias National Disaster Risk Management Commission, which manages the governments crisis response, accused the TPLF, the former ruling party, of attacking food trucks and aid personnel, but didnt respond to a request for examples. He told reporters on Wednesday that more than 90 per cent of people in Tigray had been provided aid. We dont have any food shortage, he said.

The UN, however, has said it has received reports from local Tigrayan officials of more than 150 people starving to death. Mr Lowcock said he believed many more had died but could not provide a figure. He is already seeing echoes of the colossal tragedy of the 1984-85 famine in Ethiopia, he said. Its not outlandish to think that could happen (again) if action to tackle the problem doesnt improve.

In the fertile lands of western Tigray, farmers abandoned fields full of sorghum, teff and sesame to escape the violence, Reuters reporting shows. Some residents accused Amhara forces of stealing their crops and livestock, or chasing them off their farms. In northern and eastern Tigray, farmers told Reuters that soldiers from Eritrea had torched their crops and grain stores, and slaughtered oxen needed for ploughing.

An estimated 90 per cent of the harvest for 2020 was lost, according to the UNs analysis. Some farmers said they were now eating the seeds they needed to plant the next crop.

Gizachew Muluneh, spokesman for the Amhara regional administration, told Reuters that Amhara forces would never steal crops, livestock or block aid.

In the paediatric ward of Adigrat General Hospital, about 30km from the Eritrea border, Adan Muez huddled beneath a warm blanket in mid-March, his skeletal frame too weak to lift up his head and eyes closed despite the chatter around him.

The 14-year-old used to be strong as a lion, his uncle Tadesse Aregawi said at the boys bedside, as Adan laboured to breathe. But when he was admitted earlier that month, he weighed barely 14.9 kilograms, or 33 pounds - about a third of the normal weight for his age.

The family had spent more than three months hiding in a cave to escape Eritrean soldiers, who they heard had been killing and raping people, Tadesse said - charges denied by the Eritrean government.

They survived on a handful of roasted barley per day; six other people from their village of Tsasie died of hunger and illness while in hiding, Tadesse said.

When we came back to the village, there was nothing left - no cattle, no food, no water. Someone donated clothes to us, he said, a coat hanging off his skinny frame.

He said the family had received food aid only once since then - 20 kilos of wheat for 10 people.

Like many malnourished children, Adan had a complicating health issue - he has a gastric ulcer that makes it hard to digest some food, including certain types of grain, his medical records showed.

On 4 May, the hospital referred him to another facility in the regional capital, Mekelle, a doctor at Adigrat told Reuters. Adigrat had run out of the fortified milk used to treat malnourished children. But doctors in Mekelle could find no record of Adans admission. Reuters was unable to reach the family to find out what happened to him. Officials at Adigrat hospital say they dont know what happened after Adans discharge. Information on the extent of malnutrition in Tigray is spotty. Healthcare facilities were heavily damaged in the fighting, and many are barely functioning. Soldiers block main roads for weeks at a time, and much of the region still has no functioning cell phone service.

Figures collected by the UN childrens agency UNICEF and shared with Reuters offer a rare snapshot of the worsening crisis.

In March, 1,187 children were treated for severe wasting at hospitals covering about a third of Tigray. Thats about the same number who would have been treated in the entire region before the war, UNICEF said. In April, the number rose to 1,723. In May, it reached 2,931.

The international medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which runs mobile clinics in some remote rural areas, said it had seen alarming levels of malnutrition. About 19 per cent of children visiting its clinics in May were malnourished, MSF told Reuters. More than 4 per cent were suffering from the most severe form of malnutrition and could die without care.

Hunger is a perennial threat in Tigray, a heavily agricultural region prone to drought and locust plagues. Its population is overwhelmingly ethnic Tigrayan. The TPLF dominated Ethiopias government for almost three decades until 2018, when protests swept one of Africas most repressive regimes from power. The TPLF then retrenched to its home region. In November 2020, the federal government drove the TPLF from the regional capital and installed a new interim administration in Tigray.

Most people are subsistence farmers whose stone houses dot carefully terraced fields.

Nearly a million were already dependent on food aid before the conflict between the federal government and the TPLF began. The number in need of emergency food has now soared to 5.2 million, or 91 per cent of Tigrays population, according to the UN World Food Program.

The government refused to let aid convoys into the region for the first five weeks of fighting, citing safety concerns. Although access has improved since December, weekly reports from OCHA show swathes of Tigray remain out of reach.

Persistent clashes have blocked access to many rural areas, according to the UN. By the end of May, OCHA had recorded some 130 incidents of aid agencies being turned away at checkpoints and of staff being assaulted, interrogated or hindered from working in the region, Mr Lowcock told Reuters. He said Eritreans were clearly responsible for 50 such incidents and men in Ethiopian military uniforms for 50 others. Volunteer militiamen from Amhara were responsible for 27 incidents, he said. Tigrayan opposition forces also hindered operations on at least one occasion.

At least 10 aid workers have been killed in the conflict, Mr Lowcock said. They include an employee of the Relief Society of Tigray - a partner of the US Agency for International Development - who was shot dead on April 28 in the central Kola Tembien district. The US Embassy released a statement on 20 May saying Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers had reportedly shot him.

According to eyewitnesses, he clearly identified himself as a humanitarian worker and pleaded for his life before he was killed, the statement said. Neither the Ethiopian military nor the Eritrean government responded to Reuters questions about the killing.

Ethiopian soldiers and their allies from the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) were still turning away aid vehicles at checkpoints and assaulting and detaining aid workers in the northern, central and southeastern zones of Tigray this month, according to 11 internal UN reports reviewed by Reuters and interviews with five aid workers.

The regions justice bureau head, Abera Nigus, a Tigrayan, said the issue of food-aid access was being discussed at weekly meetings between the military and the interim administration in Tigray. For the past two months, he said, he has repeatedly raised problems with Eritrean soldiers blocking food trucks along the road between two major towns, Axum and Adwa, with no results.

The food blockage is not an accident - it is very purposefully done, Abera said.

Reuters sent detailed questions to government officials in Ethiopia and Eritrea about obstructions to food supplies but did not receive a response.

Abebe Gebrehiwot, deputy head of the Tigray interim administration, told Reuters that Eritrean soldiers were now preventing farmers from planting the next crop, while Amhara regional forces were blocking the transportation of agricultural supplies, such as seeds, into Tigray.

It is not Ethiopian national defence forces that campaign against farming, it is the Eritrean defence force. The other challenge is coming from Amhara region militia or special forces, Abebe told Reuters in a text message. We are on good terms with the Ethiopian military force.

But a senior Tigrayan regional official told Reuters that both countries militaries were chasing farmers from their fields.

This is the case for the past month primarily Eritreans but also Ethiopian forces. They say, dont plough. Go away, he said.

Eritrean and Ethiopian officials didnt respond to questions from Reuters. Billene, the Ethiopian prime ministers spokesperson, has previously denied that farmers are being prevented from going about their work.

In the town of Ziban Gedena, in northwestern Tigray, Eritrean soldiers had burned 150 houses, killed 300 civilians, looted or slaughtered 90 per cent of oxen and livestock, burnt and stolen harvests and set fire to animal fodder, according to notes from a UN briefing after a 6 June visit. Continuing harassment from Eritrean forces meant that no one was plowing the land for the next crop, farmers told aid workers.

Many villages on the main road to Adwa are deserted, and no work on the land is taking place, a report from an aid agency noted last week.

The UNs warning of famine conditions did not contain an assessment on western Tigray, now under the control of Amhara regional forces who claim the area as their own. The UN said it didnt have sufficient data from there.

Driving through the area in March, Reuters saw fields of damaged crops left to rot. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Tigrayans have fled the area, many saying they were driven out by Amhara forces, including a part-time militia known as Fano. Mizan Berhanu, 23, said he left the town of Division in March, finding shelter at an overcrowded school in Shire, a town 150 km to the northeast, to where many from western Tigray are fleeing.

Fano and Amhara police were robbing everyones cows, he said. Anyone who followed them was shot at.

Gizachew, the Amhara regional spokesman, said western Tigray was now part of Amhara. He rejected the accusations that Amhara forces had taken grain or livestock. Amhara forces are not robbers, he said. They are keeping people from TPLF dangers. Neither Fano nor Amhara police responded to questions from Reuters. Fano has previously denied looting.

Few of the new arrivals in Shire could find space in the crowded classrooms; even the space under trees had been taken. The town is hosting over half a million people, according to the UNs analysis.

Local authorities said they are unable to feed them all.

At a gathering of farmers at the agricultural office in Shire in March, representatives from nearby districts told Reuters that their crops had been torched, their ploughing oxen stolen and the seeds they would have planted burnt or eaten. Most were supporting relatives who had fled violence elsewhere.

The children are coughing and getting diarrhea. We eat once a day, said Mekonnen Lake, an Ethiopian Orthodox priest from central Tigray, who has 13 displaced relatives living with him. Half his harvest had to be abandoned due to fighting, and the half he had gathered in was burned, he said at the meeting.

I think about killing myself, but it is forbidden as a priest, he said.

Reuters
Flag Day is the annual celebration of the American flag, held on the anniversary of the day it was officially created.

On 14 June, 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes for its flag.

"Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation, John Adams said.

A school teacher named Bernard J Cigrand, who is widely considered the Father of Flag Day, is thought to be the first person to have formally proposed the annual celebration of the flag.

In 1916, over 100 years after the flags conception, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation for the national observance of the day.

On the day, towns and cities proudly fly their flag and some hold parades in honour of it. The flag is also flown at all government buildings.

What does the US flag symbolise?

Each star on the flag represents each of the 50 US states while 13 stripes on the flag symbolise the 13 original colonies.

There have been twenty-seven official versions of the flag so far and stars have been added to it as states have entered the Union.

Is Flag Day a national holiday?

Flag Day is not considered a federal holiday, but its observance is proclaimed every year by the president of the United States.

Pennsylvania is said to be the only state that recognises 14 June as a legal holiday. New York also recognises the second Sunday in June as Flag Day.

The United States has grown and changed across the generations  and our flag has changed in turn, president Joe Biden said in a proclamation on Flag Day on 11 June.

He added: I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag.

Why are some flags being burnt?

The US Department of Defence (DOD) explains that the appropriate method to dispose of old and frayed flags is by burning in a flag retirement ceremony.

Dont just throw it in the trash like any other old item  thats considered disrespectful, the department says.

The DOD says that residents can donate their flags to state and county government offices for burning or that citizens can respectfully carry out their own burning ceremony.

Flag day is considered the aptest day to hold such dignified ceremonies, and the burnings are often held at night.

To correctly burn a flag, it must first be folded as per correct flag etiquette. Those carrying out the ceremony must then salute the flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance before placing it in a fire.
A man has been shot dead in Texas after he was spotted urinating in the street by residents, police said.

Lester Fuentes-Buezo, 20, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds at the block of 9000 Bunny Run Drive in Houston, Texas, last Thursday.

Police said they were informed at about 10.25 pm and rushed to the scene. Fuentes-Buezo was pronounced dead at the scene by Houston Fire Department paramedics.

Houston Police Department spokesperson Lt Ronnie Willkens said witnesses told police the victim was in the neighbourhood to buy drugs, and that an unspecified number of residents confronted him when he started urinating in the street.

A preliminary investigation and witness statements indicated Fuentes-Buezo was seen urinating in the street and an unknown suspect got upset with him, the department said in a statement.

Fuentes and the suspect then got into an argument, during which both men pulled out guns. The suspect shot Fuentes-Buezo and then fled the scene.

Police said there were at least two possible suspects in the shooting, according to Fox 5, including one who left the scene and another who went into a home on the street. A third individual has admitted involvement in the confrontation and was cooperating with investigators, Lt Willkens said.

None of their identities have been revealed by police.

The homicide division of the Houston Police Department has asked anyone with information about the case to contact them.

In a separate incident in Texas this weekend, one of 14 people injured in a shooting in downtown Austin died on Sunday. Austin Police tweeted that one suspect was in custody and a second suspect was still at large.

According to the data compiled by CNN and the Gun Violence Archive, the US has suffered 270 mass shootings this year.

The Washington Post reported in March that in 2020, gun violence killed nearly 20,000 Americans. As per the data from the Gun Violence Archive, this is more than any other year in at least two decades. An additional 24,000 people died by suicide with a gun, it said.
A lobster diver who survived being engulfed by a whale recounted his wild life  in which he has survived a plane crash and found a dead body  during a Reddit Ask Me Anything.

Users on the site spoke with Michael Packard, a fisherman who wound up inside the mouth of a humpback whale while diving for lobster last Friday. Mr Packard's son facilitated the discussion.

Mr Packard said it was totally dark inside the creature's mouth, and said the whale used its head and tongue to dislodge him from its mouth.

He insists the whale could not have swallowed him fully, even if it wanted to. However, he said he could have still died regardless, as he could have suffocated inside the mouth or drowned, as he momentarily lost his diving regulator.

Mr Packard said he was trapped in the whale's mouth for between 30 and 40 seconds, and said he was almost convinced I was going to die that day.

He said it is not unusual for him to run into whales while diving, but said in most cases the animals keep their distance.

He was taken to the hospital, after the incident, and suffered soft tissue damage from the blunt force of the whale's mouth, which he said he could feel clamping down on his leg.

Mr Packard recalled having numerous visits while he was at the hospital from doctors and nurses asking him about the whale experience, including one nurse who came in with a notepad and asked him for lottery numbers.

During the chat, the diver revealed that being nearly eaten by a whale is only one in a line of exceptional experiences he's had.

A while back, I encountered the corpse of a missing person while diving," he said. "That is definitely up there with the crazy stories.

He said the body he found was being sought by investigators as part of an active missing person case.

The diver also revealed that he had survived a plane crash in Costa Rica.

In 2001, Mr Packard and seven others were in a small plane when it crashed in Costa Rica, killing three of the passengers.

Doctors who treated the survivors  including Mr Packard, who had sustained injuries to his chest  said they would not have survived another night at their crash site due to the injuries they sustained.

Noting the cinematic series of misadventures the diver has had, Reddit users asked him who he would want to play him in a movie about his life.

Mr Packard said he would prefer Matt Damon, though his wife insists that Sean Penn take the role.
A massive explosion and fire at a Chemtool plant in Rockton, Illinois forced the evacuation of residents within a mile of the facility.

The explosion occurred on Monday morning around 7:30am.

An evacuation of the area was ordered by fire officials who feared potentially hazardous chemicals may have been leaked into the air. According to MyStateline.com, Chemtool produces fluids, lubricants and grease products.

Approximately 70 Chemtool employees were evacuated from the facility.

Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson said the citys HAZMAT teams conducted air quality tests and found that there is no danger to air quality at the ground level.

Prior to the tests, Mr Wilson said it was strongly suggested that 150 businesses and residents within the one-mile danger zone should leave the area.

Mr Wilson said the fire in the chemical plant could become an environmental disaster due to the release of harmful substances into the air.

One firefighter has been injured while responding to the incident. There are no other known injuries.

The Lubrizol Corporation, which owns Chemtool, released a statement on Monday addressing the blaze.

We have confirmed all on site are safe and accounted for. Our concern right now is for the safety of all our employees and the surrounding community. As a precaution, authorities have evacuated residents in a one-mile radius of the site, the company said.

The company said it was working to help solve the problem.

We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions. We will share more details as they are known, the statement said.

A local middle school is being used as an evacuation site.

MyStateline.com spoke with an employee at the plant who said everyone escaped unharmed.

Everybody that got us out of there  they were on top of it. We had plenty of time to get out. Everybody got out. It was pretty well organised, the employee said. Theres a lot of grease, oil and fluids in there. Its gonna burn for a while. If it was going to explode, it wouldve already done it. Those small explosions that everyones seeing are drums of fluid or grease.

The employee told the outlet that they were told a pipe that pumps hot grease along the ceiling from kettles in the facility broke, prompting the fire.

The company has not released a statement confirming the cause of the blaze.
In a breach of royal protocol, President Joe Biden revealed the contents of his meeting with the Queen to the media on Sunday evening.

Mr Biden told reporters that the Queen asked him about his Russian and Chinese counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping during his 45-minute meeting with her over tea at the Windsor Castle.

It is exceptionally rare for anyone, including the UK Prime Minister, to reveal to the public the contents of the meeting with the 95-year-old monarch.

On Sunday evening, at the Heathrow airport moments before leaving for Brussels, Mr Biden told the media: We had a long talk, she was very generous. I dont think shed be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity.

The Queen also quizzed the US president about Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. He told reporters: She wanted to know what the two leaders that I  the one Im about to meet with, Mr Putin, and she wanted to know about Xi Jinping.

Mr Biden is meeting with his Russian counterpart next week as he continues with his European tour.

He was accompanied by the US First Lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle.

Mr Biden had earlier mentioned that the relations of the two countries  the US and Russia  were at a historically low point. I think the best way to deal with this is for him and I to meet.

Speaking to White House correspondents about his meeting with the Queen, Mr Biden said: I said I wish we could stay longer, maybe we could hold the cars up a minute, and stuff. Anyway, she was very gracious.

The Queen also introduced the US President and the First Lady to her lady-in-waiting Dame Annabel Whitehead before stepping inside.

Mr Biden said he has extended an invitation to the Queen to visit the White House.

In 2012, a BBC security correspondent, Frank Gardner, was forced to apologise publicly after he revealed on Radio 4 what the Queen had told him about Abu Hamza, the imam of Finsbury Park mosque in north London.

Press Association had earlier also reported a snippet of the conversation between the Queen and Mr Biden. It reported that the Queen said to the president: You completed your talks, to which Mr Biden replied: Yes we did.

Arriving in a black Range Rover after flying on the Marine One presidential helicopter, Mr Biden was greeted by the Queen who was standing alone, two months after the death of her husband, Prince Philip.

The royal family has taken an active role during the G7 summit, with the Queen hosting a reception for Biden and other G7 leaders at the Eden Project in Cornwall, also attended by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

The Queen received the Trumps in 2018, the Obamas in 2016, President George W Bush and his wife in 2008 and the Reagans in 1982.
President Joe Biden shared an awkward greeting with Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday as the two leaders greeted each other at a NATO plenary session in Brussels.

Photographs captured by the Associated Press and other news outlets showed the two leaders talking briefly after sharing the gesture, which occurred as the leaders prepared for a private bilateral meeting amid the summit.

Mr Biden, wearing a mask, is seen talking to the maskless Turkish leader and sharing smiles with Mr Erdogan.

Their friendly chat came despite reports that Mr Erdogan plans to express his displeasure with Mr Biden over the USs recognition of the Armenian Genocide at their upcoming meeting.

The president himself referred to the actions of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide in a statement in April marking the anniversary of the killings.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets President Biden at NATO summit in Brussels.



(AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, Pool) pic.twitter.com/Y0VUbDyHkW  The Recount (@therecount) June 14, 2021

Some experts have said that while Mr Erdogan plans to enter the meeting and express his opposition to the US declaration, the Turkish leader is also hoping to show critics at home an improvement to US-Turkey relations at the summit.

The Turkish president is desperate to offer this meeting to domestic and global investors as proof that bilateral relations are improving, a former member of Turkeys parliament, Aykan Erdemir, told The Hill.

The US president, meanwhile, is seeking to reinforce Americas commitment to the alliance after four years of President Donald Trump, who famously trashed US participation in NATO and blamed other member-states for insufficient contributions.
Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene apologised on Monday for previously comparing Covid mask mandates to the Holocaust, following a secret visit to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC.

The horrors of the Holocaust are something that some people dont even believe happened, and some people deny, but there is no comparison to the Holocaust, she told reporters after her visit. There are words that I have said and remarks that I have made that I know are offensive and for that I want to apologise.

The scandal began in late May, when the congresswoman called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mentally ill for supporting mask mandates.

We can look back at a time in history when people were told to wear a gold star, and ... they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany, she told an interviewer on the Real Americas Voice network showThe Water Cooler. This is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about.

The comments drew immediate condemnation from Jewish groups as well as some of her own colleagues, but the provocative Georgia Republican continued strongly defending her comparison.

I stand by all of my statements, she lated said. I said nothing wrong. Any rational Jewish person didnt like what happened in Nazi Germany, and any rational Jewish person doesnt like whats happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies.

Republicans quickly condemned her statements, with GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy saying she had belittled the greatest atrocity committed in history.

This February 230 members of the House of Representatives, mostly Democrats, voted to oust the congresswoman from her committee assignments, a rare and very public rebuke following a history of bigoted comments.

Ms Greene, who Donald Trump once called a future Republican star, quickly rose to prominence like her idol by saying the most outrageous and offensive things possible, ensuring a constant media spotlight.

The Georgia Republican has previously called the election of Muslim congresswomen like Ilhan Omar an Islamic invasion, lied about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez telling supporters to punch a cop, posed with an assault rifle next to pictures of The Squad group of progressive congress members in the House, supported the QAnon mass delusion, and endorsed 9/11 conspiracy theories.

She also regularly flouted Congresss own mask rules, and shredded a warning letter she received.
People jailed for possessing only small amounts of crack cocaine are not currently eligible for reduced prison sentences despite a federal law that sought to retroactively adjust discrepancies between sentences for crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenders during the war on drugs, according to a US Supreme Court ruling on Monday.

Justices argued that a recently passed law  the First Step Act, a rare bipartisan measure that sought to correct long-standing imbalances from the war on drugs  only applies to people imprisoned under mandatory minimum drug sentences, but not in cases where judges had more discretion but imposed harsher sentences.

Mondays decision was unanimous.

Passage of the First Step Act followed the aftermath of the crack epidemic in the 1980s, when Congress passed a sweeping law  the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986  that declared that a person in possession of a small amount of the drug could receive the same prison sentence as someone who possessed 100 times that amount in powder form.

Those harsher sentencing guidelines disproportionately impacted Black Americans, given much longer prison terms compared to white people who faced convictions for possessing essentially the same amount of the drug.

The measure has been widely condemned among criminal justice reform advocates, prompting Congress to revisit the law in 2010 with the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced the disparity from 100 times to 18 and eliminated the five-year mandatory minimum sentence.

In 2018, Congress passed the First Step Act, which made those changes retroactive.

The case that reached the high court involved Tarahrick Terry, who was sentenced to more than 15 years for possession of fewer than four grams of crack cocaine in 2008. He was not sentenced according to previous federal sentencing guidelines.

At the time of his arrest, the law imposed a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for possession of at least 50 grams of crack and a five-year minimum for at least five grams. A third tier did not include mandatory minimums involving an unspecified amount.

But the First Step Act only applies to the first two tiers, effectively keeping people on the hook for lengthy sentences despite the smaller amount, and still applying the same racially disparate sentencing laws.

Justice Department attorneys under Joe Bidens administration  as well as lawmakers who authored the law  have argued that it should apply to low-level offences, changing course from the narrow scope of the law under Donald Trumps administration.

Terry sought a reduced sentence under the First Step Act, but a lower court ruling argued that the law did not apply to low-level possession that fell under covered offences in the law. An appeals court ruling sided with the lower court, and Mr Terry appealed to the Supreme Court, as he seeks to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement. His sentence ends later this year.

The question here is whether crack offenders who did not trigger a mandatory minimum qualify, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the courts opinion. They do not.

The ruling could imperil hundreds of currently incarcerated people who were convicted for possessing only small amounts of crack that do not apply as covered offences.

In her concurring opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor pressed Congress to revisit the law and provide broader protections for low-level offenders.

She pointed to arguments from lawmakers who called on the court to interpret the First Step Act to apply to people like Terry and hundreds of other incarcerated people sitting in prison for only small amounts of the drug.

Unfortunately, the text will not bear that reading, she said. Fortunately, Congress has numerous tools to right this injustice.
Former President Donald Trump is reportedly angry after learning Republican candidates for elected offices are claiming he has endorsed them  even though he has not.

Politico reports that one of that one of those candidates is Lynda Blanchard, who is running for the Alabama Senate.

Ms Blanchard donated $1m to a pro-Donald Trump political committees and served as his ambassador to Slovenia.

When she launched her campaign, Ms Blanchard used a video pumping her Trump bonafides, including a pickup truck decorated with a Trump bumper sticker.

Mr Trump is believed to be backing Rep Mo Brooks, a primary challenger to Ms Blanchard who championed the former president's fraudulent challenge to the 2020 election and who spoke at the rally that preceded the Capitol riot.

The former president reportedly complained to his advisers that he barely knew Ms Blanchard.

In response, Ms Blanchard's staff said the campaign ad was never meant to suggest she had Mr Trump's support, but that she supported him.

Numerous Republicans have made their support of Mr Trump a centre-point of their campaigns, all vying to appeal to the conservative base that still largely favours the former president.

Mr Trump's former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, said most of them are lying.

Lots of candidates pretend to have the support of President Trump. Most are full of s***. You will know when President Trump endorses someone, he said.

While Mr Trump frequently touts his popularity among Republican voters, he is also deeply protective of his political brand and appears to view his endorsements as essentially an anointment.

In one instance Mr Trump invited four Ohio Republicans to Florida to compete for his endorsement in an upcoming senate race to fill Senator Rob Portman's seat.

In a 15-minute meeting at Mar-a-Lago, he set the candidates against each other, forcing them to make the case for who should receive his coveted endorsement.

It is clear Mr Trump wants his endorsement to be a gold standard for candidates, and his staff have fought people who have fraudulently suggested they are his chosen pick.

Last year his campaign staff sent cease-and-desist letters to his former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was running for the Alabama Senate as well as candidates running for local offices.

More recently, a flier began circulating on the internet that Mr Trump had endorsed Hirsh Singh, a conservative businessman running for governor of New Jersey.

The flier was reportedly made to mimic Mr Trump's occasional missives to lend it credibility. Mr Trump's spokesman, Jason Miller, issued a tweet saying the fliers were "FAKE" and confirming that the former president "has NOT endorsed in the race."

Mr Singh denied any involvement with the flier, claiming one of his opponents was behind the scheme in an attempt to embarrass him, saying "I don't play sneaky games like this."

Prior to that, Mr Miller also objected to claims made by Doug Mastriano, who is running for the Pennsylvania state senate, that Mr Trump had asked him to run, saying "Doug, run and I'll campaign for you."

Mr Trump's spokesman again said that the former president "has not made any endorsement or commitments yet."

Another instance occurred in April, when Mr Trump's team rejected claims made by Dan Rodimer, a former professional wrestler-turned-political candidate running for the Texas House of Representatives.

Mr Rodimer ran ads claiming he was the "Trump candidate" and that he was the only candidate in the race that "has ever been endorsed by President Trump."

Mr Miller again knocked down the claims, saying that "President Trump has NOT yet endorsed a candidate."

Mr Rodimer claimed he "did not imply we had Trump's support" with the ad.
An ex-colonel convicted of human rights violations during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet has been arrested in Argentina after fleeing from neighbouring Chile, the South American nations authorities report.

Walter Klug Rivera was apprehended outside his hotel in Buenos Aires on Saturday, which Argentine police say he intended to leave within the next few hours to continue his escape.

Klug Rivera was convicted in the disappearance and murder of 23 workers in 1973 after Pinochet seized power in Chile in an infamous coup that resulted in the death of sitting president Salvador Allende.

Allende, the socialist leader of the democratically-elected Unidad Popular party, was ousted with the support of the United States, declassified documents from Richard Nixons presidency suggest.

More than 3,000 people died or disappeared during Pinochets military rule, Chiles government say, and thousands more socialists, leftists and other dissidents were tortured or exiled, police investigations and truth commissions have shown.

Klug Rivera is to be detained in Buenos Aires until Monday, when he has been ordered to appear before Julian Ercolini, a federal judge who will begin the process of extraditing him back to Chile, Argentine media say.

Police confirmed his arrest on Twitter, writing: Walter Klug Rivera was apprehended outside the ... hotel where he was staying, which he intended to leave in the next few hours in order to continue evading justice.

Argentinas minister of the interior, Eduardo de Pedro, posted on the social media site that Klug Riveras extradition has been ordered and that he is wanted by Interpol for crimes against humanity.

We have ordered the expulsion of the Chilean citizen Walter Klug Rivera, who entered Argentina illegally escaping from the justice of his country, where he is accused of the qualified homicide of 23 people during the Pinochet dictatorship, he wrote.

Klug Rivera also has a red notice from Interpol for his arrest for crimes against humanity. With this measure, the Argentine Republic reaffirms its commitment to the full exercise of human rights, justice and international order.
Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich has appeared in front of reporters in Minsk at a government press conference on the forced landing of the Ryanair passenger plane he was travelling on before his arrest in May.

The 26-year-old can be seen walking into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefing, which was live-streamed on YouTube, before taking a seat alongside officials and answering reporters questions.

Mr Protasevich claimed to be in a great mood and stressed that no one had beaten him after his arrest. He added that he had not been forced to cooperate with Belarusian investigators and was exercising his personal choice in doing so.

But journalists at the scene disputed that. BBC reporter Jonah Fisher tweeted that he had walked out of the press conference because Mr Protasevich was clearly there under duress.

Minsk-born journalist Hanna Liubakova, meanwhile, tweeted that she was in Orwells 1984 and accused authorities of holding Mr Protasevich hostage.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is blaming the west, the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organisation] and everyone else for their response, she wrote.

They are creating a completely different reality. They even brought Roman as a hostage to the briefing.

Mr Protasevich said at the press conference that he respects Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, despite not being a supporter, and that he is aware of the damage he has caused to the state.

His comments echo those he made in a state TV appearance 10 days after his arrest. At that time, a tearful Mr Protasevich, again claiming to be speaking of his own free will, described his respect for Mr Lukashenko, who he said behaves like a man with balls of steel.

The journalists father, Dmitry Protasevich, claimed that the interview was the result of abuse, torture and threats.

Franak Viacorka, an adviser to Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, similarly claimed in a tweet that Mr Protasevich is a political prisoner of Lukashenkos autocratic regime, and compared his interview to the works of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

The EU is said to be preparing a number of additional sanctions against Belarus after the arrests of Mr Protasevich and his 23-year-old Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, who is also being held in the eastern European country.

The couple were aboard a Ryanair plane travelling between Greece and Lithuania, and were arrested after it made a forced landing in Minsk in what national leaders have called a state hijacking.

Britain has responded to the incident by suspending the air permit for the Belarus national carrier, Belavia.
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In 2019, Akahsy Kumar had announced the title of his historical period drama Prithviraj. In the past couple of years, there haven't been any major updates on the movie. It's only after years that the title of the film has seemingly offended sections of people, who are now demanding a change in the title of the film.

Elated to share about my 1st historical film on my birthday!Humbled to have the opportunity to play a hero I look up to for his valor & values- Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan in one of my biggest films #Prithviraj.

Producer @yrf,director #DrChandraprakashDwivedi, releasing Diwali 2020 pic.twitter.com/Q2nD5KE3KR  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) September 9, 2019

After Karni Sena and Sanatan Sena, now Akhil Bhartiya Kshatriya Mahasabha has raised objections to the title of Prithviraj. They say it insults the great ruler.

YouTube

"The insult of the great brave warrior Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan ji, who protected the nation and Hinduism, is an insult to every citizen of India. The title of Yash Raj produced film Prithviraj directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi is an insult to the great Hindu emperor. It is condemnable and insulting to not address such a great warrior and a brave son of India by his full name," said Shantanu Chauhan, youth wing head of the organization.

Indiatimes

Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha has not only demanded a change in the title but has also demanded an approval of script by senior representatives of the Kshatriya Samaj as well as a screening before its release to make sure that facts have not been distorted.



Twitter

Filmmaker Chandraprakash Dwivedi, best known for his TV series Chanakya, is making the historical film Prithviraj, whose story is based on the epic poem Prithviraj Raso.



The film also stars Manushi Chhillar plays Sanyogita.



Also Read: Karni Sena Demands Change Of Title Of 'Prithviraj', Threatens Of Padmaavat-Like Consequences
A year ago in this day, there was a lockdown imposed in most parts of the nation. The fear of coronavirus spreading at a rapid pace was looming upon everyone when the news flashed Sushant Singh Rajput is no more. What was more shocking was the fact that he died by suicide.

Since that day, the investigation in the apparent suicide case is on. A hashtag in his name trends on social media almost every day. Several conspiracy theories that seemed believable to many, came forward. Several people, especially in the drugs case, got arrested. From Rhea Chakraborty's arrest to Kangana Ranaut's sensational claims, a lot happened in past one year.

Today, a year later, his fans, friends, colleagues and family members are sharing fond memories of the star, remembering the star we lost.

1. Amit Sadh says he misses his enthusiasm.

Twitter

"Whenever I will miss him too much, I will watch Sonchiriya and raise a toast to him. Wherever in heaven he is, I believe he is happy and busy."

"Sushants enthusiasm for his work was admirable and he maintained that consistently throughout his relatively short, but a celebrated career. To retain that hunger for your craft and ambition is a remarkable quality to have," Sadh, who worked with Rajput in Kai Po Che told Bombay Times.

2. Usha Nadkarni who played his mother in Pavitra Rishta shares what he dreamt of at 23.

Twitter

"I find it tough to accept that he would take such a step. I remember when he was 23, he told me that he would like to move to Bandra and buy a place in the Bandra-Kurla Complex. He managed to do that in a few years. He had the drive, talent and ambition. It is such a tragedy," she told BollywoodLife and hoped that the truth to come out soon.

3. Ankita Lokhande has kept a havan at home for Rajput.

Instagram

4. Hope you have found peace, writes Bhumi Pednekar.

5. Manoj Bajpayee, who also worked with Rajput in Sonchiriya, says he cannot still believe that he isn't among us.

Twitter

"Just now when you asked me about him in the past tense, it suddenly struck me that he is no more with us. But I still cant believe that he is no longer with us," he told Pinkvilla and added, "While shooting for Sonchiriya, we used to party together and he was quite interested in looking at the stars and the planets. He had an expensive telescope which he was carrying with him, and even used to make us look at the stars, and would explain about the galaxy and the planets. Thats my fond memory about him".

6. Remembring Sushant Singh Rajput, Pulkit Samrat wrote, "It has been a year since the world lost you, and my mind immediately goes back to the times when we crossed paths briefly, at an award function. We shook hands briefly and went our separate ways."

"The world lost you, but you still exist as an inspiration to those who dare to dream big. You exist in the hopes and aspirations of every small town guy who dreams of making it big some day. You exist for everyone who wants to believe that humans are capable of kindness. You exist for everyone who dares to dream. I never got to know you in this lifetime, but if we live more than once, I would want to be a part of the world again where you exist, a world that is much kinder than this one. Sushant Singh Rajput, you are missed".



7. Sushant Singh Rajput was murdered, says Shekhar Suman.

Remembering v v fondly Sushant Singh Rajput one amongst us yet one above us.A courageous and an extremely talented loving caring man who succumbed to the pressures and norms of the society establishment and relationships.

We all miss you.#JusticeForSSR  Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) June 14, 2021

It's my firm belief that SSR was murdered brutally and did not commit suicide.And if that's the case why are the culprits roaming around scot free?why justice is being delayed?why there is no closure???and many more unanswered questions.we need all d answers.  Shekhar Suman (@shekharsuman7) June 14, 2021

8. Chhichhore director Nitesh Tiwari says Sushant was fantastic and full of energy and dedication.

Instagram

"I have a lot of fond memories of him and that is how I would like to remember Sushant. He was a fantastic artiste, full of energy and dedication and that is going to remain with me for the rest of my life. He has given me a fantastic film. I was watching Chhichhore the other day and I really got emotional remembering the fun we had while making it," he told TOI.



9. Choreographer Shampa Gopikrishna who worked with him in Jhalak Dikhlaja calls him a dreamer.

Twitter

"Ambitious, passionate and a dreamer... thats how I would describe Sushant. Be it his dance project or his acting stint, he always gave his best. I still remember how he used to rehearse for his performances till 2 am at night. Everyone used to leave but he would keep rehearsing. In the mornings, he had Pavitra Rishta shoot and after pack up he would come to the studio for his dance rehearsal. It must be so exhausting for him but he never complained. There was even a time when he performed despite suffering from severe back pain. In fact, he always asked me to give him difficult steps... he believed in challenging himself and doing things out of his comfort zone," she told Cinema Journal.

10. Kai Po Che! and Kedarnath director says he is still numb.

11. Karanveer Mehra says, 'If not for him, I would have left the industry'.

12. Rumi Jaffery revisits the last WhatsApp chats with Sushant.

"Today, when I revisit our last chats of 2020 on Whatsapp, I can see messages that read  Sir aapko bohot miss kar raha hoon (I miss you a lot) and I would tell him to have patience till the lockdown gets lifted. We used to meet a lot. He would always say, Aapke saath baat karta hoon toh bohot positive energy milti hai (I feel positive while talking to you),'" he told TOI.


At least 65 children have tested positive for coronavirus in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra over the last four days, according to the data shared by the district civil hospital.

The data hints that the COVID-19 positivity rate and fatality rate are falling in the Osmanabad district but COVID-19 patients in the age group of 0 to 18 years are found in the district for the first time.

BCCL

Out of the 119 patients found in the district on June 9, 25 were children between the age group of 0 and 18. Of the 109 patients found on June 10, 19 were children. On June 11, 123 infections were detected, of whom 21 were children. This shows that on an average 18% of children tested positive.

However, no child suffering from coronavirus in the district has died, as per the data shared by authorities.

BCCL

Many researchers and scientists have predicted that children could be affected when the third wave strikes the country, as it is recovering from the second wave. Several state health departments have already started preparations for the third wave. The Centre has also issued guidelines to save children from COVID 19 infection.




When the government announced the lockdown, 23-year-old Tukaram Gaikwad from Maharashtras Osmanabad district had to travel back home to his village, Lakhi  situated around 100 km away from the Tuljapur campus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), where he is a final-year Masters student in Social Work and Rural Development. With all the lectures shifted online, he had no other option but to attend the classes through his smartphone.



However, lack of electricity and network coverage has been a major struggle for him and countless other students who had to go back to their hometowns due to lockdown.

The sudden switch to online education has exposed the vast rural-urban digital divide in the country. As per the 2021 Lancet Commissions COVID-19 report, "Only 8 per cent of [Indian] households with members aged between 5 and 24 have both access to internet connectivity and digital devices, creating overnight, a learning schism that has lasted much of the academic year." But despite the digital divide, these determined youth seem to be finding ways to stay on track with their education during the pandemic, thanks to some help from educational institutions and civil society.

In search of connectivity

"There isn't enough network coverage at my house. I have to cycle two kilometres daily to a relative's farm to get stable internet connectivity. Sometimes I sit in the shadow of the trees; other times on the bullock cart to attend lectures," Gaikwad said.

Tukaram Gaikwad has had to get creative to find spots with good internet connectivity (Picture courtesy of Anagha Sawant - 101Reporters)

However, even after finding proper network coverage, Gaikwad felt uneasy. He was unable to concentrate on the lectures. 'It was difficult for me to see my parents working on the farm while I sat in a corner looking at my mobile screen. After a few days, I started plugging in earphones to my mobile phone, which I kept in my pocket while I helped my father on the farm. Due to this, I was inattentive and missed out on taking notes most of the time,' Gaikwad added.

Prakash Kolurwar (23) who resides in Sayfal village of Yavatmal district, had to shift to one of his friend's homes in Umarpod village, two hours away from his own, for three months. The first-generation learner said that he never faced any difficulties while studying in the Azim Premji School of Education in Hyderabad. "Even if the students came from different backgrounds, they were given equal opportunities. But now, we are digitally divided. I have a laptop given by the institute, but lack of internet connectivity, electricity and space issues have affected my studies," he said. Over the last year, Kolurwar has shifted between four villages in search of good network connectivity.

Digitisation and the language barrier

Having studied in Marathi-medium government schools in their village, some students have also faced language barriers that are further triggered by the digital divide.

Akshata Jambhore (23) from Pathrad village expressed her unhappiness about attending courses online and not being able to visit the campus. It was already difficult for me to understand English lectures, and now I have to deal with digital learning. Most of my classmates stay in the city, and it's hard to communicate with them and with my professors to clear my doubts. I am trying my best to bridge the gap between us by having group interactions, she added.

Prakash Kolurwar studying on his farm (Picture courtesy of Anagha Sawant - 101Reporters)

23-year-old Abhijeet Pazare, a resident of Ramwakdi village and a student at TISS, Hyderabad, had similar feelings. "I haven't even visited my college campus. All lectures and exams are being held online. Since a mobile tower was set up in my village a year ago, I don't have network issues. I have completed a course in MSCIT [The Maharashtra State Certificate in Information Technology], so I have computer knowledge, but English is still a barrier for me."

Financing tech devices

Many students from rural Yavatmal cannot afford the fees for their higher education. So the students have either opted for education loans, received scholarships or borrowed money from their relatives to complete their studies. In several cases, educational institutes have also been able to provide the necessary resources.

"It was tough to prepare for exams. Opening reference materials, jotting down class notes, attending lectures, accessing everything on a small mobile screen became annoying. Luckily, in the fourth semester, the college managed to provide us with a laptop and Rs 1,500 for internet recharge," added Gaikwad.

Residing in Yavatmal's Baggi village, Savita Vadde (23) is pursuing her MA in Social Innovation Entrepreneurship from TISS, Tuljapur. Her phone didn't have a 4G technology upgrade, and there was a problem installing the Zoom app.

"I had to purchase a new phone to attend lectures. I didn't have enough money, so a friend helped me financially, and I paid her in instalments. However, due to the lack of tech devices initially, I missed out on attending a few lectures and submitting projects, and my scores decreased," she said. Later, Vadde emailed her institute about her financial problems, and they provided her with a laptop.

Eklavya, a Yavatmal based organisation that works with first-generation learners, has also been trying to crowd-source laptops for students who want to attend lectures from remote areas and appear for various entrance exams.

The organisation Eklavya brings together students in the rural parts of Yavatmal to help them prepare for entrance exams (Picture courtesy of Anagha Sawant - 101Reporters)

"Most first-generation learners are willing to migrate to different cities to complete their education. We recently had a difficult time arranging for laptops because the number of students who wanted to appear for the entrance exam was high. So we had to borrow laptops from other students and working professionals in the districts," Raju Kendre, the founder of Eklavya, said.

The governments push for digitisation must be comprehensive and must take into account the various barriers in education amongst rural communities. As the Lancet report recommends, 'Right To Technology' needs to be part of 'Right To Education'. However, until that plays out, these students will continue overcoming challenges to receive a good education that can lift them up from their circumstances.

(The author is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com , a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
The Indian American-founded HOH nonprofit has sent medical aid to India for Covid in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur alumni. Above: Health workers giving the vaccine to people in their own cars during a drive-in-vaccination at a shopping mall due in Kolkata June 4, 2021. (Kuntal Chakrabarty/ IANS photo)
Relatives and neighbors grieve during the funeral of a slain policeman, who died during an attack on Indian security personnel by suspected militants in Sopore, in Srinagar on June 12. (Tauseef Mustafa/AFP via Getty Images)
The rare-earth industry is taking another of its periodic turns in the spotlight, with governments once again fretting about the concentration of production in China, given the key role of these metals in huge parts of industry and technology.

But whereas previous supply panics, such as those triggered by Chinese export restrictions in 2009-10, have been particularly focused on the role of rare earths in the defense industry, current concerns are much more related to the importance of rare earths in new energy technology. For example, rare earths are key ingredients for the high-strength and durable magnets used in the drivetrains of electric cars, and in the turbines of wind-power plants.

The price of these rare earths is booming. The price of NDPR oxide, which contains neodymium and dysprosium and is the key element in rare-earth magnets, was $68.20 per kg in the first three of months of 2021, according to rare earth producer Lynas. This was up from $35.00 per kg in the corresponding period of 2020.

Prices for dysprosium and terbium, which are added to rare-earth magnets to increase heat resistance, are also rising fast. Over the same period, the cost of dysprosium oxide has risen year-on-year to $407.70 per tonne, from $222.00 per tonne. And terbium oxide prices have risen to $1,336.00 per tonne, from $477.00 per tonne.

It is also becoming clear that the drive to meet the carbon restriction targets of the Paris Climate Agreement, which the United States officially rejoined in 2021, will spur massive further demand for minerals, including rare earths.

To reach the target of net-zero emissions by 2050, the energy sector will be consuming minerals at six times the current rate by 2040, the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast in a special report on Wednesday May 5. "Today, the data shows a looming mismatch between the worlds strengthened climate ambitions and the availability of critical minerals that are essential to realizing those ambitions," Fatih Birol, the IEAs executive director, said.

"The challenges are not insurmountable, but governments must give clear signals about how they plan to turn their climate pledges into action," he added. "By acting now and acting together, they can significantly reduce the risks of price volatility and supply disruptions."

Government support needed

The rare-earth industry has restated the need for government support in order to develop diverse global supply chains that will not leave the world dependent on China. Even though rare-earth mines are springing up around the globe, facilities for processing, separating and metal production remain heavily concentrated in the East Asian nation. This concentration leaves supply chains vulnerable to political tensions, with fears growing that China could decide to choke-off rare-earth exports.

Western rare-earth market participants called for governments to step up and further support non-Chinese supply chains at a webinar run by the Rare Earth Industry Association in March 2020. "We need governments to step up and not wait until there is a crisis Its time to act," Lloyd Kaiser, general manager at Australian rare earth junior explorer Arafura, said.

Global rare-earth supply must be incentivized, David Merriman, from analyst group Roskill, added.

Markets are still watching a shift in focus of the United States government after the inauguration this year of Joe Biden as the new US president.

Rod Eggert, professor at the Colorado School of Mines, said there would be "a continued focus on technological solutions [and] a continued focus on primarily relying on the market," but there would be "growing acceptance that industrial policy has to play a bigger role" under the new administration. "Despite the change in tone, there will be less change than one might expect," Eggert said.

US takes lead in support

The change in US administration at the start of 2021 is spurring fresh support for domestic rare-earth production, with an increased focus on uses for energy rather than defense.

President Bidens executive order on the strengthening of American manufacturing, which he signed during his first week in office, signaled wider support for domestic production of a number of key minerals, including rare earths.

"American manufacturing must be part of the engine of American prosperity now," Biden said. "Well buy American products and support American jobs."

On this issue, there is continuity with the previous administrations interest in developing domestic supply chains for a range of critical minerals. The US government has stepped up support for domestic rare-earth projects over fears that access to the critical minerals is, at the moment, tightly controlled by Chinese producers.

With operations in Australia and Malaysia, rare-earth miner and processor Lynas has announced government-backed plans to develop light and heavy rare-earth processing capacity in the US. "While demand for rare-earth materials continues to grow, Covid-19 has exposed the risks within the global supply chains of the single sourcing of critical materials," Lynas chief executive Amanda Lacaze said in January 2021. The company plans to locate both light and heavy rare-earth separation facilities at the same site in the state of Texas.

Bidens policies will also boost demand for rare earths, with large-scale government support for wind power and electric vehicles.

This transition to new energy will require increased domestic mineral production, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on March 9. Granholm said that there would be "huge demand" for sustainable mineral supply chains in the US, both to serve the domestic electric vehicle (EV) industry and to provide jobs for coal miners who may be affected by falling demand for fossil fuels.

Granholms statement underlined growing US policy support for domestic critical mineral production, which has continued despite the change in administration.

Global wind boom

On the demand side, there is now much more government support. A key driver for this demand will be a massive investment in wind power.

In the US, on March 29 this year, Biden announced a series of measures to support this sector. These included the announcement of a new wind energy area in the New York-New Jersey Bight, an area of shallow water off the coast of New Jersey.

The measures involve support from a number of government agencies and include a target of 30 GW of offshore wind power by 2030, with an ultimate target of 110 GW of wind power by 2050. Other parts of the proposal include $3 billion in loans for wind projects and $230 million in funding for port infrastructure to support the offshore wind industry.

The United Kingdom is another emerging center of rare-earth demand, where wind power is being built at a rapid pace. Wind turbines are a major driver of demand for magnet rare earths, including neodymium, dysprosium and terbium.

On November 18, 2020, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson laid out a 10-point plan to invest in renewable resources. As part of this plan, the government will invest 12 billion ($17 billion), and it suggested that this spending could spur at least three times as much in private-sector investment by 2030.

Among the sectors to receive support is offshore wind. Johnson restated a plan to quadruple wind power generation by 2030.

Additionally, the UK will end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030  this will be 10 years earlier than initially planned. To support this, there will be 1.3 billion of investment in charge points and more than

1 billion of investment in subsidies for the purchase of new electric vehicles and for battery production.

These investments would support demand for lithium, cobalt and graphite, which are key battery raw materials.

This rise in UK rare-earth demand is sparking investment in a UK rare-earth separation and magnet supply chain. In May 2021, Australian miner Peak Resources announced plans to build the UKs first rare earths refinery after taking out a 1.85 million lease on a production site at Redcar on the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England, taking advantage of a Freeport system being introduced in the area.

Peak Resources currently operates the Ngulla Rare Earth project in Tanzania, east Africa, which is expected to produce 32,700 tonnes of 45% purity rare-earth concentrate when fully up and running. The company said that it will ship the concentrate from Tanzania to Teesside.

Another rare-earth company, Pensana, has submitted a planning application for a $125 million separation facility in Saltend, near Hull, on the east coast of England. London-listed Pensana is also developing a rare-earth mine at Longonjo in Angola, which is intended to supply the Saltend plant.

In November 2020, UK-based Less Common Metals received approval from Innovate UK, a non-government agency, to conduct a feasibility study to identify the requirements to establish a fully integrated supply chain for the production of rare-earth permanent magnets in the UK.

Other new wind power projects are being announced across the world, with governments striving to achieve the commitments of the Paris Climate Agreement.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in unveiled plans on February 5 for a $48.5 billion project to construct the worlds largest wind power plant. The 8.2 GW plant will be located off the coast of Sinan, southwest South Korea, and is part of the countrys plans to hit a 16.5 GW target for wind energy by 2030, up from 1.7 GW now. Most of the funding will come from engineering and energy companies, with $814 million being provided by the government.

Also on February 5, Denmark announced plans to build an artificial island in the North Sea to serve as the hub of a network of 10 GW of offshore turbines. The plan will contribute to the EUs target of 200 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050.

In China, meanwhile, a new action plan on reaching carbon neutrality was announced in March. Chinas wind-power development policy is gradually pivoting to offshore wind power, with 3,060 MW of new offshore wind capacity installed in 2020, which equates to more than half of global offshore installation last year, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.

Local authorities in China are also supporting the drive. The Guangdong provincial government, for example, plans to support construction of 4,000 MW of offshore wind capacity by the end of 2021, and 15,000 MW by the end of 2025.

Jiangsu province, which has the largest offshore wind capacity in China, plans to install another 12.12 GW of capacity by 2025. And the Shandong regional government has announced plans to add capacity for 10 GW.

No supply crunch in sight

With demand booming, concerns continue to be raised, as they have been for many years, about the dominant role that Chinese state-owned enterprises play in global supply. But so far these concerns have remained only theoretical, with little sign of any appetite for restrictions on exports or production.

The Chinese government announced record-high rare-earth output quotas for the first half of 2021. In a joint statement released on February 19, Chinas Ministry of Industry & Information Technology and the Ministry of Natural Resources said that the rare-earth ore mining quota will be 84,000 tonnes for the six months to June, up by 27.2% year-on-year.

The quota of ore to be processed was also increased, to 81,000 tonnes for the first half of 2021, up by 27.6% year-on-year.

The announcement of the highest rare-earth production quotas on record should calm fears of Chinese restrictions on rare-earth supplies, which intensified in 2021 following reports in western media that these were a possibility.

In January, the Chinese Ministry of Industry announced a draft management rule for rare-earth exports, which would include export and production quotas and other government supervision, ostensibly to prevent any detrimental environmental effects of unrestricted rare-earth production.

Market sources in Chinas rare-earth sector have reported that there have been continued shipments of material from Myanmar, with no disruptions resulting from the recent military coup in the country and the subsequent waves of mass protests.

On February 1, the military of Myanmar took power in a coup, which displaced the elected administration and has sparked continuing protests and political violence. This situation has raised fears for the supplies of rare-earth ore to China, specifically the ionic clay that is used to produce heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium. About half of Chinas feedstock of heavy rare earths comes from Myanmar.

China imported a total of 8,714 tonnes of mixed rare-earth carbonate in the full year of 2020. Imports from Myanmar accounted for 71.4% of this, at 6,225 tonnes.

But Chinese rare-earth industry participants told Fastmarkets that they have not yet seen any significant delays to deliveries. Myanmars rare-earth mines are mostly in the north of country, in areas that are not yet being affected by the political unrest.

The border with China is porous, and illegally mined Chinese ore is sometimes smuggled into Myanmar and then reimported for processing in China. Myanmar does not publish detailed export statistics for rare earths.

In April this year, Lynas noted that Chinese exports are likely to increase in the near term. Lynas said that Chinese market participants are anticipating this growth and several suppliers have announced production capacity increases. Among those is the doubling of production within three years by Northern Rare Earth, Chinas leading rare earths supplier.
We reached a big milestone in 2020: Cloud services revenue finally surpassed enterprise spending on data centers, according to the Synergy Research Group. One of the longest-running trends in IT  moving to the cloud  has been turbocharged, driven in part by a pandemic that pushed enterprises to avoid the logistical challenges and capital expense of deploying on prem.

But the endless capacity to add horsepower without provisioning your own infrastructure isnt the biggest draw. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud have become launchpads for the latest technology innovations, which developers can jump on to build innovative new applications. Machine learning libraries? Globally distributed databases? IoT platforms with all the bells and whistles? The big three clouds have em all  ready, waiting, and API-accessible. Its enough to make you wonder why youd bother to build and maintain your own datacenter.

Thats exactly what Brunswick, a recreational boating company, wondered. In "Cloud or bust: IT leaders go all in on cloud computing," CIO contributor Mary Pratt reveals that it took Brunswick a decade to get there, but the companys IT estate is now 90% in the cloud, using a combination of IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS offerings that has enabled the decommissioning of two data centers. According to Pratt, Bain & Company, DeVry University, and the University of California, San Diego, are all at similarly advanced phases in their cloud journeys. As UC San Diego CIO Vince Kellen says, cloud is a necessary and eventual transition that just about every organization is going to make.

Clearly, the pace of that transition kicked into high gear during the pandemic. In "From legacy to the cloud: The 3 stages of enterprise modernization," UK Group Editor Scott Carey cites Red Hat CEO Paul Cormier's estimate that, for his customers, the pandemic has accelerated cloud adoption by five years. Last year's great migration to working from home drove a new spike in SaaS adoption, with videoconferencing and other cloud applications enabling remote work. The second and third phases involve embracing the cloud native model and migrating legacy apps to the cloud.

Shifting to the cloud at scale is never easy. Cloud migration means applications must be refactored, cloud costs need to be monitored and optimized, and obtaining cloud expertise requires internal training and/or hiring expensive talent. For companies that use multiple clouds, security is a particularly knotty area, because each of the big three clouds has a different security feature set, increasing the risk of configuration errors. CSO contributor Neal Weinberg digs into the details in "AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Azure: How their security features compare."

Even something seemingly as simple as moving from an on-prem Exchange Server to one hosted by Microsoft has its challenges. Contributor Jonathan Hassell offers a step-by-step guide born of experience in "Migrating to hosted Exchange: Dos and donts." It's a must-read for anyone facing this laborious task.

Cloud computing's real potential, though, is in the shiny new stuff. In a second article, this one for Network World, Neal Weinberg looks at the IoT platforms offered by various clouds vs. solutions you can assemble on-prem in "IoT cloud services: How they stack up against DIY." A big plus for cloud right off the bat: IoT often demands the ingestion of huge quantities of data, which the cloud can accommodate dynamically. AWS, IBM, and Microsoft in particular have IoT cloud offerings with feature sets that would be difficult to assemble piece by piece on prem.

Rich arrays of pre-provisioned services like these highlight the potential of the cloud to offer platforms for building the future. No, the cloud will never completely replace the data center. But after this past year, the updraft is stronger than ever, as limitless scalability and endless assortments of new services make the cloud increasingly irresistible.
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A federal judge on Friday threw out a lawsuit by Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania that sought to overturn a ban on gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the Delaware River basin, ruling they lacked standing to sue.

Senate Republicans led by Sens. Gene Yaw and Lisa Baker claimed the Delaware River Basin Commission overstepped its authority and usurped the Legislature with its moratorium on natural gas development near the river and its tributaries.

Judge Paul Diamond in Philadelphia ruled the GOP had no legal right to sue, writing the dispute is primarily partisan and is best resolved through the political process.

Diamond said the suits four municipal plaintiffs  Carbon and Wayne counties and Damascus and Dyberry Townships  also lacked standing, but gave them permission to refile the suit by July 1 to give them a chance to articulate how the moratorium has actually injured them.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Matt Haverstick, said the ruling was under review.

For now, I can just say that were disappointed, he said.

The moratorium had been in place since 2010. In February, one month after the Republicans filed suit, the basin commission voted to permanently ban natural gas drilling and fracking near the Delaware, asserting that gas development poses an unacceptable risk.

The ban applies to the entire watershed but, practically speaking, impacts Wayne and Pike counties in Pennsylvanias northeastern tip. Both are part of the nations largest gas field, the Marcellus Shale. Nearly 13,000 wells have been drilled elsewhere in the vast Marcellus formation, turning Pennsylvania into the nations No. 2 gas-producing state.

A Pennsylvania landowners group is also challenging the basin commissions right to regulate gas development. Baker and Yaw sought to intervene in that 2016 case  which is still being litigated  but a court ruled they lacked standing.

The commission oversees the water supply of more than 13 million people in four Northeastern states.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation Delaware
New York state officials have agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused the Erie County Sheriffs Office of improperly responding to reports of sexual misconduct involving staff and inmates at the county jails, Attorney General Letitia James said Friday.

The agreement requires the sheriffs department to quickly report and investigate allegations of sexual contact, as mandated by state law, and to ensure staff are trained on New Yorks zero-tolerance policy on sexual misconduct in correctional facilities.

James sued the sheriffs office on behalf of the State Commission of Correction in March, saying the office had an abysmal track record of complying with requirements to report serious incidents to the commission. The department often went months or years before filing reports, the lawsuit said, in some cases filing only after allegations surfaced in media reports.

State law deems people who are behind bars as incapable of consent because of the inherent power discrepancy. It requires that alleged sex offenses be reported within 24 hours.

The lawsuit outlined eight cases of improperly submitted reports and said all but one had been filed only after the Commission of Correction inquired.

As part of this settlement, the sheriff finally comes clean and admits his failure to comply with regulations that are designed to protect the safety of individuals in custody, facility staff and the community, the commissions chairman, Allen Riley, said in a news release.

A spokesman for Sheriff Timothy Howard did not immediately respond to phone and email requests for comment. Howard, a Republican, is not seeking reelection.

James, a Democrat, said the agreement is meant to end the widespread sexual misconduct perpetrated by (the departments) correction officers.

The agreement submitted to Erie County Supreme Court requires the sheriffs office and county to appoint an independent monitor to conduct a retrospective audit of incident reporting, and provide an annual audit for the next three years. The county also must work with the commission to improve procedures for for investigating and assessing incidents.

The lawsuit followed a 2017 finding that the sheriffs office had failed to properly report other types of serious incidents, including an erroneous release, an assault, and multiple suicide attempts in the Erie County Holding Center and Erie County Correctional Facility.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits New York
Homeowners of America Insurance Company Hires Brookshire in Virginia

Homeowners of America Insurance Company (HOAIC), a property/casualty insurance provider, has hired Adam Brookshire as a territory sales manager in Virginia.

Brookshire brings more than 10 years of insurance industry experience to HOAIC and has spent his most recent time with Selective Insurance. In addition to his insurance background, Brookshire has a working knowledge of Virginia as he has worked on both the agency and company sides of the business. He is charged with helping to expand HOAICs strategic growth in the region.

Brookshire will be based in the Richmond, Virginia, area, managing the development of new and existing independent agency relationships throughout the state. Virginia was the fourth state where the Texas-based company began actively writing policies in September of 2015.

Source: Homeowners of America Insurance Company

Merchants Insurance Group Names Smith as Regional Underwriting Manager

Merchants Insurance Group has named Tim Smith as its new regional underwriting manager of the companys Mid-Atlantic regional office in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

He assumed the regional underwriting manager position from John Iannello, who retired as of May 28, 2021.

Smith has experience working with both national and regional property/casualty insurance companies, in a variety of claims, marketing and underwriting roles.

Most recently, he worked as a senior territory manager focused on working with agents in New Jersey and

Pennsylvania to write and retain middle market accounts.

In his new role, he will lead underwriting operations for Merchants Mid-Atlantic regional office by cultivating relationships with agencies representing the company, as well as internal colleagues and staff. Smith is responsible for the development of underwriting staff by providing mentoring and direction.

Hes also responsible for contributing to the attainment of regional goals and objectives, including loss ratio and production goals, through plan execution, contributing to product development initiatives and assuring high quality loss control and premium audit service.

Merchants Insurance Group is composed of Merchants Mutual Insurance Company, Merchants Preferred Insurance Company and Merchants National Insurance Company. The companies offer commercial insurance through a network of more than 1,000 independent insurance agents throughout the Northeast and North Central U.S.

Source: Merchants Insurance Group

Maryland Insurance Administration Names Fanaroff as Associate Deputy Commissioner

Maryland Insurance Commissioner Kathleen A. Birrane has named Sheri V.G. Fanaroff as associate deputy commissioner for the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA).

With this appointment, the MIAs executive team, consisting of Birrane, Deputy Commissioner Greg Derwart, Fanaroff and Chief of Staff Kory Boone, is complete.

Fanaroff has experience in interpreting insurance contracts, laws and regulations, as well as more than 20 years of experience as a general counsel, collaborating with and providing strategic legal guidance to senior management and boards of directors.

As associate deputy commissioner, Fanaroff will coordinate policy implementation across the agency to assure consistency. This will include oversight of the Office of Hearings.

Fanaroff comes to the MIA from the Columbia Association, where she has been general counsel and principal ethics officer since 2001. Prior to joining the Columbia Association, Fanaroff was vice president and general counsel of a Pennsylvania domiciled life insurer, where she oversaw all legal activities, including insurance coverage, employment disputes, advertising and litigation.

Earlier in her career, she served as in-house counsel for several entities in the insurance industry handling litigation for global insurance brokers and third-party administrators and as a litigator focusing on insurance coverage disputes in private practice.

Source: The Maryland Insurance Administration
Professional criminals holding businesses to ransom  often with the support of nation-states  is the key online threat facing the UK, the countrys cyber security chief will say Monday.

Lindy Cameron, who is chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, part of the spy agency GCHQ, will warn the market that ransomware has become increasingly professional. Some criminals even offer 24/7 call centers to quickly pay the ransom and get yourself back online or offering to research businesses insurance policy to see if you are covered to pay ransoms, shell say, according to her office.

These criminals dont exist in a vacuum, Cameron will say in a lecture to the Royal United Services Institute in London. They are often enabled and facilitated by states acting with impunity.

On Sunday, the Group of Seven used its final communique to call on Russia to identify, disrupt, and hold to account those within its borders who conduct ransomware attacks, abuse virtual currency to launder ransoms, and other cyber crimes.

At the NATO summit in Brussels on Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to tell leaders the organization must invest in research and development to tackle future challenges including cyber defense, his office said in a statement.

Emerging Threats

NATO owes it to the billion people we keep safe every day to continually adapt and evolve to meet new challenges and face down emerging threats, Johnson said in the statement.

In a speech in March, Cameron said Russia poses the most acute and immediate threat to the UK, but Chinas size, scale and technological ambition is also being watched. The UK also frequently cites North Korea and Iran as security threats.

Cameron will also reveal that its almost certain that the primary cyber threat to think tanks  such as RUSI, where she is speaking  in the UK is from nation-state espionage groups. They are highly likely seeking to gain strategic insights into government policy, trade agreements and commercially sensitive information, according to a recent NCSC assessment.

With assistance from Stuart Biggs.

Photograph: A person typing at a backlit computer keyboard. Photo credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Cyber
Aston Lark Ireland, the Dublin-based insurance broker, continues its growth acceleration by announcing the acquisition of McMahon Galvin Ltd.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Based in Dublin, McMahon Galvin was founded in 1970 and has built a reputation for providing home and car insurance to individuals, along with offering a full range of insurance services to businesses.

Led by the management team of Peter Hanlon and John Galvin, the business strives to look after clients first and foremost, delivering a highly personalized level of service, said Aston Lark in a statement.

From our initial meeting with the McMahon Galvin team, we were continually impressed with their client-centric approach which sits perfectly with the ethos of Aston Lark, commented Robert Kennedy, CEO of Aston Lark Ireland.

With a loyal customer base and strong relationships with a broad range of insurers, it didnt take us long to recognize the strength and brand presence that they have built over many decades, making them an excellent addition, he added.

This is the fourth acquisition made by Aston Lark Ireland in 2021, following on from the three acquisitions already made this spring: North County Brokers, OLoughlin Insurance Group and Brady Burns & Associates.

London-based Aston Lark Ltd. was formed in 2018 as a result of the merger of Aston Scott and Lark Group, aiming to join forces with other like-minded insurance businesses across the UK and Ireland. In 2019, as part of a growth and expansion strategy into the Irish market and backed by Goldman Sachs, Aston Lark Ltd. acquired two Irish brokers, Robertson Low and Wright Insurance Brokers. In May 2021, the businesses merged to become Aston Lark Ireland.

Source: Aston Lark Ireland

Topics Mergers Agencies
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  Sri Lanka is seeking an interim claim of $40 million from the operator of a fire-ravaged cargo ship to cover part of the cost of fighting the blaze, officials said Saturday.

Sri Lankas attorney general has sent the claim to lawyers representing X-Press Feeders, the ships operating company, said Darshani Lahandapura, head of the state-run Marine Pollution Protection Authority.

She said authorities were still assessing the total damages, and the interim claim seeks compensation for expenses from May 20, when the ship caught fire, through June 1.

Read more: Contaminants from Sri Lanka Ship Wreck Could Cause Wide-Reaching Damage

The fire broke out while the Singapore-flagged MV X-Press Pearl was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Colombo, and waiting to enter the countrys main port.

The Sri Lankan navy believes the blaze was caused by the vessels chemical cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals, most of which was destroyed in the fire. But debris including burned fiberglass and tons of plastic pellets have already polluted nearby beaches. There are concerns that a spill of remaining chemicals and oil on the ship could devastate marine life.

However, Sri Lankan authorities and the ships operator say theres still no large oil spill.

The fire burned for 12 days before being extinguished last week. The ship then began sinking, and attempts to tow it into deeper waters failed when the vessels stern sank to the seabed.

The ship remains partly submerged in waters about 21 meters (70 feet) deep.

On Friday, the government said it was testing water samples to determine whether the ship is leaking oil. The tests were prompted by satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. that showed a substance that could be oil in the water near the ship.

A Colombo court has banned the ships captain, chief engineer and assistant engineer from leaving the country.

Photograph: In this Friday, June 11, 2021, file photo, Sri Lankan navy soldiers collect plastic residue washed ashore from the fire damaged container ship MV X-Press Pearl at Kapungoda, on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is seeking an interim claim of $40 million from the operator of the fire-ravaged cargo ship to cover the cost of fighting the blaze, officials said Saturday, June 12. Photo credit: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File.

Related:

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Trucking
This wrap-up of international People Moves details recent appointments at Liberty Specialty Markets and underwriting agency DUAL, which is part of Howden Group Holdings.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, announced the appointment of Francois Barriol as senior underwriter Terrorism and Political Violence for France.

The appointment is effective immediately.

Reporting to Joanna Hitchcock, head of War & Terrorism  Continental Europe, and Richard Deguettes, managing director of LSM France, Barriol will be in charge of underwriting terrorism and political violence risks and developing the portfolio for France.

Prior to joining Liberty, Barriol launched the political violence and terrorism underwriting lines for Hiscox in France and French-speaking Africa before joining the crisis management underwriting team in 2020. He began his career in 2009 in the French Navy before joining the insurance industry in 2012 as a kidnapping / extortion and special risks underwriter. Barriol is a graduate of ESTRI Lyon and HEC Paris.

***

DUAL, the underwriting arm of Howden Group Holdings, and the worlds largest international underwriting agency, announced the appointment of Gordon Steward as managing director, Forestry, which brings a global Forestry offering to DUALs extensive product range.

Steward joined DUAL on June 1 and reports to Richard Clapham, CEO, DUAL Group.

Steward will focus primarily on small, medium to medium-large forestry companies in the southern hemisphere markets of South Africa, Australia, Chile, Uruguay, South East Asia and New Zealand. Clients include timber / paper / pulp producers, pension funds, exotic wood investment and real estate investment funds.

Typical perils are FLEXA, wind (non-accumulating zones) and sub limited perils, typically: frost, hail; snow damage; debris removal; and firefighting costs.

He joins from White Oak Underwriting Agency where he managed the forestry business. His extensive 35-year career in Lloyds, UK retail and international markets, includes roles at Weald Risk Partners, Castel, IGI, Catlin Syndicate 2003, Forest Re, Allianz Global and QBE.

We are delighted to welcome Gordon Steward to DUAL. Forestry is a niche but increasingly important product that seeks to de-risk forest assets for investors and plantation owners, commented Clapham. Gordon is a well-known market leader in Forestry insurance and has unparalleled experience in this sector, making this a great fit for DUAL with our focus on underwriting expertise.

DUAL, the specialist underwriting arm of Howden Group Holdings, is the worlds largest international underwriting agency and Lloyds largest international coverholder. DUAL is responsible for gross written premiums of 850 million ($1.1 billion) and employs 700 people in offices across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

Topics Talent Insurance Wholesale
The families of three Gretna, Nebraska, girls who died in a crash in Sarpy County are suing the county, which they said did not correct a deficient design of the road where the girls died.

The lawsuit also asks a judge to find that Nebraskas $5 million cap on judgments against government entities is unconstitutional, The Omaha World-Herald reported.

The lawsuit was filed by the parents of Abigail Barth, 16; Alexandria Minardi, 15; and Addisyn Pfeifer, 16; all of Gretna.

They died when the car Barth was driving went off Platteview Road in Sarpy County on June 17, 2019.

The mother of a fourth girl who died and the parents of a girl who survived did not join the lawsuit.

Sarpy County spokeswoman Megan Stubenhofer-Barrett said she would not comment on a pending lawsuit.

Investigators said the car the girls were in was going 90 mph when it hit a guardrail and burst into flames.

The lawsuit alleges the girls would not have died if the county had followed a consultants recommendations for improvements to Platteview Road.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Nebraska
The Department of Labor has promulgated an emergency temporary standard (ETS) designed to protect healthcare workers but did not extend the rule to other high-risk employment such as manufacturing, grocery or high-volume retail as some labor groups had urged

The ETS from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) focuses on healthcare workers most likely to have contact with someone infected with the virus. It requires healthcare facilities with 10 or more employees to conduct a hazard assessment and create a plan in writing. It sets forth rules for when to require masking, distancing and physical barrier requirements.

In addition to addressing masks, distancing and barriers, the standard addresses other personal protection equipment, patient screening, ventilation, disinfection, health screening, vaccination, employee training, record-keeping, paying quarantined employees and other situations. (See sidebar.)

It identifies some exemptions for fully vaccinated workers from masking, distancing and barrier requirements when in well-defined areas where there is no reasonable expectation that any person will be present with suspected or confirmed coronavirus.

OSHA Standard on for How to Protect Healthcare Workers from COVID-19 The main section of the ETS (1910.502  Healthcare) requires employers to develop and implement effective COVID-19 plans. Controlling COVID-19 requires employers to use multiple overlapping controls in a layered approach to better protect workers. The key requirements of the ETS are: COVID-19 plan: Develop and implement a COVID-19 plan (in writing if more than 10 employees) that includes a designated safety coordinator with authority to ensure compliance, a workplace-specific hazard assessment, involvement of non-managerial employees in hazard assessment and plan development/implementation, and policies and procedures to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to employees.

Develop and implement a COVID-19 plan (in writing if more than 10 employees) that includes a designated safety coordinator with authority to ensure compliance, a workplace-specific hazard assessment, involvement of non-managerial employees in hazard assessment and plan development/implementation, and policies and procedures to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to employees. Patient screening and management: Limit and monitor points of entry to settings where direct patient care is provided; screen and triage patients, clients, and other visitors and non-employees; implement patient management strategies.

Limit and monitor points of entry to settings where direct patient care is provided; screen and triage patients, clients, and other visitors and non-employees; implement patient management strategies. Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions: Develop and implement policies and procedures to adhere to Standard and Transmission-Based precautions based on CDC guidelines.

Develop and implement policies and procedures to adhere to Standard and Transmission-Based precautions based on CDC guidelines. Personal protective equipment (PPE): Provide and ensure each employee wears a facemask when indoors and when occupying a vehicle with other people for work purposes; provide and ensure employees use respirators and other PPE for exposure to people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and for aerosol-generating procedures on a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Provide and ensure each employee wears a facemask when indoors and when occupying a vehicle with other people for work purposes; provide and ensure employees use respirators and other PPE for exposure to people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and for aerosol-generating procedures on a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Aerosol-generating procedures on a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19: Limit employees present to only those essential; perform procedures in an airborne infection isolation room, if available; and clean and disinfect surfaces and equipment after the procedure is completed.

on a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19: Limit employees present to only those essential; perform procedures in an airborne infection isolation room, if available; and clean and disinfect surfaces and equipment after the procedure is completed. Physical distancing: Keep people at least 6 feet apart when indoors.

Keep people at least 6 feet apart when indoors. Physical barriers: Install cleanable or disposable solid barriers at each fixed work location in non-patient care areas where employees are not separated from other people by at least 6 feet.

Install cleanable or disposable solid barriers at each fixed work location in non-patient care areas where employees are not separated from other people by at least 6 feet. Cleaning and disinfection: Follow standard practices for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and equipment in accordance with CDC guidelines in patient care areas, resident rooms, and for medical devices and equipment; in all other areas, clean high-touch surfaces and equipment at least once a day and provide alcohol-based hand rub that is at least 60% alcohol or provide readily accessible handwashing facilities.

Follow standard practices for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and equipment in accordance with CDC guidelines in patient care areas, resident rooms, and for medical devices and equipment; in all other areas, clean high-touch surfaces and equipment at least once a day and provide alcohol-based hand rub that is at least 60% alcohol or provide readily accessible handwashing facilities. Ventilation: Ensure that employer-owned or controlled existing HVAC systems are used in accordance with manufacturers instructions and design specifications for the systems and that air filters are rated Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13 or higher if the system allows it.

Ensure that employer-owned or controlled existing HVAC systems are used in accordance with manufacturers instructions and design specifications for the systems and that air filters are rated Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 13 or higher if the system allows it. Health screening and medical management: (1) Screen employees before each workday and shift; (2) Require each employee to promptly notify the employer when the employee is COVID-19 positive, suspected of having COVID-19, or experiencing certain symptoms; (3) Notify certain employees within 24 hours when a person who has been in the workplace is COVID-19 positive; (4) Follow requirements for removing employees from the workplace; (5) Employers with more than 10 employees, provide medical removal protection benefits in accordance with the standard to workers who must isolate or quarantine.

(1) Screen employees before each workday and shift; (2) Require each employee to promptly notify the employer when the employee is COVID-19 positive, suspected of having COVID-19, or experiencing certain symptoms; (3) Notify certain employees within 24 hours when a person who has been in the workplace is COVID-19 positive; (4) Follow requirements for removing employees from the workplace; (5) Employers with more than 10 employees, provide medical removal protection benefits in accordance with the standard to workers who must isolate or quarantine. Vaccination: Provide reasonable time and paid leave for vaccinations and vaccine side effects.

Provide reasonable time and paid leave for vaccinations and vaccine side effects. Training: Ensure all employees receive training so they comprehend COVID-19 transmission, tasks and situations in the workplace that could result in infection, and relevant policies and procedures.

Anti-Retaliation: Inform employees of their rights to the protections required by the standard and do not discharge or in any manner discriminate against employees for exercising their rights under the ETS or for engaging in actions required by the standard.

Inform employees of their rights to the protections required by the standard and do not discharge or in any manner discriminate against employees for exercising their rights under the ETS or for engaging in actions required by the standard. Requirements must be implemented at no cost to employees.

Recordkeeping: Establish a COVID-19 log (if more than 10 employees) of all employee instances of COVID-19 without regard to occupational exposure and follow requirements for making records available to employees/representatives.

Establish a COVID-19 log (if more than 10 employees) of all employee instances of COVID-19 without regard to occupational exposure and follow requirements for making records available to employees/representatives. Report work-related COVID-19 fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations to OSHA.

The healthcare standard also applies to emergency responders and employees in ambulatory care settings where suspected or confirmed coronavirus patients are treated.

OSHA also set forth guidance for working with unvaccinated employees in high-risk settings, including physical barriers and moving those employees to off-hours.

Employers must comply with most provisions within 14 days and with the remaining provisions within 30 days. OSHA said it will use its enforcement discretion to avoid citing employers who miss a compliance deadline but are making a good faith effort to comply with the ETS.

This standard is necessary to give our healthcare workers deeply needed protections, said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick. This tailored standard allows OSHA to help the workers most in danger of contracting the virus, while the updated guidance will give other businesses across the country the information they need to help protect unvaccinated workers and continue mitigating spread in the workplace.

OSHA said it will update the standard, if necessary, to align with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and changes in the pandemic.

Other Industries Guidance

In addition to the healthcare-focused standard, OSHA issued updated guidance to help employers and workers in other industries protect workers who are still not vaccinated,. This guidance is directed at industries noted for prolonged close-contacts like meat processing, manufacturing, seafood, and grocery and high-volume retail.

The standard will require non-exempt facilities to conduct a hazard assessment and have a written plan to mitigate virus spread, and requires healthcare employers to provide some employees with N95 respirators or other personal protective equipment. In addition, covered employers must ensure 6 feet of distance between workers. In situations where this is not possible, employers should erect barriers between employees where feasible.

The standard also requires covered employees to provide workers with paid time off to get vaccinated and to recover from any side effects. Covered employees who have coronavirus or who may be contagious must work remotely or otherwise be separated from other workers if possible, or be given paid time off up to $1400 per week. For most businesses with fewer than 500 employees, tax credits in the American Rescue Plan may be reimbursed through these provisions.

OSHA has estimated that its new ETS will cover about 10 million people.

Labor organization have long urged OSHA to issue a broader standard covering meatpacking, grocery and other workers. The AFL-CIO sued in 2020 to force OSHA to issue an emergency standard but a federal court of appeals dismissed its case.

Unions have also criticized the voluntary guidance for other industries as stopping short of the force of a standard. OSHA does, however, use its guidance in evaluating an employers safety efforts and its guidance has also been used as the minimal standard of care in negligence cases.

Topics COVID-19 Workers' Compensation
U.S. government employees should not be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to their workplace or made to disclose their vaccination status, according to guidance released by the Biden administration on Thursday.

Workers may voluntarily disclose this information and federal agencies can base their safety protocols, in part, on whether employees are vaccinated, the guidance said.

In a 20-page memo seen by Reuters, the acting heads of three agencies that oversee the federal workforce also urged agencies to consider more flexible arrangements for some employees, including permanent part-time remote work and working outside of normal business hours.

The guidance comes as many U.S. government employees who have been working remotely during the pandemic prepare to return to their offices. It came on the same day the U.S. Department of Labor issued an emergency rule for protecting workers in healthcare settings.

The federal government employs more than 4 million people, making it the largest employer in the United States. Nearly 60% of federal employees worked remotely during the pandemic, up from about 3% previously, according to Thursdays memo.

The guidance requires agencies to submit draft proposals by next week and more detailed final plans, including reopening schedules, by July 19.

The memo is signed by the acting heads of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration.

Jason Miller, deputy director for management at OMB, said in a statement that the guidance underscores that worker safety is a top priority as agencies plan to reopen offices.

This moment in time provides a unique opportunity to look at the federal governments role as a model employer, as we strive to implement consistent yet flexible government-wide practices that will foster effective, equitable, and inclusive work environments, Miller said.

The officials also said that agencies eventual post-pandemic operating state may differ in significant ways from (their) pre-pandemic operating state.

That could mean untethering some workers from physical offices, which would enable agencies to recruit nationwide and share office space while decreasing the amount of time employees spend commuting, they said.

The officials cautioned that agencies may have to bargain with unions before implementing certain policies, such as changes to work schedules and safety protocols. About 30% of federal workers are represented by unions.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner Editing by Noeleen Walder, Bill Berkrot and Leslie Adle
NFP and Vault have launched the NFP/Vault Group Excess Program to provide select, qualifying employers and wealth management organizations an opportunity to expand their scope of benefits and offerings and extend to their high net worth (HNW) executives and clients a product designed to meet their unique needs.

The NFP/Vault Group Excess Program is fully administered by NFPs Private Client Group (PCG), which will serve as the exclusive agent of this program, offering Vaults personal excess liability insurance product to groups of individuals through wealth management advisors, employee benefit brokers, law firms and other trusted advisors, and directly to employer groups. The insurance product factors in the groups common risk factors and offers competitive pricing at a group level, NFP said in a statement.

PCG is the program administrator, manager and managing general underwriter (MGU), and Vaults E&S Insurance Company is the carrier managing the coverage and claims. Per occurrence, coverage for group personal excess liability insurance is sold in $5 million dollar limit increments up to $30 million. Coverage highlights include uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage; uninsured/underinsured 3rd party liability coverage; legal defense costs and choice of counsel; personal attorney funds, and employment practices liability coverage.

The HNW insurance market is substantial and growing fast, NFP said in its statement. There are an estimated 12 million HNW households in the U.S., and direct premiums written by HNW-focused carriers have increased by about 4% per year from 2017-19, according to LEK Consulting.

The NFP/Vault Group Excess Program brings together two leading insurance brands who uniquely understand the fast-changing needs of the high net worth individual, their employers and trusted advisors, said Gilbert Lai, managing director of NFPs Private Client Group.

Partnering with NFP on our new group excess program was a natural choice, said Charles Williamson, co-founder and CEO of Vault. NFP has a stellar reputation and vast experience in this niche offering that blends personal insurance with an entire suite of products and services for companies of all sizes.

NFP is a insurance broker and consultant providing specialized property and casualty, corporate benefits, retirement, and individual solutions through its licensed subsidiaries and affiliates.

St. Petersburg, Florida-based Vault provides personal insurance for the high net worth market.

Source: NFP
The offshore service vessel that capsized in the Gulf of Mexico in a deadly April disaster is cracking and will have to be brought ashore in sections, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

A Coast Guard news release said the Seacor Power had rotated in the spot where it partially sank after capsizing April 13 off Louisianas coast. Salvage workers reported signs of cracking and separation of the hull from the superstructure, indicating the vessels structural integrity has been compromised, according to the release.

A lift boat equipped with legs, the vessel can be lowered to the sea floor to anchor it in place for work on nearby oil and gas facilities. It overturned as it was heading to a job site with 19 people aboard. Only six survived.

Six bodies were recovered from the wreckage or Gulf waters. Seven people are missing and presumed dead.

Family members were briefed on salvage efforts by officials with the company that owns the vessel and by the salvage company, Donjon-SMIT.

The Coast Guard said efforts so far have involved removal of debris around the vessel to make room for salvage equipment. Salvage efforts will include the use of a submersible barge that can be maneuvered under larger sections of the vessel, then refloated. The Coast Guard says the largest sections could be removed by the end of June, but that could be delayed by weather or other factors.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The children of a Black man killed by police in Louisianas capital city five years ago have accepted a $4.5 million settlement from the local government, the mans family and the citys mayor said.

Alton Sterlings 2016 shooting by a Baton Rouge police officer was captured on video and sparked anger and protests in the citys Black community.

Sterlings family issued a statement confirming acceptance of the settlement after news outlets reported that court documents showed they had moved to have the suit dismissed last month. The settlement had been approved earlier in the year by the Metro Council for Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish.

This settlement, which was reached through hard work and collaboration between attorneys for Mr. Sterlings family and the Baton Rouge City Council, will allow the city to heal and provide a pathway for Mr. Sterlings children to be provided for financially, said the statement issued through the familys attorneys. It also expressed hope that reforms implemented by the department will prevent future deaths.

As a community, we must work together to implement changes in policy and in our community to ensure that no other families in Baton Rouge will endure this loss, trauma, or heartbreak, Mayor Sharon Broome said in her statement.

The officer who shot Sterling during a struggle outside a convenience store lost his job and another officer was suspended. Neither was charged criminally after state and federal investigations.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Sterlings five children in 2017 by their mothers. It sought damages for violation of Sterlings civil rights and claimed the local government was negligent in its hiring, training and supervision of Blane Salamoni, the officer who fired the six shots that killed Sterling.

The agreement will pay $1 million upfront to Sterlings children from East Baton Rouge Parishs insurance reserve funds, WBRZ-TV reported, with the remaining money being paid in equal installments over the next four years.

The initial funds will be allocated from the city-parishs Insurance Reserve Fund, with the remaining payments pulled from the annual operating budget.

Sterling was fatally shot by Baton Rouge police responding to a complaint of a man with a gun outside a convenience store on North Foster Drive in 2016. Widespread protests followed after cellphone video of the encounter was spread online.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Law Enforcement
COLUMBUS, Ga.  A federal judge says he isnt halting a wrongful death lawsuit against three Columbus police officers, despite their concerns that the district attorney is seeking to indict them on criminal charges, because he doesnt believe they can be successfully prosecuted for a crime.

U.S. District Judge Clay Land on Thursday denied the stay request from officers Michael Aguilar, Brian Dudley, and Aaro Evrard.

They sought a postponement after Muscogee County District Attorney Mark Jones named private attorney Christopher Breault as a special prosecutor investigating the death of Hector Arreola, who died in a struggle with officers in 2017. Jones said he hoped Breault would be ready to present the case for possible indictment during the current court term, which ends in two months.

The officers attorneys argued the criminal investigation hampers their defense in the civil suit, saying they could testify if they werent compelled to use their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination.

Arreola died during an arrest for disorderly conduct. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations initial autopsy report found that Arreola died from methamphetamine toxicity. But the agency amended the report last year to say Arreola died by homicide. The amendment changed the cause of death to sudden cardiac death following a struggle with law enforcement including prone position restraint complicating acute methamphetamine toxicity.

The lawsuit alleges the cardiac arrest resulted from brain damage caused by the force the officers used in restraining him.

Land wrote that the statute of limitations has run out on all possible state charges except murder, and that the evidence he has seen shows its unlikely that prosecutors could prove that officers acted with premeditated malice or that they killed Arreola while committing a separate felony. Those are the grounds for murder under Georgia law.

The facts underlying this action and the expiration of the statute of limitations on all charges except murder strongly militate against criminal charges ever being made, Land wrote.

NAACP leaders in Columbus have likened Arreolas death to that of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Columbus NAACP branch President Wane Hailes has said Arreola said 16 times that he couldnt breathe as an officer sat on him for more than two minutes while Arreola was handcuffed.

The officers were placed on administrative leave during an investigation, but have returned to duty.

District Attorney Mark Jones told WRBL-TV that he respects Lands ruling, but that the case should be heard by a grand jury.

Jim Clark, a lawyer representing the officers and the city, said in a statement that we agree with the Court that there is no good faith basis for presenting this case to a grand jury.

Arreola family attorney Mark Post said the family agrees with the ruling and he looks forward to starting a civil trial on Aug. 9.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Law Enforcement Georgia
EUNICE, W.Va.  Eunice should have been Becky Rectenwalds place to settle. The dust settled there instead.

Rectenwald, 58, moved to the former Raleigh County mining town from Marmet nearly four years ago for cleaner air and a larger yard for her dogs as she kept taking care of her mother.

Eight months ago, at 15% lung capacity with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and bronchitis, Rectenwald left her 79-year-old mother in Eunice in the care of her 18-year-old granddaughter.

The filters on Rectenwalds oxygen machine and ventilator had turned black. She had to go.

The way weve gotta live, its sad, Rectenwald says. I cant be with my family because of it.

The portable ventilator that Rectenwald uses did nothing to obscure her words of desperation as she sat wedged between the ventilator and a picnic table at Marsh Fork High School Memorial Park on an unseasonably hot spring evening. Rectenwald made the trek down Coal River Road with her sister, with whom shes been staying in Elkview more than an hour away.

She was surrounded under the pavilion by a dozen former neighbors.

They were there to clear the air, too.

Wed just like to have the dust cut down, Sandra Stewart, 71, said.

Black Eagle Mine

Stewarts house of 32 years on the northern edge of Eunice sits nearest the coal pile for the Marforks Coal Companys Black Eagle underground mine about 1,000 feet away.

Eunice residents said the mine has wreaked havoc on their health and homes since soon after operations began in 2018, its coal dust pervading their lungs and living rooms, its ventilation fans whirring so loudly that talking outside became impossible, its blasting knocking pictures off walls and damaging house foundations.

Many of the communitys residents living closest to the Black Eagle mine have been gathering for weekly meetings since April to talk about the mine and what to do about it.

The organizer of the meetings, Shelia Walk, has lived 42 of her 49 years in Eunice.

Its home for her and her husband, who was a mine worker for 13 years before he was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and laid off. Its home for her parents, including her father, a disabled veteran who has been having fewer asthma attacks since moving to a section of the community farther from the Black Eagle mine. Its home for her 5-month-old grandson, who was born prematurely and has already had breathing problems.

Walks home was her brothers before he died, so shes not eager to walk away from it.

I would love to stay here, because Im never going to be this close to my family, Walk said. If somethings wrong, I can walk to my daughters (house). If I had to, I could walk to my parents (house). I dont see us ever being able to find homes that close together.

But standing at the edge of the picnic shelter facing her neighbors, Walk reached what has become an increasingly common conclusion in recent months in Eunice. If they can, I would appreciate it if the dust and the noise would quit. If not, then they should relocate us, Walk said to a smattering of applause from her neighbors.

Walk talked about Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Marfork Coal Companys Bristol, Tennessee-based parent company.

If Alpha wont pay them to move, the residents want the company to at least do more to reduce coal dust pollution, a change that would create a positive trend following what they said was an end to the mines ventilation fan noise pollution in April.

But Eunice residents said they havent been able to reach Alpha representatives, and Walk said no one from the mine has spoken to residents about operations there.

Alpha did not respond to a list of questions for this story.

Its like nobody even cares, Rectenwald said.

Raw Deal

Walk counted the number of homes in her section of Eunice nearest to the Black Eagle mine that house residents with disabilities. She counted eight of 11.

Across the picnic shelter, her next-door neighbor Rick Jones, 65, said he has to change his furnace filter often. We dont even get a month out of ours, said Alleson Sneed, Rectenwalds granddaughter.

Eunice residents said the quickly dirtying air filters have helped push their power bills to exorbitant amounts. They fear their property values are trending in the opposite direction.

The prevalence of fixed incomes in Eunice makes the communitys mine problem worse.

Annabel Aliff, 57, wasnt at the meeting but would like Alpha to buy her out, too.

Aliff says she was driven to apply for the state Department of Health and Human Resources Low-Income Energy Assistance Program for the first time in two decades because of the rising cost of heating and cooling her home as she avoids letting natural air in.

I hate asking for help, but sometimes, what are you gonna do? Aliff said.

When Aliff moved to her home in 2002, there were cookouts and bonfires.

I could even go and lay out in the sun, Aliff said. But I wouldnt even want to lay in the sun now because if I went out there with suntan lotion on me, the dust would stick all over me.

Aliff doesnt have a vehicle but gets rides from both her sister who has been staying with her and Walk, her next-door neighbor.

God blessed me with good neighbors, Aliff said. Im just getting a raw deal with the mine.

Coal River Mountain

The Black Eagle deep mine has had two mining permit violations since beginning operations in 2018, according to state Department of Environmental Protection data  failure to establish blasting signs in September 2018 and tracking spoil and waste material onto a state road (Route 3 or Coal River Road) in March 2019.

But two Alpha subsidiaries  the Marfork Coal Company and Republic Energy  have more than two dozen active mine permits in Raleigh County and a long history of permit violations.

The two subsidiaries have accumulated nearly 350 permit violations over the last three-plus decades in the Coal River watershed for offenses such as lack of sediment control, improper blasting procedures and mining activity outside permit boundaries. Nearly 3,000 acres in the watershed have been disturbed under mine permits over that span.

Total active and approved surface mining permits plus sludge dams compose 15% of the roughly 51,000-acre Coal River Mountain, according to Vernon Haltom, executive director of Coal River Mountain Watch, a nonprofit group based in nearby Naoma that opposes mountaintop removal and other mining practices that have impacted public health and natural resources.

Walks son Junior, 31, is an outreach coordinator for Coal River Mountain Watch who has a house in Eunice and lives in Whitesville across the Boone County line. Walk said extensive mining activity has ravaged the Coal River watershed over the course of his lifetime.

Coal River Mountain Watch has opposed recent applications for new and renewed permits for surface mining on the mountain made by Republic Energy, saying dust from renewed blasting procedures would leave nearby residents at an elevated risk for cancer.

The DEP has approved Republic Energys recent permit applications, saying they met the states surface mining control and reclamation requirements, obligating the department to issue the permit.

Whats going on here is a continuation over a century of exploitation of both the land and the people here, Walk said in his parents backyard shortly before the meeting started. Outside interests like the coal company thats operating right over here have had their way with Southern West Virginia.

Some residents would like onsite air quality monitoring but havent been able to procure any from the state DEP.

DEP acting spokesman Terry Fletcher said the agency has air monitoring equipment for assessments of federally mandated National Ambient Air Quality Standards at permanent sites.

The departments Division of Air Quality will investigate dust and air quality complaints and take enforcement action when appropriate, Fletcher said.

An agency database of citizen complaints shows three about the Black Eagle mine, the two most recent coming from Eunice residents in early December about mine fan noise levels.

But Walk said she called the DEP more than 10 times to report mine noise and dust and never got an effectual response.

Raleigh County Commission President Dave Tolliver declined to comment through County Administrator Jay Quesenberry, who added officials had not heard complaints about dust or noise coming from the mine.

State Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, declined to comment, saying he was out of the state last week and could not communicate with anyone about the situation. Roberts added that no one had contacted his office about Marfork.

State Delegate Christopher W. Toney, R-Raleigh, could not be reached for comment.

Wanting to Go

Theres no sign of operations at the Black Eagle mine slowing down.

Alpha Chief Operating Officer Jason Whitehead noted steadily improving coal thickness at the mine during the companys 2020 fourth-quarter earnings call in March and looked ahead to further mining there next year. An equity research analyst at the Benchmark Company investment banking firm observed that the Black Eagle mine was ramping up.

Residents say Alpha added a gravel road that runs along the mountain for more than a mile earlier this year along with at least one new ventilation fan.

Referring to Alpha, (W)ere getting our coal. Were making our money. We dont care, said Rectenwald, whose father was a coal miner. And its sad. Its sad they dont have any respect for humanity.

Whether Alpha pays Eunice residents to move away, Rectenwalds family is looking to pay their Eunice house off and start over someplace they can breathe a little easier  and together.

Just go, just go, just go, Rectenwalds granddaughter Sneed said. Dont turn back. Just go.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Virginia West Virginia
Walnut Creek, Calif.-based CSAA Insurance Group has named Julie Brown executive vice president of commercial insurance.

Brown will be responsible for the distribution of commercial insurance under the Mobilitas brand, launched in 2020 to provide commercial insurance solutions for the sharing economy and mobility sector.

She has more than 32 years of experience in the insurance industry, encompassing commercial and all aspects of the business, including underwriting, operations, product management and distribution. Brown was previously senior vice president of distribution strategy at IAT Insurance Group, and in diverse leadership roles during her tenure with Safeco Insurance and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA Members through AAA clubs in 23 states and the District of Columbia.

Woodruff Sawyer has added John Fuhrman as a Southern California practice leader.

He will lead the regions operations including aligning the interests of the organization with client services, recruiting new talent, and identifying opportunities for growth.

Fuhrman was previously a managing director at Marsh, where he led the companys Pacific South partnership. He spent 10 years as a managing partner with Willis Towers Watson.

Woodruff Sawyer provides property/casualty, management liability, cyber liability, employee benefits, and personal wealth management services.

Topics California Commercial Lines Leadership
California state and local officials are encouraging rebuilding in areas destroyed by wildfires at a time when people should be redirected away from those areas if the state wants to reduce the economic and human impact of increasingly destructive wildfires, according to a report published on June 10.

State and local policies emphasize retrofitting existing homes and ensuring homes have defensible space and communities have evacuation plans. This encourages wildfire victims to rebuild in fire-prone areas, found a study by the University of California, Berkeley Center for Community Innovation that was commissioned by Next 10, a nonpartisan think tank.

The researchers studied the recovery efforts after the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa, the 2017 Thomas Fire in Ventura and the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise. They concluded that those massive and fatal wildfires highlight the urgency for policymakers to push for policies that make it easier to build housing in urban areas and promote the conservation of land, the researchers said.

The researchers said the state should offer a tax incentive to people who lose homes in a wildfire, to encourage them to move to lower-risk areas. Officials should also make it hard for developers to build in the wildland-urban interface, they said.

The time to act is right after a devastating wildfire when people are trying to make decisions about whether to rebuild or relocate, said Robert Olshansky, one of the reports lead authors and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

The state is talking about more restrictions on building new homes in the wildland areas. But its very hard to deal with the existing homes, Olshansky said. One time when you can actually deal with this is once a fire occurs.

A proposal that would require developers to build in the least-risky areas and prepare evacuation plans is part of a 10-bill package that lawmakers are considering as the state prepares for what could be a repeat of last years record wildfire season.

The bill by Sen. Henry Stern, a Democrat who represents parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, would require the state fire marshal to develop additional mandatory standards that local governments would have to meet before allowing new housing in the most vulnerable areas. The measure is opposed by builders and other business and real estate groups that say it will increase costs in an already tight and expensive housing market. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a different version last year.

Other bills seek to beef up standards for new housing developments. Lawmakers are also seeking to promote more prescribed burns and increase efforts to protect individual homes from wildfires. Last years fires scorched 4% of the state, or 6,653 square miles (717,231 square kilometers); killed 33 people; and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and other structures.

Nick Cammarota, the California Building Industry Associations senior vice president and general counsel, said the researchers failed to get input from builders who know of all the hurdles to producing housing in California.

Theres no perfect place to build in California, Cammarota said. There are seismic constraints, there are flooding constraints, sea-level rise constraints. Theres habitat. There is toxics. Theres displacement and gentrification.

The study takes a myopic focus on wildfires and the safety risks the blazes pose but fails to take into account a slew of other safety risks, including how dense urban areas could be affected during an earthquake, Cammarota said.

The report estimates that 1.4 million California homes are in areas identified as having a high risk of burning in a wildfire event. But researchers said that number is likely much higher because the state has not updated its fire risk maps since 2007.

Researchers suggest levying a 0.25% fee on all new properties in fire-prone areas, which could generate more than $1.8 billion that could be spent on wildfire risk reduction planning and projects, including fuel breaks and prescribed burns.

Continuing to allow housing development near wildlands will increase the cost of insurance and place significant burdens on local economies, the researchers said. From 1964 to 1990, the insurance industry paid out an average of $100 million per year in fire insurance claims in California, according to the report. Following the 2017 and 2018 fire seasons, insurers paid out approximately $26 billion.

We discovered the very many negative impacts of fires on housing, on housing displacement, on peoples finances, on insurance costs, on the fiscal health of municipalities, of the state as a whole, said F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10.

A whole lot of positive things can happen by pulling back from having developments in the wildland: environmental, financial, fiscal, human  you name it, he added.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has released a draft of recommendations that aim to limit building in high wildfire risk areas, including having the state determine the areas where the risk is too high for state dollars to be used to support new development and infrastructure.

The recommendations also call for an expansion of tough building standards. If local officials still insist on building in places exposed to wildfires, the recommendations call for preventing those homes from getting insurance through the states FAIR Plan, the last resort for insurance for homeowners who have been denied traditional coverage.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California
There is a recurring legend in North Cork involving some unnamed person  usually 'found-on' in a public house, or caught coming from one without a light on their bike - giving their name to the gardai as John Mandeville, the Square, Mitchelstown.

The humour derives from the notion of the garda not knowing the most famous person in Mitchelstown, even if those telling or hearing the tale sometimes know little enough themselves about Mandeville beyond his big green statue in the Square.

The Mandeville Memorial, to use its correct title, commemorates Irish National Land League icon John Mandeville, who died at his home in Clonkilla, Mitchelstown, on July 8, 1889, exactly two weeks after his 39th birthday, having served two hard months in Tullamore Jail the previous year.

Mandeville was born near Carrick-on-Suir in 1849 to a fiercely Fenian family: his maternal uncle, John OMahony, would later found the Fenian Brotherhood.

As a baby Mandeville was splashed on the ear by molten lead from a broken mould being used to manufacture bullets, and it left him with a scar he bore proudly through life.

By his thirties a tall, burly farmer working a 200-acre freehold farm in Mitchelstown, Mandeville became the local leader of the Land League, and in October 1887 Mandeville and Mallow-born William OBrien MP were sentenced to two and three months in prison respectively for inciting tenants on Mitchelstowns Kingston Estate to resist eviction.

The men were denied the status of political prisoner, but the well-known OBrien was treated better than Mandeville, who was subjected to brutal abuse in Tullamore Jail. Left semi-naked in draughty, filthy conditions, and fed coarse bread and cold water, Mandeville became terribly ill, losing three stone in weight by the time he was released on Christmas Eve.

Mandeville left prison, as OBrien put it, a broken man, never recovering his health, and he died six months later. To ensure his friend would be remembered, OBrien pledged 100 toward a monument, and over the next decade-and-a-half money was raised in Ireland and in America, with the eventual memorial costing 1,050.

On Sunday, September 9, 1906, OBrien unveiled a seven-and-a-half-foot-tall bronze sculpture by London-based Francis William Doyle Jones, atop a ten-foot-high plinth of Ballinasloe marble, in New Square, Mitchelstown.

This newspaper, then called the Cork Examiner, reported that some 20,000 people attended the unveiling, while the Times of London put the crowd at 25,000, saying the unveiling was the biggest event in Mitchelstown within memory.

(The Cork Examiner report is an interesting read, the second half consisting entirely of a lengthy list of names. It was accepted journalistic practice at the time for a reporter to pass his notebook around the crowd and to invite people to write down their names, and the names of those who should have been there.)

'Four counties represented'. Cork Examiner reporting the unveiling of the Mandeville Memorial in 1906.

Mitchelstown-based historian Bill Power, who two decades ago chaired a committee to renovate the statue, says the Mandeville Memorial bears subtle and historic details.

Mandeville is wearing a tie-pin on his cravat, and its a shamrock, something which was much more a symbol of Ireland then.

The statues left leg bears a bullet-hole from a British shot fired during the War of Independence, but Power says that hole should not be confused with holes in the statues finger and foot, both of which are designed to drain rain-water.

Mitchelstown lore recalls marauding Black and Tans painting the statue red, white and blue, and Power says that when the statue was being renovated, they found traces of blue paint on the top of the plinth.

A local farmer actually protested this act of vandalism by painting one of his cows green, white and orange and parading her up and down the street.

The statues current green colour, Power says, is a result of the natural aging of bronze: verdigris, as its known. As to the legends of people giving their name to gardai as John Mandeville, the Square, Mitchelstown, Power claims to know personally a man in Clonmel who did it.

In fact, several guards in Mitchelstown told me they regularly got summonses for 'John Mandeville, the Square, Mitchelstown', so it must have gone on wholesale, he says.

William OBrien was determined that his friend would not be forgotten, and whether people really did falsely use his name or not, the persistence of the yarn surely shows just how synonymous John Mandeville, and the Mandeville Memorial, have become with Mitchelstown. There are worse legacies.
The mother of a boy who drowned on a family holiday says he is the inspiration behind a new national drowning prevention programme aimed at pre-school children.

Amanda Cambridge, whose three-year-old son, Avery Greene, drowned in a pool while on a family holiday in Alicante in Spain in 2019, worked with Water Safety Ireland on its Hold Hands programme for pre-schools, creches and early learning centres, and said it will help save lives.

It is built around the simple message that a young child should always hold an adults hand near water.

I dont want another parent to go through what we went through, Ms Cambridge said.

Our world was turned upside down on August 12, 2019, while on holidays in Spain.

Our blonde, blue-eyed boy, Avery, lost his life in a swimming pool accident.

Avery Greene

I went on holiday with three children and came back on a plane with two sitting beside me and one in a coffin below me.

Every day is sad. Grief has become our friend. But this new water safety programme is a great tribute to Avery.

It started because of him but its not for him. Its for every boy and girl who loves water.

It teaches them that water can be fun but that you have to be safe.

And maybe some of the kids that learn this resource will grow up to become lifeguards or swimming teachers."

The programme's launch comes days after a 23-month-old boy drowned in a paddling pool at the family home in Co Roscommon.

Tens of thousands of people also flocked to beaches over the weekend.

It resulted in gardai in Co Cork closing The Dock, Sandycove, Garretstown and Garrylucas beaches on public safety grounds.

Water Safety Ireland said the new drowning prevention programme has never been more important or timely, coming after a year of swimming pool closures which forced the suspension of all swimming lessons, and ahead of the summer when people get back to the water and start using paddling pools.

The Hold Hands resources have been designed by Water Safety Ireland to highlight potential water safety dangers at home, on farms, on the beach, at rivers, lakes and on holiday. It has been issued to over 4,000 early learning and care centres.
A mountain rescue charity has said it is deeply humbled by the generosity of a father-of-two whose wife died tragically while she was out running in Comeragh Mountains, Co Waterford, two months ago.

South East Mountain Rescue Association (Semra) recently received a significant donation from the Gillian Ryan Fundraiser which was launched by her husband Conor and family.

Gillian Ryan, 37, a hairdresser from Ashill, Horse and Jockey, Thurles, Co Tipperary went missing on April 18 at around 12.45pm close to the Coumshingaun Loop trail. Her body was found in a steep gully above the lake by rescue teams at 6.30pm the following day following the accident.

The alarm was raised when she did not make contact with her husband at 2pm and gardai were called at 3pm.

Semra led the multi-agency search along with Search And Rescue Dog Association Ireland Rescue 117 of the Irish Coast Guard along with the Kerry Mountain Rescue, Dublin and Wicklow search teams and the Glen of Imaal mountain rescuers and Civil Defence volunteers.

The fundraising campaign set-up for Semra by Mr Ryan and Olympic medallist Sonia OSullivan for her racing colleague raised just over 27,000 on gofundme.com/SouthEastern Mountain Rescue on behalf of Gillian.

Gillian Ryan

A rescue team spokesperson said: We really appreciate the support. The generosity of Gillians family and friends at such an extremely tough, sad and challenging time is deeply humbling.

"We do what we can to help people where we can and this will help us to continue to do that wherever it is needed.

Semras work is entirely voluntary, and although it receives some government funding and local grants, it relies heavily on donations to cover operational, training and daily running costs.

The spokesperson said: Thanks to everyone that supported and raised money and awareness for this fundraiser and for Semra over the last few weeks.

Thanks also to Coast Guard Rescue 117, gardai, the National Ambulance Service, Search and Rescue Dog Association [Ireland], Civil Defence Ireland and the many Mountain Rescue Ireland teams and local groups and businesses that played vital and invaluable roles in the search and recovery operation for Gillian.

From talking to family and friends, we know that Gillian was a very giving person and supported and raised money for many valuable causes. Gillian took part in our last annual fundraiser, the Long Way Round in Clonmel in 2019. May Gillian rest in peace
Cabinet ministers are likely to discuss changes to the quarantine rules for people coming from the UK amid concerns about the Delta variant of Covid-19.

Ministers here are considering extending the quarantine period for unvaccinated passengers from Britain.

They currently have to quarantine at home but can leave after five days with a second negative PCR test.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has called for mandatory hotel quarantine to be introduced for all travellers coming from the UK.

Mr Murphy says: "What we need to do is temporarily introduce mandatory hotel quarantine for people travelling if they're from England, Scotland, and Wales.

"That only needs to happen for a couple of months for us to get ahead and to get the vaccinations done."

Fully vaccinated people will potentially be allowed to arrive in Ireland without any sort of quarantine.

While those without two doses of vaccine could have to self-quarantine for 10 days even with a negative test.

Sinn Fein's Health Spokesman David Cullinane says it is not the ideal system.

"We've never said that home quarantine is the only solution.

"It has to be part of a match with both PCR testing and, as I've said a number of times already, we want to see the introduction of serial antigen testing.

"I think that would be a better response from public health perspective, than tinkering with the home quarantine system."

Public health concern

Speaking to Beat 102-103 news, Dr Ronan Glynn, says unvaccinated people have to remain vigilant.

The deputy chief medical officer says public health officials are worried about the Delta variant of Covid-19.

The Government will continue to consider possible travel restrictions with Britain, where it is believed the Delta variant, which first originated in India, makes up around 90% of new Covid-19 cases.

Speaking to Beat 102-103 news, Dr Ronan Glynn, says unvaccinated people have to remain vigilant.

"One thing that we're particularly concerned about is the Delta variant, and what impact that may have over the coming weeks," Dr Glynn says.

"We're very keen for people, particularly people who have not been vaccinated, continue to follow the basic messages so that we don't run into trouble over the coming weeks."

Hotel quarantine

Meanwhile, a university professor of Applied Pathogen Ecology at University College Cork (UCC) has urged the Government to consider hotel quarantining for travellers from Britain.

UCC Professor Gerry Kileen, co-founder of Independent Scientific Advocacy Group (ISAG) which advocates for Zero Covid, says hotel quarantine needs to be considered.

Prof Kileen told Newstalk: "What we really need is consistent and carefully managed quarantine, which means unfortunately in a hotel, really something that's been urgently needed for a long time.

"We did it for P1 from Brazil and that worked but we're kind of running out of time to stop a surge of Delta."
As Ireland progresses further in the national vaccination rollout, with those in their 30s being expected to register for their vaccine as soon as this week, pharmacists have been given the green light to begin administering Covid-19 vaccines.

Pharmacies will join the vaccination programme in a bid to speed up the rollout, ease pressures in mass vaccination centres and give people the choice to be vaccinated in their own community or travel to a vaccination centre.

When can I get a jab in the pharmacy?

From today, people will be able to receive a Covid-19 vaccine in their community pharmacy. Pharmacists have been trained to administer the jab.

What group can be vaccinated by pharmacists?

Currently, people over 50 will be able to get a Covid-19 vaccine from their local pharmacist.

It is expected that pharmacies will gradually begin vaccinating other age cohorts, however, there are approximately 140,000 people over the age of 50 who have not yet received a Covid-19 vaccine, according to The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU).

What vaccine are pharmacies administering?

Initially, pharmacies will only administer the one-shot Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine, however, the Pfizer jab will also be made available in the coming weeks.

Around 60,000 J&J jabs will be distributed to participating pharmacies across the country.

Towards the end of this month, the Pfizer vaccine will start to arrive in a smaller number of pharmacies  particularly to communities far away from vaccination centres.

Is my local pharmacy administering vaccines?

As of today, more than 1,000 pharmacies across Ireland will begin administering vaccines to over-50s.

You can check whether or not your local pharmacy will be participating in the vaccine rollout over on the HSEs website.

Do I have to register online/over the phone to get a jab in the pharmacy?

There is no need to register for your vaccine through the online portal to receive a Covid-19 vaccine in a pharmacy.

If you wish to receive a jab from one of the participating pharmacies, you must call them to arrange a vaccination appointment.

Chief Executive of the IPU, Darragh O'Loughlin, told Newstalk pharmacies will not be operating on a walk-in basis.

The pharmacist will be able to set you up on the portal if you are not on it, he said.

It will be appointment-based but it wont simply be a case of walking in the door.

The doses come in vials of five and we want to avoid wasted doses as much as possible so we will be making appointments in fives.

So, if you contact the pharmacy and make an appointment make sure you turn up for that appointment to avoid wasted doses.

How will it work?

Vaccinations will take place in a separate consultation room within your local pharmacy.

Once vaccinated, people will have to wait for 15 minutes after receiving their jab so that they can be monitored for any side effects.

Do I have to pay to get the vaccine in the chemist rather than a mass vaccination centre?

No, you will not have to pay for a Covid-19 vaccine if you choose to get vaccinated in a pharmacy.
A 17-year-old boy who saved a mother and daughter from drowning last month has been hailed a hero and an inspiration by the President.

Miley Doran has received an invite from President Michael D Higgins to visit Aras an Uachtarain once it is safe to do so.

On May 30, Mr Doran rescued both Stacey Foley and her daughter Sophie Foley-Smith, 13, after the pair got into difficulty while on a family outing near the banks of the River Barrow in Carlow.

President Higgins said he was enormously impressed to hear of the young Traveller boy's courageous and selfless actions.

"That you did so with no thought for your own safety marks you out as one of life's true heroes, and a citizen of whom we can be very proud indeed," President Higgins wrote.

You are also an inspiring role model for a generation of young Irish citizens.

President Higgins said he was looking forward to welcoming Mr Doran to the Aras and offered his deepest gratitude to the teenager for his valiant actions.

Teenager sprang into action

Speaking after the frightening incident, Mr Doran said he was down by the river when a child ran over screaming that her mother was drowning.

He quickly sprang into action when he saw Stacey in the water "screaming in fear of her life".

The brave teen said he had no choice but to jump in and pull the two of them out.

At the time, Ann Langton, Stacey's mother, called for Mr Doran to be honoured with a National Bravery Award for his heroic actions.

'He is our hero'

"He is our hero  I could have been planning funerals today," she said.

Ms Langton said he did not think twice or consider his own safety before he ran towards the water and jumped in to save Stacey and Sophie.

He should be an inspiration to all the young people in Carlow," she said.

Meanwhile, the humble boy had not even mentioned to his mother that he had rescued two people.

As news of her son's heroism spread on social media, Maggie soon discovered what he had done for Stacey and her family.

"I am so proud of him. If he wasn't there, God knows what would have happened," Maggie said.

Miley's story was shared thousands of times on social media as he was widely hailed for his courage, quick-thinking and selflessness.
Dublins Beaumont Hospital is seeking High Court injunctions against Gemma ODoherty over three "clearly defamatory" videos posted online, including one describing the hospital as a death camp.

The hospital claims the videos make a series of untrue claims and are clearly defamatory. They include one of Ms ODoherty standing outside the hospital alleging staff are being "forced" to take the experimental Covid 19 injection which, she alleges, has killed hundreds of thousands.

Hospital chief executive Ian Carter said the videos are damaging to the hospital and upsetting to staff. It is also concerned their content could influence some patients, especially vulnerable patients, who might otherwise avail of healthcare at the hospital not to do so

Michael Binchy, for the hospital, and for Marie Murray, its director of nursing, secured permission on Monday from Mr Justice Senan Allen to serve short notice of the plaintiffs application for injunctions on Ms ODoherty, with an address in Foxrock, Dublin.

The plaintiffs are seeking interlocutory injunctions, under the Defamation Act 2009, in the context of defamation proceedings, to have the videos removed and to prevent any republication of them.

Three videos posted on June 8, 10, and 11 contain disparaging references to named individuals who are members of the hospitals staff, Mr Binchy said.

The videos also featured wildly inaccurate descriptions of the hospital which is very anxious that they are taken down, he said.

Mr Justice Allen granted liberty to effect short service of the application for injunctions on Ms ODoherty and returned the matter to Friday.

He noted the injunctions are sought in defamation proceedings to which the plaintiffs contend Ms ODoherty has no defence with any reasonable prospect of success.

While noting Mr Binchy wanted the matter returned to Wednesday, for reasons including the plaintiffs concern that further videos might be posted, the judge believed Ms ODoherty would not have sufficient time to serve a replying affidavit if he returned the matter to Wednesday and he returned it to Friday instead.

In an affidavit, Mr Carter said he learned on June 9 of the first video from a member of hospital staff after the video was shared on social media.

In all three videos, Ms ODoherty has published a large number of falsehoods concerning the hospital and its staff, he said.

They included wildly inaccurate descriptions of the hospital as a death camp and describing some named staff as psychopaths.

Ms ODoherty had further alleged that management, senior consultants, nurses, doctors and everyone involved in providing the vaccine have blood on their hands.

It was also falsely alleged staff are being forced to get the Covid-19 vaccine and, if they did not, they would be demoted to clerical duties, ostracised, harassed and stalked, he said.

For the avoidance of any doubt, this is untrue, he said.

All vaccinations are undertaken on a voluntary and consented basis in line with HSE policy with the consent process, including provision information from independent experts, he said.

Adverse drug reactions arising from administration of the vaccine are reported to the relevant authorities.

Some 32,015 vaccines have been administered by the hospital to patients and staff and no instances of blood clots have been identified to the hospital in relation to the administration of the vaccine to patients and staff, he said.

Contrary to claims in the videos that the hospital is totally dysfunctional and unfit for purpose, it is in fact a major academic teaching hospital with a strong commitment and track record in innovation in patient care and participates in national and international clinical research which informs best practice, he added.
Books Books Snapshots of Two Young Lives Illuminate Myanmars Political, Social Ills

--

Until the World Shatters: Truth, Lies and the Looting of Myanmar

By Daniel Combs

Melville House, Brooklyn and London, 2021, 386 pages. US$28.99

Until the World Shatters by the award-winning author Daniel Combs reads like a novel but is not. The book is a well-written account of the dreams and aspirations of two young menan ethnic Kachin businessman called Bum Tsit and Phoe Wa, a Bamar born and raised in the countryside who has moved to Yangon to pursue a career as a photojournalistand what Combs calls the largest natural resource heist in Asia: the murky trade in jade from mines in the far north of the country. The book was written before the Feb. 1 coup and the subsequent escalation of the civil war in, among other parts of Myanmar, Kachin State. But that makes it only more important to read it.

Before Senior General Min Aung Hlaings power grab, people like Phoe Wa had to grapple with a government that was elected but whose understanding of press freedom was flawed to say the least, whereas Bum Tsits success as a businessman was conditional on contacts with corrupt military officers, at the same time as his family supported the rebel Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Now, journalists, poets and other writers are being arrested, tortured and even killed by Myanmars new military rulers. The introduction of a brutal dictatorship, and subsequent strikes and protests, and a deadly response from the military, have also led to a near collapse of the Myanmar economy. The survival of the junta depends to a large extent on the export of natural gas to Thailandas well as the income from the lucrative trade in precious stones like rubies and sapphires and, primarily, jade.

Meanwhile, in response to the brutal suppression of the anti-coup movement, the KIA has stepped up its attacks and inflicted heavy casualties on the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, and captured several of its outposts. The polarization of Myanmar society, be it in cities and towns in the countrys heartland or in the frontier areas, has become so entrenched that everyone now has to choose sides. No one, regardless of nationality or even education and social status, can remain neutral in Myanmars political landscape with the Tatmadaw on one side of the divide and, on the other, ordinary citizens. Local resistance armies consisting of villagers armed with hunting rifles have sprung up spontaneously in many parts of Myanmar, while tech-savvy youngsters are battling the dictatorship in cyberspace. Outsmarting military censors, they are keeping the world informed about whats happening in their country with videos, photos and statements from an abundance of civil society organizations, many now working underground to avoid arrest.

Combs, a former journalist and currently a foreign service officer in the US State Department, came to know Phoe Wa and Bum Tsit during a stay in Myanmar before the coup. Those are not their real names because he wanted to protect their actual identities; if personal safety was an issue even then, it has become a nightmare after the coup. The author lets us see Myanmars many political, social and ethnic problems through the lives and experiences of these two young men, and he does that with utmost sympathy for them and understanding of their choices.

Bum Tsit was born in the Kachin State capital Myitkyina in 1988, the year of a previous massive uprising against military rule. His father, a manual laborer and a gold miner, died when he was young and his mother left to work as a cook in the jade mines in Hpakant, the main area where the precious stone is found and where money flows more freely, as Combs puts it. Like most other Kachin families, his had close ties with the KIA and later his own brother joined the rebels.

Bum Tsit, however, went to university, became a Red Cross volunteer and, according to Combs graduated in 2010, during one of the most profound social transformations in Myanmars history. After forty-eight years of authoritarian rule, a civilian party took power from a military government. One is left to wonder if Combs today would have made the same assessment of what happened after a rigged election in 2010 made it possible for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) to form a government. And it was hardly a civilian government; it was dominated by former military officers. Then, in 2015, the pro-democracy National League for Democracy (NLD) took part in what turned out to be a free and fair electionand scored a landslide victory over the USDP.

While it is correct to say that the government that was formed after the 2010 election did open up society in a way Myanmar had not seen since before the first military coup in 1962, it did not result in a fundamental transformation of the countrys power structure. The new USDP government did release political prisoners, press freedom was guaranteed and political parties were able to operate openly. But the constitution, enacted after a blatantly fraudulent referendum in 2008, guaranteed the preservation of the militarys power. It appointed the three most important ministersfor defense, home affairs and border affairsand a quarter of all MPs. And for that order to change, more than the elected three quarters of parliamentarians would have to vote for such a proposal. The military remained the countrys most powerful institution and when the generals eventually got tired of having a civilian front, they staged a coup and assumed direct power over the country. The democratic reforms were a facade erected by the military in 2010 to lessen its heavy dependence on China and improve relations with the West.

Phoe Wa, seven years younger than Bum Tsit, was one of many who benefited from the initiatives that the USDP government took after setting up a quasi-civilian government. Determined to become a photojournalist, he moved from his home village in Mon State to Yangon where he enrolled in a journalism workshop and eventually found a job in a local newspaper. But then came the Rohingya refugee crisis and Combs watched Phoe Was journey to report the truth despite the forces working against him: government propaganda, religious nationalist fanatics and his own spiritual doubt. As his journalistic responsibility grew, he was forced to ask himself what he was willing to sacrifice to tell the truth.

In Kachin State, Bum Tsit, according to Combs, had to confront the countrys most painful secret: the connection between the jade industry and the longest-running war in the world. This is hardly correct. The war in Kachin State broke out in 1961, while communist and ethnic Karen rebels had been battling the central government since Myanmars independence in 1948. But it is fair to say that incomes from the lucrative trade in jade from the mines in Hpakant have attracted adventurers and fortune seekers from Myanmar as well as China, that fortunes have been made, and that Myanmar military officers have benefited immensely from bribes and payoffs provided by the mining companies. The KIA has collected tax in cash or in kind on the trade enabling the rebels to buy guns and run what appears to be a well-organized administration in the areas it controls. Individuals like Bum Tsit have also been able to prosper, but in a much more minor way than the big traders. And he never gave up his work as a social activist. According to Combs, Bum Tsit styled himself as a humanitarian first, and a businessman second.

It would be interesting to know where Bum Tsit and Phoe Wa are today and what impact the coup has had on their lives. If Phoe Wa was worried about the authoritarian direction in which the now ousted NLD government was turning, he can now no longer even try to work as an independent photojournalist unless he goes underground or into exile. Bum Tsit must be witnessing the dramatic escalation of the civil war in the north. The KIA has intensified its attacks on the Tatmadaw since the coup and dissidents from all over the country have sought refuge in areas it controls near the Chinese border. So the war in the north is, after all, about a bit more than capitalizing on the jade trade, which is a major theme of Combs book. Anecdotal evidence from Kachin State indicates that the people there have indeed chosen sides and that there is massive support for the rebels, even outside Kachin State.

Combs mixes his own observations of Myanmar as he saw it before the coup with dives into history, culture and the traditional importance of religion in society. Even if some of it may now be out of date and he might, in hindsight, have approached certain problems differently, it is still highly recommended to anyone interested in contemporary Myanmar.

Bertil Lintner is a Swedish journalist, author and strategic consultant who has been writing about Asia for nearly four decades.

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Burma Myanmar Junta Accuses NLD Lawmakers of Organizing Armed Resistance

An NLD member. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars military regime has accused elected lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD) party of being involved in recent bomb explosions, shootings and the organizing of military training for pro-democracy supporters.

The June 14 issues of junta-controlled newspapers accused two NLD lawmakers, U Yee Mon and U Thein Naing, of playing a major role in organizing military training for youths in areas controlled by the Karen National Union, a powerful ethnic organization and armed group based in Karen State.

U Yee Mon is the Defense Minister of the National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel government to the regime, and was an elected lawmaker at the 2020 general election, while U Thein Naing, is a former Yangon Region Parliament lawmaker from South Dagon Township,

The regime also accused NLD lawmakers in Sagaing Region of being involved in arms procurement and organizing military training in Laiza, Kachin State, the headquarters of the ethnic armed organization the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Junta media also claimed that some NLD lawmakers funded bombings targeting schools, as well as organizing and funding military training and attending the graduation ceremonies of people who have completed military training in areas controlled by ethnic armed groups.

On May 24 and 25, the regime reportedly seized a haul of weapons in Mandalay Regions Chanmyathazi and Pyigyitagun townships, and accused former Chin State municipal affairs chief Salai Issac Khin of being the head of the western military region of the NUG and of being connected to the seized weapons. The regime also accused him of providing 500,000 Indian rupiahs [around five million kyats] in funding to the Tamu peoples defense force (PDF) in Sagaing Region.

I am not the military region head. They just attempt to label me and set me up. I am not a lawmaker. I dont know the people who the regime said they had arrested [along with the seized weapons]. Perhaps they were forced to confess that I was involved. I am just helping displaced people, said Salai Issac Khin.

The May 29 and June 4 issues of the junta-controlled media claimed also that Yangon Region Parliament lawmakers from South Dagon Township were involved in organizing military training for young pro-democracy supporters.

I dont know the names in the news reports about the school explosions, let alone ever meeting those people in person, one of the lawmakers, U Nyi Nyi, wrote on his Facebook.

NLD lawmakers from Bago, Mandalay, Tanintharyi and Sagaing regions have also been accused of organizing military training in KIA-controlled areas.

Junta security forces have arrested a number of NLD leaders and lawmakers elected in the 2020 general election since the Feb. 1 coup, and the regime is attempting to dissolve the party.

State-run newspapers also said in their June 11 issues that the regime has arrested 49 people for committing arson, 61 people for committing murder, 256 people for illegal possession of arms, and 272 people for bombings, along with confiscating 50 small arms, 2,502 rounds of ammunition, 914 hand-made guns, 5,947 homemade bombs and related materials.

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Burma Myanmar Junta Orders MPs to Shun Parallel Govt and Affiliations

Letters have been sent to MPs elected in the 2020 general election telling them not to communicate with the National Unity Government and its related organizations.

Myanmars military regime has written to political parties and lawmakers warning them against involvement with the National Unity Government and its related organizations.

The letter bans all contact with the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), National Unity Government (NUG) and Peoples Defense Force (PDF). The regime has branded them as terrorist organizations.

The CRPH was formed mostly by National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmakers who won seats in the 2020 general election but were prevented from taking their seats by the Feb. 1 coup. The CRPH set up the NUG, which includes ethnic groups, to rival the military regime. The PDF was formed to organize armed resistance to the regime.

NLD lawmakers received the letter from regime-appointed township administration councils on June 8.

A letter seen by The Irrawaddy asks MPs to sign a statement that they will not deal with the CRPH, NUG or PDFs, which the regime has designated as terrorist groups.

It threatens anyone breaching the rules with arrest.

The letter stated that those who won seats in the 2020 general election dont have the right to officially stand as parliamentarians.

It also warns of consequences for those who fail to report back in time.

The NLDs Central Executive Committee (CEC) responded: Only the regime which violated the 2008 Constitution itself and committed treason and rebelled against the will of the people is an illegal, terrorist organization.

The CEC said designating elected lawmakers as lacking the legal right to stand as parliamentarians and forcing them to sign a confession is illegal, meaning there is no need to comply.

As a representative chosen by the public, the lawmakers must strike to uphold the duties and responsibilities entrusted to them by the people, the CEC stated.

CEC member U Aung Kyi Nyunt, who chairs the CRPH, said most NLD lawmakers have defied the regime and faced arrest and prosecution.

The call has also been made to other political parties.

Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) spokesman U Sai Leik said the party received a letter in February demanding that it sign a pledge to avoid any contact with the CRPH within a week or risk prosecution.

Last Thursday, the police, Bureau of Special Investigation and general administration department questioned the SNLD staff in Yangon about whether the party had violated the Political Parties Registration Law.

Under the law, any party with links to terrorists or unlawful associations shall be abolished.

Our chairman U Sai Nyunt Lwin had to sign a statement saying none of the partys CEC and elected lawmakers have had any contact with the [NLDs] groups, U Sai Leik said.

He said the partys township offices later experienced similar pressure.

I dont have any dealing with the NUG, CRPH or PDF. But I wont sign a statement, said U Sai Tun Aye, who was elected in 2020.

Arakan National Party spokesman U Pe Than said the party signed a statement pledging not to contact the groups.

The Peoples Party, Democratic Party and National Democratic Force were also recently interrogated by the regime.

The regime said it will hold a new election. Its Union Election Commission chairman, U Thein Soe, said the NLD will be abolished because it plotted illegally to win the 2020 election.



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Burma Myanmars Detained Suu Kyi Gave Residences and Almost All Her Money to Charity

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visits an organic farm. / Daw Khin Kyi Foundation

An executive director of a charity founded by ousted Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said he struggled to make sense of the regimes accusation that she used the foundation to engage in corruption, pointing out that she had given so much of her own money to it, she no longer has a place of her own or any financial possessions.

I have to say she has almost no money of her own and doesnt have a house to call home. She poured all she has into this foundation and others. I dont understand how they could charge such a person with corruption, U Moe Zaw Oo said.

The regime charged Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with corruption last week, accusing her of abusing her authority to secure land in Yangon and Naypyitaw, as well as funding, for the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, a charity named after her late mother. The land in question includes the site of the charitys Yangon headquarters and a plot housing a vocational school in Naypyitaw run by the foundation. The regime claims that irregularities in her use of the land cost the country more than 24.2 billion kyats (US$14.7 million). The related charges brought against her form just one of seven legal cases filed against the State Counselor by the junta since her arrest on Feb. 1, the day of the military coup.

The foundation was launched in 2012 to promote improvements in the health, education and living standards of the Myanmar people, especially in the countrys least developed areas. Following the coup, the foundation announced it was closing temporarily.

U Moe Zaw Oo rejected the regimes corruption accusation against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as inappropriate, saying the charity is non-commercial and for the good of the people, adding that the suspension of the charitys work has only had a negative impact on the public.

Until the coup, one of the causes for which the foundation accepted public donations was the funding of COVID-19 vaccinations. As of Jan. 29, two days before the military takeover, it had transferred a total of 2.5 billion kyats ($1.77 million) to the government for that purpose. The corruption charge against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi came against the backdrop of a resurgence in coronavirus cases in the country. Since the coup, donations to fight the disease are unheard of due to the publics mistrust of the regime.

I have to ask them: If the foundation has cost the country [as the regime says], who will take responsibility for the suffering of the people and the country due to its closure? said U Moe Zaw Oo, who now serves as the deputy minister of foreign affairs in Myanmars parallel National Unity Government.

The regime has also accused Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of using over 1.6 billion kyats in cash contributions from the public to build a house for herself in the compound of the Horticulture Vocational School in Naypyitaw, contrasting with the main goals of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation.

U Moe Zaw Oo said the house was intended to provide the foundation chairperson with a place to live, as she has donated her residences on the shore of Inya Lake in Yangon and in the shadow of Poppa Mountain in Mandalay to the foundation. She donated her Yangon home to the foundation in 2020 after the charitys headquarters opened next door. However, some paperwork remains to be done before it can be officially handed over to the charity, he said.

She has almost nowhere to live upon her retirement, he said. Until the coup, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lived in a state-owned residence in Naypyitaw.

The foundation built the house in the Naypyitaw school compound as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has a keen interest in growing flowers and vegetables and has decided to spend her time there [after retirement], he said.

The foundations other intended use for the structure, the executive director said, was as a museum after Daw Aung San Suu Kyi dies.

We have to make it fit for our future purposes. So her new residence includes a library for her books from her Yangon home and a gallery for paintings [she collected at the Naypyitaw residence], he said.

He rejected the regimes accusation that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had misused public funds, saying the donations reflected the peoples respect for her. Apart from donations to the charity, he explained that some individual donations had been made for Daw Aung San Suu Kyis personal use, including cash and jewelry.

But she gave it all to the foundation, he said. In fact, they are her personal belongings, he said.

U Moe Zaw Oo insisted that neither Daw Aung San Suu Kyi nor the foundation had ever breached official procedures in buying land in Naypyitaw or renting a place for the charity headquarters in Yangon. He said the foundation asked authorities in Yangon and Naypyitaw to lease and sell the land at reasonable prices as it is a non-profit organization.

The authorities processed the requests and allowed the foundation to go ahead, he said.

We have paid what we were supposed to according to the official procedures. As far as I am concerned there was no abuse of power in those cases, he said.

U Moe Zaw Oo believed the regimes corruption charge against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi over the charity is the result of a personal grudge, as the foundation is apolitical and she never used it for political purposes.

The charge wont diminish her popularity. Instead, there will be more popular support for her, he said.



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The Myanmar regime's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Chongqing on June 8. / Chinese Foreign Ministry

Myanmar is heading for failed state status. In the ethnic states of Kayah and Chin, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by renewed conflicts between the Myanmar military on the one side, and ethnic armed rebel groups and newly emerging civilian forces on the other. Young activists and students are heading to the jungle to receive military training; many other educated young people are leaving Myanmar amid daily explosions and targeted killings throughout the country.

The economy is on the brink of collapse, as is the healthcare system. The violence on both sides can only be expected to intensify, and an exodus of refugees and dissidents to neighboring China, India and Thailand has already begun.

China professes to be unfazed by Myanmars descent into chaos, however. Its policy of friendship toward Myanmar is not affected by changes in Myanmars internal and external situations and remains oriented toward the people of Myanmar, Chinas Foreign Ministry said, summarizing a message conveyed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to his Myanmar regime counterpart Wunna Maung Lwin at a meeting last week on the sidelines of the Special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting in Chongqing.

Of course, as a key investor and supplier of weapons to Myanmar, Beijing wields considerable influence in Naypyitaw. Eager to safeguard and advance its key strategic political and economic interests in its southern neighbor, Beijing has since the coup pressured ASEAN to engage with Myanmars military junta. To put it plainly, China is using ASEAN to legitimize the regime.

In the past, present and future, China supports Myanmar to independently choose a development path that suits its national conditions, the Foreign Ministry said. Apparently that holds true even if the path chosen by the coup leaders in Myanmar is one of turmoil and instability; meanwhile, Chinas long-touted pauk paw (or fraternal) ties with the people of Myanmar have been shattered.

Soon after the regime ousted Myanmars elected government in February, Chinas state-run Xinhua news agency described the seizure of power by force of arms as a cabinet reshuffle. Since then, anti-China sentiment has hit fever pitch due to Beijings failure to condemn the military crackdown and the mounting perception that it has fully sided with the junta.

If China wants to throw in its lot with the widely detested coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, so be it. Its geostrategic ambition and economic interests in Myanmar know no bounds; Beijing will always make friends with whoever has the upper hand politically in Myanmar.

A recent report in the Financial Times suggests that the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has left open the door to funding projects in Myanmar even if the country does not return to democracy. Joachim von Amsberg, AIIB vice-president, told the newspaper that while the bank did not have any new projects under consideration for Myanmar, it did have a framework for dealing with de facto governments.

We would not take a view on the form of government, we would go through our checklist, he said.

This sort of apparently pragmatic approach has some observers concerned that if Western firms disengage from Myanmar, their Chinese counterparts will be only too happy to step in and fill the void.

Such companies should think twice before investing or providing loans to Myanmar, however. All relevant factorsincluding the likely lifespan of the current regime and the depth of anti-Chinese sentiment among the Myanmar publicshould be included in their checklists.

The US, meanwhile, is taking the opposite approach to the Myanmar crisis.

In March, US President Joe Biden condemned the violence against anti-coup protesters in Myanmar, saying, Its absolutely outrageous and based on the reporting Ive gotten, an awful lot of people have been killed totally unnecessarily. In the same month, defense chiefs from 12 countriesthe US, Britain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japansaid in a statement, We condemn the use of lethal force against unarmed people by the Myanmar Armed Forces and associated security services.

The US has imposed sanctions on some of the regimes top generals as well as a number of cronies who have developed business ties and cozy relations with the junta. Myanmar observers and insiders also suspect that several young cronies who are close to top regime leaders including Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing have developed new business projects, including deals to procure arms from Russia and China.

Washington has also expressed concern for the deteriorating security situation in the country. Violence is spiraling in Myanmar, said Kurt Campbell, Bidens policy coordinator for the Indo-Pacific.

The US administration has privately supported the efforts of ASEAN, particularly Indonesia and Singapore and other countries, trying to begin a process to move the country back to elections and to democracy, Campbell said during a recent online event hosted by the Center for a New American Security, a think tank. This is a relatively difficult and challenging path. Its hard not to be discouraged, and the situation is getting worse, he added.

And frankly, were asking other countries in the surrounding regions to take the necessary steps to both isolate Myanmar and reach out to the military leadership, said Campbell, who was a key architect of the Obama administrations pivot to Asia. In 2009 he became the highest-ranking US official in Washington to visit Myanmar in years, meeting top regime leader Senior General Than Shwe and then-opposition leader (and more recently, ousted State Counselor) Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

For its part, ASEAN is now held in universal contempt throughout Myanmar.

In any case, the US and China see the Myanmar issue through diametrically opposed lenses.

To China, in addition to the rise of Western influence in Myanmar, it is concerned about the widespread Civil Disobedience Movement within the countryin which civil servants from a wide range of sectors are refusing to work for the regimewhile also being confronted with growing anti-China sentiment.

China has for some time been worried that Western-funded organizations and institutions have established a presence and a growing influence inside Myanmar, and it has in the past expressed this concern to Myanmars military leaders.

Inside the country, anger and disgust toward the illegitimate coup and the regime it spawned are on the rise, along with a willingness on the part of many people to actively fight it. The people of Myanmar are also showing their abhorrence of the regimes allies. That includes China and other sympathetic governments, whether near or far.

Now, it is easy to see who the real losers in Myanmars crisis are.

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In recent weeks, 82 Cubans who left the island illegally, have been returned to their homeland by the United States.

In a statement, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior reported the return of the migrants  commonly known as rafters by the means they choose to leave the island - whose attempts to reach the US took place between May and June.

Version en espanol

These people put their lives in danger by going to sea in rustic vessels that do not have the most basic conditions of navigation or maritime safety; in some cases, with as many as 31 aboard a single vessel, without means of rescue or warning for emergencies, said the official note.

A total of 313 people have so far been returned by United States authorities so far this year, the MININT indicated. Comparatively, the US Coast Guard reported that from October 2019 to September 2020 - it had intercepted 49 migrants.

One of these homemade rafts arrived in Key Biscayne recently and the group celebrated upon reaching the beach at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, and quickly hid to avoid deportation.

Until January 2017, Cubans who arrived in the United States by any means, were automatically considered refugees and were offered immigration benefits.

An agreement signed between Cuba and Washington during the President Barack Obama administration, repealed that alternative  known as wet-foot-dry-foot policy - to promote safe migration.
President Joe Bidens pick to lead the General Services Administration, former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, told senators Thursday that she was horrified by the slow pace of federal pandemic relief.

While Congress responded to the crisis with new programs and resources, in too many instances, that help was not fast enough in reaching families due to outdated technology systems, she said.

We cant implement government policy if we cant make the damn websites work, she told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee during her confirmation hearing.

If confirmed to run an agency tasked with supporting federal agencies, including their technology needs, Carnahan said one of her priorities would be working to shore up the fragility of the governments digital infrastructure.

She would harness the resources of the $20 billion, 12,000-employee GSA to not only improve the operations of federal agencies, but also to seek ways to assist state governments, Carnahan said.

The state unemployment systems that were overwhelmed during the coronavirus pandemic have many similarities, Carnahan said, adding that she would look for ways to support shared services that dont have to be reinvented and rebuilt and paid for by taxpayers over and over again in every state.

Carnahan, 59, comes into the appointed role with significant familiarity with the GSA and with the challenges of modernizing government technology.

From 2016 to 2020, she founded and led the State and Local Government Practice at 18F, which is a digital services agency within GSA that collaborates with other agencies to help them build and buy technology.

Before that, she served as Missouris secretary of state from 2005 to 2013.

Carnahan would take over the agency as it grapples with an aspect of post-pandemic life thats also challenging private-sector businesses: the role of remote work, and how much physical offices are needed.

The GSA is responsible for managing federal office space, and Carnahan said it will be a very big deal for the federal agencies to rethink their long-term office needs.

The Senate panel is scheduled to vote next week on advancing Carnahans nomination to the Senate floor.

This report first appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to coverage of state government and politics from Tallahassee.
It looks like things are looking up once again for Bitcoin, as Elon Musk and Tesla are still open to supporting the cryptocurrency.

Elon Musk, Bitcoin Relationship Still Alive?

Musk, once the champion for Bitcoin, denounced his support for the largest cryptocurrency in the world recently after citing the negative ecological impact that BTC mining poses.

Initially accepting Bitcoin as payment for Tesla vehicles back in March, the price of Bitcoin shot up.

Then later in May, Musk announced on Twitter that they would no longer accept the cryptocurrency as a mode of payment because of environmental concerns. Tesla stated that they will continue to hold on to their reserve until more environment-friendly actions are taken by the cryptocurrency.

Musk expressed his belief that cryptocurrency has a promising future, but it cannot be at great cost to the environment, The Guardian reported.

Since then, Bitcoin investors have been frustrated with the CEO as he focused his attention on the meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin--with BTC stock and prices plummeting.

But now that Bitcoin is taking a "greener" approach, things might be patching up for the cryptocurrency, the EV company, and its CEO.

In a recent tweet, Musk said the automaker company will allow Bitcoin transactions when there's clean energy usage by the miners. He also mentioned how they sold off about 10 percent of their BTC to confirm that the cryptocurrency can still be liquidated easily without moving the market.

This is inaccurate. Tesla only sold ~10% of holdings to confirm BTC could be liquidated easily without moving market.



When theres confirmation of reasonable (~50%) clean energy usage by miners with positive future trend, Tesla will resume allowing Bitcoin transactions.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 13, 2021

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Bitcoin Using Clean Energy?

Climate scientists have expressed concerns about the electricity used to mine bitcoin. Cnet explained that mining the currency requires high levels of computing power. The increase in cryptocurrency's popularity could create a demand for electricity that would generate carbon emissions.

To put things to scale, according to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, the energy used to produce Bitcoin alone is equivalent to the annual carbon footprint of Argentina.

This has led to a series of government crackdowns on mining of the cryptocurrency in China, which plummeted the stock prices even further.

Now the move to renewable energy has set afoot.

At the end of May, Musk talked with the North American miners of the cryptocurrency to push for the planned renewable energy usage.

Spoke with North American Bitcoin miners. They committed to publish current & planned renewable usage & to ask miners WW to do so. Potentially promising.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2021

Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square, has been a big proponent of the cryptocurrency and has not wavered his support. Rather, he has been pushing forward for the use of green energy for Bitcoin mining.

He has also been one to push the narrative of Bitcoin incentivizing renewable energy.

Recently, Dorsey has also hinted about Twitter integrating Bitcoin's Lightning Network into the platform, giving hope to traders and investors that the tides would shift and the BTC value will rise back to a stable growth pattern.

Related Article: Bitcoin Price Prediction: Twitter Hints Major Move That Will Boost BTC Value
The latest Dogecoin price prediction is coming straight out of a U.S. Senator's lips. Sen. Elizabeth Warren warned that the meme coin presents significant problems to most regular people.

Federal regulators and lawmakers are currently monitoring the risks, and this turn of events might directly affect the Dogecoin value in the market.

Dogecoin remains a hot topic among investors in the industry. However, the recent growth of cryptos has put the meme coin under the microscope, with lawmakers and the government being more involved.

Sen. Warren, in particular, took a strong stand against the cryptocurrency during the congressional hearing for the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Economic Policy on Wednesday.

Senator Warns Potential Danger of Meme Coin

In a report from Masslive, excerpts from the discussions between Sen. Warren and professional consultants was recored.

Warren said that the cryptocurrency Dogecoin presents four significant problems: fluctuating value, investment issues, the cost to environments, and illegal activity. Warren summarized that Dogecoin creates an opportunity to scam investors, assist criminals and worsen the climate crisis.

Dogecoin has one of the most unpredictable market values today. In these last two months, the meme coin rose nearly ten-fold its base value. However, just as quickly, it dropped under 60 percent. It is improtant to note that the same pattern could repeat for the meme coin at any time.

While the potential sounds appealing, this market trend best works for speculators and fly-by-night investors. Regular people, who are looking for a stable source of income and use the money regularly for day-to-day spending, would find Dogecoin a very risky investment.

Lev Menand--a Columbia Law School lecturer--said that unlike traditional banking systems, the cryptocurrency markets are "rife with consumer abuses." Cryptocurrency markets do not offer financial regulations and customer protection in their services. This, unfortunately, opens up risks where players can manipulate price values, leaving ordinary investors to pay a high price.

Lastly, the lack of regulations opens up the potential for criminal exploitation of cryptocurrencies in general. Warren said that online theft, drug trafficking, ransom attacks, and other similar illegal activities are easier and often paid through cryptocurrencies.

Warren concluded with a statement that the threats of cryptocurrencies such as Dogecoin won't go away. Instead, the administrative section of the government should confront these problems head-on.

Read Also: Bitcoin Price Prediction: Twitter Hints Major Move That Will Boost BTC Value

Dogecoin Price Prediction

The Washington Post reported that the Biden Administration, lawmakers, and central bankers are all wrestling with the challenges posed by cryptocurrency.

The White House briefed their staff members on the Treasury Department about the risks mentioned above. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has also been warned.

Currently, these offices are investigating the risk "gaps" for Dogecoin and cryptocurrency markets. Future regulations might be imposed, including a tax charge on bigger transactions.

As it stands, federal regulators are developing guardrails around the cryptocurrency market while still aiming for a situation where investors could "dogecoin to their heart's content."

While security risks continue to exist, Dogecoin remains an active cryptocurrency. However, keep in mind that its value, and overall existence in the U.S., might soon change when the lawmakers have finished with their discussions.



Related Article: Dogecoin Price Prediction: Expert Issues Warning About Meme Coin Despite Potential to Hit $1
Dodge is known for its crazy performance engines, with some of them not even road safe. These engines are gas-guzzling, diesel-loving beasts that don't necessarily help the company comply with the looming emissions regulations.

As part of the three big American automaker companies, General Motors and the Ford Motor Company have taken steps to cut down on their vehicles' carbon emissions by going electric. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the parent company of Dodge, however, hasn't been as proactive.

But that's about to change.

Dodge Muscle Cars Go Electric

Ditching the Hellcat engine, The Detroit Bureau reported that at least six new all-electric vehicles are currently in the Dodge styling studio in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Aside from the six EVs, there are likely several plug-in hybrids and more models in various stages of development.

This move towards electric power was brought about by government legislation pushing towards lessening the carbon emission of the country, especially in the automobile sector.

The state of California has even presented plans to completely clear the roads of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Tax incentives have been offered to new car buyers who purchase electric vehicles.

With this pressure, Ford has nearly tripled its commitment to battery technology in the last year, while Volkswagen has committed $86 billion to electrify its various brands. The Detroit Bureau also highlighted that General Motors hopes to abandon gas and diesel technology entirely by 2035.

Read Also: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning: Price, Release Date, and How it Compares to the Tesla Cybertruck

'Fastest Dodge Ever'

With the pressure to shift to electric-powered vehicles, Dodge did not make it an excuse to lose its edge.

According to Yahoo!, the firm will reportedly leverage the instant torque of a battery-powered drivetrain, creating the quickest vehicle it has ever released.

To put it into perspective, Dodge's fastest street-legal car is its Challenger SRT Demon with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine. It can produce up to 840 horsepower and 770 lb-ft of torque.

The car can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 9.65 seconds at 140 mph.

It was crowned the world's quickest accelerating production model with the fastest quarter-mile time. That is until the Tesla Model S Plaid claimed a 0-60 mph time of less than two seconds and a quarter-mile time of 9.23 seconds at 155 mph.

Could Dodge Be Busy Designing Its Redemption Car?

AutoEvolution speculated that the most plausible outcome for the next generation of the Demon and Hellcat is a plug-in hybridization in the guise of an electric motor built into the transmission.

What it does is still give the supercharged V8 all its power and then some, but cut down on the fossil fuel.

Dodge officials won't say much about what's in the works in their facilities, but one ranking official told The Detroit Bureau that the BEV under development "will be the fastest (Dodge) ever."

Could that imply that it'll be the best Tesla Model S Plaid in performance?

Only time will tell as everything is still hush-hush. It will be exciting to see the muscle cars perform with all that power with a new drivetrain under the hood.

Related Article: Elon Musk Boasts Tesla Model S Plaid in Epic Reveal! PS5-Level Gaming, Top Speed, Interior, and More


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Ithaca, NY (14850)

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Heavy rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Heavy rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
The PowerRoster was chosen to manage and track security and frontline logistics of the G7 summit event. The said software monitors complex resource management and oversees requirements in one platform.

A platform built and designed Perth, Australia-based Microsoft partner Velrada has been commissioned to run the resourcing and logistics at the 2021 G7 Summit in the United Kingdom.

I am immensely proud that Velradas PowerRoster platform was selected to be the G7s prime logistics information source. Velradas central role in running the G7 logistics is a clear vote of confidence that PowerRoster is the right solution to accelerate our move into the multi-billion dollar global software as a service (SaaS) sector, enthuses Saul Sabath, Velrada managing director.

Built using Microsoft Dynamics 365 and PowerApp Cloud technology, Velradas PowerRoster deploys digital management tools that helped planners, schedulers and managers keep track of their complex resource management and rostering requirements in one platform.

Dominic Nolan, Velrada global product director, says they have been working closely with Microsoft representatives and British Policing agencies to tune PowerRoster to meet the logistics needs of the G7 summit.

We presented PowerRoster to a number of government agencies last year with Microsoft, and we have a strong list of prospects in the US and Europe in the policing events sector, major health clients, and our key focus market in global facility management (FM), Nolan explains.

Velrada deploys Microsoft stack to bring digital efficiency to companies globally, particularly in police and justice, health and aged care, construction and facilities management, mining and engineering services, and government sectors where even small efficiency improvements in resource and equipment usage can cost billions of dollars.

PowerRoster is the first product to be launched and financed through Velradas Level19 initiative, an incubation group which linked Velrada to private investors to develop the platform.

Thousands of security staff and contractors manned the G7 event held in Carbis Bay in Cornwall with world leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and United States, along with leaders from guest countries Australia, South Korea, and South Africa.
Nokia has signed a three-year agreement with telecom company Orange Jordan to deploy more than 100,000 units of Nokia Wi-Fi beacons in Jordan.

The agreement between Nokia and Orange Jordan sees the deployment of more than 100,000 units of Nokia Wi-Fi beacons to provide Internet coverage in Jordan even at far locations.

Nokias solution, which includes fibre modems and Wi-Fi beacons, will allow Orange Jordan to provide Wi-Fi coverage even at far-flung places. The Nokia beacons are available for both new and existing Orange Jordan subscribers.

Nokias Wi-Fi solution uses mesh technology to provide coverage and claims no service lag, making them suitable for large houses, gated communities and offices. Orange Jordans subscribers will be able to install and manage their Wi-Fi network through the Nokia Wi-Fi mobile app.

The Nokia Wi-Fi beacons are equipped with in-built intelligence to enable them to resolve problems like interference and connectivity issues. The quality of services will allow Orange Jordan to enhance customer experience, bring down operational costs, and increase customer satisfaction.

Thierry Marigny, Orange Jordan CEO, is committed to provide the fastest, most reliable internet in Jordan, which calls for innovative solutions to ensure the best experiences for all users. Our partnership with Nokia to offer its advanced solutions will surely enhance our customers Wi-Fi experience, he says.

Mohamed Salama, Nokia Middle East and Africa head of fixed networks, says Nokia is pleased to introduce the Wi-Fi solution, which offers reach and provides coverage to all areas of a building.

Salama concludes: Our beacons are easy to install and manage and will help our customer provide better network performance which will lead to increased usage and more revenue.

Orange Jordan and Nokia agreed a deal in 2017 to deploy a GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Networks) fibre in the country.
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This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Jacksonville, TX (75766)

Today

Mostly clear this evening then becoming mostly cloudy after midnight. Low 76F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly clear this evening then becoming mostly cloudy after midnight. Low 76F. Winds light and variable.




Donate Now As a public service during this pandemic, the Jewish News is providing free, unlimited access to all articles. Jewish News is a nonprofit publication that is owned by the community and relies on community support.
Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.
Connie Owen would love to hear your stories. Call or email her at 734-9512 or connie_owen@msn.com.
Joplin, MO (64801)

Today

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Opinion Columnist

Chris Powell has worked for the Journal Inquirer since 1967, first as a reporter, then as an editor, and now as a columnist. He was managing editor from 1974 until retiring from that position in 2018.
Town Reporter

Adam joined the JI in November 2020. He graduated in 2019 from the University of Connecticut. He enjoys reading, playing soccer and basketball, as well as piano and drums. He is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates.
This is not the first time that Brammertz has accused South Africa of failing to meet its judicial cooperation obligations. But on June 8, the Belgian prosecutor of the UN Mechanism charged with carrying out residual functions of the International Criminal Tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda really got tough with Pretoria. As it stands today, South African authorities are effectively sending the message that their country is a safe haven for fugitive genocidaires, he told the UN Security Council. The Security Councils intervention is urgently needed. Repeated failures to adhere to the Councils decisions must have consequences.

Brammertzs complaint concerns Fulgence Kayishema, a former Rwandan judicial police inspector suspected of having participated in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda. Kayishema is one of six Rwandans still wanted by international justice. These are men indicted many years ago by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) is now responsible for locating and arresting them.

Three years of delay

Brammertz had already reminded the UN on December 14, 2020, that his office had located Kayishema in South Africa. Relying on records and sources, my Office concluded in early 2018 that Kayishema was living in Cape Town, South Africa. This was confirmed by South African authorities via Interpol in August 2018. We immediately submitted an urgent request for assistance to South Africa seeking his prompt arrest, the prosecutor said in New York. We were surprised to be informed that because Kayishema had been granted refugee status in South Africa, he could not be handed over to the Mechanism. This excuse was withdrawn months later, replaced with a new argument that South Africa lacked a legal basis to cooperate with the Mechanism.

Reacting to Brammertzs accusation, South Africas representative to the UN gave assurances that the matter had been brought to the attention of national authorities at the highest level to ensure his arrest, and that the country would ensure it met its international obligations. At a press conference in Kigali a few days later, Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced that his government would support the MICTs efforts by formally calling on South Africa to put an end to this situation. We will be doing that. We havent done it, but we shall do that definitely, Kagame said.

Unfortunately, the situation remains unchanged, and there has been no meaningful improvement, Brammertz said on June 8, using unusually tough words to accuse South Africa of harbouring fugitive genocide suspects.

Mpiranya in Zimbabwe ?

The international prosecutor accuses Kayishema of having played an important role in the 16 April 1994 massacre at Nyange Church. In the days leading up to the massacre, 2,000 Tutsi civilians  women, men, children and elderly  sought refuge in the church. Initially, militias surrounded the church and launched an attack, including throwing hand grenades into the packed building. While many were wounded and killed, the refugees resisted, forcing the attackers to retreat. Determined to murder these innocent civilians, local leaders, including Kayishema, brought a bulldozer to the church grounds. In an act of unimaginable brutality and sacrilege, the bulldozer was used to demolish the church with the refugees still inside. More than 1,500 were crushed to death. Survivors who escaped were hunted down and killed.

Among the other fugitives Brammertz hopes to track down is Protais Mpiranya, who in 1994 commanded the Rwandan presidential guard, an elite unit that was responsible for the security of President Juvenal Habyarimana. Mpiranya is probably the most wanted fugitive from international justice today. But while Brammertz openly states that Kayishema is hiding in South Africa, he has never clearly said which country is harbouring Mpiranya. However, reliable sources at the MICT indicate that the former officer is living in Zimbabwe, South Africas neighbour.

Reward of up to 5 million dollars

We are actively investigating evidence that Mpiranya, in addition to his crimes during the genocide, has for the last two decades engaged in further serious criminal activity. We have reason to believe he has also operated business enterprises using illicit funds. Many individuals are likely to have interacted with or learned of him. These persons are of interest to us, and we encourage them to come forward with information about Mpiranya, Brammertz said in his report to the UN Security Council on June 8. My Office reiterates that any person  including Mpiranyas associates and supporters  who provides information leading to an arrest is eligible for a reward of up to 5 million US dollars.

According to the NGO African Rights, Mpiranya fought in 1998 with Congolese armed forces against Congolese rebels supported by the new Rwandan government. According to African Rights, the fugitive was later sent to Zimbabwe to establish business links for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed Rwandan rebel movement accused of exploiting the minerals in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mpiranyas indictment alleges that elements of the presidential guard, acting under his orders, participated in the abduction and murder of opposition leaders on the morning of April 7, 1994. Among the victims were Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and the president of the Constitutional Court, Joseph Kavaruganda. The accused is also said to have played a role in the murder of 10 Belgian peacekeepers by soldiers of the regular army in the centre of Kigali.

Some Rwandan circles claim that Mpiranya is dead, which Brammertz contests, saying it is a way to cover his tracks. The seriousness of the crimes of which Mpiranya is accused means that, if he were arrested, he would be tried by the MICT in Arusha. This is not the case for Kayishema, who would be transferred to Rwanda to be tried by the national justice system.
Shells rained down on Mathurin Kouassis home in Ivory Coasts economic hub Abidjan in March 2011 when the country was engulfed in a post-election conflict that claimed some 3,000 lives.

A decade after shrapnel cost him the use of his right hand, Kouassi cannot understand why hardly anyone has been brought to justice over the bloodshed.

I cant do anything anymore, he said. Masonry is impossible (and) I cant find any odd jobs.

In the chaos, Kouassi was left to his own devices. There was a stampede. At the hospital, they only operated on very serious cases.

The fighting erupted after outgoing head of state Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept his defeat in a November 2010 presidential election by Alassane Ouattara, whose victory was recognised by the UN.

In Kouassis Abobo neighbourhood, seen as pro-Ouattara, civilian targets were hit including a market and demonstrating women.

Gbagbo was seized on April 11, 2011, and handed over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which tried him for crimes against humanity but definitively acquitted him in March.

Now 76, he is due to return home on Thursday in what is seen as a test of stability in Ivory Coast, where bitter memories sap hope for the future while his supporters in the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) party are delirious with joy.

Former foes in the Ouattara and Gbagbo camps have called for national reconciliation, but few people have been convicted of the violence, leaving victims disabused and resentful.

 Amnesty 

In April, a former warlord and hired thug in western Ivory Coast, Amade Oueremi, was sentenced to life in prison over the March 2011 massacre of 817 people in a single day in Duekoue, a town in a region seen as pro-Gbagbo. But the trial shed little light on those who ordered the bloodshed.

A 2018 amnesty law led to several releases including that of Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady, in the name of national reconciliation.

The shelling that cost Kouassi his hand led to a trial before a military court, but all the defendants were acquitted. As long as we do not know the person responsible, we cannot forgive, he said.

Issa Bokoun, owner of an imposing mosque in Kouassis neighbourhood, sheltered local residents during the fighting.

Kouassi said pro-Gbagbo forces targeted the mosque because Bokoun was suspected of harbouring rebels.

Bokoun was also hit by shell fragments and left unable to walk for eight months. He testified before the military court and was shocked by its not guilty verdict.

Soon afterwards, Ouattara met with him and other victims. He asked us to forgive, for national reconciliation, Bokoun said.

He was fatalistic about Gbagbos homecoming, saying: We will accept this return. I leave it in Gods hands.

 Airport protest 

Many across the former French colony wonder whether reconciliation can take hold in the nation once seen as a beacon of stability in West Africa.

In the absence of truly credible legal proceedings and a political process that can put its finger on what went wrong I fear there is no reason to be optimistic about the possibility of maintaining peace and political stability for long, said Gilles Yabi, founder of the West African political analysis centre Wathi.

Issiaka Diaby of the Collective of Victims in Ivory Coast noted that the country has seen several amnesties over the past 30 years, saying: This creates impunity and paves the way for other crimes.

Notably, Gbagbo was convicted in absentia of looting the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) during the 2010-11 conflict, and sentenced to 20 years in jail.

Authorities have already hinted that this sentence will be lifted, and Diaby said he plans to be part of an airport protest on Thursday demanding that it be enforced.
After five years as the de facto leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi found herself in a familiar place: under house arrest, while facing charges fabricated by the military dictatorship, her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), was on the verge of disintegration.

On Monday, four months after the military seized power in a coup, the popular politician will face five charges in the Nay Pyi Taw court, including illegal possession of a walkie-talkie and violating coronavirus restrictions while running for elections. Military officials also accused her of corruption and violation of the Colonial-era Official Secrets Act.

The confrontation between Aung San Suu Kyi and the commander-in-chief of the army and coup leader Min Aung Lai has a sense of end.

The 75-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi faces a sentence that could imprison her for life, preventing her from entering the political arena that she has defined for decades. At the same time, many of her supporters have surpassed her historic call for non-violent resistance and gradual reforms, and instead supported an armed rebellion and the complete overthrow of the military government.

This time, there is no sign that the regime plans to release Aung San Suu Kyi, allowing her to communicate with her supporters, or using her as a bargaining chip in relations with the outside world. On the contrary, Min Aung Hlaing wants to freely shape the political landscape without being affected by it. The influence of her and the National League for Democracy, said Richard Horsey, a political analyst with decades of experience in Myanmar.

Despite being largely isolated from the outside world for the past four months, she still plays a central role in the ongoing political crisis. Before the generals violently suppressed the protests, more than 850 civilians were killed. Posters and banners with Aung San Suu Kyis face were the mainstay of most demonstrations.

Analysts say that Army Commander Min Aung Lai (right) wants to remove Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party from the political landscape [File: Myawaddy/AFP]

Its too early to log her off. There is no doubt that she is the most popular political figure in the country, and no one else can compare with it, said Tan Min U, a historian and author of The Hidden History of Myanmar.

Tarnished icon

Aung San Suu Kyi Became a political force in the uprising against the former military regime in 1988, Fully prepared to take the helm of the democratic movement in Myanmar during a period of instability. As the daughter of independent icon Aung San, she has just returned from the UK, studied in Oxford and married a British man.

She became synonymous with the democratic movement in Myanmar and won the respect of millions of people by sacrificing freedom and security for her cause, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She went in and out for several years during house arrest and survived an attempted assassination in 2003. Dozens or even hundreds of people died. Aung San Suu Kyis education and international recognition is also a source of admiration for many of her followers.

However, while this is seen by many as a force, it is an insult to the ultra-nationalist army (also known as the armed forces), which often discriminates against foreigners wives.

In 2008, before allowing elections, the military government drafted a new constitution that allowed it to retain control of several key institutions and guaranteed it had 25% of the seats in Parliament. It also added a clause that prohibits anyone with a foreign husband or child from serving as president. Many people believe that this is directly aimed at Aung San Suu Kyi.

With the help of a constitutional lawyer named Ko Ni, she found a way to circumvent this ban and served as a national adviser after the first election victory of the National League for Democracy in 2015. Two years later, Ko Ni Shot.

But although she is a global superstar as an activist, once in power, many of her biggest supporters are disappointed.

In 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, mainly Muslims, fled to Bangladesh because the military launched Cruel repression in Western Rakhine State.

The Nobel Prize winner did not condemn the militarys actions. After the genocide case was filed at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, he went to the Netherlands to investigate Defend what the generals did.

Aung San Suu Kyis domestic reputation has grown as she transformed from a dissident to a national leader. Internationally, she was greatly disappointed by the violence against the Rohingya, and she was seen as a denial of abuse. Degree and defending the armys complicity, Horsey said.

The daughter of independence hero Aung San Suu Kyi, who was educated in Oxford, returned to China to take care of her mother and found herself being pushed into politics, leading to opposition to military rule [File: Manny Ceneta/AFP]

Activist and protest leader Thinzar Shunlei Yi is one of many young human rights defenders who have admired Aung San Suu Kyi since childhood, but disappointed her during her time in power.

She is why I became a female human rights defender, she said. But as the violence against the Rohingya intensified, Thinzar Shunlei Yi became one of the only people openly opposed to the Rohingya, which caused her to feud with her heroes and her supporters.

I was blunt to her and it turned out to be counterproductive, she said.

Call for a radical change

It was not just during the Rohingya crisis that Aung San Suu Kyi failed to live up to expectations. Horsey explained: She is also seen as having violated her human rights principles in other ways in the government, including her attitude towards free media, civil society and the rights of ethnic minorities.

When Two Reuters journalists arrested for exposing military killings of Rohingya civilians, Aung San Suu Kyi said that the case has nothing to do with freedom of speech. During her administration, journalists and Facebook users faced criminal charges for criticizing NLD politicians.

With the leadership of the National League for Democracy dispersed or imprisoned after the coup, progressive activists like Thinzar Shunlei Yi found themselves at the vanguard of the original resistance movement. They called for more and more radical changes, such as the abolition of the 2008 constitution drafted by the military, the complete removal of the military from politics, and reform of the discriminatory citizenship law of 1982, which helped to make the Rohingya non-existent. Nationality, and armed revolution instead of non-violent resistance.

These positions were ultimately supported by the National Unity Government, a parallel government established by elected members who ignored the military government. Thinzar Shunlei Yi admitted that Aung San Suu Kyi was still so influential in the democratic movement, but also worried that this influence might be a double-edged sword.

She said: Even in this revolution where many people are starving and escaping for their lives, people still think about her situation and cry for her. Even if people get stuck and lose hope, this helps to motivate them.

But Aung San Suu Kyi may disagree with armed uprisings, repeal of the constitution, or acceptance of Rohingya as citizens. We want to know that if she says something against the current revolution, things will turn upside down, Thinzar Shunlei Yi said.

People held placards depicting the elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the rally, demanding her release, and protesting the military coup a week after the general seized power [File: Stringer/Reuters]

Although some people believe that Aung San Suu Kyi supported the military in the Rohingya crisis because of fear of a coup or the need to seek help from nationalist voters, others said her position simply reflects her true beliefs on this issue.

It is totally unclear that her position on the Rohingya is based on political considerations, Hosey said. But of course it means that when the coup took place, when she needed international support the most, her international reputation was greatly compromised.

Full of optimism

Aung San Suu Kyi faces a total of seven criminal charges; five are in the capital Naypyidaw, one is in the Supreme Court, and one corruption charge has recently been added.

Since her arrest in February, her lawyer has been one of the only people with access to the detained leader. Khin Maung Zaw, the head of her legal team, told Al Jazeera that they met with Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday, June 7 and deposed President Win Myint. Khin Maung Zaw said that the five cases in Nay Pyi Taw are classified as simple cases, and hearings are held every Monday and Tuesday until the end of the month.

Regarding the Supreme Court case, he said that the court marked Aung San Suu Kyi as defending herself, which Khin Maung Zaw said was done without her knowledge and consent.

She further stated that she told her detainee that she would not defend her case without a lawyer, he said.

He said that although Aung San Suu Kyi was not satisfied with the militarys regular delivery of medicines, she and two other politicians appear to be in good health.

When asked about her spirit, Khin Maung Zaw said: Unlike me, she is full of optimism.

On Wednesday, the military revealed New corruption allegations Charged Aung San Suu Kyi of accepting bribes and renting land at a discounted price, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Khin Maung Zaw said the latest allegations are ridiculous and baseless. She may be flawed, but personal greed and corruption are not her characteristics, he said, calling her corrupt.

On December 10, 1991, Aung San Suu Kyis late husband Michael Aris and their two sons Alexander (left) and Kim (right) stood at the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Oslo City Hall [File: Stringer/Reuters]

Given the nature of the trial, Thinzar Shunlei Yi encouraged Aung San Suu Kyi to join the CDM by boycotting the judicial system. CDM represents the civil disobedience movement, which is a mass strike of civil servants who refuse to work under the military government.

I dont believe in the domestic justice system, I dont think [military] There will be a fair trial against her and other leaders, she said.

Although the outcome of the trial seems inevitable, Thant Myint-U said that what happened in Myanmar was not the case.

It is impossible for the military to agree to constitutional reforms, ??Thant Myint-U said. But a visionary economic agenda has brought in billions of dollars in new investment and created millions of new jobs, coupled with measures to combat discrimination, build a more inclusive sense of national identity, and engage with civil society The society cooperates closely, it could have outflanked the leadership of the army, and perhaps even won many officers from the regiment.
If GENO is locked up, MAMA JUNE has nowhere to go

If her boyfriend Geno Doak is sentenced to prison, Mama Junes daughter Lauryn Shannon will not allow her mother to live in her house.

The WeTV star complained that she would Nowhere to goIf Gino is Detained for drug offences And begged her 21-year-old child to come to rescue.

Now I am sober, I need my family, June said.

However, Laurin was furious and fought back: No, mother, no! You drove all the way from Florida and threw your bull on me again.

Every time something goes wrong, you dump it to me. This is my house. I moved from your house into my house to start a family.

Well, if Geno goes to jail, I have nowhere to go, June yelled back.
A survey shows that Americans are becoming more and more accustomed to meeting friends, returning to the office and participating in large-scale events.

Oil prices remained near multi-year highs on Monday, thanks to improved demand outlook, as the increase in COVID-19 vaccination helped lift travel restrictions.

As of 01:23 GMT, Brent crude oil rose 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $72.83. It rose 1.1% last week and touched on Friday the highest point since May 2019 at $73.09.

US West Texas Intermediate crude oil also rose 14 cents, or 0.2%, to US$71.05 per barrel. Last Friday it reached US$71.24, the highest point since October 2018, and is up 1.9% this week.

According to a survey by CBS News, Americans are increasingly willing to meet with friends, return to work, and participate in large-scale events, because the number of daily air passengers in the United States has exceeded 2 million for the first time since the pandemic began.

Vehicle traffic in most parts of North America and Europe is returning to pre-pandemic levels. With the relaxation of blockades and other restrictions, more planes are flying in the air, pushing the benchmark oil price up for three weeks.

Turn on the faucet

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly report on Friday that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies OPEC+ need to increase production to meet the recovery needs.

After the pandemic eliminated demand in 2020, OPEC+ has been limiting production to support prices.

OPEC+ needs to open the tap to maintain adequate supply in the world oil market, the International Energy Agency said.

Goldman Sachs said last week that with the launch of vaccination to boost global economic activity, Brent crude oil is expected to rise to US$80 per barrel in the middle of the year.

Energy services company Baker Hughes stated in its weekly report that the number of oil rigs in the United States increased by 6 to 365, the highest level since April 2020.

This is the largest weekly increase for oil rigs in a month, as drilling companies seek to benefit from increasing demand.

Vanda Insights founder Vandana Hari (Vandana Hari) said that with the reopening of the United States and Europe, crude oil has digested many incremental and bullish news in the past week. Hari said that prices may rise in the next few weeks, but at a more gradual pace the market is waiting for new momentum.

Traders are still tracking Irans negotiations with world powers to restart the nuclear agreement in Vienna this week, which may allow the United States to lift sanctions on the countrys crude oil exports. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed doubts about the possibility of resuming the agreement before the citizens elect a new president on June 18. Hard-line clergyman Ebrahim Raisi said that if elected, he will continue negotiations, but he will not see them as major national concerns.

According to weekly data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, traders are still optimistic about the room for further gains. Fund managers have raised their bets on WTI to their most bullish level in about three years.
PAUL Murdaugh was shot with his mother after being accused of killing a teenager in 2019. He allegedly had a drunk other self named Timi.

According to reports, a friend said that 22-year-old Murdor behaved so differently when he was drunk, and the friends decided to give him a different name.

6 Murdo was found dead on his property Credit: Facebook Maggie Murdor

6 Margaret Murdo was also killed

These allegations are part of court testimony in a civil lawsuit against Murdo, who is awaiting trial for his role in the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach in 2019.

Before the accident that killed the beach, Murdo was accused of being affected while driving a boat.

The news came:

temperament, Acquired by Daily Mail, Including Beechs boyfriend Anthony Cooks statement about Murdos drunken personality.

This is a different name because he has become a completely different person, Cook reportedly said.

6 Murdo is awaiting trial for the death of Mallory Beach Credit: Handout

6 The Murdo family has a long history as legal leaders in South Carolina Credit: Facebook Maggie Murdor

So, someone will say,Okay. Timmy is here. We have to go.'

According to reports, Cook said that Murdo had been drinking on the night of the crash and began to undress after the argument.

During an argument, he started to undress and it was 40 degrees outside, he said.

Ive seen him do it a few times [he gets drunk]. I dont know why he did this. 

Murdo and his mother Margaret, 52 years old, Was found shot dead On Monday at the family property in Allenton, South Carolina.

6 Murdo was charged for his role in the beachs 2019 death Image source: SC Attorney Generals Office

6 Randolph Murdo III died three days after family tragedy Image credits: Peters, Murdo, Parker, Eltz Ross and Detrick

source Tell island pack The son is the obvious target.

The Murdo family actively participates in local laws.

Pauls father, Alex, worked at the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Elzroth and Detrick law firm founded by Randolph Murdaugh more than 100 years ago.

81-year-old Randolph Murdo III died just three days after Paul and Margaret were killed. The news of his death was confirmed by the law firm.

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The police said that after Paul and Margaret were killed, the public did not continue to receive threats, but did not provide much information about the case.

The police confirmed to The Sun on Saturday that the investigation is ongoing and it is currently unable to comment.

As of Sunday night, no one has been arrested.
BRUSSELS-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is attending the NATO-Canada meeting to reiterate his broad support for Ukraine, but he did not support Kievs move to join the military alliance during the tension with Russia.

The federal government said last week that Canada will continue to help address security threats in the region, but it did not express its full support for Ukraines promotion of NATO membership at the summit.

Ukraines call to join NATO came before US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first face-to-face meeting in Geneva this week, after relations between Moscow and Western countries have been tense for years.

Russias military build-up on the Ukrainian border, Moscows annexation of Crimea in 2014, alleged Russian interference in the U.S. election, and allegations that the Kremlin supported SolarWinds hacking activities have increased tensions.

Ukrainian President Zelensky publicly lobbied to join the military alliance and recently raised this issue in separate discussions with Trudeau and Biden.

A reading from the Prime Ministers Office stated that Trudeau and Zelensky discussed Russias actions in their speeches last Tuesday and emphasized Canadas continued support for Ukraines Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

When asked whether Canada supports Ukraine in developing an action plan for NATO member states, Trudeaus spokesperson said there was nothing to add.

Previously, Canadas Department of Global Affairs did not answer specific questions about Ukraines accession to NATO, stating that Canada unswervingly supports Ukraines sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and the Ukrainian people. It also pointed out that the allies decided at the 2008 summit that Ukraine will eventually join the organization.

The Canadian government has been an advocate for Ukraines accession to NATO in the past.

Former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed Canadas strong support for this move, praising Ukraines democratic reforms and the common values ??of the two countries.

At that time, Harper called on the leaders to agree to allow Ukraine to move forward in the process of accession, and promised that Canada would support the bid as long as the country continues to make progress in democratic reforms and opening up the economy.

A spokesman for Conservative Party leader Irene OToole said in a statement that the party still holds this view.

Alexander Moens, director of the NATO Field School and Simulation Program at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, said the issue is people want the Canadian government to talk about it more publicly.

He pointed to the fact that Canada has 1 million descendants of Ukrainians, and pointed out that the country has always been a supporter of Ukraine, including when Russia imposed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

But at the same time, Moens said, Canada knows it needs to be sensitive.

Ukraines accession to NATO is likely to be Russias red line, which means Russias dangerous reaction, so there is a lot of caution about how to proceed, he said.

The biggest problem here is how to keep the relationship with Putin from getting worse, and at the same time not to discourage the Ukrainians.

He said it is worth watching to see how NATO handles this matter and whether it is closer to Ukrainian membership, adding that the allies may proceed with caution.

Allen Sens, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, believes that the question was raised out of courtesy to Ukraine, but it was largely out of the scope of discussion.

I cant imagine anything more provocative than this, he said.

This will be one of NATOs most divisive and provocative dialogues at this time. There are many other things that need to be resolved at this summit, and NATO has many other things to do.

These include progress in new strategic planning priorities and modernization. In addition, experts said that the focus will be on dealing with cyber security and information warfare, not to mention the challenges raised by Russia and China recently.

They believe that due to the absence of former US President Donald Trump who criticized NATOs existence, a decisive feature of this years summit will undoubtedly be a new feeling.

Roland Paris, professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa, said: Every member of NATO will remember Donald Trumps call that the alliance is outdated.

Allowing Joe Biden to attend the NATO summit and unreservedly express the United States commitment to its allies will be an important symbolic shift.

He added, The legacy of the Trump era will continue to exist because NATO members, especially those in Europe, all know the fact that the United States created Trump ?C and can vote again.

The Canadian Press report was first published on June 13, 2021.

File from the Associated Press.
A U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and his son pleaded guilty in Tokyo on Monday, accusing them of illegally helping former Nissan Motor Company Chairman Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan.

A U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and his son pleaded guilty in Tokyo, accusing them of illegally helping former Nissan Motor Company Chairman Carlos Ghosn escape Japan in December 2019, hiding in a box on a private jet.

Chief Justice Hideo Nirei, one of the three judges who presided over their first court appearance, asked Michael Taylor and his son Peter on Monday whether there were any errors in the charges submitted by the Tokyo Prosecutors Office.

Without your honor, the elder Taylor replied. No, his son said.

They were extradited from the United States to Japan in March and are currently being held in the same prison in Tokyo where Ghosn was imprisoned. They may face up to three years in prison.

The duo, wearing black jackets and pants, white shirts and plastic slippers, were taken into the courtroom, with ropes passed through handcuffs and tied around their waists.

Prosecutors accused them of helping Ghosn escape punishment and fleeing from Kansai Airport in western Japan to Lebanon. They received $1.3 million for their services, some of which were paid to an advertising company owned by the young Taylor. Prosecutors said that after Japan sought to arrest them, the Americans asked Ghosn to pay another $500,000 in legal fees.

They also described Little Taylor as a frequent visitor in Lebanon and stated that they had planned to escape about six months before Ghosn escaped.

Their statement also stated that Ghosns wife Carol asked Michael Taylor for help, and Ghosn later contacted him from Tokyo using a phone number he had concealed from the Japanese authorities.

The prosecutor said that the third man, George-Antoine Zayek (George-Antoine Zayek), went to Japan later in 2019 to find a way through airport security and was in the private jet terminal at Kansai Airport. Settle as the best exit route.

Zayek is still at large.

Baggage that cannot pass through the security scanner will pass manual inspection. However, the pilot can be exempted from this inspection.

The Taylors lawyers in the United States fought for months to prevent them from being extradited to Japan, arguing that they would not be prosecuted for helping someone bail and that they could face relentless interrogation and torture.

In Japan, suspects are interrogated in the absence of their lawyers and are often refused bail before the trial.

The conviction rate in Japan is 99%.

When Ghosn escaped, he was awaiting trial for under-reporting his salary of 9.3 billion yen ($85 million) in Nissans financial statements for 10 years, and he became rich at the expense of his employer by paying auto dealers. .

Ghosn-who has denied any wrongdoing-is still a fugitive from his childhood hometown of Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

Former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, who was responsible for helping Ghosn conceal his income, is also on trial in Tokyo. He denied the charges against him.

The Taylors will appear in court again on June 29. Kellys trial room is also in the same room. At that time, their lawyers will issue a statement and the Americans will be cross-examined.
As the number of new infections fell to the lowest level since March 31, many states, including the capital New Delhi, eased restrictions.

Many states in India have relaxed restrictions on the coronavirus, including the capital New Delhi. Authorities have allowed all stores and shopping malls to open because the number of new infections has fallen to the lowest level in more than two months.

Experts warn against a full reopening because India has only vaccinated 5% of its estimated 950 million adults with the necessary two doses, leaving millions of people at a disadvantage.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, the number of infections in India peaked in May, with about 400,000 new cases added every day, but the number of new infections reported on Monday fell to 70,421, which is the lowest single-day increase since March 31.

Statistics show that the death toll has increased by 3,921.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, Indias number of COVID-19 infections is second only to the United States, ranking second in the world, with 29.51 million cases and 374,305 deaths.

The Delhi authorities allowed all shops and shopping malls to reopen, but bars, gyms, salons, cinemas and parks remained closed.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that he will pay close attention to markets and restaurants this week.

If we see an increase in coronavirus cases, we will have to re-impose strict restrictions, Kejriwal said in a televised speech on Sunday.

Because of the surge in infections, Delhis hospitals have been working hard to provide patients with oxygen cylinders and beds last month, but earlier this month, the city allowed companies to recall 50% of their employees and partially restored public transportation.

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, known for its automobile manufacturing, some companies were allowed to bring back 50% of their employees, and salons and liquor stores were reopened. The bus service has been suspended until June 21.

In the neighboring Karnataka state capital and main technology center Bangalore, although strict night and weekend curfews still exist, the authorities have allowed some businesses to reopen and traffic has restored the streets.

As millions of people rely on daily wages to pay for food and rent, there is increasing pressure to resume some economic activities.

Rajeb Dasgupta, head of the Social Medicine and Community Health Center of Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said: India needs to reopen because the challenge of maintaining a good balance between life and livelihood is critical. .
Beijings anger came after the leaders of the Group of Seven countries brought China into the predominantly Muslim region of Xinjiang.

China condemned the leaders of the Group of Seven countries to denounce Beijings joint statement on a series of issues, saying it grossly interfered in Chinas internal affairs and urged the group to stop slandering China.

The Chinese Embassy in London said on Monday that it was strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to mentioning Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, distorting the truth and exposing the sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States.

On Sunday, the leaders of the Group of Seven countries made demands to China on human rights issues in the Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, calling on Hong Kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy, and stressing the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait  all of which are highly regarded. Sensitive issues in Beijing.

The embassy stated that because the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging and the global economy is sluggish, the international community needs the unity and cooperation of all countries, rather than factional power politics sowing the seeds of division.

China is a peace-loving country and advocates cooperation, but it also has a bottom line.

Chinas internal affairs must not be interfered with, Chinas reputation must not be slandered, and Chinas interests must not be violated, it added.

We will resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and development interests, and resolutely fight back against all kinds of unjust and tortious acts against China.

Fight back against China

The Taiwan government welcomed the statement made by the Group of Seven, saying that the island that China claims will become a force for good and they will continue to seek greater international support.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that G7s statement on Sunday is an important step forward for the group, as leaders are united and need to counter and compete with China on various challenges ranging from defending democracy to technological competition.

The Chinese Embassy stated that the G7 should do more to promote international cooperation, instead of artificially creating confrontation and friction.

We urge the United States and other members of the G7 to respect the facts, understand the situation, stop slandering China, stop interfering in Chinas internal affairs, and stop harming Chinas interests.

The embassy also stated that after the G7 requested a thorough investigation of the origin of the Chinese coronavirus in the same statement, research on the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic should not be politicized.

The embassy added that the joint virus expert group between China and the World Health Organization has been conducting independent research and following WHOs procedures.

Politicians in the United States and other countries ignored facts and science, openly questioned and denied the conclusions of the joint expert group report, and made unreasonable accusations against China.
A federal court judge dismissed the federal governments claim that Health Canada has no say in rules prohibiting blood donations from men who have recently had sex with other men  clearing the way for continued human rights investigations.

Im very happy, said Christopher Karas, who first filed a complaint against Health Canada in 2016.

I do believe this is an important decision made by the Federal Court, but the policy has not been cancelled. So I am waiting to see.

Callas accused the department of discriminating against him on the basis of his sexual orientation in maintaining the Canadian Blood Services policy, which prohibits men who have sex with men from donating blood in Canada unless they have been alone for a while.

When Karas first applied to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, that period was one year; since then, it has been reduced to three months.

For many years, the non-profit Canadian Blood Service has believed that the extension is necessary because HIV is more prevalent among men who have sex with mensometimes referred to as the MSM population.

Karas and his lawyer Gregory Ko argued that although Health Canada does not directly accept blood donations, it approved the screening by the Canadian Blood Service.

Health Canada disagrees, believing that it has never issued an order requiring Canadian blood services to adopt the ban. The department stated that it only reviews the policies and procedures of blood service agencies for safety reasons and does not have the legal power to instruct independent agencies to do anything.

The federal government went to court to block a human rights complaint, accusing it of supporting the Canadian Blood Services policy on donations by gay and bisexual men. (Shutterstock)

In 2019, the Canadian Human Rights Commission forwarded Callas complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for further investigation, saying that preliminary evidence indicated that there is a relationship between Health Canada and CBS that needs to be investigated.

The judge found the opinion convincing

The Attorney General of Canada fought back on behalf of Health Canada and sought judicial review of the committees decision at the federal court level.

Later last week, Judge Richard Southcourt dismissed the request, saying that the Human Rights Commissions assessment that the issue requires further investigation was valid.

He wrote: I found these submissions convincing.

The evaluation report pointed out that the exact nature of the relationship between Health Canada and CBS appears to be alive competition, which is worthy of further investigation.

Gregory Ko, a lawyer for Karas, said that the human rights process may still take years, which is why they want to see the Liberal government take action as soon as possible.

The Liberal Party promised to end what it calls a discriminatory blood donation ban in the 2015 and 2019 federal elections.

Im waiting to see the government take action, I dont know why they dont take action, because if they dont take action, as the election approaches, it will only become more and more important politically, Callas said.

Ko refers to the United Kingdom, which has recently lifted the ban on blood donation by sexually active men of men who have sex with men and switched to a behavioral model. Starting this week, all blood donors in the UK will be asked about their recent sexual activity, regardless of their sexual orientation.

I suspect that given an obvious example where the blood supply system of a country is very similar to ours and has broken away from the model of Health Canada and the Canadian Blood Center, I suspect that it will be more difficult for Health Canada to prove that it is moving forward. Reasonable. The service has persisted for decades, Gao said.

Earlier today, Conservative MP Eric Duncan filed a motion for private members, calling on the Liberal government to end the discriminatory blood ban.

He said in a statement: Its time to end Canadas discriminatory blood ban. The Conservative Party has documented this change in a safe and simple way.

If the Liberal Party can promise to end the blood ban during the election, they should use the tools available to them to do so. Stop virtue signals and feel-good statements  and stick to this reasonable and long overdue change. 
Lake water levels are historically low, forest fires are unusually early, water restrictions and record heat waves are now possible: even before the start of summer, the western United States is suffering from long-term droughts exacerbated by climate change.

Official data showed that 88% of the western region was in a dry state this week, including the entire state of California, Oregon, Utah and Nevada.

A particularly noticeable symptom of this trend is that Lake Mead, which affects more than 143 million Americans  the largest reservoir in the United States at the junction of Nevada and Arizona  is now at its lowest level since its creation in the 1930s.

This lake was formed when the huge Hoover Dam was built on the Colorado River not far from Las Vegas. It currently accounts for only 36% of its capacity, which is even lower than the record set in 2016.

The authorities expect this to happen-but it will have to wait until August.

The situation in northern California usually has plenty of precipitation in winter and spring, but the situation is not much better. Lake Oroville is the second largest reservoir in the state and a key part of the network that provides drinking water to 27 million Californians, 50 meters (165 feet) lower than in 2019.

In the next few months, extensive water restrictions seem inevitable, and this could have a serious impact on Western states, especially farmers who rely on irrigation, who provide most of the countrys fruits and vegetables.

In California, its vast almond forest supplies 80% of the worlds production, and some farmers have begun to uproot the trees to save water.

As of April 1, which traditionally marked the date of the last snowfall in the area, the snow on the upper slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains-about one-third of Californias total water use-was only 60% of the average.

John Yarbrough, an official with the California Department of Water Resources, told AFP: Indeed, one thing that is unique this year is that as the snow melts, runoff will eventually seep into the dry soil and eventually evaporate. Arrive at Lake Oroville (Lake Oroville). news agency.

So this is what is unusual this year, we get so little runoff from the snow.

According to data from the United States Drought Monitoring Agency, one-third of California is currently experiencing abnormal drought, which is the most severe level.

Dry soil and water-scarce vegetation create conditions for higher temperatures and encourage a devastating vicious circle.

Meteorologists have issued high temperature warnings that Las Vegas may reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius), exceeding the record set in 1940.

The authorities are particularly concerned about forest fires. Forest fires arrived exceptionally early this year, and their intensity is rare. As of the end of May, California fires had destroyed 5 times the vegetation in the same period last year.
A week ago, a man was charged with four first-degree murders and attempted murder in a truck attack on a Muslim family in London, Ontario, and now faces terror charges.

On Monday, 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman (Nathaniel Veltman) appeared in the video when federal and provincial prosecutors announced two terrorist charges.

On June 6, 46-year-old Salman Afzaal, his 44-year-old wife Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter Yumna Afzaal, and 74-year-old Salmans mother Talat Afzaal were killed by a pickup truck from the side of the road. The youngest member of the family, nine-year-old Fayez, is still recovering in the hospital. Investigators said the family was targeted because of their beliefs.

Two days later, the new charges against the London resident were announced A funeral Thousands of people were invited to participate in a public service section outside a mosque in southwestern Ontario.

In a routine court appearance at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Center, Wiltman wore an oversized orange T-shirt, orange pants, and a blue mask. He told the judge that he had not hired a lawyer.

Sarah Sheikh from the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) told the defendant: Mr. Wiltman, you are now charged with four first-degree murders. In addition to accusing these murders as planned and deliberate, the further charges are , They also constitute terrorism.

The clerk officially read out to Veltman the allegations of murder and attempted murder, including the name of the deceased. When he was sued on June 7, these names were unavailable.

The prosecutor also signed a document supporting the terrorist allegations.

No further known or suspected threats

The London Police worked with the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), the Attorney Generals Department and the PPSC to determine that Veltman should be charged with terrorist activities.

The London Police Department said at a press conference: The London Police Department and the RCMP INSET assured the public that there are no further known or suspicious public threats related to the defendant.

The investigation is ongoing and will continue to be a cooperative effort between the London Police and the RCMP INSET.

The press release also encourages the public to report anyone who has witnessed or knew any criminal extremist and/or suspicious activity that may pose a threat to public safety and/or national security.

According to Canadian Criminal Law, terrorism is an indictable crime. Anti-terrorism law, These include actions aimed at intimidating the public or parts of the public.

When the Afzaal family went out for a walk in northwest London at night, a black truck left the road and drove into them as they waited for a red light to cross the road. It marked the first large-scale massacre in the citys history, and the case caused fear in the Muslim community.

The police said the family was targeted because of their Muslim beliefs.

Since the fatal hit-and-run incident, grief has continued to emerge across the country and called for a national summit on Islamophobia.

Watch | Muslim leaders want Ottawa to commit to action against Islamophobia:
According to new data from Save the Children, about 103 schools and other educational facilities were attacked in May, and there is growing concern that the safety of students may be threatened in the continuing turmoil after the military coup on February 1 .

Childrens rights organizations stated that improvised explosive devices and grenades were used in the vast majority of attacks.

Save the Children will be shocked by these attacks, which not only put the lives of children at risk, but it is already a disastrous situation in the learning of children in Myanmar, it said in a statement.

Schools are protected learning places for children and must always be protected from attacks. Attacks on schools are serious violations of children and should not be deliberately targeted at schools.

On February 1, the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Army, Min Aung Hlaing, launched a coup to seize power and arrested the elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and senior members of the government. The coronavirus pandemic has already caused Myanmar Children lost months of learning time.

Since then, thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest, and the military has used force to suppress those who oppose its rule. The Political Prisoners Aid Association stated that at least 860 people were killed and nearly 5,000 were detained.

During the previous military rule, the generals closed the university, and since February 1, the armed forces have occupied dozens of schools and university campuses across the country.Thousands of teachers joined Civil disobedience movement Has been fired.

Although the school was set on fire or bombed, it is not clear who was behind the attack. The military blamed the anti-coup movement, but resistance fighters told Myanmars independent media that they only targeted the military and would not harm civilians.

Save the Children tells Al Jazeera that it has no reliable information about those responsible.

The generals fired thousands of teachers who participated in the anti-coup campaign [File: Kaung Zaw Hein/EPA]

UNICEF also noted that the number of explosions in schools, educational facilities and offices has increased in recent weeks.

The UN agency Myanmar Office stated in a Facebook statement on June 3: Violence in or around schools is absolutely unacceptable. Schools and other educational facilities must be protected from conflict and unrest. For learning places and educators The attacks and the occupation of educational facilities are violations of childrens rights.

Armed soldiers in the school

Earlier this month, children in public schools began to return to classrooms, but many young people were afraid to go.

Due to the virus, I was unable to go to school for the entire year last year. I dare not go this year, a 10-year-old girl from the central region of Magway told the organization. I want to go to school, but I am afraid. Although the school gate is closed, there are soldiers inside. I am afraid of soldiers. I am worried that our school may explode while we are there.

The Myanmar Teachers Federation told the Burmese media Irrawaddy that less than 1 million students have returned to school due to concerns about their safety.

Photos from the first day of school posted on social media show armed soldiers appearing at school gates, on buses and even in classrooms, some of which apparently encourage young children to carry guns.

Even for us, as the regime forces continue to take brutal actions against civilians, we will worry about potential violence when we go out, the mother of a primary school student told the Irrawaddy, expressing concern about the presence of the army. How can we send our children to a place where we cant see what happened to them?

Save the Children said that since March, security forces have occupied at least 60 schools and university campuses across the country.

Armed soldiers have no place in schools or other places of learning, it said in a statement. Under no circumstances should children be allowed to possess weapons of any kind. This extremely irresponsible behavior of armed personnel is unacceptable. It puts children at risk and violates international standards for safety education.

On June 1, students in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, started a new semester off campus [Stringer/AFP]

Myanmar is a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which stipulates that all children have the right to receive safety education.

Save the Children stated that the international community, including the government and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, should condemn the attack and make safety and inclusive education a priority in responding to the crisis in Myanmar.

Children are often the first to be affected by conflict and violence. The situation of children in Myanmar is now very urgent. The organization told Al Jazeera in an email.
Scottus News

after James Romoser





11:59 am

Supreme Court Unanimous ruling On Monday, people convicted of certain low-level cocaine crimes were not eligible for a reduced sentence under the First Step Act, a 2018 law that makes some criminal justice reforms retroactive.Justice Clarence Thomas wrote an opinion for the court Terry v. United States.

In 2008, Tarahrick Terry was arrested in Florida for carrying less than 4 grams of cocaine. At the time, federal laws dealt with illegal acts involving cocaine more severely than illegal acts involving powdered cocaine.This Related Laws Three layers were created. Level 1 imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for crimes involving at least 50 grams of cracks or 5 kilograms of powder. For violations involving at least 5 grams of cracks or 500 grams of powder, Level 2 provides a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years. Tier 3 penalties involve unspecified amounts of cocaine and do not include mandatory minimum crimes. Terry was convicted at level 3 and sentenced to more than 15 years in prison.

Two years later, Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced the sentencing difference between cocaine and cocaine fans. In 2018, Congress passed the First Step Act, which makes certain provisions of the Fair Sentence Act retroactive and allows some people convicted under the old system to seek a reduced sentence.

Terry argued that under the First Step Act, he has the right to seek a reduction of his sentence. The Supreme Court disagreed. Thomas wrote that although Tier 1 and Tier 2 are covered crimes under the First Step Act, Tier 3 crimes are not included. This is because the First Step Act defines covered crimes as violations of federal criminal regulations, and the statutory penalties are modified by the Fair Sentencing Act. The Fair Sentencing Act changed the amount of cocaine required to trigger Tier 1 and Tier 2, but kept the language of Tier 3 unchanged. Thomas wrote that Terrys level 3 conviction was not eligible for re-sentence due to the clear text of the statute.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a consent letter, calling on Congress to pass a new law that will provide an opportunity for people convicted of a third-level sentence to be commuted.She pointed out that bipartisan supporters of the First Step Act have already urge The court interprets the law and provides extensive retrospective relief to Terry and hundreds of similar prisoners who may be convicted of low-level crimes. Unfortunately, Sotomayor wrote, the text cannot withstand such reading. Fortunately, Congress has many tools to correct this injustice.

Check back soon for an in-depth analysis of opinions.
Beirut, Lebanon  A key vote in the UN Security Council in July may end the mission of the last humanitarian lifeline for the approximately 4.4 million Syrians living in opposition-controlled areas in the northwest.

The Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border is the last open crossing point through which aid can be delivered directly to areas in need without passing through the Assad government in Damascus.on 1,000 trucks carrying humanitarian aid pass Every month.

We are totally dependent on aid, Dr. Hamzeh Hassan of the Bab al-Hawa Hospital, the largest medical institution in the region, told Al Jazeera. We lack medicines and surgical equipment, but when we get it, it will be shipped via Bab al-Hawa.

The Security Council established four humanitarian border crossings into war-torn Syria in July 2014, but when the mandate was subsequently extended, Assads allies Russia and China used their veto power to stop three border crossings: Ramtha is close to the Jordanian border, in the northeast at al-Yaroubia between Iraq and the Kurdish-controlled al-Hasakeh province, and at the Bab al-Salam border crossing between Turkey and northern Syria.

Dr. Hassan, who is waiting for medical assistance to save more patients, said: We are now in the second wave of COVID, with an exponential increase in cases. More equipment and medicine should arrive soon-but if the border Closed, we will face a human disaster.

The promotion of vaccination in Idlib is also progressing slowly. Only more than 17,000 people have been vaccinated, most of them are frontline workers, Dr. Fadi Hakim of the Foundation of the American Medical Association in Syria (SAMS) told Al Jazeera. If we get to the top, God bless us, we wont be able to hold it anymore.

In the past decade, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed and millions have been displaced. Today Idlib is Syrias last opposition stronghold, Under control Hayet Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate and a Turkish-backed insurgent group.

In recent years, Syrian and Russian troops have severely damaged Idlib to regain the province, often bombing hospitals, schools, markets and homes. Cause a humanitarian crisisThe COVID-19 pandemic has also exacerbated an already dire situation.

Worse

The United States insists on keeping Bab al-Hawa open. At a telephone news conference, Jeffrey Prescott, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said that the impact of the closure of Bab al-Hawa would be immeasurable.

Its actually a matter of life and death, he said Say.

However, as an important ally of the Assad government on the front line and on the international stage, Russia is eager to permanently terminate the authorization of Bab al-Hawa and replace it through the Damascus government with delivery.

Since the resolution was passed in July 2020, the transit capacity there has increased significantly, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Verkhnin said in March, referring to a resolution on the Security Council to extend transit missions.

But despite this, the humanitarian situation in northwestern Syria is getting worse, he said, accusing HTS of obstructing aid.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the United States and Europe of supporting continued cross-border assistance without going through the Damascus government, thereby politicizing humanitarian assistance.

Verkhinen said: Due to dissatisfaction with the countrys leader, for political reasons, all of this is to undermine Syrias sovereignty and territorial integrity.

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Geneva in less than a week, and there are several items on the agenda. Some reports claim that Biden will press Putin to expand humanitarian assistance.

But according to Natasha Hall, a senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, what is really important compared to his predecessor is the strategy of the Biden administration. They took a similar position on humanitarian border crossings, but failed to persuade them. Moscow gave in.

It depends on how much resources the current government is willing to invest in such negotiations, Hall told Al Jazeera.

United Nations vehicles enter Syria from Turkey at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing [File: Osman Orsal/Reuters]

Delivering anightmare

Russia may continue to advocate for the aid of Damascus to replace the cross-border system  commonly referred to as cross-line delivery  which has never happened in Idlib.

A UN spokesperson told Al Jazeera: So far, there has been no UN cross-line delivery to northwest Syria. The United Nations continues to work hard and advocate, but the conditions for deploying the first cross-line convoy to northwest Syria are not yet available.

But many people, including Dr. Hakim, completely rejected this proposal based on past experience in the besieged area.

When we tried to make cross-line deliveries in East Aleppo or Ghouta, at least 90% of the convoy was rejected, he said, adding that his organization must obtain at least seven approvals from Damascus security and government agencies. Even if you get approval, the convoy may be sent back to the checkpoint and many items will be removed from the truck. This is a nightmare.

Convoys of the United Nations and partner organizations often have difficulty reaching besieged or hard to reach areas, and the main blame is on government checkpoints. Even aid that eventually arrives may become useless.

In some cases, you will see packagesonly a few disposable robes and shoe covers, but this is consideredarrival, Hall explained. All these delays and interruptions imposed by the Damascus government have resulted in large quantities of drugs being discarded because they have expired when they reach the clinic.

chronic

But even in the northeast, where the Syrian government and allies did not actively participate in the conflict, non-governmental organizations have condemned the limited assistance provided through the cross-line mechanism after the closure of the Yarubia border crossing.

Because the border is closed to the United Nations, only a few medical goods reach the area via alternative routes, 42 NGO Say In a statement on Friday, it was added that the hospital lacked the medicines and equipment needed to treat COVID-19.

At al-Hol camp, NGOs reported that about 30% of chronically ill patients cannot be covered by the drugs provided in the camp.

Most of the fighting in Syria has subsided, but the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already distressing humanitarian crisis. In Idlib, the prospect of shutting down the only channel of aid has shocked Dr. Hassan.

Trust me, if this [border crossing] When its over, we will see more pain, he said, his voice trembling. The medical center may last for about half a year, but I think if the border crossing is closed, I think there is not enough food in a month. 
Major General Dany Fortin is challenging the federal governments decision to publicly terminate his secondment to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to lead Canadian vaccine logistics.

Last month, the Defense Department issued a short three-line statement late Friday, calling it a major general. Fortin will leave, and his future will be determined by the acting chief of defense staff.

The source later told CBC News that before the start of Operation Honor in 2015, allegations of sexual misconduct against Fortin had been filed-the militarys now defunct campaign aimed at eliminating misconduct in the team.

Today, Fortins lawyers applied for judicial review of his removal from the PHAC position. The application argued that Fortin was deprived of procedural fairness before making a decision, and the interviewee knew or should have known that this would have serious consequences for his life, reputation, and career.

The decision maker did not give him the opportunity to let him know why he should not be removed from the PHAC position and should not be reassigned.

Cancel decision

Fortins legal team argued that due to the unreasonable nature of the decision and serious violation of Fortins procedural fairness and privacy rights, the military should revoke the decision and either restore his position in PHAC or give him another A position that suits him.

Due to the sensitivity of the documents, three independent confidential sources were not authorized to speak publicly. They described the allegations against Fortin as an earlier allegation, but declined to provide more specific information. The Globe and Mail was the first to report that the allegations against Fortin were sexual in nature.

A branch of the military police Submit this Last month, an official official was asked to decide whether criminal charges should be filed.

Since his secondment was terminated, MGen Fortin has not worked at CAF, and, In fact, Dismissed from military duties, wrote in the notice of application filed in court today.

On March 17, 2021, Fortin met with Lieutenant General Wayne Ayre, acting Chief of Defense Staff, and learned that the Canadian Army Investigation Bureau was investigating his sexual misconduct, but did not provide any information on the allegations at the time. According to the court file.

More
When PATSY Palmer turned 21 at Malibus home, she threw a birthday party for her rare son Fenton.

predecessor East Ender The star paid tribute to her second eldest son in a sweet post last night-she said he had avoided social media.

6 Patsy Palmer paid tribute to her rare son Fenton on his 21st birthday last night

Percy, 49, wrote to her 355,000 followers on Instagram: Happy birthday, our moon child. One of the kindest, funniest, and smartest boys we know is 21 years old.

21 years of kindness and love shine from you, and bless us as your parents every day. We love you ???? We survived your entry into this world, and this is a very magical reason.

We all have a purpose, of course you have shown us that yours is love ??

Passy caught a glimpse of the celebration in her Instagram story with her husband Richard Merkel, A former black taxi driver, directing a barbecue.

6 Patsy threw a party for her son Fenton in their beautiful home

6 Fentons father took over the barbecue

6 His friends gathered on the huge outdoor sofa

6 The former Eastern District star recently publicly opposed the Covid vaccine

Fenton and his friends, including his 19-year-old sister Emilia, gathered on a huge outdoor sofa, overlooking the sea to the sound of music.

The former EastEnders star posted a video and absorbed opinions, writing: Thats what we do.

This is when she publicly opposed it recently Coronavirus disease vaccine And encourage her 335,000 fans not to follow the flow.

Pazzi In 2000, he married his second husband, Richard Merkel, a taxi driver.

Before they came together, the couple had been friends for 14 years.

6 Patsy and her husband Richard and children Fenton, Emilia and Bertie

Sunshine atmosphere Chanelle Hayes shows off her 7.5th weight loss in tight shorts exclusive Want EBAY my CLOBBER? Mel C was shocked to find that her Spice Girls souvenirs were on eBay My happy place Martine McCutcheon, 45, looks incredible in a backless swimsuit Uneven Leigh-Anne of Little Mix shows growing baby bumps while sunbathing Lumil Millie McIntosh announced that she was pregnant with her second child 13 months after her first child Not that small! Katie Price and Peter Andre both shared a video celebrating Juniors 16th birthday

They lived in Brighton before crossing the pond Moving in Malibu, Near Los Angeles in 2014.

Patsy believes that Richard helped her fight her past drug and alcohol addiction in her 20s.

Pazzi Speaking of her husband Richard in an interview, he said: He gave me what I always wanted-a real family.
Hundreds of thousands of Burmese anti-junta protesters flooded social media with photos of them wearing black clothes to express their solidarity with the Rohingya, one of the most persecuted ethnic minorities in the country.

Since the military overthrew the power of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1, an anti-military movement demanding the restoration of democracy has developed to include a struggle for the rights of ethnic minorities.

The predominantly Muslim Rohingya-long regarded by many in Myanmar as intruders from Bangladesh-have been denied citizenship, rights, access to services and freedom of movement for decades.

In 2017, a bloody military operation in western Myanmar led to about 740,000 Rohingya fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, including rape, mass killings and arson.

The military has long claimed that the suppression was to eradicate the insurgents. Aung San Suu Kyi went to The Hague to refute the UN Supreme Courts genocide accusations and defend the militarys actions.

The Burmese public has little sympathy for the plight of the Rohingya, and activists and reporters who report on these issues face harsh abuse online.

On Sunday, activists and civilians posted photos on social media of themselves wearing black clothes and flashing three fingers in tribute to resistance, and in posts tagged with #Black4Rohingya.

Justice must [be] To serve each of you and each of us in Myanmar, the famous human rights activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi said on Twitter.

Local media also showed small protests in Yangon, the business center of Myanmar. Demonstrators dressed in black held up slogans in Burmese, calling them protesting against the oppressed Rohingya.

In the evening, the hashtag #Black4Rohingya became popular on Twitter in Myanmar, with more than 332,000 mentions.

Sundays support from a population of mainly Buddhists and mainly Bamar is a far cry from previous years, when even the use of the term Rohingya was a lightning rod for controversy.

Unity is important

Nei Shenglun, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Alliance, told Al Jazeera that the #Black4Rohingya movement has received strong support and solidarity from the Myanmar compatriots this year.

In the past, we only had international supporters, but since the coup, we have received public apologies from Myanmar individuals and organizations, he added.

The unity of the Myanmar compatriots is very important to us. We have no friends in our own country and are seen as enemies, invaders, intruders and demihumans, but now many of them accept the Rohingya as their compatriots. Many of them realized that they had been brainwashed by the army.

People who used to call usBengali now call us Rohingya. This means that they are now respecting very basic human rights.

Ro Nay San Lwin, a well-known European Rohingya activist, told AFP that online events are an annual awareness raising event, but Sunday was the first time he saw it spread in Myanmar.

I am very happy to see people in Myanmar join this movement. I hope to get stronger unity from them, he said.

The Shadow National Unity Government (NUG)-composed of overthrown Burmese legislators dedicated to overthrowing the power of the army-also extended an olive branch to minorities, inviting them to join handsin this spring revolution in a recent announcement.

NUG is called a terrorist by the military government, while military leader Min Aung Hlaing dismissed the term Rohingya as a fictional term.

According to a local monitoring organization, since the coup detat earlier this year, more than 860 people have been killed in the brutal suppression by the security forces-a death toll that has aroused the alarm of the international community.

On Friday, UN Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet said that Myanmar has gone from a fragile democracy into a human rights disaster-with special attention to the escalation of violence in areas such as Kayah, Chin State and Kachin State. .

On Sunday evening, the official television station condemned Bachelets remarks, saying the international agency should not be biased.
Pacific Beach-Californias reopening is just around the corner. Restaurants in Pacific Beach said that after a year of restrictions, they finally saw a vibrant town.

From the top all the way to the beach, we finally feel that the entire Pacific Beach is back to normal, said Crushed bartender Lee Jacinto.

Jacinto said Crushed must adapt to survival during the pandemic, including providing takeaway orders and adding outdoor seating.

Every business, most of them, can use more outdoor space, and the capacity of Pacific Beach has almost doubled, Jacinto said.

Jacinto said Crushed will temporarily keep their outdoor seats.

San Diego residents Brian Lab and Nicole Lu said that outdoor dining has always been a good addition to restaurants in the area.

Lu said: A lot of places are very focused on social distancing and outdoor dining. As San Diego, it feels very good. This is a big advantage-from everything that happens.

Jacinto stated that Crushed and the entire Pacific Beach community are excited about the June 15th grade retirement.

I am very happy to enjoy the summer and return to a normal lifestyle, Jacinto said.
Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Doha

The initial entry to a hotel room is exciting, from the click of the lock to the opening of the door, to seeing your room for the first time. Made even more elevated is when an over-the-top welcome amenity is waiting for you. We scoured the globe for some smile-inducing offerings, sure to set the tone for your luxury stay:



The Broadmoor- Colorado Springs, Colorado

Courtesy of The Broadmoor

Could this amenity bee any more cute? Made with an exclusive Valrhona Broadmoor Blend of chocolate, this Bumbling Bee chocolate sculpture is meant to be cracked open, as its filled with candy. www.broadmoor.com



Salamander Resort & Spa- Middleburg, Virginia

Courtesy of Salamander Resort & Spa

Dive into your room stay at the Salamander Resort & Spa in the middle of wine country with this incredible pairing of Dom Perignon and Petrossian Royal Osetra Caviar. Located on 340 acres of pristine farmland, guests can enjoy their welcome amenity fireside in their suites. www.salamanderresort.com



Hotel Schweizerhof Bern Hotel & Spa- Switzerland

Switzerland Tourism / Nicole Schafer

Every hotel guest at Hotel Schweizerhof Bern Hotel & Spa is greeted with an especially sweet treat, honey made from the hotels own colonies of bees on property, straight from the rooftop hives. Utilized in the honey-fascia massage, the spa is the place to head to after checking in. https://schweizerhofbern.com/en



Perry Lane Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel- Savannah, Georgia

Courtesy of Perry Lane Hotel

Guests checking in to the Perry Lane Hotel in Georgia strike a chord with their in-room welcome amenity- an opportunity to play world famous Benedetto Guitars during their stay. Handmade in Savannah, these guitars are able to be played in room or at the hotels rooftop bar. www.parrylanehotel.com



Four Seasons Hotel Doha- Qatar

Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Doha

Seasonal products and guest preference play into this next amenity- an over-the-top afternoon tea set. For suite and VIP guests, the luxury amenity combines premium teas, delectable pastries and opulent food selections. https://www.fourseasons.com/doha/



The Oxford Hotel- Denver, Colorado

Courtesy of The Oxford Hotel

The Oxford Hotel in Denver Colorado has an amenity perfectly suited for cigar and bourbon enthusiasts. Good Cigar Co Adventure Pack includes a choice of three distinct blendsApex, Voyage or Rove. The kit includes two cigars, a cutter, matches and instructions on how to enjoy. The property also hosts a Bourbon Bar nightly from 5:30-7 pm where guests are able to enjoy samples from the hotels bourbon selection. www.theoxfordhotel.com



Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin- Germany

Courtesy of hotel Adlon Kempinski

Located near the famous Brandenberg Gate, hotel guests at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski can enjoy a chocolate sculpture of their own gate. Paired with delectable treats, this chocolate amenity will delight those with a sweet tooth. www.kempinski.com



Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo- Monaco

Courtesy of Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo

A dedicated Family Suite has been created at the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo, designed by Sabrina Monte-Carlo Kids. Featuring furniture and decor specifically made for children, the connecting suite is also a habitat for unicorns. Available for purchase through Sabina Monte-Carlo Kids, the unicorn can also be sent directly to the guests home if looking to add a mythical element to your childrens luxury menagerie. https://metropole.com/en/



Velas Resorts- Mexico

Courtesy of Velas Resorts

Mezcal fans rejoice! Velas Resorts has swapped out its in-suite tequila for artisanal mezcal. Created exclusively for the resort, the 100% espadin agave white crystalline mezcal is a real treat. Stocked complimentary in suite in the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas properties in Los Cabos, Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit, this amenity is one to be savored. www.grandvelas.com



Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC- New York City, New York

Courtesy of Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC

For those looking to CBD and chill, this skincare lovers amenity is just the ticket. Custom CBD face masks from MASK help to diminish fine lines as well as stress. With a fresh new glow, guests can enjoy this self-care solution in New York City. https://www.gansevoorthotelgroup.com/hotels/gansevoort-meatpacking-nyc



Four Seasons Resort Maui- Hawaii

Courtesy Four Seasons Resort Maui

A tropical taste of the islands can be found at Four Seasons Resort Maui. Under the guidance of an extremely talented pastry team, this culinary welcome amenity celebrates seasonally fresh produce. The Chocolate Coconut wow amenity is not only nestled on a bed of sugary sand, but interactive in that guests must crack open the coconut to discover treats inside. https://www.fourseasons.com/maui/
Could the mask mandate make a come-back? A number of cities across the nation recommend masks, even for people who are fully vaccinated. But so far no one is requiring them. Local doctors say re-booting the mandate would be difficult.
What appeared on the surface to be a small win Tuesday for one side in the battle over the police budget could actually be something else entirely: A nudge from a judge to come to a compromise.
A MoDOT supervisor named Lloyd Crawford was struck and killed by a vehicle in the city's Northland on Monday morning. He was 61 years old and had been with MoDOT since 2003.
The NATO summit comes as President Joe Biden, pictured on June 13 in Cornwall, looks to reassert American leadership on the world stage and strengthen global partnerships during his first international trip as President.
In the latest broadcast of "Running Man" on June 13, the whole cast and crew made their final speech to Lee Kwang Soo as he departs from the SBS reality show.

"Running Man's" Last Mission for Lee Kwang Soo: "My Special Brother"

Episode 559 began by sharing all the precious memories of Lee Kwang Soo in the show. The "Entourage" star was with the "Running Man" team for almost 11 years, and as a tribute to him, the production made a special event for the precious member.

As it serves as his last episode, the "Running Man" team asked Lee Kwang Soo all the things he wanted to do on his last day of the shoot. Lee Kwang Soo chose all the things his members liked, as being with them is already special.

"My Special Brother" race was prepared by the team as the members' last mission with Lee Kwang Soo. The show invited a professional judge to give the right sanctions for all the uneven things that Lee Kwang Soo committed in the past years of doing various games.

In participation of the other members, they were tasked to do a secret mission where whoever had the highest numbers of photos with Lee Kwang Soo would get the same gifts from the production.

The race went extra special because each and everyone has to do their missions. Plus, Yoo Jae Suk, Seok Jin, Kim Jong Kook, HaHa, Song Ji Hyo, Jeon So Min, and Yang Se Chan were all clingy to Lee Kwang Soo, which added more fun and chaos during the race.

As they went to the next location then to another, new precious moments were made. Even the "Running Man" producer Choi Bo Pil got teary-eyed while in the middle of filming the show.

Tears and Laughter Filled the Set as Lee Kwang Soo Parts Ways from "Running Man"

When the members finally arrived at their last location, everyone became serious and struggled to hold back their tears. The members also began to write their messages for Lee Kwang Soo.

The moment Lee Kwang Soo read the first letter from Seok Jin, he couldn't hold back his tears, and even the other members became emotional.

The set was filled with laughter and tears while Lee Kwang Soo continued to read the messages he got from his members. But when it was his turn to read his letter, the team was caught wiping their tears.

Lee Kwang Soo kept on apologizing for leaving the show.

He said, "I have been with you for 11 years, thank you so much for making me who I am today and for making me feel like a member of a family. And I am sorry again."

He went on, "I haven't been able to do well for 11 years, but I think I did my best. 'Running Man' does my best every week without leaving anyone out. Please give me more love and support in the future. Thank you."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Running Man' Producer Shares Future Plan for the Show Following Lee Kwang Soo's Departure

Which among "Running Man" episodes of Lee Kwang Soo is your favorite? Don't forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins
Two months after silence, Seo Ye Ji finally made her first public update.

Seo Ye Ji Makes First Update by Sharing a Cartoon Meme

On June 11, a simple post from a famous fan website was noticed by many - a meme picture posted by "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" star Seo Ye Ji on her fan community. The photo was from a particular scene of the famous American cartoon "Peanuts" and there was also a caption that reads, "It's nice to have someone who believes in you."

A cartoon from Yeaji (via DC Gall) that says It's a good thing to have someone who believes in you.







//cartoon verified okay to be shared//#seoyeaji #seoyeji pic.twitter.com/2W3gJu2Yum  SEOYEAJIWORLD  (@SEOYEAJIWORLD) June 11, 2021

After she made an update, Seo Ye Ji's fans bombarded the post with lots of encouraging words to support the actress. This simple post from the female star might be her way of expressing gratitude towards the fans and people who believe in her despite the previous controversy she was involved in.

| 20210611 DC gallery update. This will keep our year going i think. Anyways thank you for always looking at your fans. Take care and be well. Fighting! # #SeoYeaJi # #SeoYeJi pic.twitter.com/NFYxTqk7Xm   yeaji profile (@yeajiprofile) June 11, 2021

Fans left comments, saying they missed the Korean actress, and hoped that she could finally come back soon with new projects.

The meme was Seo Ye Ji's first fan update after two months of being in silence due to her involvement with "Mr. Queen" actor and her former beau Kim Jung Hyun.

Back in April, the Korean news outlets reported Seo Ye Ji's alleged relationship manipulation to her ex-boyfriend Kim Jung Hyun.

The 31-year-old actress, at the time, was also nominated at the "57th Baeksang Arts Awards" for the Best Actress category for her role in tvN's record-breaking series "It's Okay to Not Be Okay." Seo Ye Ji also won the "Tiktok Popularity Award" for the female category.

However, the female star didn't attend the award ceremony.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Seo Ye Ji and Kim Kang Woo's Film 'Recalled' Wins Audience Award at the Florence Korea Film Festival

Seo Ye Ji's Thriller "Recalled" Wins the Audience Award at the Florence Korea Film Festival

When the allegations circulated on various online platforms, Seo Ye Ji was also in preparation of launching her new movie "Recalled," alongside actor Kim Kang Woo. The "Lawless Lawyer" actress decided not to attend the promotional event for the film.

But even though she was caught up in a controversy, her film was well-received not just in South Korea but also on the international stage. In fact, "Recalled" received the Audience Award in the prestigious Film Festival in Florence.

Meanwhile, the drama "Island," which was supposed to be Seo Ye Ji's drama comeback this 2021, has decided to cast Lee Da Hee as the possible replacement.

What can you say about Seo Ye Ji's first public update? Don't forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins
The highly anticipated K-drama "Kingdom: Ashin Of The North" continues to pique the viewer's interest with captivating yet intriguing visuals.

It came after Netflix recently released a series of teasers featuring the sought-after special season of the post-apocalyptic drama starring Jun Ji Hyun.

"Kingdom: Ashin Of The North" Teaser Features the Young Ashin

The official poster hints at the possible chaos as the new stills featured the young Ashin, played by Kim Shi Ah, who was abandoned after the pandemonium hit the Joseon dynasty.

Meanwhile, the second teaser displays a mysterious purple flower known as the resurrection plant that is said to have the power to bring back the dead.

Apart from Ashin and the rare purple flower, new stills also showed an eerie teaser featuring a white-eyed tiger, a pile of dead bodies in the woods, and Ashin in the middle of nowhere surrounded by resurrection plants.

"The place where death blooms to swallow Joseon, and the story of Asin abandoned by all: Asin, the mysterious purple life and death, the tiger of the white-eyed life and death, the mysterious death of Asin, and the image of Asin surrounded by the life and death," the caption reads.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Netflix Drops New Korean Series & Movies Coming This 2021

What You Need to Know about "Kingdom: Ashin Of The North"

Following the success of the mega-hit K-zombie period thriller "Kingdom," the streaming giant confirmed that a special episode is slated to be released in 2021.

"Kingdom: Ashin Of The North" Release Date:

Earlier this month, Netflix announced that the "Kingdom: Ashin Of The North" release date is scheduled to hit the screen worldwide on July 23.

This was followed by a surprising teaser video featuring Jun Ji Hyun's mysterious role.

Interestingly, the much-awaited season special is said to explore the horizons of the "Kingdom" series, specifically the origins of the resurrection plant.

In addition, it will also reveal the story behind the woman abandoned by all - Ashin.

"Kingdom: Ashin Of The North" Cast

Apart from Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Shi Ah, who will play the young Ashin, cast members also include Park Byung Eun, who is set to reprise his role as Royal Commandery Min Chi-rok and will be joined by Koo Kyo Hwan.

The Hallyu star was previously introduced in the "Kingdom 2" season finale, where she was depicted as a mysterious character and is said to be the heir to the Northern Yeojin tribe village.

The upcoming "Kingdom" spinoff will also unravel her connection with the Joseon plague.

To recall, the popular K-zombie series features Bae Doo Na, Ryu Seung Ryon, Kim Sung Gyu, and Joo Ji Hoon, who plays Crowne Prince Lee Chang.

Aside from the cast, "'Kingdom: Ashin Of The North" is helmed by "Kingdom" season 1 director Kim Seon Hun, alongside screenwriter Kim Eun Hee, who worked on the drama's two previous seasons.









KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
SALEM, Ore.  Survivors of devastating wildfires like those in September 2020 will have the time they need to rebuild without losing insurance coverage, the result of a bill that Governor Kate Brown signed into law on Friday.

Representative Pam Marsh was the chief sponsor of House Bill 3272, which was a response to concerns that arose in the wake of the Almeda Fire. With many property owners waiting on the gradual state-managed cleanup operation to finish before they could begin rebuilding, some risked losing the funds that they would need to complete the task due to a ticking clock on their plans.

"After the Almeda Fire, it became clear that there are significant gaps in some insurance policies that leave policyholders struggling at the very moment when they need help," Marsh said earlier this month. "To be sure many insurers stepped up quickly after the Almeda fire to help families who lost everything, and to help business owners re-open. But that made the practices of other insurers stand out even more starkly."

Though HB 3272 was inspired by the Almeda Fire aftermath, it is not retroactive and does not directly guarantee the same protections to survivors of the September 2020 fires.

Oregon officials say that they reached agreements with a number of insurance companies after the fires last year to extend rebuilding timelines to at least two years from the date of loss, mirroring aspects of the bill. Those agreements also allow people to rebuild their homes at a different location.

RELATED: Deadline to opt-in for state Almeda Fire cleanup has arrived

The bill requires insurers to cover the full cost to replace damaged or destroyed property for no less than 12 months in most circumstances. In situations where the loss was related to a state-declared emergency like the September fires, that timeline is extended to 24 months, or no more than 36 months if there are unavoidable delays. Extensions are granted in six-month increments.

"This is essential coverage," Marsh continued. "Many insurance policies mandate that rebuilding benefits be utilized within a year of the disaster. In the best of circumstances, when your home is the only one in the neighborhood that burned down, your house plans were stored in a safe deposit box, you get your permits issued immediately, and your daughter in law is a contractor, it will still be tough to have your home ready in a year.

"In the Rogue Valley and in fire-impacted communities across Oregon, its clear that with hazardous materials abatement, debris removal and clean-up, infrastructure repair, and permitting requirements  one year to rebuild is simply an impossible task. A minimum of two years, and maximum of three years with extenuating circumstances, provides a much more reasonable timeframe."

EDIT: Article corrected with clarification from the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services to reflect that HB 3272 is not retroactive, though some insurance companies have agreed to similar concessions.
SALEM, Ore.  The Oregon Department of Justice says it is looking for input from communities impacted by inequity in an effort to improve services and access to justice for crime victims and survivors. This third annual "Community Conversations" series consists of 21 online listening sessions focusing on the experiences of different communities in Oregon.

Sadly, we know that many Oregonians, in the course of their day or night, do not feel safe and secure, said Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. In fact, the communities that experience the highest victimization rates are the same ones that face the greatest barriers to support. These Community Conversations, now in their third year, are making a vital difference in our efforts at the Oregon Department of Justice to dismantle and overcome those barriers.

Survivors and advocates have said that there are a lack of providers that can offer culturally responsive services to diverse communities. In 2020, Oregon began offering "Victims of Crime Act" grants to community-based organizations. At present, those grants amount to more than $5 million between 12 different recipient organizations.

The 2020 Community Conversations series drew more than 1,000 participants, Rosenblum's office said. That input was summarized in a report, Opening Pathways to Justice and Improving Support for Communities Impacted by Inequity, and state officials pledged to follow up on a number of action items identified by survivors and advocates.

For a survivor of assault or another crime to sense they are being judged or disregarded by a responder is incredibly traumatizing. If a survivor doesnt fit the responders idea of how a victim should look or act, the responder may not believe the survivor is credible. And thats a problem, said ORDOJ Survivor Services fund coordinator Benjamin Bradshaw. When people face this kind of explicit or implicit bias from the very people who are supposed to help them, they may choose not to report a crime. They may believe they have nowhere to turn for help.

In response to that feeback, Survivor Services has started a training program for leadership of all victim services programs funded by the state DOJ. The wider department has also removed Social Security Number questions from forms used to process services claims, created a new diversity and equity subcommittee, and is still exploring other improvements to its programs for victims and survivors.

The Community Conversations series will also include updates on Oregon's recently-overhauled hate crime statutes.

In 2020, DOJs Bias Response Hotline received 1,100 reports, said Johanna Costa, who coordinates the states Bias Response Program. These were largely reports of race-based bias, and, overwhelmingly, of anti-Black bias. People from all protected classes, including sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, national origin, and race and color have contacted the hotline to report being targeted in their homes, at work, and out in their communities, including parks, stores, and even while driving.

In 2021, the hotline has received 700 reports to date, indicating an increase in reporting of 450 percent over the previous year.

The Community Conversations are free and open to the public. Sessions run from 1 to 3 p.m. on the dates indicated below. To join any future session, click this Zoom link or call 1-669-254-5252. Registration is required, but attendees may choose to participate anonymously.
The last person who asked me that is still missing.

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COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. -- Lane County deputies are looking for a driver who was in the area of a hit-and-run crash near Cottage Grove Sunday night.

A pedestrian was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after the collision, which happened near the intersection of Hillside Drive and Howard Loop at about 5:45 p.m. The involved vehicle reportedly fled the scene.

MORE: ONE PERSON TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL AFTER HIT-AND-RUN CRASH NEAR COTTAGE GROVE

Now, deputies say they are looking to speak with the driver of a dark green Ford pickup that was in the area. Authorities describe the driver as an older white man about 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 250 pounds. He has gray hair and a gray beard.

The pickup truck may have fresh damage to the front, including a broken or cracked bug shield.

Lane County Sheriff's Office, Oregon State Police and Cottage Grove Police Department are investigating the crash. If you have any information, contact the sheriff's office at 541-682-4150 opt. 1.
LEBANON, Ore.-- Lebanon firefighters and water rescue teams saved a stranded dog from the Albany-Lebanon canal on Sunday night.

Police arrived on scene when two citizens were walking by the canal and noticed the dog stranded on a piling support of the railroad trestle between Main Street and Park Street.

Officials determined that personnel would need to enter the water upon arriving on scene.

Officials said two lieutenants crossed the canal to reach the dog. Then, they reportedly secured the dog with a webbing strap around its chest in the event it might break free from their arms.

Afterwards, the dog was carried to shore and scanned for a microchip (it didn't have one), officials said.

The dog was a black mixed-breed and approximately 40-45 pounds.

Officials warn that rivers and canals can appear slow moving and shallow but their beds can be deep with silt and debris which could easily trap a body part and lead to a drowning.
OREGON -- A bill was passed by Oregon lawmakers Wednesday that would change how jail booking photos are released. House Bill 3273 was passed by Democrats in the Oregon Senate and would place restrictions on the release of the images.

There are, of course, exceptions. Under the bill, law enforcement can release booking photos under these specified circumstances: directly to the person who was booked, to another law enforcement agency, to the public if it will assist with the arrest of a suspect, or in an attempt to identify other suspected crimes.

Police could also share these photos with the state mental hospital if the defendant is admitted, share them with the victim of the crime or release them if the suspect is convicted for the crime.

Publish-for-pay publications would have to remove and destroy the booking photo once requested. Upon failure to remove, a fee of no more than $50 could be on the line and a civil suit could be filed.

KEZI 9 News talked to Jennifer Lang Perkins, a local attorney in Eugene.

Booking photos happen at the earliest point in a criminal case, before a shred of proof has been presented in a court of law, Perkins said. Sometimes on just the verbal accusation of one person. There is a percentage of people who are arrested and booked, yet never charged or indicted. Then another percentage whose cases are dismissed outright after additional investigation. Yet another percentage who go through a period of more thorough investigation before settling into the right -- often different -- charges and then enter a plea. Then another set of cases that go all the way to trial and are acquitted.

She said this is an important bill thats long overdue.

Ive had clients lose their jobs, relationships, struggle to find new employment, rejected from housing opportunities, grants, scholarships, forever maligned by charges that lacked real merit, because their photo was flashed online prematurely, Perkins said. For decades to come, haunted by the court of public opinion, when the real case never passed muster to reach the level of conviction. Where proof beyond a reasonable doubt -- which is supposed to be the standard -- was never met.

KEZI 9 News also spoke to Tim Gleason, who is a professor of journalism at the University of Oregon.

Its always a concern when information that is in the public domain is removed from the public domain, Gleason said.

He said the signing of the bill would mean the public and news publications would get less access than they did before the bill, but he recognizes the current system can be abused.

That abuse is being attacked or addressed by denying all of us access to information that in some instances may be very important to you know to the general public to know, Gleason said.

KEZI also spoke to Tom Bivins, who is a professor and the John L. Hulteng Chair in Media Ethics at the University of Oregon.

The problem with doxxing is the insinuation goes farther than that, Bivins said. It says, alright, you were arrested. Let's look at what that was for and dig into your life.

He said a mugshot doesnt mean youre guilty or that youve been accused of something.

No one's life should be ruined over a single incident, Bivins said.

Michael Weber, the co-owner of the Facebook Page Lane County Mugshots and the website Oregon Crime News told KEZI that the public has a right to see the mugshots.

Having the mugshots does solve other crimes when people are trying to identify people who have been in their backyards, stolen vehicles or committed other crimes, Weber said.

Weber made it clear that they have never and will never charge someone for the removal of their mugshot.

We follow a current law that says if a persons charges were dismissed, dropped or they were acquitted of them -- that we will remove the mugshot if they ask us, Weber said. There is no cost involved. Theres no hidden fee. All they have to do is go to our website, click mugshot removal and follow the instructions.

He said the site is a benefit to the communities up and down the Interstate 5 corridor.

Sen. James Manning Jr. (D-Eugene) co-carried the bill and is a former law enforcement officer.

"A photo can ruin your life, Manning Jr. said. Disproportionately, those who are picked up by law enforcement are BIPOC Oregonians, folks who look like me. One photo should not determine your future. In addition, weve seen booking photos used to harass and intimidate individuals who have been exercising their right to peacefully assemble in the name of racial justice and its impacted their employment and their ability to exist and move freely in their communities.

Sen. Floyd Prozanski chairs the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Measure 110 Implementation.

These booking photos end up on predatory websites long before an individual is convicted of a crime and have even been used to extort money from innocent individuals.Time and again we have seen these photos distributed to cause harm and create bias against individuals. These photos can be important for law enforcement, but they shouldnt harm ones opportunity to succeed and contribute to their community."

House Bill 3273 is on its way to Gov. Kate Browns desk for signature. CLICK HERE to read the bill.

The very nature of flashing someones photo online or in print at the moment of accusation belies our American principle of innocent until proven guilty, Perkins said.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. --- The family of 41-year-old Springfield resident Christopher Friedrich is speaking out Sunday as the search continues to find him in Maine. Freidrich was reported missing Tuesday, and Swanville officials suspect he drowned in Swan lake.

RELATED: FAMILY SEEKS HELP IN SEARCH OF MISSING SPRINGFIELD MAN LAST SEEN IN MAINE

"We've been trying to figure out what could've happened," Friedrich's fiance Latoya Campbell said.

The family said he was last heard from on the afternoon of June 5.

"I was in shock. I kind of didnt come out of shock until Thursday morning," Campbell said.

According to loved ones, he was in Maine as a part of a cross country journey to spread his father's ashes in a few of his favorite locations, and he'd been gone for weeks.

"It was odd because usually he's on Facebook posting and letting everybody know how the trip is going," his brother, Jonah Friedrich said.

Friedrich's sister, Ingrid Lesher, said they've been able to keep hope alive thus far.

"We're hoping that he is [safe] and he knows how much we're hurting and he gets in contact with us," Lesher said.

Multiple family members said this tragic incident has pulled the family close together.

"We're just sitting together everyday from the time [the search and rescue teams] go on the lake to the time they tell me they come from the lake, praying and talking about him," Lesher said.
EUGENE, Ore.  Two people have been arrested, accused of breaking into a Eugene business and damaging all-terrain vehicles.

Police said officers responded to Valley Powersports, 1041 Highway 99N, at about 1 a.m. on June 12. Two men were reportedly in the back of the shop going through a vehicle.



Stevens (Left) and Tavernier Stevens (Left) and Tavernier

As officers arrived, a sergeant spotted two suspects jumping a fence and running toward the railroad tracks, police said. A drone team and police dog responded to aid the search.

The two suspects were stopped at 1006 Bethel Drive, police said. Michael Tavernier, 35, had warrants for his arrest and Terrance Stevens, 25, had an attempt to locate in an unrelated case.

Tavernier faces charges of second-degree criminal trespass, second-degree criminal mischief and a parole violation.

Police said Stevens faces charges of second-degree criminal trespass, second-degree criminal mischief, and two counts of carrying a concealed weapon  brass knuckles and two suspected spring-assisted knives).
By Tonny Abet

The ministry of health is calling for increased vigilance among members of the public as the Covid-19 continues to spread like a wildfire across the country.

Statistics from the ministry of health indicate that up to 69% of the new 15,248 Covid-19 cases detected countrywide were reported in the last 10days alone.

Figures by the ministry recorded between June 3rd and 12th indicate that 10,491 cases were reported compared to May 24th June 2nd when only 4,757 cases were reported

The cumulative total of Covid-19 cases in the country now is 60,250 with a total of 65 deaths registered across the country in the last 20 days.

Dr Moses Muwanga, the director of Entebbe Grade B Hospital, one of the major Covid-19 treatment centres in the country says the facility is full to capacity.

We have around 130 Covid-19 patients at the hospital. The beds are full. We have a mixture of young and old people who are very sick, he said without giving more details.

According to the ministry of health, 788 Covid-19 patients are currently admitted to hospitals.
By Damali Mukhaye

The newly approved Vice President Rtd Maj Jessica Alupo has promised to work with everyone in the 11th parliament irrespective of their political affiliation or views.

While giving her acceptance speech after her approval by parliament this afternoon, she told MPs that time for politicking was over, urging them to settle and serve the people of Uganda effectively.

Alupo has also encouraged the designated ministers to work as a team to ensure that the NRM manifesto is implemented during her term in office.

Alupo, who becomes the second female Vice President in the history of Uganda after Specioza Wandira Kazibwe, replaces Edward Sekandi.
By Benjamin Jumbe

Parliaments appointments committee is set to start the vetting process for the ministerial appointees named by President Museveni last week.

According to Deputy Speaker Anita Among, the committee will sit at 2 pm to commence the vetting exercise.

This is after parliament this afternoon approved Jessica Alupo and Robinah Nabbanja as Vice President and Prime Minister and Leader of Government Business in Parliament respectively.

Alupo, the Katakwi District Woman Representative, IS a retired army officer at the rank of Major and a former Minister of Education.

While Nabbanja, the first woman to be appointed to lead government business in the history of Uganda is the Kakumiro District Woman MP & former State Minister for Health in charge of General Duties.

Other notable appointments include the former speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga who is given the slot for First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community affairs.
By Damali Mukhaye

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has closed all its offices across the country due to a surge in covid-19 infections.

According to the ministry of health, the cumulative covid-19 infections currently stand at 61,977 with a total of 428 deaths.

Addressing journalists at their offices in Najjanankumbi, the deputy spokesperson, John Kikonyogo said given the current second wave of Covid-19, leaving these offices open would put their officials in danger.

He says that the partys top officials have agreed to take this as a temporal measure to curb further spread of Covid-19.

Kigonyogo however faults the government for not doing enough to sensitize masses and equipping them with required data about the new variant which has left many in a panic mode.
By Ruth Anderah

The 17 remaining National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters including Edward Ssbuwuufu aka Eddy Mutwe and Ali Sserukenya aka Nubian Lee have been granted bail by the General Court of Martial sitting in Makindye.

They have each been ordered to pay a noncash bond of Shs 20m and each of their sureties is ordered to execute a noncash bond of Shs50m to ensure their return to court whenever needed by the court.

The courts chairman Lt Gen Andrew Gutti has also barred the suspects from moving out of Kampala and Wakiso districts and to report back to court every 14 days.

The 36 suspects are all facing charges of illegal possession of ammunition.

The group including Ali Bukeni commonly known as Nubian Li, Edward Ssebuufu commonly known as Eddie Mutwe and, Hassan Ssemakula commonly known as Abdul Soldier filed an application seeking to be released on bail pending their trial.

They were arrested from Kalangala District on December 30th 2020 during the campaigns of former NUP Presidential Candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.
Weather Alert

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM PDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions combined with limited night time cooling. * WHERE...Portions of North and North Central Idaho. Portions of Central, East Central, North Central, Northeast, and Southeast Washington. * WHEN...Until 7 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Going to a place with air conditioning even for a couple hours can help mitigate heat stress. Consider going to a shopping mall, local library, or community center for relief. Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles. Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes. Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. &&
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The Barn Owl was once a common sight throughout Ireland, but over recent decades, Barn Owl populations have suffered extensive declines and are now a red-listed Bird of Conservation Concern in Ireland.

In response to this BirdWatch Ireland, in partnership with Kilkenny County Council Heritage Office, are undertaking a survey of Barn Owls in Kilkenny this summer.

The first county wide barn owl survey conducted in Kilkenny, the findings of the survey will provide a clear picture of the numbers of barn owls in the county and will help in the protection of nest sites and the provision of new nest boxes. The public is encouraged to send in information about barn owls in their area.

Barn owls are a top predator and also an indicator species, meaning that a healthy population is a sign of a healthy countryside.

The declines in Barn Owl populations are extremely worrying. The changing agricultural landscape has resulted in the loss of suitable habitats, including a reduction of prey-rich foraging habitat and nesting sites.

The increased use and toxicity of anti-coagulant rodenticides, and the expansion of major road networks are also likely to be key factors in the declines in the Barn Owl populations.

Recovering

There is some good news. There seems to be early indications that Barn Owl populations may be recovering in Kilkenny.

In recent years, Barn Owl pairs have moved into nest boxes provided for them and re-established in old ruins which have not held Barn Owls for many years.



One reason for this recovery may be due to the arrival of non-native small mammal species, the Greater White-toothed Shrew and the Bank Vole, both of which are taken as prey by Barn Owls and other predators.

The Barn Owl survey in Kilkenny, which is co-funded by Kilkenny County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service through the National Biodiversity Action Plan Fund, will help to confirm this. To assist the survey efforts, BirdWatch Ireland are requesting the public to join in.

John Lusby of BirdWatch Ireland explained the citizen science element of the survey.

Special Experience

It is a very special experience to glimpse the ghostly form of the Barn Owl floating silently over their hunting grounds in the dead of night, or to hear their eerie screeches and strange snoring calls, he said.

Everybody remembers such an encounter, and we are asking people to report this information to us, which will greatly help our survey efforts to locate nest sites and to determine the health of the population.

We are also looking for information on Barn Owl nest boxes in the county, he added. Many different groups and individuals have gone to great effort to help Barn Owls in Kilkenny and have installed purpose-built nest boxes, we hope to get a better idea of how many nest boxes are in place and the portion that are being used by Barn Owl, and we would ask that anyone that has put up a nest box to let us know.

Over the coming months BirdWatch Ireland will be working closely with the Heritage Office of Kilkenny County Council and the local Kilkenny Branch of BirdWatch Ireland on the survey and will also be monitoring breeding at known nest sites.

People can help the survey and conservation efforts by reporting any information that they have on Barn Owls in the county by visiting the BirdWatch Ireland website.

BirdWatch Ireland also stress that Barn Owls are a protected species and can be very sensitive to disturbance, and that potential nest sites should never be approached or interfered with in any way.
MASON CITY, Iowa - A shooting Saturday night north of the downtown area left one person with injuries.

The Mason City Police Department said it responded to 1st. And N. Madison Ave. at 10:12 p.m. after a report of shots fired.

The victim was shot in the leg and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He told officers he was walking down the street when he was shot at.

Police believe multiple shots were fired and the victim was struck one time. They are describing this as a "targeted incident" and not a random shooting.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the police.
ROCHESTER, Minn.- Pack your sunscreen, towel, bathing suit, and sunglasses because the Silver Lake and Soldiers Field Pool are opening again on Monday.

Soldiers Field Pool was temporarily closed last week after its huge turnout led to fights, trespassing, and children left unattended. Parents like Katie Hasleiet are ready for it to reopen.

"I think it's super exciting that it's opening. Hopefully, everyone can be respectful of the rules so we can all have a good time enjoying the pool."

Other people like Chad Anderson, a tourist visiting The Med City from Texas, were hoping to jump in it on Sunday. Anderson doesn't mind waiting until Monday.

"It's gonna be great. Looking forward to it."

Silver Lake Pool was suppose to open last Monday but got delayed because of safety concerns and a pipe bursting. It will be open from 12pm-5pm and Soldiers Field Pool will be open from 12pm-8pm. Anyone planning to use them will need to make a reservation.
BALSAM LAKE, Wis.  A North Iowa man has pleaded guilty in a deadly collision in northeast Wisconsin.

Michael Charles Barkema, 49 of Klemme, entered a guilty plea Monday in Polk County District Court to one count of homicide by intoxicate use of a vehicle.

Law enforcement says Barkema had a blood alcohol content of .28, more than three times the legal limit, when he crashed into another vehicle on February 23, 2020. The female driver of the other vehicle was killed in the crash.

Authorities say Barkema's speech was slurred and the smell of alcohol was on his breath when he was arrested.

His sentencing is now scheduled for September 10.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Authorities believe a blaze Sunday night occurred at an abandoned house.

Fire crews responded to 3015 Marion Rd. SE. just before midnight and found a house fully engulfed in flames.

Due to the intensity of the fire, the building was deemed unsafe to enter. Officials don't believe anyone was inside, but that information "could not be fully confirmed," officials said.

There were no first responders injured during the fire.
MASON CITY, Iowa - A neighborhood dispute Sunday resulted in one person being arrested after he allegedly pulled out a loaded handgun.

Steve Ibarra, 59, is being held in the Cerro Gord County jail on charges of assault and a felon in possession of a firearm.

Authorities said Ibarra and a neighbor in the 1000 block of 12th St. NE were in a dispute when Ibarra pulled out a loaded 9mm handgun and pointed it at the victim.

Police said Ibarra admitted pulling the gun on his neighbor.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - A 35-year-old is facing arson and burglary charges for allegedly setting a pile of clothes on fire inside a condominium.

Police said Angela Spears, of Rochester, was arrested this weekend at 602 Northern Hills Dr. NE after a report of a fire call.

Spears was not supposed to be on the property and was asked to leave. That's when police said she gathered a pile of clothes and lit it on fire. She is also accused of using a bat to smash a mirror in the bathroom. She was still on scene when police arrived and was taken into custody after receiving medical attention.

She's facing first-degree charges for arson, burglary and damage to property.
CRESCO, Iowa  A Rochester man accused of being a catalytic converter thief in North Iowa is pleading not guilty.

Tyler Jeffrey Schacherer, 33, is charged in Howard County District Court with second-degree theft and second-degree criminal mischief.

Sheriffs deputies say they arrested Schacherer after they found him removing catalytic converters from a home outside Lime Springs on May 7. Court documents state seven converters were recovered.

Schacherers trial is scheduled to begin on September 29.
There are 30 new American citizens in the St. Louis area after being sworn in Monday on Flag Day.
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Weather Alert

...Forecast flooding changed from Minor to Moderate severity and increased in duration for the following rivers in Missouri... Missouri River at Jefferson City. River forecasts are based on observed precipitation and forecast precipitation for the next 24 hours. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Rainfall heavier than forecast could cause river levels to rise even higher than predicted. The National Weather Service will monitor this developing situation and issue follow up statements as conditions change. This product, along with additional weather and stream information, is available at https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lsx. && ...Forecast flooding increased from Minor to Moderate severity and increased in duration until early Monday morning... The Flood Warning continues for the Missouri River at Jefferson City. * Until early Monday morning. * At 7:45 PM CDT Thursday the stage was 26.0 feet. * Flood stage is 23.0 feet. * Moderate flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast. * Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 7:45 PM CDT Thursday was 26.1 feet. * Forecast...The river is expected to rise to a crest of 26.1 feet just after midnight tonight. It will then fall below flood stage Saturday evening. * Impact...At 26.0 feet, Pumping from a ditch in Hartsburg, MO begins. At this height...numerous county roads near McBaine... Easley...and Ashland are flooded. These include Coats Lane... Grocery Branch...Burr Oak...Old Plank...Cedar Tree...Jemerson Creek...Christian School...Claysville...and Soft Pit Hill Roads. && Fld Observed Forecasts (7 pm CDT) Location Stg Stg Day/Time Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Missouri River Jefferson Cit 23.0 26.0 Thu 7 pm 26.1 22.8 19.0 15.3 11.8 &&
Tony Spell, pastor of the Life Tabernacle Church of Central City, La., greets supporters outside the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Monday, June 7, 2021. Spell, who flouted coronavirus restrictions last year, prepared Monday to ask the court to revive his lawsuit challenging the restrictions. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
ROMEO POWER 24 HOUR DEADLINE ALERT: Former Louisiana Attorney General and Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Remind Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Romeo Power, Inc. - RMO
UPDATE: JUNE 14 AT 7:46 A.M.

The Missing Endangered Person Advisory for Jodi Parsons has been cancelled Monday.

According to the Montana Department of Justice, Jodi has been found Sunday night and she is safe.

BOZEMAN, Mont. - The Gallatin County Sheriffs Office requested a Missing Endangered Person Advisory for a 14-year-old girl who reportedly left home after midnight Saturday with no cellphone and an extra bag of clothes.

According to the MEPA, Jodi Parsons, 14, is 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 100 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Jodi was last seen wearing black shorts, a white t-shirt with Disco Sucks written on it or Red Chili Peppers crop top with a blue tank top with butterflies.

Her mother reportedly found a note saying she was hitch-hiking to Oregon.

Jodie may possibly be with a man, Christopher Kunkle, and a woman, Shawni Goble in a green Ford Expedition heading to Tenino, Washington.

If you have any information on Jodi Parsons you are asked to please contact Gallatin County Sheriff Office at 406 582 2100 or 9-1-1.
BILLINGS, Mont. - City Council is meeting Monday to discuss permanently increasing the public safety levy to 44 mills by 2023.

If fully implemented, $9.2 million would be generated into the police and fire departments and also into services like mental health and code enforcement departments.

Billings Police Chief Rich St. John has been vocal in the past few months about the necessity for increased funding for the BPD.

According to BPD statistics, there were over 96,000 calls to service in 2020, a ten-year high for Billings.

If the new mill levy is passed it would mean a property tax increase for homeowners. One local homeowner says she would not support the public safety mill levy considering the city passed a new levy in September last year.

"I own multiple homes, and so it affects me on a big scale here, I have two homes and a property we pay taxes on every year. I mean it's like, we're just coming out of a pandemic and you want to ask us to raise our taxes again," says Sarah Hernandez.

If City Council does approve the ordinance the new public safety mill levy will be on the November 2021 ballot.
LAUREL, Mont. - The man convicted of killing a woman and then leaving her nude body at the bottom of a hill in Laurel was sentenced at least 35 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

Judge Donald Moses gave Diego Hernandez a life sentence in Yellowstone County District Court Monday morning.

Hernandez will not be eligible for parole until 2056.

Deputy Chief County Attorney Ed Zink told Montana Right Now Hernandez confessed to killing Lori Bray while addressing the court during a hearing.

Hernandez was convicted in March of deliberate homicide charges. Prosecutors contend that on Oct. 1, 2019, Hernandez strangled Bray after she gave him a ride from the casino where she worked. He then dumped her body off the side of a Laurel road.
Update, June 13 at 1:32 pm:

The Robinson Fire is now reported to be 25 percent contained.

InciWeb reports the fire is 790 acres as of Sunday morning and was caused by lightning.

Firefighters plan to take advantage of light winds to attack the Robinson Fire from the air Sunday. Helicopters will drop buckets of water to begin controlling the fire inside Robinson Canyon, the most difficult terrain in the fire area

The fire is reported to be burning in extremely steep and rocky terrain, about 20 miles south of Buffalo.

Aircraft have not been able to work inside the canyon when winds were strong and gusty.

When the terrain is too dangerous for ground firefighters to operate, its often too risky for aircraft as well, explained Air Operations Branch Director Jason Hofman. Were looking forward to putting our three helicopters to good use today. The Wyoming National Guard has also provided a medical evacuation helicopter and crew to stand by in case of a serious firefighter injury. As the airborne firefighting effort ramps up, ground firefighters continue to improve fire lines and scout for more control opportunities in the very rough and rocky terrain. To date, no structures have been damaged by the fire.

Fire managers expect moderate fire behavior Sunday.

Groups of standing green trees continue to occasionally burn, however, the report says the fire is also steadily consuming dead trees and logs, which is a slow, beneficial process.

People in the area should expect to see smoke for an extended period.

Previous coverage:

BUFFALO, Wyo.  The Robinson Fire burned off the mountain and into Robinson Canyon and surrounding foothills during the Thursday night high winds that impacted the area. In response to the spread of the fire and the increasing personnel involved, the fire incident has been upgraded from a Type 3 response to a Type 2.

A flight conducted this morning estimates that the fire has grown to around 600 acres, increasing from the approximately 150 acres on Thursday.

Our initial response crews have been giving a monumental effort in their fight of this fire as it is in almost vertical terrain that is extremely taxing to work with, said Zeb McWilliams, BLM Fire Response and Federal Incident Commander for the fire. Bringing in the Type 2 team shows just how technical a response this is and how we continue to need the best support for our ground crews available.

The Type 2 incident management team will be arriving today and Saturday, augmenting the approximate 200 personnel currently working on the fire from Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana with operations being coordinated out of an established incident command post in Buffalo.

We want to thank the community for their support and acceptance of our crews operating out of Buffalo, said McWilliams. While we know that the community would like to provide even further support through the donation of goods, at this time due to continued COVID precautions, donated goods cannot be accepted for our responders. Thank you for understanding as we strive to keep the health of our responders a top priority.

Crews continue to monitor the fires proximity to and man-made structures, however, there are no immediate dangers to existing buildings or homes. There are no evacuations currently in place.
What was the best piece of wisdom you received as a kid that is worth passing on to todays younger generation?
ROME, JUN 14 - Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said Monday a deal had been reached with the European Commission on a directive which bans certain single-use plastics. Italy had been critical of the Single Use Plastic (SUP) directive saying it did not go far enough. But now, the minister said, "the accord with Brussels has already been found". He said "the problem no longer exists, thanks to talks that have been more technical than political, and which are good for everyone". Cingolani said he had spoken to European Commission Vice President and Climate Commissioner Franz Timmermans. In other remarks, the minister said that so-called NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) protests "are born out of a failure to explain things". Cingolani also said a number of solutions had been found to the city of Rome's latest waste crisis. (ANSA).
VATICAN CITY, JUN 14 - Pope Francis on Monday urged authorities to help the jobless saying poverty had got much worse during the COVID pandemic. With the health emergency, the pontiff said in his message for World Door of the Poor on November 14, "another scourge has been added which has further multiplied the poor". He stressed "it is urgent to give concrete answers to those who are suffering from unemployment, which is dramatically hitting so many heads of households, women and young people". Francis added that "unscrupulous" finance also created poverty traps. Poverty is the result of "a system without scruples", he said. "A market that ignores or selects ethical principles creates inhuman conditions that fall on people already living in precarious conditions. "We thus see the creation of ever more traps of poverty and exclusion, produced by unscrupulous economic and financial actors, devoid of a humanitarian sense and social responsibility". The pope insisted that the poor must see their dignity restored, and that "charity is not enough". He said Christians should "renounce wealth and power". Francis added that there was still too much discrimination against women who were being held "far from positions of responsibility". (ANSA).
MILAN, JUN 14 - A 55-year-old Milanese woman stabbed her 54-year-old husband to death in their car in Milan on Saturday. Police said the man took out a kitchen knife during an "umpteenth" row in the vehicle but the woman managed to grab it from him and stabbed him. He took a few steps out of the car but then fell down dead. The woman was stopped about a kilometre from the murder scene. She had a knife wound to the hand and her clothes were covered in blood. Police said the man was stabbed at least four times, including twice in the neck. The woman refused to answer questions. Neighbours said they had often heard the couple rowing. (ANSA).
GENOA, JUN 14 - An Italian man killed his ex-girlfriend and then himself at Ventimiglia on the Italo-French border on Sunday. The man, Antonio Vicari, shot the unnamed woman several times through her car window, police said. He then fled and killed himself. It was the second femicide in 24 hours in Liguria. On Saturday a 25-year-old woman of Sardinian origin was killed by her former partner in a villa near Sarzana. The killer was said to be a 29-year-old man from the Maghreb region of North Africa. The man cut the woman's throat in front of her two year old son and a woman friend who took refuge in the bathroom after the man picked up the knife. The man then attacked three Carabinieri who went to the scene, but was arrested. (ANSA).
BRUSSELS, JUN 14 - Premier Mario Draghi said on arrival at the NATO summit in Brussels Monday "this summit is a continuation of the G7, it is part of the process of reconstruction and the reaffirmation of the US's fundamental alliances which had been weakened by the previous administration". US President Joe Biden has vowed to reaffirm the United States' commitment to a military alliance his predecessor Donald Trump viewed with disdain. (ANSA).
MONZA, JUN 14 - A 33-year-old Sri Lankan man is in a coma after a fall from his electric scooter in Monza Sunday night, sources said Monday. While he was on the ground unconscious due to a head injury a man came up and stole the scooter. Police are looking at CCTV footage to try to find the thief. The Sri Lankan is in a serious condition in Monza's San Gerardo Hospital. The cause of the accident is not yet known. (ANSA).
SIENA, JUN 14 - Genoa player Manolo Portanova on Monday used his right to remain silent in front of a judge in the suspected gang rape of a 21-year-old woman in Siena. The 21-year-old Naples-born attacking midfielder denies charges of raping the woman with three other young men. The Serie A player is under house arrest. (ANSA).
TARANTO, JUN 14 - Two men were arrested Monday for allegedly slapping a priest who left the altar during Mass to stop them beating up a man outside the church at Taranto in Puglia Sunday. The two men also allegedly drew pistols when the priest came out. They allegedly pushed and shoved the cleric as well as slapping him, police said. The two men, aged 38 and 42, have criminal records. Police tracked them down to a local bar where they assaulted the officers and were arrested on charges of resisting arrest and violence against a public officer. The incident sent the faithful fleeing in fear. (ANSA).
ROME, JUN 14 - NATO is the strongest alliance in history, Premier Mario Draghi told Monday's NATO summit in Brussels. "Security conditions are still in rapid evolution. However, one thing remains the same: the centrality of the most powerful and winning Alliance in history", said the former European central banker. "While we try to turn the page after one of the most serious health, economic and financial crises in contemporary history, we recognise that security is a necessary premise to preserve and strengthen our democracies and our economic and social systems." Draghi said it was "essential that NATO should address the transatlantic community". Draghi added that NATO should have an ample spectrum and should focus on the Mediterranean. He also reaffirmed Italy's commitment to NATO spending and its contribution to missions. Draghi said on arrival at the NATO summit in Brussels Monday "this summit is a continuation of the G7, it is part of the process of reconstruction and the reaffirmation of the US's fundamental alliances which had been weakened by the previous administration". US President Joe Biden has vowed to reaffirm the United States' commitment to a military alliance his predecessor Donald Trump viewed with disdain. Draghi remarked to reporters that Biden's first visit abroad has been to Europe, first to the G7 in the UK and now the NATO summit, recalling that Trump's first official visit had been to Saudi Arabia. Biden said on his arrival: "We have new challenges: Russia and China". The US president tweeted: "NATO is stronger than ever", and also cited the need to ward off cyber attacks. The conclusions of the summit said China represents a "systemic challenge". (ANSA).
BRUSSELS, JUN 14 - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Rome on June 22 with the EC's verdict on Italy's post-COVID National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) as part of a tour of European capitals to give the green lights to national plans, sources said Monday. Italy will spend over 220 billion euros of EU funds to make the country greener and more modern as it recovers from its biggest peacetime recession. (ANSA).
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Not only is it good for patrons, staff are also excited about it, Schnupp said.

It means less time having to talk to people about fines that they owe, which can be a negative thing Schnupp said. It means more positive interactions with patrons and families and less time following up with people who may need a call or two to bring something back.

Using the honor system, people are still supposed to return the books they check out by their return date or renew the books. And ultimately if someone does not return a book, they will be billed for the book.

But the hope is that the new change will help welcome people back to the library.

We feel its a strong signal to all of our residents they are more than welcome here, Schnupp said.

The library at 65 West Geneva St. is open for in-person visits 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.

There are also several fun summer events on the docket at the library.

On Wednesdays at 10 a.m. throughout the summer, starting June 16, join Ms. Emily and Ms. Laura for Story Time at the Fishing Park.
While the Broad Street building is a poor fit for a modern city hall, it holds a promising future for the Walworth County Historical Society.

The historical societys current locations include the Webster House, Blooming Prairie Schoolhouse, Sharon Townhall, Heritage Hall, and the Doris M. Reinke Resource Center at 210 S Washington St. The Society had been designing an expansion at the Resource Center but started exploring other options after they didnt get county support.

It was a blessing in disguise, historical society president James Boardman said.

Expanding into the old city hall means valuable exposure and generous storage space. The first floors lower level, currently used as office space, will comfortably house the historical societys resource center. The upper levels meeting room will become the Paul and Katherine Schmidt Library.

As for the auditorium on the second floor, Boardman hopes to refurbish the space for educational public events.

The buildings transfer will be quite the project, board member Pat Blackmer said. The historical society has built up a wealth of artifacts since its founding in 1904. Filling the new space will require several careful moves.
New Delhi, Jun 14 (PTI) State-owned NHPC on Monday signed a pact with Bihar State Hydroelectric Power Corporation (BSHPC) to implement a 130.1-megawatt (MW) Dagmara hydroelectricity project in Bihar.

Speaking on this occasion, Power Minister R K Singh said hydropower is important in the background of climate change and in the shift from fossil to non-fossil fuel for future generation.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed on Monday between public sector hydropower firm NHPC and BSHPC for the implementation of the 130.1-MW Dagmara HE Project in the Supaul district of Bihar, the power ministry said in a statement.

The pact was signed and exchanged by the signatories in the presence of Union Power Minister R K Singh and Bihar Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav.

The MoU was signed by NHPC Director (Projects) Biswajit Basu on behalf of NHPC, whereas BSHPC Managing Director Alok Kumar signed the document on behalf of the Government of Bihar.

In his address, the energy minister of Bihar conveyed his gratitude on behalf of the state government to the power ministry and NHPC for taking up the implementation of the Dagmara project.

He further said the project will bring all-round progress and development in the state.

NHPC Chairman and Managing Director A K Singh said the Dagmara HE project will be a landmark project in the power sector scenario of Bihar as far as green power is concerned.

He further added that apart from generating clean and green power, the execution will boost the socio-economic and infrastructure development in the area and shall also create employment opportunities.

The 130.1-MW Dagmara HE project is to be implemented by NHPC on an ownership basis.

Currently, NHPC has 24 operational power stations with a total installed capacity of 7,071 MW. HRS hrs

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Nairobi, June 14: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held a ministerial roundtable meeting with Kenyan ministers, wherein he discussed building a comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar thanked his Kenyan counterpart Raychelle Omamo for chairing the meet, while thanking other Kenyan ministers for their contributions "Discussed building a comprehensive partnership at the Ministerial Roundtable today. Thank FM Raychelle Omamo for chairing," he tweeted. #WATCH EAM Dr S Jaishankar arrives in Nairobi on an official visit to Republic of Kenya ... - Latest Tweet by ANI.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's Tweet

And Defence Minister @CSDefence_Kenya,Trade & Industry Minister @maina_betty, ICT Minister @mucheru, Energy Minister @ketercharles, Asst Treasury Minister Nelson Gaichuhie, Asst Health Minister Rashid Abdi Aman& Interior Secretary @Karanjakibicho for their valuable contributions. pic.twitter.com/rXMJ8v7ZnE  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 14, 2021

"And Defence Minister @CSDefence_Kenya, Trade & Industry Minister @maina_betty, ICT Minister @mucheru, Energy Minister @ketercharles, Asst Treasury Minister Nelson Gaichuhie, Asst Health Minister Rashid Abdi Aman& Interior Secretary @Karanjakibicho for their valuable contributions," he added.

The external affairs minister in another tweet said that he appreciated the ideas, enthusiasm and commitment of all participants. Jaishankar will be in Kenya from June 12-14, confirmed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier.

Jaishankar will also meet with other ministers of the Kenyan government to take forward the India-Kenya relationship. The development partnership is an important aspect of the relationship between the two countries which the visit will seek to deepen.

The external affairs minister will also interact with the Indian-origin community, which is an important bridge between India and Kenya.

Meanwhile, India and Kenya are currently serving in the United Nations Security Council and are also members of the Commonwealth. Kenya is an active member of the African Union, with which India has long-standing ties.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
WATCH: Switzerland is set to vote in a June 13 referendum on whether to ban synthetic pesticides which supporters of the initiative hope will trigger similar prohibitions elsewhere https://t.co/dy9kCebuYM pic.twitter.com/NqVB6NEvmB Reuters (@Reuters) June 13, 2021

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday congratulated Israel's incoming Prime Minister Naftali Bennett after the ouster of Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year regime.

In a statement, Joe Biden said the United States is still constantly supporting Israel's security, according to a Fox News report.

The president added that his administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government in advancing security stability and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the border region.

On the other hand, Naftali Bennett tweeted his gratitude to Biden, saying that he looks forward to strengthening the ties between the two nations.

READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden's Cease-Fire Call Goes Ignored as Israel-Hamas Violence Rises

Israel's New Prime Minister

Israel has welcomed a new prime minister after Naftali Bennett was sworn in on Sunday. It happened following a new coalition that unseated its longtime Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Knesset appointed Bennett as the new leader with a 60-59 vote, with one minister abstaining, according to an NPR report.

Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted after the new appointment and told his supporters to hold their heads high and keep the faith. He promised to return to the position.

The ouster of the longtime leader was made possible through a group of unlikely allies across the political spectrum, with the same belief that Netanyahu had to go down from his position.

The eight parties composing the new coalition government all agreed to hold off on the major decision, including controversial issues such as the future of the occupied West Bank.

Naftali Bennett was a former ally of Netanyahu turned rival. According to a CBC report, he will preside over a diverse and fragile coalition with deep ideological differences.

Benjamin Netanyahu was first elected prime minister in the late 1990s, and he was elected for the position once again in 2009.

He used his time in the office to grow the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which caused the frustrations of Palestinians with their hopes for statehood.

Benjamin Netanyahu's support, however, declined when he struggled to stay in power through initiating repeated elections, which caused inconclusive votes.

His critics claimed that he had become a polarizing and autocratic leader in aggravating the tension in Israeli society.

CBC reported that those tensions include the rift between Jews and Arabs and within the Jewish majority between his religious and nationalist base.

Naftali Bennett promised the new government to represent all of Israel, Deccan Herald reported. He is a right-wing Jewish nationalist and a former tech millionaire, according to a Geelong Advertiser report. He also served as Netanyahu's former chief of staff.

World's Reaction to New Prime Minister Naftali Bennett

Aside from Joe Biden, several world leaders lauded the introduction of Israel's new government, while Palestinians remained defiant, believing that it is just a continuation of the previous administration.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was looking forward to working closely with Israel's new leader, Aljazeera reported.

The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the change in government remains an Israeli matter, noting Palestine's demands are still the same.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz congratulated Bennett and said he looks forward to working with them.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he looked forward to working with the nation's new government to keep their people safe and supported.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Hails the Declaration of Israel-Palestine Cease-Fire, Pledges Support

WATCH: Naftali Bennett Replaces Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel - Swearing-in Ceremony - From i24News English






President Joe Biden revealed that Queen Elizabeth II asked him about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping while drinking their tea at Windsor Castle on Sunday, June 13.

The Guardian reported that Queen Elizabeth's meeting with the U.S. president lasted for 45 minutes, adding that the British monarch rarely gives comments regarding political discussions.

READ NEXT: Prince Philip Left 'Generous' Gifts to 'Misbehaving' Prince Harry and 3 of His Closest Staff

Joe Biden Reveals Queen Elizabeth's Political Comments

The revelation happened when President Joe Biden gave a brief statement with White House reporters regarding his meeting with Queen Elizabeth.

"We had a long talk, she was very generous," Biden told the White House reporters on the tarmac at Heathrow airport on Sunday evening.

Joe Biden also praised Queen Elizabeth, saying that she reminded him of his mother. First Lady Jill Biden joined Biden during their tea that happened in the quadrangle of the Windsor Castle, which was the home to the royal family for nearly 1,000 years.

Apart from his praises, the president also said the Queen inquired about the two leaders he was about to meet.

"She wanted to know about the two leaders that I - the one I'm about to meet with, Mr. Putin, and she wanted to know about Xi Jinping," Biden said.

However, Joe Biden breached a British protocol with what he just said with the reporters because those who speak to Queen Elizabeth on other occasions are not allowed to reveal what they talked about, especially about political matters.

This was done to prevent Queen Elizabeth from embarrassment because, as head of the state, the monarch does not publicly comment on political matters.

Moreover, The Guardian pointed out that the contents of the weekly audiences with the British prime minister of the day are kept confidential.

"I wish we could stay longer maybe we could hold the cars up a minute, and stuff," said Biden, who invited Queen Elizabeth to the White House.

It can be remembered that the British monarch first visited the White House in October 1957 when Dwight Eisenhower was the president of the country. The Queen stayed for four days in the U.S. at that time.

Joe Biden's Other Protocol Breach During Meeting with Queen Elizabeth

Apart from revealing some details about his meeting with the Queen, Joe Biden allegedly breached another protocol when he did not remove his sunglasses when he met the British monarch.

A former butler to Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, confirmed with Newsweek that the President should have removed the sunglasses when he greeted Queen Elizabeth.

"It's fine for Biden to have had sunglasses on but he should have removed them when he actually met the Queen," said former butler Grant Harold.

Harold also pointed out that sunglasses or any accessories like that shout be removed when meeting the Queen.

"It doesn't matter who you are, even royals remove sunglasses when they meet royals," said Harold.

Joe Biden, accompanied by his wife, marks the thirteenth holder of the office that met Queen Elizabeth. He was scheduled to go to Brussels for his next trip.

READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth's New Puppy Dies One Month After Prince Philip's Death

WATCH: 'She Reminded Me of My Mother': Biden on Meeting With The Queen - From Guardian News
California topped the states with the most dog attacks in 2020 as experienced by the United States Postal Service (USPS) workers.

The USPS released the total number of mail carriers bitten by the dogs while on duty last year as part of its National Dog Bite Awareness Week public service campaign that runs from June 12 to June 18.

The USPS said that aggressive dog behavior poses a serious threat to their employees as well as the public. Apart from the state ranking, the postal service also announced that at least 5,800 USPS workers experienced dog attacks across the U.S. in 2020, New York Post reported.

READ NEXT: USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Unravels Plan to Slow Down Deliveries Along With Price Hike

California Named as State with Most Dog Bites in 2020 by USPS

Increasing their number of dog attacks in 2020, USPS noted that California ranked first once again with a total number of 782 dog attacks last year.

Texas ranked second with a total number of 402 dog attacks in 2020. On the other hand, Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania ranked third, fourth, and fifth according to USPS, with a total of 369, 295, and 291 dog bites, respectively.

The USPS data also revealed that the said five states remained on their post from 2019 when California garnered at least 777 dog bites.

However, the succeeding four states in the USPS 2020 rankings showed that Texas, Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania had a decrease in their dog bites or attacks. In 2019, the four states sustained 491, 378, 323, 320, respectively.

Meanwhile, the city of Houston topped the ranking with the most number of cases of dog bites or attacks on mail carriers. In 2020, USPS revealed that Houston had a total of 73 dog bite incidents. Chicago comes next, and Los Angeles made up the top three cities with the greatest number of mail carriers bitten by dogs.

Silive reported that the dog attacks in the USPS data were composed of nips, bites, and vicious attacks.

"Dogs are instinctive animals that may act to protect their turf and that's why it's important to inform the public about this campaign," said USPS acting employee safety and health awareness manager Jamie Seavello.

Seavello further highlighted the importance of raising awareness about dog bite prevention while protecting their employees delivering the mails.

USPS Reminders in Preventing Dog Bites to Its Personnel and the Public

In the wake of the National Dog Bite Awareness Week, USPS also gave tips on how to prevent dog bites and attacks among their mail couriers.

The postal service said dogs should be inside the house or behind a fence when receiving the mail in a different room or on a leash.

The USPS also reminded their carriers not to startle the dog when delivering mails, make noise when entering a yard to alert the dog, and place their foot against an outward swinging door. Furthermore, the USPS said mail carriers should never attempt to feed or pet the dogs.

The USPS noted that mail carriers also have a dog alert feature on their handheld scanners to remind them of a possible dog hazard and avoid getting bitten by the animal that may interfere with delivery.

READ MORE: Florida Woman Loses Lottery Winnings After USPS Blunder

WATCH: Tips for Handling a Dog Attack if You're a Letter Carrier - From Los Angeles Times
President Joe Biden had several mental lapses and gaffes during the G7 summit in England this weekend. In a press conference on Sunday, June 13, the president had stumbled while speaking about Russia ahead of his June 16 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland.

According to a The Blaze report, Joe Biden had confused Libya with Syria on two more occasions.

WATCH: Joe Biden confuses Syria with Libya THREE TIMES. pic.twitter.com/8iewTindfr  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 13, 2021

Earlier, First Lady Jill Biden had said that her husband was so well prepared for the conference, saying that he has been studying weeks for the meeting.

The president had also mistakenly said COVID when he meant to say COVAX during the presser. He further noted that COVID is the system whereby they are going to provide funding for states to get access to vaccines.

The White House had issued a statement correcting the blunder. Biden had reportedly made the gaffes on three different occasions during the press conference.

Joe Biden had also interrupted U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he was introducing other world leaders, saying that the prime minister did not mention South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. But Johnson insisted to Biden that he already introduced the president of South Africa to the G7 meeting.

EMBARRASSING: World leaders erupt in laugher as Biden forgets that UK PM Boris Johnson already introduced the president of South Africa during a G7 meeting. pic.twitter.com/W3h0xLrYyX  Election Wizard (@Wizard_Predicts) June 13, 2021

READ NEXT: Pres. Joe Biden Forgets to Commemorate D-Day, Chooses to Tweet About Tulsa Massacre Instead

The G7 Summit

Meanwhile, Joe Biden said that America is "back at the table" after the G7 summit of world leaders in the U.K. The president noted that the conference had been extraordinarily collaborative, according to a BBC News report.

The group of leaders had released a joint communique on Sunday, June 13, stating solidarity and the differences that remain when it comes to addressing a series of global crises.

The group did not reach an agreement on a timeline to eliminate the use of coal for energy generation. Climate activists said that it was a deep disappointment before a global climate conference that would take place this year.

Joe Biden said the leaders' endorsement of a global minimum tax would ensure global equity and proposal to fund infrastructure projects, The New York Times reported.

Johnson said that gathering was an opportunity to show the benefits of democracy. The G7 leaders had also agreed to take action on China's human rights record.

Biden had also tried to distance himself from former President Donald Trump, who said he believed climate change was not a problem.

Biden noted that it is an existential problem facing humanity, and it is being addressed that way. The G7 had also introduced a spending plan to support lower and middle-income countries in response to a similar Chinese plan.

The summit had also called for a transparent, expert-led study including China amid claims that COVID-19 may have leaked from a Wuhan lab. The World Health Organization would organize the initiative.

Joe Biden's Gaffes

In the past, Biden has already made several verbal missteps, including calling his vice president, Kamala Harris, "President Harris" while celebrating the U.S. nearing the administration of 100 million COVID vaccine doses, New York Post reported.

The president had also mixed up his sister and wife during a victory speech in March 2020. Without looking at the two women behind him, Joe Biden grasped his wife's hand and said, "this is my little sister Valerie," Evening Standard reported.

READ MORE: Pres. Joe Biden Starts Tulsa Massacre Speech by Making Sure 2 Girls Get Ice Cream

WATCH: President Biden Speaks After G-7 Summit - 6/13 (FULL LIVE STREAM) - From Washington Post






Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez's ex-fiance, was seen hanging out with his ex-wife, Cynthia Scurtis, during a workout on Saturday, June 12.

Rodriguez shared the photos on his Instagram story, according to a Cosmopolitan report.

The two had tied the knot in 2002 and are parents to teenage daughters, Natasha and Ella.

Rodriguez had captioned the said Instagram Story photo, saying that Scurtis is "a world-class mother" to their daughters.

Scurtis had filed for divorce in 2008, which was finalized two years later. Rodriguez then got romantically involved with Lopez and was close to getting married before their breakup in April.

READ MORE: Together Again? Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Spent Week Alone in Montana

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez

Lopez and Rodriguez had called it quits after two years of dating in April.

The two had released a joint statement regarding their breakup, noting that they have realized they are better as friends and look forward to remaining so, according to a Glamour report.

The statement added that they will continue to work together and support each other on their shared businesses and projects, noting that they also wish the best for each other and one another's children.

However, the split was reportedly more one-sided. A source said that Rodriguez was hoping to reconcile with his ex-fiancee.

The source said that Rodriguez will not give up on their relationship and was willing to do anything to make it work.

Rodriguez was also reported to be surprised with the news of Lopez and Ben Affleck coming back together, according to an E Online report.

A source said that the retired MLB player was surprised more than anyone else as they just officially broke up and called off their engagement just a month ago.

The source added that Rodriguez has been reaching out to Lopez, trying to meet her, and she has been very short with him.

The person familiar with the matter said that Rodriguez had even reached out to Lopez to let her know that he is upset.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Coming Back Together

A source had confirmed that Affleck and Lopez had reunited after some brief time apart from one another.

Affleck earlier spent time bonding with Lopez's mom, Guadalupe Rodriguez, in the week after the actor was seen directing an undisclosed project in Las Vegas, featuring Lopez's mom, according to a People report.

A source added that Lopez is very close with her mom and deems it important that the person she is with gets along with her mother.

Rumors of Lopez and Affleck's reunion first erupted in late April when they were spotted outside her Los Angeles home after her split from Rodriguez.

Days later, the two enjoyed a getaway to Montana, where they were captured driving together on May 8.

The pair has been seen repeatedly together in Los Angeles, where the actor lives, and Miami, where Lopez lives.

Another source reported that two are discussing summer plans earlier this month, saying they wanted to spend as much time together as possible even though the two live on opposite coasts.

READ NEXT: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Planned and Instagram Announcement of Being Back Together -Source

WATCH: Alert! Alex Rodriguez Spends Time With Ex Wife Cynthia Scurtis After Split From Jennifer Lopez - from LA Celebrities






El Mecho's daughter, La Negra, is set to serve two years and six months under the charge of a rare criminal case involving the Kingpin Act, according to a U.S. judge's order.

Jessica Johanna Oseguera Gonzales, also known as La Negra, had urged Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell to free her after more than 15 months in jail so she could return to her five-year-old daughter and older daughter at their family home in Mexico, according to a USA Today report.

Prosecutors had fought for four years and three months prison sentence for La Negra, saying that the Jalisco cartel boss' daughter has lied about the degree of her involvement with her father's, Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, operations.

La Negra will be credited with time served. The judge had also ordered her to remain on supervised release for two years after she finishes her prison sentence.

She was also ordered to pay a fine of $20,500, according to court records.

Prosecutors had fought for at least $25,000 and up to $5 million, saying that she had access to assets.

La Negra read a statement expressing remorse and saying that her time in prison had been an opportunity to reflect on her mistakes. She added that for more than a year she had been alone 23 hours a day, according to a Mexico News Daily report.

Prosecutor Brett Reynolds argued that the accused had lied before about earlier illegal activities. He added that El Mencho had put her daughter in charge of running Las Flores Cabanas, which is a luxury spa in Jalisco.

Meanwhile, La Negra said that she had not seen her father since she was 11-years-old.

The court chose the two and a half years sentence, noting La Negra's lack of prior convictions and that she had shown remorse for her actions.

READ MORE: Jalisco Cartel Boss El Mencho's Daughter, La Negra, Asks U.S. Judge to Free Her

Jalisco Cartel

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was reported to be targeting and killing police officers at their homes in Guanajuato, Mexico, according to a Business Insider report.

The area is considered to be the most violent state and most dangerous for police.

The cartel had earlier abducted several members of an elite police force in the area and tortured them to get the names and addresses of other officers.

The Jalisco cartel members are now showing up at the officers' homes on their days off and murdering them in front of their families, according to reports.

In 2021, at least seven officers have been killed during their days off.

Jalisco cartel is considered Mexico's most powerful and violent criminal organization. It declared war on the elite police force Tactical Group after claiming that it has treated its members unfairly.

A Jalisco cartel banner was found hanging on a building in the state, stating that if they want war, the cartel will give them war.

The banner also warned that for every Jalisco cartel member that the police force arrest, they will be killing two members of the Tactical Group.

READ NEXT: Mexico Grapples With Surge in Gang Violence as Largest Elections Inch Closer

WATCH: Jessica Johanna Oseguera: Mencho Daughter Arrested at US Court - from WorthThe Hype






Film director John Chu addressed the colorism issue of his latest film and adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2008 Broadway musical "In the Heights," which gathered attention on social media over the lack of dark-skinned Afro-Latinx performers.

The "Crazy Rich Asians" director addressed the issue during an interview with Felice Leon on Wednesday, according to a report from Vulture.

READ NEXT: Netflix Cobra Kai Creator Teases Info on Series' 4th Season After Being Upset Over Streamer's Event

"In The Heights" and "Crazy Rich Asians" Director John Chiu Comments on Colorism Issue

John Chiu, speaking about the issue of colorism in his latest film, broke out when fans took to Twitter, expressing their thoughts on the film that premiered on June 9.

the problem with "in the heights" is

1. ppl who havent been to the heights and dunno its majority black latino will think its accurate and

2. latinos will defend it even if they know a real in the heights would be black as hell coz they antiblack and selfhating af  zahira (@bad_dominicana) June 10, 2021

The Broadway show is usually full of Black people so I was really disappointed with the movie :/  Ayana (@ayanahdacosta) June 10, 2021

One user expressed a couple of reasons why the 2021 film adaptation of "In the Heights" was problematic. "People who haven't been to the heights and do not know its majority black Latino will think its accurate," said the user on Twitter, adding that Latinos would still defend the film even though they know the real picture. Another user also expressed her disappointment over the lack of "Black people" in the film.

The only Black character in the film made by the "Crazy Rich Asian" director was Benny, who was played by a non-Latino actor Correy Hawkins. The outlet furthered that in the Broadway musical, Benny was known to be treated by an outsider by Nina's father.

"I would say that that's a fair conversation to have," said Jon Chu who directed the 2021 film adaptation. However, Chu did not further out on the issue, but the director pointed out the diversity among the background dancers in the film. It can be remembered that the director also faced the same dilemma in "Crazy Rich Asians."

Apart from Jon Chu, actors from "In the Heights" also expressed their thoughts on the colorism issue their film has garnered.

"I hope that this is cracking the glass ceiling. Because I do hope to see my brothers and sisters that are darker than me lead these movies," said Leslie Grace, an Afro Latina who played the role of Nina in the film. Grace also highlighted that "In the Heights" made her realize that she does not get to see herself or people darker than her on-screen.

Meanwhile, Mexican actress Melissa Barrera pointed out that there were a lot of Afro-Latinos during the auditions.

"I think they were looking for just the right people for the roles," said Barrera who played the role of Vanessa in the 2021 film adaptation of "In the Heights."

In The Heights' Story Advancement: Spoiler Alert

Although "In the Heights" was based on Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway masterpiece. Vox reported that the 2021 film adaptation has been revamped, adding a blackout that will reveal the backbone of a new plot. Moreover, significant changes in the film are mostly political, largely centered on the minor character of Sonny who is Usnavi's 16-year-old cousin.

Despite the hype, Rotten Tomatoes noted that "In the Heights" still lost with "The Quiet Place II" garnering $11.7 million over the weekend. Jon Chu's 2021 film adaptation on Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical, on the other hand, garnered at least $11.4 million.

READ MORE: LAPD Continues to Receive Bogus 911 Calls to Jennifer Lopez's Home Since Biden Inauguration Performance

WATCH: Jon M. Chu on Working with Lin-Manuel Miranda on In the Heights - from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
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The rock of Dunamase, Timahoe Round Tower, Slieve Bloom Bike Trail and Emo Court are among the big listers being promoted around Ireland this summer as reasons to holiday in Laois.

Laois County Council has launched a joint staycation advertising campaign with neighbouring counties Offaly and Westmeath.

The top Laois sites will also appear in a new Failte Ireland national advertising campaign.

In collaboration with Failte Ireland we will be rolling out the Keep Discovering domestic marketing campaign aimed at driving domestic holidays for the remainder of the year and helping to reboot and rebuild Irelands tourism industry.

The national advertising campaign went live on May 24.

The campaign is to encourage and remind more Irish people to discover the joy of holidaying in Ireland as they begin to reconnect with each other, the council outlined this month at the May meeting.

They are also backing Laois tourism businesses to make the most of Irish holiday makers stuck on the island this summer.

The council is paying for online training for Laois tourism businesses in the Slieve Blooms, in association with Failte Ireland, called Developing Saleable Experiences.

It is also encouraging businesses to apply for grants from Failte Irelands Weatherproofing & Outdoor Dining Infrastructure Scheme, and from the Additional Outdoor Infrastructure Scheme by the National Transport Authority.

More grants are being promoted to create safe accessible outdoor dining areas through the Outdoor Seating & Accessories for Tourism &Hospitality Business Scheme in association with Failte Ireland.

The council has also listed the staycation supports it offers through Laois Local Enterprise Office. This includes one to one expert advice with hospitality specialists Pearson Consulting, to businesses who are reopening.

Some 19 Laois tourism or hospitality businesses are taking part in a marketing programme aimed at the tourism sector.

In consultation with Laois Tourism we have identified other relevant training that will be delivered over the coming months. This includes Digital Marketing, Social Media, Promotion of Businesses and ongoing Marketing for Businesses. Mentoring will also be provided.

We are currently in the process of delivering a Start Your Own Tourism Business to 15 individuals who have identified opportunities as part of the Blueway experience, the council said.

The measures were outlined in response to a motion from Cllr Mary Sweeney at the May council meeting. She had asked for an update on what the council is doing to promote domestic tourism as the country reopens.

I wish all businesses the best as they reopen. We are focusing on domestic tourism this summer. This is an opportunity for Laois to capture a slice of the domestic market, Cllr Sweeney said.

Her motion was seconded by the Cathaoirleach Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald.

We have fantastic facilities in Laois. We must do everything we can in Laois to support our local tourist attractions, she said.
An established Portlaoise engineering firm has been given the green light to move to a state of the art premises in the town's new business park in what is a stamp of approval for the town and Laois as a place to do business.

Laois County Council has given Aubren planning permission to construct a new facility at the J17 National Enterprise Park, Togher just off the M7 in Portlaoise.

The company applied in April 2021 to build a warehouse / light industrial manufacturing factory facility with offices at a site in the park.

The new plant will have an overall floor area of 5,695 sq metres and be 13.1 metres high. Open plan yards, car parking areas, boundary fencing, gates, solar panels on roof, landscaping and all associated site works were also included in the planing permission.

Aubren is an engineering business that designs, makes and delivers air management products. The firm currently operates at the IDA Business Park off Portlaoise's Mountrath Road.

Aubren's Managing Director is Aubrey Nuzum. He was MD of the Irish subsidiary of German-owned ebm-papst for ten years before buying out the facility and establishing Aubren.

It is not clear from the application if there are plans to expand the workforce at the successful company with the relocation.

The move is a vote of confidence in Laois, Portlaoise and Laois County Council's development of the J17 National Enterprise Park. The new facility will be built on land sold to Aubren by Laois County Council as agreed by county councillors in November 2020.

The local authority has invested heavily in the new enterprise park which it hopes will become an attractive hub for companies to set up in Laois.
Denis O'Connor - Stradbally

The death took place on Monday, June 14 of Denis (Dor) O'Connor of Kilmurry, Stradbally.



Peacefully, in the company of his loving family and friends, at his residence. Predeceased by his parents and brother Liam. Sadly missed by his brothers Michael and Andy, sister Kathleen, sister in law Anne, nephew John and his wife Ciara and grandnephew Eoin. The family would like to thank their neighbours Patrick, Louise and Austin, also Sister Ann Devine, public health nurses and Dr. Lawlor for their generosity, support and help, especially during his illness.

Reposing at his residence from 7pm on Monday and Tuesday from 12 noon. Due to the Covid 19 restrictions, a private family funeral will take place with up to 50 attending in the church. Removal on Wednesday morning at 11.20am to arrive at The Church of the Assumption, The Heath, for 12 noon Requiem Mass. Interment to follow in adjoining cemetery.

Requiem Mass will be livestreamed on https://www.portlaoiseparish.ie/the-heath-webcam/ Sympathisers are welcome to stand along the route to the church and in the precincts of the cemetery grounds. Social distancing to be observed at all times please.

Nora Byrne - Wolfhill

The death took place on Thursday, June 10 of of Nora Byrne (nee Condron) of Dundrum, Dublin and Wolfhill.



Peacefully, in the loving care of the staff of St. Columcilles Hospital, Loughlinstowm and while in the presence of her family, Nora, beloved wife of the late Eddie and much-loved mother of Helen and the late Marguerite. Deeply regretted and sadly missed by her loving daughter, sons-in-law David and Eamonn, adored grandchildren Aoife, Sarah, David, Katie, Garret and great-granddaughter Daisy, relatives, neighbours and friends.

In line with Government and HSE advice regarding funeral gatherings, a private funeral (limited to 50 people) will take place at 11.30am on Tuesday morning in the Church of the Holy Cross, Main Street, Dundrum. Live streaming of the funeral Mass can be viewed.

Noras Funeral Cortege is expected to pass residence on Tuesday morning at 12:45pm. Anyone wishing to stand along the route as a mark of respect are asked to adhere to all guidelines relating to social distancing and the wearing of face masks.




A dozen serious complaints by Portlaoise Prison inmates against staff that alleged serious ill-treatment went missing in 2018 a new report reveals.

This finding is contained in the Report of the Office of the Inspector of Prisons for 2020. Signed off by Patricia Gilheaney, Inspector of Prisons, in March 2021, it outlined what was found in the section on the handling of complaints by the Irish Prison Service (IPS).

"In July 2020, the Inspectorate received notification from IPS Headquarters that investigators had been appointed to investigate 12 Category A complaints made in Portlaoise Prison, dating back to 2018," it said.

Category A complaints involve allegations made by a prisoner alleging serious ill-treatment, use of excessive force, serious intimidation/discrimination or threats by a member of staff.

The report said a review was initiated in Portlaoise which houses gangland inmates and paramilitaries.

"The Inspectorate was informed that a review of local procedures in Portlaoise Prison was underway to ensure a similar situation would not occur in the future. The total number of Category A complaints reported by the Inspectorate in our 2018 Annual Report was 79 and should, having regard to the notifications received in 2020, have been 91," said the report.

The 2020 report found that there were 933 complaints in that year. More than half of these were Category C service complaints. There were 67 Category A reports.

Portlaoise Prison accounted for 24 complaints while the neighbouring Midlands Prison had 194 complaints, the highest number in the country.

Ms Gilheaney's report found that the prison complaints system is not fit for purposes. READ MORE HERE.
Powerful Laois Offaly based Green Party Minister Pippa Hackett has gone on the offensive against criticism of the future of bogs in the region.

The Senator who sits at the Cabinet table with Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar issued a press release after speaking on this subject in Seanad today.

The statement said people in the Midlands are embracing opportunities to regenerate bogs for tourism and to generate renewable energy

They want to bring tourism to the area, they want to work in renewable energy, and they want to create people-first, town-centre first' futures for towns like Portlaoise and Tullamore, she said.

Senator Hackett said nostalgic memories could not be allowed to hold the Midlands back. She accused fellow politicians of wanting to keep counties like Laois and Offaly in the past, forever suppressed, for a few populist, self-serving headlines.

As a progressive, pragmatic, green politician, I refuse to accept the destructive story that decarbonising this important region means we are losing something valuable, she said.

We are not and Im calling that out  because what we are actually doing is gaining.

Minister Hackett said the younger generation is well aware of the need for change.

The fact is our children will not be heating their homes with turf or coal, or even oil or gas. They will be using electricity and that vital energy will be generated from renewable sources  of which we have an abundance.

Our children know this. They are environmentally and socially aware. As policymakers and legislators, it is our responsibility to be so, too, she said.

The statemen said the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture said she was focused on a clean, green future for the next generation.

And when they want to come home, come home they will...to good jobs, to a place where they can settle and rear their families, and to an area which has rejuvenated itself into the vibrant and modern region it deserves to be," she said.

Among those who have been vocal in the criticism is Offaly County Councillor Ken Smollen, who, like Minister Hackett was not returned to the Dail when he contested the 2020 General Election in Laois Offaly.

He posted in recent days his memories of the bog in which he took a swipe at current policy.

"While it was all very hard work, I still look back on those great times and wonder how we've allowed men and women in city offices, many of them not ever having set foot in Ireland, never mind having stood on a bog to dictate to us in 2021.

"The problem is that many of our own homegrown city boys and girls know little or nothing about country life, nor do they care as they willingly allow the money men and women of the world to drown all of us in bureaucracy...Retrofitting (a new political buzzword) your home is supposedly the future for home owners at the small cost of anything between 15,000 - 70,000 - but shur isn't there a 50% grant available.

"And there's yer man again in his plush city office rubbing his hands together at the thought of the millions in profits he's shortly going to pocket with the help of his many politician friends who are totally compromised by their connections to the Renewable Energy Industry," he said.
Laois people are being encouraged to nominate places in the county to call home as the search begins for the best places to live in Ireland.

Entries for Best Place to Live in Ireland 2021 are now open and the organisers say that whether you live in a town, village, island or city anywhere on the island of Ireland  your home place has a chance to secure the coveted title of Best Place to Live in Ireland.

To be in with a chance to claim the title for your homeplace, all you have to do is to write a short submission explaining what makes it so special.

The countrywide competition last took place almost 10 years ago in 2012 in the midst of the financial crisis. On that occasion Abbeyleix did make it onto the long list of 25 Best Places to Live in Ireland but eventually Westport in Co. Mayo was selected as the overall winner as it met so many of the competitions criteria.

The latest initiative, which was launched by The Irish Times at the weekend, will see each nominated location judged on specific criteria, including community spirit, local services and amenities, diversity, transport links, vibrancy of the local economy, cost of living, safety and of course the unique X factor.

As the country gets back on its feet after a testing year, we are delighted to embark on the search for the Best Place to Live in Ireland 2021 commented Irish Times journalist and chair of the judging panel Conor Goodman. Our panel of judges and researchers will scour Ireland for its hidden gems and known paradises, discovering what people around the country love and value most about the places they live in. So we really want to hear from people in Laois as soon as possible to help us identify those special places.

Lynsey Adams, Head of Marketing for sponsor Randox, said the company was delighted to support Best Places to Live 2021

From our life sciences diagnostic hub in Dungloe in the heart of Donegal to our travel centres located across Ireland including Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Antrim we are delighted to be part of a countrywide competition that is sure to brighten up the nation. With almost 40 years experience in diagnostics, Randox is the UK and Irelands largest COVID-19 PCR testing provider with a capacity to test over 500,000 samples per day whilst delivering next day results.

To date, we have processed over 13 million tests and are proud to support the international fight against the pandemic by offering testing services that allow people to live their lives as normally as possible. We look forward to seeing all the entries coming in across the summer and wish participants the best of luck in the competition,".

Anyone can enter by writing a short pitch about their place and the judging panel is looking forward to a challenging summer of deliberation with every stage in the process documented in The Irish Times and on www.irishtimes.com/bestplace . The closing date for entries is July 25th and the winner will be announced in September.

Joining Conor Goodman on the judging panel will be Mayo County Architect, Simon Wall, Dr Illona Duffy, Monaghan based GP and public health commentator, RTE Nationwide presenter Zainab Boladalea and Irish Times journalist and author of A Secret Map of Ireland Rosita Boland.
A warm tribute has been paid to Ms Aoife Elster, Principal of Dunamase College, Portlaoise by the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) following the announcement that she intends to retire at the end of this academic year.

Ms Elster was appointed as Principal of the newly established Dunamase College when it first opened its doors to students in 2017 and she brought a wealth of experience to the role. She had previously been founding Principal of Cholaiste Ghlor na Mara, a 1,000 pupil second-level school in Balbriggan, Co Dublin and been involved with Gael- Cholaiste Chill Dara in Naas from its inception in 2004.

The LOETB, which is the school's patron, said that in her current role, Ms Elster has overseen the significant growth and development of the school where students can study through mainstream English and through Irish in the Aonad lan Ghaeilge. A statement said that the school continues to grow year on year, offering increased choice for parents and students at post primary level.

The LOETB added that while the school based in the centre of the town, work has commenced on the new 24.5million 1,000 pupil school which will be located on the Timahoe Road.

Joe Cunningham, Chief Executive at LOETB, said that Ms Elster was appointed as the first principal of Dunamase College and was tasked with developing the first new post primary school in Portlaoise for many years.

"Aoife has made a momentous impact during her time as Principal of Dunamase College, and has expertly guided the development of the school in partnership with the entire school community. Aoifes vision for an innovative, student-centred school with an emphasis on excellent learning experiences has been firmly established.

Her commitment has ensured that she is leaving a thriving school facing the next exciting chapter in its development," he said.

Linda Tynan, Director of Schools at LOETB, thanked Aoife for her significant contribution to the growth and development of the school.

"Aoife has been immersed in the life of the school, she is a dedicated and exceptional Principal who will be greatly missed by the staff, students and her colleagues at LOETB. In the short life of Dunamase College, Aoife has overseen so many important milestones and achievements. I am very grateful to her for her dedication to the students and the school and wish her well in her retirement," she said.

The process to appoint a replacement as Principal at Dunamase College has now commenced and it is expected that the new Principal will be in place in advance of the new school year.
A controversial quarry near Kilcullen has been approved by An Bord Pleanala despite strong local opposition.

More than 200 objections were lodged against the plans by Kilsaran Concrete for the Ballyshannon development which was also rejected by Kildare County Council.

Last week an Bord Pleanala granted approval even though its own inspector recommended that it be refused.

Objections to the quarry had come from the Aga Khan, jockey Ruby Walsh, along with horse breeders led by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA).

Ballyshannon National School also had serious concerns about the level of HGV traffic on local roads.

Fine Gael Kildare South TD and Minister of State, Martin Heydon said that local residents were shocked and disappointed at the deicision by An Bord Pleanala.

Mr Heydon said: Local residents have expressed their concerns to me in relation to the impact that such a development would have on the local road network system as well as the local environment. Theyre finding it very difficult to understand how this decision to extract approximately 3 million tonnes of sand and gravel will not have an impact on the locality with Ballyshannon School only 1.5km away from the proposed quarry development.

Minister Heydon continued Other lands have been purchased in the area and there is much concern that if quarrying commences in this location it will set a precedence and open up the area to more such applications.

It is important that we now get the full inspectors report which should be published this week as the order states An Bord Pleanala has made the decision to overturn Kildare County Councils initial refusal against the advice of the Boards own inspector.

I have consulted with many local residents over recent days as well as members of the Ballyshannon Local Community Group who are currently seeking legal advice on the matter.

"Both I and local Cllr Ivan Keatley will continue to work closely with them.
Whether you live in a town, village, island or city anywhere on the island of Ireland  your home place has a chance to secure the coveted title of Best Place to Live in Ireland.

To be in with a chance to claim the title for your homeplace, all you have to do is to write a short submission explaining what makes it so special.

The initiative, which was launched by The Irish Times at the weekend, will see each nominated location judged on specific criteria, including community spirit, local services and amenities, diversity, transport links, vibrancy of the local economy, cost of living, safety and of course the unique X factor.

As the country gets back on its feet after a testing year, we are delighted to embark on the search for the Best Place to Live in Ireland 2021 commented Irish Times journalist and chair of the judging panel Conor Goodman. Our panel of judges and researchers will scour Ireland for its hidden gems and known paradises, discovering what people around the country love and value most about the places they live in. So we really want to hear from people in Kildare as soon as possible to help us identify those special places.

The countrywide competition last took place almost 10 years ago in 2012 in the midst of the financial crisis. On that occasion Westport in Co. Mayo was selected as the overall Irish Times Best Place to Live as it met so many criteria and displayed a remarkable community spirit that was evident in its 90-plus voluntary organisations.

Lynsey Adams, Head of Marketing for sponsor Randox, said the company was delighted to support Best Places to Live 2021

From our life sciences diagnostic hub in Dungloe in the heart of Donegal to our travel centres located across Ireland including Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Antrim we are delighted to be part of a countrywide competition that is sure to brighten up the nation. With almost 40 years experience in diagnostics, Randox is the UK and Irelands largest COVID-19 PCR testing provider with a capacity to test over 500,000 samples per day whilst delivering next day results.

To date, we have processed over 13 million tests and are proud to support the international fight against the pandemic by offering testing services that allow people to live their lives as normally as possible. We look forward to seeing all the entries coming in across the summer and wish participants the best of luck in the competition. 

Anyone can enter by writing a short pitch about their place and the judging panel is looking forward to a challenging summer of deliberation with every stage in the process documented in The Irish Times and on www.irishtimes.com/bestplace . The closing date for entries is July 25th and the winner will be announced in September.

Joining Conor Goodman on the judging panel will be Mayo County Architect, Simon Wall, Dr Illona Duffy, Monaghan based GP and public health commentator, RTE Nationwide presenter Zainab Boladalea and Irish Times journalist and author of A Secret Map of Ireland Rosita Boland.
Senior Kinahan Cartel lieutenant Declan Brady, his wife and his mistress laundered over 1.3m in crime cash through transfers that included mortgage payments on a Spanish holiday property, a wedding at Druid's Glen and transfers to other gang members, the Special Criminal Court heard today.

The non-jury court heard during today's sentence hearing that Brady, who is known as "Mr Nobody" had laundered 418,654 in crime cash through multiple bank accounts, his wife Deirdre Brady had laundered 770,499 and another woman Erika Lukacs, who was described in court as Brady's "mistress", had laundered 196,864.

Deirdre Brady, the mother of Declan Brady's three adult children, transferred over 140,000 in organised crime cash to the Spanish bank account of Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh over a five-year period, the court heard.

She also paid another 3,000 a month to her husband's Spanish mortgage account on a property in Cala D'Or in Majorca, totalling over 138,000 between 2014 and 2016. The property has since been repossessed by the bank in Spain.



The three-judge court was also told that Declan and Deirdre Brady also paid 66,301 to the Druids Glen Hotel in Wicklow for the wedding of a family member, 27,265 of which was paid in cash for bar and room bills.

Lawyers for Declan Brady (55), who pleaded guilty last April at the Special Criminal Court to hiding over a quarter of a million euro in crime cash in the attic of a Kildare address, today said that their client had taken responsibility for his own actions and expressed "profound regret" that but for him taking possession of the money, his two co-accused would not be in this position.

The Special Criminal Court also heard today that all three accused have since paid money to the Criminal Assets Bureau.

Cartel lieutenant, Declan Brady, is already serving a 11.5-year jail term imposed by the same court in July 2019, after he admitted supervising a firearms arsenal including an assault rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition that had been stashed in a Dublin business park.

On April 23, Brady with an address at The Park, Wolstan Abbey, Celbridge, Co Kildare pleaded guilty to concealing cash to the value of 268,940 in the attic of The Dairy, Rathasker Road, Naas, Co Kildare, on January 24, 2017.

Brady had been charged in February with a total of 16 non-scheduled offences. All the charges come under Section 7 of Criminal Justice Act 2010 and relate to money laundering and terrorist financing within the State.

The alleged offences all occurred within the State between January 1, 2012 and January 24, 2017, inclusive.

On April 13, Brady's wife, Deirdre Brady (53), and Ms Lukacs (37) pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to two crime cash laundering offences. Ms Brady and Ms Lukacs were originally charged with a total of 52 money laundering offences when they first came before the court in February. Ms Brady was charged with 36 non-scheduled offences and Ms Lukacs was charged with 16 non-scheduled offences.

Ms Brady, of The Bailey, Castlefarm, Naas, Co Kildare pleaded guilty to concealing or disguising the true nature or source of money credited to a Permanent TSB Account on various dates between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014, within the State, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property, in the names of Declan Brady and Deirdre Brady, was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

Ms Lukacs, with an address at Lakelands, Naas, Co Kildare, admitted to concealing or disguising the true nature or source of money credited to an Allied Irish Bank account on various dates between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012, within the State, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property, in the name of Erika Lukacs, was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

Last April, Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, told the court that there would be additional pleas required from the three individuals when they appeared before the court for their sentence hearing.

Brady pleaded guilty today to seven further crime cash laundering offences, Mrs Brady admitted to 17 more crime cash laundering offences and Ms Lukacs pleaded guilty to five more money laundering offences.

Mr Justice Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh, remanded Brady in custody until July 30, when he will be sentenced. The two women were remanded on continuing bail until that date.

On February 19 last, Declan Brady was also charged with concealing cash to the value of 2,000 and 10,000 in a bread-bin on the same date and at the same location, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property was the proceeds of crime.

He was further charged with concealing, disguising, converting, transferring, handling, acquiring, possessing or using money credited to Ulster Bank Account and Permanent TSB, in the names of Declan Brady and wife Deirdre Brady, on various dates between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2016, within the State, knowing or believing or being reckless as to whether the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

In July 2019, Declan Brady pleaded guilty at the non-jury court to possessing nine revolvers, four semi-automatic pistols, a submachine gun, an assault rifle and 1,355 rounds of ammunition in suspicious circumstances at a fake business premises with an address at Unit 52, Block 503, Grants Drive, Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole, Co Dublin, on January 24, 2017.

Thomas Kavanagh (52), a major player in the Kinahan cartel, pleaded guilty last year to a series of serious drug and firearms offences at a court in England. He is currently in custody in the UK awaiting sentencing.
Leitrim pharmacists can begin administering Covid-19 vaccines from today.

People over the age of 50 who have not yet received a vaccine will be eligible to get a jab from their local pharmacy today.

More than 1,000 pharmacists are expected to administer vaccines to members of the public, and appointments can be made on pharmacists individual websites rather than via the HSE portal.

A small number of Johnson & Johnson vaccines are to be made available to pharmacies to vaccinate those who have missed out on a vaccine or who have not been able to get to a vaccination centre.

Some mRNA vaccines could be made available at a later date.

Pharmacists are due to get 35 per vaccine dose administered, the same figure as GPS, plus 10 for each patient who is entered into the system.

Darragh OLoughlin, Secretary General of the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) said earlier this month that the move would prevent people from having to travel long distances to vaccination centres.

People have been clamouring to get vaccinated in their local pharmacy, by their local pharmacist, and theres been a lot of public frustration thats just taken so long to get the vaccines delivered to pharmacies, he said.

The Leitrim Observer is awaiting details from the HSE about how many pharmacies are offering the vaccine in Leitrim.

Also read: Filming in Glenfarne for exciting new AV project














GARDAI are renewing their appeal for information following a daytime burglary in the Castletroy area of the city earlier this month.

A thief broke into a garage which is located adjacent to a house at Newcastle Road, Castletroy at around 11am on Wednesday, June 2.

"The thief forced the door of the garage open and quickly went inside. Fortunately, he was disturbed by the owner of the house who happened to be at home. The thief then made a hasty retreat," said Garda John Finnerty.

"He jumped into a white Volkswagen Transporter van which was waiting for him. Unfortunately, we dont have a description of the thief and we dont know where the van went - again, it was a white Volkswagen Transporter van," he added.

CCTV is being viewed anyone who may have seen a van similar to the one used is asked to come forward.

Gardai at Henry Street station are seeking to progress the investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact them at (061) 212400.
MORE than 100,000 has been awarded in research bursaries from An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaiochta (COGG) to six postgraduate students at Mary Immaculate College.

The bursaries, which are valued at 17,612 each, will support PhD students at MIC to engage in critical research on key aspects of Irish-medium and Gaeltacht education.

Welcoming the bursaries from COGG, Professor Michael Healy, Vice-President of Research at MIC, said: Mary Immaculate College is immensely proud of our M Oid san Oideachas Lan-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta programme. Since its inception, the programme has gone from strength to strength, and this new development, involving sponsorship of merit-based Ph. bursaries by An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaiochta, further underpins the excellence of the programme right through to doctoral level."

Muireann Ni Mhorain, Chief Executive of COGG, said: A key function of An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaiochta is to support a wide variety of research and action initiatives aimed at the development of the Gaeltacht and Irish-medium sector and the teaching of Irish in all schools. Research is critically needed to guide and stimulate a more comprehensive, cohesive, systematic and future-ready approach. These PhD research proposals have the potential to provide a distinctive and significant contribution to the field. COGG is delighted to support such research initiatives and wishes the awardees all the best with their research trajectories.

The bursary awardees include Christine Ni Chathasaigh, teacher at Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh in Limerick city; Caitriona Ni Luasa, principal of Gaelscoil Naomh Seamas in Killorglin, County Kerry; Caitriona Ni Mhurchu, deputy principal of Gaelscoil Inis Corthaidh in Enniscorthy, County Wexford; Carmel Nic Airt, part-time lecturer at MIC and former principal of Gaelscoil Ui Chaoileain in Clonakilty, County Cork; Helena Nic an Fhaili, advisor at the Professional Development Service for Teachers and seconded teacher from Gaelscoil Liatroma in Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim and Toirdealbhach O Lionaird, principal of Colaiste Gobnatan in Ballyvourney, County Cork. Each of the bursary recipients are graduates of MICs M Oid san Oideachas Lan-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta programme.

Christine Ni Chathasaighs doctoral research will focus on teacher language awareness and will examine the specific needs, professional development and impact of this learning on teachers pedagogical practice.

According to Christine, who teaches Home Economics and Irish in Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh, teachers are the most important factor in ensuring the success of the immersion system. "A qualification in Irish is not an essential requirement to teach in the sector. We have much to learn about how subject teachers go about effective language development and about the impact of this learning on their pedagogical practice in the Irish-medium immersion classroom. My research will explore this delicate topic.
A PUBLIC meeting takes place this evening in the wake of the move by the environmental regulator to allow Irish Cement change process in Mungret.

As part of 10m proposals, the firm is seeking to phase out the use of petroleum coke in favour of burning used tyres and solid recovered waste.

From seven oclock this evening, the new group, Say no to Irish Cement Incineration, will meet for the first time. Among the speakers will be James Tuohy from Limerick Against Pollution, the group which has fought against these plans for five years  and continues to do so, as well as Cynthia Cox from the Red Revels, and Uros Macerl from Eko Krog, an activist group focused on defending the earths natural resources.

There is anger among many sections of the public over the decision to clear the way for Irish Cement, and its understood a High Court review may take place.

More than 3,000 people objected to the EPA, with concerns at the new fumes being released into the environment. Irish Cement has long maintained that its reforms will have no adverse impact, pointing out the incineration will take place at an extreme temperature.

Sinead Jackson, who is organising tonights meeting, said: We are not being heard. We are getting sick of it  its going on a long time.

She said the campaign will seek funds to hire legal representatives to move the case to the High Court.

To join the meeting, click here.
STAFF of the well-known Limerick community enterprise Ballyhoura Development are celebrating this week after scoring an all-star prize.

The company, which serves the east of the county, has won the prestigious accolade from the All-Ireland Business Foundation.

The award is given to companies which are defined as progressive and indigenous.

Its overseen by the prestigious All-Ireland Business Foundation, whose adjudication panel is chaired by Dr Briga Hynes of the Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick and Kieran Ring, the chief executive of the Global Institute of Logistics.

Ballyhoura Development is a community-led firm, and a registered charity, which works with communities, families, individuals and businesses in the Ballyhoura region.

Its managed, coordinated and implemented a wide range of national and European projects and programmes since its establishment in 1989, and currently delivers over 30 programmes, focussing on three key aims: community development, economic development and environmental development.

Padraig Fitzgerald, the chairperson of Ballyhoura Development said: Partnership and participation are the guiding principles of Ballyhoura Development's work and activities. The business all-star accreditation is a testament to the inclusive and innovative approaches, hard work, passion and integrity of the board, staff, communities and stakeholders of Ballyhoura Development over the last 32 years. It also validates our commitment to provide the best quality programmes, projects, initiatives and customer service in working toward an area with empowered, inclusive communities, and a diversified economy.

Dr Hynes said the accreditation, now held by over 450 firms, is needed by the thousands of small and medium businesses which operate to their own standards, but have nothing to measure by.
THE demolition of a popular building on Limerick's riverside has caused dismay, with the move being described as "a punch in the gut".

Dr Paul O'Brien was speaking after he joined many others over the weekend in watching the landmark complex razed to the ground in order to make way for a new development.

"A very sad day," he tweeted, "Several individuals and groups (all volunteers) did their best over at least four years to save this building, but despite their best efforts including drawing on expert opinion, the powers that be untimely refused to prevent its destruction. The destruction of our built heritage continues apace. Yes, it would have taken a considerable sum to put Curragower House right, but it would have been the right thing to do."

A small sample of beautiful, handmade eighteenth-century bricks and splinters of pitch pine are all that remain of Curragower House. We need to protect #Limerick's fragile built heritage, so much has already been lost and many more buildings are facing a similar fate. pic.twitter.com/r3qKvL3KF0  Dr Paul OBrien (@Cooplafocal) June 13, 2021

Meanwhile, a prominent city solicitor has called for an investigation into what led the historic Curragower House to be knocked.

Michelle Hayes was speaking amid what she said was shock, sadness and dismay as the bulldozers moved in on the former landmark building in Clancys Strand.

Final tweet on this sad matter. I captured the before image in January 2021. Both images were captured from my drone. Thankfully, I recorded over 15 mins of footage of the house (from all angles) in January. Please credit me, if using the stills. pic.twitter.com/zmGALgBzug June 13, 2021

A very sad day. Several individuals and groups (all volunteers) did their best over at least four years to save this building, but despite their best efforts including drawing on expert opinion, the powers that be untimely refused to prevent its destruction. A punch in the gut. pic.twitter.com/fSGQRt9zU6  Dr Paul OBrien (@Cooplafocal) June 12, 2021

The move was controversial, with councillors previously voting to have the complex added to the list of protected structures, which would have spared it from the chop.

However, this ran into trouble, due to the fact a planning application was active.

It will be replaced with one living space, three apartments and a cafe.

An Taisce Limerick has long opposed the proposals, with its former chair Ms Hayes writing a lengthy objection to An Bord Pleanala.

In a statement, she said: I call on the planning regulator to conduct a full investigation in relation to how the administration and executive of Limerick City and County Council dealt with Curragower House including its refusal to implement the wishes of the Limerick people and of councillors to protect it.

Curragower House, Limerick, which has sadly and needlessly been demolished this weekend; given permission by @anbordpleanala in the face of strong opposition, & thus setting an appalling precedent for similar historic riverfront buildings in towns and cities all over the country. https://t.co/uDK1JAkm6E pic.twitter.com/qxyOtRUlua  An Taisce (@AnTaisce) June 13, 2021

Limerick Council include a picture of Curragower House in their #LimerickAndProud messages. I dont think they have too much to be proud of today. Theyve reneged on their responsibility to protect Limerick #heritage https://t.co/ZOPBZSHwWX  Anne M. Kavanagh (@lucky1017) June 12, 2021

Council has been contacted for comment.
AN appeal has been made for the return of a statue of the Sacred Heart which was placed at a shrine in Limerick for worship during the local novena.

Its still missing. It used to be left there overnight and then it disappeared around last Tuesday. It was around eight inches high, explained local man Thomas Reidy of the statue which was taken from the Marian Shrine in Broadford.

Mr Reidy who is the Leaders county notes correspondent for the Broadford area is making a direct appeal in the paper this week for the return of the statue as it is of great significance to the owner.

There was Rosary going on there all during the month of May. They said they would continue on then because June 11, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was coming up so they said they would continue with the Rosary each night. There was also a novena last week at the grotta. They placed the statue on the grotto. It was a local person kindly gave it to be left there for the Rosary, she is a little upset, definitely. Another one of the group got a replacement for the last three nights of the novena, Mr Reidy explained.

It is rotten to see something like that being taken. Its disappointing that something that was left in good faith was taken.

While there is much disappointment locally at the removal of the statue from the place of worship, there is also a sense of hope that whoever took it will find it in their conscience to put it back in its rightful place.

Now, something similar happened in the arboretum around two months ago, Mr Reidy pointed out.

There were signs on the trees - plaques with the names of the trees - and some of them were taken and there was an appeal in the notes to return them and they came back. So hopefully the statue will return also.
MULTI-MILLION euro plans to provide new outdoor dining structures on two city centre streets have been unveiled by council.

The new Limerick City Outdoor Dining Experience project has been proposed by council bosses with al-fresco dining expected to be part of the local landscape for the foreseeable future.

Set for Bedford Row and Thomas Street, the local authority has promised far-reaching proposals, which will help by encouraging life back into the principal retail streets of the city centre.

The proposed works will see the installation of covered pergola structures with retractable roofs and toughened glass screens. These will create outdoor areas for dining.

On top of this, additional lighting, planting and street furniture is planned, with water bottle refill stations.

In another departure, so-called smart bollards will be installed, which will include WI-FI, digital pedestrian and traffic management information, and environmental sensors. Solar powered compacting bins are planned.

Now open for public consultation, it will ultimately be up to metropolitan district councillors to approve the project.

In a briefing document, council listed what it feels are a number of benefits.

These include facilitating year-round outdoor dining for the benefit of promoting tourism while meeting the needs of all its citizens.

The proposed project maximises the opportunity to strengthen the cultural identity of the city centre by building upon the attraction of the pedestrianised streets and creating a sense of place focused around local tourism and hospitality businesses, it adds.

Council has highlighted at least 12 businesses which will benefit from the project, located in the two pedestrianised streets.

Delivery of the outdoor dining experience project will complement the place-making objectives of national, regional and local planning policy by encouraging a more comfortable and appealing city centre, it added.

The public is being encouraged to have their say on the plans ahead of a final decision later this year. More information: 061-556000.
Bangladesh on Sunday extended border closure with India till June 30 as the COVID-19 situation in neighbouring districts of the country continued to deteriorate.

The decision for extending the closure of border areas was taken during an inter-ministerial meeting on June 13, a top official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Dhaka Tribune.

A gazette notification to this end will soon be published, the official said, requesting anonymity.

Earlier on April 26, Bangladesh shut down its border with India for two weeks, which was later extended twice - on May 8 and then on May 29 - in light of the severe crisis in India due to the second wave of the pandemic.

However, Bangladeshi nationals with a valid visa of 15 days or less will be allowed to return home subject to a 14-day compulsory quarantine, reported Dhaka Tribune.

Bangladesh is also experiencing an alarming rise of COVID-19 related deaths and new cases every day, with the highest single-day death tally recorded in over a month on Sunday.

The country on Sunday recorded 47 deaths from COVID-19, the highest single-day death toll reported in more than a month. It also registered 2,436 new cases.

The health authorities have also detected the presence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is highly contagious.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a virtual high-level United Nations' dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought on Monday.

Prime Minister Modi, the president of the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), will address the virtual high-level dialogue today at 7.30 pm.

Volkan Bozkir, President of the UN General Assembly, will convene the meeting with the support of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to assess the progress made in fighting land degradation and map the way forward on global efforts to revive and restore healthy land.

The meeting will be attended by world leaders, ministers and government representatives, agricultural industry leaders, representatives from United Nations institutions, international organisations and civil society groups as well as members of the general public, according to the advisory issued by UNCCD.

"Land is the foundation of our societies and is a cornerstone to global food security and environmental health, zero hunger, poverty eradication and affordable energy. It underpins the success of the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," the advisory read.

Apart from Prime Minister Modi, the high-level event will also be addressed by Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Mohamed, Undersecretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw and Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim as well as Heads of State and Government, ministers and senior UN officials.

It will put land restoration at the centre of the entire SDG agenda and for climate, biodiversity and disaster risk reduction, along the path to the CBD COP15, UNFCCC COP26, UNCCD COP15, and the 2021 Food Systems Summit.

The Dialogue aims to focus the international community's attention on land issues and generate political will for implementing land solutions within COVID-19 adaptation and recovery strategies.

It will encourage all Member States to adopt and implement Land Degradation Neutrality targets and National Drought Plans.

It will also encourage the Member States, the private sector and all stakeholders to partner for land action, and to support the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund and other funding mechanisms to scale up land restoration by all sectors of society, according to the advisory.

It will enable participants to share experiences and best practices, cutting-edge technologies and innovative business models that advance green, resilient and inclusive recovery strategies.

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A debt-ridden Pakistan has requested its all-weather ally China that it needs another year to pay back a billion dollars Islamabad had borrowed from Beijing last year.

According to The Frontier Post, Prime Minister Imran Khan has written a letter to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on June 8 that July 23, 2021, was the date when Pakistan is supposed to return one billion dollars it had borrowed.

Imran Khan further stated that due to this support by China, "this deposit is contributing significantly easing pressure on our external account."

He requested that another 12 months be given to Pakistan to pay back this loan at an interest rate of one per cent, according to The Frontier Post.

Earlier, a bankrupt Pakistan's debt problems escalated when China declined to restructure USD 3 billion in liabilities.

Islamabad has requested Beijing to forgive debt liabilities owed to China-funded energy projects established under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Media reports suggest that China has refused to budge on Islamabad's request to renegotiate the power purchase agreements, saying that any debt relief would require Chinese banks to amend the terms and conditions under which the credits were extended.

The banks, including China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China, were not prepared to revise any of the clauses of the agreement reached earlier with the government, Beijing said in response to the request to renegotiate terms.

Pakistan has already entered a sovereign debt "danger zone" with total liabilities and debts of USD 294 billion representing 109 per cent as a percentage of GDP as of 30 December 2020.

As Pakistan's financial debt continues to mount, the country's total debt and liabilities rose to 45.470 trillion at the end of March 2021, an increase of 2.666 trillion or 6.2 per cent a year earlier, according to data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

Meanwhile, the debt owed by the government to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rose to 1.164 trillion from 1.071 trillion.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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The trial of Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi was set to start on Monday, as the junta that overthrew her elected government rejected criticism by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights over its use of deadly force against protesters.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the junta seized power on Feb. 1 and detained Suu Kyi and other senior members of her party, unleashing daily protests and fighting between the armed forces and ethnic minority guerrilla forces and militias.

Suu Kyi, 75, is due to face trial on Monday on charges of breaching coronavirus regulations while campaigning for the election she won last November and also for possession of unlicensed walkie-talkies.

The first trial is expected to run until the end of July, her lawyer said.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi also faces other more serious charges including intent to incite, breaching the official secrets act and charges for accepting $600,000 and 11.4 kg worth of gold from Yangon's former chief minister.

Her legal team have denied any wrongdoing by Suu Kyi and her chief lawyer Khin Maung Zaw called the most recent corruption charges "absurd".

Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch, said in a statement the charges Suu Kyi faced "are bogus, and politically motivated" and "should be dropped, resulting in her immediate and unconditional release."

The army says it took power by force because Suu Kyi's party won the election through voter fraud, an accusation rejected by the previous election commission and international monitors.

Myanmar's security forces have killed at least 862 people during their crackdown on protests since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an activist group, though the junta disputes the number.

Pro-democracy supporters took to the streets of the main city of Yangon on Monday, some chanting "revolutionary war, we participate", according to social media posts.

Some activists said they planned to stage a series of strikes and protests on Monday to coincide with the birthday of Che Guevara, a Latin American revolutionary who became an international icon after his death.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Friday that violence was intensifying and condemned the army's "outrageous" use of heavy weapons.

Bachelet said the junta had shown no willingness to implement a five-point consensus it agreed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in April to halt violence and start dialogue with its opponents.

In a press release, Myanmar's junta-led ministry of foreign affairs rejected Bachelet's statement, questioning the accuracy and impartiality of the report.

"The report neither mentioned nor condemned the acts of sabotage and terrorism committed by the unlawful associations and terrorist groups as well as the sufferings and deaths of the security forces," it said.

The junta has branded a rival National Unity Government set up by supporters of Suu Kyi as a terrorist group and blamed it for bombings, arson and killings.

Myanmar's junta-controlled media on Monday accused an ethnic armed group of killing 25 construction workers in the east of the country after abducting a group of 47 people last month. Reuters was unable to reach the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) for comment on the accusation. The junta spokesman did not answer calls to seek further comment.

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Crows may be bird-brains, but the feathered creatures can understand the highly abstract concept of zero, new research suggests.

The concept of zero, as used in a number system, fully developed in human society around the fifth century A.D., or potentially a few centuries earlier, Live Science previously reported . For instance, the notion of multiplying 8 by 0, or adding 0 to 10, didn't emerge until then. The concept of "none," or the absence of any quantity, likely emerged earlier, but this differs from using zero as a distinct "quantity," in and of itself.

That idea may sound obvious, but following the conception of zero as a numerical value, the field of mathematics underwent a dramatic transformation.

"If you ask mathematicians, most of them will probably tell you that the discovery of zero was a mind-blowing achievement," said Andreas Nieder, a professor of animal physiology in the Institute of Neurobiology at University of Tubingen in Germany. "The special thing about zero is that it doesn't fit into a routine of counting real objects, as with the actual integers." In other words, someone can count three apples placed in a basket  one, two, three  but when the basket is empty, there are no apples to count.

Related: The 12 weirdest animal discoveries

Zero represents that emptiness, the absence of apples, and "that obviously requires very abstract thinking ... thinking that is detached from empirical reality," Nieder said. And now, by peering into the brains of crows, Nieder and his colleagues have discovered that the birds' nerve cells, or neurons, encode "zero" as they do other numbers. The birds' brain activity patterns also support the idea that zero falls before "1" on crows' mental number line, so to speak.

In the new study, published June 2 in The Journal of Neuroscience , the team ran experiments with two male carrion crows (Corvus corone), during which the birds sat on a wooden perch and interacted with a computer monitor in front of them. In each trial, a grey screen containing zero to four black dots popped up in front of the crows; this "sample" image was followed by a "test" image containing either the same or a different number of dots.

The crows were trained to peck at the screen or move their heads if the two images matched one another, and to remain still if they did not match.

In a previous study using the same setup, the group showed that crows could successfully identify the matched and unmatched pairs of images about 75% of the time after undergoing extensive training for the experiment, according to a report published in 2015 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . This previous study did not include an empty screen, standing in for zero, but it did demonstrate that the crows could differentiate an image containing three dots from a screen containing five, for instance.

The greater the difference between the two sets of dots, the more accurately the birds responded; in other words, the birds mixed up closer quantities, such as two and three, more often than more divergent quantities, such as one and four. This phenomenon is known as the "numerical distance effect," which can also be observed in monkeys and humans during similar tests, Nieder told Live Science.

In the more recent study, which included a blank screen, "what we found is that the crows, after this training, could discriminate zero from the other countable numerosities," Nieder said. However, importantly, the birds still demonstrated the numerical distance effect in trials that included the empty screen.

That means that the birds mixed up the zero-dot image with the one-dot image more often than with two-, three- or four-dot images, Nieder explained. "This is an indication that they treat the empty set, not just as 'nothing' versus 'something,' but really as a numerical quantity," in that they perceive zero dots as proximal to one dot.

To better understand the brain activity behind these behaviors, the team implanted tiny, glass-coated wires into the birds' brains to record electrical activity while the crows repeated the behavioral tests. The chosen neurons sat within a region known as the pallium, which is located toward the back of the bird brain and handles high-level cognitive functions.

The avian pallium belongs to a larger brain region called the telencephalon; humans also have a telencephalon, of which the cerebral cortex, the wrinkled outer layer of the human brain , is one part. But although both the pallium and cortex lie in the telencephalon, there's where many similarities end between the two structures. While the cerebral cortex contains six distinct layers of brain tissue, connected by crisscrossing wires, the avian pallium contains no layers and instead arranges neurons in nuclear clusters, Nieder said.

Related: 7 ways animals are like humans

In the prior 2015 study, the team also gathered recordings from the pallium and specifically zoomed in on one key region, known as the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL). The NCL receives sensory information, including that from the eyes, processes that data and sends it to areas of the brain related to motor functions, to coordinate physical behaviors. (In primates, the prefrontal cortex plays the same role.)

In the NCL, the team found that certain subgroups of neurons went wild when specific numbers of dots appeared on the screen. Some would begin rapidly firing in response to two dots, while others kicked off for four, for example. These neurons appeared "tuned" to a specific number. And interestingly, the greater the distance between that preferred number and the number of on-screen dots, the less active those neurons became.

These patterns of brain activity hinted at how the crows perceive numerical values in relation to each other, Nieder said. "They are inherently representing this ordinality aspect of numbers, this ordering along a number line, so that after one comes two and after two comes three, and so on," he said.

In the new study, the team repeated this experiment with the addition of the zero-dot screen. In all, they took recordings from more than 500 neurons, 233 in one crow and 268 in the other. As before, they found that different subsets of NCL neurons lit up in response to different numbers of dots, but in addition, another subset fired in response to the blank screen. These neurons became less and less active the more dots popped up on-screen  or the further from zero the number grew.

In combination, the observed patterns of behavior and brain activity suggest that, yes, crows indeed grasp the concept of zero, the authors concluded. What utility this holds for the animals, if any, remains unclear, Nieder told Live Science. While being able to distinguish one piece of fruit from two can be useful for survival, for instance, "I don't see an immediate advantage for these animals to understand nothing as a quantity," he said.

Other behavioral studies have shown that rhesus macaques and honeybees also demonstrate an understanding of zero. In terms of brain activity linked to zero, multiple studies have shown that monkeys carry specially tuned neurons for the number zero, just like crows. And more recently, Nieder and his colleagues demonstrated the same in humans, as described in a 2018 report in the journal Neuron .

"I think that initially it sounds a little crazy to ask whether animals understand zero, because zero is a very, very special, almost magical, number that we have," Nieder said. But now, growing evidence hints that more animals may understand the concept of zero than scientists originally realized.

Even so, Nieder said he'd be surprised if animals like amphibians or reptiles could do mathematical calculations that rely on an understanding of zero, since their learning capabilities don't match that of mammals and birds. But given that birds and mammals split off from their common ancestor well before the extinction of the dinosaurs, the fact that they share overlapping cognitive abilities is also remarkable, Nieder said.

"That's the fascinating aspect, that evolution obviously found different anatomical ways, independently, to equip those birds and mammals with high-level cognitive functions."

Originally published on Live Science.
The Earth has finally attained popular recognition for its fifth ocean, with a decision by the National Geographic Society to add the Southern Ocean around Antarctica to the four it recognizes already: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Arctic oceans.

Although the designation of the frigid waters around the icy southern continent as a separate ocean has kicked around for almost 100 years and is widely used by scientists, until now it has not had popular backing.

But on June 8  World Oceans Day  the society announced it would henceforth be labeling the Southern Ocean as the fifth ocean on its maps of our planet.

Related: See photos of Antarctica: The ice-covered bottom of the world

"The Southern Ocean has long been recognized by scientists, but because there was never agreement internationally, we never officially recognized it," the society's official geographer Alex Tait told the National Geographic website . "It's sort of geographic nerdiness in some ways."

One of the biggest impacts would be on education, he said: "Students learn information about the ocean world through what oceans you're studying. If you don't include the Southern Ocean, then you don't learn the specifics of it and how important it is."

Antarctic current

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), which travels from west to east, defines the boundaries of the Southern Ocean. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

National Geographic began making maps in 1915, but the society had only formally recognized just four oceans, which they defined by the continents that bordered them.

In contrast, the Southern Ocean is defined not by the continents that surround it, but by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) that flows from west to east. Scientists think the ACC was created 34 million years ago when the continent of Antarctica separated from South America, allowing water to flow unimpeded around the "bottom" of the world.

Today, the ACC flows through all waters that surround Antarctica until about 60 degrees south, except for the Drake Passage and the Scotia Sea, which are both roughly between South America's Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula.

The waters of the ACC  and therefore most of the Southern Ocean  are colder and slightly less salty than the ocean waters to the north.

The ACC pulls in water from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans to help drive a global "conveyor belt" that carries heat around the planet, while the cold dense water of the ACC sinks and helps to store carbon in the deep ocean. And thousands of marine species live only within the ACC, according to National Geographic.

Antarctic waters

Exactly what constitutes an ocean is not agreed, other than that they are the largest bodies of water. A common definition split the global ocean into four or five parts, according to the continents that surrounded them.

Nevertheless, the term "Southern Ocean" had been used to describe the waters at the bottom of the world since they were first seen by the Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa early in the 16th century, and its use continued as oceans became vital routes for international communications and trade in the centuries that followed.

By the 19th century, many maritime nations had established "hydrographic" authorities to publish information on the oceans for their navies and merchant vessels, and the term "Southern Ocean" appeared in the early publications of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) that they formed in 1921.

But according to the book " Southern Ocean: Oceanographers Perspective " (Ice Press, 2015), the IHO rescinded the designation in 1953: "The majority of opinions received  are to the effect that there exists no real justification for applying the term Ocean to this body of water," the IHO wrote in the guidelines it published that year.

Scientists didn't agree, however, and the term has been increasingly used, as the importance and uniqueness of the Southern Ocean became more clear. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names started using it in 1999, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officially began using it this year.

The original "ocean" on Earth was, in fact, a river  named by the ancient Greeks after the titan Oceanus, a river god who was the son of Uranus and Gaia and the brother and husband of Tethys, the goddess of the primal waters that nourished the Earth. .

This river "Ocean" was originally thought to encircle the world, which the early Greeks imagined ended somewhere just west of Europe and east of Asia. Eventually, the term would become used to describe the different parts of the global ocean.

The related term "Seven Seas," meanwhile, is much older than many modern oceans. No one knows where the concept originated, but the term appears in the ancient writings of the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Hindus, Persians and Chinese, although it often described entirely different seas  some of them mythical  for different people.

According to the World Atlas website , the Seven Seas today are considered the seven largest oceanic bodies of water: the Arctic, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Southern or Antarctic Ocean

Originally published on Live Science.
The sinkhole is roughly 40 feet in diameter, or about half the size of a tennis court.

In the middle of the night on Thursday (June 10), the ground near the Southern Australian tourist town of Robe suddenly gave way. Locals awoke to find an enormous sinkhole , roughly 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter, had opened along the picturesque Limestone Coast  and citizens are now being urged to stay away for fear that the hole could collapse even further, Australian news outlet ABC.net reported .

"There's no warning when these things give way," James Holyman, a chief executive for the District Council of Robe, told ABC. "It's a fair way down and the Southern Ocean is fairly churned with big [waves]."

Australia's 200,000-year-old Limestone Coast faces considerable erosion from the constant saltwater waves lapping at its edges, but there may be other forces at play there, too, Patrick Hesp, a coastal studies expert at Flinders University in Adelaide, told ABC. Recent heavy rains and ocean swells likely contributed to the sinkhole's appearance, Hesp said.

The hole is also located close to a natural underwater geyser known as a blowhole, Newsweek reported . Blowholes form as waves erode cliffside caves, sloshing their way deeper into the cliff and eventually vertically toward the surface. Occasionally, water sprays from the top of these holes, usually during high tides.

Holyman said that, while the blowhole hasn't blown for several years, the constant wave action in the area has been gradually undercutting the cliffs, making collapses like this one more likely. An investigation of the hole revealed that the site is still unstable, and likely to collapse further, Holyman said.

Originally published on Live Science.
The COVID-19 vaccine produced by Novavax showed an overall efficacy of 90% in a late-stage clinical trial, meaning the shot appears roughly as protective as those made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, the company announced Monday (June 14).

The trial began in December 2020 after several concerning coronavirus variants had already become widespread, including the Alpha variant discovered in the U.K. and Beta variant found in South Africa. In contrast, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna trials took place before these variants emerged.

The Novavax trial included 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the U.S. and Mexico, according to a statement from the company . Half of the participants received the vaccine , while the other half got a placebo shot. A total of 77 cases of COVID-19 cropped up during the trial: 63 in the placebo group and 14 in the vaccine group. All cases in the vaccinated group turned out to be mild, while 10 moderate cases and four severe cases were observed in the placebo group.

On a call with investors, Novavax representatives noted that six additional people in the placebo group required hospitalization during the trial, and one of these individuals died, STAT News reported . However, the positive COVID-19 test results for these individuals were not confirmed at the trial's central laboratory, so they were not included in the efficacy analysis.

Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history

Based on the data provided so far, the Novavax vaccine appears 100% effective against moderate and severe COVID-19 infections and 90.4% effective against symptomatic infections, the company reported. And specifically, the vaccine was 91% effective at protecting against symptomatic infection among high-risk individuals  meaning those with existing medical conditions that increase the risk of severe infection, those at high risk of exposure and those older than age 65.

"It's a strong result," Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida, told The New York Times . "It puts them up in that high tier."

The company has yet to release the full trial data and plans to do so at a future date. "Further analyses of the trial are ongoing and will be shared via preprint servers as well as submitted to peer-review journals for publication," the company statement notes.

In its Monday press release, Novavax also reported that the vaccine is 93% protective against "variants of concern" (VOC) and "variants of interest" (VOI). VOCs are defined as versions of the virus with increased transmissibility, disease severity or ability to thwart vaccines or treatments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); VOIs carry genetic differences that could cause changes in transmissibility and disease severity, but the mutants still show limited prevalence.

The company looked for VOCs and VOIs by analyzing the genetic material of the virus in 54 of the 77 COVID-19 cases. Of the 77 cases, 35 involved VOCs and nine involved VOIs; 38 of these 44 VOC and VOI cases occurred in the placebo group, with six in the vaccinated group.

About half of the participants infected with a VOC were infected with the Alpha variant, also known as B.1.1.7, STAT News reported. Few caught the Beta or Gamma variants, first discovered in South Africa and Brazil, respectively, and none caught the Delta variant, identified in India, so the vaccine's potency against Delta remains unknown.

"All of these more resistant variants are going to cause a degree of loss of potency," John Moore, an immunologist at Weill Cornell University and participant in the trial, told STAT. "But with these strong vaccines, it's not going to be wipe-outs."

Novavax will apply for emergency use authorization (EUA) in the U.S. after completing a quality control test, to prove that the shots can be reliably produced on large scales, The New York Times reported. The company also plans to apply for authorization in Britain, the European Union, India and South Korea, and will likely receive authorization in one of these countries before it happens in the U.S., Novavax's chief executive Stanley Erck said in an interview.

Whenever the company does apply for U.S. authorization, the Food and Drug Administration may instead require Novavax to apply for full approval, given that three other COVID-19 vaccines are already authorized in the country, the Times reported.

"The law says that once you have sufficient doses, there's no need for additional EUA's," Dr. Luciana Borio, who was the acting chief scientist at the FDA from 2015 to 2017, told the Times. Once approved, the shots "may be really the right ones for boosters," Borio added.

The vaccine, called NVX-CoV2373, contains nanoparticles studded with modified spike proteins  proteins that stick off the coronavirus and plug into cells to trigger infection, Live Science previously reported . The nanoparticles cannot replicate like a virus or cause COVID-19, but they instead train the immune system to recognize SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, should the vaccinated person ever become exposed.

The vaccine also contains saponins, compounds extracted from the soapbark tree that act as an adjuvant, meaning it summons extra immune cells to the vaccination site, the Times reported . The shots can be stored at fridge temperatures and are given in two doses, three weeks apart, according to STAT.

Read more about the recent trial results in STAT News and The New York Times .

Originally published on Live Science.
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Disposable, Ghost Bros and Olivia and the Shadows feature among projects to be pitched from Monday June 14 at at an Ibero-American Animation Focus held at Annecys Mifa market and backed by Argentinas Ventana Sur section Animation!, Spains Quirino Awards and Mexicos Pixelatl festival.

Projects slate includes two features, two TV series and a short. In addition, Ventana Sur will this year unveil a special program Animation! Mentoring Program: Female Directors in Focus, which it has created

with the support of Argentinas French Institute to highlight the work of five women directors.

La Liga projects describe a broad gamut, Animation! head Silvina Cornillon told Variety just before Annecy. Some are clearly auteurist  Disposable, Bring On the Revolution and Where Is My Espresso  while others have far larger commercial potential, such as Olivia and the Shadows and Ghost Bros. All, however, reflect the Latin DNA of their creators, she added. A brief breakdown:

Olivia and the Shadows (Juan Carve, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Mexico)

A best feature and La Liga award winner at last Decembers Ventana Sur, 2D project Olivia is a coming of age tale following a girl who, after her mothers death, is forced to move with her father to Tiny Caledonia, a rainy island where she confronts a dangerous enemy haunting the island: Fear. Juan Carve at Uruguays Chucho.tv. Chiles Lunes Animation, Mexicos Matte and Perus Apus produce. The Breadwinner screenwriter Anita Doron co-wrote the final screenplay.

Disposable (Carlos Gomez Salamanca, Colombia, Spain)

Produced by Colombias Nocroma with Spains Jaibo Films now on board, Disposable, shared honors as best feature at last years Ventana Sur. It offers a brutal and poetic panorama of contemporary societies from a pre-apocalyptic perspective, said Gomez. Boasting singular technique a Nocromas trademark the film melds analogue 2D, 3D digital animation and digital photography.

Ghost Bros (Jorge Edelstein, Argentina, Spain)

Produced by Martin Blasi at Argentinas Yellow Kingdom and Spains WeDoo Studio, Edelsteins series Ghost Bros explores what the family and happiness mean for kids through an absurdist humor and wacky situations. Two orphaned brothers die and invoke a secret clause from the underworld where they can return to earth if they are adopted. The 26-episode show aims to talk about the family in a fun and inclusive way, said Blasi, a former content developer for The Walt Disney Company Latin America.

Bring on the Revolution! (Aleixo Leite, Brazil)

In order to understand who we are, we must uncover the stories that are not in history books producer Andre Pereira at Brazils Lupa Filmes. Series is a hybrid animated docuseries whose six half hours focus on big revolutions led by men and women who were subsequently sidelined in official history  such as Joao Candido Felisberto, a leader of the Chibata Revolt in 1910.

Where Is My Espresso? (Sebastian Garcia, Andres Felipe Rodriguez, Colombia)

Expresso won best short at Mexicos Pixelatl Shortway. It follows Oniria who lives a stressful, dangerous but sad routine between two jobs and online night school

The Mentoring Program frames one feature  Matisse Gonzalezs Cursed Children  and four TV series: Paula Boffos Highlands Shadow, Emilce Avalos Future Woman, Maria Coellos Flavor Quest and Elva Alessandra Arrietas Gretas Journal.

Cursed Children, from Bolivias Celeste Estudio, is a narrative comedy about an exquisitely damned family, according to its producers; Targeting pre-schoolers, Gretas Journal, produced by Perus Wuf Studio, weighs in as a stop-motion series registering the adventurous process of children discovering the every day world. Produced by Chiles Estudio Rayo Purpura, Flavor Quest focuses on Vera who, guided by a magical cookbook, has a mission to set free lost flavors.

Future Woman, in development at Argentinas Primavera Films and Tamandua Estudio, mixes documentary and experimental animation, turning on new forms of childrens upbringing in feminist times and their social impact. Each episode employs a different animation technique cut-out, rotoscoping, and 2D.

Targeting young adults and addressing gender and LGBTIQ+ issues, folklore fantasy Highlands Shadow turns on Juana, a girl from Argentinas Humahuaca whose sister Marisol has been captured by a human trafficking cartel.

Even though the projects at the mentoring program target different audiences, all reflect the unique visions of the female directors behind them. Theyve all achieved a large balance between establishing a strong cultural identity while addressing universal topics, Cornillon told Variety.

Ranging from a revenge-thirsty heroine to a sweet and curious girl collating information about nature through notes in a journal, these five projects bring some fresh air, diversity and the hope of gender equality, she added.

La Liga de la Animacion Iberoamericana in Focus@MIFA

Features

Disposable (Carlos Gomez Salamanca, Colombia, Spain)

Olivia and the Shadows (Juan Carve, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Mexico)

Series

Ghost Bros (Jorge Edelstein, Argentina, Spain)

Bring on the Revolution! (Aleixo Leite, Brazil)

Shorts

Where Is My Espresso? (Sebastian Garcia, Andres Felipe Rodriguez, Colombia)

Animation! Mentoring Program: Female Directors in Focus

Features

Cursed Children (Matisse Gonzalez, Bolivia)

Series

Flavor Quest (Maria Coello, Chile)

Gretas Journal (Elva Alessandra Arrieta, Peru)

Highlands Shadow (Paula Boffo, Argentina)

Future Woman (Emilce Avalos, Argentina)

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While the world, at least parts of it privileged enough to have easy vaccine access, is just starting to peel itself away from lockdown and reflect on the loneliness of the past year, artists have been trying to make sense of it all for months now. The virtual Sundance Film Festival back in January 2021 was already surprisingly stacked with COVID-themed movies, with How It Ends making headlines for being shot entirely during quarantine, while Radu Judes Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn won Berlin. Now a different festival (namely, Tribeca) gives us another taste of this pandemic-centric exploration in film form, this one hailing from Paris.

Shot in one miraculous unbroken take, the adventurous and hypnotic Roaring 20s by Elisabeth Vogler (a pseudonym for the filmmaker who prefers they/them as pronouns) is about today, and not the prosperous and glittery Jazz Age that followed a different pandemic a century ago. And while its pitched as a love letter to the City of Love, this constantly on-the-move, daringly experimental film of sun-kissed sidewalks and casual rhythms feels like an ode to any urban area or individual who chose to make a life amid the chaotic hustle and bustle of a city.

Voglers off-the-cuff characters emerge from seclusion to stroll through their town in the summer of 2020, waxing poetic about life by the Seine and exchanging jokes and stray thoughts. In so doing, they suggest connections with the films of Richard Linklater as well as the words of Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway: in the triumph and the jingle and the strange high singing of some aeroplane overhead was what she loved; life; London; this moment of June. Such scenes just might elicit a sensory taste of audiences own metropolises, prompting viewers to contemplate the countless random connections they were too busy to pay attention to in the normal, pre-COVID days they took for granted.

What feels most joyous in Roaring 20s (with a misplaced apostrophe in the English title, originally named Annees 20) is that none of Voglers two dozen characters seems to take anything for granted in it. The actors who portray them range from those with a substantial resume (like Noemie Schmidt and Alice de Lencquesaing) to newcomers with a lone IMDb credit. The characters they play dont really matter as much as what they have in common, which is a renewed sense of freedom, an unspoken but palpable adoration for urban life defined by crowds, cafes, architecture, public transportation and above all, walking. That sense of blissful, recommenced independence is so pronounced in the air that you momentarily forget there is also a deadly virus somewhere in it. In that regard, the first sight of a face mask carefully stretched over mouths and noses as a pair of the films personalities descend into the Paris metro feels like an electric shock that summons you back to reality.

When masks are off-screen however, most of the films vignettes feel gloriously ordinary, save for one where a strange hypnosis takes place in public by the Louvre and another where a gloomy bride spots an abandoned baby in a stroller. We meet artists that dissect the meaning of the word black, a famous actor having second thoughts about his future, giggly young girls stealing makeup, couples in love, exes who unabashedly confide in each other about their newfound sexual habits, hitchhikers, bikers, misplaced wanderers  and more.

They all cross paths with one another swiftly, picking up the narrative momentum where the previous character leaves off and running with it. Needless to say, the entire ecosystem here is impressively and seamlessly choreographed. But Voglers real triumph is elevating their chosen (and at first sight, admittedly gimmicky) one-shot method to a technique that seems necessary, even inevitable for Roaring 20s  not an easy feat unless you are Birdman or Russian Ark.

Still, its hard to make a case for Roaring 20s as a compulsively watchable movie in its entirety. Parts of it drag as the concept predictably overstays its welcome. And by the end, it seems as if the writers have succumbed to the lazy impulse of bringing the entire cast together for the finale, just to neatly wrap up their experiment  an unnecessary indulgence for a movie beautified by its commitment to spontaneity elsewhere.

Reviewed at Tribeca Festival (online), June 12, 2021. Running time: 90 MIN.

Running Time: Running time: 90 MIN.

Production

A 21 Juin Cinema, Les Idiots production. Producers: Laurent Rochette, Olivier Capelli.

Crew

Director: Elisabeth Vogler. Writers: Elisabeth Vogler, Joris Avodo, Noemie Schmidt, Francois Mark. Camera: Elisabeth Vogler. Music: Jean-Charles Bastion.

With

Vladimir Seguin, Alice de Lencquesaing, Noemie Schmidt, Aurore Deon, Manuel Severi, Adil laboudi, Zoe Fauconnet, Leo Poulet, Fanny Santer, Lila Poulet-Berenfeld, Lilou Guillot, Elsa Guedj, Guillaume Pottier, Mehdi Djaadi, Francois Mark, Margaux Bonin, Francois De Brauer, Francois Rollin, Elie Salleron, Joris Avodo, Paul Scarfoglio, Lea Moret, Elise Tilloloy, Jean Thevenin.

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In one of the biggest deals on titles at this years Visions du Reel, Switzerlands premier documentary festival, Radio Television Suisse (RTS), the public broadcasting organization for the French-speaking part of the country, has acquired eleven titles from Visions du Reels 2021 selection.

The deal is part of a longstanding partnership between the Swiss doc festival and RTS, which selects around a dozen VdR titles every year.

Some are co-productions under the Swiss Broadcasting Corporations pact with the audiovisual industry to increase subsidies for independent Swiss production, including Radiograph of a Family by Iranian director Firouzeh Khosrovani.

An IDFA best feature winner, it tells the story of Tayi, who, on her wedding day, marries the photo of Hossein. Joining him in Switzerland, the distance that separates them persists from one country to the other, deepening over the years, and invades the smallest corners of their home.

The story is about the parents of the Iranian director, who lived in Geneva during her fathers studies, said Steven Artels, head of the RTS documentary unit.

To illustrate their life in Geneva, the producer and director needed archives from RTS. We slowly discovered the strength of the cinematographic approach of Firouzeh and fell in love with the project which we supported with money from the pact, he added.

Other titles acquired by RTS include Sundance Fest winner Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, and Nostromo by Fisnik Maxville, which picked up the Audience Award and the National Competition Prize respectively at Visions du Reel.

RTS will broadcast the films on its French-language slot Sur les Docs.

Most of the films that we sustain with the pact money go into this slot, Artels explained. It is dedicated to auteurist docs. The range is very wide, ranging from poetic to journalistic, but they always reflect the very particular point of view of a director.

RTS selects doc-features at festivals in and outside Switzerland including Locarno and Hot Docs, Artels added.

The eleven titles selected this year take in Le Chant des vivants (Songs of the Living) by Cecile Allegra, Cuban Dancer by Roberto Salinas, The Filmmakers House by Marc Isaacs and Flee.

Also making the cut are Les Guerisseurs (Healers) by Marie-Eve Hildbrand, The Mushroom Speaks by Marion Neumann, Nostromo Sheltered by Saskia Gubbels, Radiograph of a Family, The Bubble by Valerie Blankenbyl and Ostrov (Lost Island) by Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop.

The RTS deal adds another layer to Visions du Reel business which saw a steady flow of dealmaking as leading documentary sales agents  Lightdox, Deckert Distribution, Taskovski Films  swooped on 10 of its competition titles, generally in the run-up to the Festival. Deals have taken in half the doc features in its main International Competition.

In the latest deal to go down, Lightbox, which swooped on Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege), now selected for Cannes ACID section, has just acquired Stefan Pavlovs Looking for Horses.

At Cannes Doc, Visions du Reel will host a Doc Talk with Jean-Gabriel Periot about his work with archives, Directors Fortnight title Returning to Reims (Fragments) and new production Facing Darkness, which he pitched at the 2021 VdR-Industry edition.

Visions du Reel competition titles, among others, acquired by sales agents:

Square Eyes

1970, (Tomasz Wolski)

Lightdox

Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege), (Abdallah Al-Khatib)

Looking for Horses, (Stefan Pavlovic)

Taskovski Films

The Mushroom Speaks, (Marion Neumann)

Ostrov  Lost Island, (Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop)

Edna, (Eryk Rocha)

Deckert Distribution

The Bubble, (Valerie Blankenbyl)

Bellum  The Daemon of War, David Herdies & Georg Gotmark

Les Enfants terribles, by Ahmet Necdet Cupur

Andana Films

Zinder, (Aicha Macky)

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Former White House counsel Don McGahn was informed by Apple that in 2018, before he left the administration, the Justice Department sought digital records belonging to both him and his wife.

According to CNN, the DOJ appears to have accessed the couples records during the same month data from the accounts of House Intelligence Committee Democrats were secretly obtained. Just weeks before sending the subpoena for McGahns records to Apple, Trump had reportedly grown dissatisfied with his then-White House counsel for refusing to cede to pressure to help facilitate the ouster of former special counsel Robert Mueller during the Russia investigation. McGahns testimony before the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee earlier this month confirmed those reports.

Apple was unable to notify McGahn until last month because of a DOJ nondisclosure order, according to the New York Times, who was first to report the news on Sunday. And, according to NPR, who also cited a source on McGahns subpoena, it still remains unclear what the DOJ was investigating and if they obtained any of the data they sought.

By all reports, the move by the DOJ to subpoena the records of a sitting White House counsel is highly unusual. This news comes as congressional Democrats are vowing to investigate the actions of Trumps Justice Department. The DOJs watchdog is also looking into the matter.

In an interview on CNN Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she wants both former Trump attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions to testify before Congress regarding the subpoenas. Both have denied any knowledge of it, but Pelosi isnt buying it.

For the attorneys general  Barr and Sessions, at least  to say that they didnt know anything about it is beyond belief, Pelosi said. So, we will have to have them come under oath to testify about that.
The long-awaited veterans museum that has been discussed for decades continues to have an uncertain future as veterans clashed during Mondays Laredo City Council meeting over its prospective location and other details.

These debates resulted in the approval of tabling the subject until after the city and the veteran groups of Laredo get together and compromise. But a discussion about two veteran museums was also presented.

The recommendation was put forth by District VII Councilmember Vanessa Perez, after the council saw the veterans argue over the site, group politics and difference of opinions over the museum. The discussion is expected to invite all the veterans of the community to provide their input and determine the future of the museum.

Perez encouraged a meeting with all of the local veteran groups to be organized, discuss the future of the museum and create a unified consensus over its location, names, exhibits, etc.

However, according to the 2010 agreement between the city and the county, they are committed in building the Veterans Museum at the Farias house. District IV Councilmember Alberto Torres said that even if the majority of veterans do not want the site, the city is obligated by the agreement made by past councilmembers.

This would ultimately lead to the city paying for both a Veteran Museum built at the Farias home to satisfy the 2010 agreement as well as building another that will satisfy the majority of veterans who prefer a different site.

More discussion is needed with the citys legal counsel, veteran organizations and the city budget regarding where the city can find the money to pay for two projects.

Dr. Hector Farias, who advocated for the museum to be situated in the Farias family downtown home at San Bernardo and Iturbide, said it was one of the oldest buildings in Laredo.

According to Farias, the building was chosen as it is a historical landmark for Laredo and is where Don Francisco Farias and Col. Santos Benavides planned the defense of the area. He also claimed that after years of complaints and no alternatives being given, his proposed plan for the museum would be the best way to honor Laredos veterans.

However, a number of members from different veteran groups rejected the proposal and said that a number of issues plagued the site.

Sergio Martinez spoke in an effort to shine a light on the planned site. He believes that the Farias home was inadequate due to environmental issues, such as lead paint and a gas station that used to exist there. He also mentioned how veteran groups were not involved in the purchase of the home by the previous councilmembers.

Barry Bernier, from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9194, said that the post voted to not support the museum two months prior over the same issues of Martinez cited. Calling the Farias plan disingenuous, Bernier believed that the site still has questions regarding its structural integrity that need answers.

You may call something a historical site, but when you break off a part and end up with an adobe block from Mexico that is deteriorated to the max  there is a difference between historical and junk, Bernier said. And I think its spending good money badly to renovate an adobe block building.

Ultimately, he and Post 9194 believe that with the rising cost of materials, the uncertainty of the buildings structure and the estimated cost of renovation before and in the future, the site is not fit to house the museum. But that wasnt all, as he believed it didnt do enough to honor veterans as a whole.

That is very disingenuous to have a museum that was more of a memorial to an individuals family than it was to the veterans of the community, Bernier concluded.

Jesus Segovia of the Laredo Veterans Coalition echoed the concerns over the structure and presented a compromise. He highlighted that the coalition had over 200 signatures to compromise with Farias and build the museum behind the Laredo VA clinic.

Its a place where we have a lot of parking, and it would take a lot less money to build a brand-new museum from the ground up. And we would dedicate a section of the museum to Juan Francisco Farias, Segovia said. We were hoping he would join with the money hes been allocated, with the other funds that we can get from the city and county, and build a brand-new museum.

As a member of all Laredo veteran organizations, Jesus Cantu said that no one wanted the museum and specifically no one wanted a museum named after Juan Francisco Farias. He believes the project was rushed and without input, which led to the naming of the museum to overlook Medal of Honor recipient David Berkley Cantu. He emphasized that there were no familial relations but said that the name should ultimately honor Cantu.

We heard these arguments, to be honest with you, Mayor Pete Saenz said. When you approached me with these issues, I figured that by now the veterans have gotten together and resolved some of these issues, but apparently it is very obvious that these issues remain.

Saenz added that one of the reasons the council revisited the topic was the decision to honor the contract the city had to build the veteran museum. If the agreement is not honored, the city will be open to litigation, but he ensured that help will be available when the veterans find that compromise.

District III Councilmember Dr. Marte Martinez asked the veterans group representatives what they would like to be done for help. As time passed, he and other councilmembers agreed that the museum is overdue but the groups have to provide their input on how to get started.

If you dont give us an action plan, then we cant help you. If you dont tell us exactly what you want, then all the money in the world we throw at a particular project is not going to be well received by a majority of the veterans, he said. If you cant for one minute and come together and collaborate, then you are not honoring those fallen warriors.

He said that funds will be made available once an action plan is presented to the council, and he went as far as saying he would personally contribute to it.

We must make a decision, Martinez said. Because if not, 20 years later, a new council will be up here and well still be discussing the same item.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Justice Department will tighten its rules around obtaining records from members of Congress, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday, amid revelations the department under former President Donald Trump had secretly seized records from Democrats and members of the media.

Consistent with our commitment to the rule of law, Garland said in a statement, we must ensure that full weight is accorded to separation-of-powers concerns moving forward.

Garlands statement came as a Justice Department official said the top national security official, John Demers, planned to leave by the end of next week. Demers, who was sworn in a few weeks after the subpoena for the Democrats records, is one of the few Trump appointees who has remained in the Biden administration.

The Justice Department is struggling to contain the fallout over revelations that it had confiscated phone data from House Democrats and reporters as part of an aggressive investigation into leaks. The disclosure is also forcing Biden administration officials to wade back into a fight with their predecessors  something they've wished to avoid.

News outlets reported last week that the Justice Department had secretly subpoenaed Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc. in 2018 for metadata from two Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee  California Rep. Adam Schiff and California Rep. Eric Swalwell  as their committee was investigating Trumps ties to Russia. Schiff, at the time, was the top Democrat on the panel, which was led by Republicans.

Now the House Intelligence Committee Chair, Schiff said Monday that he had spoken with Garland, who had given his commitment to an independent investigation by the inspector general. Schiff said he had every confidence that Garland will also do the kind of top-to-bottom review of the degree to which the department was politicized during the previous administration and take corrective steps.

The intelligence panel initially said 12 people connected to the committee  including aides, former aides and family members  had been swept up, but more have since been uncovered, according to a person familiar with the matter who also was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Some people might not know they were targeted because the Apple notification was by email and showed up in the spam filters of some of those who were contacted, the person said.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., announced an investigation into the subpoenas on members of Congress and journalists. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., demanded a copy of the subpoena and other records about the decision to obtain the order.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., lambasted a demand by Democrats that former attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions testify before a committee on the subpoenas, saying his Democratic colleagues had given into the urge to pick at the scab of politically-motivated investigations. He defended Barr, saying the move was a witch hunt in the making.

There is no need for a partisan circus here in Congress," he said.

The subpoena, issued Feb. 6, 2018, requested information on 73 phone numbers and 36 email addresses, Apple said. It also included a nondisclosure order that prohibited the company from notifying any of the people, and it was renewed three times, the company said in a statement.

Apple said that it couldnt challenge the warrants because it had so little information available and that it would have been virtually impossible for Apple to understand the intent of the desired information without digging through users accounts.

Although Apple says it contests legal requests that it believes are unfounded, the company challenged or rejected just 7% of the U.S. demands it received during the 2018 period when it received the subpoena for the information about Schiff and Swalwell. Apple was even less combative during the first half of last year, challenging just 4% of the U.S. legal requests.

Apple has been turning over some customer data in 80% to 90% of the legal requests it has received in the U.S. in recent years, though the information often excludes the content of text, email or photos.

Like other major technology companies, Apple has been dealing with a steadily escalating torrent of legal requests for account and device information from around the world as its products and services have become more deeply ingrained in peoples lives.

During the first half of last year, for instance, U.S. law enforcement agencies sought information on 18,609 Apple accounts  nearly seven times the number of accounts requested during the same time in 2015.

The demands are becoming more broad, too. During the first half of 2018, when Apple received the subpoena affecting Schiff and Swalwell, the 2,397 U.S. legal requests that Apple received covered an average of seven accounts, according to the companys disclosures. That was up from an average of roughly three accounts per request during the first half of 2015.

The department's inspector general has launched a probe into the matter after a request from Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. Inspector General Michael Horowitz said he would examine whether the data subpoenaed by the Justice Department and turned over by Apple followed department policy and whether any such uses, or the investigations, were based upon improper considerations.

In addition, Monaco has been separately tasked with surfacing problematic matters deserving high level review, Garland said.

Garland emphasized in his statement Monday that political or other improper considerations must play no role in any investigative or prosecutorial decisions.

Demers has been in charge of the departments national security division since late February 2018, and his division has played a role in each of the leak investigations. He leaves as questions swirl over his potential involvement in the effort.

He had planned for weeks to leave the department by the end of June, a second person familiar with the matter said. The two could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

He will be temporarily replaced by Mark Lesko, the acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, the official said, until President Joe Biden's official pick, Matthew Olsen, is approved by the Senate.

Olsen is an Uber executive with experience in the Justice Department. He has served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center and as general counsel for the National Security Agency. Demers had remained in place while Olsen awaits a confirmation hearing.

___

Liedtke reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writer Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.
The Washingtons Birthday Celebration Association together with International Bank of Commerce showcased some of Laredos talented dance teams and cheerleaders, in a virtual WBCA Youth Song & Dance Festival event that debuted Thursday via the Associations Facebook page. The Highlight of the event was a surprise scholarship announcement for two lucky graduates.

The 2020-22 WBCA/IGNC Abrazo Children Sponsored by La Posada Hotel also made a special guest appearance, marking their first official introduction as WBCA Ambassadors of the upcoming Celebration. Olivia Madison Palumbo and Michael Anthony Villalon, representing the United States; and, Valentina Gonzalez DeAnda and Joaquin Barragan Garza representing Mexico, recited the Pledge of the Allegiance. Valeria Lucia Montemayor, a Nixon High School VMT student and former 2015 Abrazo Child, sang the National Anthem.

IBC Bank is proud to support the WBCA Youth Song and Dance Festival and the many participants involved. By showcasing their talent, we promote and nurture their future success, said Gabriel Castillo, Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing for IBC Bank.

The two winning students, Carlos Emilio Ruiz and Victoria Alejandra Borjas, were selected to receive one $1,000 dollar scholarship each, based on their exceptional academic merits, community involvement and extracurricular activities in the performing arts.

Carlos Emilio Ruiz is a 2021 graduate of Martin High School and a member and leader of the Vidal M. Trevino Ballet Folklorico group. He graduated No. 22 in his MHS graduating class. Ruiz also received the Achievement Scholarship to attend Texas A&M International University and the Womans City Club Excellence in Character Scholarship. Ruiz has shared his talents by performing at the 5 de Mayo Celebration hosted by the Mexican Consulate, the Laredo Independent School District Annual Posadas; and, also performed for charitable purposes at the local Dancing with the Stars event, as well as at other cultural events throughout the City of Laredo. He plans to attend Texas A&M International University to pursue a degree in Political Science and study Law.

Victoria Alejandra Borjas is a student of J.W. Nixon High School & the Vidal M. Trevino School of Communication and Fine Arts. She has an A GPA and graduated among the top 80 students in her class of more than 450. Her impressive resume includes her involvement in VMT Dance, the National Honor Society, Communities in Schools; and, the Nixon Cosmetology program. Additionally, she volunteered her time and talents to the Hispanic Festival, H-E-B Feast of Sharing, the Laredo Animal Care Facility, Regent Care, and at the Doctors Hospital Breast Cancer Awareness Event. She has a cosmetology license and plans to attend Laredo College to pursue a PA in Dermatology.

Thursdays virtual event also launched an exciting online ticket giveaway extravaganza that will continue through July 4. All who LIKE and SHARE Thursdays Facebook video will be entered to win FREE tickets to the 2022 festivities. Winners to be announced every week!

The Washingtons Birthday Celebration, founded in 1898, is the largest Celebration of its kind in the United States. Throughout the years, the Celebration has grown to be over a month long and consists of parades, dazzling pageants, fireworks, a carnival, an air show, a sizzling jalapeno festival and much more. You can also stay up to date, win ticket giveaways and other prizes by following us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

For additional information, e-mail wbcalaredo.org, contact the WBCA office at 956-722-0589, or visit 1819 E. Hillside Road in Laredo, Texas.
Vaccination shambles

The information supplied by the Ministry of Health advises that persons in Group 3 (65 and over) will be notified how and when to book a vaccination in late May. I have received no notification and then I see a Facebook posting from my MP early this week telling constituents how to book their vaccination and where they can go. In the Rodney region, this is being managed by the Coast to Coast Healthcare group. So I phone up on Tuesday requesting an appointment and I am told they are fully booked up that week and I should phone again on Friday to book for next week, as they cant take bookings in advance for the following week. So I phone up first thing this morning and I am told they are fully booked, and they tell me they dont know when I can get an appointment. I am also told that priority is being given to people who are registered with the Coast to Coast Healthcare group, which I am not. I am registered with a doctor in Auckland who I have been with for the last 30 years and I have no intention of changing. We only have two logical choices for Rodney residents, Wellsford or Birkenhead, despite Rodney being a district of 2420 sq kilometers. Based on my experience, this vaccination programme appears to be a complete shambles. If they are keen to get people vaccinated then they should facilitate the process rather than hinder it. Firstly, the Ministry of Health need to communicate as they said they would and secondly vaccination centres should not be discriminatory and prioritise their existing customers. When you phone in to book an appointment they should be able to provide an appointment, even if it is two weeks ahead. To say that we are fully booked, cant accept any new bookings and have no idea when you can get an appointment is plainly ridiculous. Is this shambles what we get for our $35 million? It is a national embarrassment.

Robert Hood, Warkworth

Mahurangi Matters put issues raised here to Coast to Coast Health director Dr Tim Malloy. Dr Malloy said the Ministry of Health booking system was not up and running nationally yet and not expected to be available for some weeks. As a result, Coast to Coast has had to create its own booking system for its vaccination centre in Wellsford. Dr Malloy said so far the majority of people Coast to Coast had vaccinated were patients from other practices and those outside the area. In the interests of equity and, until we can match supply with demand, we also need to allow our own patients to be vaccinated, he said. Further comments from Dr Malloy and the Northern Region Health Co-ordination Centre can be found in the story on page 20 - Ed

More on plaques

We were taken aback to see the article about deleting the Warkworth Wharf name plaques (MM May 19). As long-standing locals we enjoy walking the wharf and reminiscing about the names, many of whom still have descendants living here. Some people are gone now but were an important part of our community. The last wharf restoration was subsidised by these people. They thought enough of Warkworth to contribute financially. Is it too much to ask for the original deal of their name on a plaque on the wharf to be honoured and respected? Put them back on the restored wharf. How hard is that?

K & J Campbell, Matakana

Blatant discrimination

Regarding the Brent Morrissey letter (MM May 19). The gravel roads in rural Rodney are shocking, especially those with gradients and corners. I might point out that Auckland Council/Auckland Transport have always managed the roads and herein lies the problem. There is insufficient budget for proper maintenance or extending seal, thus the roads are eroding the base down to the clay. Grading is only a temporary solution, and without more product, the roads are deteriorating with dust nuisance in the summer, pot holes and corrugations in the winter  a danger to both driver and vehicle. The only long-term solution is a decent sealing program. The local transport targeted rate was publicly consulted on as a funding solution, but has all been diverted into urban public transport. The $121 million Mayor Goff/Rodney First win-win sealing deal has gone phut. Extension sealing has completely stopped since October 2020 and the new Auckland Council/AT Budget has a 66 per cent drop in funding, yet rural folk still pay the targeted rate, regional fuel tax and a 5 per cent rate rise. Blatant discrimination against rural communities.

Glen Ashton, Ahuroa

Lack of foresight

I write in regard to the lack of a full interchange at Puhoi on the new Puhoi to Warkworth motorway. NZTA spokesperson Darryl Walker repeats their already published statement that they forecast no demand for a full interchange with north-facing ramps (MM March 31). It is now interesting to read data published by StatisticsNZ forecasting a 50 per cent population increase in the general area by 2043  an additional 2680 people. Alongside that, there is the recent announcement of 1500ha of land, including resource consent for 207 lots and open to additional subdivision, is now on the market on the northern boundary of Puhoi, running up to Perry Road, Warkworth, with the motorway running through it. Add to that, Warkworth and its environs are scheduled to quadruple in size. I note former Rodney Mayor Penny Webster, ever the politician, claims her efforts resulted in at least the south-facing ramps (MM May 5) by pointing out to the NZ Transport Agency the somewhat obvious need for access to the motorway for emergency services (including the Puhoi Fire Brigade). Firstly, this may well have been in mitigation of Councils previous negative attitude to the whole scheme, along with realisation preparations for a legal challenge to the removal of the long-held access for locals to the tunnels southward was well advanced. In any case, accidents happen both south and north of Puhoi and as far as I am able to ascertain, nothing has yet been established to deal with accidents north of Puhoi. Underlying all of this is a profound lack of foresight and long-term planning, coupled with a decades-old reluctance to advance the development of Northland. This has manifested in the fiasco that is the Harbour Bridge, originally envisioned with a platform layout similar to the Sydney Harbour Bridge  multi-lanes, pedestrian access and rail line. It was reduced to a minimum because they forecast no need for more. We have now spent mega-bucks trying to mitigate that error, along with multiple revisits to stretches of the motorway to widen and upgrade the minimalist previous efforts, and it has now taken over 60 years to reach where we are today.

John Simons, Orewa


The interactive map shows the Leigh Harbour walk on the wrong side of the blue instability line.



The peninsula at Scotts Landing is going to get narrower.

Auckland Council has released an interactive map showing which properties are most at risk from the forces of coastal erosion.

At Scotts Landing, the map shows erosion lines severing the peninsula into an island and the Leigh Harbour walkway is depicted as susceptible to eroding away completely.

The new map considers rising sea level forecasts from the Ministry of Environment and shows lines that predict what areas might be unstable by 2050, 2080 and 2130.

Council geotechnical lead Ross Roberts says just because a property is within an unstable area does not mean it will be underwater in 30 years, but it is reason to be cautious.

He adds there is no immediate danger of the formation of a Scotts island, but the forecasts will guide future road decisions as the land becomes narrower. Concerning the Leigh Harbour walkway, he says that pathways are the least concerning infrastructure at risk, as they can be shifted as coastlines move.

Mr Roberts says properties atop coastal cliffs are most at risk, and the further inland the instability lines are from the cliff, the higher the risk there is that a slip will take a large chunk with it.

Be observant. It may not be a problem now, but if you notice little landslides on your property, you may want to get technical advice, he says.

The new lines are part of a two-and-a-half year study that has mapped Aucklands 3200km coastline and uses data collected over 20 years to predict the rate of coastal erosion.

Mr Roberts says that erosion is an inevitable process and the data will help Council manage the citys coastal assets.

The risk is that the more we develop susceptible areas, the more pressure there is to defend them. Council cannot afford to build a seawall right around Auckland, he says.

Council already requires developments on the coast to undertake geotechnical studies and the new lines will be used to inform these studies. They will also be included in the unitary plan.

View the map at: https://aucklandcouncil.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=3ded5342789f4af48deb906a3c05cabe
In this file photo, the Maid of the Mist heads into the mist as seen from the Cave of the Winds tour at Niagara Falls State Park.
Garda powers are to be modernised and updated as the Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys TD, today publishes the General Scheme of the Garda Siochana (Powers) Bill following approval by Government.

Publication of the Bill was a key commitment in the Justice Plan 2021. The Bill will modernise existing law and make it more consistent.

In line with a recommendation of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, the Bill will provide a clear and transparent statutory basis for the existing police powers of search, arrest and detention, supported by statutory codes of practice.

It will also have a strong focus on human rights. This includes both the rights of suspected or accused persons, as well as the human rights of all members of society to live free from violence, abuse, crime and fear.

New measures included in the Bill include:

The introduction of a single power of arrest. This will increase the scope of Garda arrest powers, but also make the power subject to conditions to ensure the arrest is necessary in the particular circumstances. This is in line with other common law jurisdictions

The Garda caution will be put on a statutory basis and the requirement for a written contemporaneous note of a Garda interview will be removed in cases where it can be recorded by other means.

Placing current practice on a statutory footing, a statutory right for the accused to have their lawyer present at interview will be introduced.

A power for An Garda Siochana and other bodies to require a person to provide passwords for access to electronic devices when carrying out a search warrant.

A new requirement to make a written record of a stop and search. This will facilitate the collection of data necessary to assess the effectiveness and use of the relevant powers by Garda management and oversight bodies.

Statutory codes of practice will be drawn up to provide guidance for Gardai in using their powers under the Bill

Special measures will be taken for suspects who are children and suspects who may have impaired capacity (whether because of an intellectual disability, mental illness, physical disability or intoxication).



Minister Humphreys said: The law in this area is currently very complex, spread across the common law, hundreds of pieces of legislation, constitutional and EU law. Bringing it together will make the use of police powers by Gardai clear, transparent and accessible. The aim is to create a system that is both clear and straightforward for Gardai to use and easy for people to understand what powers Gardai can use and what their rights are in those circumstances.

At the same time, where we are proposing to extend additional powers to Gardai, we are also strengthening safeguards. The Bill will have a strong focus on the fundamental rights and procedural rights of the accused. I believe this will maintain the crucial balance which is key to our criminal justice system, while ensuring greater clarity and streamlining of Garda powers.

This Bill, along with the implementation of the other recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, will improve and copper-fasten a policing practice which is focused, intelligence-based and underpinned by community confidence and support. It will enhance the bedrock of safeguards for good policing  trust, legitimacy and authority.

The new Bill will set out and enhance the rights of persons in Garda custody, and bring together the existing powers to detain people in Garda custody for the purpose of an investigation.

It will bring in longer detention periods for the investigation of multiple offences being investigated together, for a maximum of up to 48 hours.

It will also allow for a weeks detention for suspects in human trafficking offences, which are currently subject to a maximum of 24 hours detention. The longer detention period is warranted because of the control that is often exerted by the perpetrators over their victims.

It is important to note that these are the maximum detention periods permitted. They can only be used where necessary to investigate the offence and they are subject to authorisation by a Court.

The rights of detained suspects are provided for in detail, including the right to rest, the right to medical attention and the right of access to a lawyer.

The Department has consulted extensively in the formulation of the Bill, including with human rights bodies, policing oversight bodies, as well as An Garda Siochana and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Part of the Scheme dealing with search warrants will also apply to the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

The proposals relating to the rights of accused persons will strengthen the measures in place to implement the EU Directive on the Right to Information and facilitate the State opting-in to the EU Directive on Access to a Lawyer. The General Scheme also implements the majority of recommendations of the Law Reform Commissions 2015 Report on Search Warrants.

The Scheme does not include the powers of search, arrest and detention under the Offences Against the State Acts, as that legislation is separately the subject of a review chaired by Mr Justice Michael Peart. Following the completion of that review, any implications for this Scheme will be considered.

The General Scheme will now be sent to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice for pre-legislative scrutiny.
A new garda superintendent will be appointed to Longford, it has been confirmed this afternoon.

A meeting of Longford's Joint Policing Committee (JPC) heard how Department of Justice officials have given assurances the position vacated by Jim Delaney last week will be filled.

Longford Senator Micheal Carrigy made the announcement, saying moves to appoint a successor to the Tullamore native were already underway.

"The position will be filled and I have been in contact with the minister's (Heather Humphreys ) office over it," he said.

"It's important a new superintendent is appointed as a lot of progress has been made of late in relation to targeted raids and it is essential that work continues."

The Ballinalee postmaster's comments put paid to any lingering fears the county's most senior garda position could be left vacant after outgoing superintendent Delaney officially stepped down from the helm last Friday.

JPC chairperson Cllr Seamus Butler led a stream of glowing tributes to the 57-year-old's five year tenure in Longford, insisting the fruits of those efforts would live on.

"The people of Longford owe him a great debt," he said.

"Unfortunately, Covid has delayed a lot of prosecutions that would have otherwise come before the district and particularly circuit courts and it's a credit to Jim and all his staff for those."

Former JPC chairperson, Cllr Gerry Warnock followed suit, adding how Longford would be "all the poorer" for Mr Delaney's decision to take early retirement.

In the midst of those glowing endorsements, talk has already started to home in on who might take over the reins at the district's Battery Road headquarters.

It is understood that possible candidates include incumbent Cavan Superintendent Padraig Jones, Dundalk Superintendent Michelle Baker and current Granard Superintendent Seamus Boyle, all of whom are Longford natives.



Another possible candidate is Supt Blaithin Moran, who previously served as a former inspector in Longford before last year earning promotion to the Gardai's National Roads Policing Bureau in Dublin.
A County Louth man who showed up at a nearby garda station to alert officers to the fact that he had just tried to rape a young woman has been jailed for three years.

Oliver Kane (41), who was homeless at the time, told gardai that when he saw the woman walking by he decided I am going to run towards her and get as close as I can. He said his intentions were to get her into a side area but she fought him off and managed to get away.

God knows what would have happened, Kane told gardai before he admitted he was going to rape her.

Garda Roisin ODonnell agreed that Kane said in subsequent interviews with gardai if you were homeless and wanted a shag, you wouldnt care where it came from.

Kane pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to attempted rape of the now 21-year-old in Ardee, County Louth on November 16, 2020. He has one previous conviction for a public order offence.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey sentenced Kane to four years with the final year suspended on strict conditions including that he engages with his local mental health service for three years upon his release from prison.

He also registered him as a sex offender and imposed a three-year post-release supervision order during which time Kane must engage with the Probation Service.

Mr Justice Coffey said Kane intended to abuse his natural physical strength to degrade the victim. He said Kane had embarked upon the crime opportunistically in shocking circumstances during which the woman was attacked from behind while walking home late at night.

The judge noted that the woman has had to endure the continual ill effects of the crime in that she suffers from severe depression, sleepless nights and never feels safe.

Mr Justice Coffey acknowledged that Kane was instantly overcome with remorse and admitted his crime to the gardai. He said coupled with his plea of guilty, this admission has been of very considerable value to the prosecution.

Finally, the judge noted that Kane has only one previous conviction for a minor public order offence, was from a decent law-abiding family, was homeless at the time of the attempted rape and has a minor intellectual disability.

Carl Hanahoe BL, prosecuting, told the court at an earlier hearing that although the complainant does not wish to waive her right to anonymity, she is satisfied that reporting the name of her attacker and the location of the incident would not identify her.

She stated in a victim impact statement, read to the court by Garda ODonnell, that Kanes attack changed her life.

He attempted to rape me and violate me. I was strong enough to escape but it has still affected my mental health, the woman said.

She described how she suffered from constant nightmares and struggled to sleep. She took two weeks off work. She has started counselling since last Christmas after initially thinking I could do this my own and has since been treated for depression.

The woman said the worst part of the whole ordeal was seeing her mother upset and she added that she is now more careful.

No human being should be violated and taken advantage of and never feel unsafe, the woman concluded.

Michael Bowman SC, defending said that his client is aware of the behaviour that brought him here and the distress that he has brought on the complainant.

He said Kane was sleeping rough at the time in both Drogheda and Dundalk but had come to Ardee that night to look for help.

Counsel said his client was being treated for both depression and psychosis at the time but had not taken his medication for the two weeks prior to the attack.

Kane interrupted Bowmans address to the court and shouted nothing excuses what I have done before counsel continued and added that Kane does not seek to hide behind any of his difficulties.

Garda ODonnell told Mr Hanahoe that the victim had left a friend's house around 1am that morning and was walking home to her fathers when she heard a noise and became aware that there was a man behind her. She had been listening to music and had headphones in.

Kane asked her for a lighter. She told him she didnt have one but he continued to ask for one and walked after her.

He suddenly grabbed her from behind and put his hand over her mouth. The woman attempted to get away and struggled with Kane.

She later told gardai that she believed he was trying to get her to the entrance of a nearby housing estate where there is a green area behind a small wall.

The woman eventually managed to break free although Kane tried to grab her a second time. She ran away and shouted to him that she was calling the gardai. Kane fled the scene and the woman immediately called the gardai.

Garda ODonnell told Mr Hanahoe that she was just about to leave the station to respond to the womans call when Kane arrived at the station and admitted he had just tried to rape a woman.

She agreed with Mr Bowman that his client has considerable mental health issues and his behaviour on the night was bizarre.

She acknowledged that he was crying when he first arrived at the station and was still quite upset during his later garda interviews.

Garda ODonnell agreed that Kane expressed regret for what had taken place and understood that he had hurt the woman.

She accepted that he was from a decent law-abiding family and at the time was in desperate need of help and accommodation.

Longford Leader Farming: Farmers expect proper labelling of feed IFA Grain Chairman Mark Browne has called on feed compounders to label feed with the exact percentage of ingredients, and whether its Irish or imported.
Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Chris Boyle Published: June 14 2021

"Small businesses have long been the backbone of New York State's economy but were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed legislation to waive taxes on grants from the $800 million COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. Applications for the program will be accepted starting June 10 for small and micro businesses and small for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations to help them recover from the economic impact of the pandemic.

"Small businesses have long been the backbone of New York State's economy but were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was critically important that the state stepped up to help this critical sector," Governor Cuomo said. "We want to make sure all $800 million of the COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program is available to help grantees, and this legislation will eliminate state taxes on that funding so we can get every single dollar into the pockets of businesses and help rebuild New York's economy for the future."

Flexible grants up to $50,000 will be made available to eligible small businesses and can be used for operating expenses, including payroll, rent or mortgage payments, taxes, utilities, personal protective equipment, or other business expenses incurred during the pandemic. Over 330,000 small and micro businesses are potentially eligible for this program, including 57 percent of the State's certified MWBEs.

Small Business Recovery Grant Program

The small business recovery grant program will provide funding to small and micro businesses and small for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations to help them recover from the economic impact of the pandemic, with priority being given to socially and economically disadvantaged business owners, including minority- and women-owned business enterprises, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses and veteran-owned businesses, and businesses located in economically distressed communities.

Grants will be for a minimum award of $5,000 and a maximum award of $50,000 and will be calculated based on a New York State business' annual gross receipts for 2019. Reimbursable COVID-19 related expenses must have been incurred between March 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021 and can include:
Local News, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Chris Boyle Published: June 14 2021

The Department of Social Services partnered with various Nassau County Departments to place over 75 youth in various jobs.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran recently announced that the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) is providing funding to Nassau County Department of Social Services to provide an abbreviated Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) for eligible youth ages 16 to 20 years. Nassau County Department of Social Services (DSS) partnered with various Nassau County Departments to place over 75 youth in various jobs.

The County-run Summer Youth Employment Program connects young residents with paid job placements. The program gives young people education, training and support services  while allowing them explore career paths, said County Executive Curran. Outstanding young adults have come through this program in past years, and I cant wait to seeing this years group put their talents to work.

Exposure to work settings and connecting youth to jobs are key components of Nassaus SYEP. The program helps youth enhance their work history and employability through education & training workshops that provide job-readiness & work-related skills. The program will also help youth develop their social capital by connecting with potential employers. DSS identified the youth by collaborating with local schools, and DSS foster care agencies.

Social Services Commissioner Nancy Nunziata stated, The Summer Youth Employment Program is a wonderful opportunity for our youth to earn money and develop job skills necessary for their future success. We are grateful to OTDA for providing the additional funding in order that County youth can benefit from this worthwhile program.
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(Alliance News) - Alphawave IP Group PLC on Monday hailed record results in the group's "strongest-ever first half performance" as booking numbers continue to grow.

The chip developer reported record year to date bookings of more than USD190 million, following USD82 million of bookings in first quarter 2021 and USD75 million in financial year 2020.

Multiple "strategic design wins" and a rise in 5G demand were listed as contributing factors for growth.

All agreements for the company's China Product Partnership have now been executed, it said, with subscription licensing revenue tipped to begin in the first half.

Toronto-based Alphawave develops chip technology that enables high-speed connectivity. It floated on the Main Market of London Stock Exchange in May, with a market value of GBP2.51 billion at the time. Funds of USD500 million were raised to fuel the group's continued expansion.

President & Chief Executive Tony Pialis said: "I am pleased that we have delivered another record quarter of bookings in 2021 driven by several strategic design wins with new and existing Tier 1 North American customers in 5G wireless communication products for our core IP and product IP offerings.

"In addition, Alphawave IP was selected by one of the largest hyperscaler companies in the world to provide its solutions."

Shares in Alphawave were up 2.9% to 324.00 pence in London on Monday morning, valuing the company at GBP2.15 billion.

By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy on Monday said it has been granted a new US patent for its cancer immunotherapy drug candidate bexmarilimab.

The Turku, Finland-based drug discovery and development company said the US Patent & Trademark Office will issue the patent on June 29. The patent will protect the "composition of matter of bexmarilimab" and is expected to expire in 2037.

The same patent has been granted in Japan and applications are under review in other territories including Europe and China, Faron said.

Faron shares were trading 8.2% higher in London at 397.80 pence each on Monday following the announcement.

Bexmarilimab targets a receptor in the body known as Clever-1, believed to be key to forming an immune defence against tumour growth and spread. It is currently being trialled as a potential therapy for patients with solid tumours who have exhausted all treatment options.

Faron Chief Executive Markku Jalkanen said: "We are extremely pleased to receive this key patent approval which grants us market exclusivity up to 2037.

"The patent is a welcome addition to our existing global intellectual property portfolio for targeting Clever-1 and further strengthens the long-term potential of this next-generation macrophage reprogramming immunotherapy."

By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Hilton Food Group PLC on Monday said a "significant fire" at its food processing site in Ghent, Belgium has caused "extensive damage", although no staff were injured in the blaze.

Hilton has implemented a contingency plan to "ensure continued local supply to customers", it said. The fire, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning, was attended to by the emergency services. The incident is being investigated by the food packaging company with no cause yet provided.

In May, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire-based Hilton had noted "good progress" in its European arm, helped by lockdowns increasing home consumption of food and the opening of a new plant in Belgium.

The stock was down 0.7% to 1,114.00 pence on Monday morning in London.

By Will Paige; willpaige@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
DiscovOre PLC - London-based medical cannabis investor - Reports pretax profit swung to GBP100,709 for the financial year ending November 30, 2020, from a loss of GBP510,733 the previous year. Notes investment gains of GBP222,057 for the financial year, compared with a GBP214,996 loss the year prior. Avoided raising capital via equity or debt and cut administrative expenses in recent financial year by GBP178,408 on the year before. The company's corporate broker raised gross proceeds before expenses of GBP3.5 million in a brokered financing, issuing 175 million ordinary shares at 2 pence each, as announced on April 28.

Notes growing interest from investors and financiers in the medical cannabis industry over past year. Says that from April 2021, the company will also invest in medical psychedelics. Now primarily interested in ventures that aim to develop mental health treatments using medical cannabis and psychedelics. DiscovOre was named Eurocann International PLC until November 2020.

Aquis Exchange current stock price: 2.50p, flat

Year-to-date change: down 17%

By Scarlett Butler; scarlettbutler@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies issued on Monday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







TBC Bank Group PLC - Tbilisi, Georgia-headquartered lender - Says just under 24% of shareholders vote against approval of directors' remuneration report. "The executive remuneration arrangements reported on in the 2020 directors' remuneration report are fully aligned with our directors' remuneration policy, which was approved by 99.9% of our shareholders at our 2018 AGM," lender explains. It continues: "Over the last year, we have engaged with shareholders about executive remuneration in connection with the preparation of the new directors' remuneration policy, which the board notes was approved by 96.2% of shareholders at the AGM. We will continue our active dialogue with shareholders on executive remuneration matters, particularly with those who decided to vote against this resolution, and intend to further consult with shareholders during the coming months to understand their concerns." Also notes 25% of shareholders vote against resolution to disapply statutory pre-emption rights.







Spectra Systems Corp - Rhode Island-based authentication technology provider - Reports lack of quorum at annual general meeting. Notes only 24% of shares voted, which came from 23 ballots.







Cadence Minerals PLC - UK-based mineral resources investor - Says 1% investee Macarthur Minerals o spin-out its non-iron ore assets in the Pilbara into Infinity Mining Ltd. Infinity intends to IPO in Australia. "This strategy will fast track further exploration and the future development potential of the Pilbara Assets and allow Macarthur to focus solely on the development of its flagship iron ore projects situated at Lake Giles in the Yilgarn region of south-western, Western Australia," Macarthur explains.







Braveheart Investment Group PLC - makes strategic investments in companies it thinks will outperform - Notes investee Paraytec's grant funded project to deploy its ActiPix technology in the field of Alzheimer's disease diagnosis is "progressing well". "Prototype instruments are being built, to test blood for protein biomarkers. If successful, these instruments will be used by clinicians aiming to more accurately diagnose patients and monitor their treatment," company adds.







Yamana Gold Inc - gold, silver and copper miner in Canada, Chile, Brazil and Argentina - Agrees to buy the Francoeur, Arntfield and Lac Fortune gold properties adjoining the company's Wasamac project as well as additional claims in the Beuchastel township to the east of the Wasamac project from Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. Will pay CAD4.0 million, about USD3.3 million, in shares to Globex, with remaining CAD11.0 million, payable over 4 years, to be paid in either cash or shares. On top of that, Globex will receive a 2% gross metal royalty from Yamana, of which 0.5% may be bought back at any time by Yamana for CAD1.5 million, following which the royalty would be reduced to a 1.5% gross metal royalty.







Secure Property Development & Investment PLC - eastern Europe focused property investor - Signs three agreements over transfer of certain assets owned by SPDI in Romania and Ukraine to Arcona Property Fund NV. Under the terms of the agreements, SPDI will receive approximately 605,000 new ordinary shares in Arcona and about 145,000 warrants over ordinary shares in Arcona, as well as EUR1 million in cash. Says transaction worth total of EUR8.2 million.







Motif Bio PLC - AIM cash shell - Says BiVictriX Therapeutics Ltd acquisition cancelled after shareholders at annual general meeting vote against several resolutions. As a result, shares will be cancelled from trading on AIM on Tuesday. Has previously proposed name change to BiVictriX Therapeutics and placing and subscription to raise GBP10.1 million via issue of 50.5 million new shares, at a price of 20 pence each. Both of which will now not go ahead.







By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Vodafone Group PLC on Monday said it has turned to six firms, including Samsung Electronics Co and a Capgemini SE unit, to deploy what will be Europe's first commercial open radio access network, or RAN.

Vodafone explained open RAN networks provide a "more cost-effective, secure, energy efficient and customer-focused" mobile telecommunications system. Open RAN allows networks to be deployed and operated using varied components from different suppliers.

"With political and industrial policy support from the European Commission and the national governments of the EU, Open RAN has the potential to bring more European companies into this emerging market," Vodafone added.

The company outlined Samsung, Capgemini Engineering, part of Paris-based Capgemini, and Texas-headquartered Dell Technologies among its six "strategic vendors". Tokyo-based NEC Corp, an IT and electronics firm, California-headquartered software firm Wind River, and test and measurement equipment provider Keysight Technologies Inc also are among those selected by Vodafone to build the network.

Vodafone added: "Starting this year, the vendors will work with Vodafone to extend 4G and 5G coverage to more rural places across the South West of England and most of Wales, moving into urban areas in a later phase. Vodafone is also working to launch Open RAN in other countries within both Europe and Africa, enabling the digital society to be accessible to all, with no one left behind.

"The company believes the move will spark other large-scale Open RAN launches and spearhead the next wave of digital transformation across Europe."

Vodafone shares were 0.5% higher at 130.47 pence each in London on Monday morning.

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Exton, PA (19341)

Today

Rain. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Rain. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Manchester Center, VT (05254)

Today

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Rain becoming heavy at times overnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Goldie Wilkinson, 90 of Alderson died Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Family will greet friends and relatives 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at Bishop Funeral Service. Funeral service will be 2:00 p.m., Friday at Bishop Chapel of Memories Burial will follow in Memory Gardens Memorial Park Cemetery.
Marietta, GA (30060)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
Atlanta, GA (30303)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then thunderstorms developing late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then thunderstorms developing late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
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Atlanta, GA (30342)

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Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

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Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Marietta, GA (30060)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by thunderstorms late. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
George Edward Logan, age 82 of Conneautville, PA passed away on June 27, 2021, at Hamot Hospital with family. He was born November 14, 1938, in Meadville, PA to the late Catherine (Ohl) Logan and Thomas P. Logan. He graduated in 1957 from Conneautville High School where he was a star athlete
Can you get a different Covid vaccine for the second dose? A clinical trial has began to test what happens when adults take two different Covid-19 vaccines. This will help us understand the pros and cons of taking two different vaccine boosters.



The trial aims to determine the safety and immunogenicity of mixed boosted regimens, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Xinhua reported.

Initial clinical trial results of whether Covid-19 vaccine boosters can be mix-and-matched will be out by late summer this year.





People who have not received Covid-19 vaccine are also eligible to enroll in the trial in a separate cohort. These volunteers will initially receive the two-dose Moderna Covid-19 vaccine regimen, and will be assigned to receive a booster dose of a vaccine about 12 to 20 weeks later, according to the NIH.



Trial investigators will evaluate participants for safety and any side effects after vaccination. Participants also will be asked to provide blood samples periodically so that trial investigators can evaluate immune responses against current circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2, as well as emerging variants, according to the NIH.



Initial trial results are expected in late summer this year.



Source: IANS Each vaccine group will enroll about 25 people aged 18 to 55 years, and about 25 people aged 56 years and older. Twelve to 20 weeks following their initial vaccination regimen, participants will receive a single booster dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine as part of the trial.People who have not received Covid-19 vaccine are also eligible to enroll in the trial in a separate cohort. These volunteers will initially receive the two-dose Moderna Covid-19 vaccine regimen, and will be assigned to receive a booster dose of a vaccine about 12 to 20 weeks later, according to the NIH.Trial investigators will evaluate participants for safety and any side effects after vaccination. Participants also will be asked to provide blood samples periodically so that trial investigators can evaluate immune responses against current circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2, as well as emerging variants, according to the NIH.Initial trial results are expected in late summer this year.Source: IANS

The trial will include about 150 adults who have been fully vaccinated with one of the three approved Covid-19 vaccines in the United States, the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
Colchicine drug is gonna undergo a two-arm phase-II clinical trial by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug in treating Covid-19.



Colchicine is used for treating gout and related inflammatory conditions. The drug is expected to be an important therapeutic intervention for Covid patients with cardiac co-morbidities.

Enrollment of Covid-19 patients has already begun at multiple sites across India and the clinical trial is likely to be completed in the next 8-10 weeks.

India is one of the largest producers of this key drug Colchicine and if successful, it will be made available to the patients at an affordable cost.



CSIR and Hyderabad-based Laxai Life Sciences Pvt Ltd have been given regulatory approval by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to undertake a two-arm phase-II clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug Colchicine in the improvement of clinical outcomes during the treatment of Covid-19 patients.



The partner CSIR institutes in this important clinical trial are the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad and CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu.



Director General of CSIR Dr Shekhar C. Mande expressed his happiness on the approval granted to conduct the clinical trial on this approved drug.



Dr Ram Vishwakarma, advisor to DG-CSIR, highlighted that Colchicine in combination with standard of care will be an important therapeutic intervention for Covid patients with cardiac co-morbidities and also for reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to faster recovery.



Dr S. Chandrasekhar (Director CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad) and Dr D.S. Reddy (Director, CSIR-IIIM, Jammu), the two partner institutes from CSIR said that they are looking forward to the outcome of this Phase II clinical efficacy trial on Colchicine, which may lead to life-saving intervention in the management of hospitalized patients.



Dr Ram Upadhayay, CEO, Laxai, informed, that the enrollment of patients has already begun at multiple sites across India and the trial is likely to be completed in the next 8-10 weeks.



He further added that this drug can be made available to large population of India based on the results of this trial and regulatory approval.



Recent clinical studies have reported in leading medical journals about colchicine being associated with a significant reduction in the rates of recurrent pericarditis, post-pericardiotomy syndrome, and peri-procedural atrial fibrillation following cardiac surgery and atrial fibrillation ablation.







Source: IANS and if successful, it will be made available to the patients at an affordable cost.CSIR and Hyderabad-based Laxai Life Sciences Pvt Ltd have been given regulatory approval by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to undertake a two-arm phase-II clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug Colchicine in the improvement of clinical outcomes during the treatment of Covid-19 patients.The partner CSIR institutes in this important clinical trial are the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad and CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu.Director General of CSIR Dr Shekhar C. Mande expressed his happiness on the approval granted to conduct the clinical trial on this approved drug.Dr Ram Vishwakarma, advisor to DG-CSIR, highlighted that Colchicine in combination with standard of care will be an important therapeutic intervention for Covid patients with cardiac co-morbidities and also for reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to faster recovery.Dr S. Chandrasekhar (Director CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad) and Dr D.S. Reddy (Director, CSIR-IIIM, Jammu), the two partner institutes from CSIR said that they are looking forward to the outcome of this Phase II clinical efficacy trial on Colchicine, which may lead to life-saving intervention in the management of hospitalized patients.Dr Ram Upadhayay, CEO, Laxai, informed, that the enrollment of patients has already begun at multiple sites across India and the trial is likely to be completed in the next 8-10 weeks.He further added that this drug can be made available to large population of India based on the results of this trial and regulatory approval.Recent clinical studies have reported in leading medical journals aboutSource: IANS

A number of global studies have confirmed now that cardiac complications during course of Covid-19 infections and post-Covid syndrome are leading to loss of many lives, and it is essential to look for new or repurposed drugs.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava said that they are hoping to vaccinate the entire country by the end of the year.



Addressing a press conference here, Bhargava also announced that enough doses to vaccinate 1 crore people per day will be possible by mid-July or August this year.

"By mid-July or August, there will be enough doses to vaccinate 1 crore people per day," said the ICMR Chief.

"Our vaccination drive is being ramped up and by December 2021, we hope to have the whole country vaccinated. India is one of the five countries which is producing vaccines," he said.



The ICMR chief also said that "there is no shortage of vaccine in the country".



"By mid-July or August, we will have enough doses to vaccinate 1 crore people per day. We are confident of vaccinating the whole population by December."



He also shared the government's plan to gradually lift thee lockdown by ensuring less than five percent cases in containment areas, and over 70 percent inoculation to vulnerable section or people over 60 years.



"We will not witness a massive surge. However, we have to ensure that vaccination is prioritized. The vaccination rate must be up to 70 percent and Covid appropriate behaviour should be followed."







Source: IANS he said.The ICMR chief also said that "there is no shortage of vaccine in the country".He also shared the government's plan to gradually lift thee lockdown by ensuring less than five percent cases in containment areas, and over 70 percent inoculation to vulnerable section or people over 60 years.Source: IANS

The ICMR Director General also appealed people to have patience, saying "we are equal to the US in terms of vaccinating people. However, our population is almost four times of the US, we should have patience".
There are many father-son duos who are known in Bollywood such as Amitabh Bachchan-Abhishek Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor-Ranbir Kapoor, Sunil Dutt-Sanjay Dutt, and many more. However, there are some fathers whose struggle in making their son a Bollywood actor is not known.



Many fathers are not themselves Bollywood stars but have made extreme efforts to make their sons Bollywood stars. So, heres a list of actors whose dads played an integral role in making them Bollywood stars-

Ayushmann Khurranas Dad P Khurana

Ayushmann Khurrana is an outsider in Bollywood and made it big in the industry with just pure hard work. He has been able to win the hearts of his audience and he has struggled for a long time. However, its not only him who struggled and made him what he is today.

In a post, he expressed how his dad helped through the journey. He said, From an under-confident child you transformed me into a peoples person. Your zest makes me more enthusiastic about life. Thank you papa for everything.

Pankaj Tripathis Dad Pandit Benaras Tripathi

Pankaj Tripathi is one of the versatile actors that Bollywood has and he has been in the industry for a long time now but only gained stardom a few years ago. He brings a lot of edge to his roles but what we dont know is that what role his father has played in making him an actor.

Pankaj Tripathis dad always wanted him to become a doctor but now he is happy as his son has become a successful actor.

Kartik Aaryans Dad Manish Tiwari

Kartik Aaryan has achieved a lot in a short period in Bollywood. From giving back-to-back hits to getting big-budget films, he has won the hearts of the audience. Now, that he has made it in Bollywood, it shows on his dads face how proud he is of his sons success.

Manoj Bajpayees Dad Radhakant Bajpai

My gr8 father!dicussing the mutton that he cooks very well.yumyum pic.twitter.com/vKBCoBTU  manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) October 5, 2012

Manoj Bajpayee is one of the best actors our industry has and he was recently praised for his performance in The Family Man 2. However, he has had his fair share of struggles in the industry. There is a lot that goes unsaid that his dad has done for him.
Today is Sushant Singh Rajputs 1st death anniversary and Ankita Lokhande hosted a special prayer at her home for him. She shared a video on her Instagram stories where we can see a glimpse of prayer set-up at her home.

However, Ankita wasnt visible in the video shred on Instagram, someone was visible in the video setting up the pooja.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra, Mumbai apartment on June 14, 2020.

Ankita hosted a pooja for Sushant ahead of his death anniversary. Ankita shared a video of the pooja where the set-up was visible along with Om chants in the background.

 Ankita Lokhande IG

Rhea Chakraborty also recently shared a post on social media just a few days before Sushant Singh Rajputs death anniversary. In the post she asked her fans and followers to just hang in there.



She wrote, "From great suffering, comes great strength! You'll just have to trust me on this one.. Hang in there Love Rhea.

Not only this, Sushant Singh Rajputs sister, Shweta Singh Kirti also planned to take a solitary retreat. She took to Instagram and said, "I am going on a solitary retreat for the whole month of June in the mountains. I wont have access to the internet or cell services there. Bhais one year of passing on will be spent cherishing his sweet memories in silence. Though his physical body has left us almost a year back, the values he stood for still live on.. Wishing all an auspicious Buddha Purnima.



Check out the post here-

Sushant Singh Rajputs death was initially ruled a suicide by the Mumbai Police. But, it is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
As compared to the other members of the LGBTQ+ community, people of the transgender community have it harder in India.

The stereotypes that the community is shrouded with certainly doesnt make their lives easier.

 BCCL

Starting from being denied basic healthcare amenities, and housing, to being denied education and government jobs, people of the transgender community have faced endless trials and tribulations.



 BCCL

This is where our elected governments should come in, ideally. Over the years, some state governments have stepped up and introduced legislation and policies that made their lives easier, in a very proactive manner. Other states, well, not so much.



 BCCL

Here are 6 instances where state governments have stepped up and introduced initiatives, that have helped the Transgender community, massively:



1. Assam Allowing Trans People To Register For Civil Service Exam

 BCCL

Back in October 2020, the state government of Assam added transgender as an option in the gender category for their state civil service examination forms. This made them the first Indian state to do so.



This means that people from the community in the state can now get recruited as state police officers and as other different civil servants.

2. Odisha Police To Now Recruit Transgenders, Issue Application

 BCCL

The Odisha Police recently announced that they would too will start recruiting transgender people for posts such as sub-inspectors and constables.



Furthermore, they have invited applications for the same.

3. Tamil Nadu & Kerala To Pay For Trans People's Gender Reassignment Surgeries

 BCCL

In 2018, Kerala became the second state after Tamil Nadu to offer financial aid to Trans People, who chose to go for reassignment surgery.



Both the state governments offered up to Rs 2 Lakhs for the surgery, and some other costs for therapy sessions to adjust to life after reassignment.

Tamil Nadu was also one of the first states to have a Transgender Welfare Board, which was established way back in 2008.

4. Pension Scheme & Other Social Security - Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh

Over the years, some states have introduced several social security and pension schemes for people of the Transgender community.

Although this isnt exactly a solution, it has been noticed that states which have some form of a welfare board or social security program, start paying attention to issues such as education and jobs.

5. Dedicated Medical Boards & Sub-Committees For Trans People By Himachal Pradesh

 BCCL

Healthcare, in particular, has been one area where trans people have faced some of the most biases, mainly because of administrative issues, not medical ones. This is particularly bad in government-run hospitals.



Back in 2016, Himachal Pradeshs state government established dedicated Medical Boards & Sub-Committees, who were tasked with ensuring that the issues trans people have to deal with in getting adequate medical care, is dealt with urgently.

6. Maharashtras Transgender Welfare Board & Their Focus On Education

Then, theres Maharashtras Transgender Welfare Board, which was set up in 2019. Apart from conducting health programmes and providing education and employment opportunities to transgender people, the board also facilitates students in the state, who wish to apply for scholarships.

They also have numerous welfare programmes, which aim to make it easier for trans people to avail government schemes and benefits, in a timely manner.

The Bottom Line

While these states may already have robust systems in place to make lives easier for trans people, it is not enough, and a whole lot more needs to be done.

Reservation in educational institutions, government jobs are just a few of the things that are being deliberated. Other states seriously need to pull their socks up.

Most of them have only declared their intent to implement policies and measures that would help bring trans people for problems specific to them. Some, have not taken any actions, or havent made any such declarations at all.
Okay guys, tell me this!



If you or any of your other Indian friends ever managed to keep long hair in college, you will know ki ladkiyon se zaada toh tumhe auntiyaan ghoorti hai.

 Disney Plus Hotstar

 Eros International

The fact is that at many places, unfortunately, no matter how you are as a person, you will still be judged on the basis of your appearance.



Bhai! Even if you've not smoked weed or touched alcohol in your life, if you have long hair or dark circles (all that Netflix, bro), the police or your gully wale uncle will think of you as mohalle ka sabze bada nashedi.

While it's the hard truth, we're still pretty sure that you won't get arrested for just that.

Well, guess what? Neighbours Pakistan are one step ahead of us.

In what is clearly a bizarre reason to take someone on a ride to the local thane, the police in Pakistan's Lahore city jailed an artist for having long hair.

 Twitter/Natasha Javed

According to reports, the artist, performer, and teacher, Abuzar Madhu had just been casually waiting for a rickshaw one fine morning before suddenly, a police car pulled up in front of him and took him to the police station.



Narrating the incident was his friend and child rights advocate, Natasha Javed, who said the police arrested him just because he had long hair.

"Last weekend, my friend Abuzar was picked up by Punjab Police in Lahore. He had to spend a night in Model town police station, in a lock-up. Reason: his long hair. she said in a series of tweets.

Last weekend, my friend Abuzar was picked up by Punjab Police in Lahore. He had to spend a night in Model town police station, in a lock up.

Reason: his long hair.

A thread  Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021

Abuzar is an artist & a teacher. He was waiting for a Rickshaw near Kalma Chawk when a police van stopped him. They asked for his ID card, which luckily he had. He showed the ID card. The police officer then asked others to put him in the police van Ainu Gaddi wich Pao pic.twitter.com/6Wu9Odk5L6  Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021

"Abuzar is an artist & a teacher. He was waiting for a Rickshaw near Kalma Chawk when a police van stopped him. They asked for his ID card, which luckily he had. He showed the ID card. The police officer then asked others to put him in the police van Ainu Gaddi wich Pao. said Natasha in her tweet.

Abuzar asked the officer what the issue was. The officer continued to threaten and scare him by saying that he will find out the issue once he reaches the police station. That the issue was his Hulia/appearance, his lambay Baal and that he is out on the street at 3 am.  Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021

Abuzar kept explaining that he is a teacher and an artist. However, The police harassment did not stop and they forced him to sit in the van and he was taken to the police station.  Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021

At the police station, they checked him & his bag. They found nothing except a few books. The officer who checked him asked thaanaydar Saifullah to let him go at his pint. But, no. He didnt agree and instead asked his junior to put Abuzar in the lockup.  Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021

Apparently, despite Abuzar answering all that needed to be answered, the police insisted on teaching him a lesson by locking him up for his appearance.

He insisted that he wanted to teach Abuzar a lesson for his long hair & appearance. That a Night in jail would be good for him to know that he dare not look the way he chooses to. Abuzar reached out to friends through Facebook to seek legal support before his phone was taken.  Natasha Javed (@natashajaved1) June 7, 2021

Jokes apart, this clearly displays the insensitivity and the attitude of a certain section of our society including authorities towards judging people on the basis of their appearances.

We really do hope Abuzar wins this battle and the police officers involved in the incident face the necessary actions.
Regardless of how much we love our jobs and enjoy work, we still wait eagerly and impatiently for Friday every week. Thats the only 48 hours when there are no work calls, no client briefs and no targets to be achieved, except catching up on sleep and unwinding with some beer and maybe a movie. After you have slogged for five days, this is the least we deserve, right?



 iStock

Someone on Twitter has some other POV regarding this. A user recently shared an unpopular opinion for young professionals advising them to work on the weekends for better career growth. They wrote, Unpopular opinion: the best thing young people can do early in their careers is to work on the weekends. Hmm.



 Prime Video

People on Twitter arent too keen on the idea and are not sure how exactly this would help in ones career. Would working on weekends fetch us a promotion or an employee of the month award"?



But, if it messes up your sleep schedule and makes you miss out on the important years of your life by spending them in a cubicle, is it really worth it?

 Prime Video

It started an unending discussion about work-life balance, healthy work habits and the toxic corporate culture which is perpetuated by mentors and employers like these.



Nope. This generation is getting wise to this 40+ hour work week. Theres no need to work on the weekends to advance your career.  Melissa Amateis (@WW2HistoryGal) June 13, 2021

Makes a note to not recommend any of the young people I mentor to work at one of your companies.



Balance matters; a full life matters; choosing to not be exploited by a company matters; establishing that balance and fullness starts early.  Grady Booch (@Grady_Booch) June 13, 2021

Unpopular opinion: the best thing young people can do early in their careers is learn to have a fulfilling life at any income level so they don't trap themselves in a never-ending wealth-chasing capitalist hellscape for the rest of their lives.  Orchestructive (@orchestructive) June 13, 2021

And then, there were some funny reactions on the thread that we totally loved. Here are some of them.

Some opinions are unpopular because they are bad  Hilary Agro (@hilaryagro) June 13, 2021

She wants young ppl to suffer so bad pic.twitter.com/X8DVwNzVdz  The most opinionated (@biigforehead93) June 13, 2021

She wants young ppl to suffer so bad pic.twitter.com/X8DVwNzVdz  The most opinionated (@biigforehead93) June 13, 2021

This tweet simply glamorizes overworking and encourages the workaholic culture, completely ignoring the fact that its important to have a life outside of work.

This reminds us of Japanese work culture where extreme work hours is an acceptable norm, so much so that employees dying due to overworking has a definite term Karoshi. Working for extra hours or extra days is definitely no solution or way to climb up the ladder of success. It is extremely unhealthy and unimportant.

 Twitter

We are glad that the replies came from some employers who said they would never motivate a young joinee to work on weekends. With bosses like these, young professionals can actually grow and feel motivated the right way.



 Yash Raj Films

After all, your job is just a part of your life. Dont make it your life.


Services for Mrs. Kathleen Mabry will be Friday, July 2, 2021, at 10 a.m., at Westwood Baptist Church. Visitation will be Friday, 9-10 a.m. Interment will be in Rock Hill Cemetery. To view full obituary go to www.jamesfwebb.com.
Sarah Warnock/MCIR

Stacey Spiehle, 40, who has bipolar disorder and battled alcoholism after a series of traumatic pregnancies, has reclaimed control of her life. She has won a full tuition scholarship to the University of Mississippi in Oxford through one of the 2021 Lyceum Scholar Awards.
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TOKYO (AP)  Two Americans charged with helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was facing accusations of financial misconduct agreed Monday that they took part in a scheme for him to escape the country.

Statements by Michael Taylor and his son, Peter, on the opening day of their trial in Tokyo suggest the pair dont plan to fight charges of assisting a criminal. That carries a possible penalty of up to three years in prison.

Keiji Isaji, one of the attorneys for the Taylors, told The Associated Press after the court session that he wants the trial to proceed efficiently. He said ending the trial quickly is in the best interests of his clients. He declined to confirm his team was hoping for a suspended sentence if they are convicted, meaning no time would be served. He stressed the decision was up to the judge.

The Taylors appeared calm as they were led into the courtroom in handcuffs, with ropes tied around their waists.

They said little except to answer the judge's questions, such as Yes, your honor, and I hear you well, when asked about simultaneous interpreting relayed through headphones.

Prosecutors read out a statement accusing Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, and Peter Taylor of arranging to hide Ghosn in a box for musical equipment. It was loaded onto a private jet that flew him from the western city of Osaka to Lebanon via Turkey in December 2019.

Ryozo Kitajima, one of the prosecutors, said Peter Taylor met with Ghosn at a hotel several times in 2019 and introduced Ghosn to his father. He said Peter Taylor also received $562,500 in two transfers to pay for chartering the jet and other expenses. Peter Taylor arranged for Ghosn to change his clothing at a Tokyo hotel. His father and another man, George-Antoine Zayek later accompanied Ghosn to the Osaka airport, Kitajima said.

Zayek has not been arrested.

The prosecutors said bitcoins worth $500,000 were transferred from Ghosn's son Anthony's account to Peter Taylor in 2020, purportedly to cover the Taylors' defense costs.

After a brief discussion with Chief Judge Hideo Nirei and their defense lawyers, the Taylors agreed there were no mistakes in the statement.

Prosecutors said that during their detention the Taylors had expressed remorse and that the pair had been misled to believe helping someone jump bail was not illegal in Japan. They said Ghosn's wife Carole told them Ghosn was being tortured. The prosecutors quoted the Taylors as saying they were not tortured and were treated in a way that was fair and professional.

The trial's next session is set for June 29, when prosecutors will continue their questioning.

The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts last year and extradited to Japan in March. Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship and Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. The authorities say Ghosn paid the Taylors at least $1.3 million.

Ghosn led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades before his arrest in 2018. He was charged with falsifying securities reports in under-reporting his compensation and of breach of trust in using Nissan money for personal gain. He says he is innocent and says he fled Japan because he did not expect to get a fair trial. More than 99% of criminal cases in Japan result in convictions.

Peter Taylor told a Massachusetts court in January that he met Ghosn in 2019 in Japan to pitch his digital marketing company to help repair Ghosns tarnished reputation. He said Ghosn asked him to bring him gifts, food and DVDs from his wife, and to deliver gifts, including to relatives in Lebanon.

Peter Taylor said he left Japan for Shanghai on Dec. 29, 2019, and was not in Japan when Ghosn is accused of fleeing. He denied he was in touch with his father at that time, court documents say.

No Japanese executives have been charged in the scandal at Nissan, Yokohama-based manufacturer of the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models.

Extraditions between Japan and the U.S. are relatively rare, even for serious crimes. The possible penalty of three years in prison is the minimum required for an extradition.

Separately, the same court is trying another American, Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive vice president, on charges he under-reported Ghosns compensation. That trial began in September.

Kellys trial has focused on whether reporting of deferred compensation for Ghosn may have violated the law. Several other senior executives at Nissan, including some non-Japanese, were aware of the arrangements.

Kelly says he is innocent and was only looking for lawful ways to pay Ghosn more to prevent him from leaving for a rival automaker.

Before his arrest, Ghosn was an auto industry star, having orchestrated Nissans rebound from the brink of bankruptcy after he was sent to Japan by its French alliance partner Renault in 1999.

Ghosn's pay was halved, by about 1 billion yen ($10 million), in 2010 when Japan began requiring disclosure of high executive pay.

The concern was that his relatively high compensation might be viewed unfavorably since Japanese top executives tend to draw lower pay packages than their peers in other countries.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
PARIS (AP)  French prosecutors have dropped an investigation into incestuous sexual abuse of a 14-year-old by a prominent French political commentator, a case that unleashed an online movement against similar abuse.

The Paris prosecutor's office had been investigating political scientist and media commentator Olivier Duhamel on potential charges of raping his adolescent stepson in the 1980s, but said in a statement Monday that the alleged abuse took place too long ago to prosecute.
LONDON, Ontario (AP)  Prosecutors laid terrorism charges Monday against a man accused of driving down and killing four members of a Muslim family in London, Ontario.

The prosecution said Nathaniel Veltmans four counts of first-degree murder constitute an act of terrorism and prosecutors have upgraded those charges under Canada's criminal code. Police allege the incident was a planned and premeditated attack targeting Muslims.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  While Jane Austen admirers savor the wit and romance of Pride and Prejudice and her other enduring novels, scholars ferret out details of Austens life and times, including a family link to slavery that surfaced 50 years ago.

The effort to place the writer in the social and political context of her day has yielded a new and contrasting discovery: A favorite brother was part of the 19th-century abolition movement.

Devoney Looser, an Arizona State University professor and author of The Making of Jane Austen, unearthed the Rev. Henry Thomas Austen's attendance at the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London, which drew some 500 delegates.

I was stunned to find that fact, Looser said in an interview. She first detailed her research in an essay for The Times Literary Supplement.

The familys commitments and actions changed profoundly, from known complicity in colonial slavery to previously unnoticed anti-slavery activism, Looser wrote. Henry became a next-generation Austen publicly supporting a political commitment to abolish slavery across the globe.

Loosers essay also addresses patriarch George Austens previously revealed ties to another family's West Indian sugar plantation, calling them very real but both under-described and overstated.

The latest research was welcomed by Patricia A. Matthew, an associate professor of English at Montclair State University who focuses on literature of the period that encompasses Austen. Her courses include British abolitionist literature.

Im always excited about new information about the authors I teach, Matthew said. While it doesn't change her view of Austen's work  I dont believe that Im reading someone whos actively engaged in debates about the slave trade  it could resound with Austen's most devoted admirers, sometimes called "Janeites."

I think they are having a kind of reckoning in how they think about not just Austen, but the Regency period, said Matthew, referring to the British era of the early 1800s. It raises all manner of interesting questions about how they understand this author.

The six major novels that Jane Austen wrote before her death at 41 in July 1817 are sharply observed works about human nature and relationships, not anchored in current events. There is a reference to slavery in Mansfield Park, and a conversation between two characters in Emma includes mentions of abolition and the sale of "human flesh.

As for Austens own beliefs, Looser said, we know from her letters that she refers to having loved the writings of a prominent white abolitionist, Thomas Clarkson. So we know that she read and cared about issues of race and racial injustice.

A diary entry from another Austen brother, Francis, called it regrettable that any trace of slavery should be found to exist in countries dependent on England, or colonised by her subjects. His opinion was not made public until the early 1900s.

Britain outlawed the slave trade in 1807 and made slavery illegal in 1833 with the exception of some territories. Subsequent legislation outlawed it entirely.

How Looser discovered Henrys abolition activism is a scholarly detective story. In the course of her ongoing research, she found that he had billed himself as the Rev. H.T. Austen for his writing and public work. That pulled her down new paths, including his convention participation.

It was not to be found elsewhere, even in the Austen scholars' bible, A Chronology of Jane Austen and her Family: 1600 to 2000 by Deirdre Le Faye, which Looser describes as nearly 800 pages filled with thousands and thousands of facts about the Austens.

Looser's find coincides with a racial reappraisal that is taking place widely, including in the United Kingdom.

In April, a British media squall greeted plans to update the museum at Jane Austen's House in the town of Chawton, where she lived and wrote for about eight years and which is a magnet for Austen fans. A revamped display that will include research on her connections to slavery was denounced as a revisionist attack" by one newspaper.

We would like to offer reassurance that we will not, and have never had any intention to, interrogate Jane Austen, her characters or her readers for drinking tea, said a tart statement issued by Jane Austen's House  tea being a vital part of the British colonial empire.

For readers who might balk at bringing what might seem like modern issues and perspectives into consideration of Austen and her work, Looser has a ready answer.

Issues of race, racism and racial justice are central to Jane Austens day," she said. "So were not bringing questions and concerns that werent there in her time. They were absolutely there.
MIDDLETOWN  The Middletown Elks Lodge 771 has awarded the Sal Salafia Community Service Award to Middletown High School graduate Alyssa Lecky.

A $1,000 scholarship was given to the class of 2021 graduate during an evening ceremony June 3, according to a press release. The award is presented annually to a senior attending one of the four high schools in Middletown, which include Xavier, Mercy and Vinal Technical high schools.

Lecky is the daughter of Steve and Sylvia Lecky of Middletown.

The award recognizes an outstanding student who has demonstrated admirable community service contributions, the Elks said.

In addition to being an A student, for the past eight years, she volunteered her weekly services at Cat Tales, caring for injured or abandoned cats, and preparing them for adoption, the news release said. She has also volunteered time at the South Congregational Church, where she worked alongside other congregation members constructing banners calling attention to various social injustices, such as the George Floyd case.

In addition, Lecky took water samples for the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District. These samples were tested to assert the bacteria levels in the water to determine if the water was safe to be in, the news release said.

Alyssa is truly an outstanding exemplar of what community service is, the Elks said in its statement. She will continue her education in the fall at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
MIDDLETOWN  The community is uniting to hold a clothing and toy drive to help a family of seven whose home was destroyed by fire this weekend.

Five adults and two children were able to safely flee the house, situated in the 400 block of Higby Road, however, three of the familys five dogs died in the blaze, according to Deputy Chief Darrell Ponzio.

The two other two dogs were rescued and treated by fire personnel before being returned to the family, Ponzio said.

A few of the adults suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene, Ponzio said, adding no one was taken to the hospital.

All seven were displaced from their residence, authorities said. The American Red Cross is providing temporary residential assistance and funds for the familys immediate needs, according to the agency.

Firefighters were called to the house, in the Westfield section of the city, just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday for a fully involved structure fire, Ponzio said.

The blaze appeared to have touched off in the garage, Assistant Chief Jason Lubee said Monday.

It got up into the attic and spread throughout the house, he said, saying it is now unlivable.

Mutual aid was provided by Middletown and Cromwell fire departments, Middlefield Volunteer Fire Co., and Middletowns South Fire District, Ponzio said.

These crews assisted fire suppression with search, roof-top ventilation, and rapid intervention team support, the news release said. While the bulk of the fire was knocked down by 6 a.m., it took longer to fully extinguish the blaze in the garage and attic areas due to the construction of the home, and the fire load created by the large amount of personal items stored there, the news release said.

The health, building and water departments provided assistance, and Eversource was on scene to isolate power to the structure, Ponzio said.

Westfield and state fire marshals are continuing their investigation.

The two children attend Moody Elementary School, where the PTA is organizing a clothing and toy drive to help them recover after losing everything, according to a post on the Westfield Fire Department Facebook page.

Donation requests include gift cards to grocery stores or restaurants, childrens games for a first- and fourth-grader, toys and clothing.

Items can be dropped off at the school, 300 Country Club Road, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRIDGEPORT  A woman was hit in the neck during a shooting on Birdsey Street early Monday morning, according to a city official.

Around 1 a.m., police responded to the 100 block of Birdsey Street after a 911 call of a shooting in the area, said Scott Appleby, the citys director of emergency communications and emergency management.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Eliga Gould, University of New Hampshire

(THE CONVERSATION) When a federal judge in California struck down the states 32-year-old ban on assault weapons in early June 2021, he added a volatile new issue to the gun-rights debate.

The ruling, by U.S. District Court Judge Roger Benitez, does not take effect immediately, because California has 30 days to appeal the rejection of its assault weapons ban. Most coverage has focused on Benitezs provocative analogy between an AR-15 and a Swiss army knife. But the case raises troubling questions about the meaning and proper role of militias under the Second Amendment.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit claimed that Californias assault weapons ban unconstitutionally restricted citizens Second Amendment rights by preventing them from using assault weapons for home defense and other legal purposes. Californias defense was that assault weapons are more dangerous than other firearms and therefore subject to additional restrictions.

In his ruling, Benitez asserts that citizens have a right to own a private assault weapon not just for defense of a gun owners home, but also for citizens militias engaged in homeland defense.

If the founders were alive today, I believe they would be very concerned  because the Constitution is clear that the only militias protected by the Second Amendment are well-regulated units authorized and controlled by state governments, not a private citizen militia.

Starting from a precedent

The preamble to the Second Amendment mentions service in a militia as a reason citizens have the right to keep and bear arms: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.

In his ruling, Benitez builds on the 2008 Supreme Court case D.C. v. Heller. In that landmark case, the Supreme Court held, as Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, that the amendment protects a right to possess a firearm unconnected to military service and that individuals are free to use such weapons for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

Benitez accepts this individual right, including to own assault weapons, but he adds what he calls citizen militias to the mix, which he defines as an informal assembly of able-bodied, ordinary citizens acting in concert for the security of our nation. The AR-15, he says, is an ideal arm for such purposes.

While distinguishing a citizen militia from a state-organized militia, the judge is vague about what, exactly, a citizen militia is. The examples he offers include the armed partisans led by Fidel Castro, Ho Chi Minh, and the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents. Although Benitez surely knows that the United States has a long history of vigilantism and mob violence, he doesnt say which informal groups of armed citizens in this country might qualify and which would not.

That lack of specificity is a problem. Does a citizen militia include the protesters who occupied the Michigan State Capitol during the spring of 2020, posing with assault weapons slung over their shoulders? What about the activists who in the summer of 2020 briefly created Seattles Capitol Hill autonomous zone, where guards armed with AR-15s stood watch at the entrance and patrolled the streets? Kyle Rittenhouse, on trial for killing two people with a Smith & Wesson rifle in Kenosha, Wisconsin, allegedly viewed himself as part of a militia and claimed to be helping the police.

Government-authorized groups only

The biggest problem with Benitezs ruling is that the Second Amendment sanctions a well-regulated militia, not an informal assembly of armed citizens. As the founders knew, a well-regulated militia was one authorized, trained and  with growing frequency during the American Revolution  armed and provisioned by state governments.

After the American Revolution, the purpose of these state militias was clearly laid out in Article I, Section 8, Clause 15 of the Constitution: so Congress could use them to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.

Today, the militia in all 50 states is the National Guard. In California, as Benitez notes in his opinion, the militia also includes the State Guard, a force trained and equipped by the government. There is nothing informal about it.

Avoiding mob rule

Having lived through the Revolutionary War, the founders knew why the words well regulated mattered. They had seen what happened when people took the law into their own hands.

After the Boston Massacre in 1770, when British soldiers opened fire on a crowd that had been pelting them with rocks and ice, John Adams defended the soldiers during their murder trial, worried that a guilty verdict could lead to mob rule.

In 1775, the Colonial Minutemen who stood their ground at Lexington and Concord served in units authorized by the Massachusetts legislature. Although taking up arms against their king and his soldiers, they fought as members of a well-regulated militia.

Naturally, not all early Americans accepted such distinctions. During the so-called Whiskey Rebellion from 1791 to 1794, which occurred after the Constitution and Second Amendment had been ratified, armed insurgents near Pittsburgh forcibly resisted a new federal tax on distilled spirits, mustering in military-style formations, tarring and feathering federal excise officers, and threatening secession. President George Washington responded in 1794 by marching west at the head of 12,950 federalized state militiamen. By the time the Western Army reached the Ohio River, most of the rebels had gone home. The nations first president made clear that in a democratic republic, the way to make your voice heard is through the ballot box, not the muzzle of a gun.

The right to own a gun is not unlimited, as Justice Scalia wrote in 2008. For that reason, the Supreme Court held that state and federal authorities can bar firearms from schools and public buildings, while the people remain free to prohibit what Scalia called dangerous and unusual weapons.

The AR-15 may no longer be unusual, but Californias decision to appeal Benitezs ruling shows that the state still thinks it is dangerous. If the rifle really is Benitezs ideal weapon for a citizen militia, then perhaps the state is right.

[Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversations email newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/why-the-second-amendment-protects-a-well-regulated-militia-but-not-a-private-citizen-militia-162489.
BRANFORD  It was a Monday afternoon at Connecticut Hospice, and Susie Gowrie and her half-poodle Peaches were doing the floors.

Peaches, do you want to dance? a nurse asked, extending her arms, as Gowrie and Peaches exited a patient room in the mellow light of the second level. Obediently, Peaches stood on her hind legs and did a turn. Another nurse squatted down and petted her. We love Peaches, she told a visitor.

Gowrie, a Guilford resident, said her first visit to Connecticut Hospice in Branford was in August 2013. Her husband, Spencer Gowrie, was 90. The two met in Essex in 1973, at a frostbiting, a race in the dead of winter for only the hardiest of sailors.

I had to learn to sail, said the diminutive, sprightly Gowrie, 80, later that afternoon, as she and Peaches settled in the lobby against the picturesque backdrop of Double Beach. Spencer lived for sailing. Six months after they met, they married.

For her husbands 90th birthday, Gowrie threw a big party. Eight months later, he was at hospice.

I was so tired, and I was going to go home and take a nap for a few hours, she recalled. And the nurse looked at me and she said you should stay. She just knew. They brought me a cot and I lay down right next to him. Put my head on his chest. Felt his heart stop.

It was, she said, so peaceful. Everything  the lovely surroundings, the way the staff opened their arms to me, the tender care  it felt as if he were just sailing away.

By then, shed gotten Peaches. Spencer and I had always had dogs, and the idea of therapy dogs intrigued me, so I decided to get her trained, she said.

That involved mastering the items on the Canine Good Citizen Test, which include the ability to sit down on command and stay in place, to come when called, to allow a stranger to pet her, and to maintain her calm when faced with a distraction like someone running toward her.

Once Peaches passed  with flying colors, Gowrie said  my original thinking was to take her to pediatrics, but everyone with a therapy dog wants to go to the kids.

Her experience at Hospice gave her an idea. Peaches and I could take on the less popular gigs.

In addition to the Monday afternoons at Hospice  Peaches is one of five therapy dogs that make the rounds there  the two make weekly appearances at the Grimes Center, a senior care and short-term rehab facility in New Haven. Through Hospice, they also make house calls.

Susie goes anywhere we ask, said Joan Cullen, director of volunteers. She kept coming all through COVID. And whenever she and Peaches come in, they just give everyone here a lift.

A study published by the Cleveland Clinic in 2020 bears this out. Simply petting an animal can boost release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, resulting in lowered blood pressure and heart rate and, possibly, in elevated mood, it reported.

As early as 1859, Florence Nightingale, a founder of modern nursing, was extolling small animals as an excellent companion for the sick, for long chronic cases especially.

Perhaps she had a dog like Peaches in mind. Shes small, she can get in the bed, and shes quite soft for a dog, she doesnt have that rough coat, Gowrie said.

Sometimes she helps the family members more, she said. And thats OK. Peaches just gives love. Thats it. And what I get out of it is I meet new wonderful people for five minutes, 10 minutes, little chats, and Peaches gets transferred into their arms, its just a win win.

For Gowrie, being a part of Connecticut Hospice is a privilege. Look at this, she said, gesturing at the gazebo overlooking Double Beach, the sailboats bobbing on the sparkling waters, the gulls wheeling above. And everyone here, the way they care for patients and their families and friends, that beauty is inside them.

With that, Peaches stirred at the approach of home care scheduler Wendy Senna, who was on her way to the cafeteria.

How are you? Gowrie asked.

Im better now, Senna said, bending down to pet Peaches.
EAST HADDAM  More than a century ago, performers would arrive at the Goodspeed Opera House by steamboats that traveled up the Connecticut River from as far away as New York before disembarking into a bustling center of commerce along its banks.

Today, the route is a more direct drive over an aging truss bridge, with two lanes that occasionally swing open to allow river traffic to pass through. The historic theater, restored in 1963, is still there, along with two restaurants, a handful of shops, and several vacant municipal buildings, including the old Town Hall.

For decades, officials have dreamed of bringing development to the historic riverfront landing in hopes that more shops, restaurants and lodging will entice theater-goers and tourists to spend their money in East Haddam.

An overly ambitious plan?

A recent proposal by two local architects to purchase several acres of land from the town for a private, $51 million development project has sparked intense local divisions, with opponents of the plan casting it as overly ambitious, and disruptive to existing homes and businesses.

Thats just what it is, a dream, Edward Blaschik, Goodspeed theater manager, told officials at a public forum Wednesday. I have to call it a dream.

The details of the Swing Bridge Landing project, presented at two forums this month, include plans for up to a dozen retail shops, five restaurants and two ice cream shops, along with office space, apartments, beauty salons, and an esplanade along the river.

One of the proposed buildings, a replica of the Goodspeed Mansion, which once existed across the street from the theater, is shown in artistic depictions, with dozens of diners seated on a patio surrounding Greek Revival columns.

Jeff Riley, founder of Centerbrooks Architects and Planners, who designed the project with his wife, Mary Wilson, said the plan drew heavily from the history of the area, and the idea of the opera house as monument building.

The couple live in East Haddam.

Our intention is not to have a Neiman Marcus, our intention is to have locally owned and operated retail shops, Riley told residents at the forum.

Riley said Friday that people had misconstrued the size of the project based on the renderings that had been submitted by his firm and published online. Still, he said, he was fully prepared to work with the towns historic commission to refine some aspects of the project and alleviate public concerns.

What we presented was a vision, now we have to make it a reality, Riley said.

Selling town land

Before the developers can attract new investors to help pay for the costly traffic and environmental impact studies, Riley said the town must first agree to sell the 2.75 acres of land containing the vacant municipal buildings. The developers already have purchase agreements on two smaller adjacent properties.

The sale of municipal land to the developers, for a proposed $450,000, would require a public referendum for approval, according to First Selectman Robert Smith, a supporter of the project.

Smith said the town recently had the land appraised at $1.25 million, though the developers were offered a reduced price because they need to pay an estimated $800,000 for the remediation of contamination from an old garage.

Riley said the actual cost of the remediation is closer to $1.2 million. The proposal from Rileys firm, Smith added, was the only one submitted during a bidding process last year.

This has been in the works for almost a decade now, Smith said, referring to plans to develop the town property. When asked about local concerns, Smith said the referendum would simply allow the town to enter into an agreement with the developers on the sale, which would be completed only if they obtain the necessary permits and approvals to build the project.

Theres a lot of hoops [Riley] will have to jump through to see if he can put this together, Smith said this week.

Traffic issues

Without formal permits and studies in place, residents at Wednesdays public forum said they felt shut out of the design process and openly questioned preliminary figures presented by the developers and town officials.

For example, Riley said his estimates show the project adding no more than 140 car trips to the current 1,200 trips at peak traffic hours. However, the firm has yet to acquire a state-mandated traffic study, and residents said traffic was likely to be much heavier, especially when the swing bridge opens hourly for river traffic during the summer.

Others questioned whether the bridge would ever be able to handle the steady stream of traffic necessary to keep the development and added businesses afloat.

Its hard to deal with the current level of backup when the bridge is open, but it will become a nightmare, as everyone is saying, if that volume were doubled or tripled by the impact of this proposed development, one resident complained.

The development, which Riley said could be completed by 2025, coincides with an already-planned $58.2 million overhaul of the East Haddam Swing Bridge by the state Department of Transportation. That project, which is expected to last three years, includes the addition of a pedestrian walkway connecting the landing area with the town of Haddam across the river.

Residents who spoke out in favor of the sale Wednesday expressed a desire to move forward with some version of the plan presented by Riley, even if the details have to be worked out later.

The village was once thriving

Ed Thereault, a former chairman of the towns Economic Development Commission, said that the town has always been an attraction for tourists drawn to the Goodspeed Opera House and nearby Gillette Castle State Park. Some officials said the town is poised for renewed interest, pointing to a flattering write-up in this years New York Times list of places to love.

There are cars that come across that bridge every day, and we do not take advantage of them, Thereault said. They come here for our attractions, and then they go elsewhere and support the businesses ... Some people remember a time when there were 13 or 14 shops in the village, back in the 70s and 80s, and people walked across the village and it was thriving.

Good for economic development

A referendum on the proposed sale of the town property would also come on the heels of overwhelming public vote this week to reject the towns proposed budget, and a likely tax increase, sending officials back to the drawing board.

Wilson attempted to capitalize on that sentiment at Wednesdays meeting, saying there was a corollary between the towns high taxes and the lack of development along the river.

The Swing Bridge Landing development would provide the town with a means to stabilize its mill rate, and provide tax relief for those members of the community who simply cannot afford the prospect of continuing higher taxes, Wilson said.

Smith said officials are now planning to hold another budget referendum in August, though no date has been set for a public vote on the land sale for the Swing Bridge Landing.

Speaking to those who had voiced objections at Wednesdays forum, Bill DiCristofaro, chairman of the towns Board of Finance, warned that blocking the sale would likely have the effect of scuttling the whole project.

If we do not move things forward and allow our leaders to pursue this project, we may never have this opportunity again, DiCristofaro said.
SALEM  The Salem Board of Education appointed Brian Hendrickson its new superintendent of schools at a special meeting June 10.

Hendrickson, who will begin Aug. 3, began his career teaching social studies at Hillcrest Middle School in Trumbull from 2005 to 2010, according to a press release. Hen then spent five years in Naugatuck, first as principal at Hop Brook Elementary School, then at City Hill Middle School.

Hendrickson was assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Suffield, and was in the same role in Ellington, a job he will leave shortly, according to the district.

The Board of Education started the search soon after they learned Superintendent Joseph Onofrio would be retiring, the news release said. The process began in January with a study of the district.

We were really impressed with the caliber of our applicants and had some tough choices to make. Brian rose to the top of that very talented field, given his expertise in curriculum, his ability to support student and staff growth, and his warmth, Salem Board of Education Chair Sean Reith said in a prepared statement.

The Salem Board believes that Mr. Hendrickson brings the right mix of skills to the unique challenges in Salem, and will effectively prioritize student achievement, educational growth, and fiscal responsibility as the new superintendent of the Salem School District, Reith said.

Hendrickson received his bachelor of science in business administration from Fordham University, juris doctor from Albany Law School, teaching certificate from Southern Connecticut State University, and his sixth year administrative preparation from the University Connecticut, where he also completed the Executive Leadership Program.

The opportunity to lead a K-8 school district that values trust, communication, efficient operations, and collaboration within the school, and in the greater community resonates with my core values, experience, and skill set, Hendrickson said in the statement. As a public school leader, my major focus has been  and will continue to be  maximizing outcomes for all students.

He and his family live in Noank.

The education board was guided in its study of administrative structure and the search by CABE Search Services. Consultants gathered perspectives from many stakeholders before writing the Structure Report and Leadership Profile which guided the board in its search for a new leader, it said.

Hearst Connecticut Media recently published a list of the majority of Connecticut superintendent salaries and their contracts. They can be viewed at middletownpress.com/projects/2021/superintendents.
When state police arrived at Fresh River Healthcare nursing home in East Windsor on May 19 to fingerprint a registered sex offender, they had no idea that another sex offender was also living there.

But later that day, Miguel Lopez, a convicted rapist and a registered sex offender in Massachusetts with a warrant out for his arrest, allegedly locked a female employee in his room and forced her to perform oral sex.

The 50-year-old Lopez wasnt known to police because of a loophole in Connecticuts sex offender laws, which do not require nursing home operators to inform state police when they admit a registered sex offender from another state into one of their facilities. Lopez is at least the third registered sex offender from Massachusetts transferred to facilities run by iCare Health Network in Connecticut since December, although he is the only one the network didnt report to police, apparently a deviation from their usual procedure.

Why Lopez was sent to the nursing home in the first place is unclear. Sources said he was in the Holyoke Medical Center in Massachusetts for several weeks before he was transferred to Fresh River, on Prospect Hill Road in East Windsor, on April 20.

After the alleged assault, the employee managed to escape, and other staff took her to the police station to file a complaint. Meanwhile, Lopez was sent by ambulance back to the Holyoke Medical Center  before police arrived at Fresh River to investigate, they said.

State Sen. Saud Anwar, who represents East Windsor, called the incident horrific and said he was surprised there was such a loophole in the state law. Anwar said Friday he planned to ask Gov. Ned Lamont to close the loophole, either through a policy change at the Department of Public Health or with an executive order.

Something needs to be done and quickly, because thats obviously a loophole, and we dont know how widespread this is, Anwar said.

Late Friday, Anwar sent a letter to iCare President and CEO Chris S. Wright, asking why Lopez ended up at the East Windsor facility.

Anwar asked Wright how many known sex offenders have been transferred from outside Connecticut to nursing homes here and why iCare didnt inform law enforcement officials he was there.

I look forward to reviewing your answers and hope that your company will partner with our community and with the State of Connecticut to ensure this tragic incident is never repeated, Anwar wrote.

Local police also raised concerns.

East Windsor Police Lt. Matt Carl said detectives are still investigating the incident but were surprised to find a 50-year-old registered sex offender living at the nursing home.

We have a lot of questions about how he ended up in that facility, and we never knew about him, Carl said, adding they havent been able to talk to Lopez.

A spokesman for iCare said that they were aware Lopez was a registered sex offender before admitting him but that the law does not require them to inform the state police if an out-of-state sex offender is admitted to one of its facilities.

It is the legal obligation of the resident themselves or their legal guardian to update the sex offender registry as to their current location, iCare spokesman David Skoczulek said.

While there is no legal obligation for a nursing home to inform the registry, we do take steps to assist the resident or their guardian in doing so and prompt them to do so in a timely fashion, Skoczulek said, adding the Lopez case was quite rare.

Skoczulek declined to address the specifics of Lopezs case, citing HIPAA laws and the ongoing police investigation.

Under state statutes, iCare also was required to report the alleged sexual assault to the state Department of Public Health because of its potential impact on residents safety. A DPH spokesman said this week that a report was filed and its Facilities and Licensing unit is investigating.

But the incident raises other questions about whether officials from Massachusetts  either the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board or the state police  should have notified state police here; how a sex offender with an outstanding arrest warrant issued in Massachusetts months before the transfer was allowed to be placed out of state; and why Massachusetts sex offenders are being sent to Connecticut in the first place.

Massachusetts officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Steps not taken

Coincidentally, on the same day of the alleged assault, state police detectives were at the Fresh River nursing home to register a different sex offender from Virginia.

State Police Sgt. Matthew Garcia, who oversees the sex offender unit, said that while Connecticuts sex offender laws do not require nursing home providers to report out-of-state sex offenders to the state police, there is an informal process that is usually followed. iCare, he said, has routinely notified the police if a sex offender was being admitted to a nursing home, ensured the proper documents were available and followed up to make an appointment for detectives register that person.

Thats what happened when Wayne Chapman, a convicted child molester, was transferred from Massachusetts to 60 West, an iCare facility in Rocky Hill, in December. Chapman is 74 and confined to a wheelchair now. State police detectives went to 60 West to register Chapman and get his DNA, one of the requirements of the sex offender laws.

It does not appear that this was the course of action for Lopez, as the Registry had not been provided any specifics about a second offender [at Fresh River] in need of registration, Garcia said in response to questions from The Connecticut Mirror about Lopezs case.

In reviewing the Lopez case, it does not appear that these steps were taken, Garcia said, adding that Lopez was never registered as a sex offender in Connecticut despite being at Fresh River for about a month.

Garcia said detectives are now going to review all potential sex offenders now living in Connecticut nursing homes to see if others have been missed.

State records show there are nine sex offenders living at 60 West. Rocky Hill residents recently went to the town council seeking to have an ordinance passed barring iCare from bringing more sex offenders there, but the town attorney said the town had no legal standing to bar them from a private facility.

Fresh River does have specialized care plans and policies for the care and management of stigmatized and special populations, Skoczulek said. Every resident admitted to an iCare center is extensively evaluated prior to admission for the clinical and psycho-social needs, often by an on-site evaluation and interview by a trained RN  With their consent or the consent of the guardian, the resident is then placed at the nursing center and on the nursing unit best suited for their care needs and safety. This could be a secure, locked memory care or behavioral health unit or otherwise.

Arrest warrant issued

Lopez was transferred to the East Windsor nursing home on April 20  a move made more notable by the fact that there was an outstanding arrest warrant out for Lopez at the time in Holyoke.

The Massachusetts sex offender registry identifies Lopez as homeless, with a current address of a street corner on Maple Street in Holyoke, not far from the hospital. He is 5-foot-10, about 200 pounds.

As a sex offender, Lopez is required to report to authorities monthly. But he failed to contact Holyoke police in December, police said. A Holyoke police officer tried to call him at the number listed on his record, but the phone was disconnected, according to court records.

In January, Holyoke police got an arrest warrant charging Lopez with failure to properly report as a sex offender, a felony that carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. But the warrant wasnt served until May 26, a week after the sexual assault in East Windsor, after Lopez had been returned to the Holyoke Medical Center.

Sources said that Holyoke police were aware that Lopez was at Fresh River because staff at that facility sent them a letter notifying them he was there just days after he arrived in East Windsor.

It is unclear why a letter was sent to a Massachusetts police department while Connecticut police were not informed about Lopezs whereabouts. While Skoczulek wouldnt discuss specifics of Lopezs case, he did say that iCare officials were unaware Lopez had an outstanding arrest warrant when he was transferred.

Inevitable that someone would get hurt

Cynthia Crockett, an attorney who is representing the victim in the May 19 assault, said she is still trying to determine how Lopez ended up in Fresh River.

How did a relatively young convicted sex offender from Massachusetts, with a pending criminal case in Massachusetts, end up in a Connecticut nursing home with the most vulnerable population? Crockett said. Who thought it was appropriate to place said individual with staff that wasnt trained or equipped to deal with such individuals? It was inevitable that someone would get hurt.

Crockett said she had been trying to determine where Lopez is now, as her client fears he will return. On Friday, a Massachusetts prosecutor told her that Lopez is now in the custody of the Department of Corrections there.

Crockett is questioning why Lopez wasnt placed at 60 West, considered a more secure building with staff that is used to dealing with the multiple sex offenders already residing there besides Chapman.

Lopez was convicted of rape by a jury in December of 2012. At the trial, the victim testified that Lopez was a friend of her then-boyfriend and lived in the same apartment building. One morning Lopez called her and asked her to bring her boyfriends dog to his apartment.

When she arrived and handed Lopez the dog leash, he grabbed her, pulled her into the bedroom and raped her, according to court records.

Lopez was sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison, and because he was convicted of sexual assault, he was required to register as a sex offender upon his release. Lopez was released from prison in October 2019, according to Massachusetts Department of Correction records.

Massachusetts officials declined to release Lopezs reporting history, other than to say that he is currently listed as being in Holyoke and is still homeless.

The CT Mirror submitted a list of questions to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, including whether anyone there knew Lopez had been sent to East Windsor or if they had approved the transfer. None of the questions has been answered.

Bad outcomes

The states Long Term Care Ombudsman Mairead Painter said the issue of sex offenders in nursing homes is not new and that they have had bad outcomes before.

We dont want to see people discriminated against, especially if theyve served their time, but they have to have the staff and the expertise to care for them, Painter said. It doesnt seem like they had a plan to provide for the care needs of that individual while protecting the staff and residents of the home.

She said iCare in particular refers to some of its units as behavioral units, but no nursing home is licensed to be a behavioral unit.

We do not have licensed psych beds in our nursing homes, Painter said. So theyre creating these units, but the people have to have a medical need, they have to be at a nursing home level of care, and they cant just be institutionalized.

Lopez was scheduled to appear in Holyoke Superior Court on Friday, but the case was postponed until June 29. He was held on $1,000 cash bail at his initial arraignment on May 27.
Looking for something to read while lounging on the beach this summer? Heres 20 new books that are available in June that are sure to keep you glued to pages whether youre reclining by the water or seeking refuge by your air conditioner.

Sparks fly when a workaholic returns to her hometown to care for her injured father. Now that Maya is home she finds a job at a bridal shop owned by Derek, a widower trying to keep the family business afloat while caring for his tween daughter. Sparks quickly fly between the two, but with Mayas plans to stay temporarily, what will happen to the couple?

We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman - June 1

Joy has left Aarons life after losing his mother and brother, and now the teen spends all his time working in his fathers bookshop. However, things begin to change for him when he meets a best life bro and a musician who might just be his inevitable person.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo - June 1

Jordan Baker grows up with the best of the best during the Jazz Age, but quickly finds that despite her adopted familys wealth, her queer Asian identity bars her from many opportunities. For Jordan, the world is full of wonders and her own fantastic abilities might be all she needs to build the life she wants.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide -June 1

Two teens find their lives have been turned upside down by an anonymous texter who goes by Aces. When the texter begins to threaten their futures, things turn deadly in this Gossip Girl-like thriller.

Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly - June 1

Lizzie is living on borrowed time when she meets and begins to fall for Dante while on an Italian vacation. But knowing that her time is limited, Lizzie is faced with deciding if she should live and love to the fullest or deny herself happiness because her life has a rapidly approaching expiration date.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - June 1

Augusts life is dreary and mundane until her daily commute is shaken up by the appearance of the mysterious Jane. The only problem is Jane doesnt belong in this decade, the cute punk rocker has somehow ended up in the wrong time and only August can help her.

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin - June 1

Together Lenni and Margot have lived a century, but the unexpected friendship between a terminal teen and an octogenarian leads to an unforgettable story of love and loss.

Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler - June 1

Anne of Green Gables gets an update as Anne leaves her childhood home in Avonlea to take on Manhattan to attend grad school with her nemesis Gilbert Blythe in tow. Except now her nemesis is making eyes at her so Annes forced to decide if hes her enemy or something more.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian -June 8

When an aristocrat hires a reformed thief to teach him how to execute a robbery to protect his friend, their plans quickly go awry when the two men steal each others hearts.

We Cant Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon - June 8

A cynical wedding harpist and a romantic catering waiter have known each other forever, but now as they flirt back and forth throughout the wedding season will they survive it without falling for each other?

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides - June 15

Mariana is convinced one of Cambridges professors is a murderer and shes determined to prove it, even if it means putting her own personal and professional life on the line.

The World Gives Way by Marissa Levian - June 15

Myrra knows she wont be free until she works off her contract, but suddenly she finds herself in charge of her own life much earlier than expected but shes not sure if she can afford the cost of her freedom.

What to Do When Someone Dies by Nicci French - June 22

When her husband dies in a car accident with a mysterious passenger, a widow is left to wonder if her husband was cheating or if the accident was part of a murder plot.

Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie - June 22

A local musician gets the spotlight and the break of a lifetime when the headlining act misses the festival. The two musicians meet and strike up an affair and revel in the 70s music scene.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager - June 29

When two strangers carpool from campus to their homes in Ohio, one of the passengers begins to wonder if shell survive the trip and if she inadvertently agreed to a road trip with a serial killer.

tinamarie.craven@hearstmediact.com
WINDSOR, England (AP)  President Joe Biden and his aviator sunglasses met Queen Elizabeth II on a bright Sunday afternoon.

The queen hosted the president and first lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle, her royal residence near London. Biden flew to London after wrapping up his participation in a three-day summit of leaders of the world's wealthy democracies in Cornwall, in southwestern England. He arrived at the castle aboard the presidential helicopter and was ferried to the queen in a black Range Rover.

The 95-year-old monarch greeted the Bidens in the castles quadrangle, where she waited beneath a covered dais that shielded her from the sun on one of the hottest days of the year so far in the United Kingdom. Assembled soldiers from the Queens Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards gave a royal salute and the Bidens placed their hands over their hearts as the U.S. national anthem was played.

The president was then led across the grass for an inspection of the Guard of Honor. He wore a stern expression on his face after he had removed his trademark sunglasses, but when the 78-year-old Biden got to the end of the row, he smiled for the soldier in front of him who held up a sword. The queen and Jill Biden remained on the dais.

Biden returned to the dais and he, the first lady and the white-gloved woman who has held the British throne for nearly 70 years watched the military march past before they went inside for tea. As they left the dais, Biden offered the queen an elbow. She declined and stepped down on her own power, using the handrail.

The Bidens emerged from the castle just shy of having spent a full hour with the queen and boarded the helicopter for the return trip to London.

At Heathrow Airport, Biden talked about the queen with his traveling press corps, saying she was very gracious, that she asked him about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping and that he had invited her to visit the White House.

I dont think shell be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother, Biden said before he boarded Air Force One for his next stop, Brussels.

It generally is frowned upon for anyone to reveal the contents of their private talks with the queen.

Biden is the 13th American president to meet the monarch. President Lyndon B. Johnson is the only one who did not make her acquaintance while he was in office.

She has welcomed four other U.S. presidents to Windsor Castle, where she has been isolating during the coronavirus pandemic. They are Donald Trump in 2018, Barack Obama in 2016, George W. Bush in 2008 and Ronald Reagan in 1982.

Biden's first time meeting the queen came in November 1982, when as a U.S. senator he traveled to the United Kingdom for a meeting of the British-American Parliamentary Group, the White House said Sunday. Biden was part of a group that met with the monarch during that visit.

The queen has been riding out the pandemic at Windsor Castle, but also has begun getting out now and again after the April death of her husband, Prince Philip, at age 99.

On Friday, she joined other royal family members, including Prince Charles and Prince William and their spouses, at a reception in Cornwall for the Group of Seven leaders.

___

Superville reported from Washington.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday again suspended his decision to terminate a key defense pact with the United States, which he has asked to provide more aid and coronavirus vaccines in exchange for retaining the accord.

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said, without elaborating, that Duterte suspended the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement for another six months to allow both sides to address his concerns. Terminating the pact would be a major blow to one of Americas oldest alliances in Asia.

Dutertes administration notified the U.S. government in February last year that it intended to abrogate the 1998 agreement, which allows the entry of large numbers of American forces for joint combat training with Philippine troops and lays down the legal terms for their temporary stay.

The maneuvers involved thousands of American and Philippine military personnel in land, sea and air drills that often included live-fire exercises in pre-pandemic times.

The pacts termination would have taken effect after 180 days, but Duterte has repeatedly delayed the effectivity of his decision.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana welcomed the presidents decision, which he said would give the two governments more time to review the pact.

Our bilateral cooperation with the U.S. is geared toward upholding our national interest and, to the extent necessary, to enhance the Philippines defense capability, Lorenzana said.

Duterte said in February that if the U.S. wants to keep the agreement, they have to pay.

Its a shared responsibility, but your share of responsibility does not come free, Duterte said then.

In December, he warned that he would proceed with the abrogation if the U.S. does not provide at least 20 million doses of vaccine.

If they cannot deliver even a minimum of 20 million vaccine, they better get out. No vaccine, no stay here, Duterte said.

Critics hit Duterte for the remarks, which Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who heads the Senate committee on national defense and generally supports Duterte, said may have given the impression that the Philippines is a nation of extortionists. Lacson said one cannot put a price tag on the value of the Visiting Forces Agreement.

Duterte has often lashed out at U.S. security policies while nurturing relations with China and Russia. But his foreign and defense secretaries have cited the importance of the U.S. alliance.

The U.S. military presence in the region has been seen as a counterbalance to China, which has aggressively asserted claims to vast areas of the disputed South China Sea despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated their historic basis. China, the Philippines, Vietnam and three other governments have been locked in the territorial standoff for decades.
MILFORD  The suspect in an alleged March armed robbery in the parking lot of the Sikorsky Federal Credit Union has been arrested, according to Milford police.

A report of an armed robbery at the credit union, located at 15 Turnpike Square, was received at about 1 p.m. March 1, according to police.

A female victim and a juvenile were entering a vehicle after leaving the credit union when a dark SUV pulled up, police said. A male, later identified by police as Douglas Hutchings, 49, of New Haven, got out of the car and allegedly demanded the female give him her purse or he would harm the juvenile, police said.

The female put the juvenile in the vehicle, then turned to face Hutchings, police said. When Hutchings displayed a handgun, she began screaming and he allegedly struck her in the face, then reached inside the vehicle to take her purse, police said. He then fled in the SUV, police said.

Officers used the tracking feature on the victims cell phone, which was still inside the purse, to locate the SUV in New Haven. Police identified Hutchings as a suspect in the incident. Hutchings is on parole on federal charges for a bank robbery conviction, police said.

East Haven police and the U.S. Marshals Office located Hutchings while executing a search warrant in East Haven, Milford police said. He was then turned over to Milford police and a federal judge has issued a warrant and detainer for him. Police said he is being held in lieu of $350,000 bail.

Hutchings is charged with first-degree robbery, third-degree larceny, third-degree assault, risk of injury to a child and reckless driving, police said.
3 1 of 3 Viktoria Sundqvist / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 CT State Police / Contributed Show More Show Less 3 of 3





MILFORD  A Georgia man was taken into custody last week after he allegedly showed a gun during a road rage incident on Interstate 95, according to police.

Dariel Michael Phillip Pope, 23, of Willis Creek Road in Warner Robbins, Ga., was charged with failure to properly store a firearm, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, two counts of illegal possession of a large-capacity magazine, risk of injury to a child, second-degree breach of peace, second-degree threatening and first-degree reckless endangerment.
Reality Winner, a former U.S. Air Force language analyst who was serving a 63-month sentence at a Fort Worth, Texas, federal prison after pleading guilty to leaking classified National Security Agency, or NSA, information, has been released.

Alison Grinter, Winner's attorney, posted a statement Monday on Twitter announcing that she is now in the residential reentry process. Winner has not been granted a pardon from either President Joseph Biden or the Justice Department, she added.

"She is still in custody in the residential reentry process, but we are relieved and hopeful," Grinter said. "Her release is not a product of the pardon or compassionate release process, but rather the time earned from exemplary behavior while incarcerated."

Read Next: Documents Reveal New Details About Sinai Peninsula Crash That Killed 5 Soldiers

Winner, now 29, is still barred from speaking to the media, Grinter said. The family has asked for privacy during this time "as they work to heal the trauma of incarceration and build back the years lost," she added.

Grinter first filed an application for clemency, or a commutation of Winner's sentence, with the Department of Justice pardon attorney in 2020.

In 2018, Winner was found guilty of violating the 1917 U.S. Espionage Act and sentenced to more than five years in prison. She was convicted of sending classified NSA information on Russia's alleged efforts to undermine the 2016 election -- a topic that dominated national discourse and brought to light the challenges of safeguarding the voting process -- to The Intercept website.

Prosecutors said at the time it was the longest sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized distribution of government information to a media outlet.

Winner, a cryptologic language analyst with the 94th Intelligence Squadron at Fort Meade, Maryland, separated from active duty in 2016 after serving six years and receiving the Air Force Commendation Medal. According to New York Magazine, she used her linguistic skills -- she is fluent in Dari, Farsi and Pashto -- as part of the Air Force's drone program to aid pilots targeting enemy combatants in the Middle East.

Following her separation, she was hired by Pluribus International Corp. under an NSA contract to work out of Fort Gordon, Georgia. While employed by the security firm, she printed a classified report detailing how Russian cyber hackers targeted American voting software on local election systems.

She mailed the documents to The Intercept. In an attempt to verify the information with the NSA when asking for comment, the online publication inadvertently revealed clues about who had transmitted the leak and how -- all but ensuring Winner would be tracked down quickly, according to The New York Times. She was arrested on June 3, 2017 -- two days ahead of the news outlet's publication of the information -- and held for more than a year before her guilty verdict in 2018.

"Mistakes were made," Winner's mother, Billie Winner-Davis, told Military.com in March. "I don't think she covered her tracks, but the mistakes made by The Intercept made it easier for the FBI to find and corner her."

"[The prosecution] created this sort of obfuscation around [her case], and she was treated as a terrorist," Grinter said during an interview. "The process was incredibly opaque. Here is an American telling the American people about threats to our country. This is absolutely the opposite of what the Espionage Act was designed to prosecute."

Winner accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty before a federal judge in Augusta, Georgia, to avoid a 10-year sentence. The judge sentenced her to more than five years at Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth.

Opinions on Winner's actions have been mixed. Social media pages on Facebook and Reddit are filled with users, including veterans, praising her courage, while others have vilified her as someone who should have known better than to leak classified information and compromise national security.

But over the last few years, especially on Twitter, support grew to #FreeRealityWinner, gaining high-profile backers including Walter Shaub, former director of the Office of Government Ethics under the Obama administration; Justin Amash, a former Republican congressman from Michigan; Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's ex-attorney; and "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill.

Earlier this year, a documentary, "United States vs. Reality Winner," from Sonia Kennebeck, an independent filmmaker and investigative journalist, showed how Winner became the first whistleblower of the Trump era, painting her as "collateral damage" amid the Russia investigation, according to The Washington Post.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at Oriana.Pawlyk@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @oriana0214.

Related: #FreeRealityWinner: Behind the Growing Push to Pardon an Imprisoned Air Force Vet
WINDSOR, England  President Joe Biden and his aviator sunglasses met Queen Elizabeth II on a bright Sunday afternoon.

The queen hosted the president and first lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle, her royal residence near London. Biden flew to London after wrapping up his participation in a three-day summit of leaders of the world's wealthy democracies in Cornwall, in southwestern England. He arrived at the castle aboard the presidential helicopter and was ferried to the queen in a black Range Rover.

The 95-year-old monarch greeted the Bidens in the castles quadrangle, where she waited beneath a covered dais that shielded her from the sun on one of the hottest days of the year so far in the United Kingdom. Assembled soldiers from the Queens Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards gave a royal salute and the Bidens placed their hands over their hearts as the U.S. national anthem was played.

The president was then led across the grass for an inspection of the Guard of Honor. He wore a stern expression on his face after he had removed his trademark sunglasses, but when the 78-year-old Biden got to the end of the row, he smiled for the soldier in front of him who held up a sword. The queen and Jill Biden remained on the dais.

Biden returned to the dais and he, the first lady and the white-gloved woman who has held the British throne for nearly 70 years watched the military march past before they went inside for tea. As they left the dais, Biden offered the queen an elbow. She declined and stepped down on her own power, using the handrail.

The Bidens emerged from the castle just shy of having spent a full hour with the queen and boarded the helicopter for the return trip to London.

At Heathrow Airport, Biden talked about the queen with his traveling press corps, saying she was very gracious, that she asked him about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping and that he had invited her to visit the White House.

I dont think shell be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother, Biden said before he boarded Air Force One for his next stop, Brussels.

It generally is frowned upon for anyone to reveal the contents of their private talks with the queen.

Biden is the 13th American president to meet the monarch. President Lyndon B. Johnson is the only one who did not make her acquaintance while he was in office.

She has welcomed four other U.S. presidents to Windsor Castle, where she has been isolating during the coronavirus pandemic. They are Donald Trump in 2018, Barack Obama in 2016, George W. Bush in 2008 and Ronald Reagan in 1982.

Biden's first time meeting the queen came in November 1982, when as a U.S. senator he traveled to the United Kingdom for a meeting of the British-American Parliamentary Group, the White House said Sunday. Biden was part of a group that met with the monarch during that visit.

The queen has been riding out the pandemic at Windsor Castle, but also has begun getting out now and again after the April death of her husband, Prince Philip, at age 99.

On Friday, she joined other royal family members, including Prince Charles and Prince William and their spouses, at a reception in Cornwall for the Group of Seven leaders.
An investigation into a horrific 2020 helicopter crash that killed seven troops, five of them U.S. soldiers, appears to indicate that a mechanical problem with the aircraft's stabilator preceded the disaster.

A heavily redacted investigation report, released to Military.com through a public records request, obscures many key details about the non-combat crash, its aftermath and actions the Army took in its wake. But it does describe warning signs that something had gone wrong, and the traumatic dive and impact that followed.

The crash occurred on Nov. 12, 2020, in the vicinity of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, while a group of service members from an international coalition was conducting a routine training flight on a Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk. The troops aboard were supporting the Multinational Force and Observers, a group composed of 13 nations that has worked since 1981 to monitor the 1978 peace agreement between Israel and Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula.

Read Next: F-16 Pilot's Runway Death Forces Reckoning Over Tight Flight Hours, Training Gaps

The U.S. contributes the largest military contingent to the MFO, typically sending National Guard troops to the region on one-year rotations.

Killed in the crash were: Capt. Seth Vernon Vandekamp, 31, from Katy, Texas; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dallas G. Garza, 34, from Fayetteville, North Carolina; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marwan Sameh Ghabour, 27, from Marlborough, Massachusetts; Staff Sgt. Kyle Robert McKee, 35, from Painesville, Ohio; and Sgt. Jeremy Cain Sherman, 23, from Watseka, Illinois. One Czech and one French soldier also died in the crash; another U.S. service member was injured but survived.

The Nov. 12 flight had been a three-leg mission that began with a weekly reconnaissance operation, followed by a unit reenlistment flight and concluding with a resupply, according to the Army-led mishap investigation. During the resupply, the Black Hawk crew had planned to conduct a familiarization tour of the region for new arrivals to the mission, including a U.S. medical officer and the French and Czech service members. It also would contain a sling-load skill refresher training for Sherman, a crew chief, and serve as a check ride for Ghabour, the pilot. Overall, the day was assessed to be a low-risk operation.

The 5 soldiers killed in a UH-60 Black Hawk Crash in Sinai, Egypt Nov. 12, 2020 include Capt. Seth Vernon Vandekamp, 31, from Katy, Texas; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dallas G. Garza, 34, from Fayetteville, North Carolina; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marwan Sameh Ghabour, 27, from Marlborough, Massachusetts; Staff Sgt. Kyle Robert McKee, 35, from Painesville, Ohio; and Sgt. Jeremy Cain Sherman, 23, from Watseka, Illinois (U.S. Army and courtesy photos)

The flight departed on schedule around 8:30 a.m. after several hours of standard workups, flight checks and crew brief, the investigation found. The reconnaissance mission was uneventful, as was the unit reenlistment ceremony at a designated landing zone. The Black Hawk then returned to its point of origin for refueling and reconfiguration for the sling-load resupply.

It was still mid-morning when the helicopter lifted off again, headed to a remote site on top of a mountain where the objective was "to conduct a sling load of expended supply material, packaged in a cargo net, and transport it to [a second remote site]." This task went according to plan. At the drop-off site, the helicopter placed its expended supplies on the ground and picked up a water bladder it would transfer back to the first remote site.

"After successfully inserting the water bladder, the aircraft executed a tactical departure to the north, following the descending terrain down from [the first remote site]," the mishap report reads. "The mishap aircraft continued to follow the descending terrain down to the base of the mountain and impacted the ground on level terrain at 10:46:09."

The crash took place at an extreme nose-down angle, with "tremendous force," the investigation states, splintering the helicopter and scattering the fuselage.

Remarkably, given the force of impact, the crash's lone survivor was found sitting upright amid the wreckage, the investigation states. The survivor was not identified, nor was the extent of his injuries specified. He was evacuated to Israel's Yoseftal Hospital, then sent to Germany and on to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, once his condition stabilized.

While pre-flight and post-crash evaluations did not show any defects with the helicopter, a recovered audio recording reveals that a crew member called out an anomaly with the stabilator, a small, movable horizontal flap on the rear of the aircraft that helps keep it level in flight.

"The evaluation of the flight data revealed that the stabilator remained in the down/hover mode when the aircraft transitioned into terrain flight mode descending the side of the mountain, which prevented the aircraft from pitching longitudinally," investigators found.

Although a probe of flight hours and maintenance records revealed no other anomalies or operational concerns, it appears the stabilator caused trouble several times over the course of the morning.

"The voice recording revealed that during the 2 hour flight sequence the horizontal stabilator failed multiple times at hover, on the ground, and was in the manual mode just prior to the accident," the document states.

While little else has been revealed about the crash and follow-on actions, images and descriptions of the crash scene underscore the violence of the impact. Parts of the aircraft were found as far as 455 feet from the initial impact point, and the force of the crash created a divot in the earth eight feet wide.

While the Black Hawk is a workhorse transport aircraft that is used by four major militaries and has flown for the U.S. Army since 1981, it does have a distant history of stabilator-related mishaps. In 1987, early in the Black Hawk's service, the Army temporarily banned pilots from high-speed, low-altitude flight in the aircraft following an incident in West Germany in which a helicopter plummeted 2,500 feet before pilots regained control. In recent years, however, there are no publicly available reports of systemic stabilator issues, and the Army has not announced any plans to limit Black Hawk flights in the wake of the Sinai crash.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Related: A 'Disturbing Pattern' of Deadly Army Black Hawk Crashes Has Lawmakers Asking Questions
BRUSSELS  NATO leaders on Monday will expand the use of their all for one, one for all, collective defense clause to include attacks in space, the military organizations top civilian official said.

Article 5 of NATOs founding treaty states that attack on any one of the 30 allies will be considered an attack on them all. So far, its only applied to more traditional military attacks on land, sea, or in the air, and more recently in cyberspace.

I think it is important (with) our Article 5, which states that an attack on one will be regarded as an attack on all, that we all will respond, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, at a German Marshall Fund think tank event.

We will make it clear at this summit that, of course, any attack on space capabilities like satellites and so on or attacks from space will or could trigger Article 5, he said, a few hours before chairing a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts.

Around 2,000 satellites orbit the earth, over half operated by NATO countries, ensuring everything from mobile phone and banking services to weather forecasts. Military commanders rely on some of them to navigate, communicate, share intelligence and detect missile launches.

In December 2019, NATO leaders declared space to be the alliances fifth domain of operations, after land, sea, air and cyberspace. Many member countries are concerned about what they say is increasingly aggressive behavior in space by China and Russia.

Around 80 countries have satellites, and private companies are moving in, too. In the 1980s, just a fraction of NATOs communications was via satellite. Today, its at least 40%. During the Cold War, NATO had more than 20 stations, but new technologies mean the worlds biggest security organization can double its coverage with a fifth of that number.

NATOs collective defense clause has only been activated once, when the members rallied behind the United States following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Former President Donald Trump raised deep concern among U.S. allies, notably those bordering Russia like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, when he suggested that he might not rally to their side if they didnt boost their defense budgets.

Biden has been trying to reassure them since taking office and will use the summit as a formal opportunity to underline Americas commitment to its European allies and Canada.
KYIV, Ukraine  Central and Eastern European nations are anxious about the coming summit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, wary of what they see as hostile intentions from the Kremlin.

Some in the countries that once were part of the Soviet Union or the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact during the Cold War worry that Washington could scale down support for its allies in the region in a bid to secure a more stable and predictable relationship with Russia.

I think there have been doubts as to the resoluteness of the present administration to face Russian aggressive actions in a decisive manner, said Witold Rodkiewicz, chief specialist on Russian politics at Warsaw's Center of Eastern Studies, a state-funded think tank that advises the Polish government.

Both Russia and the U.S. have sought to moderate expectations about Wednesday's summit in Geneva, ruling out any breakthroughs amid the worst tensions between the two powers since Soviet times, especially after Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, accusations of Russian interference with U.S. elections and hacking attacks, as well as other strains.

Rodkiewicz, however, noted the White Houses decision to waive sanctions against the German company overseeing the prospective Russian-built Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline running under the Baltic Sea to Germany. That project could potentially allow Moscow to bypass Ukraine, Poland and other countries in Eastern and Central Europe that collect transit fees on the energy.

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In a clear, unequivocal way the administration signaled that for them, Europe is Germany basically, and German interests are going to be taken into account, while the interests of other players in Europe are going to be sort of put on the back burner, Rodkiewicz told The Associated Press.

Nowhere else are worries about the summit more acute than in Ukraine. It has been locked in a tense tug-of-war with Russia ever since the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula following the ouster of Ukraine's Moscow-friendly president in 2014 and a Russia-backed separatist insurgency in the country's east  a conflict that has killed more than 14,000.

Ukraine fears that agreements between Biden and Putin could turn it into a peripheral country, said Vadim Karasev, an independent Kyiv-based political analyst.

Kyiv worries that Nord Stream 2 would deprive it not only of transit fees for pumping Russian gas to Europe but also erode its strategic importance and weaken it politically.

A U.S. failure to block the pipeline would mark a personal loss for President Biden and a serious geopolitical victory for the Russian Federation," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He tried in vain to push for a meeting with Biden before the summit but has spoken with him by phone. Biden assured Zelenskyy of the unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Kyiv appeared overly eager to interpret the conversation in its favor. In its initial readout of the call, Zelenskyy's office claimed Biden emphasized the importance of offering Ukraine a specific roadmap for joining NATO. But it then changed that version to clarify it was Zelenskyy who pushed for providing Ukraine with a membership action plan; it said Biden promised that Kyiv's position will be taken into account when discussing strategic issues within NATO.

In an interview on Russian state television, Putin issued a strong, new warning that the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO was unacceptable for Russia. He noted it would allow the alliance's missiles to reach Moscow and other key targets in western Russia in only seven minutes, a destabilizing situation that he said was comparable to Russia putting its missiles in Mexico or Canada.

In 2008, NATO promised that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually be welcome to join the alliance despite protests from Russia. Four months later, Russia routed Georgia in a five-day war that erupted when the Georgian leadership tried to reclaim control of a separatist region.

Earlier this year, Russia bolstered its forces near Ukraine and warned Kyiv that it could intervene militarily if Ukrainian authorities try to retake the rebel-controlled east. Moscow has since pulled back at least some of its troops, but Ukrainian officials say Russia has kept a massive contingent close to the border.

The Kremlin has signaled that Ukraines NATO bid is fraught with a new, hot conflict in Europe, something that Washington definitely doesnt want, Karasev said.

Alex Petriashvili, senior fellow at the Rondeli Foundation think tank in Tbilisi, Georgia, deplored the lack of consensus within NATO on granting Ukraine and Georgia clear plans for membership.

It is certainly negatively affecting the aspirations of the two countries and gives the advantage to Russia, which is fiercely opposing their membership, Petriashvili said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis argued that Russia seeks to reestablish control of internal, foreign and security policies of the states in Central and Eastern Europe that it considers part of its privileged sphere of interests.

Like in Soviet times, both conventional and hybrid measures are used to assert control, he told AP.

Russia has rejected allegations it is trying to destabilize the countries or draw them back into its orbit. It has accused the European Union and NATO members that once were part of the Soviet Union or the Warsaw Pact of Russophobia, casting them as key instigators of Western sanctions that limited Moscows access to global capital markets and restricted imports of modern technology.

Landsbergis has shrugged off concerns that Washington could leave its Central and Eastern European allies in the cold.

We have no reasons to doubt our closest trans-Atlantic ally, Landsbergis told AP. The Biden administration has on numerous occasions underscored its commitment to work in close coordination with its European allies.

Latvias top diplomat, Edgars Rinkevics, has similarly emphasized that Washington steadfastly remains the closest ally and plays a key role in European security.

Ondrej Ditrych, director of the Institute of International Relations think-tank, also said he expects Biden to take a firm stance in Geneva.

Biden is not naive, even as ahead of the summit the administration seems to make overtures to make Russia amenable to discussing strategic issues in earnest, he said in Prague. I would not be worried that a detente that would be detrimental to Central and Eastern Europe countries would be in the making.

Some others aren't so optimistic.

The real reason to worry is that perhaps Putin might come out of this meeting encouraged by what he sees on the other side, and that might make him bolder to press his advantages in a regional context, said Rodkiewicz, the Warsaw-based analyst.

___

Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Associated Press writers Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland; Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania; Jari Tanner in Tallinn, Estonia; Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic; and Sophiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi, Georgia, contributed.
June 14 should be considered one of the most patriotic days in America. Not only is it Flag Day, celebrating the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official U.S. flag, but its also the birthday of one of the United States most trusted institutions: the Army.

After British regulars and colonial militiamen exchanged gunfire at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in April 1775, three other colonies sent men to assist the Massachusetts minutemen, and the situation became real. The colonies were in revolt.

Luckily, colonial leaders had been preparing for an armed conflict for years before the 1775 outbreak of violence. The four forces met in Boston, forming a loose regional force that laid siege to the British troops at Boston. But militiamen werent trained or equipped for a protracted siege.

The colonies needed a force of professional soldiers who were trained, funded and equipped for extended military maneuvers. They appealed to the delegates of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. On June 14, 1775, the Congress passed a resolution forming the Continental Army.

"Resolved, That six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia [and] as soon as completed, shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under the command of the chief Officer in that army."

The Congress even wrote an early Oath of Enlistment for the new recruits:

I have, this day, voluntarily enlisted myself, as a soldier, in the American continental army, for one year, unless sooner discharged: And I do bind myself to conform, in all instances, to such rules and regulations, as are, or shall be, established for the government of the said Army.

A bunch of farmers beating the world's top military power at the Battle of Lexington. (William Barnes Wollen/National Army Museum)

On June 15, 1775, the legislative body of the rebel colonies named George Washington to the post of chief officer of the new fighting force, citing the generals patriotism, valor, conduct, and fidelity.

The Continental Armys effectiveness evolved throughout the war. Although the regulars of the Continental Army were much more highly regarded by the British than their militia counterparts, it wasnt until 1778 at Valley Forge that the fledgling U.S. Army evolved into a real army.

That February, a Prussian military officer known to history as Baron Friedrich von Steuben arrived at the Continental Armys harsh winter quarters and began training those men in close-order drill in an advanced Prussian style. He crushed them with harsh discipline, forced them to learn shooting and reloading like expert soldiers and taught them the importance of learning to fight with a bayonet.

Although it was a harsh winter for the demoralized American regulars, they walked out of Valley Forge much stronger than when they went in. Just nine days after breaking camp, the Americans met the numerically superior British force under Lord Cornwallis at Monmouth, New Jersey, and fought it to a draw.

Though the battle was strategically irrelevant, the Americans maintained the battlefield, forcing the British to return to New York. It lay to rest any misgivings Congress had about Washington as commander in chief, and the general kept his job.

The Continental Army would have seven birthdays after its foundational June 14, 1775, congressional resolution. Washington had ideas to develop the new U.S. Army further, but they were ignored by Congress. The Continental Army was disbanded, save for a handful of soldiers of Fort Pitt and West Point in 1783.

Almost immediately, the Army was reinstated, as the need for a national defense made itself apparent on the American frontier. The U.S. Army has been rolling along ever since.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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The military pays for many moving costs, but it doesn't pay to move your pets. The cost for pet transportation can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars, depending on how far the transport is and the size of the animal. Consequently, animal shelters near military bases throughout the country report high surrender rates when military families cant afford to relocate their dog or cat.

Losing a pet this way can tear a military family apart. That is why SPCA International started Operation Military Pets. It provides financial assistance for pet relocation costs so military families can stay together. All branches of the military can qualify for these grants, whether being relocated within the United States or anywhere in the world.

Military families are already taking advantage of the program. Karen, an Army defense logistics coordinator in Iraq, was faced with leaving behind her cat, Zeke. Her long deployment had kept her away from her husband and daughter in Spotsylvania, Va. Zeke the cat kept her company and made her feel loved in the harsh environment of Baghdad.

Karen wanted to send Zeke home to her daughter so that she and her family could give Zeke a safe, long life. Karen also wanted her daughter to have a piece of her to hug until she returned to the United States. SPCA International stepped in and flew Zeke to Virginia in 2012, and now all the members of this family are reunited.

When a military family stationed in South Korea got word they were being sent back to the United States, their first reaction was pure joy. However, when the family started to look into the cost of flying their two dogs, Dash and Link, back with them, the excitement quickly faded.

The cost to ship the dogs was more than they could afford. They learned the military provided no financial assistance for relocating beloved pets belonging to active service members. The family turned to SPCA International and asked if there was anything we could do to help.

Knowing how important these dogs were to the family, SPCA International was able to take immediate action. Today, Dash and Link are where they belong -- with their family in Texas.

For all of us, a pet is not just an animal; they are a part of our family. They are great companions during the best times and the most difficult times. Children often turn to their dog or cat to laugh at their antics for comfort when they are sad, to snuggle up with on a cold night or as just a playmate.

For U.S. military families this bond is just as strong -- especially with the demands serving in our armed forces often requires. The unconditional love of a dog or cat becomes even more important as our military families make these sacrifices to ensure our freedom.

To read more heartwarming stories, learn more about Operation Military Pets, or apply for financial aid, please visit spcai.org.

-- J.D. Winston is the executive director of SPCA International.
Though the Twins are getting some notable reinforcements back from the injured list in the coming days, the 26-39 club has a big hill to climb to even approach the postseason race. With this in mind, speculation has swirled around the Twins as a trade deadline seller, and Jose Berrios stands out as a major potential trade chip depending on how big of a reload Minnesota wishes to make.

Berrios has one final year of arbitration eligibility remaining before hitting free agency in the 2022-23 offseason. As to whether or not his time in Minnesota could continue beyond the 2022 season, SKOR Norths Darren Wolfson reports (Twitter link) that the Twins havent initiated any talks in recent weeks with Berrios representatives at Wasserman about a potential contract extension. Of course, this might not be that surprising a detail considering that most players prefer to not discuss contractual matters in-season.

If such extension talks did place, it would seem that the Twins would be making such overtures as something of a last-ditch effort to lock up Berrios, and if a deal couldnt be reached, the club would be more open to moving him prior to the July 30 trade deadline. The issue with that scenario, however, is that Minnesota isnt under any immediate pressure to make a decision on Berrios future, since he is still under contract through 2022. The Twins could wait until the offseason to shop Berrios to a wider market of interested teams, or they could take the time to revisit extension talks heading into their final year of control over Berrios.

Even if neither a trade or an extension is worked out, it wouldnt be out of the question that the Twins would just keep Berrios in the fold for 2022. Despite this seasons struggles, it would seem like Minnesota is still planning to regroup and make another run at contention next year, so Berrios has plenty of value in the Twins own rotation going forward.

The 27-year-old Berrios is having another solid season, with a 3.49 ERA/3.61 SIERA and an above-average strikeout rate (26%) and walk rate (6.4%) over 77 1/3 innings. The overall Statcast metrics arent quite as positive, as Berrios xwOBA and hard-hit ball numbers have been subpar for the second consecutive season, but the righty has continued to be a durable and effective arm in the front end of Minnesotas rotation.

Back in March 2019, Berrios said the Twins had made him an extension offer that he declined, though he was open to more negotiations. Were waiting for the best for both sides. If it doesnt happen this year, maybe next year, Berrios said. Rather than a contract extension, the two sides went to a hearing the next spring to determine Berrios salary for his first arb-eligibility, with the Twins winning the hearing and paying Berrios $4.025MM rather than his desired $4.4MM figure. This past winter, the two sides reached a deal to avoid arbitration, with Berrios receiving a $6.1MM salary for the 2021 season.

Even with another raise in his final arb year, Berrios is still a very affordable option for any team looking for rotation help, which only elevates his trade value. The Twins could be hard-pressed to decline if another club makes a truly spectacular trade offer for Berrios, despite his importance to the 2022 team. Michael Pineda, J.A. Happ, and Matt Shoemaker are all scheduled to be free agents this winter, so moving Berrios would create another hole for the Twins to address in their starting staff.
I know people are curious about timelineswhen the fire will be contained, when it will be done, said Tim Roide, current Incident Commander 
BSE Administration & Supervision Ltd (BASL), a subsidiary of BSE Ltd (BSE), has been granted recognition for administration and supervision of investment advisers (IAs) by the market regulator.

In a statement, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) says, "All existing SEBI registered IAs shall be required to seek membership of BASL. Further, new applicants shall be required to obtain membership of BASL before applying for registration with SEBI as IA."

In view of the experience gained while regulating IAs and in order to strengthen the regulatory framework for IAs, SEBI says its board during its meeting on 16 December 2020 had approved amendment to SEBI (Investment Advisers) Regulations, 2013 (IA Regulations), requiring IAs to seek membership of a separate body recognised by SEBI for administration and supervision.

"Based on the proposal received from BSE in response to SEBI circular dated 6 August 2020, BASL, a wholly owned subsidiary of BSE has been granted recognition for administration and supervision of IAs for a period of three years from 1 June 2021. The renewal of the recognition will be subject to satisfactory performance by BASL," the market regulator says.

Further, SEBI says, there is no change in the total fees payable by IAs and total fees payable by IAs, including fee payable to SEBI plus fees payable to BASL will be the same as that specified in IA Regulations, as applicable till 31 March 2021.
While approving the resolution plan of Piramal group for Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL), the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), has named a seven-member monitoring committee, which will be given the power to manage and control the beleaguered housing finance company during the period between the approval of the plan and its implementation. The NCLT had approved Piramal groups Rs37,250 crore resolution plan on 7th June in a verbal order

In its order copy which came out on Saturday night, the NCLT has taken a step further. In what is seen as the first such move it has appointed an observer to the monitoring committee to ensure smooth functioning and transition to Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Ltd.

The monitoring committee oversees supervising implementation of the approved resolution plan. In DHFLs case, three members nominated by the committee of creditors (CoC), two by the Piramal group and the administrator are part of it. The NCLT has also appointed Ashok Kakkar, a former official from the tax department and SEBI as observer cum permanent invitee to the monitoring committee.

The DHFL case has seen many sharp twists and turns in the last three weeks.

On 21st May, the Mumbai bench of NCLT had directed the committee of creditors to consider and vote on DHFL promoter Kapil Wadhawans settlement proposal within 10 days. But now, it has approved Piramal groups resolution plan.

R Subramaniakumar, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-appointed administrator for DHFL, the CoC led by Union bank of India and Piramal group separately immediately moved the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the controversial NCLT order asking lenders to consider Kapil Wadhawan's settlement offer. In its appeal, the administrator termed the NCLT order "illegal and in breach of settled provisions of law." The 21st May NCLT order was stayed by the NCLAT on 25th May. The NCLAT stay order has now been appealed by Wadhawan in the Supreme Court

Legal experts suggest that at the end of this long-drawn litigation process though, only one of the options can make it- Wadhawans settlement proposal or Piramal groups resolution plan.

The total resolution amount for DHFL stands at Rs37,250 crore. This includes cash and non-cash consideration:

1) Upfront cash recovery of Rs14,700 crore. This includes repayment of the principal amount of DHFLs retail loan book and cash on the companys books, which combined comes to roughly Rs10,000 crore plus Rs4,000 crore infusion by Piramal group.

2) Rs3,000 crore to financial creditors. This is the interest repayment component from DHFLs retail loans.

3) Debt securities of Rs19,550 crore to financial creditors. These non-convertible debentures (NCDs) will carry an interest of 6.75% per annum with a tenure of 10 years.

Creditors who have voted for Piramal groups plan have been allocated a mix of cash and debt securities against their claims. Dissenting creditors, which include fixed depositors, will receive upfront cash based on liquidation value.

CoC asked to reconsider allocation to fixed deposit holders and NCD holders

In its order, the Mumbai bench of the NCLT has asked the creditors committee to consider allocating higher amounts to fixed deposit (FD) holders, debenture holders, employee groups and the Army Group Insurance Fund.

The tribunal said small investors should not face more risk than institutions. Considering the number of small investors and senior citizens who had deposited their hard-earned money and who now face a financial crisis due to the pandemic, the resolution plan should provide for an increased share for them, the order nudges the CoC.

It is generally considered that the investment in the fixed deposit, non-convertible debentures (NCDs) are low-risk investment than investing in equity shares. Therefore, these small investors should not be put to more risk, take more haircut than the stronger financial institutions viz banks, financial institutions,.

Accordingly, for this limited purpose, we direct the CoC to reconsider their distribution method amongst various members of the CoC within two weeks from today and report the same to this Adjudicating Authority, the NCLT said in its order.

Experts say that the NCLT has only made a request to the CoC (on compassionate grounds) to reconsider the distribution of funds while holding that the plan is in accordance with the law but the final decision will rest with the lenders. But if the CoC agrees to give more to the FD holders, then it could set a precedent for other insolvency cases.

That said, the NCLT, however, clarified that there is no additional monetary obligation for the Piramal group to pay anything more than what it has committed in the resolution plan, which is Rs 37, 250 crore. It is only an inter se distribution of resolution money amongst various creditors, the NCLT said.

With regard to the decision on distribution to public depositors, fixed deposit holders, subscribers to NCDs, we also suggest, request the CoC to reconsider their grievances, plights and they did not oppose the resolution plan and their request is only to enhance the percentage of payment made in the plan and the same should be increased to the level of secured financial creditors i.e. approximately 40 per cent the financial creditors would be getting in this plan, the NCLT order said.

Significantly, the NCLT has also told the CoC to reconsider the claim of the Army Group Insurance Fund and pay the full admitted claim amount of only Rs39 crore, which amounts to just 0.0001% of the total plan.

Considering the nature of duties performed by them who are protecting the nation, sacrificing their lives, difficult working conditions and human service to keep peace of the country.

It would be appropriate for the members of the CoC to reconsider and repay their entire admitted claim without any haircut thereby expressing our deep concern, gratitude and respect to the Army Personnel, NCLT said.

The tribunal also noted that the Army Group did not challenge/oppose the plan but only sought a sympathetic view of the CoC.
The insurance industry have settled over 86% of health insurance claims, worth Rs21,758.90 crore during FY2015-16. At the same time, claims worth Rs4,545.8 crore have been rejected. How do you ensure that you are not among those whose claim is rejected? There are several reasons for claim rejection. Many of them frivolous; sometimes rejecting claims and delaying payments is a policy followed by insurers; but often enough it is consumers who do not present a proper case. How should a consumer file an insurance claim supported by documentary evidence to eliminate chances of rejection and how to use the Right to Information (RTI) Act, especially with government insurance companies, to help quick settlement or redress of complaints, was the thrust of a talk by Mr Rajesh Gada, Chartered Accountant (CA) and a Certified Financial Planner at Moneylife Foundation on 13 September 2017.

Mr Gada and his colleagues who volunteer with an social organisation called Tarun Mitra Mandal, had wide experience with various insurers and the strategies that each of them adopt. He also had some practical guidance for people, who tend to be negligent about their policies, medical records and submissions.

One of the main issues that we come across regularly, is that people do not read or understand details of their insurance policy, especially mediclaim policy. Several people do not share information of any pre-existing disease with the insurer. This is one of the major reason of claim rejection. Also, people need to know simple conditions such as the fact that you cannot claim insurance in first 30 days of your policy date, he said. Interestingly, Mr Gada was clear that the need to disclose pre-existing disease was crucial at the time of buying your first mediclaim policy, but it is not necessary to make new disclosures during renewal. For instance, if a person is diagnosed as a diabetic a couple of years after taking a mediclaim policy, he is not obliged to disclose it during every annual renewal. However, he has to be make a disclosure if he plans to port to another insurer, he explained.

According to Mr Gada, in health insurance claims, room rent is based on the sum assured with a cap of 25%. He says, "There is a cap of 25% of the sum assured on doctor's fee, and a cap of 50% on operation theatre, medicine and diagnostic test. The insurance industry had also accepted some exceptions in the requirement in 24-hour hospitalisation. In case of more policies, the insured person can chose any one insurer for settling the claim."

The CA and CFP then explained claim submission process. He says the insured person needs to intimate the insurance company about hospitalisation within 24 or 48 hours (as per policy) and then submit all papers within seven or 15 days from discharge. "Most importantly, always remember to submit an index of all papers or documents submitted and take an written acknowledgment from the insurer," he added.

"The claim papers submitted to the insurance company for settlement should have hospital discharge summary, hospital bill, surgeon or doctor bill (not on letterhead, but a proper bill) if issued separately, investigation reports, medicine prescription and bills."

The insurance company may ask for more documents or details and the insured person is required to submit it. "When you submit claims, the insurance company may not have taken any action on this. Sometimes they do not even reply to reminders and if you visit their office, they may ask you to visit in next week. The file may get closed and claim rejected," Mr Gada says.

He says if you have all documentary evidence of claim submission, written acknowledgement of submission and reminders, then you can take the case to grievance cell of the insurance company. If still there is no solution, then you can file an application under Right to Information (RTI) seeking information on the status of your claim, he added.

Mr Gada, who is also actively involved as a volunteer in spreading awareness and guiding people about RTI Act through Tarun Mitra Mandal pointed out that if you follow the process systematically, then there is often no need to file an RTI. Moreover, the process of sending multiple reminders is also helpful when one approaches the insurance ombudsman, since it is clear that one has made every effort to have the issue redressed.

"As per our experience, after filing the RTI, many claims get settled. In case, not, then the insured person has option to take up the case to Insurance Ombudsman, which, in most cases rules in favour of the customer," says Mr Gada, who is Director at Gada & Haria Financial Planners Pvt Ltd.

Unfortunately, at present there is 'No' Insurance Ombudsman at Mumbai since past around 18 months and the Insurance Ombudsman at Pune has been looking after cases in Mumbai during his regular visits.

Sharing some important tips, Mr Gada, says, keep a file of your medical history and inform at least one family member about this file and your health insurance. While travelling, carry your policy details and contact numbers of the insurance company or third party administrator (TPA). Many health insurers provide an identity card with all necessary details, which you should carry while travelling, he added.

While there is no fixed format for filing RTI with the insurance company, Mr Gada shared a sample format used by him. He says, you can directly seek information from government insurance company through RTI, however for private insurers you need to file RTI with the insurance regulator, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

Here is the sample format for TRI shared by Mr Gada...
Weather Alert

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM TO 8 PM MDT FRIDAY... * Affected area: Fire Zone 110 (Deerlodge/West Beaverhead). Fire Zone 111 (East Beaverhead). * Impacts: Gusty and erratic outflows developing from high based scattered thunderstorms and frequent lightning. * Thunderstorms: Both wet and dry. * Outflow Winds: 40 to 50 mph. &&
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...High temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. Some areas may exceed 100 degrees at times. * WHERE...Portions of central, north central, and west central Montana. * WHEN...Until 9 PM MDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Hot daytime temperatures may cause heat illnesses. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles. Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&
Lansdale, PA (19446)

Today

Rain. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Lansdale, PA (19446)

Today

Periods of rain. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
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Lorain

'He has a whole city behind him'

Lorain rallies to raise funds for Antonio Barrios at picnic benefit
Moultrie, GA (31768)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

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Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Spread throughout the Horseshoe and spilling into the parking lot, the latest in oilfield technology was on display at the Shale Energy Conference and Trade Show.

After a year where such gatherings were cancelled because of the pandemic, exhibitors returned to an oil industry altered by the forces of environmental concerns and investor demand that operators return money to investors instead of spending on additional growth.

Kerberos International is looking to help clients lower their environmental footprint with its NexGen Solar Trailers unit. Garet Douglas, senior marketing specialist, said the mobile trailers can power field operations, lowering an operators environmental footprint and eliminating the need to bring in diesel to power equipment.

Kerberos also offers security services and communications. Michael Harrison, vice president, government and protective services, said the company can provide telephone, cell phone, wifi and television services to man camps.

Though the Permian Basin may suffer from lack of significant rainfall, the storms that do move through the area can wreak havoc on production sites. Douglas Marcille, owner and chief executive officer of Federal Business Solutions, was in Midland to drum up interest in a product he just signed an agreement to distribute  a lightning dome protector.

OIL REPORT: Energy industry has power to solve environmental, economic problems

Created in Spain 12 years ago, the protector is designed to attract lightning, preventing it from striking equipment and causing fires or from short-circuiting the equipment. He said 8,000 are in use throughout South America, and the protectors even protect the Panama Canal. The only ones currently in use in the US are at the Cincinnati airport.

He said it could be used to protect tank batteries, radio towers and other equipment vital in the oil patch.

We drove by a tank battery in Big Spring that had caught fire on the way to Midland, he said. He also noted that Diamondback Energy has had a tank battery behind Green Tree Country Club hit by lighting twice in recent years.

Im working with a company that builds saltwater disposal wells in Snyder, where theyve had a building hit by lighting three times in the last five years, he said.

The lightning dome protectors cost about the same as the protectors currently being used in the oil fields. But the product he offers carries a 20-year lifetime guarantee, a 6 million euro insurance policy and 300,000 euro policy on personnel.

Insurance doesnt cover the cost of lost production or the economic and ecological damage of a lightning strike, he pointed out. And then theres the safety factor. You dont have to worry about someone being hit by lightning. If we can save one person from being hit by lightning, even in a park, its worth the cost.

Demand for pressure pumping services is absolutely rising, said Glen Fradenburg, executive vice president at Alamo Pressure Pumping.

I will say pricing is still not moving as it should, he said. Our company is unique because we were fully utilized, for the most part, all the way through the pandemic.

He said the company currently has eight Cat on Cat tier four fleets  the most advanced pressure pumps on the market  and three are DGB  dynamic gas blend or dual fuel. Being dual-fueled, Fradenburg said they can utilize compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas or field gas, making them ideal in this ESG environment. Compared to electric fleets, he said the dual fuel pumps are more environmentally friendly when it comes to emissions.

By the end of the year, he said Alamo will have approximately 104 tier four Cat on Cat DGB pumps, making Alamo the largest dual fuel provider in West Texas.

RELATED: Report shows hiring continues in oilfield service sector

We believe the Cat on Cat tier four DGB pumps are the best solution for meeting the ESG requirements of the market today, Fradenburg said. The demand for this type of technology is off the chart as more of the operators strive to meet ESG initiatives.

The company has six fleets in the Midland Basin and two in the Delaware and work with ConocoPhillips, XTO Energy, CrownQuest, SM Energy, High Peak Energy and Birch Resources.

Like Alamo, American Cementing is seeing more demand for its services. Born from the acquisition of assets from BJ Cementing, American cements casing and tubing in place in a well.

In the Permian Basin, little has changed with regards to technology, said Jeff Long, senior account manager at the company.

Our focus is on doing it right and doing it efficiently, he said.
KAKAMEGA COUNTY, Kenya - The bulls were let into a clearing in the cornfields, and panic spread through the crowd. The animals were red-eyed - high on a concoction of weed, moonshine and God knows what else.

One deranged bull charged, then suddenly changed direction. People were falling over each other. Agile children shimmied up thin, branchless tree trunks. Grown men tumbled through cornstalks and jumped fences.

A tent where just minutes earlier old ladies had been ladling out rice and stew nearly came down in the chaos; a banner featuring a limousine, set up for glamour shots, was ripped in half.

But as quickly as the terror overtook the crowd, the people broke into giddy peals of laughter and pure joy. It was the funeral of a legendary bullfighter, and this is exactly what was meant to happen: the intoxicated bulls drawing fighting spirit from the grave of a man who had bred champions.

It's hard to imagine how anyone could have stopped this much exuberance.

No pesky cops enforcing coronavirus restrictions on gatherings - a bribe took care of that, anyway. And no nagging naysayers to complain: But what about the pandemic?

"Corona can't stop culture," said Bonventure Lusambili Munanga, chairman of a wildly popular local bullfighting association, most of whose members belong to the Isukha sub-clan of western Kenya's Luhya people, who cherish the fights as a central pillar of their way of life.

No more than 50 people are allowed to attend funerals these days in Kenya, but Edward Lilumbi Litali's service this month drew thousands. He was buried in an open field on his family's compound, where his success as a farmer and bullfighter, which can be lucrative, was evident: Electricity, satellite television - "modernity," as Munanga put it.

Several variants of the novel coronavirus are present in Kenya, but the pandemic hasn't swept through the country as it has in other parts of the world, and everyone from the World Health Organization to the bullfighters here seems to have a theory as to why: Some kind of inherited immunity, a younger population, or perhaps the government should get credit for its border closures, a policy that's now in its 14th month, and restrictions on the movement and mingling of people.

The government has done little, however, to prepare Kenya for the possibility of a major surge. Vaccines are barely in the picture. Only around 2,000 people in the entire country have been fully vaccinated. Politicians continue to hold giant rallies, which have proved in other countries to be superspreader events.

In rural Kenya, the whole pandemic hubbub seems a bit far-fetched. When the topic comes up in conversation, people roll their eyes. Mask-wearing is widespread in the capital, Nairobi, as are economically devastating business closures, and curfew enforcement has often been strict and even brutal. But less has changed in places like Kakamega County.

"We hear the news, how people have lost jobs because of lockdowns," said Emmanuel Nzalu, 28, a mourner at Litali's funeral. "In the village, we have not felt it firsthand. It's a story we hear, that someone somewhere has died, most of the time someone you do not know. Life has to go on. We are alive. We live, and how we do it here is by enjoying our culture."

In Luhya bullfighting, there's no matador. Bulls are instead pitted against each other, usually in a cleared field, and the atmosphere is festive. Revelers blow whistles and carry long sticks to protect themselves from bulls that turn their attention toward the humans encircling them. The spectators are pressed together, shouting and full of adrenaline.

When police enforcing coronavirus restrictions in January tried to break up a bullfight, attendees injured 10 of the officers, and the event went on.

The pandemic is ever-present, however, if only as a punchline and as a source for the names of some of the up-and-coming bulls. A promising maverick, expected one day to vanquish many lesser bulls, was named Sanitizer. An older bull that's being readied to fight last year's champion is called Curfew.

Long before the pandemic, Litali named his most famous winner Lukhutsu, which translates roughly to disease, or bringer of death. Litali's widow, Phoebe Mwenesi Lilumbi, looked on at her husband's raucous funeral with gratitude toward the fitting send-off he was receiving, but also with trepidation.

"This covid will wipe people out just like Lukhutsu wiped out so many bulls," she said. She spoke from the edge of the melee, where thousands had turned the funeral into something that was part rodeo, part mosh pit.

And the funeral was just the beginning. With so many bullfighters in one place, it was inevitable that bets would be made on which bull would triumph over which. The especially hotblooded set dates right then and there for bouts.

"Our culture prizes passion and bravery," Munanga said. "If you are confident, you might bet your motorbike on a bullfight that might only last a few minutes."

The morning after the funeral, one such fight took place on the other side of the county.

It pitted a bull named BBI, short for Building Bridges Initiative - the political alliance led by President Uhuru Kenyatta, which he says is aimed at averting ethnic violence in next year's election - against Ocampo, after Luis Moreno Ocampo, the International Criminal Court's former chief prosecutor, who tried and failed to prove that Kenyatta had committed crimes against humanity in violence that left more than 1,000 dead after the disputed 2007 election.

BBI was visibly stronger than Ocampo, who seemed a bit timid.

In preparation, BBI's owners sharpened his horns with the ragged edge of a broken bottle, and someone pulled on a joint and exhaled into BBI's nostril.

Then they led the bull miles down country roads, goading it on with whistles and chants. People along the way put down their farming implements and joined the procession. Eventually, the two bulls met in a fallow cane field, where they fought a full 13 minutes before Ocampo relented. His supporters were crestfallen; BBI's were exultant.

One onlooker who had breathlessly hectored the bulls with delirious cries of incitement took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brown.

"Life without this?" he asked. "Not worth it."

- - -

The Washington Post's Rael Ombuor contributed to this report.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Javon Davis spent nearly six years behind bars for attempted murder before he was cleared of the crime.

In March 2020, a Hennepin County judge overturned Davis conviction based on ineffective counsel. Prosecutors could have decided to retry him, but instead Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freemans office filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him in the interest of justice.

Davis walked out of prison a free man, but he had lost six years of his life, income and relationships. Theres a Minnesota law that allows wrongfully convicted prisoners to file for compensation. Davis filed a petition to ask for that compensation on May 28, 2020.

But when he did, the Hennepin County Attorneys Office opposed him.

In a response to the petition, County Attorney Mike Freemans office said Davis should not be compensated for his years in prison. According to the court filings, the state does not believe Davis is innocent, despite no longer having the evidence to prove his guilt, KARE-TV reported.

Freemans office wrote that because one primary witness had died and the other couldnt be found, it was highly unlikely that the state could prove Javon was the shooter beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. This created a legal duty, an ethical duty, and a duty to the interests of justice to dismiss the case prior to a second trial.

Freemans office said Davis has not established any evidence of factual innocence. In a sworn affidavit, Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Sean Cahill wrote, The State has never believed that Mr. James Davis is factually innocent.

Susan Gaertner, a former longtime Ramsey County Attorney, did not speak specifically about this case but commented on the prosecutors role in these situations.

If a judge grants a new trial, its because questions have been raised about whether or not the underlying conviction was valid, she said. That doesnt mean necessarily that a prosecutor is going to believe the defendant is innocent. There is a big difference, in a prosecutors mind and in reality, between whether someone did commit a crime, and whether a prosecutor can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

In fact, Gaertner pointed out that its actually vital to the system that a prosecutor believes the person they are prosecuting is guilty. If they didnt, they would be trying to send an innocent person to prison.

The prosecutor is not the one that holds in his or her mind at the beginning of trial that the defendant is innocent, Gaertner said. In fact, that would turn the whole system on its head. The prosecutor has an ethical obligation not to bring charges unless he or she believes that they have proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime. So, then, the prosecutor does not start a trial holding in his or her head the presumption that the person is innocent. The jury does. The system does. The prosecutor does not.

Of course, a prosecutor still has to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt if they want to retry the person, once the conviction has been wiped away. Thats why Freeman declined to retry Davis.

But Freeman does not have to have a certain level of evidence to oppose Davis motion. In fact, hes within his rights, based on the statute itself.

Under the law, compensation does not happen automatically. The person whose conviction was overturned has to file a petition. And then the same prosecutor who convicted them has to respond. They can choose to agree with the person - that if they knew then what they know now - they would never have filed the charges. In that case, the person is automatically eligible.

But if they fight the petition like Mike Freeman is doing, the person has to request a hearing with a judge. At that hearing, they have to prove that they have factual evidence of innocence.

The Minnesota compensation statute gives multiple definitions of exonerated. Back in 2014, it only referred to people whose convictions were overturned on grounds consistent with innocence.

But in 2019, the Minnesota Legislature amended the statute to include people whose convictions were vacated for other reasons, and for whom there is additionally any evidence of factual innocence.

Julie Jonas of the Great North Innocence Project helped to bring this law into existence. She said the standard of any evidence at all is intentionally low, so that the person can get in the door to get a hearing - and prove their innocence to a judge.

Freemans office said that Davis hasnt brought any evidence of factual innocence. But Davis attorney, Seth Leventhal, disagrees. In his appeal, Leventhal referenced the evidence of innocence Davis plans to bring forward, including alibi witnesses and cell phone records that place him away from the crime scene at the time of the shooting.

Javons petition for compensation was denied on Feb. 4, 2021. The same judge who freed him, Paul Scoggin, had previously granted him a hearing. Then after further review of the case law, he changed his mind.

Scoggin wrote in his new order that the devil is in the details. He explained that he was having trouble interpreting the compensation statute.

Scoggin said he granted Davis a hearing based on his literal reading of the statute. But after reviewing other Minnesota Court of Appeals decisions about the statute, he changed his mind. He referenced a court of appeals decision that stated the legislature did not mean to repeal the important gatekeeping function in the consistent with innocence language of the statute. In other words, that the petitioner still has an obligation to show original relief was based on grounds consistent with innocence.

Scoggin wrote in his denial that the courts have struggled to establish a clear interpretation of an unclear law. The judge said that the way he reads the statute and case law, the conviction has to be vacated based on actual innocence. So Davis wrongful conviction based on ineffective counsel doesnt qualify.

He said that while he did indeed rule in 2020 that Javons verdict would have been different if hed had effective counsel, thats not the same as his being innocent. Scoggin wrote, the state cannot prove it and the defendant didnt do it are two very different things.

In his original order vacating Davis conviction and setting him free, Scoggin wrote that if the defense attorneys had been effective, the verdict probably would have been different. The judge said their mistakes infected the entire trial, allowing the State to present what proved to be a thin case against Davis based largely on inadmissible but damaging evidence.

Because Javons petition for compensation was denied, he wont have the chance to have a hearing in front of a judge, where he can present evidence of innocence and request compensation.

The judge suggested that the court of appeals, or the legislature, could address the language of the statute and clear it up.

Minnesota Sen. Ron Latz, who helped to write the legislation, said that the statute was amended in 2019 for just this reason.

I think the statute is pretty clear, he said.

Latz said the amended language separates the evidence of innocence from the grounds for reversal of the conviction. In other words, two things have to happen: the conviction has to be vacated, and there has to be some evidence of innocence. The conviction does not have to be vacated based on that evidence of innocence.

The Court of Appeals appears to have read the statute differently than the legislature intended the language to reflect, Latz said. And that contributed to a lack of clarity on the part of the trial court as to what direction he was supposed to go with it.

Latz said he believes rewriting the law again would contribute to the confusion, and that the courts will need to come to an agreement on how to interpret it.

The amount of money in question is substantial  up to $100,000 for each year incarcerated, and up to $50,000 for each year on probation. And the legislature never intended it to go to every person who has a conviction vacated.

We didnt want to create a statute that simply opened up the door for every reversal to result in exoneration, Latz said. The point of the compensation is to compensate people who were wrongfully convicted because there was substantial evidence of innocence that may or may not have - that probably didnt - come out in trial.

Davis and his attorneys have appealed Scoggins ruling. If that appeal is denied by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, he could ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to review it.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is urging cities and counties across New Mexico to consider banning the sale of fireworks ahead of the July Fourth holiday.

She issued an executive order Monday, pointing to the drought that has blanketed much of the state and the fire restrictions that already are in place across New Mexico's five national forests.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is to meet President Joe Biden at a summit Wednesday, has suggested that the hundreds of people arrested for rioting at the U.S. Capitol are being subjected to persecution for political opinions.

Putin is likely to come under strong criticism from Biden at their meeting in Geneva for moves against his political opponents in Russia, particularly the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the detention of thousands of demonstrators protesting his arrest, and the outlawing of Navalnys organizations as extremist.

You are presenting it as dissent and intolerance toward dissent in Russia. We view it completely differently, he said in an interview with NBC News broadcast Monday. He then pointed to the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington when protesters barged into the Capitol to try to halt the count of electoral votes to certify Bidens election victory over Donald Trump.

Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress? ... They came there with political demands," he said.

Although the protests that erupted across Russia after Navalny's arrest in January were unsanctioned, demonstrators were largely peaceful and did not enter government buildings or cause significant property damage, unlike the Capitol riot.

Putin also reiterated denials that the Kremlin was behind last year's poisoning of Navalny with a nerve agent that nearly killed him.

We don't have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody, Putin said.

Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman? Putin said, referring to Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through a window that led to the House floor.

At a news conference after a NATO summit Monday in Brussels, Biden declined to assess how hell measure the success of his meeting with Putin because the last thing anyone would do is negotiate in front of the world press.

Biden described Putin as bright, tough and a worthy adversary. But he indicated he would remain wary of any commitments coming out of their meeting, saying he would verify first and then trust the Russian leader.

He also suggested hed be looking for areas of agreement with the Russian president, while also warning him against continued aggression towards the U.S.

Im gonna make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate, if he chooses, and if he chooses not to cooperate and acts in a way that he has in the past relative to cybersecurity and other activities, then we will respond, we will respond in kind, he said.

In his NBC interview, Putin sharply dismissed the cyberattack allegations against the U.S. as baseless.

Where is the evidence? Where is proof? Its becoming farcical, Putin said. We have been accused of all kinds of things  election interference, cyberattacks and so on and so forth  and not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof, just unfounded accusations.

In April, the United States announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats and new sanctions connected to the so-called SolarWinds cyberattack in which several U.S. government branches experienced data breaches. U.S. officials blamed the Russian foreign intelligence service.

In May, Microsoft officials said the foreign intelligence service appeared to be linked to an attack on a company providing services to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

At the summit, Biden also is expected to raise the case of two Americans imprisoned in Russia: Paul Whelan, who was convicted of espionage, and Trevor Reed, convicted of assaulting police while drunk. U.S. officials say both were convicted in biased trials on flimsy evidence.

Putin said of Reed, a 29-year-old former Marine: He's just a drunk and a troublemaker.

Putin brushed off one possible source of tension in the upcoming summit: Biden's claim that he once told Putin he considered the Russian leader soulless.

"I do not remember this particular part of our conversations," Putin said.

-

Associated Press writer Alexandra Jaffe in Washington contributed.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Central and Eastern European nations are anxious about the coming summit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, wary of what they see as hostile intentions from the Kremlin.

Some in the countries that once were part of the Soviet Union or the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact during the Cold War worry that Washington could scale down support for its allies in the region in a bid to secure a more stable and predictable relationship with Russia.

I think there have been doubts as to the resoluteness of the present administration to face Russian aggressive actions in a decisive manner, said Witold Rodkiewicz, chief specialist on Russian politics at Warsaw's Center of Eastern Studies, a state-funded think tank that advises the Polish government.

Both Russia and the U.S. have sought to moderate expectations about Wednesday's summit in Geneva, ruling out any breakthroughs amid the worst tensions between the two powers since Soviet times, especially after Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, accusations of Russian interference with U.S. elections and hacking attacks, as well as other strains.

Rodkiewicz, however, noted the White Houses decision to waive sanctions against the German company overseeing the prospective Russian-built Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline running under the Baltic Sea to Germany. That project could potentially allow Moscow to bypass Ukraine, Poland and other countries in Eastern and Central Europe that collect transit fees on the energy.

In a clear, unequivocal way the administration signaled that for them, Europe is Germany basically, and German interests are going to be taken into account, while the interests of other players in Europe are going to be sort of put on the back burner, Rodkiewicz told The Associated Press.

Nowhere else are worries about the summit more acute than in Ukraine. It has been locked in a tense tug-of-war with Russia ever since the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula following the ouster of Ukraine's Moscow-friendly president in 2014 and a Russia-backed separatist insurgency in the country's east  a conflict that has killed more than 14,000.

Ukraine fears that agreements between Biden and Putin could turn it into a peripheral country, said Vadim Karasev, an independent Kyiv-based political analyst.

Kyiv worries that Nord Stream 2 would deprive it not only of transit fees for pumping Russian gas to Europe but also erode its strategic importance and weaken it politically.

A U.S. failure to block the pipeline would mark a personal loss for President Biden and a serious geopolitical victory for the Russian Federation," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He tried in vain to push for a meeting with Biden before the summit but has spoken with him by phone. Biden assured Zelenskyy of the unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Kyiv appeared overly eager to interpret the conversation in its favor. In its initial readout of the call, Zelenskyy's office claimed Biden emphasized the importance of offering Ukraine a specific roadmap for joining NATO. But it then changed that version to clarify it was Zelenskyy who pushed for providing Ukraine with a membership action plan; it said Biden promised that Kyiv's position will be taken into account when discussing strategic issues within NATO.

In an interview on Russian state television, Putin issued a strong, new warning that the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO was unacceptable for Russia. He noted it would allow the alliance's missiles to reach Moscow and other key targets in western Russia in only seven minutes, a destabilizing situation that he said was comparable to Russia putting its missiles in Mexico or Canada.

In 2008, NATO promised that Ukraine and Georgia would eventually be welcome to join the alliance despite protests from Russia. Four months later, Russia routed Georgia in a five-day war that erupted when the Georgian leadership tried to reclaim control of a separatist region.

Earlier this year, Russia bolstered its forces near Ukraine and warned Kyiv that it could intervene militarily if Ukrainian authorities try to retake the rebel-controlled east. Moscow has since pulled back at least some of its troops, but Ukrainian officials say Russia has kept a massive contingent close to the border.

The Kremlin has signaled that Ukraines NATO bid is fraught with a new, hot conflict in Europe, something that Washington definitely doesnt want, Karasev said.

Alex Petriashvili, senior fellow at the Rondeli Foundation think tank in Tbilisi, Georgia, deplored the lack of consensus within NATO on granting Ukraine and Georgia clear plans for membership.

It is certainly negatively affecting the aspirations of the two countries and gives the advantage to Russia, which is fiercely opposing their membership, Petriashvili said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis argued that Russia seeks to reestablish control of internal, foreign and security policies of the states in Central and Eastern Europe that it considers part of its privileged sphere of interests.

Like in Soviet times, both conventional and hybrid measures are used to assert control, he told AP.

Russia has rejected allegations it is trying to destabilize the countries or draw them back into its orbit. It has accused the European Union and NATO members that once were part of the Soviet Union or the Warsaw Pact of Russophobia, casting them as key instigators of Western sanctions that limited Moscows access to global capital markets and restricted imports of modern technology.

Landsbergis has shrugged off concerns that Washington could leave its Central and Eastern European allies in the cold.

We have no reasons to doubt our closest trans-Atlantic ally, Landsbergis told AP. The Biden administration has on numerous occasions underscored its commitment to work in close coordination with its European allies.

Latvias top diplomat, Edgars Rinkevics, has similarly emphasized that Washington steadfastly remains the closest ally and plays a key role in European security.

Ondrej Ditrych, director of the Institute of International Relations think-tank, also said he expects Biden to take a firm stance in Geneva.

Biden is not naive, even as ahead of the summit the administration seems to make overtures to make Russia amenable to discussing strategic issues in earnest, he said in Prague. I would not be worried that a detente that would be detrimental to Central and Eastern Europe countries would be in the making.

Some others aren't so optimistic.

The real reason to worry is that perhaps Putin might come out of this meeting encouraged by what he sees on the other side, and that might make him bolder to press his advantages in a regional context, said Rodkiewicz, the Warsaw-based analyst.

___

Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Associated Press writers Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland; Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania; Jari Tanner in Tallinn, Estonia; Karel Janicek in Prague, Czech Republic; and Sophiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi, Georgia, contributed.
Midland County Records

Jordan Shaquille Nary, 22, was arrested and charged on Friday with assault causing serious bodily injury after allegedly fracturing a mans jaw outside the Midland Municipal Courthouse.

Officers were dispatched to 200 East Texas Ave. during the early morning hours of May 15 in reference to an assault, according to Narys arrest affidavit. The victim reported that Nary hit him several times in the head after he tried to stop an argument between Nary and another person.
Angela Meierhoff likes living in a small town. She was born and raised in Pecos and graduated from Pecos High School in 2019. After high school graduation, just like her older sister, she chose to attend a community college because of the small class sizes and one-on-one interaction between students and professors. On May 7, she graduated from Midland College with an associate degree, and in August she will transfer to West Texas A&M University in Canyon.

On May 19, Midland College President Steve Thomas awarded Meierhoff with a certificate as part of the 2021 Community College Scholars Recognition program that acknowledges motivated, hard-working students who exhibit high integrity.

We are extremely proud of Angela and her accomplishments at Midland College, Thomas said. She was a member of our Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and I know that she will excel at West Texas A&M, just like she has done at Midland College.

The 2021 Community College Scholars Recognition program, initiated by West Texas A&M University, honored 68 students representing 18 community colleges across southeast Colorado, southwest Kansas, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma, West Texas and the Texas Panhandle.

Meierhoff will major in business at WTAMU. Her future plans are to become an aesthetician.

I am majoring in business because being a good aesthetician also means being able to manage a successful business, Meierhoff explained. Its important to be able to know how to market, maintain financial records and supervise employees.

Meierhoff said that her parents Bertha and Raul Sanchez instilled in her a strong work ethic. She currently works as a waitress at Javelinas Restaurant in Pecos, where she has worked each summer for the past several years.

I chose WT because it is relatively close to home and is in a small town, similar in size to Pecos, she stated. Canyon is a great town, and the campus is beautiful. Just like the people at Midland College, everyone at WT is extremely friendly and helpful. WT also seems to really value students who are transferring from community colleges.

Angela was nominated for the Community College Scholars Recognition program because professors, advisors and others at Midland College believe her scholarly work and engagement at the college merited extra recognition, Walter V. Wendler, president of West Texas A&M University, said. WT is proud to support the mission of community colleges across the region as well as the hard work of their students and faculty.
Behaviorally Hires GfK's Burnett as Client Dev VP

In New York, shopper insights specialist Behaviorally (previously known as PRS IN VIVO USA) has appointed long-time GfK exec Jola Burnett as Vice President, Client Development.



The recently rebranded company combines its own behavioral framework with category expertise to examine the drivers of consumer behavior and shopper growth. In April, it expanded into Asia, opening hubs in both Singapore and Shanghai.



Burnett (pictured) joins after nearly sixteen years at GfK, latterly as VP of the consumer trend study GfK Consumer Life. Earlier, she was a Research Associate in GfK NOP's Qualitative Practice, having joined in 2005 as a Research Analyst.



In her new role, Burnett will support clients throughout the North American region. Commenting on the appointment, US MD Ian Elmer said: 'In Jola, we have a passionate and ambitious human-centric leader who is a trusted source in shopper trends and behaviors. Her experience, innovative thinking and enthusiasm are a wonderful fit for our future-focused team as we help clients drive shopper growth. We look forward to her contributions to our strategy and the company as a whole'.



Web site: www.behaviorally.com .




We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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Muskogee, OK (74401)

Today

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable.
Illinois legislators got their first glimpse Thursday afternoon of what an energy package may look like as they are set to reconvene in Springfield to consider energy-related legislation. Unfortunately, it appears as though the Democrats and Gov. J.B. Pritzker are cooking up a plan thats more about a bailout and a massive rate increase, than providing for Illinois real energy needs.

Legislation has not been filed yet and the nuances are fluid, but heres what the final plan is shaping up to look like:

First, the Democrats are preparing to bail out the Exelon/Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) companies, even as ComEd is under indictment for having orchestrated a massive bribery scheme in Springfield. That proposed bailout could be as large as $700 million in subsidies for their power-generating facilities  thats more than three times the fine ComEd was forced to pay the federal government for its corrupt actions.

And of course, itll be hardworking families and businesses on the hook to pay for it, as rates will no doubt increase drastically. Ratepayers could end up paying 20% more on their utility bills.

Also, the Democrats are proposing to close downstate power plants, including Prairie State Energy Campus and Springfields City Water, Light and Power, costing Illinoisans thousands of jobs. The closures would also reduce our states power capacity, require us to go outside of the state to find power, and ultimately increase the prices consumers pay.

Third, the proposal would authorize an out-of-state company to take private property to build a transmission line. In a practice known as eminent domain, property owners in the path of the proposed transmission line would have no choice but to surrender their property to the company.

Finally, the plan exempts renewable energy investors from ethics rules that would apply to others in the industry. Why? Well, we dont know for sure, but common sense dictates its much easier to fix outrageously high prices and rates of return for wealthy, politically-connected investors if theres no disclosure or transparency requirements.

The state Senate is scheduled to return to the Capitol on Tuesday to vote on a proposal. Between now and then, I will be urging the Democrats to focus on an energy policy that provides an affordable and reliable supply of power to Illinois, as opposed to a plan that fuels even more corruption.
State lawmakers returning to Springfield this week could take up measures some say will help streamline the process for firearms owners to secure licenses required to stay within the law.

Persistent delays in issuing Firearm Owners Identification cards in Illinois have doubled in the last year and a half, and are likely to continue after a federal judge shot down a motion last week seeking to force the state to issue backlogged cards.

Illinoisans who want to legally buy or own firearms and ammunition must have a card issued by Illinois State Police. Penalties for not having one when owning a firearm depend on the circumstances, but can range from a misdemeanor to a felony charge with up to three years in prison.

Its approaching two years of reports of backlogs in card applications. Some people have been waiting for months, if not more than a year. In January 2020, Illinois State Police posted an update on the agencys Facebook page that said it has about 62,000 FOID applications under review which includes new, renewals and changes.

The backlog problem has more than doubled since, compounded by increased applications during the pandemic, increased urban crime and civil unrest over the past 18 months.

From April 2020 through April of this year, Illinois State Police data shows there were a total of 160,452 firearm owner card renewal applications. Of that, 103,551 were approved and 271 denied, leaving nearly 57,000 renewals backlogged.

During the pandemic, state police issued emergency rules to extend expired cards for 18 months after the governors emergency declaration is lifted. That doesnt help new applicants.

For the year ending in April, state police statistics show 332,862 new applications submitted. Of that, 246,551 were approved and 17,354 were denied. That leaves a backlog of nearly 69,000 people whose initial applications have not been processed.

Firearm owner card renewals combined with the initial applications equal about 126,000 backlogged applications  more than double what it was 18 months ago. Previous state police statements have said the average wait is more than 120 days.

Alongside the Illinois State Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation, Goldwater Institute attorney Jacob Huebert sued in federal court.

When they enacted [the FOID Act] they recognized that they needed to do something to respect peoples Second Amendment rights so they put that 30-day limit in there and then they went on to totally disrespect it and it only got worse, Huebert told WMAY.

A judge Wednesday struck down their motion to force the state to immediately issue backlogged cards, saying while the delays are a burden, its not severe enough to render the process unconstitutional.

Huebert disagreed.

This is a total deprivation of Second Amendment rights until the state gets around to acting on your FOID card application, and to some people that can be the difference between life and death, Huebert said.

The case is still alive at the trial level, but its likely going to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Huebert said the state is supposed to process applications within 30 days.

If they cant do that then they should scrap the whole scheme, and the courts should enjoin the whole FOID card act, Huebert said. If these people cant process these cards within 30 days then they shouldnt being doing this at all and they should respect peoples second amendment rights in the first place.

Gun groups have filed about a dozen legal challenges in state and federal courts over the states firearms laws.
Republican leaders in the Illinois House and Senate have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of new legislative district maps that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law June 4.

Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Chicago, arguing that the maps are based on survey data rather than official U.S. Census numbers and therefore violate the U.S. Constitutions one person, one vote requirement.

Todays filing should come as no surprise to Illinoisans, Durkin said. The partisan process upon which the legislative maps were drawn flies in the face of strong recommendations made by countless advocacy groups and citizens who testified at the redistricting hearings.

Durkin was referring to groups who urged lawmakers to wait for the release of official data from the 2020 census, which is due for release in mid-August. That, however, would have pushed lawmakers beyond the Illinois Constitutions deadline of June 30 for the General Assembly to adopt maps before the process is turned over to a bipartisan commission.

So instead, House and Senate Democrats based the new maps on population estimates derived from the Census Bureaus American Community Survey, which Republicans and a number of voting rights advocacy groups, including the League of Women Voters of Illinois and Illinois Common Cause, argued is not accurate enough to be used for redistricting.

Democratic leaders also said they used data from previous elections to determine the partisan tilt of each district.

Throughout the process, Republicans pushed unsuccessfully for the appointment of an independent redistricting commission that would have been fashioned along the lines of one that was proposed in a 2016 constitutional amendment, but which the Illinois Supreme Court removed from the ballot that year under a legal technicality.

Today we are entering court on behalf of the thousands of families, small business owners, workers, and taxpayers who said they wanted an independently drawn map, not the one handed down by political insiders desperately clinging to power, McConchie said. We believe this is our best option to advocate for the 75% of voters who were refused an independent process and a map created with accurate data.

During the spring legislative session, House and Senate redistricting committees held a series of more than 50 public hearings focusing on different areas of the state. Most of those hearings, however, were either virtual meetings or hybrid meetings with in-person and virtual participation.

The House and Senate approved new maps on May 26, less than 24 hours after the final drafts had been introduced. Pritzker signed them into law a week later, on June 4.

The lawsuit alleges that the maps violate the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which federal courts have frequently cited as the basis for requiring state legislative districts to be drawn so they are substantially equal in population.

That has generally meant that districts cannot vary in population by more than 10% between the largest and smallest districts, but variations of less than 10% have also been found unconstitutional if the lines are drawn in an arbitrary or discriminatory manner.

McConchie and Durkin argue in their lawsuit that the use of survey data to craft the new maps resulted in districts that are both arbitrary in how they were drawn and discriminatory because the surveys that were used tend to under count certain subgroups of the population.

They are asking the court to declare that the new maps violate the U.S. Constitution and for an injunction to prevent state officials from implementing the new maps.

In addition, they are asking that if valid maps are not adopted before the Illinois Constitutions June 30 deadline, that the court either order the appointment of a bipartisan commission, as provided for in the Illinois Constitution, or appoint a special master to oversee the drafting of valid maps based on official 2020 census data.

The suit names House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch of Hillside, Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park, and the Illinois State Board of Elections, along with its individual members, as defendants.

Sens. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, who is chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee, and Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, who is vice chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee, issued a joint written statement saying they stand by their maps.

It is disappointing but not surprising Republicans would seek to strike down these new maps, which reflect the great racial and geographic diversity of our state. Throughout this process, they have done nothing but delay and obstruct efforts to ensure our communities are fairly represented, as seen by their refusal to even draft their own proposals, the statement said.

Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, who chairs the House Redistricting Committee, also issued a statement accusing Republicans of trying to block the new maps for their own political gain.

Republicans in the House have done nothing but attempt to obstruct this citizen-driven process, she said. Theyve staged charades for the media while spending well over $500,000 of taxpayer money out of their redistricting budget, but couldnt even bother to submit their own proposals to be considered.

The case has not yet been assigned to a federal judge.
What started as a desire to write a pamphlet on the history of a local organization blossomed into a 500-plus-page, meticulously researched volume full of never-before-published facts and stories that bring to life many of Jacksonvilles miraculous women.

Literary Ladies: The First 130 Years of the Wednesday Class is the result of six years of painstaking research, writing and editing by three Jacksonville women whose passion for the topic comes through in every page and index entry.

Authors Linda Ryan, Suzanne Verticchio and Cathy Green are also current members of the Wednesday Class, the 134-year-old womens literary society that is the books subject.

More Information If you have a suggestion about someone who should be profiled, send their name and any contact information available to communitynews@myjournalcourier.com. See More Collapse

Some of the histories included in this book are accessible nowhere else, Ryan said. They come right out of our 134 years of Wednesday Class minutes.

Those extensive, although at times barely legible, handwritten club minutes, plus the items saved by past members, formed the backbone of the books historical information. The three authors also combed through references dating back to the 1880s, examined the historical collection at the Jacksonville Public Library, and contacted people across the country whose ancestors had been Wednesday Class members. Current members also researched and submitted short biographies featuring members from different time periods.

These members were not public figures like their husbands and their pictures did not appear in historical atlases. We really wanted to try to put some faces to the names of these early women, Ryan said. So we had to track down descendants and find out if they had pictures of their great-grandmothers and if theyd be willing to share them with us.

We can hear the womens voices speaking through the Wednesday Class minutes, Ryan said. The secretaries in the early days commented on the programs and discussions of events in Jacksonville and the world.

The books first chapter talks about what Jacksonville was like in 1887 when Wednesday Class started. Literary Ladies ends with appendices that include the constitutions; information on all 155 members through the years, including genealogy where it was available; and all of the groups themes of study since its formation.

Wednesday Class was organized to feature literary exercises like the presentation of papers and current event discussions, but to also leave time for socialization. Ryan said that several notable public figures spoke at the societys meetings, including famed artist Nellie Knopf. Wednesday Class and Sorosis, another womens literary society, even partnered to bring distinguished social reformer Jane Addams to town as a speaker in 1896.

Verticchio said Literary Ladies is divided into chapters that are book-ended by important historical eras.

Its so much more than just the history of Wednesday Class. You can see what was going on in Jacksonville and what these women were dealing with in each time period, Verticchio said. Its an extremely valuable resource for anyone who is interested in the history of Jacksonville in particular, but also the various periods of U.S. history.

Verticchio said the current members of Wednesday Class missed the opportunity to create something special for their 125th anniversary in 2012, so they started thinking about developing a pamphlet that would briefly describe the organizations history and purpose.

Shortly thereafter the book Smart Women was published about womens literary societies in the United States. During her research author Anne Costello contacted Wednesday Class and other local literary societies. She later wrote that the societies of Jacksonville deserve their own book because there is such a wealth of literary groups for women here, Verticchio said. Thats when the authors got the idea to expand their pamphlet into a larger history of the class.

The authors approached Bob Sibert, the president of Bound to Stay Bound Books, about printing the book. Sibert was also president of the Morgan County Historical Society and helped convince the society to publish the book. Local graphic artist Steve Varble designed it and the book is now on sale at Our Town Books in Jacksonville.

Readers will find many interesting and inspiring details in the book.

Many of the women lived in houses where several generations of Wednesday Class members had lived, including the late Rhoda Clarks house on West State that had been a Wednesday Class home for more than 100 years, Verticchio said. We kept discovering things about these women and saying holy cow, these were super women. How did they do these things with the limited resources they had?

Greens mother, Carolyn Crawford, joined Wednesday Class in 1934 and with fellow member Marian French was able to save many of the original society documents and get to know some founding members. Crawford kept a card file on all of the members and her daughter, Cathy Green, has kept it updated. That, along with the Wednesday Class minutes, proved invaluable to the books authors.

I had many photo albums of the anniversary pictures and copies of poems that the members had written, Green said. My mother and Alice Engelbach also created an album of photos of all the homes that members lived in that we were able to use.

Green said the research for the book really brought some of the Wednesday Class women to life, including one in particular that Green found to be inspiring.

We have fallen in love with Madge Barnes. She was extraordinary, Green said. She had the longest active membership in Wednesday Class, from 1890 to 1950. She and her husband were going to Europe at one point for a six-month stay and she came to Wednesday Class the day she left. Thats dedication. And her poetry is phenomenal. She just had to be the most warm, loving and interesting woman.

Barnes was the great-grandmother of Frank Norbury, a well-known local doctor, and the authors were able to get photographs of Barnes through Norburys children.

There are more than 600 source notes at the end of Literary Ladies that document the historical framework in which these women were living.

One of the fascinating things for me was why the clothing changed so much, Green said. The things that came about during World Wars I and II that affected what they ate and how it changed their clothing styles. The world wars made a huge difference in womens lives.

Green was also amazed to learn that local banker Marshal Ayers, a member of The Club, a mens literary organization, hosted joint meetings in his Jacksonville home at 876 W. State St. in the 1890s that included both mens and womens literary societies in town, including Wednesday Class and Sorosis.

You might have 150 people meeting and they would have very unique programs, Green said. Continuing education for adults has a long history in Jacksonville.

There are six literary societies that still exist in Jacksonville, including Wednesday Class. The 22 members meet on Wednesday afternoons in the fall and spring, and the organization stays true to its original purpose of the mental, moral and physical improvement of its members.

That founding philosophy was evident with every new piece of information the books authors uncovered.

These were women that were very well educated for their time period, most of them never worked outside the home after they got married, Ryan said. They were responsible for their households and children but they were longing for intellectual stimulation and a way to continue learning.

Verticchio said the readers of Literary Ladies will be inspired by the people in the book.

It is like ripples on a pond, Verticchio said. The influence of these women and this society is astounding.
Overnight reports from Jacksonville police:

 Amarah J. Abbey, 19, of 421 S. East St. was arrested at 9:01 p.m. Sunday on a domestic battery charge. She is accused of punching and scratching someone during an altercation.

 Jolie M. Young, 18, of 1800 Mound Ave. was arrested at 12:17 a.m. Monday on a charge of illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor and cited on a charge of failing to signal after the car she was driving was stopped at Kosciusko and State streets.

 A bicycle was stolen Sunday from the 700 block of South East Street, according to a report filed at 10:43 p.m. Sunday.

 Brady D. Sapp, 24, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of failing to yield after the car he was driving and one being driven by Lauren B. Oxendine, 35, of Jacksonville collided at 12:03 p.m. Sunday on Morton Avenue at Lincoln Square.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden has vowed to mend Americas trade relations with its European allies, which were stretched to the breaking point by President Donald Trumps mercurial behavior, combative policies and aversion to multinational alliances.

Yet when he meets Tuesday with European Union leaders in Brussels, Biden may find that making up is hard to do. The prospect of forging an accord to resolve their differences  and perhaps form a united front against an increasingly confrontational China  may be stymied by European skepticism.

Sounding a sour note about Bidens intentions, Valdis Dombrovskis, a Latvian political leader who serves as the European Union's trade chief, said in speech last week that the time had come for the U.S. to walk the talk.

Dombrovskis was referring in part to Trump's 2018 decision to impose import taxes on foreign steel and aluminum  a decision that left European leaders furious and triggered retaliatory steps against the United States. Biden has been slow to take up the possibility of dropping the tariffs, which Trump had imposed on the basis of national security.

Asked about the tariffs during a news conference Sunday as he wrapped up his time at the Group of Seven summit in the U.K., Biden pleaded for patience with his young administration, saying, "A hundred and twenty days. Give me a break. Need time."

And with trade tensions still shading the trans-Atlantic relationship, the EU may also prove reluctant to join a U.S.-led effort to confront China over its provocative trade policies.

Then theres a longstanding dispute over how much of a government subsidy each side unfairly provides for its aircraft manufacturing giant  Boeing in the United States and Airbus in the EU.

This has been going on for 17 years, says Cecilia Malmstrom, a veteran of trans-Atlantic battles as the European trade commissioner from 2014 to 2019.

All that said, U.S.-EU relations are still certain to be much friendlier than they were under Trump, who regularly accused the Europeans of shirking their responsibility to pay for their own defense through NATO and of exploiting what he called unfair trade deals to sell far more products to the United States than they buy.

In a goodwill gesture in March, the Biden administration and the EU did agree to suspend the tariffs they had imposed on each other in the Airbus-Boeing battle. Several news outlets have reported that U.S. and EU diplomats are working on a draft communique that would call for the Boeing-Airbus dispute to be resolved by July 11 and for the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs  and the EUs retaliatory sanctions  to be lifted by Dec. 1.

The Biden administration also announced Friday that Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo would be joining the U.S. delegation; her department administers the steel and aluminum tariffs.

Kelly Ann Shaw, a former Trump administration trade official who is now a partner at the law firm Hogan Lovells, suggested that the EU and U.S. are eager to move past their tariff battles so they can move on and tackle some 21st century challenges, not the least of which is China.

Last week, though, Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, sounded noncommittal in speaking with reporters on Air Force One.

There has been good progress in those negotiations," Sullivan said of the Boeing-Airbus dispute. "But Im making no promises about what might happen.

Regarding the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, Sullivan noted that the EU agreed last month to suspend plans to escalate retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products  a concession meant to ease tensions and encourage further negotiations. But he added: Thats going to take some time to work out."

Asked specifically whether the United States would be rolling back the metals tariffs, Sullivan shook his head.

The steel and aluminum dispute is an especially sensitive one. In moving to tax imported metals, Trump dusted off a little-used weapon in U.S. trade policy to justify the tariffs: He declared the foreign metals to be a threat to U.S. national security  a decision that startled and outraged Europeans and other longstanding American allies.

Almost all the EU members were NATO members, said Malmstrom, now a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. How could we be a national security threat? It was offensive.

Malmstrom said she was surprised that Biden hasnt already dropped the tariffs and hopes he will do so at the summit Tuesday.

Maybe hes saving this as a gift, she said.

Complicating the political calculus for Biden is that U.S. labor unions and steel and aluminum producers  some of them concentrated in states important to Democratic election prospects  want to maintain the tariffs on the imported metals to help keep prices up. A key reason is that China, which churns out more than half the world's steel, has contributed to an oversupply that has otherwise kept global prices down.

Demonstrating a united U.S.-EU challenge to China's aggressive policies could strengthen the trans-Atlantic negotiating leverage. But Malmstrom said she is skeptical about whether the EU is eager to join the United States to face up to China and force a reckoning over its trade practices.

The Trump administration's imposition of tariffs on $360 billion of Chinese goods came against the backdrop of a roiling conflict over the predatory tactics that China is widely accused of deploying to try to supplant America's global technological dominance. Many trade experts say Beijing has coerced American companies to hand over trade secrets as the price of access to its market, forced U.S. businesses to license technology in China on unfavorable terms, used state funds to buy up American technology and committed outright theft.

Critics, including Biden, had lambasted Trump for alienating would-be allies like the EU instead of enlisting them to help challenge Beijing. For now, though, Biden hasn't called off Trumps trade war against China.

Malmstrom noted that among the EUs 27 member countries, there is no full unanimity on how to deal with China." She suggested that the EU might go along with the United States on specific measures  perhaps cracking down on Beijing's subsidies to its own companies, for example  but still stop short of joining the United States in any wide-ranging confrontation with China.

The EU will not just sign up to a U.S. agenda on the bottom line, she said. The EU is not in trade war mode against anyone.

___

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Carbis Bay, England, contributed to this report.
A decade ago, there were more than a half dozen Congressional committees investigating the attack upon the U.S. Consular Office in Benghazi, Libya. Yet chances are dimming for even a single Congressional investigation of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol itself on Jan. 6.

But Congress should not be barred from investigating an attempt to overturn the election results by force. Sen. Joe Manchin is right; we need a second vote, free from political pressure.

As of October 2012, there were more than seven Congressional probes of the Benghazi attack, mostly led by Republicans. These included the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the House Committee on the Judiciary, the House Committee on Armed Services, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Theres also the House Select Committee on Benghazi. This list does not account for non-Congressional investigations of the terror attack.

The Poynter Institutes Politfact found this of Hillary Clintons view of the findings: As for her comment that there was no overt wrongdoing, just room for improvement, thats a rosy assessment. But it is also largely accurate.

But the Benghazi probes had done their job, according to Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who had this to say about all of those investigations. He told Sean Hannity on Fox News, Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because shes untrustable. But no one wouldve known any of that had happened had we not fought and made that happen. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-South Carolina, rushed to insist that these hearings unbiased, but the damage by McCarthy was done. It was a major reason why McCarthy was pushed aside as a replacement for House Speaker John Boehner by Republicans, who selected Paul Ryan instead.

Democrats gave in to Republican demands on membership, subpoena power, composition, and modeled the committee to investigate the attack along the lines of the 9/11 Commission. But even this bending over backwards wasnt enough to satisfy McCarthy or Senate leaders, who voted down this investigation. It will be up to the Justice Department to investigate the crimes on Jan. 6, not necessarily a bipartisan affair.

For the Republican leadership, this isnt about giving the Democrats an edge, or having their brand look terrible. Folks have already made up their minds that it was either a terrible coup attempt or simply a group of peaceful protesters calmly pleading their case in a nonviolent fashion. And everyones already seen the videos of what really happened, and dont need someone else to try and explain that they didnt see what they did see.

Its about having to repeat, under oath, what they said to President Trump when they pleaded with him to call off the attackers. Theyve seen whats happened to Rep. Liz Cheney in the caucus, and how every member of Congress who voted to impeach Trump got a host of primary challengers. And they have already faced Trumps wrath once already, and arent itching to make him angry again, especially given that he has a chance to win another term, and exact his revenge upon all who ever stood up to him, or even disagreed with him, or didnt loudly defend him.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu.
Sri Lankan court grants bail to captain of fire-ravaged ship View Photo

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  A Sri Lankan court granted bail to the captain of a fire-ravaged container ship on Monday, hours after he was arrested by police, officials said.

The ship, the MV X-Press Pearl, is sinking off the countrys capital, Colombo, and causing severe environmental pollution.

Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said the captain was arrested under the provisions of the Marine Pollution Prevention Act, which prohibits the dumping of oil, harmful substances and other pollutants in the ocean and coastal areas. He has not been formally charged, which is done by prosecutors.

Russian captain Tyutkalo Vitaly appeared before the magistrate on Monday and was later released on bail. The court banned him from leaving the country. The case will be heard again on July 1.

The fire broke out when the ship was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometers) northwest of the capital and waiting to enter the countrys main port. It burned for 12 days.

The Sri Lankan navy believes the blaze was caused by the vessels cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals, most of which was destroyed in the fire.

Authorities extinguished the fire last week, but the ship then began sinking and attempts to tow it into deeper waters failed when the vessels stern sank to the seabed.

The ship remains partly submerged in waters about 21 meters (70 feet) deep.

On Saturday, the government said it is seeking an interim claim of $40 million from the ships operator to cover part of the cost of fighting the fire. Officials are still assessing the total damages.

___

This story corrects that the captain has not been formally charged.

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI

Associated Press
President Joe Biden View Photo

President Joe Biden summarized the G7 Summit, which took place over the weekend in the United Kingdom.

Biden was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

Weve just wrapped up what has been an extraordinary, collaborative, and productive meeting at the G7. Everyone at the table understood and understands both the seriousness and the challenges that were up against, and the responsibility of our proud democracies to step up and deliver for the rest of the world. Thats what the G7 is all about. And rallying the worlds democracies to meet the challenges that the world faces, and deliver for our people and for people, quite frankly, everywhere.

Ending the pandemic and maintaining robust support for an equitable, inclusive global economic recovery were the top priorities of our nations as we got together. We know we cant achieve one without the other; that is, we have to deal with the pandemic and  in order to be able to deal with economic recovery, which  as were doing in the States, but we committed that were going to do more for the rest of the world as well.

The fact is that we  the U.S. contribution is the foundation  the foundation to work out how were going to deal with the 100 nations that are poor and having trouble finding vaccines and having trouble dealing with reviving their economies if they were, in the first place, in good shape.

And we  I committed that we would provide a half a billion  a half a billion beyond the 80 million weve already done  half a billion doses of Pfizer vaccine, which we contracted to pay for, in addition to money we put into the COVID [COVAX] project, which is that COVID [COVAX] is  and I know you all know, but a lot of people may not know what COVID [COVAX] is  that is a system whereby theyre going to provide funding for states to be able to get access to vaccines on their own, as well.

But the bottom line is: What that generated was a commitment by the rest of our colleagues at the G7 that they would provide another half billion. So were going to have a billion doses of vaccine.

And, in our case, this includes sharing more than  not just the one billion doses overall, but were going to provide for 200 million of those doses by the end of the year, another 300 million by the first half of next year. And so, its  it was greeted with some enthusiasm.

And weve agreed to work together so that the world is better prepared to detect and deal with future pandemics, because there will be future pandemics.

We have a  Im sure youve seen it; if you havent, youll get it  a joint statement we put out of the G7. Youve seen it, Im sure. And we are committed to follow on to do some significant work, including not only how we deal with the distribution and help in getting shots in arms to the rest of the world, but how were going to deal with putting together a mechanism to anticipate and deal with and be aware of the next  the next pandemic when it comes along. And there will be others.

And we also agreed to take important steps that are going to support global economic recovery by laying the foundation for an equitable global economy. Critically, the G7 leaders endorsed a global minimum tax of 15 percent. So many corporations have been engaged in what are essentially tax havens, deciding that they would pay considerably less than other  in other environs around the world. And  but this is going to make sure theres a minimum tax, and Im going to have  Im going to move on this at home as well  a minimum tax for corporations to pay for the profits they make anywhere in the world.

And this agreement is going to help arrest the race to the bottom thats been going on among nations attracting corporate investment at the expense of priorities like protecting our workers and investing in infrastructure.

We also made a momentous commitment at the G7 to help meet more than a $40 trillion need that exists for infrastructure in the developing world. I put forward an idea that was called  we named the Build Back Better World Partnership, which is  were calling it the B3W.

The point is that whats happening is that China has this Belt and Road Initiative, and we think that theres a much more equitable way to provide for the needs of countries around the world.

And so its been  its a values-driven, high-standard, transparent financing mechanism were going to provide and support projects in four key are-  key areas: climate, health, digital technology, and gender equity. And we believe that will not only be good for the countries, but itll be good for the entire world and represent values that our democracies represent, and not autocratic lack of values. By harassing the full potential of those who are harassing, were going to have to try and change things. Thats the whole idea.

But heres the deal: Were going to make sure that we are able to pull together the ability to use the development financing institutions and other development tools to expect the bold, new infrastructure investment in low- and middle-income countries over the coming years, much of it coming from the private sector, which will generate the capital put in; will generate significantly more capital from the private sector.

We also made a historic commitment to permanently eliminate the use of our public finance to support unabated coal projects around the world, and to end  and to end them by this year. The G7 agreed to that. And those who are not members, but visiting members who are participating in the G7, who have coal-fired facilities have also agreed that they would work in that direction as well.

So, transitioning the world to cleaner energy sources is urgent, its essential if were going to beat the climate. And there is  one of the things I  some of my colleagues said to me when I was there was, Well, the United States is  their leadership recognizes there is global warming. And I know that sounds silly, but, you know, we had a President who last  who basically said its not a problem  global warming. It is the existential problem facing humanity, and its being treated that way. So were going to provide up to $2 billion to support developing company [sic]  countries as they transition away from unabated coal-fired power.

In addition, we also agreed to tackle corruption, which is a threat to societies everywhere. I pointed out in a conversation I had with  with one of the leaders of  well, actually with China. And that was  it was a request for me not to try to  when I was asked what I was going to be doing after being elected, I said were going to reestablish the strength of American relationships so we can be counted on again  alliances  and suggested that, Well, maybe you shouldnt get the Quad  meaning India, Japan, Australia, and the United States  working together, and maybe you shouldnt be pushing on strengthening the European Union to deal with the West not just to have  and so on.

And I said, for an American president to  every president to be sustained, or prime minister, has to represent the values of their country. And I pointed out  and I mean this sincerely: Were unique as a country. Were built on  were unique in a sense that were not based on ethnicity or geography or religion; were one nation that said we organized on an idea: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal. It sounds corny, but its real.

And any President who doesnt act consistent with what the  the raison detat for the nation is cannot be sustained that  the support of that country.

And so what we were able to do is: We know that corruption undermines the trust in governments, siphons off public resources, makes economies much less competitive, and constitutes a threat to our security. So were going to work together to address issues like the abuse of shell companies and money laundering through real estate transactions. And weve agreed that were going to work together to address cyber threats from state and non-state actors like criminal ransomware networks, and hold count-  countries accountable that harbor criminal ransomware actors who dont hold them accountable.

And over the past few weeks, the nations of the G7 have affirmed that democratic values that underpin everything we hope to achieve in our shared future, that were committed to put them to work: One, delivering vaccines and ending the pandemic. Two, driving substantial, inclusive economic recovery around the world. Three, in fueling infrastructure development in places that most badly need it. And, four, in fighting climate change.

The only way were going to meet the global threats that were  is by working together, and with our partners and our allies. And I conveyed to each of my G7 counterparts that the United States is going to do our part. America is back at the table. Its  America is back at the table.

The lack of participation in the past and full engagement was noticed significantly, not only by the leaders of those countries, but by the people in the G7 countries. And America is back in the business of leading the world alongside nations who share our most deeply held values.

And so the bottom line is: I was very pleased with the  with the outcome of the  of the entire conference. And, you know, I noticed there was a lot of coverage of my individual comments made by my colleagues about how we were all getting along together. But the truth of the matter is: We did. It wasnt  I felt it wasnt about me, but it was about America. I felt a genuine sense of enthusiasm that America was back at the table and fully, fully engaged.

And now Im going to be heading off to  to Brussels, to NATO. And the same  many of the same people are going to be at that table, and  in NATO  and to make the case we are back, as well. We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket. We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security for the next  next  the remainder of the century. And theres a real enthusiasm.

I made it clear  and I pointed out, and I thanked them  you know, Article 5 is, An attack on one is an attack on all. Well, what Americans sometimes  dont forget  remember what happened on 9/11. We were attacked. Immediately, NATO supported us. NATO supported us. NATO went until we got bin Laden. NATO was part of the process. And I want them to know, unlike  whether they doubt it  that we believe NATO and Section [Article] 5 is a sacred obligation.

Bottom line is: I think  I think weve made some progress in reestablishing American credibility among our closest friends and our  our values.

Now, why dont I take some of your questions? And Im told, Jonathan, Im supposed to talk  recognize you first.

Q Well, I appreciate  I appreciate that, sir. Thank you very much. Mr. President, Vladimir Putin  (a microphone is brought to Mr. Lemire)  thank you.

Vladimir Putin, who youll be seeing in a few days in Geneva, said just a couple of days ago that he believed that U.S.-Russia relations were at a low point. In what concrete ways could your summit change that?

And then, secondly, on the same topic: You have said previously, and in the run-up to the summit, that you would be unafraid to call out Russias disruptive actions  like cyber hacks, Ukraine, election interference  but youre not having a joint press conference with Putin. Why not take the chance to stand side by side with him and say those things to him with the world watching?

THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) Well, let me make it clear: I think hes right that its a low point, and it depends on how he responds to acting consistent with international norms, which, in many cases, he has not.

As I told him when I was running and when I got elected, before it was  I was sworn in, that I was going to find out whether or not he, in fact, did engage in trying to interfere in our election; that I was going to take a look at whether he was involved in the  a cybersecurity breach that occurred, et cetera; and if I did, I was going to respond.

I did; I checked it out. So, I had access to all the intelligence. He was engaged in those activities. I did respond and made it clear that Id respond again.

With regard to  I always found  and I dont mean to suggest that the press should not know  but this is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference to try to embarrass each other. Its about making myself very clear what the conditions are to get a better relationship are  with Russia.

Were not looking for conflict. We are looking to resolve those actions which we think are inconsistent with international norms, number one. Number two, where we can work together, we may be able to do that in terms of some strategic doctrine that  that may be able to be worked together. Were ready to do it. And there may be other areas. Theres even talk there may be the ability to work together on climate.

So the bottom line is that I think the best way to deal with this is for he and I to meet, he and I to have our discussion. I know you dont doubt that Ill be very straightforward  (laughs)  with him about our concerns. And I will make clear my view of how that meeting turned out, and hell make clear how  from his perspective, how it turned out.

But I dont want to get into being diverted by, Did they shake hands? How far did they ta-  who talked the most, and the rest. Now, he can say what he said the meeting was about, and I will say what I think the meeting was about.

Thats  thats how Im going to handle it.

Q Okay, thanks.

THE PRESIDENT: Im sorry, Im going to get in trouble with staff if I dont do this the right way.

Jennifer Jacobs, Bloomberg.

Q Thank you, sir. On China, you  sorry  China seems to be to doing exactly what it wants to do with regard to Hong Kong, with regard to Xinjiang, with the South China Sea, and many other issues, despite pressure from you and from allies.

The final language in the G7 communique does have some mentions of China, which is different from past years, but I know its not as tough as you and your team wanted it to be. Weve saw  we saw a draft of the communique, and its not quite as tough.

So why isnt it as tough? There isnt very much action in it. Theres some calls for China to be respectful. But why isnt that communique a little bit tougher? Are you disappointed in that? And what can you do to change some of these actions by China?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I think it  as you know, last time the G7 met, there was no mention of China. But this time, there is mention of China. The G7 explicitly agreed to call out human rights abuses in Xinjiang and in Hong Kong explicitly.

Two, to coordinate a common strategy to deal with China non-market policies that undermine competition. Theyve agreed  and thats underway now  how to do that.

Three, to take serious actions against forced labor in solar, agriculture, and the garment industries because thats where its happening. And theyve agreed we will do that.

To launch  what I said earlier; I really feel very strongly  I proposed that we have a democratic alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative: the Build Back Better. And theyve agreed to that, and thats underway as the details of that  we agreed that wed put together a committee to do that and come up with that.

And thirdly, that we are going to insist on a high-standards to be  for a climate-friendly, transparent alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative. And  but, in the meantime, were going to move forward.

Look, I think its always  let me put it this way: I know this is going sound somewhat prosaic, but I think were in a contest  not with China per se, but a contest with autocrats, autocratic governments around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in the rapidly changing 21st century.

And I think how we act and whether we pull together as democracies is going to determine whether our grandkids look back 15 years from now and say, Did they step up? Are democracies as relevant and as powerful as they have been?

And I walked away from the meeting with all my colleagues believing that they are convinced that that is correct now too. Not  I shouldnt say now. Not just because of me, but they believe that to be the case.

And so, I think youre going to see just straightforward dealing with China. And again, were not looking  as Ive told Xi Jinping myself, Im not looking for conflict. Where we can cooperate, well cooperate. Where we disagree, Im going to state it frankly, and we are going to respond to actions that are inconsistent.

For example, we talked about trade. Its one thing to talk about whether or not our agricultural policy makes sense. Its another thing to say, By the way, youre demanding that if I do business with your country, Ive got to give you all my trade secrets and have the  the Chinese partner have 51 percent of that? No. Not us.

Q So, are you saying, Mr. President  are you satisfied with what came out in the communique?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q Or do you wish it were tougher? Do you wish there was more 

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q  action on China?

THE PRESIDENT: I think theres plenty of action on China, and theres always something that you can  Im sure my colleagues think theres things they think they can improve that they wanted. But Im satisfied.

Steve Holland, Reuters.

Q Thank you, sir. Just to follow up on Jennifers question: The communique cited a variety of fronts on China, everything from human rights, the origin of the COVID virus, Taiwan. What do you think China needs to do to ease tensions?

THE PRESIDENT: I think China has to start to act more responsibly in terms of international norms on human rights and transparency.

Transparency matters across the board. And I think the idea that  for example, one of the things I raised and others raised  I wasnt the only one who raised this at the G7  is that we dont know  we havent had access to the laboratories to determine whether or not  and I have not reached a conclusion because our intelligence community is not certain yet whether or not this was a consequence of a  from the marketplace of a bat, you know, interfacing with  with animals in the environment that caused this  this COVID-19, or whether it was an experiment gone awry in a laboratory.

Its important to know the answer to that because we have to have access  we have to build a system whereby we can know what  when we see another transparent  lack of transparency that might produce another vac-  another pandemic. We have to have access. The world has to have access.

So were trying to figure out, at the G7, whether we could put together an international basis upon which we could have a bottom line with what the transparency accounted for.

Q And you mentioned  you mentioned that the argument behind the scenes, that you had not mentioned China in three years in one of these communiques. What did you argue behind the scenes to try to bring people to the point where they got?

THE PRESIDENT: To answer that question  theres no way to answer without sounding self-serving. Let me just say this: I just laid out what I thought was the need for us to be consistent to protect our economies and to see to it that other struggling economies, who needed help, got the help and were not held captive by other nations.

But you might ask that to others. Im not trying to be a wise guy, but I 

And Wall Street Journal. Andrew.

Q As you said, the G7 countries committed to send 1 billion coronavirus doses overseas, but the World Health Organization says 11 billion doses are needed.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q How are you going to bridge that gap? Will the U.S. commit to send additional doses overseas? And given the gap, is it actually realistic to end the pandemic by 2022?

THE PRESIDENT: It is  it may take slightly longer than  worldwide. But the United States is going to continue  I think theres a possibility, over 2022 going into 2023, that we would be able to be in a position to provide another billion  us. But thats not done yet.

I only  Ive been very careful, as Ive dealt with this pandemic, to tell you what I know and say what I thought could be done, and when Ive announced that Ive gone and done it. What I dont want to do is be getting too far ahead in suggesting that we can do things and I can do things  the United States can do things that I dont have done yet.

So, I  there was a clear consensus among all our colleagues at the G7 that this wasnt the end; we were going to stay at it until were able to provide for  able to provide for the needs of the whole world, in terms 

Because, look, its not just the right thing to do. And from a  from a  how can I say it? From a  from a moral standpoint. But it is also the correct thing to do, in terms of our own health, our own security. You cant build a wall high enough to keep out new strains. You cant do that.

And so, I think this is going to be a constant project for a long time. And there may be other pandemics. We  again, setting up a system whereby we can detect  before it gets out of control  one, a pandemic, that may be on the horizon  a virus  is important.

So, we are not going to  as long as theres nations in need that  being able to be vaccinated, we in fact  not  not only that: Weve been engaged in helping  which Ive made clear, and most of our  my colleagues understood it. I mean, they understood it  knew it from trying it themselves. This is a gigantic logistical effort. Its one thing to send nation X, X number  Y number of vaccines. Its another thing to have the people that can actually get it in somebodys arm. And so, we are also providing the ability for other countries to manufacture their vaccines. Weve all agreed on that.

India has the capacity to do that. They dont have the material capacity thus far to do the manufacturing. But theres a lot going on to provide  not only to, quote, give vaccines, but to provide the ability of the countries in question to produce their own vaccines.

AIDE: Last question. Last question.

THE PRESIDENT: Im not going to answer anything. No, Im joking. Last question. Peter Alexander, NBC News.

Q Mr. President, thank you very much. About Vladimir Putin and your meeting this week: As youre well aware, the U.S. has been slapping sanctions on Russia for years for its malign activities, and Russia has not stopped. So what specifically will you do differently to change Vladimir Putins behavior?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, theres no guarantee you can change a persons behavior or the behavior of his country. Autocrats have enormous power and they dont have to answer to a public. And the fact is that it may very well be, if I respond in kind  which I will  that it doesnt dissuade him and he wants to keep going.

But I think that were going to be moving in a direction where Russia has  has its own dilemmas, let us say, dealing with its economy, dealing with its  dealing with COVID, and dealing with not only the United States, but Europe writ large and in the Middle East.

And so, theres a lot going on where we can work together with Russia. For example, in Libya, we should be opening up the passes to be able to go through and provide  provide food assistance and economic  I mean, vital assistance to a population thats in real trouble.

I think Im going to try very much  hard to  it is  and, by the way, theres places where  I shouldnt be starting off on negotiating in public here. But let me say it this way: Russia has engaged in activities which are  we believe are contrary to international norms, but they have also bitten off some real problems theyre going to have trouble chewing on.

And, for example, the rebuilding of  of Syria, of Libya, of  you know, this is  theyre there. And as long as theyre there without the ability to bring about some order in the  in the region, and you cant do that very well without providing for the basic economic needs of people.

So Im hopeful that we can find an accommodation that where we can save the lives of people in  for example, in  in Libya, that  consistent with the interest of  maybe for different reasons  but reached it for the same reason  the same result.

Q I want to ask you about a comment that Vladimir Putin said today. But why do you think he hasnt changed his behavior in spite of everything the U.S. has done to this point?

THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) Hes Vladimir Putin.

Im not going to get into much more than that, because Ive got to sit down with him. And Ill be happy to talk to you after that. But 

Q But he said  then, just to conclude  today, he said that Russia would be ready to hand over cyber criminals to the United States if the U.S. would do the same to Russia and an agreement came out of this meeting coming up. So, are you open to that kind of a trade with Vladimir Putin?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Im open to  if theres crimes committed against Russia that, in fact, are  and the people committing those crimes are being harbored in the United States  Im committed to holding them accountable. And Im  I heard that; I was told, as I was flying here, that he said that. I think thats  thats potentially a good sign and progress.

Thank you all very, very much. Thank you.

Q May I ask, sir, (inaudible)  (off mic.) The European allies  can I ask a question about the European allies?

THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) Im going to get in trouble with my pre-  my staff. Yeah, go ahead. But pretend that I didnt answer you.

Q Thank you very much, sir. You have often said repeatedly that America is back.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q At the same time, youve kept in play some Trump-era steel and aluminum sanctions. And I wanted to ask you: When youre having these conversations with European allies who are very concerned about these sanctions, how do you justify that? And what are your plans for 

THE PRESIDENT: A hundred and twenty days. Give me a break. Need time.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Newsom Tourism Speech View Photo

Sacramento, CA  California Dream Vacations are the latest incentive being marketed to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Governor Gavin Newsom stated today that a drawing will be held on July 1 for six vacation packages. They are in Anaheim, Palm Springs, San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles. The Governors Office is working with hospitality partners in the state to help offset the costs. Newsom made the announcement while in San Francisco speaking to the group Visit California, which promotes tourism to the state. He says that the vacation incentive is designed to help shorten the recovery curve and encourage travel to California.

Newsom argued, As we move forward to a post-pandemic life, our tourism sector is expected to come roaring back  making us, once again, a global leader in hospitality and leisure.

In addition, tomorrow, June 15, 10 vaccinated Californians will be randomly selected to receive $1.5-million in cash. Tomorrow is when the state is doing away with the tier system and more fully reopening the economy. Anyone who receives the vaccine is automatically entered into the lottery.

The California Public Health Department reports that 55-percent of Californians are now fully vaccinated and an additional 11-percent are partially vaccinated.
Stand Selling Safe and Sane Fireworks In Calaveras County View Photo

Angels Camp, CA  The Calaveras County Supervisors voted last week to ban fireworks in the unincorporated areas, and Angels Camp may follow the lead.

Angels Camp is the only incorporated city in Calaveras County. On Tuesday the city council will vote on passing an urgency ordinance to prohibit the discharge of fireworks in the city during this current fire season. The proposed ordinance cites the worsening drought, rising temperatures, and arid fuels. Last year was a historic fire season for California with 4.2-million acres burned.

The regulations in the city, and county, would not impact large community fireworks shows.

Neighboring Tuolumne County has had a fireworks ban for many years.

The meeting will also feature a presentation, and vote, on the fiscal year 2021/22 preliminary budget. The meeting is closed physically but will be streamed online. For information on how to view it, and/or comment, click here.
Israel OKs contentious Jerusalem march, weeks after war View Photo

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israels new government on Monday approved a contentious parade by Israeli nationalists through Palestinian areas around Jerusalems Old City, setting the stage for possible renewed confrontations just weeks after an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Hamas called on Palestinians to resist the march.

The parade, scheduled for Tuesday, creates an early test for the fledgling government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett  a patchwork of parties that includes hard-line nationalists as well as the first Arab party to sit in a governing coalition.

Every year, Israeli ultranationalists hold the boisterous march, waving blue-and-white flags and chanting slogans as they march through the Old Citys Damascus Gate and into the heart of the Muslim Quarter to celebrate Israels capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians consider the march a provocation.

The parade was originally scheduled for May 10. At the time, tensions already were high following weeks of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islams holiest sites, as well as attempts by Jewish settlers to evict dozens of Palestinians from their homes in a nearby neighborhood.

As thousands of Jewish activists began the procession, police ordered a change in the route to avoid the Damascus Gate. Hamas militants in Gaza then fired a barrage of rockets toward Jerusalem, igniting the war that took over 250 Palestinian lives and killed 13 people in Israel.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said U.N. officials have made clear the need for all sides to refrain from unilateral steps and provocations, for them to exercise restraint and allow for the necessary work to be done to solidify the current cease-fire.

Omer Bar-Lev, the new Cabinet minister who oversees police, said he met with police, military and top security officials to review the plan.

I got the impression that the police are well-prepared and a great effort is being made to preserve the delicate fabric of life and public security, Bar-Lev said.

His statement gave no details on the parade route. But Israeli media said the crowd would walk past the Damascus Gate but not enter the Muslim Quarter.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said about 2,000 police would be deployed.

Israel annexed east Jerusalem after the 1967 war and considers the area, home to the citys most sensitive religious sites, to be part of its capital. The competing claims to the holy city by Palestinians and Israelis lie at the heart of the conflict and have sparked many rounds of violence.

Hamas issued a statement calling on Palestinians to show valiant resistance to the march. It urged people to gather in the streets of the Old City and at the Al-Aqsa Mosque to rise up in the face of the occupier and resist it by all means to stop its crimes and arrogance.

Israeli Channel 13 TV said the military was on heightened alert in the occupied West Bank and along the Gaza front to prepare for possible violence.

The military said it was conducting ongoing situational assessments and is prepared for a variety of developments and scenarios. It said, however, there were no reinforcements of troops.

Israeli lawmakers on Sunday narrowly approved Bennetts new governing coalition, ousting Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years in power.

On Monday, Bennett held a brief handover meeting with his predecessor, but without the formal ceremony that traditionally accompanies a change in government  a sign of Netanyahus lingering anger and hostility toward the new government.

Bennett presides over a diverse and fragile coalition comprised of eight small and midsize parties with deep ideological differences  but promised to try to heal the divided nation. Netanyahu serves as the opposition leader.

David Bitan, a Likud lawmaker, told Kan public radio that Netanyahu did not hold a formal handover ceremony with Bennett because he feels cheated by the formation of the Bennett-Lapid government and doesnt want to give even the slightest legitimacy to this matter.

The coalition includes three parties that are headed by politicians who used to be Netanyahu allies, including Bennett. Although they share Netanyahus hard-line ideology on many issues, the three leaders clashed with the divisive former prime minister over his personality and leadership style.

Under a coalition agreement, Bennett will hold the office of premier for the first two years of the term, and then Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, the architect of the coalition, will become prime minister.

Bennett, 49, became prime minister after Sundays 60-59 vote in Knesset, capping a chaotic parliamentary session. The motion passed after a member of the coalition was taken by ambulance from hospital to the parliament building to cast her vote, and despite an abstention by a coalition member from the Islamist Raam party.

Bennett faces a challenge of holding the tenuous coalition together and said he is prioritizing mending the many rifts dividing Israeli society.

-

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.

By JOSEF FEDERMAN

Associated Press
Turkey seeks US support to maintain troops in Afghanistan View Photo

BRUSSELS (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday his country would need diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance from the United States if it were to maintain troops in Afghanistan to protect and run Kabuls international airport, following the withdrawal of other NATO troops.

Speaking to reporters at the end of a series of meetings with NATO leaders on the sidelines of the alliance summit, Erdogan also said Turkey was seeking Pakistan and Hungarys involvement in a new mission in Afghanistan following the departure of the U.S.-led NATO force.

Turkey is reported to have offered to guard the airport as questions remain on how security will be assured along major transport routes and at the airport, which is the main gateway to Kabul.

If they dont want us to leave Afghanistan, if they want a (Turkish) support there, then the diplomatic, logistic and financial support that the United States will give us will of great importance, Erdogan said. Turkey, a majority Muslim nation which has close historic ties to Afghanistan, currently has some 500 soldiers in the war-torn country.

Erdogan also said he held a constructive meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and invited him to visit Turkey. The two leaders have known each other for years, but it was their first face-to-face meeting as heads of state and came at a difficult time in the two NATO allies relations.

There is a strong will for the start of a new era in all areas, based on mutual respect and interest, Erdogan said. There is no problem in Turkey-US relations that cannot be solved.

Biden told reporters he was confident well make real progress with Turkey.

On Afghanistan, Biden said: There was a strong consensus in the room among the leaders  on Afghanistan. Our troops are coming home, but we agreed that our diplomatic, economic, humanitarian commitment with the Afghan people  will endure

Turkey has been angered by U.S. support for Kurdish fighters in Syria while the U.S. has sanctioned Turkey over its purchase of a Russian weapons system. In April, Biden infuriated Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was genocide.

Turkey denies the deportations and massacres, which began in 1915 and killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians, amounted to genocide.

Erdogan said the Armenian issue was not discussed during the meeting. The Turkish leader however, renewed a call for an end to U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish fighters, who Ankara argues are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

I openly stated that the support given to the (Syrian Kurdish fighters) should be ended, Erdogan said.

Erdogan signaled that the two leaders failed to find a way to overcome difference over Turkeys purchase of the S-400 advanced Russian missile defense systems which Washington says is a threat to NATO. It has removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet program and imposed sanctions on defense industry officials. It has demanded that Ankara abandons the $2.5 billion system.

Our thoughts on the S-400 are the same as before, I relayed our same thoughts to Mr. Biden, Erdogan said.

Earlier, Erdogan who is trying to mend battered relations with Turkeys Western partners, said that a revival of dialogue with fellow NATO member Greece to resolve long-standing disputes will serve stability and prosperity in the region.

Last summer, a dispute over boundaries and rights to natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean flared anew after Ankara sent research vessels into waters where Greece asserts jurisdiction.

Diplomats from the two countries have held two rounds of talks in recent months for the first time in five years, while the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey also held reciprocal visits.

Erdogan said on Monday he and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed to call each other over a direct line without involving others.

The Turkish strongman has recently toned down his anti-Western rhetoric as he seeks foreign investments for his country, which has been troubled by a currency crisis and an economic downturn made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

In Brussels, Erdogan also met with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

After his meeting with Erdogan, Macron tweeted that he wants to move forward with Turkey.

Macron later told reporters that he and Erdogan have found some areas of convergence to preserve the cease-fire in Libya and meet the goal to hold elections in December in the country.

France and Turkey agreed to work together over the summer on the departure of foreign fighters and mercenaries, he said, calling that a major step.

Erdogan expressed his will that they leave Libya as soon as possible, he added.

It was their first meeting since a dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October, after Erdogan questioned Macrons mental health.
PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP)  Two homes have been destroyed in a brush fire that prompted mandatory evacuation orders for residents of the eastern Riverside County community of Pinyon Crest, authorities said. Three other homes and three outbuildings were damaged.

U.S. Forest Service firefighters said the fire started Sunday morning and has since charred 400 acres (160 hectares). Authorities previously reported the fire charred 150 acres (60 hectares). High heat, winds and rocky terrain continue to pose challenges for firefighters, authorities said.

At least one firefighter, who was not identified, has been injured, according to the U.S. Forest Service. No further details on the cause or extent of the injuries was immediately made available.

Rob Roseen, a spokesperson for CAL Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, said an evacuation center was opened at a school in the mountain community of Idyllwild and a shelter was set up to receive large and small animals.

Fire officials said the blaze prompted the closure of Highway 74 between Highway 371 and Palowet Drive in Palm Desert. The cause of the fire in under investigation.

The fire comes as the region is bracing for soaring temperatures. The National Weather Service in San Diego has issued an excessive heat warning starting Monday.
New coronavirus infections and deaths in the U.S. are down dramatically from earlier highs, though more contagious variants are spreading. Most people are now are at least partially vaccinated, yet lingering hesitancy has slowed the pace and even caused some doses to go to waste.

So is the COVID-19 emergency over, or is it continuing?

That's the question facing residents and business owners in many states as governors decide whether to end or extend emergency declarations that have allowed them to restrict public gatherings and businesses, mandate masks, sidestep normal purchasing rules and deploy National Guard troops to help administer vaccines.

MORE COVID-19: SUPERTASTER GENE RESEARCH MAY PROTECT AGAINST SEVERE COVID-19

In many states, those emergency declarations have been routinely extended by governors every few weeks or months since the pandemic began. But those decisions are getting harder to make  and the extensions harder to justify  as circumstances improve and state lawmakers press to restore a balance of power.

Already, governors, lawmakers or judges have ended emergency declarations in more than a half-dozen states. That includes South Carolina and New Hampshire, where Republican governors halted their emergency orders this past week.

More could join that list soon. About half the states had emergency orders set to expire before the Fourth of July. And over a dozen additional states have open-ended emergency orders, which could be canceled at any time by governors.

Massachusetts has been in an indefinite state of emergency for 15 months. But Gov. Charlie Baker has said that will come to an end Tuesday. He credited the state's high vaccination rate with helping turn the tide in the fight against the coronavirus.

Unless something odd happens, I would say that it is pretty much over, said Baker, a Republican.

Coronavirus emergencies also could expire Tuesday in Kansas and Vermont.

Top Republican lawmakers in Kansas, whose approval is needed for an extension, have signaled they wont continue an emergency order issued by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, though she prefers it remain through August.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, has said he will end all remaining emergency restrictions once 80% of eligible residents receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine  a threshold the state is close to reaching.

RELATED: CARNIVAL CRUISE WON'T BUDGE ON VACCINES DESPITE ABBOTT BAN

In many states, Republicans are leading the push to end emergency declarations, though it's not entirely partisan. Some Democrats also have supported such moves, and some Republican governors have continued their emergency declarations. That includes Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who extended an emergency declaration through July 4.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, recently renewed his emergency declaration for 60 more days, through Aug. 6. The tourist-dependent state, which imposed quarantines on travelers that effectively shut down the tourism industry, has the nations lowest per capita COVID-19 case rate since the pandemic began and the highest unemployment rate. While some might cite that as a reason to lift emergency orders, Ige said it is too soon to do so.

COVID-19 continues to endanger the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Hawaii, Ige wrote while extending his emergency declaration.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom is ending most coronavirus restrictions effective Tuesday but is continuing his underlying emergency declaration. Though that might sound confusing to residents, the move allows Newsom to retain his power to suspend state laws, impose new rules and reinstate restrictions if coronavirus cases again spike.

This disease has not been extinguished. Its not vanished, the Democratic governor said while explaining his ongoing emergency declaration.

That doesnt sit well with legislative Republicans, who are in the minority. In the state Senate, they have tried repeatedly to pass a resolution that would end Newsoms declaration, but cant persuade majority Democrats.

Californias vaccination rate is high and the COVID infection rate continues to decrease, said Republican state Sen. Melissa Melendez. It is time for the legislature to shake off the impotency the governor has imposed on the legislative branch of government and pass (the resolution).

Nationally, the public health emergency declared by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is scheduled to run until July 20, though another 90-day extension is possible.

Within the past week, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials has received an increased number of inquiries from state officials about the potential consequences of rescinding their emergency declarations, said Andy Baker-White, the association's senior director of health policy.

Much of the federal pandemic aid  including $350 billion for state and local governments in President Joe Biden's recent relief package and reimbursements for vaccine distributions  could flow to states even if they end their emergency declarations.

But some federal aid could be affected. States are eligible for enhanced federal food aid benefits only if they have a COVID-19 emergency or disaster declaration in place, according to a Congressional Research Service analysis.

For many governors, keeping emergency declarations in place may be less disruptive to the public than rescinding and later re-imposing them if the pandemic worsens, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.

But for other governors, it might be advantageous to relinquish their emergency powers, he said.

"Quite frankly, in a state where youre worried that people will accuse you of misusing those authorities, if you dont need them, you might want to get rid of them, Benjamin said.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who is up for re-election this year, ended the state's public health emergency earlier this month as part of a deal with Democratic lawmakers, who control the Legislature. He also signed legislation eliminating more than 100 executive orders while retaining just over a dozen, including those placing moratoriums on evictions and utility shutoffs.

Murphy called it a clear and decisive step on the path toward normalcy, but some Republican lawmakers said it didn't go far enough in limiting his powers.

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In Pennsylvania, the Republican-led Legislature voted Thursday to end Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's emergency declaration  making use of new powers granted to lawmakers under a constitutional amendment approved by voters last month. But the immediate practical effect is limited, because lawmakers also voted to extend hundreds of regulatory waivers granted by Wolf's administration through Sept. 30.

Ending emergency declarations can affect a variety of lower-profile policies, such as relaxed licensing requirements in many states that have allowed more medical professionals to return to the workforce.

After Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, ended his emergency declaration May 4, the state stopped updating its online dashboard with the number of available hospital beds and its stockpile of ventilators, masks and other personal protective equipment. Rescinding the emergency order also triggered a 30-day countdown to resume in-person meetings for governmental bodies, and ended the ability of state agencies to hire additional staff and shift resources.

Benjamin, of the public health association, said he expects more states to end their coronavirus emergency orders in coming weeks because of improved infection and vaccination data, as well as public fatigue over long-running precautions.

Theres an emotional or psychological message youre sending that youre saying OK, were no longer in the emergency state,' he said. "Theres an opportunity there to give people a sense of normalcy.

___

David A. Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press writers John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; and Wilson Ring in Stowe, Vermont, contributed to this report.
George Lopez is returning to San Antonio this winter on a new comedy tour.

The Majestic & Empire theaters announced the comedian's stop via Facebook on Monday, June 14. The venue says Lopez is stopping in the Alamo City for two shows on his "OMG HI! Comedy Tour" on Friday, December 3, and Saturday, December 4.

Both have 7 p.m. showings, with presale tickets becoming available at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 16, on Ticketmaster.com.

READ ALSO: Beto O'Rourke on MSNBC: 'I'm in for the distance for Texas'

Lopez has hosted comedy shows several times in Saytown, performing four in 2019 at the Majestic Theatre. However, his actions after a 2016 show at the AT&T Center famously upset many of his fans. Following his performance, the comedian expressed some not-so-kind words about San Antonio to another audience in Seattle (we never forget these things, George).

RELATED: George Lopez tells Seattle audience on comedy tour: 'F--k San Antonio'

"You guys have outdone San Antonio," the comedian said. "F--k San Antonio." The slur shocked local fans as Lopez has had a positive relationship with the city in the past. Lopez actually chose San Antonio to be the setting for his 2009 HBO special, George Lopez: Tall, Dark & Chicano.

He later apologized, telling a radio show he loves the people in San Antonio and didn't mean any offense to the residents. Despite the hiccup, San Antonio embraced Lopez when he returned a three years later on a tour.
SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

Next time you pick up your large sweet iced tea, box of crispy fried chicken or barbecue platter, make a point of saving room for dessert.

This past week, Bill Miller Bar-B-Q teased the arrival of a fan-favorite menu item, and challenged social media followers to guess at what they're unveiling. Many baked potato lovers in the comments section are being proven wrong.
A sober Fiesta may sound like an oxymoron for those used to booze-soaked scenes of San Antonio's biggest party, but the city's only alcohol-free bar is making it a reality this month.

From June 21 to 27, HASH Vegan Eats will host Sober Fiesta, complete with music, food, and booze-free beverages, in partnership with Big Vibes Art House.
Before Saturday, I probably couldn't name more than five margarita flavors. That's until I visited Taco Cabana's only margarita bar, which serves a menu of more than 20 flavors that sort of sound like Willy Wonka is the director of beverages.

Take sour gummy, pistachio, and violet, for example. They're part of an extensive menu of margaritas served at the 6040 Bandera Road location. While all Taco Cabana locations offer a range of flavors as part of the "Margaritapalooza" promotion, the Leon Valley restaurant is the only in the chain to feature a bar, at least for now.
One small San Antonio family get-together is making a big splash on Facebook and has thousands drawing up party plans.

Alexis Collins is the co-star of a Facebook post that's racked up more than 12,000 reactions overnight. She and her husband, Jordan Santos, were invited to his cousin's "Dress Like Your Spouse" party on Saturday, June 12, and spared no details in switching roles.

During the quarantine months of the pandemic, the "Flip the Switch Challenge" gained popularity on TikTok for the funny ways couples would trade clothes to the tune of Drake's 2018 song "Nonstop." Given the willingness of guests to dress up for a party hosted by Desiree Alvarez and Melanie Bowser, Santos' cousins, people were ready to show off their looks in person.

RELATED: Meet the San Antonio family living inside a rare geodesic dome home

No couple seemed to do it better than Collins and Santos. Their renditions of each other proved the two have been paying attention to over the last six years.

Courtesy, Alexis Collins

Collins didn't fit in her husband's clothes and vice versa, so they had to devise a plan. She dressed in an outfit Santos wore to a high school banquet, while he made borrows a dress and purse from his mom's closet, made a shopping trip to Ross for a pair of modest heels and to Walgreens to pick out press-on nails.

"We definitely went all out," Collins says with a laugh.

The portrayal was down to the undergarments, she says. Santos went as far as shaving his legs for his sundress, which he later flounced around while dancing in a video.

Santos' dancing is a fan favorite on Facebook, with ladies noticing his freshly shaven legs.

"Those calf muscles though," one comment reads.

READ MORE FROM MADALYN: Tiny Spice Girls photoshoot stars San Antonio-area pint-size powerhouses

Courtesy, Alexis Collins

The pair posted their photos to humor family and friends Sunday night. They went to bed and woke up with thousands of notifications from strangers Monday morning. Collins says it's hard to keep up with the alerts as they drown her account in droves as she works.

"I woke up this morning to a whole bunch of a notifications I was like what the heck is going on," she says. "It was just crazy, I was not expecting it at all."

Aside from getting acquainted with Facebook fame, Collins is also realizing how much the getting dressed process differs between men and women. For once, she was finished getting ready before her husband and had time to help him strap on his heels since his nails proved to be a a bit of a deterrent. She's hoping he learned something too.

"Now he won't complain when I get ready," she jokes.
The question of whether former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke will run for Governor in 2022 continues.

On Sunday, the political leader didn't deny if he'll challenge Gov. Greg Abbott during an interview with Mehdi Hasan on MSNBC. O'Rourke went on "The Mehdi Hasan Show" to discuss his fight against pending GOP legislation in the state he claims would endanger voting rights in certain marginalized communities.

"I'm going to see this fight through to the finish and then after that I'm going to see how I can serve Texas either as a candidate or supporting candidates," O'Rourke told Hasan after he asked about his potential candidacy plans. "One way or the other, I'm in for the distance for Texas."

READ ALSO: Gov. Abbott and Rival Try to Out-Trump Each Other With Vow to Build Wall in Texas But Give No Details How

In April, O'Rourke previously downplayed the reports of him challenging Abbott, telling the Dallas Morning News he had "no plans" to run for the Governor seat. However, he quickly clarified his remarks in a statement to the Texas Tribune, saying he's not ruling anything out.

On May 24, the Associated Press also reported O'Rourke is keeping his options open for a potential run but has made no formal steps toward a campaign, like calling donors or recruiting staff.

While flirting with the idea, O'Rourke has been keeping busy. On Sunday, he held a rally in Houston to discuss voter's rights in Texas.

If O'Rourke were to run for governor, it would be his third election cycle in a row as a candidate, following his 2018 Senate bid and his 2020 presidential run.

FiveThirtyEight, the poll analysis blog launched by statistician Nate Silver, broke down the odds of a successful third race for O'Rourke. Aside from historical evidence pointing to diminishing returns for political runs, the site pointed to funding as an obstacle. Peter Francia, a professor of political science at East Carolina University tells FiveThreeEight, donors want winners. As a result, fundraising is a challenge. Interest groups want winners. So, endorsements are a challenge. Local, state, and national party organizations are also strategic in where they place their resources. Voters may even grow tired of a perennial candidate.
Scott W. Coleman/Scott W. Coleman for Express-News

Two juveniles were allegedly the cause of a deadly scene in downtown Austin this weekend. In the early morning hours of June 12, police say at least two individuals opened fire on tourist-heavy Sixth Street, leaving 13 injured and one dead.

On Sunday, June 13, Austin Police made an arrest in conjunction with the shooting, though they declined to give a name, age, or specify charges against the individual, saying only that the person was a juvenile. On June 14, Austin American-Statesman's Tony Plohetski confirmed the arrest of a second suspect, this one a 17-year-old.
Kevin J. Keller is the content director for Coastal Bend Publishing and the editor of the Beeville Bee-Picayune. He can be reached by email at sports@mysoutex.com or by phone at 361-343-5223, or you can follow him on Twitter @beepicsports.

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By Justin Mikulka, a freelance investigative journalist. Justin has a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. Originally published at DeSmog Blog

In April, a judge ruled that a lawsuit filed by former investors in the shale oil company Alta Mesa could proceed. Their case alleges multiple instances of fraud and reveals that not only did engineers in the company warn executives that they were lying to investors about oil production estimates but that executives went on to ignore those warnings.

Alta Mesa is among a string of oil and gas companies that in recent years have either been accused or found guilty of fraud, including ExxonMobil and Miller Energy.

Many of these emerging fraud cases show a consistent pattern of employees warning leadership that they were misleading investors about how much oil the companies could reasonably produce in the future, but rather than changing course the employees were ignored or fired.

This scenario is repeatedly playing out in the shale oil and gas industry where the people who are paid to estimate how much oil is in the ground  the petroleum engineers  are told their estimates are not high enough, and executives then claim more optimistic numbers instead.

This is a Lie

Most cases of oil industry fraud involve a simple concept. Oil companies are able to raise money based on how much oil they say is in the land they own  thats known as oil reserves. The higher the value the company claims for its reserves, the more money it can borrow or attract from investors.

These fraud cases are very similar to housing appraisal fraud. What some of these oil companies are doing is the equivalent of owning a house worth $250,000, telling the bank its worth $500,000, and then borrowing money based on that inflated value. These oil executives then pay themselves high salaries and often cash in large amounts of stock options, until the investors money runs out and its revealed that the overly optimistic oil reserves predictions were not true.

ExxonMobil is currently under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for overvaluing assets despite reports that employees disagreed with the valuations. There are also two separate whistleblower filings with the SEC that accuse Exxon of intentionally overstating the value of its oil and gasproducing properties by tens of billions of dollars.

In January, the Wall Street Journal reported on the case that spurred the SEC investigation and reportedly resulted in the firing of at least one ExxonMobil employee, who later filed one of the whistleblower complaints. According to that complaint, an employee who was pressured to redo oil well production forecasts numbers to make management happy reportedly named a file with the inflated numbers, This is a lie.

According to the Wall Street Journal, this whistleblower noted the widespread internal pressure to support the CEOs unrealistic claims for potential oil production from its acreage in the Permian region, a top U.S. oil field.

No one I knew in the organization thought this was possible; the pressure to deliver on Woodss promise to the market permeated the organization, the whistleblower said, referring to ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods goal at the time to produce one million barrels a day from the Permian by 2024.

In March, Exxon decreased its forecasts for Permian production and now expects to average 400,000 barrels per day in 2021 and potentially reach 700,000 barrels per day by 2025. A new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Finance (IEEFA) notes that Exxon has not made money on its Permian operations and that according to IEEFA analyst Clark Williams-Derry, Investors should place the companys Permian plans under a microscope and demand better disclosure of both its financial and operational results in the region.

As DeSmog recently reported, the management of Fairmount Santrol (since renamed Covia) also was warned by its employees that it was lying to investors. At the time, in 2017, Fairmount was the largest frac sand company in the U.S. As Bloomberg reported in November 2020, Fairmount employees met with management in May 2017 to convey concerns about fraudulent product claims. Management not only ignored the concerns, they told the SEC in 2019 that they had fully investigated issues that were raised by employees and had found no fraud. The SEC has since settled charges against the company for misleading investors.

DeSmog also recently covered a case of fraud involving the now-defunct oil company Miller Energy Resources and major auditing and accounting firm KPMG. In 2017, both settled the charges of overvaluing oil assets with the SEC, which found that at least one engineering firm refused to put its name on a report that implies value exists where it likely does not.

Again and again, evidence is surfacing across the fracking industry that shows companies have been overstating oil reserves and making unrealistic claims to investors. As the Wall Street Journal reported in 2019, Two-thirds of projections made by the fracking companies between 2014 and 2017 in Americas four hottest drilling regions appear to have been overly optimistic. Indeed, the shale industry has lost hundreds of billions of dollars.

DeSmog has reported on this issue of oil reserves overestimates and the research that further highlights how pervasive it is in the U.S. To try to continue to lure investors, oil companies have been promising results that arent possible to deliver. While some refer to this as the industry being optimistic, when executives know that the optimism conflicts with their own employees assessments but tell investors otherwise, its fraud.

And the case of Alta Mesa is a prime example of how this happens.

Defendants Overstated the Value of the Assets

In March 2020, DeSmog reported on apparently fraudulent behavior that led to the quick bankruptcy of oil and gas company Alta Mesa, less than two years after it started in the oil business.

A month later, investors filed a lawsuit against Alta Mesa executives alleging multiple instances of fraud over its oil reserves numbers. The main claim of the lawsuit is that defendants overstated the value of the assets.

The 125-page filing details the many apparently fraudulent claims that Alta Mesa made and cites company engineers who claim they specifically warned management that what they were telling investors was not true.

One common way for companies to overstate oil reserves (or the value of their assets) is to simply use models that overestimate average oil well production  a number commonly referred to as the estimated ultimate recovery (EUR). According to the lawsuit, Alta Mesa management referred to inflated numbers from these models even after engineers refused to provide those numbers themselves.

A senior reservoir engineer at Alta Mesa initially provided management with internal EUR estimates, i.e., the estimated recoverable reserves of an average Company oil well over its lifetime. But, unhappy with these numbers, Alta Mesa management pressured the reservoir engineer to provide higher EUR estimates. After the engineer refused to do so, management removed them from the task of generating EUR estimates.

A second way to overstate reserves is to say the acreage will support far more wells than it can realistically. The lawsuit against Alta Mesa notes that by claiming its acreage could support a much higher number of wells than the data suggested, the fracking company could claim purported reserves that were double the actual recoverable reserves. (Emphasis in the original)

According to the lawsuit, a senior production engineer reported that upon hearing that Alta Mesa executives were telling investors the company had 4,200 drilling locations, the team fell out of our chairs laughing and were absolutely flabbergasted and astonished.

The lawsuit details many other ways the management of Alta Mesa allegedly misled investors, and on May 17, 2019, Alta Mesa announced it was being investigated by the SEC for its financial reporting. According to the investor lawsuit, on that same day, Alta Mesa also announced that the estimate of proved reserves it released on February 25, 2019 was overstated.

Its updated reserves dropped from 158 million barrels to 69 million barrels  a more than 50 percent decrease. Facing this new reality, Alta Mesas final announcement that day was that it was exploring bankruptcy. Without those inflated oil reserves, the company was apparently worthless.

Era of Non-Enforcement and Paltry Fines

As DeSmog reported in March 2020, Alta Mesas management was some of the most seasoned in the industry and the company had the backing of a large private equity firm. Why would industry experts resort to fraud with a brand new company? One possible motivation is money. The way that Alta Mesa was formed included huge financial incentives for management if the stock price reached certain levels.

The investor lawsuit highlights the incredible payout for management that would occur if Alta Mesas stock reached certain price levels, as well as how little personal risk it involved. As the lawsuit stated, it was an opportunity to unlawfully profit by over $301 million on investments that carried a mere cost basis of $25,000. (Emphasis in original)

That is a lot of incentive to provide optimistic reserves estimates to boost the stock price  a reason why the SEC is investigating these types of corporate structures.

However, the penalties for this type of fraud are negligible. The SEC has settled with other companies guilty of oil reserves fraud which accepted small fines, in proportion to what investors lost, as punishment.

DeSmog asked attorney Kassie Siegel, director of the Climate Law Institute for the Center for Biological Diversity to help explain why the SEC does so little in response to major fraud cases in the oil industry.

The SEC is emblematic of an industry-wide problem: the agencies that are supposed to be regulating oil and gas and protecting people and the environment from the industry are protecting the polluters instead, Seigel responded via email. The Biden Administration should end the era of non-enforcement and paltry fines at SEC.

If the past is any indication, Alta Mesa executives have little to fear from the SEC investigation. It remains to be seen what will result from this investor lawsuit.

As the judge in this case recently noted, the enormity of the write-down over such a short period of time is enough for the case against these defendants to proceed. In 2018, Alta Mesa was valued at $3.8 billion when it formed, a number based on its potential to produce oil profitably. Less than 12 months later, the company wrote off $3.1 billion in value.

Over a year after DeSmog first profiled Alta Mesa, and asked whether the shale industry is based on fraud, the evidence continues to pile up. The question that remains for Alta Mesa  as well as others like Exxon  is just how big the difference is between the amount of oil in the ground and how much executives promised.
(Natural News) Chabad Rabbi Michoel Green appeared on Big League Politics Live to back up Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) after she was recently pilloried by the fake news media.

(Article republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

Greene was hammered because she compared creeping vaccine mandates to yellow stars in Nazi Germany. She refused to back down, even after craven GOP leaders threw her under the bus. Green believes the lawmaker said nothing wrong and her message will help prevent the same evils that led to the Holocaust.

A policy excluding people for not complying to any sort of medical policy is definitely right out of the Nazi playbook, Rabbi Green explained.

Rabbi Green, who had family members that died in the Holocaust, believes that liberal Jews are doing a great disservice to their ancestors by complying with tyranny such as COVID-19 mandates.

The Holocaust was perpetrated in the name of public health Jews and Gypsies and other genetically inferior people, so to say, they were accused of being more of a risk of spreading disease. And there was a typhus outbreak at the time, Rabbi Green said.

Under that pretense, that is how Jews were marginalized and forced into ghettos and ultimately into cattle cars. They said they were being taken to be cleansed and to be disinfected and thats how Jews were led to enter gas chambers, he added.

Furthermore, Rabbi Green is a dogged opponent of mandatory vaccination, believing the concept not only to be an affront to his faith but also an incredibly anti-American measure as well.

Marjorie is 100 percent correct, and people who criticize her and people who complain that its off-limits, well, they just didnt get the message of the Holocaust. They didnt understand what happened. They say never again but its just lip service because its happening right now, Rabbi Green said.

Rabbi Green explained how he was ostracized by leaders within the Hasidic community of Chabad because of his hard-line stance against COVID-19 lockdowns and mandatory vaccines. He says that leaders in the Hasidic community are more concerned with money and power but the rank-and-file are on his side.

They realize that they have been lied to, and that theyve been let down and betrayed by their leaders. So I think there will be more resistance. I hope there will be more, Rabbi Green said after he was asked about future lockdowns.

Rabbi Green can be followed at westbororabbi.blogspot.com. The full episode of BLP Live can be seen here:

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) A prominent Indian virologist by the name of Dr. T Jacob John claims that communist China had a vaccine ready and waiting for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) long before it made its appearance on the world stage.

In a new report, John explains that there are some mysteries about Chinas pandemic that suggest foul play. It was unique in the way it manifested in that part of the world, he adds, compared to how other countries were hit by it.

Strangely enough, China appears to have prepared for this in advance, John says, adding that the situation there is not what meets the eye.

John would seem to be of the persuasion that the Chinese Virus originated at a lab, and likely the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) where Tony Fauci was sending millions of taxpayer dollars to conduct illegal gain of function research on bat coronaviruses.

One example John points to is the young Chinese scientist who was caught applying for a license for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine as early as February 24, 2020, which is a full two months before the pandemic officially broke out across the world.

It is far too early to work on a vaccine in just two months, John says. They must have started at least a year earlier. That young man (the scientist) is dead. There are too many loose ends. China seems to be covering something up, just like any criminal would cover up.

Dr. John says smoking gun evidence points to lab manipulation

As we also reported, there have been a number of mysterious deaths among scientists and researchers who were working on things associated with the Wuhan Flu.

Many of them were just about to announce important information, or were privy to details about what was going on in the laboratories that Fauci and other medical fascists have long claimed are not in any way connected to the plandemic.

There is also evidence to suggest that some of these researchers knew about the AIDS insertions that were artificially spliced into the Chinese Virus. Once the full manifestation of this is realized, likely during the next flu season, many people who were injected with this poison will likely suffer immune failure.

All of this traces back to the work that was taking place in China, which just so happens to have had the script all laid out in advance, it would seem, to have a vaccine ready and waiting, along with a conjoining blueprint for global tyranny.

We know that Fauci played a key role in all this, not just in terms of funding it with U.S. tax dollars but also in threatening key scientists to keep quiet about their incriminating findings.

Two of the top scientists in Great Britains response to the Chinese Virus plandemic have also been exposed for colluding with Fauci to keep a lid on the illegal gain of function research that was taking place at the WIV, and possibly elsewhere.

Vaccines have never been about health, wrote one commenter at Great Game India. Viruses, virology, and vaccines are orchestrated deceptions to manipulate and sicken the masses.

Another pointed out that this particular virus sequence has never been isolated, purified or sequenced, so there is no telling what is really taking place in terms of what is making people sick and how it is being spread.

Just because most people believe in something doesnt make it true, this person added.

Most people believe the evening news and corporate newspapers. Most people think democracy and elections are real. Most people believe national sovereignty is real, and the world is not subject to a ruling elite.

More news stories about Chinese Virus deception can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

GreatGameIndia.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A mother who grew up under Mao in China tells the Loudoun County school board that training children to be social justice warriors, to hate their heritage and dividing people into groups is essentially the same kind of indoctrination that led China becoming Communist:

(Article republished from TheRightScoop.com)

What she said:

Ive been very alarmed about whats been going on in our school. You are now training our children to be social justice warriors and to loathe our country and our history. Growing up in Maos China, all this seems very familiar. The Communist regime used the same critical theory to divide people. The only difference is they used classes instead of race. During the cultural revolution I witnessed students and teachers again turn against each other. We change the school names to be politically correct. We were taught to denounce our heritage; the red guards destroyed anything that is not communist. Statues, books and anything else. We were also encouraged to report on each other just like the student equity ambassador program and the bias reporting system. This is indeed the American version of the Chinese cultural revolution. The Critical Race Theory has its roots in cultural marxism; it should have NO PLACE in our schools.

Damn, if that doesnt sound almost exactly like whats going on here. From dividing people into racial groups, teaching them to hate their American heritage because of whites, and destroying everything associated with our heritage, like statues, conservative books, etcits like the Democrat Party is following a freaking template.

The problem is shes telling a bunch of Democrats who are Americas version of Chinese cultural revolutionaries, and so her message will no doubt fall on deaf ears. But hopefully enough people hear and understand this so they can replace this socialist school board with people who actually love our country and are willing to defend it.

Read more at: TheRightScoop.com
(Natural News) For some reason, Republicans always find themselves reacting to Democratic dirty political tricks, but thats mostly because Democrats hate our Constitution, they hate our institutions, they hate our traditions, and they hate our political system.

That was evident during the 2020 election cycle when they devised and executed a plan to literally steal every single battleground state for the elderly and wholly controlled Joe Biden.

How they did it was evil genius: They took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to get Democratic state officials, governors and courts to approve several changes to established voting laws and procedures that included universal mail-in balloting, widened use of unmonitored ballot drop boxes, and getting rid of signature-matching requirements for absentee ballots. The results are now obvious: A much more popular Donald Trump has been deposed, and our electoral system is on life support.

Republicans in these states are working to ensure that what the Democrats pulled off cannot be done again, but the fact is, Democrats got around existing state laws to begin with  in violation of the U.S. Constitution, which states only legislatures can change voting laws, not judges, governors and Secretaries of State. So whats to stop them from simply going around these new laws?

Voter ID, thats what.

Several GOP-led states are either implementing new voter ID requirements or are strengthening existing ones because the only true way to prevent vote fraud is to a) make people vote in person; and b) make them prove who they are (and that they are legally able to vote) before casting their ballots. As an aside, for Americans who truly cannot get to a polling station because they are deployed overseas on behalf of the government or the military or because they are infirmed, strict signature verification and other verification methods must be kept in place.

In any event, Democrats are opposed to both of those concepts  mass in-person voting and voter ID  because they cant cheat that way and they know it. Its not racist or sexist or any -ist to make Americans vote in person and prove who they are; we did that for centuries before, in recent times, the Marxist Party (Democrats) came to believe the only way they can attain power is not by promoting their ideas and policies (because they are not popular) but rather by stealing elections.

As it turns out, the United States is an outlier in this respect, not a leader, despite our technological prowess: Of 47 countries in Europe (the majority of which are socialist-leaning and very progressive), all but one requires citizens to have a government-issued ID before they can vote. And the one that doesnt yet require it  England  is about to adopt that requirement.

Writing at RealClearInvestigations, criminologist John Lott Jr. notes:

Democrats and much of the media are pushing to make permanent the extraordinary, pandemic-driven measures to relax voting rules during the 2020 elections  warning anew of racist voter suppression otherwise. Yet democracies in Europe and elsewhere tell a different story  of the benefits of stricter voter ID requirements after hard lessons learned.

A database on voting rules worldwide compiled by the Crime Prevention Research Center, which I run, shows that election integrity measures are widely accepted globally, and have often been adopted by countries after theyve experienced fraud under looser voting regimes.

Criticisms of the British leaders voter ID push are similar to those heard in the U.S. The Scottish National Party claims this voter ID push targets lower income, ethnic minority and younger people who are less likely to vote for Johnsons conservatives and therefore represents Trump-like voter suppression,' Lott adds.

But in fact, after adopting strict voter ID requirements, elections in European countries are a lot more reliable, trusted, and believed  vital to the sustainment of a country.

Why wouldnt Democrats want a more reliable, trustworthy system? You know the answer.

Sources include:

RealClearInvestigations.com

VoteFraud.news
(Natural News) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drew criticisms after granting Alzheimers disease drug Aduhelm a conditional approval. It allows the drug scientifically known as aducanumab to be prescribed and used while its maker Biogen conducts a post-marketing, phase 4 confirmatory study that could take years to complete.

Aduhelm is the first Alzheimers medication approved by the FDA since 2003.

According to the influential Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), the FDA has failed in its responsibility to protect patients and families from unproven treatments with known harms in approving Aduhelm.

ICER questions Aduhelms effectiveness

The FDA, which announced the approval on June 7, said that the drug was the first to treat the underlying mechanism in Alzheimers. But ICER didnt see it that way.

ICER argued that Aduhelm was effectively approved on the strength of a biomarker  removing amyloid from the brain  rather than clinical outcomes, which is puzzling as other drugs have been shown to remove amyloid from the brain yet failed to help patients.

In a statement, ICER said the view of many experts was that current evidence is not enough to support the use of Aduhelm in Alzheimers patients, and the FDA had moved the goalposts by not holding Biogens drug to the standards of other therapies.

The avenue forward has seemed clear. Another study would be needed to reduce the substantial uncertainty about the drugs effectiveness, a requirement of even greater priority because of the drugs common and potentially serious side effects, said the ICER, which deliberates on the cost-effectiveness of new medicines.

ICER pointed to brain swelling and potential bleeding seen in approximately 30 percent of patients treated with Aduhelm. (Related: Alzheimers breakthrough: scientists discover omega-3s override the bad gene causing Alzheimers.)

Experts also questioned the FDAs decision to approve the drug for all Alzheimers patients, rather than just the patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia  which are included in Biogens studies of the drug.

Dementia specialist Robert Howard of University College London (UCL) said that the FDA has sidestepped available clinical trial outcomes data that indicate the drug probably doesnt work.

FDA approval closes the door on further placebo-controlled trials of aducanumab that might have helped to resolve disputes about efficacy quickly and cleanly, Howard said. Now, well wait a decade before it becomes obvious to everyone that there are no benefits  only high healthcare costs  associated with the treatment.

Biogen slammed over decision to price Aduhelm at $56,000 per year

Meanwhile, Biogen has been taking flak over its decision to price Aduhelm at $56,000 per year. ICER said a fair price would be in the $2,500 to $8,300 range while analysts at Evercore ISI expected it to be set at around $10,000.

Michel Vounatsos, Biogens chief executive, defended Aduhelm in an open letter on the companys website.

The company has engaged extensively with health economists, public health experts and payers about Aduhelm  and we have examined other recent biologic drug innovations, Vounatsos said. Consistent with our pricing principles, we have established a price for Aduhelm that reflects the overall value this treatment brings to patients, caregivers and society  and one that will enable continuous innovation.

Vounatsos recently told CNBC that the drugs price will allow the company to further invest in its pipeline of medicines for other diseases. Vounatsos stressed that it was time to invest in Alzheimers treatment when asked if he expected pushback from patients for the high price of Aduhelm.

Company executives said the total price figure for the new treatment is substantiated by the value it is expected to bring to patients, caregivers and society. They insisted the price is responsible, noting the disease costs the U.S. billions each year.

More than 6 million Americans are living with the disease, according to estimates by the Alzheimers Association. The company said it currently has the capacity to provide 1 million patients with the drug annually, with more than 900 sites in the U.S. ready to implement the new medicine. (Related: Coming wave of Alzheimers patients threatens to bankrupt U.S. health care system, says leading Alzheimers doctor.)

Biogen has committed not to raise the price of Aduhelm over the next four years and said it has agreed to access deals with some payers  including the Veterans Health Administration, CVS Health and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC)  while negotiations are ongoing with Cigna and other groups.

Analysts at GlobalData think that Biogen will have challenges rolling out Aduhelm in the U.S., but are still predicting sales of $5.6 billion in 2027. Shares of Biogen surged as high as 60 percent following FDAs announcement.

Aside from the high price, another issue is its dosing by monthly infusion, as clinics that can provide this are not available in all areas. Side effects such as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIAs) could also be a barrier to uptake, according to Alessio Brunello, managing analyst at GlobalData.

Physicians will also be obliged to do regular MRIs on patients to see if they have ARIA reactions, which could be a limitation, as repeated MRIs represent an additional economic burden, Brunello said.

Follow Alzheimers.news for more news and information related to Alzheimers disease.

Sources include:

PharmaPhorum.com

TheHill.com

CNBC.com
(Natural News) Following the lead of The New York Times, The Washington Post has issued an explanation about its earlier false claim that the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) originated in bats at a wet market rather than probably at a Chinese laboratory funded by American taxpayers through Anthony Fauci.

As you may recall from back in February 2020, WaPo called the lab leak idea a debunked conspiracy theory. Now that the tides are turning, WaPo is shifting this narrative by admitting that the Chinese Virus may have come from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Earlier versions of this story and its headline inaccurately characterized comments by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) regarding the origins of the coronavirus, an updated version of WaPos now-discredited article reads.

The term debunked and the Posts use of conspiracy theory have been removed because, then as now, there was no determination about the origins of the virus, it further explains.

In other words, WaPo, like most of the rest of the Western mainstream media, lied about having debunked a fairly credible theory concerning the true origin of the Wuhan Flu, which it never actually looked into in the first place.

WaPo made the sudden correction only after independent journalist Michael Tracey on his Twitter account reported that journalist @paulina_milla (Paulina Firozi) had flagrantly mischaracterized a key expert she quoted in the article.

Mainstream media, social media all backtracking on debunked covid wet market narrative

Once again proving that the indy media is usually more credible than the establishment media, WaPo now has egg on its face as it scrambles (no pun intended) to come up with some kind of explanation for its earlier reporting error.

Clearly, the agenda was to deny all links to nefarious activity in Wuhan and at the WIV, once the plandemic really started picking up speed. The deep state then got away with lying about everything for nearly a full year, and is only now reluctantly backtracking after Fauci was grilled by Sen. Rand Paul.

We now know that Fauci lied under oath about his involvement in the creation of the Chinese Virus, which never would have existed in the first place had he not been sending millions of dollars to the WIV for illegal research.

We also know that the so-called fact checkers utterly failed to do their jobs this past year by verifying that the Wuhan Flu came naturally from bats. It took actual independent fact checkers  you know, the real ones  to debunk the claims of the establishment impostors.

Facebook, Politifact, and others are also joining the exodus from the bat wet market theory. Facebook recently announced that it will no longer fact check posts supporting the lab leak theory, and Politifact has suddenly decided that its previous debunking of the lab leak theory is no longer valid.

Somehow, every major media mouthpiece got it wrong, while every independent source that was chided for spreading misinformation got it right. It really makes you wonder what else they are lying about.

Now that the wheels are coming off this cart, they need to deflect the blame, wrote one commenter at Zero Hedge. And how better to accomplish that then attempt to inculpate those they would love to send us to war with?

Whether this virus was released from China or not does not interest me, this same person added. The way to deal with China is to cut off trade. What does interest me is getting a list of all names of those individuals who weaponized this event and turned it against us in an act of war. Lets get Mr. Fauci in some nice tight quarters and have ourselves a chat.

More of the latest news about Chinese Virus deception can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) When Democratic presidential contenders like Beto ORourke say they are going after our guns, they mean it. When Democratic presidential contenders say they are pro-Second Amendment and pro-Constitution, they are lying.

Both of these facts have been proven anew thanks to a heinous new rule introduced this week by the Biden regime.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives believes it has the authority to confiscate, ban and register an entire class of firearms  tens of millions of them, in fact  without ever consulting Congress.

The rule seeks to regulate the use of (ban) so-called Stabilizing Braces  attachments to sporting pistols like those chambered for the AR-15 round to make them easier (and safer) to fire by essentially turning them into rifles.

So why that suddenly makes a difference to these gun grabbing sons 0f you-know-whats is beyond us, given that actual AK and AR-style rifles will (for now) not be affected.

According to a fact sheet about the rule from SB Tactical, the rule, called, Factoring Criteria for Firearms with Attached Stabilizing Braces,' is the second attempt by the agency to regulate the devices, the first rule having been withdrawn in December 2020 ahead of Bidens expected ascendency into the Oval Office, which happened only because Democrats stole Donald Trumps reelection victory.

The [Notice of Proposed Rule Making] proposes amending the definition of the term rifle, as contained in 27 CFR  478.11 and 479.11, to clarify that the term rifle includes any weapon with a rifled barrel and equipped with an attached stabilizing brace that has objective design features and characteristics that indicate that the firearm is designed to be fired from the shoulder, as indicated on ATF Worksheet 4999, the fact sheet begins.

ATF explains that the purpose of the amendments would be to target attachments to pistols that the agency contends are designed to evade restrictions imposed by the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act, which limits the size of shotguns and rifles, the fact sheet continues.

While ATF acknowledges that some stabilizing braces are intended to assist those with disabilities or limited strength to fire pistols, ATF argues that the intent of many such braces is effectively to convert pistols into unregulated short-barreled rifles (SBRs), says the fact sheet  a contention that makes no sense given that a) any firearm is regulated in that every buyer must be cleared to purchase one; and b) making a short-barreled rifle into a rifle makes it (anyone?) a rifle.

So whats the issue? Well, the issue is the Biden regime sees stabilizing braces as a way to get the camels nose under the tent of broader regulation and eventually registration and banning of all assault weapon types of rifles, and against the peoples will. Always remember, Democrats will never be finished taking away guns until they can take away all of them, the Second Amendment be damned.

ATF proposes applying a point systemto determine whether a particular stabilizing brace would convert an otherwise unregulated pistol into an SBR, the summary continued. But regardless, ATF says it reserves the right to classify a firearm as an SBR, even if it satisfies the point system on the Worksheet 4999.

So, this is a heads I win, tails you lose scenario the ATF is establishing for these SBRs, of which there are an estimated 20-40 million in circulation that have been legally purchased.

This proposed rule would be the largest Executive Branch firearms ban/registration scheme in American history forcing the registration or destruction of millions of privately-owned firearms, and the loss of thousands of good paying jobs from hundreds of companies, SB Tacticals fact sheet continues. Through the creation of an arbitrary points system (ATF Worksheet 4999), the proposed rule would ensure that 99% of the firearms already in circulation are suddenly unlawfully possessed.

This is a naked gun grab by the regime. If you want to sound off on this unconstitutional BS  and you should  click here and let the ATF know you disapprove if this.

Sources include:

SBTactical.com (.pdf file)

SecondAmendment.news
(Natural News) In the midst of an ongoing semiconductor shortage, the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) into Taiwans electronic factories is threatening to delay chip shipments even further.

The country, home to a number of the worlds largest semiconductor manufacturers, is suffering from its first large outbreak of COVID-19. This has come against a backdrop of escalating warnings about the depth of the semiconductor shortage thats hit everything from consumer electronics to cars. (Related: Chip shortage cripples car production amid high demand.)

Taiwanese chip-making plants closing due to infections

The increase in cases in Taiwan is starting to hit companies involved in the semiconductor industry.

Chip testing and packaging company King Yuan Electronics (KYEC) said on Monday, June 7, that it expected an outbreak among its workers to reduce its output and revenue by up to 35 percent in June. Of the companys 7,300 staff, 238 are confirmed to have caught COVID-19.

Meanwhile, outbreaks have also hit chip packager Greatek telecons gear manufacturer Accton and Foxsemicon, the latter a semiconductor equipment maker affiliated with Apple supplier Foxconn.

Both KYEC and Foxsemicon have closed one factory each for two days for disinfection. All four companies are testing their entire workforce, an undertaking thats expected to identify even more infections.

The supply market is already under huge pressure, we have already got four months lead time from order to delivery for Taiwan chips, so any further reduction in supply capacity is going to exacerbate the shortage as it stands, said Olaf Schatteman, a supply chain expert at consultancy firm Bain.

Companies like KYEC and Greatektest and package chips produced by large contract manufacturers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. These are the last steps in the complex process of manufacturing chips, right before the latter are shipped to the companies that designed them.

According to analysts, there are few options for customers of KYEC and Greatek to shield themselves from delays as other testing and packaging companies, such as industry leader Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, are already running at full capacity.

For its part, KYEC believes that the disruption will only be for the short term. The company confirmed that it resumed operations at lower-than-normal production volumes on June 6 and will slowly ramping up over the next couple of weeks.

Once migrant workers return to production lines in two weeks, the company will speed up production to make up for its loss, said Aaron Chang, acting spokesperson for the company. The company sees no major impact on annual finances and businesses.

Industrys vulnerability due to reliance on a handful of manufacturers highlighted

The closures of the chipmaking plants highlight the threat posed by the global technology supply chains reliance on a small number of key players. Taiwans semiconductor industry is a crucial supplier, and potential chokepoint, for companies across various sectors, from electronics to the automotive industry.

Taiwan initially saw little impact from the pandemic through last year and the first few months of 2021 as it managed to keep the virus out. It did so through a combination of strict border controls and quarantine measures. But the virus managed to gain a foothold in mid-April and has since spread around the nation.

Health authorities have reported more than 11,000 local cases and 260 deaths, most of which occurred in the last five weeks. The government has since imposed a soft lockdown in an effort to slow the spread, but theyve so far been reluctant to implement stricter measures that could impact the export-focused manufacturing sector which drives their economy.

The ongoing semiconductor shortage has already slowed production and shuttered entire automobile factories. This has prompted the U.S. and China to explore ways to boost their own domestic production.

In late March, President Joe Biden called for a $50 billion boost for the American semiconductor industry as part of his expansive infrastructure proposal. The move has seen bipartisan support, including from Republican lawmakers who point out that China is also spending heavily to boost its own chip-making capacity.

Spending on the semiconductor industry and digital and physical infrastructure must be closely linked if America is to remain competitive and prosperous, said Al Thompson, vice president of U.S. government relations at chipmaker Intel, in a written statement.

Intel, one of the few chip vendors that produce its own chips, is already investing heavily to expand its U.S. manufacturing capacity. The company is spending $20 million on two new U.S. manufacturing plants. (Related: Intel CEO warns global chip shortage could persist for a couple more years.)

In addition, the company is also opening up its plants to other vendors looking for alternatives to Taiwanese chipmakers.

Follow Pandemic.news for more on how the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic is now starting to play a part in the global semiconductor shortage.

Sources include:

FT.com

Bloomberg.com

WSJ.com

Edition.CNN.com
(Natural News) In a blistering testimony comparing the current push for mass vaccination to pre-Civil Rights era denial of human rights for the black population, a Dean at Brandeis University gave her support for an Ohio bill which would permit residents to decline to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

(Article by Ashley Sadler republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

Dr. Erika Smith, who is the Dean of Academic Services at Brandeis, and formerly an adjunct lecturer in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, said that those who love freedom must act before its too late.

House Bill 248 states that Ohioans may decline to receive the jab as long as they submit a written statement or verbally declare that they decline to be vaccinated.

The bill further clarifies that When declining the vaccination, the individual shall not be required to do anything beyond submitting the written statement or making the verbal declaration described in this section.

Current disparate treatment runs rife across this nation, spreading like wildfire, demanding in exchange for job security and participation in society the injection of medical treatments that are devoid of both FDA approval and legal recourse when damaging side effects occur, is draconian at best and criminal at worst, Smith said.

Known as the Vaccine Choice & Anti-Discrimination Act, HB 248 was introduced April 6 2021 by State Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester).

This is a matter of freedom, Gross said in a press release.

Without the exemption provisions this bill provides, the notion of a vaccine passport could easily lead to a class system in Ohio where segregation and discrimination will proliferate.

Dr. Smith said she worries that vaccine mandates would result in a two-tier society, one in which citizens are required to provide proof of vaccination in order to simply participate in normal activities.

This, she warned, would create an apartheid state, with citizens divided by vaccination status.

The idea of mandatory vaccinations for people to keep their jobs smacks of the same abuse that legislators have historically used against whatever people group they perceive to be inferior, she said. Forced vaccinations, medical passports, tracking and tracing, are all forms of medical apartheid.

During her testimony supporting HB 248 Smith shared that her paternal grandmother was born on a plantation in Alabama. Her parents fought for justice during the Civil Rights movement so that Smith would be free, with equal privileges under the law.

But mandatory jabs and a show-your papers culture requiring proof of vaccination would change that.

Any student of history clearly sees the distinct parallels between segregation due to race and segregation due to vaccine status, Smith said.

Today, citizens are fighting against the tyranny of government officials and the bullying from people in their daily lives who expect them to relinquish their God-given freedoms, upheld in the Constitution, to the state, and to obey mandates, mere words of men, which are not laws.

Representative Tom Young (R) District 42-Dayton, responded favorably to Smiths testimony. You are spot-on about what this bill is, he said. Its a freedom bill.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) Dr. Eric Nepute, a chiropractor and owner of Quickwork LLC, has pledged to defend himself against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is accusing him of engaging in deceptive marketing practices concerning the use of vitamin D and zinc in treating the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

The Department of Justice (DoJ) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the FTC accusing Nepute of violating the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), which forbids American doctors from prescribing anything other than Operation Warp Speed injections and face masks to cure the Chinese Virus.

Because Nepute has been helping patients stay healthy and protected through the use of vitamins and other offerings from nature, the American government wants to fine or imprison him for committing the crime of recommending natural remedies.

Passed back in December while Donald Trump was still in office, the CCPA says it is now illegal for any American to engage in deceptive marketing related to the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID-19  this means nothing other than vaccines and masks for the American cattle.

Nepute had been saying that vitamin D and zinc are far more effective at keeping people healthy than injecting mRNA poisons and wearing Chinese cloth over the face. This is against the law in the land of the free, as only pharmaceutical companies, communist China, and Tony Fauci are allowed to provide health care.

NIH website says zinc, vitamin D both support immunity  are they guilty of violating CCPA, too?

It is important to clarify, here, that the federal government itself fully admits that zinc supports a healthy immune system. Right on the website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where Tony Fauci works, it is written that zinc deficiency depresses both innate and adaptive immune responses.

The NIH website also lists vitamin D as beneficial for the human body, as it helps to support [proper] immune function. This means that the NIH also believes that both vitamin D and zinc could help to protect against Chinese Germs.

Does this mean that the NIH also needs to be sued by the DoJ on behalf of the FTC for violating the CCPA?

It seems as though government bureaucrats can say and do whatever they please when it comes to health matters, but when ordinary people  in this case a doctor  try to help people using natures offerings, they are persecuted for it.

Why do you think that theyre promoting the vaccine and suppressing what people like [Nepute] are saying? Its on their website, that vitamin D affects the immune system, asks Thomas Renz, an attorney who has been fighting Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) tyranny in this country for the past year.

Its on their website that zinc affects the immune system. And yet theyre going to say that [Nepute] shouldnt be saying that zinc and vitamin D might affect your immune system in a positive way?! Theyre saying it! How is it a violation of the law for him to say it?! Its not. They just want to suppress anything they can with this because they need to push this stinking poison [the experimental vaccines] into as many peoples arms as they can  this is one of the most corrupt, egregious violations of rights Ive ever seen.

Nepute is also being persecuted by the American government for warning people that Wuhan Flu shots do not stop the spread of the Chinese Virus. This is common knowledge that even the government itself admits is true.

It says it in the EUA [Emergency Use Authorization], Nepute says. It says it in Modernas papers. It said it in Pfizers papers. Covid-19 are symptoms. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus. It doesnt attack the virus. It only attacks the spike protein.

More of the latest news about the Chinese Virus deception can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
The influential Atlantic Council think-tank has partnered with a premier Chinese Communist Party propaganda organization flagged for co-opting Western elites and academics into backing positions supportive of Beijings preferred policies, The National Pulse can reveal.

(Natural News) (Article by Natalie Winters republished from TheNationalPulse.com)

The Atlantic Council hosts regular, high-profile events in Washington, D.C., briefs policy and lawmakers, and has presented speeches from the likes of President Bush, Governor Huntsman, and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The Atlantic Council receives its funding from corporates such as Facebook, as well as national governments and even Hunter Bidens Ukrainian oil firm Burisma.

Alongside a number of Western media outlets, think tanks, and politicians, The Atlantic Council think-tank has also collaborated with the China-United States Exchange Foundation.

Founded by the chairman of the highest-ranking entity overseeing Chinas United Front, CUSEF functions as part of the Chinese Communist Partys United Front Work Department. The billion-dollar effort aims to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party and influence Western elites to take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijings preferred policies, according to the U.S.-China Security and Economic Review Commission.

In practice, the group has set out to effectively disseminate positive messages to the media, key influencers and opinion leaders, and the general public regarding the Chinese Communist Party, according to Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings with the Department of Justice.

Together, the two entities produced the study China-US Cooperation: Key to the Global Future, which examines how China-US Cooperation is the key to the global future, according to a CUSEF summary.

The report was presented to policymakers, foreign policy elites, and the public in both countries to provide a better understanding of the global trends, challenges, and threats faced by both nations and their policy implications, CUSEF adds.

This project and report were made possible by the generous support of the China-United States Exchange Foundation, the 2013 report, which was authored by Atlantic Council and Chinese Institute of International Studies (CIIS) scholars, reads. CIIS is an explicit Chinese Communist Party entity, operating under the auspices of the regimes Ministry of Foreign affairs.

Among the U.S. participants were Atlantic Council fellows, Stanford and Georgetown academics, and former intelligence officials. William Colglazier, then-Science and Technology Adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, functioned as an observer to the effort.

The report argues in favor of closer ties between the two countries, positing the future prosperity and security of both China and the United States require sustained cooperation.

The three scenarios explored in this report indicate that if Washington and Beijing fail to find ways to build a stronger, more cooperative relationship, there are very bad potential outcomes for the global future, the study reiterates.

READ:

Read more at: TheNationalPulse.com
(Natural News) The head of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is now claiming that the only way his companys vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) will remain effective is if people get it annually like a flu shot.

CEO Alex Gorsky stated to the media this week that at least for the next several years, annual Chinese Virus injections from J&J will need to be maintained in order to keep people safe, otherwise they might start testing positive again.

These so-called booster shots, he says, are the only way to help maintain herd immunity until scientists and politicians are able to develop new injections for the many disease variants that the mainstream media claims are spreading every day.

We could be looking at this tagging along with the flu shot, likely over the next several years, Gorsky is quoted as saying.

It is apparently not enough that the current batch of Chinese Flu shot recipients are having their skin peel off post-injection. Gorsky wants many more to experience the same deadly side effects in order to stop the spread of the plandemic.

Injected people are MORE likely to test positive for covid

Gorsky must have missed the latest preprint study from the Cleveland Clinic, which found that getting vaccinated for the Chinese Virus provides no protection against future reinfection.

People who previously encountered Chinese Germs and have not been injected are actually safer and better off than people who have gotten injected. Tony Fauci and the rest of the medical fascists were wrong, in other words.

At the same time, there is tons of money to be made from continually injecting people with deadly spike proteins, which is why Gorsky wants there to be a seasonal schedule for J&Js experimental gene therapy syringe.

Unless people start saying no to these psychopaths, there is no limit to the number of injections they will come up with, as well as the number of times they say that people should get said injections.

If they can get away with injecting you annually, then they will likely bump that up to every six months. If people fall for that, then perhaps the system will advise that people get injected every three months, or every month, or maybe once a week for the Chinese Virus.

Heck, they might even come up with a schedule that involves injecting people daily for the Wuhan Flu, or even multiple times daily every time they enter the grocery store or go to the bank. The sky is the limit if people are willing to accept it.

Fortunately, our readers are not so stupid as to fall for such a scheme, but the same cannot necessarily be said about the general public. A shocking number of people have already shown an incredible willingness to permanently affix a piece of cloth to their face under the pretense that doing so keeps them safe from disease.

Many of these same people also seem to have no problem with the idea of forcing others to be medically raped with experimental chemicals dispensed out of a syringe if doing so makes themselves feel protected or virtuous. This is dangerous, uncharted territory at this point.

Why does anyone listen to these greedy, wrong, shrill, killing monsters? asked one commenter at The Defender, a publication of Childrens Health Defense.

They are not just greedy. They are murderers, responded another.

Others pointed out that the whole thing has been cult-like from the start, hence why many now refer to those who believe everything they are told by the media and politicians about the Chinese Virus as Branch Covidians.

The latest news about Chinese Virus vaccine lies can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Richard Horton, the editor-in-chief of the academic journal The Lancet, refuses to tell if he still supports the cover-up letter published by the journal debunking the theory that the Wuhan coronavirus leaked from a Chinese laboratory.

Daily Mail asked Horton about his decision to publish and support the letter, amid recent reports encouraging further investigation into the so-called lab-leak theory. But he and his office declined to comment on the matter.

The letter, which appeared online in The Lancet in February last year, discredited the theory that the Wuhan coronavirus emerged from Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). Instead, the 27 medical experts who were named in the letter suggested that humans contracted the virus from wildlife.

The letter played a key role in quelling early debate on the viruss origin, but its credibility had been questioned recently due to reports linking the Chinese research facility to Dr. Peter Daszak, head of the research organization EcoHealth Alliance and one of the letters 27 signatories.

Daszaks EcoHealth Alliance received a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is headed by Anthony Fauci. The organization took nearly $600,000 from the grant and used it to fund gain-of-function research at the WIV.

This type of research involves inducing virus mutations to determine how a virus could cause serious infections in humans. This information, in turn, could allow scientists to find a cure or produce vaccines to prevent future outbreaks. In the case of the WIV research funded by EcoHealth Alliance, the pathogens under investigation were bat coronaviruses.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Daszak secretly organized scientists to author and sign the letter rejecting the lab-leak theory, Vanity Fair reported. He also told scientists who worked with the WIVs lead coronavirus researcher not to sign to cover up the letters link to the Chinese lab.

Well then put it out in a way that doesnt link it back to our collaboration so we maximize an independent voice, he wrote in an email addressed to the scientists. (Related: Gain-of-function expert Dr. Peter Daszak bullied top scientists into covering up laboratory origins of SARS-CoV-2.)

Weeks after the letters publication, Horton praised Daszak in a tweet: Peter Daszak rejects conspiracy theories about the origins of COVID-19; and he knows more than most of us about coronaviruses.

Horton also publicly slammed conspiracy theories on Chinas role in the pandemic, saying that they constituted Sinophobia.

The global emergency of COVID-19 is sharpening the confrontation between China and the west, exacerbated by President Trumps insistence on referring to the China virus,' he wrote in The Lancet last July. The present wave of anti-China sentiment has now evolved into a Sinophobia that threatens international health.

Letters authors speak out about the coronaviruss origin

Daily Mail also asked the 27 signatories if their initial stance on COVID-19s origin changed. Three of them responded, including Leo Poon of the University of Hong Kong and Jeremy Farrar, a medical researcher and the director of the charity Wellcome Trust.

Poon said he had no interest in answering non-scientific queries while Farrar still gravitated toward the wildlife explanation.

The origins of [the Wuhan coronavirus] are not yet certain  it is possible the origin will never be fully established  but nature is a powerful force and, in my view, the most likely scenario is that the virus crossed from animals to humans and then evolved in humans, Farrar said.

But Peter Palese, a microbiologist from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, appeared to have softened his original stance.

I believe a thorough investigation about the origin of the COVID-19 virus is needed, he said. A lot of disturbing information has surfaced since the Lancet letter I signed, so I want to see answers covering all questions.

Paleses remarks came after The Wall Street Journal reported that three WIV researchers fell ill in autumn 2019  shortly before the outbreak that launched the pandemic. The researchers displayed symptoms that were consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illness, the news outlet said as per a previously undisclosed federal report. (Related: Chinese virologist: Faucis emails proved coronavirus lab-leak theory is right.)

The Wall Street Journal also received details of another report, which was prepared in May last year by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a federal research facility under the oversight of the Department of Energy. The report concluded that the lab-leak theory is plausible and deserves further investigation, the paper said according to people familiar with the classified document.

Follow Pandemic.news for the latest developments on the Wuhan coronaviruss origin.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NYPost.com

WSJ.com 1

WSJ.com 2
(Natural News) A Microsoft executive predicts that runaway artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to an Orwellian future if appropriate laws to protect the public arent enacted soon.

Microsoft president Brad Smith made the comments during an episode of the BBCs Panorama, aired May 26, that focused on the potential dangers of AI and the race between the United States and China to develop the technology.

Im constantly reminded of George Orwells lessons in his book 1984, Smith said. The fundamental story was about a government that could see everything that everyone did and hear everything that everyone said all the time. Well, that didnt come to pass in 1984, but if were not careful, that could come to pass in 2024.

Smiths warning comes about a month after the European Union released a draft of regulations attempting to set limits on how AI can be used. Few, if any, similar regulations exist in the U.S., where legislation is largely focused on limiting regulation and promoting the technology for national security purposes.

Artificial intelligence turns facial recognition into a powerful surveillance tool

Artificially intelligence generally refers to machines that can learn to solve problems automatically, without the need for a human operator. Many of todays AI systems rely on machine learning, a suite of computational algorithms used to recognize patterns in large amounts of data. In theory, this means that a machine learning AI becomes more accurate with each pass.

Machine learning has been applied to everything from basic mathematical theory to simulations of the early universe. But the technology has also found use by governments and corporations for surveillance, the most common form of which is facial recognition.

Facial recognition is an extraordinarily powerful tool in some ways to do good things, but if you want to surveil everyone on a street, if you want to see everyone who shows up at a demonstration, you can put AI to work, Smith explained. And were seeing that in certain parts of the world.

China, for example, has started using AI in mundane and alarming ways. In some Chinese cities, facial recognition is used instead of tickets in buses and trains.

In 2017, the Chinese government reportedly laid out a plan outlining its ambition to become the world leader in AI by 2025, according to Reuters.

China wants to lead the world in AI-powered surveillance

Last year, a new report by the UN patent agency revealed that China had now topped the world in artificial intelligence patents, pushing the U.S. out of the top spot it has held since the global was first set up over four decades ago. In 2019 along, 58,990 applications were filed from China, beating the 57,840 filed from the United States.

Research by Comparitech, shows that cities in China have the heaviest CCTV surveillance in the world. The same study also shows that China has 54 percent of all the worlds 770 million CCTV cameras.

I dont think that Orwell would ever [have] imagined that a government would be capable of this kind of analysis, said Conor Healy, director of IPVM, to the BBC.

Beijings heavy-handed approach to surveillance is most heavily felt in the autonomous Xinjiang region, the Chinese government has been using AI machine learning and facial recognition to track people, especially those of the Uyghur minority, assessing their guilt before theyre arrested and interrogated, according to the BBC. New York-based think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, estimates that this has led to the detention of about three million Uyghurs in reeducation camps since 2017, usually without any criminal charges or legal avenues for release.

EU looking to regulate AI, but US is too focused on military applications

The European Unions potential AI regulations would ban systems that attempt to circumvent users free will or systems that enable any kind of social scoring by the government.

In addition, applications deemed high risk must meet requirements of transparency, security and oversight to be put on the market. These include the use of AI for critical infrastructure, law enforcement, border control and biometric identification, including face-and voice-identification systems. Systems such as customer-service chatbots, on the other hand, are considered low risk and are not subject to scrutiny.

On the other side of the pond, the U.S. federal government has largely focused on encouraging the development of artificial intelligence for national security and military purposes.

But this focus has led to controversy. For example, in 2018 Google killed Project Maven, a contract with the Pentagon that would have automatically analyzed video taken by drones and other military aircraft. The company argues that the project would have only flagged objects for human review but critics feared that it could be used to automatically target people for drone strikes. The project was brought to light by whistleblowers from within google itself, leading to public pressure strong enough that the company called off the project.

Project Maven is just one AI project that the U.S. military spent money on. The Pentagon now spends more than $1 billion a year on contracts related to the technology.

According to Bernard Trout, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who teaches a professional course on ethics and artificial intelligence, military and national security applications of machine learning are inevitable, given Chinas enthusiasm in achieving supremacy in the field.

You cannot do very much to hinder a foreign countrys desire to develop these technologies, Trout said in an interview with Live Science. And therefore, the best you can do is develop them yourself to be able to understand them and protect yourself, while being the moral leader.

Efforts to regulate AI in the U.S. are largely being led by state and local governments. In 2019, San Francisco banned the government use of facial recognition software, a move that many cities soon followed. More recently, Washington states King County, also did the same, making it the first county in the U.S. to do so.

If we dont enact, now, the laws that will protect the public in the future, were going to find the technology racing ahead, Smith said, and its going to be very difficult to catch up.

Follow Surveillance.news for more of the dangers posed by artificial intelligence and machine learning when used for surveillance.

Sources include:

LiveScience.com

Gadgets.NDTV.com 1

Reuters.com

Gadgets.NDTV.com 2

Comparitech.com
(Natural News) The premier world wildlife, science and history publication National Geographic seems to be succumbing to the woke mind virus. Well, senior staff at the famous magazine are, at least. According to one conservative commentator, Editor in Chief Susan Goldberg sent out a mass email from the magazine over the weekend in which she denounced her own white privilege.

(Article by Gabriel Hays republished from NewsBusters.org)

Now thats what you call a humblebrag.

But, yes, Susan Goldberg, the head editor of National Geographic and the first woman to have ever held that position at the prestigious left-wing rag, added an extra line to her signature in a National Geographic email which denoted not her pronouns but her radical racial wokeness.

Conservative commentator and author Rod Dreher posted a screenshot of the end of insufferable elite Goldbergs email to Twitter on June 7, which concluded, I hope youll join us in this conversation  and as a subscriber to National Geographic. Though, recipients of the email would have to be pretty unfazed by woke insanity to want to continue to subscribe after seeing her send off. Goldberg closed out her email with her name, occupation, and race card.

It said, Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief, National Geographic, Race Card: White, privileged, with much to learn. Oh, yeah, race card. That info is truly as essential in a signature as an email address or phone number.

From a mass email the editor of National Geographic sent out. America surely has the most insufferable elite. pic.twitter.com/hjL7w4IQ0h  Rod Dreher (@roddreher) June 7, 2021

But, yes, that was really the case. It seems as if Nat Geos editor is trying to get this to be a trending thing, where we all have to disclose the color of our skin in emails, hell, maybe even on business cards in the future. That way well all know the level of each person in the victimhood caste.

Perhaps Goldberg thinks that if she denounces her privilege, no one will question her cushy job at the magazine where they take all those exploitative pictures of African natives.

No, we arent accusing Nat Geo of that, but perhaps if some purple-haired BLM activist saw Goldbergs signature and they would be placated from demanding her ouster, right? Thats got to be some of Goldbergs rationale.

Of course, other Twitter users blasted Goldberg over the disgusting virtue signal. Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow and prominent critical race theory critic, Chris Rufo, slammed Goldbergs tweet as well. Responding to Drehers screenshot, he wrote, They are turning parody into reality. Yeah. You have to wonder. How can it be that a sophisticated, cultural staple like Nat Geo thinks objectifying people based on race isnt braindead?

Senior Political Analyst at Fox News Brit Hume retweeted the screenshot and provided a caption, which said, Much to learn seems spot-on though. Yeah, take that, Goldberg.

Another user, psychology professor and author Geoffrey Miller, responded, saying, If shes ashamed of her race, her class, and her ignorance, maybe she should resign. Well, probably. That would at least prove shes committed to social justice and not just some poser looking to benefit from some cheap liberal platitudes.

Read more at: NewsBusters.org
(Natural News) Inch by inch, the Democrats want all Americans to lose their rights, lose their health, lose their wealth and then lose their life. It all started with a fear-mongering flu campaign, then the control tripping began, and all in the name of health and safety. Youre living in a Black Mirror episode, as you experience the Chinese Communist Party infiltrate America and your livelihood. It started with the fearful scamdemic. Then you were told to wear a Covid mask for a few weeks, maybe months. Then all small businesses and schools were virtually shut down (pun intended).

Next comes the blood-clotting vaccinations. Then vaccine passports, and now, get ready for your smart device to get SHUT DOWN from the satellite feed because you havent gotten inoculated with the worlds most deadly syringe ever. The Covid vaccines have killed more than 5,000 humans, possibly many more, and maimed countless sheeple who lined up for a vaccine that causes blood clots, heart inflammation and death. To make matters worse, its all for a virus that was created in a laboratory that can easily be prevented and defeated by vitamin D and zinc.

No deadly vaccines for you? All phone privileges suspended!

In Pakistan, one province has already blocked SIM cards of the mobile phones of the unvaccinated, as the government imports a billion dollars worth of deadly blood-clotting Covid-19 vaccines to force on the populace over the next 12 months. The goal is to wipe out over 100 million people and reduce the population, according to Bill Gates, who loves infiltrating poor countries, nations and cities that are chock full of minorities (like Africa, India, Pakistan and metropolitan cities of the USA) with his toxic jabs, as he promised he could do if he does a really good job with vaccines and healthcare.

A SIM card is the subscriber identity module that links each specific user account to their phone, telling the phones network company which account is joined up. The Health Minister in Punjab told the government, along with military leaders of Pakistan, that any person who denies getting stabbed with the blood-clotting, deadly Covid jabs will get their SIM cards disabled at a certain time.

For healthy people, who arent battling cancer, diabetes or heart disease, the Covid vaccines are much more deadly than the actual virus itself. The China Flu has next to a zero death rate for healthy folks, but the vaccine has killed and maimed many healthy people, over 5,000 already, within days after inoculation.

National Command and Operation Center of Pakistan set to shut off cell phones of all healthy people

Being healthy and having natural immunity to viruses and bacteria is now illegal in many countries around the world. If you dont accept forced inoculation, chemotherapy and other invasive, chemical-based treatments, then you are ostracized, denied human rights, denied technology, denied the right to travel and soon to be thrown in jail. The Health Minister in Pakistan is working with the Cabinet and their oppressive Ministry of Health on the timeline from when a person denies the deadly Covid-19 jab to when their phone gets shut off. The decision to block SIM cards of the unvaccinated is already finalized, so its just a matter setting the date.

Yes, freedom of speech is directly affected when you cut off someones main lines of communication with the world. Their safety is also severely compromised, as they cant call for help from friends, relatives, police, firefighters or even medics in an emergency situation. It also cuts off their right to freedom of information, to know how and when their crooked, evil government is further planning to take their guns, children, food and land away.

Next for the unvaccinated comes the denial of visiting restaurants, parks and malls. Pakistan is just a litmus test, and the USA will be following suit if the government can take away everyones guns first. Get ready healthy patriots!

Visit CovidVaccineReactions.com if you already got a toxic Covid jab and are experiencing side effects, blood clots, adverse events, blindness, deafness or dementia (then have your loved ones help you).

Now tune your internet frequency to Pandemic.news for updates on these crimes against humanity being delivered under the guise of inoculation. Plus, learn how to best prepare for the upcoming vaccine-induced wipeout.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com
(Natural News) Ex-CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) director Robert Redfield appeared on CNN the other day to dispute the natural origin theory of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19). During the interview, Redfield claimed that he was threatened and ostracized to push this narrative over the lab origin theory, which many mainstream media outlets are now warming up to as a possible explanation for the Chinese Virus.

In Redfields view, the Wuhan Flu was constructed inside a Chinese laboratory where it escaped and spread around the world. For suggesting this, Redfield says he has had scientists call for his death.

I expected it from politicians, Redfield lamented to Vanity Fair, which also conducted an interview with him. I didnt expect it from science.

The Biden regime is also suddenly switching course by lending credence to the lab origin theory. Intelligence officials are supposedly redoubling their efforts to get to the bottom of where the Chinese Virus came from so the blame game can continue.

We know from the Fauci emails that much has been done to obscure the origins of the Wuhan Flu. This includes covering for the fact that Fauci and his friends funneled American taxpayer dollars to Wuhan where dangerous gain of function experiments on bat coronaviruses were being conducted behind closed doors.

Because then-President Donald Trump drew attention to these experiments, the issue quickly became politicized. Suddenly it was a Trump thing to believe that the Chinese Virus came from anywhere other than a Wuhan wet market, which is the original narrative presented when this whole thing began.

Fauci flip-flops AGAIN, now says Chinese Virus probably came from bats

There is now plenty of infighting among the elite as to whether the Chinese Virus came from bats or whether it came from a lab. Some on the outside are also pointing to the fact that the Chinese Virus has never been isolated at all, and thus does not meet Kochs postulates for establishing a causal relationship between a microbe and a disease.

Whatever the case may be, the world is not being told the truth about what is going on here, which is unacceptable. The entire global economy has taken a massive hit  except for maybe Chinas economy  and millions of lives have been lost. Someone needs to pay.

Redfield served as CDC director for two years until being terminated at the end of Trumps first term. It took several months after that before the lab origin theory moved from conspiracy theory to possible fact, and Redfields sudden reappearance back in the media limelight is proof of that.

The Biden regime had planned to scrap the whole investigation until it really started gaining traction in recent weeks, prompting a reversal in the narrative. Now, it is suddenly a viable possibility that the Chinese Virus did, in fact, come from a Chinese lab.

Hilariously, Fauci has once again flip-flopped  what is that, eight times now?  and is now saying that he believes the Wuhan Flu came from a bat rather than a lab. Fauci has, however, left the door open for the possibility that it may have been genetically engineered.

How do you trust the science when you cant trust most of the scientists, and those who are paying their salaries? asked one commenter at the DailyMail Online (United Kingdom).

There needs to be an immediate investigation into this, wrote another, directing her comment at Redfield. It is OUTRAGEOUS that our nations top medical professionals are being intimidated into silence. Thank you for speaking out!

More related news stories about Chinese Virus deception can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The U.S. government has spent billions of dollars into the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine and its related programs. Divided by the number of citizens in the country, the government has allocated more than $130 to each person just so they get vaccinated. However, no amount of money can conceal the fact that there have been more than 5,000 deaths related to the COVID-19 vaccines reported to the government.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a record of adverse events related to vaccines. It updates the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) on a weekly basis, with new reports released every Friday.

According to VAERS data between Dec. 14 of last year and May 28 of this year, the number of vaccine-related deaths reached 5,165. This current figure was the result of 759 fatalities being added to the system over the previous week. The data also showed a total of 25,359 serious injuries reported  an increase of 3,822 compared to the week prior.

All in all, the VAERS data registered a total of 294,801 adverse events related to the COVID-19 vaccines. But the number of deaths and adverse events being reported are at historical levels  with more reported in just the last six months than the previous 20 years combined.

The VAERS website stated that one of the main limitations of its data is its inability to determine if the vaccine caused the reported adverse event. It added that this limitation has caused confusion in the publicly available data,  specifically regarding the number of reported deaths.

Furthermore, the VAERS website mentioned that it accepts all reports of adverse health events following vaccinations without judging whether the vaccine caused the adverse health event  further muddling the waters. Ultimately, it acknowledged that information from a VAERS report alone is insufficient to establish a causal link between vaccines and reported fatalities. (Related: VAERS was designed from the start to UNDERCOUNT vaccine injuries and deaths, yet its already sounding alarm bells over covid vaccine injuries and deaths.)

Selling poison disguised as medicine: The true aim of vaccine hesitancy advertisements

The federal government recently announced that it would allocate $3 billion in taxpayer funds for an ad campaign to battle vaccine hesitancy. This new budget followed an earlier $250 million educational campaign launched by federal health agencies. A Biden administration official said that the campaign would be partly funded through the latest COVID-19 stimulus bill amounting to $1.9 trillion.

The official added that the vast majority of the initial $250 million budget will be used to buy advertising space on television, radio, billboards, print and digital media  including social media. While the campaign has been already running, they said it was not yet formally launched out of concern that it would drive up demand for vaccines already in short supply. The trickiest part of this effort from day one has been timing messaging with vaccine supply, and that magic moment is fast approaching, the official said. (Related: Biden launches $10M ad campaign to push coronavirus vaccine propaganda, alongside confusing mask contest.)

A March 2021 POLITICO report elaborated on the ad campaign. According to the report, it sought to hit two birds with one stone. First, it strived to reach Americans who have second thoughts about vaccination or do not know where to get their COVID-19 vaccine doses. Second, it aimed to combat misinformation about the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

The federal government also partnered with two groups  the Ad Council and the Covid Collaborative project  to create public service announcements targeting vaccine hesitancy. Both entities have worked with the CDC and Department of Health and Human Services on such advertisements.

One of the fruits of their collaboration involved an ad featuring four erstwhile U.S. presidents. The ad showed former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama getting vaccinated alongside their wives. Another ad featured incumbent President Joe Biden  with much of the footage shot during his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Covid Collaborative Co-Founder John Bridgeland voiced concerns about polls showing the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among conservatives. He said his group has sought conservative-leaning influencers willing to promote the COVID-19 vaccine. We have to make sure this transcends politics. It cant be the mask game again. Vaccines are not political, Bridgeland continued.

According to Bridgeland, research has shown that there is already a high demand for information on the COVID-19 vaccines. Based on this, he argued in favor of promoting the vaccination effort now instead of waiting for every American to be eligible for inoculation.

Visit DangerousMedicine.com to find out the truth about COVID-19 vaccines that advertisements refuse to tell.

Sources include:

WakingTimes.com

TheFreeThoughtProject.com

EHSToday.com

POLITICO.com
According to information released by the Iranian Press Agency FARS News on June 11, 2021, Sahand destroyer and Makran ship from the Iranian Navy, left Iran for the Atlantic Ocean for the first time without mooring in other countries' ports, Deputy Army Commander for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Iran has deployed for the first time Sahand 74 Mowj-Class frigate in the Atlantic Ocean. (Picture source Tehran Times)

The 77th strategic naval fleet of the Navy, comprising of Sahand destroyer and Makran ship, is present in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time to demonstrate the capabilities of Iran in the maritime arena, said eputy Army Commander for Coordination Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.

The Iranian fleet departed from Bandar Abbas on May 10 and after a long journey after thirty days of navigation and crossing the Cape of Good Hope, traveling 6,000 nautical miles (nearly 12,000 kilometers), is currently in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sayyari emphasized that the mission of the strategic Navy of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to defend the water borders and protect the resources and interests of the country in the high seas.

In relevant remarks in February, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said that deployment of the country's warships in international waters has foiled enemies' plots to foment insecurity in high waters.

The Iranian Navy is now present in the Red Sea powerfully and escorts Iranian oil tankers, threatened by proxy terror groups, and gives them safe passage through the Bab al-Mandab Strait toward the Red Sea.

The Sahand is a Moudge-class frigate in the Southern Fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, The ship was commissioned in December 2012. The ship has a length of 95 m with a displacement from 2,000 - 2,500 tons.

The Sahand is armed with one 76 mm naval gun, two 20 mm anti-aircraft automatic guns, one Kamand 30 mm CIWS (Close-In Weapon System), 2  8 tube chaff launchers Sayyad-2, six torpedoes, and four Qader anti-ship cruise missiles.



The IRINS Makran (441) is an ex-oil tanker named the Persian Gulf, now converted sea base for the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. The wide deck lets it easily deploy five helicopters simultaneously, which Includes the combination of two Bell-212 helicopters, two Sea-King helicopters and an RH-53D (Sea Stallion) helicopter.
Weather Alert

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT SUNDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures 95 to 105 degrees. * WHERE...In Washington, Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. In Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon. * WHEN...Until 8 PM PDT Sunday. * IMPACTS...Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There is the possibility that all time record high temperatures will be reached or exceeded during this heat wave. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING... .Very hot temperatures and dry conditions are expected through this weekend. However, there will be some slight cooling today and Friday before a warm up over the weekend. The atmosphere has become more unstable and touched off thunderstorms on Wednesday. Additional isolated to scattered thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening due to moisture from the southwest mainly over central and northeast Oregon. In addition, winds will increase through the Columbia River Gorge and portions of the Lower Columbia Basin. ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES OR639, OR641, WA639, AND WA641... * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 639 East Slopes of the Northern Oregon Cascades, 639 East Slopes of the Southern Washington Cascades, 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon and 641 Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. * WINDS...West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 18 percent. * HAINES...As high as 5. * IMPACTS...Rapid fire spread is likely under gusty winds. In addition, the atmosphere will be unstable which could lead to extreme fire behavior. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now....or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. &&
HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP)  For the second time in more than three years, an administrative law judge has recommended reinstatement of four of the New Jersey police officers fired after the city of Hackensack said they engaged in a warrantless search of an apartment in late 2016.

NJ.com reports that Judge Andrew Baron said Thursday that Hackensack should not have fired Sgt. Justin de la Bruyere, Det. Rocco Duardo, Det. Mark Gutierrez and Officer Victor Vazquez.

The four and three since-retired officers were suspended in 2017 after they were accused of an unlawful search of an apartment and then falsifying a police report to cover it up. Then-Bergen County prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal, now state attorney general, dismissed eight criminal cases and told Hackensack prosecutors not to pursue others.

Baron said the officers were never given a fair chance to dispute their Brady list designation as officers whose history of lying would have to be disclosed to defense attorneys in criminal cases. A defense attorney earlier called the designation a scarlet letter B that made it nearly impossible for an officer to get a job in law enforcement.

Barons decision is a recommendation that the state civil service commission can uphold, amend or disagree with. City attorneys and lawyers for the officers can also file exceptions to the recommendation ahead of the commissions decision.

In February 2019, another administrative law judge decided that the four officers and a since-retired detective should be reinstated. The commission upheld most of that recommendation but said two of the officers should be fired.

Attorney Charles Sciarra, who represents the officers, called Barons decision vindication that his clients shouldn't have been fired in the first place.

Hackensack spokesman Phil Swibinski said the city was already preparing its opposition to the recommendation and officials absolutely stand by their decision to terminate these officers due to their egregious conduct." He said the city will dispute Baron's conclusion that the officers didn't have a chance to dispute the Brady designation.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

David Mednicoff, University of Massachusetts Amherst

(THE CONVERSATION) After two years of repeated and inconclusive Israeli elections, the advent of a new coalition government has ended the long era of Benjamin Netanyahus prime ministership. Yet he leaves a legacy of hawkish policies that will likely remain intact.

As a scholar of Middle Eastern politics, I think that Netanyahu will largely be remembered internationally for three things. These are stymieing the emergence of a Palestinian state, enhancing Israeli military strength and opposing Iranian power in the Middle East.

Distancing Palestinians

Netanyahu, known as Bibi to most Israelis, was prime minister from 1996 to 1999. He returned to power a decade later. He began his first term as prime minister in 1996 with two main qualities  extensive U.S. experience and a record as a security hawk.

The first quality meant he understood American politics and interest groups well, an advantage for keeping and enhancing strong U.S. government support for Israel.

The second set him up for success in a country in which the army is a key  and revered  national institution.

Netanyahu pledged to avoid compromising with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza areas under Israeli military control since 1967, and he allowed rapid expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. He rarely wavered from these two policies.

His party was voted out in 1999 but returned to power amid the Palestinian uprisings that began in 2000. After nearly a decade in and out of Likud government cabinets, he became prime minister again in 2009.

Among his most tangible legacies is the physical barrier now separating West Bank Palestinians from Israelis, which gives Israeli authorities great control over how West Bank Palestinians enter Israel.

The barrier has kept Israeli Jews from much contact with Palestinians other than during military service.

This physical separation and a strong Israeli military presence have decreased Palestinian attacks within Israel and increased misery in Palestinian-controlled areas.

His approach limited pressure on Jewish Israelis to make a final deal that would trade occupied land for broader peace. It also deprived Palestinians of basic liberties and opportunities, particularly in Gaza.

Reinforcing security

Long-term massive U.S. foreign aid and military assistance and Netanyahus support have ensured that Israels army is far more powerful and well-equipped than the armed forces of any other nearby country.

Netanyahu used this formidable military to strike hard when he deems necessary in Gaza, the area between Israel and Egypt that Israel unilaterally returned to Palestinian control in 2004. Hamas, a Palestinian group that advocates military action against Israel, is in charge of Gaza.

Reflecting the sentiments of a growing number of right-wing Jewish Israelis, Netanyahu has had a generally consistent response to ongoing concerns about Hamas, and Palestinians more generally. Israel, he argued, awaits Palestinian concessions that Israel is a Jewish state, with Jerusalem as its capital, and with no right for Palestinians to return to their pre-1948 homes in Israel.

Many Palestinians find these conditions unfair in general, particularly as a precondition to negotiations.

Coupled with his governments vast expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, many veteran observers doubt that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian standoff remains possible. At the same time, major violence in May 2021, which embroiled Palestinians and Israelis in Gaza, Israel proper and the West Bank, has served as a reminder that the conflict still matters.

Netanyahu also sought relentlessly to curb Irans efforts to enhance its power through funding pro-Tehran militant groups in the Middle East.

Tehrans leaders are unremittingly hostile towards Israel. Yet Netanyahu has played up this hostility to domestic and international audiences, even urging the U.S. to attack Iran.

The prime ministers anti-Iranian campaign apparently paid off when the U.S. government withdrew from the multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran that the Obama administration negotiated. Netanyahu claims that he persuaded President Donald Trump to back out.

Reshaping Israeli alliances

Undermining Palestinian statehood, bolstering the military and countering aggressively the Iranian threat have had three important ramifications.

First, Israeli and American Jews have diverged increasingly on the ethics and importance of Palestinian autonomy.

Second, the prime ministers long time in office and his willingness to fan flames of bigotry have endeared him to other rulers who embrace authoritarian or divisive tactics, such as Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Trump.

Third, Netanyahus political longevity and positions have attracted the cautious recent support of key Arab leaders who seem more concerned about their stability and Irans politics than a Palestinian state.

[Like what youve read? Want more? Sign up for The Conversations daily newsletter.]

Thus, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have growing levels of cooperation with Israel. This trend expanded under Trump, leading to the 2020 Abraham Accords, which Netanyahu incorrectly thought would further sideline the Palestinian problem.

Netanyahu reshaped Israel and the broader Middle East in profound ways. Its clear that the countrys military capacity and cooperation with the regions wealthy Arab states have expanded. But I have seen for several years the darker side of the former prime ministers emphasis on military solutions in the erosion of global support for Israeli politics and deteriorating conditions for Palestinians.

This is an updated version of an article originally published March 4, 2019.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/netanyahu-may-be-ousted-but-his-hard-line-foreign-policies-remain-162580.
Gov. Tom Wolf paused executions in Pennsylvania, but with his term winding down, it's possible they could resume as early as 2023.


Norfolk science-faith lecture on 'dying well' Norfolk science-faith lecture on 'dying well'

It is often said that the prospect of death concentrates the mind wonderfully. This has been sadly and widely illustrated during the coronavirus pandemic, and the June meeting of Science and Faith in Norfolk focused on the medical practice of palliative care in this context.
Newburyport, MA (01950)

Today

Rain likely. Low 61F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low 61F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch.
Iffath Fathima By

Express News Service

BENGALURU : Following the recent assault on a doctor at Fortis Hospital on Bannerghatta Road, the hospital staff have decided to take out a protest rally on Monday to condemn increasing incidences of violence against medical practitioners.

Healthcare workers are working under immense stress to take care of patients and save lives in the pandemic crisis, but they are also being increasingly targeted by families of patients who succumb to Covid. The Fortis incident, wherein the son of a patient assaulted a doctor and a nurse, is the most recent example.

Dr Padmakumar AV, Senior Consultant, Critical Care Medicine, Fortis Hospital, who was attacked, said that the problem needs to be addressed at the roots. He pointed out that such incidents are very rare in most developed countries and felt that it was a social problem in India. In my over 30-year experience, I am seeing this problem increase in the past 10 to 15 years. Unfortunately, such incidents have become an occupational hazard, he told The New Indian Express.

He added that if the doctor mentions death of a patient, the relatives find it very difficult to accept it even for a very critical and dying patient. If a patient gets better, it is Gods miracle. But if the patient dies, it is the doctors fault! he rued. So, in my opinion, rather than anything personal, there is definitely a social angle to this issue. Until and unless we try to address the root cause, there will not be an end to the problem. I definitely condemn any kind of violence against anyone.

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) will organise a nationwide protest on June 18 to condemn violence against doctors. These incidents are creating fear. Health workers are on the forefront of the pandemic battle, putting their lives at risk and working in critical areas. But still they have to face this. Despite laws to curb such crimes, they are not being implemented, a member of IMA, Karnataka chapter, said.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: After two FIRs were registered against Kannada actor Chetan for his alleged derogatory statements against the Brahmin community, a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) activist has submitted a petition to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bengaluru, demanding that Chetan, an American citizen, be deported.



VHP activist Girish Bharadwaj submitted a petition on Saturday, stating that Chetan is making vicious outpourings, derogatory and disparaging remarks against the Brahmin community on social media.

"He is a citizen of the United States and residing in Bengaluru temporarily. He is raking communal caste sentiments and caste conflagrations resulting in social disharmony in a country with a pluralistic ethos of India.



"Being a US citizen, he is flouting the Foreigners Act by making such statements, which should be considered seriously by the FRRO. His residential permit if applied in your office should be revoked under the Foreigners Act. We also request to pass necessary orders from your office to deport him immediately to his country for violating the provisions of Indian Laws," Bharadwaj demanded.



Recently, the actor had tweeted, "Brahminism is negation of the spirit of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. We must uproot Brahminism- #Ambedkar. 'While all are born as equals, to say that Brahmins alone are highest and all others are low as Untouchables is sheer nonsense. It is a big hoax' - #Periyar". Besides, he had said Brahminism has killed the ideas of Basava and Buddha, and Buddha fought against Brahminism, in one of his videos.



The FIRs against the actor had been registered in Halasur Gate and Basavanagudi police stations, while Minister Shivaram Hebbar had demanded his arrest.
Gayathri Mani By

Express News Service

The central govt ended the uncertainty and cancelled the Class 12 board exams much to the relief of lakhs of students.

However, the students are now again facing ambiguity over the undergraduate (UG) admissions.

While CBSE is yet to come up with a policy to declare Class XII results, several major universities like DU that conduct UG admissions on basis of 12th marks, are waiting for a decision on whether to take admissions on basis of cut-offs or select students via an entrance test.

The Centre may implement the Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) to streamline the process. Gayathri Mani asks students, teachers and principals their view on the whole admission conundrum

Niharika Chaudhary, student, Bhawan Vidyalaya School, Chandigarh

I will prefer entrance exams because genuinely we (Class 12 students) were focused more on board exams and less on the pre-boards as the scores dont count towards the final result.

During online tests, many students cheated and scored high percentages.

Also not every student, especially those in government schools, had the opportunity and resources for online classes.

In such a situation, entrance test is an option for fair and transparent admission process.

The government should come up with proper infrastructure for safety of students and take a decision quickly on conducting entrance test.

Many top colleges who conduct entrance-based admissions have already announced dates and syllabus.

They have a remotely proctored test system where the students can give online test and are monitored by invigilators to avoid cheating.

It is, however, not an option for everyone as digital infrastructure is not strong in our country yet. So, the government should take a decision quickly and give us ample time to prepare.

Deepak, student, DAV Public School, Sec-7, Rohini

Entrance exams should be conducted because merit-based admissions will be biased and many students will loose opportunity to join good colleges.

The Class 12 results will be declared based on our internal marks and pre-boards results and the marking is with the schools.

They will manipulate and give grace marks to all students and everyone will get high percentage.

People might start saying that while first the students protested to cancel exams, now they want to give an entrance test.

The students protested then because the Covid-19 cases were at the peak and students were not ready mentally and scared of coronavirus.

The cases are under control.

So, I think the government should take a decision and conduct entrance test soon, online or offline, before the cases increase or third wave comes.

It should also vaccinate students who turned 18 now.

PC Joshi, Acting Vice Chancellor, Delhi University

In my personal opinion, common entrance tests will be a better option and fair for all the students given the current situation.

It is okay even if the admissions get a little delayed.

The top priority is the safety of students as the Covid-19 situation is unpredictable and the third wave is also expected. How can the entrance test be conducted if the cases increase again?

We are waiting for the Ministry of Education (MoE) to take a final call on the Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET).

If this is implemented this year then there is no problem as we will get an all India-level merit list to conduct the admissions.

However, in case the CUCET is not implemented this year then we will have to go with our traditional way of conducting admissions based on cut-offs generated out of the board results.

Delhi University admissions are very important.

We will ensure that in whatever pattern the admissions will be conducted, it will be objective, transparent and fair for all the students applying to the varsity.

If we need to come up with a formula to decide the cut-offs, we will put the matter before the standing and admission committee for a discussion and will come up with a solution for a fair and transparent admission process.

Further, we believe that the CBSE will come up with a satisfactory criteria to evaluate the Class 12 students and declare the final results.

We are waiting for the Centres decision on whther the admissions will be based on students mark or it will be entrance-based. I think things will get clear in the next 10 days.

Pankaj Garg, former academic council member, DU and professor at Rajdhani College, DU

It is very hard to say anything on this till the CBSE declares its criteria/policy for marking the Class XII students this year.

Earlier, boards exams were conducted across India for class XII and there was a uniformity in exams and transparency in the results. But, with the elimination of board exams this year, the results will be declared based on internal marks, pre-boards and midterm exams and there will no longer be any transparency.

Schools will give grace marks to show good results and to upgrade their schools name. Theres also a fear that some will even start making money by giving higher marks.

In 2017, a committee was set up in the DU for conducting entrance examinations for UG courses.

The state boards give high marks to students in board exams due to which many genuine students from the CBSE board could not get admissions due to high cut-offs.

The purpose of the committee was to come up with a recommendation on whether entrance exams should be held or not.

I was part of the committee and we submitted recommendations that the entrance exams should be conducted first for some subjects on a pilot basis to see the results but the varsity did not listen.

If the varsity had taken our recommendation into consideration at that time, they would be in a position today to say whether the idea of entrance exams would be successful or not.

Also, the common entrance test is in the New Education Policy and the government will try to implement it this year.

If it is implemented then the value of the CBSE board will no longer be considered.

However, conducting entrance exams amid the pandemic will also be not fair. There is a lot of uncertainty, so the CBSE should announce its policy on declaring results without further delay.

Then, the UGC should come up with a criteria for the admissions and should draft a policy and send it to universities and colleges for consultation.

The stakeholders and teachers should be included in this process.

The Centre should not sleep on the decision and then take any decision or implement any draft at the last moment.

If that happenns, it will be a disaster and the entire batch will suffer.

Cherita Bisht, student, New Greenfield School, Saket

I am currently preparing for NEET which is likey to be held on August 1. If I fail to clear the NEET, then my second plan is to take admission in BSc Bio Technology or other science courses in the Delhi University.

I wont have any problem with merit-based admissions if the boards were held.

Moreover, even though the CBSE is still sitting on the decision of criteria/policy on how it will declare results, the marks will be given based on our internal marks and pre-boards.

In pre-boards, teachers dont give us good marks saying it will help us prepare more for board exams.

So, an entrance exam is the only option.

The entrance test should be held offline because online exam is not an option for everyone as not every student has the resources.

There are also very high chances of copying and cheating. Also, there is a fear of Covid and third wave.

So, the government should delay the exams for some time and in the mean time they should vaccinate all the students.

They should immediately conduct entrance tests with completion of vaccination drive.

Suman Sharma, Principal, Lady Shriram College for Woman (LSR), DU

We are seriously delibrating on these issues and its too early to say anything because we are going to decide about the careers of so many youngsters.

We are having meetings and delibarating on these issues.

We have to decide about thousands of students.

We are holding meetings and discussing on these issues from different levels as both these opions have some merits and de-merits whether there should be an entrance exam or the admission should be based on whatever marks they declare.

We will have to see about uniformity, transparency and more importantly have to ensure that no student is adversly affected. So. we have to keep all these factors into mind and take a decision.

Palak Anand, student, Chinamaya Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar

I think the UG admissions should be based on entrance exams.

The board exams have been cancelled. All students know that the pre board exams cant be a good basis for scring as no one takes them seriously.

Many schools could not even conduct the test due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

So, entrance exams should be conducted in all universities especially in DU where lakhs of students from across the country aspire to take admission.

The Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) should be implemented and exams should be held early or at least they should announce the decision soon because our batch is just suffering.

Earlier we stressed over board exams and now its over UG admissions.

Rajesh Giri, Principal, Rajdhani College, DU

In the current situation, saving lives is the top priority. The Class 12 board examinations were cancelled keeping in mind the health and safety of students.

A third wave is also expected and it is expected to be more dangerous than the second wave. It will affect the children more.

At such a time, conducting entrance exams is not a good idea.

Students will have to go out for exams and they will meet face-to-face, travel in public transport thus increasing the risk of getting Covid infection.

So, merit-based admissions should be held.

The Delhi University is made of merit-based admission which has been continuing for years.

The government, as well as the varsity, should come up with a formula or adopt a method to conduct the admissions based on cut-offs/12th marks.

If they want to adopt any new format or want to conduct a common entrance test, they should do it from the next academic year and not this year.

Lives are the top priority this year. Further, if any students feel that their marks are not good or want to improve, CBSE will give them the option to write exams to improve their marks. But, from a larger point of view, the entrance exam is not a good idea.

SP Gautam, Office Secretary, Govt School Teachers Association and a Delhi govt school teacher

I think an entrance exam is the only option and it should be conducted for all courses this year keeping in mind the cancellation of board exams.

Secondly, in government schools, many students come from the economically weaker section and a large number of students could not attend online classes due to a lack of resources.

These students have prepared really hard for board exams and focused less on their pre-board exams.

So, deciding marks based on their scores in pre-boards, internals, unit test and midterm exams wont be fair.

Even considering class 10 and 11 exams will not be justified.

In 11th, many students just score passing marks as they are more focused on Class 12 boards. Many students score a good percentage in class X and their percentages drop later.

There are three sections of students- toppers, average and below average.

This year all the students will pass and score good marks as schools will give good marks to increase their pass percentage.

So, merit-based admissions is not a good idea.

Even, if the varsities come up with some new format or formula to conduct cutoff/merit-based admission, the admissions will not be fair this year.

Thus, an entrance exam should be conducted, so all the students can be evaluated and get admitted into college on a fair and transparent basis.

What is CUCET

The Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) is part of the New Education Policy. Under this, a common entrance test will be held for UG admissions to all the central universities and colleges.

The exams will be similar to the standardised Aptitude Test (SAR) conducted in USA for university admissions.

As per NEP, the exams will be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA). With its implementation, the board results will not be given weightage.

Students will get chance to appear for board exams twice for their holistic growth and improve marks.
Rajesh Abraham By

Express News Service

KOCHI: Sometime in 1996, when the People's Campaign for Decentralised Planning proposed decentralizing public health and health care activities, the People's Plan Coordinators in Thrikkakara panchayat found it was an ideal moment to moot the idea of a hospital in the panchayat, then a small village.

"The Panchayat only had two PHCs (primary health centres). For emergency treatment or where patients need to be admitted, there were no hospitals in Thrikkaraka. People had to travel to the city, from even outskirts of the area like Edachira, Chittethukara," said M M Abbas, who along with C R Neelakandan as People's Plan Coordinators pushed for a full-fledged hospital in the panchayat, which not only brought affordable high-quality treatment to the people but also in a holistic way. "Our concept was we should not only treat the patients but also strive for a healthy society," said Abbas, who was the hospital's first president and now a board member.

After getting the approval of the block-level expert committee and the district planning committee in November 1999, the hospital began functioning from the Thrikkakara panchayat building on June 13, 1999, with three beds, lab, pharmacy, ECG facilities with Rs 3 lakh investment, which was collected by enrolling members.

As the Thrikkakara Cooperative Hospital, the first hospital in Kerala which formed as part of the people's plan campaign celebrated its 22nd anniversary on Sunday, the hospital has come a long way.

Over the last 22 years, has well-established 20 departments including cardiology, urology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, general surgery, Ayurveda, ophthalmology, psychiatry and accident & emergency.

"We have now converted our proposed mother & child care facility to a 40-bed Corona ward to treat the Covid patients. This is a first-level treatment centre. We plan to make it a secondary treatment centre by procuring three ventilators. Further, we have received an oxygen tank. The plan is to make changes in the original design of the facility to provide oxygen supports in all bedsides," said M P Sukumaran Nair, the hospital's current president.

During these Covid times, the hospital is giving free door-delivery of medicines for bills above Rs 1,000. The Thrikkakara Cooperative Hospital can provide affordable healthcare despite paying its doctors good salaries is because it gets cheap funds. For instance, the hospital gets CSR contributions from companies such as BPCL, Petronet LNG, Cochin Shipyard, MLA funds, besides government grants and cheap loans from the Ernakulam District Cooperative Bank. P T Thomas, Thrikkakara MLA, gave Rs 60 lakh to the hospital during his last term.

Sukumaran Nair said the hospital has even more ambitious plans for the future. the hospital plans to set up a Cath Lab, cardiac ICU and other modern equipment costing Rs 2-2.5 crore. A critical care unit is planned at Rs 40 lakh, and a fully automatic laboratory at Rs 4 crore. "The DPR for the lab is ready," he said.

Sukumaran Nair said the expansion will be completed by the end of 2022. "We are repaying our loans on time, and our entire process is on ethical treatment. Profit is not our motive," he said.

Timeline

1996: Peoples Campaign triggers hope for cooperative hospital in the panchayat

1998-99: Second annual plan under the People Campaign in Thrikkakara health action committee includes the construction of a cooperative hospital

November 1, 1998: Gets approval of block-level expert committee and the district planning committee; first meeting of promoters

March 1999: The Thrikkakara Grama Panchayat Cooperative Hospital Ltd registered as a Cooperative Society

April 4, 1999: First general body meeting

June 13, 1999: Hospital inaugurated with 3 beds, 3 doctors, 3 paramedical staff
A Sharadhaa By

Express News Service

Tej Charanraj, who has been in the shadow of his father - well-known south Indian actor Charan Raj, is looking forward to that right launch in Kannada. And he is all set to star in Chandan Rajs debut directorial, touted to be an action thriller.

Tej, who has made a mark in Tamil with a handful of films, made a cameo appearance in Kannada director, Manju Mandavyas last film, Shri Bharatha Baahubali. However, he is aspiring to make a mark as a full-fledged hero here, says Tej, The cameo in Shri Bharatha Baahubali was an accident. Manju Mandavya, who is a close friend of my dad, happened to see my pics and was keen to cast me. It was there that I met Chandan Raj, who worked as a co-director for the film. He was looking at making his directorial debut and pitched his story idea in a way that appealed to me. The film is now ready to go on floors, says Tej, who also adds that Chandans script has elements based on real-life events.

Tej has been getting ready for role the last one year and is working on perfecting it, as well as getting fluent with his Kannada diction. As a Maharashtrian, my parents resided in Chennai and we would be in Bengaluru mostly during summer holidays. Though I understand and speak Kannada, I am making sure that I get the diction right. Secondly, my dad has a huge legacy in Kannada films. Having started his career in Sandalwood as a lead actor, he holds a good name here to this day. Being his son, it is my duty to try and be as perfect as him. But thats taking time, he says.

Tej, who has a good amount of work in the Tamil industry, says it might not come in handy when he gets to be launched in Kannada or any other language. I thought it would be easy until the director explained that the taste of Kannada audience and their expectations are completely different from a Tamil audience. What works in Tamil will not work in Sandalwood. Chandan has asked me to watch a lot of Kannada films to understand the pulse of the audience. So starting in Kannada will be something new in my career. Luckily, this pandemic lockdown has given me time to do my homework, he says.

Growing up, Tej says his father kept him away from the limelight, and wasnt allowed to accompany his father for shoots. As he makes his entry here, hes keeping in mind a piece of advice from his father: Make mistakes and only then one can learn. Being a directors actor and maintaining discipline has been his motto, which he wants me to follow, says Tej, who aims to justify his fathers stardom. Being a stars son, talk about nepotism is bound to crop up. However, I hope people watch my performance rather than assuming I got it easy, he says.
By PTI

MUMBAI: As Kamal Haasan celebrated 13 years of his sci-fi action thriller "Dasavatharam" on Monday, the actor-filmmaker took a trip down memory lane to share what went behind making the film, which he said was nothing short of a "masterclass" for him.

Directed by K S Ravikumar, the film starred Haasan in ten distinct roles.

"Dasavatharam", which was under production for nearly three years, became a massive hit upon its release in 2008.

Haasan, 66, who also wrote the screenplay, said "Dasavatharam" was a film that taught him the true meaning of "democracy".

"'Dasavatharam' was a masterclass for me on every technical aspect. There were many masters to teach and learn from and cinema was the ultimate master and very forgiving when we failed in some parts, definitely more forgiving than the audience who made it a hit. I can say I learnt democracy during the making of this film," he said in a statement.

The actor said "many directors" turned down the film's script saying they didn't "understand it," except for Ravikumar, who was convinced the movie would be a winner.

Haasan recalled reaching out to producer Mukta Srinivasan for his opinion on his script and incorporated his suggestions.

The actor said he was also thankful to "Dasavatharam" producer V Ravichandran for not comprising on the film's scale, ambition and grandeur.

"Towards the end of the filming, during the tsunami sequence, we realised we needed a crore more to achieve the visuals written by me for the climax. Now people nonchalantly talk about Rs 20 to 30 crores, but back then it was huge. I offered to rewrite the script without the tsunami and end it with the train sequence."

"However, Mr Ravikumar had fully understood the script and fought tooth and nail to get the climax done as scripted originally and we spent the additional Rs one crore," the actor said.

The action sequences were one of the biggest highlights of "Dasavatharam", with each character of Haasan getting a distinct action style.

"We wanted to make a masterpiece and we didn't look at money or fame, just our contribution to the art of cinema. We had various stunt directors supporting us which can be seen in various styles portrayed through the film as Fletcher's (one of his characters) stunts had to be different from the Samurai and that from the first and all this within a shoe string budget," he said.

Haasan believes in some sequences of the film, the CGI wasn't up to the mark but it was the best the team could do with all the constraints back then.

The actor acknowledged the efforts of his technicians, stunt directors for giving their best to achieve his cinematic vision, but said he would not "forgive or forget" those who had abandoned the project.

"All of my technicians helped me complete the project through all the insults, quarrels, stressful environment and I am grateful to the. On the other hand, I would never forget or forgive those technicians who gave up. If you believe in something, it can always be achieved."

Haasan also mentioned the enormous contribution of Academy Award-winning make-up artist Michael Westmore, who helped him design the film's ten distinct characters.

Calling him a "master of his craft", Haasan said Westmore's contribution to the film was "equivalent" to his.

"Westmore was the 11th avatar of the film, without him the other 10 would not have been possible," he added.

The film also starred Asin, in a double role, and Mallika Sherawat.

The film's soundtrack was composed by Himesh Reshammiya, with composer Devi Sri Prasad giving its background score.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the BJP over the alleged scam in purchase of land in Ayodhya by the Ram temple trust and said betrayal in Lord Ram's name is unrighteous.

"Shri Ram himself is justice, truth, faith. Betrayal in his name is unrighteous," he said in a tweet in Hindi, alleging a scam in the land purchase.

The Congress has alleged that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had purchased a piece of land worth Rs 2 crore at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh at an inflated price of Rs 18.5 crore.

In another tweet, he hit out at the government over its pro-privatisation drive and said it would not help the people.

"GOI's 'Modi Mitr-centric' (friend-centric) privatisation drive won't help the public. NYAY will," he said, while pointing to the scheme he had proposed for providing direct cash in accounts of the poor and the oppressed sections of society.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: A MoU for the Bihars mega Dagmara hydroelectric project, initiated with an aim to

herald a new era of growth in power sector, was signed between the Bihar State Power Holding Corporation and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) on Monday.

The MoU was signed for setting up Bihars biggest hydroelectric power generation plant called the Dagmara multipurpose hydropower project over the Kosi River in Supaul district.

It was signed in presence of Minister of State (Independent Charge), Power and New & Renewable Energy), RK Singh; Bihars Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav; Union Energy Secretary Alok Kumar; Chairman and Managing Director, NHPC, AK Singh; Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power, SKG Rahate; Joint Secretary (Hydro), Ministry of Power, Tanmay Kumar; Pratyay Amrit, Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department and Chairman-cum-Managing Director, BSPHCL, Sanjeev

Hans and Managing Director, BSPHCL, Alok Kumar through video conferencing.

Giving details of the project Secretary, Energy Department and Chairman-cum-Managing Director, BSPHCL, Sanjeev Hans said that Bihars biggest hydro-electric power projectDagmara multipurpose hydropower projectis coming up 31 km downstream on Kosi river under Bhaptiyahi block in Supaul district.

Hans added further: The total generation capacity of the Run-of-River project will be 130.1 MW, which will comprise two power houses, while the barrage length would be 753 metre and it would have 36 gates on river Kosi River which has a total length of 233 km.

Speaking on this occasion, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Power and New & Renewable Energy) RK Singh said this was a historic occasion for Bihar, as the Dagmara project would contribute immensely in Indias mission for energy transition for lesser use of fossil fuel. About Rs 2,500 crore investments will

create immense opportunities for generating both direct and indirect employment in Bihar.

Bihars Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has congratulated the people of Bihar for signing of the MoU. Kosi for long has been known as sorrow of Bihar, but Dagmara project will convert it into a river of opportunities, he said, adding this was first of its kind project

for the whole country and different from conventional projects.

The barrage on the Kosi would provide an alternate route to cross over the river. Besides, the project will control river meandering to a greater extent.

Pratyay Amrit, Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department, who played an instrumental role in taking off of the project, said the Dagmara project besides

generating job would create recreational facilities such as fisheries and eco-tourism. It will also uplift the socio-economic condition in the project area, he said. Amrit said the Bihar government would fully cooperate with NHPC for implementation of the project.

Senior protocol officer of BSPHCL Khwaja Jamal said that the project will be completed on time making Bihar more power sufficient in greener energy also.
By PTI

CHANDIGARH: An FIR has been registered in connection with the uprooting of the foundation stone of a BJP party office in Jhajjhar hours after it had been laid by the party's state unit chief O P Dhankar, police said on Monday.

The foundation stone laid for the party office on Rewari road of the district on Sunday was allegedly removed by a group of farmers protesting the new farm laws.

The protesters, including women, were carrying black flags and raising slogans against the Centre for not rolling back the laws despite protests by thousands of farmers near the borders of Delhi for over six months.

"Strict action will be taken as per the law," Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said in Ambala, responding to a question about the incident.

Several farmer groups have been opposing public functions of the BJP-JJP leaders in Haryana over the issue of the farm laws.

Scores of farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders since November last year, 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 (MSP) for their crops.

However, the government has maintained the laws are pro-farmer.

Several rounds of talks between the farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock over these contentious laws.

The government last held talks with farmer leaders on January 22.

The talks between the two sides came to a halt after a January 26 tractor parade by farmers in Delhi turned violent.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Transportation company FedEx Express has operated its third dedicated chartered service, carrying COVID-19 supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to India.

The third FedEx Boeing 777 Freighter charter flight carrying over 2,50,000 face shields, 1,00,000 goggles, more than 80,000 coveralls and gowns and over 1,34,000 KN95 and N95 masks landed in Mumbai on June 13 from Memphis, Tennessee (US), a release said.

Items arriving on the charter flight were donated by Dignity Health, coordinated by TMC Navya. Will be distributed by Direct Relief to medical facilities in India through Tata Memorial Centre, it added.

FedEx has transported thousands of oxygen concentrators, and hundreds of tonnes of medical supplies and aid to India to help the country fight the second wave of the pandemic.

The company has earlier undertaken two charter Boeing 777F flights from the US to India -- one each on May 9 and May 16 -- transporting thousands of oxygen concentrators and other medical aid for Direct Relief.
By PTI

AGRA: A five-year-old child fell into a 150-feet-deep borewell while playing in Dhariyai village here on Monday, police said, adding that rescue operation is underway. The incident took place about 8:30 am under Nibohara police station area in Fatehabad in Agra rural.

So far, the child's movement can be noticed and he was responding, Station House Officer Sooraj Prasad told PTI. He added, "The rescue of the child was on since the police got information about the incident."

An eyewitness said the child fell into the borewell that was dug by his father, Chhotelal. "We had dropped a rope into the borewell which the child had caught and he has been responding to our queries," the villager added.

ALSO WATCH | Mumbai car that caved into concrete floor pulled out using rope:
By PTI

KOLKATA: West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Monday alleged that the GST council has turned majoritarian and decisions were no longer taken on the basis of a consensus as originally envisaged.

He also said voices of the Group of Ministers in the council remained unheard.

Mitra said that he had tried his best to "raise objections" during the 44th GST Council meeting on Saturday, but the virtual link was snapped at a "critical time".

The veteran economist demanded a probe into how and who had "muted" his microphone when the meeting was in progress.

"Authoritarianism and majoritarianism have taken over the GST Council. It's most unfortunate," he told reporters.

ALSO READ: Covid drugs, tools get cheaper, GST Council decides to maintain status quo on vaccine tax

Mitra had also written a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after the meeting to record his "dissent" against decisions of the council.

"I was heard repeatedly in the meeting. But during the concluding part, I kept on raising my hand and you could see me. All (other) microphones were unmuted by the Centre's web management team.

"My microphone was muted and I could see it. I am not a fool. Please investigate and let me know. Why was my microphone muted at a critical time when I wanted to put across my dissent? I am giving the benefit of doubt," he said on Monday.

Stressing that he shared a "very cordial relationship" with Sitharaman, Mitra said he is yet to receive a reply from her.

Mitra had Saturday termed the GST Council's decision not to reduce taxes on COVID-19 vaccines as "anti-people".

The council has slashed tax rates on coronavirus drugs such as Remdesivir and Tocilizumab as well as on medical oxygen and oxygen concentrators, but ignored demands for a reduction in taxes on vaccines.
By PTI

RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday received state Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto on his arrival at Birsa Munda Airport by a special flight from Chennai post lung transplant due to COVID-19 complications.

Mahto, 55, came to Ranchi following treatment at Chennai for about eight months after battling coronavirus infection that damaged his lungs,official sources said here.

Mahto, who was airlifted from Ranchi to a Chennai hospital in October last year, underwent a lung transplant after the organ was damaged by the deadly virus.

Upon testing positive last September he was admitted to a Ranchi hospital where he was on a ventilator.

Mahto had undergone a bilateral lung transplant on November 10.

A Jharkhand government spokesperson said Mahto has recovered fully and was brought back under medical supervision.

Last year "in view of the deteriorating health condition, a team of specialist doctors of MGM, Chennai was called to Ranchi on the initiative of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

Mahato was sent to Chennai on October 19 by air ambulance under the supervision of doctors.

"At the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Center (MGM) in Chennai, a lung transplant was done on the minister," the spokesperson said.

Mahto is a JMM MLA from Dumri in Giridih district.
By PTI

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government will not arrest former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh till June 22 in a case registered against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Bombay High Court was told on Monday.

Senior counsel Darius Khambata, who appeared for the Maharashtra government, told the high court that his previous statement on protecting the senior IPS officer from any "coercive action" in the case will be extended till June 22.

Following Khambata's statement, a bench of Justices PB Varale and SP Tavade adjourned the hearing till June 22 on the pleas filed by Singh seeking quashing of an FIR registered against him by the Thane Police under the Atrocities Act and challenging preliminary inquiries initiated against him by the state government.

The FIR was registered against Singh under the Prevention of Atrocities Act in April this year on a complaint lodged by Akola police inspector BR Ghadge.

Ghadge, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste community, had alleged that Singh had conspired with others to implicate him in some cases of extortion after he refused to follow Singh's illegal orders to benefit some accused persons in a criminal case.

In his other plea in the HC, Singh had challenged two inquiries initiated against him by the state government on charges of misconduct and corruption. The first inquiry order was passed on April 1 this year by then state home minister Anil Deshmukh for alleged violation of some All India Services (Conduct) Rules.

The second order was passed on April 20 by Deshmukh's successor Dilip Walse Patil over allegations of corruption levelled against Singh.
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would continue her fight for farmers to ensure the well-being of the "very backbone" of the society.

Her statement comes after her meeting with farmer leader Rakesh Tikait last week. The move is said to be significant as the anti-BJP political parties seem to have decided to sharpen their attack on the issue of farmers movement against the Centres farm laws.

"On this day, ten years back, the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill 2011 was passed in the WB assembly after a long & difficult struggle. We unitedly fought for the rights of our farmers & addressed their grievances, bringing in positive change in their lives," Mamata tweeted.

Taking to Twitter, she further said, "Today, it pains me that across the nation our farmer brethren are suffering owing to the indifference of the Centre. Together, we shall continue our fight to ensure the well-being of the very backbone of our society. Upholding their rights remains a top priority."

After driving out Tata Motors from Singur by spearheading the movement in 2009 against the then Left Front governments land acquisition policy, West Bengal passed a bill to return the land to its owners.

"The farmers movement in Delhi border drew nationwide attention. Asking all oppositions to get united, the CM will use the issue as a political tool to sharpen attacks ahead of the Assembly elections slated to be held next year. She already increased financial assistance for Bengals farmers with a goal to build up her farmer-friendly image," said a senior TMC leader.

Last week, the Mamata government doubled the annual financial benefit for farmers. Under the new announcement, farmers with landholding of 1 acre or more would be entitled to receive Rs 10,000 per annum instead of the previous assistance of Rs 5,000. The assistance for those holding land below 1 acre or less and for marginal farmers has been doubled from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 per year.

"She (Mamata) has become an anti-BJP face nationally after her landslide victory in the Assembly elections. Now she is aiming to unite all opposition forces nationally and throw a challenge to the BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Besides, she will use the farmer issue in the Assembly elections scheduled to be held in seven states which include Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat," said another TMC leader.
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

JAIPUR: In a shocking case in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district, a tribal youth was lynched and his friend badly thrashed by a group of people who suspected them of smuggling some cows and other bovine animals on Saturday-Sunday night.

The two tribal youngsters, from the Bheel community, were taking some bovine animals to Madhya Pradesh when the group caught and thrashed them. Police have taken 7-8 persons in custody for interrogation. One of the youngsters has died in the hospital and the other one is seriously injured.

The victim of the lynching was identified as 25-year-old Babu Bheel from Madhya Pradesh's Achalpur. He was accompanied by his friend Pintu Bheel, who was also badly injured in the assault.

Describing the horrific incident, Additional Director General of Police (Crime), Ravi Prakash Meharda said, the incident occurred near Bhilkhanda village on the night of June 13-14. Two men in Chittorgarh district were transporting some bovines to Madhya Pradesh when a mob attacked them. One of them died at the hospital while undergoing treatment while the other was seriously injured. A case of murder has been registered."

According to the Police, the victims were taking three oxen to their village in Madhya Pradesh from Begun town of Chittorgarh for agriculture work when a group of people hit them with sticks accusing them of smuggling cows. After the shocking incident, a large contingent of policemen, including senior officials are now camping in the area.

The IG Range of Udaipur Division, Satyaveer Singh said that all senior police officials have now reached the area and are keeping a tight vigil. On suspicion that the tribal youngsters were smuggling cows to MP, a large unruly mob gathered in the area. They not only thrashed them brutally but also snatched their mobile and tore off the papers about the sale of the bovine animals. Once the police got to know, they reached the area and rushed the victims to the hospital where one of the tribal youths died. We are doing a detailed probe on this incident and soon the culprits will be arrested and strong action will be initiated against them, IG Satyaveer Singh asserted.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Amid charges of corruption in the land purchased by the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust in Ayodhya, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said misuse of donations by devotees is a sin and an insult to their faith.

                   ,  ,       Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 14, 2021

"Crores of people made their offerings at the feet of God out of their faith and devotion. Misuse of those donations is unrighteous and is a sin and an insult to their faith," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress on Sunday alleged that scams are happening by taking donations in the name of Lord Ram after two opposition leaders accused Shriram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai of buying a piece of land at an inflated price for the Ram temple premises.

The allegation that the land worth Rs 2 crore was brought at an inflated price of Rs 18.5 crore was made by AAP's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and a former minister in the Samajwadi Party government, Pawan Pandey.

The allegation was strongly refuted by Rai. Tagging a tweet on Rai refuting the allegation, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had said on Sunday, "Lord Ram, what kind of days are these? Scams are happening by taking donations in your name. Shameless robbers are intoxicated with arrogance like Ravana and are selling faith."

"The question is how the land bought for Rs 2 crore was sold after 10 minutes to 'Ram Janmabhoomi' for Rs 18.50 crores?" he asked. "Now it seems - Kans are ruling, Ravana is everywhere!" Surjewala had said in a tweet in Hindi.

Terming it a case of money laundering, Singh and Pandey had sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.
By PTI

GHAZIABAD: In a viral video on social media, an elderly Muslim man has accused four unidentified people of beating him up and shaving his beard to force him to chant Jai shri Ram after abducting and confining him in a secluded house in Ghaziabad.

The Ghaziabad police, however, said it has already registered an FIR in the alleged incident which took place on June 5 but was reported to police two days later on June 7.

The man, who has identified himself as Abdul Samad, a native of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, however, had not made such allegations in his complaint as in the video, said Ghaziabad SSP Amit Pathak.

The SSP also said in the case, the police have already arrested one person, named Parvesh Gujjar, who had taken an amulet from Samad who practices occultism.

After the arrest, the have police repeatedly summoned Samad to join the investigation, but he never came back to the police, the SSP said, adding he was also summoned for Monday, but he is yet to appear.

Meanwhile, showing his purported injuries in the video, Samad has said he was abducted from the Gokulpuri area when he took an auto for Loni in Ghaziabad.

The autorickshaw had already two people in it when he hired it while two more boarded it a little distance ahead, said Samad in the video, adding the four suddenly pounced upon him inside the auto, covered his head with a cloth and began beating him up.

They eventually drove me to a secluded house in a field in Behta Hazipur village of Loni where they further beat me up while asking me to chant Jai Shri Ram.

Every time I cried in pain and inadvertently uttered Allah they beat me up again asking me to chant Jai Shri Ram instead, said Samad.

They even shaved my beard, calling me a spy of Pakistan, he said.
Pranab Mondal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: At least 23 BJP MLAs out of 74, who were supposed to accompany Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, to Raj Bhavan on Monday, did not turn up. Among the absent legislators, many of them are known for their close proximity to Mukul Roy, BJPs national vice-president who joined the TMC on Monday.

Adhikari had asked all the MLAs to accompany him in Mondays event at Raj Bhavan. "I've come here with 50 MLAs to hold a meeting with the governor. I gave him a memorandum regarding post-poll violence in the state and other issues, said Adhikari after the meeting.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said Adhikari had handed over the memorandum attracting his attention towards four points which include anti-defection law, post-poll violence and communal tension at two places.

Taking a jibe at the absence of BJP MLAs in the governors house, TMCs Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, Where the other MLAs have gone? Why didnt they accompany the Leader of Opposition?

Sources in the BJP said all the newly elected MLAs were asked to be present with Adhikari. "They were supposed to accompany him. But it was shocking that nearly one-third of our MLAs did not bother to follow the instruction, said a senior BJP leader.

A section of the MLAs, who were not present in Raj Bhavan, already issued statements indirectly supporting Roys return to the TMC. They said the senior politician was sidelined in the BJP and he was not given the proper space in the party which led to his return to the ruling party.

MLAs like Biswajit Das from Bagdah, Sabyasachi Dutta from Rajarhat-New Town, Rabindranath Bhattacharya from Singur and Sunil Singh from Noapara were missing in the rows of the MLAs in Raj Bhavan. All these people are known for their close proximity to Roy. The saffron camp is fearing that many of the absent MLAs may follow Roys foot-print in near future.
By PTI

AYODHYA: Amid allegations that the Ram Temple trust paid an inflated price for a plot of land here, its general secretary Champat Rai on Monday asserted that the organisation is committed to full transparency even as some local property dealers said it actually got itself a good deal.

Some local dealers claimed that the market price for the 12,000-square metre plot bought in March by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya is actually three times what it paid.

In separate press briefings Sunday, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh and Samajwadi Party leader Pawan Pandey had said the temple trust bought the land for over Rs 18 crore from people who purchased it for just Rs 2 crore -- just minutes before.

Other opposition parties too lashed out at the trust over the land scam, demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the deal betrayed the faith of the devout who had donated money for the construction of the temple in Ayodhya.

ALSO READ | Ayodhya land deal row: UP Cong women's wing stages protest near CM Yogi's residence

Sources said the trust sent Sunday night its explanation to the Union government, saying it did not pay more than the going rate.

Champat Rai said Monday that the trust is buying land to relocate those whose property it has purchased to expand the Ram temple complex.

"We are applying full transparency in the purchase of land," he said, adding that the money is transferred online into the bank accounts of the sellers.

According to some property dealers, the land the trust bought for Rs 18.5 crore is worth Rs 5,000 per square foot.

Local dealer Saurabh Vikram Singh put its market price at over Rs 60 crore.

Administration sources said the initial deal goes back to 2017, before land prices rocketed in Ayodhya following the Supreme Court verdict.

Suitan Ansari and Ravi Mohan Tiwari had then agreed to purchase 1,29,980 sq feet of land spread over plot numbers 243, 244 and 246 from Harish Pathak and his wife Kusum Pathak for Rs 2 crore.

ALSO READ | 'Betrayal in name of Lord Ram is unrighteous': Rahul Gandhi on Ayodhya land deal

On March 18, 2021, Ansari and Tiwari paid up and the land transferred to them.

The temple trust then bought it from them, through Champat Rai, at Rs 18.4 crore.

The trust said it will find land for the temple's expansion no matter how much it has to shell out.

The March 18 acquisition is in Bagh Bijaisi, close to the main gate of a proposed new Ayodhya railway station.

In a historic verdict on November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court had cleared the way for the construction of a Ram temple on the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya.

The trust is in charge of the construction.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: In what appears to be a carefully planned move, five of the six MPs of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on Monday united against LJP founder late Ram Vilas Paswans son Chirag Paswan and elected Pashupati Kumar Paras as their leader.

Paras is the youngest brother of the late leader.

This is part of a series of moves in the LJP which have jolted party scion Chirag Paswan.

Chirags unceremonious removal comes after months of disgruntlement among other party leaders who felt the young politicians functioning was autocratic. According to sources, the five MPs held a secret meeting on Saturday evening to give finishing touches to their plan. Later, they submitted a letter to Lok

Chirag Paswan

Sabha speaker Om Birla demanding recognition for the new LJP faction with Paras as its national president.

I have not executed a spilt in the party. Rather, I have saved the party so that it doesnt deviate from the path shown by late Ram Vilas Paswan, Paras told reporters. He added that 99% LJP leaders and workers wanted to contest the last Bihar Assembly election as an NDA ally but Chirag decided to go in the opposite direction. As a result, the LJP suffered a lot politically, virtually reducing the party base in Bihar to zero. Now, we will be with the NDA in Bihar and the Centre, Paras said.

ALSO READ | Chirag Paswan has reaped what he had sown: JDU after fallout in LJP

Expressing the new line of the party, Paras also lauded Bihar CM Nitish Kumar as vikas purush.Earlier in the day, Chirag tried to meet his uncle but was made to wait at the gate for over 15 minutes before he was let in. He spent nearly two hours there but could not meet Paras as he was not at home.
By PTI

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government on Monday decided to reduce the VAT on diesel for the mining sector in the state.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved the draft notification to provide cheaper diesel with a view of providing relief to the mining sector businesses.

According to the proposal of the state finance department, bulk purchase of diesel for commercial activities is done from outside the state due to the cheaper price of the fuel in the neighbouring states of Rajasthan.

In the past, manufacturing industries have been given concession in the state value added tax (VAT) on purchase of diesel from oil marketing companies located in the state.

In this sequence, the mining industry will also be given benefit of reduced VAT on buying diesel from the oil marketing companies located in Rajasthan, an official statement said.

With this decision, the mining sector will get the benefit of purchasing diesel at lower rate in Rajasthan itself and the state government will get an additional revenue of Rs 108.84 crore.
By PTI

JODHPUR: A man, out on bail in a rape case, was arrested on Monday in Rajasthan's Sirohi district for allegedly stabbing to death the woman he had raped last year, police said.

The accused had been pressuring the woman for withdrawal of the complaint against him since he was out on bail and stabbed her to death on Saturday night at her house in Nagani village in Sirohi district, ADG (Crime) Ravi Prakash Meharda said.

The ADG confirmed the arrest of the accused Netram on Monday morning.

"He had raped the victim and a case had been lodged against him in November 2020. He had been arrested by the police and had been in judicial custody for six months," said the officer.

The accused was the victim's neighbour.

She was a widow and had been working in a local anganwadi in the village.

After her husband's death, Netram allegedly raped her last year under the pretext of some help and a complaint of rape had been lodged by her against him.

According to the police, Netram came out on bail in April and had been constantly threatening the victim to withdraw the case but she was not responding to his repeated calls.

On Saturday night, he barged into her house and stabbed her to death, while she was sleeping.

He also injured her younger sister, who also was present in the house, as she tried to save her sister.

She raised an alarm, but Netram managed to escape from the spot.
By PTI

DEHRADUN: The mortal remains of senior Congress leader Indira Hridayesh were consigned to flames with full state honours on Monday at Ranibagh's Chitrashila ghat, around six km from her home town Haldwani.

Before the body of Hridayesh was taken for cremation, people from across the political spectrum turned up at her Haldwani residence and then at the party office at Swaraj Ashram to pay their last respects to the departed leader.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat laid a wreath on her body at her Haldwani home.

"The state government will carry forward the unfinished work of Indiraji, a popular leader who always placed matters of Uttarakhand's interest above everything else," the chief minister said in a tweet.

One of the seniormost Congress leaders from Uttarakhand, Hridayesh, an MLA from Haldwani, was the leader of opposition in the state Assembly.

Other prominent leaders who paid their last respects to her included state BJP president Madan Kaushik, Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt, former chief minister Harish Rawat, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Uttarakhand Devendra Yadav and former state Congress chief Kishor Upadhyay.

A large number of Congress leaders, supporters and relatives gathered at the Chitrashila ghat for the last rites of the departed leader.

Hridayesh died of a cardiac arrest in New Delhi on Sunday at the age of 80.

She is survived by three sons.
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The ongoing military level processes to resolve palpable tensions along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Ladakh will change from now with the resolution talks to be held a level below the Corps Commanders.

A senior Army Officer said, "The Chinese have agreed to discuss resolution of the standoff at Gogra, Hotspring at the Division Commanders level as they feel that things can get resolved at that level now." The Corps Commanders talk in future will be held if the need arises, added the officer.

On the issue of Galwan the officer did not respond. 15 June is the first anniversary of the day when in 2020 clashes had broken out between the troops of the Indian Army and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army leading to the death of 20 Indian Army soldiers including Colonel B. Santosh Babu and 4 Chinese soldiers the names of those were made public in February this year. Colonel Qi Fabao, the regimental commander from the PLA Xinjiang Military Command was seriously injured in the clash.

There have been 21 rounds of diplomatic level talks under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border Affairs (WMCC) and 11 rounds of military dialogue between Indian XIV Corps Commander and PLA Commander of South Xinjiang military district.

It was the TNIE which broke the story in May 2020 that clashes at the Finger 4 area on the Northern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake had led to a standoff which quickly expanded to Hot Spring, Gogra, Galwan and Demchok. Also, the Chinese blocked Indian patrolling parties to the Patrolling Points 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13 as the PLA sat at the Y-Junction in the Depsang Area which is around 30 km from the strategic Indian airstrip of Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO).

In a surprise move in the August end of 2020 Indian Army repositioned its troops occupying the heights in the South Bank of the 135 km long salt-lake Pangong Tso located at a height of around 14,000ft. This compromised the tenability of the Chinese Moldo Military Camp as the heights included the Rezang La and Reqin La, both dominating the Spanggur Gap. The heights also included those on the Kailash range like the Black Top, Helmet, Gurung Hill, Gorkha Hill and Magar Hill in addition to the others.

The two sides decided during the Ninth Corps Commanders talk to disengage their troops from the areas of the North and South banks of Pangong Tso which was completed by 11th February.

The steps taken have moved things forward. Added the senior officer quoted above.

While the troops moved back which at places had the tanks within 30 feet distance with barrels pointed on each other but the Chinese have lodged them a little deeper. Added the officer. There ais presence around 50,000 troops along with the tanks, artillery guns, and other equipment in the area. Also, India Army has a precautionary deployment all along the LAC.

This standoff in the Eastern Ladakh is the first time that the resolution matrix has brought in the Senior Commanders or the Corps Commanders which on the Indian side is commanded by a Lieutenant General and a Major General on the Chinese Side. Otherwise, it used to get resolved at the Higher Commander Level Meeting which is held between the Major General rank officers of the two sides.

The meetings between the two militaries are held at three levels at the borders which includes the Local Commander or the Colonel level, Station Commander (Delegation Level) or the Brigadier Level and the Highest is the Major General Level called the HLCM. These are emergency meetings which happen when something emergent is required to be discussed as otherwise there are scheduled meetings on important days apart from the meetings at fixed intervals.

India and China have differing perceptions on the alignment of the 3488 km long LAC and over the years both sides had reached a series of agreements to maintain peace and tranquility along the LAC, while talks continued to reach a resolution.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) is heading towards an existential crisis, facing mass desertion. Less than two weeks after hundreds of leaders and workers, including 18 district presidents, joined the Janata Dal (United), the Chirag Paswan-led outfit suffered another major jolt on Tuesday as 175 leaders and workers in West Champaran (Bettiah) joined BJP.

Those who deserted the party included LJPs district president Shyamanand Chaurasia and former vice-president Radheshyam Rai, apart from five-block presidents and 150 panchayats heads.

Breaking away from the NDA in Bihar, LJP had pitched itself as a major challenger to the JD-U ahead of last years Assembly elections.

Following a poor performance, the party has struggled to keep its flock together. The ruling JD-U may get another boost.

There is a buzz that Rashtriya Lok Samata Party may merge with the Nitish Kumar-led party.
Jayaram Poduval By

To highlight the natural beauty of the region, the promotional campaigns of Kerala Tourism call the state Gods own country. Another reason can be, though not realised by the strategists of the tourism campaign, the sheer number of temples, churches, mosques and even synagogues in the state that would qualify Kerala as Gods own country.

Almost all villages and towns in Kerala do have religious structures from the medieval period to contemporary times, of different religious and cultic affiliations and sizes depending on the economic and political importance of the village/town.

In Kerala, one can see the cave temples at Vizhinjam, carved out by the Pandyan rulers in the 8th century, one of the earliest mosques in India at Kodungallur and the church at Niranam that is considered to be established by the Apostle St. Thomas himself. Kerala was the destination for many indigenous and foreign religions including Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism along with Judaism, Christianity and Islam, all travelling through the well-established trade routes thanks to the monopoly of pepper, cardamom and ginger. Kalidasa writes in his Raghuvamsa Mahakavya about the pepper plants and the rising smell of cardamom as Raghus horses trampled through the Kerala forest.

I have been travelling through the length and breadth of Kerala since my childhood and have noticed something unique about the region: the fact that standing anywhere in Kerala, you are never far away from a temple, mosque or a church. Kerala can actually boast about 10 times a greater number of religious structures than the number of villages. According to the 2011 Census, there are 1,018 villages (1,364 in the 2001 Census) in Kerala along with 87 municipalities and six municipal corporations sharing 1,01,140 places of worship along with 29,565 hospitals and 70,435 educational institutions. This is not the number of places of worship used by the Hindus alone but includes mosques and churches belonging to various Christian sects. The number of places of worship in Kerala is almost 3.5 times higher than the hospitals.

An interesting aspect revealed through the analysis of the data provided by the 2001 Census is that Kerala is in the fifth position as far as density of religious structures is concerned, coming after Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and Assam. In Kerala, 1,000 people share 3.1 religious structures while in Himachal Pradesh, it is the highest at 4.3; Delhi has the least with 0.5. The neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu is much below Kerala when it comes to this ratio. Every 315 people in Kerala have one religious structure, much higher than in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The balance achieved in the health and education sector is manifested only in the 20th century due to Western influence and the resultant social and education movements. In other words, in the pre-modern period, the ratio between the religious structures and health and education buildings in Kerala would have been much more contrasting.

In Kerala, the village economy and social fabric was woven in and around the places of worship, the majority among them temples, quite akin to the case in Tamil Nadu. Even legends like Kerala Mahatmyam and Keralolpatti attempt to build the social structure keeping the temple as the centre. The Chola and Vijayanagara models too successfully put the same structure into practice. Development of cities around temples like Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, and Gangaikonda Cholapuram under the Cholas and Hampi and Tirumala under Vijayanagara rule are excellent illustrations of this theory.

The best example from Kerala is Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city, which developed around the temple of Padmanabhaswami after Martanda Varma dedicated the land of Tiruvitankur to its cardinal deity through his Trippadi Danam in 1749. Through this ritual, Martanda Varma, the raja of Tiruvitankur, surrendered the whole region to Lord Sri Padmanabha (Vishnu) of Thiruvananthapuram. Ever since Trippadi Danam, the Travancore kings ruled the country as a servant/representative of Sri Padmanabha and their records always mentioned the king as Sri Padmanabha dasa.

A similar example can be seen at Thrissur (or Thrisshivaperoor), the city that is literally built around the Vadakkumnatha temple. The circular road around the temple maidan constitutes the prime market street of Thrissur town. Developed during the rule of Saktan Tampuran in the early 19th century, Thrissur became the centre for the Pooram festival, where all the Gods of the neighbouring shrines would congregate to pay respect to Shiva, the cardinal deity of Vadakkumnatha temple. It is worth mentioning that the Pooram at Thrissur was introduced by Saktan Tampuran, ruler of Perumpadappu Svaroopam of Kochi, to assert his authority amongst the small Naduvazhis around.

At Payyanur in North Kerala, the cardinal deity Subramanya/Kartikeya is considered as the ruler of the region. He is addressed as Perumal, which is the common name for the rulers used in Kerala (for example Kulasekhara Perumal for Ravi Varma Kulasekhara). Local myths state that some of the Gods and Goddesses had to seek permission of Payyanur Perumal (Subramanya of Payyanur temple) for residing in the region. In Talipparamba (Kannur District), the presiding deity, Shiva, is considered as the raja (king of kings). Devotees are expected to behave in the precinct of the temple as if they are in front of the emperor.

There are many such interesting myths and fascinating legends along with fantastically carved wooden sculptures and architecture attached to these religious structures through which the political, social and cultural life of a region can be comprehended. In this monthly series, titled A Country of Many Gods, we will travel through the pre-modern visual culture of Kerala.

Jayaram Poduval

Head, Department of Art History,

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

(jpoduval@gmail.com)
Tulsi Jayakumar By

One of the unintended consequences of the pandemic has been an all-round knowledge of macroeconomic terms, which, in normal pre-Covid times, would have been relegated to textbooks. Ask your average Raj or Simran why the economy is going through a slowdown and the answer would be one that would make Keynes proud. It is because of lack of demand, they would state confidently.

Such lack of demand has indeed cost the economy dearly. The pandemic has squeezed private consumption, the mainstay of Indias aggregate demand, particularly hard. During the fiscal 2020-2021, private consumption fell sharply by 9%, which has been the first in the past four decades.

The lack of demand does have to do with fewer jobs and higher unemployment, cuts in wages and salaries, shutdowns especially of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) amidst the pandemic, and the stringent lockdowns and social distancing norms associated with the pandemic. Discretionary consumptionessentially what people spend on travel, hotels and restaurants, recreation, etc.that accounts for 20% of total private consumption has slumped much more than that on essentials. Reverse migration of workers, especially during the first wave but seen in the second one as well, also contributed to the reduction in disposable incomes of a large proportion of the population, reducing consumption.

While the economys slump can be reasonably explained through such tangible losses in income and employment, there is another part that is likely to pose a far greater challenge to recovery. And that pertains to the reduction in both business and consumer confidence, but especially the latter.

On the surface of it, consumer confidence appears to be a nebulous term. How does one measure confidence, and does it really affect consumption?

Consumer Confidence Surveys (CCS) conducted by the Reserve Bank of India capture households perceptions regarding the current situation compared to the previous year, as well as their future expectations for a year ahead, regarding five parameters. These parameters include the economic condition, employment scenario, general price levels, income and spending of the households. Covering more than 5,000 households from 13 cities, the CCS is a barometer of the consumer sentiments in the country. The resultant Consumer Confidence Index is a lead indicator, with values below 100 indicating consumers pessimistic attitudes towards future developments in the economy, resulting in a tendency to consume less, and vice-versa for values above 100.

The CCS for May 2021 conducted across 5,268 households in 13 cities presented an extremely dismal picture of consumer confidence. Thus, the Current Situation Index has dropped to 48.5the lowest in more than a decade. This index, however, has been in the negative not just following the pandemic, but from July 2019 itself. The index regarding Future Expectations (FEI) has also moved into pessimistic territory, with a value of 96.4, after remaining positive for nearly a year since May 2020.

Household sentiments regarding both the economic situation and employment in India have not only remained negative, it appears; they have in fact deteriorated compared to the previous year. Similarly, people feel they are worse off with regard to their spending compared to the previous year. While the current perception is bad, the future expectation is bleak. Households expect the general economic situation, employment scenario and their incomes over a one-year horizon to fall sharply. The proportion of people who feel that their one-year-ahead spending on both essentials and non-essential goods and services will go down has increased in May 2021, compared to May 2020.

The second set of lockdowns, while it may have helped in reducing the number of Covid cases, has affected consumer confidence and consequently recovery in a manner that has currently not been factored in. For human behaviour is a response to memories. It is memories of difficult times in the past that would shape our behaviour today. The 1990 US recession had to do with a contraction in private consumption, which in turn was due to a dip in consumer confidence in the nation in response to the American action against Iraq during the Gulf War. Such confidence dips were triggered by an expectation of oil price hikes of the sort experienced in 1975 during the Oil Crisis, leading to Volckerism. With expectations of a third wave following the second, Indians would be far more wary of spending, at least in the next few months.

Current policies seek to increase investment, since it has been found that such increases not only boost GDP but also spur private consumption. With private investment not forthcoming, a high public spending through an increased fiscal deficit seems to be one way out. However, while an increase in public investment may help put money in the hands of the people, as is being currently advocated, it does not necessarily mean people will spend. Policies to boost private consumption through increased consumer credit would have little impact where people are not confident about the future.

What would be required in this scenario is for multiple stakeholders to come together to brainstorm over confidence-boosting measures and implement them expeditiously. The Centre and states will need to work in tandem along with the private sector to ensure that people have confidence in both lives and livelihoods. Mere sloganeering will not do. Large corporates will need to work with SMEs to ensure that the latter do not face cash flow issues. With MSMEs being cost-conscious, this in itself will ensure employment guarantees organically. The prevailing climate of negativity needs to be reversed. It is only then that one can state, with confidence, that private consumption will revive.

Tulsi Jayakumar

Professor, Economics and Chairperson, Family Managed Business at Bhavans SPJIMR

(tulsi.jayakumar@spjimr.org)

(Views are personal)
When the arguably third-most powerful leader in the BJP walks in rather glumly for in-person meetings following summons from the top, it cannot but mean serious business. While the cumulative official toll of the pandemic in Uttar Pradesh is close to 17,000, the unofficial count of the undocumented - bodies dumped into the Ganga and the shallow mass graves spotted along the river's banks across the state - told a different horrific story of under-reporting and gross mismanagement. With the state polls due in about eight months, data doctoring was not entirely surprising. Though public memory is short, word-of-mouth information on the colossal loss of lives can be expected to linger since Covid is here to stay for at least a few years. If peoples perception changes, even the appointment of an election commissioner from UP can do little to alter the poll outcome. So, Narendra Modi summoned CM Yogi Adityanath to discuss course corrections.

UP cannot be won without changing the pandemic narrative, which is why the Centre appears to have set an ambitious target of vaccinating all the eligible population by December-end. But the state has an Everest to climb. For, as of June 11, its percentage of population with at least one dose of a vaccine was a paltry 12.7, the lowest in the country. Himachal Pradesh (38.8%) and Kerala (33.2%) were on top of that ladder, with the countrys average standing at 21.2%. Within UP, its urban areas have a decent one-dose coverage. Noida is doing remarkably well, having vaccinated around 60%. In contrast, interim Congress president Sonia Gandhis constituency Rae Bareli is inexplicably among the biggest laggards in India, with just around 7% taking a shot. Add to that vaccine hesitancy and the fact that 15% fewer women are taking the jab across India as compared to men, and the task of inoculating UP fully by this year-end is of Himalayan proportions.

The BJPs Mission UP has already begun with the induction of Congress leader Jitin Prasada. A state Cabinet revamp is on the cards. The other big task of course is to restart the economy to address growing poverty, job losses and rural economic distress. The sooner it is done, the better.
IVNP Prasad Babu By

Express News Service

ONGOLE: Though the State government has announced Rs15,000 as financial support for the last rites of Covid-19 victims, most of the bereaved families are not in a position to avail of the benefit as the hospitals are not issuing death certificates immediately. This is due to shortage of staff in Ongole-Government General Hospital (GGH-RIMS) birth and death registration wing.

The family members of the victims are facing problems in claiming insurance and other benefits as they are not receiving the death certificates of victims on time. After the issue came to their notice, the authorities said they will increase the staff strength in the GGH birth and death registration wing soon.According to official information, 861 people have lost their lives due to Covid across the district so far and the death certificates of many victims have not been issued yet.

The State government and the Centre have announced financial support to the children who lost their father/ mother or both due to Covid-19. But many children, who lost their parents, have not received their parents' death certificates and due to this, they are unable to get the financial support from the government. Some of the legal heirs of the victims are still making rounds to the hospitals to get death certificate, which is mandatory to claim insurance, Provident Fund and other benefits.

Nearly one month back, my father died due to Covid-19 and till date I have not received his death certificate from the hospital. Due to this, we are unable to get the insurance amount of my father. When contacted, the GGH authorities said that my father's name was not in the list of victims. We are planning to visit the GGH again to get the death certificate, said PSR Srinivasa Rao of Chirala.

When contacted, Ongole-GGH-RIMS Medical Superintendent Dr D Sree Ramulu said, In the GGH, we are issuing death certificates in 21-25 days and if anyone didn't receive their family member's death certificate, he can contact us at any time and we will give the certificate as early as possible.

Some of the Covid victims' family members are requesting us to mention the cause of death in the certificate. But there is no such column in the death certificate. If anybody specifically requests to mention the cause of death, we will make a separate note about it. We are short of staff in the hospital birth and death registration wing and very soon it will be resolved, Dr Sree Ramulu explained.

Black fungus cases rise to 123 in Prakasam

Black fungus cases in the district are on the rise. With a few more additions on Saturday, the number of cases admitted to GGH has increased to 79. The district has recorded a total number of 123 black fungus cases. Among them, 13 died and five patients were discharged after their recovery
By Express News Service

BENGALURU : With the number of black fungus deaths in the State on the rise, the opposition Congress and JDS have asked the government to wake up and procure the medicine, Liposomal Amphotericin B, immediately. They alleged that deaths were due to non-availability of this critical drug.

Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said, It is a serious issue, the government needs to get the requisite medicine immediately. It is four weeks now, I had warned the government about this well in advance. Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh blamed Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar. There is no stock of the medicine and manufacturing will take time.

The state authorities said they are waiting for supplies from the Central government, but it is four weeks since mucormycosis numbers have increased, and the government has not given sufficient vials of medicine to patients. Congress MLA Ranganath Doddaiah, a medical professional, has demanded that the government release facts about how many were diagnosed with mucormycosis, how many were treated, how many have died and other official details. He alleged that there is a serious lapse on the part of the government as medicines are not available in sufficient numbers.

Ranganath, who has taken on Sudhakar on this issue, demanded transparency. He said patients have died because of shortage of medicines, delay in diagnosis and lack of awareness. JDS deputy leader in the Assembly Bandeppa Kashempur said, Black fungus cases have increased and so have fatalities. It has been four weeks since this fatal fungal infection was discovered but the government has done very little to get the medicines. JDS state president H K Kumaraswamy said the government has to ensure the medicines are available.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday announced a compensation scheme aimed at helping poor families that have lost earning members to COVID-19.

As extension of the economic relief package announced in two parts so far by the Karnataka government, Rs 1 lakh will be given as compensation to BPL card holding families who have lost an adult earning member to COVID-19. The scheme will, however, be limited to one person per family.

ALSO READ: New Covid-19 cases in Karnataka drop to nearly 7,000, but mortality high

"The COVID-19 pandemic has killed earning members, pushing families into extreme financial distress. Keeping this in mind, BPL families that have lost an adult earning member to COVID-19 will be given Rs 1 lakh as compensation. It will be limited to one person per family," Yediyurappa said.

He added that the scheme is estimated to cost Rs 200-300 crores in addition to the already announced economic relief package worth Rs 1850 crores. "Given our financial situation, we have been able to announce this scheme and this tells us that our situation is better than most states during the pandemic. Nowhere in the country has such a scheme been announced," Yediyurappa added.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Acting on the petition filed by the woman in the CD case, the Karnataka High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi who is an accused in the case.

The woman alleged that the SIT, under the influence of the accused and to safeguard him, has been projecting her as an accused in a honey trap case registered by him at Sadashivanagar police station, by assassinating her character. This is only to circumvent the investigation of the complaint of rape filed by her much in advance against the accused before Cubbon Park police, she alleged.

She prayed to the court to quash the FIR and further proceedings initiated based on the complaint filed by him.

Hearing the petition filed by the woman, Justice S Sunil Dutt Yadav issued a notice to them and adjourned the hearing to June 21, 2021.

She alleged that during the preliminary enquiry, the accused had clearly denied being a part of the sex video in the CD and claimed that the video was fake and alleged to have been morphed using his photograph. He had also denied any acquaintance with her and did not made allegations against her. Avoiding an appearance before the SIT for more than two months, he suddenly claimed that the video is genuine and that he had consensual sexual intercourse with her. His statement is in total contravention to his earlier statement, she claimed.

She further alleged the accused made a statement before the SIT in March 2021 with a new story that the petitioner along with others conspired, honey-trapped and extorted money from him using a sex video and filed the complaint. It is only to circumvent the investigation into complaint of rape filed by her, she said. The investigation being carried out by the SIT in the case of the accused is being used as a legal platform to close the case registered by her much before him. This is abuse of the process of law and is liable to be quashed, she prayed to the court while referring to the statement of objections filed by the SIT before the trial court in relation to bail plea, in support of her claims.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An average four lakh units of blood is required in the state every year and only 70 per cent of this is met through voluntary donations, said Health Minister Veena George. In a message, the minister called for increasing the number of voluntary donors to save lives.

The minister will inaugurate the state-level observance of the World Blood Donor Day at 3 pm on June 14. The programme aims to create awareness on the necessities of blood donation and to honor voluntary donors.

Those aged between 18 and 65 with at least 45 kg weight, and sound in physical and mental health can donate blood every three months. There are benefits to the donors too, she said.
George Poikayil By

Express News Service

KASARAGOD: Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Chandragiri: Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Economics, Zoology, Botany, Hindi.

If you thought these are the subjects taught in classes 11 and 12 in these schools, you are wrong. These are in fact, the subjects for which the government school in Chandragiri does not have teachers -- that is almost all science subjects.

GHSS in Iriyanni does not have teachers for English, Hindi, Maths, Chemistry, Politics, and Zoology in Classes 11 and 12.

GHSS in Cherkala does not have teachers for Computer Science, Politics, Zoology, Hindi, and Malayalam.

GHSS in Thalangara does not have teachers for Chemistry, Geography, Economics, Zoology, and Malayalam.

So goes the list. Sixteen higher secondary schools in Kasaragod educational sub-district do not have teachers for 55 subjects. That is the story of just one sub-district in the district.

With the state government sitting on the appointments of teachers in schools, the Department of Education has come up with a quick-fix solution of asking teachers of other schools to give online classes for students without teachers. The department calls it a 'working arrangement'.

But a section of higher secondary school teachers is not amused. "It is not that we are hesitant to teach. But the government's working arrangement plan is hogwash to give an impression that it is taking care of all students but few students will benefit," said Jiji Thomas, state vice-president of Aided Higher Secondary School Teachers' Association (AHSSTA), which is affiliated to the Congress.

Several teachers said many schools do not have enough teachers because the government hasn't recruited teachers for the past two years.

Around 200 teaching posts in 115 higher secondary schools in Kasaragod district are lying vacant, said Abhiram C P, district president of government Higher Secondary School Teachers Association (HSSTA).

Of them, the government has given appointment letters and advice memos to around 75 candidates but are not being recruited over "technical reasons".

After online classes spectacularly failed in the last academic year, the Director of General Education Jeevan Babu K issued a circular asking all higher secondary school teachers to conduct online classes for their students in addition to the classes on Victers TV channel.

The classes for Class 12 started on June 1. But the same day, the evaluation of answer papers of Class 12 students of the previous academic year started. Then the government set the dates for practical exams for Class 12 students from June 21 to July 7. "That means, teachers will be free only on July 8," said Abhiram.

Yet, many teachers -- after correcting papers during the daytime -- are giving online classes from 7 pm to 10 pm. "In my class, there are 61 students but only 35 attend my online class," said Abhiram.

Students across the district face internet network issues. "And by night, many students exhaust their internet daily data," said Thomas.

Recently, the Kannur-based Regional Deputy Director, who heads higher secondary education in the region, 'suggested' that teachers should give classes for students of schools without teachers.

But Thomas said the Director of Higher Education Jeevan Babu asked teachers to give online classes so that students would get personal attention. "This working arrangement will make the class crowded and teachers will not be able to follow up with students individually, offline," he said.

Following up with students offline is crucial because many students do not have access to seamless internet.

Abhiram said the shortage of teachers was artificially created by the government. "My school does not have a computer science teacher. A recruit is waiting outside with appointment order but the government is not allowing them to join," he said.

Another teacher said Google Meet can have only up to 100 participants. Clubbing two schools will increase the number of students beyond 100, for which a paid version of Google Meet will be required. "I don't think schools have funds to buy the paid version," he said.

Practical and Class 11 exams

The government has also got the exam fixture for students of Class 11 wrong, said teachers. The exam for class 11 is scheduled in September, but the students have started attending classes for Class 12 on KITE-Victers TV.

"From June to August they will be learning only the syllabus in Class 12. In the fourth month, they will be asked about Class 11," said Abhiram.

If schools have regular teachers, they could at least conduct revision classes, he said. Meanwhile, teachers feared practical exams could become a covid spreading event.

Abhiram said his school has only three mouth pipettes in the chemistry lab. "One batch will have 15 students for practical exams. They will have to share the mouth pipettes which is not advisable now," he said. Similarly, computers will also have to be shared by students. What is worse is students were not even given lab training in the last academic year.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The appeal filed by Sister Lucy Kalapura against her dismissal from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) was rejected and the dismissal has been confirmed by Apostolica Signatura, the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church, claimed the FCC in a letter written to superiors and nuns of the congregation.

At last, in the fullness of time accordingly to the plan of Holy Trinitythe Almighty God untied the knot of our heartbreaking issue concerning Lucy Kalapura. The appeal of Lucy Kalapura is rejected by Apostolica Signatura and the dismissal is confirmed. Let us raise our hearts praising the Almighty for his unspeakable gift, said Sr Ann Joseph, Superior General of Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) in the letter issued on Sunday.

The dismissal of Sr Lucy followed several warning letters by the Congregation accusing her of disobedience and breaking the vow of poverty amongst other wrong-doings, including publishing her book Snehamazhayil, taking part in TV channel discussions, registering a car in her own name, availing a loan without seeking permission and publishing her articles in non-Christian weeklies and dailies. She was also accused of learning to drive and getting a licence without the permission of her Superior General.

According to the Supreme Tribunal of Signatura Apostolica, through the decree issued by the Superior General on May 11,2019, Sr Lucy Kalapura was dismissed due to grave violation of the vow of obedience together with the vow of poverty.

Sources said the Congregation of Oriental Churches on July 9, 2019 confirmed the decree. Meanwhile, on November 5, 2019, Sr Lucy Kalapura approached the Supreme Tribunal against the decision. On February 12, 2020, the Supreme Tribunal rejected the recourse by Sr Kalapura after examinations. Again, another appeal was filed in March last year, which was examined by the Supreme Tribunal on May 18, 2021. The Supreme Tribunal again rejected the appeal on May 27 this year.

Following the rejection of the appeal by the Vatican, the Superior General of FCC has written a letter to Sr Kalapura on Sunday ordering her to vacate the FC convent Karakkamala, Mananthavady.

In the letter, Sr Ann stated that there was no further legal remedy available to challenge her dismissal within the Catholic legal system. You have availed all the three levels of appeals possible within the Catholic legal system and in all these levels your recourse against the decree of dismissal are rejected. I would like to bring to your attention the fact that your right to continue as a member of the FCC is now definitely and irrevocably extinguished. You no longer have the right and duty to wear the religious habit of the FCC hereafter, said Sr Ann.

The letter also mentioned that Sr Kalapura, who doesnt fall under the guest and workers list at the Congregation, has been ordered to vacate the convent within one week of the receipt of the letter. Any further continuation beyond the permitted time will be considered as criminal house trespass. Sr Ann also made it clear that FCC will seek legal recourse, if she decides to stay on at the convent.

The letter also stated that since she was dismissed, she cannot claim or receive any benefits or money for the work done during the membership at the Congregation. She would only be entitled to receive the amount handed over to FCC as patrimonium at the time of joining the Congregation, the letter stated.

Sister Lucy says her petition still pending with Vatican

Meanwhile, Sister Lucy Kalapura rejected the statements of the FCC Congregation and claimed that her petition was still pending before the Vatican. She said that she suspects the documents they sent were fabricated and claimed that fake news was being circulated. "It is a clear denial of justice and truth. It is all part of a conspiracy by FCC superiors. I will not vacate the convent until my side of the truth is heard, said Sr Lucy.
By Express News Service

ANGUL: Restriction on public transport due to the Covid second wave lockdown has thrown lives of private bus owners and employees out of gear in Angul. More than 1,000 employees along with over 300 private bus owners in the district are bearing the brunt of the lockdown for the second consecutive year. They have appealed to the government to bail them out of the crisis by providing financial help and waiving taxes.

Last year in March, most of them went out of work when the nation-wide lockdown was announced after the Covid-19 outbreak. Private bus staff usually earn between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 but now, they are in a state of penury. Expressing distress, Rabi Behera, a bus staff, said, Our condition has become so precarious that we feel there is no way to sustain our families if alternate arrangements are not made. Not one bus is plying and I am unable to fend for basic needs of my family. I cannot even pay tuition fees of my children. Behera also appealed for financial support from the government.

As per reports, while some of the bus employees have resorted to vending vegetables for a living, many are sustaining by borrowing money as they are still hopeful that the situation will become normal in a few days. Distressed bus owners are bearing double losses as without earning anything they have to take care of staff and maintenance of the vehicles.

President of the private bus owners association in Angul, Manas Samal said, This is the second time we are facing lockdown within 15 months and the misery piled up just as were coping with the loss of the previous year. Recovering from such a crisis seems difficult. All our staff are sitting idle. We appeal to the government to waive tax and provide insurance cover to us. Since the lockdown on May 5, no bus has been plying from Angul from where over 300 buses go to various destinations across the State including Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Keonjhar and Rourkela.
By Express News Service

PARADIP: A nine-year-old boy has been left to stay with his COVID-infected teenage sister in a one-room house at Nayabazaar in Paradip after both their parents tested positive. The parents are admitted to the COVID care centre in Paradip.

With no one to take care of the children after neighbours shunned them in fear of the virus, both the hapless kids are awaiting help. Even the administration is yet to provide any support. The 39-year-old father of the kids hails from Deulia village under West Bengal's Midnapore district and runs a motor garage at Baliplot in Atharbanki.

He tested positive and was admitted to the COVID care centre on June 10. Later, his wife and their 13-year-old daughter also tested positive. Two days back, the mother was also admitted to the same Covid care centre leaving the two children in their one-room rented house.

Sources said that as Odisha-West Bengal border has been sealed to check the spread of COVID-19, relatives of the family are unable to reach Paradip. The parents had requested their neighbours to look after the kids but they refused in fear of contracting the infection. Now a tuition teacher is providing food to the children.

Local residents said though there are several initiatives to support such children, no one from the administration has come forward to help the two kids. Contacted, executive officer of Paradip Municipality Sourindra Routray expressed his helplessness in the matter. "We do not know how to help them. The administration will take a call on such cases," he added.

District child protection officer Kanhu Charan Rout said there is provision to keep uninfected children in isolation when parents test positive. "We were not aware of this particular case. After taking consent of the parents, steps will be taken to isolate the boy in a safe place and provide care to the infected girl," he added.

Sources said there have been many instances of children being left to fend for themselves after their parents were infected and admitted to COVID hospitals in the district. However, the administration has not come to the rescue of such kids so far.
By Express News Service

PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister of Puducherry N Rangasamy on Monday exhorted people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 without delay as it is the most effective protection against the virus.

Delivering his address after inaugurating the COVID facility with 138 oxygen beds and PSA oxygen generator plant at the Government Hospital for Chest Diseases (GHCD), Gorimedu, on Monday, Rangasamy cited his own example to drive home the message on the need for vaccination. He said that despite advice from the medical fraternity, he was dilly-dallying in taking the shots and got infected by COVID-19 soon after assuming charge as Chief Minister and had to be hospitalised.

"I failed to take just two injections, but had to take several injections in the hospital," he said. The Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was impressing upon states to vaccinate all its people and was also providing the vaccines. The Chief Minister said that fresh COVID cases were declining as people were wearing masks after realising the importance of it.

The Chief Minister also felicitated the 16 organisations that sponsored and donated for the establishment of a new COVID ward and said the government alone cannot meet the requirements of the health sector. He said that their assistance would help in providing good healthcare.

Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, who spoke virtually from Telangana, appreciated the 16 organisations that had come forward to provide the facilities at the chest hospital.

She also emphasised the need for vaccination and pointed out that it has been found that 95 per cent of COVID patients treated in the ICU were those who had not been vaccinated.

The hospital also received two liquid oxygen units and 13 oxygen concentrators.

Dr T Arun, Secretary to Government (Health), A Vikranthraja, Secretary PWD, Dr S Mohankumar, Director, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services, Dr S Govindarajan, Medical Superintendent and State TB Control Officer, Sathyamoorthy, Chief Engineer, Public Works Department and other officials and staff were present.
T Muruganandham By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: On a day of key developments, Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami strengthened his position in the AIADMK further. Palaniswamis hand was visible in the appointment of office-bearers for the AIADMK legislature party on Monday. Also, all MLAs rallied against VK Sasikala, who has been speaking candidly about her wish to return and 'reconstruct' the party.

AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam who was reportedly bargaining hard to make one of his supporters the party whip in the Assembly could not do so. Further, against the general expectations, Panneerselvam agreed to become the deputy leader of the AIADMK legislature party. Palaniswami succeeded in making his supporter, SP Velumani, the party whip.

Asserting his position further, Palaniswami convinced all MLAs to send out a strong message to the AIADMK's rank and file that the party would not tolerate anyone who is in contact with Sasikala. The party also expelled 15 office-bearers including a former minister who interacted with her recently.

ALSO READ: Yet another Sasikala audio released days ahead of AIADMK's legislature party meeting

Prior to the legislature party meeting, Palaniswami and Panneerselvam went into a huddle with senior functionaries of the party on the ground floor of the AIADMK headquarters for about one hour. Later, the meeting of the MLAs took place.

A strongly-worded resolution against Sasikala and her family, proposed jointly by Panneerselvam and Palaniswami, was seconded by all MLAs and adopted unanimously.

The resolution charged that Sasikala, who had declared that she would keep away from politics just ahead of the Assembly elections, is now "staging a strange drama by releasing the audio recordings of her interactions with a few." After seeing the people's support to the AIADMK in the Assembly elections, Sasikala is trying to gain political importance and has been attempting to usurp the party. "The AIADMK will continue to be a people's movement. It will not ruin itself for the sake of the wishes of a single family," the resolution asserted.

The resolution urged the party to take disciplinary action against all those who had brought disrepute to the party by interacting with Sasikala and accordingly, Panneerselvam and Panneerselvam expelled 15 functionaries who spoke to her.

Meanwhile, a few hours after the AIADMK expelled 15 of its functionaries, Sasikala spoke to another AIADMK functionary from Madurai, Kubendran, over telephone. In the interaction, Sasikala said, We have seen many such developments in the party during 1989 and finally won. Similarly, we will win. Dont worry. I will be with the party cadre and they are with me.

Political commentator Tharasu Shyam told The New Indian Express, Todays developments indicate that Panneerselvam has compromised himself for certain things again. On the other hand, Palaniswami has established his supremacy in the party. In the legislature party appointments too, Palaniswami has an upper hand.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday handed out a stern warning to the people of the State that the relaxations announced by the government would be withdrawn anytime if lockdown norms are violated. He also said TASMAC shops have been opened to avoid illicit liquor playing havoc in the State.

In his televised address to the people, the Chief Minister warned: "If the lockdown restrictions are violated, the relaxations will be withdrawn at any time. People should understand that those who violate the lockdown norms are indeed doing harm to the country. I wish we, the people, should become self-disciplined without the surveillance of the police department. I hope the people will definitely fulfil my wish."

The Chief Minister further said: "You (the people) should conduct yourselves in a way that would lead to end the lockdown. If public transport has to be resumed, people's cooperation is a must. If schools and colleges are to be opened soon, your support is a must. Let us prove that people's power is supreme and that the people of Tamil Nadu have that power."

Justifying his government's decision to open TASMAC shops in 27 districts where the Corona infection is receding, Chief Minister said, "Amidst many criticisms, TASMAC shops are opened to avoid spurious liquor playing havoc in the State. The TASMAC shops will function by adhering to the standard operating procedures completely."

Stalin explained that his government was keen on its two-fold objective - eliminating Corona infection while seeing to it that the people do not suffer due to the efforts taken for realising these objectives. So, using the concessions, the people should not loiter around unnecessarily.

"I said the infection is under control. But that does not mean the infection has been eliminated. So, the people should be extremely careful and should cooperate with the steps taken by the government, the Chief Minister added.
By PTI

CHENNAI: Over 5,000 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) has been delivered to Tamil Nadu through Oxygen Express trains since last month, the Southern Railway said on Monday.

Tamil Nadu received the first oxygen supply through an express train on May 14 here from Durgapur in West Bengal.

"As on date, Southern Railway has delivered a total of 5,052.98 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen for Tamil Nadu through oxygen express trains," a press release said.

The latest oxygen express train from Maharashtra reached the state on Sunday evening, the release said.

Southern Railway said the inland container depot in Tondiarpet handled the maximum number of such express trains with 30 trains delivering 2,169.96 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen, while the remaining was shared by Tondiarpet Goods Yard, Tiruchirappalli Goods Yard, Tiruvallur and Vadipatti (Madurai), Madukkarai (near Coimbatore).

As for further oxygen express trains, Southern Railway said one train from Chhattisgarh and another from Odisha were on transit.
Deepak Sathish By

Express News Service

COIMBATORE: The last year and a half has been challenging and gruelling for people across all professions, more so for doctors and health workers. Courtesy Covid, PPE kits and round-the-clock shifts have become the norm for medical staff. For N Arun Prasad too, a 27-year-old doctor posted in the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in the remote Thengumarahada village, life took a different turn as he had to give up visiting home.

Scenic village

Thengumarahada is situated on the banks of the Moyar river in the Kothagiri on the northern slopes of The Nilgiris, and coracles are the only transport people here have. Their pleas for a bridge to connect with the main land remain unanswered till date.

The PHC caters to people in four tribal settlements Kallampalayam, Hallimoyar, Chithirampatti and Puthukadu and is managed Arun Prasad. A native of Coimbatore, Arun used to travel to his home every two weeks until the second wave unleashed its wrath. Since April, he has been staying in Thengumarahada forgoing his weekly offs.

Groundwork

Initially, it appeared like seasonal fever among the tribals. Later, many people exhibited similar symptoms. Following this, we collected samples from them and the result showed that many of the villagers had contracted Covid, Arun said. Currently, there are 13 active cases in the village. However, the doctor said that getting on with the groundwork early has borne fruit as they could diagnose tribals exhibiting symptoms. Birudhayaraj, former village panchayat president said, Doctor Arun conducts door-to-door fever screening and convinces the villagers to get the Covid jab by citing its benefits.

Persistent effort

During the first wave, Arun had worked for nearly six months straight without a days break to keep the infection at bay. He said that he kept his family members updated about his wellbeing by contacting them over the phone and added, Due to poor mobile network in the village, I could not video call my family.

Moreover, Arun acknowledged the support of Collector J Innocent Divya, Deputy Director of Health Services P Balusamy, and health department members as the reason behind his continued efforts. After over two and half months, Doctor Arun took a day off from work on Saturday, said sources.

ALSO WATCH | COVID-19: 719 doctors died in second wave across India, Bihar records highest deaths
By Express News Service

WARANGAL: Maoist top gun Kathi Mohan Rao, alias Pakahanna alias Dhamadada, died of heart attack in Dandakaranyam on June 10, party spokesperson Jagan informed the media, on Sunday.

In a statement released to the media, Jagan said that Mohan Raos funeral was held in Dandakaranya forest area on Thursday itself, following which they organised a memorial service for him on June 11.

Mohan Rao was born into a middle-class family in Garla village of Bayyaram mandal in Mahabubabad district.

After completing his post-graduation from KU, Mohan Rao joined the revolutionary movement in 1982 by becoming a member of the Radical Students Union (RSU). He worked for the oppressed people for over 39 years.
Harpreet Bajwa By

PUNJAB: In the last five years, this 36-year-old IAS officer has learned some course correction in his life: working for a living is good, but not good enough in its entirety; there are other jobs that fetch you satisfaction, much more than money can buy. Currently posted as Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar, Ghanshyam Thori, the officer occasionally sets out looking for things close to his heart  right now its about an oxygen concentrator bank and online vaccination.

Elsewhere during his posting as Municipal Commissioner of Ludhiana, he rid the city walls of defacement and saved empty spaces from littering. His Graffiti Project comprised art paintings on general and social awareness issues so that the industrial city is a little more dutiful. There have been several such small things that have come to set Thori apart.

The 2010 batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre will complete one year on June 15 as the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar. All these months have been defined by Covid and characterised by our response to the pandemic. The officer started the first oxygen concentrator bank in the state in the district and brought all the private hospitals on board for Covid treatment.

We started the oxygen bank with 50 concentrators. Now we have more than 100 of them which we give to home-isolation patients after they are discharged from hospitals, says Thori. The service was initially meant for the people of Jalandhar. It has now been extended to patients in the neighbouring districts of Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar and Moga.

We have given another 50 of these concentrators to Civil Hospital of Jalandhar which are being used in the post-Covid recovery ward, he says. Private hospitals were not treating Covid patients initially because of high fees. Patients would go to medical colleges or government hospitals at other places besides Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) at Jalandhar. Thori then persuaded private hospitals to contribute to the social cause. There are now 60 hospitals in the district treating Covid patients as the government has capped the rates, he said.

On the vaccination front, Jalandhar is the first district in the state to bring out an innovative scheme Hello Jalandhar Lets Get Vaccinated!. It books your vaccination appointment online at citywoofer.com. We have got 3,000 people vaccinated in the 18-plus age group and they have paid only `500 per dose. As we have three vaccination centres in three colleges and one has to select where one wants to get vaccinated, so we get to know in advance where it will be crowded, says Thori.

The officer believes that the poor get the benefits from the government and the rich can pay for what they want, it is the lower middle class that gets sandwiched. This section wants to pay a nominal sum and gets the services with respect but is unable to, as no government policy is specifically meant for them. At present, only charitable institutions are filling this gap. The government should pitch in as well, he says.

The officers tryst with greater service of society began in 2016 when he was posted as Municipal Commissioner of Ludhiana. To check defacement and littering near government buildings, he launched Graffiti Project. This was launched on the Public Private Partnership model. We allowed firms to keep the branding rights and followed the best global practises in Europe and other parts of the world. Thus all government buildings and water tanks were covered, he said.

In both Barnala and Sangrur, he replicated the graffiti painting model. Then he was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda and from there as DC of Barnala in 2017 where he started Sanjhi Rasoi, a subsidized meal scheme that was mandated by the state government. Officers were told to get one such Rasoi per district. In Barnala, he set up five such Rasois. When he was transferred as Deputy Commissioner of neighbouring Sangrur in 2018, he opened nine more such Rasois at the sub-division level.

It was a good concept and we started nine such kitchens which cooked and serve 1,300 meals per day. Each meal cost us Rs 17, but we sold it for Rs 10. The rest of the money we collected by way of donations through a registered society, Pehal. The donors were offered tax exemption under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund, he says.

To save the lives of newborns disowned by their parents, Panghura (cradle) was started by Thori in Barnala when he was posted as the Deputy Commissioner of that district. Another initiative he took as the collector of Sangrur was to make vision charts displayed in eye clinics and hospitals to check sight. He got these made for 1,070 government schools in the district and told the teachers to check the vision of the students.

Each chart cost us Rs 40 and was distributed in all the schools. Teachers were directed to check the eyesight of children. In the initial screening, around 6,000 students with weak eyesight were detected but after final analysis, 4,200 students were zeroed in and their specs were distributed free of cost, he says.


By AFP

MONTREAL: Leaders of NATO countries should forge a stronger common policy toward an increasingly dominant China, the alliance's secretary-general said Sunday on the eve of a NATO summit in Brussels.

In an interview with Canadian public network CBC, Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that China has the second-largest defense budget in the world, the biggest navy, and is investing massively in new military materiel, which "affects our security."

"China does not share our values. We see that in the way they crackdown on democratic protests in Hong Kong, how they oppress minorities like the Uyghurs" in western China, as well as how they use modern technology to monitor their population "in a way we have never seen before," Stoltenberg said.

"So all of this makes it important for NATO to develop a policy, to strengthen our policy, when it comes to China."

ALSO READ | Ready to talk China, Russia and soothe allies: US President Joe Biden at NATO

His remarks came as the just-ended G7 summit in Britain took a stronger collective stance toward China than ever before, calling on Beijing to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms" and allow free navigation in the South China Sea.

Stoltenberg, in his interview, acknowledged that it was important for other countries to deal with China on common problems like climate change and arms control.

But he denounced Beijing's continued detention of two Canadian nationals, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on espionage charges as "absolutely unacceptable."

Ottawa has called the men's detention "arbitrary," viewing it as reprisal for Canada's arrest, at US request, of an executive of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

ALSO READ | China hits back at G7 summit; says days of 'small' group of countries dictating global decisions are long gone

"When a country does something they don't like, they react in aggressive ways," Stoltenberg said of China.

The secretary-general acknowledged that there had been some "challenging discussions" among NATO allies during the Trump administration. But he said the alliance remained "extremely robust and strong."

Trump often complained that other NATO members were not paying their fair share of the common defense load and even reportedly spoke of leaving the alliance.

But now, Stoltenberg said, "we have a US president, President Biden, who is strongly committed to NATO, to European security, and is ready to invest more in NATO."
By PTI

LONDON: China's Embassy in the UK reacted sharply Monday to the Group of Seven's post-summit statement that called out China's nonmarket policies and human rights abuses.

The embassy challenged the leaders of the world's largest industrial nations for distorted remarks that slandered China and arbitrarily interfered in China's internal affairs.''

This serious violation of the basic norms of international relations exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries, such as the United States,'' an unnamed embassy spokesperson said in the statement.

We are strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this.

The G-7 leaders agreed to call on Beijing to respect human rights in Xinjiang, the remote western region where Chinese authorities are accused of committing serious rights abuses against the Uyghur minority, and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

The statement came after a push by U.S. President Joe Biden, who wanted to persuade fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front in its relations with Beijing.
By AFP

ROME: A top official in the European Medicines Agency said it might be worth abandoning AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine for all age groups where alternatives are available, in an interview published Sunday.

Marco Cavaleri, the EMA's head of vaccine strategy, also told Italy's La Stampa newspaper that the Johnson & Johnson jab should be preferentially used for the over 60s.

Both so-called viral vector vaccines are authorised for everyone over 18 but have been dogged by reports of rare blood clots. The EU has also authorised two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

Italy on Saturday restricted AstraZeneca vaccines to people aged 60 and over following concerns about the heightened health risks for younger people.

Asked if it would not be better to ban AstraZeneca including for the over 60s, Cavaleri said: "Yes, and it is an option that many countries, such as France and Germany, are considering in the light of the increased availability of mRNA vaccines.

"However, incidents were very rare and after the first dose. It is true that there is less data on the second dose, but in the United Kingdom it (the vaccination programme) is going well."

He added: "Among young people the risks of illness decrease, and the message for them could be to use preferentially the mRNA vaccines, but the choice is left to individual states."

He noted the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine has "fewer problems than AstraZeneca" while noting it had been less widely used.

"With one dose it is useful for some categories that are difficult to reach, but it remains an adenovirus (vaccine) and it is preferable to reserve it for the over 60s," he said.

In a brief statement on Twitter later, the EMA said: "Misinformation is making the rounds today.

"This is the situation: Benefit/risk balance of AstraZeneca #COVID19 vaccine is positive and it remains authorised for all populations."

Messenger RNA genetic technology trains the body to reproduce spike proteins, similar to that found on the coronavirus. When exposed to the real virus later, the body recognises the spike proteins and is able to fight them off.

Viral vector vaccines like AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson use genetically-engineered version of a common-cold causing adenovirus as a "vector" to shuttle genetic instructions into human cells.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: At least four paramilitary soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack on Monday in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province.

Terrorists, using an improvised explosive device, targeted the Frontier Corps (FC) troops, who were employed for the security of Marget Mines near provincial capital Quetta.

Four soldiers including a junior commissioned officer of FC Balochistan were killed, according to a statement by the army.

A large-scale area sanitisation operation by FC, Balochistan to hunt the terrorists is underway, the army said.

Such cowardly acts backed by the 'inimical elements' cannot sabotage the hard earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan and the security forces were determined to neutralise their nefarious designs, it said.

Nobody took the responsibility of the attack but Baloch nationalists fighting the security forces have often carried out such attacks in the past.
By Associated Press

BRUSSELS: French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he wants to move forward with Turkey toward a demanding and respectful relationship, after meeting with the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Both men talked Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.

It was their first meeting since the dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October after Erdogan questioned Macron's mental health.

Macron said he wants all NATO allies to make a clear commitment to the military organization's values, principles and rules, according to the French presidency.

Both men discussed Libya and Syria issues, the Elysee said.

Macron has notably accused Turkey of flouting its commitments by ramping up its military presence in Libya and bringing in jihadi fighters from Syria.

Macron also highlighted that France's secularism respects all religions, including Islam.

The French presidency said a clarification was needed in response to Erdogan's tough criticism of Macron's attitude toward Islam and Muslims, as the French government proposed a law to fight Islamist radicals.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The Indian-origin husband of a former Amazon employee has been sentenced to 26 months in prison by a US court for securities fraud and illegally making a profit of USD 1.4 million by using inside trading information from his wife.

Viky Bohra, 37, from Bothell, Washington state, pleaded guilty in November 2020, admitting that between 2016 and 2018, he used Amazon inside information he obtained from his wife, an Amazon finance employee, to place trades in Amazon stock-making a profit of USD 1.4 million, acting US Attorney Tessa M Gorman said.

Bohra was sentenced on June 10 in US District Court in Seattle to 26 months in prison for securities fraud due to his insider trading activity, the US Department of Justice said in a press release.

At the sentencing hearing, US District Judge James L Robart noted that Bohra had turned his wife and father into criminals and added "I firmly believe white collar crime deserves equal treatment to what we call street crime."

"This defendant and his wife were earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary and bonuses from their jobs in tech, but he was not content with that, greedily scheming to illegally profit by trading Amazon stock," said US Attorney Tessa M Gorman.

"This case should stand as a warning to those who try to game the markets with insider trading: there is a heavy price to pay with a felony conviction and prison sentence."

According to records filed in the case, Bohra's wife had access to confidential information regarding Amazon revenue and expenses.

Because of that work, Bohra and his wife were subject to blackout periods during which no Amazon stock could be traded.

Bohra's wife was advised of insider trading policies making it clear the responsibility to safeguard confidential financial information.

Despite those warnings, Bohra obtained his wife's confidential information and traded in Amazon stock and options in accounts tied to him and his father.

Trades occurred during blackout periods and, from 2016 to 2018, relied in part on information from his wife to make successful trades in advance of Amazon earnings announcements.

"Bohra knew exactly what he was doing and was driven solely by greed," said Donald M Voiret, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Office.

"With his nearly unlimited access and knowledge of securities trading, he undermined public trust in our financial markets."

In asking for a 33-month sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, "over two and a half years, Bohra, using information provided by his wife, made over USD 1.4 million by making illegal stock and options trades."

Bohra's conduct was not an isolated incident, limited to trading before one Amazon earning's statement.

Rather, Bohra engaged in illegal insider trading in advance of 11 straight earnings announcements.

On September 28, 2020, Bohra was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a civil insider trading case.

He and his family members have paid USD 2,652,899 in disgorgement, interest and penalties.

Based upon these payments, the United States is not seeking forfeiture in this case, the press release said.

As part of the plea agreement, Bohra's wife will not face criminal charges.

Bohra's wife is no longer employed at Amazon, it said.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), it added.
By Associated Press

NAIROBI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Kenya's top ministers on Monday discussed building a comprehensive partnership between the two countries at the Ministerial Roundtable here.

The Ministerial Roundtable, chaired by Kenyan Foreign Minister Raychelle Omamo, reviewed all aspects of the bilateral relationship.

The meeting was attended by Kenya's Defence Minister Monica Juma, Trade and Industry Minister Betty C Maina, Information and Communication Technology Minister Joe Mucheru EGH, Energy Minister Charles Keter, Asst Treasury Minister Nelson Gaichuhie, Assistant Health Minister Rashid Abdi Aman and Interior Secretary Eng Karanja Kibicho.

After the meeting, Jaishankar in a tweet thanked the senior ministers for their valuable contributions and appreciated the "ideas, enthusiasm and commitment" of all the participants.

"Discussed building a comprehensive partnership at the Ministerial Roundtable today. Thank FM Raychelle Omamo for chairing," he tweeted.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Kenya on Saturday on a three-day visit to strengthen India's relations with the major East African country, earlier interacted with Indian business representatives here.

On Sunday, he held a "productive" online interaction with a cross section of Indian diaspora in Kenya.

The meeting was moderated by the High Commissioner of India to Kenya, Dr Virander Paul.

Kenya has a vibrant community of persons of Indian origin presently numbered around 80,000, including an estimated 20,000 Indian citizens.

India and Kenya are currently serving in the United Nation Security Council.

They are also members of the Commonwealth.

Kenya is an active member of the African Union, with which India has longstanding ties.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the Karachi administration to stop the demolition of a Hindu dharamshala and leasing out the heritage property located in the heart of the city.

A three-judge bench  led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed  issued the order on Friday while hearing a case regarding the implementation of a 2014 judgment on minorities' rights.

During the hearing, Dr Ramesh Kumar  a co-opted member of a one-man commission on minorities  stated that the property at Saddar Town-I in Karachi  measuring about 716 square yards was a dharamshala, The Express Tribune reported on Sunday.

Kumar also placed before the court photographs of the building.

He said the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) leased out the property to some private person, who was demolishing the dharamshala to construct a commercial plaza.

Kumar said the ETPB chairman contended that the Sindh High Court (SHC) has allowed the ETPB to lease the place out, have it demolished and raise a new building there.

The Supreme Court bench, however, said such an order of the SHC was not before it.

"The very photograph apparently shows that the building is of dharamshala constructed in the year 1932, which can be read from the marble slab affixed on the building and must be a protected heritage building, the apex court said.

The court issued notice to Sindh's secretary of heritage, asking him to file a report regarding the building.

In the meantime, no demolition activity of the said building shall be conducted by anyone, and possession of the building and the land shall be taken over by the Commissioner Karachi, who shall manage the same and not allow any person to enter it.

"No demolished material shall be allowed to be removed. This [should] be done by the Commissioner Karachi today and [a] report, in this respect, be submitted to the Office of the Supreme Court," the report quoted the court's order.

The order noted that the one-man commission has also filed an application with the request that it may be allocated more funds as earlier funds of Rs 7 million (70 lakh) allocated to it have already been spent and some liabilities have also accrued.

The apex issued a notice to the Ministry of Religious Affair and the Attorney General for Pakistan on this application, the report said.

"In the meanwhile, the amount of Rs. 14.994 million be disbursed to the commission. For allocation of a new budget, let a proper response be filed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony. [The] one-man commission shall ensure to maintain proper accounts for the money disbursed to it and spent by it for the purpose of implementation of the commission," said the order.

The ETPB is a key government department that administers evacuee properties, including educational, charitable or religious trusts left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India after the partition.
By Associated Press

BRUSSELS: President Joe Biden makes his entrance at a NATO summit aiming to consult European allies on efforts to counter provocative actions by China and Russia while highlighting the US commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump.

The summit Monday comes as Biden tries to rally allies for greater coordination in checking China and Russia, two adversaries whose actions on economic and national security fronts have become the chief foreign policy concerns in the early going of the Biden presidency.

Biden will use his time at the summit to underscore the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on one member is an attack on all and is to be met with a collective response.

"I will make it clear that the United States' commitment to our NATO alliance and Article 5 is rock solid," Biden told US troops in the United Kingdom last week on the first stop of his eight-day European trip.

"It's a sacred obligation."

The White House said the communique to be signed by alliance members at the end of the NATO summit is expected to include language about updating Article 5 to include major cyber attacks, a matter of growing concern amid a series of hacks targeting the US government and businesses around the globe by Russia-based hackers.

ALSO READ | NATO leaders to bid symbolic adieu to Afghanistan at summit

The update will spell out that if an alliance member needs technical or intelligence support in response to a cyberattack, it would be able to invoke the mutual defense provision to receive assistance, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

The president will begin his day meeting with leaders of the Baltic states on NATO's eastern flank regarding the "threat posed by Russia," China, and the recent air piracy in Belarus, according to Sullivan.

He'll also meet with NATO secretary Jens Stoltenberg.

Biden's itinerary in Europe has been shaped so that he would first gather with Group of Seven leaders for a three-day summit on the craggy shores of Cornwall and then with NATO allies in Brussels before his much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

At the G-7, leaders sought to convey that the club of wealthy democracies  Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States  is a better friend to poorer nations than authoritarian rivals such as China and Russia.

The G-7 meeting ended with a communique that called out forced labour practices and other human rights violations impacting Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province.

The president declined to discuss private summit negotiations over the provision, but said he was "satisfied" with the communique, although differences remain among the allies about how forcefully to call out Beijing.

Biden is focused on building a more cohesive bond between America and allies who had become wary of US leadership after enduring four years of Trump's name-calling and frequent invectives about the relevance of multilateral alliances like NATO.

The last administration was at odds with some leading NATO members, including Britain, Germany and France, over Trump's 2018 decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement that was brokered during the Obama administration.

The accord limited Iran's uranium enrichment programme in exchange for an easing of sanctions.

Trump and other critics felt the deal gave Tehran too many economic benefits without doing enough to prevent Iran from eventually developing a nuclear weapon.

The Biden administration is now seeking a path to resurrecting the accord.

Trump also complained that the NATO alliance allows "global freeloading" countries to spend less on military defense at the expense of the US and dismissed the alliance as "obsolete."

Biden offered a pointed rejoinder on Sunday, saying: "We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket. We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security for the remainder of the century. And there's a real enthusiasm."

When alliance members last met for a summit in England in December 2019, Trump grabbed headlines by calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "two-faced" and French President Emanuel Macron "nasty."

Trump lashed out after Trudeau was caught on a hot mic gossiping with other leaders about Trump turning photo opportunities into long news conferences.

Ahead of the summit, Macron had declared NATO "brain dead" because of a void in US leadership under Trump.

Biden has already acknowledged during his Europe tour that the alliance needs to ensure better burden sharing and needs stepped up American leadership.

He's also highlighted NATO members' contributions in the war in Afghanistan.

The US and the alliance are winding down their involvement in the nearly 20-year war that killed tens of thousands of Afghans and more than 3,500 US and allied troops, while raising profound questions about whether NATO's most ambitious effort was worth it.

The military effort followed the 2001 arrival of a US-led coalition that ousted the Taliban for harboring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

For now, NATO plans to leave civilian advisers to help build up government institutions.

It's unclear who will protect them.

The alliance is also weighing whether to train Afghan special forces outside the country.

NATO members are also expected to endorse the creation of a new cyber defense policy to improve coordination with countries impacted by the increasing frequency of ransomware attacks, a climate security action plan to reduce greenhouse gases from military activities in line with national commitments under the Paris Agreement and a commitment to strengthen NATO's deterrence to meet threats from Russia and elsewhere, according to the White House.

Biden will also meet with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday on the sidelines of the summit.

The two leaders were expected to discuss Syria and Iran as well as what role Turkey can play on Afghanistan following the US troop withdrawal, according to the White House.

Also on the agenda: how Washington and Ankara "deal with some of our significant differences on values and human rights and other issues," Sullivan said.

The unsettled security situation in Libya, as well as overlapping concerns on China and Russia are also expected to be discussed.
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TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iranians this week are preparing to vote in  or perhaps to boycott  a presidential election that many fear will only underscore their powerlessness to shape the country's fate.

Hopefuls are running to replace the term-limited President Hassan Rouhani, whose promises of a bright economic future withered as Tehrans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers collapsed. The backlash of disappointment in Rouhanis relatively moderate administration has given hard-liners an edge this time, analysts say, even as the U.S. and Iran now negotiate a return to the landmark accord.

Irans clerical vetting committee has allowed just seven candidates on Friday's ballot, nixing prominent reformists and key Rouhani allies. The presumed front-runner has become Ebrahim Raisi, the countrys hard-line judiciary chief whos closely aligned with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As Iran reels from the coronavirus pandemic, global isolation, sweeping U.S. sanctions and runaway inflation, the mood among potential voters appears to be one of apathy. Tehran, the vast and churning capital, has been eerily quiet in the days leading up to the poll, with some Raisi campaign posters scattered around the city and none of the huge rallies that drew roaring crowds to the streets during past election seasons.

With just a few days to go until the vote, The Associated Press spoke to Tehran residents about their hopes and fears. Few expect the vote to ease the nations sense of crisis. Some say theyll vote for Raisi, known for his televised anti-corruption campaign, to protest Rouhanis failures. Others are undecided or plan to boycott the vote, saying they have no trust in the government to improve their lives.

Ive watched the presidential debates but didnt see any of them offer real solutions, said 30-year-old Masoumeh Eftekhari, six months pregnant and strolling through the shop-lined promenades of Tehrans jam-packed Grand Bazaar. She pointed with astonishment to the skyrocketing prices of baby clothes. It disappoints me, so I cannot say which candidate is my favorite. At the moment, none.

Consumed by fear of future economic decline, Fatemeh Rekabi, a 29-year-old accountant, also believes theres no candidate worth voting for.

I dont have any trust in the candidates because I dont know what is going to happen next. What if the situation gets worse? she asked. Our people wouldn't survive.

Sasan Ghafouri, a 29-year-old who studied to become a lab technician but is now grinding out a living selling clothes at a Tehran mall, said he's exhausted from work and disillusioned with electoral politics that deliver nothing.

I come here at 9 in the morning and work until 9-10 p.m., day in, day out. When I dont have any time left to have fun or study, continue my education and pursue my dreams, what is the meaning of life? he said. At the moment, I cant think about my dreams.

Those staking their hopes on Raisi say they're desperate for any change in their fortunes after watching their savings evaporate as the national currency, the Iranian rial, collapsed under Rouhani.

Rouhanis administration was full of disappointment and incompetence. I deal with finances because of my job and have witnessed the adversity facing our citizens everyday, said Ali Momeni, a 37-year-old accountant at an upscale mall in west Tehran. He said hell throw his vote behind Raisi, who he hopes will hire a powerful team of economic advisers (to) ... improve the countrys situation.

Loqman Karimi, a 50-year-old porter pushing laden carts through the narrow alleys of Tehrans Grand Bazaar, also said hell support Raisi  not for his airy promises but for concrete things hed already done as judiciary chief.

Raisi reopened many bankrupt factories  which of the previous judiciary chiefs have done such a thing? None of them had done such a good job, said Karimi. Why should Iranian people be caught up in high prices? Why should they stand in lines to buy eggs and chicken meat?

Although Iranians may disagree over whether and how to vote, they share a deep disenchantment with Irans status quo  but also vast aspirations for a somehow better future.

For some, that means longing for a return to the nuclear deal, the years of optimism when Iran was a prospect for foreign investors before then-President Donald Trump withdrew America from the accord and re-imposed sweeping sanctions.

We have reached a point now that we wish we could return to where we were five and six years ago ... even if we cant have things improved, said Nasrin Hassani, a 34-year-old dressmaker at a Tehran mall. Others regretted the disqualification of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose tenure, although marked by sanctions, violent upheaval and economic decline, now conjures nostalgia, they said.

Regardless of the election's outcome, many said their dream was for Iran to become a normal country, free from sanctions, fear of war and the feeling of siege. Past elections in Iran have laid the ground for diplomatic negotiations and cultural openings, but moderate politicians say thats unlikely if Raisi wins.

I just want the next president not to mess with other countries and the other way around, said Rekabi, the young accountant. We are really fed up. ... We dont deserve to live this difficult, listless and awful life.

Such a grim assessment already has prompted hundreds of thousands to leave the troubled country and try their luck abroad.

Those who have the means are leaving here. Many of my friends are leaving Iran," said Hassani, the dressmaker, who's still undecided about the vote. "I just hope things will become easier so that people will want to stay.

___

Follow Mohammad Nasiri on Twitter at www.twitter.com/moenasiri.
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Reporter

Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
The Urbana-based family medicine physician talks Ronald Reagan, walking beans, his one unbreakable rule of the workplace ("that the welfare of the patient is always of the greatest importance") and much more.
Columnist

Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).
"I always wanted to be a teacher, I never wanted to be anything else. That's exactly what I knew I wanted to do. So I was happy to come back to Euclid and work alongside some of the greatest teachers that I had when I was growing up."

Kristen Schutte, Euclid High School assistant principal

Pull Quote
Madison Schools

New principals named at two buildings

New principals named at two Madison schools
Director Patrick Hughes and writer Tom OConnor apparently determined to stick with the formula they established with the modest hit The Hitmans Bodyguard.

Thats not a good thing.

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Like that 2017 four-letter-word-packed action-comedy, its theater-bound sequel, The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard, largely squanders its notable on-screen talent with a romp that is, at best, a mildly pleasant diversion.

If Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas AND Morgan Freeman cant save your movie, perhaps nobody can.

As the story of Reynolds Michael Bryce picks back up, the once-celebrated bodyguard continues to be a shell of his former self after having become entwined with Jacksons Darius Kincaid, a renowned hitman.

Having taken a bullet for Darius in the first adventure, Michael also carries mental scars. No longer AAA-rated, he tells his therapist about a recurring dream in which, as hes accepting the Bodyguard of the Year Award, hes taunted by several versions of Darius at the ceremony.

She suggests that now would be a great time to take his dream vacation and a sabbatical from work. Although he barely can utter the words no bodyguarding, Michael graduates from therapy and heads to the Italian island of Capri (like the pants).

While mellowing out by a pool and wearing noise-canceling headphones, he is slow to realize his picturesque and therapeutic setting is being torn to shreds by gunfire thanks to the sudden presence of Darius new wife, Sonia (Hayek), an international con artist. She tells Michael her husband is in trouble and that Darius instructed her to recruit him to help. Even though he possesses no guns  only his trusty penknife  he soon finds himself wrapped up in a new deadly affair.

Soon, the testy trio is together  and being coerced by a frustrated American working for Interpol, Bobby ONeill (Frank Grillo), to help European governments stop a mad man. A powerful Greek tycoon with a name to match, Aristotle Papadopoulos (Banderas) intends to take aggressively from the rest of Europe and give to his struggling country without concern for the countries and people he hurts in the process.

As the The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard rolls along, the bullets and bad words continue to fly, and Michael is unable to shield himself from the passion Darius and Sonia continue to have for each other and express from time to time  even while shes driving a car.

Its not all bliss for the newlyweds, however, as they may be keeping secrets from each other. Michael, meanwhile, is leaving sad voicemails for his future self and in decided need of getting his groove back.

The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard  with brothers Phillip and Brandon Murphy contributing to the script along with OConnor (The Courier)  has some fun ideas, from the surprising character portrayed by Freeman to the motherly instincts Sonia inflicts upon Michael. However, those ideas lead to too few laughs, right down to a gag just before the closing credits begin to roll that isnt nearly as funny as it should be.

Much of this can be pinned on Hughes (The Expendables 3), who rarely gets the most from a moment. You cant help but wonder what another director may have done with this cast.

Again, the talent is there. Reynolds (Deadpool) and Jackson (Pulp Fiction) obviously have the gifts to make moments land better than they do here. And theyre probably responsible for this romp being relatively entertaining from time to time.

Hayek (Frida) is a fine addition to the already established mix, and the scenes she shares with Banderas (Pain & Glory)  a regular big-screen partner for her dating back to 1995s Desperado  are reasonably enjoyable.

Its hard to go quite that far in describing The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard as a whole. Filmed in Croatia, Italy, the United Kingdom and Slovenia, the movie does offer some eye candy, so you can see why Lionsgate chose to delay it last year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic instead of releasing it via on-demand platforms or selling it to a streaming platform.

Still, its not exactly worth the wait.
Despite an early coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the Philippines continues to grapple with skyrocketing cases, which have reached over 1.3 million total cases as of June 15, 2021.

Study: Early response to COVID-19 in the Philippines. Image Credit: aldarinho / Shutterstock.com

Researchers at the College of Medicine at the University of the Philippines Manila, along with collaborators at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the Ateneo de Manila University, described the challenges and early response of the Philippines to COVID-19. To this end, the researchers focused on travel restrictions, community interventions, risk communication, and testing between January 30, 2020, which was when the first case in the country was reported, and March 21, 2020.

In this peer-reviewed study, which was published in the World Health Organization (WHO)s Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal (WPSAR), the authors discuss the surveillance of and response to public health events in the Western Pacific Region. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that the Philippiness initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic lacked organizational preparedness.

Public health emergencies in the Philippines

As a developing country, the Philippines experienced some improvements in its healthcare system over the past decade. Despite this, the country continues to face various challenges in its response to public health emergencies.

It is estimated that the Philippines has about 10 hospital beds and six doctors per 10,000 people which, taken together, amounts to only 2,335 critical beds nationwide. Mainly, the available healthcare resources are focused in urban areas, while rural areas experience a lack of available physicians. Within these rural areas, only one physician is available for a population of 20,000 people, with only one bed available for a population of 1,000.

Although community health centers and local healthcare workers comprise the primary care system in the nation, they are often poorly resourced with limited surge capacity. Furthermore, while local government has disaster preparedness plans, these plans are designed for natural calamities, which the country often experiences, rather than for disease outbreaks.

Travel restrictions

The first COVID-19 case in the Philippines was reported on January 30, 2020. By March, the cases rose significantly, which prompted the government to put the northern part of the country, Luzon, in an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or lockdown by March 15.

The Philippine government implemented travel restrictions as early as January 28, 2020. While this prevented the spread of the virus, travelers from areas that were not included on the list of restricted countries were not subject to stringent screening and quarantine protocols. Meanwhile, those from restricted countries were subjected to a 14-day quarantine, testing, and contact tracing.

In the first few weeks after these restrictions were put in place, the COVID-19 spread was delayed. However, as time passed, COVID-19 cases began to rise due to viral transmission within communities, particularly from people who had no prior travel history.

Community interventions

When the lockdown or ECQ was implemented in Luzon, which included Metro Manila, families were placed on strict home quarantine. This quarantine consisted of strict home quarantine in all households, with the exception of when individuals needed to acquire essential food and health services.

Additional measurements that were implemented during this time included work-from-home schemes, suspension of classes and distance learning instruction, closure of public transport and non-essential business establishments, as well as physical distancing and the prohibition of public gatherings.

These measures successfully slowed the spread of the virus; however, it was difficult for the government to enforce these restrictions for extended periods of time because of their severe economic impacts.

Though the lockdown order was just for Luzon Island, health systems were not overwhelmed. In fact, the quarantine regulations gave the Philippines the opportunity to mobilize resources and organize its pandemic response.

Risk communication

During the lockdown, the Philippine government ensured that all plans and information about the COVID-19 pandemic would be distributed to all residents and citizens. The government also strengthened its national risk communication plans through press briefings, internet advertisements, health-related television advertisements, and infographics on social media.

Despite these efforts, misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 emerged in the Philippines.

Testing

Many countries that were successful in containing the COVID-19 pandemic implemented widespread testing. While testing is key to controlling the pandemic, the Philippines only performed COVID-19 testing on a small scale. More specifically, the authors of the current paper found that by March 19, 2020, fewer than 1,200 people in this nation had been tested for COVID-19, with the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Metro Manila being the only institution that was capable of performing these tests. Due to the limited capacity of the healthcare system to conduct mass testing, the Department of Health (DOH) recommended rationed testing, wherein strict protocols were implemented.

Study takeaways

The authors of the current study concluded that the Philippines was not ready for a pandemic. The disease surveillance system could conduct contact tracing and, for several months at the beginning of the pandemic, only one laboratory was available for COVID-19 testing. Furthermore, the primary healthcare system did not serve as a primary line of defense, which led infected people to flock to hospitals in cities, thus overwhelming the healthcare system and critical care capacity.

The lack of pandemic preparedness had left the country poorly defended against the new virus and its devastating effects. Investing diligently and consistently in pandemic prepared.

Taken together, the researchers noted that the lack of pandemic preparedness had left the Philippines poorly protected from the effects of SARS-CoV-2. The pandemic, therefore, taught the Philippines, as well as many other nations around the world, that increasing its investment in the modernization of hospitals and clinics is crucial for protecting its citizens against disease outbreaks in the future. This investment should also be accompanied by the development of adequate surveillance, testing, and contact tracing services.
In most nations, intermittent school closures have been implemented to varying degrees since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, with children being likely transmitters of disease between one another, causing the virus to spread to homes and families.

Children also bear the lowest risk of severe illness resulting from COVID-19, however, many have argued that the negative influence of such measures on children's education is extreme, particularly on those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds that may have less access to internet-based learning resources.

Further, the social support provided by schools in ensuring the welfare of students and working with those suffering from disabilities is non-negligible, with, for example, a survey of Australian youths in 2020 revealing poorer mental health on average than those surveyed in 2018.

Compared to many other developed nations, Australia has borne relatively little of the COVID-19 burden, with some reports indicating that around 70% of cases in schools were solitary and did not lead to an outbreak, being identified and contained quickly, while those that did cause an outbreak infected fewer than ten other individuals in 90% of cases.

In a communication paper recently published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health by Koirala et al. (June 8th, 2021), it is argued that Australian schools should remain open, with proper testing, tracing, and quarantine protocols in place.

Do children spread SARS-CoV-2 more than adults?

The authors begin by noting that some studies indicate that children are infected, on average, at an equal or slightly lower rate than adults, and children with positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swaps are less likely to culture the live virus than adults.

A household study in the UK indicated that living with children under the age of 12 did not increase the probability of contracting SARS-CoV-2, though living with a teen did.

Several other studies have suggested that younger children are only likely to spread the virus to other children, and even in intergenerational households in places such as India, this appears to hold true.

These factors are likely the result of significantly lesser social mixing undertaken by younger children, and how heavily any biological differences influence transmission is not yet entirely clear.

Outbreaks in schools tend to correlate with community outbreaks, making it difficult to assign the school as the transmission setting.

The health of teacher and other school staff members has been assessed in a number of studies, one finding that childcare workers in the USA had no significant difference in the rate of infection whether they worked during the pandemic or not, supported by other studies from Sweden, Scotland, Norway, and the UK, though a French study did show that childcare staff had similar seropositivity rates as frontline healthcare workers, indicating increased exposure compared to average.

The opening of schools in the UK in 2020 was associated with an observed spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. However, lockdown procedures had also been relaxed at this time, and upon their reimplementation, while keeping schools open in the following months COVID-19 levels lowered dramatically.

Studies based in New South Wales and Victoria during 2020 that correlated school and community transmission indicate that the two are proportionate, suggesting that schools are not a significant driver of transmission compared with other routes through the community in these locations.

A breakdown of this data revealed that 92% of school-based outbreaks involved ten or fewer cases and was also able to correlate outbreaks with age. Children aged up to five years old generated outbreaks at school in 14.1% of cases, while those aged 6-12, 13-15, or 16-18 generated outbreaks in 30.5%, 33.3%, and 42.9% of cases, respectively. When the first case was a staff member, then transmission occurred in 39.1% of settings.

Safe practices surrounding COVID-19 in schools such as hand washing, wearing a mask, providing adequate ventilation indoors, and reducing class sizes have each proved effective in slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Nations that have trialed track and trace measures in these settings have observed a decrease in outbreaks by identifying cases early, before an outbreak can take hold.

SARS-CoV-2 and its descendants will continue to transmit in school settings until it is eliminated from the population, and thus the authors argue that for the overall benefit and wellbeing of students, it is vital that schools be reopened at least in an Australian context where virus pervasiveness is relatively low.

Schools also provide an ideal location for monitoring and testing of students on a large scale, not achievable in work-from-home settings.
The vaccination program has commenced in many countries worldwide, which is marked as a significant milestone in curbing the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

These vaccines, which have received emergency authorization from different regulatory bodies around the world, such as the Food and Drug Administration in the USA, have different mechanisms of delivery of antigens. Researchers have revealed that different vaccines have varied levels of efficacy, i.e., between 60% and 95%.

The production of neutralizing antibodies is the main determining factor of the hosts immune response against viral infections. Previous studies have reported that during the early phase following vaccination, there was a correlation between the neutralizing antibodies produced by different COVID-19 vaccines and their efficacy.

Scientists around the world are concerned because of the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants such as the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), and Brazil (P.1) variants, which have a higher rate of transmission and can evade the vaccine-induced immunity. A reduction in the neutralization capacity was observed in the laboratory studies associated with vaccinated individuals or people who were naturally infected with a non-variant of concern (VOC). Researchers have reported a significant reduction in the neutralization capacity of the antibodies stimulated by the AstraZeneca ChAdOx vaccine against the B.1.351 variant in South Africa. Such an occurrence is associated with a loss of vaccine efficacy in a phase 1b/2 clinical trial. Similar to this report, the adenovirus vaccine by Johnson and Johnson and the Novavax vaccine has also shown a decreased efficacy in clinical trials which had been carried out in South Africa. During this time, the B.1.351 had been the dominant circulating variant over the area.

Individuals who have been vaccinated are less inclined to be severely infected than those who have not received vaccines. However, the degree of protection may vary between the VOC and the non-VOC. This is because certain VOCs have the capacity to evade the hosts immune system. One of the strategies to reckon vaccine efficacy against VOC is by comparing the efficacies of vaccines between locales with different circulating variants, e.g., the Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine was found to be highly effective against B.1.1.7 variant in Israel. Another method is the use of case-control studies. In this method, the vaccinated individuals are compared to unvaccinated individuals with similar demographics and statistical tools are used to evaluate the VOC infection in a vaccinated population.

In several studies, quantification of the degree of immune escape by VOC was evaluated for a specific period of time after vaccination. In these studies, fully immune individuals are those who have passed enough time after receiving both the vaccine doses. A new study has been published on the medRxiv* preprint server, which deals with the importance of time post-vaccination based on the quantification of VOC immune evasion. The current study developed a toy model to estimate the effectiveness of the vaccines against VOC over time. Researchers have shown that the estimated value is highly dependent on time post-vaccination. Additionally, this model can describe the implications of changes in vaccine efficacy against VOC.

The long-term effectiveness of the available COVID-19 vaccines has not been assessed properly. This model does not depict the mechanism by which VOC escapes the immune system. However, this model aims to predict the dynamics of antibody neutralization as well as the efficacy of vaccines in the simplest manner. This would help understand how the duration after the vaccination is correlated with the efficacy of vaccines against VOC.

While constructing the model, researchers of the current study made a couple of assumptions. One of the assumptions is that the functional relationship perceived between the highest level of neutralization for each vaccine and the efficiency of the vaccines is linked with each other post-vaccination. Additionally, the same functional relationship is associated with non-VOC as well as VOC. However, a reduced neutralization is observed only against VOC.

There are certain limitations in calculating the efficacy of vaccines against VOC as a function of time from empirical data. For instance, the number of studies supporting the immune escape of the B.1.351 variant was small, thereby, creating an error in the prediction model. Also, maximum cases related to infection by the B.1.351 variant were restricted to the first week after the second dose of the vaccine. This data creates an uncertainty of the efficiency of the vaccine against B.1.351 in later weeks.

The current research suggested that the period of time after vaccination is an important factor that should be considered while estimating vaccine efficacy. Researchers of this study pointed out that real-world measurements are required to make solid predictions by the model. This study showed how the effect of the emerging variants in a vaccinated population changes as a function of time. This could help understand the transmission of the variants and efficacy of the vaccines against them.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Soon after the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) began to spread over the world, leading to the devastating pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the earliest sequences were published. Since then, genomic surveillance of the virus has been an essential tool to keep track of new and possibly more virulent or transmissible variants as and when they emerge and spread.

A new study from the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bengaluru, India, provides an overview of how well this important monitoring mechanism is functioning around the world. The team has released their findings as a preprint on the bioRxiv* server.

Good viral surveillance practices via genomic sequencing depend on the existence of a common open-access platform that makes all the genomes sequenced so far freely available to researchers worldwide.

At the very start, COVID-19 researchers co-opted the influenza virus genome sharing platform GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data) to deposit the new SARS-CoV-2 sequences.

This is now the largest open-access platform in use, storing genomic sequences with the clinical and epidemiologic correlates of more than 1.7 million strains of SARS-CoV-2, making it the most intensively studied organism ever.

This facilitated the identification of several new variants, including the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant, first identified in the UK; B.1.351 (Beta, seen first in South Africa); B.1.1.28 or P.1 (Gamma; first in Brazil); B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.617.1 (Kappa), both first in India; P.3 (Theta; first in the Philippines); and B.1.427 and B.1.429 (Epsilon; first in the USA).

This platform has helped analyze sequences, identify emerging variants in a timely manner, and provide useful information to governments at risk to shape their policies. In response, there has been a concerted chorus of scientists urging increased sequencing worldwide. However, there is an observable delay in submitting sequences to such portals, hampering their usefulness.

The scientists in this study therefore came up with a measure of this delay, called the Collection to Submission Time Lag (CSTlag) per strain.

Significant delays in uploading sequences

The median/mean CSTlag values vary between countries, from one day to one year (or even more).

Among countries that have submitted a thousand or more genomes, the UK has the least delay (16 days) with approximately 420,000 submitted genomes.

For other European countries, about 590,000 genomes have been deposited with a lag of 25 days. The US is close behind, having contributed almost 500,000 genomes with 26 days delay.

In Asia, Japan took 79 days (median) for over 37,000 genomes. Indias CSTlag was 72 days for approximately 16,000 genomes. Qatar, in the Middle East, has uploaded about 2,200 genomes with a median lag of almost 290 days. Conversely, Singapore has a median lag of 26 days for approximately 2,500 genomes.

In the southern hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand have a lag of 40 and 51 days, respectively, for 17,000 and 1,000 genomes, respectively. South America has uploaded over 18,000 genomes, at 61 days, and Africa 7,000 with a median lag of 50 days.

Sequencing rates

The scientists also assessed the rate of genome sequencing per total COVID-19 case number and per million population, respectively.

In proportion to the number of cases reported, Iceland has sequenced an impressive 77% of all positive cases, vs. ~60% in Australia. New Zealand and Denmark have sequenced about 40% and 35%, respectively.

The largest number of genomes have come from the USA, as seen above, and the UK. Though India has a very large population of over one billion and has been hit ferociously by the second wave, it has sequenced a mere 0.05% of them.

This fits with the pattern seen over Asia, Africa and South America, where sequencing covers less than 0.1% to 0.4% of cases. Europe has sequenced ~2%, North America 1.4%, but Oceania 37%, of cases.

Population-based sequencing rates

Looking at the rate of sequencing per million population, First World countries in the West (Europe and the USA) lead the pack, along with Israel and Reunion, at over 1,000 per million population. The North American average is 600, vs. 1,000 for Europe, but 600 for Oceania.

In fact, the USA and Japan are the only countries with over 100 million people to have sequencing rates above 100 people per million population. Brazil is the next in this group, at 50, comparable to the whole of South America. Conversely, India shows a meager 11, about half the Asian average of 21, and closer to the African value of 14.

What are the implications?

The CSTlag reflects the strength of local public health infrastructure, mirroring the general running of the public health system. Efficient sample collection and recording of metadata, as well as smooth delivery to the RNA isolation and genome sequencing centers, are thus essential to increase genomic sequencing capabilities.

Secondly, the absence or breakdown of such systems in low-resource or low-efficiency settings is exacerbated by the shortage of biosecurity facilities capable of handling highly infectious pathogens such as COVID-19 or may have only a few, again contributing to delays.

Thirdly, funding is often hit during such situations as a pandemic, with resources being diverted to urgent and essential care. Fourthly, import restrictions on reagents and equipment required for RNA sequencing may further hamper this area of research.

Finally, reliance on possibly outdated and more expensive processes may worsen the delay still more. Many of these factors are known to operate in India, for instance, and will require correction.

An alternative way out may be for institutional-level partnerships covering new ground, rather than relying on local and national governments for infrastructural facilities. This means an inevitable lag before these systems are up and running.

Beyond actual sequencing, uploads are often delayed. It is likely that far more samples have been sequenced than are represented in GISAID.

This may be from a wish to keep research secret until papers or patents are ready for publication, an initial lack of understanding of the importance of sequencing, or even because of the pervasive stigma associated with the names of variants called after the countries that first reported them.

Political interference may also have contributed to significant extents, though this is, of course, murky water.

Whatever the cause, a lag in reporting gives the variant time to spread across national borders and even to undergo further mutations and emerge as another strain altogether. In order to dampen this phenomenon, it is crucial to identify and remove these obstructions, sequencing a higher proportion of positive cases and uploading the sequences rapidly to open-access platforms.

The researchers write:

This will enable researchers across the globe to track the evolved variants, their mutations, epidemiology, and biological consequences, which will provide crucial inputs for appropriate and effective public health policies.

*Important notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
By the time Kiki Radermacher, a mental health therapist, arrived at a Missoula, Montana, home on an emergency 911 call in late May, the man who had called for help was backed into a corner and yelling at police officers.

The home, which he was renting, was about to be sold. He had called 911 when his fear of becoming homeless turned to thoughts of killing himself.

"I asked him, 'Will you sit with me?'" recalled Radermacher, a member of the city's mobile crisis response team who answered the call with a medic and helped connect the man with support services. "We really want to empower people, to find solutions."

Missoula began sending this special crew on emergency mental health calls in November as a pilot project, and next month the program will become permanent. It's one of six mobile crisis response initiatives in Montana  up from one at the start of 2019. And four more local governments applied for state grants this year to form teams.

Nationwide, more communities are creating units in which mental health professionals are the main responders to psychiatric crises instead of cops, though no official count exists of the teams that are up and running.

More support is on the way. The covid relief package President Joe Biden signed in March offers states Medicaid funding to jump-start such services. By July 2022, a national 988 hotline, modeled on 911, is slated to launch for people to reach trained suicide prevention specialists and mental health counselors.

Protests against police brutality in the past year have helped propel the shift across the United States. While one rallying cry has been to "defund the police," these crisis intervention programs  the sort that employ therapists like Radermacher  are often funded in addition to law enforcement departments, not drawing from existing policing budgets.

Studies suggest such services enable people in crisis to get help instead of being transported away in handcuffs. But the move away from policing mental health is still a national experiment, with ongoing debate about who should be part of the response, and limited research on which model is best. Even then, not all communities can afford and staff separate mental health teams.

"I dont know that theres a consensus of what the best approach is at this point," said Amy Watson, a professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who has studied such crisis intervention. "We need to move towards figuring out what are the important elements of these models, where are the pieces of variation and where those variations make sense."

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sets minimum expectations for teams, such as including a health care professional and connecting people to more services, if needed. Ideally, the guidelines suggest, the team should include a crisis response specialist who has personally experienced mental health challenges, and the team should respond to the calls without law enforcement.

Still, crisis response teams vary significantly in their makeup and approach. For more than 40 years, the Los Angeles Police Department has deployed teams in which police officers and mental health workers respond together. It boasts the program is one of the nations earliest to do so. A program out of Eugene, Oregon, which has been copied across the U.S., teams a crisis intervention worker with a nurse, paramedic or emergency medical technician. In Georgia, 911 emergency dispatchers steer calls to a statewide crisis center that can deploy mobile units that include professionals with backgrounds in social work, counseling and nursing. In Montana, teams are based within law enforcement departments, medical facilities or crisis homes.

"Mobile crisis response, in whatever format it looks like, is becoming more and more the norm," said Kari Auclair, an area director for Western Montana Mental Health Center, a nonprofit treatment program. "In some communities, it's going to be the church group thats going to be part of a crisis response, because thats who people go to and thats what theyve got."

Defenders of the various models tout reasons for their teams' makeups and match-ups: Medics can recognize a diabetic blood sugar crash that might mimic substance misuse or a mental health crisis; police can watch for danger if tensions escalate; and crews tethered to hospitals' behavioral health units have a team of doctors on standby they can consult.

Many crisis teams still work directly with law enforcement, sometimes responding together when called or staying on the scene after officers leave. In Montana, for example, 61% of the calls that crisis teams handled also involved law enforcement, according to state data.

Zoe Barnard, administrator for Montana's addictive and mental disorders division, said her state is still establishing a baseline for what works well there. Even after theyve worked out a standard, she added, local governments will continue to need flexibility in how they set up their programs.

"Im a realist," Barnard said. "There will be parts of the state that are going to have limitations related to workforce, and trying to put them into a cookie-cutter model might keep some from doing something that really does the job well."

In some areas, recruiting mental health workers to such teams is nearly impossible. Federal data shows 125 million people live in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals, a problem exacerbated in rural America. That lack of expertise and support can fuel the crises that warrant emergency help.

In Helena, Montana's capital, for example, a crisis crew that formed in November must still fill two positions before services can run round-the-clock. All across the U.S., with these sorts of high-stress jobs often paid through cobbled-together grants, retaining staff is a challenge.

Being flexible will be key for programs as they develop, said Jeffrey Coots, who directs an initiative at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City to prevent unnecessary imprisonment.

"Were trying to figure our way out of historical inequities in mental health care services," Coots said. "The best thing to do is to run that demonstration project, and then adapt your team based on the data."

And for the people in these crises who need help, having an alternative to a police officer can mean a big difference, said Tyler Steinebach, executive director of Hope Health Alliance Inc., which offers behavioral crisis training for medics across Montana. He knows firsthand because he has both bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders and has had to call 911 when his own mental health has plummeted.

"You know cops are coming, almost certainly," Steinebach said, from his personal experience. "Youre trying to figure out what to say to them because youre trying to fight for yourself to get treatment or to get somewhere where you can talk to somebody  but youre also trying to not get hauled off in handcuffs."

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer also noticed the benefits after two mental health professionals started to respond to 911 calls in Bozeman and the surrounding area in 2019. Although deputies in his department are trained in crisis intervention, he said that goes only so far.

"When I hear deputies say the mental health provider is a godsend, or they came in and were able to extend the capabilities of the response, that means something to me," Springer said. "And I hear that routinely now."

Erica Gotcher, a medic on the mental health response team in Missoula, recalled a day recently when her team was wrapping up a call and received three new alerts: A man was considering suicide, a teen was spiraling into crisis and someone else needed follow-up mental health services. They knew the suicide risk call would take time as responders talked to the person by phone to get more details, so they responded to the teen hitting walls first and saw all three people before their shift was done.

Gotcher said being busy is a good sign that her team  and teams like it  are becoming just one more form of first response.

"Sometimes we roll up on a scene and there are three cop cars, an ambulance and a firetruck for one person who is having a panic attack," Gotcher said. "One of the best things that we can do is briefly assess the situation and cancel all those other resources. They can go fight fires; they can go fight crime. We are the ones that need to be here."

But gaps still exist, such as not always having somewhere to take a patient who needs a stable place to recuperate or get more help. The team's shift also ends at 8 p.m., meaning, come nighttime, it's back to police officers responding alone.

Need help?

If you or someone you know is in a crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
LSU Health New Orleans has been awarded $2.38 million in funding to lead partnerships to sequence SARS-CoV-2 variants. The funding is from a contract with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH)) and a National Institute of General Medical Sciences supplement to the LACaTS (Louisiana Clinical & Translational Science Center) grant.

Lucio Miele, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Genetics, and Assistant Dean for Translational Science at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, will sequence samples from breakthrough cases, re-infections, cases among unvaccinated individuals and vulnerable patients - cancer and transplant patients, as well as those treated with immunosuppressants for autoimmune diseases.

Under the LDH contract, Ochsner and LDH will do the sampling, and LSU Health New Orleans will do the sequencing. This project is a public-private partnership in collaboration with a small Louisiana-based bioinformatics company (BIE) for analytics and data interpretation.

The National Institutes of Health funding will focus on cases occurring in underserved and minority patients. Partners also include Ochsner and BIE, as well as Xavier University. Xavier will perform community engagement and health literacy work. Specifically, they will develop culturally sensitive educational material with the assistance of the LACaTS Community Engagement Core to explain the importance of continued surveillance and the significance of variants.

Over the past year, Dr. Miele has sequenced samples from patients infected with the COVID-19 virus. "As many as 28 different variants were circulating simultaneously over the last few months. We did find the California variants, and the most prevalent is B.1.1.7, the UK variant." As the new projects get underway, he fully expects to find more of the variants that have been reported in other parts of Louisiana and the country.
A reassuring study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, from a multi-institutional team of researchers in Italy suggests that with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine, post-vaccination immunity against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is both robust and durable.

This is because even though antibody-mediated immunity wanes over time, specific memory B cells are induced after the first dose that increases significantly after the second. These cells increase over time, even two months from the second dose, indicating that the vaccine induces strong and sustained protection.

Background

Not only antibodies but also specific memory B cells are induced by the Pfizer vaccine. These biomarkers were detectable after one dose but increased markedly after two.

At two months from the first dose of vaccine, virus-specific antibodies had declined, but memory B cells continued to show an upward trend.

The vaccine does not induce a rise in mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) immunity, which protects the respiratory and oral cavities against infection with the virus. However, the researchers found that with the induction of memory B cells against SARS-CoV-2, they eventually migrated into the mucosa at these sites in response to local inflammation.

This migration was henceforward associated with the secretion of IgA at these surfaces.

One dose or two doses of COVID-19 vaccine?

A single dose of vaccine is apparently inadequate for specific memory B cell immunity. The vaccine recipient remains vulnerable to infection, rather than rapidly clearing the virus with the help of class-switched antibodies before it has a chance to establish infection and spread to other hosts.

The efficacy of a single dose thus seems to be lower than that of the full regimen due to an incomplete immune response. This supports the objections to single-dose regimens by epidemiologists, who fear that this may encourage new variants to emerge by selecting for immune-escape mutations.

This can also reduce the degree of protection offered by currently available vaccines and those in the pipeline, since the viral spike protein that forms the basis of these first-generation coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines has undergone several changes under selective pressures.

Despite this, the need to reduce the population risk of severe and fatal illness due to COVID-19 has led to the increasing use of a delayed-second-dose regimen. The intention is to expand the population covered by at least one dose, and therefore the pool of people with some immunity to the virus.

However, following two doses, even though sterile immunity is not induced by the vaccine because mucosal IgA is not induced, the vaccine remains protective against COVID-19, irrespective of falling antibody levels.

The role of memory B cells in immunity

The researchers point out that the decline in the short-term antibody response is not unique to COVID-19. The cooperation of memory B cells and memory plasma cells is more important in long-term immunity, preventing reinfection (or primary infection, in the case of successful vaccination).

Memory plasma cells turn out virus-specific antibodies that can neutralize the virus before it establishes host cell infection. Simultaneously, memory B cells leave the blood to enter the site of inflammation induced by viral entry to secrete antibodies there as well. Depending on the affinity of binding of the antibodies, the virus may be cleared at first sight.

T cells promote the production of antibodies with high affinity for the viral antigens, as well as the maturation of some of the B cells into the memory phenotype. They also act as direct effector cells, ultimately killing the cells infected by the virus.

How is the second dose crucial to rapid viral clearance?

The study included 108 healthcare workers, in whom specific memory B cells were measured at and seven days after each dose of the vaccine and three months after the first dose.

The researchers found that the immune memory generated by a single dose is relatively imprecise and cannot clear the virus rapidly. This is responsible for the lower vaccine efficacy at this point.

With the second dose, a markedly higher proportion of people became vaccine responders, with dramatically higher antibody levels a week later, and importantly, higher memory B cells.

The antibodies targeted the receptor-binding domain (RBD) as well as the spike protein, with the IgG levels of each rising 60 and 8 times, respectively, within a week of the second dose. Neutralizing activity increased 25 times over the same period.

While antibody levels fell to half by three months, the number of memory B cells continued to rise. These were shaped within the lymph node germinal centers by the processes of somatic mutation, affinity maturation and class switching.

This resulted in the production of more antigen-specific and high-affinity antibodies as well as memory B cells and plasma cells that generate antibodies capable of eliminating the pathogen from the body and ending the infection.

The adaptive immune response triggered by the vaccine needs time and is strongly selective, say the scientists.

Moreover, these cells produced IgA antibodies in the serum but not in the mucosa, which is responsible for the lack of sterilizing immunity. At any point, about a tenth of IgM memory B cells were able to produce anti-spike binding antibodies, indicating their role as the primary adaptive defense cells and the rapid action force for the production of class-switched high-affinity specific memory B cells.

Only 0.5% of these became IgG secreting cells, and even less (<0.1%) became IgA-secreting cells by day 28, remaining at similar levels at day 90. Some of these cells gained anti-RBD specificity, contributing to their neutralizing capability.

Breakthrough infections were mild and short-lived

While 21/3,511 vaccinated workers had a positive swab test after both doses had been taken, none had symptoms beyond those of mild illness (fever, cough and muscle pain). In six cases that were studied, IgA in saliva was detected by six days from the diagnosis by swab positivity and increased further, though at ten times lower levels than in serum.

This suggests that vaccine-induced [memory B cells] have performed their job by rapidly migrating to the site of viral invasion. This led to the elimination of the infection at an early stage, and the low viral load in such individuals may prevent transmission of the virus to others even during this period.

No worker with a history of COVID-19 prior to vaccination developed a reinfection, and all had detectable IgA in saliva, indicating their mucosal immunity against the virus at first entry. Mucosal vaccines may well be the way to go in eliminating infection with this virus altogether.

Examining two of the 21 post-vaccination infections, one worker had low levels of highly specific affinity-matured memory B cells even at day 28, but were 23 times higher by day 70 from the first dose. The other had both low and high-affinity specific memory B cells at day 28, with a dramatic rise in their number at two weeks after the positive swab at day 110.

Similar increases in memory B cells were found following a mild infection, confirming that this occurs in response to the virus. In these cases, the powerful mucosal protection resulting in the swab becoming negative two days after the first positive swab is thought to indicate a prior asymptomatic infection that went undetected but produced mucosal immunity.

What are the implications?

For all these reasons we should not worry about the antibody decline in the serum. Our MBCs are our most important defense weapon that ensure local and systemic protection after re-encounter with the antigen, write the authors.

The mRNA vaccines produce a strong and durable immune response against the virus, when two doses are used.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
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The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating one additional COVID-19 case involving a 40-year-old woman who arrived from Indonesia.

A total of 40 cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days, including three local cases, of which one is from an unknown source.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.
U.S. 31 improvements to have 'night and day' effect in Sellersburg
(Newser)  The seismic shift caused by the pandemic in regard to the American workforce is only now beginning to be fully understood, and a succinct new phrase might help sum things up: "the great resignation." Referring to the idea that lots of people have been, or will be, quitting their jobs, it appears to have been coined by Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M in an interview last month with Bloomberg Businessweek. Coverage:

"The great resignation is coming," Klotz said in the interview. He suggested that many workers who were fortunate enough to have kept their jobs amid the pandemic didn't dare give them up in such a time of uncertainty. Now, "there are pent-up resignations that didn't happen over the past year."

What's more, the pandemic caused people to reassess their work-life balance in unprecedented ways. "People have had a little more space to ask themselves, 'Is this really what I want to be doing?'" University of Michigan economist Betsey Stevenson tells Axios. More now want fewer, or at least more flexible hours, or are considering career switches altogether.

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This isn't just theoretical. Citing Labor Department stats, the Wall Street Journal reports that 2.7% of US workers left their jobs in April, the highest level in more than 20 years. The figure is up from 1.6% a year earlier, amid the pandemic.

A spate of surveys hits the same theme. In March, roughly 25% of US workers told Prudential Financial they intend to find a new job with a different employer. Another cited by the World Economic Forum puts the figure at 41% globally.

But maybe view those surveys with skepticism. It's easy to "talk tough" in questionnaires, writes Jack Kelly at Forbes. "Given a little room to think about the reality of this decision, they'll quickly realize it's not such a smart decision to depart without another job offer in hand." Generally, he makes the case that that "great resignation" is being exaggerated.

Still, the widely documented phenomenon of businesses struggling to make hires suggests something real is happening, though it may take a while to play out. "People are seeing the world differently," consultant Steve Cadigan tells the Journal. "It's going to take time for people to think through, 'How do I unattach where I'm at and reattach to something new?' We're going to see a massive shift in the next few years."

A feature in Time offers some real-world examples, including a Virginia coupleshe an insurance agent and he a restaurant managerwho ditched their jobs to start a landscaping company and work outdoors. "For many," writes Joanne Lipman, "this has become a moment to literally redefine what is work."

(Read more resignation stories.)
(Newser) 

Apple recently revealed that then-President Trumps Department of Justice had come to them with subpoenas for data on congressional Democrats. Now the company has revealed that it turned over data for Trumps own White House counsel, too. The company told Donald McGahn and his wife that it had provided information to the department about accounts they had back in February 2018, the New York Times reports. Apple also said it had been legally prevented from telling the McGahns about the subpoenaed data until May. There were no details about what connections the FBI was trying to make using the McGahns data, though the Times calls the collection of such information on a White House counsel "extraordinary." The Washington Post , confirming the Times' scoop, calls it "striking."

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CNN adds some context, noting that McGahn had fallen out of favor with Trump around the time the subpoena was issuedregarding McGahn's refusal to fire Robert Mueller. But both CNN and the Times are skeptical that the subpoena revolved around that episode. The Post notes that the information about McGahnwho served as an attorney on the Trump campaign before becoming White House counselmight have been collected "incidentally" as the department was investigating other figures. CNN reports that neither then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions nor deputy Rod Rosenstein were aware of the request for the McGahn data. (The DOJ's internal watchdog is investigating the Trump-era subpoenas of Democratic lawmakers.)
(Newser)  A 15-year-old girl visiting Tybee Island, Ga., with her family from Alabama was killed Saturday by a lightning strike. The teen was swimming off the coast at the time, CNN reports. As NOAA explains, lightning usually strikes land, but when it hits the ocean, the water acts as a conductor. "Often swimmers and beach goers are enjoying the moment and when storms appear suddenly, the unthinkable can occur," the island's mayor says. Lifeguards and firefighters attempted CPR, but the girl was declared dead at a hospital, WJCL reports. (Read more Georgia stories.)
(Newser)  President Biden and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have known each other for years, but their meeting Monday will be their first as heads of state. And it comes at a particularly tense moment for relations between their two countries, the AP reports. The list of disagreements is unusually long for the two NATO allies: There's US support for Kurdish fighters in Syria, as well as Turkeys purchase of a Russian weapons system. And in April, Biden infuriated Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was genocide. Previous US presidents had avoided using the term out of concern that it would complicate ties with Turkey, which is fiercely proud of its Ottoman history and insists that those killed in the early 20th century were victims of civil war and unrest.

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However, besides blasting the decision in speeches, Erdogan didn't immediately hit back at Washington. The muted response suggests he wants a good relationship with Biden, said Rachel Ellehuus, an analyst at the Washington think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies. However, before leaving Sunday for the NATO summit in Brussels where he will meet Biden, Erdogan described the presidents comments on the killings of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire as very negative and an approach (that) has seriously upset us. Erdogan, in power for 18 years as prime minister and then president, has dialed down his anti-Western rhetoric as his government grapples with an economic downturn made worse by the pandemic. The most important thing for the Turkish leader at this time is to give a veneer of positive relations with the US in terms of Turkeys image, said Merve Tahiroglu, Turkey program coordinator at the Project on Middle East Democracy. (Much more here.)
(Newser)  The parents of a former Marine who is imprisoned in Russia are pinning their hopes on a summit between presidents Biden and Putin Wednesday. Paula and Joey Reed are concerned for their son, Trevor Reed, who was sentenced to nine years in prison last summer, and hope Biden, whom Reed once protected at Camp David, will intervene on his behalf. Reed, who refused to plead guilty to charges that he assaulted a police officer in Moscow almost two years ago after going out for goodbye drinks with his Russian fiancee, has caught COVID in prison. His parents think his conviction was trumped up for political leverage, and said he is "being held as a pawn, in a statement obtained by CNN. Its time for him to come home to Texas, they said.

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Russian authorities have limited Reeds contact with family and US authorities. In a letter, handwritten in Russian per the prisons rules, he asked if the embassy was even aware of his case. He also asked for toilet paper, water, and meat, and mentioned his COVID symptoms and weight loss. His parents have been pleading with the Russian government since his last phone call May 20 to let them contact him. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Reeds parents, and the relatives of Paul Whelan, another former Marine being held in Mordovia, a days drive from Moscow. Whelan, who considers himself a hostage, maintains hes innocent of the espionage he was convicted of, per CBS 11 News in Dallas-Fort Worth. (Read more US-Russia relations stories.)
(Newser)  A former butcher in Mexico has reportedly admitted to killing the 34-year-old wife of a local police official, but that appears to be only the tip of the iceberg, based on what authorities say they found in the basement of his home on the outskirts of Mexico City. The AP reports that on Saturday, investigators announced they'd retrieved almost 3,800 bone fragments, believed to belong to 17 alleged victims of the 72-year-old suspect identified officially only as Andres, underneath the floors of the residence in Atizapan, in the state of Mexico. Investigators say they also found ID cards of people who'd gone missing years ago, cellphones, women's clothing and shoes, jewelry, and cosmetics, as well as videotapes that indicate there may be recordings of the victims. Some of those recordings were on VHS cassettes and even 8mm videocassettes, indicating the killings may have stretched back for years. Police also suspect there could be even more victims than the 17 found.

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"Given the evidence and the findings in this place, the possibility of finding the remains of other victims is not excluded," prosecutors warned last month, per the Washington Post. The paper notes that these developments come against a backdrop of Latin America's femicide problem, where girls and women are murdered due to their gender. In 2020, there were nearly 1,000 victims of this particular kind of murder. El Universal, which says Andres' last name is Mendoza, notes that a police commander looking for his wife led to the discovery of what could be "the greatest femicide in the history of Mexico." The police commander says his wife vanished on May 15 after reportedly going on a shopping trip with Mendoza, who knew the officer, and that after reviewing surveillance tapes showing his wife near Mendoza's home, the officer went there and found a "grotesque and indescribable scene": his wife's dismembered body. Cops say they're trying to identify victims through bone fragment DNA. (Read more serial killer stories.)
(Newser)  Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is to meet President Biden at a summit Wednesday, has suggested that the hundreds of people arrested for rioting at the US Capitol are being subjected to persecution for political opinions," per the AP. The context: Putin is likely to come under strong criticism from Biden at their meeting in Geneva for moves against his political opponents in Russia, particularly the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the detention of thousands of demonstrators protesting his arrest, and the outlawing of Navalnys organizations as extremist. You are presenting it as dissent and intolerance toward dissent in Russia," Putin said in an interview with NBC News. "We view it completely differently." He then pointed to the Jan. 6 unrest in Washington.

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Do you know that 450 individuals were arrested after entering the Congress?" he said. "They came there with political demands."

Putin also reiterated denials that the Kremlin was behind last year's poisoning of Navalny. We don't have this kind of habit, of assassinating anybody, Putin said. Did you order the assassination of the woman who walked into the Congress and who was shot and killed by a policeman? Putin said, referring to Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt.

And he dismissed allegations that Russia is carrying out cyberattacks against the US. Where is the evidence? Where is proof? Its becoming farcical, Putin said. We have been accused of all kinds of thingselection interference, cyberattacks, and so on and so forthand not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof, just unfounded accusations.

(Read more Vladimir Putin stories.)
(Newser)  The COVID news has been indisputably good across the US in the last few weeks, but USA Today reports that eight states are now seeing an increase in cases. And it appears the spikes have a common denominator: Of those eight statesAlabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Missouri, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Wyomingseven have vaccination rates below the national average of 43%. (Hawaii is the outlier.) Related coverage:

That syncs with an analysis in the Washington Post that finds states with higher vaccination rates have "markedly fewer" new cases, and states with lower rates have "significantly higher" hospitalizations. The analysis notes that this is a new trend"as recently as 10 days ago, vaccination rates did not predict a difference in coronavirus cases."

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In the New York Times, David Leonhardt notes that the pace of vaccinations has slowed, as roughly one-third of Americans remain resistant to getting a shot. The double whammy is that this slowdown comes as the dangerous new Delta variant, first detected in India, is spreading. On CBS News Sunday, former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb said Delta now accounts for 10% of US cases, and the number is "doubling every two weeks."

"I think the risk is really to the fall that this could spike a new epidemic heading into the fall," said Gottlieb, referring to Delta. The sentiment is echoed in a Twitter thread from Dr. Robert Wachter of the University of California. Ill now bet well see significant (incl. many hospitalizations/deaths) surges this fall in low-vaccine populations due to combo of seasonality, Deltas nastiness, & back to normal behavior," he wrote.

In the Times analysis, Leonhardt notes that vaccines work well against Delta and other variants. And he cites this summation from Wachter: If youre fully vaxxed, I wouldnt be too worried, especially if youre in a highly vaxxed region, the doctor wrote. If youre not vaccinated: Id be afraid. Maybe even very afraid.

The US, meanwhile, is on the brink of 600,000 deaths overall, per Johns Hopkins.

(Read more COVID-19 stories.)
(Newser)  An Iowa man who was asked to wear his mask properly by a fellow customer in an eyewear store last year responded by following the man out to the parking lot and assaulting him, prosecutors say. Shane Michael, 42, has received a mandatory 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of "causing serious injury," BuzzFeed reports. According to a police report on the Nov. 11 incident in Des Moines, Michael "exchanged words" with the victim after he asked Michael to raise his mask so it covered his nose, reports the Des Moines Register. Police say Michael confronted the man in the parking lot, took him to the ground, kneed him in the genitals, and jabbed his left eye.

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According to the police report, the victim bit Michael in an attempt to get him to release him. Police say the victim told them Michael lowered his mask, spit and coughed on him, and told him, "If I have it, you have it." Witnesses, including a store employee, told police that Michael was definitely the aggressor. Michael rejected a plea deal in February that would have resulted in two years of probation, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. A jury found him guilty in April. Michael's father told the Dispatch that Michael has asthma "and so hes not going to cover his nose and mouth because he cant breathe." He said Michael rejected the plea deal because he felt he had been acting in self-defense. (Two airline passengers who refused to mask up have been fined for assaulting flight attendants.)
(Newser)  Reality Winner, the former intelligence contractor who received the longest-ever sentence for leaking government information to the media, has won early release from prison. Winner was 25 when she was arrested in July 2017 for leaking documents on Russian attempts to hack the 2016 election and has been behind bars since. She was sentenced to 63 months in 2018. Her release to what lawyer Alison Grinter Allen says is the "residential reentry process" comes weeks after she asked the Biden administration why she was serving a longer sentence than an "actual Russian spy." But Allen says Winner is being released early due to exemplary behavior, not as a "product of the pardon or compassionate release process," NBC reports. Sources tell the AP that Winner has been released to home confinement.

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"I am thrilled to announce that Reality Winner has been released from prison," Allen tweeted Monday. "She is still in custody in the residential reentry process, but we are relieved and hopeful." When Winner was sentenced, she had no criminal record, and critics accused the Trump-era Justice Department of trying to make an example out of her as it stepped up its campaign against leakers, Axios notes. A request for release during the early months of the COVID crisis was denied, and she tested positive for the virus last July. Allen tells the Verge that Winner, who is still banned from making public statements and whose release date is still listed as November this year, plans to continue seeking commutation and a pardon. (Read more Reality Winner stories.)
(Newser)  A small town in Florida accidentally sold its water tower in a blundered real estate transaction, per the AP. A businessman purchased a municipal building underneath the city of Brooksville's water tower last April for $55,000 with the goal of converting it into a gym. However, when Bobby Read went to the county to get an address for his new business location, he was told the parcel he bought included the entire water tower site, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Luckily for the town, Read was willing to give it back. County records show he transferred the tower back to Brooksville last month.

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I dont know where the blame falls here, said Blake Bell, a city council member. Were council members and we rely on the city manager. We assume that he has done his due diligence." City Manager Mark Kutney blamed the use of a bad legal description for what happened. The city's redevelopment agency director resigned after the accidental sale. Were human, Kutney said. Sometimes we make a mistake. The town of 8,500 residents is located 50 miles north of Tampa.

(Read more Florida stories.)
(Newser)  Plans for a film about the mosque massacre in Christchurch have met with shock and anger in New Zealand over the film's direction. The Hollywood film, They Are Us, centers on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's reaction and leadership after the attacknot on any of the Muslim victims or their families, the New York Times reports. The title is a quote by Ardern, made after a white supremacist shot to death 51 people in two mosques in 2019. "The issue is that the film is about Jacinda Ardern, but it's not her story to tell," says a spokeswoman for the National Islamic Youth Association. "It's the story of the victims and their victim community, and the truth is, they haven't been consulted at all." Ardern agrees. "There are plenty of stories from March 15 that could be told, but I don't consider mine to be one of them," the prime minister says in a statement. The project was announced Thursday, with Australian actress Rose Byrne cast as Ardern, per Deadline.

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The mayor of Christchurch said that while there's broad respect for Ardern's response, that's not the main story. "I'm absolutely appalled at this sense of entitlement from FilmNation," the US company behind the project, says Mayor Lianne Dalziel. She doesn't want film crews to show up in Christchurch, per RNZ. One New Zealand producer quit the project on Monday, and an online petition calls for the film to be canceled. It evokes the worst of old-time Hollywood, some said. "It was quite shocking to see that, in 2021, we are still making these films which you would probably see in the 1920s or '30s in Hollywood, where white saviors go into the desert," says an Iranian-New Zealand writer, academic, and filmmaker, per TVNZ. "It all kind of harks back to this kind of colonialist and Orientalist fantasy." Opposition has come from not just from New Zealand's Muslim population. "It's really good to see the Muslim and non-Muslim communities have rallied together," says a Muslim activist. (Read more New Zealand mosque shootings stories.)
In March, the royal renegades sat down with Winfrey for a candid, tell-all interview regarding their radical breakaway from the Royal Family last year. During the televised interview, the couple made several bombshell claims against the monarchy, claiming Meghan had not been provided with sufficient support as she battled suicidal ideation, and a well-known royal had questioned how dark their son's skin colour would be.

Speaking to 60 Minutes, Markle accused Winfrey of cashing in on the couple, claiming the host had used the royals to further her multi-billion-dollar empire.

"Oprah Winfrey, for one, I think is playing Harry and Meghan," he said. "I think she is using them to build her network and build her new shows."

Markle also labelled his son-in-law as a "very weakened man", suggesting he had been coerced into saying things he wouldn't have normally addressed.

"I think she's taken advantage of a very weakened man and has got him to say things that you just shouldn't be saying on television," he continued. "The bottom line is, she is working Harry."
Electric vehicles may be better for our carbon emissions - but mining for the lithium used in their batteries also has an environmental cost.

The extraction process pollutes soil and water, all while emitting carbon of its own.

But one Kiwi company is working to change all that, leading the way with a clean, green solution on England's Cornish coast.

Watch the video.
The whanau only moved to Australia in 2017 and later that year the father was arrested and convicted on domestic violence charges.

An Australian judge also imposed a family violence order preventing the man from contacting the woman.

Late last month, the New Zealand Family Court ordered the woman to return to Australia, but her lawyer has appealed.

"I never thought in a million years that I would get forced out of my own home," she tells The Hui.

"He's done more than enough to prove that he is not a safe person to be around. It's just terrifying to think of going back to the life we had there."

Auckland University law professor Mark Heneghan questions whether the Hague Convention, ratified in 1980, is still fit for purpose.

"More and more cases are coming forward where women are fleeing from situations where they feel unsafe. It was never designed for those cases back in 1980 when we didn't really talk about family violence," he said.

The woman told The Hui: "I just really, really need for my children and I to be safe and there's absolutely no way we will be if we're forced back to Australia."

Watch the video above.

Made with support from Te Mangai Paho and NZ On Air.
School Strike 4 Climate Auckland (SS4C) has announced it is disbanding as a group due to being "a racist, white-dominated space".

The Auckland chapter of the organisation, which advocates for climate change to be treated as a crisis, announced the decision in a Facebook post over the weekend.

It said the group made the decision under "the suggestion and guidance" of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) members of the group along with individual BIPOC activists and organisations.

"We are disbanding because, since 2019, SS4C AKL (as well as the wider national group, though we can't speak on their behalf) has been a racist, white-dominated space.

"SS4C AKL has avoided, ignored, and tokenised BIPOC voices and demands, especially those of Pasifika and Maori individuals in the climate activism space. As well as this, the responsibility and urgent need to decolonise the organisation has been put off for far too long. SS4C also delayed paying financial reparations for the work BIPOC groups/individuals within and alongside the group have done for this organisation in the past."
It's prompted backlash from those including trade and agriculture workers who rely on dirtier models, particularly utes.

Questioned on The AM Show on Monday whether this was a "tradie tax", Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern admitted there weren't enough electric utes to meet demand.

"We absolutely acknowledge, with utes at the moment, the market is not meeting the needs there," she told host Duncan Garner.

"This doesn't affect any vehicles that are currently in the New Zealand market, it's only those that are being newly imported - so the second-hand market isn't affected.

"The second point I'd make is that within the next - we're hoping the next 12 to 24 months - the likes of Toyota are talking about bringing in EV utes. My hope is then people might delay their purchase in order to start building the market."

In confirming an electric version of its famous Hilux won't be brought into New Zealand in the next 24 months, Toyota said it's "irresponsible" to suggest customers should immediately stop buying non-electric vehicles.

"The range and volumes of EV's needed to meet demand are simply not available, and many customers still need a vehicle to transport their family or operate their business," said Toyota New Zealand chief executive Neeraj Lala.

"Battery electric technology is coming but is not quite there yet."
David Seymour and Judith Collins are both condemning Jacinda Ardern after Toyota shut down the Prime Minister's claim the company is "talking about bringing in EV utes" to New Zealand.

Toyota New Zealand says it's "disappointed in misinformation" after Ardern suggested it's in discussions to bring an electric version of its famous utes here.

"Within the next - we're hoping the next 12 to 24 months - the likes of Toyota are talking about bringing in EV utes. My hope is then people might delay their purchase in order to start building the market," she told The AM Show on Monday.

But Toyota New Zealand put out a statement saying it isn't true.

"I'd like to reiterate that we do not have any plans for a battery electric Hilux in our line-up in the next 18-24 months," says Toyota New Zealand's CEO Neeraj Lala.

"It is irresponsible to suggest that customers stop buying non-electric vehicles immediately until there is an electric option available. The range and volumes of EV's needed to meet demand is simply not available."
To pay for the discounts, the Government will tax newly imported vehicles with high emissions profiles - vehicles like utes. The fees on higher emitting vehicles to help fund the scheme won't begin until January next year.

The policy announcement came off the back of the Climate Change Commission's final advice to the Government. To meet the Zero Carbon Act's emissions targets, it said New Zealand must stop importing petrol vehicles by 2035, since transport makes up almost 33 percent of emissions.

Collins has vowed to "reverse" the incentive scheme policy because she believes it unfairly targets farmers who need vehicles like utes for work.

"National would reverse this ridiculous situation that the Government has put a lot of Kiwis into where people who have to have a ute for their work or want to have one for their work are now being told that they will get to pay for people who get choices around whether or not they have an EV," she told Magic Talk.

"It is a tax, just like Labour said they wouldn't do - they're now doing it again, revoking all those promises they made and just going and doing exactly what they want to do."

Collins described it as "counterintuitive" because coal use is on the rise. The latest data from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) shows coal used for electricity had more than doubled from the previous quarter to nearly 430,000 tonnes.

"That has a lot to do with the oil and gas ban on exploration because natural gas cannot be relied on to top up and take the peak loads, so now there is more coal coming in and strangely enough we've got plenty of coal in New Zealand but for some reason it's apparently better to buy Indonesian coal, ship it over, and train it over to Huntly," said Collins.

"The entire thing is bizarre, it is totally counter-intuitive, and the Government has not a clue as to what it's doing on this."
After almost 50 years, the Government is set to apologise for the dawn raids of the 1970s that terrified the Pacific community.

Newshub understands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will announce details of a Government apology for the Dawn Raids at her post-Cabinet press conference.

Started by Labour and continued when Sir Robert Muldoon's National took over later that decade, the raids saw Polynesians targeted by police - despite most overstayers being European/Pakeha, according to the Government's New Zealand History website.

People weren't just accosted in their homes - they were also stopped on the streets and asked for documents, "anything that proved a person's right to be in the country".

In April, a renewed call for a formal state apology was made.

"We are seeking formal recognition of an era of blatant racism from the New Zealand government, so that we can be sure that it will never happen again, Melani Anae, a founding member of the Polynesian Panthers, told the Guardian.

Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio told Newshub Nation last month he was still considering whether to issue a formal apology, and was taking his time to consider all the issues.

"This is important because you're asking the present Government to apologise for something that occurred 50 years ago. I need to be able to look at all angles of that to be able to determine what recommendation I would make to the Government."

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Polynesian Panthers, a social justice movement formed to push back against racial inequalities carried out against indigenous Maori and Pacific Islanders.
"No, no I was not, and I generally have a bit of a policy of not really engaging in any efforts to write anything specifically of that nature - about me," she said.

"But I have from time to time, when someone's made an approach and said they're writing a book on women in leadership in particular, on the odd occasion I have contributed to those. That was the nature of the request I received in this example."

Ardern said she was approached about it in 2019.

"I was told the author was writing a book on women in political leadership and I was told there were roughly 10 other female political leaders involved, and asked whether or not I would participate. And on that basis, given it wasn't specific to me, I was happy to contribute," she said.

"So no, it's not accurate to say it was an exclusive interview specifically for that purpose, no."

Ardern said she felt misled.

"Well clearly I was," she said. "I would seek that any statements are not misleading and certainly the claim that it was an exclusive interview for the purpose of writing a book of that nature is not true, so I think we'll certainly ask that that be clarified."

The publisher, Hardie Grant Books, has been approached by Newshub for a response.
US President Joe Biden had a senior moment during the G7 summit on Sunday, confusing Syria with Libya three times.

The 78-year-old was discussing how the US could cooperate with Russia ahead of his meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

"We can work together with Russia, for example, in Libya," Biden stammered.

He repeated his mistake two more times during his speech.

"[Russia] have also bitten off some real problems they're going to have trouble chewing on for example in Syria, in Libya," he said later.

He then said he hopes the US can "save some lives" - again in Libya, rather than Syria.

"I hope we can save the lives of people, for example, in Libya,"
A story 60 years in the making, a complete bowhead whale skeleton is now at University of Alaska Museum of the North. It is the only suspended bowhead whale skeleton in North America.
Most likely, the old storage structure at Lawing on the eastern shore of Kenai Lake was originally a railroad work crew housing unit, capable of being transported on a flat car.
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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Continue adhering to the instructions of the National Taskforce for Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is crucial for Bahrain in winning the COVID-19 battle, stressed Police directorates and security departments all over the Kingdom yesterday.

It is the national duty of every individual in the Kingdom to obey the COVID-19 preventive measures to help protect the society, the statement said.

The authorities, the statement said, are also taking stringent actions against all those caught violating COVID-19 precautionary measures.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The European Parliament's solutions against Bahrain lack objectivity and credibility as they tend to ignore the Kingdoms big strides in protecting human rights. This was emphasised by Representatives Council Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal as she discussed Arab issues with Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq bin Ali Al Ghanim over the phone yesterday.

She also criticised the European Parliament for relying on unofficial information aimed at tarnishing the Kingdoms image and belittling its pioneering human rights experience.

Speaker Zainal stressed the development of the human rights system in Bahrain in light of the noble royal care and directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the tireless efforts of the government, led by His Royal Highness, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

She highlighted the issues discussed with the Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker which will be raised at the meeting with the European Parliament President. She stressed rejection of the Representatives Council of the inaccurate and biased stances adopted by some members of the European Parliament, calling anew to evaluate the human rights situation in Bahrain with utter impartiality.

Zainal emphasised the need to further boost Arab-European relations and the exchange of experiences in vital areas, including sources of sustainable and renewable energy.

She stressed the importance of the issue as a top priority in the policies of the Arab and Gulf countries, in light of the national endeavours to increase renewable energy sources.

The Speaker affirmed support to the Arab efforts aimed at backing the Palestinian issue and the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights according to the two-state solution, the Arab Peace initiative, and the relevant resolutions of the international legitimacy.

She also touched on the ongoing talks regarding the Iranian nuclear issue, stressing the importance of taking into consideration regional and international worries about the Iranian nuclear programme and ensuring the way of handling this issue does not harm the interests of the Arab countries.

The Speaker wished Al Ghanim every success in the meetings he will hold as a representative of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union and in coming up with positive results to achieve the interests of the Arab countries.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh has lauded the depth of the distinguished friendly Bahraini-Pakistani relations, praising their steady progress mainly in the trade, security and economic fields.

He also hailed the ongoing cooperation between the Shura Council in Bahrain and the legislative branch in Pakistan.

While receiving yesterday, the newly-appointed Pakistani Ambassador to Bahrain, Muhammad Ayub, the Shura head stressed the need to take advantage of the two countries shared values in order to bolster bilateral cooperation at all levels.

Al Saleh highlighted the Shura Councils keenness to develop parliamentary relations with the Pakistani legislative branch, through exchanging expertise and coordinating at international gatherings in order to support efforts to achieve global peace, security and coexistence. He also praised the contributions of the members of the Pakistani expatriate community in Bahrain and their good relations with the Bahraini society.

Ambassador Ayub praised the advanced level reached by relations between the two friendly countries across all fields, hailing the support of the Bahraini leadership to his country. He affirmed his countrys keenness to enhance its coordination with Bahrain in order to achieve regional security and stability, wishing Bahrain further progress and prosperity.
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Froma Harrop is a writer and author. She is best known for her bi-weekly syndicated column. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com.
NEW YORK (AP)  Ned Beatty, the Oscar-nominated character actor who in half a century of American movies, including Deliverance, Network and Superman, was a booming, indelible presence in even the smallest parts, has died. He was 83.

Beatty's manager, Deborah Miller, said Beatty died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by friends and loved ones.

After years in regional theater, Beatty was cast in 1972's Deliverance as Bobby Trippe, the happy-go-lucky member of a male river-boating party terrorized by backwoods thugs in Deliverance. The scene in which Trippe is brutalized and forced to squeal like a pig became the most memorable in the movie and established Beatty as an actor whose name moviegoers may not have known but whose face they always recognized.

For people like me, theres a lot of I know you! I know you! What have I seen you in? Beatty remarked without rancor in 1992.

Beatty received only one Oscar nomination, as supporting actor for his role as corporate executive Arthur Jensen in 1976s Network, but he contributed to some of the most popular movies of his time and worked constantly, his credits including more than 150 movies and TV shows.

Beatty's appearance in Network, scripted by Paddy Chayefsky an directed by Sidney Lumet, was brief but titanic. His three-minute monologue ranks among the greatest in movies. Jensen summons anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) to a long, dimly lit boardroom for a come-to-Jesus about the elemental powers of media.

You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale, and I wont have it! Beatty shouts from across the boardroom before explaining that there is no America, no democracy. There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today.

He was equally memorable as Otis, the idiot henchman of villainous Lex Luthor in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies and as the racist sheriff in White Lightning. Other films included All The Presidents Men, The Front Page, Nashville, and The Big Easy. In a 1977 interview, he had explained why he preferred being a supporting actor.

Stars never want to throw the audience a curveball, but my great joy is throwing curveballs, he told The New York Times. Being a star cuts down on your effectiveness as an actor because you become an identifiable part of a product and somewhat predictable. You have to mind your Ps and Qs and nurture your fans. But I like to surprise the audience, to do the unexpected.

He landed a rare leading role in the Irish film Hear My Song in 1991. The true story of legendary Irish tenor Josef Locke, who disappeared at the height of a brilliant career, it was well reviewed but largely unseen in the United States. Between movies, Beatty worked often in TV and theater. He had recurring roles in Roseanne as John Goodmans father and as a detective on Homicide: Life on the Street.

On Broadway he won critical praise (and a Drama Desk Award) for his portrayal of Big Daddy in a revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a role he had first played as a 21-year-old in a stock company production. His more recent movies included Toy Story 3 (as the duplicitous stuffed bear Lotso) in 2010 and the villainous tortoise mayor in Rango." He retired in 2013.

Ned Thomas Beatty was born in 1937 in Louisville, Ky., and raised in Lexington, where he joined the Protestant Disciples of Christ Christian Church. It was the theater I attended as a kid, he told The Associated Press in 1992. It was where people got down to their truest emotions and talked about things they didnt talk about in everyday life. ... The preaching was very often theatrical. For a time he thought of becoming a priest, but changed his mind after he was cast in a high school production of Harvey.

He spent 10 summers at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia, and eight years at the Arena Stage Company in Washington, D.C. At the Arena Stage, he appeared in Chekhovs Uncle Vanya and starred in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman. Then his life changed forever when he took a train to New York to audition for director John Boorman for the role of Bobby Trippe. Boorman told him the role was cast, but changed his mind after seeing Beatty audition.

Beatty, who married Sandra Johnson in 1999, had eight children from three previous marriages.

___

The late AP Entertainment Writer Bob Thomas contributed biographical material to this story.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico residents who get vaccinated against COVID-19 will now be eligible for a $100 incentive as the state began a hard push Monday.

The New Mexico Department of Health has announced the reward for anyone who gets their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Thursday.

State health officials are trying to reach a goal of having 60% of New Mexico residents age 16 and up fully vaccinated this week. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has vowed to end the state's color-coded risk system two weeks after the vaccination goal is reached, meaning businesses would be able to fully reopen.

The campaign included emails from various state agencies urging people to get their shots. The leader of the New Mexico Senate, Democrat Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque, sent out her own emails declaring: It's vaccine time! Stewart's emails also included suggestions for social media posts and email language that could be shared with friends and family.

Republican lawmakers have long criticized the states reopening framework as outdated. The Democratic governor also has faced heat from business owners over her handling of the pandemic, and from parents for what many have described as a lost year of learning after schools were forced to go virtual and for their children's inability to participate last year in extra curricular activities.

The latest incentive is on top of the state's Vax 2 the Max program, where vaccinated residents can win prizes from a pool totaling $10 million. The rewards include a $5 million grand prize.

New Mexico will hold its first drawings Friday for four prizes of $250,000 each.

Lujan Grisham says the lottery program is funded by federal pandemic relief money.

Vaccination rates have slowed over recent weeks. The latest data from the state puts vaccinations at about 58%.

The sweepstakes kept numbers from declining further but the boost was small. According to the state, the seven-day average of new vaccination registrations was 1,437 per day during the first week of the contest  just 85 more per day that the previous week.

The Health Department acknowledged Monday that there is more vaccine supply than demand.

Department spokesman David Morgan said in an email to The Associated Press that New Mexico is trying to adapt in several ways, including ordering only a minimal number of doses.

There is a large amount of inventory in freezers around the state, but Morgan did not say how many doses are in storage or how long it will be before they expire.

We are working as hard as we can to get doses into arms all around the state, he said, pointing to the cash incentives.
Mapping the path towards revival and restoration of healthy lands on a global scale is one of the main agendas

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) meeting will be held today, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the high-level meeting virtually at 7:30 PM today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the President of the Conference of the parties to the UNCCDs 14th session.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification will assess the progress of the nations in battling the issue of land degradation and map the further path towards revival and restoration of healthy lands on a global scale. The president of the UN general assembly, Volkan Bozkir, will convene the meeting with the assistance of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. According to the advisory issued by the UNCCD, many world leaders, government representatives, ministers, international organizations, United Nations institutions, civil society groups, as well as members from the general public.

Along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Deputy UN-Secretary General Amina Mohamed, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Ibrahim Thiaw, and Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim will also address the high-level meeting. The meeting will also focus on the formation and implementation of National Drought Plans. However, the centre of the entire SDG agenda will be land restoration. The plan will also include biodiversity, climate, and disaster-risk reduction as its components.

The advisory released by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification also said, Land is the foundation of our societies and is a cornerstone to global food security and environmental health, zero hunger, poverty eradication and affordable energy. It underpins the success of the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

India is a nation that has been facing an acute water shortage for several decades now. A large number of lakes in the country are on the verge of drying up and need immediate attention. These lakes are in dire need of conservation and restoration. In one of the speeches on Man Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the assistance of the media as a tool to propagate the initiatives to a broader audience.

In compliance, iTV network, a renowned media organization, launched Aakhri Boond, supposedly the biggest water conservation initiative in the country. The campaign aims to educate people about the grave consequences of wasting water and lead the population on a path of judicial water usage and prudent conservation.
A day before the meeting with US President Joe Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey will be the only reliable country left to stabilise Afghanistan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would discuss stabilising Afghanistan in his meeting with Joe Biden on the margins of the NATO summit in Brussels on Monday Before leaving for Brussels on Sunday, Erdogan told reporters at Istanbul airport America is preparing to leave Afghanistan soon and from the moment they leave, the only reliable country to maintain the process over there is Turkey.

Kabul airport, which is the main exit route for western diplomats and humanitarian workers, has been under threat for a long time. Reports say that Turkey is prepared to keep troops in Afghanistan to protect it. This statement came as the US was in the final stages of completing a military drawdown, alongside NATO forces, by September 11, 20 years after its Afghanistan invasion.

Erdogan states that after the US troop pullout Turkish officials had informed their American counterparts about Ankaras plans in Afghanistan. They are pleased. We will be able to discuss the Afghanistan process with them, he said. Sources say that a Turkish official confirmed that Western powers were willing to let Turkey protect the Kabul airport. However, he added, why should Turkey try hard if nobody is going to give support? These issues need to be clarified.

The Taliban, on Saturday, said that foreign forces should hold no hope of keeping a military presence in Afghanistan. It warned that the security of embassies and airports would be the responsibility of Afghans.

The relations between the US and Turkey have been tense in recent years. However, Erdogan said he wanted to start a new chapter with the Biden administration. There were rumours here and there. We need to leave them behind and discuss what we can do. We expect to see an approach from the US without ifs and buts, the President said.

Moreover, the list of contentions between the two countries is long from US support for Kurdish fighters in Syria to Turkeys purchase of a Russian weapons system. In April, Biden enraged Ankara by declaring that the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians was genocide. The former US presidents tried to avoid that term out of concern that it would complicate ties with Turkey, as the latter is proud of its Ottoman history and insists that those killed in the early 20th century were victims of civil war and unrest.

While talking about Bidens use of the term genocide, Erdogan said: This has seriously saddened us Turkey is not an ordinary country. Its an ally of America.

Erdogan has been in power for over 18 years as Prime minister and then President. He had a couple of one-on-one meetings with officials across the globe like French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
During the 2018 conference "Imagining the Next Flu Pandemic - and Preventing it!" Baric uses the graphics to extrapolate investment assistance on how to make money in the next pandemic by showing which stocks and industries soared during the Ebola crisis.

Chinas 2018 leaked video of Wuhan Institute of Virology concludes that the COVID-19 originated from Chinas Wuhan lab and during the 2018 conference, Dr. Ralph Baric of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a collaborator and gain-of-function advocate, gave attendees advice on how to make a profit in the next pandemic.

Wuhan labs researchers immediately started brainstorming ways of making money from a pandemic. Baric shows a slide titled Global Catastrophe: Opportunities Exist during his 2018 conference Imagining the Next Flu Pandemic  and Preventing it! He uses the graphics to extrapolate investment assistance on how to make money in the next pandemic by showing which stocks and industries soared during the Ebola crisis.

Before pointing out that there are real mutual funds for outbreak preparedness Baric adds that the abovementioned sectors and firms would probably do very well. He also added Some items are successful. It was the same thing in 1918, with masks, and its the same thing today. According to Baric, pandemics are periods of fortune, amid times of societal instability, there is a potential for people to achieve political, financial, and personal gain, and this will almost certainly happen.

Baric said if one wants to make money from the pandemic then purchase stock in firms that create Lab coats and protective clothes, or firms that develop antiviral medications for that epidemic.

Last year, scientists proposed the natural emergence of Covid-19 as the most logical explanation. However, in recent times, many scientists and officials from all across the world have raised concerns that the disease may have left a Chinese laboratory. According to a report from a US laboratory, the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis appears credible.
CHESHIRE  A lawsuit filed on behalf of a former student at Cheshire Academy alleges that she was sexually abused and assaulted by a former teacher more than a decade ago, citing grooming behavior when she was 12.

The lawsuit, dated May 24 and filed on June 7, requests damages against the school in excess of $75,000 for punitive damages and other relief.

The Cheshire Academy, based at 10 Main St. in Cheshire, is a private, college preparatory school for boarding and day students from grades 9 to 12, as well as post-graduate students. At the time of the accusations, there was also a middle school, which the victim was attending, the suit stated.

In a statement to Hearst Connecticut Media, Ken Mason, the schools chief marketing officer, said the lawsuit is a sensitive and complex legal matter.

The school takes the disturbing allegations in the complaint very seriously, Mason said. The health, safety, and wellbeing of our students  past and present  are our highest priorities.

Mason confirmed the former teacher named in the complaint was employed at the school from July 2003 through June 2004.

Out of respect for the legal process now underway and the privacy of the individuals involved, we will be addressing this matter in court and will not be commenting further, Mason said.

The lawsuit alleges a former teacher at the school  named in the suit as Matthew Nelson  subjected the student, identified as a woman who now lives in Nevada and referred to as Jane Doe, to sexual abuse while she was enrolled at the school during the 2003-04 school year, the lawsuit alleges. She was in the seventh grade at the time.

The suit claims Cheshire Academy was negligent in its supervision of Nelson, saying if the academy had adequately supervised him, they would have discovered and prevented further inappropriate sexual misconduct. The suit claimed the schools actions were grossly negligent, malicious and outrageous.

The suit claims the abuse started on the Cheshire campus. Nelson is accused of having groomed Jane Doe, often keeping her after-school in his classroom with the door closed, where he would touch her inappropriately, according to the lawsuit.

In the winter of 2004, the middle school students went on a field trip and stayed at a hotel for several nights, the lawsuit said. During that trip, the lawsuit alleges that Nelson drugged Jane Doe, held her in his hotel room, alone, and sexually assaulted her.

Cheshire (Academy) knew or should have known that perpetrator (Nelson) was an abuser who posted a risk of harm to children, the suit claims.

The abuse has led Jane Doe to experience severe and permanent emotional distress and has deprived her of the full enjoyment of life, the suit claims, adding that she also had to take on expenses for medical and psychological treatment.
Unions representing workers at Connecticuts prisons want state lawmakers to pay them what is being called heroes pay because of the level of exposure they had to COVID-19.

Sal Luciano, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, said this is for workers at all of the prisons, whether they come in direct contact with inmates or not. For every hour Department of Correction employees have worked since the start of the pandemic, Luciano said, $1 should be added to their paycheck.

If you worked $20 hours in a week, an additional $20 should be added, he said. If you worked 60 hours, you should get an additional $60.

Luciano and the others who participated in the virtual press conference Monday urged lawmakers to take up the issue in the legislative special session.

Ginny Ligi is a corrections officer at the Cheshire Correctional Institution who contracted COVID-19 and was out of work for about three weeks. She also is a member of AFSCME Local 387

We deserve to be treated as heroes, not zeros, Ligi said. During the COVID-19 crisis, corrections facilities became a petri dish for infection. Corrections employees, like myself, had a one-in-four chance of contracting COVID.

She said many corrections employees continue to suffer from long-term health impacts and will never be the same.

Millie Brown is the president of the corrections supervisors union that is part of CSEA-SEIU Local 200. Brown said the sacrifices our members took can not be repaid. But Ligi said pandemic pay signifies more than just compensation.

It is an affirmation of our importance and value as workers, she said.

Debbie Williams works as an identification records specialist at the Bridgeport Correctional Center. And though Williams works in a clerical position, COVID doesnt differentiate between workers on the front lines and those who work in the office.

Funds for the proposed lump-sum payments to essential workers would come from federal American Rescue Plan resources allocated to the state.

A total of 19 prisoners have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to state DOC officials. A total of 4,546 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19; 4,495 of them have recovered.

None of the staff at any of the prisons have died from COVID-19, but 1,690 have tested positive for the virus. All but four have returned to work, according to DOC officials.

Among inmates, 4,828 have received one dose of the vaccine, according to Andrius Banevicius, a DOC spokesman. A total of 2,697 corrections staffers have received one dose of the vaccine, although Banevicius said it is likely that additional staff members have received the vaccine outside of work.

But due to HIPAA privacy laws we have no way of knowing how many may have been vaccinated, he said.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN  What you need at a fire is a commander who calmly directs firefighters to knock down a blaze as safely and as quickly as possible.

No one did that better than retired Fire Chief Michael Grant, who died Sunday at 70 after a long illness, according to those who served with him.

When Car 31 arrived at the scene, every firefighter felt like a weight taken off his chest, said retired Firefighter Ed Prunier, who drove the tower ladder out of the Central Station. You knew the man wouldnt ask you to do something that he wouldnt do himself.

Grant, who retired in 2014 after 42 years with the New Haven Fire Department  11 as chief  was more than a commander, Prunier said. If you had a personal issue or family issue, the guy was like a father to 400 guys. As far as his firefighting ability, he was second to none.

/ Hearst Connecticut Media file

He was a teacher, as well, serving on the faculty of the Valley Regional Fire School and then as director of the New Haven Regional Fire School. When I got on the job, he was my training officer, Prunier said. He trained my class.

Retired Fire Capt. Rob Celentano also was fortunate enough to be trained by him  He was trained on everything. He taught every class; he took every class.

Celentano said Grant was well respected from all over the country, one of the best firemen Ive ever seen. You knew you were all right when he was outside and you were inside.

Grant, who was operations chief before becoming chief of the department, showed his mettle during a massive fire in December 2007, when he had just had just gotten his shoulder done, Celentano said. He wasnt supposed to be there.

The fire started in the Brass Monkey bar on Center Street and destroyed a third of the block bound by Center, Church, Chapel and Orange streets. It destroyed several buildings, including the former S.S. Kresge variety store.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file

He came and he ran that job, Celentano said. We needed him that day. We could have lost a whole block. He said Grant was always calm on the fire ground. He knew what he as doing. There was no yelling. You knew what he wanted.

It was a tough fire because it was in the middle of the block and they were actually fighting the fire on three sides of the block, said former Mayor John DeStefano Jr. It was particularly difficult because there were occupied high-rises all around it.

DeStefano, mayor from 1994 to 2014, said when he first wanted to appoint Grant as chief he demurred. He wanted to wait.  Most meaningfully, he was an exemplar of a can-do leader [who] led by what he did, not by what he said, DeStefano said.

His strength was managing a fire ground  the tactical approach to the fire, DeStefano said. Mike was a very aggressive fire commander. He went in and attacked fires. His only weakness as a fire ground commander was he had to restrain himself from going in.

Mara Lavitt / Hearst Connecticut Media file

Grant also was chief during the lawsuit brought by Firefighter Frank Ricci over race-based promotions that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2009. It was a challenge, DeStefano said. It was divisive in the ranks. It prevented us from hiring and promoting for a long period of time. Michael was not happy with decisions I made in that process but he managed it.

DeStefano said Grant showed up as a leader by example and he showed up with pride at every firefighter that was around him.

Mayor Justin Elicker said the news comes as a surprise. He said he last saw Grant at the funeral of Firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. on May 20 and worked with him when Elicker was an alder.

The legacy he left for the city is remarkable, Elicker said. He was a firefighter through and through.  He is always someone who is soft-spoken, a man of integrity and focused on the best interests of the city.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file

Elicker said when there was a proposal to replace an engine at the Whitney Avenue fire station with paramedic units, the chief was straightforward and factual  and had a level of humility about the challenges we faced as a city.

You knew you were going to get a thoughtful and straight answer from him.  It wouldnt be political at all, Elicker said.

Fire Chief John Alston said in a statement, When you think of the New Haven Fire Department and when I have traveled across this country, the name of Mike Grant is always spoken of with the deepest respect and admiration. Chief Grant made such a tremendous impact in our City and in our region.

Mary E. O'Leary /Hearst Connecticut Media /

Former Mayor Toni Harp said Grant was helpful to her even after he retired.

He was someone who really understood the art of fighting fires safely and he was a dedicated civil servant and a wonderful human being and someone to be honored and someone we will miss, she said.

He was someone who always spoke the truth in his point of view and  was very easy to work with, she said.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media file

Grant started in the fire service as a teenager. Mike was a volunteer with the Derby Fire Department, and he was still in high school, said former New Haven Fire Chief Martin OConnor.

Chief Grant was one of a kind, OConnor said. He was one of those lucky people in life who knew early on, almost from boyhood, what he wanted to do and he did it better than anybody.

OConnor said he last saw Grant 10 days ago. He was on oxygen. He stood up and he said, Marty, I feel like a firefighter today, if it werent for this oxygen. Every time I saw him, I would remark at how hearty he looked.

Arnold Gold /

Grant was born Oct. 24, 1950. He leaves his wife, Beth; three children, New Haven Fire Lt. Patrick Grant, Michelle Grant and Kristen Grant; and two grandsons. Two nephews also serve in the New Haven Fire Department: Lt. Louis Oliwa and Firefighter Matthew Thomas.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday that the global tribunals relationship with the United States  plunged into the deep freeze by former President Donald Trump  is undergoing a reset under his successor, Joe Biden.

Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press, on the day Biden was meeting NATO allies in Brussels to reaffirm Washingtons commitment to the military alliance  in another break from the Trump era of deep skepticism toward multilateralism.

Bensouda spoke to AP at the courts headquarters in The Hague on the eve of leaving office after her nine-year term as the ICCs chief prosecutor. Her successor, British lawyer Karim Khan, takes office on Wednesday.

The Trump administration hit Bensouda with sanctions for pressing ahead with investigations into the U.S. and its allies, notably Israel, for alleged war crimes. She was subjected to a travel ban in March 2019, and 18 months later a freeze on her U.S.-based assets.

I do believe that it was wrong. Really, a red line has been crossed, Bensouda said of the sanctions.

Biden lifted the sanctions in April but Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Washington still strongly disagreed with some actions by the court.

We believe, however, that our concerns about these cases would be better addressed through diplomacy rather than through the imposition of sanctions, Blinken wrote.

Bensouda welcomed the change of tone.

We are at a more helpful place now because the Biden administration has decided to lift those sanctions and both the administration and ourselves, we are working on some kind of a reset that is the relationship between the ICC and the US administration, she said.

The court is investigating allegations of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity by U.S. troops and foreign intelligence operatives, as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the Afghanistan conflict that also covers alleged crimes by Afghan government forces and the Taliban.

Afghan authorities have asked the court to take over the probe.

Bensouda met with Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar last month to discuss the case.

Atmar said after the meeting that we are confident that with full cooperation with the Prosecutor, we can jointly advance the cause of justice for all of the victims of the long and devastating conflict.

Bensouda said Afghan authorities need to show the court that they are investigating the same alleged crimes identified by the ICC probe.

If they are able to provide us with this information that they are conducting these cases, then of course, we will have to take a step back and look at what they are doing and monitor that, she said.

Bensouda launched another politically charged investigation in March, into alleged crimes by both Israel and Hamas on Palestinian territories dating back to mid-2014. Israel has harshly condemned the probe.

Bensouda warned both sides during the recent 11-day Gaza war that that she was watching their actions, which could be included in her ongoing investigation if they appeared to amount to possible crimes within the courts jurisdiction.

During the conflict, Israel destroyed a 12-story building housing media organizations including The Associated Press and Al Jazeera. The Israeli military, which gave AP journalists and other tenants about an hour to evacuate, claimed Hamas used the building for a military intelligence office and weapons development.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the bombing as a possible war crime. AP has called for an independent investigation of the attack.

Bensouda did not say that her office is specifically looking at the attack, but said of the 11-day conflict: We are not ignoring anything.

Asked whether Israel has provided any evidence to the court about the incident, she said: Definitely we have not had anything come from Israel about this.

Bensouda has signaled that she would attempt to round off a series of preliminary investigations before she leaves office. On Monday, she announced that she has sought judges authorization to open an investigation into the Philippine governments so-called war on drugs.

Before leaving office, she also urged the courts member states to adequately fund the institution, and the international community to help it by arresting suspects. The court itself does not have a police force to carry out arrests.

She said funding for her office has not kept up with the soaring demand for investigations around the world.

If really were serious about international criminal justice, if we are serious about bringing justice to the victims, we also need to provide the court with the resources that it needs to do that work, Bensouda said.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  The president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City filed a motion Monday that she said was intended to represent taxpayers in a lawsuit over proposals to change how part of the city's police department budget is spent.

Gwen Grant said in a statement that she took the action because the current policing structure does not represent the concerns of Kansas City residents, particularly minorities.

The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners sued Mayor Quinton Lucas and the City Council last month after the council voted 9-4 to approve ordinances that would move about $42 million of the police department's budget into a new fund.

The city manager would negotiate with the commissioners on spending those funds, with an emphasis on social services and intervention programs to address violent crime.

The board of commissioners includes four members appointed by the Missouri governor and the city's mayor. The board controls the Kansas City police department, including its budget. Kansas City is the only major city in the state without control of its police force.

Grant said the current structure represents taxation without representation and violates the state's Hancock Amendment, which limits state revenues and local taxes. She said it also violates the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause.

Enough is enough," Grant said. "Kansas Citians cannot be made to write a blank check to a Board that does not answer to us, is unrepresentative of our needs, and sues our elected officials when they dont acquiesce to the Boards every demand.

The lawsuit filed by the commissioners argues that state law gives the board exclusive authority over the police department and its budget, which must be at least 20% of the city's general revenue. Opponents of the ordinances have painted them as being an effort to defund the police.

This is not about defunding the police, Grant said Monday. This is about the police being accountable to the city that they serve. This is about taxation without representation. This is about taking our fight to court to seek remedy after decades upon decades of injustice.

Commission member Nathan Garrett's resignation was announced Monday. Garrett, one of the strongest backers of the police department and a vocal critic of Lucas and the proposed budget changes, said he was resigning because he was moving to Smithville, a Kansas City suburb.

Garrett sent his letter of resignation to Gov. Mike Parson on Friday, KSHB-TV reported.

This department now finds itself at perhaps its most critical moment, and I ask for what I know you will give: focused and considered thought to my replacement, Garrett wrote to Parson. May it be one willing to act  informed and thoughtfully  without fear or favor and without regard for political winds or public criticism.

Earlier this month, a Jackson County Circuit Judge gave the city's attorneys until this week to respond to the police boards lawsuit. In the meantime, the city was ordered to continue to funding police operations at present spending levels.
Shelton Police / Contributed

SHELTON  Detectives believe the Bridgeport man found dead in the parking lot of a local hotel had showed up to meet some acquaintances who were having a get together in one of the rooms, according to police.

Lt. Robert Kozlowsky said the investigation is active, with information all being preliminary and subject to change as new details come to light.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  Gov. Pete Ricketts on Monday marked the 150th anniversary of the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln.

Ricketts proclaimed State Museum Day to the acknowledged the contribution of the museum and others throughout Nebraska. The University of Nebraska State Museum is a staple of the university's flagship campus, with displays of history, wildlife and geology, among other features.
BOSTON (AP)  The use of ride hailing services plummeted in Massachusetts in 2020 as the pandemic shuttered businesses and forced many to work from home.

Ride hailing companies last year provided about 35 million rides that started in Massachusetts  a 62% drop statewide from the 91.1 million rides started in 2019, according to reports released Monday by the state Department of Public Utilities.
WEST HAVEN  In 1909, Yale University graduate William Taft was inaugurated as the 27th president of the United States, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded and West Havens Washington Elementary School was built.

Although both the presidency and the NAACP continue to exist today uninterrupted, local officials said 112 years of continuous usage is too long for a school building that once was considered an innovator for its use of coal-fired hot water boilers.

In the past 112 years, Washington School should have been rebuilt three times, said Ken Carney, chairman of the citys Building Oversight Committee.

Carney on Monday provided a concept plan for a new Washington Elementary School, to be built on the same site as the current school at 369 Washington Ave. The project, which officials estimate to cost around $38 million, would be supplemented by $24 million in state bonding through a school construction reimbursement program.

According to state Rep. Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven, chairwoman of the state legislatures Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committees Bonding Subcommittee, rebuilding the K-4 school has been a top priority for her since being elected to the General Assembly.

This building is over 100 years old, with no elevators and bathrooms in the basement, she said.

As a result, the building raises serious accessibility concerns, she said.

Fourth-grade students on the verge of promotion to fifth grade said the issues go even deeper.

This school is kind of old. The (air-conditioning) doesnt really work, said Jayce Peluso.

Some of the lights are broken and theres some cracks, added Jose Rangel.

Jayce said that, before he moves onto middle school, his fondest memories of his education thus far are of his teachers. He said he believes they deserve a new building.

Carney said a new, two-story building would be built farther back on the property, allowing for a bus loop to ease the flow of traffic. Traffic on Washington Avenue is one of city Councilwoman Bridgette Hoskies biggest concerns.

Hopefully its going to help with the traffic, because you cant get by here. Its borderline unsafe, she said.

Carney said the city also will hire a traffic consultant to ensure that the area is safer for pedestrians and has improved traffic flow.

The building has been approved for about 52,000 square feet and would have air-conditioning, be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, feature energy-saving fixtures and wireless internet. Before breaking ground, Carney said the citys building committee first must select an architect, which it is narrowing from nine applicants.

Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro said the city long has had a vision of rebuilding its schools instead of making piecemeal fixes.

If we want our kids to compete, they need the best and they deserve the best, he said. We need to do better for our kids. A lot of people love this building and its going to be difficult to see it torn down, but it just doesnt meet the needs of our staff and students.

According to Carney, the building will remain functional for about two years after the city breaks ground on the new project, before being torn down.

Washington Elementary would be the latest school to be newly constructed following completion of a new West Haven High School.

Board of Education Chairwoman Cebi Waterfield said the new Washington Elementary would support the citys vision of schools as community centers  buildings that serve as the anchor for the local neighborhood.

Kim Kenney, president of the citys PTA, said the new school ultimately would support the fostering of deeper relationships between school staff and the community.

This is a huge undertaking and Im so excited to see it become a reality, she said.

Washington Elementary Principal Twana Shirden has served on the construction committee for the new building since its inception, although she will be leaving the district for a new job at the end of the school year.

I think its phenomenal. The students and staff are deserving and its well overdue, she said. A modernized building will enhance the education experience.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
The Nigerian army has called on Boko Haram insurgents to drop their arms, seek forgiveness and reconciliation. AA Eyitayo, the gener...

The Nigerian army has called on Boko Haram insurgents to drop their arms, seek forgiveness and reconciliation.





AA Eyitayo, the general officer commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Nigerian army, made the call on Sunday at an event organised for journalists by the army in Maiduguri, Borno state capital.

Eyitayo said Boko Haram insurgents are in a state of disarray, following the recent military onslaught against them.

He asked the insurgents to surrender and take advantage of the opportunity to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.

The brigadier-general, who is also the commander sector 1, operation Hadin Kai, asked the media to enlighten the insurgents about the call for them to shun violence.

We are not here for bloodletting, nobody is happy that people are dying, the GOC said.

Some of them (insurgents) are listening to the media so it is good for us to appeal to them through the media to shun violence, turn up to seek forgiveness and reconciliation.
Asari Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Force (NDPSF), has accused Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (I...

Asari Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Force (NDPSF), has accused Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), of turning the Biafran struggle into a business.

Dokubo, who made the allegation in a new video, accused Kanu of diverting funds meant for the Biafran struggle.

Both activists have been at loggerheads with each other over the quest for Biafra  the very cause that unites them.

The cold war between them resulted in the formation of the Biafra Customary Government (BCG) which Dokubo announced in March, with himself as the head.





In the video, he accused Kanu of failing to account for some funds donated for the quest for Biafra.

They are now telling us India, Russia etc. This is how they audit accounts. This is what Biafra will look like under the criminal Nnamdi Kanu, he said.

They claim that they brought money to Cotonou to give to me  N20 million. We are waiting for them to bring the evidence. They came to Cotonou to meet with me and I hosted them. They did not bring a dime.

How is that an audited account? Why do Igbo people allow you, a conman, to be conning them? Igbos, you have to rise. He wants to destroy Onyeama. He wants to destroy Ekweremadu. He wants to destroy everybody and the Igbo people are keeping quiet.

Biafra is your business now, you have no other avenue for gainful income. It is a pity how Igbo people have fallen for this evil, but your time is up.

He further told Kanu that the offence the IPOB leader committed will be his nemesis, adding: I am out for you. And I will get you.

I just asked that our people be allowed to vote and you sent your dogs. Ive broken their teeth, he said.





Nnamdi Kanu, Im not in your category but for this, I will surely bring you down. I will destroy this evil empire that is working as a hindrance to the restoration of Biafra.
Billionaire Ned Nwoko has announced his support for the Twitter ban in Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buharis administration. Nwoko while s...





Billionaire Ned Nwoko has announced his support for the Twitter ban in Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buharis administration.

Nwoko while speaking at a June 12 lecture organised by the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Abuja Council had said, on the current issue with Twitter in Nigeria, I wholeheartedly support the position of the Federal Government.

Nwoko maintains that social media needs to be controlled and regulated in countries.

There should be a measure of control and regulation for social media in countries where they have a presence, he said.

Buttressing his reason for his support of the Twitter ban in Nigeria, Nwoko stressed that the social media platforms must pay taxes to governments and provide employment for some Nigerians for the over 100 million population that subscribed to their services.

The Buhari-led government had suspended Twitter indefinitely in Nigeria citing the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigerias corporate existence.

The government also noted that social media platforms must register and obtain licences to operate in Nigeria.
Belgium and Inter Milan star, Christian Eriksen has spoken for the first time since his cardiac arrest on Saturday. In a a brief message to ...





Belgium and Inter Milan star, Christian Eriksen has spoken for the first time since his cardiac arrest on Saturday.

In a a brief message to the public in quotes reported by Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, the 29-year-old said he feels better.

He said he wants to understand what happened.

It was his first message to the public since his cardiac arrest on Saturday.

Doctors said he was gone but was resuscitated in 13 minutes of intense medical treatment  including CPR and defibrillator shocks.

Then he was stretchered off the Copenhagen pitch fully conscious.

Eriksen said: Thank you all, I wont give up. I feel better now but I want to understand what happened.

I want to say thank you for all you did for me.

Martin Schoots, Eriksens friend and agent in a report by The SUN added: We spoke this morning (Sunday).

He joked, he was in a good mood, I found him fine.

We all want to understand what happened to him, he wants to do it too.

The doctors are carrying out in-depth examinations, it will take time.
A retired senior Police officer, Abdulmajid Ali says Niger State needs timely local and foreign assistance. In a statement, the retired Depu...

A retired senior Police officer, Abdulmajid Ali says Niger State needs timely local and foreign assistance.

In a statement, the retired Deputy Inspector-General (Operations) decried the destruction of peoples valuables and loss of lives.

Ali lamented that insurgency in Nigeria fuelled other violent crimes like kidnapping, cattle rustling, murder, arson, among others.

He said the efforts of the military, police and paramilitary in suppressing the situation have not been felt.

Ali said with recurring attacks in Wushishi, Zungeru, Kontagora, Rijau, Tegina, up to parts of Kaduna territory, it is clear that the government and people of Niger are suffering.

It is not arguable that they need urgent help from the Federal Government and the international community to salvage them from the anarchy. People are killed in scores, while properties are massively destroyed.

The fears of an average Niger man and Nigerians in general are about continuous loss of lives and property as well as food scarcity which may rock the nation and West Africa due to massive destruction of farmlands, he said.

Ali commended the Police and troops from other security forces who have been at battle theatres in Niger State.

He urged the Federal Government to rise to its responsibility and rescue all Nigerians in places riddled with crises.

Ali sympathised with the families and loved ones of persons gruesomely murdered and prayed that all affected by the security challenges will bounce back once normalcy is restored.
The Nigerian Army has denied a vengeance mission in Abia communities following the death of six soldiers in a clash with the Indigenous Pe...

The Nigerian Army has denied a vengeance mission in Abia communities following the death of six soldiers in a clash with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) backed Eastern Security Network (ESN).

Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, Director Army of Public Relations, said this in a rebuttal on Monday.

The spokesman was reacting to reports that the residents of Elu, Amangwu and Amekpu in Ohafia Local Government Area have embarked on mass exodus out of fear.

Mohammed noted that troops only carried out routine clearance operations in line with the rules of engagement and respect for fundamental human rights.

The Army said the raids were to restore socio-economic activities in places hitherto disrupted by criminal activities of IPOB/ESN elements who attack security agents and government infrastructures.

The statement said the military is working with the Police and other security agencies to ensure troubled spots are free of criminals.

The Army assured Abia people of the safety of their lives and property and urged them to continue to report suspicious movements and strange individuals or groups.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Editor's note: This story originally appeared as a post on The Historic New Orleans Collections First Draft blog. Visit hnoc.org/audubonpool to read more, watch video from opening-day ceremonies, and view Committee for Open Pools scrapbooks.

It was a hot June day in 1969 when, for the first time, Black and White kids dove into the Audubon Park swimming pool together, marking a symbolic victory for the civil rights movement in New Orleans.

Seven years earlier, the pool had closed after a court order forced the park to integrate their swimming facilities. The parks managers claimed that the pool had shuttered for financial reasons; it ran at a deficit and was too costly to repair. Called by the New Orleans States-Item the largest in the South, the massive facility had been a park landmark since it opened in 1928 to great fanfare. But it was only ever open to White children, and its empty shell remained, for some, a symbol of the citys efforts to prolong segregation.

In the intervening years, the New Orleans Recreation Department had systematically reopened public pools that had shuttered following orders to integrate, but swimming facilities became so overwhelmed that they had to implement a platoon system, allowing groups of children to cool off in the brutal summer heat in waves. Still, the mammoth pool sat dry.

Then came 1968. In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination on April 4, civil unrest exacerbated racial tensions in cities across the country.

Amid the uncertainty, local newspapers announced on April 18 that a committee of Black and White residents had come together to lobby for the reopening of the pool in Audubon Park. The 50-member group of business and civic leaders called themselves the Committee for Open Pools. They named an African-American man, Robert P. McFarland, as chairman, and the committees message immediately garnered support from public figures like Congressman Hale Boggs and state Rep. Ernest Dutch Morial.

Two scrapbooks from the COP reside in The Historic New Orleans Collections Williams Research Center. The scrapbooks contain snapshots, news clippings, and official correspondence from the organization, chronicling the events from Kings assassination to the pools eventual reopening.

Though the COP attracted public support overnight, progress in achieving its goal was not immediate. Audubon Park officials agreed that the pool should be opened but claimed that they did not have the money to revive the landmark. Mayor Victor Schiro and city officials pledged their support to reopening the pool, but after an initial estimate outlined $430,000 worth of repairs, enthusiasm cooled. The committee solicited its own estimate, which came to around $50,000, and pushed the city to open the pool by the end of summer.

Reporter Jim Manning, writing in the States-Item, alluded to the fraught environment surrounding the issue, noting the uneasy fear that hot weather will bring racial tensions as it has in so many other cities around the nation." He went on to say that everyone now agrees there should be swimming. But there are grave divisions over how and where.

While the COP argued with officials over obstacles to repairing the facility, Schiro and the city attempted to solve the problem of the citys overcrowded pools. The first solution, favored by the mayor, was to turn part of the shore of Lake Pontchartrain, near the Seabrook Bridge, into a swimming area. Trucks would deposit sand near the mouth of the Industrial Canal, and buses would convey swimmers to the beach from all over the city.

McFarland, who served as the COP's chairman, and others argued that the mayors solution would only prolong segregation: I see this as an attempt to sanctify the current segregation at the Industrial Canal spot, McFarland told the States-Item. Negroes have traditionally used that beach, and this is merely an attempt to perpetuate that situation. White people probably wont go.

In addition to the geographical concerns, Lake Pontchartrain was notoriously polluted and had been closed to swimmers for 96 days the previous summer.

The States-Item responded to the plan with an editorial that accused Schiro and his administration of calculated foot dragging. One of Schiros aides and an engineering consultant shot back with letters to the editor accusing the newspaper of misinformation.

As the parties fought each other in the newspapers, the COP kept writing public officials, including Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who dispatched a representative to help the committee coordinate. The committee also sent out correspondence to supporters, labeling the dry Audubon Pool a monument to segregation.

Then, after just over a month of back and forth, tragedy struck. A 15-year-old boy named Frank Tyus drowned in an Audubon Park lagoon on May 28. The next morning, after a meeting with COP officials, Schiro pledged to see the Audubon Pool reopened. The States-Item reported that, in the meeting, the committee had labeled the pools continuous closure monstrous, in light of the incident.

The COP continued to press city officials throughout June and July, in an effort to get the pool open by Labor Day. In keeping with the spirit of the civil rights era, the group even wrote a protest anthem called the Pool Song to be sung by supporters of the cause.

In a letter to Schiro, the committee urged the city to act, labeling the dry pool a festering sore on the body politic, which might erupt at any time dealing death to whatever hope now remains for racial peace.

On July 22, Schiro announced that the pool would reopen in six weeks. The mayor put City Councilman Moon Landrieu in charge of preparing the facility for swimmers; however, the high cost and volume of repairs kept the facility shuttered until the following summer. Still, committee members monitored Schiro, Landrieu and others to see that the city signed a lease with the park agreeing to pay annual rent of $1 and allotted money for the rehabilitation of the facility in the 1969 budget.

Finally, on June 8, 1969, Schiro, Landrieu, city officials and COP members gathered at the pool, which welcomed over 1,000 kids of all races for a splash-in to commemorate the reopening. In a video captured by Jules Cahn, you can see Schiro cutting a ribbon, finally opening the pool after seven years of closure.

The opening celebration also included brass bands that brought a festive atmosphere to this symbolic move toward racial equality.

Fifty years later, the giant pool is now gone. Closed in 1992, and removed later that decade, the largest pool in the South was replaced by a smaller natatorium in 1998.

The Committee for Open Pools scrapbooks are available to researchers at THNOC's Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St., New Orleans, which is open to the public TuesdaySaturday. Admission is free, and visitors do not need to make an appointment.
My series on the flower industry has ruffled some petals. Because readers have had so much to say, Im handing the microphone to them today. Welcome to my inbox:

"Wow. I am a florist, and your article is biased and lacks a complete understanding of the industry. If you are going to post things for people to read, at least dont throw people under the bus just because you simply dont understand the floral industry or business for that matter."  Amanda Alman, Gassville, Arkansas

"Just sending a compliment on your florist column. Made my Saturday morning coffee fun. You hit on every feeling I have had ordering flowers for all occasions over the years. Spot on."  Irene Robicheaux, Mandeville, Louisiana

+2 If you want to say it with flowers, here are 8 things to expect from a good florist I dont have any advice this week. Rather, I clearly need some. Twice in the past few months, I have ordered flowers from a florist. Twice I h

"I thought I was the only one in the world who had problems with floral orders! Once, I was sending flowers to someone who was going to host me. I spent over $100 not including tax and delivery. When I arrived, the hostess thanked me and said she had placed the flowers in the bedroom where I was going to stay. When I saw them I knew why!

"They were not presentable for any public room. They were puny and downright sad. When I complained to the florist, they said, just as you reported, that it was too bad that I was not pleased. I do not think that they ever expected me to see the flowers. Anyway, I just wanted to confirm your observations."  Claudia Brown, Menlo Park, California

"Let me just say I am the (expletive deleted) who sent out yellow daisies for white because the person ordered online on my website, where, before you place the order it flat out says substitutions may be needed for color or variety due to availability. It is not my responsibility to make sure people read before they place the order. I do call my customers when I have to sub things out when they call to place an order or come in."

"The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the flower world. The flowers we can get are over double the price, and if I want to feed my kids and keep my house, we have to charge the prices that we charge. You can't generalize an entire industry based on two orders to two florists. It's bad enough that the grocery stores are trying to freeze us out. We do not need people like you who have never worked a day in a flower shop telling us how to run our businesses. Some people just don't deserve to have flowers."  Melissa Floyd, Portage, Indiana

Sending flowers? 10 expert tips for getting the arrangements your really want from a florist I love getting flowers. I love sending flowers. They are beautiful. They convey emotion. And, perhaps best, when they die they get tossed, so 

"Your series on florists is a great public service. I had a funeral for my daughter in February. A friend across the country ordered flowers through the funeral home online link, but I never received them. Also, I ordered white roses to be delivered for the funeral through Costco online. I received red roses. I called the online service. They could not correct the mistake but could deliver the following week (after the funeral). They gave me a credit."  Linda Lowman, Altamonte Springs, Florida

"I have been burned many times, including once when my daughter gave birth to twin boys in another state. I sent a bouquet, then went to see her three days later. I was appalled. They were dingy noncolored flowers with a brown bow, for newborn twin boys! I had ordered through my regular florist in Oklahoma City, who called the New Mexico florist and, praise God, they made it right. Thank you for revealing the 'dirty little secrets.'"  Linda St. Onge, Yukon, Oklahoma

"As a home-based florist, I dont agree with not using home-based florists. Our designs are often more unique and less expensive than those from brick-and-mortar stores as we do not have the overhead they do. Yes, you can purchase flowers at Trader Joes, but not everyone has the same ability to make a flower arrangement. I like that you mentioned to be frank about your budget. If expectations are not met, then the florist should do everything they can to remedy the situation."  Lori Sato, Danville, California

"Regarding your recent columns on purchasing flowers, you have left out the benefits of buying from local growers at farmers markets. (My daughter grows flowers and sells at farmers markets.) Although limited to what is in, their flowers are always fresher. Support your local farmers."  Mark Drazba, Pinole, California

"I grew up in my mom's family-run flower shop, where the work was long and hard, so couldn't help feeling bad for your local florist. I don't know about you, but I'm inclined to give every retailer a break this year. Their business was hammered. While I understand your disappointment, I don't think I would have called them out with a megaphone as large as yours."  Claudia Latona, Osprey, Florida

"I ordered a flower arrangement for my sister-in-law, who had just lost her father. I paid extra to have a mixed white rose bouquet delivered the next day. Four days later, I got an email from the company (fromyouflowers.com) saying they were going to have to substitute some flowers. Two days later, I get a call, again letting me know there would be substitute flowers. By now it seemed too late to send flowers, so I canceled the order and received a refund ($118). The next day, my sister-in-law called and thanked me for  the plant!"  Cindy Aycrigg, Winter Park, Florida

"Loving your series on florists. I recently got burned by Avas Flowers, which I found by Googling Florists in Carmel, Indiana." Though I paid for same-day delivery, they couldnt fulfill the order and tried again the next day  apparently forwarding the order to an actual florist whom they would not name. The floral arrangement choices on their website looked spectacular.

"When I got a picture of what was sent compared to what I ordered, I went ballistic. The delivery was half babys breath and ferns. Several calls and emails later, I received a refund and a $20 coupon toward a future order. Avas Flowers is apparently just as you describe, a call center, charging a service fee and delivery fee on top of the cost of the arrangement."  Carolyn Rosenblum, Ocoee, Florida

"When I send flowers to my mother out of state, I go through a florist in her small town. I ask that, before making the delivery, they snap a picture of the flowers and text or email it to me. This is a great business practice for all florists."  Kathy Hubbart, Oklahoma City

"I totally agree that connecting with an actual florist makes a big difference. I developed a relationship with one whom I could just call, say how much I wanted to spend and the purpose of the arrangement, and they always came through. The arrangements were exceptional."  David Smiley, Orlando, Florida

"Florists who've weathered the pandemic have had to deal with disrupted supply chains, changing delivery modes and, of course, the loss of income. I hope, now that it's safe, people will step offline and stop inside and buy some lovely local flowers."  Chris Albers, New Orleans

Me, too.

Marni Jameson can be reached at www.marnijameson.com.
For her documentary Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation, director Lisa Immordino Vreeland draws on British TV host David Frosts remarkably similar interviews with writers Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. Both are forthcoming, though they choose their words carefully, especially when discussing sex and love. But theres something odd about each interview, and at times Vreelands film leaves questions about her framing of her side-by-side portraits.

Capote and Williams were friends for decades, and Vreeland explores similarities in their lives and careers. She unearthed excellent video of interviews and photos from throughout their lives, and its refreshing to hear both men in their own words. Locally, we frequently celebrate Williams because of his association with New Orleans, and often overlook Capote, who was born here.

In a 1970 interview with Frost, Williams seems like hes inebriated, and at the time the interview aired, some critics accused Williams of being drunk on camera. Frost asks Williams about his drinking, and the film later addresses Williams struggle with alcohol and prescription drugs. In his interview, Capote appears to have a scar on his forehead. Hes talkative but seems nervous. Perhaps Vreeland used the footage to point out that we have an incomplete understanding of their private lives.

Though Williams was 13 years older, their careers took off at about the same time. Williams had breakout success with The Glass Menagerie in 1944. Capote had been a literary prodigy and his 1948 novel Other Voices, Other Rooms became a best-seller and was considered risque, in part because of a provocative photo of the author.

Their young lives were glamourous, and they traveled extensively, at times vacationing together in Europe. Capote always loved the vibrant social life of New York, and there are photos of them partying with Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger and others at Studio 54 in the 1970s.

'A Crime on the Bayou' follows Plaquemines Parish resident Gary Duncan's case to the Supreme Court When attorney Richard Sobol volunteered to provide legal assistance to Black people accused of crimes and involved in protests in the South du

While the film notes the critical and financial success of their early careers, it leans on film clips and the celebrity of their stars to illustrate it visually, which is a distorted way of viewing their work. Audrey Hepburn starred in the 1961 adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffanys (though Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe to play Holly Golightly). There are clips of Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, opposite Paul Newman. Williams notes changes that needed to be made for film adaptations, and its not mentioned here but earlier in his life, he didnt like writing for studios.

Vreeland focuses on whether their stories were autobiographical. Its well established that elements of Williams plays reflected his life, including his sisters lobotomy and the plot of Suddenly, Last Summer. Capote says his first novel was his only work largely based on himself.

Augustin J. Correro goes behind the scenes in new book 'Tennessee Williams 101' As a co-director and co-founder of the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, Augustin J. Correro often is asked to give talks abo

The film doesnt spend enough time on Capotes true crime and literary nonfiction landmark In Cold Blood  and doesnt dig deep enough into the complexity of that work for Capote.

To give voice to print interviews, Vreeland turned to Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto. While Capote had a distinctive voice, its unfortunate that Parsons tries to effect something similar, and he often sounds like a despondent version of his character Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. A more neutral tone or inconspicuous narrator would have been better.

The film is candid about their later lives, when their work was generally less well received than earlier periods. Vreeland seems stuck on cliches of tortured artists struggling with loneliness and drugs, as opposed the pressures of living up to the heights of past success. She shows them responding to questions about their homosexuality, but barely addresses the homophobia they overcame after childhood. Shes doesnt break much in the way of new ground, but her source materials make the film worth watching.

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation opens at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge and is available virtually on June 18.
When attorney Richard Sobol volunteered to provide legal assistance to Black people accused of crimes and involved in protests in the South during the civil rights movement, he was disappointed when he was assigned to Louisiana. In A Crime on the Bayou, he explains that he had been hoping to go to Selma, Alabama, or Mississippi, where there were numerous landmark civil rights battles  and also danger.

No one could have predicted that Gary Duncans case would amount to much. Duncan had tried to break up a confrontation between white and Black teenagers as schools in Plaquemines Parish were being integrated in 1966. He touched a white teenagers arm. Though it was inconsequential, Duncan was later arrested and charged with assault. The penalty could have been a fine and up to 60 days in jail. Though such charges were bogus, Black defendants often had poor legal representation and/or chose to plead guilty rather than drag out the fight if they felt they couldnt win in what was an institutionally racist system.

Duncan was determined to fight the charges, even though he was facing a judge appointed by the vocally racist and politically powerful Leander Perez, who was president of the Plaquemines Parish Commission Council after decades as the parishs district attorney.

Duncan was fortunate that he was represented by a talented and determined firm of Black lawyers, Collins, Douglas and Elie, who worked in conjunction with Sobol on the case.

Just as Leander Perez is trying to make an example of Gary, Sobol is making an example of this case, says Nancy Buirski, director of A Crime on the Bayou, which opens June 18 at The Broad Theater.

As the lawyers fought the trumped-up charges, Duncan was released and rearrested. Even though the case was over a minor assault charge, it went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The parish did not hold jury trials for cases below certain thresholds, and that was a common practice in in many states at the time, even though the U.S. Constitution says that people accused of crimes have a right to a trial by jury.

The case got to the Supreme Court quickly, and a 29-year-old Sobol argued on behalf of Duncans rights. In an amusing clip in the documentary, a Louisiana attorney glibly states that no one in the state needs a jury trial, since judges are knowledgeable and fair. She even laughs off the Magna Carta, a foundation of the concepts of the law limiting the power of the state to control trials.

A Crime on the Bayou, which is being released in select cities this week, is about Duncans story. He was the youngest of eight children, and his family worked as fishermen in Plaquemines Parish. His mother was especially determined to fight for his innocence.

One of the issues that particularly resonates then and now is making rights meaningful. A frequent interview subject in the film is Lolis Eric Elie, a former Times-Picayune columnist and son of Lolis Edward Elie, a partner at Collins, Douglas and Elie. Lolis Eric Elie notes that the thinking of the Supreme Courts Dred Scott decision still held sway: Black people did not have rights that white people were bound to respect.

Regardless of the law  though Perez, police and courts clearly represented the law  Perez was a political kingpin who was determined to run the parish however he chose. One of the outrageous things he did to intimidate civil rights activists, and deter them from protesting his actions in the parish, was to build a special detention center to hold them on the island holding Fort St. Philip, which he bragged about being full of snakes and alligators. He also had Sobol arrested.

Perez was outspoken in his grossly ignorant and racist views about people who were Black or Jewish. Its remarkable that he didnt become the face of white Southern resistance to civil rights, alongside Birminghams Bull Conner or Alabama Gov. George Wallace.

Buirskis film and Duncans case open up a lot of issues, especially about institutional racism, the nature of alliances between Blacks and whites in fighting for civil rights and what roles whites play. It also highlights the lifelong friendship between Duncan and Sobol, who died last year. It connects the dots from the resistance to civil rights in the 1950s and 60s to todays Black Lives Matter movement.

'Truman & Tennessee' explores the links between the two writers For her documentary Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation, director Lisa Immordino Vreeland draws on British TV host David Frost

The film has a shrewd sense of irony. The soundtrack plays native New Orleanian Randy Newmans Louisiana 1927 in a segment showing police trying to disperse Black protesters. Newman sings Theyre trying to wash us away as authorities spray firehoses at young Black protesters.

The film also captures the strange world of Perezs Plaquemines with photos of bayous and alligators.

As a filmmaker, the landscape has this incredible combination of beauty and danger, Buirski says. Those bayous are very seductive and theyre scary at the same time.

A Crime on the Bayou is the third film Buirski has made about civil rights cases. She founded the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. She also curated a showcase of films about Hurricane Katrina.

This film was inspired in part by Matthew Van Meters book Deep Delta Justice. The film opens June 18 at The Broad Theater. On Monday, June 21, theres a book-signing reception at 6 p.m., a screening at 7 p.m. and then a Q&A with Duncan and Van Meter, who will attend the event, and Buirski, who will participate remotely.
Family members of a man who spent nearly 14 years in prison on a now tossed murder conviction clapped in court as prosecutors said Monday they wont attempt to try him again.

With an unusual public apology to all involved, a New Orleans prosecutor said his office was dropping the case against Kaliegh Smith, whose second-degree murder conviction was overturned last month after prosecutors agreed that his defense at trial was denied key evidence.

"Thank you, Lord," one of Smiths supporters said as the news was announced in court.

Smith's case is at least the fourth time that District Attorney Jason Williams has agreed to reverse a conviction since taking office Jan. 11.

Smith, 49, had been convicted of the fatal shooting of Jason Anderson in the 8700 block of Gervais Street in New Orleans East on Oct. 20, 2007.

The case against him rested largely on the word of a witness who claimed she saw Smith and Anderson engaged in a life-and-death struggle across the street from her house, and watched as Smith shot Anderson.

Secret payments, DNA evidence and split jury undermine New Orleans murder conviction, lawyers say Secret rent payments for a skittish witness, DNA test results and a divided jury should lead to a new trial for a New Orleans man serving a li

However, last year Smiths attorneys at the Innocence Project New Orleans filed a court brief alleging that prosecutors hid information from the defense at the 2010 trial about rental payments the District Attorneys Office made on behalf of the witness.

Those rental payments would have demolished the usefulness of a witness whose credibility was teetering because of her recantation before trial, Smiths lawyers said. The woman said on the stand that she was sure Smith was the killer, and only went back on that account because she had been threatened. Defense attorneys questioned that claim.

The case was tried under former District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro. The parishs new district attorney, Williams, has created a civil rights unit charged with undoing wrongful convictions. The unit is headed by the former director of the Innocence Project New Orleans.

Williams office agreed with the defense last month that prosecutors under Cannizzaro wrongfully withheld evidence, prompting Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Robin Pittman to vacate Smiths conviction.

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Smith was supposed to appear for a bail hearing Monday. But as his supporters filed into a courtroom and Smith watched via video link from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, it quickly became clear that his case would be dismissed altogether.

Assistant District Attorney Bidish Sarma said all parties in the case -- the victims family, Smith, the judge and the police who investigated the case -- were harmed by a tainted prosecution. The Constitution required that he have a fair trial. He did not receive one, and we are sorry for that, Sarma said.

+3 New Orleans judge tosses murder conviction; DA Jason Williams says predecessors withheld evidence A New Orleans judge on Thursday tossed the conviction of a man serving a life sentence for a 2007 murder, after Orleans Parish District Attorn

Pittman signed the paperwork to free Smith with a flourish, holding up the document to a camera so that Smith could see.

This is your ticket out of jail, Pittman said.

Smith was freed later in the day, according to one of his lawyers, Richard Davis.

Andersons father said last month that he still believes Smith was the killer. But he also said he was resigned to the fact that missteps at the original trial might have doomed attempts to retry the case against Smith.

Williams has met in person with Andersons father and son to discuss his decision to dismiss the case, Sarma said.

Williams office said it would make a referral about the 2010 trial to the state Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which is charged with investigating attorney misconduct in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, Cannizzaro, who became chief of Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landrys criminal division earlier this year, blasted Williams for allowing the conviction to be overturned, although he didn't address the question of whether evidence was withheld.
After his conviction for slashing a housekeeper to death at age 15, Scott Lingle was never supposed to leave prison.

But the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal voted 2-1 last week to hand a chance at freedom to the teenage killer turned prison pastor, and a legal victory to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams.

The court found that under state law, Williams could clear the way for Lingle to pitch the state Parole Board, despite the objections of Chief District Judge Karen Herman. The panels decision affirms Williams power in one of his few face-offs with a criminal court judge thus far.

The roots of the decision lie in a grisly crime scene four decades ago and changing attitudes about how to hold young killers accountable.

Lingle is now a Class A trusty and a chaplains assistant at a state prison who presents himself as the model of rehabilitation. But decades ago, he was notorious for his conviction in the killing of a 60-year-old housekeeper named Janet McLeod.

Police said McLeod was stabbed in the head, neck, chest and torso inside the Gentilly house of a 98-year-old woman for whom she was caring. Her death was caused by slashes to her throat.

Lingle protested his innocence through two murder trials -- the first ended in a hung jury, the second with his conviction -- but in recent years hes accepted responsibility.

In one motion, Lingle said that he started abusing drugs in the 5th grade, and that faced with the prospect of being returned to his abusive father, he responded in the most unthinkable way.

Lingles appeals long went nowhere, but in a 2016 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that life without parole sentences should be reserved only for the worst of the worst juvenile offenders.

+2 New Orleans DA Jason Williams begins course change from Leon Cannizzaro era on 'juvenile lifers' In his latest policy change since assuming office, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams has withdrawn a dozen of his predecessor's 

Louisiana responded with a process meant to identify the states most incorrigible. The state would grant parole eligibility to young killers after 25 years of imprisonment, unless district attorneys filed notice that they would seek to re-impose a life without parole sentence at a special court hearing.

Former District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro filed dozens of notices seeking court hearings on whether to keep juvenile lifers locked up forever, at one of the highest rates in the state. However, when Williams came into office on Jan. 11, he quickly moved to reverse course and shunt the cases to the Parole Board instead. He's argued that young offenders deserve second chances, since society often failed them and their brains were still developing at the time of their crimes.

Orleans Parish Criminal District Court judges have largely stepped aside. Yet Herman, a former prosecutor, put her foot down when it came to Lingle. She denied prosecutors attempt to withdraw their intent to seek a life without parole sentence. Instead, she wanted to move ahead with a full hearing on whether to grant Lingle parole eligibility.

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The case quickly emerged as a test of Williams powers. The District Attorneys Office and Lingles defense attorney, Kristen Rome of the Louisiana Center for Childrens Rights, both objected to her decision and appealed.

In a May 4 written ruling, Herman explained her reasoning. She repeated at length a summary of McLeods killing, then argued that Williams was bound under state law by Cannizzaros decision to seek a judicial hearing on Lingles sentence.

"The statutes allowed for no additions to the list of defendants past the deadline, nor do they contemplate deletions from the list," she said.

Herman was saying that she should get to decide whether Lingle would ever become parole eligible, no matter what the citys new district attorney said.

Many juvenile lifers from New Orleans area get shot at parole  but not without a fight Kevin Jordan was just a few months over 17 when he leaned out a car window with a revolver and killed a 12-year-old boy who was tinkering with

In the appeals court decision this week, Judges Terri Love and Regina Bartholomew-Woods ruled otherwise.

They said that under Louisiana law, prosecutors have broad power over life-or-death decisions like whether to seek capital punishment. And just as with the death penalty, the law gives district attorneys the power to reverse those decisions, they said.

Judge Joy Cossich Lobrano dissented from Love's majority opinion.

In a statement, Williams said he was glad the court affirmed his power. "The decision allows rehabilitation and parole professionals at the Department of Corrections, who are charged with determining if Mr. Lingles prison sentence has served its purpose, to do what they were appointed to do," Williams said.

The organization representing Lingle, the Louisiana Center for Children's Rights, also praised the court's ruling.

Too often, we see prosecutors use their immense discretion to seek the most extreme sentences. In this instance, we saw a DA use his discretion to do the right thing and not pursue a death-in-prison sentence. We are glad that the 4th Circuit affirmed his power to do so, especially in this case," said the group's executive director, Aaron Clark-Rizzio.

Lingle is immediately eligible to seek parole, his lawyers say. However, state law does not guarantee his release, and McLeod's relatives could argue against it at a Parole Board hearing.

In court motions, Lingle has claimed he's worthy. He said he entered prison a teenager without a high school degree, but inside the prison managed to graduate with a bachelors from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He also volunteered to leave the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola to serve as a chaplains assistant at a satellite prison.

This court does not have to look at the then 15-year-old child and guess whether or not he will grow up to be a reformed, responsible, contributing member of society  we already know the answer is yes, Lingle said in 2016.
It started with a heartbeat.

The drummers and community members who fanned out Sunday underneath the broad and shady boughs of the ancestor tree, a massive oak on the edge of Congo Square inside Armstrong Park, began with a cadence similar to a quiet heartbeat under the instruction of Denise Graves, a spiritual counselor and administrator of the Congo Square Preservation Society.

They were gathered, as they do every Sunday, on the centuries-old site once used by enslaved Africans to drum and honor the ancestors. But this Sunday was the first time in 33 years that they would do so without longtime drummer Portia Pollock.

+6 'That could've been my mother': NOPD chief reacts to brutal stabbing death of physical therapist An oak-lined stretch of North Dorgenois Street turned into a disturbing crime scene Tuesday morning when a physical therapist was stabbed to d

Pollock, 60, was stabbed to death Tuesday morning in a carjacking outside of her New Orleans home.

So, with just that quiet rhythmic pulse behind her, Graves added Pollocks name to the list of those ancestors they celebrated.

We pour libations for the drummer, Portia. We pour libations for the healer, Portia. We pour libations for the sister, Portia. We pour libations for the ecologist, Portia, Graves chanted to the heartbeat. Today, we pour libations. We remember her. We remember Portia Pollock.

The drumming, the dancing and the singing Sunday was just the latest in series of celebrations for Pollock, a physical therapist, who lived in the 7th Ward. Friend and fellow drummer Martin Payton, 73, called her a brilliant humanist.

She was a wonder, Drummer Collins Whittey, 75, said. She had a smile that had its own dial.

Friends who knew her were left stunned when they heard that Pollock had been killed outside her home in the 1500 block of North Dorgenois Street by a man who then allegedly stole her car. The suspect in the case, Bryan Andry, 47, was arrested Friday and booked with second-degree murder, armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

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When I heard what happened, thats the first thing I thought about, her smile, said drummer Darlene Jones, 66, who often sat next to Pollock. She was a special kind of spirit that you dont find very often.

Pollocks smile was on full display Sunday. Large pictures of her beaming and drumming were set up around Congo Square. Her drums, her harmonica and her hat sat nearby on a white-clothed altar, bathed in sweet-smelling incense.

On Congo Square Sundays, Pollock usually sat between Payton and drummer Wesley Kamau Phillips. Her chair was there Sunday with her photo and flowers.

She was a great drummer, Payton said. She used to bang on pots and pans when she was young. Her parents finally broke down and bought her a set of drums.

The heartbeat that began the circle eventually gave way to a drum roll that transformed into a rhythmic celebration of shouts, whistles and dance.

Drumming is how we heal, Graves said, calling the ritual the communitys church, their Amen moment.

During a break to address the crowd, Mama Jamilah, another friend of Pollocks, called her a talented multi-instrumentalist. If Pollock touched it, she played it. It was a lesson Mamma Jamilah wanted everyone to take home.

If you touch it, feel it, she said. If you touch it, make it grow. If you touch it, love it.

Funeral services for Portia Pollock will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave. A drumming circle will be held in her honor that evening at 7 p.m. at Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.
A tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico could bring "very heavy" rain to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast later this week, forecasters said Monday.

The system has a 60% chance of developing into at least a tropical depression within five days, according to the 7 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

UPDATE: A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico this week is looking more likely; see latest forecast

Regardless of development, the system has the potential to bring "very heavy" rainfall and flooding later this week and into the weekend for the Gulf Coast, forecasters with the National Weather Service in Slidell said. Now is a good time to review your hurricane plans, they said.

The Gulf system is one of three disturbances forecasters were tracking Monday. One off the East Coast is expected to develop into a tropical depression or tropical storm on Monday.

A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico this week is looking more likely The chances of development for a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico just increased to 70% over the next five days, according to the Na

Update: Tropical depression forms in Atlantic off North Carolina coast

If it strengthens into a tropical storm, it will be named Bill.

Heres what we know from the National Hurricane Center about the tropics as of 7 a.m. Monday.

Disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico

A tropical depression could form this week in the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said.

As of 7 a.m., they were tracking a low pressure system over the Bay of Campeche. Gradual development of the disturbance is possible during the next couple of days as it meanders near the coast of Mexico, forecasters said.

It could develop into a tropical depression in a few days while it moves north in the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said.

With hurricane season starting, take some time to assess the trees in your landscape TREE CHECK: Now that hurricane season has begun, its time to check all of the larger trees in your landscape. A tree that is sickly, low in v

The shaded area on the graphic is where a storm could develop and is not a track. The National Hurricane Center releases a track when a tropical depression forms or is about to form.

The categories, in order of increasing strength, are tropical depression, tropical storm and hurricane (categories 1 through 5). Systems are named when they develop into a tropical storm.

Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Central American and southern Mexico during the next several days.

Read the full outlook.

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Tropical depression or storm likely in Atlantic

A low pressure system off the East Coast has acquired more tropical characteristics overnight, forecasters said.

It has a 70% chance, which is considered high, of developing into at least a tropical depression within five days.

Update: Tropical depression forms in Atlantic

As of 7 a.m., the well-defined system was about 90 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Environmental conditions are conducive for further development, and forecasters said a tropical depression or tropical storm could form later Monday.

The system is expected to move northeast away from the U.S. and move into colder waters south of Nova Scotia on Wednesday. The cold water will end any opportunity for further development, forecasters said.

Disturbance off Africa's west coast

Forecasters are tracking a strong tropical wave just off Africa's west coast. It's producing disorganized showers and thunderstorm activity as of 7 a.m.

Some development is possible during the next few days before environmental conditions are expected to change, limiting any chance of formation while the disturbance is over the central Atlantic later this week.

It has a 20% chance, which is considered low, of developing into at least a tropical depression within five days.

Next available storm name is Bill

The next available name of the season is Bill, followed by Claudette, Danny and Elsa.

Subtropical Storm Ana formed May 22 in the Atlantic, and eventually became a tropical storm.

Last year, there were so many storms that forecasters ran out of names and had to use the Greek alphabet. It's only the second time in recorded history that the Greek names had been used.

Things have changed for this season. If needed, forecasters will use a list of supplemental storm names instead of the Greek names. See the full list.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.

Don't miss a storm update this hurricane season. Sign up for breaking newsletters. Follow our Hurricane Center Facebook page.
Norman, OK (73070)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Wellsboro, Pa. -- Licensed practical nurses have a wealth of career opportunities open to them in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, personal care facilities, and human service organizations. Anyone who wishes to enter this field is invited to Penn College at Wellsboro's Practical Nursing Program information sessions on Thursday, July 15 and Thursday, August 5 at Pennsylvania College of Technology's Wellsboro campus located at 22 Walnut St. Each session will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Lauren M. Scheetz, coordinator of the program, will discuss admission requirements; application, tuition, and financial aid processes; licensure; and job opportunities for graduates. There will be an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation.

The next practical nursing class is scheduled to begin September 20, 2021; graduation will be held on September 8, 2022.

The Test of Essential Academic Skills and a minimum passing score are required for entry into the program. Before taking the TEAS, an application must be submitted to the Wellsboro office. Completed application materials and pre-entrance requirements must be submitted by August 30 to be considered for admission to the September class.

Classes for the 12-month, full-time practical nursing program are held at Penn Colleges Wellsboro campus, with clinical experiences at UPMC Wellsboro, UPMC Cole, the Green Home, and Broad Acres Health and Rehabilitation Center, as well as other local facilities.

The practical nursing program is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Those who complete the program will be prepared to take the National Council Licensure Exam for licensure as an LPN. Educational opportunities for advancement to registered nurse are available.

This is a clock-hour program, eligible for Pell grants and Stafford loans, designed specifically by Workforce Development at Penn College in Williamsport.

For more detailed information and to register, call (570) 724-7703, email northcampus@pct.edu or visit the Penn College at Wellsboro website.
Harrisburg, Pa. --The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has announced that its public meeting scheduled for June 16 at 10 a.m. will be available for view from the Boards website.

The meeting will be held online to minimize risks associated with public gatherings in accordance with COVID-19 health guidelines.

Access to the online meeting can be made by visiting the Boards website and choosing the live link on the PGCB Meeting Videos section on the homepage. The Boards website address is https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/ .

In order to assure that those unable to view the meeting online have access, the Board is also providing a link to the meeting through an audio-only interface by dialing (301) 715-8592, then entering the following when prompted:

Meeting ID: 865 3077 5524

Passcode: 803864

The agenda for the meeting will also be placed on the Boards website prior to the meeting.
Bloomsburg, Pa. After several attempts to warn a man about staying away from a property in Bloomsburg, officers finally had to arrest him when he was discovered hiding in a shed.

On May 26 and 27, Chad Young, 24, of Bloomsburg was told not to be on a property located on Wirt Street. After the second time, officers said they warned Young he would be charged.

On May 29, officers responded to a call from the property that Young was inside a shed in the backyard. As officers arrived, they discovered Young in the shed with what appeared to be marijuana inside his front pocket.

Young was charged with third-degree felony criminal trespassing after Bloomsburg Police responded to reports of him being on the property.

Records show Young was also charged with third-degree misdemeanor defiant trespass law and legal definition and misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Young was given $5,000 unsecured bail, which he posted on June 9. Records show Youngs case remains active as it awaits filing of information.
Milton, Pa.  Police are looking for a missing 13-year-old girl from Milton who has not been seen since June 7, as well as her brother of Sunbury.

Meya McDowell had been residing in a foster home in Milton through a placement with Northumberland County Children and Youth, according to a release from Milton Police Department.

Meyas brother Manny is also missing from a separate foster home in Sunbury. He has been missing for more than two weeks according to Children and Youth who is also the custodial agency for Manny, police said.

Police said Meya took a few bags of clothing with her when she left. The investigation has produced leads suggesting the children may be in the process of relocating to Hinesville, Georgia, possibly with the assistance of unidentified adult persons.

Meya is described as a young black female with brown hair, brown eyes, 54 and weighs 180 pounds.

A description for Manny has not been released by Sunbury Police Department.

Anyone with information on Meya is asked to call Milton Police Department at (570) 742-8757. Sgt. Todd Ulrich is the lead investigator for this case.

Anyone with information on her brother may contact Sunbury Police Department at (570) 286-4584.
Bradford County, Pa. - According to Pennsylvania State Police, the manhunt for Christopher Shulas finally came to an end Sunday evening.

State Police reported that it took approximately 24 hours to bring Shulas in. As their search for Shulas started around 7 p.m. on Saturday evening, June 12, 2021.

Shulas is now facing charges of strangulation, simple assault, harassment, unlawful taking, and a charge involving 'weapons of mass destruction.'

On Sunday morning, June 13, 2021, Pennsylvania State Police in Towanda lifted the shelter in order around 10:30 a.m. for residents in Bradford County, Pa.

The shelter in order had been put in place around 9:30 p.m. Saturday evening as the manhunt continue into early Sunday morning. State Police had also noted that residents should lock their doors.

The public was asked during that time to keep an eye out for Christopher Shulas. He was last known to be wearing a black cut off shirt, black shorts and white sneakers. Shulas was said to be known to be armed and dangerous due to his past criminal history.

Pennsylvania State Police confirmed that the search for Shulas started Saturday evening, June 12, 2021, just after 7 p.m. when police responded to a domestic violence call on Oak Hill Road in Ulster Township. Shulas was identified as the attacker.

State Police noted that the domestic violence incident occurred when the 18-ear-old female confronted Shulas for stealing her high school graduation money. Shulas then grabbed the female and allegedly strangled her until she lost consciousness. Afterwards Shulas fled the scene while allegedly in possession of two explosive devices.

A felony arrest warrant was issued for Christopher Shulas' arrest and State Police continued to search the area well into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Residents reported that a State Police helicopter Pennsylvania State Police Aviation) had assisted with the manhunt in the Ulster area during the search over night.

Police did not release any information on where or how Shulas was taken into custody Sunday evening.

*** NorthcentralPa has found that Shulas was arraigned at 9:15 p.m. Sunday in front of District Judge Todd Carr. A preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. July 7 at Carr's office.

Docket Sheet
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Rome, GA (30161)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%.
She tried to cross the border twice. Border Patrol expelled her. On a third try, she drowned
Gwen Soderberg-Chase is the executive director of Douglas County Partners for Student Success and the Umpqua Valley STEAM Hub. She has been an educator in Douglas County for more than 40 years and is currently an associate professor of education at Umpqua Community College. She also serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Umpqua Valley.
As weve traveled over the years, we've always enjoyed spending time on the main street of a small town. There are usually similar characteristics  long rows of close or joined brick buildings, two lanes with a parking row on each side, small mom and pop businesses that span for a couple blocks. In some towns it may be named after a president or a type of tree or flower. In many places, it is simply called Main Street.

I always like taking a little walk from one end to the other to get a closer look. I peek in windows of the shops. I admire the engraved or decorative brickwork that is often present on the upper facades  sometimes indicating the year that the structure was built or its original purpose.

I started making a list of some of my favorites and will plan on sharing some in this column from time to time. One small town we visited on our most recent trip to the Starved Rock area is Utica, Illinois. It fits perfectly into that nostalgic main street category with side-by-side 19th century buildings. We were seeking a place for lunch on our way home and we love to incorporate breweries into our travels, so we made our way to Lodi Tap House.
CROWN POINT  Firefighters from 17 departments battled a hay barn blaze for more than four hours Sunday night, the city fire department said.

The fire was reported around 10:12 p.m. in the area of East 121st Avenue and Iowa Street, the city said.

Crown Point Fire Rescue crews said they found a large dairy hay barn engulfed in flames and other departments were called on to bring help and water tankers due the lack of hydrants in the area.

No people or animals were injured in the blaze, which remains under investigation, firefighters said.

Crown Point Fire Rescue was aided by Boone Grove, Cedar Lake, Dyer, Griffith, Hebron, Hobart, Lake Hills, Lake Ridge, Lake Station, Lakes of the Four Seasons, Lowell, Merrillville, Munster, Schererville, St. John, and Union Township.

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GARY  A Florida man has been charged in a bank robbery that resulted in the death of a security guard Friday.

James A. King, 24, of Miami, has been charged with murder in perpetration of a robbery and armed robbery, the Lake County Sheriff's Department said in a press release Sunday.

Officers with the Lake County Sheriffs Department used K-9 units to track the last known location of two suspects witnesses described at the scene. The robbery took place at the First Midwest Bank at 1975 W. Ridge Road.

55-year-old Richard Castellana, of Tinley Park, was working as a security guard at the bank and was fatally shot during the robbery.

Its believed King was armed with a handgun during the crimes, police said. Sheriff's officers apprehended King in a wooded area near 43rd Avenue and Garfield Street.

Police found a backpack containing a .40-caliber Glock handgun and approximately $9,000 in cash near where King was apprehended, police said.

The search for the second suspect continues. Police had not yet released the identity of the second suspect as of Sunday.
PORTAGE  A Niles, Illinois, man has been identified as the driver who died Sunday after losing control and being thrown from his vehicle along a local stretch of the Indiana Toll Road, officials said.

Injuries and manner of death are pending for 22-year-old Joshua Tiron, according to the Lake County coroner's office.

Tiron, who was not wearing a seat belt, was travelling westbound along the Toll Road about 3 p.m. when he attempted to move from the right to left lane and lost control of his 2014 Jeep Compass, Indiana State Police said.

"The vehicle drove onto the inside shoulder and began to roll several times in the center median," police said in a news release. "During the rollover, the driver was ejected. The vehicle came to a stop on its roof on top of the driver."

Several witnesses stopped and helped remove the vehicle from on top of Tiron, police said.

Tiron was conscious and alert before Portage Emergency Medical Services arrived, according to police. Life-saving measures had to be performed while transporting Tiron to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary, where he died from his injuries.

Tiron was pronounced dead at 3:35 p.m., the coroner's office said.
"We encourage everyone to be safe. Healthy people who are outside don't need a mask," Landgrave said.

COVID-19 altered some of the experiences at the water park last season.

The water park, which this year is experiencing its 26th season at 9001 E. Lincoln Highway, opened last year in late June with many limitations.

The park had reduced the number of open attractions to the following: the Rip Tide wave pool, the Storm enclosed tube slides, the Kraken mat slide racer, the Dragon speed slides and Mayor Byrdovichs Courthouse interactive childrens play area.

Last year all individual admission tickets had to be purchased online before arriving to the park.

This year all the attractions are open.

"This year we are back up and running. ...The desire to be out and about is there," Landgrave said.

Emily Long, a lead cashier at Deep River, said she expected a good turnout of people this weekend, given the long line of visitors waiting to get in combined with the warm weather.

"People have been so cooped up. Everyone wants to get out and have a good time," Long said.
One of the worst-kept secrets in Indiana politics officially is out of the bag  Jennifer McCormick is a Democrat.

The former state superintendent of public instruction confirmed Monday she no longer identifies with the Indiana Republican Party that nominated and elected her in 2016 to lead the Indiana Department of Education.

McCormick said she now realizes the values she held during her four years as state schools chief, including taking care of the whole child while pursuing academic excellence, only can be fulfilled by the Indiana Democratic Party.

"I know there are Republican voters across Indiana who believe in the ideas to fully fund our public schools and provide our educators the quality of life they deserve, but I have some advice for them: it'll be the Indiana Democrats  not Republican elected officials  who'll get it done."

She noted Indiana schools would not be receiving $2 billion in federal funds to speed their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic without Democratic President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan. Likewise, most of the additional money available for teacher pay hikes and other local education needs in the new state budget also would not be there absent the federal aid.
HAMMOND  The city of Hammond is hosting its inaugural Juneteenth celebration Saturday.

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of more than 250,000 enslaved black people in Texas, after Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, announcing those enslaved were free by executive decree on June 19, 1865, according to The National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The day came to be known as "Juneteenth" by those who were newly freed in Texas, The National Museum of African American History and Culture said on its website. The day came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863.

"Juneteenth marks our countrys second Independence Day. Although it has long (been) celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans," The National Museum of African American History and Culture states in a blog post on its website.

The event is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 5925 Columbia Ave., according to a news release.
There will be additional seating and other areas to view cats in the building, including an upper level to the facility.

Ramos said all ages are welcome at the business, but children ages 7 to 12 can only enter the cat lounge with an adult. Those under 7 years old arent permitted in the cat lounge, but they can view cats from the other areas of the cafe.

And thats for the safety of both the cats and the children because anyone whos had a toddler or someone young knows they move quick and cats sometimes dont like that, Ramos said.

She said she hopes to open the cat cafe as soon as possible, and she could close on the acquisition of the property this month.

Ramos took a step closer to opening the business after the Town Council on Tuesday granted a special exception authorizing the business to operate in the 80th Place location.

Ramos said the Region Cat Cafe will employ six to eight people when it opens.

That will grow as the business grows, which we highly anticipate, she said.

She said sandwiches, pastries, coffee, tea, soda and water will be served there. She also has a liquor license, and beer and wine eventually will be available at the cafe.
VALPARAISO  Porter County Recorder Chuck Harris has gotten the OK to convert deteriorating old records to digital form.

"We have a room full of books, old books going back to 1836," along with microfilm and other materials that are deteriorating, he told the Board of Commissioners.

Once scanned, the materials would be accessible online as well as in the recorder's office.

The idea first surfaced in 2013, Harris said.

"We've been saving up all these years to do this project," he said.

The $670,000 for the project is coming from the recorder's perpetuation fund. Fees are collected at the recorder's office for services, and that money goes toward helping preserve the records collected.

In December 1934, when the courthouse burned, employees and volunteers rescued records from the fire.

With the records digitized, there would be copies available even if the originals were destroyed.

Greg Sullivan of Fidlar Technologies said it would take six to nine months to do the work.

"In these COVID days, everybody's doing this," he said.
Her faith in God pushes her to keeping kicking down doors, she told The Times.

"I know at the end of the day, God still has something purposeful planned," Stewart said. "I have my days where I cry. I have days where we have events, and everyone's so excited. ... And I feel like the lowest person on earth. Not because of depression or anything, but the reality of my brothers aren't here, but everyone else is."

A 'milestone' year

The same year she is set to open the youth center is the same year Stewart is set to turn 21: a milestone for both Stewart and her mom.

"My 21st birthday this year, it'll be super exciting for me, but a bigger milestone for my mom because this is the first time she had a kid reach an age over 20," she said.

Stewarts brothers died before they reached 21, she noted. Her brother Anthony S. White Jr. died at 16 when Stewart was 7. When she was 14, her brother James Anderson, 20, died.

Stewart closed on the youth center building May 17  White's birthday. She hopes to open the center Oct. 5, which is Anderson's birthday.
Imagine you just xed up your house with fresh paint and new landscaping to make it one of the nicest on the block. Passersby stop to admire it, neighbors are envious of it, but theres just one problem  it sits beside an overgrown lot that doesnt belong to you. The rogue parcel is sizable and owned by an out-of-towner who has not been inclined to negotiate a sale.

This is the situation Tinley Park finds itself in with respect to a nearly 300-acre site that was once home to the Tinley Park Mental Health Center. Abandoned for nearly a decade, the massive lot sits in the center of the village  an odd pocket of stagnancy and decay amid the wave of development and improvement that has unfolded all around it the last several years.

Tinley Park amps up pressure on Illinois to sell it derelict mental health center site at heart of town Tinley Park Village Manager Dave Niemeyer is on the street near the overgrown land that once housed the Tinley Park Mental Health Center.

The problem, says Village Manager Dave Niemeyer, is not a lack of will or good ideas, but rather an intransigent owner with whom village officials have been trying to negotiate for years  the State of Illinois.

Weve been trying to acquire the property for more than seven years, Niemeyer explains. Weve had various discussions with the state, and there have been several offers made, but we just really havent been able to reach a deal. In the last year or so, we thought they were going to sit down with us and get this done, but it hasnt happened yet. Its actually pretty frustrating.
Ned Beatty, who during a prolific acting career that spanned more than four decades, earned an Oscar nomination for his role in Network and gave a memorably harrowing performance as a weekend outdoorsman assaulted by backwoods brutes in Deliverance, died on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 83.

His death was confirmed by Deborah Miller, his manager, who did not specify the cause.

The beefy Mr. Beatty was not known as a leading man. In more than 150 movies and television projects beginning in 1972, he was almost always cast in supporting roles. But he was closely associated with some of Hollywoods most enduring films.

His film credits also include All the Presidents Men (1976), Superman (1978) and its first sequel, the inspirational sports drama Rudy (1993) and the Rodney Dangerfield comedy Back to School (1986).

He was a familiar face on television as well. He played Stanley Bolander, the detective known as Big Man, on the series Homicide: Life on the Street, from 1993 to 1995. He was also seen in several episodes of Roseanne, Roseanne Barrs hit sitcom, as Ed Conner, the jovial father of John Goodmans character, Dan, and in episodes of Law & Order, The Rockford Files and other shows.
A new prime minister in Israel

Israels parliament, the Knesset, yesterday formally ousted Benjamin Netanyahu, whose 12-year reign as prime minister was the longest in the countrys history. The Knesset approved a new coalition government by a single vote: 60 to 59, with one abstention.

He was replaced as prime minister by Naftali Bennett. Often described as further to the right than Netanyahu, Bennett sees no path to Palestinian statehood and believes Israel should annex much of the occupied West Bank. The centrist leader Yair Lapid, who helped broker the deal, will take his place as prime minister in two years.

The eight parties in the coalition, which span the political spectrum, have little in common. They plan to steer clear of issues that would divide them, like the conflict with Palestinians, and promise a domestic focus: patching budgets, fixing roads and rebuilding the fumbling economy.

Tel Aviv dispatch: Ecstatic Israelis descended onto Rabin Square on Sunday for a celebration marking the swearing-in of the new government.
The meetings host, Adam Davidson, had already been among the writers talking to Mr. Remnick about setting up a health care plan for writers. He summarized what he saw as the consensus view in another WhatsApp message to colleagues. (The contents of the writers group messages were shared with me on the condition I only quote people by name with their permission. Some of the material in this article is also drawn from reporting on this topic by my colleagues Noam Scheiber and Marc Tracy.)

None of us want to do anything that could jeopardize the magazine we love. We dont want so strong a union that mediocrity reigns and its impossible to get rid of poor performers. We actually kind of like the feeling that we need to continue to earn our place, wrote Mr. Davidson, who is no longer a staff writer but still contributes to The New Yorker. BUT, most of us would like to be able to get health insurance.

The unionization effort has created an uncomfortable moment for the writers at The New Yorker, who have the kind of jobs and influence every journalist wants but few attain. It has set off reflections on their status and revealed the rare bond and unusual deference many of them feel toward Mr. Remnick.

About a month after the meeting at Mr. Davidsons apartment, about 40 of the writers met in the community room at a West Village apartment building. The gathering was, many noted, probably the first time that so many of the magazines scattered staff members had ever been in one room, and someone invited the Magnum photographer Peter van Agtmael to document it. Jane Mayer came from Washington, and Lawrence Wright flew in from Austin, Texas. They sat in a big circle and, like the millennials only a few of them are, shared details of their own compensation arrangements.

The conversation made clear how inconsistent benefits and pay were among writers, and many left angry at Conde Nast over the opaque and uneven system. But they were also suspicious of the NewsGuild, and began a parallel set of meetings with its rival, the Writers Guild of America, East.
Critical race theory is the political rights new boogeyman.

The theory, born in the 1970s among legal scholars, uses race as a lens through which to examine structures of power. It was, I would argue, a relatively obscure concept  not because it lacked merit, but because it was novel.

That was until Donald Trump elevated it in order to attack it.

In September of 2020, during the run-up to the presidential election, with Trump trailing in the polls, the Office of Management and Budget issued the following directive:

All agencies are directed to begin to identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on critical race theory, white privilege, or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil.

Critical race theory was simply an analytical tool, but to some white people, the fact that white supremacy was overtly used to infect Americas systems of power with both racial oppressions and racial privileges is too much to handle. It is discomforting. It unravels the American myth.

But critical race theory doesnt diagnose the country as evil, even though it is beyond dispute that some evil people designed the architecture of racial oppression in this country and that there are still some who help maintain it.
But amid the acrimony, there were also moments of unity and empathy across party lines.

After Mr. Levin, the speaker, was replaced in a separate vote by Mickey Levy, an ally of Mr. Lapid, the two embraced for several seconds. Earlier, ultra-Orthodox lawmakers laughed amiably along with jokes by Merav Michaeli, a staunch secularist and critic of Mr. Netanyahu  barely an hour after they had hurled insults at Mr. Bennett, her new coalition partner.

Until the day of the vote, and even on it, Mr. Netanyahu and his right-wing allies labored hard to break the alliance before it could take office. They applied intense pressure on right-wing opposition lawmakers, urging them to peel away from their leaders and refuse to support a coalition that they claimed would ruin the country. For most of this month, supporters of Mr. Netanyahu picketed the homes of Mr. Bennett and his lawmakers, screaming abuse as they came past.

Mr. Netanyahus departure was a watershed moment for politics in Israel. He had been in power for so long that he was the only prime minister that many young adults could remember. For many, he had grown synonymous not only with the Israeli state, but also with the concept of Israeli security  and an Israel without him seemed almost inconceivable to some.

In Tel Aviv, ecstatic Netanyahu opponents descended onto Rabin Square for an impromptu celebration. As music blasted, Israelis of all ages crowded in carrying the national flag, rainbow flags and pink flags, the color adopted by members of the movement to oust the prime minister.

Understand Developments in Israeli Politics Key Figures . The main players in the latest twist in Israeli politics have very different agendas, but one common goal. Naftali Bennett, who leads a small right-wing party, and Yair Lapid, the centrist leader of the Israeli opposition, have joined forces to form a diverse coalition to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels longest-serving prime minister. Range of Ideals. Spanning Israels fractious political spectrum from left to right, and relying on the support of a small Arab, Islamist party, the coalition, dubbed the change government by supporters, will likely mark a profound shift for Israel. A Common Goal. After grinding deadlock that led to four inconclusive elections in two years, and an even longer period of polarizing politics and government paralysis, the architects of the coalition have pledged to get Israel back on track. An Unclear Future. Parliament still has to ratify the fragile agreement in a confidence vote in the coming days. But even if it does, it remains unclear how much change the change government could bring to Israel because some of the parties involved have little in common besides animosity for Mr. Netanyahu.



One celebrant, Shoval Sadde, expressed relief that the coalition had come together after weeks of uncertainty.

Today is final, she said. There are no secret magics anymore that Bibi can pull out of a hat. Its final.

For supporters of Bibi, as Mr. Netanyahu is universally known in Israel, his exit was devastating and unsettling.
Ecstatic Israelis descended onto Tel Avivs Rabin Square on Sunday for a celebration marking the ouster of Benjamin Netanyahu and the swearing-in of a new  if precarious  government.

The euphoric atmosphere reflected the relief of many Israelis that a new day had sprung and that a public figure that many in the liberal enclave disdain had at last been dispatched.

As music blasted into the square, it was blanketed in people of all ages carrying Israeli flags, rainbow flags and pink flags, the color adopted by members of the movement to oust the prime minister.

Many wore shirts saying simply Go, in a font matching Mr. Netanyahus Likud party logo. Others wore shirts emblazoned with references to the various corruption scandals during Mr. Netanyahus tenure.
On March 19, 1906, in a horrific act of terror that had become all too common in the South, a white mob descended on a Chattanooga jail and dragged a young Black man from his cell. The man, Ed Johnson, had already been sentenced to death for sexually assaulting a white woman  despite the fact that she couldnt definitively identify Johnson, and wasnt even sure if her assailant was Black.

The mob strung Johnson up to the citys landmark bridge and left his body to hang over the Tennessee River. But murdering him apparently wasnt enough. The crowd started chanting the name of John Marshall Harlan, the Supreme Court justice who had issued a stay of execution while the highest court reviewed the details of Johnsons case. A note pinned to Johnsons body bore a taunt that exuded an entitled impunity: To Chief Harlan. Here is your Negro. Thanks for your kind consideration of him. You can find him at the morgue.

Anybody who had encountered Harlan several decades before would have had a hard time believing he had become the target of white supremacists. Born in 1833 to a prominent slaveholding family in Kentucky, Harlan freed the people he himself held in bondage only after the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, which he had opposed. When he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1877, it was considered a sop to the South. Republicans, who belonged to what was the antislavery party at the time, generally mistrusted him, with one of them calling him the sycophantic friend and supplicant tool of anti-Reconstruction forces.

But Harlan turned out to be a stalwart proponent of civil rights. He was often the lone dissenting voice on a Supreme Court whose decisions  which included the notorious separate but equal ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson  essentially abandoned Black Southerners to Jim Crow. Frederick Douglass praised Harlan as a moral hero, and Thurgood Marshall would later cite him as an inspiration. In a new biography of Harlan, The Great Dissenter, Peter S. Canellos  an editor at Politico and the author of a biography of Ted Kennedy  says that Americans dont yet fully appreciate this personal and political transformation, if they even recognize Harlans name at all.
Its time for one of this newsletters occasional updates on the state of the pandemic. The brief version: The situation continues to look reassuring for anybody who is vaccinated  but has become more worrisome for anybody who is not, largely because of the Delta variant.

Here are three more detailed points:

1. Cases are no longer falling

The news about Covid-19 has been mostly positive in the U.S. over recent months. The vaccines continue to work well against every variant, and the number of Americans who have gotten a shot continues to rise.

But the U.S. still faces two problems. First, the pace of vaccinations has slowed, and a substantial share of Americans  close to one third  remains hesitant about getting a shot. These unvaccinated Americans will remain vulnerable to Covid outbreaks and to serious symptoms, or even death.

Second, the Delta variant  which appears to be both more contagious and more severe than earlier versions of the virus  is spreading rapidly within the U.S., after having first been identified in India. It now accounts for about 10 percent of cases, according to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former F.D.A. commissioner.
Tough first days for Israels new government

Israels fragile new coalition government gave a first glimpse of its priorities on Monday, as ministers announced plans to repair ties with U.S. Democrats, investigate a disaster at a religious site that killed 45 and permit a far-right march through Jerusalem.

Israels bond with U.S. Democratic lawmakers frayed under Benjamin Netanyahu, and Yair Lapid, the new foreign minister, called for bipartisanship.

Separately, Benny Gantz, the defense minister, issued a formal call for a commission of inquiry into a stampede at the holy Jewish site on Mt. Meron that killed 45 worshipers last month. Netanyahus government, in contrast, did not call for an investigation for fear of angering ultra-Orthodox politicians.

But allowing a far-right Jewish march through Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem stuck to a decision made in the final days of the Netanyahu administration. Hamas vowed to respond.
10. And finally, the dogs day is over.

Wasabi, the low-slung Pekingese prancing above, won Best in Show at Westminster on Sunday. He swept the competition, who jumped, preened and peed on a rolling green lawn north of New York City, instead of their usual indoor spot at Madison Square Garden.

Wasabi is certainly a looker  my colleague Lisa Lerer described him as the spawn of a mop and a Roomba  and hes got company. Here are glamour shots from Saturday and Sunday, and the other top contenders.

In other canine news, dont fret if your good boy eats a few cicadas. (That goes for cats, too.)

Have a victorious evening.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.

Here is todays Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. If youre in the mood to play more, find all our games here.
Its almost pressing the accelerator in a car, he said.

This is not a new problem in nuclear reactors, sometimes occurring if a fuel rod has a crack. It is typically handled by removing the fuel rods from the reactor and letting the xenon isotope gradually dissipate over a couple of days through radioactive decay.

The other option is to keep running the reactor and vent traces of the xenon gas from the reactor into the atmosphere. Regulators around the world give each reactor a small annual allowance of radioactive releases. Venting can allow the reactor to continue operating, but may trigger regulatory reviews.

Several details from the CNN report, which cited unnamed sources, could not be verified. CNN also reported that Framatome had said Chinese authorities raised the acceptable limits for radiation releases around the plant to avoid having to shut it down. The province is already suffering from electricity shortages.

Michael Friedlander, a former operator at three nuclear power plants in the United States, said many nuclear utilities around the world used to keep operating with leaking fuel rods and occasional venting of xenon gases. But that ended in the West in the 1990s as utilities sought to minimize even trace releases of radiation, partly to protect their own workers.

The global best practice is to shut down and change out the leaking fuel rods as soon as practical, he said. This normally would occur way, way, way before you approach a regulatory limit.

It appeared that the reactor had released gas in the past. The Hong Kong government, which stays in close contact with the management of nearby reactors, said on April 8 that there had been an incident three days earlier with the exhaust gas system at the same reactor. The incident resulted in a tiny release of a gas, but the details of which gas were not disclosed.

The release was equal to only 0.00044 percent of the annual limit for the power plants releases of that gas, however, the Hong Kong government said.
Private equity has conquered the American tax system

The $4.5 trillion buyout industry has perfected sleight-of-hand tax-avoidance strategies so aggressive that at least three private equity officials have alerted the Internal Revenue Service to potentially illegal tactics, according to a new investigation by The Times. These previously unreported whistle-blower claims involved dozens of private equity firms, Jesse Drucker and Danny Hakim report.

I.R.S. audits of private equity firms are almost nonexistent, said Michael Desmond, who stepped down this year as the I.R.S.s chief counsel. The Times reviewed 10 years of annual reports filed by the five largest publicly traded private equity firms, which contained no sign of the firms ever having to pay the I.R.S. extra money.

If the I.R.S. started staffing up now, it would take them at least a decade to catch up, said Monte Jackel, a former I.R.S. attorney. Because buyout firms deploy vast webs of partnerships to collect their profits, untangling these structures tax liabilities is notoriously tricky for tax inspectors. They are so grossly overmatched its not funny, Jackel said.

The U.S. loses $75 billion a year from investors in partnerships failing to report their income accurately, according to one recent estimate. But people earning less than $25,000 are at least three times more likely to be audited than partnerships.

Lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to make private equity pay more taxes for years, especially when it comes to the so-called carried interest loophole, in which partners treat the money they receive in performance fees as capital gains rather than income. The whistle-blowers claims addressed a technique known as a fee waiver that results in lower capital gains tax rates applying to recurring management fees as well as performance fees. The Obama administration barred the most aggressive fee waivers, thereby legitimizing the rest.

When the Trump administration imposed a three-year waiting period before firms could reap preferential tax treatment for carried interest, the industry created the carry waiver to circumvent the rule.

Is something about to change? After ProPublicas recent revelation that some of Americas richest men paid little or no federal taxes, the push to tax private equity may gain new momentum. President Biden has proposed enlarging the I.R.S.s enforcement budget and closing loopholes. Like those before him, his ability to increase private equitys tax burden will face resistance in the form of the industrys formidable lobbying operations, which have derailed many past efforts.
I hear it from kids all the time: I want to get out of here, said Kristin Johnson, a 24-year-old middle school teacher at Mount View who lives in Princeton, W.Va., about an hours drive away, and is itching for a teacher job to open there. Those who do get an education know they can make more money somewhere else.

Ms. Keys returned, in part, out of loyalty. When I was in high school, we started losing a lot of teachers, she said. People feared there would be nobody there to take those jobs. But a stable teaching job, as well as free housing at her grandmothers old house, played into her calculations.

This may not be enough to hold her, though. Even dating locally is complicated. Her boyfriend lives over an hour away, outside Beckley. There is nobody here that is appealing, Ms. Keys said.

Consider Emily Hicks, 24, who graduated from Mount View in 2015. She is at the forefront of Reconnecting McDowells efforts, an early participant in the mentoring program meant to expand the horizons of local youths.

She didnt even have to leave home to get her bachelors degree at Bluefield State College, commuting from home every other day. Today she teaches fifth grade at Kimball Elementary School. Her father is a surveyor for the coal mines; her mother works for the local landfill. But her boyfriend, Brandon McCoy, is hoping to leave the coal business and has taken a couple of part-time jobs at clinics outside the county after getting an associate degree in radiology.

Her brother, Justin, who graduated from high school in June, is going to college to get a degree in electrical engineering. I have no idea what Im going to do after that, he said. But theres not a lot to do here.
Last August, Goldman Sachs helped Lordstown reach a deal to merge with DiamondPeak Holdings, a shell company created by a former Goldman banker, whose specialty was real estate, for the purpose of acquiring a business. The merger was completed in October, putting Lordstown on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

G.M. took a stake in it and it solved a political problem for them, said Usha Rodrigues, a professor at the University of Georgia School of Law. Everyone just shrugs and hopes maybe it will be a home run and everything will be fine.

Companies that sell stock in an I.P.O. and the Wall Street banks that help them go public are held to strict reporting standards, Ms. Rodrigues said. But businesses like DiamondPeak, which are called special purpose acquisition companies, are started with no operating business when they sell shares to the public. As a result, they dont have much to disclose. Then, when companies like Lordstown merge with these takeover companies, the deal bypasses that more rigorous standard of review.

Over the past year, acquisition companies, known as SPACs, have raised more than $100 billion from investors in the hopes of finding merger partners. But regulators have raised concerns that these takeover businesses are set up to favor the deal sponsors and early investors at the expense of retail investors who often get in after a merger is announced.

Critics said the problems with Lordstown and other companies like it have been evident to anybody who was paying attention.

Lordstown, for example, told investors that it had tens of thousands of pre-orders for its pickup truck, including from businesses that operate big fleets. But these were not binding orders, a fact highlighted by a report published in March by Hindenburg Research, a hedge fund that has bet against Lordstowns stock.

Nathan Anderson, Hindenburgs founder, said the hype around electric vehicles encouraged sponsors of acquisition companies to bring these companies public well before they were ready and in many cases some of these companies will never be ready. Mr. Anderson said his firm was still betting against shares of Lordstown.
TOKYO  An American father and son pleaded guilty in a Tokyo courtroom on Monday to helping Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan chief, flee Japan as he faced trial on charges of financial wrongdoing.

Michael Taylor, 60, a former Green Beret, and his son Peter Maxwell Taylor, 28, appeared in the same Tokyo courthouse where Mr. Ghosn had been expected to stand trial before his daring escape to Lebanon in December 2019. By leaving Japan, Mr. Ghosn sidestepped a justice system he has said was bent on destroying him.

In court on Monday, as a prosecutor recounted their roles in the made-for-Hollywood caper, the men said they had no objection to the accusations against them, local media reported. They face up to three years in prison but could be credited with time they spent in jail in the United States.

The Japanese authorities had indicted the Taylors for their part in orchestrating the escape, in which Mr. Ghosn sneaked out of house arrest in Tokyo and fled to the western city of Osaka. There, he was smuggled onto a private plane in a speaker box and flown first to Turkey and then to Beirut.
Drive in the highlands in the state of Jalisco, the heart of tequila country, and youll see hand-lettered signs at farmhouses announcing the ancient drink pulque, the fermented juice of the agave plant. Pulque in Mexico is also bottled and sold to drink plain or in cocktails. And it has arrived in Brooklyn. At the new Tinys Cantina in Brooklyn, Jono Moratis, the general manager, has obtained a supply, Pulque La Flora Pura imported from Mexico in 12-ounce bottles. Its milky, slightly fizzy, tart and amenable to mixing with spirits in cocktails. The alcohol is 5.5 percent. Aushim Raswant, a beverage director, uses it in a drink he calls Nectar de Dioses, a mix of pulque, mezcal, chile liqueur and agave syrup over ice ($15). Mr. Raswant said that pulque is usually mixed just with fruit but he wanted to devise a cocktail that combined the flavors of Mexico.

Tinys Cantina, 229 Flatbush Avenue (Dean Street), 718-970-7007, tinyscantina.com.

Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
At the two locations of Tocabe, a Denver-area American Indian restaurant, customers have long asked the owners Matt Chandra and Ben Jacobs where to buy the Native and Indigenous ingredients used in the kitchen, like the wild rice in the grain bowls, or the bison for the glazed ribs with berry barbecue sauce.

In May 2020, the men realized they could become the source for those ingredients, leveraging their existing relationships with suppliers to build an economy that can keep money within Indian country, said Mr. Jacobs, a member of the Osage Nation of Northeast Oklahoma.

As restaurateurs embraced new business models to stave off the coronaviruss devastation of their industry, the Tocabe owners set another goal for themselves: to create a robust ecosystem for Native and Indigenous food traditions to thrive.

That ecosystem is Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace, which goes live online this week with 40 products from nine producers  including maple syrup from Minogin Market in Mackinaw City, Mich., and tepary beans from Ramona Farms in Sacaton, Ariz.  and eventually, frozen meals. For every two items sold, Tocabe will donate one item to a Native community organization.
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together.

It was a sentence I never expected to compose.

I am a reporter at The New York Times, and I am writing about shopping carts.

On May 25, that was the opening line of an email I sent to a sociology professor, asking him for an interview about why he thought some people do not take the trouble to return shopping carts after using them.

At first glance, it sounds like a frivolous issue to be considering while many are struggling with more pressing challenges, such as unemployment, the pandemic or trying to put food on the table. But I thought I detected an interesting topic and volunteered to dig in.

I write for The Timess Express desk, which is a team of editors and reporters whose primary job is to jump on breaking news, like shootings and extreme weather. But when news isnt popping, we look around for trending and offbeat stories that we can develop.
The context

Even before the pandemic, about half of the citys households spent more than 30 percent of their income on rent, according to an analysis by New York Universitys Furman Center.

The pandemic has made the situation even more dire. Renters arrears have risen to hundreds of millions of dollars, putting them at risk of losing their homes once a moratorium on evictions ends.

Housing advocates and experts have pushed for the candidates to adopt robust plans to address the crisis.

The plans

The candidates plans overlap in many ways: nearly every candidate expressed support for legalizing basement apartments, which the city has already begun to explore, and building housing on the remaining parcels of vacant city-owned land.

But they also differ in some of the solutions they emphasize.

Kathryn Garcia, a former sanitation commissioner, and Raymond J. McGuire, a former Wall Street executive, have made the creation of tens of thousands of new homes for the poorest New Yorkers a top objective. Maya Wiley, a civil rights lawyer and former counsel to Mr. de Blasio, and Shaun Donovan, who was housing secretary under President Barack Obama and also has served as a city housing commissioner, say they would steer hundreds of millions of dollars to struggling renters.

Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, is calling for a hefty increase in the number of affordable units the city requires in big new residential buildings. Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, wants wealthy neighborhoods to make way for more affordable units. Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate, and Dianne Morales, a former nonprofit executive, have keyed in on converting hotels to housing.

More on the mayors race:

Early Voting Begins in Wide-Open Race for New York Mayor

Garcia Rakes in Donations: 5 Takeaways From the N.Y.C. Mayors Race
ALBANY, N.Y.  Democrats in the State Legislature capped the 2021 legislative session last week by passing a patchwork of progressive priorities, including changes meant to strengthen gun control laws, improve absentee voting and modify New Yorks criminal justice system.

But, this being Albany, the end of session was not without political gamesmanship and intrigue.

Lawmakers clashed with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over his 11th-hour proposal to restructure the leadership of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, one of Mr. Cuomos most important priorities. Democrats in the State Senate had reached a tentative agreement with Mr. Cuomo on the matter, but, in a surprise twist, the deal unraveled late on Thursday, and the Senate gaveled out of session without passing the governors measure.

The fallout was the latest indication of how Mr. Cuomos political power has diminished since his administration was buffeted by scandals, investigations and calls for his resignation from members of his own party. Earlier this year, the Legislature, where Democrats now enjoy a majority large enough to override a governors veto, scaled back Mr. Cuomos emergency powers and passed policies that the governor long opposed in the state budget.
Mr. de Blasio recently told an aide that other incumbents were unpopular after years in office, including Ed Koch, who ran for a fourth term in 1989 and lost in the Democratic primary to David N. Dinkins; Rudolph W. Giuliani, whose approval rating sagged before the Sept. 11 attacks; and Michael R. Bloomberg, whose record Mr. de Blasio ran against in 2013.

Given his unpopularity, Mr. de Blasio might understandably be somewhat reluctant to issue a hearty endorsement, for fear it could backfire.

Even Mr. Adams would not necessarily rank Mr. de Blasio very highly. When he was asked about the best mayor in his lifetime, he named Mr. Dinkins and Mr. Bloomberg. Mr. Adams said in an interview that he liked Mr. Bloombergs practical approach of using technology in policing, but criticized his abuse of stop and frisk.

He insisted that he was indifferent to whether he had the mayors support.

I have not sought his endorsement, Mr. Adams said at a campaign stop last week, distancing himself from the mayor when asked about their relationship. I speak with him about issues that impact the city: public safety, education, housing.

Still, some people argue that Mr. Adams should be viewed as a natural successor to Mr. de Blasio.

Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, a state assemblywoman and the chairwoman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, was one of two elected officials in the city to endorse Mr. de Blasio when he ran for president in 2019. She endorsed Mr. Adams for mayor and sees many similarities between the two men.

Hes the natural successor, she said of Mr. Adams. Both of them fought for Black people. Both of them fought for Latino people. They are both fighting for people who are suffering in New York.

Of the leading contenders in the race, the mayor is perhaps most opposed to Mr. Yang, even though he was the only candidate who said he would welcome Mr. de Blasios endorsement. The union official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the mayor was clearly and strictly against Yang.
The first presidential election I witnessed as a member of the military was George W. Bush versus Al Gore in 2000. I was in college, as a naval R.O.T.C. midshipman, and on Election Day I remember asking a Marine lieutenant colonel who was a visiting fellow at my university whether hed made it to the polls. In much the same way one might say I dont smoke when offered a cigarette, he said, Oh, I dont vote. His answer confused me at the time. He was a third-generation military officer, someone imbued with a strong sense of duty. He then explained that as a military officer he felt it was his obligation to remain apolitical. In his estimation, this included not casting a vote on who his commander in chief might be.

Although I dont agree that ones commitment to remain apolitical while in uniform extends to not voting, I would over the years come across others who abstained from voting on similar grounds. That interaction served as an early lesson on the lengths some in the military would go to steer clear of politics. It also illustrated that those in uniform have, by definition, a different relationship to the president than civilians do. As that lieutenant colonel saw it in 2000, he wouldnt be voting for his president but rather for his commander in chief, and he didnt feel it was appropriate to vote for anyone in his chain of command.

As it turned out, the result of that election was contested. Mr. Gore challenged the result after Florida was called for Mr. Bush, and the dispute went all the way to the Supreme Court between the election and the inauguration, by which point Mr. Gore had conceded.

There are many ways to contest an election, some of which are far more reckless and unseemly than others, but our last two presidential elections certainly qualify. In 2016, Democrats contested Donald Trumps legitimacy based on collusion between his campaign and Russia. In 2020, Republicans significantly escalated the level of contestation around the election with widespread and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, which ultimately erupted in rioting on Jan. 6.
To the Editor:

Re Leaking the Pentagon Papers Was an Assault on Democracy, by Gabriel Schoenfeld (Sunday Review, June 13):

Mr. Schoenfeld offers perverse criticism of Daniel Ellsberg for leaking the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times 50 years ago. In doing so, he acknowledges precisely what The Times urged upon the courts half a century ago  that the materials leaked and published were historical in nature, none being less than three years old, and that there was not a single secret actually damaging to national security in the enormous trove that Mr. Ellsberg had released.

Without impairing national security, and at immense personal risk, Daniel Ellsberg provided documents to The Times that revealed what our government itself knew and had not revealed about how the nation became involved in the calamitous Vietnamese conflict in the first place and how and why it had persisted as an active combatant in that war.

When the study began to be drafted, over 37,000 U.S. troops had already been killed in that war. More than another 20,000 would perish thereafter. Yet Mr. Schoenfeld characterizes Mr. Ellsberg as having engaged in an assault on democracy itself. One might say that of those who led us into that undeclared war. But Daniel Ellsberg deserves only praise for his heroic conduct.

Floyd Abrams

New York

The writer was co-counsel to The New York Times in the Pentagon Papers case.

To the Editor:

I am a Vietnam veteran. I was the commander of the 515th Transportation Company, which operated out of Camp Eagle, about five miles from Hue, South Vietnam, for almost all of 1969.
To be fair, though, mainstream media use is associated with many of the same beliefs and behaviors, so even if you could block all the triple-X sites on the internet (and good luck with that), it wouldnt be enough. Nor am I suggesting that viewing porn will turn a tenderhearted teen violent, though it could validate existing impulses among some.

Parents tend to underestimate their childrens consumption of explicit content, perhaps because the only thing ickier than thinking about your mom or dad watching porn is thinking about your daughter or son doing it. So, sorry to be the one to tell you, but teens watch significantly more porn and more-hard-core porn than their same-sex parent. Boys ages 14 to 17 have been found to be at least three times as likely as their fathers to have seen such things as double penetration, gang bangs and facial ejaculation. The differential between girls and their mothers was even higher.

Now consider that a nationally representative study released this year found that among 18-to-24-year-olds, pornography was cited as the source of the most helpful information about how to have sex  edging out talking to your partner.

It would seem a little education is indeed in order.

Pornography use is one of the issues teens most wanted to discuss in our conversations, and since I was often the first adult they felt they could talk to candidly about it, they had questions. They wanted to know how real, in fact, what they were seeing was and whether the behavior depicted in video clips  or some version of it  would be expected of them someday. Boys often asked about dose: How much was too much? They wanted to know whether their porn habits would affect their predilections, their desires, their performance, their satisfaction with a partner. Regarding that last concern, the answer may be yes: Frequent porn users (those who watch it once a month or more, a metric that made boys I met either burst out laughing or blanch) may be less happy than others with real-life sex.

Porn literacy may sound salacious, and it certainly makes for sensationalist headlines. But like other media literacy courses (including those aimed at reducing teen use of tobacco, drugs and alcohol or offsetting damaging messages about body image), when theyre done right, the aim is to reduce risk, help identify and question the incessant messages that bombard teens, encourage them to hone their values and give them more agency over their experience.

Emily Rothman, a professor of community health sciences at Boston University and the author of the upcoming book Pornography and Public Health (for which I provided a jacket quote), found that after taking a nonjudgmental, science-based course that she developed with colleagues, teens were less likely to believe that sexually explicit media was realistic, an easy way to make money or a viable form of sex education. They also better understood the legal implications of sending nudes when underage. And they werent more likely to watch porn  that is, just as comprehensive sex education does not prompt sexual activity (in fact, quite the opposite), talking about porn does not appear to motivate teens to seek it out

Adults who balk at such lessons often declare that childrens innocence is at stake, but one has to ask who is ultimately protected  and who is harmed  when we censor open discussion of healthy sexuality, bodily autonomy, pornography, sexual harassment and assault. Consider that a week after the Columbia Prep ruckus, parents at the Dalton School, where the same educator was the director of health and wellness, also took to The New York Post to protest an evidence-backed curriculum for first graders that suggested they should have a say in who hugs them and used anatomically correct names for body parts  crucial to preventing abuse.
I cautioned in that same email that we would need to look at the question much more closely and that our opinions could change within a few days based on new data and analyses  which they did.

In March, you and other scientists published the Nature Medicine paper saying that we do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible. Can you explain how the research changed your view?

The features in SARS-CoV-2 that initially suggested possible engineering were identified in related coronaviruses, meaning that features that initially looked unusual to us werent.

Many of these analyses were completed in a matter of days, while we worked around the clock, which allowed us to reject our preliminary hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 might have been engineered, while other lab-based scenarios were still on the table.

Yet more extensive analyses, significant additional data and thorough investigations to compare genomic diversity more broadly across coronaviruses led to the peer-reviewed study published in Nature Medicine. For example, we looked at data from coronaviruses found in other species, such as bats and pangolins, which demonstrated that the features that first appeared unique to SARS-CoV-2 were in fact found in other, related viruses.

Overall, this is a textbook example of the scientific method where a preliminary hypothesis is rejected in favor of a competing hypothesis after more data become available and analyses are completed.

Some people, including virologist David Baltimore, say the presence of the furin cleavage site could be a sign of human manipulation of the virus, whereas you and other virologists have said it naturally evolved. Can you explain for readers why you dont think it is proof of an engineered virus?

Furin cleavage sites are found all across the coronavirus family, including in the betacoronavirus genus that SARS-CoV-2 belongs to. There has been much speculation that patterns found in the viruss RNA that are responsible for certain portions of the furin cleavage site represent evidence of engineering. Specifically, people are pointing to two CGG sequences that code for the amino acid arginine in the furin cleavage site as strong evidence that the virus was made in the lab. Such statements are factually incorrect.

While its true that CGG is less common than other patterns that code for arginine, the CGG codon is found elsewhere in the SARS-CoV-2 genome and the genetic sequence[s] that include the CGG codon found in SARS-CoV-2 are also found in other coronaviruses. These findings, together with many other technical features of the site, strongly suggest that it evolved naturally and there is very little chance somebody engineered it.
But Hall took a cue from his grandmother, Rosalie, who lived through the Great Depression. According to Hall, Rosalie had a reputation for frugality, always heading to the bank to put something away. She perpetually demonstrated the importance of saving money for a rainy day, and Hall absorbed her thriftiness from a young age. Today, he lives across the street from the Morgan Library & Museum, but until the age of 16, Hall wasnt aware that museums even existed. There were no museums in Wakulla County, he said. The family could only visit the museum in nearby Tallahassee on the anointed Negro Day, which we never did since we didnt have a car, Hall continued.

A dedicated student, Hall gained entry to the Yale High School Summer Program in 1969, where he experienced just how far New Haven, Conn., was from rural Florida. The Black Panthers had a headquarters in New Haven, and the towns mayor, Richard C. Lee, famously spoke out against the Vietnam War and urged President Richard Nixon to bring troops home. This hotbed of political activity gave Hall his introduction to contemporary art. The Swedish-born American artist Claes Oldenburg, as a show of support for student protesters opposed to Vietnam, installed a 24-foot-tall sculpture of a tube of lipstick, unraveling from inside a military caterpillar tank, at Yales Beinecke Library Plaza. Hall would spend hours staring at Oldenburgs work. It hounded his mind. Everything happening at Yale was just in the background. It was that good, he said, and I didnt even know that there was such a thing like that. I thought art was just classical paintings in books.

Graduating from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1974 with a degree in English Literature, Hall was in debt, but he spent his time looking and pondering, building a well of visual images that have since influenced what I collect, as he put it. In 1982, he moved to New York and started working in finance, which gave him money for the first time in his life. He became friends with Marvin Heiferman, who worked in the print department at Leo Castelli, the dealer of artists like Warhol and Rauschenberg. In another sign of Halls foresight, he bought two photographs by Nan Goldin from her 1985 series The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, which documented the nocturnal and narcotic lifestyles of Goldins friends. He bought Skinhead Having Sex, London, 1978 and C.Z. and Max on the Beach, Truro, Massachusetts, 1976 (the titles are self-explanatory) for $350 each. Individual works from the same series have since sold for over $65,000.
Historically, the C.P.A. profession excluded people of color because you need to work under the supervision of a C.P.A. in order to become a C.P.A. So if C.P.A.s were not hiring people of color and women in the past, then their chances of getting that experience was very low. To put it in context, this is a profession that is over 125 years old and the 100th Black person to become a C.P.A., Bert Mitchell, is still alive to tell the tale.

Many C.P.A.s of color take what is referred to as a nontraditional path. They may not have heard about it growing up and may come across a C.P.A. later and decide to pursue it. I feel strongly that there is inadequate support for people who decide to take that route. I dont have the answers for all of this but I have deep admiration for the nontraditional-path C.P.A.s. If you are deciding to go back to college, to take these hard exams, thats a level of commitment.

We are thinking of building a pipeline not just of very young people, but one of talented C.P.A.s. If this is your career goal, that should be open to you. What should keep you from being a C.P.A. is if you cant pass the exams, if you cant understand debits and credits. It shouldnt be because you are too old or you are a person of color or you are a member of the L.G.B.T.Q. community.

Your appointment comes one year after the murder of George Floyd, and as companies have pledged to improve diversity in their ranks. How will you, and your organization, meet the moment?

With as much support as possible. The state society within the organization now has a diversity, equity and inclusion committee on staff, which is something that didnt exist two years ago. The big accounting firms have made a commitment to D.E.I. Several have put out transparency reports about their numbers, especially in leadership. One of the things they found was when you are on the path to partnership, you work with challenging and high profile clients and run those client engagements. If you are not getting those clients, its a barrier to various levels of partnership. What they were finding was that people of color were not being assigned those engagements. It is something that has been acknowledged and that they are working on.

I admire the ability to take an honest look at what you are doing and how you are doing it, because a lot of the firms have had D.E.I. initiatives for decades and being able to stop and look and say, what we have been doing hasnt been working and what do we need to fix and also lets be open about this process, those are things to applaud.

What does success look like?

If we get to a point in the industry that is reflective of the society that we live in, at all levels, including making partner. People of color have been getting an education for a long time and they have been going to work for a long time, so there is no good reason why we are not seeing those people of color in positions of leadership.
A rare interview with Shi Zhengli

To the Chinese government and public, Shi Zhengli is a hero of the countrys success in curbing the epidemic and a victim of malicious conspiracy theories. But to a growing chorus of scientists and American politicians, she is the key to figuring out whether the coronavirus may have escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where she runs a prominent lab.

Throughout the pandemic, Shi has rarely spoken to the media  until my colleague Amy Qin recently called her up.

I found her number and I called it at night, Amy said. I was surprised that she picked up.

When Amy first called, Shi was reluctant to talk. But it seemed like she couldnt help but defend herself.

How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence? she said, her voice rising in anger. I dont know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist, she wrote in a subsequent text message.
Most of the staff at two restaurants run by Edouardo Jordan, an acclaimed chef in Seattle who has been celebrated with some of the industrys top awards, quit on Sunday after an investigation by The Seattle Times surfaced 15 allegations against him of sexual misconduct or unwanted touching.

The two restaurants, JuneBaby and Salare, were closed on Sunday after the staff departures, according to The Seattle Times. A representative of Mr. Jordan confirmed on Monday that nearly all of the employees at both restaurants had resigned.

Attempts to reach Mr. Jordan by phone and email on Monday were unsuccessful. The representative said in an email that Mr. Jordan was taking a step back and in a deep state of remorse for the pain he has caused former coworkers and restaurant staff.

The Times investigation included five women who said that Mr. Jordan had groped or given them unwanted kisses from 2012 and 2017, and 10 women who described sexual comments or unwanted touching as recently as 2019. Four of the women said he had groped them at work.
[Live N.Y.C. mayoral race primary results.]

Early voting in the mayoral primary began Saturday, but given how few New Yorkers have so far shown up at their polling sites, it looks like the candidates still have time to get their messages out before 9 p.m. on June 22.

For all of those invested in a healthy turnout, the early numbers do not bode particularly well. Just 16,867 voters showed up on Saturday, according to the Board of Elections unofficial tally.

Every New Yorker who has yet to cast a vote is still theoretically persuadable. And the candidates are sparing no expense in trying to reach them.

Garcia out-raises field, and Adams outspends it

In the final weeks of the mayors race, donations have poured in to the campaign of Kathryn Garcia, a former sanitation commissioner who has risen from long shot to viable leading candidate.
Only a few weeks ago, wildlife officials in Colorado thought they were tracking two male wolves.

The gray wolves, among only a handful spotted in the state in recent years, had been described as possible hunting partners, roaming around without mates. Not only did one of them turn out to be female, but the pair has now produced a litter of gray wolf pups  the states first since the 1940s.

The growing family has taken up residence in Jackson County, which borders Wyoming. Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel, observing the den site from about two miles away, recorded multiple sightings this month of the two adults with at least three pups, although there could be more since there are usually four to six pups in a wolf litter.

We welcome this historic den and the new wolf family to Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement last week.

There are likely to be more sightings of the pups, which have not been photographed, as they grow bigger and venture outside the den more often, wildlife officials said.
Police and court documents outlined each mans version of the fight, according to The Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Mr. Dinning told the authorities that Mr. Michael had followed him outside the store and began assaulting him, jabbing him in the eye and repeatedly kneeing him in the groin. At one point, Mr. Dinning said, Mr. Michael spat on him, coughed on him and yelled, If I have it, you have it!

According to Mr. Michael, Mr. Dinning started the fight after the two left the store when he shoulder-checked him and poked him in the abdomen. In this account, the two men eventually fell to the ground, and while Mr. Michael was pinning Mr. Dinning, he bit Mr. Michaels arm.

Image Shane Wayne Michael was sentenced to 10 years in prison after assaulting and spitting on another man in a fight over how he wore his face covering. The man said Mr. Michael coughed and spat on him and yelled, If I have it, you have it! Credit... Polk County Sheriffs Office

Court documents show that witnesses identified Mr. Michael as the aggressor in the case. He was convicted by a Polk County District Court jury of assault causing bodily injury.
The Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Monday to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, giving President Biden his first pick on an appeals court even as the Senate Republican leader threatened future roadblocks for Biden administration judicial nominees.

Following her approval by a bipartisan vote of 53 to 44, Judge Jackson, who served as a federal district judge, will join the court regarded as the second highest in the land, and considered an incubator for Supreme Court justices. She is widely considered a potential nominee for the Supreme Court should a vacancy occur during the tenure of Mr. Biden, who has promised to appoint the first African-American woman as a justice.

She has all the qualities of a model jurist, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said as he urged her approval. She is brilliant, thoughtful, collaborative and dedicated to applying the law impartially. For these qualities, she has earned the respect of both sides.

Her approval came as Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, threatened to open a new front in the judicial wars that have rocked the Senate for decades. In an interview with the conservative radio commentator Hugh Hewitt, Mr. McConnell said Republicans would most likely block any Supreme Court nominee put forward by Mr. Biden in 2024 if Republicans regained control of the Senate in next years elections and a seat came open.
Defense lawyers have tried a host of tactics for their clients. Some have asked to move the cases out of Washington, claiming that the citys largely Democratic population cannot provide a fair jury pool. Others have attacked the viability of widely charged crimes, saying that some of the statutes have been wrongly applied.

Earlier this month, a defendant in another bellwether case, Paul A. Hodgkins, pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of obstructing the certification of the presidential vote by breaching the Senate floor with an angry pro-Trump mob. Under the terms of his deal with the government, Mr. Hodgkins, a 38-year-old crane operator from Florida, agreed to a sentence of 15 to 21 months in prison. He also agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution.

The obstruction count that Mr. Hodgkins pleaded to is one of the most broadly charged crimes in the riot and placed him somewhere near the middle of the spectrum of defendants, in between those who merely trespassed on the building and those who broke in with a weapon or attacked police officers.

Last week, a lawyer for Douglas Jensen, a QAnon believer accused of carrying a knife while leading the mob in an early charge against the Capitol Police, estimated in a court filing that his client could face 41 to 51 months in prison if he pleaded guilty. Prosecutors recommended the same range in April for Jon Ryan Schaffer, a member of the Oath Keepers militia who acknowledged storming the building with a canister of bear spray in a plea deal that called for him to cooperate with investigators.

At this point, none of the more than 100 people charged with assaulting officers at the Capitol have formally pleaded guilty, though prosecutors have said in recent hearings that they have been negotiating deals with some defendants who attacked the police. Police assaults can in theory carry up to eight years in prison  and significantly more if a weapon was involved.

Crafting federal sentencing recommendations for assault can be complicated, depending on factors like the defendants criminal history and the severity of the victims injuries. The sentences for assaults at the Capitol are likely to be even harder to determine given that many of the attacks involved multiple assailants who did different things and, even though they worked together, bear different levels of culpability.
Republican lawmakers have systematically downplayed or dismissed the dangers, with some breezing over the attack on the Capitol as a largely peaceful protest, and many saying the state voting law changes are to restore integrity to the process, even as they give credence to Mr. Trumps false claims of rampant fraud in the 2020 election.

They shrug off Democrats warnings of grave danger as the overheated language of politics as usual.

I havent understood for four or five years why we are so quick to spin into a place where part of the country is sure that we no longer have the strength to move forward, as we always have in the past, said Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of Republican leadership, noting that the passions of Republican voters today match those of Democratic voters after Mr. Trumps triumph. Four years ago, there were people in the so-called resistance showing up in all of my offices every week, some of whom were chaining themselves to the door.

For Democrats, the evidence of looming catastrophe mounts daily. Fourteen states, including politically competitive ones like Florida and Georgia, have enacted 22 laws to curtail early and mail-in ballots, limit polling places and empower partisans to police polling, then oversee the vote tally. Others are likely to follow, including Texas, with its huge share of House seats and electoral votes.

Because Republicans control the legislatures of many states where the 2020 census will force redistricting, the party is already in a strong position to erase the Democrats razor-thin majority in the House. Even moderate voting-law changes could bolster Republicans chances for the net gain of one vote they need to take back the Senate.

And in the nightmare outcome promulgated by some academics, Republicans have put themselves in a position to dictate the outcome of the 2024 presidential election if the voting is close in swing states.
WASHINGTON  John C. Demers, the head of the Justice Departments national security division, will step down at the end of next week, according to an email he sent to his staff on Monday. His departure was arranged months ago but comes amid backlash over investigations into leaks of classified information.

Mr. Demers was the longest-serving Senate-confirmed official from the Trump administration to remain at the Justice Department during the Biden presidency.

You can probably imagine that Ive stayed much longer than planned, but long ago I told the new folks that when school was out, I was out, Mr. Demers, who has school-age children, wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. And thats the end of next week.

Mark J. Lesko, the acting top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, will replace Mr. Demers on an interim basis until the divisions new leader is confirmed by the Senate, according to an official familiar with the matter. President Biden has nominated Matthew G. Olsen, an Uber executive who has served in several national security roles in government, to serve as the head of the national security division. His Senate confirmation hearing could take place as soon as next month.
Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and minority leader, threatened on Monday to block any Supreme Court nominee put forward by President Biden in 2024 if Republicans regain control of the Senate next year.

I think in the middle of a presidential election, if you have a Senate of the opposite party of the president, you have to go back to the 1880s to find the last time a vacancy was filled, Mr. McConnell said in a radio interview with the conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt. So I think its highly unlikely.

His position is no surprise since it is in line with his refusal in 2016 to consider President Barack Obamas high court nomination of Merrick B. Garland, now the attorney general, saying it was too close to the presidential election even though the vacancy occurred in February.

As for what would happen if a seat became open in 2023 and Republicans controlled the Senate, Mr. McConnell did not declare that he would prevent Mr. Biden from advancing a nominee, but left the door open to the possibility. Well, wed have to wait and see what happens, said Mr. McConnell.
I know that you compiled a reading list about race, and you did a listening tour. What were some of the things you read, and what did they teach you?

There were a number of books that were recommended. I have one by Robin DiAngelo called White Fragility. There was Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. One of the documentaries that Ive watched a couple times is 13th. Very powerful  that was probably what put things in perspective for me.

But the most powerful thing was people that were willing to sit down with me, and that I was willing to listen and learn from them. I was in the sixth grade when they desegregated schools, and my family chose to keep me in public schools, which was a great decision. I experienced white privilege and Black oppression, but I really never took the next step and have people explain to me why it was so important. The listening has made me a better person.

As a white person, we  people that look like me  need to take on that burden of educating the folks that we are associated with regarding racism, and white supremacy, and Black oppression and white privilege. That burden, for far too long, has been on people of color, rather than, Lets get some help from folks that look like me.

I talked to people who met with you on that listening tour. And they say it was pretty explicit, that you were promising a change in priorities for your administration, that you were promising policy change. Was that the offer you were making?

I never looked at it as like, Lets make a deal here. But what I did say is that Im here to listen and Im here to learn. And Im in a position as governor and having a cabinet and working with legislators to really turn a lot of what we learn into action.

But some of the policy accomplishments that youre touting around racial justice now would not have happened if not for the 2019 scandal? Is that accurate?
And soon, to Mr. Joness surprise, Mr. Northam began making the kinds of statewide changes that the mayor suggested he should do.

On a national level, Mr. Northam may forever be enshrined as the Democrat who defied calls to resign in the face of unquestionable racism  a photograph on his yearbook page that showed one man in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan costume. But among Black political leaders and elected officials in Virginia, he is set to leave office with another legacy: becoming the most racially progressive governor in the states history, whose focus on uplifting Black communities since the 2019 scandal will have a tangible and lasting effect.

Mr. Northams arc, from political pariah denounced by nearly every national Democrat to a popular incumbent with support from Black elected officials and even progressive activists, is a complex story of personal growth and political pressure, a testament to how crisis can also provide opportunity. However, it would not have been possible without the Black Virginians who rallied around him even as they stared down immense pressure to help force him from office  Black staff members who stayed in the administration, a Legislative Black Caucus that chose to focus on policy goals rather than resignation, and a Black activist community that quickly followed the lawmakers strategic lead.

The result is a reshaped Virginia. Since 2019, and aided by a Democratic sweep of both state legislative houses, the commonwealth has become the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty, allocated more than $300 million to the states financially struggling Black colleges, passed sweeping police reform measures, and created the countrys first state cabinet-level position for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Mr. Jones, the mayor of Danville, Va., said that the developments were a powerful antidote to a society struggling with concepts like cancel culture and wokeness. Instead of derision, Mr. Northam and the Black leaders who supported him showed the power of redemption, humility and growth.
WASHINGTON  Reality L. Winner, a former National Security Agency contractor who was the first person prosecuted during the Trump administration on charges of leaking classified information, has been released to a halfway house, her lawyer announced on Monday.

Ms. Winners case was the subject of an intense public campaign to win her a pardon or clemency. But it was her good behavior in prison, not the outside advocacy or a compassionate release process, that shortened her 63-month sentence, her lawyer said.

While her good-behavior release was not unusual, her lawyer, Alison Grinter Allen, said she and Ms. Winners family were worried that the government would find a reason to extend her prison stay.

When we knew release was imminent, there were a lot of anxieties that it would be denied to her, Ms. Allen said in an interview.
Other cities, like Miami, are nearly free of pandemic restrictions and booming with tourists. This month, the top prosecutor in Miami-Dade County and local police leaders turned to the issue of public safety, announcing Operation Summer Heat, an initiative to combat a wave of shootings. Homicides in Miami are 30 percent higher this year than the same period in 2020, according to data from the medical examiners office.

The efforts include additional streetlights and surveillance cameras, prosecutors assigned to hot spot areas and a code enforcement crackdown on illegal party venues.

This is something we have never seen before, Alfredo Ramirez III, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said of the recent surge in violence. Now they are going to see something theyve never seen before: Theyre going to see the law enforcement community united, working as one.

Business owners who are eager to see tourism return have been made especially anxious by the persistent violence.

Pete Berghoff, whose family has owned the historic Berghoff restaurant in Chicagos Loop since 1898, is planning to reopen its doors in July. But he is worried about the unruly gatherings of younger people downtown that have turned violent.

Im very concerned that as people return to work, there are going to be confrontations, he said. Were excited to reopen. But we need to make sure that everybody downtown feels safe.

Homicide rates in large cities were up more than 30 percent on average last year, and up another 24 percent for the beginning of this year, according to criminologists.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Monday unanimously ruled that the First Step Act, the bipartisan 2018 law that overhauled aspects of the criminal justice system, did not require new sentences for some low-level drug offenders.

Though all of the justices agreed on the bottom line, the decision nonetheless featured a sharp disagreement about the background of a 1986 law that had subjected drug dealers selling crack cocaine to the same sentences as ones selling 100 times as much powder cocaine.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a concurring opinion accusing the majority of including an unnecessary, incomplete and sanitized history of the law, one she said had imposed disproportionately harsh sentences on Black offenders.

Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for eight members of the court, said the 1986 law had enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support, adding that a majority of the Congressional Black Caucus co-sponsored and voted for the bill.
Americans sure love their coffee. Even last spring when the pandemic shut down New York, nearly every neighborhood shop that sold takeout coffee managed to stay open, and I was amazed at how many people ventured forth to start their stay-at-home days with a favorite store-made brew.

One elderly friend who prepandemic had traveled from Brooklyn to Manhattan by subway to buy her preferred blend of ground coffee arranged to have it delivered. Well worth the added cost, she told me. I use machine-brewed coffee from pods, and last summer when it seemed reasonably safe for me to shop I stocked up on a years supply of the blends I like. (Happily, the pods are now recyclable.)

All of us should be happy to know that whatever it took to secure that favorite cup of Joe may actually have helped to keep us healthy. The latest assessments of the health effects of coffee and caffeine, its main active ingredient, are reassuring indeed. Their consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of all kinds of ailments, including Parkinsons disease, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, depression, suicide, cirrhosis, liver cancer, melanoma and prostate cancer.

In fact, in numerous studies conducted throughout the world, consuming four or five eight-ounce cups of coffee (or about 400 milligrams of caffeine) a day has been associated with reduced death rates. In a study of more than 200,000 participants followed for up to 30 years, those who drank three to five cups of coffee a day, with or without caffeine, were 15 percent less likely to die early from all causes than were people who shunned coffee. Perhaps most dramatic was a 50 percent reduction in the risk of suicide among both men and women who were moderate coffee drinkers, perhaps by boosting production of brain chemicals that have antidepressant effects.
High blood pressure in younger people may be particularly hazardous for women, a new study suggests. The study found that women  but not men  with even mildly elevated blood pressure in their early 40s may be at substantially increased risk for later coronary disease and death.

In 1992, Norwegian researchers began studying 12,329 men and women whose average age was 41. They tracked their blood pressure and cardiovascular health for an average of 16 years.

At the start, high blood pressure was much less common in women than in men: 25 percent of women and 35 percent of men had stage 1 hypertension, which the American Heart Association defines as a reading of 130/80 to 139/89. (A reading under 120/80 is considered normal.) Fourteen percent of women and 31 percent of men had stage 2 hypertension, defined as 140/90 or higher. The women also had fewer risk factors for heart disease: They tended to have lower B.M.I.s and lower cholesterol levels, and fewer of them were smokers.

During the follow-up period, 1.4 percent of the women and 5.7 percent of the men had been hospitalized with or died from cardiovascular disease.
To a growing chorus of American politicians and scientists, she is the key to whether the world will ever learn if the virus behind the devastating Covid-19 pandemic escaped from a Chinese lab. To the Chinese government and public, she is a hero of the countrys success in curbing the epidemic and a victim of malicious conspiracy theories.

Shi Zhengli, a top Chinese virologist, is once again at the center of clashing narratives about her research on coronaviruses at a state lab in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic first emerged.

The idea that the virus may have escaped from a lab had long been widely dismissed by scientists as implausible and shunned by others for its connection with former President Donald J. Trump. But fresh scrutiny from the Biden administration and calls for greater candor from prominent scientists have brought the theory back to the fore.

Scientists generally agree that there is still no direct evidence to support the lab leak theory. But more of them now say that the hypothesis was dismissed too hastily, without a thorough investigation, and they point to a range of unsettling questions.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand  A planned Hollywood film about the Christchurch mosque massacre has drawn a sharp backlash in New Zealand, with Muslims denouncing the directors decision to focus not on the communitys pain and resilience, but instead on the response by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

More than 60,000 people have signed a petition calling for the movie to be shut down. Ms. Ardern released a statement distancing herself from the film, which she said she had not been consulted on. The mayor of Christchurch said that the movies crews would not be welcome in her city, and one New Zealand producer dropped out of the production on Monday.

Some Muslims said the film, as proposed, would exploit their trauma and engage in white saviorism by making Ms. Ardern the central character.

Its really intensely hurtful, said Guled Mire, a Fulbright scholar at Cornell University who is a member of New Zealands Muslim community. He added that he and others had learned of the movie only through social media. The grief is still very raw for a lot of the victims, their families and for the community as a whole.
Among those leading the effort is Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who has been passed over repeatedly by Francis for elevation to the rank of cardinal.

The focus of this proposed teaching document, Archbishop Gomez wrote in a memo, is on how best to help people to understand the beauty and the mystery of the Eucharist as the center of their Christian lives.

The conservative American bishops are largely out of step with Francis and his agenda of putting climate change, migrants and poverty on the churchs front burner. But Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit priest, and a senior analyst with Religion News Service, said conservatives constitute at least half of the American bishops conference and could have the votes to begin the process of drafting a teaching document about who can receive communion.

It is unlikely the conservatives would be able to ultimately ratify such a document, which would require unanimous support from all the countrys bishops, or two-thirds support and the Vaticans approval. But the debate promises to keep the issue alive and present a nagging headache for President Biden and other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

A good portion of the bishops want to avoid the question altogether. Already, 67 American bishops, about a third of the conference, and including top cardinals aligned with Francis, signed a letter on May 13 asking Archbishop Gomez to remove the item from the virtual meetings agenda.

One of those signees, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, has the ultimate decision on whether to deny communion to President Biden in the archdiocese of Washington. He has made it abundantly clear he will not.
But there are still millions of people who have not yet received a vaccine. They are mostly under 50 and thus, even if they do contract Covid, are thought to be less likely to develop a severe enough case to require hospitalization.

Still, a big enough wave of infections could cause problems: A study from Scotland published on Monday in The Lancet found that people with cases caused by Delta were roughly twice as likely as those with Alpha to be hospitalized.

The nature and timing of the transition from a major epidemic to living with Covid-19 was never likely to be straightforward, said Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The Delta variant has made the process considerably more difficult.

Under Mondays announcement, there will be a review of government Covid-19 rules on June 28 and, if the situation improves significantly, restrictions could be lifted on July 5.

But failing that, current curbs will stay in effect for two more weeks, except for a few minor relaxations like the numbers allowed at weddings.

The delay is intended to allow millions more vaccines to be administered, ramping up the second doses that appear to be critical in protecting against the Delta variant. In particular, the time between the first and second vaccine shots given to those 40 or older will be shortened, with all of that group offered two doses by July 19.
PARIS  Prosecutors in France said on Monday that they had dropped an investigation into accusations of rape of a minor and sexual aggression by a prominent political scientist because the statute of limitations had expired.

The prosecutors opened their investigation of the academic, Olivier Duhamel, on Jan. 5, following accusations by his stepdaughter, Camille Kouchner, that he sexually abused her twin brother more than 30 years ago. Such abuse would be considered incest under French law, even though the boy was Mr. Duhamels stepson.

In a book published in early January, La Familia Grande, Ms. Kouchner, an associate professor of law at Paris Descartes University, accused Mr. Duhamel of abusing her brother starting when he was 14.

The book rocked Pariss elite circles of intellectuals, artists and politicians, whom Ms. Kouchner accused of having largely protected the well-connected Mr. Duhamel, who was the president of Le Siecle, an elite social club in the capital, and the head of the governing board overseeing the prestigious Sciences Po university. Mr. Duhamel has since resigned from all the positions he held.
JERUSALEM  Israels fragile new coalition government gave a first glimpse of its priorities on Monday, as ministers announced plans to repair Israeli ties with the U.S. Democratic Party and the Jewish diaspora, investigate a disaster at religious site last month that killed 45, and permit a far-right march through Jerusalem on Tuesday that some fear will lead to violence.

The raft of initiatives highlighted the complexities and contradictions of the new coalition, which replaced Benjamin Netanyahus government Sunday night in a confidence vote in Parliament that passed by just a single vote  60 votes to 59, with one abstention. The coalition is an unlikely alliance of the hard right, the left and the center, as well as  for the first time in Israeli history  an independent Arab party.

The coalitions announcements on Monday also underscored how its policies diverge from Mr. Netanyahus on some issues, but continue his approach to others.

In his first major speech in office, the new foreign minister, Yair Lapid, promised Monday to revive Israels relationship with American Democrats. That bond frayed under Mr. Netanyahu, who antagonized President Barack Obama, befriended his Republican successor, President Donald J. Trump, and then used his last speech in office on Sunday to blast President Biden as being dangerous for Israel.
Israelis are now debating what role the Balfour protests may have played in unseating Mr. Netanyahu, who spent 12 consecutive years in office, and 15 overall, and in breaking the political deadlock that sent Israelis to the ballot box four times in two years.

Now the leader of the opposition, Mr. Netanyahu skipped the traditional handover ceremony, merely meeting Mr. Bennett alone for half an hour on Monday. He has vowed to bring down Mr. Bennetts government, which he has branded as left-wing.

The prime ministers office could not immediately say when the Netanyahus might leave Balfour. A person close to the family, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private affairs, said the subject had not come up for discussion but noted that some previous prime ministers had received a grace period of up to two months before vacating the residence.

Named for Arthur Balfour, the British foreign secretary whose declaration more than a century ago laid the diplomatic foundations for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, Balfour Street became a byword for what detractors saw as the increasingly polarizing, anti-democratic and monarchical impulses of Mr. Netanyahu, his wife, Sara, and their elder son, Yair. Many saw them as having royal delusions. Battling corruption charges, Mr. Netanyahu railed against the police, the mainstream news media and the judiciary and accused them of plotting to overthrow him.

The term Balfour also came to denote a political concept identified by Ben Caspit, an Israeli commentator and author of two Netanyahu biographies. In the prime ministers circles, Mr. Caspit said, people began to speak of which policies or decisions would or would not win the approval of the house, which at first meant Ms. Netanyahu, and in more recent years, also referred to Yair Netanyahu.

It was a three-member board of directors, Mr. Caspit said in an interview, and Bibi did not have a majority.

The person close to the Netanyahu family said that while Ms. Netanyahu and Yair Netanyahu expressed their opinions, he had never seen any extraordinary interference in decision-making to justify the reputation they had gained.
BANGKOK  For months, the government of Thailand assured citizens that a plan to dole out free, locally made coronavirus shots would start in early June. About 70 percent of the national population would be inoculated by the end of the year, health officials said.

Then the delays began, just as the country was struggling with its worst outbreak of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.

On Sunday night, nearly a week after the vaccination program was supposed to have kicked into high gear, hospitals in Bangkok announced that previously confirmed appointments had been canceled.

There was no word as to why or when they might be rescheduled.

The knock-on effect of what appears to be a mass shortage of Thai-made vaccines is also radiating to other parts of the region, where inoculation campaigns are far behind those of many Western countries. The governments of Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan have announced that they are scaling back their vaccine rollouts because of lower-than-expected shipments from Thailand. (Thailand disputed the claims that it was to blame.)
Vermont has at least partially vaccinated 80 percent of residents 12 or older, allowing it to lift all remaining state pandemic restrictions, Gov. Phil Scott announced on Monday.

Federal data confirmed that the state passed the 80 percent milestone first, while lagging vaccination rates elsewhere have imperiled President Bidens national goal of getting shots into the arms of at least 70 percent of adults over 18 by July 4.

Im very proud to announce that Vermont has now become the first state in the nation to vaccinate over 80 percent of its 12-and-over population, Mr. Scott said at a news conference on Monday.
ICR Inc. handles US media surrounding UK-based Vertical Aerospace in its $2.2B SPAC deal engineered with Broadstone Acquisition to become a New York Stock Exchange-listed company.

As a leader in the electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft market, Verticals goal is to make air travel carbon-free, personal and on-demand.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, who launched Vertical in 2016, said, electrification will transform flying in the 21st century in the same way that jet engines did 70 years ago.

His company has pre-orders worth $4B for 1,000 eVTOL aircraft from American Airlines and Avolon, along with a pre-order option from Virgin Atlantic.

American Airlines has agreed to work with VA on passenger operations and infrastructure development in the US. Vertical will partner with Virgin Atlantic for a VA-branded eVTOL network in the UK.

American Airlines, Microsoft, Rolls-Royce, Avolon and Honeywell have invested in Vertical.

ICR has Phil Denning and Dan McDermott working the media for Vertical, while Edelmans Iain Dey and Raeesa Chowdhury-King represent Broadstone.
Oregon-based agency Weinstein PR today announced that it is being acquired by PR veteran Molly Ishkanian, owner of Portland-based shop Noteworthy PR.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ishkanian founded Noteworthy PR in 2019. She was formerly director of PR at Portland-based marketing shop RWest, where she was stationed for 10 years. She has served as a Weinstein consultant since 2019.

Molly Ishkanian and Lee Weinstein. Photo: photosbykim.com

"Every so often in PR, you meet a practitioner who just has it alland then some," Weinstein PR president and CEO Lee Weinstein told ODwyers. "Molly has a level of ideas and creativity that puts her in a very special league. So excited to see where she takes this business and our industry."

Weinstein will remain at the agency as a senior consultant. Weinstein, who is also president of global PR network PR Boutiques International, will continue to provide advice and counsel to clients as well as offer creative input and assistance in business development efforts.

The Weinstein PR name and branding remains in light of the acquisition, and no other staffing changes were reported.

Weinstein, which was founded in 2007 by Lee and Melinda Weinstein, counts Facebook, Intel, LaCrosse Footwear, Nike and the University of Oregon as clients.
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In Mental Health Crises, a 911 Call Now Brings a Mixed Team of Helpers  And Maybe No Cops
Foysol Khan a young music artist from Bangladesh. The owner of music band named, "Foysol khan Official" and owner of music station named, "Foysol khan's Heaven". Foysol Khan is a Bangladeshi Music Composer, Lyricist, Blogger, Entrepreneur and Influencer. He was born in 15 September 1998 and brought up in Bangladesh. His viral music contents is, "Love Me More", and "Yes, I Am That Foysol khan". Actually after going his first relation 
Eleanor M. Hoch, 98, of Champaign, IL died at home Wednesday, June 23. Eleanor was born November 7, 1922 in Ashkum, IL in the farm home of James F. and Kathryn Zeedyk Anderson. She was the oldest of seven children. Eleanor and siblings attended rural schools and she really did walk 1 and  m
Officials at the public water system for the city of Des Moines are asking customers to begin using water wisely and cut lawn irrigation by 25% as water usage climbs and drought conditions reduce the flow of rivers feeding the plant
The FBI has arrested an Iowa man and his adult son after they discussed on social media their involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
BRUSSELS (AP)  President Joe Biden frequently talks about what he sees as central in executing effective foreign policy: building personal relationships.

But unlike his four most recent White House predecessors, who made an effort to build a measure of rapport with Vladimir Putin, Biden has made clear that the virtue of fusing a personal connection might have its limits when it comes to the Russian leader.

The American president, who is set to meet with Putin face to face on Wednesday in Geneva, is mindful of Putins ability to survive even as his country has diminished as a world economic power.

Biden has repeated an anecdote about his last meeting with Putin, 10 years ago when he was vice president and Putin was serving as prime minister. Putin had taken a break from the presidency because the Russian constitution at the time prohibited a third consecutive term, but he was still seen as Russia's most powerful leader.

Biden told biographer Evan Osnos that during that meeting in 2011, Putin showed him his ornate office in Moscow. Biden recalled poking Putin  a former KGB officer  that its amazing what capitalism will do."

Biden said he then turned around and standing inches from Putin said, Mr. Prime Minister, Im looking into your eyes, and I dont think you have a soul." Biden said Putin smiled and responded: We understand one another.

Putin, for his part, said in an NBC News interview aired Monday that he didnt remember such an exchange. I do not remember this particular part of our conversations, Putin said.

Biden's comment was in part a dig at former President George W. Bush, who faced ridicule after his first meeting with Putin when he claimed that he had looked the man in the eye and was able to get a sense of his soul. But in replaying his decade-old exchange with Putin, Biden also has attempted to demonstrate he is clear-eyed about the Russian leader in a way his predecessors werent.

Biden and Putin are now meeting again, at a moment when the U.S.-Russia relationship seems to get more complicated by the day. Biden has repeatedly taken Putin to task  and levied sanctions against Russian entities and individuals in Putins orbit  over allegations of Russian interference in the 2020 election and the hacking of federal agencies in what is known as the SolarWinds breach.

Despite the sanctions, Putin has been unmoved. Cyber attacks in the U.S. originating from Russian-based hackers in recent weeks have also impacted a major oil pipeline and the largest meat supplier in the world. Putin has denied Kremlin involvement.

Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia who was with Biden for the 2011 meeting with Putin, said in an interview that Biden might have a deeper skepticism and perhaps more informed view of Putin than any of his White House predecessors.

Bidens knowledge of the region may be better than anybody thats held the job, McFaul said. Biden has spent time in Georgia. He spent a lot of time in Ukraine. I traveled with him to Moldova, and hes spent a lot of time in the eastern parts of the NATO alliance. He has been in those places and heard firsthand about Russian aggression and Russian threat. ... It has created a unique component of his analysis of Putin that other presidents have not had.

Indeed, as president, Biden has said he would take a far different tack in his relationship with Putin than former President Donald Trump, who showed unusual deference to Putin, and the three other past U.S. presidents, whose political lives overlapped Putin's time in power.

During his first visit of his presidency to the State Department, in February, Biden told agency employees that the days of rolling over for Putin were over  a not-so thinly veiled shot at Trump. Later, in an ABC News interview, Biden answered affirmatively that Putin was a killer."

Trumps tendency to genuflect to Putin had many in Washington openly questioning whether the Russians had something embarrassing on the real estate mogul. Both Trump and Putin publicly denied the speculation.

Trump repeatedly tried to scotch the widespread contention  underscored by U.S. intelligence findings  that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Asked at their joint news conference at the end of their 2018 summit in Helsinki, Finland, whom he believed  U.S. intelligence or Putin  Trump demurred.

The White House said that Biden would not hold a joint news conference with Putin, but would speak to media on his own after Wednesday's meeting. Administration officials say that Biden doesn't want to elevate Putin. Asked Sunday why years of U.S. sanctions haven't changed Putin's behavior, Biden laughed and responded: He's Vladimir Putin.""

Barack Obama came into office seeking a reset of the U.S.-Russia relationship, an effort to improve relations with Russian leadership and find areas of common interest.

Before his visit to Moscow early in his first term Obama spoke dismissively of Putin, saying the then-prime minister had one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new. But after meeting face-to-face during the trip, Obama pronounced he was very convinced the prime minister is a man of today and hes got his eyes firmly on the future.

That feeling didn't last.

By the time Obama and Putin met on the sidelines of the 2013 Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland, the reset effort was on life support.

At the time, G-8 leaders were unsuccessfully pressing Putin to join a call for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down. Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden had been allowed to stay in Russia after releasing highly classified American intelligence.

Obama and Putin's disdain for each other was palpable. During a photo opportunity before the press in Northern Ireland, they sat grim faced and avoided looking at each other.

In 2014, after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine, any vapor of hope for a reset had evaporated.

George W. Bush tried mightily to charm Putin, hosting him at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and bringing him to his fathers estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, where the 43rd and 41st presidents took the Russian president fishing.

But Putin ultimately flummoxed Bush and the relationship was badly damaged after Russia's 2008 invasion of its neighbor Georgia after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered his troops into the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Bill Clinton was the first U.S. president to deal with Putin, meeting him for the first time in 1999 at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering months. That was months before Putin would succeed Boris Yeltsin as president and a little over a year before the end of Clintons presidency.

In a phone call with Britains Prime Minister Tony Blair in November 2000, Clinton called Putin a guy with a lot of ambition for the Russians but also expressed concern that Putin could get squishy on democracy, according to a transcript of the call published by the Clinton Presidential Archives.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last week that Biden has known Putin for a long time and never held back on voicing his concerns.

This is not about friendship. Its not about trust, Psaki said. Its about whats in the interest of the United States. And, in our view, that is moving toward a more stable and predictable relationship.

Biden has managed several complicated relationships with foreign leaders during his nearly 50 years in national politics. He's developed a rapport with China's Xi Jinping  spending days traveling with Xi in the U.S. and China. Biden in recent days has told aides that his relationship with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan has remained strong despite differences over U.S. support for Kurds in northwest Syria and Biden disparaging Erdogan as an autocrat.

But Putin has left Biden with fundamentally more difficult problems that personal diplomacy can't fix, said Rachel Ellehuus, deputy director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

With someone like Erdogan, Xi or the North Korean (Kim Jong Un), Biden has had this sense that we have something they want," Ellehuus said. Biden has long recognized that the only thing Putin really wants is to undermine the U.S., to divide NATO, to divide the EU. Biden knows theres little common ground to work from with Putin."
Thursday, June 10

10:57 p.m.  Officers responded to a domestic verbal situation on Jefferson Avenue.

10:34 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Lee Township location for a verbal domestic between two females. Upon arrival, deputies contacted a 28-year-old Lee Township female and a 20-year-old Lee Township female. The couple had been arguing, it was determined the parties would remain separated for the night.

10:13 p.m.  Officers responded to a weapons violation on Bay City Road.

10:13 p.m.  Mills Township Fire and the Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a Mills Township residence regarding an illegal burn and verbal argument. A 77-year-old female called 911 because her 80-year-old husband was burning a small pile of dead grass. The smoke was bothering her, and the husband refused to put it out for her. Mills Township Fire used a bucket to put the small fire out. The male was advised of the burn ban and no assault occurred.

10:07 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Lee Township residence regarding a suspicious situation. Deputies contacted a 31-year-old Lee Township female who reported she found a cigarette in her loaner vehicle. The cigarette found was not a brand she smoked, and she did not smoke in the vehicle. Nothing else was missing from the vehicle.

9:17 p.m.  Officers responded to a drivers first offense of driving with a suspended license in the area of West Wackerly Street and Dublin Avenue.

8:45 p.m.  A Warren Township gas station reported a white diesel truck drove away without paying for $40 in fuel.

6:15 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Waldo Avenue and James Savage Road.

5:21 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of East Indian Street and Ashman Street.

4:39 p.m.  A 43-year-old homeless male was stopped for a traffic violation. The male did not have a valid license, so a citation was issued.

4:25 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Joe Mann Boulevard and Elisenal Drive.

3:22 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of West Wackerly Street and Jefferson Avenue.

1:26 p.m.  A deputy spoke with a 46-year-old Mills Township female regarding a suspicious situation. The 46-year-old female said she received a phone call from an unknown male who stated he was from the Social Security Office. The 46-year-old female gave personal information to the caller.

1:06 p.m.  A deputy spoke with a 68-year-old male maintenance worker at a Larkin Township church regarding a DOP of approximately $300 damage to their pole barn. No suspects.

12:30 p.m.  A citizen reported seeing a dog loose in the roadway for two days in front of a home in Ingersoll Township. The home has the appearance of possibly being abandoned. The dog did not have food or water outside the home. Citizen removed the dog from the area as a stray and was going to turn it over to the Humane Society.

11:55 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to an Edenville Township residence to speak with a 59-year-old male regarding a larceny of the catalytic converter.

10:33 a.m.  An animal control officer received a complaint from a city resident whose cat caught and killed a bat in his home. Due to the direct exposure with the cat, the bat was submitted to the Michigan Department of Health for rabies screening.

3:57 p.m.  Deputies responded to a Greendale Township residence for a 20-year-old Saginaw male who reported he felt sick after smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. Paramedics evaluated the male on scene, and they determined he was OK. The male refused to go to the hospital and was being looked after by his friend.

3:21 a.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of West U.S. 10 Business and Saginaw Road.

1:17 a.m. Officers responded to a drivers second offense of driving with a suspend license in the area of Willow Street and Bay City Road.

12:37 a.m.  Officers responded to an OWI in the area of North Saginaw Road and Hidden Pines Court.
A small study offers the first hint that an extra dose of COVID-19 vaccines just might give some organ transplant recipients a needed boost in protection.

Even as most vaccinated people celebrate a return to near normalcy, millions who take immune-suppressing medicines because of transplants, cancer or other disorders remain in limbo  uncertain how protected they really are. Its simply harder for vaccines to rev up a weak immune system.

Mondays study tracked just 30 transplant patients but its an important step toward learning if booster doses could help.

It didn't help everybody. But of the 24 patients who appeared to have no protection after the routine two vaccinations, eight of them  a third  developed some virus-fighting antibodies after an extra shot, researchers from Johns Hopkins University reported in Annals of Internal Medicine. And six others who'd had only minimal antibodies all got a big boost from the third dose.

Its very encouraging, said Dr. Dorry Segev, a Hopkins transplant surgeon who helped lead the research. Just because youre fully negative after two doses doesnt mean that theres no hope.

Next up: Working with the National Institutes of Health, Segev's team hopes to begin a more rigorous test of a third vaccination in 200 transplant recipients this summer.

For transplant patients, powerful immune-suppressing drugs prevent rejection of their new organs but also leave them extremely vulnerable to the coronavirus. They were excluded from initial testing of the COVID-19 vaccines, but doctors urge that they get vaccinated in hopes of at least some protection.

Some do benefit. The Hopkins team recently tested more than 650 transplant recipients and found about 54% harbored virus-fighting antibodies after two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines  although generally less than in otherwise healthy vaccinated people.

Its not just a concern after organ transplants. One study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune disorders found 85% developed antibodies, said Dr. Alfred Kim of Washington University in St. Louis. But those who used particular kinds of immune-suppressing drugs produced dramatically lower levels that are a cause for concern.

We tell our patients to act like the vaccine is not going to work as well as it does for their family and friends, said Kim, who would like to test a third dose in autoimmune patients, too. This is very frustrating news to them.

Doctors sometimes give extra doses of other vaccines, such as the hepatitis B shot, to people with weak immune systems.

And guidelines issued in France recommend a third COVID-19 shot for certain severely immune-suppressed people, including transplant recipients, Segev noted.

The U.S. hasnt authorized extra COVID-19 vaccinations. But around the country, a growing number of immune-compromised patients are seeking third doses on their own  the people Hopkins sought to test.

In San Francisco, Gillian Ladd agreed to blood tests before and after an extra dose. The recipient of a kidney and pancreas transplant, Ladd, 48, was terrified to leave her house after learning she had no measurable antibodies despite two Pfizer shots.

With the additional dose, "I had gotten what I needed in order to survive, Ladd said, but she's still is sticking with masks and other precautions.

I am being as careful as I possibly can while acknowledging that Im coming back into the world of the living, she said.

Further research is needed to tell if a third dose really helps, who's the best candidate and if there are brand differences  plus whether the extra immune stimulation could increase the risk of organ rejection.

But Segev cautions boosters aren't the only possibility. In addition to antibodies, vaccinations normally spur other protections such as T cells that can fend off severe illness. He and several other research groups are testing whether immune-compromised patients get that benefit.

For now, the best way to protect these people is for others to get vaccinated so they're less likely to get exposed to the coronavirus, stressed Washington University's Kim.

_____

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP)  Guyanas main transgender group on Monday welcomed plans by the parliament to rescind a law against cross-dressing, saying it has been the source of decades of police and state harassment.

Lawmakers in the South American nation are in coming weeks to debate a bill to discard the British colonial-era portion of an act allowing for fines and jail time for mostly males who dress as females. The bill was introduced at a brief sitting at the weekend.

A local high court had in 2013 ruled that police were correct to arrest and charge offenders if they had cross-dressed for an improper purpose, a reference to a scenario in which a man dressed as a woman and convinced another man in a darkened club or bar that he was a woman. Then-Chief Justice Ian Chang said that situation could lead to trouble.

Angered by the ruling, the Guyana Transgender Association three years ago took the case to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice, which ordered that the law be rescinded because it was unconstitutional. Attorney General Anil Nandlall says Guyana's government is moving to comply with the ruling.

We welcome the move by parliament. People dont know what effect those laws have had on our psyche. We were traumatized every time we prepared to go out as we dont know if we are going to be arrested and placed in the lockups,'' said Quincy McEwan, one of the litigants in the case.

The whole society, not only the police, have now to be re-sensitized to deal with this new era as we were prevented from going into ministries and other places. Our attempts at gender identity were not accepted by society at all, McEwan said.

The transgender community has over the years complained of police harassment and detentions in jails where more abuse occurred. Most were fined around $35 after court appearances for the misdemeanor crime.

The bills explanatory memorandum explained that the government agrees that this archaic law, which is inconsistent with the constitution of Guyana, has no social or legal purpose in a progressive society.
A COVID-19 grant agreement will be considered at the county meeting June 15 at 10 a.m..

The Midland County Board of Commissioners will meet for a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday.

An item up for approval in the Tuesday meeting includes a Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding grant agreement with the Michigan State Police (MSP).

MSP recently awarded the Midland Prosecuting Attorneys office a nearly $40,881 grant to supplement the attorney staff with a temporary staff position from June 1 through Dec. 31, 2021. The office is submitting a request for the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding grant agreement with MSP to the commission for approval.

The Finance Director approved the request in the Finance Committee.

The following items, including the COVID-19 agreement, were approved in their respective committees; these items are up for approval by the commission on June 15.

The Human Services Committee approved a request to evaluate 2021-2022 Administrator/Controller Goals in a closed session on Monday, June 7. A request has been made for the commission to approve.

The Administration and Operations Committee had five action items approved by the committee on Tuesday, June 8. These items include:

1. Administrator/Controller submits agreement with Bendzinski & Co for services as Dissemination Agent in regards to preparation and submission of statements to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board

2. Administrator/Controller submits Memorandum of Understanding with United Way of Midland County for CARES Act Grant Reimbursement

3. Prosecuting Attorney submits Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding grant agreement with the Michigan State Police

4. Facilities Director submits contractor recommendation for Jail Security Upgrades

5. Civil Counsel submits a Resolution to accept the quit claim deed for Sanford Lake Bottomlands

The Finance Committee approved four items, and the following has been submitted to the commission with a request for approval.

1. Equalization director requests approval of the Michigan Department of Treasury form 614 (aka L-4029) 2021 Tax Rate Request which authorizes the county operating millage to be levied in July

2. Prosecuting attorney submits Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding grant agreement with the Michigan State Police

3. Facilities director submits contractor recommendation for Jail Security Upgrades

4. IT/GIS Director submits request to update the County's data storage solution

Prior to the commissioners meeting, the Executive Committee of the Whole will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 15. The meeting will begin with an update regarding COVID-19 from the health director. Then, two reports will be discussed: the Administrator/Controller Staff Report and Civil Counsel report.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Aupito William Sio recalled the terrifying day during his childhood when police officers holding German shepherd dogs turned up at his family home before dawn and shined flashlights into their faces while his father stood there helpless.

Now the minister for Pacific peoples, Sio and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday the government would formally apologize for an infamous part of the nation's history known as the Dawn Raids.

It's when Pacific Island people were targeted for deportation in the mid-1970s during aggressive home raids by authorities to find, convict and deport overstayers. The raids often took place very early in the morning or late at night.

Sio became emotional as he and Ardern discussed the apology at a news conference.

We felt as a community that we were invited to come to New Zealand. We responded to the call to fill the labor workforce that was needed, in the same way we responded to the call for soldiers in 1914," Sio said.

But he said the government then turned on the Pasifika community when it felt those workers were no longer needed.

Ardern said that at the time, people who didn't look like white New Zealanders were told they should carry identification to prove they weren't overstayers, and were often randomly stopped in the street, or even at schools or churches. She said Pacific people were often dragged before the courts in their pajamas and without proper representation.

Not only were they targeted, they were targeted using a process and a practice that was really dehumanizing, that really terrorized people in their homes," Ardern said.

She said that when computerized immigration records were introduced in 1977, they showed that 40% of overstayers were either British or American, groups that were never targeted for deportation.

The raids, and what they represented, created deep wounds, Ardern said. And while we cannot change our history, we can acknowledge it, and we can seek to right a wrong.

In Sios case, he said his family were legal residents who owned the home but a couple of his fathers nephews from Samoa were staying with them and were taken away by the police without their clothes or belongings, and later deported.

He said the nephews had been working at a factory and their visas had expired. He said they had been preparing to go home and wanted to do a few more overtime shifts before they left. Sio said his father helped advocate for them to get back their clothes and money so they could leave New Zealand with some measure of their dignity intact.

The formal apology will be held at a commemoration event on June 26 in Auckland. The apology doesn't come with any financial compensation or legal changes, but Sio believes it is an important first step. He said the trauma is still fresh for many and it's good to address the issue and prevent such a situation happening in the future.

Ardern said it's just the third time the government has made such an apology.

The previous apologies were for imposing a entry tax on Chinese immigrants in the 1880s and for introducing the deadly influenza pandemic to Samoa in 1918, which killed more than one-fifth of the population.
HELSINKI (AP)  An opposition center-right party came top in Sundays local election in Finland, ahead of Prime Minister Sanna Marins ruling Social Democratic Party in the first election for the popular young leader who took office 18 months ago.

With all votes counted in the Nordic nations municipal election, initial results showed on Monday that the conservative National Coalition Party had taken 21.4 percent of votes nationwide, while the Social Democrats took 17.7 percent and centrist government member Center Party 14.9 percent respectively.

This was a victory with sovereign performance for the National Coalition Party, political science researcher Emilia Palonen at the University of Helsinki told The Associated Press. National Coalition has traditionally been successful, above all, in urban areas. Now the party has got new seats on many councils in small towns run by the Center Party.

The vote to renew local councils in Finlands more than 300 municipalities, with some 35,000 candidates running from the northern Lapland region to the autonomous territory of Aland Islands in the south, is viewed as a key indication of parties popularity ahead of the countrys 2023 parliamentary election.

The elections were the first for Marin as leader of both the government and her party.

She acknowledged that the result was a disappointment as support for the Social Democrats was 1.7 percentage points lower from the 2017 election, while the conservatives managed to increase their support by 0.7 percentage points.

The result was not as good as I had expected, Marin told reporters late Sunday, adding that she was particularly disappointed with the low voter turnout of 55.1%.

The populist Finns Party saw its support rising 5.6 percentage points from the previous election, to 14.5% of all votes.

Marin, 35, enjoys high popularity in the nation of 5.5 million but the Social Democrats have struggled to attract voters, particularly younger ones, with their agenda.

The two opposition parties  the conservatives and the populists  were seen as the overall winners of the elections which were postponed by two months due to Finlands COVID-19 situation. All but one member in Marins five-party, center-left coalition government ended up losing seats.

The main themes dominating the local election were the governments planned social and health care reforms in the municipalities, taxation and the implications of Finlands COVID-19 exit strategy.
Relay for Life is returning to Midland this year, though in a slightly different format. The annual event, which raises awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society, is set for 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, June 19, across the county as well as on virtual platforms.

Although the days activities will center around the Midland County Fairgrounds, several events will take place around the city. Participants will receive a bucket list with all the available activities to help them stay organized.

Typically, everything would be in one location. This year, we planned for a socially distanced event to help protect our more vulnerable participants, said coordinator Trisha Jackson.

Some of the Relay for Life activities begin prior to the weekend, including a silent auction. A selection of items, most valued between $50 and $100, are listed through Greater Giving; a link is available on the Relay for Life of Midland Countys Facebook page. Items include gift certificates to local businesses and restaurants as well as gift baskets. The auction began on Sunday and will remain open through Saturday, June 19.

Relay for Life team Battling Buccaneers will host a (s)Hop Local Business Hop, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 19. Participants will receive a passport and a list of participating businesses where they can hop around to, collect stamps and shop. Prizes will be available to those who collect the minimum number of stamps and return to the Midland County Fairgrounds. Registration is $5 and required to participate; the proceeds will go to Relay for Life of Midland County. Registration is available at https://tinyurl.com/HopLocal2021Registration

Relay for Life partnered with Midland County to bring to five walking tours, all starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. Individuals are encouraged to use their phones to interact with the Relay for Life group by capturing the QR Codes along the way.

People can take their phones and listen to a survivors story on their walks, Jackson said.

Walking locations include:

MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland wellness trails, 4000 Wellness Dr., Midland

Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S. Badour Road, Midland (no dogs allowed)

Pere Marquette Rail Trail at Emerson Park, 1300 W. Main St., Midland

Pere Marquette Rail Trail in Coleman

Pine Haven Recreation Area, 1490 W. Maynard Road, Sanford

Midland Mall, 6800 Eastman Ave., Midland

Two local restaurants will participate in this years Relay for Life through fundraisers. Bombers Bar & Grill, 107 N. 4th St., Coleman and Panda Express, 6902 Eastman Ave., Midland will donate a portion of their sales to Relay for Life when diners show them a coupon. Five Below, 905 Joe Mann Blvd., will also host a fundraiser from Saturday, June 19 through Sunday, June 27, with 10% of purchases donated back to Relay for Life. Customers must present a coupon, which is available on Relay for Life of Midland Countys website and the Relay with Five Below Facebook page.

A site decorating contest will begin at noon at the Midland County Fairgrounds. Relay teams will decorate their sites with members of the public voting and donating via a drive-through at 4 p.m. Whichever team wins the site decorating wins the donation money toward their team total.

Area talent will be on display through a talent showcase at 6 p.m. Seven acts will be livestreamed on the Relay for Life of Midland Countys Facebook page.

The day will conclude with Relays most popular event: the luminaria display and ceremony at the fairgrounds, honoring the lives touched by cancer. A drive-through viewing of the luminaria will take place at 9 p.m.; visitors are asked to enter through the Airport Road entrance. The ceremony will take place at 9:30 p.m. behind the Gerstacker Building. Visitors can walk among the luminarias after the ceremony.

Our hope is that people understand that the fight against cancer didnt stop due to the pandemic, Jackson stated.

For more information about Relay for Life of Midland County, including a full list of activities, visit https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=100370 or visit its Facebook page.
So many luxury wines end up as disappointments.

Too often, wines with AUD$100+ pricetags and unfettered ambitions turn out to be bulldust and oak tannins. Wines that speak of ego, of brand positioning and me-tooism rather than any notion of quality.

And every time I wonder who buys this stuff?.

Im sorry to say that when I rocked up at the door of Sydneys new (superb, go there) Woodcut restaurant to try a vertical of Yalumbas Caley over lunch, I had a tangent of that notion swirling around in my head. Who, I wondered, would shell out $350+ for a bottle of Yalumba red, given the winerys rep for humble bargains, rather than headturning icons?

To be honest, I still dont have a clear answer to that. But I know on a quality basis, these wines swing in the same league as contemporaries like Penfolds Bin 707 (and indeed Grange) while retaining a sense of humility that said luxury wines are missing.

Icon level quality from a brand with a storied history.

The Penfoldian comparison doesnt stop there either. At lunch, the understated Yalumba winemaker-not-wine-marketer Kevin Glastonbury (KG) noted how this wine could taste different to a top Penfolds red because of slight variations in technique.

Now that sentiment was probably lost on a room of wine writers who already know this isnt a Penfolds wine. But it did give an idea about inspo. And you only need to try some of the grandiose, Cooonawarra Cab/Barossa Shiraz based wines of Penfolds 60A, 90A et al to realise where the outlook lies. Although calling this Penfolds-lite in any way is a slap in the face  Yalumbas history with Cabernet Shiraz is as long as Penfolds, so this is an expression of classic Australian red, not a half-baked emulation of 60A.

And the expression is very very good.

I was blindsided by the quality. No, thats the wrong way to describe it. I had the 12 a while back, and loved the Caley precursor, the somehow forgotten Yalumba Reserve. So I expected fine wine. But I didnt expect to find myself side-eyeing a bottle of 16 and hoping that I could take it home

Actually, lets talk about how Caley came to be, as spoken by KG himself (although Im paraphrasing) with the extra context courtesy of the charming (and grounded) Hill-Smith heir-apparent Jessica Hill-Smith.

As KG says (and many will know), 2012 was such a good year for the Barossa in particular. And at Yalumba, legendary winemaker Brian Walshy Walsh was constantly discussing how the vintage was shining and Yalumba didnt have an icon wine to be showing it off.

At that stage, the 2006 Reserve was just being released, and there was no obvious successor. Naught. No Reserve made from any year after that. Walshy was to retire at the end of that year, and so, effectively the task of what to do was handed over to KG.

For KG, it became something of a natural choice. The 2012 Coonawarra fruit was too good to ignore, so the Yalumba team set themselves a goal to make a Coonawarra Cabernet blend and make it great.

From the outset, the intention was to make the blend at least 70% Cabernet. While that first vintage also ended up being circa 50/50 Coonawarra and Barossa fruit, releases since have been Coonawarra dominant, although with variations according to season as the volumes of fruit change. Caleys production, in particular, is limited by the Menzies Vineyard capacity, and the Yalumba team dont want to hollow out Menzies Cabernet either. So clearly this isnt a big make by any stretch.

Now, about that Penfolds winemaking reference. The barrels for all Yalumba reds are kept at 2 o clock (so the bung is kept more submerged) compared to 12 oclock at Penfolds. This means less oxygen in the mix, hence less VA and less sulphur added as a result. Theoretically that translates into tighter, more elegant wines, although you might miss the Penfolds punchiness too. Swings and roundabouts.

Another tidbit  Yalumba only uses 5% American oak these days, largely French and with a large proportion of Hungarian oak.

I couldnt keep up with the flow of useful/interesting contextual bits that Kevin was offering up during the tasting because I was getting sidetracked trying to do the wines justice. Then lunch came out and I was on the back foot further. I blame Woodcut as the detail and rightness of this lunch was memorable, and as a hungry man I ate everything.

In particular, the Rangers Valley Black Angas 1kg T-bone (below) was a carnivores wet dream. Something you think about and recreate in your brain and mouth, a cavalcade of texture and perfectly even flavour, highlighting the sort of grill artistry that makes me realise how crap I am at cooking anything.

Anyway, its all a footnote. Go eat at Woodcut, it was approaching flawlessness without pretension.

Onto the wines.

As the scores attest, these reds trip over to that quality level where even the most jaded palate can appreciate the lines and style. And sure, the next-level food no doubt makes life enjoyable (call out my bias is you see it). But the best vintages of The Caley are what you want an icon Australian red wine to taste like. Something grand, powerful, yet classy. Something that isnt trying to be Bordeaux or a Burgundy or Brunello or some other iconic B region.

Laugh and think, this is Australia.

Notes are as written on the day. Extra contextual bits in italics.

Yalumba Caley Cabernet Shiraz 2012

52% Coonawarra Cab, 27% Barossa Cab, 21% Barossa Shiraz. Coonawarra Cabernet is from the Ming D Block. Barossa Cabernet from Simon Cowhams vineyard near Light Pass. Barossa Shiraz from the Burgemeister Linke Block at Light Pass, and the Horseshoe Vineyard at Angaston. Spent 22 months in 31% new Franch oak.

The first Caley and its a different, more Barossan beast. More plumpness through the middle compared to the wines around it. But also more seduction. From the outset, this is a broad-shouldered and full-bodied Australian red. Brick dust and coffee, Some cooked plum, still looks very youthful, even though its a lot older in this context. You dont see the age on the palate, save for some late, earthen polymerised tannin grip. Theres a lovely youthfulness, couched in oak, that I often associate with top Rioja. Such a joyous mid palate. Young but old. Classic Australian red. Maybe a bit plump compared to the more regal wines after it, but more palate volume as a result. The brick dust aged characters build in the glass, but so does the fruit. You cant avoid the role of oak here  it just pumps up the palate in the right way. High class and ultimately delicious  the complete package. Best drinking: now or in many years to come. I like it now. The plateau will extend at least 15 years more. 18.7/20, 95/100. 14%.

Yalumba Caley Cabernet Shiraz 2013

55% Coonawarra Cabernet, 45% Barossa Shiraz. Spent 20 months in 41% new oak. From the Ming D Block in Coonawarra. Shiraz is a blend from Simon Cowhams Antique Block (planted 1955) and the Schrapel block in the Tanunda Foothills planted in 1974.

KG: From a leaner vintage, the wines were more austere. Less juice, more skin, more tannin. Less aromatic, but still screaming Im a Cabernet Shiraz.

Denser, but theres just a little stressed fruit too. Its black, deep, you see less oak here, more ripe fruit, more jam, less tannins. Its a black wine, deep, withering, long, powerful, though not as seductive in context. You could almost have picked this as Shiraz dominant, save for the blackcurrant. Very polished though, and the alcohol doesnt poke out. Fine, but not sublime. Plush, chunky, so rich but not quite regal. High quality, undoubted. Best drinking: Will it get better? Im not sure. Its still very youthful, but it will just get softer and live for fifteen years more easy. 18.5/20, 94/100. 14%

Yalumba Caley Cabernet Shiraz 2014

82% Coonawarra Cabernet, 18% Barossa Shiraz. Ming Block Cabernet, Barossa Shiraz from the 74 planted Crown Village Block and the Horseshoe Block. Spent 20 months in 40% new French oak.

KG: Much cooler year. More medium to full bodied. A touch off in concentration. If it had more (concentration) I dont think it would have had the evenness.

Silken. Theres the unquestioned cedar and dark berry in it from more Cabernet. The tannins feel absolutely filigreed, the fruit threatens to be riper, but its not. Its medium, ripe but not excessive. Classical full bodied Australian blend, bolder, bigger, but yet this has a perfect, pinstripe suited fruit. Long, sandpaper Cabernet tannins. What a wine! Is this better than the 2012? Maybe less seduction, but more tannic drive and its such a sophisticated wine. Excellent. Just excellent. Best drinking: now and for the next twenty years. Oh yeah. 19/20, 96/100. 14%

Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Shiraz 2015

74% Coonawarra Cabernet, 26% Barossa Shiraz. Ming D Block again, plus the Burgemeister & Horseshoe Vineyards. Spends 21 months in 46% new French oak.

KG: A cross between the 2014 and the 2016.

I find this a bit more smudgey, and its just a little sweet and sour. Theres a chocolate Turkish Delight character, very young and maybe too young. Ripe fruit, cedar, dark berry, classy tannins. Is it maybe a little fudgey, but the polish of the tannins is next level. High class, although maybe a bit less defined and polished compared to the wines either side. Best drinking: its going to resolve more with time in bottle. But not necessarily get better. Go now and for the next decade as a start. 18.7/20, 95/100. 14%.

Yalumba Caley Cabernet Shiraz 2016

71% Coonawarra Cabernet, 29% Barossa Shiraz. Ming Block, Burgemeister & Horseshoe is the fruit source again for this 2016. 21 months in 25% new French oak.

KG: In time the 2012 and 2016 might be seen as the benchmarks.

The Cabernet really plays a part here  you could call this a Coona Cab and pretend it didnt have any Shiraz in it. Super polished. Classy polished. Long, fine, Bordeaux-like tannins and minimal mint. Lovely tannins. What a wine. A long, proudly Australian, formidably powerful red. Will need another five years to unfurl. Grand, with icon levels of concentration, its probably the best balanced of all the Caley releases. But its a preferential thing. I would take any of the even year wines, with not much between 14 and 16 in quality. Best drinking: wait. 2-3 years for a start. Then twenty plus. 19/20, 96/100. 14%



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CHICAGO  Nine people and one dog were shot Saturday night into Sunday morning in Chicago, with no immediate arrests made, according to police.

Among the shootings:

* In Old Norwood Park, around 10:15 a.m., a 40-year-old man was shot while standing outside in the 5900 block of North Northwest Highway. He was hit in the torso and self-transported to Amita Health Resurrection Medical Center, where he was initially in critical condition.

* In Rogers Park, around 4:12 a.m, a 30-year-old man was grazed in the right hand after approaching a black car in an alley that was blocking his path, in the 1100 block of West Columbia Avenue. The gunman fled after firing shots. The victim was hospitalized in good condition.

* In University Village/Little Italy, around 4:10 a.m., a 31-year-old man was found on the sidewalk after being shot in the leg in the 1300 block of South Morgan Street. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.

* In East Garfield Park, around 2:44 a.m., a 34-year-old man was shot while sitting in the back of a pickup in the 3900 block of Gladys Avenue. He was shot in the left arm and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.

* In West Englewood, around 1:45 a.m., a 34-year-old was shot in the right leg while standing with several men in the 6300 block of South Wood Street, and a stray round struck an unmarked police vehicles passenger door. The victim was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition. Police do not believe their vehicle was targeted.

* In Lawndale, around 1:24 a.m., a 39-year-old man was standing in the 3800 block of West Arthington Street when he was shot in his left arm and body. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital by a friend, where he was initially listed in critical condition.

* In South Austin, around 12:33 a.m., a 29-year-old man was shot in the left leg while standing on the sidewalk in the 4900 block of West Rice Street. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition.

* In Bronzeville, around 11:02 p.m., several men were standing in a park near the 4400 block of South Champlain Street when an argument began. A 39-year-old was shot in the chest, was dropped off at Provident Hospital and transferred to University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition.

* Also in Bronzeville, around 9:48 p.m., a 43-year-old man and his dog were both shot while they were in front of their home in the 4600 block of South Drexel Boulevard. The man suffered a graze wound to his hand, and was treated at the scene. Additional details  including the type of dog, where it was struck or the dogs condition  were not available Sunday, a police spokesman said in an email. The gunman had fired the shots from an open rear door of a black Nissan Maxima, which fled north on Drexel.

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Kelly Hoagland and Maria Salas Valdez expected to walk out of a Dixon County, Nebraska, courtroom a year ago as the legal parents of the child they had been raising since birth.

Instead, they were stunned to hear the judge at the hearing declare that he was tossing out their adoption petition.

Describing himself as old-fashioned, Dixon County Judge Douglas Luebe told them that the plain ordinary language of state adoption law does not permit a wife and wife to adopt. Any other conclusion, he continued, would turn the court into an imagination station.

I was shocked, Hoagland said. I had to turn around and ask the lawyer, did he just say what I thought he said? I couldnt understand why he did what he did.

The turn of events left the Wakefield, Nebraska, couple in dismay and their daughter, Yasmin, in legal limbo.

The story was different two weeks ago, when the family returned to the courthouse in Ponca, Nebraska, with a different judge presiding and a Nebraska Supreme Court decision in their hands.

This time, Dixon County Judge Edward Matney approved the petition for Hoagland and Valdez to adopt the girl they call Yazzy. He smiled at the 3-year-old during the hearing as she played a game of kissing Hoaglands hands. And he invited the family to take photos with him afterward.

When that judge finally finalized it, I just started crying, Hoagland said.

That moment came almost six years after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationally and after multiple other court decisions upheld same-sex married couples right to the same treatment as opposite-sex married couples.

It was after a federal judge permanently enjoined a Nebraska constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages. And after many other same-sex married couples had adopted in the state without being challenged.

But Hoagland and Valdez could have been denied if they had not decided to fight for their daughter.

Hoagland, an Indiana native, and Valdez, from Mexico, have been together since 2007. They tied the knot in Van Nuys, California, in 2008, shortly after that state started allowing same-sex couples to marry.

In 2009, they moved to Nebraska because of Hoaglands work as a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector. She had two elementary-age children of her own when they landed in Wakefield, a town of about 1,400 people that is home to a major egg-processing plant.

At first, Hoagland said, local residents were wary. Parents wouldnt let their children play with her two kids in the beginning. But over time, acceptance has grown, and the family has developed friendships in town.

They finally figured out were just like everybody else, she said.

Yasmin came to live with them after her birth in 2017. She was born to Valdez sister, who had been struggling to care for two children already. Hoagland and Valdez offered to take the baby to help out. Yasmins biological mother agreed, knowing that she could still be part of the childs life. Yasmins father never sought custody.

After Luebe rejected their adoption petition, the couple turned to Omaha attorney Matt Munderloh. With the help of the ACLU of Nebraska, he took the case directly to the states highest court.

It was very trying, very stressful, Hoagland said. It was a nerve-wracking process.

But only a month after hearing oral arguments, the court ruled unanimously in the couples favor. While Luebe had said the plain language of state law does not permit a wife and wife to adopt, the high court unanimously concluded exactly the opposite, also citing the plain language of the law.

The statute at issue says any minor child may be adopted by any adult person or persons. It also requires that if the would-be adopter has a husband or wife, the husband or wife must join in the adoption petition.

In its decision, the Supreme Court said the two women fit the category of adult persons and, based on the common definition of wife as a married woman, that either woman had fulfilled the requirement to have her wife join in the petition.

Following its practice in cases involving juveniles, the court identified Yasmin and the two women only by initials.

Hoagland said they have decided to go public because the adoption is final and they hope that their story can help other same-sex couples and other children needing permanent, loving homes.

I just pray it helps so many people and all those children in foster care, she said.

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An explosion at a northern Illinois chemical plant Monday morning sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground, prompting evacuations.

After 7 a.m., emergency crews rushed to the scene of the fire near Rockton, near the Wisconsin border, at Chemtool Inc., a company that manufactures lubricants, grease products and other fluids, and is, according to the company, the largest manufacturer of grease in the Americas.

Rockton Fire Department Chief Kirk Wilson said about 70 employees were evacuated safely from the plant, and that one firefighter suffered a minor injury. Chemtools parent company, Lubrizol Corp., later said there were closer to 50 employees present when the plant was evacuated.

The plumes became so big they were being picked up on weather radar. Wilson said there was no danger to air quality at ground level.

The Rockton Police Department posted an alert at 8:46 a.m. warning that fire officials had ordered a mandatory evacuation of homes and businesses near the plant.

Later in the day, Gov. J.B. Pritzkers office expanded the evacuation zone from a 1- to a 2-mile radius from the plant out of an abundance of caution, and encouraged people within that zone to wear masks to prevent them from inhaling soot.

I am monitoring this situation closely and will make all resources available to the surrounding communities as we work to keep people safe, Pritzker said in a statement.

Wilson said firefighters had stopped using water to extinguish the blaze to prevent an environmental nightmare if the runoff were to enter the nearby Rock River.

It could be several days before the fluids that caught fire burn out, he said.

We cant speculate how long it will take to put out the fire, he said. We ask that the public be patient with us.

Crews from the 40 or so fire departments were fanning out to respond to spot fires, grass fires, and burning debris that the wind pushed into the community. Wilson said those fires were caused by burning pieces of cardboard boxes and chunks of wooden pallets, not chemicals falling from the sky.

Trisha Diduch, the planning and development administrator for Rockton, said she estimates about 1,000 people were affected by the evacuation order.

One of those residents was 29-year-old Alyssa King. She said after she walked outside to see black smoke and what appeared to be pieces of cardboard boxes and small chunks of the building falling from the sky, she called a police non-emergency line. You gotta go, she said she was told.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

John Kim of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the quality of the air near the burning plant is a primary concern for his agency. He said both the state and federal EPA will be monitoring the air quality to make sure it remains safe for nearby residents. Officials recommended people within a 3-mile radius wear masks as a precaution.

Dr. Sandra Martell of the Winnebago County Health Department also warned residents not to handle waste from fire with bare hands, noting the possibility it could be contaminated by chemicals used at the plant.

We have confirmed all on site are safe and accounted for. Our concern right now is for the safety of all our employees and the surrounding community, Chemtool said in a statement, adding that it will share more details as they become known.

We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions, it said.

King, who lives in an apartment less than a mile from the site, said she woke up to what sounded like slamming doors.

It woke me up. It was shaking the whole apartment building, said King, who had been at home with her 8-year-old daughter.

They went to her mothers house about two miles away. King then returned to the apartment to collect the familys rabbit, Oreo. As she drove near the plant, King saw smoldering embers along the roadway, and there was burned material all over the yard of the apartment building, she said. The air had a chemical smell, she added.

It was awful, she said. Im terrified I wont have a home to go back to.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staffers have arrived at the site and will conduct air monitoring and sampling, spokeswoman Rachel Bassler said Monday afternoon. They were coordinating with the Illinois EPA, which also was sending a team, according to spokeswoman Kim Biggs.

The governors office said Pritzker had activated the State Emergency Operation Center to mobilize the emergency response, including the Illinois National Guard, State Fire Marshal, Illinois State Police, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and the states health and transportation departments.

Rockton is located in Winnebago County, near the Wisconsin border, about 95 miles northwest of Chicago.

Associated Press writer John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, contributed to this report.

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CHICAGO  An explosion at a northern Illinois chemical plant Monday morning sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground, prompting evacuations.

After 7 a.m., emergency crews rushed to the scene of the fire near Rockton, northwest of Chicago, at Chemtool Inc., a company that manufactures lubricants, grease products and other fluids, and is, according to the company, the largest manufacturer of grease in the Americas.

Rockton Fire Department Chief Kirk Wilson said about 70 employees were evacuated safely from the plant, and that one firefighter suffered a minor injury. Chemtool's parent company, Lubrizol Corp., later said there were closer to 50 employees present when the plant was evacuated.

The plumes became so big they were being picked up on weather radar. Wilson said there was no danger to air quality at ground level.

The Rockton Police Department posted an alert at 8:46 a.m. warning that fire officials had ordered a mandatory evacuation of homes and businesses near the plant. Later in the day, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office expanded the evacuation zone from a 1- to a 2-mile radius from the plant out of an abundance of caution, and encouraged people within that zone to wear masks to prevent them from inhaling soot.

I am monitoring this situation closely and will make all resources available to the surrounding communities as we work to keep people safe, Pritzker said in a statement.

Wilson said firefighters had stopped using water to extinguish the blaze to prevent an environmental nightmare if the runoff were to enter the nearby Rock River.

It could be several days before the fluids that caught fire burn out, he said.

Crews from the 40 or so fire departments were fanning out to respond to spot fires, grass fires, and burning debris that the wind pushed into the community. Wilson said those fires were caused by burning pieces of cardboard boxes and chunks of wooden pallets, not chemicals falling from the sky.

Trisha Diduch, the planning and development administrator for Rockton, said she estimates about 1,000 people were affected by the evacuation order.

One of those residents was 29-year-old Alyssa King. She said after she walked outside to see black smoke and what appeared to be pieces of cardboard boxes and small chunks of the building falling from the sky, she called a police non-emergency line. You gotta go, she said she was told.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

We have confirmed all on site are safe and accounted for. Our concern right now is for the safety of all our employees and the surrounding community," Chemtool said in a statement, adding that it will share more details as they become known.

We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions, it said.

King, who lives in an apartment less than a mile from the site, said she woke up to what sounded like slamming doors.

It woke me up. It was shaking the whole apartment building, said King, who had been at home with her 8-year-old daughter.

They went to her mothers house about 2 miles away. King then returned to the apartment to collect the familys rabbit, Oreo. As she drove near the plant, King saw smoldering embers along the roadway, and there was burned material all over the yard of the apartment building, she said. The air had a chemical smell, she added.

It was awful, she said. Im terrified I wont have a home to go back to.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staffers have arrived at the site and will conduct air monitoring and sampling, spokeswoman Rachel Bassler said Monday afternoon. They were coordinating with the Illinois EPA, which also was sending a team, according to spokeswoman Kim Biggs.

The governor's office said Pritzker had activated the State Emergency Operation Center to mobilize the emergency response, including the Illinois National Guard, State Fire Marshal, Illinois State Police, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and the state's health and transportation departments.

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BLOOMINGTON  Tick rhymes with "ick"  and they have the potential to make you sick.

Two cases of tick-borne diseases were reported last month in Tazewell County  one case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and one of Lyme disease. A check of health departments Monday in McLean and surrounding counties found no confirmed reports of additional cases, but health officials are monitoring the situation.

It generally picks up in the mid to later part of summer, said Tom Anderson, head of the environmental health division at the McLean County Health Department.

His advice is to wear long pants and long sleeves, but he admits, when its 95 degrees and 95% humidity, its kind of difficult to do that and be comfortable.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using insect repellants containing DEET, picaridin or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus and treating clothing, boots and camping gear with permethrin. Follow label directions.

So far this year, the Illinois Department of Public Health has received reports of 51 cases of tickborne diseases, including 43 of Lyme disease, according to provisional data as of Monday.

The diseases can be serious.

Without treatment, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can cause death in as little as five days after the onset of symptoms, warns the IDPH.

Symptoms include sudden onset of moderate to high fever, severe headache, fatigue, deep muscle pain, chills and rash, but not every case will have the rash, according to the IDPH.

Lyme disease symptoms can vary and may include a circular rash that grows and resembles a bulls-eye, fever, severe headache and stiff neck, according to the IDPH. The CDC says untreated Lyme disease can cause problems to joints, the heart and the nervous system.

Any person experiencing illness with a fever following a tick bite should consult his or her physician and advise the physician of the tick bite, the IDPH advises on its website.

AIR is a handy acronym to help you remember the steps. It stands for avoid, inspect and remove.

Avoid areas where ticks may be found, particularly tall grass. Avoidance also includes using repellents.

Inspect yourself after youve been where ticks might be present. Use a mirror and/or get another person to help inspect hard to see places.

Remove any tick you find. The CDC said removal should be done with fine-tipped tweezers, grasping the tick as close to the skins surface as possible. Use steady, even, upward pressure.

The CDC warns against folklore remedies such as using heat or painting the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly.

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Once the tick is removed, the CDC says to thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

The good news is not all ticks transmit disease and a tick generally must be attached for at least 24 hours before it transmits disease, health officials say.

The recommended ways to dispose of a live tick are putting it in alcohol, placing it a sealed bag or container, rapping it tightly in tape or flushing it down the toilet.

Anderson said, We will help identify ticks.

If you find one on your body and cam remove it pretty much intact, Anderson said, you can bring it to us. Put it in a vial or enclosed container.  They can get out of plastic bags.

Identifying the tick helps to determine what disease it might be carrying.

The black-legged tick or deer tick is reddish-brown and about one-eighth inch long as an adult but its pin-head sized, brown nymphs also feed on people. They can carry several disease, including Lyme disease.

The American dog tick or wood tick can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and possibly ehrlichiosis. They area about three-sixteenths of an inch long and reddish brown and females have a large silver-colored spot behind the head.

Theres one more thing you can do: Help researchers by becoming a citizen scientist in the ITICK project.

The ITICK program started in 2018 and involves people who spend time outdoors logging in to report where they find ticks and helping researchers to identify them.

It has contributed greatly to our understanding of what ticks are in Illinois, said Dr. Rebecca Lee Smith, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. If we know where ticks are, we can let people know and tell them what potential diseases they may be carrying.

Smith said, We have found that black-legged ticks are probably present in most of the state.  Dog ticks are definitely present across the state.

Originally, participants would go to a hub and pick up a kit that contained vials in which to place ticks. Participants would record where they found  or didnt find  ticks for five days within a two week period. They were returned to the hub and sent to the University of Illinois.

Now, participants download The Tick App and photograph the tick for identification. Check out thetickapp.org.

The advantage is Our team will identify the tick and actually tell you what it is and there is no mailing, she said. The disadvantage is we dont get access to the tick for testing.

Participants also record what they were doing when they found ticks on them, including whether they were wearing bug spray or treated clothing.

Yes, you can participate in ITICK and use bug repellent. Smith said the idea of the project is to limit the spread of disease.

Whether or not youre in the study, be aware of ticks, she said.

Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota

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Nova Poshta, which provides express delivery services in Ukraine, will be opening a brand new terminal in Dnipro city this year.

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The volume of our shipments is growing year by year. In 2020 alone we delivered more than 300 million shipments. In order to process such quantities and at the same time maintain high delivery speed, we invest in infrastructure. Currently, we have innovative sorting terminals in four Ukrainian cities, and this year we will launch the fifth terminal in Dnipro, said Aleksandr Bulba, CEO of Nova Poshta.

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For sorting small parcels up to 2kg, we decided to choose the solution provided by Equinox, because it perfectly matched our needs: high-quality, compact, easy to implement, and economical at the same time, he added.

This automated solution for processing small parcels includes two modular Left-Right (LR) sorters with peripheral equipment, transportation conveyors, and other innovative technologies. Each sorter can process up to 10,000 parcels per hour.

According to Nova Poshta, the sorters will significantly increase the productivity of the terminal, facilitate the work of staff and shorten the time the parcel is at the terminal. In addition, LR sorters are designed with expansion in mind, so it is possible to increase the number of sorting directions by simply installing additional modules when necessary.

Equinox plans to implement the equipment before the start of the high peak season in late autumn-early winter.
Photo: (Photo : Essential Qualities a Professional Divorce Attorney Must Have)

People who lose their beloved due to a fatal accident or deadly disease go through an immensely stressful situation. The passing away of a loved one certainly makes some individuals experience significant psychological and emotional trauma. Besides the death of a dear one, one of the most painful events in a person's life is separation from his or her partner.

A person experiences issues initially to cope with depression, loneliness, anxiety, thoughts, and negative emotions right after a divorce. If you are not happy with your better half and planning to end the relationship legally, get in touch with a professional divorce attorney, like those at Peck Law Firm in Summerville, South Carolina. Doing all by yourself could be intimidating if you are not quite well aware of the rules and regulations.

However, getting the contact details of a well-versed and specialized divorce lawyer isn't easy. Nowadays, most legal professionals even with limited knowledge of divorce and family law claim to be an expert. They won't come to your help and might aggravate your situation. Hence, it is a must to hire a thorough professional attorney who specializes in handling divorce cases.

Here are some essential qualities a lawyer who will represent you must have.

Excellent Communication Skills

You can keep your complete faith in a lawyer with whom you can communicate without any hesitation. It is also crucial to give the responsibility of handling your case to a legal professional who is compassionate and understands your situation well. A compassionate divorce attorney does requisite things on behalf of clients who are emotionally down.

Ensure the lawyer you hire should have commendable interpersonal skills. He must leave no stone unturned to gather substantial evidence and represent all your interests precisely. An empathetic, competent, and committed attorney will communicate with your partner and the hired lawyer.

Extensive Experience

Know that any lawyer can represent you. However, what's important here is how well the lawyer you hire can handle your case and represent you. Every person who wants to get separated legally resorts to an experienced divorce attorney over an inexperienced one.

When you are experiencing immense stress, anxiety, and trouble, it's a lawyer's responsibility to deal with every complex aspect of your case. An attorney who has years of solid experience handling different divorce cases and representing many clients can come to your rescue.

Commendable Self-Control

Doing things in haste won't help produce the expected result. Instead, the possibility of committing a mistake increases when a legal professional specializing in divorce and family law doesn't have self-control. Every expert divorce attorney knows how paramount it is to maintain composure to represent a client's interests in a better and lucid manner.

If your lawyer stays calm and composed when the court or your spouse's litigator does something opposite to what he expected, it will be easier for him to develop an effective strategy quickly. While representing a client to the court, it is imperative for a professional divorce lawyer to maintain remarkable equanimity.

Final Words

You will certainly find a divorce attorney who can represent your interest strongly if you take the qualities mentioned above into consideration when hiring.
Paris, TN (38242)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!
A few times a month Patently Apple checks out the patent filings of various industry players like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Samsung just to see what their engineers are working on, looking for possible industry trends. Some of Samsung's latest patent filings have presented advancements to their foldable device product line, an ultra-thin smartphone and a levitating television concept  which sounds cooler than what it is.

Below is a spattering of patent figures and links to patent filings that you could check out if you happen to love technology no matter who makes it and if you want to check out what the competition is working and/or focusing on.

Foldable Devices

Samsung is currently preparing to launch a new round of foldable devices during an August event covering at least the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3. Leaks have predicted that the Z Fold will support an under display camera and S Pen input, though not provide a hidden cavity for the pen like the Galaxy Note does.

S Pen Support for Foldable devices

Samsung's latest patent illustrating support for the S Pen on a future Galaxy Z Fold device was published by the U.S. Patent Office last Thursday under number 20210173437 with key patent figures presented below. Patent FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the foldable display device in an in-folded state; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a first digitizer and a connection set coupled to the first digitizer in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In late April Patently Apple posted an IP report titled "A Samsung Patent Filing reveals that S Pen input could be coming to Galaxy Z Fold Smartphones and possibly this summer."

Tri-Fold Galaxy Phone or Tablet

In October 2020 Patently Apple posted an IP report titled "New Samsung Patent Filings Reveal Larger Tri-Panel-Like Foldable Devices with Dual Hinges may be on the Horizon." Last Thursday the U.S. Patent Office published Samsung's patent application 20210173438 covering a tri-fold phone or tablet.

Samsung's patent FIG. 11A illustrates a tri-fold device. The first to third sub-devices #31 to #33 may be formed on different printed circuit boards, respectively. The first and second sub-devices #31 and #32 may be connected to each other through the first hinge #34, and the second and third sub-devices #32 and #33 may be connected to each other through the second hinge #35: FIG. 12A is a front perspective view of the tri-fold device.

Fold-Out Form Factor

Samsung's current Z Fold is considered an In-Fold form factor. In a patent filing published last Thursday Samsung patent figures illustrate an alternative "Fold-Out" form factor with icons appearing in the spine when the device folds over. This design will also support S Pen input.

The Fold-Out smartphone patent lists various sensors that could be included such as: "a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor." To explore this further, check out Samsung patent application 20210173444.

Fold-Out Smartphone Design Patent

To support Samsung's utility patent for a "Fold-Out" form factor, Samsung was also granted design patent D921,692 for a "Fold-Out" smartphone form factor which makes it an official design. However, it doesn't guarantee that Samsung will proceed to market with this design. The U.S. Patent Office granted Samsung this patent on June 8, 2021.

Galaxy Smartphone Patents

Smartphone with Half-Size Backside Display

Last Tuesday Samsung was granted a patent for a possible future Galaxy smartphone with a half-size backside display supporting a camera application that supports taking selfies with the higher quality backside camera.

For those interested in diving in further for details, check out Samsung's Granted patent 11,029,907 published on June 8, 2021.

Apple filed for a similar patent that we covered in a February 2021 IP report.

A Different Kind of Smartphone Case

Samsung was granted a different kind of smartphone case on June 1, 2021 that leaves the back of the phone uncovered so that a design or color could clearly be seen. The front of the cover comes with a clear glass-like face.

That would also be a nice choice for the iPhone so that Apple's hot colors could be easily seen on the backside of the case along with the original Apple logo.

Samsung's "Levitating" TV

Lastly, Samsung has filed a patent for a levitating TV. It's not as sexy as it sounds, as it's like a smoke and mirrors illusion. Though if you don't know the trick behind the illusion, then it works. The images from the patent below illustrate a TV suspended in the middle of a thick frame.

I would suspect that a finished product would come with a clear glass frame that would make it look like the TV is suspended in air. If the frame as shown is to stay, then it may be designed to fit into a wall unit or right into a wall so that the frame simply disappears. You could check out the patent application's full details here.
+ A Brief Survey of Evidence for The Kings Highway in Jordan in the Bronze Age (Prior to 1000 BC)

Adam Lee is an atheist writer and activist, who runs the blog, Daylight Atheism. He has written articles for AlterNet, Salon, the International Humanist and Ethical Union, Canadian Freethinker, Freethought Today, Free Inquiry, and Secular Future, the newsletter of the U.K.-based National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies.

*****

In this article I will be responding to a portion of his post, Let the Stones Speak: Part 1 (unknown date). He wrote:

Anachronisms in the Patriarchal Narratives The Arabian Trade During the eighth and seventh centuries BCE, a lucrative trade network flourished in Palestine, originating in the Arabian peninsula where goods such as gold, spices and incense were brought by caravan through the deserts of southern Judah to Syria, Egypt and Mediterranean ports. This trade was carried out mainly under Assyrian supervision and was of considerable economic importance to the empire, such that Assyrian kings went on numerous campaigns into the desert to subdue Arab tribes who threatened their control over the flow of commerce. Assyrian inscriptions mentioning these campaigns are known from the mid-eighth century onward, starting with the time of Tiglath-pileser III, who took the throne around 750 BCE. The existence of this trade network was apparently known to the authors of the patriarchal accounts. Consider Genesis 37:25, in which Josephs brothers sell him to a group of caravaneers carrying the products of the Arabian trade, spicery and balm and myrrh, to Egypt. However, there is no evidence that this trade route, called the kings highway, existed or was of importance in the second millennium BCE (Van Seters 1975, p. 25). As stated, the first known Assyrian campaigns to secure it began only in the mid-eighth century, and there is no justification for simply reading its existence back into a period a thousand years earlier.

I have no beef with the first paragraph. Im sure trade flourished in these areas at that time. But the inaccuracies immediately come to the foreground in the second paragraph. First of all, Ill be operating from the assumption that the approximate dates of the patriarch Josephs life were c. 1562-1452 BC), as is suggested by the Jewish Virtual Library. Here is the passage:

Genesis 37:25 (RSV) Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Genesis 37:28 Then Midianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt. Genesis 37:36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Poti-phar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

It was described as a caravan, and they were on their way to Egypt. The people are called Ishmaelites in 37:25 and 37:27, yet are also simultaneously called Midianites in two later verses in the overall passage. So we know they are people called by both these names, and were from (or at least were coming from) Gilead. This was in an area now in Jordan. Wikipedia (Gilead) elaborates:

Gilead was a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, situated in modern-day Jordan. . . . According to Eastons Bible Dictionary,[5] it refers to a region in Transjordan. The deep ravine of the river Yarmuk . . . separated Bashan from Gilead, which was about 60 miles (97 km) in length and 20 miles (32 km) in breadth, extending from near the south end of the Lake of Gennesaret [the Sea of Galilee] to the north end of the Dead Sea. Abarim, Pisgah, Nebo, and Peor are its mountains mentioned in Scripture. . . . Gilead (Arabic: , Galad or Jalaad) is an Arabic term used to refer to the mountainous land extending north and south of Jabbok. It was used more generally for the entire region east of the Jordan River. It corresponds today to the northwestern part of the Kingdom of Jordan.

Encyclopedia Britannica (Midianite) states:

. . . member of a group of nomadic tribes related to the Israelites and most likely living east of the Gulf of Aqaba in the northwestern regions of the Arabian Desert. They engaged in pastoral pursuits, caravan trading, and banditry, . . . The Midianites traditionally have been identified as Ishmaelites, in part because of an unclear passage in Genesis (37:28) that refers to the traders to whom Joseph was sold by his brothers as both Midianites and Ishmaelites. In addition, the story of Gideon in Judges contains a verse (8:24) that includes an apparent interpolation identifying the Midianites as Ishmaelites.

So they may have lived somewhere in the Arabian peninsula, or this particular group may have lived in the northern regions of what was later called the Qedarite Kingdom of Ishmaelites (see a map of its extent in the 5th century BC). If that were the case, then they would have lived in Gilead, as the Bible seems to imply in Genesis 37:25. Lee says they were carrying the products of the Arabian trade based on what was listed (RSV: gum, balm, and myrrh / KJV: spicery and balm and myrrh). Ellicotts Commentary for English Readers observes about this description: The first was probably gum tragacanth [see more on that], though some think that it was storax [see more info.], the gum of the styrax tree (see Genesis 30:37). This commentary continues:

Balm, thatis, balsam, was probably the resin of the balsamodendron Gileadense, a tree which grows abundantly in Gilead, and of which the gum was greatly in use for healing wounds. Myrrh was certainly ladanum, the gum of the cistus rose (cistus creticus). As all these were products of Palestine valued in Egypt, Jacob included them in his present to the governor there (Genesis 43:11).

Note especially that all these were products of Palestine valued in Egypt: as opposed to products of the Arabian trade. Eastons Bible Dictionary notes regarding this gum or spicery: Heb. nechoth, identified with the Arabic nakaat, the gum tragacanth, obtained from the astralagus, of which there are about twenty species found in Palestine. That is: not Arabia. Encyclopedia Britannica (Gilead) notes that Gilead was the area of ancient Palestine east of the Jordan River, corresponding to modern northwestern Jordan.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on this verse, adds:

balm] R.V. marg. mastic, for which Gilead was famous; cf. Genesis 43:11; Jeremiah 8:22; Jeremiah 46:11; Jeremiah 51:8; Ezekiel 27:17. It was used for incense, and medicinally for wounds. It is said to be the gum of the mastic tree, pistacia lentiscus. myrrh] R.V. marg. ladanum, a gum obtained from the cistus creticus, or rock-rose. Myrrh, lot = LXX  (cf. Genesis 43:11), appears is ladunu in Assyrian inscriptions describing tribute from Syria to Tiglath-Pileser IV. The caravan trade with Egypt was evidently largely occupied with materials for the practice of physicians, embalmers, and priests.

Thus, we see that the gum (tragacanth) and the balm of Gilead were specifically from ancient Palestine, including Gilead (modern-day Jordan): precisely as the Bible accurately states. Shimshon Ben-Yehoshua and Lumir Hanus, in their wonderful article, Frankincense, Myrrh, and Balm of Gilead: Ancient Spices of Southern Arabia and Judea (Horticultural Reviews 39(1):1-76; September 2012) noted that Balm of Gilead, known also as the Judaean balsam, grew only around the Dead Sea Basin in antiquity (p. 2). In the case of myrrh, however, it seems not to have been an indigenous Palestinian / Judean product. The same article observed:

Frankincense and myrrh were available in the biblical period only in limited parts of southern Arabia and the Horn of Africa. Due to the high demand for these spices, trade routes were developed to carry this precious burden over long distances through many countries to their foreign markets (Keay 2006). . . . (p. 3) The ancient Egyptians used spices for their religious ceremonies that they purchased from the Land of Punt, long thought to be in the Horn of Africa (Kitchen 1993). At the beginning of the third millennia BCE, pharaohs went to great lengths to obtain spices, particularly myrrh, from other climes, since they were not grown locally. References to the importation of myrrh to Egypt from Punt, appear as early as the fth dynasty ca. 2800 BCE under King Sahure and King Isesi; later there were expeditions under Mentuhotep III in 2100 BCE and under Amenenhat II and the Sesostris dynasty. Since the price of these spices was exorbitant, the Queen Pharaoh Hatshepsut organized an expedition to Punt about 1500 BCE to investigate the option of importing the spice plants into Egypt. The famous depictions (Fig. 1.1) of the expedition of Queen Hatshepsut (14731458 BCE) are recorded on the walls of the temple at Deir-el-Bahri (Lucas 1930; Phillips 1997). Five ships loaded with many treasures are depicted in the Temple in Thebes. One ship has 31 young trees that some scholars believed to be frankincense in tubs (Hepper 1969; Zohary 1982; Dayagi Mendels 1989). However, Groom (1981) believed them to be myrrh, as, according to his opinion, depictions of trees at that period were mainly schematic, presenting an image rather than a specic plant, and he referred also to the opinion of most previous experts that these trees were myrrh. (pp. 5-6; my bolding) D. The Incense Road The connection between the source of ancient spices, mainly the Arabian Peninsula and India to Mesopotamia and Europe, is known as the Incense Road (Fig. 1.2). Archaeologists placed the date of the beginning of the incense trade sometime around 1800 BCE, but it is more than likely that trade commenced earlier (Rosengarten 1970). Much evidence has been collected about the trade of myrrh from Punt to Egypt in the third millennia BCE (Kitchen 1993). (p. 10) SOURCES Dayagi-Mendels, M. 1989. Perfumes and cosmetics in the ancient world. Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Groom, N. 1981. Frankincense and myrrh: A study of the Arabian incense trade. Longman, London and New York. Hepper, F.N. 1969. Arabian and African frankincense trees. J. Egyptian Archaeology 55:6672. Keay, J. 2006. The Spice Routea History. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. Kitchen, K.A. 1993. The land of Punt. In: T. Shaw et al (eds.). The archeology of Africa: Food, Metals, Towns. Routledge, London. Lucas, A. 1930. Cosmetics, perfumes and incense in ancient Egypt. J. Egyptian Archeology 16(1/2):4153. Phillips, J. 1997. Punt and Askum: Egypt and the Horn of Africa. J. African History 38(3):423457. Rosengarten, F. Jr. 1970. The book of spices. Livingston, Wynnewood, PA. Zohary, M. 1982. Plants of the Bible. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge.

Clearly, then, trade rotes for at least myrrh (and likely also Balm of Gilead and tragacanth) and were long established by the time of Joseph, whereas Lee argues that the text exhibits anachronism. Massive evidence presented above contradicts him. But there is more. He assumed about Genesis 37:25, that the trade route, called the kings highway' was being referred to. But the text doesnt say that (although the road is mentioned in Numbers 20:17 and 21:22). The Kings Highway ran through Gilead, as this map showing trade routes in 1300 BC (only about 150 years after Josephs died) shows. Lee argued that it didnt exist before 1000 BC. I shall get to that question shortly. But The Kings Highway is not directly relevant to Genesis 37:25, because it was too far east. Genesis 37:17 informs us that the incident where Joseph was traded into slavery occurred at Dothan. It was located in the present West Bank, at what is now the archaeological site Tel Dothan, which is roughly in the middle on a line between the sea of Galilee and Tel Aviv (see the exact location; I recommend using Google Map). Dothan was located on a different trade route, later called the Via Maris. The Wikipedia article on it states that it dated from the early Bronze Age: which age in Mesopotamia lasted from c. 33001200 BC. The early period of that was clearly long before Joseph. Two Bible commentaries (writing about Genesis 37:25) expand our knowledge of this ancient route:

Beisan , down the plain of Jezreel, and so (4) by Lydda and the coast, to Egypt. ( Dothan lay on the trade route that led from Gilead through the valley of Jezreel towards Egypt. . . . The trade route followed by caravans passed (1) from Gilead on the east of the Jordan, (2) by a ford, across the Jordan, (3) by Beth-Shean or, down the plain of Jezreel, and so (4) by Lydda and the coast, to Egypt. ( Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges ). * Dothan was situated on the great caravan line by which the products of India and Western Asia were brought to Egypt. As the eastern side of Canaan is covered by the great Arabian desert, the caravans had to travel in a north-westernly direction until, having forded the Euphrates, they could strike across from Tadmor to Gilead. The route thence led them over the Jordan at Beisan, and so southward to Egypt. ( Ellicotts Commentary for English Readers

Once again, the Bible is accurate in remarkable detail. And of course, archaeology confirms that Dothan was already quite ancient by the time Joseph ran into a caravan following the route through it. Tel Dothan 2002 Overview informs us:

Major finds include a massive Early Bronze age fortification system, a Middle Bronze age city with citadel and fortifications, and an Iron Age II storage complex. . . . * Tel Dothan is strategically located. Internationally, it dominates the southern pass of the coastal highway, the critical route for armies and caravans traveling from Egypt to Mesopotamia. Locally, Tel Dothan connected the heartland of ancient Samaria to the Jezreel Valley.

I mentioned that Lee claimed that the Kings Highway didnt exist between 1000-2000 BC. In fact, it was already flourishing long before 2000 BC. The site Time Maps ( History of Ancient Palestine ) observed:

By the 3rd millennium BCE, the southern Levant was a land of small, fortified towns and villages, ruled over by petty kings and chiefs. . . . A major trade route connecting Mesopotamia with Egypt (later known as the Kings Highway) ran south from Damascus through the Jordan valley. Urbanism, along with Bronze Age technology, had presumably arrived in this region via trade links with Mesopotamia. In any event, urban civilization began to flourish here not long after it had begun in Egypt.

Shimshon Ben-Yehoshua and Lumir Hanus (see above) stated that the ancient Incense Road route was functioning by 1800 BC or even much earlier, and part of that route went through Petra up to Damascus: what was later called The Kings Highway. Corroborating evidence includes flourishing cities along the route in the Bronze Age. For example, John Strange asserts in his chapter, Jordan between Mesopotamia and Egypt in the Bronze and Iron Ages , in Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan VIII. Amman: Department of Antiquities, Jordan, 2004. s. 427-432:

*

From Damascus there must have been a gateway rather early, finds at Tall-al Fukhar from the very beginning of the Middle Bronze Age point to this . . . (p. 427). Tall-al Fukhar , the site of an ancient city on the border between Jordan and Syria. Its Wikipedia article states:

Tell el-Fukhar was settled during the Early Bronze Age II and III. Tell el-Fukhar is a multi-period site with archaeological evidence showing occupation during the Early Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age, . . .Archaeological remains found at el-Fukhar include a Late Bronze Age II cooking pot which, analysis shows, came from the Region of Gaza. This is evidence of extensive trade networks between Tell el-Fukhar and other regional trade centers . . . Numerous houses have been investigated, as well as the discovery of a monumental public building built between 1450BC and 1300BC, . . .

Not far directly south lies Irbid, the third-largest city in Jordan:

Tell Irbid were estimated to be made in the year 3200 B.C. (Wikipedia, Artifacts and graves in the area show that Irbid was inhabited in the Bronze Age . Pieces of pottery and wall stones found atwere estimated to be made in the year 3200 B.C. (Wikipedia, Irbid

Ancient Pella, 17 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, east of the Jordan River, also began earlier than the Bronze Age. Wikipedia informs us that archaeologists have found:

a city wall and other structures dating back to 3400 BCE and some even to 3600 BCE, indicating that the city standing at the top of Pellas Tell Husn at the time was a formidable city-state around 3400-3200 BCE, . . . The official University of Sydney excavation page only mentions Early Bronze Age stone defensive platforms from ca. 3200 BCE. The Middle Bronze Age city of ca. 1800 BCE boasted massive mud-brick city walls.

John Strange described Pella as in the Middle Bronze Age an important centre in a network of trade routes (p. 428).

*

Further south, down the Kings Highway, near the Dead Sea, is Khirbet al-Mukhayyat : probably ancient Nebo, and close to Mt. Nebo , where Moses looked out over the Promised Land. Sure enough:

Since 2014, Mukhayyat has been excavated by an international team of archaeologists, led by Dr. Debra Foran of WiIfrid Laurier University (Canada). These excavations are ongoing and indicate a long history of occupation, from the Early Bronze Age to the Ottoman Period.

And of course, the ancient precursor of Amman, the capital of Jordan, is also of very ancient pedigree:

The L-shaped citadel hill, inhabited at least since the Early Bronze Age, was fortified at various times thereafter, including massive walls of the Middle Bronze Age. ( Amman Citadel , Jordan Group Tours)

The famous and beautiful Petra, also on the ancient trade route, goes back to the Bronze Age as well, which apparently surprised some people when the Journal of Archaeological Science (vol. 42, February 2014, pages 260-272), published A geophysical investigation of a newly discovered Early Bronze Age site near Petra, Jordan by Thomas M. Urban et al. It reported:

The hinterland of the famed Nabataean city of Petra in southwestern Jordan has yielded archaeological remains ranging from the Paleolithic to the Medieval Period, with a time-span of approximately one-million years of human and hominin activity represented in the archaeological record of the region. Bronze Age sites, however, have been grossly underrepresented for reasons that are not presently well understood, even to the extent that some past researchers have assumed that the region was sparsely occupied during this period. Our team has conducted a preliminary investigation at a previously undocumented Early Bronze Age site, located on an isolated hilltop in the northern hinterland of Petra.

Thus we find, yet again, that the Bible as far back as the book of Genesis, was accurate in all details, as relentlessly confirmed by secular archaeology and historiography. The book of Numbers makes reference to the Kings Highway in the time of Moses (c. 1370-c. 1250 BC). Adam Lee and other anti-theist atheists constantly claim that they respect science, whereas Christians en masse (even educated ones, informed about their faith) supposedly disdain it. Great! Then I eagerly look forward to their responses to the abundance of scientific findings presented above. But I sure wont hold my breath waiting . . .

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Photo credit: Dothan, where Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery [public domain / [public domain / Wikipedia

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Water and Light Soaking into the Earth

Seeking a Common Ground for all Religions

James Ishmael Ford

Guiding teacher, Empty Moon Zen

Delivered at the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles

The Text

After ages of practice, the nun Chiyono went out on a full-moon night to draw some water from the well. The bottom of her old bucket, held together by bamboo strips, suddenly gave way, and the reflection of the moon vanished with the water. When she saw this Chiyono attained to the great awakening.

Slightly adapted from The Hidden Lamp.

Together with a comment from the Zen teacher Joan Sutherland

(S)he is at the stream with a lacquer bucket meant for flowers, only she fills it with water. She sees the moons reflection in the water: her grief radiant. Later still, she says, the bottom falls out of her bucket: water and light soaking into the earth. All that wet: the stream, the watery moon in a bucket, the deers moist eye, the woman weeping.

I am obsessed with religions. Actually, I originally wrote this sentence as I am moderately obsessed with religions. But that isnt true. I am obsessed with religions. Wildly. Insanely. Which means my finding a way to make a living as a Unitarian Universalist minister was probably a good idea.

Now, with that obsession Ive wondered deeply about definitions and boundaries, and within those bounds to explore how religion, or, if you prefer, how spirituality matters. And not only in the past and deep past, but today, and maybe well into the future.

As it turns out defining religion is a messy project. There are some very good reasons why the word religion can be off putting. And why in our time and place for some of us spirituality might be more useful.

It turns out dictionary definitions of religion arent very helpful. Mostly they turn on human relationships with various divinities. And, really, since the advent of modern religious studies in the Nineteenth century and the startling observation that some very significant religions are barely concerned with divinities makes that definition of religion about relationships to gods close to worthless.

We also have to factor in our contemporary usage. The phrase spiritual but not religious, puts a finger on a major issue with religions. Religions have always been tied up with the transmission of culture, reinforcing the various ways in which people identify themselves and, critically, separate themselves from others. That us and them thing has from ancient times been religiously reinforced. One could argue the primary project of religion is simply crowd control.

However, there is something beyond cultural definition and crowd control. Maybe not the largest thing, but something I find of enormous value. It is the thing to which I have given the bulk of my life. Me, when I think of religions and that cousin word spirituality, I think of ancient, ancient mountain trails used by our Neanderthal cousins as well as our direct ancestors. Trails that wind through mountains in ways that seem to include at some disadvantage to efficiency but allows enhanced views of distant beauty. That.

And. There is a cave in Spain with what appears to be a 40,000 years-old grave for a Neanderthal toddler. The grave site is surrounded by animal horns, including bison and red deer. Similar sites for homo sapiens with what appear to be intentional burials including grave goods and evidence of layers of flowers poured over the body that seem to range back at least fifty and maybe even a hundred thousand years. That.

Some find the word religion as implying folding back, pointing to some kind of return. Religion is most importantly, as I feel it, about wonder, and beauty, and love. Love that even challenges death. Sorting out the crowd control part, spiritual can stand for this part of religion that is about wonder. I love how the origin of the word spiritual means breath. Spirituality is about that which gives us life.

This said as far back as we know with any certainty, religion and spirituality and culture have been, and are profoundly entangled. In fact, any attempt at pulling specifically spiritual perspectives out of the cultural matrix seems to date no later than during the European Renaissance. And, the truth be told, with only limited success.

With all this lets revisit definitions for religion. Ive found the Twentieth century Unitarian Universalist minister and theologian Forrest Churchs observation one of the better definitions. Religion is our human response to the dual reality of being alive and (knowing we will) die. My own attempt at a definition is that religions are that part of a culture concerned most with meaning and direction.

But is there anything more? Is there a thread through them all, a tie that binds, some universal truth found in all religions? Within religious studies, the technical term for those who say yes, is perennialism. Perennialism is the belief that all religions share something in common. `

I passingly mentioned the first attempt to define this during the European Renaissance. The first person I can think of to assert this sense of a thread looks to be Marsillo Ficino, a fifteenth century Italian priest and an early Humanist philosopher. He saw a common thread running from the Corpus Hermeticum to Greek philosophy, and to Christianity. As everyone at the time believed the Corpus to have been composed around the time of Moses, it looked pretty obvious. The Corpus clearly showed at the very least a foreshadowing of Platonism and Christianity from centuries before they happened.

The problem was that Ficino got his dates wrong. The Corpus was not, as was believed during the Renaissance, written in the Thirteenth century before the common era. You know, when people believed Moses was alive and led the enslaved Jewish people out of Egypt to their promised land. Instead, it was compiled somewhere between the first and third centuries of our common era. And is actually a mash up of Platonism and Christianity, not a foreshadowing.

For me this demonstrates both the power of that sense all religions are connected, together with the harsh fact that actual evidence of this is at best tenuous. As the contemporary scholar Stephen Prothero titles his provocative book, as we look into the matter, it appears God is not One.

The good professor contends the idea of religious unity is wishful thinking Actually, Prothero goes beyond condemning the unity of religions as fantasy. He asserts it is a willful ignorance that makes the world a more dangerous place. And he makes a compelling argument.

It isnt so much a case of many paths up one mountain, but more likely many paths and many mountains. And. And, yet there is something which calls for hedging. Despite the tons of evidence about the differences, there are some threads. There are a couple of places where there are obvious commonalities.

For instance, there is the obvious ethical connection among the religions. Its hard to have missed one of those lists of the Golden Rule and how that rule is articulated within pretty much all religions. They all believe in equity and treating your neighbor fairly. It may feature more strongly with one tradition than another, but its there.

In fact, its probably the deeper connection driving much of todays interfaith dialogue. Reminding us of our particular religions rule to not harm others. The idea is to feel a little closer, to at the least see each others humanity, and from that to be a bit less dangerous to each other.

I strongly suspect this is rooted in two fundamental aspects of human psychology, which probably even has a biological an evolutionary basis. We seek harmony, balance, and see it manifesting as fairness. And at the very same time we have an urge to cheat, to gain an advantage for ourselves and ours. The Golden Rule address both aspects of who we are.

But something more? Something about ultimacy and meaning and that love which defies death? I find it interesting that Professor Prothero actually sees one thing that all the worlds religions, at least the ones he has studied, have in common. He observes What the worlds religions share is not so much a finish line as a starting point. And where they begin is with this simple observation: something is wrong with the world. In part it is probably tied up with that cheating part of who we are as humans. But it does take many colors.

The good professor goes on to list with what he acknowledges is an over simplistic schema of how religions see that wrong and their solutions. For Judaism the problem is exile, while the solution is returning home, for Christians the problem is sin, and the solution is salvation, for Islam the problem is pride, and the solution is submission. The list goes on. There is that fundamental noticing of some sort of problem in life. A lack, a wound, something missing.

And out of this sense of wrong, of lack, of lostness, of wound; sometimes something happens.

An example from my life. I tell this story often, because it is so important to me. If youve heard it before, or read it in one of my books, I apologize. But, it fits in here in this reflection in an important way.

In my mid-teenaged years, I discovered the 19th Century Hindu Saint Ramakrishna. Mainly through the writings of Aldous Huxley and Christopher Isherwood. They were deeply tangled up with a Hindu mission, the Vedanta Society. Isherwood in particular wrote a lot on the subject. In one of his books, I read an account about how Ramakrishna prayed constantly for a vision of his goddess, in his case Kali, the Divine Mother. He wanted to know her as she was. He wanted to see her with his own eyes, to be present to her with his full being.

And one day she came to him. In some form of waking vision as he watched, she arose out of a river and walked toward him. As she walked the goddess swelled out in pregnancy, gave birth  and then  ate her child. Witnessing all this he slipped into a fever of ecstasy. As a young man, really, still basically a boy, I was shocked that this would be a turning point in this revered saints life. And, I had no idea what to make of Kali. It all seemed so awful. And I filed this story away somewhere in the recesses of my heart, never completely forgetting it.

Years later, after Id left the Buddhist monastery where Id been living, I went to rural Oregon to visit my brother. While there, I took a walk where I found myself at the edge of a genuine wilderness. It was wonderful, if also, a bit eerie to a convinced city boy. I sat in the shade on a large flat rock beside a creek. All these years later I can still taste the air from that day, I can smell the warmth and the vegetation, the way light played across everything. At the very same time the place was deeply silent and abuzz with life.

Then in the midst of it all I noticed there was a sunny spot on a good-sized rock in the middle of the creek. I watched as a large fat toad hopped up, settled down, and sunned itself. All was right with the universe. What I didnt notice until just as it struck was the snake. My heart leapt into my throat. I was frozen to the spot as I witnessed it all happen. In a bloody moment snake and frog fell behind the rock out of sight. A small blessing. Then, minutes later the snake slithered up onto the rock in the same place, with a large swelling in its middle, and lazed in the same sunny spot.

Instantly, I recalled Kali and Ramakrishna and that horrific, and now somehow for me, personally, viscerally. In a moment where I surrendered analysis and just witnessed, everything, sorrow, absolutely sorrow, but with it joy, calmness and ecstasy, every feeling played across my heart. It was a moment that held the entire cosmos, excluding nothing.

I felt my heart grabbed like that snake grabbed the frog. And I realized while sitting there in the shade witnessing it all, that I, too, was swallowed by the world itself. And I realized in some deep, intimate way, I was the world itself. I met Kali, and she was me. No part of the great mess, frog, snake, the world, hurt or joy was alien to me. It was me.

And this is important. It was a complete disruption in my life.

In one moment, there was a world Id carefully come to understand. And in the next it was gone. And a new world was taking shape. I found for myself a turning point. And, I believe, this possibility is as common as our humanity.

It is the secret of the spiritual within religions.

The disruptions we experience open gates for us. If we dont close the gates too quickly, but try to remain open, there are things we can find. And this does appear in all the religions, sometimes in the front, sometimes deep in the heart. But it is there. Always. The religions each express this differently, but each offers a way to encounter the intimate.

Among my favorite Zen teachings is the story of the nun Chiyono. One day carrying a bucket filled with water, she noticed the moon reflecting in the water in the bucket. Then, suddenly, the bottom of the bucket gave way, and as the water and the moon vanished, she awakened into the intimate way.

Later, commenting on this moment, the Zen teacher Joan Sutherland sings into our hearts, throwing in some details I find useful. (S)he is at the stream with a lacquer bucket meant for flowers, only she fills it with water. She sees the moons reflection in the water: her grief radiant. Later still, she says, the bottom falls out of her bucket: water and light soaking into the earth. All that wet: the stream, the watery moon in a bucket, the deers moist eye, the woman weeping.

The worlds joy and sorrow, she made it her own. Or, rather, she discovered her part in the great mess of it all.

Now, with that water and light, it turns out something dangerous appears. The unitive experience tells us how intimately connected we all and the world are. And often it leads people to act on behalf of others. When this leads to charity, all is pretty good. As the late bishop Dom Helder Camara noted, When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. One expression of intimacy. Absolutely. As wonderful as wonderful can be.

But it sometimes leads to a step further, yet. When people like the good bishop then ask why people are poor, well, then shit may hit the fan. That question, after all, violates a cardinal aspect of normative organized religion: supporting the status quo. The crowd control thing.

So, with this particular expression of intimacy, one that comes with challenges to the way things are, it becomes dangerous. The mystics, and we are talking about the heart of the mystic project, are always at the edge of their traditions. Always. And their teachings are often suppressed, and sometimes, if theyre too noisy, they may be dealt with. Often, harshly. Want common threads to the worlds religions? Well, this is one. Suppress the voices of the intimate way.

This unitive experience begins as a new way of seeing. It is the heart that sees the story of Ramakrishna and Kali as ones own, of that frog and snake as ones own.

My own. Your own.

And, Im past pretty sure that this is in fact the common ground of all religions.

That place where we all touch.

And the lives that are called out of that disruption and that touching.

The intimate way.

Nothing less.

Amen.
Microsoft killed support for Windows 7 well over a year ago, and now its Nvidias turn. In a pair of support pages published over the weekend, Nvidia announced that on August 31, 2021, the final Game Ready drivers with support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 as well as older Kepler GPU-based GeForce graphics cards will be posted. After that, your existing setup will continue to work, but you wont receive bug fixes or optimizations for new PC games, though critical security updates will continue to be provided through September 2024.

Its always a bummer when support ends for hardware and software, but Nvidia (and rival AMD) maintains older configurations for longer than many companies. Windows 7 released all the way back in 2009, while Windows 8 launched in 2012. Windows 8 wasnt great, however, and Microsoft quickly hit the reset button with Windows 10 and offered free upgrades to users of both of those older versions of Windows. Neither 7 nor 8 is maintained by Microsoft any longer.

Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 7 and Windows 8, with Windows 8.1 nearing the end of its lifecycle as well, Nvidias support plan states. The vast majority of our GeForce customers have migrated to Windows 10 OS. In order to ensure GeForce owners experience the best possible security, support, and functionality, Nvidia will now focus on Windows 10 operating system.

Nvidia RIP to this dual-GPU beast.

Nvidias Kepler architecture, meanwhile, powered the GeForce GTX 600- and 700-series graphics cards, as well as the first couple generations of the companys flagship Titan GPUs. The GTX 600-series debuted nearly a decade ago, in 2012, and the GTX 700-series hit the streets a year later.

The following graphics cards will receive their final Game Ready drivers on August 31:

Nvidia GeForce GTX TITAN Z

Nvidia GeForce GTX TITAN Black

Nvidia GeForce GTX TITAN

Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti

Nvidia GeForce GTX 780

Nvidia GeForce GTX 770

Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 Ti

Nvidia GeForce GTX 760

Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 (192-bit)

Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 Ti OEM

Nvidia GeForce GT 740

Nvidia GeForce GT 730

Nvidia GeForce GT 720

Nvidia GeForce GT 710

Nvidia GeForce GTX 690

Nvidia GeForce GTX 680

Nvidia GeForce GTX 670

Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 Ti

Nvidia GeForce GTX 660

Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost

Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti

Nvidia GeForce GTX 650

Nvidia GeForce GTX 645

Nvidia GeForce GT 640

Nvidia GeForce GT 635

Nvidia GeForce GT 630

If youre still using one of those older GPUs but want to continue receiving game optimizations and bug fixes, youll need to upgrade your hardware. Our guide to the best graphics cards can help you pick the right one for you (ifbig ifyou can find one for a sane price during the crippling GPU shortage were suffering through currently).

If youre still on Windows 7 or 8, its still possible to claim Microsofts free Windows 10 upgrade, despite that offer technically being closed. And if you refuse to ditch the ultra-popular Windows 7 until your computer gives up the ghost, be sure to install an antivirus and read our tips on how to stay as safe as possible. Your system can have some gaping security holes when you arent receiving operating system or GPU patches.
Managing Director of Ecobank, Mr Daniel Sackey has indicated that the management of the bank going forward does not expect the COVID-19 aftermath to significantly affect their business projections.



He explained that Ecobank has identified the winning formulae of leveraging technology and customising their various offerings to meet customers needs, thus, they will continue to use this strategy to deepen their relationship with their customers within the various segments.



We do not expect COVID-19 aftermath to significantly affect our business projections, going forward. This is because, having identified the winning formulae of leveraging technology and customising our various offerings to meet customers needs, we will continue to use this strategy to deepen our relationship with our customers within the various segments, he stated.



Addressing the media after Ecobanks virtual Annual General Meeting, Dr Daniel Sackey noted that as part of the advisory services they render to their customers, particularly within the MSME market, they will be guided by equipping their clients adequately to take advantage of the opportunities emanating from the wider macro environment to grow their businesses.



He added that Ecobank has already been championing the deployment of the necessary tools and mechanisms to improve collections by their customers and the average Ghanaian business as an alternative to dealing in cash transactions.



We have collaborated with GHIPSS in their introduction of the GhQR scan and pay service across Ghana. On our own, we have been engaging businesses on webinars to build capacity and transfer knowledge in the areas of online business, access to market and digital collections, he disclosed.



He stressed that the introduction of Ecobank Digistore, which is aimed at empowering MSMEs in Ghana to maximize sales by marketing products in a digital and cashless manner, now enables businesses to create their own online store to sell their products, integrate their social media channels and sell offline on mobile through a unique USSD code.



Ecobank Digistore enables customers to receive contactless payments from any bank account, bank card and all mobile money wallets with EcobankPay GhQR. Effectively manage their products and inventory across their offline and online shops and social media channels. Access a pick and delivery service to deliver their product to their customers doorstep, he added.



These are all part of our continuous efforts at supporting and providing convenient banking solutions to customers through strategic partnerships, even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic period. As our customers actively stay in business, we will continue to grow their digital banking solutions supporting them to continuing to make them a critical part of their business, he emphasized.



Talking about the strategic plan of Ecobank in the post-COVID economic recovery plan of the country, Mr Daniel Sackey said, that the operations of the bank from inception shows that the bank has the capacity to grow its business organically.



Starting as a single-branch bank in 1990, Ecobank grew to become Ghanas second-biggest bank by 2011, with total assets of GHS2,132.183 million and shareholders fund of GHS262.599 million, he stated.



Today, we are the number one bank providing flexible financial service solutions to millions of customers digitally. With this track record, we are committed to maintaining this winning strategy going forward but are also ready to exploit any business growth opportunity that will present itself, he noted.



Additionally, we will continue to invest heavily in our IT infrastructures to deliver the needed convenience and efficiency to our consumers, SME and corporate businesses. As the nations largest financial services provider, we have a responsibility to assist Ghana to achieve its financial inclusion and cash-lite agenda, as well as support the nation in its reconstruction journey by ensuring that businesses receive the right funding on a timely basis to facilitate their recovery, he revealed.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Young people who dare to set up businesses and employ others in the process are charting the course for an entrepreneurial future for the country and, therefore, need to be encouraged and supported, the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, has said.



He said what the nation needed was a thousand young people starting small businesses and employing 10 people each, instead of waiting for an individual to employ 10,000 people.



The minister said it was in line with that objective that the government had rolled out some interventions to provide opportunities for the youth to become entrepreneurial, in view of the high unemployment situation in the country.



Listen to me, young people: your job opportunities will either come from you depending on others to give you jobs or from you awakening the entrepreneur in you by making use of the opportunities that are available in the public and the private sectors, he said.



Roadshow



Mr Ofori-Atta was speaking as the guest mentor at a springboard roadshow virtual convocation held in Accra yesterday.



The event is an initiative of the Springboard Road Show Foundation and focuses on entrepreneurship, investment, career and talent development for young people between 18 and 35 years.



It was on the theme: Repositioning: Navigating through COVID-19 and finding career and business opportunities.



The programme started in Tamale on June 3, 2021 and moved to Sunyani last Monday.



Targeted interventions



Making a case for targeted interventions for the youth, the minister said: I believe the robust implementation of interventions under the Ghana CARES programme will gradually create a conducive, compelling and ultimately resilient economic environment fit for enterprise and innovation.



Giving context to the unemployment situation in the country, Mr Ofori-Atta said: We have a situation where 71 per cent of the countrys population is under 35, compared to a global average of 57%.



According to the World Bank, at least 109,000 students graduated from tertiary institutions in the country every year.



The bank has estimated Ghanas unemployment rate among the youth as 12 per cent, representing 1.3 million people.



Alarmingly, about half of the youth population of 5.4 million are regarded as under-employed.



Mr Ofori-Atta explained that in the past 12 months, the government launched the Ghana CARES Obaatanpa programme to transition the country from a commodity-dependent to a self-reliant industrialised nation.



Within the past year, he said, it had initiated work on creating an integrated aluminium industry to finally free the country from having to import alumina to power the dormant national smelter, VALCO.



Once the smelter is active, we can nurture an entire bauxite and aluminium ecosystem to create jobs and opportunities for all, the minister said.



Self belief



The Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mr Selorm Adadevoh, encouraged the youth to be positive-minded and believe in their abilities to bring about change.



He said when people believed in themselves, there would not be limits to the successes they could achieve, using his own journey onto the top of the country's biggest telecommunications company as an example.



Mr Adadevoh said while challenges would come along the way, the youth needed to be bold and determined, while remaining focused on their ultimate objectives.



The Executive Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation, Mrs Comfort Ocran, said after years of inspiring and mentoring many young people to go into entrepreneurship, the organisation decided to take a new initiative this year.



We called the initiative the springboard youth dialogue which involves connecting you the young people to opportunities and policy interventions to help accelerate your progress, especially in the areas of business.



In designing these interactions, we reached out to the Minister of Finance, himself a veteran springboard resource person from the very first five editions. Not only did he wholeheartedly embrace the ideas we shared; he also personally offered to travel all the way with us to listen to the concerns and challenges of young entrepreneurs and provide much-needed answers for young people across the country, Mrs Ocran said.



She commended Mr Ofori-Atta for his support over the years and expressed the hope that the ideas shared would help inspire the youth into positive action.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Hollard Life Assurance, a subsidiary of Hollard Ghana, has supported the Kumasi Central Prisons canteen project with bags of cement. This was in a bid to ease the burden of the center while staying true to its purpose to enable better futures.



The presentation

The presentation was done by Nashiru Iddrisu, Managing Director of Hollard Life in the presence of Kwaku Gyapong Fosuhene, Branch Manager of Hollard Life Kumasi and Hollard Life Kumasi Sales Managers, Kingsley Gyebi and Helena Antwi Tolbert.



The Ashanti Regional Commander of Prisons, DDP. Kwesi Asamoah Fening received the bags of cement on behalf of his outfit in the presence of Regional PRO, ASP. Richard Bukari and ADP Hilda Awoame.



Speaking on the motivation for the donation, the Managing Director of Hollard Life Assurance, Nashiru Iddrisu said: We received a call from the Kumasi Central Prison to support them build a canteen for the inmates. As a company that does well by doing good, we know that funding such a project espouses our purpose of treating everyone with care and dignity. Everyone deserves a better future regardless of where they find themselves. Supporting the command to provide a decent eating area is our way of showing care.



Appreciation

Receiving the items, the Ashanti Regional Commander of prisons, DDP. Kwesi Asamoah Fening expressed his gratitude to Hollard Life Assurance for the honour done them.



He said: We understand that times are hard due to COVID-19, however, Hollard has gone out of their way to help. We are very indebted to Hollard Life for responding swiftly to our call for funding. We least expected such a quick comeback. This kind gesture is necessary for the maintenance of the prisons infrastructure and will go a long way to help in the reformation of the prisoners.



About Hollard Life Assurance

Hollard Life is a subsidiary of insurance group, Hollard Ghana, which combines its deep local knowledge of the market with the world-class expertise of an international insurance brand. With feet firmly planted on Ghanaian soil but Headquartered in South Africa, Hollard delivers innovative insurance solutions customised to the unique risks Ghanaians face. Hollard was previously Metropolitan Insurance which operated in Ghana for over 25 years.



Hollard Life Assurance offers various life insurance products including funeral, personal accident, savings and investment, group Life insurance and employee plans, and more. Beyond various nationwide office branches and agents, Ghanaians can find Hollard at Shell Fuel Station Welcome Shops, and some Melcom stores across Ghana.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has admitted that he has failed to end insecurity in the country, a promise he made when he was elected in 2015.



In a TV address, he said the fight against Islamist militants in the north had had the unintended consequence of spreading violence to other areas.



Mr Buhari extended his "heartfelt condolences" to families of victims.



The Boko Haram Islamist group, which began its insurgency in 2009, has stepped up attacks in recent months.



After his election in 2015, President Buhari said the group had been "technically defeated" by an army offensive.



But there have been dozens of attacks in the north-east since the start of the year, and a number of military bases, as well as towns, have been overrun by the militants. Weapons, food and medicines have also been looted.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Government has ceded 100 per cent of the printing of textbooks for pupils in basic schools to local printers. However, any publisher without an agreement with a local printer will not be considered.



Consequently, all publishers who are already pre-qualified have been asked to present signed agreements with local printers.



For a start, the textbooks to be printed will cover kindergarten to primary six.



The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, who disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra last Friday, said; "Any publisher without an agreement with a local printer will not be considered in the offer."



Empowering local printers



Explaining the idea behind the move, the minister said: The whole idea is that we want to encourage and empower the local printing business.



That is why we want to make sure that they come with an agreement with the local printers, which indicates the designated location of the local printer, he added.



Dr Adutwum said the government was aware of the capacity of local printers and was, therefore, determined that they get the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities.



He gave an assurance that structures would be put in place to police publishers to ensure that no publisher nor printer took the contract outside the country.



Although he fell short of pronouncing punitive measures against any publisher who might take the contract outside the country to print, it was clear that he had some severe measures up his sleeve.



Capacity



Dr Adutwum said so far, publishers had not made any request regarding permission to print a certain percentage abroad, as had been done previously, stressing that such request would not be permitted.



We have taken this position because there are local printers with the capacity who are competitive, he said, adding that he knew of some local printers who could easily match the offers the Indians and the Chinese were offering to publishers.



The bottom line, for me, is that if we have those printers in the system, why would you want to go outside? And that is my point, Dr Adutwum said.



Asked when the printing would start, the minister explained that it was a process, adding that the first step had already been taken, which was the pre-qualification, and the next thing was for the publishers to submit quotations.



Dr Adutwum acknowledged the fact that giving local printers the opportunity had a number of positive implications, adding that it would provide job opportunities for the youth.



Background



Previously, the printing of textbooks was mostly done outside the country, with local printers complaining that it was a disincentive to local businesses.



In some cases, a minimal percentage was given to local printers, while the bulk of the printing was done outside the country.



In 2016, however, the then government decided that the printing of textbooks for schools would be done by local printers, and by 2017 when the printing actually began, more than 40,000 people were employed in the sector.



Aside from employment opportunities, the contract also afforded local printers the opportunity to build their capacity and expand their operations.











Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo has expressed disgust that a lot of Ghanaian youth are leaving the country for greener pastures abroad.



Professor Joseph Osafo noted that the migration of the youth to settle abroad affects Ghana's development as the country loses best brains.



According to him, this is a major problem that needs to be addressed by the nation.



"In fact, West Africans are the most mobile people on earth. We're moving a lot. We move! And what is happening is why are we moving? There is a problem . . . We have continuously talked about brain drain; our young people are unable to stay here and work," he wondered.



He called on the government to adopt right measures that will discourage the youth from leaving the country, but rather be happy to stay and work in Ghana.



"The challenge is that we have the policies but we lack the implementation. The zeal to implement is lacking," he added.



He made this comment on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo'', Monday.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghana will host the 59th Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government from Tuesday, June 15 to Saturday, June 19, in Accra.



The meeting would deliberate on pertinent issues threatening the peace and stability of the West African sub-region and find solutions to them.



It would be attended by 15 Heads of State in West Africa, except Mali, which has been suspended from the regional bloc following the recent political upheavals there.



Other dignitaries expected include the ECOWAS President and Vice, Commissioners and supporting staff and former Nigeria President, Mr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who is the ECOWAS Special Envoy, mediating the Mali political crisis.



He would present a report on his recent visit to the West African country after the Emergency ECOWAS Summit held in Accra on May 30, 2021.



A communique would be issued at the end of the Summit to highlight key decisions reached during the deliberations.



Ms Shirley Ayorko Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, announced this at the Minister's media briefing in Accra on Monday.



The Summit would be preceded by the 46th Ordinary Meeting of ECOWAS Mediation and Security Ministerial Council on Tuesday, June 15 and 86th Ordinary Meeting of ECOWAS Council of Ministers on June 16 and 17 at the Movenpic Hotel in Accra.



Other equally important issues on the agenda include ECOWAS Vision 2050, ECOWAS Information and Research Forum; humanitarian issues in the sub-region, report on ECOWAS Trade and Industry Ministerial Meeting, Ministerial Report on ECOWAS Single Currency and New Convergence Path, Regional Flood Risk Initiative and Management Strategy as well as the ECOWAS Gender Strategy and Action Plan.



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, ECOWAS Chair, is expected to open the 59th Ordinary Summit at the Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel in Accra on Saturday.

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.

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Deputy Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Mireku Duker, has dismissed media reports that government's Green Ghana initiative, where an estimated 5million trees are to be planted, costs a whopping Ghc125 Million.



According to him, the entire exercise did not cost even a million Ghana cedis.



A letter from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, received by the Office of the Speaker of Parliament, has revealed that the Green Ghana Project will require 125 million cedis.



The letter, signed by the Chairman of the Fundraising Committee of the Green Ghana Project, Ehunabobrim Nana Prah Agyensaim VI, and copied to the Ministers for Lands and Natural Resources and Foreign Affairs, was inviting "Parliament, its staff, and other parliamentarians to contribute to this fund.



The purpose of this exercise is to encourage Ghanaians and friends of Ghana to plant trees to preserve the countrys forest and vegetation cover for balanced ecology.



Under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, this presidential initiative will require an amount of GHC 125,000,000), excerpts of the letter reads.



But speaking on Okay Fm's Ade Akye Abia Programme, a bemused Hon Duker, who is also the NPP MP for Tarkwa-Nsueam, pointed out the fact that the committee believed the project could cost Ghc125m, did not mean that amount of money was spent.



"I am sure they may have done that out of political mischief...



....The committee set up by the ministry to ensure the sustainability of the exercise anticipated that they may need such an amount to maintain the exercise....However, the main exercise was less than a million Ghana cedis," he added.





Watch Video Below





Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The General Secretary of the Governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Boadu has petitioned the Director of CID Mr Yeboah, about video in circulation on social media alleging his involvement in illegal mining (Galamsey) and attributing some parked excavators, other movable equipment and some property to be his and that of his supposed business partners, mainly Chinese miners.



In the petition, the Chief scribe of NPP indicated that his initial investigations revealed one Oscar Ike Obinim to be the mastermind behind the production of the video and the narrator in the video.



He also called for a thorough investigation into the motive and the individual/individuals behind this sinister act to cause him public disaffection and destroy his hard-earned image and reputation.



Mr John Boadu on countless occasions asserted that he is not into mining, legal or illegal. The General Secretary, speaking on Okay Fm during an interview with the host, Kwame Nkrumah Tikesie, admonished the military or the team in charge of the fight against illegal mining (Galamsey) to burn any concession or excavators that are appropriated to him since he is neither directly nor indirectly involved in any form of mining and he does not own any excavator or excavators.



Find the entire petition below ...





The Director of CID

Ghana Police Service

Accra.



08/06/2021



Dear Sir,

PETITION



I wish to bring a formal complaint to your outfit to investigate a video in circulation on social media purporting that I, John Boadu, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is involved in illegal mining (Galamsey) contrary to the laws of Ghana,



In the said video, a gentleman by name Oscar who is on social media as Ike Oscar Obinim was heard alleging that, I am the owner of the fleet of excavators seen in the video parked at a location in Asankragua in the Western region.



He claims that I used them for illegal mining against the orders and directives of the President, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo.



I am by this complaint, calling for full investigations and possible arrest of all involved in this scandalous act to tarnish my hard-earned reputation and image. I do state categorically that, I do not own the said property and or excavators as alleged in the video.



Please find attached a copy of the video on a pen drive for your attention and action.



Yours faithfully,





John Boadu

General SecreataryNPP.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has resumed normal administrative and academic activities as the Universitys Chapter of the Senior Staff Association called off its strike on Monday, June 14.



The Senior Staff had for some three weeks now been on strike to reinforce the Associations demand for improved conditions of service and payment of outstanding Tier-Two contributions of its retired members.



The members had been asking for an improved market premium and non-basic allowances, as well as the migration of public universities onto the Control and Accountant-Generals payroll system.



We are urging all members to come back to work since all outstanding issues are being dealt with, Mr George Ansong, the KNUST Chapter President of the Association, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi.



When the GNA visited the KNUST Basic School, academic activities were in full session as the Senior Staff had reported to duty.



Additionally, the University Hospital, Fire Unit, Administration block and other departments and faculties on the campus, which had been deserted by the striking Senior Staff, were back to business.



Members of the parent body, the Senior Staff Association of the Universities of Ghana, had since February 2021, staged various protests to register their displeasure at what they described as unfavourable policies within the Universities system that sought to marginalize them.



They described as unfair the current situation where the members had consistently been denied some privileges such as study leave with pay, and medical care for staff and families.



Mr Ansong hinted that their decision to call off the industrial action was necessitated by a recent stakeholders meeting, bringing together the National Executive Committee of the Association, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, National Labour Commission, Vice-Chancellors of the respective universities and other related parties.



The Senior Staff have agreed in principle to resume work, therefore, it is the duty of members of the Association to abide by the directives issued by the leadership, he 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.

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Dr Peter Attafuah, Northern Regional Director of Education has disclosed that about 972 candidates in the Northern region could not write the 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the region.



He said out of the 972 candidates, 522 were girls with 113 pregnant.



The Regional Director of Education attributed the failure to the long closure of schools resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.



Dr Attafuah made the disclosure at a regional level advocacy meeting that assembled key stakeholders in education to support the delivery of Reproductive Health Education (RHE) project phase II funded by UNESCO in the Northern region.



The event, organized by Norsaac in Tamale, was to outdoor the 12-month duration project to regional stakeholders and to solicit their support for the implementation of the project, which was on adolescent reproductive health and targeting teenage pregnancy.



Dr Attafuah also highlighted the situation of absentees at the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2020 and indicated that 111 candidates including 50 girls out of which 14 of them were pregnant could not write the exams.



The Regional Director said his outfit commenced a programme to impact the back to school advocacy campaign since schools re-opened in January this year to retain more pupils in school.



Dr Attafuah expressed concern about the number of children that had not reported to the classroom following the long closure of schools occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic last year.



He said some of the students could not return to school following the long break, apprenticeship options they took, and child marriages and said the GES in collaboration with other stakeholders in education worked to relocate them to their communities to return to school.

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.

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Two Fulani cattle owners whose names were given as Alhaji Nyandiya and Marchu have been allegedly kidnapped by unknown persons believed to be of the same Fulani extraction at Daboya in the North Gonja District of the Savannah Region.



The kidnappers are demanding a random to the tune of 130,000 Cedis before they release the two kidnapped. They have also given the families up to Monday June 14, to produce the Ghc130,000 they demanded as ransom otherwise they will kill them.

Alhaji Nyandiya and Marchu were on their way from Daboya to Abotape, a Fulani community where they are based but were allegedly kidnapped by unknown people suspected to be Fulani some 3 days ago.



The kidnappers who are presently at an unknown location used the phone of Alhaji Nyandiya to call the families of the two kidnapped people and demanded an amount of GHc170,000 and later reduced the amount to GHc130,000.



The matter has since been reported to Daboya police for investigation.



Meanwhile, a source close to families of the kidnaped individuals says they have mobilized the money to save the lives of their kidnapped relatives.

Kidnapping cases are beginning to be on the ascendancy in the Savannah Region.



This is the third time within a month cases of kidnapping are reported in the region with Fulanis being the target. In May this year, the northern region police command arrested three persons suspected to be kidnappers in Tamale.



The matter is currently in court..







Source: 3news.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The government can generate $594 million within a year and also $5.8 million for the economy, if it rigorously enforces the Breastfeeding Promotion Regulations which ensures the creation of an enabling environment for optimal infant feeding.



The enforcement of this law would ensure that mothers receive accurate information about breastfeeding and limit the use of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS) to only medically indicated situations by putting an end to promotional activities such as distribution of free breastmilk substitutes.



The provisions of the law which derives its source from the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes (otherwise known as the CODE), also includes limiting interactions between health staff and company agents, thereby creating a safer environment for breastfeeding.



The Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta, Mr Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, said this last Wednesday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes which was adopted by the 34th World Health Assembly in May 1981 to address aggressive marketing tactics by the infant and young child feeding industry.



Collaborate and promote



The MP, who was a public health worker before becoming a legislator, urged health authorities and law enforcement agencies to collaborate to promote exclusive breastfeeding in order to reap its invaluable health benefits and to generate some extra funds for the economy.



This is even crucial in this time of COVID-19 when many countries around the world are going through economic hardship and difficulties, he stressed.



He said besides breastfeeding being vital to a childs lifelong nutrition, health and wellbeing, it had some economic benefits to families and the country, since it prevented illnesses, thereby reducing out of pocket expenditures to treat diarrhoea and pneumonia among others.



Mr Gakpey, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, and the Food and Drugs Authority to ensure that promotion regulations were enforced to the letter.



The CODE is generally aimed to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by protecting and promoting breastfeeding, and by ensuring the proper use of breastmilk substitutes by restricting promotions that target the general public, mothers and health workers.



The CODE also provides the policy framework designed to stop commercial interests from activities that decrease the practice of exclusive breastfeeding and threatening the health and nutrition of the young children.







Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Ghanaians have been advised to be cautious of where they plant trees in order not to interfere with electrical installations.



The Volta/Oti Regional Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Lumor, said while the country was geared towards planting millions of trees under the Green Ghana Project, people should avoid planting trees directly under electric poles, especially those that could grow very tall to touch the poles.



In an interview with the Daily Graphic during the nationwide tree planting exercise in the region, Mr Lumor explained that trees were conductors and therefore when they touch our lines, they will go off, give shock or damage equipment and affect lives.



According to him, the governments tree planting initiative was very important to the company, and for that matter it had decided to join by planting a large number of trees.



He said the company knew the importance of trees in the community as it helped in taking out carbon dioxide in the system and replacing it with oxygen to make life comfortable.



6,000 trees



As part of the companys contribution towards the exercise, The eleven districts in the Volta/Oti regions have been directed to plant trees and we have decided to plant about 6,000 trees to green our environment.



From today, after this exercise, we have directed that if we lose any tree to our activities, we will plant four in replacement so we can keep the ecosystem, he indicated.



He urged all Ghanaians to be involved in the tree planting exercise because it is for life and for a better environment and restoration of the ecosystem as well as dealing with climate change.



Talking about safety issues, especially during the rainy season, Mr Lumor advised customers to avoid standing under trees, especially during the rainy season because lighting strikes easily through trees which could have disastrous consequences.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The funeral of the late Forestry Commission CEO, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, affectionately called Sir John has courted controversies after a mammoth crowd thronged the funeral venue in complete disregard of the Coronavirus protocols.



Thousands of mourners including the President and Vice President of the Republic, Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and top functionaries of the government, went to Sir John's funeral last week to pay their last respect.



Following the funeral and burial service, a video surfaced showing many of the mourners not wearing nose masks and observing physical distancing.



As a result, the Minority in Parliament has demanded an apology from the President.



Discussing the issue on Okay FM's 'Egyaso Gyaso' with host Afia Pokuaa, Volta Regional Vice Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Loh says if he were present at the funeral, he would have effected a citizen arrest of the President.



Mr. George Loh expressed worry over the President joining the mourners despite they flouting the safety protocols.



"The President, apart from the COVID, his security was thrown to the dogs. It was dangerous . . . My worry is that when you rule a nation with two sets of law, one is for one set of people and one is for another set of people; it goes with rebellion. It causes a lot of problems."



He called for a punitive action against the President saying, "people must be called to order. What we are saying is once others have been punished, in this case too, certain people must answer''.



''If I went there, I would have caused a citizen arrest of the President. He's lucky that I didn't attend," he emphasized.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minority Caucus in Parliament has described the invitation of Dr Dominic Ayine by the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council (GLC) as an attack on free speech and on Parliament.



Dr Ayine was invited by the disciplinary committee based on a request by the Chief Justice for the GLC to investigate some alleged statements made by Dr Ayine.



Dr Ayine, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga East, is alleged to have made the statements at a panel discussion hosted by a civil society organisation, Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), on the theme: Presidential election petitions and their impact on Africas democracy.



Addressing the media, the Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said that action was an affront to democratic and academic freedom.



This invitation is also seen to be an attack on freedom of expression and deepens the growing concern about the culture of silence, which is gradually lingering its ugly head in our democratic dispensation, Mr Iddrisu stated.



He said Dr Ayines comments must be appreciated as a matter within the public interest and a comment seeking to improve the democracy and the functioning of state institutions.



Duty to speak



Mr Iddrisu noted that Dr Ayine was speaking as a Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament and not only as a Lawyer at the forum.



He has a duty and responsibility as a Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament to speak to the public on matters of public interest as he did at the forum of the presidential election petitions and their impact on Africans democracy.



Demonstration of intolerance



He said the Minority had in recent times noticed the demonstration of intolerance by the Chief Justice.



We note with regret that the Chief Justice is on record in recent times to have demonstrated his intolerance for dissenting views, particularly those emanating from Minority Members of Parliament. Not long ago, Mr Rockson-Nelson K. Etse Dafeamekpor, the NDC MP for South Dayi, received a similar invitation to appear before the disciplinary committee of the GLC.



We are also aware of invitations to other members of the National Democratic Congress in the very recent past for statements which allegedly criticised some decisions of the Supreme Court. It must be observed that this is the first time that any Chief Justice in Ghana is descending into a pure matter of discourse to prevent a Member of Parliament and lawyer from freely expressing his right to free speech in a matter not pending in court but a judgment of the Supreme Court, he stated.



Free to critique after ruling



He said it was trite knowledge that practitioners are restrained from commenting or making any prejudicial statements relating to pending matters before the courts but they are free to critique the judgments after delivery.



The fact that Dr Ayine appeared before the court for contempt and was cautioned is no bar for him to hold opinions and to express them after the Presidential Elections Petition case had been decided. The judgment was now in the public domain for scrutiny, he explained.



He said the minority was therefore calling on the Chief Justice to reconsider his request to the disciplinary committee of the GLC to investigate the alleged statements made by Dr Ayine in the interest of peace, national cohesion and to safeguard the countrys democracy.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Zambia President, Edgar Lungu collapsed in the capital, Lusaka, during the 45th Defense Forces Day Commemoration and Investiture ceremony on Sunday, June 13.



The Private Secretary to the Zambia President, Simon Miti made it known in a statement that the President truly collapsed at the event but recovered immediately after experiencing sudden dizziness.



The statement read, The President of the Republic of Zambia, Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, this afternoon experienced sudden dizziness whilst officiating at the 45th Defence Force Day Commemoration and Investiture Ceremony.



His Excellency recovered immediately and walked to the official car and returned to his residence at State House.



The President wishes to assure the general public and all concerned citizens and the international community that he is well and has continued to discharge his duties as Head of State, Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force.



The four-hour ceremony took place at the Freedom Statute on Independence Avenue where the Defence Forces show-cased their military ware.



President Lungu also used the Commemoration to conduct an Investiture Ceremony to honour gallant men and women in Uniform. The Zambian leader had a similar experience in 2015, caused by what the presidency said was an "oesophagus condition".















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Convention People's Party (CPP) has celebrated its 72nd anniversary in Kumasi with a call on the government to fix defunct factories built by the first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.



The CPP said it was unacceptable that virtually, all the factories build during the administration of President Nkrumah, Ghanas only multi-visionary President had been left to waste.



Addressing the gathering mostly the youth, the National Chairperson of the CPP, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong-Kumankumah , said the governments one district, one factory (1D1F) initiative will realised its full objectives when conscious effort were made to revive all factories built by the CPP administration.



She also called on the government to go beyond the free Senior High School (SHS) mantra and create jobs for the youth.



'If the many factories built by Nkrumah across the county but deliberately abandoned and left to rot were functional, millions of youth would have been actively working and that means they would be able to feed themselves and their families', she added



Political direction



Madam Sarpong-Kumankumah stated that truncating the CPP government in 1966 had been evident in today's lack of political direction, endemic poverty, lack of decent accommodation, lack of jobs, the hardships, and the struggling economy.



In addition, she said the overthrow of the CPP had led to the persistent youth agitation and the lack of trust in political leaders.



The General Secretary of CPP, Nana Yaa Jantuah, called on the youth to rally behind the CPP as the party prepared to take over the management of the economy in 2024.





The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the CPP, Mr Emmanuel Galo, said the youth continued to lose hope in the political leadership because of non-performance.



He, therefore, urged the youth to have hope in the CPP.



Background



The CPP was formed on June 12, 1949 by Dr Nkrumah to campaign for the independence of the Gold Coast.



It was the governing party under of the autonomous British colony of the Gold Coast from 1951 to 1957, and independent Ghana from 1957 to 1966.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Pac, friend of suspected Nigerian fraudster Hushpuppi who was arrested with him in 2020 has regained freedom.



The Dubai-based Nigerian man in an Instagram post he shared, remebered how he was arrested alongside Hushpuppi on June 9, 2020. According to him, the arrest came a week to his birthday and he thought the end had come.



Pac stated that his quest for greener pastures turned out to be the darkest 6 months of his life. He revealed that he was released because security operatives had nothing on him. The Instagram user also said that he hopes Hushpuppi gets lucky too.



He wrote;

It is not funny how a dramatic turn of event can change everything forever. What seemed a quest for greener pastures turned out to be the darkest 6mths of my life. The pains of incarceration, the groans of solitude, the agonies of torture, my life that is lived with hope and great expectations was crumbling before me.



A year ago today, I, Rahman(Hushpuppi) and some other friends got arrested in Dubai, it was a week to my birthday, I thought the end has come. How am I supposed to make it out of these? I came to Dubai for opportunities, but here I am, behind guarded bars. The experience was not palatable, I wouldn't wish it on an enemy. Miraculously they got nothing on me. Freedom is good, but the experience remains indelible as I can't free my thoughts and minds from the grips of confinements. I still have nightmares.



For all it is worth, I am happy to walk the street and take-in the air as a free man. I am thankful for life and for the grace to look forward to my next birthday as a celebration of life and not behind bars counting down days with possibilities of worst outcomes. Life has not been the same since, more so, with my best friend and benefactor(Hushpuppi) still in detention.



I hope he gets lucky too. I hope he returns back to his friends and families in one healthy piece.



I want to thank everyone that stood by me during these trying times. I want to say thank you to obakaakaki for the ceaseless love and affection.















View this post on Instagram



A post shared by Pac (@officialpac02)













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former President John Dramani Mahama is the only President produced by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who is alive and so the party is looking up to him for direction and inspiration, National Chairman of the NDC, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has said.



He said this in interview on 3FM Thursday June 10 after an event held by the NDC to mark its 29th anniversary celebration.



Even though [Mr Mahama] was not with us physically, spiritually he was hugely with us at this ceremony. He is the only surviving president that we (NDC) have now and we look up to him for inspiration and direction.



For the first time in the history of the party, the main opposition party is celebrating its anniversary without its Founder the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.



Mr Ofosu Ampofo further said the spirit of Mr Rawlings will continue to lead the party.



We have had a very sober and deep reflection over his demise because he has been the pillar, the tower of strength, an inspiration behind the party.



Today, we observed a minute silence to honour him, we eulogized him, we remembered him for the leadership that he provided for the party and for establishing the NDC party which has come to stay and it has become a very dominant force in the politics of this country, he said.



He added So, as we celebrate this 29th anniversary for the first time without the Founder of the party, whiles we rejoice that the good Lord has brought us this far on the other side, we are very sad that for the first time we are celebrating this without our charismatic founder.



We believe that President Rawlings spirit will continue to rally behind this party, it will continue to guide us in all that we are doing and we are praying that the good Lord will grant him a resting place and allow his legacy to blossom and grow from strength to strength.



He further touted the achievements of the NDC in the development of Ghana.



He said the party has unmatched records in most sectors of the economy especially in the education sector.

Source: 3news.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A dam on the Similkameen River just south of the Canada-U.S. border hasnt produced power since 1958 but remains an obstacle to salmon migration, leading an environmental group to call for its removal.
Crowds flock to the midway at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday, July 7, 2019. Stampede officials say they plan to bring in enhanced safety protocols  including potentially requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccination at some venues  if the 10-day event goes ahead. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A makeshift memorial is laid out beside the Indian Head RCMP detachment in Indian Head, Sask., on Sunday, June 13, 2021. The memorial is laid out for for Const. Shelby Patton who was killed while on duty in Wolseley, Sask. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kayle Neis
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Dr. Nita Patel, Director of Antibody discovery and Vaccine development, lifts a vial with a potential coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine at Novavax labs in Gaithersburg, Maryland on March 20, 2020, one of the labs developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, COVID-19. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Gaithersburg] instead of [Rockville]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Armando Mesina Wins RunGood Poker Series All Stars Jamul Casino Main Event

June 14, 2021 Jesse Fullen Jason Glatzer

After a year and a half hiatus due to the world-changing pandemic, the reigning Mid-Major Poker Tour of the Year returned to much fanfare. The latest RunGood Poker Series All Stars stop took place at Jamul Casino in San Diego, California.

It was there 65-year-old retired Navy veteran Armando Mesina, who a month earlier won the MSPT Sycuan $360 Regional Event for $33,329, finished on top of a field of 558 entries to win the RGPS All Stars Jamul Casino $575 Main Event for $25,175.

The final table featured a rare nine-player deal which left $5,000 in prize money, the $550 invite-only Pro-AM seat in Las Vegas, and the coveted All-Star Ring left on the line for the winner.

Despite winning the extra $5,000 and the title, fourth-place finisher Matt Bradford walked home with an even bigger prize of $26,250 thanks to having a chip edge when the deal was agreed.

Mesina sealed the deal for the title after his ace-four held against the eight-six suited held by Farid Karimi (second - $18,808) in a drama hand where Karimi flopped a pair only to lose his stack after an ace spiked the river to give Mesina a better pair.

RGPS All Stars Jamul Casino $575 Main Event Final Table Results

Place Player Original Payout Payout After Deal 1 Armando Mesina $53,545 $25,175 2 Farid Karimi $37,555 $18,808 3 Kyle Miholich $24,150 $20,290 4 Matt Bradford $17,065 $26,250 5 Allen Zoura $13,100 $14,921 6 Stephen O'Dwyer $10,805 $21,864 7 Chris Stallkamp $8,960 $21,332 8 Jason Tang $7,140 $14,709 9 Aaron Knapp $5,360 $14,331

Tai Reyes-Purpero Wins Casino Champ

Tai Reyes-Purpero

Congratulations to Tai Reyes-Purpero for winning himself a Pro-Am qualifier seat to the filmed event to be hosted by PokerGO this December!

Reyes-Purpero started Sunday with one point with a cash in the $185 DeepStack event earlier this week. The Casino Champion point race was wide open, with each side event winner at the top spots holding 25 points each.

At the end of Sunday, Mark Feinberg seemed to be the only threat that could top Tai if he had placed third or better in the closing event, but ultimately ended up tying with Reyes-Purpero for points but generated less total cash earned to determine the tie-breaker.

None of the other Main Event final tablists were in contention with Reyes-Purpero, as none had cashed in any events earlier this week, leaving the second-place Main Event finisher with 25 points, just shy of the 26 points that Tai had collected.

Here's a look at all those who captured titles during the RGPS Jamul stop:

Tournament Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize $135 Opening Event 234 $24,570 Daniel Cronin $4,432 $185 RG DeepStack 387 $56,115 Ryan Leonis $11,660 $200 RG Double Green Chip Bounty 157 $18,055 Timothy Vu $2,426 $125 RG Seniors NLH 87 $8,700 Mona Najimy $2,203 $575 Main Event 559 $279,000 Armando Mesina $25,175 $240 RG Black Chip Bounty Closer 144 $15,120 Tai Reyes-Purpero $4,540 $300 RG PLO 91 $23,660 Alphonso Estrada $6,605

Next Stop for RGPS

The RGPS All Stars Comeback Tour continued June 22-27 at Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs in Iowa, just across the border from Omaha. Players can expect to enjoy giveaway items, ring events, and two paid-for seats to the invitation-only All-Stars ProAM filmed event at the PokerGO Studio in December during the series.

The stop will offer a full schedule of satellites and side events culminating with a $575 buy-in, $100K GTD Main Event, which PokerNews will live report.

Click here for more information on the RGPS Horseshoe Council Bluffs.
On April 27, 2021, Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota signed House Bill 1032 into law, making North Dakota the latest state to enact drug price transparency measures. The North Dakota law has three main disclosure requirements applicable to drug manufacturers: (1) quarterly Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) reporting, (2) disclosure of certain information upon a drug price increase, and (3) notification when introducing a new drug with a WAC that exceeds certain price thresholds.

The law defines drug manufacturer as an entity that holds the national drug code for a drug that is engaged in the production, preparation, propagation, compounding, conversion, or processing of the drug or which is engaged in the packaging, repackaging, labeling, relabeling, or distribution of the drug. Importantly, wholesale drug distributors or retail pharmacies licensed in North Dakota are not included in the definition.

Additionally, a prescription drug is defined as a drug which, under federal law is required, prior to being dispensed or delivered, to be labeled with one of the following: (i) Caution: Federal law prohibits dispensing without prescription; (ii) Caution: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian; or (iii) Rx only; or a drug which is required by any applicable federal or North Dakota law or rule to be dispensed on prescription only or is restricted to use by practitioners only.

Quarterly WAC Reporting

For the quarterly WAC reports, drug manufacturers must submit quarterly reports to the North Dakota Insurance Commissioner no later than the 15th of January, April, July, and October. The report must disclose the current WAC for all prescription drugs sold in North Dakota by that manufacturer.

Price Increase Disclosure

A price increase that requires disclosure is one where: (1) the WAC increases by 40% or more over the preceding five years or (2) the price increases by at least 10% during the preceding 12 months for a prescription drug with a WAC of $70 or more for a manufacturer-packaged drug container.

Under either of those price increases, the drug manufacturer will need to report the below information to the Insurance Commissioner within 30 days of the price increase: (1) name of the drug; (2) whether the drug is a brand name or generic; (3) the effective date of the change in wholesale acquisition cost; (4) aggregate, company level research and development costs for the previous calendar year; (5) aggregate rebate amounts paid to each PBM for the previous calendar year; (6) the name of all drugs approved by the FDA for the affected manufacturer in the previous five calendar years; (7) the name of each of the manufacturers drugs that lost patent exclusivity in the United States in the previous five calendar years; and (8) a statement of rationale outlining the factor(s) that caused the WAC increase (i.e., raw ingredient shortage, increase in PBM rebates, etc).

New Drug Disclosure

Drug manufacturers are also responsible for informing the Insurance Commissioner within three days of a drugs release if the WAC exceeds the threshold set for a specialty drug under the Medicare Part D program. Similar to the price increase disclosure, the new drug disclosure must also include a statement of rationale that outlines the factor(s) behind why the new drug exceeds the Medicare Part D program price.

Additional Disclosure Requirements

In addition to disclosure requirements for drug manufacturers, the law includes disclosure requirements for pharmacy benefit managers and health insurers.
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As efforts to unify South Carolina in the fight against COVID-19 continue, state public health officials are asking residents to support COVID-19 Vaccine Action Week by getting their vaccines and encouraging their friends and family to receive their COVID-19 vaccines as well.

While the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and its partners continue to implement the statewide COVID-19 vaccination plan, South Carolina, like most other states, has seen a decline in vaccine demand since mid-April.

As of Monday, more than 45% of vaccine-eligible South Carolinians have received at least one shot, and more than 38% are fully vaccinated; however, health officials would like those percentages to get to the 70% range or higher as quickly as possible.

In Aiken County, 58,671 residents have received at least one shot, which is about 34% of the county's population, as of Monday, while 49,767 are fully vaccinated, which is around 29% of the county.

We have a lot to be proud of and, at the same time, its fair to say we have a lot more work to do, said Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC public health director. For the past 17 months, Ive been part of our states COVID-19 response, and its incredible to see how far weve come in such a short amount of time to overcome this devastating disease. Ive watched South Carolinians care for each other and come together in ways rarely seen before. Now is the time for us all to band together once more and end this pandemic by encouraging our unvaccinated neighbors to get their shots.

DHEC and several essential partners have organized a COVID-19 Vaccine Action Week for June 13-19, and all South Carolinians are encouraged to participate by getting their shots, sharing factual vaccine information and telling their vaccine stories.

I lost someone very dear to me to COVID-19, Traxler said. We have all lost so much in some way over the past year. The only way to end this pandemic once and for all is to roll up our sleeves and get our shots. For those of you who are one of the 140 million fully vaccinated Americans  thank you. I encourage you to tell your story, talk with your friends and family, share fact-based information and help all of us put COVID-19 behind us.
Carnival has delayed its return to the Port of Charleston by another 62 days, extending its high-seas hiatus to more than 17 months.

The company said cruises from Union Pier Terminal on its locally based Sunshine ship remain suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic until at least Sept. 1, as it prepares to relaunch operations in select U.S. locations in early July.

Carnival previously had pegged June 30 as its tentative return date to the Holy City, according to an update issued in April. By last month, the company's website deleted all sailings from the South Carolina coast through August.

The earliest cruise from Charleston to the Bahamas that was available online June 14 is a four-day trip that leaves Nov. 17.

The global health crisis shut down the nation's pleasure ship business in March 2020. Carnival said last week that it plans to resume U.S. sailings July 3, when the Texas-based Vista is set to depart from the Port of Galveston with vaccinated passengers and crew members.

The company said in a follow-up announcement a few days later that seven other U.S.-based ships in its fleet will be back in service by late August. Their cruises will originate from ports in Texas, Florida, Washington and California.

"We are working with state and local officials to finalize the necessary plans," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

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The Sunshine is among eight Carnival vessels that will remain idled through August. All are based along the East and Gulf coasts, from Baltimore to Texas.

Without elaborating, the company said it will continue "to ramp up more ships and homeports in September and beyond, bringing hundreds of crew on board each week to be vaccinated, complete CDC-mandated quarantine and then begin work to prepare for guests and the return to guest operations."

"Our focus remains on the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we serve and visit," Duffy said. "We are taking a deliberate approach so we can execute with excellence and deliver a fun experience to our guests, who have been tremendously patient and supportive throughout this pause."

Carnival did not respond to a request for further comment.

The last time the Sunshine pulled into Charleston Harbor with paying passengers on board was March 12, 2020. The 3,002-guest vessel was moved to the Bahamas about six weeks later, and its return to Union Pier has been pushed back at least a dozen times.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low near 75F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low near 75F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
COLUMBIA  Five firefighters at one Columbia station, including one of the Fire Departments top officials, were fired last month after a weekslong sexual misconduct investigation that department leaders now refuse to discuss.

Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins dismissed the five men from the citys Atlas Road fire station on May 7, according to documents obtained by The Post and Courier through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Before the newspaper filed that request, a Fire Department spokesman refused to acknowledge any firings took place or answer a reporter's questions about them  saying that would be a personnel matter. Jenkins declined to be interviewed for this story to answer the many questions that the internal documents raise. The firefighters in question also declined to be interviewed.

The disciplinary records show Battalion Chief Christopher Ryan Gates, fire captains Jason McIntyre and Brandon Cook, fire engineer Dustin Ailes and senior firefighter Patrick Humphries were terminated after an internal investigation into unacceptable conversations, pranks that far exceeded the bounds of professional conduct and inappropriate touching of co-workers at the station.

The filings describe the mens alleged misconduct in vague terms, indicating the violations occurred over several months at various times and came to light on April 16, 2021.

The documents also hint at a cover-up of the alleged misconduct. Department leaders blamed Gates, who led the lower Richland County station as one of the citys five battalion chiefs, for failing to correct any of this conduct that he witnesses in his subordinates and found he minimized an allegation of sexual misconduct and failed to report this to his supervisor.

McIntyre and Cook, the fire captains, also knew about inappropriate touching of co-workers in the station and didnt stop it, department leaders found.

Gates, McIntyre and Cook actively participated in the wrongdoing they should have corrected as supervisors, the investigation found. Gates and Cook falsified records or lied to supervisors, the probe concluded.

'Nothing to add'

All five firefighters were offered space on their disciplinary forms to defend themselves. None did.

Gates wrote, Nothing to add at this time on his form. Ailes and Humphries refused to sign their forms, and McIntyre and Cook didnt attend their appointments to discuss it.

The May 7 firings came at a time of intense scrutiny of sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace. Because of the #MeToo movement, employees across the country are more emboldened than ever to report misconduct, and their bosses are under fire to take such complaints seriously.

Word of the firings has spread quickly among rank-and-file Columbia firefighters. But their reaction is said to have been mixed, in part, because department leaders have provided little explanation about what actually happened and why their colleagues were fired.

Reached by phone, Humphries said he and the other firefighters had moved on with their lives since their terminations. He said he spoke with them and his lawyer on June 11, and all agreed it would be best not to comment for this story.

But Humphries said many Columbia firefighters are upset about the firings. He said the loss of five firefighters at once has left a void at the Atlas Road station, which is manned by shifts of eight at a time.

Not to toot my own horn, but we were a damn good crew, the senior firefighter said.

Unanswered questions

Department leaders chastised all five firefighters for their failure to exercise meaningful and appropriate judgment, disciplinary records show.

But those documents raise as many questions as they provide answers.

They do not list the name or gender of any victims. Nor do they explain whether any victims remain employed by the Fire Department.

They do not describe the misconduct in specific terms, offering only phrases like sexual harassment and sexual conduct and horseplay/engaged in unsafe activities.

The documents indicate the firefighters had 14 days to appeal their terminations, but they don't show if any did, or the results of any appeals.

The records also dont explain when the alleged misconduct began, how long it continued or who else might have been involved.

Humphries said he understands at least two more firefighters were disciplined, but not terminated, after the investigation concluded.

Fire Department spokesman Mike DeSumma declined to address those questions.

Charlie King, executive director of the S.C. State Firefighters Association, declined to comment, saying we havent heard anything other than hearsay, rumors and talk about the situation in Columbia.

Efforts to reach the president of the Columbia Firefighters Association, which advocates for city firefighters, were unsuccessful.

Gates had served as first vice president of that group. He started at the department in May 2005 and became one of the citys top firefighters. He made just more than $50,000 a year, according to a 2018 database.

McIntyre joined the department in January 2016.

Cook was hired September 2007. He also made more than $50,000 a year, according to that database.

Ailes, the fire engineer, was hired January 2005. And Humphries joined the department in March 2017.

All were fired May 7, nearly a month after department leaders said they learned of the misconduct.
I found out Confederate Memorial Day is a state holiday by accident.

Years ago, while working for a nonprofit in Columbia, management informed us that employees would get an appreciation day. The day included catered barbecue, silly games, and the overall theme of giving us time off. It seemed simple enough until I walked outside during a break and saw a plane with a Confederate flag banner with the words "No compromise!" flying above us.

When I realized the pilot was celebrating Confederate Memorial Day, another realization hit me: The state-owned building my employer operated out of was closed due to the holiday, hence the off-premises employee appreciation charade.

I began to wonder the obvious: How in the hell is this a state holiday, yet Juneteenth isn't?

Before getting into the details of South Carolina and some of our state holidays, I'll give you a CliffsNotes version of Juneteenth.

The name, a combination of June and nineteenth, commemorates June 19, 1865, when the Union army informed enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, that they were free.

(The day came half a year after the 13th Amendment passed, making the freedom of enslaved Americans official. Watch the Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln movie that focuses explicitly on the amendment and see how old white men pat themselves on the back for granting human beings their freedom throughout the film. Day-Lewis did deserve the Oscar for it, though. I digress).

In 2018, South Carolina recognized June 19 as "Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom Day," but fell short of making it a state holiday. A bill filed by Democratic Sen. Darrell Jackson of Columbia to make it a full state-recognized holiday has stalled.

As a holiday, Juneteenth isnt without irony.

The day isnt just an acknowledgement of enslaved people being granted their freedom, its a reminder of the way that freedom was delayed. Not only did the day come six months after the 13th Amendment, it came two years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and two months after the Civil War ended on April 9, 1865.

There was no internet or social media at the time. It took time for the word to get out, and for slaves to be freed.

The Emancipation Proclamation states "all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free," but it might as well have been written in Mandarin, as it didn't make a difference for many Black people in America at the time. I mean, it sounded good, but the full effect of those words took a while.

When I think of Juneteenth, I also think about the uphill battle that came before the country (and South Carolina) made Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a holiday. South Carolina became the last state to recognize MLK Day as a paid state holiday by passing a bill in 2000. Before that, employees could choose between celebrating MLK Day or three Confederate holidays.

People's mistake when dissecting the importance of Juneteenth is assuming that it's just something that impacts Black people instead of the national celebration that it should be.

America's ultimate sin was slavery, and Juneteenth is a necessary reminder that what I was taught in school  Lincoln freed the slaves is a gross misstatement that ignores the pain it took to get there: the war, the freedom fighters, the blood spilled by enlisted Black people free and enslaved.

South Carolina has an opportunity to not fall behind the curve for once, and not be the last state to do the right thing when it comes to Juneteenth, and make it a paid state holiday.

For the non-Black homies wondering how they can celebrate the holiday if they aren't Black, think about what we go through. We celebrate July 4 as American Independence when my ancestors in 1776 weren't free at all. Every Black person in America knows that, and we still understand that it's a big deal.

Despite the checkered history, we still show up to your cookout and bring the potato salad, and we do it because we know your wife adds weird s#!t to hers like raisins and marshmallows.

So let us have this day.
EDITORS NOTE: This is the third part in a series of articles about a proposed new state park. Future articles will include comments from the public meetings and looks at several of the properties that would be included in the Black River Water Trail & Park Network.

ANDREWS  Picture me this.

Tripp Muldrow asked people in Andrews to describe their picture postcard of what the Black River means to them.

Muldrow said hed start it off. His picture postcard would be My dad and me and my brothers as little boys. He would take us to show us Indian mounds on the river.

Mike Hyroski lives along the Black River, northeast of Andrews. To him, the Black River picture shows his eight children and his nieces and nephews jumping in the river and swimming.

Another man recalled a time when he was 3 years old. It was about sunset, and he saw a great horned owl on the river.

Those images and more were called forth during a public meeting at the Andrews Regional Recreational Center in May. About 18 people came in person to the meeting. It was also livestreamed on the Georgetown County's Facebook page.

Muldrow is a partner and urban planner with Arnett Muldrow and Associates of Greenville.

He served as facilitator for this meeting where a number of landowners, conservation groups and local and state government agencies are planning for a potential 70-mile-long Black River Water Trail & Park Network.

Planning a park

We have really great partners at the table, Muldrow said.

The proposed park would consist of a couple of anchors  the 310-acre Hinds Canada tract near Kingstree and the 680-acre Rocky Point Community Forest in the Choppee community of northwestern Georgetown County.

Along the way are several private and public preserves, boat landings and other recreational areas.

The new state park  the first in 20 years  would be an effort to tie the various tracts of land together and make these properties more readily accessible.

Muldrow told the group at the Andrews meeting, Im part of a family that owns property on the Black River. His mom is a graduate of the former Winyah High School in Georgetown.

Along with the public meetings, the partners are seeking public input through an online survey.

The mental images of the river brought another man to comment, I live on the river. Its quiet, and then Amtrak comes over and echoes through the swamp.

He also noted that in October 2015 the 1,000-year flood showed the power of the river. We didnt expect that.

There were some places along the Black River where the crest of the flood waters was 23 feet above normal levels.

Litter is a big problem

Dan Scheffing, a professional forester who worked for Mead-Westvaco for many years, has served on the Black Scenic River Advisory Council.

A picture postcard he would like to see would be on the river and not have to pick up any trash.

Muldrow noted that in the surveys and in many conversations, litter is the No. 1 problem or concern that many people share.

Marsh Deane is a photographer and videographer who specializes in conservation and tourism promotions. He said that for Pawleys Island, Andrews and Kingstree he would like to see ways to bring visitors in sustainable ways.

Hyroski agreed, saying I would not want to see commercial development that would change the character of the river.

Another man said, Pawleys Island is losing the character it had over time. I would not want to see that on the Black River.

Hyroski mentioned a fight about a proposed development along Black River north of Georgetown, where U.S. 701 crosses the river. A group of citizens banded together to Save Black River about 15 years ago. The proposed development was approved but didnt happen in the wake of the housing downturn in 2008-2009.

Hyroski said he did not want to see houses built along the river.

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Boat wakes impact shoreline

Scheffing noted that at Pea House Landing near Andrews, boats often are traveling so fast that their wakes have an impact on the shore.

I would like to see some really strong science on what that does to the shoreline, Scheffing said. Also, (wakes) have an impact on the swamp.

Hed like to see what that does. He said wakes of two, three or four feet do a lot of damage.

Speaking of the overall idea of the river trail and park, one woman said, While this is nice, we dont have the infrastructure. Dont tax us to its limit.

Hyroski said there needs to be a consistent message and avoid misinformation.

Some said there would be 300 campsites at Rocky Point Community Forest, he said.

He said he knew that wasnt the case, but some people had the impression it could be.

Maria Whitehead, a senior project manager with the Open Space Institute, said theres a storymap on the OSI Website.

Its a year-long process. We definitely dont want to put the cart before the horse, she said.

Someone asked whos in charge of the project.

There isnt a hierarchy right now, Muldrow said. Everyone is sitting at the table kind of equally.

Management plan

Scheffing, whos been a member of the Black Scenic River Advisory Council for many years, helped develop the recently-published Black Scenic River Management Plan.

About half of the total length of 151 miles of the Black River was designated as a state Scenic River in 2001. The plan outlines a variety of ways to help utilize the river and adjacent lands while protecting and conserving the environment.

What were trying to do with all this is get folks feelings on what all of this ought to be, Scheffing said.

With public and private agencies, individual landowners and the general public, Scheffing said, What were trying to craft here is something thats never been done before.

You may view or download the document online at https://www.dnr.sc.gov/water/river/scenic/blackmp.html

'Star being born'

Whitehead noted that the South Carolina state park system has been intentional that they are one of the groups at the table.

You are really kind of watching a star being born, Muldrow said, in an effort to protect and preserve an asset like the Black River.

Other suggestions from the group included:

 Andrews Mayor Frank McClary said he was baptized in the Black River. He enjoys fishing in the river now.

 A woman said there should be a place to go swimming. Muldrow noted that ranks at the top of the list for activities."

 Another man said planners need to consider the different types of populations that would use the river, and the differences in the land, boats and water quality of the river.

 Older people walking along a nature trail need access to benches to rest, a woman said.

 Need more public access/boat landings in Williamsburg County.

Muldrow told the group, This has been an amazing, phenomenal session with a lot of good input.

He reminded people to visit the website to look at the storymap and watch a video. There are also links for two surveys. Both can be found at https://tinyurl.com/BlackRiverMap.
Greenville's traditional Fourth of July fireworks display, until recently holding on to a slim hope it could return this summer, is officially off.

Even if there was a will to go through with the event, there are no fireworks.

The future of the large-scale show is still in doubt, though not as much as it was a week ago when the city said growth and development downtown have made the summer rite of passage no longer feasible. Upon hearing news first reported by The Post and Courier that the show's future is uncertain, members of the City Council expressed concern.

"To me, not having them is not an option," said Councilman John DeWorken, who took the lead on finding solutions. "We're doing fireworks."

But not this year.

The reason: When the outlook of the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled last year's show was still unclear in March, the city didn't order fireworks. Now dealers say too many cities are placing orders and competing for limited supply.

"When it got to where we could do it, there just were no fireworks," DeWorken said.

On June 4, the city announced the fireworks display, which for years has attracted thousands to downtown, would be canceled for a second year. The reason cited was construction at County Square, which is traditionally where they are launched from because of the large fallout zone required for what is traditionally one of the largest shows in South Carolina.

However, county officials said County Square is available and was never portrayed as not being so. County spokesman Bob Mihalic told The Post and Courier county administration never had a discussion with the city about the show.

If there was any confusion about the county not making County Square available, the issue was more about looking forward to its eventual transformation as part of what is expected to be long-term redevelopment of the former shopping mall turned government headquarters, city spokeswoman Beth Brotherton told The Post and Courier.

"If that was implied, it was unintentional," Brotherton said. "There never was a 'county said we could or couldn't do it.'"

In March, the city had a choice to either get a refund on last year's canceled fireworks order or apply the money toward an order this year, Brotherton said. After Mayor Knox White and council members like DeWorken inquired about how to have the show this year, the city asked dealers and were told, essentially, to get in line.

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"We didn't know what July would look like, so we took the refund," Brotherton said. "In March, it still seemed like COVID would be a thing in July."

The same day the cancellation was announced, the city shared that the popular "Main Street Fridays" outdoor concert at NOMA Square is back on for the summer.

On June 10, the city announced that its most crowded event, the Fall for Greenville food festival, would return again in October.

In the long term, the city must determine what to do with the fireworks show. The launching spot from County Square has traditionally attracted thousands who come from all over the area to the center of downtown. But large new projects like the Camperdown development, with its 17-story tower, and other existing or planned projects will obscure the view from some angles.

"Where you can view fireworks from Main Street is now severely limited," Brotherton said.

The city's events staff has discussed the need to look for alternatives for a few years now, Brotherton said. County Square is available for the next two years at most, she said.

Even still, there have been challenges, such as the need to cover the roof of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities with a fireproof shield to prevent burns from fireworks debris, she said.

The show's typical 9:45 p.m. start also isn't much of an economic engine for downtown businesses.

Going forward, the thought behind a large-scale display is that it serves city residents, who depending on their elevation can see the show from their neighborhoods, DeWorken said. In his neighborhood, the North Main community, residents gather at places like the Drop-In store or host late-night cookouts. The show can be seen from multiple areas and from miles away.

The fireworks are not only for the people who come downtown," DeWorken said. "Its also an opportunity for surrounding neighborhoods to have an event surrounding the fireworks. If we dont do it, whos going to do it?

Reporter Nathaniel Cary contributed.
GREENVILLE  Invoking the scripture that says to "love thy neighbor," Vice President Kamala Harris promoted the government's vaccination campaign in the Upstate.

The visit was part of a nationwide push toward President Joe Biden's goal of vaccinating 70 percent of the U.S. population by July 4. The national rate of vaccination is 63 percent. South Carolina ranks near the bottom of vaccination rates among states, with less than half of residents having received at least a first dose.

The vice president's motorcade, beginning after Air Force Two touched down at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport about 11:30 a.m. on June 14, shut down parts of Interstate 85 and city streets as she headed to the Phillis Wheatley Community Center to speak to a crowd of supporters.

Inside the center, Harris told the crowd of about 170 that she understands skepticism over the expedited development of COVID-19 vaccines, but that they are the result of years of research into variants of coronavirus.

I know it seems like it happened overnight, but it didnt, Harris said.

Harris told the crowd that getting a vaccine is a form of community service.

"This act  is a projection of love thy neighbor," she said.

As Harris toured from the center to the Caine Halter YMCA branch for a pop-up clinic, state Republicans roundly criticized her visit, saying she should be headed to the U.S. border with Mexico to address illegal immigration.

Gov. Henry McMaster tweeted over the weekend that South Carolina didn't need help in its vaccination push and that Harris should be at the border.

The day of Harris' visit, Lowcountry Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace tweeted that the vice president's help wasn't needed.

"Stop making up problems just to avoid real ones," Mace posted. "We can vaccinate our citizens just fine without you stopping by."

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The vice president's motorcade passed both supporters filming with cellphones and protesters holding signs claiming that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. It was her first visit to Greenville since dropping out of the Democratic presidential primary last year

At Phillis Wheatley, state Department of Health and Environmental Control epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell  a prominent figure next to McMaster during a year of COVID-19 news briefings  preceded Harris and asked the crowd of mostly Black supporters to consider the long-term effects of contracting COVID.

Rev. J.M. Flemming, president of the NAACP Greenville chapter, implored the audience not to see the vaccine as another Tuskegee experiment.

Around midafternoon, Harris participated in a closed "listening session" at the YMCA to hear from local leaders about voting rights and registration, according to a White House statement.

Late in the afternoon, Harris stopped to talk to reporters on the tarmac before boarding Air Force Two. Harris said more employers need to provide paid leave for vaccinations, which can require a short recovery period for side effects, a need for child care and adequate transportation.

"These are some of the barriers, in addition to bad information and false information," she said.

The visit was the beginning of more planned across the U.S., including a stop in Atlanta on Friday.
People with visual impairments will have a chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine dose at an event tailored especially for them next week.

The state's Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired says it will welcome those interested on June 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their headquarters in Ladson, at 9565 Highway 78, Building 800.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is given in a single dose, will be available through a collaboration with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Caregivers are also invited to attend to get their shots.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available only to adults age 18 and older.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially challenging for people with visual impairments, according to the association. For example, many are dependent on public transportation and touch to discern where they are.

"Vaccines can make these resources safe again, but scheduling challenges and transportation to and from clinic sites can make access to vaccines difficult for individuals in our community who are disabled," the association said in a statement.

Anyone interested in attending must call 843-723-6915 to reserve an appointment.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 92 confirmed, 40 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 492,929 confirmed, 102,272 probable.

Percent positive: 2.2 percent.

New deaths reported: 2 confirmed, 1 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 8,623 confirmed, 1,167 probable.

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Percent of ICU beds filled: 66 percent.

S.C. residents vaccinated

DHEC's vaccine dashboard shows that 46.3 percent of the state's residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Hardest-hit areas

In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Richland County (20), Greenville County (15) and York County (14) saw the highest totals.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had eight new cases on June 14, while Berkeley County had five and Dorchester County had 13.

Deaths

One of the deaths from COVID-19 confirmed June 14 was someone between age 35 and 64. Another was a person age 65 or older.

Hospitalizations

Of the 164 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of June 14, 42 were in the ICU and 24 were using ventilators.

What do experts say?

DHEC is continuing to urge eligible South Carolinians to get vaccinated. People ages 12 and older can receive the Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available for people 18 and older. Go to vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov to find a nearby vaccine provider.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
+2 Black River: Whats old Kingstree to Georgetown could be part of new state park Tying together much of the Black Scenic River  which is a 75-mile portion of the 151-mile-long Black River  a proposed new state park from Kingstree to Georgetown would be unique in South Carolina, and also a rarity among state parks around the country.

EDITORS NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles about the proposed state park. Future articles will include comments from the public meetings and looks at several of the properties that would be included in the Black River Water Trail & Park Network.

Georgetown is the third oldest town in the state. But before Georgetown, there was Willtown.

Willtown was established in 1698 on Black Mingo Creek, near where it joins the Black River. Georgetown was laid out in 1729 and became a port of entry in 1732.

The oldest existing boat built in colonial days in America was recovered at Browns Ferry where S.C. 51 crosses the Black River.

The boat was raised in 1976 and is on display in the Rice Museum on Front Street in Georgetown.

New state park possible

Tying together much of the Black Scenic River  which is a 75-mile portion of the 151-mile-long Black River  a proposed new state park would be unique in South Carolina, and also a rarity among state parks around the country.

The history of Willtown, the Black River Vessel, colonial and Revolutionary War settlements, and Indian and Gullah cultures will all be part of the culture and history honored in a proposed park.

Nothing is set in stone yet for a park, but discussions among multiple organizations and local and state agencies indicate the park would run from Kingstree in Williamsburg County to Rocky Point Community Forest in the Choppee community of Georgetown County.

The Black River joins with the Great Pee Dee River about a mile before the U.S. 17 bridges at Georgetown. The Waccamaw and Sampit rivers also flow together there to form Winyah Bay. Not too many miles south of Georgetown, the North Santee and South Santee rivers bring soil to form the Santee Delta. The South Santee also marks the boundary with Charleston County.

Such a park would not be contiguous or touching other parts of the park. Rather, various existing properties would be included in sites spread along the river.

Synergy is a good, fancy word

Basically, synergy means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Consider a cake. You have a raw egg, flour, milk, oil and flavoring. Just sitting by themselves, those ingredients are OK but not wonderful.

If you add in a skilled cook and an oven, those raw ingredients and a few more can become a beautiful and delicious way to celebrate a kids or a grown-ups birthday, or a wedding between a loving couple.

What have we got?

Back two decades ago, a 75-mile portion of the Black River was designated as the Black Scenic River. People and agencies working on securing that designation laid a basis for recognizing the value in protecting the waterway. As the group spent several more years on the project, the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009 stalled the efforts.

Meanwhile, several local governments, private nonprofit groups and individuals worked on their individual plans to establish such places as protected lands by The Nature Conservancy, county parks, water trails, boat landings and more.

The overall effort is a project of South Carolina State Parks, the Open Space Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, the Butler Conservation Fund's Black River Cypress Preserve, the National Park Service, EarthDesign, Winyah Rivers Alliance, and South Carolina Conservation Bank.

Over the past few years, representatives of these various groups would talk and get together to explore ideas with one another. Even more ideas have grown from those conversations.

There are currently two major efforts underway that include the Black River and protected lands.

These ongoing projects have resulted in a recently-published Black Scenic River Management Plan and the idea for a proposed Black River Water Trail & Park Network.

Already, public meetings were held earlier in May in Georgetown, Andrews and Kingstree to present the idea of a new state park to interested citizens. People at each meeting were invited to listen during the presentations, ask questions and offer ideas.

Share your thoughts

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Open Space Institute and others are seeking input on the idea of a state park and water trail project.

Theres a storymap document: https://tinyurl.com/BlackRiverStoryMap.

In the storymap's "Participate" section, there are two surveys designed to solicit feedback from the public. The first is a short questionnaire designed to find out how people are currently accessing and using the river, and what new public access points they would like to see. Second is a longer community survey designed to gauge support for the initiative.

Filling in a hole

If you look at the map of all 47 South Carolina state parks, the biggest hole youll find is right here, said Samantha Queen of the state's Parks Recreation and Tourism Department.

Maria Whitehead said the Black River Initiative is about connections.

Its about connecting people to the river, and its about connecting sites alo ng the river, she said.

Whitehead is from the Back Swamp area in Florence County. Shes currently senior project manager with the Open Space Institute, and has also worked with The Nature Conservancy.

She and others with these projects would like to hear from people about what they would like to have available in the proposed state park.

To learn more, log on to https://tinyurl.com/BlackRiverStoryMap.
Pentagon officials announced last week that they are returning $2.2 billion in military funding  including $10 million meant for a much-needed fire station at a South Carolina base  that had been commandeered by former President Donald Trump to fund his border wall project.

In early 2019, the Department of Defense allocated $10 million for a new fire station at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. Officials said that not replacing it could be a safety hazard for military families if not addressed.

Trump, in mid-February of that same year, declared a national emergency to bypass Congress after lawmakers declined funding for his expansive border wall project. Section 2808 of the U.S. Code allows for the president to allocate certain military funding to accomplish his policy objectives, and the Republican politician used it. He took aim at hundreds of military bases, and eyed several in the Palmetto State.

The fire station was, ultimately, the only South Carolina construction funding that was caught in the crossfire of the border wall project.

But when Trump lost reelection to Joe Biden in 2020, funding for the border wall was cut by the incoming administration. By April, construction on the expansive wall stopped.

"We announced ... on April 30, the cancellation of all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds that were originally designed and meant for other missions and functions," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said. "The decision to restore this funding was based on operational and component priorities."

On June 10, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks signed a memo reallocating the funds for a variety of military construction projects, including the fire station.

A replacement for the air stations Laurel Bay Fire Station, a community for military officials and families near the base, was scheduled to be awarded in April 2020. But it was sidelined due to border wall construction.

A 2018 report sent to Congress by then-Deputy Assistant Navy Secretary James Balocki showed the need to replace the fire station was dire. The aging building was built in 1959.

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It read, in part, Personnel assigned to Laurel Bay will continue to work from a significantly undersized and unsafe facility. Because the structure does not meet seismic requirements, complete structural collapse is probable during a seismic event, causing death or major injury to emergency personnel, and thus preventing timely response to the USMC housing community following the event.

Furthermore, the report said the fire station did not meet the Pentagons full requirements.

The existing satellite fire station in Laurel Bay does not meet the minimum DoD facility size requirements  the existing station ... is undersized and not configured efficiently to respond to emergencies as required by criteria, the report said.

It went on to say that cramped quarters and quality of life have recently been exacerbated with the addition of an ambulance and paramedics squad that has been added as a new requirement to Laurel Bay.

MCAS Beaufort officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Retired Army Gen. William Grimsley, the secretary of the S.C. Department of Veterans Affairs who oversees the state's Military Base Task Force, said he was glad the funding was restored for the fire station.

"Anything we can do to enhance the quality of life for our military family members is great," Grimsley said. "Our Marines deserve nothing less."
NORTH CHARLESTON  Efforts to improve student engagement, teacher retention and provide wraparound services at North Charleston High School officially got the approval of the Charleston County School Board on June 14.

The board voted to designate the high school as a "school of innovation," a distinction that allows Principal Henry Darby and his staff to apply for a waiver to hire educators that don't have a teacher certification. The waiver is included in the school's plan to improve student outcomes, called the North Charleston High School Initiative. That plan was first approved by the board at a meeting on March 22.

The goal of the plan is to give the school the tools it needs to fully support its students, over 90 percent of whom live in poverty. The S.C. Department of Education allows public schools that are not considered "schools of innovation" to apply for waivers from its policy to achieve goals like the ones outlined in the North Charleston initiative.

A waiver from the state's policy that all teachers must have a South Carolina teaching certification can only be given to a "school of innovation" or a charter school, Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait said. That rule was included in the state's most recent "Schools of Innovation" law, which was signed by Gov. Henry McMaster on April 23.

Typical innovation schools, such as the Meeting Street Schools at Brentwood and Burns, are able to operate with an independent budget from the district. North Charleston High School doesn't plan to do that, Postlewait said.

"The school is willing to stay under the district's authority for the financial expenditures," she said. "They simply want this waiver at this point."

School officials have outlined three goals as part of the North Charleston High School Initiative: recruit, retain and support talent; engage students and their families; and enlist partners. Taken together, the district hopes these goals will improve 60 percent of measured outcomes, such as student testing scores, graduation rates, college acceptance and honors classes enrollment, within three years.

The school will be applying for three different waivers from the state in order to accomplish its goals. One of those would allow the district to hire educators who don't have a teacher certification. The goal of that waiver is to allow the school to hire teachers that are experts in their field but are kept from teaching because of a lack of a certificate.

"There comes a time when teacher certification, in some aspects, limits the efficacy of student achievement," Darby said at a March 8 presentation on the initiative.

The waiver allows the school to hire local experts in different subjects to teach students if they don't have the certificate. That could mean a Trident Technical College professor, industry professional or any other qualified person who doesn't have a teaching certification would be able to fill teaching gaps at the school, Darby said.

The school also applied for and received waivers in regards to instructional time and flexible scheduling.

Under those waivers, the school is able to have students remain in a course for as long as they need to master the curriculum, Darby said. It also allows students who have to work jobs or take care of siblings flexibility based on their schedules.

As it stands, students who miss more than five days of a class will fail that course regardless of their grade.

"I have students who are babysitters in the family. I have students who have to help their parents," Darby said.

The waivers allow those students to take two to three extra weeks of a class if needed or get credit for internships or work they do outside of school, he said.

The initiative also includes plans for the school to partner with colleges and universities to recruit teacher talent, partner with outside organizations to provide wraparound services and create more engagement opportunities with families.

The initiative has received widespread approval from board members who hope it can help the school catch up to others in the district.

"There's some awesome things that could come out of this designation," board member Courtney Waters said at the June 14 meeting. "I'd love for us to look for opportunities to provide even further enrichment of the school."
This past April, Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made it clear: The effects of climate change are a national security risk.

"Today, no nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crisis," Austin said. "We face all kinds of threats in our line of work, but few of them truly deserve to be called existential. The climate crisis does," and added that "climate change is making the world more unsafe and we need to act."

South Carolina boasts a massive military presence, with bases for each branch of the armed service as well as thousands of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen calling the surrounding communities home. But it also has one of the most environmentally vulnerable coastlines in the country, putting some of the Pentagon's most important assets at risk of being destroyed by erosion, floods and hurricanes.

In hopes of mitigating the damages caused by climate change, a group of regional government and military officials, including some from South Carolina, have launched an initiative aimed at conserving a 1 million-acre stretch of salt marsh  nearly the size of Grand Canyon National Park  that stretches from Northeast Florida to North Carolina.

This region includes areas near Joint Base Charleston, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

The agreement to protect the marshlands was spearheaded by the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability, which includes Department of Defense officials as well as representatives from South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources and the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control.

While the group is a voluntary partnership with no legislative powers, environmental advocates are encouraged by the willingness of military officials to get involved in conservation and believe the sway of the Department of Defense can help expedite some much needed planning efforts to protect communities near the coastline.

The specific plan on how the groups will work together will be determined in later months and meetings.

This is a great opportunity to explore ways to work with partners to improve the resilience of our coastal installations as we adapt to rising sea levels and other associated risks of climate change," said Richard Kidd, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Environment and Energy Resilience.

Salt marshes, the small and sprawling channels of coastal grasslands, protect coastlines from flooding, erosion, and storm surge and can also filter runoff. They also are an important habitat for fish, birds and other animals.

They also are one of nature's best protections against severe weather events.

These marshes provides Southeast communities and military installations an average of $695,000 per square mile annually in protective value from severe weather, according to a 2020 study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

But they also face a variety of threats such as rising sea levels, polluted runoff and over development.

With these natural flood deterrents at risk, it causes alarm for South Carolina's military bases.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, for example, is one of the branch's largest training areas on the East Coast. As a result, Beaufort has more than 12,000 active-duty, reserve and civilian employees that support the local economy around the base.

After a report from Military.com late last year, speculation of the base's closure grew because the base hadn't fully integrated gender-neutral training revealed another issue. The Parris Island base is also in a vulnerable position on the coastline, giving Pentagon officials another potential reason to close the base down the line if they were so inclined.

Gov. Henry McMaster held an emergency meeting of the South Carolina Military Base Task Force, and the future of Parris Island became a major sticking point in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District race between Nancy Mace and then- U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham. And nearby town and city officials sounded the alarm on how economically devastating a base closure would be.

Mace said future efforts like the one by the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability is just one of the ways that partnerships between local governments and private environmental groups can help protect Parris Island and other bases in the state.

"I think that's going to be very important for state and local governments to bring everybody together to protect our bases so we can conserve land and protect them from the water environmental issues they face," Mace said. "One of the things that I have learned very early on after being sworn in, is that when we're talking about many of these issues, there's just a gap in communication. Sometimes it's about connecting the right people together at the right time."

While the worry of the Parris Island closure came and went, Beaufort officials continue to study the effects of climate change and are trying to mitigate the risks to the community.

Stephanie Rossi, the planning director for the Lowcountry Council of Governments, told The Post and Courier that the Department of Defense awarded the organization a $475,000 grant earlier this year to conduct an environmental review of the communities around Parris Island and Air Station Beaufort so they could see how they could mitigate potential hurricane and flood damage.

The review will be concluded by February 2022 and Rossi is hopeful that the study will unearth some important lessons to keep the towns and cities around the bases thriving.

"We've been looking at this issue for awhile," Rossi said. "We want to look at the communities and identify those hazards that could impact the bases and the people around it."
There is no shortage of traffic issues in Charleston, but on James Island, one intersection is a long-standing source of anxiety, accidents and tragedy.

At Riverland Drive and Central Park Road, our community faces a daily battle to navigate the intersection safely.

In November and again in December, Charleston County Council voted for a solution that adequately addressed the issues the area posed with Alternative 3, also known as the dog bone roundabout.

The dual roundabouts would slow traffic, allowing those attempting to turn left onto Riverland, the most common source of accidents, to safely make their way home, allow for a proper flow of traffic that constantly builds up, minimally impact grand oak trees, and minimally impact long-time residents living there.

On June 8, County Council officially rescinded its vote for Alternative 3, disregarding what the community supports, including more than 100 responses this month.

Instead, Sen. Sandy Senn has proposed a flashing yellow light and right-turn lane.

At a June 3 County Council Planning and Public Works Committee meeting, arguments for rescinding the original plan in favor of a turn lane included the belief that roundabouts speed up traffic (DOT disagrees), that the change will reduce the impact on residential property, that the change will be more affordable and that a turn lane will improve safety for pedestrians, including students.

The new plan, however, further impacts visibility to turn left, does not halt traffic for pedestrians and removes more grand oaks.

Why are the communitys wishes being ignored? County Council has yet to address our concerns.

ELLIOT VOLKMAN

Bradham Road

Charleston

Democracy dies

Im responding to the June 6 commentary by syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, who believes the GOP constitutes a threat to democracy.

I agree with Pitts that democracy is dying; free speech is no longer free. Anyone who doesnt conform to political correctness and woke dogma is subject to cancellation.

Those who have objected have suffered. In fact, newspaper editors have been forced to quit and corporate executives have been fired for opinions opposing woke dogma.

Darkness has indeed claimed democracy. But its not Republicans who created woke, it was Democrats.

Can you name anyone in the media who has suffered for attacking Trump or Republicans? And, it isnt Republicans who wanted to stack the Supreme Court or want to make Washington, D.C., a state, securing two Senate seats.

Best of all, Democrats now intend to create one-party rule by federalizing all national elections. H.R.1 would institute national mail-in voting and allow voters to vote by simply signing a statement verifying their identity.

It mandates same-day voter registration and 15 days of early voting.

Late-arriving qualified ballots and counting of votes can occur up to 10 days after Election Day, providing plenty of time for mischief.

The law overturns laws against ballot harvesting, letting voters designate anyone to collect their ballots.

This lets partisan operatives collect voters ballots while giving them control over their delivery to polling stations.

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Thanks to Democratic mania for power, if democracy dies, this law, more than anything else, will be its cause.

BILL BISSETTE

Short Street

Charleston

Not-so-great service

If you dont look too closely, it seems like great customer service:

You contact S.C. Department of Transportation to ask to have the ditch cleaned between the road and your property. The department sends four trucks, a mini excavator and five guys. In half a day, the ditch in front of your property is cleaned out.

But does the crew clean out the ditch until it reaches a connecting ditch so it will actually drain any water? No.

Does the crew clean out the ditch directly across the road, which is full of debris from tree cuttings the department did just months before? No.

Does the crew leave bright orange cable TV wires chopped in half? Yes.

Does the crew knock over your mailbox, then put it back crooked and say, Its the best we can do? Yes.

The best part is neighbors up and down the street want the same service.

So this gets repeated over and over again without any of the segments joined to produce actual drainage.

This fine customer service is a huge misuse of resources.

COLIN BENTLEY

Old Pond Road

Johns Island

Comparison fails

The June 9 letter to the editor comparing the Jan. 6 acts of treason and insurrection to the Manson cult murders overlooks one crucial fact: The only person killed on that day was one of Donald Trumps panderers.

So what is the equivalency between Trump and Charlie Manson, and for what is Trump to be held responsible?

ROBERT G. CURRIN JR.

Palmetto Pointe Lane

Edisto Island
At some point, the minds behind the Spoleto Festival USA Wells Fargo Jazz Series must have thought, "Jason Moran."

They could have stopped there and had a winning, headlining show. The pianist/composer and former MacArthur Fellow has more than a dozen solo albums and is one of the most prolific and innovative voices in contemporary jazz.

But that would have been too easy, and too obvious. Friday nights Two Wings performance  the brainchild of Moran and the multifaceted mezzo-soprano Alicia Hall Moran, to whom he is married  provided us with something far more interesting.

The event (concert is inadequate, for reasons that will become obvious) asked us to consider jazz history in conversation with African American history as told through other genres, musical and otherwise. It was a vivid testament to what Amiri Baraka called the changing same of Black American music, in which the unifying thread of resistance, creative adaptation to dire circumstances and endless experimentation runs through expressions from rhythm and blues to free jazz.

The Morans first presented Two Wings in Spring 2019 at Carnegie Hall, and performances followed in Washington, Chicago and Hamburg, Germany, before the pandemic foreclosed on the possibility of further tours. While some of the skeleton of the show has remained the same (centered largely around the Morans own compositions and life stories), it seems to have been conceived as a flexible, almost modular concept celebrating the multifaceted and diverse experiences of Blackness, displacement and migration in 20th century America.

Heavily indebted to Isabel Wilkersons masterful history of "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration," the New York premiere interspersed readings of that book by its author with other performances, including a combination sermon/gospel performance from Pastor Snokie Norful and a chamber ensemble led by Cuban American composer/conductor Tania Leon. In Chicago, they were joined by local literary hero Margo Jefferson ("Negroland: A Memoir") and young ensembles from the Kenwood Academy.

None of those performers made it on the Spoleto program, unfortunately. But Fridays performance did demonstrate that the Morans are keenly aware of Charlestons place in this long and complicated story.

Alicia Hall Moran spoke from stage with visible emotion about having seen Spoleto's 2016 "Porgy and Bess" production here, and the evenings musical selections were anchored by narrator Julie Dash reading from her novel "Daughters of the Dust," which chronicles the lives of Gullah protagonists, which are shaped by moves from St. Helena Island to Charleston and Harlem.

The musicians for the Spoleto performance included straight-ahead jazz luminaries such as vocalist Sharon Clark and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, but also a wider cast of characters including the Imani Winds, a first-rate woodwind quintet of the Morans former Manhattan School of Music class, and a string ensemble that added depth and color through imaginative arrangements contributed by violinist Juliette Jones.

While jazz was, naturally, a lingua franca for much of this music, some of the most compelling and unusual music on the program came in pieces from outside of the genre, in the form of works by African American art music composers.

The program opened with a warm, intimate and affecting performance of Florence Prices art song setting of a Paul Laurence Dunbar poem by the Moran duo. Two pieces for solo string instruments by New York native Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson made me wonder why his pieces have not been championed by more contemporary string players.

Cellist Seth Parker Woods played Cavalry Ostinato, Perkinson's meditative all-pizzicato piece, whose bluesy, modal variations recalled the close connections between early blues and the West African kora harp. Violinist Curtis Stewart followed with a virtuosic display that shifted between down-home fiddling and chromatic double stops up and down the instrument in a kind of Paganini-meets-the-blues showpiece. Listen up, classical musicians: these are works that should be standard repertoire.

Both Morans also appeared on the program as composers. The Imani Winds performed three movements from Jason Morans "Cane" suite, detailing his familys migration from the Cane River area of Louisiana to Houston. The first movement built shifting, enigmatic harmonies over the frenetically syncopated stuttering pedal tone in the bassoon. The second featured a long, mournfully expressive clarinet solo, and the final movement included some saucy give-and-take between oboe and horn solos over a sparse tresillo groove.

A lot of the jazz repertoire was more conventional, but expertly rendered. Sharon Clark offered vocal versions of the Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol classic Caravan and Miles Daviss "Boplicity, the latter of which, with added lyrics by Ray Passman, became a mini-lecture on bop history, reminding us of its key players, hit tunes and the importance of flatted fifths.

Wycliffe Gordons trombone solos were a particular high point. With multiphonic hums and a deft plunger mute, he made the instrument growl, whine and speak. Jason Morans solo piano rendition of James P. Johnsons Carolina Shout, a standard from the oldest of schools, took us time traveling through jazz piano styles, drifting from the lively left-hand stride of the early 20th century to moody post-bop harmonies, before bringing us full circle.

Fans hoping for a musical equivalent of Wilkersons book, a grand master narrative of the Great Migration, might have been frustrated by the artists steadfast rejection of that approach. Asking the brief character-based snippets of Dashs novel to do the same expository framing work was not always coherent.

Chronology, both musical and personal, was mixed up throughout the evening, with some of the oldest material presented last, in the form of the well-known Negro spirituals Hes Got the Whole World In His Hands and Two Wings. The breadth and diversity of the program might well have confounded audience members unfamiliar with the broad strokes of the history of the Great Migration.

But that refusal to wrap up the Black experience in a neat package is, I think, partially the point: My thesis, Alicia Hall Moran explained near the shows end, gesturing across the stage at her compatriots, My thesis statement is these people.

Theres no doubt that Two Wings was a celebration of the diverse array of artists on the stage, and the varied paths that brought them there.
To commemorate Philippine independence, Taste restaurant at the Westin Resort Guam will be featuring a Filipino Lunch Buffet every Friday for the month of June.

Executive Chef Karl Lee and Executive Sous Chef Bernard Manansala are leading the Taste culinary team to prepare traditional Filipino appetizers and entrees in a lunch buffet to celebrate Philippine Independence day, which is observed on June 12 in the Philippines.

Aside from traditional Filipino dishes, the buffet includes a seafood teppanyaki station where items like crab and shrimp are sauteed to order. According to Westin Resort Marketing Manager Sheena Tiamzon, that due to pandemic protocols for food and beverage establishments, the buffet is served cafeteria style, which means restaurant staff will plate items that diners select from the buffet line.

The Filipino Lunch Buffet will be served each Friday in June at Taste restaurant, for $37 plus 10% service charge at the Westin Resort Guam in Tumon.
As we continue to build Guam back better, we cannot forget that our economy is only as healthy as our community  and for too long, our commun Read more
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The G7 meeting in Cornwall is just now breaking up, with world leaders contributing the usual positive spin. But Joe Biden struck a discordant note by taking up Barack Obamas anti-Brexit position, even though Brexit is plainly, now, a reality. Nile Gardiner reports in the Telegraph:

The revelation that the Biden administration issued a demarche or diplomatic dressing down to the British government last week over its handling of the Northern Ireland border should cause outrage in Britain. This is the kind of treatment that is normally dished out to enemies of the United States, such as Russia, and hardly ever issued against a close ally. As both The Telegraph and The Times have reported, Bidens most senior diplomat in London delivered a firm rebuke on June 3 on behalf of the president to Brexit minister Lord Frost declaring that Britains stance on the Northern Ireland Protocol was jeopardising the future of the Northern Ireland peace process. To make matters even worse, Yael Lempert, Washingtons charge daffaires in London, issued a thinly veiled warning, linking the prospect of a US/UK free trade deal with White House demands for the UK to follow the European Unions directives on agricultural standards.

The U.K. and the E.U. are engaged in a dispute over Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K. but which the E.U. wants to treat as though it were a different country. For Biden to come down on the E.U. side of this controversy is both wrong and needless. But Biden is reflecting the pro-E.U., anti-Brexit stance of his old boss, Barack Obama.

In many respects, this is Joe Bidens back of the queue moment. Barack Obamas now infamous anti-Brexit intervention didnt go down well back in 2016, and threats like this will always backfire with the British people, who dont appreciate being lectured to by US presidents, not least one who displays his anti-British sentiments on his sleeve.

***

Bidens Northern Ireland warning was a political cruise missile strike aimed directly at Boris Johnson and his Conservative government, with the intention of forcing a change in British policy. As a staunch Irish nationalist, Biden has frequently been critical of Great Britain over Northern Ireland, and now that he is president sees an opportunity to take it to task.

Old grudges are now being settled, and cultural differences between Americas far-left administration and Britains centrist government are coming to the fore:

There is no love lost between Bidens team, many of whom served in the Obama administration, and Boris Johnson. Some of Bidens extremely sensitive aides are still unhappy with the former Mayor of London for his sharp criticism of Barack Obama over the removal of the Winston Churchill bust from the Oval Office back in 2009. They also intensely dislike Brexit and Johnsons formerly close partnership with the Trump presidency. In addition, they have been angered by the strong stance of the British government in the culture wars, with its firm rejection of the kind of woke liberal agenda that is now central to the thinking of the Biden operation.

It is striking that Joe Bidens foray into domestic U.K. politics had no possible legitimate purpose, in terms of advancing American interests. It was purely an effort to advance a global left-wing agenda by supporting the European Union over an independent Great Britain.

And yet, such is the power of the United States, even under the feckless Joe Biden, that Boris Johnson has made conciliatory noises about what must be, to him, a thoroughly noxious administration. Nile Gardiner is more candid:

The arrogance of the Biden administration ahead of the G7 meeting in Cornwall has been nothing short of breathtaking. This is no way to treat Americas closest friend and ally. The British people didnt vote for Joe Biden and the Democrats. They voted for Brexit and Boris Johnsons Conservatives. They voted to leave the EU and take back control of Britains destiny.

***

Biden takes a very different approach to Trump when it comes to Europe and Brexit. He is a Eurofederalist at heart, who as vice president under Obama remarked in a speech before the European Parliament in 2010 that Brussels had a legitimate claim to be the capital of the free world.

That is as good a place as any to leave it.
Winston Boogie Smith was the target of a North Star Fugitive Task Force arrest operation that cornered him on the afternoon of June 3 at the top of the parking ramp adjacent to Uptowns Seven Points (better known as Calhoun Square). Smith appears to have engaged in a gun battle with members of the task force when they sought to arrest him on an outstanding warrant.

The woman who was in Smiths car at the time of the shootout has retained counsel. What does she need a lawyer for? Perhaps she awaits a big payday, along with Smiths family.

The Star Tribune noted in passing on its story covering the womans statement last week that Smiths family has retained several attorneys, including Ben Crump and Jeff Storms, who represented George Floyds family in securing a $27 million civil settlement from the city of Minneapolis after Floyd was killed by a police officer last year.

The womans lawyer called a press conference and made a brief statement on her behalf. According to her statement, the woman never saw Smith with a weapon. She never saw a gun on Winston Smith, and she never saw a gun inside the vehicle at any time, said improbably named lawyer Racey Rodne.

She is extremely traumatized as a result of what happened to her.That woman could have been killed, activist Nekima Levy Armstrong said at the news conference. As I said about the payday

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating Smiths shooting. The arrest operation in which it occurred was conducted by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force. According to the BCA, evidence indicates Smith fired a handgun at officers during the operation. They found the handgun and a spent cartridge inside his car.

The shootout, as I think it was, went down a block from Hennepin and Lake, one of the most prominent intersections in Minneapolis. Unlike Smiths family and lady friend, businesses in the neighborhood dont foresee any payday. The Uptown Theater is apparently closed for good. This morning the Star Tribune reports: Another high-profile business announced Sunday that its pulling out of Uptown after 35 years, citing concerns about crime and social unrest. Juut Salon Spa, a fixture at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street, posted the news on its Facebook page.

It has become more and more evident that Uptown continues to struggle with store closings, social unrest, crime and street closures, it read. We would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to our team members or clients. With that at the forefront, we made this difficult decision.

Social justice warriors continue to exact their toll. From the caption to the photo accompanying the Star Tribune story linked below, we learn that they have claimed the top floor of the parking ramp as a memorial to the sainted thug Winston Smith, described by reporter John Reinan as a 32-year-old father of three. As the Star Tribune puts it:

A social justice battle is being waged particularly in an Uptown Minneapolis alley, again and again and again. The entry lane to the parking garage where Smith was killed by a law enforcement task force has been painted and repainted at least five times in the past week as activists and the property owner strive for the last word.

At last word, the property owner has surrendered.

Reinans story leads with the news from the vicinity overnight:

A woman was killed and two others were injured after being struck by a car during a protest in Uptown on Sunday night, the Minneapolis Police Department said early Monday morning. Police said the suspect was pulled from his car by protesters after the 11:39 p.m. crash and is now in custody and being treated for injuries at a hospital. Police did not say how the man was hurt or give the extent of his injuries. The mans motive was not immediately known.

While the city continues its astounding descent, the editorial board of the Star Tribune continues its Neronian approach to civic leadership. Todays editorial supports the Minnesota Historical Society in a mild uprising led by Republican state senator Mary Kiffmeyer against the societys suffocating political correctness. The Star Tribunes recent lineup of worthless (at best) editorials is posted here. When not wrong and destructive, the institutional voice of the Star Tribune is worthless.
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A disparate anti-Netanyahu parliamentary coalition on Sunday ousted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to elect right-wing leader Naftali Bennett as a replacement.

Mr Bennett, an ultranationalist who opposes Palestinian sovereignty, pipped Mr Netanyahu, who had been prime minister for 15 years, including the last 12 years, 60 to 59 votes, with one abstention.

Yair Lapid, a leader of the center-left Yesh Atid Party, would replace Mr Bennett after two years, if their government can hold together that long, according to the power sharing agreement the coalition reached.

We stopped the train before the abyss, Mr Bennett, a former aide to Mr Netanyahu, said. The time has come for different leaders, from all parts of the people, to stop, to stop this madness.

The election now means that Israels Parliament, the Knesset, is now controlled by an eight-party alliance ranging from left to right, from secular to religious, that has little in common except the desire to oust Mr Netanyahu, the longest-serving leader in the countrys history.

Mr Netanyahus reign ended following Israels four inconclusive elections in two years which has left the country without a state budget for much of the time.

The political gridlock fueled disgust among voters with every coalition cobbled together in the Knesset either entering a gridlock or crumbling after a short while.

The new fragile government, which called itself the change government, now has its work well cut out for them. First, the parliament would have to ratify the agreement in the coming days.

It remains to be seen how long the highly diverse coalition that includes centrists, leftists and even a small Arab Islamist party would hold together as the only political view they have in common is the animosity towards Mr Netanyahu.

Mr Bennett has said that a coalition of ideological opposites was formed because it was their last resort to end the political impasse that has grounded Israel.

The political crisis in Israel is unprecedented on a global level, New York Times quoted him as saying in a televised speech on Sunday. We could end up with fifth, sixth, even 10th elections, dismantling the walls of the country, brick by brick, until our house falls in on us. Or we can stop the madness and take responsibility.

Added to the corruption charges he is fighting to stave off, Mr Netanyahu would also be fighting to revive his political lifeline as he is bound to lose his position as the head of his right-wing Likud party.

Yet, analysts believe you write Mr Netanyahu, 71, off at your own peril. His political agility to wriggle out of tight situation has left even his detractors to call him a magician with supporters likening him to biblical King David.

I say today: Do not let your spirits fall, Mr Netanyahu was quoted as saying by New York Times. I will lead you in a daily battle against this bad and dangerous left-wing government, and bring it down. And with the help of God, this will happen faster than you think.

But the new coalition has it would set aside its issues and focus on rebuilding the economy. Whether or not its political contradictions would make it achieve remains to be seen.

Although a high-tech entrepreneur and former chief of staff to Mr Netanyahu, Israels new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, 49, entered the Israeli Parliament eight years ago.

The self-made millionaire son of American immigrants is relatively unknown and inexperienced on the international stage, leaving the world as well as many Israelis wondering what kind of leader he might be.
Lateef Adeniyi was sleeping in his room late on Saturday night, June 5, when he heard the sound of gunshots.

As the head of the Vigilante Group in Igangan community, he hurriedly stood from his bed and fetched his gun.

His family members wished him well as he stepped out of the house.

It was the last time they saw him.

My husband went out, as usual, to protect the community from external attack when the Fulanis invaded Igangan late Saturday night. By Sunday morning, we woke up to receive his remains, Fatima Adeniyi, wife of the deceased, told our correspondent.

Mr Adeniyi left behind two wives and eight children.

The immediate elder brother of the deceased, Waheed Adeniyi, said: my sibling spent his life defending the community from attack. He died because he didnt have enough bullets to defend himself when the invaders came on Saturday night.

He was shot repeatedly before he was later hacked to death by Fulani herdsmen. I was called by community leaders on Sunday morning to receive his remains.

Mr Adeniyis first child, Nureni, urged the government and other well-meaning Nigerians to support him and his siblings in order not to allow their father to die in vain.

The bloody attack

Residents said the attack on Igangan community in Ibarapa area of Oyo State commenced at about midnight, leaving several persons dead and properties razed.

Residents who survived the attack told PREMIUM TIMES the assailants were Fulani herders, believed to be carrying out a reprisal.

This newspaper reported how Fulani families and their leader, Abdulkadir Salihu, were forcefully evicted from the town in January by a mob led by a self-styled warlord, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.

Mr Salihu, the Sarkin Fulani, was accused of masterminding Fulani attacks such as rape, murder, destruction of farms, and abductions in Igangan.

Although Mr Salihu denied the allegations, that didnt save him from being ejected from a community he had lived in for decades.

The federal and Oyo State governments frowned at the development, saying no citizen has the right to evict other citizens from wherever they wished to reside in the country.

A resident and youth leader in the community, Oladiran Oladokun, told PREMIUM TIMES that a son of Mr Salihu, Umar, had repeatedly sent him messages threatening that the Fulani would retaliate for how they were attacked and forced out of Igangan.

Many residents also told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that Mr Salihus son was seen among those who attacked the community last weekend. Our correspondent could not independently verify this claim.

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Mr Salihu did not also respond to PREMIUM TIMES calls and text messages asking if he had knowledge about the weekend incident.

While the police said 11 people died in the attack, residents told our correspondent that over 20 people were killed.

Sad tales

Our correspondent visited Igangan last Monday to capture the sorrowful tales of the attack. This newspaper also met with families of some persons who died in the attack.

PREMIUM TIMES also visited some of their burial grounds.

Findings revealed that most of the people killed were either vigilante group members or Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) who went out to defend the community after hearing gunshots.

Jimoh Ogunlana, a school security guard, was said to be sleeping in the veranda of his house when he heard gunshots and observed looting of some nearby shops.

He tried confronting them but all he got in response was a gunshot to his chest. He ran immediately for survival but he was caught halfway and hacked to death, Oyebisi Bowonle, a cousin of the deceased, said.

Mr Ogunlanas daughter, Nafisat, told PREMIUM TIMES that her father was not a troublemaker. He only attempted to save the shops that were being attacked by Fulani when he was killed.

Bashiru Makinde, an senior citizen in the community, told PREMIUM TIMES that he lost two individuals who were very close to him in the reprisal attack.

After hearing a series of gunshots repeatedly, we observed flame in different places and at that point, we became scared knowing fully well that some houses were being burnt.

We heard people wailing and the Fulani guys were shooting sporadically. My sister, Rabi Raji was scared because she was not sure of her sons whereabouts. Immediately she stepped out of the house to look for her gun, she was hit by a stray bullet and that ended her journey on earth.

Mr Makinde told this newspaper that he also lost the son of a family friend called Ibrahim Adeagbo to the attack.

He said Mr Adeagbo was a member of the Amotekun Corps in the community. He joined his other colleagues to combat the invaders but died in the process.

Ibrahim Adeagbo was hacked on his head and his stomach, Mr Makinde said.

Another resident, Wale Ayoola, also told PREMIUM TIMES that he lost his father to the attack. The deceased was shot repeatedly and also hacked.

Mr Ayoola said his father attempted to run for survival but the attackers overpowered him. He said he found his fathers body parts scattered at different locations. He picked them up and buried him on Sunday morning

Residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the late arrival of the police made the community record a high number of casualties. The state police spokesperson, Adewale Osifeso, did not respond to inquiries when our correspondent tried to confront him with this.

He did not respond to calls and text messages sent to him on the topic.

Attack on kings palace

PREMIUM TIMES also visited the palace of the monarch set ablaze by the attackers. The Asigangan of Igangan land, Lasisi Adeoye, was moved to tears when our correspondent asked him questions about the incident.

He directed this newspaper to his wife, Sinat Adeoye, who explained that they (Fulanis) targeted the palace because they claimed Sunday Igboho and boys razed Sarkin Fulani palace earlier this year. They stole peoples belongings and burnt different shops and houses during the raid.

Some of the shop owners that were affected are now in the hospital because they are already in debt. They killed no fewer than eight vigilantes who tried to confront them during the attack.

Two of my brothers who were vigilante members were among those that died in the incident. Some of our people confirmed that they saw Sarkin Fulanis son among those who came to attack us in the midnight

But the truth was that we never evicted these people if not for the criminalities they were perpetrating. They were kidnapping our people and asking for ransom not affordable. We need the government to help us. We are dying.

Also speaking, Kamarudeen Omoloye, the spokesperson of the monarch, told PREMIUM TIMES that upon their arrival, the attackers dared them to call Sunday Igboho for rescue if they were bold enough.

They carried out the deadly operations for more than four hours but security operatives didnt come enough. It took the effort of local vigilantes in the community and some OPC members who confronted them to rescue the community from being ruined.

The police are claiming 11 deaths but truth be told, over 20 people were killed in the midnight attack. We plead with authorities to help us with security operatives who arent biased to any tribe so that peace would reign.

Residents of the community told PREMIUM TIMES that at least six of the attackers were also killed during the attack.

The attack has been condemned by many Nigerians including Yoruba leaders like the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

Makinde, APC spar over attack

Reacting to the killing, the main opposition party in Oyo State, APC, called on Governor Seyi Makinde to convene a security summit promptly to address security challenges in the state.

This was contained in a statement signed by its spokesman, AbdulAzeez Olatunde.

Obviously and certainly, the current situation of Oyo State was not what Makinde and PDP took over from the immediate past APC government in the state under Governor Abiola Ajimobi in 2019.

The excuse of general security issues has been with us in Nigeria since 2009 even before Ajimobi took over the mantle of governance in 2011. In spite of the issues, Ajimobi secured Oyo state, it said.

In response to this, Mr Makinde in a statement by his spokesperson, Taiwo Adisa, accused APC of attempting to politicise the killings in Igangan.

We all know the state of security of Nigeria when the APC took over in 2015. We knew that the much-talked-about insurgency was restricted to three states of the North East, while kidnapping was wiped out from the South East.

Even though the leadership of APC complained loudest against the government of President Goodluck Jonathan at the time, the situation Nigeria found itself under President Buharis APC is nothing comparable to the sanity we all enjoyed under Jonathan.

It is obvious the APC was merely in a power grab mission, without a clue of what is needed to fix Nigeria.

As we speak, insecurity has been weaponized and decentralised, while all parts of the country have become endangered. Even the Presidents own state of Katsina is not spared as the sad incidents of kidnapping and killings continue to happen even during his official visits to the state.

If the APC leaders want to be patriotic, they will call on the leader of their party, President Buhari, to wake up and stop the unwarranted killings across the land: the kidnapping of school children and other innocent Nigerians and fix the economy, Mr Makindes spokesperson said.

Southwest governors move to prevent recurrence

The governors of the six South-west states of Nigeria condemned the killings in Igangan community and also said a joint security meeting will be held to review the security situation in the South-west.

It is horrendous, callous, and highly provocative. All well-meaning Nigerians must condemn, in the strongest term possible, this latest assault on decency and communal harmony, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State said on behalf of his colleagues.

While we will encourage the security agencies to get to the root of this latest act of provocation, we have directed the Commanders of the South West Security Network, Amotekun, to convene a joint security meeting of all Commanders in the South West with a view to commencing joint operations in the region immediately.

He said certain elements are bent on causing friction among the peoples of this country with the sole aim of achieving a pernicious end. They will stop at nothing until their set goal is realized. It is, therefore, incumbent on all lovers of peace and freedom to rise against this current regression into savagery.

We on our part are resolved to defend our people, their property, and all legitimate means of livelihood against both internal and external aggression. On this, there will be no compromise. We call on our people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement in their communities. In addition, they must be united in the task of defending our lives and properties. We cannot afford to fail, he said.
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The police in Akwa Ibom State, Nigerias South-south, have confirmed that an officer has been shot dead during a gun attack on a police facility in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the attack occurred in the early hours on Sunday at the divisional police station, Odoro Ikpe, Ini Local Government Area.

The police spokesperson in the state, Odiko MacDon said a police officer was killed during the attack.

Mr MacDon, a superintendent of police, told reporters that the police repelled the attack and arrested one of the gunmen who has been identified as Imoh Udo, 28, from Ikot Edem village in Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state.

He said the police recovered the operational vehicle and three motorcycles from the gunmen.

As I speak, men of the Operation Restore Peace are still combing the bush as the hoodlums possibly escaped with bullet wounds sustained in a gun duel during the attack.

The Commissioner of Police, Andrew Amiengheme has already ordered discreet investigations. In no distant time, more of the perpetrators will be arrested, Mr MacDon said.

This is the second time in about a month that a police facility has been attacked in Ini Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State.

About six officers were shot dead while they were sleeping in their quarters during a previous attack in the area.

The latest incident brings to 23 the number of police officers that have so far been killed lately in the state.

Police and other security agencies remain the target of deadly attacks in Nigerias South-east and South-south regions.
Today, in line with the tradition of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Nigeria joins countries around the world to mark this years edition of the World Blood Donor Day (WBDD).

But like many other African nations and some other developing countries globally, Nigeria suffers greatly from her poor culture of blood donation.

Due largely to challenges of poor policy formulation and implementation, lack of enabling legislative framework and funding difficulties, collection, distribution and use of safe blood for a healthier population has been a herculean task for government agencies and non-state actors in the line of such responsibilities in Nigeria.

Grim statistics

In her message to mark this years WBDD, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said on an annual basis, an average of seven million Africans need safe blood transfusion across the 54-nation continent for survival.

With a roughly 200 million population, the global health body says Nigeria needs an average of 1.8 million pints of blood annually to keep the health of her people safe and sound.

But the countrys agency in charge of blood donation- Nigerias National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) says it collects only 500,000 pints of blood every year, leaving a shortfall of about 73.3 per cent.

According to the NBTS head of planning, research and statistics department, Adaeze Oreh, only about 25,000 blood units sourced exclusively from voluntary unpaid blood donors were screened, collected and distributed in 2019 and 2020.

Mrs Oreh said recent available data show that only eight per cent of Nigerians donate blood freely, and that about 80 per cent of donors donate to relatives in need.

From the data available to NBTS, approximately 80 per cent of donations are from family members, which we call family replacement donations, she said.

Blood commercialisation

With markedly inadequate blood supply to meet clinical demands, many Nigerian hospitals and patients depend on commercial donors for their blood needs.

Though NBTS says only about 14 per cent of Nigerians donate blood for monetary gain, Mrs Oreh said many families negotiate directly with paid donors who are referred to them by friends and family.

Therefore, most of the donors that are classified as family replacement donors are actually paid commercial donors, the official told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview on Friday.

In Africa, Nigeria has one of the lowest rates of donation by voluntary non-remunerated blood donors, widely recognised as the safest source of blood and blood products for patients.

The NBTS official said; various research studies have established that commercial donors are more likely to live high risk lifestyles and have a higher burden of transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs).

Paid donors are also known not to be forthcoming about their health to avoid deferrals, because for many, the motivation for donation is either poverty or the satisfaction of drug habits.

Studies have also revealed a predominance of low haemoglobin concentrations in commercial blood, thereby reducing the quality of blood available for transfusion. This, therefore, increases the burden of transfusion-transmissible infections in blood and blood products, and increases risks for the recipients.

Poor blood donation culture

Experts have said Nigerias uninviting culture of blood donation cannot be dissociated from the countrys poor transfusion system and lack of legal framework.

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By virtue of the National Blood Policy of 2006, NBTS is mandated to develop a system of blood donor mobilisation and motivation based on a voluntary, non-remunerated donation of blood; and standardise its methods of collection, transportation, processing, testing, storage and distribution, blood components and derivatives which are safe for transfusion and other therapies.

The agencys mandate, based on the provisions of the National Health Act of 2014, is to coordinate, regulate and ensure the provision of safe, quality blood and blood products to all who may need it in Nigeria.

However, to ensure that this mandate is achieved, the agency said it faces a herculean task, saying ensuring safe blood from vein to vein isnt easy to achieve in the country.

The NBTS is facing challenges of not just making sufficient blood available, but also ensuring quality and safety.

Funding gaps

The agency said it faces serious funding gaps, which it said have hindered even its awareness and sensitisation programmes.

Findings by PREMIUM TIMES shows that from 2005 to 2015, the NBTS received substantial funding from the government of the United States of America under a cooperative agreement with the United States Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But the external funding support, which provided the bulk of the NBTS financing, has been withdrawn, leaving the country unprepared to fill the vacuum.

Mrs Oreh said, this challenge of inadequate financing of the NBTS operations hinders activities such as media, advocacy, and public awareness campaigns down to the community level which would have tackled the deeply rooted cultural myths and misconceptions on voluntary blood donation by the public, and the lack of a voluntary blood donation culture in the country.

Even ensuring the safety and quality of all blood and products available for transfusion within the blood service system generates enormous costs in fuelling and maintenance of power-generating sets and setting up of alternative power sources such as solar panels at NBTS centres due to frequent power outages in the country which stand to compromise the cold chain and blood safety. Also, maintaining NBTS infrastructure and equipment across Nigerias six geopolitical zones is hugely capital-intensive.

Severe consequences

A professor of hematology and transfusion medicine at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL), Sulaiman Akanmu, links Nigerias high maternal mortality rate to the nations transfusion programme.

Mr Akanmu, who doubles as a consultant hematologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, said between 800 and 840 women lose their lives per 100,000 childbirths in Nigeria.

He compares this figure to less than 10 deaths associated with childbirths per 100,000 cases in developed countries.

According to Mr Akanmu, a huge chunk of the victims of maternal mortality in Nigeria is as a result of shortage of blood supply.

He said; in Nigeria, 80-90 per cent of maternal mortality is as a result of bleeding complications that we are not able to manage due to shortage of blood. So this is the situation in Nigeria and it is not different from the situation in other African and developing countries with the exception of a few like Mauritius and Rwanda.

Mauritius has a very low maternal mortality rate because it has a fantastic transfusion programme, and Rwanda is toeing the same path very fast.

Though he could not give the statistics of accident victims in the country, Mr Akanmu said the larger percentage of those who make it to the hospital but still die eventually are victims of shortage of blood.

The hematologist also spoke about the prevalence of what he described as under five hemolytic problems, which he said has to do with malaria anaemia.

Majority of under five children have weakened immunity. The under five deaths that we have predominantly in the malaria region of the world, and particularly Nigeria, is because of anemic heart failure which is as a result of malaria that infects and damages the red cell, Mr Akanmu said, adding that it is one of the major reasons for blood transfusion in the children emergency department.

Malaria anaemia is like 10 times more common than anaemia of sickle cell disease that also kills our children. So we must make sure that blood is available for these children, he said.

He also spoke about children with cerebral palsy, which he noted is caused by a disease entity referred to as neonatal jaundice.

And for that particular kind of situation, we need to do a blood transfusion for them but most of these babies are born in private hospitals during the day, and do not get to public hospitals where correct diagnosis is made and transfusion can be guaranteed until late at night.

Majority of blood transfusion for babies in this category is done at midnight because these babies are brought in late and something must be done to ensure the children get blood. When it is left until the second day, bilirubin, which is what is causing the jaundice, enters the babys brains and knocks out an area and once that happens, the baby will not be able to develop normally, he added.

Meanwhile, Nigerias health ministry also says 10 per cent of new HIV infections in Nigeria is from blood transfusions. This, the ministry says, is linked to commercial blood donation.

The ministry said the poor turnout of Nigerians to freely donate blood translates to an increased risk of infections such as HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and many other diseases which could lead to lifelong treatment, chronic illnesses such as liver and kidney disease, disability or even death.

Way forward

For several years, a lack of an enabling legislative framework for NBTS regulation has also been identified to have hindered the organisations structure and ability to adequately ensure the provision of safe blood countrywide.

However, with the recent passage of the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) Bill by the National Assembly, the agency said it anticipates a more robust regulation of blood services in Nigeria where sharp and nefarious practices which jeopardise the health of Nigerians are prevented or punished by law where ascertained.

It is hoped that the bill which is currently awaiting presidential assent would solve all administrative and technical encumbrances hindering the effectiveness of the NBTS.

Mrs Oreh said the new legislation will empower the NBTS to tackle quackery and unauthorised blood service practices that daily jeopardise the lives of Nigerians.

She added: The regulatory activities of NBTS in this regard include identifying blood safety needs in blood collection centres; screening centres and production centres; developing and disseminating guidelines on best practice across the blood services value chain to all relevant stakeholders. Also, registration of all establishments carrying out blood transfusion services and blood banks in both public and private sectors to ensure a comprehensive database of all facilities carrying out such services for regular assessment, inspection, and accreditation of such.

The legal framework will also strengthen the National Blood Service ability to collaborate with states to carry out blood transfusion services.

Apart from this legal framework, some Nigerians including a former Red Cross official, Akhigbe Allwell, suggested inclusion of topics on benefits of blood donation and other relevant issues around blood donation in some basic and high school subjects such as Civic Education, Health Sciences and or Social Studies.

He also suggested that all Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) should be made to have a compulsory blood bank for easy donation and transfusion.

Also, a health advocate, Paschal Onuarah, said there was the need for blood transfusion to be included under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Many people in need of blood find it difficult to buy due to poverty and scarcity, he said.

LifeBank

Meanwhile, a 2017 study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has said donated blood has about a six-week lifespan, and as a result, health experts have suggested involvement of individuals, private organisations and non-governmental bodies to drive the campaign for massive blood donation among Nigerians.

One of such initiatives is by a group- LifeBank, which currently connects registered blood banks to hospitals in Nigerias federal capital territory (FCT), Abuja, and the nations commercial nervecentre, Lagos.

The company, according to a report by the Guardian UK, has 40 blood banks and 300 hospitals on its platform. It sorts orders based on urgency, location and price and preserves blood in a cold chain system that keeps it at 10C.

So far, LifeBank has moved nearly 7,000 pints from blood banks to hospitals, the Guardian UK reported, with the groups founder, Temie Giwa-Tubosun, saying; We aim to move 106,000 pints of blood in the next two years, and to become the supply chain engine for every hospital.

World Blood Donor Day

Every year on 14 June, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD). The event, established in 2004, serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood.

With the theme, Give blood and keep the world beating, this years campaign highlights the essential contribution blood donors make to keeping the world pulsating by saving lives and improving others health. It reinforces the global call for more people all over the world to donate blood regularly.

A special focus of this years campaign will be the role of young people in ensuring a safe blood supply.

According to the WHO, ensuring safe and sufficient blood supplies requires the development of a nationally coordinated blood transfusion service based on voluntary non-remunerated blood donations.

In her message to Africans on the occasion of this years annual event, Ms Moeti said though the coronavirus pandemic has significantly reduced the number of donors across the world, and in Africa in particular.

She said; over the past year, blood stocks decreased in the African Region as movement restrictions and fears of infection hindered people from accessing donation sites. The average blood donation rate dropped by 17 per cent and the frequency of blood drives reduced by 25 per cent. Demand for blood also decreased by 13 per cent with the suspension of routine surgeries in some countries and fewer people seeking care in health facilities.

However, even during the pandemic, blood donors in many countries have made extraordinary efforts to continue to donate blood. Awareness campaigns backed by the collaboration of donor associations, civil society organisations, and armed and security forces, have led to good levels of voluntary donor recruitment in eight African countries.

She revealed that as part of the COVID-19 response, 10 African countries are investigating the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) therapy. Among them, she said Ethiopia, Guinea and Mauritius have collected CCP for compassionate use and that randomised control trials are ongoing in South Africa and Uganda.

Ms Moeti added; safe blood and its transfusion are key aspects in providing quality care to save mothers haemorrhaging during childbirth and people with serious injuries. Blood is needed for surgical procedures, as well as to treat severe anaemia, inherited blood disorders, and other conditions. Blood can only be stored for a limited time and so a steady supply of donations is important to make sure adequate blood products are always available.

As WHO we are working with a range of stakeholders to improve access to quality blood supplies. We have partnered with the Coalition of Blood for Africa (CoBA), launched in November 2020, to drive this agenda, including engaging the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) and the private sector. The BloodSafe Program funded by the United States of America National Institutes of Health supports research to enhance availability of safe blood in African countries. Through this partnership, research projects in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi are underway in collaboration with universities in the United States.

The WHO official said the global organisation has partnered the leading networking site, Facebook, to set up a Regional Blood Donations feature, which she noted connects people with nearby blood banks. The tool is now live in 12 countries and over 3.8 million Facebook users have signed up to be notified of blood donation opportunities.

Who should donate blood?

The WHO says some countries recognise less than 18-year-olds to donate blood but with the direct supervision and guidance of their parents or guardians.

However, in Nigeria, Mr Akanmu says donors are pegged to be between the ages 18 and 65 years. He advanced many reasons for the peg, saying blood donations come with regulations such as blood donor safety criteria and donor selection criteria.

According to the expert, weight, health status and the blood volume of willing donors are also considered before donation is permitted.

The hematology professor said; we must also ensure that you are not underweight, so anyone that weighs less than 50kg will not be fit to donate blood. The volume of blood we have in our body is weight dependent and for every kilogram of our body, we have about 70 mills of blood. If for example, your body weight is 70 kg, it means the blood volume will be 70 multiply by 70.

The physiological experiment that we have is that if you lose 13 per cent of your blood volume rapidly, you will collapse. The way we collect blood when people come for blood donation is rapid loss of blood because we collect about 50 mills of blood within 10 minutes. So we check the blood volume and weight before taking blood from a donor.

He said fewer women can donate blood when compared to men, saying pregnant women, those on their menstrual cycle and those lactating are not allowed to donate blood for medical reasons.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said it is encouraging more young people to donate blood to save lives and to inspire their peers and families to do so too.

In some countries, in line with national guidance, people aged 16 and 17 can donate blood with their parents or guardians consent, and in all countries anyone over 18 can save someones life by donating blood, Ms Moeti, said.
As Huawei donates ICT Lab to Alma Mater

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Umar Danbatta, has urged stakeholders in Nigeria to support the Commission in its quest to ensure ubiquitous adoption and use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), with a view to transforming the nations economy.

This is just as the EVC pledged the commitment of NCC to continue to be in the vanguard of implementing the Federal Governments policies aimed at digitalising the nations economy.

Mr Danbatta, a professor, made the call at the weekend while commissioning the Prof Umar Garba Danbatta Computer Laboratory donated by Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited to the Government Senior Secondary School (GSS), Danbatta, Kano State.

The historic school is the alma mater of Mr Danbatta, who, himself, has consistently implemented many philanthropic and people-oriented projects in his Danbatta community in addition to his strides in driving the development of ICT adoption and usage, via numerous initiatives as the countrys Chief Telecoms Regulator.

Mr Danbatta expressed his gratitude to the company for choosing his alma mater for the important ICT project.

He noted that the facility will not only bring invaluable benefits to the students and teachers of the GSS in Danbatta, but also impact other neighbouring schools.

The schools will utilise the tech facility for preparing their pupils for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and other educational purposes.

He charged the students and others desirous of upgrading their knowledge of ICT to avail themselves of the ample opportunity provided by the new facility within their own domain.

Restating the NCCs commitment toward digitising Nigerias economy, Mr Danbatta said the Commission will continue to be at the forefront of implementing Federal Governments policies aimed at achieving the goal.

Speaking earlier, the Director, Public Relation of Huawei Nigeria, Lola Fafore, observed that the fully-fledged computer laboratory donated to the school is equipped with free 4G internet service for 90 days as well as computer-based testing (CBT) training applications for JAMB installed in the computers for the benefit of the students.

She said, as part of the companys contribution to Nigeria through corporate social responsibility, the firm would continue to promote digital inclusion, especially through provision of access to technology.

As a company, Huawei looks forward to making more contributions to Nigeria by supporting the NCC in bridging the digital connectivity divide, training talents, building capacity, knowledge transfer and supporting the process of achieving a fully-digital economy, she said.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of Danbatta Charity Foundation (DCF), Nasiru Danguda, commended the NCC for attracting major development projects to the community, thereby opening unprecedented windows of opportunity for the people.

Mr Danguda said, This is not the first time Huawei is donating this kind of project in Danbatta as Maimunatu Girls Secondary School is also a previous beneficiary. We, the people of Danbatta, are grateful to you and are also proud that we have Prof Danbatta making us proud with his outstanding performance at NCC, which has attracted us to global giants like Huawei.

Only recently, traditional rulers and concerned community leaders commended Mr Danbatta for his role in boosting security and supporting other initiatives aimed at stepping up the tempo of development in Danbatta Local Government Area, Kano State and its environs vis-a-vis concerted effort towards national development.

The inauguration ceremony was organised by DCF in conjunction with four other organisations, namely Zauren Tuntuba, a non-for-profit organisation; Danbatta Academic Forum (DAF); Danbatta Reporters; and, Duniya Ba Hutu.

Also at the event, 10 (ten) female students from Muslim Community College of Health Sciences and Technology, Funtua, and another 20 (twenty) female beneficiaries of the vocational training empowerment programme with bias for tailoring and fashion designing, all under the sponsorship of Mr Danbatta, celebrated their graduation.

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The event, which featured the presentation of sewing machines and other fashion designing items to the two sets of qualified trainees, also saw Mr Danbatta being conferred with a special recognition award for his immense contribution to the security of Danbatta community, among other community development initiatives
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The police in Ogun State have arrested one Blessing Ebuneku for allegedly selling her two daughters for N300,000.

According to a statement on Sunday by Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police spokesperson, the woman was arrested following a complaint filed by the father of the children.

During interrogation, the suspect reportedly told the police that she sold her daughters because she could not cater for them.

The police spokesperson said she sold her two daughters to a couple in Port-Harcourt who are said to be in dire need of children.

The middleman who connected the suspect and the couple is also in custody, police said.

A housewife, Blessing Ebuneku Agoro 35yrs, has been arrested by men of Ogun state police command for selling her two biological daughters; Semilore Agoro 4yrs and Deborah Agoro 2yrs.

The suspect was arrested, following a report lodged at Redeemed Camp divisional headquarters by her husband, Oluwaseyi Agoro, who reported that, he travelled for some time, and when he returned on the 8th of June 2021, he couldnt find his two daughters.

He stated further that all efforts to make his wife tell him the whereabouts of the children proved abortive, hence his report,  the statement reads.

Upon the report, the Divisional Police Officer, Alabi Akinjide, instructed detectives to apprehend the suspect for investigation.

On interrogation, the suspect explained to the police that, her husband left home for the past two years, and while he was away, she found it difficult to cater for the two children with her other two children she had for another man.

She stated further that while she was contemplating on what to do, one Kolawole Imoleayo introduced her to a couple in Port Harcourt who are in dare need of children, and she sold the two daughters to the couple at the rate of three hundred thousand naira (300,000).

Her confession led to the arrest of the said intermediary, Kolawole Imoleayo. They are both assisting the police in their investigation, the police said.

The commissioner of police in the state, Edward Ajogun, directed that the suspects be transferred to anti-human trafficking and child labour unit of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for investigation, according to the statement.

He also directed a manhunt of the couple the children were sold to, adding that the children must be rescued and brought back to their parents as soon as possible.
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A 34-year-old widow, Chioma Asomugha from Ubahuekwem in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, has raised the alarm that her in-laws were forcing her to drink water used in bathing her dead husbands corpse.

Mrs Asomugha disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Awka.

She alleged that the brothers of her late husband, Charles, said she must drink the water to prove that she was not responsible for her husbands death but that she would not do that.

Mrs Asomugha said she and her late husband lived peacefully in Ojo, near Lagos before his death.

I have four children with my husband and we lived at Ajangbadi in Ojo area of Lagos before his demise.

The burial is fixed for Monday June 14, but since we came home for the burial, the relatives of my husband forced me out of my matrimonial home.

They insisted that before I will be allowed to come in, I will drink the water used in bathing my late husbands corpse, she stated.

Mrs Asomugha said she took the matter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Awka as well as her Oraifite people with a view to resolving the matter.

Laura Ugwuanyi, coordinator of NHRC in Anambra, confirmed the report, describing it as obnoxious.

She said that efforts made to handle the matter did not yield positive results as the family members were not cooperating.

Gerald Nnabugwu, a community leader in Ubahuekwem, however, told NAN that the leaders of the community were looking into the matter.

The Anambra Commissioner for Information, C-Don Adinuba, also promised to intervene in the matter.

When contacted, Okey Chukwu, the president General of Ubahuekwem community, said he was in a meeting and promised to call back.

He, however, did not call back.

(NAN)
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State governors under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have pledged to provide the needed platform for the party to return to power at the national level in 2023.

The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, made the pledge on Sunday at a state banquet, organised by the Akwa lbom State Government, ahead of the forum meeting in Uyo on Monday.

Mr Tambuwal said the PDP governors would not disappoint Nigerians who are looking up to them to actualise their yearnings for the party to return to power in 2023.

These star-studded leaders of PDP governors in their respective states and political generals are determined by the grace of God through your prayers, support and cooperation, to rescue Nigeria.

It is a task that we must accomplish to the glory of God and his glory alone.

God on our side, we are determined as leaders, to provide that platform for the emergence of another PDP leadership in this country, come 2023, Mr Tambuwal said.

He urged all citizens, especially religious leaders, to continue to pray for the country, especially over the security situation in the country.

We need prayers. God is always there for His people and will never be tired of Nigeria for His glory, Mr Tambuwal added.

Earlier in his remarks, Governor Udom Emmanuel, welcomed the PDP governors to Akwa Ibom State, and told them that their people did not make mistakes in electing them to represent them.

Mr Emmanuel described the PDP governors as leaders with characters and charisma.

The PDP National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem, speaking on behalf of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), said the PDP governors were making the party proud with their performances in their respective states.

Today, if there is any hope of democracy in Nigeria, it has come from the PDP governors because of their excellent performance in their states, he said.

Mr Enoidem advised the PDP governors to sustain the efforts to foster development in Nigeria.

He said that though the responsibilities ahead were enormous, PDP governors must continue to work together to rise to the challenges facing the country.

The PDP governors at the event were those of Akwa lbom, Adamawa, Delta, Enugu, Rivers, Taraba, Sokoto, Bayelsa, Edo and the deputy governor of Zamfara State.

(NAN)
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As a people, and in our communities, it is paramount to have conversations around the safety and enablement of our citizens who live with albinism, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

He made this known at a virtual event, attended by a number of distinguished personalities including diplomats such as the American Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, marking the World Albinism Day themed: Strength Beyond All Odds, on Sunday, June 13, 2021.

According to the VP, there is a need to see it for what it is, a genetic difference, not a contagious disease or a public health problem.

In dealing with the various challenges faced by the albinism community, Mr Osinbajo stated the need to have frank and robust conversations around the protection and empowerment of our compatriots that live with albinism.

These conversations will drive change on two levels  in the public domain, where sociocultural perceptions of Albinism that are rooted in ignorance and superstition can finally be laid to rest.

The vice president admitted that this is not going to be an easy task because superstition and sociocultural issues take a while to deal with, but we must aggressively begin to present counter-narratives to the socio-cultural misconceptions about albinism.

Secondly, interventions made must be designed to improve the lives of people living with albinism. The time is now to do more to reverse negative mindsets and socio-cultural stereotypes about albinism in our society. We must also go further to take deliberate steps as private individuals and public servants by giving them equal opportunity in the workplace and in social settings as well, according to Mr Osinbajo.

While commending the convener of the event, Jake Eppele, the vice president noted that he is one of the most eloquent and influential spokespersons for the rights, protection, and welfare of albinos in Nigeria and the world over.

His words: I think it is the hard work of people like Pastor Jake and in response to the numerous challenges faced by the albinism community in the country that led to the adoption in 2012, of the National Policy on Albinism.

He added that the objective of the policy was to assist persons with albinism and provide them with as conducive an environment as possible for their self-actualization.

Subsequently, in 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the inauguration of a technical committee to review the policy in order to assess its success since implementation and facilitate the access of persons living with albinism to social services, particularly education and healthcare.

In his remarks, Jake Eppele commended the vice president for making out time to attend the virtual event despite being on transit. (Indeed, the VP participated in the virtual event on landing in Lagos from Abuja yesterday, on his way to a number of events later in Lagos).

Mr Eppele told the VP thank you for being a man of your words, even though you are travelling and in transit, you stopped over just to address us. It shows us how passionate you are of the less privileged.

I also want to say that you have made history by becoming the first vice president globally to address persons with Albinism on this day, and I have it on record.

Laolu Akande

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity

Office of the Vice President

14th June 2021
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Murtala Balogun, the Special Adviser to the President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, has urged African governments to take the pulses of public agencies periodically to establish the root causes of performance shortfalls and the measures needed to enhance performance standards.

In a paper he presented at an online forum sponsored by the Rabat-based IAC-CAFRAD, he noted that before the onset of COVID-19, access to essential services had been restricted in many African countries.

Performance deficits constantly widened due to, among other factors, budget constraints; the absence of a customer care culture in public agencies; the failure to set, and adhere to output, cost, time, and quality standards; workflow and service perimeter design challenges; data gaps and archiving weaknesses; and ethical violations. The pandemic soon made a bad situation worse, what with its impact on business continuity, working hours, and supply chain blueprints.

To make up for the COVID-19 losses and simultaneously record noticeable gains in economic growth, poverty eradication and good governance, Mr Balogun, a professor, advised African States to focus attention not only on broad constitutional issues like devolution, power sharing, human rights, and resource control, but also on the continuous enhancement of agency governance standards. This calls for periodic but proactive diagnoses of practices, processes, and attitudes in public as well as private sector agencies.

He further called on the Pan African Conference of Public Service Ministers and the African Union to collaborate with African Governments and select regional and international organizations on the establishment a Working Group on Agency Governance Research and Training.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has confirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has cancelled Hajj for international pilgrims for the 2021 season.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NAHCON, Zikrullah Hassan, made this known in a statement issued by Fatima Usara, head, public affairs, of the commission, on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Hassan said NAHCON respected the decision of Saudi Arabia in this regard no matter how painful that decision might be to the commission and intending pilgrims worldwide.

 The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has received news of the cancellation of Hajj for international pilgrims for the 2021 season.

 We have accepted that it is Allahs divine design that multitudes will again this year not perform the Hajj.

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is only playing out a script ordained by our Maker long before creation of the universe.

 Our prayer is that we collectively turn to Him in repentance so that He admits us for Hajj in the coming years, Mr Hassan said.

He noted that one of the lessons from the 2020 and 2021 cancellations of Hajj for foreign pilgrims was in the Prophets hadith (teachings) urging Muslims to perform Hajj while they could before they are prevented from doing so.

 Again, it impresses on us that it is only Allah that selects those who will be His guests for hajj. May we not be deprived of Allahs mercy.

 May we be among those who will be chosen to perform Allahs worship in future,  the NAHCON boss said.

Mr Hassan commended the resilience of Nigerian intending pilgrims and the support they have shown during the  long and tortuous wait.

The chairman said he was particularly impressed and humbled by the level of support and respect evidenced by their adherence to each instruction given by the commission.

 An example is the total compliance in receiving COVID-19 jab with the hope of performing the 2021 Hajj.

 Equally, the commission appreciates cooperation of States Pilgrims Welfare Boards in its decision-making processes.

 As in the previous year, those pilgrims who request for refund of their hajj fares deposits will be granted such without unnecessary delay.

 However, as for those who would still wish to roll-over their funds, the commission strongly urges them to wait for further advice and decisions by the board, he said.

The chairman assured stakeholders of NAHCONs open door policy and cooperation, adding that consultations would be held with all hajj managers on the way forward in the nearest future.

 This will be communicated to them in due course, he said.

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The Saudi Arabian Authority had also in 2020 cancelled Hajj for International pilgrims due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.

(NAN)
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State governors under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have converged on Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, to stategise on how to dethrone the governing All Progressives Congress in the 2023 general elections.

On Sunday, the governors pledged to provide the needed platform for the party to return to power at the federal level in 2023.

The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, made the pledge at a state banquet, organised by the Akwa-lbom State government, ahead of the forum meeting in Uyo.

Mr Tambuwal said the PDP governors would not disappoint Nigerians who are looking up to them to actualise their yearnings for the party to return to power in 2023.

These star-studded leaders of PDP governors in their respective states and political generals are determined by the grace of God through your prayers, support and cooperation, to rescue Nigeria, Mr Tambuwal said.

It is a task that we must accomplish to the glory of God and his glory alone.

God on our side, we are determined as leaders, to provide that platform for the emergence of another PDP leadership in this country, come 2023.

He urged all citizens, especially religious leaders, to continue to pray for the country, especially over the security situation in the country.

We need prayers. God is always there for His people and will never be tired of Nigeria for His glory, the governor added.

Earlier in his remarks, Gov. Emmanuel Udom, welcoming the PDP governors to the state, told them that their people did not make mistakes in electing them to represent them.

Mr Udom described the PDP governors as leaders with characters and charisma.

The PDP National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem, speaking on behalf of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), said the PDP governors are making the party proud with their performances in their respective states.

Today, if there is any hope of democracy in Nigeria, it has come from the PDP governors because of their excellent performance in their states, he said.

Mr Enoidem advised the PDP governors to sustain those efforts to foster development in Nigeria.

He said that although the responsibilities ahead are enormous, PDP governors must continue to work together to rise to the challenges facing of the country.

PDP governors at the event were those of Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Delta, Enugu, Rivers, Taraba, Sokoto, Bayelsa, Edo and the deputy governor of Zamafara State.

(NAN)
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The Nigerian Army has urged remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists to surrender and embrace peace.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. A.A. Eyitayo, made the call at a feast organised for journalists by the army on Sunday in Maiduguri.

Mr Eyitayo, who is also the Commander Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai, said the recent military onslaught against the Boko Haram insurgents dealt decisive blow on the terrorists leaving their remnants in disarray.

He noted that nobody including the military was happy over the bloodshed, hence, the need for the remnants of the insurgents to leverage on the amnesty and repent their nefarious ways.

This, he said, would avail them (insurgents) opportunity to enjoy rehabilitation and acquire skills to enable them to live a useful live in the society.

The GOC lauded the contributions of the media in the counter insurgency campaign and urged it to enlighten the insurgents to see the light and repent from their wasteful ventures.

We are not here for bloodletting, nobody is happy that people are dying.

Some of them (Boko Haram insurgents) are listening to the media so it is good for us to appeal to them through the media to shun violence, turn up to seek forgiveness and reconciliation, Mr Eyitayo said.

According to him, the feast with journalists was to show appreciation of the media reportage of military operations in the state.

For the past three months since I assumed duty in Maiduguri in this capacity, there has never been any bad report.

This is to appreciate the media for positive reportage, he said.

In his remark, Mobammed Ibrahim, Secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Borno State Council, commended the GOC for carrying the media along and assured him of more support and cooperation.

Mr Mohammed also lauded the military and other security agencies involved in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency for their sacrifices and urged them not to relent, adding that the people of the northeast region were solidly behind them.

(NAN)
The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, on Saturday said he will implement a report submitted to him in 2019 on how to tackle banditry in the state.

The governor had set up a committee on the issue. Its report said some traditional rulers were colluding with bandits, then recommended that the governor dethroned them.

The report of the committee, headed by a former Inspector-General of Police, Muhammad Abubakar, covered June 2011 to May 29, 2019.

The report disclosed that over N3 billion was collected by bandits as ransom from relations of 3,672 persons abducted in the state within the period.

Also, it said 4,983 women were widowed, 25,050 children orphaned and 190,340 persons displaced by banditry over the period.

It also said Fulani herdsmen lost 2,015 cattle, 141 sheep and goats, and 2,600 donkeys and camels to rustlers while 147,800 vehicles, including motorcycles and others, were burnt at different times and locations within the period.

Recommendations

The former IGP said to achieve sustained peace, the state government should take over all farmlands situated on grazing routes and adopt modern livestock farming to encourage herders to remain in one place.

Mr Abubakar said the committee recommended unconditional disarmament and setting up of a judicial commission of inquiry to address all forms of banditry in the state.

He said the committee also advised government to partner neighbouring state governments to rehabilitate all interstate roads, to ease movement of security personnel and the general public.

In addition, he said the state government must give priority to education and ensure that all children including those of nomads attend school.

Receiving the report, Mr Matawalle had promised to implement the recommendations, assuring that he would not be diverted by any sentiment.

Two years after, however, amid escalating insecurity, Mr Matawalle in a broadcast on June 12, Democracy Day, said killings by bandits are getting worse every day.

He said he will implement the committees report to the latter and urged residents to rise in self-defence whenever their villages are attacked.

The governor vowed that in implementing the report, there will be no sacred cow, adding that whoever is complicit, no matter how highly placed, would be dealt with according to the law.

The governor said he has demonstrated this commitment with the suspension of the emirs of Maru, Dansadau and Zurmi.

However, 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.

Below is the full text of the governors address:

1. My dear people of Zamfara state, I address you this evening over the recent escalation in the wave of banditry in some parts of our dear State. As you are aware, the most recent one is the attack on Kadawa village, Zurmi Local Government Area. The reports we received confirmed that the bandits have killed many innocent people.

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2. I feel saddened by this unfortunate and barbaric act of cowardice. With a heavy heart, I convey my condolences on behalf of my family and the entire people of the State over this massacre. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and the whole people of Kadawa of Zurmi Local Government Area, and all families that have lost their loved ones across the State.

3. I pray to Almighty Allah to forgive and shower His mercy to the deceased and grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss.

4. As I express my condolences to every one of you individually and collectively, I want to tell you that we will stay doubly proactive in confronting these men of the underworld. These hard hearted gang of criminals have made us to believe that violence is the only language they understand. More than ever before we are determined to pay them in the same coins.

5. In recent weeks, the act of banditry has reverted to the ugly dimensions it had prior to the coming of my administration. The marauders kill without regard for any rules of sanity. Women, the elderly, and children are not spared. As a result, a large number of people have been displaced in nearly every town in the State.

6. My dear people of Zamfara people, you are witnesses to what we have accomplished from the beginning of our administration, particularly the peace and reconciliation efforts that we initiated and achieved. As a result, we have been able to shift our violent narratives to ones of optimism and peaceful coexistence. Unfortunately, things suddenly took a dramatic turn, and things are getting worse by the day.

It is clear that some invincible hands are plotting evil against our people with the goal of making our State as terrifying as it were in the years gone by. My constant prayer is for Allah to reveal those who are perpetrating these cruel atrocities against our people.

7. I assure you that we will remain steadfast in our efforts to eradicate banditry and all types of criminality from the State. In this battle, no sacred cow. Whosoever is involved in these dastardly acts, no matter how highly placed, would be dealt with according to the law. We have demonstrated this commitment based on the actions we have taken in respect of Emir of Maru, Emir of Dansadau and, following yesterdays incident, the Emir of Zurmi.

8. My administration has resolved to begin implementing the recommendations of the MD Abubakar-led Committee on Finding Solutions to Banditry in Zamfara State as a next step in addressing this vexing problem. We would not spare anyone indicted by the committees report, no matter how high up they are.

9. I stated while receiving the report on 11th October 2019 that in implementing the report, the interest of the people of the State, especially their safety, security and individual as well as collective progress and development, would be the guiding principles of my government.

10. Let me reiterate my call during the special sermon and prayers yesterday that our people should complement the efforts of the security forces by defending their communities in the wake of any attacks. This strategy is part of the decisions taken by the northern states governors to combat the menace of banditry and related crimes in the region.

11. I wish to call on the people everywhere in the State to be vigilant and cooperate with the security operatives for the success of this battle, as the fight against insecurity requires concerted efforts. In one way or the other, everybody has a role to play in addressing our security challenges.

12. While security operatives re-strategize to deal with the crisis desively, I urge our people to continue to pray for their success. May Almighty Allah bring us back to the glorious era of peace and prosperity we once enjoyed.

13. Thank you all. Wassalamu Alaikum.
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About 7,403 soldiers and officers of other security agencies have been wounded in the battle against bandits and insurgents, the Nigerian Army has said.

Some have been treated and discharged with different deformities while some soldiers have been maimed for life and would require cutting edge medical facilities to keep them alive.

The acting Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna State, Stephen Onuchukwu, a colonel, made this known to a delegation of the Senate on Saturday.

The delegation was led by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan. The visit is part of the Senates activities to mark the second anniversary of the ninth assembly.

Mr Onuchukwu, who received the delegation, decried the challenges that staff and patients of the 600-bed hospital are facing.

The CMD, who is an Orthopaedic Consultant, explained that at the 44 Army Reference Hospital alone, a total of 7, 403 wounded soldiers in action, have been received, treated and some undergoing treatment.

Since the war against insurgency, about 7,403 Wounded in Action (WIA) military personnel have been evacuated to this hospital for very urgent medical attention.

While some of such wounded personnel got treated and discharged with different forms of deformities, some are maimed for life. Those in this category are the ones with spinal cord injury being assisted with Urethral Implant for them to urinate.

Some also have their legs and hands cut off as a result of cancerous injuries sustained at the battlefronts. These are aside others, being rehabilitated from physical, emotional and psychological injuries, he said.

He explained that the hospital, among others, has five suites of theatres, 8-bed Intensive Care Unit, state of the art Radiology Department and an Endoscopy Unit. But despite the increased capacity of the hospital, some special procedures and treatment are still done abroad.

He, therefore, appealed to the National Assembly and the federal government to assist the hospital attaining the status of UN Level 4 Hospital.

In his remarks, Mr Lawan said work will be done to ensure that the armed forces are properly resourced and motivated.

He said the N895 billion supplementary budget, recently forwarded to the National Assembly by the presidency for purchase of military equipment and COVID-19 vaccines, would be expeditiously considered and passed, and that more funds would be appropriated for the military in the 2022 budget.

The countrys mounting security would expose the military personnel to different forms of injuries, thus the need for more medical facilities to cater for the needs of wounded soldiers. We cant expect so much from you and give you little. That will be unfair.

ALSO READ: Nigerian Army urges Boko Haram terrorists to surrender

Our armed forces deserve the support of all Nigerians. We have to give them adequate resources to protect the country because everything needs peace and security.

A donation of N10 million was made by the Senate to some of the wounded soldiers undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The Senate delegation, along with the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and the General Officer, 1st Mechanized Division, Ali Keffi, a major general, also visited the Wounded in Action patients across the various wards.
The Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes last week reviewed the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS).

This comes two years after President Muhammadu Buhari approved the implementation of a harmonised Anti-Corruption Strategy in 2017.

The enforcement is aimed at enhancing efforts to recover stolen public assets and ensure better collaboration between anti-graft agencies.

It also comes shortly after Nigeria joined the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2016 and developed the National Action Plan (NAP)  implementing 16 commitments; fiscal transparency, anti-corruption, extractive transparency, inclusiveness, and public service delivery, among others.

The Senate panel had directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)to submit their reports on their fight against corruption and achievements recorded.

The committee, in a two-day event, partnered with the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CFTIW) to review the reports presented by various MDAs.

Some heads of agencies that appeared before the panel include the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari; Chairman, Independent Commission on Corrupt Practices (ICPC), Bolaji Owasanoye; and Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Garba Abari.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Ministry of Justice, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and others sent representatives.

Review/presentations

Presenting his report, Mr Kyari, said part of the NNPCs achievements of the implementation of the NACS include the creation of an anti-corruption office, a risk management charter, a regulatory and government compliance charter, an internal audit charter and the investigation of corruption.

Our transparency policy says we must disclose anyone we do business with, we are working with the Trade Commission on this. We are required to have transparency in commodity trading, this means that the crude oil and gas we sell must be fully disclosed.

Anyone here can just go to the NNPC website. All the required data can be found in the public space. The NNPC, for 43 years, never published our audited accounts. But we did it for 2018, we published for 2019 and we will publish the audited financial statements 2020.

He also blamed the failure of the deregulation of oil downstream on the COVID-19 pandemic and the #EndSARS protest that rocked parts of the country in 2020.

Although the collapse in oil prices due to the pandemic gave Nigeria an opportunity to cut subsidies, the protests forced the government to reconsider its decision, he said.

Mr Owansanoye announced that the ICPC has conducted a corruption risk assessment of some MDAs and that the agency focuses on preventing corruption.

One of the strategies highlighted was MDA System Investigation and Corruption Risk Assessment.

We noticed an improvement because we published the reports in the newspapers, they are having an impact. We conducted an in-depth review of 5 MDAs and 104 unit schools across the country, he said.

More achievements

Also before the committee was the Database Manager of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Aliyu Aliyu, who said the agency has developed a database system and is streamlining the governments procurement process.

The BPP, he said, has trained procurement officers at Federal University of Owerri, Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, and University of Lagos, among others and about 328 government officials received lectures on the use of the Nigerian Open Contracting (NOCPO) portal.

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ALSO READ: EFCC urges Nigerians abroad to join Buhari in fight against corruption

On the procurement office management system, he suggested that the capacity building of the contractor and the procurement controller is only 20 per cent, while the creation of a national contractor verification team and of a verification database is 100 per cent.

We have fully implemented open contracts and adopted the contract data standard. MDAs are expected to upload their procurement plans and procurement records to the portal.

Meanwhile, the representative of the Nigerian Customs Service mentioned the establishment of Nigerias integrated customs systems. The platform, they said, allows stakeholders to access the system update from the comfort of their home or office.

The agency also told the committee that an Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) had also been set up at its headquarters, seaports and airports, in line with guidelines from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The Auditor-General, represented by the Audit Director, Gandu Magaji, confirmed that the staff had been made aware of the NACS, the forensic audit, and that an ACTU unit is operational.

The office of the Vice President, represented by Fatima Waziri-Azi, Senior Special Assistant on Rule of Law, called for the adoption of the data in the MDA report template. She said the data will help to measure the impact of the strategy.

We are happy that this forum has been planned to allow us to assess the NASC and know the level of the fight against corruption. To adequately review implementation, MDAs here, who have submitted their reports, should also be asked to provide specific data and figures.

How many people have been trained? How many meetings have been held? We need data to measure the impact. We have seen that the funding and the structure have not really worked well. This is something we should think about when reviewing NACS for the second time.

In his remarks, chairman of the panel, Suleiman Kwari (Kaduna North), assured that the Senate would review the funding for MDAs. He also asked the MDAs to submit an assessment of the NASCs implementation to the committees secretariat.

He particularly congratulated the ICPC boss for the efforts of the agency and asked all participants to use the commissions model for performance evaluation.

While he thanked CFTIW and its Executive Director, Umar Yakubu, for the initiative and the technical support to drive the process, the lawmaker said the legislature will continue to help the president fight corruption.

The panel is expected to present its report to the Senate on another legislative day.
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The Emir of Zazzau, Ahmad Bamalli, on Monday, cried out that his emirate, Zaria in Kaduna State, is under the siege of bandits.

The monarch said Zaria city and its surroundings are experiencing incessant attacks and abductions.

Mr Bamalli stated this while hosting a delegation of the heads of security agencies serving in Kaduna at his palace. The delegation was led by the states Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan.

The emir said the situation is unacceptable and urged the government to arrest the situation before it gets out of control.

He said despite the location of military formations and training schools in the emirate, the area is not secure.

Speaking earlier, Mr Aruwan said the delegation was at the palace for confidence-building and to commiserate with the emirate over the incident at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic and neighbouring communities.

Mr Aruwan said the state government was doing everything possible to protect the emirate and the state in general.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how bandits attacked Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, killing a student and kidnapping others. The bandits continued the siege for many days, attacking Kofar Gayan and Kofar Kona areas of Zaria and abducting many residents.

The police spokesperson in Kaduna, Mohammed Jalige, confirmed the latest incident but did not state the numbers of persons affected

Mr Jalige said the incident occurred around Government Girls Secondary School, Kofar Gayan, in the Zaria metropolis on Saturday.
The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has come under fire on social media following a viral picture showing him stepping on a poster with the face of his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, at a public event in Kano.

Both men were longtime political allies but turned adversaries after Mr Ganduje became governor.

The picture captured the governor stepping on a poster with the face of Mr Kwankwaso during an event on Democracy Day where some defectors were welcomed into the All Progressives Congress.

Many Facebook users pounded the governor over the action, including his former Commissioner for Work, Muaz Magaji.

Mr Ganduje had sacked Mr Magaji over controversial comments he made on the death of President Muhammadu Buharis chief of staff, Abba Kyari.

Reacting to the picture, Mr Magaji said the governors action was unbecoming and disgraceful, adding that Mr Kwankwaso remains Mr Gandujes boss despite their current statuses.

Whoever advised this as an act of political opposition, or more appropriately, a demonstration of conquest, vanquish or authority, doesnt know politics enough and how it spins..this act am sorry to say Sir, is petty and not right coming from an elder and our leader like yourself. ..

Your Excellency, no matter what happens Kwankwaso was a former Governor, Minister of the Federal Republic and a former deputy speaker of the National Assembly and was a Distinguished Senator of the Federation.and today a major (confused) political actor in the Federation from Kano State, Mr Magaji posted on Facebook.

Sir, Kwankwaso also through divine timing and design happened to be your former boss as Governor when you were his deputy Governor and S.A. as Minister.

This act is sending wrong message and sadly will come back to haunt us as a party and Government. Just imagine how I will feel if I see this happening to HE AU Ganduje after he leaves office? For the record, we fought SLS for his disrespect for the position, age and status of HE AU Ganduje in Kano, the former commissioner said

I will urge HE to pls take the moral position of an elder and leader. Having won the bitter war between him and RMK, got all he wanted in his life, most of which was with RMK, and as Allah wished it the coveted prize of Governorship was despite and irrespective of RMK.that to me was the greatest win, Mr Magaji wrote

Also commenting on Facebook, Ibrahim Garba-Maryam, a Kano based development activist, accused Mr Ganduje of diverting public attention from critical development issues.

Kwankwaso is not our problem in Kano. He owes nothing to us except his political ideology. Sir, our problem in Kano is political kleptomania and deficiency in infrastructure, including political lies, for instance, free and compulsory education being aborted by selfishness, Mr Garba-Maryam posted on Facebook.

Another Facebook user, Haruna Abubakar-Bebeji, said: May God not let us betray whoever helps us in life, no matter how little.

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However, for Sageerr Tarda-Ungogo, if Kwankwaso could call Mr Ganduje a mad man and you didnt hold him to his word, now you have no reason to criticise Ganduje for stepping on Kwankwasos picture.

We are together with Ganduje 100% and Kano belongs to him. By age, Ganduje is above Kwankwaso and he is a governor, no reason whatsoever to call him a mad man, Mr Tarda-Ungogo wrote.

The new media aide to the governor, Abubakar Ibrahim, saw nothing wrong in Mr Gandujes action.

Changing rhetoric

However, following the backlash on social media, the commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, said the viral picture was unintentional.

In a statement, the commissioner said that no matter the political misunderstanding and differences, it has never been the character of Governor Ganduje to engage in any disrespectful act or belittling any political leader.

Explaining what actually happened, Mr Garba said: During the event, which was organised as part of activities marking this years Democracy Day, two former gubernatorial candidates and many members of the Kwankwasiyya defected to the APC.

When Governor Ganduje was called to the podium, the former Kwankwasiyya members lined up on the way to applaud and pay their allegiance to the governor.

Some of the members who abandoned the Kwankwasiyya movement at the event, parenthetically, were down playing pictures of the former governor, one of which, dropped on the red carpet as Governor Ganduje walked his way to the podium, and unknowingly stepped on it.

The commissioner said Mr Ganduje is peace loving and tolerant, adding that the governor habours no grudges against Mr Kwankwaso.
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the All Progressives Congress (APC) will have no place in post-Buhari Nigeria, given the resolution by Nigerians to return the nation to the path of peace, unity and economic prosperity, which can never be attained if a party like APC is allowed to govern beyond 2023.

This was disclosed in a statement released on Monday by the partys national spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The main opposition party noted that President Muhammadu Buharis efforts to launder the APC to remain in power after his tenure amounts to an effort in futility as Nigerians are no longer ready to put up with the wickedness of the APC, in its atrocious activities, treasury looting and Janjaweed ideology of violence, with which they have held the nation captive in the last six years.

Read the full statement below:

Our party is informed of how desperate APC leaders, who have been indicted for treasury looting and aiding of terrorism in our country, are blackmailing President Buhari to use his media interviews to canvass the perpetuation of APC in power so as to shield them from prosecution at the inevitable end of his tenure in 2023.

The PDP is already aware of how such individuals have been trying to force Mr. President to commence an early campaign for the APC.

While not excusing the personal failures of Mr. President as well as the incompetence that embodies the Buhari Presidency, it is incontrovertible that the APC, as a decadent political party, founded on vices of vindictiveness, divisiveness, falsehood, fake promises, electoral manipulations, support for violence, stealing, sectional marginalization and hatred, cannot produce the desired leadership for our nation after President Buhari.

That is why some individuals, in the APC, who by their backgrounds as religious leaders, community leaders, legal luminaries, rights advocates and moralists who should be speaking out in the face of misrule, have rather have found themselves entangled in APC Bermuda Triangle of violence and corruption, where they have ignobly become apostles of falsehood, corruption, injustice as well as backers of acts of terrorism in our country.

Mr. President should know that Nigerians are not ready to be beguiled again to further entrust the destiny of our nation in the hands of the APC, which has in the last six years, superintendent over the looting of over N25.1 trillion from various ministries, agencies and department of government; leading to the ruining of our once robust economy.

Nigerians are invited to note how the President Buhari-led APC administration has failed to prosecute APC leaders and their agents indicted in the reported disappearance of N10.1 trillion from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in March this year, the N9.6 trillion NNPC scam, the reported N1.1 trillion crude oil fraud, alleged N1.4 trillion fuel subsidy scam, the N500 billion Social Intervention fraud exposed by the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, as well as massive looting in FIRS, NEMA, EFCC, NDDC, NPA, NIMASA, NHIS and other agencies of government.

This is in addition to reports of how APC, as a party, is behind the importation of terrorist elements and emboldening of terrorist activities, arbitrary arrests and sudden disappearances of dissenting voices, sectional marginalization, political killings, escalated abuse of human rights including the clampdown on our youths during the EndSARS protest as well as the stifling of social media in our country.

That is why the APC has never raised a strong voice against acts of terrorism, killings, electoral violence and treasury looting.

Mr. President should therefore stop wasting his time trying to launder the APC. He should know that Nigerians have moved beyond APCs gimmicks and that is why they are rallying on the platform of the PDP to rescue our nation from misrule.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan

National Publicity Secretary
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It is about achieving Nigerias manifest destiny. An entrepreneur is ready to put together ideas, innovation, solutions, knowledge, information, technology and other factors of production, so as to achieve something new and desirable. He may get glory or glory may tarry. But s/he perseveres. Nigerian youths must persevere for this patch of earth in which God has planted their heads.

I was graciously invited to a political meeting recently in Abuja. I hadnt been to such in a while and, of course, my political interest in Nigeria is waning, but not my interest in Nigeria herself. In such meetings where there are quite a number of individuals with heavy political credentials in their own rights, it is often difficult to get a space to speak, or to express oneself as much as one would like to. I will not mention which meeting and who was there, because I have no authority to put their meetings out in the open. However, I have great respect for anyone who is struggling, at their own expense, to get Nigerians to come together to discuss the future, as against those who insist that the end has come for the entity. I managed to get a word in, but the things I said  and those I couldnt  have weighed on my mind, prompting this article. I realised that there is a need to expand on my thoughts at this critical juncture of Nigerias sociopolitical evolution.

My key prompt for the intervention I made at the meeting, was the expected skewness of the discussions at some point, towards issues of tribe, ethnic nationalities, religion, and all the issues that have divided us. A few of the commenters also believed that Nigeria faces an existential crisis to the extent that the biggest question before us is whether we want to remain as one. A few people questioned the legitimacy of the country as it is. Those who shared this view projected that opinion on the majority of Nigerians, saying that was the feeling on the streets. Whereas it is true that many Nigerians are disenchanted with the current situation of things  especially security and the economy  I felt it was important to interrogate how those issues have translated into mass calls for disintegration and whether leaders from all the constituent parts of this nation are leading, especially the young people who look up to them, aright, or helping the less-experienced folk to find hope where none seems to exist, or whether indeed it is these political people who are infusing fear and despair into people to worsen the situation.

Never Take Government By Deceit

The first thing I said under two minutes at the meeting, was that whoever wishes to form the government in 2023 should ensure that they have a message of hope for the future and a positive view of Nigerias possibilities. For anyone who wishes to be president in 2023, the first assignment is to inspire positivism out of the usual default of gloom that we hear everywhere. There has to be a way. Many people dont think hard about issues in this milieu, but a leader must find the ability to do such. The government that will lead Nigeria out of the current state of mass depression, must be an innocent one, not a government that ascends on the basis of lies, criticisms, propaganda, or even the selling out of Nigerias soul to foreign powers of any kind. We dont have to go far to see why. The current leaders today are complaining of unfair criticisms, lies and propaganda from the opposition when they too rode in on the basis of the same broth of negativism. Even Jonathans government came in on the back of propaganda by the likes of El-Rufai, who hated YarAdua and concocted many lies against his administration. One neednt be spiritual to connect current challenges with the means by which people gain power. Any government that will make positive impact in Nigeria must avoid a curse on its head and steer clear of too much criticism and the maligning of what is on ground. Instead, such a leader must project solutions to our problems, outside-the-box ideas to revolutionise the countrys fortunes, camaraderie and rapprochement among the ethnic and religious groupings; a positive, entrepreneurial view of the nation among the youths; an abundant spirit and view about this nation; and, of course, hope even when it seems there is none. Please note that I am no longer running, so this is not another spiel from some snake oil salesman.

My view of restructuring remains that no structure is perfect. The fact that regions who detested regional policing in 1965 now want it by all means, while those who wanted it then now despise it; the fact that those who wanted out of the structure then, now want a united Nigeria today, while those who begged to keep Nigeria together want out today, means that human beings will always change their minds

Nigeria Is Great and Can Work

I also managed to put in the fact that from my point of view, all I see are prospects and opportunities for Nigeria, and indeed, if we ended Nigeria today, we may as well engrave on her tombstone: returned unopened (well I forgot to tell the audience this but that is my thought). In other words, we havent worked the potentials of this nation at all. Give this space to the Germans, Chinese or Americans and woah! So, the challenge is how to make this country work and how to maximise her potentials. I believe that Africa does not need smaller countries  like those ones that France kneels on their necks and chokes the life out of them; Im talking of those ones that cannot have their own currencies or central banks and which have to keep their reserves in France and get caned on their palms if their profligacy makes them come back for some of the cake that Big Uncle Francis is keeping on their behalf, because she doesnt think they could ever be responsible enough to manage their own affairs. In fact, I am thinking about the manifest destiny of this country that we have lampooned, denigrated, raped and robbed so often and so much. Close to the end of the 19th Century, the leaders of the U.S.A spoke at length about the manifest destiny of that country. Some presidential candidates adopted that as a slogan. Nigerias manifest destiny is clear  to be the leading light in Africa, a country run by black Africans without oppression, a country that sets the standards for others in its class, a country that uplifts the status of the black man and woman anywhere that they may be found. Apparently, we have been faffing about and moving that destiny in reverse. But I believe that at some point, we must make progress.

Restructuring and the Constitution

I never miss the opportunity to speak about my understanding of restructuring and at this meeting, many big wigs believed that the idea was even dead, as we should be talking about something more fundamental  like self-determination for the constituent parts of Nigeria. Some said it was already too late, while others said the focus should be on inserting only one clause in that Constitution  referendum. Others rose against this idea, seeing it as an avenue by which some parts of Nigeria hoped to activate the disintegration of the country. I must say that I also told the meeting that the views of the average 20 or 30 years old Nigeria would not be to disintegrate the country, except if the minds of the young had been poisoned by old folks. Yes, many young Nigerians now believe strongly that Nigeria is finished, but when interrogated you find out they dont have the full picture; the nuanced history about how we got here. They only re-echo what they have been told by old folks, many of whom had benefited one way or another as the country hurtled down the slope. If someone with a more optimistic vision of the country spoke to these youths, and we can extract a bit more equity from governmental structures, they will see that someone is about to con them and make them lose this huge, plain canvass in front of them  Nigeria  upon which they should have created the most beautiful artwork for their own delight and that of their children. My view of restructuring remains that no structure is perfect. The fact that regions who detested regional policing in 1965 now want it by all means, while those who wanted it then now despise it; the fact that those who wanted out of the structure then, now want a united Nigeria today, while those who begged to keep Nigeria together want out today, means that human beings will always change their minds, structures will always expire or become unfit for purpose, and therefore what is needed is dynamism. This dynamism must be codified into our Constitution  such that the document should be thoroughly reviewed, say, every four years to deliver more to the average Nigerian. Therefore, the Constitution that embeds the structure too can never be perfect. All the talk of a new constitution and such, is over-the-top and a recipe for more confusion. It could even be argued that the military that allegedly wrote the current constitution are Nigerians like the rest of us. Outlawing everything they did  if that was possible  is a bit preposterous.

History

I mentioned the fact that our young people dont know a lot of the history of how we got here. With the benefit of the internet, they are not exactly ignorant, but also, history itself is a very tricky subject that has several versions. Oftentimes, the truth is first murdered and its carcass presented as history. Winston Churchill famously stated that it is the prerogative of the victor, to rewrite history. For instance, that angle about the military writing our constitution, let us look at it closer. Great Britain, our coloniser, does not have a written constitution but they have a common law. A country is a product of its history. Britain has been plundered and ruled by the Romans, the French, the Germans, the Danes, the Huns (Scandinavians) and all sorts. The tranquility we see there today did not appear from the blues. The parliament did not emanate from the blues too. There was a civil war in Britain in 1642, culminating in a coup detat in 1649. Many kings have ascended by killing their brothers in many monarchies around the world, but quite notably in 1653, Englands most prominent military man, Oliver Cromwell, seized the government and deposed the monarchy. In fact, that act is credited as the very beginning of republicanism  government by the people for the people  all over the world. That is what we are enjoying today as democracy. We are not hearing that the British seek to obliterate some of the acts of Cromwell or any of their leaders past. There are ways to work around these issues. On the basis of history alone, we have no excuse to split Nigeria. In fact, many of the admired countries in the world have seen a lot worse than we have  wars, famine, diseases, plagues, misgovernance, impositions, plundering, piracy, oppression and what not. These things are not to be desired, but life is also not a bed of roses. I also do not think 61 years in the life of a country is too long, such as to call for its disintegration. Indeed, under three years of focused, communicative, inspired government, we can pull this country together. I believe. Someone like the Late Magufuli tried it in recent times and I was shocked to realise that truly, Tanzania experienced transformation in spite of all the controversies. His death remains a mystery though.

it always occurs to me, that in this big argument, I, and a few in my corner, seem to be saying to King Solomon, please do not cut the child in two. She is definitely my child and I would rather see her live than die from being cut in two (or into a hundred pieces), to be barbecued by cannibals. I believe that once there is life, there will always be hope

An Entrepreneurial View

When I left the meeting, I kept thinking about why I am not seeing the gloomy picture that many people are painting about Nigeria. Maybe there is something wrong with me. Here I am, a struggling businessman/consultant, getting battered by Nigeria, frozen out of many places by this particular All Progressives Congress (APC) government where the playing field has never been so uneven, with my fortunes dwindling daily from what it was, cheated and robbed from a political party that we formed and invested so much in. Even if I wasnt hopeful of becoming a business success again in my time, I still cannot but see through the eyes of my children and every young, confused, innocent, energetic, networked, passionate Nigerian out there that there is no need splitting this country, or daily selling the idea of how the country is finished. I see that the idea is very popular with those who wish to hang the causes of their shortcomings entirely on Nigeria, but we can see that even abroad there are serious problems. Oftentimes when we end up activating our Plan B and we get abroad, we are shocked by the severity of existence in some of those countries  especially for black people. Many people are suffering in Nigeria, but we still have social capital, for example. This means people step up to help one another. Our communal culture helps. Our diversity  no matter its being mismanaged  helps a lot. Millions of Nigerians come from communities where their lineages and clans had been marked or ostracised and where they had been foretold never to rise above a limit in their personal quests, on the basis of some ancestral or traditional fable, but when they prove themselves to someone who knows nothing about ancient tribal issues, from a different part of Nigeria, they soar. This is one of the advantages of diversity, which will disappear once we revert to ethnic enclaves. The diversity of ideas with which the country is being run, which stems from the mishmash of cultures, is also something we could harness, rather than throw everything overboard. I believe that even if it was by lottery, one day we shall get luckier with leadership.

I realised that I only see Nigeria through the eyes of an entrepreneur. Maybe that is what the Chinese, the Indians, the Europeans, British and Americans, and the Lebanese, who come here, see. They know they could do a lot more if there was security, but they hedge their risks and continue maxing out their profits. In fact, they see that one of the best ways of making money is simply by organising Nigerians into rows and columns, using their systems to generate order, since we are unable to do this ourselves. That is why they say, build it, they will come. Have you seen the businesses they build? From restaurants and bars by the Lebanese to the industries by the Chinese, to the global tech firms by Americans? An entrepreneur knows that there are risks everywhere, but he wakes up daily, with hope clenched in one fist, and ideas in the other, and he faces the market where competitors are a dime a dozen. The fact that the race is in a cut-throat alley does not matter that much. In fact, he knows that catching the cut-throat thieves  or even encouraging them  itself is a business from which some may make profit. A true entrepreneur never says never. S/he sees opportunities where others see nothing. I want Nigerian youths to be like the Biblical Joshua and Caleb, two spies who came back out of the 12, and said absolutely, the land is full of milk and honey! And it is ours to own. The same land of which 10 others said there was no hope because the giants made them look like cockroaches. This is what I am about  not necessarily about the prospects of making money here per se, but the prospect of making this place a land of great people and positive news; a land whose people will be respected, not scorned, everywhere. It is about achieving Nigerias manifest destiny. An entrepreneur is ready to put together ideas, innovation, solutions, knowledge, information, technology and other factors of production, so as to achieve something new and desirable. He may get glory or glory may tarry. But s/he perseveres. Nigerian youths must persevere for this patch of earth in which God has planted their heads. Those who go abroad and daily sponsor the disintegration of this country (just a few, not all), are only being myopic and many are projecting their personal failure on a land that is really without fault, sans bad leadership which we the people throw up from among ourselves.

Lastly, and apologies for another religious analogy, it always occurs to me, that in this big argument, I, and a few in my corner, seem to be saying to King Solomon, please do not cut the child in two. She is definitely my child and I would rather see her live than die from being cut in two (or into a hundred pieces), to be barbecued by cannibals. I believe that once there is life, there will always be hope, like that good woman who contended for the baby.

Tope Fasua, an economist, author, blogger, entrepreneur, and recent presidential candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), can be reached through topsyfash@yahoo.com.
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One Nigeria is not a mantra. It is an outlook of tolerance, a willingness to accommodate, a commitment to building a diverse society where the rights of one are fairly balanced against the rights of the other, so that everyone has a healthy stake in the Union For, ultimately, it is a just Nigeria that is One Nigeria  nothing else.

Mister President, I listened very closely to your last interview, and would respectfully like to respond to the parts that stung me the most. You are famous for saying a lot with a little. And, in that interview, you did not disappoint. It is an ability every good poet strives to have. But, forgive me, this letter is rather long. Let us begin.

Your solution to the farmer/herder crisis is not the correct one. You have asked us to understand that open grazing is part of the culture of the nomadic Fulani. And you have also suggested that the way forward is to dispossess all who have encroached on those grazing routes and reserves marked out in the 1960s.

I know, sir, that as a Fulani man your heart will always tilt towards the Fulani. Indeed, as Nigerians, we all wrestle with this instinct  to speak in the interests of our own ethnic groups, even when so doing would, clearly, not be the right thing. But I appeal to you to consider the fact, easily verifiable, that open grazing by nomadic Fulani herdsmen is the cause of conflicts resulting in more deaths, year on year, in Nigeria today than any other. Please think about it. That a successful attack, even by the dreaded Boko Haram, does not immediately lead to a palpable heightening of ethno-religious tensions across the country. But each attack by armed herdsmen, not only puts more of your citizens  on average, per attack  in body bags, but feeds these tensions as directly as pouring kerosene on fire.

Do you consider yourself Nigerian first, or do you consider yourself Fulani first? If armed Fulani from across the West African region mobilise to carry out a struggle within Nigeria, on which side would you fight? If your honest answer would be, on the side of the Fulani, then you have more in common with todays secessionists than you realise.

It cannot be that all affected farmers, from Zamfara to Bayelsa  different tribes, different tongues  all have this problem of not understanding the culture of the Fulani. It can only be that this aspect of the culture of the nomadic Fulani  like the killing of twins, or the abandonment of babies in evil forests, like mutilation of the genitals of little girls or the disinheritance of women  is one that needs to evolve with the times. Because Abuja, as it is today, did not exist in the 1960s. How can we go back? Our population has more than doubled since the 1960s. How can we go back? Attempting to force the country back to the days when a vast country and a relatively small and dispersed population made open grazing sustainable is as futile as banning Twitter. That train has left the station. Already, under your watch, the historic Hausa-Fulani classification has, for the first time in living memory, been broken. If you keep trying to send us back in time, with a policy position that considers the root cause of Nigerias most lethal crisis  the herder/farmer crisis  as the inability of all other ethnic groups to understand the Fulani, your only success will be in further isolating the Fulani as targets of popular discontent in public imagination.

Two. We know you have kith and kin on the other side of the border with Niger  because you have told us so. We know that the Fulani from Mauritania (the ones you say are adept with the AK-47) cannot be distinguished from the Fulani in Nigeria (the ones you say only carry matchets and sticks). But for a believer in One Nigeria, one should not be left wondering if your loyalty to your trans-regional ethnic group is equal to, or greater than, your loyalty to your own nation. Do you consider yourself Nigerian first, or do you consider yourself Fulani first? If armed Fulani from across the West African region mobilise to carry out a struggle within Nigeria, on which side would you fight? If your honest answer would be, on the side of the Fulani, then you have more in common with todays secessionists than you realise. And this is not uncommon. For we live in a country where the average citizen struggles with this internal sense of divided loyalties  between their ethnicity and their nationality. And it is precisely for this reason that our founding fathers made it a cardinal principle of the Nigerian state  to run an inclusive system of government. It is why section 15 of our Constitution mandates the State to foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various peoples of the Federation, TO THE END THAT LOYALTY TO THE NATION SHALL OVERRIDE SECTIONAL LOYALTIES.

Our founders, and our current Constitution, recognise that One Nigeria is a construct that has to be proactively invested in and built, if it is to be realised. And that one of the most important tools for doing this is running an inclusive government. That is a government that listens. That is a government that engages with different points of view.

You see? Our founders, and our current Constitution, recognise that One Nigeria is a construct that has to be proactively invested in and built, if it is to be realised. And that one of the most important tools for doing this is running an inclusive government. That is a government that listens. That is a government that engages with different points of view. That is a government that carries everyone along. That is a government that, according to Sir Ahmadu Bello, does not pretend that we do not have differences, but instead commits to understanding these differences and accommodating them. This is the cardinal principle that your government has so visibly violated, particularly in the area of your body language towards the South-East (that infamous five per cent comment) and your appointments into sensitive positions. And it is this that is the root cause of the unrest in the region. For, as you very rightly said in your interview, if you give people what they want  the infrastructural development and sense of belonging they crave  they will leave you alone.

In truth, Nigeria is a country that only works when it is being led by someone who has resolved the inner struggle between ethnicity and nation within himself or herself in favour of nation. By someone who is truly committed to the national interest. By someone who, in ethos and orientation, is Nigerian. For One Nigeria is not a mantra. It is an outlook of tolerance, a willingness to accommodate, a commitment to building a diverse society where the rights of one are fairly balanced against the rights of the other, so that everyone has a healthy stake in the Union. It is just like Wole Soyinka said in his poignant rejoinder to that famous Civil War jingle. The Poet Laureate said  the attitude should not be, To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done, rather it should be, To make Nigeria one, Justice must be done. For, ultimately, it is a just Nigeria that is One Nigeria  nothing else. With this in mind, Mr President, please lead us forward.

Dike Chukwumerije, a lawyer and author, is a spoken word and performance poetry artist.
Dear Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Jideofor Onyeama,

We chose to write you instead of President Muhammadu Buhari because it is apparent from the presidents two most recent media outings that his cognitive impairment has greatly deteriorated, even though that is no justification for his murderous and genocidal rhetoric. From his utterances, the gap between things his innermost mind conjures and what his mouth utters has been completely erased. We also chose to write you because you are the most senior Biafran in Buharis government. We know that in your world, Biafra is the worst tag that anyone could put on you. Unfortunately, the people you work with, in and around Aso Rock, see you as a Biafran. You can keep running away from it, but in the deepest corners of their eyes, Biafra is like a shell on you. And like a snail, you cannot cast it off.

Over the last six years, we are aware of your hard work on the international stage to rescue this governments reputation. As this government squandered both at home and abroad the enormous goodwill it received in 2015, you have worked hard to reassure the international community that the wheel of the Nigerian vessel had not come off and would not come off. Based on recent events, you do not need a soothsayer or us to tell you that the wheels came off a long time ago. What the international community was telling you in private weeks ago, they have made a tiny bit of it public following the debacle that is Buharis reaction to Twitters sanction of his genocidal tweet against the people of the South-East.

Clearly, the government that you champion abroad is set to re-enact at home another genocide against the people of South-East Nigeria, which had its opening act during the unfortunate Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970. We think we should have you and the international community on notice. Even your late father, the great Justice Charles Dadi Umeha Onyeama, who was a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, would have told you that in this unfolding moral crisis, you are not just going to be an accomplice in the killing of your own people, already in progress in several parts of South-East Nigeria, you are going to be remembered by history as a man who played a supervisory role in the senseless carnage.

As the blood of young men and women who knew nothing about the activities of a few Biafran activists seep into the red soils where your forefathers are buried, President Buhari would send you abroad to crisscross the world and lie for him. You would be lying that there were no killings of innocent young men and women in the South-East by security agencies. Your talking point would be that the security agencies were quelling the violence perpetrated by Biafran activists. You probably can sell it to the world, but you cannot sell it to your conscience or to the memories of your forefathers who have sacrificed enough for Nigeria.

At this juncture, maybe we should peep through the course of the Nigerian Civil War, a repeat of the genocidal memory of which your boss, Muhammadu Buhari, now threatens the Igbo population of Southeastern Nigeria with. A retrospective view of that war crime should point you to the frightening possibilities of poetic justice for the soul-destroying lying mission you are about to be sent abroad to whitewash. As the world reacted with anger to the massacre of able-bodied Asaba men and boys in October 1967, while their wives, mothers, and sisters, were forced to dance for the sadistic pleasure of trigger-happy soldiers who carried out the slaughter, General Yakubu Gowon, then head of Nigerias military junta, sent his spin doctors abroad for a lying offensive.

Among the propaganda team sent abroad was Philip Asiodu, an Asaba indigene and a Permanent Secretary in the Gowon regime. Asiodu was reported to have told a press conference in Germany that reconciliation was the irrefutable goal of the Gowon administration. He was quoted as saying inter alia, there is no question of massacring Ibos in the captured areas. At the time of the morally reprehensible propaganda mission, Asiodu had no idea that his younger brother, Sydney Asiodu, an Olympic athlete, was one of the victims of anti-Igbo massacre he had finished lying to an international audience did not happen. On his return to Nigeria, instead of savouring the satisfaction of a successful lying mission, he was faced with the mourning of his younger brother, killed by the agents of the same government he had gone abroad to lie for.

As we write this, you are aware that the hordes of Nigerian security agents shipped to the South-East are taking their cue from President Muhammadu Buharis often-expressed odium for the people of that region. They are reading the presidents body language that calls for maximum force in the language they understand. Knowing the history of Nigerias military in Asaba during the Civil War, and later in Odi, Bayelsa State, in 1999, Zaki-Biam in Benue State, in 2001, and in Zaria, Kaduna State, in 2015, where they massacred civilians in their hundreds, and carried out a litany of human rights abuses, nobody would be surprised at the news of young people being massacred after enduring torture in the hands of security agents in the South-East.

No matter how you disguise it, the United Nations, Amnesty International, and other reputable world bodies have unimpeachable documentations of ugly patterns of abuses anywhere the Nigerian military went for any form of intervention. It is why successive American governments have refused to sell arms to Nigeria out of fear that the government would use it against its people. In a brazen show of indifference to what the world thinks, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, recently ordered his officers to ignore any demand to respect human rights in their operations, thus setting the stage for what is shaping up to be an all-out genocide in the South-East.

With you an earshot away, President Buhari vowed to reenact in the South-East the kind of carnage he and Nigerian soldiers carried out during the 1967-1970 Nigeria-Biafra War. He mockingly invoked the obnoxious theory of starvation as a weapon of war that killed hundreds of thousands of women and children when he reminded the South-East people that they were a dot in a circle. As if that was not enough, he aroused the painful abandoned property saga when he reminded them that they had houses and businesses around the country and officially pronounced every Igbo man and woman a Biafran. The president went into the darkest chambers of his heart to spew hatred, all because a group of youths fed up with the state-sanctioned dehumanization of Southeasterners rose to demand justice.

While we condemn the mindless violence that has gone on under any guise in the South-East in the last few months, we must note that it is the lack of leadership of your principal and his blatantly bigoted response that has sustained the violence. In our view, as far as President Buhari is concerned, the Nigeria-Biafra War has not ended. You can then understand why for many young people who did not witness the war, to use President Buharis choice words, the cheque of No victor, no vanquished issued at the end of the war in January 1970 was indeed a dud cheque.

Since your principal has no sense of history, we need to remind you that Nigeria was built on and has been sustained through injustice. Well before the civil war of 1967-70, there was the Tiv crisis of 1960 and 1964 which has lingered up until today in different forms. More than a year before the civil started in 1967, Isaac Adaka Boro, a minority rights activist, was crying for justice for his people in the Niger Delta, where Nigerias oil wealth comes from, the same people President Buhari pandered to in his Arise TV interview when he reminded Biafrans, your people, that the Niger Delta youths and elders had assured him there would be no access to the sea.

Fifty-four years before the #EndSARS movement, which President Buhari said was aimed at removing him for office, on February 23, 1966, out of frustration with Nigeria, Adaka Boro, at the age of 28, declared the Niger Delta Republic, an independent state for Ijaw people suffering environmental degradation of their land and plunder of their oil resources. Brazenly, President Buhari, who was sworn in as president of Nigeria, finds it convenient to share these resources with his kinsmen in Niger Republic. The Twelve-Day Revolution, as Adaka Boro described his exploits, happened before a series of pogroms in 1966/67 against the people of the old Eastern Region, Igbos and non-Igbos, which ultimately led to the declaration of the Republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967.

The poor leadership and discriminatory policies of the Buhari administration are today fueling the clarion call for secession across Nigeria, including prominently, in the South-West. Clearly, the people of the South-East were not the first group to demand a country of their own due to the failure of the Nigerian state to protect them and give them a fair shake in the country. Nor are they the only group making such a demand in present day Nigeria. But somehow, it is the people of the South-East who receive Buharis bitterest venom each time some elements in the region, fed up with injustice, resort to self-help.

Dear honourable minister, in 1990, while you were at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Major Gideon Okar, a Nigerian military officer, staged a coup in which he excised Buharis home state of Katsina and other states in the North from Nigeria. It is this same part of the North that initiated Sharia Law in 2000, in defiance of the constitution. And it is the aftermath of the Sharia Law that led to the emergence of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2002. In 2009, following the extra-judicial killing of Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, a more militant leader named Abubakar Shekau emerged.

The Shekau insurgency has lasted over twelve years, killed more than 30,000 NigeriansMuslims, Christians, men, women, childrenas well as international aid workers, in dastardly acts of terror, and attracted well-financed international terrorist organisations like ISIS and Al Qaeda into West Africa. At various times, Boko Haram took control of sections of the North-East, declared a caliphate, mounted their flags as a separate nation and were collecting taxes from Nigerians within their territory. They posted videos of gruesome execution of their victims, including Nigerian military officers. On at least two occasions, they had attempted to assassinate Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State. We did not witness the kind of genocidal fury and righteous indignation that propel President Buharis scorched-earth response when it comes to the people of the South-East. Daily, across the nook and cranny of Nigeria, we witness calls for secession in different forms, including expulsion orders, without as much as a whimper from the man you serve so diligently, except, of course, the call comes from Biafrans.

If President Buhari can talk glibly in public about what he plans for Biafrans, imagine what he says during security council meetings or when he is with his kitchen cabinet! Of course, we feel it. From Mr. Danladi Umars Biafran boys incident, to the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, comparing open grazing to selling of spare parts  a position Buhari has vowed not to contradict  to the shoot on sight order given to security operatives in the South-East, everyone that matters in the Buhari regime is reading the presidents mind and body language correctly.

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All right-thinking men and women in the South-East condemn the killing of security agents and innocent citizens and the destruction of the countrys vital infrastructure in the region. The way out would have been a measured government response to arrest the ugly development, but not when you have as president, whose allegiance is more to his cousins in other countries than fellow Nigerians who do not share his ethnicity. You would agree, Sir, that whatever excesses Biafran activists exhibit pale in comparison to the activities of well-armed, long-established northern-based groups, most of whom are from the presidents ethnic stock. And this is not to compare whose terrorism is more vicious, but the carnage these extreme groupsbe they herders or those who want to propitiate heavenhave visited upon Nigeria through kidnappings, wanton destructions, and surgical hit on the little threads that keep Nigeria one, has placed them among the top terrorist groups in the world and thereby placed Nigeria on the top of every list of failed nations around the globe. Somehow, these abysmal records do not keep President Buhari up at night. From what we see, what wakes him up from his slumber is any mention of Biafra.

As the sense of Nigerias failure and unjust structure spreads, some people in the South-West have also joined the demand for an independent nation of their own. Despite their vigorous pursuit of Oodua nation, they have not received the same kind of vituperation from Buhari. The president has not spoken about the activists in the South-West as representatives of all the people of the region. He has not made them the scapegoat for his colossal failures the way he takes delight in making the people of the South-East. Why is that, Mr. Onyeama?

Allies of the government that you serve now demand that Igbo people daily profess their loyalty to Nigeria before they receive basic citizenship rights. Igbo people who live in Northern parts of Nigeria are daily inundated by pronouncements of one Northern group or another, who have warned that the lives and property of Igbo people are fair game in the ongoing crisis. They have an ally in your boss, President Buhari. These groups openly send signals that they have been holding their youths from unleashing a Rwanda-style genocide against the Igbo in their region. The government you serve, and its accomplices, have declared all Igbo men and women guilty by association. They even had the audacity to announce that they had foreclosed the possibility of any Igbo person becoming president of Nigeria until all Igbo people go on their knees and make a public denunciation of the advocates for Biafra. The president you serve obediently recently amplified these absurd demands.

Let us jog your memory, Mr. Onyeama. At the outset of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, your principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was then leader of the opposition, defended the group against what he tagged their extra-judicial killings by Nigerias security forces, the same forces he is now deploying to the South-East with orders to treat them in language they understand. At one point, Boko Haram terrorists picked him as the man to negotiate for them with the previous government of President Goodluck Jonathan. None of these caused anyone or a group to demand his disqualification from contesting for the presidency in 2015. At no point did any part of Nigeria label every northerner a Boko Haram member or demand that the North be excluded from Nigerias leadership until they crushed the Boko Haram insurgency.

Today, President Buhari and his allies are blackmailing Ndigbo and generalizing on their character based on the activities of Biafran activists. Mr. Onyeama, think for a moment what would be of you and your career if Biafran activists announce today that you would be the man to negotiate for them with the federal government. Think of it. Would that earn you the presidency of Nigeria in 2023?

For the avoidance of doubt, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, is a product of Buharis incompetence. Buharis paranoiac frenzy about anything Biafra turned what was Nnamdi Kanus agitation for justice and fairness into what it is today. The president, in effect, made Nnamdi Kanu a hero by locking him up and disobeying court orders to free him. Buhari should therefore not be surprised at the formidable opponent he has created as a result. Buharis mismanagement of a complex and diverse country mixed with blatant nepotism is Nnamdi Kanus fuel. If Buhari has any desire to deescalate the tension he created, he has a slew of options on his table. But as we have seen, again and again, Buhari must exhaust all bad options before he chooses a good one staring him in the face.

We know that as a minister, you have not been working with other leaders of the South-East to address matters pertaining to the region. You have been so afraid of annoying Buhari and his clique or making them question your loyalty that you have relinquished leadership and auctioned off the leverage you should have had in the South-East. Before you, the task is to go back to the South-East, not as a man with his tails between his legs, but as the most senior Biafran in Buharis government. Go and engage your people in an honest conversation. If you do it well, working together, you can come up with the proverbial right channel to direct the grievances of your people to the government that you serve.

Dear honorable minister, the alternative is what we are witnessing now. In the South-East, the hawks are in, picking up the chicks one after another. The hen is crying out not for the monster that is killing its chicks to let go but for the world to hear its voice. Your forefathers used to say that we must chase away the hawks before we caution the hen. On your part, as the minister of external affairs, you will soon be sent abroad to walk up podiums around the world to commit the most abominable act against God and manjustify the shedding of innocent blood. You either uphold the ofor of your forefathers, as your middle name commands, or you soil it on the altar of loyalty to the president of a crumbling edifice. The choice is yours. Time is running out!

Dear honorable minister, if you ever have the chance of talking with President Buhari, tell him that Biafra is not the problem of Nigeria. Nigeria is not the first or only country to fight a civil war. Let him know that Nigeria is collapsing under the weight of injustice in the East, West, North and South. In a sentence, we are all Biafrans! Rather than being fixated on a dot in a circle, let him know it is time to go back to the drawing board or sit at the table of nationhood and draw a genuine non-discriminatory circle that accommodates every group, no matter how small, on equal terms. This is the irreducible expectation in a country that prides itself on being a federal republic.

We will end this letter by paraphrasing Edwin Madunagus admonition to the Nigerian Left in his latest essay, Birthday greetings in lieu of responses. He may well be speaking to you, the most senior Biafran in the Buhari regime: Wherever you are today, use all your intellect, use whatever levers you have, as individuals and as groups, to prevent Nigeria fully enacting a second edition of the (1966-1970) tragedy.

Yours truly,

Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo and Chido Onumah

CC:

The UN Secretary General

The US President through the American Embassy in Nigeria

The Canadian Prime Minister through the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria

The British Prime Minister through the British High Commission in Nigeria

The French President through the French Embassy in Nigeria

President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi, Chairperson of the African Union

President Nana Akufo-Addo, ECOWAS Chairman

Head of Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS

Amnesty International

Rudolf Okonkwo is a highly reputed journalist and social commentator, while Chido Onumah is coordinator of African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICIMIL)
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Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has appointed Aminu Gamawa as the new Chief of Staff, Government House, Bauchi.

He replaces Mr Ladan Salihu, sacked on June 9, alongside the Secretary to the State Government, commissioners and other political appointees.

Mr Salihu was the Commissioner for Information before the governor appointed him as chief of staff.

His appointments were despite his being serially accused of fraud in his previous public service roles and being fired as the director general of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria in 2016.

The appointment of the new chief of staff was contained in a statement signed by Mukhtar Gidado, the special adviser on media and publicity to the governor, on Monday in Bauchi.

Mr Gamawa holds a Masters and Doctorate Degree in Law from Harvard Law School at Harvard University, USA; Mr Gidado, the governors media aide, said in a statement.

From Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, the new appointee is a legal practitioner, teacher, policy expert and public servant. He has worked across a wide range of organisations, government agencies, educational institutions and non profitable entities.

In 2019 Dr Gamawa was appointed as Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Bauchi State. He was also the State Focal Person for World Bank Projects, Chairman of Bauchi State COVID-19 Economic Recovery Committee 2020,

Also, Vice Chairman of Bauchi State World Bank States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS), Regional Representative of Technical Working Group on Subnational Ease of Doing Business, among other responsibilities.

While at Harvard he was the Coordinator of Harvard Law School Graduate Forum (2011-2014) and a teaching fellow. He presented many academic and professional papers at local and international conferences. Dr Gamawa was in the year 2020 awarded with the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award.

Until his appointment, he was the immediate past Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Bauchi State, the statement said.

The appointment takes immediate effect, the statement added.
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The Akwa Ibom State Government on Sunday took delivery of two new aircraft  Airbus A220 series  a new addition to the fleet of Ibom Airline.

Ibom Air, which is wholly owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government, now has seven aircraft in its fleet.

The new aircraft are less than two years old.

The two aircraft touched down at about 3 p.m. at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, watched by a large crowd of Akwa Ibom residents, including Governor Udom Emmanuel and other government officials, who had gathered to celebrate their arrival.

This is the first time Ibom Air is having Airbus in its fleet. All the other aircraft in its fleet are Bombardier CRJ-900 which have fewer seats.

Airbus is bigger and has between 120 and 160 seats. Their purchase may very well signal Ibom Airs plan to go regional in its operation.

Today marks a major milestone in the history of aviation development not only for Akwa Ibom State but in this country.

Never in the history of this nation has a state established and owned a successful business Airline.

Never in the whole continent of Africa, the state governor, Mr Emmanuel said, while receiving the new aircraft.

Mr Emmanuel told his guests, including members of the PDP Governors Forum, who were in the state for a meeting, that God knew there would come a time Nigeria would be in despair that Akwa Ibom would raise the hope of the country.

Huge investment in aviation sector

The Akwa Ibom government has made huge investments in the aviation industry since Mr Emmanuel became the governor in 2015.

Apart from investments in Ibom Air, the runway at the Victor Attah International Airport has been expanded to receive international flights.

There is also an ongoing construction of the International terminal building and Maintenance Repairs and Overhaul Facility (MRO), among others.

The government of Gambia recently reached out to Mr Emmanuel on the possibility of Ibom Air flying to Gambia and other West African countries.

Also, the Bayelsa State Government in May opened discussions with the Akwa Ibom government on the use of Ibom Air to start commercial flights at the Bayelsa State International Airport.
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The Nigerian Army has dismissed reports that troops were on revenge mission in some communities in Abia State, following the alleged killing of six soldiers in a clash with IPOB.

The army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, in a statement on Monday, said contrary to reports, no soldier was killed in Ohafia Local Government Area of the state, contrary to the reports.

Mr Yerima, a brigadier-general, also said it was not true that residents of Elu, Amangwu, and Amaekpu in Ohafia Local Government Area were fleeing their homes out of fear.

He described the allegation as a baseless fabrication aimed at tarnishing the good image of the Nigerian army as well as creating distrust between the public and security agents in the state.

Mr Yerima explained that troops only carried out routine clearance operations in the area in line with the rules of engagement and respect for the fundamental human rights of citizens.

The army spokesperson said the operation was aimed at restoring socio-economic activities which had been disrupted by criminal activities of IPOB, accused of being responsible for the attacks on security agents and the destruction of government infrastructure.

According to him, troops, in conjunction with police operatives and other security officials were leveraging on timely and accurate intelligence provided by patriotic citizens, to restore normalcy to troubled spots and to rid the state of criminals.

We wish to reassure the good people of Abia of the safety of their lives and property.

We also urge them to continue to report suspicious movements and activities of strange individuals or groups in their vicinity to the nearest security agency for prompt action, he said.

(NAN)
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A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State, Eze Madumere, has called for dialogue to help resolve grievances of Nigerians from various parts of the country.

Mr Madumere, a former deputy governor of Imo State, said this via a statement from his media aide, Uche Onwuchekwa in Owerri on Sunday.

He congratulated Nigerians on the 2021 Democracy Day celebration and urged them not to relent in their efforts to strengthen the nations democracy.

Mr Madumere urged political office holders to listen to the yearnings of Nigerians as a way of addressing the divisive instinct of some Nigerians occasioned by the feelings of marginalisation.

It is rather unfortunate that Nigeria has strayed away from the right path of nationhood as a result of selfishness of some politicians, who, in their unpatriotic zeal, sacrifice anything for power.

Democracy remains the best form of government to address this myriad of challenges and not war or violence.

I urge leaders and stakeholders to put the people first, make our democratic experience worthwhile by playing according to the rules as there are no losers and winners in an effort to contribute to uplifting society, he said.

He also urged the electorate to elect leaders who have their interests at heart rather than sell their votes.

Our people must reject money for votes because that is taking pittance for their future and the electoral umpire must deploy functional technology to ensure that peoples mandate is not scuttled by activities of corrupt politicians, he said.

Mr Madumere, who said the APC has achieved a lot for Nigeria, urged agitators to articulate their grievances through dialogue and other legitimate means.

According to him, most grievances are an offshoot of unattended frustrations occasioned by real or perceived injustices.

I believe that democratic governance has granted the people the opportunity to follow laid down procedures to remedy anomalies, which have been outlined as core causes of Nigerias derailment.

For our Party, the APC, the indices are there to show how the party has fared with the railway system gradually coming back and our roads being attended to.

Human capital development is receiving huge investment, especially in agriculture and here in the South-east, we are happy with the second Niger Bridge and promised rail system.

I must admit that security remains a challenge and it is very critical to sustainable development, but I believe this is an area where all hands must be on deck, just like Governor Hope Uzodinma stated when he urged all to join him in fighting the hydra-headed monster of insecurity.

I stand for restructuring, as that will enthrone true federalism, where people will take the front seat and politicians, stand as true servant-leaders, he said.

(NAN)
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The kidnappers of Jimoh Olodan, a farmer in Iyemero Ekiti in Ikole Local Government area of Ekiti State, have demanded a N30 million ransom for his release.

Mr Olodan was kidnapped at Elegure farmstead at about 11 p.m., on Friday.

The kidnappers numbering 18, were said to have invaded the farmstead, which was three kilometres to Iyemero Ekiti and about 15 minutes drive to the community.

The bandits shot sporadically into the air to scare the residents, and then besieged Mr Olodans residence before taking him to an unknown destination.

A source at the farm told journalists on Sunday that the kidnappers contacted Mr Olodans family around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday and made the demand.

The people who kidnapped Alhaji Olodan had contacted the family asking for money that has caused serious problem for the victims relations, the source, who would not want to be named for safety reasons, said.

They were asking for the sum of N30 million, which the family found to be too outrageous and they were not comfortable with such demand.

The family and the entire town are very cautious of the safety of the man, because of his role in the community. He is a successful farmer and one of those people we are looking up to .

They are running around to be able to raise sum money, so that the man can be freed. The negotiation is still on with the abductors.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Sunday Abutu, said the police were not aware of the latest development.

We are not aware that they had contacted the family and asked for ransom, Mr Abutu said.

But I know that our men are combing the surrounding bushes in collaboration with local hunters and Amotekun corps.
Yorubaland needs a united and depoliticised Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, for effective protection of their territory from invaders, a socio-cultural group, Majeobaje, has said.

Akintayo Akin-Deko, the Convener, Majeobaje Group, made the submission while speaking with journalists after a meeting, tagged Majeobaje Rountable, held on Sunday in Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Majeobaje Roundtable was attended by representatives of the various Yoruba groups, including that of Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission.

Mr Akin-Deko said that from the extensive deliberations at the meeting, many expressed their displeasure at the operations and management of Amotekun.

He begged the governors and elders to leave the operations of Amotekun outside the purview of the government.

We can see the politics in the whole management of Amotekun. The governors have their political leaders and agenda. Yorubaland needs a united and depoliticised Amotekun, he said.

So we are not happy the way it is being run and we are going to keep pressure on the governors, on our leaders to make sure Amotekun works as an independent unit.

Despite the establishment of Amotekun by the six south-west states, kidnappings and herdsmen attacks have continued in the region.

Mr Akin-Deko stressed that Yoruba groups need to unite at a critical period like this, to ensure they speak with one voice and protect their territory from invaders.

If you are Fulani and you are a law-abiding citizen of Yorubaland, we are honour-bound as Omoluabi to protect you with our own lives.

Our anger is against non-Omoluabis, illegal herdsmen and anybody who try to destroy welfare of the Yorubas. What happened in Igangan was obviously the death of innocent people in Yorubaland, he said.

The convener said that their intention was to evolve a self-defence measure towards finding out who perpetrated the Igangan massacre and get justice for the victims.

He said the measures will also bring relief to the children of the victims, their widows and help in the rehabilitation of the affected communities.

Oladokun Oladiran, the Convener, Igangan Development Advocates, commended the Majeobaje group for bringing other groups in Yorubaland together towards forging a united voice.

Mr Oladiran, who acknowledged that invaders are on the prowl, called on the people to be more proactive and ready to protect their territory and their families.

So, there should be a way for us to motivate ourselves, educate ourselves, enlighten ourselves, so that we will not be caught unawares.

I hope that we have some governmental stakeholders in this gathering who have listening ears and ready to act, he said.

He called on the people not to depend, rely or wait for governments intervention, urging them to unite towards protecting their territory.

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According to him, My take home lesson is that the onus is on us to protect our territories and families. (NAN)
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee in Ogun, on Monday, announced the death of its Treasurer, Adekunbi Banjoko.

The party, in a statement issued by its Caretaker Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, and made available to journalists in Abeokuta said Mr Banjoko died in the early hours of Monday.

Mr Oladunjoye described the late treasurer as a devout Christian, seasoned politician and former Secretary to Sagamu Local Government, he said.

Until his death, he was also a member of Ogun Board of Public Health, he said, adding that he served the party diligently, humbly and to the best of his ability.

He will surely be missed by our members in the state working committee of the party, he said.

Mr Oladunjoye prayed God to grant APC members, his family and friends the fortitude to bear the loss.

(NAN)
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday,inaugurated a 110-bed Maternal and Child Centre (MCC) in Epe, towards curbing maternal and infant mortality.

Speaking during the unveiling, Mr Sanwo-Olu said the four-floor, 110 bed-Maternal Child Centre was another essential facility for safe childbirth and the reduction of maternal and infant mortality.

He said the full-equipped MCC in Epe was a clear demonstration of his administrations seriousness about the war against maternal and child mortality.

According to him, in the last two years, government has shown great commitment to the improvement of maternal and child health indices in the state.

Our overarching goal is to eradicate infant and child mortality in our state, while our women must nolon ger die while giving life.

We remain unwaveringly committed to this goal and this Centre is the fourth MCCs delivered by this administration with the ones already commissioned in Badagry, Eti-Osa and Igando.

We are not done, our plan is to build maternal child centres across the state, to expose expectant mothers to the best pre- and post-natal care by professional health workers using modern and state of the art facilities.

There is no better time than now to put an end to preventable maternal and child deaths  with technological advancement, modern equipment and well-trained health workers.

The process of bringing life into existence should no longer lead to the loss of another life, Sanwo-Olu said.

The governor said that apart from emergency services, the MCC was a secondary public health facility that would provide all services related to reproductive issues.

According to him, this includes: obstetrics; gynecology; pediatrics; family planning, immunisation, laboratory services and radiology.

He urged all expectant and future mothers within Epe Local Government and its environs to make use of the facility and avoid patronising unregistered birth homes.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said his government would leave no stone unturned to provide fully equipped modern health facilities all over Lagos State.

Where necessary, we will build new health facilities; where appropriate, we will renovate and upgrade existing health facilities.

You can be rest assured that all over Lagos, our health facilities will be fully equipped and staffed to meet the health needs of all Lagosians  this is our promise.

This centre with its modern equipment has been made possible through taxpayers money; your money.

You must, therefore, see it as your property and safeguard it because it is an essential facility that has been provided to save lives and promote your well-being, he said.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, said the MCC, Epe, began

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on May 19 and had since registered about 590 expectant mothers, with 100 babies delivered.

Mr Abayomi said government would employ another 20 nurses and 10 doctors to join the current 20 nurses and nine doctors in the facility.

He said services rendered in the facility include emergency services, obstetrics, gynecology, laboratory services/blood bank, radiology/sonography, pediatrics, family planning and immunisation.

Abiodun Tobun, the lawmaker representing Epe Constituency 1 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, thanked the state government for completing the MCC in Epe.

Mr Tobun said the community was ready to collaborate with the government and take responsibility of the facility.

Also, Segun Olulade, a former lawmaker representing Epe Constituency 2 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, , said the facility was significant and showed that development was taking place in the state.

(NAN)
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BEREKUSO, Ghana, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the lessons of COVID-19 still fresh, higher education leaders and stakeholders across Africa will be coming together from June 14th to 16th, 2021, to discuss strategies for improving education outcomes on the continent. The Virtual Convening, organized by the Education Collaborative at Ashesi University in Ghana, will bring educators together through a mix of workshops, discussions and innovation sessions focused on practical tools for teaching and learning success.

Partners for the 2021 convening include the University of Gondar, Kepler, Centre for Social Innovations, Ghana and Ayenit Alolom. It is free to attend for all interested participants.

"The required scale and speed for delivering transformation in higher-ed in Africa are beyond any individual institution's capabilities," shared Rose Dodd, Director of the Education Collaborative. "It requires a collaboration between multiple partners and stakeholders, with a shared agenda and dedication to the vision of strengthening higher education outcomes especially for students."

This is the fifth Annual Convening for the Education Collaborative, which was started in 2017 by Ashesi University, as a platform for idea sharing and implementation in African Higher Education. Over 400 educators are expected to join in the discussions and workshops during the Convening. The Convening will also feature a "Commitment Summit" during which universities can propose and receive grants for implementing projects and ideas conceived during the Convening.

Learn more about the Education Collaborative 2021 Convening, and Register Here

About the Education Collaborative

Since 2017, the Education Collaborative has been focused on convening higher education institutions in Africa to collectively and sustainably raise the bar on education outcomes on the continent. With 34 members currently in the network, the Collaborative has engaged hundreds of educators and stakeholders across Africa in both face-to-face and virtual Convenings. The Collaborative continues to grow partnerships and collaborations and welcomes conversations from all interested institutions on the continent.

Media Contact: Ophesmur Adjei

oadjei@ashesi.edu.gh

(+233) 242817174

Related links: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

SOURCE Ashesi University, Ghana
STOCKHOLM, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Two new distributors have been added to LightAir's network, reflecting investments in key markets in Germany and the United Kingdom. These distributorships are a direct result of a strategic move to offer clean and virus-free air to offices and schools, which has already shown its strength in the Swedish domestic market.

Last year LightAir began a strategic change to its B2B marketing and sales division, Professional Solutions, further emphasizing its priority position for the company's long-term development and growth.

Following a successful collaboration in Romania, an additional agreement with Wellnessist has now been concluded regarding a further expansion in German-speaking countries. Wellnessist is the partner behind the single largest LightAir installation to date, an air purification capacity of 100,000 cubic meters per hour at the American International School of Bucharest.

Wellnessist has formed a new company with a partner based in Munich, which will exclusively conduct sales of LightAir Professional Solutions according to an established model. The business starts immediately with an initial focus on southern Germany, and will soon expand to Austria and Switzerland.

LightAir has also signed a distribution agreement with Hatton Electrical for Professional Solutions in the United Kingdom. For this purpose, a new company has been formed, DebonAir Pro, based in Stratford-upon-Avon. The new partner has a solid customer base and network in relevant categories, as well as its own well-established organization for the aftersales market. This British business is also starting immediately.

"Based on our experience and successive successes in Sweden, we continue to build and focus on selected key markets," says Lars Liljeholm, CEO of LightAir. "We are already well established with a successful partner in Benelux, and the new agreements for Germany and the United Kingdom are very promising. We believe that these two new distributors will be able to make a positive contribution already in the coming six months, as both have the profile and drive we've been looking for. We look forward to a long-term collaboration and will continuously build out our distribution network to continue our international expansion."

The LightAir Health+ offer provides clean and virus-free air in offices and schools in the form of a subscription service. The Swedish market has received the concept very well and the offer was awarded the International Facility Management Association's Nordic Innovation Prize. The number of subscriptions in Sweden has doubled approximately every six months since launching early last year, and is expected to reach a milestone of 300 subscriptions later this summer.

"We have a well-developed concept, and the decision to target offices and schools seems obvious to everyone who takes a closer look at our competitive advantages - operating costs, degree of purification, and noise level," says Joakim Hansson, Business Area Manager at LightAir Professional Solutions. "Through close contact with decision-makers in the key segments, we have developed the market's most advanced service offering. Schools and offices are particularly appropriate, as our air purification solution operates with a noise level that is at least 50% below the competition. Our two new distributors will reap new successes based on these benefits, but also further develop the concept and offering based on their experiences and customer interactions."

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

Lars Liljeholm

CEO

LightAir AB (publ)

+46 (0)70 828 61 96

lars.liljeholm@lightair.com

Joakim Hansson

Business Area Manager, Professional Solutions

LightAir AB (publ)

+46 (0)70 961 56 10

joakim.hansson@lightair.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/lightair/r/lightair-adds-distributors-in-germany-and-the-uk,c3366487

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/14919/3366487/1431564.pdf LightAir Pressrelease 2021-06-14 LightAir adds distributors in Germany and the UK

SOURCE LightAir
The 'invitation only' event, held at Sofitel Dubai the Obelisk, rewarded innovative fintech solutions, digital banks, e-governmental services, insurtech solutions, instrumental e-payment solutions, instalment plan platforms and other remarkable uses of cutting-edge technology. The event was attended by the leaders of the region's fintech sector, visionaries, CEOs and founders of accomplished and innovative global brands.

Having recently entered the Egyptian market, backed by EFG Hermes, PayTabs Egypt has established a strong presence and reputation within a short time frame. Its forte has been to assist small and medium businesses achieve seamless and secure transactions online. A multitude of formidable partnerships and collaborations with leading Egyptian brands as well as reliance on PayTabs PT version 2.0, the global payment processing platform, has enabled PayTabs Egypt to forge ahead of peers in the local payments space.

Excited about PayTabs Egypt's first award, PayTabs CEO and founder Abdulaziz Al Jouf said, "This award reflects the dedication and loyalty of our team on the ground in Egypt. We are thankful to our partner EFG Hermes and thousands of merchants in Egypt for giving us the opportunity to extend our digital payment footprint in North Africa."

Hany Soliman, PayTabs Egypt's General Manager who has accepted the award added "We are thrilled to receive our first award, the "Best E-Payment Solutions" award in the MENA region; this proves that PayTabs Egypt has positioned itself accurately in the market. By increasing merchant-specific innovative solutions, we look forward to being one of the top enablers of financial inclusion in the Egyptian market. The collaboration model between PayTabs Global and EFG Hermes not only positions PayTabs Egypt as one of the top e-payment providers but also encourages and motivates us to always innovate and disrupt."

About PayTabs

PayTabs is an award winning, B2B, payments solutions powerhouse founded by Saudi entrepreneur Abdulaziz Al Jouf.

Having processed the first live payment gateway transaction in June 2014, today PayTabs processes transactions in multiple currencies, safely and securely. Using API plugins, PayTabs facilitates seamless B2B ecommerce solutions for SME's across 49 industries to 'plug and play' payment features on to their websites. PayTabs prides itself on offering electronic invoicing services enabling businesses to enjoy paperless invoicing, pay by QR code or social media payment links.

Originally backed by Saudi Aramco's "Waed" and later by private Saudi investment, over the years, PayTabs has in-built and exported a full stack of game changing solutions. These include mobile applications, hospitality, governmental, education, airline, travel, transport, and biller solutions, to interlink the multi-billion-dollar enterprise market chain in the MENA region.

In April 2021, PayTabs launched PT Touch, the rst soft POS solution in the MENA market to transform smart phones into merchant point of sale (POS) terminals.

A proven game changer in the global payments space, PayTabs has dedicated offices in the GCC including the UAE & Saudi Arabia and presence in many other locales including Egypt.

For more milestones visit https://site.paytabs.com/en/

Note on Forward-Looking Statements

In this press release, EFG Hermes may make forward looking statements, including, for ample, statements about management's expectations, strategic objectives, growth opportunities and business prospects. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent only EFG Hermes' belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature are inherently uncertain and are beyond management's control and include among others, financial market volatility; actions and initiatives taken by current and potential competitors; general economic conditions and the effect of current, pending and future legislation, regulations and regulatory actions. Accordingly, the readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1532458/PayTabs_Egypt.jpg

SOURCE PayTabs
STOCKHOLM, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- W3 Energy has signed a contract with Luxcara for onsite technical operations management for the Onusberget wind farm, which is Europe's largest single onshore wind farm.

"This contract strengthens our position as a key player in onsite technical operations management. The Onusberget wind farm is the largest single-site wind power project in Europe and we are proud that Luxcara gives us the trust to support with the operational management of their investment", says W3 Energy's COO Andre Sjostrom.

Onusberget wind farm is located outside of Pitea in northern Sweden and when fully installed it is planned to have 137 wind turbines with an expected capacity of more than 750 MW. W3 Energy will be responsible for onsite technical operations management and local accounting services as well as operation and maintenance of the electrical infrastructure and transformer stations.

"The contract with Luxcara is extremely important to us and means that we take a firm grip on our home region. This contract allows us to continue to grow and we plan to continue to recruit in Pitea, Umea, and Skelleftea", commented Andre Sjostrom.

The new contract with Luxcara means that W3 Energy manages approximately 15% of the renewable energy produced in Sweden and lays the foundation for continuing to build growth in other regions.

A common view on sustainability

"Luxcara is an internationally respected asset manager in renewable energy, with high-quality investment criteria and a strong focus on diversity and sustainability. We share their view on sustainability, with a strong focus on environmental as well as social and ethical aspects", stated W3 Energy's CEO Par Dunder.

"We are delighted to sign this contract with a strong local player like W3 Energy. Our past engagement with W3 combined with their track record from other large projects and their local experience were decisive factors for choosing W3 Energy. We are looking forward to continuing our collaboration with them", says Philip Sander, Managing Director of Luxcara.

Contacts:

Par Dunder, CEO W3 Energy

+46 (0)70-375 00 43

par.dunder@w3e.se

Andre Sjostrom, COO W3 Energy

+46 (0)70-366 35 24

andre.sjostrom@w3e.se

Philip Sander, Managing Director Luxcara

+49(0) 40 / 60 56 41-0

PS@luxcara.com

W3 Energy is an independent technical operations manager responsible for the operation, maintenance, and optimization of wind farms. The company has offices in Pitea, Skelleftea and Umea. With a portfolio of 1,730 MW, W3 Energy manages approximately 15% of the renewable energy produced in Sweden. This equals the annual consumption of about 900,000 Swedish households. The company's largest assignment is in Markbygden, outside Pitea in northern Sweden, which is Europe's largest land-based wind farm. Here, W3 Energy manages the subprojects Markbygden ETT and Onusberget wind farm, as well as the facilities of the company MB Net, which is responsible for the electricity supply to the national grid. Together, W3 Energy's projects in Markbygden have a capacity equal to a normal-sized nuclear power plant.

Luxcara is an independent asset manager offering equity and debt investment opportunities to international investors in the global renewable energy market. Since 2009, the management-owned company acquires, structures, finances, and operates renewable energy and related infrastructure projects as a long-term buy-and-hold investor. Luxcara's longstanding focus on unsubsidized markets has made the company one of Europe's most prominent investor in projects with long-term power purchase agreements. The portfolio of the company includes renewable power plants across Europe with a total capacity of more than 3 GW and an investment volume exceeding EUR 3bn. The track record makes Luxcara one of the continent's most experienced asset managers for renewable energy investments. luxcara.com | linkedin.com/company/luxcara/

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/w3-energy/r/w3-energy-signs-operations-contract-with-luxcar,c3365888

The following files are available for download:

https://news.cision.com/w3-energy/i/philip-sander--luxcara,c2924481 Philip Sander, Luxcara https://news.cision.com/w3-energy/i/par-dunder,c2924480 Par Dunder https://news.cision.com/w3-energy/i/andre-sjostrom,c2924477 Andre Sjostrom

SOURCE W3 Energy
"The new Israeli government reflects the country's diversity and is determined to pursue peace, security, and prosperity," said AJC CEO David Harris. "AJC looks forward to working with the new coalition, as we have consistently done with every Israeli government since 1948, and we wish the leadership every success."

Israel's 36th government is comprised of eight parties from across Israel's political spectrum, including, for the first time ever, an Israeli Arab party. Yamina party chief Naftali Bennett, who addressed the AJC Global Forum in 2018, will first serve as prime minister, and Yesh Atid party chief Yair Lapid, who addressed the AJC Global Forum in 2015, will succeed him in 2023.

President Rivlin had tasked Lapid with forming the coalition after Netanyahu, head of the Likud Party, was unable to assemble the required 61 MKs in support of a coalition.

Harris, who, most recently, met with Netanyahu in the prime minister's office in Jerusalem last month, praised the premier's legacy.

"The prime minister of Israel is unquestionably among the most challenging leadership positions in the world," said Harris. "Prime Minister Netanyahu demonstrated impressive leadership on many issues, including expanding Israel's diplomatic ties with nations around the world, extending peace with four Arab countries, maintaining Israel's security in a volatile region, promoting exceptional achievements in innovation, spearheading the widely-admired handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and explaining eloquently Israel's unique challenges on the global stage. Moreover, his door was always open to AJC, including our young lay and staff leaders, Project Interchange visitors, and Global Forum invitations."

"We will gladly work with the new government, where appropriate, to help build on these remarkable achievements, as well as to strengthen the essential ties that bind the Jewish state and Jews around the world," Harris added.

AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, opened an office in Jerusalem 60 years ago. Today, it is directed by Avital Leibovich.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


MUMBAI, India, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JM Financial Private Equity (the "Fund") has finalized an investment in a Pune based consumer packaged food company, Walko Food Company Private Limited ("Walko" or the "Company"), to fund the Company's current expansion plans. Proceeds from the Series-A investment will support brand building activities and augmentation of the existing capacities of the Company.

Walko Food Company owns a fast growing natural ice cream brand "NIC". The Company operates a manufacturing plant in Pune and retails in over 50 cities across India, via multiple sales channel like Food Delivery platforms, Modern Trade, Parlors, and HORECA. In a short span of time, NIC has emerged as one of the leading national brand in the natural ice cream category and is the highest selling ice cream brand on FoodTech platforms. In addition to NIC, the Company has recently launched desi kulfi brand "GRAMEEN". The ice creams range from fruit, dry fruit variants' to international tastes like sea salted caramel, Madagascar chocolate, French Vanilla and the ones inspired from Indian Mithais like Gulab Jamun, Sheer Khurma, Til Gud, Gajar Halwa to name a few. The Company is founded by Mr. Jeetendra Bhandari, a first generation entrepreneur who brings decades of professional experience in USA with leading MNCs like Coca-Cola and Walmart.

Commenting on the capital raise, Mr. Jeetendra Bhandari (JB), Managing Director, Walko said, "This growth capital infusion and partnership with a seasoned investor like JM Financial Private Equity will help us accelerate our current expansion plans and expand market share. NIC has emerged as a fast growing natural ice cream brand in the country including during FY20-21 and is rapidly scaling up. Walko is focused on building brands which deliver on quality, innovation and superior customer experience. Walko plans to deploy funds to increase availability to 100+ cities in the next 12 months, open Flagship parlors (Experience Centers), develop a strong franchise network, manufacturing capacity expansion and marketing.

In the fast changing Sales Channels, the FMCG companies are adapting to the dynamic landscape. Home Delivery channel is here to stay and Walko's focus on developing NIC sales on this channel is paying off. The consumer insights are very encouraging for the brand NIC is strong. Anecdotally it appears that the initial discoverer of the brand, have become committed 'brand ambassadors'; with people have gifted NIC amongst family and friends on new born, a consumer wanting to gift his friend on his birthday year long supply of NIC.

Ice cream per capita consumption in India is very low when compared to G-20 economies and as such it provides long term secular growth opportunity. We see excellent growth potential for NIC and GRAMEEN in the coming years."

Commenting on the investment, Mr. Darius Pandole, Managing Director & CEO, PE & Equity AIFs, JM Financial said, "The ice cream market is a large and growing market and we believe that there is a long runway of growth on account of low per capita ice cream consumption, increased access and development of multiple distribution channels and formats. Within the broader ice cream market, NIC has established a good product market fit with its differentiated, high quality natural ice cream and direct to consumer strategy. All these factors have led to a strong brand recall for NIC and a healthy customer repeat ratio. NIC is well placed to address the changing customer preferences for access to relatively healthier, preservative free snacking options. The fund infusion will help the company scale-up its business and expand its market share." This is the eighth investment from our Fund II, and is in line with its stated strategy of investing in growth companies in the mid-market space.

Advisors on the deal included Dexter Advisors (Investment Banker) and Think Law (legal advisor to JM Financial India Fund II).

About Walko:

Walko Food owns and retails a fast growing direct to consumer natural ice cream brand "NIC". Walko also owns brands like Cream Pot (premium frozen desserts) and Cafe Chocolade (chocolate shake parlors). More information about NIC can be found at: http://nicicecreams.com/

Forward - Looking statements

This document is for information purposes only and any action taken by any person on the basis of the information contained herein is that person's responsibility alone.

SOURCE Walko Food Company Private Limited
"These surveys provide a wealth of critical information about the state of Israel-Diaspora relations, and make the case for increased commitment in each community to high-quality education about, and interpersonal engagement with, the other," said Laura Shaw Frank, AJC Director of Contemporary Jewish Life.

Both surveys show that despite striking deficiencies in knowledge, shared affinity is strong. 60% of American Jews say that being connected to Israel is important to their Jewish identity, and 75% of Israeli Jews see a thriving Diaspora as vital to the long-term future of the Jewish people.

Nonetheless, Israelis report a closer emotional connection to American Jews than vice versa. Asked to use the metaphor of a family, only 11% of American Jews said they view Israeli Jews as siblings; 15% as first cousins; 46% as extended family; and 28% as not a part of their family. For Israeli Jews, 24% consider American Jews siblings; 18% first cousins; 45% extended family; and 14% not part of their family. And, although Israelis feel quite connected to American Jews, only 39% of Israeli Jews agreed that they have a lot in common with them.

Educating U.S. Jews About Israel

American Jews are divided on the strength of the formal Jewish education they received about Israel from kindergarten through 12th grade: 37% described it as strong, 21% as medium, 22% as weak, and 18% said it was non-existent. Orthodox Jews were more likely than others to have gained a strong education. 60% of Orthodox Jews, compared to 53% of Conservative Jews, 40% of Reform Jews, and 16% of secular Jews reported their Israel education as strong.

For many American Jews, learning about Israel continues after high school: 50% of those who attended college say they participated in courses, events, or trips where they learned more about Israel. For those under the age of 40, that number jumps to 67%. Seven-in-ten of those who received their Jewish education in multiple locations growing up sought out Israel-related activities during college, as opposed to only 45% of those who obtained their education in just one or two places.

Familiarity with the Hebrew language varies among American Jews:

-- 42% cannot read or speak Hebrew;

-- 36% can read phonetically with minimal understanding;

-- 22% range from minimal to native fluency.

35% of 18-39 years old cannot read or speak Hebrew, compared to 53% of those 60 or over. The increase in fluency, however, is more limited. While 19% of Jews over the age of 60 have minimal to native tongue fluency, 23% of those between 18-39 reported the same. Those who can read phonetically but cannot understand what they are reading are 28% of the 60 and over and 42% of the 18-39 cohorts.

Educating Israelis About American Jews

Education in Israel about Diaspora Jewry is far less common than learning about Israel in America:

-- 32% of Israeli Jews did not receive any education about the Diaspora;

-- 37% say it was not comprehensive;

-- 20% say it was "so-so";

-- 11% say it was comprehensive.

Asked if they would like to learn more about American Jews, 47% responded affirmatively, while 22% expressed no interest, and 31% said their interest was "so-so." There is a strong correlation between the depth of education about Diaspora Jewry and interest in learning more. 62% of those who received comprehensive education about the Diaspora are interested, compared to 51% of those whose education was not comprehensive, and 29% of those who received no education at all.

Basic Knowledge

Only 16% of Americans and 13% of Israelis correctly answered all basic knowledge questions about the other community (4 in the American survey and 3 in the Israeli survey).

Though U.S. and Israeli Jews comprise more than 90% of the world Jewish population today, only 39% of U.S. Jews know the percentage of world Jewry in Israel, and 51% of Israelis correctly answered the percentage in America.

Asked about two key topics in the U.S., only 22% of the Israeli sample said they understand well the different denominations of American Judaism, while 49% said they understand well the topic of antisemitism in the Diaspora.

Mutual Connections

60% of American Jews say being connected to Israel is important to their Jewish identity, while 21% say it is not too important and 19% not at all important. However, the number who say it is important to their Jewish identity drops to 46% among those ages 18-39. Jews who affiliate with one of the denominations of American Judaism report in high percentages  84% of Orthodox Jews, 87% of Conservative Jews, and 64% of Reform Jews, compared to 34% of secular Jews.

The 75% of Israelis who say a thriving Diaspora is vital for the long-term future of the Jewish people provided a variety of reasons:

-- 36% said the most important reason was that Diaspora Jews advocate for Israel with their governments;

-- 27% said variety adds to the strength of the Jewish people;

-- 24% said Diaspora Jews support Israel with funding;

-- 6% said the Diaspora fosters Jewish creativity in a different way than Israeli life.

Those saying a thriving Diaspora is not vital explained their reasons:

-- 34% said that Israel is the center of world Jewry and the Diaspora is of less and less relevance as time goes on;

-- 29% said that Diaspora Jewry does not contribute as much to Jewish peoplehood as Israeli Jewry;

-- 17% said Diaspora Jewry is assimilating and will not survive.

Majorities of both communities have personal connections. 67% of Israelis and 73% of American Jews have relatives or friends living in the other community, though those with immediate family are far fewer. Only 14% of Israelis and 12% of Americans have immediate family in the other community.

Only 45% of U.S. Jews have visited Israel. For those who did not visit, 24% said it was lack of interest, 25% lack of opportunity, 27% lack of funds, and 9% said they are concerned about safety or security. Among those who visited Israel, 73% say their visit(s) strengthened their connection to Israel, while only 6% said it was weakened. 20% say their visit(s) made no impact on their connection to Israel.

Of the 47% of Israelis who have visited the U.S., 70% said their visit(s) had no impact on their connection to American Jews, 25% said it was strengthened, and 6% said it was weakened.

The AJC Survey of American Jewish Opinion was conducted by SSRS from March 25 - May 9, 2021, among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 respondents aged 18 or older. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. AJC's 2021 Survey of Israeli Jewish Opinion was conducted by Geocartography in May of 2021, with a national sample of 1,000 Jews over the age of 18. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent.

The full survey can be viewed at https://ajc.org/survey2021

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


The community has seen an influx of adoption as companies look to Apache Pulsar's cloud-native capabilities, unified messaging and streaming, and super-set of built-in features. Matteo Merli, StreamNative CTO, commented on the growth in Apache Pulsar adoption "Today, companies need unified messaging and streaming capabilities to run their business. Pulsar is uniquely positioned to serve both use cases."

The release of the Apache Pulsar User Survey 2021 coincides with the Pulsar Virtual Summit North America 2021 . Taking place on June 16th & 17th, this two-day event is presented by StreamNative and Splunk and features more than 35 sessions by tech leads, open-source developers, software engineers, and software architects from Intuit, Splunk, Verizon Media, Iterable, Flipkart, Narvar and more. Save your seat today .

About Apache Pulsar

Apache Pulsar is a cloud-native, distributed messaging and streaming platform that manages trillions of events per day. Apache Pulsar adoption has been rapid over the past few years and recently, Apache Pulsar surpassed Apache Kafka in the Monthly Active Contributors .

About StreamNative

Founded by the original creators of Apache Pulsar, StreamNative provides a cloud-native, scalable, resilient, and secure messaging and event streaming solution powered by Apache Pulsar. StreamNative's solution can be deployed either as a fully-managed cloud-native Apache-Pulsar-as-a-Service offering available on-demand, StreamNative Cloud, or an enterprise-ready, self-managed software offering of Apache Pulsar, StreamNative Platform. Learn more at Streamnative.io .

SOURCE StreamNative

Related Links

https://www.streamnative.io


Supported by Taiwan's Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Taiwan's Development Center of Biotechnology (DCB) is prepared to demonstrate Taiwan's pharmaceutical innovation on new cancer drugs and cell therapies. The12 innovative drug discovery technologies selected for the event have already grabbed big pharma firms such as Eli Lily, J&J, and Merck by the eyeballs.

What's more, DCB holds the 2021 Taiwan Biotech Forum before the BIO 2021 under the topic of "Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Ready, Set and Go!", warming up for the presentation of Taiwan Delegation in BIO Digital.

Must-See Innovations From Taiwan

Dr. Chung-Hsiun Wu, President of DCB points out some of the highlights. First, the FLT3 inhibitor for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) shows promise in the AML market since its 5-year survival rate is only 15% to 20%, and this drug candidate is proven to be highly specific and can induce high activity.

Next is the Tri-mannosyl-ADC platform, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) developed by DCB. It is created by using enzymes to combine chemicals in the form of 4 single molecules (4A) or 2 different molecules (2A2B) with antibodies. Compared to other ADC drugs, the Tri-mannosyl-ADC platform demonstrated a higher potential to increase efficacy and overcome certain adverse events, making it a better candidate to commercialize.

In addition, DCB developed a new CAR-T therapy with an autocrine immune checkpoint inhibitor and new targets. In the lab setting, the therapy expressed high specificity and toxicity toward the solid tumor in gastric cancer, showing 60% effectiveness on tumor inhibition. DCB now is expecting to tackle issues with the tumor microenvironment and leads to a stronger cytotoxic effect on solid tumors.

On top of that, there is a growing number of CHO cell protein drugs on the market. According to Antibody society, 33 out of 35 antibody drugs approved by FDA and EMA from 2017 to 2020 are developed with CHO cells.

DCB then developed a high throughput CHO cell production system with great potential in the CDMO market. The vector, CHO cell host, and manufacturing process in the system have patents in several countries, and it was a part of the MOU signed with Japanese CRO firm CMIC. The technology would be one of the main focuses of Bio Digital 2021, surely attracting CDMO and biopharma firms.

The 2021 Taiwan Biotech Forum

The 2021 Taiwan Biotech Forum invites Taiwan's former vice president and academician Chien-Jen Chen, CEOs and senior executives from Pfizer, Amgen, AstraZeneca, and Graphen, along with experts and professors from National Cheng Kung University and National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University. The forum will focus on issues on public health, pharmaceuticals, therapeutics, AI, and strategies to boost bio-innovation under the pandemic.

The speeches of the Forum can be found here: https://youtu.be/sq5rrPZ8qFU

To cope with future infectious diseases and the fast-changing COVID-19 variants, Chien-Jen Chen said that it is imperative for Taiwan to utilize its strengths in ICT, AI, and data analytics to improve the healthcare system in Taiwan. Those are also great to minimize physical contact and facilitate smart hospital management in the hospital. Furthermore, the global collaborations between governments and biotech companies have shown the importance of solidarity in combating the pandemic.

Amgen's Vice President of Research Philip Tagari pointed out that the pandemic drove drug discovery and selection to an unprecedented speed. It forced pharmaceutical companies to come up with drug candidates within months; thanks to the work of AI, data science, and genomics, we managed to make it feasible.

On the other hand, the Department of Industrial Information of DCB's will bring back the latest industry news in BIO 2021 and host a forum on July 16 to give an overview of BIO 2021 free of charge in Taiwan.

Chung-hsiun Wu said that BIO 2021 would be a great chance to show the world Taiwan's unique viewpoints and development in biotech, AI, digital medicine, and drug discovery. He encourages Taiwanese firms to venture for more overseas channels and business opportunities.

SOURCE Development Center for Biotechnology
DALLAS, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Axxess, a leading technology innovator for healthcare at home, today announced a strategic partnership with Forcura, a healthcare technology company that enhances an electronic health record (EHR) by enabling safer patient care coordination and transitions. This strategic partnership will provide Axxess clients the ability to manage the workflow associated with onboarding new patients as well as the coordination of care for existing patients through an API integration with Forcura. The Forcura platform combines workflow and collaboration tools, third-party engagement capabilities, and analytics to support healthcare providers across multiple care settings and services.

With Forcura's referral automation feature, Axxess EHR clients will be able to process referrals and onboard patients up to 50% faster, giving clinical teams more time to prepare plans of care. All plans of care sent via the Axxess and Forcura interface are tracked and can be signed electronically, enabling staff to coordinate targeted physician outreach and meet their billing targets. Axxess users in the field will be able to update the patient chart in real time. Leaders can also monitor team performance and outstanding orders volumes with user-friendly reports.

"Technology integrations like this partnership with Forcura are the key to transforming the delivery of care in the home," said John Olajide, founder and CEO of Axxess. "This enhanced experience will empower our clients to provide the best patient care, while lowering their administrative expenses and optimizing their revenue cycles."

Craig Mandeville, founder and CEO at Forcura, said: "We are excited to launch this relationship with Axxess, whose innovative approach to delivering care at home aligns perfectly to our mission of empowering better patient care. Our goal is to provide our clients a best-in-class care coordination platform that adds an even greater return on their investment in Axxess as their EHR source of record."



About Axxess

Axxess is the leading technology innovator for healthcare at home, providing solutions that help improve care for more than 2 million patients worldwide. Trusted by more than 8,000 organizations, Axxess offers a complete suite of easy-to-use software solutions that empower home health, home care and hospice providers to grow their business while making lives better. The company's collaborative culture focused on innovation and excellence is recognized nationally as a "Best Place to Work."

About Forcura

Forcura, a leading healthcare technology with a deep commitment to enabling better patient care, facilitates safe patient transitions and care coordination on behalf of providers across the continuum. The Forcura Care Coordination Platform combines provider workflow and collaboration tools, patient and provider engagement capabilities and analytics powered by frictionless clinical data exchange to support the unique needs of healthcare providers across numerous care settings and services. The company has received awards for Fastest Growing Company for the fifth consecutive year, Best UI/UX Design in SaaS, and Best Places to Work by Inc. Magazine. For more information visit www.forcura.com, call 800-378-0596 or follow Forcura on LinkedIn.

Axxess Media Contact

Dennis Petroskey

(202) 215-6767

[email protected]

Forcura Media Contact

Kristyna Munoz

[email protected]

904.645.6200

SOURCE Axxess

Related Links

http://www.axxess.com/


STOCKHOLM, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bambuser today announced its participation in VivaTech, Europe's biggest startup and tech event. Hosted by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), Bambuser will present Live Video Shopping to event attendees as part of the luxury goods conglomerate's annual Innovation Award program. LVMH, a founding partner of VivaTech, selected Bambuser as one of just 28 companies whose technologies represent the future of customer experiences. The event will take place from June 16 to 19, 2021 at the Expo Porte de Versaille in Paris as well as online.

Now in its fifth year, VivaTech brings together startups and major corporations, encouraging collaborations that drive digital transformation and innovation for the common good. The last edition of the event, held in 2019, drew some of the world's brightest entrepreneurs, executives and investors as well as an audience of over 124,000 visitors.

Reinforcing the company's commitment to innovation, LVMH will host Bambuser among the finalists for the annual Innovation Awards, a program that celebrates creative and best-in-class solutions to the challenges faced by the industry. For the 2021 edition, the start- and scaleups selected for the LVMH Lab and e-Lab will present their solutions in line with this year's challenge theme of "The Future of Customer Experience is here." Bambuser's Live Video Shopping is among those chosen in the Omnichannel & Retail Experience category, and the company will be providing live and virtual demonstrations from Exhibit Hall 1 booth H22-003.

"We are elated to be selected by LVMH for honor, and look forward to sharing our perspective on and solutions for more engaging customer experiences with their team as well as the event's many high-profile attendees," said Bambuser Chief Commercial Officer Sophie Abrahamsson, who will be representing Bambuser at the event. "The past year certainly made it clear that customer expectations have evolved faster than many of the technologies at the heart of today's retail experiences. We look forward to standing side-by-side with the pioneers and innovators who share our commitment to building solutions that offer engaging experiences, today and tomorrow."

Representing the diverse array of technologies that intersect with the luxury market, the award categories also include Media & Brand Awareness, Data & AI, Operations & Excellence Manufacturing and Employee Experience & Sustainability. The full list of finalists can be seen here.

Contact information

Sherry Smith, Corporate Communications, Bambuser AB | +46 8 400 160 00 | [email protected]

Certified Adviser

Erik Penser Bank AB | +46 8 463 83 00 | [email protected]

ABOUT BAMBUSER

Bambuser is a software company specializing in interactive live video streaming. The Company's primary product, Live Video Shopping, is a cloud-based software solution that is used by customers such as global e-commerce and retail businesses to host live shopping experiences on websites, mobile apps and social media. Bambuser was founded in 2007 and has its headquarters in Stockholm.

ABOUT VIVA TECHNOLOGY

In only 4 years, VivaTech has become Europe's biggest startup and tech event and is recognized worldwide as a powerful catalyst for business transformation, startup growth and innovation for the common good. VivaTech brings together in Paris every year business leaders, startuppers, investors, researchers and thinkers from around the world for a unique experience combining inspiration, networking and innovation discovery. Starting 2021, VivaTech will be enriched with a digital platform that will bring together an even larger community of innovators. In 2019, VivaTech had already reached 231 million people worldwide, bringing together 124,000 visitors including more than 13,000 start-ups, 3,000 venture capital firms and 2,500 journalists from 124 countries. The 5th edition of VivaTech will be held on June 16-19, 2021. For more information, visit vivatechnology.com.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/bambuser/r/bambuser-to-present-at-vivatech-2021-as-part-of-the-lvmh-innovation-award-program,c3365795

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/15749/3365795/1431035.pdf Release https://news.cision.com/bambuser/i/bambuser-x-viva-technology-x-lvmh-innovation-award-2021,c2924433 Bambuser x Viva Technology x LVMH Innovation Award 2021 https://news.cision.com/bambuser/i/sophie-abrahamsson,c2924434 Sophie Abrahamsson

SOURCE Bambuser
BOSTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts ("Blue Cross") will for the first time recognize Juneteenth as an official paid company holiday, closing its offices on Friday, June 18th in observance of the June 19th holiday. Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, celebrates the emancipation of the last enslaved people after the Civil War.

"Making Juneteenth a company holiday is part of our continued commitment to celebrating diversity and fostering inclusion," said Stephanie Browne, vice president of talent acquisition and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Blue Cross. "We're offering education and reflection time for our employees to underscore our company's commitment to working toward racial equity and justice."

In addition to paid time off, Blue Cross is offering employees a chance to learn and serve in celebration of Juneteenth with several different events, including a dialogue on the history of Juneteenth featuring L'Merchie Frazier, director of education and interpretation for the Museums of African American History in Boston and Nantucket, and a virtual volunteer event with Art for Social Equity benefitting National CARES, a nonprofit that serves youth of color through mentorship.

Blue Cross is also highlighting Juneteenth as part of its community meals initiative. The program, which launched in spring 2020 to help address the rising rate of food insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, will feature a special barbecue meal influenced by the cuisine of southeast Texas where Juneteenth originated, and a card detailing the meal's inspiration from Chef Jaryn LaPlante. One thousand barbecue meals will be delivered to community partners at Interfaith Social Services and the Weymouth Food Pantry. Since the start of 2021, the organizations have received 21,000 meals from Blue Cross.

"Offering a special menu through our meal donation program allows us to not only recognize Juneteenth but also continue to meet a critical need in our community," said Jeff Bellows, vice president of corporate citizenship and public affairs at Blue Cross. "We proud to continue working alongside our community partners to address food insecurity while honoring the history of the day."

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable and equitable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Related Links

http://www.bluecrossma.com


CHICAGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), a market operator and global trading solutions provider, today announced the creation of Cboe Empowers, a community engagement program that provides mentorship, scholarship and guidance to under-resourced students throughout their educational journey through access to Cboe's associates, resources, work environment and other learning and experience opportunities.

The program has initially launched in Chicago, with plans to expand to other Cboe office locations around the globe. The vision for Cboe Empowers is to support students through all stages of education from elementary or primary school to career by providing mentorship, learning and experience opportunities, professional development and scholarships to students within the Chicago Public School (CPS) system and graduates pursuing higher education. Cboe Empowers will supplement its own programs by collaborating with local partners, including the Greenwood Project and Working in the Schools (WITS), to create maximum impact for its participants.

"We are committed to being a local partner in the communities where we live and work, and many of our associates are already involved with outstanding charitable and mentorship organizations," said Ed Tilly, Chairman, President and CEO of Cboe Global Markets, and board member of Cboe Empowers. "Cboe Empowers is a way to bring these collective experiences together to address barriers and equip the next generation with the tools, resources and professional networks they need for early career success."

Cboe Empowers is the company's most ambitious philanthropic endeavor to date with more than $2.5 million initially committed from Cboe and held in a donor advised fund. The program officially launched this spring when Cboe donated $250,000 to Navy Pier on behalf of the Greenwood Project to support educational programming and youth summer employment in Chicago. Several Greenwood Project scholars were also selected to participate in Cboe's 2021 summer internship program.

The Greenwood Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to introducing Black and Latinx students to careers within the financial industry. For several years, Cboe has provided Greenwood Project students with exposure to the Cboe trading floor, corporate offices and other learning opportunities.

To further its partnership, in December 2020, Cboe donated $250,000 to help fund Greenwood Project's annual operations. Cboe then further entrenched its long-term support by committing to a $100,000 donation each year for the next five years. Additionally, Catherine Clay, Executive Vice President, Data and Access Solutions at Cboe, has joined the Greenwood Project Board of Directors and Gina DeRaimo, Senior Vice President, Business Optimization at Cboe, has joined the organization's educational committee.

WITS (Working in the Schools) is the largest provider of literacy enrichment programs to Chicago public elementary schools. For more than two decades, Cboe has provided resources and mentors from the company's associate base and trading floor to activate weekly one-to-one after school literacy focused mentorship programs at Cboe. Through Cboe Empowers, students in the WITS literacy program will have access to Cboe educational offerings and Greenwood Project programs and services as they transition to high school and beyond.

"Cboe Empowers and our partners share a vision for helping under-resourced Chicago youth gain access to employment opportunities through education and exposure," said Sharon Stanciel, Senior Director, Political and Civic Affairs at Cboe, and Lead Director of the Cboe Empowers board. "By exposing students to the variety of job types and opportunities at Cboe, we hope they may realize the career choices available to them within any industry as they embark on building their future."

"We are immensely grateful for Cboe's dedication to Chicago communities through their support of Navy Pier's employment initiatives," said Marilynn Kelly Gardner, President and CEO of Navy Pier. "We share a commitment to serve our local communities and are excited to partner with Cboe Empowers to advocate for and support the city's young people."

"We are grateful for Cboe's continued support and look forward to making Cboe Empowers a success," said Bevon Joseph, Co-founder and CEO of the Greenwood Project. "We are on a mission to build a true diversity pipeline for financial services and Cboe's commitment to the Greenwood Project and Cboe Empowers will help a whole generation of students plan for a future they never imagined possible."

"We are thrilled to be a part of Cboe Empowers and its mission to support Chicago youth throughout their educational journey," said Tena Latona, CEO of WITS. "We know that young people who are persisting through familial economic challenges and institutional barriers are four times more likely to graduate from college when exposed to early education programs and develop advanced literacy and comprehension skills by fourth grade. Cboe is doing its part to open doors by providing early access to its facilities, associates and other resources."

Cboe Empowers is part of the company's commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives that accelerate change to better serve its communities, customers, associates and planet. To learn more, read the Cboe 2021 ESG Report.

About Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE) provides cutting-edge trading and investment solutions to market participants around the world. The company is committed to defining markets through product innovation, leading edge technology and seamless trading solutions.

The company offers trading across a diverse range of products in multiple asset classes and geographies, including options, futures, U.S., Canadian and European equities, exchange-traded products (ETPs), global foreign exchange (FX) and volatility products based on the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX Index), recognized as the world's premier gauge of U.S. equity market volatility.

Cboe's subsidiaries include the largest options exchange and the third largest stock exchange operator in the U.S. In addition, the company operates one of the largest stock exchanges by value traded in Europe, and owns EuroCCP, a leading pan-European equities clearing house. Cboe also is a leading market globally for ETP listings and trading.

The company is headquartered in Chicago with a network of domestic and global offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia, including main hubs in New York, London, Kansas City and Amsterdam. For more information, visit www.cboe.com. 

CBOE-C

CBOE-OE

Cboe, Cboe Global Markets, Cboe Volatility Index, and VIX are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cboe.com


SKANES FAGERHULT, Sweden, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentric AB awarded a contract to supply a hydraulic fan motor with integrated valve and control functions to a leading Chinese material handling OEM to control engine cooling and oil temperature. This new hydraulic motor allows the fan speed to be fully variable, providing a stable machine operating temperature range allowing the material handler to work within the optimum efficiency range. Production will start in 2021 and sales revenues from this new contract are estimated to be worth MSEK 35 over the next five years.

The hydraulic fan motor units has the following key benefits:

Controllable air flow cooling capability using proportional pressure relief valves to adjust the fan motor speed

Reversible speed function to enable cooling radiator cleaning

Low noise operation condition

Compact and robust design to meet installation space requirements

Concentric's highly efficient and industry proven hydraulic fan motor technology designed to operate in tough and demanding environments including, industrial sectors such as material handling, construction equipment, and agriculture machinery applications around the world was critical to winning this new contract. Close design collaboration between Concentric and the OEM has produced a modular concept product capable of being used in many applications.

David Woolley, CEO and President of Concentric AB, commented, "Winning new business with a Chinese OEM demonstrates our hydraulic products are competitive in this market, when customers require innovative products. Concentric's ability to develop these new products to solve our customer's needs in challenging machine applications around the world means we continue to be their supplier of choice."

CONTACT:



David Woolley, CEO and President, Concentric AB

Telephone +44-121-445 6545

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/concentric-ab/r/concentric-ab-awarded-a-new-contract-to-supply-a-sophisticated-hydraulic-fan-motor-with-integrated-v,c3366256

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/1643/3366256/1431408.pdf Release https://news.cision.com/concentric-ab/i/hydraulic-fan-motor,c2924557 Hydraulic fan motor

SOURCE Concentric AB
HOUSTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 11th, 2021, after a nearly one-week long trial, a Jefferson County jury handed down a $113.85M verdict against United of Omaha in a trial involving an unpaid life insurance policy for Daly & Black's client Johnny Costello. Mr. Costello brought claims of breach of contract, statutory bad faith, and breach of common law duty of good faith and fair dealing.

Daly & Black secure $113.84 million dollar verdict

United of Omaha wrongfully denied Mr. Costello's $500,000 life insurance claim after his wife passed away in 2003. After nearly two decades of fighting, Mr. Costello finally received justice. This verdict sends a message to insurance companies on behalf of all wronged policyholders. In fact, the jury here was only one vote short of a $1 billion punitive damages award.

Daly & Black's team consisting of lead counsel John Black, Melissa Wray, and Rick Daly worked tirelessly to build a solid case for Mr. Costello. The lawsuit was originally handled by Stephen Taggart who served as co-counsel.

"This jury had the courage to do what's right after hearing all of the evidence and the excuses the insurance company has made over this 18-year battle. I feel privileged in leading the team that helped secure this verdict for Mr. Costello. A lot of work went into this case. After so many years of fighting, I'm happy to see justice being served in court," Black said. "We expect the other side to file an appeal but we are confident in the case we built and that justice will prevail."

"Insurance companies repeatedly wrong policyholders, and unfortunately, if the right lawyer is not involved, it does not typically end well. At Daly & Black, we fight hard on behalf of our clients and they know they have us in their corner every step of the way," said Rick Daly.

Daly & Black is a litigation firm with offices in Texas and Colorado. The firm handles insurance disputes, medical mass torts, catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death matters, product liability cases, maritime and Jones Act cases, and commercial litigation disputes. John Black alone has obtained billions in verdicts and settlements for his clients. The firm's attorneys have extensive trial and appellate experience, allowing the firm to represent its clients throughout all stages of litigation.

For questions or comments contact the Director of Marketing for Daly & Black, Alex Koby at [email protected] or 323-491-6795.

www.dalyblack.com

SOURCE Daly & Black, P.C.
WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Faith Counts, a multi-faith nonprofit group, today launched a first-of-its-kind database that distills the latest research on how religion positively impacts the most important issues facing America.

Religion in the United States today contributes a combined $1.2 trillion a year to the economy and society. However, studies highlighting the impact of faith and religion are often aimed at scholars and academics, making it difficult to find the meaningful information too often buried in published works that can be difficult for the non-scholar to navigate.

Faith Facts uses videos, infographics and shareables to pull out key data points to detail the invaluable role faith communities play in supporting the economy, healthcare, immigration, criminal justice, substance abuse and disaster relief. They have been particularly critical during this historically difficult period, supporting:

Food insecurity : 53% of all food banks in the U.S. are faith-based

53% of all food banks in the U.S. are faith-based Disaster relief : About 58% of all emergency shelter beds are faith-based

About 58% of all emergency shelter beds are faith-based Pandemic healthcare capacity: 20% of all U.S. hospital beds and 1-in-7 hospitals are faith-based

"As a recent Pew study shows, the personal religiosity of Americans continues to decline. We'd like to gently remind people of the significant good that religious organizations and individuals do for our society and economy," said Kerry Troup, Communications Director of Faith Counts. "This database helps quantify religion's contributions in a way that is accessible, interesting and readily available."

Faith Facts also consolidates the latest news on how faith communities are affecting the country. Most importantly, it encompasses the contributions of a diverse range of faith communities, including and beyond the Judeo-Christian tradition. From Muslims running an entirely free health-care clinic in rural Alabama, to Christians providing life-saving services on the southern border, Faith Facts hopes to document data and examples to showcase the positive difference religion makes in America.

Faith Facts is available here.

Faith Counts is a nonprofit, multi-faith organization comprised of faith communities representing nearly 100 million Americans to share a simple message that "faith counts" and share the good works of millions of Americans of every religion motivated by their faith to go and serve the most vulnerable among us.

Official partners of Faith Counts represent diverse faith communities including Sikh American Legal Defense Fund, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Hillel International, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Episcopal Migration Ministries, The Salvation Army, Hindu American Foundation, the 1st Amendment Partnership and Franciscan University of Steubenville. Faith Facts is made possible thanks to a grant provided by the Templeton Religion Trust.

Press Contact

Desair Shaw

202.629.4615

[email protected]

SOURCE Faith Counts
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Safened, based in Amsterdam and its US broker/dealer affiliate Safened US Inc. are pleased to announce their strategic partnership with DepositBook, a UK and Dubai based deposit platform. With this partnership Safened will be able to provide US and European corporate and institutional clients access through their Global Liquidity Platform to the DepositBook's network of Partner Banks based in countries of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait) and Asia.

"Our partnership provides a unique wholesale liquidity solution for our US and European corporate and institutional clients, whilst offering highly rated GCC banks attractive USD funding alternatives. With our partnership, we can offer our US customers potentially attractive risk adjusted returns on term deposit offers of these GCC banks," according to Chris van Straeten, Co-Founder & Director of Safened.

The strategic partnership will also cover joint product roll outs and explore cost and revenue synergy and will create a truly global, cross-border marketplace by connecting banks with corporate and non-bank institutional depositors using advanced technologies and transaction processing structures.

"The partnership between Safened and DepositBook will significantly accelerate growth and provide a strong value proposition to the customers and Partner Banks of both platforms. We will benefit immensely from the scale and global presence of a combined platform and are excited to be embarking on this journey with them," said Sid Bhandari, Founder & Director of DepositBook.

We invite Corporate Treasurers, Banks, Wealth managers, Money Market Fund Managers and any other qualified investor to participate in our upcoming Quarterly Liquidity Webinar, moderated by our partner The Carfang Group, to hear more on how to offload surplus liquidity for banks, corporates and any other QIB. You can sign-up HERE.

About Safened | www.safened.com

Safened US is a registered Broker/Dealer that has developed industry leading deposit technology, seamlessly connecting high value US corporate and institutional clients with a wide variety of global banks.

About Deposit Book | www.deposit-book.com

DepositBook is a UK (regulated by FCA) and UAE (DIFC) based global marketplace for wholesale deposits (High Value Deposits). The platform matches banks with high value cash depositors (Global Corporates, Funds and NBFI's) looking for yield enhancement with access to preferential rates from banks across the globe.

Contact: Graeme Henderson

Phone: +1 973 967 0489

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Safened US

Related Links

http://safened.com


US eDirect , a global leader in campground management software with more than 20 years of experience serving publicly run facilities, is delivering its signature offering, Recreation Dynamics , to serve the millions of visitors to one of North America's most visited state park systems.

Visitors can book campground reservations at Reserve.FloridaStateParks.org.

"Our new park business system will ensure that visitor access to Florida's award-winning state parks is easier and more efficient than ever," Florida State Parks Director Eric Draper said. "As a result of our efforts, more people will be able to visit and enjoy our state's beaches, springs, natural areas and cultural resources."

US eDirect echoed the sentiment.

"We are extremely proud of the collaboration we've conducted with Florida's park service as we've worked together develop our intuitive, flexible and secure solution focused on delivering the best visitor experience," US eDirect president Tony Alex said.

"The Real FloridaSM brand is synonymous with a widely popular park system that plays a significant role in making the Sunshine State a world-class tourist destination, and we're pleased to be able to support their team in adopting flexible software and reliable hardware solutions to support their vision and growth."

US eDirect secured a six-year contract with Florida State Parks following a competitive proposal process.

The US eDirect solution was selected due to its one-stop shop platform, which includes intuitive, innovative features, as well as the firm's success working with state campground and recreation agencies.

Recreation Dynamics, the secure, cloud-based solution trusted by dozens of public agencies as their multi-functional application for park financial management was introduced on May 27.

Engineered on the secure Amazon Web Service cloud platform and renowned for its flexibility, breadth of features and transaction processing speed, Recreation Dynamics is leveraged by park systems in California, Ohio and Minnesota.

The solution will support approximately 100 sites across the state of Florida, including 56 campgrounds that include 7,500 total rental sites ranging from primitive tent sites to some of the most well-appointed and highly visited cabin rentals available at any state park system.

Visitors to the new booking website can take advantage of a map integration powered by an industry leader in mapping technology. The Esri ArcGIS integration will help website visitors enjoy a more interactive and real-time mapping experience.

"The Esri integration is an exciting innovation for the booking platform, as it will help visitors better understand the park they're visiting and the site they are booking," Alex said. "It's a major leap forward from a conventional, one-dimensional campground map and will help visitors better appreciate the incredible sites."

Recreation Dynamics powers a central reservation system (CRS) for camping and cabin reservations and a day-use point-of-sale system for park admission, annual pass sales, equipment and facility rentals as well as merchandise sales in an integrated, intuitive and accessible format.

US eDirect will also deliver:

A 24/7 year-round CRS with call center, online, kiosk, agent, commercial vendor, and mobile reservation and trip planning capabilities.

An operational field point-of-sale system with integrated online sales available on desktops, tablets and mobile devices and capable of working in cellular, wireless, broadband and offline mode.

Management of annual, day-use and seasonal pass management; permit management including quotas; activity scheduling including classes, events and tours; ticketing; gift cards; shelter and day-use facility bookings; 'things to do' management; and volunteer management.

A suite of new self-service technologies on the mobile platform (passes, check-ins, rentals); kiosks; 24/7 customer interaction; new technologies enabling fast lanes; and day-use pass management.

A discovery platform that allows visitors to plan vacations integrating key information about the parks and nearby attractions, events and places of interest.

"We've innovated alongside Florida State Parks to deliver a seamless experience for their visitors and management alike," Alex said. "We look forward to continuing this innovative partnership to improve the experience for the service's tens of millions of visitors from around the world."

About US eDirect:

US eDirect is a global leader in campground management software that helps dozens of public agencies deliver digital solutions to their visitors and campers via a suite of intuitive software solutions. Founded in 1999 and based in New York state, US eDirect employs more than 100 people focused on providing exemplary customer service for public agencies that manage more than 100,000 individual campsites in North America and Australia.

About the Florida Park Service and Florida State Parks:

Florida State Parks is the proud recipient of four National Gold Medals for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, making Florida America's first four-time Gold Medal winner. The awards were received in 1999, 2005, 2013 and 2019 from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association.

Florida's 175 state parks, trails and historic sites inspire residents and visitors with recreation opportunities and scenic beauty that help strengthen families, educate children, expand local economies and foster community pride. With nearly 800,000 acres, 100 miles of beaches and more than 1,500 miles of multi-use trails, Florida's state parks offer an abundance of opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy the state's natural treasures. For more information, visit FloridaStateParks.org.

Contact:

Bryan Mitchell

2027185155

[email protected]

SOURCE US eDirect

Related Links

www.usedirect.com


SALINAS, Calif., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gary Thelander Is Being Recognized By Continental Who's Who As A Top Attorney For His Professional Excellence In The Legal Field And His Unwavering Dedication To Serving The Legal Community With Thelander Law.

Gary Thelander

Proudly serving Salinas, Santa Cruz, and San Benito, Thelander Law, takes pride in providing services that will exceed expectations. Thelander Law, a well-respected firm in Salinas, California, includes a team of skilled paralegals, investigators, and local bail bondsmen, and more, specializing in all facets of criminal law. Thelander Law continuously demonstrates the highest standard of professionalism, honesty, and integrity so that every client can make the right decisions under challenging circumstances.



Seasoned Criminal Law Attorney Gary Thelander has garnered 25 years of vast knowledge and experience in his field, working on thousands of cases and helping countless clients. He is the founder of Thelander Law, where he is devoted to providing a haven where even the most difficult conversations are had without judgment or criticism.



In his 25 years of practice, Mr. Thelander has personally participated in the defense or prosecution of the following types of cases: domestic violence, murder charges, weapons charges, gang-related charges, drug-related charges, theft-related charges, and more. He works with his team of highly trained investigators in case assessment, analysis, and presentation. In addition, Mr. Thelander served the community as a public prosecutor, both as an Assistant Deputy District Attorney in Santa Cruz County and Deputy District Attorney in Monterey County.



Mr. Thelander worked for 16 years as a Deputy District Attorney, during which he prosecuted child sexual assault, murder, embezzlement, drunk driving, robbery, burglary, and other types of criminal cases. He has spent much of his career prosecuting DUI and DWI cases. His experience as a Deputy District Attorney aids him in his current work, as he gladly offers his vast knowledge to those he represents. He believes that "People deserve a second chance," and will not hesitate to take on difficult or complex cases in order to give his clients their best chance for their legal representation. He enjoys giving his clients peace of mind to know that his reputation, integrity, and skilled trial practices will be assets in every case.



In light of his academic achievements, Mr. Thelander obtained his Associate of Arts degree from Cabrillo College in 1991 and his Juris Doctor degree at the Monterey College of Law. He remains abreast of the latest legal developments in criminal law by maintaining active memberships with the California Bar Association, Monterey County Bar Association, California Lawyers Association, Criminal Law Section, and Monterey School of Law Alumni Association.



As a testament to his longstanding professional excellence, Mr. Thelander was honored with the Outstanding Achievement award from the Constitutional Rights Foundation in 1997 and recognized as an Elite Lawyer in 2020. He has had featured profiles on prnewswire.com, announce.today.com, and whoswhopr.com, among others.



To learn more, please visit https://www.salinascalawyer.com

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


SELBYVILLE, Del., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the latest report, "Geriatric Care Services Market by Service (Home Care, Adult Day Care, Institutional Care), Service Provider (Public, Private), Payment Source (Public Insurance, Private Insurance, Out-of-pocket), Age Group (65-70 Years, 71-75 Years, 76-80 Years, 81-85 Years, 86-90 Years, Above 91 Years), Regional Outlook, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2027", by Global Market Insights Inc., the market valuation of geriatric care services will cross $2,056 billion by 2027.

Major geriatric care services market players include Brookdale Senior Living Inc., Extendicare Inc., Gentiva Health Services Inc., Kindred Healthcare Inc., Senior Care Centers of America, Sunrise Senior Living Inc., and Genesis Healthcare Corp.

Growing medical technology development in geriatric care coupled with rising access to health insurance will impel the market growth. Development in novel approaches to improve senior care and a more health-conscious society is expected to impact the market expansion. Organizations in the U.S. such as the American Association of Retired Persons, the American Society on Aging, and the Alliance for Aging Research are providing resources and education to enhance the lives of elderly people. As per the recent research article, in the U.S., around 80% of elderly people have at least one chronic disorder, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease among others, that need focused medical attention and, thereby, is augmenting the business expansion positively. Further, increasing focus on surging the number of healthcare workers helps to develop a more accessible and efficient healthcare system for the geriatric population. Thus, with a growing need for home care & nursing care settings, patient care management, administrative & clinical procedures in geriatric care services will amplify the geriatric care services market progression during the forecast period.

Request a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/433.

The institutional care segment in the geriatric care services market is anticipated to expand at a 9.9% growth rate through 2027, led by the 24-hours monitoring/supervision, professional nursing care, rehabilitation, psychological services, etc. Institutional care is delivered within an assembled living environment intended to meet the medical, personal, social, and housing needs of people with mental, physical, and/or developmental disorders. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2016, more than 15,600 nursing homes were operated in the U.S. Many older people that reside in nursing homes require support in daily activities such as eating or preparing meals, managing medications, and getting to other locations among others. Residents in nursing homes have at minimum one chronic disorder for which they require constant medical and more intensive care.

The geriatric care services market for the public segment accounted for USD 709 billion in 2020 owing to the easy accessibility to quality geriatric care services and emphasis on building human resource capacity through focused training and education opportunities. These public geriatric care service providers offer mechanisms to support healthy and active aging procedures, well-organized models of geriatric healthcare delivery, and a study on alternative medicine and age-related ailments. Public service providers emphasize cost-effective feasible models of geriatric care that are suitable and based on cultural traditions and practices. Along with long-term medical care, it also explores innovative models of economic support and insurance. In many countries, public elder care service providers are offering a comprehensive preventive package including awareness and knowledge associated with common geriatric concerns, promotion of mental well-being, and healthy nutrition, among others.

The out-of-pocket segment in the geriatric care services market is estimated to attain a CAGR of 10.3% by 2027 on account of the desire to live longer lives, rising demand for senior care, and preference for advanced healthcare among others. Long-term care costs, comprising assisted living and nursing homes, are the top category of out-of-pocket spending, followed by home care. The use of out-of-pocket payment sources rising is attributed to the growing prevalence of chronic conditions among elderly people and the requirement of additional support. As a result, the majority of older people are proven to require long-term care that will expedite the demand for geriatric care services, thereby amplifying the segment growth.

The geriatric care services market for 65-70 years segment exceeded USD 62 billion in 2020 impelled by the growing geriatric population demanding medical interventions and more intensive healthcare. For instance, in 2020, people aged 65 years and above in India were around 6.6% of the total population. As per the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 65 years or older is poised to reach over 1.5 billion in 2050 across the globe with the increase in the burden of dementia coupled with other associated disorders.

Brazil dominated the Latin America geriatric care services market and was valued at over USD 11 billion in 2020 and is predicted to progress at a significant growth rate of 10.9% by 2027 due to the improved life expectancy, government initiatives, and enhancements in the country's healthcare system. The government initiatives comprise of and place emphasis on building age-friendly cities and healthcare plans concerned specifically toward the older population in Brazil. The companies in the country have launched services and products using information and communication technology to meet the requirements of elderly people and their families. Further, the government of Brazil has increased funding for improvements that help with the independent living of elderly people. In Brazil, the National Agency of Supplementary Health launched a Well-Cared-For Elderly Project in 2016. It was intended to develop a model for offering the facility of quality care to older people.

Request a customization of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/roc/433.

Some of the major players operating in the geriatric care services market are Brookdale Senior Living Inc., Extendicare Inc., Gentiva Health Services Inc., Kindred Healthcare Inc., Senior Care Centers of America, Sunrise Senior Living Inc., and Genesis Healthcare Corp. among others. These leaders are engaged in undertaking several strategies and working on expanding their service portfolio through focusing on the development of innovative services.

Table of Contents (ToC) of the report:

Chapter 3 Geriatric Care Services Market Insights

3.1 Industry segmentation

3.2 Industry landscape, 2016 - 2027 (USD Million)

3.3 Industry impact forces

3.3.1 Growth drivers

3.3.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.4 Growth potential analysis

3.4.1 By service

3.4.2 By service provider

3.4.3 By payment source

3.4.4 By age group

3.5 COVID-19 impact analysis

3.6 Porter's analysis

3.7 Competitive landscape, 2020

3.7.1 Competitive matrix analysis, 2020

3.8 PESTEL analysis

Browse the Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @ https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/geriatric-care-services-market-report

About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth-consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision-making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

Contact Us:

Arun Hegde

Corporate Sales, USA

Global Market Insights Inc.

Phone: 1-302-846-7766

Toll-Free: 1-888-689-0688

Email: [email protected]

Related Images

geriatric-care-services-market.png

Geriatric Care Services Market Growth Predicted at 10% Through 2027: GMI

Major geriatric care services market players include Brookdale Senior Living Inc., Extendicare Inc., Gentiva Health Services Inc., Kindred Healthcare Inc., Senior Care Centers of America, Sunrise Senior Living Inc., and Genesis Healthcare Corp.

SOURCE Global Market Insights, Inc.
This new collaboration between Labsphere and ASU will benefit university students by allowing them to gain real-world experience in areas such as remote sensing and earth observation. It also advances ASU's NewSpace Initiative which fosters partnerships with space exploration and technology companies to discover new research avenues while creating opportunities for student engagement. Additionally, Labsphere will support ASU Polytechnic engineering capstone student projects.

Labsphere will gain access to ASU's outstanding resources, and to an excellent physical environment in Mesa in which to test and further develop the FLARE technology.

Chris Durell, Director of Business Development for Remote Sensing at Labsphere said, "The ASU location, students and outstanding staff afford Labsphere a very agile resource to conduct satellite testing and explore new technology avenues for FLARE. Capstone projects carried out by ASU students will support the development of new mobile modalities and FLARE design extensions for expanding satellite testing tools and techniques. This is also a fantastic opportunity for bright, young talent to contribute to the innovation in the New Space market while learning the fundamental skills of remote sensing and earth observation. The ASU environment will be a fantastic incubator for new ideas and services."

Labsphere and ASU have agreed upon the manual deployment of geometric mirror arrays for satellite image quality testing. Also, the partnership provides for a future, fully-automated FLARE system installation in addition to the manual array test area.

The FLARE network is a revolutionary new way of optically calibrating imager and sensor's spatial, geometric and radiometric performance.

The concept of using stars for calibrating telescopes is one that dates back to the early days of astronomy. Space telescopes including Hubble, as well as the future James Webb Telescope, use star fields to perform image quality and signal testing. This technique was not available on earth until now.

FLARE targets are a controlled, automated, adjustable "stars on the ground." Labsphere is using this robust technique and making it available to telescopes imaging the earth so they can perform the same verification and testing in real time.

"We are thrilled to have another cutting-edge technology company locate with us at the ASU Polytechnic campus and are excited to have Labsphere join us at ASU in driving and inventing the technologies of the future," said Dr. Duane Roen, Vice-Provost of the ASU Polytechnic campus and Dean of the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts.

The City of Mesa also supports the project. "We are pleased to welcome Labsphere's FLARE testing site to Mesa in ASU Polytechnic Innovation District," Mesa Economic Development Director Bill Jabjiniak said. "With this announcement, Labsphere joins some the world's top aerospace technology companies with major facilities in Mesa."

Darryl Morrell, an associate professor of engineering said the opportunity to work with Labsphere's FLARE testing site will enhance the interdisciplinary engineering education students gain at the Polytechnic School.

"This kind of work experience really reinforces the idea that the problems they'll work on in their careers are interdisciplinary," Morrell said. "Working with the FLARE system will allow students to understand how electrical and mechanical systems underpin real-world projects."

About the ASU Polytechnic Innovation District

The ASU Polytechnic Innovation District is 300 acres of land adjacent to the ASU Polytechnic campus, which is home to The Polytechnic School, one of the six schools comprising ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, one of the largest engineering schools in the country. The campus also is home to programs offered by five other ASU colleges. The District is ideal for industry partnerships with its strong focus on project-based learning, interdisciplinary laboratories and regional transportation assets. Situated moments from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and SkyBridge, the United States' only inland international air logistics and joint U.S.-Mexico Customs processing hub, the ASU Polytechnic Innovation District will meet the needs for tech-transfer, advanced solutions, transportation, and seamless logistics solutions.

About Labsphere

Labsphere, Inc. is an internationally recognized photonics company headquartered in central New Hampshire, U.S.A., with a satellite facility in Shanghai, China, and a global network of distribution partners. Labsphere provides innovative solutions for a wide range of applications including LED/SSL lighting, laser power measurement, remote sensing, imager/consumer camera, automotive, defense and security, health and biomedical optics to both production and research environments. Founded in 1979, it is part of the Halma plc Group of companies. For more information, visit Labsphere and FLARE.

Media Contact:

Darlene Delano

6037314916

[email protected]

SOURCE Labsphere, Inc.

Related Links

labsphere.com


MILWAUKEE, June 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin is issuing an emergency appeal for blood donations as communities across the state face a potential crisis with blood supplies dropping to critically low levels. All blood types are needed with type O-negative and O-positive blood most in demand.

"As COVID-19 restrictions ease, allowing people to gather again and enjoy all that a Wisconsin summer has to offer, the attention has shifted away from blood donation, creating a crisis for the state's blood supply," said Dr. Dan Waxman, vice president of transfusion medicine and senior medical director at Versiti. "We are urgently seeking help from our loyal donors and the public and asking that anyone able, to please donate blood today. Your donation is vital to ensure that Wisconsin hospitals have the blood they need for their patients."

In Wisconsin, the state's blood supply has dropped to a critically low level, with less than a day's supply of life-saving blood on shelves to supply Versiti's more than 68 hospital partners throughout the state. Ideally, Versiti strives for a three-day supply of blood available to its partner hospitals.

Compared to a typical year, Versiti Blood Centers is down more than 40 percent in donations  or nearly 20,000 units of blood  while the need for blood has increased nearly 10 percent over historical averages.

Blood donors are needed now to help ensure life-saving blood is available for Wisconsinites who need it. One donation of blood, which takes less than one hour, can help save up to three lives.

O-negative and O-positive blood donors are most needed now. O-negative blood is the universal blood type, meaning donations can be transfused to all patients, including trauma victims, cancer patients and those undergoing surgery.

Effective June 14  21, Versiti is expanding capacity and extending hours at its centers to help with donation collection. We ask that donors visit a Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin donor facility nearest to them:

GREENFIELD : 7210 W. Edgerton Avenue

: 7210 W. Edgerton Avenue KENOSHA : 8064 39th Avenue

: 8064 39th Avenue MARSHFIELD : 508 N. Central

: 508 N. Central MANITOWOC : 619 Reed Avenue

: 619 Reed Avenue MILWAUKEE : 638 North 18th Street

: 638 North 18th Street RACINE : 1120 S. Sunnyslope Drive

: 1120 S. Sunnyslope Drive WAUKESHA : 2111 Springdale Road

: 2111 Springdale Road WEST BEND : 130 Valley Avenue

: 130 Valley Avenue WAUWATOSA : 8733 Watertown Plank Road

Wisconsin residents can also make an appointment to donate at a local community blood drive in their area. Times, dates and locations of upcoming local drives can be found online at https://donate.wisconsin.versiti.org/. Interested donors should click the "Schedule to Donate" tab to find the nearest drive to them.

Donating blood takes about an hour with the actual donation taking 10-15 minutes. Anyone age 17 or older in good health who meets eligibility requirements is encouraged to give. Parental consent is required for donors age 16 to donate blood. Donors should bring a photo ID that includes their birth date.

Donors who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear a face covering while in Versiti facilities. Non-vaccinated donors are asked to continue to wear a face covering, except where medical conditions prevent them from wearing one. All Versiti donation locations are practicing social distancing and closely adhering to FDA and CDC cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

Appointments are encouraged at any of Versiti's Wisconsin donor centers or any local community blood drive. Walk-ins are always welcome. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 1-866-642-5663 or visit Versiti online at versiti.org/WI.

ABOUT VERSITI BLOOD CENTER OF WISCONSIN

Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Milwaukee that specializes in blood services, esoteric diagnostic testing, organ, tissue and stem cell donation, medical services and leading-edge research. We advance patient care by delivering life-saving products and services. For more information, visit versiti.org/WI.

SOURCE Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin
RAIPUR, India, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on Military Shelters Market by Size Type (Small Shelters and Large Shelters), by Shelter Type (Rigid Shelters and Non-Rigid Shelters), by Product Type (Expandable Shelters and Non-Expandable Shelters), by Installation Type (Vehicle- Mounted Shelters and Ground-Based Shelters), by Material Type (Polyester, Composite, Steel, and Others), by Application Type (Medical Facility, Command & Control Post, Storage, Aircraft Base, Repair & Maintenance, Accommodation, and Others), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, The Middle East & Africa, and Latin America).

This report, from Stratview Research, studies the military shelters market over the trend period of 2015 to 2020 and the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. After a continuous interest in our military equipment market reports from the industry stakeholders, we have tried to further accentuate our research scope to the military shelters market to provide the most crystal-clear picture of the market. The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of the low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as formulate growth strategies.

Military Shelters Market: Highlights from the Report

Military shelter systems are deployed for a multitude of purposes including temporary living, medical support centers, arms and ammunition storage, etc., by the defense authorities for their troops. These shelters are in the form of containers, tents, panels, etc. that are deployed for a certain period.

The defense industry has exhibited significant growth over the past few years with almost every country increasing its military expenses and budgets. The demand for military shelters has also considerably grown in the wake of surging military and humanitarian operations/missions. Currently, the manufacturers of military shelter structures are focused on the development of lightweight, portable, and cost-efficient systems. Over the years, major shelter manufacturers have switched to composite shelters aiming at greater durability, cost efficiency, and lightweight, some of the most urged requirements from defense authorities. As a result, it is anticipated that in the forthcoming years, composites would be the primary material used for the development of military shelters.

The overall impact of the Pandemic on the demand for military shelters seemed negligible since a vast majority of the contracts for military shelters are long-term in nature, assisting the industry stakeholders to survive the pandemic shocks. Stratview Research's estimates suggest that the market for military shelters is estimated to reach a value of US$ 1,081.2 million in 2026, growing at a healthy CAGR of 3.5% during 2021-2026.

Click Here and Run Through the TOC of the Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/toc/1591/military-shelters-market.html

Based on the shelter size, large shelters are the preferred category in the market and are estimated to maintain their huge lead over small shelters in the years to come. Small shelters are also estimated to grow at a healthy pace over the forecast period.

Based on the shelter type, the market is segregated as rigid shelters and non-rigid shelters. Non-rigid shelters are soft-wall shelters, made of fabrics, whereas rigid shelters are hard wall containers or panels. Rigid wall shelters hold a lion's share of the market as they are of a higher cost majorly due to the integration of various rigid materials and expensive mechanisms. All the major countries usually prefer rigid wall shelters for medical facilities and command-and-control posts. Expandable containers are the most preferred rigid shelter type, usually supplied in the length of 20".

Moreover, military shelters are deployed for serving a wide range of applications including personnel accommodation, command, and control posts, medical facility posts, storage, aircraft hangars, and many more. The study of recent contracts between military shelter manufacturers and defense authorities corroborates that there has been a greater demand for rigid military shelters for the command-and-control post.

Register Here for a Free Sample of the Detailed Report: https://www.stratviewresearch.com/Request-Sample/1591/military-shelters-market.html#form

Regional Insights

In terms of region, Asia-Pacific is supposed to witness the fastest growth in the forthcoming years, primarily propelled by China, India, Japan, and South Korea, the key military spenders of the region. North America currently accounts for the largest share of the market with the USA having an exceptionally high annual defense budget and expenses. The region (North America) is estimated to maintain its indubitable lead in the years to come.

The supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, military shelter manufacturers, distributors, and defense authorities. Key military shelter manufacturers are General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc., Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, AAR Corp., Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., Anchor Industries, Inc., Weatherhaven Global Resources Ltd., HDT Global, and HTS tentiQ. Formation of long-term contracts and development of innovative products are some of the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market. The prevalent COVID-19 crisis has pushed the leading players to realign their strategies to adapt to the need of the hour.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.

Market trend and forecast analysis.

Market segment trend and forecast.

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.

Key success factors.

This report studies the military shelters market and has segmented the market in seven ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. Following are the seven ways in which the market is segmented:

Military Shelters Market, by Size

Small Shelters (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Large Shelters (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Military Shelters Market, by Shelter Type

Rigid Shelters (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Non-Rigid Shelters (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Military Shelters Market, by Product Type

Expandable Shelters (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Non-Expandable Shelters (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Military Shelters Market, by Installation

Vehicle-Mounted Shelters (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Ground-Based Shelters (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Military Shelters Market, by Material

Polyester (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Composite (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Steel (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Military Shelters Market, by Application

Medical Facility (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Command & Control (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Storage (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Aircraft Base (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Repair & Maintenance (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Accommodation (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , The Middle East & Africa , and Latin America )

Military Shelters Market, by Region

North America (Country Analysis: The USA , Canada , and Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , France , the UK, Russia , and Rest of Europe )

Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan , China , India , South Korea , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

Middle East & Africa (Country Analysis: Israel , Saudi Arabia , and Others)

& Africa Latin America (Country Analysis: Brazil and Others)

Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the aerospace and defense industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

https://www.stratviewresearch.com/market-reports/Aerospace-Defense.html

About Stratview Research

Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research, and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas.

We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.

Stratview Research has launched 'Composights', an online portal which offers free thought leadership reports, whitepapers, market report synopsis and much more for Composites and allied industries, worth US$ 20,000 every year.

Click here to sign up (No costs involved): https://www.stratviewresearch.com/composights/sign-in

For enquiries, please contact:

Stratview Research

E-mail: [email protected]

Direct: +1-313-307-4176

SOURCE Stratview Research
WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A rise in the number of trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries requiring blood products over recent months have depleted the nation's blood inventory, causing the American Red Cross to appeal to the generosity of Americans for immediate action.

"The Red Cross is currently experiencing a severe blood shortage," said Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services. "Our teams are working around the clock to meet the extraordinary blood needs of hospitals and patients  distributing about 75,000 more blood products than expected over the past three months to meet demand  but we can't do it without donors. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood."

Right now, hospitals are responding to an atypically high number of traumas and emergency room visits. In comparison to 2019, the Red Cross has seen red cell demand from hospitals with trauma centers climb by 10% in 2021  more than five times the growth of other facilities that provide transfusions. Twenty to 40% of trauma deaths that occur after hospital admission involve massive hemorrhaging. In these dire circumstances, doctors may need hundreds of blood products, depending on the severity of the trauma, to help save a life.

In addition, there is great hospital demand for blood as patients who previously deferred care during the COVID-19 pandemic present with more advanced disease progression, therefore requiring increased blood transfusions.

"Some hospitals are being forced to slow the pace of elective surgeries until the blood supply stabilizes, delaying crucial patient care. As we return to pre-pandemic activities and resume travel to visit loved ones, we want people to remember the needs of patients this summer and the power so many of us have to help save lives," Hrouda added.

Patients need the help of the American people  please schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets as soon as possible by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). All blood types are needed.

With less than half a day supply available of type O blood in recent weeks, there is an emergency need for type O donors. Type O is the most needed blood group by hospitals. Type O positive is the most transfused blood type and can be transfused to Rh-positive patients of any blood type. Type O negative is the universal blood type and what emergency room personnel reach for when there is no time to determine the blood type of patients in the most serious situations.

There is also an emergency need for platelets, the clotting portion of blood, which must be transfused within five days of donation. Nearly half of all platelet donations are given to patients undergoing cancer treatments  a disease all too familiar to millions of Americans and their families.

Blood is perishable and cannot be stockpiled.



Those who come to donate with the Red Cross June 14 to 30 will receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card by email, thanks to our partners at Amazon.

COVID-19 SAFETY Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control. Individuals who have received a COVID-19 vaccine are still eligible to donate blood and platelets. Knowing the name of the manufacturer of the vaccine they receive is important in determining blood donation eligibility.

As more and more people are vaccinated and the number of COVID-19 cases significantly drops, these Red Cross safety guidelines  based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Occupational Safety and Health Administration  are now in effect:

Fully vaccinated blood donors will no longer need to wear a mask or socially distance. If someone wishes to continue wearing a mask, they may do so.

will no longer need to wear a mask or socially distance. If someone wishes to continue wearing a mask, they may do so. Non-vaccinated blood donors will continue to be required to wear a mask and socially distance for their safety and the safety of those around them.

About blood donation A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.





SOURCE American Red Cross

Related Links

www.redcross.org


WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 45,000 current and former National Guard officers have appealed to a prominent member of the extended Guard family to help win their No. 1 legislative priority.

Retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, the president of the National Guard Association of the United States, wrote to President Joe Biden asking him to support the Healthcare for Our Troops Act (H.R. 3512) introduced recently in the House of Representatives.

The bipartisan legislation would provide the military's TRICARE medical coverage at no cost to every member of the National Guard and Reserves.

In his June 3 letter, Robinson thanked the president for his "heartfelt statement of appreciation" to Guard members completing their security mission at the U.S. Capitol on May 23. He also reminded the president that he had promised Guard members that "we will always have your backs."

The president and first lady Jill Biden have long said they have a kinship with the Guard because their late son was a major in the Delaware Army National Guard.

"Most Americans would probably be shocked to learn that we sent soldiers and airmen to the front lines of the worst public health crisis in a century without health insurance," Robinson wrote. "We did the same during civil disturbances last summer and when responding to hurricanes and wildfires.

"The problem is," he added, "nearly one in five Guard members has no private health insurance and they are usually not entitled to government-provided coverage when mobilized for domestic missions."

The Healthcare for Our Troops Act would ensure that every man and woman who wears the cloth of their country is provided medical coverage.

"National Guard members will continue to be deployed in high numbers at home and abroad to defend American security, and medical readiness is vital to the ability to rapidly deploy," Robinson wrote. "They are part of an operational force that Americans count on to be always ready, always there. We would never debate the need to provide full medical coverage to active-component service members  it is long past time that we view the Guard and Reserve in the same light."

Introduced last month by Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., the Healthcare for Our Troops Act (H.R. 3512), would offer no-fee coverage through TRICARE, the military's health insurance program, to every Guardsman and Reservist.

The legislation is co-sponsored by several other members of the House, including Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., the co-chairs of the House National Guard and Reserve Caucus.

It is also a legislative priority for Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau. He recently told Congress that it is "one of my most pressing concerns."

The NGAUS letter to the president follows. https://www.ngaus.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/releaseletter061421.pdf

About NGAUS: The association includes nearly 45,000 current or former Guard officers. It was created in 1878 to provide unified National Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on Guard requirements. Today, 143 years later, NGAUS has the same mission.

SOURCE National Guard Association of the U.S.

Related Links

www.ngaus.org


WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), representing more than 200 African-American owned community newspapers from around the United States, have joined together with the nation's leading Black and Hispanic law enforcement executives to oppose the Washington, DC City Council proposed ban on menthol cigarettes, a racially discriminatory law. The DC City Council is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the proposed ban.

NNPA Joins with Black and Latino Law Enforcement Organizations to Oppose Washington, DC City Council Ban on Menthol Cigarettes

"The NNPA supports any effort that will improve the health and quality of life of Black Americans, as well as the health of all people regardless of race," says Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., NNPA President and CEO and civil rights icon. "But we are profoundly aware that over 85% of Black Americans and Hispanic Americans who choose to smoke prefer menthol cigarettes," continued Chavis. In fact, the unintended consequences of such a racially discriminatory ban will set the stage for more negative and more likely counterproductive interactions between law enforcement and people of color.

"Banning menthol is not going to make the demand for menthol products go away. We know this because illegal drugs are used by people in every community in every state across this country," says Sgt. Anthony Miranda (Ret. NYPD), National Chairperson, National Latino Officers Association (NLOA). "When there is a high demand, an illegal market will fill the void, if a legal, regulated market does not. Bans and prohibitions don't work. They actually create crime," stated Miranda. Crime always requires police resources to enforce, otherwise, a ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes would be meaningless.

"Given pervasive negative interactions between police and people of color in the U.S., proponents of a menthol ban naively believe that just by including prohibitive language in the legislation, police officers will not utilize a menthol ban to interact with smokers and possessors," said Commissioner Jiles H. Ship, past president, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). "Daily frivolous interactions between police and people of color demonstrate that a menthol ban would give police pretext to approach a smoker to find out where cigarettes were purchased to get to the seller," continued Ship. In recent times, we have seen far too many cases of these encounters lead to verbal and physical altercations and often fatal results.

Overall smoking rates in the U.S., despite the tobacco industry's promotional and advertising tactics in which our government allowed them to engage in until the recent master settlement agreement, is lowest it has ever been in public health history.

A recent 700-page report from the U.S. Surgeon General on smoking cessation examines the health impact of bans in the context of smoking cessation. One of the report's less-publicized conclusions is that there is not enough evidence to conclude that banning menthol cigarettes would cause more people to quit smoking.[1] "The evidence is suggestive but not sufficient to infer that restricting the sale of certain types of tobacco products, such as menthol or other flavored products, increases smoking cessation, especially among certain populations," says the report. The more fundamental issue that should be addressed is social determinants of health. Over the past 30 years, the U.S. has reduced tobacco consumption overall across this country by about 40 percent. And we did not do that with bans and prohibitions or the criminal justice community. We did that with education, counseling and treatment a health and educational perspective. We should continue with that strategy. "We should fund targeted education and behavioral health support before implementing a problematic, unenforceable ban. It is time to deal with root causes of health disparities, not the resulting behaviors," concluded Chavis.

LEAP (Law Enforcement Action Partnership)

NOBLE (National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives)

NBS (Newark Bronze Shields)

NABCJ (National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice)

NABLEO (National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers)

NLOA (National Latino Officers Association)

GCGNY (Grand Council of Guardians New York)

NORST (National Organization of Retired State Troopers)

CONTACT:

Claudette Perry National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)

201-271-5407 (Mobile)

[1] https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2020-cessation-sgr-full-report.pdf

SOURCE National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA)
CARROLLTON, Ohio, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After sounding the alarm, in a press release dated May 25, 2021, concerning an industry backed bill before the Ohio House Energy and Natural Resources Committee that would have required forced-pooled mineral owners to accept large cost deductions from their monthly royalties, Gateway Royalty is following up with a second press release today.

These cost deductions, which are sometimes paid to affiliates of the oil and gas producers, "are as much as 95% of the sale price and can reduce the royalty payments to almost nothing," says Chris Oldham, the president of Gateway Royalty LLC, a company that invests in oil and gas by buying a portion of mineral owners' royalty interests.

Facing public outrage over forcing out-sized costs on mineral owners, oil and gas producers have backed away from the bill, and Ohio's sponsors of H.B. No. 152 have put forward a substitute bill that requires the royalties to be paid on the gross proceeds of the sale of the oil and gas.

Gateway Royalty has been advised on very short notice that there will be a hearing on the substitute bill this week before the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at 10:30 AM, in Room 116 of the Ohio State House .

"The new bill is certainly better than the original," says Oldham, "but unleased mineral owners can still get stuck with huge cost deductions because operators have figured out clever ways to deduct costs, even if the lease says the royalties will be paid on the gross proceeds."

One way, Oldham says, is by selling the oil and gas to a marketing affiliate. "The operator sells the oil and gas to the affiliate at the well, the affiliate processes the oil and gas and sells it downstream of the well, and then the affiliate pays the operator the price it receives less all costs between the well and the downstream point of sale." Oldham says. "This two-step marketing gambit allows the operator to say it deducted no costs," Oldham says, "when in fact costs were netted out of the true gross sale price by the affiliate."



Another ploy used by operators, Oldham says, is to add a "market enhancement" clause to a gross proceeds lease. "The lease will say the royalty will be on the gross proceeds and list all the costs that can't be deducted but will then have a clause that says costs can be deducted if they enhance the value of an already marketable product," Oldham explains. "The operator then says that the oil and gas was in marketable condition the moment it left the ground, meaning that all costs between the well and the point of sale can be deducted, including the long list of costs the lease just said would not be deducted."

Oldham says the only way a mineral owner can be sure no costs will be deducted from the royalties is for the lease to say that the royalties will be on the "gross proceeds paid by the first unaffiliated third-party buyer in an arms-length transaction with no deduction of any costs." According to Oldham, "this one sentence royalty provision prevents operators from taking costs through affiliate sales and market enhancement clauses."

Oldham sees other big problems with the new version of the bill. One is that the bill provides for a 1/8th (12.5%) royalty. Oldham emphasized, "A 12.5% royalty was the norm before the beginning of the Utica shale boom in 2010, but oil and gas leases today typically provide for royalties between 16 and 20%. The royalty percentage for forced-pooled mineral owners should be the average in the leases of the other mineral owners in the unit. This would treat forced-pooled mineral owners, both large and small, the same as their neighbors."

The bill also provides for a bonus payment per acre of 50% of the market rate. According to Oldham, the bonus should be the "average bonus paid for all acreage in the unit, excluding acreage held by production." Oldham says this would put the forced-pooled mineral owner "on the same footing as other mineral owners in the unit, large and small."

According to Oldham, another problem with the bill is that it allows an oil and gas producer to submit an application for unit operation if 65% of the acres in the proposed unit are under lease. Oldham stated, "65% is a failing grade. The oil and gas producer should be required to have at least 85% of the acreage under lease. This will require the oil and gas producer to negotiate with more mineral owners and will create a more accurate market value for calculating the royalty percentage and the amount of the bonus. Usually, the oil and gas producers will lease the large mineral owners first and the small mineral owners last. Many times, the small mineral owners are offered lesser lease terms than the large mineral owners and are threatened to either take the deal or be forced-pooled."

Oldham says Gateway has reviewed the applications filed by operators for forced pooling and that they show that the operators typically have more than 85% of the acreage in the proposed unit under lease before submitting their application. He provided the Table below for support.

Analysis of all Horizontal Forced Pooled Units (FPUs) Filed in the Ohio Utica Shale Based on all Permits as of April 2021

































County

Number

of

Operators

per

County

Total

Number

of FPU

Applications

Filed

Total

Number

of Acres

in all

FPUs

Average

Number

of Acres

per

FPU

Average

Number

of

Tracts

in FPUs

Average

Tract

Size

in

Acres

% of

Mineral Acres

Leased

when FPU

was filed

% Royalty

Disclosed by

Operator

in FPU

Application Belmont

6

89

49,932

561

79

7.06

88.78%

ND Carroll

1

8

7,507

938

160

5.88

76.63%

17% Columbiana

2

4

2,064

516

48

10.93

81.43%

17% Guernsey

4

15

11,411

761

77

9.91

84.45%

ND Harrison

4

28

20,410

729

65

11.23

86.79%

17-19% Jefferson

4

44

25,246

573

85

6.73

88.58%

17-19% Monroe

6

78

47,369

607

50

12.16

89.79%

ND Noble

3

6

4,449

742

57

13.09

89.31%

ND Grand Total





272

168,388

619

72

8.64

88.11%





"This shows that the operators can sign up more than 85% of the acreage before filing their application," Oldham says. "Now they want a lower percentage so they can threaten the holdouts with forced pooling if they don't accept the bad terms demanded by the operator."

"What makes this bill all the worse," Oldham says, "is that the counties in the Utica Shale field are among the most poverty stricken in the state. Each mineral owner in those counties, on average, owns less than 7 mineral acres and are probably unaware of H.B. No. 152 and the effect it has on devaluing their minerals. These are the last people the large oil and gas producers should try to short and take advantage of."

The demographic table below is based on census data that shows that the eight currently active Utica counties are below the Ohio average in terms of both per capita income and median household income, with all eight counties ranking low among the total 88 counties in the state of Ohio.

OHIO UTICA SHALE DEMOGRAPHICS (1) 8 COUNTIES IN THE OHIO UTICA SHALE INCOME OF EACH COUNTY SIZE OF EACH COUNTY

County Population Poverty Rate Per Capita Income

Ohio Average

$31,552 Median Household Income

Ohio Average

$56,602 Rank out of

88 Counties Area

Square

Miles Total Possible

Mineral Acres Theoretical

Avg Mineral

Acres

per person

in County (2) Belmont 67,006 11.6% $27,580 $50,904 64th 532 340,563 5.1 Carroll 26,914 11.3% $29,518 $55,267 47th 395 252,550 9.4 Columbiana 101,883 13.2% $26,489 $48,345 70th 532 340,410 3.3 Guernsey 38,875 15.5% $24,742 $45,917 74th 522 334,240 8.6 Harrison 15,040 14.5% $24,940 $49,689 73rd 402 257,498 17.1 Jefferson 65,325 17.1% $26,391 $46,581 63rd 408 261,331 4.0 Monroe 13,654 14.0% $26,476 $45,289 81st 456 291,661 21.4 Noble 14,424 14.2% $24,440 $46,897 67th 398 254,726 17.7 TOTAL 343,121







3,645 2,332,979 6.8 (1) Data provided by www.census.gov and was calculated using the 2015-2019 American Community Survey that incorporates

data over the previous five years to reach an acceptable estimate of data until the 2020 Census numbers are released. (2) The theoretical average mineral acres per person in the County includes all mineral owners, large and small, including

Ohio Department of Transportation and nature preserves.

One of the sponsors of the bill, Representative Tim Ginter, who is not on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, represents Columbiana County, where the per capita income is only $26,489, the poverty rate is 13.2%, and the average mineral owner owns only 3.3 acres. "It's disgraceful," Oldham says, "that Representative Ginter seems more interested in doing the bidding of the large oil and gas producers than in protecting the mineral rights of his constituents, including large and small mineral owners."

The Ohio House Energy and Natural Resources Committee is comprised of thirteen members (https://ohiohouse.gov/committees/energy-and-natural-resources). None of the thirteen committee members is a Representative for the eight currently active Utica counties noted in the demographic table above. Oldham urges every unleased mineral owner in the state of Ohio to contact their Representative (https://ohiohouse.gov/members/directory) immediately to endorse Gateway Royalty's recommended changes to the substitute bill for H.B. No. 152.

As Oldham stated in Gateway Royalty's May 25, 2021, press release (www.gatewayroyaltyllc.com/news), "This bill weakens the negotiating position of all unleased mineral owners in Ohio and will diminish the value of their mineral estate for generations to come." Mr. Oldham noted that large mineral owners typically hire an attorney to review and negotiate leases, but small mineral owners, in most cases, don't have the financial means to hire an attorney.

Gateway Royalty (www.gatewayroyaltyllc.com), founded in 2012, is a mineral and royalty acquisition company based in Carrollton, Ohio. Gateway owns minerals and royalties in the Utica in the following counties located in southeastern Ohio: Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe and Noble.

CONTACT

Chris Oldham, President

Email: [email protected]

111 2nd St. SW

Carrollton, OH 44615

330.627.4200

www.gatewayroyaltyllc.com

SOURCE Gateway Royalty

Related Links

https://gatewayroyaltyllc.com/


From the stage in the outdoor amphitheater, PCOM President Jay S. Feldstein, DO, addressed the graduates who were wearing academic hoods in varying shades of green to distinguish their programs. He said, "You wereand will continue to beon the front lines: treating and caring for patients in the holistic manner that is part of your osteopathic heritage. You will call out social injustice when you see itbecause you witnessed it, because you lived itand you will advocate for your patients because they will need you like never before."

"I have never been more proud of a class of students. Go forth and make use of your gifts for the betterment of the world!"

Three speakers, who were awarded honorary doctoral degrees, addressed the socially distanced graduates and their family members. They included Richard H. Jadick, DO, who is considered the most decorated physician to serve in the Iraq War; Christy M. Norman, PharmD, the president-elect of the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and Phillip B. Palmer, PT, PhD, the founding PCOM Georgia Department of Physical Therapy professor and chair.

Dr. Jadick encouraged the graduates to "put your mark on the art of medicine." Noting that there are upsides to loss, Dr. Norman remarked, "The pandemic created a crisis that required us all to adapt and evolve in ways that otherwise may have taken years or decades or potentially lifetimes to occur." Dr. Palmer said, "You did it because we worked together, you used the tools provided appropriately, and you never lost sight of the dreamGo out and change your world!"

Established in 2005, PCOM Georgia is a private, not-for-profit, accredited institute of higher education dedicated to the healthcare professions. PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, and physical therapy and graduate degrees in biomedical sciences and physician assistant studies. Emphasizing "a whole person approach to care," PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the wider community.

SOURCE Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Related Links

www.pcom.edu


CHAMPAIGN, Ill., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rochelle (Shelley) Rodrigo has been elected Vice President of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

"NCTE has been my professional home for 20+ years because its mission aligns with mine: 'The Council promotes the development of literacy, the use of language to construct personal and public worlds and to achieve full participation in society, through the learning and teaching of English and the related arts and sciences of language,' Rodrigo said. "I am honored to be elected as NCTE's next Vice President. I look forward to collaborating with my professional 'family' members and serving my colleagues as we continue to construct our way to new, and better, literacy learning environments. To do this work, I eagerly anticipate showing up, listening, and speaking out during the tough conversations we have with our students, colleagues, and the larger public."

Rodrigo is the senior director of the Writing Program; associate professor in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English; and associate writing specialist (continuing status) in the Department of English at the University of Arizona. She has also taught fulltime at Mesa Community College, Arizona, and Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. Rodrigo teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in writing, rhetoric, and film studies. She researches how "newer" technologies better facilitate communicative interactions, specifically teaching and (online) learning. Rodrigo coauthored three editions of The Wadsworth/Cengage Guide to Research and coedited Rhetorically Rethinking Usability (Hampton Press). Her scholarly work appears in journals such as Computers and Composition, Technical Communication Quarterly, Teaching English in the Two-Year College, and various edited collections.

Rodrigo has served on NCTE's Executive Committee (EC) as the elected chair of the College Section Steering Committee; the CCCC's EC, both as an elected member and as parliamentarian; TYCA-West's EC as elected chair and treasurer; and on TYCA's EC. She was honored to chair both the NCTE LGBTQ+ and Disabled Leadership Award Development Committees as well as NCTE's Advancement of People of Color Leaderships Award Committee. She also chaired the Resolutions committees for both NCTE and CCCC. In 2021 she won the Arizona Technology in Education Association's Ruth Catalano Friend of Technology Innovation Award; in 2018 she became an Adobe Education Leader; in 2014 she was awarded Old Dominion University's annual Teaching with Technology Award; in 2012 she received the Digital Humanities High Powered Computing Fellowship; and, in 2010 she became a Google Certified Teacher/Innovator.

In her candidate statement Rodrigo said, "All of NCTE's members, and their students, embody and/or are interested in a variety of identities, interests, and experiences that inform their personal and professional identities and literacy practices. At the same time, many members and students face great inequities entrenched by cultural and societal frameworks. By sharing these realities and how they impact our teaching and our students' learning, we can support one another as we engage in the difficult work of teaching in socially just ways. In particular, we must help one another as we develop effective and equitable practices for teaching people to listen, learn, and communicate with one another in both respectful and critical ways."

"Shelley Rodrigo's addition to our team of elected leaders adds expertise in technology and related areas such as film studies at an important time," NCTE Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick said. "NCTE has led and innovated during the COVID-19 pandemic and plans to continue to do so. Rodrigo's pedagogical and research areas will add important knowledge and insights to the organization."

Rodrigo will take office as Vice President during the NCTE Annual Convention in November 2021. She will join the Presidential Team, which will include Valerie Kinloch, Maria E. Franquiz, and Alfredo Celedon Lujan.

Full election results can be found here.

About NCTE

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. For more than 100 years, NCTE has worked with its members to offer journals, publications, and resources; to further the voice and expertise of educators as advocates for their students at the local and federal levels; and to share lesson ideas, research, and teaching strategies through its Annual Convention and other professional learning events.

Contact: Abby Heverin, NCTE Communications Manager, [email protected]

SOURCE National Council of Teachers of English

Related Links

http://www.ncte.org


GURUGRAM, India, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Key Findings

The out of pocket expenditure on the medicine is expected to increase as the prices for medicines are increasing. The government is also looking to reduce the expenditure under the NHI coverage. This increase in out of pocket medical expenditure will help in development of the Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market.

The presence of pharmacy chains in Taiwan is less in comparison with other neighbouring countries such as Japan , China and others. Pharmacy chains will open new store, acquire regional chains and independent stores in order to increase their presence.

is less in comparison with other neighbouring countries such as , and others. Pharmacy chains will open new store, acquire regional chains and independent stores in order to increase their presence. The pharmaceutical market is strictly regulated by the government in Taiwan . The NHIA covers more than 17,000 drugs under its scope on which it provides reimbursement. Thus, for becoming a commercial success in Taiwan a drug needs reimbursement accreditation by NHIA.

Growth of Organized Pharmacy: Organized Pharmacies are increasing their presence in the Taiwan region by opening new stores or acquiring and merging regional pharmacies under their brand name. Some, pharmacy chains have adopted the franchise model for faster store expansion. The organized pharmacies are also focusing upon integrating their stores with latest technologies such as IoT, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence and other latest technologies in order to increase the value of in-store experience. Further, they are collecting patient information and integrating it on their cloud platform so that customer can access their medical information at any time any place.

Ageing Population and Negation Population Growth Rate: Taiwan's population trends are changing as the fertility rate is shrinking (1.06 births per women as of 2018) and life expectancy is increasing. The population growth in 2019 was ~0.1% down from an average of ~1.5% during the 1980s. This has resulted with the population starting to decline as of 2020. Out of total population, 65 years and older people accounted for ~15.3% of the population in 2019. It is estimated this will exceed to more than 20% till 2025. As per the NHIA data the cost on healthcare increases with the increase in age. Thus, it will benefit the market in the future.

Change in Attitude towards Health & Wellness Due to COVID 19 Outbreak: With the factors such as Increase in Ageing Population, Changing Climatic Conditions, Development of Fact Paced Society, the lifestyle of people have changed drastically in Taiwan. This has helped in raising health awareness among the people. People are now moving towards the preventive health care. This has helped in accelerating the demand for products such as Vitamins and Dietary supplements, nutritional supplement, OTCs and other health and wellness products in the market. Further the onset of Corona Virus has made people more health conscious and they are altering their lifestyle in order to maintain good health.

Analyst at Ken Research in their latest publication "Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025 - By Market Structure (Organized and Unorganized), By Region (Taipei Division, Northern Division, Central Division, Southern Division, KaoPing Division and Eastern Division), By Product Sales (Prescribed Medicines, OTC Products, Non Pharma Products and Medical Equipment), By Drug Type (Generic And Patented) and By Therapeutic Class" observed that Taiwan is a growing market for pharmaceutical products. The Universal Coverage of National Health Insurance has helped in development of the market. The government closely monitors and regulates the market in terms of product offering and pricing. It offers co-payment on the purchase of prescribed medicines. The market has presence of high number of unorganized pharmacy stores. Chain pharmacies are looking for store expansion and have started acquiring and merging with regional pharmacies. The increase in the aging population and negative population growth will lead to the development of the market in future. Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.5% on the basis of revenue during the forecast period of 2019-2025.

Key Segments Covered:-

By Market Structure (In USD Million)

Organized Market



Unorganized Market

By Region (In USD Million)

Taipei Division



Northern Division



Central Division



Southern Division



KaoPing Division



Eastern Division

By Type of Sales (In USD Million)

Prescribed Medicines



OTC Products



Non Pharmaceutical Products



Medical Equipment

By Type of Drug (In USD Million)

Generic



Patented

By Therapeutic Class (In USD Million)

Cardiovascular



Anti-Infective



Pain/Analgesics



Anti-Diabetic



Vitamins/Minerals /Nutrients



Dermatology



Respiratory



Gastro Intestinal



Neuro



Oncological



Gynecological



Ophthalmological



Others

Companies Covered:-

The Great Tree Pharmacy

MedFirst Taiwan

TinTin Drugstores

Woodpecker Pharmacy

YourChance Pharmacy

Yes Chain Pharmacy

JPMed

Tomods

Matsumoto Kiyoshi

Boden Pharmacy

Key Target Audience:-

Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Companies

Pharmaceutical Importing Companies

Pharmaceutical Distributing Companies

Major Retail Companies

E-Commerce Pharmaceutical Retailers

Consultancy Companies

Industry Associations

Government and Regulation Bodies

Time Period Captured in the Report:-

Historical Period: 2014-2019

Forecast Period: 2020-2025

Key Topics Covered in the Report:-



Healthcare System in Taiwan



Usage of Contraception & Family Planning in Taiwan



Health Insurance Scenario in Taiwan



Drug Reimbursement System of NHI



Traditional Chinese Medicine Scenario in Taiwan



Supply Structure of Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market



Trends & Development in Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market

Pharmacy Retail Market

Issues & Challenges in Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market

Pharmacy Retail Market

SWOT Analysis & BCG Matrix in Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market

Pharmacy Retail Market

Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market Size & Segmentation, 2014-2019



Online Pharmacy Regulations in Taiwan



Telemedicine & Growth of Online Medical Consultation in Taiwan



Major Telemedicine Providers in Taiwan



Operating Model of Hybrid Pharmacies



Competition Scenario, Market Share, Cross Comparison of Major Players (Online & Offline) and Company Profile



Corona Virus Impact on the Consumer Behavior & Pharmacy Sales



Future Market Size and Segmentations, 2019-2025F



COVID 19 Impact on Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market



Analysts' Recommendations



Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market



Taiwan Online Pharmacy Retail Market



Taiwan Internet Medicine Market



Taiwan Prescribed Medicine Retail Market



Taiwan Dispensary Retail Market



Taiwan NHI Pharmacy Market



Taiwan Medicine Retail Market



Taiwan Patented Drug Market



Taiwan Generic Drug Market



Taiwan Branded Generics Market



Taiwan Telemedicine Market



Taiwan Major Medicine Sellers



Taiwan Organized Pharmacies



Taiwan Unorganized Pharmacies



Taiwan Independent Pharmacies Market



Taipei Division Pharmacy Retail Market



Northern Division Pharmacy Retail Market



Central Division Pharmacy Retail Market



Southern Division Pharmacy Retail Market



Eastern Division Pharmacy Retail Market



KaoPing Division Pharmacy Retail Market



Taiwan Major Pharmacy Players



Medfirst Taiwan Market Share



Medfirst Taiwan Market Revenue



Yes Chain Pharmacy Market Share



Taiwan Western Medicine Retail Market



Taiwan Chinese Medicine Retail Market



Major Telemedicine Companies Taiwan



Covid Impact Taiwan Pharmacy Market

For More Information on the research report, refer to below link:-

Taiwan Pharmacy Retail Market

Related Reports:-

Philippines Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025 - By Market Structure (Organized and Unorganized), By Location (Standalone and Hospital Based), By Region (North, Central and South), By Product Sales (Prescribed Medicines, OTC Products, Non Pharma Products and Medical Equipment), By Drug Type (Generic and Patented) and By Therapeutic Class

The Philippines Pharmacy Retail Market is a booming industry backed by the growing demand for the generic medicines and increase in the number of chain pharmacies. The market had presence of different type of pharmacy stores such as Chinese drugstores, traditional medicine shops which are now replaced with modern American style pharmacies. The independent pharmacies and regional chains are being acquired by big national chains for expedited expansion. Further, some chains have also adopted the franchise model for store expansion. The high price for pharmaceutical products has shifted the consumer towards the consumption of generic medicines which are now in high demand. The government is revamping the public medicine distribution system in order to make them accessible to the people in rural areas. Online pharmacies are a relatively new concept and are gaining traction in the region. The market witnessed a growth of 3.4% during 2014-2019.

Malaysia Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025- By Market Structure (Organized & Unorganized), By Location (Mall Based & High Street), By Product Sales (Prescribed Drugs, Generics, Non Pharmaceutical Products, Medical Equipment), By Drug Type (Patented & Generics) and By Therapeutic Class

Malaysia Pharmacy Retail market in terms of revenue increased at a single digit CAGR over the review period 2013-2019. The market was observed to be at growth stage owing to growing intensity of competition among the retail pharmacies in the market in terms of wide product offering and value added services. The Malaysia pharmacy retail industry has grown at a CAGR of 9.7% on the basis of revenue and a CAGR of 3.9% on the basis of number of pharmacy retail outlets over the period 2013-2019. The market is booming owing to rising number of cases of NCDs, growing online pharmacy services, increasing government health expenditure, consolidation of smaller chains to expand in different regions and services such as Online Consultations & E-Prescriptions coupled with per capita health expenditure of individuals in Malaysia.

India E-Pharmacy Competition Benchmarking Report - A detailed analysis of major E-Pharmacy players in India

On the other hand, E-Pharmacy is at its nascent stage in India, but like other categories, it has the potential to be a very large industry segment in the near future. The advent of online pharmacy retailers in the Indian market during Covid period will further increase the penetration of the organized pharmacy segment in the country. Most e-pharmacies have seen a surge in demand, thanks to customers beginning to recognise them as a safer, faster, and cheaper mode than physical stores. It is expected that the E-Pharmacy model could account for 15%-20% of the total pharma sales in India over next 10 years, largely by enhancing adherence and access to medicines for a majority of the under-served population. Currently, many E-Pharmacy players such as Medlife, Netmeds, 1MG and Pharmeasy operate in this segment and offer varied value added services to the consumers. Though, the market competition is majorly concentrated among these major players, but we have witnessed the entry of many new entrants into this market in recent months owing to its rising popularity of the segment in the retail pharmaceutical industry.

Vietnam Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025-By Market Structure (Organized & Unorganized); By Region (North, South & Central); By Hospital-based & Street/Mall-based; By Product Categories (Prescribed, OTC, Non-Pharmaceutical Products & Medical Equipment); By Therapeutic Areas; and By Product Type (Patented & Generic Drugs)

The Vietnam Pharmacy Retail Market is in growing stage with increasing healthcare awareness due to growth of ageing population and rising per capita drug expenditure. The rising cases of non-communicable diseases have also contributed to the growth in the demand for drugs across various therapeutic classes. In recent years, chain pharmacy stores have been increasing their presence by opening new stores in different provinces. Government initiatives such as launching of a national medicine database as well as telemedicine platform are also positively impacted the industry. Vietnam Pharmacy Retail Market witnessed a revenue growth of 6.8% during 2014-2019 and CAGR of 8.7% basis number of pharmacies.

Indonesia Pharmacy Retail Market Outlook to 2025 By Market Structure (Organized & Unorganized); By Region (West Java , East Java , Central Java , Jakarta , North Sumatra & Others); By Product Categories (Prescribed, OTC, Non-Pharmaceutical Products & Medical Equipment); By Therapeutic Areas; and By Product Type (Patented & Generic Drugs)

Indonesia's pharmacy retail sector is in the growing phase with the presence of over 40,105 drugstores and pharmacies along with a revenue CAGR of 8.1% during 2014-2019. Increasing incidence of life-style related ailments such as Diabetes, Obesity, hypertension, and various heart-related diseases and prevalence of communicable diseases such as TB, influenza among the growing population are the main reasons behind positive growth in pharmacy retail revenue due to increased sales of private-label goods. Another major driver is the aging population. The UN has predicted that the percentage of Indonesians over 60 years old will reach 25% in 2050 or nearly 74 million elderly people.

Contact Us:-

Ken Research

Ankur Gupta, Head Marketing & Communications

[email protected]

+91-9015378249

SOURCE Ken Research
OSLO, Norway, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Targovax ASA (OSE: TRVX), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing immune activators to target hard-to-treat solid tumors, has released two video presentations related to the ONCOS-102 mesothelioma 24-month data.

The 24-month follow-up data from the randomized phase 1/2 trial of ONCOS-102 in combination with Standard of Care (SoC) chemotherapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) was announced 10 June 2021 (see press release here). It showed that the median overall survival will be in the range of 21.9 to 25.0 months for first-line ONCOS-102-treated patients in the randomized group (n=8). This is a clear improvement over the median overall survival of 13.5 months observed in the first-line standard of care-only control group (n=6). Previous malignant pleural mesothelioma clinical trials have reported median overall survival in the range of 12-16 months for patients receiving the same SoC chemotherapy treatment1.

In addition, a broad and powerful immune activation pattern was observed in patients treated with ONCOS-102, clearly associated with both tumor responses and survival outcomes.

For the presentations of the data, please see link below:

1 Vogelzang 2003, Ceresoli 2006, Zalcman 2015, Tsao 2019, Scagliotti 2019, Baas 2020

For further information, please contact:

ystein Soug, CEO

Phone: +47 906 56 525

Email: [email protected]

Renate Birkeli, Investor Relations

Phone: +47 922 61 624

Email: [email protected]

Media enquires:

Andreas Tinglum - Corporate Communications (Norway)

Phone: +47 9300 1773

Email: [email protected]

IR enquires:

Kim Sutton Golodetz - LHA Investor Relations (US)

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +1 212-838-3777

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/targovax/r/targovax-releases-presentations-of-oncos-102-mesothelioma-24-month-data,c3366248

SOURCE Targovax
SELBYVILLE, Del., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on Global Market Insights Inc.'s report, the global Ceramic Inks Market was estimated at $1.79 billion in 2020 and is slated to exceed $2.5 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 5.9% from 2021 to 2027. The report provides a thorough analysis of the main investment avenues, major winning strategies, drivers and opportunities, wavering industry trends, market estimations as well as size, competitive scenarios.

Global Market Insights Inc.

Increasing building & construction activities globally will expand the market share of ceramic inks during the study timeframe. The product has gained substantial attention from tile manufacturers, owing to the availability of a wide range of textures, colors, shades, etc. Besides, rising government investments to improve aging infrastructure in European countries and the U.S. over the past few years will increase product consumption in the sector.

Request for a Sample Report: https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3553

Decorative inks will account for a significant share of the overall ceramic inks industry during the study timeframe. The share is credited to the growing inks demand in ceramic tiles for floor and walls and automotive glass printing applications.

Solvent formulation will propel at a 5.5% CAGR throughout the study's timeframe. These products are made using organic solvents such as esters, hydrocarbons, etc. Government regulations to limit VOC emissions from the building and construction and automobile industries may lower the consumption of solvent-based inks at the end of the study's timeframe.

Digital technology will be expanding at around a 6% CAGR during the study's timeframe. This can be majorly credited to the rising need for faster and reliable printing methods across the ceramic tile sector. Other substrates including paper, plastic grades, etc., will be expanding at a considerable rate throughout the study's timeframe in the ceramic inks market.

Food & beverage containers will be holding a considerable share in the ceramic inks market during the study's timeframe. Increasing disposable incomes and changing consumer lifestyles in emerging countries are fueling the demand of packaged food globally. This has resulted in the increasing usage of ceramic inks in the labeling and packaging application of beverage containers,

Request for customization of this report: https://www.gminsights.com/roc/3553

The European ceramic inks market volume will witness around a 4.5% CAGR during the study timeframe, which is credited to the flourishing growth reported in construction of new housing in Eastern European countries. Escalating vehicle production in countries including, Germany, France, Russia, etc., will further fuel product consumption in the sector.

Some of the major manufacturers in the ceramic inks industry are Ferro Corporation, Sun Chemical Corporation, FRITTA SLU, Torrecid SA, Colorobbia Italia SPA, Esmalglass - Itaca Grupo, Zschimmer & Schwarz Holding GmbH & Co KG, SICER SPA, Kao Chimigraf, TECGLASS SL, Electronics for Imaging, Inc., International Imaging Materials, Inc, Marabu GmbH & Co. KG, REX-TONE Industries Ltd. (AT Inks) and Afford Digital Inks.

About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider. Offering syndicated and custom research reports, growth consulting and business intelligence services, Global Market Insights, Inc. aims to help clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data that aid in strategic decision making.

GMIPulse, our business analytics platform offers an online, interactive option of exploring our proprietary industry research data in an easy-to-use and dynamic manner. Clients get to explore market intelligence across 11 top level categories and hundreds of industry segments within them, covering regional, company level and cross-sectional statistics that make our offering a stand-out for decision makers.

Contact Us:

Arun Hegde

Corporate Sales, USA

Global Market Insights, Inc.

Phone: 1-302-846-7766

Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.gminsights.com

Related Images

ceramic-inks-market-statistics-2027.jpg

Ceramic Inks Market Statistics - 2027

SOURCE Global Market Insights Inc.
Volta Charging builds and operates EV charging stations featuring eye-catching digital displays that function as a sophisticated media network. Located in front of retail locations, these sponsor-supported charging stations provide complimentary energy to customers who are able to plug in their vehicles right where they park and shop.

"We wanted to reach drivers about the benefits of electric vehicles right where they live, and by providing charging infrastructure equitably in our service area," said Grant Takahashi, a senior advisor in SCE's eMobility group who developed the EV awareness campaign focused on underserved communities. The ads will serve to remind the public that driving an electric car can mean cleaner air, lower driving costs and the potential to receive EV rebates.

"Albertsons Companies and Vons are proud to support SCE's EV Awareness efforts through our Volta charging network. Vons is committed to integrating sustainability into our everyday business decisions to enable our associates, customers, and stakeholders to create better lives, vibrant neighborhoods, and a healthier planet. The Volta network provides an environmentally friendly electric vehicle charging option for our customers. We are proud to be a partner in this EV Awareness effort," said Kevin Curry, President, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions, Southern California Division.

In addition to the charging station at the Vons grocery store in Lakewood, eight more sites  shopping centers and other locations  are expected to come online in the next few months.

"The widespread adoption of electric vehicles will benefit individuals, communities and the environment at large. Volta is pleased to work with Southern California Edison and Albertsons to deliver this message directly to members of the Lakewood community," said Scott Mercer, Founder and CEO of Volta Charging. "By placing our charging network directly in front of essential services like Vons grocery store, we can also relay the added convenience for drivers who want to 'fuel up' where and when they shop, rather than drive to a separate gas station."

About Volta Charging

Volta Charging is an industry leader in commerce-centric EV charging networks. Volta Charging's vision is to build EV charging networks that capitalize on and catalyze the shift from combustion-powered miles to electric miles by placing stations where consumers live, work, shop and play. By leveraging a data-driven understanding of driver behavior to deliver EV charging solutions that fit seamlessly into drivers' daily routines, Volta Charging's goal is to benefit consumers, brands and real-estate locations while helping to build the infrastructure of the future. As part of Volta Charging's unique EV charging offering, its stations allow it to enhance its site hosts' and strategic partners' core commercial interests, creating a new means for them to benefit from the transformative shift to electric mobility. To learn more, visit www.voltacharging.com.

In February 2021, Volta and Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: SNPR), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company with a strategic focus on energy sustainability and decarbonizing transportation, announced they entered into a business combination agreement. Upon the closing of the transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, the combined entity will be named Volta Inc. and remain on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "VLTA".

About Albertsons Companies

Locally great and nationally strong, Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. Albertsons Cos. operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2019 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company gave over $224 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veterans' outreach.

SOURCE Volta
WILMINGTON, Del., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilmington Trust, a leader in corporate and institutional trust services, today announced Bobby Weil will join the firm as Vice President and Manager of U.S. Loan Agency Middle Administration. In this role, Weil will have a concentrated focus on enabling technological efficiencies to expand Wilmington Trust's agency services.

"We are thrilled to have Bobby join our team," said Medita Vucic, Head of U.S. Loan Agency Services. "His specialized experience in the syndicated loan market, strong operational background, and proven leadership will be a great addition to support the growth of the U.S. Loan Agency business as we continue to innovate our service offerings."

"It's wonderful to see someone with Bobby's expertise join our already talented loan agency team. His insights will help further our mission to offer clients fully customized solutions, especially with complex transactions," said Abby Mrozinski, Head of Global Capital Markets.

With almost 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Weil most recently served as a Senior Sales Executive at FIS Global. Prior to his work there, Weil spent over 15 years at BNY Mellon helping to build its private-label loan agency business and served in multiple capacities including agent servicer, manager of syndicated loan operations, senior transaction manager for syndicated products, manager of middle office loan administration, senior relationship manager for Corporate Trust, and manager of the Commercial Mortgage Services business.

"I am greatly looking forward to joining the team of experts at Wilmington Trust and have always been impressed by their community-focused mindset," said Weil, "I am passionate about staying ahead of the curve and excited to bring my experience in the loan market to the team, so we can continue to service our clients with the highest quality knowledge and service available."

Wilmington Trust is a leading provider of services to the loan market, including independent loan agency services, for some of the largest and most complex restructurings in the U.S. and Europe. Its diverse portfolio ranges from bi-lateral loans to broadly syndicated loans with 950+ lenders. Taking a non-lender role, the firm acts as a neutral, impartial agent on new originations and successor appointments. The tenured staff combined with the financial stability and quality of service makes Wilmington Trust the agent of choice for banks, funds, debt advisors, and lawyers in need of an independent agent. Wilmington Trust is proud to be part of the M&T corporate family, one of the most financially sound and successful companies in the U.S. financial services industry, with $141 billion in balance sheet assets as of 1Q 2021.

To learn more about Wilmington Trust's loan agency capabilities, visit the firm's Loan Agency Services webpage.

ABOUT WILMINGTON TRUST

Wilmington Trust, N.A. provides Corporate and Institutional Services including institutional trust, agency, asset management, retirement plan, agency, asset management, and administrative services for clients worldwide who use capital markets financing structures. Wilmington Trust provides direct trust, custody, and fiduciary services for retirement plans, companies, foundations, organizations and financial institutions.

Wilmington Trust also provides Wealth Advisory services with a wide array of personal trust, financial planning, fiduciary, asset management, and family office solutions designed to help high-net-worth individuals and families grow, preserve, and transfer wealth.

Wilmington Trust maintains offices throughout the United States and internationally in London, Paris, Dublin, and Frankfurt. For more information, visit www.WilmingtonTrust.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Maya Dillon, Head of Communications, Wilmington Trust (646) 735-1958

Wilmington Trust is a registered service mark. Wilmington Trust Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of M&T Bank Corporation. Wilmington Trust Company, operating in Delaware only, Wilmington Trust, N.A., M&T Bank and certain other affiliates, provide various fiduciary and non-fiduciary services, including trustee, custodial, agency, investment management and other services. International corporate and institutional services are offered through Wilmington Trust Corporation's international affiliates. Loans, credit cards, retail and business deposits, and other business and personal banking services and products are offered by M&T Bank, member FDIC.

Wilmington Trust is a registered service mark used in connection with various fiduciary and non-fiduciary services offered by certain subsidiaries of M&T Bank Corporation including, but not limited to, Manufacturers & Traders Trust Company (M&T Bank), Wilmington Trust Company (WTC) operating in Delaware only, Wilmington Trust, N.A. (WTNA), Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors, Inc. (WTIA), Wilmington Funds Management Corporation (WFMC), and Wilmington Trust Investment Management, LLC (WTIM). Such services include trustee, custodial, agency, investment management, and other services. International corporate and institutional services are offered through M&T Bank Corporation's international subsidiaries. Loans, credit cards, retail and business deposits, and other business and personal banking services and products are offered by M&T Bank, member FDIC.

2021 M&T Bank Corporation and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.

This is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer, recommendation or solicitation for the sale of any financial profit or service or as a determination that any investment strategy is suitable for a specific investor. Investors should seek financial advice regarding the suitability of any investment strategy based on their objectives, financial situations, and particular needs. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or a loss. There is no assurance that any investment strategy will be successful.

SOURCE Wilmington Trust
DRAPER, Utah, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 1-800 Contacts, the largest online retailer of contact lenses in the U.S., has triumphed in a five year battle with the FTC.

On Friday, June 11, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the Federal Trade Commission failed to provide evidence to support claims of anticompetitive practices. The court's decision confirms that the original complaint had no evidentiary merit and the agreements were lawfully put in place to protect 1-800 Contacts' trademark.

The final ruling states that the FTC "incorrectly concluded that the agreements are an unfair method of competition" and the court sent the case back to the commission with orders to dismiss the administrative complaint.

"Late last week 1-800 Contacts won a complete victory in our challenge to the FTC's ruling alleging we engaged in anti-competitive search marketing practices," said John Graham, CEO of 1-800 Contacts. "We were confident the FTC lacked evidence to justify their claims, and we feel vindicated with the Second Circuit court's decision. Today's ruling is another win for consumers and a confirmation of our 26-year mission as a champion of consumer choice in vision care."

Founded in 1995, 1-800 Contacts was the first company to deliver contact lenses direct to consumers, creating needed competition in the vision care industry. Since then, the company has delivered innovative offerings and a customer-centric approach, which has helped make them one of the most successful DTC brands today.

About 1-800 Contacts

1-800 Contacts is the original disruptor of the vision industry. The brand is well-known for efficient, high-quality, and delightful customer service and has advocated relentlessly on behalf of customers, paving the way for a new generation of DTC brands. 1-800 Contacts is the largest seller of contact lenses in the U.S., serving more than 20 million customers for the last 26 years. The growing portfolio of innovative 1-800 Contacts brands includes Liingo Eyewear, 6over6, Boomerang, and Premium Vision.

SOURCE 1-800 Contacts
CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With support for cannabis legalization at an all-time high in the U.S., it shouldn't come as a surprise that more people are investing in cannabis-related stocks. The latest MagnifyMoney survey of more than 1,200 investors found 43% currently invest in the cannabis industry.

And given the majority of those investors got involved in 2020 or 2021, it's not unreasonable to imagine more investors joining them soon.

Key Findings:

Cannabis-related investments are becoming widespread. 43% of investors currently hold at least one cannabis-related stock, whether it's an individual stock, mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF).

43% of investors currently hold at least one cannabis-related stock, whether it's an individual stock, mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF). Most cannabis investors recently put money in a related stock or fund. More than a third (34%) said they did in the past week, with an additional 33% in the last month. Separately, 60% expect to invest more money in cannabis in the next six months.

More than a third (34%) said they did in the past week, with an additional 33% in the last month. Separately, 60% expect to invest more money in cannabis in the next six months. Cannabis consumers are more likely to invest in those stocks. 65% of investors who use cannabis invest in related stocks, while only 16% of investors who don't use cannabis invest in the industry.

65% of investors who use cannabis invest in related stocks, while only 16% of investors who use cannabis invest in the industry. Those not investing in cannabis may be more willing to do so should its consumption become legal at the federal level. 53% of those not investing in cannabis said they'd consider doing so at that point.

53% of those not investing in cannabis said they'd consider doing so at that point. More people expect to get rich off cannabis investments than those who think they'll get rich by investing in cryptocurrency. 75% of cannabis investors said they believe they'll get rich because of those investments, compared with 62% of crypto investors who said the same about related investments.

75% of cannabis investors said they believe they'll get rich because of those investments, compared with 62% of crypto investors who said the same about related investments. Cannabis investors aren't in it for the short term, but they also don't expect to hold their investments forever. Most cannabis investors expect to hold on to their current cannabis investments for one to three years (48%) or four to six years (26%). Just 8% expect to do so for 10-plus years.

The end of federal cannabis prohibition could spur a new wave of cannabis investors. Under federal law, cannabis possession for medical or recreational use is still strictly prohibited. That doesn't mean you'll be arrested for investing in cannabis stocks, but the growth of the overall cannabis market continues to meet obstacles due to prohibition, even as it's legalized in various states across the U.S.

Perhaps due to an understanding of those hurdles, 53% of those currently not invested in cannabis stocks would consider investing if the plant became federally legal.

"Legalization could lead to a larger market as more people use cannabis and research leads to more use cases," LendingTree Chief Economist Tendayi Kapfidze says. "Previously, investment in this space meant engaging in illegal activity at significant personal risk."

To view the full report, visit: https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/news/cannabis-related-stocks-survey/.

Methodology

MagnifyMoney commissioned Qualtrics to conduct an online survey of 1,233 U.S. consumers with an investment account from May 3-6, 2021. The survey was administered using a non-probability-based sample, and quotas were used to ensure the sample base represented the overall population. All responses were reviewed by researchers for quality control.

We defined generations as the following ages in 2021:

Generation Z: 18 to 24

Millennial: 25 to 40

Generation X: 41 to 55

Baby boomer: 56 to 75

While the survey also included consumers from the silent generation (defined as those 76 and older), the sample size was too small to include findings related to that group in the generational breakdowns.

About MagnifyMoney

MagnifyMoney.com, a subsidiary of LendingTree, makes it easy for consumers to shop for the best financial products and get answers to their most important financial questions. MagnifyMoney's unbiased advice and comprehensive product database helps millions of people compare credit cards, loans, checking accounts and savings accounts. MagnifyMoney's newsroom of personal finance experts is dedicated to helping people save money and lead financially healthier lives through strategies and tips for avoiding fees, getting out of debt, paying off student loans, avoiding consumer scams and other financial topics. MagnifyMoney was launched in 2014, was acquired by LendingTree in 2017, and is based in New York, NY. For more information, please visit www.magnifymoney.com.

Media Contact:

Nancy Jones

[email protected]

SOURCE MagnifyMoney.com

Related Links

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PHILADELPHIA, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- $8.15 million has been paid to settle five lawsuits resulting from the September 29, 2016 New Jersey Transit (NJT) Hoboken Terminal, speeding-train crash which a 34-year-old woman was killed from falling debris while walking through the battered station, plaintiffs' attorneys from Kline & Specter and Saltz, Mongeluzzi & Bendesky announced today.

Trial lawyers Tom Kline and Robert J. Mongeluzzi today confirmed their clients, including the family of the late, beloved, Brazilian-born lawyer Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, and four passenger-survivors of the tragedy, will soon receive compensation almost five years after the crash. "But these settlements collectively amounting to more than $8 million should never be confused with or viewed as a substitute for closure, because there is no closure for loved ones who've lost a mother and spouse, or survivors suffering from life-altering physical and psychological injuries," added Mr. Kline and Mr. Mongeluzzi, who were appointed by the Court to the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee in the litigation and whose firms have tirelessly advocated for safer public and privately-operated transportation across all modes.

They added, ""This was a preventable catastrophe. And we and our clients are hopeful that NJT has now implemented and will continue to implement all the necessary safety improvements  systemwide, from rail operations to crew medical screenings - to protect its passengers, agency personnel, and the general public from harm. Such a tragedy must never happen again."

Besides representing the estate of Ms. de Kroon, who was married and mother of their two-year-old daughter at the time, the firms jointly represented and settled the cases of the following injured passengers on the morning rush-hour Pascack Valley train: Bagya Subramaniam, Sheldon Kest, Karl Ward, and Alexis Valle.

Other members of the legal team included trial lawyers Andrew R. Duffy and Michael Budner (SMB), and Patrick J. Fitzgerald (Kline & Specter).

SOURCE Saltz, Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, P.C.
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alice Aspen March is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Public Speaker for her decades of work in the television and broadcast industry. As the host of the radio broadcast "The Attention Factor," Ms. March entertains listeners while helping her guests get "the attention they need." She inspires her readers and listeners to discover greater personal empowerment and find success in their lives.



She is an Executive Director of a Los Angeles Non-Profit Organization, Focusing Awareness on Children & TV (FACT).



Alice Aspen March

She has established herself as a forerunner in publicizing the need for adequate child care in the United States. In 1981, Ms. March created and co-produced the 1981 Emmy Award-nominated film "Latch-Key Kids." She successfully lobbied to keep the popular kids show "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" on Public Broadcasting and KCET. To display the impact of television on children, she commissioned a satirical play called "Boxed-In." The play was presented throughout the Los Angeles County School system, demonstrating the social, physical, and emotional role that television can play in a child's life.



Ms. March served on the Commission on Future Funding of Public Broadcasting in California. She served on the Board of Directors for KCET-28 Public Broadcasting in Southern California, the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring, and the International Institute of Los Angeles.



She runs a blog, "Alice At Attention," highlighting clips from "The Attention Factor" and writing personal blog posts on various subjects. Ms. March is dedicated to sharing innovative content that has changed her life and the lives of countless readers and listeners. She teaches managers tools to improve employee morale, shows teachers how to reach challenging or at-risk students, and shows parents how to have empowering relationships with their children. There is room for improvement for every business, and Ms. March wants to highlight the power of positive thinking and taking steps to make everyone feel important. She believes that attention is a core need we all have. She has a loyal following of professionals from many industries that use Ms. March's techniques in their everyday life.



She was appointed twice by the California State Senate to State Commissions to advise on the future funding of PBS and the National Conference on the Family. She served as a programming consultant for PBS's KCET and KHJ networks. She enjoys making TV and radio appearances, providing interviews and presentations about her tips for empowerment.



She has written two books: "Attention: It's the Problem, it's the Solution" (1995) and "Attention: Secrets for Making it in College and Beyond" (2010). She wrote "The Attention Factor" workbook. She has written many articles for a variety of magazines and blogs like EZine Articles, American Chronicle, Personal Wealth Journal, and Grandparents.com. Ms. March has been awarded for her work, receiving an International Year of the Child Award, and was praised in the Congressional Record in Washington D.C.



Ms. March has lived in Michigan, California, New York, and Japan. Her work has taken her worldwide to deliver her message. She attended the University of Michigan, majoring in English. In her spare time, Ms. March enjoys weaving, painting, and exploring other art forms. She loves to spend time with her three sons, three grandchildren, and her great-grandchild.

For further information, please visit https://www.theattentionfactor.com/home.



Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634 [email protected]



SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


SAN DIEGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascent Funding, an award-winning company dedicated to student success, announced today the launch of its third annual 50 Days of $1,000 Scholarships Giveaways plus more scholarship opportunities launching this summer.

"We challenge ourselves every year to find new ways to empower more students to be successful in their pursuit of higher education," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ken Ruggiero. "Our scholarship opportunities represent our commitment to student success by empowering students to explore other financial options to pay for college before taking out a loan."

Starting today, students, including international and DACA status students studying at U.S.-based colleges, universities, bootcamps, and accelerated learning programs, can enter for a chance to win Ascent's 50 Days of $1,000 Scholarships through August 20, 2021. A new scholarship will be posted on Ascent's Instagram page every weekday this summer starting today. Students will be asked to share feedback on topics ranging from financial wellness, budgeting, applying for jobs, and have the opportunity to submit original creative pieces such as memes, photos, and short videos.

Within the 50 Days of $1,000 Scholarships, Ascent will introduce "Ascent Labs," asking students to provide creative ideas and insights to inspire other students through their college journey. Ascent Labs aims to normalize conversations around money and provide students the opportunity to co-create with the Ascent team.

The launch of Ascent's third annual 50 Days of $1,000 Scholarships is in addition to other scholarship opportunities Ascent offers all year long, such as its Shining Stars Scholarship and Community Champions Scholarship. This summer, Ascent will unveil a new scholarship giveaway exclusive to students who submit a loan application. In July and August, students who submit an Ascent loan application may have the chance to win a $1,000 scholarship.

"Ascent is committed to supporting students, our next generation of leaders, by offering more ways students can fund their education," said Chief Marketing Officer Kim McNealy. "We're excited to provide more scholarships to a broader group of students, including DACA status students, at colleges and bootcamps nationwide in addition to our industry-leading portfolio of outcomes-based lending."

To enter Ascent's 50 Days of $1,000 Scholarships and Community Champions Scholarships, students do not need an Ascent loan to participate and will have multiple chances to win. For more information, visit AscentFunding.com/Summer-of-Scholarships-2021.

About Ascent Funding



Ascent Funding is an outcomes-focused company committed to revolutionizing how students pay for higher education at more than 2,500 traditional schools and coding bootcamps. Ascent believes education is an investment for the future, and we want to empower students from all economic backgrounds to maximize the return on that investment.

Contact for Press Inquiries



Lauren Thayer | Senior Director of Marketing

619-684-7294

[email protected]

SOURCE Ascent Funding

Related Links

https://ascentfunding.com/


OKLAHOMA CITY, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascent Resources Utica Holdings, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, "Ascent") announced today that it, with its wholly-owned subsidiary, ARU Finance Corporation, has closed on a private offering of $400 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.875% senior unsecured notes due 2029 (the "2029 Notes"). Ascent used the proceeds of the 2029 Notes offering to pay down a portion of the outstanding borrowings under its revolving credit facility.

The 2029 Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state laws. The 2029 Notes were offered and sold only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in the United States pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to certain non-U. S. persons outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the 2029 Notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.

About Ascent Resources:

Ascent is one of the largest private producers of natural gas in the United States and is focused on acquiring, developing, producing, and operating natural gas and oil properties located in the Utica Shale in Southeast Ohio. With a continued focus on good corporate citizenship, Ascent is committed to delivering low-cost clean-burning energy to our country and the world, while reducing environmental impacts.

Contact:

Chris Benton

Director  Finance and Investor Relations

405-252-7850

[email protected]

SOURCE Ascent Resources, LLC

Related Links

http://www.ascentresources.com


SEONGNAM, South Korea, June 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridge Biotherapeutics (KQ288330) announced today the first patient dosing of BBT-401 at mid to high doses in its proof of clinical principle (PoCP) study to examine the drug's efficacy and safety in active ulcerative colitis (NCT04596293).

The Phase IIa, is a two-phase study, with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled induction phase, followed by a response-adaptive, double-blind extension phase. This multinational study will assess the safety and efficacy profiles of the investigational drug in 36 patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, by activating 36 clinical trial sites across 5 countries (USA, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Poland and Ukraine).

The primary and secondary endpoints of the study consist of efficacy and safety assessments measured 8 weeks after drug administration. These include the clinical response and remission rates determined from the total Mayo score as well as the endoscopic remission rate, which is calculated based on the Mayo endoscopic subscore.

Upon the completion of the low dose study, which was the first-in-patient study for BBT-401, the drug formulation has been enhanced in terms of its drug delivery and distribution to the ileum and distant colon. The enhanced drug delivery and distribution profile was evaluated via the in vitro Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME) model.

BBT-401, an investigational drug with the potential to exhibit treatment efficacy in inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis, is a GI-tract restricted small molecule Pellino-1 inhibitor. Pellino proteins serve as scaffold proteins that bind to proteins in inflammatory signaling pathways, including IRAK4, MyD88 and to RIPK1 in various physio-pathological conditions.

"Given the improved drug formulation of BBT-401, we are hoping to observe enhanced treatment responses in the moderate to severe UC patients," and "our team will continue to focus on the development of a breakthrough treatment for active ulcerative colitis patients. Additionally, our goal is to disclose the interim data of the study in the first half of 2022," said James Lee, CEO of Bridge Biotherapeutics.

In conjunction with the orally administered PoCP study, a proof of mechanism trial has been initiated in New Zealand, exploring the efficacy and safety of a rectal administration of BBT-401 in patients with active ulcerative colitis.

About Bridge Biotherapeutics

Bridge Biotherapeutics Inc., based in the Republic of Korea, US, and China, is a publicly-traded clinical-stage biotech company founded in 2015. Bridge Biotherapeutics is engaged in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics, focusing on therapeutic areas with high unmet needs such as ulcerative colitis, fibrotic diseases, and cancers. The company is developing BBT-401, a first-in-class Pellino-1 inhibitor for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, BBT-877, a novel autotaxin inhibitor for the treatment of fibrotic diseases including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and BBT-176, a potent targeted cancer therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with C797S triple EGFR mutations.

SOURCE Bridge Biotherapeutics, Inc.
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions , Inc. (NYSE:BR), a global Fintech leader, today announced the successful go-live of its transformative distributed ledger repo (DLR) platform. Early participants of the blockchain-enabled platform are realizing significant and immediate benefits of reduced risk, operational costs and enhanced liquidity, while also accelerating their digitization journey. The launch builds on the success of multiple pilots with sell-side and buy-side firms.

DLR provides a single platform where market participants can agree, execute and settle repo transactions. Furthermore, DLR allows for the immobilization of the underlying securities in the repo transactions, while transferring ownership via smart contracts executed on the platform. The platform's functionality significantly reduces the operating cost and risk of all repo activity, including intraday, overnight and term repos, both on a bilateral and an intracompany basis and also reduces counterparty risk while increasing auditability. In the first week since launch, DLR has executed $31B in average daily volume

"This is the first step in the transformation of the $10T global bilateral repo market using smart contracts and distributed ledger technology," said Vijay Mayadas, President of Capital Markets at Broadridge. "Co-innovating with market participants, we are able to bring solutions to our network of clients that create the next level of operational efficiencies. Within the repo market, distributed ledger technology and smart contracts have shown that they can play an instrumental role in driving efficiencies, reducing risk and enhancing liquidity while leveraging the existing legal and account frameworks."

Leveraging Broadridge's leading fixed income trade processing platform, DLR utilizes Daml smart contracts from Digital Asset as well as VMware Blockchain, a highly scalable distributed ledger platform. DLR reduces operational risk and settlement cost for repurchase, or repo, agreements by providing a secure record of repo trade details, reducing the need for reconciliation and removing obstacles to straight-through-processing.

"By coupling emerging technologies like distributed ledger technology and smart contracts with existing operational account structure functionality, Broadridge has enabled real-time securities mobility in the repo market," said Vinod Jain, Senior Analyst, Aite Group. "This is a powerful value proposition for firms, especially those looking to reduce risk and enhance operational efficiencies."

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR), a global Fintech leader with over $4.5 billion in revenues, provides the critical infrastructure that powers investing, corporate governance, and communications to enable better financial lives. We deliver technology-driven solutions to banks, broker-dealers, asset and wealth managers and public companies. Broadridge's infrastructure serves as a global communications hub enabling corporate governance by linking thousands of public companies and mutual funds to tens of millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. In addition, Broadridge's technology and operations platforms underpin the daily trading of on average more than U.S. $10 trillion of equities, fixed income and other securities globally. A certified Great Place to Work, Broadridge is a part of the S&P 500 Index, employing over 12,000 associates in 21 countries.

For more information about us and what we can do for you, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Investors:

Edings Thibault

Head of Investor Relations, Broadridge

+1 516-472-5129

[email protected]

Media:

Tina Wadhwa

Corporate Communications, Broadridge

+1 212-973-6164

[email protected]

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.broadridge.com


WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A cross-sector group of individuals and organizations from education, business, philanthropy and technology today announced a new coalition to prioritize data science in K-12 education. Known as Data Science for Everyone , the coalition is incubated at the University of Chicago's Center for Radical Innovation for Social Change and funded by Citadel Founder and CEO and philanthropist Ken Griffin and Schmidt Futures , a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt.

Over the next year, Data Science for Everyone will focus on engaging states and districts in meaningful curriculum and policy reform. To that end, the coalition has launched a Commitments Campaign through which companies, districts, higher education institutions and policymakers have pledged to take specific and measurable steps to advance access to data science education for all children.

Those commitments, along with opportunities to get involved, will be highlighted at a public virtual launch event on June 28.

Inaugural members of the coalition include:

Ken Griffin , Founder and CEO of Citadel

, Founder and CEO of Citadel Arne Duncan , Former U.S. Secretary of Education

, Former U.S. Secretary of Education Jo Boaler , Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education

, Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education Kumar Garg , Managing Director and Head of Partnerships, Schmidt Futures

, Managing Director and Head of Partnerships, Schmidt Futures Steve Levitt , Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago , Author of the best-selling book "Freakonomics" and Schmidt Futures Innovation Fellow

"In the 21st century, data science literacy is a foundational building block of a well-rounded education. It unlocks our ability to see and understand the world," said Ken Griffin, lead funder of Data Science for Everyone. "This pathbreaking initiative will equip generations of students with the analytical skills they need to compete in any field they choose."

"Computers and big data have revolutionized the world, but if you looked inside a math classroom today, you would have no idea that transformation ever occurred," said Steve Levitt, author of "Freakonomics" and Schmidt Futures Innovation Fellow. "We simply need an update to the curriculum, and we should support our teachers in every way possible to move in that direction. Especially as we rebuild from the pandemic, this disruption is also an opportunity to reimagine how and what we teach."

"Data will guide our students' futures, but it is practically absent from their K-12 school experience right now. It is imperative that students understand how to explore, ask questions of, and tell the stories in data they encounter in their lives," said Chad Dorsey, president of the Concord Consortium and an inaugural member of the coalition. "Building that ability must start now, and should occur for all students, across all grades and subject areas."

"This past year we have seen how important it is for every American to understand data, whether it's morbidity rates during the pandemic, statistics underlying election polls, or science supporting climate change," said Kumar Garg, Managing Director and Head of Partnerships at Schmidt Futures. "It's past time we give our children the opportunity to use data to understand and begin solving the problems around them."

Leaders of Data Science For Everyone have already met with the Department of Education to outline the coalition's priorities and emphasize the critical importance of data science expertise to economic growth and workforce development. This follows a letter sent to President Joe Biden earlier this year by more than 160 education leaders, policymakers, academics, and industry partnerswhich included several coalition membersurging his administration to elevate data science education in the nation's schools.

Though data science is one of the country's fastest growing occupations with 37 percent growth annually, few states or school districts ensure that students graduate high school with a basic command of data and only 11 percent of high school students even take a statistics course.

Data Science for Everyone is committed to changing that.

To learn more about Data Science for Everyone and read the letter sent to the Biden-Harris Administration, please visit www.datascience4everyone.org .

SOURCE Data Science for Everyone

Related Links

https://www.datascience4everyone.org/


ST. LOUIS, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced that it has reached no-fault agreements with the Attorneys General of Ohio and Mississippi to resolve claims made by the states related to services provided by Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, Inc. (Envolve), its pharmacy benefits manager subsidiary.

Under the terms of these agreements, Centene will pay $88 million to Ohio and $55 million to Mississippi. The practices described in the settlement focus on the structure and processes of Envolve, primarily during 2017 and 2018. In the settlements, the Company denies any liability for these practices. As a result of the settlement, the Ohio Attorney General's litigation against the Company will be dismissed.

In early 2019, Centene proactively restructured its pharmacy benefits operations to create a more transparent relationship between its health plans and its pharmacy benefits manager. Since that time, Centene has also aligned all Medicaid, Medicare and health insurance marketplace products on transparent pharmacy networks to eliminate spread pricing. Going forward, Envolve will operate as an administrative service provider, not a PBM, on behalf of Centene's local health plans to further simplify our pharmacy operations.

"We respect the deep and critically important relationships we have with our state partners," said Brent Layton, Centene's President of Health Plans, Markets and Products. "These agreements reflect the significance we place on addressing their concerns and our ongoing commitment to making the delivery of healthcare local, simple and transparent. Importantly, putting these issues behind us allows us to continue our relentless focus on delivering high-quality outcomes to our members."

Additionally, the Company is in discussions with a plaintiff's group led by the law firms of Liston & Deas and Cohen & Milstein in an effort to bring final resolution to these concerns in other affected states. Consistent with those discussions, Centene has recorded a reserve estimate of $1.1 billion related to this issue, exclusive of the above settlements.

Centene Corporation is a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise that is committed to helping people live healthier lives. The Company takes a local approach  with local brands and local teams - to provide fully integrated, high-quality, and cost-effective services to government-sponsored and commercial healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals.

About Centene Corporation

Centene, a Fortune 50 company, offers affordable and high-quality products to nearly 1 in 15 individuals across the nation, including Medicaid and Medicare members (including Medicare Prescription Drug Plans) as well as individuals and families served by the Health Insurance Marketplace, the TRICARE program, and individuals in correctional facilities. The Company also serves several international markets, and contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide a variety of specialty services focused on treating the whole person. Centene focuses on long-term growth and the development of its people, systems and capabilities so that it can better serve its members, providers, local communities, and government partners.

Centene uses its investor relations website to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Centene is routinely posted and is accessible on Centene's investor relations website, http://investors.centene.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not purely historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Without limiting the foregoing, forward-looking statements often use words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "seek," "target," "goal," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "can," "continue" and other similar words or expressions (and the negative thereof).

In particular, these statements include, without limitation, statements about our settlements with Ohio and Mississippi to resolve claims made by the states with regard to practices at Envolve, our pharmacy benefits manager subsidiary, and other possible future claims and settlements related to the practices at Envolve and our ability to settle claims with other states within the reserve estimate we have recorded and on other acceptable terms, or at all, future operating or financial performance, market opportunity, growth strategy, competition, expected activities in completed and future acquisitions, including statements about the impact of our proposed acquisition of Magellan Health, Inc. (Magellan Health and such acquisition, the Magellan Acquisition), our recently completed acquisition of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (WellCare and such acquisition, the WellCare Acquisition), other recent and future acquisitions, investments and the adequacy of our available cash resources. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on numerous assumptions and assessments made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, business strategies, operating environments, future developments and other factors we believe appropriate. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are subject to change because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future, including economic, regulatory, competitive and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to us on the date of this press release. Except as may be otherwise required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as actual results may differ materially from projections, estimates, or other forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, variables and events including, but not limited to: the impact of COVID-19 on global markets, economic conditions, the healthcare industry and our results of operations and the response by governments and other third parties; the risk that regulatory or other approvals required for the Magellan Acquisition may be delayed or not obtained or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could require the exertion of management's time and our resources or otherwise have an adverse effect on us; the possibility that certain conditions to the consummation of the Magellan Acquisition will not be satisfied or completed on a timely basis and accordingly the Magellan Acquisition may not be consummated on a timely basis or at all; uncertainty as to the expected financial performance of the combined company following completion of the Magellan Acquisition; the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from the Magellan Acquisition or the WellCare Acquisition (or other acquired businesses) will not be realized, or will not be realized within the respective expected time periods; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the completion and/or integration of the Magellan Acquisition or that the integration of Magellan Health will be more difficult or time consuming than expected; the risk that potential litigation in connection with the Magellan Acquisition may affect the timing or occurrence of the Magellan Acquisition or result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; a downgrade of the credit rating of our indebtedness, which could give rise to an obligation to redeem existing indebtedness; the inability to retain key personnel; disruption from the announcement, pendency, completion and/or integration of the Magellan Acquisition or from the integration of the WellCare Acquisition, or similar risks from other acquisitions we may announce or complete from time to time, including potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships with customers, employees, suppliers or regulators, making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; our ability to accurately predict and effectively manage health benefits and other operating expenses and reserves, including fluctuations in medical utilization rates due to the impact of COVID-19; competition; membership and revenue declines or unexpected trends; changes in healthcare practices, new technologies, and advances in medicine; increased healthcare costs; changes in economic, political or market conditions; changes in federal or state laws or regulations, including changes with respect to income tax reform or government healthcare programs as well as changes with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ACA") and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, collectively referred to as the ACA and any regulations enacted thereunder that may result from changing political conditions, the new administration or judicial actions, including the ultimate outcome in "Texas v. United States of America" regarding the constitutionality of the ACA; rate cuts or other payment reductions or delays by governmental payors and other risks and uncertainties affecting our government businesses; our ability to adequately price products; tax matters; disasters or major epidemics; changes in expected contract start dates; provider, state, federal, foreign and other contract changes and timing of regulatory approval of contracts; the expiration, suspension, or termination of our contracts with federal or state governments (including but not limited to Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE or other customers); the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of pending or future legal and regulatory proceedings or matters, including the ongoing regulatory review of claims against our PBM business or whether additional claims, reviews or investigations relating to our PBM business will be brought by other states, the federal government or shareholder litigants, or government investigations; challenges to our contract awards; cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents; the exertion of management's time and our resources, and other expenses incurred and business changes required in connection with complying with the undertakings in connection with any regulatory, governmental or third party consents or approvals for acquisitions, including the Magellan Acquisition; disruption caused by significant completed and pending acquisitions making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the completion and/or integration of acquisition transactions; changes in expected closing dates, estimated purchase price and accretion for acquisitions; the risk that acquired businesses will not be integrated successfully; restrictions and limitations in connection with our indebtedness; our ability to maintain or achieve improvement in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services star ratings and maintain or achieve improvement in other quality scores in each case that can impact revenue and future growth; availability of debt and equity financing, on terms that are favorable to us; inflation; foreign currency fluctuations; and risks and uncertainties discussed in the reports that Centene has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This list of important factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We discuss certain of these matters more fully, as well as certain other factors that may affect our business operations, financial condition and results of operations, in our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Due to these important factors and risks, we cannot give assurances with respect to our future performance, including without limitation our ability to maintain adequate premium levels or our ability to control our future medical and selling, general and administrative costs.

SOURCE Centene Corporation

Related Links

http://www.centene.com


"Centric Bank is honored to be recognized by American Banker on this list of exceptional community banks," says Patricia (Patti) A. Husic, President and CEO. "2020 brought an incalculable perfect storm, but in my 30-year banking career, I have never been prouder of our profession. Against headwinds of uncertainty, confusion and chaos, the Centric Bank team met our strategic goals to grow core deposits, grow lending to operating companies, increase the amount of deposits per relationship, and lead in corporate citizenship while strengthening the communities where we conduct business."

ABOUT CENTRIC BANK

Founded in 2007, Centric Financial Corporation, and its subsidiary, Centric Bank, is headquartered in south central Pennsylvania with assets of $1.1 billion and remains a leader in organic loan growth. A locally owned, locally loaned community bank, Centric Bank provides competitive and pro-growth financial services to businesses, professionals, individuals, families, and the health care industry. An American Banker 2020, 2019 and 2018 Best Banks to Work For, three-time Best Places to Work, Top 50 Fastest-Growing Companies for seven years, and twice ranked a Top 200 Publicly Traded Community Bank by American Banker for financial performance.

Centric Bank has financial centers located in Harrisburg, Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Doylestown, Devon, and Lancaster, loan production offices in Lancaster and Devon, and an Operations and Executive Office campus in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. To learn more about Centric Bank, call 717.657.7727, or visit CentricBank.com. Connect with them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Centric Financial Corporation is traded over the counter (OTC-Pink) with the ticker symbol CFCX.

Contact: Patricia A. Husic

President & CEO

717.909.8309

SOURCE Centric Financial Corporation

Related Links

http://www.centricbank.com


LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- C.F. Martin & Co. announced today that Thomas Ripsam has been appointed the company's new Chief Executive Officer. Effective June 14, 2021, Mr. Ripsam succeeds longtime Chairman and CEO, Christian Frederick Martin IV, who assumes the role of Executive Chairman.

An experienced growth strategist and leader, Mr. Ripsam has a deep passion for companies with a strong heritage and legacy. He is a trusted advisor and business partner, having guided numerous boards of directors and leadership teams to shape strategies and deliver results. His expertise in strategy development, digital/technology deployment and continuous improvement will ensure the continued growth of the 188-year-old company.

After 35 years as C.F. Martin & Co. CEO, Chris Martin is stepping into his new leadership role of Executive Chairman. During his time as CEO, Mr. Martin has guided the company through booms and crises, leaving a legacy of growth and manufacturing excellence. This transition comes as the company is experiencing unprecedented demand for its products.

"First, I want to thank everyone in the music products business for their support during my 35-year career as CEO of my family's business. What a ride!" said Mr. Martin. "I complete my term as NAMM Chairman this July at the show in Nashville, and I have been thinking about retiring for several years, so this felt like the right time. I look forward to transitioning to the role of Executive Chairman of Martin Guitar where I will continue to be a cheerleader for the Martin brand. I am excited to work with Thomas as he gets to know all of us and shares the love we all have for the guitar."

Chris Martin hands the reins to Mr. Ripsam, who, over the course of his 25+ year career, first at Booz Allen & Hamilton, and most recently as a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, took on leadership responsibilities for growing the business, developing service offerings and managing teams. He has worked with consumer goods companies, specialty retailers, technology solutions providers, Fortune 50 companies and family owned businesses, helping to drive profitable growth, enhancing digital capabilities, improving customer experience and engagement, and generating hundreds of millions in incremental value for his clients.

An avid guitar player, Mr. Ripsam collects fretted instruments and even took a sabbatical in 2019 to work with a luthier to learn about the process of building acoustic guitars  in the style of Martin. He holds an MBA in Strategy & Finance from Columbia Business School and a BA in Business Administration and Management from Reutlingen University in Germany and Middlesex University in London.

"I have admired Martin guitars since I was a teenager," said Ripsam. "My first real acoustic was a Martin guitar and it has been a close companion to me since. Martin has always been an iconic fretted instrument builder and I have a deep appreciation for the company's continued focus on quality, craftsmanship and innovation, as well as its unique culture and history. I am honored and humbled to join the Martin family and to carry on the legacy of Chris Martin and his predecessors."

ABOUT MARTIN GUITAR

C. F. Martin & Co. has been Inspiring Musicians Worldwide for nearly two centuries with their superior guitar, ukulele, and string products. Martin remains the choice for musicians around the world for their unrivaled quality, craftsmanship, and tone. Throughout the company's long history, Martin products can be seen and heard across all genres of music and in all segments of pop culture, from concert and theater stages to television and movies.

With an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible manufacturing practices, Martin continually drives the acoustic guitar market forward, introducing innovative features that have become standards across the industry. These groundbreaking innovations include the introduction of X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar, and the "Dreadnought" size guitar.

Martin has also led innovations in strings, such as introducing the first high-tensile strength steel-string core wire; the first nickel acoustic strings (Martin Retro); the proprietary Titanium Core strings; and now the groundbreaking, new Authentic Acoustic line, which offers unmatched stability, tone, comfort, and longevity. Learn more here: www.martinguitar.com/aa.

SOURCE C.F. Martin Guitar Co.

Related Links

http://www.martinguitar.com


LONDON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Citizens Energy Congress, will take place virtually on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th June 2021. A unique energy industry event, it is committed to resetting the energy agenda, post COVID-19, to drive the transition to a low carbon energy system that balances affordable energy access and climate change commitments.

In contrast to siloed, industry events, the 2-day programme will bring together competing perspectives around the future of energy, convening over 40 experts from policy, finance, industry, energy and civil society to debate the difficult questions at the heart of the energy transition.

A selection of speakers include Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Former Danish Prime Minister and Former CEO of Save the Children; Dr Ernest Moniz, The 13th United States Secretary of Energy; Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development and President of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, according to The New York Times "probably the most important economist in the world"; Peggy Liu, Chairperson, Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy (JUCCCE), one of the leading catalysts of a green China; Bob Dudley, Chairman, Oil and Gas Climate Initiative; as well as CEOs and senior executives from organisations including EnBW, Baker Hughes, Mitsubishi Power, Eni, Shell, European Commission, Carbon Tracker, REN21, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Rocky Mountain Institute.

Supporting organisations include the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative, Boston Consulting Group, United Nations Environment Programme Science Policy Business Forum, REN21, Carbon Tracker, Environmental Defense Fund, Energy Industries Council, IPIECA and Westinghouse.

Christopher Hudson, President of energy, dmg events, said: "The Citizens Energy Congress will provide a uniquely balanced and inclusive debate between a broad audience of stakeholders across the energy value chain. Recognising we are all interconnected, our goal is to enhance understanding, not enforce agreement. Our intent is to deliver a world-class forum for a broad-based examination of the competing perspectives on how to achieve a sustainable energy future through strategy, collaboration and innovation."

The 2021 virtual event will be followed by an in-person event taking place in 2022.

Find out more and register at www.citizensenergycongress.com.

Notes to Editors

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1498997/Citizens_Energy_Congress_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Citizens Energy Congress
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cockroach Labs, the company behind the leading cloud-native distributed SQL database, CockroachDB , today announced finance and strategy veteran Lorenzo Montesi will join the company as its Chief Financial Officer.

Montesi joins Cockroach Labs as the company continues its rapid growth in the cloud data market. With its $160 million fundraise at a valuation of $2 billion earlier this year, Cockroach Labs' growth is fueled by increased adoption of its evolutionary database CockroachDB. Montesi will drive the company's financial planning, analysis, and operations, working closely with the company's leadership team to scale the company globally during this significant growth phase.

"Cockroach Labs is carving out a unique leadership position as a distributed database, and the excitement from both investors and customers means it is necessary to have strong financial leadership to help guide our growth," said Spencer Kimball, co-founder and CEO at Cockroach Labs. "Montesi's proven experience at high-growth technology organizations will be essential in enabling Cockroach Labs to forge ahead on our mission to become a dominant player in the cloud database market."

With a ground-breaking product focused on making it easy for developers to build breakthrough applications, Cockroach Labs has more than doubled its customer roster over the past year and experienced a 233% year-over-year increase in revenue in the first quarter of 2021. CockroachDB has continued to build a loyal following among developers, recently exceeding 20,000 Github stars . More notably, over half of the company's customers have chosen to run their critical applications on CockroachCloud less than a year after the general release of the fully-managed cloud database-as-a-service.

Montesi is joining the fast growth company with over a decade of experience leading finance, strategy and operations for top technology companies. He was most recently the Senior Vice President of Finance at Cohesity, an enterprise data management company, where he led the Finance and Sales Operations teams through multiple years of hyper growth.

Prior to joining Cohesity, Montesi was the Senior Director of Sales Operations and Go-to-Market Strategy for Emerging Businesses at VMware where he established sales operations for VMware Cloud Services. Montesi also held senior strategy and corporate development positions at EMC and RSA and earlier in his career, he was a principal at the Boston Consulting Group, where he advised CXOs of Fortune 500 corporations across technology and other sectors. He holds a degree in Physics from the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management.

"Joining Cockroach Labs as it takes the market by storm is an exciting opportunity in a cloud market that is defining the future of information technology," said Montesi. "We are on the cusp of a major shift in database technology after decades of leveraging antiquated tools that are not built for the applications of tomorrow. Organizations of all sizes and ages are reassessing their IT infrastructure as they look to move data to the cloud and Cockroach Labs is very well positioned to play a leading role in this transformation as the trusted partner for enterprises worldwide."

Last month, Cockroach Labs announced its recognition on CNBC's Disruptor 50 list. Cockroach Labs is actively hiring. Check out open positions here .

About Cockroach Labs

Cockroach Labs is the creator of CockroachDB, the most highly evolved cloud-native, distributed SQL database on the planet. Helping companies of all sizesand the apps they develop to scale fast, survive anything, and thrive everywhere. CockroachDB is in use at some of the world's largest enterprises across all industries, including Equifax, Bose, Comcast, and some of the largest banking, retail, and media companies. Headquartered in New York City, Cockroach Labs is backed by Altimeter, Benchmark, Greenoaks, GV, Firstmark, Index Ventures, Lone Pine, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, and Workbench. For more information, please visit cockroachlabs.com.

Contact

Katelyn Di Salvo

[email protected]

SOURCE Cockroach Labs
"Jim Oberliesen and Jim Seitz have been a critical part of Commonwealth's development and transition of these assets," said Jennifer Porter, chief operating officer, Commonwealth Hotels. "They will continue to lead and guide the company as we move through our growth strategy," she said. "Together these two will continue to elevate Commonwealth Hotels as a leading hotel management company."

Prior to joining Commonwealth Hotels, Jim Oberliesen served in numerous leadership roles, most recently as Vice President of Operations for Lodgco Hospitality. Jim is well versed in all areas of hotel operations including renovation and new construction. Oberliesen is also skilled at developing and executing targeted business initiatives in order to drive guest and associate satisfaction. Jim is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Hospitality Business.

Jim Seitz has been a valued member of the Commonwealth team since 2005. During his 16 year tenure, Jim as served as General Manager, Regional General Manager, Field Director of Operations, and Sr. Director of Operations. Prior to joining Commonwealth, Jim held an acquisition role with GF Management. Jim has tremendous leadership experience and a proven track record in multiple brands and new hotel openings. Jim attended Washington State Community College.

About Commonwealth Hotels, LLC

Commonwealth Hotels, LLC was founded in 1986 and is a proven partner in providing hotel management services with superior financial results. The company has extensive experience managing premium branded full service and select service hotels. Commonwealth Hotels currently manages 51 properties with nearly 6,500 rooms. Additional information may be found at www.commonwealthhotels.com.

Contact

Barbara E. Gurren

Commonwealth Hotels, LLC

[email protected]

859.392-2254

SOURCE Commonwealth Hotels, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.commonwealthhotels.com


"For more than 33 years, Cornerstone's daily mission has been to use and improve upon our God-given talents to make a positive difference to the lives of our team members, customers, shareholders and the people who provide services to us. This combination of two great teams will allow Cornerstone to significantly expand product and service offerings to our hundreds of thousands of customers and referral sources throughout the country, will provide a vast array of additional home lending products and services to the customers and communities served by The Roscoe State Bank, and will produce additional growth opportunities for team members at both Cornerstone and Roscoe," said Marc Laird, Chairman, CEO and co-founder of Cornerstone.

"With advanced digital technologies and the support of caring team members who are committed to friendly service, we will continue to uphold our key Core Conviction of providing a remarkable experience for every family we serve, whether through mortgage lending, commercial banking or digital banking services," added Judy Belanger, Vice Chairman, President and co-founder of Cornerstone.

The Roscoe State Bank boasts 115 years of exceptional service to Texans in Roscoe, Sweetwater and Bastrop, with the last 46 years of successful operations and service under the leadership of Clyde Jay and current Chairman and CEO John Jay. The Roscoe State Bank is known for its superior banking experience for consumers and small businesses. John Jay is expected to join the resulting board of directors at closing and will remain active with the merged organization going forward, including with its commercial banking loan committees.

"I am very excited about our transaction with Cornerstone, and I believe they are the perfect fit for our bank as we combine two family-owned organizations that share a similar culture and a commitment to building long-term relationships," commented John Jay. "I have been so impressed with the Cornerstone family and the successful business model they have achieved. Their respectful approach to integrating our own successful business model makes me confident that this deal will result in stronger growth and investments in markets we currently serve, and in expansion markets. We are very proud of Roscoe's history of serving our communities through every economic cycle since 1906, and we look forward to bringing that legacy to the national stage through this transaction."

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Advisors

Otteson Shapiro LLP served as legal advisor to Cornerstone, and Scott Almy served as its business advisor. Piper Sandler & Co. served as financial advisor to The Roscoe State Bank in connection with the transaction, and Thompson Knight, LLP served as its legal counsel.

About Cornerstone Home Lending

Founded in 1988 in Houston, Texas, Cornerstone has assisted families on over 430,000 home financing transactions, including 49,266 home financing transactions in 2020. Cornerstone originates mortgage loans in 39 states plus the District of Columbia. Cornerstone's 1,900 team members are guided by a non-negotiable Mission, Vision & Convictions statement. Cornerstone is known for its commitment to closing mortgage loans on time; its refreshing culture; caring, passionate and experienced team members; a comprehensive array of innovative mortgage lending products and services; and a workplace that is recognized year after year as a "Top Workplace." For more information, please visit www.houseloan.com.

About The Roscoe State Bank

Founded in 1906, The Roscoe State Bank is a respected community-based bank with three banking centers in Roscoe and Sweetwater in West Texas, and in Bastrop near Austin, Texas. The bank believes in service to others and convenience banking. Roscoe offers an array of products and services, including business checking, personal checking, internet banking, online bill pay, mobile banking, mobile check deposit, and telephone banking. For more information, please visit www.rsb.bank.

For more information contact:

Adam Laird

Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

713.623.9558

[email protected]

Cornerstone Home Lending, Inc.

1177 West Loop South, Suite 700

Houston, Texas 77027

SOURCE Cornerstone Home Lending, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.rsb.bank


CHICAGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Dental Equipments Market by Product (Dental Imaging Equipment (Panoramic, Sensor, Camera), Lasers, Diode Lasers, Dental Chairs, CAD/CAM, Handpieces, Dental Units, Casting Machines) & End User ( Laboratories, Hospitals, Clinics) - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Dental Equipment Market is estimated to reach USD 6.2 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 8.9 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 7.7% during the forecast period.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Dental Equipment Market"

314  Tables

49  Figures

285  Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=784

Due to the increasing prevalence of oral health disorders, sedentary and changing lifestyles, growing consumer awareness, and rising dental tourism. An increasing number of dental laboratories investing in CAD/CAM technologies will provide abundant opportunities.

However, the high cost of dental imaging systems and lack of reimbursement for dental procedures are expected to restrain the growth of this market during the forecast period.

The therapeutic dental equipment segment accounted for the largest share of dental equipment market in 2020

Based on products, the dental equipment market is broadly segmented into therapeutic and diagnostic dental equipment. The therapeutic dental equipment segment is categorized into dental operatory & treatment center equipment, general equipment, and dental lasers. The diagnostic dental equipment segment includes extraoral imaging systems, intraoral imaging systems, and dental imaging software. In 2020, the therapeutic dental equipment segment accounted for the largest share of dental equipment market. The dental equipment market has been growing steadily throughout the years due to factors such as the rapidly growing aging population and the increasing incidence of dental disorders and diseases.

Dental hospitals & clinics segment accounted for the largest share of dental equipment market in 2020.

Based on the end user, the dental equipment market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, academic & research institutes, and other end users. In 2020, dental hospitals & clinics accounted for the largest share of the dental equipment market. The large market share is attributed to the increasing number of dental clinics and hospitals across the globe, rapid adoption of advanced technologies, increasing dental tourism in emerging markets, and the rising number of group dental practices in developed countries.

Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=784

Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period of 20212026.

Geographically, the dental equipment market is segmented into five major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2020, Europe accounted for the largest share of the dental equipment market, followed by North America and the Asia Pacific. The growth in developed markets across Europe and North America is mostly driven by the growing demand for cosmetic dentistry and the rising patient population for dental diseases. Emerging markets across the APAC and Latin America are expected to see the highest growth rates, mainly due to rising dental tourism, less-stringent regulations, and the increasing number of healthcare facilities.

The prominent players in this market include DENTSPLY Sirona (US), Planmeca Group (Finland), Envista Holdings (US), Align Technology (US), A-dec Inc. (US), J. MORITA CORP. (Japan), GC Corporation (Japan), Midmark Corporation (US), Straumann Holdings AG (Switzerland), 3M Company (US), BIOLASE, Inc. (US), 3Shape A/S (Denmark), BEGO GmbH & Co. Kg (Germany), Ultradent Products, Inc. (US), Yoshida Dental MFG. Co., Ltd. (Japan), Nakanishi Inc. (Japan), DentalEZ, Inc. (US), Carestream Dental LLC. (US), Takara Belmont Corporation (Japan), Nova Instruments (UK), NewTom (Italy), Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc. (US), PreXion, Inc. (Japan), Brasseler USA (US), Ivoclar Vivadent AG (Liechtenstein), AMD LASERS (US), Aseptico (US), and BIEN-AIR DENTAL (US), among others.

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Browse Adjacent Markets: Medical Devices Market Research Reports & Consulting

Browse Related Reports:

Cosmetic Dentistry Market by Product (Dental Implant, Dental Bridge & Crown, Orthodontic Braces, Denture, Dental Laser, Dental Handpiece, Bonding Agent, Dental Chair, CAD/CAM System, Radiology Equipment) End User - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cosmetic-dentistry-market-3096361.html

Dental Imaging Market by Product (CBCT, Intraoral X ray, Intraoral Cameras, Intraoral Scanners), Application (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Implantology) & End user (Dental Hospitals & Clinics, Dental Diagnostic Centers) - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/dental-imaging-market-109621591.html

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MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
RADNOR, Pa., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP announces that the firm has filed a securities fraud class action against Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) ("Emergent") on behalf investors who purchased or acquired Emergent common stock between April 24, 2020, and April 16, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action, captioned Roth v. Emergent BioSolutions Inc., et al., Case No. 1:21-cv-01189-PX (the "Roth Action"), was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland (Southern Division). To view a copy of the Roth Action complaint, please click here.

Investor Deadline Reminder: For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation, please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Adrienne Bell, Esq. (484) 270-1435; toll free at (844) 887-9500; via e-mail at [email protected]; or visit: https://www.ktmc.com/emergent-biosolutions-class-action-lawsuit?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=Link&utm_campaign=emergent.

Emergent is a specialty biopharmaceutical company that develops vaccines and antibody therapeutics for infectious diseases. Emergent signed a series of deals with Johnson & Johnson ("J&J") and AstraZeneca worth a combined $876 million to provide contract development and manufacturing organization services to produce the companies' COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

The Class Period begins on April 24, 2020, the day after Emergent announced that it had entered into an agreement with J&J to manufacture J&J's COVID-19 vaccine candidate at Emergent's Baltimore facility. Under the deal, Emergent would provide drug substance manufacturing services and reserve large-scale manufacturing capacity for J&J.

On April 19, 2021, Emergent revealed that, "at the request of the FDA, Emergent agreed not to initiate the manufacturing of any new material at its Bayview facility and to quarantine existing material manufactured at the Bayview facility pending completion of the [FDA's] inspection and remediation of any resulting findings." Following this news, the price of Emergent's common stock declined $9.77 per share, or more than 12%, from a close of $77.64 per share on April 16, 2021, to close at $67.87 per share on April 19, 2021.

The Roth Action alleges that, throughout the Class Period, the defendants failed to disclose that: (1) Emergent's Baltimore facility had a history of manufacturing issues increasing the likelihood for massive contaminations; (2) the Baltimore facility had received a series of FDA citations as a result of these contamination risks and quality control issues; (3) Emergent had been forced to discard millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines after workers at the facility deviated from manufacturing standards; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, the defendants' public statements about Emergent's ability and capacity to mass manufacture multiple COVID-19 vaccines at its Baltimore facility were materially false and/or misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

Emergent investors may, no later than June 18, 2021 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, please visit www.ktmc.com.

CONTACT:

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

Adrienne Bell, Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500

[email protected]

SOURCE Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

Related Links

http://www.ktmc.com


"We are modernizing our factory, advancing our employee's manufacturing skills and making a significant investment in the Springfield community," said Nolan Pike, head of Electrolux North America. "Today's celebration opens our new state-of-the-art, energy efficient warehouse, the first section of the expansion to launch."

The new warehouse is part of the company's expanded Springfield cooking campus, which will produce wall ovens and gas and electric freestanding ranges. The company also has a large Research & Development team based on the campus developing and designing cooking innovations to meet cooking needs for consumers world-wide. The new factory will begin operating later this year.

The following are ways Electrolux is impacting the Springfield region:

One of the largest employers in the region, Electrolux has been operating in Springfield for 47 years.

for 47 years. During the past 12 months alone, the company has donated more than $520,000 to the local community.

to the local community. The company's goal is to have an above market manufacturing wage. Today, the Springfield starting wage is $17 per hour, includes a $750 signing bonus and a $500 bonus for every new hire that a current employee refers.

starting wage is per hour, includes a signing bonus and a bonus for every new hire that a current employee refers. The new warehouse is making a positive climate impact by eliminating 10,500 18-wheeler truckloads from the road each year that would have been incurred shuttling products and supplies to a distant, older warehouse.

The 525,000-square-foot-warehouse will have a truck drivers' lounge and new dog run for their favorite traveling canine.

Added Pike, "We are deeply committed to our employees and our community, and we couldn't be prouder to shape living for the better here in Springfield."

About Electrolux

Electrolux is a leading global appliance company that has shaped living for the better for more than 100 years. We reinvent taste, care and wellbeing experiences for millions of people, always striving to be at the forefront of sustainability in society through our solutions and operations. Under our brands, including Electrolux, AEG and Frigidaire, we sell approximately 60 million household products in approximately 120 markets every year. In 2020 Electrolux had sales of USD 14 billion and employed 48,000 people around the world. For more information, go to www.electroluxgroup.com.

SOURCE Electrolux North America

Related Links

https://www.electroluxgroup.com


WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to a domino effect that first began in the State of Georgia earlier this year, faith leaders from around the country will join together in Washington, D.C., this week for a series of events promoting the need for voting rights legislation. African Methodist Episcopal Church announces that the "My Vote is Sacred" events will occur on Tuesday, June 15 through Thursday, June 17 , and include worship services, rallies, legislative briefings, and advocacy meetings with congressional officials.

Event flyer

"My Vote is Sacred" was first anchored and organized by a contingent of Georgia faith leaders, including AME Georgia Bishop Reginald Jackson; Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale, founder and Senior Pastor of the Ray of Hope Christian Church; Rev. Dr. Bernice King, CEO, The King Center; Reverend Timothy McDonald III, Senior Pastor of the First Iconium Baptist Church, founder of the African American Ministers Leadership Council, and President of the African American Ministers In Action of People for the American Way; Dr. Jamal Bryant, Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church; and Reverend Lee May, Lead Pastor at Transforming Faith Church. Earlier this year, Republican Governor Brian Kemp made Georgia the first state in the country to sign into law legislation explicitly aimed at making it less likely for people of color to vote. In the weeks that have followed, Republican-elected leaders from around the country have proposed or passed voter suppression bills in forty-seven states.

This week events in Washington, D.C., will include faith leaders from around the country, and buses of parishioners and activists will be traveling to participate.

TUESDAY, JUNE 15 - "MY VOTE IS SACRED" EVENING WORSHIP SERVICE

7:00 p.m. at the Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

An evening service of worship and prayer will welcome parishioners and voting activists. In addition to the Georgia Faith Leaders, others confirmed include Dr. William Lamar , Metropolitan AME Church; D.C.; Dr. George Holmes , First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. Leslie Copeland Tune , CEO National Council of Churches; Dr. Deborah Taylor King , International President, Women's Missionary Society, AME Church; Dr. Yolanda Pierce , Dean Howard Divinity School; and Rev. DeLisha Davis , People for the American Way.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16 - "MY VOTE IS SACRED" MORNING RALLY

10:00 a.m. at the Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

A day of events that will include strategy sessions, meetings with congressional offices, and legislative briefings will begin with an all-participant rally supporting voting rights. The rally will be led by faith leaders from around the country and will also include Members of the Congressional Black Caucus ; Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner , Co-Convener, National African American Clergy Network; Mr. Jim Winkler , President, National Council of Churches; Rev. DeLisha Davis , People For the American Way; and Sherrilyn Ifill , NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center. Immediately following the rally, faith leaders and those in attendance will march in unity from the Mayflower Hotel to the White House gates for a Kneel in Protest Prayer.

IMPORTANT LOGISTICAL EVENT INFORMATION :

All events are open to the media. Media with questions or wishing to speak to faith leaders may contact Matthew Frankel, [email protected], or (917) 617.7914.

Related Images

faith-leader-dc-rally.jpg

Faith Leader DC Rally

Event flyer

faith-leader-d-c-event-this-week.jpg

Faith Leader D.C. Event This Week

Event Flyer

SOURCE AME
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fragomen, the world's leading provider of immigration services and member of the Am Law 100 and Am Law Global 100, won two Expatriate Management and Mobility Awards (EMMAs) at the Forum for Expatriate Management's Americas Summit. The results were announced on June 10, the final day of the summit.

The firm was recognized as Immigration Provider of the Year and celebrated for its thought leadership in the Best Survey or Research Study of the Year category.

The EMMAs honor achievement and success in global mobility during the prior year, highlighting best practices from both corporate programs and supplier services. EMMAs are awarded for work conducted from and within the Americas, EMEA, and APAC regions.

"It's a great distinction to be named FEM Americas' Immigration Provider of the Year," said Fragomen Chairman Austin T. Fragomen, Jr. "In 2020, we worked diligently to provide stellar client service amid the unprecedented disruption of the pandemic. To be singled out by leaders in the global mobility space is always an honor, but it is especially inspiring this year."

Fragomen's Worldwide Immigration Trends Report earned the firm a win in the Thought Leadership  Best Survey or Research Study of the Year category. The Report won praise for offering much more than a summary of worldwide immigration statistics.

"We took a rigorous approach to identify deep themes and trends in the industry," said Scott Leeb, Senior Director of Worldwide Knowledge Management at Fragomen. "The firm wanted the Report to inspire our clients' decision-making by providing exceptional analysis in tumultuous times. We're thrilled to have that unique effort commended by the mobility industry's best and brightest."

These honors are the latest in a series of recognitions for Fragomen by FEM, including multiple previous EMMA wins in the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions.

Fragomen has been consistently recognized for excellence in technological and legal innovation, diversity and inclusion, crisis leadership, and staff development. In 2020 alone, the firm received multiple awards and recognition from diverse sources including The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal, The New Jersey Law Journal, Law360, and Who's Who Legal.

About Fragomen

Fragomen is a leading firm dedicated exclusively to immigration services worldwide. The firm has more than 4,100 immigration professionals and support staff in more than 50 offices across the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Fragomen offers immigration support in more than 170 countries.

Fragomen's professionals are respected leaders in the immigration field, and the firm is regularly recognized as a leading firm for its percentage of minority and female attorneys.

The firm also supports all aspects of global immigration for both corporate and private clients, including strategic planning, quality management, reporting, and case management and processing, compliance program counseling, representation in government investigations, government relations, complex matter solutions, and litigation.

These capabilities allow Fragomen to work in partnership with individuals and corporate clients across all industries to facilitate the transfer of employees worldwide. For detailed information about Fragomen, please visit www.fragomen.com.

About the Forum for Expatriate Management

The Forum for Expatriate Management's mission is to distill best practices across regions, industries and functions while providing valuable networking opportunities for knowledge sharing and program support. Through its multi-platform content and events it encourages dialogue and enables mobility professionals to unite, learn and grow. FEM's chief aim is to inspire and inform the community of Global Mobility and HR professionals, as well as leading corporate organizations.

SOURCE Fragomen

Related Links

https://www.fragomen.com/


OMAHA, Neb., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014, will embark on "The Big Boy 2021 Tour" Aug. 5 to celebrate railroad heritage and the communities Union Pacific serves. This is the first tour since the locomotive was restored for 2019's "Great Race" tours celebrating the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad's completion. The multi-year restoration took place at Union Pacific's steam shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming, following a retirement that spanned six decades.

Full Steam Ahead: Worlds Largest Steam Locomotive Returns with 'The Big Boy 2021 Tour'

"Weighing in at 1.2 million pounds, the Big Boy makes a big impression in communities it visits, reminding us of bygone days and the important role the railroad continues to play in our global economy," said Scott Moore, senior vice president  Corporate Relations and chief administrative officer. "This summer, we are proud to announce that the Big Boy will be back to tour through 10 of the states and hundreds of the communities which Union Pacific serves."

No. 4014 will leave the Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming, August 5, making brief whistle-stops in communities across Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. The locomotive will be on display in the following cities:

Saturday, Aug. 14 : Fort Worth, Texas

: Tuesday, Aug. 17 : Houston, Texas

: Saturday, Aug. 21 : New Orleans, Louisiana

: Sunday, Aug. 29 : St. Louis, Missouri

: Monday, Sept. 6 : Denver, Colorado

No. 4014 will return to Cheyenne following the Denver stop. A complete list of overnight and whistle stops will be released at http://upsteam.com. Fans interested in getting the latest news regarding Union Pacific's steam program and notifications of schedule updates can join the Union Pacific Steam Club at http://up.com/SteamClub.

Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific, the first of which was delivered in 1941 to handle the steep terrain between Cheyenne and Ogden. Of the eight still in existence, No. 4014 is the world's only operating Big Boy. The other seven can be found on display in Cheyenne, Wyoming; Denver, Colorado; Frisco, Texas; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Omaha, Nebraska; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and St. Louis, Missouri.

Union Pacific strongly encourages visitors to keep safety top of mind while viewing and photographing No. 4014 on its journey. For everyone's safety:

Remember, trains can't stop quickly to avoid people or vehicles on the tracks.

A train's distance and speed can be deceiving.

The average train overhangs the track by at least three feet  take extra precaution and stand back at least 25 feet.

Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and right of way are private property.

Never assume tracks are abandoned or inactive  always expect a train.

The Experience the Union Pacific Rail Car, a multi-media walk-through exhibition providing a glimpse at the past while telling the story of modern-day railroading, will accompany the Big Boy on its tour. A steam tracking map showing No. 4014's location and route will be available at upsteam.com.

ABOUT UNION PACIFIC

Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) delivers the goods families and businesses use every day with safe, reliable and efficient service. Operating in 23 western states, the company connects its customers and communities to the global economy. Trains are the most environmentally responsible way to move freight, helping Union Pacific protect future generations. More information about Union Pacific is available at www.up.com .

www.up.com

www.facebook.com/unionpacific

www.twitter.com/unionpacific

SOURCE Union Pacific Corporation

Related Links

http://www.up.com


LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") reminds investors of the upcoming July 19, 2021 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Ubiquiti Inc. ("Ubiquiti" or the "Company") (NYSE: UI) securities between January 11, 2021 and March 30, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period").

If you suffered a loss on your Ubiquiti investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at https://www.glancylaw.com/cases/ubiquiti-inc/ . You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at [email protected] to learn more about your rights.

On March 30, 2021, after the market closed, Krebs on Security published an article entitled "Whistleblower: Ubiquiti Breach 'Catastrophic'" stating that the Company had downplayed a data breach from January 2021 and that the "third-party cloud provider claim was a fabrication." According to the article, the attacker(s) had accessed "privileged credentials that were previously stored in the LastPass account of a Ubiquiti IT employee, and gained root administrator access to all Ubiquiti AWS [Amazon Web Services] accounts, including all S3 data buckets, all application logs, all databases, all user database credentials, and secrets required to forge single sign-on (SSO) cookies." As a result, the article noted that the Company should have immediately invalidated customers' credentials and forced a reset, rather than asking customers to change their passwords when they next log on.

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $50.70, or 14.5%, to close at $298.30 per share on March 31, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants, in their statements concerning the data breach, failed to speak fully and truthfully because they failed to disclose to investors: (1) that the Company had downplayed the data breach in January 2021; (2) that attackers had obtained administrative access to Ubiquiti's servers and obtained access to, among other things, all databases, all user database credentials, and secrets required to forge single sign-on (SSO) cookies; (3) that, as a result, intruders already had credentials needed to remotely access Ubiquiti's customers' systems; and (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

If you purchased or otherwise acquired Ubiquiti securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than July 19, 2021 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit. To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Charles Linehan, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

www.glancylaw.com

SOURCE Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP

Related Links

www.glancylaw.com


RALEIGH, N.C., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly expect to have a more bipartisan budget process this year that should include record-setting construction funding for maintenance of existing facilities and infrastructure as well as new projects.

Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, both Republicans, expressed optimism about the budget process as well as construction funding during a Carolinas AGC luncheon meeting in Raleigh on June 10. They noted that they recently had "frank and productive" conversations about the budget with Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

"We realize there is more we agree on than not," said Berger, Senate President Pro-Tem. Moore agreed, adding: "We have shared priorities."

Speaking to nearly 100 attendees at the luncheon, the two top legislative leaders discussed wide-ranging issues, including more of a bipartisan approach with the governor on such issues as Apple's recent announcement of a $1 billion investment in North Carolina as well as public school students returning to the classroom. The hour-long appearance of the two lawmakers was moderated by Dave Simpson, Carolinas AGC President & CEO, and the event was sponsored by Sentinel Risk Advisors.

Some details also were discussed about the agreement that Berger and Moore recently announced for spending $4.2 billion for a State Capital Infrastructure Fund. Asked by Simpson how that funding would be divided with building, highway-heavy and utility work and where it would go, Berger said with a smile: "Projects." Neither he nor Moore volunteered any more information, but Berger did say under questioning that the $4.2 billion would involve all state money. Additionally, there is another $5.3 billion in federal money for NC from the American Rescue Plan that could be used for certain types of infrastructure, but there are some strings attached to this money. Moore suggested that some of the federal money could be used to stabilize transportation funding in the short term.

Last year, the NC House passed a $3.1 billion construction bond package, mostly for higher education, community colleges and transportation. The Senate, favoring a pay-as-you-go method, did not approve the bond package. Last week in the lunch meeting, Moore said that with the state's multi-billion-dollar budget surplus as well as sizable federal funding to the state, he no longer supports paying for public construction work with bonds and now prefers to pay-as-you-go.

"Capital spending will be significantly better than in the past," Berger added. "You will see spending on maintenance and new projects."

Carolinas AGC is the construction industry association in the Carolinas, bringing value to our thousands of members through networking, government relations, job leads, meetings with owners/designers, education and training involving such issues as safety and open shop, and community development. Visit us at www.cagc.org, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Betsy Bailey, [email protected]

SOURCE Carolinas AGC
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust today announced a new $20,434,374 grant to Engineering Ministries International (EMI) for improvements to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in rural Alaska. This three-year grant will support efforts for sustainable and affordable water and sewer services at the state, regional, community, and household level. The work includes installing and improving remote monitoring equipment in 139 communities statewide to improve operation and maintenance of water and sewer utilities; establishing a regional utility assistance program in partnership with the Norton Sound Health Corporation to benefit 15 target communities in the Bering Strait Region; and construction of community and household water and sewer projects within the targeted region.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation estimates that approximately 3,300 rural homes lack access to safe water and basic sanitation. For domestic water supply, many of these residents have no other option than to haul water to their home with a five-gallon bucket. For toilets, a separate five-gallon bucket (commonly called a honey bucket) is used in the home and dumped outdoors when filled.

EMI has worked in over 100 low- and middle-income countries around the world and is familiar with the tremendous WASH needs in many of these locations, which are similar to the needs in parts of Alaska.

"We are excited about partnering with the Helmsley Charitable Trust to make a positive impact in these remote, rural communities," says John Dallmann, president of EMI. "Sustainability and affordability are some of the greatest challenges for WASH community development in any context," according to Jason Chandler, EMI's WASH program manager. "Appropriate design and technology are critical to success, but even the simplest solutions will ultimately fail if they are not addressing a felt need in the community and cannot be maintained long-term, which is why we are so pleased to have local support and enthusiasm for this effort."

In remote areas of Alaska, these challenges exist and are particularly compounded by harsh Arctic conditions. To keep water from freezing at 50 degrees below zero and contend with permafrost, unique system design and installation are required that can come at a very high cost. Some of the greatest difficulties are the continual operation and maintenance of these systems.

EMI is working alongside the Norton Sound Health Corp. (NSHC) and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) to help address these challenges. The NSHC and ANTHC are the regional and state nonprofit Tribal health organizations working in the Bering Strait region to meet the unique health needs of Alaska Native and Native American people. This includes the need for water and sewer services in rural communities and homes. According to John Nichols, the Rural Utility Management Services director for ANTHC, "Alaska has worked for decades to provide sustainable and affordable water and sewer services to its rural communities. In 1995, the Alaskan governor promised to 'put the honey bucket in the museum.' While many communities have been provided services, 32 Alaskan communities still rely on honey buckets."

Norton Sound Health Corp. President and CEO Angie Gorn went further to say, "In the Bering Strait region alone; 370 homes lack potable water, and over 450 homes have no water or sewer. This is a silent public health crisis and many of these deleterious health impacts could be prevented if all residents had access to basic sanitation. This funding opportunity will help our communities repair aging systems, prevent emergencies, and make progress toward the dream of having piped water and sewer service." Joanne Keyes, who represents the Native Village of Wales on the NSHC Board said, "We have been promised that our honey buckets will be hung in the museums, and my community is still awaiting this day!"

The need for water and sanitation improvements is one that Alaska's own Rasmuson Foundation highlighted in 2019 when hosting philanthropies from around the country, including the Helmsley Charitable Trust. Many groups and individuals are unaware of how their philanthropic strategic interests align with community needs in the state of Alaska, and Rasmuson Foundation works to bridge that gap while making investments of their own.

"At Helmsley, we are committed to supporting holistic solutions that build health and resilience at the community level, and a safe, reliable water supply is at the heart of this," said Walter Panzirer, a trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. "In 2021, nobody in the United States should have to live without running water in their homes, especially amidst a pandemic. We are excited to support the transformation that EMI, the NSHC and the ANTHC have planned for families living in the Bering Strait Region." Helmsley supports WASH improvements across sub-Saharan Africa, and during his 2019 Alaska visit Mr. Panzirer saw first-hand how great those same needs are here, too.

EMI is a Christian nonprofit made up of architects, engineers, surveyors, and construction managers. Since 1982, its worldwide mission is to develop people, design structures, and construct facilities which serve communities and the Church. It says "together, we are designing a world of hope."

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the United States and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $3 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes.

SOURCE The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust

Related Links

https://helmsleytrust.org


VANCOUVER, BC, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Awale Resources Limited ("Awale" or the "Company") (TSXV: ARIC) is pleased to announce new high-grade gold mineralization in scout Reverse Circulation ("RC") drilling at the newly-defined Charger prospect, which is located 3km north of the high-grade Empire Main gold discovery. Results have now been received for 22 holes of an initial 23 hole / 1,634m RC program at Charger (Figures 1 to 3), with highlights including:

OERC-89 - 1m at 20.3 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au") from 16m downhole, plus





- at 20.3 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au") from downhole, plus 3m at 9.0 g/t Au from 30m downhole.





at 9.0 g/t Au from downhole.

These two high-grade intervals lie within a broader mineralized envelope of 21 m at 2.6 g/t Au from 13m downhole (see Cross Section in Figure 4)





at 2.6 g/t Au from downhole (see Cross Section in Figure 4) OERC-91 - 16m at 0.8 g/t Au from 2m downhole





- at 0.8 g/t Au from downhole Including 1m at 1.7 g/t Au from 4m , and





at 1.7 g/t Au from , and

1m at 2.6 g/t Au from 14m

* True widths of mineralization are unknown from this scout percussion drilling program.

Link to Figures: https://www.awaleresources.com/_resources/maps/2021-06-10-Figures-Charger-Scout-Drilling-V3-Final.pdf

The Charger prospect is a 600m long auger soil gold anomaly (with gold values consistently >90 parts per billion, and a peak value of 0.56 g/t Au; see Company News Release dated March 23, 2021), with this initial drill program consisting of three 160 meter-spaced drill lines targeting the central portion of the anomaly.

The high-grade gold mineralization at Charger is hosted within a diorite body interpreted to have intruded the nose of a fold structure (see Figure 2). The diorite host is variably iron-altered (hematite, magnetite +/- chlorite) with both disseminated sulphide and sulphide veins (Figure 5). This style of alteration is different to that of the Empire Main discovery and is believed by the Company to be conducive to a high grade disseminated style of mineralisation. Follow-up diamond drilling to determine the precise geometry of this new mineralized zone at Charger is currently expected to commence on or around the 16th of June.

Company CEO Glen Parsons commented today:

"We have initial exciting, high grade fresh rock intercepts from the first shallow scout drilling program at Charger.

These new high grade results at Charger are hosted in a fold hinge target that has uncovered a new style of alteration and mineralisation for the Empire Corridor. The Iron Alteration with disseminated sulphides differs from Empire Main and presents as a potential new high grade disseminated style of mineralisation proximal to Empire Main.

These results at Charger and of course Empire Main highlight multiphase fluid flow, alteration, and mineralized systems of the greater Odienne Project, reinforcing Awale Resources ability to continually unlock and develop the potential for a significant gold camp in Cote d'Ivoire.

We are pleased to be planning and preparing for an immediate follow up diamond and RC phase of drilling to determine the geometry and orientation of the intercepted mineralization"

We also anticipate reporting results from the Empire Main targets in the ensuing weeks as well as initial results from the Bondoukou Scout drilling program in July."

Table 1: Significant Intercepts - All Charger Drilling

Hole ID East North RL Depth Incl Azimuth From To Length Au ppm OERC0081 647756 1032146 480 64 -50 292 24 26 2 0.4

31 32 1 0.5 47 48 1 0.3 OERC0082 647727 1032158 480 72 -50 292 15 18 3 0.5

69 72 3 0.5 OERC0083 647692 1032174 480 56 -50 293 0 1 1 0.6 OERC0084 647669 1032184 481 72 -50 293 0 1 1 0.3

12 13 1 0.2 26 27 1 0.8 31 33 2 0.4 39 42 3 0.6 47 48 1 0.2 49 50 1 0.2 61 62 1 0.8 OERC0085 647635 1032197 481 65 -50 293 7 8 1 0.2 OERC0086 647609 1032207 480 60 -50 293 6 7 1 1.6

14 15 1 0.2 29 31 2 0.3 OERC0087 647579 1032219 477 60 -50 293 18 19 1 0.4

28 30 2 0.3 33 37 4 0.6 45 47 2 1.3 51 54 3 0.4 OERC0088 647733 1032333 471 66 -50 292 13 14 1 0.3













26 27 1 0.2













38 40 2 0.2













42 43 1 3.2













48 49 1 0.3 OERC0089 647790 1032308 471 60 -50 292 2 3 1 1.1

11 12 1 0.3



13 34 21 2.6 Including 16 17 1 20.3 and 30 33 3 9.0

38 39 1 0.9 50 51 1 2.3 OERC0090 647816 1032296 472 60 -50 292 2 3 1 0.2 OERC0091 647845 1032281 474 120 -50 292 2 18 16 0.8

Including 4 7 3 1.7 and 14 15 1 2.6 OERC0092 647661 1032358 484 75 -50 112 17 18 1 0.4

24 25 1 0.3 30 31 1 0.2 56 58 2 0.4 63 68 5 0.3 OERC0093 647732 1032334 472 78 -50 112 55 57 2 0.3

69 70 1 0.2 71 72 1 0.3 OERC0094 647529 1032071 470 60 -50 292 0 3 3 0.5

4 5 1 0.2 OERC0095 647553 1032057 471 70 -50 292 0 4 4 0.6

39 40 1 0.2 OERC0096 647581 1032049 472 69 -50 292 0 4 4 0.6

14 15 1 0.3 17 19 2 1.1 63 64 1 0.3 OERC0097 647609 1032037 473 70 -50 292 0 3 3 0.6

8 12 4 0.3 16 17 1 0.4 29 30 1 0.2 OERC0098 647639 1032026 474 61 -50 292 0 4 4 0.4 OERC0099 647665 1032013 475 55 -50 292 0 1 1 0.4 OERC0100 647694 1032003 471 63 -50 292 0 1 1 0.3 OERC0101 647698 1032170 480 132 -50 293 65 70 5 0.5

73 81 8 0.5 OERC0115 647843 1032377 476 66 -55 180 9 10 1 0.3

14 15 1 0.2 25 26 1 2.1 41 42 1 0.2 OERC0116 647854 1032401 476 80 -55 180 Results Not Received

* Significant Intercepts calculated using a 0.2 g/t Au trigger value and include 2m of internal waste. No High Cuts.

Quality Control and Assurance

Analytical work for auger geochemical samples is being carried out at the independent Intertek Laboratories Australia Ltd. an ISO 17025 (2017) Certified Laboratory. Samples are stored at the Company's field camps and put into sealed bags until collected by Intertek from the Company's secure Bondoukou or Odienne office and transported by Intertek to their preparation laboratory in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire for preparation. Samples are logged in the tracking system, weighed, dried and pulverized to better than 85%, passing a 75-micron screen, this pulp sample is then shipped to Ghana where a 50g charge is Fire Assayed with an AAS finish. Blanks, duplicates and certified reference material (standards) are being used to monitor laboratory performance during the analysis.

Qualified Person

The technical and scientific information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved for release by Andrew Chubb, the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr Chubb is the Company's Chief Operating Officer and holds an Economic Geology degree, is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), and is a Member of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). Mr Chubb has 18 years of experience in international minerals exploration and mining project evaluation.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

AWALE RESOURCES LIMITED.

"Glen Parsons"

Glen Parsons, President and CEO

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by such information. The statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law.

Cautionary Statement

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

SOURCE Awale Resources

Related Links

http://www.awaleresources.com/


As a consequence, data storage has become a key component for businesses around the world. One of the current trends in the data storage market is that it is widely popular and in-demand due to the rising storage capacity in terms of Terabyte and Petabyte of Big Data generated by organisations.

According to a recent report from IndustryARC, "The market for Data Storage is forecast to reach $4.2 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 32.3% from 2021 to 2026 due to the rapid increase in consumer and machine data developments. The market will be driven by the increasing need for smartphones, Laptops, PCs, and online storage software in small and large enterprises. The Data Storage Market is expected to grow due to the high adoption of cloud storage technology and external data storage devices."

In the Middle East and Africa region, a similar surge in demand for storage technology products is being witnessed. According to Sanjay Naithani, General Manager  MEP & Africa for Hitachi Vantara, "The mission of Hitachi since its establishment in 1910 has been to develop cutting-edge technology for social infrastructures to improve quality of life and contribute to society. We aim to provide solutions that help solve our growing global challenges in a rapidly changing market because this will bring the company closer to the customers and in line with society's needs. In the Middle East, we keep investing in resources and efforts and follow the same strategy, staying close to our valued customers and partners."

Hitachi Vantara storage solutions are the gold standard for high-performance data storage and trusted by top financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies. IDC data shows that the average knowledge worker spends 2.5 hours a day, roughly 30% of their time, searching for information. With 80% of corporate data being unstructured and growing by over 50% a year, it is the main reason why organisations need a fast and robust object storage architecture. Hitachi's object storage architecture for handling large amounts of unstructured data using metadata algorithms is the USP of its' data storage solutions.

Some of the top reasons why organisations prefer the Hitachi Vantara solutions are:

1. Accelerated Project Delivery

Go to market faster with modern data storage that increases operational efficiency, accelerates the adoption of new business processes, and improves customer experiences.

2. Confidently Protect Your Data

Keep your data properly safeguarded with software and services that ensure continuous availability and adherence to compliance requirements.

3. Optimize Your Resources

Drive long-term business agility with scalable data storage that helps keep management costs under control while supporting a diverse range of data types and workloads.

4. 'Set-and-Forget' Reliability

Spend less time and money on maintenance, upgrades, and skills training, knowing that intelligent operations and reliable reporting will keep you and your data center up to speed.

5. Build a Foundation for the Future

Get enterprise-like features and functionality based on the needs and resources of today. With linear scale capabilities, you will get the full value of your investment.

The Hitachi Vantara midrange solutions are available in the Middle East and Africa region through their official distributor, Redington Gulf FZE based in Dubai.

Contact:

Hitachi Vantara

805 Business Central Tower A

Dubai Internet City

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

Tel: +971(0) 55 501 2962

Redington Gulf

7th Floor

H Hotel Business Tower

Sheikh Zayed Road

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1531578/Hitachi_Vantara_Redington_Gulf.jpg

SOURCE Hitachi Vantara; Redington Gulf
TORONTO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Khiron Life Sciences Corp. ("Khiron" or the "Company") (TSXV: KHRN) (OTCQX: KHRNF) (Frankfurt: A2JMZC), a vertically integrated medical cannabis leader with core operations in Latin America and Europe, is pleased to announce the appointment of Franziska Katterbach as President, Khiron Europe to replace Tejinder Virk, who has resigned from the Company.

Franziska Katterbach Appointed President of Khiron Europe

Since her appointment in October 2019 to the role of Managing Director and Chief Legal Counsel, Khiron Europe, Ms. Katterbach has been at the forefront of Khiron's European operations. Franziska's promotion to the position of President aligns with the Company's commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout the organization, including at the Executive level.

"I would like to congratulate Franziska on her appointment, which comes at a very exciting time for our European team. Since joining Khiron, Franziska has been a driving force behind our European operations. Her regulatory expertise, strong leadership skills and exceptional day-to-day management of operations have allowed us to develop a differentiated, asset-light platform. Most recently, the European team launched another new product into the German market while more than tripling shipment volumes, demonstrating strong execution in Europe's largest market," comments Alvaro Torres, CEO and Director.

Franziska Katterbach, President, Khiron Europe, comments, "I am a great believer in Europe's medical cannabis market and am honoured to lead our world-class team as we expand patient access, along with our market presence, in Germany and the UK. On behalf of the Company, I would like to thank Tejinder for his many contributions to our European operations and wish him well in his future endeavors."

Mr. Virks resignation will result in the forfeiture of 2.2 million stock options and 600,000 restricted share units previously awarded.

About Khiron Life Sciences Corp.

Khiron is a leading vertically integrated medical cannabis company with core operations in Latin America and Europe. Leveraging wholly-owned medical health centres and proprietary telemedicine platforms, Khiron combines a patient-oriented approach, physician education programs, scientific expertise, product innovation, and agricultural infrastructure to drive prescriptions and brand loyalty with patients worldwide. The Company has a sales presence in Colombia, Peru, Germany and the UK, and is positioned to commence sales in Mexico and Brazil in 2021. The Company is led by Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alvaro Torres, together with an experienced and diverse executive team and Board of Directors.

Visit Khiron online at investors.khiron.ca and on Instagram @khironlife.

Cautionary Notes

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Khiron undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third-parties in respect of Khiron, its securities, or financial or operating results (as applicable). Although Khiron believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, such forward-looking statement has been based on expectations, factors and assumptions concerning future events which may prove to be inaccurate and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Khiron's control, including the risk factors discussed in Khiron's Annual Information Form which is available on Khiron's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and is made as of the date hereof. Khiron disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE Khiron Life Sciences Corp.

Related Links

https://khiron.ca/


MARTIN, Mich., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- American Humane, the country's first national humane organization, has recertified Konos, Inc. for the sixth straight year for their outstanding animal welfare.

"American Humane is happy that Konos, Inc. has achieved American Humane CertifiedTM status for another year," said Dr. Ganzert, president & CEO of American Humane. "Farmers like Konos, who are committed to an evidence-based welfare approach that centers operations around the needs of the hens, are helping elevate the standards for farm animals everywhere."

Founded in 1877, American Humane has been involved in the agricultural space for 145 years. The farm program, which certifies farms and ranches for excellent animal welfare, is in its 21st year of operation. Today, American Humane CertifiedTM improves the lives of nearly 1 billion animals annually.

Farmers who attain certification have third-party authenticated, independently verified proof that their care and handling of farm animals meets or surpasses science-based animal welfare standards. The metrics on which farmers and ranchers are judged are developed in collaboration with, and regularly reviewed by, an independent scientific advisory committee comprised of leading experts in the fields of agriculture, species-specific animal behavior and ethics.

Konos, Inc. traces their origins back to 1946 in Forest Grove, Michigan, when Howard Vande Bunte began buying eggs from rural farmers, packaging them, and selling them to grocery stores and restaurants. Mr. Vande Bunte soon purchased a small barn in Martin, Michigan, which has grown during the past 75 years from its humble origins to some 17 barns. Still in the family, second and third-generation farmers at Vande Bunte Eggs continue to raise healthy hens in Martin and at a recently constructed Cage Free facility with six additional barns in nearby Otsego, Michigan.

Demand for humanely raised products has risen in recent years and both farmers and grocers are responding to the call for ethically sourced products. Ten of the nation's top 12 grocery retailers now carry products that are American Humane CertifiedTM, according to a recent analysis by American Humane. More than 90 percent of people surveyed in an American Humane study reported being "very concerned" about farm animal welfare and they consider the consumption of humanely raised products to be "very important."

"American Humane will continue to work alongside farmers like Konos, Inc.to improve conditions for farm animals," said Dr. Ganzert. "Konos deserves applause for their continued commitment to doing right by the animals in their care."

About American Humane

American Humane is the country's first national humane organization. Founded in 1877, American Humane is committed to ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals, and our leadership programs are first to serve in promoting and nurturing the bonds between animals and people. For more information or to support our work, please visit www.americanhumane.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE American Humane Certified

Related Links

https://www.americanhumane.org


Ms. Ryan represents private equity funds and public and private companies in a variety of matters, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, take private transactions, distressed acquisitions, SPAC and deSPAC transactions, minority investments, recapitalizations, and other complex corporate transactions. Ms. Ryan's clients have included many of the leading private equity funds and their portfolio companies, as well as public companies. She has led scores of complex transactions in a wide variety of industries.

"Tana is a tremendous addition to our leading Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Practices, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the firm," said Charles Ruck, Global Chair of Latham's Corporate Department. "As M&A activity continues at a record pace, clients are increasingly seeking a one-stop, globally integrated law firm to advise on their most sophisticated transactions, and the addition of Tana underscores our continued commitment to growing in line with our clients' needs."

"The M&A and private equity teams in our Los Angeles office work on some of the most exciting and complex deals in southern California, across the US, and internationally, and Tana is an excellent addition to our strong platform," said Larry Seymour, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles. "Continuing to grow these transactional practices in Southern California is a strategic priority of the firm as we are continuously focused on delivering best-in-class service on the most sophisticated and high-stakes deals in the market."

"Tana has significant experience representing leading private equity firms and their portfolio companies on sophisticated deals, and we are excited to welcome her to our premier global practice," said Paul Sheridan, Global Chair of Latham's Private Equity Practice. "She has managed deals across a wide range of industries and geographies, and is known throughout the market for delivering the highest quality of work."

"I am thrilled to be joining Latham's impressive global platform, which is second to none and will allow me to serve my clients comprehensively both domestically and internationally," said Ms. Ryan. "I have been drawn to Latham's collegial culture and reputation for working with a team-based approach, and look forward to taking part in the fantastic work for which the firm is known."

Ryan joins Latham from Kirkland & Ellis in Los Angeles. She received her JD from the University of Chicago Law School. She has been recognized as one of the most influential women by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2018 and 2021.

About Latham & Watkins (lw.com)

Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world's largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability.

Notes to Editors

1 Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Contacts

Charles Ruck, Global Chair, Corporate Department, +1.212.418.7625

Larry Seymour, Los Angeles Office Managing Partner, +1.213.891.8780

Paul Sheridan, Global Chair, Private Equity Practice, +1.202.637.2287

SOURCE Latham & Watkins

Related Links

www.lw.com


"Lisa has terrific experience advising market-leading companies and underwriters on complex capital markets transactions and public company representation matters, and we're delighted to welcome her to the firm," said Charles Ruck, Global Chair of Latham's Corporate Department. "Lisa's arrival will enhance our robust capabilities in Chicago, Boston, and beyond at a time when the capital markets are poised for continued strong growth."

Martin represents public and private companies, underwriters and private equity firms on a wide variety of capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings, registered equity and debt offerings, private placements, leveraged buyouts, tender offers and consent solicitations. She also advises companies on securities law, disclosure and corporate governance matters.

Ian Schuman, Global Chair of Latham's Capital Markets Practice, said: "Lisa's versatile experience across securities products and public company representation matters is highly complementary to Latham's platform, and she will be an asset to clients through every stage of their lifecycle."

"Latham's global platform and market leadership not only in the capital markets, but across the firm's transactional, litigation, and regulatory practices, provide an exciting opportunity to advise a diverse and impressive client base on a wide range of matters," said Martin. "I've had the pleasure of working across from Latham frequently and have admired the firm's collaborative and collegial approach to working with clients and colleagues, and I'm thrilled to join the team."

Martin joins Latham from Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago. She received her JD from Columbia Law School and AB from Harvard College.

About Latham & Watkins ( lw.com )

Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world's largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability.

Notes to Editors

1 Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Contacts

Charles Ruck, Global Chair, Corporate Department, +1.212.418.7625

Ian Schuman, Global Chair, Capital Markets Practice, +1.212.906.1894

SOURCE Latham & Watkins

Related Links

www.lw.com


PHOENIX, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In letters sent today to the Chief Executive Officer of Vulcan Materials, the nation's largest supplier of construction aggregates, 38 members of the Arizona State Senate and the Arizona House of Representatives called on Vulcan (NYSE: VMC) to reconsider how the company is treating its workforce in Arizona, including a group of eight mining vehicle operators at the company's open-pit mines in Sun City and Laveen Village who are represented by Teamsters Local 104.

Vulcan Materials, which currently services roughly 60 contracts with the state, is demanding that the eight drivers accept a contract that would take away their pension, increase monthly health care costs by as much as $464, allow the company to cut hourly wages by $2.60 for some drivers, reduce safety rest periods between shifts, impose an unfair grievance procedure, and take away the drivers' right to honor picket lines.

The letters signed by every Democratic member of the Arizona Legislature, reads, "We are alarmed that a profitable public company would seek to exploit its workers and force them to agree to such lopsided and unreasonable terms. Your success should not  and need not  come at the expense of working families."

In addition to state contracts, a range of local governments and private companies in Arizona utilize construction materials produced by Vulcan Materials, including Maricopa County, Pima County, Pinal County, the City of Phoenix, the City of Tempe, Lennar Corporation [largest homebuilder in the U.S.], PulteGroup [third largest home builder in the U.S.], and MDC Holdings [one of the top 15 home builders in the United States].

"This labor contract has worked for both sides for over 30 years," said Ryan Proctor, a Business Agent with Teamsters Local 104. "We don't understand what Vulcan would gain by destroying the lives of eight loyal, long-time workers and risking its reputation as a socially responsible company with local, state and federal officials, national builders like Pulte Homes, and union and non-union contractors in the Mountain West Division and other areas of the country."

In March, Vulcan truck drivers filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in a Georgia federal district court. The lawsuit claims the company unlawfully misclassified the drivers as independent contractors to avoid its obligations to pay overtime as required by federal labor laws.

"We are investigating the possibility of a similar situation elsewhere in Arizona," Proctor said. "We don't know yet, but it appears that Vulcan may be misclassifying about 53 Arizona drivers as independent contractors who work for Mountain West Logistics, a subsidiary of Vulcan Materials."

-30-

Contact:

Dawn Schumann, (602) 300-5650

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 104
CHICAGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm LegalRideshare LLC is establishing the Driver Safety Fund in an effort to protect rideshare drivers from an increasingly dangerous environment. The mission of the Driver Safety Fund is to provide gig workers with the tools they need to stay safe, and also to bring alleged perpetrators of violence to justice.

LegalRideshare

LegalRideshare LLC co-founder and attorney Bryant Greening said his firm will donate $10,000 to purchase dash cameras for Chicago-based gig workers. The firm will allocate an additional $40,000 as rewards for the convictions of persons who assault or carjack gig workers.

"We refuse to sit by idly as the rideshare and gig companies fail to protect their workers," Greening said. "If the billion-dollar corporations won't step up, we gladly will."

Dash cameras are known to protect gig workers in multiple ways. First, they serve as a deterrent to potential bad actors. Second, they provide essential evidence to law enforcement investigating alleged crimes.

"Dash cameras are the single most important safety tool a rideshare driver can install in her vehicle," Greening said. "Its mere presence makes a criminal think twice."

To request a dash camera, Chicago-based drivers must send an email to [email protected] with their full name, current residence address, and a screenshot of their app-based driver profile (from Uber, Lyft, Postmates, etc.).

With regard to the rewards, the accident/injury law firm is offering $5,000 (up to $40,000 total) to any person who provides information leading directly to the arrest and conviction of an individual who assaults or carjacks a Chicago-based gig worker. To be eligible for the reward, the information must be provided to LegalRideshare LLC and the Chicago Police Department within a week of the crime.

LegalRideshare LLC hopes the fund will be instrumental in locating the alleged killers of Uber driver Joe Schelstraete, who was shot last week while picking up passengers in Cicero, Illinois.

Greening said his firm hopes to regularly replenish the Driver Safety Fund. "We want this program to be a success. We need this program to be a success," Greening said. "We'll keep funding the Driver Safety Fund for as long as it's keeping drivers safe and removing criminals from our streets."

LegalRideshare LLC regularly uses its resources to protect rideshare and gig workers. Last year, the firm offered a "sick-day" program for drivers who lost wages due to COVID-19, and publicly denounced the rideshare companies for failing to support workers. In 2018, the firm secured drivers' right to advertise in their cars, providing a source of income for workers who often struggle to earn more than minimum wage.

About LegalRideshare LLC

Chicago-based LegalRideshare LLC (LegalRideshare.com) is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber, Lyft and app-based accident and injury claims. Its legal team is dedicated to protecting injured drivers, passengers, and victims. For news and updates, follow LegalRideshare on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact: [email protected]

Related Images

image1.png

SOURCE LegalRideshare
Last year's virtual ride raised more than $100,000 for continuing medical education in cancer prevention for physicians, public health professionals and nurses. Less Cancer founded and annually produces the National Cancer Prevention Workshop in Washington D.C. The University of Virginia School of Medicine provides Continuing Medical Education credits at the event.

"I've set a personal goal to ride 500 miles this month and I hope that as a group we can surpass last year's fundraising totals," said Less Cancer Founder and President Bill Couzens. "In Michigan, I rode from sponsor Shinola Hotel all over downtown Detroit. I also met with up with cyclists from Cowell Family Cancer Center in Traverse City, our historic starting point in years past."

"We have people riding for us as far away as Spain and Holland and a bit closer from Canada, New York to California and several places in between," said Couzens. "We are so grateful to all the cyclists and the people who sponsor them. "

Less Cancer has a strong focus on training those with science and medical backgrounds because they are often the "bridge" that helps individuals and communities to better navigate public health. In the last 18 months, Less Cancer had over 4,000 individuals from 10 countries register for online learning, continuing medical education and certificates.

"We understand not everyone has access to evidence-based public health," added Couzens. "Our primary mission is to find creative ways to reach those "crowded out" by offering public health science and education that addresses chronic health gaps.

Registration for virtual riders is $25. More information for riders and donors can be found at https://www.pledgereg.com/the-less-cancer-bike-ride-america or www.lesscancer.org.

About Less Cancer

Founded in 2004, the Next Generation Choices Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity known more widely as "Less Cancer." The organization works to educate the public, create proactive public policies, and offer continuing education credit to physicians, nurses, and public health professionals regarding cancer, over 50 percent of which are preventable. Less Cancer signifies a new paradigm for addressing cancer, one focused on prevention. This expands traditional treatment-focused approaches, which focus on beating, conquering, or curing cancer. Less Cancer's role is to do all it can to arm communities with content so they can take actions to lower cancer risks.

MEDIA CONTACT: Colleen Robar, 313-207-5960, [email protected]

SOURCE Less Cancer
CHARLESTON, S.C., BIRMINGHAM, England and ORANGE, Conn., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Hall Capital Partners ("Liberty Hall"), a private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in businesses serving the global aerospace and defense industry, today announced the appointment of Kevin Vicha to the role of Chief Executive Officer of Bromford Industries ("Bromford"), a leading supplier of complex, close tolerance engine components, fabrications and assemblies for the global aerospace and defense and power generation industries. Mr. Vicha is succeeding Bromford's current CEO, Gary Lowe, who announced his retirement after more than twenty-nine years of service. Mr. Lowe will continue to serve as a non-executive director of Bromford.

"Over the past five years, Bromford has been transformed from a three site, UK-centric business into a leading global supplier of engine components, fabrications and assemblies with operations located in three countries on three continents. Bromford is now entering a new period of sustained growth, and Kevin is the right person to manage that growth," said Rowan Taylor, Liberty Hall's founding and Managing Partner. "Kevin's proven track record in operations, strategy, customer relations and management of complex business environments makes him an ideal leader for Bromford. We also want to thank Gary for his many years of exemplary leadership and service over the past decade, including his leadership through our purchase of Bromford in 2016 and Bromford's strategic acquisitions of AeroCision, Accrofab Limited and Numet Machining Techniques."

Mr. Vicha added: "I am honored to take on this role and join the outstanding professionals at Bromford. For decades, Bromford has been a steadfast leader in the industry, and I look forward to working closely with the team and our customers to further realize the company's significant growth potential."

Mr. Vicha, who has over three decades of experience in the global aerospace and power generation industries, will be based at Bromford's facility in Orange, Connecticut. He joins Bromford from GKN Aerospace Engine Systems, where he served as Chief Operating Officer and oversaw the company's $1.5 billion annual business portfolio encompassing eleven manufacturing sites and 3,500 employees. Prior to GKN, he worked in senior positions at United Technologies Corporation, served as President of GE and Pratt & Whitney's joint company Engine Alliance, LLC, and also held responsibility for multi-site manufacturing businesses, Airframers and global Aftermarket Repair Sales. He began his career in power generation in the United States and Europe before transitioning to aerospace with Pratt & Whitney based at Airbus in Toulouse, France. Mr. Vicha received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and an MBA from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.

Mr. Lowe added: "It has been a privilege to lead and work with such a dedicated and supportive workforce and see the business expand. I wish Kevin and all those involved with Bromford every success in the future."

"It has been a pleasure working with Gary through Bromford's significant growth and transformation since our initial investment in March 2016," said Conor Malloy, Principal at Liberty Hall. "We're thrilled to welcome Kevin to the team to lead the next phase of Bromford's value creation."

About Liberty Hall Capital Partners

Liberty Hall Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in businesses serving the global aerospace and defense industry. Liberty Hall's principals have a 25-plus year history of working together and have led the investment of $2.5 billion in equity capital in over 25 businesses serving multiple segments of the aerospace and defense industry. Liberty Hall develops actionable investment strategies for attractive segments of the aerospace and defense industry and then partners with entrepreneurs and management teams to acquire leading businesses serving these segments and, together with them, develop and execute strategic and operational plans to transform middle market businesses into larger, more capable and diverse strategic assets. For more information, please visit http://www.libertyhallcapital.com/.

About Bromford Industries

Bromford Industries is a leading supplier of complex, close tolerance engine components, fabrications and assemblies for the global aerospace and defense and power generation industries. Bromford serves the highest value aerospace platforms as well as a number of other civil, business aviation, military and IGT platforms. Bromford has a balanced and diversified portfolio of platforms and customers, including longstanding relationships with all key OEM customers as well as the U.S. Department of Defense. With seven global facilities located in Orange and Chester, Connecticut, United States; Birmingham, Alcester, Derby and Leicester, United Kingdom; and Bangalore, India, Bromford is currently executing a strategic plan to build its business through strategic investments in further capabilities, customers and platforms. For more information, please visit https://www.bromfordindustries.co.uk/.

For Liberty Hall: For US Media: Rowan Taylor Katherine Lee Liberty Hall Capital Partners FTI Consulting P: +1 (646) 291-2602 P: +1 (929) 213-5914 [email protected] [email protected]



For Bromford: For UK Media: Gemma Lunn Louisa Feltes Bromford Group FTI Consulting P: +44 (0) 121 683 6231 P: +44 (0) 784 338 5075 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Liberty Hall Capital Partners

Related Links

https://www.libertyhallcapital.com


NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lument Finance Trust, Inc. (NYSE: LFT) ("LFT" or the "Company") today announced the closing of LMNT 2021-FL1, a $1 billion on-balance sheet commercial real estate collateralized loan obligation ("LMNT 2021-FL1" or the "Securitization"). The Company expects to redeem Hunt CRE 2017-FL1 and Hunt CRE 2018-FL2, its two existing CRE CLOs, in conjunction with the transaction.

In connection with the Securitization, an aggregate of approximately $834 million of investment grade-rated notes were issued and sold to institutional investors (the "Offered Notes") and a consolidated subsidiary of LFT retained subordinate interests in the issuing vehicle of approximately $166 million. The Offered Notes have an initial weighted average spread of approximately 143 basis points over one-month LIBOR, excluding fees and transaction costs.

The Securitization has a 30-month reinvestment period that allows principal proceeds from repayments of the mortgage assets to be reinvested in qualifying replacement mortgage assets, subject to certain conditions. The initial collateral for the Securitization includes approximately $314 million of capacity to acquire additional commercial mortgage loans or participations in such loans for a period of up to 180 days from the closing date.

The Notes were offered and sold in a transaction exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act").

James Flynn, Chief Executive Officer of LFT, said, "The closing of LMNT 2021-FL1 represents another significant positive milestone in the progression of our business plan at LFT. This transaction allows us to quickly deploy a portion of the proceeds from our recently completed preferred equity offering while also providing us with favorable economic and structural features to allow for continued growth."

Certain of the Offered Notes were rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. and all of the Offered Notes were rated by Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC. The Notes are not registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.

About LFT

LFT is a Maryland corporation focused on investing in, financing and managing a portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments. The Company primarily invests in transitional floating rate commercial mortgage loans with an emphasis on middle-market multi-family assets. LFT is externally managed and advised by OREC Investment Management, LLC d/b/a Lument Investment Management, a Delaware limited liability company.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. You can identify forward-looking statements by use of words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may," "will," "seek," "would," "could," or similar expressions or other comparable terms, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's beliefs, assumptions and expectations of its future performance, taking into account all information currently available to the Company on the date of this press release or the date on which such statements are first made. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this press release and should consider carefully the factors described in Part I, Item IA "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other current or periodic filings with the SEC, when evaluating these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the Company's control. Additionally, many of these risks and uncertainties are currently amplified by and will continue to be amplified by, or in the future may be amplified by, the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors are contained in our 2020 10-K which is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Lument Finance Trust, Inc.
C$ unless otherwise stated

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

TORONTO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - As a leading global real estate asset manager, Manulife Investment Management recognizes its unique position to help lead the transition to a low-carbon economy1. Manulife Investment Management released its 2021 Real Estate Sustainability report, which focuses on how the firm is driving leadership in sustainable real estate across our global organization, and includes details on the greenhouse gas (GHG) model developed for real estate assets, which sets a reduction target of 80% by 20502.

"We are very proud of this responsible move, which represents a step forward in our commitment to climate change mitigation and our role in the transition to a healthier planet," said Steve Blewitt, Global Head of Private Markets. "Manulife Investment Management's real estate team has been measuring and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions in our sustainability reports since 2017. Setting this realistic target demonstrates our commitment to holding ourselves accountable and achieving high standards across climate-related considerations."

To actively demonstrate efforts in carbon reduction, Manulife Investment Management has started initiatives to identify ways to reduce GHG emissions across its global real estate portfolio. Over the past year, the firm conducted a deep carbon retrofit study at its buildings, in addition to updating the leasing process, with a greater focus on sustainability. This is part of a strategic approach focused on four pillars:

Efficiency measures  conventional, cost-effective, incremental energy improvements through on-going building commissioning and efficient operations.

 conventional, cost-effective, incremental energy improvements through on-going building commissioning and efficient operations. Fuel switching  switching from high to low carbon intensity infrastructure through infrastructure renewal (delivering immediate emissions reduction where the electrical grid is less carbon intensive today, and additional emissions reduction as the grid improves).

 switching from high to low carbon intensity infrastructure through infrastructure renewal (delivering immediate emissions reduction where the electrical grid is less carbon intensive today, and additional emissions reduction as the grid improves). Onsite renewables and storage  installing items, such as rooftop solar panels, especially in regions with carbon-intensive electrical grids.

 installing items, such as rooftop solar panels, especially in regions with carbon-intensive electrical grids. Carbon offsets and Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs)  purchasing carbon offsets and power purchasing agreements (PPAs) to address energy/carbon that remains after the above actions are completed.

________________________________________ 1 The IPE Real Assets top 100 ranking of some of the world's largest real estate investors, has captured more than $1.44trn (1.3trn) in infrastructure assets held by pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurers and other institutional capital owners. To be included, investors need to be owners, not third-party managers of assets. It was based on IPE Research survey data, Rainmaker information and publicly available information, predominantly in the form of annual reports. Where accurate numbers were not available, estimates have been made. Some investors have not been included due to a lack of information. Source: IPE Real Assets, as of 12/31/2020. 2 Target is an intensity-based reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions for the properties that are within our operational control.

To support these initiatives and better understand its current standing, Manulife Investment Management's real estate team will work to implement this overarching strategy, identifying regional and asset-level opportunities where energy and associated emissions can be reduced. All projects will also be evaluated in terms of their carbon-based returns and how they will assist with the reduction in emissions.

"Our approach to sustainability in real estate incorporates ESG considerations into all our practices and investment management. Through carbon emission reduction, Manulife Investment Management aims to be a key player in the transition to a low carbon economy," said Regan Smith, Global Head of Real Estate Sustainability. "It is with that in mind that we designed a strategy informed by climate science to reduce our carbon output across our real estate portfolio."

Manulife Investment Management's targeted reduction commitment to its real estate portfolio is just one segment of Manulife's global Climate Action Plan, which also commits to a 35% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2035, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. For more information, please read Manulife Announces Journey to Net Zero.

About Manulife Investment Management, Private Markets

Manulife Investment Management's comprehensive private markets capabilities include real estate, private equity and credit, infrastructure, timber and agriculture. Through its real estate group, Manulife Investment Management develops and manages commercial real estate for thousands of customers around the globe. As of March 31, 2021, the real estate portfolio totals 63 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail space and over 6,500 multifamily units strategically located in markets across Canada, the U.S., and Asia. The group leverages its global platform and local expertise to provide market-leading solutions for its tenants and deliver results for its partners.

Additional information about our Real Estate group can be found at www.manulifeim.com/realestate.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 17 countries and territories. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement.

As of March 31, 2021, Manulife Investment Management had CAD $764.1 billion (US $607.6 billion) in assets under management and administration. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

SOURCE Manulife Investment Management

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ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation announced it will award more than $9.2 million in academic scholarships to over 2,500 children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen for the 2021-2022 academic year. This historic announcement comes as the Scholarship Foundation appoints Ted Probert as its new President and CEO.

"I'm humbled and honored to lead the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation into its next chapter," said Ted Probert. "For nearly 60 years, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has kept its promise to never leave the child of a Marine behind. I strongly support this commitment and look forward to working with this extraordinary team to broaden our reach and impact."

Ted joined the Scholarship Foundation in 2018 as the Executive Vice President, Development. Serving in the Marine Corps Reserves for 21 years, he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. Ted brings over 29 years of development experience to the Scholarship Foundation, highlighted by his time at Phillips Exeter Academy as both campaign director for The Exeter Initiatives, which raised $352 million, and the Director of Institutional Advancement.

"The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is stronger today than at any time in its nearly 60-year history," said Chairman of the Board and 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Robert B. Neller. "Ted Probert has a strong proven track record of tirelessly working to accomplish the Scholarship Foundation's mission of helping the children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen who serve with Marines to get advanced education and training. We are excited and confident that his passion for the Scholarship Foundation, leadership, vision, and experience will allow the Scholarship Foundation to continue to grow and have an even greater impact for the Marine and Navy families we serve."

A financial need-based scholarship, the Scholarship Foundation's recipients reflect the diversity characteristic of the United States Marine Corps: students from all walks of life who are destined for leadership and service in a variety of professional fields. Scholarship Foundation recipients are top-tier scholars with a 90% overall graduation rate, well above national performance averages. Notably, 40% of recipients are first-generation college students and 45% pursue STEM degrees.

Messages of gratitude have poured in from recipients who are glad to be moving forward after a challenging year. "You have allowed me to focus on the most important aspect of college, learning, without the burden of student loans," said Jake Lane, a rising junior at the University of Michigan and son of a veteran Marine. "I am eternally grateful for your kind-hearted and generous spirit and one day hope to change someone's life in the way you have changed mine."

About the Scholarship Foundation: Established in 1962, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is the Nation's oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships for military children. Since its inception, the Scholarship Foundation has provided nearly 50,000 scholarships worth $155 million to the children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen. For more information on the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, please visit www.mcsf.org.

SOURCE Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
SEOUL, South Korea, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MarX project is a Korea-based project designed to capture the DeFi-NFT market. MarX project is operated by MetaverseSociety Corp., which aims to build a virtuous ecosystem with direct connections between value generators and value consumers in a complete DeFi-NFT Platform. Participating parties will be value creators and value customers on the finished DeFi-NFT platform. This project dramatically reduces transaction fees and protects the copyrights of creators. Marx also has a basic structure that has been demonstrated by groundbreaking technological evolution.

MarX project chose the MRC base system using IBM's Hyperledger technology instead of the ERC-based system. The project team defined this change on the basis that brokerage fees constrain ERC. It is also prone to technologies that aim to take away the uniqueness of commodities, thus separating the rights and copyrights from the creators. The MRC400 and MRC401 are immune to those, and they also reduce brokerage fees.

MarX Project strives to create a token-economy ecosystem that effectively utilizes business transparency and virtual assets in economic activities. MarX received Technical Audit-Report from SlowMist, a global technology evaluation company, and obtained Legal-Opinion through legal review from Simmons & Simmons.

MarX completed listing on the global exchange Liquid on June 9th, following ProBit in April. Liquid emphasizes the transparency of transactions and complies with the legal regulations of each country. Last year's trading volume was about $83 billion, even without allowing cross-trading by default. It is also one of the largest exchanges that provide cryptocurrency trading services in fiat currencies such as dollars, euros, yen, Australian dollars, and Singapore dollars. Liquid's listing process is known to be challenging and fair, so only verified projects can be listed.

MarX Project has opened the NFT Marketplace to coincide with the listing of Liquid. They have also built SwapDEX to enable MRC-based NFT trading. MarX Marketplace will be upgraded to activate NFT transactions and protect creators. After that, it aims to build a token economy ecosystem through coupon-type NFT and ticket-type NFT issuance.

MarX Project collaborates with partners who are already in business in each field to build such a virtuous cycle ecosystem. Art-related Seoul13, pet-related Happy Dog TV, donation-related ICCF (International Cross Culture Foundation), and EDM-related DCTOM participated in the project's initial white paperwork. Since then, the MarX Project team has signed strategic agreements with PG-related CyrexPay and simple payment-related UnionPay. They have also signed a technical agreement with Inblock, an excellent partner of IBM Hyperledger, to expand the applications of MRC-based technology and transparently manage digital assets.

Social Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarX_Metaverse

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarXMetaverse

Telegram: https://t.me/MarX_Project

Kakaotalk: https://open.kakao.com/o/g1rkO97c

SOURCE MarX
ELKHART, Ind., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- (Mennonite Mission Network) -- Mennonite Mission Network is renewing its commitment to be an anti-racist organization. In response to the heightened awareness of systemic racism in the United States and abroad, the mission agency is reevaluating its current internal culture and practices to become more effective and caring in its ministries.

Mission Network has hired Widerstand, a nonprofit anti-racism consulting firm, to help guide and advise the agency's transformation. Mission Network is also consulting with Roots of Justice, a nonprofit anti-racism training firm, to work directly with staff and executive leadership. Members of Mission Network's board of directors are also engaging the process.

"For Mission Network to effectively be the gospel and bring the peace of Christ into the current global context, we must embrace the challenge to acknowledge and identify how the work of dismantling oppressive systems requires both individual and collective accountability for our roles within these systems," said Mike Sherrill, executive director and CEO of Mission Network. "This is key to our growth as a mission agency prepared to fully engage the people and cultures across the street and around the world."

Commitment to anti-racism has long been encouraged, but not until 2021 has anti-racism training been a requirement of employment at Mission Network for executive leadership and staff. Intercultural competency and mutual respect have been among the agency's core ministry values and practices. In further listening to staff and ministry partners, Mission Network leadership believes a further nuance of naming and changing a culture centered on whiteness is necessary. The change will better empower Mission Network to reach its full potential as an effective faith-based international agency in the Anabaptist tradition.

Ongoing, systematic follow-up and detailed actions are vital for anti-racism practices and behaviors among all employees to permeate every aspect of the agency. Toward that end, over the next several months and beyond, executive leadership and staff will engage an intentional process to implement steps of racial justice, equity, and inclusivity in the organization.

To sustain the commitment, measurable objectives will be put in place to sustain accountability at all levels of the agency. Mission Network will collaborate with its ministry partners and congregations, with a particular emphasis on consulting Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Asian ministry partners and congregations, to better meet the needs of diverse communities.

Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, exists to lead, mobilize, and equip the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in the world. Mission Network envisions every congregation and all parts of the church being fully engaged in mission  across the street, all through the marketplaces, and around the world.

Media Contact: Wil LaVeist, senior executive for advancement, Mennonite Mission Network, [email protected], +1 (574) 523-3077

SOURCE Mennonite Mission Network

Related Links

http://www.mennonitemission.net


MANDEVILLE, La., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Military.Finance is breaking new ground by releasing the first-ever Bitcoin AR-15. The AR-15 has become one of the most popular semi-automatic rifles and is known as "America's Rifle."

"The AR-15 was selected because it's well known, and it really symbolizes the fight veterans face every day in battle, and when coming home," says Brad Dahl, founder of Military.Finance. "We wanted a symbol that represented our cause, and it's simply an awesome gun."

First Bitcoin AR-15 (Actual Rifle Released on July 4th). Military.Finance works to support veterans.

The unique rifle will have a locked digital wallet embedded directly on it that includes a full Bitcoin, currently valued at $40,7013 USD. "We're hoping the fact that it's the world's first of its kind will increase interest and the value during the auction," says Dahl. "With all proceeds going directly to veterans, having this one-of-a-kind trophy to display would be impressive."

Several well-known veterans and celebrities are already involved with the AR-15 auction and are excited about supporting Military.Finance's mission...to become the biggest contributor to the veteran community in history.

Military.Finance has already backed its mission by donating $20,000 to Major Ed Pulido at the Heart of a Lion Foundation on June 2, just 21 days after the token was developed. "These guys are the real deal," stated Major Ed. "We have an opportunity to change a lot of lives."

For your chance to bid on the world's first Bitcoin AR-15, be sure to visit www.military.finance or follow Military.Finance on all of their social media outlets, as those are updated regularly. Details regarding the auction will be released soon.

REFERENCES

Heart of a Lion Foundation: https://www.jdme.org/

SOCIAL LINKS

Telegram: https://t.me/Military_Finance

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/militaryfinancetoken

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3_W7lrw22HQEmgzRyvTIUA

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Mil_Finance

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Military_Finance/new/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/military.finance/

Discord: https://discord.com/channels/841495645801283584/841495645801283587

Chart: https://charts.bogged.finance/?token=0xf5015995376a35b10dcBD96BA6B6e9de1c9f87c5

TechRate Audit: https://github.com/TechRate/Smart-Contract-Audits/blob/main/Military%20Finance%20Token.pdf

MEDIA CONTACT

Company: Military.Finance

Contact Name: Don Dahl

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: https://www.military.finance/

Contact Name: Brad Dahl

Phone: 703-496-9425

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Military.Finance
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Monique Burr Foundation for Children, Inc. (MBF) commends Florida lawmakers for passing HB519, legislation that will provide comprehensive, age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate K-12 prevention health education instruction in all Florida schools.

The law amends Florida Statutes 1003.42, expanding and clarifying existing law with additional requirements for health education with an emphasis on prevention education. According to research, 95% of child sexual abuse is preventable with education. The legislation will take effect on July 1, 2021.

The bill provides health education instruction that addresses the prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation and human trafficking. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Clay Yarborough, Jacksonville, and Sen. Aaron Bean, Fernandina Beach.

"We are grateful to all of Florida's lawmakers, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and Governor Ron DeSantis for their ongoing support of prevention education," said Lynn Layton, MBF President and CEO. "While many schools across Florida are implementing prevention education, the legislation clearly defines the requirements and quality to ensure all students in Florida will receive the same comprehensive, research-based prevention education to address all forms of childhood abuse."

MBF can assist schools with programs to meet these changes at no cost through a generous grant provided by Florida's Attorney General. MBF Prevention Education Programs are a series of comprehensive, evidence-based/evidence-informed prevention programs that educate and empower children and teens with strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, online dangers, child abuse, exploitation, and child trafficking. In response to requirements established in 2019 by the Florida Department of Education, MBF has also added MBF Mental Health Matters and lessons on substance abuse prevention. To date, MBF has trained more than 5,000 facilitators who have delivered MBF Child Safety Matters and MBF Teen Safety Matters lessons to more than 5 million students across the United States and three countries. In the 2020-21 school year, MBF will reach even more students with the expansion of new programs, MBF Athlete Safety Matters and MBF After-School Safety Matters. For more information, visit www.mbfpreventioneducation.org or call (904) 642-0210.

About the Monique Burr Foundation for Children

The Monique Burr Foundation for Children (MBF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 by Edward E. Burr in honor of his late wife, Monique Burr, a devoted child advocate. MBF Prevention Education Programs, including MBF Child Safety Matters for elementary schools, MBF Teen Safety Matters for middle and high schools, MBF Athlete Safety Matters for youth athletes, and MBF After-School Safety Matters for after-school and youth-serving organizations, are evidence-based/evidence-informed primary prevention programs. They educate and empower children and adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize and respond appropriately to abuse, bullying, cyberbullying, digital dangers, exploitation, and human trafficking. More than 5,000 facilitators have delivered MBF Programs to over 5 million students throughout the U.S. and in 3 additional countries.

SOURCE Monique Burr Foundation for Children, Inc.
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced American Riviera Bank (Santa Barbara, CA) (OTCQX: ARBV), a full-service community bank focused on the Central Coast of California, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. American Riviera Bank (Santa Barbara, CA) upgraded to OTCQX from the Pink market.

American Riviera Bank (Santa Barbara, CA) begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "ARBV." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

The OTCQX Market provides investors with a premium U.S. public market to research and trade the shares of investor-focused companies. Graduating to the OTCQX Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

"American Riviera Bank's joining the OTCQX Best Market is an important event for the Bank, and reflects a key step in our long-term strategic plan to create additional liquidity and trading volume in our shares. We believe our awareness and exposure within the investment community will increase as a member of the OTCQX Market, and we look forward to continuing to create long-term value for our shareholders," said Jeff DeVine, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Riviera Bank.

D.A. Davidson & Co. acted as the company's OTCQX sponsor.

About American Riviera Bank (Santa Barbara, CA)

American Riviera Bank is a full-service community bank focused on serving the lending and deposit needs of businesses and consumers on the Central Coast of California. The state-chartered bank opened for business on July 18, 2006, with the support of local shareholders. Full-service branches are located in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. The Bank provides commercial, residential mortgage, construction and Small Business Administration lending services as well as convenient online and mobile technology. For eleven consecutive years the Bank has been recognized for strong financial performance by the Findley Reports, and has received the highest "Super Premier" rating from Findley every year since 2016. As of March 31, 2021, the Bank was rated five stars by BauerFinancial. The Bank was rated "Outstanding" by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 2020 for its performance under the Community Reinvestment Act. For additional information about American Riviera Bank, visit www.americanriviera.bank

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed

Media Contact:

OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]

SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.otcmarkets.com


"Warren is a proven leader, experienced in both creating value and managing significant change," said Dave Shull, President and Chief Executive Officer, Poly. "We've been clear that Poly is transforming and focused on growth, and a big part of that is making certain we operate at a level that matches our ambitions. We already have strong business unit general managers and functional leaders in place, so we expect that Warren will ensure that our business units have the resources and support they need, expand our investments in software and solutions, and elevate our strategic alliance partnerships."

"The way people and businesses around the globe connect and communicate has changed," said Mr. Schlichting, "Poly has the services and tools they need to do it. There's a world-class team at Poly, and I'm looking forward to supporting the company on its path to growth."

About Warren Schlichting

Warren Schlichting is currently an advisor to Progress Partners, a Boston investment bank focused on media & technology. Prior to his work with Progress, Schlichting spent much of the past four years as the Group President of Sling TV, implementing a total business transformation, revamping Sling's approach to product management and modernizing its software development process. He brought the company to profitability, greenlit the popular "Slingers" marketing campaign, and formed long-term, strategic partnerships with Google, Microsoft and Facebook among others.

Schlichting joined DISH, the parent company of Sling, in late 2011. While at DISH he launched the large scale monetization of the company's data via addressable advertising, regularly negotiated multi-billion dollar content partnerships with the major video conglomerates, and overhauled DISH's brand positioning and marketing campaigns.

Prior to joining DISH, Schlichting held leadership positions at Comcast, and was the CEO of Hiwire, a Los Angeles-based Internet ad technology start-up. He also spent six years as CEO of Yucatan Foods, a venture he co-founded and recently sold. Schlichting began his career with Morgan Stanley in their M&A group and worked at the William E. Simon private equity group.

Mr. Schlichting holds an A.B. Degree with Honors from Harvard University.

About Poly

Poly (NYSE: POLY) creates premium audio and video products so you can have your best meeting -- anywhere, anytime, every time. Our headsets, video and audio-conferencing products, desk phones, analytics software and services are beautifully designed and engineered to connect people with incredible clarity. They're pro-grade, easy to use and work seamlessly with all the best video and audio conferencing services. With Poly (Plantronics, Inc.  formerly Plantronics and Polycom), you'll do more than just show up, you'll stand out. For more information visit www.Poly.com.

Poly, the propeller design, and the Poly logo are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Forward Looking Statements Safe Harbor

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements relating to our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations that are subject to many risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements and the associated risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: (i) our beliefs with respect to our leadership team's ability to create significant value, manage change, and drive revenue growth necessary to transform Poly's business; (ii) our expectations that we will have the necessary resources and support needed to expand our investments in new growth initiatives, including expanding our investments in software and other solutions; (ii) our expectations regarding growth objectives related to our strategic initiatives designed to expand our product and service offerings, including our expectations related to building strategic alliances and key partnerships with providers of collaboration tools and platforms to drive revenue growth and market share; (iii) our beliefs with respect to the length and severity of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, and its impact across our businesses, our operations and global supply chain, including (a) our expectations that the virus has caused, and will continue to cause, a shift to a hybrid work environment and that the elevated demand we have experienced in certain product lines, including our Enterprise Headsets and Video devices, will continue over the long term, (b) our belief that we will continue to experience increased customer and partner demand in collaboration endpoints, and that we will be able to design new product offerings to meet the change in demand due to a global hybrid work environment, (c) our expectations related to our Voice product lines, as well as our services attachment rate for such products, which have been, and may continue to be, negatively impacted as companies have delayed returning their workforces to offices in many countries due to the continued impact of COVID-19; and (d) the impact of the virus on our distribution partners, resellers, end-user customers and our production facilities, including our ability to obtain alternative sources of supply if our production facility or other suppliers are impacted by future shutdowns; (iv) our expectations for new products launches, the timing of their releases and their expected impact on future growth and on our existing products, and our belief that our product management and personal device services, including Poly Lens and/or Poly+, will drive growth and profitability for both us and our partners through the sale of our product, services and solutions; (v) our expectations related to global supply chain disruptions, including our belief that shortages of key components, including semiconductor chips, have impacted companies worldwide both within and outside of our industry, and that we will continue to experience a shortage of adequate component supply, including integrated circuits and manufacturing capacity, long lead times for raw materials and components, increased costs, increased purchase commitments and a delay in our ability to fulfill orders, which has had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on our business and operating results; (vi) expectations related to our ability to fulfill the backlog generated by supply constraints and to timely supply the number of products to fulfill current and future customer demand; (vii) risks associated with our dependence on manufacturing operations conducted in our own facility in Tijuana, Mexico and through contract manufacturers, original design manufacturers, and suppliers to manufacture our products, to timely obtain sufficient quantities of materials, as well as finished products of acceptable quality, at acceptable prices, and in the quantities necessary for us to meet critical schedules for the delivery of our own products and services and fulfill our anticipated customer demand; (viii) risks associated with our ability to secure critical components from sole source suppliers or identify alternative suppliers and/or buy component parts on the open market or completed goods in quantities sufficient to meet our requirements on a timely basis, affecting our ability to deliver products and services to our customers; (ix) our belief that consolidations of suppliers has occurred, and may continue to occur, which may negatively impact our ability to access certain parts and may result in higher prices which will impact our gross margins; (x) risks related to increased cost of goods sold, including increased freight and other costs associated with expediting shipment and delivery of high-demand products to key markets in order to meet customer demand; (xi) continued uncertainty and potential impact on future quarters if sourcing constraints continue and/or price volatility occurs, which could continue to negatively affect our profitability and/or market share; (xii) the impact if global or regional economic conditions deteriorate further, on our customers and/or partners, including increased demand for pricing accommodations, delayed payments, delayed deployment plans, insolvency or other issues which may increase credit losses; (xiii) risks related to restrictions or delays in global return to worksites as a result of COVID-19, which continues to impact our employees and our customers worldwide, which has negatively impacted our voice product lines, and restricted customer engagement; (xiv) expectations related to our ability to supply products in a timely manner to satisfy perishable demand; (xv) expectations related to our customers' purchasing decisions and our ability to pivot quickly enough and/or match product production to demand, particularly given long lead times and the difficulty of forecasting unit volumes and acquiring the component parts and materials to meet demand without having excess inventory or incurring cancellation charges; (xvi) risks associated with significant and/or abrupt changes in product demand which increases the complexity of management's evaluation of potential excess or obsolete inventory; (xvii) risks associated with the bankruptcy or financial weakness of distributors or key customers, or the bankruptcy of or reduction in capacity of our key suppliers; (xviii) expectations related to our Services segment revenues, particularly as we introduce new generation, less complex, product solutions, or as companies shift from on premises to work from home options for their workforce, which have resulted and may continue to result in decreased demand for our professional, installation and/or managed service offerings; (xix) expectations that our current cash on hand, additional cash generated from operations, together with sources of cash through our credit facility, either alone or in combination with our election to suspend our dividend payments, will meet our liquidity needs; (xx) expectations relating to our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to meet our debt covenants, and timely repay all principal and interest amounts drawn under our credit facility as they become due; (xxi) risks associated with our channel partners' sales reporting, product inventories and product sell through since we sell a significant amount of products to channel partners who maintain their own inventory of our products; (xxii) expectations related to our efforts to drive sales and sustainable profitable revenue growth, to improve our profitability and cash flow, and accelerate debt reduction and de-levering; (xxiii) risks associated with forecasting sales and procurement demands, which are inherently difficult, particularly with continuing uncertainty in regional and global economic conditions; (xxiv) our expectations regarding our ability to control costs, streamline operations and successfully implement our various cost-reduction activities and realize anticipated cost savings under such cost-reduction initiatives; (xxv) expectations relating to our earnings guidance, particularly as economic uncertainty, including, without limitation, uncertainty related to the continued impact of COVID-19, the current constraints in our ability to source key components for our products, continued uncertainty in the macro-economic climate and other external factors, puts further pressure on management judgments used to develop forward-looking financial guidance and other prospective financial information; (xxvi) expectations related to GAAP and non-GAAP financial results for the first quarter and full Fiscal Year 2022, including net revenues, adjusted EBITDA, tax rates, intangibles amortization, diluted weighted average shares outstanding and diluted EPS, in addition to other matters discussed in this press release that are not purely historical data. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements.

For more information concerning these and other possible risks, please refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 18, 2021 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as recent press releases. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

INVESTOR CONTACT:

Mike Iburg

Vice President, Investor Relations

(831) 458-7533

MEDIA CONTACT:

Edie Kissko

Vice President, Corporate Communications

(213) 369-3719

SOURCE Poly

Related Links

http://www.poly.com


Key Highlights Offered in the Report:

Information on how to identify strategic and tactical negotiation levels that will help achieve the best prices.

Gain information on relevant pricing levels, detailed explanation of the pros and cons of prevalent pricing models.

Methods to help engage with the right suppliers and discover KPI's to evaluate incumbent suppliers.

Some of the Top Potassium Chloride suppliers listed in this report:

This Potassium Chloride procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Nutrien Ltd.

Uralkali PJSC

Israel Chemicals Ltd.

K+S AG

JSC Belaruskali

The Mosaic Co.

Fetch actionable market insights on post COVID-19 impact on each product and service segments:

www.spendedge.com/report/potassium-chloride-market-procurement-research-report

SpendEdge suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. SpendEdge's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.

Related Reports on Materials Include:

Synthetic Resins - Forecast and Analysis: The synthetic resins will grow at a CAGR of 5.09% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 5%-7% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining in this market. Plastic Bags and Pouches Sourcing and Procurement Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their plastic bags and pouches requirements. Some of the leading plastic bags and pouches suppliers are profiled extensively in this report. Dyes and Pigments - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report evaluates suppliers based on processing capacity, geographic presence, existence of documented production processes and quality control systems, and production capabilities and product portfolio.

To access the definite purchasing guide on the Potassium Chloride that answers all your key questions on price trends and analysis:

Am I paying/getting the right prices? Is my Potassium Chloride TCO (total cost of ownership) favorable?

How is the price forecast expected to change? What is driving the current and future price changes?

Which pricing models offer the most rewarding opportunities?

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts:

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge

Related Links

https://procurement.spendedge.com/?utm_source=PRnewswire&utm_medium=Pressrelease&utm_campaign=T3_Week24_rfs6&utm_content=IRCMSTR21204


SCHAUMBURG, Ill., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharma Manufacturing, a Putman Media publication, has been honored with the prestigious 2021 Magazine of the Year award by the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE).

ASBPE's Azbee Awards of Excellence program is one of the most competitive there is for business-to-business, trade, association and professional publications. The awards recognize outstanding work by magazines and digital media. This year more than 800 entries were received, and more than 85 experienced B2B editors, freelancers and designers judged the 60 categories of entries.

The Magazine of the Year top honor was awarded to Pharma Manufacturing's staff, including Chief Content Director, Karen Langhauser; Senior Editor, Meagan Parrish; and Art Director, Michael Annino.

Judging was based on quality of writing, reporting and editing; value and usefulness to the reader; editorial organization; interaction with readers and layout and design.

"This is truly an honor and a proud moment for Pharma Manufacturing and Putman Media. We're humbled by winning ASBPE's Magazine of the Year and by obtaining this level of achievement as judged by our peers," said John Cappelletti, Putman Media's CEO.

The judges for this year's Magazine of the Year award offered the following insight into their selection of Pharma Manufacturing as the recipient of the honor:

"This magazine's modern, clean design makes it a real page-turner. And the detailed, innovative reporting and story-telling make it a must-read for anyone. You don't have to work in the pharmaceutical industry to find this magazine interesting and compelling."

"Great writing and story choices, focusing on pandemic-related issues for an audience deep in the middle of it. From supply disruptions because of glass-packaging and other issues, to dealing with vaccine skepticism, a first-rate performance. Very well-written, as well."

"Superb focus on the challenges to industry resulting from the global Covid-19 emergency, and such related concerns to industry as production flaws, and vaccine resistance among the public."

In addition to Magazine of the Year in the 10 or more issues per year category, Pharma Manufacturing editors and designers were also awarded: A national gold award in the "Editor's Letter" category; a national gold award in the "Opening Page/Spread" category; national bronze awards in "Front Cover Illustration," "Opening Page/Spread," and "Print, Regular Department" categories as well as seven regional awards.

Click here [link to: https://asbpe.org/news/2021/05/19/asbpe-recognizes-top-winners-at-online-celebration/] for the ASBPE announcement of overall excellence winners.



About Pharma Manufacturing

Pharma Manufacturing focuses on the functions critical to the industry's future, providing actionable examples of how industry thought leaders are tackling the most pressing late-stage drug development, process optimization, manufacturing and supply chain challenges. Critical decision makers trust Pharma Manufacturing to deliver in-depth, timely coverage of today's evolving pharmaceutical landscape. The brand bridges the industry's communication gaps to help manufacturers achieve much-needed increases in efficiency and profitably in their ultimate mission to serve patients and save lives.



About Putman Media, Inc.

Putman Media, Inc. (www.putmanmedia.com) strives to be an exceptional media company as judged by the communities it serves. Putman consistently delivers unique, relevant and integrated media services and solutions that enable its customers to compete in an aggressive, high-speed environment. Its brands include Chemical Processing, Control, Control Design, Food Processing, Pharma Manufacturing, Plant Services, Smart Industry and The Journal from Rockwell Automation and Our Partners.

SOURCE Putman Media

Related Links

http://www.putmanmedia.com


LONDON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QX Global Group, a U.K.-based leading knowledge process outsourcing company with their registered office in Skipton, North Yorkshire, was awarded the Outsourcing Service Provider of the Year Award at the 19th Edition of the ASIAN LEADERSHIP AWARDS. The award echoes QX's acclaimed experience in unlocking value and enabling transformation for businesses in the U.K., U.S. and Canada markets. The award was conferred under the Asian Outsourcing Leadership Awards category.

With major delivery centres in Ahmedabad, Baroda, Mumbai and Noida, India, QX Global provides cost savings, process efficiencies and transformation in the areas of finance, accounts, payroll and recruitment.

Commenting on the win, Mr. Chris Robinson, Executive Chairman & Founder, said, "We are humbled and honoured to be named as the 'Outsourcing Service Provider of the Year' at the Asian Leadership Awards. This recognition is a testament to QX's hard work and on-going commitment by our people as well as the faith and credibility we have nurtured with our clients and partners alike. We are determined to continue on this incredible journey of business and service excellence."

Close to 1,700 professionals in India cater to organisations across 14 diverse industries in key business areas such as Accounts outsourcing, Finance & Accounting outsourcing, and Back-office recruitment services.

"People are fundamental to our growth, and we plan to recruit and train over 1,300 professionals over the next two years, ensuring that we sustain that journey of business transformation," stated Mr. Frank Robinson, Group CEO.

Hosted since 2011, the Asian Leadership Awards define and celebrate vision, uphold the spirit of achievement and recognise excellence in business leadership in Asia. Over 300 senior leaders attended the virtual award ceremony this year.

L George

Aakriti Promotions and Media Ltd.

Tel: 07903778986

Vishal Kurani, VP, Branding & Communications

QX Global Group

Tel: +44 1756 703 258,

+91 72290 00653

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE QX Global Group
CHICAGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Ride Sharing Market by Type (E-hailing, Station-Based, Car Sharing & Rental), Car Sharing (P2P, Corporate), Service (Navigation, Payment, Information), Micro-Mobility (Bicycle, Scooter), Vehicle Type, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Ride Sharing Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.6% during the forecast period, from an estimated USD 85.8 billion in 2021 to USD 185.1 billion by 2026. Increase in urbanization, internet and smartphone penetration and increase in cost of vehicle ownership is boosting the growth of the market for ride sharing.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Ride Sharing Market"

194  Tables

51  Figures

221  Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id= 198699113

Electric vehicle segment is expected to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period

In China, according to David Xu, Didi's head of strategy, a whopping 21% of the ride-hailing fleet is electric. Beijing-based Didi Chuxing Technology Co., the world's largest ride-hailing company, has about 1 million EVs on its network, with a goal to hit 10 million by 2028.

Moreover, various developments in recent year as, in 2020, Uber announced a new partnership with Lithium Urban Technologies that is among India's largest electric vehicle fleet operators. This partnership will deploy over 1,000 electric vehicles for Uber India's Rentals and Premier services in the upcoming years. Additionally, Uber launched its 'Uber Green' service in London. With this, Uber users in central London can now request a zero-emission vehicle instead of wholly or partly fossil-fueled cars. In January 2021, Uber and in January 2021, expanded the Uber Green service in the USA after launching in 15 US cities in September. Such developments will bring more people toward using ride sharing with electric vehicles.

The e-hailing segment by type is expected to hold the largest market share in 2021

The growing demand for e-hailing services can be attributed to ease of booking, increasing traffic congestion, passenger comfort, and rising government initiatives to increase awareness among people regarding air pollution are propelling the demand for ride sharing, predominantly e-hailing. Also, the increasing partnership between domestic and international service providers, such as Uber and Didi in China, is also likely to help the e-hailing market grow.

Request FREE Sample Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id= 198699113

Asia Pacific is estimated to be the dominant regional market

In Asia Pacific, developing countries are expected to experience significant growth, primarily in urban transportation. The high population growth rate in the region and increasing urbanization have intensified the need for transportation. Most of the countries in the region are shifting their focus on smart personal mobility to reduce travel time and congestion. Asia Pacific accounts for a significantly lower number of vehicles per 1,000 persons as the per capita income in most of these countries is lower than in Western countries. Hence, ride sharing offers users a sense of owning a vehicle at a much lower cost than actually owning one. Therefore, consumers prefer ride sharing services over personal vehicles. Additionally, factors such as a rise in the daily commute to workplaces in urban areas and an increased need to save fuel by providing a ride to commuters and colleagues heading along the same route are anticipated to fuel the Asia Pacific Ride Sharing Market.

Key Market Players:

The report analyzes all major players in the Ride Sharing Market including Didi Chuxing (China), Uber Technologies, Inc (US), Gett (Israel), Lyft, Inc (US), and Grab (Singapore) are the major companies operating in the global Ride Sharing Market. These companies adopted new product development, and expansion strategies to gain traction in the Ride Sharing Market.

Browse Related Reports:

Mobility as a Service Market by Service (Ride Hailing, Car Sharing, Micro Mobility, Bus Sharing, Train), Solution, Application, Transportation, Vehicle Type, Operating System, Business Model and Region - Global Forecast to 2030

Bike and Scooter Rental Market by Service (Pay as you go and Subscription-based), Propulsion (Pedal, Electric, and Gasoline), Operational Model (Dockless and Station-based), Vehicle (Bike, Scooter), and Region - Global Forecast to 2027

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

Mr. Aashish Mehra

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/mobility-on-demand-market.asp

Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com

Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/mobility-on-demand.asp

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
CHICAGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd. (RSP) on June 10, 2021, filed a multi-count wrongful death lawsuit against St. David's South Austin Medical Center (SDMC) and two of its physicians, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division. Despite the absence of an irreversible or terminal condition, SDMC physicians deprived Mr. Michael Hickson, a 46-year-old black man with multiple disabilities, of all life-sustaining treatment including artificial nutrition and hydration for six days resulting in his death.

Admitted to SDMC on June 2, 2020, Mr. Hickson was fighting sepsis, a urinary tract infection and pneumonia. Although he had suspected COVID19, he had a negative COVID-19 test several days prior to his admission. While seriously ill, all of those conditions were treatable. In fact, only three months prior, SDMC successfully treated him for sepsis, urinary tract infection and pneumonia. Upon admission, SDMC assessed Mr. Hickson having a 70% chance of survival. Almost immediately thereafter, however, SDMC physicians determined he was not worth treating and crafted a plan of "comfort care" only.

Antibiotics were initially provided, and lab results determined they were effective. Mr. Hickson's physicians even identified the specific bacterial organism at the root of his infection. Yet, only three days later, they abruptly withdrew the antibiotics and all life-sustaining treatment, designated Mr. Hickson as Do Not Resuscitate, and placed him in hospice. When pressed for an explanation as to why they would not treat him, in a legally recorded conversation, Dr. Viet Vo told Mrs. Melissa Hickson, "as of right now, his quality of life, he doesn't have much of one." Dr. Vo then distinguished Mr. Hickson from other of his patients who were being treated aggressively for COVID19, "his quality of life is different than theirs. They were walking, talking."

The lawsuit asserts multiple counts of disability-based discrimination, gross medical negligence, wrongful death and deprivation of Mr. Hickson's constitutional right to life, against SDMC and two of its physicians, Dr. Vo and Dr. Carlye Mabry Cantu. The lawsuit also asserts a count of intentional infliction of emotional distress against SDMC and Dr. DeVry Anderson, its Chief Medical Officer. Among other matters, from June 8 to June 11, 2020, SDMC denied Mrs. Hickson access to her husband, even denying FaceTime visits, claiming the hospital's iPad was not working on those days. An incredulous claim from a hospital with reported gross patient revenue of over $4.7 billion in 2019. On July 2, 2020, Dr. Anderson released a media statement concerning Mr. Hickson, demeaning Mrs. Hickson and disclosing his protected health information, falsely stating he had consent from Mr. Hickson's family. The complaint is available here.

RSP's litigation efforts are led by Andres J. Gallegos and Jennifer M. Sender. RSP is co-counseling with Whitburn and Pevsner, PLLC. RSP is a full-service civil law firm with offices in Chicago and Glenview, Illinois. The firm's Disability Rights practice focuses on improving the lives of persons with disabilities throughout the country. For more information about RSP, contact Andres J. Gallegos, Esq., Telephone: 312.456.0381, Email: [email protected].

SOURCE Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd.
MIAMI, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, welcomes Excelsis Global Private Wealth, a new firm formed by a group of eight internationally-focused advisors breaking away from Wells Fargo, to its Sanctuary Global subsidiary (www.sanctuary-global.com). With offices in McAllen, Laredo, and San Antonio, TX, Excelsis Global Private Wealth will be Sanctuary's first multi-city team. Excelsis Global Private Wealth has $5.5 million in annual revenue and services an array of international clients, with a focus in Mexico, and marks the seventh team in Texas to choose partnered independence with Sanctuary Wealth.

"The best financial advisors and wealth managers, whether they are working with clients in the US or throughout Latin America, continue to gravitate toward Sanctuary Wealth because our model of partnered independence gives them something no one else can," said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. "This is an extremely exciting time for Sanctuary as we continue to enhance the offerings on our platform, recruit the industry's top talent and expand our footprint into new markets, and we couldn't be more pleased that Excelsis Global Private Wealth has chosen to join us on this journey."

"This is an elite group of advisors with outstanding reputations and we're extremely pleased that they have chosen Sanctuary Global as the best option for serving a very discerning group of clients," said Vince Fertitta, Co- President, Sanctuary Global. "Excelsis Global Private Wealth is the largest breakaway from the wirehouse world to join Sanctuary Global to date and we have a robust pipeline of domestic- and internationally-focused teams that will continue to drive our long-term growth."

Based in Excelsis Global Private Wealth's McAllen office are: Marlen Lopez, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner; Roberto Lopez, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner; Erasmo Salinas, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner; Florentino Chapa, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner; Lorena Guerrero, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner; and Javier Ordorica, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner.

Leading the Laredo office is Carlos de la Garza, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner.

The San Antonio operation is headed by Rene Perez, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner.

Also joining the team from Wells Fargo is Registered Senior Wealth Associate Itcel Zuniga as well as Wealth Associates Angelica Avila and Claudia Sandoval.

"My partners and I work with a diverse international clientele, who have sophisticated planning and investment needs that we had difficulty meeting as employees of our previous firm," explained Marlen Lopez, Senior Wealth Advisor, Managing Partner, Excelsis Global Private Wealth. "I have a great deal of trust and respect for Vince Fertitta and Susan Graybeal (Director, Sanctuary Global) from my days at Merrill Lynch. What Sanctuary Global has to offer will allow us to better serve our clients, regardless of where they live. As owners of our business, we are empowered to make all of our own decisions and grow our firm unfettered."

"With Excelsis Global Private Wealth joining Azimut Genesis Advisors and Rudy Rake, Sanctuary Global is off to an explosive start to the quarter," said Bob Walter, Co-President, Sanctuary Global. "These top tier advisors have all chosen to join us because the range of investment solutions on our open architecture platform and our state-of-the-art tech stack will let them do so much more for their clients, and for themselves."

About Sanctuary Wealth

Sanctuary Wealth (www.sanctuarywealth.com/) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service their clients deserve. Sanctuary's ecosystem of partnered independence provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network includes 53 partner firms across 20 states with over $16.0 billion in assets under advisement. The Sanctuary Wealth Group includes the fully owned subsidiaries Sanctuary Advisors, a registered investment adviser, and the broker-dealer Sanctuary Securities, as well as Sanctuary Alternative Solutions, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Global, and Sanctuary Global Tax and Family Office.

CONTACT: Michaela Morales

JConnelly

973 224 7152

[email protected]

SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth

Related Links

https://www.sanctuary-global.com


SUMMIT, N.J., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Seqirus, a global leader in influenza prevention and a division of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), today announced that the company co-authored the first study to demonstrate the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy profile of a COVID-19 vaccine when co-administered with a seasonal influenza vaccine.1 The data is now available on medRxiv ahead of peer-review publication.1

The study was conducted by Novavax, Inc. as part of a Phase 3 clinical trial of NVX-CoV2373, its recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in the United Kingdom.1 The co-administration sub-study enrolled 431 volunteers, all of whom received either an adjuvanted, trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine (aTIV) or a cell-based, quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine (QIVc) provided by Seqirus.1 Approximately half of the volunteers also received NVX-CoV2373 while the remainder received the placebo. The study results suggest that efficacy of both the influenza vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine candidate appeared to be preserved.1 No additional safety concerns were found with co-administration and adverse events were similar to the incidence and severity for each vaccine when administered separately.1

"These data could be used to help inform guidance or recommendations on the co-administration of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, overcoming challenges and contributing towards a new normal to protect at-risk populations from both infections," said Raja Rajaram, M.D., Medical Affairs Lead, EMEA, Seqirus, a co-author of the study. "Seqirus is committed to advancing the science underpinning influenza and taking our place on the front line, alongside our public health partners, as a reliable influenza vaccine supplier."

Seqirus' seasonal influenza vaccines have a well-established safety profile, and although additional research is needed, results of this study suggest that concomitant vaccination may be a viable immunization strategy.1 Participation in this co-administration study demonstrates the company's commitment to supporting informed, science-based decisions regarding vaccinations for patients.

Study limitations include the small size of the sub-study, lack of formal pre-specified non-inferiority statistical assessment of immunogenicity, and the lack of randomization in recruiting the influenza sub-study, immunogenicity and reactogenicity cohorts.1

"With large scale COVID-19 vaccination campaigns underway in many countries across the globe, and as mitigation tactics like social distancing become more relaxed, we need to be prepared for the resurgence of influenza activity," said Gregg Sylvester, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Seqirus. "As a company on the front line of influenza prevention, we're committed to helping protect our communities with our differentiated portfolio of safe and effective influenza vaccines."

Seqirus appreciates the opportunity to partner with Novavax on this important study.

"As the next influenza season approaches and people still need a primary COVID-19 vaccine series or a booster, separate healthcare visits to cover both COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations will be burdensome," said Gregory M. Glenn, M.D., President of Research and Development, Novavax. "As the first clinical study to evaluate safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine when co-administered with a seasonal influenza vaccine, these results demonstrate the promising opportunity for concomitant vaccination, which may improve the uptake of both vaccines."

Seqirus produces influenza vaccines across its global manufacturing network, which includes facilities in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has experienced record demand for influenza vaccines across all markets and has extended production across its three manufacturing sites.

About Seasonal Influenza

Influenza is a common, contagious seasonal respiratory disease that may cause severe illness and life-threatening complications in some people.2 Influenza can lead to clinical symptoms varying from mild to moderate respiratory illness to severe complications, hospitalization and in some cases, death.2 The CDC recommends annual vaccination for individuals aged 6 months and older, who do not have any contraindications.3 Because transmission of influenza viruses to others may occur one day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick, the disease can be easily transmitted to others.2 Preliminary estimates from the CDC report that from October 1, 2019, through April 4, 2020, there were an estimated 410,000 to 740,000 influenza-related hospitalizations in the U.S.4 Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that help protect against influenza virus infection, it is recommended that people get vaccinated before influenza begins spreading in their community.5 The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated by the end of October.5 Getting vaccinated too early (for example, in July or August), can be associated with reduced protection against influenza infection later in the flu season.5 However, getting vaccinated later can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the influenza season, even into January or later.5

About Seqirus

Seqirus is part of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL). As one of the largest influenza vaccine providers in the world, Seqirus is a major contributor to the prevention of influenza globally and a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness. With state-of-the-art production facilities in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, and leading R&D capabilities, Seqirus utilizes egg, cell and adjuvant technologies to offer a broad portfolio of differentiated influenza vaccines in more than 20 countries around the world.

About CSL

CSL (ASX:CSL) is a leading global biotechnology company with a dynamic portfolio of life-saving medicines, including those that treat hemophilia and immune deficiencies, as well as vaccines to prevent influenza. Since our start in 1916, we have been driven by our promise to save lives using the latest technologies. Today, CSL  including our two businesses, CSL Behring and Seqirus - provides life- saving products to more than 100 countries and employs more than 27,000 people. Our unique combination of commercial strength, R&D focus and operational excellence enables us to identify, develop and deliver innovations so our patients can live life to the fullest. For more information about CSL Limited, visit www.csl.com.

For more information visit www.seqirus.com and www.csl.com.

Intended Audience

This press release is issued from Seqirus USA Inc. in Summit, New Jersey, USA and is intended to provide information about our global business. Please be aware that information relating to the approval status and labels of approved Seqirus products may vary from country to country. Please consult your local regulatory authority on the approval status of Seqirus products.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding future results, performance or achievements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

USA-CRP-21-0038



Media Contact

Maria Tortoreto

[email protected]

+1 (201) 248-5208

REFERENCES

1 Safety, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy of a COVID-19 Vaccine (NVX-CoV2373) Co-administered

With Seasonal Influenza Vaccines. (2021). medRxiv. Retrieved from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.09.21258556v1. Accessed June 2021.

2 CDC. (2019). Key Facts about Influenza (Flu). Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/keyfacts.htm. Accessed June 2021.

3 CDC. (2020). Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm. Accessed June 2021.

4 CDC. (2020). 2019-2020 U.S. Flu season: Preliminary burden estimates. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm. Accessed June 2021.

5 CDC. (2020). Who Needs a Flu Vaccine and When. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccinations.htm. Accessed June 2021.

SOURCE Seqirus
--Chief Medical Officer Dr. Barbara Klencke, to be joined by leading myelofibrosis experts Drs. Aaron Gerds, Stephen Oh and Srdan Verstovsek--

SAN MATEO, Calif., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Sierra Oncology, Inc. (SRRA), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company on a quest to deliver targeted therapies that treat rare forms of cancer, today announced it will host an analyst and investor event on Monday, June 21 at 4:30 pm ET. The event will feature three leading myelofibrosis experts:

Aaron Gerds , MD , Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic

, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic Stephen Oh , MD, PhD , Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine

, Siteman Cancer Center, School of Medicine Srdan Verstovsek, MD, PhD, University of Texas ; MD Anderson Cancer Center

The call will include an overview of momelotinib data presented at the European Hematology Association Annual Meeting, a panel discussion moderated by Barbara Klencke, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Sierra Oncology, and an open question & answer session with attendees.

Analyst & Investor Event and Webcast Information

Date and Time: Monday, June 21, 2021 at 4:30 pm ET

To register, please click here.

The presentation will be webcast live, and an archive of the presentation will be accessible after the event through the Sierra Oncology website: www.SierraOncology.com.

About Momelotinib

Momelotinib is a selective and orally bioavailable JAK1, JAK2 and ACVR1 / ALK2 inhibitor for the potential treatment of myelofibrosis. Myelofibrosis results from dysregulated JAK-STAT signaling and is characterized by constitutional symptoms, splenomegaly (enlarged spleen) and progressive anemia.

Momelotinib is currently under investigation in the MOMENTUM clinical trial, a global, randomized, double-blind Phase 3 study for symptomatic and anemic myelofibrosis patients. Top-line data are anticipated in Q1 2022. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation for momelotinib.

About Sierra Oncology

Sierra Oncology is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company on a quest to deliver targeted therapies that treat rare forms of cancer. We harness our deep scientific expertise to identify compounds that target the root cause of disease to advance targeted therapies with assets on the leading edge of cancer biology. Our team takes an evidence-based approach to understand the limitations of current treatments and explore new ways to change the cancer treatment paradigm. Together we are transforming promise into patient impact.

For more information, visit www.SierraOncology.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Sierra Oncology's expectations regarding the commercialization and future success of momelotinib and future expansion of its pipeline. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, among others, the risk that Sierra Oncology's cash resources may be insufficient to fund its current operating plans and it may be unable to raise additional capital when needed, the risk that disruptions and impacts of COVID-19 will be significant and lengthy, Sierra Oncology may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize momelotinib, momelotinib may not demonstrate safety and efficacy or otherwise produce positive results, Sierra Oncology may experience delays in the clinical development of momelotinib, Sierra Oncology may be unable to acquire additional assets to build a pipeline of additional product candidates, Sierra Oncology's third-party manufacturers may cause its supply of materials to become limited or interrupted or fail to be of satisfactory quantity or quality, Sierra Oncology may be unable to obtain and enforce intellectual property protection for its technologies and momelotinib and the other factors described under the heading "Risk Factors" set forth in Sierra Oncology's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Sierra Oncology undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein or to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof, other than as may be required by applicable law.

SOURCE Sierra Oncology

Related Links

https://www.sierraoncology.com/


TSX.V: VIPR, OTC:VIPRF

VANCOUVER, BC, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Silver Viper Minerals Corp. (the "Company" or "Silver Viper") (TSXV: VIPR) is pleased to announce that the Company has filed on SEDAR an independent technical report (the "Report") prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") supporting the maiden mineral resource estimate for its La Virginia Precious Metal Project, previously reported in the Company's news release dated May 3rd, 2021. The Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101; and have been estimated in conformity with generally accepted CIM "Estimation and Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Best Practices" guidelines.

The full technical report dated May 30th, 2021, with an effective date of May 1st, 2021 is entitled "Technical Report for the La Virginia Precious Metal Project, Sonora, Mexico". The report was prepared for Silver Viper Minerals Corp by Arseneau Consulting Services Inc. and can be found under the Company's issuer profile at www.sedar.com.

About the Project

La Virginia is located 220 kilometres east-northeast of Hermosillo, Sonora and is prospective epithermal style precious metal mineralization. Gold and silver mineralization at La Virginia occurs within breccias, veins and stockworks, hosted primarily by andesitic volcanics, often in close spatial association to, or cross-cutting pre-mineral dacite dykes and controlled by fractures and faults that define the regional structural trend. Silver Viper's reconnaissance program identified key targets and trends which are of primary interest and subsequently filed strategic reductions in claims to attain the current project surface area of 6,882 hectares.

At the completion of the 2020 phase of work at La Virginia, Silver Viper had completed a total of 100 drill holes for a combined meterage of 27,021 metres across the project. Exploration drilling continues at La Virginia using a single diamond drill supplied by Hermosillo-based drill contractor, Globexplore Drilling Corp. Drilling by the Company to date builds upon a sizeable database of recent historical work including 52,635 metres of drill core from 188 diamond drill holes, generated by the efforts of previous operators between 2010 and 2013. Silver Viper is expanding upon this work by continuing exploration north and south into prospective untested ground.

QA/QC

Analytical results of drilling intercepts reported by Silver Viper represent samples of halved HQ or NQ2 diameter diamond drill core submitted directly to Bureau Veritas, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Samples were crushed, split and pulverized as per Bureau Veritas method PRP70-250, then analyzed for gold by lead collection fire assay fusion on a 30 gram split with AAS finish, and for a multi-element suite including silver by multi-acid digestion with ICP-ES/MS finish. Samples triggering precious metal over-limit thresholds of 10g/t Au or 200g/t Ag were re-tested by lead collection fire assay fusion with gravimetric finish (method code FA530. Silver Viper monitors QA/QC using commercially sourced standards and locally sourced blank materials inserted within the sample sequence at regular intervals.

Silver Viper has possession of all current and historical diamond drill core and sample pulps as generated on the property since 2010. The Company has conducted a review of the historical drilling data by physical checks of existing drill pads and drill core and verified the tenor of mineralized intervals by portable XRF on core and sample pulps. Silver Viper has further confirmed the veracity of historical data by diamond drilling of ten core holes at Las Huatas, Con Virginia, and the northern extension of El Oriental target areas. This work confirms the accuracy of location and ranges of mineralization as indicated by the 2010-2013 database.

Dale Brittliffe, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, is the 'Qualified Person' under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Ongoing verification of scientific and technical information is achieved by direct involvement in the exploration work, the most recent site visit was conducted in November 2020.

About the Company

Silver Viper Minerals Corp. is a Canadian-based junior mineral exploration company focused on precious metals exploration in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. The Company currently operates the La Virginia Gold-Silver Project. Silver Viper has 100% ownership of the La Virginia concessions acquired from the most recent operator, Pan American Silver Corp., and has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Rubi-Esperanza group of claims internal to those concessions. Silver Viper is under management provided by the Belcarra Group, which is comprised of highly qualified mining professionals.

On behalf of the board of directors,

Steve Cope

President and CEO

Forward Looking Information

Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to exploration and development, the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing, the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations, fluctuations in the prices of commodities, operating hazards and risks, competition and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's financial statements available on www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE Silver Viper Minerals Corp.

Related Links

https://www.silverviperminerals.com/


WORCESTER, Mass., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, the nurses of St. Vincent Hospital will mark their 100th day on strike in what has become an historic struggle by the nurses against Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, a for-profit corporation that has spent more than $65 million to prolong the strike all to avoid being held accountable for providing safer patient care. The strike is now one of the longest nurses strikes nationally in more than a decade and on Sunday it will become the second longest strike in Massachusetts history.

As the strike drags on, the nurses themselves remain as committed as ever to the issue that drove them out on the street on March 8th  the need for appropriate increases in staffing levels to ensure the safety of their patients on every unity and on every shift.

"When we began this journey, a journey for safer staffing for safer patient care at our community hospital, we never imagined we would be out here this long. But here we are, sending a message to Tenet that we are as strong as ever and we are not going away until we know we have an agreement to keep our patients and this community safe," said Marlena Pellegrino, RN, a longtime nurse at the hospital and co-chair of the nurses local bargaining unit with the Massachusetts Nurses Association. "Over 700 nurses joined our strike on March 8, and now 100 days later, over 700 nurses are still out on the street, walking the line for our patients, for our community and for dignity of our profession."

The strike has taken on greater significance since Tenet's unseemly decision last month to cease negotiations and to threaten to permanently replace the nurses, a move that has energized the labor movement and heightened regional and national interest in the nurses.

Support for the strike and the nurses cause was clearly demonstrated on Saturday as hundreds turned out for "solidarity rally" for the nurses attended by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Jim McGovern, Worcester Mayor Joe Petty, several members of the Massachusetts legislative delegation, as well as and dozens of labor leaders from throughout the state and the region.

"Nurses work hard to take care of us when it matters most and I stand with them in this fight. It is time for Tenet to return to the bargaining table and conclude negotiations so St. Vincent nurses can go back to doing what they do best  caring for our community," said Senator Warren.

"Tenet already made an unbelievable $97 million in profit this year. They have plenty of money to address the concerns of St. Vincent nurses, but they won't. It's just plain wrong," said Congressman McGovern. "I know firsthand how amazing the nurses at St. Vincent are  they've cared for members of my own family with incredible skill, commitment, and love. They deserve to be respected, not replaced. Every day this strike goes on does more and more damage to the St. Vincent brand. If Tenet cares at all about this community, they will come back to the table right now so St. Vincent nurses can go back to taking care of our community."

The strike began on March 8, after Tenet had refused to negotiate with the nurses over improvements the nurses are seeking to improve unsafe patient care conditions in the hospital. The decision followed earnest and painstaking efforts over the last two years by the nurses to convince Tenet to improve the patient care conditions at the facility, poor conditions that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Tenet's greed and disdain for nurses and patients was made even more clear in the last year, as back in April of 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, their CEO was quoted in the Dallas morning news touting their plans to use staffing furloughs and funding from the CARES Act stimulus package to "improve their cash position." And that Tenet did, cutting staff and taking more than $2.8 billion in taxpayer funding to post a profit during the pandemic year of $414 million, with more than $97 million in profits for the first quarter of 2021. Tenet's stock value also tripled, going from a low of $21.76 per share at the beginning of the pandemic to a high of $68.15 as of June 10, 2021.

St. Vincent nurses will continue their efforts to reach an agreement to end a strike that is focused on improving staffing levels and working conditions that have forced more than 700 of them onto the street, conditions that before the strike, drove more than 100 nurses to leave the facility for other hospitals with safer working conditions. The nurses see no likelihood that the hospital can replace them as the strike has been widely lauded throughout the nursing community across the state and the nation, as the nurses have been held up as being heroes for the stand they are making in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

In the year leading up to the strike, nurses filed more than 600 official "unsafe staffing" reports (including more than 110 such reports filed since January 1, 2021) in which nurses informed management in real time that patient care conditions jeopardized the safety of their patients. The nurses also report their patients in Worcester have experienced an increase in patient falls, an increase in patients suffering from preventable bed sores, potentially dangerous delays in patients receiving needed medications and other treatments  all due to lack of appropriate staffing, excessive patient assignments, and cuts to valuable support staff.

For a more detailed review of the staffing crisis, efforts by nurses to convince Tenet to address the crisis, as well as proposals nurses are seeking to improve patient care, click here to view a previous press release on the matter.

###

MassNurses.org  Facebook.com/MassNurses  Twitter.com/MassNurses

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association

Related Links

http://www.massnurses.org


SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new independent study by the L. Seidman Research Institute at Arizona State University shows Plexus Worldwide (Plexus), a leading health and wellness company, had an estimated $128.5 million gross domestic product (GDP) economic impact in Arizona and more than $1.1 billion GDP impact on the U.S. economy in 2020. The study analyzed the scope and scale of Plexus' economic impact and investment across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Mexico.

"The purpose of this study was to measure the economic impact of Plexus' U.S. operations in the state of Arizona and in each market where the company does business including Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand in 2020," said Dennis Hoffman, Director of the L. William Seidman Research Institute at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. "Our findings show the tremendous impact that Plexus has had, including a $1.15 billion economic impact on the global GDP and more than $128.5 million economic impact in the local Arizona community."

Highlights of the 2020 economic impact study include:

$1.15 billion GDP impact on the global economy

GDP impact on the global economy $1.1 billion GDP impact on the U.S. economy

GDP impact on the U.S. economy $128.5 million GDP impact on the state of Arizona

GDP impact on the state of $791.6 million in U.S. labor income

in U.S. labor income 8,593 U.S. jobs supported

$26.8 million in sales tax revenues to state and local governments, responsible for $59.1 million GDP, 619 jobs, and $41.9 million labor income in the U.S. economy.

"Everyday Arizonans deserve opportunities to build better lives for themselves and their families. As Arizona's senior senator, I'll continue supporting economic opportunities helping Arizonans grow and thrive at their own direction. I look forward to working with our business leaders and independent business owners as we continue to expand jobs and fuel economic recovery," said Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

Plexus is dedicated to changing lives and promoting health, wellness, and success. "Our products, team members, and Ambassadors are the foundation of these goals, which is why we are committed to the highest standards of quality," said Tarl Robinson, CEO and Founder of Plexus. "Thanks to our hardworking leaders and employees, and in a year like no other, Plexus was able to grow and have a real impact on economies at the local, national, and global communities where we operate."

This study demonstrates that Plexus is a major economic driver, contributing millions to the U.S. economy, including $95 million in labor income statewide. "In 2020 alone, Plexus supported more than 9,000 jobs worldwide, with a total of $821.6 million in total earnings for our employees and hundreds of thousands of Ambassadors, who serve as independent business owners," said Kim Drabik, Senior Director of Corporate Affairs at Plexus.*

Plexus, a privately held company was established 13-years ago in Arizona, has more than 400 employees at its Scottsdale headquarters, which consists of a 73,000 square foot office building and 28,000 square foot warehouse. In 2020, Plexus welcomed more the 462,000 new Ambassadors and customers, growing the number of Ambassadors receiving monthly income by 23%. For more information about us visit www.plexusworldwide.com.

About Plexus Worldwide:

Plexus Worldwide, LLC, is a leading health and happiness company featuring health and wellness products that enable people to improve their lives and well-being. With hundreds of thousands of independent business owners ("Ambassadors") worldwide, Plexus is among the top 30 largest direct sales companies globally according to Direct Selling News. The combination of Plexus products and opportunities help individuals to meet their health-wellness and financial goals. For more information about us visit www.plexusworldwide.com.

*Plexus makes no guarantees on income. Personal earnings will vary. Your success depends on your effort, commitment, skill, and leadership abilities. In 2020, the average annual earnings of all Ambassadors were $544. Please see the Plexus Annual Income Disclosure Statement.

For more information contact:

Jeff Davidson

10 to 1 Public Relations

480-514-8088

[email protected]

SOURCE Plexus Worldwide

Related Links

http://www.plexusworldwide.com


VANCOUVER, BC, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - TechX Technologies Inc. ("TechX'' or "the Company'') (CSE: TECX) (OTC: TECXF) (FRA: C0B1), a company focused on emerging technologies across growth sectors including: crypto, blockchain, AI and cloud technologies, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. John Henderson, PhD as Chief Operating Officer of TechX and Chris LaFrance as Product Manager.

Dr. John Henderson - COO, TechX Technologies Inc.

Dr. Henderson's career in institutional equity sales and corporate finance began at PI Financial, Jennings Capital and Intrynsyc Capital. John was responsible for analyzing and financing technology based venture level companies and it sparked a lifelong pursuit in innovation. In addition to his finance career, John has had an active advisory practice recently assisting corporate development for GTEC Holdings, as well as restructuring global operations for a Canadian health device company. Under the MITACS award program, John recently co-authored a research proposal as an initial step towards the creation of a world-class healthcare innovation hub, part of the new St. Paul's Hospital development. In addition to his career pursuits, John has been a sessional lecturer at the University of British Columbia - Okanagan, where he has taught courses in Investments, Risk Management and Industry Analysis.

Dr. Henderson earned his PhD identifying and quantifying management best practices using Data Science techniques such as machine learning. John's research details signal mechanisms of management behaviours and, in turn, predict future financial performance. In addition to his PhD, John earned a Masters in Business Administration from the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business, a Masters in Science in Biological Chemistry from the University of Waterloo along with bachelor degrees in Economics, Biotechnology and Communications.

"Clearly, I couldn't be more excited to join a team where I can utilize my past education and experience and share the same vision and passion to support and commercialize emerging technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and IoT," said Henderson. "These technologies are set to transform entire industries. Cryptocurrency, with its pivotal role in decentralized finance (DeFi), is just the beginning and TechX's mandate to capture value in this space is simply inspiring."

Chris LaFrance - Product Manager, TechX Technologies Inc.

Chris LaFrance is a senior software engineer with over 20 years of experience leading custom ERP, BI, M2M and web/mobile software/solution development for a wide variety of industries including FinTech, Crypto, Transportation, Industrial, Manufacturing, High-Tech, Environmental, Engineering, and Marine.

Since Bitcoin White Paper release, Mr LaFrance has been curious of blockchain implementation and adoption, whether proof-of-work or proof-of-state, for its capacity to offer business solutions and its associated cryptocurrencies by-product. Chris is an active trader of cryptocurrencies and participates in several trading groups.

"I'm very excited to be joining such a dynamic and innovative company that is looking to disrupt the banking industry with the future launch of the uBUCK digital wallet," said LaFrance. "I look forward to working with this outstanding group to develop a game-changing financial technology solution."

"We are very excited to welcome these two highly skilled and specialized individuals to our growing team," said TechX CEO Peter Green. "John Henderson brings with him a strong investment banking background and a very unique ability to apply data science and machine learning to investment finance and business strategy. Chris LaFrance offers unparalleled experience developing enterprise grade software solutions for the fintech and cryptocurrency industry. This combination of skills will be invaluable to TechX's future growth and we couldn't be happier."

The Company has also engaged Emerging Markets Consulting LLC ("EMC") for a 2-month digital advertising campaign in connection with the Company's ongoing effort to increase awareness. This comprehensive advertising program is designed to build brand familiarity, general recognition, and awareness within online investor content platforms. EMC will employ state of the art digital advertising, paid distribution, media buying and content creation to execute this important initiative. Under the terms of this agreement, EMC will provide a combination of strategic digital media services, marketing coordination, content production, and data analytics services for a total payment value of USD $120,000 amortized over the 2-month duration of the agreement.

Further, the Company has granted an aggregate 625,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") to officers and employees of the Company. The Options are exercisable at $0.71 per share for a period of five years from the date of grant and vesting over a four-year period. The Options have been granted under and are governed by the terms of the Company's incentive stock option plan.

About TechX Technologies Inc.

TechX Technologies Inc. (CSE:TECX) (OTC:TECXF) (FRA:C0B1) is a company focused on emerging technologies across growth sectors including: crypto, blockchain, AI and cloud technologies. Led by senior leaders and industry experts, our investors have access to strategically selected portfolio companies that offer technologies across the entire cryptocurrency funnel, unlocking massive market potential. TechX's portfolio of businesses include Mobilum , Catalyx Exchange , Altsignals , Xport Digital and Shiftinsights .

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Related Links

https://tech-x.io/

SOURCE TechX Technologies Inc.

Related Links

https://tech-x.io/


SHANGHAI, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 3-5, the fifteenth SNEC Expo, world's most influential and international solar trade fair, was held in Shanghai, China. As a world-leading provider of integrated smart PV energy and energy IoT solutions, Trina Solar has consistently been the star at the exhibition by showcasing its very cutting-edge technologies and most advanced 210 Vertex modules and TrinaTracker products.

High-efficiency Vertex family unveils definite products value

At this year's SNEC expo, Trina Solar showcased all its latest Vertex S 410W+ module, Vertex 510W backsheet module, 550W dual-glass module, 600W dual-glass module, 670W dual-glass module.

Trina Solar's Vertex modules (550W&600W+), using 210mm size cells, have the characteristics of high power, high efficiency and high reliability, suitable for large-scale ground mounted PV power plants and large industrial and commercial rooftop projects, possessing the advantage of 34% greater than that of the traditional modules in terms of single-string power. The global orders for 210 modules has exceeded 12GW till this April, demonstrating the unstoppable trend of 600W+ in the future.

To accelerate the application of the advanced 210 technology, the company published the "Trina Solar 210 Vertex Module White Paper 2.0" and gave an illustration speech of the white paper at the SNEC from a systematic and comprehensive perspective, analyzing every aspect of the 210mm Vertex module as reliability, logistics optimization, compatibility design, customer value and future prospects.

The whole family of Trina Solar's latest high-efficiency products shown at the expo have greatly attracted audience and made Trina's showcase a hotspot.

Distributed star products: 410W+ Vertex S and 510W+ Vertex modules

Among all the high-efficiency modules on the show, another highlight that has gained much attention and focus are two star products for distributed markets, the 410W+ Vertex S and the 510W+ Vertex modules.

Compared with the conventional residential-use modules on the market, Trina's Vertex S is smaller and lighter, yet with an impressive 410W high power output. It is also featured with high reliability, high efficiency, flexible installation, well system compatibility, transportation convenience and sustainability.

Trina Solar's Vertex 510W modules, have more advantages in cost reduction and efficiency increase. Calculations show that for the same-sized area, the Vertex 510W modules increase installed capacity by 11% and 22% compared with competitors' 450W and 410W modules, respectively.

According to the latest available figures, global orders for Trina Solar's distributed modules have exceeded 2GW. A great amount of Vertex S module shipment has landed in Europe, South America and other major continents, which are installed in thousands of overseas projects.

TrinaTracker, the intelligent tracking system showcased at SNEC

As a key component of Trina Solar's PV solution, TrinaTracker Vanguard 2P was exhibited at SNEC 2021 which has been at growing interest of the market. At the booth, product specialist Mr. Tang provided detailed presentation about TrinaTracker's strong technical basis, product advantages, complete supply chain and module-tracker integration, with a conclusion of four key advantages of TrinaTracker: high reliability, increased power generation, low O&M costs and easier overall solutions.

210 technology proves its great potentiality in i-TOPCon and HJT modules

Trina Solar also exhibited the next generation of i-TOPCon and HJT module, which base on 210 technology. The i-TOPCon module possesses a maximum power output of 700W+, with efficiency of 22.3%. At the expo, Trina Solar has also shown HJT module, exceed 710W+, with efficiency of 22.87%, the highest one among peers. Both advanced technologies well demonstrate the company's strategic layout and leading positon. As advanced technologies platform, 210 demonstrates the possibility, compatibility with different cell technology in future technical route.

As a world-leading provider of integrated smart PV energy and energy IoT solutions, Trina Solar will make continuous efforts on technology innovation and providing products with leading technology of high efficiency, reliability and quality.

About Trina Solar

Founded in 1997, Trina Solar is the world leading PV and smart energy total solution provider. The company engages in PV products R&D, manufacture and sales; PV projects development, EPC, O&M; smart micro-grid and multi-energy complementary systems development and sales, as well as energy cloud-platform operation. In 2018, Trina Solar launched Energy IoT brand, established the Trina Energy IoT Industrial Development Alliance together with leading enterprises and research institutes in China and around the world, and founded the New Energy IoT Industrial Innovation Center. With these actions, Trina Solar is committed to working with its partners to build the energy IoT ecosystem and develop an innovation platform to explore New Energy IoT, as it strives to be a leader in global intelligent energy. For more information, please visit www.trinasolar.com.

SOURCE Trina Solar Co., Ltd
IRVING, Texas, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As Texans work to build back from the hardships of 2020, TXU Energy remains committed to helping fill the gaps  supporting the health and well-being of our neighbors. The company's 23rd annual Beat the Heat program includes drive-thru distributions of new air conditioning units and fans, summer energy conservation tips, and information on financial assistance available both at the state level and for TXU Energy customers.

"For too many Texas families, the summer season brings stress. Whether that's worrying about how to pay their electricity bill or facing the dangerous reality of not being able to keep cool, TXU Energy wants to lighten the load," said Scott Hudson, president of TXU Energy. "This summer, there's a record amount of assistance available  but you have to know where to look. Our team is dually focused on helping provide immediate relief from the heat and spreading the word about a range of bill-payment assistance options for those in need. We want people to know that help is available."

TXU Energy's latest $75,000 Beat the Heat contribution directly supports 10 social service organizations assisting people across Texas. With donations to be distributed throughout the summer, Beat the Heat giving highlights include, among others:

Dallas  The Senior Source: $25,000 will go toward the purchase of new window air conditioning units for older adults. This donation helps The Senior Source achieve its goal of giving away at least 200 air conditioning units this year. The drive-thru distribution event takes place on July 17 .

will go toward the purchase of new window air conditioning units for older adults. This donation helps The Senior Source achieve its goal of giving away at least 200 air conditioning units this year. The drive-thru distribution event takes place on . Houston  BakerRipley: $10,000 will fund the purchase of 550 fans for neighbors across the Houston area. BakerRipley will distribute the fans, along with fresh fruits and vegetables, during a drive-thru event on June 15 .

will fund the purchase of 550 fans for neighbors across the area. BakerRipley will distribute the fans, along with fresh fruits and vegetables, during a drive-thru event on . Tarrant County  Meals On Wheels: $7,500 will help purchase fans and air conditioning units for seniors and homebound Meals On Wheels clients across Tarrant County .

will help purchase fans and air conditioning units for seniors and homebound Meals On Wheels clients across . Corpus Christi  Mission 911: $5,000 will go toward purchasing box fans for neighbors in need. Fans and box lunches will be distributed at a Mission 911 event on July 26 .

will go toward purchasing box fans for neighbors in need. Fans and box lunches will be distributed at a 911 event on . Abilene  United Way of Abilene : $5,000 will fund the purchase of box fans to be distributed to partner agencies in West Central Texas' Basic Needs Network.

Summer 2021 bill-payment assistance is available:

State Relief: Stimulus funding has significantly increased the assistance dollars available to Texans, including an additional $134 million to the state's Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) and $1.3 billion to the Texas Rent Relief Program. These programs can help customers pay current, past due, and even future electricity bills. Customers do not need a disconnect notice to apply. For information about Texas Rent Relief visit texasrentrelief.com or call 1-833-989-7368. For information about CEAP and other assistance programs call 211 or visit 211texas.org and type "electricity bill assistance" in the search box.

Stimulus funding has significantly increased the assistance dollars available to Texans, including an additional $134 million to the state's Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) and to the Texas Rent Relief Program. These programs can help customers pay current, past due, and even future electricity bills. Customers do not need a disconnect notice to apply. For information about Texas Rent Relief visit texasrentrelief.com or call 1-833-989-7368. For information about CEAP and other assistance programs call 211 or visit 211texas.org and type "electricity bill assistance" in the search box. TXU Energy Customer Relief: TXU Energy continues to provide bill-payment assistance to customers in need through its TXU Energy AidSM program. For over 35 years, these funds, donated by employees, customers, and the company, have been distributed by TXU Energy Aid partner agencies. For information on which social service agencies are providing assistance, Texans should call 211 or visit 211Texas.org and type "electricity bill assistance" in the search box.

About TXU Energy

More Texans trust TXU Energy to power their homes and businesses than any other electricity provider. We're passionate about creating experiences and solutions tailored to fit the needs of our customers, including electricity plans, online tools to help save, renewable energy options and more. TXU Energy is also committed to cultivating a dynamic and enjoyable workplace where all our people can succeed. Visit txu.com for more. TXU Energy is a subsidiary of Vistra (NYSE: VST). REP #10004

http://twitter.com/txuenergy

http://www.youtube.com/txuenergy

http://www.facebook.com/txuenergy

SOURCE TXU Energy
Report comes on the heels of Barron's Most Sustainable Companies recognition and a national award for Most Valuable COVID-19 Corporate Response

WILMINGTON, Mass., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniforms, workwear, and facility service products for businesses, has announced the release of its 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report.

The comprehensive report is available in print and online and outlines the corporation's ongoing social responsibility efforts in the areas of sustainability, diversity and employee initiatives, community, safety, product and service innovation, ethical governance, and financial transparency. Each topic is broken down in detail to provide readers insight into UniFirst's CSR-related programseach geared toward developing a deeper understanding of the lengths to which the company goes to maintain corporate responsibility.

"In our ninth decade servicing North American businesses, UniFirst continues to operate in ways that make a positive impact on the lives of our customers, our employee Team Partners, and our planet," said Steven Sintros, President and CEO of UniFirst Corporation. "And while 2020 was a year that many of us will likely never forgetmarked by unprecedented challenges and changeUniFirst remains financially strong, allowing us to leverage the resources needed to continually do our part within the communities where we operate."

Reflecting the company's continued endeavors to run in a true community- and globally-minded manner, UniFirst is also proud to announce its third consecutive inclusion in the Barron's 100 Most Sustainable Companies in the United States list. To determine the rankings, Calvert Research and Management, a branch of Eaton Vance, judged the sustainability performance of the1,000 largest U.S. publicly held companies (measured by market capitalization) according to over 230 indicators across five categories: planet, community, employees, shareholders, and customers.

"We're honored to earn this recognition by Barron's for the third consecutive year," says Adam Soreff, director of marketing and communications at UniFirst. "UniFirst's history is rooted in a commitment to environmental sustainability and social best practices, and we're proud to be recognized for our efforts in those areas."

In addition to the Barron's recognition, UniFirst was also recently awarded an American Business Association (ABA) Stevie Award in the category of Most Valuable COVID-19 Corporate Response. Winners were chosen from over 3,800 nominationsa record for the ABAand determined by the average scores of more than 250 professionals worldwide in a three-month judging process which considered "exemplary responses by companies to the pandemic to ensure the well-being of their employees, customers, and communities."

Spearheaded by Sintros, UniFirst's response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be characterized by frequent, transparent communications and proactive, progressive decision making. The comprehensive processes and protocols put in practice throughout the pandemic were made first and foremost in the interest of the health, safety, and livelihood of all UniFirst employee Team Partners, their families, and the company's two million-plus uniform wearers throughout North America.

UniFirst's response to the pandemic was not strictly inward facing; the company also worked with regional Chambers of Commerce and others to donate significant supplies of face masks, hand sanitizers, and PPE to support small business revitalization and those in need across North America. The company also made a significant monetary donation to Massachusetts General Hospital's COVID-19 research programs.

For more information on UniFirst's corporate social responsibility efforts or to access the company's 2021 CSR Report, visit CSR.UniFirst.com.

About UniFirst

Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com .

SOURCE UniFirst Corporation

Related Links

https://unifirst.com


NORRISTOWN, Pa., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Avenues Recovery Center announced today the acquisition of Valley Forge Medical Center, adding to its growing national network of substance abuse treatment centers.

Valley Forge Medical Center is a renowned addiction treatment center located in Montgomery County in PA. The 86-bed facility opened in 1973 and has faithfully served Montgomery County for almost 40 years. In August 2019, the organization that operates the Joseph B. Wolffe Trust, announced the facility would be put up for sale following years of financial losses.

Avenues Recovery

Avenues Recovery Center has built a sparkling reputation nationwide in the substance abuse treatment field. Well known for their success in turning around struggling facilities and bringing hope and lasting positive outcomes to the communities they serve, Avenues is the perfect candidate to return VFMC to its role as an acclaimed provider of premier substance abuse and addiction treatment. Valley Forge Medical Center joins Avenues Recovery Center at Lake Ariel and Avenues Recovery Center at Philadelphia in serving the state of Pennsylvania.

"We are thrilled with the prospect of acquiring and revitalizing Valley Forge Medical Center," said Hudi Alter, Founder and CEO of Avenues Recovery, "Valley Forge has long been an asset to Montgomery County and the entirety of Pennsylvania, and we are honored to shoulder the responsibility of returning it to its previous stature."

Avenues' focus on treatment accessibility and acceptance of Medicaid and Medicare are a vital component of the Avenues belief in community focused treatment. "Avenues has always focused on integrating into the community," Alter said, "we believe treatment works best when practiced on a clients home turf."

Overdoses and relapses have become an epidemic of their own during the nationwide coronavirus lockdowns. According to the American Medical Association, more than 35 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality. This is on top of a record high reported in 2019 by the CDC. This has highlighted the pressing need for high caliber addiction treatment facilities to expand their presence.

A licensed acute care hospital, VFMC offers medically managed detox and residential programs at the hospital level of care, as well as traditional medically monitored detox and residential programs. Its Medical Recovery Unit (MRU) treats complex medical conditions commonly emerging from long term substance dependence and addiction. IV therapy, wound care, physical therapy, and medical management of ongoing conditions are all administered at VFMC.

Skilled nursing facilities qualified to administer such treatment will often reject such clients due to lack of expertise in addiction medicine along with liability concerns. Peerless medical skill coupled with addiction expertise makes VFMC the perfect place to pursue physical health in conjunction with addiction recovery.

Avenues is thrilled to return Valley Forge Medical Center to its status as an invaluable resource and friend to the Pennsylvania community.

Avenues Recovery Centers is a fully accredited substance abuse treatment network founded in 2016 and serving communities nationwide. They are staffed by clinical and medical professionals and are focused on creating positive outcomes for the clients they serve.

Steven Weldler

Director of Online Marketing

[email protected]

(732) 307-8000 x44

Related Images

valley-forge-medical-center.jpg

Valley Forge Medical Center

SOURCE Avenues Recovery
Speaking following the opening ceremony, Spark Ni, senior vice president and CMO of vivo, said: "Along with football fans around the world, we've been eagerly awaiting the kick-off of the tournament. We are honored to have partnered with UEFA to present the opening ceremony and excited to help connect fans around the world and be in the moment for the beautiful game. We look forward to capturing, sharing, and celebrating more together as the tournament unfolds."

For those looking to get even closer to the action, vivo recently launched a #vivoSuperTime initiative calling on fans to share their chants, cheers and applause for the opportunity to be featured in the UEFA EURO 2020 closing ceremony presented by vivo Fans who submit their videos and photos with the #vivoSuperTime hashtag on social media may be featured in an outstanding virtual display during the broadcast of the UEFA EURO 2020 closing ceremony taking place on July 11. Whether capturing and sharing the perfect fan selfies or energetic videos of cheers and applause, the ask is simple: Upload a photo or a video with the #vivoSuperTime hashtag to show your support for EURO 2020 and your favorite national team and players.

To learn more about the "To Beautiful Moments" campaign and vivo's activations around UEFA EURO 2020, visit https://www.vivo.com/en/activity/euro2020.

About vivo

vivo is a leading, product-driven, global technology company, with its core business focusing on smart devices and intelligent services. vivo is committed to connecting users around the globe, through design of exciting and innovative smartphones and companion devices, as well as services which integrate technology and design thinking in unique and creative ways. Following the company core values, which include innovation, consumer orientation and benfen*, vivo has implemented a sustainable development strategy, with the vision of becoming a leading, long-lasting, world-class enterprise.

With headquarters in China, supported by a network of 10 R&D centers in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi'an, Taipei, Tokyo and San Diego, vivo is focusing on the development of state-of-the-art consumer technologies, including 5G, artificial intelligence, industrial design, photography and other up-and-coming technologies. vivo has also set-up five production hubs (including brand authorized manufacturing center), across China, South- and Southeast Asia, with an annual production capacity of nearly 200 million smartphones. As of now, vivo has branched out its sales network across more than 40 countries and regions, and is loved by more than 400 million users worldwide.

*"Benfen" is a term describing the attitude on doing the right things and doing things right  which is the ideal description of vivo's mission to build technology for good.

To learn more, please visit http://www.vivo.com/ or stay informed of vivo's news at https://www.vivo.com/en/about-vivo/news.

SOURCE vivo

Related Links

http://www.vivo.com/en/


Dr. Christie Jenkins , core faculty in Walden's MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, will moderate the event. She has been working in the social service field for more than 25 years and as a counselor for over 16 years. Dr. Jenkins began working in domestic violence safe houses as a child advocate, life skills trainer, crisis intervention specialist and court advocate. Previously, she has been the CEO, associate director and supervisor for the Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center and the Children's Advocacy Center. Dr. Jenkins also served as president of the Ohio Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (OACES), the Ohio Mental Health Counselors Association and SAIGE Ohio. She was awarded the 2017 Public Policy and Legislation Award and 2014 Ohio Counselor of the Year award by the Ohio Counseling Association, as well as the 2017 Counselor Educator of the Year award by OACES.

The esteemed group of panelists include:

Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.  He is the chief executive officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Gillison has more than 30 years of experience and has previously held leadership positions at Xerox, Nextel and Sprint. Before coming to NAMI, Gillison led the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF), where he was responsible for strategic planning, personnel management, board communications, oversight of APAF's public education programs and outreach, and formulating strategic alliances and partnerships to further APAF's mission. Prior to APAF, Gillison led County Solutions and Innovation for the National Association of Counties, where he was instrumental in repositioning the organization's programs to provide expertise in health and human services, justice and public safety.

Dr. Christine M. Crawford  She is the associate medical director for NAMI and an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine. As an adult and child psychiatrist, Dr. Crawford has worked in various outpatient community settings where she has provided psychiatric care to a number of individuals from diverse backgrounds. She has a strong passion for using education as a tool for community outreach and engagement and has authored multiple book chapters on mental health disparities and sociocultural issues within psychiatry.

Carlete Metoyer  She is the assistant director of school counseling for the sixth largest school district in Texas. With 14 years of experience in education and 12 years in counseling, Metoyer is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Professional School Counselor and Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional. Metoyer's private practice, CSM Counseling Solutions, focuses on reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health services while helping clients achieve wholeness in their lives. She founded Counseling Services Modeled, a non-profit organization, to provide training and professional development related to counseling, and she also hosts the Seen, Heard, Whole podcast.

Dr. Erlanger "Earl" Turner  He is a licensed psychologist and an assistant professor of psychology in Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology. He is also the executive director of Therapy for Black Kids, an organization that provides psychoeducational workshops and resources to help parents promote resilience and healthy emotional development among youth. Dr. Turner has more than 15 years of experience in the field and has published research on mental health among racial and ethnic communities, access to behavioral health services, cultural competency, therapy use among parents, and the impact of race-based stress. He is a nationally recognized mental health expert, the author of "Mental Health among African Americans: Innovations in Research and Practice," and the 2020 president of the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice (Division 37 of the American Psychological Association).

The Talks for Good is part of Walden's Mobilize for Good initiative, which celebrates its more than 50-year history of empowering the greater good by recognizing its community's passion and commitment to social change. In addition to Talks for Good, Walden is giving back to local schools and organizations across the country as part of its Acts for Good program. Acts for Good have taken place in Tampa, Florida, Baltimore, Maryland, Houston, Texas (Act 1 and Act 2), Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Washington D.C. area.

About Walden University

More than 50 years ago, Walden University was founded to support adult learners in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and communities. Students from across the U.S. and more than 115 countries are pursuing a certificate, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree online at Walden. The university offers more than 80 degree programs with over 300 specializations and concentrations. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, hlcommission.org. For more information, please visit WaldenU.edu.

SOURCE Walden University

Related Links

https://www.waldenu.edu/


MIAMI, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gray reef sharks can't hang ten, but they're still pretty rad surfers.

They're not seeking thrills or looking to connect with nature when they take to the waves. They surf to conserve energy, according to new research led by Florida International University (FIU) marine scientist Yannis Papastamatiou along with an international team of researchers. They found hundreds of gray reef sharks in the southern channel of Fakarava Atoll in French Polynesia are surfing the slope by floating on the updrafts from currents.

During a diving trip, Papastamatiou observed sharks swimming against the current but were barely moving their tails.

"During the day, they're pretty placid and relaxed, swimming with minimal effort," Papastamatiou said. "It's interesting because it's a pretty strong current."

Then something really caught his attention  the sharks had developed a conveyer-belt-like system. When one shark reached the end of the line, it allowed the current to carry it back to the beginning point. The next shark in line did the same. And then the next. Papastamatiou was intrigued.

The team used a combination of acoustic tracking tags, animal-borne cameras and their own underwater observations to monitor the behavior. They were able to calculate energy usage of those that stayed in the channel surfing and those that left the channel. By hanging out and surfing the slope, the researchers say the sharks cut their energy by at least 15 percent. For an animal that can never stop swimming, the surfing action gives them some much-needed rest.

Fakarava is a famous dive site and home to 500 gray reef sharks. Papastamatiou joined marine biologist and underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta and others on a trip to film the research documentary 700 Requins Dans La Nuit, which National Geographic later aired as the shortened version 700 Sharks. They were there to document the sharks' after-dark behavior when the channel becomes a hunting ground. But it was during the daytime dives when Papastamatiou realized many of the sharks remained in the channel even though they weren't actively hunting.

He worked with longtime collaborator Gil Iosilevskii from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology to use a detailed map constructed from the multibeam sonar system to predict and model where possible updrafts might appear, depending on the direction of the tides. The team then put tracking receivers along the channel to capture the sharks' location. More than 40 gray reefs also had special tags to gather data on their activity and swimming depth.

Data confirmed the sharks stayed in the channel during the day and selected updraft areas. To save maximum energy, the sharks also changed how deep down they go to surf the slope. During incoming tides with strong updrafts, they went deeper where the current was weaker. During outgoing tides, when there's more turbulence, they moved closer to the surface for a smoother ride.

The findings were published in Journal of Animal Ecology.

Read more here.

Media Contact:

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LONDON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Windward , the Predictive Intelligence company applying AI to transform global maritime trade, announced today the appointment of Didier Valet, President of Xanthe Conseil, as its newest board member. Valet brings with him vast experience in the financial sector and a successful track record of transforming and growing franchises while leveraging new technologies that will help steer Windward through a pivotal stage of growth.

As President and Founder of Xanthe Conseil, Valet advises leading players in the financial services industry and start-ups including CVC Capital Partners, Bain & Company, BlackFin Capital Partners, and others. He was previously Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Societe Generale Group where he worked for over 18 years in several capacities including Head of Global Banking and Investor Solutions and Chief Financial Officer. Valet has extensive expertise with digital transformation in the banking sector as well as helping large companies implement emerging technologies. Valet is also Chairman of the Board of April Group and Member of the Board of Groupe Lucien Barriere, FOR-BZH, and Institut Louis Bachelier.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Windward at such an important juncture in both the company's strategic growth and in the digital transformation of the financial industry, as banks are forced to deal with the challenges of increasing regulatory policies," said Didier. "In my role as board member, I look forward to helping Windward empower financial institutions by enhancing operational performance for screening, investigating, and auditing transactions for the 90% of global trade which occurs on the ocean."

Windward's Maritime AI solution is powered by advanced machine learning and behavioral analytics models, enabling its clients to employ dynamic risk profiling. Windward empowers its clients across the finance, shipping, energy sectors, and beyond to integrate the latest automated risk-based compliance solutions to efficiently comply with increasing sanctions regulations.

"Demand for our intelligence platform has grown dramatically, spanning both new markets and new territories," said Ami Daniel, CEO and Co-Founder of Windward. "In the past year alone, we have expanded our user base by 450% and partnered with several financial institutions, including Danske Bank. I am thrilled to welcome Didier to the Windward board to support our rapid expansion and contribute to our mission of bringing Predictive Intelligence to all stakeholders in the global maritime ecosystem."

About Windward

Windward is the leading Predictive Intelligence company fusing AI and big data to digitalize the global maritime industry, enabling organizations to achieve business and operational readiness. Windward's AI-powered solution allows stakeholders including banks, commodity traders, insurers, and major energy and shipping companies to make real time, predictive intelligence-driven decisions, providing a 360 view of the maritime ecosystem and its broader impact on safety, security, finance, and business. For more information visit: https://wnwd.com/ .

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DUBLIN, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Market Spotlight: Pancreatic Cancer" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This Market Spotlight report covers the Pancreatic Cancer market, comprising key marketed and pipeline drugs, clinical trials, recent events and analyst opinion, upcoming events, probability of success, a 10-year disease incidence forecast, and licensing and acquisition deals, as well as presenting drug-specific revenue forecasts.



Key Takeaways



The report estimates that in 2019, there were 462,100 incident cases of pancreatic cancer worldwide, and expects that number to increase to 486,300 incident cases by 2028.



The approved drugs in the pancreatic cancer space target microtubules (tubulin), DNA, DNA synthesis, topoisomerase I, poly ADP-ribose polymerase, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, thymidylate synthase, and epidermal growth factor receptor. These drugs are commonly administered via the intravenous route, with a few select products being available in oral and intratumoral formulations.



The majority of industry-sponsored drugs in active clinical development for pancreatic cancer are in Phase II. Therapies in development for pancreatic cancer focus on a wide variety of targets. The majority of pipeline drugs for pancreatic cancer are administered via the oral or intravenous routes.



High-impact upcoming events for drugs in the pancreatic cancer space comprise topline Phase II/III, Phase II, and Phase III trial results, and an expected patent expiration.



The overall likelihood of approval of a Phase I pancreatic cancer asset is 2%, and the average probability a drug advances from Phase III is 13.8%. Drugs, on average, take 10.7 years from Phase I to approval, compared to 9.5 years in the overall oncology space.



The distribution of clinical trials across Phase I-IV indicates that the vast majority of trials for pancreatic cancer have been in the early and mid-phases of development, with 93% of trials in Phase I-II, and only 7% in Phase III-IV.



The US has a substantial lead in the number of pancreatic cancer clinical trials globally. The UK leads the major European markets, while Japan has the top spot in Asia.



Clinical trial activity in the pancreatic cancer space is dominated by completed trials. Roche has the highest number of completed clinical trials for pancreatic cancer, with 103 trials.



Bristol Myers Squibb leads industry sponsors with the highest overall number of clinical trials for pancreatic cancer, followed by Roche



Key Topics Covered:



OVERVIEW



KEY TAKEAWAYS



DISEASE BACKGROUND

Subtypes

TREATMENT

Surgery

Ablation or embolization

Radiation therapy

Chemotherapy

Targeted therapy

Immunotherapy

Drugs used specifically for the treatment of PNETs

EPIDEMIOLOGY



MARKETED DRUGS



PIPELINE DRUGS



RECENT EVENTS AND ANALYST OPINION

Motixafortide for Pancreatic Cancer ( January 24, 2020 )

) Lynparza for Pancreatic Cancer ( December 17, 2019 )

) Pegilodecakin for Pancreatic Cancer ( October 16, 2019 )

) Acelarin for Pancreatic Cancer ( August 20, 2019 )

) Mavorixafor for Pancreatic Cancer ( July 17, 2019 )

) Napabucasin for Pancreatic Cancer ( July 1, 2019 )

) Abraxane for Pancreatic Cancer ( June 2, 2019 )

) Lynparza for Pancreatic Cancer ( June 2, 2019 )

) NanoKnife System for Pancreatic Cancer ( May 13, 2019 )

) MVT-5873 for Pancreatic Cancer ( May 8, 2019 )

KEY UPCOMING EVENTS



KEY REGULATORY EVENTS

Lynparza Gets US OK For Pancreatic Cancer

PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS



LICENSING AND ASSET ACQUISITION DEALS

Cytocom Goes Public Via Merger With Cleveland BioLabs

Exact Goes All-In On Multi-Cancer Screening With $2.15Bn For Thrive; $410M For Base Genomics

For Thrive; For Base Genomics TriSalus Thinks Its Drug/Device Strategy Can Optimize IO Regimens

Processa Licenses IP For Next-Generation Irinotecan From Aposense

Bristol Myers Squibb declines to exercise Agios Pharmaceuticals opt-in right for AG-270

declines to exercise Agios Pharmaceuticals opt-in right for AG-270 DeMelle Licenses Pancreatic Cancer Candidate From Moffit

Taiho Acquires Asian Rights To Arcus IO Candidate

Tyme, Eagle Collaborate On Development Of Pancreatic Cancer Drug

Astellas Taps Pandion In Pancreas Immunomodulator Deal

REVENUE OPPORTUNITY



CLINICAL TRIAL LANDSCAPE

Sponsors by status

Sponsors by phase

Recent events

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Prescription information

APPENDIX

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5batp5

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A round-up of some of London's big risers and fallers on Monday

Shares in Ltd ( ) were back in the red again after a strong finish last week, with the company proving almost as volatile as Bitcoin in its short time as a separate entity.

Thungela is the new name for the thermal coal assets spun off by was included in the FTSE 100 index last week, despite having a market capitalisation is in the millions rather than billions.

But with a primary listing in Johannesberg, its position among the blue chips was merely an administrative quirk and this week it no longer part of the FTSE UK indices, sending its shares tumbling 14% to 136p.

12.50pm: Oracle sees gold in its future

( )(AQSE:ORCP) rose 7% to 0.51p after returning positive geochemical sampling results from its maiden orientation survey at its 100% owned Jundee East gold project in Australia.

"Jundee East represents an exceptionally exciting prospect for Oracle in one of the most prolific gold producing regions globally, said Naheed Memon, chief executive of the AIM-listed firm.

These positive results from the orientation soil geochemistry programme confirm we are on the right path to unlocking the potential of this new unexplored area. The soil sampling programme will now be expanded to better inform a maiden drill programme which we believe will lay the foundations for a JORC Resource."

11.45am: notches new high as drilling at Troulli acquistion impresses

Shares in PLC ( ) hit a new record high of 32p earlier this morning after the company said results of drilling on the recently acquired Troulli project have significantly exceeded expectations.

All eight holes drilled have intersected significant gold and/or copper mineralisation, with results indicating the presence of a potentially significant oxide gold and volcanic massive sulphide copper-gold deposit located on the site of a former small-scale mine.

Boss Martyn Churchouse said: We now have the exciting task of drilling to establish the limits of both the oxide gold and VMS copper-gold mineralisation at both Troulli and the neighbouring Kokkinapetra.

11.06am: Construction firm subsides on refinancing worry

( ) shares are down 7% to 153.75p after the company formerly known as North Midland Construction said it was close to agreeing on a financing deal to help it address a current significant working capital strain.

There was a warning that should the refinancing not be successful, the engineering and construction group will have to consider its remaining options.

NMCN said the bilateral discussions (no doubt inspired by the G7 talks) over the refinancing were well advanced.

9.45am: Tavi-stonking rise

Top riser on Monday morning was ( ), with the shares rocketing 94% to 4.65p, as the company agreed to sell its Tavistock Wealth fund management arm for up to 40mln.

Tavistock said the sale to Titan Wealth was worth an equivalent 6.58p per share and the company will also become Titans strategic partner and distribute its products.

The partnership with Titan endorses our corporate strategy and will enable us to accelerate the growth of our business and deliver maximum value to our shareholders, said Tavistock boss Brian Raven.

Another early riser was ( ), up 9% to 16.38p, after it won a US$6mln contract with the US Department of Defense research agency for development of a biological threat detection system.

Over the next 28 months, Kromek will develop an automated wide spectrum airborne pathogen detection system that is fully mobile and runs autonomously.

This follows the first phase of development, which included creating a vehicle-mounted biological-threat identifier as well as a miniaturised mobile wide-area bio-surveillance system.

Proactive news headlines

( ) agreed to sell its fund management arm (TWL) for up to 40mln to Titan Wealth. The fund group, which will become Titans strategic partner and distribute its products, will receive additional payments over a ten-year period equivalent to 50% of future net income on any increased funds under its ACUMEN brand.

( ) signed a preliminary agreement to provide payment services incorporating bitcoin to online shopping platform , better known as The Hut Group ( ).

PLC ( ) said it has signed a long-term lease for its first international cancer institute in the Jamaican capital of Kingston through its affiliate, Apollon Jamaica.

( ) said it has been awarded a contract by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for Phase II of its development of a biological threat detection system.

( ) has released further results from the recently completed 3,118 metre maiden diamond drilling programme at its 51%-owned Bibemi gold project in Cameroon, including best intersections of 2.45 metres grading 2.96 grammes per tonnes, 3.6 metres grading 1.75 grammes and 12.4 metres grading 0.71 grammes.

( ) has announced progress on two separate cancer programmes.

( ) produced 183 tonnes of tin concentrate from its Uis mine in Nambia during the first quarter of the 2022 financial year.

Oy ( ) (First North:FARON) said the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted a new patent protecting the composition of matter of its novel precision cancer immunotherapy drug candidate, bexmarilimab.

( ) has signed a term sheet with binding exclusivity with Nesa Capital (Pty) Ltd and Nesa Engineering (Pty) Ltd detailing the proposed formation of a new joint venture company to create a leading regional Southern African champion in the commercial and industrial renewable energy and storage sector.

( ) said its portfolio company, Nandi Proteins, has appointed David Flower as its new chief executive.

( ) said it has been awarded the London Stock Exchange's Green Economy Mark in recognition of its contribution to the global green economy.

( )(AQSE:ORCP) has returned highly positive geochemical sampling results from its maiden orientation survey at its 100% owned Jundee East gold project in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.

PLC ( ) is continuing with due diligence drilling on the recently acquired Troulli project in Cyprus, and thus far results have significantly exceeded expectations.

( ) noted that Vietnam was the best performing stock market in the world in May, and the investment company outperformed the national benchmark.

( ) told investors the Greenfield Energy joint venture is now producing around 180 bopd at the Petroteq oil sands plant (POSP) at Asphalt Ridge, in Utah.

( ) is to invest 1.2mln in Energy Acquisitions Group Ltd (EAG), a vehicle in the sustainable energy sector with plans to acquire an anaerobic digestion (AD) biogas energy project in Northern Ireland.

( ) inked a deal with Baker Hughes to support drilling operations in Georgia. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) sets up a partnership enabling progress for its significant oil and gas opportunities, Block said.

Esken Limited ( ) provided an update on trading and on its attempted sale Stobart Air and Carlisle Lake District Airport.

( ) has completed the middle section of the Saffron-2 appraisal well in Trinidad, which has so far confirmed results in line with expectations.

( ) has kicked off its drill programme in Tanzania, with the Tai exploration well. It is the first of three planned wells which aims to confirm a significant helium resource.

Spectra Systems Corp ( ) announced that, having received only 23 ballots, it does not have enough shareholder votes to achieve a quorum to transact business at its scheduled 2021 annual general meeting on 14 June. The presence in person or by proxy, duly authorized, of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote constitutes a quorum.

( ) said its annual general meeting on 23 June is to be moved from Manchester to the Marriott Hotel in Derby as the former city has been identified by the government as an area of concern relating to increasing cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant. Investors can still submit questions and follow the meeting via the Investor Meet Platform.

( ) will make a distribution in specie of the entire issued share capital of its wholly-owned subsidiary Orph Pharma IP Company Limited to Poolbeg Pharma Limited, in return for the issue of new shares by Poolbeg to shareholders of Open Orphan on the register at close of business on 17 June 2021. Relevant shareholders will receive one Poolbeg share for every 2.98 ordinary shares held in the company and will not be permitted to sell, transfer or deal in these shares for a period of nine calendar months.

Zephyr Energy PLC (AIM: ZPHR) announced that it will be participating in the Proactive Investors' One2One Virtual Forum on Thursday 17th June 2021. Chief executive Colin Harrington will make a presentation at 6pm, followed by a Q&A session.

( ), a leading provider of IT solutions to the global life sciences market, announces that it will be hosting a virtual capital markets day for retail investors from 2pm to 4pm BST on Thursday 1 July 2021. Management will provide greater insight into the business, its ongoing acquisition strategy and its growth potential, with opportunities for attendees to ask questions during the webcast. A separate virtual CMD will take place on Wednesday 30 June 2021 for institutional investors.


Dhaka, June 14 : Top Bangladeshi film star Pori Moni has claimed in a Facebook post addressed to the country's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that she has been physically abused, adding "someone tried to kill and rape me".

Shamsunnahar Smrity, popularly known as Pori Moni, is one of the top Bangladeshi film stars, and was recently included in the Forbes list of 'Asia-Pacific's Most Influential Celebrities' on Social Media.

On her verified Facebook page on Sunday, Pori Moni, addressed a post to Hasina, asking for justice as a citizen of Bangladesh.

She claimed to have approached the law enforcement agencies for help but no one has been able to provide assistance within the last four days.

She said a press conference will be convened soon to share the details with the public.

"I have been physically abused. Someone tried to rape and kill me. I want justice," she wrote on her Facebook page.

Addressing PM Hasina as "mother", she wrote: "I was about 2 and a half years old when my mother died. Today, I need a mother. Please save me.".

"I have asked for help from so many people. They always listen and say that they'll 'look into it'. But no one has helped me yet, I haven't found justice in the last three or four days. I feel helpless right now," she posted on her Facebook page.
Baghdad, June 14 : The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) said that its forces have killed 13 Islamic State (IS) militants across the country so far this month.

Spokesman of CTS Sabah al-Numan told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) on Sunday that the commandos, backed by aircraft, carried out several security operations in June, killing 13 IS militants and arresting many others, in addition to the destruction of some caves and hideouts.

The CTS forces will continue their operations to hunt down IS militants, Xinhua news agency quoted al-Numan as saying to INA.

The operations were part of efforts to eliminate the extremist IS militants who intensified their attacks on security forces and civilians in provinces the group had controlled previously, resulting in the killing and wounding of dozens.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.

However, IS remnants have since retreated to deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.
Amethi : , June 14 (IANS) A 40-year-old woman who was allegedly raped and beaten by doctors and medical staff at a Lucknow hospital from where she was discharged, has died.

Family members of the deceased said she died on Sunday while being taken to another hospital in the state capital.

The daughter of the deceased had approached Union minister Smriti Irani, who was on a visit to Amethi on Saturday, after the police refused to pay heed to her.

Amethi District Magistrate Arun Kumar constituted a team on Irani's instructions to probe the allegations.

The woman said her mother was admitted to the Amethi Joint District Hospital, Gauriganj, on June 6, as she was unwell, but her condition deteriorated, and she was referred to the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow.

She alleged that her mother was initially kept in the emergency ward of the Lucknow hospital and then shifted to a bed on the fourth floor but no family members were allowed to visit her.

The daughter claimed that when she finally was allowed to meet her mother after repeated requests, she found out her condition was critical.

She alleged that her mother told her she was beaten up and raped by doctors and staff.

A spokesperson of the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute, however, refuted the allegations.

"No such allegation of rape of a woman has been reported and no complaint has been received. If there is a complaint, an inquiry will be conducted," he said.

The woman further said her mother was discharged from there on Friday night in an unconscious state and again admitted to the Gauriganj district hospital.

She informed Irani about the incident the next day, after which the MP spoke to the district magistrate, superintendent of police and the chief medical officer of Amethi.

Medical Superintendent of Amethi Joint District Hospital, Gauriganj, P.K. Upadhyay said the woman was being shifted to a hospital in Lucknow as she had developed black fungus, but she died on the way.

District Magistrate Arun Kumar said an inquiry committee was set up comprising the Gauriganj deputy collector, the deputy superintendent of police and the ACMO, and action will be taken after the committee hands in a report.
Kolkata, June 14 : Myanmar security forces are arbitrarily arresting and detaining family and friends of activists, protesters and opposition members.

The trend is increasing, says global rights groups, who demand the authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all those wrongfully held and end all collective punishment.

Since the February 1 military coup in Myanmar, security forces have detained at least 76 people, including an infant, during raids when they were unable to find the person they sought to arrest, according to documentation by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

At least 48 of those people are still in detention, with some now held for more than three months.

"Seizing family members and friends as hostages is a thuggish tactic by Myanmar's security forces to terrorize the population and coerce activists to turn themselves in," said Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"The authorities should end the practice of collective punishment immediately and release everyone held on this illegal basis." Security forces unable to find specific suspects have arrested their parents, children, other relatives, and friends who happened to be present during the search.

On March 8, security forces searching for lawyer Robert San Aung seized his daughter and brother-in-law and held them for 18 days before releasing them.

On April 22, security forces searching for Pu Do Sian Pau, a member of the opposition Civil Disobedience Movement, seized his mother and his 70-year-old father, a retired pastor of the Cope Memorial Baptist Church. Both are still in detention.

On April 29, security forces searching for Salai Bawi Uk Thang, the editor-in-chief of the Chinland Post newspaper, detained his father. He is still in detention.

On May 23, security forces arrested the parents and younger brother of a striking worker from the fire department. All three relatives are still in detention.

In some cases, witnesses allege that the security forces beat the relatives before detaining them.

Tin Htut Paing, an activist who is in hiding, told the media that, on May 2, security forces searching for him and his brother beat his 90-year-old grandmother and 64-year-old mother.

Security forces detained his mother and charged her with "incitement". On May 28, she was sentenced to three years in prison.

According to the AAPP, security forces searching for Associate Judge Kaung Myat Thu of Chaung-U Township Court beat his mother before arresting her. His mother is still in detention Young children and even an infant have also been detained, at least temporarily. Security forces detained five relatives of strike leader Ko Jay Lah, including two girls aged two and four.

Similarly, forces searching for protest leader U Tan Win detained his wife and 20-day-old baby.

While in both cases the family members were released later the same day, the arrests send a chilling message to activists and members of the Civil Disobedience Movement that no member of their family is safe, HRW's Robertson said.

The detention of people based solely on their relationship to another person is a form of collective punishment, which violates the right to liberty and security of person and the right to a fair trial.

"Myanmar's junta has taken unlawful detention to a noxious new level by detaining those close to people who themselves should not be facing arrest," Robertson said.

"Concerned governments should urgently impose targeted sanctions and a global arms embargo or expect the junta to continue to raise the stakes on abusive actions." Last month, the Burmese army Tatmadaw used villagers as shields during their attempt to regain control of the Mindat town in the Chin Hills.

"Using civilians as shield is a gross violation of the rules of war," said Amrita Dey, an author of a volume on Myanmar.

"The Tatmadaw is crossing all limits."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thiruvananthapuram, June 14 : With an impending Union cabinet reshuffle on the cards, the Kerala unit of the BJP is however not in an upbeat mood for more reasons than one, but hoping against hope are a few, that the call will come.

Among the list of hopefuls include sitting Upper House member K.J. Alphons who had one stint as a Minister in the first NDA government besides superstar Suresh Gopi.

Apart from the two includes Metroman E. Sreedharan, who put up a spirited fight till the last round of counting in assembly polls, but was eventually defeated by a margin of 3,859 votes.

Then there is businessman turned politician Rajeev Chandrasekhar, though he is based in Bengaluru.

Two others - C.V. Ananda Bose, a former top Kerala bureaucrat and a former director general of police Jacob Thomas are the others who are in the reckning. Thomas had also contested the assembly elections.

Incidentally Sreedharan, Bose, Thomas and Gopi have been recently entrusted by the national leadership to give reports about the state of affairs in the state party unit.

At present barring V. Muraleedharan -- Union Minister of State for External Affairs, there is not a single Malayalee in the union cabinet. He has been elected from Maharashtra to the Upper House.

The BJP in Kerala has cut a sorry figure, after its state president K. Surendran despite expressing hope that they would rule the state as they are sure to win 35 seats in the 140 member Kerala Assembly in the April 6 assembly polls.

But when votes wwere counted, not only did they lose the only seat which O. Rajagopal had won in the 2016, their vote share also decreased, despite campaigns led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Even as the state unit of the BJP was reeling under its worst performance, came a few reports of how alleged 'hawala' money found its way for the elections campaign and the Kerala Police has registered a case against Surendran for giving money to a candidate at Manjeswaram assembly constituency, which he had contested.

For long the national leadership of the party has been upset with the state leadership as it has been a divided house with two factions - one led by Muraleedharan under whom Surendran is the principal leader here and the opposite one led by former State President P.K. Krishnadas.

Despite several guidelines given to the two factions to maintain unity, it has fallen on deaf ears and this has made them very unhappy and Surendran was called to Delhi last week.

A media critic on condition of anonymity said things have reached a new low for the state BJP unit in Kerala and hence it's most likely if any state BJP 'political' leader will get the call from Delhi ahead of the impending reshuffle.

"If not for his age, Sreedharan would have been the best bet. Gopi, had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the recent assembly polls and with acting his principal profession, it remains to be seen if he will be keen to give up that for a cabinet berth. Bose, of late is moving closely with Modi and Shah, while Chandrasekhar is more of a politician now than a businessman. All what remains to be seen is more than any Malayalee getting in, all eyes are on if Muraleedharan will be able to keep his place. One thing is for certain, the national leadership is certainly unhappy with its state unit," said the critic.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Lucknow, June 14 : In what should be a major reprieve for the beleaguered BJP in Uttar Pradesh, its ally, the Apna Dal led by Anupriya Patel, has denied speculations about the party driving a hard bargain with the BJP leadership to keep the alliance intact in the run-up to UP assembly elections due next year.

The Apna Dal (S) has been BJP's ally since 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Apna Dal working president and Anupriya Patel's husband, Ashish Singh Patel, said, "We have not put forth any demand before the BJP. We will contest the forthcoming UP elections together BJP." His statement come sin the wake of reports that Anupriya Patel, during her recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, had sought a better deal for her party which included representation in the union cabinet and the state cabinet.

Interestingly, on a day when Anupriya met the union home minister, her estranged sister Pallavi Patel who is with the breakaway faction of the party, met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, in an apparent bid to frame up a new political alignment for the 2022 assembly elections.

The breakaway Apna Dal faction, led by Anupriya's mother Krishna Patel , has failed to make any political impact in UP.

Krishna Patel has herself lost the elections but also had her deposits forfeited.

Anupriya, who was a union minister in Modi1.0 government, had turned out to be a gainer, once again, in 2019 parliamentary elections when Apna Dal contested two seats and won both.

The party already has nine legislators in the state assembly.

Ashish Patel had got elected to legislative council with the backing of BJP in 2018.
June 14 : On this day last year, Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai house. Even though his family members, friends and industry colleagues are remembering the actor on his first death anniversary, the CBI, which has been investigating the actors mysterious death, has not yet filed a chargesheet in court. Even after a year, there are more questions than answers.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14, 2020. Initially, the Mumbai police was investigating the death as a suicide case. Later, the CBI was brought in to investigate the alleged murder angle. Simultaneously, a drug angle was also been investigated. The late actors girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty along with her brother were arrested and later Rhea was released from jail on bail after a month. The whole country is sill waiting for the CBI to draw a conclusion to the mystery death of the promising actor.

Even after a year later, the CBI which took over the murder case registered by Bihar Police last year, is still tight-lipped on its findings. While the investigating agency recorded statements of several people in the case, there has been no development in the case so far. Meanwhile, a panel of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) doctors that had collected the actors viscera and autopsy reports had ruled out any foul play in October last year.

Meanwhile, ahead of Sushant Singh Rajput's first death anniversary, his ex-girlfriend Ankita Lokhande shared a video on social media, in which she was seen participating in a special prayer for the late actor at her home. The popular TV actress took to her Instagram stories on Sunday evening and shared a glimpse of setting up the holy fire and preparations for the prayers. Chants of 'Om' can be heard played in the background.

Image Source: Instagram/lokhandeankita Ankita Lokhande participating in a special prayer for the late actor at her home

Image Source: Instagram/lokhandeankita Ankita Lokhande shared a video on social media

After Sushants death, the actress had extended her support to his family members. Ankita dated the late actor for six years before they parted ways.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
June 14 : Priyanka Chopra Jonas is currently in London completing her project, while her husband Nick Jonas is in Los Angeles, USA. Nick took to his Instagram handle and shared an adorable picture, as he expressed how much he is missing her.

While Priyanka is busy with work in London, Nick is missing her and stated it in the most romantic way. Nick shared a post for The White Tiger by sharing a glimpse of their romantic moment. Sharing the picture, Nick wrote, Her. Thats it. Thats the post. Missing my love.

Nick dropped a throwback picture on his Instagram handle, wherein he can be seen with Priyanka as both gazed into each other's eyes. Priyanka looked pretty in her traditional avatar as she wore a light blue and white saree and styled her look with a bunch of silver bangles. Nick can be seen casually dressed in a white sweater and black pants. Nick's pet Gino is also seen in the photo.

The post left fans gushing over the singing star, as they showered love on the couple. Cutest couple ever, wrote one. Aww you are both so sweet, another commented. True love right there, wrote another.

Last month, Priyanka and Nick were a part of the Billboard Music Awards 2021 as presenters, which was held in Los Angeles on May 24. The actress participated in the award function in support of her husband, who was the host of the musical night, and had suffered an injury after "a spill on a bike". Priyanka flew from London to Los Angeles to be with him at the Billboard Music Awards 2021. The Jonas couple had also presented the BAFTAs in London in April.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Priyanka is currently shooting for her series Citadel with Richard Madden in London. The actress is also a part of Keanu Reeves starrer Matrix 4, and Text 4 You with Sam Heughan, Celine Dion, Russell Tovey, and Omid Djalili. Priyanka will also be seen in an Indian wedding comedy with Mindy Kaling. The actress will also co-produce the film. She also has a film based on the life of Maa Anand Sheela in her kitty.
New Delhi, June 14 : While announcing new games for Xbox fans during the E3 2021 virtual gaming conference, Microsoft has also unveiled the first look of a cool Xbox Series X-shaped mini fridge.

The Xbox Mini Fridge is "the world's most powerful mini fridge," according to the company, that will help gamers stay cool as they go through immersive play experience.

When the Xbox Series X was first announced in 2019, people made memes on its shape and compared it to a refrigerator.

Inspired by this, the company took to social media and after defeating Skittles in a Twitter poll, said that an actual mini-Xbox fridge will be released in holiday 2021.

In April, Aaron Greenberg who is GM, Xbox Games Marketing at Microsoft, tweeted: "Thanks to everyone who voted, this was down to the wire and thrilling to follow. Now that @Xbox won, we will move forward on our promise to make those Xbox Series X Mini Fridges. First one off the line will be filled with games & headed to our friends @Skittles of course! Green heart." The Xbox mini-fridge is now a reality and will be available later this year during the holiday season.

The refrigerator was unveiled during the Xbox + Bethesda E3 event.
June 14 : Its been one year since Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment. While fans remembered the actor on his first death anniversary, his Bollywood co-stars also paid tribute to the star.

Sushant Singh Rajput left for his heavenly abode on June 14, 2020, leaving everyone shocked.

Taking to her Instagram handle, the late actors Sonchiriya co-star Bhumi Pednekar remembered him as she shared an emotional post along with a couple of pictures from the sets of Sonchiriya. Bhumi became emotional as she hoped that her curious sweet SSR have found his peace. Taking to her social media handle, Bhumi shared throwback photos with late Sushant from the sets of the film. Miss you, your questions and everything we spoke about. From the stars to the things unknown, you showed me the world like I had never seen it before. I hope youve found your peace my curious sweet SSR...Om Shanti #Forever #Ssr #Peace #neutronstar Bhumi wrote.

Last year, when Sonchiriya completed two years in March, Bhumi shared several BTS photos from the sets with Sushant and remembered him as Lakhna, his characters name in the film.

Amit Sadh also remembered his Kai Po Che co-star Sushant on his death anniversary. Sushant made his Bollywood debut with Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che along with Amit Sadh and Rajkummar Rao. In an interview, Amit recalled memories of the late actor and stated that it will take time for him to accept that Sushant Singh Rajput is no more. Amit said that he will never forget Sushant, who was full of life. Amit also shared that he misses him a lot. "Whenever I will miss him too much, I will watch Sonchiriya and raise a toast to him. Wherever in heaven he is, I believe he is happy and busy," he said.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
Kochi, June 14 : Lakshadweep administrator, Praful Khoda Patel on Monday appears to have ducked his travel to the island through the airport here, said Congress Lok Sabha members.

Hybi Eden and T.N. Prathapan, both Congress Lok Sabha members from the state of Kerala had arrived in the VVIP lounge of the airport here after getting information that Patel is arriving here on a special flight and would fly to the island.

"We had information that Patel would land here on a special flight and from here would take a scheduled Air India ATR flight to the island. But after we reached here, we found out that he is not landing here instead is flying from Daman and Diu," said Eden.

Patel is expected to be in the island till June 20.

"All know that we (Congress) are on a protest against the new reforms of the administrator, which is against the interests of the islanders. We came to meet him to request him to allow a delegation of Congress MPs to visit the island and also to see that no new rules should be enacted which do not have the concurrence of the islanders," added Eden, who represents the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency, where the Lakshadweep has a full fledged office.

The "Save Lakshadweep Forum", an umbrella group of local activists and opposition politicians who have been in the forefront of agitations against the new reforms of the administrator, have already announced that they would stage protest marches in the island, the day when Patel arrives.
Chennai, June 14 : As 27 districts of Tamil Nadu relax restrictions from Monday, the sanitation workers expect heavy workload compared to the lockdown period. What worries them most though are the carelessly disposed face masks that will soon start collecting.

In the commercial districts across several cities, the sanitation workers have to clear the face masks which have been thrown away mindlessly.

Manimekhalai (Name Changed), a worker with the Madurai Corporation told IANS: "Workload is not an issue for me but the masks which are thrown across the street is causing real fear in me and many sanitation workers and we don't know how we can clear these masks.

"I am sure that this will lead to a major catastrophe as face masks thrown in the road will turn into spreaders. We have already petitioned the corporation to do something and expecting a constructive result from them." A similar or much worse situation is being faced by the sanitation workers in Chennai corporation.

Even though the corporation has conducted several awareness programmes as to how the face masks are to be disposed of or kept, people continue to throw them off mindlessly and this is posing a real health hazard for the general public and the sanitation workers in particular.

Raghunathan S., a sanitation worker in Chennai Corporation told IANS: "I am afraid of these face masks being littered everywhere. I am aware of the danger posed by them but people are still acting as if they are not aware.

"The Tamil Nadu Health Department, as well as the corporation has conducted several awareness programs on how to dispose of face masks but still, people are behaving in a careless manner posing a severe danger to the health of people like us. Hope corporation will bring up a solution to this issue." With the shops and establishments including TASMAC shops opened from Monday onwards, there could be a higher percentage of the face masks being thrown recklessly and carelessly across the streets of the state.
June 14 : As the country is remembering the late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, fans paid emotional tribute to the star on his first death anniversary.

For the last one year, since the death of Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14, 2020, fans have done their bit to celebrate their favourite actor. From planting trees to helping out people amid the pandemic, Sushants fans have done all to keep his name going.

Taking to social media, fans showered posts remembering the late actor and wrote emotional notes paying tribute to him. On his first death anniversary, a fan wrote, "A year has passed without you, but not a day goes by without thinking of you. You will always be in our hearts." Another fan wrote, "He is far more than what meet the eyes. You will not recognise what a beautiful soul he is, until you start looking at the things the eyes can't see but what the heart can feel."

Another fan wrote, "The little things you do matters the most to me" - SSR Sparkles And we we lost a gem that day. You'll forever remain in our hearts #SushantSinghRajput Red heart SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS."

"The little things you do matters the most to me" - SSR 



And we we lost a gem that day.

You'll forever remain in our hearts #SushantSinghRajput 



SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS pic.twitter.com/Z5z4Kqqysl  TEAM ALY GONI (@TeamAlyGoni) June 14, 2021

One year since the immortal Sushant Singh Rajput is not physically with us. But the love , wisdom ,affection & Joy he brought to the world is forever. SSR will always live on in the hearts Heart suit of millions upon millions of people. SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS, a fan wrote.

One year since the immortal Sushant Singh Rajput is not physically with us.



But the love , wisdom ,affection & Joy he brought to the world is forever.



SSR will always live on in the hearts  of millions upon millions of people.



SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS.  Ishkaran Singh Bhandari (@ishkarnBHANDARI) June 13, 2021

Calling his death a murder of humanity, a fan wrote, We miss you #SushantSinghRajput We live in our heart forever #SushantSinghRajput #JusticeForSushantSinghRajput

Everywhere I go. I see your face Sushant. Every minute and every second. You are not gone #SushantSinghRajput you are here among us all the time. SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS, wrote another fan.

Everywhere I go.

I see your face Sushant.



Every minute and every second.

You are not gone #SushantSinghRajput you are here among us all the time.



SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS pic.twitter.com/ZjjpX0uPBn  KumardeepRoy21  (SSRF) (@KumardeepRoy21) June 13, 2021

Another emotional note read as, 14 June 2020, Around 2 PM One Breaking News broke my heart Tears welled up in my eyes as they said he was no more It was my first time crying when someone died His Name is #SushantSinghRajput We lost a Gem of Indian cinema SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS.

14 June 2020, Around 2 PM

One Breaking News broke my heart

Tears welled up in my eyes as they said he was no more

It was my first time crying when someone died

His Name is #SushantSinghRajput

We lost a Gem of Indian cinema

SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS

pic.twitter.com/8XazTciz6P  Shubhu ~ Jaslyian (@jaslyempire) June 14, 2021

I had promised myself to not to be Emotional today.....but I can't help myself#SushantSinghRajput you were never meant to be here...this world was never made for you.



FLY HIGH #SSR 

Blessed us  pic.twitter.com/8VhnfoqoPM  Rahul Golu Jha (@rahulgolujha) June 14, 2021

Everytime I see this, I cry

Most can't handle that Smile even after being Ignored 

I don't know what actual reason is but we miss him 

SUSHANT JUSTICE MATTERS#SushantSinghRajput  pic.twitter.com/FNQiwP3V24  PAVAN KUMA (@pavankumar_31) June 14, 2021

Best smile ever

You will always be in our hearts#SushantSinghRajput pic.twitter.com/RyLRtr1Tkq  Sush !  (@siimrann99) June 14, 2021

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
New Delhi, June 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, saying he looks forward to meeting him and deepening the strategic partnership between the two counties.

"Excellency Naftali Bennett, congratulations on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. As we celebrate 30 years of the upgradation of diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries," Modi tweeted.

He also expressed his gratitude towards former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking his leadership for his attention to the India-Israel strategic partnership.

"As you complete your successful tenure as the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, I convey my profound gratitude for your leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership @netanyahu," Modi further tweeted.

Naftali Bennett, a right-wing Jewish nationalist and former tech millionaire, became Prime Minister after a vote in the Knesset legislature following weeks of intense political drama. He won with razor-thin majority of 60-59 in the 120-seat chamber.

The former ally of Netanyahu, Bennett will preside over a diverse and fragile coalition comprised of eight parties with deep ideological differences, promising to try to heal a divided nation.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 14 : The recently-concluded G7 summit has been a massive letdown on a historic opportunity to tackle the triple crises of climate, COVID and collapse of nature, experts across the globe said on Monday.

If the leaders cannot get their act together by the October G20, the UN climate conference, COP26, slated in November in Glasgow is doomed to fail -- that's the take of leading analysts as the 2021 Cornwall summit wrapped up on Sunday.

Challenged to meet 2010 promises on climate finance, ensure the developing world is fully vaccinated by 2022 and restructure the debt hold facing African, Asian and Latin nations -- they fell well short.

The September UN General Assembly is now set as the key date for G7 leaders to deliver ahead of COP26.

Responding to the G7 communique, Christian Aid's Patrick Watt's, Director of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns, told IANS: "This summit was an opportunity for the richest nations of the world to tackle the perfect storm of the pandemic, the climate emergency, and the debt crisis that is hitting the world's poorest people hardest.

"We've heard warm words about a green Marshall Plan and ambitions to vaccinate the world, but this falls well short of what's needed. This is a partial plan not a Marshall Plan. The US committed 6.5 per cent of its post-war GDP to the Marshall Plan. The UK, in contrast, has reneged on an aid promise one tenth as ambitious. The G7 needed to progress comprehensive debt relief, deliver on climate finance promises, and act to end vaccine apartheid.

"The G7 leadership has failed to make real progress in any of these areas. The success of the COP26 climate summit now hangs in the balance. There is still time for rich nations to deliver a solidarity package that tackles these interconnected crises. Without it, the COP will fail." Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace, said: "Everyone is being hit by Covid-19 and worsening climate impacts, but it is the most vulnerable who are fairing the worst due to G7 leaders sleeping on the job.

"We need authentic leadership and that means treating the pandemic and the climate crisis for what they are: an inter-connected inequality emergency. The G7 have failed to set us up for a successful COP26 as trust is sorely lacking between rich and developing countries." Echoing similar sentiments, Rachel Kyte, Dean of Fletcher School at Tufts University, and former UN climate envoy, said: "We need a detailed plan for making the $100 billion a reality by the UN General Assembly. It's a big year for climate diplomacy and the G7 members will have to hit high notes at the G20 finance meeting in July before arriving in Glasgow in November." Ahead of the G7, YouGov polling for climate think tank E3G showed overwhelming public support across Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the UK and the US for helping poorer countries cut their dependence on fossil fuels.

Taken as one, 66 per cent of voters in G7 countries support this, with clear majorities of support in all seven countries.

The public in all seven countries wanted their government to stick to promises made at the UN in 2010 to deliver $100 billion of climate finance a year.

"Fifty per cent of G7 voters want their government to stick to their pledge, while just 29 per cent think circumstances have changed sufficiently that their government should go back on their pledge," said the poll.

The good news from Cornwall is that tackling climate change was inextricably woven through every agenda item.

Each G7 country did commit to increase and improve climate finance through to 2025, but only a few offered clear new pledges. Canada was also among those countries to hike climate finance contributions, while others said they will review pledges pre-COP26.

The leaders did agree to end the public financing of coal by 2021, with Canada, Germany, the UK, and the US agreeing to back a $2 billion coal transition fund. The deal leaves China isolated as the world's biggest public backer of the world's dirtiest fossil fuel.

G7 leaders offered a vision of a green alternative to China's Belt and Road, but the G7 'Marshall Plan' or 'Build Back Better World' initiative urgently needs details, which should be delivered by the UN General Assembly.

Bernice Lee, Hoffmann Distinguished Fellow for sustainability and Research Director Futures at Chatham House, said: "It's good to see G7 turning their back on coal, but words are not enough. They now need to get serious about a global clean partnership that delivers for developing nations." The mixed outcome places huge pressure on the shoulders of Italy Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who will steer G20 talks that commence in July, with a finance meeting in Venice now set as a critical moment ahead of COP26.

(Vishal Gulati can be reached at vishal.g@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Riyadh, June 14 : A bomb-laden drone fell on a school in the Saudi border city of Asir, the Civil Defence Ministry said.

The Ministry's spokesman Captain Abduljalil Al Jilban on Sunday revealed that no injury was reported in the latest Houthi militia's attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

The incident was the latest of the frequent attacks launched by Yemeni Houthi rebels against Saudi targets, especially border cities.

Most of the attacks had been foiled before reaching their targets.

Saudi Arabia has been leading a war in Yemen against Houthi militia since 2015, in support of the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Hyderabad, June 14 : Telugu Desam Party national general secretary and Andhra Pradesh opposition leader Nara Lokesh on Monday alleged that the state government is hiding the actual number of Covid deaths to deny paying compensation.

"We have been saying this from the beginning - the YSRCP government is shamelessly covering up deaths to deny compensation in the future. The latest figures have shocked us," alleged Lokesh, citing a media report.

According to the data shared by the TDP's second in command, more than 1 lakh deaths occurred in May but only 2,938 were categorized as Covid deaths.

From the beginning of the pandemic until Sunday, the AP government officially reported that 11,940 people have succumbed to the virus.

Meanwhile, Lokesh wrote to Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, requesting his immediate intervention in the 'opaque and highly questionable practices of the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC)', pertaining to the Group I selections.

"The conduct of the Constitutional body (APPSC), some of whose members were appointed by your office in the past two years, has led to aspirants of Group I examination to approach the High Court," he wrote.

Lokesh demanded a thorough enquiry by a sitting judge to 'restore trust and legitimacy' on APPSC.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Baghdad, June 14 : Iraqi authorities announced that they exhumed the remains of 123 bodies from two mass graves in the northern province of Nineveh.

"The remains near Badush Prison are possibly of the jail's security personnel," Nineveh Governor Najm al-Jubouri said in a press conference on Sunday at the site of the mass graves, northwest of the provincial capital Mosul, about 400 km north of Baghdad.

"Dozens of mass graves have been documented and are waiting to be opened, including the al-Khasfa sinkhole south of Mosul, which is the largest site about a hundred meters deep," al-Jubouri said.

He also called on the UN and other international organizations to help Iraq uncover dozens of mass graves in the province, reports Xinhua news agency.

Dhia Kareem, head of Iraqi Martyrs Foundation, told the press conference that most of the remains belong to victims who were killed by Islamic State (IS) terrorists during their reign over Mosul between 2014 and 2017.

"The graves of Badush Prison are large, with more than 123 bodies out of 500 having been exhumed so far, and the national team is unable to open and identify mass graves in Iraq alone without the assistance of international expertise," Kareem said.

In July 2017, Iraq formally declared that Mosul, the country's second-largest city, was liberated from the IS after nearly nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in the country.

A large part of of Nineveh came under IS control in June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to control parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.

After seizing control of the city, the IS executed some 4,000 Iraqi Security Force prisoners, and dumped their bodies in the single largest known mass grave in Iraq, at the "Khafsa Sinkhole".

This mass grave was uncovered during the Battle of Mosul (2016-17).
New Delhi, June 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed his gratitude for the outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership and contribution to India-Israel strategic partnership.

Hours after a vote that ousted Netanyahu and brought his successor Naftali Bennett to power in Israel, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, "As you complete your successful tenure as the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, I convey my profound gratitude for your leadership and personal attention to India-Israel strategic partnership @netanyahu." In another tweet, PM Modi congratulated Bennett saying, "Excellency @naftalibennett, congratulations on becoming the Prime Minister of Israel. As we celebrate 30 years of the upgradation of diplomatic relations next year, I look forward to meeting you and deepening the strategic partnership between our two countries. @IsraeliPM." He tweeted the same messages in Hebrew language too.

Netanyahu as Prime Minister, in his second stint from March 31, 2009 till June 13, 2021, brought India and Israel closer. The relationship strengthened further after PM Modi came to power in 2014. In July 2017 Modi undertook an historic first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel, during which the relationship was upgraded to a strategic level. Netanyahu visited India in January 2018.

Ever since the two countries have been partnering in the fields of research and development innovation, water, agriculture and space, cyber security, oil and gas cooperation, film co-production and air transport.

The bilateral merchandise trade stood at US$5.65 billion (excluding defence) in 2018-19, with the balance of trade being in India's favour by US $1.8 billion, as per official data. India is Israel's third largest trade partner in Asia and seventh largest globally.

In recent years, according to a statement by ministry of external affairs, the bilateral trade has diversified into several sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, IT and telecom, and homeland security. Major imports by India from Israel include precious stones and metals, chemicals and mineral products, base metals and machinery and transport equipment.

Also, India imports critical defence technologies from Israel. There are regular exchanges between the armed forces of the two countries. There is cooperation on security issues, including a joint working group on counter-terrorism. Since 2015, Indian Police Service (IPS) officer trainees have been visiting the Israel National Police Academy every year for a one-week long foreign exposure training at the end of their training in the National Police Academy, Hyderabad.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 14 : The Adani Group stocks hit the lower circuit on Monday after the the National Securities Depository Ltd. froze the accounts of Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund effective May 31.

As per reports, the funds, registered at the same address in Mauritius, own more than Rs 43,500 crore or $6 billion in four Adani group firms. The frozen accounts won't be able to sell or buy new securities.

As per reports, the freeze on the three accounts could be because of insufficient disclosure of information regarding beneficial ownership under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Adani stocks have been rising phenomenally and added over $40 billion to Gautam Adani's wealth this year.

All the three funds, based out of Mauritius together hold 6.82 per cent in Adani Enterprises, 8.03 per cent in Adani Transmission, 5.92 per cent in Adani Total Gas, and 3.58 per cent in Adani Green.

Adani Enterprises was down more than 19 per cent, Adani Ports was down 16 per cent, while Adani Green, Adani Power and Adani Transmission were down by 5 per cent each.

The development has impacted the investor sentiments and shares of the group companies which have largely been on an uptrend in the past few months, but slumped on Monday hitting lower circuits.

Around 11.05 a.m., shares of Adani Enterprises were trading at Rs 1,379.40, lower by Rs 222.05 or 13.87 per cent from its previous close.

Shares of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone were trading at Rs 718.55, lower by Rs 120.25 or 14.34 per cent from its previous close.

Similarly, shares of Adani Green Energy, Adani Transmission and Adani Power also slumped 5 per cent to Rs 1,165.35, Rs 1,517.25 and Rs 140.90 per share, respectively.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Washington, June 14 : Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the US state of Montana witnessed more deaths than births for the first time since data collection began in 1908.

The Independent Record newspaper based in Helena, capital city of Montana, reported on Sunday that early and provisional data from the state's health department showed that the mortality rate increased by 14 per cent in 2020 to 12,018 deaths, surpassing the 10,791 births, reports Xinhua news agency.

In 2019, births outpaced deaths in Montana by 677, the report said, adding that in 2020 there were approximately 1,900 excess deaths compared to the average over the five previous years, reports Xinhua news agency.

Kenneth M. Johnson, senior demographer at the Carsey School of Public Policy and professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire and an Andrew Carnegie Fellow, was quoted by the report as saying that not only in Montana, Covid-19 had a "dramatic and immediate impact on deaths in the US".

Johnson released a paper titled "Deaths Exceeded Births in a Record Number of States in 2020" last month, in which births outpaced deaths in Montana by 677 in 2019, but there were 1,200 more deaths than births in 2020.

Johnson' research showed that Montana's neighbouring states like Wyoming and the Dakotas also saw similar trends, and nationwide, 25 states reported more deaths than births last year - this was the first time that happened in all but five states.

The surge of deaths was caused directly by Covid as well as other factors impacted by the pandemic, Johnson explained in an email to the newspaper.

"People delaying treatment for other diseases, being reluctant to get medical tests that might have detected disease early and deaths that may have occurred because people were reluctant to go to a hospital if they had chest pains," Johnson said.

His research also noted that in 2020, the impact of the pandemic contributed to a record 3,376,000 deaths in the US: 18 per cent more than in 2019.

In addition, births diminished by 4 per cent to 3,605,000 in 2020.

"The surplus of births over deaths added just 229,000 to the population in 2020 compared to 892,000 in 2019: a decline of 74 per cent," the paper said.

"This decline coupled with diminished immigration produced the US' smallest annual percentage population gain in at least 100 years."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Thiruvananthapuram, June 14 : A Catholic nun who was dismissed from her congregation said on Monday that she was not heard by the Vatican and she will not move out from the convent where she is presently staying in Wayanad, Kerala.

It was in August 2019, the Franciscan Clarist Congregation (FCC) after getting the clearance from the Vatican dismissed Sister Lucy Kalapurakkal from the church at Manathavady in Kerala for disobeying church authorities.

Sister Kalapurakkal had last year supported the nuns' strike in the state demanding the arrest of rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who headed the Roman Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar.

But even though she was asked to move out from the convent then, she got an order from a court that she should not be forced out and has been staying there since then.

Speaking to the media on Monday she said it was two days back that she received a letter from her higher ups that her appeal to the Vatican was dismissed.

"How is it possible when the letter that I was given was dated May 27, 2020. I was not even heard by the Vatican, which is a denial of natural justice. I have been asked to move out from the Convent where I am staying in a week's time. I am not going to move out," said Sister Kalapurakkal.

Trouble started for her, when a nun had filed an FIR accusing Mulakkal of having raped her at Kerala's Kuravilangad church between 2014 and 2016. Mulakkal was arrested in September following the protest and is currently out on bail.

However, Sister Kalapurakkal became a target of the Church authorities after she joined the nuns protest against the delay in Mulakkal's arrest despite the FIR against him.

Since then she had been receiving notices from the church on flimsy charges such as airing her opinion about the bishop on TV channels, owning a car and writing a book.

Incidentally, the Kerala High Court, in December 2019 declined to ban the nun's autobiography titled "Karthavinte Namethil (In the name of Christ)" and later it was released.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Pratapgarh : , June 14 (IANS) A TV journalist based in Uttar Pradesh has been found dead under mysterious circumstances in Pratapgarh district.

Just a day before his death, Sulabh Srivastava, who worked for ABP News and ABP Ganga, wrote to the Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday saying he felt threatened following his recent reportage of liquor mafias in the district.

Seeking protection, Srivastava had said he had been informed by sources that the liquor mafia was angry with him after the publication of his report and wanted to harm him or his family.

The Pratapgarh police has said that the journalist died in a 'motorcycle accident.' "Srivastava was returning on his motorcycle after media coverage, at around 11 p.m. on Sunday. He fell from his motorcycle near a brick kiln. Some labourers lifted him from the road and then used his phone to call his friends.

"He was taken to the district hospital where the doctors declared him dead," the Pratapgarh police said in a statement.

The police also added that the initial probe revealed that Srivastava fell after his "bike collided with a handpump along the road".

The police also added that they are probing other angles in the matter.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government saying that "the liquor mafia has killed from Aligarh to Pratapgarh but the UP government is silent (sic)".

She asked in a tweet, "Does the UP government, which nurtures 'jungle raj', have any answer to the tears of the family members of journalist Sulabh Srivastava?"
Hyderabad, June 14 : The 135-year-old Nizam era Warangal Central Jail in Telangana became history with the authorities demolishing the prison structures to build a multi super-specialty hospital.

The demolition work, which was taken up on Sunday on a massive scale, was almost completed within 24 hours.

Spread over 59.5 acres the jail was built in 1885 by the government of Nizam Mir Mahbub Ali Khan VI, the ruler of then Hyderabad State.

Many prominent personalities including those who took part in the Indian freedom struggle, Telangana Peasants' Movement, and Telangana Statehood movement were imprisoned in this jail in Warangal town.

Amid reports that some individuals are planning to move the High Court seeking directions to stop demolition of the jail, the authorities deployed heavy machinery to complete the work at a brisk pace. The operation was completed with secrecy as all approach roads were sealed and even media persons were not given access to the area.

It was the second-largest jail in Telangana. Earlier this month, all 957 prisoners imprisoned there were shifted to jails in Mahabubabad, Chanchalguda, Cherlapally open-air jail, Nizamabad, Adilabad, and Khammam.

The state government has allocated Rs 250 crore for a new central prison for Warangal. Director General of TS Prisons Rajiv Trivedi said the new jail will be built near Mamnoor fourth battalion police camp premises on the outskirts of Warangal. Officials carried out a survey of the 100-acre land for building the new jail.

Meanwhile, the state government has decided to build a 24-storied building for the super multi-specialty hospital coming in place of the old prison.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said this hospital will have better medical facilities than any other such hospital in the country.

He directed officials to provide all modern facilities including a helipad facility on the terrace for landing of helicopters bringing patients for emergency care.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, asked officials to build the hospital as a Green Building with the Canadian style of cross ventilation. He directed officials concerned to visit Canada to have the firsthand experience.

The chief minister will be laying foundation stone for the hospital on June 21. The facility is likely to be built on the lines of the multi-storied Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre in Canada.

The foundation stone for the hospital will be laid exactly a month after KCR visited Warangal jail and decided to demolish it to a build a multi super-specialty hospital with the latest technology, equipment and medical services.

He announced that a jail would be built on the lines of Cherlapally Open Air Jail in a sprawling campus on Warangal outskirts. The new prison would also have a correctional centre.

The proposed hospital in Warangal, the second biggest city in the state after Hyderabad, is part of the state government's plans to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in the state.

The State Cabinet decided last week that the government will spend Rs.10,000 crore over next two years to provide world-class healthcare facilities to the people.

The government wants to focus on the public health sector the way it strengthened irrigation sector and brought qualitative changes.

A Cabinet Sub-Committee headed by finance minister Harish Rao was constituted to prepare a report with all details in this regard.

The Sub-Committee will review the situation in government hospitals, staff and other infrastructure facilities. The panel will tour Kerala, Tamil Nadu where better medical treatment is given as well as Sri Lanka, to study the situation and submit a report.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, June 14 : South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rose 0.2 percentage points over the week to 38.5 per cent, a new poll revealed on Monday.

The negative assessment on Moon's conduct of state affairs fell 0.3 percentage points to 57.6 per cent, according to the Realmeter survey.

Support for Moon's ruling Democratic Party slipped 0.5 percentage points from a week earlier to 29.2 per cent last week, reports Xinhua news agency.

The main conservative opposition People Power Party garnered 39.1 per cent of support last week, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous week.

The minor centre-right People's Party gained 6.7 per cent of approval score, followed by the minor centre-left Open Democratic Party with 6.0 per cent and the minor progressive Justice Party with 3.9 per cent each.

The results were based on a poll of 2,512 voters conducted from June 7-11.

It had plus and minus 2.0 percentage points in margin of error with a 95 per cent confidence level.
New Delhi, June 14 : A joint venture between UK Chancellor Rishi Sunaks billionaire in-laws and the internet retailing giant Amazon is in a multimillion-pound dispute with the Indian tax authorities, a Guardian investigation has found.

The disclosure adds to the list of legal battles currently involving the joint venture, following news on Friday that India's competition commission has been given permission to relaunch an investigation into Amazon.

The Guardian reported that small traders claim they are being squeezed out of business by the multinational's selling practices and that the US retailer's 1 billion-pound-a-year venture with the chancellor's father-in-law, the technology entrepreneur NR Narayana Murthy, could be bypassing Indian foreign ownership rules.

Amazon says it is operating in full compliance with local laws.

The emergence of the tax case follows last week's G7 discussions, when the finance ministers of the world's largest economies agreed a global deal designed to make tech companies pay more tax.

In India, foreign companies are banned from running an online retailer that holds inventory and then sells the goods directly to Indian consumers online. So, instead, the Amazon.in website is run as a "marketplace", with Indian retailers selling their products via the site in return for a fee to the US giant, the report said.

One of the largest sellers on Amazon.in is a company called Cloudtail, a business indirectly 76 per cent -- owned by an investment firm controlled by the Murthy family. The remaining quarter of Cloudtail is owned by Amazon.

An analysis of the company's accounts and activities by the Guardian shows that Cloudtail: faces a 5.5 million pound demand -- including "interest and penalties" -- from India's tax authorities has paid "meagre" taxes over the past four years, while using a business model described as Amazon "on steroids"

has filled its top two posts -- chief executive and finance director -- with Amazon executives, while Cloudtail's holding company, Prione, has also been run by former Amazon managers.

Cloudtail's most recent accounts state: "The company has received a show cause notice in the current year from Directorate General of Goods and Service Tax Intelligence amounting to Rs 5,455 lakh (5.5 million pound) along with interest and penalties for service tax-related matters." It is not known precisely what the tax dispute is about. The company said it was contesting the bill, and added: "Since this matter is sub judice, we are unable to comment any further."
Dhaka, June 14 : Bangladesh's elite police force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), on Monday arrested an active member of the banned Ansar al-Islam militant outfit in Nakla, Sherpur district.

In the early hours of Monday, a joint team of police and RAB-3 Tikatuli Dhaka arrested the 19-year-old Md. Hasan Mahmud from Lava Madhyapara area.

Bina Rani Das, Additional Superintendent of RAB-3 media told IANS that Mahmud had been posted anti-state, anti-government, provocative, extremist content on social media.

Obtained from his mobile and Facebook account, preliminary evidence of involvement in militancy has been found.

Legal action is being taken against the arrested accused.
Mumbai, June 14 : Gurugram boy and Model-actor Vikas Rao, who features in Ram Gopal Varma's latest, digitally-released film "D Company", says he has learnt a lot from the filmmaker while working with him.

"RGV is a magician in his craft, so I learned a lot while shooting. When he is on sets, one will find him extremely professional but when you meet him after shooting, you will find him funny and jolly," Vikas tells IANS.

"D Company" is based on the life of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. In the film, Vikas plays a gangster who kills the don's brother.

Quizzed how he got selected for the role, he replied: "I went through different rounds of audition and look tests. I was really excited when I got this project, as I have been seeing Ram Gopal Varma sir's movies since school days. It's a dream for every aspiring actor to work with such a great personality." How was the experience of shooting amid pandemic?

"It was a new experience shooting in pandemic -- very less people on the set and mask on all the time. We used to remove our masks only while shooting our scenes. All necessary precautions were taken on set," he informed.

Any piece of advice from RGV? "Yes, he gave me the advice that you have no control over the finished product, what people will think of it. So, all you have is the experience of making it, and you have to stay focused on that. I just keep this thought in mind and do my job," revealed the actor.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, June 14 : Amitabh Bachchan went to work at 7am on Monday, after the second lockdown was lifted. The veteran actor posted a picture on Instagram, wearing a mask and seated in his car on way to work.

"7 am .. driving to work .. first day shooting after Lockdown 2.0 .. on with the PANGOLIN mask .. and the MANIFESTATION : "every day in ever way things will get better and better and better," Big B captioned the image.

The actor did not share what he was shooting for or the name of the project.

His upcoming slate of work includes a string of films. He has "Brahmastra", "Chehre", "Jhund", "MayDay", "Goodbye" and a remake of the Hollywood film "The Intern" coming up, besides an untitled film with Prabhas and Deepika Padukone.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New York, June 14 : Married men who don't help out around the house tend to bring home bigger paychecks than husbands who play a bigger role on the domestic chores front, according to a study.

The study led by University of Notre Dame in Indiana, US, showed that "disagreeable" men in opposite-sex marriages are less helpful with domestic work, enabling them to preserve more time and energy at home, which they can invest into their work and earn more.

In contemporary psychology, "agreeableness" is one of the "Big Five" dimensions used to describe human personality. It generally refers to someone who is warm, sympathetic, kind and cooperative. Disagreeable people do not tend to exhibit these characteristics, and they tend to be more self-interested and competitive.

"Across two studies, we find evidence that disagreeable men tend to earn more money relative to their more agreeable male counterparts because they are more self-interested and less helpful to their wives at home, which allows for greater job involvement and, ultimately, higher pay," said lead author Brittany Solomon, management professors at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.

"This effect is even stronger among disagreeable men with more traditional gender role attitudes and when their wives are highly conscientious, presumably because in these cases their wives take on more household management and more seamlessly carry out the responsibilities," Solomon added.

However, the team found that disagreeableness does not predict career success for more egalitarian men, those whose wives are less conscientious or any men outside opposite-sex marriages.

"While disagreeableness in the workplace may lead some employees to success, those hoping to attain higher pay should at least hesitate before leaning into a disagreeable workplace persona," Solomon cautioned.

"Indeed, if self-interested and less communal work behaviour was the only key to higher pay, then disagreeable men would tend to earn more, regardless of whether they were married, how they viewed gender roles or to whom they were married," Solomon said.

Further, the research suggests that organisations acknowledge the role that spousal exchange plays in individual success and points to the potential for organisations to refocus efforts to fuel job involvement on lightening the burden of at-home responsibilities. Doing so could allow employees to preserve resources that could then be invested in their jobs, the team said.

The findings are forthcoming in the journal Personnel Psychology.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, June 14 : South Korea's military will conduct a defence drill in and around its easternmost islets of Dokdo this week, government and military sources said on Monday.

The maritime exercise, called the East Sea Territory Protection Exercise, will be staged Tuesday in and around the Dokdo islets, called Takeshima in Japan, reports Xinhua news agency.

The exercise, which has been held usually twice a year since 1986, would reportedly mobilise naval and coast guard vessels, fighter jets and maritime patrol aircraft.

No landing drill will be carried out given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Tokyo has protested against the exercise as it laid territorial claims to the islets lying halfway between South Korea and Japan.

In protest, Tokyo called off agreed-upon talks between President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga during the G7 meeting in Britain over the weekend, a foreign ministry official in Seoul was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News Agency.

South Korea regained its sovereignty over the islets after liberation from the 1910-1945 Japanese colonisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The islets were incorporated into Japan during the colonisation.
New Delhi, June 14: Imagine standing in shallow water-without moving-for long periods of time. Toes spread out, feet firmly planted in squishy mud, eyes focused on finding a tasty fish or frog.

Suddenly, the head strikes underwater, grabs a passing treat with the beak and swallows it whole. Incredible surgical strike with precision.

I am always entranced watching the hunting behavior of long-legged wading birds like herons and egrets. They stand motionless for long minutes at the edge of a pond or swamp, waiting for prey to swim within striking distance. It's a technique sometimes described as stalking, and it convinces me that those birds have far more patience than I do.

The bird reminds me of Heron UAV drones of Indian defence forces which were used in the surgical attack on terrorist camps inside Pakistani territory. During the surgical strike, the Heron was up in the air monitoring and assessing the target. The Heron drones are equipped with laser guided bombs, long-range air to ground missiles and anti-tank guided missiles for precision surgical attack.

Like the heron birds, these drones stalk their "prey" with stealth. Flying at a height of 30,000 ft, Heron drones provide its operators with real-time information about enemy battlefields by performing surveillance and target acquisition over large areas.

Any fisherman will tell you that to catch a fish, you need the right bait, the perfect spot by the water's edge, and loads of patience. While they don't use the traditional line-and-tackle, herons have mastered these fishing techniques.

The heron, egret and bitterns bird species belong to the same family of Ardeidae - somewhat visually similar to cranes, storks and ibises. However, a closer look soon allows you to recognise them.

Herons are widely distributed over the world but are most common in the tropics. They usually feed while wading quietly in the shallow waters of pools, marshes, and swamps, catching frogs, fishes, and other aquatic animals. They nest in rough platforms of sticks constructed in bushes or trees near water; the nests usually are grouped in colonies called heronries.

There are six types of herons found in India-the purple heron, grey heron, black-crowned night Heron, pond heron, western reef heron and striated heron and the white-bellied heron.

Out of these, the white-bellied herons are extremely rare. The IUCN Red List classifies them as "Critically Endangered" and estimates there are between 50 to 249 mature individuals left in the wild.

The smallest of the common herons in India are the pond heron, also known as paddy heron and black-crowned night heron and striated heron. They are common in and around Indian cities, around lakes, ponds, marshes, and wetlands. Unlike their larger, long-necked cousins, these herons usually hold their necks tight up against their bodies, giving them a stocky, hunched appearance.

Instead of getting the feet wet, these herons perch on vegetation or low-hanging branches at the water's edge and when small fish come in the range, they strike rapidly, extending the neck and dagger-like beak. The victim is swallowed whole. They have an excellent camouflage, feeding on fish and amphibians at the edge of ponds and marshy wetlands.

Aptly named, the black-crowned night heron prefers the pre-dawn hours for fishing when fish are most active. This helps them avoid the crowds (other birds fishing).

Grey herons are the largest among the herons found in India. They grow up-to a metre tall and its wings can spread up to 195 cms. These big Herons commonly stand with the neck bent in an 'S' shape. They fly with the legs trailing loosely and the head held back against the body, instead of stretching the neck out in front as most birds do. They have broad wings, long straight sharp-pointed bills, and powder downs; the latter are areas of feathers that continually disintegrate to a fine powder which is used for preening (absorbing and removing fish oil, scum, and slime from the plumage).

The big herons like purple herons, grey herons eat frogs, insects but their main source of food is fish, and have evolved to become highly efficient at catching them. The herons are tall and have long legs which gives them the ability to catch fish in their favourite manner which typically involves wading slowly in shallow water.

Sometimes herons lure fish by dropping things into the water-insects, tiny feathers or leaves, even worms. Then it waits perfectly still and suddenly it strikes, deftly snatching a fish with a swift jab of its beak. Herons have only one rule: Be patient, but take focused action when the time is right.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, June 14 : South Korea's Unification Ministry on Monday called on North Korea to respond to Seoul's dialogue offer ahead of the 21st anniversary of the June 15, 2000, joint declaration.

Ministry spokesperson said while addressing a press briefing that the government urges the North to return to the spirit of the declaration and positively respond to the call for dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas, reports Xinhua news agency.

She said the government will make best efforts to move forward the Korean Peninsula peace process by continuing to implement the inter-Korean agreements, including the joint declaration.

The declaration was announced during the summit in Pyongyang in June 2000 between late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

The South Korean government will hold no official event on Tuesday to mark the 21st anniversary of the declaration, but several other gatherings would be reportedly hosted by civilians, municipal governments, and Parliament.

The spokesperson noted that the declaration opened a new era for reconciliation, cooperation, peace and unification between the two Koreas and laid foundation for the Korean Peninsula peace process.

The inter-Korean talks have been stalled since the second summit between incumbent North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then US President Donald Trump ended without an agreement in February 2019 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

Tensions escalated between the two Koreas when Pyongyang destroyed the inter-Korean liaison office in the border town of Kaesong in June 2020 in protest against the anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets flown from the South Korean side.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Tokyo, June 14 : A Tokyo court on Monday began the trial of the two American nationals charged with helping ousted Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while on bail.

Michael Taylor, a 60-year-old former Green Beret, and his son Peter, 28, have already admitted to helping Ghosn, 67, flee Japan so the former auto tycoon could avoid trial, reports Xinhua news agency.

Sources close to the case said the pair were asked by Ghosn's wife to smuggle the once-revered Nissan bigwig out of Japan while he was awaiting trial.

The two Americans are charged with providing Ghosn illegal passage to Lebanon, one of three countries he is a national of, by smuggling him out of his residence in Tokyo to Kansai International Airport via two hotels in late December 2019.

The father and son team, in full knowledge Ghosn was prohibited from leaving the country as part of his bail terms, hid Ghosn in a large box, which cleared Kansai airport security, and the illicit cargo was flown to Turkey on a private jet.

At the request of Japanese prosecutors, the Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts in 2020 by US authorities.

They had fought extradition to Japan in US courts but ultimately lost their battle when their appeal was rejected by the American Supreme Court this February.

Once extradited, they were arrested and charged in Japan in March.

Ghosn, who holds Brazilian, French and Lebanese nationalities, is accused of under-reporting his remuneration for years and for embezzling company funds.

He has denied all the charges, claiming company insiders conspired against him.

Japan has been trying to detain Ghosn with the help of Interpol.

Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with Japan, meaning that Ghosn cannot be legally handed over without the government in Beirut first agreeing to it.
New Delhi, June 14: Led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, India has kicked off discussions with Kenya to enhance collaboration in areas of trade and investment, defence and security cooperation, development partnerships in regional and multilateral fora, as well as people-to-people interaction.

Jaishankar, who landed in Nairobi on Saturday on a three-day visit, held bilateral talks with his Kenyan counterpart Raychelle Omamo straightaway, with both ministers also discussing cooperation in the United Nation Security Council (UNSC).

India and Kenya are currently serving in the UNSC and are also members of the Commonwealth. Kenya is an active member of the African Union, with which India has long-standing ties.

Jaishankar said Saturday that he was looking forward to the third meeting of the India-Kenya Joint Commission which will review all aspects of the bilateral relationship. The last meeting of the Joint Commission was held in New Delhi in March 2019 when the Indian delegation was led by late minister Sushma Swaraj.

"Delighted to be back in Kenya. Thank FM Raychelle Omamo for her gracious welcome and hospitality. A productive discussion on our bilateral cooperation that we will be taking forward through the Joint Commission," the External Affairs Minister tweeted before holding a series of meetings meant to strengthen relations with Kenya.

"A detailed exchange on regional and global issues as befitting two UNSC members. A historical solidarity is today a modern partnership," said Jaishankar.

India Kenya Meeting As he meets several other ministers of the Kenyan government in Nairobi to take forward the India-Kenya relationship which both countries seek to deepen, Jaishankar will also interact with the thriving Indian-origin community, an important bridge between the two countries.

Jaishankar's visit to Kenya comes at a critical time when Beijing is going all out to woo Kenya and several other African nations by investing hugely in the infrastructure projects which analysts term as China's debt trap diplomacy.

The Xi Jinping government has given Kenya a grant of over 4 billion Kenya Shillings towards the construction of a new Ministry headquarters and recently also gifted two 'VIP' buses to Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs 'ease' movement of special guests around Nairobi during international meetings.

China insists that Kenya has benefitted a lot under the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and their relationship has deepened after the Strategic Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership Agreement signed in 2016 between the two countries.

A Chinese-built seaport in Kenya's coastal county of Lamu has also become operational last month. The port creates a transport corridor that links landlocked South Sudan and Ethiopia to the Indian Ocean.

India takes Africa on a developmental path According to the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), India is the second largest investor in Kenya. Over 60 major Indian companies have invested in various sectors including manufacturing, real estate, pharmaceuticals, telecom, IT and ITES, banking and agro-based industries. Indian investments have resulted in creation of thousands of direct jobs to Kenyans. Indian pharmaceutical companies also have a substantial presence in Kenya.

Kenya has invited greater Indian investment and business linkages in areas such as agro-processing, food processing, cold-storages, textile, leather, leather products and ICT sectors.

With India offering massive support to several African countries -- nearly 51 out of 54 nations have projects of some kind either grant or on lines of credit from India - Kenya too has been getting a sizable development assistance in the form of loans and credit.

As Jaishankar said at the Raisina Dialogue in April this year, the Narendra Modi government has been helping several countries in the continent "to fish rather than giving them the fish" through enhancing capability building - be it human capability or an asset creation.

"When we speak of South South cooperation, for us a large part of that is within Asia, and also our relationship with Africa. And we have, certainly in the last six years, since Prime Minister Modi came to office; we have really stepped on the bus," Jaishankar had said.

"I think if you look at a lot of what we have done, and some of the examples, I mean, a country like Mauritania, it's the other end of Africa. I mean, my strategic interest there is not particularly high. But the fact that we could go out there and build a milk processing plant, or the fact that we've been very active in water treatment systems in Tanzania and Mozambique, or in reviving, we've done a textile plant in Kenya, or cement plant in Djibouti, sugar in different countries," the minister said while detailing the efforts of the government in the region.

Initiatives like 'Vaccine Maitri' - Kenya was given 1.12 million doses of AstraZeneca (1.02 million under COVAX alliance and 100000 as gift from India) vaccine - during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has certainly helped India enhance its footprint in the African continent. It remains the same for the Pacific Island all the way through Asia and the Caribbean.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kabul, June 14 : A key Taliban divisional commander has been arrested in Afghanistan's northern province of Takhar, amidst the ongoing violence in country, a local spokesman confirmed on Monday.

"Rohullah Rohani and one of his protectors have been arrested following an operative task conducted by personnel National Directorate of Security (NDS), or national intelligence agency in Yangi Qala district in Takhar," the spokesman told Xinhua news agency.

The province has been the scene of recent heavy clashes.

The Taliban militant group has not responded to the report so far.

The report came as Taliban militants have attacked security forces and captured several suburban districts across Afghanistan in recent weeks.

In neighbouring Kunduz province, Afghan national security forces launched a counter-attack early Monday and evict militants from Khan Abad district which was captured by Taliban militants over the weekend, local officials confirmed.

Since the official withdrawal of the US and other NATO troops in Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban have intensified attacks on provincial capitals, districts, bases and checkpoints.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have been displaced in the past few weeks.

The withdrawal of international troops is due to be completed by September 11 at the latest.
Chennai, June 14 : Popular Social media commentator and supporter of AIADMK and BJP, Kishore K. Swamy was arrested by the Chennai city police on charges of circulating defamatory content against DMK leaders and former chief ministers C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi. He is also booked for using abusive and defamatory language on social media against present Chief minister M.K. Stalin.

He was arrested twice earlier for allegedly posting derogatory content against women journalists on social media, mainly on Twitter. The social media activist during his two earlier arrests was released immediately.

Kishor K. Swamy was arrested on Monday by the Sankar Nagar Police following a complaint by the DMK, IT in charge of Kancheepuram district, Ravichandran which was lodged on June 10. The complainant in his petition before the police alleged that the social media activist had used defamatory content against former chief ministers and highly respected leaders of Tamil Nadu, Late C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi. The petitioner also alleged that defamatory content was also used against the present Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin.

A senior police officer with the Chennai police while speaking to IANS said, "Kishore K. Swamy was arrested under Sections - 153, 505(1)(b) and Section 505(1)(c) of the IPC." He was produced before the residence of a magistrate and she remanded Kishor K. Swamy to judicial custody till June 28. He is lodged in Chengalpettu sub-jail.
Chennai, June 14 : Union leaders in the automotive industries are of the view that Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health should incorporate their views before submitting their inspection report to the Madras High Court.

The Court on Monday adjourned the Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd versus its worker's union case to June 21 as the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health had not submitted their inspection report of various car factories.

"In all fairness the state government team should also hear the worker's views. It is they who work on the ground and know what is possible and not possible," M. Moorthy, General Secretary, Renault Nissan India Thozhilalar Sangam (RNITS- worker's union), told IANS.

Continuing further he added earlier the High Court had ordered an inspection team to discuss with the workers to arrive at the changes in the car assembly line.

Similar views were voiced by a union leader in Hyundai Motor India Ltd.

"Basically, the case is all about violation of Covid-19 safety protocol. The union has gone to the court. Hence, equity demands that the views of workers in all the factories where the inspection was carried out should be reflected in the state government's report," a union leader in Hyundai Motor told IANS preferring anonymity.

Another Union official told IANS that many of the Covid-19 issues in Hyundai Motor have been discussed with the management and have been implemented.

"Ideally the inspection team should also discuss with the workers to arrive at a comprehensive and wholesome report. It is only the workers who know the issues at the ground level," a union official in Ford India told IANS.

The Madras High Court had on June 8 ordered the Directorate of Industrial Safety to visit the Renault Nissan Automotive's factory and also other comparable passenger vehicle makers located near here to arrive at a uniform Covid-19 safety guideline.

Accordingly, the state government officials had inspected the car plants of Renault Nissan Automotive India, Ford India, Hyundai Motor India last week to arrive at the uniform social distancing norms at the shopfloor level.

When the case came up for hearing, it was submitted that the state government is yet to submit its report.

Adjourning the case for June 21, the court ordered that the copy of the inspection report should be given to both the warring parties.

Office bearers of the worker unions in Renault Nissan, Ford India and Hyundai Motor had earlier told IANS that they were not consulted by the inspecting officials.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 14 : A new pooled power pricing mechanism is proposed to be established by the power ministry that would ensure near uniform energy charges transitioning the country towards 'One Nation, One Grid, One Price".

The power ministry has issued a discussion paper on market-based economic dispatch (MBED) of power and has asked stakeholders for their comments on the subject by June 30, 2021.

The idea is to establish a central pool from where demand for power for each state would be met. This would ensure that Discoms get their source of power at optimal price helping them to bring down the cost of power.

The Ministry believes that the proposed MBED mechanism would be a key step in transitioning towards 'One Nation, One Grid, One Price".

According to a report by clean energy consultancy and communications firm Mercom, the proposed MBED mechanism is also expected to enhance greater renewable energy integration with the balancing area increased from state to national level leading to a huge drop in renewable energy curtailment.

The total power generation in the country is about 1,400 billion units with a weighted average price of Rs 2.36 per kWh. It is estimated that through the proposed pooling mechanism there would be a saving of about 4 per cent amounting to over Rs 12,000 crore.

The power ministry in its discussion paper has proposed phased introduction of the MBED mechanism giving everyone time to adjust to reality of the new power procurement mechanism.

As a first step, it is proposed to bring NTPC's generation capacities into the fold of proposed procurement mechanism.

This would mean that NTPC as well as Discoms will participate in day ahead market of power exchanges for discovery of prices and scheduling based on the demand-supply factors. For state discoms, this would mean reduced dependency on state level proper projects for need based energy required outside the power purchase agreements. Supplies under this arrangement is often much expensive.
Bengaluru, June 14 : Karnataka's legendary film producer K.C.N. Chandrashekhar, whose family banner - KCN Movies - had produced a large number of cult classic movies and delivered blockbusters, passed away due to multi-organ failures. He was 69.

Chandrashekhar, was the son of the legendary producer late K.C.N. Gowda, who had founded the KCN Movies, after successfully building iconic movie theatres projects like - Navarang and Urvashi here.

Carrying forward his family's tradition started by his father, Chandrashekhar too continued to produce iconic movies including some of the late Kannada thespian's Dr Rajkumar's best works like Babruvahana.

The producer was admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru where he was undergoing treatment. He died due to multiple organ failures on Sunday, according to family sources.

Chandrashekhar's final rites were conducted at his residence in Bengaluru on Monday morning.

The veteran filmmaker had also served as the president of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) and South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC).

Condoling Chandrashekar's demise, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said that the Kannada film industry has lost a great film-maker and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.

Actor and activist Chetan Kumar also condoled the death of the ace producer and wrote: "Producer KCN Chandrashekar had passed away. In 1977 his banner produced popular film 'Babruvahana'. When I was 4-yers-old, I enacted legendary dialogue between father-son Arjuna & #Babruvahana across US. Chandrashekar was kind, hospitable whenever we spoke. We will miss him." Chandrashekhar's father, late K. C. N. Gowda, is still considered to be a legendary movie producer, distributor, and exhibitor in Kannada cinema.

Gowda is still remembered fondly by Kannada film lovers for some of his timeless classic Kannada movies like Sharapanjara, Babruvahana, and Daari Thappida Maga. Cult classic movie Bangarada Manushya ran for two years in States theatre Bengaluru, while Sharapanjara was a silver jubilee film.

Following the path laid down by their father, the K.C.N. brothers ventured into different subjects in movies, including social, mythological, historical and entertaining films.

He introduced many new talents to Kannada cinema in the field of artistes and technicians. There was no shortfall in the hospitality in the production house of the KCN Gowda banner.

Legendary thespian of Kannada movies Rajkumar used to often describe K.C.N. Gowda as "Anna Dhaata".
Palakoderu : , June 14 (IANS) A group of Dalits who claimed to have voted for Narasapuram MP K. Raghurama Krishna Raju lodged a complaint with the police in Andhra Pradesh to arrest him for failing to fulfill the promises he made during elections. Dalits say the MP is always absent.

"They (Dalits) complained against Raju for not fulfilling the election promises. The plaintiffs said, Raju promised Garagaparru villagers that he would solve their problems but never visited the village again," a police official told IANS on Monday.

Incidentally, the Dalits from Narasapuram constituency demanded on Sunday that Raju be booked under sedition and SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

However, the official said this matter has been referred to senior police officials for guidance as well as legal opinion for the next course of action.

For the past several months, Raju has been mostly dividing his time between Hyderabad and Delhi, including regularly featuring in the media to attack the state government from within.

Meanwhile, the rebel MP, out on bail for allegedly attempting to cause disaffection towards the government and aiming to cause rifts between communities, has started a massive war against Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

The Narasapuram MP is writing one letter a day to Reddy on election promises, alleging that they were not fulfilled.

On Monday, he wrote a letter about Agrigold depositors, Sunday on job notification calendar, Saturday on YSR Pellikanuka and Shadi Mubarak and others.

"The much publicized schemes of YSR Pellikanuka and Shadi Mubarak, which were renamed from Kalayana Lakshmi and Dulhan respectively of previous dispensation have met total neglect of our government," he claimed.

In a major volte-face, unlike in Raju's earlier videos in which he would abuse Reddy using his caste and other derogatory references, the MP kept his tone and tenor in the letter respectful and dignified, including addressing the CM as 'dear sir'.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Gwalior, June 14 : Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar was inspecting a chamber in Gwalior being built under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme when the wall on which the Minister stepped on collapsed. Following this, he immediately ordered an inquiry into the construction work.

According to official information, a chamber was being built under the AMRUT scheme on Sunday near the Gwalior mental health centre.

When Tomar was passing through this area on Sunday, he stopped his car. As soon as he put pressure on the wall of the chamber with his feet to check the quality of construction the wall fell down. The minister expressed strong displeasure over the incident and reprimanded the construction company along with its officials.

Allegations have been levelled several times about the quality of the ongoing construction work under the AMRUT scheme. Gwalior Municipal Corporation Commissioner Shivam Verma has pulled up the officials of the construction firm. A fine of Rs 1 lakh has also been imposed on the firm.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, June 14 : Almost like an unending daily soap, the so-called 'mystery over the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput continues, as it remains unsolved a year after he was found dead in his Mumbai home.

On June 14, 2020, at the height of pandemic induced lockdown, Sushant, 34, the man who moved audiences with movies like "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story" (2016), "Kedarnath" (2018) and "Chhichhore" (2019), was allegedly discovered hanging from a ceiling fan at his rented home in Mont Blanc Apartments, triggering one of the biggest controversies in Bollywood in recent years.

Soon, it erupted into a political dogfight involving the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra, plus the then poll-bound Bihar regime and the Centre.

Multiple probe agencies like Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), jumped into the cauldron that reeked of a riveting Bollywood potboiler -- intrigues, oodles of love, girlfriends, 'dhokha' (deceit), drugs, hints of lesbianism, alleged big money scam, nefarious links, et al.

A year later, the social media is overflowing with fan memories, obits, tributes and demands for justice, as the ruling MVA allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress leaders slam the CBI and the Centre.

Shiv Sena Spokesperson and MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the Sushant episode was not about a probe into what went wrong, but was more about "hounding the (MVA) government, casting aspersions, launching a smear campaign" as a lot of stories have turned out to be fake.

NCP National Spokespserson and Minister Nawab Malik termed it as "a conspiracy hatched" to discredit the Maharashtra government, and demanded that if Sushant did not commit suicide, then the CBI should reveal who is his killer.

"It has been 310 days since the CBI started probing and 250 days since an AIIMS panel ruled out murder. When will the agency declare the final conclusion? Why has CBI kept the lid on it? CBI is under immense pressure from its political bosses," said Congress State Spokesperson Sachin Sawant.

"After a year, nobody knows what happened to the CBI probe. This was not for justice to Sushant, but to target the government on an issue which was clearly an open-and-shut case," said Chaturvedi sharply.

"The Mumbai Police was investigating Sushant's suicide case, but for political reasons, the Bihar government lodged the case and handed it over to the CBI. Now, the CBI should reveal who killed him," Malik said.

Sawant added: "The BJP government at the Centre is using CBI, ED, NIA as political weapons to target and defame the MVA, these agencies are no more independent -- but truth always prevails." The Bandra police had lodged an accidental death report in the case, but after the first information report registered by Sushant's father, Krishna Kishore Singh in Patna, the Bihar government sought a CBI probe, which was ordered by the Supreme Court.

On August 19, 2020, the CBI formally took over the case investigation, then the ED entered to probe the financial angles, followed by the NCB to unravel the drugs angle.

Sushant's family squarely blamed his live-in partner and actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and other friends or aides, leading to the arrest of around 33 persons by the NCB.

As the CBI-ED probes seem to have faded in the background, the NCB marched on relentlessly, ostensibly to "uproot the drugs citadel" in Mumbai, especially Bollywood and many of its high-profile players.

The CBI recorded statements of Sushant's family members and other witnesses, while Rhea contended that the late actor used to take drugs and was being treated for certain mental health issues.

Revelling in the fresh exposes virtually daily, like a TV soap, the BJP state leaders spared no opportunity to take jabs at Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son and Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray.

Later, in the Bihar elections, Sushant's death proved to be a political windfall and AIIMS, New Delhi, ruled out any foul play, concurring that he died by hanging.

Now, the ball is in the CBI court to draw the curtains for the final word on Sushant's end.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, June 14 : It is no secret that with changing times our problems change shape and so do our needs. While earlier menstrual hygiene issue was mainly seen as a quest to hygienically secure menstrual flow, people have now come to realise that there are many more problems surrounding it.

Upon asking the importance of menstrual cup, Deep Bajaj, CEO and Co-Founder of Sirona Hygiene, said, "In a world where women had been relying on old cloth rags, disposable plastic-based pads monopolised the menstrual hygiene landscape for offering clean protection, and an easy lifestyle. Yet, their usage over the years has opened a can of worms. For the individuals using them, they cause rashes, leakage and restrict their physical activity. For the world, they create piles of waste. Thirty six per cent of 336 million menstruating women in India use disposable sanitary napkins according to Menstrual Hygiene Alliance of India (MHAI). This totals 121 million women, generating around 12.3 billion disposable sanitary napkins that end up in the landfills, clogging water bodies and causing endless pollution."

Thankfully, we have more options today. Reusable menstrual cup give more benefits than all others combined! Made of medical-grade silicone, it is safe to use for menstruating women and girls of different ages alike and doesn't cause allergies. Since it is internally worn, that is, inserted inside the vaginal cavity, it collects menstrual blood at the source for up to 8 hours and thus avoids constant damp contact with the skin, reducing chances of skin infections and rashes.

"When inserted, the menstrual cup pops open, creating a vacuum seal to eliminate the chances of leakage. It therefore gives you the freedom to indulge in physical activities like swimming and other sports. Moreover, one menstrual cup lasts for up to 10 years depending on the water quality. For its maintenance, all it needs are a few washes during the flow between removal and insertion and sterilisation before and after the periods. Using the menstrual cup thus results in significantly cutting down on sanitary waste creation. Being reusable, the cup also proves to be lighter on the pocket in the long run! It is healthier, economical and eco-friendly, and thus, a clear winner among all period alternatives today."

Like any new solution, menstrual cups have been eyed with suspicion arising from myths, long held biases and misconceptions.

Social groups, government and corporations have been playing an important role in spreading awareness in this regard by clearing people's doubts about menstrual cups. Empowered with the right knowledge, more women are switching to menstrual cups.

(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)

-- Syndicated from IANS
Dhaka, June 14 : Top Bangladeshi film star Pori Moni has filed a case against businessman Nasiruddin Mahmud and five other individuals alleging that they attempted to rape and murder her.

Shamsunnahar Smrity, popularly known as Pori Moni, is one of the top Bangladeshi film stars, and was recently included in the Forbes list of 'Asia-Pacific's Most Influential Celebrities' on Social Media.

The case was filed on Sunday night at the Savar police station located in the outskirts of Dhaka under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and Penal Code 307, Additional Superintendent of Police, Abdullah Hil Kafi told IANS.

Addressing a press conference before filing the case, the actress alleged that Mahmud had assaulted and threatened to murder her at the Uttara Boat Club on the night of June 9, adding that she was rescued by the staff at the facility.

She added that at one point, the businessman forced her to drink by putting the neck of a bottle into her mouth, beat her up and tried to rape her at the same time.

Pori Moni also claimed that she tried to file a case in the Banani police station shortly after the incident but it was denied, adding that no one had helped her.

"I can't commit suicide, if you get any news of my death, for sure, I'll be killed by these guys, anytime, as I'm threatened by Nasiruddin," she said.

In a Facebook post addressing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, she said: "I was about two and a half years old when my mother died. Today, I need a mother. Please save me.

"I have asked for help from so many people. They always listen and say that they'll 'look into it'. But no one has helped me yet, I haven't found justice in the last three or four days. I feel helpless right now." An official from the Savar police station, Kazi Mainul Islam said several teams of the law enforcement agencies are trying to nab the culprits.

IANS tried reaching out to the accused businessman on the phone, but it was switched off.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Mandi, June 14 : A team of researchers from IIT Mandi has identified the underlying biochemical relationship between the consumption of excessive sugar and the development of afatty liver', medically known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

NAFLD is a condition in which excess fat deposits in the liver. The disease starts silently, with no overt symptoms for as much as two decades. If left untreated, the excess fat can irritate the liver cells, resulting in scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), and in advanced cases, can even lead to liver cancer. The treatment of advanced stages of NAFLD is difficult.

One of the causes for NAFLD is the overconsumption of sugar -- both table sugar (sucrose) and other forms of carbohydrates. The consumption of excess sugar and carbohydrates causes the liver to convert them into fat in a process called hepatic De Novo Lipogenesis or DNL, which leads to fat accumulation in the liver.

The molecular mechanisms that increase hepatic DNL due to overconsumption of sugar, which is is key to developing therapeutics for the NAFLD, have not been clear yet, said lead scientist Prosenjit Mondal, Associate Professor, School of Basic Sciences, IIT Mandi.

The team used a complementary experimental approach involving mice models, and identified the unknown link between the carbohydrate-induced activation of a protein complex called NF-KB and increased DNL.

"Our data indicates that the sugar-mediated shuttling of hepatic NF-KB p65 reduces the levels of another protein, sorcin, which in turn activates liver DNL through a cascading biochemical pathway," explained Mondal. The findings are published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The team showed that drugs that can inhibit NF-KB can prevent sugar-induced hepatic fat accumulation. They have also shown that the knockdown of sorcin reduces the lipid-lowering ability of the NF-KB inhibitor.

The finding that NF-KB plays a key role in lipid accumulation in the liver opens up a new avenue of therapeutics for NAFLD. NF-KB also plays a role in other diseases that involve inflammation, such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, IBS, stroke, muscle wasting and infections.

The research comes at a time when India has included NAFLD in the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS).

India is the first country in the world to identify the need for action on NAFLD and with good reason. The prevalence of NAFLD in India is about 9 per cent to 32 per cent of the population, with the state of Kerala alone having a prevalence of 49 per cent and a staggering 60 per cent prevalence among obese school-going children.

The study has conclusively shown that excessive sugar intake leads to a fatty liver. This should offer incentive to the public to reduce sugar intake to stop NAFLD in its early stages, the team said.
Shimla, June 14 : Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Penpa Tsering on Monday expressed gratitude to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur for extending support to their community in the state.

CTA's Chief Representative Officer, based in Shimla, Tenzin Nawang presented a letter to the Chief Minister on behalf of Tsering.

In the letter, the President thanked the Chief Minister for the support provided by the state and its people for providing home to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959. The Tibetan administration in exile is based in Dharamsala, some 250 km from the state capital.
Islamabad, June 14 : The Pakistan Supreme Court has barred the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) from demolishing a Hindu dharamshala in Karachi and leasing it out to an individual.

A three-judge bench issued the order in the case related to the implementation of a 2014 judgment on minorities rights.

Ramesh Kumar, the co-opt member of the one-man commission on minorities, upraised the court that the property, located in the heart of Saddar town in Karachi city and measuring about 716 square yards, was a dharamshala.

Kumar also submitted photographs of the building and told the Supreme Court that the ETPB had leased the property to the individual for the demolition and allowed construction of a commercial plaza.

The Supreme Court's order in the case, maintained: "The very photograph apparently shows that the building is of a dharamshala constructed in the year 1932, which can be read from the marble slab affixed on the building and must be protected heritage building." The court issued a notice to the Sindh provincial secretary heritage, asking for a report on the building and barred authorities from demolishing it.

"In the meantime, no demolition activity of the said building shall be conducted by anyone and possession of the building and the land shall be taken over by the Commissioner Karachi, who shall manage the same and not allow any person to enter upon it," the order added.

The court noted that the one-man commission has also requested for allocation of more funds for clearance of outstanding liabilities and also for allocation of budget for the year.

"In the meantime, the amount of 14.994 million PKR be disbursed to the commission. For allocation of a new budget, let a proper response be filed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony."
Chennai, June 14 : The Tamil Nadu government has reclaimed land worth Rs 160 crore of the Kancheepuram Ekambareswar temple from a trust that ran the Seetha Kingston House Matriculation Higher Secondary School.

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department on Sunday took possession of the 32 ground property on Poonamalle High Road at Kilpauk in Chennai. This land is a part of a 141 ground land of the Kancheepuram Ekambareswar temple.

The trust had leased 44.5 grounds of the temple of which 12.5 grounds was returned to the temple.

Ground is a measure used in Tamil Nadu, where one ground equals 2.5 cents of land.

The HR & CE Minister P.K. Sekar Babu and the Department Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran received the papers of the temple property from the trust officials on Sunday.

Babu told IANS, "We have taken steps to retrieve the remaining area from other tenants who had even sub-leased the property. There is litigation over two properties and we are expecting to retrieve the land within six months." The HR&CE said in a statement that the Calavala Cunnan Chetty Charities trust had taken 44.5 grounds of the land of the Ekambareswar Temple on Poonamalle High Road, Kilpauk for a 99-year lease and was running the Seetha Kingston school there.

The HR&CE department moved the court for the retrieval of the land and the Madras High Court ruled in favour of the HR&CE department.

The value of the remaining 96.5 grounds of land is estimated to be Rs 483 crore and the department, according to the minister will go in for litigation and will retrieve the land within six months.

Subletting of temple properties was rampant in Tamil Nadu and the DMK government after assuming office had called upon the HR&CE department to take steps for the retrieval of the temple land given on lease.

There is a loss of around 40,000 acres of temple land across Tamil Nadu when the land details of 1984-85 were compared with that of 2019-20.

The government has ordered to upload all details of the temple properties including land and other assets online so that it comes in the public domain.
Bolpur : , June 14 (IANS/ 101Reporters) Rabindranath Tagore held the Santal tribes in special regard for their unique way of life in which they combined farming with poetry, music and dance. Spread all across rural West Bengal, the Santhals often own tiny pieces of land but largely work as daily wage labourers in rice fields.

With modern practices of rice farming draining their groundwater and making the community ill, this tribe in West Bengal is tapping into tradition to find more 'peaceful' ways of growing crops.

In one of their old traditional songs, 'Har har dharti rima baha bagan; Baha bagan rima hunar Baha', the Santhalis celebrate the green earth teeming with incredible diversity. But with the widespread adoption of modern agricultural practices, often wasteful and harmful, much of this biodiversity got lost.

In the Birbhum district, many Santhals who still forage their food have observed the disappearance of burrowing animals as well as herbaceous plants, especially in and around the rice field ecosystems. Today the Santals in Bolpur are attempting to turn back the clock; banking on traditional wisdom, with some modern scientific ideas, to reclaim some of what has been lost.

The challenge came in the form of rice cultivation ushered in with the Green Revolution, which accentuated excessive use of groundwater, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and has led to degradation of soil biodiversity over the years. The new varieties of rice, with its shorter and weaker stalks, can't even be used as thatching or cattle fodder.

The use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides directly impacted the health of farmers. Some Santalis claimed that their cattle had been falling sick and dying after eating the straw or drinking the water from local rice fields.

Recognising the perils of conventional rice farming, a women-led group integrated native wisdom with permaculture for a sustainable economic alternative to the way agriculture and forestry are being practised. Permaculture is the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. The group from Khanjanpur village of Bolpur has transformed a plot of land measuring slightly less than an acre that was rendered dry with cracked soil and transformed it into a lush green ecosystem.

Their success inspired many villagers to shift to natural farming of native rice varieties that not only preserves groundwater but saves them and their future generations from having to wade through chemical-laden water in order to ensure higher yields.

Over-exploitation of groundwater Agriculture, the way it is practised in India, is one of the major reasons for rapid groundwater depletion according to a 2016 report on groundwater status in West Bengal. Another report on water-intensive Boro rice cultivation also confirms this fact.

Recognising this, Sharmishtha Dattagupta, a former Geobiology professor from the University of GAttingen, introduced permaculture techniques to the Santhali women with the support of an Israeli permaculture consultant.

"Rice planting in the region was previously done in rhythm with nature using rainwater during monsoon. But now even policymakers promote, and governments incentivise groundwater extraction and the use of hybrid varieties of rice that can be planted in the dry winter season," says Dr Sharmishtha. Since the rice field needs to be flooded with water, villagers sink tube wells that draw water from up to a depth of 80 metres. This groundwater takes several years to recharge.

"Deeper underground water is rich in salts. When used in rice farming, it quickly evaporates and makes the soil salty, damaging it. Overexposure of this topsoil to direct sun as well as ploughing with tractors is devastating as it kills all bacteria, fungus, and earthworms, which play an important role in the soil ecosystem. Basically, we kill the soil ecosystem and then treat it with fertilizers and pesticides to grow food," she adds.

The Dularia initiative Sharmishtha with Abhinanda Bairagi, a local biology teacher; Saraswati Murmu Baski, a Santali woman leading the initiative; and Kadamb, who disengaged from the group after her marriage - termed their permaculture initiative - Dularia. In Santali mythology, it means 'created through love'; the original love that has created all living beings on the planet.

The initiative, started in 2017, involved community members, with a workforce consisting of people across faiths from nearby villages. Expert consultants and volunteers from different parts of the world support them in integrating the methods of permaculture with traditional agriculture.

Yuval Leibovich, Israeli permaculture consultant, co-founder of the initiative says, "Before we started on this small plot of land, rain would fall on the hard soil and flow away, carrying precious topsoil with it. To capture rainwater and restore the groundwater, we figured out slopes, created a system of drains called 'swales' where water seeps into the ground and recharges the water table. Organic matter added to swales acts like leaves on a forest floor and retains water even in the dry seasons." Within 3-years, the land transformed into a mini-forest ecosystem and indigenous trees flourished. Frogs, birds, crabs, snakes, fish and earthworms too thrived. The community now follows permaculture-based principles such as minimal or shallow tilling, no intervention of tractors, zero use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, adding nitrogen to the soil by growing leguminous plants and growing separate crops that attract pests so that rest of the food can be grown undisturbed.

The initiative prompted the Santhali community to revert to traditional farming techniques and growing native varieties of rice like 'Gobindobhog' which is grown in sync with the monsoons and does not require groundwater use. This variety sells at a market price of up to Rs 150/kg, compared to Rs 30/kg that hybrid varieties of rice grown perennially fetch.

A community-wide scale-up Given the economic opportunity, the community is now eager to transform to natural methods of farming. Some farmers who are part of Dularia have already committed to transforming their own farms and farming methods. Other villagers often stop by at the project location and engage with the Dularia team.

The Dularia team plans to collaborate with local farmers, take on lease, and regenerate 'abandoned plots' in 30 Santali villages in Birbhum, and transform them into 'natural fields'.

Sharmishtha, and the Dularia team explain the benefits of natural rice farming to farmers and advise them on how to embrace it.

What started off as an educational and demonstrational initiative is now inspiring a wide community of farmers who are transitioning to natural rice farming in Bolpur.

"I worked as an agricultural labourer for Bengalis. They used chemical pesticides and fertilizers in the field. Often my face, even my hands and feet were swollen after a day in these fields, a feeling that others shared," adds Churki Soren, 42, a Santali woman from Bishnubati in Bolpur who has battled poor health on a hospital bed for months. Churki Soren has recently vowed to go natural in farming her land.

Madhusudan Ghosh, 50, a local farmer from Bandhnavagram in Bolpur aspires to adapt to natural methods to completely transform rice farming in his village within the next decade. "Nature itself is unlimited. But the way we are using it, it won't last long. We are currently exploiting nature by cutting down trees, farming using chemicals, and preventing rainwater from returning to the soil. This is extremely damaging," he says.

A major challenge is to find the right type of land on which natural farming can be done. Most lands owned by Santhals are small, low-elevation plots surrounded by fields, which over the years have become saturated with chemicals. Excessive groundwater usage in abutting fields has also affected these small plots of lands.

(The author is a Dehradun-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)
The 3Cs: Covid, China and Climate Change dominated the G-7 Summit. But overall the leaders were not able to present a united stand on any major issue.

The 47th annual G-7 Summit, ended on Sunday last at the Carbis Bay in Cornwall, UK. Though the British Prime Minister wanted the summit to showcase his brand of 'Global Britain', after the Brexit. But there were terse exchanges between the French, EU and British leaders and officials on the issue. In effect the summit turned out to be more Biden focussed and expectations were raised high on some real agreement taking place on the 3C's before the summit, though that was not the result ultimately.

Broadly, Biden sought to set a new tone after the unrestrained Trump years. Most G-7 leaders seemed relieved to have a return to a more predictable and traditional US administration. France's Emmanuel Macron welcomed Biden back to the "club." But the final CommuniquA showed that even Biden's expectations to ensure a consensus on many of his promises fell short.

Covid-19 On the issue of Covid-19, the leaders of the seven most affluent western nations seemed united, but there was difference of opinion on the way forward. Earlier, they had showed commitment to donate 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses over the next year to poorer countries. But in reality the bloc fell short of its own goal -- 613 million new doses pledged, instead of a billion.

Even so, the vaccine effort gave Biden some help with his China push. Biden has criticised China for a transactional brand of vaccine diplomacy, where the shots are being doled out for geopolitical advantage. Biden called on democracies to counter China and Russia by donating vaccines equally and based on need, without seeking favours in return.

The COVAX facility, backed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), aims to secure 2 billion vaccine doses for lower-income countries by the end of 2021. "We will work together with the private sector, the G20 and other countries to increase this contribution over the months to come," the communiquA said.

China On the second day of the summit, US unveiled plans to counter China through infrastructure funding for poorer nations. Promising to "collectively catalyse" hundreds of billions of infrastructure investment for low- and middle-income countries, the G7 leaders said they would offer a "values-driven, high-standard and transparent" partnership.

G-7s "Build Back Better World" (B3W) project was aimed directly at competing with China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Infrastructure (BRI) initiative, which has been widely criticised for saddling small countries with unmanageable debt, including even G-7 member Italy since its launch in 2013.

However, several leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pushed back over worries about turning the G-7 into an anti-China group, suggesting any infrastructure programme should be framed as a more positive, pro-environment effort.

French President Emmanuel Macron also pushed back publicly, saying that the "G-7 is not a group that is hostile to China." Macron was one leader who sought the middle ground.

China hit back at these statements dismissively saying that the days when "global decisions" were dictated by a "small group of countries are long gone". Chinese embassy in London issued a statement saying that world affairs should be handled through "consultation by all countries", and added that the valid global system was the "international order based on the principles" of the United Nations.

The final version of the communiquA skirted B3W, instead creating a task force to study how to spur infrastructure development abroad. It made no mention of BRI, though Biden renewed his call at a press conference, and said that, "I proposed that we have a democratic alternative to the Belt and Road initiative, to build back better." Climate Change

The claim by environmental activists before and after the summit was that the world's rich nations, which caused the climate crisis, know what's expected of them - but they consistently fail to deliver in full. They asserted that for the umpteenth time the rich club has failed to deliver on its promise to channel $100bn a year to poor nations coping with climate change's negative affects.

Environment campaigners further warned there could be no over-arching deal to protect the climate unless $100 billion sum is reached and guaranteed at the vital COP-26 climate conference in Glasgow in coming December.

Teresa Anderson, from Action Aid said that the G7 must announce real finance through grants and stop turning a blind eye while the world's poorest and most marginalised are hit hardest.

The summit made some progress, especially on heralding the demise of coal - the fuel that drove the industrial revolution and sent emissions soaring. President Biden talked about the end of coal for power generation in America (with no details of a date, or of how he would get legislation passed through the Congress). The president also trumpeted the end of coal finance for poor nations, with the hope that this may heap pressure on China to follow suit.

India As PM Modi had announced last month that due to surging Covid cases in India, he'd not travel to the UK, he addressed the summit virtually. He conveyed India's commitment to "collective" solution to global health challenges, and called for "one earth, one health" approach, which aims for unity and solidarity among the states of the world to deal with the pandemic. He also emphasised the need to keep raw materials for vaccines easily accessible.

Mr. Modi further sought G7's support for a proposal moved by India and South Africa at the WTO for a TRIPS waiver. This waiver will help India scale up production of anti-COVID-19 vaccines. The argument found strong support from Australia and other countries. French President Emmanuel Macron too argued for strengthening the abilities of countries like India that can play a vital role to contain the pandemic.

Summit's Attainment The UK summit was the first G-7 summit to be held in last two years, and will serve as a blueprint for international gatherings in the post-pandemic age. The western leaders met after four turbulent years of Donald Trump in the White House, and though Biden was welcomed into the Club, yet he seemed unable to make a significant mark at the summit, as most of pre-summit promises were not included in the final communiquA and this shows that he'll have to work hard to convince his European allies.

It was also the final summit for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has served as a bulwark for Europe for 16 years, a position which is being eyed by Macron to become "Dean" of the club. Also there was no mention of a new US-UK Atlantic Charter modelled on the historic statement made by Churchill and Roosevelt on the post-war world order, a dream cherished by both Biden and Johnson to be remembered as the one who led the world's economic recovery post-pandemic.

The summit's Communique which was issued several hours after the end of the summit, promises many things but falls short of what was expected to be achieved before the summit.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs. Email: asad.mirza.nd@gmail.com)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Lucknow, June 14 : Scientists at the National Botanical research Institute (NBRI) in Lucknow have agreed to cooperate with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) in turning the city into a natural oxygen hub.

CSIR and NBRI Director S.K. Barik promised all help in this direction.

Barik has told the Lucknow Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia that peepal, banyan and pakad were earthquake-resistant trees. The banyan tree also had a specific water holding capacity and was blessing for the environment, he said.

Talking about a banyan tree on NBRI campus, Barik said , "The banyan tree inside NBRI campus is also a witness to the war of Independence , as martyr Uda Devi took on the British forces, climbing on this tree. This banyan tree has been given heritage status by the State Biodiversity Board. Many people were martyred in the struggle with the British here." Pankaj Srivastava, principal scientist, NBRI said, "Banyan is considered as one of the best shade giving trees in the world. The leaves and roots of the banyan tree are very beneficial. Applying banyan juice to wounds is beneficial. The banyan juice, if applied on joints relieves joint pain and arthritis. The fruit of the banyan tree is used to make medicine for ulcers. Besides that, it also produces a good volume of oxygen." S.K. Tiwari, who heads the NBRI Park, apprised the Mayor of the method of preparing the plants.

The Mayor said the LMC would be happy to know about the highest oxygen producing trees which could be planted in city parks.
Mumbai, June 14 : Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar took to social media on Monday to deny reports claiming he has reduced his fees by Rs 30 crore for the upcoming spy thriller "Bell Bottom".

"What waking up to FAKE Scoops feels like!" Akshay tweeted on Monday.

His tweet comes in reaction to a news piece which claims that the actor has reduced his fees by Rs 30 crore for "Bell Bottom".

Vashu Bhagnani, one of the producers of the film, also denied all such reports. Reacting to the news piece, Bhagnani tweeted: "No Truth to this news at all." Directed by Ranjit M. Tewari, "Bell Bottom" also stars Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta and Huma Qureshi. The period espionage thriller is set in the eighties.

Rumours seem to be hounding Akshay lately. Recently, the actor had taken to social media to refute speculations over the release date of his forthcoming films "Sooryavanshi" and Bell Bottom". Akshay issued a statement reacting to unconfirmed reports claiming that both films would arrive on Independence Day in August.

The statement read: "I'm humbled at the excitement and eagerness of my fans regarding the release of Sooryavanshi and Bell Bottom, and want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for all their love. However, at this point, it is purely speculative to say that both films will release on Independence Day. The producers of both films are working out the release dates and will make announcements at the right time."
Varanasi, June 14 : A German chemical has been arranged with the help of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and a drive has been launched to clean the Ganga water from algae.

The drive aims to clean the algal bloom in the river water, especially at the Ghats, where people throng for bathing on auspicious occasions.

According to the District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma, "We had forwarded a request to the NMCG New Delhi on Saturday to find a solution against the algal bloom in river Ganga in Varanasi.

Taking a serious note of it, the NMCG sent a consignment of 15 litre of German chemical, which can be mixed in 1,000 litre of water for treatment of algae in several square kilometre area." With the arrival of this chemical, he said, experimental treatment of algae was done at Assi and Dashaswamedh ghats on Sunday.

"After the confirmation of its effectiveness and also that it was harmless for aquatic lives, we decided to use it," he said.

The drive aims to ensure removing algae from river water at the prominent ghats by Ganga Dussehra which falls on June 20.

The algae first appeared in the river around 20 days ago, which made the river waters turn green.

It was initially examined by the officials of the pollution control board.

Later, the District Magistrate constituted a team of officials and asked them to submit their report on the origin of the algae.

This team submitted its report after conducting a survey from Varanasi to Mirzapur for three days. In the survey, it was found that the algae flowed into the Ganga with the STP's treated effluent through Basvariya drain and later grew further in the Ganga.

According to the investigation report, the 4-MLD capacity STP is based on conventional system.

It seems that the algal bloom originated from the STP at Vindhyachal. The flow of water is minimum and the temperature is also conducive for the growth of algae in the river.

Besides, the nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, urea and DAP coming from farming fields through drains significantly helped the algae to grow. The untreated waste waters from Mirzapur and Chunar also contribute to the algal bloom.

The report recommended the modernization of Vindhyachal STP and suggested proper maintenance of all the STPs.

The construction of a new STP in Mirzapur, and maintaining flow in the river was also recommended, Besides, a study on the impact of algae on aquatic life by the experts of Banaras Hindu University was also recommended in the report.
Tokyo, June 14 : The Japan government on Monday announced that mass Covid-19 vaccination site in Tokyo will offer jabs to the police, fire fighters, Coast Guard officials, in addition to the elderly in a bid to speed up the country's inoculation drive.

"We are targeting officials in charge of crisis management such as disaster response as a temporary measure to effectively utilise inoculation capacity," a Defence Ministry official was quoted by local media as saying.

At large, at state-run vaccination sites in Tokyo and Osaka, numerous slots have been left open by elderly people eligible to be vaccinated and people who have made reservations yet not turning up, Xinhua news agency reported citing local media reports as saying.

In a bid to not waste the slots, the government will from Monday in Tokyo open up the slots to Self-Defense Forces (SDF) personnel, members of the National Police Agency, Fire and Disaster Management Agency and the Japan Coast Guard.

The Tokyo centre is capable of administering 10,000 jabs per day, while its equivalent in Osaka can give out 5,000 shots.

The mass vaccination sites will also start allowing vaccination reservations from people aged under 65 with pre-existing health conditions if the take-up at the large venues remains slow, top government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato said on Monday.

Local reports said that over 60 per cent of the slots at the mass vaccination centres run by the SDF remain vacant for two weeks through June 27.

Meanwhile, companies and universities are also gearing up to pitch in.

The government, under heavy criticism for being the slowest among a number of advanced economies to rollout its vaccination drive, said that it has so far received applications for more than 9 million people to be vaccinated at 1,821 companies or universities.

Kato has said the new inoculation campaign is aimed at speeding up the country's vaccination rollout and help reduce the burden on local municipalities.

He said that the workplaces and universities will be in charge of deciding who gets vaccinated, although recommended that the elderly and those with underlying health conditions be given priority.

The companies and universities will also be in charge of sourcing their own medical personnel to administer the jabs amid the nation's dire lack of qualified medical personnel, he added.
Patna, June 14 : After the split in the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), JDU national president RCP Singh said that Chirag Paswan is getting back what he sowed in the past.

Singh said that digesting success is not an easy thing for all. You can achieve something but maintaining it is a big thing. Chirag Paswan failed on this account.

"Chirag Paswan has committed so many blunders in the recent past. The people of Bihar and his own party workers and leaders were not happy with whatever he did during the Bihar assembly election. Now, it's results are coming in the form of a split in the party," Singh said.

Chirag Paswan has done just the opposite of his father Late Ram Vilas Paswan who did not believe in sabotage politics. He had an ideology of maintaining coalition pacts. Chirag did just the reverse and is now paying the price for it, Singh said.

Chirag Paswan has been doing negative politics since the death of his father. As a result, five MPs and his uncle Pasupati Kumar Paras left him, he added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, June 14 : Taapsee Pannu, who is currently touring Moscow, on Monday shared that she wants to feel close to normal again. Taapsee made her contention with a new picture she posted on Instagram.

"Time to surround myself with colours, sit on street side, looking at the sky, take a deep breath and say "all is well"! Also........ helloooooo Moscow! Let's feel close to 'Normal' again!" she wrote, with the image that captures her posing in a picturesque locale.

#TapcTravels #Moscow #Russia," she wrote as the caption.

The actress currently awaits the release of her upcoming mystery thriller "Haseen Dilruba".

The film, which also features Vikrant Massey and Harshvardhan Rane, is about a woman whose heart longs to live like in a novel, but who finds herself entangled in the murder of her husband.

"Haseen Dilruba", directed by "Hasee Toh Phasee", helmer Vinil Mathew, will be released on OTT.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Puducherry, June 14 : First-term legislator of the BJP, Embalam R. Selvam has filed nomination for the post of Puducherry Assembly Speaker from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He is the MLA from Manaveli assembly constituency and is the party-state general secretary.

He handed over his nomination papers to the Assembly Secretary R. Mounissamy in presence of Puducherry Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy and BJP legislative party leader A. Namassivayam.

BJP state president V. Swaminathan, BJP legislators, and independent MLAs were present during the submission of nomination papers.

Opposition parties -- DMK and the Congress are unlikely to field a candidate against Selvam. The last date for filing of nomination is Tuesday, June 15.

If the opposition does not field a candidate, Embalam R. Selvam will be declared elected unopposed by the Pro-tem Speaker, K. Lakshminarayanan. The Puducherry assembly has been convened on June 16 and if Selvam is elected unopposed, the Pro-tem Speaker will make the announcement in the assembly.

It may be noted that on the basis of the agreement within the NDA, the Puducherry cabinet will have six ministers with 4 from the All India NR Congress of the Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and 2 ministers from the BJP. The Speaker will be from the BJP while the Deputy Speaker will be an AINRC representative.

The DMK had charged that the BJP with its strength of 6 MLAs in the assembly had nominated 3 more legislators under the Government of India quota and had roped in one independent MLA to take over the Chief Ministership from the AINRC. However, both the BJP and AINRC had pooh-poohed the allegation and charged the DMK of creating unnecessary controversies.
Islamabad, June 14 : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has slammed the former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for spoiling the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

"The PML-N are the ones who mishandled the Kulbhushan Jadhav case," he said.

Qureshi said that the incumbent Imran Khan government was implementing the recommendations of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), adding that India wanted to delay the matter and drag Pakistan back to The Hague-based court.

"We are implementing the recommendations of the ICJ and we took measures on their advice. India didn't want consular access to Jadhav, rather wanted to drag Pakistan to the ICJ once again," he added.

Qureshi's statement comes after a bill, aimed at complying with the orders of the ICJ in the Jadhav case, was passed by the lower house of Parliament last week.

Pakistan has been calling on India to appoint a counsel for Jadhav in a review case, being heard in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

However, the Indian High Commission, raising question over the high court's decision to appoint a defence counsel in the case, has challenged the case.

Pakistan maintains that India is deliberately trying to linger the matter and accuse Pakistan for not complying with the orders of the ICJ.

Qureshi stated that the opposition political parties should refrain from putting hurdles in the adoption of the bill.

"The opposition should not show ignorance by making statements in this regard. It should avoid strengthening the Indian point of view," he said.

Retired Indian Navy officer Jadhav was sentenced to death in 2017 by a military court in Pakistan on charges of espionage and terrorism.

India had subsequently approached the ICJ against the denial of consular access to Jadhav, besides challenging the death sentence.

Pakistan maintains that it is ready to comply with the judgment of the ICJ. But accuses India for deliberately trying to drag the matter and ignoring Pakistan's demand to appoint a counsel in the case.
Hyderabad/Delhi, June 14 : Former Telangana minister Eatala Rajender on Monday joined opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He along with his followers joined the party in New Delhi in the presence of central minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP's incharge for Telangana Tarun Chug, union minister of state G. Kishan Reddy, BJP national vice president D.K. Aruna and state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay.

Along with Rajender, former MP Ramesh Rathod, former MLA Ravinder Reddy, former Zilla Parishad chairperson of Karimnagar district T. Uma, TSRTC employees' union leader Ashwathama Reddy and some leaders of Osmania University Student's Joint Action Committee (JAC) also joined the BJP.

Pradhan welcomed Rajender into the party by offering him membership and party 'kandva'. Speaking on the occasion, the central minister said, Rajender has a special place in Telangana politics.

Pradhan said whenever elections are held in Telangana, BJP is sure to form the government. He said after Karnataka, Telangana would become the second state in the South to have BJP government.

Rajender said he and his followers would try to live up to the expectations of the BJP leadership by strengthening the party in the state. He predicted that many more leaders from all districts in the state would join the BJP in coming days.

Bandi Sanjay recalled that Rajender played a key role in Telangana movement. He said the former minister has come from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) which is run in an autocratic style.

The BJP state chief claimed that only BJP can defeat the TRS. He said BJP has become a platform of leaders who participated in the Telangana movement.

Rajender was dropped from Telangana Cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao early last month following allegations that he encroached lands of farmers in Medak district for a poultry unit run by his family. He was handling the health portfolio.

The TRS government also ordered two more inquiries against Rajender and his followers for allegedly encroaching endowment lands in Medchal Malkajgiri district.

Rajender later ended his nearly two decade old association with the TRS and last week also resigned from the State Assembly.

He was one of the founding members of TRS floated by Chandrasekhar Rao in 2001 to revive the movement for statehood to Telangana.

Rajender, a four-time MLA, had led TRS in the Assembly of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

He served as finance minister in the first TRS government (2014-2018). After TRS retained the power in 2018, Rajender was made health minister.

His resignation from Huzurabad Assembly constituency will lead to a by-election and he plans to contest as BJP candidate this time.

Rajender has been representing Huzurabad constituency since 2009.
Raipur/New Delhi, June 14 : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday announced that the children studying in private schools, who have lost parents/guardians to COVID-19, would be provided free education by the government.

Under Mahtari Dular Yojana, the Chhattisgarh government would bear the expenses of education of such children. "Such children will have the choice to either continue their education in the same private school they have been studying for past one year or they can go for Swami Atmanand English Medium School. State Government would bear their school fees,"said Baghel.

The state government has already launched Mahtari Dular Yojna to provide free education and monthly scholarship to the children studying in government schools, who have lost their parents/guardians to COVID-19.

But now the chief minister has announced that along with the children studying in government schools, children studying in private schools will also be benefited under Mahtari Dular Yojana.

Under the scheme, students will be given a scholarship of Rs 500 per month from class 1 to 8 and Rs 1,000 per month from class 9 to 12. Regarding the implementation of Mahtari Dular Yojna, it has been informed that School Education Department would work in coordination with the Health Department and Social Welfare Department to provide benefits of this scheme to such children.

Chhattisgarh Mahtari Dular Yojana 2021 is applicable from academic session 2021-22.

The benefit of the scheme will be given to destitute children belonging to the domicile families of Chhattisgarh. Children who have lost the earning parent (mother, father or both) due to COVID-19 are eligible to avail this scheme.

The children found eligible under the scheme will be provided free education in the schools of the state. Such children will be given priority for admission in Swami Atmanand English Medium School run by the state government, and the entire expenditure of their education will be borne by the state government. In addition, monthly scholarship will also be provisioned.

On receiving the information about destitute children from any source, District Collector will forward the information to District Education Officer concerned. Besides, the students will also be able to apply directly to the District Education Officer or through their guardians.

A committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of District Education Officer to examine the applications received, in which one officer each from the Health Department and Social Welfare Department has been nominated. Approval will be given by the District Collector on the recommendation of the committee.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Chennai, June 14 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has promised a job to a woman engineering graduate who had handed him 2 gold sovereigns as a donation for the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.

Computer science engineering graduate R. Soumya, who lives with her father, a retired employee of Aavin milk, handed over a donation to the Chief Minister when he was on a visit to Mettur. Along with this, she gave an application to him requesting a job.

In the petition, she said that she was living with her father, Radhakrishnan on rented premises and that her mother passed away due to pneumonia. She also mentioned that the family had to spend Rs 13 lakh on her mother's treatment but even after that, she could not be saved.

Soumya also said that she had two married sisters and that she and her father were living on her father's monthly pension of Rs 7,000 of which Rs 3,000 has to be paid as rent. She said that both she and her father were living with the meagre Rs 4,000 balance.

She requested the Chief minister to get help her with a job opportunity, even in a private firm, clearly saying that she is not expecting a government job.

Stalin, in a tweet, said that he was moved by the generosity of the woman in donating 2 sovereigns of gold even in trying conditions. He said that necessary measures would be taken to provide her a job based on her qualifications.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, June 14 : Samsung Electronics said on Monday it will supply its latest 5G network solutions to Vodafone, a London-based telecommunications giant, a move that will expand its presence in Europe.

Under the deal, the South Korean tech giant will provide its commercial virtualized radio access network (vRAN) solutions and open radio network (O-RAN)-compliant 5G radios to Vodafone UK. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

It marks the first major deal whereby Samsung will supply its cloud native vRAN solutions to the European market, reports Yonhap news agency.

"This is a major step forward, as more operators are transitioning into new RAN technologies to prioritize user experience and efficiency," said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, head of networks business at Samsung.

Its fully-virtualised RAN is software-based that operates on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers that can deliver equivalent performances to traditional hardware-based equipment, according to Samsung. Virtualized RAN and O-RAN are considered key technologies for the next-generation 5G services.

Samsung has been trying to expand its presence in the network equipment market in recent years as industry leader Huawei has been slapped with U.S. sanctions over security reasons.

Samsung has inked 5G equipment contracts in countries like Canada, New Zealand and Japan.
New Delhi, June 14 : The Delhi High Court has barred Ghaziabad based JBMR Enterprises from manufacturing and selling the Khadi Prakritik paints manufactured by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). According to KVIC, a Ghaziabad-based trader, who fraudulently started manufacturing and selling counterfeit Khadi Prakritik Paint, was ordered by the Court on June 4 to stop all such activities immediately.

The court noted that the defendant JBMR Enterprises, owned by one Umesh Pal, has indulged in "counterfeiting" by illegally using the "Khadi" brand name and copying the name and packaging of "Khadi Prakritik Paint" in order to mislead the consumers and hamper the "goodwill and reputation" of Khadi.

Khadi Prakritik Paint is a unique, innovative paint made from cow dung. The anti-fungal and anti-bacterial paint was launched by Union Minister of MSME Nitin Gadkari on January 12 this year.

"The plaintiff (KVIC) has established a prima facie case in its favour. An irreparable loss would be caused to the plaintiff, i.e. KVIC, in case an interim injunction is not granted. Accordingly, till the next date of hearing, the defendant is restrained from manufacturing, advertising or selling products under the trademark Khadi, amounting to infringement thereof," the bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula ordered.

The court also directed JBMR Enterprises to stop operating its website and take down its Facebook account under the tradename "Khadi Prakritik Paint" and suspend its email ID using the Khadi paint. The court has directed for compliance of the order within 7 days.

The counsel for KVIC also submitted in the court that the defendant JBMR Enterprises was also selling counterfeit "Khadi Prakritik Paint" on third party websites such as IndiaMart and TradeIndia. Further, it was using the official logo of the Ministry of MSME on its website to mislead consumers into believing that JBMR Enterprises was a government affiliate.

"In February 2021, KVIC noticed that counterfeit paints were being manufactured by the defendant under the marks 'Khadi Prakritik Paint', 'Prakritik Paint' and 'Vedica Prakritik Paint. Accordingly, on February 8, a legal notice was sent to the defendant but received no response. On May 4, 2021, KVIC instituted Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution (UDRP) proceedings against the domain name," the petition said.

However, the defendant responded saying he took training from KVIC and is having a franchise of Khadi Prakritik Paint. It is pertinent to mention that KVIC has "not outsourced the manufacturing or marketing of Khadi Prakritik Paint" to any agency.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said it was a clear case of "fraud" to reap undue gains from Khadi's popularity. He cautioned people from falling in such traps and appealed to the consumers to buy any Khadi product from Khadi outlets and Khadi e-portal only. Saxena said, "KVIC has not authorised any agency to manufacture or sell Khadi Prakritik Paint. The High Court order would deter individuals and firms from illegally using the brand name Khadi." Saxena added that KVIC will act strictly against such frauds. In recent times, KVIC has won several cases for violation of its trademark "Khadi".
Chennai, June 14 : Kamal Haasan's Tamil action thriller "Dasavatharam" completes 13 years of release on Monday.

The actor, who also was the writer of the film, has played 10 different characters in the film. He recalls how the script was rejected by many filmmakers, before director K.S Ravikumar came on board.

"Dasavatharam was a script which was declined by many directors who said they didn't understand it, and quite unexpectedly Mr Ravikumar jumped at it. He immediately claimed it a winner on cards and was surprised that it was turned down and asked to make the film while on a telephonic conversation with me at Eldams road. That's how the movie came into being," shares Kamal.

The veteran actor also shares how well-known filmmaker Mukta Srinivasan advised him to give the film his undivided attention.

"Most of the time I work alone and like to take the opinion of seniors and well-wishers while on a project. For Dasavatharam it wasn't any different and thus I wanted to take Mr Mukta Srinivasan's opinion as he has string instincts and is a brilliant short story writer. He heard the 'Dasavatharam' script and he said 'Kamal, you must watch over the film closely as it's your idea and go further and say foster it like your child. They will kill the child otherwise if you only decide to walk in and out of shoot'. I took his advice and spent all my time on it," Kamal shares.

The actor recalls how he shared the story with close friends and colleagues, which gave confidence to go ahead.

"Once I finished the logline with Mukta Srinivasan, the director was still sceptical about the way the script was written. We had Sujatha, Madhan, Ramesh Arvind, and Crazy Mohan sit with us for a narration and I answered all the questions they kept asking. It was a very important exercise as they are all experts and have the expertise to analyse the script. My biggest support was from Sujatha who said 'you got it bang on man'. The rest were new to the ideation, scale and budget," he says.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kolkata, June 14 : Leading Asian labour and human rights groups have appealed to the Sri Lanka government and factory owners to protect Free Trade Zone (FTZ) workers from Covid-19 amid a surge in infections.

"In line with its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Sri Lankan government should immediately take steps towards protecting the lives of the FTZ workers by implementing the demands and recommendations of labour organisations posed last month," said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and its member organisation, Law and Society Trust (LST), in a statement.

Despite emerging clusters and national lockdowns since March 2020, FTZ workers have been working throughout the Covid-19 outbreak in Sri Lanka.

Media outlets reported Covid-19 clusters emerging in several FTZs, including Katunayake - the country's largest FTZ where at least 50,000 employees have been infected.

On May 31, 2021, Sri Lankan labour organisations had issued a 'desperate appeal' addressed to the international community, explicitly calling on the government and factory owners to treat FTZ workers not just as essential service providers, but also as frontline workers who need protection.

The appeal reiterated the six primary demands the groups had earlier sent to the Minister of Labour and other relevant government officials, including the Minister of Health, State Minister of Primary Healthcare, Commissioner General of Labour and the Board of Investment.

The six demands include calls for widespread RT-PCR testing for workers, fast-tracking Covid-19 vaccination for all workers in the FTZ and ensuring that companies adhere to the Covid prevention guidelines.

"We call on the Sri Lankan government, as well as employers and factory owners, to immediately act on the demands detailed in the appeal," it said.

"In the spirit of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the FORUM-ASIA also called on global brands and suppliers with factories in Sri Lanka to act with heightened human rights due diligence to identify and prevent adverse human rights impacts in their supply chains," said Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.

As state-run quarantine centres reached full capacity, many FTZ workers who tested positive for Covid-19 and people they lived with were forced into mandatory quarantine in their respective hostels and boarding houses.

Most workers were put on forced leave, without receiving any relief ration from the government, and they have been largely ignored by most factory owners.

They were and still are dependent on assistance from CSOs, trade unions and well-wishers. Some factories have provided their workers with ration, which are shared among other workers living in their hostels.

However, many workers, particularly 'manpower workers' who are contracted through recruitment agencies, have not had work for months, and are particularly vulnerable and in need of urgent assistance.

Workers have been taken to quarantine centres, sometimes a long way off from where they reside and work, even to Northern Sri Lanka which is more than 300 km away. They have complained of squalid conditions, substandard food and a lack of medical attention.

"The government's mismanagement has already caused too much suffering to FTZ workers, especially to the women workers. We have seen a highly militarised response to Covid-19 in Sri Lanka; this must change into a human-centric approach. In the workplaces, there must be a worker-centric approach, where the respect and protection of the human rights of the workers should guide business operations," said Sakuntala Kadirgamar, Executive Director, Law and Society Trust.

FORUM-ASIA and 32 of its member organsiations stand in solidarity with the FTZ workers and trade unions. Even more so during the pandemic. State and non-state actors must uphold their obligations under the international treaty the country has ratified and ensure the protection and respect of human rights in the context of business operations as stipulated by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The six key demands put forward by the Sri Lankan labour organisations are listed below: 1. Shut down all factories for at least two weeks; provide paid leave, and carry out widespread PCR testing so as to make a proper assessment of the ongoing crisis. Based on these findings, informed decisions can be made, in consultation with workers, CSOs and trade unions.

2. Prioritise and fast-track Covid-19 vaccination for all workers in the FTZ and apparel supply chain, both in the western province and the rest of the country. This should include both regular/permanent and manpower workers. Set up awareness and vaccination centres at the health facilities near the zones, and at the gates of the different Free Trade Zones. Have a target of vaccinating all workers within a two-week period.

3. Immediately take measures to trace, isolate and transport workers who test positive, and their first contacts, to quarantine centres. The workers should be informed of the Covid-19 infection situation at their respective factories on a daily basis.

4. Workers who are forced into quarantine centres or self-isolation due to being exposed to Covid-19 at their workplace, on the way to work, or at their boarding house, must be given full pay for quarantine days, and no reduction in attendance bonus and other related incentives. Any quarantine related expenses must be reimbursed by the factory owners to the workers.

5. Ensure that the Rs 5,000 monthly relief ration pack/allowance, promised by the government, is distributed to all the workers, irrespective of election lists.

6. Ensure that all factories strictly adhere to the health and safety guidelines. These include regular checking of workers' temperature; workspace and machinery lay-out to ensure that the recommended distance between workers is maintained; regular sanitising of machines, surfaces and raw materials; provision of PPE for all workers, and facilities to wash and sanitise hands regularly, among others.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Brussels, June 14 : AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine remains authorised for all populations, European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said.

The clarification camme after Italian newspaper La Stampa earlier quoted Marco Cavaleri, head of the EMA's vaccine strategy, recommending a stop to administration of AstraZeneca's Covid shots in Europe to people aged over 60 and younger age groups, amid fears over very rare blood clotting.

"Misinformation is making the rounds today. This is the situation: Benefit/risk balance of AstraZeneca #Covid19 vaccine is positive and it remains authorised for all populations," the EMA said in a tweet on Sunday.

Cavaleri was also quoted by the newspaper advising the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine preferentially for the over-60s.

The European Union has approved AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for all populations aged 18 and above. However, both viral vector-based jabs have been marred by various reports of rare blood clots.

The EU has also authorised Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's mRNA based Covid-19 vaccines.

Asked by the newspaper whether it would be better to stop using AstraZeneca for all age groups, Cavaleri had said: "Yes, and it is an option that many countries, such as France and Germany, are considering in the light of the increased availability of mRNA vaccines." "However, incidents were very rare after the first dose. It is true that there is less data on the second dose, but in the United Kingdom it (the vaccination programme) is going well," he added.

On June 11, Italy restricted the use of AstraZeneca doses to those aged 60 years and above, after a teenager who had received the shot died from a rare form of blood clotting.

In March, the two-dose vaccine was briefly halted by many European countries, including Italy, over concerns about the rare blood clotting problems.

But, its usage was resumed in April, after the EMA said its benefits outweighed any risks.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul/New Delhi, June 14 : Half of SsangYong Motor Company's workers will go on unpaid leave for two years beginning next month as part of self-help measures as the debt-ridden automaker is striving to speed up its sales process, the company said on Monday.

The automaker has been under court receivership since April as its parent, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) failed to attract an investor amid the prolonged pandemic and worsening financial status.

Over half of SsangYong workers last week voted for the company's proposal of a two-year unpaid leave to half of its 4,800 employees, as well as cut in their wages and other welfare benefits to stay afloat with cost-reduction efforts.

The company also plans to sell further assets to raise funds and not to hire new employees over the next five years to streamline its structure, while the union promised to stage no strike for years to come, reports Yonhap news agency.

The South Korean auto firm is looking for a new majority investor as its parent company Mahindra and Mahindra has decided to pull out of the carmaker.

Talking to the media earlier this year, then M&M MD Pawan Goenka (since retired) said that the company is actively scouting for an investor to take majority stake in SsangYong to keep it going. The new investor would have the majority stake and M&M will have 30 per cent or less if the deal goes through.

SsangYong said the unpaid leave is a "reasonable" and "effective" way to cut labour costs and maintain employment without massive layoffs, hoping it will speed up the prolonged merger and acquisition (M&A) process.

"The restructuring plan provides the momentum for a successful M&A under favourable conditions," SsangYong said in a statement.

SsangYong said it will submit the rehabilitation plan to the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, which is expected to post a notice for an auction later this month.

Lee Dong-gull, Governor of the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), a main creditor of SsangYong, told reporters that it will decide on whether to give financial help to the carmaker if the rehabilitation plan is feasible.

The self-rescue measures that will force half of SsangYong's workers to go on unpaid leave were a "step forward," but are "insufficient," Lee told reporters.

The KDB will provide financial support to SsangYong if the carmaker attracts an investor with management capability, Lee said.

The SUV-focused automaker has scaled down the production due to a shortage of supplies and weak demand, and currently rolls out about 8,000 vehicles a month with a double shift system.

In December, SsangYong filed for court receivership after failing to obtain approval for the rollover of 165 billion won ($147 million) worth of loans from creditors.
Islamabad, June 14 : In a rare agreement between two arch-rivals India and Pakistan, which have a history of long-time rivalry with disputes on every front from sea to land, exporters from both sides of the border have mutually agreed to share the ownership of the regions prized Basmati rice, a solution considered the most workable to reach the European markets.

"There has to be a joint ownership, which is a logical solution to the dispute," said Faizan Ali Ghouri, a Pakistani rice exporter.

The fight between India and Pakistan over the claim of the origin of Basmati rice has a long history, as this variety is produced largely on both sides of the border.

India has filed a claim in the European Union (EU) seeking a geographical indication (GI) tag for Basmati rice. Pakistan, on the other hand, has opposed India's claim and has filed a request for a protected GI tag.

"There is no logic in both countries' claim for the sole exclusivity of Basmati rice. Although its origin is Pakistani Punjab, it is grown in both sides of the border. Therefore, a joint ownership is the only viable solution to the long-standing dispute," said Ghouri.

"The EU buyers also prefer joint ownership of the rice variety as they want to keep both New Delhi and Islamabad on board in terms of commodity exports," he added.

Ghouri's views were seconded by Ashok Sethi, the director of Punjab Rice Millers Export Association in India, who also suggested that both the countries should jointly protect the Basmati heritage.

"India and Pakistan are the only two countries which produce Basmati in the world. Both should jointly work together to save the heritage and protect the GI regime of the rice," said Sethi.

It is pertinent to mention that EU had recognised Basmati as a joint product of India and Pakistan in 2006.

Both Pakistan and India make good money from their respective exports of Basmati rice. Pakistan annually earns $2.2 billion, while India makes about $6.8 billion from Basmati exports.

"Both countries export Basmati rice. India, in its application to the EU, has never stated that it is the only Basmati producer in the world," insisted Vijay Sethi, a New Delhi-based exporter.

While both sides still have their own historical details on the origin of Basmati, it is rare to see two arch-rivals, who are not ready to come to the table for talks until their demands are met, come down to a mutual agreement.

Pakistan demands India to reverse its August 5, 2019 decision that changed the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two Union Territories by abrogating Articles 370 and 35A, as a benchmark to make way for dialogue and address other issues between the two countries.

India, on the other hand, demands Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism and take decisive action against terror elements, which it claims, enjoy the support of the establishment.
Tanguturu, June 14 : Three persons, including one notorious red sanders smuggler, were arrested in Andhra Pradesh, police said on Monday.

The kingpin Magunta Vishwanadha Reddy (42), along with his accomplices Sulakanti Uttham Kumar (48) and Vadde Maddayya (56), were nabbed by the Prakasam district police at Kulchuru village in Kurnool district.

Police said that Reddy was involved in 32 red sanders smuggling cases.

"Vishwanadha Reddy was selling grade -- a red sanders logs -- in Delhi and other countries through a middleman named Nazir belonging to Kurnool," said a police official.

Tanguturu town police officials have seized red sanders logs worth Rs 15 lakh, while the district police have seized 50 logs worth Rs 85 lakh.

Prakasam police first sniffed on Reddy's activities while the Tanguturu police identified one Kandakunta Sivakumar from Kurnool district ferrying 46 red sanders logs worth Rs 75 lakh in a mini-truck in March.

"When the man was arrested and interrogated, it was learnt that the real mastermind behind this smuggling was Reddy who had been elusive from police for six years," he added.

Later, police arrested him by deploying technical evidence and information gathered on him on Saturday at 4 p.m. from Uttam Kumar's metal shed located at industrial park - 3 in Kulchuru village.

Police have also seized four A grade red sanders logs weighing 129 kg and a car from them.
New Delhi, June 14 : A 60-year-old woman and a 17-year-old minor girl from West Bengal have moved the Supreme Court alleging horrific gang-rape by Trinamool Congress workers, for their families supporting the BJP in recently-held Assembly election, and sought an SIT probe into all incidents of post-poll violence.

The 60-year-old woman alleged that she was raped in front of her 6-year-old grandson by Trinamool workers on the intervening night of May 4-5, and termed it "a glaring living example of the nature of post-poll violence unleashed throughout the state against family members of those who opposed the ruling party".

The woman said on May 3, after declaration of poll results, a mob of 100-200 people, which mainly comprised of Trinamool supporters, surrounded her and asked the family to leave the house. "Despite the BJP having emerged victorious in the assembly constituency (Khejuri), workers of the ruling party in the state got infuriated and started burning down houses of BJP supporters, hurling bombs, even inflicting physical torture, and looting jewellery and other valuables," said the woman's application.

The woman said "while history is replete with gruesome instances where rape was employed as a strategy to terrorise the enemy civilian population and to demoralise enemy troops, but never have such cruel crimes been committed against a woman citizen for her or her family's participation in the democratic process".

"Not merely the said crimes were facilitated by the inaction of the state authorities/police, but what was shocking is post crime humiliation that the rape survivors were subjected to, for their perceived audacity in reporting the crime," she added.

The victim alleged that the police refused to register the case when her son-in-law tried to report the incident, and after her daughter-in-law persisted, an FIR was filed. The woman was later treated at a hospital, where medical examination confirmed rape.

Seeking an SIT probe, the woman said the "perversity"of the investigation being carried out by the local police can be inferred from the fact that while the rape was committed by five accused who were all named by the rape survivor, and when the rape is confirmed by a medical report, the police has deliberately chosen to name only one of the five accused in the FIR.

A 17-year-old minor girl from the Scheduled Caste community also approached the top court seeking SIT/CBI investigation into her alleged gang rape by Trinamool workers on May 9, when she was returning home with her friends. The victim claimed that she was raped by four Trinamool workers for more than an hour as a "lesson" for her family for supporting the BJP.

The minor said after being raped, she was left to die in a forest, and the next day, a Trinamool member S. Bahadur came to her house and threatened her family members against filing a complaint. The victim asked the top court to shift the trial out of the state. "Such has been the conduct of local police/administration that instead of sympathising with her and family members, the police are pressuring her family saying their other daughter may face the same consequences," she said in the application.

The applications were filed in a pending case by Biswajit Sarkar, the brother of deceased Bengal BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar, allegedly murdered in postpoll violence.

The Supreme Court had issued notice on Sarkar's plea, and it will take up the matter on Tuesday.
New Delhi/Gandhinagar, June 14 : Delhi Chief Minister and national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, said on Monday that AAP will contest on all the 182 seats in the Assembly elections in Gujarat scheduled next year.

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Kejriwal said, "Our candidates will contest all the Assembly seats in Gujarat." This is the second time that Kejriwal has visited Gujarat this year, presumably to expand the party on the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

AAP leaders, both in Gujarat and at the national level, have been claiming that the people of the state are looking at AAP as the main alternative to BJP.

Kejriwal said Gujarat is suffering because of the friendship between the BJP and the Congress.

"The BJP has ruled Gujarat for the last 27 years. I have heard people say that the Congress is in the pocket of the BJP. Both the BJP and the Congress are the same. This must stop," he said.

The AAP is looking to present itself as a formidable alternative to the Congress in Gujarat and challenge the BJP. The party is trying to fill in the gaps left by the Congress, which has seen setbacks in the recent past with several of its MLAs resigning. The Congress also put up a poor show in the local body polls held in February this year.

The Delhi Chief Minister claimed that the people of Gujarat are ready for an alternative, which the AAP can provide.

Kejriwal, who came to Ahmedabad to inaugurate AAP's Gujarat state headquarters, also welcomed the induction of popular TV news anchor Isudan Gadhvi into the party on Monday.

"With the entry of AAP, Gujarat is bracing for a change and this process would speed up with Isudan Gadhvi joining the party," he said.

When asked who will be the face to AAP in Gujarat, Kejriwal said, "The six crore people of Gujarat are the face of AAP. Even in Delhi, its 2 crore people are the face of the party, not Kejriwal. Kejriwal is a small fry, it is the people who are important." Kejriwal also brushed aside the notion of projecting the Delhi model in AAP's campaign in Gujarat.

"Every state has its own different set of problems and aspirations. So Gujarat will have a model of its own, which is not based on the Delhi model," he said.
New Delhi, June 14 : The Delhi Police's Crime Branch on Monday said that it has arrested interstate drug trafficker Pankaj Upadhaya, who carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Monika Bhardwaj said: "Upadhaya was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district. He is presently declared a proclaimed offender in a case filed by the Delhi Police's Special Cell." Upadhaya was arrested by the Special Cell in 2014, and remained in judicial custody till 2018, when he was granted one month interim bail due to his wife's medical condition. However, he did not surrender after that and was absconding since then. Later a reward of Rs one lakh was declared for his arrest.

Bharadwaj said that a team was sent to his native village in Uttar Pradesh to ascertain his whereabouts. She said that on local enquiry and intelligence, the team managed to get his mobile number, and through technical surveillance, found he was residing there only.

On June 10, a trap was laid near his location and on June 12, he was found leaving his village in a car, she said.

"He was intercepted and asked to surrender, but on seeing the police, jumped out from his Bolero car and started running away. The team, after a brief chase, apprehended the accused and on seeing the same, the local villagers and relatives of the accused gathered at the spot and managed to help the accused run away from custody. The staff, without losing hope, again chased Upadhaya and this time managed to lock him in one of the houses," the DCP said, adding that they managed to get him out of the village.

She said that he was wanted in to cases related to drugs, and earlier, used to supply a small quantity of drugs on the directions of Javed around Bareilly. Held in 2003 by UP Police with 10 kg of heroin that he was about to deliver in UP's Gajraula, he cleverly ensured that he was arrested in the name of Pankaj Sharma and also managed to procure documents in the same name. He remained in judicial custody till 2009.
Shimla, June 14 : Hundreds of holidaymakers once again started gathering across resorts in Himachal Pradesh on Monday with the partial lifting of Covid-induced interstate travel restrictions after over a month and a half.

Members of the hospitality industry told IANS the most sought-after destinations after partial lifting of the restrictions on the first day were Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Kasauli, Dharamsala, Palampur, Dalhousie and Manali.

Most of the hotels in the state capital have been seeing less than 15 per cent of the occupancy, an official with the state tourism department said.

He said by weekend the occupancy could reach between 70 per cent and 80 per cent, a good business.

"The occupancy in our property is around 20 per cent on the first day. We are expecting to do a good business in the weekend," Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) Manager Nand Lal, who is posted in Holiday Home hotel here, told IANS.

According to him, most of the tourists prefer to stay on the outskirts like Mashobra and Kufri rather staying in Shimla, known for the imperial grandeur of buildings that were once institutions of power when it was the summer capital of British India.

But a word of caution for the holidaymakers. The police have advised them to follow the protocol as threat of Covid-19 very much looming.

The state has made mandatory e-registration for all travellers entering the state from Monday midnight. It has only relaxed the mandatory RT-PCR negative report and home quarantine for the interstate travellers.

The statewide curfew will remain imposed daily from 5 pm to 5 am. Only intrastate public transport would be allowed with 50 per cent occupancy.

Priya Grover, a senior executive with a Chandigarh-based multinational company, said: "It is really pleasant to be back in the hills of Shimla after a long break." Her husband Prashant added: "We are coming here every year to spend a few days when the plains are sizzling. Thank god for giving us the opportunity to enjoy cool climes." Shimla's meteorological office Director Manmohan Singh told IASN the southwest monsoon reached the state on June 13, in its earliest onset in the past 21 years. Its normal arrival in the state is June 26.

"Most of hill stations likely to experience widespread rains on June 15 and 16," Singh told IANS.

Anoop Thakur, Manali Hoteliers Association President, said most of the hoteliers are back to business after a long break when the arrival of tourists had almost stopped and hotel bookings vanished as the state closed its borders and imposed lockdowns.

Manali and its nearby places support no less than 1,500 hotels, lodges and home-stay accommodations that had witnessed a downturn since the coronavirus pandemic hit the country in the late March in 2020.

Justifying the reopening of state borders for the outsiders, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur told the media that the government has removed the mandatory condition of carrying the negative report of RT-PCR to enter the state. "But we are ensuring that nobody can flout the norms to check the spread of the coronavirus." Thakur said free interstate movement has been allowed throughout the country.

"We have also decided that the people visiting the state would be monitored through registration in Covid e-pass software. All the persons desirous to enter the state are now required to enter their particulars on the online software and details of their arrival were being shared with all stakeholders concerned," he said.

Issuing a warning to the hoteliers to strictly follow the standard operating procedures, the Chief Minister urged the tourists to adhere to the guidelines and wear the masks and maintain social distancing.

Himachal Pradesh has no tourist accommodations in far-off areas. Rural home-stays that started in 2008 have been driving tourists to the interiors and that are the best option to stay and enjoy the virgin nature.

The state's economy is highly dependent on tourism, besides hydroelectric power and horticulture.

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Shillong, June 14 : An Indian Navy team joined the non-stop rescue operations for five miners trapped in a coal mine in the East Jaintia Hills district in Meghalaya for two weeks, said top officials on Monday.

Ibashisha Mawlong, the Executive Director of the State Disaster Management Authority, said uninterrupted rescue operations involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are ongoing since the five workers got trapped inside the coal mine on May 31.

"NDRF and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) personnel along with local people are continuing their efforts to rescue the miners. Various equipment, including water pumps, are also being used for the purpose.

"A 13-member Indian Navy team also joined the rescue operation on Sunday with remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and other equipment," Mawlong told IANS.

Mawlong, who is also Joint Secretary in the Revenue and Disaster Management Department of Meghalaya, said senior officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of the East Jaintia Hills district are supervising the operations.

According to the fire service officials, the vertical depth of water inside the pit is nearly 152 feet. Other rescuers said the depth of the rat hole mine would be more than 500 feet.

Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Kyrmen Shylla along with senior officials visited the accident site for inspection.

Jagpal Singh Dhanoa, Superintendent of Police, East Jaintia Hills, earlier said due to the sudden explosion of dynamite (used to split coal pit), these workers got trapped in the sudden rush of water inside the mine and within no time the mine at Umpleng Elaka Sutnga was inundated.

Of the five miners, four are from Assam while one is from Tripura. Six co-workers of the trapped miners could save themselves as they were on the outer side of the mine at the time of the mishap and they have returned to their homes in Assam.

The police arrested the owner of the coal mine, Shining Langstang, and charged him with violation of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order banning unscientific mining and transportation of coal. The 'Sordar' (mine manager and head of the workers) is on the run and a lookout notice has been issued since he had brought the workers from Assam and Tripura to work in the illegal mine.

At least six people, who hailed from Karimganj district in southern Assam, were killed when they were working inside a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills on January 21 this year.

The latest incident on May 31 is a grim reminder of the December 2018 illegal coal mining tragedy in the same district when 15 migrant miners from Assam died inside in an abandoned coal mine. The 15 miners had been stuck in the coal mine at a depth of nearly 370 feet after a tunnel was flooded with water from the nearby Lytein river.

Even the bodies of the miners could not be retrieved after many days of rescue operations. In April 2014, the NGT had banned the indiscriminate and hazardous rat hole coal mining in Meghalaya. But mining continued illegally with the authorities turning a blind eye, allege environmental activists in Meghalaya and Assam.

The Assam police earlier this month seized nearly 250 tonne of coal when it was being taken to Bangladesh from Meghalaya in nine trucks, violating official regulations.

The police said four people, including three exporters, were arrested for exporting the coal through Sutarkandi land customs station in Assam's Karimganj district.
London, June 14 : Ahead of the hearing of Indian fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi's bail plea in Dominica, his lawyer contended on Monday that two new evidences have come to light to show that his "abduction" was pre-planned - alleged "decoy" Barbara Jarabik had asked an AirbnB agent whether the property she was inquiring was booked by a UK travel agency, and video evidence shows the arrival and departure in Jolly Harbour of the boat upon which the bound and gagged diamantaire was taken out to sea to be transferred to the larger ship for the "unlawful journey" to Dominica.

Michael Polak, part of the legal team representing Choksi and an expert in providing legal assistance to foreign nationals around the world, said that while "terrible ordeal" for the diamantaire, and "this attack on the rule of law", took place on May 23, the "planning for what was to happen to Choksi occurred much earlier".

"In April 2021 what may have been a reconnaissance trip or failed kidnap attempt took place,"" Polak said, adding that four individuals travelled to the Caribbean from London in April and one of these was Jarabik, the person who Choksi accuses of luring him to the spot where he was attacked and kidnapped in May.

He alleged that in April, Jarabik flew with one of the men, from London to Antigua and then on to Dominica.

"During this period,and coinciding with the exact point when Jarabik and the man she travelled with were in Dominica, two men attempted to enter Dominica by boat but were barred as being suspected of people trafficking. These men were the same men, who Choksi says kidnapped him on the day after he had been offloaded to the Dominican Police," he claimed.

"The April trip may have been adress rehearsal for the May kidnapping because exactly what happened on that occasion, including Jarabik and her handler leaving Dominica by private jet, took place on May 23 when Choksi was kidnapped." Choksi, who is wanted in India in RS 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud case went missing from Antigua and Barbuda on May 23, sparking a massive manhunt. He was captured in Dominica on May 26, and faces charges of illegal entry.

Polak further said that on May 8, in what seems to have been in preparation for the kidnapping, Choksi says that an Airbnb villa was rented by Jarabik and that this was the place to which he was lured and kidnapped from. He said that Jarabik in her Airbnb messages in regard to renting Jolly Harbour North Villa F on May 8 asked about being able to dock a small boat at the property."It should be noted that she told the host they might take both Villas F and the apartment next door, and then subsequently Villa E was booked by Skylord Travel Ltd, a UK-based travel agency with offices in London and Birmingham," Polak said.

"It is not suggested that this company was involved in the kidnapping," he, however, added.

"Subsequently, this is confirmed by Jarabik when she states in a message that the agent from London booked Villa E. It is likely that the men who booked Villa E, through the travel agent, were part of the group who attacked and kidnapped Choksi," the lawyer said.

Citing the statement of Choksi that he was kidnapped from the residence of Jarabik on May 23 and taken on a boat forcibly, Polak also shared the two videos of a boat, saying: "As can be seen, this boat was unmarked, carried no flag or name, and was moving much faster than the speed limit in the area of 5mph." He further said that sources state that the Calliope of Arne was spotted in Jolly Harbour on the afternoon of May 23 having cleared customs to leave Antigua just after 10 a.m. and therefore should have left Antiguan waters at that time but was seen going back and forth just outside Jolly Harbour.

Targeting Jarabik, the lawyer said that at 7.26 p.m. just after the time when the kidnapping took place, she travelled from Antigua to Dominica by private jet with the same man with whom she had made the practice trip in April.

"Two men entered Antigua on the boat the Calliope of Arne on May 25 after Choksi had been renditioned to the Dominican authorities from this boat. These men were the same two who had undertaken the same boat trip during the practice run in April," he alleged.

Polak has also filed a complaint filed with the Metropolitan Police on June 7, alleging that Choksi was allegedly lured by Jarabik and then attacked and taken by force by several men to Dominica in a boat. The complaint has also claimed that Jarabik and three men allegedly involved in the incident - St Kitts and Nevis national Gurdip Bath, Gurmit Singh and Gurjit Singh Bhandal - are all residents of the UK.

IANS was first to report report names of Singh and Bhandal on June 4.

The diamantaire is wanted in India by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in Rs 13,500 crore case. He had taken the citizenship of Antigua in 2017 and left India on January 4, 2018 days before the case came to light.
New Delhi, June 14 : The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to stay a trial court order directing Indian Medical Association (IMA) President J.A. Jayalal not to use the organisation's platform to propagate any religion.

Justice Asha Menon declined to pass any ex-parte order as nobody appeared on behalf of the complainant in the trial court.

In a June 4 order, the trial court had cautioned Jayalal that loose comments cannot be expected from a person chairing the responsible post.

The high court said it will examine the trial court order and issued a notice on Jayalal's plea. The high court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on June 16.

Jayalal had moved the high court challenging the trial court order.

A suit was filed by Rohit Jha to restrain Jayalal from 'denigrating Hinduism and Ayurveda'.

However, the court said no injunction was required to be passed due to his assurance that he shall not indulge in such kind of activity.

"Saying Christianity and Allopathy are the same and is the gift by the western world would be the most inaccurate assertion. Sushrata, who was an Indian, is considered the god of surgery, which is an integral aspect of Allopathy," the court said.

Jha alleged that Jayalal was misusing his position as IMA chief and launched a malicious and defamatory campaign against Hindu religion in the garb of proving the superiority of allopathic medicines over ayurveda in treating Covid patients.

Advocate Tanmaya Mehta, representing Jayalal, claimed that he never gave assurance to the trial court since he has not done anything wrong, and sought stay on the trial court order.

He claimed the order is affecting his reputation as he heads a body which has 3.5 lakh doctors as its members. He also claimed that the suit before the trial court was based on fake news.

The trial court had noted that the IMA cannot be used to propagate any individual's views on any religion and added that the exclusive promotion of a particular religion by an institution defies the secular character of the Constitution.
Chennai, June 14 : The AIADMK meeting held at the party headquarters here expelled 17 leaders including party spokesman V Pugazhendi for having contacted former interim general secretary VK Sasikala. Former Minister M Anandan and former Member of Parliament Chinnaswamy were among the other senior leaders who were expelled from the party.

The meeting also passed a resolution against Sasikala, castigating her for "reaching out" to certain party leaders. The resolution also accused her of trying to capture the party and staging a drama by speaking to certain leaders and then selectively leaking parts of the conversations.

Sasikala had tried to enter Tamil Nadu politics with a bang after she was released from Bangalore Central prison after serving four years' imprisonment in a case related to disproportionate assets.

She had arrived in Tamil Nadu on February 7, 2021, in a convoy of 1000 vehicles from Bengaluru and had received a huge reception along the way taking a full day for a 350 km drive - generally covered in 6 to 7 hours.

After a few days of dabbling in state politics, Sasikala suddenly announced that she was withdrawing from active politics much to the surprise of political observers and party sympathizers.

However after the assembly election results came and AIADMK lost the polls, Sasikala started resuming her meddling in the party and selectively leaked her telephonic conversations with several senior, middle and lower-level leaders and cadres of the AIADMK across the state. She has publicly announced through these chats that she was very much in the reckoning for active politics.

AIAMDK leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam had openly denounced her statements and had strongly warned party leaders and cadres that if there was any truck with her they would be expelled from the party.
Hyderabad, June 14 : Telugu actor-producer Nani announced the commencement of his production venture "Meet Cute", in an Instagram post on Monday.

"Wall Poster Cinema Production No 4 #MeetCute. A new journey begins today. This one's special for more than one reason," wrote Nani as caption, with an image that shows him giving the clapperboard to actor Satyaraj.

The film is being co-produced by Nani and Prashanti Tipirneni, and marks the feature film directorial debut of Nani's siter Deepthi Ganta, who had earlier directed a short film titled "Anaganaga Oka Nanna".

Nani has earlier produced films such as "Hit" and "Awe", and his new film is said to have a female-driven cast. The actor is awaiting the release of his film "Tuck Jagadish", directed by Shiva Nirvana. The film also stars Ritu and Aishwarya Rajesh.
New Delhi, June 14 : A year after the Galwan valley clash in eastern Ladakh, China is still sitting at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) while India has geared up for a long grind.

Indian and Chinese military delegates have had 11 rounds of talks to resolve the border disputes at the friction points. The only thing that has happened is that both the countries have agreed to resolve the dispute peacefully.

The Indian Army has focused on being better prepared to face Chinese belligerence in Ladakh over the last year, as a final resolution seems far off.

India has enhanced military infrastructure, increased troop deployment to 50,000 to 60,000 troops, and constructed better roads to improve connectivity for quick force mobilisation.

The force continues to be on high alert with its enhanced troop deployment of over 50,000 men on the ground in Ladakh for the last one year, including during the harsh winter when the temperature dips to minus 40-degree Celsius.

Last month, Indian Army chief General M.M. Naravane had said that the troops are on high alert along the LAC, keeping a watch on the activities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Naravane said that India wants the status quo ante of April 2020 to be restored. He also stated that India has made it clear to China that de-escalation will only be considered once disengagement is completed to the mutual satisfaction of both sides.

He said that Indian troops are on high alert and deployments have not thinned after the disengagement in Pangong River. The Army chief maintained that China has deployed around 50,000 to 60,000 troops in eastern Ladakh in immediate depth so India has also made mirror deployment in depth.

Even after 11 rounds of military talks at the Corps Commander level to find a resolution, there is still no breakthrough despite the disengagement in Pangong.

Indian and Chinese forces have met to resolve the border disputes at the other friction areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and the 900 sq km Depsang plains.

Naravane also said that Indian is currently concentrating on resolving the outstanding problems at other friction points like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang.

He had pointed out that India's stand during the disengagement agreement in the Pangong Lake area remained the same that the status quo ante of April 2020 must be restored.

The army chief also stated that trust levels between the two countries are low, but pointed out that the trust deficit should not hinder the negotiation process.

In the Galwan valley, where a bloody clash between the forces of the two nations left 20 Indian four Chinese soldiers dead on June 15 last year, including Commanding Officer Col Santosh Babu, the troops had concentrated at just 1.5 km apart.

Following the clash, the Patrol Point 14 became a 'no patrol zone' and both sides pulled back by 1.5 km each and the area turned into a buffer zone.

India had objected to China's observation post near Patrol Point 14 that had led to the clash.

The clash had sparked a war-like situation. By the end of August last year, there was a further build up across the broder and the Pangong Lake had turned into a battle zone, as India occupied the key mountain tops at the Kailash Range overlooking the southern bank of the lake.

Currently, no patrolling is being done till Patrol Point 14. It is necessary to maintain strict vigil through various surveillance methods to keep a check on Chinese activities as they continue to be present in big numbers, not too far away from the contentious point.

Further, China has also been enhancing its surveillance capabilities. It has developed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with plateau operation capabilities and has planned to deploy it along the Line of Actual Control with India in the Kailash mountain range, sources said.

China has also enhanced troops, artillery and armour in three sectors of the LAC -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal).

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in) --IANS

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Sumit Kumar Singh

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New Delhi, June 14: The G7 countries, fresh out of their summit in Cornwall, UK, have spotlighted an arc between Africa and the Indo-Pacific as the space where they wish to expand their democratic footprint amid Chinas rise as a global power.

In a statement, the G7 said on Monday that it will increase its support to the Indo Pacific and Africa, but signalled that grouping was not targeting any specific country, keeping the door open for dialogue.

"We resolve to collaborate with partners around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific and Africa, to actively promote these shared values for the good of all," said the statement.

Yet, the G7, which comprises Canada, UK, US, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, made it plain that it would remain fixated to its core values of transparency, rule-based conduct of international relations and belief in a democratic political system with the aim of promoting "just, peaceful and inclusive societies." The statement signalled that the Cornwall G7 was of pivotal importance, whose message will be amplified in serial meetings, including the G-20 summit in Rome, US Summit for Democracy and generally in the United Nations.

Importantly, the G7 has decided to support US President Joe Biden's proposal of carving out a mega infrastructure plan under the "Build Back Better World" (B3W) initiative, which according to a Financial Times report, would be based on transparency, sustainability and consultation with local communities - a move which will contrast with China's Belt and Road Initiative, mired in opacity and controversy.

"We resolve to collaborate with partners around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific and Africa, to actively promote these shared values for the good of all," the statement issued at the end of the summit said, adding that it will continue to exchange information and coordinate effective responses to shared threats to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, such as disinformation and arbitrary detention.

Though China is a part of the G20, foreign policy experts said that the issues related to building just and inclusive societies across the world may come up in its meeting.

The Build Back Better World proposal is rooted in the concept of the "Blue Dot Network" -- a mega initiative envisaged to bring together public, private and civil society sectors in building and financing quality infrastructure projects. The Blue Dot initiative was first announced by former US President Donald Trump.

While the financing plan of the project is still not clear, the G7 nations "are considering reallocating $100 billion from the International Monetary Fund's war chest to help countries struggling to cope with the Covid-19 crisis" a Reuters report said. Many experts said this large sum will also be directed in supporting the mega infrastructure plan.

Though the G7 has refrained from presenting any anti-China picture, experts said that the initiative is aimed at providing an alternative to Beijing's moves.

"Now the G7 has decided to come up with a more concentrated approach to address the threat posed by China. It is a co-ordinated effort which also involves other countries and not just restricted to a few nations," Shakti Sinha, director at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Policy Research and International told India Narrative.

India's role in the Indo Pacific, flagged as a core area of G-7's interest, likely to be more pronounced in the future.

China, which has extended loans to more than 150 countries under its BRI initiative and otherwise, is currently the largest global creditor. But it is not a member of the Paris Club -- an informal group of creditor nations with the aim to strike workable repayment solutions. Beijing is also not part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Both Paris Club and OECD maintain loan records of official creditors. The BRI has come under the spotlight especially in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic as several countries fear falling into a debt trap.

A study published by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last year noted that the rise of China across the Indian and Pacific Oceans challenges the security umbrella established at the end of the Second World War and strengthened after the end of the Cold War. The emergence of the Indo-Pacific as a new geographic space-bringing together the Indian and the Pacific Oceans-represents the new strategic reality, and geo-economic space of the twenty-first century.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/

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New Delhi, June 14: Saudi Arabia has inflicted a $10 billion dent on Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Pakistan. As reported by Nikkei Asia Riyadh has decided to shift a proposed $10 billion oil refinery to Karachi from Gwadar, the centre stage of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

An elated Pakistan and China had invited Arabs to join in the CPEC nearly three years ago, following which, Saudi Arabia decided to pour in $10 billion in the refinery project. During the visit of Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman to Pakistan in February 2019, Riyadh had announced it would invest $10 billion in a refinery and petrochemical complex at Gwadar.

The announcement was considered to be Saudi's endorsement of China's BRI only. Chinese media called it "A trilateral alliance of China-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia, driven by geo-economic interests, is emerging, with the Pakistani port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea as its hub." It followed Chinese President Xi Jinping's personally driven outreach in 2016 to West Asia and North Africa , which included expenditure of quality time in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt. The refinery angle was prominent even at that point in time.

"With King Salman (of Saudi Arabia), Mr. Xi visited the Yasref oil refinery, China's largest investment project in Saudi Arabia, a joint effort between Sinopec, the Chinese state-owned energy giant, and Saudi Aramco," wrote the New York Times in its report of that visit.

President Xi Jinping of China Is All Business in Middle East Visit But Prince Salman has now dealt a massive blow to Chinese president Xi's ambitions to develop Gwadar as a mega-investment hub in the Arabian Sea.

Pakistan's Gwadar loses luster as Saudis shift $10bn deal to Karachi Pakistan was apparently apprehensive of the move by the House of Saud. On June 2, Tabish Gauhar, the special assistant to Pakistan's prime minister on power and petroleum had told Pakistani media that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not install a refinery at Gwadar but had indicated to set up a refinery along with a petrochemical chemical complex somewhere in Balochistan or near Karachi.

"However, there is no mentionable progress from Aramco as to when and where the deep conversion refinery with the capacity to refine 250,000 barrels per day of crude oil will be set up," the minister said.

According to the minister, the Saudi energy giant, Aramco, had conducted a feasibility report, following which it concluded that establishing the refinery at Gwadar would not be feasible. However, as plan-b, it can be set up in Balochistan, or near Karachi. He added that in the next five years, another refinery with capacity to refine over 250,000 barrels per day was imminent.

Citing the Pakistani officials, Nikkei Asia reports that a mega oil refinery in Gwadar was never feasible. "Gwadar can only be a feasible location for an oil refinery if a 600-km oil pipeline is built connecting it with Karachi, the center of oil supply of the country," the official said. There is currently an oil pipeline from Karachi to the north of Pakistan, but not to the east.

Arif Rafiq, president of Vizier Consulting, a New York-based political risk firm, told Nikkei that a Saudi-commissioned feasibility study on a refinery and petrochemicals complex in Gwadar advised against it. "Saudi interest has shifted closer to Karachi, which makes sense, given its proximity to areas of high demand and existing logistics networks," he added.

It is apparent that Imran Khan's government is not happy with the decision and plans, and has requested Prince Salman to "re-think " the decision. After Imran Khan's visit to Saudi Arabia last month, Pakistan was expecting to kick-start work on the $20 billion Saudi development projects in Pakistan, especially the Aramco oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Gwadar.

The Saudi decision is clearly a setback to Pakistan's plans to develop Gwadar as an energy and industrial hub. Pakistan has been struggling to find a viable economic growth strategy for Gwadar and has asked investors to drive stakes in the project by selling the master plan details Of Gwadar as the "Singapore" of Pakistan--an economic hub of not only Pakistan but the entire South Asian region.

Ironically, Pakistanis put faith in Gwadar not because of their own government but because Gwadar is a made-in-China product.

Experts link Saudi's backtrack on Gwadar with the G7's Build Back Better World (B3W) plan to counter president Xi's BRI, which has been criticised for creating massive debt and exposing countries to undue influence by Beijing.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
Jaipur, June 14 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will not have any one-on-one meetings in person for next one or two months, keeping in mind the post Covid precautions suggested by his doctors, his office announced on Monday.

As per the message from the media cell: "The Chief Minister after getting Covid infected, has been unable to meet anybody in person on the advice of doctors in wake of post Covid repercussions.

"All meetings and discussions are being held via video conference and video calls. Doctors have said that meetings for the next one to two months should be attended via video conferencing. Review meetings for different departments are also being held via video conferencing. Extraordinary kind of meetings were held on corona. Around 355 meetings were held in 15 to 16 months which were attended by village representative, ward panch and sarpanches." The message triggered speculation if Gehlot is undergoing "political quarantine" in wake of the camp of former Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief Sachin Pilot, demanding quick implementation of promises made to them 11 months back after they came back to part fold post rebellion against state leadership.

They are demanding a cabinet expansion and political appointments at the earliest.

In fact, besides Pilot camp, the six former BSP MLAs, who joined the Congress after Assembly elections held in 2018 and supported the Gehlot government during the crisis last year, have also called a meeting and have decided to press their demands for their induction in the government.

Many MLAs and ministers were waiting in the queue to meet Gehlot. However, his message on Monday has left each and one shocked and surprised.

What raises the question is the fact that the Chief Minister was meeting MLAs and ministers till this date and now, has decided to switch to video-conferencing.

A Congress leader said: "It is clear that the Chief Minister wants to delay the cabinet expansion and political appointments for next two months. This is because he doesn't want to give the message that he came under Pilot's pressure and made the appointments.

Also, there are panchayat polls to be held soon in 12 districts. If the State Election Commission declares the programme for these polls, then there shall be a strong reason to delay these appointments and expansion which can aggravate the situation and open fresh rebellion as workers from his camp are equally anxious to get rewarded for working hard to form and then save the government, he added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, June 14 : A big reason actor Ravi Bhatia enjoys his fitness is that it lets him donate blood.

"There is need for voluntary blood donation for the needy ones. Blood banks are specially established to collect the blood donated by people. I enjoy staying fit not just to flaunt my abs but also to be eligible to donate blood. The blood we donate can be a gift of a new life," he tells IANS.

The actor urges everyone to donate blood once to twice in a year.

"It is important to celebrate and create awareness about donating blood, to recognise the contribution of voluntary unpaid blood donors in saving lives. It is an act of solidarity and is required all over the world. It emphasises on the importance of blood donation. Moreover, it is also a global call for people to come forward and donate blood at least two to three times in a year," says the actor, currently seen in "Shukla The Tiger". He will soon appear in the upcoming series "Margaon: The Closed File".
New Delhi, June 14 : Tyre major JK Tyre has reduced net debt by Rs 930 crore in FY21 through higher cash accruals, along with funds released due to better working capital management.

The company is focusing on prudent capital allocation and tight management of its working capital to ensure accelerated de-leveraging going forward.

"The company has reduced substantially the net debt by Rs 930 crore in FY21 through higher cash accruals and funds released due to better working capital management, which is a reduction of 17 per cent compared to last year and the finance cost is lower by 15 per cent approximately." "The net debt to Ebdita has improved significantly to 3.32x in FY21 from 5.33x earlier and net debt to equity improved to 1.61x in FY21 from 2.23x in last year. The Company is on track to reduce its long-term debt to a level of 55 per cent approximately by FY'24." Going forward, the company is planning to incur Rs 200 crore over the next 2 years by way of de-bottlenecking its plants to increase capacities, to be funded through internal accruals.

"There would be sufficient operational capacities through the proposed de-bottlenecking to cater to higher demand for its products." "JK Tyre is presently keeping a close watch on the current demand scenario and shall take decision on further expansions at the appropriate time."
Chandigarh, June 14 : Five-time Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday categorically reiterated his "intent and commitment to fully cooperate with the law" and said that he has "complete faith in the judiciary".

The veteran politician, however, asked the Special Investigating Team (SIT) "to reschedule the date for his appearance for the investigations as he is not keeping good health" and "has been advised complete bed rest for 10 days by the doctors".

"As soon as my health gets better, I will be available for joining the investigation as per law at my current place of residence (in Chandigarh)," the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patron said in a statement.

Badal hoped that "this SIT, unlike the previous one, would respect the law of the land and conduct a fair investigation, withstanding political interference from the ruling dispensation" which, he said, has been brazenly subverting the law for petty political gains.

In his two-page response to the summon from the SIT investigating the handling of the Kotkapura incidents by the previous government, Badal said "the entire process of investigation already stands brazenly compromised through blatant and unapologetic political interference and it reeks too strongly of political vendetta to inspire any confidence about a fair process of law being followed".

In spite of this, said Badal, he will "cooperate fully" with the investigative process.

The former Chief Minster also pointed out that the very need for the present SIT has "arisen out of the brazen politicisation of the case by the previous SIT".

In this regard, Badal came down heavily against "one of the members of the previous SIT" for his "openly political conduct" which had allegedly subverted the entire investigative process.

"With callous and contemptuous disregard for all the established procedures and norms, this officer completely usurped and appropriated to himself the entire functioning and designated role of all other members of the SIT, including its chairman, and rendered them totally redundant," Badal said.

He further referred to the reports that said that the findings of the previous SIT had been scripted jointly by half-a-dozen high profile members of the ruling party.

These reports, Badal pointed out, had never been contradicted.

The SIT has summoned Badal on June 16. Badal was the Chief Minister of Punjab when the police had opened fire on protesters in Kotkapura on October 14, 2015, killing two and injuring others.

The SIT is to ascertain as to who gave the orders to open fire, whether the cops fired in self-defence and if standard operating procedure was followed.
New Delhi, June 14 : Logistics major Chetak on Monday said it has used multi-modal transport model for delivering ambulances to various military hospitals across India.

According to the company, it has forayed into multi-modal transportation model by venturing into the transportation of finished auto goods, through railways.

The company used 'Rail and Road' transport to deliver 430 customised Tata Xenon ambulances from Tata's manufacturing unit in Dharwar to various military hospitals, located at widely spread defence locations including Jammu, Prayagraj, Guwahati, New Delhi and Durgapur.

"The transportation of ambulances gains significance, especially during the current situation when the country is strengthening its campaign against Covid-19," the company said in a statement.

"Over the last 18 months, the Chetak Group has helped in transporting essential commodities across the country. The group takes pride in its fleets, drivers and all our associates, who have worked relentlessly to serve the countrymen and the nation, during challenging times." At present, Chetak services major national and global automobile brands such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata, Hyundai, JCV, Kia, Honda, amongst others.

It has an over 1.5 million square feet of modern warehousing facilities across India.
Mumbai, June 14 : Actor Mrinal Dutt, who is excited about his newly show "Khwabon Ke Parindey", recalled how he, along with the crew, stayed at 12 different locations over 40 days of shooting on the go.

"We left Melbourne with a convoy of eight cars, each driving their own, including the actors and the camera team. Over our 40-day journey, we stayed at 10 to 12 different places, where we shot for four to five days each. The shooting felt like we left home behind and we were all present in each and every moment happening in front of us," Mrinal recalled.

He added: "I was living the character of Dixit in the literal sense and the entire journey felt surreal, where we did everything together. The whole crew felt like a family and it was home away from home. The experience of filming on the go is absolutely incredible." The show Khwabon Ke Parindey streams on Voot.
Jaipur, June 14 : Acting on a complaint received from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has sought a report from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on water pollution in the Harike Barrage in Punjab reaching Pilibanga in Rajasthan, affecting the lives of the habitation thereof.

Seeking urgent intervention, Tapish Saraswat, a student of the Law College under Rajasthan University, had lodged a complaint with the PMO on June 8, drawing its attention to the chemical contamination in Sutlej river and the canals supplying water in Rajasthan.

The Harike Barrage, at the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej, channels water into the Indira Gandhi Canal, which runs for about 400 miles (640 km) to the southwest of Rajasthan to irrigate some 1.5 million acres (607,000 hectares) of desert land in western Rajasthan.

The CPCB has now issued a letter to the Punjab Pollution Control Board, asking it to submit a status report and an action taken report on the matter.

Saraswat had said in his complaint that "this water is contaminated by the factories of Ludhiana and hence reached Pilibanga in Hanumangarh on June 7. Chemical foams were clearly visible in the water of the canals here. This matter should be entertained on a priority basis with a speedy investigation as it is a matter of the health of the people of the state".

The CPCB in its letter to PPCB stated, "It is requested that a detailed investigation report covering aspects such as (i) type of chemical wastes discharged, quantity & chemical composition of chemical wastewater discharged, (ii) sources of chemical discharge into river Sutlej, (iii) water quality of Sutlej River and Rajasthan canals at salient points during the incidence and subsequent to the incident, (iv) action taken by Punjab against the violators indulging in such activities, (v) measures taken for suppressing the chemical contamination in Sutlej River and water supplying Rajasthan canals after the incidence, and (vi) measures taken for control of illegal chemical discharges in Sutlej as well as Rajasthan canals may please be sent to CPCB at an early date to enable CPCB to take further action on the matter."
Hyderabad, June 14 : The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Monday took over the security of Bharat Biotech International Ltd's facility here to protect it against any terror threat or sabotage that may lead to a biological disaster.

The CISF deployed 64 personnel headed by an Inspector-rank officer as part of the security for Bharat Biotech, the developer and manufacturer of Covaxin, India's first indigenously-developed vaccine for Covid-19.

The contingent of the paramilitary force was inducted at a ceremony held at the facility located in Genome Valley, the cluster of biotechnology companies.

Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Dr Krishna Ella, Joint Managing Director Dr Suchitra Ella, CISF Inspector General in-charge of the southern sector Anjana Sinha, and Deputy IG, South Zone-II, Shyamala Dinavahi attended the induction ceremony.

The CISF flag was unfurled on Bharat Biotech campus on the occasion.

The CISF will control access to the facility and its armed troopers, including a vehicle-borne quick response team (QRT), will be stationed at vantage positions in case of a terrorist attack or sabotage.

The cost of the security will be borne by company. The decision to provide CISF security was taken recently in view of the increased threat perception to Bharat Biotech as the biotechnology company is considered vulnerable to threats from anti-nationals and saboteurs.

On the direction of the Union Home Ministry to provide armed security cover to the premises of Bharat Biotech, CISF officials recently carried out survey of the facility.

Bharat Biotech is the 11th private facility to get CISF security since the government took a decision to use its services to provide security cover to important installations in private sector following 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The Infosys campuses in Bengaluru, Pune and Mysuru, the Reliance Corporate IT Park in Navi Mumbai and yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali factory premises in Uttarakhand's Haridwar are among the private facilities guarded by the CISF.
New Delhi, June 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday told the United Nations that in the last 10 years, around 3 million hectares of forest cover has been added in India.

In his keynote virtual address on 'High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought' at the UN, the Prime Minister said the total combined forest cover of India has been raised to almost one-fourth of the country's total area.

Modi spoke at the opening segment in his capacity as the President of the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Terming land as the fundamental building block for supporting all lives and livelihoods, Modi called for reduction of the tremendous pressure on land and its resources.

"Clearly, a lot of work lies ahead of us. But we can do it. We can do it together," he said.

The Prime Minister also listed the steps taken by India to deal with the land degradation issue. He said that India has taken the lead to highlight land degradation issues at international fora.

The Delhi Declaration of 2019 called for better access and stewardship over land, and emphasised gender-sensitive transformative projects.

In India, over the last 10 years, around 3 million hectares of forest cover has been added. This has enhanced the combined forest cover to almost one-fourth of the country's total area, the Prime Minister informed.

Modi conveyed to the UN that India is on track to achieve its national commitment of land degradation neutrality.

"We are also working towards restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. This would contribute to India's commitment to achieve an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent," he said.

The Prime Minister gave the example of the Banni region in Rann of Kutch in Gujarat to illustrate how restoration of land can start a virtuous cycle of good soil health, increased land productivity, food security and improved livelihoods.

In the Banni region, land restoration was done by developing grasslands, which helped in achieving land degradation neutrality. It also supports pastoral activities and livelihood by promoting animal husbandry.

"In the same spirit, we need to devise effective strategies for land restoration while promoting indigenous techniques," the Prime Minister stressed.

In the spirit of South-South cooperation, India is assisting fellow developing countries to develop land restoration strategies.

A Centre of Excellence is being set up in India to promote a scientific approach towards land degradation issues, informed the Prime Minister.

"It is mankind's collective responsibility to reverse the damage to land caused by human activities. It is our sacred duty to leave a healthy planet for our future generations," the Prime Minister concluded.
Amaravati, June 14 : The principal secretary of Andhra Pradesh's health and family welfare department, Anil Kumar Singhal, on Monday issued an order sanctioning an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to all the regularly employed doctors in the event they succumb to Coronavirus while discharging Covid duties.

"The government after careful examination hereby accords permission to the district collectors in the state for the sanction of an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the immediate dependents of the deceased regular employees who were drafted to Covid duties and were exposed to Covid," said Singhal.

The government adjudged an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh for the doctors, Rs 20 lakh for the staff nurses, and Rs 10 lakh for male and female nurse orders (MNO/FNO) and other staff.

Set to benefit the dependents of the employees, this ex-gratia will be in addition to the benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package insurance scheme.

"The dependents receiving any benefit under any other scheme are also eligible for the ex-gratia," he said.

However, the deceased employee should have succumbed to Covid while discharging Covid duties inside a Covid hospital, Covid Care Centre or while visiting the home of an infected person.

Likewise, a Covid positive certificate and death certificate stating that the death was due to Covid are mandatory.

According to Singhal, dependents of the employees awaiting declaration of their probation are also eligible for the ex-gratia.

"This ex-gratia is in addition to any other benefit from insurance companies, organisations and institutions and other statutory payments by the Central/state government," Singhal noted.

Respective district collectors have been entrusted with the responsibility of verifying the relevant documents before sanctioning the ex-gratia.

In less than a week after Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas assured the state's junior doctors of meeting their demands, Singhal issued the order on ex-gratia.

However, there is no clarity if Kandikatla Rosy, a house surgeon at Eluru's Ashram Hospital who succumbed to Covid while discharging Covid duties, emerged as the first beneficiary of this benefit, as was demanded by the junior doctors.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mumbai, June 14 : In a shocking incident, a retired Mumbai Police officer allegedly shot at his two young sons at their home in Airoli, leaving them injured. The condition of the elder son is said to be 'critical', Navi Mumbai Police said here on Monday.

According to the police, the former cop, who has been identified as Bhagwan Patil, opened fire on his two sons, Vijay and Sujay, creating a sensation in Navi Mumbai.

The condition of the elder son -- Vijay Patil, who took 3 bullets -- is described as 'critical' at the Indravati Hospital in Airoli suburb, while his younger brother Sujay was injured in the abdomen.

The Navi Mumbai Police have detained Patil and have confiscated his weapon though the motive behind the crime is not clear yet. Further investigations are underway, said an official.
New Delhi, June 14 : The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre, Facebook and Instagram, seeking their response on a plea raising concern over the publication of "highly obnoxious and objectionable posts" on Hindu gods on Instagram.

Petitioner Aditya Singh Deshwal found the "highly objectionable" posts by an Instagram user going by the name 'Islam Ki Sherni'. According to the petitioner, the content had abusive language on Hindu gods and goddesses along with their vulgar representation in the form of cartoons and graphics.

The plea contended that even after regularly complaining to the grievance officer of Instagram under the new IT Rules, no action was taken. Therefore, the petitioner moved the Delhi High Court.

Senior advocate G. Tushar Rao and advocate Ayush Saxena, representing the petitioner, submitted before the court that Instagram has failed to comply with the new IT Rules, 2021 in its true sense.

The petitioner raised multiple legal grounds concerning the new IT Rules along with his prayer of immediate removal of such 'obnoxious' content.

The petitioner's counsel argued that notice should be issued to all the respondents seeking their reply on the legal grounds raised in the petition.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, representing Instagram and Facebook, apprised the court that the user who had uploaded the content has been blocked and the content has been removed, therefore, the petition should be disposed of.

After hearing the arguments, a bench of Justice Rekha Palli sought response from the Centre, Instagram and Facebook on the plea.

One of the legal grounds in the petition said: "Whether the direction of giving acknowledgement within 24 hours of receipt of complaint by grievance officer as per Rule 3 (2) (1) (a) of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 is mandatory or directory in nature? If it is mandatory in nature, then can Respondent No. 2 being the grievance officer of Instagram, which is a Significant Social Media Intermediary (SSMI), refuse to do compliance of the same?" Raising another legal ground, the plea queried: "Whether in the light of Rule 3 (2) (1) (a) of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, the same grievance officer can be appointed for two SSMIs, which have followers of more than 50 lakhs and whether the same shall be considered as true compliance of these said rules in its true sense?"
Jaipur, June 14 : After the Sachin Pilot group sought fulfilment of their demands for political and ministerial appointments, the BSP MLAs, who joined the Congress around two years back, on Monday also demanded their "due reward" for saving the Rajasthan government after last year's rebellion, contending that had they not been there, the Ashok Gehlot dispensation would have been observing "its first death anniversary".

Three of the former BSP MLAs -- Rajendra Guda, Lakhan Meena and Sandip Yadav -- had called a meeting on Monday to press their demands, as a political rejig and cabinet expansions have been hanging fire since last many months.

Guda, in fact, was quite blunt about their demands.

"Had we, the 6 ex-BSP MLAs and 10 independents not been there, the Rajasthan government could have observed its first 'punya tithi' (death anniversary). Last year, 19 Congress MLAs and three independents had supported the rebellion and even CPI-M MLA's stand was not clear," he said.

The high command should understand this simple mathematics, he said, stressing that "had we been not there, the CM had no other option than to resign".

"We met Rajasthan in charge Ajay Maken thrice... however, each time, we received the same reply that the cabinet expansion shall be held in next two months. All we are getting are assurances," he added.

Guda, who recently staged a dharna at the Chief Engineer's office to complain against its working, said: "We did not save government to see this plight of ours." Yadav said that they saved the Gehlot govt last year and are expecting political appointments. "Today, we spoke to CM, who had promised to talk to us via video conferencing," he added. Gehlot's office had on Monday announced that the Chief Minister would not hold one-to-one meetings in person for the next one or two months on medical advice after his recovery from Covid and would communicate through video links.

In fact, in their meeting, MLA Wajib Ali will join from Australia via video conferencing, Joginder Singh Awana, who was in Meerut, had reached Delhi and was about to fly to Jaipur when he spoke to IANS and Deepchand Kheria would also be present.
New Delhi, June 14 : A crucial BJP meeting involving senior party leaders chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took place at the latter's residence here on Monday.

Soruces said that the meeting was called to discuss cabinet expansion, Covid control measures and the strategy for the Assembly polls scheduled in a few states next year.

The Prime Minister held the meeting with Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and BJP chief J.P. Nadda.

According to sources, works of the Council of Ministers were likely to be reviewed in the meeting.

This was the fourth meeting between Prime Minister Modi and BJP chief Nadda in the last fortnight.
New Delhi, June 14 : The accounts of three foreign funds that are among the top stakeholders in India's Adani group of companies are not frozen, a source at the National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) told a global news wire.

Reports of a freeze on the accounts sent several Adani stocks plummeting earlier on Monday.

The freeze is on accounts of the funds that hold certain other securities and it is not new, the source said.

"NSDL hasn't taken any action now," the source told the global news wire.

Earlier, Adani Ports had clarified that the media reports on freezing of accounts of foreign funds were published to deliberately mislead the investing community.

In a stock exchange filing, Adani Ports has clarified its stand on the reports that NSDL has frozen the accounts of three foreign funds - Albula Investment Fund, Cresta Fund and APMS Investment Fund -- holding shares in the Adani Group companies.

"We regret to mention that these reports are blatantly erroneous and are done to deliberately mislead the investing community. This is causing irreparable loss of economic value to the investors at large and the reputation of the group," Adani Ports said.

"Given the seriousness of the article and its consequential adverse impact on minority investors, we requested the Registrar and Transfer Agent, with respect to the status of the Demat accounts of the aforesaid funds, and have their written confirmation vide e-mail dated June 14, 2021, clarifying that the Demat accounts in which the aforesaid funds hold the shares of the Company are not frozen," the company said.
New Delhi, June 14 : Congress has asked its workers not to celebrate birthday of former party President Rahul Gandhi on June 19, but instead help people in distress due to the ongoing pandemic.

A letter written by General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal says that Rahul Gandhi has decided not to celebrate his birthday this year and asked its leaders not to print any poster or organise any such events on June 19.

"The PCC are requested to help people and distribute mask ration kits and local leaders should visit the house of people who have lost dear ones during the pandemic," he said, adding that the workers should follow Covid guidelines.

Gandhi, who will turn 51, is currently the MP from Kerala's Wayanad, after being first elected three times from Amethi but losing in the 2019 polls. He resigned from the post of party President, which he held since 2017, following the party's second successive defeat in the general elections.

Elected Congress Vice President in 2013, having served as the General Secretary previously, he had also led the party's campaign in the 2014 general elections, where the party suffered its worst electoral defeat, winning only 44 seats.
New Delhi, June 14 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is still probing the case of the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput from all angles and no closure report has been filed yet, sources said on Monday.

The CBI's remark came after several media reports claimed that the agency has filed a closure report in the case.

A CBI source related to the development said that the probe is still on.

The agency is investigating all the angles connected to the death of Rajput, the source said.

Rajput was found dead at his Bandra flat on June 14 last year. The CBI took over the probe on the recommendation of the Bihar government on a complaint filed by the late actor's father.

Besides the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are probing the alleged financial irregularities and the drugs angle related to the case.
Guwahati/Agartala, June 14 : In terms of recovery of Covid patients, the eight northeastern states fare the worst even as the country's recovery rate is rising regularly and touched 95.43 per cent on Monday.

According to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry's Covid-19 data on Monday, the recovery rate in Mizoram is the lowest in the country, at 76.46 per cent, while Sikkim has 79.18 per cent, Nagaland 83.27 per cent, Manipur 84.14 per cent, Meghalaya 87.22 per cent, Assam 90.14 per cent, Tripura 90.24 per cent, and Arunachal Pradesh 90.31 per cent.

However, in the fatality ratio, four northeastern states -- Mizoram at 0.44 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh at 0.46 per cent, Assam at 0.86 per cent, and Tripura at 1.05 per cent -- are better than the national average of 1.27 per cent. The death ratio in the remaining four -- Sikkim (1.53 per cent), Manipur (1.63 per cent), Meghalaya (1.75 per cent) and Nagaland (1.92 per cent) -- is worse.

With no let up in the Covid surge, most of the northeastern states have extended the corona curfew and imposed various other restrictions including closure of markets, most shops, educational institutions, banning gatherings and only allowing functioning of offices with reduced employees.

The Assam Health Department is ready with 2,000 teams to intensify the Covid-19 vaccination drive as soon as the Centre supplies vaccine doses to it. Health Minister Keshab Mahanta said that the target for each of these teams is 200 vaccine doses per day. Assam till Monday night recorded 4,63,175 cases and and 3,994 deaths. The active Covid cases on Monday night stood at 39,362.

Mass testing continues in different parts of Manipur. Only shopkeepers with Covid free certificates only can open shops in certain districts.

Health officials in Sikkim said that during the past one week, case numbers are dipping.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Tumkuru : , June 14 (IANS) About a dozen Lingayat seers, a community to which Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa belongs, came out in his support on Monday, demanding him to continue the as CM for the next two years, besides subtly warning disgruntled BJP leaders not to harass Yediyurappa till his term is completed.

The seers' statement came after the ruling party's national General Secretary, Arun Singh, put an end to all speculation over leadership change in the state, which was immediately followed by Yediyurappa's own assertion that he would be at the helm of affairs for the next two years.

Around 12 seers under the aegis of Shri Shadakshara Bruhanmatha told reporters here that Yediyurappa was the main reason for the BJP to gain a foothold in Karnataka.

"He is often being cornered and harassed. We condemn this as seers. People should stop troubling the Chief Minister and start cooperating with him," the seers stated.

Taking serious note of a section of BJP leaders cornering Yediyurappa over his age, the seers said that associating age with performance is nothing but an insult to a leader who has been relentlessly working for the party.

"We seers feel that repeated silly remarks about his age annoy not only us, but also the entire community which is upset with such meaningless remarks made by his own partymen," the seers stated.

Buttressing their arguments by citing late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, the seers observed that the country had witnessed CMs performing their duties perfectly even after getting old and becoming wheelchair bound.

"We need to remember that Karunanidhi served as the CM of Tamil Nadu in a wheelchair. We (seers) support Yediyurappa and he should serve as the CM for the next two years," the seers said.

The seers contended that those who often raise the issue of age forget that it was Yediyurappa who toiled day and night to ensure that the BJP crossed the 100-seat mark in Karnataka.

"But for his efforts, BJP would not cross 100 seats. He has been wholeheartedly accepted by the Lingayat community as its leader. The community will not tolerate if anyone tries to topple him citing his age as the criteria. He should not be cornered on his age anymore," the seers said.

They also said that the Lingayat community votes for the BJP only because of Yediyurappa.

Before the reports of leadership change were scotched by the party's top leaders, Yediyurappa's son B.Y. Vijayendra, who is also a BJP vice-president, had met several Lingayat seers on the pretext of a 'courtesy call'.

Meanwhile, BJP's Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh is coming to Bengaluru for a three-day visit on June 16. He will be meeting the state cabinet members along with some party MLAs.

A section of BJP MLAs in Karnataka had been openly demanding that the party's top brass should provide them a platform to air their grievances against the style of functioning of Yediyurappa.

These leaders felt that Yediyurappa had been given more prominence than he deserved, and their main grouse has been the rise of his two sons -- B.Y. Raghvendra, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Shivamogga district, and his younger Vijayendra, who is seen as a shadow CM in Karnataka by his own partymen.
Bengaluru, June 14 : As Bengaluru saw lockdown restrictions partially relaxed from Monday, city civic body chief Gaurav Gupta urged people to stay vigilant about the Covid threat.

"Citizens need to be vigilant in the coming months, as the pandemic may strike again in the form of third wave, as hinted by health experts," the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner said at a virtual meeting with senior officials involved in Covid management in the state capital.

"Ability of the citizens to be focused and disciplined will determine the success of our fight against Covid, which is going to be long-drawn though the second wave is on the wane," he said.

Bengaluru was an "epicentre" of the pandemic, accounting for about 60 per cent of infections since the virus struck the state in March last year. According to the state health bulletin, of the total 27,71,969 cases in the state, 11,98,158 were from Bengaluru, and out of 33,033 deaths caused by the virus in the state, 15,3019 were from the city.

Of the 1,72,141 active cases across the state till Monday, 85,044 are in Bengaluru Urban district.

However, as the positive case in Bengaluru Urban declined below 5 per cent, the state government eased the extended lockdown curbs by allowing essential shopping from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m across the city.

The relaxation has also allowed autos and taxis to operate with two passengers, as movement of people and vehicles are permitted on weekdays till 7 p.m. before night curfew till 5 a.m. next morning.

Gupta said: "As the battle against the pandemic is going to be a long one, all citizens should embrace a safe lifestyle and get vaccinated to contain the virus from flaring up in the future." The BBMP is intensifying testing, containment and isolation and stepping up the vaccination drive to ensure every adult in the city is inoculated and protected from the virus.

"The onus, however, is on every citizen to ensure positive cases do not rise again above 5 per cent and force the state government to re-impose lockdown," reiterated Gupta.

With the lockdown partially lifted, many economic activities have resumed, drawing migrant workers and daily wage labourers back to the city.

Covid tests have been stepped-up at railway stations, bus stands, check-posts and toll gates on the city's outskirts to curb positive cases, said Gupta, adding that the civic body will also conduct tests in college hostels, paying guest houses, factories and at construction sites

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, June 14 : Leading oil & gas and metals company Vedanta has enhanced the Covid relief measures for its employees.

Accordingly, it will provide salary and other benefits to the families of the deceased employees till their notional retirement date.

"Considering the fatalities caused by Covid-19 and the recent black fungus epidemic, the company is providing benefits to the family members of the deceased employees in the form of continued payments of last drawn fixed salary till their notional date of retirement," the company said.

"The company will also continue the Mediclaim insurance coverage till the notional date of their retirement besides providing education assistance for two children till graduation," it added.

Besides, it also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased business partners.

Furthermore, the company aims to vaccinate 1.2 lakh employees and business partners in India.

Notably, the company is spending around Rs 12.6 crore to procure vaccine doses in bulk for the employees and business partners.

In addition, it will provide 'Covid Kawach Insurance' to their business partners that includes 'term life and hospitalisation'.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Patna, June 14 : An arrest warrant has been issued against Bihar Police DSP Kamal Kant Prasad in connection with a four-year-old rape of a minor Dalit girl, an official said.

Prasad allegedly raped the minor girl, who was a domestic help, in his official residence in Gaya in 2017. An FIR was registered against Prasad on the direction of a trial court on June 2 this year.

Earlier, IGP, Gaya, wrote a letter to Home Secretary Jitendra Kumar Shrivastava to allow a warrant against the DSP as he did not appear before the investigation team annd is at large.

The FIR had been registered under the POCSO act in Women police station. As the crime was committed, the DSP's wife had made a video of the incident, and complained to authorities including the district police. A CID investigation had been underway since then.

As prosecution lawyer Kaiser Sarfuddin presented vital proof including the video evidence and statement of the victim under Section 164, special POCSO court judge Neeraj Kumar on May 27 directed district police to file an FIR against Prasad.
Car insurance quotes can help drivers find the best insurance policy for them. Insurance providers will determine the cost of a policy after applying several factors.., said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents some of the most important pieces of information everyone should know about car insurance quotes.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/car-insurance-quotes-online-explained/

Most first-time car owners can feel overwhelmed when shopping for car insurance. Luckily, car insurance quotes can help them outline the types of coverages a policy offers and how much they can expect to pay. Car insurance quotes are estimates, based on the car owner's personal information, of how much a provider will charge on an insurance policy. Because premiums vary across insurers, quotes are very important. To avoid paying too much on an insurance policy, drivers should compare as many quotes as possible. Also, drivers looking to buy a new car should get quotes based on the car they want to get. Furthermore, drivers who are not satisfied by their current provider can also get quotes to find a new carrier that suits their needs.

When determining car insurance premiums, providers use different factors such as:



Age. Older, more experienced drivers cause fewer accidents and are charged less on their insurance rates. Usually, young drivers under 25 pay the highest car insurance premiums.

Gender. Statistically, men are more likely to be involved in an accident. For this reason, car insurance companies charge more on male drivers.

Credit. In most states, car insurance companies are allowed to use the drivers credit score as a factor to determine the premiums. Statistically, drivers who have a poor credit score are more likely to file car insurance claims. For this reason, they pay more on insurance. On the other hand, drivers with excellent credit score and clean driving records are more likely to receive better deals on their premiums.

Driving record. Policyholders who have a history of at-fault accidents and traffic violations pose a higher financial risk for insurance providers. To lower their risk, insurance companies will charge more on the premiums of drivers with poor driving histories.

Address. The place where a driver lives can impact insurance rates for several reasons. Drivers living in bad neighborhoods where car thefts and vandalism are often will pay more on their insurance. Furthermore, drivers living in a city where there is a high rate of traffic accidents per capita can also expect to be charged more by their carriers.

Make and model of car. Drivers who are driving electric, luxury, sports, or exotic cars will pay more on their insurance because these types of vehicles cost more to repair or to replace. On the other hand, used family cars, minivans, or popular SUV models cost less to insure.

Mileage. Drivers who are using their cars to drive frequently are more likely to be involved in accidents and to file insurance claims. To pay less on their premiums, drivers should avoid driving too often.

The type of policy and coverage. Some drivers who own older vehicles choose to purchase only the state minimum insurance required by the law. However, drivers who lease or finance their vehicles are required by their lenders or leasing agents to get full coverage. Furthermore, besides having full coverage, some policyholders add optional coverages to be better covered against different situations.

Drivers looking to get insurance quotes can do so in the office of a local agency of a national insurance carrier, like Allstate, Geico, or State Farm. Drivers can also request quotes via phone or they can get them online. Most major insurers have websites that offer online quotes where drivers will need to give details such as name, address, age, gender, location, vehicle type, how they use the vehicle, and how much they drive, to get quotes. Some insurance providers will even allow drivers to get insurance policies at the end of the quote process.

The insurance policies are sold by agents who work directly with an insurance company or by agents who work independently and can offer multiple quotes from different providers, without having to visit several agencies.

For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
The US must invest heavily in innovation to maintain it's technological leadership

The future of big-tech and the landscape of fair competition between businesses is becoming one of the most widely discussed topics today. Decisions made by Washington will have a lasting impact on how organizations of every size operate and compete in the free market. The App Economy Conference (AppCon) has put together an event that brings together Americas top mobile innovators and political leaders in Washington D.C to an open discussion around the topic of antitrust. Organized by ACT | The App Association, this upcoming AppCon 21 event, is set to take place from June 14th to the 18th. ACT is a Washington, D.C.-based public policy organization that represents more than 5,000 app and connected device companies leading the $1.7 trillion mobile economy.

The association aims to foster conversation between top tech leaders with preeminent policymakers to drive smart innovation and effective regulation in the tech industry. Just like the most recent AppCon 21, this event is set to be held virtually over the four-day period focusing on the topic competition, standard essential patents (SEPs), and of course, antitrust issues generally in tech. Fischer will be meeting with members of the House Judiciary, Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, Congressman Darrell Issa and Congressman David Cicilline.

The time has never been better for the United States to invest in itself and take great strides in innovation, entrepreneurship, and roll out smart regulation to keep the American economy competitive and growing, said Marc Fischer Co-Founder and CEO of Dogtown Media.

Dogtown Media, a Los Angeles-based mobile app development company, is among the invited cohort of tech business leaders set to join the event as a representative of California. Previous AppCon events have given Fischer the chance to discuss important topics such as 5Gs future in rural areas, chronic health condition costs, and accelerating U.S. AI innovation. Here, he was able to spark healthy conversation with political leaders such as FCC Commissioner Michael ORielly and Director Ajit Pai, Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, and Senator Amy Klobuchar.

As this upcoming AppCon event approaches, Fischer is optimistic to engage in meaningful conversations with political leaders and fellow tech leaders on the topic of antitrust, 5G app development and the future of tech. Opening enriching dialogue with U.S. Congressional Leaders is an important step in addressing the challenges that surround antitrust legislation. Based on the outcome of previous events, Fischer is hopeful that his engagement in antitrust policy and willingness to discuss these challenging issues will lead to a better outcome for the tech industry.

Based in Venice Beach, Dogtown Media is a mobile technology studio that leverages disruptive design strategies and dynamic development to deliver industry-leading apps. To date, Dogtown Media has created over 250 mobile apps in industries including Healthcare app development, IoT, and Artificial Intelligence.


McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates attorney Bennett Casto I believe personal injury law is a great way to serve others. I love helping clients on a personal level, especially when theyre experiencing times of extreme difficulty and challenge.

McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates is pleased to announce the hiring of attorney Bennett Casto. He comes to the firm with more than 13 years experience as a public defender, and will be practicing in all areas of personal injury law.

Casto most recently served as Head Public Defender for Saluda, Edgefield, and McCormick counties.

My job as a public defender required me to travel to rural courthouses and jails, meeting people wherever they happened to be. I enjoyed helping those who were in desperate need of legal counsel, said Casto.

Casto says his new role as a personal injury attorney will allow him to continue practicing law in a meaningful way.

I became a lawyer because I truly wanted to help people and make a difference. I still feel that same way, and I believe personal injury law is a great way to serve others. I love helping clients on a personal level, especially when theyre experiencing times of extreme difficulty and challenge.

Casto is looking forward to working alongside his new colleagues at McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates.

I knew that if I wanted to move into a different practice area then I wanted to work with some of the best in the business. McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates has an outstanding reputation in the field of personal injury and workers compensation law.

Casto is a member of the South Carolina Bar, the Lexington County Bar Association, the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the South Carolina Public Defenders Association.

He holds a Bachelors Degree in Corporate Communication from the College of Charleston (2002) and a Juris Doctor from the Charleston School of Law (2007), where he was involved with Moot Court.

About McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates

With offices in Aiken, Camden, Columbia, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, and Sumter, the personal injury attorneys at McWhirter, Bellinger & Associates are ready to serve you. The firm specializes in all areas of personal injury, including drunk driving accidents, defective products, medical malpractice, workers compensation, and wrongful death. To learn more about the firm, or to receive a free case evaluation, call 1-803-590-9243.


By teaching, we are given a gift, says Dr. Wilson. There is the gift of knowledge in our hands, together with the responsibility to share it, the gift of receiving from our students as they learn and discover with our assistance and the gift that, as we teach, we learn more about ourselves.

Given the significant impact of COVID-19 on global teaching and learning, the United Nations has been prompted to call upon the teaching profession to reimagine education and to accelerate change. Teaching Professionals: The Art of the Teaching Professional and How to Teach Professionals The CAISSEP Technique by Nigel Wilson, Ph.D. strives to help teachers and those wanting to be teachers to respond to this call for the benefit of todays and future generations. Throughout this innovative text, Dr. Wilson, a seasoned educator, lawyer and inventor of the CAISSEP teaching and learning technique, provides insights, guidance, and tools to challenge, inform and stimulate the aspirations of teachers globally who wish to improve their craft and develop the art and science of educating adult learners.

Teachers are change agents, each motivated by different goals and aspirations. Educators understand that the teaching process, especially surrounding adult learning, can be creative, challenging, complex, and full of joys and frustrations. Through Dr. Wilsons proven methodologies, teachers will learn a variety of teaching and learning techniques based on international best practices that include the key principles of effective adult learning, the four elements of experiential learning, a variety of practical teaching techniques and approaches, guidance on how to develop a teaching plan utilizing the CAISSEP template and ways in which technology can benefit teaching methodologies.

By teaching, we are given a gift, says Dr. Wilson. There is the gift of knowledge in our hands, together with the responsibility to share it, the gift of receiving from our students as they learn and discover with our assistance and the gift that, as we teach, we learn more about ourselves.

Globally, adult education is a key driver for change. The COVID-19 pandemic has been the largest disruption to the education systems in history. Through this visual and easy to follow publication, it is Dr. Wilsons hope that Teaching Professionals and the CAISSEP techniques will provide positive and practical resources to assist educators worldwide to reimagine teaching and accelerate positive change for future generations.

Teaching Professionals: The Art of the Teaching Professional and How to Teach Professionals The CAISSEP Technique

By Nigel Wilson, Ph.D.

ISBN: 9781665703185 (softcover); 9781665703192 (electronic)

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Archway Publishing

About the author

Nigel Wilson, Ph. D. is an Australian lawyer and teaching professional. He has over 28 years' experience in legal education, curriculum development and legal practice. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy by the University of South Australia and holds degrees in Law (Honors, First Class) and Economics from the University of Adelaide and a graduate diploma in legal practice from the University of South Australia. Dr. Wilson also holds a masters degree in Law from Oxford University and has been awarded Harvard Universitys Premier Certificate in Cybersecurity. As an expert teaching professionally since 1992, Dr. Wilson has been a tutor, seminar leader, examiner, course coordinator, continuing professional development presenter, convenor, senior lecturer, and director of studies of undergraduate, postgraduate and post-admission law programs. For over two decades, he has conducted educational training programs for Australian legal practices, workplaces and Australian judicial colleges. Dr. Wilson is the inventor and owner of the CAISSEP teaching and learning technique. He currently resides in Adelaide, Australia. To learn more about Dr. Wilson, please visit http://www.australischambers.com.

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Meghan Bowman

480-306-6597

mbowman@lavidge.com


Everett D. Wair Sr., author of Playing A Dangerous Game, has completed his new book Graveyard Society Eve: an adult comedy story about Oak Wood Cemetery, a graveyard on the South Side of Chicago that comes to life with spirits who live as if they are still alive as they wait to transition to heaven or hell. The story begins with the death of Eve, a churchgoing Chicago woman who is gunned down on a cold winter night.

Author Everett D. Wair Sr. writes, Theres no place like Chicago. It is a city with lots of history. For example, theres Alphonse Gabriel Capone, sometimes known as Scarface, who was an American gangster during the Prohibition era and the cofounder of the Chicago outfit. The first African American mayor Harold Washington served Chicago from 1983 to 1987 and beat out incumbent mayor Jane Byrne. It is the city where the forty-fourth president, first African American one, Barack Obama won the 2008 election. Chicagos African American newspaper, The Chicago Defender was founded by Robert S. Abbott in 1905 on the South Side of the city. But one of the citys most popular areas was and still is Bronzeville.

Published by Page Publishing, Everett D. Wair Sr.s captivating tale follows Eve as she finds herself among the souls of Oak Wood Cemetery. Her best friend, also a ghost, informs her that her daughter is living a life of sin. Eve now has a mission to rescue her daughter, but she has to reveal a long-hidden secret while shes in the world.

Readers who wish to experience this mesmerizing work can purchase Graveyard Society Eve at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
John Milano, who has spent the last twenty-six years treating patients at the Veterans Administration Hospital, has completed his new book (Mostly) Pandemic Poetry: a compelling collection of poetry that covers topics including faith, drug abuse, war, racism, love, and sexual issues.

Author John Milano discusses his work, writing, This book is a reaction to the viciousness of our treatment of each other as humans, and the hypocrisy of the Church and the government.

Published by Page Publishing, John Milanos meaningful tale has both Christian and secular influence. The author seeks to look past societys shortcomings and portray a sense of optimism, sharing his view that to be a genuine human being is to have courage.

The collection includes a wide variety of poems, such as How Many Os in Stooopid? (The New Barbarians), Anschluss (There is Enough Hatred in the World, A Conversation With Satan (Jesus Saved Me), Certainly Concerned (Certain Doom), and more.

Readers who wish to experience this original work can purchase (Mostly) Pandemic Poetry at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
We feel privileged to be working with Tina Andrews and Adjoa Andohaward-winning writing, fame-worthy narration, and top-notch production will make this an exceptional listening experience.

RBmedia, the largest audiobook producer in the world, today announced its audiobook production of Charlotte Sophia: Myth, Madness and the Moorwritten by award-winning writer Tina Andrews and narrated by Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh. Produced by Recorded Books, RBmedias flagship publishing brand, the audiobook releases June 24, 2021.

Charlotte Sophia is the acclaimed 2013 historical novel about Queen Charlotte, who is thought to be Englands first biracial royal and who is portrayed in the Netflix smash hit Bridgerton. HBO Max recently announced it has acquired the film and TV rights to Charlotte Sophia with Andrews currently writing the pilot.

Charlotte Sophia spans 50 years in the life of a formidable queen whose history collides with lust, betrayal, politics, rape, murder, and madness. In this sweeping portrait of one of England's most unexplored yet beloved queens, Andrews combines meticulous research with her adept mastery for bringing history to life.

What an honor and eye-opening ride it has been to research and write this epic saga of Charlotte Sophias lifefrom her youth to her 60-year marriage to King George III, says writer Tina Andrews. Its a classic fish-out-of-water story with everything from racial secrets, Templar Knights, mystical amulets, madness, eccentric family members, court intrigueand ultimately a deep and abiding love, which survives against all odds.

The audiobook narrator, Adjoa Andoh, a frequent contributor to Recorded Books, recently wowed audiences as Bridgertons Lady Danbury in the Netflix period drama, which was watched by a record 82 million households around the world.

Adjoa Andoh has narrated more than 200 audiobooks. She has a long history of expertly using her voice to carry a story. That coupled with her powerful portrayal of Lady Danbury on Netflixs Bridgerton series made her the obvious actor to voice Charlotte Sophia, said Troy Juliar, Chief Content Officer for RBmedia. We feel privileged to be working with Tina Andrews and Adjoa Andohaward-winning writing, fame-worthy narration, and top-notch production will make this an exceptional listening experience.

Charlotte Sophia is available for preorder now on Audible and Audiobooks.com. The audiobook will be released June 24, 2021, for digital download on Audible, iTunes, Google Play, Audiobooks.com, and wherever digital audiobooks are sold.

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ABOUT RBMEDIA

RBmedia is the largest audiobook producer in the world. With more than 50,000 exclusive titles, our audiobooks continually dominate key literary awards and bestseller lists. The companys powerful digital retail and library distribution network reaches millions of listeners around the globeat home, in the car, and everywhere their mobile devices go. Our titles are available on leading audio platforms, including Audible, iTunes, Google Play, Audiobooks.com, OverDrive, Hoopla, and many more. RBmedia is owned by KKR, a leading global investment firm. Find out more at rbmediaglobal.com.

ABOUT TINA ANDREWS

Tina Andrews won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Nonfiction for her book, Sally Hemings, An American Scandal: The Struggle to Tell the Controversial True Story (Malibu Press), which required a massive, multi-year amount of research about the relationship between President Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved Sally Hemings. To lay the foundation for the novel of Charlotte Sophia, the authors 20+-year journey included many trips to London and research of hundreds of books, archives, and academic material. The novel chronicles the path of self-discovery of a maligned German princess (who hides her darker skin under makeup) from an obscure court to her becoming the arranged consort of King George III, who was slowly going mad.
Americas Healthiest Company is an exciting opportunity for local companies, cities, teams, and their families across the country, to pursue wellness together, with a little friendly competition, by accessing classes across 49+ categories via BurnAlong. Daniel Freedman, Co-CEO of BurnAlong

Today, June 14, 2021, BurnAlong, the worlds leading health, wellness, and social motivation platform, began accepting registrations for Americas Healthiest Company challenge which celebrates a holistic approach to wellness. Beginning in 2018, Americas Healthiest Company is an inclusive and accessible six-week challenge for companies and cities to compete against each other by completing online fitness and wellness classes and accumulating minutes across the 49+ diverse categories via the BurnAlong platform.

The challenge will begin on September 7, 2021 and run through October 15, 2021. Traditional wellness challenges and programming center around fitness, thus excluding many employees of varying needs and abilities. Additionally, many challenges do not often focus on healthy competition against other local companies to spur on the community throughout their wellness journeys. Americas Healthiest Company participants compete against one another by taking online classes from a wide range of categories including cardio, yoga, barre, tai chi, self-defense, Mommy & Me, family workouts, chronic condition support, financial wellness, meditation, stress management, fitness, adaptive workouts, and more. Participating companies will receive turnkey marketing to generate internal support, automated reporting so they can track their progress against competitors, and the unique chance to engage their employees with a corporate challenge that includes their entire workforce of varying needs and abilities.

26 percent of adults in the United States have some type of disability and require varying levels of adaptive support or programming. Additionally, an estimated 39 percent of people who are disabled, aged 25-34, were employed in 2020. Employers focused on providing equitable offerings for people with disabilities are also concerned with the rising healthcare costs to address a global health crisis which has only been exacerbated by COVID-19. Only 20 percent of the population gets the recommended levels of exercise according to the CDC. More than 150 million Americans suffer from a chronic health condition; 40 percent of adults are medically obese; and only 41 percent of people suffering from a mental or emotional health concerns seek professional care.

Employers have the opportunity to expand the traditional definition of benefits with holistic wellness programming to positively impact their entire workforce, regardless of ability status or where they are in their wellness journey.

With Americas Healthiest Company, BurnAlong is celebrating a holistic approach to wellness by offering diverse, online programming to include all employees, meeting them wherever they are, on a single platform.

BurnAlong is committed to offering diverse and inclusive wellness programming so that everyone, wherever they are in their wellness journey and with all abilities, can engage and grow, says Daniel Freedman, co-CEO of BurnAlong. Americas Healthiest Company is an exciting opportunity for local companies, cities, teams, and their families across the country, to pursue wellness together, with a little friendly competition, by accessing classes across 49+ categories via BurnAlong.

You can register for Americas Healthiest Company, or request additional information, at https://on.burnalong.com/americas-healthiest-company-challenge-2021.

ABOUT BURNALONG

BurnAlong (http://www.BurnAlong.com) is an online health, wellness, and fitness platform that works with leading employers, insurers, municipalities, non-profits, and health systems who provide BurnAlong for their employees, members, and patients. BurnAlong helps people achieve their health and wellness goals by giving them unparalleled access to more than 1,200+ instructors, teaching live and on-demand wellness classes across more than 45 categories - from traditional fitness to nutrition, financial wellness, adaptive workouts, chronic conditions, and more - for the entire family. People can take classes alone or live with others where they can see and hear each other for added social motivation.

For press inquiries contact:

Annika Mitic

press@burnalong.com

(443) 920-4357
Brockton-area drivers who wish to sell or trade their used vehicle will discover great prices at Green Auto Plus.

Green Auto Plus caters to Brockton-area drivers who wish to buy, trade or sell a high-quality used vehicle. An impressive used car inventory provides plenty of automotive options at great prices for a variety of car shoppers in the area. Individuals who wish to sell or trade their vehicle will receive great prices for their current vehicle at the Massachusetts used car dealership.

To help potential customers find the right automotive fit at a price that fits their budget, Green Auto Plus features an easy-to-navigate online inventory. Used vehicle inventory results can be filtered by price, mileage, CARFAX vehicle history report, year, make, model, trim level, body style, color, engine, transmission, fuel economy, features and much more. Interested individuals in search of a high-quality used vehicle can get pre-approved for financing online at the dealership - just enter personal, employment and vehicle information to get approved.

Individuals who wish to sell or trade their current vehicle will enjoy a quick and easy process when they choose Green Auto Plus in the Brockton area. The online Trade Value Calculator will help potential sellers get an accurate value for their current vehicle before they ever visit the dealership. Input personal contact information, basic vehicle information and additional vehicle information that includes exterior condition, interior condition, accident history and ownership history to receive an accurate trade value.

Brockton area drivers who wish to buy, sell or trade a high-quality used vehicle at a great price can learn more about the opportunities available at Green Auto Plus by visiting the dealership online at http://www.greenautoplus.com. Those individuals who prefer a more personal interaction can contact the dealership sales team directly by calling 508-559-9000 or by visiting the dealership showroom in person at 1724 Main Street, Brockton, MA 02301.
We have taken the time and spent the money and resources to offer complete coverage of the United States and Canada plus nearly 70 other countries.

Call 48, a leader in CPaaS-enabled services, continues to further its VoIP footprint throughout North America, adding 1,000,000 new DIDs to its ever increasing inventory. Now reaching almost 10,000,000 DIDs in both on net and off net inventory from more than 13,000 rate centers, Call 48 is able to deliver in-demand, flexible and innovative VoIP-based services to more than ever before.

After the demand surge brought on by the pandemic, Call 48 is positioned to serve the business marketplace across the United States and Canada. With high-quality VoIP services at industry-low prices, our expansion means our wholesale, reseller and private label customers can move into new territories with their telecom ventures.

We knew being able to offer our customers the footprint they needed was imperative to our business model, said Call 48 Chief Marketing Officer, Lauren Halperin. We have taken the time and spent the money and resources to offer complete coverage of the United States and Canada plus nearly 70 other countries.

Call 48 customers experience wide-ranging benefits from having access to the United States as complete On-Net VoIP footprint. Some of these include:



Call 48 grants customers access from rate centers where we are registered with NPAC

Call 48 has both infrastructure and tandem circuitry to receive calls

Call 48 has multiple regulatory filings and approvals as well as state filings.

We are committed to continuing the expansion of the size of the Call 48 footprint, Halperin said. It is our goal to never have a customer say they do not have access to the phone numbers that they need.

About Call 48

Call 48 is a leader in United States VoIP origination services and solutions. We have worked with wholesale, reseller and private label customers around the world to create and scale better VoIP communication services. Our game-changing CPaaS-enabled, fourth generation, customer platform VoIP Portal allows simple and real time purchasing, porting and provisioning of U.S. DIDs. Learn more about Call 48 at http://www.call48.com.
The RN/ADN to BSN program at Charter Oak State College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. This is a tremendous achievement for our program and the College. CCNE accreditation is a mark of distinction for Baccalaureate and higher programs in nursing. It reflects that our program meets the highest industry standards and ensures a high-quality learning experience for our students.

Charter Oak State College (http://www.CharterOak.edu), received official word that its RN/ADN to BSN program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Washington, DC, 20001, 202-887-6791. The accreditation status is effective September 28, 2020, the first day of the programs CCNE evaluation, through June 30, 2026.

Linda Perfetto, PhD, RN, CNE, CNOR, FAADN, Director, RN/ADN to BSN at Charter Oak State College said of the news, This is a tremendous achievement for our program and the College. CCNE accreditation is a mark of distinction for Baccalaureate and higher programs in nursing. It reflects that our program meets the highest industry standards and ensures a high-quality learning experience for our students. Perfetto explained that, Accreditation is typically a requirement for entrance into Graduate programs. Charter Oak graduates will be well prepared and positioned to continue to pursue their goals in their chosen career field at the highest level.

The Charter Oak State College RN/ADN to BSN program is an online program combined with a practicum experience component for RNs (Registered Nurses) seeking to advance their education to the baccalaureate level. In addition, the program addresses the increasing need for baccalaureate prepared nurses nationwide. Its core nursing courses were developed to meet the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Baccalaureate Education (AACN, 2008). The program specifically addresses the gap between an Associate Degree in nursing and the Baccalaureate Degree in nursing by addressing health care policy, evidence-based practice, population health, continuous quality improvement, safety, interprofessional collaboration, and leadership within the health care system.

Sixty-seven students are currently enrolled in the program. The program is now accepting applications for classes beginning August 26, 2021.

RN/ADN to BSN Virtual Open House June 23  Apply Free

The College will hold a Virtual Open House on June 23rd, 5:30 PM EDT, for candidates interested in pursuing their RN/ADN to BSN with Charter Oak. Linda Perfetto, PhD, RN, CNE, CNOR, FAADN; Program Director, RN/ADN to BSN, will lead the conversation. Those interested in attending can register at http://www.CharterOak.edu/nursing. Event attendees can Apply Free to the program (a $50 savings).

About Charter Oak State College

Founded in 1973, Charter Oak State College (http://www.CharterOak.edu) is Connecticuts public online college, offering associate and bachelors degrees in high-demand fields including Health Information Management, Nursing, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education and Business Administration. The College offers masters degrees in Health Care Administration, Health Informatics and Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership. Charter Oak is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and governed by Connecticuts Board of Regents for Higher Education.
LAIS Harmari logo We are very excited to work with the City and County to support their goals of achieving full compliance and maintaining a level playing field for hotels, STR hosts and platforms alike

The City and County of Denver awarded a short-term rental (STR) contract to Linebarger Analytics and Information Services LLC (LAIS) and LTAS Technologies Inc., parent company for Harmari STR. This strategic partnership will provide a comprehensive compliance solution for Denvers STR program. The LAIS-Harmari alliance pairs the industry leading Harmari STR product with the primary residence verification service offered by LAIS. Together, they will support Denvers goal of protecting housing affordability and ensuring equitable enforcement of the local ordinances on primary residence STRs.

We are very excited to work with the City and County to support their goals of achieving full compliance and maintaining a level playing field for hotels, STR hosts and platforms alike, said Allen Atamer, CEO and Principal Engineer at Harmari STR. Harmari STR excels in code compliance, monitoring, and enforcement, which facilitates revenue generation, including STR occupancy tax collections, administrative citations, nuisance violations (complaints), and permit/license fees. Harmari also provides at least 2 STR screenshots as supporting evidence to confirm non-compliance, a critical factor when a property owner challenges the validity of a local governments findings. Harmari STR guarantees a 95% accuracy rate for houses, and 75% for apartments and condos. Denver joins over 65 municipal customers including Toronto, Cincinnati, and Fort Lauderdale that also choose Harmari STR for their compliance solution.

Linebarger Analytics & Information Services, LLC (LAIS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP law firm (Linebarger), serving clients with homestead exemption analytics and discovery services. LAIS repurposed this technology for use in STR licensing, code enforcement, and administration to verify the legitimacy of primary residence claims by existing and newly detected STR owners.

After surveying the marketplace, we knew that partnering with Harmari was the perfect complement to our program. LAIS has already helped recover millions of dollars from removal of incorrect Homestead Exemptions over the past 4 years, and so it made sense to parlay that success into the short-term rental compliance market, says Pete Slover, Director of LAIS.

The first step is to validate existing STR permits and permit applications. The City may then opt to verify each permit owners claim that they have primary residence at the rental property. At this stage, a data-driven batch process compares ownership records to a vast array of nationwide public record and private data sources. Accounts are scored for the likelihood that the owners residency declaration is not correct. Then a team of dedicated LAIS agents will research suspect accounts and conduct outreach as approved by the City to gather actionable intelligence on those permits. The City will evaluate those accounts identified and consider either a permit denial or revocation.

Denver had 3,126 STR permits in 2019, dropping to 1,887 during 2020. With vaccinations leading the way, the Denver metro area is expecting to return to pre-pandemic tourism numbers including licensed STRs. The City already has bounced back somewhat to 2,081 permits. LAIS-Harmari estimates about 3,000 active unique STR dwelling units operating today in Denver.

For more information contact: Allen Atamer, Allen@Harmari.com; Pete Slover, Peter.Slover@lgbs.com
Avondale- and Phoenix- area drivers will receive top-dollar prices for their current used vehicles when they buy or trade at Earnhardt Hyundai of Avondale.

Located in the heart of the Avondale and Phoenix area, Earnhardt Hyundai of Avondale is a premier auto dealership with an impressive used car inventory and a great selection of brand-new Hyundai cars and crossovers. With automotive sales on the rise this summer, the dealership wants to expand its used car inventory and will pay top dollar for local used vehicles for sale or for trade.

To help it acquire the best and highest-quality used vehicles in the area, Earnhardt Hyundai of Avondale is prepared to pay top dollar for pre-owned cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. The dealership sales team is available to help potential sellers start the sales process with a vehicle price estimate and additional details. Individuals who wish to trade in their current vehicle can use the dealerships Trade Your Vehicle online price calculator that provides price estimates based on Kelley Blue Book values. The Trade Your Vehicle tool is easy to use  just input detailed vehicle information to receive an estimate.

For those Avondale-area car shoppers who prefer to trade in and trade up, the dealership provides an easy-to-navigate used car inventory that can be searched via price, mileage, year, make, model, trim level, drivetrain, engine, body style, color and more. The selection of brand-new Hyundai vehicles at the dealership will include many favorites like the Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Palisade and more at great prices.

Drivers located in the Avondale area who are interested in buying, selling or trading a vehicle can learn more about the used car offers available at Earnhardt Hyundai of Avondale by visiting the dealership online at http://www.earnhardthyundai.com. Individuals who prefer a more personal interaction can contact the dealership sales team by calling 623-388-5800.
Phoenix-area drivers who wish to sell or trade their current vehicle will get top dollar for high-quality vehicles at Earnhardt Hyundai of North Scottsdale.

Earnhardt Hyundai of North Scottsdale is looking to grow its used car inventory and to provide Phoenix-area drivers with more automotive options. Area drivers who wish to sell their current vehicle or upgrade to a brand-new Hyundai Tucson will get a great price for their pre-owned car, truck or sport utility at Earnhardt Hyundai of North Scottsdale.

To help interested drivers get the best price for their vehicle in a hurry, the Earnhardt Hyundai of North Scottsdale team will make it simple to sell their current vehicle. Enter vehicle information into the form on the online Sell Your Car page to receive an accurate offer within three business hours with no additional fees and a member of the Earnhardt team will contact sellers to schedule an inspection and provide payment options.

Phoenix-area drivers who wish to upgrade their current vehicle and trade it in at Earnhardt Hyundai of North Scottsdale can utilize the online Value Your Trade tool. With this convenient tool, interested drivers can enter important vehicle information  year, make, model, style, engine, transmission, drivetrain, mileage and zip code  to receive an accurate appraisal based on Kelley Blue Book values within 48 hours.

Drivers who wish to buy a pre-owned vehicle can search the inventory by price, mileage, year, make, model, trim level, color, engine, transmission, drivetrain and more to find the perfect fit. The dealerships new Hyundai inventory will include many brand favorites  Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Palisade and more that may prove to be an automotive match for potential buyers.

Individuals who would like to learn more about selling or trading their current vehicle at Earnhardt Hyundai of North Scottsdale can visit the dealership online at http://www.northscottsdalehyundai.com. Those who prefer a more personal interaction can contact the dealership team directly by calling 480-922-5200.
Cox Family TruBlue is a one-stop shop for everything you need when it comes to maintaining your home, whether you have a punch list of handyman repairs, you need cleaning services, youre looking for help with a small renovation or you want someone to manage the maintenance. - Clint Cox

Clint and Amber Cox are looking forward to bringing a long history of public service to their new senior-and-family focused professional house care company  TruBlue Total House Care of Amarillo.

TruBlue is a one-stop shop for everything you need when it comes to maintaining your home, whether you have a punch list of handyman repairs, you need cleaning services, youre looking for help with a small renovation or you want someone to manage the maintenance. From one small project to monthly ongoing maintenance to age-safe renovations, we are here to help, Clint said.

Clients looking for dependable, high-quality, individual services can hire TruBlue for handyman repairs, cleaning services, yard work, seasonal services and home renovations. TruBlue also works with homeowners, realtors and rental property owners who need to get homes move-in ready quickly and keep them maintained as well as business clients.

TruBlue also offers a suite of family-friendly and senior-focused services, including the ability to do Senior Home Safety Assessments, make age-friendly renovations and offer House Care Plus, a regular service program that can help seniors and busy families enjoy the comforts and convenience of owning a home without worrying about the maintenance hassles. Clint is also a Certified Aging in Place Specialist, a designation from the National Home Builders Association.

There was a time in my life when I was a single parent, working full time and trying to maintain my own home and my parents home. There were just not enough hours in the day, Clint said.

TruBlue is unique because our team members are background checked, screened, licensed and bonded. They are trustworthy technicians wed welcome into our own home  not subcontractors we dont know. At the core, TruBlue is about giving you an opportunity to love your home and get back the time youd otherwise spend calling around to find technicians or doing it yourself, Amber added.

Clints grandfather  and then his father  both owned local hardware stores and Clint grew up as part of a small business. Clint has served as a EMT and served in law enforcement. Amber started her career in news and has since grown her career working with organizations focused on supporting those in need, like the American Cancer Society. Over the last several years, Amber has found her passion to be working with senior retirement communities throughout Texas.

We are both driven and passionate about helping people and making a difference in this community. We had been thinking about opening our own business when my job moved to Austin. We didnt want to leave this area, so we knew it was time pursue our next dream. We are looking forward to helping seniors and families as the owners of TruBlue of Amarillo, Clint said.

TruBlue of Amarillo is licensed, bonded and insured. To learn more about TruBlue, call (806)615-BLUE(2583), email amarillo@trubluehousecare.com or visit https://www.trubluehousecare.com/amarillo.


Phoenix branding and marketing agency Resound builds a new website for Florida-based Supercool, a worldwide leader in automotive, HVAC-R, and industrial lubricants. The new website uses e-commerce features to solve a key problem for Supercool, namely managing their large inventory of products and data sheets.

After spending several decades formulating, testing and blending lubricant chemicals, especially cooling-related fluids, West Palm Beach company TSI Supercool decided they needed to improve their websites function and design, making it easier to update products while incorporating their brands look and feel.

Our website was drastically out of date, and we needed a rebuild, said Phil Eggen, Supercools VP of Sales & Marketing, We have our own laboratory in-house where we formulate, test, and develop new products...we have our own safety data sheets. Its not outsourced. We blend the products here, bringing in the base stocks from the largest oil companies in the world. We are ISO9001 certified. These are all things our customers are looking for, and we needed our website to show that.

Resound conducted a user experience workshop that mapped out the project. While they were there, they shot video and photography that Supercool was able to use on its site. With a new website featuring over 700 products, TSI Supercool came away with a site that they believe gives the right impression to their clients worldwide.

Supercool came to us with the unique challenge of taking an existing worldwide brand and creating a new online presence, without disrupting their existing web equity, said Resounds Chief Creative Officer Sam Pagel, With over 700 products in their catalog, we were excited to tackle such a large project alongside the genuinely wonderful people that make up the Supercool brand.

Resound helps B2B companies develop their unique brand and bring their compelling story to market. Operating out of Tempe, AZ since 2009, Resound believes every brand is remarkable and can share its authentic story with the world if it speaks with its distinct voice. With strategy, design, and content marketing services, Resound guides its clients brands for long-term growth and resonance with their customers.
Kabbage Checking is built to give small businesses the flexibility of mobile bankingfrom in-app account management to mobile check depositswith the convenience of a traditional bankincluding in-person cash deposits, free ATM access, and a compelling APY to directly support our customers growth.

Kabbage, an American Express Company, today launched Kabbage Checking(1), the first business checking account offered by American Express and built for U.S. small businesses. With an annual percentage yield (APY) of 1.10 percent on balances up to $100,000, Kabbage Checking is designed to help small businesses grow, with no monthly maintenance fees, no set-up fees and convenient on-the-go featuresall backed by American Express.

Now available to eligible U.S. small businesses, Kabbage Checking marks the first of several new digital cash flow management solutions from American Express. American Express has also begun offering Kabbage Funding to millions of existing customers with plans to make it more broadly available later this year. Kabbage Funding offers small businesses the opportunity to apply for flexible lines of credit between $1,000 and $150,000. Together, these products are a part of an integrated platform from Kabbage, combining data-driven products, including payment processing and business insights, to help U.S. small businesses manage their cash flow.

Small businesses should not have to sacrifice the features they expect from a bank in order to experience the benefits of an affordable business checking account, said Gina Taylor Cotter, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Operations at Kabbage, an American Express Company. Kabbage Checking is built to give small businesses the flexibility of mobile bankingfrom in-app account management to mobile check depositswith the convenience of a traditional bankincluding in-person cash deposits, free ATM access, and a compelling APY to directly support our customers growth.

If you have the option to open a business checking account, or switch to one with better terms, I think its a no-brainer, said Tom Anderson, a Kabbage Checking customer and bestselling author and financial advisor. Ive tried multiple accounts, and for me, Kabbage Checking cant be beat. Its the best Ive found so far.

Small business owners can apply online for a Kabbage Checking account in minutes, regardless of their businesss age or revenue. Signing up is fast and there are no minimum balance requirements. Once onboarded, customers can access the following features:



Free in-network ATMs: Withdraw funds at over 19,000 ATMs.

Mobile check deposits: Deposit eligible checks using the Kabbage app.

Kabbage debit card: Access ATMs, deposit cash and add to digital wallets.

Reserves: Organize your money for specific savings goals or categories.

Bill pay: Set up recurring payments to vendors.

Customized checks: Pay vendors, cover payroll and more.

In-person cash deposits: Deposit funds at 90,000 participating retailers nationwide that may have extended operating hours versus many bank branches.(2)

Small businesses juggle a lot of to dos with financial management often being the most stressful and time-consuming one, said Alenka Grealish, Senior Analyst at Celent, a financial services technology research firm. Any simplification in accessing banking services is welcome. Moreover, any value proposition that rewards them for their banking business and charges them less translates into funds that the small business owner can use to grow the business.

Kabbage Checking and Kabbages integrated solutions are part of American Expresss expansion beyond its Card business to deepen its relationships with U.S. small businesses. Paired with its wider set of small-business products across the Global Commercial Services group, American Express aims to be a digital one-stop shop to help manage small businesses' cash flow.

U.S. small businesses can learn more about Kabbage Checking at http://www.kabbage.com/checking.

About Kabbage:

Kabbage, an American Express Company, is a data and technology company providing small businesses with access to cash flow solutions, including Kabbage FundingTM, for flexible lines of credit between $1,000 and $150,000, and Kabbage CheckingTM, for online business checking accounts. For complete product details and disclosures, please visit http://www.kabbage.com.

Kabbage Funding and Kabbage Checking are trademarks of American Express.

1 Kabbage Checking is provided by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC. For full terms and conditions, visit: http://www.kabbage.com/checking.

2 Retailer fees and limits apply. For full terms and conditions, visit: http://www.kabbage.com/checking.
Kemal Hawa, a shareholder at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, will moderate a discussion at the Digital Infrastructure Investment Connect Virtual Event on The Future of Digital Infrastructure  Future Proofing Your Investment (with panel) at 9:00am BST/4:00am EST on June 30.

Panelist includes Matthew Pullen, EVP & managing director of Europe for CyrusOne; Philip Siveter, CEO UK&I of Nokia; Lauri Abrahamson, director of business development forEdgeMicro; Gareth Williams, CEO of Gigaclear and Phoebe Smith, investment director of Whitehelm Capital.

Infrastructure requirements are rapidly evolving as the demand for enterprise connectivity and high-bandwidth services continue to grow. Representatives from different infrastructure asset classes across the digital infrastructure space will share their insight into upcoming technological developments and evolving enterprise and consumer demands, and what they mean for long-term infrastructure projects.

Hawa, a shareholder in the firms Corporate Practice, focuses his practice on corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on the telecommunications, media, tower, and technology industries, domestically and internationally. He regularly advises public and private companies, private equity firms, investment banks, and creditors committees on a variety of matters, including mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies and restructurings, investments, financing arrangements, licensing agreements, and commercial transactions. Hawa assists clients with the negotiation of transactions in the cloud computing space, including the negotiation of data center and co-location leases, globally. He also has broad experience in the negotiation of network infrastructure transactions, including submarine cable systems (builds, financings, and capacity procurement), as well as terrestrial fiber optic network transactions and transactions involving antenna towers.

Greenberg Traurig is also a sponsor of the event.

About Greenberg Traurigs Corporate Practice: Greenberg Traurig's Corporate Practice focuses on the business objectives of our clients. More than 450 corporate and securities lawyers work together to provide clients with the legal and market experience needed to manage and close the most complex transactions, as well as provide practical counsel on clients' day-to-day operations. We advise public and privately held companies on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, private equity and venture capital, underwritten and syndicated offerings, commercial finance and syndicated lending, cross-border transactions and general corporate matters. Our industry experience includes transactions in a wide range of fields, from the pharmaceutical, medical devices and life sciences fields, to representations involving clients in the aviation, banking, energy, health care, manufacturing, technology, and telecommunications sectors.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web
Nomada's mobile kitchen is a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. We replaced the typical food cart that most people associate with taco catering, and built something never before seen, from the ground up.

Innovative, elite catering startup Nomada has announced the launch of its new website. The site is the standard bearer of Nomadas crisp new brand, and also announces that the catering companys innovative new mobile kitchen is open and ready for business.

Nomada is the latest venture from Javier Zambrano, a renowned chef with decades of culinary expertise, and his son Andy. Most recently receiving notoriety for the menu they devised for Soho Taco, one of the most in-demand taco catering outfits in the competitive greater-LA area, the Zambranos have endeavored to bring the same innovation that defined Sohos reimagining of taco truck fare to an all-new catering experience, with Nomadas mobile kitchen playing a central role.

Joining the team is Marco Arreguin, chef previously instrumental in local taco spot Taco Maria receiving its Michelin star, and Creative Chef at the wildly popular Puesto restaurant group, which has received a Bib Gourmand from The Michelin Guide. With the Zambranos, Nomada boasts an incredibly diverse and creative group of culinary talent, which has already generated buzz.

Taking the Kitchen Mobile

Central to Nomadas innovative approach to Southern California catering is the mobile kitchen. As the name suggests, Nomada is inspired by diversity of Southern Californias cultures and cuisines. In the same vein, taking culinary excellence and making it nomadic is exactly what the team at Nomada set out to do: and they accomplished that vision with a ground-up reimagining of the kitchen.

We realized that to elevate the full dining experience, wed have to start from the kitchen out, explained Andy Zambrano. We replaced the typical food cart that most people associate with taco catering, and built something never before seen, from the ground up.

Local creative agency Twelve12 played an instrumental part in realizing this bold new vision, creating the visual identity for the Nomada brand and also offering strategy, insight, and design support for the completion of Nomadas signature mobile kitchen.

The reaction for the mobile kitchen has been more enthusiastic than we could have imagined," explained Zambrano. "Clients have instantly realized that this is something new, and something that perfectly matches the elevated impression they want for their event, while also embodying something cool, confident, and essentially Californian.

To inquire about reserving Nomada for your event, call +1 (949) 866-3810 or email info@tastenomada.com.


As Minnesotas state provided EVV system, the HHAeXchange Aggregator platform will be used by an estimated 112,000 direct support workers serving over 80,000 active participants, the majority of whom receive care through varying degrees of self-directed services.

HHAeXchange, the leading provider of homecare management solutions for payers, providers, and state Medicaid agencies, announced today that it has been selected by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MN DHS) as its state-provided Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system. The contract was awarded to HHAeXchange on May 25, 2021.

HHAeXchange will provide comprehensive oversight and management of the States EVV data in compliance with the 21st Century Cures Acts EVV mandate. Signed into law in 2016, the Cures Act was designed to decrease fraud, waste, and abuse, and to help bring new innovations and medical advances faster to the Medicaid participants who need them.

HHAeXchange will support Minnesotas hybrid EVV model by consolidating all visit data, regardless of the EVV tools being used. The Aggregator platform will reduce administrative and financial burden and deliver powerful data visualization and analytics dashboards to enable the State to manage provider compliance and ensure participants are receiving the right care at the right time.

As Minnesotas state provided EVV system, the HHAeXchange Aggregator platform will be used by an estimated 112,000 direct support workers serving over 80,000 active participants, the majority of whom receive care through varying degrees of self-directed services. Minnesota personal care and home health providers will be able to use the free HHAeXchange Provider Portal and its suite of user-friendly, multilingual caregiver tools or utilize third-party tools that directly integrate with HHAeXchange.

We are proud to have been chosen by the State of Minnesota to aggregate EVV data on its behalf, said Greg Strobel, CEO of HHAeXchange. Were looking forward to providing a seamless offering for homecare and self-direction providers that will help meet Minnesotas goal of ensuring all people and communities can achieve optimal physical, mental, and social well-being with access to quality care.

As an industry-leading provider of homecare management solutions, HHAeXchange has helped numerous states and managed care organizations (MCOs) manage billions of dollars in Medicaid claims while achieving a new level of oversight, transparency, and efficiency that hasnt previously existed in the marketplace. HHAeXchange has successfully implemented more than 34 payers and is the EVV aggregator for the states of New Jersey, West Virginia, and Alabama.

In the coming weeks, HHAeXchange and Minnesota will engage program stakeholders to educate them on next steps and ensure they receive all information necessary to support a successful implementation later this year.

About HHAeXchange:

Founded in 2008, HHAeXchange is the leading technology platform for homecare and self-direction program management. Developed specifically for the Medicaid patient population, the HHAeXchange platform connects state agencies, managed care payers, providers, and caregivers through its intuitive web-based platform, enabling unparalleled communication, transparency, efficiency, and compliance.
As part of MISA, Netrix will continue to prioritize providing the best security solutions for clients around the world and offer creative technology solutions that seamlessly integrate with Microsofts suite of products.

Netrix, LLC, a leading provider of IT managed and professional services with a core focus on the Microsoft ecosystem, announced today its acceptance to the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), a group of independent software vendors and managed security services providers that have integrated their solutions to better defend against a world of increasing threats. Netrix is one of fewer than 70 total managed security service provider (MSSP) members.

It is an honor to be selected to join the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association, said Rob Dang, CEO of Netrix. MISA members are top experts from across the cybersecurity industry with the shared goal of improving customer security and our team at Netrix brings valuable expertise to help make the association more effective as it expands. As part of MISA, Netrix will continue to prioritize providing the best security solutions for clients around the world and offer creative technology solutions that seamlessly integrate with Microsofts suite of products.

With more than 200 member companies, MISA includes a select group of partners with expertise in Microsoft Azure Sentinel and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint that integrate and provide managed services for security, compliance, and identity products. Netrix security and managed services were selected and approved for the MISA program. Over the last three years, Netrix has pivoted its essential security service in security tooling based on customer demand.

"Netrix was an early adopter and design partner of security solutions and re-centered its solutions completely around Microsoft to provide a true XDR platform, using tools like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Azure Sentinel, and specifically for the MDR solution. We look forward to bringing our wealth of experience to a broader market to help drive deployment and management of our customer's Microsoft security environments," said Rich Lilly, Director of Security at Netrix.

Netrix has been a leading systems integrator for Microsoft 365, but recognized an opportunity around talent shortages, customers keeping up with the rate of change and overall operationalizing the tools and integration at scale. Netrix underwent a significant change to focus its services on these Microsoft tools due to the key integrations, ease of management and long-term investments.

Having also been a long-time design partner for Azure Sentinel, Defender for Endpoint and Microsoft 365 Defender, Netrix formally launched its XDR-based Security offerings centered on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint as an MDR and Azure Sentinel as the Cloud-native SIEM/SOAR solution. Netrix has used the last years to expand, learn and mature our solutions, specifically around the security operations and efficiency areas, where most customers have the biggest challenges.

The Microsoft Intelligent Security Association has grown into a vibrant ecosystem comprised of the most reliable and trusted security software vendors across the globe, said Maria Thomson, Senior Partner Marketing Manager for MISA at Microsoft. Our members, like Netrix, LLC, share Microsofts commitment to collaboration within the cybersecurity community to improve our customers ability to predict, detect, and respond to security threats faster.

For more information on Netrix, please visit http://www.netrixllc.com.

ABOUT NETRIX, LLC.

Netrix is a leading provider of cloud, collaboration, security, data and development services. Through both proprietary and managed solutions leveraging leading third-party tools, Netrix addresses the most mission-critical IT needs of small and midsize enterprise businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.netrixllc.com and follow Netrix on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Surprise and Phoenix area car shoppers who wish to buy, sell or trade a used vehicle will find great deals at Rodeo Hyundai with top-dollar offers for trade ins.

Located in the Phoenix area, Rodeo Hyundai is a premier dealership in the area that caters to any and all car shoppers with an impressive used car inventory and an exceptional new Hyundai inventory. This summer, the dealership has plans to expand its used car inventory and is ready to pay top dollar for used cars, trucks and sport utilities in the area to drivers who wish to sell or trade their current vehicle.

High-quality used vehicles are a cornerstone at Rodeo Hyundai and provide an affordable option for many car shoppers. To expand its inventory, the dealership is paying great prices for any and all pre-owned vehicles. Individuals who wish to sell their current vehicle to Rodeo Hyundai can contact the dealership sales team for more information and a price estimate. Online vehicle inventories at the dealership can be filtered by price, mileage, year, make, model, trim level, drivetrain, body style, engine, color and more to find the right fit.

Those drivers who wish to upgrade their automotive lifestyle can choose to trade in their current vehicle at Rodeo Hyundai for a brand-new Hyundai. To help drivers get an accurate estimate of their trade-in value, the dealership features an online Trade In Value calculator that bases its values on Kelley Blue Book prices  just input the year, make, model, trim level, engine, drivetrain, transmission, mileage and zip code of the current vehicle. Armed with this trade-in value, potential customers can make a more informed decision and more accurate budget prior to their next vehicle purchase.

Individuals who are interested in buying, selling or trading their current vehicle at Rodeo Hyundai can learn more online at http://www.rodeohyundai.com. Those individuals who prefer a more personal interaction can contact the dealerships sales team directly by picking up the phone and calling 623-214-4100.
Several Ohio districts, including one central suburban district, are already using x2VOL this year to track volunteer hours and then certify that service per the states requirements. "As service moves into high gear with returning back to school in the fall, x2VOL will partner with the states schools as they build up to the 2023 graduation requirement."

Ohio School districts are preparing now to meet state high school graduation requirements that students demonstrate they have a well-rounded academic foundation and skills to prepare them for life after high school. Because this kind of competency is demonstrated in real life situations such as work-based learning and community service, they are turning to x2VOL to ease the record keeping demands and ensure students are completing the hours. x2VOL is the largest and most well-known community service and service learning platform with over 50 million service hours approved around the country, including in Ohio.

The requirements take full effect with the class of 2023 and aim to ensure that students have both a better sense of their career path and have multiple ways to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to be a graduate.

The new graduation requirement in Ohio is laudable for ensuring that students have real world experience, and this has not slowed down during the pandemic, said Michele Pitman, founder and CEO of intelliVOL. As service moves into high gear with returning back to school in the fall, x2VOL will partner with the states schools as they build up to the 2023 graduation requirement.

Several Ohio districts, including one central suburban district, are already using x2VOL this year to track volunteer hours and then certify that service per the states requirements. Middle school and high school students already are required to complete six hours of volunteer work each year in this district. While the state allows each district to define the guidelines of community service projects, the expected increase will shift more record-keeping to district personnel.

Community service is part of the DNA of our community. Its one of the reasons people want to live here, says Jeanne Gogolski, the service-learning coordinator for the district.

This district chose x2VOL because the web/mobile-based tracking and reporting platform eliminated paper record keeping and dramatically simplified verification, Gogolski added.

Students track reflections about their service and can get comments from their service director at the nonprofit, says Gogolski. The program also connects with the districts college and career readiness solution from Naviance, allowing students and administrators to use a single sign-on process so that the process is faster and easier to manage.

These are the reasons why the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio will use x2VOL for the eight counties it serves, says Christine Galvin, the agencys director of college and career success. Many of the schools covered by ESCCO use Naviance and having x2VOL throughout the region will both allow her group to offer area-wide volunteer and work-based learning opportunities.

In an x2VOL survey of schools for next school year, nearly 70 percent reported expecting a full return to pre-pandemic levels of service and nearly 90 percent of non-profit organizations will offer in-person volunteer opportunities. Pitman added, While many schools modified their service programs in 2020 to account for COVID-19, the fall 2021 semester looks promising for returning to in-person service. After a tough year with a lot of isolation, students will be able to re-engage their communities in meaningful ways through service.

About x2VOL by intelliVOL

x2VOL by intelliVOL is an award-winning tracking and reporting platform for student service hours used by private and public schools and districts nationwide to customize service goals, centralize service hours, and provide diverse service opportunities. x2VOL provides students with an online and mobile way to track and report service hours specific to the goals of their school while engaging them with local non-profits. Service records are authenticated and verified for each student and can be attached to their college applications, scholarship applications, or resumes. x2VOL is the most widely used service tracking and reporting platform in K-12 education with 50 million approved service hours, generating a $1.25B economic impact. In 2018, x2VOL+ was released for individuals to track and report their service hours. Learn more at x2VOL.com or email info@intelliVOL.com.
Shipkevich PLLC Flexibility and Family First Initiative In order to provide healthier work environments, we need to move away from the misconception that if you are not in the office, or are not working specific hours, you are not working.

Shipkevich PLLC, a forward-thinking law practice, is offering permanent remote and flexible work hours to increase the quality of life for hardworking attorneys as part of their Flexibility and Family First Initiative.

The Firm is redefining work-life balance in an industry that all too often penalizes attorneys for trying to achieve that in their practice. This Initiative was born in response to the growing discontentment by attorneys with the unhealthy work culture of the typical law firm, which largely went ignored by the industry until the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Shipkevich PLLC provides their attorneys with a work environment that places mental health and family above all else by offering the flexibility to not only work remotely, but also share the same flexibility with their schedules.

If this is what employees want, we see no reason not to give it to them. In order to provide healthier work environments, we need to move away from the misconception that if you are not in the office, or are not working specific hours, you are not working. In our view, a happy employee is a more productive employee, says Krystina Endara, Partner at Shipkevich PLLC.

With the remote and flextime work models that were implemented as a result of the Pandemic, many attorneys realized that they were better able to absorb the pressure of their work loads, while capitalizing on personal time in order to focus on their mental and physical health. As a result, employees are now, more than ever, demanding flexibility from their employers, and it is likely that these employers will find it difficult to ignore these demands moving forward. In fact, many firms may even find it difficult to retain talented attorneys in the post-Pandemic era without remaining competitive in providing these benefits.

In recent years, the advancement of technology has resulted in a blurred line between work and home, to the detriment of the employee, said Ms. Endara. However, the Pandemic has shown us that we can use technology to re-define boundaries in a way that is productive for both the employee and the employer.

Our firms objective is to provide top quality legal services for our clients. We pride ourselves in ensuring that our attorneys zealously represent our valuable clients while simultaneously maintaining a quality of life at home, said Felix Shipkevich, Principal of Shipkevich PLLC.

Shipkevich PLLC believes that attorneys deserve a healthy work-life balance and invite any hardworking, seasoned attorney to join their firm.

Please visit the website to learn more about the Shipkevich PLLC Flexibility and Family First Initiative.

About Shipkevich PLLC

Shipkevich PLLC is a forward thinking law practice with a team of world-class, diverse professionals relentlessly surpassing the outdated model of a traditional law firm. They have offices located in New York, Miami, and London. For more information, please visit https://shipkevich.com/

For Press Inquiries:

Tihana Petra

press@shipkevich.com

646-588-2794
Shoreline Energy Advisors (Shoreline) announces the sale of all Partnership Interests in the Bridgeport Micro-Grid LLC. Shoreline was the initial developer for the City of Bridgeports participation in the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment Protections ground-breaking Microgrid program, and later worked as an advisor to the original investors in the project during their divestiture of Membership Interests.

The recent sale completes Shorelines conceptualization and implementation of a unique development approach starting with origination of project concept, feasibility verification, energy off-taker contracting, engineering and design, locating investors and lenders, construction oversight, commissioning, commercial operation and maintenance and marketing to take-out investors and lenders.

While development of true microgrids is still in its infancy, the Bridgeport project was a substantial pioneering effort requiring significant regulatory lobbying and modification even after the Connecticut DEEPs initial program launch. Shorelines development model has proven to be applicable for any large energy project including, but not limited to, cogeneration, central thermal, district energy, storage, renewables, biofuels, and resource recovery.

A developer develops value at each stage of the development cycle. Sub functions of the development process particularly ongoing economic analysis and commercial contracting with energy projects determine the success or failure of development efforts. To date the role and importance of the development function, though widely used and accepted in real estate transactions, has been generally overlooked in the energy community. While many within the industry still focus on the critical technical aspects (design and engineering) of energy project development, these disciplines have evolved to the point of being fungible when integrated into the overall development process. Currently there are dozens of firms capable of providing competent and effective technical services which now need only take a supporting role in successful energy project development.

Shorelines unique development process breaks down the development cycle and isolates the full range of development risks to specific portions of the projects evolutionary timeline. In so doing uncertainty among investors and lenders which discourage early financial commitment on legitimate energy projects are eliminated. Simply stated, when investors and lenders are required to commit financial resources to an investment that does not match their risk profile, development stalls and often, ceases.

The model used in the development of the Bridgeport Microgrid involved a pre-packed project design, pre-committed energy off-takers and definitive transition points for the phasing in and out, of investors and lenders. This approach allows traditional risk concerns of financial parties who prefer late-stage projects, to be wrung-out before their funding is required. Only after the project has met pre-determined milestones are long-term investors and lenders asked to commit financial resources. The approach provides validation that customary investor risks which discourage investment, are no longer present when they make their financial commitment.

As the project evolves over time, initial investors receive returns on the value of the project from its generated cash flow, but also from compensation received early in the development process that would normally be siphoned to non-financial parties. Their cash flow compensates for the higher risk they are assuming early in the development process.

With the Shoreline development model, after the project is built, operated, and maintained for a period of several years, risks related to energy sales, off-taker credit, construction, permitting, and operational break-in are no longer present. After these early concerns are demonstrated to be no longer present, project ownership and debt can be transitioned to either a pre-packaged investor and lender or can be marketed to longer-term, take out investors at a lower rate of return but one that is commensurate with the risks assumed at that point in time. This development model is an adaptation and expanded version of mini-perm arrangements which are often used in real estate development.

For more information on the Bridgeport microgrid project, and the application of the Shoreline Energy Project Development Model, contact Fred Fastiggi - Managing Director at (732) 528-1639 or email at info@ShorelineEnergyAdvisors.com
Leslies extensive knowledge of brand building and marketing will be vital to Festival Foods continued success, especially during this period of sustained growth. - Randy Munns, Festival Foods executive vice president and COO.

Skogens Festival Foods today announced the appointment of Leslie Atkinson as vice president of marketing effective June 21, 2021.

With over 20 years of marketing leadership experience, Atkinson was most recently vice president marketing with Brookshire Grocery Company, a Texas-based supermarket chain with four banners and more than 178 stores in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Before joining Brookshire, Atkinson served nearly 14 years in a variety of marketing senior leadership roles with Ahold Delhaize USA, one of the worlds largest food retail groups. She joined Ahold Delhaize in 2004 as the executive marketing leader of the Bloom banner. Shortly after, Atkinson was selected to develop the brand strategy and lead the marketing, media and creative strategies for the discount banner Bottom Dollar Food as director of marketing and brand development from 2005 to 2014.

Due to the growth and success of Bottom Dollar Food, Atkinson was promoted in 2014 to lead brand positioning, marketing, media strategy and creative execution for the 1,100-store Food Lion banner.

Leslies extensive knowledge of brand building and marketing will be vital to Festival Foods continued success, especially during this period of sustained growth, said Randy Munns, Festival Foods executive vice president and COO. We are confident Leslie will be a tremendous asset and a great fit as a member of the Festival Foods leadership team.

Atkinson said, Im thrilled to join the Festival Foods family! I deeply admire and connect with the culture and look forward to collaborating with the leadership and marketing teams to drive continued growth through a continued focus on the guest experience and associate development.

Atkinson earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.

ABOUT FESTIVAL FOODS

Founded in 1946 as Skogen's IGA, Festival Foods is a Wisconsin family- and employee-owned grocer that is committed to giving back to the communities it serves and to providing guests with exceptional service and value. The company, which began operating as Festival Foods in 1990, employs more than 7,500 full- and part-time associates and operates 34 full-service supermarkets across the state of Wisconsin. Festival Foods is @festfoods on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For more information about Festival Foods, visit http://www.festfoods.com.

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"We are thrilled to welcome guests to Staypineapple as they explore our extraordinary destinations with attractions, museums, restaurants & more re-opening. Venturing out exploring on our beach cruisers is even more fun," says Sharon Andrade, VP of Sales for Staypineapple.

With a much more fun summer on the horizon, Staypineapple is celebrating a return to travel by launching our Summer Dreaming Contest. This social media contest aims to get travelers excited about hitting the road again and gives participants the chance to win a prize that facilitates more summer fun.

Through this Instagram contest, Staypineapple is challenging our friends and followers to share some of their best travel memories from visits to Staypineapple's list of exciting destinations to inspire future adventures. Staypineapple is welcoming those who have stayed with us before and new friends alike to join in the fun!

Staypineapple will gift the winner of our Summer Dreaming Contest whose social post most captures the excitement of summer adventures one of our iconic black and yellow beach cruiser bicycles, perfect for exploring in style.

The challenge is on, all you have to do is show us how you Pineapple. To participate in Staypineapple's Summer Dreaming Contest please:

Share a photo of you on Instagram in any of our seven cities, including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Portland, and San Diego.

Caption it with your favorite vacation memory and what youre looking forward to doing on your next trip this summer

Tag @staypineapple and use #StaypineappleSummerDreaming to be entered to win one of our beach cruiser bicycles

Visit the Staypineapple blog, Tidbits, for contest terms and conditions.

To further sweeten the summer travel deal, Staypineapple is also offering a special one-day sale in honor of National Pineapple Day.

On June 27 the first 500 guests who make a reservation for a stay through December 30, 2021, can use the code PineappleDay21 for $50 off. The sale extends to the brands beloved retail site as well, shop.Staypineapple.com, where the coupon code "PineappleDay21" can be used for $10 off a purchase of $25 or more.

About Staypineapple

Staypineapple is a brand of upscale, out of the ordinary boutique hotels in urban markets nationwide, owned and managed by Pineapple Hospitality, based in Bellevue, WA. Focused on thoughtful service and design, with an uncanny knack for anticipating needs, the dog-friendly hotels wholeheartedly embrace the pineapples symbol of hospitality and joy. For more information, visit http://www.staypineapple.com
Students in the Sooke School District (SD62) will now have innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities at their fingertips, thanks to an RBC Future Launch grant from RBC Foundation. The state-of-the-art EdTech platform will help students seamlessly lead a startup business from idea creation to a validated and pitch-ready business.

We know it is important to prepare students for whats next; the workforce, a career, travel, whatever it may be, with early exposure and exploration of not only career pathways, but the problems that students are interested in solving once they graduate from SD62, says Dante Di Ponio, SD62 Careers & Transitions Coordinator. This platform is an exciting way we can facilitate this kind of innovation and creative skill-building for our students. We are very grateful for the support of RBC Foundation as together we can empower high school students to resonate with the future workforce and become the change-makers of tomorrow.

The EdTech platform will be available to students in Grades 9 to 12. The platform, called Young Empowered Startuppers (YES), is an award winning fully road mapped digital entrepreneurship journey delivering innovative and robust online learning and activity that students anywhere can access with a simple login. Starting with basic ambition and curiosity, students will find unique solutions to real world problems, build their entrepreneurial skills and prep them for entering the workforce. https://yes.empoweredstartups.com/

"Whether its retraining or starting fresh, its clear that the skills needed to excel in todays workplace are changing, says Mark Lovick, Regional Vice President, Vancouver Island South, RBC. Thats what RBC Future Launch is all about, and through our partnership with SD62, we hope to enable young people to identify, articulate, and build their skills  and help young Canadians develop them.

RBC Future Launch is the Royal Bank of Canadas commitment to supporting the youth of today entering the ever-changing workforce, through unique partnerships and programming, along with an investment of $500 million towards this important social issue. School districts are eligible to apply for funding for the YES learning platform through RBC Future Launch. https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/

Learn more about the Sooke School District https://www.sd62.bc.ca/
Teach Your Heart Out (TYHO), an organization committed to creating high-impact programming and events for educators, has announced its schedule of events through summer 2022. The upcoming schedule includes events delivered in both virtual and onsite formats as well as a cruise.

First up on TYHOs schedule of events is the Teach Your Heart Out Summer Virtual Conference held on July 8-9, 2021. It will feature sessions exploring cutting-edge research in teaching and offer educators guidance on implementing innovative strategies in their classrooms. By engaging in learning and collaborative opportunities, educators will learn new skills, explore different perspectives, make professional connections, and strengthen their passion for teaching. Registration is now open.

In December 2021, TYHO will host its Early Learning Conference in Atlanta. The two-day event held on December 2-3, 2021 focuses on educators and administrators working with students in grades pre-K though second grade. The agenda lineup includes keynotes and sessions hosted by leading educators who will share their advice, passion, and winning classroom strategies with attendees. Special sessions for lead teachers and administrators are planned with learning sessions designed to help institutional leaders support their teaching staff.

March 2022 will feature the Teach Your Heart Out 2022 conference in San Diego. Held March 3-4, the uplifting two-day event is packed with exhilarating keynote speakers and compelling presentations designed to expand educators professional toolkits while delivering a dose of inspiration. Educators and administrators at all levels are invited to attend.

In June 2022, TYHO hits the high seas and takes its conference cruising for the second time for its Teach Your Heart Out Cruise, June 20-24 aboard the Carnival Conquest. The cruise will depart from and return to Miami, traveling to Key West and Cozumel in between. The event promises to be an exciting, relaxing, and uplifting experience that will refresh and recharge educators by providing high-impact learning experiences, networking opportunities, and fun in the sun.

The current schedule of events rounds out with the Teach Your Heart Out Minneapolis conference held July 8-9, 2022, with more details coming soon.

"We are excited to announce our upcoming lineup of events allowing educators to learn from some of educations best and brightest, said Lisa Dunnigan, Co-founder of Teach Your Heart Out. While our July 2021 event will be virtual, we are also excited about the return to in-person conferences and the rich collaborative opportunities the face-to-face environment provides. We hope educators and administrators at all levels join us for any or all of our impactful learning and networking events filled with innovative strategies they can apply in their school and classroom to benefit their students."

To learn more about Teach Your Heart Out, visit https://www.teachyourheartoutcon.com/.

Media Contact:

Katie Mense

Teach Your Heart Out

Director of Events

katie@teachyourheartoutcon.com
Wendy M. Musielak and Andrew P. Cores

Leading Lawyers is a division of Law Bulletin Media, a diversified print and electronic information company that has been serving the Chicago legal and business communities since 1854. Publications include newspapers, magazines, newsletters, periodicals, websites, directories, and books.

Leading Lawyers provides extensive profiles of the most respected and experienced lawyers to assist clients in their search for a highly qualified lawyer. Based on survey nominations and approval by the Advisory Board, only the top lawyers are nominated and eligible for membership in Leading Lawyers. Less than 5 percent of all lawyers who are licensed to practice law in Illinois receive the distinct honor of being a Leading Lawyer.

Wheaton divorce lawyer, Andrew P. Cores obtained his B.A. from John Carroll University in Cleveland and obtained his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. He focuses his family law practice in divorce, spousal maintenance, child support, collaborative law, parental responsibilities (formerly called custody), prenuptial agreements, and complex litigation. Andrew is also a trained mediator and Guardian ad Litem. Andrew has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer since 2018.

Wheaton family law attorney Wendy M. Musielak graduated with highest honors from DePaul University College of Commerce with her B.S. in Finance and Management and she obtained her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. She also concentrates her family practice in divorce, spousal maintenance, child support, collaborative law, parental responsibilities (formerly called custody), prenuptial agreements, and complex litigation. Wendy is also a trained mediator and Guardian ad Litem. Wendy has been recognized by Leading Lawyers since 2015, first as an Emerging Lawyer (2015-2018) and then as a Leading Lawyer since 2018.

About Esp Kreuzer Cores LLP

Since 1996, Esp Kreuzer Cores LLP has provided clients in Illinois with skilled representation. The firm has conveniently located offices in DuPage County, Cook County, and Kendall County.

Esp Kreuzer Cores LLP concentrates its practice in the areas of family law, divorce, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). With extensive experience in legal issues related to high net-worth individuals, estates, and businesses, the firms lawyers understand how to protect assets, value and divide complex assets, and find hidden assets.

To learn more, visit https://www.ekclawfirm.com/ or call 630-871-1002 for a free consultation.


The Wood River Inn & Suites is setting a new standard for sustainable travel, and SemaConnect is honored to support electric vehicles in Central Idaho.

Haileys award-winning Wood River Inn & Suites has added another sustainable amenity for travelers: electric vehicle charging stations from SemaConnect. SemaConnect is a leading provider and pioneer of electric vehicle charging infrastructure solutions. The two new SemaConnect Series 6, Level 2 (L2) charging stations build upon the hotels existing sustainability programs and provide a necessary amenity for EV drivers traveling through central Idaho.

The Wood River Inn & Suites has been ranked as the #1 hotel in Hailey and is recognized as a Travelers Choice hotel for receiving ratings within the top 10% of all TripAdvisor ratings worldwide. Hotel management has made sustainability a priority with green amenities that include 3,300 square feet of solar panels, smart thermostats, green breakfast packaging, and now electric vehicle charging stations.

The two SemaConnect Series 6 charging stations are Level 2 charging stations that are ENERGY STAR certified to help businesses boost energy efficiency and save money. Mounted on a dual pedestal with cable management system, the charging stations feature a futuristic design, interactive LED lights, and wireless connectivity so drivers and hotel management can view station status at a distance. With two years of prepaid SemaConnect Network services, hotel management can manage access, customize pricing, and download reports on usage and sustainability. SemaConnect offers drivers Five Ways to Pay for a charging session at the Wood River Inn & Suites: SemaConnect Pass, SemaConnects mobile webpage at network.semaconnect.com, an automated phone system at 1-800-663-5633, the SemaConnect mobile application, and the third-party apps PlugShare and ChargeHub.

When researching ideas for our next green amenity, I discovered SemaConnect charging stations, said Ryan Allison, owner of the Wood River Inn & Suites. Tourist season has begun, and were excited to offer another new amenity for our EV drivers this summer. We have already had a few Teslas charging at our SemaConnect stations, and we look forward to serving the growing number of guests who drive electric.

Hospitality is essential for mass EV adoption in the United States, said Tony Sargent, senior vice president of sales at SemaConnect. Travelers need hotels with EV charging stations, especially when traveling through rural or mountainous regions such as the Wood River Valley. The Wood River Inn & Suites is setting a new standard for sustainable travel, and SemaConnect is honored to support electric vehicles in Central Idaho.

The two new SemaConnect charging stations at the Wood River Inn & Suites are open and ready to charge. See the SemaConnect Network App for current location, station status, pricing, and directions.

About Wood River Inn & Suites:

Located in the heart of the Sun Valley Ski Area, the Wood River Inn & Suites is Hailey, Idahos premier Hotel. Whether its your first visit or your fiftieth trip to our beautiful valley, youll find the well-appointed Wood River Inn & Suites is perfect. For the everyday business travelers, to the adventurous vacationing families (kids stay free), and everyone in between, we have it all. Either book online, or call one of our knowledgeable reservation specialists today. From all of us at the Wood River inn & Suites, we look forward to having you stay with us. For more information, visit https://www.woodriverinn.com/.

About SemaConnect:

SemaConnect is a leading provider and pioneer of electric vehicle charging infrastructure solutions to the North American commercial, residential and fleet market. A complete EV support partner, SemaConnect is making transportation electrification possible in this decade through innovative, elegantly designed charging stations, a robust and open network platform, and an unparalleled charging experience for drivers and station owners. Since our founding in 2008, SemaConnect has installed thousands of smart charging stations at top companies like CBRE, JLL, Hines, Greystar, Nike, Electrify America, and Standard Parking. SemaConnect remains the preferred charging solutions partner to municipal, parking, multifamily, hotel, office, retail and commercial fleet customers across the United States and Canada. For more information, visit http://www.semaconnect.com.
"We look forward to participating in Silicon Saxonys high-tech network with the aim of addressing todays exciting semiconductor roadmaps, said Rezwan Lateef, President of YES.

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.), a leading manufacturer of process equipment for semiconductor advanced packaging, life sciences and More-than-Moore applications, today announced that it has become a member of the Silicon Saxony industry association. YES, which recently established a German presence in Dresden, expects the high-tech networking group to be a valuable resource in marketing advanced process equipment and solutions to an expanding customer base across Europe, particularly in Germany. In addition, the company plans to strengthen communication and alliances with fellow members of Silicon Saxony.

Silicon Saxony brings together companies that are leading the electronics industry in Europe, said Dragan Cekic, YESs Vice President of Sales for Europe and the Americas. We are excited to join their ongoing conversation about trends and technologies that will affect us all.

Change is a given in the markets we serve. The opportunities facing our industry are complex, and the rapid pace of technological developments is unprecedented. We look forward to participating in Silicon Saxonys high-tech network with the aim of addressing todays exciting semiconductor roadmaps, said Rezwan Lateef, President of YES.

About YES

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) is a preferred provider of high-tech, cost-effective equipment for transforming surfaces, materials and interfaces. The companys product lines include vacuum cure systems, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems, and plasma etching tools used for precise surface modification and thin-film coating of semiconductor wafers, semiconductor and MEMS devices, biosensors and medical substrates. With YES, customers ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies can create and volume-produce products in a wide range of markets, including Advanced Packaging, MEMS, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality and Life Sciences. YES is headquartered in Fremont, California, with a growing presence globally. For more information, please visit http://www.yieldengineering.com.

About Silicon Saxony

With more than 350 members, Silicon Saxony e. V. is the largest high-tech network in Saxony and one of the largest microelectronics and IT clusters in Germany and Europe. Founded in 2000, Silicon Saxony is a self-financed association linking manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, universities, research institutes, public institutions as well as industry-relevant start-ups. Its focus is on the technological trends of the present and future: artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, Internet of Things, sensor technology, energy efficiency, and neuromorphic and edge computing. As a high-profile information, communication and cooperation platform, the association promotes the regional, national and international networking of its members by participating in and organizing industry events.
I am thrilled that the Economist Intelligence Unit and YPO have entered into this collaboration, said YPO CEO Xavier Mufraggi. The ECN briefings and intelligence will give YPO members an important advantage at a time when the world is more in flux than ever before.

YPO, the global leadership community of more than 30,000 chief executives in 142 countries, today announced The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, is a YPO Content Contributor and will develop valuable learning content and experiences to support YPO members through their leadership journeys.

Created in 1946, EIU has more than 70 years of experience through its global team of economists, industry specialists, policy analysts and consultants of providing forecasting and advisory services, such as monthly country reports, five-year country economic forecasts, country risk service reports and industry reports. The Economist Corporate Network (ECN), the EIUs advisory service for senior executives, brings this insight to life in face-to-face meetings, events, and briefings.

Through this agreement, The Economist Corporate Network will collaborate with YPO to create customized learning events for YPO members in Asia Pacific, Dubai and Africa as well as inviting YPO members to attend select exclusive events on the ECN membership calendar.

I am thrilled that the Economist Intelligence Unit and YPO have entered into this collaboration, said YPO CEO Xavier Mufraggi. The ECN briefings and intelligence will give YPO members an important advantage at a time when the world is more in flux than ever before.

"Helping CEOs interpret and respond to emerging regional and global trends is central to the mission of The Economist Corporate Network, and we're excited by the opportunity to play a part in YPO members' learning journeys as a YPO Content Contributor, said Dr. Simon Baptist, Global Editorial Director and Chief Economist of The Economist Intelligence Unit.

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About YPO:

YPO is the global leadership community of more than 30,000 chief executives in 142 countries who are connected by the shared belief that the world needs better leaders. Each of our members have achieved significant leadership success at a young age. Combined, they lead businesses and organizations contributing USD9 trillion in annual revenue. YPO members inspire and support each other through peer learning and exceptional experiences in an inclusive community of open sharing and trust. Visit ypo.org for more.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit:

The world leader in business intelligence

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the sister company to The Economist newspaper. Created in 1946, EIU has over 70 years experience in helping businesses, financial firms and governments to navigate the ever-changing global landscape.

About The Economist Corporate Network:

The Economist Corporate Network is The Economist Groups advisory service for senior executives seeking insight into economic and business trends across markets and regions. Independent and thought provoking, The Economist Corporate Network provides clients with the information, insight and interaction they need to succeed. It is led by experts who share a profound knowledge and understanding of both regional and global business issues, with business groups based in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Through our tailored blend of high-calibre research, interactive meetings and briefings, The Economist Corporate Network delivers country-by-country, regional, global and industry-focused analysis on both current and forecast conditions.
Offering a treasure trove of interactive content for kids ages 512 this summer, Story Pirates has joined forces with Random House Childrens Books to reprise its Creator Camp. The virtual educational program will kick off on June 14, with seven weeks of themed activitiesadventure, comedy, fantasy, comics, mystery, spy and superherodesigned to engage young readers minds and boost literacy skills.

With their ability to entertain kids while also showing them the joy that can be had in writing and telling their own stories, the Story Pirates are truly one of a kind, said Noreen Herits, executive director of publicity at Random House Childrens Books. We are so excited to join forces with them on this virtual summer camp that will give young aspiring writers the chance to interact with 24 authors and illustrators, including fan favorites like Mary Pope Osborne and Chris Grabenstein.

All the Words a Stage

A media company founded in 2004, Story Pirates was conceived in a New York City school auditorium where a group of performers created a sketch comedy show based on original stories created by kids. The group has gone on to produce a radio show, a podcast that has been streamed 30 million times, a live national tour, and a middle-grade book series published by Penguin Random Housea relationship that laid the groundwork for the Story Pirates Creator Camp.

At Story Pirates, everything we do is centered around the belief that kids are creative geniuses, said national producing director Glynis Brault. We think that kids are so inherently funny, and way more imaginative than adults most of the time. Our mission is to celebrate that and amplify their words, ideas, and stories.

Last summer, the nine-week program attracted more than 2,500 participants, offering a viable alternative to traditional day camp amid the pandemic. We wanted to give kids and families something silly and fun they could do from home, knowing they wouldnt get to attend camp in person, Brault said. While she is cognizant of the fact that this years series would not run as long and the attendee list would not be as robust, she believes that the choice to offer morning-only sessions is a more appealing option for busy families. With sessions scheduled on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, registered participants can supplement literacy-based adventures with suggested outdoor activities in the afternoon.

Building on the previous years agenda, Creator Camp will include incorporate live drawing, which was a popular component with kids of all ages. Brault noted how having some of the most talented childrens book illustrators draw while kids are calling out ideas and suggestions was really special, and something we wanted to make sure we had the opportunity to do again.

Also piggybacking on the success of last summers model, select authorsincluding several returning guests, such as Osborne, Grabenstein, Judd Winick, Sarah Sax, and Theanne Griffithwill be on hand to share their creative processes and field questions from inquisitive campers. The first week, June 1418, follows an adventure theme, Where in the World Is Rolo Vincent?, and features Osborne, Griffith and Courtney Sheinmel. I vividly remember as a child being fascinated and enthralled by kids programming featuring adults doing silly things, Griffith said. How cool would it have been to be a participant on one of those shows? Well, now I get to do just that! The complete list of authors/illustrators can be found here.

Following each session, campers can download Story Sparks ideas and activities to extend their experience and access book bundles (included with their registration fee) curated by Story Pirates and Random House. Weve been discussing building out a wider network of independent booksellers and librarians to work with to make the book bundles and camp livestreams available for those channels as well, Brault added.

While Random House is helping coordinate Creator Camps outreach with schools and libraries, Story Pirates is also tapping partner schools that have hosted in-school programs prior to the pandemic. Brault is excited by the ability to bring the new roster of authors to students whom Story Pirates has not been able to connect with this past year.

For parents concerned about the myriad educational setbacks their children have endured during the pandemic, Story Pirates Creator Camp aims to fill in the gaps with enrichment and entertaining content. Many of the fun interactive activities we do in camp are really connected to the building blocks of story writing, such as creating a character, describing a setting, and identifying a problem, Brault explained. We have a way of making writing and learning feel like fun for kids, which is a great way to keep them learning over the summer.
Purdue University professor and 2010 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Ei-ichi Negishi smiles broadly as he steps to the podium after receiving an honorary doctorate degree in science during commencement ceremonies in spring 2012. Negishi provided words to inspire graduates. (Purdue University photo/Mark Simons)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University chemist Ei-ichi Negishi, whose work in creating a method to build complex organic molecules necessary for numerous purposes  from pharmaceutical manufacturing to electronics  led to a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, died Sunday (June 6) in Indianapolis. He was 85.

In October 2010, Negishi became Purdues second Nobel winner. Herbert C. Brown was the first in 1979. Negishi had studied under Brown and, appropriately, was the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry when he won the Nobel honor.

A Manchurian-born Japanese citizen, Negishi graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1958. He came to America as a Fulbright Scholar and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He later said his research trajectory took off in 1962 when he attended a presentation by Brown.

Negishi received his Ph.D. from Penn in 1963 and immediately moved to Purdue to work as a postdoctoral researcher under Brown. He stayed until 1972, when he went to Syracuse University as an assistant and then associate professor. He returned to Purdue in 1979. Twenty years later, he was named the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. He retired in 2019.

The world lost a great and gracious man  one who made a difference in lives as a scientist and a human being, Purdue President Mitch Daniels said. Were saddened by Dr. Negishis passing but grateful for his world-changing discoveries and the lives he touched and influenced as a Purdue professor.

Negishi shared the Nobel with Richard Heck of the University of Delaware and Akira Suzuki of Hokkaido University in Japan. Suzuki was also a protege of Brown.

The three had discovered new ways to bond together carbon atoms. They developed metal-based reactions, called palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling, that allow for easy and efficient synthesis of complex organic compounds.

Their work has wide use in medicines, agriculture and electronics. Examples of applications include pharmaceutical antibiotics that work on drug-resistant bacteria, fluorescent marking essential for DNA sequencing, agricultural chemicals that protect crops from fungi and materials for thin LED displays.

Negishi likened the innovation to playing with a LEGO game, altering the building blocks of molecules and using transition metals as catalysts to promote the reactions needed for the synthesis.

"We found catalysts and created reactions that allow complex organic compounds to, in effect, snap together with other compounds to more economically and efficiently build desired materials," he said. "LEGOs can be combined to make things of any shape, size and color, and our reactions make this a possibility for organic compounds."

The discovery also helped dramatically reduce costs, allowing researchers to recycle the expensive metals, such as palladium, used in the synthesis.

"These transition metals are very expensive, but when they can be used millions to billions of times, it dramatically reduces the cost and makes the mass manufacturing of special, complex materials practical," Negishi said.

Negishi was 75 when he learned he had won the Nobel. It was 5 oclock in the morning on Oct. 6. Video of Negishis career is available here and here.

"It was the greatest honor of his career, the culmination of a lifetime of work," John Norberg wrote in his book of Purdue history, Ever True, 150 Years of Giant Leaps. "But just a few hours after receiving the telephone call from Stockholm, Sweden, Negishi would excuse himself from an international news conference to walk across campus and teach a sophomore-level chemistry class."

Said Patrick J. Wolfe, dean of Purdues College of Science: That really tells you all you need to know about Dr. Negishi. On the very day he wins the Nobel, hes in class with his students. He was extremely approachable and passionate about not only those he served, but served with. His legacy is so much more than his Nobel  its the inspiration he provided on a daily basis.

On Purdues campus today, a bronze bust of Negishi beside that of his mentor Brown is on permanent display in Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry. Negishis bust was dedicated in April 2014. The entrance and foyer in the STEM teaching lab facility is called the Dr. Ei-Ichi Negishi Atrium in his honor. Purdue trustees approved the naming in October 2019.

Negishi's other awards included a Guggenheim Fellowship, the A. R. Day Award, a Chemical Society of Japan Award, an American Chemical Society Organometallic Chemistry Award and a Humboldt Senior Researcher Award. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011 and the National Academy of Sciences in 2014. Negishi authored more than 400 publications, including two books. Collectively, these publications have been cited more than 20,000 times.

His family is not planning a funeral service in the United States and will lay him to rest in Japan sometime next year.

Media contact: Jim Bush, 765-336-1909, jsbush@purdue.edu

Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines:
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  The Purdue University Global School of Nursing has partnered with UnityPoint Health  Jones Regional Medical Center (JRMC) to develop and implement a mobile simulation lab.

The simulation lab will offer state-of-the-art equipment and a setting to train with realistic scenarios. The mobile unit, to be located on the JRMC campus in Anamosa, Iowa, will have two large simulation rooms staged to mock hospital rooms, a conference room to hold debriefings, and office and storage space. Infant, child and adult simulation mannequins and an IV arm will be available for training scenarios.

The Purdue University Global School of Nursing is proud to advance our relationship with Jones Regional Medical Center forward, launching a state-of-the-art simulation lab with a focus on immersive learning, said Melissa Burdi, Purdue Global vice president and dean of the School of Nursing. We believe this innovative collaboration will serve as a driving force for clinical excellence with our nursing students, health care colleagues at JRMC and the community as a whole.

In 2012, Jones Regional Medical Center started working with Purdue Global students in their nursing programs. Purdue Global approached JRMC about the possibility of a simulation lab in 2020. The lab is projected to be available for Purdue Global nursing students and JRMC staff by end of summer 2021.

We want to provide the best quality care for our patients, and this simulation center will create the most realistic scenarios possible to achieve the highest quality, said Eric Briesemeister, CEO of Jones Regional Medical Center. We are excited to continue our relationship with Purdue Global in a way that will benefit the university and our hospital. Every day we are educating and training future caregivers so the communities we serve can receive the best care, without the travel.

About Purdue University Global

Purdue University Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers personalized paths for students to earn an associate, bachelors, masters or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations  no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global serves 34,000 students (as of April 2021), most of whom earn their degree online. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue Universitys flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana, as well as serving science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, visit purdueglobal.edu.

About UnityPoint Health  Jones Regional Medical Center

As a leader in community health care, UnityPoint Health  Jones Regional Medical Center (JRMC) is the only hospital in the Jones County area and cares for more than 5,500 people each month. Our state-of-the-art facility specializes in 24-hour emergency care, lab and radiology, inpatient hospital visits and nursing care; outpatient surgeries and clinics; counseling; and rehabilitation. Jones Regional Medical Center's mission is to improve the health of the people and the communities we serve. The hospital is affiliated with UnityPoint Health and has family practice clinics in Monticello, Anamosa, Tipton, Clarence, Vinton, Shellsburg and Belle Plaine. JRMC is also an affiliate of UnityPoint Health  St. Luke's Hospital, which has been nationally recognized as a Top 100 Hospital.

Media Contact, Purdue Global: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu

Media Contact, UnityPoint Health: Olivia Mutchler, 319-369-7394

Sources: Melissa Burdi

Eric Briesemeister
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  The National AgrAbility Project, led by Purdue Universitys Breaking New Ground Resource Center, is presenting Veterans Harvest: A Virtual Conference for Veterans in Agriculture this summer. The series will convene for five consecutive Tuesdays beginning July 27 from 1-2:30 p.m. ET.

Agriculture has become an important source of employment and healing for many veterans, says Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbilitys veteran outreach coordinator. A large percentage of veterans come from rural areas, even though not all of them grew up on farms. After leaving the military, they discover that working in agriculture fulfills them in ways that other occupations cant.

The conference agenda features:

July 27: Introduction by Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility Project, and Jeanette Lombardo, Farmer Veteran Coalition, plus One Veteran's Journey from PTSD to Farmer by Sarah Creech, Blue Yonder Organic Farm and Indiana Farmer Veteran Coalition.

Aug. 3: Celebrating Veteran Total Farmer Health by Linda Emanuel and Shay Foulk, AgriSafe Network.

Aug. 10: Programming for Veterans in Agriculture: How Maine Does It by Anne Devin, Maine AgrAbility.

Aug. 17: Update on USDA's support for Veterans by Bill Ashton, USDA Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison.

Aug. 24: Panel Presentation on State/Regional Programs for Farmer Veterans moderated by Cindy Chastain, National AgrAbility Project.

Groups involved with the conference include Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) and Indiana AgVets. FVC is a national organization with chapters in Indiana and 23 other states that helps veterans develop viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities.

Indiana AgVets is a USDA-sponsored agricultural career training program, led by Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corp. in cooperation with Purdues Indiana AgrAbility Project, which provides internships and other support for U.S. military veterans in Indiana and surrounding states.

All sessions are free, and registration information is available at www.agrability.org/resources/veterans. Those already registered for the 2021 AgrAbility National Training Workshop Virtual sessions are automatically registered for the veterans conference. For more information, contact Paul Jones, manager of the National AgrAbility Project, at agrability@agrability.org or 800-825-4264.

Writer: Abby Leeds, 765-494-7817, mayer36@purdue.edu

Source: Paul Jones, 800-825-4264, agrability@agrability.org

Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
(The Center Square)  The release of confidential tax returns for some of the wealthiest Americans sparked controversy last week, and now Senate Republicans are demanding answers.

Senate Republicans sent a letter to the federal oversight inspector general for tax issues calling for an investigation after ProPublica obtained and released tax returns of wealthy Americans, information that is supposed to remain confidential.

Congress and the American people have a right to know how and why it appears that confidential information was allegedly obtained or leaked from the IRS and how their information will be used and protected moving forward, the letter reads.

The controversy began when the news outlet ProPublica published a story headlined: The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax.

That story included information about Amazons Jeff Bezos and Teslas Elon Musk, among others.

ProPublicas description of the data and the nature of the information published strongly suggests that the information originated from within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the letter reads. If this is true, this constitutes a serious breach of privacy and is a criminal violation of our tax laws. It would be one of the most significant and widespread breaches in the agencys history and considerably damages the foundational bedrock of our tax system, including American taxpayers confidence that the IRS will keep their personal information confidential.

The American people deserve a thorough, independent investigation into how this information came to be published to understand how and why confidential information is apparently being leaked or obtained from the IRS, to find those responsible, and to criminally prosecute where warranted, the letter adds.

ProPublica received both praise and criticism for the decision to publish the story and the confidential tax information. This is not the first time the news outlet, which describes itself as a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power, has published documents like this.

In 2012, ProPublica obtained confidential pending applications for tax-exempt status originally submitted to the IRS; and, again in 2013, ProPublica obtained applications or documentation for 31 groups, including some that had not yet been approved, meaning that they were not supposed to be made public, the Senators letter reads.

The publication, though, has stood behind its decision to publish this time, and in the past.

In 2012, someone at the IRS (we dont know who or why; they used a plain brown IRS envelope) sent ProPublica copies of tax filings seeking exemption for a number of political committees, including Republican political guru Karl Roves Crossroads GPS. The filings were not yet supposed to be public, and the IRS indicated that it would consider our publication of them to be criminal. We explained our view of the constitutionality of that statute as applied in such circumstances and published our story, which raised concerns about whether Roves group had been forthcoming with the agency. We never heard about the matter from the IRS again.

We hope you will read todays story and the following stories in the series, and perhaps participate in the public debate about the future of our tax system, ProPublica added.
New York City, NY (11385)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 69F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 69F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
You are the owner of this article.
A nurse fills a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine during a CATE mobile vaccine clinic set up in a parking lot on South Fifth street in Reading April 19, 2021. The clinic was run by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Latino Connection, the City of Reading, Highmark Blue Shield, and Penn State Health.
State police said Monday that an Exeter Township couple was killed when their SUV collided with a dump truck June 7 on Route 23 in Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County.
Reading

Thrift shop tailored to homeless closing

City Thrift Shop in Reading tailored for the homeless is closing after 60 years
Pennsylvania is studying a new way to fund its transportation needs.
It's been 27 years since Berks has done a countywide reassessment of properties. One reader wants to know why.
The fire was reported about 10 p.m. at 119 S. Sixth St. The man who had been trying to put out a stove fire suffered critical heat and smoke inhalation, the fire marshal said.
Berks County

Driver looks for service station after hitting turkey
Business Spotlight highlights company anniversaries beginning with the 10th anniversary and in five-year increments after that. To submit a Business Spotlight, go to readingeagle.com and click Money on the Main Menu, then click on the Business Spotlight form. All information in the story was submitted by the company. The Reading Eagle reserves the right to edit submitted copy for style, clarity and length.
President Joe Biden's admission that COVID-19 may have escaped from a Chinese virology lab marks a seminal moment in public debate about the pandemic's origins. Once ridiculed as fantasy, the so-called lab leak theory now has support within the U.S. intelligence community, Biden revealed.
The second of two parts (to read Part 1, click here)

Both parties made significant contributions to the post-election conflicts that culminated in the Capitol riots on Jan. 6. The Republican contribution was obvious: the demagoguery of Donald Trump and the willingness of so many Republicans to associate themselves with his claims. The Democratic contribution consisted of making millions of Americans more receptive to Trumps demagoguery by refusing to accept the legitimacy of previous Republican winners (including Trump), systematically reducing barriers to voter fraud in 2020, waging a scorched-earth opposition to Trump that seemed to know no ethical bounds, and rationalizing the left-wing violence of summer 2020, while the Democratic-leaning media made itself completely untrustworthy to Republican voters. Trump may have brought the supply, but Democrats had done much to stimulate the demand.

In that light, one can see Republican legislation in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and elsewhere not only as self-defense (as conservatives there view it) but as a legitimate attempt to restore trust and enhance civil peace. There is little that Republican legislatures or governors can do to alter most of the backdrop outlined above. They cannot mandate that Democrats stop challenging the legitimacy of Republican electoral victories or engaging in no-holds-barred efforts to bring down presidents they do not like; nor can they compel the media to act in ways that regains the trust of right-of-center voters. What they can do is what many states are now doing: take steps to restore confidence in the security of voting processes.

Republican Voting Reform in the States

To a large extent, Republican voting reforms at the state level are simply a return to the pre-COVID status quo. For example, emergency pandemic measures like drive-through voting are not being renewed. To this extent, the changes are a predictable snap-back of the sort we see after every American crisis; rules are bent or undone in a period of urgency, after which they are reinstated, though sometimes not in exactly the same form.

Other state-level reforms attempt to tighten ballot security and increase confidence in reported results more generally. Georgia has required, for instance, that the total number of ballots received be announced early in the process. Some states would prohibit mass mailing of ballots to all registered voters, and some would put a stop to ballot harvesting, a practice that has proved vulnerable to fraud by ballot brokers in Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and elsewhere for years. In Florida, drop boxes for ballot collection now must be monitored in person whenever possible, and voters must request absentee ballots every two years rather than every four years. The proposed Texas law would also prevent election officials or state courts from altering voting rules without legislative authorization. This change would address another point of concern that many states had in 2020, when the loosening of ballot-security measures was often imposed in ways arguably inconsistent with the constitutional requirement that the legislature determine the method of selecting presidential electors.

However, the voting reforms in states across the country have not been one-sided affairs in which ballot security was bolstered with no concessions to the importance of access. It is difficult to see how any of these ballot-security measures will prevent an eligible voter from voting if he or she wants to, and they have frequently been coupled with measures that actually expand voting opportunities in other ways. In Georgia and Texas, for example, in-person early voting was extended. In Texas, the proposed law would require employers to let employees go vote and would guarantee that voters in line before the polls closed could not be turned away. In Georgia, Florida, and Texas, the mail-ballot signature requirement, which depends on the subjective judgment of election officials, would be replaced by a requirement for voters to provide a drivers license number, state ID number, or last four digits of their Social Security number, potentially preventing a large number of mistaken ballot disqualifications. The Georgia law codified the use of drop boxes for the first time, though reducing their number from the emergency 2020 decree, and made it easier for state officials to order local officials to open additional Election Day polling places to alleviate long lines.

With components that both enhance ballot security and expand and regularize access, such laws should serve as a foundation for reasonable compromise on this issue. Expand in-person early voting, which is more secure, while scaling back mail voting, which is less secure. Regularize procedures so that there is less room for concern about extra ballots floating around or suddenly appearing after the polls have closed. Require ID but make ID requirements easy to meet by eligible voters and less subject to arbitrary disqualification. Offer more Election Day polling places.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Democrats could do their part to prevent the next post-election explosion by embracing this compromise, tacitly acknowledging the part they played in reducing trust while respecting the heartfelt concerns of their fellow citizens. In an earlier era, perhaps they would have done so. After the 2000 election controversy, Congress passed the Helping Americans Vote Act on a bipartisan vote.

Instead, so far, most Democrats have chosen to respond in two counterproductive ways that will deepen mistrust. From President Biden down, they have utilized an overheated rhetoric of voter suppression and Jim Crow, opening the door wide to future post-election demagoguery by their own losing candidates (Stacey Abrams offered a preview in 2018). And they have doubled down on thwarting efforts to reduce fraud. Their demonstrative and hyperbolic opposition to Republican voting reforms may be motivated by sincere but misguided historical recollections of actual voter suppression (ironically, by Democrats), or by the opportunistic desire to enflame politically useful racial outrage. Either way, they are reinforcing the suspicions of Republicans and conservative independents, who ask: Why are Democrats so strongly opposed to reforms that would have little negative effect on the turnout of eligible voters but would provide greater ballot security?

H.R. 1 (dubbed the For the People Act) would go even further, not merely blocking new reforms proposed to enhance ballot security but positively eliminating many of the safeguards that already exist while essentially federalizing election administration  constitutionally a function of the states. States would be required to allow same-day voter registration and ballot harvesting; would be compelled to register all individuals, whether citizens or not; and would ban voter ID, effective checking of addresses of registered voters, and witness-signature or notarization of absentee ballots. This approach would ensure that half the country (or more: polls show large majorities in favor of voter ID laws) would have even less confidence in election results and would remain receptive to claims of stolen elections by losing Republican candidates. Although he has suffered the slings and arrows of the left for saying so, Sen. Joe Manchin was right when he recently wrote that H.R. 1 would make the partisan divide worse and contribute to the next post-election crisis. Thus, the predominant Democratic response to current election law controversies makes a future crisis more likely no matter the result: If they win, they will have deepened the mistrust of Republicans; if they lose, they will have deepened the mistrust of their own partisans. In the interest of the country, Democrats need an infusion of statesmanship. More Joe Manchins, please.

The nation also needs an infusion of statesmanship for Republicans, who have a crucial uncompleted task. Although they are taking appropriate steps to reduce the demand for post-election demagoguery, they have done no better than Democrats at limiting the future supply. The starting point should be to avoid the temptation of obsessively looking backward to 2020 and seeking vindication for Trumps conduct, as Arizona Republicans have done with their ill-conceived and politically counterproductive private audit of Maricopa County ballots.

More broadly, Republicans must come to terms with the misbehavior of Donald Trump in the 10 weeks following the election and resolve never to allow it or facilitate it again. It was always unlikely that a Jan. 6 commission would lead to introspection rather than devolving into partisan recriminations, and it is understandable why most Republicans declined to support one. But Republicans need to have this conversation among themselves. Whatever Democrats did to build the audience, the biggest supplier of post-election demagoguery was the presidential candidate with an R next to his name  and he may try to run again. How Republicans handle that challenge will help determine how soon we have the next crisis of electoral trust.

Andrew E. Busch is Crown Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. He is co-author of Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics (Rowman & Littlefield).
In these head-spinning times, first principles about government are all in play: what its for, and how it relates to the people.

Not long ago, Democrat and Republican politicians and activists differed over priorities: More guns or more butter? Today, the parties differ more fundamentally over the purpose, role and function of government itself.

The foundational view that government should be of, by and for the people is rooted in the idea that each human being has equal standing, with the unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This view, largely held by Republicans today, holds that government exists to serve people, not rule over them. We put our faith in the common wisdom of voters and believe representatives should serve the people who elect them.

By contrast, progressives believe that elected representatives should lead people, not serve them. They scoff at equality and believe some people are morally better, more enlightened, and awake to social injustices  and that government and activists composed of these people should drive change. This is evident in the progressive attitude toward common people (viewed as deplorables who cling to guns or religion) and the casual casting of moral aspersions at traditionalists (labeling them racists, Nazis, haters).

Progressives view themselves as an enlightened vanguard of a class ... [whose] duty is to lead the masses and not merely reflect the average political level of the masses. (V.I. Lenin, November 1917).

Is it unfair to compare todays progressives to Lenin? Consider that among Lenins April Theses of 1917 was a call for the abolition of the police and the army and the confiscation of land and wealth. Defunding police and abolishing ICE are Democrat policies, not Republican caricatures. Earlier this year, Illinois Democrats decriminalized trespassing, prohibiting police and property owners from arresting or forcibly removing trespassers from private property.

None of these policies reflect the majority will of the people of Illinois.

The radical elitism of todays Illinois Democrats is reflected in the legislatures passage of the so-called National Sex Education Standards as the law of Illinois.

Despite the anodyne name, these National Standards reflect the viewpoint of a small minority of Illinoisans; these standards not only reject traditional sexual morality, but even reject the once-liberal perspective on universal reproductive health education as discriminatory.

Heres the stated philosophy behind the sex education standards that Illinois Democrats enacted: Sex education should avoid cisnormative, heteronormative approaches, aim to strengthen young peoples capacity to challenge harmful stereotypes, and be inclusive of a wide range of viewpoints and populations without stigmatizing any group. It should acknowledge the role that structural and contextual factors  personal, interpersonal, social, economic, and cultural  play in shaping adolescents sexual motivations and behaviors, with the fundamental goal of removing economic-, racial-, ethnic-, gender-, sexual orientation-, and ability-related disparities in adolescent sexual health.

Under this construct, focusing on reproductive health is illegal because its heteronormative. Instead, Democrats have enacted an elementary school curriculum focused on instruction about the full range of sexuality, sex acts and gender perception thats straight out of college gender studies programs.

For example, kindergartners will be taught about consent and distinctions between sex assigned at birth and perceived gender, third-graders will learn about the availability of hormone blockers to forestall puberty, and sixth-graders will learn about vaginal, anal and oral sex.

The firm of Ogden & Fry conducted polling earlier this month and found that 70%-80% of Illinoisans oppose each of these curriculum topics that will become Illinois law if Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the bill.

Why would Democrats vote for a bill that 70%-80% of Illinoisans oppose? Is this government of, by and for the people? Democrats today are not our parents Democrats. They do not share with the Republican Party a common perspective on government as a tool to serve the people. Democrats are embracing and enacting legislation that reflects disdain for common people and a passion for smashing traditional ideas, culture, habits and customs. (Note that Smashing the Four Olds -- ideas, culture, habits and customs -- was Maos slogan for the Cultural Revolution he launched 55 years ago and that tore apart China for 10 long years thereafter.)

The question for elections to come: Will a majority of Illinoisans vote for legislators who respect and wish to serve the people or will enough of the majority be shamed and bullied into voting for the progressive vanguard to keep Illinois Democrats in power?
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/14/2021



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ELIZABETH AND ANDREI

MIKE AND NATALIE

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KALANI AND ASUELU

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ANGELA AND MICHAEL

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BRANDON AND JULIA

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TIFFANY AND RONALD

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

: Happily Ever After? featured Mike Youngquist questioning his marriage to Natalie Mordovtseva after she disrespected his mom Trish, Brandon Gibbs standing up to his mother after an unpleasant surprise, Angela Deem getting hypnotized to quit smoking, and Asuelu Pulaa underdelivering with his romantic getaway during Sunday night's Season 6 episode on TLC.The new Happily Ever After? season stars Season 8 couples Mike, a 35-year-old from Sequim, WA, and Natalie, a 36-year-old from Kyiv, Ukraine; Brandon, a 28-year-old pest-control technician who helps to run his parents' farm in Dinwiddie, VA, and Julia Trubkina, a 27-year-old go-go club dancer from Krasnodar City, Russia; and Jovi Dufren , a 29-year-old from New Orleans, LA, and Yara Zaya , a 25-year-old from Ukraine.The show also stars three returning Happily Ever After? Season 5 couples: Angela, a 54-year-old Hazlehurst, GA, and Michael Ilesanmi , a 32-year-old from Lagos, Nigeria; Kalani, Faagata a 32-year-old from Washington, UT, and Asuelu, a 25-year-old from Utulaelae, Samoa; and Elizabeth Potthast , a 30-year-old from Tampa, FL, and Andrei Castravet , a 34-year-old from Chisinau, Moldova.In addition, : The Other Way Season 1 couple Tiffany Franco , a 29-year-old from Frederick, MD, and Ronald Smith , a 31-year-old from South Africa, are Season 6 Happily Ever After? cast members.Happily Ever After? documents married couples navigating life, hardships, family, children and unexpected obstacles.The new season has already featured cultural differences, family arguments, scandals, confrontations and tears.Below is the latest on several couples, according to the seventh episode of : Happily Ever After?'s sixth season.Elizabeth apparently couldn't sleep and felt awful after the altercation she had with her sister Becky on Chuck's chartered yacht.Elizabeth said she never thought she'd get physical with Becky like they did when they were children, and so she didn't think a family reunion on an RV was a good idea.Elizabeth was upset because she said she and Becky used to be best friends, with Becky serving as a shoulder to cry on and someone uplifting in her life. Andrei, however, thought it would be best to attend the family reunion so he could have more bonding time with Chuck.Elizabeth realized she needed to talk to Becky and attempt to hash things out before moving forward and potentially seeing each other again at the family reunion.Elizabeth and Becky then met up with their sister Jenn, and Becky admitted her fight with Elizabeth got out of hand -- and she blamed Andrei for it all.Becky told Elizabeth that Andrei's placement in the family business felt "shady," and Jenn agreed. Becky said Andrei was trying to "climb the ladder" in the business while pushing everyone off during his way up."I think it's a really bad idea for him to be working with all of us," Becky confessed to the cameras.Jenn said Andrei should find his own real estate career -- outside of Chuck's business -- and that it seemed Andrei was trying to pin everyone against each other in the family so they'd all look bad and he'd come out of the situation smelling like a rose.Jenn begged the girls to get along for Chuck's sake, and both Elizabeth and Becky agreed. Elizabeth didn't want to hurt Chuck's feelings by not going to the family reunion, but she also said she wasn't going to allow her family members to disrespect or talk down to Andrei again."You better not give me a reason to talk to him like that," Becky argued.Elizabeth explained in a confessional, "Andrei doesn't talk to any of my sisters when they are together. My sisters are always antagonizing Andrei and it makes him snap. You can't poke the bear and then get upset when the bear f-cking growls at you."Mike and Natalie were about to leave Oklahoma and head back to Washington after Thanksgiving.Natalie wasn't in the best mood after the trip. She apparently talked to her mother, who advised Natalie to not talk to Trish anymore after being insulted.Mike called Natalie "rude" and "a child," and Trish just replied, "Okay," with no recollection of how she had insulted or offended Natalie."I'm the big, bad Mommy!" Trish said with a laugh.Natalie told the cameras Trish had called her "a hooker" and suggested she should give up her career aspirations to become a language interpreter. Natalie said Trish had been demanding, questioning her and labeling her.Trish confronted Natalie, asking what she had done wrong, and Natalie explained how Trish had called her "crazy" and didn't want her to marry Mike to begin with. Natalie also recalled how Trish had made jokes at her expense and they were "inappropriate."Mike asked Natalie to share which jokes had made her angry, but Natalie replied, "I am too high for it to repeat."Mike became increasingly more frustrated and asked Natalie to reveal what Trish had said that was so disrespectful. Mike said Trish couldn't apologize if Natalie wouldn't even explain what was bothering her.Natalie announced there was nothing wrong with her dream to become an actress or journalist and she just wanted to be happy in life. Natalie insisted she'd do the job that she wanted, but Mike yelled at Natalie, saying, "She did nothing to you, so why are you acting like this?!"Natalie snapped that she just wanted to leave, and Mike called Natalie "ridiculous" and "disrespectful." Trish then recommended that Mike give Natalie $5,000 and then send her back to Ukraine.Trish lamented about how Natalie always threw a temper tantrum and had to change. Trish said she wasn't going to walk on eggshells with Natalie and Mike needed to make some plans about sending his wife back to Ukraine.It was a silent ride to the airport in Oklahoma, and Mike barked at Natalie to get her head out of her ass. Natalie felt like Trish was Mike's priority and she could say or do whatever she wanted."I feel like sometimes I'm in a bed not with Michael but with Trish, and I'm sorry -- I am done with it," Natalie vented in a confessional.Mike couldn't believe that Natalie wouldn't even say goodbye to Trish or thank her for being able to stay at her house."I think when we get home, I need to look at my life and re-evaluate myself and Natalie. I need to figure sh-t out," Mike said.The self-proclaimed "sex-positive" Kalani, who said she's very "open-minded about sex" even though she didn't lose her virginity until her late twenties, visited a sex shop with Asuelu so they could buy some items that would spice up their time in the bedroom.Kalani and Asuelu each bought a toy, including a vibrator for Kalani, and their trip to the store ended with the couple spanking each other and also buying a whip.Kalani made it clear, however, that she wanted to have sex but not get pregnant again."I think when we have a healthy sex life, we do get along better... but we still need to talk about communication. That's something we always have to work on," Kalani told her husband, adding that they finally felt like a real couple.It then became time for Asuelu and Kalani's romantic getaway, which was still a surprise to Kalani since Asuelu had planned the whole thing, including activities.Asuelu had booked his family two cabin suites "in the middle of nowhere," according to Kalani. Asuelu had booked one cabin for Kalani and himself and another cabin for Kalani's mother and the two kids, Oliver and Kennedy.Kalani appreciated Asuelu's effort but wished they had gone to a nice resort instead. She gave Asuelu a C- for the location and destination, but she tried to make the best of it and joked about having sex with Asuelu on a bunk bed.Kalani wished Asuelu could learn the meaning of romance, but after checking Kalani's mom into their cabin, Asuelu surprised Kalani with rose petals on the floor, candles, champagne, and rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed in the cabin where they'd be staying.Asuelu said Kalani didn't seem to appreciate his gestures and he hoped they could focus on their relationship instead of Kalani just taking care of their kids the whole time."Let's do this right away!" Asuelu said before shutting out the camera crew.Kalani and Asuelu gushed the next day about having a lot of sex, and great sex at that. The pair then sat by a fire pit and Kalani suggested they should try to talk things out by doing a few communication exercises.Kalani explained how she didn't like it when Asuelu yelled over her during a fight, and Asuelu said he didn't like feeling stupid and hoped to implement more sex in their relationship.Kalani revealed she and Asuelu were having sex once a week or every two weeks, and Asuelu wanted it to become more routine in their relationship, like when they had first begun dating."I feel guilty that I went to a lawyer behind [Asuelu]'s back... It seriously feels painful and I'm going to have to tell him," Kalani explained, adding that she expected Asuelu to get mad and yell and scream upon hearing the news.Angela was shown weighing herself five weeks after her weight-loss surgery and breast reduction in her bathroom, and she apparently had lost a whopping 40 pounds. Angela said she initially weighed 273.5 pounds and now weighed 234.5 pounds.Angela said she felt great about her transformation and she was already feeling "so much better." Angela acknowledged she had made the best choice for herself even though Michael never really approved of the surgery to begin with.But Angela said she didn't have much time to exercise with her grandchildren running around. After being with the kids all day, Angela explained that she didn't have enough energy to work out.Angela was not supposed to be smoking in the meantime, but she admitted to smoking around 10 cigarettes a day. Angela was warned that she was creating an ulcer inside of her stomach that could one day rupture and result in emergency surgery, which Angela may not even survive.Angela said she had tried everything to quit smoking but was having a hard time with "no emotional support" from Michael, who allegedly ignored Angela's phone calls and wasn't giving her any support."He's stressing me the hell out. He's not calling me and checking up on me, so it definitely makes me want to smoke more," Angela said in a confessional.Angela's doctor suggested Angela should eat marijuana edibles to curb her addiction to nicotine, but Angela wasn't up for that. Angela therefore considered hypnosis as a possible solution given she was willing to try anything to stop smoking.But Angela didn't think she could accomplish anything without Michael's love and support.Angela then visited a hypnotist to try to quit smoking. She already had an abscess in her mouth and recognized smoking was making it worse, and she wasn't up for trying acupuncture since she's not a fan of needles.Angela had been smoking cigarettes for about 40 years, and she apparently smoked one pack a day. Angela said she smoked due to stress and the problems Michael was causing her.Angela also said she looked like "a hooker" to Michael's family because she smoked and typically only party girls in Nigeria smoke cigarettes. Angela's hypnotist said there's a 93% success rate in his field when it comes to getting people to quit smoking.Brandon and Julia headed to a party where they'd be celebrating Brandon's father Ron's 70th birthday. Julia was nervous to meet new friends and family members.Once Brandon and Julia arrived to the party, there were birthday decorations everywhere as well as "Just Married" decorations. Brandon and Julia were displeased since they never wanted a post-wedding party or celebration to begin with.Brandon and Julia had only agreed to a just-married toast at Ron's birthday bash, and Julia seemed pretty angry. Betty even surprised Brandon and Julia with a beautiful cake and an appearance from their wedding officiant.Julia figured Betty had created this whole party to exert her control and show that she could do whatever she wanted to do."Who wouldn't want a party and a cake? But that's not the point. I am tired of being treated like a child. I just feel personally disrespected and hurt, and it's not okay," Brandon complained.Betty couldn't believe Brandon was upset over a party for their family and friends, and she called her son "rude, uncaring and so ungrateful."Betty added, "Brandon never would have done that if Julia wasn't there. I am really starting to think [Julia] is trying to turn him against us, or against me."Brandon told his mother that she wasn't respecting his boundaries as a married man, and Julia told the cameras that she was very proud of her husband for standing up to his mom.With that being said, Julia took Brandon's hand and told Betty that they were going to leave the party early. Julia wanted to focus on her relationship with Brandon and the life they were building together.Ron and Betty thought they had just done something nice for their son and daughter-in-law and the pair behaved very rudely by leaving the party prematurely. Betty told Brandon and Julia they had done nothing wrong and only loved Julia like a daughter.Betty said she wanted Julia and Brandon to have a place of their own but hoped, in some small way, the couple would want to take over the farm. Ron also called Brandon "unprepared" to pay bills, including $1,200 for rent somewhere.Ron believed Brandon and Julia were not grateful and living on their own was going to be "an eye-opener" for the both of them. Ron told his child not to look to him for help if he ended up struggling on his own, and Brandon said that was just fine.Tiffany, her mother Maggie, Carley and Daniel were ready to celebrate Christmas and were shown decorating a big Christmas tree. Tiffany was looking forward to the salsa music and Cuban food, but Ronald apparently wanted his family in South Africa with him for the holiday.Since the borders were reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic, Ronald asked Tiffany to visit him with the kids for three months, including the holidays.Maggie admitted it was going to be "sucky" to celebrate Christmas without her daughter, and she wasn't happy when she heard Ronald had grunted about being asked to pay half of his family's plane tickets.Maggie laughed about Ronald being "a joke," and she told Tiffany to use her trip to South Africa as a test run to figure out whether she really wanted to be with Ronald forever and have him move to the United States permanently.Tiffany wanted to see that Ronald was saving money, working, prioritizing his family, and being responsible in South Africa. Maggie told Tiffany that she had made all the sacrifices in her relationship and Ronald had done nothing to contribute.Maggie admitted Tiffany's decision to marry Ronald and have a child with him wasn't her "brightest idea," but Tiffany insisted, "I am not stupid... I don't want to go there and pretend we're just perfect and happy."Tiffany had set high expectations for Ronald and their future together, and she said her husband needed to check off all of her boxes or else she'd rebook her plane ticket and head home with the kids.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Amanda Kloots says writing her book about her life with her late husband, Nick Cordero, was a "therapeutic" experience.

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The 39-year-old television personality discussed her memoir, Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero, during Monday's episode of CBS This Morning.

Cordero, an actor known for his work on Broadway, died at age 41 in July 2020 after being hospitalized for over three months due to complications from COVID-19. Cordero and Kloots married in September 2017 and have a 2-year-old son, Elvis.

On CBS This Morning, Kloots said she started writing her book two weeks after Cordero's death.

"I was back in Ohio with my family, kinda taking some time just to kind of process everything," Kloots said. "I'll tell you what, I don't think I could write this book now. When I started this, putting everything down on paper, everything was just so in front of my mind."

"It just honestly felt so good to write it down, to get it out of my head ... It was extremely therapeutic and really cathartic to take that trauma and put it down on a piece of paper," she added.

Kloots shared updates on social media throughout Cordero's battle with COVID-19. She said on CBS This Morning that Cordero's doctor David Ang helped her keep a positive attitude during Cordero's illness.

"Day one, he told me, he said, 'Amanda, if we look at this in a positive light, there's possibilities. If we look at it in a negative light, we have no options,'" Kloots recalled. "That just really stuck to me and it still does today."

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"I think grieving is tough. It is a road that you can only go on yourself. It is a rollercoaster -- it's ups and downs, twists and turns," she added. "It's a tough road, but I really do think that if you can find one thing a day -- one thing that keeps you happy, one thing that makes you smile -- by the end of the week, you have this beautiful bouquet."

Kloots encouraged people to keep moving forward while also following safety protocols.

"I just think that we have to keep moving forward, we have to still wear our masks and try to socially distance and just be careful and get your vaccine," she said. "As we slowly come back into the world, just don't forget where we were a year ago and how things have changed."

Live Your Life will be released Tuesday.

Kloots joined The Talk as a co-host in December.
Netflix released the trailer for Season 2 of its canine docuseries Dogs on Monday, along with a trailer for the new series Cat People. Both series premiere July 7.

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Season 2 of Dogs features the stories of four dogs and their owners in four episodes. Those include a university mascot and his handler, an astronaut with two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, a priest who cares for an injured dog and a military contractor who rescued a dog on the street in Iraq.

Season 1 aired in 2018. Netflix renewed the series in 2019.

Cat People follows several cat owners and their unique relationships with felines. The trailer shows a cat birthday party, an Instagram cat celebrity, a rescuer nursing street cats back to health, a surfer sharing a board with a cat and a band who trained cats to play instruments.

Cat People has six episodes. Glen Zipper created and executive produced both series.
56, of Traverse City, died, June 25, 2021. He is the son of Elizabeth Yates and brother of Marcia Emery. Scott was preceded in death by his brother, James McCann. Services will be held 11 a.m., Friday, July 2, 2021 at the Greensky Hill Indian Methodist Church, 8484 Greensky Hill, Charlevoix.
Emily Weiss talks at Mich-e-ke-wis Park pn May 25, 2021, in Alpena, Mich., about confronting homelessness as a young person. At age 16, Weiss left her home because of family issues and moved in with her sister, 24 years her senior. Like Weiss, now 19, hundreds of children and teens in Northeast Michigan live in other people's homes, shelters, or places not fit for human habitation. Scores of local housing advocates are poised to provide counseling, connections, and encouragement to help young people in Northeast Michigan get back into homes.
The rally comes as activist groups are growing more concerned about voter suppression. Between Jan. 1, 2021, and May 14, 2021, there were at least 14 states that enacted 22 new voting laws.
The news desk has compiled a list of events going on throughout the upcoming week that are open to the public. The list features live performances, Topgolf Live at Sanford Stadium and a Juneteenth celebration.
Members of the Brattleboro Fire Department visit the St. Michaels Preschool and Youth Summer Camp during the Community Heroes week on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The members of the fire department went through fire safety with the children and then showed them the equipment that is stored on
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Rain. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Rain likely. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Will Stevens is a first-generation farmer and co-owner of Golden Russet Farm in Shoreham. He served in the Vermont Legislature from 2007-14 and was ranking member of the House Agriculture and Forest Products Committee for four years. Hes been president of Vermont Organic Farmers, served on several town and non-profit boards, and is currently a member of the Vermont Community Foundations board, chair of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund board, and Shorehams Town Moderator. This commentary is from a 10-part series in which the authors respond to the pressing topics identified in a draft Proposition for the Future of Vermont developed by the non-partisan Vermont Council on Rural Development. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Brattleboro Reformer.
Norma Jean Henderson, 90, of Glen Daniel, passed away Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Born January 12, 1931, she was the daughter of the late Fred and Blanche Stover Burleson. In addition to her family, she was preceded in death by a son, Eddie Henderson, and eight siblings Betty Marsh, Ruth Snuff
NEW HAVEN  Six months after a fatal fire that killed 49-year-old Adrienne Flowers  a mother of seven  and injured two others in a multifamily house on Saltonstall Avenue in the citys Fair Haven section, her family is finally getting long-sought answers about how the fire started.

And they miss her more than ever.

She was a fun loving person  she loved her kids, loved her grandkids, loved her family, said Flowers sister, Tamika Flowers of New Haven.

She just was a help to the community  she helped people whenever she could. ... She was my life. ... Outside of my kids, she was my everything, Flowers said.

Six months after the fire, the interior of Adrienne Flowers former home remains open to the sky through a gash in the roof left by the fire, and the owners have not yet to taken out permits to fix the damage or rebuild, the citys building official said.

Mark Zaretsky / Hearst Connecticut Media

The building is at the corner of Saltonstall Avenue and Lloyd Street.

A city official recently identified the resident who died in the Jan. 4 fire as Flowers. She was not immediately identified at the time of the fire.

Doug Wardlaw, supervisor of fire investigations for the Fire Department, said Friday the cause of the fire appeared be careless or discarded smoking material.

Wardlaw said there was some use of a substance that he did not name that contributed to the cause of that fire, There also appeared to have been some use of tobacco products. The combination of them was the ignition source, he said.

Family members remain unconvinced.

Tamika Flowers said, ... My sister didnt light candles  period. She smoked cigarettes, yes. But shes not going to get tore up with a cigarette in her hand.

Asked about the familys suggestion that the cause of the fire was suspicious, Wardlaw said, that has been disproven. ... There is no malicious or suspicious cause suspected, he said.

A loving person

Flowers mother, Lillian Flowers of New Haven, said its been hard adjusting to the loss of her daughter, but I just put my trust in Christ.

Tamika Flowers / Contributed photo

Adrienne, she was a loving person. She was doing her thing. ... She was a good person, Lillian Flowers said. She loved her children even though she didnt raise all her children. I pretty much raised her children, me and her sister.

And while her daughter had her own problems to deal with, including issues with substance abuse, she didnt let nothing stand in her way of doing what she wanted to do, Lillian Flowers said.

Adrienne Flowers youngest daughter, Alonjah Flowers, was at home when the fire started, Lillian Flowers said. Another daughter, also named Lillian, was living with Adrienne but was not home when the fire began, the older Lillian Flowers said.

Adrienne Flowers oldest son, Billy Wright, a songwriter, said it was difficult to reduce to words what he had lost.

Tamika Flowers / Contributed photo

Its hard to explain. She was my mom, said Wright, whose sister, Alonjah, has been living with him since the fire.

She was kind, she was funny. ... She was one of a kind. She kept everybody around her laughing. I lost a mom  you only get one mom. She cant be replaced, he said.

Tamika Flowers said her older sister had been laid-up physically a few months before the fire, recovering from a surgery.

Mark Zaretsky / Hearst Connecticut Media

The building owner, Club 100-New Haven 2 LLC, which lists Menachem Gurevitch as managing member, was issued a Notice of Unsafe Structure Jan. 6, and ordered to board up the building. Neither Gurevitch nor anyone at Mandy immediately returned messages left at the Mandy Management office.

A total of 12 people were displaced by the fire, Mayor Justin Elicker said at the time.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
US President Joe Biden has compared Queen Elizabeth to his mother.

The 78-year-old commander-in-chief and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, was hosted for tea by the British monarch at her Windsor Castle residence on Sunday (13.06.21) and speaking afterwards, Joe admitted the queen had made him think of his mom Jean, who died in 2010 aged 93.

Praising the 95-year-old queen as very gracious, he told reporters: We had a long talk, she was very generous.I don't think she'd be insulted but she reminded me of my mother, the look of her and just the generosity.

The meeting was scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the president and his wife met the queen at the dais in the quadrangle of the castle, before a Guard of Honour  comprising Queen's Company First Battalion Grenadier Guards  performed a Royal Salute.

Major James Taylor and Major General Christopher Ghika then accompanied the president on an inspection of the Honour Guard.

The queens guests then entered the castle through the Sovereigns Entrance to enjoy tea with her.

Before leaving the UK  where hes been attending the G7 summit  the president revealed to reporters that the queen had asked about Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, the leaders of Russia and China, during their 45-minute tea, and asked what life in the White House was like.

Mr. Biden said: I said, this is... we could fit the White House in the courtyard.

He also confirmed he had invited the queen to visit him in the US.

It wasnt the pairs first meeting as on Friday (11.06.21), the monarch, along with other senior royals, attended a reception for the G7 leaders at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Jennifer Kreps filled the gap at a residential home when a Lutheran Social Service client was diagnosed with COVID-19. Care is not her area of expertise, LSS noted, but she did want needed to be done. Submitted photo
POTTSVILLE  Schuylkill County prosecutors will be bringing serious cases during the two-week criminal court term beginning Sunday.

Nine cases are scheduled to be tried during the next two weeks, Deputy Court Administrator John Richmond said Friday.

Of those, eight involve at least one felony charge, District Attorney Michael A. OPake said Friday. Even with those, the term is not as busy as those in February and April, he said.

We had been doing about 15 trials per term, OPake said. Its a little less hectic.

Today will feature two of those trials.

Zakiya I. Jordan, 27, of Wyomissing, is charged with two counts each of aggravated arson and simple assault and one each of aggravated assault, strangulation and recklessly endangering another person.

Jordan lit a girls hair on fire, according to police, OPake said.

Pottsville police charged Jordan with setting the girls hair on fire on June 2, 2020, in the city.

First Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Stine is prosecuting the case against Jordan, who is represented by Allan L. Sodomsky, Reading.

Richard A. Ziff, 55, of Shenandoah, is the other defendant going on trial today.

Ziff is charged with failure to register with the Pennsylvania State Police and failure to provide accurate registration information. Shenandoah police allege Ziff violated his Megans Law registration requirements Feb. 20, 2020.

Assistant District Attorney Julie D. Werdt is prosecuting the case against Ziff, who is represented by Assistant Public Defender Kent D. Watkins.

OPake said one defendant, David Ortlip, 50, of Collegeville, has two unusual cases in which he is charged with impersonating a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board agent to steal video poker machines. One occurred in Frackville, while the other occurred in Shenandoah, OPake said.

The court will hold a maximum of two trials per day, using only courtrooms one and seven, which are large enough to accommodate juries and still allow members of the public to attend. That is especially true of Courtroom One, the second-largest east of the Mississippi River (behind only the U.S. Supreme Court).
ORWIGSBURG  Faith Church invited motorcycle riders to receive a blessing for protection at Sundays service.

Pastor Doug Cresswell said a prayer over the riders and their bikes asking God to keep them safe in their travels. Members of the congregation, including others who ride, gathered around the bikes to join in the prayer.

Theres a lot of risk, but I want you to know God loves you, Cresswell said. God wants to protect you.

Greg Reser, of Shenandoah, said he brought the idea of blessing bikers to Faith Church after seeing similar blessings at other churches.

In all my travels, Ive seen a lot of organizations do biker blessings, and people are always excited to have that contact with God, Reser said. There are a lot of people looking for a church to go to where there are people they can relate to.

Cresswell said the mission of Faith Church is all about welcoming everyone without judgment.

Our church is built around loving people, he said. Were all imperfect people. Were not going to judge you.

Cresswell said many existing members of the Faith Church congregation ride motorcycles, as well.

Its a great way to serve our community and show them that we care and love them, he said.

Cresswell said Sunday mornings rain may have prevented some riders from attending, so the church will hold another blessing for bikers in July. After that, Cresswell said he plans to continue the blessings every year.

Bikers get killed. People get in accidents, he said during the service. We just dont know what will happen.

Reser said he hopes the blessings will help develop a biker community within the church. In the future, he said he would like to have people come out and go for a ride together after services.

When a family comes to the church, there are things for men, things for women and things for kids to do, Reser said. Now, well have something for motorcycle riders.

Reser and his wife, Bonnie, along with Jeff and Sheila Gilfillan, of Schuylkill Haven, received the blessing on their bikes Sunday before going out for a ride. They were also given pins to wear  a cross with the American flag.

Jeff Gilfillan said he appreciated the prayer of protection.

It makes you feel safer knowing God is with you, he said.
SAINT CLAIR  Famous Reading Outdoors presented the Saint Clair Police Department with a Yamaha utility terrain vehicle to help officers patrol off-road areas.

Brian Rich Jr., Famous Reading Outdoors general manager, said that with the ATV park and trails generating an increase in tourism, he wanted to give back to the community.

Off-road tourism is continuing to grow, so we want to make sure we have the infrastructure to support it, Rich said.

Saint Clair Police Chief William Dempsey said officers will be trained to use the vehicle to monitor off-road areas around Saint Clair and East Norwegian Township.

Officers will be able to respond to areas where normal vehicles wouldnt normally be able to access, Dempsey said.

He said the decision to use the vehicle for emergency response improvement came after community input and reviewing calls to the department.

Officers will use the UTV to respond to calls of trespassing or illegal operation of vehicles on roadways.

Dempsey said he also wants to use the vehicle as a way to reach out to the riders coming into the area and to make it safer for them.

Our hopes are that the riders and residents of Saint Clair can coexist in a safe and legal way, he said. Maintaining order here will help everyone in the community.

Rich said that between Schuylkill and Northumberland counties, the trails attract around 175,000 visits to the area each year, which can help bolster businesses and restaurants in the community.

Along with off-roading, the trails offer space for hiking, mountain biking and fossil hunting. Rich said Famous Reading Outdoors is also building a 10,000-square-foot welcome center in New Castle Township as another attraction, providing more event space in the county.

With Saint Clair near the trails, Dempsey said, the community does see the influx of tourism.

Saint Clair welcomes hundreds of members of the Famous Reading Outdoors community that travel here to enjoy the area and patronize our retail businesses and restaurants, Dempsey said.

In turn, Rich said he hopes visitors from out of town will learn more about the county while they are here.

We can save our history by getting people out here, Rich said.
FRACKVILLE  The Frackville Elks Lodge 1533 held its annual Flag Day ceremony Sunday in honor of the country and its emblem.

Exalted Ruler William Cickavage said celebrating the flag and everyone it represents is important to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks not only on Flag Day.

Elks is a distinctively American organization, and we honor the flag every day of our lives, Cickavage said.

During the ceremony, officers of the Elks lodge gave a history of the flag and everything it signifies, including virtue, charity, justice for all, brotherly love and fidelity.

Cickavage said the Elks order requires formal observance of Flag Day, as the flag represents the cardinal principals of the order.

We live our lives for our country, and we are ready to die for our country, Cickavage said.

State Rep. Tim Twardzik, R-123, spoke during the ceremony about the importance of the often overlooked observance of Flag Day, which marks the 244th birthday of the flag this year.

It is a day to pause and reflect on what the American flag means to all of us, he said.

Twardzik said throughout history, each time the flag was flown during wars and conflicts, it represented valor, humanity, democracy and sacrifice in the struggle for independence.

Now, more than ever, it is important to remember the sacrifice, he said. The flag was a constant sign that America, land of the free, home of the brave, would be preserved.

The flag will continue to fly, Twardzik said, because of those who honor it like the Elks.

Gordon Cub Scout Pack 780 took part in the ceremony by presenting the different versions of the American flag throughout history, from the pine tree flag of 1775 to the present 50 stars and stripes.

The presentation of the flags was followed by a salute and singing of God Bless America.

Bill Mack, past district deputy, said the flag is a symbol of the countrys heritage and the rights of all to life, liberty, happiness and peace.

Upon its folds is written the story of America, he said.

The service ended with a flag raising outside the lodge and salute by the Mount Carmel Joint Veterans firing squad.
It has been over two decades since the marriage between Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller had come to an end. However, a recent report has suggested that the former couple is making attempts to rekindle their romance once again. According to the report, the actor has recently spent an evening with her former husband in New York City. Following are more details about their recent reunion, along with other details about their dating history after they parted ways in 1999.

When Angelina Jolie reunited with ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller

As per reports by Page Six, Angelina Jolie had reportedly visited Jonnys apartment located in Brooklyn without the company of any of her bodyguards. She entered his apartment sporting a fashionable outfit and a bottle of wine in her hand. After spending time with her former husband, she left his apartment three hours later at 10:30 pm. It has also been revealed that Miller had gone out for a jog the following morning. She had recently arrived in New York with her children for a belated birthday celebration on June 7, three days after her birthday.

The two actors had first gotten involved with each other on the sets of Hackers and eventually married back in 1996. However, their marriage did not work out as they parted ways only three years later. Jolie then married Billy Bob Thornton from 2000 to 2003 and her marriage with Brad Pitt lasted from 2014 to 2018. On the other hand, Miller had married actor Michele Hicks and parted ways with her in 2018. While they both have remained single since 2018, they may have recently rekindled their romance once again.

Even though they were not married to each other for long, they have remained friends with each other over the years. However, there has been no confirmation about the dating rumours from either side. Jolie is currently working on her upcoming film Eternals, which has been one of the highly speculated projects in Phase 4 of Marvel Studios. She was recently seen in Those Who Wish Me Dead, which released last month.

IMAGE: ANI

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The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) took over the security of vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech's premises in Hyderabad on Monday to protect it against any terror threat or sabotage that may lead to a biological disaster.

A contingent of 64 personnel, headed by an inspector-rank officer of the paramilitary force, was inducted at a ceremony held at the Genome Valley in the Shameerpet area of Telangana's capital city, a CISF spokesperson said in Delhi.

Bharat Biotech produces a number of vaccines, including Covaxin, one of the three vaccines authorised in the country to be injected for COVID-19 immunisation, with Covishield and Sputnik V being the other two.

Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director (CMD) Dr Krishna Ella, joint MD Dr Suchitra Ella, CISF Inspector General in-charge of the southern sector Anjana Sinha and Deputy IG (south zone-II) Shyamala Dinavahi were part of the induction ceremony, the spokesperson said.

The CISF flag was unfurled on the Bharat Biotech campus.

"The bio-hazard of any accidental or sabotage-related leakage of the material has the potential of a widespread disaster.

"In the light of the increased threat perception to the biotechnology company, BBIL is inherently vulnerable to threats from anti-nationals and saboteurs. The CISF will provide a round-the-clock armed security cover to the Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), Hyderabad," the spokesperson of the force said.

A statement issued by the CISF said Bharat Biotech is an Indian bio-technology company engaged in drug discovery, drug development and manufacture of vaccines, bio-therapeutics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare products.

"BBIL is one of the first to develop vaccines for viral diseases like Chikungunya and Zika. It also produces vaccines for Japanese Encephalitis and it is the first fully indigenous manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin in India," the statement said.

The force had earlier carried out a survey of the facility following a directive issued by the Union home ministry to provide an armed security cover to the premises of the company.

The force will now control access to the facility and its armed troops, including a vehicle-borne quick response team (QRT), will be stationed at vantage positions in case of a terrorist attack or sabotage.

This is the 11th facility in the private sector that will be guarded by the CISF.

It was authorised to secure private installations of public importance following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, where a few five-star luxury hotels and a Jewish Chabad house were targeted by members of the Pakistan-based terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Toiba.

The other private facilities where the CISF is deployed include the Infosys campuses in Bengaluru, Pune and Mysuru, the Reliance Corporate IT Park in Navi Mumbai and Yoga exponent Ramdev's Patanjali factory premises in Uttarakhand's Haridwar.
In a major development in the Kerala nun rape case, the Apostolica Signatura - the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church in the Vatican - turned down Sister Lucy's appeal against her congregation's decision to strip her of sisterhood after her protest against rape-accused ex-Bishop Franco Mulakkal. Following the dismissal of Sister Lucy Kalapura's plea, she was dismissed from the Church with finality. She has earlier been dismissed and made to vacate the premises in August 2019 for seeking justice for the victim and participating in the September 2018 protest. Now, Sister Lucy Kalapura, talking exclusively to Republic TV's Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy has expressed that injustice has been dealt to her and expressed that she will consult the Vatican's judgment and approach the court.

'I will approach the court', says Sister Lucy Kalapura on the Vatican turning down her plea

Sister Lucy while talking to the Republic TV said that she is getting stronger and stronger day by day and revealed how the series of events took place. "Last few days before I got an envelope from the Post-office, it was rejection letter from the Vatican. On May 27 (2020) they have written the letter and I got the letter on June 11 (2021). So I don't know where was the letter for so long."

Sister Lucy also said, in March 2020 it was my last chance to appeal in Supreme Tribunal then soon after that I got an advocate from the Vatican. All of a sudden the pandemic happened and everything was lost. Nothing happened for many months. But it is surprising that during that crucial period when all offices in Italy were under lockdown this particular letter was produced on date May 27, 2020. Therefore some malpractice is going on."

#LIVE | I've never given up in this fight; it is our right to fight for justice: Sister Lucy, nun who protested against Franco Mulakkal, after her appeal against dismissal from her congregation was rejected by the Vatican; Tune in to watch here - https://t.co/rGQJsiKgt2 pic.twitter.com/06H3wQAZGu  Republic (@republic) June 14, 2021

Sister Lucy also added that she is not afraid, rather she called out the injustice perpetrated by the Bautista Congregation (Superiors of the Congregation) and the Vatican Supreme Tribunal members.

I will not give up on my fight, says Sister Lucy on Vatican's rejection

While Talking to Republic TV, Sister Lucy also stated that even after her dismissal she will continue her fight and she has nothing to fear in her pursuit of the truth. She also hinted that she can move the High Court as the judiciary will not let human rights violations take place. Sister Lucy also revealed that she was targeted after she joined the protest against Franco Mulakkal. She revealed that her colleagues stopped talking to her when she chose to fight for justice and eventually she was targeted.

#LIVE | I believe in the Constitution of India; There are rules for justice for us, I will not give it up: Sister Lucy to Republic on how she'll continue to fight for her cause after the Vatican rejects her appeal against dismissal; Tune in to watch here - https://t.co/rGQJsiKgt2 pic.twitter.com/hRd90AJw7Q  Republic (@republic) June 14, 2021

#LIVE | Each day I was targeted over so many issues: Sister Lucy speaks to Republic; vows to keep battling, even as the Vatican rejects her appeal against dismissal, after she had taken on Franco Mulakkal in the Kerala nun rape case; Tune in here - https://t.co/RZHKU3wOei pic.twitter.com/QST62BxHHF  Republic (@republic) June 14, 2021

What is the Kerala nun rape case?

Franco Mulakkal, ex-bishop of Jalandhar diocese, has been accused of raping and forcing unnatural sex on a nun multiple times between 2014 and 2016 at the Kuruvilangadu convent in Kottayam. As the complainant came forward, nuns of the congregation came out in support for the victim, demanding CM Pinarayi Vijayan's intervention. After being arrested by the Kerala police, he was later released by the Kerala High Court on unconditional bail in October 2018 which was later extended. Another nun has now come forward alleging that Franco Mulakkal was allegedly sending her lewd messages and had called her in his room and misbehaved with her. The nun is the 14th witness in the rape case.

Kerala Police has filed a chargesheet against Franco Mulakkal under various sections ranging from Punishment for wrongful confinement, Sexual intercourse by a person in authority to Carnal Intercourse against the order of nature. Sources had said that if the charges against Franco Mulakkal are proven, he might get life imprisonment or imprisonment of not less than 10 years. Four nuns -sister Anupama along with sister Alfie, sister Josephine, sister Ancitta and sister Nina Rose who had protested against the rape accused, had alleged the church authorities' pressure to transfer them and splitting them up to dilute their protest. Meanwhile, the victim too has written about harassment from Mulakkal's aides to withdraw her case. Recently, the Supreme Court rejected Mulakkal's review plea stating that he would stand trial in the case.

(Image Credits: ANI/Pixabay)
New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) A proposal by India and South Africa to temporarily waive patents on COVID-19 vaccines to ensure their equitable access received widespread support at the G7 summit in the UK, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday.

In a virtual address at an inaugural outreach session of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought the support of the grouping to lift patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines.

The MEA said Modi's call was supported by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, WTO Director-General Okonjo Iweala and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"I can confirm that there was widespread support in deliberations for text-based negotiations on the India-South Africa proposal for TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)," P Harish, additional secretary (economic relations) in the MEA, said at a press conference.

The TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) council of the WTO is likely to start text-based negotiations on the proposal.

Calling on the G7 to demonstrate leadership, Modi sought the grouping's strong support for the proposal for a TRIPS waiver at the WTO, Harish said about the prime minister's remarks on Saturday at the session titled 'Building Back Stronger-Health' "His call was echoed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Referring to his conversation with the prime minister earlier, PM Morrison expressed his strong support for the TRIPS waiver, as did the Director-General of the WTO, Okonjo Iweala, and the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, who identified the TRIPS waiver as an important element of his 'Global Vaccination Plan'- a roadmap to vaccinate the entire global population by doubling vaccine production," Harish said.

He said French President Emmanuel Macron also highlighted the need to focus on ramping up production capacity in Africa and called on India to lend its expertise as an important production hub globally.

The Group of Seven (G7) comprises the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

As chair of G7, the UK invited India, Australia, South Korea, South Africa to the summit as Guest countries.

The G7 has pledged to donate an additional one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines within the next year.

Asked about G7's views on making available finances to boost vaccine production, the additional secretary said there was a general agreement to increase capacity in various regional manufacturing hubs and provide financing, technology transfer and skilling in these regions.

On whether the summit deliberated on how the COVID-19 originated in China, Harish did not give a direct reply.

"The leaders of the G7 and guest countries had a very intense and detailed discussion on the need for reforming the global health governance," he said.

"I would like to emphasise in this regard that India has been actively engaged with the international community at the levels of the G20, the G7 and the World Health Assembly on various aspects related to dealing with the current pandemic, learning lessons and preparing for future pandemics," he added.

Harish said Prime Minister Modi thanked the G7 and guest countries for the support shown to India during the difficult second wave of the pandemic and urged caution and vigilance even as things were getting better.

Modi also highlighted India's 'Whole of Government, Whole of Society' approach to the pandemic, with the efforts of governments at all levels, civil society and industry synergized for best results. PTI MPB RT RT

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
AAP To Contest In All 182 Seats In Gujarat; Arvind Kejriwal Promises Free Electricity

Kicking off an extremely early campaign for the Gujarat polls in 2020, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal visited Ahmedabad on Monday, declaring that AAP will contest on all 182 seats. Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Kejriwal promised free electricity, better medical and health infrastructure to the people of Gujarat. He also welcomed veteran journalist Isudhan Gadhvi into AAP. Currently, BJP has an ironclad majority of 112 MLAs and has been ruled the state for 27 years.

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Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: Pak FM Blames Previous Govt, Says 'India Wants To Drag Us To ICJ'

Days after passing a bill pertaining to Kulbhushan Jadhav in the Pakistan National Assembly, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a big statement expressed concern over India's possible move to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case. Claiming that the country was adamant to drag Pakistan, the Foreign Minister expressed fear over India's possible win in the ICJ. In an attempt to build ground over denying consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, Qureshi claimed that it was India who did not want to give its 'intelligence operative' consular access.

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PM Modi Congratulates New Israel PM Naftali Bennett; Vows To Deepen Strategic Partnership

A day after being elected as the new Prime Minister of Israel, Yamina chief Naftali Bennett was congratulated by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Monday. Writing on Twitter, PM Modi expressed a desire in meeting Bennett and deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries. This assumes significance a year ahead of the 30th anniversary of India formally establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. Incidentally, he also shared a special message for Benjamin Netanyahu who lost power after 12 years- the longest-serving tenure for any Prime Minister in Israel's history.

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Chirag Paswan's Uncle Regrets LJP's NDA Exit In Bihar; Lauds CM Nitish Kumar Post 'split'

After 5 LJP MPs decided to oust party president Chirag Paswan as the leader of the party in Lok Sabha; his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras denied the notion of a split. Addressing the media on Monday, the LJP MP mentioned that he was merely "saving" the party so that the soul of his older brother Ram Vilas Paswan can rest in peace. Mentioning that LJP was functioning very well as long as the Union Minister was at the helm of affairs, he alleged that Chirag Paswan had severed ties with NDA ahead of the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls against the wishes of 99% of the party workers.

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Pakistan Army Employs PR Firm To Share Anti-India Propaganda; Facebook Takes Down Network

Indulging in shocking anti-India hate propaganda, Facebook has taken down targetted networks in May 2020 due to Co-ordinated Inauthentic behaviour (CIB). The CIB report accessed by Republic on Monday, shows that the pages associated with AlphaPro, a Pakistan-based PR firm posted many anti-India posts posing as international news entities, criticising India's COVID management, treatment of Muslims, Kashmir, and pro-Pakistan commentary. As per Alpha Pro's website Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan Army is listed as one of its clients.

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Former Telangana Minister Eatala Rajender Joins BJP In Delhi, Two Days After Resignation

After submitting his resignation from the Telangana Assembly on Saturday, former Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) rebel MLA Eatala Rajender on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi. He joined in the presence of Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and G Kishan Reddy. Rajender joined the saffron- party along with former TRS MLA Enugu Ravinder Reddy, former Karimnagar Zilla Parishad chairperson Tula Uma and former Adilabad MP Ramesh Rathod.

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Russia Tests COVID Vaccine As Nasal Spray For Children; Likely To Be Ready By September

The scientist who oversaw the creation of the Sputnik V vaccine said that Russia has tested a nasal spray form of its COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 8 to 12, and aims to introduce the new medication in September. According to a Russian news agency, Alexander Gintsburg, the chairman of the Gamaleya Institute, which produced Sputnik V, noted that the spray for children employed the same vaccine only instead of a needle, a nozzle is put on. Reportedly, Gintsburg was cited as saying during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin that the children's vaccine should be ready for distribution by September 15.

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India Sees Sharp Decline In COVID Cases; Records 70,421 New Infections, Lowest In 74 Days

India's downward trend of cases continued on Monday, June 14, with 70,421 new COVID-19 infections reported in the last 24 hours, the lowest single-day COVID-19 rise in 74 days, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total number of cases has now reached 2,95,10,410, with a daily positive rate of 4.72 percent, which is less than 10% for the 21st day in a row. In addition, the weekly positivity rate fell below 5% and is now at 4.54 percent. After 66 days, the active caseload stayed below 10 lakhs, and it now stands at 9,73,158.

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Franco Mulakkal Rape Case: Vatican Rejects Sister Lucy's Appeal Against Her Dismissal

In a severe setback to Sister Lucy Kalapura, the Apostolica Signatura - the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church has rejected her appeal against her congregation's decision to strip her of sisterhood after her protest against rape-accused ex-Bishop Franco Mulakkal. A letter from the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, dated 12 June, reads that 'the appeal of Lucy Kalapura is rejected by Apostolica Signatura and the dismissal is confirmed'. With this move by the Vatican, Sister Lucy Kalapura has been dismissed from the Church with finality. She was dismissed and made to vacate the premises in August 2019 for seeking justice for the victim and participating in the September 2018 protest.

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TN CM Stalin Writes To PM Modi Against Hydrocarbon Extraction Projects In Cauvery Delta

On June 13, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to PM Modi seeking immediate directions to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to cancel the bid process for extraction of hydrocarbon in Vadatheru Block of the Cauvery Basin in Pudukkottai district. In the letter, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to instruct the Ministry to consult the state government ab initio before bringing any area in Tamil Nadu for any auction in the future for extraction of hydrocarbon and its exploration. The letter comes ahead of Stalin's rendezvous with PM Modi slated to be held this week. In the said meeting, CM Stalin is going to request the Centre for more COVID vaccine doses too.

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AAP To Contest In All 182 Seats In Gujarat; Arvind Kejriwal Promises Free Electricity

Kicking off an extremely early campaign for the Gujarat polls in 2020, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal visited Ahmedabad on Monday, declaring that AAP will contest on all 182 seats. Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Kejriwal promised free electricity, better medical and health infrastructure to the people of Gujarat.

Read full story

Pakistan Army Employs PR Firm To Share Anti-India Propaganda; Facebook Takes Down Network

Indulging in shocking anti-India hate propaganda, Facebook has taken down targetted networks in May 2020 due to Co-ordinated Inauthentic behaviour (CIB). The CIB report accessed by Republic on Monday shows that the pages associated with AlphaPro, a Pakistan-based PR firm posted many anti-India posts posing as international news entities, criticizing India's COVID management, treatment of Muslims, Kashmir, and pro-Pakistan commentary.

Read full story

All Monuments, Museums Protected Under ASI To Reopen From June 16 As COVID Cases Drop

As COVID-19 cases continued to drop nationwide, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), on June 14 notified that all centrally protected monuments, sites, and museums under the ASI will be opened from Wednesday, June 16th. In April, Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (I/C) Prahlad Singh Patel had ordered to shut all monuments/ sites and museums under the ASI for the public as an aftermath of a disastrous COVID-19 wave then.

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Chennai Police Arrest Commentator Kishore K. Swamy For Defamatory Posts Against Former CMs

The Chennai Police on Monday arrested a popular social media commentator, Kishore K. Swamy for allegedly circulating derogatory content against former Chief Ministers and DMK veteran leaders - C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi. In addition, Swamy is also said to have circulated defamatory content against the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin.

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'One Nation, One Ration Card' Aims To Empower NFSA Migrant Beneficiaries: Centre To SC

The Centre on Monday explained Supreme Court how the 'One Nation One Ration Card' (ONORC) plan is made to empower all National Food Security Act (NFSA) migrant beneficiaries through sufficient production of foodgrains that will be accessible to beneficiaries. The recipients will be able to get the foodgrains from any fair price shop, anywhere in the country by using their existing ration card with biometric authentication.

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India Opposes Mehul Choksi's Bail In Dominica High Court, MEAs Affidavit Accessed

On Monday, Republic TV accessed the MEA's affidavit filed before the Dominican High Court in which it has asserted that fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi is an Indian citizen. While he submitted his Indian passport to the Indian High Commission in Georgetown for renouncing Indian citizenship, the Ministry of Home Affairs found discrepancies in the declaration provided.

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COVID-19: States/UTs To Receive 96,490 Vaccine Doses In 3 Days Says Union Health Ministry

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on June 14 apprised of vaccine doses that are in pipeline and will be received by States/ Union Territories within the next three days. The ministry informed that more than 96,490 doses are set to be delivered while 1,40,70,224 vaccine doses are still available with the State/UTs.

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AIIMS Delhi To Start Screening Children Aged 6-12 Years For Covaxin Trials From Tuesday

The screening of children aged 6 to 12 years for clinical trials of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, an indigenously developed COVID vaccine, is set to begin on Tuesday, June 14. The enrollment for Covaxin clinical trials among those aged 12 to 18 years has ended, according to reports. A single dose of vaccination was administered to them.

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Former Telangana Minister Eatala Rajender Joins BJP In Delhi, Two Days After Resignation

After submitting his resignation from the Telangana Assembly on Saturday, former Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) rebel MLA Eatala Rajender on Monday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi. He joined in the presence of Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and G Kishan Reddy.

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Israel's New Government Will Work To Advance Strategic Relations With India: FM Lapid

Israel's new government will work to "advance strategic relations" with India, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday, a day after Naftali Bennett became the new premier ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year hold on power. "I look forward to working together to advance the strategic relations between our countries and hope to welcome you to Israel soon," Lapid tweeted.

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PM Modi Congratulates New Israel PM Naftali Bennett; Vows To Deepen Strategic Partnership

A day after being elected as the new Prime Minister of Israel, Yamina chief Naftali Bennett was congratulated by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Monday. Writing on Twitter, PM Modi expressed a desire in meeting Bennett and deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries. This assumes significance a year ahead of the 30th anniversary of India formally establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. Incidentally, he also shared a special message for Benjamin Netanyahu who lost power after 12 years- the longest-serving tenure for any Prime Minister in Israel's history.

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COVID-19 Unlock: Here's A List Of States Opening Up And Easing Restrictions From Today

Several states in India are set to ease the restrictions from today as cases across the country continue to fall amid the second wave of COVID-19. The restrictions were imposed in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. The states which will commence COVID-19 unlock include Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

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On Sushant Singh Rajput's Death Anniversary, Fans Take To Social Media To Demand 'justice'

One of the shocking events witnessed in the Indian film industry in recent years, the death of Sushant Singh Rajput completed a year on Monday. Netizens paid tributes to the late actor in different ways, hailing his achievements, talent and sharing his memorable moments, making him the top trending topic on Twitter. However, one section expressed their demand for justice for SSR and called it a black day.

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Haryana Lockdown Extended With Major Relaxations; Check What's Open, What's Closed

In a move to continue preventive measures despite a decline in positivity rate and fresh cases of COVID-19, the Haryana Government on Sunday decided to extend the ongoing lockdown till June 21. The current restrictions were supposed to end on June 14 (Monday); however, with new guidelines, the curbs have been extended under "Mahamari Alert-Surakshit Haryana (Epidemic Alert-Safe Haryana)".

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Ram Mandir Trust Chief Refutes AAP & SP's Land-grabbing Claims; Slams Politicisation

Refuting allegations of land-grabbing, Ram Janmabhoomi Theerth Kshetra Trust chief Champat Rai on Monday, stated that the Trust had purchased land from surrounding villages to ensure the safety of the Ram Mandir. Rai stated that land purchased so far has been bought at a price much less than the open market price, with the consent of the owners.

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AIIMS Taskforce Head Calls For Caution As States Begin Relaxing COVID-19 Lockdown Norms

As the number of COVID-19 cases started to drop after a devastating second wave, some parts of the country are now slowly being opened. However, medical experts have warned that the pandemic is not over yet and everyone needs to be extremely cautious. Head of the Medicine Department at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Dr. Naveet Wig has emphasized the need to exercise diligence in following COVID-appropriate behaviours post unlock.

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Tamil Nadu: CPI Groom 'Socialism' Wed Congress Bride 'Mamata Banerjee' In Salem District

In a bizarrely ideological union, 'Socialism' wed 'Mamata Banerjee' on Sunday in Salem in the presence of senior CPI leaders. The groom's father CPI Salem's district secretary A Mohan and CPI state secretary R Mutharasan attended the ceremony which has grabbed eyeballs due to the unique couple.

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Athawale Says 'BJP Won 303 Seats Without Prashant Kishor's Help' Amid Buzz Over Pawar Meet

Amid growing speculation over the meeting between NCP chief Sharad Pawar and poll strategist Prashant Kishor which took place on June 11, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale downplayed its significance. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Athawale reminded the opposition that BJP had won 303 seats in the 2019 General Election even without Kishor's support.

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'It Was Gratitude': Novak Djokovic Reveals Why He Gave His French Open Racket To A Boy

Novak Djokovic on Sunday made history after he sealed the French Open with another emphatic win trumping over young Stefanos Tsitsipas at Court Philipe-Chatrier. Just moments after his win, a video of him handing over his racket to a young kid in the stands began doing the rounds.

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Faf Du Plessis Suffers From 'memory Loss & Concussion' Post Horrific Collision In PSL Game

A day after Faf du Plessis suffered a horrific collision at the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), the former South African captain has affirmed that he is back at the hotel and is recovering. Providing an update to his health status after the incident, du Plessis has said that he has a concussion with 'some memory loss' but hopes to be back on the field soon.

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Over one million Europeans joined a virtual meditation session with The Art of Living Founder Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The 'Art of Living' foundation organized the 'Europe Meditates' program. Theevent was conducted to address the mental health crisis amid the unprecedented crisis owing to the pandemic. The event was supported by the Indian Consulates of EU, Turkey, Croatia, Scotland, Azerbaijan, Spain, and Poland along with others. 'Europe Meditates' attracted over a million participants from 44 countries. Along with Gurudev, the other dignitaries who attended the global meditation were H.E.Santosh Jha, Ambassador of India to Belgium, Luxembourg, & EU, and Hon. Mr. Ryszard Czarnecki, a member of the European Parliament.

Hon. Mr. Ryszard Czarnecki at the event said, We, European Parliament, have taken a number of initiatives to address the mental health crisis. I am particularly delighted that my friend Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, with his Art of Living Foundation works tirelessly to bring a sense of relief and the message of peace and togetherness to people across the world through various initiatives, putting the happiness and mental health of the people first.

The pandemic has taken the lives of many, separated families for brief to long periods and so it has put unprecedented impact on people across the globe. The pandemic posed grief, isolation, and financial losses that particularly affected the mental health of the people. The Art of Living Foundation hosted the 'Europe Meditates' event keeping in mind the need for a stress-free life and introduce new holistic ways to develop a positive approach in life.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar stated that meditation needs to be a part of everyone's daily routine since it has enumerable benefits for the body and the mind. He said that meditation caters to the need for mental hygiene just like brushing for dental and showering for physical hygiene."Meditation gives you the deepest rest in the shortest time. On one hand, it helps you overcome depression. On the other, it checks aggression that one can get into due to stress or other circumstances", said Gurudev.

Meditation has a vast avenue of benefits to offer the people, a few of those are prevention against burn-out, strengthening the immune system, relief from stress and anxiety, and keeping oneself energized and happy.

Image Source- PTI/UNSPLASH
10 months after taking up the case of Sushant Singh Rajputs death, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is yet to give any major update in the case. On the occasion of the actors first death anniversary, the investigating agency clarified that it had not closed the case. As per sources, the probe was still underway and that all angles were still being looked into.

CBI sources on Sushant Singh Rajput case

Wrong to say we have closed the Sushant Singh Rajput case. The investigation is still on and we are probing all angles, sources in the CBI said.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Mont Blanc residence in Mumbais Bandra on June 14 last year. The Mumbai Police that was initially investigating the case termed it as suicide. Later, amid fans and celebs' accusations of alleged foul play in the death and 'justice for SSR' movement, the Bihar police stepped into the probe after the Chhichhore stars father KK Singh lodged a complaint against Rhea Chakraborty accusing her of abetment to suicide, embezzlement and more.

Sushant Singh Rajput death case

After Bihar Police alleged lack of co-operation in Mumbai, the Bihar government then recommended that the CBI took over the case. The Supreme Court on August 19 ordered the CBI to take charge of the case.

The CBI officials then conducted the questioning of Rhea and other accused in August. They also recreated the scene of the death with Sushants staff , along with forensic and medical teams. However, since then, there has been no major update in the case.

Before CBI's entry, the Enforcement Directorate had probed the financial misappropriation allegations against Rhea by questioning her multiple times, while others were summoned too. The Narcotics Control Bureau is the other agency that got involved in the case, as evidence of those related to Sushant, allegedly being involved with drugs surfaced.

Rhea, her brother Showik and some members of SSRs staff were arrested. They are now out on bail. SSRs flatmate Siddharth Pithani is currently in jail for his alleged involvement with drugs, in the same case.
Lamenting at PM Modi's 'virtual' presence at the G7 meeting held at Cornwall, Congress MP P Chidambaram on Monday, said India was a COVID-19 outlier as the 'most infected' and 'least vaccinated' state. Terming PM Modi's speech as 'inspiring as well as ironic' he urged the Centre to practise what it preaches. PM Modi addressed the G7 summit virtually during the weekend highlighting India's achievements on climate action, COVID-19 management, resilience against future pandemics.

Chidambaram lament PM's virtual G7 address

PM Modis speech at the G7 Outreach meeting is inspiring as well as ironic



The Modi government should practise in India what it preaches to the world



It is sad that PM Modi was the only Guest not physically present at the Outreach meeting. Ask yourself why?  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) June 14, 2021

PM Modi's G7 addresses

On Saturday, PM Modi addressed the first Outreach Session of the G7 Summit, coining the Mantra of "One Earth, One Health". During the session, PM Modi highlighted India's whole of society approach to fight the pandemic, synergising the efforts of all levels of the government, industry and civil society. He also explained Indias successful use of open-source digital tools for contact tracing and vaccine management and conveyed India's willingness to share its experience and expertise with other developing countries. Seeking the G7's support for the proposal moved at the WTO by India and South Africa, for a TRIPS waiver on COVID-related technologies, PM Modi advised the USA to keep raw material supplies open.

On Sunday, PM Modi addressed two sessions 'Building Back TogetherOpen Societies and Economies and Building Back Greener: Climate and Nature, highlighting democracy and freedom as a part of Indias civilization ethos. Stressing the need to ensure that cyberspace remains an avenue for advancing democratic values and not of subverting them, he called for the reform of the multilateral system as the best signal of commitment to the cause of Open Societies. Speaking about India's unwavering commitment to climate action, he mentioned the commitment by Indian Railways to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2030.

G7 Summit 2021

The United Kingdon hosted this years G7 conference in Cornwall from Friday, June 11 to Sunday, June 13 and welcomed the heads of from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, and Germany, as well as representatives from the United Nations and European Union. Two guest countries India and South Korea attended the G7 meeting via video-conferencing. Apart from a pledge to supply 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to 20 lower-income nations, with the US pledging close to 500 million, the leaders also discussed issues like regional security, free and fair trade, climate change, values of open society at the discussion table.
The J&K Police's Counter Intelligence Kashmir wing filed a 19-page charge sheet against PDP youth wing president Waheed Para in a designated court in Srinagar. Alleging that Para received instructions and advice from Pakistan-based secessionist leaders and terrorist groups, the police has approached Google US to provide contents of emails exchanged by him through his three email IDs. This request has been routed through the Ministry of External Affairs under the aegis of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.

The charge sheet alleges that there is sufficient prima facie evidence to launch prosecution against the PDP leader for establishing a nexus with terrorists to seek their backing for his political gains and for reciprocating by way of providing a range of help and support which led to terror strikes". However, PDP has consistently rejected these allegations and termed them as "politically motivated". Moreover, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has cited independent UN human rights experts to claim that Para has been kept in inhuman conditions and tortured.

Waheed Para's prolonged incarceration

Along with other mainstream political leaders, Waheed Para was detained on August 5, 2019, when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked. While he was released from a sub-jail and put under house arrest in February 2020, the NIA arrested him on November 25, 2020, in suspended DSP Davinder Singh's case. Based on the alleged disclosure of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Naveed, the arrest took place three days after he filed nomination papers from Pulwama for the District Development Council election.

Granting bail to the PDP youth wing president on January 9, the special NIA court highlighted loopholes in the agency's case. However, he was arrested by the Counter Intelligence Kashmir wing of the J&K Police while he was walking out of the Jammu District Jail. He was brought to Srinagar for investigation in connection with the link of J&K politicians with Pakistan and terrorists. This FIR has been registered under various Sections 13, 17, 18, 38, 39, 40, 120B, 121, 121A and 124A of the Indian Penal Code.

As per the FIR, unnamed politicians of the Union Territory have been accused of aiding and supporting terrorism and establishing relations with different Pakistan-supported terrorist and secessionist organizations. While rejecting Para's bail plea in this case on February 23, a court observed, If personal liberty and the security of the state are pitted against each other, the latter will prevail. If enlarged on bail, the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country will be endangered".
Amid rumors of her tumultuous relationship with estranged husband Nikhil Jain, TMC MP Nusrat Jahan has confirmed her pregnancy. In a photograph that has gone viral on social media, Nusrat Jahan can seen be sporting a baby bump. Bengali actor Srabanti Chatterjee can also be seen alongside the actor-turned-politician who flaunts her baby bump under a long white dress.

Nusrat Jahan pregnant

Nusrat Jahan calls marriage with Nikhil Jain 'invalid'

After a fairytale romance and a wedding in the picturesque town of Bodrum in Turkey, TMC MP Nusrat Jahan confirmed her separation with businessman Nikhil Jain claiming that the marriage ceremony was 'invalid'. Issuing a statement the TMC MP said, "Being on foreign land, as per Turkish Marriage Regulation, the ceremony is invalid. Moreover, since it was an interfaith marriage, it requires validation under the Special Marriage Act in India, which did not happen. As per the court of law, it is not a Marriage, but a relationship or a live-in relationship. Thus, the question of divorce does not arise."

Jahan further said, "The one who claims to be rich and been used by me has been taking money from my account by accessing my bank accounts illegally and by illegitimate means at odd-hours of the night, even post-separation."

We have been staying separately since November 2020: Jain

Nikhil Jain on the other hand slammed Nusrat's statement calling their marriage 'invalid' stating that they lived together as 'husband and wife' since their union in 2019 but despite his 'best of efforts', her attitude towards him changed within a year. He also revealed that Nusrat was against registering their marriage under the Special Marriage Act in India after their Turkey wedding.

"On November 5, 2020, she left my flat with bag and baggage along with her personal values, papers and documents and shifted to her Ballygunge flat and thereafter we never stayed together after being husband-and-wife. The rest of her personal belongings along with the documents (IT returns etc) were also sent to her shortly after her shifting," he revealed.

He also denied the allegations of accessing her finances after their separation saying, "The allegations made by her are all baseless and derogatory and devoid of truth."

(Image- nusratjahanews/Instagram)
Scientists from the Chile's University of Concepcion have discovered that 'rogue planets' in space may contain moons with life-friendly conditions. The researchers created a mathematical model and determined that some of the 'exomoons' may contain conditions for liquid water as well as the atmosphere. Contrary to common perception, not all planets orbit stars; some wander aimlessly through space. Although these cold, dark worlds aren't ideal for supporting life, a recent research reveals that their moons may be more livable than they appear.

Rogue Planets could potentially have life and water

As Earth is the only location where we know for certain that life exists, scientists have been searching for alien life on exoplanets that have the most Earth-like characteristics. Liquid water and comfortable temperatures are at the top of the list, and both need the planet orbiting its host star at the correct distance.

Rogue planets have been discovered drifting around in space, unattached to any stars, which may appear to rule them out in the hunt for aliens. However, astrophysicists in Germany and Chile believe we are being too hasty. A simulation of a Jupiter-sized rogue planet orbited by an Earth-sized moon was produced by the team.

They concentrated their efforts on the latter body, simulating the thermal structure of the exomoon's atmosphere based on its composition as well as external factors from the planet and beyond. Surprisingly, the researchers discovered that the circumstances may be pleasant enough to support enough water for life to flourish.

However, this moon would be significantly drier than Earth - the quantity of water present would be one 10,000th that of our seas, but it would still be 100 times that of Earth's atmosphere. While a star may not be present to trigger crucial chemical processes, cosmic rays may be able to fill the void.

Tidal forces from the planet's gravitational pull might create heat, and if the atmosphere contains 90% carbon dioxide, the greenhouse effect might keep that heat trapped.

What are rogue planets?

Planets without a star are known as rogue planets. These planets are not linked to a star and are free to explore the heavens. Rogue planets may have natural satellites, which are known as exomoons. Because rogue planets lack a star, they lack a source of heat.

However, according to the scientists' mathematical model, the rogue planet's cosmic radiation and gravitational influence generate just enough heat for liquid water and atmosphere to escape. Though the amount of water would be far smaller than on Earth, it might be the initial step toward the formation of extraterrestrial life.

Although Earth receives all of its energy from the Sun, there are lifeforms deep within the waters that thrive on heat emitted by Earth. The sun never reaches such depths. As a result, life in exomoon seas is a distinct possibility. We haven't yet discovered conclusive confirmation of this.

The scientists' findings were published in the international publication International Journal of Astrobiology.

IMAGE: NASA INSTAGRAM
Beijing, Jun 13 (PTI) China on Sunday asserted that the days when a "small" group of countries decided the fate of the world are long gone, hitting back at the leaders of the powerful G-7 bloc who took a unified position on Beijing on issues like the COVID-19 origins, human rights violations and its mega Belt and Road Initiative.

As the leaders of G-7 -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States -- met in Cornwall in England where US President Joe Biden made a strong bid to rally the allies against Chinas growing economic clout, human rights besides its reluctance to agree for a probe into the COVID-19 origin, Beijing appeared defiant and firm, questioning the relevance of the bloc.

Sunday's call for a new study on the origins of COVID-19 came weeks after Biden said he had directed the US intelligence community to redouble their efforts in investigating the origins of the pandemic and report to him in 90 days.

Biden's announcement came after a US intelligence report found several researchers at central China's Wuhan Institute of Virology had fallen ill in November 2019 and had to be hospitalised. This new detail has led to fresh public pressure on Biden to probe deeper into the origin of the deadly virus that has wrecked the global economy and killed over 3,797,000 people globally, including more than 599,600 people in the US.

While there is no direct response by the Chinese government here in Beijing, state-run Global Times quoted statement issued by Chinas Embassy in London, rebutting G-7 criticism against Beijing.

Answering a question on issues covered by the G-7 Summit on pandemic response, economy, trade and global supply chains and US efforts to seizing the opportunity to bond with other Western countries to safeguard the rules-based international system, the Chinese embassy statement said there is only one system, the international system, which is led by the UN.

"We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries," it said.

"The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone," it said.

"There is only one system and one order in the world, that is, the international system with the United Nations at the core and the international order based on international law, not the so-called system and order advocated by a handful of countries," it added.

To another question that an announcement will be made at the G7 summit on the provision of one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine to countries in need, the statement listed about what China has done including providing free vaccines to more than 80 developing countries exporting vaccines to 43 countries.

"We have delivered 350 million doses to global partners, more than any other country in the world," it said.

"China is fully implementing the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative for Poorest Countries and has so far deferred repayment of more than USD 1.3 billion worth of debt. This is the highest deferral amount among the G20 members, it said.

While Bidens efforts making headway to forge a consensus with other G-7 and EU countries came as a surprise to China, analysts here cautioned Beijing about the US successfully pushing its Build Back Better World (B3W) plan to counter Beijings multibillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013, aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea route.

Commenting on the B3W, Shi Yinhong, a US relations specialist at Beijings Renmin University, said that the US plan was "not good news for China".

"All of the stated goals of the B3W, described as a values-driven, transparent and sustainable infrastructure partnership, are obviously targeting China," Shi told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on Sunday.

The plan's unveiling comes as the Biden administration reviews its China policy and steps up its alliance-based strategy to push back against Chinas diplomatic and military assertiveness and alleged abuses over Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

It also comes as the US economy bounces back from recession, with the United States and Britain making big gains in controlling the pandemic, the Post report said.

Shi said the infrastructure plan and the US efforts to unite allies to confront China were the basis of the emerging Biden doctrine, which was essentially about winning the competition with China and showcasing the superiority of the democratic system.

While it remained to be seen how the major Western powers would frame the threats from China, the divisions between Washington and its allies should not be overstated, said Pang Zhongying, an international affairs expert at the Ocean University of China.

"This years G-7 summit is of particular importance to Western democracies because it is happening at a critical time when they have to work together to address the China challenge in the middle of an arduous campaign to seek economic recovery and overcome the coronavirus crisis, he said.

Pang said Beijing should refrain from jumping to hasty conclusions that everything at the summit was about containing China.

"It is true that the US-led efforts will pose challenges to China, but it is equally important for Beijing to continue its efforts to improve ties with some of the US allies to avoid slipping into a new Cold War," Pang said. PTI KJV ZH AKJ AKJ

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday called on the world leaders to formulate robust foreign policies and strengthening the alliance towards the dominant and aggressive China. In an interview with Canadian public network CBC, Jens Stoltenberg stated that China does not share our values. NATO chiefs remarks came ahead of the member states meeting next week in Brussels.

Speaking to CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, Stoltenberg in his televised statement slammed Chinas political crackdowns on the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, as well as condemned how China oppresses minority community and does human rights abuses on the Uyghurs in western Chinas Xinjiang province. The NATO chief expressed concern about Chinas use of modern technology, social media [and] facial recognition, to monitor, and surveillance of its population. This makes it important for NATO to develop a policy, to strengthen those policies, when it comes to China, said Stoltenberg.

 LIVE soon 



Press conference previewing next week's #NATOSummit at @NATO HQ in Brussels  https://t.co/eHS5nwtKMC  Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) June 11, 2021

Furthermore, the former prime minister of Norway denounced Chinas detention of the Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, and their closed-door trial for alleged espionage. Kovrig, the former Canadian diplomat was employed at the International Crisis Group think tank, while Spavor is a businessman. Both have been in jail since 2018 after China slapped charges on the two Canadian nationals that have dismantled the bilateral ties between Beijing and Ottawa. Canada had also slammed China earlier about the hostage diplomacy. NATO chief on June 13 denounced Chinas belligerent behaviour saying that the country reacts in an absolutely unacceptable way when another country does something, not in PRCs favour.

Stoltenberg further cited that while he was a Norway PM and when the Norwegian [Nobel] Peace Prize committee awarded a peace prize to a Chinese dissident, China retaliated with economic sanctions on Norway and attempted to isolate the country. Therefore this behaviour calls for urgency for the world leaders to stand together, the NATO chief said. He said that Monday's NATO summit must allow the leaders of NATO nations to strengthen the transatlantic bond because of a new Biden administration. He told the network that there were challenging discussions during the Trump administration, which had threatened to pull the US out of the NATO alliance. However, the NATO chief reiterated that despite the past, theres still bipartisan support for the alliance in the US.

US Sec. blasts China

Earlier last week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had similarly lambasted China for the breach of rules-based international order militarily, economically, diplomatically, and politically, which he said the US tries so hard to uphold. Speaking at the opening remarks at a congressional meeting, the US secretary of state accused China of bending international organizations to their worldview while the United States ensured they grounded in the values, principles. This is a critical moment for the United States, Blinken said.
Leading industrialized nations need to be "frank" with China and other autocracies, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said at the end of the G-7 summit in England on Sunday.

"It is fundamental to be frank about what we do not agree about, and about what we do not accept," Draghi said.

He added that U.S. President Joe Biden said at some point during the meetings that "silence is complicity."

Draghi said talks also focused on the situation in North Africa, particularly Libya, with leaders agreeing that "soldiers, the combatants, the mercenaries of other countries should leave Libya" in order to implement the cease-fire in the country.

Following the G-7 meeting, Draghi will head to Brussels to attend a NATO summit where he will also meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the first time since he labeled Erdogan a dictator in April.

Draghi made the remark when he was asked to comment on a perceived seating snub involving Erdogan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was left without a chair during a meeting in Ankara.

"The role of Turkey is very important," Draghi said at the G-7 news conference. "Turkey wants to, and must stay a reliable partner in NATO, so these rumors about it to be drifting away from NATO have no basis."

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The president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, stressed the importance of investment in defence as he arrived at the NATO summit on Monday in Brussels.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel also arrived for the meeting.

NATO members' relations with China and Russia are top of the agenda.

Rutte said it was important to "maintain dialogue" with China.

NATO leaders are set to endorse a communique later laying out their view of China and how its rising influence and the security challenges it poses should be managed.

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Saudi Arabia said Sunday a bomb-laden drone launched by Yemens Houthi rebels crash-landed in the premises of a school in the province of Asir near the kingdoms southern border.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the department of Civil Defense in Asir said no injuries were reported. The statement accused the Iran-backed Houthis of launching the drone from inside Yemen.

Photos on the state-run Saudi Press Agency showed a substantial section of the roof of a building badly damaged. Another photo showed the motor of the alleged drone and its broken propeller on the ground.

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when the Houthis swept across much of the north and seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the country's Saudi-backed government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict the following year to try and weaken the Houthis and drive them out of the capital.

The war has killed more than 130,000 people in Yemen and spawned the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

In March, Saudi Arabia offered a cease-fire proposal to the Houthis in an attempt to halt the war, but fighting has continued to rage around the city of Marib as the rebels push to capture the city and complete their control over the northern half of the country.

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Israel's new foreign minister Yair Lapid officially assumed his role on Monday, following a handover ceremony with his precedessor Gabi Ashkenazi.

Lapid, who under a coalition agreement will hold the office for the first two years and then become prime minister, said he had spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and that both had agreed to "build relations based on mutual respect and better dialogue."

Lapid pledged to improve relations with the Democratic Party in the United States - a relationship which he said had become "shameful and dangerous" under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He said he would work to strengthen peace with the Gulf states, Egypt and Jordan, and to mend relations with the European Union and the American Jewry - relations that Lapid said had deteriorated under Netanyahu.

The new government, headed by Naftali Bennett, was sworn in late on Sunday and set to work Monday morning, with ministers announcing appointments of new ministry directors.

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Days after passing a bill pertaining to Kulbhushan Jadhav in the Pakistan National Assembly, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a big statement expressed concern over India's possible move to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case. Claiming that the country was adamant to drag Pakistan, the Foreign Minister expressed fear over India's possible win in the ICJ. In an attempt to build ground over denying consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, Qureshi claimed that it was India who did not want to give its 'intelligence operative' consular access.

"They want to ruin Kulbhushan Jadhav's case. I said in the Assembly, the steps taken by us are based on the International Court of Justice's hearing. What does India want? India wants to deny Kulbhushan Jadhav consular access and under this pretext, they want to drag us in the ICJ once again, this is their wish. I hope that the Opposition doesn't behave ignorantly and understands India's motives and keeps us safe from their lies. Whatever steps we have taken in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case are based on the ICJ's recommendations, nothing else," said Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Row over Kulbhushan Jadhav bill in Pakistan

Introduced in the light of the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, The International Court of Justice (Review and Re-consideration) Bill, 2020, allows a foreign national to challenge a military court's order in any High Court of Pakistan either himself or through a consular officer of his country's mission.

The Foreign Minister's statement comes amid the strong protest by the Opposition against the Imran Khan-led government over the aforesaid legislation. As the bill was being deliberated, the opposition parliamentarians gathered in front of the Speaker's dais and raised slogans such as "Modi's friend is a traitor". Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi especially came under fire after he claimed that the opposition was toeing the "Indian agenda" by opposing the bill.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Law Minister Farogh Nasim has maintained that the bill was being passed in light of the verdict of the International Court of Justice claiming that India was looking at approaching the UN Security Council and initiating contempt proceedings in the ICJ against Pakistan. Notably, Qureshi's latest appeal to the Opposition holds significance for the bill since it will only become a law once it is cleared in Pakistan's Upper House- Senate where the opposition has a majority.
Amidst raising questions and criticism over Pakistan's silence on Chinas alleged human rights abuses against the ethnic residents in its northwest-most province, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed why he does not defend the Uyghur Muslims. An estimated 1 million people or more  most of them Uyghurs  have allegedly been confined in re-education camps in China's western Xinjiang region in recent years, as reported by the Associated Press. Chinese authorities have been accused of imposing forced labour, systematic forced birth control, and torture, and separating children from incarcerated parents.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan Speaks On Chinese Uyghur Muslims

In an interview with CBC News, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was giving his reaction after a family from Pakistan was murdered in Canada in what has been alleged to be a hate-crime. As per reports, four people were killed and a nine-year-old boy suffered serious injuries when they were run down by a pickup truck. The family moved to Canada from Pakistan in 2007. "Everyone is shocked in Pakistan because we saw the family picture, and so a family being targeted like that has had a deep impact in Pakistan," said Imran Khan who has been vocal on the topic of alleged 'Islamophobia' in France and Canada.

However, when asked why he does not advocate for China's Uyghur Muslims as he does for Muslims elsewhere, Imran Khan cited Pakistan's friendly and economical relations with China.

"Our relationship with China is as such that whatever issues we raise with China is always behind closed doors. Because Chinese society is such and we respect them. We have economic ties with China, they are our neighbour. They have been very good to us in our most difficult times. So, we respect the fact that we have concerns we talk about that behind closed doors," Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Asked why he would not defend China's Uyghur Muslims, PM Imran Khan says: "We have economic ties with China, China is our neighbour. They've been very good to us in our most difficult times...if we have concerns we talk about them behind closed doors." pic.twitter.com/V15dpTCoDd  Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) June 14, 2021

G7 Ministers Slam Persecution Of Uyghurs

In May this year, 'Group of Seven' (G7) countries rebuked China on issues concerning Hong Kong, human rights violations in Xinjiang, and military assertiveness in the South China Sea. G7 Leaders reiterated their serious concerns over human rights issues in China including alleged forced labour camps and a crackdown in Hong Kong against anti-government protestors and the persecution of the Uyghur minority in the province of Xinjiang.

"We continue to be deeply concerned about human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang and in Tibet, especially the targeting of Uyghurs, members of other ethnic and religious minority groups and the existence of a large-scale network of "political re-education" camps and reports of forced labour systems and forced sterilisation," said the joint statement of G7 Foreign Ministers.

(Image Credits: AP)
Islamabad, Jun 13 (PTI) Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday that the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government "complicated" the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Speaking to the media in his home town of Multan, Qureshi claimed that India was trying to take Pakistan again to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for not implementing its verdict.

"Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (government) complicated the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav," Qureshi said.

He didnt explain how the PML-N government complicated the high-profile case during its rule from 2013-18. But apparently it was a reference towards Indias diplomatic success to take Pakistan to the ICJ and get a verdict to stay the execution until a fair chance of review was given.

Jadhav, the 51-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017.

India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence.

The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.

The ICJ, in its 2019 verdict, had asked Pakistan to provide a proper forum for appeal against the sentence given to Jadhav.

The Pakistan government on Thursday rushed through the National Assembly a bill to provide the right of appeal to Jadhav, amidst ruckus and boycott by the Opposition. The bill is aimed at allowing Jadhav to have consular access in line with the ICJ verdict.

Qureshi said that the Opposition parties failed to understand that India can again take Pakistan to ICJ on the pretext that it was not granting consular access to Jadhav.

His remarks came after the PML-N and other parties threatened to hold protests in the country for passing the special law by the National Assembly to give Jadhav a chance to file a review against his death sentence by a military court.

Law minister Farogh Nasim had said the bill is aimed to implement the verdict of the ICJ which had asked Pakistan to provide a credible review opportunity to Jadhav. PTI SH ZH ZH

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Bangladesh announced to have extended border closure with India until June 30 owing to the deteriorating COVID-19 situation in neighbouring districts of the country. The decision for extending the closure of border areas was taken during an inter-ministerial meeting on June 13, a top official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told a news agency in Dhaka.

Earlier on April 26, Bangladesh shut down its border with India for two weeks, which was later extended twice- on May 8 then on May 29- in light of the severe crisis in India due to the second wave of COVID-19. However Bangladeshi nationals with a valid visa of 15 days or less will be allowed to return home subject to a 14-day compulsory quarantine.

COVID-19 situation

Bangladesh is witnessing an alarming rise in COVID-19 related fatalities and new cases every day, with the highest single-day death tally recorded in over a month on June 13. The health authorities have also detected the presence of a highly contagious variant of the novel coronavirus called the Delta variant.

On Sunday, the country recorded 47 COVID-19 related deaths which is the highest single-day death toll reported in more than a month. Of the deceased, the Dhaka division recorded the highest 15 deaths. While 2436 fresh cases were reported the caseload reached 8,26,922 with the logging of the new cases.

Bangladesh COVID-19 Vaccination Drive

The country is a major recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines but has temporarily suspended registration for jabs owing to a shortage amid the delayed consignment arrival from India. So far, Oxford-AstraZeneca (COVISHIELD), SPUTNIK-V, SINOPHARM and Pfizer BioNTech have received approval for emergency administration in Bangladesh. The country will soon receive 10 lakh and 800 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca under COVAX facility, Foreign Minister Abdul Momen released to media.

Over 4205167 people have been completely inoculated with second doses of the vaccine too while the number is 5820,015 for the first shot.

During PM Modi's visit to Bangladesh in March this year, he gifted 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh. Our PM embarked on a two-day visit to Bangladesh to participate in the neighbouring country's 50th Independence Day, his first foreign visit after the outbreak of the COVID-19 outbreak.
London, Jun 13 (PTI) Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday marked the conclusion of the UK-hosted G7 Summit in Cornwall with the announcement that world leaders have pledged over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the world's poorest countries by the end of next year.

Johnson declared the summit a success with pledges for building back better and greener from the pandemic and achieving the greatest feat in medical history of vaccinating the world at a press conference to mark the end of the three-day summit, attended by the leaders of US, Canada, France, Germany Italy, Japan, alongside Australia, South Africa and South Korea as guest nations, with India joining virtually.

Leaders have pledged over 1 billion doses  either directly or through funding to COVAX  that includes 100 million from the UK, to the worlds poorest countries  which is another big step towards vaccinating the world, said Johnson.

He highlighted the special role of the UK-developed Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which is also being produced by the Serum Institute of India as Covishield.

Today over half a billion people are safe because of the development and production of that vaccine (Oxford/AstraZeneca), funded by the UK government. And that number is rising every day. It is popular, of course, because it is being sold at cost to the world and it was designed for ease of use in mind," he said.

"And because of that act of generosity by AstraZeneca who, just to reiterate, are making zero profit on the production of that vaccine, millions more vaccines have been rolled out to the poorest countries in the world. In fact 96 per cent of the vaccines delivered by the COVAX distribution scheme have been Oxford/AZ, he added.

The UK Prime Minister, the host of the first major in-person summit since the pandemic hit last year, said the discussions which opened on Friday went far beyond defeating the pandemic as the world leaders looked towards a great global recovery. Some of the highlights he focussed on included preventing a pandemic like COVID-19 from happening again by establishing a Global Pandemic Radar, designed to spot new diseases before they get the chance to spread.

Boris Johnson also hailed a new Global Partnership for Education, an organisation working to make sure that every child in the world is given the chance of a proper education, reach half of its five-year fundraising goal, including a 430 million pound donation from the UK.

Im proud that G7 countries have agreed to get 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more reading by the end of primary school in the next five years, and the money we have raised this week is a fantastic start, said Johnson.

Finally, the UK PM focussed on the summits climate agenda, which dominated the final day of discussions on Sunday.

Later this year, the UK will host the COP26 Summit, which will galvanise global action on fighting climate change and create a healthy planet for our children and grandchildren. G7 countries account for 20 per cent of global carbon emissions, and we were clear this weekend that action has to start with us, he said.

And while its fantastic that every one of the G7 countries has pledged to wipe out our contributions to climate change, we need to make sure were achieving that as fast as we can and helping developing countries at the same time, he added.

The final communique issued at the end of the summit covers six broad areas of agreement between the G7 leaders  end the pandemic and prepare for the future; reinvigorate economies by advancing recovery plans; secure future prosperity by championing freer, fairer trade within a reformed trading system; protect the planet by supporting a green revolution; strengthen partnerships with others around the world; and embrace values by harnessing the power of democracy, freedom and equality. PTI AK RS RS

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
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Xie Yanyi is forcibly returned to Beijing, while reams of evidence linked to the death of Guo Hongwei are confiscated by police.

Human rights lawyers Xie Yanyi (right) and Ma Wei (left) are shown in an undated photo.

Chinese police detained prominent rights lawyer Xie Yanyi at the weekend, as he was investigating the sudden death of disabled petitioner Guo Hongwei in a prison in the northeastern province of Jilin.

Xie was carrying out research at the home of Guo's parents in Jilin's Siping city on Saturday when dozens of police burst in and detained him, he told RFA on Monday.

"Dozens of policemen broke into the apartment and grabbed me, taking me away to Ping'an police station," Xie said. "Then they confiscated my luggage, bag and phone, rifling through my things at will."

Xie told them they didn't have a warrant, and no legal basis for conducting a search, but they took away a large number of documents linked to Guo's trial, appeal, and subsequent complaints filed by his family, who regard his death as suspicious.

"They took away the case materials linked to Guo Hongwei's cases illegally; they just stole them, all of the files, all of the evidence," he said. "They also tried to lie to me, saying they hadn't done this."

Xie was forcibly escorted aboard a high-speed train and brought back to Beijing, where he is based, he said.

He said he was investigating Guo's family's concerns about their son's death because there was a lack of transparency on the part of the authorities.

"[One possibility is that] Guo Hongwei suffered some kind of direct harm [leading to his death]," Xie said. "Another is that he was refused necessary medical treatment for something."

"And then there is a third possibility, that he died unexpectedly due to some kind of medical condition," he said. "None of these can be ruled out."

Xie called on the authorities to share the full details surrounding Guo's death.

"It's the responsibility of every citizen to demand the truth, otherwise what happened to Guo Hongwei could happen to any of us," he said.

Cover-up suspected

Guo's father Guo Yinqi said the repeated refusal of the authorities to release any information about his son's death suggests they are covering something up.

"Why did they kidnap the lawyer and confiscate all of our evidence?" Guo Yinqi said. "Guo Hongwei's body is still in the funeral home, in cold storage."

Guo died on April 9 after surgery after undergoing two operations for cerebral hemorrhage on April 4 and 5.

His death came as he was serving a 13-year jail term in Jilin's Gongzhuling Prison, where he was transferred after his family complained that he was being tortured at Songyuan Prison.

The family was prevented from taking photos of his body when they went to identify it, and doubts remain around the refusal of prison authorities to order medical parole for Guo despite his systolic blood pressure readings of around 260 consistently during the last two years of his life.

While there was no indication of external, physical attacks on Guo's body, the family has called for a full investigation into his death to establish responsibility, including the release of medical imaging from the time of the surgery and surveillance camera footage.

The family has said Guo was tortured and held in solitary confinement in a tiny cell with no light or toilet facility during much of his time at Songyuan Ningjiang Prison in Jilin.

In May 2020, prison guard Lu Jiaxun locked him in a cell filled with peracetic acid, causing him choke, they said, yet the guard only received a small deduction from his bonus as punishment.

Guo Yinqi filed a complaint to the Jilin provincial prison administration bureau at the time of that incident, but has yet to receive a response.

Guo was transferred to Gongzhuling Prison on Nov. 26, 2020 where he was held incommunicado, with authorities citing pandemic restrictions as the reason for the ban on visits. However, phone calls weren't permitted either.

When he was finally admitted to the Jilin Guowen Hospital in early April, police told one of the surgeons operating on him that the previously healthy Guo had been in a similar condition for more than two months. He was already in a coma at the time of admission.



Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
President Tsai Ing-wen reads her island nation's first mention by the group as a sign of 'unwavering support.'

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other world leaders attend a working session at the G7 Conference in Cornwall, UK, June 12, 2021.

The democratic government of Taiwan on Monday welcomed its inclusion in a G7 communique following the leadership summit in the U.K., interpreting the move as a sign of "unwavering support" in the face of China's efforts to isolate it.

Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen thanked the leaders of the G7 -- which groups the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, and Italy -- for calling for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water that separates China from the island nation, which has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) nor formed part of the People's Republic of China.

"I would like to thank the G7 member countries and EU leaders for their unwavering support for Taiwan," Tsai said in a statement on her Facebook page.

"These developments show once again that the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is not just a matter between the two sides, but ... the key to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region," she wrote.

"We must keep on working hard against the pandemic and ... firmly uphold our belief in freedom and democracy," Tsai said.

Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang said Taiwan "sincerely welcomes" the support of G7 member-states via Sunday's communique, which read: "We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues."

"We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions," the communique said.

The mention was Taiwan's first name-check by the G7 since its predecessor, the G6, was set up in 1975, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA).

"Tensions heightened more recently over China's military maneuvers in the region that Taiwan has seen as provocative and efforts by Taiwan to deepen ties with the U.S. and assert its sovereignty," CNA's report said.

The communique also took aim at China over rights abuses in Xinjiang and a crackdown on political opposition and peaceful dissent in Hong Kong under a national security law imposed on the city by Beijing.

Leaders reach consensus

A senior U.S. official said the G7 leaders had reached a consensus on the need to adopt a common line over Beijing's rights abuses, as well as in trade disputes, with a focus on a rules-based international order and transparency.

A Chinese embassy spokesman in London said global decisions shouldn't be "dictated" by a small group of countries.

"There is only one system and one order in the world, that is, the international system with the United Nations at the core and the international order based on international law, not the so-called system and order advocated by a handful of countries," the spokesman said in a statement posted to the embassy website.

It described the G7 summit as a form of "pseudo-multilateralism serving the interests of a small clique or political bloc."

"China's internal affairs must not be interfered in, China's reputation must not be slandered, and China's interests must not be violated," it added.

"We will resolutely defend our national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and resolutely fight back against all kinds of injustices and infringements imposed on China."

The Global Times tabloid said differences between Washington and Brussels would allow China to "fundamentally thwart this 'united front' between the US and Europe."

"The U.S. has a strategic plan to maintain its hegemony and wants the West to bring China down together," said the ruling party-affilated daily.

"European countries have ideological differences with China but their economic relations with China are not only competitive but also have strategic needs for cooperation," it said

"China should not have any illusions toward the U.S., but it must differentiate other countries from the U.S."

"The U.S. is competing with China using a Cold War mentality. But in fact, it is falling into disarray, using its weak points to compete with China's advantages," said the daily.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan G7 leaders statements on China show "a growing convergence that wasn't there a few years ago."

"There is a broad view that China represents a significant challenge to the world's democracies," Sullivan said aboard Air Force One on its way to Brussels.

"Words like counter and compete were words coming out of the mouths of every leader in the room, not just Joe Biden," he said.

G7 leaders also sought to counter China's growing influence by offering developing countries an infrastructure plan that could rival Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative by supporting projects such as railways in Africa and wind farms in Asia.

Taiwan's 24 million inhabitants are consistently refused representation in global organizations at the insistence of the CCP, which has stepped up both military rhetoric and military incursions since Tsai's re-election in 2020.

The G7 communique is in line with U.S. policy as stated by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on April 30, namely that Washington opposes any unilateral action that would alter the status quo in Taiwan.

Since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, his administration has reaffirmed Washington's commitment to defend Taiwan amid ongoing incursions from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ).



Reported by Kay Lee for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The Philippines is one of few Southeast Asian countries to make such agreements public, analysts say.

Two Chinese debt contracts with the Philippines contain dispute arbitration and asset seizure clauses that unduly favor Beijing, according to analysts and loan agreements recently digitized and published by a U.S. think-tank.

Agreements to fund the 12.2 billion peso (U.S. $255 million) Kaliwa Dam and 4.3 billion peso ($90 million) Chico River Pump Irrigation Project were two of 100 Chinese debt contracts published and analyzed by the authors of How China Lends, according to a report released in March by the Washington-based Center for Global Development.

The Philippine contracts were the only ones from Southeast Asia included in the research.

There are relatively few Southeast Asian countries in this database, and thats largely a function of those borrowing countries not being fairly transparent, said Scott Morris, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and one of the authors to the report.

Morris said the data likely points to similar concerning clauses in Indonesian, Cambodian, Malaysian, or Laotian deals. We do see consistent behavior on [the] part of the Chinese lenders, said Morris.

BenarNews contacted the Malaysian and Indonesia finance ministries to ask if Chinese loan contracts to their countries were publicly available, but did not hear back.

The two Philippines deals availability is due to domestic political pressure and transparency provisions in the countrys constitution, an analyst said.

The details of the loans were revealed since public pressure erupted, said Alvin Camba, a Filipino scholar and incoming assistant professor at the University of Denver in the United States.

The terms of the China deals in the Philippines arent that different from what most countries get.

Skewed toward China

Clauses in the two contracts give China power over the settlement of disputes, said Renato de Castro, a researcher at the Philippines Stratbase ADR Institute, which analyzes strategic issues influencing the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific region.

If there are issues in terms of the implementation of the contract, it has to be arbitrated in Beijing, de Castro told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, referring to the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project.

During the arbitration, each side picks one of the three members, but if they cant agree on the third member, CIETAC can choose that member, giving China overt control of the process.

Under the 2018 loan agreement for the Chico River project, in which the Export-Import Bank of China agreed to lend Manila $62 million, disputes are to be arbitrated by the Beijing-based China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CEITAC), the document says.

Similarly, under the 2018 contract on Chinas $211 million loan for the Kaliwa Dam project, a dispute between the Philippines and China would be arbitrated by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center.

These clauses contrast with arbitration practice for World Bank loans. The Washington-based global financial institution uses the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, a multilateral body in which 163 member countries have a stake.

While the center has been criticized for favoring investors rights over those of states, it is an autonomous institution.

BenarNews contacted Philippine Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez for comment on these issues, but did not hear back.

However, a 2019 Facebook post from the Department of Finance defends the arbitration clause. It says that a loan agreement with France in 2015  signed under the Aquino administration  requires arbitration to be held in Paris at the International Chamber of Commerce.

Some critics online commented on the post, asking why the government  any partys government  would agree to such arbitration terms at all.

Commercial assets as collateral

The Chico River project has also raised concerns, with critics saying it placed the Philippines patrimonial assets as collateral.

The contract states that the Philippines irrevocably waives any immunity on patrimonial assets and assets dedicated to commercial use.

Patrimonial assets are properties owned by the Philippines that are not for public use, public service, or the development of national wealth, legal sources say.

That means under the Chico River loan contract, the Philippines has no immunity on assets it owns that are used for commercial purposes.

Antonio Carpio, a former senior associate justice at the Philippine Supreme Court, believes Beijing could end up taking over assets such as the gas-rich Reed Bank in the disputed South China Sea, if Manila failed to pay back the loan.

In March 2019, then-Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Lambino told CNN Philippines that Reed Bank could not be classified as a patrimonial asset because its exploitation would increase national wealth.

But Carpio told BenarNews that Reed Bank must be considered a commercial use asset because the government would sell gas obtained from it to the market,

There are many  laws authorizing the sale of oil and gas to private parties under Service Contracts. Once covered by a Service Contract, [they] are patrimonial assets, they can now be collateralized and subject to seizure by creditors, he said.

Other countries that lend do not employ such clauses in their loan agreements.

For instance, Japan, also a major investor of infrastructure projects in the Philippines, does not require waivers of immunity, or the use of Japanese law. Japan also doesnt require waiving rights to patrimonial assets in its general terms and conditions for overseas development loans.

Dominguez had pushed back on criticism of these Chinese deals in April, after local media outlet the Philippine Star published an article on the report How China Lends.

In a letter to the publication, he said the article contained several inaccuracies and falsehoods in connection with Chinese-funded projects in the Philippines.

The letter did not address concerns around patrimonial assets. But in 2019, the Department of Finance pointed out that the French contract, too, waived Philippine rights to patrimonial assets.

Randy dela Cruzs son peeks into his fathers coffin, March 16, 2021. Tribal communities have protested displacement due to the Kaliwa dam project, and have faced sometimes violent reprisals, including the killing of two Dumagat community members during an anti-communist crackdown. Credit: BenarNews The need for transparency

The Philippines example shows that countries borrowing from China could do more to make deals public, said Morris, of the Center for Global Development.

I hope [the database] provides a roadmap for those who want to hold their governments accountable and ask for the nature of the commitments their government has made.

Over the past decade, through its One Belt One Road (OBOR) infrastructure initiative, China has vastly increased the funding and construction of infrastructure projects across Southeast Asia.

Ongoing construction in the region includes the $6 billion Bandung-Jakarta high-speed rail project in Indonesia and the $1.3 billion Kyaukphyu deep-water port in Myanmar, among others.

According to Baker McKenzie, a multinational law firm, at least $166 billion has been invested by China as part of the OBOR in the region.

But OBOR memoranda of understanding have [mostly] yet to be made publicly available, Angus Lam, an OBOR expert at the U.S.-Asia Institute in Washington, told BenarNews.

It is no wonder that citizens across Southeast Asia generally disapprove of Chinese investment.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Human Rights Watch calls the trial a move by Myanmar's military to remove any chance of future opposition to its rule.

A protester holds up a banner calling for the release from military custody of deposed Myanmar national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 15, 2021.

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, former national leaders deposed in a February 1 military coup, went on trial in the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw on Monday, with rights groups calling the charges against the pair bogus and politically motivated, sources said.

Meeting in a session closed to the public, the court heard three charges of alleged violations of Myanmars Disaster Management Law, Telecommunications Law, and Import/Export Law, defense attorney Min Min Soe told reporters after the days hearing.

The trial opened at about 10:20 a.m. with [a reading of] the charge against the President under Section 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law, and this was followed by the case of Amay Suu, who was charged under the same law, Min Min Soe said, using an honorific to refer to the former de facto national leader and democracy icon.

After a short recess, the trial resumed at 1:45 with Myanmar police captain Kyi Lwin giving testimony against Aung San Suu Kyi related to a charge under Section 67 of the Telecommunications Law, Min Min Soe said, with another witness later giving testimony related to a charge against her under Section 8 of the Import/Export Law.

Todays session only heard witnesses for the prosecution, the defense attorney said, adding that Aung San Suu Kyi appeared to be in good health apart from what he described as a minor dental issue. The trial will resume Monday, he said.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for the rights group Human Rights Watch, called the criminal charges filed by the court against Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Myanmars National League for Democracy (NLD), bogus, and politically motivated by the intention to nullify her landslide election victory in the November 2020 election and prevent her from ever running for office again.

Aung San Suu Kyi should be immediately and unconditionally released, with all charges against her dropped, Robertson said in a statement Monday.

But sadly, with the restrictions on access to her lawyers, and the case being heard in front of a court that is wholly beholden to the military junta, there is little likelihood she will receive a fair trial, Robertson said.

This trial is clearly the opening salvo in an overall strategy to neuter Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy party as a force that can challenge military rule in the future.

Multiple charges

Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged in six cases in Naypyidaw and one in the former Myanmar capital Yangon for allegedly violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and with bribery, incitement and sedition, violation of the telecommunication laws, possession of unlicensed walkie-talkie radios, and violations of protocols set up to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The most serious charge against the 75-year-old Nobel laureate, for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act, carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

Myanmars military has defended its government takeover, claiming without evidence that the NLDs landslide victory in the countrys November elections was the result of voter fraud, and authorities have responded to widespread protests against its coup with violent crackdowns that have killed more than 850 people.

On Monday, the lawyer for Nathan Maung, a U.S. journalist arrested three months ago in Myanmar while working for a local online news service, said a court has now freed Maung and dropped all charges against him.

Maung will be deported from the country on Tuesday, according to attorney Tin Zar Oo, wire service reports said on Monday.

Myanmar national Hanthar Nyein, a colleague arrested with Maung, and Danny Fenster, a U.S. journalist and managing editor for the print and online magazine Frontier Myanmar, remain in military custody, sources said.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Richard Finney.
MINSK -- A court in Minsk has rejected an appeal by a Russian citizen who was arrested with her boyfriend, Belarusian blogger Raman Pratasevich, after their international flight was diverted by a Belarusian warplane last month and forced to land in Minsk.



The Partyzanski district court on June 14 ruled that Sofia Sapega's arrest was legal under Belarusian law and that she must remain in pretrial detention.



Sapega's lawyer, Alyaksandr Filanovich, said on June 13 that criminal charges had been filed against her. But he did not elaborate, saying that he was under a court order not to release details of the cases to the public.



The Vyasna human rights center in Minsk says Sapega was charged with organizing and preparing activities that violate civil order, organizing "mass disturbances," and inciting hatred.

Sapega and Pratasevich were arrested on May 23 after Belarusian authorities claimed a dubious bomb threat made it necessary to divert a Ryanair flight between Athens and Vilnius to Minsk's international airport.



The international backlash against what many countries regard as a "state hijacking" has been fierce. Fresh Western sanctions have been imposed that target Belarusian officials. Bans and other measures target air travel to and from Belarus or, in some cases, from even flying over Belarus.



Western governments had already imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka since he launched a violent crackdown against peaceful protests last August over official election results that gave him a sixth term in office.



Videos and other evidence of brutal physical abuse of detainees has multiplied as authorities have arrested thousands.



Belarusian authorities have released separate videos showing apparent forced confessions by Sapega and Pratasevich in connection the work of opposition Telegram channels that have covered the anti-Lukashenka protests.
Leaders of NATO member states have vowed unity and commitment to the Western military alliances mutual defense clause in the face of China's rise, Russias aggressive actions, and any other threats from state and non-state actors.

"We are united and resolute in our ability and commitment to defend one another, the leaders said on June 14 in a joint communique after their one-day summit in Brussels.

The document said the allies will maintain and further develop the full range of ready forces and capabilities necessary to ensure credible deterrence and defense and provide the Alliance with a wide range of options to tailor our response to specific circumstances and to respond to any threats.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference concluding the summit: All leaders agreed that -- in an age of global competition -- Europe and North America must stand strong together in NATO to defend our values and our interests, especially at a time when authoritarian regimes like Russia and China challenge the rules-based international order."

U.S. President Joe Biden said NATO is facing "a once in a century global health crisis at the same time the demographic values that undergird are under increasing pressure both internally and externally."



"Russia and China are both seeking to drive a wedge in our transatlantic solidarity."



Biden also said that the U.S. commitment to the collective defense doctrine enshrined in Article 5 of the NATO treaty is "rock solid" and "unshakable."



"America is back," he told a press conference.

Biden's attendance at the NATO summit was part of a European tour aimed at repairing relations and reassuring Washingtons transatlantic partners after four years of contentious relations under his predecessor, Donald Trump.

From Brussels, Biden is due to travel to Geneva for his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will be held on June 16.

Having not met face to face since 2018 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the leaders of the alliance's 30 member states had plenty of topics to deal with, including an ongoing pullout of troops from Afghanistan, relations with Russia and China, and defense spending.

Moscow's relations with the West are at post-Cold War lows, strained by issues including Russia's meddling in elections, the conflicts in Ukraine, and cyberattacks allegedly from Russian hackers.

"Until Russia demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities, there can be no return to 'business as usual,'" the NATO leaders said in their final statement.

Russias aggressive actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security, they said, citing its growing multi-domain military build-up, more assertive posture, novel military capabilities, and provocative activities, including near NATO borders, among other things.

"Russia's nuclear strategy and comprehensive nuclear weapon systems modernization, diversification, and expansion, including the qualitative and quantitative increase of Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons, increasingly support a more aggressive posture of strategic intimidation."

The allies also denounced Moscow's "hybrid actions," "widespread disinformation campaigns," and "malicious" cyberactivities.

NATO will continue to respond to the deteriorating security environment by enhancing our deterrence and defense posture, including by a forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, according to the communique.

The allies also vowed to respond in a measured, balanced, coordinated, and timely way to Russias growing and evolving array of conventional and nuclear-capable missiles.

Two days from his meeting with Putin, whom he described as bright and tough," Biden said he would "make clear where the red lines are" while also offering to Moscow to cooperate on areas of common interest.



"I will make clear to President Putin that there are areas where we can cooperate if he choses," Biden said at his press conference. "If he choses not to cooperate and acts in the way he has in the past related to cybersecurity and some other activities, we will respond, we will respond in kind."

China's 'Coercive Policies'

The NATO heads of state and government also agreed that Chinas stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security."

They expressed concern about Chinas coercive policies, citing its rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal, its military cooperation with Russia, and its frequent lack of transparency and use of disinformation.

The communique called on Beijing to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power.

China is one of the world's leading military and economic powers, whose ruling Communist Party has a tight grip on politics and much of society.

Ahead of the summit, Stoltenberg said there was not a new Cold War with China -- one of the world's leading military and economic powers, whose ruling Communist Party has a tight grip on politics and much of society.

But he said NATO needs "to address together, as the alliance, the challenges that the rise of China poses to our security."

Afghanistan Withdrawal

On Afghanistan, NATO leaders agreed to maintain funding for Kabul's civilian airport after the U.S.-led withdrawal of allied troops from the war-torn country.

"Recognising its importance to an enduring diplomatic and international presence, as well as to Afghanistan's connectivity with the world, NATO will provide transitional funding to ensure continued functioning of Hamid Karzai International Airport," the leaders said in their communique.

NATO and its member states are now working on how to ensure the continued operation of the airport, Stoltenberg said after the summit, adding that Turkey of course plays a key role in those efforts.

The allies also said the alliance will continue to provide training and financial support to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces and that the alliance will retain a Senior Civilian Representative's Office in Kabul to continue diplomatic engagement and enhance our partnership with Afghanistan.

Spiraling violence and stalled peace talks between the Taliban and the Western-backed government in Kabul have casts further uncertainty over the future of Afghanistan once U.S.-led international forces leave the country by September 11.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is reported to have offered to guard the Kabul airport after the pullout, said that Ankara would need diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance from the United States if it were to maintain troops in Afghanistan.



Turkey, a majority Muslim nation, currently has some 500 soldiers in the country.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
MINSK -- Belarusian authorities have paraded detained opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich at a news conference during which they gave their disputed version of why they diverted a Ryanair commercial fight last month that has triggered international condemnation and sanctions.

Pratasevich was placed on stage with four officials, two of whom were in uniform, at the event on June 14, a move the opposition decried as soul-crushing.

No matter what he says, let's not forget: he is a hostage. And the regime is using him as a trophy, Franak Vyachorka, a senior adviser for Belarusian exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said in a tweet.

"This is not a press conference but a scene of either Kafka or Orwell," he added.

Several diplomats and reporters left the media briefing in Minsk when Pratasevich, who is being held at a KGB prison in the Belarusian capital, addressed the event.

"We have just walked out. Not taking part when [Pratasevich] is clearly there under duress, BBC reporter Jonah Fisher tweeted.

Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country's legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.

On May 23, Belarusian authorities scrambled a military jet to escort the Ryanair passenger flight, which was en route from Athens to Vilnius, over its airspace to land in Minsk. Law enforcement immediately arrested the 26-year-old Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega.

Belarusian authorities have since released separate videos showing apparent forced confessions by Pratasevich and Sapega, who is a Russian national.

Belarusian authorities, who claimed a dubious bomb threat made it necessary to divert the flight, deny it was a forced landing.

Many countries regard the move as a "state hijacking."

The diversion of the flight between two European Union members outraged the bloc, Britain, and other Western nations, which in response have banned Belarus state carrier Belavia from their airports and have urged airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace, which keeps the country from collecting fees for the overflights.

Last week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told MEPs the bloc would likely adopt economic sanctions on Belarus later in June.

Pratasevich faces charges of being behind civil disturbances that followed a disputed presidential election in August last year, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

He was a key administrator of the Telegram channel, Nexta-Live, which has been covering mass protests denouncing the official results of the election, which handed authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka a sixth presidential term. The opposition says the vote was rigged and that Tsikhanouskaya was the victor.

Lukashenka, who refuses to negotiate with the opposition over stepping down and holding fresh elections, has become an international pariah for directing a brutal postelection crackdown in which almost 30,000 people have been detained, many sentenced to lengthy prison terms, hundreds beaten, several killed, and the free press harassed and almost completely shut down.
GROZNY, Russia -- Authorities in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya are claiming that a woman removed against her will from a shelter for domestic abuse victims was taken by police in order "to prevent her abduction" by local human rights activists.



Khalimat Taramova, the daughter of a close associate of Chechnya's authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was forcibly taken by police on June 10 from the shelter in Makhachkala, the capital of Russia's neighboring region of Daghestan.



Authorities promptly returned Taramova to her native Chechnya, where rights activists warn she is at risk of becoming a victim of a so-called "honor killing."



In a video published online earlier last week by rights activists, Taramova said she'd fled her home in Chechnya due to "regular beatings and threats" she received there.



In an effort to prevent police from searching for her, she'd pleaded in the video for authorities not to add her to Chechnya's missing persons list.



Activists with Russia's LGBT Network said Taramova fled her home because she was being intimidated for her sexual orientation.



Rights defenders in Daghestan told RFE/RL that Taramova had been staying at the shelter with her girlfriend, whom the LGBT Network identified as Anna Manylova.

But Akhmed Dudayev -- Chechnya's minister for national politics, external ties, and information -- gave a conflicting version of the situation in a statement broadcast by state television on June 13.



Dudayev claimed that "well-coordinated and professional efforts of police in Chechnya and Daghestan" had prevented "an attempt to abduct" Taramova.



"There were no violations of law by law enforcement or relatives of Khalimat Taramova," Dudayev said.



The Chechen minister also claimed Taramova has "health issues" and "was regularly treated in our medical institutions."



"We fully understand that those who ordered these provocative actions against the Chechen Republic, who are also based in Western countries, are concerned that rights and freedoms in the Chechen Republic are well-respected and guaranteed by Ramzan Kadyrov," Dudayev said.



Dudayev described human rights activists as "a fifth column in Russia" that works for the enemies of the country.



He also claimed there are no homosexuals in Chechnya. he accused rights activists of trying to invent "some sort of minorities" that "do not exist here and have never been here."



Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya for more than a decade, is frequently accused by Russian and international groups of overseeing grave rights abuses that include abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

Chechnya was the site of a so-called "gay purge" in 2017 in which dozens of homosexual men say they were abducted and tortured by Chechen authorities.
Ebrahim Raisi is a 60-year-old, hard-line Iranian cleric linked to the massacre of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s. He ran for president in 2017 but lost to the more moderate Hassan Rohani. This time around, Iran's ruling clerics are accused of paving the way for Raisi in the June 18 presidential vote by disqualifying many prominent moderates and reformers. We look at Raisi's rise to power as the chief of Iran's judiciary and his leadership ambitions.
Iranian ex-President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh, who was jailed for years in the crackdown that followed the former's disputed 2009 reelection, have little in common.

Except, that is, their responses to their respective bans against competing in next week's presidential vote.

Following their disqualifications by the powerful Guardians Council, Ahmadinejad and Tajzadeh each took to Clubhouse to denounce the clerical establishment to an audience of several thousand Iranians.

The audio-based, invite-only social media application has become a major platform for dialogue among Iranians who join virtual chat rooms to hear from candidates being allowed to run and others who haven't, citizens boycotting the vote, and analysts, journalists, and dissidents. Many have also joined Clubhouse's virtual rooms in recent days to follow the presidential debates and listen to real-time analysis.

The app remains available in Iran, where many other social-media sites and applications are blocked, forcing inquisitive Iranians to access them via anti-filtering tools.

A Platform For Those Banned From Public Podiums

With virtual discussions attended by several thousand and speakers who are often banned from public podiums, Clubhouse has enabled dialogue among people from across Iran's political spectrum. At the same time, it has posed a challenge to traditional media, including the heavily censored state-controlled television that is off-limits to dissidents, pro-reform Iranians, and many other perceived critics.

In one Clubhouse room recently, prominent human rights advocate Narges Mohammadi announced that she would not be participating in the election while, in another, Abdolnaser Hemmati, one of the only two moderates who have been allowed to run, attempted to convince potential voters to cast their ballots.

Despite what domestic media have been describing as "Clubhouse fever," its impact on the June 18 vote is unclear. Many disaffected Iranians could boycott the vote to protest the extreme vetting by the Guardians Council, which blocked any prominent moderates from running, dissatisfaction at an ailing economy crushed by U.S. sanctions, or state repression.

Farid Modaresi, a reformist journalist and a moderator of highly popular Clubhouse discussions, said the app's impact cannot be ignored. "It is not big enough to bring fundamental change, and not small enough to be without effect," Modaresi told the Tasnim news agency. "It has taken away the monopoly on expression of opinions from the state TV and satellite channels."

'Thirst' For Open Dialogue

Iran researcher Tara Sepehrifar of Human Rights Watch says the growing popularity of Clubhouse among Iranians highlights a "thirst" for the kind of dialogue that is impossible in formal settings where tough censorship rules are enforced.

"I am not delusional that this is changing the landscape because everyone is walking on thin, invisible lines, but I think at the minimum it shows that there is a lot of thirst for [more] dialogue than formal avenues allow for," Sepehrifar said.

She says that due to the limitations of physical gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic, "Clubhouse is definitely one of the main tools for campaigning and debate."

So far, only Hemmati, who headed the Central Bank before embarking on his presidential campaign, and reformist Mohsen Mehralizadeh, a former vice president for sports, have used Clubhouse to reach out to potential voters. Hard-line candidates including presumed front-runner Ebrahim Raisi, who has been accused of serious human rights abuses, have so far shunned Clubhouse, where they could face tough questioning.

Unfettered Questioning

Despite Iranian curbs on free speech and accusations that Tehran is using Clubhouse to present the misleading appearance of a free debate, politicians who have joined Clubhouse debates in the run-up to the vote have sometimes faced difficult questions.

Hemmati was asked about the deadly state crackdown on anti-establishment protests in 2019 and whether as president he would publish the numbers of those killed in the crackdown. He said he would.

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad was asked about Neda Agha Soltan, a young woman who was shot dead in the streets of the Iranian capital during the mass protests over his reelection. He alleged that Agha Soltan's death was aimed at damaging Iran, adding that he had asked the judiciary to vigorously pursue the case.

Former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, tipped as a potential rival to Raisi before being disqualified, was asked by a BBC reporter on Clubhouse about his support for a widely criticized program that was aired during his leadership of Iranian state TV and sought to tarnish the reputation of intellectuals and dissidents. Larijani said he was unaware of the airing of the show and blamed it on subordinates, but he also acknowledged that the broadcast was a mistake.

Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri, who was also banned from running, has also joined Clubhouse discussions in recent months, as have Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.

During Zarif's appearance, in which he discussed Iran's controversial 25-year cooperation agreement with China, journalists from foreign-based, Persian-language media were not allowed to ask questions due to what the moderator later said was a demand from Iran's Foreign Ministry.

Will Clubhouse Be Blocked?

Clubhouse was inaccessible to most Iranians in April, spawning concerns that it was being blocked. However, it is currently widely accessible in Iran. A government spokesman said President Hassan Rohani's administration was in favor of the social-media app remaining open, while Iranian prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said no decision had been made.

IT expert Mehdi Gheybi suggested that Clubhouse might get blocked after the election, if it wasn't already. "One reason is the comments by some officials about the need to have homegrown versions of these networks," Gheybi told the Tabnak news site in April. The disruptions in access to Clubhouse were another sign that blocking, or filtering, was possible, he said, citing a case from the past.

"Regarding [the messaging app] Viber, there were first disruptions then it was filtered," Gheybi said.

Clubhouse did not respond to RFE/RL's questions about how many users it has in Iran or any potential concerns of filtering.
The family of a former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges has released a statement from him calling for President Joe Biden to push for his release during his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week.

I implore you to bring this appalling case of hostage diplomacy to an end, Paul Whelan said in an audio file distributed by his family on June 14.

I remain innocent. No crime of espionage occurred. The secret trial, without evidence, proves those facts.

Whelans family said he made the statement in a May 30 telephone call with his parents, ahead of the June 16 summit between Biden and Putin in Geneva.

Whelan, 50, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison in May 2020 following a trial that was condemned by the United States as a "mockery of justice.

In an interview aired by CNN on June 14, the parents of Trevor Reed, another former U.S. Marine imprisoned in Russia, expressed hope the upcoming Biden-Putin talks will lead to their son's release.

The parents, Joey and Paula Reed, made the comments after Putin expressed readiness to discuss a possible prisoner exchange when he meets with Biden.

Asked if he would consider a prisoner swap, Putin told NBC News in an interview aired on June 14: "Yes, yes of course."

Reed, 29, was sentenced in July 2020 to nine years after being convicted of endangering two Russian police officers while drunk in Moscow. The former U.S. Marine, who denies the charge, was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month.

The U.S. government has protested the detention of both Reed and Whelan and repeatedly demanded their release.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters in May that such detainments by Russia were being raised "at the highest level, and...through many diplomatic channels."

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and CNN
Leaders of NATO member states have said there could be no return to normal relations between the Western military alliance and Russia until it complies with international law.

"Until Russia demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities, there can be no return to 'business as usual,'" the leaders said on June 14 in a joint communique after their one-day summit in Brussels.

Russias aggressive actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security, the leaders said, citing its growing multi-domain military build-up, more assertive posture, novel military capabilities, and provocative activities, including near NATO borders, among other things.

"Russia's nuclear strategy and comprehensive nuclear weapon systems modernization, diversification, and expansion, including the qualitative and quantitative increase of Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons, increasingly support a more aggressive posture of strategic intimidation."

The allies also denounced Moscow's "hybrid actions," "widespread disinformation campaigns," "malicious" cyberactivities, and election interference directed against NATO members.

NATO will continue to respond to the deteriorating security environment by enhancing our deterrence and defense posture, including by a forward presence in the eastern part of the alliance, the communique said.

NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia.
Expectations are low ahead of a high-profile summit between the U.S. and Russian leaders, who are to meet this week for the first time since President Joe Biden took office in January. RFE/RL senior correspondent Mike Eckel joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the June 16 summit in Geneva.
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Hungarys capital to condemn a draft bill that would ban discussions on homosexuality or gender change in schools.

The demonstrators rallied outside the parliament building in Budapest on June 14, waving rainbow flags, a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbans conservative ruling party, Fidesz, plans to vote on the controversial legislation on June 15.

The proposed amendment says children cannot be shown any content that encourages gender reassignment or same-sex relationships. The ban would also apply to advertising.

It also suggests the creation of a list of groups that would be allowed to conduct sex-education classes in schools.

One protester described the draft legislation as horrible and inhumane.

"This would lock some kids in the closet, and they should be given the opportunity to come out, kindergarten assistant Dominika Pandzsa told Reuters.

Earlier on June 14, Dunja Mijatovic, the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights body, said the legislation curtails the freedom of expression and education of all Hungarians.

She urged the Hungarian lawmakers to reject the bill and to remain vigilant against such initiatives to push through measures that limit human rights or stigmatize against some members of society.

Rights advocates have compared the planned ban to a discriminatory 2013 Russian law banning gay propaganda, viewed by human rights defenders as a tool of discrimination.

Orban and his Fidesz allies hold a supermajority in parliament that virtually ensures passage of priority legislation.

Orban's government has backed a strongly conservative social agenda and stepped up anti-LGBT moves as woes mounted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It has already embedded a requirement that marriage be between a man and a woman in the constitution and banned adoption by same-sex couples.

The government also retroactively prohibited legal status for transgender people in a move that the country's constitutional court ruled was unconstitutional.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa
MOSCOW -- Russian protest artist Pavel Krisevich has been sent to pretrial detention over a so-called "suicide" performance in which he fired blanks from a pistol in Moscow's Red Square.



In a June 13 ruling, Moscow's Taganka district court ordered Krisevich to be held in pretrial detention for up to two months over his protest -- which used a modified handgun that could only fire blanks.



Krisevich was detained on June 11 on Moscow's Red Square and charged with hooliganism after he fired two blanks into the air while shouting: "There will be shots before the Kremlin's curtain." He then held the gun to his head and fired another blank.



If convicted on the hooliganism charges, he could face up to seven years in prison.



Krisevich's girlfriend, Anastasia Mikhailova, said the goal of the protest performance was to support political prisoners in Russia.



The Open Media Telegram channel published a picture of the modified pistol along with a statement from Krisevich.



Declaring that his protest was aimed at "state intimidation," Krisevich described the performance as "a kill shot" -- an expression used by hired assassins in Russia's criminal underworld to describe a gunshot to the head of a victim to ensure they are dead.



"The state labels protests as crimes," Krisevich's statement said. "It forces us to think that we are criminals in our cells and chats. But what is it without state intimidation? Clearly, it is an empty space."



Police also detained Nika Samusik, a journalist who recorded the protest performance on video. She was released on June 13.

Krisevich has been jailed in the past over his protests in the Russian capital.



In November, he was sentenced to 15 days in jail for a protest in front of the Federal Security Service's headquarters in Moscow in which he was staged a mock crucifixion of himself over burning files. He said that protest symbolized criminal cases against Russian citizens.



In addition to jail time, he was also expelled from the university in Moscow that he had been attending.



In May, Krisevich was sentenced to 10 days in jail for taking part in an action to support political prisoners in Russia by displaying their paintings in central Moscow.
BLAGOVESHCHENSK, Russia -- A contributor to RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities project in Russia's Far Eastern city of Blagoveshchensk says he has filed a lawsuit against local police, accusing them of inaction after he was attacked by three unknown men last week.



Andrei Afanasyev told RFE/RL that he filed the lawsuit with the local prosecutors office on June 14. It charges that police have been reluctant to investigate the attack that took place against him on June 9.



"It looks like police are waiting for the noise around the situation to calm down in order to sweep the case under the carpet," Afanasyev said. "Also, the obstruction of my journalistic activities must be investigated by the Investigative Committee, not just by police."



Afanasyev says one of the attackers knocked him to the ground late at night near his apartment block by hitting him with a metal bar. He says he was then beaten for about 10 minutes by all three assailants.



Afanasyev says he believes the attack was retribution for a recent investigative report he filed about the Akhmat martial arts club in Blagoveshchensk. The manager of that club, Adam Magomadov, is a former leader of the Chechen diaspora community in Russia's Far Eastern Amur region.



Magomadov was arrested in April on an extortion charge.



Afanasyev's reporting revealed that Andrei Domashenkin, a local lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party, had founded the martial arts club.



When questioned by RFE/RL on June about the attack against Afanasyev, Domashenkin said "law enforcement is taking care of that case." He did not elaborate further.



RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has urged Russian authorities to investigate the attack against Afanasyev.



"Russian authorities must thoroughly investigate and hold accountable anyone involved in the attack on Andrei. Investigative journalism is not a crime, Fly said in a Twitter post on June 11.



The Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based media-rights watchdog, also has called for an immediate investigation into the attack.
When Russia amassed tens of thousands of troops along Ukraine's border earlier this year, the United States' highest-ranking officials -- from the president to the defense secretary to Washington's top diplomat -- called their direct counterparts in Kyiv to express support.

Not national-security adviser Jake Sullivan. He called Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff.

It wasn't a mistake. The Ukrainian president's top adviser wields political power far beyond his remit, including essentially directing foreign policy with Russia and the United States, and the May 29 call was seen as tacit acknowledgment of the clout Yermak wields.

"He has influence on almost all important decisions in the country," former Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk told RFE/RL. Honcharuk ranked Yermak as "probably de facto No. 2 after the president," even though the prime minister and speaker of parliament have more power under Ukraine's constitution.

The influence the 49-year-old Yermak has on Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian-turned-politician now in his third year as Ukraine's president, has raised eyebrows in both Washington and Kyiv, however. The concerns about the influential aide revolve around two key issues that are expected to be discussed when Yermak travels to Washington with Zelenskiy next month for the Ukrainian president's first visit to the White House since he took office in May 2019.

Yermak has often been accused by critics and political opponents as being too cozy with Moscow, and close observers of Ukrainian politics who spoke to RFE/RL -- including former Ukrainian and U.S. officials and analysts, business leaders, and civil-society members -- say he has played a major role in slowing the pace of Zelenskiy's reform agenda over the past year.

There are other related criticisms as well, including that Yermak jealously guards access to the 43-year-old Zelenskiy, allegedly preventing the novice president from receiving the full spectrum of views from both inside and outside government.

"He is trying to squeeze out everyone who can raise an alternative opinion, and ensures he has monopoly access to Zelenskiy," Daria Kaleniuk, the executive director of the Kyiv-based Anti-Corruption Action Center, told RFE/RL.

Blocking Reform?

Another complaint stems from the Ukrainian government's decision in late April to fire Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev, who had been in charge of the notoriously corrupt state-owned energy company well before Zelenskiy's presidency, but was credited by many in the West with helping clean it up in recent years.

Analysts such as Oleksandr Kharchenko, a Kyiv-based energy expert who has advised Naftogaz, perceived Yermak's hand behind the ouster, which Western governments viewed as a gross violation of corporate- governance ethics. The surprise move cast a long shadow over U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's first working trip to Ukraine just days later.

"I believe he moved the president in the direction [of changing Naftogaz management] that aligned with his own opinion," said Kharchenko, who described Yermak as "really smart and an excellent tactician."

During Blinken's virtual meeting in Kyiv on May 6 with representatives of civil society, anti-corruption institutions, and Naftogaz and other businesses, Yermak was accused by some participants as being a key to efforts to block political and economic changes backed by Washington and Brussels.

Just a week later, U.S. lawmakers received a critical assessment of Yermak during meetings in Washington with representatives of Ukrainian civil society. "I don't think he is a favorite of the West, neither in terms of the [domestic] governance side, nor in terms of his foreign-policy approach," Adrian Karatnycky, a Ukraine expert and senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, told RFE/RL.

Ukraine experts who are familiar with the situation told RFE/RL that Yermak was distrusted by some in Washington, in part due to an unproven but persistent allegations that he foiled a Ukrainian special operation to capture Russian mercenaries in neighboring Belarus in 2020.

His office has vehemently denied the claims, which have been pushed by Yermak's predecessor and a pro-European political bloc close to former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who was defeated in 2019 by Zelenskiy.

Washington Trip

Hesitancy over Yermak's role could affect his future as Zelenskiy seeks to reboot ties with the United States, Kyiv's biggest backer in its opposition to Russia's 2014 seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and war with Moscow-backed separatists, following a tense relationship with Washington under the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Yermak leads Ukraine's talks with the Kremlin to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine that has left more than 13,000 people dead.

Despite strong words of support from the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity since taking power in January, the White House hasn't rushed to embrace Zelenskiy's administration -- in part due to disappointment over reforms, according to analysts and former officials.

The White House reportedly dropped the idea of inviting Zelenskiy to the Oval Office before President Biden's scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16 following the Naftogaz management change. Zelenskiy is now expected to visit the White House in July.

Analysts and former officials also suggest that, amid the Naftogaz uproar, civil-society criticism, and suspicion about his ties to Russia, Yermak may be seeking to bolster his image in Washington in part to convince Zelenskiy that he is still the go-to man for relations with the United States.

In late February, Yermak published an opinion piece directed at a Washington audience on the Atlantic Council website saying Zelenskiy's administration was "committed to working hand in hand with the new U.S. administration."

Then, in early May, several U.S. lawmakers were sent a letter from the California office of American-Ukrainian businessman Igor Pasternak offering a meeting with Yermak later in the month. The letter described Yermak as Zelenskiy's "chief national security adviser," "the most powerful person in Ukraine after [the] president," and a "power broker" for domestic and international affairs.

According to the letter, the goal of the meeting was to thank Congress for its support against Russian aggression and inform Congress about "the state of affairs in and around Ukraine."

The letter came after the United States led allies in condemning Russia's massive buildup of forces on its border with Ukraine in March and April. Russia has since pulled back some of its troops, but the situation remains tense.

Yermak's trip to Washington never took place. According to one former U.S. official who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, there appeared to be no interest on the U.S. side in a face-to-face meeting.

A foreign-policy aide to one of the lawmakers who received the letter, also speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told RFE/RL their office turned down the meeting because the request did not follow proper protocol by going through the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington.

The aide also cited concerns raised about Yermak's reputation and the possibility the trip was more of a photo opportunity to show off his U.S. ties than to further Zelenskiy's reform efforts.

The aide pointed out that members of the Ukraine Caucus in Congress had requested a meeting with Yermak in the autumn to discuss what appeared to be backtracking on key political and economic changes following his appointment as chief of staff in February 2020. While Yermak fell ill with COVID-19 around the time the request was sent, he never followed up with the U.S. lawmakers, the aide said.

In a statement to RFE/RL, Yermak's office denied he had any plans to come to the United States in May and said the letter was the private initiative of Pasternak.

However, analysts say such "back-channel" diplomacy is exactly how Yermak likes to operate. "From the very beginning he was very skeptical about professional diplomats' ability to conduct effective foreign policy," Alyona Getmanchuk, director of the Kyiv-based think tank New Europe Center, told RFE/RL.

She and others pointed to Yermak's willingness to meet in August 2019 with Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, to discuss a possible Zelenskiy White House visit and U.S. military aid in exchange for Ukraine announcing an investigation into Biden's son Hunter, who had recently left the board of a Kyiv-based natural-gas company.

Several Ukraine observers who believe that Yermak was behind Pasternak's letter to U.S. lawmakers -- or at least knowledgeable about its preparation -- told RFE/RL he simply failed to comprehend that the Biden administration doesn't operate this way.

But the Atlantic Council's Karatnycky said he did not think Yermak was behind the letter, saying the aide "learned his lesson" about the dangers of back-channel diplomacy following the Giuliani incident.

Yermak's involvement with Giuliani has not been forgotten by some in Washington, however, and is yet another reason for his cautious reception in the U.S. capital, according to analysts and former officials. The release this month of a phone call between the two men in 2019 has put the issue back in the headlines.

No Foreign-Policy Experience

Though Yermak is the de facto head of Ukraine's foreign policy with the United States and Russia, analysts and former officials point out that he has no background in diplomacy.

Yermak studied law in Kyiv and went on to set up his own international legal firm in the mid-1990s. In the 2010s, he met Zelenskiy -- then a comedian and producer -- when he expanded into film production, and the two became close friends.

Yermak joined Zelenskiy's presidential campaign and was initially named a presidential adviser for foreign affairs after the comedian's surprise victory in April 2019. He traveled to Washington in July of that year to discuss a potential visit by Zelenskiy with Trump officials, including national-security adviser John Bolton.

Yermak, who has minor Russian business ties, struck a deal on a prisoner swap with Moscow in September 2019, delivering Zelenskiy a major win early on in his administration. Another prisoner swap -- this time with the occupied territories in the east -- would follow in December of that year.

However, Yermak's negotiating position disquieted many people in Ukraine and the United States who felt he was too willing to accept key Kremlin demands. That, and suggestions by U.S.-based analysts that British intelligence had warned Zelenskiy in late 2020 that his right-hand man was a mole, fueled speculation he was an agent for Moscow.

Yermak's talks with Moscow have since stalled, as highlighted by a flare-up of fighting with separatist forces and Russia's show of force on Ukraine's border this spring. Analysts and former officials say Russian President Putin has no interest in a resolution that would allow Ukraine to succeed as a sovereign nation.

A second former U.S. official who has met Yermak, speaking about the Ukrainian's efforts to deal with Russia, described him as "misguided, mistaken, and overly impressed with his own ability to navigate these political currents."

Top Spot

Yermak cemented the No. 2 position after he won an internal battle against former presidential chief of staff Andriy Bohdan, who previously worked as the personal lawyer of Ihor Kolomoyskiy, a powerful tycoon loathed in the West for his business tactics. Zelenskiy dismissed Bohdan in February 2020 after just eight months, replacing him with Yermak.

While some in the West were pleased that a man once close to Kolomoyskiy was no longer standing alongside the president, they would soon be disappointed by the series of decisions that would emerge from the president's office.

A month after Yermak was promoted, Zelenskiy fired the reformist government put together by Bohdan. He also dismissed Prosecutor-General Ruslan Ryaboshapka, who was respected for his anti-corruption work.

Over the ensuing months key reform legislation slowed or reversed; people connected to the government of ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych were put in important positions; and corporate governance at state-owned companies was undermined, among other letdowns.

Several of the people who spoke with RFE/RL for this article said they believe Yermak played a key role in these developments.

Former Prime Minister Honcharuk said Yermak wasn't driven by some kind of strong political ideology, but what is best for the president's ratings in the short term. In an interview with Interfax in July 2019 that a U.S. official highlighted in an e-mail to White House and State Department officials as "worth a read" for its insight into Yermak, the aide said his motivation derives from his "unconditional faith" in Zelenskiy.

The Ukrainian president's approval ratings have been tumbling since his honeymoon period ended in late 2019, falling from 67 percent in June of that year to 38 percent in March, according to a survey by the International Republican Institute.

The president has announced a series of populist measures in recent months -- including temporarily capping domestic gas prices, bashing tycoons, and targeting Russian-leaning politicians -- that some say are now giving his ratings a slight bounce.

Rumors have percolated in Ukrainian media that deputy chief of staff Kirill Tymoshenko or Security Service chief Ivan Bakanov are eagerly waiting in the wings should Zelenskiy grow frustrated with Yermak.

However, Ukraine expert Karatnycky said Zelenskiy's trust in Yermak was "so strong" that it can effectively "neutralize" the impact of Western doubts and slumping ratings.
RICHLAND COUNTY -- Through the local CountOnMeRC campaign, Richland County residents are encouraged to make an informed choice about COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccinations are available to anyone over the age of 12 and are readily available throughout Richland County.

As of June 10, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) reported 34.02% of Richland County residents had started the vaccination. That figure is more than 10% lower than the states average of 46.40%.

There is a lot of misinformation circulating about the COVID-19 vaccine, said Richland Public Healths Dr. Julie Chaya, who is leading the CountOnMeRC collaboration.

This educational campaign is focused on facts and evidence-based science. Were giving people the knowledge they need to make an informed decision about vaccination, as it is a personal choice," Chaya said.

Through radio features, social media, and other targeted messaging, several local residents share why they chose to vaccinate against COVID-19. The campaign also addresses common concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

We want people to know the vaccine is safe, it wasnt rushed, it doesnt contain the virus, and it is highly effective, Chaya said.

We want people to know the vaccine protects them and those in our community who cant get a vaccine. Higher vaccination rates make it harder for the virus to spread and replicate, preventing mutations that cause more transmissible and dangerous variants. These variants pose the greatest threat to the progress we have made," she said.

A local grassroots group of volunteers have joined the initial CountOnMeRC collaboration which includes Richland Public Health, Destination Mansfield-Richland County, DRM Productions, Integrity Project Management, OhioHealth, Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, and the Richland County Foundation.

This is the second unified messaging campaign the collaboration has spearheaded to bolster Richland Countys response to the pandemic.

The initial CountOnMeRC campaign was launched in late 2020 to encourage public health prevention measures. At the time, Richland County was experiencing the highest level of exposure and spread as measured by the Ohio Public Health Advisory System.

This current campaign is fully funded through the City of Mansfield, Richland County commissioners, Destination Mansfield-Richland County, Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, and Richland Public Health.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations, visit www.CountOnMeRC.org.
Rocky Mount, NC (27804)

Today

Thunderstorms. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms. Low 72F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
President Joe Biden has paid tribute at NATOs 9/11 memorial as he wraps up his meeting with members of the military alliance
Danvers, MA (01923)

Today

Periods of rain. Low 62F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Periods of rain. Low 62F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Starting from today (Monday, June 14th), the Israelis' travel ban to Turkey, Ethiopia, and Ukraine is being lifted. The travel ban to Argentina, Brazil, India, South Africa, Mexico, and Russia will still be in effect.

Israel Ministry of Health in the statement made on Thursday declared that of the 19,050 PCR tests administered only 18 came back positive. Ministry also said that 222 people had COVID-19, with 33 in serious condition. In Israel, while there have been 839,650 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,428 people have lost their lives.

Israel is also planning to lift the mask requirement on June 15th.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS

Skidmore appoints new dean of students and VP for student affairs
Search for historical truth

English, history graduate is first UofSC recipient of Barry Scholarship to study at Oxford

Allie Trice strolls along one of her favorite spots at South Carolina  the historic Horseshoe  in her cap and gown.

Allie Trice was an outstanding undergraduate student at the University of South Carolina, excelling in class and conducting publishable research. But a dedication to the pursuit of truth is even more important for the universitys first recipient of the Barry Scholarship, which opened the door to graduate school at the University of Oxford.

The Barry scholarship is unique not only in being the most generous scholarship to study at Oxford, but also in its focus on supporting students who are dedicated to various aspects of the life of the mind, including the pursuit of truth and virtue, says Jennifer Frey, a UofSC philosophy professor who nominated Trice for the award.

Other key attributes Barry Scholars should exhibit are openness to change and the capacity to debate others with sincerity and respect.

Allie is a young woman of exceptional academic promise, but she is also a person of exceptional moral character, Frey says. Allie possesses that old fashioned virtue the scholastics called studiositas: She doesnt just work hard, and she isnt merely clever; she has a broad and deep intellectual vision, and she knows what is worthy of her time and attention.

I am confident she will flourish intellectually at Oxford alongside other members of her Barry cohort.

A native of Charlotte, Trice was a Capstone Scholar and graduated in December 2020 with degrees in English and history. She says she knew UofSC was the place for her on her first visit.

I'm a hopeless romantic, she says. I visited the campus and fell in love with the huge oak trees on the Horseshoe, the flowers in bloom all around campus and the obvious school pride and spirit that I saw in the students walking around the campus.

I also grew to love the city more than I ever expected, and I still have a lingering hope that someday I'll end up there again. It was a wonderful experience, and it has certainly shaped the trajectory of my future in ways I'm still finding out every day.

One of her major experiences as a student was conducting research on the sounds of New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and producing a paper titled Listening to 9/11: Toward an auditory history of a catastrophe.

For someone who loves early medieval British history, the thought of doing research on such recent history was eye-opening.

History is not just thousand-year-old events, Trice says. It can be a 20-year-old event.

That work will inform her study at Oxford, where she will pursue a masters of philosophy in medieval history, examining the sensory history of religion thousands of years ago.

Working on the 9/11 project gave me a fascination with trying to understand how people experienced their surroundings throughout history, and I intend to apply it to a much older era that I have always loved: early medieval Britain.

Frey shares Trices fascination with the era.

There is no better place to study early medieval British history than Oxford, so she is going exactly where she needs to be to make progress in her research, Frey says.

Trice has been working as a nanny for a family in Mississippi while she plotted out her path after graduation. She will leave for Oxford in September.

I think one of the most unique aspects of this scholarship is that it is invested in rewarding the pursuit of truth, Trice says. I felt like I could not have asked for a program with goals more complimentary to my own.

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WASHINGTON  Uber Eats, Postmates and DoorDash said they will no longer waive delivery fees for customers who order from Black-owned restaurants in Arizona, to settle charges by the state that the deals violated the Arizona Civil Rights Act.
Eric Slocum, who was part of people's homes for years as a KOMO/4 reporter and anchor and who was a familiar voice to many on KOMO radio, died Saturday. He was 54.

Slocum started at KOMO in 1990 and worked on television until 2001. He bookended his years on television with radio, and left KOMO radio in 2008 to work full time on a memoir.

His death was ruled a suicide. He suffered from depression for several years.

"Everyone in our newsroom who worked with and knew Eric is in shock," KOMO morning host Bill Yeend wrote Wednesday on Facebook. "We have fond memories of his friendship and the work he did."

Slocum got his start in 1976 at a tiny radio station in a small town near Lubbock, Texas, where he was going to college.

"I was the turn-on-the-transmitter guy," he told the P-I's Bill Virgin in 2008.

That first break launched a career, and Slocum moved to a TV station in Lubbock that same year, then to Wichita, Kan., and Oklahoma City, before coming to in Seattle.

He had worked in other cities as Dan Slocum, and had written under the name Dan Eric Slocum. But KOMO already had a Dan -- anchorman Dan Lewis  so Slocum volunteered to use his middle name, Bruce. But that didn't work either, since KOMO had longtime sportscaster Bruce King. So he became Eric.

Among the many stories he reported for KOMO was a series of features about the Beatles that aired after the Beatles Anthology in November 1995. A fan of the band, Slocum traveled to England for the project and returned to Abbey Road studios on vacation in 2005.

After taking a buyout from the TV station, Slocum soon wound up back at KOMO, this time on the radio side, when the station landed the Mariners contract and switched to a news format.

Moving back to radio was tough at first, Slocum told Virgin in 2008, because the technology had changed so much in the intervening years.

"I had to learn digital everything," he said, crediting the mentoring of morning co-host Manda Factor, with whom he was initially paired, and the help of afternoon co-host Lisa Brooks and Yeend for getting him through. "They taught me to do radio again."

Slocum grew up in Dallas where he worked on his high school newspaper and the yearbook. He was a poet who also wrote short stories and poems. A poem collection "New Words" was printed in 1996 as a fund-raiser for Children's Hospital and to support pediatric AIDS research.

"This is a sad day for everyone who ever worked with Eric, or heard him during his thousands of hours on radio and TV," KOMO radio reporter Corwin Haeck wrote on Wednesday on Facebook. "Eric was very kind to me when I was brand new in broadcasting.

"Eric, of course, was a wordsmith who could pull a word like sonorous out of thin air and make it sing. I'll miss him greatly."

Slocum and his partner lived in South Seattle with their pit bulls. He loved the animals that no one else would take, colleague Bob Throndsen wrote.

The memoir had a working title "In Danger" and was meant to chronicle how Slocum has dealt with alcoholism. He became sober in 1993 and told the P-I in 2008 that he wanted the memoir to also address his struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and his decision to come out as a gay man.

Slocum told Virgin that readers didn't have to deal with any of those issues personally "to relate to the human ramifications of those challenges."

On his Facebook page earlier this year, Slocum wrote that he still battled major depression and suicide every day.

"People don't like to talk about it," he wrote. "But we, as a culture, MUST deal with mental illness. I will fight like a bear to get a message of NO (STIGMA) out there for those who suffer chronic depression."

Earlier this month, he wrote that a book of his poetry would be published in August or September. His poems, Slocum wrote, remained forever unfinished, only to be completed by each new reader. The day he died, Slocum's poetry site had one last post.

"I've been to Herald Square

and Jerusalem --The River Jordan --

Sea of Galilee --

Golgatha.

I've walked on Penny Lane.

I touched the Hollywood Sign.

so many other journeys.

But now it's time to rest

been a busy day"

Information from former P-I columnist and reporter Bill Virgin is included in this report. Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or at caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow Casey on Twitter at twitter.com/mcnerthney.

Comments have been disabled due to the sensitive nature of this story.


Following an increase in reports of sick and dead deer, Washington wildlife officials have confirmed the presence of a fast-spreading, deadly viral infection in the species in the San Juan Islands.

The viral infection, known as adenovirus hemorrhagic disease (AHD), was first discovered in California in 1993 and is specific to the deer family. Lab results from the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University confirmed the presence of the virus earlier this month.

"This is the first documented instance of this disease in Washington since the last outbreak in Goldendale in 2017," Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) veterinarian Kristin Mansfield said in a news release. "At this point, the disease appears to be localized to the San Juan Islands."

Similar outbreaks have been detected in Oregon and British Columbia, and cases usually rise in the summer before dropping in the fall. Signs of infection include rapid or open-mouth breathing, foaming or drooling from the mouth, diarrhea, weakness and emaciation. There is no known cure for the disease, and death usually occurs within three to five days after exposure.

Over 50 reports of sick or dead have been filed with the WDFW, and the virus has been confirmed on both San Juan Island and Orcas Island with suspected cases on Lopez Island. So far, the disease does not appear to have spread to the mainland.

Colleen Michaels/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The disease  which does not pose a threat to people, livestock or pets  is transmitted through direct contact between deer, prompting wildlife officials to ask residents to stop feeding the species to help them avoid congregating.

"For that reason we ask people not to concentrate deer by providing feed or water for them," Mansfield said. "That is the best way we can help minimize the spread of this disease."

Residents are also encouraged to use the department's reporting tool if they see a sick or dead deer. If a carcass must be handled, WDFW officials advise using disposable gloves and thoroughly washing hands afterwards.

Earlier in the spring, another viral disease was also spreading through the region's songbirds, prompting officials to ask residents to remove backyard bird feeders to help stop birds from gathering and transmitting the disease.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  How much and what taxes to cut is one of the largest remaining questions for the Legislature's budget-writing committee to tackle this week as it nears the end of its work writing the state budget.

The Republican-controlled panel, which is hoping to complete its work on Thursday, has dramatically scaled back the two-year spending plan from what Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed in February.

Once passed by the committee, the Senate and Assembly will vote on the budget, perhaps as soon as the last week of June. It would then head to Evers who has broad line-item veto authority.

Here are some highlights of the budget as it currently stands:

YET TO COME:

Republicans have promised a tax cut as large as $4 billion, thanks to rosier revenue projections. The committee has also yet to decide on how much to pay for expanded broadband internet services for rural parts of the state. Both decisions are expected on Thursday.

K-12 SCHOOLS:

Wisconsin public schools would receive an additional $128 million in state funding over two years, which is less than 10% of the $1.6 billion that Evers proposed. Republicans defended the move, noting that Wisconsin schools are slated to receive $2.6 billion in federal coronavirus relief money. However, nearly all of that is in jeopardy unless the state spends nearly $400 million more on schools than is currently in the budget.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

The budget would reimburse 30% of special education costs in the second year of the budget, up from 28.2% under current law. Advocates say that is woefully inadequate. The Evers budget would increase reimbursement to 45% in the first year and 50% in the second.

UW SYSTEM:

The eight-year-old tuition freeze would end next fall under the budget. UW schools would also receive just an $8.25 million increase in funding, compared with the $192 million Evers proposed.

TRANSPORTATION:

There are no gas tax or vehicle registration fee increases. The budget authorizes the start of the oft-delayed Interstate 94 expansion project in Milwaukee County as Evers wanted. State funding for transit programs was cut in half in Milwaukee and Madison, but Republicans said that was because of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief money the cities are receiving.

BUILDING PROJECTS:

State building projects would receive $1.5 billion in funding, which is roughly $810 million less than what Evers wanted. The UW System would get about $629, down from the $1 billion Evers put forward.

STEWARDSHIP:

Wisconsin's land stewardship program would be extended for another four years, rather than 10, as Evers wanted. The budget also makes $32 million a year available to acquire land, the same as it is now, but down from $70 million as Evers proposed.

UNEMPLOYMENT:

The budget includes more money for vocational training for the disabled, and youth and adult apprentice programs with the goal of addressing the state's worker shortage problem. However, Republicans rejected Evers' call to spend $15 million to improve the system for administering unemployment payments. Republicans said Evers can use federal stimulus money for that.

BODY CAMERAS

Funding to pay for body cameras for Wisconsin State Patrol officers and Department of Natural Resources wardens is included, but funding was rejected for state Capitol police officers.

JUVENILE PRISONS:

A mental health center in Madison will be expanded to reduce the number of inmates at the states juvenile prisons, but Republicans did not include funding to build a new juvenile prison in Milwaukee County. Instead, only money for the planning process was included, a move Democrats said would delay the closure of the troubled Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake juvenile prisons north of Wausau.

TEEN DRIVERS:

Teen drivers could opt out of taking a behind-the-wheel exam under a permanent policy that was tested during the coronavirus pandemic last year. To qualify, the driver must be applying for a non-commercial drivers license, successfully completed a driver education course that includes 30 hours of behind the wheel driving experience and not have any moving violations within six months of applying. An adult must also consent to waiving the test.

WHAT'S OUT:

Evers' proposals to legalize recreational and medical marijuana, expand Medicaid and restore collective bargaining rights for public workers were among the first items killed by the legislative committee. Also removed in one vote striking out nearly 400 Evers proposals were $1 billion in higher taxes on manufacturers and capital gains; increasing the minimum wage to $10.15 per hour by 2024; suspending enrollment in the private school voucher program; and creating a so-called red flag law that would allow guns to be seized from people deemed to be a danger by courts.
CHICAGO (AP)  An explosion at a northern Illinois chemical plant Monday morning sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground, prompting evacuations.

After 7 a.m., emergency crews rushed to the scene of the fire near Rockton, northwest of Chicago, at Chemtool Inc., a company that manufactures lubricants, grease products and other fluids, and is, according to the company, the largest manufacturer of grease in the Americas.

Rockton Fire Department Chief Kirk Wilson said about 70 employees were evacuated safely from the plant, and that one firefighter suffered a minor injury. Chemtool's parent company, Lubrizol Corp., later said there were closer to 50 employees present when the plant was evacuated.

The plumes became so big they were being picked up on weather radar. Wilson said there was no danger to air quality at ground level.

The Rockton Police Department posted an alert at 8:46 a.m. warning that fire officials had ordered a mandatory evacuation of homes and businesses near the plant. Later in the day, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office expanded the evacuation zone from a 1- to a 2-mile radius from the plant out of an abundance of caution, and encouraged people within that zone to wear masks to prevent them from inhaling soot.

I am monitoring this situation closely and will make all resources available to the surrounding communities as we work to keep people safe, Pritzker said in a statement.

Wilson said firefighters had stopped using water to extinguish the blaze to prevent an environmental nightmare if the runoff were to enter the nearby Rock River.

It could be several days before the fluids that caught fire burn out, he said.

We cant speculate how long it will take to put out the fire, he said. We ask that the public be patient with us.

Crews from the 40 or so fire departments were fanning out to respond to spot fires, grass fires, and burning debris that the wind pushed into the community. Wilson said those fires were caused by burning pieces of cardboard boxes and chunks of wooden pallets, not chemicals falling from the sky.

Trisha Diduch, the planning and development administrator for Rockton, said she estimates about 1,000 people were affected by the evacuation order.

One of those residents was 29-year-old Alyssa King. She said after she walked outside to see black smoke and what appeared to be pieces of cardboard boxes and small chunks of the building falling from the sky, she called a police non-emergency line. You gotta go, she said she was told.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

John Kim of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the quality of the air near the burning plant is a primary concern for his agency. He said both the state and federal EPA will be monitoring the air quality to make sure it remains safe for nearby residents. Officials recommended people within a three-mile radius wear masks as a precaution.

Dr. Sandra Martell of the Winnebago County Health Department also warned residents not to handle waste from fire with bare hands, noting the possibility it could be contaminated by chemicals used at the plant.

We have confirmed all on site are safe and accounted for. Our concern right now is for the safety of all our employees and the surrounding community," Chemtool said in a statement, adding that it will share more details as they become known.

We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions, it said.

King, who lives in an apartment less than a mile from the site, said she woke up to what sounded like slamming doors.

It woke me up. It was shaking the whole apartment building, said King, who had been at home with her 8-year-old daughter.

They went to her mothers house about 2 miles (3 kilometers) away. King then returned to the apartment to collect the familys rabbit, Oreo. As she drove near the plant, King saw smoldering embers along the roadway, and there was burned material all over the yard of the apartment building, she said. The air had a chemical smell, she added.

It was awful, she said. Im terrified I wont have a home to go back to.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staffers have arrived at the site and will conduct air monitoring and sampling, spokeswoman Rachel Bassler said Monday afternoon. They were coordinating with the Illinois EPA, which also was sending a team, according to spokeswoman Kim Biggs.

The governor's office said Pritzker had activated the State Emergency Operation Center to mobilize the emergency response, including the Illinois National Guard, State Fire Marshal, Illinois State Police, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and the state's health and transportation departments.

Rockton is located in Winnebago County, near the Wisconsin border, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Chicago.

___

Associated Press writer John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, contributed.
PARIS (AP)  A Frenchman accused of inspiring the kidnapping in eastern France of a girl whose mother had lost custody was expelled by Malaysia on Sunday.

France had issued an Interpol arrest notice for Remy Daillet-Wiedemann, who was detained on immigration charges by Malaysia after living in the Southeast Asian country for several years.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  As Southern Baptists prepare for their biggest annual meeting in more than a quarter-century, accusations that leaders have shielded churches from claims of sexual abuse and simmering tensions around race threaten to once again mire the nations largest Protestant denomination in a conflict that can look more political than theological.

More than 16,000 voting delegates are pre-registered for the two-day gathering that starts on Tuesday in Nashville. Southern Baptist Convention members have been a powerful force in conservative Republican politics for a generation. This years convention follows weeks of internal controversies stoked by leaked letters, secret recordings and video rebuttals.

Despite claiming 14 million members, the denomination has been in decline for 14 years. Adding to long-term membership losses have been the recent loud departures of its top public policy official, a mega-selling author and several prominent Black clergy over issues that include sexual abuse, racism and the treatment of women.

Key votes on who leads the convention and where it stands on these issues will not only set the denominations direction but determine whether more people head for the exits, including Black clergy who see the denomination regressing on racial issues.

Controversy is not new to SBC meetings, but this year it has reached a fever pitch thanks to leaked letters from Russell Moore, who resigned two weeks ago as head of the denominations powerful public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Moore was a staunch advocate for abuse victims and an ally of the denominations Black pastors.

The letters and subsequently released secret recordings purport to show some SBC leaders tried to slow-walk efforts to hold churches accountable for sexual abuse and to intimidate and retaliate against those who advocated on the issue.

In the documents, Moore accused certain leaders of caricaturing sexual abuse victims as at best, mentally disturbed and, at worst, as sexually-promiscuous sinners.

Mike Stone, a Georgia pastor who is running for SBC president this year, is specifically called out as pushing back against Moores accountability efforts. In an interview, Stone said Moores allegations were outrageous, especially considering that Stone is himself a victim of childhood sexual abuse. However, Stone said the fact that the convention is a loose affiliation of autonomous churches makes it difficult to act on the issue.

The Southern Baptist Convention was not, and to a large degree is still not, set up today to do the kinds of things that Russell Moore wanted to see us doing, Stone said.

Amid calls for a third-party investigation of Moores allegations, Executive Committee president Ronnie Floyd announced Friday that the panel had retained a firm to conduct it. But some pastors reacted with calls for an independent task force, saying they don't trust the committee to oversee an investigation of itself.

Another burning issue is how, or even whether, to address systemic racism. Stone is among those calling for a repudiation of critical race theory while some Black pastors are exiting the SBC in frustration over what they see as racial insensitivity from overwhelmingly white leadership.

Moore, who is white, says in a letter that his work on racial reconciliation led to constant threats from white nationalists and white supremacists, including within our convention.

The role of women in ministry could also pop up after bestselling Christian author Beth Moore, not related to Russell Moore, left the denomination earlier this year. Women are not allowed to serve as pastors in SBC churches, but some members go further, believing that women should never preach to men or even teach them in Sunday school. Beth Moore accused them of using those beliefs as a litmus test for theological purity. Meanwhile, the SBCs second largest church, Saddleback, recently ordained three female ministers.

How Southern Baptists feel about these issues will likely determine who is elected SBC president. Stone is part of the Conservative Baptist Network, which accuses Russell Moore, current president J.D. Greear and others of contributing to a liberal drift.

Another leading candidate, Al Mohler, has been supportive of sex abuse victims but angered some Southern Baptists for endorsing Donald Trump last year and for signing a statement, in his capacity as president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, denouncing critical race theory.

Meanwhile, Ed Litton, an Alabama pastor, is supported by Fred Luter, the only Black pastor ever to be denomination president. The two are among the co-signers of a statement by a multiethnic group of Southern Baptists asserting that systemic racial injustice is a reality.

For all the Baptists who will be in the room this week, looming large will be the influence of a non-Baptist whos not present: Trump. The Conservative Baptist Network announced at its formation in February 2020 that members had been concerned over an effort to keep former Vice President Mike Pence from speaking at the 2018 meeting. Strong Southern Baptists support for Trump contributed to the estrangement between the denomination and Beth Moore and Russell Moore, both of whom had criticized the former president.

One of the things that is happening is that many conservative evangelicals want their denomination and church to line up to what they are hearing on cable news, said Ed Stetzer, executive director of Wheaton Colleges Billy Graham Center. So if they hear that critical race theory is a huge problem in the culture, they want it dealt with in the church, even though its not a major issue there.

The meeting is shaping up as the most contentious since the late 20th century, when those championing more conservative views on the Bible, politics and male authority in homes and churches took control of seminaries and denominational offices. The current controversies are driving huge pre-registration numbers.

Eric Costanzo, pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said hes bringing more church members than normally attend.

Ive also assembled a team of leaders to dig in deeper to the issues facing the SBC, he said. They have not enjoyed most of what theyve seen.

___

Smith reported from Pittsburgh.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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Jerry Dal Bozzo and Dante Serafini  two prolific San Francisco restaurateurs that count venerable establishments like the Bayviews Old Clam House and North Beachs garlic-focused the Stinking Rose among their holdings  are gearing up for their retirement and looking to transition out of some of their restaurants.

For now, the pair are focused on selling the Old Clam House and the Stinking Rose. Both restaurants have been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, leaving diners to wonder whether the popular establishments will reopen. Thats the hope, Dal Bozzo said. He said he and Serafini will prioritize offers from potential buyers who want to keep the establishments going as is and will commit to rehiring some longtime staffers.

Im going to be 81 in a couple of months, Dal Bozzo said. Weve been in the business for 30 years and hopefully a fresh face will now come on.

Jen Fedrizzi / Special to the Chronicle

The longtime partners are considering a few offers for both establishments  the Stinking Roses sale includes both the S.F. and Beverly Hills locations  but no deals have been finalized, Dal Bozzo said.

The Stinking Rose has been on the market for some time now; the Old Clam House more recently, as first reported by Socketsite. Jack Chung and Ken Hinoki of the San Francisco BTI Group are the listing agents on both sales. Both the owners and the listing agents declined to share further details about pending offers.

Dal Bozzo and Serafini own the building that houses the 160-year-old Old Clam House, the oldest restaurant in San Francisco still operating out of the same location (Tadich Grill is S.Fs oldest restaurant, but it has moved locations). Dal Bozzo said they are open to being landlords there if the right restaurant operator comes forward.

The duo opened the garlic-centric Stinking Rose in 1991 in North Beach, the neighborhood where Dal Bozzo grew up. They added the Beverly Hills location five years later. The pair does not own the Stinking Rose properties; for sale there is the rights to the restaurant concept.

The restaurateurs have successfully transferred operations to new owners several times in their decades working in the Bay Area, most recently the Crab House at Pier 39. Dal Bozzo was notably behind the reopening of the iconic Cliff House restaurant in 1973 before it was taken over by Dan and Mary Hountalas.

Siana Hristova/The Chronicle

We kind of decided to buy iconic restaurants and reopen them, said Dal Bozzo, specifically citing their purchase and restoration, with Dal Bozzos wife Jennifer, of the Old Clam House in 2011. Then after a while we try to sell them and keep them going.

Other restaurants in Dal Bozzo and Serafinis portfolio include popular North Beach destination Calzones, Fishermans Wharfs Franciscan Crab and Frankies Pier 43, the Dead Fish in Crockett and Salitos Crab House and Prime Rib in Sausalito. All those restaurants are open, and the restaurateurs havent announced plans to sell them.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

The Old Clam House [Official]/

Keeping the Old Clam House and the Stinking Rose open proved difficult Dal Bozzo said, because neither location allowed for significant outdoor dining and their menus are not really geared toward takeout. That factored into their being listed for sale first.

While Dal Bozzo and Serafinis establishments arent among San Franciscos most venerated or buzzy destinations, decades after their openings they remain popular among locals and tourists alike. The duo is hopeful that a younger group of restaurateurs will be willing to build on their legacy and keep places like the Old Clam House and the Stinking Rose alive well into the future.

We can just close it and walk away, but I dont want to do that, said Dal Bozzo. We want to salvage it.

Tanay Warerkar is the San Francisco Chronicles assistant food and wine editor. Email: tanay.warerkar@sfchronicle.com
Hopeful job seekers and businesses shook hands and exchanged cards in front of San Franciscos Ferry Building during a job fair Monday that saw more than a dozen businesses set up booths in hopes of staffing around 100 job openings at the iconic site.

For the first couple of hours, at least, the wine merchants, oyster sellers and myriad other business owners seemed to outnumber those looking for jobs. It fit a common refrain from employers that theres been a huge need for people to fill a wide variety of roles, and difficulty in finding them.

Ethan Thompson, the general manager at the Hog Island Oyster Co. restaurant, said he is looking to hire for just about every position there is in a restaurant. He said it hasnt been easy to find the right candidates or even get back old workers who had to be laid off early in the pandemic.

A lot of people went back to school, Thompson said, noting that before the pandemic, more than 100 people worked at the restaurant but that number is now around 40, despite demand ramping back up.

While some workers have taken the pandemic as an opportunity to get more education, others have found ways to move into new industries by learning new skills for jobs that may be more durable when the next pandemic or recession comes around.

As many businesses have reopened across the state and country, it hasnt always been easy for them to quickly staff up as demand has returned. There doesnt appear to be a single reason why, but people moving, going back to school, dealing with child care obligations foisted on them by the pandemic and other upheavals in their daily lives may be part of the picture.

Smaller businesses are still seeing drops in revenue as well, which may make them less of an attractive option for some job seekers looking for stability after a year where it has been in short supply for many.

Businesses like those that dot the Ferry Building have had a particularly hard time coming out of the pandemic. Small business revenues are down 31.1% since the start of the pandemic through May 12, according to an email from Michael Bernick, the former head of California's Employment Development Department and now a lawyer at Duane Morris in San Francisco. Small business openings are also down almost down 40%. These numbers have not improved since the start of the year, Bernick said.

Peter Granoff is a co-owner of the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant. He said he didnt believe one theory that increased unemployment benefits were to blame for some businesses struggling to find and hire the right people.

He said his shop pays well over minimum wage and would more than compensate people for coming off unemployment. Its a challenge finding qualified people with both deep wine knowledge and the service chops to keep customers happy, Granoff said.

As the ferry buildings clock tower hands were nearing noon, Jeanette Rosales purple Mohawk and booming laugh stood out among the job seekers milling about. Rosales said she lost her job last year working at St. Vincent de Paul and has been on unemployment ever since.

Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

Rosales said she was looking to work in a restaurant or in retail, with no choice but to go back to work with her unemployment running out and her savings drawn down from $10,000 to less than $2,000. She said her responsibilities caring for her mother, who has Alzheimers, have made it hard for her to work full time, underscoring the changes in home life that have prevented many from going back to work as the shadow of the pandemic lifts.

How much businesses can thrive as the state lifts most pandemic restrictions could hinge on their abilities to find workers. Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that, assuming the states Division of Occupational Safety and Health votes Thursday to allow vaccinated workers to go maskless while at their jobs, the new rules would go into effect immediately, bypassing the required 10 days for new regulations to take effect.

For the Far West Fungi mushroom company, theyve weathered the pandemic through wholesale and delivering their products direct to consumers. Now they need retail workers as pandemic rules loosen, but also drivers, said manager of the Ferry Building store Naomi Wolf.

The changes brought on by the pandemic have allowed the Ferry Building to experiment with pop-ups and to diversify its offerings, said Chanel Sinclair, the food and beverage retail manager for Hudson Pacific Properties, which has a leasehold interest in the building and manages the property day-to-day.

With the reopening closing in, the one thing businesses really need is people. For the Ferry Building merchants, Hiring has been such a challenge, Sinclair said.

Perhaps illustrating that point, only about a half dozen job seekers were circling the booths shortly before the job fair was set to end as the Ferrys famed clock tower approached 2 p.m.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
My first clear BART memory was looking for the fish.

Bay Area Rapid Transit was one of the few magical things in 1978, a world without Nintendo or the internet and only a single Star Wars movie. We had a new-ish subway system, and it went underneath the Bay.

Every kids first time through that undersea tunnel from the Embarcadero station to West Oakland came with Captain Nemo/Nautilus expectations, working off the assumption that the trains sliced through the water like submarines. The fact that the concrete transbay tube blocked my view of any whales or giant squid detracted from the spectacle, but it didnt change the science. It was a wondrous ride.

Like a lot of things, BART got a lot less cool over the ensuing decades, until eventually it wasnt cool at all, and then became sort of the opposite of cool. I blamed BART for being late to work. I blamed BART for getting me sick. Any sense of wonder was replaced with frustration at the aging infrastructure.

But a global pandemic has a way of putting everything in an out-of-control fast-forward, while reverse aging us at the same time. When I recently visited several BART station platforms for the first time in more than a year, I found a beauty that I thought had been missing for decades, but was there the whole time.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

I started thinking about BART platforms earlier this year, when we revived the Best Bay Area Views guide in The Chronicle, which included reader nominations contributed on social media.

In earlier updates readers selected well-known, sweeping, Hitchcock-movie views. Places like the Marin Headlands, Fort Funston or deep in the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness near Danville that are familiar enough for hikers to see multiple landmarks at a distance, yet still remote enough to dispose of a body.

Arguably the most unexpected view was contributed by Casey Ungar, who sent in a stunning photo  taken on a pandemic-empty BART parking structure.

As a result of COVID, I have spent a lot of my breaks at work walking along the top of the Millbrae BART parking structure, he said. The sunsets were spectacular, the views of the East Bay were inspiring and daily drama of the family of ravens living nearby was much more entertaining than the drek on the break room TV.

Courtesy Steve Berman / Special to the Chronicle

Millbrae isnt the only station that boasts a magnificent panorama. Steve Berman contributed a stunning sunset photo of port cranes and downtown San Francisco from the West Oakland station, which for many East Bay residents is the transit equivalent of a flyover state.

I had never actually been on the platform at the West Oakland station until Saturday evening, he wrote. I was always just passing through. But while waiting a half hour for my train (perfect BART timing), I was able to take in one of the prettiest sunsets Ive seen in a while with San Franciscos skyline as a perfect backdrop.

In mid-March, on the one-year anniversary of shelter-in-place, I hopped on my bike with nowhere to go except a list of reader-recommended BART station platforms. Nerves about getting back on the transit system pre-vaccination disappeared quickly. The platforms were all nearly empty and there were few distractions. Nothing to look at except everything wed been missing.

I experienced the small town vibe of the El Cerrito Plaza platform, which feels like someone put a BART station in the middle of Mayberry. The Lafayette station has a literal vineyard in the distance; the undeveloped Little House on the Prairie vibe interrupted only by an viaduct of speeding vehicles on either side of the platform.

The Coliseum station in Oakland was eerily quiet in March, but eternally echoes with drums from the best pedestrian walkway in the world, and the chants of fans heading to an Oakland As game or Peter Frampton Day on the Green concert.

Peter Hartlaub / The Chronicle

And then theres Rockridge, which comes with instructions: Walk to the westernmost edge of the platform on the outbound side, all the way to the DANGER ELECTRIC 3RD RAIL sign, and look at the San Francisco skyline. The silhouette is nestled perfectly between the tracks. The city never looked more like the Emerald City of Oz.

SFMTA director Jeffrey Tumlin told us on the Total SF podcast that the 22-Fillmore is his favorite Muni line, because it taught me how to be a San Franciscan. He was talking about all the different neighborhoods the line reaches, and all the unwritten rules and social norms you learn along the way.

Transit at its best is a tribal unifier, and I cant think of a better place to experience that than on the BART platforms of the Bay Area. Opening the doors and stepping out on the waning days of a global pandemic feels like being on a Star Trek away team, teleporting into a new space that we either took for granted or missed altogether.

Peter Breinig/San Francisco Chronicle

And thats when I realized that the cycle had never finished. Things are cool, they get less cool, then the opposite of cool, then come out the other side kind of cool again. BART platforms are Phil Collins. BART platforms are high-waisted pants. BART platforms are Guy Fieri.

So here we are in 1978 and 2021, intersecting like a Mobius strip. After 15 months mostly away from BART, Im ready to stare out the window like a little kid again and delight in the wonders of my community. A little less impressed with the science, but thrilling in the spectacle more than ever.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Monday, June 14, and if youre broke, a local financial adviser says $3 bagels may be to blame. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

As California prepares to fully reopen Tuesday, its hard to imagine a scenario that would require a renewed statewide stay-at-home order, experts say. Through vaccinations and immunity from previous coronavirus infection, most parts of the state have enough immune protection to prevent another surge.

Still, obstacles lie ahead, including some that could set back the states recovery and prompt renewed local restrictions or targeted closures. California will be vulnerable to outbreaks in unvaccinated communities, such as recent clusters reported in Marin County. Health officials also will be watching for cases of serious COVID-19 illness among young children who cant yet be vaccinated.

But one concern topping all the others is the potential for variants to emerge that could make vaccines less effective  though most experts say they dont expect that to happen soon. Read more from Erin Allday.

Jim Gensheimer/Special to The Chronicle

 Stanford holds the Bay Areas first full in-person college commencement since the pandemic began.

 Vaccinated workers in California could go maskless under proposed workplace rules. Also: S.F. to require vaccination for high-risk workplaces, stricter rules for indoor mega-events.

 Visual guide: The pandemic restrictions that will remain in place after June 15.

 We asked Chronicle readers what life should look like after Californias June 15 reopening. Heres what they said.

 These big banks were the least likely to serve Bay Area communities of color with Paycheck Protection Program loans.

 Home values sank in these S.F. neighborhoods, thanks to the doughnut effect.

Around the Bay

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

 Try and try again: Mayor Breed wants to revive S.Fs Hallidie Plaza  heres why it wont be easy.

 Sunrise Movement: Youth climate activists head to the Golden Gate Bridge on 266-mile march from the Butte County community of Paradise.

 Budgeting brouhaha: Oakland financial planner says if youre buying $3 Boichik Bagels, you deserve to be poor.

 More attractive just to stay home: Transit options are few as Bay Area nightlife reawakens.

 Assembly special election: Mia Bonta explains how a name shaped her, and it isnt Bonta.

 Latest twist: As are surprised that Oakland may consider a plan by a new group to buy half of Coliseum site.

 The heat is on: Triple-digit temperatures expected this week  will Bay Area heat break records?

 Datebook: Oakland love on full display at Blindspotting TV series premiere block party.

 Uniquely S.F. home: See the $8 million Mid-Century Modern Russian Hill oasis with two addresses and famed architects.

I believe this is the houses destiny

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

After unveiling the large mural outside her West Oakland home dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party in February, Jilchristina Vest knew she wanted to do more. She thought her vacant first-floor apartment could provide a meaningful space for the community.

It needed to be something that was more along the lines of the Black Panther Party, Vest said. And when a visitor stopped by this year to look at the mural and thought there was a museum inside, the notion just made sense to Vest.

That idea is now coming to fruition. The 1,000-square-foot Mini Museum will open on Juneteenth with a pop-up exhibit curated by Lisbet Tellefsen, an Oakland publisher, curator, collector and archivist, whose collections focus on the Black Power movement.

Read more from Jessica Flores.

 From Justin Phillips: An affluent East Bay city chased out its first Black homeowner a century ago  and still hasnt atoned.

Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown, Anna Buchmann and Kellie Hwang and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writers at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com, anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com and kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com.
Home values are up seemingly everywhere in the Bay Area except San Francisco. Yet while the city is an exception in the region, the San Francisco exodus  people leaving the city, causing rents and home values to drop precipitously  has actually been the norm within major U.S. metropolitan areas, according to research.

That is, most U.S. cities have seen widespread migration out of their denser centers into less crowded suburban surroundings.

To understand the extent to which the pandemic affected home values in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area, The Chronicle analyzed Zillow data on monthly median home values for 456 neighborhoods across the nine-county Bay Area.

While most of the neighborhoods we looked at saw home values increase from January 2020 through April 2021, estimated values declined in 74 of them  55 of which were in San Francisco. Home values stayed flat or increased in just 14 of the citys 69 Zillow-defined neighborhoods.

Additionally, San Francisco made up the top 37 neighborhoods in the Bay Area with the steepest declines in home values.

The Tenderloin neighborhood saw the steepest decrease in home values over the pandemic; the neighborhoods estimated median home value went from about $780,000 at the end of January 2020 to $690,000 at the end of April, a decrease of almost 12%.

Home values sank in the more affluent neighborhoods of Cow Hollow and the Marina as well; both neighborhoods saw value declines of more than 11%, from roughly $3.7 million to $3.3 million, and $2.5 million to $2.2 million, respectively.

San Franciscos pandemic-era exodus and subsequent decline in rents and home values has been covered exhaustively, and the phenomenon has a lot of distinct regional causes, like high rents and high home values to start with, plus a concentration of tech companies with work-from-home policies. But it certainly isnt the only dense major city that experienced a hollowing-out during the pandemic.

In May, economists Arjun Ramani and Nicholas Bloom from Stanford University published a study examining pandemic migration patterns and real estate markets within the 12 biggest metropolitan areas.

Within large US cities, households, businesses, and real estate demand have moved from dense central business districts (CBDs) towards lower density suburban zip-codes, the authors wrote. They labeled this phenomenon the doughnut effect, as a visual representation of people moving from an urban center to its suburban surroundings.

Nationwide, the study found that the doughnut effect had created home value losses of around 15 percentage points in major cities densest urban ZIP codes relative to changes in less-dense surrounding ones.

In particular, the paper found a striking pattern of outflows from San Francisco, which it categorizes as the Bay Areas central business district, to more suburban areas within the nine-county region.

Data spotlight The Chronicle this year hired five journalists who will use data-driven techniques to cover news stories across the Bay Area. The team's work will appear in the newspaper on Sundays and Mondays. See more of their stories, analyses and interactive features at sfchronicle.com/data. See More Collapse

This strong outflow from San Francisco makes sense, given that the city is a dense urban hub; in fact, its the second-densest city in the U.S. after New York City.

S.F. also has many nearby cities and suburban areas that are less densely populated, which could be attractive to workers who still have to come to the office occasionally but now have more flexible work-from-home arrangements.

Working patterns post pandemic will frequently be hybrid, with workers commuting to their business premises typically three days per week, the researchers wrote. This level of commuting is less than pre-pandemic, making suburbs relatively more popular, but too frequent to allow employees to leave the cities containing their employer.

Bolstering this research, The Chronicle previously found a strong relationship between population density and increased outward migration within San Franciscos ZIP codes. In fact, ZIP codes in the Marina and Cow Hollow, both of which are denser than San Franciscos median density, and both of which saw home values decrease substantially, had about 150% more move-outs during March-November 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susie.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susieneilson
For Brenda Aguilera, the daily stress over how she will get home usually kicks in around 10 p.m. As she nears the end of her late-night shift at a restaurant in San Franciscos Mission District, the questions swirl in her head:

How long will I have to wait tonight for the Muni bus to arrive? Will it pass me by? Will I have to walk even farther to another bus stop?

Last week, on a windy and chilly night, Aguilera and her co-workers were relieved to arrive at the corner stop at 16th and Mission streets a couple of minutes before the next 14-Mission bus, only to be left standing there because the bus was already jam-packed.

So began another miserable wait for a ride home thats become an all-too-familiar routine for Aguilera and other nighttime transit riders during the pandemic.

The Bay Area is on the fast-track to fully reopening, and the regions nightlife is reawakening from a 15-month slumber. California will lift most pandemic restrictions Tuesday. But options for getting around at night and in the early morning hours will probably be minimal or costly. The effects will be felt acutely among those without cars, and even more so for the regions workers who depend on public transit yet have endured more than a year of reduced service.

Last spring, Aguilera waited nearly an hour for the bus at her usual stop before deciding to make the 5-mile walk to her home near the Cow Palace with a co-worker. Last month, exhausted, alone and concerned about her safety with no bus in sight, she spent $12 on a cab ride instead.

After around 9 or 10 at night, the service becomes a bit appalling, and I dont understand why, Aguilera told a Chronicle reporter in Spanish last week before finally boarding a bus at 11:27 p.m. She arrived home around midnight.

Public transit services from the regions largest operators, Muni and BART, will remain limited at least until late summer, leaving few options for getting around as the region reopens. Ride-hailing wait times are longer, and prices, by some estimates, have skyrocketed by 40%.

The Bay Area has increasingly become an outlier as other U.S. cities with the largest transit systems move more quickly to restore services and night hours. New York resumed 24-hour subway service last month. Trains in the nations capital will extend service to midnight this summer and further expand hours in the fall.

Several Bay Area residents said their limited options are already having a significant impact on how they are able to travel the region at night.

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Some Giants season ticket holders lamented not being able to catch evening or night games at Oracle Park without having to drive because BART service will close at 9 each evening until Aug. 30. Others yearn to visit places and friends they havent seen in more than a year, but they fear being left stranded or dont want to pay for an expensive Uber or Lyft ride home.

The issue could come to a head in the coming weeks as businesses extend hours, and more people decide to take their first bus or train rides in more than a year to socialize at later hours.

BART plans to restore its services to near pre-pandemic levels at the end of August; weekday and Saturday hours will extend to midnight with trains running every 15 minutes instead of the current 30. Muni has not determined when it plans to fully restore pre-pandemic service, but it will probably take more than a year.

Both of the Bay Areas largest transit operators are making adjustments in anticipation of the regions reopening and the expected bumps in ridership. This month, BART began running additional trains during some commute hours to reduce wait times and added 16 trains in its Saturday rotation.

Muni will remove all pandemic-related capacity restrictions Tuesday and restore additional bus lines and services in August. Muni chief Jeffrey Tumlin said at a Metropolitan Transportation Commission meeting last week that the agency projects it will reach 87% of pre-pandemic service levels in fiscal 2023 assuming no new ongoing operating revenue sources.

But transit riders, transit advocates and business leaders say public transportation is failing to keep up with the frenetic pace of the regions reopening. In particular, they point to Muni, which activates its bare-bones owl network  fewer lines, longer wait times  at 10 p.m., three hours ahead of its usual 1 a.m. start.

Stand by. Its going to get pretty bad, I would say, in the next three to eight weeks as the city opens up, said Maryo Mogannam, president of the San Francisco Council of District Merchants Associations.

After spending their weekends at home ordering carryout for more than a year, Michael Howley and his wife went out to their favorite spots in the Mission District for the first time since the pandemic on the last Saturday in May.

First, it was Pi Bar on Valencia Street. Then, Beretta three blocks north, followed by Dog Eared Books on the corner of 20th and Valencia streets. The couple felt misty-eyed, he said, when they ended the night with drinks at Willkommen by Black Hammer Brewing at 15th and Market streets; it all felt so normal.

But reality set in around 9 p.m. when the couple had to decide whether to call it a night and catch the last N-Judah train to their home near Golden Gate Park, or cherish one last drink.

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

They didnt want the night to end, so they stayed for one more round. Then they walked home.

Walking half an hour across the city was faster than Muni at, like, 10 oclock at night, Howley said. It really made us hesitant to stay out past that time.

It takes Natalie Abbott, a county government worker from Walnut Creek, about an hour and 15 minutes to ride BART home from her office in Pittsburg after she leaves work around 8 p.m.  a trip she estimates would take 25 minutes if she drove.

Abbott has not visited San Francisco in more than a year. Though she wants to take part in the reopening of nightlife, her options are limited.

Ive stuck close to home over the last year out of necessity, but the lack of service is making it more attractive just to stay home, Abbott said.

Back at the bus stop on 16th and Mission streets, two nights after it took Brenda Aguilera more than an hour to get home, it was Sebastian Sanchezs turn.

After finishing a shift at his second job at Picaro at 16th and Valencia streets, Sanchez waited nearly half an hour to board a 14-Mission bus to his home near Bernal Heights.

The crowded bus arrived shortly after 11 p.m. After staying on his feet most of the day, he was able to snag a seat in front of the rear door. Sometimes, if the wait is too long, Sanchez will walk the mile and a half home.

After being temporarily out of work during the pandemic, Sanchez counts his blessings, though he now works two jobs to make ends meet. Every work night he tries to get home as quickly as possible so he can rest before waking up at 5 a.m. to take the bus to his other job at a hotel near Union Square.

After the pandemic, its taken longer to get anywhere, he said in Spanish.

Ricardo Cano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ricardo.cano@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByRicardoCano
California workplaces can allow vaccinated workers to go mask-free starting Thursday, thanks to an expected executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The board of Californias Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, is expected to vote Thursday to approve new regulations it recently redrafted allowing for vaccinated workers to ditch masks. However, under procedural rules, those new regulations would not take effect for 10 days.

Newsoms expected order, which the governors office confirmed Monday, will mean that the new Cal/OSHA rules can take effect as soon as the board votes without the wait.

Im very mindful of those gaps and will address them appropriately, Newsom said last week.

Cal/OSHA has flipflopped quite a bit on workplace rules this month. Originally it passed regulations saying that vaccinated workers must remained masked if they were in a room with any unvaccinated colleagues.

That was contrary to guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Californias Department of Public Health. It would have meant that Californias June 15 reopening came with a gargantuan asterisk for workplaces that had to follow much stricter rules than everywhere else.

After outcry from businesses and government leaders, who wanted the state rules to be consistent, Cal/OSHAs board rushed to meet last week. The agency then issued draft rules Friday that said vaccinated workers did not have to wear masks, aligning more closely with the guidance from federal and state health authorities.

Until Thursday, workplaces must still abide by rules Cal/OSHA passed in November before vaccines were available. Those rules require strict masking and social distancing in offices, factories, stores and other workplaces.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Several Oakland City Council members proposed Monday cutting about $18.4 million from the Oakland Police Department to fund violence prevention and social services amid a debate over how to keep cities safe while addressing the need for more support in some communities.

In May, Mayor Libby Schaaf proposed a budget that allocated $700 million to the police department  meaning the council proposal would trim about 2.6% from the total, a small fraction of the 50% the council said last summer it planned to cut from the departments budget.

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said the decision to chip away at the police budget in smaller increments is deliberate because the right systems and programs need to be in place to replace some police activities.

That goal is still a goal, Bas said. It will take time and what we are doing with this budget is saying we are committed to this goal of transforming our public safety system.

Still, Schaafs office criticized the proposed public safety cuts as a threat to keeping the city safe amid rising gun violence.

Bas worked on the amendments with a budget team made up of council members Carroll Fife, Dan Kalb and Noel Gallo, and the full City Council will discuss the proposed amendments at a Thursday meeting.

Bas discussed the public safety amendments and other proposed changes to Schaafs $3.85 billion two-year budget proposal at a Monday news conference. She said the amendments would deeply invest in our community by creating affordable housing, better maintaining parks, providing sanitation services to 100 homeless encampments and bolstering Department of Violence Prevention funding.

Bas plan would strip millions from the police department by eliminating two police academies over two years and freezing those positions. Schaaf had proposed six police academies over two years. The number of police recruits who graduate per academy varies, but is usually in the low 20s.

We know that our police officers are overstretched, Bas said. For decades, they have been called upon to respond to everything under the sun.

Instead, the departments officers will focus on what they do best: respond to and solve violent crime, she added.

Schaaf saw the proposal differently.

Oaklanders need to know this budget proposal will severely deplete 911 response by cutting officers, the mayors spokesman Justin Berton said. On Sunday night in East Oakland, 100 calls to 911 went unanswered as an already understaffed department responded to an extreme surge in gun violence and human trauma in our community. Every Oaklander deserves a dependable response in their moment of crisis.

The publics views on funding for police are nuanced. The city surveyed 1,862 randomly selected residents in December and January, during a concerning spike in homicides. The survey found that 78% of respondents said they want the same or more police patrolling their neighborhoods and responding to 911 calls, and nearly 60% supported removing police from nonviolent situations and mental health calls.

Bas introduced the budget amendments at a news conference in downtown Oakland in front of a mural of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by police officers in Kentucky last year.

This is a response to how hard this year has been, Bas said. This past year I have talked to countless people who have lost their jobs, who have lost loved ones due to COVID. I have joined healing circles with families who have lost loved ones to gun violence.

Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers Association, questioned how a smaller force would be able to respond to violent crime.

I would worry about what would happen in the long term if you make the police department even smaller, he said. We will see how Oakland does with a smaller police force.

Bas said by only eliminating two police academies, the department will be able to maintain staffing levels above the minimum requirement of 678 officers.

One program intended to transform the system would create a team within the Fire Department to replace police with trained mental health workers on certain calls, such as responding to people who are publicly intoxicated, disturbing the peace or acting erratically.

Bas is proposing an additional $3.6 million invested in the program  called MACRO for Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland  to bring its total budget to about $6 million. It would allow the Fire Department to provide 18 months of service to East Oakland with a team of four.

Schaafs office said the city announced last week an additional $34 million to expand non-police and violence prevention programs. Donelan of the police union said he supports investing in programs like MACRO that eliminate certain 911 calls from the police.

The City Council budget team also wants to allocate an additional $17 million to the citys Department of Violence Prevention. In 2020, that department, which was tasked with reducing violent crime in the city by 80% over three years, ran on an annual budget of $10.1 million. Oakland is facing a historic rise in violent with more than 55 homicides so far this year.

Kalb said investing in violent crime and violence prevention is very important.

That is long overdue, he said.

The council is required to pass the next two-year budget by June 30.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
Even after walking all the way from the fire-scarred foothills of Butte County to Marin County, Lola Guthrie wasnt tired. At least not physically.

Guthrie, 17, said Sunday that the only exhaustion she felt as she entered the final stretch of a 266-mile march to San Francisco, focused on climate change, was the mental kind.

The Sebastopol teen and nearly 30 other activists with the youth-led Sunrise Movement arrived Sunday at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael. There they told the assembled North Bay government and environmental leaders about their push for President Biden and Congress to create a civilian climate corps that would employ numerous people to combat the effects of a warming world.

Guthrie talked about how shed witnessed the effects of climate change firsthand  how year after year, her Sonoma County community has been inundated by severe wildfires as human-driven climate change transforms the environment. Shes sad and scared for whats to come in the years ahead.

Ive always known that my future was in question  that a livable future is not guaranteed, Guthrie said. I know that if my generation doesnt stand up, then nobody else will.

The group planned to march across the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday morning, picking up more supporters along the way.

Guthries journey began May 28, and her body has grown accustomed to the physical strain. Most draining, she said, has been the emotional strain, starting in Paradise, the Butte County town that was nearly wiped off the map in 2018 by the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. The marchers were seven in Paradise, and by the time they got to Santa Rosa, visiting with people along the way about how climate change is affecting their lives, they were 20 in number. Santa Rosa also was devastated by a historic wildfire, in 2017.

Many of the group wore black Sunrise Movement T-shirts and hats bearing the slogan Generation on Fire, which is how the movement labeled their march. Other Sunrise Movement activists are marching 400 miles from New Orleans to Houston.

Hello, generation on fire, climate activist Fabrice Florin told the marchers as they ate lunch in a grassy San Rafael park. You make us on fire as well. We thank you for that, and we thank you for leading by example.

In an interview, Guthrie said the injustice of climate change and the nations slow progress fighting it has long upset her, and motivated her to join the Sunrise Movement.

I cant remember a time when I didnt know about climate change, which is hard being a kid, Guthrie said. But Ive also been taught that, when theres something wrong with the world, you can go out and fight and fix it and at least try to make this place a better world.

Guthrie and her fellow activists are urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, to do all they can to establish a civilian climate corps  a point they hoped to make in person in San Francisco. Bidens American Jobs Plan initially called for $10 billion for a climate corps, but the extent to which such funding will come to fruition soon is in doubt as the White House and lawmakers negotiate.

I want to thank these young leaders for the courage theyre displaying in their march to raise awareness for climate change, Feinstein said in a statement. They are right  climate change is one of the greatest crises were facing.

Feinstein noted that shes a co-sponsor of legislation led by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., to establish a climate conservation corps, which she said would be particularly helpful for states like California that are vulnerable to climate-driven weather events like wildfire. Coons and other senators announced the legislation in April, building on Bidens plan for extensive infrastructure investments.

Pelosi spokesperson Joy Lee said in an email that the marchers courage and resilience was an inspiration.

The climate crisis is the existential threat of our time and requires bold and immediate action, which is why House Democrats have presented the most ambitious, impactful and forward-looking climate response in congressional history, Lee said.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
WASHINGTON  President Biden on Monday formally endorsed a bill from Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee to repeal the bill that authorized the U.S. invasion of Iraq, marking a sea change in politics on the issue of military engagement.

The East Bay Democrats bill to terminate the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force is set for a vote in the House later this week.

In a statement of administration policy, the vehicle through which presidents telegraph their position on legislation under consideration in Congress, the White House supported the bills passage in the House, saying it would not jeopardize any current military operations because none is solely based on that authorization.

Repeal of the 2002 AUMF would likely have minimal impact on current military operations, the statement said. Furthermore, the President is committed to working with the Congress to ensure that outdated authorizations for the use of military force are replaced with a narrow and specific framework appropriate to ensure that we can continue to protect Americans from terrorist threats.

Lee has been at the vanguard of the movement to end what are referred to in politics as endless wars  military engagements by the U.S. abroad that have no clear endpoint. She was the only member of Congress to vote in 2001 against green-lighting the U.S. war on terror just days after the Sept. 11 attacks, a stand that earned her death threats at the time and respect from her colleagues in hindsight.

Since that lonely vote, the politics of the issue have trended steadily in her direction, as more lawmakers have supported the idea of limiting presidents ability to wage war without explicit congressional approval. The 2001 authorization that paved the way for the U.S. to enter Afghanistan has been used dozens of times since then to justify military actions around the world, according to a 2016 report by the Congressional Research Service.

Biden announced this year that he would withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, two decades later.

Lee, joined by 23 members of the Senate and 133 members of the House, also voted against the 2002 authorization that sent the U.S. into Iraq. While repealing that authorization is not as significant to ongoing military operations as the 2001 bill, the act of clearing the open-ended authority from the books is a rare step that signals a desire in Washington for Congress to more narrowly control the administrations operations. And it could pave the way someday to repealing the 2001 act.

The House has previously passed an effort from Lee to repeal the 2001 authorization as part of a larger appropriations package, but the measure did not survive the Senate version of the legislation.

Lees bill already has 134 co-sponsors in the House, including nine Republicans. In announcing the bill would have a vote, Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said repeal of this unnecessary authority is long overdue. House Democratic leaders typically do not schedule votes on legislation if they are not confident the bills will pass.

In the endorsement, the White House said it was open to continuing to work with Congress to reform such authorizations of force, while being sure to maintain the clear authority to address threats to the United States national interests with appropriately decisive and effective military action.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
A federal appeals court has barred the deportation of a California woman who was tortured in her native Mexico by police who beat and choked her, held a gun to her head, and threatened to rape and kill her daughters unless she confessed to a child killing.

The U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals had ordered Delfina Soto-Soto deported to Mexico, saying the Mexican government had given assurances that she would not be abused during a renewed investigation of the 2012 kidnapping and murder of a 5-year-old boy. The board, reversing an immigration judges ruling, said the government has made efforts to combat torture by police, and noted that Soto had not been physically harmed in her final eight months of captivity before being released.

But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Mexico has given no credible assurances that Soto would be protected from further abuse if returned to the state where police oversaw her torture nine years ago.

The immigration appeals board, in its deportation order, did not mention that Soto had been tortured into confessing to the murder, or indicate that any of the officers had been punished for what they did to her, Judge Milan Smith said in the 2-1 ruling, issued Friday. He also said Soto-Soto had testified, credibly, that the officers had told her she would be tortured again if she reported their acts to anyone.

Judge Jane Restani of the U.S. Court of International Trade, temporarily assigned to the appeals court, joined Smiths ruling. Judge J. Clifford Wallace dissented, saying it was pure speculation that Soto would be tortured if deported and that Mexican courts have reported some evidence of her possible guilt in the child killing.

The court said Soto, an indigenous woman, was arrested at her home in the town of Uruapan by plainclothes Michoacan state police in April 2012 and driven to a town 2 miles away. There, the court said, police tied her up, beat her and kicked her for hours, poured water into her nose, tied her head in a plastic bag and sat on her stomach so that she nearly suffocated.

When she still refused to confess, the court said, an officer held a gun to her head and said police would bring in her daughters, rape them and kill them in front of her. She then signed the confession.

Mexican courts dismissed the charges in December 2012, and Soto fled to California. But the government reopened the investigation in 2013, saying it had new witnesses, and after the international police agency Interpol issued an order in 2015, U.S. immigration agents took Soto from her workplace in the city of Madera and held her for deportation proceedings.

Her case was tried in the immigration court in San Francisco, and the city public defenders office has represented her.

I feel so happy and so moved. ... My nightmare is over, Soto, 42, said in a statement issued by her lawyers.

Nothing can erase the horror imposed on Ms. Soto by the Mexican authorities, but at least, she can now live freely and safely with her family, away from harm, in the United States, said her attorney, Deputy Public Defender Hector Vega.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
I havent gone on a real date in 14 months. I barely remember the feeling of holding hands. But I do know a place where everyone wants me. Bad.

They pick up on the first ring and email almost daily. Theres no playing hard-to-get  before our date is over, theyre begging me to see them again.

Im talking about my local San Francisco blood bank.

The national blood supply is so diminished that Vitalant, the nonprofit blood center I frequent, has resorted to a latte punch card-style system. Pints of whole red are redeemable for Chipotle gift cards. And when I get cocky and let slip that Im AB-negativethe blood equivalent of being a big tipper  the blood techs swoon.

Over the past 15 months, weve watched in terror as more than half a million of our neighbors have died. Weve dodged each others breath and given up kissing strangers. Physical touch with those outside our bubble has been inextricably connected with fears of death. And yet in its total absence, we have felt less alive.

My modest proposal for people who are vaccinated and feel the visceral ache of identification with the phrase skin hunger: donate blood. Those who are eligible and comfortable should schedule blood donations among our first post-vaccine appointments, like haircuts and dentist appointments.

America is in critical need of more blood. "Were seeing less than 2 days of supply, nationwide, for certain blood types," says Kate Fry, CEO of America's Blood Centers.

And things are about to get worse.

With low pandemic donor turnout compounded by blood-drive locations closing for the summer  plus hospitals rescheduling elective surgeries - supplies are shrinking.

"It's a very challenging time," Fry says.

Less than 5% of Americans donate blood even once a year. That should change now that were exiting the pandemic. And not just because giving blood saves lives. Its also delightful.

OK, blood donations in the Before Times were admittedly a drag  characterized by medical drabness, antiseptic seating areas, long wait times and the oddness of an eagle-eyed professional watching to make sure you drink all your juice. Many of us remember the experience of clambering onto a rickety blood bus and submitting to a cross-examination about whether we consumed beef in the United Kingdom in the 1990s.

But after more than a year of social distancing, giving blood now feels spa-like. A gentle stranger asks you how youre feeling, strokes your arm, plies you with snacks, and bids you to rest.

The sheer level of personal attention is intoxicating.

Manicures, massages  theyre left in the dust compared to knocking back a bag of pretzels as my blood tech asks if Im OK with the Adele song playing over the speakers.

So civilized  like a private box at the opera!

Interested in returning to San Franciscos restaurant scene, but still a little wary? At my recent plasma appointment, a kind woman draped a blanket over my legs, piled heating pads along the length of my body, and offered me a menu. At the end of every blood appointment during the pandemic, Ive been served such a comprehensive banquet of snacks that I might as well have been indoor dining. A Capri Sun-size bag of my own blood is the least I can offer.

Really, it feels like I ought to be leaving a tip.

My love for giving blood has nothing to do with being a great do-gooder. In fact, its the opposite  the project of improving the world often feels vast and helpless. Evidence of suffering is everywhere. The concept of blood donation is beautiful, and simple. Its giving away the thing you need most but have more than enough to share. It feels miraculous, a different kind of productive than anything I know from a nine-to-five job or a workout class.

I would be remiss not to note that the ease of my own blood donation stands in stark contrast to the cruelty of the FDA guidance that limits blood donations from men who have sex with men. Its a practice dating from the AIDS crisis  one that is based more on bigotry than science. And one that many experts say ignores epidemiological realities.

All donor blood is tested. And besides, blood supplies would be safer if donors were screened for behavioral risk, not for sexual orientation. The American Medical Association agrees  in 2013, it voted to oppose the lifetime ban on blood donation from men who have sex with men.

California has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. Blood donation should be at a high too. But many of us havent been able to easily shake our learned fear of other people. In this context, the ban on gay men giving blood feels especially hurtful. What community knows better the agony and hopefulness of exiting a deadly, contact-based epidemic?

Pundits seem eager to split Americans into those of us who are eager to rush back to normal, and those who are cautious at the expense of reason. Neither option invites any shared system of gratitude. Neither allows for a moment of wonder at the fact that we lived. That we survived  our hearts pump blood, and our lungs take in oxygen.

Giving  blood, or anything else  feels like a start.

I know that Im never going to have the quick thinking of a paramedic, the knowledge of an epidemiologist, the will of a schoolteacher. One thing I have is blood to spare. Ive got a high iron count, and a love of cranberry juice. Everyone should be able to flaunt their gauze-wrapped bicep with me and marvel at how good it feels to give.

Jenny Singer is a staff writer for Glamour.
Google Street View

San Francisco firefighters battled a two-alarm building fire Sunday in Mid-Market that sent up thick smoke over the area. Eighty residents at the building were displaced and receiving housing assistance from the Department of Emergency Management, Supervisor Matt Haney said on Twitter.



The fire erupted at the National Hotel, Haney tweeted. A video shared on the Citizen app showed smoke from the blaze drifting high above the block. According to its website, the National Hotel offers 90 units of permanent supportive housing for people facing homelessness.



One person was reported injured by the San Francisco Fire Department, with two dogs rescued. The Fire Department said the blaze at 644 Odd Fellows Way was contained and under investigation.

Video posted on Twitter by San Francisco Firefighters Local 798 showed flames blazing out of a window in the building just off Market Street. The fire appeared to be next door to the American Conservatory Theater.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP)  Water managers are cutting off irrigation flows to farmers in Idahos Wood River basin and wildlife officials are scrambling to move fish to safer waters as a severe drought grips the area.

Farmers got 27 days of water this year before the Magic Reservoir reached 4% capacity, prompting the Big Wood Canal Company to shut off the water Thursday. The reservoir feeds about 36,000 acres (14,500 hectares) of farmland.

This is the canal company's shortest irrigation season since at least 1977. Typically, the dam isn't closed until mid-September.

But roughly 80% of Idaho is experiencing drought conditions, and more than a third of the state is in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The most intense drought area in the state is in Blaine and Custer counties, and the region is in its second year of exceptionally dry weather.

With the dam gates shut, the flows on the Richfield Canal and Big Wood River are functionally de-watered, officials with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said. That means the amount of water flowing through the Big Wood River becomes too shallow and warm to support trout.

Were in scramble mode when (the canal company) made the decision this week, Terry Thompson, of Fish and Games Magic Valley Regional office, told the Post Register on Friday.

The department plans to electro-fish some sections of the canal this week to remove fish and restock them elsewhere. The method involves applying an electric current to the water to stun and collect fish.

Right now if they pass muster from the standpoint of fish health, well be moving them down to the Bell Rapids in the Snake River by Hagerman, Thompson said.

Anyone else with a valid fishing license can gather fish in certain sections of the river using any method except firearms, chemicals, explosives or electric current. Limits on the number of trout that can be harvested have also been lifted.

The goal is to get the fish in that situation out of there and take them home and put them in the freezer versus dying when the water is gone, Thompson said.

Carl Pendleton, board president of the Big Wood Canal Company and an alfalfa farmer in Shoshone, told Boise State Public Radio the company struggled to get to 30 days of irrigation.

A water shortage like this one can make or break some operations, Pendleton said, prompting a "total change in the way they run their operations or extreme financial impact in those that are going to hang on.

Pendleton sold his cattle in the spring because he knew he wouldnt have pasture for them. He was expecting to get just one cut of alfalfa instead of the usual three, but even the one crop was stressed from the lack of water, he said, lowering yields.

A similar situation is playing out near the California-Oregon border as drought conditions worsen across the U.S. West. Federal regulators last month shut off irrigation water to hundreds of farmers from a key reservoir and said they would not send extra water to dying salmon downstream.

In Idaho, snowpack melted about three weeks early in the Big Wood Basin, according to the federal Natural Resources Conservation Services. Thats a trend scientists have said will likely intensify with climate change, and could make water supply less predictable.

At the beginning of June, there was about 22,000 acre-feet of water storage, and the reservoir was 11% full. The early June water measurement has only been lower than 2021 levels once since 1917  in 1992, according to the agency. Still, in that year, farmers received more water in late June.

The problem is that we went into this last winter with a very low reservoir, Thompson said. Then there was very little gain in water levels over the winter and spring.
Toward the end of The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard, theres a scene where Ryan Reynolds is repeatedly smashing a mans head into a jukebox aboard a yacht, as sometimes happens. Each time the bloodied head goes in the machine, it triggers a new song. Until it lands on The Sign by Ace of Base.

You're lucky, Reynolds says to his unconscious rival before walking away to commit more mayhem. I love this song.

That single scene beautifully captures the essence of the sequel to 2017's The Hitman's Bodyguard"  overly violent, disarmingly cute and overly self-referencing.

Fans of the original will get the in-joke about The Sign but the sequel itself will not likely make new fans. It suffers from what many sophomore films fall prey to: Same basic idea, but just make it bigger.

So if the first's plot was getting a witness to the Netherlands to testify about an European war criminal, the second is about saving the very existence of Europe itself. If the first had a star like Salma Hayek tucked in, the sequel is her elevation to co-star and the massive additions of Antonio Banderas and Morgan Freeman.

Director Patrick Hughes returns for the overstuffed sequel but this time has trouble balancing the violence with the heart. Too many characters  a Boston Interpol agent and a rival bodyguard, among them  are blended into an unhinged 007-style plot with a tendency to veer uncomfortably personal.

Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson again play frenemies and their exchanges still crackle with electricity (and lots of potty language.) Reynolds is bodyguard Michael Bryce, a careful, safe professional (Boring is always best, is his motto) who has found himself on hard times. Jackson is Darius Kincaid, a shoot-first, reckless hitman.

If The Hitmans Bodyguard" was a bromance between these two, The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard is a threesome, thanks to the scene-stealing role of Kincaid's wife, played with insane energy by Hayek. She's as lethal and profane and impulsive as her husband. ("Your mouth needs an exorcism," a shocked Bryce tells her). But the effect is that this talented trio are unbalanced and awkward; three is definitely a crowd.

If there was a stylish chic in the first film, it's gone in the second, which sometimes seems cloying in its attempt to recreate the first. In addition to Ace of Base, returning this time are repeat references to: Hello by Lionel Richie, a gaggle of nuns, the deadly use of a penknife, a Richard E. Grant cameo, someone ejected from a car for not wearing a seatbelt and the leads getting kidnapped by having their heads put in a bag. This feels familiar, cracks Bryce. We know the feeling.

The plot puts Reynolds, Jackson and Hayek speeding across Italy to stop a madman from crippling Europe by destroying its electrical and data infrastructure, or something like that. The madman is played by Banderas who has forgone chewing the scenery in favor of swallowing whole chunks of it nosily while dressed like Liberace mated with a set of curtains. (Actual dialogue more colorful.)

For some reason the writers  Tom OConnor and Phillip Murphy and Brandon Murphy  have added an amnesia twist, a digression into fertility, a weird drug trip on a mood stabilizer and an ill-conceived exploration of parenthood and family legacy. Plus, they wasted the skills of Freeman in a nebulous, confusing role, which is inexcusable.

The film is best when it winks at the viewer  Reynolds at one point gets into a vehicle and says here's the car chase  or goes silly over-the-top, as when both our heroes and the villain kindly reference the 1987 Goldie Hawn film Overboard, which Banderas calls a minor classic. But no one  not even fans of the first film  will find this second one to be any sort of classic at all.

The Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard, a Lionsgate release, is rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexual content. Running time: 118 minutes. One star out of four.

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MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Online: https://thehitmanswifesbodyguard.movie

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Mark Kennedy is on Twitter as KennedyTwits
As tourists flock back to Hawaii in record numbers, rental car shortages have sent prices surging like meme stocks. In some cases, it could cost you upwards of $700 to rent a car for a day, if you can even get one. Tourists became so desperate for ground transportation, at one point, they turned to U-Haul. Local media called it The Great Hawaii Rental Car Crisis.

Meanwhile, prices for Uber and a Lyft prices have soared due to driver shortages.

Enter Cecil Morton: a driving executive with more than 20-years of experience in the local ground-transportation space. He recently launched a Hawaii-based ride-hailing alternative called holoholo  which loosely translates to lets go cruising in Hawaiian pidgin.

Anyone who downloads the app can request a ride across Oahu, Maui, Hawaii island, Kauai and Lanai. The company says that there is no surge pricing and no fixed up-front costs. This means fares will hover around a standard rate  no matter the demand  and will provide a consistent fare for both riders and drivers. They call it fair pricing.

Holoholo is joining a growing number of startups in the ground-transportation space that are popping up in cities across the country. Many of these pop-up ride-hailing companies aim to be a more driver-friendly alternative to either Uber or Lyft. In New York, for example, some drivers are trying Co-op Ride, a startup that says its drivers own one share of the company, and drivers are reportedly able to vote on company decisions. On the opposite coast, in Los Angeles, drivers can opt to use Dumpling, which promises to take zero commissions in exchange for a monthly fee. This is also different from Uber and Lyft, which both can take varying commissions from drivers.

Despite the increased competition, Uber and Lyft remain the undisputed leaders in the space. Uber currently has about 3.5 million drivers, while Lyft has over 1 million.

For holoholo, its fleet will be much smaller; the company plans to recruit 150 drivers. The company did not specify how many drivers it currently has, citing it as proprietary information, due to the competitive nature of the industry. But the company is currently hitting its numbers, spokesperson Rob Mora said.

We're playing in the same playground as these really large companies, Mora said. But, for holoholo, its really focused on the people of Hawaii.

Morton started in the Hawaii ride-share space in 1999, when he founded SpeediShuttle, a service that takes passengers to and from airports in sprinter vans. From there, he expanded to other major island destinations, starting with the Big Island, then entering Oahu and Kaui in 2007.

Over the years, the company has held contracts with on-demand shuttle services at the Kahului and Honolulu airports, along with a variety of hospitality companies across the islands.

For 21 years, we've been serving millions of people, Morton said during a phone conversation. Literally, millions of people in our shuttles.

Ride-hailing has been on his radar since it first entered his space about a decade ago. After pandemic restrictions eased, Morton saw an opportunity to try it.

He teamed up with Rideshare Pro  a mainland-based software company that focuses on developing ride-hailing apps  to create holoholo. He financed it with his own funds. As the sole owner, he has no plans to bring on outside investment to expand the business with additional funding. The company declined to put a specific dollar amount on the amount of money Morton put in, but said it has been years in the making.

His competition, meanwhile, has received significant funding from public and private investors. For example, Ubers current market capitalization is about $94 billion. Thats larger than all of Hawaiis 2020 GDP, which was $75.86 billion, according to Statista.

I would describe Cecil as a pretty bold, adventurous entrepreneur, David Jung, former EcoCab owner, said in an interview with the Star-Advertiser. Its the boldness that is sufficient for him to try to go head-to-head with Uber and Lyft  but they are multibillion-dollar publicly traded companies.

Morton is hoping to lean on his experience and network in Hawaii to differentiate holoholo from its mainland competitors. Over his 21 years running SpeediShuttle, he has become intimately familiar with the unique barriers-to-entry in starting and maintaining a company in Hawaii.

While coming up with a name, for example, Morton hired a cultural advisor to ensure it accurately reflected the Hawaiian language. The company also committed to incorporating environmental elements, including providing an option for customers to choose an electric vehicle. The feature, which is similar to Lyfts Green Mode, helps align the company with Hawaiis sustainability goals.

Morton says he is also tapping into his extensive network with local businesses across the islands to create benefits for his drivers. Because of the connections and business deals hes made through SpeediShuttle, he is able to offer a bulk-pricing discount for fuel through distributors like Maui Oil Company. His drivers can also receive discounted repairs for auto-body work on Oahu through a similar business arrangement with Elite Collision Center.

Another difference is Mortons land assets, which will serve as physical headquarters for holoholo drivers. It currently has locations on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island. The headquarters will serve as a hub for drivers to ask questions, get vehicle inspections and network with other drivers over coffee, the company says.

And, finally, Morton is applying his years of customer service experience in his effort to screen drivers. He says he talks story an expression in Hawaii for stories and conversation  with each hire to establish an early connection.

Part of my DNA is to create ohana (family) he said. I like to get to know everyone. I like to understand what makes them tick.

Lance Arinaga/Courtesy of holoholo

This proximity holoholo offered was, perhaps, the most important selling point for Corrina Payne, a 55-year-old Kihei resident who currently drives for both Uber and holoholo.

While being screened as a driver for holoholo, Payne said that Danielle Morton of SpeediShuttle, Cecil Mortons daughter, met with her in person to inspect her 2016 silver Honda CRV. She was impressed with the level of intimacy and rigor of the screening process, she said.

Payne said she has also been working directly with Cecil Morton to address some of her concerns. One issue she raised, for example, had to do with the turn-around time for drivers cashing out. Because Payne said she lives ride-to-ride  meaning she needs to withdraw cash everyday to cover expenses like car payments  she suggested changing the current policy of weekly payments to daily payments.

When asked about this concern, Morton said he is currently working with Stripe, the payment processing software company, to try daily withdrawal options for drivers.

He said there have been no other comments from drivers thus far.

They're making sure I'm safe and I feel they're safer, Payne said. Supporting local is huge here.

Payne said she still accepts rides on the Uber platform to maintain a steady income, but is hopeful that the demand for ride requests on holoholo will soon pick up and that one day it will become her main platform. She added that she has already given some rides through holoholo on Maui.

Its important that locals feel that they can talk to somebody on the phone, Mora said. That they can talk to somebody who gets what they're maybe going through, and where their region is.

As part of a promotional bonus during the companys launch, holoholo offered a $30-per-hour guarantee for drivers who accepted ride requests over a six-hour period. However, the company said that the incentive would not be a sustainable business model, and ended it after the completion of its launch phase.

In a time when Hawaii is actively trying to diversify its economy away from tourism, Morton will be one of the first tech-adopting entrepreneurs to focus solely on Hawaii. Despite needing to compete with massive corporations from the start, Morton says the rideshare market in Hawaii is big enough for his business.

I dont feel like we are in competition against the Goliaths, he said. We are in competition with ourselves to get better every single day  one driver, one rider at a time.

Nathan Bek is a finance and journalism major at UH Manoa, and the current chair of the Calvin Shindo Student Venture Fund.
ATLANTA (AP)  Two teenagers have been arrested in a shooting outside Atlantas Lenox Square mall, the latest in a string of shootings at the shopping complex, police said Monday.

The two 15-year-olds wanted to get into the Lenox Square Apple store after the mall had closed Sunday when one of the teens shot and critically injured a security guard, Atlanta police said.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A man convicted of second-degree murder in New Orleans in 2010 won his freedom after prosecutors agreed to drop the case against him Monday.

The Innocence Project New Orleans says the conviction of Kaliegh Smith in a fatal 2007 shooting was thrown out last month. And court records show prosecutors agreed Monday to drop the case.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  The names of the four people killed last week in a Southeast Portland shooting have been released.

Portland Police said Monday that 31-year-old Mitchell Nacoste, 27-year-old Kendall Gragg, 24-year-old Donovan Lenford and, 23-year-old Eyion Willis were found dead in a home on June 6. Police said all four died from gunshot wounds. The investigation into their deaths continues.
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP)  Clergy and civil rights advocates in Kansas City are promoting a 21-day cease-fire with offers of conflict resolution and on-call spiritual counseling in a city that's undergoing yet another deadly year of gun-related violence.

The cease-fire, which began at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, got off to a disappointing start when a woman was shot and killed at her home about 10 a.m. Monday. The shooting marked the 68th homicide this year in the city, which set a record of 176 homicides last year, according to police department figures.

The shooting illustrates why the cease-fire is necessary, said the Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, one of several groups promoting the effort.

We want to intervene in situations of either retaliation or someone who has been thrust into a situation where mentally or emotionally they have snapped, Howard said. Those two scenarios are ravaging us right now.

Experts from the Center for Conflict Resolution will be available during the 21 Days of Peace, along with licensed and ordained clergy, who will provide spiritual counseling. Another group will provide a 24/7 ministry and prayer. The effort is scheduled to end at midnight July 3.

Organizers felt the need to react to violence on the ground level, in part because residents living in the city's most violent neighborhoods feel forgotten by local, state and federal officials, Howard said.

He said many residents in those neighborhoods are plagued by low-income jobs, a lack of mental and emotional health services and too-easy access to weapons and drugs.

Besides helping people in difficult situations, the larger goals are to prompt politicians to make systemic changes that truly address the problems, Howard said, as well as engage all of the Kansas City region in confronting the violence.

We're fighting as hard as we can in the streets for our people," he said. "Our feet are treading the path of the bloodshed, and then we look up to the state and federal government, we're not getting any help with policy and law. That has to change.

Despite the seemingly overwhelming odds, organizers believe they can make a dent in the violence by giving people alternatives to violence, Howard said. Group members plan to saturate social media with their message, as well as meet at the site of every homicide in the next three weeks, where they will pray, offer comfort and hand out literature about the program.

I can't remember the last time we went 21 days without a murder in Kansas City, Howard said. But we do believe its attainable if we focus on it and get in the trenches and show people we care."
Advocates for different causes are hoping to get a second chance at passing a bill or securing funding in the new state budget as the Connecticut General Assembly prepares to return to the Capitol for a short special session this week.

The list runs the gamut from climate change groups who want lawmakers to take up a multi-jurisdictional initiative that attempts to cap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to those who support helping people who are terminally ill to die.

Although the odds here may be small, we owe it to those faced with terminal illness to explore every opportunity to pass this legislation, read an email from the group Compassion and Choices, which urged its supporters to reach out to state legislators and ask them to take up the bill in special session. The Senate is scheduled to convene Tuesday and the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Such requests are in addition to the legislature's original plan to vote this week on a massive bill that legalizes the adult use of cannabis and a bill that spells out details of the new two-year budget. Both bills were not passed before the June 9 deadline. The budget bill, known as the implementer, is often used as a tool to pass bills and concepts that didn't make it earlier in the session.

I've been on the phone, non-stop  the phone or Zoom, said Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, the co-chair of the General Assembly's Appropriations Committee, when asked about fielding budget requests.

On Monday, officials from community-based nonprofit agencies that provide mental health and addiction service urged lawmakers to find them about $75 million in additional funding over two years. They noted how a recent settlement Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont reached with unionized workers at group homes for people with disabilities did not help their agencies, which provide behavioral health care services.

We are not saying the others should not have received their increase, said Gian Carl Casa, president and CEO of Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance. They deserve the funding that theyre getting. Were just saying that the state has the means to provide for behavioral health providers as well.

Roughly $400 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to the state were not spent in the new, two-year $46.3 billion budget that was approved last week. Osten said Monday that about $200 million of the remaining $400 million has been earmarked since the legislature adjourned its regular session. For example, she said $50 million over two years will be added to the nonprofit agencies that provide behavioral health and addiction services.

I have it cobbled together for $25 million in year one and $25 million in year two to help out, she said. They are getting other payments within the confines of the budget already. So its pretty complicated.

Additionally, Osten said an additional $10 million has been set aside for nursing homes with a client base that is heavily reliant on Medicaid patients. Also, she said about $22.5 million is set aside to provide certain state employees and members of the Connecticut National Guard with special compensation for working during the height of the pandemic, while about $70 million was added to workforce development initiatives.

You start adding in $70 million here and $70 million there, it eats away a lot of that ($400 million in leftover federal funds), Osten said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A bipartisan Senate report released last week details security failures surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and recommends how to fix them. But it has only added to the unanswered questions about the attack, when hundreds of former President Donald Trumps supporters broke through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of President Joe Bidens win.

The report, which detailed broad failures across government and law enforcement, was narrowly focused and did not examine the broader motivations of the rioters or Trumps role as he spread lies about his election defeat. The joint investigation by two Senate committees was finished quickly to ensure that the necessary security improvements could be made, and some government agencies didn't fully cooperate.

The scope of the report was also narrowed to win the support of Republicans, most of whom have signaled they have little interest in revisiting the political motivations of the rioters.

Democrats, and some Republicans, believe that a bipartisan, independent commission is still needed. But Republicans in the Senate blocked legislation that would have created a panel similar to the one that probed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 20 years ago, saying another review would be redundant, partisan and unnecessary.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that if the Senate does not act on the commission, she will move to set up investigations in the House instead.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, chair of the Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee and one of the authors of the Senate report, says that Jan. 6 was an awakening for the country on domestic terrorism in the way that 9/11 was an awakening on international terrorism. A commission would be able to do a much broader analysis, looking at the bigger picture, Peters said.

A look at what questions remain:

HOW DID INTELLIGENCE FAIL?

The Senate report found intelligence failures across many areas of government. The Capitol Police and other agencies had information in the weeks before the insurrection that Trump supporters were openly planning to stop the certification of Bidens victory. But there was a breakdown in sharing and communications, and senior leaders never saw most of the intelligence.

The two Senate committees that conducted the investigation, the Homeland panel and the Senate Rules Committee, said that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security did not fully comply with their probe. So the extent of those agencies role in the missed intelligence is still unclear.

Lawmakers say they want to know why so many agencies failed to predict the attack, even though it was planned in plain sight on social media and the internet. The Senate report said that in many cases, intelligence agencies decided that the internet posts werent credible.

To me, thats very, very problematic, Peters said. We need to have a better understanding of that and ask questions as to why did you think that the statements you were seeing on social media about individuals intent to come to the Capitol to engage in violence, why didnt you think that was credible? Was it something about who the people were that made it not credible?

HOW DID EXTREMIST GROUPS PLAY A PART?

Democrats have also said they want to know more about the organization and motivation of some of the far-right groups that mobilized at the Capitol in support of Trump. While the Justice Department has made more than 400 arrests in their own criminal investigation, their probes may be limited to what can be prosecuted and proved as a crime.

More than three dozen members and associates of the far-right groups the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers have been charged. Beyond the criminal charges, though, a commission could look at the broader influences of those groups, how they were formed and what they might have planned next. Lawmakers have also asked questions about their financing and about whether anyone helped pay for their actions in Washington.

WHAT WAS TRUMPS ROLE?

The most obvious question that hasnt been explored is what role Trump played and what he said and did during the attack. The House impeached Trump for inciting the insurrection when he told his supporters at a rally beforehand to fight like hell to overturn his defeat, but the Senate acquitted him. Senate Republicans again made clear that they dont want Trump investigated when they blocked the commission.

But members of both parties have still repeatedly raised questions about his actions. According to an account shared by another House Republican, Trump spoke with House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and defended the rioters as they were breaking into the building. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska told a radio host that he was told Trump was delighted as the riot was unfolding.

More broadly, a commission would likely look into the influence of Trumps false claims about the election. He has repeatedly said that it was stolen even though that claim has been refuted on a bipartisan basis by election officials, courts across the country and even his own attorney general. The claims were repeated by the rioters as they broke in, and some of them have used his words in court as a defense for their actions.

WAS THERE INSIDE COORDINATION?

Some Democrats, including Pelosi, have suggested that Republican lawmakers may have known in advance that some of Trumps supporters were planning violence. Pelosi has said that if members of Congress were accomplices to the insurrection, they would have to be prosecuted.

There is no evidence of such coordination, which Republicans have strongly denied.

WHAT LED TO SEVEN DEATHS?

Seven people died during and after the riots, including three Trump supporters who had medical emergencies and a fourth Trump supporter who was shot and killed as she attempted to break into the House chamber. A Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, collapsed and died after engaging with the rioters, but was ruled to have died of natural causes. Two police officers who were there died by suicide in the days that followed.

Questions have swirled around most of the deaths, including from family members who want to know more about what happened. Sicknicks mother and partner visited the offices of Senate Republicans just before the vote on the commission, questioning how anyone wouldnt want to know more.

I suggest that all Congressmen and Senators who are against this Bill visit my sons grave in Arlington National Cemetery and, while there, think about what their hurtful decisions will do to those officers who will be there for them going forward, Gladys Sicknick said in a statement. Putting politics aside, wouldnt they want to know the truth of what happened on January 6?
ALMA, Mich. (AP)  A city in central Michigan is considering a request to turn a former nursing home into temporary housing for young migrants.

Warwick Living Center in Alma would be leased to Bethany Christian Services to provide housing for boys, ages 12 to 17, for up to 40 days or until a sponsor can be found, The Morning Sun reported.
Taptejdeep Singh came to San Jose to pursue the American Dream.

Like thousands before him, he was drawn to the "Capital of Silicon Valley" for its wealth, technology and innovation. What he found instead was a deeply unequal city, where housing prices have skyrocketed, economic inequality is spiking and residential segregation divides communities.

In this economically perilous place, Singh's job at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority was a lifeline, a union job with stable hours that paid a living wage for people without a college degree. It even offered benefits such as health care and a pension, a rarity in the area.

Last month, a gunman killed Singh and eight others on the job, an attack that has shaken the region and left mourning families longing for answers. It was also an assault on a workplace that attracted immigrants from across the city, helping them find their financial footing in an increasingly unaffordable region.

"There's a great divide here," San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a recent interview. "Housing has become so horrifically expensive, and there's no question that is the greatest threat to our economic mobility going forward."

Bagga Singh, an Indian immigrant and Taptejdeep's cousin, was proud of his cousin's work at the VTA. It was among the more stable jobs held by members of their extended immigrant family in Silicon Valley.

Their life in California is decidedly better than the life they had in the Punjab region of India, he said, but it doesn't compare to the lifestyles of the wealthy tech professionals in the area.

"It's a good place to live," Singh said. "If you can afford it."

- - -

Before the large office parks sprang up and the tech professionals moved in, San Jose was primarily known for its rich diversity.

The city, which has a population of about 1 million, is 35% Asian, 31% Latino, 25% White and 3% African American, according to the U.S. Census. More than half of the families here speak a language other than English at home.

Cesar Chavez, the labor leader, got his start in San Jose in 1948 as an agricultural worker; he soon became an organizer for a civil rights group. Black communist activist Angela Davis was imprisoned here before a local jury found her not guilty in 1972. A native of the region, she's now a professor at the nearby University of California, Santa Cruz.

The narrative of San Jose as a welcoming melting pot is a "story that [the city] likes to tell itself," said Juan Pedroza, a sociology professor at UC-Santa Cruz. "And that was mostly pretty true until recently."

The internet boom of the late 1990s changed all that. Though some of the wealthiest companies in the world flocked to the Bay Area, their arrival didn't translate into jobs that benefit all residents.

"You think about the high-tech industry: It's globally connected, with incredible economic returns because of the global economic markets they're serving. And a lot of the returns come in the form of stock markets and investments and ownership, and not so much in labor," said Chris Benner, sociology professor at UC-Santa Cruz and director of the Santa Cruz Institute for Social Transformation. "There's not a whole lot of jobs created in the industry compared to the economic size of the industry."

The influx of wealthy workers has also caused the price of necessities to spike. Today, housing costs in San Jose are so high that a family of four making nearly $100,000 is considered low-income, according to the 2019 State Income Limits, which helps determine affordable housing eligibility.

A measure of economic inequality called the GINI coefficient found that economic inequality increased two times faster in Silicon Valley than in the United States as a whole between 2010 and 2019.

And a 2018 University of California, Berkeley study found that while San Jose is one of the largest and most diverse cities in the region, its segregated neighborhoods don't reflect that diversity. Asians and Latinos in particular are "incredibly segregated," the report found.

City Councilman Raul Peralez, who is running for mayor, grew up in affordable housing in San Jose and watched the city transform around him. He said that because his parents were able to live in the city, instead of being pushed into the suburbs, he had access to a better education and opportunities he would not have had otherwise.

"The biggest challenge has been the growing divide . . . between the haves and have-nots, those who are wealthy in the tech industry, are able to buy homes in this area - and everybody else," he said. "It's continually stacking odds against those that are already challenged or struggling."

Survival is particularly hard for those city residents without college degrees, who often work lower-wage jobs. "At the VTA, for example, drivers can be stuck on-site for 12 hours - working two four-hour shifts, with a four-hour break in between," said John Courtney, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union #265, which represents VTA employees.

Many cannot afford a home in the city, so they must commute hours to distant towns, or cram into an apartment with several other people. Sometimes, employees spend the night in their cars, showering at the worksite, or in campers at the VTA campus.

"It's brutal. It really is," Courtney said.

When the difficult work lifestyle is combined with the high cost of living, particularly housing prices, Benner said, the result is that "the American Dream has become an American nightmare for people unless you're in the tech industry."

- - -

The VTA is one workplace where many of the city's ethnicities and nationalities converge.

"You walk through the VTA, you hear Tagalog, Spanish, Punjabi, my Philly accent - all different kinds of languages," Courtney said.

Many of the employees start as drivers and work their way up through maintenance or operations departments to become mechanics or dispatchers. Whole families work at the VTA, sometimes through generations of immigrants.

Taptejdeep, who went by Taptej, first lived with his cousin Bagga when he arrived in the United States in 2004. Bagga helped him get his driver's license and fill out paperwork for a green card. After a few months, Taptej started to work, first at an assembly line, then as a security guard and eventually at the VTA.

"Slowly, slowly, slowly, they stand on their feet," Bagga said of immigrants arriving in the United States.

The two grew up together in the same house in the fields of northern India and remained very close throughout their lives.

The funerals that followed the massacre encompassed a wide array of San Jose cultures - reflections of the multiculturalism at the VTA. There were hymns in different languages, clothes from black to bright, and adornments spanning religions from all parts of the globe.

Mexican, Filipino, Indian and Middle Eastern VTA employees all attended services to mourn the loss of their colleagues. Bagga noticed their presence at his cousin's funeral.

"All our communities, all management and employees from different temples, from the churches, from the Sikh temples - everyone came there," he said.

Taptej was killed at 36 with dreams left unfulfilled. He had gotten his real estate license and was hoping to eventually work in that field full-time. He wanted to one day purchase land to grow vegetables, nuts and fruits, similar to the fields of India where he grew up.

When you move to America, "the main thing you're looking for is a peaceful life, a big dream," Bagga said. "If the area you are living [in] or country you are living [in] is not good, you're not going to have a dream over there. You can only have a dream if you're happy."

And Taptej, he said, was one of the happiest people he knew.
PITTSFIELD, N.H. (AP)  A man has died in a shooting in Pittsfield that involved a police officer, the New Hampshire attorney general's office said Monday.

The man's name is being withheld pending notification of family. No officers or other people were hurt, the attorney general's office said.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  A conservative group said Monday it will launch a ballot drive to require legislative approval to extend emergency pandemic orders beyond 28 days  the latest bid to neuter the power of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration to issue coronavirus restrictions.

The initiative will be organized by Unlock Michigan. Last year, the Republican-affiliated ballot committee successfully gathered voter signatures to repeal a 75-year-old law  later declared unconstitutional  that underpinned the Democratic governor's rules. After the ruling, her administration kept many limits intact, and eased and tightened them under a 1978 law that gives the state health director broad authority to issue epidemic orders.

The new measure would revise the law  whose origins date to the 1918 flu pandemic  to make such orders unenforceable after 28 days unless the Legislature OKs an extension. Local health officers who impose restrictions would need the blessing of their governing body to go longer than 28 days.

Neither this governor, nor any future governor, will be allowed to rule by decree in the future, Unlock Michigan spokesman Fred Wszolek said.

The group on Tuesday will submit the form of its petition to the state elections bureau for review. If it collects roughly 340,000 valid voter signatures, the GOP-led Legislature could pass the initiative instead of letting it go to a public vote. Whitmer could not veto it. She twice has vetoed regular bills that would have added the 28-day provision.

GOP legislators are expected to soon wipe from the books the invalidated gubernatorial emergency powers law that was the backbone of her orders for seven months, after the Supreme Court unanimously ordered the state elections board to certify that initiative. Whitmer has said COVID-19 restrictions are needed to slow the spread and have likely saved thousands of lives.

This bill would create a 28-day limit on epidemic orders. Unfortunately, epidemics are not limited to 28 days, she wrote in a veto letter in March. We should not so limit our ability to respond to them.

Michigan's outdoor gathering caps ended June 1 amid vaccinations and much lower infection rates. Indoor capacity limits will go away July 1, as will most mask requirements.

The seven-day average of new infections was 244 on Monday, the lowest rate in nearly a year. COVID-19 hospitalizations were last this low in September.

___

Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The dissident Belarusian journalist who was arrested when his airliner was diverted to Minsk was brought to a Foreign Ministry news conference on Monday, prompting a journalist to walk out in protest.

The opposition said the Monday appearance by Raman Pratasevich showed he is a hostage. Pratasevich founded a messaging app channel that was widely used in last years massive protests against hardline President Alexander Lukashenko. He was seized on May 23 when his flight from Greece to Lithuania was diverted to Minsk, accompanied by a Belarusian fighter jet, because of an alleged bomb threat.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP)  President Joe Biden is sending $26 million in federal funds back to a U.S. Navy shipyard in Virginia. The money had been diverted by President Donald Trump to pay for a wall along the Mexico border.

The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday that the shipyard money is a sliver of the $3.6 billion that Trump had moved from the Department of Defense to pay for the wall. The Biden Administration is now sending billions of dollars back to a series of military projects.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The Maine Legislature is moving forward with a proposal to change its child endangerment laws to include unauthorized access to firearms.

The law currently states that a person can be found guilty of endangering a child if they knowingly sell, furnish or give away items such as liquor, tobacco and ammunition to children under age 16. The proposal from Democratic Rep. Vicki Doudera changes the law to include leaving a loaded firearm where a child can access it.
BOSTON (AP)  Boston is planning a review of the system under which tax-exempt organizations including universities, hospitals and nonprofit cultural institutions make voluntary payments to the city, officials announced Monday.

The city will put together a task force this summer to examine the payments in lieu of taxes  or PILOT  program, The Boston Globe reported.
CLEVELAND (AP)  Dubbed the boy mayor of Cleveland as a 31-year-old, Dennis Kucinich announced Monday that he will make another bid for the office more than 40 years later.

During an afternoon news conference from a bluff overlooking downtown, Kucinich vowed to make the city safe again by hiring 400 additional police officers, increasing police pay and creating a Cabinet-level civic peace department. As head of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, he said would create a new peace curriculum.
COLUMBUS, GA. (AP)  A 39-year-old man accused of shooting and wounding five people in Alabama and Georgia told police his assaults were racially motivated, and he was targeting white men, a detective testified Monday.

The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported that a police detective testified in a preliminary hearing that Justin Tyran Roberts, who is Black, told police that white men had picked on him and wronged him for all his life.

Basically, he explained throughout his life, specifically white males had taken from him, and also what he described as military-looking white males had taken from him, Detective Brandon Lockhart testified, according to the newspaper.

Police have accused Roberts of shooting five people in three separate assaults in Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama. All victims are expected to recover, Columbus Police Chief Freddie Blackmon said Sunday. The chief added that police found no evidence that Roberts knew any of his victims.

Roberts appeared in court Monday in Columbus for a preliminary hearing in one of those incidents where a man was shot in the back as he was getting into his vehicle.

Lockhart testified that Roberts said, I had to have him, about one of the shooting victims.

Roberts also claimed that such men were shooting at him in a wooded area with a slingshot, and the wounds had infected his skin, Lockhart testified. But he said police saw no injuries to substantiate that.

Public defender Robin King requested a mental health evaluation for Roberts, saying the man was suffering from delusions.

The officers testimony has demonstrated that Mr. Roberts is having delusions and a disconnect from reality, King told the judge.

Judge Julius Hunter found probable cause to send Roberts case to Muscogee Superior Court.

Police said one person was hurt in a shooting Friday night at a hotel in Phenix City. Less than two hours later Friday, three people were shot in Columbus. A fifth person was shot Saturday afternoon.

Phenix City and Columbus sit on opposite sides on the Alabama-Georgia border.

The Columbus police chief sought to reassure people that the downtown business district, known as Uptown, is safe.

Uptown is safe. These recent shooting incidents that occurred in the last 24 hours have been isolated incidents, Blackmon said. We have not received any information that would indicate there was anyone else involved in these shooting incidents other than the person we have in custody.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  North Dakotas oil industry no longer has to ship all its radioactive waste out of state.

A waste disposal facility in McKenzie County has started operating, and more sites could be on the way.

Trucks have hauled nearly 100,000 tons of the radioactive material each year to landfills in other states after various companies failed to win approval to establish a depository in North Dakota. Local residents were concerned about the possible hazards of burying the waste in landfills near their homes.

One company, KT Enterprises, won approval this year to operate a slurry well. It's not a landfill. Radioactive waste is sent underground at a facility near Watford City.

The waste is processed with saltwater, another unwanted byproduct of oil and gas production, and the mixture is then injected down a well 7,500 feet deep into the Minnelusa and Amsden rock formations, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

The disposal method is used in other states, including Louisiana and Alaska.

We had a goal and a vision and felt like this was something we could do to solve this problem, said Keith Norbeck, vice president of KT Enterprises. Companies are starting to send their waste to us. Its really exciting. Its been very, very well-received.

The company has 12 full-time workers who have taken radiation safety training. The site will undergo regular inspections and monitoring by several state agencies tasked with permitting the facility, according to company and state officials.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP)  Costa Rican authorities executed dozens of searches and arrests Monday as part of a sprawling public corruption investigation centered on the awarding of road construction and maintenance contracts.

Walter Espinoza, director of the Judicial Investigation Organization, said it was one of the most impactful public corruption investigations ever.

With bribes ranging from vehicles to properties, cash and personal favors, a group of private companies ensured that public officials helped them win and pad government contracts, Espinoza said.

At 7 a.m. local time, teams of agents began carrying out 57 searches, 14 of them public institutions, including the offices of the president. The searches were aimed at collecting documentary evidence of crimes. Espinoza said authorities would try to arrest 32 people Monday, including 19 public officials, but that 40 more had been identified and cases were still being built against them.

One of the judicial orders was for the arrest of Camilo Saldarriaga, one of President Carlos Alvarado's closest advisers.

Authorities calculated that the scheme created a budget deficit in the roads department of about $127 million between 2018 and 2020. The investigation focused on the National Roadway Council, which is part of the Public Works and Transportation Ministry.

The investigation began in 2019, after some people brought information to authorities showing that public officials were favoring a group of companies in contracting, Espinoza said. Among the companies allegedly involved are Constructora Meco and H. Solis, well-known in Costa Rica for winning government contracts.

Among the alleged crimes were bribery, embezzlement, irregular payments, influence peddling, misuse of funds and illegal association, he said.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A New Orleans prosecutors decision to let a man who committed murder at age 15 seek parole has been upheld by a state appeal court.

Louisianas 4th Circuit Court of Appeal ruled last week that District Attorney Jason Williams had the authority to clear the way for 54-year-old Scott Lingle to seek parole. The appellate ruling said Williams could make the decision despite the objections of the state district judge in the case, who wanted a hearing to be held in her court on the issue.
SEATTLE (AP)  Wildlife officials in Washington state have confirmed wild deer are suffering from an animal disease on the San Juan Islands after several residents reported dozens of strange deer deaths over the past few weeks.

Dr. Kristin Mansfield, a veterinarian for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the disease was identified as adenovirus hemorrhagic disease, The Seattle Times reported Friday.

Residents on the picturesque islands, about 70 miles (112kilometers) northwest of Seattle, reported more than 50 dead deer to state and local wildlife officials since early May. Resident Aimee Beveridge told The Seattle Times on Friday that she discovered three deer in as many weeks on her 10-acre (4-hectare) property.

The disease, which was first discovered in California in 1993, poses no risk to humans. But officials said the way it spreads has been compared to how the coronavirus spreads among humans.

Mansfield said the virus causes the blood vessels to become very leaky and fills the animals' lungs with fluid. She said it is very contagious, spread by direct contact between deer and through the air.

Infected deer can have bloody diarrhea or frothing at the mouth. There is no treatment or cure. Before this year, the disease had been seen in Washington just once in 2017, when about a dozen animals fell ill near Goldendale in Klickitat County, she said.

We just started getting calls of numerous deer dying for no apparent reason, with foam coming out of their mouth, San Juan County Sheriff Ron Krebs said.

He said county officials at first suspected fertilizers and pesticides, but after state officials sent tissue samples to a Washington State University laboratory for testing, the disease was discovered.

The Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab confirmed two cases in San Juan County using PCR molecular testing  the technology used to confirm cases of the coronavirus  and genomic sequencing.

No evidence suggests the virus has jumped to other parts of the state yet.

So far, we havent received suspicious reports from the mainland, though I would not be at all surprised if we do, Mansfield said.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A judge on Monday ordered that the murder trial of New York real estate heir Robert Durst will continue, despite defense requests for a delay because they say he's in such pain that he can't stand up to dress for trial.

Durst was hospitalized and the trial was put on pause Thursday. On Monday, with the Los Angeles County jail system doctors declaring Durst fit for court, Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham ordered that testimony in the trial, which resumed last month after a 14-month pandemic delay, would continue.

The 78-year-old Durst, charged with killing his best friend Susan Berman, appeared in court looking frail in a wheelchair and jail garb, with a catheter attached that he held up to show the judge.

Defense attorneys argued adamantly that the trial should be adjourned again because Durst was in pain, and because he couldn't get into the street clothes he is allowed to wear to avoid prejudicing the jury. The lawyers said Durst had a urinary tract infection as a consequence of bladder cancer, and had undiagnosed health problems that they couldn't name because the jail hospital had denied them information and access to him.

I understand hes in a good amount of pain because of the catheter, Windham said.

Durst's lawyer Dick DeGuerin answered adamantly, It's not just the catheter your honor, hes in chest pain, hes unable to breathe completely."

As testimony resumed, the judge had a blanket put over Durst to cover up his jail clothes and to maintain his dignity to some degree, adding that one doesnt ordinarily meet with the public with a catheter bag in full view.

Durst is on trial for the 2000 killing of Berman at her Los Angeles home. Prosecutors have also been allowed to present evidence that Durst killed his wife, who disappeared in 1982, and that he deliberately killed a Texas man in 2000. Durst has denied killing Berman or having any involvement in his wife's disappearance. He was acquitted in the killing in Texas, which his lawyers argued was an accident.

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin argued Monday that Durst, who fled authorities after two of the deaths, had used countless ploys to avoid facing trial. The prosecutor argued that if anything Durst's appearance hurt the prosecution.

"This doesnt look like someone whos murdered three people," Lewin said.
CAIRO (AP)  Egypts highest criminal court Monday upheld the death sentence for 12 people involved in a 2013 protest by Islamists, including leaders of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, state media reported.

The 12 were convicted and sentenced in a mass trial in 2018 for involvement in a sit-in protest that was violently dispersed by security forces in an operation that left hundreds dead. The case resulted in 739 people being convicted on an array of charges ranging from murder to damaging property.

The Court of Cassation also overturned death sentences for 31 others in the same case, giving them life imprisonment instead, the MENA news agency reported.

The court upheld life sentences for the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Badie, and 46 others. Also upheld Monday were 15-year jail terms for 374 defendants and 10-year imprisonments for 23 others.

All of the sentences, which the court considered on appeal, are final.

The sit-in at a square in a Cairo suburb was staged by supporters of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, who was a member of the Brotherhood. He became Egypts first freely elected president in 2012 but was ousted in July 2013 by the military following days of street protests calling on him to step down.

It is widely believed that breaking up that sit-in and another one in Cairo also staged by Islamists left an estimated 900 people dead. Following the dispersals, Islamists attacked and torched police stations and churches across the country.

The 2018 court ruling included death sentences for 75 defendants, including 44 who were jailed and 31 at large, in a mass trial that drew scathing criticism from rights groups at home and abroad.

Defendants who were tried and sentenced in absentia by the Cairo Criminal Court will be retried once arrested.

Several mass trials of Islamists that yielded dozens of death sentences have been held in Egypt in recent years. Some of the death sentences have been overturned on appeal.

Philip Luther, Amnesty Internationals research and advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa, said Mondays verdict came after a significant spike in executions in Egypt in 2020, making it the worlds third most frequent executioner with 107 executions.

These ruthless death sentences, which were handed down in 2018 after a grossly unfair mass trial, are a stain on the reputation of Egypts highest appeals court and cast a dark shadow over the countrys entire justice system, he said.

At least 51 men and women have been executed this year so far, he said.
MONTCLAIR, Calif. (AP)  The FBI has joined the investigation into a minivan explosion that caused a brief power outage in a Southern California neighborhood early Monday, authorities said.

Police said no injuries were reported in the blast that tore the roof off the van around 12:10 a.m. in Montclair, about 35 miles (56 km) east of Los Angeles.
NAVARRE BEACH, Fla. (AP)  Police searching for a missing toddler in the Florida Panhandle found her drowned in a canal near her home and charged the 1-year-old girl's father with negligent manslaughter, news outlets reported Monday.

Tracy Potter, 29, of Navarre Beach, was arrested early Monday and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail where he was being held without bond.
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (AP)  A small town in Florida accidentally sold its water tower in a blundered real estate transaction.

A businessman purchased a municipal building underneath the city of Brooksville's water tower last April for $55,000 with the goal of converting it into a gym. However, when Bobby Read went to the county to get an address for his new business location, he was told the parcel he bought included the entire water tower site, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Luckily for the town, Read was willing to give it back. County records show he transferred the water tower back to Brooksville through a warranty deed last month. The town of 8,500 residents is located 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Tampa.

I dont know where the blame falls here, said Blake Bell, a city council member. Were council members and we rely on the city manager. We assume that he has done his due diligence."

City Manager Mark Kutney blamed the use of a bad legal description for what happened. The city's redevelopment agency director resigned after the accidental sale.

Were human, Kutney said. Sometimes we make a mistake.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  As the sun set behind an overcast sky in early December, deepening the cold of the late afternoon, Jesse Rennich stood in line with about 30 others before an Adopt-a-Block food distribution drop at Tatley Place in south Bismarck.

Dressed in jeans and wearing a hoodie under an open flannel shirt, Rennich held onto the cold metal handle of a child-size red wagon with a gloveless hand. He used the wagon to transport what would amount to three meals for his family.

As a part-time worker, Rennich had been coming to the distribution site for several months.

It helps supplement our food, said Rennich, who lives with his girlfriend and 3-year-old daughter. Its hard asking for help. Its a subject thats uncomfortable to talk about.

But hunger also is a problem that has grown amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Bismarck Tribune reported.

America is the breadbasket of the world and North Dakota does its part filling up that basket, with the state ranking at the top in the production of 11 food commodities ranging from pinto beans to spring wheat. But even in the land of plenty, many still struggle to keep food in their refrigerators and kitchen cupboards.

Hunger hides in plain sight, said Melissa Sobolik, president of Great Plains Food Bank, a not-for-profit organization that distributes millions of pounds of food each year to hunger-relief efforts in 99 communities across North Dakota and into eastern Minnesota. No one wants to admit that theyre hungry or ask for help, but its out there.

So is help. Several efforts in the Bismarck region look to take a big bite out of the problem of food insecurity.

Food insecurity is not having access to enough food to live an active, healthy life. Low income, debt, unemployment, disability, homelessness, food price increases, age and environment all can play a role. The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the problem.

More than 50 million people have experienced food insecurity during the pandemic, up from 35 million in 2019, according to the Feeding America nonprofit, the nations largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported in March that as many as 9 million children live in a household where they dont eat enough because the parents cant afford it. North Dakota isnt immune -- an estimated 42,000 adults in the state, including 14,000 adults living with children, werent eating sufficiently late last year because they couldnt afford it.

One in six people in the Great Plains Food Bank distribution area deals with hunger, compared to one in nine nationwide, according to Feeding America.

Fargo-based Great Plains -- North Dakotas only food bank -- has served nearly 200 million meals in its four-decade existence. But officials in 2008 discovered gaps in efforts to reach more children, seniors and people living in rural areas known as food deserts. That led to the creation of seven direct service programs such as a mobile food pantry and a weekend food backpack program for students.

We saw large gaps in service geography-wise and in children that are going underfed and seniors who are saving their gas money in order to drive long distances to the nearest food pantry instead of buying their medications, Sobolik said. We had heard a lot of stories from teachers and counselors that when kids were coming to school on Monday morning they hadnt eaten since Friday lunch. We knew that there was something that had to be done.

One of the goals of the $5.1 million Feed the Future fundraising campaign was to expand food distribution by opening a regional service center in Bismarck. The 10,000-square-foot warehouse opened late last year and is expected to distribute 1.5 million pounds of food in the coming year across central and western North Dakota.

The opening of the warehouse came as the food bank saw a 44% increase in meals served amid the pandemic. One of the benefits of the new facility is better serving of rural areas with the addition of the Mobile Food Pantry. In April food deliveries were made to Steele, Linton and Lincoln.

Not only have we seen an increase in the food that we need to bring in, but our clientele jumped, Sobolik said. We are hearing stories and having people come to us for the very first time in their lives. Theyve been food bank donors in the past, they have done food drives and now they need a little bit of assistance to help them get back on their feet.

The food bank last year witnessed an unprecedented need for food assistance -- a 39% increase in both pounds of food distributed and meals provided, and a 42% surge in the number of people receiving meals.

We knew that it was a difficult year for so many, Sobolik said. But this really puts things in perspective.

The onset of the pandemic in mid-March 2020 brought the economy to a near-standstill, with schools and businesses closed and people encouraged to stay at home. Surplus food quickly became scarce.

Retailers obviously couldnt keep food on their shelves so they didnt have it to donate, and all of the companies that sell their products to grocery stores and retailers, they couldnt keep it on their shelves, Sobolik said. So we just didnt have the donations coming in that we historically had in the past.

The food bank as a temporary remedy used money donations and grants to buy food products at market price. The cost is substantial, with three to five semitrailer loads of food purchased every month since March 2020 at a cost of $25,000 to $35,000 per truck load.

We have this commitment and this burning desire to make sure that no one goes hungry, Sobolik said. It has meant a shift in operations and even a shift in priorities for our entire organization, but we just know that this is what we are here to do and we are proud that we can still help so many people who are struggling right now.

Compassion also is a hallmark of Jim Barnhardt, co-owner of J & R Vacuum and Sewing in downtown Bismarck. In 2016, he and his wife, Cindy, attended a Pentecostal church convention in Hawaii with other members of the New Song Church from Bismarck.

I woke up at 5 in the morning and I had meal ministry with services to help those in need just planted in my brain, Barnhardt said. It didnt really seem like a dream. I didnt know what it was. So I asked my wife Cindy and she said you know what that is Jim, and you need to follow it.

On June 19, 2019, Barnhardt began Adopt-a-Block, a food distribution program in Bismarck. In the first week it served 45 families. In June 2020, the program was serving around 200 people a week after expanding to six locations in Bismarck-Mandan, Barnhardt said. By November that number was more than 2,700 people.

Now, the Barnhardts are adopting the model of the Los Angeles-based Dream Center network, which provides aid in the areas of hunger, domestic violence, human trafficking and addiction in 29 states and 11 countries.

The couple along with about 100 supporters and community leaders last month celebrated the groundbreaking of a two-story, 24,000-square-foot Dream Center facility in southeast Bismarck.

The $3.1 million Dream Center will house a chapel, meeting rooms, a community food pantry, a warehouse for Adopt-a-Block food, a multipurpose center, and a kitchen and dining room for The Banquet community meals. The Banquet is a non-denominational outreach ministry for people in need in Bismarck-Mandan that serves meals four days a week. Jim Barnhardt, who serves as the nonprofits board chairman, plans on expanding the meals to seven days.

What we essentially put together was the idea of doing an Adopt-a-Block but taking the approach that the vision that I had was for food in general, Barnhardt said.

But taking food donations to people and families in lower-income neighborhoods is still foremost in Barnhardts mind.

If they know there is food in their cupboards, if we can get past those basic necessities, then they can think, Well, I dont have to struggle from week to week or day to day, he said.

Most of the food donations come from Great Plains Food Bank, and from surplus donations from Cash Wise Foods, Natural Grocers, Costco and Dans Supermarket.

While leaving the food distribution site at Jeannette Myhre Elementary School in January, roommates Katie Fulcher and Sabrina Kraus pull a pair of suitcases with boxes of food in each.

We are very grateful, Fulcher said. It really helps when you are in between. This will fill our fridge.

Each week as Barnhardt trucks food to the designated sites, he sees his vision coming together.

I feel like Im part of the solution, he said. God asked me to do this, and so Im following the lead there and Im following doors as they open. But I see so many opportunities to help people in need by forming the connections that are truly there.

The community center in the small Standing Rock Indian Reservation community of Cannon Ball also is a connecting point.

On a cold, snowy December day, the Rev. Antone American Horse and several volunteers turned the large parking lot in front of the center into a staging point to distribute free boxes of food to an increasing number of people on and off the reservation reeling from the pandemic and food insecurity.

Throughout the course of the day, people arrived in pickup trucks with trailers, cars, SUVs or by foot to take boxes of fresh food.

The Trump administration initiated the Farmers to Families Food Box program in May 2020 in response to the pandemic. The Agriculture Department oversees the $6 billion effort that aims to aid both struggling farmers and hungry people. More than 240 organizations across the country have distributed about 166 million food boxes containing fresh produce, dairy products, meat and seafood.

The nonprofit relief agency Wings as Eagles Ministries, based out of the Dream Center in Porcupine, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, was responsible for distributing food boxes to several reservations in the Dakotas and Wyoming. American Horse, a long-time Cannon Ball resident, was contacted by the ministry to oversee the distribution of the food on Standing Rock.

People are happy to have it, he said. I dont put a limit on anybody. I tell people to take it and give it to someone who needs it.

During a November food distribution, Sandi and Craig Imberi made the 70-mile trip from Mobridge, South Dakota, to Cannon Ball in their pickup pulling a utility trailer.

This is amazing, Sandi Imberi said as they loaded dozens of boxes onto the trailer to distribute. The need in Mobridge is huge.

Karen Heck, who volunteers to deliver food boxes to Fort Rice and Mandan, pulled her car alongside the pallet of boxes and asked if she could take 10.

I think its been a blessing for so many people, she said. When I gave one fellow a box, he just hugged it.

The problem of food insecurity -- which has existed around the world for centuries -- has no easy solution.

If food alone was the answer, we would have solved it by now, said Sobolik, with Great Plains Food bank. Because there is enough food produced in the U.S. to feed every single person but not everyone has access to it. I think its a bigger, broader solution that involves the food system from start to finish. To making sure people have access and that they can afford the food.

It might tie a little bit into poverty as well, she said. I dont know that if we can solve one without solving the other.

Barnhardt, with Adopt-A-Block, said the answer might lie with instilling better morals in children.

If the kids have an opportunity to see what either is normal or at least what should be normal, we can affect the next generation, he said.

Jena Gullo, executive director of the Missouri Slope Areawide United Way, said access to food is the easy part of the food insecurity answer.

The second part is much more complex -- its targeting the root causes of generational poverty and breaking that cycle, she said. We as a community have to have better coordination of services and improved access so that people can get the right kind of help that they need at the right time. Then we can prevent a lot of bigger issues like hunger and homelessness from happening in the first place.
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia is establishing a therapeutic foster care program to provide specialized treatment for children with an assortment of behavioral, mental and developmental challenges.

The state is providing $6.7 million to begin the program that Tom Rawlings, director of the Division of Family and Children Services, called a pilot initiative that he hopes will expand in the future. A similar program existed over a decade ago, and Rawlings and other advocates see its return as a major step toward strengthening welfare services for children with intense treatment needs.

There is this, I believe, very special population of children with very severe emotional issues, often co-occurring autism spectrum and mental health issues, and we as a state really have to develop a more specialized system, Rawlings said. And I think that this is a major step toward that.

Therapeutic foster care differs from traditional foster care in several ways. Children placed in a therapeutic care home have individualized care needs that often arise from past trauma. Foster parents in a therapeutic program are trained to handle these challenges and provide around-the-clock care. Children in this program also receive crucial treatment services, usually involving therapy.

Rawlings said the program fills a gap in care for children. He said it serves as a needed step-down service for a child who may no longer need inpatient care at a psychiatric treatment facility, but would not receive adequate treatment in a traditional foster care setting with less-trained caregivers.

Juanita Stedman, executive director of the child advocacy group Together Georgia, said that without the therapeutic option, these children often get moved around in the foster care system or are left without any care at all.

What I know, and we all know now, is that every time you move a child, the trauma that it causes is just horrific, Stedman said. And you know, you have kids that sometimes have been moved seven or eight times.

Advocates for therapeutic foster care say the program cuts down on this movement by providing foster parents with training that equips them to handle the many challenges that arise when caring for these children. They say this creates a more stable environment better suited for longer term placement and care. However, the intense nature of the care required can make it a challenge to recruit foster parents for the program.

Its a lifestyle for our parents. They have to be very dedicated because they are truly the changemakers, said Sally Buchanon, CEO of Creative Community Services. You can have therapy, you can have all of our workers in there, but those parents are with them 24/7, so it makes a big difference.

Buchanons agency, Creative Community Services, is one of the only agencies in Georgia that has provided therapeutic foster care since 2007. Prior to 2007, a statewide program existed, but the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unbundled child placement and child treatment services. In effect, this meant that child placement agencies could not provide therapeutic services with Medicaid dollars, which left most of the agencies without the resources to deliver crucial in-home care.

But Buchanon said dozens of agencies in Georgia have remained interested in providing therapeutic foster care and will jump at the opportunity once the states new program is up and running. She said that the specialized care provided for each child limits how many children an agency can take in, so the enthusiasm from many different groups will help make sure any child in need of therapeutic foster care can get treatment.

Division Director Rawlings said he expects the enthusiasm shown by child placement agencies will be matched by community members willing to take on the role of a therapeutic foster care parent.

In my experience in child welfare over the years, I have seen that there are individuals who have a very special talent for doing this, who really have a heart for this work, Rawlings said. And I believe that well have plenty of folks who will step up to the plate and do it.

Georgia lawmakers put $6.7 million in the state budget that starts July 1, after being told the appropriation would leverage additional federal funding and the program eventually would save the state money by reducing the burden on other programs.

The new program must be approved by the federal government to receive Medicaid funding, but it could begin by January, serving as many as 500 children. As the state moves beyond the pilot project, Rawlings said he hopes more than 1,200 in the foster care program could be helped. Currently, the state has 11,000 foster care children.

This prospect has many foster care advocates excited about the future, but there are still some concerns about the states overall approach to child welfare. Amy Rene, vice president of clinical programs at Hillside Atlanta, said therapeutic foster care is a step in the right direction, but that Georgia needs to put more emphasis on keeping children united with their families in the first place.

We need to really look at what kinds of kids really need to be put in foster care, Rene said. Are there a set of services that we can put in to teach parents how to parent their child with behavioral health needs?

Rawlings echoed that sentiment and said he hopes to implement more services to create a continuum of care for a child at any level of need. These could range from intensive outpatient services to in-home intervention care aimed at keeping children in parental custody. For now, though, his team is focused squarely on finalizing therapeutic foster care plans and making the program available to children beginning next year.

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This story was produced by Fresh Take Georgia, a news service of the Center for Sustainable Journalism at Kennesaw State University. The reporter can be reached at aharrah@freshtakegeorgia.org.
BERLIN (AP)  A German woman has gone on trial accused of killing five of her six children in a case that caused widespread shock in Germany last year.

Christiane K., whose full surname wasn't released for privacy reasons, appeared Monday before a regional court in the western city of Wuppertal, declining to answer any of the judges' questions.
BERLIN (AP)  German authorities have launched proceedings against Telegram that could see the messenger app's operators fined for failing to abide by laws requiring social media sites to police their users' actions.

German magazine Der Spiegel reported over the weekend that officials believe use of the Telegram app has reached a threshold where it can be treated in the same way as Facebook, Twitter and TikTok when it comes to requiring cooperation with German authorities.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)  After giving out more than 600,000 shots over five months, the mass coronavirus vaccination site at Gillette Stadium is closing its doors on Monday.

The site opened in January by administering shots to first responders and health care workers, then opened to the general public.

We knew that just like there was a ramp-up period in vaccinating all the people, eventually we would ramp down," Rodrigo Martinez of CIC Health, which runs the site, told WBZ-TV. That was the goal, the mission was to be able to vaccinate as many people as possible, as safely, efficiently, and also have them have a great experience at the stadium as they come through and I think weve done that.

By the time it closes at 6 p.m., about 610,000 doses will have been administered there.

The state is gradually shutting down its mass vaccination sites over the next few weeks in favor of smaller targeted vaccination clinics.

The sites at the Hynes Convention Center and Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Natick and Danvers are all set to close by the end of June. The Springfield and Dartmouth sites are scheduled to close by mid-July.

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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS

The number of new daily cases of COVID-19 increased by more than 40 on Monday while the number of newly confirmed coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts rose by eight.

The new numbers pushed the states confirmed COVID-19 death toll to 17,584 since the start of the pandemic, while its confirmed caseload rose to about 662,855.

The true number of cases is likely higher because studies suggest some people can be infected and not feel sick.

There were about 140 people reported hospitalized Monday because of confirmed cases of COVID-19, with about 40 in intensive care units.

The average age of those hospitalized was 60. There were an estimated 2,600 people with current active cases of COVID-19 in the state.

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IMMUNIZATIONS

Nearly 8.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Massachusetts as of Monday.

That includes nearly 4.3 million first doses and more than 3.7 million second doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

There have been more than 264,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine administered.

More than 3.9 million people have been fully immunized.

Gov. Charlie Baker has set a goal of 4.1 million people in the state fully vaccinated.
DETROIT (AP)  The president of General Motors says his company plans to announce more U.S. battery factories later this week.

Mark Reuss gave no details of where the factories would be located or exactly what they would manufacture. He spoke in a weekend interview with The Associated Press at an IndyCar race on an island park near downtown Detroit.

Company spokesman Jim Cain wouldn't comment Monday on the announcements, but noted GM previously stated it would build more factories to add battery capacity as electric vehicles grow in sales. GM has set a goal to stop selling internal-combustion passenger vehicles by 2035.

In the next week we'll announce some more, and it will be here in the U.S., Reuss said of the new battery factories.

The factories would be in addition to two battery cell plants that the company announced in the past two years, both geared to ramp up production as GM rolls out 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2025, with more than two-thirds sold in North America.

GM and joint venture partner LG Energy Solution already have announced battery cell factories in Lordstown, Ohio, near Cleveland, and Spring Hill, Tennessee. The company is investing $2.3 billion to build each of the facilities. Lordstown is expected to open next year and employ 1,100 workers, while Spring Hill is to open in 2023 and employ 1,300. It's likely the new battery plants would employ similar numbers of people, but Cain wouldn't comment on numbers.

The two plants under construction would send cells to five factories where GM plans to build electric vehicles. But the two factories can't make enough to feed all of the plants if sales rise.

The EV assembly plants are in Detroit-Hamtramck, Michigan; Orion Township, Michigan; Spring Hill, Tennessee; Ingersoll, Ontario; and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. It's likely that the new battery plants would be close to at least some of the assembly factories.

Electric vehicles now amount to less than 2% of U.S. new vehicle sales, but they are rising and projected to grow as more manufacturers roll out additional models and the U.S. government comes out with expanded tax credits and other incentives to buy them.

Bank of America analyst John Murphy on Monday raised his EV forecast to 7% of new vehicle sales in 2025 and 20% in 2030. Under a bullish-case estimate that includes a $10,000 federal tax credit (up from $7,500 currently with a 200,000 vehicle cap), Murphy predicts EV sales could be 25% of the U.S. market in 2025 and 50% in 2030. U.S. new vehicle sales typically run around 17 million per year.

President Joe Biden has proposed spending billions on electric vehicle incentives and to build 500,000 charging stations by 2030.

Last month GM said it would support efforts by the United Auto Workers union to organize employees at the Lordstown and Spring Hill battery plants. Previously the company had said the joint venture with LG, called Ultium LLC, would decide on a bargaining strategy.
NEW YORK (AP)  A gun that someone threw out of a bus landed outside a campaign office of New York City mayoral candidate and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, authorities said.

The incident started at around 1:45 p.m. Sunday when two men got into an argument aboard a city bus on Nostrand Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, police said.
HONOLULU (AP)  Police on the Big Island said an officer shot and killed a man who came out of a house and opened fire on officers responding to a domestic violence call.

When patrol officers arrived at the Hilo home Sunday night, a man came out of the rear of the residence and opened fire on the officers, the Hawaii Police Department said in a news release.

One officer returned fire and hit the man several times, police said.

The man was identified as Ryan Y. Santos, 34. He died at the scene, police said, and an autopsy will be conducted.

Santos fired more than 30 rounds from two different rifles, Chief Paul Ferreira said Monday. Some rounds hit four police vehicles and a neighboring home, he said.

Ferreira said in an email he anticipates releasing on Tuesday footage from the camera worn by the officer who fired, which is the most relevant and is being reviewed first.

Footage from the other officers' body cameras will available as they are reviewed and redacted, he said. The redaction involves blocking out the facial features of other family members and officers involved, also the mentioning of any officers' names.

This was the department's first officer-involved shooting this year and the first fatal one since 2018, Ferreira said.

During the shooting, a 91-year-old relative of Santos appeared to go into cardiac arrest, police said. He was taken to the Hilo Medical Center emergency room, where he was later pronounced dead. An autopsy will determine the exact cause of death.

The officers involved have been put on administrative leave and have not yet been publicly identified. The department is investigating.
ALPENA, Mich. (AP)  At age 16, Emily Weiss left her home.

Family issues made it too hard for her to stay, so she moved in with her sister, 24 years her senior.

Like Weiss, now 19, hundreds of children and teens in Northeast Michigan live in other peoples homes, shelters, or places not fit for human habitation, according to The Alpena News.

While homeless families contend with financial hardships and a shortage of affordable housing, scores of local housing advocates are poised to provide counseling, connections, and encouragement to help young people in Northeast Michigan get back into homes  if only those families know such services exist, advocates say.

Meanwhile, Weiss worries about a couch-surfing friend who doesnt have a stable place to stay.

Its not like I can say, Hey, come over to my house, Weiss said. Its not my house.

Homeless kids dont always look homeless, according to Vicki Denstaedt, Alpena McKinney Vento Consortium homeless liaison and grant coordinator, who connects students in Alpena, Alcona, Atlanta, and Hillman schools to homeless services.

Instead of literally living on the streets, homeless families in Northeast Michigan may stay with other families, crowd into a hotel room, or live in campers, Denstaedt said.

Currently, 266 Northeast Michigan children, from newborns through high school seniors, qualify for homeless services  probably an undercount in a rural area where the lack of anonymity discourages families from admitting they need help, Denstaedt said.

Some lost their homes because of financial hardships. For some, divorces or other separation led to homelessness.

In the past year, Denstaedt saw a spike in families moving back to the area to live with relatives after jobs disappeared elsewhere.

A local shortage of affordable housing makes finding a home even harder, Denstaedt said.

More than 900 people already live in the 681 subsidized and government-owned housing units in Northeast Michigan  and few are moving, landlords say. When rentals do become available, the cost often puts a deep dent in renters pocketbooks, especially for families with kids, who need bigger rentals that come at a higher cost.

Despite employers pleas for more workers, some parents cant take a job because child care is scarce and pricey, Denstaedt said. When parents cant pay the rent, parents sometimes send kids to live with grandparents who live on a limited income, themselves, and struggle to pay for expenses like backpacks and sport participation fees.

More than 50 agencies in the area  from the Alpena Housing Commission to the Alpena Senior Citizens Center, the Human Services Coordinating Council to the Michigan Works! Association  unite their efforts to help children, Denstaedt said.

We get a huge grin from ear to ear when theyve made it into a home, Denstaedt said.

Compass North, a program through Child and Family Services of Northeast Michigan, helps homeless young people aged 16 to 21 find a place to live and teaches them the skills needed for independent living.

The program has helped 42 homeless young people since its start in 2017, according to Stephanie Dettloff, the agencys executive director.

With their parents consent, teens in the program live in a host home, with a stipend for their host provided by Compass North.

Ten Compass North participants have found their own apartment. Five reunified with their parents. Other former participants moved in with friends or joined the military, and one moved into a college dorm.

More than half of the programs participants are stably employed.

Weiss credits the program with giving her support she needed to keep her life on track, despite homelessness.

She just graduated from Alpena High School with both a high school diploma and an associate degree, thanks to the schools early college program, and will attend college this fall.

When you had it not easy, you know what you want to achieve, said Weiss, encouraging other homeless young people to look past the struggles of their current situations. There is more. And you can do it.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court is leaving in place the convictions of two men who as members of a white supremacist group participated in a white nationalist rally in Virginia in 2017 that turned violent.

The high court said Monday that it would not take the case of Michael Miselis or Benjamin Daley, who participated in the rally as members of the Rise Above Movement, or RAM. Both pleaded guilty to federal rioting charges in connection with the Virginia rally.
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  Protesters and human rights officials urged lawmakers in Hungary on Monday to reject legislation banning any content portraying or promoting homosexuality or sex reassignment to anyone under 18.

Thousands of LGBT activists and others demonstrated in front of the Parliament in Budapest in the evening, chanting we are here! as they urged lawmakers to abandon plans for the bills.

We have a lot to do before tomorrows vote: We have to tell, we have to write to every member of Parliament, why this bill is anti-child, anti-family and anti-human, David Vig, director of Hungarys branch of Amnesty International, told those gathered.

Fidesz, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative ruling party, presented the legislation last week and plans to vote on the bills Tuesday. They include a measure aimed at fighting pedophilia along with other amendments prohibiting transmitting information about LGBT people or same-sex relationships to youth.

Fidesz describes the legislation as an effort to protect children from pedophilia.

But Lydia Gall, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said equating sexual and gender diversity with pedophilia hurt the dignity of LGBT people and risked putting them in danger.

Gall called the legislation a cynical, distasteful and deliberate attempt by the Orban government to trample the rights of LGBT people and essentially make them invisible in Hungarian society.

Dunja Mijatovic, the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights body, asked Hungarian lawmakers to reject the legislation.

I urge you to remain vigilant against such initiatives to push through measures that limit human rights or stigmatize ... some members of society, Mijatovic said in a statement Monday.

The Hungarian amendments would outlaw any depiction or discussion of different gender identity and sexual orientation in public, including in schools and the media.

Some human rights groups have compared the planned ban to a discriminatory 2013 Russian law banning so-called gay propaganda, widely viewed as a tool of discrimination.

Mijatovic said such legislation reinforces prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. She also argued that international human rights groups have established that young people have a right to comprehensive sex education, which is not possible if there is a ban on any discussion of LGBT issues.

The proposed legislative amendments run counter to international and European human rights standards. It is misleading and false to claim that they are being introduced to protect children, she said.

The legislation is expected to be approved, given that Fidesz has a majority.

The opposition in Hungary is divided on the matter.

The right-wing Jobbik party said Monday it plans to vote for the anti-pedophilia bill and amendments, despite what it said were some flaws, because it agrees that the promotion of gender change and all kinds of sexual orientations shouldnt be allowed in schools.

Other parties plan to boycott the vote. The center-left Democratic Coalition said it would boycott the entire Tuesday session to protest Fideszs hate-mongering" and "discriminatory politics.
ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (AP)  IBM has filed a civil lawsuit against the company it sold a manufacturing plant to for $1.5 billion over an alleged breach of contract because the company never produced the microchips it promised in the sale.

The lawsuit filed in New York State court said IBM sold GlobalFoundries its Essex Junction microchip plant and paid the company $1.5 billion to manufacture high-performance microchips that are essential to its business, The Burlington Free Press reported Friday.

IBM said it wants the $1.5 billion back plus damages because GlobalFoundries hasn't complied with the terms of their agreement. IBM alleges GlobalFoundries has misused the funds and ultimately never produced the product.

GlobalFoundries spokesperson Laurie Kelly said on June 11 that the IBM allegations are meritless and (GlobalFoundries) is confident the court will agree.

IBM declined the Burlington Free Press's request for an interview.

In statement the company said that GlobalFoundries, which is based in Dubai, assured IBM over years that it would fulfill the commitments in their agreement but, GlobalFoundries instead abruptly and without any justification walked away from IBM while IBM was reliant on GlobalFoundries.

The Essex Junction plant, located 7 miles from the city of Burlington, is important to the state's economy.

After the finalized Essex Junction sale, GlobalFoundries said it would not develop the smaller-sized chips IBM wanted. The company began manufacturing larger-sized microchips that IBM disapproved of as a substitute, the lawsuit said.

Not long after, GlobalFoundries halted all production on high-performance technology, including the microchips.

IBM claims that the company assurances to develop high-performance microchips were false and intended to deceive IBM, the lawsuit said.

The companies halted all communication with each other in the summer of 2018.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday that she has sought authorization to open an investigation into the Philippine governments deadly crackdown on drug crime.

Fatou Bensouda said that a preliminary probe she opened in February 2018 determined that there is a reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder has been committed in the Philippines between July 1, 2016 and March 16, 2019, the date the Philippines withdrew from the court.

The suspected crimes happened in the context of the government of Philippines war on drugs campaign, Bensouda said in a statement.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced in March 2018 that the Philippines was withdrawing its ratification of the treaty that created the ICC. The decision came into force a year later.

But Bensouda stressed that the court still has jurisdiction over crimes that allegedly happened while the country was still a member of the court.

Bensouda, whose nine-year term as the courts chief prosecutor ends this week, said that information gathered in the preliminary probe indicates that members of the Philippine National Police, and others acting in concert with them, have unlawfully killed between several thousand and tens of thousands of civilians during that time.

She said prosecutors also reviewed allegations of torture and other inhumane acts, and related events dating back to Nov. 1, 2011, all of which we believe require investigation.

When he announced he was going to withdraw from the court, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended his drug crackdown, saying in a 15-page statement that it is lawfully directed against drug lords and pushers who have for many years destroyed the present generation, specially the youth.

Judges at the global court have 120 days to issue a decision on the prosecutors request.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Illinois public health officials on Monday reported the lowest daily cases of coronavirus since March 2020.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports 165 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, including 9 additional deaths. The preliminary test positivity rate from June 7-13 is 1.1%. The state has seen nearly 1.39 million COVID-19 cases, including 23,070 deaths.

Public health officials say nearly 69% of adults in Illinois have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose with 52% of adults being fully vaccinated. Officials also noted 627 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 176 patients in intensive care units and 91 on ventilators.

Health officials also announced they will stop issuing daily coronavirus updates as the state continues to see lower infection rates and fewer reported cases and deaths. Instead, the Public Health Department will issue a news release on Friday's, with data on the website being updated every weekday.

The immediate threat of the ongoing pandemic has decreased at this time, and the cadence of updates is being scaled back to reflect this change, said Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the states health department

The state will distribute its first weekly update this Friday, with daily updates ending immediately.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina appeals court judge accused of nearly striking Black Lives Matter protesters in downtown Fayetteville with an SUV has had his case dismissed because prosecutors said they could not find evidence of a crime.

A document issued Friday by Cumberland County District Court said prosecutors found no credible evidence that a crime was committed" by Court of Appeals Judge John Tyson, who was scheduled to appear in court this month on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP)  Flowers were laid on rusty railway tracks Monday as Lithuania marked the start of a mass deportation 80 years ago by the Soviet Union that was occupying the Baltic nation.

People who were considered opposed to Moscow or deemed counter-revolutionary elements were sent to Siberia from Lithuania and few returned. Others who owned land or houses were evicted and sent there too.

Some 280,000 people were eventually deported to the Siberian gulags, a year after Soviet troops had occupied Lithuania. Many of those sent away never returned from the long journey in the cattle wagons.

Two evil forces  Nazi Germany and the Soviet Communist regime  had entered a secret agreement to divide Europe, President Gitanas Nauseda said during a solemn ceremony in Vilnius, on a day considered one of the darkest pages in the Baltic nations recent history. These regimes caused unspeakable pain and suffering.

One of those attending the ceremony Monday was deported and spent almost 11 years in Siberia. Aurelija Staponkute and her family were deported only because they had a small farm that was seized.

We do not know what the future might bring. Whatever happens, we must protect our freedom. After all, we fought for it so hard, the 83-year-old said.

Only one-third of those deported ever returned, according to historians, and the mass deportation affected all walks of life in the Baltic nation, where it's considered a genocide by an occupying power.

The Soviet occupation of Lithuania lasted for five decades. After regaining its independence in 1991, Lithuania joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The Maine Legislature on Monday approved a proposal to ban aerial spraying of some herbicides in the state's forests.

The proposal, introduced by Democratic Senate President Troy Jackson, would stop the aerial spraying of glyphosate and other synthetic herbicides as a forest management strategy. Glyphosate is a widely-used weed killer and is the active ingredient in Roundup.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  Maine lawmakers want to strengthen lead testing in school drinking water.

The Maine Legislature has been considering a proposal to decrease the standard for lead in drinking water from 15 parts per billion to four parts per billion. The Maine House of Representatives unanimously approved of the proposal on June 7 and sent it to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.

Lead exposure in children has been linked to slowed growth, hearing problems, anemia and other health problems. Rep. Michele Meyer, the bill's sponsor and a Democrat, said lead is dangerous at all levels and the state must substantially lower the levels of lead in our students' drinking water.

Supporters of the proposal cited a 2018 report from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services that called lead poisoning one of the major environmental health threats for children in Maine. The report said nearly 400 children were identified as suffering lead poisoning in 2017.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  The Maine House voted Monday to eliminate the states secretive fusion center created in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to ensure data is shared among law enforcement agencies.

The 88-54 vote followed a whistleblower lawsuit and legislative scrutiny of the center, which was accused of gathering and storing intelligence on gun buyers, power line protesters and employees of a camp for Israeli and Arab teens. Further votes would be necessary to close the center, which is an arm of the Maine State Police.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  A Portland, Oregon, man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree arson for starting a dumpster fire near the citys North Precinct during a protest.

Authorities say Gavaughn Street-Hillerich, 23, was recorded intentionally setting fire to a large dumpster near the exterior of the police precinct on June 26, 2020. The dumpster was pushed up against plywood on the windows, which had been installed to protect windows and prevent break-ins, according to the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A managed care company has agreed to pay Mississippi $55.5 million to settle a lawsuit that accused one of its subsidiaries of overcharging the state's Medicaid program for pharmacy benefits management.

Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Auditor Shad White announced Monday that the state had reached the settlement with Centene Corp., which it called the largest Medicaid managed care organization in the U.S.

This settlement makes clear that the days of hiding behind a convoluted flow of money and numbers are over, Fitch said in a news release.

The agreement represents one of the largest civil settlements following an investigation by the state auditor's office in Mississippi history.

Health plans hire pharmacy benefit managers to try to control costs in prescription programs. Among other duties, the management companies create lists of preferred drugs and negotiate rebates with pharmaceutical companies.

The Mississippi auditor's office began investigating Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, Inc., a company owned by Centene, in 2019 based on suspicions that pharmacy benefits managers were charging the state more for services than allowed by a price cap, state officials said.

"Mississippi taxpayers deserve to get what they paid for when the state spends money on prescription drugs, and we will stand up for the taxpayers if they do not get a square deal, White said in the news release.

Centene said in its own news release that it had reached no-fault agreements with Mississippi and Ohio over pharmacy benefits management work done by Envolve. It said the settlement with Ohio was for $88 million.

The practices described in the settlement focus on the structure and processes of Envolve, primarily during 2017 and 2018. In the settlements, the Company denies any liability for these practices, the Centene news release said.

Besides the $55.5-million settlement, the agreement with Mississippi calls for the company to provide full transparency related to the adjudication and payment of all pharmacy benefit claims," state officials said. That includes providing information for the Division of Medicaid to discern the amount paid for each pharmaceutical claim.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Investment adviser and West Point graduate Greg Zanetti of Albuquerque says he'll seek the Republican nomination for governor of New Mexico in next year's election.

In a news release Monday, Zanetti said he wants to restore some dignity and principled leadership to the governor's office.

Zanetti said he wants to work with local officials to reduce crime rates and improve schools, though he did not provide detailed proposals.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is running for reelection in 2022 on her handling of the pandemic, tax breaks for working families and increases in spending on public education. She has signed legislation that legalizes recreational marijuana, emphasizes gun safety, shores up abortion rights and scales up financial incentives to businesses.

Zanetti lost a bid for lieutenant governor in 1994 to Walter Bradley, who won the general election alongside Gov. Gary Johnson.

He sought the GOP nomination for governor in 2010 but dropped out before the primary. That was another good year for Republicans with the election of GOP Gov. Susana Martinez to succeed a termed-out Democrat.

In recent years, Zanetti has nurtured a public following on local radio with regular appearances to provide financial advice.

He was the Republican Party county chairman in the Albuquerque area, and he organized advocacy against abortion access and against labor-union membership requirements in collective bargaining.

Other contenders for the Republican nomination include Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block.

Zanetti grew up in Albuquerque and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1980 to serve six years on active duty. He later entered the National Guard and was deployed in 2005 as a brigadier general to a task force that oversees the detention center at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed state regulators' key approvals of Enbridge Energys Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project, in a dispute that drew over 1,000 protesters to northern Minnesota last week.

A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that the states independent Public Utilities Commission correctly granted Enbridge the certificate of need and route permit that the Canadian-based company needed to begin construction on the 337-mile (542-kilometer) Minnesota segment of a larger project to replace a 1960s-era crude oil pipeline that has deteriorated and can run at only half capacity.

Pipeline opponents said they are considering an appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, but that their main focus is trying to persuade President Joe Biden to intervene and the continuing protests. The Biden administration hasn't taken a clear position on Line 3, but a legal challenge is pending in federal court on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of a wetlands permit that activists say should be withdrawn.

Tribal and climate change groups, plus the state Department of Commerce, had asked the appeals court to reject the approvals. They argued that Enbridges oil demand projections failed to meet the legal requirements. But the court said there was reasonable evidence to support the PUC's decision.

With an existing, deteriorating pipeline carrying crude oil through Minnesota, there was no option without environmental consequences, wrote Judge Lucinda Jesson, joined by Judge Michael Kirk. The challenge: to balance those harms. There was no option without impacts on the rights of Indigenous peoples. The challenge: to alleviate those harms to the extent possible. And there was no crystal ball to forecast demand for crude oil in this ever-changing environment."

But Judge Peter Reyes dissented, agreeing with opponents that the oil demand forecast was flawed. He said the project benefits Canadian oil producers but would have negative consequences for the hunting, fishing, and other rights of the Red Lake and White Earth tribes, and would provide no benefit to Minnesota.

Such a decision cannot stand. Enbridge needs Minnesota for its new pipeline," Reyes wrote. "But Enbridge has not shown that Minnesota needs the pipeline.

Tribal and environmental groups welcomed Reyes' dissent and vowed to keep fighting. They said their primary strategy going forward won't hinge on appeals, given they could take nine months to a year. Enbridge hopes to put the line into service in the fourth quarter.

There's a good chance we'll appeal because we should ... but I don't think a remedy's going to come out of it that's going to be meaningful for us, said Frank Bibeau, an attorney for the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and other pipeline opponents.

Enbridge said in a statement that the court's decision is confirmation that the commission thoroughly reviewed the project and gave the appropriate approvals.

Line 3 has passed every test through six years of regulatory and permitting review, including 70 public comment meetings, appellate review and reaffirmation of a 13,500-page (environmental impact statement), four separate reviews by administrative law judges, 320 route modifications in response to stakeholder input, and multiple reviews and approvals by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the projects certificate of need and route permit."

At least 1,000 activists from across the country gathered at construction sites near the headwaters of the Mississippi River last week. They urged Biden to cancel the project, as he did the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office. Nearly 250 people were arrested, in addition to more than 250 arrests since construction began in December. A smaller group marched Thursday to the Minneapolis office of Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

The Line 3 replacement would carry Canadian tar sands oil and regular crude from Alberta to Enbridge's terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. The project is nearly done except for the Minnesota leg, which is about 60% complete.

Opponents of the more than $7 billion project say the heavy oil would accelerate climate change and risk spills in areas where Native Americans harvest wild rice, hunt, fish, gather medicinal plants and claim treaty rights.

Enbridge says the replacement Line 3 will be made of stronger steel and will better protect the environment while restoring its capacity to carry oil and ensure reliable deliveries to U.S. refineries.

Activists are vowing to keep up a summer of resistance against the project amid the escalating battle over energy projects and rising awareness that racial minorities suffer disproportionate harm from environmental damage. And they're drawing parallels with the fight over the Dakota Access pipeline, which was the subject of major protests near the Standing Rock Reservation in the Dakotas in 2016 and 2017.

Our resistance is clearly growing. We cannot stop and we will not stop, said Tara Houska, founder of the Giniw Collective, one of the Indigenous groups behind last week's protests.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Minnesota lawmakers returned to unfinished business at the Capitol on Monday as they convened for a special session to finalize a two-year budget and avert a potential government shutdown at the end of the month.

Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, said during a news conference that four of the 13 unresolved budget bills were completely ready to go," including higher education, commerce and energy, and agriculture. Hortman said the public safety budget bill  which she called her number one priority  will likely be the last bill to wrap as lawmakers debate which police accountability provisions to include in the final package.

This work is very hard and it's ongoing and I think both Republicans and Democrats are committed to it, she said. The work will be better done the less that it is politicized.

Hortman said she believes it'll take lawmakers between seven and 10 days to complete the two-year, $52 billion budget, matching Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka's estimate.

Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, said negotiators working on the public safety budget have agreed on at least five police accountability measures, and that he's 95% confident that they can ultimately reach an overall agreement without the top leaders intervening.

House Democrats passed a broad police accountability package during the regular session in an effort to build on a bill enacted last summer in response to the death of George Floyd, but Senate Republicans have resisted ideas that they consider anti-police.

As required by law, Gov. Tim Walz called the Legislature back into session on Monday as he renewed his peacetime emergency powers for another 30 days.

Conservative protesters  who oppose the Democratic governor's reliance on those powers to manage the state's coronavirus response and Gazelka for not doing more to stop Walz  filled the rotunda outside the House and Senate chambers on Monday as the public returned to a Capitol building that reopened last week after being closed for more than 400 days due to the pandemic.

But another Republican attempt on the House floor to strip Walz of his emergency powers failed Monday, though Gazelka said he plans a vote later in the special session to remove the governor's emergency authority. Walz has said he still needs those powers to oversee the states vaccine rollout and a few other pandemic matters, including maintaining eligibility for federal aid.

Senate Republicans introduced legislation on Monday that would fund state agencies in case lawmakers aren't able to finalize a budget by July 1. Democratic House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, of Golden Valley, called the proposal a terrible mistake that would allow Republicans a way to walk away from negotiations.

Walz met with top legislative leaders late last week ahead of the special session to try to get closer to a compromise on budget targets and policy proposals. Failure by the governor and legislators to agree on a budget by July 1 will result in at least a partial state government shutdown.

The fact is if we do not get done by July 1, the ramifications are too serious for Minnesota, Gazelka said. We have a few loose ends but it's absolutely coming together. The speaker, myself, the governor  we're going to get it done.

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Mohamed Ibrahim 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.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  A Montana man has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for his role in killing and beheading a man at a transient camp after the victim won $120 at a casino.

Donald Ray Cherry, 34, was sentenced Friday by District Judge Gregory Todd for the October 2017 death of Myron Wesley Knight in Billings, The Billings Gazette reports.
A Montana man was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for the October 2019 strangulation death of a woman who had given him a ride home from the casino where she worked.

District Court Judge Michael Moses said Diego Hernandez of Laurel will not be eligible for parole before he served 35 years, The Billings Gazette reported.
BANGKOK (AP)  A court in Myanmar has released U.S. journalist Nathan Maung, who was arrested three months ago while working for a local online news agency, his lawyer said Monday.

Maung was released after charges against him were dropped and his case dismissed, and he will be deported on Tuesday, lawyer Tin Zar Oo said. However, a colleague at Kamayut Media who was arrested with him, Myanmar national Hanthar Nyein, remains in prison, she said.

Another American journalist working for a news magazine in Myanmar, Danny Fenster, also remains incarcerated. Fenster is managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, which publishes in both English and Burmese and also online. He was detained at Yangon's airport on June 24 as he was preparing to board a flight to Malaysia en route to the Detroit area to see his family.

Myanmar's military junta, which seized power in February after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, has faced broad opposition to its rule and seeks to quell all dissent. Critical media voices have been forced underground or into exile.

According to Myanmars Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, about 90 journalists have been arrested since the armys takeover, with more than half still in detention, and 33 in hiding.

The U.S. government and rights groups have urged the junta to respect freedom of expression and stop harassment and arrests of journalists. It pressed repeatedly for the release of Maung and Fenster.

Two other foreign journalists have been arrested by the junta. Freelancers Robert Bociaga of Poland and Yuki Kitazumi of Japan have since been deported.

Maung, the Kamayut websites editor-in-chief, and Hanthar Nyein, a news producer, were arrested on March 9. They were held at a military interrogation center in Yangon, Myanmars biggest city, before being transferred to Insein Prison, the countrys main detention facility for political prisoners.

The two men, who co-founded the news outlet, were charged under a section of the penal code that punishes dissemination of information or fake news that could agitate or cause security forces or officials to mutiny with a maximum three-year prison term, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Tin Zar Oo said Nathan Maung is being held an extra day for a COVID-19 test before taking a flight out of the country on Tuesday. She said he is able to reclaim most of his belongings, but that $1,600 and about $4,250 in Myanmar's currency are missing.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  Civil and voting rights groups Monday blasted election bills written by North Carolina Republicans and expected on the Senate floor this week, calling them another GOP attempt at voter suppression, especially of minority groups.

Senate GOP leaders are advancing three measures, one of which would require mail-in absentee ballots be received by mail or handed in by 5 p.m. on the date of the election in order to count. Current law gives a three-day grace period for envelopes postmarked by the primary or general election date. A legal settlement extended the time to nine days in the 2020 election.

"These bills are not about election integrity and they are not about transparency," Manny Mejia with Democracy North Carolina said at a news conference outside the Legislative Building. They are about controlling who has the right to vote by repeating tactics that have historically disenfranchised voters.

Another GOP measure prohibits the acceptance of private money to administer elections, while the other develops wider online voter registration options and promises to fund a program to get photo identifications to people who lack them. A voter ID requirement approved in 2018 remains blocked as litigation challenging it continues.

GOP senators say moving up the date to accept ballots will build voter confidence in election outcomes and likely speed up the time in which the news media can call races for a candidate. But Senate Democrats and the critics at Monday's event said it will only result in frustration because voters won't know exactly when they must mail their ballot envelope for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver it on time.

More than 11,600 ballots received during the first three days after the 2020 Election Day were lawfully counted, according to State Board of Elections data. Results still won't get finalized by county and state officials until later in the month of each election.

Throwing away thousands upon thousands of legitimate votes wont provide election finality any sooner, said Allison Riggs with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and the lead attorney in a pending voter ID lawsuit. She calls the bills just another attempt by the GOP-controlled General Assembly over the past decade to impede free and fair elections. Republicans disagree and say North Carolina voting rules offer lots of time to vote early in person or by mail, and that voters would make adjustments to ensure their votes get turned in earlier.

Republicans in state legislatures have filed scores of elections-related measures this year, some of which stem from baseless claims by former President Donald Trump and his allies challenging the results of the presidential election. North Carolina Senate Republicans have not directly cited such claims.

The measure would have to pass the Senate and House before going to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a strong voting rights advocate. Danielle Brown with Black Voters Matter mentioned how Democrats in the Texas legislature walked out to derail, at least temporarily, GOP election legislation two weeks ago. In North Carolina, Brown said, we ask our folks to do the same thing.

The proposed ban on nonprofit giving comes as the state and nearly all county election boards benefitted from millions of dollars from nonprofit groups for the 2020 elections. Republican say such giving can raise questions of undue influence on elections. Monday's speakers said the option should not be barred when election administration funding is insufficient.
BOSTON (AP)  The New England Aquarium in Boston accepted an entrance ticket on Thursday first purchased in 1983 that allows the holder to return at anytime in the future.

Rachel Carle, 26, picked up the ticket from her great aunt, Catherine Cappiello, who came to visit the aquarium more than 37 years ago, the Boston Herald reported.

Cappiello and her partner arrived near closing time in November that year and both got a late gate ticket, which was good for a visit at a later time.

Cappiello, who lives in Trenton, New Jersey, gave it to Carle last fall as she drove from the Washington area up to Boston, where she is enrolled as a graduate student in public policy at Harvard University.

Aquarium President and CEO Vikki Spruill told the newspaper the late gate tickets were discontinued about 25 years ago, but that they will see about one a year.

We honor each valid admission ticket, and this was one, Spruill said. Forty years is a long time to be carrying that ticket around, and were so glad she did.

Carle tweeted a photo of one of the tickets which was legible, if a little worn around the edges.

The New England Aquarium is one of Boston's most popular attractions and a research institution. It closed temporarily closed twice in 2020 and reopened again to visitors in February.

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This article has been corrected to show that Rachel Carle is enrolled as a graduate student in public policy, not in a public health masters program at Harvard University.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Executives from CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post met Monday with Attorney General Merrick Garland to protest the Trump-era Justice Department's efforts to seize phone and email records of journalists.

After the hourlong meeting in Washington, Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said the journalists explained how this represented an existential crisis for the organizations.

None of the media executives would answer questions, with Brown saying they had agreed the meeting was off the record. The meeting included the publishers of the Times and Post, A.G. Sulzberger and Fred Ryan, respectively, as well as Post executive editor Sally Buzbee and Sam Feist, CNN's Washington bureau chief.

The Justice Department said the group had a productive conversation about the need for new rules governing the ability of prosecutors to seek this material.

Records were sought for eight journalists at the news organizations, all of whom had worked on stories in 2017 involving investigations into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. In the cases of CNN and the Times, a gag order temporarily put in place prevented lawyers at the news organizations from even telling their journalists what was happening.

News organizations are concerned that efforts to seek records that could reveal whom the journalists had used as sources would prevent such officials from revealing sensitive government information in the future.

The Justice Department announced earlier this month that it would no longer secretly obtain reporters records during leak investigations, marking a drastic shift in policy shift that abandons a practice decried for years by news organizations and press freedom groups. That announcement came after a pledge by President Joe Biden that he would not permit the Justice Department to continue the practice, which he called simply, simply wrong.

But while the Biden administration has ordered a halt to such efforts, news organizations worry that without laws to prevent it, a different administration could take a different approach.

This is about the flow of information to the public, Brown said. It is about keeping government accountable. And these news organizations can't effectively do their job in that way unless they can protect confidential sources, and that was made very, very clear by this group today in the meeting.

Prosecutors told the executives that reporters were never the target of the investigations, the department said. Officials said Garland had agreed with news executives that there was a need for strong, durable rules.

Democratic and Republican administrations alike have used subpoenas and court orders to obtain journalists records in an effort to identify sources who have revealed classified information. But the practice had received renewed scrutiny over the past few weeks as Justice Department officials alerted reporters at the three organizations their phone records had been obtained in the final year of the Trump administration.

In a statement, the Times' Sulzberger said the news organizations sought a full accounting of what happened and asked the Justice Department to codify that it would no longer seize journalists' records during leak investigations.

We were encouraged by Attorney General Garland's statements but we will continue to push until our concerns are addressed, he said.

Barbara Starr, a CNN reporter who covers defense issues, wrote in a column that she was genuinely horrified by what happened.

Secret Justice Department proceedings against the free press affect everyone in the country, she wrote. That's what I hope Merrick Garland takes from this whole solemn affair.

CNN said the Justice Department had sought logs that revealed who had been conversing with Starr via email, although not necessarily what the emails said.

The Times said that the Trump administration in 2020 secretly seized phone records from early 2017 for the reporters Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eric Lichtblau and Michael S. Schmidt. All had written about how former FBI director James Comey had handled investigations during the election.

The Justice Department had also sought to retrieve email logs from Google, which operations the Times' email system, but Google resisted, the newspaper reported.

The Post said federal prosecutors had also sought telephone records for its reporters Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller, and former reporter Adam Entous, from between April and July 2017.

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Bauder reported from New York.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  City officials are looking at ways to deal with dirt bikes and ATVs on city streets following a shooting death that occurred at a gathering with hundreds of people riding motorized vehicles in northeast Philadelphia over the weekend.

Police said an estimated 1,000 people were riding motorized vehicles up and down a two-block radius in the Port Richmond area late Saturday night when a man riding a green motorcycle was shot in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the scene included illegal car racing, fireworks and loud music.
FENTON, Mo. (AP)  One man was killed and several others were injured when the boat they were in hit a large rock on the Meramec River, officials in eastern Missouri said.

The boat crash happened around 9 p.m. Saturday a short distance downriver from George Winter Park. Saline Valley Fire officials said the 17-foot ski boat was traveling fast when it hit the boulder, splitting the boat apart and throwing the occupants.
HONG KONG (AP)  The French joint operator of a Chinese nuclear plant near Hong Kong said Monday that the plant is dealing with a performance issue but is currently operating within safety limits, following a report of a potential radioactive leak.

The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant is jointly owned by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group and French multinational electric utility Electricite de France, the main owner of Framotome, which helps operate the plant.

Framatome is supporting resolution of a performance issue with the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong province, China, Framatome said in a short statement Monday.

According to the data available, the plant is operating within the safety parameters, it said. Our team is working with relevant experts to assess the situation and propose solutions to address any potential issue.

Radiation levels in Hong Kong, 135 kilometers (85 miles) from the Taishan plant, were normal on Monday, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which monitors radiation around the city.

CNN reported Monday that Framotome had written to the U.S. Department of Energy warning of an imminent radiological threat and accusing Chinese authorities of raising acceptable limits for radiation outside the plant to avoid having to shut it down. CNN said U.S. officials believed the current situation at the plant did not present a severe safety threat.

Electricite de France said in a statement Monday that it had been informed of the increase in concentration of certain rare gases in the primary circuit of reactor No. 1 at the Taishan plant.

The presence of certain rare gases in the primary circuit is a known phenomenon, studied and foreseen by the operating procedures of the reactors, it said.

The utility said it is providing its expertise and has requested that the joint venture company that runs the plant hold a meeting of its board of directors so that management presents all the data and the necessary decisions.

Chinese authorities in Beijing and Guangdong did not immediately respond to attempts to seek comment on Monday, a public holiday.

The plant issued a statement on Sunday saying At present, continuous monitoring of environmental data shows that the environmental indicators of Taishan Nuclear Power Plant and its surroundings are normal.

It did not refer to any problems, and said All operating indicators of the two units have met the requirements of nuclear safety regulations and power plant technical specifications.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, told The Associated Press that it was aware of the media reports and was in contact with its counterpart in China.

At this stage, the agency has no indication that a radiological incident occurred, the Vienna-based IAEA said in a written response to questions.

The agency said it would share more information when it became available.

The two reactors entered commercial operation in December 2018 and September 2019, the local city government said on its website. They are the first of a new type called European Pressurized Reactors to become operational in the world. Construction began earlier on two other EPRs in Finland and France, but they continue to face costly delays.

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Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Republicans who control Pennsylvania's Legislature are increasingly looking to take a different avenue to write laws, voter referendums, to get around Gov. Tom Wolf and make policy that the Democrat cannot block with his veto pen.

On Friday, Republicans unveiled a proposed constitutional amendment to expand Pennsylvania's existing voter identification requirements, both for in-person voting and for mail-in ballots. Republicans also plan to introduce another proposal for a statewide referendum to repeal Pennsylvania's expansive mail-in voting law that passed in 2019 with near-unanimous support from Republicans.

Both have been introduced also as legislation, and Wolf has vowed to oppose both, seeing them as attacks on voting access spurred by former President Donald Trump's baseless claims about election fraud.

So the governors going to veto that, one of the sponsors, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, told the audience Friday at the annual conservative gathering, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference. Aha! But the lesson from last year was well then do a ballot question and I think any issue of how our election is conducted in Pennsylvania should be your decision in the end.

The lesson, it seems, was in last month's primary election, when voters approved two Republican-penned proposals to greatly expand the power of lawmakers over a governor's disaster emergency declarations.

A governor cannot block a ballot question to change the constitution from going to voters.

Democrats see Republicans as being emboldened by last months voter approvals, and increasingly willing to use the strategy in the future to get around a Wolf veto.

Last months ballot questions emerged from a long-running fight between Republicans and Wolf over his administrations use of executive authority during the coronavirus pandemic.

Over eight months of pandemic lawmaking last year, Wolf vetoed roughly a dozen bills passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Democrats helped sustain his vetoes against override attempts.

Wolf had threatened to veto a resolution penned by Republicans last June declaring an end to Wolfs disaster emergency declaration. Ultimately, the state's high court sided with Wolf, spurring Republican lawmakers to take the matter to voters, successfully.

One of last month's proposals to amend the constitution was actually designed to change a provision in the law.

Such use of a constitutional amendment is very unusual, said Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University law professor who teachers constitutional law.

The only other such example Ledewitz could recall was in his reading about the 1874 constitutional convention when delegates inserted provisions regulating corporations into the constitution.

Those provisions belonged in the law, not the constitution, but delegates did not trust the Legislature to regulate corporations, Ledewitz said.

At least that was rational, Ledewitz said. They're only doing this because the governor has a veto. ... You could put anything in the constitution, but you dont because if you do, youre going to have to amend it all the time once you start down that road.

Wolf's second and last term expires in January 2023. Voters elect a new governor in November 2022.

Rep. Jeff Wheeland, R-Lycoming, downplayed the importance of Wolf's veto threat in his sponsorship of the voter ID amendment to the constitution.

Voter ID is popular, Wheeland said, citing an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll that asked about voter ID.

Im just listening to the people, Wheeland said. "Thats what the people want.

The nearest opportunity for Republicans to get the election-related proposals on the ballot is 2023. Before that, the proposals must pass the Legislature twice in two consecutive legislative sessions.

History is on Republicans side in a strategy of going to voters: The last time voters rejected a ballot question was in 1993, and they usually pass easily.

The two GOP-sponsored measures on the governor's disaster declarations won by less than 4 percentage points statewide. By comparison, two other bipartisan ballot questions on the ballot won by more than 45 percentage points statewide.

J.J. Abbott, Wolf's former press secretary who now runs a progressive advocacy group called Commonwealth Communications, expects Republicans to prepare ballot questions in 2023 to roll back voting rights and limit state spending, initiatives they know Wolf will veto.

They clearly had a deliberate strategy around the disaster declarations and I think they're teeing these things up to be ready go to on the ballot in 2023, Abbott said. "And I think there is this concern more broadly that its difficult to get people away from voting yes.

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Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP)  Authorities on Monday were looking for a Philadelphia man wanted in the deadly stabbing of his girlfriend at Atlantic City's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Police found the body of Sharon Whaley, 57, of Philadelphia, with multiple stab wounds inside a hotel room on Friday night, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said. Autopsy results were pending.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline asked Nebraska state regulators on Monday to revoke the land easements granted to the company across private land now that the project has officially been scrapped.

Attorneys for Bold Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska made the request in a letter to the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which approved the pipeline's proposed route in 2017.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A Kansas City man was charged Monday with killing the mother of their children during an argument.

Christopher Sears, 33, was also charged with armed criminal action in the death of Andrea Dean, 32, who was found dead at her home on Sunday.
PARMA, Ohio (AP)  A 12-hour police standoff in Ohio ended in gunfire with the suspect dead early Monday.

The standoff began after an off-duty police officer in uniform was shot at in the parking lot of a gas station on Sunday, police said. An officer pursued a vehicle driven by Kevin Giesel, 64, to Giesel's home.

Police say Giesel barricaded himself inside the home and refused to come out.

Negotiators spoke on and off with Giesel for nearly six hours trying to convince him to surrender peacefully, police said. He then ceased communications for the next six hours.

Police said they believed he was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

According to police, Giesel pointed and fired his gun at officers, who returned fire. He was found dead inside the home.

The Ohio Attorney Generals Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting.
DENVER (AP)  Democratic Gov. Jared Polis has rejected a request by Colorado's Republican congressional delegation to stop paying jobless residents $300 extra a week in federal pandemic relief. The GOP representatives argue the payment, scheduled to run through Sept. 6, is hurting business by deterring unemployed workers from seeking jobs.

U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn, Ken Buck and Lauren Boebert noted in a Friday letter to Polis that Colorado restaurants and numerous other firms are struggling to hire workers. Many states led by Republican governors have ended the supplemental benefit.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Rhode Island officials are warning residents of a text message scam.

The texts claim to be from the Rhode Island Department of State and encourage the recipients to sign up for a COVID-19 Safe Drive to Work program, according to a statement from Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and Attorney General Peter Neronha.

The program does not exist, and the text messages are not from the Rhode Island Department of State. Anyone who receives these scam messages should not click any links or reply to the message, they said, and instead should contact the attorney general's Consumer Protection Unit at 401-274-4400 or consumers@riag.ri.gov.

The link in the scam text messages takes consumers to a web page that looks like an official Rhode Island Department of State page, even including Gorbea's photo.

Residents are then asked to provide some personal information. No information should be entered, Gorbea and Neronha said.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  The Missouri attorney general has closed an open-records complaint filed against Gov. Mike Parson, citing the Republican governor's office as a client.

At issue is a complaint filed by a Missouri news agency after Parson's office refused to provide resignation letters from top administration officials Randall Williams, the health director, and former Chief Operating Officer Drew Erdmann. The two left Parson's administration in April but no information was provided as to why.

Parsons office declined to provide Williams and Erdmanns resignation letters to The Associated Press and also denied a Missouri Independent records request.

Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones has said resignation letters are closed personnel records, although she provided former Social Services Department Director Steve Corsis resignation letter to AP in 2019.

A Missouri Independent reporter in response asked Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office to investigate.

Missouri residents deserve to have access to records related to the sudden resignations of two top officials paid for with taxpayer dollars who helped oversee the states response to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine rollout that have affected every Missourian for more than a year, reporter Tessa Weinberg wrote in the complaint.

Schmitt's office closed Weinberg's complaint last week. In a letter to the Missouri Independent, Assistant Attorney General James Klahr advised the reporter contact a private lawyer.

This entity is a client of our office, said Klahr, referencing Parson's office. Staff cannot discuss any action our office may take regarding this issue.

Schmitt spokesman Chris Nuelle said the office has not been hesitant to act on potential Sunshine Law violations.

Missouris attorney general is responsible for enforcing the states Sunshine laws, which cover both public records and public meetings. The office also sometimes represents the Governors Office and state agencies in lawsuits.

Past attorneys general have handled potential Sunshine Law violations by the Governor's Office differently.

Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, during his brief time serving as state attorney general, investigated the use of a secretive app by some of former Republican Gov. Eric Greitens' staffers. His office found Greitens' staff didn't appear to violate the state Sunshine Law.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP)  Rangers at Grand Canyon National Park are searching for a missing Texas man whose abandoned vehicle was found at the South Rim.

Park officials said Monday that 49-year-old Charles Lyon of Tyler was last seen at a hotel in Tusayan last Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate on Monday confirmed the first appellate court judge of President Joe Bidens tenure, elevating a judge with strong prospects of landing on the president's short list should a Supreme Court vacancy arise.

Senators voted 53-44 to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the nations second most powerful court. She replaces Merrick Garland, who vacated the seat to become Biden's attorney general.

Biden has promised to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court and many view Jackson as a leading contender. She has written nearly 600 opinions as a district judge in Washington, worked as a federal public defender and served as vice chair on the commission that sets the guidelines judges consult when sentencing federal offenders.

The White House has sought to emphasize diversity in background, race and gender with his first batch of judicial nominations. Last week, the Senate confirmed the nations first federal Muslim judge, Zahid Quraishi, to serve as a district court judge in New Jersey. Quraishis first day on the job at a New York law firm was Sept. 11, 2001. He would go on to join the Armys legal arm and served two deployments in Iraq.

The Senate has also confirmed Regina Rodriguez as a district judge in Colorado and Julien Neals as a district judge in New Jersey.

Democrats are mindful that former President Donald Trump and a Republican-led Senate installed more than 230 judges on the federal bench, including the three newest Supreme Court justices, with assembly line precision. Theyre focused on giving Biden some early victories as they mount their own effort to shape the courts.

Women, especially women of color, have long been underrepresented on the federal bench, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Along with President Biden, the Senate Democratic majority is working quickly to close the gap."

The Senate voted last week to end debate and bring Jacksons nomination to the floor. Three Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, joined that effort. The three were also the only Republicans to vote for her confirmation on Monday.

Sen. Dick Durbin, the democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, noted that nominations to the District of Columbia-based circuit court are often controversial because the stakes are so high, with most cases involving the federal government coming before the court. Durbin said it was noteworthy that Jackson received the support of some Republicans on the committee.

The importance of the circuit cannot be overstated," Durbin said.

Two Republicans, Graham and John Cornyn of Texas, voted with Democrats in advancing her nomination out of the committee by a vote of 13-9. Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking Republican from Iowa, voted no, saying that he was not satisfied Jackson would adhere to the Constitution as originally understood.

Jackson graduated from Harvard Law School and served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. In 2005, she began work as an assistant federal public defender in Washington. She joined a private firm in 2007 and then served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission beginning in 2010. President Barack Obama nominated her to serve as a federal district judge in 2012, and the Senate confirmed her the following year.

In one of her most high-profile decisions, she ordered former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before Congress in a setback to Trumps effort to keep his top aides from testifying.

Groups supporting her confirmation have cited the need to bring more racial diversity to the federal judiciary.

Since the establishment of the judiciary, there have only ever been eight Black women to serve on the federal appellate branch, the NAACPs Legal Defense and Educational Fund told senators in a letter supporting Jackson. Such disparities undermine the legitimacy and integrity of the judicial system.

She also exemplifies a push by Biden to nominate more judges with experience representing lower-income people.

Our judiciary has been dominated by former corporate lawyers and prosecutors for too long, and Judge Jacksons experience as a public defender makes her a model for the type of judge President Biden and Senate Democrats should continue to prioritize, said Christopher Kang, chief counsel for Demand Justice, a liberal advocacy group.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made filling judicial vacancies a top priority when Republicans controlled the chamber, including confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court just days before the presidential election.

However, Republicans blocked Obama from filling a vacancy during his final year in office. McConnell reiterated in an interview Monday that he would follow that path again in 2024 if Republicans were to retake control of the Senate and Biden sought to fill an opening on the Supreme Court.

I dont think either party if it controlled, if it were different from the president, would confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election," McConnell said on the Hugh Hewitt Show.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  South Africas COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been hit by further delays as it will have to discard at least 2 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines produced in the country.

The vaccines were found by the U.S Food and Drug Administration to be unsuitable for use due to possible contamination of their ingredients at a Baltimore plant. South Africa was expecting to use them to inoculate its health care workers and people aged 60 years and older.

This is the latest setback to South Africas vaccine rollout which has so far given shots to just over 1% of its 60 million people.

Early this year the country rejected about 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine it received from the Serum Institute of India after a small, preliminary study found that the vaccine offered minimal protection against mild to moderate cases of the COVID-19 variant that is dominant in South Africa. Those vaccines were sold to the African Union for distribution to other African countries.

To date, the country has given jabs to more than 1.7 million people, including nearly 480,000 health workers who were inoculated as part of a study trial of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The production of the J&J vaccine at South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare manufacturing plant in the eastern city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, was eagerly awaited to give a much-needed boost to the country's vaccination drive. The factory has contracted with J&J to produce the vaccine using large batches of the basic ingredients supplied by Johnson & Johnson. The South African plant then blends those components and puts them in vials - a process knowns as fill and finish.

The South African plant has the capacity to produce about 200 million doses annually of the J&J vaccine and had already manufactured 2 million. But they were produced using ingredients from the Baltimore plant and therefore must not be used, according to the ruling by the FDA and South Africa's health officials.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority issued a statement saying it had reviewed the data provided by the FDA and has made a decision not to release vaccines produced using the drug substance batches that were not suitable.

South Africa will now only receive 300,000 doses of the J&J vaccine which have been cleared by the FDA, it said.

Aspen will begin production of new J&J vaccines using fresh, uncontaminated ingredients at its facility this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced this week.

South Africa has purchased and is expecting delivery of 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 31 million single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines by early 2022. These deliveries are necessary for South Africa to achieve its goal of vaccinating 40 million people by February 2022.

South Africa is currently experiencing a new resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic with an increased number of recorded infections. Its 7-day rolling average of daily new cases has more than doubled over the past two weeks from 5.69 new cases per 100,000 people on May 30 to 12.17 new cases per 100,000 people on June 13.

It recorded 7,657 new infections and 59 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing to 57, 765 the number of people who have died from the virus.

South Africa has been the hardest hit by COVID-19 on the continent, with more than 1.7 million confirmed cases, representing nearly 40% of the more than 5 million cases reported by Africa's 54 countries.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  The Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee on Monday quashed a push for an independent committee to lead a probe of its handling of sex abuse cases, but the proposal is almost certain to resurface when the nation's largest denomination holds its biggest and most contentious annual meeting in decades.

The push for accountability came after leaked letters accused current and former Executive Committee officials of slow-walking efforts to address sexual abuse and trying to intimidate those who advocated for change.

Amid calls for a third-party investigation, Executive Committee president Ronnie Floyd announced Friday that the panel had retained a firm to conduct it. But some pastors demanded an independent task force, saying they dont trust the committee to oversee an investigation of itself.

The committee voted down a proposal for such a task force that was presented Monday by member Jared Wellman during a meeting of the governing body. Wellman also was seeking to expand the scope of the probe to all paid, appointed and elected leaders, past or present.

Speaking against the motion, member Jim Gregory said Floyd's original proposal is comprehensive enough. Otherwise, he said, This will never end. Monetarily, where does it end?

Still, the issue is likely to come up again Tuesday at the meeting in Nashville, which more than 17,000 voting delegates are pre-registered to attend.

It is hard to imagine that a body of believers of the Lord Jesus would vote to limit in any way an investigation to find the truth when there are serious allegations related to sexual abuse, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary president Danny Akin tweeted after Mondays committee meeting. Praying our Convention charts the right course tomorrow.

The Executive Committee takes care of SBC business between annual meetings, but during the gatherings themselves it is voting delegates from the denominations churches that are in charge. Several people have promised to make motions similar to the one rejected by the committee, and a group of abuse survivors released a joint statement in support of the effort.

Also looming over the meeting is an effort by a group of ultraconservatives to wrest control of the denomination, calling some of its leaders too liberal on issues such as race and the role of women in ministry. Formed last year, the Conservative Baptist Network is backing one of it own as a candidate for SBC president at this year's meeting: Mike Stone, a white pastor from Georgia.

At least one prominent Black pastor has announced that he will leave the denomination if Stone is elected. Several other Black pastors have already left the SBC over what they said was racial insensitivity from the denomination's overwhelmingly white leadership.

Stone is also the immediate past chairman of the Executive Committee, where he worked to place other members of the Conservative Baptist Network in key leadership positions on his way out the door. On Monday current chairman Rolland Slade, a Black pastor from California, pushed back and was able to elect his own candidate to lead a commission on strategic planning.

Floyd alluded to the infighting and controversy surrounding this year's meeting in his address to the Executive Committee.

We do have challenges in many areas that have led to confusion and division among some of our SBC family, he said. It really grieves me. At the same time, I have to realize that it's expected in a community of our size and breadth.

Despite claiming 14 million members, the denomination has been shrinking for the past 14 years. Some see the need to appeal to non-white pastors and congregations as a matter of survival. The number of Black, Latino and Asian American congregations has been increasing despite the overall decline, and they now make up about 22% of congregations, Floyd said.

Kelly Miller Smith Jr., a Black pastor who spent 25 years at SBC churches and now leads a Baptist church not affiliated with the denomination, said some in leadership want Black churches but don't want to make room for other cultures.

They really want to make Black and brown churches accommodate to their way of thinking, he said.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Crews that have been fighting a wildfire on federal land in southern Nevada say it is nearly fully contained.

Officials with the Bureau of Land Management say the Sandy Valley Fire is at 90% containment. The fire, which has burned nearly 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) lines remained steady despite low humidity and gusty winds on Sunday.
BOSTON (AP)  Four people filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Monday accusing Boston police officers of physically attacking them during a protest last year over the death of George Floyd.

The lawsuit alleges police used excessive and unnecessary force on peaceful protesters who went to the demonstration at the Boston Common on May 31, 2020. The protesters are suing three officers and the city of Boston.

The police department did not have a proper plan for handling a protest at the Boston Common, the officers were not properly supervised, and the department tolerated use of force when no force was necessary to accomplish a proper police purpose, the lawsuit says.

A Boston Police spokesperson said it does not comment on pending litigation.

Thousands of protesters marched during several peaceful demonstrations held throughout Boston that day. That night, some protesters clashed with officers, throwing rocks, breaking into several stores and lighting a police vehicle on fire. Several officers were hospitalized.

The lawsuit says the people who were attacked by police were peaceful and committed no crimes. Three of the them were hit with wooden riot batons, and two were hit with pepper spray, the lawsuit says.

One man, Justin Ackers, says he was on his moped when Officer Michael Burke hit him with a baton and knocked him off the scooter. The lawsuit says Burke used his baton to hit and knock over another woman, Jasmine Huffman, as she stood with her hands in the air.

Another woman, Caitlyn Hall, says Officer Edward Joseph Nolan hit her in the face with his baton, causing her to fall and hit her head on the ground and briefly lose consciousness.

The fourth protester, Benjamin Chambers-Maher, says a third officer, Officer Michael J. McManus used pepper spray on him as he backed away from McManus and another officer.
DALLAS (AP)  On the cusp of summer, the electric power grid manager for most of Texas on Monday issued its second conservation alert since the deadly February blackout, calling on users to dial back energy consumption through Friday to avert an emergency.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said many forced generation outages and record June demand has squeezed the power supply. It appeals to users to lower thermostats to 78 degrees and avoid using large electric appliances until demand decreased late in the day.

ERCOT predicted a peak demand load on its system of 73,000 megawatts, far above the June record of 69,123 megawatts set between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on June 27, 2018. However, as of 2:30 p.m. Monday, 12,178 megawatts of the grids 86,862 megawatts of generating capacity was offline, ERCOT said, leaving a razor-thin margin of reserve capacity of about 2,000 megawatts.

We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service, Woody Rickerson, ERCOT vice president of grid planning and operations, said in a statement. This is unusual for this early in the summer season.

ERCOT spokeswoman Leslie Sopko said 9,066 megawatts of the idled capacity were from steam-powered generator units fueled by gas, coal or nuclear fission.

Were currently seeing three to four times the number of forced thermal (steam-powered) generation outages on our system than we would typically expect to see this time of year, Sopko said in an afternoon telephone conference.

All of these thermal units are offline due to mechanical failure or the need for repairs," she said.

Also, wind-powered generator output was producing 3,500 to 6,000 megawatts between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Monday, about 1,500 megawatts less than what is typically available for peak conditions, according to an ERCOT statement. Solar power was producing more than 5,000 megawatts, Sopko said.

We want you to know that we share the same concerns of all Texans, and this is a priority to ensure that generators can perform as we head into the summer months," she said.

A megawatt usually powers about 200 homes on a summer day. Summer officially begins on Sunday.

The ERCOT grid is the only one in the nation contained completely within the borders of a single state. That exempts it from federal regulation, but it also isolates it from access to supplemental power from the nation's other power grids.

ERCOT officials had assured early last month that its latest assessment showed the grid was expected to provide sufficient power to meet peak summer demand. Still, it expected record-breaking demand for electric power that could mean tight supply reserve margins. ERCOT predicted a demand peak of 77,144 megawatts this summer.

Heat-index readings topped 100 degrees in much of Texas on Monday. ERCOT already had issued one conservation alert on April 13 when with temperatures ranging from the 50s to the lower 80s.

Despite experts who say Texas power grid remains vulnerable, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has declared that new reforms fix all of the flaws that caused a deadly February winter blackout.

More than 4 million people lost power when temperatures plunged into single digits over Valentines Days weekend, icing power generators and buckling the states electric grid. State officials say they have confirmed at least 151 deaths blamed on the freeze and resulting outages, but the real toll is believed to be higher.

Texas lawmakers made significant changes during the recent legislative session that include mandates to weatherize power plants for extreme temperatures and new processes to avert communication failures. However, energy experts have said the reforms do not go far enough to assure a similar catastrophe wont happen again in one of Americas most booming states.



This story corrects the name of the grid manager to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.



Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Austin contributed to this report.
DECATUR, Ga. (AP)  A grocery store cashier in the Atlanta area was killed and three other people were wounded Monday in a shooting that followed an argument over wearing face masks in the supermarket, authorities said.

DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox said the shooting occurred inside the Big Bear Supermarket in Decatur while several people were inside the business. She said a female cashier was killed when a man opened fire.

"There was some confrontation, argument  I'm not sure exactly what  in reference to the wearing of masks, at which time the subject pulled out a weapon and shot the cashier," Maddox said at a news conference. Maddox said she did not know the details of the argument.

The customer was identified as Victor Lee Tucker, Jr., 30, of Palmetto, Georgia, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The agency said preliminary information indicates that Tucker got into an argument with the cashier and left the store without making his purchase, but he immediately returned inside.

Tucker walked directly back to the cashier, pulled out a handgun and shot her, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation wrote in the news release.

A reserve deputy, who was employed parttime for security with the store, exchanged fire with the suspect and both were wounded, the sheriff said. DeKalb County Police Department officers arrested Tucker as he was attempting to crawl out the front door of the supermarket, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation wrote in the statement.

Maddox said the deputy was hit twice by gunfire but was wearing a bulletproof vest and was taken to a medical center where he was in stable condition. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Tucker is also in stable condition.

The agency said a second cashier was grazed by a bullet. She was treated for her injury at the scene.

The deputy is a retired deputy and member of a reserve unit. The unit consists of certified law enforcement officers not actively working for a law enforcement agency. Such deputies can work with a sheriffs office on a volunteer basis and can work part time security jobs, the sheriffs department said.

Maddox said the deputys response might have kept other people from being hurt.

That is what he is trained to do, Maddox said.

The supermarket is located near The Gallery at South DeKalb mall but is not a tenant of that complex, authorities said.

Decatur is a suburban community about 6 miles (10 kilometers) east of downtown Atlanta.

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An earlier version of this story stated the supermarket was at The Gallery at South DeKalb mall. The story has been corrected to show the supermarket is located near the mall but is not a tenant or part of the mall complex.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Ukraines president says he's concerned that this weeks US-Russia summit will not produce concrete results and will leave his country in an uncertain position.

In an interview Monday with The Associated Press and other foreign news agencies, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was disappointed that he was not able to have a meeting with President Joe Biden before Biden's Wednesday summit in Geneva with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I believe that this would only have been a plus in the negotiating position of the U.S. President, Zelenskyy said Monday.

Ukraine is eager for strong support from the West as it faces Russia-backed separatist rebels who have taken control of a large section of the countrys east.

The No. 1 concern is that there will be no specifics, Zelenskyy said of the Geneva summit. And the situation in Ukraine depends on this very, very much ... Everyone is afraid of solutions to the most difficult issues, final solutions.

Russia denies that it has troops in eastern Ukraine, but it sparked high anxiety this spring with exercises that placed thousands of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine's rebel-held region. Zelenskyy said although some of those forces have been pulled back, about 95,000 remain.

The likelihood of an escalation remains, he said, claiming without proof that Russia is planning offensives to take the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the second-largest city of Kharkiv and the major Black Sea port of Odessa.

Zelenskyy also said he wants to get a clear statement from Biden about whether he supports eventual NATO membership for Ukraine.

I would really like to get specific  yes or no, Zelenskyy said. I understand that this should be the agreed position of the alliance countries. Nevertheless, we must get clear dates and the likelihood of this for Ukraine."

Russia strongly opposes NATO membership for Ukraine, which would bring the alliance close to western Russia.

Biden has invited Zelenskyy to meet with him in Washington in July and the Ukrainian president said he intends to talk there about U.S. military and economic support, which Ukraine relies on.

The United States has the opportunity to really support Ukraine economically. Its not only about money, but about investments, about the opening of various enterprises, Zelenskyy said.
NEW YORK (AP)  U.S. health officials Monday announced a one-year ban on bringing in dogs from more than 100 countries where rabies is still a problem.

Dogs coming in from those countries already needed proof of rabies vaccination. The ban is being imposed because of a spike in the number of puppies denied entry because they weren't old enough to be fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The ban goes into effect July 14.

Douglas Kratt, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, applauded the decision.

We want to make sure were bringing healthy dogs into the country  especially if they are going to be pets, said Kratt, a veterinarian in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The ban applies to dogs coming into or returning to the country, including pets or those brought in for sale or adoption. For example, if an American couple took their dog to Belize, they wouldn't be able to bring the dog back to the U.S. unless the dog first spends six months in a country that is not at a high risk for rabies.

About 1 million dogs are brought into the U.S. each year, and the ban is expected to apply to 4% to 7.5%, officials said. Exceptions will be made for some situations, including guide dogs for the blind or foreigners moving to the U.S. with their pets.

Most of the dogs recently rejected came from just three countries  Russia, Ukraine, and Colombia. But numerous other denials prompted the CDC to ban dogs from all countries where the risk of rabies is also high, said Emily Pieracci, a CDC rabies expert.

Many of the rejections were due to fraudulent paperwork claiming the dogs were older than 4 months, Pieracci said. Dogs younger then 4 months aren't allowed in because rabies vaccinations dont take full effect before a dog is that age.

Rabies is usually a fatal disease in animals and humans, caused by a virus that invades the central nervous system. Its most commonly spread through a bite from an infected animal. There is no cure for it once symptoms begin, but it can be prevented through vaccination.

Dogs were once common carriers of the virus in the U.S. but the type that normally circulates in dogs was eliminated in the U.S. through vaccinations in the 1970s. In 1988, a new type of dog rabies was brought in from Mexico. It spread to wild coyotes and it took 19 years to eliminate.

Cases from that second wave highlight the impact that a single imported case of rabies can have on wildlife, domestic animals, and people, Pieracci said

Demand for dogs is believed to have been increased during the COVID- 19 pandemic, with Americans seeking furry companionship, Pieracci noted.

But some dog rabies vaccination programs had to be suspended or canceled during the pandemic, making the risk of bringing in a rabid dog higher, she added.

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The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
When U.S. Catholic bishops convene virtually for a national meeting Wednesday, they will be divided ideologically as well as physically. Theyre split over whether to press ahead with an initiative that could  at least implicitly  rebuke President Joe Biden for receiving Communion while supporting abortion rights.

For a body that strives to appear unified and fraternal, its a highly contentious issue, testing the extent to which the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops can work constructively with the Biden administration and whether bishops heed appeals for restraint from Pope Francis and the Vatican.

If this vote proceeds despite warnings from the Vatican and opposition from many American bishops, it will only underscore how conference leadership puts its own political priorities before church unity and the pastoral model of Pope Francis, said John Gehring, Catholic program director at the Washington-based clergy network Faith in Public Life.

At stake during the three-day meeting is a proposal that the USCCBs doctrine committee draft a statement on the meaning of Communion in the life of the Church that would be submitted for a vote at a future meeting. Conservative bishops pushing for such a statement want it to signal to Biden and other Catholic politicians that support of abortion rights should disqualify them from receiving Communion.

There is danger to ones soul if he or she receives the body and blood of our Lord in an unworthy manner, Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver, one of those advocating for action, asserted recently. He targeted his warning at those in prominent positions who reject fundamental teachings of the Church and insist that they be allowed to receive Communion.

Yet among the 273 active bishops in the U.S., there are scores who oppose any swift or aggressive action on the issue.

Nearly 70 of them, including several cardinals, last month signed a letter to USCCB president and Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez urging him to delay the discussion until the bishops may convene in person. Citing an appeal from the Vatican to proceed carefully and collegially, the letter said bishops should first hold discussions in regional gatherings.

However, Gomez confirmed in a memo May 22 that the topic would be on the national meeting's agenda.

The bishops requesting a delay included Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, who has made clear that Biden is welcome to receive Communion at his archdioceses churches. Even bishops pushing for a sternly worded document say theyre not seeking to overrule the authority of individual bishops to set their own policies on Communion.

But the broader divide has fueled heated remarks from both sides of the issue. San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy has warned against what he called the weaponization of the Eucharist," while San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has accused opponents of seeking to derail the Communion discussion with behind-closed-doors maneuvers.

Thomas Groome, a professor at Boston Colleges School of Theology and Ministry, said some conservative bishops seem to be using Communion to score points even if they cant impose a new national policy.

Theyre trying to embarrass President Biden, and the only person who benefits from that is Donald Trump, Groome said. They will contribute nothing to the faith life of their own Catholic people.

In theory any bishop could make a motion Wednesday to remove the Communion item from the agenda, and a simple majority of votes would suffice for it to pass. But theres been no public indication yet that such a tactic will be tried.

All signs are the bishops wont even pause, said Steven Millies, associate professor of public theology at Catholic Theological Union, who views the upcoming meeting as a crossroads for the U.S. church.

Clearly the votes are there to proceed with drafting a document, he said via email. Even the cautions of a (Vatican) congregation with authority over church discipline and doctrine will not stop the bishops who prefer a culture war over Pope Franciss leadership.

Charles Camosy, a professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University, empathized with the desire of some bishops to clarify Catholic teaching on Communion.

If one persists in mortal sin, without confession, then one is not sufficiently united to the Church in order to take the sacrament, Camosy said via email. He predicted that any eventual USCCB document would encourage local pastors and bishops to enforce this rule, but not seek to make it mandatory.

He also suggested some bishops might want to expand the discussion beyond abortion  for example, citing acts of racism as possible grounds for exclusion from Communion.

The debate is overshadowing the rest of this week's agenda, which has been criticized by some Catholic commentators for failing to address such issues as racism, economic inequality, voting rights and climate change.

One item up for consideration is adoption of a pastoral framework for youth and young adult ministry  a timely topic given the U.S. churchs struggles to ease a priest shortage by drawing more young men into seminary.

This should seem like the most important thing in a church that has visibly lost its grip on the imaginations of most Americans, most Catholics, and practically all young people, Millies wrote. But the U.S. bishops seem determined to keep abortion and partisan divisions front-and-center, inevitably squelching any focus on ways the church can appeal more broadly to young people.

The bishops will also vote on supporting possible sainthood for two Americans admired for wartime heroism.

Joseph Verbis Lafleur, a priest from Louisiana who served as a military chaplain during World War II, became a war prisoner and died saving fellow service members on a Japanese ship torpedoed near the Philippines.

And U.S. Merchant Marine Capt. Leonard LaRue was the commander of a ship that saved thousands of Korean refugees fleeing Chinese and North Korean forces as the Korean War began in 1950.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through The Conversation U.S. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
TOKYO (AP)  Until recently, the location of executed wartime Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo's remains was one of World War II's biggest mysteries in the nation he once led.

Now, a Japanese university professor has revealed declassified U.S. military documents that appear to hold the answer.

The documents show the cremated ashes of Tojo, one of the masterminds of the Pearl Harbor attack, were scattered from a U.S. Army aircraft over the Pacific Ocean about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Yokohama, Japans second-largest city, south of Tokyo.

It was a tension-filled, highly secretive mission, with American officials apparently taking extreme steps meant to keep Tojo's remains, and those of six others executed with him, away from ultra-nationalists looking to glorify them as martyrs. The seven were hanged for war crimes just before Christmas in 1948, three years after Japans defeat.

The discovery brings partial closure to a painful chapter of Japanese history that still plays out today, as conservative Japanese politicians attempt to whitewash history, leading to friction with wartime victims, especially China and South Korea.

After years spent verifying and checking details and evaluating the significance of what he'd found, Nihon University Professor Hiroaki Takazawa publicly released the clues to the remains' location last week. He came across the declassified documents in 2018 at the U.S. National Archives in Maryland. Its believed to be the first time official documents showing the handling of the seven war criminals remains were made public, according to Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies and the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records.

Hidetoshi Tojo, the leader's great-grandson, told The Associated Press that the absence of the remains has long been a humiliation for the bereaved families, but he's relieved the information has come to light.

If his remains were at least scattered in Japanese territorial waters ... I think he was still somewhat fortunate, Tojo said. I want to invite my friends and lay flowers to pay tribute to him" if further details about the remains' location becomes available.

Hideki Tojo, prime minister during much of World War II, is a complicated figure, revered by some conservatives as a patriot but loathed by many in the West for prolonging the war, which ended only after the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

About a month after Aug. 15, 1945, when then-Emperor Hirohito announced Japans defeat to a stunned nation, Tojo shot himself in a failed suicide attempt as he was about to be arrested at his modest Tokyo home.

Takazawa, the Nihon University professor specializing in war tribunal issues, found the documents during research at the U.S. archives into other war crimes trials. The documents, he said, are valuable because they officially detail previously little-known facts about what happened and provide a rough location of where the ashes were scattered.

He plans to continue research into other executions. More than 4,000 people were convicted of war crimes in other international tribunals, and about 920 of them were executed.

Tojo and the six others who were hanged were among 28 Japanese wartime leaders tried for war crimes at the 1946-1948 International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Twenty-five were convicted, including 16 sentenced to life in prison, with two getting shorter prison terms. Two others died while on trial and one case was dropped.

In one of the newly revealed documents  dated Dec. 23, 1948 and carrying a secret stamp  U.S. Army Maj. Luther Frierson wrote: "I certify that I received the remains, supervised cremation, and personally scattered the ashes of the following executed war criminals at sea from an Eighth Army liaison plane."

The entire operation was tense, with U.S. officials extremely careful about not leaving a single speck of ashes behind, apparently to prevent them from being stolen by admiring ultra-nationalists, Takazawa said.

In addition to their attempt to prevent the remains from being glorified, I think the U.S. military was adamant about not letting the remains return to Japanese territory ... as an ultimate humiliation," Takazawa said.

The documents state that when the cremation was completed, the ovens were "cleared of the remains in their entirety.

Special precaution was taken to preclude overlooking even the smallest particles of remains, Frierson wrote.

Here's how the operation went.

At 2:10 a.m. on Dec. 23, 1948, caskets carrying the bodies of Tojo and the six others were loaded on a 2.5-ton truck and taken out of the prison after fingerprinting for verification, Frierson wrote in a Jan. 4, 1949 document.

About an hour and a half later, the motorcade guarded by truckloads of armed soldiers to protect the bodies arrived at a U.S. military graves registration platoon in Yokohama for a final check.

The truck left the area at 7:25 a.m. and arrived at a Yokohama crematorium 30 minutes later. The caskets were unloaded from the truck and placed directly in the ovens in 10 minutes, while soldiers guarded the area.

The remains were then transported under guard to a nearby airstrip and loaded onto a plane that Frierson boarded. We proceeded to a point approximately 30 miles over the Pacific Ocean east of Yokohama where I personally scattered the cremated remains over a wide area.

Today, even without the ashes, bereaved families and conservative Japanese lawmakers such as former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regularly pay tribute at Tokyos Yasukuni Shrine, where the executed war criminals are enshrined with 2.5 million war dead considered sacred spirits in the Shinto religion. No remains are enshrined at Yasukuni.

After the seven executed war criminals were enshrined there in 1978, Yasukuni has become a flashpoint between Japan and its neighbors China and South Korea, who see the enshrinement as proof of Japans lack of remorse over its wartime aggression. Yasukuni also enshrines five other convicted wartime leaders and hundreds of other war criminals.

Hidetoshi Tojo said his great-grandfather was consistently made a taboo in postwar Japan, never glorified.

Everything about my great-grandfather was sealed, including his speeches. Taking that into consideration, I think not preserving the remains was part of the occupation policy, he said. I hope to see further revelations about the unknown facts of the past.

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This story has been corrected to say the documents were found at the U.S. National Archives in Maryland, not Washington.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Kansas' largest electric company expects to make its first big investments in solar energy over the next three years and promises zero net carbon emissions in 2045.

Environmentalists dont think Evergy is moving quickly enough. Conversely, other critics worry that its plans could make electricity more costly and less reliable.

Evergy outlined its long-term plan in recent weeks for regulators in Kansas, where the company has about 1 million customers, and Missouri, where it has an additional 600,000. The plan is inspiring a debate about climate change, electric rates and promoting social justice through energy policy.

It's the first time a Kansas utility has filed such a plan with state regulators, and Evergy promises to update it every three years. Utilities across the U.S. and investors increasingly see green initiatives as good for companies' bottom lines as well as the environment.

Most utilities see the handwriting on the wall, said Lisa Frantzis, senior managing director for Advanced Energy Economy, a national association for clean-energy technology firms. The customers  their ratepayers  are requiring it and we're even seeing even more and more pressure from financial institutions."

Eighteen states have a goal to generate all their power from renewable or clean sources by 2050, as do utilities such as Arizona Public Service and Duke Energy, according to Advanced Energy Economy.

Evergy would shut down nearly three-quarters of its coal-fired generating capacity by 2039, starting with a plant in Lawrence by 2023. Its capacity to generate power from wind farms would increase by 23% by 2026.

Evergy has almost no solar power now, but solar farms would provide 13% of its generating capacity within a decade. Its first would go online in 2023.

Every year, the technology gets better and better," said Chuck Caisley, an Evergy senior vice president and its chief customer officer. "You're just going to see that march continue.

However, under Evergy's plan, only 20% of its coal-fired generating capacity would go offline by 2030. Also, for now it plans to add natural-gas fired plants after 2030 to back up solar and wind farms. Gas is cleaner but not emissions-free.

Evergy's move toward clean energy is "not fast enough to align with the urgency of climate change," said Jeff Deyette of the Union Concerned Scientists.

Kansas' and Missouri's utility regulatory commissions are providing forums for comments on the plan rather than dictating the details, though later reviews of Evergy rates could shape what it does.

Evergy's plan worries at least a few conservatives in the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature. They argue that rolling blackouts during a brutal cold snap in February showed that Kansas needs fossil-fuel powered plants because wind and sun are not reliable enough.

Senate Utilities Committee Chair Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, said he's concerned about how much customers' rates might rise to pay for new wind and solar farms.

The Legislature needs to do something  exactly what, I'm not sure yet," Thompson said.

Attorneys representing utility customers also are reviewing Evergy's plan, focusing on keeping power affordable and reliable.

"You need it to live a modern life," said Robert Vincent, a Kansas City-area attorney representing large industrial customers.

Yet environmentalists also cite the cost of electricity to justify a more aggressive move toward green energy.

Evergy acknowledges that wind power is as cheap or cheaper than other power and that solar power is getting there.

What's changed in the last five years is that the economics actually make sense, added Sarah Akers, a utility analyst in St. Louis for Wells Fargo Securities, which provides services to Evergy.

The Sierra Club contends Evergy could free up $780 million by shutting down all of its coal-fired plants earlier, by 2030, under a bipartisan Kansas law enacted in April. The law allows utilities to use low-interest bonds to spread out shutdown costs, lessening the rate shock for customers.

Activists said savings could lower rates, pay for green technology or fund programs for financially struggling families. They argue there also will be financial and health benefits from lessening pollution that disproportionately affects poor and minority neighborhoods.

There's no reason why we should continue to have a coal-fired power plant operating even two more years, said Beto Lugo, executive director of Clean Air Now, a Kansas City group that sees green energy countering environmental racism.

But Evergy wants coal-fired power plants to back up wind and solar farms. Also, Caisley said, its plan would give solar batteries time to develop into something that can store massive amounts of power and dispatch it over time. Better green technology also could prompt Evergy to forgo building gas-fired plants after 2030.

You really do have to look at a bunch of factors over over a long time period, he said.

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Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday outlined how Michigan should spend more than $1.1 billion allotted for child care under the most recent federal coronavirus rescue, proposing to make it more affordable and to give workers $500 retention bonuses every three months.

The funding would be in addition to nearly $300 million from a prior round of federal COVID-19 aid the Democratic governor included in her annual budget proposal, which is being negotiated with the Republican-led Legislature.

COVID has been a reminder that child care is essential to our economy. There's just not enough quality, affordable child care that can meet the needs of Michigan's families and children, she said during a news conference at Troy Babes in Toyland in suburban Detroit.

Much of the funding, nearly $650 million, must help child care facilities reopen or ensure they remain open amid the pandemic, according to the governor's office. But the state has flexibility with other funds.

Whitmer proposed raising state payments to providers that serve lower-income children by 20% instead of 10% as she had suggested in February, before Congress and President Joe Biden enacted a $1.9 trillion rescue package. She also suggested lengthening a previously proposed expansion of eligibility for child care subsidies and a proposed waiver of families out-of-pocket copays through September 2023, a year later than planned. About 150,000 additional kids would become eligible if the expansion is authorized by legislators.

The $500 quarterly bonus for child care employees would go through September 2022. Whitmer also proposed a signing bonus for new staff and grants to incentivize the opening of child care businesses in places with insufficient supply. Adults enrolled in new state community college tuition-free programs  Michigan Reconnect or Futures for Frontliners  would be eligible for subsidized child care.

Basically we have a one-time injection of six times the amount of resources we usually have for this purpose, Whitmer said of the federal aid. So clearly, this is an unprecedented opportunity granted by the extraordinary circumstance of a once-in-a-century pandemic.

Her announcement came about a month after the GOP-led House passed a supplemental budget bill with nearly $1.5 billion for child care.

There is a fair amount of overlap between what the House approved... and what the governor announced today, and there are also some differences to work through, said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Thomas Albert, a Lowell Republican. I am confident we will find common ground to move forward and make a real difference helping Michigan families meet their child care needs.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Traditionally seen as a mans sport, fly-fishing has grown in popularity among women and girls over the past few years, and women are its largest growing demographic.

Jen Ripple, editor-in-chief of DUN Magazine, an international womens fly-fishing magazine, said that could be for several reasons, but particularly because the sport has become much more affordable and women are encouraged by seeing each other try it.

If they see someone that is just an everyday woman who has picked up a fly rod and had a great time ... thats something women look at and say, Hey, maybe this is an activity that I can do with my friends with my family, she said.

Fly-fishing is a sport similar to conventional fishing that uses a fly instead of a lure and weighted lines instead of monofilament lines.

The difference is that in a conventional fishing state, you are using a lure that is weighted, said Ripple, a professional fly angler and fly-fishing educator. Our flies dont weight anything, so the way that we get our fly to our target is through a weighted line.

Despite being male-dominated, fly-fishing has a rich history of involving women, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.

Carrie Frost was a female fly angler and pioneer who used her experience in fly-fishing to establish her own business that employed mostly women in Stevens Point.

Ripple said Frost, who was born in 1868, found success in part because of her focus on the local environment. She made flies with local feathers and furs to mimic local insects. At the time, flies were brought in primarily from Europe.

She also tied flies that look like the bugs that were in her area, Ripple said. And I think thats a super important part because flies in the English waters did not always compare in color and size to what she was seeing in Wisconsin.

But even prior to Frost, as far back as the 15th century, some historians believe the first book about fly-fishing was written by a nun born of nobility, Dame Juliana Berners, who wrote Treatyse of fysshynge wyth an Angle or Treatise of Fishing with an Angle, that touched on everything from dying horse hair for different water conditions to conservatism.

Although shes from a family of anglers, Ripple didnt fall in love with the sport right away. It took her signing up for a fly tying class in Michigan before it really became a passion.

Ripple said the sport is also accessible to young children, pointing to Maxine McCormick, a teenager who many believe to be the best caster in the world.

Fly-fishing has absolutely nothing to do with strength, which makes it perfect for young and old women and men alike, she said.

And, she said for fathers and male caregivers, its important to pay attention to cues from their children, and especially daughters, showing interest in the sport.

I think a lot of fathers overlook the fact that their daughters might want to try this, she said.
CHICAGO (AP)  Police are still searching for two suspects who killed a 29-year-old mother of three and left nine more injured when they opened fire on a group on Chicagos South Side, officials said Monday.

The Cook County Medical Examiners office identified Kimfier Miles as the woman who died in the shooting at about 2 a.m. on Saturday. The other shooting victims survived but Miles, who was shot in the abdomen and leg, was pronounced dead at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
BUTTE, Mont. (AP)  A central Colorado man was charged with deliberate homicide Monday in the weekend stabbing death of a woman at a residence in Butte, Butte-Silver Bow County officials said.

Carmen Edwards, 38, was stabbed at noon Saturday, Sheriff Ed Lester said. She was declared dead shortly after she arrived at the hospital.
HOUSTON (AP)  Jennifer Bridges, a registered nurse in Houston, is steadfast in her belief that it's wrong for her employer to force hospital workers like her to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or say goodbye to their jobs. But that's a losing legal argument so far.

In a stinging defeat, a federal judge bluntly ruled over the weekend that if employees of the Houston Methodist hospital system don't like it, they can go work elsewhere.

Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer. Bridges can freely choose to accept or refuse a COVID-19 vaccine; however, if she refuses, she will simply need to work somewhere else," U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes wrote in dismissing a lawsuit filed by 117 Houston Methodist workers, including Bridges, over the vaccine requirement.

The ruling Saturday in the closely watched legal case over how far health care institutions can go to protect patients and others against the coronavirus is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. But it won't be the end of the debate.

Bridges said she and the others will take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court if they have to: This is only the beginning. We are going to be fighting for quite a while."

And other hospital systems around the country, including in Washington, D.C., Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania and most recently New York, have followed Houston Methodist and have also gotten pushback.

Legal experts say such vaccine requirements, particularly in a public health crisis, will probably continue be upheld in court as long as employers provide reasonable exemptions, including for medical conditions or religious objections.

The Houston Methodist employees likened their situation to medical experiments performed on unwilling victims in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The judge called that comparison reprehensible and said claims made in the lawsuit that the vaccines are experimental and dangerous are false.

These folks are not being imprisoned. Theyre not being strapped down. Theyre just being asked to receive the vaccination to protect the most vulnerable in hospitals and other health care institutional settings, said Valerie Gutmann Koch, an assistant law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

Bridges is one of 178 Houston Methodist workers who were suspended without pay on June 8 and will be fired if they dont agree by June 22 to get vaccinated.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, and the NewYork-Presbyterian hospital system have likewise indicated employees who arent fully vaccinated would lose their jobs.

Houston Methodists decision in April made it the first major U.S. health care system to require COVID-19 vaccinations for workers. Many hospitals around the country, including Houston Methodist, already require other types of vaccines, including for the flu.

Houston Methodists president and CEO, Marc Boom, has said nearly 25,000 of the system's more than 26,000 workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

You did the right thing. You protected our patients, your colleagues, your families and our community. The science proves that the vaccines are not only safe but necessary if we are going to turn the corner against COVID-19, Boom said in a statement to employees.

But Bridges, 39, and Kara Shepherd, 38, another nurse who is part of the lawsuit, say they dont have confidence in the vaccines safety. They say that they have seen patients and co-workers have severe reactions and that there is insufficient knowledge about its long-term effects.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that while a small number of health problems have been reported, COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective.

Both Bridges, who has worked 6 years at the medical-surgical in-patient unit at Houston Methodists hospital in the suburb of Baytown, and Shepherd, who has worked 7 years in the labor and delivery unit at a Methodist hospital in Houston, say they are not anti-vaccine, are not conspiracy theorists and are not making a political statement.

To me, what this ultimately boils down to is freedom, Shepherd said.

Their attorney, Jared Woodfill, said the hospital system is not allowing its workers to make their own health care decisions.

Indiana University Health, Indiana's biggest hospital system, is requiring all its employees be fully vaccinated by Sept. 1. So far, just over 60% of its 34,000 employees have been vaccinated, spokesman Jeff Swiatek said.

Some employees in Indianapolis on Saturday protested the requirement.

Kasey Ladig, an intensive care nurse and outpatient coordinator in the bone marrow transplant unit at IU Health, said she quit the job she loved the day the policy was announced.

I would love to hear something other than, We trust the science, Ladig said. It was a huge red flag. I didnt feel comfortable getting it.

Hospital employees and others have argued that such requirements are illegal because the COVID-19 vaccines are being dispensed under emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration and have not received final FDA approval. But Koch said emergency use does not mean people are being experimented on, and she added that FDA approval is expected.

Allison K. Hoffman, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said claims made by Houston Methodist employees that they are being used as human guinea pigs or that vaccine policy violates the Nuremberg Code, a set of rules for medical experimentation that were developed in the wake of Nazi atrocities, are bordering on absurd."

To avoid such fights, many employers are offering incentives for vaccinations.

Instead of requiring vaccines, the small health care system in Jackson, Wyoming, offered $600 bonuses to employees who got vaccinated before the end of May. That boosted vaccinations from 73% to 82% of the 840 employees at St. Johns Health, said spokeswoman Karen Connelly.

Bridges and Shepherd said that while the expected loss of their jobs has meant some financial worries, they have no regrets.

Were all proud of our decision because we stood our ground and we didnt do something against our will just for a paycheck, Bridges said.

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Melley reported from Los Angeles.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
Moses Mwape/AP

LUSAKA, Zambia (AP)  Zambia's first president Kenneth Kaunda, 97, has been admitted to hospital, his office announced Monday, as the southern African country battles a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Kaunda asked for all Zambians and the international community to pray for him as the medical team is doing everything possible to ensure that he recovers, according to the statement issued by Kaunda's administrative assistant Rodrick Ngolo.
By Amelia Williams

Bay City News Foundation

Climate change is rapidly becoming (if it wasn't already) the greatest threat to human life and the greatest force shaping how people see the future. Yet plenty of Americans -- neighbors, business owners and even President Biden among them -- can't or won't accept what it means.

While it is easy to recline on a sofa in a city center condo in the Global North and feel unaffected by climate change, millions and millions of people worldwide, and increasingly more within the United States, are experiencing climate disasters without the resources, infrastructure or preparedness to handle them.

Thanks to more than a decade in aerial cinematography, a lifetime of environmental activism and a very sophisticated drone, Oakland resident Doug Thron can see, in his own words, "the whole enchilada." Thron travels from one climate disaster to another, locating and rescuing animals from imminent danger. His efforts have been documented by the new CuriosityStream series, "Doug to the Rescue," which debuted Thursday.

"You get a really different magnitude for the fires and the magnitude of the hurricanes when it's from a flying drone overhead," he says. "This is an area the size of S.F. burned to the ground; we need to look at the way we treat the Earth."

Thron has known the planet is in crisis for more than 30 years, since he moved to Arcata, California, from his native Texas to go to Humboldt State University and study photojournalism, hoping to work with the likes of National Geographic or Discovery.

His years spent studying and living in arboreal splendor inspired him to join the movement to protect the redwood forest, where he spent a decade protecting trees and was even addressed in a lawsuit from the Pacific Lumber Company. He went back to photo work and found himself with an affinity for aerial cinematography around 2005, and once they came onto the scene, drones -- shooting for NatGeo, the World Wildlife Fund and the wealthy owners of San Francisco skyscrapers who sell luxury real estate.

Thron went viral in 2017 for a clip of Santa Rosa after the Tubbs Fire, but it was after the Camp Fire of 2018 nearly leveled the Sierra Nevada foothills town of Paradise that Thron realized if he wanted to be able to document the world's flora and fauna for the rest of his life, he first had to ensure it would still be there. His decades-long efforts to protect trees, preserve natural habitats and rescue animals from the follies of man have coalesced in the new documentary TV program.

"Why didn't you do this a decade ago, when I was younger and better looking?", he asks with a laugh.

Come for the aerial exploration of a world both on fire and under water, and stay for koalas, cats, ponies and the call to arms that climate change is now. All six episodes of "Doug to the Rescue" are available to watch on CuriosityStream.

The show follows Thron across countries and continents between 2019 and early 2021 to the aftermaths of natural disaster sites, most if not all of which are exacerbated by climate change. Elements of old-school, on-the-ground environmentalism blend with advances in drone technology, as Thron uses customized infrared cameras on his drone to be able to locate animals hidden under debris or separated from their owners.

Across the Bahamas, Australia, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and right here in Northern California, hurricanes, drought and wildfires are displacing communities, ravaging land and all but razing these residents' sense of safety. It's also leaving innumerable animals in limbo. Showing the true scale of that, Thron believes, is the key to believing.

The show is full of shudder-inducing shots of chaos and loss: blackened hills, barren trees and entire neighborhoods drowned in garbage. These circumstances extend to animals too, who have no means of evacuation.

A rescue in the first episode takes place in 2020 during the LNU Lightning Complex Fire near Vacaville, where a couple of horses and a pony have been fending for themselves. Using his drone's multiple camera settings, Thron is able to locate them by body heat sensor, and then get a clear video view to approach on foot. One equine beauty is so malnourished and pocked with growths and burns, Thron's first reaction upon seeing him is "Oh s---!"

Susan Pagliano, a Vacaville resident, having stumbled upon the scene, provides additional lived experience, reminding viewers of the human toll as well.

"I just barely got out, about 2:30 in the morning ... it caught my trailer on fire. I was in tears," Pagliano says.

While the show largely follows Thron and his drone work, he frequently collaborates with other rescue organizations and community groups, because as he says, "I just fly the drone."

Aja-Nikiya Estro and her group Compassion Kind first appear while Thron is in California, helping Thron rescue dogs; he later enlists them to assist with projects in Louisiana and Puerto Rico.

There are brief interactions with locals and residents who spare cat food and water for the critters, despite having lost their homes, livelihoods and sense of security. Organized collaboration is what gets, for example, a starved and singed cat out of a crawl space and into a loving home. In case any anxious viewers were wondering, the show does check in with a few lucky furbabies down the line, and they look pretty good.

Despite having to look devastation in the face every day (and fair warning, not every creature Thron and his team attempt to save has a happy ending), Thron feels good about the future.

Right now, he's taking a little break and kicking it at his houseboat in an Alameda County harbor with his dogs Duke and Ghost, both of whom he rescued from fire sites. He's looking forward to some more filming, and has feelers out as fire season picks up in California ahead of schedule this year.

He still makes time to respond to individual requests to search for lost pets, but he may not have the time after the show airs. Somewhere down the line, when drones don't cost a year's salary, he hopes to train the next generation of drone cinematographers, to document how we came back from the brink.

"It's not too late. We are at the turning point," he says. "Do we want rainforests, or do we not? Now is the time to protect that, to get involved in helping save the planet. Adopt an animal!"

* All episodes of "Doug to the Rescue" are available to stream at https://curiositystream.com/dougtotherescue/index.html. Consider donating to Thron's GoFundMe to further his mission to save animals and document climate change at https://www.gofundme.com/f/7q27v-douglas-thron-drone-animal-rescue.

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.
by Daniel Montes, Bay City News

San Francisco has launched the citywide Museums for All program -- which provides free and reduced admissions for low-income residents to 21 museums in an effort to support the city's reopening and recovery.

After a successful initial launch in summer 2019, the program returns for a permanent run, building on a commitment from Mayor London Breed to offer equitable access to arts, cultural, and educational opportunities for all, including families.

"All San Franciscans, regardless of their income, deserve the opportunity to experience the joy and inspiration, and community that our incredible arts and cultural institutions have to offer," Breed said in a statement. "As our city recovers and reopens, a permanent San Francisco Museums for All program will give families an opportunity to engage in safe, healthy, and enriching activities at a time when they need it most."

Under the program, residents currently receiving public benefits through the city's Human Services Agency can receive free or reduced admission for up to four people at participating museums. To participate, residents simply have to show their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card or Medi-Cal card and proof of San Francisco residency.

The permanent program will give some 225,000 San Franciscans unprecedented access to the city's premiere cultural institutions, including the de Young museum, Legion of Honor museum, Asian Art Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, Conservatory of Flowers, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum, among many others.

City officials estimate a typical museum trip for a family of four in San Francisco can range anywhere from $20 to $150, often creating a barrier for low-income families.

The Museums for All program was created through San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros' Financial Justice Project, which works to ensure that the city's low-income residents can receive discounts on disproportionately high fines and fees.

"No one should be excluded from our world class museums because of the size of their wallet," Cisneros said. "A truly inclusive city is one where all residents have the opportunity to experience the wonder and excitement of our museums and cultural institutions."

A complete list of all participating museums and more information about the program can be found at https://www.sfhsa.org/san-francisco-museums-all.

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.
When misfortunes multiplied during the coronavirus pandemic, observers seized on a four-letter word signaling end of days for the largest state with one-eighth the U.S. population and 14% of its gross domestic product. "California doom: Staggering $54 billion deficit looms," the Associated Press concluded a year ago in May. "California Is Doomed," declared Business Insider two months earlier. "Is California doomed to keep burning?" queried the New Republic in October. California is "Doomed" because of rising sea levels, according to an April EcoNews Report. Bulletins of people leaving the world's fifth-biggest economy for lower-cost states because of high taxes and too much regulation stifling business continue unabated.

No one anticipated the latest data readout showing the Golden State has no peers among developed economies for expanding GDP, creating jobs, raising household income, manufacturing growth, investment in innovation, producing clean energy and unprecedented wealth through its stocks and bonds. All of which underlines Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement last month of the biggest state tax rebate in American history.

By adding 1.3 million people to its non-farm payrolls since April last year -- equal to the entire workforce of Nevada -- California easily surpassed also-rans Texas and New York. At the same time, California household income increased $164 billion, almost as much as Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania combined, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. No wonder California's operating budget surplus, fueled by its surging economy and capital gains taxes, swelled to a record $75 billion.

If anything, covid-19 accelerated California's record productivity. Quarterly revenue per employee of the publicly-traded companies based in the state climbed to an all-time high of $1.5 million in May, 63% greater than its similar milestone a decade ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The rest of the U.S. was nothing special, with productivity among those members of the Russell 3000 Index, which is made up of both large and small companies, little changed during the past 10 years.

While pundits have long insisted California policies are bad for business, reality belies them. In a sign of investor demand, the weight of California companies in the benchmark S&P 500 Index increased 3 percentage points since a year ago, the most among all states, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Faith in California credit was similarly superlative, with the weight of corporate bonds sold by companies based in the state rising the most among all states, to 12.5 percentage points from 11.7 percentage points, according to the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate Bond Index. Translation: Investors had the greatest confidence in California companies during the pandemic.

The most trusted measure of economic strength says California is the world-beater among democracies. The state's gross domestic product increased 21% during the past five years, dwarfing No. 2 New York (14%) and No. 3 Texas (12%), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The gains added $530 billion to the Golden State, 30% more than the increase for New York and Texas combined and equivalent to the entire economy of Sweden. Among the five largest economies, California outperforms the U.S., Japan and Germany with a growth rate exceeded only by China.

Enlarging its No. 1 footprint with factory jobs, California GDP from manufacturing gained 13% over the past five years to $316 billion in 2020, an increase unmatched by any of the 10 largest manufacturing states: Texas was No. 2 with 9% growth, followed by Indiana at 8%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. For all its bluster as being "best for business,'' Texas can't match California's innovation. California prosperity is rooted in its appeal as a worldwide destination for technology and health-care development. Of the 6,924 corporate locations in the state, 18% are research and development facilities, a ratio that easily beats the U.S. overall (11%), China (15%), U.K. (14%) and Japan (10%). Only Germany, at 19%, has a higher rate, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The percentage of Texas facilities for R&D is less than half California's at 8.2%.

Corporate California also is the undisputed leader in renewable energy, with 26 companies worth $897 billion, or 36% of the U.S. industry, having reported 10% or more of their revenue derived from clean technology. No state comes close to matching the 21% of electricity derived from solar energy. Shares of these firms appreciated 282% during the past 12 months and 1,003%, 1,140% and 9,330% over two, five and 10 years, respectively, with no comparable rivals anywhere in the world, according to BloombergNEF. The same companies also increased their workforce 35% since 2019, almost tripling the rate for the rest U.S. overall and four times the global rate.

Perennial water shortages and devastating fires drive the perception of dystopia. But California reigns supreme with the GDP-equivalent of $40.2 billion derived from agriculture, forest and hunting in 2020. That's greater than the output from the next five largest states -- Iowa, Washington, Illinois, Texas and Nebraska -- combined, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Even with the economic disruptions caused by the pandemic, California cemented its position as the No. 1 state for global trade, with its Los Angeles and Long Beach ports seeing growth that led all U.S. rivals for the first time in nine years in 2020. Much has been made of the state reporting its first yearly loss in population, or 182,000 last year. Had it not been for the Trump administration preventing new visas, depriving as many as 150,000 people from moving to California from other countries annually, the 2020 outcome would have been more favorable.

Even so, Republicans, opposed to Newsom's policies favoring immigration, criminal justice reform and greater benefits for housing, health and child care, want voters to decide whether he should be replaced in a potential recall election later this year. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a Republican who is among those running to succeed him, said Newsom, a Democrat, hurt the state's small businesses.

That's not what the data shows. The 373 California-based companies in the Russell 2000 Index, which includes small-cap companies across the U.S., appreciated 39% the past two years and 85% since 2016, beating the bench mark's 34% and 67%, respectively. The same California companies reported revenue growth of 56% the past five years, dwarfing the bench mark's 34%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. More important, California companies invested 16% of their revenue in R&D, or their future, when the rest of the U.S. put aside just 1%.

Investing in the future is California's way, the opposite of doom.

- - -

Matthew A. Winkler is Co-founder of Bloomberg News (1990) and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus; Bloomberg Opinion Columnist since 2015; Co-founder of Bloomberg Business Journalism Diversity Program in 2017. During his 25 years as Editor-in-Chief, Bloomberg News was a three-time finalist and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting and received numerous George Polk, Gerald Loeb, Overseas Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists and Editors (Sabew) awards.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Almost a full week after Vice President Kamala Harris' ill-fated interview with NBC's Lester Holt, the gaffe still remains prominent in the news cycle after a slew of former aides told CNN and Axios that Harris is "notoriously difficult to prep" for interviews and appearances.

CNN reported that Harris "participated in a wide-ranging media training session to improve her delivery and presentation" ahead of her trip to Guatemala, and that allies and former aides to the vice president had "flashbacks" to her failed 2020 presidential bid when she stumbled even after this training.
My first mistake was my worst. Having read news reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was allowing at-home, self-administered COVID-19 tests to be used to re-enter the United States after travel abroad, I made an assumption that turned out to be very incorrect. Since there were myriad self-tests sold everywhere from Costco to my neighborhood Walgreens, I figured at least one of those readily available options would qualify. But they dont. As far as I can tell, none do.

But in order to finally come to that disheartening conclusion, I first spent an hour researching tests online. The CDC web page devoted to the Jan. 12, 2021 order made the testing seem fairly straight forward. It states that all air passengers arriving to the United States from a foreign country need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than three days before entering the country.

Though the order excludes people who have gotten, and recovered from, COVID-19 who can provide documentation of recovery, it does not exclude people, like myself and my husband Tim, who are fully vaccinated. Though the distinction between having recovered from COVID-19 and having been vaccinated is unclear to me, it was clear our four-day trip to Mexico would demand a test of some kind before returning home to the Bay Area. And its a requirement I support.

Freda Moon

Which COVID-19 test do I need to re-enter the U.S. from abroad?

Based on the CDCs description of which self-tests are accepted as re-entry documentation, it seemed most of the FDA-approved options would qualify. Both antigen and molecular (or nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) tests like the RT-PCR) are accepted, as are rapid tests and self tests.

The problem for me came from two separate, but related, issues.

First, I didnt realize that many of what I thought were at home tests are actually just self-administered tests  meaning yes, you can buy a kit at pretty much any drugstore and collect your sample at home, but you then have to send the sample to a lab and wait up to 48 hours for results. The test itself is not processed at-home. That means these tests wouldnt work for our international trip, since sending a sample from Mexico wouldnt be practical (if it is permitted at all, which Im not certain it is). There are, however, some tests that dont require that second step. Great, I thought, Ill get one of those.

But nope. There was one additional issue I also misunderstood. The CDC guidelines make clear that a test used for re-entry documentation must include a telehealth service ... that provides real-time supervision remotely through an audio and video connection. The purpose of the telehealth component is to confirm the testers identity, observe the testing to make sure it was done correctly and to confirm the test results over video. Great, I thought, Costco sells tests that come with video observation and that specifically advertise themselves as travel approved. Those specific tests need to be sent away for lab testing, but I reasoned, surely there are others that dont.

Freda Moon

There are so many over-the-counter COVID tests out there, with video observation and without, at-home processing and mail-in lab results. It seemed impossible that there wasnt some way for me to simply go to a pharmacy, buy a test kit, and test myself on video a few days before our return flight.

The specific test that kept coming up in my research was BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test from Abbott Laboratories that pairs with an app that functions as a digital record of your test results. Great, I thought, Ill run to CVS and buy one for $24. But then I read the FAQ at the bottom of CVS product page. Though this test seems identical to another Abbot test with a virtually identical name, the over-the-counter version is for personal use only and doesnt provide a documented test result that you can display when traveling. Well, phooey.

Then I read on: For a documented test result the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test may be a better. Combined with the NAVICA App and with a negative result, you will have a digital result that may meet travel requirements. This test is offered by eMed, please visit www.emed.com for further information.

Though it took me another half-hour of online sleuthing to confirm it, this was the moment I learned that despite all the options out there, the only self-test that meets the CDC requirements for re-entry is only available online  and only through one specific online pharmacy. Would I love to know what eMed, a company I have never before heard of, did to get monopoly rights to sell this test? Yes, I very much would.

The lesson

Though the CDC testing requirements for re-entry dont seem particularly onerous or complicated, theyre not as straightforward as they appear. The Ag Card version of the BinaxNOW test is sold only in packs of six that cost $150  significantly more than the various over-the-counter versions that, as far as I can tell, do essentially the same thing. Theyre also available only online, meaning that by the time I was hoping to buy one, a few days before my trip, it was already too late to realistically receive the test kit in time to take it with me.

Freda Moon

We would not be self-testing our way back into the country, as planned. But you can, if youre willing to fork over $150 to eMed and wait however many days it would take for the kits to arrive via mail  and I dont know how long that takes because I refused to enter my information into the site in order to find out.

While I find it both frustrating and mystifying that eMed currently offers the only self-testing option for international travel from California, that seems likely to change fairly soon. EMeds site describes its tests as the first "FDA-authorized, virtually guided, at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen test with automated results reporting," but that suggests there can be others. And, hopefully, there will be soon. In the meantime, eMed has just started distributing the Ag Card version of the home test in some Walgreens in New York and New Jersey, which Id hope means more states and brick-and-mortar retailers will follow.

If we cant self-test for COVID-19 to re-enter the U.S., what do we do instead?

This part, it turns out, was remarkably easy. I had read that some Mexican tourist hotels were offering testing as a service for guests. Some were even offering both free testing and a paid quarantine stay for guests who test positive and, therefore, cant return home until theyre COVID-free. Airlines also have various testing programs in place, including a partnership between United and eMed (though its unclear how buying a test through the United portal differs from buying from eMed directly).

We were flying Delta, so I first checked the airlines Testing Resources website to see what it offered. It listed several ways to get tested in southern Baja, where we were staying. But I thought the easiest option might be contacting our hotel, the wonderful new Grupo Habita design hotel Baja Club, to see whether provided on-site testing. A quick email to the concierge later and I had scheduled our tests for two days before our return.

I had been given the option of either taking an antigen test with results in three hours (for 1,100 pesos or about $55) or a PCR test with a 24-hour turnaround (3,500 pesos, which would set us back $176 each). We were told that U.S. guests typically take the former, so thats what we did as well.

Freda Moon

The hotel testing process

That day, a technician met us in the hotel lobby, put on his protective gear, and administered a nose-tickling but largely painless antigen test. A couple hours later, we received the test results via email, while a paper version was delivered to the reception desk that afternoon. While not an insignificant expense, it was at least a seamless, stress-free process. We could, I know, have gotten the testing done for less at one of the many testing sites in the region, which includes a last resort test at the Los Cabos airport for 450 pesos for the antigen test. Id guess other non-airport labs are even more affordable.

I wasnt sure what advantage the more expensive and slower PCR test might have, but it seems the antigen test is more prone to false positives, which would have been a real problem for us  parents with young kids staying with family  had that happened. (Also worth noting: Canada requires a PCR test, while the United States allows either.) Ultimately, however, I had followed the research on vaccine efficacy closely enough that I was less concerned with contracting COVID as a fully vaccinated person (and especially as one who was also masking in transit and in most indoor settings) than I was with making sure my paperwork was in order. And that part was far less complicated than Id feared.

At the airport

We arrived at Los Cabos airport two and a half hours before our flight home. Wed already checked into our Delta flight on the Delta app, which had asked some basic COVID-19 screening questions as part of the online check-in process. At the airport ticket counter area, there were tables set up with paper forms asking the same series of questions, which we then handed over to a Mexican health official as we passed through a temperature screening area on our way to the security check. Our COVID test documentation was not asked for at this point.

On the other side of security, as we waited to board, the Delta gate agent announced that passengers should come to the desk for a passport check. Once there, Tim was also asked for our negative COVID test paperwork, which he had wisely grabbed as well. And just like that, we were on our way.

Freda Moon

The takeaway

In retrospect, the fact that the self-administered COVID tests are comparatively hard to get was to my advantage. I ended up spending less money for an easier, less anxiety-inducing process. But I can also see that, depending on where one is traveling and what infrastructure is available there, the eMed test may be the best, or even the only, option.

For our trip, we stumbled upon a better, easier, and more affordable way. The most important lesson, for me, was that the combination of my overall comfort with travel and the strangeness of not having done it for a very long time means that I should over-research, over-plan, over-worry. Where I normally fight against my inclination to anxiety, this may be a time to indulge it.

Tim and I chose Baja as our first short trip away from kids because the peninsula is driving distance from our Northern California home while still being Mexico  a country so close to me that staying away, over the last many months, was an act of love. So too was coming back.
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As strategic partners in global affairs, Washington and Ankara will be meeting each other on the sidelines of the NATO summit on Monday, amid long-standing tensions over a host of geopolitical issues.

Washington, June 14 (IANS) In a bid to stabilise the troubled ties with Turkey, US President Joe Biden is heading to his first face-to-face meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Brussels.

One of the significant points of conflict with its NATO ally members is Turkey's possession of the Russian S-400 missile defence system.

However, signalling to avoid direct confrontation with Ankara, Biden had directly communicated with Erdogan ahead of his decision to recognise the Armenian genocide, which Turkey rejects.

"Biden doesn't have much interest in or expectations from Erdogan beyond pursuing a few transactional deals, such as further US-Turkish cooperation in Afghanistan and Ankara de-escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean in exchange for Euro-American goodwill," said Aykan Erdemir, senior Director of the Turkey programme with the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, and a former member of the Turkish Parliament.

"For Erdogan, the stakes are higher," he said, pointing to the Turkish President's push to walk back tense relations with the US and NATO as a way to help relieve an economic crisis and a downturn in the Turkish lira.

"The Turkish president is desperate to offer this meeting to domestic and global investors as proof that bilateral relations are improving," Erdemir added.

"We are open and transparent in all talks (on the S-400 issue)" Defence Minister Hulusi Akar reportedly said at the opening of a NATO building in Istanbul.

The Biden administration has maintained strong criticism against the S-400, saying that the Russian technology is an intelligence and security threat to the US and NATO operations in the region, the Hill reported.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price had rejected that the Biden administration is open to any sort of compromise over Turkey's continued possession of the Russia-made system.

"It's incompatible with Turkey's status as a NATO ally," Price said.

Biden took a tough stance on Turkey during his campaign for US presidency - calling out Turkey's involvement on the side of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia last fall besides criticising Donald Trump for "coddling Ankara".

After assuming office, Biden's State Department has issued a number of critical statements against Turkey, including rejecting the country's claims that the US was involved in a 2016 coup attempt.

Biden held his first call with the Turkish leader in April, an effort considered to offset tensions ahead of the President's recognition of the Armenian genocide.

"The reaction in Turkey to that announcement wasn't as big as one would have thought," said Berkay Mandiraci, the International Crisis Group's Turkey analyst.

Deniz Yuksel, Turkey advocacy specialist with Amnesty International, said that while Biden has sought to take a more measured tone in office to create stability in the US-Turkey relationship, he has committed publicly to putting human rights at the center of his foreign policy.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said that the Biden-Erdogan meeting is an opportunity for face-to-face diplomacy to "constructively work together where there's opportunity, and also areas where we have strong disagreement".

Turkey holds the keys to important security issues for the US and Europe, including in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, where Biden is working with NATO allies to coordinate the withdrawal of its forces.

--IANS

int/arm
Ibashisha Mawlong, the Executive Director of the State Disaster Management Authority, said uninterrupted rescue operations involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are ongoing since the five workers got trapped inside the coal mine on May 31.

Shillong, June 14 (IANS) An Indian Navy team joined the non-stop rescue operations for five miners trapped in a coal mine in the East Jaintia Hills district in Meghalaya for two weeks, said top officials on Monday.

"NDRF and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) personnel along with local people are continuing their efforts to rescue the miners. Various equipment, including water pumps, are also being used for the purpose.

"A 13-member Indian Navy team also joined the rescue operation on Sunday with remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and other equipment," Mawlong told IANS.

Mawlong, who is also Joint Secretary in the Revenue and Disaster Management Department of Meghalaya, said senior officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of the East Jaintia Hills district are supervising the operations.

According to the fire service officials, the vertical depth of water inside the pit is nearly 152 feet. Other rescuers said the depth of the rat hole mine would be more than 500 feet.

Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Kyrmen Shylla along with senior officials visited the accident site for inspection.

Jagpal Singh Dhanoa, Superintendent of Police, East Jaintia Hills, earlier said due to the sudden explosion of dynamite (used to split coal pit), these workers got trapped in the sudden rush of water inside the mine and within no time the mine at Umpleng Elaka Sutnga was inundated.

Of the five miners, four are from Assam while one is from Tripura. Six co-workers of the trapped miners could save themselves as they were on the outer side of the mine at the time of the mishap and they have returned to their homes in Assam.

The police arrested the owner of the coal mine, Shining Langstang, and charged him with violation of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order banning unscientific mining and transportation of coal. The 'Sordar' (mine manager and head of the workers) is on the run and a lookout notice has been issued since he had brought the workers from Assam and Tripura to work in the illegal mine.

At least six people, who hailed from Karimganj district in southern Assam, were killed when they were working inside a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills on January 21 this year.

The latest incident on May 31 is a grim reminder of the December 2018 illegal coal mining tragedy in the same district when 15 migrant miners from Assam died inside in an abandoned coal mine. The 15 miners had been stuck in the coal mine at a depth of nearly 370 feet after a tunnel was flooded with water from the nearby Lytein river.

Even the bodies of the miners could not be retrieved after many days of rescue operations. In April 2014, the NGT had banned the indiscriminate and hazardous rat hole coal mining in Meghalaya. But mining continued illegally with the authorities turning a blind eye, allege environmental activists in Meghalaya and Assam.

The Assam police earlier this month seized nearly 250 tonne of coal when it was being taken to Bangladesh from Meghalaya in nine trucks, violating official regulations.

The police said four people, including three exporters, were arrested for exporting the coal through Sutarkandi land customs station in Assam's Karimganj district.

--IANS

sc/khz/bg
The Malaysian Society of Anaesthesiologists and the College of Anaesthesiologists, Academy of Medicine of Malaysia strongly refute the misleading message circulating on the social platform on the causation and/or adverse reactions of anaesthesia against COVID-19 vaccinated individuals.



To date, there is no scientific evidence to validate the unfounded misinformation.

Allowing such misstatements to propagate may impact many vulnerable individuals awaiting anaesthesia for surgical procedures and their inclination for vaccination. Hence the need for us to address this with urgency.

We may consider asking patients to defer elective non-urgent surgeries if they are recently vaccinated, not because of interactions with anaesthesia but mainly to confer the full benefit of the two doses of vaccine to protect the individual from COVD-19 when the patient comes to the hospital.

Additionally, patients may present with post-vaccination related symptoms such as muscle pain or fever which may extend through the perioperative period.

Deferment here is to ensure that the side effects of the vaccine are not confused with other side effects related to the operative procedure.1

If the surgery is an emergency, recent vaccination should not be the reason to defer surgery.

There are guidelines on rescheduling elective surgeries for patients who are COVID-19 positive and recovering which is a different issue altogether.

These established guidelines allow for maximal recovery after a COVID-19 infection taking into account the severity of the infection.2

We encourage patients to seek expert advice from their healthcare professionals who will be able to provide detailed explanations on this matter.

References:

1 Limper U, Defosse J, Schildgen O, Wappler F. Perioperative risk evaluation in patients scheduled for elective surgery in close relation to their SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. British Journal of Anaesthesia 2021; Volume 126, Issue 6, e225-e226, June 01, 2021.

2 American Society of Anaesthesiologists and Anaesthesia Patient Safety Foundation. ASA and APSF Joint Statement on Elective Surgery and Anesthesia for Patients after COVID-19 Infection, December 08, 2020.
By Tan Ming Luk



We welcome the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC)'s recent media statement reiterating its commitment to collaborate with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) to prioritize the vaccination of frontliners from Malaysia's tourism sector who are working during the Movement Control Order (MCO) 3.0.

While we appreciate the ministry's efforts to champion the needs of the approximately 3.6 million people employed in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the country, we are cognizant of the fact that for this to have any effect on the industry's recovery, all frontliners across all sectors in tourism,travel and hospitality need to be vaccinated, and not just those who are serving during MCO 3.0.

With the pandemic continuing to show little sign of abating amidst a resurgence in some states and tight border restrictions remaining in place, vaccination plays a hugely significant role in ensuring the recovery of the sector which had contributed an average of RM80 million annually to Malaysia's economy during the pre-pandemic years.

OYO sees the blanket administration of vaccines for all industry frontliners, and not just those operating in businesses earmarked as essential services during MCO 3.0, as equally essential to the industry's survival and recovery.

For this to happen, we need the support of the entire tourism, travel and hospitality industry.

OYO stands in solidarity with everyone in the industry and has launched a campaign on Change.org to call for the urgent vaccination of all frontliners in the tourism, travel and hospitality industry in Malaysia.

A delayed vaccination program for tourism, travel and hospitality frontliners will not only threaten the industry's survivability, but will also impact the livelihoods of everyone employed in it, especially in states which are heavily reliant on tourism as a key economic contributor.

Publicly available data indicate that hotels in Malaysia lose an estimated RM300 million for every two weeks the Movement Control Order is in force.

Major airlines in Malaysia, namely Malaysia Airlines Bhd, AirAsia Group Bhd, its long-haul affiliate AirAsia X Bhd and Malindo Airways Sdn Bhd have also shed thousands of jobs after grounding most of their planes following the Movement Control Order in March to preserve cash flow. Others continue to survive but at the expense of furloughs, layoffs and debt restructuring.

While subsidies, grants and loan moratoriums are defibrillation mechanisms needed by an industry surviving by the skin of its teeth, the reality is that the sooner we prioritize the vaccination of all frontliners in the tourism, travel and hospitality industry, the faster the sector can recover.

We can learn from countries that have prioritized the vaccination of frontliners in tourism, travel and hospitality to see the impact it has made on the industry.

In Seychelles, for example, an immunization campaign was launched at the end of January for the islands with the aim of vaccinating the majority of the population by mid-March and reopening to tourism.

In fact, the growth recorded from January to date is 1.39% despite the fact that the archipelago is already open to vaccinated travelers.

Greece, too, has organized its own vaccination campaign to help the sector, with their government focusing on the minor islands, isolated places where the virus has spread little, immediately starting the vaccination of the local population in order to immunize the area and give hope to summer tourism.

The announcement of the program was made public a few days ago, and perhaps it is still too early to assess its impact; at the moment, the variation in searches for flights to Greece is +1.02%.

The same can and must be done in Malaysia. As more people are vaccinated and a safer environment is created for everyone, I believe that consumer confidence to travel again will increase significantly and help the recovery of the travel and tourism sector still coming to terms with the continued effects of the pandemic.

I am confident that vaccination, along with mask wearing and physical distancing as well as stepped-up cleanliness protocols and hygiene practices are all key in mitigating any potential spread of COVID-19.

With one collective voice, let us speak up in support of each other and call for the urgent vaccination of all frontliners in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry  with the aim of sparking an ebullient, resurgent tourism sector in Malaysia.



(Tan Ming Luk is Vice-President and Head, Malaysia & Singapore, OYO, the world's leading chain of hotels and homes operating in over 800 cities in 80 countries.)
Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a woman was raped in Slough.

The incident happened yesterday (Sunday, June 13) at about 10am at Chalvey Recreation Ground.

The victim, a 27-year-old woman was approached in Slough High Street by a man.

He began talking to her and then walked with her to from the Esso garage to buy some drinks.

They then walked to Chalvey Recreation Ground where the man assaulted and raped her.

He then left the scene. The victim then informed a member of the public what had happened and police were called.

The offender is described as a Somalian man, aged in his twenties, 62, of medium build and with a bowl afro haircut.

He was wearing a baby blue Adidas jacket with a zip up the front and white stripes down the sleeves and Somalia on the back in white, also a navy-blue T-shirt underneath with a circular emblem on the chest.

He also wore faded blue jeans and a small black bag which he wore across his body.

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Emily Evans, based at Slough police station, said: This is clearly a very distressing and upsetting incident, and the victim is being supported by our officers at this time.

It is really important that we find out as much information as possible about this offence, so I would ask anyone who has any information about it at all, however unimportant it may seem, to come forward.

Your information could be key to us locating this offender, so please get in touch if you think you can help.

You can call us on 101, quoting reference number 43210258367. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously o 0800 555 111 or make a report online.

Members of the public might see an increased police presence in the area while we investigate this offence. If you have any concerns or questions at all, please dont hesitate to approach our officers.
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The Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo will become the heart of a new cultural precinct, with the Berejiklian government pledging half a billion dollars to transform the institution almost a year after reversing the decision to shut its doors.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will announce the first tranche of a total of $500 million funding  the first major government investment in the museum since it was founded  on Tuesday as a cornerstone commitment of the NSW budget.

A design competition will be held this year to find an architectural team to reorient the museums entrance and to create a public square at its rear that will connect visitors to the future Tech Central, Pyrmont Peninsula and metro station development, Darling Harbour and Chinatown.

An artists impression of the new entrance and public square at the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo.

The revamped and expanded museum will have a new, but not exclusive, focus on fashion and design.
Cancer June 22-July 22 As a born nurturer and sensitive water sign you usually connect with those who either have a similar disposition or are the exact opposite - a reserved veritable rock of Gibraltar. Now though, with Venus, the planet of love, in your sign, youll be far more drawn to someone who is a deep thinker and very bright. Leo July 23-August 22

Youre usually pretty touchy-feely but over the next few weeks youll be more coy than usual and will want to keep your feelings of affection under wraps. You may be harbouring secret feelings towards someone but may quite not know how to express them and let the object of your desire know how much you like them. Virgo August 23-September 22 If youve been meaning to spend quality time with one of your closest friends in the flesh or via technology today youll make it a priority. However, friends who have been taking advantage of you or less than sympathetic are in for a rude shock and a dressing down. Before you do so make sure you have all the facts. Libra

September 23-October 22 Liberians are natural born charmers, and now that ruler Venus has moved into your sector of image and status youll be even more charismatic! If youre single you may become attracted to someone quite a bit older than you or in a position of authority. Similarly youll be able to mesmerise those who can help your career. Scorpio October 23  November 22 For someone who likes to know whats around the corner and be in control of your own destiny youll behave in an uncharacteristically spontaneous fashion. The whole world has been going stir crazy but with Venus in your sector of travel youll be extra restless. The love planet will also heighten your ingenuity so youll discover you own internal getaway.

Sagittarius November 23-December 20 Youre not one for superficiality and today youll be even less tolerant. Youll enjoy being among people with scintillating conversation and intelligent opinions and will have no room for small talk. People who are intense and thought provoking will be particularly attractive. Youll also be drawn to mysteries - just be careful not to read too much into anything. Capricorn December 21-January 19

Your sector of health is getting the VIP treatment from the Sun as well as Mercury. This is the ultimate time to engage and align your body, mind and spirit. Take on a mentally stimulating challenge, immerse yourself in a new physical activity from barre to paddle boarding and commit to meditating on a daily basis. Aquarius January 20-February 18 If you havent been giving your health as much attention as it deserves over the next month youll make a concerted effort to do so. Eat well, get your eight hours and keep moving with whatever form of physical activity keeps you happy. Topped off with meditation and yoga youll have a perfect body, mind, spirit alignment. Pisces
The Australian honours system is borked. Far from being a system which really does honour those who have contributed to this country of ours, Australian honours appear to reward those whove done their actual paid jobs. The awards are now just additional ornaments to high status employment.

Things are less egregious, more egalitarian in the lowest category, the Order of Australia medal, but ludicrous elsewhere. Now we even have senior people who managed COVID-19 getting an award, less than 18 months into the pandemic. Surely longevity of effort and achievement should be factored into any public recognition.

Peta Credlin and Chris Hemsworth are among those to receive Queens Birthday honours. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen, Getty Images

The Order of Australia is meant to recognise Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement. When I read that, I understand it means someone who has gone above and beyond, not someone who met their key performance indicators in a job where the KPIs should be high anyway. Someone paid a truckload of money gets to have all of the benefits that entails. More freedom to throw yourself into your job. Less likelihood of having to trouble yourself with cleaning and cooking and tiresome life admin. More opportunity to contribute. It is a privilege to volunteer and we should recognise that above all else.

The most obvious example on the 2021 Queens Birthday Honours list is the appointment of Peta Credlin as an Officer of the Order of Australia. Her citation says: For distinguished service to parliament and politics, to policy development, and to the executive function of government. Pretty sure thats the job description for the chief of staff to a prime minister, work for which Ms Credlin has already been rewarded handsomely, maybe a quarter of a million a year. Perhaps the award was really a mark of gratitude from some wag and theres an unpublished citation somewhere which says: For services to Australia. No matter how hard she tried, her boss still lost his gig of making our lives miserable.
So long as Donald Trump was at the table, the G7 had an excuse. Trump was a saboteur of unity and a vandal of democracy. It was just three years ago that he walked out on a G7 summit, rejected the groups communique, derided his Canadian host, Justin Trudeau, as dishonest and weak and threatened most of the leaders present with more tariffs.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Cornwall for the G7 summit. Credit:AP

Now hes gone, the G7 has no excuse for inaction. So what did we see at the weekends summit?

We saw the leaders of the worlds seven richest democracies awakening to the fact that they face a challenge of historic proportions from the Chinese Communist Party. This overshadowed everything. But the leaders ended up in a buggers muddle over what to do about it.

The G7  in order of economic heft the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada invited four extras. The so-called extension partners were India, South Korea, Australia and South Africa, also in order of economic weight. While these guests participated in the meetings, theyre not members; their signatures do not appear on the G7 communique.
A man has been hospitalised and his horse euthanised after the animal was hit by multiple vehicles in Sydneys south-west.

Emergency services responded to two incidents involving the horse in Bankstown on Monday afternoon.

The first was at 2.40pm on Stacey Street, near Wattle Street, where police say a car and the horse collided. The 35-year-old male rider fell off and suffered leg injuries, police said.

A NSW Ambulance spokesman said the man also sustained head injuries. Multiple crews attended, including a critical care doctor and paramedic, and the rider was taken to Liverpool Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

A short time later, police were called to Canterbury Road, near Claribel Street - about three kilometres away from the first scene - following reports a horse had been hit by a truck.
An independent body would set the salaries of hundreds of general managers at local councils across NSW, in response to concerns some are too richly paid, under reforms being considered by the Berejiklian government.

Ratepayers forked out between $205,000 and $633,852 for general managers at country and metropolitan local councils in the 2019-20 financial year, according to a consultation paper prepared for the NSW government.

NSW Local Government Minister Shelly Hancock is strongly considering mandating that salaries of general managers are set by an independent body. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock said the review was aimed at tackling concerns incomes were too high, and had big disparities across the state, and that there was a widening gap over other worker salaries.

Mrs Hancock said: Individual councils determine the remuneration package whilst independent arbitrators set the remuneration of NSW senior public servants, ministers and members of parliament, as well as mayors and councillors.
Disgraced NSW detective Roger Rogerson, jailed for murder, could give evidence to the coronial inquest into the 1973 Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub firebombing in Brisbane which killed 15 people.

An inquiry into the nightclub arson, in the inner-city suburb of Fortitude Valley on March 8, 1973, started on Monday after it was ordered in 2017 by then attorney-general Yvette DAth.

Former NSW detective Roger Rogerson was jailed for life for the 2014 murder of Jamie Gao. Credit:Daniel Munoz

Lawyer Chris Minnery, representing convicted murderer and key witness Vincent ODempsey, made a request for Rogerson to testify.

Rogerson is serving a life sentence in NSW for the murder of 20-year-old university student and drug dealer Jamie Gao in a Sydney storage unit in May 2014.
Police made very little effort to identify others potentially involved in the Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub arson and key players escaped arrest, a Brisbane court heard.

A fresh coronial inquest into the firebombing that killed 15 people in the inner-city suburb of Fortitude Valley on March 8, 1973, started on Monday.

The aftermath of the Whiskey Au Go Go firebombing. Credit:Queensland Police Museum

Two men were charged with one count of murder over the fire  James Richard Finch, who was deported to the UK and died there this year, and John Andrew Stuart, who died in his cell in 1979.

The new inquiry focuses on whether Finch and Stuart were the only ones involved, whether any other key players can be identified and if the police investigation was adequate.
7/16

Stanley Cook Junior returns to Thursday Island on his boat after fishing out near the first reef off Thursday Island in the early morning. Fishing is a tradition and a large food source in the Torres Strait. Credit:Kate Geraghty
And just as family violence hotlines were quieter during periods of COVID-19 lockdown last year, experts believe financial elder abuse is under-reported, particularly in cases where victims and perpetrators live under the same roof. In Victoria, an 18.5 per cent rise in elder abuse reports in 2020 from the previous year means police now allocate the same detectives who investigate family violence cases to address abuse against people aged 65 and over. Those reports contain examples of financial abuse such as adults not contributing to their parents household expenses when living together, to coercing someone in power of attorney decisions. A pilot program run by Victoria Police in partnership with the representatives from the aged care, legal, banking and health sectors trial focused on financial elder abuse has in the past year uncovered 15 serious cases of misappropriated funds totalling $500,000. The program, established in response to a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Family Violence, exposed incidents of varying severity, ranging from an adult misusing a parents bank card to splurge $1000 on Uber Eats to another who swindled $250,000 to buy a block of land.

Retired community nurse Dot Campbell is a peer educator with Seniors Rights Victoria who visits Probus clubs, CWA meetings and aged care homes to raise awareness of the issue. Shes often struck by the remarkable resilience and amazing lives older people have lived, but regularly has people gently approach her after a session to speak about whats happened to their brother or friend or aunt. I suspect its been going on since beyond all of time but people arent talking much about it, Ms Campbell says. Theres a long way to go. So its really small steps and giving people information. In 12 ANZ branches across the Mornington Peninsula, bank staff have had training to identify potential cases of financial elder abuse.

The red flags staff watch out for, says ANZ customer advocate Jo McKinstray, include large cash withdrawals, customers seeking to break term deposits or a younger adult who does all the talking while the parent stays quiet. Ms McKinstray says some suspicious transactions can be clarified through questions as its not uncommon for an adult to organise their parents banking. But tellers are trained to direct questions at the customer to ensure whats being requested checks out, even if it prompts an awkward conversation. Theres a lot of potential complexities especially if a customer says, I need to do this otherwise I cant see my grandchildren or, Im living with my son now, so I need to pay for whatever it might be, she says. So we need to respect the customers wishes if they want to continue the arrangement they have. It can be quite challenging. Banks can remove a third partys access or freeze an account if tellers or data analysts identify financial elder abuse cases. The banks are also advocating for changes to laws that would allow staff to report in good faith without breaching privacy rules.

The head of the Latrobe family violence investigation unit, Detective Senior Sergeant Rod Findlay, says the banks involvement, for example, has been fantastic in assisting police. But the trials effectiveness, he says, comes from a community-wide approach that has brought a generational shift on tackling the problem. The trial is currently afoot in five police divisions across the state and has been extended into a second year. The challenge for us is often having people understand how they can be treated and how they shouldnt be treated and how we can intervene, Detective Senior Sergeant Findlay says. But its not something we can arrest our way out of. The agencies we work with, theyre the keys to societal change. At Seniors Rights Victoria, Ms Edwards says many reports are resolved through legal letters, intervention orders, civil action or forms of mediation. However, the improved communication between the sectors and police means some problems can be addressed swiftly.
On Monday, Powercor finally arrived in Ms Pitts street to begin the arduous process of rebuilding its power lines and poles that had been ripped from the earth. But thats expected to take some time. In the meantime, piles of burning timber are growing larger by the hour as the community bands together to help one another through the worst storm in recent memory. The aftermath on Pearsons Road, Trentham. Credit:Eddie Jim Many neighbours, Ms Pitt said, sought refuge at 71-year-old Johnny Muscats place. The retired concreter spent the next five days clearing access to everyones homes. Mr Muscat, his face blacked with ash and dirt, said he did not plan to stop helping his neighbours any time soon.

It feels good to help, he said. Ive been in the area for 60 years and never seen anything like it. Every block is devastation. When the winds hit, Manfred Zabinskas ushered his rescued kangaroos and joeys into his Trentham East house and they huddled together around the fire. Workers on animal rescuer Manfred Zabinskas property clean up after last weeks storm. Credit:Eddie Jim Outside, he said, the sound of trees hundreds of years old crashing onto his 20-acre patch on the edge of the Wombat State Forest had the hair standing on the back of his neck. Mr Zabinskas, who runs Five Freedoms Animal Rescue, spent the next four days using a chainsaw to clear gums that had cut him and his family off from help.

Everywhere we go theres devastation, he said. We have about 30 roos who come and sleep here at night. They returned on Thursday, widened eyes. Mr Zabinskas called in excavators on Monday morning to help clear a large gum hanging precariously over a shed. But the work, he said, had only just begun. Mr Zabinskas with a kangaroo at his property in Trentham East. Credit:Eddie Jim It looks like a cyclone has hit us, he said. Ill never forget it. It was apocalyptic. Energy and Environment Minister Lily DAmbrosio said most customers would have their power restored by the end of the week.

Energy companies have said to me very plainly ... that this is the worst that theyve ever seen in their memories, even worse than the bushfires, she said. Ms DAmbrosio also said that cracks had appeared on the side of the mine at the Yallourn power station, which might cause it to flood. Staff had been evacuated. It is a concern to us; it is a serious matter, she said. All agencies are working on contingency plans in the event that there is a breach of the mine and it is flooded. Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said many large trees had fallen during the storm and 450 staff were still working to clear them.

Loading Its not a matter of just getting out with a small chainsaw and cutting up a tree, he said. Rowan Coxhead in Menzies Creek, near Emerald, is hopeful his power will be reconnected by midnight on Wednesday under the latest estimate provided by distributor AusNet. Weve been lucky we havent had any trees down. Weve been able to get a generator in to have some fairy lights on and keep the fridge going, he said. The most difficult part had been a lack of communication, Mr Coxhead said.

With the NBN network down, the mobile network has been overloaded. Its been very hard to connect with Facebook and news sites to find out whats going on. Mr Coxhead said he understood the difficulties facing the power companies and hoped things would be fixed soon. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video With three kids, the novelty is wearing off, he said. Latrobe City Council mayor Sharon Gibson said locals were beginning to deal with the clean-up after floodwaters swept through Traralgon over the weekend.

Loading There were also ongoing power outages in other parts of Gippsland, including Mirboo, Turtons Creek and Yinnar South. You have some people, their house is destroyed by the floods, they cant go back into their home, she said. Then you have the other side of the equation, those places without power to run pumps for water and sewerage. The impact out this way at the rural properties, its going to take months to clear. AusNet spokesman Steve Brown said crews were working hard to restore power to 24,000 customers still without electricity.

That was mostly made up of 20,000 homes and businesses in the Dandenong Ranges to Melbournes east, including Belgrave, Monbulk and Ferny Creek. A further 4000 customers without power were in Gippsland. There are enormous trees [that] have taken out all whole swaths of the network, Mr Brown said. A spokesperson for Powercor said about 160 customers were still without electricity in the Kyneton and Woodend region following Wednesdays storms.
ASPI also alleged 41 Uighur workers were transferred to KTKs factory in July 2019. KTK said all [ethnic minority] workers voluntarily signed labour contracts and KTK complied with Chinas labour laws. Meanwhile, KTK has employed one dedicated cook in order to respect and satisfy the tradition of Muslim food, and provided new decorated dormitories to them free of charge, the KTK letter said. In summary, there is no forced recruitment or forced labor in KTK Group, all employees personal freedoms and personalities have never been violated. KTK resolutely safeguards the legitimate rights and interests of employees.

The Andrews government was the only Australian jurisdiction to sign up to the Chinese governments $1 trillion Belt and Road strategy to invest in global rail, pipeline and telecommunications systems. Critics including the US and European powers increasingly view the strategy as a foreign policy and propaganda tool and a potential debt trap for developing nations. Victorias agreement was cancelled by the Morrison government in April. Premier Daniel Andrews maintained the BRI was a boon for the Victorian economy. He placed a strong emphasis on the states relationship with China since coming to office and instructed all cabinet ministers to visit China during his first term. In February last year, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank published a world-leading study that found CRRC, along with 82 companies including Nike and BMW, was benefiting from the forced labour of Uighur people. The report found KTK employed about 40 Uighur workers in 2019. Premier Daniel Andrews in Beijing in 2015. Credit:Twitter

The Transport Department advice was based on investigations by train companies that use KTK products: Downer, Alstom and Bombardier  the latter two of which have since merged. China experts questioned how Australian companies were able to determine the veracity of KTKs assurances given the lack of transparency in Xinjiang. [They] are not currently aware of any use of forced labour by KTK Group, the departments briefing document stated. Loading Last year the US Commerce Department placed KTK on a so-called entity list that restricts its use of US goods. The department said the company was implicated in human rights violations and abuses in the implementation of the Peoples Republic of Chinas campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labor, involuntary collection of biometric data, and genetic analyses targeted at Muslim minority groups. A Victorian government spokeswoman said on Monday that complying with modern slavery laws was non-negotiable and it expected everyone working on state contracts to comply with the legislation.

All contractors working on this program have provided the Department of Transport with written assurances that forced labour was not used in the making of parts for the trains, the spokeswoman said. The Victorian government has taken extensive steps to investigate these allegations since they were raised last year, including repeatedly seeking assurances from suppliers that forced labour is not used in the production of Melbournes HCMTs. The transport departments of Victoria, NSW and Queensland last year began investigating into supply chains on their train projects, all of which use KTK parts, following the release of the ASPI report. In October last year, Premier Daniel Andrews said his government accepted CRRCs assurances that the company was not benefiting from forced labour. Of Chinas treatment of Uighurs, he said: We dont agree with everything that is done in every country around the world but ultimately we are about getting things done. Satellite image of a detention camp in Xinjiang, China, in September 2020. Credit:ASPI

Latrobe University Professor James Leibold, whose current research focuses on the Uighur ethnic minority and who co-authored the Uighurs for Sale report, said the Victorian government should not take at face value the assurances of the Chinese companies given the overwhelming evidence of repressive government policies in Xinjiang. Washing your hands of the concerns that KTK is involved in labour transfer schemes that are indicative of forced labour is negligent and, in my mind, the Victorian government needs to do more work to seek assurances, and if those assurances arent forthcoming, it should consider scrapping the contract, Dr Leibold said. KTK now admits theyre involved in the Xinjiang Aid program, and it seems to be an admission the concerns we raised in the report are occurring, and that should have been a red flag for the Victorian government that the assurances its receiving dont seem to line up with what the facts reveal. Dr Leibold raised questions on how Bombardier and Alstom, which were separate entities at the time, were able to ascertain and independently verify KTK was not involved in forced labour, given the lack of transparency and high levels of secrecy that dominate Chinese government policies. Dr James Leibold says KTK Groups admissions it was involved in the Xinjiang Aid program should have sent a red flag to the government. Credit:Eamon Gallagher

It is impossible [to independently investigate]  I know this because Ive spoken to the CEO of a major auditing company in Hong Kong who said its impossible to do best practice, unannounced forced labour audits in [China], Dr Leibold said. China analysts have said while KTKs admission of being involved in the Xinjiang Aid program is not an admission of using forced labour, it was pretty close. China expert at Swinburne University of Technology John Fitzgerald said KTKs claim that workers were recruited voluntarily could not be entirely discounted, but he said there could have been coercion if the workers were choosing to work at KTK as a method of exiting a re-education camp. Professor Fitzgerald agreed that secrecy surrounding the Chinese governments activities in Xinjiang made it difficult to test KTKs claims. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video

If China wants to counter these concerns it should allow more foreign journalists into the country and allow them to travel and investigate freely as they do elsewhere, he said. If theres nothing to hide, whats the problem? Loading The Department of Transport in April faced the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after it refused to release the advice to the Oppositions transport infrastructure spokesman, David Davis. Mr Davis was last week handed a copy of the departmental advice. The Age independently submitted its freedom of information request after it first revealed the link to Uighur labour.
One of Western Australias most high-profile developers has set its sights on the valuable Graylands Hospital site in Mount Claremont despite the shutdown of the hospital potentially four years away.

Hesperia has used the market-led proposals process run by the Department of Finance to lodge a proposal for an urban infill project on the site, which sits on about 10 hectares of prime land in the heart of the western suburbs.

Graylands Hospital will eventually close and the land redeveloped. Credit:Google Maps

Market-led proposals are unsolicited private sector business venture bids to the WA government.

The proposal and Hesperia  a merger between developers Adrian Fini and Ben Lisle  have progressed to stage two of the process where it was invited to develop a detailed business case in consultation with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has raised the alarm on the escalating wave of cyber attacks against all levels of industry and government in meetings with Britains top spies in London, as the number of ransomware attacks in Australia appear to have tripled n recent months.

After wrapping up the G7 leaders summit, Mr Morrison was due to meet with British intelligence officials on Monday London time, where cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure were expected to be major talking points.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Cornwall for the G7 summit. Credit:AP

He will then have a one-on-one meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday where the two leaders hope to be able to announce the finalisation of a free-trade deal between the countries.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan has been locked in negotiations with his counterpart Liz Truss every night in the lead-up to the meeting, but officials from the Australian side conceded they may not reach a consensus before the two prime ministers hold a press conference at Downing Street on Tuesday.
Victorias anti-corruption commission is considering holding public hearings into allegations of taxpayer funded branch stacking by former Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek after months of private interviews with Labor politicians and staffers.

Any public anti-corruption hearing, which would likely be held later this year, would embarrass the Andrews government by exposing allegations that taxpayer resources were rorted by Labor kingmakers to obtain political power within the party.

Adem Somyurek is under investigation for alleged branch stacking. Credit:Jason South

The Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission and the states Ombudsman launched a joint inquiry in June 2020 to focus on the alleged misconduct of Mr Somyurek, a former minister in the Andrews government.

The investigation was sparked after The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes revealed evidence, included in secret recordings of meetings, that Mr Somyurek and other powerful Labor figures allegedly directed taxpayer-funded parliamentary staffers to help them recruit non-genuine members into local Labor branches.
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will not cooperate with an investigation into the countrys bloody war on drugs planned by the International Criminal Court, his spokesperson said on Tuesday while defending the administrations record on human rights.

Rights groups and critics of the drug killings have welcomed the step by the ICC, saying a full-scale investigation would bring justice closer for the families of thousands of people killed.

Despite concerns from the international community about the crackdown on drugs, Duterte remains popular at home and many Filipinos back his tough stance on crime.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Credit:AP

We will not cooperate because we are no longer a member, the Presidents spokesperson Harry Roque told a news conference.
London: A free trade deal which clears the way for more Australians to live and work in Britain once international borders reopen has been struck by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson after the pair offered last-minute concessions over dinner at Downing Street.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age understand the leaders will announce the in-principle agreement - which could boost the Australian economy by up to $1.3 billion each year and offer exporters new options to pivot away from the volatile Chinese market- on Tuesday morning local-time.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson outside Downing Street. Credit:AP

Morrison and Johnson thrashed out some of the final barriers to the new economic pact during a three-hour dinner at the British Prime Ministers official London residence on Monday evening.

The in-principle agreement will now be fleshed out into legal text and then passed by parliaments in both countries.
Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Muslim community in her country should be the focus of any film about the Christchurch mosque attacks after some community members raised objections to a movie focussing on her response to the bloodshed.

A film called They Are Us is being planned about the attacks on the two mosques by a white supremacist gunman, Australian Brenton Tarrant, on March 15, 2019, in which 51 people were killed, the Hollywood Reporter said last week.

Australian Rose Byrne is tipped to play New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern in a new film. Credit:AP

The magazine described the film as an inspirational story about Arderns response to the violence.

Arderns office said last week she and the government had no involvement with the film. Asked about it at a news conference on Monday, she said the Muslim community should be at the centre of any film about the shootings, not her.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On June 11th, Member of Parliament Solange Ludmila Duncan sent a letter to the Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS), and the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (TEATT) requesting a meeting to present a proposal for an inter-ministerial working group on the creative economy.

St. Maarten has long had a history of creative output through dance, theater, song, and literature. We are currently experiencing an explosion of art, photography, and soca and hip hop music. As we work on reviving our economy in a post-pandemic world, I believe that it is time to make a concerted effort in developing our creative and cultural industries, stated the MP.



2021 has been declared the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development, by the United Nations via resolution A/RES/74/198. MP Duncans proposal seeks to establish a permanent working group of policy advisors, legal advisors, and project workers across the ministries of General Affairs, ECYS and TEATT tasked with the coordination of cultural and creative projects, synergizing of cross-cutting policies, and the creation of the necessary regulatory framework for organizing the creative economy, amongst other things.

While we continue to cope with the countrys economic vulnerabilities, we should also be focused on sustainable development through new avenues. This island has an abundance of creative and cultural goods and services and export potential. St. Maarten artists are performing all over the world now, more than ever, our fashion designers are producing brands that should be featured throughout the region and I truly believe that we have the potential to become the street art capital of the eastern Caribbean, added MP Duncan.

In her letter, the MP acknowledged the success of the Color Me SXM project. Those beautiful murals throughout Philipsburg are the results of creativity and collaboration. The public-private partnership between artists, the Be the Change Foundation, the Department of Culture, and the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau alongside other organizations, proves that there is a need for a structured approach to developing and supporting similar initiatives.

The MP hopes to make her proposal to Government following the upcoming budget debate as well as fully supporting from Parliament, any and all efforts to increase economic opportunities for citizens and residents.

Creating an encouraging environment for our artists, creative and cultural small businesses and islandpreneurs will boost economic activity, improve social cohesion and strengthen our cultural and national identity. Its imperative for nation-building. This is why it is so important, especially now, during this time in our history to actively develop our creative economy, concluded Duncan.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley hereby informs the public that he has received the final approval from the Netherlands for the food assistance program.

A grant will be provided by the Netherlands to execute the food assistance program for the next two months with the possibility to extend for an additional two months. This program is an extension of the program which was executed by the Red Cross. In an effort to ensure that the smoothest transition can take place, Government has already enlisted the SMDF, who was a coordinating partner in the Red Cross program, to coordinate and execute the program.

Now that the approval was given, Government will finalize the agreement with SMDF. In the meantime, we request them to commence with the operational preparations to execute.
Adventus Mining provides corporate update: appointment of new Nobis board representative, voting results from annual and special meeting, and Canstar Resources investment

Posted by Publisher Internet

Adventus Mining Corporation (?Adventus? or the ?Company?) (TSX-V: ADZN, OTCQX: ADVZF  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/adventus-mining-corp/ ) is pleased to announce that Ms. Melissa Romero Noboa has been appointed to the Adventus board as the Consorcio Nobis (?Nobis?) nominee subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. Adventus is also pleased to report the voting results from the Company?s 2021 Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders (?Meeting?), which was held on June 10, 2021 in Toronto, Canada, as well as an update on Adventus? investment in Canstar Resources Inc.

New Board Representative from Nobis

Ms. Melissa Romero Noboa is a board director of Nobis and an international businesswoman. She has held senior commercial and strategic roles at various Nobis and Noboa Family businesses, with particular focus in Ecuador and the US. Ms. Romero Noboa has completed management programs at IDE-Guayaquil and Kellogg Business Schools. She is the daughter of Ms. Isabel Noboa Ponton, the Founder and Executive President of Nobis.

Annual and Special Meeting Voting Results

Election of Directors

The nominees listed in the management proxy circular for the Meeting, with the exception of Mr. Roberto Salas who did not stand for election at the Meeting, were elected as directors of the Company. The detailed results of the vote for the election of directors by shareholders present in person, confirmed via conference call or represented by proxy at the Meeting are set out below. (table in the attachement)

Following the Meeting, the board of directors of the Company appointed the Nobis nominee, Ms. Melissa Romero Noboa, as a director of the Company effective June 11, 2021. The seven directors will serve on the Company?s board of directors until the next annual meeting of shareholders or until their successors are elected or appointed.

Appointment of Auditors

Shareholders reappointed Deloitte LLP as auditor of the Company for the upcoming year and authorized the directors of the Company to fix the remuneration of the auditor. The voting results were as follows:?(table in the attachement)

Share Compensation Plan

Shareholders re-approved the Company?s share compensation plan allowing for the granting of up to 10% of the Company?s issued and outstanding common shares at any time. The voting results were as follows:?(table in the attachement)

Amendment to Share Compensation Plan

Disinterested shareholders approved an amendment to the Company?s share compensation plan to increase the number of restricted share units available for award thereunder to 2,000,000 restricted share units, as more particularly described in the accompanying management information circular. The voting results were as follows:?(table in the attachement)

Canstar Resources Investment Update

Adventus wishes to congratulate Canstar Resources Inc. (?Canstar?) (TSX-V: ROX, OTCPK: CSRNF) on the completion of its $2.5 million financing led by Eric Sprott in May 2021. Canstar has recently commenced its first drilling program at the Golden Baie project in south-central Newfoundland, Canada, which is supported by extensive field activities and regional exploration developments in Newfoundland. Adventus owns 17,336,339 shares of Canstar for investment purposes, which are valued at approximately $6.5 million at the date of this news release. Adventus may acquire additional securities of Canstar including on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell securities of Canstar including on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors.

About Adventus

Adventus Mining Corporation is an Ecuador focused copper-gold exploration and development company. Its strategic shareholders include Altius Minerals Corporation, Greenstone Resources LP, Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., and the Nobis Group of Ecuador. Adventus is advancing the El Domo copper-gold project through a feasibility study, while exploring the broader Curipamba district. In addition, Adventus is engaged in a country-wide exploration alliance with its partners in Ecuador, which has incorporated the Pijili and Santiago copper-gold porphyry projects to date. Adventus also controls an exploration project portfolio in Ireland with South32 Limited as funding partner as well as an investment portfolio of equities in several exploration companies. Adventus is based in Toronto, Canada, and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ADZN and trades on the OTCQX under the symbol ADVZF.

About Nobis

Consorcio Nobis is one of Ecuador\-\-s largest private organizations, with business interests across the agricultural, real estate, industrial, commercial, construction and tourism sectors. The group was founded by Executive President Isabel Noboa Ponton in 1997 and has since developed into one of the country\-\-s most successful and respected private enterprises. Highlights of its business portfolio in Ecuador include:

Partner with DP World in the Posorja deep-water port

One of the largest agricultural conglomerates

One of the largest private and commercial real estate owners and operators, including malls, hotels, resorts and apartments

Largest ethanol and clean energy producer from sugarcane by-products

Along with its diverse business portfolio, Nobis is a leader in community development and philanthropy initiatives through the Nobis Foundation (Fundacion Nobis), which aims to educate and enable women, youth and low-income communities within Ecuador. Please visit: https://www.consorcionobis.com.ec/

About Canstar Resources

Canstar is focused on the discovery and development of economic mineral deposits in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Canstar has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Golden Baie Project, a large claim package (62,175 hectares) with recently discovered, multiple outcropping gold occurrences on a major structural trend in south Newfoundland. Canstar also holds the Buchans-Mary March project and other mineral exploration properties in Newfoundland. Canstar Resources is based in Toronto, Canada, and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ROX and trades on the OTCPK under the symbol CSRNF.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This press release contains ?forward -looking information? within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as ?believes?, ?anticipates?, ?expects?, ?is expected?, ?scheduled?, ?estimates?, ?pending?, ?intends?, ?plans?, ?forecasts?, ?targets?, or ?hopes?, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results ?may?, ?could?, ?would?, ?will?, ?should? ?might?, ?will be taken?, or ?occur? and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking information herein includes, but is not limited to, statements that address activities, events, or developments that Adventus expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future. Although Adventus have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Adventus undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Fiore Gold agrees to acquire past-producing Illipah Project in Nevada

Posted by Publisher Internet

FIORE GOLD LTD. (TSXV: F) (OTCQB: FIOGF) (?Fiore? or the ?Company?  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/fiore-gold-ltd/ ) is pleased to announce that it has signed a letter of intent with Clover Nevada LLC to acquire an 100% interest in the past producing Illipah gold project, located in White Pine County, Nevada approximately 36 km northeast of Fiore?s Gold Rock project at the southern end of the prolific Carlin Trend (Figure 1).

The Illipah gold project covers approximately 1,600 hectares (3,950 acres) and hosts a former heap-leach gold mine that produced 37,000 ounces of gold in the late 1980s at an average grade of 1.37 g/t Au and heap leach recoveries over 80%. The geological dataset for the project is extensive and includes 562 primarily reverse-circulation drill holes, as well as 2,415 soil samples, 491 rock samples and detailed surface mapping.

Tim Warman, Fiore?s CEO stated, ?Illipah is an excellent addition to our extensive land package in this highly prospective part of Nevada. The project is close to our existing operations and is geologically very similar, with the key Pilot-Devils Gate and the Chainman-Joana stratigraphic contacts encountered at surface or by drilling. Our geologists are eager to apply what we?ve learned about controls on mineralization at Pan and Gold Rock and to begin reviewing the extensive Illipah dataset to prioritize targets for a first stage of exploration.?

The primary controls on mineralization include a north-south trending anticline (as at Gold Rock) as well as north-south. north-northeast and west-northwest oriented faulting. Typical Carlin-style alteration, including decalcification, silicification, jasperoid, is strongly developed along all these structures, as are anomalous concentrations of typical pathfinder elements such as arsenic, antimony, and mercury. Gold was mined primarily from the Chainman Shale ? Joana Limestone contact as at Gold Rock, but the highly prospective Pilot Shale ? Devils Gate Limestone contact has also been intersected by drilling. This latter contact hosts the gold mineralization at Fiore?s Pan Mine, as well as at Nevada Gold Mines? Rain Mine, which produced over one million gold ounces between 1988 and 2018.

Summary Terms of Agreement

Fiore has signed a letter of intent to acquire a 100% interest in the Illipah property from Clover Nevada LLC, an indirect subsidiary of Waterton Precious Metals Fund II Cayman, LP, for total consideration of:

US$200,000 in cash; and

3 million Fiore Gold shares.

The transaction, and the issuance of Fiore?s common shares pursuant to the Agreement, are subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange (the ?TSXV?). The issuance of all the common shares is subject to a statutory hold period.? The transaction is also subject to certain customary closing conditions and documentation to be addressed in a definitive agreement to be mutually agreed upon by the parties.

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical information relating to Fiore?s properties contained in this news release was approved by Paul Noland (AIPG CPG-11293), Fiore?s VP Exploration and a \Qualified Person\ under National Instrument 43-101.

Illipah is an early-stage exploration property and does not contain any mineral resource estimates as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (?NI 43-101?). There has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource estimate at Illipah. All historical production, drill or sample figures quoted herein are based on prior data and reports obtained and prepared by previous operators. The Company has not completed the work necessary to verify results. The historical figures should not be relied upon and have not been verified by a Qualified Person.

Corporate Strategy

Our corporate strategy is to grow Fiore into a 150,000 ounce per year gold producer. To achieve this, we intend to:

grow gold production at the Pan Mine while also growing the reserve and resource base;

advance exploration and development of the nearby Gold Rock project; and

acquire additional production or near-production assets to complement our existing operations.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

?

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains ?forward-looking statements? and ?forward looking information? (as defined under applicable securities laws), based on management?s best estimates, assumptions and current expectations. Such statements include but are not limited to, the acquisition of the Illipah gold project, future prospects for the Illipah gold project, assumption regarding geologic features and prospects for the Illipah gold project, that the parties will execute definitive documentation and close the transaction, the Company?s future gold production,? corporate strategy, goal to become a 150,000 ounce producer, goal to acquire additional production or near production assets, and other statements, estimates or expectations. Often, but not always, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ?expects?, ?expected?, ?budgeted?, ?targets?, ?forecasts?, ?intends?, ?anticipates?, ?scheduled?, ?estimates?, ?aims?, ?will?, ?believes?, ?projects? and similar expressions (including negative variations) which by their nature refer to future events. By their very nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Fiore Gold?s control. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, as well as a number of assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company concerning, among other things, anticipated geological formations, potential mineralization, future plans for exploration and/or development, potential future production, ability to obtain permits for future operations, drilling exposure, and exploration budgets and timing of expenditures, all of which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Fiore Gold to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward looking statements include, but not limited to, risks related to the Pan Mine performance, risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including government restrictions impacting the Company?s operations, risks the pandemic poses to its work-force, impacts the virus may have on ability to obtain services and materials from its suppliers and contractors; risks related to the company?s limited operating history; risks related to general economic conditions, actual results of current or future exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; increases in market prices of mining consumables; possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results, test results and the estimation of gold resources and reserves; failure of plant, equipment or? processes to operate as anticipated; the possibility that capital and operating costs may be higher than currently estimated; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in the work programs; availability of financing; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining industry; delays in the completion of exploration, development or construction activities; the possibility that required permits may not be obtained, renewed or amended in a timely manner or at all; changes in national and local government regulation of mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and other factors identified in Fiore Gold?s filings with Canadian securities authorities under its profile at www.sedar.com respecting the risks affecting Fiore and its business. Although Fiore has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Fiore disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as require by law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information.
Avrupa Minerals Finding More Copper And Zinc At Alvalade Project, Portugal

Posted by Publisher Internet

It has been a long wait before Avrupa Minerals (TSXV: AVU) was able to report new drill results at its Sesmarias 8 Lens target at the flagship copper-zinc Alvalade project in Portugal, operated by Avrupa and MATSA in a JV, but it finally did so at June 9, 2021. As the geology of the 8 Lens is complex, management is drilling several fences (rows of drill holes across perceived mineralized zones) in order to map geologic structures, before stepping out much further. The latest intercepts were decent although not very economic, with, for example, hole SES21-033 with 22.25m @ 0.42% copper from 363m, and SES21-036 with 17m @0.39% copper from 406m, both with significant zinc and lead credits. As the aim of management (and MATSA) is at least 1% copper, the search goes on, and in this update I discuss the latest drill results and other things with President and CEO Paul Kuhn.

All presented tables are my own material, unless stated otherwise.

All pictures are company material, unless stated otherwise.

All currencies are in US Dollars, unless stated otherwise.

Avrupa Minerals and MATSA are trying to track down a pretty complex and intensely folded potential mineral deposit, as can be seen here in this conceptual section A-B, drawn after the latest results came in.

As can be seen, folded structures like this can only be described properly by strings of closely spaced drill holes, mapping stratigraphy and mineralization in a detailed fashion. Since mineralization could be located at significant depth in this case, deep drilling is also necessary. Keep in mind the nearby historic Lousal Mine which mined 20Mt and is estimated to contain another 30Mt of ore, has a similar mineralized envelope consisting predominantly out of black shales and massive sulphides, and this is exactly what Avrupa and MATSA are looking for at Sesmarias. For more understanding, here is a slightly enlarged version of the map containing this section.

At this time, 3,580m of diamond drilling has been completed, consisting of 7 holes on three sections (050N, 000 and 070S). The individual results will be discussed later on in this article. As a reminder, hole SES008 was the discovery hole in this area with 5m @ 0.64% Cu, 36.8 g/t Ag, 0.94% Pb, and 1.54% Zn.? Hole SES20-032 didn?t hit any massive mineralization, and SES028 intercepted something that is believed by management to be the edge of a significant feeder zone beneath the 8 Lens, with anomalous values like 0.18ppm Cu over 13.5m from 447m depth. ?Hole SES20-031, on a different section, returned 10.75m @ 0.19% copper and 0.74% lead.? Management interpreted these results, as follows:

?Drilling in SES028, in 2018-19, intercepted a long interval of stockwork mineralization interpreted to lie geologically below potential massive sulfide mineralization. ?Drilling in SES20-031, late last year, intersected weakly mineralized silica material interpreted to lie geologically above possible massive sulfide mineralization.?

So despite the absence of economic mineralization, management felt it got sufficient clues to proceed with unraveling the Sesmarias puzzle, and recently commenced drilling of hole SES21-038, located more to the southeast following the 070 S fence, in order to test strike mineralized potential to the south.

When we take a look at the results of SES21-34 and SES21-35, drilled at section 050 N in order to test the northern strike potential, nothing but anomalous levels were hit unfortunately. According to management, not all is lost:

?However, geological complications caused by faulting and folding of the target units appear, for all practical appearances, to have transposed the massive sulfide targets somewhat to the east.? As both drill holes now appear to have been collared too far to the west, the results indicate that the Company drilled over the potential massive sulfide zone, just as SES21-032 did in Section 000.? SES21-034 crossed mineral horizon gray and black shales with elevated results in indicator metals arsenic and antimony, as well as lead.? SES21-035 crossed 12.2 meters of stockwork sulfides in mineral horizon black shales from 333.90 meters to 346.10 meters.? Geochemical results show anomalous gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc levels, as well as elevated indicator metals antimony and arsenic, suggesting close proximity to a potential massive sulfide zone.?

And:

?SES21-035 stockwork intercept results are strongly anomalous and suggest potential for nearby massive sulfide mineralization.? The Company is planning to drill further on Section 050 N.? Given this anomalism and a good understanding of the geology, it is apparent that the next hole on this section should be collared to the northeast of SES21-035, to target northerly extension of the 8 Lens and potential copper-zinc mineralization.?

This implies that faulting sub-parallel to the current fence directions (050 N, 000, 070 S) potentially displaced mineralized zones to the northeast. ?This made me wonder if not a few holes should be drilled perpendicular to the sections/fences outlined so far, in order to get a firm grip on faulting and displacements first. CEO Kuhn had this to say about it:

?At this point, potential mineralization southeast of Section 000 looks to be following a predictable strike.? We collared SES21-038 to test 50 meters strike extension to the SE and will place SES21-039 in a position to test another 50 meters strike extension to the SE.? If all goes well, then we will collar another hole on the Section 050 N, to be collared to the northeast of SES21-035.? So far, it is quite apparent that the strike of the mineralization is NW-SE, and in this area variably dipping to the NE.?

The best two holes of the latest batch were SES21-033 and SES21-036:

SES21-033: 22.25 meters @ 0.42% Copper, 2.07% Zinc; 1.05% Lead; 0.58 ppm Gold, and 39.3 ppm Silver in semi-massive to massive sulfide mineralization from 363.00 meters to 385.25 meters, with total amount of sulfides generally increasing with depth, and is terminated by the lower fault

SES21-036: 17.00 meters @ 0.39% Copper; 2.11% Zinc; 1.10% Lead; 0.4 ppm Gold; and 34.1 ppm Silver in semi-massive to massive sulfide mineralization from 406.10 meters to 423.20 meters, within a wider zone of sulfide mineralization starting at 341 meters depth.?? Metal values increased downhole as the amount of sulfides increased until the drillhole passed through semi-massive sulfides at 406.10, and continued through massive mineralization to 423.10 meters, where it is truncated by a fault.

Since the mineralization is defined by faults in the sub-vertical direction, I wondered if these fault planes were (sub-)horizontally oriented or (sub-)vertical, and if this has consequences for geological conceptualization and drill targeting. CEO Kuhn thinks that the folding and faulting is highly complex.? The value of drilling on a section allows us to make certain observations of continuity of the structures, and gives us a higher margin of predictability.? We see these complexities in the field at Monte da Bela Vista and at Lousal, and the re-logging of our previous drill holes at Sesmarias supports a similar geological interpretation in the SES002 area and the SES010 area.

Please note that these grades still don?t represent economic mineralization, although the calculated CuEq grade comes in at around 2%.

Avrupa and MATSA are fully aware of this, and Kuhn told me they are clearly looking for average 1% Cu grades in order to make this work. He and MATSA also had no interest in ?window dressing? (as he called it) the low copper grades via the byproducts by mentioning CuEq grades. I must say with such credits and resulting CuEq it wouldn?t be uncommon to mention equivalents instead, but as they are predominantly looking for copper, and zinc grades would outscore copper metal values, this is probably the most appropriate thing to do.

?Geological and geochemical results from drilling along Section 000 suggest a downdip projection of about 150 meters of massive sulfides on this section, up to 20 meters thick, and lying within a wider package of lower grade stockwork/replacement sulfide mineralization.? Results from both a recent mise-a-la-masse geophysical study and a coincident grid geochemical survey covering the overall 8 Lens target area suggest further massive sulfide potential, both to the northwest and to the southeast.?

As discussed in my last update, the company is also defining exploration targets to the north of the 8 Lens in the Brejo area.? Permits for exploration drilling are being processed now, and they are looking to add a second drill rig in the near future to drill these targets.? It was my understanding the company would be drilling there now, but according to CEO Kuhn they realized that they were just beginning to figure out the structural complications at the 8 Lens, so they elected to follow the known (or at least partially known) geology and potential mineralization first. He had this to add about the complex geology around hole 008:

?Hole 008 hit a sulfidic zone about 20-30 meters thick, including about 5 meters of massive sulfide at the end, cut off by a fault as you know.? In this case, even though we are drilling down, we are actually going up in stratigraphy.? So we hit stockwork, then semi-massive, then massive which is the proper progression stratigraphically, even though we are going downhole.? We recognize that there are bounding faults to the mineral hosting zone and that the orientation of these faults suggests a wider zone of potential mineralization as we go down.??

The company is also re-mapping the Monte da Bela Vista target area and is in the midst of a 375-sample, grid soil collection program in order to define further drill targets.

Another subject discussed in the earlier update, was the completion of the VTEM survey, slated for mid-March, so I wondered what the status was. Kuhn replied that the survey was completed and the results returned in April, but he didn?t know if it was appropriate for a separate news release.? However, combined with some other updates, the company will issue another news release in the near future, followed by more drill results when they become available.

Something that has had my interest for a long time is the Lousal Mine, and its assumed remaining historic 30Mt resource. In the last update the company disclosed that it was a high priority besides the drill program, and it was mapping geological structures which were visible in the old mine workings, and would finish compiling the old data in a few months. We are passed that point now, so again I turned to CEO Kuhn and asked for an update.

As a reminder: initial work there clearly shows similarity of ore control characteristics to what is known now about the Sesmarias massive sulfide mineralization.? Historical documents and academic studies (non- compliant to NI 43-101 standards) indicate a universal metal resource at the old mine of over 50 million tonnes of massive sulfide material.? Review of original mine records by Avrupa demonstrates that less than 20 million tonnes of ore were actually extracted from Lousal. For me this is the low hanging fruit of Alvalade, and I was very curious about the current status. CEO Kuhn stated the following:

?With all the other work going on, including mapping, sampling, VTEM anomaly follow-up, re-logging of historic drill core, land access permitting work, environmental and social baseline studies, and nearly 4,000 meters of drilling, we just haven?t had the time and staffing to push the Lousal research.? The VTEM program was originally scheduled for the second year of the project work, but we had an opportunity (and funding!) to do it earlier, in the midst of the first year, so we took advantage of that ?gift? and pushed other projects back a bit.? Once we complete all of the necessary annual reporting for the Mining Bureau, then we will see how to get going with all the Lousal data.? This will be a complicated digital re-construction, and incredibly important to be as precise as possible as to the location of all the old workings.? When we get to the first drilling there, we want to be (more or less) sure that we are targeting rock and not old holes!

Completion of all this work will give us a better answer for Lousal and MBV.? In addition, we have discovered a possible way to access part of the SES002 area without having to deal with landowner issues.? So there are a lot of targets easier to get to, with plenty of positive possibilities around the license, already supported by geology, geochem, and geophysics.?

After this, Kuhn added he was actively looking into other projects as well. I was a bit surprised by this, as Alvalade with Lousal as a base with a historic resource and MATSA as a JV partner is everything a small prospect generator like Avrupa could wish for. Other projects would cost precious cash and resources, as it already seems Avrupa staff is spread out over all Alvalade work, and new projects would inherently have exploration risk, starting from zero all over again. If Avrupa could get Lousal and Sesmarias to a combined 50Mt @1% Cu and some nice by products to go with that, at current metal prices we would be looking at a US$500-700M NPV project for the JV. In my view it is impossible for Avrupa to find a better project at an acquisition price under C$7-10M, not even talking about the 100-150% dilution which would be necessary.

So I wondered why MATSA isn?t throwing more money at Alvalade, and for example start doing serious work on Lousal and use 3-4 drill rigs combined on Lousal and Sesmarias. Regarding drilling around underground workings I referred to another client of mine, Meridian Mining, who is doing exactly this at their Cabacal copper-gold VMS project in Brazil. Kuhn answered this:

?Rigs are very difficult to find, and experienced drillers even more difficult! MATSA has two rigs going on their projects in Spain.? The MATSA chief geo was here last week, and would like a second rig in the near future, but deals with budget constraints at the end of year 1.? We have about 350K euros left in the year 1 budget, and he wants to utilize that in the way we are going, before expanding in year 2.?

Let?s see what MATSA will allow to be budgeted into Alvalade. The metal prices surely aren?t any objection, as copper recently went to all time highs and is still hovering at US$4.50/lb, and zinc isn?t exactly bad either at US$1.37/lb.

One last subject I wanted to touch upon is their intention to do a financing soon, as several funds already expressed their interest back in Q1, 2021, and the roll back has been a while now, with the share price again under 10c. CEO Kuhn had this to say about it:? ?Timing of a financing is a subject for discussion.? It would be very helpful to get a few more good drill holes, of course.? The relatively slow progress and not a lot of economic drill results so far probably decreased support now for a financing.? However, with some new possibilities at Avrupa and continued positive results from Alvalade, there may be good reason to consider a financing again.? Copper and zinc prices are high, and general sentiment for exploration is certainly better than it has been in a long time.?

It will be obvious how important good drill results will be for Avrupa Minerals, despite the MATSA JV which has fully funded exploration work for the foreseeable future.

Conclusion

Avrupa Minerals is still in the process of chasing economic mineralization at Sesmarias, and from the looks of the latest drill results and the provided insights by management it seems they are getting closer and closer. I can?t say I fully understand the decision of MATSA not to pursue the historic Lousal resource much more forcefully, but as they are budgeting this campaign, Avrupa can only wait patiently for their plans. In the meantime, Avrupa is looking to acquire or option new projects, and maybe this will provide the company with interesting opportunities. For now, ongoing drilling could finally provide the company with economic intercepts, which could incentivize MATSA to speed things up.

I hope you will find this article interesting and useful, and will have further interest in my upcoming articles on mining. To never miss a thing, please subscribe to my free newsletter on my website www.criticalinvestor.eu, in order to get an email notice of my new articles soon after they are published.

Disclaimer:

The author is not a registered investment advisor, and currently has a long position in this stock. Avrupa Minerals is a sponsoring company. All facts are to be checked by the reader. For more information go to www.avrupaminerals.com and read the company?s profile and?official documents on?www.sedar.com, also?for important risk disclosures. This article is provided for information purposes only, and is not intended to be investment advice of any kind, and all readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence, and talk to their own licensed investment advisors prior to making any investment decisions.
Karora Resources Announces Partnership with The Net Zero Company to Develop Pathway to Become One of the World\-\-s First Net Zero GHG Junior Gold Mining Companies

Posted by Publisher Internet

?

Karora is announcing a partnership with The Net Zero CompanyTM in order to commit to, and implement, a pathway to become one of the world\-\-s first net zero junior gold mining companies.

Karora will work with The Net Zero CompanyTM to seek to ensure its approach to setting and achieving GHG reduction targets is inline with best practices based on available science to achieve the aspirations of the Paris Agreement. As the program is further outlined and targets are identified, updates will be provided to the market.

Karora?s initial focus will be on Scope 1 and 2 emissions reductions, followed by Scope 3 emissions reductions to work toward its goal of reaching True Net Zero (Scope 1, 2 and 3) status.

Progress on the GHG reduction program will be included in Karora?s inaugural ESG Report which is expected in early 2022.

Karora Resources Inc. (TSX: KRR) (\Karora\ or the ?Company\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/karora-resources-inc/ ) is pleased to announce a new partnership with The Net Zero CompanyTM focused on developing a greener future across Karora\-\-s operations and corporate offices.

The partnership will see Karora, together with The Net Zero CompanyTM, develop a pathway and set targets towards a True Net Zero mining future (covering Scope 1, 2 and 3 green house gas emissions). The pathway will involve setting green house gas (?GHG?) emissions reduction targets based on science-based methodologies. This partnership will build upon the robust ESG program that is already underway at Karora, with the goal of delivering its inaugural ESG report in early 2022.

Paul Huet, Chairman and CEO of Karora said, ?Mining is a critical part of the global response to climate change not only with respect to the supply of key materials required for the low carbon transition, but also with respect to reducing greenhouse gas emissions at mine sites. At Karora, not only are we already preparing to do our part, but we are setting the stage to be a sector leader in the junior gold mining space with the goal to ultimately become a Net Zero business. Mining is a carbon intensive industry, and we view this partnership as an opportunity to take a proactive approach in reducing our carbon footprint.

Our near-term efforts will be focused on analyzing GHG emissions reduction opportunities across our operations, including the potential implementation of alternative and renewable power sources. We will also be evaluating the potential for further operational efficiencies, an initiative with which we have already had tremendous success over the past two years as we aggressively reduced our cost structure. While we are evaluating these potential opportunities, we intend to complement this GHG emissions reduction work with strategies to offset our current emissions.

At Karora, we are focused on working towards our True Net Zero goal by using a science-based approach to setting our GHG reduction targets. Scope 1 and 2 emissions will form the basis of our initial focus ? we will prioritize reductions in these directly controlled areas first. Next, we will turn our focus to evaluating and reducing our Scope 3 emissions, which are critical to achieving True Net Zero status.

After a tremendous two years of operational success since acquiring the Higginsville Gold Operations, we are now squarely focused on improving our carbon footprint, helping to drive a greener future in the mining business.?

Andre Fernandez, CEO of The Net Zero CompanyTM stated, \Partnering with a top performing gold mining company like Karora is a momentum builder for The Net Zero CompanyTM. The operational and corporate turnaround executed by Karora over the past two years has been best-in-class and we are impressed by their pioneering attitude towards becoming one of the world\-\-s first net zero junior gold miners: a sector defining moment.

We have already begun work on several parallel cost positive initiatives with Karora aimed towards rapidly achieving True Net Zero status that is anchored in science. We offer a phased approach to achieving Net Zero by analyzing and prioritizing emission reduction opportunities as well as sequestration solutions to transform companies into greener global citizens while driving stakeholder returns.

We look forward to this journey towards mining a very profitable and sustainable future together with Karora.\

Net Zero Roadmap Work Underway

Karora\-\-s early efforts with regards to GHG emissions reductions at site are underway. The phased replacement of the aged haul fleet at Beta Hunt with new AD60 haul trucks has led to a reduction in total GHG emissions, while improving productivity and output as reflected by the operational deliveries over the last year.

The company intends to disclose the results of its GHG emissions inventory assessment, including all Scope 1 and 2 emissions, on its website. Once a pathway is developed, Karora aims to set interim GHG reduction targets as part of its reduction program. The Company will then report annually on progress towards reaching interim and net zero GHG reduction targets.

Karora has engaged third party renewable power experts to evaluate the use of solar and other renewable strategies to reduce GHG emissions at its operations. If viable, these solutions have the potential for multiple benefits including reduced exposure to highly variable diesel prices, grid power pricing fluctuations as well as potentially lowering overall average power costs.

The Company?s strategy will focus initially on reaching Scope 1 and Scope 2 net zero emissions. Following this milestone, the Company will turn its focus towards Scope 3 emissions to reach True Net Zero status over the coming years. For reference, Scope 1 involves direct emissions on Karora?s properties, Scope 2 includes purchased electricity feeding Karora?s operations, and Scope 3 represents both upstream and downstream value/supply chain emissions.

About Karora Resources

Karora is focused on growing gold production and reducing costs in an energy conscious manner at its integrated Beta Hunt Gold Mine and Higginsville Gold Operations (\HGO\) in Western Australia. The Higginsville treatment facility is a low-cost 1.4 Mtpa processing plant which is fed at capacity from Karora\-\-s underground Beta Hunt mine and open pit Higginsville mine. At Beta Hunt, a robust gold Mineral Resource and Reserve is hosted in multiple gold shears, with gold intersections along a 4 km strike length remaining open in multiple directions. HGO has a substantial Mineral gold Resource and Reserve and prospective land package totaling approximately 1,900 square kilometers. The Company also owns the high grade Spargos Reward project which is anticipated to begin mining in 2021. Karora has a strong Board and management team focused on delivering shareholder value. Karora\-\-s common shares trade on the TSX under the symbol KRR. Karora shares also trade on the OTCQX market under the symbol KRRGF.

About The Net Zero Company

The Net Zero Company (?NZC?) is focused on driving a cost positive solution to reduce GHG emissions for the mining industry. Recognizing a global shift in institutional investment criteria and the near term opportunity for the mining sector to be a leader in the global emissions reduction space, NZC has assembled a experienced team of experts in the carbon markets, GHG reduction, mining operations and capital markets sectors to help mining companies deliver a Net Zero strategy that will both materially impact emissions and potentially drive significant stakeholder and shareholder returns.

Here\-\-s to a greener (and golden) future.

Contact us: info@thenetzeroco.com? -? www.thenetzerocompany.com????

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains \forward-looking information\ including without limitation statements relating to the Company achieving a True Net Zero mining future in line with Science Based Targets, including the goals of reaching Scope 1 Scope 2 net zero emissions, reducing the Company\-\-s carbon footprint, achieving net zero GHG emissions across the business reducing exposure to diesel prices, grid power pricing fluctuations and a source of additional labour creation and the Company becoming world\-\-s first Net Zero GHG junior mining company.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Karora to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; results of exploration programs; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, projected cash operating costs, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, refer to Karora \-\-s filings with Canadian securities regulators, including the most recent Annual Information Form, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although Karora has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Karora disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Cautionary Statement Regarding the Higginsville Mining Operations

A production decision at the Higginsville gold operations was made by previous operators of the mine, prior to the completion of the acquisition of the Higginsville gold operations by Karora and Karora made a decision to continue production subsequent to the acquisition. This decision by Karora to continue production and, to the knowledge of Karora, the prior production decision were not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result, there may be an increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or the cost of such recovery, which include increased risks associated with developing a commercially mineable deposit. Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. There is no guarantee that anticipated production costs will be achieved. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs would have a material adverse impact on the Corporation?s cash flow and future profitability. Readers are cautioned that there is increased uncertainty and higher risk of economic and technical failure associated with such production decisions.
Somerset, KY (42501)

Today

Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.
ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions embraces BIM to smooth specification and installation of door security solutions

BIM (building information modeling) provides a process for creating and managing information during the building lifecycle and beyond. BIM is often equated with 3D modeling of construction projects, but the visual component is just part of the value of BIM. Additional data, such as specifications and other documentation, is also part of the process, underlying the visual aspects, helping to drive decision making and providing immediate access to detailed information about all facets of the building process. Incorporating BIM systems For the last six years, ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions has worked with specification writers and architects in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) to make it easy to incorporate ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions doors, hardware, and security solutions into BIM systems. Everyone on a project can work together in the interactive and information-rich BIM environment. BIM tools are also used by contractors, distributors, facility owners, and security consultants. BIM software BIM information relating to doors, hardware, and security solutions is available in the cloud BIM information relating to doors, hardware, and security solutions is available in the cloud with the companys Openings Studio BIM software. This improves the process of door scheduling and visualisation and enables customers to focus on the design, installation, and management of openings. If you have up-to-date information inside the BIM model, you can reduce mistakes and misunderstanding in the building industry, says Marc Ameryckx, ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions BIM Manager for the EMEIA region. It helps to eliminate mistakes before they happen or as early as possible in the building process. The earlier, the less it costs. We provide data as soon as possible in the process. (ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions also has comparable systems available in other regions of the global company.) Centralised data in BIM 3D model Expanding the data available in BIM provides additional value compared to merely providing BIM objects that can be incorporated into a BIM 3D model. The combination of BIM modeling and the underlying specifications boosts the quality of the project and its key to success, says Marc Ameryckx. Even after the building is complete, the BIM model is still valuable, providing a repository of as-built information that can be used by building managers and security professionals tasked with operating and maintaining the building. For example, if a lock needs to be replaced, retrofitting is simpler because all the information about the lock and existing installation is available in a centralised data file. Revit and ArchiCAD A widely used BIM software is Revit from Autodesk, a program that brings architecture, engineering, and construction disciplines into a unified modeling environment to drive more efficient and cost-effective projects. Another BIM software program is ArchiCAD, developed by the Hungarian company Graphisoft. Openings Studio added a plugin for ArchiCAD this year, in addition to Revit. Tailor-made information security solutions We provide tailor-made information security solutions with various hardware on projects with more doors" We can provide tailor-made information security solutions with various hardware on projects with more doors, adding more flexibility, says Marc Ameryckx. Customers do not need to be the experts on the products because we provide expertise as part of our specifications. For example, how often do building mistakes occur because of a misunderstanding about the electrical needs of a lock and the wrong cabling is installed? The problem is especially expensive if it is discovered only after the walls are complete. Providing complete data about the electrical lock as part of a BIM system avoids the snafu. Another example is the specification of a deadbolt lock on a door that operates with an electric strike. The deadbolt undermines the intended operation of the electric strike and can interfere with escape routes in case of an emergency. The mistake becomes obvious in the BIM environment and can be rectified before consequences impact the real world. Data addition to Opening Suites site ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions is continuously expanding the data it provides at the Opening Suites site, covering additional functionality and more components including the door, cabling, and electrical connections. Hardware sets are linked to specific doors in the BIM models, including all the details of various components, including article numbers, technical sheets, electrical requirements, all depending on customer expectations. Physical equipment includes QR codes that can be scanned by a smartphone to provide information on the door (A mobile app is in development). More details and more data Experienced BIM consultants work with the Openings Studio software on projects ranging from single doors to large buildings with many doors. Data will be more and more important, and there will be more data inside BIM models Adding more data and detail to the BIM process at the level of each door expands the usefulness of BIM, which has historically been focused on broader issues such as structural work and HVAC. Openings Studio provides all the data to integrate doors and security in the BIM process, says Marc Ameryckx. The higher level of detail may be a new aspect even for customers who already use BIM software. Data will be more and more important, and there will be more data inside BIM models, says Marc Ameryckx. In the future, the use of digital twins could expand the capabilities even further; for example, the software could simulate escape routes in case of fire. More data makes more things possible.
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Doug Loon is the president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Nort Johnson is the president/CEO of the Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism.
Medford, NJ (08055)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
STAMFORD  Those dropping by a ShopRite store on the citys West Side this Friday will have a chance to sample ice cream from a company that was co-founded by a man from Stamford.

Mike Weber, who grew up in the city and went to Westhill High School, is now the chief executive of Frutero. A representative of the company will be giving out samples of the fruit-flavored ice cream at the ShopRite of Commerce Street  at 1990 West Main St.  on Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Were on a mission to make the worlds best tropical fruit ice cream, Weber said in an interview, reciting whats on the side of Fruteros containers. And what we do is we search the globe to find farmers growing the best fruits.

The passion fruits they use in their ice cream are from Colombia, he said. The coconuts they use are from Thailand.

The dairy is from Pennsylvania, where Weber launched Frutero with Vedant Saboo in 2019. The name means fruit vendor in Spanish.

The ShopRite on West Main Street and two other stores in Stamford carry the ice cream. Weber, 30, said the best part about his companys product being sold in his hometown is that his mother can buy it from a store and get it home before it melts.

Shes already gone over to all the stores to make sure that were on the shelf and Frutero has a good position, said Weber, who now lives in Miami.

In 2018, Weber and Saboo were first-year MBA students in the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School, and they were assigned to sit beside each other in a management class.

Weber took a trip to India that year. Before he left, Saboo, who is from India, urged him to try some natural fruit ice cream while he was there.

So the first day, I land in Mumbai and go to the hotel and bring a few friends right over to this ice cream shop that he recommended, and we try it, Weber said. And I just thought it was delicious, and I never had anything like it in the U.S. And when I came back from the trip, we were talking a lot about the idea, and we thought this could be an interesting thing to bring to the U.S.

He said they struggled at first to find fresh tropical fruit for the ice cream. They bought passion fruits at a market in Philadelphia  but usually the market only had three or four fruits to sell.

You really couldnt make a mistake, Weber said. So actually what we did is we had to outsource our early R&D to Vedants mother in India.

She would go to a market, buy fresh mangoes or passion fruits and experiment with different recipes, Weber said.

At some point, Weber and Saboo started to get fruits from across the world delivered to them. Every day for weeks, they were getting a different FedEx or UPS box from suppliers all over, Weber said. They then picked the farmers who, in their opinion, had the highest quality fruit.

It was a lot of fruit, but you cant complain about having to eat a lot of ice cream, Weber said.

The summer before they began their second year at Wharton, Saboo and Weber biked around Philadelphia and sold ice cream door-to-door.

Months later, in spring 2020, Whole Foods stores in the city started carrying Frutero. Weber and Saboo had gone into each store, pitching their product to the managers and offering samples.

Thats really when the business started to take off, Weber said.

Now, Frutero is available in more than a dozen states. In Stamford, the ice cream is sold at the ShopRite of Shippan Avenue, the ShopRite of Commerce Street and the Grade A Market of Hope Street. Its also at the Balduccis Food Lovers Market in Greenwich and the Kings Food Markets store in Old Greenwich.

One of the biggest challenges of the company is just keeping the product on the shelf, Weber said. I think weve been well received by Stamford.

Stamford residents can also have Frutero delivered to them through FreshDirect, Weber noted.

Their flavors include mango, passion fruit, coconut, guava and guanabana, also known as soursop.

Guanabana is the sweetest, creamiest fruit youve ever had, Weber said. Its a huge fruit. Its really a very ugly fruit. Its very difficult to make the package for it.

But the flavor transports people back to a different place and a different time, he said. Whether it was a trip to Mexico or whether they grew up in Puerto Rico, it just instantly brings back those memories.

And when many people were avoiding travel because of COVID-19, Frutero was a great way to kind of take that tropical vacation, Weber said.

Frutero fans can buy packages of six pints on the companys website. Weber said the ice cream is boxed up with dry ice and shipped to places across the country.

He noted that ice cream, unlike other frozen food products, must be stored at negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

You really, really taste the difference when companies are very, very focused on maintaining that temperature control  it stays just silky smooth ice cream when you eat it at home, Weber said. And for the companies that dont manage that well, you end up with this crystally ice cream.

When Weber and Saboo were starting out, their ice cream was made by a Philadelphia-based company that had a small factory. In exchange for the manufacturing, Weber said he provided business consulting to the company, which ultimately went out of business.

They eventually began working with a larger manufacturer and scaling their business, with the help of some money they won from startup challenges. Weber said he and Saboo werent taking any salary until a few weeks ago.

Frutero is now hiring, Weber noted, and is looking for brand ambassadors in particular.

While starting a company was Webers dream when he entered business school, he said he definitely did not expect to be selling ice cream.

Weber attended the University of Maryland after graduating from Westhill High School. After college, he worked at Deloitte Consulting for several years. One of his consulting projects involved a major U.S. ice cream company, he said, but that was just coincidental.

Looking for experience at a startup, Weber left Deloitte and joined WeissBeerger, an analytics company based in Israel that is now part of Anheuser-Busch InBev.

As for Frutero, Weber said he plans for the company to go beyond ice cream products.

We hear customers say, I love this fruit, and Frutero is the best way I can get it right now, he said. Its very difficult to get these fruits in the U.S.  If you start with a really delicious fruit, you can make all sorts of different products with it.
Army veteran Carlos Correa dreams of starting a business growing lettuce and tomatoes in greenhouses. But the traumatic injuries he suffered as a result of serving in Afghanistan prevent him from working. His wife now cares for him at home.

Correa had thought he left Afghanistan unscathed because he was alive and uninjured. But over time, survivors guilt, sadness about the problems of veterans he counseled at work, deep-seated anger at an Army superior, and uncontrollable emotions overwhelmed him. He suffers from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. His lowest point was the day he set out to kill someone with a gun.

It was going to end up badly, said Correa, 34, of Willimantic, a father of two children. But something inside him knew its not me. He sought help and was immediately hospitalized. He spent nearly three months in residential psychiatric programs, was diagnosed as homicidal and suicidal, and learned that his TBI resulted from trauma his brain suffered during explosive blasts.

President Joe Biden announced in April that American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021, 20 years after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that prompted Americas longest war.

As the withdrawal nears, Correa and two other Connecticut veterans looked back on the effects their deployments had on their lives. Alyssa Kelleher, 39, director of the University of Connecticut Office of Veterans Affairs and Military Programs, spent 26 months in Afghanistan in two deployments as a combat troop leader. She witnessed the carnage and severe poverty among the Afghan people. Fausto Parra, 38, of Trumbull, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said his military units became family. He now works with veterans.

They were among 830,807 American troops who served in Afghanistan, according to U.S. Department of Defense statistics. Of those, 2,448 died and 20,722 were wounded, as of June 4. Twenty-five military personnel from Connecticut died in Afghanistan or from injuries sustained there, according to data compiled by the state and veterans advocates for memorials in Hartford and Middletown.

The DOD didnt provide the total number of Connecticut residents who served in Afghanistan, but released statistics of those sent from Connecticut-based units, such as the National Guard, Reserves, and the Groton Naval Base between Oct. 1, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2020, as follows: 2,082 troops, 18 deaths and 238 injured.

The war has cost the U.S. government $2.26 trillion as of April 15, according to the Costs of War project, based at Brown and Boston universities. The amount doesnt include costs for Afghanistan veterans care or future interest payments on money borrowed to fund the war.

Unique Health Challenges

Dr. Sara Rubin, a psychiatrist with the VA Connecticut Healthcare System PTSD/Anxiety Disorders Team, said Afghanistan deployments presented unique challenges to troops because of the countrys rugged terrain, the smaller military units that served there, and fewer resources than Iraq war troops had. She said the result is a sense of isolation, which exacerbates PTSD. She pointed out that TBI, often associated with PTSD, is the hallmark injury of the Afghanistan war. She explained the damage occurs in the brains frontal lobe, which controls such functions as agitation and rage.

Christina Savage, a VA social worker with the Post 9/11 Case Management Team, said other problems she sees in veterans of recent deployments include muscle pain, substance abuse, unhealthy eating, poor hygiene, destroyed families and a general struggle to live without the militarys structure.

Correa said most of his problems surfaced when he was counseling veterans. I was trying to help others. I thought I was doing a good job, he said. But at night, he lashed out at his wife in unprovoked, angry outbursts.

When he was hospitalized, he talked for the first time about long-held anger. He unsuccessfully had asked for an extension of leave from Afghanistan to help his legally blind wife, who was injured in a car accident. The situation devolved into his superior yelling at him and ordering him to do push-ups, and Correa punching the officer and being demoted, he said. I felt betrayed, he said.

Kelleher said her first deployment was extended because the unit that was supposed to replace hers was sent to Iraq instead. A lot of resources and focus were going to Iraq and not going to Afghanistan, where conditions for troops generally were remote and austere, she said. And, the harsh existence of the Afghan people, many without plumbing or reliable electricity, is something that stays with you, she said.

Now, she puts problems in perspective. Nearly everything you encounter is not going to be as bad as a bad day there, she said.

As a female leader, she encountered many Afghan men who wouldnt speak to her even though she had male Afghan interpreters.

She always knew where her troops were and had immediate access to information. But, back at home, she panicked if she couldnt reach people. It took some conscious work on my part to understand that they were likely not in danger, she said. Ironically, she recognized her anxiety when training to be a counselor in an Army resilience program and used the curriculum to help herself overcome it.

Kelleher, of Willington, has a 3-year-old daughter and, in addition to her UConn job, she is a lieutenant colonel in the Connecticut National Guard. She has ended relationships with people who expressed no interest in her deployments, which she called important parts of her life. But she maintains friendships with about 60 people from her deployments. Those are the beautiful things about the military  people who youve gone through those things with  you stay in touch for life, she said.

Parra said the people with whom he was deployed have become family to him. Parra, who left the Army after two deployments, is mourning a fellow soldier who had two additional deployments and died by suicide. Parra linked it to the multiple deployments. I can imagine, he said, that you can transform into someone completely different.

While earning associate, bachelors and masters degrees, Parra has dedicated his career to veterans, working for the VA, the state Department of Veterans Affairs, the nonprofit Workplace, and now the DOD. I found no other passion aside from serving veterans, he said.

End Of The Longest War

Correa expressed doubts about the planned troop withdrawal. The Afghan people need to be liberated from the Taliban, he said, adding, The job is not finished.

Kelleher took a similar stance. She was an Army platoon leader in her first deployment and a company commander in the Connecticut National Guard in her second. The withdrawal is hard to see because you were there and believed in what you were doing, and have a lot of personal friends who sacrificed up to their life for this cause, she said. Theres still unrest. Theres still violence. Theres still mistreatment of women and minorities. These are things we wanted to help change, she added.

Parra expressed relief about the pullout, a sentiment shared by the 25 Army veterans from his deployment with whom he keeps in touch. Some have children old enough to serve, and they are pleased their offspring wont have to go to Afghanistan. He said that since Bidens announcement, the group has reached out more than usual to check on each other.

For Correa, nonprofit veterans organizations have given him strategies for budgeting and improving marital communications, fitness programs, peer support groups, social events and gift cards for family movie nights.

Looking back at his deployments where colleagues got injured or died, Correa said, I didnt get shot at. I didnt get blown up. They did. Some people might look at that as a blessing. For me, I should have gotten hurt.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (c-hit.org), a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting.
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP)  A moderate Islamist party claimed victory Sunday in Algeria's legislative election even though results were not expected for several more days.

Less than 24 hours after polls closed in the North African country, the head of the Movement for a Peaceful Society said the party leads results in the majority of wilayas (regions) and overseas. Party chief Abderrazak Makri also denounced alleged fraud attempts "to change the results.

The party did not provide the basis for its victory claim.

The turnout for Saturday's parliamentary election was dismal, with less than a third of the 24 million eligible voters casting ballots, according to the chief of Algeria's electoral authority said late Saturday. The low participation reflected disinterest, longstanding opposition in the Berber region and a boycott by the pro-democracy movement that forced the country's longtime president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to resign in 2019.

The head of the National Independent Authority for Elections, Mohamed Charfi, said it would take about four days for official results to be finalized given the complexity of counting under a new system that opened the door to more than 1,000 independent candidates among more than 2,000 lists.

Charfi put the provisional turnout rate in the voting to fill 407 parliamentary seat at 30%.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune instituted new rules for the election as part of his bid to fashion a new Algeria" where young people and women are represented and devoid of the corruption that has been a signature of politics in a nation run by a fistful of elites.

He dismissed a low turnout when he cast his ballot Saturday morning, saying that "What is important is that those the people vote for have sufficient legitimacy. Turnout for the 2019 election that made Tebboune president was 40%.

In the Kabyle region, a traditional opposition bastion, some polling booths never opened or were pillaged Saturday, according to Algerian media.

Commentators have suggested the new parliament may end up representing a hodgepodge of interests, including those of moderate Islamists and novice independents. The parties that dominated the national legislature body in an alliance under Bouteflika, the FLN and RND, have been disgraced.

The election took place amid a government crackdown on protests by the pro-democracy Hirak movement and a recent rule requiring the organizers of demonstrations to declare marches in advance, something the leaderless movement is hard-pressed to do.

Supporters of the movement opposed the election, saying they want a more drastic political transition to upend the system and start with a fresh slate. Dozens have been jailed.

___

This version corrects the spelling of the first name of the head of the Movement for a Peaceful Society to Abderrazak, not Abderazak.
HOUSTON (AP)  A federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by employees of a Houston hospital system over its requirement that all of its staff be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Houston Methodist Hospital system suspended 178 employees without pay last week over their refusal to get vaccinated. Of them, 117 sued seeking to overturn the requirement and over their suspension and threatened termination.

In a scathing ruling Saturday, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes of Houston deemed lead plaintiff Jennifer Bridges contention that the vaccines are experimental and dangerous to be false and otherwise irrelevant. He also found that her likening the vaccination requirement to the Nazis' forced medical experimentation on concentration camp captives during the Holocaust to be reprehensible.

Hughes also ruled that making vaccinations a condition of employment was not coercion, as Bridges contended.

Bridges can freely choose to accept or refuse a COVID-19 vaccine; however, if she refuses, she will simply need to work somewhere else. If a worker refuses an assignment, changed office, earlier start time, or other directive, he may be properly fired. Every employment includes limits on the workers behavior in exchange for remuneration. That is all part of the bargain, Hughes concluded.

Jared Woodfill, a Houston lawyer representing Bridges and the other clients, promised an appeal.

All of my clients continue to be committed to fighting this unjust policy, Woodfill said in a statement. What is shocking is that many of my clients were on the front line treating COVID-positive patients at Texas Methodist Hospital during the height of the pandemic. As a result, many of them contracted COVID-19. As a thank you for their service and sacrifice, Methodist Hospital awards them a pink slip and sentences them to bankruptcy.

Employees had a June 7 deadline to complete their immunization.

In a Tuesday memo, the hospital system's CEO, Marc Boom, said that 24,947 employees had complied with the vaccination requirement and that 27 of the 178 others had received the first of a two-dose vaccine and wouldn't be fired if they got their second. The rest are subject to termination.

He also wrote that 285 other employees received medical or religious exemptions, and 332 were deferred because they were pregnant or for some other reason.
Terry Mattingly leads GetReligion.org and lives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He is a senior fellow at the Overby Center at the University of Mississippi.
Ogden jazz icon Joe McQueen may be gone, but his memory and legacy live on. One physical reminder of his life, McQueen's lifelong home at 3158 Grant Ave., has now become available for sale. The house received extensive remodeling, but as investor Richard Casperson has said, "Joe's energy is 
Take away this pudding; it has no theme, is a comment attributed to Winston Churchill, when a disappointing dessert was put in front of him.

Writers have used Churchills remark to describe a foreign policy that lacks coherence or centrality of purpose.

For most of our lifetimes, this has not been true of the United States. The goal of our foreign policy has been understandable and defined.

From 1949-1989, it was Cold War containment of the Soviet Empire and USSR.

Ronald Reagan believed in a rollback of communism, once telling an aide that his policy might be summed up as: We win. They lose.

At the Cold Wars end, George H. W. Bush said America would now lead mankind in the creation of a New World Order.

George W. Bush was going to deny to all axis of evil nations  North Korea, Iran, Saddam Husseins Iraq  access to the worlds worst weapons, with our ultimate goal being ending tyranny in our world.

According to the Biden Democrats of today, Americas goal is the preservation of a rules-based international order, which is less inspiring than Remember the Alamo! or Remember Pearl Harbor!

What are the causes that actually animate Americans?

A March survey of 2,000 registered voters, done by the Center for American Progress, reveals that most Republicans still share the foreign policy priorities of Donald J. Trump.

Asked to identify their first three foreign policy priorities from a list of a dozen, two-thirds of Republicans, 65%, gave as their principal concern Reducing illegal immigration. And 57% of Republicans put Protecting jobs for American workers right behind it. Independents agreed that these should be the top twin goals of U.S. foreign policy.

What does this tell us?

Economic nationalism is alive and well in the GOP, and securing the border remains a central concern of Americas center-right.

In third position, at 31% among Republicans, was Taking on Chinas economic and military aggression.

Only 9% of Republicans listed Fighting global poverty and promoting human rights as top foreign policy priorities. Last among GOP priorities, at 7%, was Promoting democratic rights and freedoms abroad.

Indeed, this was the least popular foreign policy option among all voters.

Conclusion:

The priorities of the Bush presidencies and the neocons  democracy crusades, free trade, the New World Order, open borders  have failed to recapture the constituencies they lost in the Trump years.

While Combating global climate change rests near the bottom of Republican concerns at 10%, it is the No. 1 priority of Democrats, with 44% listing it first.

When it comes to Ending US involvement in wars in the Middle East, that goal ranks 5th among all voters. Democrats, Republicans and independents all support that objective.

Since the last CAP survey in 2019, the greatest change is the reduced concern over terrorist threats from al-Qaida and ISIS. Fewer than 1 in 4 voters now view this as a top priority.

As Matthew Petti writes in an analysis of the CAP survey, today, Americans prioritize getting out of Middle East wars over confronting Middle East adversaries.

This survey would thus seem to provide public support for the Trump-Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, and for Bidens effort to reengage with Iran and renew the 2015 nuclear deal.

Also ranked high among Democrats and independents, but less so among Republicans, is Improving relationships with allies.

What does the survey tell us?

Illegal immigration and economic nationalism energize the GOP rank-and-file; climate change does not. There is no enthusiasm in either party for new democracy crusades. And there seems to be no enthusiasm in either party for a clash with Iran, North Korea, Russia or China.

Only 14% of Democrats wish to address Chinas military and economic aggression, though 31% of Republicans do.

But the overall impression here is one of democratic confusion.

We Americans are all over the lot about what our foreign policy should be and what it should do. One is reminded of an insight from Walter Lippmann about U.S. foreign policy confusion before World War II:

When a people is divided within itself about the conduct of foreign relations, it is unable to agree on the determination of its true interest. It is unable to prepare adequately for war or safeguard successfully its peace. Thus, it course in foreign affairs depends, in Hamiltons words, not on reflection and choice, but on accident and force.

Should we energetically promote democracy worldwide, because it is the right and moral thing to do, though the American people clearly do not see this as Americas cause?

Should we intervene to help Ukraine retrieve Crimea?

Should we fight to prevent China from consolidating rocks, reefs and islets of the East and South China Seas?

Is preserving the independence of Taiwan, which we conceded half a century ago is part of China, worth a war with a nuclear-armed China?

What role should U.S. public opinion play in the shaping of U.S. foreign policy?

PAT BUCHANAN is the author of Nixons White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever. To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.
Arad border police this weekend caught 21 migrants from Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Algeria attempting to illegally cross the border into Hungary, either by hiding in trucks loaded with goods or on foot, a release informs.

At the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point (PTF), authorities found during customs clearance procedures 18 migrants hiding in two long-haul trucks driven by Turkish citizens who were transporting sofas, car parts and food to Germany and France.

Investigations determined that the persons in question are 11 citizens from Syria, six citizens from Afghanistan and one citizen from Iraq, aged between 2 and 30, the release states.In the area of Nadlac, about 100 meters from the border line, a patrol caught three people hailing from Algeria, aged between 29 and 33, who were attempting to illegally get into Hungary.In all cases, migrants could be prosecuted for attempting to cross the state border illegally, agerpres reports.
The simple motion against the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, submitted by PSD (Social Democratic Party) is being debated on Monday in the Chamber of Deputies, and the vote will be cast on Tuesday, agerpres reports.

The motion, titled "Cristian Ghinea - from zero to abyss", signed by 82 PSD deputies, was submitted last Wednesday in the plenum.

In the motion, PSD says that the immediate dismissal of the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, is necessary, because he displayed "managerial dilettantism", and that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) "is a disaster" and "will destroy Romania for the next 5 years"."What curse was cast on this country, that the one who buried the European funds in 2016 to pencil in the billions of Euro promised by Iohannis, which he will grind to dust! The signals are clear: Every day with Ghinea at the helm (of MIPE, ed. n.) means immense losses from European funds and a dive in the abyss of austerity. The current absorption rate has reached rock bottom, the PNRR is a disaster, and programs from the 2021-2027 Financial Framework do not exist, not even on paper. Every day, Romania is losing a lot of money because of Minister Ghinea's incompetence," the PSD says.According to the social-democrats, Minister Ghinea is guilty of reducing allocation intended for Romania in the PNRR."In December 2020, when Mr. Ghinea was appointed Minister, the allocation for the PNRR was 30.5 billion Euro. Six months later, on May 31, 2021, when, after two setbacks, Cristian Ghinea submitted the third option of PNRR to Brussels, allocation for Romania was being reduced to 29.2 billion Euro. In other words, he did not even breathe and 1.3 billion Euro have evaporated. Another 2 billion Euro disappeared from future funds for cohesion, where Romania was left with approximately 28 billion Euro from the 30 billion Euro in December 2020," the motion says.According to PSD, the plan submitted in Brussels by the current power "destroys" Romania for the next 5 years, and "the entire society" is criticizing it."Both the economic environment, as well as the academic or civic ones have criticized this plan. It is for the first time in history when a national program is criticized by the entire society, and the Government is defying everyone and submits a document which destroys, rather than develops. PNRR, which should have developed Romania and determined the growth of the living standard of Romanians, was confiscated for purely economic reasons of some clientele groups of the governing. Minister Ghinea nonchalantly admitted that he did not read the entire plan that he sent to Brussels, after keeping it a secret. He was not even interested in what he is submitting, apart from the pages in which he stated impressive allocations for the relatives or own companies or for administrations led by the representatives of the current political power," the social-democrats also say.They also say that through the PNRR, the Romanians are left with austerity, increase in retirement age, freezing incomes: salaries, pensions, allowances.
The Chamber Deputies is holding a plenary sitting at this point debating on the simple motion of censure filed by the PSD (Social Democratic Party) against the Minister of European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, with the vote to follow on Tuesday.

The meeting is led by Vice President of the Deputies Chamber, Cristina Pruna, who informed that there are 178 Deputies participating. Minister Cristian Ghinea is also there.

The text of the motion is being read by PSD Deputy Stefan Mosoiu.The motion is called "Cristian Ghinea - from zero to the abyss" and is signed by 82 PSD MPs.PSD claims in the motion that the Minister of Investment and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, needs to be removed immediately, for he proved to be "an amateur manager", and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan is "a disaster" and "it destroys Romania for the next five years."
Deputy Prime Minister Dan Barna is expecting Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) to be approved by the European Commission in September after a stage of clarifications.

Barna reiterated on Monday that PNRR was not rejected or sent back by the European Commission.

"This stage of requesting clarifications will probably take about two more months (...) At the end of it, somewhere in September - I anticipate - we will have the approval of the programme with the respective projects. Obviously, at this stage of clarifications, if adjustments are necessary, they will be made. It is part of the usual procedure," he said at the Parliament House.

Barna admitted that adjustments are possible in the programme.

"The European Commission does not reject. At this stage, the European Commission is asking for clarifications, we are discussing and, yes, adjustments and additions can be made to the programme because that is the logic of this pre-ante stage we are in now, the consultation stage (...) I don't know if the projects will actually be changed or not. We are at a stage of clarifications. Adjustments are possible under the programme," said the deputy prime minister.
Deputy Prime Minister Dan Barna, co-chair of Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity and Solidary Party (USR PLUS) says he is convinced that the motion initiated by the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) against Minister of European Investment and Projects Cristian Ghinea would be defeated.

In a statement to the media at the end of the meeting of the National Bureau of USR PLUS, Barna argued that this motion betrays PSD's "terrible fear" of development.

"We will be with Cristian Ghinea when presenting and defending our position on this motion. The motion will be defeated, I have no doubt it; I have seen the statements from the coalition partners. Things are simple: we see only a desperation on the part of PSD that Romania will get developed and all their rhetoric will no longer have supporters," Barna said at the Parliament House.

A simple motion against Minister of European Investment and Projects Cristian Ghinea tabled by PSD is being discussed today in the Chamber of Deputies, and put up for a vote will on Tuesday.

The Executive Bureau of the National Liberal Party (PNL) in the ruling coalition decided on Monday that the PNL lawmakers should vote against the motion.
Deputy Prime Minister Dan Barna on Monday said that USR PLUS (Save Romania Union - Party of Liberty, unity and Solidarity) wants the Crime Investigation Section in the Justice System (SIIJ) to be disbanded in this parliamentary session or in an extraordinary session in July, agerpres reports.

"Right now, we also have the Control and Verification Mechanism (CVM) report - and we have seen that it is a report that looks good, as long as we manage to meet these requirements, including the disbandment of the SIIJ -, we also have the decision of 18 May of the EU Court of Justice and we also expect at the beginning of July the decision of the Venice Commission on this subject. It is very clear and it is the desire that we have either in this session, until its end, or in an extraordinary session, in July, to end the story of SIIJ, to eliminate this painful outgrowth from the justice system that has brought so many disadvantages and has affected so significantly the perception of the justice system in Romania," he said in a press statement held at the Palace of Parliament at the end of the meeting of the National Bureau of the said alliance.

Barna added that he will address this issue in the coalition meeting, which is due to take place later in the day."It's a topic that I'm going to discuss this evening at the coalition, the one about the timing of the vote on the disbanding of the SIIJ in the Senate," Barna stressed.
PSD spreads fake news more than the television stations serving this party, and the text of the motion is a web of lies, misinformation and flagrant contradictions, the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea wrote on Monday on his Facebook account.

According to the relevant minister, Romania has an absorption rate of European funds of 55%, in the EU margin of 58%.

"PSD's lie: Every day means huge losses of European funds and sinking into the abyss of austerity. Truth: The European Commission's forecast estimates the increase in Gross Domestic Product by 3.8% in 2021 and 4% in 2022, respectively. The estimated growth in the case of Romania is higher than the EU average. PSD's lie: The current absorption is a disaster. The truth: The rate of absorption of European funds on May 1, 2021, for the financial year 2014-2020 is 55% - ie 16.8 billion euros, European money entering Romania. Romania's absorption rate is within the EU average (58%), equal to that of Belgium and higher than other countries such as Italy (53%), Spain (51%), Denmark or the Netherlands (45%)," said Minister Ghinea on the day when the Chamber of Deputies debates the simple motion of PSD against him.Regarding the accusations according to which the programs from the Financial Framework 2021-2027 do not exist on paper either, Ghinea showed that Romania published last year the proposal of the Partnership Agreement and the proposals of the Operational Programs related to the programming period 2021 - 2027, documents that were put in public debate and which can be found on the website of the Ministry of European Investments and Projects."None of the EU member states has started the projects on the next financial framework. They did not even know how, at the moment, we are in the negotiation phase of the Partnership Agreements, according to the schedule established by the EU," the quoted source states.Cristian Ghinea also pointed out that Romania has not "lost" any cent of the PNRR and explained that the allocation from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism that belongs to each member state is made on the basis of a calculation formula.As to the PSD statements according to which Romania did not allocate European funds to support the medical system in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the relevant minister announced that an amount of 2.7 billion lei from European funds was allocated in the last year for the endowment hospitals in Romania amid the pandemic, and the relevant ministry has already signed 169 financing contracts with beneficiaries in the medical sector, throughout the country.
Romania's Ministry of European Investment and Projects (MIPE), via the Managing Authority for Operational Programme Large Infrastructure (POIM) 2014 - 2020, provided between May 15, 2020 - May 15, 2021, funds of 2.7 billion lei for hospitals and social centres in Romania, amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a MIPE press statement released on Monday, during the dedicated calls during the mentioned period, MIPE signed with healthcare sector beneficiaries 169 funding contracts nationwide.

Call POIM /819/9/1/ Strengthening the capacity to manage the COVID-19 health crisis, open May 15, 2020 - September 30, 2020, was reopened at the end of 2020 under a memorandum approved by the Romanian government for modular hospital projects, November 30, 2020 - March 30, 2021.The total value of the call for modular hospitals was 50 million euros, and the projects are now at an assessment stage.
President Klaus Iohannis emphasized on Monday that the missile shield has only a defensive role.

"This shield is often brought into discussion by Russia, but I think this discussion is welcome to reiterate that this shield is a purely defensive one, including the part here, at Deveselu, it has only a defensive role. We do not intend to attack anyone with this shield, but we are very determined to defend our nations, our states and that is why we accepted at that time the installation of a component of this shield also in Romania", Iohannis said at the end of the NATO summit in Brussels, asked about the statement made by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who showed that he will discuss in Geneva with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, about the situation of Romania and Poland, where missile shield systems are located.

Asked to what extent Romania is discussing with Russia, he replied: "We are discussing all these issues in the formats we are part of because that is correct."The head of state also stressed that Romania's interest is to have a very strong allied presence on its territory."You have certainly seen that we are working very well with the United States and any strengthening of this presence is welcome for us, but strengthening NATO as a whole is extremely good news for Romania and for Romanians because in this way Romania's security and of each Romanian is guaranteed," said President Iohannis.
President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday that the decisions taken at the NATO summit in Brussels meet Romania's security interests.

"I want to emphasise that today's decisions meet Romania's security interests, and by the results we have got we have achieved the major objectives set for this summit," the Romanian head of state said at the end of the NATO summit.
The Liberal MEP Rares Bogdan declared on Monday that the allegations of the chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL), regarding negotiations to form the coalition are easy to dismantle and said that Orban should have thought prior to "involve him in the war" because he will lose, agerpres reports.

According to Rares Bogdan, the competition for the party's leadership should not be taken to the public space.

He explained that the allocation of the ministries was made among the coalition party leaders, at the request of Ludovic Orban."So, basically, this allocation - in order for matters to be clear - was made between Dacian Ciolos (PLUS - Party of Liberty, Unity and Solidarity), Dan Barna (USR - Save Romania Union), Kelemen Hunor (UDMR - Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania) and Ludovic Orban, at the request of Ludovic Orban. (...) He negotiated (Ludovic Orban - ed. n) this position (of Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies - ed. n) and I believe that we should have participated in the discussion of ministries," Rares Bogdan added.Ludovic Orban, according to him, should have thought twice before "getting him into war"."I was in two difficult campaigns with some people who seemed to have been bringing Romania to its knees and I did not fear and reacted immediately, with Mr. Victor Ponta (Pro Romania) and Mr. Liviu Dragnea (PSD - Social Democratic Party). If Ludovic... he should have thought twice, he knows me, even if I reacted somewhat later and much more calmly than usual, I feel perfect in wars, but I believe that for three years we should not have to have any wars, we should be building. So, it's better that he is letting me cultivate my grains, bring investments forward and make good things for this country, rather than getting me into war, because he is losing the war," Rares Bogdan said.He added that Ludovic Orban will not lose the position of chairman of the Chamber of Deputies if during the PNL congress he will not receive the first party position, but that "he must, instead, collaborate with (PM) Florin Citu and with the Government".There is no question regarding renegotiating the position of ministers, Rares Bogdan said, adding that ministers "need to be defended".The chairman of PNL, Ludovic Orban, declared on Saturday, that during negotiations for forming the coalition and Government, he was "left" by the negotiating team, which was formed of Rares Bogdan, Raluca Turcan and Robert Sighiartau, who tried to provoke the non-statutory summoning of a National Political Bureau so that they "could blow up the coalition's formation".
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) borrowed, on Monday, 255 million lei from banks, through a benchmark government bond issue, with a residual maturity of 179 months, at an average yield of 4.18% per year, according to data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR).

The nominal value of Monday's issue was 200 million lei, and the banks invested 483.3 million lei.

An additional tender is scheduled for Tuesday, by which the state wants to attract another 30 million lei at the yield set on Monday for bonds.The Ministry of Finance planned, in June 2021, loans from commercial banks of 4.6 billion lei, of which 1.1 billion lei through two issues of discounted treasury certificates and 3.5 billion lei through seven government bond issues. To these can be added the amount of 525 million lei through additional sessions of non-competitive offers, related to bond tenders.
A new batch of 167,200 doses of the Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca will arrive in Romania on June 15 at the Cantacuzino National Institute for Military Medicine Research and Development, according to the National COVID-19 Vaccination Coordinating Committee (CNCAV).

Shipment is provided by the manufacturing company, and the vaccine doses will be brought to Bucharest by land.

The vaccines will be distributed to the existing regional centres all over Romania.Romania has so far received 2,998,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and used 828,503 of them to vaccinate the population since February 14.
The Liberals support the election of mayors in two rounds, but there is still a lot of time left until election-year 2024, PNL President Ludovic Orban said on Monday.

"I remind you that the Government I led was dismissed by a motion of censure, because we wanted to have mayors elected in two rounds. Obviously we support this, but we are still far from the election year 2024 to discuss this right now. We will certainly decide this at the coalition and we will establish what to do," Orban said at the Parliament Palace.

Deputy Prime Minister Dan Barna, co-chair of USR PLUS (Save Romania Union - Freedom, Unity, Solidarity Party), expressed dissatisfaction that the June 27 partial elections are taking place in a single ballot, noting that he will propose a timetable for the coalition to implement electoral reform.

He specified that, during the meeting of the National Bureau of USR PLUS on Monday, the topic of the Electoral Code was approached.

"We have mayoral elections again in a few days. Again, in one round. It is very clear that the promise that the governing programme and the one made by USR PLUS and the coalition did not materialize. And we do not have elections in two rounds. I will propose, I will discuss at the coalition a clear timetable on this topic as well. The electoral code commission must become a reality," Barna said in a statement held at the Parliament Palace.
President Klaus Iohannis is participating in the NATO Summit, on Monday, in Brussels, where he will uphold the North Atlantic Alliance's process of adaptation to the current security context, so that the organization becomes stronger politically and militarily, informs the Presidential Administration, agerpres reports.

At the summit, President Iohannis will reaffirm the organization's importance for the Euro-Atlantic security and the convention-based international order, the source says.

At the same time, the head of state "will call for the consolidation of NATO's position of deterrence and defense on the allied Eastern Flank, especially in the Black Sea region, highlighting the active role of our country as a pillar of stability and security provider".Klaus Iohannis will support the further strengthening of the transatlantic relationship, as well as the decision to develop a new Strategic Concept.The President will reaffirm Romania's commitment to contribute to NATO's joint effort, both operationally and conceptually and financially, by further ensuring the minimum threshold of 2 percent of GDP for Defense, the Presidential Administration further specifies.The head of state will also highlight "Romania's concrete, strategic contribution to the Allied efforts to strengthen resilience, including through the recent establishment in Bucharest of the Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience".Klaus Iohannis will also reiterate our country's support for cooperation with partners, especially with the European Union, highlighting the components on which the strategic partnership between the two organizations is based, as well as the complementarity between NATO and the EU.Equally, the Romanian president will refer to the importance of deepening NATO cooperation with its partners, especially those in the Eastern Neighborhood.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has finalized the text of the censure motion against the Citu Government and will submit it to Parliament next week, party Chairman Marcel Ciolacu announced on Monday, agerpres reports.

"Today we finalized the text of the censure motion against the most disastrous government in the last 30 years. It's the text with which we will set out to negotiate with other than Social Democrat MPs and which we will present to the social partners," Ciolacu told a press conference at the Palace of Parliament.The document titled "Wrecked Romania. The 'fantastic' record of the Citu Government" will be submitted to Parliament next week.
Romania's industrial turnover increased by 20.8% in the first four months of 2021, compared to the same period of the previous year, informs a press release of the National Institute of Statistics (INS), sent to AGERPRES on Monday.

This is due to the growth of the manufacturing industry (21.2%) and the mining industry (10.1%).

By large industrial groups, increases in turnover were registered in the following sectors: the durable goods industry (40.5%), capital goods industry (29.6%), intermediate goods industry (23.1%) and current goods industry (7.1%). Turnover in the energy industry decreased by 2.4%.In April 2021, the overall industrial turnover (internal market and external market) in nominal terms decreased compared to the previous month by 4.2%, and compared to the corresponding month of the previous year it increased by 89.2%.Industrial turnover in April 2021 decreased in total by 4.2%, compared to the previous month, as a result of the decrease registered in the mining industry (7.1%) and in the manufacturing industry (4.1%).Also, the turnover in industry in April 2021 increased overall by 89.2% compared to April 2020, due to the growth registered in the manufacturing industry (92.5%) and in the mining industry (15.6%).
One option is to revisit that framework with market rules replacing subsidy quotas and a new cap on indirect R&D support.

There is horse-trading on numbers, one source said. Negotiators also want a fast-track way of solving future disputes. None of the parties agreed to comment on the talks.

China review

When the worlds largest-ever corporate trade spat first erupted in 2004, Airbus and Boeing dominated the industry and China was still four years away from launching a rival C919 jet.

But the rapid rise of Chinas aerospace ambitions has fueled Western concerns over a new publicly funded rival.

In December 2020, outgoing U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the U.S. and Europe should cooperate in opposing future aerospace subsidies used by China.

The U.S. wants a common review of aerospace funding in non-market economies like China, two of the people said.

Washington is reluctant to bear the burden alone of tackling a potential subsidy threat to the benefit of not just Boeing but also Airbus, which now outstrips Boeing by production volume.
ST. LOUIS  The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force on Monday convened for the groups final briefing, marking another inflection point in the regions COVID-19 response.

At the same time, the task force said it wasnt disbanding: It will keep tracking the virus, and is discussing whether it could tackle other big, regional health issues.

The pandemic is not over. But were in a very different place than where we were when we began these briefings back in April of last year, said Dr. Alex Garza, the groups leader and SSM Healths chief community health officer. As we return to that more normal way of life, we still have to be vigilant, and we have to continue to get more people vaccinated.

Over the past 14 months, St. Louis-area residents have turned to the task force briefings for information about COVID-19, the vaccines, and new guidance from health authorities. Now, with local virus hospitalizations at their lowest point since the spring of 2020, and vaccines widely available, the region is entering a new phase, Garza said.
Today is Monday, June 14, 2021. Let's get caught up.

These headlines are in the news this morning: President Biden meets Queen Elizabeth II for the first time as president; Israel's new government, prime minister get to work without ousted Netanyahu; and Westminster crowns its 2021 top dog.

Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more.

TOP STORIES

Biden says 'very gracious' queen 'reminded me of my mother'

WINDSOR, England (AP)  President Joe Biden and his aviator sunglasses met Queen Elizabeth II on a bright Sunday afternoon.

The queen hosted the president and first lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle, her royal residence near London. Biden flew to London after wrapping up his participation in a three-day summit of leaders of the world's wealthy democracies in Cornwall, in southwestern England. He arrived at the castle aboard the presidential helicopter and was ferried to the queen in a black Range Rover.
Thats something that is going to take time, she told reporters outside the courthouse.

Watson had been housed in the minimum security annex at the West Tennessee State Penitentiary near Henning, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Memphis. He was serving a 15-year sentence for illegally confining his wife and hitting her with an aluminum baseball bat in July 2012, court documents show. His sentence began in 2013 and was set to expire in 2025. He also had been previously convicted of aggravated child abuse.

The prisoner had access to a tractor and a golf cart as a trusty  an inmate granted special privileges as a trustworthy person  and was on regular lawn care duties when he sexually assaulted and killed Johnson at her home on the prison grounds, authorities said.

After the attack, Watson escaped on a tractor, which he left in a cotton field about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the prison, authorities said. He was found four days later after an intense manhunt.

During his four days on the run in rural West Tennessee, Watson stole items from two homes, including camouflage clothing, binoculars, a compass, two knives, a saw and food, the indictment said. He was captured seven hours after homeowners recognized him on their outdoor surveillance camera.
TOKYO (AP)  Two Americans charged with helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was facing accusations of financial misconduct agreed Monday that they took part in a scheme for him to escape the country.
We are not paying state employees a competitive wage. Missouri pays lower wages to its workers than any other state. As hard as state employees work, we dont have a good track record of keeping good people, as they are easily able to increase their wages after getting a year or two of experience from the state.

The Missouri Department of Transportation and our Department of Mental Health have high percentages of unfilled jobs and turnover. Both departments know they could reduce turnover, and pay less for recruitment and training if they were able to pay their employees more. Yet the Republican Legislature refuses to pay higher wages. This year, instead of paying state employees more, House Budget Chairman Rep. Cody Smith attempted to lower the states minimum wage so state employees could not find higher wages outside of state employment.

This year, the Legislature allowed auto dealers to pass on to buyers a fee of $500 on auto purchases. This money will help update the Missouri Department of Revenues computers to allow sales tax to be collected at point of purchase, eliminating the need to go to a license office to complete the licensing process. The estimated cost to upgrade these computers is $100 million  certainly a lot of money, but only 3.5% of the additional $2.8 billion sitting in the bank. Yet instead of funding it, the Legislature will pass the cost onto consumers as a fee.
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On May 7th Russia finally put its second Yasen class SSN into service. There were delays, which has become typical of the Yasen class. The first of these entered service in 2013, twenty years after construction began. Construction on the second Yasen began in 2009 and took twelve years to complete. The second and subsequent Yasens are a much-improved design called Yasen-M. The third Yasen began construction in 2013 is supposed to begin sea trials in mid-2021. That means the third Yasen could enter service by the end of 2021 or early 2022. Six more Yasens are under construction and all are supposed to enter service by the end of the decade.

Russia expected its new class Yasen SSN to be their answer to the American Virginia class but by 2021 nineteen Virginias are in service and there will be nearly forty by the end of the decade when all the Yasens are supposed to be completed. At least sixty Virginias will be completed before a new class of American or Russians SSNs begin to enter service.

Many of the delays in getting the second Yasen built were attributed to updating the design to incorporate new technology that was not available or used in the first Yasen because that would have delayed delivery even more. Also, Russia could not evaluate how well the initial Yasen design worked until they had one in service. That proved to be a wise decision because the differences between the first Yasen and the subsequent ones are so numerous that all the other Yasens are considered a subclass of the first boat and called the Yaesn-M. This is similar to American warship classes, which undergo considerable upgrades after four to ten ships are built. For example, the first four Virginias were considered Block 1 boats while the next six were Block 2, the first of which entered service four years after the first Block 1. The current Virginia's entering service are part of ten Block 4 boats. The Virginias are a 1990s design with the first one beginning construction in 1999 and entering service five years later.

The first Virginia was a more recent design than the Yasen, and that was because initial design work for Yasen began in 1977 and was supposed to be completed within a decade, with construction starting in the late 1980s. That was delayed by financial and political problems which culminated in the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and end of the Cold War. Yasen faced more delays because of massive cuts to the naval construction budget in the 1990s. Russia became aware of a lot of new SSN tech in the two decades it took to build the first Yasen.

Russia is looking beyond Yasen as it designs a smaller, cheaper class of SSNs. Getting money for a new class of SSNs is a lot more difficult as long as Russia is suffering from economic problems brought on by the 2013 crash in oil prices (from over $100 a barrel to less than $30) and 2014 sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine.

The 9,500-ton Yasens were built after the Cold War ended but used Cold War era technology and the first one was armed with 32 P-700 (SS-N-26 Oniks) anti-ship missiles fired from eight VLS (vertical launch system) silos. The seven-ton P-700 has a range of 600 kilometers. Each of these silos can instead hold five of the smaller Klub/Kalibr anti-ship or cruise missiles instead of four P-700s and that shows how the Russians already saw the possibility of Kalibr displacing all the older Cold War carrier-killer missiles. The Yasen-M just carries 40 Kalibr missiles. Yasen-M is the same displacement of the first Yasen and is six percent shorter and a distinctively different shape. All Yasens have ten torpedo tubes (eight 650mm and two 533mm). Yasen-M also has more automation and a smaller crew of 64 compared to 85 in the original Yasen.

The major tech problem with the first Yasen was that it was not as quiet as Western SSNs, especially the Virginia. The sensors of the Yasen, for detecting other subs and surface ships, were much less effective compared to the Virginias. These were problems with Russian Cold War era nuclear subs and the Yasens were supposed to close the gap. That did not happen until Yasen-M. Meanwhile each block of Virginias makes improvements in those two areas, especially the sensor capabilities.

Russias continuing financial problems are leading to a growing number of defense-related program cancellations. Initially there were reductions in the construction of new ships, in particular the larger, most expensive surface ships. Then came cuts in refurbishing older surface ships. The latest cancellations involve nuclear submarines, the one class of warships Russia tried to protect from cuts. There have already been some delays and project suspensions but the latest adjustments are worse.

The best example this was the largely unpublicized cuts in the program to upgrade the remaining eight Antey (Oscar II) class SSGNs (cruise missile carrying nuclear sub) so that the 24 7-ton P700 high-speed carrier killer missiles would have those 24 silos replaced with silos that can carry 72 3M54/14 (Kalibr) cruise missiles that are smaller and weigh two tons. Kalibr is similar to the American Tomahawk and that approach, the Russians discovered, was cheaper, more reliable and allows more missiles to be carried. That made it worth refurbishing some of the remaining Cold War era SSGNs. Back in 2015, the Russians announced that it would spend $180 million each to modernize the eight remaining Oscar II SSGNs in order to extend their service lives twenty years. With the 2017 announcement that price went up to $250 million per Oscar II. At that point experience firing Kalibrs at targets in Syria demonstrated the wisdom of these conversions.

Russia had long planned to convert their Antey/Oscar II subs from carrier killers to cruise missile bombardment vessels. In 2001 Russia decided to rebuild eight of the Oscar IIs so they could carry a variety of missile types and also have the subs refurbed to extend their service lives. Known as the Oscar II in the West, each of these subs was designed to carry 24 large anti-ship missiles. But by rebuilding the missile launchers (which are outside the pressure hull) to carry more, but smaller missiles, each Oscar II can carry up to 72 missiles. This makes it easier to overcome the anti-missile defenses of enemy surface ships. What is lost in range and warhead size will be made up with better target detection and countermeasures technology.

The Oscar class boats were worth keeping in part because their design went through a long and expensive development process. Designed in the early 1970s, the first two began construction in 1975 and 1979 and entered service in 1980 and 1983. These were the only two Oscar I (Granit) type ships. While building these two and during several years of initial use a lot of problems were noted and fixed. The remaining twelve boats were the improved Oscar II (Antey). Three Oscar IIs were in commission when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. Construction continued on six more and by 1997, eight were in service. Eventually twelve Oscar IIs were built. One, the Kursk, was lost in 2000 to a well-publicized accident; a torpedo exploded onboard while the sub was underwater. Another was converted to be a special projects sub. Two are undergoing long-term refurbishment leaving eight available for the cruise missile conversion.

The Oscar II class boats have a surface displacement of 14,000 tons, meaning they are very large ships. They have eight torpedo tubes (four 650mm/25.6 inch, four 533mm/21 inch) and twenty-four SS-N-19/P-700/Shipwreck/Granit missiles. These anti-ship missiles have a range of 550 kilometers, a speed of 1600 kilometers an hour, and a 750 kg (1,650 pound) high-explosive warhead (or a nuclear warhead of 350 or 500 kilotons as an option). The Oscar's crew of 107 contains 48 officers. That's because of the high degree of automation and the need to offer officers pay and accommodations to attract the technical talent required to keep these boats going.

The Oscars are expensive to operate and because the United States and Russia are no longer at each other's throats, especially on the high seas, the Oscars were scheduled for retirement by 2010, as their nuclear reactors came due for refueling. The decision to refurbish the Oscar IIs indicates that the navy believed it could not get money for replacement boats. The government promised new subs, but many admirals didn't want to take a chance (by retiring the Oscars) and found like-minded people in the government who agreed to fund the refurb program.

Now the Oscar II situation appears to have gotten worse, with only two of them having gone through the refurb that included upgrades to navigation, fire control, sensor and electronic defenses, as well as expanding the missile load from 24 to 72. The older Shipwreck missiles were not aging well and had no combat experience. The more recent Kalibr got a lot of use in Syria since 2015 and that led to a lot of changes and upgrades. The current Kalibr is considered equal to the American Tomahawk, which also underwent lots of upgrades after hundreds have been used in combat since the 1990s.

Russia is also having problems with upgrades to its Akula class SSNs. Fifteen were built between 1984 and 2009. Currently only five are in service, although one of these is on a ten-year lease to India and returns to Russia in 2022. Six others are undergoing modernization, which includes modifying their missile tubes so they can carry 40 Kalibr cruise missiles. The Akulas are also better equipped to fight American SSNs. Completing the Akula upgrades has a higher priority than the Oscar refurbishment. The Akulas are also a more modern design than the Oscars and benefitted from the problems encountered with the two Oscar I boats.

Post-1991 Russia was not able to catch up in nuclear submarine technology and financial problems prevented the construction of many new nuclear boats. By the 2030s, with the Oscar and Akula boats retired, Russia will only have about twenty SSNs and SSBNs (ballistic missile carrying nuclear subs) compared to three times as many American nuclear subs. China has not yet developed nuclear subs to match the latest Russian designs and is devoting more attention to cheaper and smaller non-nuclear subs which use new tech to stay submerged for weeks at a time using more effective batteries and life support systems. Russia has fallen behind China in this category and that indicates Russia is competing with the wrong technology. China realized this before the Russians did, which is common in many areas of post-1990s military technology.
The army, and especially its U.S. trained special operations troops, have been successful this year in attacking and defeating al Shabaab groups throughout the country. Leading this offensive has been small teams of Somali special operations troops. There are only about 400 of these Somali special operations troops, in part because standards are very high and the corruption-prone trainees were avoided. The American trainers were withdrawn at the start of the year and the Somali special operations troops are on their own. While they no longer have the use of American helicopters, they were trained for carrying out most operations without helicopters and have been very good at it. The Americans are still providing aerial surveillance and all manner of intel from a base in Djibouti. The American Special Forces continue to provide advice the Somali special operations troops request. The army is also under pressure to make the most of the 22,000 UN/AU peacekeepers, who will probably be gone within a year. The army has been on the offensive since February and al Shabaab has been on the run because the Islamic terrorists are not able to stand up to attacks by trained and experienced troops. While American trainers have left, British and Turkish trainers remain. The Turkish trained Somalis are currently being used by renegade president Farmajo to remain in power. The British training operation is outside Mogadishu and trains troops for the regular Somali army forces.

The Somali army has had a lot of problems with corruption, and there are a growing number of Somalis in the military and government who agree that the future is less corruption and more democracy. This is a struggle that has been going on for years and progress is being made despite the continued prevalence of cultural customs that sustain corruption. It is still a struggle, as can be seen with the continuing political dispute over the upcoming presidential election.

Election Drama

The presidential electoral crisis continues as an agreement between incumbent president Farmajo supporters and the opposition remains out of reach. There is no agreement on how to determine who is non-partisan and eligible to replace 34 ousted members of the National Independent Electoral Commission. An agreement made last month was supposed to have solved this problem. Farmajo supporters refused to cooperate and allow disclosure of background information of those proposed for membership in the Electoral Commission.

These disputes have been going on since mid-2020 and turned violent in April when president Farmajo used Turkish trained-troops and loyal (to him) police to take control of Mogadishu. He continues blocking serious efforts to hold the long-delayed elections. Farjamo persuaded parliament to extend his current term, which expired in February 2021, two more years. That was something parliament did not have the power to do and Farmajo used his Turkish-trained troops to stage a coup against police and any other armed, or unarmed groups in Mogadishu that opposed him. Farmajo underestimated the resistance in Mogadishu and the rest of the country and has now agreed that the two-year term extension was illegal and is trying to negotiate a settlement. Farmajo apparently believes that if elections are held, he will lose. So do many Somalis, both traditionalists and reformers.

The election crisis began in June 2020 when the National Independent Electoral Commission told parliament that it was impossible to hold elections for parliament and a new president as scheduled on November 27 2020. The delay was blamed on the usual suspects; political deadlocks, poor security (bandits and Islamic terrorists), bad weather (floods this time) and covid19. To assure a minimum level of legitimacy the six million eligible Somali voters must be registered biometrically, which requires special equipment that had not yet been obtained because the Electoral Commission lacked the money and needed at least $70 million to set up 5,000 polling stations and carry out the biometric registration. More time was also required but it was never going to be enough. Foreign aid donors are fed up and threaten to withdraw aid, which is still being stolen by corrupt politicians and officials. The government pleads for foreign aid to deal with the many internal problems. Billions of dollars in aid over the last decade has been provided but little of it has reached the people in need. Even Moslem donors are threatening to halt the aid.

Farmajo and many other Somali politicians and leaders do not believe the foreign donors will completely abandon Somalia again, as they did in the 1990s for the same reasons. A majority of Somalis apparently agree with the aid donors but Somali culture still puts clan loyalty above anything else. A national government has to distribute a lot of foreign aid to clan leaders to get any meaningful cooperation. Fair elections are seen as a threat to the traditions that create and sustain clan leaders, who are often warlords. That tradition leaves it to clan leaders to negotiate how much clout their clan should have, irrespective of how many eligible voters each clan has. That tradition is now seen by most Somalis as more of a problem than a solution. Fair voting is seen as a major threat to these traditions, which groups like al Shabaab depend on.

June 10, 2021: Kenya lifted its ban on commercial aircraft flights to or from Somalia. The ban was a month old and part of a response to Somali accusations that Kenya was interfering in Somali politics and refusing to settle a maritime boundary dispute. Kenya would not back down so Somalia did quiet down and aircraft flights were resumed.

In Baidoa (250 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu) a two-day battle between al Shabaab and the army ended with an al Shabaab defeat after al Shabaab was repulsed when they attacked an army base yesterday and the army pursued and caught up with the attackers today. Most of the 19 dead al Shabaab men were killed today when the Islamic terrorists were cornered. Two of the trucks used by the al Shabaab force were also destroyed. The army had some wounded but were better prepared to handle the attack and pursuit than al Shabaab, which increasingly relies on inexperienced teenagers to replace more experienced fighters who have been killed or wounded or just deserted.

June 9, 2021: In the southeast, across the border in Kenyas Mandera county, a Forest Services vehicle was attacked with an al Shabaab roadside bomb, killing two of the six people aboard. This attack was apparently carried out by the same al Shabaab group that carried out an attack on a bus two days earlier and was being pursued by police. The June 7 attack was farther from the border. Police blame al Shabaab intimidation of local Kenyans who are ethnic Somalis for a lack of information from locals on the movement of these al Shabaab attackers.

June 7, 2021: In the south (Lower Shabelle region) the army investigates reports of a major explosion at an al Shabaab occupied village. The troops found one walled compound in the village in ruins. Locals reported that the compound was being used by al Shabaab to store weapons and explosives, build roadside and suicide bombs and train new bomb builders. The massive explosion threw out debris that injured some villagers. Army medics helped with these injuries and got more information about the extent of the damage. Apparently several hundred al Shabaab men were in the compound when the explosion occurred and most (as many as 70) were killed. Many of the local al Shabaab men were not in the compound and quickly organized an evacuation of the village, fearing that the army would soon show up. Al Shabaab bomb builders vary in skill quite a lot and accidents like this are not unusual, but they usually dont take place near an explosives stockpile and are vulnerable to detonation if a bomb building effort goes wrong. Even al Shabaab may never find out what exactly went wrong because so many of those involved were killed.

June 6, 2021: In the north (Puntland) a multi-day operation to find and attack an ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) group known to be hiding in the Almadow Mountains. The search succeeded and the ISIL hideout was captured. Most of the thirty or more ISIL men in the base escaped, leaving behind a lot of weapons and equipment. Some of the Islamic terrorists were killed and among the bodies found was one identified as Khalid Osama, a veteran Pakistani Islamic terrorist. There were known to be a growing number of foreign ISIL veterans in Puntland, where they were seeking refuge from areas in the Middle East where ISIL was still taking heavy losses. The ISIL groups hiding out in Puntland do not carry out operations locally in return they expect to be left alone. But these ISIL men have to live and will carry out attacks in nearby areas and this generates demands that Puntland forces act, Periodically they do act but ISIL keeps coming back.

June 5, 2021: In Mogadishu an al Shabaab suicide bomber, seeking to attack a military convoy, detonated his explosive vest too soon and five civilians on a mini-bus were killed and seven wounded. Attacks like this are meant to demoralize the military but often go wrong when carried out in populated areas and injure more civilians than security personnel.

June 3, 2021: North of Mogadishu (Middle Shabelle) an army special operations unit carried out several attacks on al Shabaab camps they had located. At least 70 al Shabaab men were killed, several of them apparently Islamic terrorists wounded in earlier operations and recuperating.

June 1, 2021: In the north (Hiran, a region 200 kilometers north of Mogadishu) Al Shabaab suffered heavy losses as army special operations units carried out surprise attacks on al Shabaab camps. Operations today left at least 25 Islamic terrorists dead and lots of weapons and documents, often electronic, seized. The special operations troops, because of their training and planning skills, often suffer no casualties at all during these attacks.

May 28, 2021: In Baidoa (250 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu) an al Shabaab suicide bomber attacked a crowded market place, killing three civilians and wounding many more.

May 22, 2021: In the north (Hiran, a region 200 kilometers north of Mogadishu) the army carried out attacks on al Shabaab forces in a town the Islamic terrorists had changed hands frequently over the last few years. Six Islamic terrorists were killed and the rest fled, to plan on retaking the town. This time the troops kept pursuing the fleeing al Shabaab men. This was a new tactic to reduce long-term al Shabaab influence in a region.

May 21, 2021: In the southeast, across the border in Kenyas Mandera county a police vehicle travelling near the border was ambushed by al Shabaab from Somalia. Three members of the counterterrorism police were killed but others fought back, driving away the al Shabaab gunmen who hoped to kill all the police and take their weapons and other equipment.

May 17, 2021: In the south (Lamu County, across the border in Kenya) al Shabaab ambushed a police patrol, killing three policemen and wounding several others. Kenyan reinforcements were called in and went looking for the al Shabaab men responsible. Al Shabaab frequently carries out attacks in Lamu country while operating from camps in the nearby Boni Forest, which has long been a refuge for outlaws because of the thinly populated woodlands on both sides of the border. The Kenyan military is trying to improve its ability to find these camps before they provide a base for many attacks against local civilians and security forces.
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Davis Polk today announced that Paul Marquardt, a leading economic sanctions and national security lawyer, has joined the firm as a partner in the Financial Institutions Group in Washington DC.

Paul is an exceptionally talented practitioner and a fantastic addition to our distinguished regulatory team in Washington. His extensive experience in sanctions and national security reviews is a strong complement to our practice, and is increasingly important to our clients as they continue to navigate these issues in pursuing complex, cross-border transactions, said Neil Barr, Davis Polks Managing Partner. We are delighted to welcome Paul to Davis Polk.

Mr. Marquardt joins Davis Polk from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he led the foreign investment and national security practice. He advises international clients regarding the application of U.S. sanctions laws and in export control matters. In addition, Mr. Marquardt counsels clients on anti-money laundering issues and with respect to anti-corruption matters, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He interacts regularly with the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the U.S. Departments of Justice and State, the Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security, the World Bank, and other domestic and international regulators. His practice includes diligence, advisory, compliance, internal investigations and enforcement matters.

Mr. Marquardt also has over two decades of experience in national security reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), as well as related issues, such as mitigation agreements, regulation of classified contracts and national security reviews in other jurisdictions. He has broad transactional experience, particularly in the private equity and financial sectors, including with respect to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and general corporate matters.

His practice spans a wide range of clients, including state-owned entities, sovereign wealth funds, technology and defense companies, and private equity funds around the world.

Paul not only brings to the table a rare and valuable combination of vast experience in both sanctions and CFIUS work, but he is also deeply conversant in transactional matters, said John Reynolds, head of Davis Polks economic sanctions and national security practice. He is an excellent addition to our team.

Paul Marquardt said, Davis Polks reputation in the regulatory space is unparalleled, and I have had the pleasure of working alongside many of the firms lawyers throughout my career. I am grateful for my time at Cleary, but the opportunity to join this fantastic team and collaborate in advising our clients on their most complex international trade issues is truly exciting.

Chambers USA recognizes Mr. Marquardt as a leading international trade practitioner, in both Export Controls & Economic Sanctions and CFIUS. He serves as Vice-Chair of the American Bar Associations Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee.

Mr. Marquardt received his J.D. and an M.A. in International Relations from Yale. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan.

About Davis Polk.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (including its associated entities) is an elite global law firm with world-class practices across the board. Clients know they can rely on Davis Polk for their most challenging legal and business matters. Our approximately 1,000 lawyers located in 10 offices in the worlds key financial centers and political capitals collaborate seamlessly to deliver exceptional service, sophisticated advice and creative, practical solutions. Visit davispolk.com.

About Davis Polks AML, Sanctions & CFIUS Practice.

Clients look to Davis Polk for a full range of regulatory and compliance advice, investigations and litigation matters, delivered through seamless collaboration by our Financial Institutions and White Collar Defense & Investigations teams. Davis Polk is a top choice for helping companies in licensing and compliance issues with the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). When transactions require review by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS), companies benefit from Davis Polks mastery of both deal dynamics and national security requirements. Our AML, Sanctions & CFIUS lawyers collaborate with our Mergers & Acquisitions team to develop the most effective approach for each client.

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Katie Moss

Director of PR & Communications

Katie.moss@davispolk.com

Source: Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Microsofts Holger Zimmermann and Security Consultant, Jorge De Almeida, join Microsoft MVP Tony Redmond and identity guru John Craddock

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Semperis, the pioneer in identity-driven cyber resilience for enterprises, today announced the full lineup for the inaugural Hybrid Identity Protection (HIP) Europe Virtual Conference 2021, taking place on 30 June and 1 July 2021. The first European edition of the award-winning global Hybrid Identity Protection conference series, HIP Europe will bring together leading experts working at the intersection between identity and security to provide a deep dive into the latest trends and challenges in managing hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

The full lineup will join the keynotes that were announced in May. Microsoft MVP Tony Redmond, aka the Exchange Godfather, will kick off the conference with his keynote The Future of Microsoft Cloud Services. In this keynote session, Tony Redmond will look at the economics, software engineering, ecosystem, and landscape of Microsoft 365 and discuss the reliability and security of Office 365.

Day two of the conference will be opened by Microsoft Directory Services MVP and identity guru John Craddock. Johns session will look at The Future of Identity: DIDs and VCs. This keynote will be an introduction to the future of identity with Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs). What if users owned their identity without dependence on identity providers and only needed to prove who they are once, using that proof as often as necessary?

The full lineup includes speakers from across Europe, with a wealth of experience in the hybrid identity world. The lineup includes the following speakers, and subsequent presentations:

Technical Specialist  Security & Compliance, Microsoft, Holger Zimmermann: Identify Lateral Movement Paths with Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI)

Lead Identity/Security Consultant, IAMTEC, Jorge De Almeida: Account Hygiene: Fixing the Bad for the Good!

Senior Security Architect, Security CT, Distinguished Technologist, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Jan De Clercq: Cloud Security: Whats Next?

Security Researcher, Semperis, Yuval Gordon: DnsAdmins Revisited - Achieving Privileged Persistence on a DC in Unexpected Ways

Security Delivery Manager, Accenture Security, Ben Cauwel: What Are Your First Steps When You Are Brought in an Executive Committee Call for a Global Company Under Attack Where the Attacker Has Gained DA Access?

Solution Manager Microsoft 365, Computacenter, Ulf Simon-Weidner: Identity Recovery in Hybrid Infrastructures

CEO, Dinext. Pi-sec GmbH, Alex Benoit: A View from the Trenches: Running a SOC on Microsoft Solutions

IT & Cloud Architect  Microsoft MVP AZ-IT Consulting  A partner of SPIE ICS, Jean-Francois Aprea and Team Lead Cloud Architect & Microsoft MVP, AIM, Seyfallah Targrerout: Deploying a Zero Trust Infrastructure | Beyond the Concepts to Reality with Microsoft 365 Defender!

Following the sessions, each day will wrap up with a panel session. The panel discussion on day one will seek to answer the question Is Cloud Security an Oxymoron? The panellists will include speakers from the first day of the conference and the voice of the HIP Podcast, Sean Deuby. On day two, Pam Dingle, Director of Identity Standards at Microsoft, will join the closing session as a distinguished panellist, along with Gil Kirkpatrick, founding member of the HIP Conference. The final panel will discuss the Future of Identity.

The global HIP event, established by Semperis in 2016, has won several awards, including the 2021 Globee Business Awards  Gold Winner, Achievement of the Year in Live Events, the 2020 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards  Best Cybersecurity Conference, the Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards  Gold Winner, Live Event of the Year, and the 2020 IT World Awards  Bronze Winner, Security Awareness Computer-Based Training.

HIP Europe attendees can qualify for up to 12 continuing professional education (CPE) credits.

The full conference agenda is available: https://www.accelevents.com/e/HIPEurope#agenda

Registration is free: https://www.accelevents.com/e/u/checkout/HIPEurope/tickets/order

About Hybrid Identity Protection

Mobile workforces, cloud applications and digitalisation are changing every aspect of the modern enterprise. And with radical transformation come new business risks. Hybrid Identity Protection (HIP) is the premier educational forum for identity-centric practitioners. Whatever industry sector or job function, HIP strives to provide its community the insights and relationships needed to enable and protect todays digitally driven organisations.

Twitter https://twitter.com/HIPConf

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hybrid-identity-protection-conference/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HIPConf/

About Semperis

For security teams charged with defending hybrid and multi-cloud environments, Semperis ensures integrity and availability of critical enterprise directory services at every step in the cyber kill chain and cuts recovery time by 90%. Purpose-built for securing Active Directory, Semperis patented technology protects over 40 million identities from cyberattacks, data breaches, and operational errors. The worlds leading organisations trust Semperis to spot directory vulnerabilities, intercept cyberattacks in progress, and quickly recover from ransomware and other data integrity emergencies. Semperis is headquartered in New Jersey and operates internationally, with its research and development team distributed between San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

Semperis hosts the award-winning Hybrid Identity Protection conference (www.hipconf.com). The company has received the highest level of industry accolades and was recently ranked the fourth fastest-growing company in the tri-state area and 35th overall in Deloittes 2020 Technology Fast 500. Semperis is accredited by Microsoft and recognised by Gartner.

Twitter https://twitter.com/SemperisTech

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/semperis

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SemperisTech

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCycrWXhxOTaUQ0sidlyN9SA

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Media

Paula Averley

Origin Communications

E. semperis@origincomms.com

T. +44 (0)20 3814 2940

Source: Semperis
TORONTO, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Acerus) (TSX: ASP; OTCQB: ASPCF) today announced the voting results from its annual meeting of shareholders held on June 14, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario. The total number of shares represented in person or by proxy at the meeting was 1,408,673,111, representing 91.62% of the total issued and outstanding Acerus shares.

Election of Directors

The six (6) candidates nominated for election to the Acerus board of directors and listed in Acerus management information circular dated April 29, 2021, were elected by a majority of the votes cast by shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting. The voting results are as follows:

Name Votes For (%) Votes Withheld (%) Ian O. Ihnatowycz 1,400,976,358 (99.66%) 4,722,241 (0.34%) Geoff Cotton 1,400,919,128 (99.66%) 4,779,471 (0.34%) Borys Chabursky 1,400,891,128 (99.66%) 4,807,471 (0.34%) Stephen Gregory 1,400,891,128 (99.66%) 4,807,471 (0.34%) Scott Leckie 1,403,535,730 (99.85%) 2,162,869 (0.15%) Edward Gudaitis 1,401,004,358 (99.66%) 4,694,241 (0.33%)

Appointment of Auditors

Acerus announced today that its shareholders have approved the reappointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Auditor of Acerus to hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders.

Share Consolidation

Acerus announced today that its shareholders have approved a consolidation of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation common share for up to two hundred (200) pre-consolidation common shares if, and at such time following the meeting, as the board of directors so determines. The proposed share consolidation was described in detail in the Management Information Circular dated April 29, 2021 and available on SEDAR (the Management Information Circular), and the special resolution was also set forth in the Management Information Circular.

Although approval for the share consolidation was approved at this meeting, such share consolidation would ultimately become effective at a future date as determined by the board of directors and at a ratio of up to two hundred (200) as determined by the board of directors.

About Acerus

Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a Canadian-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the commercialization and development of innovative prescription products that improve patient experience, with a primary focus in the field of mens health. The Company commercializes its products via its own salesforce in the United States and Canada, and through a global network of licensed distributors in other territories.

Acerus shares trade on TSX under the symbol ASP and on OTCQB under the symbol ASPCF. For more information, visit www.aceruspharma.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Notice regarding forwardlooking statements

Information in this press release that is not current or historical factual information may constitute forward looking information within the meaning of securities laws. Implicit in this information are assumptions regarding our future operational results. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by the company at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. Readers are cautioned that actual performance of the company is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and could differ materially from what is currently expected as set out above. For more exhaustive information on these risks and uncertainties you should refer to our annual information form dated March 10, 2021 which is available at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on our current estimates, expectations and projections, which we believe are reasonable as of the current date. You should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While we may elect to, we are under no obligation and do not undertake to update this information at any particular time, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law.

Company Contactir@aceruspharma.com

Investor Relations ContactChris WittyAcerus Investor Relations (646) 438-9385cwitty@darrowir.com

Source: Acerus Pharmaceuticals Corporation
NEW YORK, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics LLC (NYSE American: BTX) ("Brooklyn"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on exploring the role that cytokine and gene editing/cell therapy can have in treating patients with cancer, blood disorders, and monogenic diseases, today announced it has executed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) to acquire Novellus Therapeutics (Novellus), a company developing next-generation engineered mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies using patented mRNA cell reprogramming and gene editing technologies licensed from Factor Bioscience (Factor). It is expected that the transaction will involve an acquisition by Brooklyn of all of the outstanding equity of Novellus (the Transaction).

Pursuant to the terms of the LOI, the parties intend to sign a definitive agreement (the Definitive Agreement) and work to close the acquisition on or before July 15, 2021. The terms of the LOI value Novellus at $125.0 million, which is proposed to be paid by Brooklyn by a combination of $17.4 million in cash and $107.6 million in BTX common stock. Brooklyn currently has over $43 million of cash on its balance sheet to fund the cash component of the Transaction. The completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, and no assurances can be made that the parties will successfully negotiate and enter into a Definitive Agreement or that the proposed Transaction will be closed on the terms or timeframe contemplated by the LOI, or at all.

If acquisition of Novellus is transacted, Brooklyn would achieve both strategic and economic benefits. This acquisition would further advance Brooklyns evolution into a platform company with a pipeline of next-generation gene and cell therapy programs. We believe Novellus next-generation engineered MSC platform can position Brooklyn to become a leader in stem cell therapies, with the ability to develop multiple therapeutic candidates rapidly, said Brooklyns Chief Executive Officer and President Howard J Federoff, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Federoff continued, The acquisition would accelerate our research and development efforts and bring Brooklyn closer to clinical development with an MSC product. The increased alignment between Factor and Brooklyn resulting from this acquisition could allow faster development of clinical products for orphan diseases such as sickle cell anemia, familial amyloidosis and cell therapies for cancer. With the acquisition contemplated by this LOI, Brooklyn continues to seek to execute on its strategic plan to become a leader in gene editing, stem cell therapy and mRNA therapeutics.

The acquisition of Novellus builds on the license agreement that Brooklyn executed earlier this year with Factor and Novellus, and leaves in place the Factor component of that agreement, which grants Brooklyn exclusive rights to develop certain next-generation mRNA gene editing and cell therapy products. The Transaction would relieve Brooklyn from the obligation to pay Novellus a set of upfront fees, clinical development milestone fees and post-registration royalties under the license agreement.

We are delighted about the opportunity to work more closely with Brooklyn on next generation gene editing and cell therapy products. We believe this transaction would advance Novellus vision to transform cell therapy through the application of state-of-the-art mRNA technologies, said Matthew Angel, Ph.D., co-founder and CSO of Novellus and Co-Founder and CEO of Factor.

About the Transaction

The completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to the following: completion of mutually satisfactory due diligence, execution of the Definitive Agreement, and receipt of all required corporate and third-party approvals, including fulfillment of all applicable regulatory requirements and conditions necessary to complete the Transaction.

No assurances can be made that the parties will successfully negotiate and enter into a Definitive Agreement, or that the proposed Transaction will be closed on the terms and/or timeframe currently contemplated, or at all. As noted above, the Transaction remains subject to regulatory and board approvals, along with other customary conditions.

About Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics

Brooklyn is focused on exploring the role that cytokine-based therapy can have in treating patients with cancer, both as a single agent and in combination with other anti-cancer therapies. The company is also exploring opportunities to advance oncology, blood disorder, and monogenic disease therapies using leading edge gene editing/cell therapy technology through the newly acquired license from Factor Bioscience and Novellus Therapeutics.

Brooklyns most advanced program is studying the safety and efficacy of IRX-2 in patients with head and neck cancer in Phase 2B. In a Phase 2A clinical trial in head and neck cancer, IRX-2 demonstrated an overall survival benefit. Additional studies are either underway or planned in other solid tumor cancer indications. For more information about Brooklyn and its clinical programs, please visit www.BrooklynITx.com.

About Novellus Therapeutics

Novellus is a pre-clinical stage biotechnology company developing engineered cellular medicines using its licensed patented non-immunogenic mRNA, high-specificity gene editing, mutation-free & footprint-free cell reprogramming and serum-insensitive mRNA lipid delivery technologies. Novellus is privately held and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. For more information, please visit www.novellustx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The first six paragraphs of this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are any statements that are not statements of historical fact and may be identified by terminology such as expect, intend, plan, believe, anticipate, may, will, would, should, could, contemplate, estimate, predict, potential or continue, or the negative of these terms or other similar words. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, uncertainties related to whether the Transaction will be completed by the parties on the terms contemplated by the LOI or at all, as set forth above under Description of the Transaction. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The terms of the LOI are not binding on either party, and either party may elect to terminate discussion of the Transaction in the partys discretion. Brooklyn cannot assure you that the Transaction will be completed or that, if it is completed, that the final terms of the Transaction will not be materially different than those contemplated by the LOI. The forward-looking statements made in this communication speak only as of the date on which they were made, and Brooklyn does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date hereof, except as may be required by applicable law or regulation.

Investor Relations Contact:CORE IR516-222-2560investors@brooklynitx.com

Media Contact:Jules AbrahamCORE IR917-885-7378julesa@coreir.com

Source: Brooklyn Immunotherapeutics LLC
MONACO, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costamare Inc. (the Company) (NYSE: CMRE) announced today the acquisition of 16 dry bulk vessels of between 33,000 and 85,000 DWT, with an average age of 10 years. The vessels are currently operating in the spot market. Two of the ships have been delivered with the rest of the vessels expected to be delivered latest by January 2022.

Gregory Zikos, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, said: We are pleased to announce the acquisition of dry bulk vessels. We have decided to invest in a liquid sector with strong fundamentals that provide enhanced return opportunities for our shareholders.

The ships will be managed through our existing platform headed and enriched by the dry bulk Onassis team, who will be joining Costamare in July.

The acquisitions will initially be funded with cash on hand, and the Company is in the process of arranging commercial bank debt. Considering the nature of the dry bulk business, we plan to have low leverage of up to 60% of the value of the assets.

We look forward to providing a detailed update on our business strategy during our second quarter results.

About Costamare Inc.

Costamare Inc. is one of the worlds leading owners and providers of containerships for charter. The Company has 47 years of history in the international shipping industry and a fleet of 81 containerships, with a total capacity of approximately 581,000 TEU and 16 dry bulk vessels with a total capacity of approximately 932,000 DWT. Five of our containerships have been acquired pursuant to the Framework Deed with York Capital Management by vessel-owning joint venture entities in which we hold a minority equity interest. The Companys common stock, Series B Preferred Stock, Series C Preferred Stock, Series D Preferred Stock and Series E Preferred Stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols CMRE, CMRE PR B, CMRE PR C, CMRE PR D and CMRE PR E, respectively.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as believe, intend, anticipate, estimate, project, forecast, plan, potential, may, should, could and expect and similar expressions. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent the Companys belief regarding future results, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Companys control. It is possible that actual results may differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. For a discussion of some of the risks and important factors that could affect future results, see the discussion in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-34934) under the caption Risk Factors.

Company Contacts: Gregory Zikos - Chief Financial Officer Konstantinos Tsakalidis - Business Development

Costamare Inc., Monaco Tel: (+377) 93 25 09 40 Email: ir@costamare.com

Source: Costamare Inc
PRESS RELEASE

iosBio appoints Patricia Londono-Hayes as Chief Development Officer

Oral vaccines and biotherapeutics company strengthens senior leadership team with new role to drive priority development programmes

Burgess Hill, UK, 14 June 2021iosBio (the Company), a UK-based biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines that can be administered orally, today announces the appointment of Patricia Londono-Hayes, PhD, as Chief Development Officer.

With more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, Patricia is a leader in vaccines and biologics product development. She brings extensive experience in the progression of vaccine candidates from initial concept into first-in-human testing, advancement of clinical development and licensing.

In her role, Patricia will lead the development and execution of iosBios pipeline strategy, as the Company moves into its next stage of growth. In January 2021 iosBio signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement granting ImmunityBio rights to its OraPro vaccine platform technology for the oral delivery of ImmunityBios second-generation human Adeno (hAd5) COVID-19 vaccine candidate. iosBios second priority programme, OraPro-Flu  a thermally stable, orally-delivered, quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine  is currently in preclinical studies and expected to enter the clinic later this year.

Across her career, Patricia has directed global programmes, teams, and partnerships at scientific, strategic, and operational levels, contributing to the development and licensing of vaccines spanning a broad range of indications including influenza and a variety of respiratory, gastro-intestinal, genito-urinary, and nosocomial infections.

Patricia joins iosBio from Sanofi Pasteur, where she held positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as Head of External R&D Initiatives and Scientific Affairs, Europe, where she led the strategy and implementation of external R&D publicprivate partnerships and alliances. During her tenure, she spearheaded multi million Euro investments in R&D partnerships between the company and other vaccine manufacturers, leading academic institutions, the EU and the Gates Foundation. Prior to that, she was Head of Global Preclinical Research & Development Department and Leader of the Universal Influenza Vaccine Project at the company, overseeing, translational, preclinical, and clinical pharmacology research. Before joining Sanofi Pasteur, Patricia worked at vaccine company Acambis, where she founded and directed the Immunology Research Department and initiated research programs in oral vaccines.

She gained her PhD in Biochemistry and Immunology from Imperial College London and holds an MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetic Manipulation and a BSc in Microbiology from the University of Sussex and University of Los Andes, respectively.

Executive Chairman of iosBio, Wayne Channon said: With her impressive track record in vaccine development, I am delighted to welcome Patricia to iosBio. Her breadth of experience in leading vaccines programmes from idea through to clinical development will be critical as we pursue our mission to lead the way in next generation, oral vaccines.

Patricia Londono-Hayes commented: I am thrilled to be joining iosBio at such an exciting stage, with the Companys OraPro vaccine platform technology being investigated in trials of what could be the first oral COVID-19 vaccine. iosBios science has the potential to truly transform vaccine development and to overcome the global challenges of traditional vaccines. I am delighted to be joining such an experienced and innovative team and look forward to working together on IosBios vision to bring orally administered, thermally stable vaccines to people around the world.

Ends

For further information please contact:

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott, Melissa Gardiner, David Daley

IosBio@consilium-comms.com

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700

NOTES FOR EDITORS

About iosBio

iosBio is a UK based biotechnology company developing next generation vaccines that can be administered orally.

The Companys proprietary OraPro thermal stabilization technology enables the oral administration of thermally stable, non-replicating viral vectors that can be delivered sublingually via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and other routes. These vaccine vectors are engineered to withstand temperatures of up to 50 degrees and the hostile conditions in the stomach without loss of efficacy and providing long term product stability at ambient temperatures.

iosBio is developing vaccines designed to stimulate mucosal, systemic and T cell immune responses, providing robust immunity to a number of infectious diseases including COVID-19, Zika and influenza.

In January 2021 iosBio announced an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with ImmunityBio, Inc. a US-based, privately held clinical-stage immunotherapy company, for iosBios OraPro vaccine platform technology currently being investigated in a Phase Ib trial of ImmunityBios second-generation human Adeno (hAd5) COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

iosBio is headquartered in Burgess Hill, UK. For more information visit: iosbio.com
Regulated Information

Nyrstar NV: Revised agenda for the 2020 annual general shareholders meeting to be held on 29 June 2021 and opportunity to physically attend

14 June 2021 at 07.00 CEST

Nyrstar NV (the Company) has published today a revised agenda for the 2020 annual general shareholders meeting to be held on 29 June 2021 at 11:00 a.m. CEST, of which the convening notice was published on 28 May 2021. The Company has published the revised agenda pursuant to a request under Article 7:130 of the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations from shareholders jointly owning 6.64% of the outstanding shares of the Company to add two additional items to the agenda. The Company has complied with this request to the extent legally possible and in accordance with the terms set out in the revised convening notice and the revised explanatory note.

The Company refers to the revised explanatory note from the Board of Directors of the Company which provides further information on the proposed agenda items as well as the revised agenda.

The full revised notice, including revised agenda, proposed resolutions and explanatory note can be found on the Nyrstar NV website: https://www.nyrstar.be/en/investors/share-and-bondholder-information/shareholder-meetings . Pursuant to article 7:130 of the Belgian Code for Companies and Associations, the Company has made amended forms available for votes by mail and votes by proxy, as well as a revised attendance form. Proxies and votes by mail that reach the Company prior to the publication of the revised agenda remain valid for the agenda items to which the proxies and votes by mail apply, subject, however, to applicable law and the further clarifications set out on the proxy forms and voting by mail form.

In addition, the Company informs its shareholders that, in line with the possibility thereto announced in the convening notice published today and on 28 May 2021, in view of the recent changes to the government measures in place to combat and contain the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board of Directors has decided that shareholders will, in addition to the opportunity to use the Lumi AGM platform to participate in the meeting digitally and to vote during the meeting on the items on the agenda as set out in the (revised) convening notice of the general meeting, be offered the opportunity to physically attend the 2020 annual general shareholders meeting, subject to strict compliance with the applicable Covid-19 sanitary measures (including not showing any symptoms, wearing of a face mask, keeping a distance of 1.5 metres from each other and disinfecting hands as well as other appropriate measures), at Brussels Expo, Room 1122, Place de Belgique 1, 1020 Brussels.

Shareholders who wish to attend the general meeting have to indicate, when notifying the Company of their intention to attend the meeting in accordance with the modalities set out in the (revised) convening notice, whether they will be attending the meeting digitally or physically. The Company adds that, in view of the current Covid-19 governance travel measures and regulations in place in Belgium, the United Kingdom and Jersey, the directors will not be able to physically attend the general meeting, but will digitally attend and respond to questions. Notwithstanding the possibility for shareholders to be physically present in accordance with the aforementioned conditions, in view of the current status of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Company strongly recommends shareholders to digitally attend the meeting. As indicated in the (revised) convening notice, shareholders who virtually attend the general meeting will also be able to ask questions, both before the meeting and via a chatbox during the meeting in the same manner as during the meeting held last year on 30 June 2020.

Depending on the evolution of the current government measures and regulations in place to combat and contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the coming weeks, the Company may further communicate about the participation and the organisation of the shareholders meeting on the Companys website.

About Nyrstar NV

The Company is incorporated in Belgium and, following completion of the recapitalisation/restructuring has a 2% shareholding in the Nyrstar group. The Company is listed on Euronext Brussels under the symbol NYR. For further information please visit the Nyrstar NV website: www.nyrstar.be.

For further information contact:

Anthony Simms - Head of External Affairs & Legal M: +41 79 722 2152 anthony.simms@nyrstar.com

Attachment
Concerned Shareholders respond to the inaccurate statements contained in the Management Information Circular of Fancamp and differentiate fact from fiction.

Concerned Shareholders wish to thank shareholders who have contacted us to provide continued support.

Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2021) - Incumbent director of Fancamp, Dr. Peter H. Smith, who, together with joint actors James Hunter and his affiliates, Mark Fekete and Heather Hannan, (the "Concerned Shareholders") hold in aggregate, directly and indirectly an aggregate of 22,285,597 shares, representing approximately 12.63% of Fancamp Exploration Ltd.'s ("Fancamp" or the "Company") issued and outstanding common shares, regards the Company's management information circular (the "MIC") dated June 2, 2021 as continued evidence of their inability to accurately state the truth/facts and to continue to disregard your sensibilities by filing a MIC that is rife with inaccurate statements as an attempt to misdirect the true owners of Fancamp from focusing on the real issues at hand. Fancamp's MIC does nothing more than propagate falsehoods and tries to twist the narrative in favour of the entrenched board and management to justify their actions in a manner which is disingenuous, misleading and insulting to Fancamp shareholders.

Throughout the MIC, Fancamp's entrenched board and management continue to focus on Dr. Peter Smith as opposed to addressing the real issues at hand, which is why they would enter into such a highly dilutive, self-serving and non-arm's length transaction (the "Transaction") with ScoZinc Mining Ltd. ("ScoZinc"). Dr. Peter Smith is the reason why we are here and that shareholders of Fancamp have the ability to have a say on this Transaction, which the entrenched board and management fought against having their own shareholders have a say. The entrenched board and management felt that they could dilute the true owners of Fancamp 6:1 and get away with it. Dr. Peter Smith thought otherwise. He demanded that the entrenched board and management seek shareholder approval. Dr. Smith felt the entrenched board and management had forgotten their fiduciary duties and were focused only on lining their own pockets and entrenching themselves further by having their handpicked board and placing Fancamp shares into friendly hands. Instead of acknowledging that the deal is highly dilutive, they attack Dr. Smith and try to tell you that the Transaction has pure upside potential when even outside parties reviewing the Transaction ask how is this Transaction accretive to Fancamp shareholders?

The Concerned Shareholders wish to address a few inaccurate statements made in the MIC to set the record straight so that all shareholders of Fancamp have a true and accurate picture from which to make a decision on which slate they wish to support when armed with all the facts.

Inaccurate statement #1: What you need to know about Mr. Smith's Nominees "Not only is Mr. Smith hiding information, but his slate of nominees (the "Smith Nominees") are now helping him as well. Since Mr. Smith has refused to hand over the information in his possession, when his notice of nomination of directors was received, Fancamp was forced to ask the Smith Nominees to confirm&"

The entrenched board and management have failed to be truthful about this comment in the MIC. First of all, their requests are outside of what is generally accepted under advanced notice policies, and they are adhering to their outdated policy of 2013. The entrenched board are misusing the advanced notice policy as a sword to fight against the fair nomination of the Concerned Shareholders nominees, rather than as what is meant to be used for which is as a shield to protects shareholder interests. To ensure that the entrenched board and management do not use this outdated archaic policy to invalidate our nominees we, the Concerned Shareholders, requested our nominees to respond to their questions which we highlighted in our press release dated May 28, 2021, and contained the responses in the final advance notice of nominations submitted to the Company, a copy of which was publicly filed on Fancamp's SEDAR profile on May 31, 2021. However, the entrenched board and management continue to mislead Fancamp shareholders by not changing the narrative of their story when they were in possession of our responses well in advance of them filing their MIC on SEDAR.

Inaccurate statement #2: What Else is Mr. Smith hiding? "Fancamp has strong reason to believe there are even more examples of misconduct by Mr. Smith and has filed a civil claim (the "Claim") with the British Columbia Supreme Court on behalf of shareholders. Fancamp has also launched a formal independent forensic investigation, led by world renowned accounting firm KPMG International Limited, into Mr. Smith and may amend the Claim to address any further wrongdoing it uncovers during the process of the independent investigation."

This statement is almost laughable. After being an officer of this Company from 1986 to August 2020, during which the entrenched board and management have overlapped with Dr. Smith for the last eight years (or 35 years in the case of the CFO), it is amazing that all of these alleged breaches have occurred without the entrenched board and management either being either (a) willfully blind or (b) complicit with the fraudulent nature of these alleged claims. Regardless of which category they fall into it is clear that if any of their allegations are in fact true, change would be needed at the board level of Fancamp, as if anything alleged is, true, which the Concerned Shareholders emphatically deny, the entrenched board and management would clearly be either "asleep at the wheel" or complicit.

The truth is we need to turn the question on to the entrenched board and management to ask them and, in particular, Mr. Aswath Mehra what they are hiding? As was stated in our initial press release dated February 22, 2021, we noted that Mr. Mehra and Mr. Billings failed to disclose the true extent to which they are conflicted with respect to the Transaction. Mr. Mehra disclosed his position as a director of both the Company and ScoZinc but had neglected to disclose his significant shareholdings in ScoZinc. Mr. Billings, a director of both the Company and ScoZinc when the Transaction was being negotiated, still refuses to admit any conflict at all.

Now, inconspicuously, buried in the back of the MIC there is now a line that Mr. Mehra stands to gain $1.4MM from the Transaction. Even more interesting is the entrenched board and management's claim that while Dr. Smith was a part of Fancamp's management that the total shareholder return (the "TSR") was -59.4%% but somehow the entrenched board and management inexplicably present surprisingly high individual TSR's when, as stated earlier, have their tenure has overlapped with Dr. Smith's for the last eight years. We are struggling to reconcile the entrenched board and management's convenient cherry-picked successes during the same tenure for nearly the last decade, at the same time as Dr. Smith.

Truth be told, the most recent increase in the share price of Fancamp is not due to anything the entrenched board or management has done but solely because of the purchases made by Mr. James Hunter, one of the Concerned Shareholders as well as a Concerned Shareholder nominee. Mr. James Hunter first invested in Fancamp in 2016 and has been purchasing shares in the open market and has invested to date over $2,000,000. Mr. Hunter aggressively started purchasing Fancamp in November 2020 which has caused the stock price to increase from $0.09 on November 12, 2020 to $0.14 at the end of business on May 31, 2021 (the record date). Amazingly Mr. Mehra and Mr. Billing will try to say the increase is solely due to them when in essence it has nothing to do with them when, in fact, any increases have everything to do with the Concerned Shareholders.

What Mr. Mehra and the entrenched board and management should be doing is thanking Dr. Smith and Mr. James Hunter for the share price increase which allowed them to exercise their recently issued options the day before the record date to be able to vote their shares in favour of themselves at the upcoming meeting. Again, the entrenched board and management did not use their own personal funds to enter the market, but exercised Company issued options that were in the money for the sole benefit to attempt to entrench themselves further. Furthermore, the Options they exercised were announced in the entrenched board and management's press release dated March 15, 2021, where they granted each member of the Company's board and senior management, excluding Dr. Smith even though he was and is a director, two million stock options under Fancamp's rolling stock option plan, notwithstanding that the plan had not received required annual shareholder approval because the entrenched board had refused to call and hold the Company's long overdue annual general meeting. To the best of our knowledge, the entrenched board and management has not used any of their personal funds to purchase share of Fancamp to align themselves with the true owners of the company. So, we ask you this Mr. Mehra: since you are so keen to highlight all that you have done for shareholders why are you so quiet on your time at Glencore International AG. or why was your term at the International School of Zug and Luzern as Chair so short? What are you hiding?

False/misleading statement #3: Mr. Smith is Now Trying to Block Fancamp Shareholders from an Opportunity to Create Value.

This is the most outrageous statement they have made in their MIC. The question we should ask is what Dr. Smith trying to block - certainly not the rights of current true owners of Fancamp - he has fought this fight to give shareholders a chance to make a decision and vote. If anything, Dr. Smith is trying to protect current shareholders from being diluted 6:1 without their say in a Transaction that is not in the best interest of ALL shareholders. The only shareholders to potentially suffer from a negative outcome from a Concerned Shareholder victory are the entrenched board and management as they will not be able to entrench and unjustly enrich themselves further, place shares into friendly hands or continue to be in a position to disregard the voices of those that really own the company. As stated numerous times, voting for the Concerned Shareholders nominees is a vote against the highly dilutive, self-serving and non-arm's length ScoZinc Transaction and a vote for the entrenched board and management is a vote for the Transaction. This inaccurate misleading statement says so much about the entrenched board and management as it highlights that they still believe that your voice does not count and that somehow Dr. Smith's actions are intended to hurt the shareholders of Fancamp when in truth it is to help them. How can giving shareholders a vote, at a meeting of shareholders that has been delayed by over half a year, be considered contrary to shareholder interest?

False/misleading statement #4: Mr. Smith's Lacks Business Judgment and Strategy "An investigation by the Board uncovered that between 2010 and 2019, over $10 million was spent on operating expenses and $27 million was spent on exploration and development - with no tangible advancement on any of the Fancamp properties. Of the $27 million, over half ($15 million) was completely written off, meaning it added nothing for the Corporation or its shareholders."

Dr. Smith stands by his record. He co-founded the Company in 1986 and acted as its CEO from that time until he was forced to step down from that position in August 2020. During that period, hundreds perhaps thousands of other junior mineral exploration companies have come and gone. Remarkably, after almost 35 years as a publicly traded company, Fancamp has only 166.0 million shares issued and outstanding and has gone through only one consolidation. With Dr. Smith at the helm, the Company made numerous timely acquisitions, generated several significant discoveries and completed lucrative transactions. Most notably, it was Dr. Smith's early iron-ore acquisitions in the Fermont area of Quebec and subsequent agreements with Champion Iron Ltd. ("Champion") that resulted in the acquisition of the large number of Champion shares that underlie the Company's current strong balance sheet and that have for years funded exploration and administration activities of the Company with little or no dilution to shareholders. In contrast, the entrenched board and management intends to issue 84.5 million shares and significantly dilute Fancamp shareholders. Dr. Smith and his team have spent and would continue to spend money on tangible geophysical surveys, drilling projects and assay results. What is interesting is that no where in their March 18, 2021, press release do the entrenched board and management acknowledge all the good Dr. Smith has done for Fancamp and their shareholders. We note that the Company also stated in its August 13, 2020, news release that Dr. Smith had resigned due to "personal reasons" but would remain as both a consultant and a director. If the Company was so concerned about Dr. Smith's actions, why would it retain Dr. Smith as a consultant?

The statement that Dr. Smith committed exploration expenditures and negotiated with third parties, recklessly sold Champion shares and incurred excessive, value-destroying expenses without the knowledge and approval of the Board is unjustified. If these accusations were true, then directors Mr. Billings, Mr. Mehra, and Mr. Ankcorn, all of whom have been in their position for more than five years, would be equally culpable as directors of the Company, who have an obligation to oversee the actions of management. Dr. Smith's actions have always been in the interest of the Company and its shareholders.

The Concerned Shareholders would like to thank the number of shareholders that have contacted them or Gryphon Advisors Inc. to express their support and sharing stories of inappropriate behaviour exhibited by Mr. Mehra.

Advisors

Farris LLP are acting as legal advisors to Dr. Peter Smith and Gryphon Advisors Inc., are acting as their strategic shareholder communications and proxy advisor. Gryphon's responsibility will include providing strategic advice and advising the Concerned Shareholders with respect to the Meeting and proxy protocol.

The registered address of Fancamp is located at 3200 - 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 4P7. The mailing and head office address of Fancamp is 7290 Gray Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia V5J 3Z2. A copy of this press release may be obtained on Fancamp's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

For more information regarding the Concerned Shareholders' position please contact:

Gryphon Advisors Inc.

Tel: 1-833-461-3651

Email: inquiries@gryphonadvisors.ca

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87475
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2021) - Ready Set Gold Corp. (CSE: RDY) (FSE: 0MZ) (OTC Pink: RDYFF) ("Ready Set Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has successfully negotiated the early repayment of a convertible debt owned to the Company by Dreamfields Brands Inc. The note had originally been issued by Ready Set Gold's predecessor company Omni Commerce Corp. in August of 2019 and remained as debt outstanding to the Company post change of business. The debt will be settled in 6 payments beginning in June 2021 and with the final payment being received in late October 2021.

In addition, Ready Set Gold is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Peter Simeon to the Board of Directors effective immediately. Mr. Simeon has over 18 years of experience as a lawyer focused on securities, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Since February 2015, he has been a partner at Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP and has extensive experience in corporate, commercial and securities law. Prior to 2015, he was a partner at a boutique corporate law firm in Toronto. Mr. Simeon has a Bachelor of Arts from Queen's University and a law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University. Mr. Simeon acts as an independent director for several publicly traded companies in Canada.

Mr. Simeon has been granted 200,000 incentive stock options for five years at a price of 25 cents. The options will be equally vested quarterly over one year from grant date. The stock options are subject to the acceptance of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

"We are very happy to have reached this agreement with Dreamfields Brands. The funds received will be applied to the exploration of our Ontario gold exploration projects and for working capital purposes. As per the nature of the transaction, this USD $1.26 million funds will be for the benefit of our shareholders while being non dilutive to the capital structure. We thank the management of Dreamfields Brands for working with us closely to come to a mutually beneficial agreement," said Christian Scovenna, CEO & Board member of Ready Set Gold.

Ready Set Gold also announces the resignations of Jason Jessup and John Veltheer from the Board of Directors. The Company sincerely wishes to thank both John and Jason for their valuable contributions to advance the Company since its inception and wish them well in all their current and future ventures.

About Ready Set Gold Corporation

Ready Set Gold Corp. is a precious metals exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under symbol RDY and the Boerse Frankfurt Exchange as 0MZ. The Company has consolidated and now owns a 100% interest in the Northshore Gold Project, located in the Schreiber-Hemlo Greenstone Belt near Thunder Bay, Ontario which is prospective for gold and silver mineralization. The Company also owns a 100% interest in two separate claim blocks totaling 4,453 hectares known as the Hemlo Eastern Flanks Project. The Company also holds an option to acquire a 100% undivided interest in a continuous claim block totaling 1,634 hectares comprising the Emmons Peak Project located 50 km south of Dryden, Ontario that is near the Treasury Metals Goliath and Goldlund advanced gold development projects.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

READY SET GOLD Corporation

"Christian Scovenna"

Chief Executive Officer & Director

Email: info@readysetgoldcorp.com

CEO Direct Line: +1 (416) 453-4708

For further information please contact:

Investor Relations

Sean Kingsley - Vice President, Corporate Communications

Email: skingsley@readysetgoldcorp.com

Tel: +1 (604) 440-8474

www.readysetgoldcorp.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange 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.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain certain "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87444
Sudbury, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 14, 2021) - Transition Metals Corp (TSXV: XTM) ("Transition", the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a binding letter of intent ("LOI") entitling McFarlane Lake Mining Incorporated ("MFM") to purchase a 100% interest in 122 mining claims and 3 patents covering 2,605 hectares in Mongowin Township approximately 20 kilometres South of Espanola, Ontario. The property is comprised of 112 staked claims, three mining patents and 10 purchased mining claims for a total of 2,605 hectares (the "Property"). The 10 purchased mining claims have an underlying royalty agreement that will be assigned to MFM. The underlying royalty agreement grants the previous owner a 1% net smelter return royalty ("NSR") of which Transition retains the right to purchase 0.5% NSR at any time for $600,000.

Under the terms of the LOI, MFM has paid XTM $15,000 for a 5 month period of exclusivity to assign the Property to a public vehicle ("Pubco") and complete due diligence. Upon completion of the period of exclusivity, XTM will receive an additional payment of $85,000 and $500,000 of common stock in Pubco prior to transferring the Property. In addition, XTM will be granted a 1.5% net smelter return royalty (NSR) from commercial production from the Property, a $2,500,000 milestone payment upon commencement of commercial production and non-refundable advanced royalty payments of $25,000 per year following the 5th year of the execution of a Definitive Agreement for up to 10 years following the date of the agreement.

Transition CEO Scott McLean commented, "We have had interest in this area for a number of years and have been able to consolidate a large land package around 3 historical high grade gold mines; Fox Lake, Majestic and the McMillan Mines. MFM has been successful securing an option to purchase a 100% interest in the historic MacMillan Gold Mine from Canadian Star Minerals Ltd. which is reported to have produced 60,000 tonnes grading 0.18 oz per tonne between 1934 and 19371. Historical exploration was focused only on near surface zones of high-grade quartz veins but did not consider compelling evidence that the known zones may only be a small portion of a much larger scale gold system. We believe that application of new exploration models and methods of exploration especially geophysics have the potential to outline a significant gold deposit on the property. We look forward to partnering with MFM to advance this work in a manner aligned with our Project Generator business model."

Mark Trevisiol, President of McFarlane Lake Mining stated, "We are excited about putting 3 past producing mines together in a 2,600 hectare land package that we look forward to exploring towards building resources around the historic mines and across the Property."

About the Mongowin Gold Property

The 100% XTM owned property is underlain by Proterozoic sediments of the Huronian Supergroup in the Southern Geological Province. The historical gold mines form part of what is been referred to as the Huronian Gold Belt, one of the earliest gold producing regions of Ontario.

The Property covers prospective exposures of altered Huronian group sediments and gold-bearing structures as well as a number of mineralized occurrences that surround the past producing McMillan gold mine which is reported to have produced approximately 60,000 tonnes grading 0.18 oz per tonne between 1934 and 19371. Two major structures transect the property which correspond to strongly albitized corridors which have associated gold mineralization. Gold mineralization is spatially associated with the albitization within carbonate, quartz, biotite and chlorite alteration zones. This style of mineralization is comparable to Reduced Intrusion Related Gold Systems (RIRGS) found in Cordilleran regions. It is believed that this metasomatic activity occurred in the Southern Province during the Penokian deformation event around 1.7 Ga contemporary with Killarney felsic intrusions.

1 Source: OGS Mineral Deposits Circular 18, Gold Deposits of Ontario Part 2. Pg 77

Qualified Person

The technical elements of this press release have been reviewed and approved by Mr. Greg Collins, P.Geo. (PGO), a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101.

About Transition Metals Corp

Transition Metals Corp (TSXV: XTM) is a Canadian-based, multi-commodity project generator that specializes in converting new exploration ideas into Canadian discoveries in Canada. The award-winning team of geoscientists has extensive exploration experience in established, emerging and historic mining camps and actively develops and tests new ideas for discovering mineralization in places that others have not looked, which often allows the company to acquire properties inexpensively. The team is rigorous in its fieldwork and combines traditional techniques with newer ones to help unearth compelling prospects and drill targets. Transition uses the project generator business model to acquire and advance multiple exploration projects simultaneously, thereby maximizing shareholder exposure to discovery and capital gain. Joint venture partners earn an interest in the projects by funding a portion of higher-risk drilling and exploration, allowing Transition to conserve capital and minimize shareholder's equity dilution. The Company has an expanding portfolio that currently includes more than 25 gold, copper, nickel and platinum projects across Canada.

About MacFarlane Lake Mining Incorporated

MacFarlane Lake Mining is a newly formed private company focused on the exploration and development of high grade gold projects in Ontario. The Company plans to complete a public transaction enabling investors exposure to liquidity in the near future.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, the information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding estimated capital and operating costs, expected production timeline, benefits of updated development plans, foreign exchange assumptions and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, metal prices, competition, risks inherent in the mining industry, and regulatory risks. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Company. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Further information is available at www.transitionmetalscorp.com or by contacting:

Scott McLean

President and CEO

Transition Metals Corp.

Tel: (705) 669-1777

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/87467
SALINAS, Calif., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gary Thelander Is Being Recognized By Continental Who's Who As A Top Attorney For His Professional Excellence In The Legal Field And His Unwavering Dedication To Serving The Legal Community With Thelander Law.

Proudly serving Salinas, Santa Cruz, and San Benito, Thelander Law, takes pride in providing services that will exceed expectations. Thelander Law, a well-respected firm in Salinas, California, includes a team of skilled paralegals, investigators, and local bail bondsmen, and more, specializing in all facets of criminal law. Thelander Law continuously demonstrates the highest standard of professionalism, honesty, and integrity so that every client can make the right decisions under challenging circumstances. Seasoned Criminal Law Attorney Gary Thelander has garnered 25 years of vast knowledge and experience in his field, working on thousands of cases and helping countless clients. He is the founder of Thelander Law, where he is devoted to providing a haven where even the most difficult conversations are had without judgment or criticism. In his 25 years of practice, Mr. Thelander has personally participated in the defense or prosecution of the following types of cases: domestic violence, murder charges, weapons charges, gang-related charges, drug-related charges, theft-related charges, and more. He works with his team of highly trained investigators in case assessment, analysis, and presentation. In addition, Mr. Thelander served the community as a public prosecutor, both as an Assistant Deputy District Attorney in Santa Cruz County and Deputy District Attorney in Monterey County. Mr. Thelander worked for 16 years as a Deputy District Attorney, during which he prosecuted child sexual assault, murder, embezzlement, drunk driving, robbery, burglary, and other types of criminal cases. He has spent much of his career prosecuting DUI and DWI cases. His experience as a Deputy District Attorney aids him in his current work, as he gladly offers his vast knowledge to those he represents. He believes that "People deserve a second chance," and will not hesitate to take on difficult or complex cases in order to give his clients their best chance for their legal representation. He enjoys giving his clients peace of mind to know that his reputation, integrity, and skilled trial practices will be assets in every case. In light of his academic achievements, Mr. Thelander obtained his Associate of Arts degree from Cabrillo College in 1991 and his Juris Doctor degree at the Monterey College of Law. He remains abreast of the latest legal developments in criminal law by maintaining active memberships with the California Bar Association, Monterey County Bar Association, California Lawyers Association, Criminal Law Section, and Monterey School of Law Alumni Association. As a testament to his longstanding professional excellence, Mr. Thelander was honored with the Outstanding Achievement award from the Constitutional Rights Foundation in 1997 and recognized as an Elite Lawyer in 2020. He has had featured profiles on prnewswire.com, announce.today.com, and whoswhopr.com, among others. To learn more, please visit https://www.salinascalawyer.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gary-thelander-is-recognized-by-continental-whos-who-301311830.html

SOURCE Continental Who's Who
RADNOR, Pa., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NewSpring ("the Firm"), a family of private equity strategies, announced today that NewSpring Holdings, the Firm's buyout strategy, has raised an additional $120 million led by Northleaf Capital Partners ("Northleaf"), a global private markets investment firm, and Velocity Structured Solutions. The investment supports the strategic growth and expansion of NewSpring Holdings' existing platform companies and the acquisition of additional platforms, where the team seeks to consolidate fragmented markets with proven leadership and technology enablement.

NewSpring Holdings executes a buy-and-build strategy that identifies, acquires, and assists in transforming founder and family-led businesses in the lower-middle market. Over the past six years, the NewSpring Holdings team has propelled its four platform companies to over $700 million in consolidated revenue by executing its proven methodology of driving growth and margin improvement through the implementation of technology, infusion of talent, strategic M&A, and process standardization. With a focus on long-term capital, NewSpring Holdings aims to maximize value for owners, operators, and shareholders.

"Through NewSpring's differentiated investment approach, we partner with family-run businesses and founders to create exponential growth," said Skip Maner, NewSpring General Partner. "Our brand of partnership is ingrained in our operating experience and focused on the alignment of values with the management teams we invest in to maintain corporate culture and foster environments that allow for smart paths to sustainable growth."

"The key to NewSpring's successful strategy is how grounded and thoughtful they are in their approach to the human side of the businesses they lead," said Emil Fajersson, Director at Northleaf. "To scale their existing platform companies so effectively speaks to their firsthand experience as former operators themselves combined with an unmatched passion for building businesses. We are thrilled to partner with this team as they continue to expand on the success they've already achieved."

NewSpring Holdings continues to broaden the reach of its investment approach with acquisitions into new fragmented markets using its deep network of industry leaders and influencers across a wide array of operational areas and sectors.

"Strategic M&A is fundamental to our next stage of growth, and this capital infusion will help propel our platform expansions forward," said Lee Garber, NewSpring Holdings Partner. "We are extremely proud of the collective growth our existing platform companies have had to date and look forward to continuing to partner with more innovative founders and business owners in the future."

About NewSpring

NewSpring Holdings, NewSpring's dedicated buyout strategy focused on long-term platform builds, leverages proven operational methodologies to accelerate the growth of family-run and owner-operated companies, creating institutionalized platforms of scale. Founded in 1999, NewSpring partners with the innovators, makers, and operators of high-performing companies in dynamic industries to catalyze new growth and seize compelling opportunities. The Firm manages over $2.0 billion across four distinct strategies covering the spectrum from growth equity and control buyouts to mezzanine debt. Partnering with management teams to help develop their businesses into market leaders, NewSpring identifies opportunities and builds relationships using its network of industry leaders and influencers across a wide array of operational areas and industries. To learn more, visit www.newspringcapital.com.

About Northleaf Capital Partners

Northleaf Capital Partners is a global private markets investment firm with US$16 billion in private equity, private credit and infrastructure commitments under management on behalf of public, corporate and multi-employer pension plans, endowments, foundations, financial institutions and family offices. Northleaf's 150-person team, located in Toronto, Montreal, London, New York, Chicago, Menlo Park and Melbourne, is focused exclusively on sourcing, evaluating and managing private markets investments globally. Northleaf's portfolio includes more than 400 active investments in 40 countries, with a focus on mid-market companies and assets. For more information on Northleaf, visit www.northleafcapital.com.

About Velocity Structured Solutions

Velocity Structured Solutions manages multiple pools of capital dedicated to providing cost-effective, long-term capital to help sponsors of any fund type or sector enhance returns, optimize portfolio company balance sheets, or create liquidity for growth, succession planning or distributions. To learn more, please visit www.velocitycapllc.com.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/newspring-holdings-raises-120m-to-scale-existing-platforms-and-drive-growth-in-new-markets-301311595.html

SOURCE NewSpring Holdings LLC
AMMAN, Jordan, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Saraya Aqaba Waterpark, the first-of-its-kind world-class waterpark in Aqaba city and the largest in the Kingdom of Jordan, will open its doors to local and international guests on July 3rd, 2021. Guests will be able to experience the ultimate aquatic adventure with over 25 unique slides, rides and attractions.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8906851-saraya-aqaba-waterpark-jordan-to-open-its-doors-july-3rd/

Located in the heart of the only coastal city in Jordan, Saraya Aqaba Waterpark is the largest waterpark in the Kingdom, spanning an area of more than 28,500 sqm. The waterpark features a diverse range of rides, slides and experiences, in addition to family-friendly eateries. Guests can create memorable experiences under the sun with rides and attractions inspired by Jordan's most iconic landmarks including Dead Sea Drop, where guests can take a vertical plunge to plummet 40 ft downwards, Wadi Rum Race, featuring a multi-racer that allows guests to grab some friends and compete for first place, Aqua Jerash, featuring designated play areas especially for little ones along with family-friendly experiences and much more.

Hungry guests can visit Rose City Diner, the waterpark's main dining outlet, to choose from an array of dining options ranging from shareable meals to on-the-go snacks, including a special drinks menu. Refreshment kiosks can also be found around the park serving a variety of snacks, ice cream, drinks and more. Guests who wish to purchase branded merchandise and pool essentials can visit Al Siq Souk, the waterpark's signature shopping outlet.

Chris Van Der Merwe, General Manager of Saraya Aqaba Waterpark, said: "We are excited to announce that Saraya Aqaba Waterpark will be the first-of-its-kind waterpark in Aqaba and the largest in the Kingdom of Jordan. At Saraya Aqaba Waterpark, guests from all around the world are in for an aquatic adventure like no other with slides, rides and experiences suitable for guests of all ages. We look forward to welcoming you at Saraya Aqaba Waterpark for unforgettable memories that will last for a lifetime."

Saraya Aqaba Waterpark was developed by Eagle Hills, the largest developer in the Kingdom of Jordan and is operated by Farah Experience LLC, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi based Miral Asset Management LLC.

For more information, please visit https://sarayaaqabawaterpark.com/

Note to Editors:

Opening hours:

Daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm

Tickets prices:

Day Pass ticket  JOD 35

About Saraya Aqaba Waterpark:

Located in the heart of Aqaba, Jordan's only coastal city, Saraya Aqaba Waterpark will be the first-of-its-kind in Aqaba and the largest in the Kingdom of Jordan, featuring over 25 rides, slides and experiences in addition to family-friendly eateries. The world-class waterpark will deliver adventures like no other for the whole family.

Spanning an area of more than 28,500 sqm, the Jordanian-themed park will feature exhilarating rides and attractions named after the Kingdom's most iconic landmarks including Jerash, Wadi Rum and many more.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1529563/Saraya_Aqaba_Waterpark.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1529571/Saraya_Aqaba_Waterpark_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE Saraya Aqaba Waterpark
Brig. Gen. Hal Lamberton, left, the adjutant general for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, pins the Airmans Medal to the uniform of Master Sgt. Daniel Keller, a combat controller in the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., June 12, 2021. (Joshua Horton/U.S. Air National Guard)

For Master Sgt. Daniel Keller, bravery isnt confined to the battlefield.

The airman earned the highest Air Force award for noncombat bravery for rescuing a motorist from a burning SUV in Kentucky, a little over a year after earning the services second-highest award for heroism on the battlefield in Afghanistan.

The combat controller with the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron received the Airmans Medal during a ceremony Saturday at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, the 123rd Airlift Wing said in a statement.

Keller was driving home from work Nov. 16, 2018 when he came up on the aftermath of a crash on a narrow bridge outside Louisville and jumped out of his truck to help. After assisting a man and his son from one vehicle, he enlisted bystanders to stop traffic so he could rescue the unconscious driver of the SUV.

The 123rd Airlift Wing Honor Guard presents the colors during a ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., June 12, 2021, to bestow the Airmans Medal to Master Sgt. Daniel Keller, a combat controller in the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron. (Joshua Horton/U.S. Air National Guard)

With complete disregard for his own safety, he broke the rear window and entered the burning vehicle, the award citation says.

In 2017, Kellers courage in a grueling battle with Islamic State militants in Afghanistan earned him the Air Force Cross  which he received about a year after the crash. Despite suffering a traumatic brain injury from a nearby blast, he'd directed critical airstrikes that killed dozens of enemy fighters, then risked his life to help evacuate wounded troops.

During the incident in Louisville, smoke inside the vehicle forced him to hold his breath, and when he reached the driver, he found the mans foot was trapped and he couldnt be pulled out away from the burning engine compartment.

I couldnt get him that way  and the smoke was really filling up the car, so I knew we had to try and get him out through the side or another way," Keller said in the wing statement.

With the help of an unnamed woman, he squeezed between the burning SUV and the bridge railing to pull the driver out a side window and move him away from the burning wreck. He had to go back to help the woman, who had gotten trapped alongside the burning vehicle, and then they began performing CPR. That's when Keller heard the familiar pop of gunfire.

Realizing ammunition inside the burning SUV was cooking off, he moved everyone back behind cover and continued providing medical care until emergency crews arrived.

While by no means a medical expert, hed learned enough in the military to buy time, Keller said.

At last weeks ceremony, attended by about 100 of Kellers family, friends and colleagues, Kentucky's adjutant general Brig. Gen. Hal Lamberton praised him for his quick thinking and heroic selflessness off the battlefield.

A lot of folks, when theyre confronted with a rapid change to their environment like that, have a tendency to want to get away from it, Lamberton said. But Dans character and training is what enabled him to not only recognize what the situation is, but take the appropriate action to address it.

garland.chad@stripes.com

Twitter: @chadgarland
Buy Photo Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, who represents Houston, tells media gathered outside the gate to Fort Hood, Texas, on June 23, 2020, that Army investigators believe Spc. Vanessa Guillens disappearance is the result of foul play. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)

Capt. Peter Sulzona, a public affairs officer assigned to the 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment at Fort Hood, Texas, captures video. Soldiers working in public affairs are issued cameras when a smartphone could sometimes be more appropriate to help communicate on social media, said Col. Myles Caggins, director of public affairs for III Corps and Fort Hood. (U.S. Army photo )

As Fort Hood officials investigated the disappearance and death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen last year, millions of social media posts circulated around the globe  some leading to significant reforms within the Army, while others perpetuated misinformation that consumed time and resources during the more than two-month search for her.

A report released in April found Guillens unit, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, began searching for her within hours of determining that she was missing on April 22, 2020. Soldiers continued to search until June 30, the day that her body was found miles from the Texas base, but the public affairs office failed to appropriately communicate what was happening behind the gates and out of the view of the public.

Without official information available, social media filled a void in command messaging that allowed a negative narrative about Fort Hood and the U.S. Army, according to the investigative report that focused on the actions of leaders at Fort Hood during the search for Guillen.

Some social media posts from other veterans criticized the Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program and others targeted the services Criminal Investigation Command, known as CID. The pressure from social media nudged the Army to conduct two investigations into Guillens death that have uncovered shortfalls in both programs. Both are undergoing a significant overhaul.

Mixed into those messages were thousands of other posts that fueled misinformation, stretched resources and inspired threats against Fort Hood leaders. By the time base officials began releasing information to counter wrong information, it was too late, according to the report.

Gen. John Murray, who was appointed by Army Forces Command to lead the internal investigation, described Fort Hoods public affairs team as reactionary, bogged down by understaffing from personnel cuts and an ongoing deployment, lacking resources, and concerned that saying too much would spoil the integrity of an ongoing investigation. The office, which included civilians and uniformed personnel, did not have an engagement plan and often spent precious time debating who should speak publicly about the crisis, only to lose their window of opportunity to shape the message about the case.

When the office asked the Army for help, the two soldiers assigned to public affairs werent trained in social media and lacked the skills needed to provide real support, according to the report.

A month of silence

From the beginning, even as Fort Hoods social media accounts sat relatively silent about the search efforts to find Guillen, public interest grew rapidly, according to data from the Army base that was compiled using a commercial analytics tool.

Mentions of Vanessa Guillen skyrocketed from about 2,200 in May 2020 to more than 1.7 million in June as actress Salma Hayek began posting to Instagram about the missing soldier, who was a Houston native born to Mexican immigrants. Much of the attention in traditional media and through social platforms occurred in Spanish, which further handicapped the public affairs office, according to the report.

In July, after investigators found Guillens body and the public began to understand the horrific details of her death at the hands of a fellow soldier, social media posts peaked to more than 2.2 million mentions. A year later, her name is mentioned thousands of times a month.

Twenty-nine days passed before Fort Hood officials released information about search efforts for Guillen, which was timed with an expected protest to correct a narrative that the Army was not doing anything to find Spc. Guillen, according to the report.

The release failed to fully address erroneous information revolving around a Fort Hood potential cover-up and the inaccurate narrative of mistrust that had built up about Fort Hood in social media, according to the report.

In mid-June, CID addressed false claims on social media that Guillen had been found on the base. Around the same time, her unit began searching underground tunnels and natural caves on the base in response to posts that Guillen was being held in such a place. Soldiers, CID agents and environmental experts searched eight caves with no results.

When the public finally learned on June 23 that foul play was suspected in Guillens disappearance, it was not CID or Fort Hood officials who released the information. Instead, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, whose district includes Houston, broke the news after attending a meeting with the Guillen family and base officials.

Meanwhile, people began posting the personal information of three key leaders at Fort Hood, an act known as doxing. Some personnel and their families began to receive threats, according to the report.

Murray found numerous opportunities where Fort Hood could have addressed Guillens disappearance in the media without jeopardizing the investigation. Not doing so, in part, led to the removal of Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt as the acting base commander and Col. Ralph Overland as the 3rd Cavalry Regiment commander.

When I asked [Efflandt], he said, Im not ready to be the face on this yet, one public affairs staffer, whose name was redacted from the report, told investigators. I was kind of deflated to be honest with you when he said that because  and I explained to him  I was like, Sir, were at the point where we cant roll this back in. We have to put something out. And people are asking why leadership is not addressing this.

Recommendations under review

Through review of the pitfalls, Murray issued several recommendations that specifically target Army public affairs operations, staffing and training. Recommendations included providing senior leaders with media engagement training, holding commanders accountable for the reputation of their unit, designating a spokesperson, and identifying and resolving gaps in social media capabilities and training.

He also suggested the Army determine the appropriate media analytics tools and number of public affairs personnel needed to make bases and commands more capable in a crisis. Those offices took a 30-50% cut during the past several years and increasing staff levels remains under review, said Lt. Col. Gabriel Ramirez, an Army spokesman.

Public affairs positions were restructured to provide advice and planning, which ultimately limited capacity for social media, media facilitation, and command information content, he said.

The Army has begun providing social media analytics tools to bases and commands, he said.

Under a new Army policy for missing soldiers, which came, in part, out of Guillens disappearance, public affairs is required to be notified and the office must create a plan to engage with traditional news outlets and social media.

Lt. Gen. Pat White, commander of Fort Hood, also sent a memo to Army public affairs leaders describing how hes already changed base operations and suggesting further recommendations, which are now part of the overall discussion, said Col. Myles B. Caggins III, Whites senior public affairs adviser. Both men were deployed during the crisis, but the investigation found Efflandt consulted with White about public affairs on Guillen's case.

Many of the concerns that White discussed existed before the disappearance and death of Guillen, but the enormity of the situation has gotten the attention of those leaders able to enact change and recreate the mindset of what public affairs means for the Army, Caggins said.

This is all about trust and letting people know that you care, he said. They don't expect you to be perfect, but they expect you to care, always.

When III Corps headquarters returned from deployment in October, it doubled from its four authorized public affairs positions, pulling in soldiers who serve in other occupations but have shown an interest for public and community engagement.

To make public affairs soldiers more agile, Caggins said the Pentagon should approve training and distribution of smartphones.

Infantry soldiers get rifles, helicopter pilots get issued helicopters, and public affairs soldiers get issued single-lens, reflex cameras in a world that's communicating instantly with cell phones. The current way we do business is there are a lot of soldiers violating Defense Department policy by using their own personal devices to do government work, and that's flat-out wrong. That change needs to come from the Pentagon, he said.

The new normal

What separated the Guillen case from previous crisis situations at Fort Hood was the slow build, said Tom Rheinlander, director of public affairs at Fort Hood, who helped lead the base public affairs office through past crisis situations, including a mass shooting in 2014.

The sheer volume made it very difficult to provide factual information through Fort Hoods crisis communication efforts, he said.

I believe this will be the new normal for the Army with a greater social media impact on crisis communication, Rheinlander said. This will be a significant challenge to meet by any organization facing a large social media response to their crisis communication efforts.

The unique circumstances last year, including the extreme polarization of the American public largely over race and politics, also likely played a role in the number of people posting about Guillen, said Steve Quigley, associate professor of public relations at Boston Universitys College of Communication.

It would almost be impossible to draw up a more polarizing moment in our country's history. We had Me Too, we had Black Lives Matter, we had the election and mix all that together  and all the mistrust that came from that, he said. [Social media] rewards the fast, it rewards the polarizing, it rewards the attitude and the voice and the speed. And, you know, that's a tough enemy in a lot of ways.

To keep up with the rapid online environment, it takes a good number of frontline workers who have the leeway to make fast decisions with some room for reasonable mistakes, Quigley said.

This is real-time, hand-to-hand communication and running it up the chain for an hour or two, or day, to get approval is not going to work, he said. In this media environment, waiting until all the T's are crossed is really dangerous.

The Army isnt alone in struggling with navigating social media, which has shown the old public affairs belief that agencies have 24 hours to get ahead of the news cycle is outdated. A final recommendation from Murray called for the public affairs actions related to Guillens disappearance be used as a case study to educate future senior commanders and public affairs professionals.

Fort Hoods Rheinlander completely agreed.

Particularly before decisions on policy, manpower or processes are made, he said.

Thayer.rose@stripes.com

Twitter: @Rose_Lori
Two soldiers who died in their Fort Bragg barracks room Friday were likely involved with illicit drugs, the Army Criminal Investigation Command said in a statement Monday.

Spc. Joshua Diamond, 35, of Plymouth, Mass., and Pfc. Matthew Disney, 20, of Aberdeen, Md., were paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division. They were discovered unresponsive in their barracks room Friday, according to a statement Monday by the division.

Shortly after, emergency responders arrived and declared the soldiers dead, according to the statement.

At this point in the investigation we do have credible information that the Soldiers were involved with illicit drugs, said Chris Grey, spokesman for Army CID, which is investigating the case.

Assigned to 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Diamond and Disney served as field artillery fire-finder radar operators.

The two each enlisted with the Army in 2019, with Diamond arriving at Fort Bragg the same year. Disney came to the base in 2020.

Our greatest strength is our paratroopers and these losses are a tragedy, said Col. Phillip J. Kiniery III, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

Diamond served in combat during a 2020 deployment to Iraq. He received the Army Commendation Medal with Combat Device, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and the Army Parachutist Badge, according to the statement.

Disney received the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and the Army Parachutist Badge.

We mourn the passing of Matthew and Joshua. They remain part of our Family of Falcon Brigade Paratroopers, Kiniery said in the statement. Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones and fellow paratroopers during this difficult time.

doornbos.caitlin@stripes.com

Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos
Tour guide John Kourounis lights up Wonder Womans Lasso of Truth, one of the new interactive exhibits that will be available to visitors who go on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank, Calif. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Grasp Wonder Womans magic lasso during the new Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and it begins to glow.

In the same tour, you can sit under the sorting hat from the Harry Potter books and movies, and it will assign you to a house in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Aquaman fans can take a selfie as they hold the superheros gold trident.

The new interactive movie memorabilia, along with film mementos nearly as old as Hollywood itself, are now in a new building that Warner Bros. Studios plans to open June 26  an investment in the future of Southern Californias once-thriving tourism industry.

It also comes as the 98-year-old film and TV studio enters a new chapter of its own: Warner Bros. learned last month that it would be merged with Discovery, the home of HGTV, Food Network and Animal Planet, after a tumultuous three years of being owned by AT&T.

The seven-story, 483,000-square-foot building across the street from Warner Bros. corporate offices in Burbank had been scheduled to open in May 2020 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tours were previously launched from the first floor of the corporate office building, which offered less than half the display and visitor space of the new venue.

We felt like we were outgrowing our space, said Warner Bros. Vice President and General Manager Danny Kahn.

The tour building  whose cost studio representatives declined to disclose  is part of a larger expansion at the studios headquarters, which broke ground in January on a pair of Frank Gehry-designed office towers designed to resemble two icebergs.

Pandemic travel restrictions limit visits by international tourists, but Warner Bros. officials say they are hopeful that the new tour building will draw plenty of Californians who have stayed close to home for the last year and are itching to try new experiences.

We feel there is a lot of pent-up demand, said Gary Soloff, vice president of marketing at the studios. The company website shows all time slots for English-speaking tours are sold out for the first two weeks.

The building may be opening just in time for a tourism resurgence.

The Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board predicts the number of tourists visiting Los Angeles County will climb to nearly 40 million by the end of this year, up from 27 million in 2020. Before the pandemic, the county welcomed a record 50.7 million visitors in 2019.

The hotel occupancy rate in Los Angeles County reached 62% in April, up from 26% in April 2020, according to the tourism board. Occupancy rates have reached 70% or higher in the last 11 weekends, the board said.

Universal Studios Hollywood is also betting on visits from movie fans. The theme park, which reopened in April after a yearlong pandemic closure, recently announced plans to fill more than 2,000 jobs.

The new Warner Bros. tour building, built on the site of a parking lot, includes about 25,000 square feet of exhibit space and a parking structure with nearly 1,000 spots. Instead of one movie theater, the new building has two 70-seat theaters where tour visitors will be shown clips of movies shot at the studio.

The studio bought electric carts to shuttle visitors to film sets and backlot soundstages, including the coffee shop set featured in the sitcom Friends and the fountain where the cast members frolic during that shows opening title sequence.

The new building is home to much of the historic movie memorabilia that had been on display in the previous building, such as the trench coat worn by Humphrey Bogart in the 1942 classic Casablanca. The phone of studio co-founder Jack Warner is also in the exhibit, alongside his personal phone book, which shows the numbers and addresses of such Hollywood luminaries as Cecil B. DeMille and Walt Disney.

In hopes of attracting younger visitors, Warner Bros. has added several interactive exhibits meant to encourage movie fans to snap selfies and post photos on social media sites.

Studio boss Jack Warner's silver-plated phone and phone book on display at Warner Bros.' new tour center. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times) The tour includes an area where visitors can play in a faux greenhouse with screaming mandrake plants modeled after those in the "Harry Potter" films. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

The studio has re-created the herbology classroom from the 2001 movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, complete with facsimiles of the magical mandrake plants that scream when they are uprooted. Visitors can also crawl into the cupboard under the stairs, modeled after the makeshift bedroom Harry Potters abusive guardians provided to him in the same movie.

In another Harry Potter exhibit, visitors are asked to tap a series of buttons next to several ingredients to create a magic potion. Choose the correct ingredients, and a cauldron spins and glows purple.

Inside an exhibit area that resembles Batmans cave is a console where visitors can use a touch-screen to research the backstory of DC villains. Costumes worn in recent DC superhero movies, such as Wonder Woman 1984, are also on display.

We want to get more people hands-on and interactive with the exhibits, Soloff said. People want to be part of the experience.

The studio hopes that such interaction also involves buying souvenirs to take home. Adjoining the exhibit area is a Warner Bros. store offering Harry Potter wands and robes and superhero T-shirts, hats and coffee mugs.
Buy Photo Spc. Vanessa Guillen's sister Mayra, left, is comforted by family attorney Natalie Khawam during a news conference marking the first anniversary of the Fort Hood soldier's killing, April 22, 2021, at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

Buy Photo Spc. Vanessa Guillen's sister Mayra, left, is comforted by family attorney Natalie Khawam during a news conference marking the first anniversary of the Fort Hood soldier's killing, April 22, 2021, at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Backed by other family members and attorney Natalie Khawam, right, Spc. Vanessa Guillen's sister Lupe speaks at a news conference marking the first anniversary of the Fort Hood soldier's killing, April 22, 2021, at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  Exactly one year after the brutal slaying of Spc. Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood in Texas, her family lamented Thursday that they had achieved no justice  through the courts or Congress.

Guillens family gathered with their attorney at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., at 11 a.m.  the same time a year ago that her friends and family began to suspect something was wrong. They traveled to Washington this week to push lawmakers to adopt the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, a bill to change how the military handles sex offenses.

Guillens two sisters spoke through tears at a podium with a poster-size photo of Guillen in her Army uniform taped to the front.

Its not fair that we have to keep asking for justice, asking for answers, asking for change, said Mayra Guillen, her sister. All I ask for today is please dont forget her name. Dont forget her story.

Guillen, 20, was killed by a fellow soldier April 22, 2020. She had told her family that the suspected killer, Spc. Aaron Robinson, had sexually harassed her. Robinson is suspected of killing her with a hammer in an arms room and burying her body near a river off base.

Guillens body was found after a two-month search, and Robinson shot himself dead when confronted by local law enforcement in Killeen, Texas. Robinsons girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, was accused of helping him dispose of Guillens body. Her case has not yet gone to trial.

The slaying sparked outcry across the country and prompted service members to share their own experiences with sexual harassment and assault. Just weeks after Guillens body was found, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., introduced the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act. However, it failed to gain momentum in Congress.

The legislation would establish independent investigators and an independent prosecutor within the military who would be responsible for handling sex offenses. Guillens family believes she didnt report her sexual harassment because she was afraid of retaliation. The only solution is to remove the process from the chain of command, they said.

Enough is enough, said the familys attorney, Natalie Khawam. If we dont have this legislation pass, were going to read about more deaths in our military. Young men and women serving in our military need to be protected, so were not up here with another family and another face.

Speier and Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., expect to reintroduce the bill next month. Khawam said theyre waiting on the results of a Pentagon review of sexual assault in the military. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin launched the 90-day review in March. Its being led by Lynn Rosenthal, a longtime advocate for survivors of gender violence and the first White House adviser on violence against women.

Khawam said she believes the results of the review will speak to the need for the type of reform included in the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act.

We believe that theyre going to come back and say that everything needs to be changed, that there are enough voices, enough evidence and enough data to prove the need for change, Khawam said. We believe the recommendations are going to be in the favor of adopting the legislation.

Since Guillens death, the Army has made changes to its sexual assault and harassment response program and implemented a new missing persons policy. Its also working on restructuring the Army Criminal Investigation Command, known as CID.

Her death also inspired the creation of an independent review committee to examine Fort Hood. It found soldiers at the base did not have confidence in the Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, known as SHARP. Army officials said Friday that they are in the process of overhauling the nearly 10-year-old program, but that SHARP must remain while the new program is created.

In a statement on Twitter, Army Secretary John Whitley said Thursday morning that the Army was looking to redesign its SHARP program, as well as implement recommendations from the independent review committee.

Sexual assault and harassment cannot be tolerated, Whitely said.

Lupe Guillen, the 17-year-old sister of Vanessa Guillen, was offended by the timing of the statement, she said. His Tweet was later deleted.

He decided to Tweet that out today  my sisters day, Lupe Guillen said. No matter how much you develop the program, its at a military base, inside the Armed Forces. Its not going to work, its ineffective.

Khawam and Lupe Guillen also criticized President Joe Biden for not responding to their requests to meet with him this week about the legislation.

I ask you to please support us in this fight for justice, Lupe Guillen said in a message to the president. Vanessa cannot speak now, but I can. You can.

A trial has not been set for Aguilar, who is charged in connection with Guillens death. It has been pushed back multiple times since her arrest last year.

A year later, we dont have a trial finished, we dont have anything, Khawan said. We have a family thats still in mourning, begging our country to do something.

Candlelight vigils for Guillen were planned Thurdsay evening in major cities across the country, including Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Austin.

wentling.nikki@stripes.com Twitter: @nikkiwentling

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Buy Photo A memorial to honor Spc. Vanessa Guillen remains one year later in the parking lot of a tattoo shop in Killeen, Texas. Guillen, 20, was killed April 22, 2020, by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood. Her death has led to numerous investigations that have spurred reforms within the Army. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)

Buy Photo A memorial to honor Spc. Vanessa Guillen remains one year later in the parking lot of a tattoo shop in Killeen, Texas. Guillen, 20, was killed April 22, 2020, by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood. Her death has led to numerous investigations that have spurred reforms within the Army. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes) The family of Spc. Vanessa Guillen grieves in front of her Soldiers Cross during her unit memorial ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas, on July 17. Several hundred people  family, friends and fellow soldiers  attended the ceremony in the posts Spirit of Fort Hood Chapel. (Blair Dupre/U.S. Army)

AUSTIN, Texas  More than a dozen additional disciplinary actions and firings were announced Friday as new information was released about the response to the disappearance and death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood.

Gen. Michael X. Garrett, commander of U.S. Army Forces Command, announced 13 officers and noncommissioned officers will be disciplined as a result of an internal Army investigation report.

I directed this investigation to identify what happened and to find areas where we needed to improve across our command, Garrett said in a statement. We can and must hold ourselves accountable, learn and improve across all our Army units. To do any less breaks trust with our people and the American public.

Guillen, a small arms repairer in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, disappeared during the workday on April 22, 2020. After more than two months, investigators found her body buried along a river miles from the central Texas Army base. Spc. Aaron Robinson, a fellow soldier in the regiment, is believed to have killed her with a hammer in an arms room that he supervised. When confronted by local law enforcement July 1 in nearby Killeen, Robinson shot himself dead.

The 264-page report released Friday contains the findings of an internal administrative investigation, commonly known as a 15-6, directed by Army Forces Command.

The investigation, announced in September and under the direction of Gen. John Murray, the commander of Army Futures Command, looked into every echelon of Guillens leadership between April 22 and July 1 to learn what her leaders knew and when.

In December, following the release of an outside investigation into Fort Hood, the Army fired or suspended 14 leaders, including some personnel in Army Criminal Investigation Command. Those suspensions included every leader responsible for Guillen from the squad to battalion level. They were not named by the Army.

Six of the soldiers disciplined Friday were part of the initial round of actions in December, bringing the number reprimanded in relation to Guillens death to 21.

Three leaders from the brigade to corps level were fired in December. Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, then the deputy commander of III Corps, who was the acting base commander at the time of Guillens disappearance and death, Col. Ralph Overland, and Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Knapp, the commander and top enlisted soldier of Guillens unit, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, were fired.

Garrett on Friday fired five soldiers from leadership positions who are current or former leaders within the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. Of the five, three will also receive General Officer Memorandums of Reprimand, a written reprimand that goes into a soldiers permanent file.

Garrett also referred further action against seven additional officers and NCOs to Lt. Gen. Pat White, commander of III Corps and Fort Hood, and further action against one NCO to a separate command. One of those eight leaders will be fired and all will receive reprimand letters. Many of these actions allow for the soldier to respond and include a review period, said Army officials said Friday.

Army policy prohibits the release of the names of the battalion level and below commanders and leaders who received reprimand.

One of the leaders included in Fridays round of discipline included a senior NCO that the investigation found to have sexually harassed Guillen on two occasions. However, the Army would not say exactly what that discipline included.

This supervisor created an intimidating, hostile environment. The unit leadership was informed of the harassment as well as the supervisors counterproductive leadership, and failed to take appropriate action, according to the reports executive summary.

Disciplinary action in December was based on the findings of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, which found the base to have an environment permissive of sexual assault and harassment and a lack of trust in the program to prevent and respond to those corrosive behaviors. The committee also found the bases criminal investigation office was a training ground for new recruits and often failed to conduct timely, professional investigations.

Ryan McCarthy, who was the Army secretary at the time, announced the independent committee in July and the Army and Fort Hood continue to work on implementing all 70 recommendations that it provided. The service also is working to completely overhaul and restructure its Criminal Investigation Command, known as CID, and its Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program, known as SHARP. The Army has already implemented new policies and procedures for missing soldiers.

When the Army fires a soldier or leader, those personnel remain in the service, but are removed from the position they currently hold. Army officials said Friday that they could not speculate whether any of the letters of reprimand issued could be career-ending.

Efflandt was announced in February as a special assistance to the commander of U.S. Army North at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Knapp has since joined the 3rd Battalion, 358th Field Artillery Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., as its senior enlisted adviser. Information on Overland was not immediately available Friday.

Maj. Gen. Jeff Broadwater and Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Kenny of the 1st Cavalry Division, which was not part of Guillens chain of command, were suspended, pending the results of an investigation ignited by the December report into the units command climate and implementation of a sexual assault prevention program. That investigation is still ongoing.

Thayer.rose@stripes.com Twitter: @Rose_Lori

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Buy Photo A memorial to honor Spc. Vanessa Guillen remains one year later in the parking lot of a tattoo shop in Killeen, Texas. Guillen, 20, was killed April 22, 2020, by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood. Her death has led to numerous investigations that have spurred reforms within the Army. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)

AUSTIN, Texas  The sexual harassment that Spc. Vanessa Guillen faced before her death last year from a noncommissioned officer at Fort Hood wasnt an isolated incident.

There had been four other complaints filed against her platoon sergeant for his mistreatment of subordinates, yet leaders continued to move him and keep him in charge of soldiers, according to an Army report released last week.

The sergeant, whose name was redacted in the public release of the report, was known to yell, belittle and threaten soldiers with counseling, delayed promotion or denial of leave, while playing favorites and speaking Spanish in the workplace, which isolated those who didnt understand the language, according to the report.

Though the redacted report does not include his position in Guillens unit, he was identified as her platoon sergeant by Gen. Michael Garrett, the commander of Army Forces Command who initiated the internal administrative investigation, known as a 15-6.

The platoon sergeant and 20 other leaders have faced disciplinary action in the wake of the investigation and another report by the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee that was released in December. It is unclear where and in what position the sergeant serves now, but he has been notified of an intent to relieve him from leadership, according to a military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. That administrative action will trigger an evaluation and includes a period of review when the soldier being disciplined can respond.

Punishment for some of the other leaders at Fort Hood came because they continued to place this NCO in positions of leadership, which showed poor judgment, the military official said. Others were punished for failing to take corrective actions and effectively implement the Armys Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, known as SHARP, according to Army Forces Command.

While some leaders were relieved from their positions, others received General Officer Memorandums of Reprimand  a written reprimand that goes into a soldiers permanent file.

The report described how a toxic leader in one platoon created an intimidating, hostile environment, and those able to stop the harassment failed to do so. Guillens platoon exemplified on a small scale how soldiers erosion of trust occurred at Fort Hood, which was found by the independent and internal Army investigations.

In a letter from Garrett to soldiers and the larger military community, the general wrote his command remains committed to learning from the findings of the Army report, and he will continue to take aggressive actions to place people first and strengthen our culture of trust, dignity and respect.

The Army investigation, announced in September and under the direction of Gen. John Murray, the commander of Army Futures Command, looked into every echelon of Guillens leadership between April 22 and July 1 to learn what her leaders knew and when they knew it. The investigation also looked into allegations from the Guillen family that she had faced sexual harassment during the 15 months that she spent at Fort Hood.

Guillen, a small-arms repairer in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, disappeared during the workday on April 22, 2020. After more than two months, investigators found her body buried along a river miles from the central Texas Army base. Spc. Aaron Robinson, a fellow soldier in the regiment, is believed to have killed her with a hammer in an arms room that he supervised. When confronted by local law enforcement July 1 in nearby Killeen, Robinson shot himself dead.

Investigations and reformsDuring the search for Guillen, some veterans came forward, mainly through social media, with their own stories of sexual assault and harassment and a distrust for the systems in place to protect and support service members who are victims of these attacks. In response, the Army announced two separate investigations into Fort Hood, and two congressional committees announced a joint investigation.

The Fort Hood Independent Review Committee released a report in December that provided 70 recommendations, which led to the firing or suspension of 14 Army leaders. The Armys newly established People First Task Force is working to implement all of the committees recommendations, which include restructuring of the SHARP program and the Army Criminal Investigation Command.

The internal investigation led by Murray found problems that matched those noted by the independent committee  many of which stemmed from soldiers distrust of leaders and a high-operational tempo that focused on performance and discounted the well-being of people.

The House Committee on Oversight and Reforms subpanel on national security and the House Committee on Armed Services subpanel on military personnel launched an investigation in September into the deaths of soldiers assigned to Fort Hood. In total, 35 soldiers died at the base in 2020. Twelve of those soldiers died by suicide, 14 died in accidents and five died by homicide, according to Fort Hood. One soldier died in combat overseas.

Members involved in that investigation will visit Fort Hood this week for an update. Their report is expected out by the end of the year, according to a congressional aide.

Documented harassmentMurrays investigation found two instances of sexual harassment against Guillen from the same man, her platoon sergeant. She informally reported the harassment on two occasions. But in both instances, her supervisor failed to report the harassment, and other leaders failed to take appropriate action, according to the report.

The harassment changed Guillens view of service, according to the report. She went from being a first-term soldier vocalizing and posting about re-enlistment to fantasizing about the expiration of her term of service, Murray wrote in the report.

But no evidence indicated this sexual harassment was related to her death, the Army concluded.

Robinson, the soldier believed to have killed Guillen, also sexually harassed a female soldier, but the incident was not reported until after his death, the Army said.

However, the investigation also uncovered that the platoon sergeant didnt just harass Guillen, he was known among soldiers and other leaders in the unit as a counterproductive leader. It led to low trust [and] very low morale in the maintenance platoon and soldiers lost focus on their assigned tasks, according to the report.

[His] unchecked behavior directly impacted the performance of multiple soldiers and readiness functions, Murray wrote in the report. Likewise, the failure to act by the chain of command, cemented the severely diminished lack of trust in leadership.

When it came to Guillen, the sergeant would bypass her squad leader to call her directly, often just to make certain that she was still around, according to the report. He often spoke to Guillen in Spanish, and she told someone, whose name was redacted in the report, that he once said inappropriate things during a unit urinalysis.

The sergeant was the subject of two formal inspector general complaints that were investigated and the allegations confirmed, as well as an informal inspector general complaint and an equal opportunity complaint, according to the report.

Leaders held a sensing session and counseled the sergeant after the two formal complaints in August 2019.

Afterward, the sergeant was moved on Feb. 15, 2020, from one platoon to another position that was redacted from the report, though his leaders were aware of complaints on his leadership style. Another person, whose name is redacted from the report, agreed they would watch and see if anything changed with the sergeant.

We were not walking the talkSimilar to the report released in December, Murrays investigation uncovered the 3rd Cavalry Regiment failed to properly train soldiers and leaders about the SHARP program and how to deal with reports of harassment or assault. The unit also failed to respond to command climate surveys that showed this deficit and other problems related to trust and inclusion.

One unit member told investigators that while the 3rd Cavalry Regiment had high performance marks on its training exercises and a great safety record, this didnt mean that the health of the unit was strong.

I just felt that we needed more time with people based on the climate surveys. I felt like we were not walking the talk. We needed to work on standards and discipline, and take it to the next level, and I felt like we werent there, the soldier told investigators.

During the course of the investigation, Murray also found noncompliance with protocols in place because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and some accountability checks on soldiers in the barracks were reported incorrectly. Leaders also did not follow required protocols for critical information reporting and serious incident reports, which outlines exactly when to move an incident up the chain of command.

Murray said things have changed in the year since Guillens death and the unit and Fort Hood began to take a deep look at itself. The entire base has pivoted toward a people first approach and soldiers and units are meeting Army standards for SHARP training. He outlined several recommendations to build upon those efforts.

Army Forces Command has also begun offering units more time in the work schedule to focus on relationship building.

At every echelon, leaders must engage with their people, build trust, and reinforce this trust with every action and decision, Garrett said.

thayer.rose@stripes.com Twitter: @Rose_Lori

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Buy Photo House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., backed by other members of Congress and Vanessa Guillen's sisters, at a Capitol Hill press conference on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Im proud to support the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, to stand with victims, survivors and families that combat sexual assault in the military, Pelosi said (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

Buy Photo House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., backed by other members of Congress and Vanessa Guillen's sisters, at a Capitol Hill press conference on Thursday, May 13, 2021. Im proud to support the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, to stand with victims, survivors and families that combat sexual assault in the military, Pelosi said (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes) Buy Photo Mayra, left, and Lupe Guillen, sisters of slain U.S. Army Pfc. Vanessa Guillen, speak at a Capitol Hill news conference to reintroduce the "I am Vanessa Guillen Act" on May 13, 2021. Behind them is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  Lawmakers introduced legislation Thursday that would change the reporting process for sexual harassment and assault in the military and allow service members who are victims to seek monetary damages from the Defense Department.

The bills proponents said it would revolutionize the way the military handles reports of sexual harassment and assault. It comes in response to the brutal killing last year of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who was sexually harassed before she was killed.

The legislation, titled the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, was introduced in the House and Senate on Wednesday with more than 150 lawmakers signing on in support. Rep. Jackie Speier, who is leading the House effort, said she planned to get the measure into the National Defense Authorization Act this year. The NDAA sets the Defense Departments annual budget and includes a slew of policies for the Pentagon. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., vowed to help get the measure to the House floor.

Im proud to support the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, to stand with victims, survivors and families that combat sexual assault in the military, Pelosi said during a news conference. We will not stop until we pass the bill and until we finally and fully end this epidemic in the military, in the workplace, in all places.

Reports of sexual assaults in the military have steadily increased over the past 15 years, including an 18% jump in 2018 and a 3% increase in 2019. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that sexual assault reports increased by 1% last year. Outrage over sex-related offenses in the military reached an apex last year after Guillens slaying.

Guillen, 20, was killed by a fellow soldier April 22, 2020, at Fort Hood in Texas. Before she was killed, she was sexually harassed by another soldier. According to an Army report released last month, Guillen reported being sexually harassed by a supervisor in her unit, but leaders failed to take appropriation action.

Guillens slaying drew attention to the rates of sex-related offenses in the military and prompted the Defense Department to initiate several internal reviews.

When Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took office this year, he created an independent panel to study the Pentagons sexual assault prevention programs. The panel recommended that decisions to prosecute service members for sexual assault be made by independent authorities, not commanders  a change that lawmakers have been trying to implement.

After a separate review that looked specifically into Fort Hood, the Army announced earlier this month it would split control of its criminal investigative agency from a general officer to a civilian director and add more civilian agents to its workforce.

The steps taken by the Defense Department have not been good enough, lawmakers said Wednesday.

Major transformational change is needed, not only in the military justice system, but in the culture and command climate of the military, Speier said. Vanessas grisly murder awakened Congress. The clock has run out on DOD half measures. We must act to take sexual violence cases out of the chain of command.

The I Am Vanessa Guillen Act would create a stand-alone military offense for sexual harassment and move decisions about prosecuting sex-related cases outside the chain of command. It would also reform the Armys Sexual Harassment Assault Response Prevention program by establishing civilian leaders and creating full-time positions for victim advocates and sexual assault response coordinators.

In addition, it establishes a process in which service members can file claims for negligence against the Defense Department and seek monetary damages in instances of sexual assault and harassment.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, introduced the companion bill in the Senate on Wednesday. Speier said the lawmakers are working with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who is behind a similar bill that would remove decisions about whether to prosecute sexual assault and several other serious crimes from the hands of military commanders.

Gillibrand recently said her bill had enough support to pass through the Senate after years of pushback.

wentling.nikki@stripes.com Twitter: @nikkiwentling

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Buy Photo The Naha District Court building in Naha, Okinawa, is seen on April 21, 2021. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)

NAHA, Okinawa  A Marine found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Naha parking lot and then shoving a police officer was given a four-year suspended sentence by a Japanese court on Monday.

Pfc. Marvin Earl James Jr., 24, a transmission systems operator with the 3rd Marine Division at Camp Courtney, pleaded guilty on April 21 to forcible indecency and interfering with the public duties of police.

Prosecutors alleged that James forced himself on the Japanese woman in the early hours of Jan. 31 and later shoved a police officer attempting to question him.

James acknowledged during his first hearing April 21 that he did not have the proper consent for sexual contact.

Naha District Court Judge Koji Oohashi sentenced James to two years and six months in a Japanese prison with hard labor but suspended the sentence for four years. James will likely serve no additional jail time unless he commits another crime in Japan.

The manner of the crime is audacious and malicious, Oohashi told the court. It is understandable that she could not resist from fear as she was suddenly attacked by the defendant, who was much bigger, and it gave her great psychological distress.

James faced between six months and 10 years in prison with hard labor for the indecent assault charge, according to the Japanese penal code. He also could have received an additional three years in prison or $5,000 in fines for interfering with police.

Japanese prosecutors declined to comment Monday on the sentence they had sought for James.

James looked dazed and shaken during the short, two-day trial. The court heard how the intoxicated Marine approached the woman on a Naha street at 5:05 a.m., took her into a nearby parking lot, kissed her, pulled down her shorts, and after laying her on the hood of a car, penetrated her with his finger, knowing that it could be against her will, Oohashi said Monday as he read the facts of the case.

James fled when the woman threatened to call police, a Naha police spokesman told Stars and Stripes after the arrest.

James was also accused of shoving an officer in the chest in the Kumoji area of Naha at 6:28 a.m. The officer, responding to the sexual assault call, spotted James walking alone and attempted to question him.

James admitted guilt to both charges at his first hearing on April 21. However, he wavered on the question of consent.

It really didnt feel like I was forcing anything at that moment, James said of his interaction with the woman. I never got a rejection.

Oohashi set a hearing for May 12 to see if James truly wanted to plead guilty or proceed with testimony from the victim. James then walked back his comments.

I want to show Im sorry, he said. Im willing to admit to everything.

The three-judge panel chose to go easy on James because he had no prior criminal record, he pleaded guilty, apologized and attempted to show remorse. He also settled with the victim and paid her the equivalent of about $4,500, Oohashi said.

It is appropriate to punish him with the sentence mentioned by clearly stating the momentousness of the defendants criminal responsibility but suspend the sentence for certain period of time, said the judge, who warned the Marine not to get in trouble again.

James answered with a soft yes, his head bowed, when asked if he understood the sentence. He has 14 days to appeal, should he choose to do so, Oohashi said.

Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report.

burke.matt@stripes.com

Twitter: @MatthewMBurke1
Ash covers the ground and cars at Clark Air Base, Philippines, a day after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo on June 15, 1991. (U.S. Geological Survey)

Ash, smoke and mayhem descended onto Clark Air Base when nearby Mount Pinatubo erupted three decades ago in the Philippines.

In the hours after the eruption on June 15, 1991, Susan Kreifels, Stars and Stripes Philippines bureau chief who lived on the base, was stuck in a snarl of traffic on her way to Manila. Her driver inched through the dusk created by the mushroom cloud of ash that blotted out the sun.

As the car ground to a halt in the congestion, a man walked up to Kreifels open window, plopped a crying baby into her arms and hastily disappeared.

I didn't know what to do, recalled Kreifels, now the media program manager for the East-West Center in Honolulu. I didn't know what to do with that poor crying baby.

All I could think about was how scared people had to be to leave their baby with a stranger.

Such was the power of Pinatubos eruption, ripping a hole in the earth, tearing a community apart and, ultimately, severing Americas longtime ties with Clark.

Within a year, the United States would abandon the base devastated by thick ash from the most powerful eruption of the 20th century that occurred in a populated area, as Kreifels wrote on the day of the eruption.

The eruption of Mount Pinatubo as seen from Clark Air Base, Philippines, in June 1991. (Karin Jackson/U.S. Air Force) The roofs of hangars at Clark Air Base, Philippines, are collapsed under the weight of rain-saturated ash nine days after Mount Pinatubo's eruption on June 15, 1991. (U.S. Geological Survey)

A growing unease

Anyone living at Clark had a clear vista of Pinatubo, only 14 miles west of the installation. But few had a better view of the simmering volcano than Lou Arthur after it began belching steam in early April 1991.

Then an Air Force staff sergeant, Arthur worked in communications and handled mobile radios for the base.

Volcanologists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology arrived at Clark in April to begin monitoring with mountainside seismographs.

Arthur was tasked with accompanying them in a Huey helicopter as they checked the equipment and flew over Pinatubo to monitor sulfur releases and other clues about a pending eruption.

The level of confidence in the team to be able to predict when the thing would go off was, I would say, not very high, Arthur recalled during a recent phone interview from his home in Denver. He recalled overhearing their conversations discussing what type of equivocating language to use in reporting to the general and his staff.

For the airmen and their families living on Clark, an impending volcanic eruption was an added layer of unease.

A growing faction of Filipinos opposed the U.S. militarys presence, a backlash that manifested in numerous killings of American service members in the years before the eruption, including three airmen in 1987. In 1990, an assassination squad with the Communist group New Peoples Army killed two visiting airmen.

The threat had led the military to restrict airmens off-base movement to a small area.

Members of the Philippine senate were vociferous in their opposition of extending leases to the United States for Clark and nearby Naval Base Subic Bay, which were under negotiation as Pinatubo began percolating.

Life there for both the active duty and the families could be tense, Kreifels said.

Were all gonna die

Mark Hanneman, then an agent with the Air Forces Office of Special Investigations, arrived at Clark in January 1989 as part of a counterterrorism team investigating the airmen homicides.

He and Arthur played together in a rock band, and the latter showed up for practice in a panic one evening in early June 1991.

Hanneman recalled: He came in and he's cussing and swearing and pops open a bottle of Mickey's green-death wide bottle [malt liquor] we got cheap from the PX and says, My family's out of here Monday! We're on the Freedom Flight out here. We're all gonna die, blah, blah, blah. 

Arthur remembered that evening well  and the events of the day that set him off. He had been in the chopper making passes over Pinatubo when he heard the volcanologists aboard chattering in amazement as they peered down into the seething maw.

They identified the fact that a spine  the word they used was a spine  was emerging up out of the fissure, where the majority of the pressure was being released, Arthur said. And the conversation that I could hear over the Dave Clark headsets in the helicopter was that this will eventually plug and that will then cause it to build pressure and blow its top.

With that knowledge seared in his mind, Arthur told his bandmates that night he believed Air Force leaders were not being completely transparent about the imminence of eruption and that everyone needed to prepare for a fast bug out  soon.

Mark Hanneman, then an agent with the Air Forces Office of Special Investigations, poses on the roof of an ash-covered car at Clark Air Base, Philippines, following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991. (Mark Hanneman)

Godzilla speaks

The appearance of that first magma dome inside Pinatubo set in motion the massive Operation Fiery Vigil on June 10, when about 15,000 active-duty troops and civilians were evacuated to Naval Base Subic Bay.

Hanneman recalled that he, his wife and two young daughters packed about a weeks worth of clothing, a camp stove, lanterns and a water jug.

And then we grabbed stuff that could not be replaced, like family photographs, some of our valuables, jewelry, that kind of stuff, Hanneman said during a recent phone interview from his home in the Tri-Cities area in Washington. We all proceeded in the long, long caravan down to Subic.

Arthurs wife, daughter and son were evacuated from Clark, but he remained behind because of his essential role in communications. His wife and children, like thousands of others, were shuttled out of Subic Bay aboard a fleet of Navy ships, eventually flying back to the U.S. from Guam.

There was some expectation that everyone would have a chance to return to Clark at some point. Few ever did.

The Hanneman family was taken into the home of a fellow agent at Subic, while most other Clark refugees were housed in the huge gym or other large buildings.

Mark Hanneman hugs his wife, Susan, shortly before she and their daughter Sarah, left, were evacuated from Naval Station Subic Bay due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, in June 1991. (Mark Hanneman)

On June 12, Pinatubo cleared its throat with an immense 12-mile-high column of ash, Hanneman said, describing it as hitting him as a whoosh of pressure as he stood outside at Subic with other agents burning classified documents in 55-gallon drums.

Three days later, on June 15, Pinatubo released its full fury, exploding with a force eight times greater than the Mount Saint Helens eruption a decade before.

Arthur and the volcanologists were holed up in a command center just outside of Clark, where they had been roiled for several days by violent earthquakes that made everything jump straight up and down as they monitored the seismographs, he said.

The seismograph went off the scale and went flatline as the eruption commenced that early Sunday morning, Arthur said.

I remember going outside and looking up, and it was as if Godzilla had opened up from the gates of hell, he said. The Godzilla noise still rings in my ears.

The sky ultimately turned black  or very, very dark gray. The visual of seeing lightning happening  all different types and colors of lightning, green, orange, purple, red, chain-lightning sheets going on  while this thing is erupting.

Fate of a baby

As the eruption continued, Kreifels was just outside Clark gathering information for a story  beset with anxiety.

Volcanologists had warned that the eruption could bring pyroclastic flows of lava, which can surge at speeds well over 100 mph as they follow streams and ravines.

So, if you happen to be in the path of one of these pyroclastic flows, you would be instantly incinerated, she said.

Kreifels owned a car, but she routinely hired a local man, Virgilio, to drive her around because of the complexity and risks of navigating Philippine roads.

She wanted Virgilio to drive her down to Manila that day to submit a news story, but she said he told her to go on by herself because he needed to return to his family at nearby Angeles City.

She directed him instead to drive to his home, where they picked up his wife, children and his pregnant sister.

It was with this packed car  they had picked up a few elderly women as they drove  on their way out of the eruption zone that the stranger plopped the baby in Kreifels lap.

Virgilio advised the panicked journalist to give the infant to one of the elderly women they were driving to an emergency shelter outside the eruption zone.

Three decades later, Kreifels said she still agonizes over whether baby and parents were ever reunited.

Buy Photo Stars and Stripes Philippines bureau chief, Susan Kreifels, escaped to Manila to write and file reports on the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991. (Stars and Stripes)

Seared into the id

The eruption claimed the lives of more than 800 Filipinos, most of whom died from collapsed roofs.

Within the first 24 hours of eruption, a typhoon swept through the northern Philippines, turning the ash into sticky, heavy mud. On Clark alone, more than 100 buildings collapsed from the weight, with 200 more seriously damaged by it. Volcanic mudflows, called lahars, flowed as deep as 18 feet onto base. One lahar scooped up and stacked new cars for sale at the Clark PX.

At the height of the eruption, the ash was so thick it blotted out the sun, throwing an area as far south as Manila into total darkness in midafternoon.

Even Subic Bay, located about 25 miles southwest of the volcano, was not spared. The base and the adjacent city of Olongapo were covered by more than a foot of ash, and many buildings were damaged. Two people, including a 9-year-old American dependent daughter, were killed when a roof at the George Dewey High School there collapsed under the weight of the ash.

Cleaning up and repairing the mess, the Pentagon concluded, was not feasible. The so-called Ash Warriors who stayed behind after the eruption, like Hanneman and Arthur, helped wrap up the affairs of a U.S. military presence that went back to the turn of the century.

U.S. Army Sgt. Kevin Sanchez, who serves as crew chief with Charlie Company, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, studies terrain aboard a UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft as part of a flight survey during Exercise Balikatan 2019 near Mount Pinatubo, Fort Magsaysay, Philippines, April 1, 2019. (Jon Welch/U.S. Army)

Arthur described the event as a defining point for him and his family, a time of stress, uncertainty and creeping fear.

So 30 years down the line, Arthur said, it is still seared into my id  all of the events that I can remember and even just the general effect of everything that I can't remember.

olson.wyatt@stripes.com

Twitter: @WyattWOlson
The POW-MIA table is a display often seen in official military dining facilities to honor missing and captured service members. (Vaughan Dill/U.S. Navy)

TOKYO  A religious freedom and diversity group is demanding that a naval air station in Japan remove a Bible from a POW-MIA table on base.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation sent a letter Friday to Naval Air Facility Atsugis commander, Capt. John Montagnet, after receiving 15 complaints about the table from personnel at the installation, group founder Michael Weinstein told Stars and Stripes in a phone call Monday.

The group also sent the letter to Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker.

The POW-MIA table is a tradition often found in official military dining facilities that honors missing and captured service members.

According to Navy instruction 1710.7A for table settings for all service branches, the table must be round and include a white tablecloth, an empty chair, a black napkin, a single red rose, a yellow candle and ribbon, lemon slices, salt and an overturned wine glass.

The regulation says the display includes a Bible to represent faith in a higher power and the pledge to our country, founded as one nation under God.

Weinstein, an Air Force veteran, said including the Bible violates the core values of the military and damages unity, morale and diversity.

This is not a move against Christianity, but one toward inclusivity, he said. Not every sailor is a white, straight Anglo-Saxon Christian male.

Weinstein said he had not received a response from NAF Atsugi as of Monday.

Base spokesman Sam Samuelson told Stars and Stripes via email Monday that he was not aware of the letter.

The POW-MIA table here is a significant legacy display intended to memorialize and honor American POWs and MIAs among a varied military demographic and is certainly greater than the sum of its parts, Samuelson wrote. We can absolutely balance the larger meaning of the table with appropriate policies and the interests of our diverse base culture.

Over the past five years, the MRFFs petitions resulted in the removal of Bibles from POW-MIA tables at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; four Veterans Administration offices in Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio; and an allergy clinic at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

In 2018, the MRFF filed an inspector general complaint against the Navy over a Bible that was included in a POW-MIA table display at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa.

In May of 2019, the MRFF backed a federal lawsuit filed against the Manchester Veterans Administration Medical Center in New Hampshire for including a Bible on its POW-MIA table following complaints relayed through the foundation.

Weinstein said the goal of the MRFF is not to eliminate Bibles, but to promote religious diversity.

The POW-MIA table is a somber and emotional display, Weinstein said. Including a Bible alienates service members of other cultural or religious groups and is wrong on every possible level. No religious text, not just the Bible, has a place in that display. If the table included a Quran, Book of Mormon or a Satanist text, there would be blood in the streets.

earl.erica@stripes.com

Twitter: @ThisEarlGirl
President Joe Biden arrives at NATO Headquarters escorted by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, Belguim, June 14, 2021. (NATO)

STUTTGART, Germany  President Joe Biden arrived in Brussels on Monday with a message that defending allies in Europe was a sacred obligation, as NATOs leaders gathered for summit that will result in a new strategy that accounts for the rise of China, climate change and threats in space.

I want to make it clear, NATO is critically important to U.S. interests in and of itself. If there werent one (NATO), wed have to invent one, Biden said upon his arrival at alliance headquarters.

Flanked by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Biden also described NATOs Article 5 provision that an attack on one member is regarded as an attack on all, as a sacred obligation. I want all of Europe to know that the United States is there, Biden said.

For allies, Bidens talk of NATO solidarity comes after four years of angst in Brussels over the U.S. commitment to the alliance. NATO was frequently criticized by former President Donald Trump, who openly questioned the relevance of a security pact that dates to the early days of the Cold War.

I welcome the fact that we have a president of the United States who is strongly committed to NATO, to North America and Europe, working together in NATO, Stoltenberg said at the start of the summit.

U.S. President Joe Biden smiles as he poses at the official greeting by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 14, 2021. (NATO)

At the top of the conference agenda is NATOs 2030 plan, which calls for adapting the alliance to take on new threats.

Allies also agreed to launch a new Strategic Concept, which hasnt been updated since 2010 and doesnt currently take into account Chinas growing military power.

China is coming closer to us. We see them in cyberspace. We see China in Africa, in the Arctic, but we also see China investing heavily in our own critical infrastructure and trying to control it, Stoltenberg said.

In a communique issued after talks, NATO leaders raised concerns about Chinas coercive policies that challenge to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to Alliance security. 

China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal with more warheads and a larger number of sophisticated delivery systems to establish a nuclear triad. It is opaque in implementing its military modernization and its publicly declared military-civil fusion strategy, the communique stated. It is also cooperating militarily with Russia, including through participation in Russian exercises in the Euro-Atlantic area.

The old Strategic Concept also came before Russias 2014 military intervention in Ukraine. Regarding relations with Moscow, they are now at its lowest point since the end of the Cold War, Stoltenberg said. This is due to Russias aggressive actions.

The new Strategic Concept, which also will deal with the security implication of climate change, will be drafted this year and approved at NATOs 2022 summit.

The 30 member states also agreed to a new cyber defense policy to strengthen coordination and counter increasingly frequent and severe threats from malicious cyber activity perpetrated by state and non-state actors.

Stoltenberg, speaking on the sidelines of the summit at an event hosted by the German Marshall Fund think tank, also said that allies agree to recognize that an attack on allied interests in space could trigger an Article 5 response. Article 5 is the cornerstone of the organizations collective defense, stipulating that an attack against a single ally is considered as an attack against all member states.

We will make it clear at this summit that, of course, any attack on space capabilities like satellites and so on or attacks from space will or could trigger Article 5, Stoltenberg said.

vandiver.john@stripes.com

Twitter: @john_vandiver
The Southern Poverty Law Center says it has identified three symbols of the Confederacy at the Naval Academy. (Chad Runge/U.S. Navy)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Tribune News Service)  A report examining the four service academies and other military colleges found that while the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., had three symbols of the Confederacy, other military colleges had as many as dozens on their campus.

The Southern Poverty Law Center report, which also listed symbols off military institutions, listed Maury Hall, Buchanan House and Buchanan Road as parts of the installation with connections to the Confederacy.

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Naval Academy are the two service academies with Confederate symbols. The center did not find any at the Air Force or Coast Guard academies.

West Point has five symbols, four of which are dedicated to Confederate general Robert E. Lee, including its barracks. A sixth symbol  a scholarship also named after Lee  was removed in 2018, according to the SPLC.

The report also examined Virginia Military Institute, which had the most symbols at approximately 30, and The Citadel in S.C., which had 20. One of Virginia Military Institute's symbols has already been removed, and three are pending removal or renaming.

Confederate symbols on military institutions are particularly egregious because the Confederate Army fought against the United States, said SPLC Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks, citing historian Matthew Delmont.

"It's not just memorializing a street corner, or the site of a specific battle, or even a school named after someone in some small town," Delmont told the SPLC, according to Brooks' email. The military is meant to represent the entire country. The Confederate flag is not a symbol that represents the country."

The symbols can also be offensive to Black cadets and midshipmen, as they are reminders of white supremacy and hatred, Brooks said.

The SPLC has called for all Confederate-linked names to be removed. Under new legislation that's part of the National Defense Authorization Act, the names at military institutions may be removed within the next three years.

"We hope that service academies will remove all vestiges of the Confederacy, which includes renaming the roads and buildings honoring Confederates," Brooks said in her email. "They might consider naming them after notable African American alumni who have embodied the values of those institutions."

At the academy, Buchanan House and Buchanan Road are named for Franklin Buchanan, who was the first superintendent. Buchanan joined the Confederacy after resigning from his commission as commandant of the Washington Navy Yard due to his belief that Maryland, his home state, would secede from the Union, according to his Navy biography.

Maury Hall is named after oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury, who fought for the Confederacy.

Both Maury Hall and Buchanan House have been under scrutiny in the past year after representatives from Maryland called for the buildings to be renamed.

Maury also has a presence at Virginia Military Institute, which has two buildings, a plaque and a statue dedicated to him.

The National Defense Authorization Act called for a Naming Commission, which is made up of members appointed by the secretary of Defense and members of Congress. The commission has already visited West Point and is expected to visit the Naval Academy in August. It is not clear if it will visit Virginia Military Institute or The Citadel since they are not military installations.

The commission has three years to visit military installations and review infrastructure with names linked to the Confederacy, said Maryland U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown, who pushed for the provision in the defense authorization act.

The commission will also come up with a timeline for renaming infrastructure with removed names, Brown said.

Like the SPLC, Brown said it is important for service academies, especially, to not have symbols of the Confederacy because midshipmen and cadets come to learn how to be leaders in the military.

"And I think it's very important at that early stage in their life that they don't believe that somehow the Confederacy and what it stood for was honorable or noble and worthy of commemorating," Brown said.

There is a difference between studying the Civil War leaders, including their military tactics, and honoring them. He pointed to the Robert E. Lee Barracks at West Point as an example. Cadets should study Lee, he said, but the Confederate general does not need to be commemorated with a building.

The naming commission will have to make some difficult decisions when it comes to Confederate symbols at the academies, he said. A memorial to fallen midshipmen, including those who served in the Confederate forces, may be appropriate if it is not glorifying, he said.

There is a difference between educating and commemorating when it comes to the symbols on service academies, and the Naming Commission will have to determine which pieces of infrastructure, statues or plaques glorify the Confederacy and which ones, if any, teach, he said.

When it comes to people like Lee, Maury or Buchanan, their accomplishments outside of the Civil War do not counteract their betrayal to the country, Brown said. By joining the Confederacy, they committed an act of treason.

That disqualifies them from lending their name to any piece of infrastructure on military installations, despite their accomplishments before or after they served in the Confederate military, he said.

The three symbols at the Naval Academy are among the 12 the SPLC identified in Maryland. Of the 12, there are two buildings, five roadways and five monuments, according to the nonprofit. An additional seven symbols have already been removed.

Maury Hall, Buchanan House and Buchanan Road are the only ones in Anne Arundel County. The state song and a Sons of Confederate Veterans Commemorative license plate, which no longer exist, were listed under Annapolis by the SPLC.

Montgomery County and Baltimore each have four symbols, while Talbot County has one.

(c)2021 The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)

Visit The Capital (Annapolis, Md.) at www.hometownannapolis.com

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The U.S.S. Cod arrived in Erie, Pa., intact for its hull repairs. It has served as a floating museum in Cleveland, Ohio. (A.J. Rao/Erie Times-News)

ERIE, Pa. (Tribune News Service)  The U.S.S. Cod, a World War II submarine that battled Japanese ships and performed the only international sub-to-sub rescue in history, arrived in Erie, Pa. early Monday morning for hull repairs.

The Cod, which functions as a floating wartime museum in Cleveland, embarked on the 100-nautical mile trip  via tugboat  on Sunday, and arrived at Eries DonJon Shipbuilding & Repair around 1:30 a.m. Monday.

The submarine will be drydocked at the shipyard for about six weeks to eight weeks as workers repair its underwater hull, apply a fresh coat of paint and remedy the vessels pitting, a type of corrosion caused by years of saltwater and freshwater exposure.

Rick Hammer, general manager of DonJon, said the submarine should be drydocked and up on the blocks by Tuesday afternoon.

This is, as far as I know, the first time this has ever happened here  and most likely, probably the last time it will happen here, Hammer said. Theres not too many subs on the lakes, and not too many WWII subs on the lakes. Its a one-off opportunity and were excited to get going.

Paul Farace, president of the U.S.S. Cod Submarine Memorial, said he was nervous about the 14-hour trip to Erie. Indeed, this was the Cods first voyage since its last drydocking in 1963 in Lorain, Ohio.

But fortunately for Farace and his crew, who remained aboard the Cod during the trip, the vessel stayed intact.

It was dry as a desert (inside), Farace said. It was just amazing that the sub that we had known for decades as a very stable, stationary ship was now rolling and heaving with the lake swells.

Not everything was smooth sailing, however.

As the submarine pulled out of its perch at Clevelands North Coast Harbor via tugboat, its bow swiped a neighboring U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Morro Bay.

The Coast Guard said the 140-foot Bay class icebreaking tug sustained superficial damage to its hull and superstructure.

The Cod also sustained a nick in its bow, Farace said.

It was like backing out of your driveway and you bump the neighbors car, he said.

The Coast Guard said the incident is still under investigation.

As the Cod pulled into Erie around 1:30 a.m., Farace said he was gobsmacked by a large swell of Erie residents who cheered the submarines arrival.

We fired two deck gun salutes to honor Erie, he said. I think we may have scared a couple people.

The Cod was towed by Michigan-based Malcolm Marine Inc.

The submarine will not be open for tours during repairs.

The Cod, launched in March 1943, conducted seven war patrols in the South Pacific and sank roughly 36,000 tons of enemy shipping.

It also performed historys only international submarine-to-submarine rescue, when it saved the crew of the Dutch submarine O-19 after it got stuck on a reef in 1945.

For three days, the Cod was kind of a joint Dutch-American submarine, Farace said. The Dutch were really touched by that and they adopted Cod as an honorary Dutch submarine.

The Dutch flag still flies at the Cod Memorial site in Cleveland.

The Cod was decommissioned in 1946, reactivated in 1951 and mothballed again in 1954. The Cod was later towed through the newly opened St. Lawrence Seaway en route to Cleveland in 1959, where it served as a training vessel until 1971.

The Navy granted guardianship of the ship in 1976 to the Cleveland Coordinating Committee. Ten years later, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated the ship a National Historic Landmark. Since then, the submarine has been open to public and private tours.

(c)2021 the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.)

Visit the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) at www.GoErie.com

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WALLA WALLA, Wash. (Tribune News Service)  One roadside bomb. Eight Iraqi insurgents. A traumatic brain injury that affects memory, severe burns and multiple injuries. Eighty-two subsequent surgeries and a place in medical history.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jerry Ellis Majetichs journey out of hell and through ongoing recovery started with a 2005 ambush in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Because of his military training and assignments, Jerry was on an insurgent hit list. They had bounties on him, said brother Tom Majetich. He added that Jerry was blown up by an IED while in a Humvee. The two guys with him were never found, Tom said. His captain pulled him out of the rig and he was able to return fire.

In addition to all the injuries from the explosion, Jerry was shot in the right shoulder and three times in the right leg and awarded a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and other honors.

We got the call that they didnt think hed make it, Tom said. Jerrys five brothers flew to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to see him in the burn center.

Its been a long haul for Jerry. Hes been recovering from burns over 37% of his body and 100% of his face and scalp. But along the way he has gone to military bases to speak with other soldiers. He gives them ideas, helps them get off morphine, helps the wounded and suicidal, Tom said.

Over time, all the brothers helped care for him. In 2006, Tom took three months family leave to help Jerrys family out in Texas. They were pretty messed up at that time, he said.

A home is under construction for Jerry in St. Augustine, Fla. Its a good place for him to be because of the proximity to VA medical facilities, Tom said.

Theres a lot of help out there. Its really great what theyre doing for the veterans, especially with the house for Jerry and his family, Tom said. Jerrys family includes his wife, Mary Ellen, and daughter, Katy Majetich.

Their mom, Margaret Majetich, lives in West Palm Beach, Fla. She brings the tradition of military service to her family, too. She was stationed as an Army nurse in Germany in the late 1950s. Shes particularly proud of a letter she received in 1994 from an Army colonel recognizing her contributions toward all six of her sons who served in the U.S. Army.

Margarets sons were all stationed overseas at one point, Tom said. The brothers are: Richard Posio of Mich., who served with the Army in Korea in the 1970s; Tom Majetich, who served in armored tanks in the Army; Ben Majetich, who is a chief of police and was in Army combat mortar platoons at Fort Hood Texas; David Majetich of Cohutta, Ga., who was with the Army military police at Fort Stewart in Hinesville, Ga.; Hank Majetich, a former Army MP in Texas and now a police lieutenant in Redmond, Ore.; and Jerry, the youngest, who first served four years with the U.S. Marine Corps in ship security on an aircraft carrier, then served 15 years in the Army, including with psychological operations in Iraq.

WTLV-TV First Coast News reported on May 25 that Jerry made medical history, leaving hope it could help other amputees. He is the first person in the world to have an experimental surgery on an upper extremity that could revolutionize prosthetics, reported Heather Crawford of WTLV.

His mangled right hand had been a 15-year source of unceasing pain and in 2020, he chose to have it amputated. He told Tom, Ive been in pain ... for years.

I understood after the amputation because it relieved the pain, Tom said. Jerrys happy and feels so much better.

Jerry had endured a 17-hour surgery on that hand, but it failed. He told them to take it off. For me, the pain being gone has changed my life, he told WTLV.

Post amputation, Jerry volunteered to have an experimental surgery using the AMI procedure. The agonist-antagonist myoneural interface method restores proprioception to persons with amputation.

The thing that was unique about Jerrys surgery is weve taken it to the next step, which is to try to reconnect the tendons to essentially reconstruct the wrist joint, and the finger joint on the end of his residual limb, on the end of his amputation stump, to try to give him a better sense of control, plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Souza told WTLV.

This procedure could revolutionize the prosthetics realm, the story notes. The hope is it will help alleviate phantom pain and lead to better prosthetic function.

Tom and Jerry are forward thinking about these developments and how they can help others.

I am thankful for the opportunity to help the veterans that follow because you know, there are, there will be other wars, therell be other amputations and I want to make sure that things are better for those that fall behind me, Jerry told WTLV.

(c)2021 Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (Walla Walla, Wash.)

Visit Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (Walla Walla, Wash.) at union-bulletin.com

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Parking in Taurangas CBD is always a topic of contention, even more so now with construction taking place in the city.

A recent post on Facebook has highlighted the issues some tradies are facing while working in the CBD.

It says current parking options are to spend $100 plus per week on parking, move vehicle every two hours, or be stung with $30 fines every time a vehicle has parked in a spot for more than 120 minutes.

The commentors gripe is that they are working hard on a development which is meant to improve the CBD, but are being savagely done by the council for parking.

Many of the contractors need their vehicles close at hand as many tools, plant and products for the job need to be accessible, and due to the vast number of people on site, bringing everything on site is a safety risk.

Tauranga City Council transport director Russell Troup says parking options for the general public and other CBD workers vary.

There are parking buildings, or on-street car parks that have variable time limit or charging depending on location and proximity to the CBD.

When asked if people working on developments in the CBD should be exempt from paying for parking, Troup says the CBD has a constrained parking environment with short term parking provided to assist retail businesses attract customers.

Providing longer term parking discourages vehicle turnover for these retailers which discourages shoppers from entering the CBD, unable to find an empty parking space.

With large numbers of long term construction workers parking in the CBD on street spaces there would be no spaces left for these short term parkers.

Retail store workers in these same retail stores would be disadvantaged by any decision to provide free parking to workers from other industries.

Tauranga currently has 3642 public parking spaces in the CBD.

Troup says there has been little change to the overall number of spaces in the last five years.

Although there is temporary variance when developments within the city, like the Farmers building, need road space during construction.

He says the parking fees reflect the high cost of operating and maintaining the carpark buildings.

Taurangas are very cost effective compared to other main cities.
Clifton McKenzie is taking a gap year.

At the age of 62, after spending the past 45 years of his life working at the Tasman Mill in Kawerau, McKenzie got some news this week that cleared his calendar for the near future.

I was hoping when I left here when I was 65 the mill would still be going, but its caught up with us. Its a sad day.

He was 17 years old and straight out of school when he joined the Tasman paper and pulp mill, which Norwegian-based owner Norske Skog announced this week would be closing after 66 years.

McKenzie is one of about 160 people who are employed at the mill and are being made redundant. They will receive full redundancy entitlements.

I feel sorry for the younger workers now, who are just coming out into the workforce, who now have to go find other jobs, McKenzie says, sitting at his dining room table in his Kawerau home yesterday, his hi-vis Norske Skog work shirts drying on the washing line outside.

When McKenzie first joined the mill, starting at the very bottom, it had three paper machines.

As he was promoted and worked his way up in the company, one by one those machines were shut down.

The first in 2006 and the second in 2013. Each time, friends and colleagues were laid off.

By June 30, just over a couple of weeks from now, the third and final paper machine will be shut down.

It is sad. Its going to be a sad day for the community and the people at work, McKenzie said.

Its a very big family.

McKenzie (Ngati Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngapuhi) is from a big family in Northland, he has seven brothers and three sisters.

Two of those brothers have also worked at the mill.

One of them, Grant, is still there. He has also been there for close to 40 years.

McKenzie says a lot of the guys at work, including his brother, are now wondering what they will do next. He counts himself as one of the lucky ones, to be so close to retirement.

McKenzie was also fortunate to be at the mill during some of the golden years, when there were hundreds of workers, social clubs, fun trips away.

He says hes met a lot of people during his stint, and made a lot of friends. Theyve been through strikes together, chatted over coffee in the smoko room, partied on weekends.

For someone who has never had children and who has been single his whole life, those connections have meant a lot to McKenzie.

Forty-five years is a long time, but Ive loved the company, and Ive loved working here.

Norske Skogs announcement that it would be selling the Tasman Mills assets and stopping production by the end of the month didnt come as a complete surprise to the workers at the mill, or even most of the people around Kawerau, a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty with a population of about 7500.

The closure follows a strategic review that began at the mill last September 2020. Speak to anyone around town, and they will tell you theres been speculation about the future of the mill for many years.

Norske Skog regional president Eric Luck says the company will work with employees and their union representatives on the implementation plan for the closure of the mill, with the aim of making the process as smooth as possible.

Staff will be provided with counselling and outplacement services.

Luck says the company wants to acknowledge everyone who has worked at and for the mill over the past 66 years.

It has certainly been an important contributor to the local and national economy, he says.

The Tasman Mill commenced newsprint production in 1955 and has produced more than 15 million of tonnes of paper.

Most staff members will finish up in mid-July once a clean-up has been completed at the site.

-Full story by Scott Yeoman/Stuff.
The Minister for Pacific Peoples has called Tauranga a special place and heaped praise on the next generation of Pasifika role models in the city.

Minister Aupito William Sio visited Tauranga Boys College recently, alongside Minister of Internal Affairs Jan Tinetti, and is clearly impressed by what he has seen.

Sio says he told the boys at the college they belong to the six-Bs generation.

I said you are a new generation that are proudly brown, beautiful, brainy, bi-lingual, bi-cultural and bold, he says.

A lot of those kids have multi-ethnic heritage. In many ways, their confidence and their youthfulness shows that they have a huge role to play as the future workforce and future business community.

Sio explains that appropriate education for young students of Pacific background is crucial, highlighting the youthful nature of the demographic.

The Pasifika population is one of the fastest growing in New Zealand and one of the youngest, he says. The median age for Pasifika is around 23, whilst the rest of the population is around 32 or 34.

In order to fully engage with the Pasifika cohort, Minister Sio outlines his belief that language, culture and identity were fundamental principles to maximising potential in the demographic.

The international evidence shows that is the case, he says.

If you look to Europe, some countries have policies where students have the right to be taught in the language of their choosing.

You look at Europe and the way they value languages. They are some of the wealthiest countries. In Asia, they recognise bilingualism and multilingualism as a competitive edge in the economy. So for us, this is so fundamental.

The Minister says he will now be hoping to use part of the money toward the Pacific package of the 2021 Budget towards supporting Pacific bilingual language immersion units.

We will now be asking the Ministry of Education to begin the consultation for establishing a policy to support that throughout the whole country.

I am asking some of these young people and the schools and the communities to participate and cement that policy, so that we make sure that we get things right.

Minister Tinetti speaks from experience on the topic. She is a former Principal at Merivale School, before entering politics in 2017.

She admits that back in 2006, when she first joined the school, there was little being offered for young people who identified with Pacific backgrounds.

In the 15 years since she has seen a change.

When I see what is happening now, it is so heartening, she says.

Tinetti highlights how seeing the progress of some of her former Merivale pupils reinforces her view that steps are being made in the right direction.

What really struck me was the boys there that are from Pacific Island background and the number of boys and young men there who were my ex-Merivale students. That was really heartening.

To see them really proud in who they are and proud of their achievements, but also to see that for some of them, they had remained at school and were achieving well at school.

That tells me that the schooling system is doing a really good job with them, and Tauranga Boys in particular.

The culture of teaching at Tauranga Boys College received praise from Sio, who was happy to see teachers and the principal championing that level of education.

He believes it is helping form a bright future for those students at the college and, he hopes, all of New Zealand.

It is not just two languages, it is multiple languages. They are not only learning Samoan, but Fijian and Tongan, he says.

They are also showing a glimpse of what the shape of New Zealand looks like in the years ahead. The good thing is they do not only seem to be confident in their own cultural heritage, but they are also mixing and mingling with Maori and Pakeha students and others.

That is a beautiful thing because they are all quite comfortable with it.
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Senpran Newbie

Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Chennai Posts: 2 Thanked: 85 Times

2021 Hyundai Creta 1.4L DCT | Electronic issues, warnings & gear won't engage New Creta 1.4 GDI turbo DCT comes home, again, again and again!!!!! And I am not upset about it.





I am new to this forum as a member but reading everything written on this forum for more than a decade. Thank you for accepting my request for membership. I spend time reading about three things. They are personal finance, cars stuff and my work area. My finance education is mainly from university of financial twitter handles. Hope you have already guessed about where my car education is coming from. I always wonder why I am addicted to this forum. I think it is mainly because the emotions of the individuals behind the stories written here. For many and to me that any car launch is complete only when the Team-BHP review is done. I also play a game in Team-bhp.com. It goes like this. First, I try to guess what some of the senior members would comment about a new car or topic. Then scroll down to read it. I smile when I guessed it right.

My 2014 110PS duster adventure edition was sold on December 2020. It was mixed experience with the car. The car was great. I was looking for replacement due to the following reasons

 I wanted to shift to an automatic transmission.

 I am not comfortable my wife driving her eleven years old Santro beyond very short city runs though it is a benchmark in our family in terms of reliability. Dusters clutch becoming too hard for her and as wells as to me.

 My daughter was getting increasingly uncomfortable with diesel smell.

 I am also an environmental hypocrite. I cant switch off the AC. I cant travel in a public transport which is non-AC. But I worry a lot about pollution. I also work in sin industry -oil and gas. I really want to display my social responsibility by showing off something like owning an electric car as soon as possible.



I am already convinced to buy an electric car which is properly engineered and manufactured as an electric car. An electric car with 400Km to 500Km real world range and decent number of charging stations spread across my territory will be my time to jump in. As an interim measure, I have decided to go with a petrol automatic from Duster segment. Even though the car will not have to take more than four passengers often, I preferred the car to be able to take the fifth passenger very occasionally. It will be driven either by me or wife. I also dont see any big mile munching for the next few years due to the current academic status of my son, pandemic etc.Even my duster was running about 7000Km per year only. No sedans. I have started looking for the car in the super dry 19.999L to 29.999L price spectrum. When you eliminate diesel from this price range, what do we have?





Considered, Tested and dropped;



It is easy process if you read this forum for long time. Almost all the questions about all the cars in the Indian market have already been answered in Team-BHP.

 I have not considered/tested the Indians- (Now I realise that it was a stupid decision and regret it). I was under a very wrong notion that cars from them come with more niggles.

 Deliberately avoided Chinese due to the current geopolitical mood despite the VFM cars MG is offering. Petrol IVT Hector would have been my pick after a test drive.

 Ford eco sport petrol AT- Test driven. Great car but too small compared to Duster.

 Seltos DCT- liked the looks, features list and how it drives. Rejected only because we had the new Creta also to compare. Then the disappointing crash test results came. Not that new Creta is five stars but it is still unknown. There is room for hope. My wife was seriously biased towards a Hyundai as her eleven years old Santro has never stopped for any reason others than to get parked.

 I felt Tucson- Petrol lame. I found Creta1.4 DCT and Creta IVT drive much better than petrol Tucson. Diesel Tucson AT 2WD was excellent. Though the car looks dated but I liked it. I wish Hyundai stayed in the design language for some more time. Family felt that the Tucson interior is not looking modern. Features like super cool ventilated seats to simple sun window screen for the rear windows are easily letting down a great car like Tucson. Lower rear seat was another downer. I was really surprised when family raised the lower seating issue. I wanted a petrol car only. My car will not be driven lot thanks to the nature of my job. My wife was not mentally prepared to drive something bigger than Duster. Tucson was the only car I was prepared to break my 25Lakhs mental price barrier.

 Jeep Compass- Dropped due to second row, petrol engine performance, confusing variants and long waiting periods. The waiting period for a test drive car with the proper engine and transmission combo (not a specific variant) was also more. Say one month in my case. I liked the variants priced above 30 Lakhs only. Still regret for not being patient.

 Taigun and Kushaq were far away at that time. Nothing was ever certain from their manufacturers. I am comfortable with mass car manufacturers in India or cars selling large numbers.







Why Creta?



 I have not discussed anything about the exterior design of the Creta with my family before going to showroom. I have not received any negative comments from my family. I kept quiet. I really dont hate the design as much as some of our members do. I am neutral on the Cretas exterior looks.

 Panoramic sun roof for the kids. I dont want it as much as my daughter wants it.

 Paddle shifters, 1.4 turbo petrol engine with usable drive modes impressed me. I dont really miss the Dusters diesel punch.



Yes, I can read your mind thinking about DCT. I have read everything about DCT. It is a complicated mechanism especially when you want to put it on a car for common people in a country like India. It is something like running the Rolls Royce RB211 or Trent gas turbine as a drive for your domestic water pump or washing machine in an area plagued with poor quality power supply and water. If you keep tuning the DCT transmission control too much to suit Indian conditions, then you will end up with something like petrol Hector DCT. We all know how much Indian car manufacturers train their service personnel too. I have opted for the five years wonder warranty, bought shield of trust. I have also included the future repair cost into my financial goals list. DCT is the risk I have taken willingly for the driving pleasure. I have test driven the IVT too and it was good especially in city. But DCT touched my heart.As soon as I booked the car, I have started reading the online owners manual knowing that the car is having more gizmos to my taste. I have even translated the DCT driving instructions section into Tamil just in case if the car is driven by some driver other than me.



Man prepares for DCT,and God laughs at it- The problem part which is not from DCT



 I have taken delivery of the car on 26th March 2021, Friday, evening from Hyundai motor plaza, Chennai.

 Busy for couple of days on daughters birthday.

 I got busy on the car on setting up the blue link etc.

 I have started noticing that the ODO stays at 25Km every time I start the car. The ODO was at 25Km when I took delivery of the car from the dealership. When I start driving the car the ODO starts going up from 25Km. When you return back and park the car the ODO will read (25Km+ whatever distance driven). The ODO gets reset to 25Km after five minutes. I did couple of short drives to re-confirm this. I have recognised this is an issue. I called the SA to get clarifications on this. We have exchanged some photos. He advised me to get it checked during first service. I have asked him on what basis the service will be done if you dont have your ODO working properly. I have decided to take car to service centre. Naturally the car had several starts and stops during this period.

 2ndApril, Friday: Decided to take the car to service center. Started the car in the morning about 0900AM. Noticed the Auto Hold and ESC alarm indications on. Car was driven to HMP service center. The owners manual says that you must get the car checked when you receive the alarm. They have carried out some checks.Car was given back to me after few hours with same 25KM ODO reading. I dont think any meaningful investigation was done. I also did not want to believe that my brand-new car is having some serious issue. They just connected the laptop and checked something and hand over the car to me. Issue not resolved. ODO was not updating.

 3rd April,Saturday: Morning started the car. In addition to "Auto hold & ESC" alarms EPB" alarm was also received. I have noticed the gear was not engaging when all these 3 alarms exist together. I was not sure whether it was a safety interlock or the transmission system not getting the brake pressure interlock for shifting gear. I think, if we have all these alarms together then the brake system is not in healthy condition. So the interlock system should be prohibiting the car to engage any gear. I have switched of the engine and started back in consultation with service advisor. It settled in MIL+Auto Hold+ESC" alarm condition. This condition allows us to drive but to be checked by a Hyundai dealer service as per owners manual. I have driven the car to HMP, Chennai. At this stage I was not able to pin point when the break related alarms appear. I was fixated with ODO issue only.



Please find the video link:

https://youtu.be/a5zwCwRuZms





 The car was in service station until 10th April,Saturday. I was told by the service personnel that extensive troubleshooting was carried out and instrument cluster was replaced. I have taken car home after short test drive on the same evening.

 The ODO started updating properly. I have noticed when the car was started in the morning (after a day or more of parking) the warning light saga repeats as it happened on 2nd and 3rd April. So, I was back to square one. It took some time to recognise that this happens when we start the car was parked for more time say a day or more. I have communicated the same to them. I think this information should have helped the technical personnel.

 Car was handed over to Hyundai service (HMP Chennai) on 15th April. I have personally briefed the people about the issue. Suggested to check the break related components, priming the system etc. Several photos and videos handed over to them.

 Car was delivered back to me on 21st April evening. The service centre customer care manager personally managed to repair process.I was totally impressed with him.He was the only hope for me to live with this car.We will talk about him at end of this write up. He changed my life forever now. In the entire repair saga Hyundai technical team has visited twice as per the service centre. Suggested replacement of parts as required. As per the service invoice provided to me only instrument cluster was replaced during the first visit.



 Car was started back on 24th April Morning (the previous start was 22nd April Morning). Same lights and warnings received. I have also noticed one thing that if you switch off the car once this occurs and start back again everything becomes normal. I have clearly explained the issue to them during earlier. Shared ample photographs and videos. I have advised them to park the car minimum 24 hours and then start to witness the occurrence by themselves which they did not do. They start the car everyday to check.So far, I have driven the car either to check whether the car runs properly or to service centre. I had to cancel all my planned trips due to this issue.

 I have sent an email stating my woes to all possible e-mails I have from Hyundai. The service centre personnel called me. They were the same people I was already talking to. I pity them too as much as regret my bad luck. They were trying everything they can. They have their limitations too. They have sent the personnel with laptop to pick up the car. I have kept the car not started from 25th April morning until they arrived on 27th April evening to show them the issue. As usual, irrespective of how much we love our cars they let us down. No loyalty to the owner at all. It started normally. However, they acknowledged that the alarms were there in the history. The car was taken further investigation. They have replaced the Front wiring assembly. The car was delivered back to us on 7th May. The car is running fine since the delivery. But I always have a constant fear. We just keep the mobile camera ready before every start.

 Where was the car since I bought it?











 When I am comforted by the service personnel's eagerness to help me, I am totally disappointed with the Hyundai as a manufacturer. What is the QC process they follow? This is a top end version of their top selling model. I could not believe that the can deliver product with such issues. How can someone miss the ODO stuck at 25Km?

 The car was with the service centre for 26 days and 16 days with me after delivery. me.I don't think manufacturers like Hyundai hold any credit as niggles free quality cars.

 There was no call from customer care for a feedback after sales even receiving my regret mails. They take a feedback on how the car was delivered. They dont bother to check How is the car? Hyundai India is cunningly careful not to acknowledge the manufacturing issues with the car. Hyundais twitter handle is very intolerant. They have taken my contact detail via DM but never called back. They block you immediately. I generally dont bash people right away on social media. I dont think they should have blocked me too soon. I only wanted to talk to somebody about the heartache I have with the car.I have gone to twitter to reach my banks and other manufacturers. I have always communicated politely and got my issues resolved. I have never got blocked by anyone in any of the SM platform.Why Hyundais twitter handle is very arrogant?

 Why the feedback mechanism treats a brand-new car with strange issue and a routine service same? How do they expect me to enjoy the service quality for the work done on a brand-new car with questionable reliability? They should also have offered me a loaner car during this period.

 It is scary to think such issues will crop up when you put your hard-earned money to buy a car and suffer with an inexplicable issue. As I try to get more information from internet about this issue I am getting more and more of horror stories with Hyundais quality issues in India. The scariest one is the first gen Cretas break issue. I think Hyundais engineers work more on gizmos instead of designing and manufacturing good break system or steering system. I have also felt the break in the Tucson was hard as rock during my test drive.



The forum can try to help me with your inputs:



 What could be the issue?

 Have you/ New Creta owners ever faced any issue like this?

 Is it possible to obtain the manufacturing manual with electrical & mechanical drawings of this car for further troubleshooting by ourselves? I am not going to DIY repair on a brand-new car. As a minimum, we can be clearer about the issue and assess the risks associated with the failure. As per owners manual these alarms are expected (of course not all the alarms same time). It asks us to have the vehicle checked in an authorized Hyundai service centre if we receive any of these alarms. An alarm can be activated by the actual condition or by faulty sensors installed to detect the condition or the related wiring. How come the repair team cannot pinpoint the faulty condition or the sensing element right away?I am not able to convince myself that my car had some unknown issue and got resolved by luck.

 And finally, when do you really conclude that the car we have bought is a lemon? I have decided to call it a lemon if I face the same issue next time.Yes, I can hear the three letters senior member of this forum, I am his fan, telling I already bought one.

Lessons learned:

 It does not matter how much time you spend on TBHP. It is not important that you read a lot. It is very important that you learn from the reading and practice it. So, read the below articles again and again before buying the car. If you want better experience wait for it and pay for it. Do not seek cheap pleasure.



https://www.team-bhp.com/advice/how-...rk-out-cheaper

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/ownin...rade-swap.html (ARTICLE: YOUR 5 year old car : Keep, Upgrade or Swap?)



Delivery experience:

Hyundai Motor Plaza, Chennai works like a well-oiled engine. The sales adviser was great- Polite and to the point. The sales and delivery process were very good. It really works as good as Hyundais assembly line. Pandemic related safety precautions have been followed up sincerely. Time lines have been met very well. Transparent communication flow. I was having my travel commitments. They have tried their best to expedite the delivery to meet my requirement. There was one issue though. They too have failed my tyre pressure test. Tyres were over inflated. It is high time that the dealers are educated to adjust the tyre pressure to lame customers say at least for the one who never gone through the Team-BHP PDI check list. I have noticed one guy from a Creta Facebook group was asking about whether his new cars TPMS reading 70PSI is normal. I think the dealers should keep such customers in mind. I was also surprised to know that they did not have a Creta DCT for test drive. I had to work around.



Hypothetically removing the trouble I had with my car, how is the car?

 Engine, transmission &Drive modes- I have not driven a VW DSG except for some short test drives. So I dont know what the benchmark here is. I found Tucson diesel 8 gear AT was exceptional, Tucson petrol slow and Ford EcoSport AT was average. The 7 gear DCT in new Creta is good. I am really happy. I find the engine very refined and smooth for the power delivery it makes. I am not an aggressive driver. But I prefer a car which should be quick enough when I want it to be. I am happy with it. I prefer ECO mode for long drives even if it is about 25KM traffic free routes. Eco mode is not dull at all and you also get a decent mileage too. Comfort mode is suitable for the city drive. This mode can cater most of the situation. Sports mode is sports mode.

 Ride quality and handling- Duster seems to be have spoiled me unknowingly. I sorely miss duster here.Stock JK tyres are not justified at this price point. Better rubbers can improve the things. Car is just average in this department.But I can trade off this for the Cretas easy to drive set up- smooth automatic, low speed steering tune and auto hold function. I am not a corner carving driver or moose testing the cars. Handling is OK.

 Steering- Not bad at all. I was having low expectations. It is not very precise. But I am satisfied with it.

 Build quality- The fit and finish is good. I find the doors and bonnet are heavy. It feels solid in comparison to Duster.

 NVH levels- Very good.I need to see how it ages. I found the IVT was even better during my test drive.

 Infotainment system- It is decent. Phones connect instantly. 15 years old son feels very nice to set up and use. I also feel the same. Voice controls work well although I never wanted to talk to my car.I prefer to communicate with my car with pedals and steering.

 Access & egress- in and out of the car found to be very good. Seating position can be quickly attained with the electric seat adjustment control. I must spend some time on it after my wifes use. A seat memory function would have been a great addition to the features list. Still much better than the duster. Finding the seat position used to be a pain point with duster.

 Breaking is good when it works. So far it works when the car runs. Car stops as you want it to be.

 AC performance is good. Much better than Duster.

 Wireless charger works fine with all the phones we have at home without any issues.

 Blue link works very well. Very useful to keep an eye on the car. No issues faced until now. It really helped to monitor the car when at service. It is possible to cross check the service update they give you. I noticed an anomaly in the fuel gauge reading and range. Alerted the service centre before the car was delivered during one of the service trips, otherwise I would have taken the car again to them to fix it.

 Rear parking camera and sensors- Good and usable.

 TPMS- works fine.In general I would call this a great feature to have. It is a key safety related parameter that we are unaware of when the car is in use.

 The start stop button- I miss the gratification of inserting the key and cranking. I feel things are going out of my control when the engine starts on a single press of a button.



What do I miss? Or Do I ask for too much?

I never like to spend anything on a new car other than fuel until tyres are due for replacement. I always prefer buy car which already has all the features. My essential features list not that long too. I could have paid even a little more to have the following features in the car

 Seat position memory function since you have given me an electrical adjustment feature.

 Powered tail gate. I am really looking for ways to do it. My friends Endeavour spoiled me here.

 Vanity mirrors with lights-not even for passenger, Hyundai-seriously? I am not disappointed with them. I am familiar with their notorious cost cutting by the exclusion of rear wash wiper.



What I really want now?

Peace of mind. Not that I am very impatient. I am ok with a normal failure rate. I lived with the injector failures on my duster happily. In general, I dont regret choosing the new Creta as a car. But I want now is a car which just starts, runs, stops when I want it to and cools the cabin normally. Nothing more.Looking for such a car will be my next project after my wife takes over this car completely. The irony is Duster which I just sold ticks all the above boxes.

All the above has been written over couple of months as and when the issues were happening. I kept editing it for some time. I was busy with my job to try posting it. The repair job also kept going on and on. The car was delivered to me after the last repair on 7th May in a hurry as the lock down was coming soon. Tamilnadu went on lock down from 10th May. The car has been tested for any issues until 24th May. My wife is working with a PSU insurance company. She was able to drive the car to her office regularly with special permission as insurance is classified as essential service. I am still on a business trip. I have decided to acknowledge that the issue was fixed after two weeks of use. I sent a WhatsApp message to the customer care manager of HMP, Chennai on 25th May. The cool guy I spoke about earlier helping me on this. He never replied. Thats not him. Assumed he switched off the mobile phone due to lock down. My wife tried to call him, but the mobile phone was switched off. We have managed to contact another person from service center after the partial re-opening of the city. We were informed that the customer care manager in his early forties passed away on 14th May due to Covid. He was talking to us until 7th May. We are still in shock. I dont care about anything now. I remember him appreciating me for my patience and cooperation during the service saga. Thank you, man. RIP. You have shown me that my car problem is not a big deal. My anger, disappointment, dejection and ego are gone now. I am not upset. God laughs louder than we think. And cruelly at times. I am new to this forum as a member but reading everything written on this forum for more than a decade. Thank you for accepting my request for membership. I spend time reading about three things. They are personal finance, cars stuff and my work area. My finance education is mainly from university of financial twitter handles. Hope you have already guessed about where my car education is coming from. I always wonder why I am addicted to this forum. I think it is mainly because the emotions of the individuals behind the stories written here. For many and to me that any car launch is complete only when the Team-BHP review is done. I also play a game in Team-bhp.com. It goes like this. First, I try to guess what some of the senior members would comment about a new car or topic. Then scroll down to read it. I smile when I guessed it right.My 2014 110PS duster adventure edition was sold on December 2020. It was mixed experience with the car. The car was great. I was looking for replacement due to the following reasons I wanted to shift to an automatic transmission. I am not comfortable my wife driving her eleven years old Santro beyond very short city runs though it is a benchmark in our family in terms of reliability. Dusters clutch becoming too hard for her and as wells as to me. My daughter was getting increasingly uncomfortable with diesel smell. I am also an environmental hypocrite. I cant switch off the AC. I cant travel in a public transport which is non-AC. But I worry a lot about pollution. I also work in sin industry -oil and gas. I really want to display my social responsibility by showing off something like owning an electric car as soon as possible.I am already convinced to buy an electric car which is properly engineered and manufactured as an electric car. An electric car with 400Km to 500Km real world range and decent number of charging stations spread across my territory will be my time to jump in. As an interim measure, I have decided to go with a petrol automatic from Duster segment. Even though the car will not have to take more than four passengers often, I preferred the car to be able to take the fifth passenger very occasionally. It will be driven either by me or wife. I also dont see any big mile munching for the next few years due to the current academic status of my son, pandemic etc.Even my duster was running about 7000Km per year only. No sedans. I have started looking for the car in the super dry 19.999L to 29.999L price spectrum. When you eliminate diesel from this price range, what do we have?It is easy process if you read this forum for long time. Almost all the questions about all the cars in the Indian market have already been answered in Team-BHP. I have not considered/tested the Indians- (Now I realise that it was a stupid decision and regret it). I was under a very wrong notion that cars from them come with more niggles. Deliberately avoided Chinese due to the current geopolitical mood despite the VFM cars MG is offering. Petrol IVT Hector would have been my pick after a test drive. Ford eco sport petrol AT- Test driven. Great car but too small compared to Duster. Seltos DCT- liked the looks, features list and how it drives. Rejected only because we had the new Creta also to compare. Then the disappointing crash test results came. Not that new Creta is five stars but it is still unknown. There is room for hope. My wife was seriously biased towards a Hyundai as her eleven years old Santro has never stopped for any reason others than to get parked. I felt Tucson- Petrol lame. I found Creta1.4 DCT and Creta IVT drive much better than petrol Tucson. Diesel Tucson AT 2WD was excellent. Though the car looks dated but I liked it. I wish Hyundai stayed in the design language for some more time. Family felt that the Tucson interior is not looking modern. Features like super cool ventilated seats to simple sun window screen for the rear windows are easily letting down a great car like Tucson. Lower rear seat was another downer. I was really surprised when family raised the lower seating issue. I wanted a petrol car only. My car will not be driven lot thanks to the nature of my job. My wife was not mentally prepared to drive something bigger than Duster. Tucson was the only car I was prepared to break my 25Lakhs mental price barrier. Jeep Compass- Dropped due to second row, petrol engine performance, confusing variants and long waiting periods. The waiting period for a test drive car with the proper engine and transmission combo (not a specific variant) was also more. Say one month in my case. I liked the variants priced above 30 Lakhs only. Still regret for not being patient. Taigun and Kushaq were far away at that time. Nothing was ever certain from their manufacturers. I am comfortable with mass car manufacturers in India or cars selling large numbers. I have not discussed anything about the exterior design of the Creta with my family before going to showroom. I have not received any negative comments from my family. I kept quiet. I really dont hate the design as much as some of our members do. I am neutral on the Cretas exterior looks. Panoramic sun roof for the kids. I dont want it as much as my daughter wants it. Paddle shifters, 1.4 turbo petrol engine with usable drive modes impressed me. I dont really miss the Dusters diesel punch.Yes, I can read your mind thinking about DCT. I have read everything about DCT. It is a complicated mechanism especially when you want to put it on a car for common people in a country like India. It is something like running the Rolls Royce RB211 or Trent gas turbine as a drive for your domestic water pump or washing machine in an area plagued with poor quality power supply and water. If you keep tuning the DCT transmission control too much to suit Indian conditions, then you will end up with something like petrol Hector DCT. We all know how much Indian car manufacturers train their service personnel too. I have opted for the five years wonder warranty, bought shield of trust. I have also included the future repair cost into my financial goals list. DCT is the risk I have taken willingly for the driving pleasure. I have test driven the IVT too and it was good especially in city. But DCT touched my heart.As soon as I booked the car, I have started reading the online owners manual knowing that the car is having more gizmos to my taste. I have even translated the DCT driving instructions section into Tamil just in case if the car is driven by some driver other than me. I have taken delivery of the car on 26th March 2021, Friday, evening from Hyundai motor plaza, Chennai. Busy for couple of days on daughters birthday. I got busy on the car on setting up the blue link etc. I have started noticing that the ODO stays at 25Km every time I start the car. The ODO was at 25Km when I took delivery of the car from the dealership. When I start driving the car the ODO starts going up from 25Km. When you return back and park the car the ODO will read (25Km+ whatever distance driven). The ODO gets reset to 25Km after five minutes. I did couple of short drives to re-confirm this. I have recognised this is an issue. I called the SA to get clarifications on this. We have exchanged some photos. He advised me to get it checked during first service. I have asked him on what basis the service will be done if you dont have your ODO working properly. I have decided to take car to service centre. Naturally the car had several starts and stops during this period. 2ndApril, Friday: Decided to take the car to service center. Started the car in the morning about 0900AM. Noticed the Auto Hold and ESC alarm indications on. Car was driven to HMP service center. The owners manual says that you must get the car checked when you receive the alarm. They have carried out some checks.Car was given back to me after few hours with same 25KM ODO reading. I dont think any meaningful investigation was done. I also did not want to believe that my brand-new car is having some serious issue. They just connected the laptop and checked something and hand over the car to me. Issue not resolved. ODO was not updating. 3rd April,Saturday: Morning started the car. In addition to "Auto hold & ESC" alarms EPB" alarm was also received. I have noticed the gear was not engaging when all these 3 alarms exist together. I was not sure whether it was a safety interlock or the transmission system not getting the brake pressure interlock for shifting gear. I think, if we have all these alarms together then the brake system is not in healthy condition. So the interlock system should be prohibiting the car to engage any gear. I have switched of the engine and started back in consultation with service advisor. It settled in MIL+Auto Hold+ESC" alarm condition. This condition allows us to drive but to be checked by a Hyundai dealer service as per owners manual. I have driven the car to HMP, Chennai. At this stage I was not able to pin point when the break related alarms appear. I was fixated with ODO issue only.Please find the video link: The car was in service station until 10th April,Saturday. I was told by the service personnel that extensive troubleshooting was carried out and instrument cluster was replaced. I have taken car home after short test drive on the same evening. The ODO started updating properly. I have noticed when the car was started in the morning (after a day or more of parking) the warning light saga repeats as it happened on 2nd and 3rd April. So, I was back to square one. It took some time to recognise that this happens when we start the car was parked for more time say a day or more. I have communicated the same to them. I think this information should have helped the technical personnel. Car was handed over to Hyundai service (HMP Chennai) on 15th April. I have personally briefed the people about the issue. Suggested to check the break related components, priming the system etc. Several photos and videos handed over to them. Car was delivered back to me on 21st April evening. The service centre customer care manager personally managed to repair process.I was totally impressed with him.He was the only hope for me to live with this car.We will talk about him at end of this write up. He changed my life forever now. In the entire repair saga Hyundai technical team has visited twice as per the service centre. Suggested replacement of parts as required. As per the service invoice provided to me only instrument cluster was replaced during the first visit. Car was started back on 24th April Morning (the previous start was 22nd April Morning). Same lights and warnings received. I have also noticed one thing that if you switch off the car once this occurs and start back again everything becomes normal. I have clearly explained the issue to them during earlier. Shared ample photographs and videos. I have advised them to park the car minimum 24 hours and then start to witness the occurrence by themselves which they did not do. They start the car everyday to check.So far, I have driven the car either to check whether the car runs properly or to service centre. I had to cancel all my planned trips due to this issue. I have sent an email stating my woes to all possible e-mails I have from Hyundai. The service centre personnel called me. They were the same people I was already talking to. I pity them too as much as regret my bad luck. They were trying everything they can. They have their limitations too. They have sent the personnel with laptop to pick up the car. I have kept the car not started from 25th April morning until they arrived on 27th April evening to show them the issue. As usual, irrespective of how much we love our cars they let us down. No loyalty to the owner at all. It started normally. However, they acknowledged that the alarms were there in the history. The car was taken further investigation. They have replaced the Front wiring assembly. The car was delivered back to us on 7th May. The car is running fine since the delivery. But I always have a constant fear. We just keep the mobile camera ready before every start. Where was the car since I bought it? When I am comforted by the service personnel's eagerness to help me, I am totally disappointed with the Hyundai as a manufacturer. What is the QC process they follow? This is a top end version of their top selling model. I could not believe that the can deliver product with such issues. How can someone miss the ODO stuck at 25Km? The car was with the service centre for 26 days and 16 days with me after delivery. me.I don't think manufacturers like Hyundai hold any credit as niggles free quality cars. There was no call from customer care for a feedback after sales even receiving my regret mails. They take a feedback on how the car was delivered. They dont bother to check How is the car? Hyundai India is cunningly careful not to acknowledge the manufacturing issues with the car. Hyundais twitter handle is very intolerant. They have taken my contact detail via DM but never called back. They block you immediately. I generally dont bash people right away on social media. I dont think they should have blocked me too soon. I only wanted to talk to somebody about the heartache I have with the car.I have gone to twitter to reach my banks and other manufacturers. I have always communicated politely and got my issues resolved. I have never got blocked by anyone in any of the SM platform.Why Hyundais twitter handle is very arrogant? Why the feedback mechanism treats a brand-new car with strange issue and a routine service same? How do they expect me to enjoy the service quality for the work done on a brand-new car with questionable reliability? They should also have offered me a loaner car during this period. It is scary to think such issues will crop up when you put your hard-earned money to buy a car and suffer with an inexplicable issue. As I try to get more information from internet about this issue I am getting more and more of horror stories with Hyundais quality issues in India. The scariest one is the first gen Cretas break issue. I think Hyundais engineers work more on gizmos instead of designing and manufacturing good break system or steering system. I have also felt the break in the Tucson was hard as rock during my test drive. What could be the issue? Have you/ New Creta owners ever faced any issue like this? Is it possible to obtain the manufacturing manual with electrical & mechanical drawings of this car for further troubleshooting by ourselves? I am not going to DIY repair on a brand-new car. As a minimum, we can be clearer about the issue and assess the risks associated with the failure. As per owners manual these alarms are expected (of course not all the alarms same time). It asks us to have the vehicle checked in an authorized Hyundai service centre if we receive any of these alarms. An alarm can be activated by the actual condition or by faulty sensors installed to detect the condition or the related wiring. How come the repair team cannot pinpoint the faulty condition or the sensing element right away?I am not able to convince myself that my car had some unknown issue and got resolved by luck. And finally, when do you really conclude that the car we have bought is a lemon? I have decided to call it a lemon if I face the same issue next time.Yes, I can hear the three letters senior member of this forum, I am his fan, telling I already bought one. It does not matter how much time you spend on TBHP. It is not important that you read a lot. It is very important that you learn from the reading and practice it. So, read the below articles again and again before buying the car. If you want better experience wait for it and pay for it. Do not seek cheap pleasure.Hyundai Motor Plaza, Chennai works like a well-oiled engine. The sales adviser was great- Polite and to the point. The sales and delivery process were very good. It really works as good as Hyundais assembly line. Pandemic related safety precautions have been followed up sincerely. Time lines have been met very well. Transparent communication flow. I was having my travel commitments. They have tried their best to expedite the delivery to meet my requirement. There was one issue though. They too have failed my tyre pressure test. Tyres were over inflated. It is high time that the dealers are educated to adjust the tyre pressure to lame customers say at least for the one who never gone through the Team-BHP PDI check list. I have noticed one guy from a Creta Facebook group was asking about whether his new cars TPMS reading 70PSI is normal. I think the dealers should keep such customers in mind. I was also surprised to know that they did not have a Creta DCT for test drive. I had to work around.I have not driven a VW DSG except for some short test drives. So I dont know what the benchmark here is. I found Tucson diesel 8 gear AT was exceptional, Tucson petrol slow and Ford EcoSport AT was average. The 7 gear DCT in new Creta is good. I am really happy. I find the engine very refined and smooth for the power delivery it makes. I am not an aggressive driver. But I prefer a car which should be quick enough when I want it to be. I am happy with it. I prefer ECO mode for long drives even if it is about 25KM traffic free routes. Eco mode is not dull at all and you also get a decent mileage too. Comfort mode is suitable for the city drive. This mode can cater most of the situation. Sports mode is sports mode.- Duster seems to be have spoiled me unknowingly. I sorely miss duster here.Stock JK tyres are not justified at this price point. Better rubbers can improve the things. Car is just average in this department.But I can trade off this for the Cretas easy to drive set up- smooth automatic, low speed steering tune and auto hold function. I am not a corner carving driver or moose testing the cars. Handling is OK.Not bad at all. I was having low expectations. It is not very precise. But I am satisfied with it.The fit and finish is good. I find the doors and bonnet are heavy. It feels solid in comparison to Duster.Very good.I need to see how it ages. I found the IVT was even better during my test drive.It is decent. Phones connect instantly. 15 years old son feels very nice to set up and use. I also feel the same. Voice controls work well although I never wanted to talk to my car.I prefer to communicate with my car with pedals and steering.in and out of the car found to be very good. Seating position can be quickly attained with the electric seat adjustment control. I must spend some time on it after my wifes use. A seat memory function would have been a great addition to the features list. Still much better than the duster. Finding the seat position used to be a pain point with duster.is good when it works. So far it works when the car runs. Car stops as you want it to be.is good. Much better than Duster. Wireless charger works fine with all the phones we have at home without any issues.works very well. Very useful to keep an eye on the car. No issues faced until now. It really helped to monitor the car when at service. It is possible to cross check the service update they give you. I noticed an anomaly in the fuel gauge reading and range. Alerted the service centre before the car was delivered during one of the service trips, otherwise I would have taken the car again to them to fix it.Good and usable.works fine.In general I would call this a great feature to have. It is a key safety related parameter that we are unaware of when the car is in use.I miss the gratification of inserting the key and cranking. I feel things are going out of my control when the engine starts on a single press of a button.I never like to spend anything on a new car other than fuel until tyres are due for replacement. I always prefer buy car which already has all the features. My essential features list not that long too. I could have paid even a little more to have the following features in the car Seat position memory function since you have given me an electrical adjustment feature. Powered tail gate. I am really looking for ways to do it. My friends Endeavour spoiled me here. Vanity mirrors with lights-not even for passenger, Hyundai-seriously? I am not disappointed with them. I am familiar with their notorious cost cutting by the exclusion of rear wash wiper.Peace of mind. Not that I am very impatient. I am ok with a normal failure rate. I lived with the injector failures on my duster happily. In general, I dont regret choosing the new Creta as a car. But I want now is a car which just starts, runs, stops when I want it to and cools the cabin normally. Nothing more.Looking for such a car will be my next project after my wife takes over this car completely. The irony is Duster which I just sold ticks all the above boxes.All the above has been written over couple of months as and when the issues were happening. I kept editing it for some time. I was busy with my job to try posting it. The repair job also kept going on and on. The car was delivered to me after the last repair on 7th May in a hurry as the lock down was coming soon. Tamilnadu went on lock down from 10th May. The car has been tested for any issues until 24th May. My wife is working with a PSU insurance company. She was able to drive the car to her office regularly with special permission as insurance is classified as essential service. I am still on a business trip. I have decided to acknowledge that the issue was fixed after two weeks of use. I sent a WhatsApp message to the customer care manager of HMP, Chennai on 25th May. The cool guy I spoke about earlier helping me on this. He never replied. Thats not him. Assumed he switched off the mobile phone due to lock down. My wife tried to call him, but the mobile phone was switched off. We have managed to contact another person from service center after the partial re-opening of the city. We were informed that the customer care manager in his early forties passed away on 14th May due to Covid. He was talking to us until 7th May. We are still in shock. I dont care about anything now. I remember him appreciating me for my patience and cooperation during the service saga. Thank you, man. RIP. You have shown me that my car problem is not a big deal. My anger, disappointment, dejection and ego are gone now. I am not upset. God laughs louder than we think. And cruelly at times. Last edited by Aditya : 15th June 2021 at 05:09 . Reason: Incorrect date rectified. Thanks.
When I first heard about a new immersive speaker from a company called Syng, I was intrigued. Dubbed the Cell Alpha, its form factor was unlike any speaker I had seen. That design was spearheaded by Christopher Stringer, who had previously worked on many iconic Apple products for more than two decades.

Aside from its striking appearance, the big question is, how does it sound? When the company invited me to visit its offices in Venice, California, to hear it for myself, I jumped at the chance. It was my first in-person demo since the Coronavirus pandemic began, and I was super happy to get out of the house! Also, I was the company's first visiting journalist since early last year, so we were all excited about normalcy returning.

Syng Cell Alpha features

Measuring 12 inches in height, 11.8 inches in diameter, and weighing a hefty 12.8 pounds, the Sync Cell Alpha employs a clear-plastic, sealed, dual-truncated spheroidal enclosure that reveals the innards of this innovative speaker. Perhaps most apparent are two force-cancelling, 6.5-inch woofers with flat, carbon-fiber composite diaphragms. The downfiring woofer has a hole in the center to accommodate a pole stand, and a second surround allows the diaphragm to vibrate freely along the pole.

Syng The downfiring woofer has a hole to accommodate the pole stand. A second surround allows the diaphragm to vibrate along the pole.

Arrayed around the equator of the spheroid are three coaxial drivers, each with a 3-inch inverted-dome midrange and a 0.75-inch silk-dome tweeter. Each coaxial driver is mounted in a specially designed horn and placed at an angle of 120 degrees from each other in a structure called a Triphone. The overall frequency response is specified to extend all the way from 30Hz to 20kHz (3 dB).

Rounding out the basic internal components is a set of Class D power amplifiers, one for each driver. Syng does not specify the power output of these amps; according to the company, In a powered speaker, the amplifier and drivers have been co-designed for optimum efficiency. It is only meaningful to list the power of the amp or the power rating of the speakers when speaking of standalone amplifiers and speaker drivers.

In addition, sophisticated DSP supports a key feature called Triphonic Audio. Syng describes this feature as an object-based sonic architecture that offers full control with precise placement and localization. According to Syng, You can put sound wherever you want, shrink it, move it, magnify it, and layer it. Or let the Cell handle everythingwith Triphonic audio, its able to virtualize any speaker array and accurately spatialize sound for your room.

Syng In this front view, you can see one of the three coaxial midrange/tweeters in its Triphone horn. You can also see the control ring near the top of the pole stand.

As the company further explains, The Cell optimizes the sound in the room by figuring out acoustical problems. It detects the exact location of nearby walls and room corners and uses that information to rotate the soundfield toward the center of the room. In a multi-Cell system, each Cell detects the distance and angle of the other Cells in the system to optimize the Triphonic rendering, which includes adjusting the levels, delays, and soundfield orientation. In addition, it uses equalization to compensate for low-frequency room modes.

All of this is made possible with three beamforming microphones that provide the data required for the DSP to perform automatic room equalization, wall proximity and direction detection, and multi-Cell geometry calculation. The Triphone drivers then utilize their own beamforming to adjust the soundfield.

The system is controlled from the Syng Space app, which is currently available only for iOS but expected for Android this summer. The app lets you set up the speaker and control the soundfields shape and size as well as other playback parameters.

Connection is primarily wireless using simultaneous dual-band 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) with support for AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. Chromecast and other wireless connections can be added via over-the-air updates, but no schedule for those additions has been announced. There is no Bluetooth audio, though Bluetooth LE is used for setup, discovery, and tracking of Cells. The speaker also has two USB-C audio inputs as well as an HDMI eARC port to be used with a proprietary Syng Link cable that will be available in the fall.

Syng The Syng Cell Alpha immersive speaker will come with a tabletop stand; a floor stand is an available option.

Two pole stands are available: a tabletop stand measuring about 17 inches tall and a floor stand with an adjustable height from 36 to 48 inches. Both stands have a control ring near the top that provides volume and play/pause control.

Syng Cell Alpha in-person demo

For the demo, there were three Syng Cell Alphas set up in a relatively small room: two on a shelf in the front corners on table stands and one on a floor stand in the center of the back wall. Also on the shelf in the front of the room was a Devialet Phantom I ($3,200), Bang & Olufsen Beosound 2 ($2,250), and Sonos Play:5 ($499).

The demo was conducted by Chris Kyriakakis, Syngs chief audio scientist, and Nathan Hoyt, senior acoustic engineer. They played tracks from Spotify on a Macintosh, which switched the signal to each speaker. To keep switching times reasonable and avoid having to wait for wireless handshakes, they used a USB connection to the Cell Alpha; the other speakers also used a hardwire connection from an outboard audio interface: S/PDIF to the Devialet and analog audio to the B&O and Sonos.

As they played several stereo tracks while switching between a single Cell Alpha in one corner and the other speakers, it was immediately apparent that the Cell had the lowest, loudest bass and the widest soundfield. All three of the other speakers had a much smaller soundfield and less bass. In particular, the Devialet sounded somewhat closed in, while the B&O had the least bass of them all, resulting in a very trebly sound.

Syng Here you can see the upfiring woofer, which, like the downfiring one, uses a flat diaphragm.

I found the Cell Alphas bass to be a bit overbalanced, which I thought might be due to the fact that it was in a corner. When I mentioned it to Chris, he said the calibration process takes that into account and produces a perceptually flat response in relation to the human response to loudness, which is less sensitive to low and high frequencies than it is to the midrange.

He suggested that my observation might be due to the direct and immediate comparison with the lower level of bass output from the other speakers. Of course, hes a representative of the company, so his comments must be considered in that context, but he also has deep technical chops that I greatly respect; after all, in his previous gig, he was one of the driving forces behind Audyssey room correction.

Next, they played some stereo tracks on all three Cells in the room. As Chris explained, the Syng system accepts a stereo signal and creates spatial elements that he called leftish, rightish, centerish, and ambient surroundish. Those elements are then rendered by however many Cell speakers are in the system, with all speakers reproducing all four elements in different amounts, depending on where each one is in the room. Syng calls this Beyond Stereo, which is made possible by the companys Triphonic beamforming technology.

Syng When multiple Syng Cell Alpha speakers are deployed in the same room, you can adjust the size and location of the systems soundfield. (Note: This photo was not taken during the demo.)

As I walked around the room, I could definitely hear roughly the same mix from any location, unlike a traditional surround system. Nathan showed me the Syng Space app, which was set for the widest possible soundfieldin other words, a huge sweet spot centered in the middle of the room. He then adjusted the size and location of the soundfield to demonstrate that you could move the sound so its fully rendered in part of the room and less so in another part, allowing comfortable conversation there. This is accomplished by graphically by dragging a puck around on the screen and pinching to change the size of the soundfield.

In addition to 2-channel audio, the Syng Cell alpha can accept a 5.1 signal via ARC and eARC using a special Syng Link HDMI cable, which is scheduled to be available in the Fall. Like an ARC soundbar, you would use the TV as a switcher in this case. (You can read all about the differences between ARC and eARC in this linked article.)

Chris and Nathan also showed me some things they are working on for the future, which are mighty cool. But if I told you about them, Id have to kill youor, more to the point, theyd have to kill me!

Syng Cell Alpha: Coming this summer

The Syng Cell Alpha is available now; you can buy it at the company's website. Be forewarnedit ain't cheap. A single Cell Alpha with the tabletop stand will set you back $1,799; add the height-adjustable floor stand and the price goes up to $1,969.

I was quite impressed with what I heard at the Syng offices; the overall sound quality was excellent, and the immersive soundfield was better than Ive heard from other speakers of this type. Of course, any company demo must be taken with a grain of salt; I intend to review the Syng Cell Alpha in my home as soon as they ship me oneor better yet, two or three! So, stay tuned for that.

Updated shortly after publication to report that the Syng Cell Alpha is available for purchase now.
TL;DR: Just before it released Windows 10 in 2015, a Microsoft employee famously said it would be "the last version of Windows." It seems, however, that Microsoft's definition of "last" means enduring until 2025, which is when the company drops support for the OS used by 1.3 billion people.

Microsoft has updated its Windows 10 Home and Pro Lifecycle Policy page, writing that it will "continue to support at least one Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel until October 14, 2025." Underneath the statement is confirmation that Windows 10 Home and Pro will be retired on that date. A header states this also applies to Windows Pro Education and Pro for Workstation.

No longer pushing out updates for an operating system effectively kills it off, though as we've seen with Windows 7, plenty of users stick around after this point despite the security risks. There's no mention of Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows Server versions in the document, suggesting these business-focused builds will have a later retirement date.

The update is more evidence that Microsoft is preparing to launch Windows 11. The company said it would be showing off "one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade" at an upcoming event, dropping hints of the "11" moniker with an 11-minute video of slowed down Windows Startup sounds and the livestream's 11 am start time.

Windows 10 still has some major updates in store before being retired, including Windows 10 21H2 (Sun Valley) that arrives later this year, revamping the current operating system with a new look and features.

Image credit: Wachiwit
The company's main goal is to raise awareness about the possibility of using reusable materials for space exploration. According to Arctic Astronautics founder Jari Makinen, the main inspiration for the design of the wooden satellite came from his childhood hobby: making model airplanes.

Called the WISA Woodsat, the wooden satellite is a so-called "cubesat" or nanosatellite, meaning it's quite tiny. It's a 10x10x10 cube whose surface panels will be made of plywood, though it won't be entirely wooden, as Phys.org reports. The only non-wood components are the aluminum rails that it needs to get deployed, as well as a "selfie stick," which holds a host of the scientific gizmos it will have on board.

The ESA will help with the wooden satellite project by facilitating pre-flight tests and giving Arctic Astronautics a number of experimental sensors. To protect this sensitive equipment, the Woodsat isn't going into orbit "naked," so to speak: it will be covered in a protective coating that will help it withstand the harsh conditions of outer space, writes IFLScience.

Aside from its main environmentally-focused goal, the Woodsat also aims to perform small tech experiments, test the actual viability of plywood in orbit, and popularize space exploration tech to the public, as stated by Makinen.

Read also: OneWeb Is Going Head-To-Head With Elon Musk's Starlink Satellites

Wooden Satellite from EU: Not Actually The First

Surprisingly, the aforementioned wooden satellite planned to launch this year is not the first concept of its kind. There have been numerous attempts to get major space agencies to consider the use of renewable materials such as wood, mainly due to the extreme danger of space garbage.

It was a group of Japanese researchers from Kyoto University, alongside the company Sumitomo Forestry, who came up with the idea last year of an environmentally friendly wooden satellite. The main gist for using wood was simple: if the satellite re-enters the atmosphere, it will burn up easily and leave almost nothing big behind, as reported by Digital Trends.

However, the Japanese wooden satellite isn't slated to launch until 2023, which puts the European one on the verge of being the first of its kind in orbit. Once it gets there, it will be monitored from the ground via an LED connected to a photoresistor, which will indicate the satellite's current condition.

Space Trash: A Growing Problem

Since the launch of the USSR's Sputnik in 1957, there have been roughly 8,900 satellites have been sent to space. And as of 2018, around 5,000 are still in orbit around the Earth. That's a really bad thing because bits of metal flying around in empty space with no resistance pose an extreme danger to any mission out there, especially manned ones.

Our problem with space trash has been so bad that countries are willing to spend millions to clean up all that junk aside from wooden satellite proposals. The United Kingdom, for instance, offered to fund seven cleaning programs worth $1.3 million.

With the planned launch of the wooden satellite, its creators look to make a positive first step.

Related: SpaceX's Starlink to Launch Satellite Internet Service in the Philippines, a Country With One of the World's Worst Internet Connections

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Elon Musk has claimed that Bitcoin transactions may resume at Tesla if the leading cryptocurrency is already using 50 percent clean energy on its mining procedures. This is after he defended his and Tesla's name from "inaccurate" claims against them, particularly with selling only 10 percent of the company assets that were invested in Bitcoin last January.

Elon Musk: Tesla Bitcoin Transactions

According to the recent tweet by CEO Elon Musk (@elonmusk), he responded to an article that was posted on social media about him. This talked about Sygnia CEO Magda Wierzycka calling out Musk, saying that he has manipulated the price of Bitcoin in the market using his tweets and influences. Wierzycka also added that Musk would have been the subject of SEC's investigations if Bitcoin is a "traditional company."

However, Musk defended himself and Tesla, saying that there were a lot of inaccurate details on the said article against him, especially with the Bitcoin holdings that the company has already sold.

This is inaccurate. Tesla only sold ~10% of holdings to confirm BTC could be liquidated easily without moving market.



When theres confirmation of reasonable (~50%) clean energy usage by miners with positive future trend, Tesla will resume allowing Bitcoin transactions.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 13, 2021

The Tesla CEO said that they only sold 10 percent of their holdings in the market when they initially criticized $BTC for its coal use for mining. Moreover, Musk added that Tesla would accept Bitcoin transactions soon enough, especially if the leading cryptocurrency would change its ways and adopt at least 50 percent clean energy in their mining procedures. This means that Musk has confirmed that it would re-welcome Bitcoin back in Tesla's good graces, once it opts for a more ideal source of energy.

Read Also: Elon Musk Lifestyle Debunks Anonymous-Only 2 Houses, 1 for Events in Bay Area To Give SpaceX, Boring, Tesla All Funds

Are Elon Musk, Tesla Stalling?

Recently, Musk has been active on Twitter with regards to Bitcoin's mentions and references, particularly with memes and emojis that have gravely affected the performance of the cryptocurrency in the market. And to add more salt to the wound, Musk has even changed his Twitter profile photo to an Anime Bitcoin mascot woman's eyes to a "triggered" meme edit.

Several users have responded to Musk's tweets above, saying that Bitcoin has already moved into using clean energy, with the leading cryptocurrency already at 70 percent into its usage for mining. What this may mean is that Musk and Tesla have been stalling in terms of Bitcoin transactions, however, there is no proof that $BTC is already at that rate.

#bitcoin is already +70% clean energy. Keep up lad.  Peter McTaproot  (@PeterMcCormack) June 13, 2021

It's easy to dump #Bitcoin when you're pumping up the price and suckering in buyers with market manipulating Tweets. Bitcoin transactions were just a gimmick anyway to create the false impression that Bitcoin can function as either a viable medium of exchange or unit of account.  Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) June 13, 2021

The Tesla CEO has gathered a lot of hate and criticisms over his recent tweets about Bitcoin, more particularly on this last one where he promises to allow the cryptocurrency back.

Related Article: Security Experts Claim Crypto Monero Provides More Free To Hackers and Prevent Tracking Tools

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Apple Stores are no longer requiring the wearing of face masks when browsing or visiting their physical locations for fully vaccinated people against COVID-19. This means that people with vaccines are entitled to take a breather from their masks when inside an Apple Store, but may necessarily be required upon their exit and back to other places that have restrictions.

Apple No Longer Require Face Masks in Stores

The COVID-19 pandemic has been more than a year since it has prevented people from going out, not to mention the health protocols that have required the use of face masks in public places. Apple has been one of the companies that have required the use of face masks for its employees first, before maintaining a strict rule among all visitors.

Despite the kicking online stores and showcases of Apple, with the likes of April's Spring Loaded event and June's WWDC 2021, seeing a gadget first-hand may provide a different feel to it. Moreover, some discounts may only be available in a physical store or retailer compared to the official online stores. COVID-19 is nearing to draw its end, especially with vaccines distributing to lower age eligibilities.

Read Also: iPadOS 15 Gets Multitasking Features, Keyboard Shortcuts, and Universal Control for This Year's Update

With that being said, Bloomberg's recent report said that Apple is no longer requiring the use of face masks inside their physical stores. The requirement would be gone a week from now, meaning that it would only allow it next week, as restrictions are easing down in the states and the country. This is due to the vaccination campaign that is near finished in administering to most adults.

Are Apple Stores COVID-free?

Apple Stores and the world would not be COVID-19 free amidst this mass vaccination amongst most adults in the country, and even in global settings. The world would have to live with COVID-19 being a virus that is out there, and the only thing to do is defend against it with vaccine immunization or soon to be developed drugs that would expel it.

In the recent study by the CDC and Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (as reported by Tech Times), there were no significant differences or effects that show masking to prevent the spread of the virus. This means that even in masking up, there is a shadow of a doubt that casts over it.

However, it still is something to protect people from inhaling or catching the virus on the open areas of the body like the nose and mouth. And while studies like these exist, the use of face masks has also led to lower cases in several countries outside of the US.

Nonetheless, Apple is only one of the many companies that have "re-opened" its doors to normalcy, without the requirement of face masks for fully vaccinated people, even in a public place such as its stores.

Related Article: Apple macOS Monterey: Key Features from WWDC Including Erasing its Drives Without Reinstalling OS

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NASA Spacesuits will soon be used by NASCAR and other event's race car drivers to keep them cool despite the intense driving situation they are in when on the track. These spacesuits are designed to keep the astronauts or its user cool despite a heat spike from external sources reach a hundred degrees, soon to benefit race car drivers.

If there is one thing NASA astronauts and race car drivers have in common, it is their bodies being subjected to different extreme conditions, something which would be potentially dangerous. And despite the dangers, these people will go to their lengths to accomplish their mission or challenge and bring recognition to their teams and sponsors.

Read Also: Congressman Louie Gohmert Wants to Change Earth's Orbit Around the Sun to Stop Climate Change-Is It Possible?

NASA Spacesuits for NASCAR, Race Drivers

Astronauts were known to use heatproof and fireproof suits whenever launching towards their destinations, staying in the orbit, or going down on cosmic destinations like the Moon. This is to protect them from the several harmful elements around, especially the different temperatures present in space, and lack of oxygen in the skies.

On the other hand, race suits from NASCAR and other events are only fireproof and would help a racer be protected from combustions that resulted from accidents or others on the track. In the report by NASA, it has revealed that the space agency would be donating its spacesuit design and technology to NASCAR and other racing events.

This is to answer the massive problem of racing suits that may lead to an extremely uncomfortable feeling of hotness inside the suit. This could hinder a racer's performance on the track, especially as most vehicles have no air conditioning to save on weight.

NASA's Spacesuit Venture was from the 1980s

What the material from NASA would do is to help keep the temperature at a "comfortable" temperature, despite the heat or cold from the external situation in said event. This project was around since the 1980s and has started with only a glove.

In the 1990s, a venture called "Thermocules" has developed underwear with regards to this technology. This was then followed by Outlast Technologies, and even Jockey, who was famous for creating undergarments for both men and women.

The undergarment could withstand an external temperature between 250F and a -250F and still keep it at a comfortable feeling before succumbing based on external factors.

NASA's temperature-proof spacesuit technology is not the first innovation that was given to private technologies to develop and use for their products, as this is the company's way of helping other industries like NASCAR.

Related Article: NASA to Develop an Asteroid Hunting Space Telescope

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Machiavellianism is seen to have an association with the acceptance of mind upload technology, according to the latest study of the researchers studying human personality.

The experts say that most likely a person who has a Machiavellian trait has a big tendency to adopt the ability to "upload" their human consciousness to a machine.

New Study Reveals Association of Machiavellianism and Mind Uploading

According to the research entitled "The dark path to eternal life: Machiavellianism predicts approval of mind upload technology" posted in the Personality and Individual Differences, the study pointed out that the mind upload technology is connected to the Machiavellian personality of an individual.

Moreover, this opens the possibility that the futuristic technology has something to do with these psychological findings. For Michael Laakasuo from the University of Helsinki who is one of the study's authors, he has been communicating with people who are considered transhumanists throughout his adult life.

Laakasuo added that these individuals showed a unique personality that is different from a typical group. Through the emergence of transhumanists, the mind upload technology has also risen to support it. At the time, the researchers had not yet identified the differences of the people who would give birth to the technology.

"Personally, I think mind upload is such a bizarre idea or an ideal, that I think it is important to study how ordinary people feel about it," Laakasuo said.

Read Also: These Personality Traits May Help You Live Longer Even If Your Drink And Smoke

How the Authors Conduct 'Mind Uploading Study'

From the survey involving 1,007 participants, experts released the Prolific Academic platform for data collection involving the mind upload technology. In the test, there are 12 dilemmas that persons should respond to. In addition, they were also instructed to finish answering the dark personality trait assessment and "disgust sensitivity."

Despite the various characteristics that individuals possess, the team found out that those who have a strong moral compass are inclined to accept mind uploading. It proved true to the concept of Machiavellianism which supports a powerful link to the study. In return, those who have weak personality traits showed a "weak association" with the idea, NeuroScience reported on Sunday, June 13.

In an interview with PsyPost last week, Laakasuo said that they have run a random sampling among native English speakers. However, this also gives risk to the "callous" participants who have approval for the technology. This covers the Dark Triad which involves psychopathy and extreme narcissism.

Besides the intervention of the Machiavellian personality, the sexual disgust sensitivity has also an impact on the disapproval of the mind uploading.

The study spearheaded by Laakasuo also includes Anton Kunnari, Marko Repo, Teemu Saikkonen, Anton Berg, Mika Koverola, Marianna Drosinou, Aku Visala, Jukka Sundvall, and Ivar R. Hannikainen.

Related Article: Artificial Intelligence To Help Scientists Increase Efficacy Rates of Sleep Disorder Treatments

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Sygnia CEO Magda Wierzycka is now a popular name due to her recent criticism and shade thrown against Elon Musk for his alleged "manipulation" in recent tweets regarding cryptocurrency. Magda Wierzycka is one of the richest women in South Africa, where Musk was also born, and both are known CEOs of their own rights.

However, there are massive differences between Wierzycka and Musk, particularly their business inclinations and base of operations. The billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink, Neuralink, The Boring Company, and more are based in the US, while Wierzycka's Sygnia remains in the continent of South Africa.

Moreover, Wierzycka is more inclined in the financial aspect of the business, hence her reaction to the Bitcoin controversy.

Read Also: Security Experts Claim Crypto Monero Provides More Free To Hackers and Prevent Tracking Tools

Who is Magda Wierzycka?

Magdalena Franciszka "Magda" Wierzycka is the former CEO of Sygnia, which she vacated several months back, only to re-assume an executive chair position in the company to "help shape the company" in terms of domestic and international businesses.

Wierzycka has experience in the asset management industry according to the University of the Free State in South Africa. Moreover, she has contributed to numerous studies in the field, and also served as a Board Member in the Actuarial Society of South Africa.

Her career began in 1993 at Southern Life, before working at Alexander Forbes, and Coronation Fund Managers before starting a hedge-fund company called IQvest. After selling the startup to African Harvest, she was appointed as its CEO, which led to its 2006 buyout that started Sygnia.

What is Sygnia?

Sygnia is a financial technology company that promises "money management for all." Wierzycka co-founded the company, for which she served as CEO, consultant, and top executive until her recent leave from the position.

Wierzycka has grown the company from 2 billion South African Rand (R) to R238 billion valuation last 2019. The company is focused on money management mostly for South African clients but is known to be a global company that is listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange since October 2015.

The company aims to make investments "accessible to all," along with simplifying its processes and aid people concerning their monetary ventures. Sygnia said that it extends its services from massive corporations, down to personal investments.

Magda Wierzycka's Comment on Elon Musk

Recently, the podcast called "Money Show with Bruce Whitfield" has been able to interview Magda Wierzycka, who commented on the massive control of Elon Musk with regards to Bitcoin's prices online. She said that Musk can do this with just a few words on his Twitter page, and called this "manipulation" of its prices.

This is inaccurate. Tesla only sold ~10% of holdings to confirm BTC could be liquidated easily without moving market.



When theres confirmation of reasonable (~50%) clean energy usage by miners with positive future trend, Tesla will resume allowing Bitcoin transactions.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 13, 2021

Musk's previous tweets included that of Bitcoin's broken heart emoji, the space race of cryptocurrencies, and emoji replies which have affected stocks in the past weeks.

Related Article: Elon Musk: Tesla to Allow Leading Cryptocurrency Transactions if Mining is 50% Clean Energy, Confirms Only Selling 10%

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Screenshot From Pexels Official Website) NVIDIA Drops Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 Support | Driver Support to Stop on October, 2021

NVIDIA drops Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 support in order to make way for more recent Windows like Windows 10. Although NVIDIA is not dropping support right now, users of Windows 7 or Windows 8 only have a few months left.

NVIDIA Cuts Support for Older Windows

NVIDIA is dropping support this October, 2021 according to Bleeping Computer. The company will start focusing more on supporting its Windows 10 as well as some of the later versions of Windows.

In a support bulletin that was just published on June 11, 2021, NVIDIA notes that it will only be providing bug fixes, new features, or other performance enhancements to Game Ready Drivers for the Microsoft Windows 10. Other drivers for the Windows 7, the Windows 8, and the Windows 8.1 will still be able to receive critical security updates only until September 2024.

NVIDIA to Focus on Windows 10

The difference, however, is that they will no longer be receiving non-security improvements. The bulletin was first spotted by Ghacks and it notes that NVIDIA announces that they will stop support for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 as well. It was noted that the majority of their GeForce customers have already migrated to the newer Windows 10 OS.

This is for them to ensure that GeForce owners really get the best security, support, and even the functionality that they deserve. NVIDIA notes that they will be focusing on the newer Windows 10 operating system instead.

NVIDIA Game Ready Driver

NVIDIA also states that their final Game Ready Driver that will still support Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 will be released this coming August 31, 2021. From that point going forward, there will be no more drivers released that would support those types of Windows versions.

It was noted that for those still using the older Windows versions, there still won't be that much impact on the total gaming experience on some of the existing games as they will still run as is. NVIDIA, however, mostly adds performance improvements into the drivers to help support newer games as they start to release.

Read Also: NVIDIA RTX Graphics Cards COST A FORTUNE in Europe Right Now; Chip Shortage Taking a Turn for the Worst?

Windows Supported Operating Systems

Users that are still running on the previous Windows 7 can actually still get a free upgrade to the Windows 10 for free through their digital license if it is really critical that they still continue to receive the latest driver improvements and updates. Dropping support for the previous operating systems is still notably a good thing since it pushes its users to move forward to a more supported operating system capable of receiving security updates.

Both Windows 7 and Windows 8 have already been able to reach the very end of the extended support and would no longer receive any free security fixes. The Windows 8.1, however, will no longer be getting any security updates starting this coming January 1, 2023.

Related Article: Nvidia Brings Powerful Noise-Cancelling RTX Voice on GeForce GTX Graphics Cards

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Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An outside evaluator is urging the rejection of the three latest applicants seeking to open new charter schools in Baton Rouge, including two applicants recommended by a prominent charter school booster organization that has historically gotten its way on this contentious issue.

The evaluator had different concerns with different schools, which combined could end up serving more than 7,000 students. She worried that they won't serve enough low-income students, don't bring anything new to the school system, or don't have a track record of academic success.

In years past, the recommendations of the outside evaluator and schools chief have, with rare exceptions, been the same. But it's unclear if new Superintendent Sito Narcisse agrees with the outside expert.

A spokeswoman for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system said Narcisse has yet to offer his own recommendations, is not legally required to give one and no School Board member as yet has requested that he do so.

Since arriving in Baton Rouge in January, the new Baton Rouge schools leader has carefully sidestepped controversies over charter schools. At the same time, charter schools are often strongly supported by the local business and community leaders Narcisse has cultivated during his short time here. Several have submitted letters supporting individual schools.

The recommendations to deny the three charter applications are from Mary Katie Blunschi, a former school administrator in Baton Rouge. For the fifth year in a row, she is serving as the school systems legally required outside evaluator. She and several school system administrators interviewed the three applicants.

Two of the three applicants were recruited by New Schools for Baton Rouge. The powerful nonprofit has recruited some of the Capital Citys most prominent charter schools, as well as offering financial support and even helping to build their campuses.

The School Board plans to consider these applications for district-only Type 1 charters at its regular meeting on Thursday. If approved, the new schools would educate collectively about 1,500 students at the start and between 6,300 and 7,600 students once they reach full scale.

Rejected applicants can appeal to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, or BESE. BESE is scheduled to vote on any appeals in December. If BESE rules in their favor, they would receive a broader Type 2 charter that would allow them to enroll students from any part of Louisiana.

Charter schools are public schools run privately via charters, or contracts. Currently there are 29 charter schools operating in the parish, educating more than 11,000 children, or nearly 20% of all of the parish's public schoolchildren. Four more charter schools are set to open this fall.

+16 4 new charter schools for Baton Rouge focus on aviation, college prep, legal profession After slowing down during the coronavirus pandemic, the charter school movement in Baton Rouge will resume its prior fast growth this fall whe

The three latest applicants are Discovery Schools, Great Hearts and Pelican Educational Foundation. If approved for Type 1 charters, they could enroll only students who live within East Baton Rouge Parish, excluding Baker, Central and Zachary. They plan to start their new schools in 2022 or 2023.

Discovery runs two schools in Jefferson Parish, Great Hearts has 33 schools in Arizona and Texas, while Pelican has just one school, Kenilworth Science and Technology Charter School in Baton Rouge.

Discovery and Great Hearts are both backed by New Schools for Baton Rouge. In a recent letter to the editor, the organizations founder, Chris Meyer, said both applicants offer quality programs that are in great demand.

We have vetted their education models to ensure that students from all backgrounds who attend these schools will be successful, Meyer wrote.

The third applicant, Pelican, has applied before unsuccessfully to expand beyond the middle school it has operated since 2009 out of the former Kenilworth Middle School at 7600 Boone Ave. Unlike its past applications, Pelican this time is seeking not a high school but an elementary feeder school with about 330 students.

Middle school enrollment would shrink from almost 400 students now  it had about 560 students at its peak  to just 170 students.

Blunschi's recommendations were recently posted online, but not the full applications. The Advocate has since requested and received electronic copies of those applications.

In scoring their proposals, Blunschi awarded Discovery 94% of the available points, while Kenilworth earned almost 93% and Great Hearts earned about 86%.

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Nevertheless, she and the administrators recommended denying all three.

The reasons differed.

With Great Hearts, Blunschi takes issue with the low percentage of qualifying low-income students who are likely to attend the three K-12 classical, liberal arts-oriented schools the organization hopes to open in Baton Rouge.

The application says their target is to have only 40% of their students qualify as economically disadvantaged. Evaluators note that several Great Heart schools average about 20% on this measure, one with just 8%.

By contrast, almost 80% of the students in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, and about 72% statewide, are considered economically disadvantaged.

State law requires that the demographics of charter schools, with few exceptions, mirror those of their sponsoring school district, coming within at least 15 percentage points.

The applicant does not meet this criterion, the evaluators conclude.

In years past, the district has looked past this issue most notably with Arizona-based BASIS, which made clear from the get-go that it expected to enroll relatively few students from low-income families. Since approving BASISs two Baton Rouge schools, the School Board changed its charter policy to place more emphasis on this requirement.

New 'Charter School Policy' uses higher standards for approving, renewing Baton Rouge schools than state In a move long in the making, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday adopted standards for approving and renewing charter school

Great Hearts, which says its students learn through "Socratic inquiry," notes in its application the strong academic performance at several of its schools, with proficiency rates ranging from 58% to 95% in math and English. Blunshi, however, faults the proposed school for no plans to offer dual enrollment, JumpStart, or industry-based credentials.

Blunschi also questions the school's teacher evaluation plan and reliance on hiring non-certified liberal arts majors rather than certified teachers.

As far as Discovery Schools, evaluators focused on a variety of alternatives to the proposed school, either operating or planned, to suggest yet another school is unnecessary.

Discovery is proposing to open one K-8 school in Baton Rouge with about 1,500 students. Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy is its oldest school and biggest, with about 2,000 students in grades kindergarten to 12. It had a B letter grade on its last state report card, and it reports a long waitlist to get in.

Its new Baton Rouge school would set a target of 69% economically disadvantaged students  its current schools are 59 and 70% percent.

Like its other schools, its new Baton Rouge Discovery Academy would partner with Ochsner Health System, offering a health sciences curriculum as well as college prep academics. Ochsner is in talks to claim up to 50% of the seats at the school for its employees.

In urging the rejection of Discovery's application, Blunschi highlights several current schools offering a variety of career-oriented programs, as well as Narcisses Pathway to Bright Futures initiative that would expand high school programs in several high-demand career fields. Consequently, the evaluators conclude that the application for Baton Rouge Discovery Academy presents nothing new and innovative.

As far as Pelican, the evaluators urge denial of its request to expand from a middle school to a K-8 school because the groups current school has a D letter grade. District charter policy specifies that groups already operating a charter school in Louisiana need at least a C letter grade to be considered for a new charter in Baton Rouge.

The evaluators also suggested that the proposed new science and computer science offerings at an expanded Kenilworth are not necessarily innovative because several other schools in south Baton Rouge have similar programs.
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley's plan to overhaul how Louisiana rates public schools has sparked such a political uproar that leaders of the state's top school board took the unusual step of delaying debate on the issue that was supposed to begin Tuesday.

The proposal, which includes changes that would reduce the number of D- and F-rated schools, triggered pushback from critics. They said the move would water down academic standards in a state that has long been near the bottom for student achievement.

Leaders of some education advocacy groups said they were caught off guard by Brumley's plan, which earlier appeared headed for final approval on Wednesday.

How D, F schools might benefit from Louisiana school chief's revamped rating proposal State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley is recommending a major change in how public schools are rated annually, and the new rules woul

Others complained to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which then yanked the item from the board's June agenda "until a future date."

"After digging into accountability recommendations and having questions myself, hearing from a variety of advocates and stakeholders on all sides, and hearing from other board members, BESE leadership is prepared to pull this off the agenda ... to allow for additional discussions about this important topic," BESE President Sandy Holloway said in a statement.

For his part, Brumley said Monday the delay means "some of the wind got taken out of the sails" over other parts of his plan that sparked little controversy, including approval for the state's first K-2 accountability system and steps to strengthen the high school diploma.

The flashpoint for the controversy is Brumley's proposal to change the way letter grades are calculated for schools and school districts.

Under current rules, whether students meet learning targets, regardless of actual test scores, and how they compare to their peers counts for 25% of the schools' annual school performance score, which is linked to a letter grade.

The overhaul would bump academic growth to 38% of the score.

Brumley said 38% is in line with other states.

He also said 54.6% of F-rated schools and 80.1% of D-rated schools get an A or B for student growth -- an especially vital barometer in troubled public schools.

Critics said the change would inflate student scores, and suddenly make schools and students appear to be performing better than they are.

They also said Louisiana already differs from many states by giving schools points for student growth compared to their peers, not just by improving their own scores.

Brumley said Monday that issue requires more work.

"The growth piece needs more consensus," he said. "I am not disputing that at all."

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However, Brumley said the proposal stemmed from a recommendation of a BESE advisory panel -- called the Accountability Commission -- and that panel wanted to have academic growth count for an even more generous 47% of school scores.

Another point in dispute is the superintendent's plan to give schools credit for students who score 17 on the ACT, which is supposed to measure college readiness.

Composite scores on the ACT ranged from 0-36.

A 17 puts students in the 35th percentile, meaning they scored better than 35% of their peers.

Under current rules, schools get no points for students who score 17, 70 points for students who score 18 on the ACT and 80 points for those who score 19.

The overhaul would reward schools with 80 points for students who score 17, 18 or 19.

90% of Louisiana school districts want to pause letter grades, 'show grace' in pandemic Amid rising concerns, officials in 90% of public school districts in Louisiana oppose the issuance of school letter grades because of the uphe

Brumley said the new policy is aimed at aligning scores with higher education benchmarks. He noted students who score a 17 on the ACT can qualify for a TOPS Tech award, which finances tuition at community and technical colleges.

The Pelican Institute for Public Policy questioned the move, asking "why would we move ACT standards backward to a level beneath competency while we are all working to raise the bar for student outcomes."

Kelli Bottger, director of political strategy for the American Federation for Children, said ACT officials say an 18 on the English portion of the exam and a 22 in math are "basic benchmarks" for college success.

Bottger said Monday BESE's decision to delay the issue makes sense, especially since key test scores from the spring of 2021 that make up the annual school performance scores are due soon.

"Parents and taxpayers deserve an accurate account of the learning loss our students faced as a result of the pandemic," she said.

"Any changes to mask true student achievement is a disservice to the students of Louisiana."

BESE Vice-President Kira Orange Jones cited changes around the ACT as one reason more time is needed "for important conversations and learning among board members."

The change that would benefit D- and F-rated schools won support from the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents and the Council for a Better Louisiana.

Officials of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and Stand for Children, an education advocacy group, reserved judgment.
Descendants of the late LSU leader Troy H. Middleton filed a lawsuit Monday seeking return of his collection, which is being displayed at the LSU Military Museum, but also asked for money for being embarrassed by the universitys disavowal of him as a racist.

Though the lawsuit seeks monetary damages for "extreme humiliation and embarrassment," the Middleton family's attorney Jill Craft, of Baton Rouge, said the real point is to get back Troy Middleton's papers and memorabilia, rather than punish the LSU Board of Supervisors for its June 2020 decision to remove his name from the main library on the Baton Rouge campus because of statements and efforts Middleton made as LSU president from 1951 to 1962.

Its not as related to that as it is to the whole notion that LSU took a position to vilify General Middleton, said they wanted no reminders of him on campus and they said, Come get your stuff, Craft said Monday. If the family cannot peacefully retrieve their property, then obviously they're entitled to (monetary) damages,

The family arrived at the LSU A&M campus in Baton Rouge several times to collect the Middleton Collection, but couldnt. LSU raised several differing excuses about why, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed by Bingham Middleton Stewart, Emily Middleton Serrano, both of Baton Rouge, and Troy Houston Middleton III, of Mobile.

The family made arrangements to transfer the collection to the U.S. Army 45th Infantry Museum in Oklahoma City and formally asked on Feb. 23 for its return.

LSU responded on April 14, advising that the university, would be keeping approximately one-half of the collection.

Earlier this year, LSU offered to return the parts of the collection constituting General Middletons personal belongings and memorabilia. However, LSU, as a state institution, cannot simply give away the parts of the collection that constitute historical government records and documents that may properly belong to the university and/or the federal government. We have explained this to his heirs," said Ernie Ballard III, LSU Media Relations Director. "The university hopes that their lawsuit will give the court an opportunity to provide guidance on ownership of the historical records and bring this matter to a prompt resolution. In the interim, as we have advised the family, General Middletons personal belongings and memorabilia are available to be retrieved at any time."

The university is displaying many of the items in its William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum, which opened earlier this month in the newly renovated Memorial Tower.

LSU's Memorial Tower sets soft re-opening for June 1; formal re-dedication on Veterans Day A new LSU Military Museum inside a renovated Memorial Tower at LSU will have a soft reopening June 1 and a formal rededication service on Ve

The list of Middleton items is 26 pages long. The items include a bayonet from 1917, a Russian saber, his Distinguished Service Medal, two bronze stars and a silver star. Also included is personal correspondence with iconic Generals George S. Patton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Omar Bradley along with huge collections of photos, even a Christmas Card list from the war years.

LSU cannot find a deed, loan or any other paperwork concerning the collection, which was loaned to LSU by Middleton himself on March 23, 1972, Craft said. Middleton died in 1976.

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You cant give the state property without formalities, Craft said.

Middleton was a hero in World War I and World War II.

He traded fire with Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary, then went to Europe and fought in the Second Battle of the Marne, and was promoted to colonel at the age of 29. He received the Distinguished Service Medal.

After World I, Middleton joined LSU for six years as Commandant of Cadets at the Ole War Skule. Later he returned to LSU as an administrator and helped LSU weather a scandal that sent its president and others to prison.

After Pearl Harbor, Middleton returned to the U.S. Army and was involved in the invasion of Sicily and then Italy as part of the 45th Infantry. He then took over as head of the VIII Corps, which became part of George Pattons Third Army upon breaking out of the Cotentin Peninsula in France after D-Day. He led troops in the Battle of the Bulge, captured Koblenz, Germany, discovered death camps, and logged 480 days in combat, more than any other American general,

After the war, Middleton returned to LSU as comptroller and in 1951 was named president.

The LSU Board of Supervisors came across archived minutes from a Board of Supervisors meeting in which Middleton, as LSU president, said the university has "repeatedly made it clear it does not want Negro students, said then Board Chairman James Williams, of New Orleans.

+19 Troy H. Middleton's name removed from LSU library hours after Board approval A crew member stood atop a yellow scaffolding with a hammer and chisel Friday afternoon, and, letter by letter, removed Troy H. Middleton's na

During the June 2020 meeting, during which the Board voted to strike Middletons name from the main library and remove his statue, Williams said Middletons legacy is more than "just a few stray comments," most notably in a letter on desegregation he wrote to former University of Texas Chancellor Harry Ransom in 1961 that said LSU still kept black students "in a given area."

Williams cited a letter from Middleton dated May 1, 1956, which said: "I do not want Negro students at LSU. I believe in segregation of races, and, no matter what may come, I shall not associate with Negroes." Gov. John Bel Edwards, who had addressed the Board at the meeting, agreed that "it is time for the name of the library to be changed."

Nineteenth Judicial District Court Judge William Morvant, of Baton Rouge, was assigned to hear the lawsuit.
A speedy effort to come up with a new strategic plan for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system races to a conclusion this week with town halls at Scotlandville and Liberty high schools ahead of a final Thursday vote.

A draft of the plan, on which work began in February, has been posted online in advance of the town halls to be held Tuesday and Wednesday. The current 19-page draft is identical to the version shared at a May 21 session held at LSU with a select group of school employees and community members.

The first is Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Scotlandville High, 9870 Scotland Ave., and the second is Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Liberty High, 1105 Lee Drive.

Boosting enrollment, reading proficiency among goals outlined in East Baton Rouge School System strategic plan Leaders in Baton Rouge public schools on Friday debated a series of ambitious goals, including nearly doubling the number of second-graders wh

A final draft of the plan, which would include this weeks community input as well as other recent input, is expected to be complete before the parish School Board convenes at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Professional Development Center, 3000 North Sherwood Forest Drive.

It is our hope that the strategic plan addresses the needs of the students, families and district moving forward, and we welcome additional feedback to ensure this accurately reflects our shared goals and values, said Superintendent Sito Narcisse in a statement.

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The latest draft lays out several ambitious goals, including nearly doubling the number of second-graders who read on grade level, a 75% increase in passage rates on Advanced Placement exams, a steep drop in the number of D-rated and F-rated schools, 25% decline in student suspensions, a 33% increase in job applications for open positions and reversing historic declines in overall enrollment.

The final document would replace a strategic plan thats rarely been used since it was adopted in 2013. The new draft is the product of four months of work that began soon after Narcisse was hired in mid-January to lead the districts second largest school district. His cabinet worked on the plan, while members of the School Board also participated during monthly retreats.

Salt Lake City-based Arbinger Institute has been serving as Narcisses hand-picked facilitator for the process. Their $138,000 initial fee is being paid for via undisclosed private donors whove given money to a private foundation that raises money for the school system. The institute is to continue work with the school district to update the plan over time.

The draft plan covers four general areas or cornerstones including student achievement, employee development, school operations and customer service. So far, across these four areas, there are 20 underlying commitments and 26 objectives. Progress in meeting the objectives will be tracked annually over the next three years, concluding with the 2024-25 school year.

Only 10 of the 26 objectives list baseline info from the just concluded 2020-21 school year to serve as a point of comparison. The document suggest that the 16 objectives without baseline data are blank because the data in question is unreported or unidentified.
Its a short stroll from Goldman Sachs global headquarters to Citigroups, but when it comes to reopening after the pandemic, the two Manhattan towers might as well be thousands of miles apart.

Starting this week, Goldman Sachs is requiring almost all employees at its perch over the Hudson River to report to their desks, marking one of Wall Streets most ambitious returns to the workplace since Covid-19 besieged the city more than a year ago. Meanwhile, Citigroup wont recall more of its staff to its mostly empty Tribeca tower in downtown Manhattan until July. Even then, the firm has told most workers that they can adopt a so-called hybrid schedule between home and the office longer term.

Goldman Sachs workers were greeted with free food and coffee as they returned to work this week. Credit:Bloomberg

Such divergences are popping up across Manhattans mighty financial industry, creating pockets of optimism within the citys economy, but widespread anxiety inside workplaces. Bosses worry their teams will be less competitive if members are slow to come back. Parents fret about losing remote-work flexibility, but also that young, single colleagues and competitors may rush back sooner and soak up face time with executives or clients.

Women are absolutely nervous about it, said Rob Dicks, Accentures talent and organisation lead for capital markets. Im seeing the HR and business leaders at banks recognising, understanding and starting to plan around fairness in evaluations.
As a Vietnamese-Australian woman, Alyssa Ho says the dating world can be particularly frustrating and often leaves her feeling disgusting.

Ive received a lot of comments along the lines of, Ive always wanted to try Asian, or, I have yellow fever, she says. And those are only the more mild remarks.

Alyssa Ho: Compliments are meant to make people feel good. And this doesnt feel good at all. Credit:Simon Schluter

Ho, a 28-year-old event stylist and anti-racism campaigner, says she has been consistently fetishised over her race since her teens, based on the harmful stereotype that Asian women are quiet and submissive.

Its disheartening and degrading because youre reduced to this identity that someone has crafted for you rather than being seen or valued for your whole self, Ho says.
Ask a few people how they feel about getting their COVID-19 vaccine and, once they finish complaining about the bureaucracy  the wait times, the long times spent on hold to the hotline  and, in some cases, the side effects  one word seems to resonate: emotional.

Among them is ABC Melbourne radio host Raf Epstein, who documented his entire vaccination experience this month for the networks Facebook page. Yes, I was emotional. It is one of the biggest challenges of our lifetime, and I was starting down the path of protection, says Epstein, 50.

Celebrities who have shared vaxxies include (clockwise from left) the Duchess of Cambridge, Dolly Parton, Adam Liaw, Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein and Mariah Carey. Credit:Illustration: Jamie Brown

Epstein, like thousands of other ordinary Australians, have shared vaccine selfies, or vaxxies on social media to document their own dates with the syringe, following a trend started by international celebrities including the Duchess of Cambridge, Dolly Parton, Marc Jacobs and Mariah Carey (who posted an IGTV of her appointment).

And despite some cringe-worthy local examples  Scott Morrisons Australian flag mask, media personality Eddie McGuires nip slip (see also: Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in full bare-chested glory), and Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutweins panther tattoo reveal among them  several experts agree the vaxxie could be the most significant social media trend of 2021.
A fire truck has become stuck in a sinkhole in in Brisbanes south-east after the road caved in.

Firefighters went to Juliette Street in Greenslopes at 3.30am on Monday after a water main burst.

A QFES spokeswoman said the incident was causing localised flooding.

As the truck was driven over the road, part of a wheel got stuck and the road caved in, she said.
We havent found any other cases [since last week] and as time goes on the chances of this spreading in the community is probably fairly low, luckily, the leading infectious disease physician and epidemiologist said. However, Professor Cheng said Victorian health authorities were increasingly worried by more transmissible variants of the virus seeping into Australia and it remained concerning no clear source for the Delta outbreak could be established. Victorias deputy chief health officer, Allen Cheng. Credit:Joe Armao If we were able to find out why this happened then obviously it would be easier to address what gaps we might need to fill or build on, Professor Cheng said. But the whole idea is we have a quarantine system in place now where we are continuing to review everything and put additional things in place if we do identify any gaps and that is ongoing work.

All returned travellers to Victorias hotel quarantine program are tested within 24 hours of arrival in Victoria, day four, day 12 and day 14, but Professor Cheng said screening among returnees from high-risk countries such as India, where coronavirus was running rampant and both Kappa and Delta variants were causing increasing alarm, had been increased to almost daily tests. Novotel Ibis quarantine hotel on Little Lonsdale Street, Credit: Luis Ascui The latest thing that weve put in place is increasing the frequency of testing of people coming from countries of higher risk so that we can identify cases early, Professor Cheng said. While a genomic link has been determined between the first family in the West Melbourne cluster to test positive to the Delta variant and the returned traveller, further investigations had found no epidemiological link or evidence of contact between the returned traveller and the families infected. After testing positive to the virus within 24 hours of landing in Victoria, the returned traveller was moved from the Novotel Ibis quarantine hotel in Melbournes CBD to the Holiday Inn medi-hotel, overseen by Alfred Health, for positive cases on May 9.

The manager and the infection-control boss of the Novotel Ibis was sacked in late April after the discovery of more than 51 breaches, including 15 infection-control violations. Loading Last week, Professor Cheng said four hypotheses were being investigated for how the Delta variant spread: that the man transmitted it at the hotel to a resident or worker; that he passed it on to a quarantine staff member as he was transferred from the airport or between hotels; that it was spread on the flight; or that the man transmitted it after he left hotel quarantine. Professor Cheng said health officials had ruled out the possibility the man was infectious when he left quarantine after extensive testing of the people he lived with following his 14-day stint in quarantine and their close contacts all returned negative tests. Returning travellers catch the Skybus to hotel quarantine. Credit:Getty Images

The possibility the virus somehow spread on the flight from Sri Lanka to Melbourne has also been all but eliminated because every person on the flight had been tested for the virus again several times in recent days and there was no evidence the disease transmitted on the plane. The revelation comes as a leading air quality expert warns transfers of returned travellers between Melbourne Airport and quarantine hotels could now pose the greatest risk of the virus evading Victorias quarantine system. Victorian health authorities are also moving to contain another potential COVID-19 outbreak at an inner-city townhouse complex, after identifying suspected transmission between residents. Professor Jason Monty, the University of Melbournes head of mechanical engineering, who is an adviser to the government on air ventilation, suspects the culprit behind the Delta outbreak could have been transmission of the virus during a transfer from the airport or transit between hotels. He wants the airflow in every bus, including the SkyBus, which transports returned travellers between the airport and quarantine hotels, to be subject to rigorous air quality testing to ensure it is not fuelling airborne spread.

Loading That is an area that really hasnt been addressed as well as it could have been, Professor Monty said. It is the weaker link because youve got people in very close proximity in a very poorly ventilated transport situation. A COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria spokesman said ventilation assessments were recently carried out on the bus fleet used to transfer returned travellers and initial results have been very favourable. He said an expert ventilation reference group would carry out a final assessment of those results. In the most recent relevant case, all bus drivers and other passengers involved tested negative, he said.

There have also been calls for mandated coronavirus testing of all returned travellers on day 17 of their quarantine period; three days after they leave their 14-day stint in quarantine, a measure already routine in the Northern Territory and actively being considered by Western Australia. Professor Cheng said the state government already strongly recommended any traveller who returned from overseas, quarantined interstate and then travelled to the state soon afterwards, to get another coronavirus test on day 17 and 21 after they completed their fortnight of quarantine. He said this was a precautionary measure as it was extremely rare for a case to be picked up beyond day 14 of their quarantine. He said the vast majority of returned travellers were following the directive and getting follow-up tests already without the measure being mandated.
A gangland lawyer, her vlogging husband and a far-right agitator who once described himself as a Jewish Nazi are embroiled in a Federal Court fight which will test the capacity of defamation law to resolve disputes on the fact-free fringes of online publishing.

Melbourne defence lawyer Zarah Garde-Wilson has initiated legal action against alt-right activist Avi Yemini, who since last year has been engaged in an increasingly bitter stoush with Ms Garde-Wilsons husband and self-styled video blogger Lansley Simon.

Defence lawyer Zarah Garde-Wilson.

Their dispute reached a nasty crescendo two days before Christmas when Mr Yemini, a former member of the Israeli Defence Force now on the payroll of the Canadian-based alt-right website Rebel News, posted an image of Ms Garde-Wilson with the cap-locked headline: ARRESTED AND CHARGED FOR THREAT TO KILL.

In a statement of claim lodged last week in the Federal Court, Ms Garde-Wilson said neither she nor Mr Simon had been charged and Mr Yemini knew the claim to be false when he published it. She is seeking damages, aggravated damages and orders forcing Mr Yemini to remove the post.
Vaccination walk-ins were halted on Monday with people told to wait until the end of the week as the state government cut the number of Victorians able to get the Pfizer jab as part of the states vaccine rollout.

Almost three weeks after the states rollout of the Pfizer vaccine was extended to 40 to 49-year-olds, supply caps meant people were unable to make phone bookings for their first dose and those who walked up to mass vaccination hubs were turned away.

From June 14, 2021 until further notice, unfortunately, you will not be able to book in to receive a first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, an announcement on the Western Health website said. People are still able to book in for their second Pfizer dose.

The advice to people being given their first Pfizer shot had been to get their second dose after three weeks, but Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton tweeted on Monday that people can receive their second dose of Pfizer anytime between three and six weeks after their first.
Leading health experts from across the nation have decried the Morrison governments decision to keep a Tamil asylum-seeker family on Christmas Island, saying it will lead to lifelong trauma for the children.

Family friends say the mental health of the Murugappans two young daughters is deteriorating as the youngest is kept under guard at Perth Childrens Hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis.

The Biloela Tamil family at the centre of the deportation row. Credit: Supplied

Priya and Nadesalingam Muruguppan and their Australian-born daughters, Kopika and Tharnicaa, have been detained on the island since August 2019 after authorities swooped in and removed them from the Queensland town of Biloela.

Both parents have lost their attempts in the courts to be given refugee status in Australia. Yet the federal court decided in February that Tharnicaa had been denied procedural fairness, which means the familys legal fight continues.
More than 4400 general practices will be able to administer the Pfizer vaccine while another 850 rural and regional clinics and 1000 pharmacies will deliver Moderna injections from October as the vaccine rollout sprints to the end of the year.

Doctors will also be paid to make home visits to vaccinate the frail and elderly who cannot visit clinics to get immunised and ensure people moving into aged care facilities do not miss out.

From October more than 4400 GPs will be able to deliver Pfizer while another 850 GPs and 1000 pharmacies will deliver Moderna injections. Credit:Fairfax Media

The Commonwealth has also started writing to all Australians over the age of 70, thanking those who have already been vaccinated and urging the rest to book in for their shots.

So far, more than 5 million people have now had at least one dose of a vaccine, including 61 per cent of Australians aged over 70.
This can significantly impair the ability of the legal representative and the court to be informed of the child or young persons circumstances and to identify and address the causal factors that have contributed to the alleged offending. During the inquiry, the commission also heard of cases in which child protection opposed bail for children and young people for whom it had responsibility. In some cases, child protection suggested that it needed more time to organise appropriate housing and supports for the child or young person, while in others it argued that custody was the safest place for the child or young person. Mr Mohamed said that as well as being over-represented in child protection, Aboriginal children were over-represented in dropping out of high school, and you start combining that with poverty, past trauma, and the justice system starts circling in. Children who make a mistake need to get that support so they can pick up their life and move forward, instead of that cycle of remand, courts, released into community under supervision orders, and then finding themselves back in prison, he said. The commission examined the cases of all 296 Aboriginal children who had contact with the youth justice system (including those on supervised bail, diversion and community orders, and in custody) between October 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, as well as interviewing Aboriginal youth, workers and families.

It found Aboriginal youth were disproportionately targeted by police, sentenced by the courts, and removed from their families and communities. Aboriginal children told the commission they valued education and wanted to attend school, but many reported negative experiences. They said the current school system was not designed for, or responsive to, the specific needs of Aboriginal students, while some described the system as racist or otherwise hostile. There is a clear link between exclusion from school and contact with the youth justice system. In 2019, the Youth Justice annual survey found that 65 per cent of Aboriginal children and young people under Youth Justice supervision (in the community and in custody) had been previously suspended or expelled from school. Mr Mohamed said police would far too often be called if Aboriginal children living in residential care vandalised the facilities and potentially charged with damaging public property  an offence police otherwise would not have attended to if the child lived at home with their parents.

Children in the child protection system caught shoplifting would rely on an over-stretched system being available to support them while being questioned by police, Mr Mohamed said, making it a significant barrier to accessing help and intervening before the situation escalated. The commissions two-year inquiry culminated in a 600-page report tabled in the Victorian Parliament last week, and made 41 findings and 75 recommendations to the Andrews government to implement over the next five years. The recommendations include establishing Aboriginal community-controlled crisis accommodation centres in every region for Indigenous youth; developing and funding an ongoing Aboriginal education support officer at Parkville College in youth prisons; and fully resourcing a 24-hour bail system for children and young people. Aboriginal children and young people and their communities have been targeted by the state in an unbroken chain of harmful interventions since early colonisation, according to the report. For many Aboriginal people, these state-inflicted interventions have directly caused generations of trauma and broken connection to Country and community. The devastating consequences of this have led to inequalities in life experiences, including a higher prevalence of low educational attainment and earning, housing insecurity, unequal health outcomes, and early mortality.

Loading A Victorian government spokeswoman said $12 million had been invested in the last state budget on a range of programs to address the recommendations and findings of the report, and that since 2018 more than $160 million had been directed towards reducing the number of Aboriginal children in child protection and out-of-home care. We acknowledge this report reflects the voices of Aboriginal children and young people, their families, Aboriginal frontline workers and community members. We will carefully consider the reports findings and recommendations, the spokeswoman said. There is a national conversation happening about whether the age of criminal responsibility should be raised  Victoria is continuing to participate in those discussions. Victoria has the lowest rate of children in care in the country, but the proportion of Aboriginal children is too high. Were doing something about it as part of our early intervention approach to supporting families as soon as they come on our radar  giving them the tools they need to stay together.
Myanmars ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial on Monday, appearing unwell as the first witnesses took the stand in cases against her of illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios and breaking coronavirus protocols, her lawyer said.

Suu Kyi, 75, faces a slew of charges since being overthrown by the army in a February 1 coup that cut short a decade of tentative democratic reforms and has plunged the South-East Asian country into chaos.

Myanmar citizens protest in Japan holding a picture of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Credit:Getty Images

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi seemed not very well but throughout the hearing she seemed quite interested and paid keen attention, the head of her legal team, Khin Maung Zaw, said in a statement after the day of hearings.

Suu Kyis supporters say the charges are politically motivated and designed to end the political life of a woman who championed democracy for decades under previous military administrations, much of the time under house arrest.
London: Boris Johnson has delayed the final unlocking of Englands economy because of a resurgence in coronavirus due to the more transmissible Delta variant.

The British Prime Minister  already under pressure for waiting until April 23 to impose hotel quarantine on arrivals from India where the variant was first detected  announced the decision at a press conference at Downing Street.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson postpones the easing of Englands remaining COVID-19 restrictions. Credit:Getty Images

Johnson lamented the need for the four-week delay to restoring normal life, but said that holding off would save lives.

I bitterly regret the fact that we must be cautious now, he said. We want a road map that is irreversible and to achieve an irreversible road map you have to be cautious.
Bologna: Rome prosecutors are investigating the disappearance of at least 120 paintings, etchings, sculptures and tapestries from the offices of Italys public broadcaster, Rai.

Some of the missing artworks - which include valuable etchings by Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley - disappeared from Rai offices, while others were replaced with fakes.

Authorities suspect disgruntled employees may be behind the thefts from the impressive collection, which includes 1500 artworks worth millions of euros that were purchased over the years with public funds. Italian households are required to pay 90 ($141) a year in television licence fees, although Rai - which is owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance - is still 523 million in debt.

Rai, the Italian broadcaster.

According to the Il Messaggero newspaper, which first reported the Sacking of Rai story, top bosses at the broadcasters Rome headquarters uncovered the issue by chance in March, when a painting supposedly by Florentine artist Ottone Rosai fell to the floor, its broken frame revealing it was actually a copy.
Donald Trump flirted with dictators throughout his presidency, claimed fraud deprived him of re-election and incited the January 6 insurrection that offered hardliners everywhere a tutorial on useful demonstrations of force. Now the strongmen are flirting back.

We are witnessing the greatest election fraud in the history of the country, in my opinion in the history of any democracy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week, echoing Trump as he smeared an unusual political coalition formed to unseat him.

Right-wing politician Naftali Bennett is taking over as prime minister. Credit:AP

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro faces re-election next year and has already lashed out at his countrys courts and made baseless claims of voter fraud. He has refused to condemn the January 6 siege in the US because, he said, there were a lot of reports of fraud. Should he have problems in Brazil, he said he would deploy the military to solve them.

Netanyahu and Bolsonaro have absorbed a valuable lesson from Trump: If you co-opt the imagination and intentions of enough members of your own party and your voters, you can persuade them to buy into your lies and rise up on your behalf when power slips from your grasp. Israels variant of Trumpism, however, might show something about how to push back against a movement that is fundamentally anti-democratic and may endure as a global political force longer than Trump himself.
Van Buren, AR (72956)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
Up for debate:

Live legislation tracker

Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics.
Staff Reporter

Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for five years. She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times. Daniel's work has also appeared in the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and The New York Times.
In this May 15, 2020 file photo, an Uber sign is displayed inside a car in Chicago.
Rejected Indianola residents will have another chance to voice their objection to sales tax
Maine Gov. Janet Mills speaks at a news conference March 12, 2020, in Augusta, Maine as Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, looks on.
Josh Frechette (left) and Steve Gauvin installs locks on the doors March 16, 2020, at the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine. L.L. Bean is closing all its retail stores to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The flagship store, which is usually open 24 hours a day, did not have locks on most of its doors.
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is seen during session Jan. 4, 2017, in Concord.
Workers suing hospital over vaccine mandate prepared to fight 'all the way to the Supreme Court'
Governor Mark Gordon has released the planning framework for how to leverage resources, including federal relief funds, to make sure Wyoming thrives in the years to come. Governor Gordon wants to ensure that funds are spent strategically, to maximize the benefits to the state.

We have the opportunity to use these funds to help shape the Wyoming of the future and make our state an even more desirable place to live, work and visit, Governor Gordon said. We have identified some critical areas where we should focus our efforts, and which will maximize the opportunity that we have before us. Since it is our great-grandchildren who will be paying for this government funding, it is that generation that deserves to benefit from it.

Governor Gordon asked a Strike Team of key individuals to develop the strategy. The Strike Team worked with the Governors policy team, cabinet, and many stakeholders to develop a plan to best maximize the COVID-19 related federal funds in the near-term, mid-term, and long-term. The strategy identifies what the state needs to do to survive, and what could be done to better drive to a future where all of Wyoming can thrive.

In the Survive phase, several immediate problems were identified that will be addressed with the remaining CARES Act dollars or other available federal funds. These include funding to address increased needs for mental health and substance abuse services; tax relief for businesses; identifying underserved areas needing improved broadband connectivity; expanding camping at Wyoming State Parks to address overcrowding; and increasing employment opportunities in the oil and gas industry through the Energy Rebound program.

In the Drive phase, several goals were identified for further study and planning. These included

Strengthen Wyomings economy by activating new economic sectors and creating new jobs, as well as identifying ways to add value to Wyomings current businesses and core industries.

Create better alignment among workforce, economic development, and educational opportunities to achieve balance between available workforce and available employment opportunities.

Expand outdoor recreation and enhance wildlife populations.

Focused efforts to retain and attract working families and young adults to permanently live and raise families in Wyoming.

Promote and enhance Wyoming food supply, distribution, and markets.

Identify and complete necessary and beneficial infrastructure projects.

The Governor will continue working with his cabinet, policy staff and strike team on planning and study efforts for each of the Drive goals. Outreach to stakeholders will continue through the remainder of the Drive phase. Some areas are so complex and robust, however, that the study/planning period may last well into next year.

In addition to this plan, the Governor asked the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) to prepare its plan for continued COVID-19 response. The WDH plan is included as an appendix to the Governors Strategy.

The complete report on the Proposals for the Future is available on the Governors website.
The well-loved Union Pacific heritage steam engine "Big Boy" #4014 is moving ahead full-steam with the Big Boy 2021 Tour schedule, set for late summer.

Big Boy No. 4014 will depart Cheyenne, Wyoming, Thursday, Aug. 5, traveling through Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. The railroad is still working out the details of overnight and whistle-stops along the way, but they said the Big Boy will be on display at the following locations:

 Saturday, Aug. 14: Fort Worth, Texas

 Tuesday, Aug. 17: Houston, Texas

 Saturday, Aug. 21: New Orleans, Louisiana

 Sunday, Aug. 29: St. Louis, Missouri

 Monday, Sept. 6: Denver, Colorado

Following the Denver stop on Labor Day weekend, the Big Boy and its crew will return to Cheyenne. Details will be forthcoming and via the UP's Steam Club website for more details.

The tour set for last year was cancelled due to the pandemic. The UP heritage rail program and the Big Boy are led by Union Pacific's Ed Dickens of Cheyenne.

Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were "hinged," or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of "pilot" wheels which guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels following which supported the rear of the locomotive. The massive engines normally operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyo.

There are seven Big Boys on public display in various cities around the country. They can be found in St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Denver, Colorado; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December 1941. The locomotive was retired in December 1961, having traveled 1,031,205 miles in its 20 years in service. Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013, and relocated it back to Cheyenne to begin a multi-year restoration process. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad's Completion.

Big Boy #4014 Facts:

Tender Type: 14-wheeled

Water Capacity: 25,000 gallons

Fuel: Coal**

56,000 lbs.

Gauge of Track: 4 ft. 8-1/2 in.

Cylinder: Diameter: 23 3/4 in.

Stroke: 32 in.

Driving Wheel Diameter: 68 in.

Boiler: Outside Diameter: 106 9/16 in.

Pressure: 300 lbs.

Fire Box: Length: 235 1/32 in.

Width: 96 3/16 in.

Tubes: 2-1/4 in. Diameter: 75 x 22 ft. 0 in.

4 in. Diameter: 184

Wheel Base: Driving: 47 ft. 3 in.

Engine: 72 ft. 5 1/2 in.

Engine & Tender: 132 ft. 9 7/8 in.

Weight in Working Order,

Pounds: Leading: 97,000

Driving: 540,000

Trailing: 125,000

Engine: 762,000

Tender: 427,500

Evaporating Surfaces,

Square Feet: Tubes: 967

Flues: 4,218

Fire Box: 593

Circulators: 111

Total: 5,889

Superheating Surface,

Square Feet: 2,466

Grate Area: 150

Maximum Tractive Power: 135,375 lbs.

Factor of Adhesion: 4.00

**Original configuration. Now converted to No. 5 Oil
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Melanie joined The Daily Times in the early 90s and has served as the Life section editor since 1993. A William Blount and UT alum, Melanie is generally the early arriver who turns on the lights in the newsroom.

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Adriana Cohen is off this week. The writer this week is Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org.
John L. Micek is editor-in-chief of The Pennsylvania Capital-Star in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Email him at jmicek@penncapital-star.com and follow him on Twitter at @ByJohnLMicek.
Forest City, NC (28043)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Amazon Deliveryman Helps Evacuate Elderly Woman and Grandchild From a Burning House

An Amazon driver who helped an elderly woman and her granddaughter safely evacuate from a burning house in Woodbridge, New Jersey, was honored for his heroic act.

On the afternoon of May 20, Wakie Medina was on his usual delivery trip in Crows Mill Road in the Fords section when he noticed smoke emitting from one of the private houses.

At first I thought someone was having a cookout; but when I got closer I realized, no, this is too much smoke. I have to see what is going on, the 30-year-old, who often delivers packages in that street, said, according to Patch.

Wakie Medina, an Amazon deliveryman. (Courtesy of Amazon)

Wanting to help, Medina immediately parked his truck and ran over to the house; he saw the roof of the back porch was on fire. He then saw a teen, about the age of 14, trying to put out the fire with a watering can, and warned him that the fire was really bad.

The boy told Medina that his grandmother and sister were in the house and they were not aware that it was burning.

The house was filled with smoke. I just ran up the stairs and shouted at them Yo, the house is on fire! Come down! Medina recalled.

Meanwhile, Ashley Latham, a neighbor who had also noticed that the house was on fire, called 911. Minutes later, after Medina had safely helped the elderly woman and her granddaughter out, the Ford fire trucks arrived.

It wasnt a big fire, but I just thought it was such a brave thing to do, Latham said. Anyone else could have just gotten back in the truck and waited because we knew fire trucks were on the way. I really think he would have done the same thing if it had been a bigger fire.

The firefighters then took over, extinguished the fire, and cleared the streets. According to Latham, the elderly woman and the girl didnt require any medical attention.

(Courtesy of Ashley Latham via Amazon)

Latham and Medina then had a brief conversation near his truck and he seemed as cool as a cucumber. It was later learned that Latham also works for Amazon and she then reported the heroic rescue to the companys management.

But Medina certainly doesnt consider the act to be anything major and remains humble about his recognition. I did what I had to do and got out of the way and went back to my truck. I was in the right place at the right time, Medina said.

At the end of May, the Carteret warehouse that Medina works for honored him as its driver of the month and awarded him a thank you card signed by Amazon leadership, a special plaque, a 40-inch TV, and a backpack filled with gifts.

(Illustration  Simone Hogan/Shutterstock)

The Ford residents also contributed money and awarded Medina a $400 gift card.

It is cool, but I wasnt expecting any of this, he said. I just did that out of the kindness of my heart, I guess.

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People walk in the compound of the Tokyo District Court where a trial of two Americans suspected of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan, opens in Tokyo, on June 14, 2021. (Koji Sasahara/AP Photo)

Americans Stand Trial in Japan, Accused in Ghosns Escape

TOKYOTwo Americans charged with helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was facing accusations of financial misconduct agreed Monday that they took part in a scheme for him to escape the country.

Statements by Michael Taylor and his son, Peter, on the opening day of their trial in Tokyo suggest the pair dont plan to fight charges of assisting a criminal. That carries a possible penalty of up to three years in prison.

Keiji Isaji, one of the attorneys for the Taylors, told The Associated Press after the court session that he wants the trial to proceed efficiently. He said ending the trial quickly is in the best interests of his clients. He declined to confirm his team was hoping for a suspended sentence if they are convicted, meaning no time would be served. He stressed the decision was up to the judge.

The Taylors appeared calm as they were led into the courtroom in handcuffs, with ropes tied around their waists.

Security camera video shows Michael L. Taylor (C) and George-Antoine Zayek at passport control at Istanbul Airport in Turkey, on Dec. 30, 2019. (DHA via AP)

They said little except to answer the judges questions, such as Yes, your honor, and I hear you well, when asked about simultaneous interpreting relayed through headphones.

Prosecutors read out a statement accusing Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, and Peter Taylor of arranging to hide Ghosn in a box for musical equipment. It was loaded onto a private jet that flew him from the western city of Osaka to Lebanon via Turkey in December 2019.

Ryozo Kitajima, one of the prosecutors, said Peter Taylor met with Ghosn at a hotel several times in 2019 and introduced Ghosn to his father. He said Peter Taylor also received $562,500 in two transfers to pay for chartering the jet and other expenses. Peter Taylor arranged for Ghosn to change his clothing at a Tokyo hotel. His father and another man, George-Antoine Zayek later accompanied Ghosn to the Osaka airport, Kitajima said.

Zayek has not been arrested.

The prosecutors said bitcoins worth $500,000 were transferred from Ghosns son Anthonys account to Peter Taylor in 2020, purportedly to cover the Taylors defense costs.

After a brief discussion with Chief Judge Hideo Nirei and their defense lawyers, the Taylors agreed there were no mistakes in the statement.

Prosecutors said that during their detention the Taylors had expressed remorse and that the pair had been misled to believe helping someone jump bail was not illegal in Japan. They said Ghosns wife Carole told them Ghosn was being tortured. The prosecutors quoted the Taylors as saying they were not tortured and were treated in a way that was fair and professional.

The trials next session is set for June 29, when prosecutors will continue their questioning.

The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts last year and extradited to Japan in March. Ghosn has French, Lebanese, and Brazilian citizenship and Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. The authorities say Ghosn paid the Taylors at least $1.3 million.

Ghosn led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades before his arrest in 2018. He was charged with falsifying securities reports in under-reporting his compensation and of breach of trust in using Nissan money for personal gain. He says he is innocent and says he fled Japan because he did not expect to get a fair trial. More than 99 percent of criminal cases in Japan result in convictions.

Fugitive ex-auto magnate Carlos Ghosn stands inside the elevator on his way to a media interview, in Dbayeh, north of Beirut, Lebanon, on May 25, 2021. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)

Peter Taylor told a Massachusetts court in January that he met Ghosn in 2019 in Japan to pitch his digital marketing company to help repair Ghosns tarnished reputation. He said Ghosn asked him to bring him gifts, food, and DVDs from his wife, and to deliver gifts, including to relatives in Lebanon.

Peter Taylor said he left Japan for Shanghai on Dec. 29, 2019, and was not in Japan when Ghosn is accused of fleeing. He denied he was in touch with his father at that time, court documents say.

No Japanese executives have been charged in the scandal at Nissan, Yokohama-based manufacturer of the Leaf electric car, March subcompact, and Infiniti luxury models.

Extraditions between Japan and the United States are relatively rare, even for serious crimes. The possible penalty of three years in prison is the minimum required for an extradition.

Separately, the same court is trying another American, Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive vice president, on charges he under-reported Ghosns compensation. That trial began in September.

Kellys trial has focused on whether reporting of deferred compensation for Ghosn may have violated the law. Several other senior executives at Nissan, including some non-Japanese, were aware of the arrangements.

Kelly says he is innocent and was only looking for lawful ways to pay Ghosn more to prevent him from leaving for a rival automaker.

Before his arrest, Ghosn was an auto industry star, having orchestrated Nissans rebound from the brink of bankruptcy after he was sent to Japan by its French alliance partner Renault in 1999.

Ghosns pay was halved, by about 1 billion yen ($10 million), in 2010 when Japan began requiring disclosure of high executive pay.

The concern was that his relatively high compensation might be viewed unfavorably since Japanese top executives tend to draw lower pay packages than their peers in other countries.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrives for a press conference in the Prime Minister's Courtyard at Parliament House on June 4, 2021, in Canberra, Australia. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Australia Will Take Its Own Path to Aggressively Suppress COVID-19

Scott Morrison says his government will continue to traverse an Australian path to aggressive COVID-19 suppression, emphasising therell be no international travel until medical experts say so.

The prime minister is attending the G7 summit in Cornwall in the UK as an observer and told reporters on Sunday that Australia wouldnt change its virus approach.

He said his government hadnt set a target on the number of Australians who need to be vaccinated before international travel resumes. He said this would only occur when the medical advice suggests we should.

Mr Morrison said he would rather be living in the arrangements we have in Australia than anywhere else in the world and that the UK, despite a high vaccination rate, was still recording high numbers of new cases.

Australias suppression strategy has kept the nations borders closed and seen states go into lockdown over a handful of cases.

At this stage of the pandemic, it is not clear where it goes next  (given) the potential for new strains and other things to occur, Morrison said.

Mr Morrison said Australians can go to sporting games, or they can go to work, they can live in an economy that is bigger today than it was before.

The comments by Morrison come after Melbourne emerged from a two-week lockdown on Friday, but restrictions on home gatherings, travel and mask use remain in place.

Victoria recorded one new case on Sundaya close contact of a case linked to the Arcare Maidstone outbreak that has been quarantining throughout their infectious period. They are not an aged care resident.

Victorian authorities will also continue to investigate the single new case reported on Saturday, a man in his 30s from the City of Melbourne with a young family.

About 2000 people are currently quarantining across Victoria.

Meanwhile, there is growing optimism Queensland will be spared an outbreak after a couple arrived from Melbourne while they were infected.

There were no new locally acquired cases reported in Queensland on Saturday or Sunday, with local police yet to interview the couple.

There were 5,834,746 vaccines administered to Friday nationwide.
Beijings Plot Behind Its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Commentary

On May 28, in a speech delivered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, President Joe Biden made startling remarks that the United States is in a battle between democracies and autocracies, and that Xi Jinping firmly believes that China, before the year 30, 35, is going to own America. Some may think Biden is scaremongering, but the fact is that since Xi proposed to build a community of shared future, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been blowing the trumpet for world domination. However, in order to dominate the world, the CCP must first bring down the United States, and in order to do so, it must first shake the international status of the U.S. dollar in the global settlement system. It was for this purpose that the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was established.

When the AIIB first started its operation in 2016, the CCP claimed that it was a regional investment bank to promote the interconnection and economic integration of the Asian countries, with a focus on financing infrastructure projects in the regionincluding loans, equity investments, and guaranteesto boost investment in various sectors such as transportation, energy, telecommunications, agriculture, and urban development.

But in reality, the AIIB has been reaching out to countries across the globe since its creation. According to regime-controlled Chinese information portal Baidu, as of July 2020, the bank had already enticed 103 countries into its member states, spanning five continents. Apparently, the prefix Asian, that appears in the banks name, or its once self-claimed Asian focus is just a facade to hide the CCPs global intentions.

On April 4, 2021, the state-run Peoples Daily published an article stating, AIIB can be upgraded to a world infrastructure investment bank in a timely manner. The article stated that in the face of the novel coronavirus epidemic and a series of global financial crisesand with the worlds huge funding gap in its infrastructureit is time for the international community to improve or even restructure the international monetary system (the Bretton Woods system). Against this backdrop, consideration can be given to upgrading the AIIB to a global infrastructure investment bank so as to provide funding and other support for eligible infrastructure investment projects around the world, the article continued.

Beijings Hidden Plans Behind AIIB

The CCP has the following hidden plans for the establishment of the AIIB:

First, the CCP will use the AIIB to issue the Asia Currency Unit (ACU) globally, thereby replacing the U.S. dollar in the international settlement.

On Oct. 29, 2014, the state-run media China Daily published an article entitled AIIB to Be a Powerful Tool to Challenge Hegemony of US Dollar. It stated: Although Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Australia have refused to support the AIIB due to pressure from the Obama administration, the support of most Asian countries reflects that the White Houses efforts to weaken regional integration are extremely limited in the face of the Chinese yuan diplomacy. In short, the introduction of a new mechanism will openly challenge the pillars of the Bretton Woods system and drive the transition to a new governance model centered on financial regionalization. Perhaps at some point, the American era will collapse in the face of the dawn of an Asia centered on the rise of Beijings multipolarity.

On Dec. 16, 2019, the ACU was officially launched in Hong Kong, and expected to become one of the worlds leading applications with the most credibility, influence, and audience in the world, according to Yahoo.

Second, the CCP promotes the globalization of the Chinese yuan through the AIIB.

The Gwadar Port, a major part of the One Belt, One Road initiative in Pakistan, on Oct. 4, 2017. (Amelie Herenstein/AFP/Getty Images)

On Feb. 13, 2017, Sheng Songcheng, director of the Department of Investigation and Statistics of the Peoples Bank of China, told the CCP media Peoples Daily that with the further facilitation of trade and investment in countries along the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI), the economic and financial cooperation between China and the countries along the route will become closer. The establishment of the AIIB and Silk Road Fund will promote the opening of Chinas capital account and the process of internationalizing the Chinese yuan.

Third, the CCP is using the AIIBs equity and debt rights to tie up member countries in order to isolate the United States internationally.

On March 30, 2015, the International Business Times published an article entitled AIIBs Circle of Friends Expands to 42, US Increasingly Isolated. The article stated, The U.S. is becoming increasingly isolated as more and more U.S. allies apply to join the China-led AIIB.

According to a report by Yahoo, the CCP uses the BRI to provide strategic loans to small and vulnerable countries, and pursues debt diplomacy in 16 countries, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in order to obtain strategic resources and expand its political influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Indian scholar Qirani said that Beijings BRI and the AIIB are in fact credit imperialism, using cheap loans to threaten and tie up partner countries and deprive them of natural assets, stated the report.

For example, in 2017, saddled by its overwhelming loan debt to Beijing, Sri Lanka had to sign a 99-year lease for the use of its Hambantota Port. The agreement has given the CCP an important strategic foothold along commercial and military shipping lanes and has raised alarm in other countries participating in the BRI projects.

Fourth, the AIIB is used to promote the export of Chinas excess production capacity.

According to the Yahoo report, through AIIBs China Import and Export Bank and China Development Bank, the CCP promotes BRI infrastructure projects by rejecting competitive bidding and handing lucrative contracts directly to Chinese state-owned enterprises, which have little incentive to take into account the concerns of local people. A study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, shows that 89 percent of all Beijing-funded infrastructure projects are undertaken by Chinese companies.

Canadas Parliament Recommends Withdrawal From AIIB

As reported by Apple Daily on Feb. 18, 2021, the Finance Committee of the House of Commons of Canada released a report recommending that Canada withdraw from investing in the CCP-led AIIB. Wayne Easter, the committee chairman and a senior member of the ruling Liberal Party, said that the Canadian government needs to recognize the serious threat that the CCP poses to Western democracies, as well as its growing influence in Canada, which is actively penetrating all walks of life in Canada.

In 2017, the Trudeau government contributed $995 million to join the AIIB, a move that the Conservative Party has always opposed. In addition, Global Affairs Canada has warned that Beijings motive for establishing the bank is to use its economic clout to export its authoritarian governance model around the world, according to the report.

Gu Feng is a former media veteran from mainland China who spent many years reporting on the countrys political, economic, and social issues. He is now living in the United States.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
President Joe Biden takes part in a press conference on the final day of the G-7 summit at Cornwall Airport Newquay, near Newquay, Cornwall, on June 13, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Warns and Offers Rare Bit of Praise for Putin Ahead of Meeting

President Joe Biden said that while Russian President Vladimir Putin is a worthy adversary, he warned the Russian leader that the death of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny would hurt Moscows relations with the rest of the world.

Navalnys death would be another indication that Russia has little or no intention of abiding by basic fundamental human rights, Biden said during a NATO summit press conference on Monday, coming a day ahead of his scheduled meeting with Putin.

It would be a tragedy. It would do nothing but hurt his relationships with the rest of the world, in my view, and with me, the president said.

Among other concerns, Western powers have expressed concerns about Russias treatment of Navalny, who has accused Putin of poisoning him. Previously, Biden called on the Russian president to release Navalny.

The president also made mention of Ukraine, which has been subject to renewed fighting and military tensions in its eastern Donbas region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently began pushing for Ukraine to be accepted into NATO amid reports Russia still has a heavy deployment of troops and armor along the border.

I shared with our allies what Ill convey to President Putin, that Im not looking for conflict with Russia, but that we will respond if Russia continues its harmful activities. We will not fail to defend the transatlantic alliance or stand up for democratic values. As allies, we also affirmed our continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Biden said.

Then-Vice President Joe Biden (L), shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on March 10, 2011. The pair are set to meet in Geneva in June 2021. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

But also on Monday, Biden offered a rare bit of praise for Putin.

Hes bright, hes tough, and Ive found that he isas they say when I used to play balla worthy adversary, Biden said of Putin.

During the NATO meeting, Biden affirmed his support for NATO, which was often derided by his predecessor. President Donald Trump frequently asserted that NATO member nations werent paying enough or contributing their fair share, forcing the United States to do all the heavy lifting.

NATO member states on Monday issued a sharp rebuke of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over its growing military ambitions.

The Group of Seven (G-7), a day before that, issued a similar statement about the CCPs repeated human rights violations in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and in other areas, as well as unfair economic policies.

As you know, the last time the G-7 met, there was no mention of China. But this time there is mention of China. The G-7 explicitly agreed to call out human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, Biden said Monday of the Group of Seven (G-7) meeting. I know this is going to sound somewhat prosaic, but I think were in a contest, not with China per se, but a contest with autocrats, autocratic governments around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in the rapidly changing 21st century.
Israel's designated new prime minister, Naftali Bennett speaks during a Knesset session in Jerusalem, on June 13, 2021. (Ariel Schali22/Ap Photo)

Biden Welcomes New Israeli Government, Reaffirms Security Support

WASHINGTONU.S. President Joe Biden said the United States remained committed to Israels security and would work with its new government after Israels parliament ended Benjamin Netanyahus 12-year run as prime minister on Sunday.

In a statement that made no mention of Netanyahu, Biden welcomed the new government coalition led by Naftali Bennett and sought to reaffirm U.S.Israel ties.

The White House said Biden spoke with Bennett on Sunday to offer his warm congratulations.

Biden expressed his firm intent to deepen cooperation between the United States and Israel on the many challenges and opportunities facing the region. The leaders agreed that they and their teams would consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran, the White House said.

United States remains unwavering in its support for Israels security, Biden said in an earlier statement. My administration is fully committed to working with the new Israeli government to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region.

By contrast, Biden did not speak to Netanyahu for nearly a month after the U.S. president took office on Jan. 20.

Head of Opposition Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Israeli Prime minister Naftali Bennett (R) shake hands following the vote on the new coalition at the Knesset, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem, on June 13, 2021. (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken also issued statements welcoming their counterparts in the new Israeli government.

Bennett, a former defense minister and a high-tech millionaire, won by a thin 6059 majority vote.

Netanyahu, Israels longest-serving leader, vowed to return to power soon.

If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country, he said.

By Susan Heavey
Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a hearing before Senate Foreign Relations Committee at Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, on June 8, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Blinken Says Beijing Must Cooperate in Future Investigations Into CCP Virus Origins

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on June 13 that Beijing must work with further investigations into the origins of the CCP virus. He added that Chinas failure to cooperate was one reason that the World Health Organizations initial report didnt go well.

China has to cooperate with that, Blinken told CBSs Face the Nation of the World Health Organizations (WHO) second phase of investigations. Transparency, access for international experts, information sharingthat has to happen. And again, I think youre seeing countries coming together to insist on that.

Blinken said the initial reporta phase one study published by the WHO in Marchhad real problems with it, not the least of which was Chinas failure to cooperate.

Related Coverage Trump Halts WHO Funding Over Its Handling of the CCP Virus

The report was based on findings by a WHO-led investigation team that conducted groundwork in the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this year. Wuhan is where the first cluster of COVID-19 cases emerged, after which Chinese authorities linked these cases to a local wet market.

However, Beijing refused to provide raw data on the early COVID-19 cases to the investigation team. Meanwhile, critics have noted that the WHO investigation lacks independence, as some team members have ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The initial report adhered to Beijings preferred stances on the viruss origin and concluded that the possibility of the virus originating from a lab leak was extremely unlikely. Beijing had pushed a natural zoonotic hypothesisthat the virus had transmitted to humans from an animal host.

China has a major biological research facility in Wuhan, called the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been doing research on bat coronaviruses for more than a decade. The facility is about a 30-minute drive from the wet market.

A January fact sheet released by the State Department and an undisclosed U.S. intelligence report first reported by The Wall Street Journal both state that there were sick individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 in autumn 2019. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP virus.

On June 13, Group of Seven (G-7) leaders issued a joint statement calling for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened Phase 2 COVID-19 Origins study including, as recommended by the experts report, in China.

Blinken said: Coming out of this, we need a couple of things. We need to understand what happened. We need to get to the bottom of it. And were working on that through the WHO. Were also working on that ourselves.

Late last month, President Joe Biden ordered the intelligence community to redouble their efforts to probe the origins of the virus and produce a report to him within 90 days.

In a separate interview on June 13, Blinken told Fox News that G-7 leaders had agreed that Beijings cooperation is needed moving forward.

The leaders of the G-7 have come together insisting that China cooperate with the so-called phase two study by the WHO to really get to the bottom of what happened, Blinken said.

We need to get to the bottom of what happened. We need accountability, but we also need to understand what happened, why it happened, how it happened if were going to be able to put in place the necessary measures to prevent it from happening again, or at least to be in a better place to mitigate the next pandemic if we cant fully prevent one.

WHO head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the G-7 on June 12 also called on China to cooperate with the second phase of the WHOs investigation.

This is very tragic, and I think the respect these people [COVID-19 victims] deserve is knowing what the origin of this virus is so that we can prevent it from happening again, he told a media briefing.

We will need co-operation from the Chinese side, he said. We need transparency in order to find the origin of this virus.
Aung San Suu Kyi attends the 32nd anniversary of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Naypyidaw, Burma, on Sept. 27, 2020. (Thet Aung/AFP via Getty Images)

Burma Puts Suu Kyi on Trial on Charges Critics Call Bogus

BANGKOKBurma (also known as Myanmar)s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial Monday on charges that many observers say are an attempt by the junta that deposed her to eliminate her as a political force, erase the countrys democratic gains and cement the militarys power.

Suu Kyis prosecution poses yet another major setback for Burma, which had been making slow progress toward democracy when a February coup prevented elected lawmakers from her National League for Democracy party from taking office following last years landslide victory.

Human Rights Watch said that the allegations being heard in a special court in the capital, Naypyitaw, are bogus and politically motivated with the intention of nullifying the victory and preventing Suu Kyi from running for office again.

This trial is clearly the opening salvo in an overall strategy to neuter Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy party as a force that can challenge military rule in the future, said Phil Robertson, the organizations deputy Asia director.

The army seized power on Feb. 1 before the new lawmakers could be seated, and arrested Suu Kyi, who held the post of special counselor, President Win Myint and other members of her government and the ruling party. The Southeast Asian country went seemingly overnight from an emerging democracy to the international pariah it had been for decades while under military rule.

The army justified its coup by alleging the government failed to properly investigate accusations of voting irregularities. Since then it has said it has found evidence of fraudan assertion contested by the independent Asian Network for Free Elections and many others. Junta officials have threatened to dissolve the National League for Democracy and any conviction for Suu Kyi could see her barred from politics.

The junta has claimed it will hold new elections within the next year or two, but the countrys military has a long history of promising elections and not following through. The military ruled Burma for 50 years after a coup in 1962, and kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years after a failed 1988 popular uprising.

A protester holds a sign with an image of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they prepare to face off against security forces during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on March 5, 2021. (STR / AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

The militarys latest takeover sparked nationwide protests that continue despite a violent crackdown that has killed hundreds of people. Although street demonstrations have shrunk in number and scale, the junta now faces a low-level armed insurrection by opponents in both rural and urban areas.

The trial against the 75-year-old Suu Kyi is closed, but her lawyers said at the end of the days hearing that the prosecution began presenting its case.

Suu Kyi has been charged with illegally importing walkie-talkies for her bodyguards use, unlicensed use of the radios, and spreading information that could cause public alarm or unrest, as well as for two counts of violating the Natural Disaster Management Law for allegedly breaking pandemic restrictions during the 2020 election campaign, her lawyers said Sunday.

All these charges should be dropped, resulting in her immediate and unconditional release, said Human Rights Watchs Robertson. But sadly, with the restrictions on access to her lawyers, and the case being heard in front of a court that is wholly beholden to the military junta, there is little likelihood she will receive a fair trial.

Government prosecutors will have until June 28 to finish their presentation, after which Suu Kyis defense team will have until July 26 to present its case, Khin Maung Zaw, the teams senior member, said last week. Court sessions are due to be held on Monday and Tuesday each week.

Two other more serious charges against Suu Kyi are being handled separately: one for breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum 14-year prison term, and another for bribery, which has a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine.

Although Suu Kyi faced her first charge just days after the February coup, she was not allowed her first face-to-face meeting with her lawyers until May 24, when she made her first actual appearance in court for a pre-trial hearing. Since then, she had another brief meeting with them before seeing them in court Monday.

A photo of her May 24 appearance released by state media showed her sitting straight-backed in a small courtroom, wearing a pink face mask, her hands folded in her lap. Alongside her were her two co-defendants, the former president as well as the former mayor of Naypyitaw, Myo Aung.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks on his racial equity agenda in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 26, 2021. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Campus Free Speech Caucus to Combat Indoctrination in Higher Education: GOP Congress Members

Republican congress members Monday announced the creation of a caucus that aims to raise the awareness of lawmakers about the lack of free speech on college campuses.

Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) are teaming up with the Young American Foundation (YAF) to form the Campus Free Speech Caucus, which they say will fight against the indoctrination happening in higher education.

YAF was founded in 1960 by William F. Buckley with a mission of ensuring that young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values.

Speaking to Fox News about the way colleges and universities stifle free speech or opinions that go against the quasi-Marxist critical race theory currently being disseminated in schools, Cammack said, These are not higher education institutions. These are indoctrination camps.

We are going to be holding these institutions accountable and giving these conservative students an outlet where they can bring their stories to us and we can educate our colleagues on the dangers of the indoctrination that is happening on our college campuses, said Cammack.

Higher education courses that teach critical race theory (CRT), which focuses on systemic racism and white privilege, are increasingly being offered or required on college campuses throughout American states like California, New Jersey, and Michigan.

CRT is an academic framework used to assess inequity in higher education and originated in the 1970s when legal scholars and anti-racist activists began exploring what they identified as racism being perpetuated in the laws and policies of the nation.

Offshoots of the CRT model emerged, like the controversial 1619 Project published by the New York Times, which has been criticized for attempting to rewrite American history as fundamentally racist and disregarding the merits of the nations founding documents.

While the Trump administration came out against CRT, the Biden administration has put CRT as its top priority and included equitywhich emphasizes equality of outcome, rather than equal opportunityas its focus for all legislation.

Thats why I issued, among the first days, my whole-of-government executive order that will, for the first time, advance equity for all throughout our federal policies and institutions. He added, I will be reaffirming the federal governments commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The White House did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

Republicans in Congress have begun to push back against CRT being taught in schools and other government institutions like the Department of Defense, saying the theory is divisive; focuses on skin color, rather than the content of character espoused by civil rights icon Martin Luther King; and is factually false.

Jordan said that taxpayer dollars should not go to schools that push this agenda and teaches students to hate the United States, whether those are colleges or K-12 institutions.

Its most drastic on college campuses as [Cammack] points out and thats why were forming his caucus to push back and stand up for the Bill of Rights, for the Constitution, and most importantly, for your free speech rights under the First Amendment, said Jordan.

The caucuss goal is to raise awareness about the lack of free speech on campuses among local and federal legislators by highlighting students experiences. Jordan and Cammack will meet with YAF leadership and students monthly to learn about the latest attacks on free speech to share with fellow members of Congress.
Chamber of Commerce CEO Defends Endorsing Democrats, Says Ties With GOP Remain Strong

U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC) president and CEO Suzanne Clark told Axios in an interview that the business group was right to endorse nearly two dozen House Democrats this past year, despite reports that the move has put a strain on the organizations relationship with Republicans.

Clark, who took over as head of the USCC in March, said the group ignores party affiliation when seeking to build coalitions with lawmakers on priority issues. She said the endorsed House Democrats really helped push businesss number one priority, which was the free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, over the finish line, according to Axios.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) took effect on July 1, 2020, with the USCC hailing its passage as providing job creators with the certainty they need to invest, hire, and grow, while describing the deal as one that would foster prosperity for our societies for years to come.

Ahead of the November 2020 election, the USCC drew scrutiny for backing 23 first-term Democrats. Neil Bradley, the Chambers executive vice president, wrote in a Twitter post at the time that the USCC selects candidates for endorsement based upon scorecards on issues, rather than along party lines.

While some focus on @USChamber endorsing 23 freshmen Ds, take note, Chamber also just endorsed GOP challengers to 4 freshmen Ds b/c they were below 70 [percent] on scorecard & challengers earned endorsement, he wrote.

Bradley also released a list of the 29 Republican freshmen the USCC endorsed.

The USCCs announcement that it was endorsing Democrats drew critical reactions from Republicans, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) calling the move hypocritical and rejecting any potential endorsement of himself by the organization.

I dont want the U.S. Chambers endorsement because they have sold out, McCarthy said in an interview with Fox News. It is hypocrisy that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce would endorse the Democrats that are part of this socialist agenda that is driving this country out, and its fighting this president.

In the interview with Axios, Clark was asked about the USCCs relationship with Democrats and Republicans in Washington, which she described as strong on both counts. She was immediately challenged on that assertion by Axios reporter Mike Allen, who argued the Chambers relationship with Republicans had become weaker and marked by hard feelings about those endorsements.

Clark said her own impression of conversations with lawmakers on Capitol Hill was different, while standing by her characterization that those relationships are strong.

One of the USCCs current priorities is encouraging a bipartisan resolution of negotiations on an infrastructure plan.

President Joe Biden kicked off infrastructure negotiations earlier this year when he announced a $2.3 trillion package that would be funded in part from a corporate tax rate hike.

Republicans opposed the package because the tax hike would partially roll back a key provision of their 2017 tax reform bill, and because Bidens package included pieces deemed unrelated to infrastructure, such as $500 billion for elder and disabled care.

Negotiations led to a $1.7 trillion counteroffer from the White House and a $978 billion plan from Republicans.

Talks between Republicans and the White House hit a roadblock last week, turning instead to a bipartisan Senate group, which stated on June 10 that it had reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic compromise framework to modernize our nations infrastructure and energy technologies, at a cost of $1.25 trillion.

Bradley, the USCCs executive vice president, issued a statement hailing the bipartisan discussions, urging lawmakers to find common ground and avoid divisive procedures, referring to potentially advancing the infrastructure bill through budget reconciliation, without the need for Republican support.

Recent infrastructure proposals by Senator Capito, yesterdays plan by the Problem Solvers Caucus, and ongoing negotiations among the core group of bipartisan Senators proves there are paths that will lead to a bill that can be signed into law, Bradley wrote. We strongly encourage Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate to continue those efforts and avoid unnecessary, divisive, and time-consuming reconciliation procedures.

We commend those Members of Congress who are dedicated to doing the hard work of finding common ground.

In the negotiations, Republicans have taken the view that an infrastructure deal should be more narrowly tailored to focus on physical needs such as investment in roads, bridges, and public transport, while Democrats have sought to include so-called human infrastructure in the package, such as child care, as well as climate change priorities.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Chicago Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot leaves the Rainbow PUSH Coalition after a unity press conference with mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle in Chicago, Ill., on April 3, 2019. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Chicago Mayors Attorneys Say Discrimination Against White Reporters Lasted Only 2 Days

Attorneys for Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot reportedly admitted in a court filing that her office had put a racially discriminatory interview policy in place for two days.

Lightfoot is facing a civil rights lawsuit by the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) and Judicial Watch for denying an interview request from DCNF reporter Thomas Catenacci, who is white, after the Democratic mayor declared she was granting in-person interviews only to non-white journalists.

The filing, obtained by Judicial Watch, came in response to a court injunction ordering the mayors office to clarify the the status of the interview policy and whether it would stay in place. Lightfoots attorneys argued that her policy of granting interviews exclusively to non-white journalists had been only enforced for a specific two-day period, and therefore the court injunction against the policy is no longer needed.

As announced by the Mayor in the May 19 letter invoked by Plaintiffs, the conduct was on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of inauguration as Mayor, the filing read. For these reasons, counsel indicated that Plaintiffs request for preliminary injunctive relief is moot, as the challenged conduct is not continuing.

The attorneys also said in the filing that the mayors office has no plans to reinstate the racially exclusive interview policy, according to Judicial Watch.

Mayor Lightfoots office today shockingly confirmed to a federal court that she discriminates on the basis of race in the conduct of her public office, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a press release on June 11. This racism is blatantly unconstitutional.

Lightfoot last week defended her refusal to grant interviews to white journalists, calling it a long overdue conversation about diversity in newsrooms in coverage.

Im the mayor of the third-largest city in the country. Im an African American woman, to state the obvious. Every day when I look out across my podium, I dont see people who look like me, Lightfoot said during an interview with CNN. But more to the point, I dont see people who reflect the richness and diversity of the city.

It cant be that in the city of Chicago with all of the talent that we have that we cant find diverse journalists of color, she added.

Lightfoots interview policy caused a debate about whether public officials get to pick their reporters. Gregory Pratt, a Chicago Tribune reporter who covers Chicagos city hall, said his team turned down an interview offer after learning about the policy.

I am a Latino reporter @chicagotribune whose interview request was granted for today, Pratt wrote. However, I asked the mayors office to lift its condition on others and when they said no, we respectfully canceled. Politicians dont get to choose who covers them.
Williams Memorial Chapel, College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Missouri on April 30, 2016. (Nan Fry via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0)

College Asks Appeals Court to Void Order Ending Gender-Specific Facilities

Attorneys for the College of the Ozarks in Missouri are asking the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit in Kansas City to void a federal directive forcing the school to end gender-specific living facilities.

The regulation prompting the litigation was issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) following President Joe Bidens signing of an executive order on his first day in the Oval Office directing all federal agencies to reinterpret Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in light of the Supreme Courts 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County.

That court decision held that prohibitions on sex-based discrimination must include an individuals gender identity and sexual orientation. Based on Bidens order, HUD officials, led by Secretary Marcia Fudge, a former Democratic congresswoman from Ohio, issued a Feb. 11 directive that bars any recipient of federal funds for any purpose from segregating bathrooms, showers, and other living quarters on the basis of gender.

The directive applies to all colleges and universities that admit students who receive federal education assistance loans. Dozens of faith-based private colleges across the country maintain separate living quarters for male and female students.

Plaintiff College of the Ozarks needs urgent relief to stop the government from threatening crippling penalties against it and other private religious colleges unless they open girls dormitories to males and cease speaking about their housing policies, the school said in its petition filed on June 11.

In February, with no public notice or opportunity for comment, the government issued a directive redefining the Fair Housing Act (FHA) to prohibit sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination and mandating full enforcement nationwide, including for college student housing.

When the college sought protection from this mandate, the district court denied an injunction and sua sponte dismissed the case as nonjusticiable, declaring that the directive is a non-binding policy statement. That is error.

The directive is reviewable final agency action that imposes immediate obligations on the college, coupled with threats of crippling fines and even criminal prosecution.

The appeal was prompted by the June 4 decision of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Southern Division, to deny the schools motion for a temporary restraining order and to dismiss the suit.

The court cited the importance of judicial restraint to justify its decision to deny the motion and dismiss the case.

The court recognizes the significance and sensitivity of the underlying societal issues of this case. It is this recognition that warrants the courts caution in making its ruling here and illustrates the importance of employing judicial restraint, the district court stated in its decision.

The district court also stated that the school had failed to demonstrate any likely injury that is fairly traceable to the governments housing directive.

College of the Ozarks is represented in the litigation by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an Arizona-based public interest law firm that specializes in religious liberty and other First Amendment issues.

The firm has won 12 Supreme Court victories since 2001, including the landmark Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which affirmed that an individual couldnt be required to provide a service or message that conflicted with his or her religious views.

Its entirely inappropriateas well as unconstitutionalfor the government to force private religious schools to open girls dorm rooms to males or vice-versa, said ADF senior counsel Julie Marie Blake in a June 14 statement.

President Biden is punishing religious schools, organizations, and churches simply because of their beliefs about marriage and biological sex. Schools like the College of the Ozarks are free to follow the faith tradition they represent. Thats why we are asking the Eighth Circuit to halt enforcement of this unconstitutional directive while our lawsuit proceeds, Blake said.

Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott may be contacted at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seal hangs on a fence at the agency's headquarters in Washington on Dec. 11, 2014. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Crime Victims Lose Their VOICE

Biden shuts down office for victims of crimes committed by criminals illegally present in the United States

Commentary

The Biden administration announced on June 11 that it has dismantled the Victim Of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE), an agency established by former President Trump in 2017 to help victims of crimes committed by criminals illegally present in the United States. ABC News said the move symbolizes President Joe Bidens rejection of former President Donald Trumps repeated efforts to link immigrants to crime. News stories on VOICE failed to include some high-profile cases.

In late 2018, Gustavo Perez Arriaga, also known as Paulo Virgen Mendoza, gunned down California police officer Ronil Singh, a legal immigrant from Fiji. The false-documented illegal, a Mexican national, fled the scene, aided by other illegals.

He pulled the trigger on my son and changed our life forever, Singhs mother Rohini Lata Singh testified. Singhs widow Amanika Chand-Singh, 31, told the court, What do I say about a person who had decided to murder a 33-year-old police officer, made his 31-year-old wife a widow, and a 5-month-old child a son without a father?

As the Fresno Bee reported in 2018, the Salvadoran MS-13 gang had launched a reign of terror, with at least 14 murders in the California town of Mendota. When federal officials stepped in, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, once on Hillary Clintons short list as a running mate, said he was not concerned with the gangs status. Californias sanctuary laws protect illegals, even the violent criminals among them.

In July 2015, Kate Steinle, 32, and her father were strolling on a San Francisco pier when Mexican Jose Inez Garcia Zarate, illegally present in the United States, discharged a firearm and claimed Steinles life. The false-documented Zarate used many aliases and had been repeatedly deported before finding sanctuary in San Francisco.

A portion of the wall under construction on the U.S.-Mexico border seen from Chihuahua State in Mexico, some 62 miles (100 km) from the city of Ciudad Juarez, on Aug. 28, 2019. (Herika Martinez/AFP/Getty Images)

In 2014 in Sacramento, California, Mexican national Luis Bracamontes, illegally present in the United States, gunned down police officers Danny Oliver and Michael Davis Jr. In court, Bracamontes said he wished hed killed more cops and yelled Black lives dont matter at Anthony Holmes, wounded in the attack. The murderer also hurled racist slurs at African American relatives of the victims and members of the jury. Such attacks by false-documented illegals are not new.

In 1971, also in California, previously deported Mexican national Juan Corona murdered 25 Americans: Charles Fleming, Melford Sample, Donald Smith, John J. Haluka, Warren Kelley, Sigurd Beierman, William Emery Kamp, Clarence Hocking, James W. Howard, Jonah R. Smallwood, Elbert T. Riley, Paul B. Allen, Edward Martin Cupp, Albert Hayes, Raymond Muchache, John H. Jackson, Lloyd Wallace Wenzel, Mark Beverly Shields, Sam Bonafide, and Joseph Maczak. Four others were not identified.

The victims, hideously mutilated with a machete, included African Americans and Native Americans who had been working in local orchards. The mass murder spree was one of the worst crimes in U.S. history.

Back in 2014, then Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed that illegals are already Americans, effectively canceling U.S. immigration law. Biden has now essentially opened the border to all comers and the mass influx takes place during a pandemic when legitimate citizens and legal immigrants face still restrictions on travel. That many of the newcomers could be criminals or terrorists does not seem to be an issue for the Delaware Democrat.

Statements from Biden on the Kate Steinle, Danny Oliver, and Ronil Singh cases are hard to find. In a political career that goes back to 1972, Biden has never been a high-profile defender of crime victims. Last year, with violent riots in cities across the nation, Biden said Antifa was only an idea. In 2021, Biden seems determined to reverse everything Trump achieved, regardless of its success.

Bidens Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to replace VOICE with The Victims Engagement and Services Line, supposedly a more comprehensive and inclusive system that will allow reporting of mistreatment at immigration centers, and will designate visas for victims of human trafficking. Stephen Miller, who had a hand in Trump immigration policies, compared it to allowing drug dealers to get help from the Drug Enforcement Administration for their crimes.

DHS director Alejandro Mayorkas previously headed USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) and pushed for approval of virtually all applications for immigration benefits. Mayorkas was also the architect of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. In practice, Bidens DHS boss is more of an agent for false-documented illegals than an upholder of U.S. law and sovereignty.

Joe Bidens DHS is now flying the migrants all over the country for processing. A ballpark figure for the chances that any will be returned to their own countries is zero. The intent, legitimate citizens and legal immigrants could be forgiven for believing, is to expand an imported electorate. Likewise, if legitimate citizens and legal immigrants thought crime by illegals is now certain to increase, it would be hard to blame them.

Lloyd Billingsley is the author of Yes I Con: United Fakes of America, Barack em Up: A Literary Investigation, Hollywood Party, and other books. His articles have appeared in many publications, including Frontpage Magazine, City Journal, The Wall Street Journal, and American Greatness. Billingsley serves as a policy fellow with the Independent Institute.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Javier Villalobos, third from the left, in a local event on May 21, 2021. (Courtesy of the City of McAllen)

GOP Mayor-Elect of Town That Is 85 Percent Latino Says Latinos Are Opening Their Eyes

The mayor-elect of a Texas border city with a population that is around 85 percent Latino claimed that Latino voters are switching from Democrat to Republican in light of recent policy proposals.

Well, during the past election, its amazing what happened here in South Texas, Javier Villalobos, the mayor-elect of McAllen, Texas, told Fox News over the weekend. I think genuinely the Hispanic community is very conservative, yet, traditionally, they voted Democrat. Its amazing what happened this past election. I think our numbers as far as conservative voters were up substantially. We finally, finally, have competition in South Texas. So I think its [going to] open up the doors for a lot of people.

Earlier this month, Villalobos won the McAllen mayoral election with roughly 51 percent of the vote over his opponent, Veronica Vela Whitacre.

McAllen is located at the southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, which has seen a significant uptick in illegal border crossings in recent months. Both Villalobos and Whitacre, during their respective campaigns, suggested that the federal government needs to handle the surge of illegal immigration.

According to the 2010 census, Latinos or Hispanics make up 84.6 percent of the citys population.

Local races in Texas are typically nonpartisan, which means that party affiliation is generally not listed on the ballot. Candidates, however, often affiliate themselves with political parties. During the campaign, Villalobosa former Republican county chairmanpromoted the Republican-aligned policy position of lower taxes and campaigned against unnecessary spending.

Outgoing Democrat Mayor Jim Darling had endorsed Villalobos.

Villalobos told Fox News that the recent election results suggest that Latino voters are embracing Republicans more than they had before.

There are a lot of individuals, including older individuals, that have forever voted Democrat are opening up their eyes, accepting different ideas, both social and economic, he said. We expect next election, that we will have the same type of results.

We have candidates now running for Congress, when a lot of times it was very difficult to field a candidate down here, especially local elections. I think things are going to be changing.

According to The Texan newspapers Partisan Index, several South Texas counties including Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Maverick, and Starr shifted Republican by about 20 percent in favor of former President Donald Trump. Trump lost Hidalgo County, where McAllen is located, but the county shifted 13 percent in favor of the Republican candidate.

Following Villaloboss win, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, weighed in.

Javier is a proven leader who cares deeply about the McAllen community, he said.
The exterior of the Houston Methodist Hospital is seen in Houston, Texas, on June 9, 2021. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Hospital Workers Appeal Ruling That Dismissed Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit

A group of former and current workers at a hospital system in Texas on Monday appealed a judges ruling two days prior that dismissed their vaccine mandate lawsuit.

The plaintiffs, who sued the Houston Methodist Hospital system, appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Over 100 former and current employees filed the lawsuit last month, arguing that their employer mandating they get the vaccine as a condition of continued employment amounted to an attempt to force participation in an experimental vaccine trial.

The three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the United States have not received approval from drug regulators.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes on June 12 dismissed the lawsuit, asserting the vaccines are not experimental or dangerous. Hughes, a Reagan appointee, also ruled that receiving a vaccine would not be an illegal act, so termination for refusing to get a jab would not be a wrongful termination.

Lead plaintiff Jennifer Bridges says that she is being forced to be injected with a vaccine or be fired.

This is not coercion. Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients, and their families safer. Bridges can freely choose to accept or refuse a COVID-19 vaccine; however, if she refuses, she will simply need to work somewhere else, Hughes said.

After filing the appeal Monday, Jared Woodfill, attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Epoch Times in an email that the suit is just one battle in a larger war to protect the rights of employees to be free from being forced to participate in a vaccine trial as a condition for employment.

Woodfill said that being employed should not be conditioned on serving as a human guinea pig and vowed to pursue the case to the Supreme Court if necessary.

If this ruling is allowed to stand, employers across the country will be able to force their employees to participate in a vaccine trial as a condition for employment. This legal battle has only just begun. Ultimately, I believe Methodist Hospital will be held accountable for their conduct. Sometimes the wheels of justice move slower than we like, he wrote.

Gale Smith, a spokesperson for the hospital system, declined to comment on the appeal.

Dr. Marc Boom, the systems president and CEO, said over the weekend that Hughes ruling meant that we can now put this behind us and continue our focus on unparalleled safety, quality, service, and innovation.

All our employees have now met the requirements of the vaccine policy and I couldnt be prouder of them, he added. Our employees and physicians made their decisions for our patients, who are always at the center of everything we do. They have fulfilled their sacred obligation as health care workers, and we couldnt ask for a more dedicated, caring, and talented team.
How Special Interest Groups Are Shaping Californias Policies | David Crane

California lost over 180,000 people over the last year, with many people blaming the cost of living as the root cause of the exodus.

However, my guest David Crane has different viewpoints. He is a lecturer in Public Policy at Stanford University and president of Govern for California.

He discusses the underlying reasons for the exodus and the influence of special interests in the state capital.

California Insider is an Epoch Times show available on YouTube, Rumble, Youmaker, and The Epoch Times website. It also airs on cable on NTD America. Find out where you can watch us on TV.

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Independent journalist Andy Ngo during an interview with The Epoch Times in February 2021. (The Epoch Times)

Journalist Andy Ngo on Antifa Attack: I Knew If They Got Me, Theyd Kill Me

Journalist and author Andy Ngo, who has spent years documenting the activities of the anarcho-communist group Antifa, on June 12 recounted the moment he was chased and assaulted by members in Portland last month.

Ngo, an independent investigative journalist and author of Unmasked: Inside Antifas Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy, was attacked on May 28 while covering a rally on the one-year anniversary of George Floyds death.

In an interview with NTDs The Nation Speaks, Ngo said that because much of his reporting requires firsthand field observations, he decided to go undercover to observe how Antifas tactics and strategies have changed since last year.

The riots are still ongoing in Portlandnot as intense and frequent, but theyre still happening, and the consequences are still being felt, said Ngo. So I was out on the ground in disguise, marching along with them. For whatever reason, they became suspicious.

The journalist said he believes Antifa members grew suspicious because he refused to engage in criminal activities unlike some of the other comrades.

They interrogated me and pulled off my mask and goggles, saw my face and shouted, Thats him, thats him, get him, he said.

Ngo said Antifa members pursued him through downtown Portland, while bystanders looked on.

I was running in the middle of the road  sprinting for my life, he said, adding that a member eventually tackled him to the ground at Pioneer Place Mall, and allegedly punched him in his head and face.

It was at that point that Ngo feared for his life.

And in those moments, when I was pinned down, I could hear the rest of them all pursuing and I knew if they got me, they would kill me. They had already been promising that for two years at this point.

The Antifa member who had pinned him down was momentarily distracted by two journalists who were photographing and videoing, and Ngo was able to crawl forward and escape to The Nines hotel, he said.

I was escorted out through it to a discreet exit in the back. There were SWAT police, dozens of them in the front trying to restore order because of how violent this mob was and how angry they were. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital, Ngo said.

Photos of the incident show that Ngo was scraped, bleeding, and bruised.

Prior to the May 28 attack, Ngo was brutally assaulted while he was covering one of Antifas protests in 2019. The scene was captured by a local reporter in video footage that shows Antifa members punching him in the face, kicking him, and hurling cups of a white substance at the journalist. Portland Police later said the cups contained quick-drying cement mixed into milkshakes. He sustained a brain hemorrhage, which doctors said could have been fatal.

But such threats and dangers dont frighten or deter Ngo from his continued coverage of Antifa. The journalist told NTD that he feels its his duty and responsibility to inform the world about the true nature of the group.

I do it because right now, theres nobody yet to pass the baton on to. I feel this responsibility for me to continue because I love the United States, I love the country that gave my parents asylum, a home for me, and the opportunities I have, Ngo said.

I look forward to the day, hopefully, that I dont just pass on the baton to one person, but many, many journalists.

He said that more must be done to ensure the safety of journalists who choose to cover Antifa in the United States.

I think what particularly makes me such a lightning target point is that theres very few doing what I do, he said.

I was severely injured for it. That is the cost of doing this type of coverage in America. I think that is whats particularly damning about this whole thing, he said. Its not just the incidence of violence against me, but what it says about press freedom in the United States and where the real threat is coming from that nobodys talking about.

Antifas origins can be traced back to the anti-fascist movement in Germany, which was part of the Soviet Unions front operations to incite a communist revolution in the European country. In the United States, the group claims that its members are fighting fascism, but instead labels parties and individuals who dont align with its ideology as fascists to justify its use of violence against them.

The group has frequently made headlines for its violent attacks on opposing groups, particularly supporters of former President Donald Trump, whom they have branded as fascists.

FBI Director Christopher Wray in September 2020 described Antifa as more of an ideological movement than an organization.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
Rep. Claudia Tenney speaks in Washington on March 10, 2021. (Ken Cedeno-Pool/Getty Images) Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 27, 2019. (York Du/NTD)

Lawmakers Introduce Resolution to Censure the Squad for Inciting Anti-Semitic Attacks

A group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a censure resolution against four House Democrats, accusing them of defending terrorist organizations and inciting anti-Semitic attacks across the nation.

The resolution, introduced by Reps. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), seeks to censure Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

The representatives, who are often referred to as the Squada group of far-left members of the Househave been the subject of a number of controversies, with the most recent coming after Omar compared the United States and Israel to terrorist groups like the Taliban and Hamas.

We cannot turn a blind eye to Members of Congress openly defending terrorist attacks by Hamas against our close ally Israel nor their dangerous rhetoric which has contributed to anti-Semitic attacks across the country, Waltz said in a statement on Monday.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) listens to an aide during a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 11, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Ive seen firsthand gross atrocities against women and ethnic minorities at the hands of the Taliban. Ive personally been fired upon by terrorists hiding behind women and children and seen the Taliban place suicide vests on teenagers, he added. For members of the U.S. Congress to make equivalencies to Israel and the American military, which puts its own soldiers at risk to avoid civilian casualties, is ignorant of the facts, shameful, and should be condemned in the strongest terms.

The statement that drew condemnation, including from fellow Democrats, was posted on Twitter by Omar along with a clip of her pressing Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the hearing in question.

We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban, she wrote.

Last week, Omar denied the accusations in a statement, saying that she was in no way comparing terrorist groups with democratic countries with well-established judicial systems.

The resolution also says that each member has referred to Israel as an apartheid state.

Reps. Omar, Tlaib, Pressley, and Cortez have repeatedly denigrated America and our closest ally. Democrat leadership finally responded to their unhinged comments last weekwith a press release, Banks said.

The lawmakers argued that false claims made by the Democratic representatives further perpetrated over social media and resulted in an increase in violence and anti-Semitic hate crimes throughout the country.

Last week, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar compared the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban, Tenney said. Sadly, this is not out of character for The Squad, who have made a habit of trafficking in anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Several other lawmakers defended Omar, including fellow members of the so-called Squad.

(L-R) Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D.N.Y.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) speak at a press conference on the Capitol in Washington on July 15, 2019. (Holly Kellum/NTD)

I am tired of colleagues (both D+R) demonizing Omar, Tlaib said last week. Their obsession with policing her is sick. She has the courage to call out human rights abuses no matter who is responsible. Thats better than colleagues who look away if it serves their politics.

Last week, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to take action against Omar.

Rep. Omars anti-Semitic & anti-American comments are abhorrent, McCarthy said on Twitter. Speaker Pelosis continued failure to address the issues in her caucus sends a message to the world that Democrats are tolerant of anti-Semitism and sympathizing with terrorists. Its time for the speaker to act.

The U.S. Department of State designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997 and the group continues to purposefully target Israeli civilians while launching attacks from schools, hospitals, and playgrounds, the lawmakers said, adding that Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Pressley have continually lied about Israels right to defend itself with attacks coming from Hamas.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.

From NTD
Deputy Prime Minister, not shown, and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland joins Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they participate in a virtual discussion from Ottawa on May 3, 2021, with seniors from Residence Memphremagog in Magog, Quebec. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Liberals Move to Cut Debate, Force Vote on Bill to Implement 2021 Budget

OTTAWAThe Trudeau Liberals moved on Monday to force an end to debate in the House of Commons on the governments budget bill and bring it to a vote.

Bill C-30 contains multiple measures from the April budget, including changes to business and worker supports.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government is worried the bill wont pass on time, causing aid measures to expire at the end of this month just as the economy is reopening.

During a Monday morning news conference, government House leader Pablo Rodriguez blamed Conservative stall tactics for the delay in the budget bill and on three other pieces of legislation the Liberals want passed before parliamentarians head off on a summer break in just over one week.

The other bills are C-6, which would ban conversion therapy and is currently at third reading; C-10, which would amend the Broadcasting Act to make streaming services adhere to Canadian content regulation; and C-12, which would enact climate accountability legislation.

Conservatives argue C-6 is too broad and would prevent people from having conversations with faith leaders about their sexuality and C-10, the Tories say, would limit free speech online. As for C-12, Conservatives say activists were on a panel that advised the government on how to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Rodriguez said he didnt think sitting all summer would be helpful, similar to what MPs did last year during the first summer of COVID-19, adding he didnt think it would change the situation in the House of Commons.

Rodriguez called on progressive parties to help pass government legislation.

While he suggested MPs could just return in the fall, signs are increasingly pointing to a federal election sometime this fall that would reset the legislative agenda. MPs who arent planning on running again are being given time this week to give a farewell address to the House of Commons.

Freeland said the government has no desire for an election, but blamed political theatrics for bogging down the work of the House of Commons on reforms to the wage subsidy and recovery benefits.

These measures run out this month and I strongly believe Canadians need that support, Freeland said.

So it really is time to end the partisan games. It is time to end the theatrics, it is time for all MPs to get to work. And speaking as finance minister, let me just say, to pass the budget.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh decried the Liberals plan to force through Bill C-30 without fixing what he called an unnecessary cut to payments through the Canada Recovery Benefit with hundreds of thousands still out of work.

The budget bill contains provisions to reduce payments to $300 from $500 a week. Similar provisions are in place to wind down the wage subsidy.

Singh said the New Democrats plan to fight the decision, which could throw a wrench into the governments plea to the NDP and Bloc Quebecois to help push their bills through the House of Commons.

Freeland said she hasnt seen anything to persuade her to alter course.

When I look at both the situation with vaccines and with the level of contagion, as well as the economic indicators, right now today, Im really comfortable with the measures we have in place and the plan we have in place, Freeland said.
Live Q&A: Businesses Threaten Tax Strike; Move on China Modeled After World War II Charter

Dozens of businesses in Baltimore, Maryland, are threatening to stop paying local taxes in response to what they say is a decline into lawlessness. And in other news, the U.S. and UK governments have signed a new charter on China, modeled after a similar agreement around World War II focused on stopping tyranny from Germany.

In this live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience.

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Join us today on EpochTV. Weve got a country to save: http://epochtv.com/Crossroads
Low-Level Crack Offenders Are Not Covered Under First Step Act, Unanimous Supreme Court Says

Low-level crack cocaine defendants are not included in the Trump-era First Step Act that reduced some prison sentences, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously.

The courts opinion in Terry v. U.S., court file 20-5904, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, is a defeat for the Biden administration, which had argued that such offenders should be covered under the 2018 statute. Justice Sonia Sotomayor concurred with the result and part of the opinion.

Although then-President Donald Trump signed into law the criminal justice reform measure known as the First Step Act, it was his administrations view that possession of a small amount of crack cocaine wasnt covered under the statute.

The Biden administration reversed course and argued that the defendant in the current case, Tarahrick Terry, deserved a reduction in his 15 1/2-year sentence. The Justice Department reinterpreted Section 404 of the First Step Act, concluding that Terrys conviction was covered under the section, and he is entitled to request a reduced sentence, and the appeals court erred in concluding otherwise, the department advised the court in March.

In the mid-1980s, the United States experienced a steep surge in the use of crack cocaine, and news of high-profile, cocaine-related deaths permeated the media, Thomas wrote. Witnesses before Congress, and Members of Congress themselves, believed that a crack epidemic was also fueling a crime wave.

Crack, they said, was much more addictive and dangerous than cocaine in powder form because it was cheaper, and this contributed to an increase in violent crime, the justice wrote. This prompted Congress to pass legislation with near unanimity creating mandatory minimum penalties for various drug offenses, and setting much lower trigger thresholds for crack offenses.

Then-U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, at the time the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was the partys top point man in Congress on the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which he has acknowledged writing, according to The Washington Post.

His bill punished possession of one gram of crack cocaine the same as 100 grams of powder cocaine. This 100-to-1 ratio was criticized for years as unscientific and racially discriminatory, ensnaring blacks in large numbers as traffickers, even though users at the time were mostly white. The Reagan administration had pressed for a 20-to-1 ratio.

The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 brought the ratio down to 18-to-1, but only for future cases. The First Step Act, signed in 2018 by Trump, made the change retroactive for some offenders.

But not for Terry, according to the Supreme Court, which disagreed with the Biden administration in its June 14 ruling.

In 1986, Congress established mandatory-minimum penalties for cocaine offenses, Thomas wrote for the court.

If the quantity of cocaine involved in an offense exceeded a minimum threshold, then courts were required to impose a heightened sentence. Congress set the quantity thresholds far lower for crack offenses than for powder offenses. But it has since narrowed the gap by increasing the thresholds for crack offenses more than fivefold. The First Step Act of 2018  makes those changes retroactive and gives certain crack offenders an opportunity to receive a reduced sentence. The question here is whether crack offenders who did not trigger a mandatory minimum qualify. They do not.

Thomas explained that the 1986 law included two base penalties that depended on drug quantity: a 5-year mandatory minimum (triggered by 5 grams of crack or 500 grams of powder) and a 10-year mandatory minimum (triggered by 50 grams of crack or 5 kilograms of powder). It also created a third penalty, possession with intent to distribute an unspecified amount of a schedule I or II drugthat did not treat crack and powder offenses differently, did not depend on drug quantity, and did not include a mandatory minimum. Terry was made subject to the third penalty.

An offender, Thomas wrote, is eligible for a sentence reduction under the First Step Act only if he previously received a sentence for an offense covered under the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010.

But the offense wasnt covered under the 2010 statute, Thomas concluded.

Sotomayor wrote in a separate concurring opinion that she agreed with the courts interpretation of the First Step Act and in the judgment, but disagreed with the courts unnecessary, incomplete, and sanitized history of the 100-to-1 ratio.

The full history is far less benign, she wrote. The court noted that black leaders at the time supported tough-on-crime policies, but they also called for federal investment in longer-term, root-cause solutions such as welfare, education, and job training programs, she wrote, quoting from Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America, a book by James Forman Jr.

But the help never arrived, leaving black communities with just the tough-on-crime laws and little else, Sotomayor wrote.

Nor does the court mention that no rationale for the 100-to-1 ratio was provided in the legislative history of the 1986 omnibus crime bill that included the ratio, she wrote, suggesting it was rooted in race-based myths about crack cocaine.
Falun Gong practitioners march in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ongoing persecution in China, in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 20, 2019. (Chen Po-chou/The Epoch Times)

Man Dies in Chinese Detention Center a Day After Being Tried

A Chinese man died a day after appearing in court with his wife for their belief in Falun Gong, a Buddhist spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1999.

On June 6, the family of Guo Zhenfang, from Chinas northern region of Inner Mongolia, were informed by the local police on the phone that Guo had died. They told Minghui.org that the day before, they saw Guo jump out of the car and walk into the court by himself.

When they arrived at the hospital, dozens of plainclothes police were guarding the body of Guo and barred the families from approaching him. Despite this, they were able to see blood on his nose, bruises covering his lower back, and injuries on the inner side of one knee, according to the report.

A doctor revealed Guo had no vital signs when he was brought to the hospital, according to Minghui, a website dedicated to documenting Falun Gongs persecution.

Local authorities did not provide any explanation for his sudden death in the Songshan District Detention Center, but his family believes that he was tortured to death at the Songshan District Detention Center.

The day before his death, Guo and his wife, Feng Yuhua, stood trial in the Songshan District Court, after the judge ordered the prosecutor to re-evaluate certain evidence against the couple in a previous trial on April 8.

The family hadnt seen Guo and his wife since the police arrested them on the morning of Nov. 25, 2020. The police ransacked their home and took many of their personal belongings.

The report did not record a reason for the couples arrest, but they are both practitioners of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, which involves slow moving exercises and teachings based on the core values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, which Chinese State media has said is incompatible with the CCPs communist, atheist ideology.

The CCP launched a campaign to eradicate Falun Gong in 1999, subjecting its tens of millions of adherents to harassment, detention, forced labor, torture, and forced organ harvesting.

According to Minghui.org, Guos death is the 42nd known death of this kind in 2021. Concerning the highly effective information blockade in China, they estimate the actual number of Falun Gong deaths is far higher than the recorded.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) (L) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speak to reporters outside the White House after a meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington on May 12, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

McConnell: GOP Would Likely Block Biden Supreme Court Pick in 2024

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested that Republicans, if they controlled the Senate in 2024, wouldnt advance President Joe Bidens Supreme Court nominee due to the proximity of the election.

In 2016, McConnell and Senate Republicans received blowback from Democrats when they didnt give a hearing to Obamas then-Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalias death.

I think its highly unlikelyin fact, no, I dont think either party, if it were different from the president, would confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election, McConnell said in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on June 14 when asked about the possibility.

The Senate minority leader was also asked about a scenario in which Republicans control the Senate in 2023 and a Supreme Court justice steps down. Well have to wait and see what happens, McConnell said when he was asked if the nominee would get a hearing.

Last year, Democrats sharply criticized McConnell and then-President Donald Trump when he nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgs death. During Barretts confirmation hearing, Democrat senators, including leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pledged to propose legislation to pack the Supreme Court with more justices.

For years, however, McConnell has argued that since the late 19th century, no Senate has confirmed an opposite-party presidents Supreme Court nominee during a presidential election year. The Constitution doesnt have that requirement.

Now, progressive and socialist lawmakers including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are publicly attempting to pressure 82-year-old Justice Stephen Breyer, a member of the courts liberal wing, to retire.

Over the weekend, Ocasio-Cortez told CNN about Breyers potential retirement: Its something that Id think about, but I would probably lean towards, yes. But yes, youre asking me this question, so I would justI would give more thought to it, but Im inclined to say yes.

The calls for Breyer to step down came after the justice, in April, warned that progressive-backed efforts to expand the Supreme Court beyond its current nine justices would politicize the institution.

It is wrong to think of the Court as another political institution, Breyer said during an event at Harvard Law School. And it is doubly wrong to think of its members as junior league politicians.

Structural alteration motivated by the perception of political influence can only feed that perception, further eroding that trust, said Breyer, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Democrats currently have a slim 5050 majority in the Senatewith Vice President Kamala Harris acting as a tie-breaker. McConnell and Republicans are defending 20 seats, while Democrats are defending 14 ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

The U.S. Constitution doesnt require nine justices on the Supreme Court, although that number has stood for more than a century. The size of the top court was changed several times between the founding of the republic and the Civil War in the mid-19th century.

The Epoch Times has contacted Schumers office for comment on McConnells latest remarks.
Mom Survives Car Wreck, Births Baby in Sac on Way to Hospital: Never Stop Being Grateful

Days after surviving a fatal collision with a speeding car, a second-time mom, Tessie Heeter of Fort Collins, Colorado, went into labor.

Her baby was born in the back of her brothers car on the way to the hospital, yet something wasnt right: the baby was still inside her sac.

In a personal account that she shared with The Epoch Times, Tessie said her mothering instinct kicked in as she held the newborn in her hands, and she got the tiny life breathing by herself.

A female police officer, whom her brother called from the side of the street to assist, praised her: You were made for this moment. [The baby] is destined for something great, she recalled.

The car that Tessie Heeter was driving to drop her husband at a train station in August 2018. (Courtesy of Tessie Heeter)

At 33 weeks pregnant with her second child in August 2018, Tessie was driving her husband, Jon, to the train station when a 15-year-old with a drivers permit sped up, ran a red light, and slammed into her car at 65 mph.

The whiplash I experienced at the time of impact knocked me out, Tessie said. I woke up to my husband pushing hair out of my face, and our car horn blaring.

Tessie had a severe concussion and temporary amnesia. Jon sustained three fractures to the pelvis, three broken ribs, and bruised lungs. Their 17-month-old son, Hart, who had sat almost at the point of impact in his car seat, was not hurt.

Good Samaritans rallied round to comfort the confused, frantic parents and usher them into ambulances. The terrified mother wondered whether these selfless strangers were angels.

Someone slipped my wallet and phone to the paramedics, Tessi said. Someone held my hand as they strapped me in a neck brace and lifted me into one of many ambulances.

We never found out who any of those strangers were, but theyll forever be a part of my story, and Ill never stop being grateful for unselfish humans.

Tessie Heeter with her newborn baby daughter, Nell. (Courtesy of Tessie Heeter)

In the ambulance, the paramedics asked her her name and the state she was from, but she couldnt recall a thing. Tessie recalled experiencing a strange internal panic when she realized she didnt know her name.

[Its] the one thing you have been responding to since before you understood wordshow could that escape you? she said. When they asked me if I was pregnant, I said, No, I wish, even as they used a Doppler to try and locate my babys heartbeat.

The staff couldnt find the babys heartbeat while in ambulance, but after Tessie arrived at the hospital, nurses were able to detect the unborn babys heartbeat. And Tessie learned that she had gone into preterm labor.

I was given medication to slow my contractions to around ten minutes, and they sent me home, she said.

The couple later learned that two little girls in the oncoming car had also been injured. The teenage driver lived with aunts and cousins, and his mom worked multiple part-time jobs.

Throughout the course of the whole ordeal, I felt compassion for this boy, she said. It was likely that he was responsible for driving the girls to school because no one else could, even being 15 and driving an uninsured vehicle.

After she was discharged, Tessie visited Jon in hospital; but three days after the accident, her contractions became unbearable.

Tessie called her brother, Logan, who lived about 20 minutes away. Diving into the back seat of his car as he pulled up, she begged him to hurry to the hospital.

But her baby couldnt wait.

Feeling the urge to push, Tessie removed her shorts and the baby slipped into her hands. Yet the something warm she pulled to her chest wasnt a baby: it was the amniotic sac.

Something instinctual clicked for Tessie.

Tessies husband, Jon, with their baby daughter, Nell. (Courtesy of Tessie Heeter)

I pulled the film until it broke, and saw big blue eyes staring up as street lights flashed above us, she recalled. I knew there should be crying, movement, signs of life, but this little thing just kept blinking at me.

She realized the baby couldnt breathe.

I put my mouth over this impossibly small mouth and nose, and sucked the fluid out of the babys lungs, she said. I didnt have a blanket, so I slipped this small body under my tank top, and the sweet thing latched.

It was then she could see that her baby was a girl.

Tessie with baby Nell. (Courtesy of Tessie Heeter)

Pulling off the highway, Tessies brother hailed a police officer who leapt into the back seat. Seeing that Tessie was shaking from the adrenaline, the officer comforted her with affirmations, and told her that the baby was safe.

Unlike in her first disorienting ambulance ride, Tessie rejoiced on the way to the hospital. Tessie believes that after all the trauma her family had gone through in those few days, their newborn baby daughter was the redemption, the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

Born seven weeks early, baby Nell spent 36 days in the NICU with IV fluids and a feeding tube but came out fighting strong. Her father, while still learning to walk again, was besotted with his baby girl. Back home, so was Nells big brother, Hart.

Tessie with her three children: daughter Nell, and two sons Hart (L) and Whit. (Courtesy of Tessie Heeter)

Almost three years on, the Heeters are now a happy family of five. Tessie jokes that, during her third pregnancy, she made it to the hospital with her baby, a boy named Whit.

Sharing her growing kids progress on Instagram, Tessie describes Hart as so tender and perceptive at 4. Sassy Nell thinks shes a grown woman at 2, and Whit, aged 1, is the snuggliest boy his mother could ever have dreamed of.

I just feel so thankful that this wild ride had such a movie plot ending, she said. I will never stop being grateful that we were given another shot to live a simple life.

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
National Parent Group Emerges to Fight Woke Education, Says It Harms Children

Less than a year ago, Elana Fishbein was a happy stay-at-home mother, raising her three boys in a well-off Philadelphia suburb. Shed noticed the school that two of her boys attended would push out some lessons and activities that she considered politically biased or inappropriate, but each time was able to resolve the situation by opting her children out. In June last year, however, she saw no other choice than to take action.

Following the protests and riots sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, the school issued new cultural proficiency lessons.

My husband and I looked at the lesson plan and opened the links to the books that they included for the lesson plan and we were thoroughly horrified because they were totally racist, she told The Epoch Times.

The events that followed led to the launch of a group that now runs chapters in nearly half the states, sporting tens of thousands of followers.

The school materials Fishbein examined followed what she called woke culturea set of quazi-Marxist ideologies that divides society into oppressors and the oppressed based on characteristics such as race, sex, class, or sexual proclivities. The term woke is sometimes used interchangeably with critical race theory (CRT), which is only one of the ideologies that operate within this framework.

Fishbein immediately opted her children out of the lessons and sent an incensed letter to the school district superintendent.

The material selected for this indoctrination pumps their brains with LIES that puts unbearable emotional burdens on them for years to come, she wrote, backing her argument with a doctorate in child welfare (pdf). Why must our kids feel like villains and hate themselves for something they had no control overthe color/pigmentation of their skin?!?

They are doing to us what they told us not to do to others, her 9-year-old commented, according to the letter.

Her children didnt return to the school in falla decision shed already made before she learned of the new curriculum.

I was just a happy mom. But somebody made a point of destroying the life of my children and many other children, she said.

Since nobody responded to her letter, she posted it on the parents Facebook page of the school, asking others what they thought.

The response took her aback.

I was called racist and bigoted and homophobe and whatever, she said.

Her post was then taken down.

She tried several other local Facebook pages with similar results.

I was blown away, she said. They wont even discuss it. They just call you a name.

She contacted her friend at a conservative-leaning news outlet that agreed to run a story about her experience.

It was then that people facing similar issues started to reach out to her.

They were telling me, every single one of them, that theyre afraid to speak up, she said.

This was the watershed moment for her.

Being of Jewish descent, Fishbein felt an implicit threat behind the ideology.

This is ridiculous, she said she told herself. This is going to take over our country. Theyre attacking our children. Theyre attacking our families, our values, our way of life and were just going to sit around and take the bullet? And people are just afraid? Just because somebody called you a racist?

In that moment, in late-August, it hit me  and I launched a movement, she said.

She assembled in her living room a few parents that contacted her and she shared her idea with them.

Are you a racist? If youre a racist, I understand, but if youre not a racist, why are you not standing up for your kid and for your family? she told them.

In mid-September, she was invited on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight after somebody forwarded the initial article about Fishbein to the show.

Over the week after the show aired, her small Facebook page called No Left Turn in Education received over a million visits.

Tens of thousands of people were reaching out to her with their fears and worries.

They were tormented. And many of them said, We would like to act, but we dont know what to do, she said.

And so she started to organize people into chapters.

Soon after, the organization launched its first lawsuit after Fishbein connected a Nevada mother with a lawyer.

The Clark Suit

The mother, Gabrielle Clark, had a son in his senior year at Democracy Prep at the Agassi Campus charter school in Las Vegas. In late August, the school launched a series of lessons that asked students to label and identify which groups they belonged to based on race, sex, religion, and family income. The teacher leading the lessons then attached the labels of privileged and oppressive versus oppressed to the groups, according to court documents (pdf).

Privilege was defined as the inherent belief in the inferiority of the oppressed group, while oppression was defined as malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power.

While Clark is a black single mother of five, her son William inherited blond hair, green eyes, and light skin from his deceased father. As it turned out, the young man hit nearly all the privileged and oppressive checkboxes, being raised in Judeo-Christian values and the only one perceived as white in his class.

The teacher also instructed the students that they have to unlearn and fight back against oppressive structures supposedly implicit in their family arrangements, religious beliefs, race, and sex, the court documents say.

Clark refused to accept this.

All I could think of was, How in the world is my son supposed to function in his life normally with his siblings and with his mother with this idea in the back of his head that he is somehow privileged and oppressing us? I couldnt allow that to be the way my son felt about himself, she said during a March interview with YouTube channel The Reason We Learn.

Her son refused to follow the classes and complete the related assignments and was thus failed, which would lead to a failure to graduate. The family pleaded with the school to allow him to take an alternative class, but the school refused.

In December, the family filed a suit, alleging the constitutional rights of both William and his mother were violated and that a government-funded school has no business attaching moral judgements to students based on their identities and compel them to participate in the exercise, much less to unlearn some of the traditional values theyve learned at home.

The school hired a powerful law firm and responded by saying Clarks son wasnt really facing any adverse action and was just trying to avoid lessons he didnt like.

But two expert witnesses presented by Clark concluded that the class materials were indeed discriminatory.

The class materials appear to teach critical race theory as both morally superior and factual, rather than as a theory, concluded Ilana Redstone, associate professor of sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, in her expert opinion (pdf).

Such school materials that place students in a hierarchy based on immutable identities are unacceptable and discriminatory, said Redstone, a specialist in political polarization, viewpoint diversity, and communication across ideological divides.

This material inherently pits students against one another based on their race and sex (among other identities), wrote the other witness, Erec Smith, associate professor of Rhetoric and Composition at York College of Pennsylvania (pdf).

The school didnt respond to a request for comment.

Clark is now the chapter head of No Left Turn in Nevada.

Parents Organize

The group helps parents oppose the woke education based on a strategy of four Es, Fishbain said. Were educating them, then were empowering them, then were engaging them, and finally, we are going to eradicate this whole thing.

The group is providing legal help, offering model curricula, and even model legislation to ban CRT from schools, as some states have already done.

Its also helping parents to file Freedom of Information requests to obtain school materials, especially where schools refuse to disclose whats happening in their classrooms, Fishbain said.

A lot of our work is actually exposing whats going on.

The next step is to explain to parents what they could do about any woke influence they find in their childrens schools.

We educate them about the importance of the school board, the role of the school board, and whos making the decision about the curriculum, whos making the decision on what books are going to be at your kids class, what curriculum, what lesson plan, whos hiring all those trainers [that proliferate woke ideologies], how much money they are paying for them to come and brainwash your kids and poison their minds and their heart, Fishbain said.

Shes compiled a list of nearly 100 euphemisms used by these woke proponents aimed at helping people to decode the meaning of the jargon-laden materials used by schools.

The group is planning to launch a new website in a few weeks that will make available all the various materials and advice as well as testimonials from parents, students, and teachers.

One of the most crucial points is to help people get together and organize themselves, she said.

Facing this whole machine alone is really almost impossible.
NATO Heads of the states and governments pose for a family photo during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, on June 14, 2021. (Yves Herman/Pool/Reuters)

NATO Toughens Stance on Chinese Regime, Says Beijing Presents Systemic Challenge

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will confront the Chinese regimes growing military ambition for the first time, the 30-nation Western alliance said on June 14, describing Beijing as presenting systemic challenges to the global order.

The language, which appears in the final communique issued after the conclusion of a one-day summit in Brussels, signals a burgeoning convergence in the West recognizing the various threats posed by Beijing.

It came one day after the Group of Seven (G-7), made up of the worlds seven wealthiest countries, issued a statement criticizing Beijings human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, as well as its unfair economic practices.

Chinas stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security, the 79-point communique said.

NATO also said the regimes growing influence and international policies may present challenges that we need to address together as an Alliance.

President Joe Biden has continued former President Donald Trumps tough-on-China approach but has emphasized bringing along allies to present a unified front against the regime.

Biden also told European allies their defense was a sacred obligation for the United States.

Article Five is a sacred obligation, Biden said, referring to the transatlantic alliances collective defense pledge. I want all Europe to know that the United States is there.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Chinas growing military presence from the Baltics to Africa meant that nuclear-armed NATO has to be prepared.

China is coming closer to us. We see them in cyberspace. We see China in Africa. But we also see China investing heavily in our own critical infrastructure, he said, a reference to ports and telecom networks. We need to respond together as an alliance.

Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel, at her last summit of the alliance before she steps down in September, called for balance in the approach to the regime and for continued dialogue with Beijing.

If you look at the cyber threats and the hybrid threats, if you look at the cooperation between Russia and China, you cannot simply ignore China, Merkel told reporters. But one must not overrate it, eitherwe need to find the right balance.

China is our rival in many questions but also our partner in many aspects which we made clear yesterday at the G-7.

While the European Union has already designated Beijing a systemic rival, governments in the region have generally lagged behind the United States and other countries in recognizing and responding to Beijings malign actions. Key European leaders have also previously expressed hesitancy in joining the United States to confront Beijing. This has been partly a result of the regions deep economic links with the regime, analysts say.

For example, total German trade with China in 2020 was over 212 billion euros ($256.82 billion), according to German government data, making Beijing its top trade partner in goods.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Nicaraguan opposition activist Felix Maradiaga (C) stands at attention as the national anthem is sung during a press conference in Managua, Nicaragua, on Sept. 18, 2019. (Alfredo Zuniga/AP Photo)

Nicaragua Arrests 5 More Opposition Leaders in Crackdown

MANAGUA, NicaraguaThe government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega arrested five opposition leaders during a major weekend round up, in what appears to be widespread detentions of anyone who might challenge his rule.

The four arrests Sunday and one Saturday suggest Ortega has moved beyond arresting potential rival candidates in the Nov. 7 elections, and has begun arresting any prominent member of the opposition. The arrests bring to 12 the number of opponents detained since June 2.

Its not just potential candidates any more, its political leaders, former general and Sandinista dissident Hugo Torres told The Associated Press before he himself was arrested Sunday. This is not a transition to dictatorship, it is a dictatorship in every way.

On Sunday, police also arrested prominent ex-Sandinista dissident Dora Maria Tellez, another opposition leader, Ana Margarita Vijil, and Suyen Barahona, leader of the political movement Unamos.

Tellezs arrest is a major step: she was a leading Sandinista militant who led an assault on the National Palace in 1978, taking hostage the congress of dictator Anastasio Somoza in exchange for the release of Sandinista prisoners.

Following Somozas overthrow, Tellez served as health minister in the first Sandinista government which ruled from 1979 to 1990. Like many former guerrillas, she later split with Ortega.

On Saturday, police arrested Tamara Davila, who was active in Unamos, which was formed by former Sandinistas angered by Ortegas autocratic ways, nepotism and perpetual re-elections.

Police said they arrested Davila on charges related to a recently enacted law that classifies as treason any support for sanctions against officials in the Ortega regime; the United States has slapped sanctions on dozens of officials.

Davila is also a central figure in the opposition coalition Blue and White National Unity, which was formed following Ortegas repression of mass protests in 2018.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega attends a meeting with members of the Central American Integration System (SICA) in a hotel in Panama City on April 10, 2015. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Under a law passed in December, Ortegas government has the power to unilaterally declare citizens terrorists or coup-mongers, classify them as traitors to the homeland and ban them from running as candidates.

The law punishes those who lead or finance a coup  encourage foreign interference, ask for military intervention  propose or plan economic blockades, applaud and champion the imposition of sanctions against Nicaragua or its citizens.

Those accused will be traitors to the homeland, and for that reason may not run for public office. Treason is punishable by prison terms of up to 15 years.

Ortega has already arrested four potential opposition candidates who might have challenged his bid for a fourth consecutive term, and now many Nicaragua opposition leaders fear it is only a matter of time until police come for them, too.

Torres said he has seen drones flying around his home in recent days, of the type used at Tellezs house.

This interview may be the last one I give, Torres said. I am here, waiting for them to come for me.

Hours later, police barged into Torres home and arrested him.

Nicaraguas National Police arrested the four opposition pre-candidates earlier this month.

On June 8, they arrested pre-candidate Felix Maradiaga, a pre-candidate for the opposition coalition Blue and White National Unity, and Sebastian Chamorro, a former director of the opposition coalition Civic Alliance.

The previous week authorities detained Cristiana Chamorro, a cousin of Juan Sebastian Chamorro, and Arturo Cruz Sequeira, a former ambassador to the United States.

Ortega initially led Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990 following the Sandinista revolution that ousted Somoza. He returned to the presidency in 2007 after three failed election attempts, and he won reelection in 2011. He then sidestepped term limits to get himself reelected in 2016, and packed courts and government agencies with allies. The Sandinista party controls the courts and the legislature, and has stifled universities and the Roman Catholic church.

Torres said Ortega has now instituted a more suffocating dictatorship than Somoza, who faced opposition from within the church, intellectual circles and universities.

I think Ortega has outdone Somoza, said Torres. He has subordinated all the power to himself as Somoza never could. He has a bigger repressive apparatus than Somoza ever had.

Julie Chung, the U.S. State Departments acting assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, said via Twitter that Ortegas campaign of terror continues with more arbitrary arrests this weekend. OAS members must send a clear signal this week: enough repression. The region cannot stand by and wait to see who is next.
NSW to Invest an Additional $90M in Domestic Violence Support Services

The New South Wales (NSW) government has announced that it will invest over $90 million (US$69.4 million) in additional funding to the states domestic and sexual violence support services in the upcoming state budget.

The announcement revealed that frontline services would receive a $60 million boost, while the expansion of the Staying Home Leaving Violence (SHLV) program will be supported with an additional $32.5 million over four years.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the commitments would help the states fight against domestic violence, one of the most difficult problems that communities face.

NSW is one of the best places to live, but that doesnt mean were immune from complex social issues like domestic and sexual violence that impact thousands each year, Perrottet said in the announcement.

Attorney-General Mark Speakman said current priorities include helping children impacted by domestic violence, victims from Aboriginal or other culturally diverse backgrounds, and victims in regional areas.

Speakman welcomed the additional funding for the expansion of the SHLV program, which aims to help victims who decide against moving away from their support groups and family and want to stay at their homes.

Women are often forced to flee violent homes, and in doing so, theyre cut off from housing, community supports, employment, and education for their children, Speakman said. Perpetrators choose to inflict horrendous abuse on those they claim to love. It is they alone who should bear the brunt of re-locating if they refuse to change their behaviour.

Attorney General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Mark Speakman speaks to the media during a press conference in Sydney, Australia, on March 31, 2020. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

CEO of Domestic Violence NSW Delia Donovan also welcomed the funding boost for services around the state and called the expansion of SHLV fantastic news.

Frontline services have been advocating for greater support, particularly during COVID-19, to deliver crucial services to victim-survivors in communities across NSW, so were really pleased to see this critical funding commitment in the Budget, Donovan said.

According to official NSW crime statistics, the number of reported sexual assaults in March was 61 percent more than the monthly average. The statistics bureau attributes this to a rise in willingness to report incidents triggered by a recent widespread conversation about sexual violence and consent.

Victims of crime will also benefit from faster access to legal representation and hearings as the state announced a $56 million (US$43 million) investment into appointing eight additional magistrates and resources for prosecutors and Legal Aid.

The extra magistrates will help to reduce the trauma of waiting for hearing dates and attending court on victims, witnesses, and families, Speakman said. Were committed to easing that burden felt particularly by those involved in domestic violence cases.

Treasurer Perrottet said the investment acknowledged the critical role of the local courts in the states justice system.

As NSW continues to grow, we need to ensure the local court system is equipped to meet the challenges of the future and deliver justice to victims as quickly and efficiently as possible, Perrottet said.
Chicago police officers respond to shots fired near reports of rioting on West Madison Street near South Karlov Avenue on the West Side, of Chicago, Aug. 10, 2020. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Online Training Inadequate for Implementing Chicagos New Foot Chase Policy, Expert Says

CHICAGOOnline training alone cannot adequately prepare Chicago police officers to implement a new foot chase policy, according to police tactics expert Adam Bercovici.

The new policy goes into effect today, only about two weeks after it was made public. Chicago police officers have completed a mandatory e-learning to get familiarized with the policy, according to Chicago Police Department spokesman Luis Agostini.

You cannot really see the application of [a policing policy] in an online process. You have to get out there, set up real life scenario situations, critique them, debrief themlet them learn through mistakes in a safe environment, Bercovici told The Epoch Times.

He reviewed the 12-page foot chase policy and considers it comprehensive and well thought out. But the problem with all police policy, especially when it comes to tactics, is that you have to follow up with training and accountability, he said.

Bercovici served over 30 years in Los Angeles Police Department before retiring in 2012 as a lieutenant. Since then, he has worked as a licensed private investigator and a consultant in police practices.

Chicago police chief David Brown unveiled the new foot chase policy on May 26, in the wake of the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo by a Chicago officer in a foot chase. The body camera footage showed the officer fired a shot into Toledos chest after Toledo dropped his gun and turned toward the officer.

Brown ordered the new policy to take effect in mid-June so officers could use these new practices during the typical summer violence spike in Chicago.

The intention is good, but I think the practicality of it is unrealistic, Bercovici said of the implementation timeline. He said it might take several years for a big police department like that of Chicago to get fully trained on a major policing policy.

Start the online training process and then follow through with aggressive training to get everybody up to speed, he suggested.

The Chicago Police Department did not respond by press time to an Epoch Times inquiry about training plans beyond mandatory e-learning.

The new foot chase policy comes in two major parts. One guides police officers on the pre-chase phase, where they weigh the safety risk of a foot pursuit against the need to immediately apprehend the offender. Officers are asked to deescalate or consider other alternativessuch as to arrest later or wait for backupbefore they engage in a foot chase.

The second part guides police officers after a foot chase has ensued, advising them to activate the body cameras, notify the dispatcher, and always reassess the situations for an alternative to a continued foot chase.

The new policy is still an interim one at this stage. Community members can make anonymous recommendations to the policy through July 15, after which the Chicago Police Department will settle on a final policy.
Richard Dick Schimmel, a veteran of Pearl Harbor, recounted the Day of Infamy at the WWII Weekend in Reading, Pa., on June 6, 2021. (Frank Liang/The Epoch Times)

Pearl Harbor Veteran, 99, Recounts the Day of Infamy at the WWII Weekend Event

The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum hosted its 30th Annual World War II Weekend in Reading, Pennsylvania, from June 4 to 6. It is the largest and most well-known event of its kind in the world. Temperatures soared into the 90s but the event attracted over 30,000 who paid tribute to an era of great sacrifice and homage to the surviving heroes present.

There were dramatic re-enactments, musical venues, and elaborate air shows, with many magnificently restored flying machines and tanks in tow. All theaters of war were represented. Every year, 20 veterans come to relay their first-hand accounts of their service to their country.

At the WWII Weekend, a re-enactment of the famous historic moment in WWII when the U.S. Army defeated the Japanese and raised the American flag after capturing Iwo Jima, in Reading, Pa., on June 6, 2021. (Frank Liang/The Epoch Times)

Richard Dick Schimmel, 99, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a veteran of Pearl Harbor and one of the first servicemen ever to work with radar. Just a few months before he signed up, the new technology had been acquired from England.

He enlisted in the Army in 1940 and was shipped out to Hawaiihis idea of a dream assignment and his first pick. A plotter and switchboard operator for the newly formed Signal Aircraft Warning Unit at Ft. Shafter, Oahu, he would joke that radar was so new, nobody knew what it was. However, the radar system and its students would soon be put to the ultimate test.

The night before the attack on Saturday, Dec. 6, 1941, Schimmel was relieved of duty at 6 p.m. by colleague and friend Joe McDonald. He explained that they had been taken off alert that night and that things were perceived to be very slow. The week before, they had been on alert since they didnt know where the hell the Japanese navy was. But for some reason, Schimmel had decided not to go out on the town.

After McDonalds shift ended at 6 a.m. on Dec. 7, he returned to the tent that the two men shared, waking his roommate to tell him that Japanese planes were about to attack. Schimmel didnt know how to take this. A short time later, the situation became apparent.

Since the alert had been called off, colleagues Joe Lockard and George Elliott practiced at the radar station in Opana, Oahu. Lockard was teaching Elliott the ropes. They had noticed a lot of plane activity on the screen, so they contacted McDonald at the information center, who reported the matter to the lieutenant in command.

The lieutenant assumed that the radar screen was identifying 12 B-17s expected from California, so he did not express concern. That would put up a nice mark on the screen, the lieutenant said. Schimmel related that back in the day, with radar, you couldnt tell how many planes were coming in, but the wider the blip, the more planes were coming.

There was a lot of back and forth between Lockard and McDonald as to what to do. With such intense on-screen activity, McDonald went to see the lieutenant in command to ask if he should call back the plotters to assist. The lieutenant expressed that he didnt think so.

The radar units job was to pick up plane activity and call the coordinates to the information center. The coordinates were plotted with spindles on a board, with oceans and the islands it represented that sat on a big table. This system provided an overview of where planes were detected.

The roommates rushed to the information center to offer support. On their way there, from the vantage point of a plateau, they could see all of Pearl Harbor and incoming planes.

At first, they thought the scene of planes dropping their payloads were maneuversa sham battle. But reality hit home when someone turned on a radio to turn in to the broadcasting from the only station in Honolulu, and they heard: Pearl Harbors being attacked! It might be Japanese planes!

Before disaster actually struck on Dec. 7, Schimmel said that he was the fifth person on the island to know that the Japanese were on their way.

In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Schimmel continued to work in his area of expertise in the Pacific Islands, dodging three bombings of Canton Island by the Japanese. He spent a total of 56 months overseas. He rose from Private First Class to Staff Sergeant with the 580th Signal Aircraft Warning Company.

He maintained close contact with McDonald until his passing in 1984. His buddy always wondered whether he should have gone over the head of the commanding officer that fateful day to have lessened the casualties. But Schimmel stressed that he did the right thing: protocol dictated that he did not do such a thing.

When Schimmel was asked if he had any regrets, he replied, only that he had one life to give to his country.

After he returned home, he pursued a career in sales and married Yolanda, his bride of over 60 years. They started a family, had two sons, and are proud grandparents and great-grandparents. He retired in 1984.

Schimmel vividly and tirelessly relates his account of Pearl Harbor whenever he can so that he can preserve the history he lived through for posterity.

In an interview posted on the U.S. Army website, Schimmel addressed the younger generation who may not know much about the history of WWII and even less about Pearl Harborthe battle that plunged America into WWII, claiming thousands of American lives.

Remember Pearl Harbor. What happened there can happen anytime.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is seen in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 25, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Pelosi Claims Manchin Could Ultimately Back Voting Reform Bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) alleged on June 13 that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) could be convinced to support the sweeping election reform bill that has received staunch opposition from Republicans and some moderate Democrats.

I think he left the door open. I think its ajar. Im not giving up, Pelosi said.

Manchin announced last week that he would vote against S. 1, the companion to a House-passed election reform bill, because he believed it would destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy.

Congressional action on federal voting rights legislation must be the result of both Democrats and Republicans coming together to find a pathway forward, or we risk further dividing and destroying the republic we swore to protect and defend as elected officials, Manchin wrote in an op-ed for a West Virginia newspaper.

The senator emphasized throughout the piece that he wouldnt back election reform legislation unless it had some measure of GOP support.

But Pelosi said that while Manchin governed West Virginia, he initiated many of the ideas that are included in S. 1. She didnt mention which ideas from the bill were enacted by the former governor.

Pelosi later said she read the op-ed before claiming Manchin hadnt ruled out voting for the bill.

I dont know anything specific about this, but I do know that he has certain concerns about the legislation that we may be able to come to terms on, she said, before answering a question on whether the situation was bridgeable.

I think so. Well, as I said to him, I read the op-ed. You left the door open, and were going to go right in.'

Pelosi was speaking on CNNs State of the Union.

Manchins press secretary didnt return a request for comment by press time.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) talks to reporters as he departs the U.S. Capitol after a vote in the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 10, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

The Senate is currently comprised of 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats or nominal independents who are on the political left. To pass a bill typically requires 60 votes, but in certain scenarios, a simple majority can approve legislation.

Manchins opposition means S. 1 wouldnt pass in any scenario.

Democrats argue the bill would increase voter access and strengthen election security. Republicans say they oppose S. 1 because it would dramatically increase federal control of elections, among other reasons.

Republican members of a subcommittee called Ashlee Titus of the Lawyers Democracy Fund to a recent hearing on the closure of polling locations. During the hearing, Titus said that H.R. 1, the companion bill to S. 1, would override the effective election laws of most every state.

The House passed H.R. 1 in March 220211. No Republicans voted for the bill and one Democrat, Rep. Bennie Thompson, voted against it.

My constituents opposed the redistricting portion of the bill as well as the section on public finances. I always listen and vote in the interest of my constituents, he told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to bring S.1 to a vote soon. He said the legislation is essential to defending our democracy, reducing the influence of dark money and powerful special interests, and stopping the wave of Republican voter suppression happening in states across the country.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) talks to reporters after meeting with the family of George Floyd at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 25, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Pelosi: Omar Is a Valued Member of the Democrat CaucusWe Did Not Rebuke Her

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday defended Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) over remarks that equated the United States and Israel to the terrorist group Hamas.

Pelosi, during an appearance on CNNs State of the Union, said Omar is a valued member of our caucus and that she had clarified her controversial comments.

We did not rebuke her. We acknowledged that she made a clarification, Pelosi said.

They can say whatever they want, Pelosi continued, referring to a group of House Democrats who urged Omar in a joint statement on June 9 to clarify what she meant in her remarks. But what Im saying, end of subject. She clarified, we thanked her, end of subject.

Members did become concerned when the tweet that was put out equated the United States with Taliban and Hamas  and then she clarified it, and we thanked her for clarification, the House Speaker added.

Omar last week shared footage of her asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a congressional hearing about how alleged victims of crimes could get justice without the involvement of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

I know you oppose the courts investigation in both Palestine and in Afghanistan, Omar told Blinken. I havent seen any evidence in either case that domestic courts both can and will prosecute alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, and I would emphasize that in Israel and Palestine, this includes crimes committed by both Israeli security forces and Hamas. In Afghanistan, it includes crimes committed by the Afghan national government and the Taliban.

So in both of these cases, if domestic courts cant or wont pursue justice, and we oppose the ICC, where do we think the victims of these supposed crimes can go for justice?

Blinken replied that the ICC lacked jurisdiction to take up the cases, adding that absent a United Nations Security Council referral or a request by the state itself, thats not appropriate.

Omars statement that drew the ire of fellow House Democrats was posted on Twitter. In sharing the footage, Omar wrote: We must have the same level of accountability and justice for all victims of crimes against humanity. We have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the U.S., Hamas, Israel, Afghanistan, and the Taliban.

In response, the group of House Democrats, including Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said that equating the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban is as offensive as it is misguided.

Ignoring the differences between democracies governed by the rule of law and contemptible organizations that engage in terrorism at best discredits ones intended argument and at worst reflects deep-seated prejudice, the joint statement said.

The United States and Israel are imperfect and, like all democracies, at times deserving of critique, but false equivalencies give cover to terrorist groups. We urge Congresswoman Omar to clarify her words placing the U.S. and Israel in the same category as Hamas and the Taliban.

Omar has since claimed that she was in no way equating terrorist organizations with democratic countries. She said her remarks were about accountability for particular incidents regarding ongoing ICC probes.

Its shameful for colleagues who call me when they need my support to now put out a statement asking for clarification and not just call. The islamophobic tropes in this statement are offensive. The constant harassment & silencing from the signers of this letter is unbearable, she wrote in a Twitter statement on June 10.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has also vocalised her support for Omar, saying that her comments were absolutely mischaracterized and taken out of context.

She was very clearly speaking about the ICC investigations, which name these four actors in two suits. And they name them in context of events that happened in Afghanistan with the United States and the Taliban, and in Palestine with Hamas and the government of Israel, AOC said during an interview with CNNs Dana Bash on Sunday.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Pelosi Says Creating Panel to Investigate Jan. 6 an Option With Power as Speaker

Forming a special committee to investigate the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach is an option, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on June 13.

Senate Republicans blocked the upper chamber last month from advancing the House-passed bill that would create a commission to probe the Jan. 6 incident. Some Republicans stated that the commission, which would have subpoena power, isnt necessary because of the probes already underway by the Department of Justice and other agencies, and they worried over whether such a commission would be fueled by politics.

The legislation fell short by six votes in the Senate, though several senators who missed the vote said they would have supported the bill.

Pelosi said there are senators working on drawing the additional votes needed to pass the bill if it were brought up for consideration again.

A week ago, I was asked to give it another week. So I will see by Monday if the Senate believes that they couldthose who are working the bipartisan way can get three more votes, she said on CNNs State of the Union.

It would have been 57 if everyone were present voting. Three more. I have yielded on every point, except scope, except scope. Number of people on the committee, subpoena power, timetable, you name it, we have yielded because of the value of the bipartisanship that would spring from that.

But I would notthey want to say, well, if were going to investigate that, we should investigate Black Lives Matter and people who turned out after George Floyd was shot. No, thats not what thisthis is about an assault on our democracy, on our Capitol of the United States. The American people deserve and must have answers. We will seek the truth. We will find the truth. But we hope that we can do it with passing the commission.

Protesters are seen inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Among Republicans who were against the commission, several advocated for a devotion of resources to look into the riots that took place across America in the summer of 2020, in addition to the Capitol breach.

Pelosi was pressed on whether she would announce a select committee if senators didnt reach an agreement by June 14.

No, Im not going to announce anything tomorrow. I want to see what their response is, and then review it with my colleagues, she said.

Its an option. And everybody knows the power of the speaker to do that. So I would hope that that would motivate them to say, Lets go a different place.'

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate GOP leadership who last month said that it was too early to create a commission, said on June 13 that a bipartisan report on what happened on Jan. 6 is due out next week.

The Rules Committee, led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and on which Blunt is the ranking member, has been working on the report along with Senate Homeland Security Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Rob Portman (R-Ohio).

A commission in my view, an immediate commission, would slow us up in saying: Well, we need to wait until we know all the facts. We need to wait for the commission,' Blunt said on NBCs Meet the Press.

Were going to have a pretty extensive report on what happened, over a hundred-page report with a significant number of recommendations, in my view, all of which could be put in place immediately. And my sense was its more important to act and getand do what we know we need to do than to get in a position where we start waiting for a commission to come forth with a report that we, I think, are going to be happyI think youre going to be really pleased with the report you see. And well see then where we need to go next after that reports out.
Petition Calls for Resignation of New Jersey School Board Members After Holiday Names Replaced With Generic Day Off

A petition has been launched calling for the resignation of school board members in a New Jersey school district over their vote last week to remove holiday names from the school calendar and replace them with a generic day off designation.

The petition, created on the platform Change.org on June 11 by a user identified as Thomas Tatem, seeks to build support among residents of Randolph Township in Morris County, New Jersey, for the immediate resignation of Superintendent Jennifer Fano and all of the districts board of education members.

While the petition doesnt explicitly reference the boards June 10 decision to label holidays generically, the comments of some of its 2,300 signatories make the context clear.

Now theyve cancelled our holidays, wrote Laura Assante of Randolph Township. How will students learn about the significance of these days if our board doesnt even deem them important enough to keep on the calendar? Enough! Its time now to cancel the BOE and get a new, honest administration in place who values our children and community.

I signed because this woke nonsense of erasing everything that has importance to different religions has to be stopped. Today, it is at Randolph. Where will it be tomorrow? wrote Deborah Midkiff of Randolph Township. We are all capable of living alongside neighbors of different religions knowing that they are celebrating days that are special to them just as we celebrate ours!

Fano didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment on the petition, but the Randolph Township School Board issued a statement on June 13 responding to the blowback.

The Randolph Board of Education is aware of the large public outcry regarding our decision on June 10, 2021, to remove the names of the holidays from our school calendar, the statement reads, insisting that the move doesnt mean that children wont be taught about holiday traditions.

Our actions are somehow being misconstrued by some to mean that the Randolph School District is no longer recognizing these holidays, teaching about them to our students, and honoring the great veterans and the heroes for whom many of these holidays have been named. Nothing could be further from the truth.

These State, Federal, and other holidays have not been cancelled or taken away by this Board of Education as some are falsely claiming. Schools will still be closed on the days that we originally approved and our children will know why. They will still continue to receive instruction in schools about these important historical events and the people behind them.

The main purpose of the school calendar is to inform parents about when schools are open or closed, the board stated, noting that its a school attendance calendar.

Which is why we did not feel the need to list every State, Federal and Religious holiday on the one (1) page calendar that we adopt every year, the board stated.

Our State and Federal governments approve public holidays and the Randolph School District is in no way minimizing or taking that away from anyone. Everyone is still encouraged to celebrate them in whatever way they deem appropriate.

The board unanimously voted to remove the names of all holidays from the school calendar on June 10, with the move prompted by an outcry over an earlier decision to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

If we dont have anything on the calendar, we dont have to have anyone [with] hurt feelings or anything like that, board member Dorene Roche told Fox 5.
Gavaughn Gaquez Streeter-Hillerich poses in an undated photograph, with the tattoo on his arm highlighted. (ATF)

Portland Rioter Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Plea deal will lead to dismissal of federal charges

A man who set fire to an occupied police precinct in Portland, Oregon, during the nationwide riots has been sentenced to five years in prison in a plea deal that will see him avoid a harsher sentence.

Gavaughn Streeter-Hillerich pleaded guilty to first-degree arson before being sentenced.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by The Epoch Times, Streeter-Hillerich was filmed along with five others looking at an overturned dumpster that had been placed against the wall of a beauty supply store in Portland on June 26, 2020. Streeter-Hillerich then lit something inside of a tire that had been placed on top of the dumpster. The lit material blew out of the fire, prompting him to pick it up and put it back in place.

As a person who chose to remain anonymous filmed the scene, Streeter-Hillerich kept lighting additional items as others placed them inside the tire.

At one point, the man pulled down his mask and talked to the growing group of onlookers. The video zoomed in on his face, which was lit by the glow of the fire, which was growing significantly bigger, according to court documents.

Streeter-Hillerich was soon seen preventing someone who tried to extinguish the flames.

He was later arrested. During an interview with a detective, he admitted he was at a protest and used a lighter to try to light the fire.

He said he thought lighting the fire might help get his anger under control and that he was angry about police using tear gas. He said he believed the fire was going to go out because there was no air and that he was surprised when the fire went up the canvas awning. He said it had burned him and showed Det. Hopper a burn on his arm, a police officer stated in the affidavit attached to the criminal complaint.

Streeter-Hillerich intentionally damaged property owned by the City of Portland by starting a fire and thereby recklessly placing another person in danger of physical injury, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said in a statement.

The beauty supply store is adjacent to a Portland police building, which was damaged by the fire.

A lawyer representing Streeter-Hillerich did not return a request for comment, nor did the Portland Police Bureau.

A spokesman for Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler told The Epoch Times in an email: The Mayor is passionate about protecting free speech and peaceful protests, but arson and other felony crimes that defile our city and impact businesses and employment are not free speech.

A crowd gathers around people committing arson during a riot in Portland, Ore., early June 26, 2020. (ATF)

A man later identified as Gavaughn Gaquez Streeter-Hillerich participates in arson during a riot in Portland, Ore., early June 26, 2020. (ATF)

After serving 60 months in prison, the defendant will be on three years of supervision.

Restitution to the city of Portland will be determined in the coming months.

The sentencing appears to be the first in the county for someone involved in the riots that erupted in Portland last year following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Unrest was also seen in a slew of other cities across the United States, including Seattle, Minneapolis, and New York City.

Streeter-Hillerich still faces federal charges. He was charged in September 2020 with two counts of using fire to maliciously damage and attempt to damage a building housing the police bureaus North Precinct and various private businesses by U.S. prosecutors. The charges stem from the same incident.

Streeter-Hillerich was arrested on those charges on Sept. 15 of last year but was released the next day by Magistrate Judge Jolie Russo. He was later charged for a separate incident after he allegedly kidnapped, assaulted, and strangled another person. He pleaded guilty last week to coercion and assault in exchange for the other charges in that incident being dropped, according to court records.

Court dates in the federal riot case were repeatedly pushed back by Magistrate Judge Youlee Yim You. The judge delayed Streeter-Hillerichs arraignment from Jan. 11 to March 11. Then, Russo delayed the arraignment again to May 10. Last month, she delayed it yet again to July 6.

Federal authorities stepped in to charge nearly 100 people last year who allegedly participated in protests and riots but have since dropped charges against over half of the accused.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Oregon told The Epoch Times via email that the guilty plea in state court is part of an agreement that will resolve both his state and federal cases.

As a result of his state guilty plea, we intend to dismiss our federal charges, he added.
Pro-Human Investing Means Supporting Fossil Fuels

Commentary

Corporate virtue-signaling is the new black. In this era of hyper-connectedness and social media shaming campaigns, global mega-companies no longer battle over who can offer the best products for the best price. Instead, they fight to see who can sound the greenest.

The trend is fueled by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, which pressures corporations into adopting politically correct stances on issues from climate change to gender equalityon pain of total divestment if companies dont toe the line.

But a new ESG report from an oil and gas pioneer is turning the anti-fossil fuel financing movement on its head. What if, instead of apologizing for needing fossil fuels, we celebrated the role of affordable, reliable energy in ending poverty around the world?

After all, if banks and investment firms want to prioritize investments that provide the most benefit to society, they can surely do no better than oil, gas, coal, and nuclear.

Nothing improves human lives like access to affordable, reliable energy. Without it, even the most mundane tasks involve physically demanding labor. Things like washing clothes and cooking meals require serious elbow grease without modern appliances and safe cooking fuels (and most household labor primarily falls on women, severely limiting the potential of half of society). Electricity offers the gift of timefreedom and comfort to pursue higher goals than just getting through the day alive.

Thats no hyperbole. Perhaps the biggest benefit of electricity to humanity is the gift of modern medicine. Life expectancy globally has more than doubled since the Industrial Revolution. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, where less than half the population has access to electricity (and access is defined to include even the smallest window of functioning power), one in every 13 children dies before reaching the age of 5. Those lucky enough to survive childhood face the threat of communicable diseases that are either unheard of or almost totally benign in the developed world. The common cold and bouts of diarrhea are a grave danger in impoverished countries. Its no wonder life expectancy in these countries lags so far behind the global average.

Although incredible progress has been made, its clear theres much more work to be done to end poverty and promote human flourishing around the world. Misguided pressure campaigns to vilify fossil fuels could stop or even reverse that progressbut will have no effect on climate change whatsoever.

If the Green New Deal were enacted today, global average temperatures by 2100 would be less than two-tenths of a degree lower. The same goes for the Paris Agreement, even in the unlikely scenario every participating country met its emissions pledges until the end of the century.

If global action wouldnt move the needle on climate change, divestment campaigns by even the largest and most vociferous banks and investment firms certainly wouldnt either. Ironically, the ESG movement would come with significant collateral damage to the environment it claims to defend. Denying financing to American energy producers means their costs will be higherand so will ours, placing an even greater strain on impoverished Americans who already struggle to afford their home energy bills. Worse, well be forced to get more of our energy from overseas. This not only weakens our economy and national security, it also puts power directly into the hands of irresponsible foreign conglomerates with lax environmental standards. Divesting from fossil fuels would result in more pollution, not less.

ESG in its current form would be better described as energy discrimination than environmental protectionand Liberty Oilfield Services Bettering Human Lives ESG report creates a new opportunity for energy. Instead of apologizing for their own existence, fossil fuel producers should celebrate their positive impact on the world by providing affordable, reliable energy that improves our lives every day and is helping to end poverty around the world.

The Honorable Jason Isaac is director of Life:Powered, a national initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation to raise Americas energy IQ. He previously served four terms in the Texas House of Representatives.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
(Left) President Joe Biden waits to speak as he visits the Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Va., on May 28, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) (Right) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a meeting with members of the Council of Legislators of the Federal Assembly, at the Tauride Palace, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 27, 2021. (Alexei Danichev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin Responds to Claims About Russias Involvement in Cyberattacks Ahead of Meeting With Biden

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that the Kremlin had a hand in cyberattacks on U.S. businesses and infrastructure ahead of his meeting with President Joe Biden.

Biden is expected to press Putin on allegations that Moscow sanctioned cyberattacks against U.S. interests, including the SolarWinds breach that impacted some federal agencies. The FBI and White House officials have said Russia-based cybercriminal gangs have conducted ransomware attacks against several firms recently, including against the Colonial Pipeline system and major meat-producer JBS Foods.

We have been accused of all kinds of things, Putin told NBC News in an interview released on June 14. Election interference, cyberattacks, and so on and so forth. And not once, not once, not one time, did they bother to produce any kind of evidence or proof. Just unfounded accusations.

JBS announced last week that it had paid $11 million to a Russian-speaking hacking group that had targeted the firms systems, forcing a temporary shutdown in late May. The Colonial Pipeline system was shut down for roughly a week following a ransomware attack allegedly carried out by the criminal gang DarkSide, which is believed to have been based in Russia.

Biden said that intelligence officials dont believe the Russian government had ties to the ransomware attacks, but suggested the Kremlin take action against criminal gangs.

The issue of state-sponsored cyberattacks of that scope and scale remains a matter of grave concern to the United States, Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters last week. It will be a topic of conversation between the presidents.

Earlier this year, the administration implemented new sanctions against Russian financial institutions over alleged Russian malign actors carrying out cyberattacks, election interference, and the countrys treatment of dissidentsincluding opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has accused Putin of being responsible for poisoning him with a nerve agent.

Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, with from left, Italys Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Koreas President Moon Jae-in, U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japans Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and President of the European Council Charles Michel during the G-7 summit in Cornwall, England, on June 12, 2021. (Leon Neal/Pool via AP)

Following the conclusion of the Group of Seven meeting, Biden told reporters that he agreed with Putins recent assessment that U.S.Russian relations are at a low point.

Let me make it clear I think hes right. Its a low point, and it depends on how he responds to acting consistent with international norms, which in many cases he has not, Biden said on June 13.

The United States wont create a conflict with Moscow and will attempt to reach agreements on certain policy issues, he said.

We are looking to resolve those actions which we think are inconsistent with international norms, number one, Biden said. Number two, where we can work together, we may be able to do that in terms of some strategic doctrine that may be able to be worked together, were ready to do it. There may be other areas. There is even talk there may be the ability to work together on climate.

And unlike President Donald Trump, who held a joint press conference with Putin in 2018, Biden told reporters he wont appear alongside the Russian leader when they meet, and appeared to suggest that it would trigger rampant speculation from the press.

Biden and Putin are scheduled to meet on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Queen Elizabeth II reacts during her visit to the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth, southern England on May 22, 2021. (Steve Parsons / Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Queen Honors Chris Hemsworth and More Than 1000 Other Australians for Their Achievements and Service

The Queens Birthday 2021 Honours List has recognised 1,190 Australians for their exceptional achievements or outstanding service to their communities and the nation.

One of Hollywoods highest-paid actors, Chris Hemsworth, was on the list of award recipients. He was given the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) award for his significant service to the performing arts and charities.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Avengers: Endgame. (Marvel Pictures/Walt Disney Studios)

This years list also includes a record proportion of women, who received 44 percent of the awards, including Peta Credlin, who served as the Chief of Staff to former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and is now a reporter for SkyNews.

It is truly an honour. Thank you all for your kind words and well wishes. I am truly blessed, Credlin wrote in a post on Twitter.

Credlin was appointed the second highest honours, an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), for distinguished service to parliament and politics, to policy development, and to the executive function of government.

Governor-General David Hurley said he was pleased that the list included the highest percentage of women and believed it was important that the awards represented Australias diversity and strength.

The Governor-General of Australia David Hurley (R) awarding Australian actor Hugh Jackman (L) an Order of Australia at Government House on Sept. 13, 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

For this to happen, we need to ensure outstanding women, members of our multicultural community and First Nations people are nominated by their peers in the community, Hurley said. I am prioritising increasing awareness of and engagement with the Order of Australia amongst groups that have been historically underrepresented.

We are seeing positive progress, and I am determined that it continues.

However, Honour A Woman co-founder Ruth McGowan wrote in a post on Twitter that 44 percent was not good enough and said men still outnumbered women at every level.

New Companions of the Order of Australia

Five Australians were given the highest honours, the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) award, including outgoing DFAT Secretary Frances Adamson, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, Tasmanias governor-designate Barbara Baker, geophysics researcher Professor Kurt Lambeck, and Director of the Australian Ballet David McAllister.

Adamson was awarded for her service to public administration through the advancement of Australias diplomatic, trade and cultural interests, particularly with the Peoples Republic of China and the Indo-Pacific region.

While Aspinall was awarded for his service to the Anglican Church of Australia and to the development of ecumenical relationships and professional standards.

Baker was awarded for her service to the people of Tasmania through her contributions to the law, particularly family law and Lambeck for his eminent contribution to science through his research that has formed a basis of GPS technology used in agriculture, resource exploration, and smartphone navigation.

McAllister was appointed for his service towards the performing arts, both nationally and internationally.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) walks through a metal detector before entering the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 21, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Republicans Gohmert, Clyde Sue Pelosi Over Metal Detector Fines

Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) are challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for imposing fines on them for which they claim she has no authority.

Article I, Section VI, of the U.S. Constitution mandates that a Member of Congress cannot be detained on the way to the House Chamber for a session and it is even more important that Members not be intentionally impeded from voting on behalf of the over 700,000 constituents we represent, Gohmert said in a June 14 statement.

In addition, the 27th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution forbids withholding or amending compensation for a Member in the same congressional session. The Chief Administrative Officer of the House seeks to illegally withhold funds from my salary because of the Speakers desire to manipulate and hold Members of Congress hostage to her whims, especially Members of the opposing party.

The suit filed by Gohmert and Clyde in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia names House Sergeant-at-Arms William Walker and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Catherine Spzindor.

The Senate doesnt have a similar requirement that senators pass through metal detectors before going on the Senate floor.

Ken Cuccinelli, former deputy secretary of the Deputy of Homeland Security and former Virginia attorney general, represents the two Republican representatives in the suit.

The suit was occasioned by fines levied by Pelosi against the two conservative Republicans earlier this year for allegedly refusing to pass through metal detectors placed just outside the House Chamber following the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol.

House Resolution 73 was passed on Feb. 2 and imposed a $5,000 fine for a first violation and $10,000 for each additional violation. Gohmert and Clyde were both assessed for multiple violations.

The two congressmen appealed the fines to the House Ethics Committee, but Clydes appeal was rejected on April 11 and he was directed to pay $15,000. Gohmerts appeal was rejected on March 30 and he was directed to pay $5,000. The CAO will deduct the fines from the two members paychecks if they decline to pay the required amounts voluntarily.

In their suit, the two Republicans point to multiple instances of House Democrats also failing to pass through the metal detectors before entering the House Chamber and not receiving fines.

Pelosi is the first of four Democrats thus cited in the suit, along with Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), and Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.).

Clyde posted on Twitter a video of Pelosis April 23 violations.

Waters is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Raskin is a prominent member of the House Judiciary Committee and served as lead manager of the House Impeachment Team against President Donald Trump in January, and Velazquez is chairman of the House Committee on Small Business and the former chairman of the House Hispanic Caucus.

Clyde and Gohmert claim in their suit that Speaker Pelosi has instituted an unconstitutional policy of enforcing the screening rule against members of the Republican minority in the House of Representatives and exempting members of the Democratic majority from its enforcement, resulting in only Republican members being fined and having their congressional salaries reduced, all for the purpose of creating a false narrative for the political benefit of House Democratic Majority.

Pelosi claimed during a Jan. 29 news conference concerning the Jan. 6 incursion that the enemy is within the House of Representatives. She apparently was referring to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who has a carry permit recognized by the District of Columbia and which she says allows her to have a firearm in her possession wherever she goes.

Pelosi was also apparently referring to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who, prior to being elected to Congress in November 2020, allegedly liked a Facebook post that included threats of violence against Pelosi and other members of Congress.

Clyde said in a June 14 statement that he will not be deterred by the Speakers political posturing and abuse of power following the Jan. 6 events.

Even in the face of this egregious treatment of members of the Republican conference, I respectfully worked with the House Ethics Committee to appeal these fines and resolve this issue cordially and professionally, as did many of my Republican colleagues. Unfortunately, the Committees Democratic wing has chosen a partisan and prejudiced path in its review process, Clyde said in the statement.

While I applaud Ethics Committee Republicans for opposing this unconstitutional rule in every appeal they have considered to date, it has been interesting to watch the Sergeant at Arms fail to issue a fine to the Speaker after incontrovertible video evidence showed she violated her own rules.

It has been even more interesting to witness Ethics Committee Democrats pardon their own Whip, Jim Clyburn [D-S.C.], for his violation, in a biased, rubber stamped flip-flop. The flagrantly unequal treatment and targeting of Republican members is hypocritical and sets a dangerous precedent.

Pelosi hasnt issued a comment on the suit.

Congressional correspondent Mark Tapscott can be contacted at mark.tapscott@epochtimes.nyc.
Students attend a lesson at the Northeast Normal University in Changchun, Jilin Province, China, on March 22, 2007. (China Photos/Getty Images)

Students Protest Private College Mergers in Northern China

Several provinces in southern China are seeing a wave of mass protests and boycotts after the countrys education authorities announced a campaign to merge private colleges with vocational schools.

The southern provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Hunan have all experienced pushback on the policy shift, though protests in Shanxi Province are now drawing attention.

Chinas so-called private colleges are privately funded and operated schools that are affiliated with prestigious public universities.

Students from the Taiyuan-based Business College of Shanxi University staged campus protests on June 10 after they learned that the title of their school had been changed without notification on the website of China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC), a national agency that shares graduates information with HR managers.

Online footage has shown large crowds gathering and shouting anti-merger slogans. Protests have turned into physical conflicts with police officers.

Change of College Name

Chen Xin (an alias), a sophomore in the college, told The Epoch Times on June 12 that the students felt betrayed by school authorities.

To their surprise, students found their schools name had been switched to Shanxi Vocational University of Engineering Technology on the CHESICC site, without a stated reason.

According to Chen, school authorities had promised that current students wouldnt be affected, and would have the same policies in terms of degree or diploma certificates as when they were admitted.

However, Zhao Lei (an alias), a 2015 graduate, revealed to The Epoch Times that student information about graduates of 2017 and beyond has changed, while that of 2016 or earlier remains intact, including the schools name.

Some students have accessed their accounts on the site and verified this to be the case.

According to Zhao, the name change will impact the future of the colleges graduates.

A bachelors degree from a vocational school has lower recognition in the job market, he said. Such a person will likely face hidden discrimination if he or she wants to win the position of a public servant or be admitted for a masters program, which requires such candidates to take additional tests in two subjects.

Policies and documents are needed to protect students interests, the graduate said. They shouldnt become the first victims.

Suspicious Official Document

On June 10, an official document with a red-print title of The Education Department of Shanxi Province was posted on the walls of teaching buildings, dining halls, and dorms in the college amid calls for clarification.

The paper reiterated that the site of the student information center would show the original schools name, diploma, and student status as in general undergraduate programs.

Nonetheless, some students quickly began to question the authenticity of the document, because its unavailable on the website of the provincial education authority.

Others raised a concern that it lacks a formal serial number such as Jiao Fa Han [2020] No. 113, which suggests the document is invalid and cant be cited as evidence in legal proceedings if there are any in the future.

Both the interviewees agreed that students can only register under the title of the new school before attending public events.

The seal of their original school has also been revoked, Chen said.

Angry Students Silenced

Local authorities have carried out multiple strategies to ban students from protesting.

They provided students with only two channels for raising complaints on the merger: mailboxes in dorm buildings and in the Student Affairs Department.

Any other channels are unacceptable! the authorities said. And any violators would be held accountable and touch the red line of law.'

However, students who followed their orders were usually summoned for a talk, or were threatened that an adverse reference would likely be added to their campus record.

For the time being, students cant leave the school freely without asking for leave, though theyre legally on the traditional Chinese holiday the Dragon Boat Festival.

Sources say plain-clothed police remain on the campus and police cars on the playground, which school authorities claim are deployed over concerns of student security.
Students walk through Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on March 12, 2020. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Supreme Court Asks Biden Admin to Weigh in on Harvard Admission Case

The Supreme Court on Monday called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to weigh in on whether to take up a discrimination case brought against Harvard University over the Ivy League schools race-conscious admissions policy.

In an unsigned order, the Supreme Court requested the acting solicitor general, Elizabeth Prelogar, to file a brief in this case expressing the views of the United States.

The dispute was first raised in 2014 by advocacy group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), on behalf of a coalition of students who claimed to have been rejected from Harvard because of their Asian ancestrya violation of Title VI, the federal law prohibiting racial discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding.

The DOJ under the Trump administration backed the suing students. It also waged a separate lawsuit against Yale University over alleged discrimination against white and Asian-American applicants in its admissions process, but dropped the suit shortly after the Biden administration took office.

In 2020, the Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit uphold a lower court decision that Harvards admissions policy was consistent with Supreme Court precedents, prompting the SFFA to reignite the legal battle in the highest court.

Harvards mistreatment of Asian-American applicants is appalling, the SFFA argued in a Feb. 25 petition calling on the Supreme Court to review the case. Harvard penalizes them because, according to its admissions office, they lack leadership and confidence and are less likable and kind. This is reason enough to grant review.

This case is the kind of important individual rights dispute that this Court has not hesitated to hear, it added. Review thus would be warranted if the defendant were any university subject to Title VI. But it isnt just any university. Its Harvard. Harvard has been at the center of the controversy over ethnic- and race-based admissions for nearly a century.

In response, Harvard on May 17 filed to the Supreme Court a Brief in Opposition (pdf) to the SFFAs request, arguing that the group failed to offer any valid reason to revisit the lower court ruling.

In 2019, a Boston-based federal judge rejected SFFAs bid, finding Harvards admissions program lawful. That decision was affirmed by the Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, prompting SFFAs appeal to the Supreme Court.

Having failed to make the case that Harvards admissions practices contravene the courts precedents governing the use of race in admissions, SFFA asks the court to overthrow them, Harvard argued. But SFFA offers no legitimate justification for such an extraordinary step.

The university also accused the SFFA of trying to undermine its efforts to make its student population racially diverse, saying that a race-neutral admissions policy would hurt the already underrepresented black and Hispanic students.

If Harvard were to abandon race-conscious admissions, African-American and Hispanic representation would decline by nearly half, the court filing reads. Such declines would seriously undermine Harvards educational goals, and even SFFAs expert agreed such declines would be unacceptable.

If four or more justices vote to revisit the issue, then arguments will likely be heard this fall, with a decision by summer 2022.
Seated from left: Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, standing from left: Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett pose during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Supreme Court May Be Sending a Message to Critics With String of Non-Ideological Opinions: Expert

A constitutional law expert noted that the Supreme Court, with its recent decisions, could be sending a message to proponents of packing or enacting other changes to the high court.

The Supreme Court this week continued to disappoint congressional Democrats and activists with a long line of embarrassingly unanimous, nonideological rulings, wrote George Washington University law professor and constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley on his website. After all, the court is supposedly  out of whack due to its irreconcilable ideological divisions. Indeed, the court is allegedly so dysfunctionally divided that many, including Democratic leaders, have called for sweeping changesfrom packing the court with new justices to changing its voting rules or even creating an alternative court.

Turley noted that in the courts recent ruling on Borden v. United States, liberal Justice Elena Kagan wrote an opinion for Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Neil Gorsuchwith concurrence from Justice Clarence Thomas, who is considered by many to be the most conservative justice on the court. In that case, two conservatives and three liberals agreed to limit the scope of a violent felony under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

Last week, the courts ruling on Van Buren v. United States was assigned by Breyer to Justice Amy Coney Barrett, considered a conservative, who wrote for Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, Gorsuch, Kagan, and Brett Kavanaughor three liberals and three conservatives, Turley said.

And those most recent decisions follow a litany of unanimous rulings from the court this year, Turley said, noting that the court is seemingly sending a message in the timing of the release of its opinions.

The justices do not rule on cases to send messages to Congress, but they do control what cases are accepted and when those decisions are released, he wrote. It is hard not to view the last few weeks as a type of judicial harrumph to the continuing calls for court-packing. While we expect more ideological splits in a few upcoming cases, these cases reaffirm that they are not so rigid or hopelessly divided as Democratic leaders and other critics have suggested.

When Barrett was nominated by former President Donald Trump last year, some congressional Democrats suggested that with the move, they would have no other choice but to pack, or expand the Supreme Court to as many as 15 justices. Theres no law that stipulates the court has to be only nine justices (the current number) but that number hasnt been changed since the mid-1800s.

Breyer, a member of the liberal wing of the court, himself argued in April that packing the court would be an attempt to politicize the institution.

Structural alteration motivated by the perception of political influence can only feed that perception, further eroding that trust, he said of the proposals.

The White House created a commission several months ago dedicated to evaluating possible changes to the Supreme Court, including an expansion or term limits for justices, according to an executive order signed by President Joe Biden.

Representatives for the Supreme Court didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Protesters clash with counter-protesters as they enter Emancipation Park during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12, 2017. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Supreme Court Upholds Conviction of 2 Charlottesville Rioters

The U.S. Supreme Court on June 14 upheld the conviction of two members of a group billing itself as the premier MMA (mixed martial arts) club of the Alt-Right, but which one extremist watchdog described as a racist fight club whose members engaged in violent acts at a 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The high court didnt comment on denying the appeals of the two men, Michael Paul Miselis and Benjamin Drake Daley, with a June 14 list of summary dispositions (pdf) simply indicating certiori denied.

With the move, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court conviction of Miselis and Daley, who pleaded guilty to violating the Anti-Riot Act but later challenged their conviction by arguing that the federal riot law violated the First Amendments free speech clause.

Daley was sentenced to 37 months in prison, while Miselis was sentenced to 27 months, with each sentence to be followed by two years of supervised release, according to a court brief filed in opposition to the mens appeal (pdf).

Attorneys for the two men didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

Miselis and Daley took part in the Charlottesville rally as members of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as an overtly racist, violent right-wing fight club that attends rallies around the country to do open combat with counter-protesters.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes RAM as a white supremacist group whose members believe they are fighting against a modern world corrupted by various destructive cultural influences while embracing a conservative counter-culture that includes traditional Christian values.

They see themselves as patriotic crusaders who are fighting against communist forces and advocating on behalf of a victimized white population, ADL said of the group.

They were essentially serial rioters, said Thomas Cullen, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, in remarks to the Los Angeles Times in October 2018, after Miselis and Daley were arrested. This wasnt in our view the lawful exercise of 1st Amendment rights. These guys came to Charlottesville to commit violent acts.

A Supreme Court brief filed in opposition to Miseliss and Daleys appeal stated that the pair, along with other members of RAM, attended three separate rallies in 2017 at which they engaged in numerous assaults against counter-protesters.

In a release announcing Miseliss and Daleys convictions in 2019, the Justice Department noted their participation in the unrest in Charlottesville, saying that as they made their way through the group of protestors, the RAM members collectively pushed, punched, kicked, chocked, head-butted, and otherwise assaulted several individuals, resulting in a riot.

As part of their pleas, the defendants admitted these actions were not in self-defense, the DOJ noted.
Two navy soldiers raise Taiwan's national flag during an official ceremony at a shipyard in Su'ao, a township in eastern Taiwan's Yilan County, on Dec. 15, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan Thanks G-7 Leaders for Support Despite Chinas Aggression

TAIPEI, TaiwanThe Taiwanese government on Monday thanked Group of Seven (G-7) leaders for calling for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

On Sunday, G-7 leaders issued a statement that was highly critical of the Chinese regime, including its human rights abuses in Chinas far-western Xinjiang region and Hong Kong, and unfair trade practices. The leaders also underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.

We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions, they added.

On June 14, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen took to Twitter to express her gratitude toward the G-7 leaders for their statement on Taiwan.

Taiwan is dedicated to maintaining a free & open Indo-Pacific, & will continue to work with our global partners to ensure regional security, Tsai added.

Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te also took to Twitter to say that he was encouraged by the G-7 statement.

We welcome multilateral efforts for peace. Taiwan is ready to cooperate with the G-7 and beyond, Lai wrote.

According to Taiwans presidential office spokesperson Xavier Chang, it was the first time that a G-7 statement had stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The governmental groupwhich has Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States as memberswas founded in 1975.

China and Taiwan are separated by the Taiwan Strait, which is about 80 miles wide at its narrowest point.

Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the G-7 statement in a press release. It said that Taiwan will continue to work with G-7 nations and like-minded countries, including those in the European Union, to maintain peace, stability, prosperity, and sustainable development in the Indo-Pacific region.

Gratitude to the G7 leaders for underscoring the importance of peace & stability across the #Taiwan Strait, & encouraging the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. Such 1st-time support in a summit communique is welcomed by the government & people.

https://t.co/YHdBAFajIe pic.twitter.com/IzAdg8ZxKJ   Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan)  (@MOFA_Taiwan) June 14, 2021

The relationship between Beijing and Taipei has been rocky, mainly because the Chinese regime sees the self-ruled island as part of its territory. As a result, the communist regime has tried to isolate Taiwan from the international community and prevents the island from taking part in international organizations including the World Health Organization.

Taiwan is a de facto independent nation with its own democratically-elected government, military, constitution, and currency. Washington currently has no official diplomatic ties with Taipei.

The Chinese regime has also threatened to wage war to reunite mainland China and Taiwan. In the face of a possible Chinese invasion, Taiwan has been buying military equipment from its main weapons supplier the United States for self-defense.

Last week, Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate hearing that the United States could defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by the Chinese military.

I can assure you that we have the capabilities if there were political decisions made in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, Milley explained.

In March, Adm. Philip Davidson, who was then-head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned during a Senate hearing that the communist regime could invade Taiwan in the next six years.

In response to the G-7 statement, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the UK said that other countries should stop interfering with Chinas internal affairs with regard to Taiwan.

Lo Chih-cheng, a lawmaker for Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said on Monday that China has been the source of instability in the region and a challenger to regional peace, when asked by local media about the G-7 statement, according to Taiwans government-run Central News Agency.

Lo called on the international community to take concrete actions to ensure peace across the Taiwan Strait, such as sending their military fleets to waters in the western Pacific Ocean.
Texas Border Patrol Arrests Over 100 Illegal Immigrants Held in Inhumane Stash House

Texas Border Patrol agents on June 10 arrested over 100 illegal immigrants who were being guarded by smugglers inside an alleged stash house, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Friday.

CBP said in a statement that officials with the Laredo Sector Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and Laredo Police Department joined forces to shut down the stash house that was being guarded by smugglers in south Laredo.

Imagine having to share inhumane living conditions with over 100 people! Harsh Reality look inside a #stashhouse discovered today by #USBP Laredo Sector! CBP South Texas wrote on Twitter, sharing footage taken by officials at the scene.

Imagine having to share inhumane living conditions with over 100 people!

#BorderSecurity #stashhouse  @mylaredopd Harsh Reality look inside a #stashhouse discovered today by #USBP Laredo Sector!  Follow @USBPChiefLRT pic.twitter.com/86aRdAN1JW  CBP South Texas (@CBPSouthTexas) June 10, 2021

The illegal aliens were found to be from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. All individuals were taken into custody for further investigation and were medically screened, the agency said.

CBP said that the smuggling and housing of large groups of individuals in stash houses by criminal groups hasnt slowed despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Stash house incidents such as this pose a threat not only to the people exploited by human smuggling but also to the people and safety of our Nation, the agency said in its press release.

CBP has since the start of the fiscal year shut down nearly 200 stash houses and arrested more than 4,000 illegal immigrants, local NBC affiliate KGNS reported.

The number of illegal crossings at the southern border has spiked since President Joe Biden took office on Jan. 20. For the month of May, border patrol agents apprehended 180,034 individuals illegally entering the United Statesthe highest number seen in a single month in more than two decades.

Republican lawmakers have long argued that the burgeoning crisis is a result of Bidens move to overturn several Trump-era immigration policies that helped curbed the flow of illegal border crossings. This includes his predecessors cornerstone Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), which effectively ended the problematic catch and release policy, significantly stemming the surge of illegal immigrants that were seen at the southern border in 2019. The MPP, which was on pause, was officially terminated on June 1.

In a return to the Obama-era policies that facilitate catch-and-release, the Biden administration is again releasing unaccompanied minors into the country. The lawmakers argue that Bidens act has been interpreted as a signal to prospective illegal immigrants that they will be able to enter the United States.

The Biden administration, on the other hand, has sought to shift the blame on former President Donald Trumps administration, with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas previously saying that the Trump administration had dismantled the orderly, humane, and efficient way of allowing children to make their claims under United States law in their own country.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, on June 10 announced plans for the state to build its own wall along the southern border and to arrest individuals who illegally enter. The governor said more details will be released next week.

Were going to start making arrestssending a message to anyone thinking about coming hereyoure not getting a free pass. Youre getting a straight pass to a jail cell, he wrote on Twitter.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
An Indian relative comforts a patient as she receives supplemental oxygen during treatment for the coronavirus at the Kapil Government Hospital, which became a coronavirus consultation and treatment facility serving villages in the Jaipur and Sikar districts, in Neem Ka Thana, Sikar District, Rajasthan, India, on May 15, 2021 (Rebecca Conway/Getty Images)

Pandemic Exposes Gaps in Indias Primary Health Care System

NEW DELHINausana, a village about 60 miles outside New Delhi in Indias most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, had only one case of COVID-19 during the countrys second wave of the pandemic: a driver for a Delhi High Court judge who recovered while in quarantine.

All 1,700 of the villages voters have already been tested, and vaccinations began on May 28. But the vaccinations arent being administered in the villages sub-health care centera health unit in India that is the first point of contact between any community and its primary health care facilitybut instead in villagers homes on charpaies, traditional beds made from ropes.

Rural health care in India consists of a three-tiered system. At the lowest tier, each sub-center caters to an average of more than 5,000 people. Each group of six sub-centers refers patients to a primary health center (PHC), a six-bed facility that serves more than 30,000 people. Four PHCs refer to a community health center, a 30-bed site for more than 120,000 people.

Ideally, Nausanas sub-health care center should have been where COVID-19 testing and vaccinations were administered for the community, but when The Epoch Times visited it on May 27, it was locked and dusty. Through an open window, a table and chair were visible, along with a few medicines on otherwise empty shelves. Adjoining were two empty rooms with large cobwebs.

Harish Rawat, 83, a veteran who lives across from the sub-center, told The Epoch Times that the building is in pathetic condition, even though it was built just 10 years ago.

The health sub-center at Nausana village, near Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh state, was found locked on May 27; locals said its not functional. (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

Whereas theres a provision of residential accommodation for a health worker, no one has come to stay here even for a single day. Electric fittings have been provided, but no electric connection, to date, Rawat said.

Before visiting Nausana, The Epoch Times visited Kahira, another village over one mile away. In Kahira, five people died due to COVID-19 in the first week of May, about 27 were infected, and 26 had already recovered.

Kahira is a village of 700 families with a population of 5,000. A team of five COVID-19 responders had come to the village, testing 100 people on the first day and 32 people on the second day, according to Harshvardhan Singh, 38, a native of the village and a lawyer at the Bulandshahr District Court.

If people are showing symptoms, they are getting tested on their own or others are taking them to Bulandshahr for testing, said Singh. The pandemic spread very fast initially, but it got under control. Right now, theres no panic.

Bulandshahr, the district headquarters, is the nearest town to both Kahira and Nausana. While The Epoch Times visit to Kahira was planned, the visit to Nausana was impromptu.

Both villages are predominately farming communities, with newly elected pradhans (heads of village councils, elected in late April) who said they had spent their own money to provide door-to-door sanitizing efforts. The general budgets would have taken months to be approved and issued to the just-elected village councils, called panchayats.

A couple carry sugarcane on their cart in the village Kahira during the second wave of the pandemic, near Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh state on May 27, 2021. (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

Systemic Lapses Exposed

The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in the Indian health care system, particularly the nations primary sites, while overloading the countrys tertiary medical institutions during the second wave, when more than 50 percent of the caseload came from rural areas.

In the past month and a half, The Epoch Times, as part of its COVID-19 reporting, has interviewed community health workers, charity responders, citizens, and emergency volunteers in multiple Indian states, as well as community and global health experts.

While there are positive examples of operational primary care facilities in India, including specially built COVID-19 care centers, and of motivated and duty-bound community health workers, there are many reports of sub-optimum functionality like that seen in Nausana and Kahira.

The health care facilities in India are still developing and confront problems of workforce shortages, absenteeism, poor infrastructure and quality of care, according to a paper on COVID-19 challenges in rural India, published last year in the Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection (pdf).

There is currently a shortfall in health facilities: 18% at the Sub-Centre level, 22% at the PHC level, and 30% at the CHC level (as of March 2018). Although the number of facilities has increased over the years, the workforce availability is substantially below the recommended levels as suggested by the World Health Organization, authors Anant Kumar, K. Rajasekharan Nayar, and Shaffi Fazaludeen Koyac wrote.

When The Epoch Times visited Kahira, it met with five community members including Om Prakash, 40, the newly appointed pradhan, who presides over a council of 15 members.

We have a population of 5,000, but we have no sub-health center. We should have one. The nearest one is at Malagarh village, which is over nine miles away, Prakash said, explaining why villagers either go to private doctors or travel to the governments tertiary health facilities in Bulandshahr.

Covishield vaccine at a vaccination spot in the village of Nausana, near Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, India, on May 28, 2021. (Courtesy of Sahitya Rawat)

When the primary health care system isnt functioning well, it puts extreme stress on tertiary care facilities, Dr. Himani Pandya, a public health consultant and expert on Indias community health care system, told The Epoch Times by email. During the pandemic, that has led to a crisis.

Early detection and management of COVID have shown to be the most effective way to control the pandemic. If we have to reduce the increased burden on tertiary health institutions in India, which are already weak and flooded with volumes of patients, community-based management of COVID is the need of the hour, said Pandya, who has worked in community health projects conducted by UNICEF and WHO in India.

Dr. Joe Chalil, a global health expert and the author of Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Envisioning a Better World by Transforming the Future of Healthcare, told The Epoch Times in an email: The constitution of India obliges the government to ensure the right to health for all. Each state is required to provide free universal access to health care services. However, health care in India has been chronically underfunded.

Chalil, an Indian American who started his career as a doctor in a government hospital in India two decades ago, is currently writing another book, Beyond COVID-19: The Rise of Indian Healthcare.

Out of all medical visits in India, nearly 86 percent are made by the rural population, who travel more than 60 miles on average to available health care facilities, according to Chalil.

Ineffectiveness of the primary health care created a breach in the referral system which should serve as an entry point for the individual and provide continuous comprehensive coordination at all health care levels, Chalil said, adding that a report based on a study of 143 public facilities in India found that more than half of PHC facilities had an unpredictable pattern of closure, as well as high rates of doctor absenteeism during regular hoursjust like the site in Nausana.

Vaccines are reaching rural India. The health sub-center was locked and dusty. This vaccination was given at a villagers home in Nausana village in Bulandshar, Uttar Pradesh on May 28. #Unite2FightCorona #secondwave #VaccinationDrive pic.twitter.com/hOaJ5GI8hf  Venus Upadhayaya (@venusupadhayaya) June 13, 2021

Preparing for a 3rd Wave

As the second wave of COVID-19 rapidly declines in India, experts are worried about whether India is ready for a third wave. They say the country needs to act immediately and gather its community-based resources, be innovative, and, above all, introduce reforms.

Pandya said rural communities face the critical challenges of misinformation and lack of trust in the governments.

I remember when we used to go out in the villages to speak to women for a reproductive health project. They would shut their doors, thinking that we are government health workers who will force them to get vaccinated, she said. Communities continue to distrust vaccines, she said.

Chalil says structural and functional reforms in the system can help manage the next wave and simultaneously improve the health status of the country for decades to come.

However, health care in India has been chronically underfunded. Systemic barriers to access include long wait times in hospitals, the perceived low quality of public health services, and substantial workforce and infrastructure shortfalls, he said.

The Indian rural health care crisis is unmatched by that in any other sector of society, and to be better prepared for the future waves, the government of India should increase its health care spending to 5 percent of total gross domestic product from 0.9 percent, Chalil said.

This investment can help build a telemedicine-capable primary health center or sub-center in every Indian village. These smart PHCs can be managed in collaboration with NGOs or charitable institutions, he said. But reluctant community participation and poor intersectoral coordination are worsening the situation.

Om Prakash (L), the village council head of Kahira, with other villagers by the side of a street on May 27, 2021. (Venus Upadhayaya/Epoch Times)

Chalil said India should create a civil service branch to manage health care centers, similar to the Indian administrative service, and increase the number of medical and nursing colleges in India to at least one per district.

Pandya said the pandemic has affected various sections of society indirectly, particularly women and children, because it has stressed routine health care services.

Pregnant women are not visiting clinics for ante-natal check-ups. Parents are not taking their children for routine immunization. People are not collecting their medications for chronic diseases. Due to lack of availability, contraceptive use dropped, and a lot of women faced unwanted pregnancies, she said.

All of these have an indirect impact on health. A lot of this is indicative of a weak and non-resilient health system that fails to run its routine functions in the wake of a pandemic.

The pandemic should be an eye-opener for India, Pandya said.

The bad effects that we see might go away and things might stabilize, she said. But one of the most important impacts that I see is the realization that we cannot continue to respond to emergencies with the current approach. The status quo cannot continue. We need to be better prepared for such situations in advance.
Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) speaks at a Make America Great Again rally in Charleston, W. Va., on Aug. 21, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

3 West Virginia House Members Likely to Battle Each Other for 2 Seats

Three West Virginia House members will likely be battling for two seats as a declining population means the state is set to split into two congressional districts, down from the current three.

West Virginias long population slide cost the state its third congressional seat, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released in April. Statistics show that over the past decade its population fell by 3.2 percentthe largest drop across the United States.

The census data delivered the latest blow to a state where the coal industrys demise has had a shattering effect on the economy. West Virginias resident population dipped to 1,793,716 in 2020, down nearly 3.2 percent from 1,852,994 in 2010. The state once had six House seats, but the delegation has been shrinking since 1960.

The states three current House members, all Republicans, told the Washington Examiner in a joint statement that they all plan to seek re-election for the 2022 election cycle.

At this time, we all plan to seek re-election to Congress. Once the West Virginia State Legislature meets in the fall and redraws the congressional maps, we will consider the issue again at that time, Reps. Carol Miller, Alex Mooney, and David McKinley said.

U.S. Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) (L) and Chairman of House Energy and Commerce Committee Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) participate in a news conference to discuss the opioid crisis at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.V., on Feb. 2, 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

McKinley has not faced a primary opponent since first winning his congressional seat in 2010. He is from Wheeling, in the states northern panhandle, and is a former state legislator who ran for governor in 1996.

Mooney, a former Maryland state senator, was elected to his seat in 2014 and lives in Charles Town, a bright spot of growth thats about an hour and a half drive from Washington.

Miller was elected in 2018 and represents the 3rd Congressional District. She took 70 percent of the votes against her Democratic challenger last year.

West Virginians have seen too many neighbors, friends, and family members leave our state, Miller told The Associated Press in a statement. My mission to make West Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family will continue just the same after the census data is released.

Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) speaks during the 6th Annual Women Rule Summit at a hotel in Washington, on Dec. 11, 2018. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

On Thursday, state legislative leaders named the committees that will head West Virginias redistricting process.

Members of the Senate and House redistricting committees will host public hearings across the state this summer to hear feedback on redrawing political lines.

The Senate committee will be chaired by state Sen. Charles Trump, a Republican, and the House committee will be chaired by Del. Gary Howell, also a Republican. The GOP holds a supermajority in both chambers.

A special session is expected to convene on the matter later this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the G7 summit in Carbis Bay on June 12, 2021 in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. (Adrian Dennis-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK Trade Talks Up Next for Australian PM Following G-7

Trade Minister Dan Tehan has been working throughout the night to get the Australia-UK free trade agreement (FTA) ready for Prime Minister Scott Morrisons sign-off when he lands in London.

Tehan said on Sunday that negotiating teams from the Australian and United Kingdom (UK) governments had made enormous progress over the past six weeks and would attempt to finalise the details over the next 24 to 48 hours.

Weve said all along that we want this to be an agreement of substance, he told Sky News Australia on Sunday. So, we continue to work through this. I was up last night, throughout the night, as negotiations continued. Theyll continue overnight tonight for us, and hopefully, well be in a position to ink a deal.

Tehan indicated that the Australian government was aiming for a comprehensive and ambitious agreement that would span sectors such as agriculture, services, and investment.

The minister was also firm on the agreement being right for Australia, and if it was not, then the government would delay signing.

We want to make sure that its in Australias national interest, and if we need to be patient, we will be patient and wait to make sure that we have an agreement of substance in Australias national interest.

The agreement would be one of the largest FTAs signed post-Brexit for the UK and could potentially expand the already thriving $35 billion trade relationship between the Commonwealth nations.

British farmers, however, have been wary of removing tariffs from Australian meat imports (a key focus of the Australian government), saying the local industry was unable to compete with their counterparts due to differences in regulatory and environmental standards.

National Farmers Federation President Fiona Simson responded to the concerns saying, The volume of Australian red meat to the UK in the context of the UKs total red meat imports and Australias total exports, is very, very small.

According to a statement, in 2020, the UK imported 314,000 tonnes of beef, with only 1,567 tonnes coming from Australia. The UK also imported 67,500 tonnes of sheep meat, of which 14 percent came from Australia.

The race to get the FTA details locked in comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison concludes meetings with world leaders at the three-day Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Cornwall, UK.

The prime minister pledged to provide 20 million vaccine dosesa mix of Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Modernaas part of a push to donate one billion vaccines globally.

Morrison also held a 40-minute trilateral sit-down meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden.

Following the meeting, the leaders released a statement saying the three governments agreed that the strategic context in the Indo-Pacific was changing and that there was a strong rationale for deepening cooperation between the three governments.
US Water and Power Are Shockingly Vulnerable to Cyberhacks

By Kartikay Mehrotra

From Bloomberg News

When the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was hacked in 2018, it took a mere six hours. Early this year, an intruder lurked in hundreds of computers related to water systems across the United States. In Portland, Oregon, burglars installed malicious computers onto a grid providing power to a chunk of the Northwest.

Two of those casesL.A. and Portlandwere tests. The water threat was real, discovered by cybersecurity firm Dragos.

All three drive home a point long known but, until recently, little appreciated: the digital security of U.S. computer networks controlling the machines that produce and distribute water and power is woefully inadequate, a low priority for operators and regulators, posing a terrifying national threat.

If we have a new world war tomorrow and have to worry about protecting infrastructure against a cyberattack from Russia or China, then no, I dont think were where wed like to be, said Andrea Carcano, co-founder of Nozomi Networks, a control system security company.

Hackers working for profit and espionage have long threatened American information systems. But in the last six months, theyve targeted companies running operational networks like the Colonial Pipeline fuel system, with greater persistence. These are the systems where water can be contaminated, a gas line can spring a leak or a substation can explode.

The threat has been around for at least a decadeand fears about it for a generationbut cost and indifference posed obstacles to action.

It isnt entirely clear why ransomware hackersthose who use malicious software to block access to a computer system until a sum of money has been paidhave recently moved from small-scale universities, banks and local governments to energy companies, meatpacking plants and utilities. Experts suspect increased competition and bigger payouts as well as foreign government involvement. The shift is finally drawing serious attention to the problem.

The U.S. government began taking small steps to defend cybersecurity in 1998 when the Clinton administration identified 14 private sectors as critical infrastructure, including chemicals, defense, energy and financial services. This triggered regulation in finance and power. Other industries were slower to protect their computers, including the oil and gas sector, said Rob Lee, the founder of Dragos.

One of the reasons is the operational and financial burden of pausing production and installing new tools.

Much of the infrastructure running technology systems is too old for sophisticated cybersecurity tools. Ripping and replacing hardware is costly as are service outages. Network administrators fear doing the job piecemeal may be worse because it can increase a networks exposure to hackers, said Nozomis Carcano.

Although the Biden administrations budget includes $20 billion to upgrade the countrys grid, this comes after a history of shoulder shrugging from federal and local authorities. Even where companies in under-regulated sectors like oil and gas have prioritized cybersecurity, theyve been met with little support.

Take the case of ONE Gas Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Niyo Little Thunder Pearson was overseeing cybersecurity there in January 2020 when his team was alerted to malware trying to enter its operational systemthe side that controls natural gas traffic across Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.

For two days, his team was in a dogfight with the hackers who moved laterally across the network. Ultimately, Pearsons team managed to expel the intruders.

When Richard Robinson at Cynalytica fed the corrupted files into his own identification program, ONE Gas learned it was dealing with malware capable of executing ransomware, exploiting industrial control systems and harvesting user credentials. At its core were digital footprints found in some of the most malicious code of the last decade.

Pearson tried to bring the data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation but it would only accept it on a compact disc, he said. His system couldnt burn the data onto a CD. When he alerted the Department of Homeland Security and sent it through a secure portal, he never heard back.

Robinson, of Cynalytica, was convinced a nation-state operator had just attacked a regional natural gas provider. So he gave a presentation to DHS, the Departments of Energy and Defense and the intelligence community on a conference call. He never heard back either.

We got zero, and that was what was really surprising, he said. Not a single individual reached back out to find out more about what happened to ONE Gas.

The agencies didnt respond to requests for comment.

Such official indifferenceeven hostilityhasnt been uncommon.

The 2018 break-in to the L.A. water and power system is another example.

These werent criminals but hackers-for-hire paid to break into the system to help it improve security.

After the initial intrusion, the citys security team asked the hackers to assume the original source of compromise had been fixed (it hadnt) while hunting for a new one. They found many.

Between the end of 2018 and most of 2019, the hired hackers discovered 33 compromised paths, according to a person familiar with the test who wasnt authorized to speak publicly. Bloomberg News reviewed a report produced by the hackers for Mayor Eric Garcettis office.

It described 10 vulnerabilities found during their own test, along with 23 problems researchers had discovered as early as 2008. ( Bloomberg News wont publish information that hackers could use to attack the utility.) The person familiar with the operation discovered that few, if any, of the 33 security gaps have been fixed since the reports submission in September 2019.

It gets worse.

Soon after the hackers produced the report, Garcetti terminated their contract, according to a preliminary legal claim filed by the hackers hired from Ardent Technology Solutions in March 2020. The company alleges the mayor fired the hackers as a retaliatory measure for the scathing report.

Ellen Cheng, a utility spokeswoman, acknowledged that Ardents contract was terminated but said it had nothing to do with the reports substance. She said the utility frequently partners with public agencies to improve security, including scanning for potential cyber threats.

We want to assure our customers and stakeholders that cybersecurity is of the utmost importance to LADWP and that appropriate steps have been taken to ensure that our cybersecurity is compliant with all applicable laws and security standards, Cheng said in a statement.

Garcettis office didnt respond to a request for comment.

The case of the Oregon networkthe Bonneville Power Administrationis no more encouraging.

The testing went on for years beginning in 2014 and involved an almost shocking level of intrusion followed by a pair of public reports. One published in 2017 admonished the agency for repeatedly failing to take action.

By 2020, two-thirds of the more than 100 flaws identified by the Department of Energy and the utilitys own security team hadnt been resolved, according to interviews with more than a dozen former and current Bonneville security personnel and contractors and former members of the Department of Energy cyber team, in addition to documents, some accessed via Freedom of Information Act request.

Doug Johnson, a spokesperson for Bonneville, didnt respond to requests for comment on whether the vulnerabilities have been resolved, including some detailed in documents reviewed by Bloomberg in 2020.

Dragos estimated in its 2020 cybersecurity report that 90 percent of its new customers had extremely limited to no visibility inside their industrial control systems. That means that once inside, hackers have free rein to collect sensitive data, investigate system configurations and choose the right time to wage an attack.

The industry is finally focused on fighting back.

If the bad guys come after us, there has to be an eye-for-an-eye, or better, observed Tom Fanning, chief executive officer of Southern Co., at a conference this week. Weve got to make sure the bad guys understand there will be consequences.

2021 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Residents of a Southbank townhouse complex in Melbourne, Australia have been ordered to isolate and get tested on June 14 after 2 positive COVID-19 cases were linked. (Neil Morrell/Pixabay)

Victorian Health Department Orders Townhouse Residents to Isolate After 2 People Test Positive

Residents of a Melbourne townhouse complex were met with government nurses and a pop-up testing facility on Monday morning as the Victorian health department investigates a possible CCP virus transmission site within the complex.

Health authorities established a link between a confirmed case reported on June 12 with a worker from Arcare Maidstone who lives in the same Southbank complexa complex made up of over 100 townhouses.

Most residents will simply be required to test and isolate until negative  but a smaller number  will most likely have to isolate for 14 days, Victorias Health Minister Martin Foley said on June 14.

The Southbank complex is listed as a tier-2 exposure site.

Rather than wait for the community to come to the contact tracers and the testing facility, local public health took the view that they should go to them, and I think that is a good thing.

The health department believes the aged care worker infected the man aged in his 30s in a common area of the low-rise complex prior to testing positive.

The epidemiology, the interviews with the two cases involved and the genomic sequencing seems to support that, Foley said.

An SMS went out too everyone on the list last night  and a door knocking and testing is well underway.

As I understand it, it is not laundries.

Its quite a large area with multiple entry points and car parks.

What were trying to do is to run down the particular circumstances of that and make sure that if there are any chains of transmission out there, that we identify them early and cut them off.

The health minister confirmed that specialist nurses were working with residents to ensure that people were tested.

This comes as the state records two new local cases on June 14both of whom are children, who are close contacts of previous cases, and have not been in the community while infectious.

Reported yesterday: 2 new local cases and 4 new cases acquired overseas (currently in HQ).

 13,764 vaccine doses were administered

 16,932 test results were received More later: https://t.co/0xmnS54Kvl#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/Eu4KXCQJqm  VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 13, 2021

There are more than 2000 Victorians in isolation after being confirmed close contacts of positive cases. Approximately 130 public exposure sites listed in Victoria.

Currently, Victoria is under restrictions following the states fourth lockdown that ended on June 10.

Restrictions such as a 25 km travel limit for metropolitan residents, including a ban on home gatherings, a 10 person limit to group gatherings, as well as mandatory masks use indoors and outdoors will remain until at least June 18.

Regional Victorians are allowed two visitors at home, while density limits are in place at restaurants, pubs and cafes, gyms and other venues.

Foley said Victoria was on track for a further easing of restrictions later in the week as more information comes to hand.

AAP contributed to this report.
A container is loaded onto a cargo ship at a port in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 30, 2015. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Virus Outbreaks at Thai Factories Threaten Export Sector, Recovery

BANGKOKA series of coronavirus outbreaks in Thai factories is raising concerns that the export sector could be hit hard, threatening to further undermine an economy as it struggles to recover from the lockdowns crippling blow to the crucial tourism industry.

The virus has swept through over 130 factories, including those supplying international brands, with more than 7,100 cases across 11 provinces, making manufacturing one of the top sources of infections along with prisons and construction camps.

The affected plants are just a fraction of about 63,000 factories in Thailand that employ 3.4 million, government data show, but officials worry about the impact on exports that have kept the struggling economy moving as income from tourism has collapsed.

In 2020, exports accounted for 45 percent of gross domestic product. The tourism-reliant economy, a global trade hub, suffered a steep 6.1 percent contraction last year, and last month the government trimmed GDP growth forecast for this year to 1.5 percent2.5 percent from 2.5 percent3.5 percent previously.

Electronics, rubber gloves, and food are among the export sectors hit by infections, Federation of Thai Industries vice chairman Kriengkrai Thiennukul told Reuters, but he said it was too early to assess the overall impact.

If it continues the damage will increase so factories have to be fully vaccinated, he said.

Already, some of the manufacturers affected by the outbreak have had to curtail production.

Charoen Pokphand Foods Pcl, which exports to 40 countries from Thailand, said a factory that was closed due to infections accounted for 10 percent of broiler chicken production.

Instant noodle maker, Thai President Foods Pcl closed a factory that produces rice vermicelli and rice noodle. Overseas sales accounted for about a third of the companys semi-finished food sales.

Some factories continued partial operations while others have temporarily closed and quarantined their workers. The outbreak has sent industry sentiment tumbling to an 11-month low.

Thailand has recorded a total of 199,264 COVID-19 infections and 1,466 deaths so far, with over 80 percent of the new cases and 90 percent of the fatalities reported after April. As of now, only 1.6 million people out of a population of over 66 million have been fully vaccinated.

Migrant workers from Burma pass their time near their mosquito net tents at Cal-Comp Electronics factory while under quarantine, in Phetchaburi, Thailand, on June 8, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

Bubble-and-Seal Impact

The government has been trying to contain the outbreak with a bubble and seal policy, which takes effect when 10 percent of factory workers are infected. The confirmed cases are then sent for treatment while the remainder are kept at the factory for 28 days.

Workers at factories and in construction camps who live on sitemany of them low-wage migrant workershave been unable to leave their workplace, even if they are not infected. The policy differs from other workplaces affected by the coronavirus.

Its not appropriate, said Suthasinee Kaewleklai, Migrant Workers Rights Network (MWRN) coordinator in Thailand, adding that authorities should be doing more tests.

Suthasinee said that companies should improve conditions, give more space for social distancing and increase training for workers so those who were healthy could avoid infection and move freely.

The Industry Ministry has given factories until the end of June to upgrade conditions including providing mandatory masks and administering temperature checks.

A government official defended the bubble and seal policy, saying it allows businesses to continue operations and limits the outbreak.

Those with symptoms will be sent for treatment, others will be in the bubble, if it spreads it will spread in there and not outside, health official Taweesap Siraprapasiri told Reuters.

This limits the outbreak and allows business to continue.

By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat
We Will Return to a Free Hong Kong: Australians Mark 2nd Anniversary of HK Extradition Protests

Around 500 Hong Kongers living in Sydney held a commemorative rally at the citys Town Hall on June 12, the second anniversary of Hong Kongs Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB) movement.

The rally was held to remember the millions who marched peacefully in 2019 against the Hong Kong executives proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which would have allowed Chinese agents to extradite Hong Kongers to mainland China freely. The protest grew in momentum until 2 million people took to the streets a quarter of Hong Kongs population.

People filled a street during the pro-democracy movement of Hong Kong on June 9, 2019. (Song Bilong/The Epoch Times)

Speaking at the rally, Australian Senator Tony Sheldon accused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of violating the Sino-British Joint Declaration and undermining democracy in Hong Kong and called on Australia to implement its own version of the Magnitsky Act.

Its quite clear that the Magnitsky Act is the Australian version of holding those responsible for objectionable behavior, on freedom, on rights [accountable]. [Its] your opportunity to speak out that they should be correctly implemented in Australia, Sheldon said.

Australian Senator Tony Sheldon spoke at a rally by the NSW Hong Kong communities in Sydneys Town Hall to mark the second anniversary of the Anti-ELAB movement. (Li Rui/The Epoch Times)

Its critically important for us in this country, for all of us residing in this country to stand up for democracy and freedom, he said. As Hong Kong is, and supporters of Hong Kong is, Im very proud to say free Hong Kong.

Sheldon also called on the current Australian government to follow the example of Prime Minister Bob Hawke and offer residency to Hong Kongers living in Australia. In 1989, in the wake of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, then Prime Minister Hawke offered residency and citizenship to all Chinese students studying in Australia.

Ted Hui, the former Hong Kong councillor who is now in exile in Adelaide, flew to Sydney to attend the rally. Hui said that it had been half a year since he left Hong Kong. He felt honoured and excited to see so many Hong Kongers together and hear them shout the slogans of the Anti-ELAB movement.

I remember that day we all stood together, outside the Hong Kong parliament, I was about to step in, he said. When I reached the Legislative Council, it was already surrounded by all the young people. I was so touched. When I saw them, they asked me, Congressman Hui, will you join us? I replied, Of course Ill join you!

So on that day, I made my determination that I will follow them around, wherever they go, wherever they are, protest, wherever they wont have those, I should stand in front of them, not behind them. Thats my determination, and that determination is still valid.

Ted Hui, the former Hong Kong councillor who is now in exile in Adelaide, flew to Sydney to attend the rally. (Huang Jiachuan/ The Epoch Times)

The former councillor hopes that in the future, the wisdom of different forms of Hong Kongers will gather together to become a greater power.

I believe that by taking many steps together, we can become a bigger stakeholder, taking one more step together, reaching out to places in the world which see and hear us, reaching out to local communities, reaching out to councils and councillors, reaching out to them to speak for us internationally.

But well not just rely on them. Looking back at the many exiles around the world, why are they still standing decades and centuries later? Because they came together, they were willing to go one step further.

So I hope, Hong Kong people, we will come together, we will take many steps, we will carry on this spirit.

I am confident that, in time, we will return to a free Hong Kong.
Can a winery do weddings? That's among the many issues up for debate. (Joshua Rainey Photography/shutterstock)

What Is a Winery? A Long-Time Debate in Sonoma County

Sonoma County, often called the other wine country, is larger and more diverse than its better-known neighbor, Napa.

It has more wine-tasting facilities, hosts dozens of hospitality events (weddings, concerts, charity wine auctions), and has faced complaints from numerous residents upset over traffic, noise, litter, and more.

Ancillary events bring tourist dollars, so after decades of discussion, the county now plans to codify rules that will define what a winery can and cannot doa dilemma that has faced many tourist-oriented areas over the decades.

For instance, can wineries host weddings?

Decades ago, I visited a winery (not in the United States) that was designed in a long, narrow shape. Its sole purpose was to have large lawns on each side of the buildings two separate entrances.

The hospitality director said the idea was to design a facility that could host two weddings on the same day, even at the same hour, with neither party aware the other was there.

Getting married at a winery can be elegant. Wineries can be gorgeous and can provide wine for guests (for a fee, of course), catering (fee), music (fee), and other services (fees).

Weddings can be complicated. This, said the hospitality director, was a one-stop wedding shop.

In this case, the winery produced ordinary wines that were outrageously expensive, I concluded. Then it hit me: This wasnt a winery; it was a WINOa winery in name only. Wine was an afterthought. It was a wedding place calling itself a winery.

This sort of business might not be allowed in the Napa Valley, which struggled for years trying to define just what a winery was.

After a simmering-then-boiling debate that pitted residents against the wine industry, compromises were reached that dealt with lots more than just Can a winery do weddings?

Questions could be knotty. Some early-founded wineries in Napa had always done things properly and shouldnt be penalized, they argued. Many demanded to be grandfathered in.

The original debate also included questions of whether a winery could have a cafe on site. The fear was that restaurants might become more popular than the winery.

There are also questions of permits for hotels; dealing with commercial zones; parking and traffic issues (I once proposed a toll road); snacks (palate cleansers) at tasting rooms; concerts; art displays; and more.

That debate arose about the time Robert Mondavi proposed his Mondavi Mission: a museum-like facility dedicated to wine, food, and the arts. He proposed placing the building adjacent to his winery in Oakville.

Residents threw such a fit that Mondavi almost lost his right to host concerts on site, so he abandoned the Oakville site and acquired land in Napa, where he built Copia: a great idea that never took root.

The What is a winery? debate never really ended in Napa, and now Sonoma County faces its own set of dilemmas. With about 325 tasting rooms, Sonoma will debate various issues over several months, and the planning commission will eventually define what a winery can and cannot do.

Whatever it decides, many will be displeased.

Wine of the Week

2020 Babich Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough ($13): This fine producer of excellent red and white wines is located in Hawkes Bay on New Zealands North Island. When New Zealand sauvignon blanc was becoming very popular in the United States at about $15, the family made a stellar lower-priced wine to sell for about $10 from acreage it bought in Marlborough on the South Island. The wines were so good that they ramped up production and cut costs by shipping cases to itself (a direct import that cut out a major layer of distribution costs). That allowed Babich to sell this wine at a lower price than it normally would have.

The aroma is classic Marlborough (lime, tropical fruit, grapefruit, gooseberry), and its drier than most. Its occasionally seen at less than $10!

To find out more about Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at Creators.com. Copyright 2021 Creators.com
Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden as he arrives ahead of a NATO summit, at Brussels Military Airport in Melsbroek, Belgium, on June 13, 2021. (Yves Herman/Pool/Reuters)

White House Says NATO Will Launch Ambitious Security Initiatives

WASHINGTONThe White House said on Sunday ahead of Mondays NATO summit that alliance leaders would launch an ambitious set of initiatives to ensure it continues providing security through 2030 and beyond.

It said the 30 member countries would agree to revise NATOs Strategic Concept to guide its approach to the evolving strategic environment, which includes Russias aggressive policies and actions; challenges posed by the Peoples Republic of China to our collective security, prosperity, and values; and transnational threats such as terrorism, cyber threats, and climate change.

The White House statement said the new Strategic Concept would be prepared for adoption at the 2022 NATO Summit.

Allied leaders will launch an ambitious set of initiatives to ensure NATO continues to provide security to our citizens through 2030 and beyond, the statement added.

Reuters reported earlier that NATOs Strategic Concept was expected to include Chinas military rise as a challenge for the first time.

President Joe Biden arrived in Brussels on Sunday for the summit.

NATO leaders will endorse a new Cyber Defense Policy boosting coordination to ensure the alliance is resilient against the increasingly frequent and severe threats  including disruptive ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure.

The White House added that alliance members would rely on trustworthy providers for next generation telecommunication networks.

NATO leaders will also affirm steps to ensure the alliances technological edge and agree to a Climate Security Action Plan, the White House said, including reducing greenhouse gases from military activities and installations.

Russia, climate change, Afghanistan, and new technologies are among topics planned for discussion during the day-long summit, which will culminate in a special leaders session in the North Atlantic Council chamber.

In a twist of fate, the NATO summit will agree on reforms to the alliance, known as NATO 2030, which were set in motion after then-President Donald Trump questioned whether it was fit for purpose.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will set out nine areas where NATO could modernize over the medium term, including more joint allied funding of military operations. France has already expressed concern about the proposal, however, fearing it will take money away from national military priorities.

By David Shepardson
Workers search for victims in a building damaged by a gas line explosion in Shiyan, central China's Hubei Province on June 13, 2021. (-/CNS/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Leader Nervous About Regime Stability After Gas Blast Kills at Least 25

After a huge gas explosion in central Chinas Shiyan city, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered the regime to bolster its rule, rather than ordering local officials to speed up the rescue of people still trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

The explosion happened around 6:40 a.m. on June 13, destroying a busy market in Zhangwan district of Shiyan city, Hubei province, as locals were shopping for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival. As of June 14, at least 25 people had been killed and another 138 injured, with 37 in severe condition. Countless more are still buried underneath the rubble.

Xi then ordered via state-run CCTV in the evening that the regime must investigate the cause of the accident, make officials accountable, strengthen [officials] political acumen, prevent more major accidents, maintain the stability of society, and create a good atmosphere for the Partys centennial celebration, referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Maintaining stability is a euphemism for maintaining the CCPs power. Make officials accountable is a method the CCP uses to create an incentive for officials to hide the true scale of a disaster and incident. Officials are dismissed if death tolls are high.

The Shiyan blast happened the day after the CCP assigned Huang Jianxiong to be the city mayor.

Xis order after the incident apparently shows hes concerned about maintaining the stability of the Chinese regime over saving peoples lives, U.S.-based China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan told The Epoch Times on June 13.

In the same CCTV program, Premier Li Keqiang said he was concerned that China will see more safety incidents given the numerous fatal accidents being reported across the country in recent times. He asked local authorities to speed up their rescue efforts and for the whole country to examine the possible safety risks.

Xi emphasized in an announcement on June 13 that officials in positions of responsibility will be held accountable for any future incidents, implying that officials will face political consequences such as loss of rank, while ordering local authorities to tighten their control.

Tragic Explosion

Residents close to the market told The Epoch Times on June 13 that the neighborhood was full of the wreckage of flattened houses and that bodies could be seen after the blast. They said the regime had blocked the affected streets and were preventing people from returning home.

They said they believed there were still people buried in the rubble.

[I saw and heard that] wounded people are being treated at different hospitals. Dead bodies were picked up [and sent to the funeral home] directly. There were still a large number of people waiting to be rescued [when we were forced to leave], said Li, a resident who lives beside the market and didnt want to give her full name.

Wang, a business owner who operates a hotpot restaurant in the market, told The Epoch Times: The market has three floors. The two floors above the ground are restaurants, stores, and shops. The underground floor is a wet market. The whole street was blown up. Very scary!

Another resident told The Epoch Times: Its a busy market. A lot of seniors like to enjoy the fresh air by sitting beside the shops [in the market] in the early morning. Tomorrow [June 14] is the Dragon Boat Festival. You can imagine how many shoppers were there [when the blast happened].

Firemen injured in the gas blast in Shiyan, central Chinas Hubei Province, on June 13, 2021. (Supplied/The Epoch Times)

Li said the authorities had asked her family and her neighbors to leave the area at 8:00 a.m. on June 13 and didnt allow them to return, even to collect emergency items.

The regime invoked martial law in the neighborhood. Residents can only leave and arent allowed to enter, said another resident from Yanhu street in Zhangwan district, which is close to the blast.

Li and two other interviewees told The Epoch Times that they had heard that the explosion was caused by a leaking gas pipeline.

The Epoch Times contacted authorities and media offices in Shiyan city, as well as the local blood bank, for comment. Officials either said they didnt have information on the situation or that they were too busy to answer questions.

During the day, residents in Shiyan lined up in front of the local blood center to donate blood after they heard that hospitals didnt have enough to care for the injured.

Threat of Lone-Wolf Attacks

The Chinese people have experienced numerous public safety threats in the past month alone.

At 10:30 a.m. on June 13, four hours after the Shiyan gas blast, six workers died in Chengdu, a city in southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province, when they were cleaning a food factorys wastewater pipe and pond.

On June 12, a toxic chemical leak from a truck unloading methyl formate killed at least eight people and injured three at a chemical handling facility in Guiyang city in southwestern Chinas Guizhou Province, according to local authorities.

On June 10, 13 miners were trapped underground in an iron mine in Xinzhou city in northern Chinas Shanxi Province, after a significant volume of groundwater infiltrated the mine.

However, the most concerning safety incidents for the CCP are random lone-wolf attacks against society, which are on the rising and becoming a major challenge for the regime. Though this type of incident doesnt target the CCP and its institutions directly, the majority have been committed by people with grudges against the regime.

On June 5, a 25-year-old man attacked people with a knife in a busy street in Anqing city in eastern Chinas Anhui Province, killing six people and injuring 14 others, with one left in serious condition. The regime claimed that the mans rampage was caused by family issues.

On May 29, a 41-year-old man drove into pedestrians and attacked bystanders with a knife, injuring eight people and leaving four in critical condition. Authorities said the man was taking revenge on society after having conflicts with his ex-wife.

On May 28, a man in his 40s injured five primary school students with a knife in Chenzhou city in southern Chinas Hunan Province. At least one student died in the hospital. The regimes official report claimed that the man had mental issues and no motive for the knife attack.
3 1 of 3 Norwalk Police / Contributed Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Norwalk Police / Contributed Show More Show Less 3 of 3





NORWALK  A fugitive wanted on allegations of child sexual abuse in California was taken into custody in the city over the weekend, according to local police.

On June 8, a Norwalk police officer of the Special Services Division, assigned to the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force out of Bridgeport, was alerted by a deputy U.S. marshal to a warrant out of California, according to Norwalk Police Sgt. Sofia Gulino.
DARIEN  The 201st birthday of the town was celebrated on Saturday, June 12, with a special ceremony that also honored its pivotal founding leader Thaddeus Bell, Jr.

Various town and state officials took part in an Anniversary Day event at Slawson Cemetery on Hanson Road, hosted by the Darien 2020 Bicentennial Committeeone year after the original ceremony was suspended because of the pandemic.

Its a bicentennial plus one, Al Miller, committee chair, said. In 1820, June 12, Darien seceded from Stamford and we became a town.

Bell  whose ancestors include his great, great grandfather Frances Bell, a settler of Stamford, and his great grandfather Jonathan Bell, who was the first recorded birth in Stamford in 1641  was buried at the cemetery on Oct. 31, 1851, at the age of 92.

Scott Sherwood, a 13th-generation descendant of Frances Bell, who grew up in New Canaan, was at the ceremony.

When we were little kids we would drive by here, Sherwood, who now lives in South Dartmouth, Mass., said of Thaddeus Bell, Jr. And growing up we were always told about the family history.

That history includes not only Bells appearance in a range of Revolutionary War-era events, including battles in Ridgefield, Westport and Danbury, but his filing of the town charter that made Darien an independent municipality.

Miller said the 200-year-old document shows that the town was originally set to be called Bellville, but Bell crossed out the name before filing it with the state and wrote in Darien.

There is no firm explanation as to why that name was chosen, but he said one of the legends is that it was a reference to the Darien Gap  the region between Colombia and Panama that separates North and South America. Its possible that Bell meant it to reference the town being between two larger bodies  namely Norwalk and Stamford.

Along with music by the Spirit of Black Rock Fife and Drum Corps, and a moment of silence commemorating the day, a new plaque was unveiled by Bells grave, presented by members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

He didnt leave anything on the table, Katherine Love, honorary regent of the DAR said of Bell. He was thoughtful and persistent, and despite many doors closed in his face, he prevailed.

He was a remarkable man for his time, Sherwood said.
This story was reported by Zach Williams.

Where the Parks Department sees a place to store stacks of pristine work gloves, rakes and other supplies, local activists envision a community center. Reconciling the two designs on a Stanton Street building within Sara D. Roosevelt Park remains as elusive now as 20 years ago.

Neighborhood parks received more than $8 million last year as part of Mayor Bill de Blasios Community Parks Initiative. That money will fund improvements at three Lower East Side parks and followed a renewed interest in recent years within the neighborhood to secure under-utilized park buildings for community use. Yet, it remains to be seen whether this change in the political winds will result in concrete plans to transform the Stanton Street building into a community center, as well as a number of other under-utilized park buildings throughout the neighborhood.

Regular meetings with William Castro, the Parks Departments Manhattan borough commissioner, indicate enthusiasm but no firm commitment to the idea, said K Webster, president of the Sara D. Roosevelt Park Coalition. But she remains undeterred.

It would be such a win-win for the community for the park, for the Parks Department, Webster said before adding: There are just so many reasons why you want the resources of that small narrow park to be fully utilized by the community. I know that (Castro) is behind us on this, but the sticking point seems to be Where do I put my storage?

Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) and the Hester Street Collaborative conducted a feasibility study in 2012 of the Stanton Street building  along with buildings in Seward Park and on the Allen Street pedestrian mall at Delancey Street. But the obstacles  both financial and logistical  to moving forward with renovation plans remain daunting.

Thomas Yu, an AAFE executive and chairperson of the Community Board 3s parks committee, said in a phone interview that the storage needs of the Parks Department remain an impediment to turning the Stanton Street building into space for community programming.

The building appeared ripe for change in the mid-1990s as the surrounding neighborhood began its transformation from a gritty, crime-ridden area and real estate values skyrocketed. At that time, the department indicated a willingness to work with activists on transferring use of the building to the community, according to Webster.

Yet there remains no other readily-available facility right now to stow the toilet paper, rakes and other necessary materials for Manhattan parks, according to a department spokesperson. That does not mean that the department would not consider a new use for the Stanton Street building should a new storage location be eventually secured, according to the department.

Renovations could happen down the road, Steve Simon, Castros chief of staff, told the CB3 Parks Committee in January. Another site was identified as potentially accommodating to the departments storage needs, he said before adding that no relocation was imminent.

Funding remains a concern as well, according to the spokesperson. Renovations are needed to bring the building up to code and its unclear how much money and time that would require, the spokesperson added.

Webster said the Parks Department should demonstrate its commitment by establishing a firm timeline. I think thats a concrete way that we can move forward together and working as partners, and weve done a lot of great work together, this really has gone on too long. Its gotten old, she said.

There are three other buildings within the park. One houses a city-wide alarm system. Engineering staff utilize another. The third is a valued community resource, according to Webster.

The Bowery Residents Committee Senior Center at the parks intersection with Delancey Street is a bee-hive of activity, she said. Older Chinese ladies were busy chatting and playing mahjiang there on the afternoon of Feb. 5, as they escaped the biting cold outside. Brightly painted walls, clean carpets and interior sunshine were a stark contrast to the Stanton Street building where the clutter of supply pallets were visible through a door blown open by the wind. The only visible activity observed that afternoon was a park employee who briefly exited to access a department truck. One man in need of some reading time, sat down on the steps clutching his coat.

More community gathering spaces are needed within the Community Board 3 district, states the boards Fiscal Year 2016 Priorities. Thomas Yu, the parks committee head, said the Stanton Street building would fulfill such a need.

For now, however, the project remains stuck in the mud of bureaucracy.
As noted in this mornings Lower East Side Links, Goldman Sachs is now making an unprecedented investment in Essex Crossing. The Real Deal has new details today on commitments from the banks Urban Investment Group for nearly $500 million in the Lower East Side development project.

Back in December of 2014, the firm came forward with $181 million for the first phase of construction. Now underway on four of nine development sites, the initial phase includes 556 apartments, a new Essex Street Market, a 14-screen movie theater and a medical center from NYU Langone. Goldman Sachs also contributed $19 million for the planning of phases two and three. Now, according to the Real Deal, its ready to provide the development team with another $200 million in equity.

More from the story:

by the time the project is done, Goldmans total commitment is likely to be close to $500 million, according to Margaret Anadu, one of the groups managing directors. You dont typically see investments from an impact perspective made at this scale, Anadu told The Real Deal. Even for our program to invest this much is very unusual.

The project in the former Seward Park urban renewal area is a joint venture of three firms: BFC Partners, L+M Development Partners and Taconic Investment Partners. The industry publication notes that their stake in Essex Crossing is now dwarfed by that of Goldman Sachs:

Goldman now has an unprecedented 85 percent equity stake in the project, Anadu said, with BFC, L+M and Taconic maintaining just 5 percent apiece. About $11.7 million of that equity, or 6.5 percent, was generated through the deployment of New Market Tax Credits, a federal initiative to promote investment in low-income communities.

The blend of affordable and market rate housing, along with commercial development, was attractive to the firm. Its like everything that weve invested in over the years, said Anadu, thoughtfully programmed into one project.

Other banks involved in backing Essex Crossing include Wells Fargo and Citibank.
Local elected officials have issued another plea to the citys Department of Education (DOE) to provide funding for a public school as part of the Essex Crossing project.

In a letter dated Nov. 16 to NYC education officials, State Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou called on the city to amend the current 2015-2019 capital plan to include a Lower East Side school. The letter was co-signed by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Senator-elect Brian Kavanagh, City Council member Margaret Chin and City Council member-elect Carlina Rivera. They requested a meeting with the DOE and with the New York City School Construction Authority.

As part of negotiations with the city years ago, the developers of Essex Crossing were required to reserve a spot for a school on Site 5 of the large development in the former Seward Park Urban Renewal Area. A 15-story residential building with retail spaces (Target, Trader Joes, etc.) is scheduled to open on the site next year. The school parcel, located on Suffolk Street, between Grand and Broome streets, will be a vacant lot on opening day.

In a December 2013 letter from the Department of Education, elected officials were told that the city was, supportive of the plan to reserve a parcel for construction of a school and a deputy chancellor, Kathleen Grimm, acknowledged that, existing capacity of schools in the area may not be able to accommodate the demand generated by the new housing planned at SPURA. Grimm (who passed away in 2015) added, however, that funding would not be allocated due to timing and priorities. Even though it was known at the time that the first families would be moving into the Seward Park project in 2018, Grimm wrote, we believe the need for new seats will not occur until the 2020-2024 Capital Plan period.

In a statement provided to The Lo-Down, Assembly member Niou referred to the looming completion of Essex Crossings first four building and asserted, a critical piece of the puzzle is missing  a school to house the dozens of children expected to move into Essex Crossing within months.

Our community foresaw this need and fought hard to reserve a site for a school at the SPURA site, said Niou, which is why we urge the City to act swiftly and build the school that our community needs. The clock is ticking as residents begin to inhabit Essex Crossing, and the City must prevent overcrowding in our schools as weve seen in other parts of lower Manhattan.

Community Board 3 Chairperson Jamie Rogers added, Now is the time to keep our promise to the next generation and build a school on Site 5 (of Essex Crossing).

Back in 2013, CB3 published a position paper that made a case for a school as part of the Seward Park development. The board called for a Pre-K to eighth grade school serving DOE districts 1 and 2 (the Essex Crossing project straddles both districts). An environmental assessment conducted in conjunction with the Seward Park project estimated that the new apartments would create a need for 108 elementary and 36 intermediate school seats by the year 2022. In the report, the community board argued that Lower East Side schools were already overcrowded and that the DOE had failed to account for all of the new housing coming to the neighborhood.

One-thousand new apartments are being built as part of Essex Crossing. When the 2014 report was published, several huge developments in the Two Bridges neighborhood had not yet been announced. Those projects, now being reviewed by city officials, will include thousands of new residential units, all located in Community School District 1. An environmental review in the Two Bridges area is supposed to be taking into account the potential need for additional school seats.

In response to the most recent letter, were told a meeting has been scheduled with elected officials.

See below for the full letter from elected officials and for CB3s 2014 report.

Letter to DOE Officials: Essex Crossing School by The Lo-Down on Scribd

CB3 Essex Crossing School Position Paper (FINAL 6.11.14) by The Lo-Down on Scribd
Sevierville, TN (37876)

Today

Steady light rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Steady light rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
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Blame game begins over vaccine chaos

THAILAND: The national vaccination rollout has hit turbulence after several public and private hospitals announced their decision to postpone inoculations amid a shortage of the COVID-19 vaccine.

CoronavirusCOVID-19healthVaccinepolitics

By Bangkok Post

Monday 14 June 2021, 09:19AM

Namarak Hospital director Youwanush Kongdan describes the shortage of vaccines during a Facebook Live session yesterday (June 13). Photo: Youwanush Kongdan Facebook account.

When pressed about the shortage, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul passed the buck to City Hall, who in turn blamed the government by saying it had received insufficient supplies to meet vaccination targets.

Yesterday (June 13), permanent secretary for public health Kiattiphum Wongrachit admitted that Thailand has so far received far less COVID-19 vaccine than it had expected this month.

The shortfall has led to a major adjustment of the countrys mass vaccination programmes for July and September, Dr Kiattiphum said.

Several public and private hospitals across the capital, as well as a number of hospitals in the provinces, have postponed vaccination appointments scheduled for this week, saying they have not received enough vaccines from the Public Health Ministry.

Most of the postponed vaccination appointments were made by senior citizens and people with underlying medical conditions through the Mor Prom (Doctor Ready) app.

Give people the facts

Youwanush Kongdan, the director of Namarak, a private 10-bed facility specialising in breast cancer treatment, took the problem to her Facebook page yesterday with some timely suggestions for the Public Health Ministry.

I am making an appeal to the government that it should give people the facts and communicate with them in a straightforward manner, she said.

If you have sufficient vaccines, please say so. If you dont have enough vaccines, you also should say so and tell people when the vaccines will come.

People will accept that.

This war (against the coronavirus outbreak) needs a clear policy and quick communications, she added.

Namarak was one of the hospitals that signed up to the natonal drive that started last Monday to become an authorised vaccination centre, but was told on Saturday that no jab deliveries were available for the June 14-20 week.

Namarak posted a sarcastic remark on its Facebook page saying: If you have any questions about this [postponement], please contact our call centre or contact the public health minister [directly] and ask why this lack of readiness has occurred.

Dr Youwanush also made an announcement on her Facebook page, saying Sad news of the week. Weve been forced to take a break.

Yesterday morning, she was awoken up by a member of her hospital staff with unwelcome news: Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul relayed through a ministry official that he was not happy with the reference to the public health minister included in the Facebook posts. She described subsequent talks with Thares Krassanairawiwong, the director of the Health Service Support Department, as amicable - but he demanded that that reference to Mr Anutin be dropped from the annoucement.

Dr Youwanush later replaced the public health minister with related state agencies.

According to the vaccination campaign procedure, the ministry distributes vaccines to City Halls Health Department. The Health Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is then supposed to roll them out to hospitals in the capital by Saturday, in time for the following week.

During the Facebook Live session, Dr Youwanush defended her citation of the public health minister, saying he mapped out the policy himself and someone must be held accountable for delivery problems.

The (public health) minister is the commander-in-chief who sets the policy, she said. Or is it the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration now?

Vaccine chaos

The post by Namarak Hospital prompted Anutin to give an interview on Channel 3, in which he blamed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

The minister said the Public Health Ministry had agreed to supply the BMA with one million doses of the vaccine and in less than two weeks 500,000 doses had already been delivered.

So it cannot be said that they havent received the vaccine from the ministry, and saying so only shows a lack of responsibility, he said. The BMAs health and medical departments should have tried their very best in managing the given vaccine supplies as they now have full control of everything there.

Anutin said his ministry was quick to have all 500,000 doses of the vaccine delivered to the BMA although it had initially planned to send only 250,000 doses initially, and the rest later.

Please dont say the ministry isnt doing anything because it already has distributed all vaccine supplies received from the suppliers to eligible parties as instructed by the CCSA and on time, he said.

Soon after Mr Anutins interview, the BMAs public relations office posted a statement on its Facebook page saying that the ministry failed to supply vaccines to the BMA as planned.

It said the BMA was notified by the ministry that 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be provided, so the BMA planned its mass vaccination programme accordingly.

So far the BMA has received only 350,000 vaccine doses, in addition to the 150,000 Sinovac jabs it has to cover injections from last Monday until today.

Of these received doses, 181,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been redistributed to hospitals in Bangkok handling vaccination appointments. The BMA only supplies the jabs given by the ministry to these hospitals for the vaccination programme, where up to 450,000 people have already booked their vaccination appointments.

Out of the total supply of 6.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines expected to be delivered this month, Bangkok was promised to get 1.16 million doses, while the other 76 provinces will receive 3.22 million doses, said Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control. Provinces with a less serious outbreak situation may be able to delay their vaccination programmes, Dr Opas said.

The Rural Doctors Society pointed out Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as head of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), was to blame for the vaccine chaos in Bangkok. It said the CCSA resolved to give 1 million jabs for Bangkok in June and about 500,000 doses had been allocated last week.

Gen Prayut held a special meeting of the CCSA on May 3 which resolved to set up a COVID-19 centre for Bangkok and surrounding provinces. No cabinet ministers, not even the public health minister, were appointed to the centre, the network said.
Phuket property sector will take time to recover: experts

PHUKET: Phukets property sector is not likely to benefit until later this year from the Phuket Sandbox July 1 reopening of the island to receiving vaccinated international arrivals, but the move will open the door to the islands real estate market to recover in the long term, local property experts have predicted.

propertyeconomicsCOVID-19tourismChineseRussianIndian

By The Phuket News

Monday 14 June 2021, 04:40PM

Photo: REIC

As Phuket has its main income from tourism, it has been affected very much by the COVID-19 pandemic, which also affected the real estate market. Condominiums and houses, located even in best sale areas, have been affected at every price level, Wichai Wiratkapan, Director of the national Real Estate Information Center (REIC), explained.

If the situation improves, real estate sales may get better after the market slowdown in the first half of this year and the whole of last year, he said.

The number of new units launched for sale in the first half of this year is about 6.3% higher than for the number of units launched during the first half of last year, Mr Wichai explained.

However, the number of new units launched in the second half this year is expected to skyrocket, especially compared with the very low number of units launched in H2 2020, he added.

The number [of new units launched in H2 2021 will be 296.7% higher than the same period last year, he said.

Overall, 2021 is expected to see a 9.8% increase in the number of new units launched compared with 2020, with the total number of new units launched by the end of 2021 expected to reach about 3,005 units, with a total estimated value of B17.045 billion, Mr Wichai said.

The number of units sold in the first half of this year showed a decrease of about 19.8% on H1 2020, but unit sales are expected to increase by about 47.2% in the second half of this year, compared with H2 2020, he said.

For the whole of 2021, 1,246 units are expected to be sold, a 5.2% increase in the number of units sold in 2020 in total. Sales value total for 2021 is expected to reach B5.402 million, a 0.8% increase on 2020, Mr Wichai predicted.

The number of units left unsold in the first half of this year showed an increase of 3.5% [compared with H1 2020], he noted.

The total number of unsold units by the end of 2021 is expected to decrease by about 1.5% [compared with last year], he added.

At the end of this year 2021, there will be 8,468 units in total left unsold, a 1.5% decrease on the total units left unsold at the end of 2020, Mr Wichai explained.

The 8,468 units in total left unsold will have an estimated value of B47.775bn, a 9.2% increase in the value of unsold units at the end of 2020, he said.

However, this year has already shown some signs of improvement, Mr Wichai said.

Property transfers for H1 2021 show a 19.9% increase on H1 2020, he noted, adding that the value of the transfers for H1 2021 showed an increase of 20% compared with H1 2020.

In the second half of 2021, the number of transfers is likely to increase by 19.1%, and the value of the transfers to increase by 21.8% [compared with last year], he said.

For the whole year, we expect 6,374 units will be transferred, thats 19.5% more units transferred compared with 2020 in total, with the total value of transfers for 2021 valued at B21.161bn  a 20.9% increase on total value of transfers on 2020, Mr Wichai said.

Hopes and Concerns

Phattanan Pisutwimol, President of the Phuket Real Estate Association (PREA), explained that despite the Phuket Sandbox reopening and the mass-vaccination efforts underway across the island, he still had two primary concerns.

The first concern is whether the reopening to foreign tourists will decrease the number of Thai tourists, because vaccinated tourists are still able to be infected, Mr Phattanan said.

The second concern is that Thailand is still considered a risk country. I wonder after the reopening how many tourists will come? Especially when airlines are not ready to operate flights and agencies cannot guarantee how many tourists are coming, he said.

The worst-case scenario is that few foreign tourists come while the number of Thais coming also decreases, he said.

Phukets tourism and property sectors were deeply connected, Mr Phattanan said.

Phukets main foreigner property customers are Chinese, Indian, and Russian. These three countries have not allowed their people to travel abroad, but we expect this opening to be a testing model, because if we do not open, we will not have a chance to open and allow our economy to recover, Mr Phattanan explained.

In these three months, we must be able to control the spread of infection, and achieve herd immunity, he said.

If those tasks can be accomplished, I believe that we will have more tourists in the Q4 this year, he said.

The situation of real estate business in Phuket right now is very bad. If anyone can sell 10% of their units, they are doing very well, Mr Phattanan said bluntly.

There are many townhouses left to sell because people do not have income and financial institutions are being strict in lending. Developers need to fight to grab customers who are getting loans from banks, he noted.

Real estate agents that have close relations with banks know who have been approved loans and will approach them. The real estate agents attract customers by offering special conditions, such as lower prices. This situation has intensified the promotional campaigns, which right now is already interesting, such as offering no payments for two years, he added.

Currently, the market for properties valued at more than B8mn is quite good, as those who have purchasing power think that this might be the last minute for special promotions before the economy improves after the July 1 opening, he noted.

In general, the real estate business in Phuket needs some time to recover, especially the Thai market, which is not expected to get better until Q3 2022. The market for properties valued cheaper than B3mn will be the first to recover, Mr Phattanan said.

The market for foreign buyers may improve faster when Chinese, Indian, and Russian nationals can come to the island, he concluded.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low around 70F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing overnight. Low around 70F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
A dozen superintendents, school board members and state legislators spoke with one voice Thursday during a rally at Perkiomen Valley High School calling for full, fair funding for public schools.
Aaron Martinez/AP

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Police made a second arrest Monday in a weekend shooting that killed a man and left more than a dozen more people wounded after gunfire rang out on in a busy, downtown Austin entertainment district.

Officers arrested a 17-year-old boy at Harker Heights High School in Harker Heights, according to statements from Austin police and the Killeen Independent School District. He is facing a charge of aggravated assault.
RIDGEFIELD  As he spoke before a crowd of maskless residents, First Selectman Rudy Marconi reflected on the seesaw year that was 2020 during his annual State of the Town address at Lounsbury House Thursday afternoon.

Working without a script, Marconi recalled the highs and lows Ridgefield experienced amid the pandemic. And while he acknowledged that the town made it through an unprecedented year, he said, We have a lot of work to do going forward.

Some of this work could be accomplished with federal dollars, as Ridgefield is expected to receive its first tranche of American Rescue Plan monies within the next 30 days.

On Monday, members of the towns Tri-Board met virtually to discuss how to best allocate the $7.3 million in stimulus funds, and it was decided that a sub-committee of the collective boards would be established to work on the project.

The future is still uncharted waters, so we have to move forward cautiously, Marconi said. When we spend the money from ARP, we need to be sure that we spend it in a way that's going to help everyone for the future.

The group will make determinations on where to distribute the funds based on guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department and may receive additional assistance from a Western Connecticut Council of Governments consultant, Marconi said.

At the meeting, Marconi said he wants to ensure full transparency during the process.

To start his address, Marconi thanked the workers and volunteers at RVNAhealth for their efforts to get shots in the arms of residents earlier this year. He also acknowledged local COVID data scientist Rick Lawrence, whose daily reports on the towns website have provided fresh information during uncertain times.

Recognizing the Ridgefielders who lost their lives to the coronavirus over the past year, Marconi said the town recorded zero cases and a zero percent positivity rate as of last week.

This is wonderful news for us, he said.

The bad news regarding COVID, Marconi said, is that the town is almost $1 million over what it had budgeted in conveyance taxes for the current fiscal year. And while COVID reimbursements have remained steady, the two-person team fulfilling the paperwork has been inundated.

Ridgefield has maintained its Triple A Moodys rating, however, as well as its stellar pension funding, which remains at 97 percent.

(We have) one of the best-funded  municipal pension funds in the state of Connecticut, Marconi said.

Considering local home sales from May alone totaled $52.8 million, Marconi predicted that Ridgefield could see a population increase of about 300 to 400 hundred people moving forward, which would thus cause an uptick in school enrollments.

My belief is the enrollments are going to go up - there's no question, he added.

Next spring, the town hopes to put a shovel in the ground to begin work on Branchvilles downtown project, which will include renovated sidewalks, decorative street lamps and designated crosswalks.

Marconi rounded up his address by unveiling considerations to establish a public safety administration building on Old Quarry Road, which would serve as headquarters for Ridgefields Police and Fire Departments.

His final remarks were ones of thanks in praise of the towns volunteers, who do the work without receiving a paycheck.

The reward is what you see for your efforts, what you're giving back makes us all feel so great, he said, and I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

alyssa.seidman@hearstmediact.com
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low around 27C. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low around 16C. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
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Christine Hartford, M.D., sees a patient at the at A-State Medical Clinic in Jonesboro. Hartford and faculty member Jennifer Conner, Dr.PH., recently received a CATCH Implementation grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics that will be used to address the health of mothers and infants living in rural Arkansas.
Today

Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Imagine living in a place where police can detain children and lie to them to obtain confessions for crimes they did not commit.

North Korea? China? Cuba?

Try the United States of America.

Right now, it is legal in all 50 states to lie to a juvenile to obtain a confession. And Illinois has a reputation as the false confession capital of the nation, said John Hanlon, executive director of the Springfield-based Illinois Innocence Project.

Last month, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation prohibiting police from using deceptive methods during interrogations of juveniles. The measure now sits on Gov. J.B. Pritzkers desk and, if signed, will make Illinois the first state to prohibit the practice.

Its a step in the right direction. But it doesnt go far enough. Police officers shouldnt be allowed to lie to anyone during interrogations.

In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Frazier vs. Cupp that police officers can lie to obtain confessions. Im hard pressed to think of any other case where the high court has endorsed the notion that its OK for government to lie to its citizens.

And in this case the justices were as flat out wrong as earlier courts were in Plessy vs. Ferguson when they ruled in favor of racial segregation, or in Korematsu v. United States, in which they ruled that Japanese Americans could be placed in internment camps.

The court was wrong in these cases and it is equally wrong in Frazier vs. Cupp. It should never be acceptable for government to lie to its own citizens.

During the decades Ive covered police departments and courts, I can tell you interrogation rooms are rife with abuse.

Police officers will go up to someone and say things that arent true, like, Your friend in the other room has given you up. Or, Sign this confession and youll get to go home. Or, We found your fingerprints at the crime scene, Hanlon said.

In 2015, the Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) successfully exonerated Christopher Abernathy after he served 30 years in prison. After more than 40 hours of interrogation the 18 year old with learning disabilities falsely confessed to a murder. Officers told him if he confessed he could go home to his mother. Instead, he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to life behind bars. After 30 years of incarceration, IIP obtained DNA testing that exonerated and freed him.

In Illinois there have been 100 wrongful convictions predicated on false confessions  31 involving juveniles. Illinois has taken a critical step in changing the trajectory of false confessions and subsequent wrongful convictions resulting from these types of interrogation tactics, said Lauren Kaeseberg, IIP legal director.

Juveniles are particularly vulnerable during interrogations because their minds are not yet fully developed and they are more easily susceptible to the power of suggestion, said Emily Haney-Caron, an assistant professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Others view the legislatures action as far too tepid.

The Illinois Legislature took a nice first step but it really doesnt go far enough. Police shouldnt be allowed to lie to anyone  whether they are an adult or a juvenile, said Saul Kassin, a distinguished professor of psychology at John Jay.

Kassin added it is time for the Supreme Court to revisit the Frasier vs. Cupp decision.

Look how much we have learned about psychology in the last 50 years. Most people come into these interrogations unaware that the police can lie to them. People can be psychologically manipulated into confessing to crimes they didnt commit  particularly when they are lied to. It confuses their reality. The Supreme Court decision predates the Innocence Project movement. We know now that thousands of people have been wrongly convicted  many through false confessions.

While the Illinois legislation does not go far enough  it is momentous nonetheless. Illinois has gone further than any other state in restricting when police officers can lie to those they have sworn to serve.

Let us hope this is just a beginning. It should never be acceptable for officers to lie to get a confession.

Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist. He works as a freelance reporter in the Springfield area. Reach him at scottreeder1965@gmail.com
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  When Minnesota Republican Tyler Kistner announced his candidacy for the U.S. House in April, he asked voters to ponder two questions: What America will we leave for our children?" and "Will they be taught to hate their police?

Across the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, Republicans in the 3rd Congressional District aired a digital ad this spring to demand that their Democratic congressman stand up to attacks on law enforcement.

And in Iowa, a Republican governor who had promised additional checks on police conduct after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer plans to sign a law making it harder for police to be sued on the job.

As rising murder rates gain attention in American cities, Republicans have ramped up a misleading campaign to cast Democrats as anti-police and lax on public safety. It's a message they believe helped them stave off greater Democratic gains in last year's elections and one with renewed potency as cities consider cuts to department budgets as part of an effort to revamp policing.

It's not at all clear that the GOP strategy, which stretches back to President Richard Nixon and was used by President Donald Trump, is a winning one. But it may be prominent as Republicans search for ways to gain ground in suburban areas critical to winning control of the U.S. House next year.

A recent special election in New Mexico wasn't a good sign for the strategy. GOP candidate Mark Moore used Albuquerque's rising crime and city officials' decision to create an alternative public safety department to hit Democrat Melanie Stansbury. But Stansbury won easily, with a larger share of the district's votes than President Joe Biden garnered last year.

Stansbury's district is overwhelmingly Democratic, making it an imperfect test case. The National Republican Congressional Committee, the party's House campaign arm, believes the issue will have a larger impact in swing districts, where the party plans to tie moderate Democratic incumbents to their more liberal colleagues who have supported the defund the police movement. That term is used to describe diverting money from police budgets to other social services, such as mental health support and drug addiction mitigation.

The GOP focus is on places such as Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, where 13-term Democratic incumbent Ron Kind is being cast as insufficiently supportive of law enforcement, though he does not support defunding police departments.

It also includes Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, who beat Kistner in 2020 and represents the Minneapolis and St. Paul suburbs where rioting broke out last year after Floyd's death.

Since then, several cities have struggled with the police funding debate, while experiencing rising gun violence.

The NRCC chair, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, said he believes the message will resonate with voters because crime is rising in America, yet Democrats still support the dangerous idea of defunding the police.

Neither statement is fully accurate.

It's true that violent crime has risen. The FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System recorded 25% more homicides in 2020 than in 2019, and 12% more violent assaults. But the increase in homicides is nationwide, including in some cities that increased police spending and in some cities led by Republicans.

Other crimes such as burglaries, drug offenses and other categories, however, have decreased.

It also is not accurate to describe Democrats as uniformly supportive of defund the police efforts.

The Democratic-controlled House passed a sweeping police overhaul bill in March that did not include a provision to allow diverting money away from police departments. Kind was one of only two Democrats to oppose the bill. He said it did not include sufficient protections for police. Craig voted for the measure.

The bill has stalled in the evenly divided Senate, where Republicans oppose it.

Like Emmer, U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tried to preemptively blame Democrats  in this case, Biden  for what McCarthy claimed is widespread rising crime caused by cuts to police budgets.

We are concerned about whether the Biden Administration is prepared to address the surge of violent crime in American cities, McCarthy wrote in a letter Friday to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

It's a noticeable shift in tone from a year ago, when many Republicans across GOP-led states briefly joined with Democrats to ban specific physical restraints and require tighter scrutiny on police in the tumultuous aftermath of Floyd's death.

In Iowa, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said last June while signing a bill banning chokeholds: This is not the end of our work. It is just a beginning.

A year later, Reynolds' proposed racial profiling ban quietly died in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Lawmakers passed a crime bill giving police greater protection from lawsuits and cracking down on protesters. Reynolds plans to sign the measure Thursday.

Republicans in other states have made it harder for cities to cut police budgets. The Republican-led legislature in Missouri made it easier this year for cities to be sued for approving deep cuts in police budgets. Similar laws were adopted in Florida, Georgia and Texas.

The change from a year ago reflects the general unpopularity of cutting police spending, especially in pivotal suburban areas, North Carolina-based Republican pollster Paul Shumaker said.

Though most racial justice demonstrations were peaceful, some scenes of violence and property damage left a lasting image and were highlighted in Republican campaign ads.

A majority of Americans support progressive criminal justice proposals such as programs to help people released from prison transition into society and changes in sentencing laws to allow probation or shorter prison sentences for some first-time convictions, according to a May poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The poll also found that about 6 in 10 Americans oppose reducing funding for law enforcement agencies.

The Democrats' policing bill passed the U.S. House without a single GOP vote. It would ban chokeholds and end qualified immunity from lawsuits against police officers, while creating national policing standards in an effort to bolster accountability.

The bill does not back defunding police departments, and Democrats didn't even debate the idea, in part because swing-district representatives such as U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., who opposes defunding police, raised concerns about the political backlash.

Shumaker found the issue brought some independents who were unhappy with Trump's pandemic response and had fallen away from supporting Republicans back into the GOP's ranks last fall in parts of suburban North Carolina, including outside Charlotte and Raleigh.

The defund the police movement gave Republicans a foundation to go back and repair some of the erosion with those suburban voters that was created by the coronavirus, Shumaker said.

It's not clear how crime will figure in the mix of issues in next fall's elections. The nation is now just emerging from a year of political battles over COVID-19, recovering from the economic fallout and getting a handle on Biden's agenda to rebuild the economy.

In an interview outside Richmond, Virginia, this past week, Spanberger said the message on crime can help Republicans unless Democrats speak up.

Its always going to be difficult when a simple message is easy to gin up anxiety," Spanberger said. "It becomes difficult to counter that. But it takes a lot of effort."

___

AP Director of Public Opinion Research Emily Swanson in Washington and Associated Press writer Steven Sloan in Maidens, Virginia, contributed to this report.
SPRINGFIELD  A survey shows Illinois business owners were less optimistic in May for the near future because of the ongoing labor shortage.

The National Federation of Independent Business index dipped in May after a record high 48% of owners reported unfilled job openings.

NFIB state director Mark Grant said their members are disappointed that Gov. J.B. Pritzker and legislative leaders havent done more to address the worsening problem.

It is disappointing for our members that the folks that run the state from a political and governmental standpoint havent done something to address that, said Grant.

Enhanced federal unemployment benefits have been blamed for keeping potential workers on the sidelines. Twenty-five states have ended the program, trying to encourage more people to reenter the workforce.

President Joe Biden has rejected the argument, saying Americans want to work.

The index also showed that job creation plans over the next three months rose to a net of 27%, up six points, and owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months fell 11 points to a net negative of 26%.

Grant said he has heard from members that have been forced to cut hours because of the lack of available employees.

Ironic and sad at the same time that last year at this time we had COVID that was keeping our businesses from being open, and now when they can open up fully, theyre having a tough time keeping the hours because they dont have the staff, Grant said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP)  Saudi Arabia said Sunday a bomb-laden drone launched by Yemens Houthi rebels crash-landed in the premises of a school in the province of Asir near the kingdoms southern border.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the department of Civil Defense in Asir said no injuries were reported. The statement accused the Iran-backed Houthis of launching the drone from inside Yemen.
Lower natural gas prices and other factors mean some Pennsylvania counties and municipalities are in line for their smallest gas impact fee disbursements in the decade since the program began, the state Public Utility Commission said Monday.

In all, the state and its county and municipal governments will share in almost $146.3 million in 2020 impact fees, the PUC announced.

As it typically does, Susquehanna County will receive the most among Northeast Pennsylvania counties  slightly more than $4 million  which also ranks it second in the state behind Washington County in southwest Pennsylvania.

The money comes from a fee, authorized by Act 13 of 2012, collected by the PUC from gas producers. It has generated more than $2 billion since then.

This years overall distribution is about $54 million lower than in 2019, which the PUC attributed primarily to lower natural gas prices, along with the fewest number of new wells since the passage of Act 13.

The biggest share of the 2020 impact fees, $71.5 million, will go to county and municipal governments directly affected by drilling, based in part on the number of wells they have.

Another $51 million will be transferred to the Marcellus Legacy Fund, which provides support for environmental, highway, water and sewer, greenway rehabilitation and other projects in all 67 counties. The final piece, amounting to $23.7 million, will be distributed to state agencies.

In Northeast Pennsylvania, only Susquehanna and Wyoming counties host wells subject to the fee.

In addition to the $4 million Susquehanna County will receive, three of its townships are due municipal disbursements that rank among the top seven in the state: Auburn Twp., $660,581; New Milford Twp., $646,461, and Springville Twp., $511,142.

Wyoming Countys 2020 share will be $822,431, down from more than $1 million last year, according to the PUC.

Richard Wilbur, who heads the Wyoming County Board of Commissioners, said the county has always treated the disbursement as extra money to fund necessary projects outside its regular budget.

For example, it used about $800,000 over two years to do GIS mapping for its 911 system  a huge project that never would have happened if not for Act 13 money, he said.

At the same time, it has set aside some of the money to help build up a $1.7 million fund balance, which he anticipates the commissioners will add to this year, as a hedge against the possible loss of Act 13 funds down the road.

We all agree we need to be as frugal as we can and spend for the things that we need to spend for and try to save where we can for the future, Wilbur said.

Disbursements for other area counties include: Lackawanna, $122,855; Luzerne, $185,985; Monroe, $99,767; Pike, $32,700, and Wayne, $30,094.

Natural gas prices declined last year as a result of reduced demand due to a mild winter and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Petroleum Institute Pennsylvania said, citing the states Independent Fiscal Office. Nationwide, natural gas consumption dropped 2% in 2020, the first decline since 2009.

Like many industries, the energy sector was not immune to the economic impacts of the pandemic, API PA Executive Director Stephanie Catarino Wissman said in a statement.

Despite those difficult market conditions, Wissman said the states abundant supply of natural gas presents an opportunity to continue using the impact fees for infrastructure and environmental programs throughout the commonwealth.

Combining the billions in impact tax revenue with the billions in other business taxes and investments made by the industry, natural gas development is providing tremendous benefits to communities across the state, even in areas without drilling activity, and boosting our economy, she said.

David Callahan, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said while the industry was impacted by economic effects of the pandemic, responsible natural gas development continues to be beneficial to Pennsylvania communities and families.

The PUC announcement "should serve as yet another a reminder to policymakers that the natural gas industrys role in creating broad-based economic, environmental and national security benefits is essential and that our current tax framework is the right choice for the commonwealth," Callahan said.
MOSCOW  Nine months ago, state prosecutors promised to hold three former Scranton School District employees accountable for their willful disregard of asbestos and lead problems that could harm students and staff.

Before a long-awaited preliminary hearing Monday, the state dropped charges on two defendants and dropped all but three counts against former Superintendent Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D.

In the simple court proceedings at Magisterial District Judge Kipp Adcocks Moscow office, a prosecutor from the state attorney generals office drew an X on the documents detailing charges against former Chief Operating Officer Jeff Brazil and daytime maintenance foreman Joseph Slack.

The X and a signature ended an awful experience for the men, who maintained their innocence from the beginning of the investigation, their attorneys said.

The state dropped Kirijans 38 felony counts of endangering the welfare of children and 20 of the 23 misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person. She will apply for Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, or ARD, with the opportunity to have her record expunged after completing the program.

In September, when Attorney General Josh Shapiro promised their silence, their coverup, their inaction will now have consequences, the state required the defendants to appear before the judge, in handcuffs. On Monday, Kirijan appeared via Zoom on a large television screen in the back of the courtroom, where she virtually agreed to waive her preliminary hearing for the remaining charges. Slack and Brazil did not attend.

Christopher Phillips, who represented the attorney generals office Monday, said he was not authorized to speak to the media after proceedings. In a statement issued later, the office said the investigation focused on protecting students and staff and preventing these kinds of failures from happening in Pennsylvania again.

Our office brought these matters to light even before our investigation was complete because of our responsibility to public health and safety. Risky and drawn out litigation is not the only tool at our offices disposal, the statement reads. Two of our defendants, Slack and Brazil, have since cooperated with our investigation and provided additional information. It is clear there were significant shortcomings by the former leaders of the school district. ... We are not carrying forward criminal charges against these two witnesses and will prudently continue our case on behalf of the public with a focus on the health and safety of Scrantons children, educators and families.

The statement did not address Kirijan, who investigators previously said had knowingly put students and staff at risk by ignoring reports that showed lead and asbestos results that necessitated immediate action.

When The Times-Tribune inquired about why the state reduced Kirijans charges, the attorney generals office responded with one sentence: These are the charges that our ongoing investigation currently supports.

Just last week, prosecutors sought another continuance in the case. Dozens of potential witnesses had received notice to appear in court Monday. The state continued to seek delays because it did not have the evidence to try the case, said attorney Chris Caputo, who represents Brazil.

The charges, based solely on rumors, caused Brazil to lose his job in Florida and destroyed his opportunity to be employed, Caputo said.

He lost things he will never get back, Caputo said.

Slack suffered severe health issues because of the stress of the charges and incurred substantial legal expenses, said his attorney, Tim Hinton.

This awful experience will weigh on him for the rest of his life, Hinton said in a statement. He never harmed any students or placed them at risk.

While a grand jury recommended charges in September, its members only heard from witnesses or saw evidence picked by the prosecution, Hinton said. The attorneys said the state did not have enough evidence to even bring the case to a preliminary hearing, where a judge then decides if the case should proceed to trial. Last year, prosecutors sought to skip a preliminary hearing and head straight to trial  a motion a judge denied.

Brazil, who worked for the district from 2012, until his resignation in 2019, faced 38 felony counts of endangering the welfare of children and 23 misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person. Slack, who worked in the district for 34 years, faced 11 counts of endangering the welfare of children and eight counts of recklessly endangering another person.

Since the districts new administration began in 2019, leaders have addressed the most-pressing environmental issues in the district. The district plans to address other issues, which pose no immediate risk to students or staff, in forthcoming projects.

Now that this phase of the investigation is complete, the district can begin to move forward, Superintendent Melissa McTiernan said. We would like to thank the attorney generals office and the Pennsylvania State Police for their efforts and professionalism.
When Luigis Pizza in Olyphant opened the day after Memorial Day, co-owner Vincenzo Cicco said workers discovered a problem.

Someone had broken in, but the crooks did not target the cash register. They broke into the grease dumpster that collects the restaurants used cooking oil.

The dumpster was broken into and oil was scattered all over the place, Cicco said Friday, estimating the thieves took hundreds of gallons. They made a mess.

A rash of reported thefts of used cooking oil from restaurants appears to have spread across the region and elsewhere, prompting an inquiry from the state police.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is currently working with local and state law enforcement agencies concerning used cooking oil thefts that have cropped up in Northeast Pennsylvania, Cpl. Brent Miller, a spokesman for the state police in Harrisburg, said in an email.

Multiple reports in municipal jurisdictions of the same item (in this case used cooking oil) prompted involvement from the state police, Miller said.

Historically a waste product, used cooking oil  yellow grease  has shot up in value as a commodity because it can be recycled into biofuel. Thats made it a target for criminal organizations.

For example, in June 2019, federal agents brought charges against 21 co-conspirators who targeted restaurants in North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee and stole $3.9 million worth of used cooking oil over five years by pumping the oil from restaurant storage tanks into their trucks, the Associated Press reported.

In announcing the charges, Robert J. Higdon Jr., then U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, said the objective was to profit in illicit trade by transporting the cooking oil to New Jersey for sale and distribution.

At the time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture listed the value of a 100-pound load of yellow grease at $25, the AP reported. As of last week, the departments data listed it at $42 to $44.

Aside from the mess, thefts also can hurt restaurants because companies they contract with for cooking oil collection pay them a rebate that  while often not a large amount  is still useful.

The state police encouraged victims to contact their local police department.

Cicco said he called the Olyphant police June 1 to report the theft. A police report taken by Patrolmen Timothy Cramer and Shawn Lahey estimated the volume of stolen oil at about 450 gallons at a total price of nearly $2,000.

Sumit Majumdar, owner of New York based Buffalo Biodiesel Inc., which contracts with numerous area restaurants to collect their used cooking oil, said the amount of thievery in the last year nearly put him out of business. He said that thieves use unmarked or poorly marked vans and trucks to steal the cooking oil and, if confronted, claim theyre subcontractors. Without a question, he said, Buffalo has been targeted by organized crime.

Theres no pawn shop that would buy used cooking oil, he said.
June 14, 1946

Flag Day marked

As 7 p.m. approached, members of the Scranton Elks Lodge worried the rain would not stop in time for the evening Flag Day parade.

The rain stopped right before 7 p.m. and the parade commenced under cool cloudy skies.

The parade featured 13 divisions filled with veterans groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, religious organizations, fraternal organizations, local police and fire departments and other civic groups.

One group that brought smiles to the faces of the estimated crowd of 10,000 to 15,000 was some 70 cowboys and cowgirls from McConnells Bar B Corral from Ackley Fairgrounds.

Also popular with the crowd were the marching bands. Participating bands included the 327th Army Service Forces Band from Maryland, Ringgold Band, the Boy Scout Band, the East Scranton Crystal Band, St. Anthonys Band from Dunmore, Central High School band, Moosic High Band and the bugle corps from Koch-Conley No. 121 and Victory No. 12 American Legion posts.

Catholic population

nearly at 350,000

The Diocese of Scranton released facts and figures about the diocese in the latest edition of the Official Catholic Directory for 1946.

The book reported that within the Diocese of Scranton, there were 348,750 Catholics attending one of the dioceses 230 parishes.

Other figures for 1946: there were 496 priests, 1,320 sisters, 18 brothers; 3,427 students enrolled in parochial schools. In 1945, there were the same number of weddings and funerals, 4,023.

At the movies

Gilda at the Strand and Riviera, Tangier at the Capitol, The Bride Wore Boots at the Comerford, Hoosier Hotshots at the State, Live Wires at the West Side, The Blue Dahlia at the Roosevelt and Ziegfeld Follies at the Favini.

Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribunes expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.
The COVID-19 pandemic cast extraordinary light on the challenges many Americans face in affording stable housing when crisis hits.

Many of our neighbors, like Heather, a single mom from Scranton whose business closed during the pandemic, seek help to get back on their feet. Currently behind on her mortgage and seeking new employment, Heathers story is representative of those who are trying to regain financial stability after a very challenging year.

National attention to the challenges residents like Heather face, and unprecedented levels of relief funding provided through the American Rescue Plan, are creating a unique opportunity to join together to do more to create long-term solutions and systemic change to make housing affordable, while ensuring stable housing as everyone seeks recovery from the pandemic.

Our organizations, HDC MidAtlantic and NeighborWorks of Northeastern Pennsylvania, are deepening our collaboration to bring new affordable housing options to Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. Last week, nationally recognized as NeighborWorks Week, we highlighted our work to build strong communities together.

For HDC, this has meant ensuring that every resident of the Heritage Point and Exeter Senior Living housing communities in Luzerne County, and the thousands of residents we serve across Pernnsylvania who have struggled to pay rent, are contacted by our staff to make a plan to weather the crisis. That way, they can access resources and have the support they need to apply for state rental assistance.

In addition, with over 100 affordable apartments in Luzerne County currently, HDC hopes to double our presence in the region. HDC is working with a partner in the Scranton area to protect and preserve much-needed existing affordable rental housing in the community. We seek new partnerships and collaborations to building on this momentum.

For NeighborWorks Northeastern PA, this has meant reaching out to isolated seniors in our community to help meet their basic needs. From scheduling vaccinations to facilitating crucial home repairs and food services, or sometimes just being a listening ear, our focus is to help our vulnerable neighbors feel safe and secure in their homes. It has also meant working with homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgages due to pandemic-related unemployment and need help with establishing a repayment plan with their lender and repairing their credit.

Our organizations are charter members of NeighborWorks America, a network comprised of 250 community development and housing organizations across the country committed to removing barriers to housing, improving peoples lives and strengthening communities. During the pandemic, our organizations quickly pivoted and assessed what our residents, clients and communities most needed.

But for everyone we support, and for every resident like Heather, many more struggle to secure safe and affordable housing. In fact, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, one out of four Pennsylvanians who rent their home are extremely low income, and of those 70% spend more than half their income on housing costs. That is not sustainable and we are committed to doing more.

As during NeighborWorks Week, we continue to express our gratitude to the many people and institutions who have teamed up to keep housing stable for the most vulnerable in our state during the crisis of the last year. We recommit to working together to create more affordable homes for the people of Northeast Pennsylvania for years to come.

We know it is possible for every Pennsylvanian to have a safe, welcoming, and affordable place to call home, but getting there will not be easy. We need all people of goodwill to join in advocating for more resources and better housing options in our communities, and we call on each one of you to join us.
After politicizing the COVID-19 emergency and orchestrating a constitutional amendment to wrest control of emergency management from the executive branch, legislative Republicans have demonstrated why that is a bad idea.

Tuesday, the House Republican majority abruptly passed a bill to end Democratic Gov. Tom Wolfs emergency declaration regarding the pandemic. Their zeal to zing the governor was such that they apparently didnt bother to examine the details of the emergency declaration. When the bill arrived in the Senate, senators had to retool it because it had eliminated matters that are important to management of  you know  an emergency.

In voting to void the emergency declaration, the House Republicans also voided a series of regulatory waivers that still are important for the health care community to handle COVID-19. For example, the governors declaration waived certain licensing requirements so that hospitals more easily could hire the doctors and nurses that they needed amid the crisis, and some procurement regulations to ensure the fastest possible acquisition of supplies such as personal protective equipment.

The situation demonstrates why the Legislature is ill-suited to manage emergencies, all the more so during this era of political polarization. The expertise and machinery of government resides in the executive branch, which by design executes government policy.

Yet, as if to put an exclamation point on its own preference for politics over competence, the House also passed a bill that would strip the state health secretary of the power to order certain measures during an infectious disease pandemic, including the authority to order travel restrictions, mask-wearing and stay-at-home orders. The Legislature would, in effect, assume the power to make things worse.

Wolf is certain to veto that awful bill. But there is no way to manage the emergency of poor governance by the Legislature unless Pennsylvanians themselves do so at the polls.
London, KY (40741)

Today

Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable..

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Cloudy this evening then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

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Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Shares in Esken nosedived as the City reacted to the collapse of Stobart Air.

Esken, formerly known as Stobart Group, called in liquidators over the weekend after a deal to sell the airline to a 26-year-old Isle of Man bitcoin entrepreneur fell through.

Almost 500 jobs are at risk at the regional airline, which ran flights on behalf of Aer Lingus and other groups.

Almost 500 jobs are at risk at regional airline Stobart Air, which ran flights on behalf of Aer Lingus and other groups

And thousands of passengers risk having their flights cancelled  and possibly even being stranded  as a result.

It is a mighty fall from grace for the former FTSE 250 company, which previously ran the Eddie Stobart trucking business and had grand ambitions to become an energy, infrastructure and aviation major.

Some of this had already been scaled back, and the pandemic pummelled its aviation arm and finances.

Esken confirmed yesterday that it was retreating further and will concentrate on its prize asset, Southend Airport, and biomass businesses.

Other parts of the company are earmarked for disposal, notably Carlisle Airport which serves the Lake District.

Stock Watch - Kromek Investors cheered as Kromek won a 4.3million contract for the latest part of a project with the US defence department. AIM-listed Kromek is designing an autonomous detection system that could sense and analyse dangerous airborne pathogens released in a bio-terrorist attack. In the first stage of work with the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, Kromek built a system mounted on a vehicle. The firm has received 9.3million from the project in total so far. Shares in the company, which was spun out of Durham University in 2003, rose 6 per cent, or 0.9p, to 15.9p.

It is in talks to secure 120million of emergency funding by selling a 30 per cent stake in Southend, valuing it at around 400million, and has been forced to seek outside help because the collapse of Stobart Air has left it on the hook for aircraft lease payments worth tens of millions of pounds.

The white knight is Carlyle Group, the American buyout fund. Esken dipped 8.6 per cent, or 2.65p, to 28.35p, making it the biggest faller on the FTSE All-Share index.

The wider market, however, made gains. The FTSE 100 ended higher, boosted by heavyweight energy companies BP (up 1.9 per cent, or 6.1p, to 330.4p) and Shell (up 2.5 per cent, or 34p, to 1393.6p) which rose in tandem with oil prices.

The Footsie hit its highest level since February 2020, reaching 7188, but it fell back slightly to end 0.2 per cent higher, up 12.62 points, to 7146.68.

The FTSE 250 only just managed to stay in the black, closing 0.1 per cent higher, up 10.38 points, to 22,744.51.

Both indexes were held back by travel and leisure stocks as investors braced for a four-week lockdown extension.

The stock market victims included British Airways-owner IAG, which fell 4.2 per cent, or 8.48p, to 194.72p, Wagamama-owner the Restaurant Group  down 4.3 per cent, or 5.6p, to 123.4p  and conference organiser Informa, which dipped 2.4 per cent, or 13.2p, to 530p.

Shares in over-50s group Saga were down 2.3 per cent, or 9.4p, to 401p, after it said in a brief annual meeting trading update that insurance sales were down and it was burning around 7million a month in the four months to May 31.

Aviation services group John Menzies, down 1.2 per cent, or 4p, to 335p, was on the back foot despite winning a deal to manage and operate a new cargo terminal at one of the worlds busiest airports, Guangzhou Baiyun International in China.

And even Just Eat Takeaway slid 2 per cent, or 130p, to 6361p as traders brushed off the assumed boost the lockdown delay will have on orders.

A stock market announcement also revealed that US asset manager Blackrock now owns more than 6 per cent of the company.

Toronto-based chip designer Alphawave IP climbed after it reported record year-to-date bookings of more than 135million in its half-year results.

The figures will come as a relief after Alphawaves disappointing market debut last month, when its shares fell by 20 per cent during its first day of trading.

Alphawaves listing had been seen as a vote of confidence in Londons tech expertise, but went the same way as the disastrous float of Deliveroo  up 0.6 per cent, or 1.5p, to 256.9p.

Alphawave shares rose by 1.3 per cent, or 4p, to 319p.
Private equity firm CVC is seeking to cash in on the 'staycations' boom by snapping up a UK holiday parks owner for 250million.

With foreign holidays thwarted by pandemic restrictions, many British families are taking breaks nearer home.

That has benefited Away Resorts, based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, which has seen demand for space at its nine sites rocket.

Staycation boom: Private equity firm CVC has snapped up UK holiday parks owner Away Resorts in a 250m deal

Its park in St Ives, Cornwall  just a stone's throw from Carbis Bay where the G7 summit was held  is fully booked for the rest of the year.

And CVC is seeking to capitalise by taking over the company. It is the latest buyout in a string of UK takeovers mounted by private equity firms, which some critics have branded 'pandemic plundering'.

Butlins owner Bourne Leisure was recently taken over by Blackstone while Madame Tussauds and Legoland are also owned by private equity.

Park Holidays and Verdant Leisure are currently up for sale. Away Resorts, which was founded in 2008 by Carl Castledine, Neill Ryder and Greg Lashley and welcomes 200,000 people a year at sites including Tattershall Lakes in Lincolnshire, was taken over by Freshstream, another private equity company, in 2019.

Freshstream put the resorts firm up for sale this year. CVC said the business was 'well-positioned' to take advantage of the staycations trend and promised to upgrade and expand its property portfolio.

Private equity deals have snapped up a series of British firms in deals worth tens of billions of pounds during the pandemic.

The debt-fuelled spree has sparked concerns, with critics warning it could put jobs and pensions at risk if the deals go awry.

The Mail is campaigning for greater transparency in the sector and for an end to sharp practices.
Glaxosmithkline has struck a 1.4billion deal to develop new cancer drugs with a US rival.

The move bolsters the British pharma giants pipeline of medicines at a time when boss Emma Walmsley is seeking to reassure investors.

It will pay 443million upfront to Boston-based Iteos Therapeutics, which could then get another 1billion if the deal leads to clinical and commercial breakthroughs.

Glaxosmithkline's deal with Boston-based Iteos Therapeutics bolsters the UK firm's pipeline of medicines at a time when boss Emma Walmsley (pictured) is seeking to reassure investors

It comes as Walmsley, 52, is trying to convince investors that she is the right person to lead the pharmaceutical and vaccines-focused company after the consumer business is spun off next summer.

She faces potential disruption from feared activist Elliott Management, which took a multi-billion-pound stake last month.

The chief executive is due to set out her long-term plans at a capital markets day on June 23 that is now seen as a crucial test.

There, she will also seek to boost investor confidence in the pipeline of new drugs  and its potential to create future blockbusters that generate more than $1billion in annual revenue.

The Iteos deal is to develop EOS-448, an experimental treatment that could be given to patients with certain types of cancer to switch off a tumours ability to evade the bodys immune system.

EOS-448 is in early trials using patients with advanced solid tumours. Glaxo and Iteos plan to start combination studies of EOS-448 with Glaxo cancer drug Dostarlimab.

Dr Hal Barron, Glaxo science chief, said the trials could prove critical as fewer than 30 per cent of patients respond to similar drugs.

He added: We believe that [these] combinations could become transformative for many patients.
TIFTON [mdash] Everette Allen Ivey, 80, of Tifton passed away Sunday, June 27, 2021, at his residence. A graveside funeral service will be held for Mr. Ivey at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, July 1, 2021, at Oak Ridge Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest. The Rev. Rickey Wells will officiate. The fa
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Cresaptown, MD (21502)

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Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

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Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.


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Thomasville, GA (31792)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

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Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
Thomasville, GA (31792)

Today

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
The Rev. Gus Puleo is pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown and served as an adjunct professor of Spanish at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has masters degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania.
The capital building in Harrisburg was lit up in honor of Mike Malinowski, the captain of Morton Rutledge Volunteer Fire Co. and passed away on Dec. 3, 2019.
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The first Israeli government in 12 years not led by Benjamin Netanyahu got down to business on Monday, with the former prime minister shying away from a handover ceremony with successor Naftali Bennett.

The right-wing leaders record run in office ended on Sunday with parliament approving, by a razor-thin majority of 60-59, a new administration led by Bennett, a nationalist whose views mirror Netanyahus on many issues.

In Tel Aviv, thousands turned out to welcome the result, after four inconclusive elections in two years.

I am here celebrating the end of an era in Israel, said Erez Biezuner in Rabin Square.

We want them to succeed and to unite us again, he added, as flag-waving supporters of the new government sang and danced around him.

A combative Netanyahu, 71, said he would be back sooner than expected.

If we are destined to go into the opposition, we will do so with our heads held high until we can topple it, he told parliament before Bennett was sworn in.

The traditional handover ceremony was not scheduled at the prime ministers office, where Netanyahu was expected to meet Bennett later on Monday to brief him on state matters.

The last time Netanyahu was unseated as Israels leader, in 1999, he ended his first term in office with a glass of wine in his hand and affable words of welcome to then-Labour party leader Ehud Barak, who defeated him at the polls.

Sour, grumpy, not stately  Trump-like until the final moment, Yossi Verter, a political affairs commentator, wrote in the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper.

Asked why there would be no such scene now, Topaz Luk, a senior aide to Netanyahu, told Army Radio: Thats just what happens.

Netanyahu, he said, was filled with motivation to topple this dangerous government as quickly as possible. Luk declined to disclose Netanyahus comeback strategy, pointing only to the new administrations slim margin of support in parliament.

Luk said the incoming government was receiving briefings from Netanyahus diplomatic and security advisers to ensure an orderly handover.

After holding its first meeting late on Sunday, Bennetts new cabinet was invited for a traditional group photograph, showcasing incoming governments, at the official residence of President Reuven Rivlin.

UNSEATING NETANYAHU

With little in common other than a desire to unseat Netanyahu, the patchwork coalition of right-wing, centrist, left-wing and Arab parties largely plans to avoid sweeping moves on hot-button issues such as policy towards the Palestinians, and to focus instead on domestic reforms.

Palestinians were unmoved by the change of administration, predicting that Bennett, a former defence chief who advocates annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, would pursue the same right-wing agenda as Netanyahu.

Under the coalition deal, Bennett, a 49-year-old Orthodox Jew and high-tech millionaire, will be replaced as prime minister in 2023 by centrist Yair Lapid, 57, a popular former television host.

U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Bennett and Lapid, saying he looked forward to strengthening the close and enduring relationship between the two countries.

Addressing parliament on Sunday, Bennett put Biden on notice that he would follow in Netanyahus footsteps in opposing any U.S. return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal abrogated by former President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu was Israels longest-serving leader, and had served consecutive terms as prime minister since 2009.

He used his global stature to resist calls for Palestinian statehood, describing it as a danger to Israels security. He sought to bypass the Palestinian issue by forging diplomatic deals with regional Arab states, on the back of shared fears of Iran and its nuclear programme.

But he was a divisive figure at home and abroad, weakened by repeated failure to clinch a decisive election victory, and by a corruption trial in which he has denied any wrongdoing.

SOURCE: REUTERS
North Country officials are renewing calls for the U.S. to unilaterally reopen its border to Canadians after a meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apparently failed to make any progress.

"While area business welcomed recent indications from Canada that they were seemingly ready to take at least some initial steps centered on their quarantine requirements for returning Canadians, we are back to the frustrations of delay and a total lack of transparency or reliable information," said Garry Douglas, president and CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce in Plattsburgh. "And the summit in the U.K. does not appear to have provided any momentum as we had hoped," he added.

"It is clear that the next step must be some unilateral action by the U.S. perhaps focused on the modest expansion of categories of allowed Canadian entry to include property and boat owners, access to U.S. airports, added business travel, and of course connections within families tragically divided by the wall which has been erected on our northern border for fifteen months now," Douglas said.

U.S. Representatives Elise Stefanik and Brian Higgins have previously called for a unilateral reopening of the border.

Even as the border between the United States and Canada abruptly shut 15 months ago, essential goods continue to flow.

Now, even that is threatened, along with the push to permit fully vaccinated Americans to enter Canada, as thousands of Canadian Border Service Agency workers prepare for strike votes starting next week.

But the stumbling block appears to be Canada's relatively low vaccination rate. While 43.85 percent of U.S. citizens are fully vaccinated, the figure was just 12.22 percent in Canada, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Trudeau said in published remarks that Canada needs to have more of its citizens vaccinated before the border can reopen. The border has been closed since March 2020, at the start of the pandemic. The latest extension of the border closing expires June 21.

This would be the second summer that the land border is closed to leisure travelers. Canadians have been able to fly into the U.S., although U.S. citizens don't have the same privilege in Canada.

Canada recently eased quarantine requirements on Canadian citizens returning to Canada, a step that didn't help those from the U.S. or other countries.

Now business officials on both sides of the border are worried that the closing will be extended another month, deep into the summer.

And if that happens?

"Let there be a howl of disbelief and objection," said Douglas, "if June 21 comes with no progress at all."
This time last June, the world was gripped not just by the pandemic, but by the Black Lives Matter movement. The reaction to George Floyds murder had a ripple effect that was more pervasive than any societal reckoning in recent memory, sparking worldwide protests and spurring friends to have frank conversations on racism.

On social media, people shared Instagram explainers of white privilege, booksellers routinely sold out of anti-racist titles like White Fragility, and the call was made to support Black-owned businesses.

One year later, we are emerging from the pandemic, with vaccinations rising and New York fully opening. But what about our collective crusade for racial justice? What has been the staying power of activism?

We asked Black entrepreneurs and activists in the Hudson Valley their thoughts on the impact of the BLM movement, and how the campaign to shop Black-owned businesses impacted them personally.

Fahari Bazaar: Chatham, Columbia County

Fahari Wambura was not surprised that she saw only a one-week spike in orders last year during the call to support Black-owned businesses.

From my experience last year, after the murder of George Floyd and what came out of that, I kind of concluded that people have a very short attention span, said the Tanzanian owner of Fahari Bazaar in Chatham, where she sells her handmade dresses and items crafted in her home country. To her mind, quick-fix responses  like supporting Black-owned businesses  to a traumatic and tragic event was an emotional reaction that could not be sustained over time.

As an immigrant who moved with her family first to New York City in 2011, then Ghent in 2014, she says she is not steeped in the history of the African-American experience. But she is keenly aware of how race impacts her life in America. Ive never thought of myself as a color until I moved to this country, she said. Just walking out the door, she says shes made aware of her difference every day.

You cannot change hundreds of years of history or a mindset within a year, said Wambura. Its a lot of work that takes effort. Its not like you  study racial justice for one month and then come out a different person. I think thats why these things keep repeating themselves, because we dont realize its going to take much more effort for anything to change. Its like, you can shop from a Black-owned business, but have your ideas about race changed? You can buy all you want, but do the biases and stereotypes still exist?

Essies: Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County

Vanessa Williamson / VW Freelance Photography

Chef Brandon Walker of the Poughkeepsie restaurant Essies sees the Black Lives Matter movement as a positive development overall  not necessarily for business, but for the awareness it created.

Because of that movement  I think there has been a lot of exposure to African Americans who are doing good things in their communities. And in that regard, I think that's great, he said.

In his case, any uptick in customers he may have received because of the grassroots campaign to support Black business owners did not erase the drastic drop in sales he saw during the forced closure of in-person dining during the pandemic. And now he sees the urgency of supporting Black-owned businesses waning. In any business or any type of initiative theres a high point and peak and then they drop off, said Walker.

Now that he has fully reopened, finding enough staff to operate at full capacity has not been easy. Things are building back up. I've definitely seen a little increase in sales, but now like every other restaurant and food service operation, [its] a challenge finding good help, he said. So Walker, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, has streamlined his menu to feature a smaller number of dishes. (His signature grit croquettes and jerk ribs are still there.)

And while the media attention post-BLM may have faded, he personally remains committed to patronizing Black-owned restaurants and entrepreneurs around him like Twisted Soul, Sweet Bakes and Berry Bissap.

I always try to look for Black-owned businesses in my community and support them as much as I can, he said.

Newburgh Mercantile: Newburgh, Orange County

Eric Jarmann

This gift and framing shop is owned by Jacqui Watkins, who says she initially saw an increase in people visiting her store, including some who said they found Newburgh Mercantile on one of the many Black-owned business lists circulating online last year.

We had a lot of people come in, and the funny thing is they werent local, said Watkins. They were mostly from New York, Long Island and even people up from Vermont who came to support my business.

Today she doesnt get as many customers as she did last summer, or at least they arent as vocal about why theyre stopping in.

The support was great, said Watkins. I didnt expect anything to come off those lists but what people are doing is they will go explore a different area and then seek out all of the Black-owned businesses in that area.

Watkins has also seen an increase in the amount of Black customers to her shop  more than shes ever had before  but, like other Black-owned businesses we talked to, she said she cant exactly pinpoint if that is due to the buy-Black movement.

See and Be Kitchen: Cairo, Greene County

Chrissy Traore

Chrissy Traore, a Long Islander with Italian roots, and Ben Salif Traore, who emigrated from Burkina Faso in West Africa, came together to create the bakery and kitchen that blends their backgrounds. While theyre grateful that last years Black Lives Matter protests brought more attention to Black-owned businesses, they both think that it didnt get at the root of changing systemic discrimination, particularly when it applies to other Black or minority business owners.

We want to help people who want to start businesses, said Ben. Not that many minority businesses are opened, but there are a lot that want to open a business.

Not only is it harder to secure funding as a BIPOC entrepreneur, but Black-owned businesses tend to be located in communities that were hardest hit by the pandemic, and entered the lockdown with weaker financial footing, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. As a result, twice as many Black-owned businesses closed last year compared to 20 percent of white-owned ones.

Last year, See and Be launched a bake sale to support organizations that further the development of people of color and that help those who are food insecure, like the Community Action of Greene County. This years bake sale will feature goods from several local bakeries, restaurants and community bakers when it takes place on July 31, this time benefiting community-based food initiatives.

Since the Black Lives Matter demonstrations last year, Chrissy recognized that while it boosted dialogue and foot traffic to their bakery in the beginning, the people coming in were usually white.

As a business owner, we appreciate that it brought some new customers that hadnt met us before  maybe it was a way for them to know we are here, said Chrissy. But she encouraged people to go further and support Black-owned businesses that arent as established.

Blue Byrds Haberdashery & Music: Kingston, Ulster County

Morgan Y. Evans

John Allen Blue and his wife Maureen Byrd co-own this longstanding Kingston-based headwear and music store. Blue said that between the pandemic causing the stores temporarily closure until July 2020 and the Black Lives Matter protests happening before that, it is hard to make any true connection between the initiative to support Black-owned businesses and the impact its had on their sales.

Blue said there was a slow and steady increase in customers to the shop later last summer. However, he speculated that it may have had more to do with peoples comfort levels shopping in person with the eased COVID-19 restrictions.

I would want to believe that people are continuing to do business with us, not because we are a Black-owned business, but because we provide a good product and that people appreciate our friendship and we appreciate their loyalty, said Blue, who has been in business for almost 30 years.

Rise Up Kingston: Kingston, Ulster County

Callie Jayne

Callie Jayne, founder and executive director of the advocacy group Rise Up Kingston, is in the business of organizing support for, and forging political paths to racial justice, and has an on-the-ground perspective of the ebb and flow of attention on the Black Lives Matter movement.

We see these upticks [of interest] a lot when there's a very publicized police execution in the middle of the street, said Jayne. But last Junes outpouring of support was remarkable for its pervasiveness. Even Amazon and Netflix, they point out, were broadcasting the phrase across their platforms.

At the beginning, we were definitely seeing an increase of people saying, you know, How can we help, what can we do? The nonprofit also saw an increase in donations last summer, though Jayne says that funding could also be attributed to the money Rise Up was receiving to help mutual aid groups during the pandemic.

Now, Jayne can see the attention on the movement dwindling, most visibly in the falling attendance at the weekly Wednesdays Walk for Black Lives in Kingston.

Jayne also feels that the ubiquity of the phrase Black Lives Matter has diminished its meaning over time, particularly when its used by those who do not embrace BLM platforms like defunding the police, a contentious tenet that calls for diverting a portion of police budgets toward more social services. Its very easy to say, I see you, I hear you, Black Lives Matter, but I think in some ways the popularity of that phrase is being used to try to silence the movement.
Paul Buckowski/Albany Times Union

CAMBRIDGE  The performing-arts venue Hubbard Hall will be able to purchase artist housing, replace its HVAC system, retire debt and establish a scholarship endowment courtesy of a bequest of approximately $850,000 from Curt Strand, who was chairman of the Hilton International hotel chain from 1968 to 1987 and a longtime support of Hubbard Hall.

The gift was in honor of Strand's daughter Karen Strand, who started as a volunteer for the hall in the late 1990s, later becoming manager of its Village Store and a props assistant for Hubbard Hall productions, according to an announcement from David Snider, the arts center's executive and artistic director. Karen Strand died in 2006; Curt Strand, whose financial support had in the past had helped fund the installation of an elevator at Hubbard Hall, died in July 2020, four months shy of his 100th birthday.
SCHENECTADY  Three touring Broadway productions will get their starts at Proctors this fall, when the theater hosts technical and performance rehearsals that will bring hundreds of people to town for more than three months, resulting in a projected total economic impact of approximately $20 to $24 million, according to theater and elected officials making the announcement Monday morning.

The musicals are Hadestown, at Proctors from Sept. 9 to Oct. 2; a world-premiere title, being announced next week, from Oct. 2 to Nov. 11; and Aint Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, from Nov. 11 to Dec. 4. Only the world premiere will have public performances during its stay, on a very limited basis, according to Proctors. Details are forthcoming.

When a production "techs" for a tour, directors, designers, crew and cast assemble for weeks to prepare the show, finalizing everything from performances and costumes to the most efficient way to load cargo into the tractor-trailers that carry the show between cities. At least 100 people per production will be in and around Schenectady for an average of four weeks, during which they require housing, food, daily services and recreation, according to officials speaking during the announcement at Proctors.

These shows will hire local workers and put money into the local economy for 13 busy weeks, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, whose 11th Assembly District covers the western part of Schenectady, said in a statement. He said, We are proud that these nationwide tours begin their life here.

Assemblyman Phil Steck, who represents other parts of Schenectady and points east for the 110th District, said in a statement that the productions will have direct total spending of about $8 million combined. Using a standard economic-impact multiplier of two and a half to three times of direct spending, the region could see a $20 million to $24 million cumulative effect from the productions' presence in Schenectady, according to Proctors CEO Philip Morris.

New York instituted an inducement to theatrical producers in late 2014 that offers tax credits for costs associated with teching for a tour if it is done within the state.

Upstate New Yorks theaters will tech 11 Broadway touring productions this fall before touring throughout America, Assemblymember Pat Fahy, a Democrat whose district covers much of city of Albany and some of its western and southern suburbs, said in a statement. She said, Since 2013, the Capital Region has help launch eight tours while benefitting from this economic boost. Morris said that the new state budget doubles the existing tax credit and extends it for three years.

The "Hadestown" tour is scheduled to visit Proctors in late winter 2023; "Ain't Too Proud" will appear at the theater but has not yet been scheduled, Morris said.

In April, Proctors announced that it will host "Summer  The Donna Summer Musical" from Dec. 7 to 12 as part of the relaunch of the Key Private Bank Broadway Series. Additional new dates for the series: "Come From Away," Jan. 25 to 30; "The Prom," March 1 to 6; "Dear Evan Hansen," March 22 to 27; "Cats," May 3 to 8; "My Fair Lady," May 17 to 22; "To Kill a Mockingbird," June 14 to 19, 2022; and "Mean Girls," June 28 to July 3, 2022. Rescheduled dates for "The Lion King" and "Pretty Woman: The Musical" are still to be announced.
SCHENECTADY  For 36 years, the 57th president of the Sierra Club has kept his day job separate from his advocacy, but no more.

An epidemiologist with state Department of Health, Aaron Mair retired this month and is taking a new post as the director of the Adirondack Councils new policy initiative, Forever Adirondacks. Mair, as a renowned wilderness advocate and public health expert, will lead the call to federal and state officials for more funding and policy measures around clean water, jobs and wilderness protection.

It truly reflects the passion and love that Ive been dealing with and giving to the environment most of my adult life, Mair said in a phone interview Friday.

The Forever Adirondacks campaign springboards off President Joe Bidens executive order for a plan for promoting the protection of the Amazon rainforest and other critical ecosystems that serve as global carbon sinks. Mair said the presidents call to protect wilderness as a tool to combat climate change is exactly the kind of opportunity meant for the Adirondack Park.

We have an opportunity to be that model (for federal investment), Mair said.

Mair already has national influence: Besides being the first Black president of the Sierra Club  a post he held from 2015 to 2017  Mair served in a number of positions for the national organization over his tenure. He was also a member of the White House Council on Environmental Quality from 1998 to 2000.

A Schenectady resident, he founded Albany's W. Haywood Burns Environmental Education Center and the Arbor Hill Environmental Justice Corporation. Mair also worked closely with Republican Gov. George Pataki on land conservation in the Adirondacks and beyond. His talents and experience will make the Council a better organization and bring a fresh perspective to issues affecting the park, said Willie Janeway, executive director of the Adirondack Council, in a news release. The councils announcement drew a flurry of positive reactions from diverse groups, including private companies like International Paper and local government leaders, as well as climate activist Bill McKibben, who said Mair will make a tremendous difference.

Aaron has a unique sense of purpose that transcends, and is yet perfectly suited for the moment in which we find ourselves, where climate justice is being led by those of us who are disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, said Nicole Hylton-Patterson, director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, in a news release. I look forward to working closely with Aaron, as he charts a path forward, with the recognition that environmental justice is racial justice.

The campaign focuses on the following:

Clean water: Mair will be responsible for advocating for clean water  drinking water protection projects, wastewater treatment upgrades and increased protections for water sources. With Lake Tear of the Clouds the headwaters of the Hudson River, Mair said the Adirondack Parks protection means more to the greater state.

Wilderness: The campaign will also address protecting lands in the Adirondacks  how to address the expanding use of public lands, how to protect wildlife and how to acquire more wilderness. The Whitney estate, the 36,000-acre Long Lake property owned by John Hendrickson, is on his list of potential forest preserve acquisitions.

Though Hendrickson has said he will not sell to the state and recently announced plans to subdivide the tract for sale, Mair said he would welcome a conversation with him.

I think we need to have a long conversation on the concerns on how the state has been a good or bad steward, Mair said. The issue of stewardship is always a question that we can all learn and do better at.

Jobs: Finishing off the tripod of Mairs goals includes bringing more jobs to the Adirondack Park. Specifically the council and Mair are focused on more communications infrastructure, bolstering broadband and cell service. They want to see more forest rangers, engineers, wildlife biologists and land managers. They want more diversity within these jobs, and they want more economic expansion within existing park hamlets.

We dont have to build infrastructure and kill the Adirondacks for the sake of jobs, Mair said. No  we have the raw material; the factory is the Adirondacks. The question is, what are the right jobs that are there?

Times Union file photo

As an example, Mair points to the A-frame Frontier Town building and nearby gas station, off Exit 29 on the Northway, run by Muhammed Mo Ahmad, an immigrant from Pakistan. Ahmad has renovated the iconic rest stop on his own, and Mair hopes he can help lift up the business.

His success will be a harbinger of success of all people of color, Mair said. Hes investing his dream in the Adirondacks because he sees the beauty of the Adirondacks. We, at a minimum, should be meeting him halfway.

In addition to lobbying for more support for private businesses like Ahmeds, Mair wants to see the state diversify its ranger and environmental conservation officer force. Hed also like to see the Adirondacks have a separate force of forest rangers focused on education and stewardship.

They should not all have to be working for not-for-profits, Mair said, about stewards. They should be civil service.

There is much to cover, and Mair is trying to pace himself. He has watched his childhood home in the Hudson Valley in Peekskill become overrun by suburban sprawl. He doesnt want to see the same fate for the Adirondacks.

His first experience of the park was in the 1980s when he visited Lake Placid. In 1988, the Jamaica national bobsled team competed in the Calgary Winter Olympics, but they were training in Lake Placid. Mairs fathers family were Ellis Island immigrants from Jamaica.

The nostalgia of the unique oddity of the Jamaican bobsled steam was one of those draws, Mair said, about first coming to the Adirondacks. Bobsledding took on an even more personal effect when his children took part in a program where Albany students went up to Lake Placid to try it. As they explored the park more, they were drawn to the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, home of the abolitionist for which it is named.

Now, after 36 years, Mair is ready to commit full-time to his passions and the Adirondacks.

Describing his advocacy, he said, Youre walking your love.

Gwendolyn Craig writes about environmental policy for the Adirondack Explorer, a nonprofit news organization covering issues in the forest preserve.
ALBANY  Efforts to reform New Yorks Family Court system moved forward at the end of the legislative session last week when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo appointed a 20-member commission to issue recommendations on the mental health professionals who play a crucial role in determining child custody disputes.

The review of the mental health professionals, known as forensic evaluators, came as there were also some setbacks when some bills intended to improve the Family Court system failed to be passed by the Legislature.

Since Cuomo's office first stated its intention to create the commission in January, the governor has faced a number sexual harassment allegations from multiple women, triggering investigations of his conduct by the Assembly and state attorney general's office. Amidst that uncertainty, the panel now appointed by Cuomo is charged with tackling an issue fraught with charged gender dynamics, and consisting of several advocates who argue that the Family Court system is inherently biased against women, especially those that report abuse by men.

In a statement Friday announcing his appointments, Cuomo said that Family Court judges are responsible for making decisions that often have life-altering impacts on the individuals who appear before them. It is critical that judges have the most comprehensive, reliable information on which to base those decisions.

Cuomo said the commission will improve the quality of the forensic custody evaluation process, help ensure equal access to justice for survivors of domestic violence, and improve the fairness and transparency of the Family Court system. The panel will start meeting this month, with recommendations to be delivered to the governor by the fall.

The Cuomo appointments followed the end of the Democratic-controlled Legislatures session on Thursday evening. On the sessions final day, a bill implementing new standards and training requirements for forensic evaluators passed the state Assembly but went nowhere in the Senate.

When parties in a child custody dispute cannot strike a settlement, Family Court judges often appoint the forensic evaluators, who conduct interviews with parents, children and others, then issue lengthy reports. The reports often include recommendations about whom should gain custody, and judges often based their rulings at trial upon those recommendations.

The bill, sponsored in the Assembly by the Bronxs Jeffrey Dinowitz, would require that evaluators receive training every two years on the dynamics of domestic violence disputes. The state Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence would contract with a nonprofit entity, the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, to create a training program for forensic evaluators.

Critics of the current Family Court system say that few evaluators in New York are trained to recognize the behaviors that stem from trauma, abuse and addiction.

In addition, Dinowitz's bill would require all forensic evaluators in New York be licensed psychologists, psychiatrists or social workers. In downstate New York courts, forensic evaluators are required to have those credentials; those courts maintain a list of qualified evaluators and also require six hours of training. In the rest of the state, including the Capital Region, there is no public list and no required training.

One factor in the bill stalling: A memo issued in early June by the state Office of Court Administration, the body that oversees New Yorks Family Court system. The memo, from OCAs matrimonial practice advisory committee, agreed that all evaluators should receive training in domestic violence dynamics. But the committee argued against several aspects of the Dinowitz bill, including the training being conducted by the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the proposal to make the advocacy group the entity that certifies the eligibility of evaluators.

A key player in crafting Dinowitz's bill was Jacqueline Franchetti, a Long Island woman whose 2-year-old-daughter, Kyra, was murdered by Jacqueline's ex-boyfriend in 2016. She is also pushing several other bills related to child safety in Family Court, including a sweeping measure called Kyras Law. Those bills gained less traction than Dinowitz's, however, and did not pass either house of the Legislature.

Franchetti said that every day that passed without laws inspired by Kyras case place "more children in harm's way.

At staggering rates, our children are being court-ordered into homes of dangerous, abusive parents, Franchetti said. It is not just about the 19 children who have been brutally murdered, like Kyra, in the last five years. This is also about the children who are forced to live under the same roof as their abuser  children's lives are catastrophically destroyed, as studies have proven.

Its possible Cuomos panel will create greater consensus concerning evaluations, although some panelists come from divergent viewpoints.

The 20-member panel has three co-chairs: Sherry Klein Heitler, a retired judge and interim dean of the NYS Judicial Institute; Kelli Owens, executive director of the state Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence; and Sheila Poole, commissioner of the state Office of Children and Family Services.

The panel also includes academics, Family Court attorneys, domestic violence advocates and psychologists. Among the panelists are Franchetti, George Washington Law School professor Joan Meier, who issued a widely-cited study last year related to gender bias in Family Court proceedings, and Timothy Tippins, a Capital Region attorney whos been outspoken for changes in the process.

Also on the panel is Jerold Grodin, director of professional affairs at the New York State Psychological Association, a 2,000-member group representing psychologists. The group has served as a primary roadblock to several bills aimed at reforming forensic evaluations.

3 1 of 3 Times Union file photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Show More Show Less 3 of 3





In a statement, Heitler said the panels work would lead to recommendations as to how these individuals should be chosen and what qualifications they must have."
JOHNSBURG - A Connecticut man was arrested on Friday for allegedly stabbing another man in the back during a bachelor party, Warren County Sheriff's Office said.

The 31-year-old from Stafford was arrested at about 7 p.m. after he allegedly stabbed the other man at an AirBnB on Austin Pond Road that was rented for the event, deputies said.
BALLSTON SPA  A Saratoga County prosecutor on Monday cast deli owner Georgios Kakavelos as a cold and calculated killer who savagely murdered Allyzibeth Lamont to forever silence a 22-year-old employee he blamed for his deepening financial ruin.

"The defendant perceived Ally as a whistleblower," First Assistant District Attorney Alan Poremba told the jury in a more than two-hour closing argument at Kakavelos first-degree murder trial.

Kakavelos, 52, of Ballston Spa, a Greek immigrant who owned the Local No. 9 sandwich shop in Johnstown, faces the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted. Kakavelos' trial entered its sixth week Monday with attorneys delivering their final arguments to the jury before County Judge James A. Murphy III.

Poremba told jurors that by the fall of 2019, Kakavelos was broke, his credit was shot and he faced a bankruptcy petition. And he said Kakavelos was continuing to pay employees under the table, even as he owed the state more than $70,000 and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service more than $120,000.

Lamont, who worked for Kakavelos at the shop, was filing a complaint with the state Department of Labor about the businessmans practice of paying employees under the table. The prosecutor said Kakavelos faced a investigation over tax fraud.

At the the age of 51 he was failing as a businessman, the prosecutor told jurors, but in the defendants egotistical mind it wasnt his fault. It was Allyzibeth Lamonts fault for complaining about his business practices.

The prosecutor said Kakavelos believed Lamont was a "ring leader" of young women at the shop revolting against him. Lamont was threatening to blast Kakavelos as a terrible boss on social media. In addition, she had learned that the official owner of the business was Kakavelos' wife and planned to raise her concerns to her -- all at a time when Kakavelos was planning to move the deli to a new location in Saratoga Springs.

That's why, according to Poremba, Kakavelos enlisted Jimmy Duffy, a career criminal who admittedly raped a 14-year-old girl as a teenager, to help him kill Lamont.

"The defendant could not afford any more investigations, any more tax debt or any more bad publicity for his business, Poremba told jurors. He said Kakavelos was upset about an article in the Times Union in 2012 after his Saratoga Diner closed.

Prosecutors contend Kakavelos and Duffy, who worked at the deli, ambushed and bludgeoned Lamont on Oct. 28, 2019 about 7:30 p.m., then dumped her body in a wooded area off Exit 13 of the Northway in Malta. Duffy testified that he struck Lamont in the head and that Kakavelos, in turn, put a bag over Lamont's head, choked the woman and finished her off by striking her with a small sledgehammer. He testified that he and Kakavelos returned to Exit 13 the next night to bury the victim's remains.

Duffy, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a sentence of 18 years to life in the prison, was the prosecution's key witness and according to Kakavelos' attorney, acted alone to kill Lamont.

In a nearly two-hour closing argument earlier Monday, Kakavelos defense attorney Kevin OBrien scoffed at the prosecutions argument that a labor complaint led his client to murder. The lawyer noted Kakavelos previously owned the Saratoga Diner in Saratoga Springs and Travers Diner in Gloversville, had faced labor complaints in the past -- and never resorted to violence.

"Probably the weakest part of the governments case is what they consider to be motive," O'Brien told the jury. "It doesn't make sense to risk his entire life and everything he'd built since he came to this country to kill this 22-year-old girl. Because it didn't happen."

O'Brien acknowledged the prosecution is not required to prove a motive to convict his client, but added: "Most of the time, you're going to want an explanation for why somebody who had never been convicted of or arrested for a crime all of a sudden -- in his 50s-- decides that a complaint to the Department of Labor is a reason to murder a 22-year-old young woman."

Earlier Monday, Kakavelos concluded his fourth and final day of testimony, continuing to say that he took no part in the crime.

"I do know that I had nothing to do with it," Kakavelos testified. " I do know a life was lost that night. A life was lost of a young girl."

After an off day Tuesday, the jury will return Wednesday at 11 a.m. to receive instructions from the judge. The jury will then begin deliberations.
Will Waldron/Albany Times Union

A Copake couple was arrested Saturday and charged with disturbing allegations of child abuse - including making the child lay in water with only their face exposed, handcuffing them to a futon, and forcing them to wear soiled underwear on their head.

Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka said 40-year-old Nellie McCaul and 38 year-old Duane McCaul were arrested by State Police on Saturday on charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, a class D felony, and endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree unlawful imprisonment, both misdemeanors. The couple pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Will Waldron

Q: Route 377 (a.k.a. Van Rensselaer Boulevard) in Albany and Menands was resurfaced and restriped a few years ago. It now features a reasonable 45 mph speed limit and very nice bike lanes. There is a problem for cyclists, though: The traffic lights at 377/378/Albany Rural Cemetery and Northern Boulevard/Lawn Avenue use under-pavement sensors that do not detect bicycles. Because the lights only get activated by the sensors, a cyclist must either wait for a car to pull up and trip the sensor or ride through the red light. This is obviously both dangerous and illegal.

Cars very rarely exit the cemetery so that light is red almost all the time. Similarly, other than the morning rush cars very rarely head south on 377 through the light at Northern Boulevard so the light will stay red. Car traffic heading east and west at that intersection is more common but it would still be safest to have a sensor that can detect bikes there.
ALBANY  During a six-year tenure as New Yorks campaign finance watchdog, Risa Sugarman aggrieved many state legislators with aggressive investigations into their campaigns.

Yet over a two-day period this week, as the Legislature considered whether to confirm Sugarmans successor, lawmakers showed little outward concern over whether Michael L. Johnson would continue those aggressive practices as the new Board of Elections chief enforcement counsel.

Lawmakers did not require Johnson, a current member of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration and former longtime state Assembly aide, to answer any questions about his planned approach to the job during a whirlwind confirmation process.

Johnson was officially approved on Thursday evening by the state Senate. Democrats packaged the nomination into a single vote that also included a slew of other Cuomo nominees, and it was done as a voice vote only, making it difficult to discern each individual senator's position.

Cuomos nominee was never announced, but officially came to light on Wednesday, when the Assembly Election Law Committee held a brief confirmation hearing over Zoom. Johnson was present, but not asked any questions by committee members.

Johnson was a familiar face to lawmakers, however, especially in the Assembly. Prior to working at the Dormitory Authority the past three years he served as counsel for 11 years to the Assembly's Ways and Means Committee, under chair and former Assemblyman Herman Denny Farrell, who passed away in 2018. Respected as a powerful elder statesman and trailblazer, Farrell was not known as a reformer: He came out of the vaunted Harlem political clubhouse that spawned many powerful African-American politicians, and led the Manhattan Democratic Party for nearly three decades.

From 2005 to 2006, Johnson served as chief enforcement officer at the state Board of Elections, a decade before the creation of the independent office hes taking over.

At the Senate Finance Committee's confirmation hearing last week, Johnson gave a statement about his relevant experience. While at the Board of Elections, he served as a petition hearing officer and reviewed all election law complaints. As enforcement counsel, Johnson said, he also advised the state Democratic Party how to appropriately spend money out of its campaign housekeeping account  a party that at the times was run by his next boss, Farrell.

Johnson advised Democratic political candidates, including a number of Assembly members, about petitions and absentee ballots. Johnson, who is Black, worked for multiple prominent Black Assembly members from New York City and in the chamber for two decades.

I think I have a specific, unique perspective, Johnson said, adding that he would enforce the law fairly and evenly across the board, to everyone.

Still, the office puts any enforcement counsel in a difficult position, according to John Kaehny, executive director of the government-reform group Reinvent Albany.

The person in that job is between a rock and a hard place, Kaehny said. If they do the job, if theyre aggressive like Risa Sugarman was, theyre accused of being a tool of the governor. And if they don't do their job, they're accused by watchdogs of just being a placeholder. The only person who should ever really hold that job is someone thats truly politically independent  and that type of person could never get appointed.

The enforcement counsel position is unique: It requires confirmation by not just the Senate, but also the Assembly, giving the Legislature an extra layer of veto power over Cuomos appointment.

The Cuomo administration declined to make Johnson available for an interview.

When the Board of Elections enforcement counsel position was created in March 2014, it was touted as a major reform. A few months earlier, the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption had issued a report slamming its lack of enforcement of elections laws. The board's staff and commissioners are evenly divided between Democratic and Republican Party appointees, and the report characterized the lack of enforcement as a bipartisan agreement to do nothing.

Cuomo controversially agreed to shutter the Moreland Commission, which had been investigating members of the Legislature. In exchange, the governor demanded certain reforms, most notably creation of the independent enforcement counsel office.

During her six-year tenure, Sugarman angered a wide swath of the Legislature with investigations and lawsuits. She fined major labor unions that were allies of Assembly Democrats. In the Senate, the list of targets included all three factions of the chamber: Democrats, Republicans and the now-defunct Independent Democratic Conference.

During last weeks confirmation hearing, the only lawmaker to offer a statement was Democratic state Sen. Diane Savino, the lone former member of the IDC remaining on the chamber. She slammed Sugarman for ignoring the boards commissioners and seeking to weaponize the office. Savino said she hoped Johnson would operate with fairness and not "replicate the mistakes" of his predecessor.

During Sugarmans tenure, one powerful politician she apparently did not investigate was Cuomo, the states biggest political fundraiser and spender, feeding some lawmakers' perception that Cuomo had weaponized the office against the Legislature. Sugarmans background did not help: She had previously held jobs at two agencies under Cuomo's admininstration, and before that, was a deputy during Cuomos four years as state attorney general.

In addition, Sugarman faced constant criticism from Board of Elections commissioners  which Kaehny said was legitimate  that she focused on headline-grabbing cases, while ignoring that hundreds of campaign committees failed to file campaign finance reports. Kaehny said the small enforcement offices lack of resources likely contributed to Sugarman being unable to handle both aspects.

As enforcement counsel, Johnson is expected to work more collaboratively with elections commissioners and staff, who clashed from the outset with Sugarman.

She came in with a hostile attitude, right from the beginning, said Douglas Kellner, the Board of Elections Democratic co-chair. And if it was not on the front page of the newspaper, she was not interested.

During the latter years of Sugarmans tenure, the power of her office was whittled: First by the boards commissioners, who passed regulations reining in her power to issue subpoenas; then by a nine-member commission appointed to implement New Yorks new, publicly-funded elections system. The 2019 commission, appointed by the governor and Legislature, issued recommendations handing power to regulate political candidates to the regular Board of Elections, removing a substantial piece of the enforcement counsels portfolio.

A bill pushed by Cuomo formalized the shift in 2020, though the office still has power over important aspects of campaigns, including big-spending party committees and independent expenditure groups.

In 2019, Cuomo did not seek to reappoint Sugarman, who almost certainly would not have been reconfirmed by the Legislature, when her five-year term ended. She stayed on in a holdover status, then retired in January.

Kaehny said a clear model for independent, effective enforcement existed in the system regulating New York Citys municipal elections. He said the Legislature, however, seems to be headed in the opposite direction.

If Albany needed any kind of model, its right there, Kaehny said. But thats the last thing the Legislature or governor wants.
ALBANY  Rep. Elise Stefanik recently ascended to a top Congressional leadership post, deposing Rep. Liz Cheney as House Republican Conference Chair.

Now shes already facing opposition on her home turf for the 2022 election.

Matt Putorti, an attorney who lives in Whitehall, announced his candidacy on Monday for the Democratic nomination to knock off the fourth-term lawmaker for New Yorks 21st Congressional District.

Putorti's profile says he works for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, a global law firm based in New York City. His campaign representatives said Putorti has moved back to Washington County, where he grew up.

"Elise Stefanik is ripping apart the fabric of our community by bringing the divisiveness of our current politics to the North Country," Putorti said in a statement.

Putorti cited Stefaniks efforts to overturn the results of a free and fair election and her vote against the now-quashed bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol as key criticisms.

Putortis campaign did not make him available for an interview on Sunday.

Stefanik, who became the youngest-ever woman elected to Congress in 2014 and was elevated to the No. 3 position in the House last month, has spread dangerous election conspiracy theories and supported the controversial Arizona audit, according to Putortis statement.

Putorti also touted his role as a gay man of faith.

The Democratic hopeful says he has spent the majority of his career fighting insurance companies who wrongfully deny coverage and has devoted significant pro bono efforts to advancing LGBTQ equality, reducing gun violence and making the immigration system fair.

Putorti, 37, is the second Democratic hopeful to announce an effort to unseat Stefanik: Wilton-based candidate Ezra Watson filed his candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission in March.

Typically, Democratic hopefuls meet with each of the New York 21st Congressional Districts 12 Democratic Committee chairs prior to announcing. But Warren County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Lynne Boecher said she heard from Putorti for the first time on Saturday when he offered a courtesy call.

Boecher has not yet met or interviewed him.

Typically, candidates offer a wider lead time ahead of an announcement, said Boecher.

Stefaniks team derided Putorti as a New York City lawyer and a Far-Left Socialist Democrat.

The Stefanik campaign will continue to make sure voters know the choice next November between real results for the North Country versus another Far-Left Socialist who will be a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomos failed policies, said Alex DeGrasse, a senior advisor to Stefanik.

Stefanik, who turns 37 on July 2, has seen a meteoritic rise during former President Donald Trumps term.

The lawmaker rose to national prominence as a defender of the president during the 2019 impeachment inquiry into Trump's actions in Ukraine. Previously considered a moderate Republican who occasionally broke with her party, Stefanik's rhetoric has edged farther to the right over the past few years.

Stefanik voted against certifying the 2020 election results  citing a number of claims that were rejected by the courts and debunked by investigators  on the day of the attack on the Capitol, and against impeaching Trump weeks later for his role in the insurrection.

The Albany County native first ran for office in 2014, defeating Aaron Woolf, an Essex County-based filmmaker. Democratic primary campaigns have been largely sedate affairs except for the 2018 contest, which drew as many as 10 candidates, five of whom made it to the ballot.

Tedra Cobb won that contest by a nearly 5-to-1 margin, but went on to be defeated by Stefanik by 14 points in 2016, a spread that widened to nearly 18 percentage points in 2020.

Since her defeat, Cobb has launched a political action committee, Backroads PAC, to help rural progressive candidates.

Backroads hasnt made a contribution to Putortis campaign, according to a PAC spokesperson.

"The North Country deserves a representative in Washington who is willing to put our needs over political party and personal advancement, Cobb said in a statement. Matt Putorti's life and career demonstrate that type of dedication to service."

Stefanik is a prolific fundraiser, raising $1.2 million from January to April.
We may be rebounding from the pandemic, but not everyones able to get back in the game: Lack of affordable child care, the White House noted last month, is keeping about 5 million women out of the workforce. In New York, the states slow disbursement of child care aid is part of the problem.

Even before the pandemic, the Capital Region was in a child care crisis. A study released in January 2020 found there were 33 kids competing for every slot, with year-long waiting lists.

When shutdowns closed schools, shuttered offices and left many parents unemployed, the industry was hit hard  expenses went up and enrollment plummeted, putting hundreds of providers out of business.

Washington sent New York $163.6 million in child care stimulus funds last year. But in the following 10 months, an advocacy group reports, the Cuomo administration spent less than a quarter of the money.

Thats inexcusable. Providers  many of them small, women-owned businesses  need this aid to stay open, and without affordable care, many parents cant go back to work.

Knowing that child care is key to an economic recovery, the federal government is sending more money our way. That makes it all the more important for New York state to get its act together and figure out how to administer and distribute funds quickly and equitably. Otherwise the state risks becoming a road block to its own recovery.

Clean, clear waters

Eurasian watermilfoil grows quickly. It crowds out native plants and critters, harming lake ecosystems. Thick beds of slimy, ropy plants drive away swimmers, tangle boat propellers, and hurt fishing. The plant drives down shoreline property values. When it rots, it smells. Really smells.

And its just one of the invasive species that threaten Adirondack waters.

The Legislature has strengthened a measure to keep aquatic invasives out of the Adirondack Park, letting the state DEC establish inspection stations in and near the park and requiring boaters to self-certify that their boats have been cleaned or, if they havent, to stop at a free boat-washing station. Its a good plan, environmentally and economically.

In the not-so-distant past, the Cuomo administration resisted mandatory boat inspections, getting on board reluctantly after the success of a program at Lake George proved their effectiveness. This time, we hope, Gov. Andrew Cuomo will take the lead on this important protective measure, and sign it when it reaches his desk.

Gillibrands fight continues

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has worked for years to change how the military handles sexual assault cases. She has lined up broad bipartisan support for moving prosecution of those cases outside the chain of command. But a battle looms in her own party.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who leads the Armed Services Committee, has been trying to hold back Ms. Gillibrands legislation and water it down. Joining him is the committees ranking member, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. These former military men put too much faith in the traditional chain of command  faith that isnt sustained by the facts of the militarys record on sexual assault cases. Yes, Sen. Gillibrands plan uproots the old ways, and it must. The armed forces wont change until theyre made to.
The American flag is displayed from a fire department ladder truck on a lot next to Titusville Iron Works on South Franklin Street in Titusville.
Maplewood High Schools senior class toss their caps in the air as they celebrate the end of their high school careers.
Smoke will be visible for days or possibly weeks in south-central Arizona where crews continue to strengthen the perimeter around a wildfire
A police detective has testified that the suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Alabama and Georgia that wounded five people told investigators he was targeting white men
Authorities say a Seattle police officer who had just finished her shift was struck and killed by a motorist on Interstate 5  apparently after pulling over to help drivers involved in a collision on the highway
[June 14, 2021] $6-a-month Seamless Phone Number Portability Service Offered by Iristel Across North America

The new "Mobifi" Service Means Canadian Phone Numbers Can Be Used With Far Cheaper U.S. Wireless Plans TORONTO, June 14, 2021 /CNW/ - Iristel Inc., Canada's fast-growing telecom services provider, will this month offer a new portability service allowing Canadian phone numbers to be used with far less expensive plans offered by U.S. telecom companies. The $6-a-month "Mobifi" service is ideal for entrepreneurs re-locating in the United States and Snowbirds who spend half the year in the U.S. and Mexico or Canadians at home looking for value from services offered by T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint or other U.S. telecom services companies. "Canadians pay some of the highest wireless rates in the world and consumers and small business want relief," says Samer Bishay, Iristel President and CEO. Typically, when south of the border for extended periods, price-conscious entrepreneurs and Snowbirds suspend their Canadian wireless service and use U.S. SIM cards (subscriber identification module) in their phones; temporarily losing both their Canadian number ad contacts in the phone. Others pay $8-a-day roaming fees to Canada's oligarchy phone companies.



"Our new Mobifi service will forward both voice and data from a person's Canadian number to their phone with the American SIM card and contacts will remain in the phone," Mr. Bishay says. "It's seamless, easy to set up and will save Canadians money every month." Historically, the Canadian Radio-Telecommunications Commission has sided with big incumbent telcos and against service-based competition and lower prices for consumers. And in two CRTC decisions this year, the commission blatantly states it is partial to "facilities-based carriers" and against real competition, innovation and consumers' choice.

"Mobifi is carrier agnostic," Mr. Bishay says. "Customers with Canadian phone numbers, regardless which phone company, can use any U.S. carrier's SIM cards. Our solution is great for people travelling to the U.S. for extended periods, or any consumer or business that wants to keep Canadian phone numbers but pay lower rates from U.S. phone companies." Adds Mr. Bishay: "And it works in reverse, too. As an industry first, Canadians with a U.S. number while back in Canada don't have to miss out on any of their communications if they wish to have a Canadian number as a primary number." Mr. Bishay says he has a T-Mobile phone with unlimited voice and data, no long-distance charges anywhere in Canada, U.S. and Mexico for US$35 a month. "Transferring one of my Canadian phone numbers to that plan, even if I charged myself $6 a month, would still be a lot cheaper than a similar plan from Canadian wireless oligarchs." The simple, self-service Mobifi app will be available on Iristel.com website later in June. About Iristel Iristel is Canada's fastest-growing Competitive Local Exchange Carrier providing innovative communication services that are changing how consumers and businesses communicate. Founded in 1999, Markham-based Iristel operates Canada's largest facilities-based local voice network extending Coast-to-Coast-to-Coast. It also owns Ice Wireless, an LTE-A carrier with operations in Canada's northern territories and Quebec. Iristel also owns brands such as Sugar Mobile, an Over-the-Top (OTT) app where phone calls and text messages can be transmitted through data, and Telecommunications de l'Est (TDE), a company that operates a Nomad mobile network, a unique two-way radio digital trunking network built to meet the specific needs of Canada's rural regions. www.iristel.com SOURCE Iristel Inc.

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From Left to Right: Dr. Robert Lindquist, UAH VP, Office of Vice President of Research and Economic Development; LaFreeda Jordan, UAH Chief External Affairs Officer; Jenna O'Steen, Accenture Federal Services, Managing Director, Justice & Judiciary Sector Lead; Dr. Darren Dawson, UAH President (Photo: Business Wire)







"It is no secret that thriving public-private partnerships, entrepreneurial spirit, and local government support have made Huntsville a leading national hub for technology innovation," said Jenna O'Steen, Managing Director and Justice & Judiciary Sector Lead, Accenture Federal Services. "With this new innovation space, we are excited to collaborate with leaders across the Huntsville community to solve the biggest challenges facing the government and explore new frontiers of digital transformation."

With a dedicated footprint at I2C, AFS will bring together the brightest minds and leading industry experts to collaborate with government customers in Huntsville, explore best practices in cutting-edge technologies, and engage the community at large.

"We are thrilled to welcome AFS to the I2C community," said Rigved Joshi, Director of I2C. "We look forward to supporting the company in leveraging UAH's core assets, including our research centers, faculty, students, and labs to drive solutions for the government of tomorrow."

About AFS

Accenture Federal Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accenture LLP, is a U.S. company with offices in Arlington, Virginia. Accenture's federal business has served every cabinet-level department and 30 of the largest federal organizations. Accenture Federal Services transforms bold ideas into breakthrough outcomes for clients at defense, intelligence, public safety, civilian and military health organizations. AFS partners with FBI and NASA across a number digital transformation and human capital initiatives with a focus on advanced technologies, innovation, and strategy. Learn more at www.accenturefederal.com.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services - all powered by the world's largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 537,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

About IC

The Invention to Innovation Center (IC) is a regional initiative that fosters, promotes, and accelerates commercialization of technology-based ventures through incubation, coworking, mentorship, funding, and strategic support. The center is open to those looking to learn about entrepreneurship, explore a technology-based venture, participate in IC events, and be a part of the IC entrepreneurial community.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005751/en/
[June 14, 2021] Anrok Secures $4.3M in Seed Funding, Launches Modern Sales Tax Solution for SaaS Businesses

Anrok, the sales tax solution built specifically for software-as-a-service ( SaaS (News - Alert) ) businesses, today announced the launch of its new platform, along with $4.3M in seed funding co-led by Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital. The platform, which allows internet businesses to determine, calculate, and manage ever-shifting sales tax obligations, arrives at a time when internet SaaS businesses are facing a major shift in the taxability of software. In 2018, a Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair paved the way for states to collect billions of dollars in tax revenue from purchases made online. Of the 45 states that levy sales tax, all have since introduced revenue or transaction thresholds that, once crossed, mandate companies to collect and remit sales tax. The decision has created a major fiscal opportunity for states looking to recover from losses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shuttered retail businesses for much of the past year - but for companies selling purely digital products and services, the development has created a new compliance burden. With Anrok, internet SaaS businesses of all sizes can now access a sales tax platform made to fit their hybrid enterprise and self-serve revenue models. Moreover, with cloud software companies positioned to grow 47% in the next two years, the launch of Anrok means these businesses can monitor and fulfill their sales tax obligations, manage compliance with confidence, and power the economy while driving their own business growth.



"Governments are finally waking up to the reality that much of the economy has moved online," says Michelle Valentine, CEO and co-founder of Anrok. "However, introducing the existing system of sales tax to digital products and services is like trying to make a round peg fit in a square hole. For software companies, knowing where your customers are and having to calculate the appropriate tax amount in real time is far from straightforward. That's why we're excited to deliver Anrok to customers to help them navigate this new environment and accurately calculate tax for ever-changing subscription invoices." Anrok plugs into a company's billing and payment systems, incorporating each state's unique nexus thresholds and taxability rules in real time, and returning the relevant tax rate of each transaction. Transactions are then stored and automatically organized into returns for filing - an obligation which has increased from virtually never, to what is now a monthly requirement in many states. Anrok's end-to-end solution helps fast-growing SaaS companies grow across boundaries and ensure compliance at every level, all without the need for an in-house tax expert.

"We know from the experiences of our portfolio companies that getting sales tax right isn't something any founder aspires to spend time on, and yet consequences are dire for those that ignore," says Mark Goldberg, partner at Index Ventures. "We're excited to not only support Anrok on their journey to help SaaS businesses ensure tax compliance, but to keep a rockstar alumni in the Index family and to co-lead with Bryan Schreier and the team at Sequoia." While tax automation already exists for ecommerce and retail, current solutions take an isolated approach to transactions that isn't an ideal fit for constantly evolving internet subscription models. Anrok, a San Francisco-based company, is approaching this problem from a digital-first perspective, providing the booming SaaS market with the solution it needs to thrive in a rapidly changing world. "Anrok provides SaaS companies with a modern tax solution built for the demands of their business models," said Bryan Schreier, partner at Sequoia. "Michelle and team are empowering internet businesses to sell and hire across boundaries, and we're thrilled to join them on this journey." About Anrok Anrok is the modern sales tax solution for SaaS businesses and is available today. Prospective customers can request a demo through the Anrok website (www.anrok.com). In addition to the monitoring and calculation platform, customers gain access to Anrok's state registration, filing, and remittance services for no additional fee. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005074/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Answerable, DailyKarma and Trufan begin a collaboration program with L'Oreal Canada

MONTREAL, June 14, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - L'Oreal Canada, Canada's leading cosmetics company and leader in the beauty-tech space, selected three startups that will develop a proof-of-concept to offer innovation solutions to the company's leading brands. Answerable ( Toronto, ON ) is reinventing customer engagement to ensure no question goes unanswered and customers are not ignored. DailyKarma ( Los Angeles, CA ) helps brands create impact and increase sales through donations when consumers checkout online. Trufan ( Toronto, ON ) provides organizations with audience intelligence solutions focused on generating, sgmenting and activating first and third parties.



Paris , the world's largest startup campus. "The jury had a hard time deciding on the selection since the ten startups who pitched today offered innovations aligned with our goal of revolutionizing the world of beauty. We were fortunate to have an all-woman jury representing different sectors within the L'Oreal Group. We are also very pleased that these startups will pitch for our corporate accelerator program in Station F in Paris" explains Robert Beredo, CDO of L'Oreal Canada.

Ten startups presented innovative solutions to transform the world of beauty during a virtual pitch event organized on June 8 and open only to L'Oreal employees. Almost 160 people attended this event and gave their coup de coeur to DailyKarma . L'Oreal Canada 2021 Open Innovation Program is developed by Bonjour Startup Montreal, which will support startups and L'Oreal Canada in the next stages of collaboration. About L'Oreal Canada L'Oreal Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of the L'Oreal Group, the largest cosmetics company in the world. Headquartered in Montreal, the company had sales of $1.18 billion in 2020 and employs more than 1,450 people. L'Oreal Canada holds a portfolio of 36 brands encompassing all aspects of beauty and is present across all distribution channels: mass market, department stores, salons, pharmacies, drugstores, and branded retail. L'Oreal Canada, whose operations are carbon neutral, supports the L'Oreal Foundation's programs such as L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science, which has promoted the advancement of women in science in Canada since 2003, Beauty for a better life, a social reintegration program in hairdressing for immigrant women since 2017. In 2019, the company launched the Women in Digital support program. SOURCE L'Oreal Canada Inc.

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[June 14, 2021] As BIO 2021 Approaches, Taiwan's DCB Reveals Competitive Bio-Innovations to Watch Out for

TAIPEI, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BIO Digital 2021, the world's largest virtual biotech partnering and education event begins on June 10, and it draws global attention despite the pandemic. This year, Taiwan will join the event with 47 companies and organizations. Supported by Taiwan's Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Taiwan's Development Center of Biotechnology (DCB) is prepared to demonstrate Taiwan's pharmaceutical innovation on new cancer drugs and cell therapies. The12 innovative drug discovery technologies selected for the event have already grabbed big pharma firms such as Eli Lily, J&J, and Merck by the eyeballs. What's more, DCB holds the 2021 Taiwan Biotech Forum before the BIO 2021 under the topic of "Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Ready, Set and Go!", warming up for the presentation of Taiwan Delegaton in BIO Digital.



Must-See Innovations From Taiwan Dr. Chung-Hsiun Wu, President of DCB points out some of the highlights. First, the FLT3 inhibitor for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) shows promise in the AML market since its 5-year survival rate is only 15% to 20%, and this drug candidate is proven to be highly specific and can induce high activity.

Next is the Tri-mannosyl-ADC platform, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) developed by DCB. It is created by using enzymes to combine chemicals in the form of 4 single molecules (4A) or 2 different molecules (2A2B) with antibodies. Compared to other ADC drugs, the Tri-mannosyl-ADC platform demonstrated a higher potential to increase efficacy and overcome certain adverse events, making it a better candidate to commercialize. In addition, DCB developed a new CAR-T therapy with an autocrine immune checkpoint inhibitor and new targets. In the lab setting, the therapy expressed high specificity and toxicity toward the solid tumor in gastric cancer, showing 60% effectiveness on tumor inhibition. DCB now is expecting to tackle issues with the tumor microenvironment and leads to a stronger cytotoxic effect on solid tumors. On top of that, there is a growing number of CHO cell protein drugs on the market. According to Antibody society, 33 out of 35 antibody drugs approved by FDA and EMA from 2017 to 2020 are developed with CHO cells. DCB then developed a high throughput CHO cell production system with great potential in the CDMO market. The vector, CHO cell host, and manufacturing process in the system have patents in several countries, and it was a part of the MOU signed with Japanese CRO firm CMIC. The technology would be one of the main focuses of Bio Digital 2021, surely attracting CDMO and biopharma firms. The 2021 Taiwan Biotech Forum The 2021 Taiwan Biotech Forum invites Taiwan's former vice president and academician Chien-Jen Chen, CEOs and senior executives from Pfizer, Amgen, AstraZeneca, and Graphen, along with experts and professors from National Cheng Kung University and National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University. The forum will focus on issues on public health, pharmaceuticals, therapeutics, AI, and strategies to boost bio-innovation under the pandemic. The speeches of the Forum can be found here: https://youtu.be/sq5rrPZ8qFU To cope with future infectious diseases and the fast-changing COVID-19 variants, Chien-Jen Chen said that it is imperative for Taiwan to utilize its strengths in ICT, AI, and data analytics to improve the healthcare system in Taiwan. Those are also great to minimize physical contact and facilitate smart hospital management in the hospital. Furthermore, the global collaborations between governments and biotech companies have shown the importance of solidarity in combating the pandemic. Amgen's Vice President of Research Philip Tagari pointed out that the pandemic drove drug discovery and selection to an unprecedented speed. It forced pharmaceutical companies to come up with drug candidates within months; thanks to the work of AI, data science, and genomics, we managed to make it feasible. On the other hand, the Department of Industrial Information of DCB's will bring back the latest industry news in BIO 2021 and host a forum on July 16 to give an overview of BIO 2021 free of charge in Taiwan. Chung-hsiun Wu said that BIO 2021 would be a great chance to show the world Taiwan's unique viewpoints and development in biotech, AI, digital medicine, and drug discovery. He encourages Taiwanese firms to venture for more overseas channels and business opportunities. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-bio-2021-approaches-taiwans-dcb-reveals-competitive-bio-innovations-to-watch-out-for-301311232.html SOURCE Development Center for Biotechnology

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[June 14, 2021] AskSid strengthens its retail AI offering for South Asian customers by integrating with Zalo

With more than 80% of smartphone users in Vietnam having installed Zalo, this is a big move that will help global retail brands succeed in Vietnam by being available on the country's most popular messaging channel. BENGALURU, India, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AskSid has announced its successful integration with Zalo, Vietnam's most popular digital communication channel. As a retail-specific digital shopping assistant, AskSid has supported global retail brands to automate their customer support, discover insights, and enhance shopping experiences with its full-stack verticalized AI solution. With live implementations of its AI solution running successfully in markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, the move to integrate with Vietnam's super app Zalo is indicative of AskSid's vision of ensuring a truly glocal approach, by introducing its solution on another highly popular messaging channel. Currently live in 23+ countries and supporting 15+ international languages, on channels including Web, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc, AsSid is poised to help retailers create a serious mark in the Vietnam market by adding Zalo to its integrations arsenal.



Zalo has made a name for itself by giving global apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Viber stiff competition with its UI-rich elements like cards, buttons, stickers, and a range of features that extends to paying bills, booking a cab, or doctor's appointment, and even applying for a loan. Through AskSid's digital shopping assistant deployed on the Zalo channel, retail brands can now engage with customers on their channel of choice, enabling greater conversions and engagement. Dinesh Sharma, CTO & Co-founder at AskSid said, "Natural Language is going to be the new user interface of retail e-commerce and our Zalo integration is just one among many such channels we have as part of our exciting product roadmap."

AskSid has successfully launched its digital shopping assistant for a global paints & coatings brand through Zalo in Vietnam, enabling customers to browse paints & coatings, discover color palettes, ask queries, and engage live with the brand, from the comfort of their favorite application. The combination of AskSid's retail AI capabilities including Conversational AI, 24/7 Live Chat, and Advanced AI Analytics, with Zalo's unique features is all set to transform the quality of online customer support available in Vietnam. The news of this integration is most welcome in an industry like retail that has been quick to adopt Conversational AI-enabled digital shopping assistants like AskSid, a market that is predicted to be valued at $13.9 Billion by 2025. About AskSid - A digital shopping assistant that helps retail brands sell more faster An advanced AI-enabled virtual advisor built to meet the evolving needs of global retail and CPG brands, AskSid is the only full-stack solution designed to manage customer support and customer experience end-to-end. Currently live in 23+ countries and supporting 100+ international languages, AskSid's Virtual Advisor leverages the power of conversational AI, backed by retail AI models that extract unique consumer insights from conversations, most of which are undiscovered by the brand. Delivering seamless conversations across a multitude of channels including websites, mobile apps, social media channels, and in-store, AskSid helps retail brands automate customer support. Brands can now deploy a robust self-learning conversational AI solution across channels, meet customer needs, identify business opportunities, and engage proactively and intelligently 24/7. To learn more about us, visit www.asksid.ai Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1506502/AskSid_Logo.jpg

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Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Names Andrew Knight as Head of Executive & Professional Lines in Canada

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) today announced that it has promoted Andrew Knight to Senior Vice President, Head of Executive & Professional Lines, in Canada. He was previously National Director for Financial Institutions business in Canada.

"Andrew has done an outstanding job building our Executive & Professional Lines portfolio and expanding our relationships with customers and brokers throughout Canada," said Anthony Tatulli, Head of Executive & Professional Lines, North America. "In his new role as head of Executive & Professional Lines in Canada, he will have an even broader impact in bringing our consistent, customized Executive & Professional Lines capacity to the marketplace."

BHSI offers a full range of Executive & Professional Lines products in Canada, including D&O liability, Side A D&O/DIC, commercial crime, fiduciary liability, fidelity bonds, and employment practices liability insurance. Its Professional Lines offerings in Canada include technology E&O, miscellaneous professional liabilty, media liability, asset management professional liability, network security & privacy, and lawyers professional liability insurance.







For more information on BHSI's Executive & Professional Lines capabilities in Canada, contact Andrew at Andrew.knight@bhspecialty.com.

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (www.bhspecialty.com) provides commercial property, casualty, healthcare professional liability, executive and professional lines, transactional liability, surety, marine, travel, programs, accident and health, medical stop loss, homeowners, and multinational insurance. The actual and final terms of coverage for all product lines may vary. In Canada it underwrites on the paper of National Liability & Fire Insurance Company, a part of Berkshire Hathaway's National Indemnity group of insurance companies, which hold financial strength ratings of A++ from AM Best and AA+ from Standard & Poor's. Based in Boston, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Irvine, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Ramon, Seattle, Stevens Point, Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cologne, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, Macau, Madrid, Manchester, Melbourne, Munich, Paris, Perth, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005105/en/
[June 14, 2021] Brazil Data Center Market Size by Investments to Reach USD 3.09 Billion by 2026 - Arizton

CHICAGO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In-depth analysis and data-driven insights on the impact of COVID-19 included in this Brazil data center market report. Brazil data center market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 9.63% during the period 2020-2026. Brazil data center market research report includes market size in terms of area, investment, power capacity, and colocation revenues. Get insights on 43 existing data center and 10 upcoming facilities spread across 8 locations. Key Highlights Offered in the Report: Brazil is the top data center market in Latin America , driving over 40% of the overall investment in the region. Some of the major market drivers in Brazil are increasing adoption of cloud, the impact of COVID-19, and the introduction of the General Data Protection Act (LGPD) by the government. Sao Paulo is the leading data center market in Brazil , with 27 unique colocation data center facilities accounting for around 85% of the existing power capacity. Rio de Janeiro is an upcoming market in the country. Brazil is witnessing increased investment by cloud service providers within the forecast period, with Microsoft, IBM, AWS, and Huawei having recently opened, or planning to open, availability zones in the country. Brazil accounted for around 50% of the overall colocation revenue generated across Latin America in 2020, with Ascenty, Equinix, and Scala Data Centers as some of the major revenue contributors in the market. Scala Data Centers has two facilities under construction, both of which are expected to be operational in 2021. The company has also acquired the Algar Tech data center in 2021 and will develop a 100 MW data center campus spread over an area of around 1.4 million square feet at full built. BSO, the telecom provider, is working on connecting to B3 Data Center, Brazil's largest liquidity hub, and a significant financial center for international trade, banks and financial services companies. Key Offerings: Market Size & Forecast by Area, Power Capacity, Investment, and Colocation Revenue | 2020-2026

Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Market

Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party facilities in Brazil

Facilities Covered (Existing): 43



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 10



Coverage: Sao Paulo, Rio De Janerio , and Other Cities

, and Other Cities

Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Brazil

Market Revenue & Forecast (2020-2026)



Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Market Dynamics  Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standard

Key Market Participants  List of 9 IT infrastructure providers, 7 construction service providers, 14 support infrastructure providers, and 5 data center investors Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/brazil-data-center-market-investment-analysis-reprt-2025



Brazil Data Center Market  Segmentation In Brazil , enterprise, cloud and financial service providers are the major end-users of servers that can help reduce space in the data center environment without affecting their performance. The revenue server market in Brazil increases with the rise in development of data center and the launch of LGDP or Brazilian GDPR.

, enterprise, cloud and financial service providers are the major end-users of servers that can help reduce space in the data center environment without affecting their performance. The revenue server market in increases with the rise in development of data center and the launch of LGDP or Brazilian GDPR.

The emergence of lithium-ion batteries is likely to replace the usage of VRLA batteries and contribute significant revenues to the market by the end of the forecast period. Scala Data Centers are equipped with static redundant UPS systems. In addition, Equinix adopts flexible design of UPS redundancy of N+1.



During the forecast period, large data center developments in Brazil will mostly include CRAH units, and small data centers will mostly consist of CRAC units. Equinix's SP4 data center facility in Sao Paulo is installed with N+1 redundancy of air-cooled chillers and CRAH units. Market Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Servers

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure Market Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer, Switches & Switchgears

Rack PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure Market Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure Market Segmentation by General Construction Building Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Building Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) Market Segmentation by Tier Standard Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV Market Segmentation by Geography Sao Paulo

Other States Brazil Data Center Market  Dynamics Private cloud spending in Brazil will be valued at around USD 600 million in 2021, with a 10% growth from 2020. Moreover, according to the IDC, Brazil's public cloud market will be valued at around USD 3 billion in 2021. Public cloud infrastructure and PaaS services in the country will reach a market size of around USD 3 billion in 2021, a jump of over 45% YoY. In February 2020, Qualcomm Ventures partnered with Brazilian Bank and invest around USD 40 million investment to support IoT start-ups and ecosystems in Brazil. TIM Celular, a telecom provider in Brazil, partnered with Oracle & Microsoft to migrate its entire on-premises workload to the cloud. AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Huawei have all announced new cloud regions/availability zones in Brazil, some of which are already live, and others that will be available within the next one to two years. The government of Brazil has signed an MoU with the UK government for accelerated digitalization and public services delivery innovation in the country. Industries such as healthcare, education, BFSI, transportation, professional services, smart city operators, and government will be the major adopters of big data solutions during the forecast period. Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth: Rise in Digital Economy in the Country

Increasing Colocation Investments in the Country

COVID-19 Spikes Data Center Demand

Increased Demand for Edge Solutions Brazil Data Center Market - Existing Vs. Upcoming Data Centers Existing Facilities in the country (Area and Power Capacity)

Rio De Janeiro



Sao Paulo



Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the country (Area and Power Capacity) Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/brazil-data-center-market-investment-analysis-report-2025 Key Market Participants IT Infrastructure Providers Arista Networks

Cisco

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Lenovo

NetApp

Pure Storage Construction Contractors & Sub Contractors AECOM

Aceco TI

Constructora Sudamericana S.A.

Fluor Corporation

ZFB Group

Jacobs Engineering Group

Quark Support Infrastructure Providers ABB

Axis Communications

Caterpillar

Eaton

Generac Power Systems

Honeywell International

Legrand

Munters

Rolls-Royce Power Systems

Rittal

Siemens

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Vertiv Group Data Center Investors Ascenty (Digital Realty)

Equinix

ODATA

Scala Data Centers

Quantico Data Center Explore our data center knowledge base profile to know more about the industry. Read some of the top-selling reports: Indonesia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

India Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Australia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026

Netherlands Data Center Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities 2021-2026 About Arizton: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services. We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts. Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports. Mail: enquiry@arizton.com

Call: +1-312-235-2040 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/818553/Arizton_Logo.jpg

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[June 14, 2021] Code Corporation Expands Into Australian Healthcare Market, Signs HPA as New Channel Partner

Code Corporation, a global leader in barcode scanning and data capture technologies, today announced it is expanding into the Australian market by signing Hospital Products Australia (HPA) as a new channel distribution partner. HPA is a trusted name among healthcare organizations in the Australia-New Zealand market. "Australia is rapidly forging a new path toward digitalization, electronic health records and health information," said Rene Van Mourik, Vice President of Sales EMEA & APAC for Code Corporation. "Code hardware and software solutions serve as the bridge between the patients and their electronic information. We have a proven track record of reliability in medical facilities around the globe and we are eager to partner with HPA to bring our world-class solutions to the Australian market." HPA will be distributing several Code product lines, including its flagship barcode scanning product, the Code Reader 2700. The CR2700 represents twenty years of innovation in delivering the speed and accuracy needed to improe the workflow in any medical setting.



"There is a synergy between HPA and Code as we share the same values of innovation and superior products and service," said Kathleen Watson, General Manager at Hospital Products Australia. "Our partnership enables HPA to provide the latest scanning hardware and software to the Australian market to help improve patient safety and quality of care. With so many different health information systems in Australian hospitals, Code solutions have the necessary rapid configuration and compatibility to integrate into any workflow and environment." In addition to delivering new levels of barcode scanning performance to hospitals, Code also provides unmatched physical durability, which is a critical feature in today's infection control and prevention practices. Many of Code's products designed for use in hospitals (such as the CR2700 product line, which includes both handle and palm versions) are housed in Level 3 CodeShield plastic. This award-winning innovation features plastic that is designed to withstand the extremely harsh cleaning chemicals and disinfectants used multiple times per day in the healthcare industry.

About HPA Hospital Products Australia (HPA), is a market-leading provider of healthcare solutions to Hospitals, Day Surgeries, Clinics and Aged Care across Australia and New Zealand. Renowned for innovation and excellence, HPA has grown over the years to become one of the most trusted names in the healthcare industry. What makes HPA stand out is the global partner network of leading brands coupled with superior service and support. These factors reinforce the four core divisions of Surgical, Patient Monitoring & Life Support, ICT and Infrastructure. HPA is a pioneer in customer driven solutions, resulting in elevated engagement between healthcare professionals and patients. For more, please visit https://hpaust.com/. About Code Corporation For more than 20 years, Code Corporation has been an industry pioneer, leader, and champion for data capture innovation and has garnered more than 100 patents. By crafting and continuing to perfect its unique decoding algorithms, Code and its line of image-based scanning and decoding technology consistently deliver unparalleled performance companies around the world depend on every day. Code designs and manufactures a complete line of market-leading hardware and software data capture solutions. Code products are not only valued for providing a consistent level of workflow efficiency year after year, but also for their ergonomic design, durability, ease of customization, and seamless integration. Code is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah with offices in Boston and Amsterdam. For more, please visit www.codecorp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005535/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Crypto Custodian Brane Capital Announces Public Listing Plans

OTTAWA, Ontario, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brane Inc., a leading cryptocurrency custodian, announced today that it plans to become a publicly traded company in fall 2021. The strategy will advance Brane's intention to become the first made-in-Canada qualified custodian for digital assets, providing Canadian financial institutions and investors with a domestic, industry-leading custody solution in a space currently dominated by a single U.S. company. Brane has signed a letter of intent with Timeless Capital Corp., a capital pool company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, for a reverse takeover transaction that will result in Brane's public listing on the Exchange, subject to regulatory approvals. Timeless Capital Corp's release on the transaction can be found here. "Becoming a public company will be another significant step in our mission of bringing a truly Canadian, regulatory compliant custody solution to the world's new asset class. We have a strong working relationship with the team at Timeless Capital Corp., and we look forward to a long and productive future together," saidAdam Miron, Brane's Chairman and Interim CEO. Miron is co-founder of HEXO Corp., which debuted its first public listing on the TSX Venture before listing on the TSX and NYSE with continued high trading volumes. "Make no mistake: we consider it unacceptable that Canadian investors and institutions are forced to rely on a single US custodian, which also operates an exchange, for their crypto assets. Brane's public listing is our next step to changing that for good."



Brane's board of directors will remain the same, including Ontario's 24th Premier, Dalton McGuinty, and Dave Revell, former Global Chief Information Officer and EVP at CIBC, and the recent addition of Sheldon Bennett, CEO of DMG Blockchain Solutions. "Our go-public transaction will provide Brane with the capital to execute an aggressive global acquisition and expansion strategy, further strengthening our world-class offering while maintaining our relentless focus on independent, unconflicted crypto custody," said Jerome Dwight, Brane's President and the former CEO of Bank of New York Mellon Canada, part of the world's largest custody bank. "We believe strongly that crypto custodians should be unconflicted and independent of any exchange or trading platform. Brane's independence, cutting-edge technology, strong regulatory compliance systems, and experienced leadership team position us to lead the industry as mainstream adoption of crypto assets gathers momentum."

For more information: Adam Miron

Interim-CEO & Chairman

Brane Capital

613-986-2422

312008@email4pr.com Founded in 2017, Brane is a blockchain innovation company. Brane helps organizations understand and unlock the power of the blockchain and digital assets. Brane Vault, its digital asset custody service, is ISO 27001 certified  first in the world with cryptocurrency in scope, ISO 27017 certified, and NIST Tier 4  the first company in Canada, in any industry, to receive such certification. Brane Vault offers advanced proprietary technology and processes with numerous provisional patents and is fully insured against theft and crime. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/crypto-custodian-brane-capital-announces-public-listing-plans-301311679.html SOURCE Brane Capital

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[June 14, 2021] Davis Polk Welcomes Leading International Trade and National Security Lawyer Paul Marquardt in Washington DC

Davis Polk today announced that Paul Marquardt, a leading economic sanctions and national security lawyer, has joined the firm as a partner in the Financial Institutions Group in Washington DC. "Paul is an exceptionally talented practitioner and a fantastic addition to our distinguished regulatory team in Washington. His extensive experience in sanctions and national security reviews is a strong complement to our practice, and is increasingly important to our clients as they continue to navigate these issues in pursuing complex, cross-border transactions," said Neil Barr, Davis Polk's Managing Partner. "We are delighted to welcome Paul to Davis Polk." Mr. Marquardt joins Davis Polk from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he led the foreign investment and national security practice. He advises international clients regarding the application of U.S. sanctions laws and in export control matters. In addition, Mr. Marquardt counsels clients on anti-money laundering issues and with respect to anti-corruption matters, including compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He interacts regularly with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the U.S. Departments of Justice and State, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, the World Bank, and other domestic and international regulators. His practice includes diligence, advisory, compliance, internal investigations and enforcement matters. Mr. Marquardt also has over two decades of experience in national security reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), as well as related issues, suchas mitigation agreements, regulation of classified contracts and national security reviews in other jurisdictions. He has broad transactional experience, particularly in the private equity and financial sectors, including with respect to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and general corporate matters.



His practice spans a wide range of clients, including state-owned entities, sovereign wealth funds, technology and defense companies, and private equity funds around the world. "Paul not only brings to the table a rare and valuable combination of vast experience in both sanctions and CFIUS work, but he is also deeply conversant in transactional matters," said John Reynolds, head of Davis Polk's economic sanctions and national security practice. "He is an excellent addition to our team."

Paul Marquardt said, "Davis Polk's reputation in the regulatory space is unparalleled, and I have had the pleasure of working alongside many of the firm's lawyers throughout my career. I am grateful for my time at Cleary, but the opportunity to join this fantastic team and collaborate in advising our clients on their most complex international trade issues is truly exciting." Chambers USA recognizes Mr. Marquardt as a leading international trade practitioner, in both Export Controls & Economic Sanctions and CFIUS. He serves as Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association's Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee. Mr. Marquardt received his J.D. and an M.A. in International Relations from Yale. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan. About Davis Polk. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (including its associated entities) is an elite global law firm with world-class practices across the board. Clients know they can rely on Davis Polk for their most challenging legal and business matters. Our approximately 1,000 lawyers located in 10 offices in the world's key financial centers and political capitals collaborate seamlessly to deliver exceptional service, sophisticated advice and creative, practical solutions. Visit davispolk.com. About Davis Polk's AML, Sanctions & CFIUS Practice. Clients look to Davis Polk for a full range of regulatory and compliance advice, investigations and litigation matters, delivered through seamless collaboration by our Financial Institutions and White Collar Defense & Investigations teams. Davis Polk is a top choice for helping companies in licensing and compliance issues with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). When transactions require review by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS), companies benefit from Davis Polk's mastery of both deal dynamics and national security requirements. Our AML, Sanctions & CFIUS lawyers collaborate with our Mergers & Acquisitions team to develop the most effective approach for each client. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005702/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Digital Diagnostics and Orbis International announce study to help save sight in Bangladesh

CORALVILLE, Iowa, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Diagnostics, developers of IDx-DR , an FDA De Novo-cleared autonomous AI system for the detection of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME), and Orbis International , the influential nonprofit dedicated to fighting avoidable blindness around the world, have partnered on a study that will bring high-quality disease detection to communities in Bangladesh. "There are over 8 million people with diabetes in Bangladesh, many of whom don't have access to the care they need, such as routine diabetic eye exams," said Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD, Founder and Executive Chairman of Digital Diagnostics. "We are excited to partner with Orbis to study the impact autonomous AI can have on physician productivity while also helping increase access, and lower cost for patients." The study will focus on the implementation of IDx-DR to evaluate patients in Northern Bangladesh for diabetic retinopathy using autonomous AI to assess if the technology increases the number of patients tested for DR, and in turn, empower local physicians to make a greater impact in their community. Orbis International is a nonprofit that is on a mission to fight avoidable blindness by empowering local eye care teams with the skills and resources necessary to save sight on their own. Through innovations like the Flying Eye Hospital and an award-winning telemedicine platform, Cybersight , and partnerships with companies and organizations such as Digital Diagnostics, Orbis mentors, trains, and inspires eye care professionals in areas with the greatest need, building a long-term legacy of eye care that can restore vision for generations to come. "As autonomous AI innovation continues to gain acceptance in healthcare, we at Orbis have the exciting challenge of getting to choose our partners from an elite field of innovators," said Dr. Hunter Cherwek, Orbis International's Vice President of Clinical Services and Technologies. "Ater careful consideration, we chose to implement IDx-DR's highly validated system for this study, to help us empower local doctors in Northern Bangladesh, as they work to improve patient outcomes and save their patients' vision."



"It makes me proud to know that IDx-DR is furthering Orbis's mission to fight avoidable blindness by empowering the local community to find solutions that promote equity, accessibility, and education," said Abramoff. "Our work to create an ethical foundation for autonomous AI in healthcare is the catalyst to develop AI the right way and bring the platform to developing countries like Bangladesh, which will leave a positive and lasting impact for generations to come." In Bangladesh alone, it is estimated that 400,000 people have gone blind from complications of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, accounting for 3.7 million cases of blindness in 2010, despite being preventable if caught early.

The study between Orbis International and Digital Diagnostics extends unbiased, accessible, and preventative care to those who need it most, while helping to improve outcomes for countless people who get to continue living with the benefit of healthy vision. This partnership opens the door for future collaborations and the continued expansion of high-quality solutions to help physicians address and prevent avoidable blindness in their local communities. About Orbis International Orbis is a leading global non-governmental organization that has been a pioneer in the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness for nearly four decades. Orbis transforms lives by delivering the skills, resources and knowledge needed to deliver accessible quality eye care. Working in collaboration with local partners, including hospitals, universities, government agencies and ministries of health, Orbis provides hands-on ophthalmology training, strengthens healthcare infrastructure and advocates for the prioritization of eye health on public health agendas. Orbis operates the world's only Flying Eye Hospital , a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft, and an award-winning telemedicine platform, Cybersight . For the past nine consecutive years, Orbis has achieved Charity Navigator 's coveted four-star rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, placing Orbis in the top 3% of U.S. charities. In 2021, Orbis earned GuideStar 's platinum Seal of Transparency. To learn more, please visit orbis.org . About Digital Diagnostics Inc. (www.DXS.ai) Digital Diagnostics Inc. (formerly IDx) is a pioneering AI diagnostics company on a mission to transform the quality, accessibility, equity, and affordability of healthcare. It was founded and is led by Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD, a practicing, fellowship-trained retina specialist ophthalmologist, neuroscientist, and computer engineer. The platform includes two autonomous AI systems, IDx-DR and DermSpot. Digital Diagnostics is paving the way for autonomous AI diagnosis to become a new standard of care, contributing to democratizing healthcare and closing care gaps. The company works closely with patient advocacy groups, federal regulators, and other quality of care and ethics-focused stakeholders to enable adoption of autonomous AI. For more information and the latest news follow: https://dxs.ai For more information:

https://www.dxs.ai View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-diagnostics-and-orbis-international-announce-study-to-help-save-sight-in-bangladesh-301311932.html SOURCE Digital Diagnostics

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Donaldson Company Donates Additional $100,000 to Global Coronavirus Response

Donaldson Company, Inc. has made another $100,000 donation to humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief, awarding a total of $200,000 to the global organization. The donation will aid Direct Relief COVID-19 response efforts and help provide vital equipment and resources to medical facilities caring for the world's most vulnerable people.

This year's donation and the initial $100,000 donation made in 2020, were made by the Donaldson Foundation, the primary vehicle for Donaldson Company's charitable giving efforts. Donaldson Foundation President Allie Boyat said, "We are very concerned about the devastating pandemic crisis in countries like India and Brazil. Direct Relief has a distribution infrastructure in place, enabling it to aid health facilities across the globe. We are grateful for their commitment and partnership."

According to the Direct Relief website, the organization's COVID-19 response includes $1.7 billion in medical aid, $77.7 million in cash funding dispersed, and 56 U.S. states and territories and 105 countries supported. For more information about Direct Relief and its pandemic respone efforts, visit https://www.directrelief.org/emergency/coronavirus-outbreak/.







To learn more about the Donaldson Foundation, visit https://www.donaldson.com/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/donaldson-foundation/.

About Donaldson Company

Founded in 1915, Donaldson (NYSE: DCI) is a global leader in technology-led filtration products and solutions, serving a broad range of industries and advanced markets. Our diverse and skilled employee team at over 140 locations on six continents partner with customers-from small business owners to the world's biggest OE brands-to solve complex filtration challenges. Discover how Donaldson is Advancing Filtration for a Cleaner World at www.Donaldson.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005528/en/
[June 14, 2021] Exasol Appoints Jan-Dirk Henrich as Chief Financial Officer

Exasol, the high-performance analytics database, today announced that Jan-Dirk Henrich will join the leadership team and executive board as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer on September 1, 2021. Jan-Dirk will be based out of Exasol's headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany. This follows the announcement made in May 2021 of Michael Konrad's intention to step down from the position of CFO and COO at the end of Q2 2021. Commenting on the appointment, Aaron Auld, Chief Executive Officer said: "I am thrilled that Jan-Dirk is joining the executive team of Exasol. He brings extensive international experience of managing overseas operations and leadership roles with publicly traded German companies. In addition, Jan-Dirk has been an Exasol customer for several years at New Work, and he fully understands what makes our technology unique and powerful." Jan-Dirk joins the executive board with broad experience in general management, finance and strategy/M&A functions, having previously held several senior Finance positions as well as a country general manager position for an international company. In his previous role, Jan-Dirk led a large team covering financial controlling nd business intelligence (BI). He has also worked closely with capital markets and investor relations functions and as such is a seasoned professional in working for a publicly traded organization in Germany.



"I am very excited to be part of the Exasol family and to be in a position to shape its growth path going forward as part of a great team," said Jan-Dirk. "Over the last three years, I had the privilege to experience the strength of Exasol's database first hand as a customer. I look forward to helping bring this strength to other Exasol customers worldwide." Jan-Dirk joins Exasol from New Work SE, a publicly listed, leading provider of HR-Tech and professional networking services in the DACH region. His experience with SaaS (News - Alert) (software-as-a-service) and subscription based products acquired there will be invaluable in his new role at Exasol. Jan-Dirk started his career with renowned consultancy McKinsey & Company (News - Alert) . Later, he moved on to lead Corporate Development at Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co KGaA, where he subsequently became General Manager for Malaysia & Singapore. Jan-Dirk then returned to Europe as Director Corporate Controlling & Financial Analytics before joining New Work SE as VP Controlling, Business Intelligence & Digital Analytics in 2018.

Jan-Dirk added, "My role will allow me to support our growth path in three decisive ways: The optimal deployment of our financial resources with respect to growth and value creation. The shaping of our internal processes to be fit for scale. And, the recruitment and retention of the people needed to shape our growth path. It is a very exciting time for Exasol, and I'm proud that I will be part of this journey." About Exasol The Exasol high-performance analytics database is built to run faster than any other database, delivering next-level performance, scale and ease of use. Analyze billions of rows in seconds; run high-performance analytics securely in the cloud or on-premise; deliver frictionless analytics with self-indexing that automatically tunes performance; and scale out analytics for one transparent price. To learn more, please visit: www.exasol.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005476/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Former Wirehouse Advisor Joins Commonwealth Affiliate Waypoint Financial

Commonwealth Financial Network, a national firm dedicated to providing advisor-focused business solutions, announces the addition of Kevin Fuller, CRPC, CPFA, to its network of independent financial advisors. Fuller, formerly with Merrill Lynch, joins Commonwealth affiliate Waypoint Financial in Friendswood, Texas, as a senior partner, working alongside founding partner Rex Richards, MBA, CRPC. Fuller brings with him total account assets of more than $75 million. Waypoint Financial has been with Commonwealth since 2009 and is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of its clients by investing in relationships for the long term. Fuller, whose business is almost exclusively fee-based, will be able to serve the best interests of his clients-families, individuals, and business owners-as they navigate their way to retirement and beyond. To learn more about the firm, visit www.waypointfcg.com. In describing his motivation for making the move to the independent channel and teaming up with Richards, Fuller said, "I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and owning my own business is where I always expected to e. This past year provided significant time for self-reflection and was an opportunity for me to work more independently. I look forward to having control over who I decide to do business with and what services I think make the most sense for my clients. Rex had been looking for the right person to join the practice for years, and we have complementary connections in the community, so it was a great match. We've also solved one of Waypoint's clients' biggest concerns-what would happen if something happened to Rex? Now that I'm part of the team, we have significantly mitigated that continuity risk."



"We're thrilled to welcome Kevin to our community of independent financial advisors," said Andrew Daniels, Commonwealth's managing principal of business development. "We understand that moving from a captive environment to the world of independence creates a number of unique challenges. We're honored to offer a wide range of tools to support Kevin's transition as he and Rex partner to take Waypoint Financial and their clients to an even greater level of success." About Commonwealth Financial Network

Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser, provides a suite of business solutions that empowers more than 2,000 independent financial advisors nationwide. J.D. Power ranks Commonwealth "#1 in Independent Advisor Satisfaction Among Financial Investment Firms, Seven Times in a Row." Privately held since 1979, the firm has headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, and San Diego, California. Learn more about Commonwealth by visiting www.commonwealth.com. Commonwealth received the highest score in the independent advisor segment of the J.D. Power 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Financial Advisor Satisfaction Studies of customers' satisfaction among financial advisors. Visit jdpower.com/awards. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005079/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Global Fire and Life Safety Engineering Leader Jensen Hughes Acquires Belgium-Based Fire Protection Engineering Firm

Strategic acquisition of FES Ghent (FESG) expands Jensen Hughes' global market leadership via strengthening its ability to serve clients in Belgium and Continental Europe. BALTIMORE, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jensen Hughes, a global leader in safety, security and risk-based engineering and consulting, announced today its acquisition of FES Ghent (FESG). The market leader in fire protection engineering in Belgium, FESG specializes in code compliance, risk assessment, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), evacuation analysis and performance-based design in complex commercial, infrastructure, transportation and tunnel projects. "FESG owner Xavier Deckers and his team have built an impressive business focused on providing high-quality client service. We are honored to have their world-class specialists join us in supporting our clients' fire and life safety requirements wherever they operate in the world with integrated, end-to-end solutions," says Raj Arora, CEO, Jensen Hughes. FESG is the most recent strategic acquisition by Jensen Hughes, a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, that reflects the company's long-term commitment to deliver its integrated, end-to-end services to the global market. The acquisition enhances Jensen Hughes' robust, European fire protection and global tunnel ventilation capabilities. It also strengthens Jensen Hughes' ability to help clients in the fire, building and safety industry and implement global best practices to manage these in a prevention-oriented and cost-effective manner. In addition to its investments worldwide, Jensen Hughes' focus on the European market includes its 2018 acquisition of the UK and Ireland firm Jeremy Gardner Associates (JGA), 2019 acquisition o International Fire Investigators and Consultants (IFIC) and 2020 acquisition of L2 Fire Safety based in Finland.



FESG was founded in 2009 and is owned and managed by Xavier Deckers, who holds ties to the University of Ghent, a rich source of talent feeding into the company. "For over a decade, we have built a scalable business around our clients' need for code compliance, risk assessment, CFD analysis, evacuation analysis and performance-based design." said Deckers. "Jensen Hughes is just as deeply committed to technical excellence as FESG has been since our founding. Its market leadership, global scale and deep bench of scientists, engineers and consultants opens up tremendous opportunities to provide an even more holistic solution for our clients." For more information, visit jensenhughes.com, jensenhughes.com/europe or https://www.fesg.be/en.

About Jensen Hughes Jensen Hughes is the global leader in safety, security and risk-based engineering and consulting. Every day, our international teams of 1,400+ engineers, technical experts, architects and consultants partner with clients in 100+ countries to make our world safe, secure and resilient. Since 1939, we have earned trust among our clients, people and communities by bringing integrity to our relationships, innovation to our industry and technical excellence to many of the most complex challenges in the world. Our major business lines include fire protection engineering, risks and hazards, security risk consulting, emergency management and planning, and forensic engineering. For more information, visit www.jensenhughes.com . About FESG

Founded in 2009 as a spinoff of Ghent University, FESG is a market-leading fire protection engineering firm comprised of a highly experienced and passionate team committed to delivering technical excellence for clients across the full spectrum of services. Operating in Belgium, our clients trust us to design creative solutions through a performance-based approach and provide the optimum safety measures. For more information, visit https://www.fesg.be/en. About Gryphon Investors

Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $5.0 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with enterprise values ranging from approximately $100 million to $600 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon's capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1044200/Jensen_Hughes_Logo.jpg

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[June 14, 2021] Global Fuze Study Reveals Gaps in Trust & Shifting Attitudes Toward Flexible Work

Fuze, the leading cloud-based communications provider for the modern global enterprise, today announced the results of a new global study of 8,800 workers, which reveals that as flexible work is increasingly viewed as an expectation for the working world, attitudes continue to vary widely across industries, roles and geographies. The Fuze report, "Flex Study: Global Findings on the Future of Flexible Work," reinforces that organizations and business leaders should not consider flexible work as a 'one-size-fits-all' benefit, but a personalized experience that should be tailored to an individual's unique work preferences, role within their team, industry practices, aligned to goals and expected outcomes, and established through a foundation of trust. The Flex Study was unveiled today at the 2021 Flex Summit Week, a week-long virtual event that brings together industry experts and visionaries to discuss how enterprises are embracing flexible work. Results from the study were collected from more than 8,800 frontline and office workers in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Australia, and across a number of core industries, including manufacturing, retail, professional services, financial services, and software and technology. Among the key findings from the study, 75 percent reported that flexible work should be an essential part of how people work. In most regions, a full-time return to the office or worksite mandate could result in destabilizing job churn. In the UK, US, and Australia, approximately two-thirds of employees (67 percent) woud consider finding a new job for greater flexibility in when and how they work. In France, more than half of employees (57 percent) would consider finding a new job for greater flexibility. However, trust in flexible work varies widely across roles. Across all regions, about half (54 percent) of workers think management is more trusting of remote work, while 70 percent of senior leaders believe management is more trusting, highlighting a gap between management's new-found trust in remote work and employee perception of that trust. The gap in trust toward remote work is also reflected by role, with office workers (73 percent) more likely to say they are more trusting of remote work compared to frontline workers (50 percent). This may be credited to the lack of flexible work options traditionally offered to frontline workers versus office workers.



Other key insights from the report include: Frontline workers perceive flexible work differently than office workers. 42 percent of frontline workers believe management is trustworthy of remote work, compared to 62 percent of office workers. 78 percent of frontline workers also report that their organization requires them to be in their current working location versus only 60 percent of office workers. However, six in 10 (63%) frontline workers say they would be willing to change jobs for more flexibility.

42 percent of frontline workers believe management is trustworthy of remote work, compared to 62 percent of office workers. 78 percent of frontline workers also report that their organization requires them to be in their current working location versus only 60 percent of office workers. However, six in 10 (63%) frontline workers say they would be willing to change jobs for more flexibility. Remote workers feel more productive. For those working remotely full-time, 60 percent say they are more productive at home than they were in the office. However, this feeling of productivity varies across regions with 70 percent of Australian respondents saying that they felt more productive versus only 52 percent of UK respondents.

For those working remotely full-time, 60 percent say they are more productive at home than they were in the office. However, this feeling of productivity varies across regions with 70 percent of Australian respondents saying that they felt more productive versus only 52 percent of UK respondents. Companies must reshape their culture of video meetings to drive engagement. In every industry, every job category, and every region, fewer than 10 percent of workers consider seeing someone's face the most critical part of an effective meeting. For workers who report being happier at home, if their day is packed with meetings they become less engaged and productive. In fact, 59 percent of respondents say they would like to spend less than two hours a day in video meetings.

In every industry, every job category, and every region, fewer than 10 percent of workers consider seeing someone's face the most critical part of an effective meeting. For workers who report being happier at home, if their day is packed with meetings they become less engaged and productive. In fact, 59 percent of respondents say they would like to spend less than two hours a day in video meetings. Companies must establish a structure for the work day to prevent burnout. Only 66 percent of respondents say they are ensuring they take a break every day. In addition, a quarter of respondents report that they find themselves working longer hours since they started working remotely. "Over the last year, the pandemic forced many organizations to digitally transform and embrace flexible work," said Brian Day, CEO, Fuze. "While office workers have been at the forefront of the flexible work conversation for years, other segments of the workforce are playing a critical role in the movement's evolution. This study provides organizations with the foundational data required to inform their approach to flexible work and empower employees to be more engaged and productive."

To download the full "Flex Study: Global Findings on the Future of Flexible Work" report, click here. About Fuze

Fuze is a global cloud communications provider for the enterprise. Our intuitive unified communications and contact center platform enables seamless transition between calling, meeting, chatting, and sharing powered by the industry-leading intelligent cloud architecture. Fuze empowers the digital and distributed workforce to communicate anywhere, anytime, and across any device. Founded in 2006, Fuze is headquartered in Boston, MA with offices around the world. For more information, visit fuze.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005089/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Hello Alice Raises $21 Million Series B Led By QED Investors To Bolster Small Business

HOUSTON, JUNE 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hello Alice, the machine learning platform connecting small business owners to capital, networks and business services, today announced a $21 million Series B raise led by QED Investors with participation from new investors including Backstage Capital , Green Book Ventures , Harbert Growth Partners, and How Women Invest . These leaders are joining historic Hello Alice investors Silicon Valley Bank, Bumble, Jean Case, Phyllis Newhouse, Courtney Adeleye, Serena Ventures, and others to ensure Main Street America builds back stronger than ever. The $21 million Series B raise further supports Hello Alice's mission to foster opportunity for all business owners, including people of color, women, men, immigrants, LGBTQ+ owners, veterans, owners with disabilities, and everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. Funds will be used to strengthen the company's ability to serve small business owners as they emerge from the pandemic, enhance the predictive capabilities on its platform to further personalized learning paths, scale capital deployed to small business owners, and launch a mobile application. "These investments signal that despite the recent challenges small business owners have faced, there is an economic tidal wave that will revitalize Main Street, led by the entrepreneurs we serve," said Elizabeth Gore, Co-Founder and President of Hello Alice. Since pivoting their support strategies and launching the COVID-19 Business Resource Center last April, co-founders Elizabeth Gore and Carolyn Rodz have raised and deployed over $20 million in emergency grants and resources for small business owners to support their survival through the pandemic. The largest percentage of those grants went to New Majority owners, prioritizing people of color and women. "We are thrilled to have a cap table as diverse as the business owners we serve," said Carolyn Rodz, Co-Founder and CEO of Hello Alice. "Our investors are leaders from the Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, Women, and US Veteran communities. As a Latina founder and fellow small business owner, I want to ensure that as our company grows, we are fueling future diversity in capital and breaking through ceilings for the benefit of our community." In the past 18 months, Hello Alice has achieved over 1,100% growth and now serves nearly 500,000 small business owners weekly, while increasing revenues by ove 600% through their SaaS offering. With this raise, Hello Alice continues to lead as the primary platform to access capital for SMBs, while ensuring that those traditionally left out of growth capital are now fully included and nurtured towards successful capitalization.



"Small business owners are the backbone of the U.S. economy, but many fail before they've had an opportunity to meaningfully serve the community in which they're based," said Frank Rotman, QED Investors Founding Partner. "Access to both capital and business expertise remain the biggest obstacles for SMBs, challenges heightened for women- and minority-owned businesses. Traditionally, corporations and government grants want to engage and support, but there hasn't been a source of truth on who can qualify for their diversity grants, funds and programs. Hello Alice solves this problem, building tools that empower the new majority and enabling corporations and governments to support SMBs. Founders Carolyn and Elizabeth and the entire Hello Alice team are having a real, tangible impact on the ecosystem. We are incredibly excited to help them help others." According to the most recent Impact Report from Hello Alice and GGV Capital, small business owners are heading into 2021 with remarkable optimism. While pandemic burdens have been disproportionately felt by members of the New Majority, 83% of owners surveyed* believe their business will perform better in 2021 than in 2020. 93% plan to hire in 2021 compared to 45% that laid off employees in 2020, and 75% intend to spend more on technology in 2021 than in 2020.

"Green Book Ventures is strategically partnering with Elizabeth and Carolyn as they continue growing Hello Alice into an essential platform for small businesses," said Lawrence Bancroft, Managing Member of Green Book Ventures. "Their deep commitment and unique focus on 'New Majority' entrepreneurs has opened doors and provided resources for thousands of underserved companies. Hello Alice aligns perfectly with our mission of funding companies that can accelerate the growth of Black-owned businesses and thereby helping to close the wealth gap." "The Hello Alice team is tackling one of the biggest risks, and at the same time, the biggest opportunities for economic growth in the US, and that is making entrepreneurship accessible to all," said John China, President, SVB Capital. "There is enormous possibility available to people with the right access to information, connections and capital, which Hello Alice is making available for all small businesses. That's a big deal." For companies interested in partnering with Hello Alice, please visit HelloAlice.com/partnerships, and for business owners interested in learning more about the free resources, please visit HelloAlice.com/tools. Please direct all media requests to Christanna Ciabattoni, christanna@skaibluemedia.com . *Based on data compiled from 97,739 founders operating in all 50 states. Hello Alice Series B Investors:

Backstage Capital

Blue Ivy

Cathie Reid

BCO Venture Fund

Belle Capital

Jacki Zehner

Jake Hastings

Harbert Growth Partners

How Women Invest

Golden Seeds

Green Book Ventures

Jean Case

Lovell Family

QED Investors

Ring Fund

Shatter Fund

Signia Venture Partners

Silicon Valley Bank ABOUT HELLO ALICE

Hello Alice is a free, multichannel platform that helps businesses launch and grow. With a community of nearly 500,000 business owners in all 50 states and across the globe, Hello Alice is building the largest network of owners in the country while tracking data and trends to increase the success rate for entrepreneurs. Our partners include enterprise business services, government agencies, and institutions looking to serve small- and medium-business owners to ensure increased revenues and promote scale. A Latina owned company, founded by Carolyn Rodz and Elizabeth Gore, we believe in business for all by providing access to all owners including women, people of color, veterans, and everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. To learn more, visit www.helloalice.com, as well as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. ABOUT QED INVESTORS

QED Investors is a global leading boutique venture capital firm based in Alexandria, VA. Founded by Nigel Morris and Frank Rotman in 2007, QED Investors is focused on investing in early stage, disruptive financial services companies in the U.S., U.K., Latin America and Southeast Asia. QED Investors is dedicated to building great businesses and uses a unique, hands-on approach that leverages our partners' decades of entrepreneurial and operational experience, helping their companies achieve breakthrough growth. Notable investments include Credit Karma, ClearScore, Nubank, SoFi, Avant, Remitly, GreenSky, Klarna, QuintoAndar, Loft, Konfio, Creditas, AvidXchange, Current and Mission Lane. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hello-alice-raises-21-million-series-b-led-by-qed-investors-to-bolster-small-business-301311481.html SOURCE Hello Alice

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[June 14, 2021] The Impact Genome Project and MassMutual Foundation Announce New Research Measuring Social Capital - particularly critical in post-pandemic America

New research from The Impact Genome Project and the MassMutual Foundation finds marginalized populations face barriers to higher paying jobs, healthcare, and financial stability. The research reveals a higher percentage of low-income Americans and marginalized groups have limited or no personal networks to help them benefit from the nation's post-COVID economic recovery. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005431/en/ Social Capital, an individual's connectedness to others, is known to have a direct relationship to economic mobility. Differences in the size of trusted networks are especially acute by income, race, ethnicity, and education. White, college educated, and wealthier adults are more likely to have more people they can rely on for personal and professional support. Key findings from the research conducted in partnership with the Associated Press (News - Alert) -NORC Center for Public Affairs Research (AP-NORC) include: Trusted personal and professional support networks are small: Personal Networks - 18% - or 46 million adults - have just one or no trustworthy person they can approach for emergencies like help when they are sick or someone to watch a child. This is true for 14% of white adults - and jumps to 25% among Hispanic adults and 30% for Black adults. People with incomes below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)1 are 2.5x more likely to have no one to turn to for help compared to those above the FPL. Professional Networks - 20% - or 49 million adults - have no one they trust to help them write a resume, navigate a professional challenge, or get connected to a job opportunity. Hispanic adults (35%) and Black adults (38%) are more likely to have only one person or no one to help compared to white adults (26%). Just over half of Americans were civically engaged last year: 54% of Americans volunteered, donated money, or engaged in civic groups in some way over the last year. Women were more likely than men (59% vs. 49%) to be civically engaged. Americans with higher incomes were able to give more time or money over the last year. There are still major barriers to accessing critical services and supports: While the majority who needed essential services were able to access them, 25% of Black adults could not access needed services compared to just 10% of white adults. 62% who could not access a needed service like government benefits or the legal system cite not knowing if they were eligible or where to go for help. So, what can we do? "This research quantifies what we've long known to be true. It's not what you know, it's who you know," says Jason Saul, CEO of the Impact Genome Project. "With precision data we can design interventions that drive economic mobility and financial stability for those people with limited Social Capital. Using these insights, we will work with a coalition of leading corporate philanthropies and other funders to invest in solutions that close the gap." The MassMutual Foundation is one of those leaders, partnering ith Impact Genome over the last several years to fund and support data-driven solutions for communities. Most recently, this includes identifying the need to better understand what it takes to build Social Capital and funding the Social Capital Genome.



"The creation of the Social Capital Genome is a first and a potential game-changer. The concept of Social Capital is integral to the work of the MassMutual Foundation and the Live Mutual Project; it constitutes the building of critical connections that can lead to better overall outcomes for members of the community, notably in the areas of long-term financial health and general well-being. The Genome will help funders, nonprofits, residents, and other stakeholders chart strategies better suited to fostering this very vital community asset." - Dennis Duquette, President of the MassMutual Foundation The findings of this research build off of and validate an earlier study from nearly four years ago that found nearly seven in ten said community involvement is important to their overall well-being and six in ten that put a premium on community involvement said they are confident in their financial future.

This Social Capital Genome announcement is the next phase of the Sentinel Outcomes Initiative, a multi-year effort to track and quantify the unmet urgent needs of all Americans, spanning Financial Health, Social Capital, Food Security, Housing, Employment, and Education. The Sentinel Outcomes Initiative is supported by leading corporate and private philanthropies, in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press (AP). Sentinel Outcomes Initiative Briefings Impact Genome's Sentinel Outcomes Initiative will feature a new topic every two months throughout 2021. Jason Saul, CEO of The Impact Genome Project and Dennis Duquette, President of the MassMutual Foundation, will convene for a live briefing, State of Impact: Social Capital, on Tuesday, June 29 at 3 p.m. ET. They will discuss the research findings as well as opportunities to build and maintain Social Capital to foster upward social and economic mobility for the most historically marginalized and oppressed. Impact Genome announced research on The Financial Health Genome in May. Additional research on Food Security, Housing, Employment, and Education are still to come later this year. To learn more about this research and register for Impact Genome briefings click here. Read more about the Social Capital Genome in our White Paper: Cracking the Code on Social Capital, What Works & Why About The Impact Genome Project The Impact Genome Project uses precision data to solve the world's most intractable social problems, including financial stability, employment, food security, housing, social capital and education. The Genome's power is built on two key innovations: data standardization and genomic analysis. Standardizing impact data makes it possible to synthesize knowledge across nonprofits and research studies, while genomic analysis enables more precise, fine-grained diagnostics of true beneficiary needs so that funders can invest in the most effective interventions. About the MassMutual Foundation The MassMutual Foundation, Inc. is a dedicated corporate foundation established by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). The MassMutual Foundation activates connections and untapped opportunities within communities, so that all families can build their financial capability and thrive. In support of this mission, the Foundation develops partnerships and provides grants in support of our signature programs. The Foundation also supports anchor institutions in the communities where MassMutual operates. To learn more, visit the MassMutual Foundation. _____________________

1 The U.S. federal poverty level (FPL) is a measure of income the U.S. government uses to determine who is eligible for subsidies, benefits, and other government programs. Many of these programs use the FPL or up to 200% of the FPL to determine eligibility. FPL is determined using a combination of household income and the number of members of the household. For a family of four, the FPL is $32,190 in Alaska, $29,620 in Hawaii, and $25,750 in all other states. Calculations in this report are based on 2019 income. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005431/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Innovation Quarter announces master plan for phase II of innovation district development in Winston-Salem, NC

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovation Quarter today announced a new master plan for the second major phase of development in the innovation district. Featuring 10 proposed buildings and 2.7 million total square feet, the new phase of development will feature the same mixed-use, ground-level activation found in the existing district. The 28-acre site for Innovation Quarter Phase II sits on either side of Research Parkway, the majority south of Third Street and north of Salem Parkway. Upon completion, it is anticipated that the development will allow for an additional 1 million additional square feet of clinical/lab/office space. The Innovation Quarter currently comprises 2.1 million square feet of similar space. Innovation Quarter anticipates Wexford Science + Technology, a major partner in Phase I and a global leader in developing communities that drive innovation, to play a major role in the final design and development of Phase II. The Innovation Quarter partnered with global design firm Perkins and Will to develop and design the master plan. As with the first phase, a strong public-private partnership with government agencies at the federal, state and local level will be key to realizing this next phase of development. "For over 20 years, Innovation Quarter has lead the way in creating integrated spaces that foster collaboration and creativity," said Eugene A. Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health. "This new phase of development continues that effort in a way that will allow Atrium Health and Wake Forest School of Medicine to build upon our scientific and innovation capabilities in a rich, blended environment, while creating new connections and partnerships in order to expand these dynamic spaces to Charlotte." The new phase is centered around Fogle Commonsa linear park capable of hosting larger-scale activities like musical and arts performances, academic and corporate events, and casual play or recreation. In all, Phase II is anticipated to create 15 acres of new, programmable green space and extend the Long Branch Trail by almost half a mile, connecting it with the Third Street bridge which leads to neighborhoods in east Winston-Salem. The master plan also allows for up to an additional 450 residential units for the growing Innovation Quarter. An additional 30,000 square feet of ground-level activation spacewhich would include retail/restaurantwill allow the next phase of development to have the same mixed-use atmosphere that helped the Innovation Quarter gain thedistinction of "Best Practice for Creating Integrated Places" by the Global Institute on Innovation Districts in 2020.



"This new phase of development will create the same feel and aesthetic found in the Innovation Quarter today," said Graydon Pleasants, head of development for the Innovation Quarter. "This mix of science and business, recreation and retail, green spaces and residential will bring even more vibrancy to this section of downtown Winston-Salem." Since 2010, the Innovation Quarter has partnered with Wexford Science + Technology to transform this section of downtown Winston-Salem into a thriving innovation district. Wexford brings expertise in developing what it calls "knowledge communities" that feature major research anchor institutions like the Wake Forest School of Medicine to help spur collaboration.

"Innovation Quarter has become one of the foremost examples of how to create a comprehensive sense of place that integrates university research, academics, entrepreneurial activity, corporate engagement, workforce development, and community inclusion," said Thomas Osha, Wexford's Senior Vice President, Innovation and Economic Development. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with Innovation Quarter and Wake Forest University and expanding this globally recognized innovation district." In addition to planning building space, the Innovation Quarter team is working with Perkins and Will to design intentional, activated outdoor spaces that will add to the vibrancy of the new phase, similar to how Bailey Park and the Long Branch Trail provide tenants, visitors and community members with spaces to interact, recreate and relax. As part of Phase II, the Innovation Quarter is also working with community leaders to increase and strengthen physical links between the district and neighborhoods immediately to the east across U.S. Highway 52. Connectivity across Highway 52 has long been a challenge and proposed infrastructureincluding improved streetscapes, bridge enhancements and potential extension of Long Branch Trailaims to improve the connectivity between Innovation Quarter and new developments like the Metropolitan Village which was announced in April. "The establishment and growth of the Innovation Quarter over the last 20-plus years has been exciting to watch. This new master plan continues that momentum," said Winston-Salem city council member Annette Scippio, who represents the East Ward, where the Innovation Quarter is located. "I am encouraged about what this new phase means for the continued vitality of our great city and the jobs and resources it will bring to our community." Innovation Quarter is home to the largest historic redevelopment project in the history of the state of North Carolina, according to Preservation NC, a statewide non-profit dedicated to historic preservation. Its 2.1 million existing square feet of office, lab, educational, and community spaces are home to 3,700 people working and more than 1,600 degree-seeking students. Total public-private investment in the district to date is more than $841 million. "Phase II of Innovation Quarter's development represents great potential for growing our economy and workforce, both within the district itself and across greater Winston-Salem and Forsyth County," says Mark Owens, President and CEO of Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. "We continue to see increasing demand in our location, and this exciting announcement will expand our portfolio of available space for companies to locate and grow. When companies and talent consider Winston-Salem they are drawn to the vibrant atmosphere of the downtown core and the Innovation Quarter  the mix of creativity and innovation has become a symbol of Winston-Salem's identity. This is a city where you can find your spot, and we are certain that many will find theirs in iQ's Phase II." About the Innovation Quarter Innovation Quarter ( www.innovationquarter.com ), home to iQ Labs, is a vibrant, mixed-use innovation district located in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Anchored by Wake Forest School of Medicine, Innovation Quarter is home to a community of more than 3,700 workers in 90 companies and four other institutions of higher learning where almost 1,800 degree-seeking students come to learn every day. In addition to more than 1,100 residential units, the Innovation Quarter also features a dynamic urban park, publicly accessible greenway and free community events that make this a true "Live.Work.Learn.Play" community. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innovation-quarter-announces-master-plan-for-phase-ii-of-innovation-district-development-in-winston-salem-nc-301311642.html SOURCE Innovation Quarter

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[June 14, 2021] ISW Holdings Corporate Update: GPL Convertibles Settled, Mining Underway, Form 10 and Uplist Update

LAS VEGAS, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire  ISW Holdings, Inc. (OTC: ISWH) (ISW Holdings or the Company), a global brand management holdings company with commercial operations in Telehealth and Renewable Energy Cryptocurrency Mining, is pleased to provide its current and prospective shareholders with an update on the status of its convertible debt resolution process, mining operations and upcoming audit results. Convertible Debt: In early April 2021, the Company announced that it had signed an agreement with GPL Ventures (GPL) to eliminate over $2.4 million in convertible promissory notes. That agreement covered all convertible debt held by GPL and represented more than 92% of the Companys outstanding convertible debt obligations. Now, the Company further announces that the settlement agreement, and all of its stipulations, has been satisfied, with its payment wired to GPL. All related notes have been stamped paid. Mining: The Company has begun mining. Management expects to catch up to the larger objectives laid out for mining progress and results in 2021, with its projects in Pennsylvania and Georgia getting up and running at reputable hash rates, which should drive strong topline growth for ISW Holdings this year. The Company continues to target a carbon-neutral mining paradigm. Audit, SEC, and Uplist: The Company plans to complete an audit of its 2020 performance over the near term. Once that is complete, management will file Form 10 with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). Management believes the filing of Form 10, and filing future events with the SEC, will help strengthen the case for further uplisting of shares following its establishment on the OTCQB tier. We continue to work hard every day to drive shareholder value through a combination of growth and transparency, commented Alonzo Pierce, President and Chairman of ISW Holdings. We are eliminating structural financial risk and ramping tangible growth, all while taking active steps to open up access to our shares to a widening audience. Looking ahead, we have a number of exciting steps in front of us that stand to directly expand our operational potential. Its going to be an exciting second half of the year. About ISW Holdings





The Companys cryptocurrency mining segment, established in partnership with industry leader, Bit5ive LLC, is driven by a mission to mine cryptocurrency with a zero carbon footprint.

For more information, visit www.iswholdings.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology including "could," "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" and the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggested in this report. Except as required by applicable law, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements so as to conform these statements to actual results. Investors should refer to the risks disclosed in the Company's reports filed from time to time with OTC Markets ( www.otcmarkets.com ). Company Contact:

info@ISWHoldings.com Public Relations

EDM Media, LLC

https://edm.media Corporate Communications:

InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN)

Los Angeles, California

www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com

310.299.1717 Office

Editor@InvestorBrandNetwork.com



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[June 14, 2021] JinkoSolar Recognized as "Overall High Achiever" in RETC's 2021 PVMI Report

SAN FRANCISCO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "JinkoSolar") (NYSE:JKS), one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world, today announced that it has been recognized as an "Overall High Achiever" in Renewable Energy Testing Center's ("RETC") 2021 PV Module Index Report for the second consecutive year. JinkoSolar is one of only 5 module manufacturers to receive this status in 2021. RETC's PVMI Report compiles and ranks its independent test data, identifying the industry's leading PV module manufacturers and technologies. The report also highlights industry trends and features a section on "Evaluating Large-Format Modules" (LFM). The list of LFM benefits include a significant increase in power, lower production costs at a manufacturing level, lower in-field labor costs, and potential BOS savings. Additionally, the report advises that not all large format modules are created equal, with some modules having the same glass thickness as its predecessors. RETC's hail durability test indicates that modules with thicker front-side glass are more resilient to large-diameter hail stones. JinkoSolar's modules are manufactured with 3.2mm front side glass, and is proven to withstand 55mm hailstones at 34m/s according to RETC's test data. "We are proud to receive this recognition again," said Nigel Cockroft, General Manager of JinkoSolar. "Our rigorous in-house quality control standards and validation from third-party labs like RETC gives our customers around the globe confidence that they are receiving high performing, reliable modules." "Congratulations to JinkoSolar for once again becoming an RETC 'Overall High Achiever'. We appreciate their continued partnership, and are proud to support JinkoSolar by providing key metrics highlighting their module quality, performance and durability. Our testing data has confirmed that JinkoSolar's PV modules are great at withstanding extreme weather conditions such as hail," said Cherif Kedir, President and CEO of RETC.



About JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. JinkoSolar (NYSE: JKS) is one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world. JinkoSolar distributes its solar products and sells its solutions and services to a diversified international utility, commercial and residential customer base in China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, South Africa, India, Mexico, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and other countries and regions. JinkoSolar has built a vertically integrated solar product value chain, with an integrated annual capacity of 22 GW for mono wafers, 11 GW for solar cells, and 31 GW for solar modules, as of December 31, 2020.

JinkoSolar has 9 productions facilities globally, 23 overseas subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Portugal, Canada, Malaysia, UAE, Kenya, Denmark, and global sales teams in China, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Ukraine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Poland and Argentina, as of December 31, 2020. To find out more, please see: www.jinkosolar.com Safe-Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends, "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Company's operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in JinkoSolar's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: Ms. Stella Wang

JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

Tel: +86 21-5180-8777 ext.7806

Email: pr@jinkosolar.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jinkosolar-recognized-as-overall-high-achiever-in-retcs-2021-pvmi-report-301310856.html SOURCE JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd.

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[June 14, 2021] New York is 48th State to Approve Cambridge Mobile Telematics' Insurance Scoring Model

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the global leader in smartphone telematics, announced its behavior-based premium insurance scoring model has just been approved in New York for personal lines. By adding the Empire State, CMT now has scoring models approved in 48 of 50 U.S. States plus Washington D.C. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005598/en/ New York is the 48th State to Approve CMT's Insurance Scoring Model CMT's solution assesses crash risk based on an individual's behavior behind the wheel. The telematics-based offering uses highly predictive factors like speeding, hard braking, and phone distraction (both tapping and phone motion) for an unbiased and accurate picture of crash risk. This enables insurers to offer auto insurance to a consumer based on their driving behavior. Until now this solution was nt available to New York's drivers.



CMT's pricing models and regulatory approvals extend into multiple lines of business. The company's commercial auto Premium Score is approved for use in 45 states, most recently in Virginia. "With the addition of New York - the fourth most populous state in the country - CMT's market leading technology and Premium Score is now available in 48 states," says Ryan McMahon, VP of Insurance & Government Affairs at CMT. "Insurers now have the opportunity to offer consumers rates based on how they drive, the most fair and transparent way to price auto insurance. With this approval insurers will be able to leverage CMT's products to provide significant incentives for safety, making the roads safer for all in the Empire State."

CMT's data scientists and actuaries derive telematics data from millions of drivers covering billions of miles. The company continues to see a direct correlation between telematics adoption and improvements both in driving behavior and improvements in road safety. About CMT At Cambridge Mobile Telematics, we show up every day to achieve one goal: to make the world's roads and drivers safer. Founded in 2010 based on MIT (News - Alert) research, we are now the world's largest mobile telematics provider, powering 65 enterprise programs in more than 28 countries. Our technology serves several million drivers a day through our partnerships with leading insurers, rideshares, cellular carriers and car makers. We deliver cutting-edge technology to solve the most important problems facing mobility today and to improve road safety across the world. To learn more, visit www.cmtelematics.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005598/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Newborn Screening Test for Sickle Cell Disease Now Supported by Gazelle 8-Minute, Point-of-Care Diagnostic

Hemex Health announced the launch of the Company's first virtual upgrade to its Gazelle platform and Sickle Cell Disease test today that expands the patient age range from 6 weeks and older to all ages, including newborns. The upgrade, free to those with the Gazelle device, also includes printing enhancements and a variety of ease-of-use features. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common and severe of all inherited hematological disorders, causing substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. According to the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation, SCD is responsible for between 5% and 16% of all infant deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. "Five hundred children die every day from SCD for lack of testing," said Dr. Stephen Obaro, Professor of Pediatrics at University of Nebraska, Medical Center and Director of IFAIN (International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria). "With Gazelle's newborn screening test, we anticipate more opportunities to diagnose babis and to educate their families about simple treatment regimens such as a pneumonia vaccine, daily penicillin, and nutritional support. In high prevalence areas, like Nigeria, Gazelle could help save the life of one child for every hundred tests."



"The levels of hemoglobin that need to be measured in newborns to detect SCD are very low. Hemex improvements enable the Gazelle test to identify these low levels for sickle cell disease and trait, Barts, and other important hemoglobinopathies at birth," continued Dr. Obaro. "Gazelle takes a sophisticated, high-end test, electrophoresis, and makes it available to everyone on an affordable, point-of-care platform," said Patti White, CEO of Hemex. "Gazelle finds more abnormalities than other point-of-care tests. Additionally, because Gazelle can quantify the percentages of hemoglobin types in the blood, we are testing its benefits for treatment monitoring."

First of many enhancements Hemex also announced that Gazelles connected to Wi-Fi will receive an automatic notification of the update through the Cloud or that customers could receive the update via USB drive from their distributor. [Click here to continue reading the news release] View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005015/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Packaging Machine Solutions Make an Evolutionary Leap with CoreTigo's IO-Link Wireless Communication

CoreTigo unleashes the full potential of packaging machinery, overriding traditional limitations through high-performance wireless control technology NETANYA, Israel, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Packaging Machinery professionals use IO-Link Wireless to drive machine flexibility, adaptivity and capacity to new levels. Designed for industrial automation, the cable-grade reliable and scalable communications protocol and complementary products prove to be a necessity for Packaging in the Industry 4.0 era. As the need for mass customization, handling different materials, sizes and shapes of packaging, elimination of changeover time and collection of data from anywhere for analytics and predictive maintenance are critical  it is clear that new communication methods are required for packaging machinery. In a recent event titled "ARC European Industry Forum 2021" by ARC Advisory Group, this was discussed in the "Wireless Connectivity Enhances Packaging Machines" lecture. Belgium Machine Builder D.Cloostermans-Huwaert, represented by their Process Engineering Manager Manu Peelman, discussed how IO-Link Wireless provides the solution for these needs. Peelman covered how Cloostermans utilizes IO-Link Wireless to answer demands coming in from their customers for handling a variety of designs, minimizing changeover time, reducing maintenance costs and keeing machine operation in constant motion.



Another use case of IO-Link Wireless was covered in recent April on Packaging World, ProFood World and Automation World. There, in addition to covering distinct benefits for Packaging Machinery derived from CoreTigo's industrial Wireless technology, it was illustrated how German Machine Builder PROTION incorporates it directly into their products. An emphasis was put on the fact that IO-Link Wireless is vendor agnostic, hence being able to work with sensors and actuators such as vacuum pumps and grippers from different manufacturers and accommodate all simultaneously. Being considered an integral part of the future of Packaging Machinery, CoreTigo was invited to speak at the "PACK to the Future" stage at the upcoming PACK EXPO, taking place in Las Vegas. CoreTigo will be presenting their IO-Link Wireless based solutions for packaging on Monday September 27 10:30am, and Tuesday September 28 3:30pm, local time. CoreTigo will discuss recent packaging projects incorporating their wireless technology into packaging machinery, upcoming projects, and taking questions from the audience.

To submit questions in advance and for more information, contact CoreTigo at info@coretigo.com. About CoreTigo CoreTigo is unbinding the industrial space by providing high-performance IO-Link Wireless communication solutions for machine builders, system integrators and industrial equipment manufacturers. CoreTigo's products enable the design and retrofit of machines and production lines that were not possible before. These solutions increase flexibility, adaptivity and modularity, resulting in cost effectiveness, increased productivity and downtime reduction. Embraced by industrial leaders, the IO-Link Wireless global standard, fit for harsh factory environments and motion control applications, provides cable-grade connectivity for millions of sensors, actuators and industrial devices worldwide. Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDqzEn9J3MA

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1483957/CoreTigo_Logo.jpg Contact: Roy Glas, Marketing Manager, +972-52-8536663, rglas@coretigo.com

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[June 14, 2021] Paper and pulp giant Klabin partners with SOSA & CNI to enhance sustainable innovation in the industry

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SOSA , the global open innovation company, announces a partnership with Klabin , Brazil's largest producer and exporter of packaging paper, the only company in the country to offer one-stop shop solutions in hardwood, softwood and fluff pulp, and the leader in the corrugated board packaging and industrial bags markets. The partnership will involve Klabin partnering with SOSA and CNI , the National Confederation of Industry  Brazil, in order to accelerate and diversify their bio-based products towards a renewable future. Klabin has been broadening its renewable strategy, emphasizing innovation, and advanced technology as an important driver for sustainable business growth alongside promoting a circular bioeconomy. Since then, the focus on developing sustainable products which are competitive and ecnomically viable in Klabin's industry has intensified  particularly with regards to research, development, and innovation. In doing so, Klabin strives to find natural and biodegradable solutions to meet the demands of today's progressively-conscious consumption.



Considering the dynamic nature of the paper and pulp industry, SOSA's innovation program for Klabin will be tailored to address Klabin's unique sustainability challenges, both in Brazil and Latam. SOSA will operate a 4-month corporate challenge program for Klabin through CNI, where Klabin's cross-functional business units will immerse themselves in open innovation activities, exposing them to cutting edge startups in their industry from across the globe. Through the program, SOSA will tackle predefined pain points and uncover further ways to expand on Klabin's revenue streams in bio-based products.The program will consist of:

Identifying and defining pressing company challenges alongside new opportunities

Gaining access to global advanced technology companies and systems

Building quality PoCs with strategic collaborations for implementation The selected companies will be given the opportunity to conduct a proof-of-concept of their solutions on an industrial scale, and potentially further support Klabin's efforts to achieve better, more-sustainable results for the entire value chain. "Advancing a circular bioeconomy is an irrefutable necessity, and working with Klabin represents an acute opportunity for us to leverage innovative processes with a leader who spearheads sustainable initiatives within the packaging industry," says Uzi Scheffer, CEO of SOSA. Contact: info@sosa.co View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paper-and-pulp-giant--klabin-partners-with-sosa--cni-to-enhance-sustainable-innovation-in-the-industry-301311517.html SOURCE SOSA

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[June 14, 2021] Protective Names Pooja Rahman as SVP & Chief Risk Officer

Protective Life Corporation (Protective), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750), today announced that Pooja Rahman will join the company as SVP & Chief Risk Officer, effective today, June 14. The company also announced that Deep Banerjee has been promoted to SVP & Treasurer. Both Rahman and Banerjee will report to Steve Walker, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at Protective. "Pooja has significant industry experience and a deep understanding of the issues impacting our business," said Walker. "We have a strong team in place, and Pooja's leadership will help drive our enterprise risk management expertise and enable our continued growth." With over 20 years of risk management, finance and legal experience in the insurance industry, Pooja most recently served as Head of Financial Risk at New York Life. Prior to that, she worked in international policy and analysis at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Pooja's previous experience also includes Director & Senior Corporate Counsel at Aviva, In-house Counsel at Iowa Insurance Division and Lead Technical Analyst at Principal Financial Group. Pooja earned her JD from Drake University Law School, her MBA from the University of New Orleans, and her Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Mumbai. "We are equally excited about eep's moving into the role of SVP and Treasurer," Walker continued. "In his time with Protective, Deep has already added tremendous value, and we are confident in his ability to continue advancing this important part of our business."



Banerjee joined Protective in September of 2020 as VP Strategic Risk, bringing with him a broad understanding of the insurance industry and knowledge about the key issues impacting our business. Prior to joining Protective, Deep spent over a decade at S&P Global Ratings where he covered the insurance industry. As a well-respected industry expert, Deep has a demonstrated track record of building strong relationships with industry executives and is a frequent presenter at industry conferences. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Marietta College. He will step into the role on June 16, 2021, aligning with Lance Black's transition to SVP, Acquisitions & Corporate Development, which was announced in March. Both Rahman and Banerjee will join Protective's Performance and Accountability Committee (P&A Committee), a group of the company's top executive leaders.

About Protective Life Corporation Protective Life Corporation (Protective) provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products throughout the U.S. Protective traces its roots to its flagship company, Protective Life Insurance Company - founded in 1907. Protective's growth and success can be largely attributed to its ongoing commitment to serving people and doing the right thing - for its employees, distributors, and most importantly, its customers. Protective's home office is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and its 3,500-plus employees work across the United States. As of December 31, 2020, Protective had assets of approximately $127 billion. Protective Life Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750). For more information about Protective, please visit www.Protective.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005474/en/

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[June 14, 2021] SHI International Expands in Asia Pacific Region With New Australia Office

SHI International, one of the world's largest IT solutions providers, today announced the opening of a new office in Sydney, Australia. Adding to its existing regional offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, the new Sydney location streamlines SHI's ability to serve and support customers in Australia and New Zealand by providing additional local support to this growing Asia-Pacific market. "SHI's ability to exceed client expectations has allowed the company to develop deep customer relationships and accelerate growth in Australia and New Zealand in recent years," says Thai Lee, President and CEO of SHI. "We made the decision to put our talented employees on the ground to more directly engage customers as they plan and execute their technology strategy in support of their business goals." The new Sydney office adds to SHI's global footprint and allows the company to meet customer needs without import and export restrictions. SHI supports customers from over 30 offices throughout the U.S., Australia, Canada, the U.K., Ireland, France, Hong Kong and Singapore. "SHI has had a presence in th Asia Pacific region for over 20 years, largely in support of the local efforts of our multinational customers," says Celeste Lee, SHI's Sr. VP, International and Global Programs. "By fortifying that presence and moving even closer to existing and new customers in Australia and New Zealand, we are excited to improve our local capabilities and unlock value while assisting customer select, deploy and manage their technology needs."



ABOUT SHI Founded in 1989, SHI International Corp. is an $11 billion global provider of technology products and services. Driven by the industry's most experienced and stable sales force and backed by software volume licensing experts, hardware procurement specialists, and certified IT services professionals, SHI delivers custom IT solutions to Corporate, Enterprise, Public Sector, and Academic customers. With over 5,000 employees worldwide, SHI is the largest Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) in the U.S.

For more information, visit https://www.SHI.com. Press Resources:

SHI Corporate Website: http://www.SHI.com

SHI Blog: http://blog.SHI.com

SHI Twitter (News - Alert) Handle: @SHI_Intl View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005794/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Shutterfly Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Spoonflower, Global Design Marketplace of Custom Fabric, Wallpaper and Home Decor

Shutterfly, a leading digital retailer and manufacturing platform for personalized products, today announced an agreement to acquire Spoonflower, a global marketplace connecting makers and consumers with artists worldwide, in an accretive acquisition for approximately $225 million of enterprise value subject to certain working capital and other adjustments. The acquisition will enable Shutterfly to more broadly serve the fast-growing home decor marketplace by adding Spoonflower wallpaper, fabric, linens, bedding and other home decor soft goods to its product assortment and connecting Shutterfly's 21 million active users to Spoonflower's artists and design community. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005713/en/ "We are excited to welcome Spoonflower to the Shutterfly family of brands," said Hilary Schneider (News - Alert) , Chief Executive Officer of Shutterfly. "Millions of consumers use Spoonflower to make and upload their own designs on premium fabric, wallpaper and home decor, ignite their entrepreneurial spirit by launching small businesses or express their personal style by shopping the marketplace of more than one million designs. Driven by its passionate creative community and a visionary management team, Spoonflower has also experienced explosive growth over the last 18 months amid the thriving DIY consumer movement. It's a highly complementary strategic fit for Shutterfly and a win/win for consumers, employees, and members of our creative community alike." Based in Durham, North Carolina and with an international office in Berlin, Germany, Spoonflower is a global marketplace offering custom, print-on-demand fabric, wallpaper and home decor designed by global independent artists. In addition to artists, Spoonflower's diverse community also includes makers, consumers, interior designers and small business owners. The acquisition follows a year of record revenue growth for Spoonflower, which boasts more than one million designs. Ms. Schneider added: "The Research Triangle Park (RTP) area - the tech hub encompassing Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC - is also home to a talented workforce and an entrepreneurial culture. We are excited to have a growth hub in RTP for further expansion across Shutterfly"



With 3.3 million unique creatives and 4,000 new designs uploaded on average per day, this acquisition also builds upon strong tailwinds for the creative economy, a $2.25 trillion industry. According to Coresight Research, makers are a fast-growing segment driven by the massive increase of creative professionals using online platforms to market and sell unique designs across a variety of products. "Shutterfly is truly our perfect match," said Michael Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Spoonflower. "Not only will Spoonflower now enable Shutterfly consumers to buy artists' customized design creations in addition to personalizing their own, but we will also unlock the ability to reach new audiences and scale the small businesses of our incredible creative community thanks to Shutterfly's manufacturing expertise and expansive customer reach. We're simply thrilled to be joining the Shutterfly family."

Spoonflower will retain its distinct brand, culture and team structure. Michael Jones will continue to lead Spoonflower, reporting to Hilary Schneider, CEO of Shutterfly. About Shutterfly Committed to making all of life's experiences unforgettable, Shutterfly is a leading digital retailer and manufacturing platform for photography and personalized products. Shutterfly operates three divisions: a Consumer division, Lifetouch, and Shutterfly Business Solutions. The Consumer division helps customers create the most from life's moments through its flagship personalized Shutterfly products; premium offerings in its Tiny Prints boutique; Snapfish custom photo gifts, as well as wedding invitations and stationery; and GrooveBook, an iPhone (News - Alert) and Android app and subscription service that prints up to 100 mobile phone photos in a GrooveBook and mails it out every month. Lifetouch is the national leader in school photography, built on the enduring tradition of "Picture Day," and also serves families through portrait studios and other partnerships. Shutterfly Business Solutions delivers enterprise digital printing services that enable efficient and effective customer engagement through personalized communications. For more information, please visit www.shutterflyinc.com. About Spoonflower Spoonflower is a leading eCommerce enabler connecting and empowering artists, makers and consumers in the creative economy. The company's on-demand digital printing platform has revolutionized the textile industry in its development of an eco-friendly, sustainable and scalable manufacturing process. With Spoonflower, consumers can either design their own patterns on premium fabric, wallpaper and home goods or shop from a leading marketplace of over one million designs and 3.3 million creatives. Today, Spoonflower is the design destination for its loyal global audience that places a premium on personal expression and aspires to convert their entrepreneurial dreams into thriving small businesses. Spoonflower's lead investors include Guidepost Growth Equity and Bull City Venture Partners. KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Spoonflower. For more information on Spoonflower visit www.spoonflower.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005713/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Thomas Nelson Community College First School In Virginia Community College System To Launch Ancora Corporate Training CDL Training Program

HAMPTON, Va., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC), an accredited, two-year institution of higher education established as a part of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), is the first school in the VCSS network to select Ancora Corporate Training (Ancora) to manage its Commercial Driver's License (CDL) program. VCCS selected Ancora during a competitive bidding process designed to identify the most qualified vendors to provide CDL training for its member schools. Citing Ancora's ability to meet its stated requirements, program standards, and expectations, VCCS awarded a contract to Ancora in early 2021, and Thomas Nelson Community College was the first in the system to elect to work with Ancora. TNCC's first 160-hour CDL class begins in July. "We are thrilled to be the pilot site for Ancora's CDL program in Virginia," said Eddie Swain, the Director of Professional, Credential and Continuing Education for TNCC. "We believe that a professional CDL program is an essential part of any college's workforce development efforts, as it's a viable--and lucrative--career path for those who might not want to pursue a traditional degree. We are delighted to be the trend-setters among our sister schools in the VCCS." There is a nationwide shortage of truck drivers, which is having a significant impact on supply chains everywhere while companies scramble to maintain their driver workforce. According to Indeed.co, an estimated 3,000 full-time, entry-level jobs are available in the Commonwealth alone, and the average starting salary for a Virginia CDL driver is above $63,000. VCCS recognized that this shortage presented an opportunity for Virginians to launch an in-demand, well-paying career in as little as four weeks.



Based in Arlington, Texas, Ancora Corporate Training is quickly becoming a dominant player in the corporate training marketplace. Since January 2019, Ancora has partnered with community colleges, government agencies, and Fortune 100 corporations to provide training to thousands of individuals. ABOUT THOMAS NELSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Founded in 1967, Thomas Nelson is the Peninsula's Community College, serving the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg and the counties of James City and York. The fifth largest of Virginia's Community Colleges, Thomas Nelson serves over 10,000 students with associate degree and certificate programs designed for both university transfer and direct entry into careers. The College also serves students with non-credit, workforce training programs and services. Classes are offered online and at the Hampton and Historic Triangle campuses, the Southeast Higher Education Center in Newport News, three Workforce Development centers, at various instructional sites in the community. www.tncc.edu ABOUT ANCORA CORPORATE TRAINING Ancora Corporate Training is a division of Ancora Education, a Texas-based group of private, post-secondary schools in convenient locations throughout Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Ancora Education owned brands specialize in allied health, wellness, nursing, IT, business and management, CDL truck driving, professional trades, security, skilled trades, and art and design. Ancora brands include Ancora Corporate Training, Arizona Automotive Institute (AAI), Berks Technical Institute (BTI), Edge Tech Academy, McCann School of Business & Technology, Miller-Motte College (MMC), Platt College, South Texas Vocational Technical Institute (STVT), and The Creative Circus. www.ancoracorporatetraining.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thomas-nelson-community-college-first-school-in-virginia-community-college-system-to-launch-ancora-corporate-training-cdl-training-program-301311408.html SOURCE Ancora Corporate Training

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[June 14, 2021] TransForce Group Names Chief Marketing Officer

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TransForce Group, a leader in the transportation and logistics industry, today announced that Stuart MacFarlane has been named Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective June 28, 2021. MacFarlane joins TransForce Group from Internet Brands/WebMD, where he was CMO, responsible for overseeing marketing efforts across Internet Brands' portfolio of health companies, including WebMD, Demandforce, and iMatrix. "Appointing Stuart MacFarlane as TransForce Group's new CMO is an important step forward as our company accelerates its growth," said Dennis Cooke, President and CEO of TransForce Group. "Stu's combination of experience, expertise and creativity will make him an ideal member of our leadership team as we bring our new and innovative solutions to customers, drivers and potential drivers in the marketplace." "The trucking industry is ripe for evolution and new solutions, and TransForce Group is uniquely positioned to lead an industry transformation," said Stuart MacFarlane, CMO, TransForce Group. "I couldn't be more thrilled to join this talented and motivated team to help create more success stories for carriers and drivers alike." Prior to Internet Brands/WebMD, MacFarlane held executive leadership positions at Herbalife International and YP Holdings. At YP, he was responsible for helping to transform the outdated AT&T Yellow Pages business into a digital platform that connects millions of ocal businesses with consumers. In addition, MacFarlane has founded multiple technology businesses with a focus on creating digital two-sided marketplaces. He will leverage those experiences at TransForce to help digitize and expand the marketplace to match carriers and drivers.



"Bringing Stu onboard as CMO is a huge win for TransForce Group, and the trucking industry as a whole," said Leon Brujis, Partner at Palladium Equity Partners, L.L.C., a private equity firm whose affiliate is TransForce Group's majority owner. "His extensive successful background in establishing and growing technology-backed solutions and companies will be extremely valuable to TransForce Group, as well as driver and carriers, as we continue to move forward with new technologies in our portfolio." Later this year, TransForce Group plans to launch an innovative new app that will bring together motor carriers, drivers and available driver jobs into one succinct digital location. The company already has begun successful testing [with selected customers and drivers].

About TransForce Group

TransForce Group is a recognized leader in the transportation and logistics industry offering innovative and integrated solutions including: Education and Training, Digital Recruiting, Employment Solutions, and Compliance and Safety. From driver development to carrier business needs, TransForce Group partners with third-party logistics, private fleets, and trucking companies to accelerate their growth, improve efficiencies and solve organizational demands. In addition, TransForce Group recruits and retains a diverse workforce, consistently putting new drivers and veterans to work. The company operates throughout the U.S. and Canada. Additional information about TransForce Group can be found at www.transforcegroup.com. About Palladium Equity Partners, L.L.C.

Palladium is a middle market private equity firm with nearly $3 billion in assets under management. The firm seeks to acquire and grow companies in partnership with founders and experienced management teams by providing capital, strategic guidance and operational oversight. Since its founding in 1997, Palladium has made 36 platform investments and 140 add-on acquisitions. For more information on Palladium, please visit www.palladiumequity.com. Media Contact:

Katherine MacLane

Vice President, Strategic Marketing and Communications

kmaclane@transforce.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transforce-group-names-chief-marketing-officer-301311132.html SOURCE TransForce Group

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[June 14, 2021] TUV SUD America's Grand Opening of New HQ in Wakefield, MA

TUV SUD America announces its new headquarters at 401 Edgewater Place, Suite 500, at the Edgewater Technology (News - Alert) Park in Wakefield, Massachusetts. TUV SUD America will host its grand opening events on Wednesday, June 16. The 13,000 square foot office has a modern design with an open concept floorplan for a large workstation bay and cafe area. It also boasts of several "huddle rooms" for collaboration and will implement the "Future of Work" plan which allows flexibility for onsite presence. Sustainability initiatives, such as a smart lighting system and extensive floor-to-ceiling windows to increase daylight and minimize overhead lighting, support TUV SUD America's Sustainability Plan. The celebration commemorating the new headquarters includes an employee open house, a ribbon cutting ceremony, a reception in the new facility, and a German Biergarten-inspired event. Notable special guests include German Consul General Nicole Menzenbach, TUV SUD AG Board of Management Member and COO Ishan Palit, and Wakefield Town Administrator Stephen Maio. "I'm thrilled about TUV SUD America's new chapter at our Wakefield headquarters. Over the last 30+ years, TUV SUD America has been a leading provider of safety, sustainability, and security services for America's leading technology companies. Given our mission to enable the safe advancement of technology, we have become the trusted advisor to some of the country's most innovative companies, many of which are based in Massachusetts," commented John Tesoro, President and CEO of TUV SUD America. "TUV SUD America Inc. is a leading provider of safety, sustainability, and security services for American technology companies. It is one of the many successful German businesses that together create more than 750,000 well-paying jobs in the United States, thereby strengthening the transatlantic friendship. 'Certified by TUV SUD' signals to Germans what 'Made in Germany' signals to customers in the United States: Universal reliability and highest quality. I am certain that his success story will continue here in Wakefield," commented Nicole Menzenbach.



To learn more about TUV SUD, please visit https://www.tuvsud.com/en-us or contact us. About TUV SUD

TUV SUD is a premium quality, safety, and sustainability solutions provider that specializes in testing, inspection, auditing, certification, training, and knowledge services. Since 1866, the company has remained committed to its founding principle of protecting people, property and the environment from technology-related risks. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, TUV SUD is represented in more than 1,000 locations worldwide. TUV SUD operates globally with a team of more than 25,000 multi-disciplinary experts recognized as specialists in their respective fields. By combining impartial expertise with invaluable insights, the company adds tangible value to businesses, consumers and the environment. The aim of TUV SUD is to support customers with a comprehensive suite of services worldwide to increase efficiency, reduce costs and manage risk. Visit https://www.tuvsud.com/en-us About TUV SUD America TUV SUD America Inc., a subsidiary of TUV SUD AG (Munich, Germany), is a leading globally recognized testing and certification organization. TUV SUD's Business Assurance division provides management system certification services to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, AS9100, Safe Quality Food (SQF), and more. TUV SUD's Product Service division offers electrical and mechanical product safety, Electromagnetic Compatibility ( EMC (News - Alert) ) testing, environmental testing, NRTL and SCC certification, CE marking assistance, restricted substance services, international compliance services, and more. TUV SUD America also provides a comprehensive suite of services for the medical device sector as a European Union notified body for the medical device, active implantable medical device and in-vitro diagnostic device directives, and a complete service portfolio including ISO 13485 and MDSAP certification, FDA 510(k) and third-party inspections. The company's Industry Services division offers a full suite of services for pressure equipment manufacturers and materials producers exporting products to the European Community. The Industry Services division also includes TUV SUD Global Risk Consultants, the leading global provider of unbundled property loss control services. Visit https://www.tuvsud.com/en-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005088/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Virtis Health Expands Ambulatory Infusion Center Footprint and Infusion Management Services

Virtis Health, an innovative, national provider dedicated to therapeutic and diagnostic services and support for patients with complex conditions requiring specialty infusible and injectable medications, announced today expansion of its Ambulatory Infusion Centers (AICs) across five states. Concurrently, the Company continues to expand its comprehensive infusion management and related physician practice management services nationwide. Through two business divisions, Virtis Health enhances the patient and provider experience and demonstrates clinical and economic value to the healthcare partners with whom it works. Virtis Health's Nurse Practitioner Services division provides full patient care management, including diagnostics and treatment, as well as clinical oversight and administration of specialty infusion and injectable medications in an AIC setting. Virtis Health offers a range of therapy management services and treatments for patients with autoimmune disorders, including chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis. Virtis Health also provides treatments and manages patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases, primary immunodeficiencies and various inflammatory conditions, such as Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. These AICs are staffed with a dedicated clinical team of licensed infusion-specialist nurse practitioners and registered nurses trained in specific disease state management. Furthermore, experienced clinical pharmacists are available to provide additional support. Virtis Health's Physician Services division provides comprehensive infusion center and practice management services to support physician and provider partners. Virtis Health also supports health systems' infusin management centers. The offerings ensure a continuum of care for patients requiring specialty medications with site-of-care flexibility and personalized attention. This division assists with enhancing infusion center value by maximizing operational efficiencies, optimizing revenue, demonstrating measurable clinical outcomes and elevating the patient experience.



State-of-the-art infusion centers are located in: Arizona - Gilbert, Glendale, Scottsdale, Sun City, Tempe and Tucson

Illinois - Chicagoland area

Ohio - Columbus

Texas - Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston

Wisconsin - Greater Milwaukee area "Now more than ever, patients are embracing alternate healthcare sites where quality care is delivered in a comfortable, personalized setting. We are bringing patients, physicians, health systems and health insurance plans a highly relevant solution to accommodate today's evolving healthcare needs," explained Diego Fairbanks, senior vice president at Virtis Health.

"Through Virtis Health, we are leveraging exceptional clinical care, extensive management expertise and strong physician and provider relationships to elevate the patient experience. Virtis Health differentiates itself through unparalleled clinical excellence and services, coupled with an unrelenting commitment to meeting patients' needs," Fairbanks concluded. Virtis Health accepts a broad range of national, regional and local health insurance carriers as well as Medicare and Medicaid. About Virtis Health Virtis Health is an innovative, national provider dedicated to therapeutic and diagnostic services and support for patients with complex conditions requiring specialty infusible and injectable medications. Through two business divisions, the Company employs advanced nurse practitioners who administer services at its Ambulatory Infusion Centers (AICs). Additionally, the Company provides comprehensive infusion center and related practice management services to physicians, health systems and other medical entities nationwide. For more information, please visit www.virtishealth.com. To learn more, follow the Company on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005142/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Rising to the COVID Challenge, Integra Software Services sets up 161 oxygen beds for govt hospital in Puducherry at a cost of Rs. 30.00 Lakhs (about USD 40,000.00)

Also, joins hands with Chennai-based industrialist to procure 1000 oxygen cylinders to help the cause PUDUCHERRY, India, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As an organization that strongly believes in giving back to the community, Integra Software Services extends support to the community and industry by providing critical pandemic management aid. Integra Software Services, based in Puducherry, India, is actively assisting its employees to help them navigate through the pandemic situation and is contributing to society by aiding the state government in its fight against COVID. In addition to providing comprehensive COVID relief measures, as part of empoyee welfare initiatives, the organization has also been in touch with the Government of Puducherry for their specific needs and requirements related to public health. After being informed of the need for oxygen beds in Government Medical College and Hospital (IGMCRI) in Puducherry, Integra undertook the task of converting 161 beds into oxygen-facilitated beds by installing centralized oxygen pipelines, flow meters, and oxygen regulators to individual beds at a cost of Rs. 30.00 Lakhs (about USD 40,000.00).



The organization further interacted with the Government of Tamil Nadu, India, through CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) to assist government-assigned hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. Sriram Subramanya, Founder, and CEO of Integra Software Services, along with 9 CEO Bouncing Board industrialists imported 1000 new oxygen cylinders from Singapore to contribute towards the cause. All procured oxygen cylinders were handed over to the Government of Tamil Nadu in the presence of the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. M. K. Stalin. About Integra Software Services

Integra Software Services, founded in 1994 as a partnership organization and incorporated as a private limited company in 2000, is one of the leading content services and digital solutions services providers, with multiple offices in India and offices in the US and the UK. Contact:

Prakash Nagarajan

DGM Marketing

+91-9566444960

Prakash.nagarajan@integra.co.in Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1532264/Integra_Logo.jpg

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Invesco Office J-REIT, Inc.: Notice Concerning Receiving of Revised Proposal Letter Regarding Tender Offer by IRE (Cayman) Limited (Supplement)

Invesco Office J-REIT, Inc. hereby disclosed following documents. For the details, please visit our website.

- Notice concerning Receiving of Revised Proposal Letter regarding Tender Offer by IRE (Cayman) Limited (Supplement) (PDF)







*Website address of the Investment Corporation: http://www.invesco-reit.co.jp/en/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210613005049/en/
[June 14, 2021] Virtual Events Platform, Hubilo Onboards Sudip Mitra as Senior VP of Engineering

- Purple Quarter led the San Francisco-headquartered company's Tech Leadership search with a defined approach BANGALORE, India, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the pandemic disrupting businesses and industries in 2020, Hubilo was one of the first companies to pivot its business into becoming a cloud-based virtual event management software provider. In the past one year, the company has managed to turn its tables, raising back-to-back rounds of funding from the likes of Lightspeed, Balderton Capital and is now actively expanding its team to augment its intelligent and interactive platform experience in the domain. CTO search firm Purple Quarter joined hands with Hubilo in keeping with the latter's growing leadership requirement. The search firm, in its part, ensured that the Senior position was closed in just three weeks. "Working with fast-paced startups, we are always trying to match up to their operational pace with our delivery timelines. We are ecstatic that we could help Hbilo find a suitable tech leader with Sudip," said Roopa Kumar, COO, Purple Quarter.



Speaking of Sudip's addition to Hubilo, Vaibhav Jain, CEO & Founder, said, "Hubilo is witnessing some very interesting shifts at the moment and it's an exciting time for the team altogether. Sudip's rich and diverse experience, I believe, will add to our advantage as we are on a mission to build a world-class platform together," and further added, "In taking forward Hubilo's journey, I appreciate Purple Quarter's partnership and streamlined support." Based in Bangalore, Sudip, until recently, was serving as the VP of Engineering at Games24X7 for close to six years and has over 13 years of experience. He has also worked for CA Technologies and Cisco earlier in his career. As the Senior VP of Engineering at Hubilo, Sudip will help build a tech ecosystem for Hubilo which synthesizes cutting-edge technologies along with productization philosophies that translates engineering velocity to business values. This will catapult Hubilo as a market leader in the Virtual Event Management space.

"Hubilo's courage to convert the current adversity into opportunity inspires me. I look forward to leverage their canvas and invest in technologies that help deliver top-of-the-class Hybrid products that converge Video, Data Play & Engagement," said Sudip, who joined the company on June 7. Like Sudip, Purple Quarter's unrivalled network in the tech circle has helped match several leading startups like Vedantu, Swiggy, Pharmeasy, Hike, Licious, Urban Company, LendingKart, Acko, with their technology leaders. About Purple Quarter Purple Quarter is a bespoke CTO search firm based out of Bangalore. In less than four years, we have mapped over 4000+ leaders across the globe. Our singular approach to tech leadership hiring has given us a detailed acumen into the Tech Leadership hiring space, especially in the startup ecosystem. Our robust clientele includes early stage to mature startups such as Inmobi, Swiggy, Acko, PharmEasy, hike, Urban Company and many more. For Tech Leadership requirements, write to us at interact@purplequarter.com or visit: https://purplequarter.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1532295/Purple_Quarter_Logo.jpg



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[June 14, 2021] Nomad Foods Announces Launch of Senior Secured Notes Offering

Nomad Foods Limited ("Nomad Foods" or the "Company") today announced that Nomad Foods BondCo Plc (the "Issuer"), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, intends to offer 750.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2028 (the "Notes"), subject to market and other customary conditions (the "Offering"). The Notes would be guaranteed and secured on a senior basis by the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering, along with the proceeds of an anticipated refinancing of its senior credit facilities, to refinance in full its existing outstanding euro denominated term loan and the Issuer's existing 400.0 million aggregate principal amount senior secured notes due 2024 (the "Existing Notes") (such refinancing, together with the issuance of the Notes, being the "Refinancing") and pay a portion of the purchase consideration for the Company's previously announced acquisition of Fortenova Group's Frozen Food Business Group. The Issuer expects to redeem the Existing Notes, subject to the completion of the Offering and receipt of the proceeds thereof. No assurance can be given that the Refinancing will be completed, or, if completed, as to the terms on which it will be completed. A notice of conditional redemption in full in respect of the Existing Notes will be published by the Issuer through the information service of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and additionally delivered to holders thereof via Euroclear Bank SA/NV and Clearstream Banking S.A. About Nomad Foods Nomad Foods (NYSE: NOMD) is Europe's leading frozen food company. The Company's portfolio of iconic brands, which includes Birds Eye, Findus, Iglo, Aunt Bessie's and Goodfella's, have been a part of consumers' meals for generations, standing for great tasting food that is convenient, high quality and nutritious. Nomad Foods is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Additional information may be found at www.nomadfoods.com Important Regulatory Notice This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which, or to any persons to whom, such offering, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Notes and any related guarantees have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Accordingly, the Notes and any related guarantees are being offered and sold in the United States only to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to non-U.S. persons in offshore transactions outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. The offer and sale of the Notes will be made pursuant to an exemption under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation") from the requirement to produce a prospectus for offers of securities. This announcement does not constitute an advertisement for purposes of the Prospectus Regulation. Promotion of the Notes in the United Kingdom is restricted by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA"), and accordingly, the Notes are not being promoted to the general public in the United Kingdom. This announcement is only addressed to and directed at persons who (i) are outside the United Kingdom, (ii) have professional experience in matters relating to investments (being investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Financial Promotion Order")), (iii) fall within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc.") of the Financial Promotion Order or (iv) to the extent that doing so does not prejudice the lawful distribution of the announcement to the foregoing, are persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any Notes may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The Notes will only be available to relevant persons and this announcement must not be acted on or relied on by anyone who is not a relevant person.



In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of securities to which it relates is made in, any European Economic Area member state or in the United Kingdom, this announcement and the offering of any securities described herein are only addressed to and directed at persons in that member state or in the United Kingdom (as applicable) who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation (including, for the avoidance of doubt, as it forms part of domestic UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that member state. Solely for the purposes of each manufacturer's product approval process, the target market assessment in respect of the Notes has led to the conclusion that: (i) the target market for the Notes is eligible counterparties and professional clients only, each as defined in Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "EU MiFID II"); and (ii) all channels for distribution of the Notes to eligible counterparties and professional clients are appropriate. Any person subsequently offering, selling or recommending the Notes (a "distributor") should take into consideration the manufacturers' target market assessment; however, and without prejudice to the obligations of the Issuer in accordance with EU MiFID II, a distributor subject to EU MiFID II is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Notes (by either adopting or refining the manufacturers' target market assessment) and determining appropriate distribution channels.

Solely for the purposes of each manufacturer's product approval process, the target market assessment in respect of the Notes has led to the conclusion that: (i) the target market for the Notes is only eligible counterparties, as defined in the FCA Handbook Conduct of Business Sourcebook (COBS), and professional clients, as defined in Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA ("UK MiFIR"); and (ii) all channels for distribution of the Notes to eligible counterparties and professional clients are appropriate. Any distributor should take into consideration the manufacturers' target market assessment; however, a distributor subject to the FCA Handbook Product Intervention and Product Governance Sourcebook (the "UK MiFIR Product Governance Rules") is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Notes (by either adopting or refining the manufacturers' target market assessment) and determining appropriate distribution channels. The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the EEA. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "MiFID II"); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II. No key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the "EU PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared. Offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the EU PRIIPs Regulation. The Notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA; (ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the FSMA and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA. No key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the United Kingdom has been prepared. Offering or selling the Notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation. Holders of Existing Notes are urged to refer to the notice of conditional redemption for more information regarding the conditions precedent to such redemption, redemption price, record date and redemption date available on the official website of website of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, www.bourse.lu. This press release does not constitute a notice of conditional redemption thereof. This announcement constitutes a public disclosure of inside information by Nomad Foods BondCo plc under Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (16 April 2014) and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2016/1055 (10 June 2016). The person responsible for making this release on behalf of Nomad Foods Limited is Samy Zekhout, Chief Financial Officer. Forward Looking Statements This announcement contains "forward-looking statements" that are based on estimates and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical fact or statements in the present tense, and can be identified by words such as "targets", "aims", "aspires", "assumes" "believes", "estimates", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "hopes", "may", "would", "should'', "could", "will", "plans", "predicts" and "potential", as well as the negatives of these terms and other words of similar meaning. The forward-looking statements in this announcement, including expectations regarding the Company's ability to consummate the Refinancing and the expected terms of the Refinancing, are made based upon the Company's estimates, expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting the Company and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business strategies and the environment in which it will operate, which may prove not to be accurate. The Company cautions that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should, therefore, not be placed on such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement apply only as at the date of this announcement and are not intended to give any assurance as to future results. The Company will update this announcement as required by applicable law, including the Prospectus Rules, the Listing Rules, the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, and any other applicable law or regulations, but otherwise expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005264/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Immersive Labs Raises $75m to Accelerate Data Platform for Analyzing and Unlocking Cyber Skills Across Large Organizations

Immersive Labs, the company empowering organizations to measure and improve cybersecurity skills across technical and non-technical teams, today announced it has closed $75m in Series C funding led by new investors Insight Partners alongside Menlo Ventures, Citi Ventures and existing investor Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The investment will accelerate delivery of a progressive new Cyber Workforce Optimization platform. With cyber risk no longer confined to technical specialists, expert skills are now required across the entire organization. From crisis management with executives to secure software development amongst engineers and ensuring compliance in legal teams, the platform will use data insights to understand where skills are required and inject role-specific training. It will also enable board-level metrics and benchmarking. Immersive Labs, which has now received $123m in venture funding, currently counts organizations such as HSBC, Vodafone (News - Alert) and the NHS as customers. Growing at over 100% year-on-year, it has recently been named in numerous industry and business awards as an innovation leader. James Hadley, CEO and Founder of Immersive Labs, said, "Wth cyber risk becoming a problem for a growing number of business functions, cybersecurity knowledge and skills should no longer be the preserve of a few technical people hidden away in a back office. Everyone from the teams who build software to the CEO now needs to play their part in addressing a pervasive company issue. This requires unlocking and evidencing skills in a much broader group of people.



"The first step to achieving this lies in understanding where capabilities are lacking which, until now, has been impossible. This investment will allow us to add new analytical capabilities and content to provide a more detailed picture of skills across the growing breadth and depth of cyber exposure facing organizations, helping them measure and manage risk better." "With significant global customer and revenue growth over the last few years, Immersive Labs has established a strong position in the fast-developing cyber skills space," said Ryan Hinkle, Managing Director at Insight Partners. "With influential leadership, an innovative product in a growing market and strong user engagement, the company is in a position to continue to lead the cyber readiness market." As part of the transaction, Hinkle will be joining the company's Board of Directors.

As well as building out the platform, Immersive Labs will use the funding to expand its international presence, tripling global headcount to 600 over the next two years and establishing operations in new regions throughout APAC and Europe. "The labor crisis in cybersecurity is a hard problem to solve. To protect against ever-evolving threats, the cyber workforce must constantly expand and evolve. Immersive Labs helps large organizations confront this head-on by combining smart data analysis with targeted training," said Venky Ganesan, Partner at Menlo Ventures (News - Alert) . "As a veteran cybersecurity investor, I find the opportunity for Immersive Labs to solve a massive problem with a horizontal solution exciting. The cybersecurity threat will only increase, making Immersive Labs futureproof as they seek to help large enterprises educate and arm themselves against ever-evolving threats." Arvind Purushotham, Managing Director and Global Head of Citi Ventures, said, "We believe strongly in the value of using people more strategically to help large organizations mitigate ever-growing cyber risk. Traditionally, this has been difficult; without effective data, it's hard to know where to apply skills development and how to measure its success. This is why Immersive Labs' vision is so compelling - it creates visibility into and optimizes one of the most valuable assets in cyber defense, the human defenders." James Hayward, Managing Director in the Growth Equity team at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said: "Immersive Labs has proven itself to be a valuable partner for businesses looking to improve their resilience to cyber risks. Their growth and development in the three years since we initially invested has been impressive and we believe they have built a strong foundation for further growth." Since founding in 2017, Immersive Labs has grown to over 200 people, with joint operations HQs in Bristol and Boston. For more information on the company visit immersivelabs.com About Immersive Labs Immersive Labs is empowering organizations to equip, exercise, and evidence human cyber capabilities. We provide metrics that give security leaders insight into human cyber skills and readiness levels across their organization and improve these through dynamic labs and crisis scenarios which track the threat landscape. Immersive Labs is backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Summit Partners, Insight Partners, Citi Ventures, and Menlo Ventures. Our customers include some of the largest companies in financial services, healthcare, and government, amongst others. For more information on Immersive Labs' offering, please visit www.immersivelabs.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005076/en/

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[June 14, 2021] EarlyBird Education Introduces Game-Based Screener to Help Schools Identify Children at Risk for Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties - Even Before They Learn to Read

Two-thirds of U.S. fourth graders are not reading at a proficient level, and reading difficulties are often identified too late for students to catch up with their peers, even with intervention. To help schools identify children at risk for reading difficulties before they start struggling with reading, EarlyBird Education today announces the nationwide release of the EarlyBird game-based screener. Developed and scientifically validated at Boston Children's Hospital in partnership with faculty at the Florida Center for Reading Research, EarlyBird brings together all the relevant predictors of reading in one easy-to-administer assessment. It helps educators identify and support childre at risk for dyslexia and other reading difficulties - even before they learn to read.



"Reading difficulties such as dyslexia are generally diagnosed in second or third grade, after repeated failure to learn to read and after the most effective intervention window," said Carla Small, co-founder and CEO of EarlyBird Education. "With EarlyBird, districts and schools can move from a deficit-focused intervention model to a preventive approach that can catch children before they start struggling with learning to read. With early intervention, educators can change the learning trajectory of children who could potentially be overlooked for months or even years." The EarlyBird cloud-based technology platform includes a game-based app that provides comprehensive, validated student testing, and a web-based dashboard that points teachers to easy-to-understand data and evidence-based resources for individuals or groups of students. The tablet-based screener is appropriate for pre-readers, and it can be used by children as young as four years old. With data from just minutes of self-administered game play, educators can predict which children will struggle with reading and intervene in the window when intervention is most effective.

About EarlyBird EarlyBird transforms students' lives through the early detection of reading difficulties, including dyslexia. The cloud-based technology platform includes a game-based screening assessment and dashboard that points teachers to customized action plans and evidence-based resources. With EarlyBird, educators can identify children at risk for reading difficulties in the window when intervention is most effective - before they formally learn to read. For information, visit https://earlybirdeducation.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005163/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Farmers Insurance Adopts Innovative Technology by Zesty.ai to Increase Homes Eligible for Insurance in High Wildfire-Risk Areas in California

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With recent approval from the California Department of Insurance (CDI), Farmers Insurance today announced it has integrated Zesty.ai's wildfire risk scoring model (Z-FIRE) into its homeowners insurance underwriting processes --- selectively expanding opportunities for coverage for residences located in certain wildfire-risk areas. In conjunction with this approval, Farmers will be introducing an innovative approach to help manage its statewide wildfire exposure by assessing individual wildfire risks to homes on a more granular basis while evaluating its overall wildfire risk exposure in various parts of the state. ...innovation is key to meeting the needs of consumers' evolving expectations... "Farmers is excited to be a leader in helping to address the state's complex homeowners insurance marketplace by introducing a new approach to underwriting risks and using Zesty.ai's innovative new technology, the Z-FIRE scoring model, to supplement our existing processes," said Keith Daly, president of personal lines for Farmers Insurance. "We want to thank Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and his team for their willingness to give us the opportunity to introduce advanced technologies to help meet the needs of California's consumers." Consumers wishing to learn more about coverage options are encouraged to contact their local Farmers agent, call 800-974-6755 or visit www.farmers.com for additional details. The Z-FIRE risk scoring model is a proprietary predictive risk evaluation platform that leverages high-resolution imagery, building and weather data, and artificial intelligence to identify property attributes that may impact the level of a property's wildfire risk. "Zesty.ai's work with Farmers to successfully implement the latest AI technology to accurately assess the risk of wildfires is another step forward in managing a problem that has claimed 194 lives and drove $57B in economic losses over the past five years in California", said Attila Toth, founder and CEO of Zesty.ai. "We are proud that this partnership expands access to essential insurance coverage for many Californians to help protect their livelihoods and communities from natural disasters." Farmers Insurance, headquartered in Woodland Hills, is California's second largest provider of voluntary homeowners insurance, offering homeowners insurance coverage to more than 1.5 million customers in the state. "We remain committed to working with Commissioner Lara, consumers and other stakeholders to do our part to help make the insurance marketplace in California stronger and more resilient," added Daly. "At Farmers, we understand innovation is key to meeting the needs of consumers' evolving expectations and to our ability to deliver maximum value to our customers." About Farmers Insurance

"Farmers Insurance" and "Farmers" are tradenames for a group of insurers providing insurance for automobiles, homes and small businesses and a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. Farmers Insurance Exchange, the largest of the three primary insurers that make up Farmers Insurance, is recognized as one of the largest U.S. companies on the 2020 Fortune 500 list. For more information about Farmers Insurance, visit Farmers.com, Twitter.com/WeAreFarmers, Instagram.com/ThisIsFarmers or Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance. About Zesty.ai

Increasingly frequent natural disasters, such as wildfires, floods and hurricanes devastated communities and drove $2.2 Trillion in economic losses over the past decade. Zesty.ai uses 200Bn data points, including aerial imagery, and artificial intelligence to assess the impact of climate change one building at a time. Zesty.ai has partnered with leading insurance companies and property owners helping them protect homes, businesses and support thriving communities. Zesty.ai was named a Top 100 Most Innovative AI Company in the world by CB Insights in 2021 for the second year in a row and a Gartner Cool Vendor in Insurance by Gartner Research in 2019. For more information visit: https://www.zesty.ai/







Contact: External Communications

Farmers Insurance

818-965-0007

reporterhotline@farmersinsurance.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/farmers-insurance-adopts-innovative-technology-by-zestyai-to-increase-homes-eligible-for-insurance-in-high-wildfire-risk-areas-in-california-301311289.html SOURCE Farmers Insurance

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[June 14, 2021] Global WholeHealth Partners Corp. (GWHP-OTC) Acquires Rights to Distribute & Sell Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine

SAN CLEMENTE, CA, June 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Global WholeHealth Partners Corp. (OTC: GWHP), a company that offers one of the largest lines of COVID 19 tests, including SARS-CoV-2 viruses, and that states that its Antibody IgG/IgM tests that they offer are capable of detecting all the current identified SARS-CoV-2 viruses, today announced that they will now be able to distribute and sell Johnson & Johnsens COVID-19 vaccine. The Company has recently filed an 8K stating that: Effective June 9, 2021, Global WholeHealth Partners Corporation (the Company) was granted the rights from Nunzia Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nunzia) to distribute and sell the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine (Vaccine). The Company will serve as a broker for Nunzia and follow the same sales order processing as used by Nunzia in connection with the distribution and sale of the Vaccine. As of April 20, 2021, Johnson & Johnsons Covid-19 vaccine contributed $100 million to J&Js sales growth in the latest quarter. [1] J&J said its pharmaceutical business, which developed the single-shot Covid-19 vaccine, generated $12.19 billion in revenue, a 9.6% year-over-year increase. [2] Forbes said: J&J is making some progress with its international rollout. The single-dose vaccine was authorized for emergency use by the U.K. regulator in late May and the U.K has ordered 20 million doses of the shot that is likely to be available later this year. J&J also filed for regulatory approval of the vaccine in Japan, noting that it could begin supplying doses to the country by 2022 The company is also looking to expand the vaccine's availability to India Overall, we still think the J&J shot has room for growth globally, as it could do much of the heavy lifting in getting the global population inoculated against Covid-19, considering its single-dose requirement and relatively easy storage That said, we still think the vaccine has a lot of room for scaling up internationally. The global inoculation drive is still in the early stages, with just about 1.45 billion doses being administered globally per the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker - enough to fully vaccinate under 10% of the world's population. We still think the J&J shot could do much of the heavy lifting in getting the global population, particularly in lower-income countries, inoculated against Covid-19, given its single-dose requirement and relatively easy storage. [3] The Company already offers one of the largest lines of COVID 19 tests, including the strains identified in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), and Brazil (P.1) strain contains multiple mutations, most reflected in the S gene, which encodes the spike protein. Mr. Charles Strongo, the CEO and Chairman of WholeHealth Products Inc., said: Global will now have the capacity to not only be a market leader in testing but with the ability to distribute J&Js 1-shot vaccine, it positions us well in the lower-income countries for the vaccine itself. About Global WholeHealth Partners Corp. GWHP develops, manufactures, and markets in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests for OTC, or consumer-use as well as professional rapid diagnostic point-of-care (POC) test kits for hospitals, physicians' offices, and medical clinics in the US and abroad. The Company has the capacity to deliver hundrds of thousands of tests, and can ramp up to 1 million tests per day. The Company presently has 56 products FDA approved and many are approved for OTC use, and 29 POC products approved by the FDA, many of which are approved for OTC use, and 15 POC products approved by the CLIA WAIVED FDA.



Media Contact: Charles Strongo

Sales Contact: David Kassab, 714-392-3423

Sales@GWHPCORP.Com For more information please go to: www.gwhpcorp.com

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) market acceptance of our existing and new products, (ii) negative clinical trial results or lengthy product delays in key markets, (iii) an inability to secure regulatory approvals for the sale of our products, (iv) intense competition in the medical device industry from much larger, multinational companies, (v) product liability claims, (vi) product malfunctions, (vii) our limited manufacturing capabilities and reliance on subcontractors for assistance, (viii) insufficient or inadequate reimbursement by governmental and other third party payers for our products, (ix) our efforts to successfully obtain and maintain intellectual property protection covering our products, which may not be successful, (x) legislative or regulatory reform of the healthcare system in both the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions, (xi) our reliance on single suppliers for certain product components, (xii) the fact that we will need to raise additional capital to meet our business requirements in the future and that such capital raising may be costly, dilutive or difficult to obtain and (xiii) the fact that we conduct business in multiple foreign jurisdictions, exposing us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, logistical and communications challenges, burdens and costs of compliance with foreign laws and political and economic instability in each jurisdiction. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. https://c212.net/c/img/favicon.png?sn=LA68315&sd=2021-05-06 View original content to download multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alzheimers-disease-is-the-leading-cause-of-dementia-alzheimers-diagnostics-attained-by-global-wholehealth-partners-corp-otc-gwhp-as-a-leading-researcher-301285232.html SOURCE Global WholeHealth Partners Corp [1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/johnson-johnson-posts-higher-quarterly-revenue-lifted-by-covid-19-vaccine-11618919123 [2] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/20/johnson-johnson-jnj-earnings-q1-2021.html [3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2021/06/09/whats-happening-with-johnson--johnsons-covid-19-vaccine/?sh=598de3111aed



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[June 14, 2021] Accenture to Acquire umlaut

Accenture (News - Alert) (NYSE: ACN) has agreed to acquire umlaut, an engineering consulting and services firm headquartered in Aachen, Germany. The move will significantly scale Accenture's deep engineering capabilities to help companies use digital technologies like cloud, artificial intelligence, and 5G to transform how they design, engineer and manufacture their products as well as embed sustainability. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005209/en/ Accenture is acquiring engineering consulting and services firm umlaut to expand its Industry X services (Graphic: Business Wire) The acquisition of umlaut will add more than 4,200 industry-leading engineers and consultants across 17 countries to Accenture's Industry X services, and expand the company's capabilities across a range of industries, including automotive, aerospace & defense, telecommunications, energy and utilities. Industry X combines Accenture's powerful data and digital capabilities with deep engineering expertise to offer clients the broadest suite of services for digitizing their engineering functions, factory floors and plant operations, improving productivity, speeding up the transformation of hardware into software-enabled products, and allowing for faster and more flexible product development. "We predicted that digital would ultimately be applied at scale to the core of a company's business - the design, engineering and manufacturing of their products. And, for nearly a decade Accenture has been building the unique capabilities and ecosystem partnerships to combine the power of digital with traditional engineering services," said Julie Sweet, chief executive officer, Accenture. "COVID-19 has accelerated the need for companies to transform these core operations, and umlaut's leading and highly-specialized engineering services will enhance our ability to meet the accelerating demand and also continue innovating for our clients." Accenture is expanding Industry X at a time when software increasingly determines the market success of platforms, products and services across industries that require intelligence to be embedded. However, in a survey of more than 1,500 industry executives, Accenture research found that only 38% of companies have deployed at least one project to digitize their engineering and manufacturing.(1) "Bringing world-class digital engineering and manufacturing expertise to our clients helps them rapidly scale, accelerate growth, improve productivity and safety, and embed sustainability across their operations," said Nigel Stacey, global lead of Accenture Industry X. "From consumers to R&D to the supply chain and factory floor, and back again, companies that use the power of data and digital to build value will become - and remain - relevant, resilient and responsible." The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that most companies' operations and supply chains are far from resilient or flexible enough to respond to crises. Digital technologies can help mitigate disruptions by, for example, enabling a fast switch to operate factories remotely or providing near real-time insights about changing market demands. In addition, companies are increasingly expected to operate more responsibly and contribute to a circular economy through the development of more sustainable products. Umlaut's capabilities span traditional and digital engineering services; testing and validation of smart connected products; strategy, process and organizational consulting; and hardware product development as well as software development. "Business leaders across many industries who face the convergence of the digital and the product world are looking for a trusted partner that understands their language and can really help navigate each step of the journey to bring tangible outcomes in engineering and manufacturing," said Marc Peter Althoff, chief technology officer, umlaut. "We are excited to bring our unique engineering and consulting culture, deep industry know-how and subject matter expertise to Accenture Industry X and jointly create the capabilities and scale to help clients successfully transform." Umlaut willbe next in a series of 22 acquisitions Accenture has made since 2017 to build its Industry X capabilities. More recent acquisitions include operations technology provider Electro 80 (Australia), industrial robotics and automation services provider Pollux (Brazil), operations consultancy Myrtle (US) and technology consultancy SALT Solutions (Germany).



Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services-all powered by the world's largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 537,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Accenture Industry X embeds intelligence in how clients run factories and plants, as well as design and engineer connected products and services-making manufacturing and operations more efficient, effective and safe; enabling companies to transform how they make things, and the things they make, for sustainable growth. About umlaut

Umlaut is a global, full-service, cross-industry, end-to-end company that offers advisory and engineering services to clients all over the world. In-depth domain expertise, broad practical knowledge and interdisciplinary collaboration allow them to add value, quality and focus to their clients' organizations, services and products, in disruptive times in which industries are increasingly converging. Within an able and agile collective of 20 consultancies and engineering firms spread across 50 locations all over the world, 4,200 specialized experts and engineers provide innovative solutions and transformations across all industries and their various intersections as well as serving the public sector and developing organizational cultures, structures and processes. For more information please visit: umlaut.com. Forward-Looking Statements

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "positioned," "outlook" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Many of the following risks, uncertainties and other factors identified below are, and will be, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. These risks include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture and umlaut will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties' ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for Accenture; Accenture's results of operations have been significantly adversely affected and could in the future be materially adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; Accenture's results of operations have been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company's clients' businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture's business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company's services and solutions including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the evolving technological environment could materially affect the company's results of operations; if Accenture is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company's business, the utilization rate of the company's professionals and the company's results of operations may be materially adversely affected; Accenture could face legal, reputational and financial risks if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security incidents or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; Accenture's profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favorable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies or fail to satisfy certain agreed-upon targets or specific service levels; changes in Accenture's level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company's effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; Accenture's ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; as a result of Accenture's geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue to expand in its key markets around the world, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; Accenture's business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture's work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; Accenture's results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; if Accenture does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with key alliance partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in new technologies, the company's results of operations could be adversely affected; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; if Accenture is unable to protect or enforce its intellectual property rights or if Accenture's services or solutions infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company loses its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, its business could be adversely affected; Accenture's results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; changes to accounting standards or in the estimates and assumptions Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; Accenture might be unable to access additional capital on favorable terms or at all and if the company raises equity capital, it may dilute its shareholders' ownership interest in the company; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" heading in Accenture plc's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture's expectations. (1) Accenture Research IX survey 2020 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005209/en/

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[June 14, 2021] BOOM Launches COVID-19 Workshops and Awareness Films to Engage with Senior Citizens

BOOM has produced 5 short awareness films on COVID-19 appropriate behavior and will also host free online workshops for senior citizen participants to distinguish between news, opinion, propaganda, and analysis. MUMBAI, India, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BOOM Live , India's first and leading fact-checking initiative, announced the launch of senior citizen workshops towards COVID-19 awareness and five short informational films that aim to highlight COVID-19 appropriate behavior. As the world battles the coronavirus pandemic, it is also challenged by an information overload in the digital as well as physical environment, which can cause confusion and mistrust. Senior citizens, due to various technical and awareness constraints, are most vulnerable to this infodemic. In order to address this information gap, BOOM will partner with senior citizen forums, organizations, and associations across India to host free online workshops titled 'Information Overload in times of COVID-19' that are aimed to empower senior citizen participants to distinguish between news, opinion, propaganda, and analysis. BOOM has also launched five short film series that aims to build awareness around COVID-19 appropriate behavior, especially among senior citizens. Led by H. R. Venkatesh, Director, Training and Research, BOOM Live, and a team of BOOM fact-checkers, the workshops will explain the concept of misinformation, disinformation, and unverified news, factors responsible for such news, and the nature of information overload. Additionally, participants will learn the different facets of 'realities' created by social media and how best can one understand the news landscape. Senior citizen forums, organizations, and associations across India that wish to host a workshop for their members may reach ou to the BOOM team at +917700906111.



For the production and launch of five short film series on COVID-19 appropriate behavior, BOOM has also collaborated with noted actor Aasif Sheikh who serves as the initiative's ambassador in the films. Sheikh, in his characteristic style, urges the viewer to get vaccinated, continue to wear masks in the correct way, use discretion when reading forwards on social media and maintain self-care habits. The films can be viewed on https://www.boomlive.in/mediabuddhi/senior-citizens as well as BOOM's social media platforms: Facebook , Twitter , YouTube , and Instagram .

"The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly challenging for senior citizens, owing to the copious quantities of unverified news generated every day. Therefore, it is important for this audience to know of simple techniques that question the veracity of news which is our aim through the online workshops," said H. R. Venkatesh of BOOM FactCheck at the launch of the initiative. Adding to this, Jency Jacob, Managing Editor, BOOM said, "With unverified videos rapidly spreading misinformation around the pandemic, it is important that citizens get a better understanding of COVID-19 appropriate behavior. We thank Aasif Sheikh for helping us to build awareness around very important topics that will enable citizens to make better decisions regarding their health, safety, and well-being." To know more about the films or to partner with BOOM for a workshop, please write to: workshops@boomlive.in or reach out to the BOOM team at +917700906111. About BOOM: BOOM, India's premier news-checking initiative, is an independent digital journalism initiative with a mission to fight misinformation, explain key issues, and make the internet safer. The subjects that BOOM actively fact checks range from political, social, communal, and health & medicine to products and services and even history. BOOM is presently available in three Indian languages, English, Hindi , and Bengali with dedicated on-ground teams working on all three. BOOM also broadcasts daily on Facebook and YouTube with live updates and checks on the latest news material being worked upon. They can be found on Twitter (@boomlive_in) and on Facebook. Starting March 2020, BOOM has expanded its fact-checking network overseas, to Myanmar and Bangladesh, with experienced local teams leading the initiative. https://www.boommyanmar.com/about-us/ BOOM has been in existence since 2014 as a broad investigative journalism effort and as full-fledged fake news busting and fact-checking initiative since November 2016. For more details, please visit https://www.boomlive.in. Media Contact:

Manisha Dalal

manisha@livedataviz.in

+91-9833448457

Live Data Visualisation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70b0jF2s5So

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[June 14, 2021] IDC Forecasts Solid Growth for the Hard Disk Drive and Solid State Drive Markets to Meet Increasing Demand for Data Storage Capacity

International Data Corporation (IDC) recently published new forecasts for the worldwide hard disk drive (HDD) and solid state drive (SSD) markets. While both markets were affected the COVID-19 pandemic, the outlook looks good as demand for storage remains strong in multiple areas. Worldwide HDD industry petabyte shipments are expected to see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.5% over the 2020-2025 forecast period and average capacity per drive is forecast to increase at a five-year CAGR of 25.5%. "While the client HDD market continues a long-term secular decline due to rising SSD attach rates, the COVID-19 pandemic has over the near term increased the demand for certain types of HDDs, particularly mobile HDDs as well as capacity-optimized HDDs," said Edward Burns, research director, Hard Disk Drive and Storage Technologies at IDC (News - Alert) . "And the demand for storage capacity continues to grow at a steady pace as the world creates and stores more and more data." The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the various segments of the HDD market - enterprise storage systems, personal computers (PCs), personal and entry-level storage (PELS) devices, video surveillance systems, and consumer electronics products - in different ways. Key trends in the worldwide HDD market include: HDD petabyte demand from OEM storage customers will be higher for 2021 in large part due to an increase in on-premises datacenter projects, business reopening trends, and a freeing up of budget dollars for on-premises projects that were previously put on hold early in the pandemic.

HDD demand from cloud service providers (SPs) and hyperscale datacenter customers is expected to remain strong throughout the forecast period, with petabytes growing at a CAGR of 31% through 2025.

2021 HDD petabyte demand remains solid and new demand from blockchain storage and cryptocurrencies such as the Chia are creating higher demand in an already tight market.

The increased demand for PCs brought on by work-from-home and distance learning needs has resulted in a significantly higher forecast for client HDDs in 2021 and over the course of the forecast.

The market for video surveillance-class HDDs will remain on track with strong capacity demand driven by growing video surveillance, machine vision, camera resolution, and customer video retention trends. Like the HDD market, demand for SSDs continues to benefit from work- and school-from-home trends that have boosted demand for PCs. Higher SSD demand is also reflected in the enterprise market, as companies make the necessary investments in both cloud and traditional IT to support business operations. "The pandemic has accelerated the need for transformation, and worlwide demand for SSDs has increased because of this trend as both consumers and businesses have looked to take advantage of the technologies' benefits," said Jeff Janukowicz, research vice president, Solid State Drives and Enabling Technologies at IDC. "IDC believes that most of the long-term trends remain intact, enabling broader SSD adoption over the forecast period, and worldwide SSD units and capacity shipped are higher than the prior forecast thanks to increasing demand from client devices, enterprise storage customers, and cloud service providers."



IDC expects worldwide SSD unit shipments will increase at a 2020-2025 CAGR of 7.8% and worldwide SSD revenue will grow at a CAGR of 9.2% over the same period, reaching $51.5 billion in revenue by 2025. Worldwide SSD capacity shipments are expected to grow at a 2020-2025 CAGR of 33.0% as IDC expects ongoing price erosion in the long-term SSD pricing outlook. Some key developments in the worldwide SSD market include:

SSD pricing remains volatile and elevated in the near term as vendors look to match supply with higher demand and as end customers look to lock-in favorable pricing. Over the forecast, ongoing technology advancements in NAND flash will continue to enable more cost-effective solutions helping to further increase demand for SSDs.

Demand for client SSDs is significantly higher than previously forecast as work- and school-from-home trends have meaningfully increased expectations for the portable PC market over the forecast period.

In the enterprise market, near-term demand for SSDs remains strong from both cloud and traditional IT market segments. Over the forecast, lower prices will drive demand elasticity and system optimization around flash, coupled with digital infrastructure modernization, and expanding cloud-centric architectures will continue to provide ongoing secular demand for solid state storage technologies. The IDC report, Worldwide Hard Disk Drive Forecast, 2021-2025 (Doc #US47633121), provides a forecast for hard disk drives shipped worldwide for use in enterprise storage systems, personal computers (PCs), personal and entry-level storage (PELS) devices, video surveillance systems, and consumer electronics products, as well as HDDs shipped to global distributors or HDDs sold through retail channels. Forecast figures for unit shipments, petabyte shipments, and revenues are available in each use category. The report, Worldwide Solid State Storage Forecast, 2021-2025 (IDC #US46412021), presents an outlook for the solid state drive (SSD) market for the 2021-2025 period. SSD industry dynamics and the end-device forecast changes are aggregated, analyzed, and applied to IDC's long-term SSD forecast in terms of units, revenue, and petabytes for each consumption category keeping businesses afloat by enabling remote work, agile business, and external digital engagement of SSDs (client, enterprise, and commercial). About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter (News - Alert) at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005109/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Riverbed Recognized on the CRN 2021 Software-Defined Data Center 50 List

Riverbed (News - Alert) today announced that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Riverbed to its 2021 Software-Defined Data Center 50 list. This annual list acknowledges technology vendors that partner with solution providers to virtualize all aspects of data center infrastructure - from storage and networking to compute and security - to truly deliver a software-centric IT solution. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005091/en/ Riverbed recognized on the CRN 2021 Software-Defined Data Center 50 list. (Graphic: Business Wire) LinkedIn (News - Alert) : Riverbed recognized on the CRN 2021 Software-Defined Data Center 50 list: https://rvbd.ly/3vdCEJJ The list is selected by a panel of CRN editors each year, who review companies based on feedback from solution providers in the industry, as well as the strength of the vendors' technology portfolios, effectiveness, visibility, business and sales influence, and their impact on the channel. CRN's Software-Defined Data Center 50 List recognizes forward-thinking technology providers that seek to nurture, innovate, and grow the data center industry with modern, software-centric technologies. Riverbed was chosen as a premier technology supplier based on the strength of the product portfolio it offers through partners, as well as its overall standing in the IT channel. "We are thrilled to be recognized as a CRN Software-Defined Data Center 50 company and it speaks to the hard work and dedication of our team and Riverbed's partner community in delivering market-leading solutions to solve critical business problems," said Eric Tinker, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales at Riverbed. "The Riverbed Channel ecosystem, supported by our innovative partner program, Riverbed Rise, enables channel partners to move customers toward hybrid and modern work-from-anywhere environments and build out service provider practices as the market shifts to more consumption based models. With market-leading technology that provides greater visibility and performance of networks and applications, together we provide end customers with better security, user experiences and overall increased business performance." "From industry stalwarts to innovative startups, these vendors are transforming the software-defined data center market, partnering with top solution providers to create agile, efficient, cost-effective data center solutions that foster scalable, easy-to-manage IT environments," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "We at The Channel Company congratuate them on their dedication to delivering best-in-class data center products and services to help improve business across the industry. They are truly raising the bar for the modern data center."



The Software-Defined Data Center 50 list is featured online at www.CRN.com/SDDC50 About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers, and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.  2021 The Channel Company, LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved. About Riverbed Riverbed enables organizations to maximize performance and visibility for networks and applications, so they can overcome complexity and fully capitalize on their digital and cloud investments. The Riverbed Network and Application Performance Platform enables organizations to visualize, optimize, remediate and accelerate the performance of any network for any application, and helps to identify and mitigate cybersecurity threats. The platform addresses performance and visibility holistically with best-in-class WAN optimization, network performance management (NPM), application acceleration (including Office 365, SaaS (News - Alert) , client and cloud acceleration), and enterprise-grade SD-WAN. Riverbed's 30,000+ customers include 99% of the Fortune 100. Learn more at riverbed.com. Riverbed and any Riverbed product or service name or logo used herein are trademarks of Riverbed Technology, Inc. All other trademarks used herein belong to their respective owners. Connect with Riverbed Facebook

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SlideShare View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005091/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Volta Charging Collaborates With Southern California Edison and Albertsons Companies to Raise EV Awareness

SAN FRANCISCO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Volta Industries, Inc. (Volta Charging), an industry leader in commerce-centric EV charging networks, is collaborating with Southern California Edison (SCE), the largest electricity provider for Southern California, and Albertsons Companies' Vons grocery store to share SCE's innovative outdoor advertising campaign touting the benefits of driving electric vehicles (EVs). The content will appear on charging stations owned and operated by Volta Charging at Vons grocery store in Lakewood, CA. Volta Charging builds and operates EV charging stations featuring eye-catching digital displays that function as a sophisticated media network. Located in front of retail locations, these sponsor-supported charging stations provide complimentary energy to customers who are able to plug in their vehicles right where they park and shop. "We wanted to reach drivers about the benefits of electric vehicles right where they live, and by providing charging infrastructure equitably in our service area," said Grant Takahashi, a senior advisor in SCE's eMobility group who developed the EV awareness campaign focused on underserved communities. The ads will serve to remind the public that driving an electric car can mean cleaner air, lower driving costs and the potential to receive EV rebates. "Albertsons Companies and Vons are proud to support SCE's EV Awareness efforts through our Volta charging network. Vons is committed to integrating sustainability into our everyay business decisions to enable our associates, customers, and stakeholders to create better lives, vibrant neighborhoods, and a healthier planet. The Volta network provides an environmentally friendly electric vehicle charging option for our customers. We are proud to be a partner in this EV Awareness effort,"?said Kevin Curry, President, Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions, Southern California Division.



In addition to the charging station at the Vons grocery store in Lakewood, eight more sites  shopping centers and other locations  are expected to come online in the next few months. "The widespread adoption of electric vehicles will benefit individuals, communities and the environment at large. Volta is pleased to work with Southern California Edison and Albertsons to deliver this message directly to members of the Lakewood community," said Scott Mercer, Founder and CEO of Volta Charging. "By placing our charging network directly in front of essential services like Vons grocery store, we can also relay the added convenience for drivers who want to 'fuel up' where and when they shop, rather than drive to a separate gas station."

About Volta Charging

Volta Charging is an industry leader in commerce-centric EV charging networks. Volta Charging's vision is to build EV charging networks that capitalize on and catalyze the shift from combustion-powered miles to electric miles by placing stations where consumers live, work, shop and play. By leveraging a data-driven understanding of driver behavior to deliver EV charging solutions that fit seamlessly into drivers' daily routines, Volta Charging's goal is to benefit consumers, brands and real-estate locations while helping to build the infrastructure of the future. As part of Volta Charging's unique EV charging offering, its stations allow it to enhance its site hosts' and strategic partners' core commercial interests, creating a new means for them to benefit from the transformative shift to electric mobility. To learn more, visit www.voltacharging.com. In February 2021, Volta and Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: SNPR), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company with a strategic focus on energy sustainability and decarbonizing transportation, announced they entered into a business combination agreement. Upon the closing of the transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, the combined entity will be named Volta Inc. and remain on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol "VLTA". About Albertsons Companies

Locally great and nationally strong, Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. Albertsons Cos. operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, and Carrs. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2019 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company gave over $224 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veterans' outreach. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volta-charging-collaborates-with-southern-california-edison-and-albertsons-companies-to-raise-ev-awareness-301311196.html SOURCE Volta

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[June 14, 2021] Health Logic Interactive Announces Proof-of-Concept Test Results and Advancement of its Lab-on-Chip Technology

TSXV: CHIP.H CALGARY, AB, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Health Logic Interactive Inc. ("Health Logic" or the "Company") (TSXV: CHIP.H)(OTCPK: CHYPF) is pleased to report positive preliminary proof-of-concept test results of its first urine creatinine chip prototype (uC-Chip beta version), which successfully validated the clinically relevant detection range. In parallel to further optimizing and validating the uC-Chip beta version, the Company's research team is working to advance the design and modeling of the integrated urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio chip (uACR-Chip) prototype. Health Logic is pleased to announce these developments as the Company prepares for its pre-submission meeting with the United States Food and Drug Administration. "We are proud of our latest achievement: successfully developing an initial prototype of the urine creatinine chip with supported preliminary validation data. This advancement brings us even closer to completion of our uACR-Chip, a lab-on-chip technology that we anticipate will allow for an accurate and sensitive test for chronic kidney disease at point-of-care," stated David Barthel, CEO Health Logic Interactive Inc. About Health Logic Interactive Health Logic Interactive, through its wholly owned operating subsidiary My Health Logic, is developing and commercializing consumer focused handheld point-of-care diagnostic devices that connect to patient's smartphones and digital continued care platforms. The Company plans to use their patent pending lab-on-chip technology to provide rapid results and facilitate the transfer of thatdata from the diagnostic device to the patient's smartphone. The Company expects this data collection will allow it to better assess patient risk profiles and provide better patient outcomes. Our mission is to empower people with the ability to get early detection anytime, anywhere with actionable digital management for chronic kidney disease. For more information visit us at: www.healthlogicinteractive.com.



Further information regarding Health Logic Interactive Inc. and its disclosure documents are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Notes Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding the expected timing and success of the regulatory approval process, the successful completion of the uACR-Chip, the ability of the uACR-Chip to allow for accurate and sensitive testing for chronic kidney disease at point-of-care, and the Company's strategy, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "believe", "expect", "aim", "intend", "plan", "continue", "will", "may", "would", "anticipate", "estimate", "forecast", "predict", "project", "seek", "should" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to the risk factors discussed in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2020. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/health-logic-interactive-announces-proof-of-concept-test-results-and-advancement-of-its-lab-on-chip-technology-301311416.html SOURCE Health Logic Interactive Inc.

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[June 14, 2021] Wipro Enables Zero Cost Transformation with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Wipro (News - Alert) Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced it is collaborating with Oracle (News - Alert) to launch Wipro Zero Cost Transformation, a new offering that helps organizations migrate to the cloud. Wipro is a member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN). As enterprises seek to generate value from the cloud, their journey is often hindered by excessive costs, ineffective implementations and slow processes. With Wipro's Zero Cost Transformation, companies can migrate their workloads to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) with lower cost, shift from a Capital expenditures (CapEx) to Operating expenses (OpEx) model, and benefit from application and infrastructure support provided under a managed-services framework. Zero Cost Transformation eliminates the challenge of dealing with multiple service providers for cloud migration and support. It also provides a seamless and risk-mitigated migration, as Wipro is an Oracle Managed Service Expertise partner and has increased its Oracle Cloud certifications consultants by 400% in less than three years. The new offering, delivered in collaboration with Oracle, provides organizations access to best-in-class enterprise security and technology innovation. Built on Wipro's six-step migration methodology and proprietary tools and accelerators, the solution enables a fast and secure migration to OCI with reduced total cost of ownership. Harish Dwarkanhalli, President, Applications & Data, Wipro Limited said, "As the cloud takes on strategic importance, we are committed to making the transition as easy as possible for organizations worldwide. The launch of the Zero Cost Transformation offering for OCI is a testament to Wipro's partnership approach with customers. We look forward to developing further solutions with Oracle that empower companies to embrace the cloud quickly, effectivel, and with an eye toward value."



Doug Smith, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Oracle said, "Zero Cost Transformation, a unique offering from Wipro, enables organizations to leverage the power of the cloud to meet rapidly changing market and business needs. We strongly believe that organizations that are invested in the Oracle on-premise landscape and are seeking the opportunities offered by the Oracle Cloud will benefit from this initiative." Phil Fersht, Founder and CEO, HFS Research said, "There is simply no option but to have a transformation plan to manage data and design processes in the cloud to keep companies operating effectively in the new reality. In this Work-from-Anywhere Economy, our global talent has to come together to create a borderless, completely digital business; this is the true environment for real digital transformation in action. The Wipro/Oracle partnership removes many of the cost, quality and time barriers those companies could experience and is a positive step forward to enable global enterprises to embrace their cloud future."

Note: The Zero Cost Transformation offering is subject to certain terms and conditions. About Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 200,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future. About Oracle PartnerNetwork Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) is Oracle's partner program designed to enable partners to accelerate the transition to cloud and drive superior customer business outcomes. The OPN program allows partners to engage with Oracle through track(s) aligned to how they go to market: Cloud Build for partners that provide products or services built on or integrated with Oracle Cloud; Cloud Sell for partners that resell Oracle Cloud technology; Cloud Service for partners that implement, deploy and manage Oracle Cloud Services; and License & Hardware for partners that build, service or sell Oracle software licenses or hardware products. Customers can expedite their business objectives with OPN partners who have achieved Expertise in a product family or cloud service. To learn more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partnernetwork Trademarks Oracle, Java, and MySQL are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. Forward-looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers' ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers' purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005492/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Fortune Global 500 B2B Companies Stand to Miss Out on $1 Trillion in Profits

DENVER, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new white paper predicts that B2B companies within the Fortune Global 500 will potentially fail to capture a staggering one trillion dollars in profits over the next five years. "There's an enormous amount of potential profit that could be easily captured by implementing price optimization." The white paper, "$1 Trillion on the Table: What B2B Companies Stand to Lose Without Price Optimization and Management Software," was researched and written by Robert Irwin and Mitchell D Lee, consultants at global price optimization and management solutions provider Vendavo. The shortfall, they say, is because only 14% of companies apply PO&M tools or methodology. This leads to them missing out on profits and margins during what many predict to be a strong rebound from the disruptions of 2020. "Companies are adopting Price Optimization and Management (P&OM) solutions because they can't keep up with pricing complexity and want a consistent and effective way to manage pricing," said Mark Thomason, IDC ResearchDirector for Digital Business Models and Monetization. "After implementation, they typically find money on the table with stale price exceptions and underpriced customers, but the surprise benefit is a higher NPS score because salespeople can support price changes with data and react quickly to negotiations."



Companies using PO&M solutions typically realize bottom-line benefits in the range of 1% to 3% of top-line revenue, in the authors' experience. By using a conservative estimate of a 1.5% return on sales that's not being captured by the portion of 10,000 B2B companies not using PO&M, they arrived at the $1 trillion figure. "Regardless of how you play with the model," says Bruno Slosse, CEO of Vendavo, "It's based on deliberately conservative projections, and still comes back to the fact there's an enormous amount of potential profit that could be easily captured by implementing price optimization."

The white paper is available here: https://www.vendavo.com/1-trillion-on-the-table/ About Vendavo

Vendavo provides leading-edge pricing and sales solutions to empower global manufacturers and distributors to digitally transform their commercial operations in order to unlock value, grow margins and accelerate revenue. These solutions, combined with its value consulting services, enable Vendavo to deliver outcomes that are not only predictable, but unrivaled. Please visit http://www.vendavo.com for more information View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fortune-global-500-b2b-companies-stand-to-miss-out-on-1-trillion-in-profits-301310772.html SOURCE Vendavo

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[June 14, 2021] CoreStack Wins People's Choice Stevie Award In 2021 American Business Awards

CoreStack, a global cloud governance provider that empowers enterprises to unleash the power of cloud on their terms by helping them achieve continuous and autonomous cloud governance at scale, today announced that it was named the winner of People's Choice Stevie Award in the 2021 Annual American Business Awards for Favorite New Products, close on the heels of winning the Gold Stevie Award in the Cloud Infrastructure category in the 19th Annual American Business Awards. This recognition further endorses CoreStack's AI-powered multi-cloud governance solutions that enable enterprises to decrease cloud costs while increasing operational efficiencies by governing cloud operations, security, cost, access, and resources, as well as assuring 100% cloud compliance with standards such as ISO, FedRAMP, NIST, HIPAA, PCI (News - Alert) -DSS, AWS CIS & AWS Well Architected Framework (WAF). The People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products are a feature of The American Business Awards in which the public can vote for their favorite new products and services of the year. More than 92,000 votes were cast in people's choice categories this year. All new products and services nominated in the ABAs' new product categories were included in people's choice voting. More than 3,800 nominations were submitted to this year's American Business Awards for consideration in a wide range of categories. In the words of one of the American Awards Judges "CoreStack's cloud governance solution is impressive in that it covers compliance aspects, security, and cost optimization. The AI-powered solution also means that they can detect security threats that evolve continuously. The artifacts provided are sufficient to assess the impact of this solution. The product/platform perfectly fits into this category. This product needs to be recognized." CoreStack's award-winning cloud governance solution is at the leading edge of FinOps, SecOps, and CloupOps related solutions for enterprises adopting multi-clod strategies. CoreStack's next generation solutions tackle operational complexities, security and regulatory compliance, and unabated cloud costs, which if not managed well, can derail digital transformation. CoreStack helps enterprises overcome these challenges with deeper cloud visibility, governance guardrails, and automatic remediation. Built on cloud-native services, CoreStack uses a unique Cloud-as-Code approach which uses deep AI/ML, declarative definitions, and a patented cloud service-chaining technology.



"We are thrilled about this recognition as a People's Choice Stevie Award winner and thank our customers for all the support. Both the People's Choice and Gold Stevie awards are judged by industry experts who understand the complexity of cloud governance and management," said Bala Vishwanath, Chief Marketing Officer at CoreStack. "These awards are a testimony to our capabilities in this space. We believe our innovative cloud governance solutions are truly at the forefront of the industry." More information about CoreStack can be found at www.corestack.io.

About CoreStack CoreStack, an AI-powered multi-cloud governance solution, empowers enterprises to unleash the power of cloud on their terms by helping them rapidly achieve continuous and autonomous cloud governance at scale. CoreStack enables enterprises to realize outcomes across FinOps, SecOps and CloudOps such as 40% decrease in cloud costs and 50% increase in operational efficiencies by governing operations, security, cost, access, and resources. CoreStack also assures 100% compliance with standards such as ISO, FedRAMP, NIST, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, AWS CIS & Well Architected Framework (WAF). Enterprises face significant cloud challenges including unpredictable and unabated cloud costs, ever growing security risks, stringent regulatory compliance needs and operational complexities as they navigate the digital transformation journey. CoreStack helps enterprises overcome these challenges by offering deeper cloud visibility, preventative governance guardrails, and automatic remediation. With a unique Cloud-as-Code approach that uses deep AI/ML, declarative definitions, connector-less model, and a patented cloud service-chaining technology, CoreStack continually innovates to harness the real power of cloud. CoreStack works with many large global customers across multiple industries including Financial Services, Healthcare, Retail, Education, Telecommunications, Technology and Government. The company is backed by venture investors including Iron Pillar, Dallas Venture Capital (DVC) and Z5 Capital. CoreStack is a recent recipient of the 2021 Gold Stevie American Business Awards in the Cloud Infrastructure category. In addition, CoreStack won the 2021 Best New Products American Business Award in Cloud Governance. CoreStack was recognized as IDC (News - Alert) Innovator in Cloud Management Solutions and in the Gartner Magic quadrant for Cloud Management Platforms in 2020. The Company is a three-time TiE50 Winner and a Emerge 50 League-10 NASSCOM award recipient in Enterprise Software. CoreStack is a Google (News - Alert) Cloud Build Partner, Microsoft Azure Gold & Co-Sell Partner, and Amazon AWS Advanced Technology Competency Partner. Learn more at www.corestack.io. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005262/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Philippe Cousteau Jr's EarthEcho International Introduces The Three Winning Youth Teams In The Second Annual OurEcho Challenge

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Meet the inspiring youth working to protect native wildlife and habitats. EarthEcho International, the global nonprofit dedicated to building a youth movement to protect and restore our ocean planet, today announced the three middle school teams selected as the grand prize winners of the OurEcho Challenge. The winning teams were part of a STEM competition designed to engage young problem solvers in protecting the diversity of species and ecosystems that make life on earth possible. The competition is made possible through the support of Aramco Americas. "All of the finalist teams for this year's OurEcho Challenge demonstrated vision and creativity in targeting local biodiversity challenges. We cannot wait to see what these emerging environmental champions do in the future," said EarthEcho founder Philippe Cousteau. "Our grand prize winners presented projects that impressed our panel of judges with their clear view of how everyday science and out-of-the-box thinking can provide viable solutions to a range of ecosystem challenges." "We congratulate all the winners of the OurEcho Challenge," said Nabeel I. AlAfaleg, Aramco Americas President & CEO. "They represent a new generation of leaders dedicated to solving environmental challenges  beginning with those in their own backyard. Aramco is pleased to support environmental initiatives like this one and is joining with its partners to inspire young people to get involved." The OurEcho Challenge supports three grand prize winners that were selected from 10 finalist teams competing for $5,000, $2,000, and $1,000 grants to further the work of their projects to protect and restore biodiversity. The OurEcho Challenge equips U.S. middle school students, guided by an educator or mentor, to tackle the decline in biodiversity by identifying threats and proposing solutions to protect natural esources in their communities.



The OurEcho Challenge winning teams are as follows: $5,000 Grand Prize Winner

TEAM ALGAE BIOFILTRATION is researching how growing beneficial algae can outcompete the harmful algal blooms in both salt and freshwater environments using the campus pond at Windermere Prep in Central Florida as a representative ecosystem.

Windermere Preparatory School, Windermere, FL

Team - Sofia Marrero , Margarita Guzman , Brandon Doggett

Mentor - Ashley Hollern $2,000 Grand Prize Winner

TEAM HABITAT HOTELS is restoring the native habitats in the Aurora, IL area by removing invasive plant species and replacing those with native, pollinator-friendly plants.

Bednarcik Junior High School, Aurora, IL

Team - Prabhav Parna , Denel Phinn , Lydia Gerety

Mentor - Amy Truemper $1,000 Grand Prize Winner

TEAM SPRINGTAILS is addressing the decline of insect species, specifically pollinators, through habitat enhancement, increased native vegetation, the adoption of organic practices, and observations at the bank of the Mystic River, MA.

Door 55 School, Medford, MA ?

Team - Aranya Karighattam

Mentor - Kavita Karighattam Team Algae Biofiltration, Team Habitat Hotels, and Team Springtails were selected after presenting their projects virtually to a panel of judges and members of the public on June 11, 2021, during a Facebook Live event. A panel of judgescomprised of youth, environmental and corporate leaders, engineers, scientists, and educatorsreviewed presentations from 10 finalist teams and selected the three grand prize winners based on their projects' inspiration, scientific rigor, feasibility, and how well the team communicated.

For more information and updates about the OurEcho Challenge, visit www.OurEchoChallenge.org or follow EarthEcho International on Facebook: www.facebook.com/earthecho Twitter: www.twitter.com/earthecho and Instagram: www.instagram.com/earthecho/. For more information about EarthEcho International, visit www.earthecho.org. For more information about program sponsor Aramco Americas, visit https://americas.aramco.com/. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/philippe-cousteau-jrs-earthecho-international-introduces-the-three-winning-youth-teams-in-the-second-annual-ourecho-challenge-301311662.html SOURCE EarthEcho International

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[June 14, 2021] Latham & Watkins Expands Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Practices in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce that Tana Ryan has joined the firm's Los Angeles office as a partner in the Corporate Department and member of the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Practices. Ms. Ryan represents private equity funds and public and private companies in a variety of matters, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, take private transactions, distressed acquisitions, SPAC and deSPAC transactions, minority investments, recapitalizations, and other complex corporate transactions. Ms. Ryan's clients have included many of the leading private equity funds and their portfolio companies, as well as public companies. She has led scores of complex transactions in a wide variety of industries. "Tana is a tremendous addition to our leading Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Practices, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the firm," said Charles Ruck, Global Chair of Latham's Corporate Department. "As M&A activity continues at a record pace, clients are increasingly seeking a one-stop, globally integrated law firm to advise on their most sophisticated transactions, and the addition of Tana underscores our continued commitment to growing in line with our clients' needs." "The M&A and private equity teams in our Los Angeles office work on some of the most exciting and complex deals in southern California, across the US, and internationally, and Tana is an excellent addition to our strong platform," said Larry Seymour, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles. "Continuing to grow thee transactional practices in Southern California is a strategic priority of the firm as we are continuously focused on delivering best-in-class service on the most sophisticated and high-stakes deals in the market."



"Tana has significant experience representing leading private equity firms and their portfolio companies on sophisticated deals, and we are excited to welcome her to our premier global practice," said Paul Sheridan, Global Chair of Latham's Private Equity Practice. "She has managed deals across a wide range of industries and geographies, and is known throughout the market for delivering the highest quality of work." "I am thrilled to be joining Latham's impressive global platform, which is second to none and will allow me to serve my clients comprehensively both domestically and internationally," said Ms. Ryan. "I have been drawn to Latham's collegial culture and reputation for working with a team-based approach, and look forward to taking part in the fantastic work for which the firm is known."

Ryan joins Latham from Kirkland & Ellis in Los Angeles. She received her JD from the University of Chicago Law School. She has been recognized as one of the most influential women by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2018 and 2021. About Latham & Watkins (lw.com)

Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world's largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability. Notes to Editors

1 Latham & Watkins operates worldwide as a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (USA) with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and as an affiliated partnership conducting the practice in Japan. Latham & Watkins operates in South Korea as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office. Latham & Watkins works in cooperation with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Contacts

Charles Ruck, Global Chair, Corporate Department, +1.212.418.7625

Larry Seymour, Los Angeles Office Managing Partner, +1.213.891.8780

Paul Sheridan, Global Chair, Private Equity Practice, +1.202.637.2287 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/latham--watkins-expands-private-equity-and-mergers--acquisitions-practices-in-los-angeles-301311477.html SOURCE Latham & Watkins

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[June 14, 2021] ASAP Tickets celebrates its 20th anniversary stronger than ever before

SAN FRANCISCO, June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, the international airline booking platform ASAP Tickets celebrates its 20th anniversary. Over the past five years, 32,200,242 new users have come to the platform, purchasing 1,128,301 tickets to their local and international destinations worldwide. In the midst of the pandemic, as lockdowns and tight restrictions decimated the travel industry worldwide, ASAP Tickets was able to reorganize its entire technical operation in record time to adapt to the new market environment brought on by the pandemic. Conceived out of a small garage in San Francisco in 2001, ASAP Tickets rapidly grew to fill the need of underserved communities across the United States. "Ethnic communities were historically ignored by the travel industry back then. Unable to speak English, newly arrived immigrants had real difficulties in purchasing travel products. ASAP Tickets was founded precisely to respond to he needs of those communities," states Alex Weinstein, the founder of ASAP Tickets.



Thanks to the ability to quickly respond to the challenges of today and its innovative tech solutions, almost 22% of all airline tickets between the United States and the Philippines, and almost 15% of all airline tickets between the United States and Africa were purchased on ASAP Tickets in the first four months of 2021. "The lessons we've learned as a result of the pandemic are extremely valuable. We've reoriented our sales operations to domestic flights  a vital lifeline in a world of international travel restrictions. We've created an entirely new infrastructure to support our agents working from home, which has actually improved our overall retention and hiring. By dealing with these challenges, we have proven our trustworthiness, our strength and grit to both our employees and clients," says Alex Weinstein. ASAP Tickets is one of the key brands of the DYNINNO group in the travel segment, and one of the largest ticket booking sites in the United States. It is a certified airfare booking platform that is partnered with over 200 airline companies and offers domestic and international tickets to a variety of destinations worldwide, all at a great price. Over 1,500 travel specialists across the world provide individual 24/7 customer support to ASAP Tickets clients at every stage of their journey. www.asaptickets.com

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9hhsVdvstU&t=79s View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asap-tickets-celebrates-its-20th-anniversary-stronger-than-ever-before-301310113.html SOURCE Dyninno Group

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[June 14, 2021] Cooperation and development agreement signed with Greenfield Global - The Port of Montreal sets course for innovative new green energy solutions

MONTREAL, June 14, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - In response to the global movement to decarbonize the transportation industry, and consistent with its leadership in environmental issues, the Montreal Port Authority continues to evolve towards clean energy, notably green hydrogen, ethanol and methanol. On June 10, it signed a cooperation and development agreement with Greenfield Global, which specializes in the production of biofuels. In the wake of dockside shore power implemented in 2017, the development of green hydrogen will make indirect shore supply of electrical power possible for the marine industry. To cooperate and develop United in a shared vision to encourage the energy transition and diversify environmentally responsible energy alternatives, the Montreal Port Authority and Greenfield decided to pool their expertise. The signed cooperation and development agreement aims to identify, conceive and implement innovative green energy solutions, among which green hydrogen, ethanol and methanol are at the forefront. A working committee has been set up to oversee the development and implementation of these new energy solutions for current and future MPA activities as well as those of MPA partners and the marine industry. A global movement Commercial shipping carries more than 80% of the world's oods and accounts for about 3% of global GHG emissions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a goal to cut GHG emissions related to commercial shipping in half by 2050.



As one of the most environmentally responsible ports in North America according to Green Marine's annual ranking, by achieving the highest level (5) across all environmental matters, the Port of Montreal is continuing its transition to clean technologies and low-carbon fuels. In recent years, the Port of Montreal has taken several actions to significantly reduce its GHG emissions. More specifically, it has rolled out over 20 shore power connection points where wintering and cruise ships can plug in dockside, a fleet of fully hybrid service vehicles, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) refuelling solution and next-generation low-GHG emitting locomotives. These various initiatives and those of its partners, who since 1993 have been bound to comply with environment clauses in their leases, have enabled the MPA to reduce GHG emissions specific to its own activities by 25% since 2007 and to lower the intensity of GHG emissions by 22% between 2010 and 2017 for all activities on Port territory in Montreal and Contrecur.

"Developing low-carbon fuels is the way of the future for the transportation industry. The Port of Montreal wants to position itself among the forerunners and strengthen its position as a leader on the St. Lawrence in terms of sustainable development. Our trade objectives are integral to our sustainable development objectives, and we firmly believe that this alignment will help boost the competitiveness of the St. Lawrence", said Martin Imbleau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Montreal Port Authority. "As the leading producer of low-carbon transportation fuel in Quebec, we are excited to partner with the Port of Montreal to develop and commercialize green hydrogen and green methanol solutions for the maritime industry. Greenfield recognizes the importance of implementing biofuels for commercial shipping in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and plans to play an important role in helping the maritime transportation industry reach its sustainability goals", said Howard Field, CEO, Greenfield Global. About the Port of Montreal Operated by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the Port of Montreal is the second largest port in Canada and a diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of goods: containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. The only container port in Quebec, it is a destination port served by the largest shipping lines in the world. It is also an intermodal hub with a service offering that is unique in North America, featuring its own rail network directly dockside connected to Canada's two national rail networks. The MPA also operates a Cruise Terminal and a Port Centre. The MPA factors economic, social and environmental components into its corporate initiatives. This commitment is governed by a sustainable development policy whose guiding principles focus on involvement, cooperation and accountability. Port activity supports 19,000 jobs and generates $2.6 billion in economic benefits annually. SOURCE Montreal Port Authority

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[June 14, 2021] NCTC Salutes Members in the Cable TV Pioneers Class of 2021

LENEXA, Kan., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC), representing more than 700 broadband and cable operators serving all 50 states, congratulates five of its members and one former board member who are among the twenty-four outstanding individuals selected for the Cable TV Pioneers' 55th annual induction. The NCTC members recognized in the Cable TV Pioneers Class of 2021 are: John Higginbotham, ACA Connects Mark Adams, Cox Communications Patricia Baughman, Cable One (Sparklight) Jack Caparrell, Service Electric Jim Holanda, Astound Broadband Patricia (Patsy) Smullin, California Oregon Broadcasting Inc. "All f us at NCTC send our congratulations to Mark, Patricia, Jack, Jim, and Patsy. They each exemplify the commitment to customers, community, and company that we see throughout our roster of member operators." said Lou Borrelli, CEO of NCTC.



The Pioneers intends to hold its 2021 Annual Induction in conjunction with this year's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. About the National Cable Television Cooperative

The National Cable Television Cooperative, Inc. (NCTC) is a Kansas-based, not-for-profit corporation that operates as a programming, broadband solutions and hardware purchasing organization for its member companies that own and operate cable systems throughout the U.S. and its territories. NCTC seeks to maximize current and future opportunities to ensure the profitability, competitive stature and long-term sustainability of its member companies. NCTC represents more than 700 small and mid-sized independent cable and broadband operators across the U.S., in programming and technology acquisition. NCTC is actively engaged in helping network providers and suppliers evolve their business models to deploy new video/data solutions to match the changes in the media landscape.

Contact:

Pam Gillies

NCTC

Pgillies@nctconline.org

(720) 594-8085 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nctc-salutes-members-in-the-cable-tv-pioneers-class-of-2021-301311751.html SOURCE National Cable Television Cooperative

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[June 14, 2021] BAE Systems San Diego Shipyard to Modernize USS San Diego

BAE Systems (News - Alert) has received a $90.2 million contract from the U.S. Navy for the maintenance and modernization of the amphibious transport dock USS San Diego (LPD 22). The value of the competitively awarded contract could reach $104.8 million if all options are exercised. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005685/en/ USS San Diego returns to its namesake homeport with the San Diego cityscape in the backgrund. U.S. Navy photo.



Under the docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) contract awarded, BAE Systems will dry-dock the 684-foot-long ship, perform work on the underwater hull, repair its system of ballast tanks, preserve its amphibious well deck area, and refurbish the living spaces for as many as 800 sailors and Marines that can be carried aboard. The work is expected to begin in September 2021 at the company's San Diego shipyard and take more than a year to complete.

"The upcoming USS San Diego project is a major event in the service life of the ship, expanding its capability to execute a wide range of naval missions for many years to come," said David M. Thomas Jr., vice president and general manager of BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair. "Our team of employees, subcontractors and Navy personnel look forward to ushering USS San Diego into its next phase of fleet readiness. We also recognize the unique and special opportunity to work aboard a ship named for our hometown." USS San Diego is the sixth ship of the San Antonio class and was commissioned in May 2012. The ship is the fourth U.S. Navy vessel named after the southern California city. BAE Systems is a leading provider of ship repair, maintenance, modernization, conversion, and overhaul services for the Navy, other government agencies, and select commercial customers. The company's San Diego shipyard has approximately 1,100 employees and works with the Navy and several subcontractor companies to accomplish its ship sustainment work. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005685/en/

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[June 14, 2021] CLO Virtual Fashion Launches Global Community for Fashion Creators

CLO Virtual Fashion, the world leader in 3D garment simulation technology, has officially launched its global community for fashion creators: CLO-SET Connect. CLO-SET Connect is the first-ever global community for fashion creators to empower their digital assets through an open marketplace, portfolio management tools, and networking solutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005716/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) Through CLO-SET Connect, creators are able to showcase their ideas and empower their designs by building their own 3D content portfolio. This allows creators to connect with each other, network, collaborate and present their works through the 3D viewer within CLO-SET Connect's platform. CLO-SET Connect's virtual open marketplace gives users the ability to purchase all vital components for 3D garment making. The marketplace seeks to provide designers an intuitive one-stop destination for all assets neded in order to create true-to-life 3D garments. Moreover, the marketplace creates a network for vendors and creators in the industry to showcase and sell their products and creations. Close to 100 renowned fabric companies and fashion subsidiary material companies, such as Swatchon and Chargeurs, have entered CLO-SET Connect as vendors, providing their digital assets to creators and brands alike. Currently over 1,500 virtual fabrics and 3D garment components are sold via CLO-SET Connect.



Since its inception, CLO Virtual Fashion has been leading the market by digitally merging, consolidating, and converging all components relating to garments through its state of the art 3D Cloth Simulation Algorithm. With CLO-SET Connect, creators will be able to showcase, connect and collaborate like never before while having access to all of the components needed for 3D garment development. About CLO Virtual Fashion

CLO Virtual Fashion is a multinational technology company founded in 2009. With more than 15 years of research and development in garment simulation, CLO Virtual Fashion is leading the market by digitally merging, consolidating, and converging all components related to digital garments through its state of the art 3D Cloth Simulation Algorithm. From 3D garment design software, digital asset management and design development collaborative platform, to consumer facing services such as virtual fitting on e-commerce, all of CLO Virtual Fashion's products and services are interconnected to provide clients and users with a more consolidated experience. Their products include CLO, 3D design software for apparel designers and brands, Marvelous Designer, 3D design software for character artists at gaming and animation companies, CLO-SET, communications and archiving platform for virtual garments, and CLO-SET Connect, global community for fashion creators and open marketplace. CLO Virtual Fashion is a global company with offices in New York, Munich, Los Angeles, Madrid, Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangalore, and Tokyo. For more information, visit http://www.clovirtualfashion.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005716/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Dr. Igor Mezic, CTO and Chief Scientist at MixMode, Joins Forbes Technology Council

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Igor Mezic, CTO and Chief Scientist at MixMode and world renowned AI researcher, has joined the Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Mezic was selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his achievements and experience in AI, network security, and complex mathematics. Mezic holds 10 patents, is best known for his contributions to operator theoretic, data driven approach to dynamical systems and was recently awarded the prestigious J.D. Crawford prize in applied mathematic by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).



We are honored to welcome Dr. Mezic into the community," said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Technology Council. "Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world." As a member of the Council, Dr. Mezic will work with Forbes to share expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts.

"I'm honored and excited to join the Forbes Technology Council and look forward to sharing my experience in the AI field with the Forbes community," said Mezic. "It has been great to use the developments in AI for cybersecurity needs over the past few years. There is clearly a customer need for AI to do the heavy lifting on identifying zero day threats and making life simpler for SOC teams. I look forward to moving all of these conversations forward." ABOUT IGOR MEZIC

Igor Mezic is CTO and Chief Scientist at MixMode. He has spent his career developing complex algorithms and artificial intelligence for data analytics. He graduated with a doctorate from Caltech, holds 10 patents, and is a professor of mechanical engineering and mathematics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Media Contact: Christian Wiens, christian.wiens@mixmode.ai View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dr-igor-mezic-cto-and-chief-scientist-at-mixmode-joins-forbes-technology-council-301311794.html SOURCE MixMode

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[June 14, 2021] IGC Reports Financial Results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2021

India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE American: IGC) announces its financial results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2021. Revenue was approximately $898 thousand and $4.1 million for Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, respectively. In Fiscal 2021, the Company's revenues were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which hindered our ability to fully operate either of our two business lines. Revenue in Fiscal 2021 was primarily derived from our Life Sciences segment, which involved sales of products such as alcohol-based hand sanitizers, among others. In Fiscal 2020, our revenue was primarily derived from the infrastructure segment. Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19, we currently have limited visibility on when either of our business segments will stabilize, generate significant revenue, and become predictable. We expect volatility in both segments in the foreseeable future. Since 2014, our team has been committed to researching the application of cannabinoids such as Tetrahydrocannabinol ("THC") and Cannabidiol ("CBD") in combination with other compounds to address various ailments, including Alzheimer's disease. With our research, we have developed intellectual property, formulations, and wellness and lifestyle brands. As recently announced, we continue to focus on our Phase 1 human trial on patients suffering from Alzheimer's' disease, for our patent pending Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-based investigational drug IGC-AD1. As Fiscal 2022 progresses, we expect to be opportunistic in providing personal protection equipment, including hand sanitizers, as the country reopens from the pandemic. The Company's highlights for Fiscal 2021 include: On July 17, 2020, the Company filed a provisional patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") for its IGC-511 formulation for a Cannabidiol-based composition and method for treating pain.

On July 30, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") issued authorization for the Company to initiate a 12-subject Phase 1 human trial study to test the safety of IGC's tetrahydrocannabinol ("THC")-based investigational new drug, IGC-AD1, intended to alleviate the symptoms of individuals suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The Company commenced the Phase 1 trial process in November 2020 and proceeded with the trial throughout the remainder of Fiscal 2021 and into Fiscal 2022. After the close of Fiscal 2021, on May 1, 2021 the Company announced that it had completed Cohort 1 of Phase 1 of the trial. On June 7, 2021, the Company announced that it had completed Cohort 2 that comprised of a higher dosing level. As previously disclosed, IGC submitted IGC-AD1 to the FDA under Section 505(i) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

On August 5, 2020, the USPTO issued the Company a patent (#10,751,300) for the Company's cannabinoid formulation (IGC-502) for the treatment of seizures in humans and veterinary animals.

On December 2, 2020, we filed a provisional patent application with the USPTO for our IGC-512 formulation for a cannabidiol-based composition and method for stress relief and calm restoring beverage.

On March 2, 2021, the USPTO issued the Company a patent (#10,933,082) for the Company's cannabinoid composition and method for treating pain in patients with Psoriatic Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Scleroderma, and other conditions.

As of March 31, 2021, the Company was a party to two consolidated shareholder lawsuits (Tchatchou v. India Globalization Capital, Inc. and Harris-Carr v. India Globalization Capital, Inc.). On April 6, 2021, after the close of the fiscal year, the plaintiffs in those lawsuits and the Company reached a preliminary agreement in principle to settle all pending shareholder litigation. The settlement is subject to the agreement and execution of formal settlement documentation and approval by the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Management expects that, if approved, a significant portion of the settlement would be covered by the Company's insurance policy, and the Company's contribution to the settlement is expected to not exceed $200 thousand. Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses increased by approximately $1.9 million or 33% to $7.9 million for Fiscal 2021, from approximately $6 million for Fiscal 2020. The increase was attributed to one-time settlement expenses, increased legal fees, $307 thousand inventory related adjustments, increased compensation expenses attributed to increased head count and associated employee-related expenses, marketing and professional expenses related to our brands and depreciation expense related to increased Property, Plant and Equipment. Research and Development ("R&D") expenses for Fiscal 2021 are approximately $929 thousand and approximately $1 million for Fiscal 2020. The cost associated with this work is mostly research comprising of plant extracts that could be productized and data to support the efficacy of the extracts, including preparing for and conducting FDA trials, product research, designing, formulating and market analysis. We expect R&D expenses to increase with progression in Phase 1 trials on IGC-AD1. Net loss for Fiscal 2021 was approximately $8.8 million or $0.21 per share, compared to approximately $7.3 million or $0.19 per share for Fiscal 2020. The larger loss is largely attributed to increased SG&A. About IGC: IGC operates two lines of business: (i) infrastructure and (ii) life sciences. The Company is based in Potomac, Maryland, U.S.A. Social media: www.igcinc.us / www.igcpharma.com Forward-looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based largely on IGC's expectations and are subject to several risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond IGC's control. For the next several years, our success is highly correlated primarily with the successful outcome of our clinical trials and the recovery of the world and local economies following the COVID-19 pandemic, and, secondarily, on the sale of our products and services candidates. IGC may not be able to complete human trials on our investigational drug candidates, or, once conducted, the results of human trials testing results may not be favorable or as anticipated. Our projections and investments anticipate stable pricing, which may not hold out over the next several years, and certain regulatory changes, specifically in states where medical cannabis has been, is, or will be legalized and the diseases which we anticipate our products will target are approved conditions for treatment or usage with cannabis/cannabinoids. We may not be able to protect our intellectual property adequately or receive patents. We may not receive regulatory approval for our products, or trials. An additional risk factor worth highlighting specifically related to patent licensing is that the patent applications we have licensed may not be granted by the USPTO, even if the Company is in full compliance with USPTO requirements. We may not have adequate resources, including financial resources, to successfully conduct all requisite clinical trials, to bring a product to market, or to pay applicable maintenance fees over time. We may not be able to successfully commercialize our products even if they are successful and receive regulatory approval. Failure or delay with respect to any of the factors above could have a material adverse effect on our business, future results of operations, our stock price, and our financial condition. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of, among other factors, competitive conditions in the industries in which IGC operates; failure to commercialize one or more of the technologies of IGC; general economic conditions that are less favorable than expected; the FDA's general position regarding hemp-based products; the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on global and regional economies in which IGC participates; and other factors, many of which are discussed in IGC's SEC (News - Alert) filings. IGC incorporates by reference the Risk Factors identified in its Annual Reports on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on June 14, 2021, and July 13, 2020, and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 19, 2020, November 20, 2020, and February 12, 2021, as if fully set forth and restated herein. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information contained in this release will in fact occur.







India Globalization Capital, Inc. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands, except share data) March 31, 2021 ($) March 31, 2020 ($) ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents 14,548 7,258 Marketable securities - 5,081 Accounts receivable, net 175 133 Inventory 5,478 4,245 Non-Marketable securities 80 - Deposits and advances 3,236 1,040 Total current assets 23,517 17,757 Intangible assets, net 407 252 Property, plant and equipment, net 10,840 9,780 Non-Marketable securities 12 11 Claims and advances 603 610 Operating lease asset 488 574 Total long-term assets 12,350 11,227 Total assets 35,867 28,984 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable 476 762 Accrued liabilities and others 1,588 1,134 Short-term loans 304 50 Total current liabilities 2,368 1,946 Long-term loans 276 - Other liabilities 15 16 Operating lease liability 405 485 Total non-current liabilities 696 501 Total liabilities 3,064 2,447 Commitments and Contingencies - See Note 12 Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value: authorized 1,000,000 shares, no shares issued or outstanding as of March 31, 2021 or March 31, 2020. - - Common stock and additional paid-in capital, $0.0001 par value: 150,000,000 shares authorized; 47,827,273 and 39,320,116 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2021 and March 31, 2020, respectively. 109,720 94,754 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (2,774 ) (2,850 ) Accumulated deficit (74,143 ) (65,367 ) Total stockholders' equity 32,803 26,537 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity 35,867 28,984

These financial statements should be read in connection with the accompanying notes on Form 10-K for the

fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on June 14, 2021. India Globalization Capital, Inc. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (in thousands, except loss per share and share data) Years Ended March 31, 2021 ($) 2020 ($) Revenue 898 4,072 Cost of revenue (785 ) (3,957 ) Gross Profit 113 115 Selling, general and administrative expenses (7,908 ) (5,968 ) Research and development expenses (929 ) (1,011 ) Operating loss (8,724 ) (6,864 ) Impairment of investment (169 ) (782 ) Other income, net 82 331 Loss before income taxes (8,811 ) (7,315 ) Income tax expense/benefit - - Net loss attributable to common stockholders (8,811 ) (7,315 ) Foreign currency translation adjustments 76 (431 ) Comprehensive loss (8,735 ) (7,746 ) Loss per share attributable to common stockholders: Basic & diluted $ (0.21 ) $ (0.19 ) Weighted-average number of shares used in computing loss per share amounts: 41,963,382 39,490,014 These financial statements should be read in connection with the accompanying notes on Form 10-K for the

fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on June 14, 2021. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005637/en/

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[June 14, 2021] GoFor Industries Announces Appointment of Ian Gardner as Chief Executive Officer

GoFor, North America's leading marketplace for last mile, on-demand and same-day delivery and logistics, today announced that its Board of Directors has selected Ian Gardner to succeed Brad Rollo as Chief Executive Officer effective June 10, 2021. Brad Rollo, Founder of GoFor, was diagnosed with cancer last year, and due to this battle he will transition to the position of Chief Strategy Officer. He will remain Executive Chairman on the Board of Directors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005810/en/ GoFor's new CEO Ian Gardner (Photo: Business Wire) "Founding and growing GoFor has been an absolute honor, privilege and one of the most rewarding things I have ever done; however, given the circumstances, I need to focus on my health to ensure the best possible outcome," said Brad Rollo, outgoing CEO and Founder. "I started this company on the back of a napkin in late 2015 with a vision to create a better delivery alternative for big and bulky products in the construction industry, a mission we have definitely accomplished." Under Rollo's leadership, GoFor now serves other verticals beyond construction, including retail, e-commerce and fulfillment, operating in 86 locations today and on track to double its operating reach across North America in 2021. The company's employee headcount has increased over 150% this past year and revenue has exceeded 5319% over the last three years. Additionally, GoFor has raised close to $30M in pre-seed, Seedand Series A growth investments.



Rollo continued, "I am very excited about the future of our business under Ian's leadership and congratulate him on the appointment as CEO of this amazing company. Ian brings a wealth of expertise which will be incredibly valuable as we continue to execute on GoFor's strategic growth initiatives. I will be working closely with Ian and I am confident that GoFor will benefit from his insights, judgment and direction." Gardner joined GoFor as part of the company's partnership with Royale EV earlier this year. He brings over 25 years of experience to GoFor in commercial EVs, energy, management consulting and finance. Gardner most recently served as CEO of Royale EV, a commercial electric fleet-as-a-service provider. Previously, he was the President of Chanje Energy, the first medium-duty, all-electric commercial truck original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and the Chief Strategy and Investment Officer of LA Cleantech Incubator. Earlier in his career, Gardner also held roles at the Boston Consulting Group and Duke Energy (News - Alert) .

"I am honored to lead GoFor Industries, and on behalf of the entire executive team and board, I want to thank Brad for building this leading delivery and logistics marketplace. I look forward to evolving his vision and the success that the company has achieved under Brad's leadership," said Ian Gardner. "It is an exciting time for the company as we embark on important efforts to unlock GoFor's full potential, scaling the business and diversifying our vertical mix and targeting new revenue streams. I am delighted that Brad will remain part of GoFor and I look forward to working with him and continuing to shape the next evolution of the company's strategy and expansion going forward into the Americas and international markets." For more information, visit www.gofordelivers.com. About GoFor "Get it Delivered Now" - that's the GoFor promise. GoFor delivers any package, small to big and bulky, locally within three hours. The Ottawa, Ontario, Canada-based company helps North American businesses of all sizes get their products into the hands of customers faster and works with some of the biggest names in the retail, construction, and supply-chain industries. Small companies can use GoFor's outsourced truck fleets and web-based scheduling solutions. Large businesses can supplement and scale their own existing fleets, and link to GoFor's logistics platform. The result is efficient, cost-effective delivery servicing today's "I want it now" online customer. For more information on GoFor, visit www.gofordelivers.com. To read more about GoFor's recent announcements, visit www.gofordelivers.com/news. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005810/en/

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[June 14, 2021] Razer Announces the Ultimate AMD Gaming Laptop: The New Razer Blade 14

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers (Hong Kong Stock Code: 1337), today announced during their E3 keynote the return of a gaming legend: The Razer Blade 14. After a three-year hiatus, the Blade 14 is back to shake up the scene as the first Razer Blade to ever feature an AMD (News - Alert) processor, the 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, offering the fastest gaming performance in its class1. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005725/en/ With the revival of the Blade 14 comes the birth of an entirely new partnership between Razer and AMD, culminating in the first Razer Blade ever to run on an AMD processor. (Photo: Business Wire) The new Razer Blade 14 will also feature up to the NVIDIA (News - Alert)  GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, and up to a Quad HD 165Hz display, all packaged into the world's most compact 14-inch gaming chassis. Rounding out the 14-inch powerhouse are the signature Razer trappings that have established Razer Blade laptops as one of a kind, including per-key Razer Chroma RGB backlighting, immersive THX Spatial Audio for dynamic sound, and an abundant offering of ports to make everyday life easier. "When we introduced the Blade 14 in 2013, Razer challenged the industry to think bigger, yet smaller. The original Blade 14 revolutionized the mobile gaming landscape, earned laptop of the decade, and brought us to where we are today," said Brad Wildes, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Razer's Systems Business Unit. "The new Blade 14 aims to shake up the industry once again by combining Razer's decade worth of experience in crafting ultra-compact and high-end gaming machines with the power and efficiency of AMD Ryzen Mobile Processors. We are thrilled to bring the ultimate mobile gaming experience to gamers with the Razer Blade 14." "As gamers demand lighter and more powerful form factors in gaming laptops, we have remained committed to our goal of delivering best-in-class mobile processors for premium OEM designs," said Saeid Moshkelani, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Client Business Unit, AMD. "We are excited to collaborate with Razer, for the first time ever, by powering the Razer Blade 14 with the best mobile processors we have developed for gaming, the Ryzen 5000 H-Series Mobile Processors." Ultra-Powerful With the revival of the Blade 14 comes the birth of an entirely new partnership between Razer and AMD, culminating in the first Razer Blade ever to run on an AMD processor. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX 8-core, 16-thread processor features a max boost clock of up to 4.6GHz, enabling it to quickly dispatch dense workloads, reduce latency when gaming, and chew through demanding workloads at breakneck speeds. The new Blade 14 with AMD Ryzen doesn't just offer the highest raw computational power in its class, but does it with a cool, quiet efficiency, providing users with up to 12 hours of battery life so they can spend less time near an outlet and more time on the move. The Blade 14 features the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs, up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU. Built with NVIDIA's Ampere architecture, the RTX 30 Series offers improved ray tracing and advanced AI features to create more visually immersive worlds. In addition to the improved graphical performance, the GeForce RTX 30 Series features a suite of Max-Q technologies such as Dynamic Boost, Whisper Mode 2.0 and a resizable BAR that allow the Blade 14 to remain silent but deadly. Ultra-Fast Matching power with visual fidelity, the Blade 14 offers the fastest 14-inch gaming displays in the market. Ranging from Full HD 144Hz up to Quad HD 165Hz, both IPS-grade panels offer excellent color coverage, reaching up to 100% SRGB on the Full HD panel and up to 100% DCI-P3 on the Quad HD panel. The high refresh rate of both panels, paired with the integrated AMD FreeSync Premium technology2, delivers a crisp and fluid visual gaming experience. To ensure a consistent and vibrant experience for every user, each panel is custom calibrated at the factory for color accuracy. Ultra-Thin ontinuing a legacy of industry-leading compact design, the Blade 14 features an all-aluminum chassis, precision milled to reduce any excess waste in the frame and anodized with a matte black coating to ensure a consistent finish that is unique to the touch and resistant to scratches. To make the Blade 14 not just thin but overall compact, the chassis dimensions have been trimmed down to a mere 0.66" x 8.66" x 12.59" - making it the world's smallest 14-inch gaming laptop. To achieve this technical feat, the Blade 14 utilizes Razer's unique vapor chamber cooling solution instead of the bulky and inefficient heat pipe systems that other gaming laptops rely on.



The vacuum-sealed chamber within the Blade 14 uses vaporized liquid to dissipate heat away from integral components, while working in tandem with two ultra-low-profile fans, each of which features 88 fan blades at a mere .1 mm thin, equivalent to the thinness of a human hair, to pull cool air in and push hot air out, ensuring both the CPU and GPU can operate at maximum capacity while remaining cool. The Ultimate Experience

Designed to be a versatile tool, the Blade 14 boasts an abundance of user-friendly features that go beyond gaming to improve the day-to-day experience. Lining the top bezel of the display is a sharp 720p webcam for taking web calls when working away from the office, with an IR sensor for a safe and seamless login via Windows Hello. The punchy keyboard is accented with per-key Razer Chroma RGB that can be customized to match any of the 16.8 million colors available within Razer Synapse. Flanking the keyboard are booming speakers that can be tuned via built-in THX Spatial Audio technology for gaming, movies, or music. Lining the sides of the Blade 14 is a plethora of ports including two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports with power delivery for charging when in a bind, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports for connecting legacy items, HDMI 2.1 for easily hooking into board room media sets, and a 3.5mm jack for listening to immersive 3D audio with THX Spatial Audio. Back to revolutionize the gaming world again, the Blade 14 is the premiere 14-inch gaming laptop, offering the best-of-the-best in every category from processing power, to visuals, to mobility, to versatility. It is the Ultimate AMD Gaming Laptop. To learn more about the all-new Razer Blade 14, please visit http://razer.com/gaming-laptops/razer-blade-14. Play. Re-Charge. Repeat. Alongside the Razer Blade 14, Razer also announced their first Gallium Nitride (GaN) charging device, the Razer USB-C GaN charger. Utilizing cutting-edge GaN technology, the new charger is perfect for gamers, prosumers, or those on-the-go. Offering up to 130W of combined charging power between the two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, it enables customers to charge their smartphone, tablet, or laptop, while being small enough to easily fit in a pocket. The GaN technology featured in the new charger is not only more efficient in terms of size and power delivery compared to a traditional silicon-based charging brick, but also in thermal performance, meaning a reduced risk of over-heating or short circuiting of connected devices. The Razer USB-C GaN Charger ensures gamers and prosumers can always stay connected and powered up on the go. To learn more about the new Razer USB-C GaN Charger, please visit https://www.razer.com/gaming-pc-accessories/razer-usb-c-gan-charger. PRICING & AVAILABILITY The all-new Razer Blade 14 starts at USD $1799.99 / 1,999.99 MSRP and is available now at Razer.com, RazerStore retail locations, and with select retail partners. The Razer USB-C GaN Charger is available now for USD $179.99 / 179.99 MSRP on Razer.com and at RazerStore retail locations. PRODUCT ASSETS Watch the Razer Blade 14 product video here. Product images can be downloaded here. ABOUT RAZER Razer is the world's leading lifestyle brand for gamers. The triple-headed snake trademark of Razer is one of the most recognized logos in the global gaming and esports communities. With a fan base that spans every continent, the company has designed and built the world's largest gamer-focused ecosystem of hardware, software and services. Razer's award-winning hardware includes high-performance gaming peripherals and Blade gaming laptops. Razer's software platform, with over 125 million users, includes Razer Synapse (an Internet of Things platform), Razer Chroma RGB (a proprietary RGB lighting technology system supporting thousands of devices and hundreds of games/apps), and Razer Cortex (a game optimizer and launcher). Razer also offers payment services for gamers, youth, millennials and Gen Z. Razer Gold is one of the world's largest game payment services, and Razer Fintech provides fintech services in emerging markets. Founded in 2005 and dual-headquartered in Irvine (California) and Singapore, Razer has 17 offices worldwide and is recognized as the leading brand for gamers in the USA, Europe and China. Razer is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 1337). THX and the THX Logo are the property of THX Ltd., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Razer - For Gamers. By Gamers. 1 Testing as of 12/08/2020 by AMD Performance Labs using Passmark, PCMark, and 7-Zip benchmark tests. 45W Ryzen 9 vs Core i9 Test systems: ASUS Zephyrus Duo with Intel (News - Alert) Core i9-10980HK and GeForce GTX 2080, vs. ASUS Zephyrus Duo SE with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX and GeForce GTX 3080, and ASUS Zephyrus G15 with AMD Ryzen 9 4900H and GeForce GTX 1660. =<35W Test Systems: MSI (News - Alert) Prestige 14 EVO with Intel Core i7-1185G7, vs. ASUS Flex 13 with AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS and GeForce 1660, and ASUS Zephyrus G15 with AMD Ryzen 9 4900H and GeForce GTX 1660. 45W Ryzen 7 vs. Core i7 Test systems: Gigabyte Aorus 15G with Core i7-10875H and GeForce GTX 2060, vs. ASUS TUF FA506 with Ryzen 7 4800H and GeForce 2060, and AMD Ryzen 7 5800H reference system. 45W Ryzen 5 vs. Core i5 Test systems: Lenovo (News - Alert) Ideapad gaming 3 with Core i5-10300H and GeForce GTX 1660, Lenovo Legion 15 with Ryzen 5 4600H and GeForce 1650, and Ryzen 5 5600H reference systems. Results may vary. CZM-65 2 AMD FreeSync technology requires AMD Radeon graphics and a display that supports FreeSync technology as certified by AMD. AMD FreeSync Premium technology adds requirements of mandatory low framerate compensation and at least 120 Hz refresh rate at minimum FHD. AMD FreeSync Premium Pro technology adds requirements for the display to meet AMD FreeSync Premium Pro compliance tests. See www.amd.com/freesync for complete details. Confirm capability with your system manufacturer before purchase. GD-127 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210614005725/en/

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Forgive us for neglecting COVID news given more pressing civic matters.



However, not that public demand for the VAXX has plummeted it's important to take a glimpse at how the plague continues to evolve.



First, the local angle that's worth a look . . .

Kansas City doctor talks long-term effects of COVID-19 on the lungs KANSAS CITY, Kan. - To keep climbers safe, the venue for the Fight for Air Climb moved outdoors this year to Children's Mercy Park. It also added hundreds of stair steps to climb. The goal is to raise money so the American Lung Association can continue its fight against lung cancer, emphysema, asthma and now lung damage caused by COVID-19.

And then, some of the national and international news on the tragic and ONGOING topic amid the THREAT OF A FALL SURGE.

Check-it . . .

Pandemic Schooling Was Tough, But This Kansas City Student Teacher Wouldn't Change A Thing With support from the Walton Family Foundation, KCUR has asked student teachers in the Kansas City area to write about their experiences learning how to teach during a pandemic. This is the last installment in a series of teacher diaries we've run this spring.

COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES: Missouri case positivity rate rises to 5.4% The Kansas City metro area continues to reopen as more and more of the population gets the COVID-19 vaccine.What you need to know:The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Friday the state has 315,769 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and there have been 5,106 deaths since the outbreak started.

Powerful new COVID-19 vaccine shows 90% efficacy, could boost world's supply Science's COVID-19 reporting is supported by the Heising-Simons Foundation. The dark-horse vaccine company Novavax announced strong results today from a pivotal, 30,000-person trial of its pandemic coronavirus vaccine in the United States and Mexico.

Novavax Stock Soars as Study Shows Covid Vaccine 90% Effective on Monday said a late-stage trial of its coronavirus vaccine found it was effective, an encouraging sign that there would be further doses of a medication to fight the pandemic. said its Phase 3 trial of nearly 30,000 patients in the U.S.

Vaccinated Los Angeles doctor diagnosed with COVID-19, warns about breakthrough cases: report LOS ANGELES-- Dr. Eugene Choi, a Los Angeles-based radiologist, said in an interview published Saturday that he came down with COVID-19 despite receiving the vaccine about six months ago. Fox 11 reported that Choi is in quarantine fighting the virus. The report pointed out that his wife-who was also vaccinated-was also diagnosed with the disease.

A dangerous Covid-19 variant on the rise could cause outbreaks in US states with lower vaccination rates, expert says The Delta variant is quickly on its way to becoming the dominant strain of Covid-19 in the US, raising concerns that outbreaks could hit vulnerable communities come fall.

Novavax says vaccine more than 90% effective; 8 states see a rise in infection rates: Live COVID-19 updates New COVID-19 cases are declining across most of the country, but almost all of the states bucking that trend have lower vaccination rates. And COVID-19 variants could lead to a fall surge in U.S. cases after months of decline if more people don't get vaccinated.

The lingering threat of fall Covid-19 outbreaks You've heard it before, but it's true: This summer in America is going to be so good. After a year of Covid-19-induced fear, the US vaccination campaign and warmer weather will give the country a much-needed reprieve from the coronavirus and all the horrors it brought. But what comes after the summer?

Developing . . .
The death of young people and loved ones on local streets is source of constant tragedy . . . Sadly, the fallen also provide political talking points and become useful rhetorical pawns.

Accordingly . . . Here's one of many recent deaths that anti-police activists have utilized to make their arguments . . . Read more . . .

Families of those killed by police gather to celebrate Cameron Lamb's birthday KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - June 14 th is Cameron Lamb's birthday. He would have turned 28 this year had he not been shot and killed in December 2019. Lamb's family held their second annual "CD's Day of Service" Sunday. "We are doing this because we want to keep his memory alive.

Family honors the memory of a loved one with a day of service for the community KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Family and friends remember Cameron Lamb's birthday a year and a half after he was shot and killed. His alleged killer, a Kansas City Police detective, is now facing charges in the Jackson Co. court. His family uses Lamb's birthday to help others and hopefully create change.

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This power move signals a major power shift and might be the biggest local government political power shift of the day.

FIRST on TKC . . .Check today's big news for The Dotte . . .

Steineger launches UG mayor bid

June 13, 2021(Kansas City, Kan.) -- Surrounded by supporters at the historic Grinter House, former Kansas state Senator Chris Steineger today announced he is running for Mayor of Wyandotte County Unified Government. He told the crowd that county residents are plagued by high property taxes, high utility rates, and petty crime.

The Unified Government and the Board of Public Utilities spent excessively for decades, providing generous contracts to relatives and campaign contributors and employee salaries that outpace the income of those they serve, Steineger said. Two percent of our population benefits while the other 98% bear the burden. Its not fair to the working class, to the middle class,to whites, blacks, Latinos and Asians. Its not fair to any of us. Tax breaks for large corporations and out-of-state developers are carried on the backs of the working class and middle class citizens of all races who make their homes in Wyandotte County.

Petty crimes, like home invasions, car thefts, and porch pirating, are on the rise, he told supporters.

Where petty crimes flourish, violent crime follows, he said.

More effective code enforcement would help, according to the former state lawmaker.

Our code enforcement operations are a toothless tiger. Lots of driving around, lots of paperwork and lots of stickers, and yet, there are still too many ugly houses and properties blighting our neighborhoods, he said.

Steineger is a former state Senator, who represented Wyandotte County in the Kansas Legislature for 16 years. That experience taught him a lot about public policy making and government operations.

I developed a lot of ideas about how to lower operating costs of our local government and pass the savings on to citizens in the form of lower taxes and lower utility rates. I dont have any relatives working for or contracting with the UG or the BPU, so, I wont have any relatives jobs or contracts to protect. I will be solely focused on protecting the 98% of citizens who bear the brunt of excessive government spending, he said.

During his time in public office, he helped assemble a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans to pass casino legislation allowing for the construction of the Hollywood Casino. He consistently voted in favor of giving citizens choices on a wide range of issues as a state lawmaker.

Guns, gambling, seatbelts, motorcycle helmets, alcohol. Citizens--not politicians and bureaucrats--should make their own choices about their lives, Steineger said. Big government impoverishes citizens, and I prefer smaller government and empowered citizens. Wyandotte County deserves a bright and prosperous future, and I will lead us in a better direction.

About Chris Steineger

Former state Sen. Chris Steinger represented Wyandotte County in the Kansas Senate for 16 years. As a state lawmaker he built a broad coalition of Republicans and Democrats to pass casino and gaming laws that culminated in the construction of the Hollywood Casino. The casino has raised more than $3 million for local government since it opened in 2012.

After leaving the legislature in 2013, Steineger won a Fulbright Award to teach graduate and undergraduate classes on U.S. politics in Berlin. He has lectured internationally on the U.S. Constitution, on how to grow the middle class, and advocated for free and open markets across the globe.

Steineger is a real estate investor in his community. He recently redeveloped an abandoned school building, the Lowell School Apartments in Kansas City, Kansas, into affordable housing for seniors.

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@IsaacAvilucea on Twitter

Isaac Avilucea is The Trentonians main municipal scribe. A two-time prior restraint winner and testicular cancer survivor, he relishes his reputation as the "Mean Girls" reporter that followed his 18-day stay at the now-defunct North Adams Transcript.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy as he signs into law legislation to set up a recreational marijuana marketplace Feb. 22, 2021, in Trenton. Now he needs to pick up his pen again for special needs students.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.
This is a new feature that will appear regularly in The Tribune-Democrat and at www.tribdem.com. Tell us what you think by emailing: tribdem@tribdem.com.
Gabriella Harris, of Philadelphia, reacts as her mother and singer, Kimberly Bennett-Fantauzzo (not pictured), of Johnstown, performs at the conclusion of a "Church in the Park" event, as part of Juneteenth celebrations held at Central Park in downtown Johnstown on Sunday, June 13, 2021.
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Canton, GA (30114)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
I am trying to plan a road trip from Oklahoma to see the U.S side of Lake Superior shoreline. I started out wanting to see Isle Royale, but theres no lodging availability, so the trip has evolved. I am trying to pack as much in as possible because I have a long list of places in the world Ive always wanted to see, and am feeling I dont have time to see them all!

Husband and I are 70, fairly active, can hike up to 5 or 6 miles if trail isnt too steep or difficult. We enjoy beautiful scenery and kayaking, good seafood, not much into cities, etc. I LOVE trees, watching birds, traveling, and exploring, always wanted to kayak Boundary Waters. I have read and studied the area for weeks and have the following itinerary mapped out, but he says we need to cut off a couple of days. (Hes a farmer, and its really difficult to get him to travel although he says he enjoys it.) I know we are late to make reservations, but hoping to go around second week of August. Found one place to stay, Thomsonite Beach Inn, that had availability and looked perfect for us. We dont need fancy resorts, just clean and interesting places to stay. We decided to road trip this time to avoid long drive to airport, rental car hassle and expense, and the issue of backtrack or deal with multi-city flights and car return.

So my big question: what would you eliminate?

Day 1: drive to Minneapolis area, 723 miles

Day2-3: drive to Grand Marais, MN, (131 mi) seeing lighthouses, waterfalls, state parks, beaches along way. Day 3, see sights up to Canada border, drive a little of Gunflint trail.

Day 4: Grand Marais, MN to Ashland, WI, (180 mi) see Apostle Islands area in afternoon.

Day 5: Drive to Porcupine Mtn Wilderness area (stay where?), about 67 mi. Explore this area.

Day 6: Drive to Keeweenaw Peninsula region, (to Copper Harbor would be ~190 mi), Brockway drive and shoreline drives.

Day 7: To Munising (CH to Munising is 189 mi) Shipwreck tour on glass bottom boat, waterfalls, Presque Isle drive, etc.

Day 8: Pictured Rocks area, stay at Munising again?

Day 9: Drive to Paradise, 104 mi, Tahquamenon Falls, and explore area

Day 10: Start for home, possibly by way of Soo Locks (Paradise to home is 17 1/2 hrs total)

Day 11: arrive home.

So, what do I give up? The second day on the Minnesota side? Apostle Islands? Tahquamenon Falls? Would it help, time wise, to stay in central location in UP, like Curtis, instead of Munising? Seems like too much driving but Thank you for your help!
Just returned from a 5 day trip to the Seychelles. After having read so much and expecting many things I would have to say I am disappointed: the food is terrible, attention is terrible people are rude, and "nice beaches" are spread all over and you can't even swim in them because of currents. Ill explain step by step:

- On arrival, coming from Ethiopia, it took 20 minutes to be granted disembarkment since we had to wait for a lady to check our flight had appropiately followed heath protocols: spay the cabins, etc. she basically came into the plane and just looked around I was like really? Is this the so called inspection? We proceeded to immigration where each passenger was interrogated for about 10-15 minutes about how many days they were staying, return tickets, hotel reservations, etc. I was asked where I was going next (Mauritius) and required to present proof that I didn't need a Visa to go to Mauritius (I don't need a visa), so I was telling them how can I prove I don't need a visa for Mauritius, thats impossible, moreover with no wifi or anything, finally a lady from immigration checked in her phone and told them I didn't need a visa. I felt the staff at immigration were being trained with passengers, all the documents I provided were returned to me with missing pages and my immigration office almost lost my yellow fever certificate since he had forgotten where he put it!

- People are rude: I was taking a flight to Praslin and requested to be put in an earlier flight; the ladies from Air Seychelles were not only unprofessional giving me an angry look but also when verifying my credit card details I noticed they wrote my card number on a piece of paper and put it by their computers, I had to ask them to give me the paper with my information.... While boarding the plane another lady screamed at a passenger because she had forgotten to check his ID and boarding card names matched. When checking in my hotel in Praslin despite the fact it was an expensive hotel, people seemed careless, not smiling and took me to my room as fast as they could without explaining any mechanics of my stay.

- Infrastructure is very basic and taxis are a complete ripoff, you might end up paying 30usd or more for a 10 minute drive.

FOOD: Terrible. I can't remember eating in any country with such bad food and expensive as well. dishes are very basic, there is no variety and local criollo cuisine is overrated. All restaurants offer the same dishes: smoked fish, mango salad, etc.

BEACHES: The beaches are nice for taking pictures but you can't actually swim in them, moreover, you need to move around to reach the nice ones. My favorite beaches in order:

1. Anse Georgette: TO reach it you have to go inside the Conmstance Lemuria Hotel, its a small beach with white sand and typical Seychelloise rocks, this is in Praslin.

2.- Grand Anse: Nice beach in la Digue. You have to bike for about 40 minutes to reach it.

3. Anse Source d Argent: Nice rocks but you can't swim there, lots of algae.

Overrated: Anse Lazio.

Hospitality: There is no hospitality or whatever I Seychelles.

In summary: if you are looking for a honeymoon destination with great service, food and amazing beaches everywhere don't go to Seychelles, go to the Caribbean, Mexico, Zanzibar, Maldives or Thailand. If you don't care about the food, and more into beaches of the type that you have to drive/ bike 45 minutes to move from one nice beach to another nice beach and you don't care about people offering you welcoming smiles and hospitality they Seychelles might be a destination for you.

In summary: overrated.
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The Ministry of Health says, it is equipped to treat cases of a rare and deadly fungal infection now being linked to the COVID-19 virus and its treatment.
14/06/2021

Academic

The enrolment for the University of Experience (UdE) for the 2021/2022 academic year is open. From today, June 14, on, the students of previous courses can enrole the second and extension courses. From June 28 on, the general public will be able to enrol first-year courses. This year counts on face-to-face lessons for all courses and the re-incorporation of the program on Personal and Social Wellbeing. It will also feature the second course of the program on Humanities. Also, the offering of complementary activities has been extended to respond to many interests.



Learning for pleasure

People aged over fifty-five who wish to enrol any of the training programs in UdE can do so on the website. There are fifty vacant places for each course; if there are more than fifty pre-enrolments, their allocation will be decided by draw.

All programs of the University of Experience provide a high-level training in the different fields of knowledge and most follow a blended-learning model, sharing the room with students of bachelors degrees in some subjects. No previous studies are required, and these programs last one or two academic years. The courses are thought by the teaching staff of the University of Barcelona.



Regarding the 2021/2022 academic year, the offering of training programs is varied and covers all areas of knowledge:



FOOD AND GASTRONOMY

It offers an integrated and cross-sectional view of the world of nutrition and gastronomy, with multidisciplinary content on the different fields of food sciences.

ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOLGY

It studies the different elements that form the Universe, from the solar system to the dark matter and energy, going through the stars, planets and galaxies.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL WELLBEING

This new program offers tools to achieve the complete wellbeing of people, applicable to the daily life and family and social relationships. The starting point is the education on values and the work on the emotions and health.

LIBRARIES AND FILES IN THE DIGITAL ERA

It offers a theoretical and practical introduction to the world of libraries and files on a personal key, and to the Internet and social networks, as tools for personal relationships.

BIOLOGY: HUMANS AND BIODIVERSITY

It offers a view of the great variety of living beings that live in the planet and the result of millions of years of evolution that led to the great biodiversity of the moment. This program offers the possibility to carry out the practical lessons and field trips.

HEALTH SCIENCES

It offers a basic training on prevention and promotion of healthful habits, from a multidisciplinary perspective, in order to identify the most efficient healthful response when coping with a problem.

LAW AND SOCIAL STATE

It offers an introduction to the field of creation, interpretation and application of law and legal rules, and it focuses on the concept of state.

SOCIOECONOMICS

It offers an approach to the world of social economics, circular economy, social policies, the welfare state, evolution and future of the pensions, and other relevant topics.

PHILOSOPHY

It covers the most relevant topics of our culture through philosophy and through the most representative philosophers.

HISTORY OF ART

It works on the basic bases of the history of art to understand and contextualize a piece of art from ancient times to the recent artistic works of contemporary times.

HISTORY, SOCIETY AND TERRITORY

It provides the necessary basic information to understand the transformation of human society with the multidisciplinary knowledge generated by history, archaeology, anthropology and geography.

HUMANITIES

It provides a panoramic view of the topics related to different disciplines of the field of human sciences: history, thinking, literature and art.

LANGUAGES, LITERATURE AND COMMUNICATION

It offers a basic training in the different areas that make the human language and theoretical and practical bases of literature.

PSYCHOLOGY

It offers the basic content of psychology (individual and social) in oder to know how people think and act, and to know more about the pathologies and main disorders as well as their diagnose and treatment.



New complementary activities

This year, there are new activities from different fields aimed at complementing a healthy and cultural life. These can be annual or quadrimestral activities, and have a reduced fee for former members of the University of Experience and students of the School of Modern Languages. Apart from being members of the Gaudium Choir of the theatre group of the University of Experience, there is the possibility to join the courses of Conservatori Liceu and join the world of literature and writing with courses on literary creation or autobiographical narrative. In order to promote healthy habits, the UdE offers training in Quigong, meditation, yoga and body awareness. The civilization of the ancient Egypt, the history of astronomy or the world of fungus are just examples of the other new proposals offered by the University of Experience.



Mes informacio


Over the past day, June 13, two ceasefire violations by the Russian-occupation troops were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine.

"In particular, the enemy opened fire from tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns, hand-held antitank grenade launchers, under-barrel grenade launchers, and small arms near Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk)," the press center of the JFO Headquarters informs.

As of 07:00 on June 14, one ceasefire violation was recorded. Ukrainian positions near Novotoshkivske came under under-barrel grenade launcher and small arms fire.

No casualties among Ukrainian troops were reported.

Ukrainian defenders fired back in response to the enemy shelling.

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) informed the OSCE SMM about all violations by the occupiers, using the established coordination mechanism.

Ukrainian service members continue to control the situation in the JFO area and adhere to the ceasefire regime, the Headquarters reports.

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OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde has arrived at the entry-exit checkpoint Novotroitske after visiting the Mariupol Sea Port during a working visit to Ukraine.

"The OSCE delegation led by Ann Linde arrived at the entry-exit checkpoint Novotroitske. A briefing by the regional leadership and the relevant unit of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine is held," Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar, who is accompanying the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, posted on Twitter.

Earlier, the deputy minister informed that the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office had visited the Mariupol Sea Commercial Port, whose leadership informed Linde about the problems in operation, especially after the onset of Russian aggression, restrictions on the navigation in the Kerch Strait.

During her stay in Mariupol, Ann Linde stressed the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

At Azov Sea port of Mariupol, taking stock of the regional security situation following recent tensions. Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected in line with international law and OSCE commitments, reads the statement posted on Twitter.

As reported, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde and the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine will make a joint visit to the Joint Forces Operation area where Linde will get acquainted with the activities of the OSCE SMM to Ukraine, the consequences of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, the peculiarities of the movement of ships in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

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South Korea's leading innovative company Caris, a manufacturer of plastic road bumpers and other road infrastructure, is planning to build a plant in Ukraine that will produce environmentally friendly bumpers from recycled plastic.

The press service of the Ukrainian Economy Ministry reported this after the meeting of Deputy Economy Minister Iryna Novikova with President of Caris Co., Ltd. Mr. Yu Cheol.

The interest of investors in a new mechanism of state support for investment projects is only growing. Today's meeting with the Korean company Caris confirms this and means that the government is moving in the right direction - towards the investor," said the deputy minister.

South Korea's leading innovative company Caris is planning to build a plant in Ukraine that will produce environmentally friendly bumpers from recycled plastic.

We hope that this project will be able to take advantage of new government support for investment projects with significant investments, as it provides $60 million in investment and job creation. Investment projects that take into account environmental issues are important for us, the deputy minister noted.

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Last year, Ukraine and the EBRD signed agreements to the tune of EUR 643.5 million, which were used to implement a number of projects in the private and public sectors, in the field of implementing best corporate governance practices in state-owned enterprises.

The press service of the Ministry of Finance released a corresponding statement following an online meeting between Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko and Odile Renaud-Basso.

"In 2020, the Bank and the Ukrainian side concluded agreements totaling EUR 643.5 million. Thanks to these investments, we were able to launch a number of projects in the private and public sectors, in the field of implementing best corporate governance practices in state-owned enterprises, as well as in promoting financing in local currency. The EBRD is one of the key partners for Ukraine," Serhiy Marchenko said.

The meeting participants also discussed the issue of Oschadbank's accession to the Deposit Guarantee Fund, which is the first step towards the EBRD's entry into the bank's capital. The Minister of Finance of Ukraine noted that on June 9, the Tax Committee of the Verkhovna Rada supported alternative bill No. 5542-1 on the accession of the state-owned Oschadbank to the Deposit Guarantee Fund.

The climate issue is now relevant to the EBRD's work. The Bank has been investing in the green transition for more than five years. To date, the EBRD plans to increase funding to at least 50% of investment in environmental projects by 2025.

Marchenko stressed that Ukraine supported the European Green Deal and was ready to cooperate with international partners for sustainable development and implementation of the green economy.

Odile Renaud-Basso noted that the EBRD Annual Meeting would focus on post-COVId-19 economic recovery, fight against inequality, green transition, digitalisation, and expansion of the Bank's operations.

"Thank you for the cooperation and productive meeting we had during my first visit to Kyiv as the EBRD President. We look forward to continuing to work together with a stronger focus on green investment and advancing key reforms in Ukraine. We will be glad to see you at the EBRD Annual Meeting, where we will be able to discuss important issues of further cooperation," the EBRD President said.

As a reminder, the EBRD is the largest institutional investor in Ukraine. As of the beginning of June 2021, the total amount of financing allocated to Ukraine by the Bank is EUR 14.8 billion under 497 projects. Eight joint projects with the EBRD are currently being implemented with a total loan of EUR 1,679.3 million.

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The leaders of the G7 countries have called on Russia to remove Russian armed forces from Ukraines eastern border and Crimea.

This is said in a joint communique on the results of the G7 summit held in the UK, Ukrinform reports.

We call on Russia to alleviate tensions and act in accordance with its international obligations, and to withdraw the Russian military troops and materiel at the eastern border of Ukraine and on the Crimean peninsula, the document says.

The G7 leaders reiterated their support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

The G7 leaders also affirmed their support for the Normandy Process to secure the implementation of the Minsk agreements, and called on Russia and the armed formations it backs to engage constructively and recommit to the ceasefire.

As Ukrinform reported, the G7 leaders gathered in the Great Britain for the summit, which took place on June 11-13. During the three-day meeting, the G7 leaders discussed a wide range of pressing topics, including COVID-19, pandemic preparedness and economic recovery; geopolitical challenges and foreign affairs; trade and development; promoting open societies and democratic values; and fighting climate change and protecting the environment.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the leaders of the G7 countries for their support for Ukraines independence and sovereignty, which is expressed in a joint communique on the results of the G7 summit held in the UK, according to the Ukrainian Presidents Office.

"Im grateful to the leaders of Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Italy, USA, France, Japan and the EU for the continued support for Ukraines independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and the call to the aggressor to withdraw troops from our eastern borders and Crimea. Crimea is Ukraine," the Ukrainian president emphasized.

As reported by Ukrinform, the G7 leaders called on Russia to alleviate tensions and act in accordance with its international obligations, and to withdraw the Russian military troops and materiel at the eastern border of Ukraine and on the Crimean peninsula.

The G7 leaders reiterated their support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

The G7 leaders also affirmed their support for the Normandy Process to secure the implementation of the Minsk agreements, and called on Russia and the armed formations it backs to engage constructively and recommit to the ceasefire.

The G7 summit took place in the UK on June 11-13.

Commend the unwavering support for  by #G7 states in the Summits communique. Grateful to         leaders for the continued support for  independence & sovereignty & the call to the aggressor to withdraw troops from  borders & Crimea. #Crimea is Ukraine!    (@ZelenskyyUa) June 13, 2021

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For more than two decades, the Potomac Foundation has been helping the countries of Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet states to integrate with the West and gradually adapt to NATO standards. Therefore, it is difficult to overestimate the support that Ukraine receives from the Foundation and directly from its president, Phillip Karber. Professor Phillip Karber, Ph.D. in Political Science, is an internationally recognized expert on defense and national security who prepares defense strategy recommendations for U.S. government officials. He has repeatedly spoken in parliamentary defense committees of the UK, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, and the Netherlands. But the main thing is that Dr. Phillip Karber is a true friend of Ukraine, who has seen the war in the ATO/JFO area dozens of times and who is convinced that today's Ukrainian army with its combat experience is one of the best in Europe, and Ukraine is a shield that defends Europeans from the Russian expansion.

In an interview with Ukrinform, the president of the Potomac Foundation spoke about the threat of a merger of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and Belarus, how many Russian troops are currently on the border with Ukraine, whether there is real bicameral support for Ukraine in the U.S. Congress, and what we should expect from Biden-Putin meeting.

NEW LAND LEASE IS OUR ANSWER TO HOW ARMED FORCES CAN ENSURE THEIR COMBAT CAPABILITY

Question: A new strategy for cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in the defense sphere is being discussed. Are the details known - what is the nature of it, how will it differ from the previous stage of cooperation?

Answer: When there is a transition period after the presidential election, you realize that personnel issues are addressed first and foremost, and now, for example, many positions in the State Department have not yet been replaced, including those responsible for politics in Europe. Therefore, of course, before forming these positions, it is too early to talk about the strategy, because it is unclear who will be directly responsible for it.

In addition, the strategy of the new Administration towards Ukraine will also be conditioned by the strategy of the new Administration towards the Russian Federation. And today it is also unclear what it will be - aimed at confrontation, geopolitical competition, or another detente. At the same time, we are well aware that it makes no sense to build any contractual relations with Russia, since Russia has violated half a dozen different international bilateral agreements with the United States in recent years.

The strategic importance of Ukraine and the attitude of the United States towards it will also be determined by how events will develop around the military escalation on Ukraine's borders, which was observed in the spring, and it is likely to continue in the summer as well. At the same time, we see that the situation with Belarus will also influence this, because we understand that the Russian Federation will most likely join this "Belarusian front" as well.

Here we need to understand the importance of Ukraine in terms of global security. Because in fact, two world wars began in this region, Ukraine was the theater of these hostilities during the World War I and World War II. And, unfortunately, it seems that this rule is maintained, Russia's behavior indicates that Ukraine is still a place where such conflicts can arise.

I would like to remind you that the United States has taken the same position during all world conflicts - it did not want to be involved in conflicts that seemed to be somewhere far away, in Europe, but in the end the United States was still involved in the conflict. So there is actually certain inevitability for the United States.

After the end of the Cold War, the United States did a lot to get the former Warsaw Pact countries to join NATO. In addition, the United States dragged Ukraine into the Budapest format, as a result of which Ukraine lost the status of a nuclear state. And, of course, the United States should be held accountable for the security situation in Ukraine.

You should know that there is a group of experts outside the government in the United States, to which I also belong and which is currently working on the development of this strategy of bilateral Ukrainian-American relations. In my opinion, the strategy should consist of three parts. The first one is that Ukraine must officially become a strategic partner of the United States. I deliberately do not use the term that is very commonly used - "major non-NATO ally." We need Ukraine to stabilize Eastern Europe, and a strong Ukraine is in our strategic interest.

Secondly, a strong Ukraine needs strong Armed Forces. It is expensive to keep such Armed Forces, so a new land lease is our answer to the question of how the Armed Forces can ensure their combat capability.

Due to Russia's aggressive behavior in the region, especially with regard to the militarization of the Black Sea region, the United States and NATO require the presence of the Air Force in the region. And from this point of view, Ukrainian bases, airfields used by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, are extremely important for such an air presence. Especially in connection with the unfortunate development of events in Belarus, when we understand that Belarus is becoming part of Russia, and thus - a Russian dagger pointed at the heart of Warsaw. We understand that the United States also needs an air force presence along the entire border at least in order to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis and to be able to early detect and prevent military threats

When I talk about Ukrainian airfields and other Ukrainian bases that can be used by the U.S. Air Force, we are not, of course, talking about the permanent deployment of U.S. military bases in Ukraine. Rather, I am talking about the fact that the Ukrainian Air Force infrastructure should be developed and able to receive U.S. Armed Forces aircraft if necessary, including for temporary flights for the purpose of conducting air reconnaissance and assessing the situation.

In essence, Ukraine can offer the United States to use its airspace and Air Force infrastructure for such joint patrols.

Question: What can the United States offer in return?

Answer: The U.S. Air Force is replacing a significant number of aircraft they use, and is replacing them with newer models. As a result of this replacement, a large number of aircraft with a sufficient number of flight hours, which are in excellent technical condition, will be sent for conservation. This applies to F-15 [McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle], F-16 [General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon], A-10 [Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II], and AN-64 attack helicopters [McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache]. In fact, this should be the idea of such cooperation. That is, the United States, instead of sending these planes and helicopters for conservation, could offer them in exchange for the use of the infrastructure of the Ukrainian Air Force and the airspace of Ukraine.

You also need missile defense and the Patriot system [U.S. Patriot Air Defense Missile System]. Unfortunately, you cannot afford them, it is an expensive system, but if the United States has the potential to use the infrastructure of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, then there is a need to protect such infrastructure. In that case, the United States could provide such missile defense.

Thirdly, it is enough to play behind-the-scenes games in NATO. It is time to publicly declare that Ukraine must be a member of NATO. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are the strongest in Europe. They have adapted and adopted more NATO standards and procedures than the ten countries combined that were the last to join NATO.

To understand the contribution to security in NATO: the Ukrainian Armed Forces are numerous and more combat-ready than the combined Armed Forces of the above ten countries.

Question: Many people in Europe and NATO say that Ukraine cannot be a member of the Alliance because it has a territorial dispute and a war with Russia, and part of the territory is occupied by Russia.

Answer: We know that the Germans are very fond of this argument, and I usually tell them that if we had used such arguments in the 1950s, Germany, which was divided at the time and part of which was occupied by the Soviet Union, would never have become member of NATO. Moreover, if we had had such an attitude towards the Germans, we would still have two Germanys. Someone has to tell the Germans that they need to stop these talks, and the United States has to say that.

By the way, the four armies that were then on the territory of Germany are now on the borders of Ukraine and threaten the security of Ukraine.

Question: You are among the few international experts familiar with Ukrainian military developments. Have you noticed how the Armed Forces of Ukraine have transformed over the years of the war? Where do you see the problems in defense reform?

Answer: The term reform is ambiguous, overused and often misleading. From the beginning of the conflict in 2014 to today the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been transformed. It is difficult to exaggerate the significance of the positive change from where they started in 2014 after decades of neglect to where they currently are -- the largest army in Europe with the most combat experience that already meets NATO standard more than many of its other members. As with any other military establishment, there remain various areas that need improvement as well as adapting to the challenges of emerging threats and new technology. For example, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Defense Ministrys logistics, maintenance and procurement, addressing the issue of modernization of the air force over the next decade, completing the current efforts of modernizing command and control and integrating it along with air defenses into interoperable capability with NATO. Making better use of Ukraines existing defense industry as well as broadening the participation of privately-owned producers. In this sense, reform is a continuing adaptation to change rather than radical restructuring.

Question: If you analyze the U.S. policy towards Ukraine, in your opinion, what were its weaknesses and strengths? Were there cases when the reaction of the U.S. leadership to certain events in Ukraine was insufficient or belated?

Answer: In my opinion, from the aggression in seizing Crimea in 2014 to today, American leadership has been high on words but inadequate and late in action. I believe in a different approach, in the words of American President Theodore Roosevelt, we should: speak softly and carry a big stick.

OUR POLITICAL LEADERS NEED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS IN UKRAINE

Question: The Russian Federation pays great attention to lobbying its interests globally. How strong are its ties to the U.S. political establishment and is it actively promoting the thesis of non-intervention of Western countries in the post-Soviet space in the new administration? How well are senators and congressmen aware of the situation in Ukraine?

Answer: Russian efforts to subvert, demoralize as well as exploit agents of influence in Western countries is well known. I do not believe that it is seriously effective in the United States and in fact the more they try it, the more counterproductive it is for their purposes. In 2014 most Americans couldnt point to Ukraine on a map. Today there is a widespread recognition of Russian aggression against Ukraine as evidenced in the most recent Russian aggression along the border and in Crimea, but our political leaders and partners definitely need more information about military developments. For example, as recently as last month Americas top Generals expressed concerns to our Commander and Chief that more needs to be done in providing open source information on emerging threats. The more the Ukrainian government helps in tracking and publicizing Russian military activity against Ukraine, the Black Sea and Belarus the more it contributes to meeting that informational challenge.

UNFORTUNATELY, INTERPARTY COOPERATION BETWEEN REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS FOR SUPPORTING UKRAINE DECREASES

Question: There is a lot of talk about the bicameral support of the U.S. Congress for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. How real is it?

Answer: In 2014, General Clark and I gave several reports to the U.S. Congress on the situation in Ukraine including a 300 page study of Russian State Sponsored Terrorism Against Ukraine (29 JUL 2014), unfortunately while both political parties  the Democratic Party and the Republican Party  remain supportive inter-party and joint collaboration has declined as domestic issues have dominated American electoral politics. Hopefully the process of developing a new U.S. strategy towards Ukraine will help bring all the parties together in a joint vision and support of a collective mission.

Question: How would you access the level of dialogue between defense agencies of the U.S. and Ukraine? Would you say that Ukraine has already defined its needs in American support?

Answer: Since 2014 Ukraine has provided specific requests for support of its defense needs. These requests have been focused on emergency requirements and, aware of American policy positions at the time, constrained in quantity and cost. As there is an emerging American strategic recognition of the importance of Ukraine, it will require that Ukraine develop a longer-range vision, participate in a mutual strategic dialogue, and develop a joint strategic perspective.

CONTINUED BUILDUP OF RUSSIAN TROOPS AT BORDER MEANS THAT THERE IS A CONSTANT THREAT THAT IS NOT INHIBITED BY WESTER'S REACTION

Question: The significant concentration of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine this spring caused great commotion. In your opinion, was Putin really going to launch an offensive in May? Perhaps he was stopped by a harsh reaction from world leaders, which he did not expect?

Answer: Since 2014, as shown on the map, Russia has deployed the following troops in the western direction and opposite Ukraine:

three armies (moving the 20th Army closer, reconstituting the 1st Guards Army and 8th Guards;

three corps (22nd in Crimea, 1st Donetsk and 2nd Luhansk in Donbas;

six divisions;

22 combined-arms formations (brigades/regiments; 3 tank, 19 mechanized infantry).

Unfortunately, the scale of this military expansion against Ukraine was not widely recognized in NATO. Nevertheless, Russias aggressive military actions this year have drawn serious attention in the West. These include the preparations of a massive exercise, Zapad 2021, deployment to the Ukrainian border in Crimea of Russian forces from their central and southern military regions, massive resupply and storage of logistics and ammunition, concentration of naval forces (including reinforcements from the North Sea, Baltic and Caspian Seas to the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea), and establishment of new electronic warfare and wartime command and control.

And while the Russians have claimed that they have returned some of the troops brought forward, nevertheless they have admitted that the weapons and equipment remain for rapid re-introduction.

I cannot read Putins mind or intuit Russian intentions, but the continued buildup of forces and exploitation of their growing conventional position for coercion means there is a continuing threat that has not been inhibited by western response.

Question: According to your sources, how have the real numbers of Russian troops changed on the Ukrainian border during May?

Answer: The number of troops is hard to measure using open sources but the formations, weaponry and supporting assets are visible and from a military perspective a serious offensive threat can materialize rapidly within several weeks. As the Russians prepare for the next Zapad exercises which culminates in September 2021, it is likely we will see more aggressive military actions  its likely to be a very hot summer.

Question: It is well known globally that at those secret meetings the Russian Federation demands to leave Ukraine in its sphere of influence. Are Western partners (especially European ones) ready to accept such demands in exchange for economic cooperation with Russia and favorable agreements on Russia's concessions in other international conflicts?

Answer: Unfortunately, there is not a unified view within the West and there is a range of responses to Russian pressures. Poland and the Baltic Republics as well as even neutral countries like Sweden recognize a growing Russian threat. Elsewhere in Europe, countries that are not immediately in danger find it convenient to ignore Russian aggressive behavior under the illusion that the bear can be tamed with dialogue and business. In the United States and Britain, along with several other NATO allies on the flanks, there is a growing realization that allowing a Russian sphere of influence in Eastern Europe not only sacrifices the freedom and self-determination of peoples but sets the stage for future crises and bloodlands.

ADDING A 1000 KM FRONT ON BORDER WITH BELARUS NOT ONLY DISPERSES NUMBER OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS BUT ALSO INCREASES FINANCIAL COSTS

Question: The situation around Belarus has forced Ukraine to start talking about additional danger of aggression from this direction and more serious protection of a 1,084 km border. Can you access the danger of an attack from the territory of Belarus? Perhaps Russia is thus trying to disperse the Armed Forces?

Answer: Since September 2020 when president Lukashenko announced increased integration of his military with Russian forces to be tested during Zapad 2021 the threat from the north is real and requires defensive counteraction by Ukraine. Adding the 1,000 km of front not only disperses number of troops Ukraine needs but also increases the financial cost of defense. However, this combined Russian-Belarusian capability is not a threat to Ukraine alone. It is the dagger pointed at Warsaw and growing danger to the independence of the Baltic states. The West's response to the Zapad 2021 exercise should be Ukraine's immediate accession to NATO.

Question: If you remember the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict and massive missile attacks, dont you think that Russia can do the same especially because Ukraine doesnt have the shield like Israel?

Answer: Missile technology is rapidly entering the new era in terms of range, velocity, accuracy and lethality. Israel`s Iron Dome is an affective tactical defense, but given the magnitude and breadth of Russian missile threat Ukraine requires anti-missiles defense at the operational level such as U.S. Patriot air defense system.

Question: Dont you think that the West is failing and afraid to recognize that they cannot resist Putin as he uses his private military companies and hacks against the U.S.?

Answer: The West has been too slow in recognizing the danger from Russian sponsored proxies and mercenaries such as the Wagner group but let me point out that in 2018 when a Wagner group threatened U.S. forces in the Middle East they were destroyed by American airpower in four hours.

IF BIDEN AND PUTIN DO NOT AGREE, THERE WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT ARMS RACE AT STRATEGIC LEVEL

Question: What do you expect from the meeting of Biden and Putin? According to your forecast, will it be a kind of ceremonial meeting like the meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un (without significant results), or will there be specific agreements?

Answer: In my opinion, President Biden faces a tough decision. Can a modus vivendi be reached where Russia and the United States can agree to and abide by certain agreed rules of the road in their relations? If not, that means there is going to be a significant arms race at the strategic level. This meeting is neither ceremonial nor pre-emptive surrender  but it is going to be a learning moment for President Biden and hopefully a teaching moment for Putin.

Iryna Kozhukhar

Photo credit: Yevhen Kotenko
The condition for the launch of Nord Stream 2 should be the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories and the energy security of Ukraine, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has said.

The minister posted this on Twitter.

"Nord Stream 2 is primarily a threat to Ukraines security, not just our economy. We are against NS2. The condition for its launch should be the deoccupation of our territories and energy security of Ukraine. Fair compensation for threats. I stated this in my Berlin talks last week," the minister wrote.

As Ukrinform reported, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said at a joint briefing with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Berlin on June 9 that security and economic guarantees of maintaining the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine after the launch of Nord Stream 2, if completed, should be the subject of detailed international negotiations.

Maas, in turn, said that the German side had warned the Kremlin that the completion of the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was tied to the continued transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez for his principled stance on Russian aggression and support for Ukraine.

He wrote about this on Twitter.

"I thank Senator Bob Menendez for his principled stance on Russian aggression and support for Ukraine. We fight for common values. I agree that Nord Stream 2 must be stopped and Ukraine should be integrated into NATO," Zelensky noted.

He also added that he looks forward to meeting with Menendez in Washington.

As Ukrinform reported, on April 21, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Ukraine Security Partnership Act of 2021 (S. 814), which provides for increased support for Ukraine against the background of Russian aggression.

The Ukraine Security Partnership Act will provide Ukraine with up to USD 300 million a year in military assistance until 2026. The document envisages, in particular, the U.S. assistance in providing Ukraine with defense aid from third countries. In addition, this includes the allocation of USD 4 million annually until 2026 for the training of Ukrainian officers.

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Ukraine is interested in opening up to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, because this will expand opportunities for cooperation both in tourism and in business in general.

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine with reference to Culture and Information Policy Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko.

Ukraine should make the most of its opportunities and tourism potential in order to promote the development of international cooperation. We are interested in opening our country to Saudi Arabia. This will expand the possibilities of our cooperation both in the field of tourism and in business in general. And it will help deepen trade relations, Tkachenko said.

Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development Maryana Oleskiv noted that the Persian Gulf countries were a promising direction for the development of tourist flows, primarily for Ukraine. According to her, the combination of green, mountain, cultural and gastronomic tourism is something that may be of interest to travelers from the countries of the Middle East.

As reported, on June 11, Saudi Arabias low-cost airline Flynas operated its first flight on the Kyiv-Riyadh route. The return flight on the Riyadh-Kyiv route was scheduled for June 13. The air carrier will operate direct flights on a regular basis.

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KNOW THE MYTHS FROM THE FACTS:

10 Things About the Refugee Issue in Malaysia

Fact 1: Refugees and undocumented migrants are different

Refugees are people who had no choice but to flee their country because of war and human rights abuses. They cannot return home safely. These are the people that UNHCR is mandated to protect.

An undocumented migrant is someone who does not have the authorization to enter or stay in the country. This includes persons who may have been trafficked, or someone who was falsely promised work, or even a student whose visa has expired. Most of the time, migrants are or become undocumented through no fault of their own. They still enjoy the protection of their own Governments, and their lives or freedoms will not be at risk if they are deported.

Fact 2: Yearly new arrivals of asylum-seekers have actually decreased since 2013

According to data obtained from refugees, total numbers of overall new arrivals have declined significantly since 2013 until now. In 2013, the number of new arrivals peaked with 28,434 newly arriving asylum-seekers. Numbers in later years have shown a decline.

UNHCR statistics do not reflect new arrivals into the country. The statistics show how many people UNHCR is able to register, and not if those people had newly arrived.

As of end January 2021, there are some 178,710 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. This includes refugees who have been in Malaysia for decades.

UNHCR shares statistical data with various Government Ministries and Agencies on a monthly basis.

Fact 3: The UNHCR card confirms a persons need for international protection

UNHCR documentation serves only one purpose, which is to recognize a refugee and asylum-seekers need for international protection.

The UNHCR documentation helps protect refugees and asylum-seekers from deportation to their country of origin where their freedom or lives may be at risk. This is known as the customary international law principle of non-refoulement which is binding for all states, regardless of whether they have signed the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or not.

The UNHCR card is not a driving license, a legal document, a travel document, or a residency permit. It does not give the person immunity from the law.

Fact 4: Refugees are subject to the countrys laws

UNHCR card holders are not above the law. Refugees are required to respect the laws and regulations of their country of refuge.

However, they will not automatically lose their refugee card if they commit a crime. There are reasons when a person can be excluded from international protection, such as if they have committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity, or other serious reasons.

But if they commit crimes not of a serious nature, and have been found guilty through a legal proceeding, then a refugee who commits such a crime is expected to undergo due process of law, like any other person living in the country.

Fact 5: UNHCR seeks to prevent forced deportation of refugees, not undocumented migrants

Every country has the sovereign right to manage illegal immigration on its territory, including deporting those who violate immigration laws. But under customary international law, every country  regardless of whether or not they are party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its associated 1967 Protocol  has a responsibility to not forcibly return refugees to a situation where their lives or freedoms may be at risk.

UNHCR seeks access to immigration detention centres so that we can help separate refugees from undocumented immigrants. Once we have determined who is in need of international protection and should not be returned, authorities can proceed with immigration formalities for undocumented migrants, while remaining confident that Malaysia is upholding international human rights principles with respect to refugees and asylum seekers.

Fact 6: Resettlement departures decreased in 2020 largely because of COVID-19

Resettlement departures to third countries decreased dramatically in 2020 largely because all over the world, international travel was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it is important to understand that resettlement depends on the available number of places for resettlement offered by third countries. It is prioritised for highly vulnerable refugees and those in need of urgent protection. Less than 5% of the worlds refugees will receive a place in a third country each year.

From 2008  June 2020, over 88,500 refugees, including Rohingya refugees, have been resettled from Malaysia to third countries.

Fact 7: The Malaysian Government has a responsibility to protect refugees. As do we all.

Refugee protection is a shared responsibility. It is the primary responsibility of Governments to protect the human rights of all people on their territory, including refugees  even if that country is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its associated 1967 Protocol.

Governments are supported in this effort by the international community, civil society, private sector, and refugee communities. This shared responsibility includes in helping refugees access healthcare, obtain skills and education, and be self-reliant, and assisting in the welfare needs of most vulnerable refugees.

Fact 8: UNHCR supports Governments efforts in protecting and assisting refugees

UNHCRs primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee. We do not do this alone. Wherever we are present in the world, we support Governments and work with partners and communities to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country.

In Malaysia, for over four decades, UNHCR has supported the Government of Malaysia in managing the complex challenges of refugee protection. This is done through close engagement with Ministries and Agencies in a variety of areas. One example is of engagement is through the ongoing joint task force where we explore a framework to manage refugees, including how the Government can be involved in issuance of documentation for refugees.

Another excellent example of close cooperation is in healthcare, where UNHCR and the Government of Malaysia worked together in supporting the countrys Covid-19 response in preventing infection from spreading among the communities. As Malaysia begins the implementation of its national immunisation programme, UNHCR stands ready to continue providing support where it affects refugees and asylum-seekers.

UNHCR is fully committed in our on-going cooperation with the Government to find ways that better protect refugees which, at the same time, address any legitimate national concerns. We are in a constructive dialogue with the Malaysian government in this respect.

Fact 9: Refugees want to go home when it is safe

Refugee protection does not mean refugees will stay here permanently. A person ceases to be a refugee when the conditions that forced them to be a refugee no longer exist. For most refugees, this means being able to return home when it is safe to do so. But until they can, they have no choice but to remain temporarily in a country of asylum.

Giving refugees protection does not mean giving them land or shelter or handouts. In all of UNHCRs experience, we have seen that when refugees are empowered to be self-reliant, they take care of themselves and they are able to contribute to local communities where they live. Refugee protection means giving the space for the private sector, NGOs, civil society, international organisations and refugee communities themselves to work together in helping refugees access healthcare, education, and skills so that they are not a burden to anyone.

Refugee protection means allowing them a place to live in safety and dignity until long term solutions are found for their plight.

Fact 10: UNHCR does not issue driving licenses

There have been news articles reporting about driving licenses for refugees allegedly issued by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

This document is false. The UNHCR Representation in Malaysia does not issue driving licences.

We wish to further stress that UNHCR only issues refugee identity cards in the country, which serves to verify that the card holder is a refugee requiring international protection and cannot be forcibly sent to a country where their lives or freedom may be at risk. Our cards do not accord any other right to the bearer including the right to drive vehicles in the country.
Hangama Amiri, an Afghan-Canadian artist and former refugee is the designer of the 2021 World Refugee Day Twitter emoji.  UNHCR/Ashley Le

NEW YORK  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Twitter have teamed up with a refugee to design an emoji honouring the millions of people forced to flee war and persecution.

UNHCR and Twitter commissioned Afghan-Canadian artist Hangama Amiri to create the emoji for World Refugee Day, celebrated each year on 20 June. It is the first time the emoji has been designed by a refugee. The design features a blue heart cupped between two hands to symbolize protection and solidarity. It goes live today and will be activated on any tweet that uses the hashtags #WorldRefugeeDay, #WithRefugees and #RefugeeDay, in any of 12 languages, through 23 June.

Twitter is pleased to continue our partnership with UNHCR with the creation of this emoji honouring those who are forced to flee war and persecution, said Twitters Director of Public Policy, Government and Philanthropy for Middle East and North Africa, George Salama. We are especially proud that this year for the first time, the emoji has been designed by a refugee, Afghan-Canadian artist Hangama Amiri. We hope that Hangama's story will inspire others and the emoji will help to raise awareness and demonstrate solidarity with the refugee community worldwide."

Hangama Amiri was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan and displaced multiple times as a child due to the conflict raging in her native Afghanistan. As a young refugee, Amiri said drawing helped her feel safe and make sense of things around her.

While living in Tajikistan, she received a scholarship after winning an art competition held by UNHCR. In 2005, she and her family were resettled in Nova Scotia, Canada. She recently completed a graduate degree at the Yale School of Art in the United States. Her colourful textile work explores issues related to feminism, geopolitics and memory and has been exhibited across Europe, Canada and the United States.

I decided to come up with an idea around hope, togetherness and love, Amiri said. As a refugee, the love around me was the only thing I held on to. She created a tangible version of the digital emoji by sewing together scraps of colourful fabric, a technique she uses frequently in her artwork.

More than 80 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge within their own country or across borders.

The United Nations designated 20 June as World Refugee Day 20 years ago to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees. Twitter has worked with UNHCR for several years to raise awareness of the rights, needs and hopes of forcibly displaced people.

This World Refugee Day, UNHCR calls for the greater inclusion of refugees in our communities, and especially access to health care, education and sport.

The shared experience of COVID-19 has taught us that we are stronger when we work together, said Gisella Lomax, Head of Social Media at UNHCR. This years World Refugee Day emoji is about togetherness and love, and we encourage Twitter users to share it as a sign of solidarity for all people forced from home.

Throughout the pandemic, social media has been a lifeline to many for vital health information, for news, for interactions with friends and family and more. It has also been important to organisations like UNHCR, where social media - and especially Twitter - is a central part of our communications and external outreach, enabling us to inform, inspire and mobilise action. UNHCR is grateful to Twitter for their long-standing partnership and support for our work and the refugee cause.

B-Roll

Media Contacts:

UNHCR:

In New York, Kathryn Mahoney, [email protected] , +1 347 443 7646

, +1 347 443 7646 In New York, Pauline Eluere, [email protected] , +1 646 510 4809

, +1 646 510 4809 In Canada, Gisele Nyembwe, [email protected] , +1 613 986 4300

TWITTER:

VIDEO:

https://media.unhcr.org/Share/32o3638ayp774k8jp32m15wn8ff62cqi

#WorldRefugeeDay Twitter emoji designed by Afghan textile artist, Hangama Amiri (Pauline Eluere, producer/ Ashley Francesca Le, Videographer, Editor )

Q/A with Hangama Amiri:

Hashtags

#RefugeeDay #WorldRefugeeDay #WithRefugees #_ #Aveclesrefugies #JourneeDuRefugie #ConLosRefugiados #DiaDelRefugiado #DoItLuquluqu #Weltfluchtlingstag #ComOsRefugiados #HariPelarianSedunia #HariPengungsiSedunia # # # #DiaDosRefugiados # #GiornataMondialeDelRifugiato
By Sanne Biesmans in Sake, the Democratic Republic of the Congo | 14 June 2021 | Espanol | Francais

Paul Bapolosi will never forget how shocked he was when he saw red hot lava pouring down Mount Nyiragongo, which overlooks the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Paralysed from the waist down and wheelchair-bound since he was a child, Paul, 48, had to be pushed to safety by his wife and children. They joined tens of thousands of people who escaped when the volcano erupted unexpectedly on 22 May.

Without my family, I dont know if I would have been able to flee. I am lucky to be alive and so proud we all made it to safety together, says Paul.

His wife and children pushed him all night, for over twelve gruelling hours to Sake, a town 25 kilometres west of Goma.

"I am lucky to be alive."

The road was bumpy and long and our children were so tired. It was not easy at all, recalls his wife, Francine.

Pauls family found shelter in a school hosting 300 displaced people, including over 100 people with reduced mobility. Some, like Paul, fled in wheelchairs, while others walked on crutches or used simple canes.

As the lava begins to cool, the government is encouraging people to return to their homes, but many say they have lost all their property and need assistance to rebuild their lives. Others, like Paul, do not know whether the homes they left behind will still be available.

I didnt have my own home so I dont know if my landlord will be there when we return or if he will have given out our house to another tenant, says Paul.

Mount Nyiragongo is one of the worlds most active and deadly volcanos. Over 170 people were killed when it last erupted in 2002 and the lava spread to many neighbourhoods, destroying property and homes.

Paul pictured on his wheelchair alongside son Michael.  UNHCR/Guerchom Ndebo

Equipped only with brakes, Paul relies on help from his family to manoeuvre the wheelchair.  UNHCR/Guerchom Ndebo

Juliene Bushashire (centre) fled Goma on foot with her 10 children and walked for two days to reach Sake.  UNHCR/Guerchom Ndebo

Juliene struggled with pain on the long journey due to a condition that makes it hard for her to walk.  UNHCR/Guerchom Ndebo

Jean and Esperance Muhoza stand on volcanic rock that now covers their former home, which was destroyed in the eruption.  UNHCR/Guerchom Ndebo

Authorities in Goma report that 32 people died in the May eruption and at least 4,000 houses were destroyed by the lava and extreme heat. No one, including volcano experts, had predicted the eruption. It came as the North Kivu region, where Goma is located, is struggling with decades of ongoing conflict and violence that has displaced more than 2 million people.

More than 450,000 people fled Goma in the days following the eruption, as the city continued to be hit by over a thousand tremors, raising fears of another eruption. Some 120,000 people fled to Sake town alone while others continued to Minova and Bukavu further south, or northwards to Kiwanja in Rutshuru Territory.

Around 8,000 people also crossed the border into Rwanda, which lies east of Goma. Most of them have since returned to the DRC.

Julienne Bushashire, 50, undertook a similarly arduous journey. She walked all the way to Sake with her ten children, in pain throughout due to a condition that means she can only walk with the aid of a stick. She also found shelter in the school.

"I have nothing left."

I had to stop to rest many times as my legs hurt. We slept by the roadside in the open when we were too tired to continue, she explains, adding that the roads out of Goma were full of panicked people.

Julienne lost everything when she fled to Goma in 2007 after her home village in Masisi was attacked by armed militia. She had to start over and now, the volcano has taken what little she had.

I have been told that my house in Goma was looted. I have nothing left, she adds.

With no running water or electricity, dozens of families are staying in classrooms without any facilities, hygiene or comfort.

Some 350,000 people are estimated to be in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agencys priority is to vacate schools and ensure a sense of normalcy resumes, particularly for children, as soon as possible.

Children who fled the volcano and are now displaced are really traumatized. It is crucial that they return to their regular routines and for their parents to be able to resume their daily activities, explains Liz Ahua, UNHCRs representative in the DRC. This can help reduce the childrens trauma.

UNHCR has assisted the displaced with core relief items including soap, blankets, solar lamps and hygiene kits. Communal shelters have also been built in Sake and Minova to decongest schools and churches.

We had to relocate our staff to Sake and Bukavu where they immediately began assisting the most vulnerable people there, adds UNHCRs Ahua, explaining that days after the disaster, emergency teams were in place in various towns, including Sake, Minova, Kiwanja, Masisi, Kitshanga and Bukavu.

But more effort is required to prepare displaced families who are ready to return and rebuild.

Esperance and her husband Jean stand on lava rocks that have piled up on the spot where their house once stood in Mugerwa, one of the neighbourhoods that was almost entirely wiped out. The rocks are still warm but the couple is ready to start over.

We are used to the volcano, it is like our neighbour, says Jean. But we need a piece of land to rebuild our home.
Hangama Amiri, the designer of the 2021 World Refugee Day Twitter emoji, in her studio in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.  UNHCR/Ashley Le

Hangama Amiri was seven years old when the Taliban invaded Kabul in 1996. War and chaos ravaged her neighborhood, leaving her family no choice but to flee. Forced to leave their community, they embarked on an arduous journey in search of safety, going first to Pakistan and later Tajikistan before being resettled in Canada in 2005.

As her family moved from one place to the next, Hangama always carried pencil and paper. Drawing her experiences at an early age gave her a sense of freedom, she says. Today, at age 31, she has turned that early practice into a successful career as an artist. Her colourful textile pieces, which recall and reconfigure her hometown of Kabul, are on view in galleries around the world.

Now Hangama has designed an emoji that is being launched today by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Twitter, to mark World Refugee Day. The emoji, which will be available on Twitter from 13 to 23 June, features a blue heart cupped between two hands.

Sitting in her sunlit studio near the Yale University campus, where she graduated in 2020 with a Master of Fine Arts degree, Hangama answered some of our questions about art, home and hope. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell us about how you became an artist and what art means to you.

I became interested in drawing when I was a child, when I became a refugee after the war in Afghanistan. When we were living in Tajikistan, there was an art programme by UNHCR which offered refugee children the chance to create art, to be busy with their imagination. There was also a competition, and for this competition I drew a reconstruction of the Twin Buddhas that were destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban. It was a really hopeful image for Afghanistan. That piece got the first prize and, luckily, I got into a college of art and design in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Since then, Ive still been making art, and Im the most privileged person to be an artist today.

Hangama Amiri, an Afghan-Canadian artist and former refugee is the designer of the 2021 World Refugee Day Twitter emoji.  UNHCR/Ashley Le

Can you tell us more about the design youve created and the message behind it?

I decided to come up with an idea around hope and togetherness and love at the same time. I think these three words are really strong in relation to what immigration or being a refugee means. Its the togetherness. Its to have my family around me. Its to have the love around me because those are the only things that we hold on to. I also wanted to make something very simple but also very powerful. The hand is a very strong gesture. The heart, which is a very simple shape, is also universal. I wanted to do this gesture of one hand coming from the East and the other coming from the West  that from East and West, we are supporting this love thats held in between. The color of the heart is also blue, which means the blue Earth.

Who are the people whose impact you carry with you everywhere you go?

The figure that has always had played a huge role for me as an artist is my mother. Being beside her and having seen her experiences moving from country to country, I think she is one of the strongest women Ive ever known. I think about my aunts as well  the women in Afghanistan in general. They are the bravest survivors.

Has art been a way to deal with uncertainty throughout your journey?

Its not that art gives me an answer, but that creating art gives me an awareness of something. I dont prefer everything to be so perfect in my world because my world was never perfect, and it never will be because Im still living in a foreign land. So that imperfection makes so much sense in my world to express.

One of the strengths that kept me going was my childhood memories  those fragile childhood memories that I still carry until today. As a child, seeing war, or seeing other conflicts in the public or in the whole country, you dont know whats going on. These memories and experiences just kept on growing and growing. And thats why whenever I start work, I always go back and revisit these memories and try to see what sort of stories Im going to paint or draw today. Working with memory is one of the strengths for me to learn about myself and who I am as an artist.

#WorldRefugeeDay Twitter emoji designed by Afghan textile artist, Hangama Amiri (Pauline Eluere, producer/ Ashley Francesca Le, Videographer, Editor )

Tell us about what home means to you.

These days, home is a memory for me. Its become more of a feeling than really thinking of home as a territory or as a physical thing. Home is in my heart. But its a thing that I cannot smell, that I cannot touch, that I cannot walk on the ground of. I [have many] homes. My studio is a home for me sometimes because it gives me a sense of freedom, a sense of who I am, a sense of maybe peace. Afghanistan will always be in my work.

What do you hope for the future?

One of my future goals as an artist is to someday go back to Afghanistan and open up an art institution. I want to create that community of artists and invite them to be in this creative zone.
The Head of UNHCRs Sub-Office in Peshawar, Mr. Bernard Inkoom, the Additional Secretary, Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Fazal Akbar, and the Additional Director General, Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr. Ikramullah Khan, inaugurate 11 health facilities that were rehabilitated and improved in Kohat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.  UNHCR/Z. Saleah

Nine Basic Health Units and two Rural Health Centres handed over to the government authorities

Press release

Peshawar, 14 June 2021  In an effort to improve public health services, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency rehabilitated and enhanced nine Basic Health Units and two Rural Health Centres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Strategic investments have been made in the largest refugee-hosting districts under the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) programme. In Kohat district, the project worth 70 million rupees will benefit thousands of patients  Pakistanis and Afghan refugees alike. The 11 health facilities have been provided with additional labour rooms, medical equipment and furniture, as well as recovery rooms, waiting areas, latrines and boundary walls.

As part of the UNHCRs Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy, which promotes the transition to clean, renewable energy in refugee settlements and hosting areas, UNHCR also installed solar panels to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to maternity wards. Training of paramedical staff was also provided.

On Monday, a ceremony was held to inaugurate these facilities in Kohat district. The Head of UNHCRs Sub-Office in Peshawar, Mr. Bernard Inkoom, the Additional Secretary, Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Fazal Akbar, and the Additional Director General, Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr. Ikramullah Khan, participated in the event. Officials from the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and district health authorities, including District Health Officer, Mr. Sameen Shah, were also present.

The Government has very limited resources, but with UNHCRs support, we are strengthening our public health system, particularly in densely populated areas. Health is important for everyone  refugees and the communities hosting them. With the continued cooperation between UNHCR and the Department of Health in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, we will overcome challenges posed by the pandemic, said Mr. Akbar.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Inkoom highlighted how investments in the public health sector aim to reduce the burden placed on the Government by increasing absorption capacity in health facilities and enhancing the quality of health services. These health facilities help promote peaceful coexistence and ensure that health care continues to be generously provided to all people, regardless of nationality or status, said Mr. Inkoom.

He added, I am thankful to all stakeholders and the international community who have joined hands with UNHCR since the pandemic began in Pakistan. UNHCR has worked hand-in-hand with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to contribute to the overall efforts aiming to minimize the spread and impact of COVID-19.

The Additional Director General, Health, Dr. Khan, appreciated UNHCRs work to better equip the public health facilities that provide mother and child health services 24 hours, seven days a week. He expressed his gratitude for the organizations continued support of the Governments primary, secondary and tertiary health institutions where a significant number of Afghan patients have also been receiving health care.

The District Health Officer, Mr. Shah, noted, Its a dream come true. UNHCRs assistance will support services to help the most disadvantaged mothers and children, including newborns.

Since 2009, through the RAHA programme, UNHCR supported the implementation of 4,300 projects in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, livelihoods as well as water and sanitation across the country. A total of 12.4 million people  85 per cent Pakistanis and 15 per cent Afghan refugees  have benefitted.

ENDS

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OVER THE past couple of weeks, New Hampshire Democrats have made wildly histrionic claims about the state budget recently passed by both chambers of the General Court, which Gov. Chris Sununu has said he will sign. We need only to look to the recent past to see how far off the mark the Democ
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ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 14th Jun, 2021) Abu Dhabi Airports has signed an agreement with National Ambulance (NA) to provide and manage emergency medical services across all their airports.

The services commenced earlier this month at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Al Bateen Executive Airport and Al Ain International Airport.

As part of the agreement, 70 highly trained medical and support staff are currently present on-site to support the airports and their customers in case of any medical emergencies.

National Ambulance has invested two months of dedicated training and preparation of staff, vehicles, emergency resources and procedures to ensure that it delivers the highest level of pre-hospital care in providing its service across Abu Dhabi Airports.

The emergency medical teams will consist of Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) with the support of its Ambulance Communications Centre, as well as six ambulances and one fast response vehicle. For the first time, National Ambulance will be utilising i-Larc green response scooters on each site for quick access across the sites.

Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, "Our collaboration with National Ambulance comes as part of our efforts to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of our customers, staff, and stakeholders, which is our main priority. At Abu Dhabi Airports, we always look to enhance our health and safety measures through implementing strict health measures, deploying advanced technologies, and collaborating with the relevant entities. This is key for ensuring the delivery of exceptional services and maintaining our airports excellence."

In turn, Ahmed Al Hajeri, Chief Executive Officer of National Ambulance, said that following months of diligent preparation, National Ambulance is at full readiness to provide the necessary emergency medical service to all of Abu Dhabis airports. The airports are vital to the health of Abu Dhabis economy and a gateway to Abu Dhabis capital.
ABIDJAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 12th Jun, 2021) Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan, President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, discussed the prospects of promoting tolerance and peace in Africa at separate meetings here with Ivory Coast's Prime Minister, Patrick Achi; Head of the National Assembly, Amadou Soumahoro, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kandia Camara.

During the meetings, Al Jarwan spoke of the Council's efforts at the parliamentarian, cultural and educational levels to promote tolerance and peace around the world, with the Ivory Coast's Prime Minister hailing the role of the council and affirming his country's support for cultivating the culture of pluralism and acceptance.

Al Jarwan signed with the Head of the National Assembly an MoU on bolstering parliamentary cooperation to enhance tolerance and peace in Africa and the entire world. Under the MoU, Ivory Coast's National Assembly will be represented in the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, by one member.

For her part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs hailed the council's role in strengthening peace efforts and underlined her country's support in this respect.

Al Jarwan commended the support of the government of Ivory Coast for the council's efforts.
Hodeidah, Yemen, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :The bodies of 25 migrants were recovered off Yemen on Monday after the boat that was carrying them capsized with up to 200 people on board, a provincial official told AFP.

Fishermen who found the bodies told AFP that they were floating in the waters of Ras al-Ara in the southern province of Lahij, an area so rife with human trafficking that local people call it the "Gate of Hell".

"The boat overturned two days ago and was carrying between 160 and 200 people," said Jalil Ahmed Ali from the Lahij provincial authority, citing information given by Yemeni smugglers. The fate of the other people on board was unclear.

The UN's International Organization for Migration confirmed to AFP that a boat sank in the area but said it was still trying to establish the details of the incident.

Despite the grinding war in impoverished Yemen, migrants continue to travel there in the hopes of finding work in Saudi Arabia and other neighbouring oil-rich states whose economies depend on millions of foreign labourers.

The fishermen said the victims, found in the Bab al-Mandab strait that separates Djibouti from Yemen, appeared to be of African origin.

"We found 25 bodies of Africans who drowned when a boat carrying dozens of them sank off the Yemeni shores," said one of the fishermen.

"We saw the bodies floating in the water 10 miles from the shores of Ras al-Ara," added another.

Migrants often find themselves stranded in Yemen, which is mired in the world's worst humanitarian crisis after six years of conflict.

The beaches of Ras al-Ara are among the areas most targeted by smugglers.

Earlier this month, local people appealed to Yemen's internationally recognised government to intervene, saying the area had become a free-for-all for human traffickers without any action from the authorities.

In recent months, dozens of migrants have died in the Bab al-Mandab strait, a major route for international trade but also for human trafficking.

In April, at least 42 migrants died off Djibouti after the capsize of their boat which had left from Yemen, according to an IOM report. They were likely among those who try to return home after finding themselves stranded or detained.

The IOM reported this month that 5,100 immigrants arrived in Yemen so far this year, while 35,000 travelled in 2020 and 127,000 in 2019 before the outbreak of the coronavirus which suppressed demand for labour in the Gulf states.

The UN agency often sends migrants back to their home countries from Yemen. But it said in April that more than 32,000 migrants, mostly from Ethiopia, were still stranded in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.
London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :Injury-plagued Andy Murray admitted on Monday it might not be realistic to expect him to recapture the golden days when he won three Grand Slam titles.

Murray is on the comeback trail again at Queen's Club in London this week after another round of the fitness issues that have troubled him for several years.

The 34 year-old Scot faces Benoit Paire on Tuesday at the Wimbledon warm-up event, which he has won five times. It will be his first singles match on grass for three years.

Asked on Monday if he felt capable of getting close to the form that took him to the world number one ranking in 2016, Murray struck a downbeat tone.

"I feel OK. I don't feel perfect, but I've been practising well over the last month or so, pretty consistently," he said.

"The question mark is obviously whether the body holds up and I can't say with any great certainty right now whether that's going to happen or not.

"I have been feeling good at different points throughout the last nine months or so, practised really well, felt good going into tournaments.

Then, you know, something's happened." Murray, currently ranked 124th in the world, won the US Open in 2012 and lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2013 and 2016.

But, beset by hip problems and other issues, he has competed in just two of the past eight Grand Slams.

While Murray's hopes of returning to the top are fading, his old rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are still at their best.

Djokovic saw off Nadal in four sets in a thrilling French Open semi-final last week before claiming his 19th Grand Slam title against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday.

Murray, who has not reached a Grand Slam final since 2016, admitted he had been jealous watching the 34-year-old Djokovic do battle with the 35-year-old Nadal.

"It was an incredible match," said the Scot. "You know, there is a bit of me that's jealous watching that, like I would love to be playing in those matches.

"I would love to still be competing with them in semis of slams, I would love that.

"You know, you can still do things on the court outside of winning slams or competing with those guys."
Tokyo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :An American father-son duo admitted to helping orchestrate former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn's audacious escape from Japan as they made their first appearance before a Tokyo court on Monday.

Former special forces operative Michael Taylor and his son Peter were extradited by US authorities over allegations that they and a third man, who remains at large, smuggled Ghosn out of Japan in a music equipment case as he awaited trial.

At the Tokyo district court, the pair did not contest the facts laid out by prosecutors in an indictment, effectively conceding their role in the saga.

"Is there any mistake in what the prosecutor just read?" the judge asked each man in turn. Both replied no.

Michael Taylor, 60, was led in first to the courtroom, with his hands cuffed in front of him. He wore plastic slippers, dark trousers and a white shirt with no tie.

His 28-year-old son was brought in after, with both men wearing face masks.

The pair face up to three years in prison if convicted of helping Ghosn -- currently an international fugitive living in Lebanon, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.

The former auto tycoon was out on bail while awaiting trial on four counts of financial misconduct, which he denies, when he managed to slip past authorities onto a private jet, transit in Turkey and land in Lebanon.

The December 2019 escape was hugely embarrassing for Japanese authorities, and US prosecutors called it "one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history".

- Black box - In court, prosecutors laid out again the almost cinematic details of the operation -- including that Ghosn was hidden in a large case with air holes drilled into it to slip past security at an airport.

As airport staff handled the black box, which was too big to X-ray, one joked that "maybe there's a young woman in there", according to the evidence listed by prosecutors Monday.

Ghosn first hatched a plan to flee Japan six months before his escape, prosecutors said, contacting Michael Taylor using a secret mobile phone after being introduced by his wife Carole.

Worried that security guards tailing him could disrupt his escape, he sent his lawyer to police to complain he was being stalked and have the detail reduced, prosecutors added.

Prosecutors said Ghosn and his wife paid the Taylors for their help through an online ad company and directly, with public broadcaster NHK reporting that Peter received 144 million Yen ($1.3 million).

The Asahi Shimbun daily said the pair spent most of the money on preparations for the escape, including the costs of chartering a private jet, claiming that they were not paid for their help.

- Ghosn at large - The Taylors had fought their extradition to Tokyo, claiming they could face torture-like conditions, and did not comment on their case after arriving in early March.

A third man, identified as George Antoine Zayek, is also accused of involvement in the escape but remains at large.

Ghosn is still in Lebanon, where he was questioned last month by French investigators over a series of alleged financial improprieties.

Among the allegations are improper financial interactions with Renault-Nissan's distributor in Oman, payments by a Dutch subsidiary to consultants and lavish parties organised at the Palace of Versailles.

The questioning took place with his defence team and a Lebanese prosecutor present. Ghosn was heard as a witness as he would need to be in France to be formally indicted.

Others involved in the Ghosn case have faced legal proceedings, including his former aide at Nissan, Greg Kelly, who is also on trial in Tokyo for his alleged role in underreporting the tycoon's income.

And a Turkish court has sentenced two pilots and another employee of a small private airline to four years and two months in prison for their role in Ghosn's escape.
Yangon, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :A US journalist detained in Myanmar since March was released on Monday after charges against him were dropped, his lawyer said.

US citizen Nathan Maung "was released this morning from Insein prison as the police withdrew the charges against him", and will fly back to the US on Tuesday, his lawyer Tin Zar Oo told AFP.

Maung, who founded local outlet Kamayut Media, had faced charges under a colonial-era law that criminalises encouraging dissent against the military, she added.

Earlier this month a Myanmar journalist working for another outlet was jailed for two years under the same law.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, triggering a mass uprising as large swathes of the population take to the streets.

The junta has responded with force -- shooting protesters, arresting suspected dissidents in night raids, targeting journalists and shutting down news outlets.

Several foreign journalists have been detained, including another US citizen, Danny Fenster, who was held while attempting to leave the country on May 24.

Authorities have yet to release any information on his whereabouts and well-being.

Since the February coup, a military crackdown on dissent has killed more than 860 civilians, according to a local monitoring group.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has justified his power grab by citing alleged electoral fraud in the November poll won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.

bur-rma/dhc/reb
Lusaka, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :Zambian leader Edgar Lungu on Sunday suffered an attack of dizziness that prompted a sudden halt to television coverage of an official ceremony in the southern African nation, the cabinet secretary said.

Lungu, who is campaigning for re-election in August, had been attending a defence forces Commemoration Day event, which was brought to a swift end.

"President of Zambia Edgar Lungu this afternoon experienced sudden dizziness," said cabinet secretary Simon Miti in a statement "He recovered immediately and walked to the official car and returned to his residence at State House." Miti added that the 64-year-old was well and would continue to discharge his duties.

Lungu has a rare stomach disorder called achalasia and was taken ill in public in 2015 and hospitalised.

He came to power in 2014, initially replacing Michael Sata who died unexpectedly before the end of his term. He then went on to win polls in 2016.

Zambia's top opposition figure Hakainde Hichilemaon is again set to be his main rival for the presidency.

The landlocked southern African country has enjoyed relative stability since its first multi-party elections in 1991.

Struggling with mounting debt and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Lungu has been scrambling to boost public support ahead of the August 12 polls, which are for parliament as well as the president.
Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday appreciated Qaiser Shakeel, an injured Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) warden, for performing his duties with honesty despite his physical condition

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday appreciated Qaiser Shakeel, an injured Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) warden, for performing his duties with honesty despite his physical condition.

The prime minister lauded his act of responsibility by inviting him to the PM House.

Talking to the ITP personnel, he said his act of performing duties despite being injured was a guiding precedent for the other government servants to emulate.

His dutiful gesture had drawn wide public appreciation as "such acts always raise image of police", he added.

The prime minister also announced an award for the dutiful constable, PM Office Media Wing in a press release said.

A video clip of the injured ITP personnel performing his duties by marshalling traffic in Islamabad on hot summer days went viral on popular social media platforms.

Qaiser Shakeel was injured on June 9 but had joined duties after two-day medical rest.
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The Punjab government has earmarked an amount of Rs 442 billion for education sector in the provincial budget 2021-22

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :The Punjab government has earmarked an amount of Rs 442 billion for education sector in the provincial budget 2021-22.

Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht in his budget speech said that Rs 54 billion would be spent on development schemes and Rs 388 billion would be spent for current expenditures in education sector.

He announced to launch Insaaf School Up-gradation Programme to ensure enrollment of maximum number of the out of school children to schools. He added that an amount of Rs 6.5 billion was allocated under the initiative to upgrade 8360 Primary schools to the level of elementary which was 25 percent of the total schools in Punjab.

The Finance Minister elaborated that 40 percent, out of the total 8360 schools would be upgraded in South Punjab. He said that under the Insaaf School Programme, more than 2 million out of school children would be enrolled back to schools across the province.

An amount of Rs 23 billion has been allocated for the provision of education to 3.

3 million children through the Punjab Education Foundation.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government will spend Rs 15 billion for development initiatives of Higher Education which is 285 percent more than fiscal year 2020-21.

The Punjab government had established 6 new universities in various districts while approval has been granted to set up 8 more in Attock, Gujranwala, Rajanpur, Pakpattan, Hafizabad, Bhakkar, Layyah and Sialkot . During the next fiscal year, 7 new universities would be established in Bahawalnagar, Toba Tek Singh, DG Khan, Kasur and Sheikhupura.

He said the Punjab government would establish a world class Engineering and Technology university in Sialkot with an amount of Rs 17 billion which would prove a milestone for engineering and technical education.

According to budget documents, the Punjab government will continue Rehmatullil Alameen (PBUH )scholarships with Rs 834 million and 15,000 students would get benefits under the scheme.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Monday said Shehbaz Sharif had nothing to say against the federal budget 2021-22 as Prime Minister Imran Khan's prudent political and economic strategy had cleaned bowled him.

In a tweet, he said how would the opposition leader criticize the government's economic policies when he (Shehbaz Sharif ) was well aware of the fact that a company of his party's former finance minister had earned the record profit.

Fawad said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had put Pakistan's economy on the path of development. While the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)'s 'Khattara' (old & useless) bus had landed on an unpaved road of the downfall that had a dead end.

By reducing the prices of petroleum products despite an increase in the international market, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan had created a crisis of 'political diesel' for the opposition bus.
US President Joe Biden on Monday affirmed the country's commitment to its collective defense obligation within NATO framework, describing it as "sacred."

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2021) US President Joe Biden on Monday affirmed the country's commitment to its collective defense obligation within NATO framework, describing it as "sacred."

"I believe, and I've said this my whole career ... that Article 5 we take as a sacred obligation," Biden said during a conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the military alliance's summit in Brussels.
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Shares of Lordstown Motors dove Monday as it announced its top executive had resigned after an investigation concluded some of the company's statements about auto pre-orders were inaccurate

New York, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :Shares of Lordstown Motors dove Monday as it announced its top executive had resigned after an investigation concluded some of the company's statements about auto pre-orders were inaccurate.

After warning last week that it lacked sufficient capital to begin commercial production, the electric truck startup said Chief Executive Steve Burns and Chief Financial Officer Julio Rodriguez had both resigned.

Lordstown is searching for a permanent CEO after going public last fall through a merger, benefiting from a wave of buying interest in electric autos.

However, the Ohio-based company has been under scrutiny following a March report by short sellers at Hindenburg Research, which called its investment thesis a "mirage" built on "fake orders," and pointed to various production problems.

Lordstown's board set up a special committee to investigate Hindenburg's allegations. The board panel enlisted the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to probe the charges.
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Leaders of NATO countries warned Russia on Monday that there could be no return to normal relations between Moscow and the military alliance until it complies with international law

Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :Leaders of NATO countries warned Russia on Monday that there could be no return to normal relations between Moscow and the military alliance until it complies with international law.

"Until Russia demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities, there can be no return to 'business as usual'," the summit's final statement said.
Two Javan rhinoceros calves have been spotted at an Indonesian national park, offering a rare sighting of one of the world's most endangered mammals

Jakarta, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :Two Javan rhinoceros calves have been spotted at an Indonesian national park, offering a rare sighting of one of the world's most endangered mammals.

The pair -- ranging in age from three months to one year -- were caught on footage snapped by camera traps in March at Ujung Kulon national park, the environment ministry said.

On the westernmost tip of Java island, Ujung Kulon is the last remaining wild habitat for Javan rhinos.

After years of population decline, there are believed to be just 73 of the rare mammals at the sanctuary, which comprises some 5,100 hectares (12,600 acres) of lush rainforest and freshwater streams.

Javan rhinos have folds of loose skin giving them the appearance of wearing armour plating.

They once numbered in the thousands across Southeast Asia, but have been hard hit by rampant poaching and human encroachment on their habitats.
Valdosta, GA (31601)

Today

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Cardinal Philippe Ouedraogo, the Archbishop of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, has called for solidarity and prayers with victims of the countrys recent deadly terrorist attack, in years.

RECOWA/CERAO  Abuja, Nigeria.

Armed assailants killed 160 civilians in an overnight raid on a village in northern Burkina Faso, the government confirmed last week. It was one of the deadliest most recent terrorist attacks. Faced with the resurgence of jihadist attacks, the countrys armed forces have launched a large-scale operation in the northern and Sahel regions.

The Archbishop Ouagadougou, Cardinal Philippe Nakellentuba Ouedraogo, in his message of condolences to victims, called for prayers and solidarity.

Our country, Burkina Faso, has once again suffered a tragic attack in Solhan  in the Yagha region of the Sahel. In the name of our Church Family of God, we offer our sincere condolences to the bereaved families and entrust to the Lords mercy the victims of Solhan and all the victims of terrorist attacks, both civilian and military, in our country, Cardinal Ouedraogo said.

Daily prayer after the Holy Eucharist

He added, To show our solidarity with all the victims, whatever their religious or ethnic affiliation, and with populations traumatised by acts of violence, we launch a renewed call to prayers throughout the territory of the Archdiocese of Ouagadougou.

In the new call for prayers, the faithful in Burkina Faso are encouraged to pray the Our Father and Hail Mary every day at the end of the Eucharistic Celebrations, the 75-year-old Cardinal urged. The daily prayers at Mass would conclude with a prayer for Burkina Faso or a prayer to Saint Joseph for his intercession on behalf of the country. May the Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, hear and grant us peace, the Cardinal prayed.

National mourning

The Local Ordinary of Ouagadougou Archdiocese is also President of the continental association of Bishops, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

The message of Cardinal Ouedraogo comes two days after the President of the Republic of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, declared 72 hours of national mourning in honour of those killed. Kabore described the attackers as terrorists though no group claimed responsibility.

Night of the massacre

In the early hours of Saturday, 5 June, unknown gunmen launched an attack on Solhan village in Yagha Province, Sahel Region, killing at least 160 residents and injuring many others.

According to AFP, the 160 bodies were recovered on Sunday, 6 June, from what was described as three mass graves.

Pope Francis prayed for victims

After praying the Angelus on Sunday, 6 June, Pope Francis expressed solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attack.

I wish to assure you of my prayers for the victims of the massacre which took place on the night of Friday to Saturday in a small town in Burkina Faso, said the Holy Father.
Damaged buildings and huts at the site of an attack in the village of Solhan

The Bishops Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger (CEBN) expresses concern about the growing rate of insecurity in the Sahel region and calls on authorities to make urgent efforts to restore calm amid a spate of violent attacks.

By Vatican News staff writer

The Bishops of Burkina Faso and Niger have joined their voices to growing calls for improved security in the region, following an attack by armed persons on the residents of the village of northern Burkina Faso on June 5, the countrys worst attack in recent years.

The CEBN made this call during its ordinary plenary assembly which took place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Fasos capital from 7  12 June.

Pope Francis closeness

Following news of the deadly attack, Pope Francis, during the Angelus prayer on 6 June, expressed sorrow for the victims of the killings.

"I wish to assure you of my prayers for the victims of the massacre which took place on the night of Friday to Saturday in a small town in Burkina Faso, said the Holy Father.

The Pope was referring to the attack on the residents of Solhan in Yagha province bordering Niger during which armed men killed at least 160 people, burnt homes and a local market in a raid.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

Bishops appeal to authorities

The assembly welcomed with gratitude the Holy Fathers message of condolences, delivered by Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, the Apostolic Nuncio at the beginning of the sessions.

The Bishops then called on authorities to manage the situation more vigorously and rigorously, as the future and the survival of the Church in the Sahel, in particular, depends on it.

They noted that the security context, more worrying than ever with its share of displaced persons, appears to be such that Sahelians are no longer certain of the future of the Sahel.

For pastors in this part of Burkina Faso, as elsewhere in the East, Central-North, North, Boucle du Mouhoun and Cascades regions, in particular, it is a great suffering not to be able to reach the faithful in some places, or to see them flee from terrorist attacks without any guarantee of a better future.

Peacekeeping efforts

Despite the presence of UN peacekeepers in the region, attacks by Islamist extremist groups linked to al Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State are increasingly common in the Sahel region. The violence has displaced more than 1.14 million people in over two years.

In light of this, the Bishops noted that even though considerable efforts have been made in the fight against terrorism, the horrible attacks in Solhan, which has put the citizens in a state of shock, makes the terrorist hydra appear in a light that kills the optimism that was beginning to be reborn among the people.

They added that the night of horror in Solhan raises questions about the interests of so many foreign forces present in the region if the citizens are not feeling more secure, with many displaced persons facing imminent increased distress especially with the onset of the cold season.

This observation is a great concern of the populations; a concern that we share. When will the end of the tunnel come? the Bishops asked.

Concluding, the CEBN offered prayers for the repose of the souls of the victims and implored Our Lady, Queen of Peace, to accompany the people on the path to true peace which is a gift of God and the fruit of human efforts.
The valuable indications contained in the letter in which Pope Francis rejected the resignation offered by Cardinal Marx.

By Andrea Tornielli

The reform in the Church has been carried out by men and women who were not afraid to enter into the crisis and allow themselves to be reformed by the Lord. It is the only way, otherwise we will be nothing more than ideologues of reform who do not put their own flesh on the line. This is a passage from the letter with which the Pope rejected Cardinal Reinhard Marx's offer to resign from the leadership of the diocese of Munich and Freising. It is a papal text full of valuable indications, which go well beyond the particular case to focus once again on the essential, indicating a Christian outlook and attitude towards reality. This view and attitude are often forgotten when  even in the ecclesial community  there is a risk of attributing salvific value to structures, to the power of the institution, to the necessary and increasingly detailed and stringent legislative norms, to corporate best practices, to the logic of political representation transplanted into synodal paths, to marketing strategies applied to the mission, to the communicative narcissism of special effects.

To affirm, as the Bishop of Rome does, that in the face of the scandal of abuse, we will not be saved by inquiries nor by the power of institutions. We will not be saved by the prestige of our Church, which tends to conceal its sins: nor will we be saved by the power of money or the opinion of the media (we are often too dependent on them) means once again pointing out the only Christian way. Because, as the Pope wrote to Cardinal Marx, We will be saved by the door of the only One who can do it, and by confessing our nakedness: I have sinned, we have sinned It is in this way of weakness that the Church finds strength, when it does not have trust in itself and does not feel like the protagonist, but asks for forgiveness and invokes salvation from the only One who can give it.

What Pope Francis wrote in the letter to the Cardinal of Munich and Freising might appear to some as a non-answer. Because it does not remove us from the grill, it doesnt close the wound, it doesnt allow us to accuse others by pointing our fingers. Instead, it calls for each of us to enter into the crisis, and to confess our own impotence, our own weakness, our own littleness in the face of evil and sin, whether it be the satanic abuse of minors or thinking we can save the Church thanks to our own ideas, our own strategies, our own human constructions.

The Pope emeritus, Benedict XVI, in notes prepared for the February 2019 summit on the protection of minors (and later published), wondering what the right answers to the scourge of abuse might be, wrote, The antidote to the evil that threatens us and the whole world, ultimately can only consist in abandoning ourselves to the love of God. If we reflect on what must be done, it is clear that we have no need of another Church invented by ourselves. Today, the Church is widely regarded as just some kind of political apparatus, and the crisis caused by the many cases of abuse at the hands of priests, presses us to consider the Church as something that has failed, which we must now take decisively into our own hands and re-form in a new way. But a self-made Church cannot constitute hope.

IN 2010, in the midst of the storm caused by the abuse scandal in Ireland, Pope Benedict XVI pointed out the penitential way as the only viable path, saying he was convinced that the greatest attack on the Church came, not from external enemies, but from within. Today, his successor, Pope Francis, with a consistent gaze and emphasis, reminds us that reform, in Ecclesia semper reformanda, is not accomplished by political strategies, but by men and women who allow themselves to be reformed by the Lord.
Outlook for the domestic cement market is rather positive

Given weakened domestic demand and the rise in fuel costs, listed cement manufacturers recorded deteriorating average earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) from 17.0 per cent in 2019 to only 15.8 per cent in 2020.

Domestic cement consumption reached 62.1 million tonnes in 2020, declining by 5.6 per cent on-year due to a negative impact of COVID-19. By region, sales in the north and the south contracted by 8.2 and 6.5 per cent, respectively, while Central Vietnam recorded a slight increase by 1.8 per cent thanks to the rebuilding and reconstruction after the heavy storms in the summer 2020 and a boost in the construction of industrial parks.

Meanwhile, clinker and cement export volume continued experiencing strong growth momentum with a surge by 14.9 per cent on-year in total export volume in 2020. The market is driven by high demand from traditional export markets including China and the Philippines as well as Vietnamese cement manufacturers effort to tap on new markets.

Despite a supply surplus situation, leading private cement manufacturers continue to develop new facilities aggressively amid COVID-19 to meet demand from the overseas market. Particularly, many expansion projects developed by local private groups including Vissai, Long Son, Thanh Thang, Fico-YTL, and SCC-VN are expected to launch commercial operations in the next five years, boosting Vietnam's production capacity to 149.3 million tonnes of cement per annum by 2025.

Local private manufacturers continued leading the market, accounting for 41 per cent of the market share of domestic cement sales volume in 2020. VICEM and leading private players such as Vissai and Long Son recorded a good performance with a full utilisation rate of 100 per cent in 2020 while foreign-owned players figure slumped to 65 per cent in 2020.

The Vietnamese cement sector witnessed a deteriorating profit margin due to the rising fuel costs and slow domestic cement consumption. Listed cement manufacturers recorded a deteriorating average EBITDA margin from 17.0 per cent in 2019 to only 15.8 per cent in 2020. This could be explained by a 6.3 per cent slump in net sales due to low demand in the domestic market and a surge by 20 per cent in coal price (which is driven by rising demand from China and reduction in the production of major suppliers such as Australia). In addition, given fierce competition due to low demand, cement manufacturers spent higher marketing and selling expense to boost sales, contributing to lower EBITDA margin for 2020.

The domestic cement market in Vietnam is forecast to have a neutral outlook in 2021 while cement and clinker export is projected for a positive outlook thanks to high demand from overseas buyers and local manufacturers to explore new markets.
By Ta Hong Thai - Partner, head of Corporate Tax KPMG Vietnam

The prime ministers view is not just his desire as the leader of the government but is also an expectation of enterprises when almost all of us feel disappointment after a statement was made elsewhere that Vietnamese enterprises are not competent enough to produce screws.

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has proposed several initiatives aiming to improve the legal system in terms of mechanisms and policies for promoting science and technology activities and innovation, including investment regulations, public investment, state budget, and tax regulations.

Specifically, it requested to make the Science and Technology Development Fund an obstacle-free source of capital towards investment in innovation in technology. It is requested that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) promptly amend the joint Circular No.12/2016/TTLT-BKH&CNBTC guiding on the spending content and management of the fund.

Many enterprises have not been aware of the fund nor understand its benefits. In a way, the attempt to reach the businesses and bring these regulations into force have not been very effective.

The Law on Science and Technology was passed in Vietnam in 2000. It is a set of codes that specify the states policies to ensure that science and technology development constitutes a primary national policy.

The state encourages the establishment of such a fund on a national, local, and organisational scale. At the same time, the state commits to provide tax incentives in accordance with the regulations to enterprises that engage in the innovation and improvement of technologies. Therefore, businesses can benefit from tax incentives when participating in the activities of technology innovation and enhancement through the science and technology development fund.

The spirit of the laws is clear, but what about the tax regulations? According to the Law on Corporate Income Tax (CIT), enterprises can provide up to 10 per cent of their annual income before tax to establish the science and technology fund.

With this provision, the CIT law provided further details to implement the Law on Science and Technology and allowed enterprises to spare their taxable incomes for establishing the fund, meaning the enterprises do not have to pay tax supposed to be levied on the amount spared for this fund. At prima facie, this regulation seems to give great benefit to enterprises when they do not have to pay CIT and enjoy the tax saving amount, but this is not actually the case.

The CIT law also stipulates that enterprises are not allowed to claim expenditures spent from their science and technology funds as deductible operating expenses when determining taxable incomes during the period that the expenses incurred.

The reality is that when the enterprise incurs technology research and development (R&D) expenses, and if the expenses are spent from the fund, these expenses are not considered as deductible when calculating CIT liability. The governments encouragement seems to be a temporary deferral of tax when contributing to the fund, the enterprise will pay back tax to the government later by not claiming deductible expenses when they actually incur science and technology development expenses.

It seems illogical if an enterprise is enjoying incentives like tax exemptions and reductions as result from investment in industrial parks, economic zones, or funding in difficult areas or encouraged industries.

In addition, the CIT law also stipulates that within five years from the starting date of the fund, if an enterprise does not utilise it, utilise less than 70 per cent, or utilise it for inappropriate purposes, it will be subjected to the collection of CIT, which is calculated based on the actual amount contributed to the fund plus interests on such collected amount. Obviously, the time period for enterprises to enjoy the benefit of tax deferral as a cash advance for this fund is not much.

The MoF has issued very strict regulations on the use of the fund under joint Circular 12 regarding the organising, managing, registering, reporting, and other necessary internal procedures for project approval, expenses approval, and fund transferring to other affiliated enterprises. This could reasonably be a mandatory requirement applicable to state-owned enterprises while for the remaining private enterprises, it should not be acceptable as there are many complications hindering flexibility in using internal resources with the benefit are not clear and not significant, as mentioned above.

It is prominent that the incentive policies through the mechanism of setting up and using the fund is not appropriate or practical. Therefore, for many years, these policies have not been widely applied by enterprises.

Not only Vietnam, other countries also have strong focus on science and technology development and providing incentives for the R&D activities of enterprises.

Many governments encourage enterprises to invest in the R&D activities with a range of support, especially tax policies like tax credit mechanism, double expense deduction, or super tax deduction.

For the tax credit mechanism, if an enterprise incurs R&D expenses, this enterprise has the right to use a percentage of the expenses to directly offset against their payable tax amount when declaring annual tax.

In Taiwan, for example, businesses can deduct from 10-15 per cent of their total R&D expenses against their annual income tax payable amount, although the government restricts the deduction to be no more than 30 per cent of the tax payable in the year. However, this is the actual amount of funds that businesses can be subsidised by the state. Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and many other markets also apply the same policy.

Malaysia allows a deduction up to 200 per cent, which means that for one dollar expense incurred, two dollars of taxable income will be deducted. The state then subsidises the tax amount associated with the additional deductible expenses. Singapore even gives a deduction for up to 250 per cent, and China 175 per cent.

Tax incentives are an effective instrument when one government implements policies to encourage science and technology development. In fact, the current tax laws have provided tax incentives for high-tech businesses, businesses applying high-tech, software manufacturing businesses, and supporting product manufacturing businesses, etc.

However, R&D costs are incurred at many different stages of different businesses at different scales, and more importantly, these costs are significantly important when reviewing the objective of the laws on science and technology which is to improve the national scientific and technological capability.

In Vietnam, the limited state budget makes it challenging to provide effective support as in other countries. Nonetheless, given the reality of practice that enterprises are not interested in the policies despite availability for many years, it is essential to review these policies and consider amendments.
Downtown Ho Chi Minh City during the social distancing period. Photo: Le Toan

The information was shared at todays virtual meeting in Ho Chi Minh City. After hearing reports on the COVID-19 situation from districts and departments, Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the city Peoples Committee decided to continue social distancing in the city until June 30.

The chairman said that the number of untracked COVID-19 cases is rising in the city, with the pandemic spreading since the beginning of May through 4-5 infection cycles so far.

The new cases will be detected through screening and tracing in the near future. Therefore, the city will maintain social distancing for another two weeks in line with Directive 15, he added.

At the meeting, Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, said that the city is channelling all efforts to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of infected cases and F1 and F2 people in quarantine zones is increasing. Meanwhile, COVID-19 is still spreading silently in the community.

This poses a challenge for the city to control the pandemic to realise the dual goals of COVID-19 pandemic containment and recovery in the new normal. Thus, the extension of social distancing time will help the city strengthen COVID-19 prevention efforts, he added.

Food delivery drivers are queuing in front of restaurants to get food orders for customers staying at home. Photo: Le Toan
Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati. (Photo: Instagram @smindrawati)

Jakatar - Indonesia needs funding of 247 billion USD or approximately 3.461 trillion rupiah to meet its climate-change commitments under the Paris Agreement for the 2018-2030 period, according to the countrys Second Biennial Update Report 2018.

At a webinar on climate change challenge held on June 11, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that the nation will need at least 266.2 trillion rupiah per year.

According to the updated report, the sum allocated to Indonesia's climate change programme accounts for 4.1 percent of the annual state budget, equivalent to about 86.7 trillion rupiah. Therefore, the government is making efforts to mobilise all public and private sectors to participate in realising their commitments to climate change response via waste management and the promotion of energy saving habits.

Indrawati emphasised the serious commitment of the government to slowing climate change through the implementation of an awareness raising and community education programme in 11 localities across the country. This year, the government plans to expand the programme to six other localities.

Indonesia has submitted its commitment to the agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent with their own efforts and up to 41 percent with international support for 2020  2030.
A vaccination station in Luang Prabang, Laos (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Hanoi  Laos and Malaysia are working on their COVID-19 vaccination efforts in a bid to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The Lao Ministry of Health on June 12 said there were 712,793 locals or 9.7 percent of the population getting the first shot of COVID-19 vaccines and 385,921 or 5.26 percent fully vaccinated with two shots.

On June 13, the country logged six new infections in three localities, consisting of five domestic and one imported cases.

To date, the national tally has hit 1,996 cases, with 1,862 recoveries and three deaths.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, the government has introduced an initiative dubbed the Public-Private Partnership Industrial COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PIKAS) to cater for the manufacturing sector.

According to the Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti), as Phase Four of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP), PIKAS will begin on June 16 with on-site vaccination at designated factories and industrial locations.

In a related movement, a call centre has been set up to contact individuals who did not show up for their vaccination appointment. Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said the initiative began on June 12 at the vaccination centre in Kampung Ampang Indah Community Hall, Ampang, where seven telephone operators had been trained for the purpose.

The pilot project involved 177 individuals in three categories: those who have received appointment dates in the MySejahtera app but did not provide feedback, those absent for their second dose, and individuals who failed to show up for their first jab.
The signing ceremony between Quang Tri province and Singapore Manufacturing Federation

Accordingly, SMF will introduce experts from Singapore to coordinate the research and development of Quang Tri province's planning. Experts will conduct surveys, research, propose ideas and solutions, as well as make adjustments to the general planning, construction subdivision planning, and functional zones in the Quang Tri Southeast Economic Zone.

On the opposite side, Quang Tri will agree in principle to allow businesses introduced by SMF to conduct feasibility studies and submit investment proposals for several projects such as airports, seaports, industrial parks, transport infrastructure, energy systems, as well as human resources training.

In April, Quang Tri had a meeting with Sakae Holdings and Surbana Jurong on the provincial planning for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050. At the meeting, Douglas Foo, chairman of SMF, expressed his interest in developing Quang Tri's master plan and to cooperate with the province to attract investment to implement this plan.

Vo Van Hung, Chairman of Quang Tri People's Committee said that the province is expected to submit the master plan to the prime minister for approval in 2022.

Together with domestic experts, it is necessary to invite reputable international consultants to build this crucial master plan. The MoU is an important milestone in the socio-economic development strategy of Quang Tri and the development of SFM. At the same time, it will open many opportunities for comprehensive and sustainable development in the course of activities of the two sides in the coming time," he said.
Quang Tri is has proposed adding Cam Lo-ao Bao Expressway to the national highway planning during 2021-2025

The province seeks the prime ministers approval to add Cam Lo-Lao Bao Expressway to the planning on highway construction for the 2021-2025 period with a vision to 2030.

It is expected that the expressway will have a length of 70km, a 4-lane highway standard, a 17m-wide roadbed, invested under the public-private partnership (PPP) method. The total investment capital is estimated at VND7.7 trillion($334.8 million), with the central budget contributing 28.31 per cent with a payback period of 19 years.

Quang Tri is located at the beginning of the East-West Economic Corridor connecting Vietnam with Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. At present, National Highway No.9 is considered one of the important bridges linking Cam Lo with Lao Bao International Border Gate.

The problem is that vehicle traffic on Highway No.9 is increasing, including container trucks transporting goods to Laos and vice versa, causing overload, traffic jams, road hazards and endanger commercial activities. This necessitates the development of Cam Lo-Lao Bao Expressway.

Completing roadway infrastructure is a key target in highway planning in 2021-2025 with a vision to 2030.

Notably, by 2030, the country will focus on developing expressways, including the Eastern Cluster of the North-South Expressway, expressways connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and expressways in the Northwest Region, the Central Highlands, and the Mekong Delta Region.

Until 2025, priority expressway projects connect to the North-South Expressway (VND243.8 trillion or $10.6 billion), Halong-Mong Cai (VND12.66 trillion or $550.43 million), Lang Son-Cao Bang (VND10.5 trillion or $456.5 million), Dau Giay-Lien Khuong (VND6.18 trillion or $268.7 million), and Bien Hoa-Vung Tau (VND14.9 trillion or $647.83 million).
Vietnamese expats in Japan donate to Vietnam's COVID-19 vaccine fund. (Photo: VNA)

Tokyo  The Vietnamese embassy in Japan on June 13 launched a fundraising campaign to collect money for Vietnams COVID-19 vaccine fund in response to the call of the Vietnam Fatherland Fronts Central Committee on National unity to fight COVID-19.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam urged all staff members of the embassy and Vietnamese representative offices in Japan as well as the Vietnamese community in Japan to join hands with the homeland in order to achieve the dual targets of curbing the spread of COVID-19 while promoting socio-economic development.

Ambassador Nam highly appreciated the prevention measures and mutual support among the Vietnamese community in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that the number of community-transmitted cases among Vietnamese expats in Japan remains particularly low.

At the ceremony, over 500 million VND (more than 21,780 USD) was contributed to the COVID-19 vaccine fund.

Overseas Vietnamese also expressed their strong confidence in the Vietnamese Government's effective measures to fight the pandemic, and hoped that with the concerted efforts of the Government and people at home and abroad, Vietnam would soon overcome the epidemic.

According to statistics of the Japanese Ministry of Justice, there were 448,053 Vietnamese living in Japan as of the end of 2020, up more than 10 times from a decade ago and accounting for more than 15 percent of the total number of foreigners in Japan.
Vietnam's economic performance has been overall positive in the fourth outbreak of coronavirus

The fourth outbreak of coronavirus has led to the sharpest rise in the number of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic broke out in Vietnam last year, pushing the government to implement tougher mobility measures, including in main urban center and a few industrial zones.

In May, industrial production exhibited high resilience by expanding by 1.6 per cent on-month but retail sales dropped by 3.1 per cent as they were affected by social distancing and shop closures. Vietnams external position slightly eroded in May with a decline in merchandise exports and foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments, down 6.7 and 20 per cent, respectively, compared to April.

Yet, during the first five months of 2021, the values of merchandise exports and imports were the highest ever recorded by Vietnam, up 29.1 and 35.4 per cent, respectively, compared to the same period in 2020.

This remarkable performance reflected robust growth in exports of computers and electronics, and machinery and equipment. It also reflected strong recovery in exports of phones, textiles and garment, and footwear, which increased 19.5, 16.1, and 27.0 per cent on-year, respectively, in the first five months of 2021. This broad-based growth was driven by strong demand from the US and China as well as recovering demand from the EU, ASEAN, South Korea, and Japan.

Vietnam attracted $1.7 billion of FDI in May 2021, a 20 per cent decline on-month. This lower commitment might reflect seasonal factors but also the prudence of foreign investors because of the ongoing outbreak. Over the first five months of 2021, FDI commitments reached a total of $14 billion, comparable to the same period last year.

While the economy appears to have fared relatively well in light of the fourth outbreak, several signs suggest a slowdown in economic activity if the pandemic is not contained in the short term. Most mobility indicators, especially in major urban centers, have already declined sharply and some pressures have emerged on the value chains of strategic sectors (electronics and construction).

The countrys external position may have also eroded slightly, with a decline in merchandise exports and lower FDI commitments. These developments will require close monitoring in the next few weeks. On the positive side, the government has consolidated its fiscal space so it can consider switching to a more accommodative fiscal stance by providing supports to affected households and businesses as well as accelerating the execution of public investment programmes to bolster domestic demand.
Cambodia has accused the U.S. of creating scenarios in relation to a much-hyped visit to Ream Naval Base last week, a tour that was meant to allay U.S. concerns of an alleged Chinese military presence at the base.

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh released a statement last Friday saying defense attache Colonel Marcus M. Ferrara cut short a visit to Ream Naval Base in Preah Sihanouk province after not being given full access to facilities at the base. The visit was brokered by a senior U.S. diplomat who raised concerns over plans to host Chinese military assets at the base.

In response, the Cambodian Defense Ministry released a statement on Saturday alleging that it had worked to accommodate requests for the tour of Ream made by the U.S., but that the U.S. official had asked to visit parts of the base that were not in the initial request.

The U.S. request infringed on Cambodias sovereignty, the Defense Ministry said, and claimed that the U.S. was creating new scenarios about the base.

Due to the above factors, the Ministry of National Defense regards the reaction of the U.S. Embassy as striving to create new problems and distorting the facts, which could further negatively impact the defense relationship between the two countries, the statement reads.

The Defense Ministry added that the U.S. defense attache was taken to two newly-constructed buildings  used as accommodate laborers  the naval pier and ships, an Australia-supported naval workshop, a hospital and to Koh Preap, which is the site of the new Tactical Command Headquarters for the National Committee for Maritime Security.

The U.S. demanded to enter another place which was not included in the initial request, the statement reads.

The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh on Friday said that Ferrara cut short the base visit after not being given full access and asked that another tour be scheduled soon.

When it became clear he would not be granted adequate access, Colonel Ferrara ended the tour and requested Cambodian military officials reschedule the visit with full access at the earliest opportunity, the U.S. Embassy statement reads.

The U.S. also called for routine visits by the U.S. and foreign military officials to ensure transparency and mutual trust.

The Defense Ministry statement did not specify which part of the base the U.S. defense official wanted to visit, nor did the U.S. Embassys release.

The visit was scheduled after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman raised the Ream issue during a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen earlier this month. She directly asked for an explanation about Chinese military officials at the base.

The U.S. has alleged that China will maintain a military presence at Ream Naval Base after on-going upgrades are completed. After the Shermans visit, Tea Banh told local media that the Chinese were assisting in helping to renovate facilities at the base but that there was no secret agreement for military assets to remain at Ream.

The Wall Street Journal in 2019 reported that China had signed an agreement to have People's Liberation Army officers stationed at the naval base. Satellite imagery has shown the demolition of buildings at the base, some built by the U.S. and the recent construction of two structures on the northern half of the base.

Arend Zwartjes, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, declined to comment on the Defense Ministrys statement.

Mey Dina, a spokesperson and chief of staff at the Ream base, declined to comment as well. He said senior officials would decide whether to approve another visit to the base.

Please ask higher officials. I dont have the right [to answer], Mey Dina said.

Em Sovannara, a political commentator, said Cambodia should show the U.S. that are they trying to ensure trust between the two countries, and clear the accusations about Ream.

Cambodia should think of any means to clarify and clear out the misunderstanding and gain trust in the countries relationship for the nations benefit, Em Sovannara said.
Israel is set on Sunday to swear in a new government, ending the 12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and making Naftali Bennett, the head of a small, religious ultranationalist party, the new leader of the Jewish state.

Bennett will be prime minister for two years, under an unlikely power-sharing agreement among eight political parties with little in common other than wanting to end the tumultuous tenure of Netanyahu. Bennett is a former Netanyahu ally who served as his defense minister in 2019 and 2020.

Then, Bennett, 49, will be replaced for two years by Yair Lapid, 57, a one-time finance minister and former TV news anchor who brokered the deal to oust Netanyahu.

Lapid won the second-biggest vote total behind Netanyahus Likud party last March, the fourth indecisive Israeli election in the last two years.

Netanyahu, who has attempted to thwart the eight-party coalition that is ousting him, will remain as the opposition leader, but also is on trial on corruption charges.

The new governing coalition also marks the first time that an Arab party, the Islamist Raam party, has joined the Israeli governing coalition. It is seeking new spending programs for Arabs in Israel, who account for about 20% of its population.

At the same time, for the first time since 1977, with two short exceptions, the ultra-Orthodox parties will not be part of the government. They formed a strong foundation for Netanyahus governments, and their absence could thwart the influence of ultra-Orthodox rabbis on religious and family law and the Orthodox Jewish communitys exemption from compulsory military service.

Netanyahu oversaw a 12-day air war with Hamas in Gaza last month in his last significant role as the Israeli leader. It was speculated within Israel that the fight against Hamas, viewed by the U.S. as a terrorist organization, could derail attempts to oust him. The opposition parties, however, resumed negotiations to form an anti-Netanyahu alliance shortly after a May 21 cease-fire.

Bennetts takeover could shift the government toward the political center, with the coalition of governing parties holding a mix of views from the left, center and right.

Netanyahus Likud party won the most seats in the 120-member Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in all four rounds of voting, but never was able to collect the 61 votes to form a government.

He has vowed opposition to the new governing coalition and said it could collapse if one of the eight parties bolts on any key issue.
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Jubilant villagers singing and dancing before receiving US$1,000 from Pan African Game Changers, which responded to the Somnene community's appeal for help on VOA Studio 7 in digging a borehole near a clinic being constructed by locals and Zimbabweans living in the diaspora. (Video: Ezra Sibanda)
Kathryn Kathy Norum, age 80, of Alexandria, died on Saturday, June 26, 2021. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, July 2, 2021, at Shalom Lutheran Church in Alexandria. Visitation will be held for one hour prior to the service at the church. This service will be live-str
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PORT HUENEME, Calif. (June 4, 2021) Cmdr. Ryan Carey (left) passes the battalion flag to Cmdr. Andrew Olsen during NMCB-5s change of command ceremony at Naval Base Ventura County Port Hueneme, California, June 4. During the ceremony, Cmdr. Andrew Olsen relieved Cmdr. Ryan Carey as Commanding Officer of NMCB-5. The U.S. Navy Seabees assigned to NMCB-5 support worldwide combat and contingency operations, building advanced bases and conducting humanitarian recovery missions. (U.S. Navy photo by Construction Mechanic 2nd Class Michael Schutt/Released)
Nine people in Minnesota have become ill after handling baby chicks or other newly hatched poultry, such as ducks, turkeys or pheasants, prompting a warning from health officials to wash hands and take other precautions after handling young poultry.

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) investigators have linked nine cases of Salmonella infections to baby chicks or other newly hatched poultry purchased from multiple feed stores in Minnesota. The cases are associated with a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections, or salmonellosis, being investigated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The ill Minnesotans ranged in age from 2 months to 66 years. Six cases were caused by the bacteria Salmonella Infantis, two by SalmonellaEnteritidis and one by Salmonella Indiana, all of which have been previously associated with poultry. The cases occurred from late April through mid-June 2016. Eight of the nine cases purchased newly hatched poultry this spring.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria carried in the intestines of animals that can be shed into the environment in their feces. Chicks, ducklings and other poultry are recognized sources of Salmonella infection, especially for children. Birds may shed Salmonella even when they appear healthy, and even a bird that looks clean can still have enough germs on its feathers or feet to make a person sick.

Any chick or newly hatched poultry can carry a variety of Salmonella strains. MDH veterinarian Dr. Stacy Holzbauer said the outbreak underscores the importance of washing your hands thoroughly after handling chicks, ducklings or other birds.

"Chicks can be a great attraction for children and families this time of year, but they can also be a source of illness," Holzbauer said. "That is why it is so important for people handling them to take steps to prevent infection.

Young children are especially at risk and are also more likely to develop serious complications from Salmonella infections. During a similar national outbreak of salmonellosis in 2013, 41 percent of cases were younger than 10 years old. In 2015, Minnesota residents were part of two separate multistate outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with newly hatched poultry.

People typically get Salmonella infection from poultry by hand-to-mouth contact. Usually this happens when people handle birds or objects in their environment and then accidentally touch their mouths or forget to wash their hands before eating or drinking. Salmonella infection can also be contracted by eating contaminated foods that have not been properly prepared or handled.

Salmonella can cause diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Some people are more susceptible to infection and may have more severe disease. These include young children, pregnant women, older adults, people on chemotherapy, people with diabetes and others with weakened immune systems. Approximately 20 percent of cases reported to MDH are hospitalized. Most people develop symptoms one to three days after being exposed toSalmonella and recover in about a week. If youve had or are having diarrhea and fever and have had contact with chicks or newly hatched poultry, talk with your health care provider.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health (BAH) works with MDH on the issue of Salmonella infections associated with newly hatched poultry. The board permits and conducts annual inspections of all Minnesota poultry dealers to ensure mail order and newly hatched poultry originate from approved sources. Inspections are conducted to confirm proper feed, water and sanitation requirements are in place and healthy poultry are available to customers.

In addition to permitting businesses to sell birds, we partner with MDH to reduce any risks of illness associated with those sales, said BAH Assistant Director Dr. Dale Lauer. We do this by ensuring there are adequate barriers and handling practices in place for the newly hatched poultry being sold, and we make Salmonella fact sheets available to consumers.

Health officials offer tips for handling or raising newly hatched poultry:

 Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling poultry or anything in their environment.

 Do not let children younger than 5 handle poultry.

 Supervise older children when handling poultry, and make sure they wash their hands afterward.

 Avoid nuzzling or kissing chicks, ducklings or other poultry.

 Do not eat or drink around poultry or their living areas.

 Keep poultry outside and especially out of areas where food is prepared.

 Do not wash birds' food and water dishes in the kitchen sink.

Raising poultry can be a wonderful experience for families, but it's important to protect yourself and your kids from the germs animals can carry, Holzbauer said.

More information from MDH is available at the Keeping Backyard Poultry webpage.

More information from CDC is available at the Multistate Outbreaks of Salmonella Infections Linked to Live Poultry and Spring and Baby Poultry Are Here webpages.
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale

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Rincon Puerto Rico / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Side to side light shaking. Felt it while laying on bed. | 4 users found this interesting. I felt it in Carolina, while in the bed, it woke me up. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Sango Domingo (159 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Scared. Door sounded as if someone was knocking on it but it was the movement (it was completely shut). Bed felt super jiggly. | 3 users found this interesting.

Punta Cana (56.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I was asleep but woke up because my bed and body were just vibrating and shaking. I was very confused because I never felt something like this. But realised very quick that it was a small earthquake. But it was over very soon | 3 users found this interesting.

Santiago (278.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : La cama se movio varios segundos | 2 users found this interesting.

Santo Domingo Dominican Republic (162.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Felt the vibration | 2 users found this interesting.

63.6 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Ich lag wach im Bett es fing an zu schutten vibrieren ca 5 secunden dann wars vorbei Angst hatte ich keine bin im Hotel im Bungalow 3 Stockwerk | 2 users found this interesting.

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Ufff | 2 users found this interesting.

152.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Bed shaking | 2 users found this interesting.

171.5 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short Strong sound. Dogs barked. | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

La Romana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I | 2 users found this interesting.

Sabana de la mar / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Se movio la cama | 2 users found this interesting.

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Intense and short | 2 users found this interesting.

168 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : My bed moved alone and my wife saw the toilet moving too | 2 users found this interesting.

283.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Bett | 2 users found this interesting.

Punta cana / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : It woke us up, scary, but nothing fell | 2 users found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : I felt some movement and cracking sound. It was brief. | 2 users found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : El diablo | 2 users found this interesting.

130.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : I was sleeping and i felt shaking | 2 users found this interesting.

Municipio Consuelo (19 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : The House, the bed erverything move | 2 users found this interesting.

66.2 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 20-30 s : I was laying in bed on the fourth floor of a resort, and it woke me up. It seemed to last less than a minute - at least from the time I woke up and realized what was happening. Furniture shook. | 2 users found this interesting.

Punta Cana (64 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s Forte chacoalhar, intenso barulho gerado pela trepidacao. Estava dormindo e a trepidacao e barulho me acordou. | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s : I was sleeping and i woke up because of The shaked. Also my das Felt it in the living room. I scared a lot  I was sleeping and i woke up because of The shaked. Also my das Felt it in the living room. I scared a lot  I was sleeping and i woke up because of The shaked. Also my das Felt it in the living room. I scared a lot  I was sleeping and i woke up because of The shaked. Also my das Felt it in th | 2 users found this interesting.

163.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Vibro la puerta del closet senti como sonaba | 2 users found this interesting.

Punts Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : As if a very massive train just passed by | 2 users found this interesting.

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Three vibrations | 2 users found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : I was sleeping and then the bed started moving and I immediately woke up because I felt the bed shaking from one side to another. At first I thought it was me but then I was aware that it was an earthquake because of the intensity and duration.

50.6 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating : I was sleeping when the noise and shaking woke us up. We are staying on the top floor of a 4 story resort hotel in Punta Cana. Heard objects fall in the next-door room. I went back to sleep!? | One user found this interesting. / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

Punta Cana (43.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Sideways shaking for several seconds. Nothing moved but bed swung back and forth pretty significantly! | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro (2.3 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : I was a sleep and i woke up with the Bed shaking. At first i didnt know what it is. But it didnt take that long. | One user found this interesting.

PUNTA CANA, DR / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : In the Bahia Principe Fantasia resort in Punta Cana, felt it like a train passing and then walls rattled for a few seconds. Recogbized it as an Earthquake right away. | One user found this interesting.

dominican republic (158.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : my bed was shaking and it woke me up | One user found this interesting.

Boca de Chavon, la altagracis / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single vertical bump : A big bang followed by a light Shakira which woke me up. | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Building was shaking | One user found this interesting.

Coral level at iberostar selection Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sind durch starkes Rutteln des Bettes aufgewacht | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro, Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I was sleeping and was being awake by the shaking. It was crazy, but after a few seconds, it was done. | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (46.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Light vibration | One user found this interesting.

Punta cana el corte cito / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : I was asleep and it woke me up. It felt like someone was moving my bed. | One user found this interesting.

HIGUEY,PROVINCIA LA ALTAGRACIA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : I WAS WAKE UP INMEDIATLY BECAUSE I FEEL MY BED AND WINDOWS shaking | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo Este / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I felt the vibrations for a few seconds. | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Fast | One user found this interesting.

Higuey / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Un fuerte movimiento de la casa en un segundo piso y fuerte sonido | One user found this interesting.

Santiago, Dominican Republic / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / very short : Felt table and chair movement, noticed cup on table nearby shake. | One user found this interesting.

157.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : Estaba dormida, y crei que estaba mareada Luego de despertar seguia moviendose mi cama. Cuando sali al bar on todos los pajaros estaban volando desesperados. | One user found this interesting.

Las Terrenas RD (167 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Desperte porque la cama estaba vibrando y al final sono el zinc del techo levemente. | One user found this interesting.

40.4 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s : The bed and doors were shaking. I woke up scarred. | One user found this interesting.

La Romana (62.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : It was slow when it started, but got stronger later even if it lasted about 5 seconds. The table under my feet moved just a little. | One user found this interesting.

154.1 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : I was scared, I was in my bed I was going to fall asleep when I felt it. | One user found this interesting.

20.4 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : e feela en at cfar t feelme kocin ma ka dridh,po majr ske shaum e madhe se tavoni nkraje tm.pajkte. | One user found this interesting.

Rio San juan (207.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : Rio San Juan se sintio fuerte | One user found this interesting.

66.2 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 s : Estaba dormida desperte en el momento del temblor, Le dije primero a Dios, Dios mio ten misericordia y despues a mi mama, mami temblo la tierra y ella al no sentir dijo que fue un escalofrio que senti por mi estado de salud y le dije mami mi cuerpo es sensible a los temblores claro que temblo | One user found this interesting.

167.5 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Estaba acostada y senti cuando la cama se movio | One user found this interesting.

Juan Dolio / not felt : I felt nothing | One user found this interesting.

155.2 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes : Santo Domingo | One user found this interesting.

53.7 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Se movio todo | One user found this interesting.

Inberostar Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : We were sleeping and wake up of the vibration. The Bed was shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : It woke us from our sleep. | One user found this interesting.

bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : shook my bed | One user found this interesting.

50.7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : It woke me up due to the bed shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Puerto Plata / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 1-2 s : Everything shake | One user found this interesting.

Sto, Dgo Este / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Senti vibracion en la cama y pared | One user found this interesting.

Punta cana (67.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : . | One user found this interesting.

My roo (94.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 30-60 s : I felt like the whole apartment moved for at least 1 minute 30 seconds from high intensity to small shocks. | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Na | One user found this interesting.

Bavero / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I felt a side to side rocking motion. | One user found this interesting.

Distrito Nacional (157.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I just woke up because of the shaking | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo Norte / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I was sleeping and the vibration of the earthquake wakes me up. | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / not felt : I was sleeping | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo (126.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : The bed started moving and the windows where shaking and sounding | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana, Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana Resort / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 10-15 s : The entire building shook consistently for multiple seconds and woke all 3 of us heavy sleepers up out of a sound sleep. | One user found this interesting.

Distrito Nacional / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Se sacudio la cama y puertas | One user found this interesting.

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Our bed was shaking | One user found this interesting.

Uvero Alto / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Quick shake indoors. woke my wife and i up | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo Este / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I felt the vibrations for a few seconds. | One user found this interesting.

Higuey / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I hear a sound of my closet vibrating. | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (88.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I was sleeping and my bed vibrated for about 1-2 seconds. my children came out of their rooms scared. | One user found this interesting.

Distrino nacional / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Estaba acostada senti la vibraciones en el armario y ventana | One user found this interesting.

50.2 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : No damage but vibrations for a few seconds. Rattling in the room. On the second floor of a building. | One user found this interesting.

156 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 30-60 s : . | One user found this interesting.

Santo domingo norte (151.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Senti que removia el mueble y la ventanas de mi casa y algunos utensilios de la casa... | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s : Nothing special | One user found this interesting.

El Seibo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s : Se movio mi cama | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard lateral vibration that even woke me up | One user found this interesting.

Bayamon PR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake : Se movio la cama leve | One user found this interesting.

Secrets Cap Cana (40.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Wintows and furniture shaking | One user found this interesting.

Ave. Republica de Colombia 2m8 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Was in bed felt the bedroom shaking | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (64.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Woke up from sleeping with the bed shaking and a loud rumbling/rattling noise. It was quite scary! | One user found this interesting.

En mi casa en Veron (159.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Me desperto una fuerte sacudida | One user found this interesting.

38.6 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : It woke me up from sleeping. :(. | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro (21.6 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : Shaking | One user found this interesting.

Higuey (53.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Senti que mi cama se sacudio y escuche un zumbido | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (61.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Vibrating our hotel | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (50.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was still in bed and felt as it was shaking. I also remember hearing a light thunder in the distance. | One user found this interesting.

AGUAS BUENAS / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Woke me up | One user found this interesting.

El Seibo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : Fue una sacudida, el piso se movia bajo mis pies. Vivo en un segundo piso. El sonido fue fuerte y se escucho alejarse. | One user found this interesting.

Las Terrenas (171.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : The windows and the wardrobe started to wobble. | One user found this interesting.

La Romana (54 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Very scary. I'm still nervous | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Because of the sound of my Windows and my bed shaking I was breastefeeding my baby proceeded to get away from the window | One user found this interesting.

Punta cana (56.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Bed shaking left to right for a period of 3-6 seconds. Woke me up from my sleep | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : Ok | One user found this interesting.

Distrito nacional, Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Felt my bed was shaking | One user found this interesting.

SANTO DOMINGO (162.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Yes | One user found this interesting.

Pinta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Light shaking | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo (157.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Shaking | One user found this interesting.

Royaton bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Senti que comenzo s vibrar el edificio | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : The bed was moving and we Waked up | One user found this interesting.

bavaro / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : realized as earthquake | One user found this interesting.

Majestic Mirage Resort / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Fan was shaking and bed | One user found this interesting.

54.4 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Shaking of bed | One user found this interesting.

Excellence El carmen / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Rumble and swaying. Mild intensity | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Movimientos en casa | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : H | One user found this interesting.

dominican republic (158.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : my bed was shaking and it woke me up | One user found this interesting.

202.6 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

294.9 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

59.8 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Las Terrenas (130.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Uvero alto (75.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta Cana (53.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Punta Cana (68.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Distrito nacional (158.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

La Romana (89.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s

La Romana (89.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s

Santiago (280.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

179.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s

Bavaro (55.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

55.1 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Lares (173.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Punta Cana (58.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s

Punta Cana (50.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

54.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

147.3 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt : Didn't feel the Quake it was far away from me.

158.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

Carolina, Puerto Rico (267.3 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Bed was shaking/wobbling

Juanillo Beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s : We were in the bed. The bed started to shake and the bathroom doors rattled.

Higuey / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Punta cana / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : It woke us up, scary, but nothing fell

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard lateral vibration that even woke me up

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Punta Cana (46.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s

Majestic mirage punta Cana (68 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating

Punta Cana (51.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes

Santo Domingo (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard lateral vibration that even woke me up

Majestic mirage punta Cana (68 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating

Santo Domingo (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard lateral vibration that even woke me up

160.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : I was on vacation in Punta Cana DR and we were still sleeping all of a sudden a loud rumble and the room and bed begin to shake we looked up like wtf was that we from Jersey we don't feel earthquakes.

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : The bed was shaking. Juice glass had orange juice shaking. Picture frames shaking on walls & rattling.

6.9 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt : Ai did'dnt creo nothing.I live un Santo Domingo city.

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : The bed was shaking. Juice glass had orange juice shaking. Picture frames shaking on walls & rattling.

La Romana / not felt

Santo Domingo (157.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s

Santo Domingo (159.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was sleeping and my bed started rocking violently

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Bavaro punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s : Aufwachen durch brumm Gerausche und schwingen des betts

Punta Cana (41.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Cap cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Woke us from sleep

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : .

205.1 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating

174.2 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Catalonia Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

PUNTA CANA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Shaking and heard rumbling

Santo Domingo, DR. (150.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Mayaguez Puerto Rico / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : It was strong and long. Wake me up.

Las Terrenas / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Scary

Punta cana secrets Royal beach hotel / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Bed is shaking. No noise.

Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Bavaro, Dominican Republic (61.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : There was also noise, like train nearby.

Punta Cana (68 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Riu Republica in Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : We are from San Francisco, CA USA and are very familiar with earthquakes. We heard the familiar rolling rumble sound and then the jolt and vibrating bed. It lasted only a couple of seconds...I immediately rated it at least a 4.5. I was on the 4th floor.

Cap Cana, Dominican Republic / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 minutes : It woke me from a deep sleep and continued to shake for a while.

54.5 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging

154.1 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : H

Las Terrenas / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Bavaro / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

51 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Ocean blue resprt (57.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating

Excellence El Carmen Resort / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was in bed and suddenly felt the room begin to shake for 5-10 seconds and then abruptly stop.

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Shaling

Bavaro royalton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating

152.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Distrito nacional (158.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Higuey / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta cana, DR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Punta Cana, Breathless Resort (77.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

67.3 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : I felt during sleeping. Punta Cana

61.7 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Distrito Nacional (157.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I just woke up because of the shaking

150.1 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

156.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

274.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

74.4 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Heard a rumble and felt the whole room shake. Most entrance shaking I have experienced. We were on the third floor of the hotel by the beach.

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Shaling

Punts Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Room shook for about 60 seconds.

Manglar del Macao (68 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

66.6 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Santo domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Bavaro Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Punta Cana, Breathless Resort (77.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Las terrenas Republica dominicana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Punta cana (78 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Punta Cana , Dominican Republic / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short

51.8 km SE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

distrito nacional / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Punta cana (61.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction)

58.6 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

158.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

62.7 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

santo domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

La Romana (61.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Juan Dolio (98.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Bayahibe / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Bavaro punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

63.3 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Caguas (258 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Ciudad Juan Bosch / not felt

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Bavaro (47.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Salvaleon de Higuey (76.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

La Romana, Casa Campo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

65.9 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Santo domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Punta cana, DR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

101.9 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Sosua, Puerto Plata / Weak shaking (MMI III)

59.8 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (52.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Higuey / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

149.4 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Anasco / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

Santo Domingo Gazcue (152.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Santo Domingo Este (154.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Punta Cana (49.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes

Dominicus (42.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Cap Cana, Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

60.9 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

La Altagracia dominican republic / Light shaking (MMI IV)

50.1 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

15 sec / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

197.4 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Santo Domingo este / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

159.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s

158.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

El Seibo (81 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Bavaro beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Santiago de los caballeros / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Higuey / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Sleep / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Punta cana (62.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Santo Domingo de Guzman (153.7 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

175.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

156.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

Punta cana, RD / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Majagual / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s

Hotel (41.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

158.2 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

51.7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Consuelo SPM / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Laying in bed / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (284.8 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Santiago / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

Santiago de los Caballeros / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake

San Franicsco de macoris / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Santiago de los caballeros / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short : I was sleeping and I heard some rattling and felt a little shaky for less than 7 seconds.

Las Lagunas de Nisibon higuey / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Santo Domingo (153.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

54.5 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging

Punta Cana (50.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

San Juan, PR / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

La Altagracia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Sto, dgo este, centro medico integral / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

48.8 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

San Pedro de Macoris / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

Santo Domingo (154.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

153.6 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

punta cana (62.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

San pedro de macoris / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

Santiago de los caballeros / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Santo domingo este (142.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

155.3 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

I was in my house in Higuey, La Altagracia (67.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

155 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Punta Cana (61.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

158.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Secrets royal beach (62.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Santiago de los Caballeros (264.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Higuey / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Santiago, Dominican Republic / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s

Punta Cana DR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

57.1 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

155.5 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

21.6 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo Este ,Republica Dominicana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

La romana (62.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

San Antonio de Guerra, Santo Domingo Este. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo domingo / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

275.3 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Punta Cana / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Cap canq / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Higuey, la Altagracia. / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling

58.4 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

156.2 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

152.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Punta Cana (45.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

La Romana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

Bonao / Light shaking (MMI IV)

83.5 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

157.6 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

higuey (61.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

20.4 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Santo Domingo (158 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Mayaguez, puerto rico (145 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 20-30 s

Punta cana (48.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

santo domingo, calle banique no 16, losncacicazgos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s

Santiago / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Santo domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Adjuntas / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Punta Cana (64 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo, Herrera (55 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

Santo Domingo Este / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo Este / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Santo Domingo (156.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s

La romana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 20-30 s

158.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 15-20 s

Santo Domingo (152.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

La romana (60.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

55.3 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

172.8 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Hard Rock Resort, Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Punta Cana (60.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Santo domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s
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Rincon Puerto Rico / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Side to side light shaking. Felt it while laying on bed. | 4 users found this interesting. I felt it in Carolina, while in the bed, it woke me up. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Sango Domingo (159 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Scared. Door sounded as if someone was knocking on it but it was the movement (it was completely shut). Bed felt super jiggly. | 3 users found this interesting.

Punta Cana (56.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I was asleep but woke up because my bed and body were just vibrating and shaking. I was very confused because I never felt something like this. But realised very quick that it was a small earthquake. But it was over very soon | 3 users found this interesting.

Santiago (278.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : La cama se movio varios segundos | 2 users found this interesting.

Santo Domingo Dominican Republic (162.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Felt the vibration | 2 users found this interesting.

63.6 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Ich lag wach im Bett es fing an zu schutten vibrieren ca 5 secunden dann wars vorbei Angst hatte ich keine bin im Hotel im Bungalow 3 Stockwerk | 2 users found this interesting.

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Ufff | 2 users found this interesting.

152.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s : Bed shaking | 2 users found this interesting.

171.5 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short Strong sound. Dogs barked. | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

La Romana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I | 2 users found this interesting.

Sabana de la mar / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Se movio la cama | 2 users found this interesting.

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Intense and short | 2 users found this interesting.

168 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : My bed moved alone and my wife saw the toilet moving too | 2 users found this interesting.

283.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Bett | 2 users found this interesting.

Punta cana / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : It woke us up, scary, but nothing fell | 2 users found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : I felt some movement and cracking sound. It was brief. | 2 users found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : El diablo | 2 users found this interesting.

130.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : I was sleeping and i felt shaking | 2 users found this interesting.

Municipio Consuelo (19 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : The House, the bed erverything move | 2 users found this interesting.

66.2 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 20-30 s : I was laying in bed on the fourth floor of a resort, and it woke me up. It seemed to last less than a minute - at least from the time I woke up and realized what was happening. Furniture shook. | 2 users found this interesting.

Punta Cana (64 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s Forte chacoalhar, intenso barulho gerado pela trepidacao. Estava dormindo e a trepidacao e barulho me acordou. | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s : I was sleeping and i woke up because of The shaked. Also my das Felt it in the living room. I scared a lot  I was sleeping and i woke up because of The shaked. Also my das Felt it in the living room. I scared a lot  I was sleeping and i woke up because of The shaked. Also my das Felt it in the living room. I scared a lot  I was sleeping and i woke up because of The shaked. Also my das Felt it in th | 2 users found this interesting.

163.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Vibro la puerta del closet senti como sonaba | 2 users found this interesting.

Punts Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : As if a very massive train just passed by | 2 users found this interesting.

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Three vibrations | 2 users found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : I was sleeping and then the bed started moving and I immediately woke up because I felt the bed shaking from one side to another. At first I thought it was me but then I was aware that it was an earthquake because of the intensity and duration.

50.6 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating : I was sleeping when the noise and shaking woke us up. We are staying on the top floor of a 4 story resort hotel in Punta Cana. Heard objects fall in the next-door room. I went back to sleep!? | One user found this interesting. / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

Punta Cana (43.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Sideways shaking for several seconds. Nothing moved but bed swung back and forth pretty significantly! | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro (2.3 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : I was a sleep and i woke up with the Bed shaking. At first i didnt know what it is. But it didnt take that long. | One user found this interesting.

PUNTA CANA, DR / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : In the Bahia Principe Fantasia resort in Punta Cana, felt it like a train passing and then walls rattled for a few seconds. Recogbized it as an Earthquake right away. | One user found this interesting.

dominican republic (158.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : my bed was shaking and it woke me up | One user found this interesting.

Boca de Chavon, la altagracis / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / single vertical bump : A big bang followed by a light Shakira which woke me up. | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Building was shaking | One user found this interesting.

Coral level at iberostar selection Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sind durch starkes Rutteln des Bettes aufgewacht | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro, Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I was sleeping and was being awake by the shaking. It was crazy, but after a few seconds, it was done. | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (46.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Light vibration | One user found this interesting.

Punta cana el corte cito / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : I was asleep and it woke me up. It felt like someone was moving my bed. | One user found this interesting.

HIGUEY,PROVINCIA LA ALTAGRACIA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : I WAS WAKE UP INMEDIATLY BECAUSE I FEEL MY BED AND WINDOWS shaking | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo Este / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I felt the vibrations for a few seconds. | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Fast | One user found this interesting.

Higuey / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Un fuerte movimiento de la casa en un segundo piso y fuerte sonido | One user found this interesting.

Santiago, Dominican Republic / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / very short : Felt table and chair movement, noticed cup on table nearby shake. | One user found this interesting.

157.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : Estaba dormida, y crei que estaba mareada Luego de despertar seguia moviendose mi cama. Cuando sali al bar on todos los pajaros estaban volando desesperados. | One user found this interesting.

Las Terrenas RD (167 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : Desperte porque la cama estaba vibrando y al final sono el zinc del techo levemente. | One user found this interesting.

40.4 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 10-15 s : The bed and doors were shaking. I woke up scarred. | One user found this interesting.

La Romana (62.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : It was slow when it started, but got stronger later even if it lasted about 5 seconds. The table under my feet moved just a little. | One user found this interesting.

154.1 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : I was scared, I was in my bed I was going to fall asleep when I felt it. | One user found this interesting.

20.4 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : e feela en at cfar t feelme kocin ma ka dridh,po majr ske shaum e madhe se tavoni nkraje tm.pajkte. | One user found this interesting.

Rio San juan (207.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s : Rio San Juan se sintio fuerte | One user found this interesting.

66.2 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 s : Estaba dormida desperte en el momento del temblor, Le dije primero a Dios, Dios mio ten misericordia y despues a mi mama, mami temblo la tierra y ella al no sentir dijo que fue un escalofrio que senti por mi estado de salud y le dije mami mi cuerpo es sensible a los temblores claro que temblo | One user found this interesting.

167.5 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Estaba acostada y senti cuando la cama se movio | One user found this interesting.

Juan Dolio / not felt : I felt nothing | One user found this interesting.

155.2 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 minutes : Santo Domingo | One user found this interesting.

53.7 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Se movio todo | One user found this interesting.

Inberostar Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : We were sleeping and wake up of the vibration. The Bed was shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : It woke us from our sleep. | One user found this interesting.

bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : shook my bed | One user found this interesting.

50.7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : It woke me up due to the bed shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Puerto Plata / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 1-2 s : Everything shake | One user found this interesting.

Sto, Dgo Este / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Senti vibracion en la cama y pared | One user found this interesting.

Punta cana (67.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : . | One user found this interesting.

My roo (94.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 30-60 s : I felt like the whole apartment moved for at least 1 minute 30 seconds from high intensity to small shocks. | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Na | One user found this interesting.

Bavero / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I felt a side to side rocking motion. | One user found this interesting.

Distrito Nacional (157.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I just woke up because of the shaking | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo Norte / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I was sleeping and the vibration of the earthquake wakes me up. | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / not felt : I was sleeping | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo (126.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : The bed started moving and the windows where shaking and sounding | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana, Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana Resort / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 10-15 s : The entire building shook consistently for multiple seconds and woke all 3 of us heavy sleepers up out of a sound sleep. | One user found this interesting.

Distrito Nacional / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Se sacudio la cama y puertas | One user found this interesting.

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Our bed was shaking | One user found this interesting.

Uvero Alto / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Quick shake indoors. woke my wife and i up | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo Este / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I felt the vibrations for a few seconds. | One user found this interesting.

Higuey / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I hear a sound of my closet vibrating. | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (88.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I was sleeping and my bed vibrated for about 1-2 seconds. my children came out of their rooms scared. | One user found this interesting.

Distrino nacional / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Estaba acostada senti la vibraciones en el armario y ventana | One user found this interesting.

50.2 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : No damage but vibrations for a few seconds. Rattling in the room. On the second floor of a building. | One user found this interesting.

156 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 30-60 s : . | One user found this interesting.

Santo domingo norte (151.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Senti que removia el mueble y la ventanas de mi casa y algunos utensilios de la casa... | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s : Nothing special | One user found this interesting.

El Seibo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s : Se movio mi cama | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard lateral vibration that even woke me up | One user found this interesting.

Bayamon PR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake : Se movio la cama leve | One user found this interesting.

Secrets Cap Cana (40.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Wintows and furniture shaking | One user found this interesting.

Ave. Republica de Colombia 2m8 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Was in bed felt the bedroom shaking | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (64.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Woke up from sleeping with the bed shaking and a loud rumbling/rattling noise. It was quite scary! | One user found this interesting.

En mi casa en Veron (159.7 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Me desperto una fuerte sacudida | One user found this interesting.

38.6 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : It woke me up from sleeping. :(. | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro (21.6 km S of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s : Shaking | One user found this interesting.

Higuey (53.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Senti que mi cama se sacudio y escuche un zumbido | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (61.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Vibrating our hotel | One user found this interesting.

Punta Cana (50.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was still in bed and felt as it was shaking. I also remember hearing a light thunder in the distance. | One user found this interesting.

AGUAS BUENAS / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Woke me up | One user found this interesting.

El Seibo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : Fue una sacudida, el piso se movia bajo mis pies. Vivo en un segundo piso. El sonido fue fuerte y se escucho alejarse. | One user found this interesting.

Las Terrenas (171.9 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : The windows and the wardrobe started to wobble. | One user found this interesting.

La Romana (54 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Very scary. I'm still nervous | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Because of the sound of my Windows and my bed shaking I was breastefeeding my baby proceeded to get away from the window | One user found this interesting.

Punta cana (56.1 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Bed shaking left to right for a period of 3-6 seconds. Woke me up from my sleep | One user found this interesting.

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : Ok | One user found this interesting.

Distrito nacional, Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Felt my bed was shaking | One user found this interesting.

SANTO DOMINGO (162.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Yes | One user found this interesting.

Pinta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Light shaking | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo (157.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s : Shaking | One user found this interesting.

Royaton bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Senti que comenzo s vibrar el edificio | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : The bed was moving and we Waked up | One user found this interesting.

bavaro / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : realized as earthquake | One user found this interesting.

Majestic Mirage Resort / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Fan was shaking and bed | One user found this interesting.

54.4 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Shaking of bed | One user found this interesting.

Excellence El carmen / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Rumble and swaying. Mild intensity | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Movimientos en casa | One user found this interesting.

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : H | One user found this interesting.

dominican republic (158.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : my bed was shaking and it woke me up | One user found this interesting.

202.6 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

294.9 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

59.8 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Las Terrenas (130.3 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Uvero alto (75.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta Cana (53.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Punta Cana (68.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Distrito nacional (158.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

La Romana (89.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s

La Romana (89.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 30-60 s

Santiago (280.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

179.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s

Bavaro (55.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

55.1 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Lares (173.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Punta Cana (58.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s

Punta Cana (50.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

54.1 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

147.3 km E of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt : Didn't feel the Quake it was far away from me.

158.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt

Carolina, Puerto Rico (267.3 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Bed was shaking/wobbling

Juanillo Beach / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s : We were in the bed. The bed started to shake and the bathroom doors rattled.

Higuey / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Punta cana / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : It woke us up, scary, but nothing fell

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard lateral vibration that even woke me up

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Punta Cana (46.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s

Majestic mirage punta Cana (68 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating

Punta Cana (51.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes

Santo Domingo (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard lateral vibration that even woke me up

Majestic mirage punta Cana (68 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating

Santo Domingo (157.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : Hard lateral vibration that even woke me up

160.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : I was on vacation in Punta Cana DR and we were still sleeping all of a sudden a loud rumble and the room and bed begin to shake we looked up like wtf was that we from Jersey we don't feel earthquakes.

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : The bed was shaking. Juice glass had orange juice shaking. Picture frames shaking on walls & rattling.

6.9 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt : Ai did'dnt creo nothing.I live un Santo Domingo city.

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : The bed was shaking. Juice glass had orange juice shaking. Picture frames shaking on walls & rattling.

La Romana / not felt

Santo Domingo (157.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 20-30 s

Santo Domingo (159.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was sleeping and my bed started rocking violently

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Bavaro punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s : Aufwachen durch brumm Gerausche und schwingen des betts

Punta Cana (41.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Cap cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Woke us from sleep

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s : .

205.1 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating

174.2 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

Catalonia Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

PUNTA CANA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : Shaking and heard rumbling

Santo Domingo, DR. (150.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Mayaguez Puerto Rico / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : It was strong and long. Wake me up.

Las Terrenas / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Scary

Punta cana secrets Royal beach hotel / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Bed is shaking. No noise.

Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Bavaro, Dominican Republic (61.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : There was also noise, like train nearby.

Punta Cana (68 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Riu Republica in Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : We are from San Francisco, CA USA and are very familiar with earthquakes. We heard the familiar rolling rumble sound and then the jolt and vibrating bed. It lasted only a couple of seconds...I immediately rated it at least a 4.5. I was on the 4th floor.

Cap Cana, Dominican Republic / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 minutes : It woke me from a deep sleep and continued to shake for a while.

54.5 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging

154.1 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : H

Las Terrenas / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Bavaro / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

51 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Ocean blue resprt (57.6 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating

Excellence El Carmen Resort / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was in bed and suddenly felt the room begin to shake for 5-10 seconds and then abruptly stop.

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Shaling

Bavaro royalton / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating

152.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Distrito nacional (158.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Higuey / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta cana, DR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Punta Cana, Breathless Resort (77.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

67.3 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : I felt during sleeping. Punta Cana

61.7 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Bahia Principe Luxury Ambar / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Distrito Nacional (157.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : I just woke up because of the shaking

150.1 km ENE of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) (reported through our app / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

156.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

274.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

74.4 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Heard a rumble and felt the whole room shake. Most entrance shaking I have experienced. We were on the third floor of the hotel by the beach.

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Shaling

Punts Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Room shook for about 60 seconds.

Manglar del Macao (68 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

66.6 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Santo domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s

Bavaro Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Punta Cana, Breathless Resort (77.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Las terrenas Republica dominicana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Punta cana (78 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Bavaro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Punta Cana , Dominican Republic / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short

51.8 km SE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

distrito nacional / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Punta cana (61.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction)

58.6 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

158.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

62.7 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

santo domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

La Romana (61.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Juan Dolio (98.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Bayahibe / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Bavaro punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

63.3 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Caguas (258 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Ciudad Juan Bosch / not felt

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Bavaro (47.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Salvaleon de Higuey (76.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

La Romana, Casa Campo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

65.9 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Santo domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Punta cana, DR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

101.9 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Sosua, Puerto Plata / Weak shaking (MMI III)

59.8 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (52.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Higuey / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

149.4 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Anasco / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Bavaro / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

Santo Domingo Gazcue (152.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Santo Domingo Este (154.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Punta Cana (49.4 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes

Dominicus (42.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Cap Cana, Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

60.9 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

La Altagracia dominican republic / Light shaking (MMI IV)

50.1 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

15 sec / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

197.4 km W of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Santo Domingo este / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

159.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 10-15 s

158.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

El Seibo (81 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Bavaro beach / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Santiago de los caballeros / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Higuey / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Sleep / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Punta cana (62.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Santo Domingo de Guzman (153.7 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s

175.9 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

156.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Punta cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

Punta cana, RD / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Majagual / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s

Hotel (41.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

158.2 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

51.7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Consuelo SPM / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Laying in bed / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (284.8 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Santiago / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

Santiago de los Caballeros / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake

San Franicsco de macoris / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Santiago de los caballeros / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short : I was sleeping and I heard some rattling and felt a little shaky for less than 7 seconds.

Las Lagunas de Nisibon higuey / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Punta cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Santo Domingo (153.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

54.5 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / both vertical and horizontal swinging

Punta Cana (50.9 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

San Juan, PR / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

La Altagracia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Sto, dgo este, centro medico integral / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

48.8 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

San Pedro de Macoris / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating

Santo Domingo (154.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

153.6 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

punta cana (62.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Punta cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

San pedro de macoris / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

Santiago de los caballeros / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Santo domingo este (142.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

155.3 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

I was in my house in Higuey, La Altagracia (67.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe / 5-10 s

155 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Punta Cana (61.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

158.4 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Secrets royal beach (62.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Santiago de los Caballeros (264.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Higuey / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Santiago, Dominican Republic / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s

Punta Cana DR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

57.1 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

155.5 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

21.6 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo Este ,Republica Dominicana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

La romana (62.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

San Antonio de Guerra, Santo Domingo Este. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo domingo / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

275.3 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Punta Cana / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Cap canq / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Higuey, la Altagracia. / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling

58.4 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

156.2 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

152.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Punta Cana (45.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

La Romana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Punta Cana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 5-10 s

Bonao / Light shaking (MMI IV)

83.5 km NNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

157.6 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

higuey (61.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

20.4 km S of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Santo Domingo (158 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Mayaguez, puerto rico (145 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 20-30 s

Punta cana (48.5 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

santo domingo, calle banique no 16, losncacicazgos / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s

Santiago / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Santo domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Adjuntas / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Punta Cana (64 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo, Herrera (55 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

Santo Domingo Este / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo Este / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Santo Domingo (156.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s

La romana / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe / 20-30 s

158.7 km WNW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s

Santo Domingo / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 15-20 s

Santo Domingo (152.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

La romana (60.7 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

55.3 km N of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

172.8 km NW of epicenter [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Hard Rock Resort, Punta Cana / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Santo Domingo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Punta Cana (60.3 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Santo domingo / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s
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Telfs (12.1 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : First I wasnt sure about the shaking but then I realised it as an earthquake. Like short shaking and one bumo | One user found this interesting.

Telfs (13.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : my furniture wobbled and I and my family heard a rumble. Such earthquakes are typical for the region around Telfs | 2 users found this interesting.

Oetz (6.3 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : no | One user found this interesting.

6.4 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Schonwies / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / very short

6.7 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Rietz / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Mieming / Weak shaking (MMI III) / very short : Just shorth shake

Silz / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating : Der Boden vibrierte und im Kasten klapperte das Geschirr.

Telfs / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : Rucken des Hauses, Knacken der Holzbalken, kurze, aber heftige Bewegung des Hauses

Polling in Tirol / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Ein dumpfes Grollen, ahnlich wie ein Donnergrollen

Telfs / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Obsteig / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / complex motion difficult to describe / very short : Wie eine Welle

Telfs / not felt

6405 Pfaffenhofen (11 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Motz / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / very short

7.1 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Im Haus / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

6.4 km NNE of epicenter [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Ehrwald / Light shaking (MMI IV)

tumpen Umhausen / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s

Rietz / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Silz / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

silz / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : unheimlich

Krems an der Donau (373.4 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Rietz / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

Karres / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Getty Images

Justin Bieber gets his peaches in Georgia, his weed from California, and his headlining sets in Philadelphia. The Canadian pop star is set to perform one of his first live sets since releasing his last two albums, 2020s Changes and 2021s Justice, at Made in America, the festival put on by Jay-Z, which takes Philly on September 4 and 5. To balance out the lineup, American rapper Lil Baby will also headline, making the festival the latest in a slew of his summer and fall appearances that also includes Rolling Loud Miami and Bonnaroo, the latter of which takes place on Labor Day weekend. The lineup also includes many of pop and hip-hops biggest and brightest: Megan Thee Stallion (also performing Roo double duty), Doja Cat, Roddy Ricch, Bobby Shmurda (in one of his first performances after his prison release), Baby Keem, Lil Durk, A$AP Ferg, Moneybagg Yo, Freddie Gibbs, Tinashe, Morray, 42 Dugg, and EST Gee have also been announced to perform.

LINEUP ALERT!

Justin Bieber, Lil Baby, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Bobby Shmurda, the list goes on

Who are you most excited to see? https://t.co/SBji1Vol1a pic.twitter.com/5VuGqKKXjy  Made In America Festival (@MIAFestival) June 14, 2021
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

When Jon M. Chu asked his Crazy Rich Asians production designer, Nelson Coates, if he was interested in working on a film adaptation of In the Heights, Coates played it cool. I had been chasing the project for years, Coates says, but I didnt tell Jon that I knew he was attached. Tasked with expanding the scope of a beloved stage musical while authentically depicting the Manhattan neighborhood its set in, Coates reunited with Crazy Rich Asians set decorator Andrew Baseman and dived headfirst into research.

As part of that process, the production designer spent two days sifting through files at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library, where he took particular interest in photos of Washington Heights from ten to 20 years ago. In its translation from stage to screen, In the Heights had become a memory piece, its action framed by a present-day Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) narrating the events of the musical to a group of children. Coates and Basemans work often reflects that framing, the sets and exteriors gelling together seamlessly to capture a fading moment in time in a rapidly changing neighborhood. As if the work itself didnt offer enough obstacles, Coates also guided the production through the logistical challenges of shooting in New York City, negotiating with various stakeholders to secure locations such as Highbridge Pool and an MTA maintenance facility.

Ahead of the films release, Vulture caught up with Coates and Baseman to talk about the romance of movie musicals and the importance of developing a backstory for every set. (Warning: Some minor spoilers are ahead!)

You both previously worked with [director] Jon M. Chu on Crazy Rich Asians. How did that experience inform your approach to creating an onscreen Washington Heights?

Nelson Coates: They couldnt be more different, in some ways, but a level of specificity, culturally, was very important on both projects. Jon loved the level of detail in what I was bringing to Crazy Rich Asians. He appreciated what I was doing research-wise with the Peranakan culture thats not in the book  the fact that it was assigning looks to each of the characters. He wanted to have a very specific look as well to Washington Heights.

Andrew Baseman: Whats great about our work is that every script is different, so one day could be in the Gilded Age in the 1880s, another day could be futuristic. Working with Jon and Nelson on [Crazy Rich Asians], it didnt prepare us for the actual story; it was just how you work together personally and professionally.

N.C.: Jon loves [that] I do huge walls of detail, so that you can see each number and each scene, and hes able to look through and say, Okay, yes, heres the through-line visually for the show and can show the actors. So I did that for In the Heights, creating a wall of just the graffiti I was finding. I walked every single street of Washington Heights and Inwood and the Bronx, and parts of Harlem, just looking at what made the Heights bodegas different than bodegas in other parts of town, or what makes salons different and specific for Washington Heights. And what cultural things people have brought in from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba that are still intact, and what things have blended over time. Just taking copious photographs of windows and the way people dress their homes, and these shops and things, and then curating and figuring out how to get that into the movie. That level of detail, and seeing how important it is for people to be represented appropriately and not stereotypically, was very important to Jon and myself.

The movie incorporates some specific design elements from the stage show  specifically some of the store facades and even the symmetry of the items on the shelves. How do you maintain some of those core elements from a beloved stage show while expanding the vision of it?

N.C.: Ironically, if you look actually at the stage sets, they look nothing like what the movie looks like. Theres a feeling, though, so the feeling is important. Since we had the opportunity to do this cinematically and add scale and scope, it was really about how we expand [without making] it suffocate, being claustrophobic like it would be on a 45-foot proscenium stage. Every aspect of this has to be shootable and choreograph-able as well, so in the choreographic development of this, I would be right beside Chris [Scott, the choreographer], and [he would say], If he could jump up onto the counter, can we make it something that can do that? We would tape out the size of each space and put in stand-in pieces of set dressing so that there would be something to rehearse to. Then we could say, Oh, you know what, this volume needs to be a little larger, or This shelf needs to be a little lower  literally [wed go through] every moment like that. And then wed give them a whole series of products so you could start playing with types of things. If you went down the shelves of the bodega, you would see things that are so specific to Washington Heights, even in how theyre labeled and how sticky the packaging is.

Photo: Macall Polay/Warner Bros.

One of the central design elements of Usnavis bodega is the map [of the Dominican Republic] thats on the wall, which to me scanned as a literalization of the themes of heritage and of him pursuing his dream of returning to the DR. How do you translate those overarching themes into a physical space?

N.C.: Part of that was in the discovery, as we found things. But one of the central things that Jon brought up was, You know, Americans are geographically challenged. And if theres some way that we can help people know where the Dominican [Republic] is, its going to help solidify, Oh, heres whats going on. Jon wanted something in the bodega to be the constant dream, not only the pictures that Usnavi has on the wall of his bedroom but something thats in the business.

A.B.: Its very romantic, its very movie musical to have something like that, because Ive never been to a bodega with a mural like that [laughs]. Jon wanted evidence of the flags  Dominican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican flags. He really wanted to show [the characters] backgrounds. So this map was very much that: Its the pride and ethnicity and the heart. [The movie] takes place in New York in the Heights, but its a map of where they came from and shows the pull that Usnavi has to go back home.

N.C.: And the map is made from pieces of everything he sells in the bodega. So if you look really closely, theres MetroCards, SweetN Low packets, Pepperidge Farm fish. Theres keys, because they make keys  in fact, the Florida Keys on the map are actual keys. One of my crew members was actually going on his honeymoon [to the DR] the very first week of prep, so I asked him to bring a bag of sand back. I wanted to bless every element of the set with things that were very authentic to the culture, and also to Lin [-Manuel Miranda] and Quiara [Alegria Hudes], and the crew.

There are so many moving components to the salon set, from the styling chairs to the tables to the nodding mannequin heads. How does the choreography and the kinetic nature of a musical like In the Heights complicate your work?

A.B.: I dont think it complicates the work; I think it gives it life and gives it focus. The bodega and the salon are the heart of the neighborhood. Thats where you get your gossip; thats where you have a very intimate relationship with the people working there. Its filled with characters, and for the musical number, we wanted a big enough space where they can dance. We needed all the elements to be on casters so they could move them somewhat organically. As the musical number is starting, you can see them moving the chairs out of the way and moving the tables. From the very beginning, it was designed for the movement and making room for the dancing.

N.C.: You want to make a great playground, so that everyone feels like its real, but also maybe its a little bit larger of a volume than you would actually find in the Heights. Most of the salons now are painted white, with LED lighting, and thats not very cinematic, so I was pulling elements from what the Heights used to be without making it feel like a period movie.

The salon has a sort of sun-bleached aspect to it, at the same time as having vibrant colors, as if the walls were painted 20 years ago.

A.B.: Or even longer. There really arent a lot of primary colors  except for flag colors  throughout the movie. So the salon is in secondary and tertiary colors  you know, pinks and greens. The art of it is a little bit Art Deco, so Nelson and I were discussing that perhaps it was originally designed as a jewelry store or a clothing store, that it was taken on by the salon owners maybe 50 years ago. So thats why it has that look. It wasnt from the ground up designed as a salon. [Things like] the pattern of the linoleum, that wouldve been there since the 40s. These are some of the details that  you know, we think of the backstory because we have to physically design this, go out and get these elements, and put them in there, and a lot of it is very subtle.

A few sequences in the movie are told from a specific characters perspective or function on dream logic  specifically the sequence with Abuela Claudia in the subway. How did you approach that sequence, and does your understanding of the characters perspective affect the design elements?

N.C.: Definitely. Several of the things she says are incredible touchpoints. Jon had the idea of, one, its the summers hottest day, as she says at the beginning of it. So we needed to really feel the heat. And two, shes transporting us to her memory, to the past. Jon had initially wanted this to be in a black-box kind of environment, so that things could be shifting and changing, and I wanted there to be some shape to help us, some New York shape to the space, so it wasnt a soundstage. As the subway is cutting right through the Heights, it was like, That is a great method of conveyance, to memory. The idea of her getting into the car  and the electrical [lighting] shuddering like it does when you go into tunnels  gave us the idea to change the background into Cuba 1944, and all the ads change to views of Cuba and the palm trees of Cuba, and the people change too.

So immediately youre transported and then Chris and Jon worked out the specific elements, and I started then designing pieces that would go into that. You know [Claudias] dream of going to New York? Well, you have the sign in the subway that lights up. And you have the old signage from the period she wouldve been in. Because its a dream, how do you represent the city being super-packed? We always say, Youre living out of a suitcase, so lets have dancers come out of suitcases, because thats how theyre living. So immediately you know youre packing, and shes learning English, so you have a girl sitting around oversize books, flipping through the pages of the books trying to learn English. We found each of those elements and then started connecting them.

The framing device of the movie is this narration, where Usnavi is speaking to children on the beach. It sort of fades at the end until you realize that its actually been the bodega all along. I love the visual hints at that twist in the beach iteration of the bar. Can you talk a little bit about that and where that was shot?

A.B.: The beach scene was shot [in Glen Cove, New York], and we found a little sandy area and brought in that little beach hut. Ashley [Wellbrock] found the boat-shaped counter, so we had to find specific boats and things like that. The same source had bookcases in the shape of boats, so we filled it with that. Then through the visual effects, they put in the palm trees around it.

The concept of bookending, of starting this memory piece, or fantasy or whatever, with the kids on the beach and then you find out its really [at the bodega] the whole time  I dont think that was in the original script. So when [that] developed, we specifically put in little hints and Easter eggs throughout, like the crab. I had pictures of Usnavis father, and those were under the glass in the counter. The lighting was made from cans  I believe coffee cans. And those were in the bodega. So all the things that were evidence in the fantasy portion of it were from the actual bodega. It was a play back and forth between reality and this fantasy we were creating.
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A 17-year-old is in the hospital after shots fired in Champaign
Italy shocked by triple murder in Ardea.

A man shot and killed two children and a pensioner in a small seaside town south of Rome on Sunday 13 June, in a case that has shocked Italy.

After the shooting the 34-year-old attacker holed up in his house nearby, killing himself before police stormed the building several hours later.

The gunman was named as Andrea Pignani, an unemployed computer engineer who had been living with his mother and had reportedly not left the house in about a year.

Accounts by locals suggest the man suffered from mental health issues and had threatened neighbours in the past by waving a gun in the air, according to news agency ANSA.

The weapon had been held legally by the man's father, a security guard who died last November. However the gun was never reported to authorities after his death and police sources told the media that they had not received any complaints.

At around 11.00 on Sunday morning Pignani left his house, armed with the pistol, and walked through the residential area of Colle Romito.

On his way he met Daniel and David Fusinato, two brothers aged five and 10, who were playing in a park in front of their house when Pignani shot them at point-blank range, for no apparent reason.

Pignani also shot Salvatore Ranieri in the head, killing the 84-year-old who was passing by on a bicycle.

Ranieri, who reportedly knew neither his killer nor the two brothers, had been staying with his wife at their holiday home in Ardea, located about 40 km south of Rome.

Pignani then attempted to shoot a fourth person, a man putting out the trash, but he was reportedly out of range and survived.

The grandmother of the two boys told reporters that they died holding the hands of their father who rushed to the scene after hearing gunshots.

According to media reports there did not appear to be any previous conflict between the killer and the boys' father, who is currently under house arrest for drugs offences.

Ranieri's wife reportedly discovered her husband's body at the scene of the shooting after becoming worried when he did not return from his cycle.

Police are attempting to find a motive for the seemingly random attack which has been condemned by politicians and has opened up a debate in Italy about possession of firearms.

Photo Corriere della Sera
Although free on bail, Ghosns movements were supposed to be closely monitored. An extraction team assembled by Michael Taylor, a former U.S. Army Green Beret, found weaknesses that helped them devise an audacious plan to smuggle Ghosn out of Japan. On the morning of Dec. 29, 2019, Ghosn left his rented house in Tokyo, changed clothes at a hotel, and then boarded a bullet train to Osaka. Waiting at a hotel near Kansai International Airport was a big box on wheels used for musical gear. Ghosn got into the box, was transported to the private jet terminal and onto a Bombardier Global Express plane that took him to Turkey. There, he switched planes and flew to Beirut. Only then did the rest of the world, and stunned Japanese authorities, learn about his escape. (Taylor and his son Peter were extradited to Japan from the U.S. in March and pleaded guilty June 14 to conspiring to help Ghosn escape; they face a maximum of three years in prison.)
Beyond a few vague comments -- Sometimes you must walk through the darkness before you see the light -- little has been attributed to Q since the Nov. 3 election. There have been no posts at all since Dec. 8. Some diehard followers are pouring over old drops for relevancy to current events. But QAnon may be moving on from Q, as evidenced by a QAnon conference in Dallas in late May. It featured influential figures within the QAnon community such as former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, one of Trumps former election lawyers, who stoked groundless claims that Trump will (or even could) somehow be reinstated as president.
Ten historical romances later, including the newly arrived An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler, with its Bridgerton-esque authors note, complete with facts about powerful Black men who were championed by the Prince Regent (Queen Charlottes son), I find the reception of my novels very different, the meet-and-greets via Zoom easier. Questions are less about fantasy and more about what techniques I used to amass my research. I want to believe the historical accuracy cudgel has been ripped apart, never to be felt again. I talked to some of my friends, fellow historical writers, to hear their thoughts.
If other family members are caregivers arent taking adequate care of themselves, mention the importance of self-care to them, Kallmyer says. They often dont want to ask for help; they feel its some sort of indictment on their relationship with the person or their abilities, she says. Get them to reframe those thoughts so that they understand theyre doing their best, and that asking for help and taking breaks are necessary.
Many such precautions were first adopted early last year, when public health officials suspected the virus might linger on surfaces and spread via touch. But closer study determined that the risk of infection from doorknobs, buttons and the like was extremely low. In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that contact with a contaminated surface has less than a 1 in 10,000 chance of causing an infection  a smidgen higher than a persons lifetime chance of being struck by lightning.
As you cannot possibly doubt that an effusive letter of thanks is due  can you?  Miss Manners is guessing that you are wondering how to address it. It should go to the gentleman who sent it, and refer, in the body of the letter, to your gratitude for the kindness of his family.
Flags for Good was Greens response to what he sees as the dominance of White conservatives when it comes to political symbols, citing the red MAGA hats and Trump flags that blanketed the candidates rallies. In fact, Green thinks they were so successful that Trump even co-opted the American flag, to the point that Green did not even want to hang one outside his home, for fear that it would be interpreted as an endorsement of Trumps actions as president.
Last month, lawmakers rejected a proposal to begin ending those moratoriums. The city has more than $350 million in federal money to cover the rent of tenants who have fallen behind on payments during the pandemic. Some argue that tenants should take advantage of those grants and should be eligible to be evicted if they do not. But others said its too soon to end protections, noting that the citys rental assistance program is not yet running efficiently.
On April 16, Jon Ryan Schaffer, 53, described in court documents as a founding member of the Oath Keepers, became the first Jan. 6 defendant to plead guilty and agree to cooperate with prosecutors in hopes of reducing a recommended sentence of roughly four years in prison. He admitted to obstructing an official proceeding of Congress, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and trespassing on restricted grounds while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon, which carries up to a 10-year prison term.
For instance, a website opposed to the equity project points to a brief video of a Loudoun teacher in a college-level English class asking students to describe what they saw in a photo showing a Black woman and a White woman standing back to back. When one student said he saw just two people chillin, the teacher faulted the student for refusing to acknowledge the racial difference.
The Nixon Peabody report cites several internal emails that it said illustrated Moschettis bias against the idea of Martin being released from prison, when her role was not intended to go into the substance of the parole boards actions, only its procedures. In one email, Moschetti criticized public comments by then-parole board chairwoman Adrianne Bennett, saying that they dont sit well with me. To me they are providing evidence that this person should not be released.
Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan said in a statement: It was encouraging to hear the Attorney Generals commitment to the first amendment rights of all Americans. While we welcome the new policy to refrain from using compulsory legal procedures to seize reporter records in leak investigations, we feel steps must be taken to ensure it is durable and binding on future administrations. It is also essential that there be a full and complete public accounting of all the actions taken against our news organizations, including the secret subpoenas and gag orders, and an explanation as to what has been done with the information that was seized.
The marshals further drew the ire of the judge when the agency defended its position of not telling him whether individual deputies had been vaccinated by claiming that the agency itself does not know  that it has anonymous data about the percentage of vaccinated employees, but does not know individual deputies vaccination status. That answer raised questions among some employees, who, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal correspondence, said they filled out paperwork for their supervisors identifying themselves as vaccinated. In the beginning of the year, some marshals employees uploaded copies of their vaccination cards.
She is in the custody of the halfway house, and the halfway house can use home confinement as part of it, but its all at the discretion of the halfway house, her attorney said. She has begun the reentry process.
You think about the high-tech industry: Its globally connected, with incredible economic returns because of the global economic markets theyre serving. And a lot of the returns come in the form of stock markets and investments and ownership, and not so much in labor, said Chris Benner, sociology professor at UC Santa Cruz and director of the Santa Cruz Institute for Social Transformation. Theres not a whole lot of jobs created in the industry compared to the economic size of the industry.
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Jeff Ricchetti has been able to dramatically expand his work during the Biden administration, contacting people who work with his brother or know him as President Bidens governing consigliere. Since May 2020, just after Biden emerged as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Jeff Ricchetti has signed 12 new clients, including the four contracts that have him in contact with Bidens office and four others that have him contacting Cabinet-level agencies, according to filings. The firm he founded with Steve Ricchetti has reported making $820,000 in the first three months of this year, according to the most recent federal filings available. That represented nearly five times what it made in the same period last year.
It is hard to overstate the stakes for Biden of this first in-person meeting with a geopolitical adversary. A central theme of his presidency is that democracies do a better job for their people than autocracies, and Putin is among the worlds leading challengers to that idea. Biden also is intent on showing that the United States has moved on from the Trump eras tolerance of authoritarians, and this is a pivotal moment for that effort.
The courts request on the Harvard case means the justices likely would not consider it again until the fall. But it could mean only that acceptance of the case is delayed, and it could still be heard in the term that begins in October.
The courts request on the Harvard case means the justices probably would not consider whether to accept it again until the fall. But it could mean only that acceptance of the case is delayed, and it could still be heard in the term that begins in October.
I think that there is a growing recognition over the last couple of years that we have new challenges, Biden said during a sit-down discussion with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. And we have Russia that is not acting in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped, and as well as China, Biden said. He added that members of the Group of Seven had stepped up as well, an apparent reference to a new willingness among the economic club to criticize some aspects of Chinese behavior.
In the middle of a presidential election, if you have a Senate of the opposite party of the president, you have to go back to the 1880s to find the last time a vacancy was filled. So I think its highly unlikely, McConnell told Hewitt, according to an interview transcript.
Im out there every day talking to these businesses, and theyre not really talking about Tom and this issue. When his name comes up, it comes up in the context of: Have we talked to Tom about this? Will he be able to bring it up to the Problem Solvers Caucus? she said. We cant say enough about what he has done and what he continues to do around infrastructure, which is such a huge issue for us.
A Salvation Army EMS vehicle is set up as a cooling station as people line up to get into a splash park while trying to beat the heat in Calgary. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press/AP)

Authorities in the region are investigating the recent deaths, but have all indicated that they are due to the heat dome that has trapped hot air in the normally temperate area.
The charges against Suu Kyi, however, have been especially punitive. Shortly after her detention, she was charged with possessing and importing walkie-talkies without a license, but the military steadily slapped on more severe charges, including corruption and violating the colonial-era secrets act. She faces a total of seven charges and penalties of up to 15 years  meaning she could spend the rest of her life in detention. Myanmars civilian president, Win Myint, who worked alongside Suu Kyi in running the government before the coup, has been held on similar charges.
Charles L. Riney, 86, of Washington, went home to be with our Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 27, 2021, at 7:25 a.m. He was born in Washington on Nov. 3, 1934, to Thomas and Ann Marie (Smith) Riney. He loved gardening and spending time with his beloved dog. He is survived by one sister, Paul
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Shi has denied these accusations and now finds herself defending the reputation of her lab and, by extension, that of her country. Reached on her phone last week, Shi said at first that she preferred not to speak directly with reporters, citing her institutes policies. Yet she could barely contain her frustration. Loading How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence? she said, her voice rising in anger during the brief, unscheduled conversation. I dont know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist, she wrote in a text message. In a rare interview over email, she denounced the suspicions as baseless, including the allegations that several of her colleagues may have been ill before the outbreak emerged. The speculation boils down to one central question: Did Shis lab hold any source of the new coronavirus before the pandemic erupted? Shis answer is an emphatic no.

But Chinas refusal to allow an independent investigation into her lab, or to share data on its research, make it difficult to validate Shis claims and has only fuelled nagging suspicions about how the pandemic could have taken hold in the same city that hosts an institute known for its work on bat coronaviruses. Those in favour of the natural origins hypothesis, though, have pointed to Wuhans role as a major transportation hub as well as a recent study that showed that just before the pandemic hit, the citys markets were selling many animal species capable of harbouring dangerous pathogens that could jump to humans. The Chinese government has given no appearance of holding Shi under suspicion. Despite the international scrutiny, she seems to have been able to continue her research and give lectures in China. This has nothing to do with fault or guilt, said David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University and co-author of a recent letter in the journal Science, signed by 18 scientists, that called for a transparent investigation into all viable scenarios, including a lab leak. The letter urged labs and health agencies to open their records to the public.

Its just bigger than any one scientist or institute or any one country  anybody anywhere who has data of this sort needs to put it out there, Relman said. Transparency matters Loading Many virologists maintain that the coronavirus most likely jumped from an animal to a human in a setting outside a lab. But without direct proof of a natural spillover, more scientists and politicians have called for a full investigation into the lab leak theory. Proponents of a lab investigation say that researchers at Shis institute could have collected  or contracted  the new coronavirus from the wild, such as in a bat cave. Or the scientists may have created it, by accident or by design. Either way, the virus could then have leaked from the laboratory, perhaps by infecting a worker.

China has sought to influence investigations into the virus origin, while promoting its own unproven allegations. Beijing agreed to allow a team of World Health Organisation experts to visit China but limited their access. When the WHO team said in a report in March that a lab leak was extremely unlikely, its conclusion was seen as hasty. Even the head of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough. Last month, President Joe Biden ordered intelligence agencies to investigate the origin question, including the lab theory. On Sunday, the leaders of the worlds wealthiest large democracies, at the Group of Seven summit, urged China to be part of a new investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Biden told reporters that he and other leaders had discussed access to labs in China. Transparency matters across the board, Biden said.

Scientists have a motherland. In less polarised times, Shi was a symbol of Chinas scientific progress, the Bat Woman at the forefront of research into emerging viruses. Loading She led expeditions into caves to collect samples from bats and guano, to learn how viruses jump from animals to humans. In 2019, she was among 109 scientists elected to the American Academy of Microbiology for her contributions to the field. Shes a stellar scientist  extremely careful, with a rigorous work ethic, said Dr. Robert C. Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The Wuhan institute employs nearly 300 people and is home to one of only two Chinese labs that have been given the highest security designation, Biosafety Level 4. Shi leads the institutes work on emerging infectious diseases, and over the years, her group has collected more than 10,000 bat samples from around China. Loading Shi, 57, obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Montpellier in France in 2000 and started studying bats in 2004 after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed more than 700 people around the world. In 2011, she made a breakthrough when she found bats in a cave in south-western China that carried coronaviruses similar to the virus that causes SARS. In all the work we do, if just once you can prevent the outbreak of an illness, then what weve done will be very meaningful, she told CCTV, Chinas state broadcaster, in 2017. But some of her most notable findings have since drawn the heaviest scrutiny. In recent years, Shi began experimenting on bat coronaviruses by genetically modifying them to see how they behave.

In 2017, she and her colleagues at the Wuhan lab published a paper about an experiment in which they created new hybrid bat coronaviruses by mixing and matching parts of several existing ones  including at least one that was nearly transmissible to humans  in order to study their ability to infect and replicate in human cells. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Proponents of this type of research say it helps society prepare for future outbreaks. Critics say the risks of creating dangerous new pathogens may outweigh potential benefits. The picture has been complicated by new questions about whether US government funding that went to Shis work supported controversial gain-of-function research. The Wuhan institute received around $US600,000 ($778,000) in grant money from the US government, through an American non-profit called EcoHealth Alliance.

The National Institutes of Health said it had not approved funding for the non-profit to conduct gain-of-function research on coronaviruses that would have made them more infectious or lethal. Shi, in an emailed response to questions, argued that her experiments differed from gain-of-function work because she did not set out to make a virus more dangerous but to understand how it might jump across species. My lab has never conducted or cooperated in conducting GOF experiments that enhance the virulence of viruses, she said. Speculation rooted in utter distrust. Concerns have centred not only on what experiments Shi conducted but also on the conditions under which she did them.

Some of Shis experiments on bat viruses were done in Biosafety Level 2 labs, where security is lower than in other labs at the institute. That has raised questions about whether a dangerous pathogen could have slipped out. Ralph Baric, a University of North Carolina expert in coronaviruses who signed the open letter in Science, said that although a natural origin of the virus was likely, he supported a review of what level of biosafety precautions were taken in studying bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan institute. Baric conducted NIH-approved gain-of-function research at his lab using information on viral genetic sequences provided by Shi. Shi said that bat viruses in China could be studied in BSL-2 labs because there was no evidence that they directly infected humans, a view supported by some other scientists. As for samples that the lab held, Shi has maintained that the closest bat virus she had in her lab, which she shared publicly, was only 96 per cent identical to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19  a vast difference by genomic standards. She rejects speculation that her lab had worked on other viruses in secret. Many scientists and officials say China should share employees medical records and the labs logs of its experiments and its viral sequence database to evaluate Shis claims.

Shi said she and the institute had been open with the WHO and with the global scientific community. This is no longer a question of science, she said on the phone. It is speculation rooted in utter distrust. I have nothing to fear. The pandemic was a moment that Shi and her team had long braced for. For years, she had warned of the risks of a coronavirus outbreak, building up a stock of knowledge about these pathogens. Shi published some of the most important early papers on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, which scientists around the world have relied on.

But soon, the speculation about Shi and her lab began to swirl. Shi, who is known among friends for being blunt, was baffled and angry  and sometimes let it show. Shi rejected the recent reports that three researchers from her institute had sought treatment at a hospital in November 2019 for flu-like symptoms, before the first COVID-19 cases were reported. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has not come across such cases, she wrote. If possible, can you provide the names of the three to help us check? In an interview with Science magazine in July, she said that Trump owed her an apology for claiming the virus came from her lab. On social media, she said people who raised similar questions should shut your stinky mouths. Shi said what she saw as the politicisation of the question had sapped her of any enthusiasm for investigating the origins of the virus. She has instead focused on COVID vaccines and the features of the new virus, and over time, she said, has calmed down.
London: Fiona Reynolds may not be a household name in Australia but the effects of her work are evident across the globe and in boardrooms of some of the worlds biggest carbon-emitting companies.

As chief executive of the London-based Principles for Responsible Investment, she has turned mainstream a once-niche drive to force some of the worlds largest investors to spend their trillions on sustainable projects, as well as encouraging banks to refrain from financing new fossil fuel projects.

Fiona Reynolds in London in June. Credit:Liliana Zaharia

For example, signatories to the United Nations-backed network were among the activist shareholders who late last month successfully forced energy giants Exxon to appoint their nominees to the board and persuaded a majority of shareholders to vote that Chevron cut its emissions.

Reynolds, originally from Melbourne, planned to clock up at least a decade in the global role that she started in 2013, but five weeks ago her father suffered a stroke.
Brussels: US President Joe Biden makes his entrance at a NATO summit aiming to consult European allies on efforts to counter provocative actions by China and Russia while highlighting the US commitment to the 30-country alliance that was frequently maligned by predecessor Donald Trump.

The summit on Monday comes as Biden tries to rally allies for greater coordination in checking the two adversaries whose actions on economic and national security fronts have become the chief foreign policy concerns in the early going of the Biden presidency.

Biden was expected to underscore the US commitment to Article 5 of the alliance charter, which spells out that an attack on one member is an attack on all and is to be met with a collective response.

Afghan soldiers patrol outside their military base on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, last month. By September11 the remaining U.S.and allied NATO forces will leave the country, ending nearly 20 years of military engagement. Credit:AP

I will make it clear that the United States commitment to our NATO alliance and Article 5 is rock solid, Biden told American troops in the United Kingdom last week on the first stop of his eight-day European trip. Its a sacred obligation.
Even as he surpassed the tenure of David Ben-Gurion, Israels founding leader, in 2019, he drove Israelis to exhaustion with four elections in two years in which the main issue was him, and the electorate split down the middle each time. Israels parliament has voted in favour of a new coalition government, formally ending Prime Minister Benjamin Bibi Netanyahus historic 12-year rule. Credit:AP His insistence that only he was capable of leading the tiny but fractious country was called into doubt by his initial mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, in which deaths and infections soared and disparities in the enforcement of lockdowns highlighted his indebtedness to ultra-Orthodox allies. Still, he managed to turn that embarrassment into triumph by negotiating a deal for a vaccine supply that made Israel a global vaccination leader and brought a traumatised society back to life. As he relinquishes power for the first time in a dozen years and nearly a quarter-century to the day after he first became prime minister in 1996  and defiantly vowing to return for a third act  Netanyahu, 71, leaves Israel in many ways far stronger than he found it. The country has a globally envied tech industry, fearsome military, cutting-edge intelligence and counter-terrorism capabilities, diplomatic and trade relationships across Asia, Africa and Latin America that seemed unattainable a decade ago, and fast-knitting ties to Arab lands that were unfathomable even a year ago.

Loading Netanyahus critics envied his political genius, but felt embittered by his failure to apply those gifts more courageously. Hes so capable, he could have done almost anything, said Ben Caspit, an Israeli columnist and two-time Netanyahu biographer. If he had brought the Israeli public a peace treaty, hed have gotten it approved by 80 per cent. He could have been the king of the centre. But hes not brave enough. That failure, however, was considered a wild success by his admirers on the right, who credited him with having blocked a Palestinian state and, as his former education and interior minister, Gideon Saar, put it, rescued us from the mid-1990s peace process. Palestinians could only look on in awe at Netanyahus ability to cast Israel as ever the victim, despite its violent and repressive occupation, and at what they saw as his cynical gaming of the peace process to expand West Bank settlements rather than give up territory.

Netanyahu argued that he had been right all along: Failure to reach a deal with the Palestinians or to curb West Bank settlement had not and would not lead to a devastating diplomatic tsunami, as left-wing critics had warned. Israel could perpetuate the occupation without paying a price in international legitimacy. What tsunami? What isolation? he crowed in 2017. What foolishness. Netanyahu, known to all as Bibi, was practically a newcomer to Israel when he made his first run for office in 1988. The son of a right-wing Zionist scholar, he attended high school in Philadelphia, college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked as a consultant in Boston before being recruited as an Israeli diplomat and sent to Washington. In 1984, he moved to New York as Israels ambassador to the United Nations, where he became a regular on shows like Nightline and Larry King Live. With such star power, he blew past veteran Israeli politicians on his way up the ranks. He won more acclaim during the 1991 Gulf War, being interviewed live on CNN in a gas mask as missile-warning sirens howled, and holding court as Israels spokesman at the Madrid peace conference. In 1993, at age 43, he won the leadership of the conservative Likud party. Though the Oslo peace talks left Israelis breathless as then prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shook hands before US president Bill Clintons outstretched arms, Netanyahu railed against territorial give-aways and assailed Arafat as an inveterate terrorist.

Only after a Jewish extremist massacred 29 Palestinians and Palestinians responded with a wave of suicide bombings did public opinion turn his way. But his appearances at rallies where crowds chanted Death to Rabin stained him, fairly or not, as having fuelled and fed on the incitement that led to Rabins assassination in 1995. Loading Undeterred, he took on Rabins successor, Shimon Peres. After a masterly performance in their only debate, Netanyahu scored a narrow upset. Governing was harder. The opening of a tunnel under the Western Wall, over the objections of Muslim clerics, set off deadly gunbattles between Israeli and Palestinian security forces. Chastened, Netanyahu agreed to pull troops back from the West Bank city of Hebron, prompting the right wing to desert him. When the poisoning of a Hamas leader was botched in Jordan and the would-be assassins caught, a humiliated Israel was forced to supply the antidote and release Hamas spiritual leader and dozens of other Palestinian prisoners.

His defeat in 1999 was not the end of his troubles. The police accused him of using state money to fix up his private homes, and his wife, Sara, was forced to return hundreds of gifts she had taken from the prime ministers residence. Loading But Netanyahu retained his cachet in Washington, where he testified before Congress in the run-up to the Iraq War. If you take out Saddam, Saddams regime, he argued, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region. Netanyahu was on surer ground when prime minister Ariel Sharon named him finance minister in 2003. When Sharon quit Likud to form a centrist party, Netanyahu reclaimed the Likud leadership. But the working-class and ultra-Orthodox voters whose benefits he had gutted exacted payback. Likud won just 12 seats in parliament in 2006, its worst showing in half a century.

Netanyahus critics say he drew a simple lesson. Forced to choose between accomplishing great things and retaining power, he would choose power every time. By the time the next election came, in 2009, Netanyahu had forged a new compact with ultra-Orthodox leaders. Loading He was narrowly edged by former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, but the right-wing and religious parties denied her a coalition and fell in behind him, restoring him to the premiership. Only once did Netanyahu later turn his back on the ultra-Orthodox; in 2013, he entered a coalition with Livni and Yair Lapids centrist Yesh Atid party. But when Livni and Lapid backed legislation that threatened Israel Hayom, Netanyahu called a new election. His next government would be the most right-wing and religious in Israels history.

There was a time when Netanyahu was so popular in the United States that some said he could be elected president. A 2015 poll found Republicans admired him as much as Ronald Reagan and more than the pope. Israels new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, right, sits with Yair Lapid during a Knesset vote to oust Netanyahu. Bennett will serve for the first two years and Lapid for the next two of the unity governments term. Credit:AP He put that popularity to the test in his crusade to block the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Styling himself a latter-day Churchill, Netanyahu had been sounding the alarm about Irans nuclear program for 20 years. He kept the world guessing about whether Israel would mount a preemptive strike, as it had done in Iraq and Syria. It remains unclear whether the tacit threat was serious or an elaborate bluff. But while it helped pressure the US and Europe to step up sanctions against Iran, critics said it also spurred then president Barack Obama to seek a deal with Iran before the sanctions brought Iran to its knees. To the Likud base, Netanyahu remained Bibi, king of Israel, as they had long serenaded him.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch..

Tonight

A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Local health experts say blood donations are always in high demand, but even more so during the summer months.

Doctors at UofL Health say they blood donations fall when the temperature starts to rise, but the demand for that blood remains steady or even increases during the summer months.

"People think blood is just always going to be available whenever they need it, and that's not always the case," said Dr. Claire Meena-Leist, chief of transfusion services for UofL Health.

Meena-Leist says the number of blood donations plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic -- a development that coincided with hospitals' decisions to cancel elective procedures to conserve supply.

Now that the pandemic is slowing and surgeries are resuming, donated blood is flying off the shelves. Unfortunately, Meena-Leist says people aren't rushing to donate, especially as school blood drives are on hold while classes are out.

School blood drives are a significant source of donations, Meena-Leist says.

Although many hospitals, including University Hospital, say their supply is currently stocked, that blood could disappear quickly with an increase in trauma and surgeries.

"Currently, we have a good blood supply today, but I don't know what tomorrow's going to bring," said Meena-Leist. "We talked about last time that one trauma can use over 100 units of our blood cells. It's just a day-to-day situation. That's why it's important, not only to think about blood donation today, but every day."

Dr. Meena-Leist says only about one-third of the country is eligible to give blood and urges anyone who can to do so as much as possible.

Doctors say anyone interested in giving blood should check with a local donation center to see if he or she is eligible to do so.

Copyright 2021 by WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2021 AccuWeather. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Jon Chus In the Heights is the most dazzling movie musical in years! Adapted from Lin-Manuel Mirandas first Broadway show, the eye-popping cinematography and awesome choreography make it the summers first fun, feel-good movie.

Washington Heights is a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Upper Manhattan near the George Washington Bridge.

Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) runs a small bodega off 181st Street with his young cousin, Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV). For years, Usnavi has dreamt of returning to the Dominican Republic to revive his late fathers beachside bar. But hes infatuated with ambitious Vanessa (Melissa Berrera), whos passionate about fashion design.

His best friend Benny (Corey Hawkins) loves Nina (Leslie Grace). After her freshman year at Stanford, where she felt marginalized, she tells her father (Jimmy Smits) she wants to drop out and return to the comfort of the vibrant, close-knit barrio community.

Then theres Usnavis elderly Abuela Claudia with Olga Merediz reprising her Tony-nominated role, chronicling the Latina matriarchs poignant move from Havana to New York.

Unlike Hamilton, a filmed version of the Broadway musical, In the Heights has several splashy set pieces. Recalling Busby Berkeleys synchronized swimming sequences, one shows the entire neighborhood dreaming of what theyd do if they won the lottery while splashing in the massive Highsbridge Pool.

Another is a hat tip to Fred Astaires gravity-defying Royal Wedding sequence, as Nina and Benny sing and dance on the side of an apartment building, challenging the laws of physics. Movie magic at its best.

Adapted/updated by Quiara Alegria Hudes, who wrote the original book, and directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), the specificity of its layered roots ring true. The cleverly rhymed rap music complexity of each number propels the plot/theme, illuminating the Latino immigrant experience for a mainstream audience.

Alice Brooks cinematography, Christopher Scotts choreography and Nelson Coates production design are outstanding, plus theres Mirandas cameo as the Piragua Guy, selling icy treats.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, In the Heights is a heartwarming, jubilant 10. See it in theaters or on HBO Max.

Susan Granger has been an on-air television and radio commentator and entertainment critic for more than 25 years. Raised in Hollywood, Granger appeared as a child actress in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and Lassie. She currently resides in Westport.
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The Wiz, set to be revived at the Hope Mill Theatre and co-produced alongside Ameena Hamid and Chuchu Nwago Productions from November, has revealed its creative team.

Based on L Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the show follows Dorothy as she is whisked away to the land of Oz where she encounters a cavalcade of characters.

As reported, there will be open auditions for the piece later this month  in London on 19 June and in Manchester on 26 June.

Originally opening on Broadway in 1975 and running for four years, The Wiz has music and lyrics by Charlie Small, Timothy Graphenreed, Harold Wheeler, George Faison and Luther Vandross, with a book by William F Brown. It was adapted for the big screen in 1978 starring Diana Ross as Dorothy.

Directed by Matthew Xia, the creative team features musical supervisor and orchestrator Sean Green, choreographer Leah Hill, with poster photography by Dujonna Gift- Simms and poster design by Christopher D Clegg. Casting is by Anne Vosser Casting in association with Ryan Carter.

Joining them will be designer Simon Kenny (Sweeney Todd, Harrington's Pie & Mash Shop, West End and Off Broadway), associate costume designer Maybelle Laye (Intimate Apparel,), lighting designer Simisola Majekodunmi (Herding Cats) and sound designer Tony Gayle (Get Up Stand Up).

Xia said: "I can't wait to return to Manchester, my former home, to create the all singing all dancing extravaganza that is The Wiz at the exceptional Hope Mill Theatre. We're pulling together an outstanding team including musical supervisor Sean Green and choreographer Leah Hill to reimagine this classic funk, soul (and now afrobeat!) infused story of self-discovery, determination and Black joy. Everybody rejoice!"

Carter added: "The creating of black theatre can be just as rewarding as the watching of it. What we're offering performers to be part of is such a rare and exciting opportunity and we're really excited to throw the net as far and wide as possible. Many professional iterations of The Wiz draw from the current generation of artists, and allow them to artistically imprint on their characters, which is why we're so keen to see black excellence from every possible iteration of our art form."
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Education Officer, Nampula, Mozambique

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund

Country: Mozambique

Field location: Nampula, Mozambique

Office: UNICEF Nampula, Mozambique

Closing date: Friday, 25 June 2021

External Vacancy Announcement - Temporary Appointment, Education Officer (NO-2), 364 Days, Nampula, Mozambique #00116365

Job no: 540714

Position type: Temporary Appointment

Location: Mozambique Division/Equivalent: Nairobi Regnl(ESARO)

School/Unit: Republic of Mozambique

Department/Office: Nampula Zone Office, Mozambique

Categories: Education, NO-2

UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, education

https://www.unicef.org/mozambique/en/education

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the job:

The purpose of this job is to provide support to DPEDH-Nampula and other organizations in Nampula in planning, implementing, monitoring, coordinating the educational regular intervention programs and to relevant education offices in northern region for emergency programmes in ways that will lead ultimately to the equitable quality and learning for an increasing number of students.

Objectives of the assignment

The Education Officer (NOB), under the direct supervision of the Chief of Field Office in Nampula and the technical support of the P4 Education Manager in close collaboration with respective output leads and officers according to the area of intervention, various output managers will work closely with UNICEF education colleagues, the provincial and district education authorities (DPEDH and SDEJT), the Education Cluster and Education Cluster partners to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of the UNICEF Education programme and accomplishment of its goals and objectives.

The specific objectives are:

Support DPEDH in strengthening capacity in planning, monitoring and evaluation in education in the province and district level;

Support the coordination of UNICEF education section interventions in the province and districts;

Support in-service teacher training and pedagogical strategies to improve learning outcomes;

Monitor implementation of PdA-activities which are funded by UNICEF;

Support advocacy and roll out of Accelerated School Readiness programme

Support existing strategies to increase access for vulnerable children and retention of adolescents girls in the target districts;

Contribute to strengthening of the capacity of DPEDH-Nampula gender unit to respond to the challenges of limited access, participation and retention, and dropout of vulnerable children, in particular adolescent girls;

Contribute to the achievement of the planned results in the gender component of the UNICEF Education sector program, by increasing the knowledge of education sector employees, children and adolescents on gender issues, violence against children and menstrual management.

Support the response to all emergency related activities in the education sector in Nampula province.in good coordination with education cluster.

Main responsibilities and tasks

Coordination

Coordinate with other educational institutions/organizations and provincial structures that deal with the provision of education services;

Coordinate with other UNICEF technical staff in the province and the education section in Mozambique country office (MCO) to ensure synergies with other Provincial Directorates with a view to coherent action to support the education sector;

Exchange information with the education section and the technical management

Interact with other partners in the province to share the best practices and common issues to improve intervention for UNICEF and DPEDH.

Technical support

Programme management

Provides technical support for the preparation of the provincial and target district level plans, in prioritizing activities or to make strategic choices that will impact quality and learning, based on data analysis and relevant challenges in the context of access, retention and learning;

Support Provincial Directorate and district authorities to enhance their financial management capacity through follow-up on UNICEF financial management system in a timely manner;

Supports and facilitates interventions for UNICEF supporting activities in the province and district levels;

Gender

Support in the integration of Gender issues in different departments of DPEDH Nampula.

Support in the planning and monitoring of activities including the preparation of documents, facilitation of training and activities of circles of interest in selected districts and schools in the province.

Tags child marriage child protection data analysis decentralization educational institutions educational planning financial management gender based violence monitoring and evaluation portuguese programme management south africa teacher training

Work in coordination with other sessions and partners, represent the UNICEF Education section in coordination activities at the level of Nampula province (meetings, conferences and other events

Monitoring

In coordination with the DPEDH and SDJET, undertake periodic visits to monitor UNICEF financed activities (regular and emergency) in line with education section M&E-plan;

Report and suggest improvements or changes in the education section based on any findings from monitoring (regular and emergency)

Track education indicators for target districts in Nampula Province to identify areas requiring attention.

Documentation, Analysis and Review

Document and support the entire planning process at the decentralized level from the education sector perspective, including the MINEDHs capacity building plans for decentralized planning and materials used for training;

Support data analysis to monitor UNICEF-specific indicators to measure intervention results;

Analyze the PdA of UNICEF-targeted districts to determine the extent to which these plans are responding to the national criteria and guidelines established by the sector;

Undertake review and analysis of provincial plans (PdA), especially on prioritization, budget and resource allocation;

Monitor and document activities implemented under all outputs of the UNICEF Education Programme (regular and emergency).

Provide input for any UNICEF internal documents (Annual workplan, annual report, M&E-plan etc) and relevant donor reports (regular and emergency).

Key expected results/deliverables

Planned activities implemented according the agreed provincial and district plans and results monitored (regular and emergency)

Capacity of DPEDH-Nampula to plan, implement and monitor education, gender and EiE activities in Nampula province strengthened.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...

Education

Degree in Education, Social Science or others related to gender and child protection.

Work Experience

At least five years of experience in planning and management of educational projects.

Experience in the organization and evaluation of training and institutional strengthening.

Knowledge and work experience in the following thematic areas: gender-based violence, violence against children, child marriage, etc.

Knowledge of the context of Mozambique, in particular of the situation of gender disparities in the education sector. Work experience in Nampula province and with DPEDH or SDEJTs will be an advantage

Evidence of familiarity with the educational challenges in general developing countries and particularly in Mozambique;

Previous engagement in support for educational planning, implementation and evaluation in Mozambique;

Experience with the implementation of decentralization policies will be an added advantage.

Language

Fluent in Portuguese and reading and interpreting skills in English. Knowledge of local languages aa(e.g. Emakhuwa) of Nampula province will be an advantage.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEFs values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEFs values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

This position only applies to Mozambican nationals.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

There will be no relocation package offered for this post. The successful candidate will be responsible for his/her own relocation and settlement in the city where the post is based.

There is a salary calculator tool for local staff through this link. Please run simulations for an estimate of monthly and annual salary based on the posts level and location. When running the simulation, please select Mozambique (NEW) as the Duty Station.

Advertised: Jun 11 2021 South Africa Standard Time Application close: Jun 25 2021 South Africa Standard Time

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1623618029380
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Film and TV actor Ned Beatty, who was Oscar nominated for his supporting role in Network and appeared in a number of the most significant American films of the 1970s, has died. He was 83.

Beattys management confirmed his death to Variety, adding that he died from natural causes on Sunday morning surrounded by his loved ones at his home in Los Angeles.

Beatty appeared in four films that were nominated for the Oscar best picture award in the 1970s: Deliverance (1972), Nashville (1975), All the Presidents Men (1976) and Network (1976). In addition, he voiced a character, Lotso, in 2010s Toy Story 3, which was also nominated.

The actor was equally at home in the drama of All the Presidents Men, in which he played a reporter who uncovers part of the conspiracy, and the buffoonery of his role in 1977s Superman, in which he played Lex Luthors sidekick Otis.

Beatty was lucky enough to come to the attention of both the public and the critics with his first film role, as the genial vacationing hunter Bobby who is the victim of a sadistic sexual assault in John Boormans landmark 1972 drama Deliverance.

Beatty gave many excellent supporting performances as unsympathetic characters. In Robert Altmans Nashville, for example, Beatty portrayed a politically connected lawyer who is impatient with his deaf children, making no effort to communicate with them.

In Network, Beatty had a small but memorable role as the head of the conglomerate that owns the network, described by the New York Times as a folksy messiah, beautifully played by Ned Beatty, [who] is the mouthpiece for some of [Paddy] Chayefskys bluntest thoughts about the current state of the wealth of nations. He utters the famous line Its because youre on television, dummy.

By the mid-1970s, Beatty was also a steady presence in TV through guest shots in Gunsmoke, The Rockford Files, Hawaii 5-0, Hunter, Delvecchio, and in TV movies such as 1980s Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones in which Beatty played Rep. Leo Ryan, the San Francisco congressional rep who was gunned down in 1978.

One highlight of Beattys film work in the 1980s was the New Orleans-set Dennis Quaid vehicle The Big Easy, in which Beatty played, in the words of Roger Ebert, the police chief who sincerely wants to do the right thing and sincerely cannot in what amounted to his finest performance in years.

Another 80s highlight was Hear My Song, in which Beatty played the central character, an Irish tenor on the lam from the tax man and actually absent for most of the movie. Rolling Stones Peter Travers declared that his finely shaded, deeply romantic performance as Locke is a unique and unexpected pleasure.

The actor also turned in a great deal of excellent work on television, drawing an Emmy nomination in 1979 for the topical telepic Friendly Fire, in which Beatty and Carol Burnett starred as a couple who, while mourning the death of their son, uncover the ugly realities of the war in Vietnam. He was also nominated in 1989 for his work in the family film Last Train Home.

Most memorable of his TV efforts, however, was his performance as the acerbic Detective Stanley Bolander on the excellent ensemble police drama Homicide: Life on the Street in the early 1990s.

Earlier, in 1975, he turned in a powerful guest performance on MASH as Col. Hollister, the puritanical Army chief of chaplains who arrives at the 4077th to evaluate Father Mulcahy.

Beatty made two attempts at starring in a series of his own, with the brief 1977 sitcom Szysznyk and 1993s even briefer The Boys, in which he played the father of Christopher Melonis character. He recurred on Roseanne in the early 90s as the huckster father of John Goodmans character. He was also a regular panelist on The New Hollywood Squares from 1987 to 1988.

More recently, Beatty played a senile judge who had become the puppet of his law clerk in a 2006 episode of Law and Order, and on a 2007 episode of CSI he played a memorably serene but creepy dentist who is unmasked as a serial killer.

Ned Thomas Beatty was born in Louisville, Ky. At age 10, he began singing with professional gospel quartets. He spent the early years of his acting career at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, Va., followed by the Erie (Penn.) Playhouse, Houstons Playhouse Theater and Washington, D.C.s Arena Stage Company. He appeared on Broadway in the original 1968 production of The Great White Hope that starred James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander, and returned to the Main Stem in 2003 to star as Big Daddy in a revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that also starred Ashley Judd and Jason Patric.

Of Beattys performance as Big Daddy, the New York Times declared, From the moment Mr. Beatty first shows up in the plays second act, he brings with him the invigorating breeze of passionate, scrupulously detailed acting. As long as he is allowed to dominate the stage, Anthony Pages production exhales the galvanizing honesty that is the elusive holy grail for Big Daddy.

At the Music Center in Los Angeles he starred in a revival of the musical Showboat in 1996.

Though he did not sing for himself in the film Hear My Song, he released an album of Christian music, In the Beginning Was the Word, in 2006.

Beatty was married four times, the first time to Walta Abbott, the second to actress Belinda Beatty, and the third to Dorothy Tinker Lindsey.

He is survived by fourth wife Sandra Johnson; four children from his marriage to Abbott; two children from his marriage to Beatty; and two children from his marriage to Lindsey.

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OTTAWA - Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin is asking for a judicial review of the decision to remove him as head of Canada's vaccine logistics, alleging political interference by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two of his cabinet ministers.

General Dany Fortin looks on as Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam provides an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. Fortin, who was removed from his post as the head of vaccine logistics last month, is alleging his dismissal involved political interference by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two of his cabinet ministers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin is asking for a judicial review of the decision to remove him as head of Canada's vaccine logistics, alleging political interference by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two of his cabinet ministers.

Lawyers for Fortin filed an application Monday with the Federal Court, seeking an expedited judicial review of last month's decision to fire him from his posting with the Public Health Agency of Canada and to not reassign him.

It asks that the decision be quashed and that he be reinstated to his secondment at PHAC or assigned to another position "commensurate with his rank."

Fortin was removed from the vaccine rollout on May 14, just five days before the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service referred a sexual misconduct investigation to the Quebec prosecution service to determine whether criminal charges should be laid.

Through his lawyers, Fortin has denied any wrongdoing.

The court application says the decision to remove Fortin and not reassign him was unreasonable, lacked procedural fairness and involved "improper political interference in the military chain of command" by Trudeau, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Health Minister Patty Hajdu.

None of the allegations has been tested in court.

The application also says the announcement of his termination breached his right to keep his personal information private and fuelled public speculation without the appropriate context, causing irreparable harm to his reputation.

The Prime Minister's Office referred a request for comment Monday to the Department of National Defence.

A spokesperson for Sajjan said only: As this is an ongoing legal matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.

Fortin's accusation of political interference comes as the Trudeau government continues to be lambasted by opposition parties for failing to fire former chief of the defence staff Jonathan Vance when Sajjan first learned in March 2018 of an allegation of sexual misconduct against him.

In that case, Sajjan has said he referred the matter to the Privy Council Office for investigation and that it would have been inappropriate political interference for him to have done anything else. PCO officials have said they were unable to investigate the matter at the time as the complainant did not want to come forward.

Vance, who stepped down as defence chief in January, has since come under military police investigation for two separate allegations of misconduct. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The Liberal government was under fire over Vance and its handling generally of misconduct in the military when it learned of the allegation against Fortin.

According to Monday's application for judicial review, Fortin first heard about an unspecified allegation of sexual misconduct against him on March 17, when acting chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre informed him that military police had launched an investigation.

Later the same day, after informing the Privy Council Office about the investigation, Eyre told Fortin he would "advocate for due process, the presumption of innocence" and for allowing Fortin to continue working on the vaccine rollout.

PHAC president Iain Stewart said much the same, according to the application. But while Fortin's posting was "OK for now," Stewart also warned him that Hajdu and Trudeau "may change their minds later" and that he should prepare himself "for the moment when they determine that you need to be let go."

"Keep your bags packed," the application cites Stewart as telling Fortin.

On April 19, Fortin received a call from a military police investigator who told him he was being investigated for one instance of sexual misconduct, alleged to have occurred more than 30 years ago.

On May 13, Eyre told Fortin that Hajdu and Sajjan "wanted to remove him" from the vaccine rollout. He did not say what had prompted the decision other than to tell Fortin that "the 'political calculus' had changed and that the PCO had said he would have to be removed."

The following day, Eyre presented Fortin with a written statement regarding his departure "pending the results of a military investigation." The statement was "not negotiable" other than giving Fortin the option of saying he had chosen to leave his assignment with PHAC.

The statement was released later that day but Sajjan also released a separate statement which he prefaced by reiterating the government's commitment to building a "culture of inclusion" in the Canadian Armed Forces that "sheds toxic and outdated values, practices and policies."

That, Fortin's lawyers argue, made it clear to the public that Fortin "was under investigation for improper conduct and it could easily be surmised that ... (it) was sexual in nature."

They contend that the decision to fire Fortin appears to have been made by Hajdu, Sajjan, Trudeau and the clerk of the Privy Council. As such, they "circumvented and interfered" with Eyre's powers and effectively prevented him from reassigning Fortin to another position.

"As a result Maj.-Gen. Fortin has, de facto, been relieved from performance of his military duty."

Five days after Fortin departed, the military police issued a statement saying an allegation of sexual misconduct was being referred to Quebec's director of criminal prosecutions. Fortin only learned about that development through the media, his lawyers say.

Fortin "was not afforded fair and impartial decision-making," his lawyers argue.

"The decision was politically motivated and the outcome was pre-determined ... The decision was arbitrary, not in the public interest and made solely for the personal and political gain of the ministers of health and national defence and the prime minister."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israels parliament on Sunday narrowly approved a new coalition government, ending the historic 12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sending the polarizing leader into the opposition.

An Israeli protester wears pink during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his official residence in Jerusalem, Saturday, June 12, 2021. If all goes according to plan, Israel will swear in a new government on Sunday, ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12-year rule and a political crisis that inflicted four elections on the country in less than two years. Hebrew reads: "You failed"," Israel free" and "Leave". (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israels parliament on Sunday narrowly approved a new coalition government, ending the historic 12-year rule of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sending the polarizing leader into the opposition.

Naftali Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu turned rival, became prime minister after the 60-59 vote. Promising to try to heal a divided nation, Bennett will preside over a diverse and fragile coalition comprised of eight parties with deep ideological differences.

But the 71-year-old Netanyahu made clear he has no intention of exiting the political stage. If it is destined for us to be in the opposition, we will do it with our backs straight until we topple this dangerous government and return to lead the country, he said.

Israeli protesters dance and cheer during a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside his official residence in Jerusalem, Saturday, June 12, 2021. If all goes according to plan, Israel will swear in a new government on Sunday, ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12-year rule and a political crisis that inflicted four elections on the country in less than two years. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

The vote, capping a stormy parliamentary session, ended a two-year cycle of political paralysis in which the country held four deadlocked elections. Those votes focused largely on Netanyahus divisive rule and his fitness to remain in office while on trial for corruption charges.

To his supporters, Netanyahu is a global statesman uniquely capable of leading the country through its many security challenges.

But to his critics, he has become a polarizing and autocratic leader who used divide-and-rule tactics to aggravate the many rifts in Israeli society. Those include tensions between Jews and Arabs, and within the Jewish majority between his religious and nationalist base and his more secular and dovish opponents.

Outside the Knesset, hundreds of protesters watching the vote on a large screen erupted into applause when the new government was approved. Thousands of people, many waving Israeli flags, celebrated in central Tel Aviv's Rabin Square.

Israel's designated new prime minister, Naftali Bennett speaks during a Knesset session in Jerusalem Sunday, June 13, 2021. Bennett is expected later Sunday to be sworn in as the country's new prime minister, ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year rule. (AP Photo/Ariel Schali22

President Joe Biden quickly congratulated the new government.

I look forward to working with Prime Minister Bennett to strengthen all aspects of the close and enduring relationship between our two nations, he said in a statement. He said his administration is fully committed to working with the new government "to advance security, stability, and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and people throughout the broader region.

Bennett's office said he later spoke by phone with Biden, thanking him for his warm wishes and longstanding commitment to Israel's security.

The leaders agreed to consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran, the White House said, adding that Biden said his administration intends to work closely with the Israeli government on advancing peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.

Israeli politician Gideon Saar of the New Hope party kisses his wife Geula Even-Saar during a Knesset session in Jerusalem Sunday, June 13, 2021. Naftali Bennett is expected later Sunday to be sworn in as the country's new prime minister, ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year rule. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Much of the Israeli opposition to Netanyahu was personal. Three of the eight parties in the new government, including Bennetts Yamina, are headed by former Netanyahu allies who share his hard-line ideology but had deep personal disputes with him.

Bennett, 49, is a former chief of staff to Netanyahu whose small party is popular with religious Jews and West Bank settlers. As he addressed the raucous debate, he was repeatedly heckled and shouted down by Netanyahus supporters. Some were removed from the chamber.

Bennett, an observant Jew, noted the Jewish people twice lost their homeland in biblical times due to bitter infighting.

This time, at the decisive moment, we have taken responsibility, he said. To continue on in this way -- more elections, more hatred, more vitriolic posts on Facebook -- is just not an option. Therefore we stopped the train, a moment before it barreled into the abyss.

Israel's outgoing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Knesset session in Jerusalem Sunday, June 13, 2021. Bennett is expected later Sunday to be sworn in as the country's new prime minister, ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year rule. (AP Photo/Ariel Schali22

The new Cabinet met briefly, and Bennett recited a prayer for new beginnings and said it was time to mend rifts. Citizens of Israel are all looking to us now, and the burden of proof is upon us, Bennett said.

The millionaire former high-tech entrepreneur faces a tough test maintaining an unwieldy coalition from the political right, left and center.

The coalition, including a small Islamist faction that is making history as the first Arab party to sit in a coalition, agree on little beyond their opposition to Netanyahu. They are likely to pursue a modest agenda that seeks to reduce tensions with the Palestinians and maintain good relations with the U.S. without launching any major initiatives.

We will forge forward on that which we agree -- and there is much we agree on, transport, education and so on, and what separates us we will leave to the side, Bennett said. He also promised a new page in relations with Israel's Arab sector.

Israelis celebrate the swearing in of the new government in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 13, 2021. Israel's parliament has voted in favor of a new coalition government, formally ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's historic 12-year rule. Naftali Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, became the new prime minister. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Israels Arab citizens make up about 20% of the population but have suffered from discrimination, poverty and lack of opportunities. Netanyahu has often tried portray Arab politicians as terrorist sympathizers, though he also courted the same Arab party in a failed effort to remain in power after March 23 elections.

Bennett, who like Netanyahu opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, made little mention of the Palestinians beyond threatening a tough response to violence. He also vowed, like Netanyahu, to oppose U.S.-led efforts to restore the international nuclear accord with Iran.

Israel will not allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons, he said. Israel is not party to the agreement and will maintain full freedom to act.

But he also thanked Biden for his support of Israel. He promised to take a different approach than Netanyahu, who has alienated much of the Democratic Party through his antagonistic relationship with then-President Barack Obama and close ties with former President Donald Trump.

Israelis celebrate the swearing in of the new government in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, June 13, 2021. Israel's parliament has voted in favor of a new coalition government, formally ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's historic 12-year rule. Naftali Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu became the new prime minister. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

My government will make an effort to deepen and nurture relations with our friends in both parties -- bipartisan, Bennett said. If there are disputes, we will manage them with fundamental trust and mutual respect.

While Bennetts speech was conciliatory, Netanyahus was confrontational. He boasted of his achievements, including diplomatic treaties with four Arab states and a successful coronavirus vaccination drive, before belittling the man who is replacing him.

He accused Bennett of abandoning Israels right-wing electorate and joining weak leftists to become prime minister. He said Bennett did not have the backbone to stand up to Iran or pressure from the U.S. to make concessions to the Palestinians.

I will lead you in the daily struggle against this evil and dangerous leftist government in order to topple it, he said. God willing, it will happen a lot faster than what you think.

Israelis celebrate the swearing in of the new government in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 13, 2021. Israel's parliament has voted in favor of a new coalition government, formally ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's historic 12-year rule. Naftali Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, became the new prime minister. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

In the opposition, Netanyahu remains head of the largest party in parliament. The new coalition is a patchwork of small and midsize parties that could collapse if any of its members decide to bolt. Bennett's party, for instance, holds just six seats in the 120-seat parliament.

Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, said the new government will likely be more stable than it appears.

Each party in the coalition will want to prove that it can deliver. For that, they need time and achievements, he said. Still, Netanyahu will continue to cast a shadow, Plesner said.

The driving force behind the coalition is Yair Lapid, a political centrist who will become prime minister in two years in a rotation agreement with Bennett, if the government lasts.

Lapid called off a planned speech, saying he was ashamed his 86-year-old mother had to witness the raucous behavior of his opponents.

I wanted her to be proud of the democratic process in Israel. Instead she, along with every citizen of Israel, is ashamed of you and remembers clearly why its time to replace you, he said.

Netanyahus place in Israeli history is secure, having served as prime minister for a total of 15 years  more than any other, including the countrys founding father, David Ben-Gurion.

But his reputation as a political magician has faded -- particularly since he was indicted in 2019 for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.

He refused calls to step down, instead lashing out at the media, judiciary and law enforcement, going so far as to accuse his political opponents of orchestrating an attempted coup. Last year, protesters began holding weekly rallies across the country calling on him to resign.

Netanyahu remains popular among the hard-line nationalists who dominate Israeli politics, but he could soon face a leadership challenge from within his own party. A less polarizing Likud leader would stand a good chance of assembling the right-wing coalition that Netanyahu had hoped to form.
HOUSTON (AP)  Jennifer Bridges, a registered nurse in Houston, is steadfast in her belief that it's wrong for her employer to force hospital workers like her to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or say goodbye to their jobs. But that's a losing legal argument so far.

FILE - In this June 7, 2021, file photo, demonstrators at Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital in Baytown, Texas, wave at cars that honk at them to support their protest against a policy that says hospital employees must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or lose their jobs. A federal judge dismissed their lawsuit, saying if workers dont like the rule, they can go find another job. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP)

HOUSTON (AP)  Jennifer Bridges, a registered nurse in Houston, is steadfast in her belief that it's wrong for her employer to force hospital workers like her to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or say goodbye to their jobs. But that's a losing legal argument so far.

In a stinging defeat, a federal judge bluntly ruled over the weekend that if employees of the Houston Methodist hospital system don't like it, they can go work elsewhere.

Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus. It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safer. Bridges can freely choose to accept or refuse a COVID-19 vaccine; however, if she refuses, she will simply need to work somewhere else," U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes wrote in dismissing a lawsuit filed by 117 Houston Methodist workers, including Bridges, over the vaccine requirement.

The ruling Saturday in the closely watched legal case over how far health care institutions can go to protect patients and others against the coronavirus is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. But it won't be the end of the debate.

Bridges said she and the others will take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court if they have to: This is only the beginning. We are going to be fighting for quite a while."

And other hospital systems around the country, including in Washington, D.C., Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania and most recently New York, have followed Houston Methodist and have also gotten pushback.

Legal experts say such vaccine requirements, particularly in a public health crisis, will probably continue be upheld in court as long as employers provide reasonable exemptions, including for medical conditions or religious objections.

The Houston Methodist employees likened their situation to medical experiments performed on unwilling victims in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The judge called that comparison reprehensible and said claims made in the lawsuit that the vaccines are experimental and dangerous are false.

These folks are not being imprisoned. Theyre not being strapped down. Theyre just being asked to receive the vaccination to protect the most vulnerable in hospitals and other health care institutional settings, said Valerie Gutmann Koch, an assistant law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

FILE - In this June 7, 2021, file photo, people gather to say a prayer in Baytown, Texas, while protesting against a Houston Methodist Hospital policy that says employees must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or lose their jobs. A federal judge dismissed their lawsuit, saying if they dont like the rule, they can go find another job. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Bridges is one of 178 Houston Methodist workers who were suspended without pay on June 8 and will be fired if they dont agree by June 22 to get vaccinated.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, and the NewYork-Presbyterian hospital system have likewise indicated employees who arent fully vaccinated would lose their jobs.

Houston Methodists decision in April made it the first major U.S. health care system to require COVID-19 vaccinations for workers. Many hospitals around the country, including Houston Methodist, already require other types of vaccines, including for the flu.

Houston Methodists president and CEO, Marc Boom, has said nearly 25,000 of the system's more than 26,000 workers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

You did the right thing. You protected our patients, your colleagues, your families and our community. The science proves that the vaccines are not only safe but necessary if we are going to turn the corner against COVID-19, Boom said in a statement to employees.

But Bridges, 39, and Kara Shepherd, 38, another nurse who is part of the lawsuit, say they dont have confidence in the vaccines safety. They say that they have seen patients and co-workers have severe reactions and that there is insufficient knowledge about its long-term effects.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that while a small number of health problems have been reported, COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective.

Both Bridges, who has worked 6 1/2 years at the medical-surgical in-patient unit at Houston Methodists hospital in the suburb of Baytown, and Shepherd, who has worked 7 1/2 years in the labor and delivery unit at a Methodist hospital in Houston, say they are not anti-vaccine, are not conspiracy theorists and are not making a political statement.

To me, what this ultimately boils down to is freedom, Shepherd said.

Their attorney, Jared Woodfill, said the hospital system is not allowing its workers to make their own health care decisions.

Indiana University Health, Indiana's biggest hospital system, is requiring all its employees be fully vaccinated by Sept. 1. So far, just over 60% of its 34,000 employees have been vaccinated, spokesman Jeff Swiatek said.

Some employees in Indianapolis on Saturday protested the requirement.

Kasey Ladig, an intensive care nurse and outpatient coordinator in the bone marrow transplant unit at IU Health, said she quit the job she loved the day the policy was announced.

I would love to hear something other than, We trust the science, Ladig said. It was a huge red flag. I didnt feel comfortable getting it.

Hospital employees and others have argued that such requirements are illegal because the COVID-19 vaccines are being dispensed under emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration and have not received final FDA approval. But Koch said emergency use does not mean people are being experimented on, and she added that FDA approval is expected.

Allison K. Hoffman, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said claims made by Houston Methodist employees that they are being used as human guinea pigs or that vaccine policy violates the Nuremberg Code, a set of rules for medical experimentation that were developed in the wake of Nazi atrocities, are bordering on absurd."

To avoid such fights, many employers are offering incentives for vaccinations.

Instead of requiring vaccines, the small health care system in Jackson, Wyoming, offered $600 bonuses to employees who got vaccinated before the end of May. That boosted vaccinations from 73% to 82% of the 840 employees at St. Johns Health, said spokeswoman Karen Connelly.

Bridges and Shepherd said that while the expected loss of their jobs has meant some financial worries, they have no regrets.

Were all proud of our decision because we stood our ground and we didnt do something against our will just for a paycheck, Bridges said.

Melley reported from Los Angeles.

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its COVID-19 shot was highly effective against the disease and also protected against variants in a large study in the U.S. and Mexico, potentially offering the world yet another weapon against the virus at a time when developing countries are desperate for doses.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, file photo, a vial of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine is seen ready for use in the trial at St. George's University hospital in London. Novavax says its vaccine appears effective against COVID-19 in a large study, including against variants. Results from the study in the U.S. and Mexico were released on Monday, June 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

Vaccine maker Novavax said Monday its COVID-19 shot was highly effective against the disease and also protected against variants in a large study in the U.S. and Mexico, potentially offering the world yet another weapon against the virus at a time when developing countries are desperate for doses.

The two-shot vaccine was about 90% effective overall, and preliminary data showed it was safe, the American company said. That would put the vaccine about on par with Pfizer's and Moderna's.

While demand for COVID-19 shots in the U.S. has dropped off dramatically and the country has more than enough doses to go around, the need for more vaccines around the world remains critical. The Novavax vaccine, which is easy to store and transport, is expected to play an important role in boosting supplies in poor parts of the world.

That help is still months away, however. The company, which has been plagued by raw-material shortages that have hampered production, said it plans to seek authorization for the shots in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by the end of September and will be able to produce up to 100 million doses a month by then.

Many of our first doses will go to  low- and middle-income countries, and that was the goal to begin with, Novavax CEO Stanley Erck said.

While more than half of the U.S. population has had at least one vaccine dose, less than 1% of people in the developing world have had one shot, according to a data collection effort run in part by the University of Oxford.

The Novavax shot stands to become the fifth Western-developed COVID-19 vaccine to win clearance. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are already authorized for use in the U.S. and Europe. Europe also uses AstraZeneca's formula.

Novavax's study involved nearly 30,000 people ages 18 and up. Two-thirds received two doses of the vaccine, three weeks apart, and the rest got dummy shots. Nearly half the volunteers were Black, Hispanic, Asian American or Native American, and 6% of participants were in Mexico. Altogether, 37% had health problems that made them high risk, and 13% were 65 or older.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, file photo, a Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine trial volunteer is given an injection at St George's University hospital in London. Novavax says its vaccine appears effective against COVID-19 in a large study, including against variants. Results from the study in the U.S. and Mexico were released on Monday, June 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

There were 77 cases of COVID-19  14 in the group that got the vaccine, the rest in volunteers who received the dummy shots. None in the vaccine group had moderate or severe disease, compared with 14 in the placebo group. One person in that group died.

The vaccine was similarly effective against several variants, including the one first detected in Britain that is now dominant in the U.S., and in high-risk populations, including the elderly, people with other health problems and front-line workers in hospitals and meatpacking plants.

These consistent results provide much confidence in the use of this vaccine for the global population, said Dr. Paul Heath, director of the Vaccine Institute at the University of London and St. Georges Hospital.

Side effects were mostly mild  tenderness and pain at the injection site. There were no reports of unusual blood clots or heart problems, Erck said.

A study underway in Britain is testing which of several vaccines, including Novavaxs, works best as a booster shot for people who received the Pfizer or AstraZeneca formula. Industry analyst Kelechi Chikere said the Novavax shot could become a universal booster because of its high effectiveness and mild side effects.

Novavax reported the results in a news release and plans to publish them in a medical journal, where they will be vetted by independent experts. The Gaithersburg, Maryland-based company previously released findings from smaller studies in Britain and South Africa.

COVID-19 vaccines train the body to recognize the coronavirus, especially the spike protein that coats it, and get ready to fight the virus off. The Novavax vaccine is made with lab-grown copies of that protein. That's different from some of the other vaccines now widely used, which include genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

The Novavax vaccine can be stored in standard refrigerators, making it easier to distribute.

As for the shortages that delayed manufacturing, Erck said those were due to restrictions on shipments from other countries.

"That's opening up," he said, adding that Novavax now has weeks' worth of needed materials in its factories, up from just one week.

The company has committed to supplying 110 million doses to the U.S. over the next year and a total of 1.1 billion doses to developing countries.

In May, vaccines alliance Gavi, a leader of the U.N.-backed COVAX project to supply shots to poorer countries, announced it signed an agreement to buy 350 million doses of Novavaxs formula. COVAX is facing a critical shortage of vaccines after its biggest supplier in India suspended exports until the end of the year.

Novavax has been working on developing vaccines for more than three decades but hasn't brought one to market. Its coronavirus vaccine work is partly funded by the U.S. government.

Dr. Peter English, a vaccine expert previously with the British Medical Association, called the Novavax results excellent news. English said that because vaccine production is complicated, its crucial to have as many shots as possible.

Any minor imperfection in the production plant can shut down the production for days or weeks, he said in a statement. The more different manufacturers we have producing vaccine, the more likely it is we will have availability of vaccines.

He said it was also encouraging news that Novavax would be able to adapt its vaccine to any potentially worrying variants in the future if necessary.

Follow Linda A. Johnson on Twitter: LindaJ_onPharma

AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng contributed to this report.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
TOKYO (AP)  Two Americans suspected of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was out on bail go on trial Monday in Tokyo.

TOKYO (AP)  Two Americans suspected of helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while he was out on bail go on trial Monday in Tokyo.

Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret, and his son Peter Taylor are suspected in the Houdini-like operation where Ghosn hid in a box for music equipment that was loaded onto a private jet that flew him to Lebanon, via Turkey in December 2019.

Unlike the U.S., Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship.

The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts in May last year and extradited in March on charges of helping a criminal. The authorities say Ghosn hired the Taylors for at least $1.3 million.

Ghosn led Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. for two decades before his arrest in November 2018. He was charged with falsifying securities reports in under-reporting his compensation and of breach of trust in using Nissan money for personal gain. Ghosn says he is innocent.

At Mondays court session, the Tokyo District Prosecutors will outline the allegations against the Taylors before Presiding Judge Hideo Nirei and two other judges.

The Taylors will also likely make statements. They have been held in a Tokyo detention center since arriving in Japan and were not available for comment.

Peter Taylor said in a statement to a Massachusetts court in January that he met Ghosn in 2019 in Japan to pitch his digital marketing company to repair Ghosns tarnished reputation. He said Ghosn asked him to bring him gifts, food and DVDs from his wife, as well as to deliver gifts, including to family members in Lebanon.

Peter Taylor also said he left Japan for Shanghai on Dec. 29, 2019, and was not in Japan at the time of the alleged escape. He denied he was in touch with his father at that time, according to a document from the Massachusetts District Court.

A third person, George-Antoine Zayek, also is suspected of helping Ghosn escape Japan. Zayek has not been arrested.

Ghosn has said he fled Japan while out on bail because he did not expect to get a fair trial. More than 99% of criminal cases in Japan result in convictions.

No Japanese executives have been charged in the scandal at Nissan, Yokohama-based manufacturer of the Leaf electric car, March subcompact and Infiniti luxury models.

If convicted, the Taylors face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($2,900). Extraditions between Japan and the U.S. are relatively rare, even for serious crimes. The possible penalty of three years in prison is the minimum required for an extradition.

Separately, the trial of another American, Greg Kelly, a former executive vice president at Nissan, is also underway at the Tokyo District Court. It began in September. Kelly says he is innocent of the charge of under-reporting Ghosns compensation and was only involved in finding legal ways to pay Ghosn more to prevent him from leaving the company for a rival automaker.

Before his arrest, Ghosn was an auto industry star for having orchestrated Nissan's rebound from the brink of bankruptcy after he was sent to Japan by its French alliance partner Renault in 1999.

Ghosn slashed his pay by about 1 billion yen ($10 million) to half of what hed been getting, starting in 2010, when disclosure of high executive pay became required in Japan. The concern was that his relatively high compensation might be viewed unfavorably since Japanese top executives tend to draw lower pay packages than their peers in other countries.

At the heart of Kelly's trial is the question of whether the so-called shortfall in Ghosn's pay violated the law in deferring compensation that should have been reported. Several high-ranking officials, including non-Japanese executives, knew about the shortfall.

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
HALIFAX - The value of crude oil exports from Canada has increased over 15-fold in the last 30 years, according to a report from Statistics Canada and the Canada Energy Regulator.

Pumpjacks are shown pumping crude oil near Halkirk, Alta., on June 20, 2007. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal

HALIFAX - The value of crude oil exports from Canada has increased over 15-fold in the last 30 years, according to a report from Statistics Canada and the Canada Energy Regulator.

The increase means exports of the resource accounted for more than 14 per cent of Canadas total exports in 2019 with a value of $84.3 billion.

In 1990, crude oil made up only 3.6 per cent of the country's total exported products.

The report says crude oil production has also grown considerably over the last three decades, led first by conventional oil and then by the oilsands in the last 15 years, with Alberta becoming the largest contributor to Canadian production in 2009.

Some of that growth is attributed to high oil prices in the late 2000s and early 2010s, according to the report. From 2010 to 2015, heavy oil exports rose by an average rate of 12.5 per cent annually due to increased production from the oilsands.

"The world thought it was running out of oil so capital was poured into the oilsands which were seen as one of the few last places in the world that was free and open to foreign investment to drive oil and gas production higher to meet anticipated growing demand," said Kevin Birn, a chief analyst for IHS Markit.

Birn said in an interview Monday that the rush to capture profits in the oilsands is what led to the acceleration of Alberta's oil and gas industry.

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a "substantial impact" on production and exports, causing values to drop to their lowest point since 2002 in April 2020.

But the agencies say further analysis is needed to determine the full extent the pandemic has had on the crude oil sector.

Despite the challenges put forth by the pandemic, Birn said demand for the resource has been able to bound back from the dip early last year.

"It's still is a significant economic force in the country and a major driver of prosperity," Birn said.

In fact, the biggest hurdle for Canada's crude oil sector has been keeping up with production, he said.

"A lot of Canada's challenges over the last half decade or more was its ability, or its inability, to keep up with that pace of growth in terms of bringing online that required infrastructure to be able to make sure that product can get to market," he said.

A notable example of a shift in the sector comes with the cancellation of TC Energy Corporation's Keystone XL Pipeline Project last week.

An IHS Markit report from December found that delays in the expansion of the export pipeline capacity have contributed to lower prices in Western Canada, representing a loss of $17 billion for the crude oil industry over the last five years.

Other challenges come from changing demands, he added.

"When we look forward, we do see a deceleration of growth taking place," he said, as fewer transportation projects come online and investors turn some of their attention to decarbonization.

Birn said he was "cautiously optimistic" however, that current pipeline projects, including Enbridge Energy's Line 3 oil pipeline and the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion, will allow Western Canada to manage its takeaway capacity with their completion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.

Companies in this story: (NYSE:TRP, TSE:ENB)

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
OTTAWA - Business leaders are calling on Ottawa to immediately lay out a comprehensive plan to reopen the economy and international borders along with a vaccine certification process as they struggle to prepare for a summer season hanging in flux.

Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, speaks during a news conference held by the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, a coalition of airports, airlines, hotels, boards of trade and chambers of commerce, to urge the federal government to implement a reopening plan for travel and tourism, at the Ottawa Airport in Ottawa, on Monday, June 14, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA - Business leaders are calling on Ottawa to immediately lay out a comprehensive plan to reopen the economy and international borders along with a vaccine certification process as they struggle to prepare for a summer season hanging in flux.

At a news conference Monday, a Canadian travel and tourism roundtable said the federal government must heed advice from its expert advisory panel last month and allow fully vaccinated foreigners into the country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday he spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden at the G7 summit about easing border restrictions, but gave no hints that a timeline or other specifics have been settled on.

Perrin Beatty, chief executive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, called Canada a G7 "outlier" in failing to provide a fully fledged reopening plan that includes vaccination rates and other criteria.

"We are well behind other countries. The great irony here is that Canada is a world leader when it comes to first shots, first vaccinations. And yet we're a world laggard when it comes to having a plan for reopening," Beatty told reporters.

He cited a "systematic plan" to unlock borders in the European Union and projections for a major travel rebound within the United States after the Transportation Safety Authority reported record air passenger numbers over Memorial Day weekend late last month.

"At some point government has to decide whether being vaccinated is meaningful," Beatty said. "We need a plan. We need it now. And everybody needs to know what it is."

British Columbia Premier John Horgan said Trudeau has called premiers for a meeting Thursday to discuss reopening borders by land, air and sea.

The tourism and travel sectors have lost billions over the past 15 months amid ongoing travel advisories and border closures due to the pandemic.

The U.S.-Canada border closure, in place since March 20 and renewed monthly, is currently set to expire next Monday with no word yet on an extension, leaving the travel and tourism sectors uncertain how to prepare for the subsequent weeks.

Beth Potter, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, called for federal leadership on interprovincial travel as stakeholders stressed clarity and coherence.

In the absence of a nationwide plan we are seeing a patchwork of policies roll out initially that creates confusion for travellers," she said. Potter called the result of 13 different plans  one for each province and territory  "unnecessary and cumbersome."

"Tonight we're going to see the (Montreal) Canadiens play in Vegas in front of 30,000 fans," she said. "If there can be a plan for our NHL teams, why can't there be a plan for the rest of Canadians?"

The government took a cautious first step last week when it announced that Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have received two vaccine doses and who test negative for COVID-19 will likely be exempt from two weeks' self-isolation, including hotel quarantines, starting early next month.

Several key details remain unknown, including precise dates and whether children under 12 years old travelling with their parents will also be exempt, given their ineligibility for vaccination.

The government said last month it is working with G7 countries and the European Union to integrate vaccine certification into international travel in the months ahead.

Canada could lose up to three-quarters of its small and medium-sized tourism businesses in the absence of a summer season, Potter said.

About 64.5 per cent of all Canadians have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose, while about 12.5 per are fully vaccinated, according to one vaccine tracker.

More than 43 per cent of all Americans have received one dose, while roughly 52 per cent are fully vaccinated, government data shows.

The airline industry has been among the hardest hit, with Air Canada alone losing roughly $5.3 billion in 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. But sympathy for management may be in short supply after they received $10 million in bonuses following more than 20,000 employee layoffs and hundreds of millions in federal wage subsidies for the company  and shortly before an aid package worth up to $5.9 billion announced in April.

Air Canada said last week its handful of senior executives had opted to return their "pandemic mitigation bonus" totalling nearly $2 million after public backlash and chiding from Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. But the remaining $8 million spread among some 900 managers is staying put.

NDP finance critic Peter Julian brought forward a motion in the House of Commons on Monday calling on the government to require that Air Canada fully reimburse the $10 million and "cancel all approved bonuses for senior executives." Several Liberal MPs opposed the motion, which needed unanimous consent to pass.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.
FALMOUTH, England (AP)  The Group of Seven wealthy democracies have wrapped up their first face-to-face summit in two years at a seaside resort in southwest England. The leaders of the G-7  Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States  made commitments on a range of topics, from sharing coronavirus vaccines to tackling climate change and making corporate taxation fairer.

A small girl watches as climate activists demonstrate in costume on a beach outside the G7 meeting in St. Ives, Cornwall, England, Sunday, June 13, 2021. Leaders of the G7 wrap up three days of meetings in Carbis Bay Sunday, in which they discussed such topics as COVID-19, climate, foreign policy and the economy. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

FALMOUTH, England (AP)  The Group of Seven wealthy democracies have wrapped up their first face-to-face summit in two years at a seaside resort in southwest England. The leaders of the G-7  Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States  made commitments on a range of topics, from sharing coronavirus vaccines to tackling climate change and making corporate taxation fairer.

Their final agreement from the three-day meeting also included a section on challenging China over non-economic economic practices and calling on Beijing to respect human rights.

Here are details on the key topics they covered:

VACCINE SHARING

The presidents and prime ministers committed to sharing at least 1 billion vaccine shots with struggling countries over the next year, with deliveries starting in August. U.S. President Joe Biden pledged 500 million doses. Britain and Canada committed to 100 million shots each, and France said it would pitch in with 60 million doses.

However, the World Health Organization has said that 11 billion doses are needed to truly end the pandemic. Public health advocates also argue that promising vaccine doses isnt enough, and that money and logistical help are needed to get shots into the arms of people in poorer countries.

THE ENVIRONMENT

Leaders committed to ending new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation -- the use of coal without technology to reduce carbon emissions - by the end of the year, and backed a $2-billion coal transition fund.

They also pledged to conserve or protect at least 30% of their countries' land and marine areas by 2030 as part of global biodiversity targets. And they agreed to increase financing for projects to curb climate change until 2025 and reaffirmed their support for a target of producing net-zero carbon emissions no later than 2050.

Leading climate groups said the summit fell far short of delivering meaningful details. They urged rich countries to go beyond reiterating existing obligations and to put concrete new climate financing on the table.

CHINA

The G-7 leaders said they would work together to challenge Chinas non-market policies." They also agreed to call on Beijing to respect human rights in Xinjiang, the remote western region where Chinese authorities are accused of committing serious rights abuses against the Uyghur minority, and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

U.S. President Joe Biden had wanted to persuade fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front to compete economically with Beijing and to strongly call out Chinas nonmarket policies and human rights abuses.

The leaders committed to remove forced labor in global supply chains, including state-sponsored forced labor of vulnerable groups and minorities." This section of their meeting communique did not mention China by name, but the White House said the language was aimed at the main supply chains of concern in the Xinjiang region.

CORPORATION TAX

G-7 leaders endorsed a global minimum tax of at least 15% on multinational corporations, a measure meant to stop businesses from using tax havens to shift profits and to avoid taxes.

Their agreement backed a plan outlined earlier by G-7 finance ministers. The seven countries hope many more will sign on, but thats a fraught proposal in nations with economies based on using low corporate taxes to attract businesses.

GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Leaders agreed to an infrastructure proposal called Build Back Better for the World" that calls for spending hundreds of billions of dollars in collaboration with the private sector to finance greener infrastructure projects in poorer countries.

It is designed to compete with Chinas multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road" initiative, which funds a vast network of infrastructure covering large portions of the world, primarily Asia and Africa.

FUTURE PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS

Leaders said that in the event of a future pandemic, they will seek to ensure the availability of safe and effective vaccines, treatment and diagnostic tests within the first 100 days.

Patrick Vallance, the British government's chief scientific adviser, said a 100 Day Mission report gave leaders recommendations for speeding up responses to another pandemic but acknowledged that any such response must be global and include countries that don't belong to the G-7.

GIRLS' EDUCATION

The leaders said COVID-19 has exacerbated underlying inequalities and led to an education crisis, especially for girls. They backed a target of getting 40 million more girls in school by 2026 in poorer countries, and committed to a combined $2.75 billion in funding over the next five years for the Global Partnership for Education.
CHICAGO (AP)  An explosion at a northern Illinois chemical plant Monday morning sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground, prompting evacuations.

Flames and smoke are seen from an explosion at a chemical plant in Rockton, Ill., Monday, June 14, 2021. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP)

CHICAGO (AP)  An explosion at a northern Illinois chemical plant Monday morning sparked massive fires that sent flames and huge plumes of thick black smoke high into the air and debris raining onto the ground, prompting evacuations.

After 7 a.m., emergency crews rushed to the scene of the fire near Rockton, northwest of Chicago, at Chemtool Inc., a company that manufactures lubricants, grease products and other fluids, and is, according to the company, the largest manufacturer of grease in the Americas.

Rockton Fire Department Chief Kirk Wilson said about 70 employees were evacuated safely from the plant, and that one firefighter suffered a minor injury. Chemtool's parent company, Lubrizol Corp., later said there were closer to 50 employees present when the plant was evacuated.

The plumes became so big they were being picked up on weather radar. Wilson said there was no danger to air quality at ground level.

The Rockton Police Department posted an alert at 8:46 a.m. warning that fire officials had ordered a mandatory evacuation of homes and businesses near the plant. Later in the day, Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office expanded the evacuation zone from a 1- to a 2-mile radius from the plant out of an abundance of caution, and encouraged people within that zone to wear masks to prevent them from inhaling soot.

I am monitoring this situation closely and will make all resources available to the surrounding communities as we work to keep people safe, Pritzker said in a statement.

Wilson said firefighters had stopped using water to extinguish the blaze to prevent an environmental nightmare if the runoff were to enter the nearby Rock River.

Neal Nuber, of South Beloit, Ill., watches the smoke billowing from a chemical plant fire in Rockton, Ill., Monday, June 14, 2021. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune via AP)

It could be several days before the fluids that caught fire burn out, he said.

We cant speculate how long it will take to put out the fire, he said. We ask that the public be patient with us.

Crews from the 40 or so fire departments were fanning out to respond to spot fires, grass fires, and burning debris that the wind pushed into the community. Wilson said those fires were caused by burning pieces of cardboard boxes and chunks of wooden pallets, not chemicals falling from the sky.

Trisha Diduch, the planning and development administrator for Rockton, said she estimates about 1,000 people were affected by the evacuation order.

One of those residents was 29-year-old Alyssa King. She said after she walked outside to see black smoke and what appeared to be pieces of cardboard boxes and small chunks of the building falling from the sky, she called a police non-emergency line. You gotta go, she said she was told.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

John Kim of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the quality of the air near the burning plant is a primary concern for his agency. He said both the state and federal EPA will be monitoring the air quality to make sure it remains safe for nearby residents. Officials recommended people within a three-mile radius wear masks as a precaution.

Dr. Sandra Martell of the Winnebago County Health Department also warned residents not to handle waste from fire with bare hands, noting the possibility it could be contaminated by chemicals used at the plant.

We have confirmed all on site are safe and accounted for. Our concern right now is for the safety of all our employees and the surrounding community," Chemtool said in a statement, adding that it will share more details as they become known.

We do not yet know what caused this incident, but we will be working with local authorities and with our own risk management team to determine what happened and identify any corrective actions, it said.

King, who lives in an apartment less than a mile from the site, said she woke up to what sounded like slamming doors.

It woke me up. It was shaking the whole apartment building, said King, who had been at home with her 8-year-old daughter.

They went to her mothers house about 2 miles (3 kilometers) away. King then returned to the apartment to collect the familys rabbit, Oreo. As she drove near the plant, King saw smoldering embers along the roadway, and there was burned material all over the yard of the apartment building, she said. The air had a chemical smell, she added.

It was awful, she said. Im terrified I wont have a home to go back to.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staffers have arrived at the site and will conduct air monitoring and sampling, spokeswoman Rachel Bassler said Monday afternoon. They were coordinating with the Illinois EPA, which also was sending a team, according to spokeswoman Kim Biggs.

The governor's office said Pritzker had activated the State Emergency Operation Center to mobilize the emergency response, including the Illinois National Guard, State Fire Marshal, Illinois State Police, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and the state's health and transportation departments.

Rockton is located in Winnebago County, near the Wisconsin border, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Chicago.

Associated Press writer John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan, contributed.
OTTAWA - Canadian manufacturing sales fell 2.1 per cent to $57.1 billion in April as the auto industry was hurt by a continued shortage of semiconductor chips that prompted companies to halt or slow production.

A parking lot with employees vehicles at the Ford assembly plant in Oakville, Ont., on Thursday, March 19, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

OTTAWA - Canadian manufacturing sales fell 2.1 per cent to $57.1 billion in April as the auto industry was hurt by a continued shortage of semiconductor chips that prompted companies to halt or slow production.

Statistics Canada said Monday transportation equipment sales fell 23.6 per cent to $6.4 billion as motor vehicle sales fell 36.5 per cent to $2.3 billion in April, the largest month-over-month decrease since April 2020.

Sales in the motor vehicle parts industry fell 19.0 per cent to $1.9 billion.

A global shortage of computer chips, which are used in a wide range of critical components, has caused auto companies to slow production around the world.

TD Bank economist Omar Abdelrahman said that although some plants restarted production in June, much uncertainty remains for the auto industry.

"A full recovery in production may be drawn out over the next few quarters as the impacts of these global shortages and supply chain disruptions linger," he wrote in a report.

However, Abdelrahman said the outlook for manufacturing sales outside of the auto industry is not all that bad.

"The reopening of provincial economies and strength in Canada's largest export market (the U.S.) should provide a lift to demand," he wrote.

Manufacturing sales excluding the transportation equipment industry rose 1.5 per cent in April.

Machinery sales rose 14.6 per cent to a record $3.7 billion in April, while wood product sales also rose 6.5 per cent to a record $4.9 billion for the month.

Sales of petroleum and coal products fell 7.1 per cent to $5.1 billion in April because of maintenance shutdowns at some refineries.

Statistics Canada said sales in constant dollars fell 3.3 per cent in April, indicating a lower volume of goods sold.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed state regulators' key approvals of Enbridge Energys Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project, in a dispute that drew over 1,000 protesters to northern Minnesota last week.

Law enforcement agents form a line in front of a wall of protesters who sit just in front of a locked gate at an Enbridge pump station, Monday, June 7, 2021, in Hubbard County, Minn. Indigenous protesters and allies occupied the active site, some physically chaining themselves to equipment, forcing workers to leave, in protest of the construction of Enbridge Line 3. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed state regulators' key approvals of Enbridge Energys Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project, in a dispute that drew over 1,000 protesters to northern Minnesota last week.

A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that the states independent Public Utilities Commission correctly granted Enbridge the certificate of need and route permit that the Canadian-based company needed to begin construction on the 337-mile (542-kilometer) Minnesota segment of a larger project to replace a 1960s-era crude oil pipeline that has deteriorated and can run at only half capacity.

Pipeline opponents said they are considering an appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, but that their main focus is trying to persuade President Joe Biden to intervene and the continuing protests. The Biden administration hasn't taken a clear position on Line 3, but a legal challenge is pending in federal court on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of a wetlands permit that activists say should be withdrawn.

Tribal and climate change groups, plus the state Department of Commerce, had asked the appeals court to reject the approvals. They argued that Enbridges oil demand projections failed to meet the legal requirements. But the court said there was reasonable evidence to support the PUC's decision.

With an existing, deteriorating pipeline carrying crude oil through Minnesota, there was no option without environmental consequences, wrote Judge Lucinda Jesson, joined by Judge Michael Kirk. The challenge: to balance those harms. There was no option without impacts on the rights of Indigenous peoples. The challenge: to alleviate those harms to the extent possible. And there was no crystal ball to forecast demand for crude oil in this ever-changing environment."

Everlasting Wind, aka Dawn Goodwin, joins others by raising her fist in the Mississippi River near an Enbridge pipeline construction site, on Monday, June 7, 2021, in Clearwater County, Minn., to protest the construction of Enbridge Line 3. Goodwin is a co-founder of RISE Coalition. More than 2,000 Indigenous leaders and "water protectors" gathered in Clearwater County from around the country. The day started with a prayer circle and moved on to a march to the Mississippi headwaters where the oil pipeline is proposed to be built. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

But Judge Peter Reyes dissented, agreeing with opponents that the oil demand forecast was flawed. He said the project benefits Canadian oil producers but would have negative consequences for the hunting, fishing, and other rights of the Red Lake and White Earth tribes, and would provide no benefit to Minnesota.

Such a decision cannot stand. Enbridge needs Minnesota for its new pipeline," Reyes wrote. "But Enbridge has not shown that Minnesota needs the pipeline.

Tribal and environmental groups welcomed Reyes' dissent and vowed to keep fighting. They said their primary strategy going forward won't hinge on appeals, given they could take nine months to a year. Enbridge hopes to put the line into service in the fourth quarter.

Everlasting Wind, aka Dawn Goodwin, joins others by raising her fist in the Mississippi River near an Enbridge pipeline construction site, on Monday, June 7, 2021, in Clearwater County, Minn., to protest the construction of Enbridge Line 3. Goodwin is a co-founder of RISE Coalition. More than 2,000 Indigenous leaders and "water protectors" gathered in Clearwater County from around the country. The day started with a prayer circle and moved on to a march to the Mississippi headwaters where the oil pipeline is proposed to be built. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

There's a good chance we'll appeal because we should ... but I don't think a remedy's going to come out of it that's going to be meaningful for us, said Frank Bibeau, an attorney for the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and other pipeline opponents.

Enbridge said in a statement that the court's decision is confirmation that the commission thoroughly reviewed the project and gave the appropriate approvals.

Line 3 has passed every test through six years of regulatory and permitting review, including 70 public comment meetings, appellate review and reaffirmation of a 13,500-page (environmental impact statement), four separate reviews by administrative law judges, 320 route modifications in response to stakeholder input, and multiple reviews and approvals by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for the projects certificate of need and route permit."

Everlasting Wind, aka Dawn Goodwin, joins others by raising her fist in the Mississippi River near an Enbridge pipeline construction site, on Monday, June 7, 2021, in Clearwater County, Minn., to protest the construction of Enbridge Line 3. Goodwin is a co-founder of RISE Coalition. More than 2,000 Indigenous leaders and "water protectors" gathered in Clearwater County from around the country. The day started with a prayer circle and moved on to a march to the Mississippi headwaters where the oil pipeline is proposed to be built. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

At least 1,000 activists from across the country gathered at construction sites near the headwaters of the Mississippi River last week. They urged Biden to cancel the project, as he did the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office. Nearly 250 people were arrested, in addition to more than 250 arrests since construction began in December. A smaller group marched Thursday to the Minneapolis office of Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

The Line 3 replacement would carry Canadian tar sands oil and regular crude from Alberta to Enbridge's terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. The project is nearly done except for the Minnesota leg, which is about 60% complete.

Opponents of the more than $7 billion project say the heavy oil would accelerate climate change and risk spills in areas where Native Americans harvest wild rice, hunt, fish, gather medicinal plants and claim treaty rights.

Enbridge says the replacement Line 3 will be made of stronger steel and will better protect the environment while restoring its capacity to carry oil and ensure reliable deliveries to U.S. refineries.

Activists are vowing to keep up a summer of resistance against the project amid the escalating battle over energy projects and rising awareness that racial minorities suffer disproportionate harm from environmental damage. And they're drawing parallels with the fight over the Dakota Access pipeline, which was the subject of major protests near the Standing Rock Reservation in the Dakotas in 2016 and 2017.

Our resistance is clearly growing. We cannot stop and we will not stop, said Tara Houska, founder of the Giniw Collective, one of the Indigenous groups behind last week's protests.
LONDON (AP)  Love it or hate it, tequila conjures up strong feelings in many drinkers.

A variety of tequila brands are displayed in London on June 9, 2021. Love it or hate it, tequila conjures up strong feelings in many drinkers. For some, there are bad memories. But today's premium tequilas are changing some of those perceptions. (AP Photo/Louise Dixon)

LONDON (AP)  Love it or hate it, tequila conjures up strong feelings in many drinkers.

Forgive us for the old memories of bad quality tequila! jokes Antonio Rodriguez, director of production at Patron Tequila. We cannot hide that we come from a history when usually tequilas were not as premium as they are right now.

Deano Moncrieffe, founder of the London tequila and mezcal bar Hacha, laments, People always blame tequila for a bad hangover when really the fact is that they probably started the night drinking wine and then beer and then champagne and then at some point, maybe 2 or 3 in the morning, someone said, lets have tequila!

And Steffin Oghene, vice president of global marketing and sales for El Tequileno Tequila, agrees tequila used to be seen as the party, smash-it-down, get-wasted kind of spirit.

But, he says, Over the past 10 years, theres been a lot of effort put into educating people and making them understand that tequila isnt just the spirit to shoot. Its a really complex spirit" that takes time and expertise to produce.

These re-education efforts appear to be working. Tequila is one of the fastest-growing alcoholic drinks in the U.S., with consumption up by 40% over the past five years, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

Hamish Smith, editor of the bartending magazine Class and bars editor of Drinks International, says there's growing understanding of tequila's different qualities, with 100% agave" now the star performer, in the way single malt is for Scotch.

This awareness is set against the craft spirits movement, the appreciation of provenance, celebrity endorsement and a cocktail industry that has been showcasing quality tequila for years," Smith says. "Its not quite a perfect storm, but its carrying the category forward to year-on-year international growth.

Despite its old reputation, experts say tequila is not in fact a great choice for people looking to get drunk. While many spirits contain glucose, which causes a rapid increase in blood sugar followed by a crash, adding to a hangover, tequila contains fructose from the agave plant, which they say is broken down more slowly.

This photo provided by Jesus Maria shows Dwayne Johnson, co-founder of Teremana Tequila at the Teremana tequila distillery in Jalisco, Mexico. Johnson joins a list of celebrities including George Clooney, Nick Jonas and Kendall Jenner with their own tequila brands. (Jesus Maria via AP)

For a premium tequila, don't use a shot glass, says Nitzan Podoswa, founder of Satryna Tequila.

Your nose is too close to the liquid so you cannot really smell the notes right. It just makes it easier to drink. But if you are having a very nice tequila, you need to have a flute cup, she says.

And rather than down it in one, swish the liquid around the mouth to taste, she suggests.

There are three types of tequila, based on the time spent in oak barrels before bottling. Blanco is aged 0-2 months, reposado 2-11 months, anejo 1-3 years and extra anejo 3-plus years.

Moncrieffe starts by asking his customers what they usually drink. If its a white spirit, he directs them to a blanco; for bourbon or whisky drinkers, he recommends a reposado; and for cognac drinkers, something more complex like an anejo or extra anejo.

An agave plant takes around seven years to mature, and once harvested there are many ways to cook the plant and ferment and distil the alcohol.

What you're drinking is actually very, very special. Its very special how many years the plant has been in the earth and its very special how many people and how many agents are involved in the process, Podoswa says.

Rodriguez says current trends center on ageing, experimenting with time, temperature and barrel types.

We are not talking about whiskeys in which the main flavor is coming from the wood," he says. "Tequila by itself in a blanco expression has already a big personality. So when you age tequila, you are not looking to get over that. Youre looking to complement that.

Theres also the cristalino category, which I guess was, for tequila purists, controversial, Oghene adds. Popular in the U.S. and Mexico, a cristalino is an aged tequila that has been filtered to remove the color and tannins, making it crystal-clear.

Growing U.S. sales are creating interest in other countries, Rodriguez says.

Most of the rest of world has had sort of bad, cheap tequila," says Jenna Fagnan, co-founder of Teremana Tequila with Dwayne The Rock Johnson. She says that for Johnson, tequila is about togetherness.

For him, he said, when I was growing up, for our family, if something great was happening, wed get together and people would have tequila. But also if something bad happened, we still get together and have tequila, Fagnan said.

Johnson joins a list of celebrities including George Clooney, Nick Jonas and Kendall Jenner with their own tequila brands. That's been greeted with mixed feelings in the industry.

Almost every week you have a new celebrity tequila brand coming out, Rodriguez says, with only roughly 160 distilleries to produce tequila for thousands of brands.

That means multiple brands might be produced in the same place; while many are doing it right, he says others are just buying the liquid and putting it in a different bottle.

Podoswa advises consumers to research a brand before buying.

Are they making a good product? Are they taking care of their agave? Are they doing it the artisanal, traditional way?

Fagnan says she and Johnson work with one of the few family-owned distilleries left in Mexico. She says Johnson cares about the people, the story, the sustainability.

For new brands, star endorsements bring positive attention and makes consumers question old assumptions about tequila, says Paul Hayes, British founder of Vivir Tequila.

If these people are willing to drink tequila, these major celebrities, theyre not just doing shots of it right in a bar. They must be drinking in a different way. How are they doing and why are they drinking it? he says.

And Rodriguez welcomes the competition: The way I see things, is not that were fighting among tequilas. We are fighting to show the world what tequila is.
FILE - The Nissan Motor Co. logo is displayed at the company's global headquarters in Yokohama near Tokyo, Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Federal regulators have denied a union push to try to organize fewer than 100 employees at the Nissan assembly plant in Tennessee. The ruling instead set a July 2021 union election of 4,300 plantwide production and maintenance workers. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) 

Federal regulators have denied a union's push to try to organize fewer than 100 employees at the Nissan assembly plant in Tennessee, ruling instead to set a union election of 4,300 plantwide production and maintenance workers that the union says it will not pursue.

A National Labor Relations Board official ruled Friday that the 87 tool and die technicians at Nissan's Smyrna plant share an "overwhelming community of interest" with the rest of the facility's production and maintenance workers. The official wrote that the only appropriate unionized group through the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers campaign would be one representing all of those workers.

The machinists union said in a statement that it strongly disagrees with this decision and would request a review of the NLRB regional director's decision.

The decision complicates efforts in the latest foray in the uphill fight for unions to gain traction at foreign-owned auto assembly plants in the traditionally anti-union South. In-person voting was scheduled July 7 and 8 at the plant, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) outside of Nashville. Since the union won't pursue the larger vote, per the order, the petition for wall-to-wall representation will be dismissed within two business days when the union doesn't show at least 30% of the 4,300 workers support unionizing.

The union has argued that the 87 employees sought for a bargaining unit have extremely specialized skills for a job that others at the plant cannot do and should be eligible for standalone representation. Meanwhile, the company has contended that the employees are not sufficiently distinct from other plant workers to be eligible for their own small unionized bloc.

Lisa Henderson, acting regional director for the National Labor Relations Board, wrote that although the tool and die workers have unique skills, those are outweighed by other commonalities, including terms and conditions of employment, integration and contact with other types of workers.

Nissans history reflects that we respect the right of employees to determine who should represent their interests in the workplace," said Nissan spokesperson Lloryn Love-Carter. "We are pleased with the boards position that representation should be decided by all employees at the Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant, not a small subset of the population.

Nissan does work with organized labor in the rest of the world, but votes to unionize broadly at the U.S. two plants have not been close. Workers in Smyrna rejected a plantwide union under the United Auto Workers in 2001 and 1989. The Japan-based automakers other U.S. assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi, rejected facilitywide representation by the UAW during a 2017 vote.

The margin was much closer in 2014 and 2019 votes at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where workers twice rejected a factorywide union under the UAW.

The year after the 2014 vote failed, a group of 160 Chattanooga maintenance workers won a vote to form a smaller union, but Volkswagen refused to bargain. The German automaker had argued the bargaining unit needed to include production workers as well. The dust-up led to the 2019 factorywide vote.

Unions also have run into opposition from Republican politicians when they attempt to organize at foreign automakers in the South, including in Tennessee.

Tennessee does have a big union presence at an American automaker. The General Motors plant in Spring Hill has about 3,000 production and skilled trades workers represented by UAW.
The Latest on the NATO summit taking place in Brussels:

U.S. President Joe Biden, left, speaks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a plenary session at a NATO summit in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. U.S. President Joe Biden is taking part in his first NATO summit, where the 30-nation alliance hopes to reaffirm its unity and discuss increasingly tense relations with China and Russia, as the organization pulls its troops out after 18 years in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, Pool)

The Latest on the NATO summit taking place in Brussels:

BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden has paid tribute at NATOs 9/11 memorial as he wraps up his meeting with members of the military alliance.

Biden crossed himself and stood silently Monday in front of the memorial at NATOs headquarters in Brussels, which features a steel beam from the World Trade Center. The installation pays tribute to the support NATO allies gave the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, including the deployment of thousands of troops from NATO countries in Afghanistan.

Biden said earlier Monday that the United States own commitment to NATOs mutual defense pact for member countries is sacred.

Bidens NATO trip is meant to shore up U.S. relations with the alliance. President Donald Trump frequently questioned the value of military partnership, calling it obsolete.

BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden says U.S. allies were shocked and surprised by the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, but they nevertheless are unconcerned about American leadership on the world stage.

Speaking Monday at the NATO summit in Brussels, Biden was pressed on how former President Donald Trumps baseless electoral challenges and the assault on the Capitol by his supporters were received overseas.

Biden says of American allies, They, like I do, believe the American people are not going to sustain that type of behavior."

He was sharply critical of Trump, blasting his phony populism and saying it was disappointing more Republicans havent permanently distanced themselves from him.

Biden says U.S. partners recognize that The Trump wing of the party is the bulk of the (Republican) party, but it makes up a significant minority of the American people.

The U.S. leader adds, I think this is passing  I dont mean easily passing  thats why its so important for me to succeed in my agenda.

__

BRUSSELS __ Two days from his Wednesday meeting with Russia's leader, President Joe Biden has called Vladimir Putin a worthy adversary but declined to say how hell measure the success of the meeting in advance.

Asked during a press conference after Mondays NATO summit about the upcoming meeting, Biden wouldnt offer any specifics on what hes hoping to gain from his time with Putin, saying only that theyll discuss areas where we can cooperate, and a warning that if Russia refuses to cooperate on things like cybersecurity we will respond in kind.

Biden said, however, that Putin is bright and tough and expressed hopes the Russian president would show interest in changing the perception the world has of him.

BRUSSELS __ President Joe Biden says NATO will stand firm against alleged Russian and Chinese efforts to drive a wedge between members of the alliance.

Biden spoke Monday at the end of a NATO summit in Brussels that focused in part on challenges from those two countries.

Bidens comments at a press conference focused partly on what he called aggressive hacks by Russia, and other malicious cyberactivity.

Biden is calling NATO a strong foundation for continued building of security for the 30 member countries.

The meeting ended with a communique expressing strong concern about China as an alleged security challenge and threat to world order.

President Joe Biden and other NATO heads of the states and governments pose for a family photo during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, Monday, June 14, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool via AP)

BRUSSELS  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey would expect diplomatic, logistical and financial assistance from the United States if it's to maintain a presence in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of NATO troops.

Turkey is reported to have offered to operate and protect Kabuls international airport after the departure of the NATO force.

Erdogan did not say if an agreement was reached on the issue but said Turkey wanted Pakistan and Hungary to be involved in a possible new mission.

The Turkish leader also said he had a constructive meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit and has invited him to visit to Turkey. Biden said he had a heavy schedule but could pay a visit, according to Erdogan.

Erdogan signaled that the two leaders failed to find a way to overcome differences over Turkeys purchase of the S-400 advanced Russian missile defense systems. The U.S. says the technology is a threat to NATO and has removed Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet program.

Our thoughts on the S-400 are the same as before, I relayed our same thoughts to Mr. Biden, Erdogan said.

Erdogan also called for an end to U.S. support to Syrian Kurdish militia, which Turkey considers to be terrorists affiliated to a Kurdish insurgency.

BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden says he had a very good meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.

Bidens brief comment came after he and Erdogan met privately on Monday before being joined by other officials.

The two leaders spent in total more than an hour together.

Biden was expected to raise a range of issues with Erdogan, including Afghanistan, Syria and Turkeys purchase of advanced Russian missile systems which has complicated Washingtons relations with Ankara.

____

BRUSSELS  French President Emmanuel Macron has downplayed NATOs wording in declaring China a global security challenge, saying it must not divert us from the heart of NATOs tasks.

In a news conference Monday, Macron said: I think it is very important not to scatter our efforts and not to have biases in our relation to China. Its much broader than the military topic: Its economic, strategic, about values and technological.

Macron called for not diverting NATO from its many other challenges, including the fight against terrorism and security issues related to Russia.

China is both a major power with which we are working on global issues to move forward together and a competitor, he said.

MOSCOW  The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on a disputed espionage conviction, has released a statement from him calling for President Joe Biden to push for his release during the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an audio file distributed by Whelans family on Monday, he says: I implore you to bring this appalling case of hostage diplomacy to an end. I remain innocent. No crime of espionage occurred. The secret trial, without evidence, proves those facts.

He made the statement in a May 30 telephone call with his parents, the family said. Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and later sentenced to 16 years in prison. He claims he was in Russia only as a visitor.

BRUSSELS  NATO leaders agree that China poses a constant security challenge and is working to undermine the global rules-based system, and they are worried about how fast its developing nuclear missiles.

In a summit statement Monday, the leaders said that Chinas goals and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan listens to questions during a media conference at a NATO summit in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. U.S. President Joe Biden is taking part in his first NATO summit, where the 30-nation alliance hopes to reaffirm its unity and discuss increasingly tense relations with China and Russia, as the organization pulls its troops out after 18 years in Afghanistan. (Yves Herman, Pool via AP)

While the 30 heads of state and government avoid calling China a rival, they did express concern about its coercive policies, the opaque ways it is modernizing its armed forces and its use of disinformation.

They called on Beijing to uphold its international commitments and to act responsibly in the international system, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains, in keeping with its role as a major power.

But the leaders also said they welcome opportunities to engage with China on things like climate change.

The statement, endorsed Monday at their summit in Brussels, lays out the military organizations stance on China for the first time. Diplomats say it was one of the hardest parts of the statement to draft.

LONDON  Chinas Embassy in the U.K. reacted sharply Monday to the Group of Sevens post-summit statement that called out Chinas nonmarket policies and human rights abuses.

The embassy challenged the leaders of the worlds largest industrial nations for distorted remarks that slandered China and arbitrarily interfered in Chinas internal affairs.

This serious violation of the basic norms of international relations exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries, such as the United States, an unnamed embassy spokesperson said in the statement. We are strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this.

The G-7 leaders agreed to call on Beijing to respect human rights in Xinjiang, the remote western region where Chinese authorities are accused of committing serious rights abuses against the Uyghur minority, and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

The statement came after a push by U.S. President Joe Biden, who wanted to persuade fellow democratic leaders to present a more unified front in its relations with Beijing.

BRUSSELS  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the revival of a dialogue between NATO members Turkey and Greece to resolve long-standing disputes will serve stability and prosperity in the region.

Speaking at a German Marshall Fund think tank event held inside the NATO headquarters complex on Monday, Erdogan lamented, however, what he said was a lack of support by Turkeys NATO allies in its fight against terrorism. It was a veiled reference to Turkeys disappointment with U.S. military support for Syrian Kurdish fighters, who Ankara argues are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.

Turkey is on the front line in the fight against terrorism in all relevant international platforms, especially NATO, Erdogan said, adding that some 4,000 Islamic State group fighters were neutralized in Turkish cross-border operations.

Turkey is the only NATO ally which has fought face-to-face and gave his young sons martyrs for this cause, Erdogan said. Unfortunately, we did not receive the support and solidarity we expected from our allies and partners in our fight against all forms of terrorism.

Last summer, a longstanding dispute between Turkey and Greece over boundaries and rights to natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean flared anew after Ankara sent energy research vessels into waters where Greece asserts jurisdiction.

Diplomats from the two countries have held two rounds of talks in recent months for the first time in five years, while the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey also held reciprocal visits.

I believe that reviving the channels of dialogue between (Turkey) and our neighbor and ally, Greece, and the resolution of bilateral issues will ... serve the stability and prosperity of our region, Erdogan said.

BRUSSELS  President Joe Biden has met with the leaders of three Baltic nations at the NATO summit in a move to reassure them of U.S. support before his Wednesday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

The White House says Biden met Monday with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia, President Egils Levits of Latvia, and President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania and underscored strong U.S. support for their security.

The White House added: The four leaders committed to further strengthening our political, military, and economic partnerships, including working together through NATO to address challenges posed by Russia and China.

BRUSSELS  French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he wants to move forward with Turkey toward a demanding and respectful relationship, after meeting with the countrys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Both men talked Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. It was their first meeting since the dispute between the two countries reached its peak in October after Erdogan questioned Macrons mental health.

Macron said he wants all NATO allies to make a clear commitment to the military organizations values, principles and rules, according to the French presidency.

Both men discussed Libya and Syria issues, the Elysee said. Macron has notably accused Turkey of flouting its commitments by ramping up its military presence in Libya and bringing in jihadi fighters from Syria.

Macron also highlighted that Frances secularism respects all religions, including Islam. The French presidency said a clarification was needed in response to Erdogans tough criticism of Macrons attitude toward Islam and Muslims, as the French government proposed a law to fight Islamist radicals.

BRUSSELS  Italian Premier Mario Draghi made a not-so-subtle dig at former U.S. President Donald Trump in welcoming Biden to NATO and back into the European fold.

This summit is a continuation of yesterdays G7 and is part of the process of reaffirming, of rebuilding the fundamental alliances of the United States that had been weakened by the previous administration, he said. Think that President Bidens first visit is to Europe and try to remember where President Trumps first visit was?

"We are here to reaffirm these alliances, but also to reaffirm the importance of the European Union in all of this: a stronger European Union means a stronger NATO, he added.

Trump's first trip was to Saudi Arabia.

BRUSSELS  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says NATO leaders do not see China as an adversary in the same way that the military organization views Russia, but that they must come to terms with the Asian giants growing influence.

Johnson told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels Monday that China is a gigantic fact in our lives and a new strategic consideration for NATO.

He says I dont think anybody around the table today wants to descend into a new Cold War with China.

He says the leaders of the 30-nation alliance see challenges, they see things that we have to manage together, but they also see opportunities, and I think that what we need to do is to do it together.

NATO leaders are set to endorse a communique later laying out their view of China and how its rising influence and the security challenges it poses should be managed.

BRUSSELS President Joe Biden is reaffirming the U.S. commitment to NATOs mutual-defense pact as he makes his first visit to the alliance since taking office.

After meeting Monday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shortly arriving at the alliances headquarters in Brussels, Biden says the U.S. takes Article 5, which guarantees that an attack on one NATO nation is considered an attack against all, as a sacred obligation.

He adds: I just want all of Europe to know that the United States is there. The United States is there.

Biden said the alliance is essential for America and said he looked forward to discussing challenges from Russia and China with other leaders at the daylong summit.

BRUSSELS  Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says NATO allies are looking to put the past behind them, after four stormy years under the Trump administration and infighting between member countries.

De Croo said at a NATO summit Monday that were coming out of turbulent times, where we had major disagreements on a lot of things that are really at the basis of this alliance.

He says that I think now we are ready to turn the page.

Trump routinely berated other NATO countries for not spending enough on defense and even threatened to pull the U.S. out of the worlds biggest security organization.

Rows have also simmered between Turkey, France and Greece over aggressive Turkish military actions in the Mediterranean and Ankaras contentious energy exploration work in waters off Cyprus.

BRUSSELS  German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Russian disinformation is one issue that will be discussed at Mondays NATO summit.

Merkel said as she arrived at the gathering that hybrid challenges are a growing issue -- cyberattacks, and particularly with a view to Russia, of course, disinformation campaigns. She added that many allies in NATO, including Germany, are affected.

Merkel said the summit also will discuss the situation in Ukraine, where we see great challenges, of course, and the situation in Belarus.

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva later this week.
OTTAWA - The Trudeau Liberals' sweeping budget bill is moving faster to a final vote after the government successfully moved Monday to force an end to debate in the House of Commons, citing partisan shenanigans.

Deputy Prime Minister, not shown, and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland joins Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they participate in a virtual discussion from Ottawa on Monday, May 3, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - The Trudeau Liberals' sweeping budget bill is moving faster to a final vote after the government successfully moved Monday to force an end to debate in the House of Commons, citing partisan shenanigans.

After getting support from the Bloc Quebecois, the budget bill will now have 10 more hours of debate before MPs vote on the legislation, whose passage is intertwined with the fate of the minority Liberal government. Failure to pass would trigger a federal election.

Bill C-30 contains multiple measures from the April budget, including changes to business and worker supports.

Prior to the vote, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government was worried the bill won't pass before MPs pack up for the summer, causing aid measures to expire at the end of June just as the economy is reopening.

During a Monday morning news conference, government House leader Pablo Rodriguez blamed Conservative stall tactics for the delay in the budget bill and on three other pieces of legislation the Liberals want passed before parliamentarians head off on a summer break in just over one week.

The other bills are C-6, which would ban conversion therapy and is currently at third reading; C-10, which would amend the Broadcasting Act to make streaming services adhere to Canadian content regulation; and C-12, which would enact climate accountability legislation.

Conservatives argue C-6 is too broad and would prevent people from having conversations with faith leaders about their sexuality and C-10, the Tories say, would limit free speech online. As for C-12, Conservatives say activists were on a panel that advised the government on how to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Conservative finance critic Ed Fast told the House of Commons that the official Opposition was doing its job to review what he called the largest intergenerational transfer of financial risk and debt.

"Why is it that (Freeland) doesn't want the Opposition to do its job? Our job is to hold the government accountable, to exercise scrutiny and oversight," Fast said.

"This is the biggest budget in Canadian history. The biggest debt  well over $1 trillion and heading towards $1.8 trillion  Canadians have never seen this."

Rodriguez said he didn't think sitting all summer would be helpful, similar to what MPs did last year during the first summer of COVID-19, adding he didn't think it would change the situation in the House of Commons.

Later Monday, the Commons passed a motion to extend sitting hours this week and next, in order to provide more time to push through the priority bills. The Conservatives voted against it.

Rodriguez called on "progressive" parties to help pass government legislation.

Bloc House leader Alain Therrien said in a statement the party backed the budget-bill vote because it otherwise would have made it impossible to approve C-10 by the summer break, and provide financial help to Quebec's cultural sector that the legislation would provide.

While Rodriguez suggested MPs could just return in the fall, signs are increasingly pointing to a federal election sometime this fall that would reset the legislative agenda. MPs who aren't planning on running again are being given time this week to give a farewell address to the House of Commons.

Green MP Elizabeth May said while she was sympathetic about the need to pass C-30, she argued against limiting debate.

"This House exists to examine legislation, to take the time it takes to review it," she said during debate to invoke time limits.

"We seem to be under the false time pressure on many bills that an election is looming."

Freeland said the government has no desire for an election, but blamed political theatrics for bogging down the work of the House of Commons on reforms to the wage subsidy and recovery benefits.

"These measures run out this month and I strongly believe Canadians need that support," Freeland said.

"So it really is time to end the partisan games. It is time to end the theatrics, it is time for all MPs to get to work. And speaking as finance minister, let me just say, to pass the budget."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh decried the Liberals' plan to force through Bill C-30 without fixing what he called an unnecessary cut to payments through the Canada Recovery Benefit with hundreds of thousands still out of work.

The budget bill contains provisions to reduce payments to $300 from $500 a week. Similar provisions are in place to wind down the wage subsidy.

Singh said the New Democrats plan to fight the decision, which could throw a wrench into the government's plea to the NDP and Bloc Quebecois to help push their bills through the House of Commons.

Freeland said she hasn't seen anything to persuade her to alter course.

"When I look at both the situation with vaccines and with the level of contagion, as well as the economic indicators, right now today, I'm really comfortable with the measures we have in place and the plan we have in place," Freeland said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.
I didnt say much when it was announced late last month that the remains of 215 Indigenous children had been found buried at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

Opinion

I didnt say much when it was announced late last month that the remains of 215 Indigenous children had been found buried at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

I didnt know what to say.

This is an act more horrific than I can fathom or put into words. People much smarter and more knowledgeable than me have spoken out in the media and on social media, writing articles about Canadas tainted past. Leaders such as Murray Sinclair, the former senator and chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, addressed the world with empathy and poise, giving words to something unspeakable. He translated our sorrow and reminded us we must persevere on this journey to reconciliation.

In a Facebook video posted on June 1, Sinclair spoke about the survivors who shared their stories with the TRC. They gave horrendous accounts of abuse and neglect and the utter loneliness that shaped their experience. He explained about how the impact of being stolen from their families and communities and indoctrinated into a different culture against their will was a deliberate act by the Canadian government, and that one of the most common stories they heard was about children who died in residential schools.

Its a lot to think about and to process. Like so many others, I am struggling with this discovery. It is heavy and all-encompassing. As an Indigenous woman who is a mother and the granddaughter of a residential school survivor, it hits me in a place I cant explain. I am not surprised, and I will not be surprised when the next discovery is made, or the one after that, because the TRCs research indicates at least 3,213 children were reported to have died. The actual number is suspected to be quite a bit larger but is unknown because of poor record-keeping, and because the Roman Catholic Church has refused to release records and documentation.

Ive struggled to figure out how to approach this.

Ive done the bare minimum to show my support. Ive changed my Facebook profile picture to include an orange frame that states Every Child Matters and have donated money to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. Ive ordered books to read to my kids, and Ive watched YouTube videos on how to talk to kids about the horrors of the residential school system. In the days after the announcement, my two older kids had discussions in their online classes about it. Afterwards, we talked about it and about our connection to this horrible Canadian legacy. I try to tell them as much as I can about Indigenous history, about our ancestors and our culture. But to be perfectly frank, I dont know much about it  not in the way I should. That part of me was stolen from my Nana and from the generations after her. This is a ripple of the residential school system.

I am grateful for leaders such as Murray Sinclair, who speak up when words fail, and for the brave men and women who came forward to share their stories of trauma and survival in the name of truth and reconciliation.

The journey of truth and reconciliation is far from over.

A National Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students. You can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling 1-866-925-4419.

shelley.cook@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @ShelleyACook
Sacha Paul wanted to be a lawyer from the time he was 10, but it was knowing someone from his own community who had reached that goal that made him realize he could be one, too.

Sacha Paul wanted to be a lawyer from the time he was 10, but it was knowing someone from his own community who had reached that goal that made him realize he could be one, too.

"I lived as a kid at the Hollow Water reserve," said Paul, a lawyer with Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP. "There was a person from Hollow Water, Loretta Ross, who was a lawyer; she was a part of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in 1991 as an articling student. The mere fact that she existed was something that my father would always mention, and it was comforting to know that I had walked on the same streets she has walked on. So, this is possible."

Planting that seed of possibility is something Paul has been doing since he passed the bar in 2003, and it remains a guiding focus in his new role as vice-president of the Law Society of Manitoba. Paul, 43, is the first Indigenous lawyer to hold the elected position.

"For quite some time, Ive been interested in terms of increasing Indigenous people in the bar so they can serve the very sizable Indigenous population in Manitoba. This is just a continuation of trying to ensure the law society continues to have the eye on that ball," he said.

Indigenous people represent about 16 per cent of Manitobas population, but only five per cent of the provinces 2,000-plus lawyers identify as Indigenous, according to the law societys latest annual report.

Boosting their ranks starts with tracking the data and "knowing whos who in the profession," Paul said.

On a more informal level, the law society co-ordinates receptions between Indigenous law students at Robson Hall, the law school at the University of Manitoba, and Indigenous lawyers, "just for the simple purpose of ensuring that those people in law school feel a connection to the bar and feel as though they know who to article with and how to pursue a career.

"But the actual pool of who gets in to law school, thats a law school matter that we dont have direct control of, though we are interested in ensuring that happens," Paul said. "That is where the two bodies need to work in some level of harmony and try to make sure the pool is there to serve the public."

Perhaps the biggest challenge to attracting Indigenous students to the law is convincing them a field that for so long was antagonistic to their interests is a viable option.

"The law hasnt been all that accommodating of Indigenous interests for quite some time," Paul said. "It is a sorry reality that the law has yet to reconcile itself with how it has done harm and can continue to do harm to Indigenous people since the beginning of the country. In a political sense, that could drive people away from the law."

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has called on the law society to overhaul its "good character" process, alleging it is discriminatory and effectively discourages people who are Indigenous, Black or members of other marginalized groups from pursuing a law career.

The process requires applicants to disclose any contact with police or the criminal justice system, including incidents that did not lead to a finding of guilt  a process biased against communities that are over-policed and subject to racial profiling, says the civil liberties association.\

Paul said its "worth considering" how the good-character process works, but questioned what impact it has on the number of Indigenous people who go into law.

"By focusing on that issue, it obscures the larger issue, which is the number of Indigenous people who are in the bar," he said. "I dont think anyone is suggesting that good character is the switch that is going to lead to a dramatic decrease or increase in Indigenous people in the profession."

A robust Indigenous bar can improve communication between communities where understanding has been a challenge, Paul said.

"You are missing what you dont see," he said. "Indigenous lawyers can pick up things that others might not. Even basic words like Lets talk about our Indigenous people  to use the possessive in that regard can strike some Indigenous people as (offensive). That simple use of a word is not something you are going to get in law school (or) in the profession  it comes from your upbringing Its one example of many where there are things going unseen and undetected that only arise when there is an issue. If you can deal with it earlier because of other viewpoints, all the better."

Pauls own practice has included work with resource developers, including mining and forestry companies and Manitoba Hydro, clients that some would argue are, at times, in conflict with Indigenous interests.

Paul said Indigenous representation on either side of a legal divide can only lead to better understanding.

"One of the important reasons we want to increase the number of Indigenous people in the profession is so that different perspectives and different viewpoints are brought to bear for (clients)," he said.

"I think that can only be to the clients benefit, whether its acting for the chief and community in an election dispute or a resource developer in some permitting process. Ultimately if a conflict arises, thats why there are courts, and well deal with it.

"Thats also why its important to keep on having a flow of people coming in. The younger generations have such important views that as I reach my middle age, its good to have that connection."

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Ken Jansen slipped out the back door of his cottage, eight kilometres south of Grand Marais, bolted for his truck and jumped into the drivers side door. He leaned over and slammed the passenger door shut. Through the front windshield, a black bear snarled at him.

Ken Jansen slipped out the back door of his cottage, eight kilometres south of Grand Marais, bolted for his truck and jumped into the drivers side door. He leaned over and slammed the passenger door shut. Through the front windshield, a black bear snarled at him.

The bear and her two cubs had sauntered into the yard after Jansen and his wife, Judi, had each gathered an armful of goods from the hard-capped bed of their Ford Ranger and set them down inside. When they looked back, they saw the mother bear lolling over the long, uncut grass of the yard. They also saw the open gate of the truck, which revealed a bear buffet: coolers stocked with groceries and nightcrawlers for fishing.

Supplied Dean Gunnarson snaps selfie of one of the many bears hes run across at his Riding Mountain residence.

"Im thinking, whoa, if she gets into that truck, shell destroy it," said Jansen.

Once hed dashed into the front seat, he sat still. Finally, the mother bear lost interest. Jansen slid out the door, zipped to the tailgate, flung it shut and closed the cap door. The bear snarled again, but Jansen had hurried into the cottage.

Across the province, people are spying black bears with unusual frequency. They lumber through yards, file along highways and scurry up trees.

"Weve had the odd bear come through," said Jansen. "But this is more. This is way more sightings of bears in our area than weve known in the past." For the Jansens, "the past," means, between the two of them (Judi established the cottage with her late husband), since 1970.

Judy Stearns of Black Bear Rescue Manitoba, a sanctuary whose mission is "to rescue, rehabilitate and release orphaned black bear cubs in Manitoba," said she has 20 cubs this year. Last year, they took in 21.

"Its concerning in that we have space limitation, weve got a financial limitation, weve got a time limitation," said Stearns. Caring for each cub costs an average of $2,000, Stearns said. A big chunk of that goes toward formula.

Stearns, not unlike many others, cant account for the increase. "I dont know that theres more bears around or just more people seeing them. I dont have an answer to that."

The sanctuary is now in its fourth year, so its hard to identify a trend. But in years one and two they sheltered only three and nine cubs respectively. Drastic changes in human behaviour since the onset of the pandemic may have influenced the spike in numbers in the last two years.

In any event, said Stearns, "the vast majority of cases is human activity because black bear mothers that were strong enough to give birth and nurse cubs generally dont just die."

A black bear meanders past the home of Dean Gunnarson near Riding Mountain National Park. He says this year he sees 5-10 bears a day. /SUPPLIED

Cubs end up in her care for one of three reasons: the mother has been chased off, shot or hit by a car.

In Manitoba, its illegal to shoot black bears with younglings at their heels, except in cases of personal defence or in which the mother is determined a "nuisance bear."

Dean Gunnarson, who lives outside Riding Mountain National Park, said this year hes seen five to 10 bears every day. He said hes even heard neighbours reporting 10 to 20 chomping the heads off dandelions and nipping at grass.

Sightings are expected in the heart of "bear country," but Gunnarson said he was likely to spot their burly masses about once a day in previous years.

He worries people are endangering bears. "The problem that Ive seen a lot  and Im in the park all the time  is people feeding the bears. And as soon as you feed the bear, then it becomes a nuisance, and its a death sentence."

To prevent this, Gunnarson, an escape artist whos well-acquainted with danger, chases the bears away, yipping at them and brandishing straw-bristled brooms.

One of the main reasons bears wander into human habit is to find food. Seeds in bird feeders, in particular, can provide a coveted high-fat, high-calorie meal, said Janine Wilmot, a human/wildlife conflict biologist with the provincial government.

Dry conditions this year might be creating extra incentive for black bears to get bolder in their hunt for food, she said.

"Their natural resources are limited," said Wilmot, "and with the dry spring this year, I think a lot of bears are sort of looking for alternative food sources. Because it was so dry, there just wasnt a lot available."

Or perhaps, she mused, humans have moved into bear country.

"Particularly with a pandemic, theres a lot more people recreating in bear country that maybe havent done so in the past," she said. The sheer number of people braving wilder places could account for some sightings, she said.

But in this mystery of rampant black bear encounters, nobody can pinpoint a cause. For a province that has estimated black bear populations at 25,000-30,000 consistently over, at least, the past 25 years, there seems to be a dearth of public research on the animals. Some quote a lack of funding or a lack of interest to account for this. Of course, immediate explanations would likely be impossible for most wildlife research, which require long-term data to draw conclusions.

One possibility for the uptick is the loss of American hunters. With COVID-19 shutting down the border, Manitoba hasnt issued a single black bear hunting licence to a foreigner in two years. Previous years hovered around 1,800 to 1,900 foreign licences, accounting for about half the of the hunting tags issued in a year. Not every hunt ends in a kill.

"Bear hunting is part of the management policy of Manitoba," said Chris Benson of Manitoba Wildlife Federation. "Having the border closed and not having those American hunters come up to Manitoba to hunt certainly changes the structure of that management tool."

Hunting guide and Adrenaline Outfitters owner Russ Mehling, who says hes seeing two to three times more bears this year near his Steinbach home, believes the drop off in hunters is contributing to bear encounters.

"Theyre spreading out quite a bit right now," he said. "Normally, the outfitters or the hunters, target the more mature, adult males. When you take a male bear out of an area, a dominant bear, that opens up that area."

When dominant bears retain their territory, he said, it forces smaller bears to roam further out, eventually into human habitats.

But this theory raises its own questions. Despite the illegality of shooting female black bears with cubs, it does happen.

By examining the placental scars on 1,063 reproductive tracts, which hunters used to be required to remove from kills with ovaries and uterine horns intact, a 2004 study estimated Manitobas spring hunts orphan 41 cubs each season. Yet Black Bear Rescue Manitoba has seen significant increases in orphaned black bear babies since the pandemic slashed the provinces hunter numbers in half.

Due to the pandemic, the province hasnt collected data on bear encounters, a Manitoba Conservation spokesman said.

"Anecdotally, conservation officers and wildlife staff can confirm there appear to be slightly more sightings of bears this year in some parts of the province, but it would be impossible to draw any conclusions about why," he said in an email.

Wilmot said whatever the reason, people must be smart about bear encounters. That means taking down bird feeders and keeping other food unavailable, travelling in groups, making noise while walking and carrying bear spray.

But precautions cant always calm the nerves. One solo camper, Sara Josephson, said she saw four bears in 14 kilometres as she approached her campsite at Tulabi Falls. One more waited for her in camp.

"I woke up at midnight and any leaf that would blow by, I was like, its a bear," she said. "I had my bear mace next to me in the tent."

She slept the rest of the night in her car.

cody.sellar@freepress.mb.ca
Today is Naftali Bennetts first full day at Israeli prime minister . The Knesset approved his coalition government on Sunday, ending Benjamin Netanyahus record 12-year rule.

Manitoba health officials are scheduled to hold their regular Monday news conference on COVID-19. The province announced seven deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday.

Canada is set to receive about 9.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses this week, including 7.1 million doses of Moderna.

The search continues for a large, white snake seen Saturday in the Fort Rouge area.

A man and a woman from Winnipeg have been charged after an RCMP officer was killed during a traffic stop east of Regina on Saturday.
DURING National Public Service Week, which takes place this year from June 13 to 19, we publicly recognize and acknowledge the contributions of all public servants. As professors who have studied public administration for more than 20 years, we would normally take this opportunity to highlight the important work public servants perform to serve Manitoba residents and support good governance. This year, unfortunately, our message is rooted in profound concern: public servants, including front-line workers such as nurses, doctors and teachers, are under significant strain and are facing a decline in morale.

Opinion

DURING National Public Service Week, which takes place this year from June 13 to 19, we publicly recognize and acknowledge the contributions of all public servants. As professors who have studied public administration for more than 20 years, we would normally take this opportunity to highlight the important work public servants perform to serve Manitoba residents and support good governance. This year, unfortunately, our message is rooted in profound concern: public servants, including front-line workers such as nurses, doctors and teachers, are under significant strain and are facing a decline in morale.

Why is there declining morale? In this pandemic, we have witnessed a heightened need for government to fulfil two primary roles. First, in dealing with the immediate health crisis, governments  which include public-sector workers  provide essential services such as running COVID-19 testing sites, staffing ICU beds, delivering vaccines and meeting the immediate needs of the emergency. During the pandemic, this work seems never-ending and the rise of the delta variant only reinforces this feeling.

Second, and equally importantly, governments ongoing work is critical to ensuring the well-being of the general public by advancing the public interest. This includes ensuring that students can access education, that our food is safe, that fires are fought, and so on. Government actions are meant to protect and benefit all citizens, and public servants work daily to achieve those goals.

Government, the public service and citizens all have a role to play in nurturing trust with each other, but it is the public service that is in a profoundly difficult position. At its centre, the public service seeks to serve the public interest, but it is also required to fulfil the directions set out by government. Sometimes, the direction of government is at odds with the public interest.

In a pandemic, this means public servants are caught in the tension between government wanting to make progress on its political commitments and ensuring that government serves the public interest. At the same time, the ability to have meaningful public engagement about government reforms is diminished, because Manitobans and the public service are stretched too thin to have real conversations with each other.

This tension is particularly heightened in Manitoba for three key reasons:

First, its clear that the Pallister government does not fully trust public servants. Indeed, the Pallister government has routinely sent negative signals about the provincial bureaucracy. At the start of the pandemic, Pallister gaslighted "non-essential" bureaucrats by asking them to take reduced work weeks to save money for the province after four consecutive years of wage freezes. Nurses have been without a contract for more than four years, but form part of the front lines during the pandemic. This constant gaslighting is aimed squarely at Manitoba public servants and front-line workers, and directly contributes to low morale.

Second, the Pallister government has gone out of its way to be adversarial with a growing number of groups. We can think of the deteriorating relationship this government has with the Manitoba Metis Federation and the inflammatory comments made by Pallister several years ago on the Indigenous right to hunt.

Teachers, school boards and superintendents are another example. Education Minister Cliff Cullen has accused school trustees, Manitoba Teachers Society and others of deliberately misrepresenting Bill 64 (titled the Education Modernization Act by government) to the public. Moreover, Cullen describes opposition to this bill as nothing more than "a vocal minority."

Combined, these actions seek to portray anyone who cares about K-12 education as being self-interested, or worse, an enemy to progress. Yet, good governance demands an active and involved citizenry to ask questions, protest and speak out. Elected officials change with elections, but public servants remain and must work with groups such as the MMF and teachers. To do their job well, they cant have their relationships with groups and citizens undermined by elected officials.

Research shows that recognizing the value of peoples work  the contributions that they make  is an important way to boost employee morale. National Public Service Week is one way to recognize the work being done by public servants during this incredibly stressful time.

However, recognition is not enough; paying people fairly, ensuring an adequate work force, and supporting public servants by not undermining them would go along way to acknowledging public servants and improving their morale.

Karine Levasseur is a professor and Andrea Rounce is an associate professor in the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
The Canadian Parliament is sometimes at the cutting edge of genocide recognition and human rights.

Opinion

The Canadian Parliament is sometimes at the cutting edge of genocide recognition and human rights.

Earlier this year, the House of Commons passed a non-binding motion to recognize Chinas treatment of Muslim Uyghurs as genocide. It was a principled and courageous stand and Canada was just the second country in the world to take this position.

A report by a prominent British legal team documented crimes of the genocide which included "evidence of Uyghur children being forcibly removed from their parents," placed in orphanages and mandatory boarding schools.

It also said children "are deprived of the opportunity to practise their Uyghur cultureare sometimes given Han names, and are sometimes subject to adoption by Han ethnic families." The report concludes there is enough evidence that their forced removal is carried out with the intention of "destroying the Uyghur population as an ethnic group."

Shameful history of residential schools

Similar descriptions could be applied to what churches and governments in Canada did to Indigenous children who were sent to Indian Residential Schools.

Is it a double standard for Canada to recognize the Uyghurs and not Indigenous people? Its a question that needs to be considered once again, after the recent announcement by the Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation that a ground-penetrating radar specialist had discovered the buried remains of 215 children who attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

In addition to the February motion against Chinas treatment of its Uyghur population, Canada recognizes seven other genocides: the Holocaust during the Second World War, the Armenian genocide, the Ukrainian famine genocide (Holodomor), the Rwandan genocide, the Srebrenica massacres, the mass killing of the Yazidi people and the mass murder of the Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar.

Recognition of our countrys own genocide against Indigenous people is long overdue.

A violation of UN convention

There have been calls for Parliament to recognize the Indian Residential Schools as a violation of the United Nations Genocide Convention, in particular of Article 2e which prohibits "forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."

Almost two decades ago, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) described the residential school system as "the forcible transfer of children from one racial group to another with the intent to destroy the group." AFN National Chief Atleo made reference to genocide in 2011, as has current National Chief Perry Bellegarde, who reiterated his views on genocide after the announcement of the discovery of the graves in Kamloops.

There is ample evidence in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission final report of state intentions, legislation, actions and legacies of genocide.

Sen. Murray Sinclair regularly discussed the Indian Residential Schools system as violating Article 2e and stated that he would have put this in the TRCs Final Report, had it been permitted.

As he explained in an interview with me for my book The Sleeping Giant Awakens: Genocide, Indian Residential Schools, and the Challenge of Conciliation:

"I had written a section for the report in which I very clearly called it genocide and then I submitted that to the legal team and I said, can I say this, or, can we say this? And the answer came back unanimously no, we cant as per our mandate, because we cant make a finding of culpability, and thats very clear. So, we did the next best thing."

The TRC ultimately concluded that cultural genocide had been committed in the Indian Residential School system, while also making hints throughout the report that the government was culpable of more.

Preventable deaths

The discovery of the graves of 215 Indigenous children makes it clear that preventable deaths were always a part of the Indian Residential School system. We are now at the beginning of compiling the evidence of mass deaths in the schools.

Ground radar scans will help us get to the truth, and Sinclair believes the death toll may reach 15,000 lives. But we need not wait for the results of these investigations to make a conclusion of genocide. We have ample evidence of violations of Article 2e.

Remember that Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term genocide, was clear that genocide need not mean killing. In 1944 he wrote:

"The objectives of such a plan would be disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of personal security, liberty, health, dignity and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups."

Killing marks only the final stage of genocide. Lemkin was clear that "the machine gun" was often "a last resort" instead of the primary means of destruction.

In 2016, MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette, with help from Maeengan Linklater, a Winnipeg man whose parents went to residential schools, introduced C-318, "An Act to establish Indian Residential School Reconciliation and Memorial Day." It called for Parliament to recognize that "the actions taken to remove children from families and communities to place them in residential schools meets this (UN) definition of genocide."

Never debated

This private members bill didnt make it to the committee stage and was never debated or discussed in the House. Bills have a long and complex route through Parliament to be enacted into law.

A motion, such as the one about the Uyghur genocide, is a much shorter and simpler process and can be passed quickly. However, a motion in Parliament must pass unanimously; there can be no votes against. In the Uyghur case 266 voted for genocide recognition and the rest chose to abstain, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and most of the cabinet.

Within days of the news about the discovery in Kamloops, the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council at Keeshkeemaquah, Man., recommended that "the Parliament of Canada should recognize the Indian Residential School system as an act of genocide."

I wholeheartedly agree. A motion to recognize the Indian Residential School system as a violation of Article 2e of the UN Genocide Convention can go some way towards establishing a ground floor of truth on which we can build for the coming generations.

David MacDonald is a professor of political science at the University of Guelph.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.
This past Thursday, a motion by NDP MP Leah Gazan asking the Canadian government to formally recognize the policy of Indian residential schools as genocide was defeated when it could not receive unanimous consent by parliamentarians.

Opinion

This past Thursday, a motion by NDP MP Leah Gazan asking the Canadian government to formally recognize the policy of Indian residential schools as genocide was defeated when it could not receive unanimous consent by parliamentarians.

Gazan, the daughter of both Holocaust and residential school survivors, sought to end the "debate" of the term, calling it "another violent act, particularly against survivors."

This wasnt a matter of politics. Earlier in the week, this same group of politicians voted unanimously to support an NDP motion demanding the federal government stop taking Indigenous children and residential school survivors to court and expedite investigations on unmarked burial sites at residential schools.

While some Liberal cabinet ministers abstained from voting on that motion, none stood in its way  unlike Thursdays vote.

Its not as though the non-binding motion would have suddenly changed the direction of Indigenous policy in Canada  being more gesture than official government policy.

In fact, if it had passed, Gazans motion would have brought the government more in line with Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus June 2019 acceptance of the findings of the final report of the Inquiry Into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, which found Canada guilty of genocide.

In the official record, therefore, Canada accepts that it had intent to and performed actions to kill Indigenous women and girls, cause serious bodily or mental harm, impose measures to prevent births and deliberately inflict "conditions to bring about a group's physical destruction in whole or in part"  according to the definition of the term.

While residential schools clearly did all of these things, there is a final criteria in genocide: "forcibly transferring children from one group to another group."

This should make the use of the term undebatable, but yet, in Canada, its debated.

During Thursdays vote its unsure who disagreed, since there is no voting record for motions requiring unanimous consent. In a tweet, Gazan accused Conservative MP John Barlow as the culprit, Barlow refused to comment.

Gazan also later accused the Liberals of refusing to ratify the motion too (although this was denied by Liberal party whip Mark Holland).

In the end, it doesnt matter.

All this proves is that what happened at residential schools is still a matter for debate  even though hundreds of pages of research, thousands of first-hand accounts, and the very international definition of genocide seems to fit clearly what happened.

The sticking point for most Canadians  besides deniers, who argue that residential school policy was necessary and claims of violence are overblown (all widely preposterous claims)  has not to do with the undeniably violent actions in the schools but the intent of them.

Conservative leader Erin OToole, for example, told a group of students last December that the residential school system was a "horrible program" but "meant to try and provide education."

After public outcry, OToole walked back these comments a day later, saying education was not the purpose but "to remove children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures."

OToole, though, was simply saying what many Canadians believe: that Canadian schools are places of education and not places of abuse, disease, and death.

Maybe for many Canadians this is the former, but for residential school students it was the latter.

The debate around intent is what forced the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to use the term "cultural genocide" to describe residential schools in the final 2015 report.

Simply put, Canada has claimed to only be providing education and, if anything, blames violence on the infamous "bad apple" excuse: church leaders, school staff, or whomever else.

The recent revelations to Canadians (note I didnt say Indigenous peoples) of unmarked, forgotten, and even covered-up graves of residential school students are proof that residential schools were places of rampant assaults, starvation, sickness, and homicide.

At the very least: they were places where the deaths of children were a common circumstance.

Who legally mandated school attendance? Who paid for the system? Who denied the reports by government investigators such as Dr. Peter Bryce, who told Canadian policymakers for years that "rampant death" was happening in the schools?

If a person knows a human being is being killed somewhere, and that person does nothing about it or, worse yet, is responsible for more going to that murderous place, a court would find that person as guilty as the person who pulled the trigger.

Canada perpetrated genocide through residential schools via clear intent and action. Period.

Two weeks ago the unmarked gravesites of residential school students were found using ground penetrating radar in Kamloops.

Last week it was in Brandon.

This past weekend, media covered two more sites of unmarked graves at residential schools in Saskatchewan and there are dozens more First Nations calling for searches throughout the country.

Lets stop the debate.

If we accept the truth, maybe one day we might even get to reconciliation, but not till then.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
The surge in outdoor activities such as camping and hiking during the COVID-19 pandemic has made Manitobas provincial parks a popular refuge for those who have grown weary of lockdowns at home.

Editorial

The surge in outdoor activities such as camping and hiking during the COVID-19 pandemic has made Manitobas provincial parks a popular refuge for those who have grown weary of lockdowns at home.

Those who believe Manitobas 92 provincial parks are fully accessible to those who purchase passes to visit them have had their faith shaken by recent events.

The Free Press reported June 7 that visitors with valid provincial park passes were turned away from St. Ambroise Beach Provincial Park unless they paid a further $10 fee to a private business that now operates the park. The province later clarified that park passes will be honoured at St. Ambroise.

Sterling Ducharme, who owns a store in nearby St. Ambroise, has signed a 21-year agreement to operate the park and look after its 46 hectares of Crown land on the shore of Lake Manitoba. He called the temporary refusal of provincial passes a misunderstanding.

Sarah Guillemard, the provinces conservation and climate minister, said those with park passes will continue to have access to the beach, but added that the province will proceed with its plan to build partnerships to improve the provincial parks.

During question period on June 9, Premier Brian Pallister denied there is a lease at St. Ambroise Beach, instead saying a contract has been signed with a private business to open a campground at the park, and it could charge a fee to people who want to use it.

Mr. Pallister blamed the former NDP government for letting the park decay after the 2011 flood that damaged much of the Lake Manitoba shoreline, yet failed to mention his government has had five years to make improvements since taking power in 2016.

On June 9, another Free Press report revealed the province has contracted out provincial park work to another private group, Turtle Mountain Adventure Huts Ltd., to build three non-serviced cabins at Adam Lake, which lies within Turtle Mountain Provincial Park. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society says that agreement contravenes the provinces rules governing parks.

These agreements add to a growing list of partnerships the provincial government has pursued with private businesses for operation of provincial parks. Last October, the province issued a request for proposals for a consultant to rank the provinces top 15 parks from a business-feasibility perspective, including the possibility of decommissioning some parks and having third parties own or operate them.

In April, the province instituted an online registration system to sell annual park passes, and raised the price to $44.50 from $40. Raising prices can also restrict access, but hikes can be justified if extra funds are used for park maintenance and improvement of services. There will be no new boat launches or campsites built because of this price increase, however. The Free Press reported the extra $4.50 per pass is a licensing fee that goes to a company in Texas that operates the website.

A case can be made that private businesses can operate and maintain provincial parks under proper regulations and regular government inspections, while saving the province money and providing a better experience for visitors. That case has yet to be made by the government. And until it is, situations such as the one at St. Ambroise Beach will continue to stoke fears that private companies are being handed control of parks that rightly belong to all Manitobans.

Forest-fire danger is listed as very high in Manitoba this year. But thats not why some campers feel theyre getting burned.
OTTAWA  A typical day on Parliament Hill includes debates on justice legislation, a release of regulations around environmental practices, and committee hearings on telecom rates.

OTTAWA  A typical day on Parliament Hill includes debates on justice legislation, a release of regulations around environmental practices, and committee hearings on telecom rates.

But its the daily COVID-19 press conference that monopolizes the attention in newspapers and the nightly news.

Although the pandemic has helped politicians find new ways to connect with constituents, Manitoba MPs say its harder to for them to press their issues. With an election widely expected later this year, parties are trying to find ways to get voters attention.

"The isolation created by COVID has, in my opinion, undermined our democratic process," said Conservative MP James Bezan, who has represented Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman since 2004.

The weekly caucus meeting used to involve reading the room, to see how fellow MPs feel about the partys policies, and whether an issue in one province is showing up elsewhere.

Many MPs say they miss chatting on the sidelines with colleagues from other parties, from figuring out which backbenchers would support looming legislation, to intervening at the highest levels of government.

"Its the ability to hand-deliver a letter from a constituent to a minister on a specific issue or a problem, and get that addressed in an immediate manner," Bezan said.

"This work is just as important as the work we do on camera, and now on the Zoom camera. And that has been completely robbed from us as parliamentarians."

But MPs have kept busy.

Winnipeg South Liberal MP Terry Duguid says hes a lot more likely to meet with a constituent virtually now, compared with the chances of a sitdown in Winnipeg or a call from Ottawa.

He hears constituents concerns about policy issues, and works out the logistics of an immigration file out of his Whyte Ridge home.

"We have been busier than ever. Things do take longer, because you dont have people in the office talking to one another and bringing a piece of paper down the hall," Duguid said.

Yet the shift to virtual work has meant the ability to beam in high-profile guests for constituency events.

In, perhaps, a sign of the times, NDP MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) addresses, virtually, an almost empty House of Commons. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press files)

"You can get a minister, or even a prominent figure like the Prime Minister; theyre more available."

In a two-week stretch this spring, Duguid held meetings or press conferences about women in farming, electric vehicles, Manitoba nursing union negotiations, grants for fishermen and the federal role in managing floods and droughts.

What he doesnt mention is that barely any of those events got media attention.

"Its hard to break through on the day-to-day, or even week-to-week and month-to-month," he admits.

"Our community and our media have rightfully been focused on COVID, and it is the central thrust of all we do try to get people through it."

Announcements that the partys meticulously planned have fallen flat.

Last July, Duguid spoke about funding to improve water quality in Lake Winnipeg at the Forks, with a deliberate image of the two rivers merging.

On Facebook, it was hard to tell where the announcement was, or that the water was even moving.

"Its just not the same; it doesnt have the resonance that captures the attention of an audience or the media," Duguid said.

Winnipeg Centre NDP MP Leah Gazan is less concerned, arguing staying in her riding has helped her keep in touch with the needs of her constituents.

"This past couple weeks Ive actually been out delivering donations in the hot snap. I (normally) would have been in Ottawa during quite an extended stint. It was so nice to be out, going to Main Street Project, and the West End Bear Clan patrol," she said.

MPs appear both virtually and in the Commons chamber, and a smartphone voting app that launched this spring allows them to tap a screen to vote, instead of having to speak their vote into a webcam, or shuffle across the precinct and into the Commons.

"Some of the changes that could potentially in the future allow us to be within our own ridings more, and at the beck and call of the people who elect us, and thats important."

However, Bezan argues keeping MPs in their ridings has lessened their power to drive issues on the national scene that arent about vaccines and variants.

Conservative MP James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman) says without the usual physical interactions, some work simply doesnt get done. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press files)

The militarys pervasive sexual harassment problem has led to multiple investigations and suspensions. Experts have warned that the tumult undermines Canadas national security. But what would normally be a months-long scandal has instead percolated into the new in short bursts.

"Theres no question this has been in the media, but its definitely not the top thing people try to get information on," Bezan said.

"Everyones preoccupied with COVID," said Bezan, including constituents.

MPs have held virtual events for their ridings, from scheduled sessions on a specific topic, to impromptu livestream Q&As.

But Bezan said its a poor replacement for glad-handing at the local barbecue, which he says is a much better barometer for public sentiment.

"You dont get the same feedback and get the same grassroots input into policies and how things are going," he said.

That also poses a challenge for building up a war chest.

An election is widely expected to take place this fall, and Canadas political system is deliberately designed to rely on funding generated by a large amount of smaller donations.

"The party puts responsibility on us, particularly sitting MPs, to raise their own funds. Its been awkward in a number of respects," said Duguid.

Instead of approaching anyone who attended a rally in the last campaign, hes contacting people who have already donated more than once. "It just hasnt been appropriate to do fundraising in this kind of environment, when people are struggling," he said.

MPs have turned to Christmas turkey sales and online Zoom hangouts to drum up cash, but its not as enticing as a pricey dinner in a nice ballroom with influential local guests.

If an election is called before Canadians can gather in large groups, parties have crafted interim plans to focus on phone outreach. Yet Bezan said thats getting harder as more people switch to mobile phones that arent registered to any specific riding.

Gazan, a rookie MP elected October 2019, feels shes been able to keep up a profile by mixing virtual interventions in Parliament with grassroots work in the city.

Duguid, who has held his riding since 2015, says he plans to take in every festival and barbecue possible once its safe to do so in Manitoba, whether or not thats during an election.

"My waistline has maybe been trimmed, but you miss the people."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
It's lonely on Neil Carleton's section of the lake near Kenora, but it won't be for long. The Ontario government is reopening its western border to Manitobans.

It's lonely on Neil Carleton's section of the lake near Kenora, but it won't be for long. The Ontario government is reopening its western border to Manitobans.

Carleton, who lives in Manitoba but has an off-the-grid cottage across the border at Lake of the Woods, said many of the neighbouring residences have been empty for weeks.

"There are probably about 100 cottages on our bay, but there's nobody there," Carleton said Monday. "We're pretty excited about the border (news).

"There are two that lived here during the winter  lucky them, they have heat  but everybody else couldn't come. You could only come for essential reasons, and for us it was setting up the electric fence. Five or six years ago, we had bear come through the window of the cottage and it made a mess. I had to come to make sure the fence was charged and working. We don't want another bear to get into the cottage."

The Ontario government announced Monday it would allow Manitobans to again cross its border late Tuesday, opting to let an eight-week ban on non-essential visitors expire.

"Individuals will be able to enter Ontario via its interprovincial land and water borders. Those entering Ontario must continue to follow the public health measures in place in the province," wrote Stephen Warner, a spokesman for Ontario's solicitor general.

On April 19, Ontario set up checkpoints at its interprovincial borders to stop all travel not deemed essential (exempting issues such as medical care, transporting goods or exercising Indigenous rights) to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The order will expire Tuesday at 11:01 p.m.

Anyone entering Manitoba, including those coming home to the province, will still need to quarantine for two weeks, unless they had a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days earlier, which is the benchmark for coronavirus immunity.

The exception is Manitobans who own property just over the border.

Ontario has looser restrictions than Manitoba, allowing its patios to welcome groups of four, and groups of 10 to gather outdoors. Non-essential stores can serve 15 per cent of their capacity  except for shopping-mall stores that lack their own exit to the outdoors; only those with street entrances can welcome customers.

Those loosened restrictions took effect on June 11, except in parts of the province with soaring cases caused by the delta variant (such as the city of Timmins).

As the weather improved last month, the Free Press revealed Ontario Provincial Police were turning back dozens of Manitobans from the border daily.

People were trying to use loopholes, such as needing to do renovations on their cottages or drop off goods, Kenora OPP said.

The OPP had gone from turning away three or four people per day in April to about 30 in mid-May on the Trans-Canada Highway. Its marine unit was also instructed to question any vessel that appeared to be crossing the border during regular patrols.

Carleton said his interactions with the OPP were positive, and police were willing to let people with legitimate reasons access their cottages. But many others spent the last two months watching other Manitobans enjoying their residences at the Whiteshell Provincial Park, along the shores of Lake Winnipeg, or at other greenspaces and lakes in the province while they stayed home.

"The first time, (OPP) gave us 24 hours," he said. "You can imagine there is a lot to do when you go to the cottage for the first time in the spring. It was stressful, but we got it done.

"Now, we will be able to just (go) again."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
WINNIPEG - Manitoba daily COVID-19 case count continues to improve, although the drain on hospitals remains high.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba chief public health officer, speaks at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg Wednesday, December 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

WINNIPEG - Manitoba daily COVID-19 case count continues to improve, although the drain on hospitals remains high.

Health officials are reporting 124 new cases, well below a peak of 603 last month, and two deaths.

The percentage of people testing positive continues to drop as well.

The pressure on intensive care units remains strong and 26 COVID-19 patients are still receiving care in other provinces in order to free up bed space.

Manitoba's chief public health officer says it could be another two weeks before hospital numbers get closer to normal.

Dr. Brent Roussin says the overall situation will continue to improve as more people get vaccinated.

"Our data is showing that the vast majority of people being admitted to (intensive care units) are unvaccinated," Roussin said.

"That's why we want to continue increasing those first and second doses."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021
Writer Brenda Suderman and photographer Mike Deal continue to explore the attics and corners of the citys community-run museums while they remain closed due to public health orders. Today they take you to the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia, 3180 Portage Ave., which features three buildings relevant to the history of West Winnipeg: the 1911 municipal office building, a log house from 1852, once the home of William Brown and Charlotte Omand and their six children, and the exhibit space constructed about 50 years ago. Check out the virtual programs at here.

Writer Brenda Suderman and photographer Mike Deal continue to explore the attics and corners of the citys community-run museums while they remain closed due to public health orders. Today they take you to the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia, 3180 Portage Ave., which features three buildings relevant to the history of West Winnipeg: the 1911 municipal office building, a log house from 1852, once the home of William Brown and Charlotte Omand and their six children, and the exhibit space constructed about 50 years ago. Check out the virtual programs at here.

The biggest hidden asset of this west Winnipeg museum might just be the one nobody has ever seen.

But plenty of folks have heard the whistles and footsteps, witnessed books flying off shelves or furniture flipped up in the air, or experienced the frustration of computer glitches and dead phones, said Bonita Hunter-Eastwood, curator and executive director of the Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia.

"We call him Charlie. We think its the old caretaker who took care of the municipal hall," she speculated.

One of the many displays that hold several objects that were commonly used by locals of the St. James area. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

"He loves it when Im here, loves when theres activities, loves the ladies."

Along with other staff and volunteers, Hunter-Eastwood has heard loud footsteps from the second former council chambers of the two-storey brick building when she knew she was alone on the premises, experienced repeated computer problems and buzzy telephone lines technicians cant explain or diagnose or felt goosebumps that she attributes to the presence of Charlie.

He has an affinity for hanging about when the museum is bursting with school children, but he also makes himself known when theres only one person in the museum, said Hunter-Eastwood.

The Historical Museum of St. James-Assiniboia at 3180 Portage Ave. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

"The (front) door opened and there was no one there," she said of one of her experiences with Charlie.

Dedicated to preserving the history of St. James, the historic district of Assiniboia, west Winnipeg, Headingley and St. Francois Xavier, the doors are closed due to public health restrictions, but Winnipeggers can join two upcoming Saturday events virtually: the teepee workshop on June 19 and Pioneer Heritage Day on June 26, which marks the centennial of the RM of St. James.

During shutdown, visitors can still walk outside the two city-owned historic buildings at the centre of the museum. Head to the back of the two-storey brick former municipal office, constructed in 1911 for $12,000, to see the unique enclosed slide fire escape, installed when the upper floor was rented out for a high school classroom.

Executive director and managing curator Bonita Hunter-Eastwood (right) and Anna Lysack, program co-ordinator. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

The adjacent Red River frame construction log home was originally a one-room cabin, but owner William Brown dismantled it at its original location near St. Johns Anglican Cathedral and moved it to Headingley by ox cart in 1856. Later the prosperous farmer and his second wife Charlotte Omand expanded the home to include a sitting room, kitchen and three second-floor bedrooms.

But without seeing the inside of the whitewashed log home, moved to the museum in 1973, visitors cant really get a sense of what life was like for the Browns, parents of six children, said Hunter-Eastwood.

"The house itself would just be a structure without the living culture," she said.

The Brown House. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

"We are a general living history museum."

Filled with furniture and artifacts of the era, the home is spare but luxurious for its time, boasting upholstered furniture and wide wood trim on windows and doors, showing Brown had the money and desire to decorate his home.

Some surprises lurk inside the municipal building, which now holds artifacts on the main floor, and features a large fire safe and basement jail cell. The second floor once housed a local art club, and member Leo Mol used the room to make sketches for his human sculptures.

The St. James Armstrong Memorial Loyal Orange Lodge 2160 banner, circa 1901. The banner is a rare example of the material history of the Orange Lodge in Manitoba. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

Included in the collection are a few unmentionables, such as two girdles and a modest brassiere, items of clothing that dont often see the light of day but demonstrate a little bit of life in the post-Second World War era.

Donated by St. James resident Judy Delange, these items were manufactured by the Spirella Corset Co. of Niagara Falls and are representative of those worn by women across Canada, said Hunter-Eastwood.

"In St. James (Historical Museum), we talk not just about pioneer history, but the development of St. James-Assiniboia," said Hunter-Eastwood.

First organ in the St. James Anglican Church from 1858. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

"We talk about business and commerce and everyday history."

Tucked into the same closet is a sleeveless bronze satin silk dress hot off the 1953 Paris runway, purchased for $40 after a designer trunk show at The Bay downtown. The original owner had the satisfaction of wearing a Paris original to Winnipeg society events, confident in the knowledge no one else in the city had one like it, said Hunter-Eastwood.

"What (HBC) couldnt do was display it with all the labels, so they had to remove all the labels," she said of the size 2 dress by an unknown designer.

A log cabin quilt from the 1880s. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

A chrome school bell bears witness to the former Britannia School No. 1517 at 361 Hampton St., which educated seven decades-worth of elementary school students. Designed by city architect E.D. Tuttle. The stately brick and stone school was enlarged several times after its original opening in 1911. It closed in 1979 and the building was destroyed by fire three years later. Not yet on public display, this new acquisition by the museum has more than one St. James story attached to it.

"It was retrieved by a fireman (from St. James) who gave it to his son and his son gave it to us," said Hunter-Eastwood of the pass-down provenance of the fire bell on a bright red box and mounted on the original oak board.

"It was the only thing that was saved from Britannia School in the fire."

The Slater Brown family bible from 1904 that had a photo of Alice Taylor, daughter of the Honourable John Taylor and Francis Jane Brown from 1874. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

A much bigger artifact also speaks to the history of St. James and the beliefs of its founders. The two-metre high banner of Armstrong Memorial Loyal Orange Lodge 2160 was proudly carried by local Orangemen in their annual July 12 parade, but Hunter-Eastman admitted current Winnipeggers might be offended by the beliefs behind the banner.

"When we had antique shows we had people ask why are we showing it and others thanked us for showing it," she said of the mixed reactions to an organization which promoted the English language and British institutions in Canada.

But since early residents of St. James, including William Brown and his sons, and provincial cabinet minister John Taylor, were members of the Protestant political organization founded in 1795, the banner represents an aspect of local history, said Hunter-Eastwood.

In the Brown House a pig would be used to warm up beds or keep feet warm while sitting in a upholstered chair. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

Restored by professional conservators, the banner has two sides, one with a deep red background displaying a hand painted rendering of Upper Fort Garry below a painting of King Edward VII flanked by cupids. The reverse blue side depicting King William III on horseback, wielding a sword, has not been on public view since it was displayed at the Manitoba Museum nearly two decades ago.

"It stands as a rare artifact on the time and period in Winnipeg, though the parade was outlawed in the late 1930s in Manitoba and Winnipeg," said Hunter-Eastwood.

"There are still staunch Orangemen who believe in the tenets of the Orange Lodge."

Ladies foundation garments made in Niagara Falls, Ont., from the 1950s. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

The Orange Order was established in Ireland in 1795 to honour William of Orange, the Dutch prince who became King of England. Members are devoutly Protestant, oppose Irish unification and Scottish independence and, according to news reports, may have ties to white supremacy.

Along with objects of everyday life through from the last century or so, such as a large illustrated Bible from the Brown family, the St. James museum has a responsibility to portray all aspects of the regions history, said Hunter-Eastman.

She said the museum must provide context and information about artifacts so visitors can understand the difficult and unpleasant aspects associated with them.

"That history has to be told, because if we dont tell it, we may be doomed to repeat it."

brenda@suderman.com
If you took two people who just had a startup idea somewhere in Sauk County and somewhere at Stanford, I would not say the person at Stanford has a better startup idea, at all, Donohue said. Now, the difference is that that person has a better support structure all around them, so they will be able to learn more quickly to build up a community ready to really help them thrive more quickly just because it exists there, so a big part of my role with the IDEA Hub is to build that community so that they have those advantages around them.
The sex organs of baobab flowers may solve the puzzle of trees that bear more fruit

Baobab flowers have male and female parts but individual trees appear to be favouring one rather than the other.

Baobabs are the mainstay of rural communities in some parts of Africa  they provide food in the form of leaves that are cooked like spinach, and large oval fruit which are rich in vitamin C. Oils are extracted from the crushed seeds (used in the cosmetic industry), and bark may be used for making rope.

Recently the trees have provided a source of income as local people collect the fruits and sell them to companies that extract the white fruit powder for the food industry and crush the seeds for their oils.

In southern Africa, some baobab trees are known for consistently producing large amounts of fruit, while others produce only a few fruits every year, despite flowering profusely. These trees are sometimes referred to as female and male, respectively, by local people.

The reason for this discrepancy in fruit production has puzzled scientists for many years. For example, scientists have looked at whether soil types affect fruit production. One study in the Vhembe district located at the north-western tip of South Africa failed to find a link to land use or soil type . But another in Benin, West Africa found that there was a link to soil type and productivity. But even this didnt fully explain why some trees produced so much more fruit than others in the region.

We looked at aspects of the trees reproduction for clues to explain the discrepancy in fruit production. We asked the question: do trees with different fruit production levels have different floral features? African baobabs (Adansonia digitata) are hermaphrodites; flowers have both male and female reproductive organs within the same flower. Most plants are hermaphrodite so this isnt uncommon.

Our study found that the flowers of trees that produce more fruit had better developed female reproductive organs. And that the trees that did not produce many fruit had flowers with more prominent male parts.

This has ecological and economic implications. Both types of trees should be protected in the wild or cultivated for the survival of baobab populations and for long-term sustainable harvest of the fruit.

Flowers are bisexual, but biased

Even though baobabs are hermaphrodites, the sex organs fulfil different roles.

The male stamens manufacture the yellow pollen that produces the sperm (male sex cell). The pollen must be transferred to the female stigma (of a flower on another tree) so that it can deliver the sperm to the egg cell in the ovule.

The pollen grows a tube down to the ovule in the ovary in order to do so. After fertilisation, the ovule forms a seed and the ovary develops into a fruit. So each flower may produce a single fruit with many seeds if fertilisation is successful.

Our study shows that while all baobab flowers possess both male and female parts, the flowers of good fruit producers and poor fruit producers differ markedly in the size and functionality of their male and female sex organs. This means that some trees are taking on a male role (pollen production), while others are performing the female function (seed production).

The male trees (poor producers) have much larger stamen balls (with anthers that produce pollen) than female trees (producers), which in turn have larger stigmas to receive the pollen on their greater surface area. In addition, the stigmas of female trees are more receptive to pollen grains than those of male trees.

The stamens of the male trees therefore produce much more pollen than the female trees. And their pollen is more viable, meaning its more likely to germinate and grow a tube to deliver sperm to fertilise the egg  which then forms the seed. When mature and released from the fruit, the seed may germinate to produce a seedling that could grow into a new baobab tree.

It is important to note that most baobabs are self-incompatible, meaning they dont fertilise themselves even though they have both male and female parts in their flowers. Therefore, they cannot produce fruit without pollen from another tree. Pollinators are needed to perform this task.

The baobabs large, pendulous white flowers open at night, and must be pollinated by the next morning if they are to produce fruit. They rotate their stigma during the night to avoid depositing their own pollen on the stigma within the same flower. During the night, they attract pollinators with nectar and scent to pick up the pollen from one flower and deposit it onto the stigma of another flower (preferably on another tree).

In southern Africa, the main pollinators are insects, especially hawk moths  unlike other parts of Africa, where bats are the pollinating agents. These pollinators may deposit self-pollen on flowers of the same tree, but it is important that they pollinate flowers on another tree to ensure fruit production.

Baobabs taking on a male or female role

It appears from our study that individual baobab trees are investing resources predominantly in either male or female sex organs. Though they are still bisexual, they are effectively moving towards one sex or the other. Both kinds of trees are needed for continued health of the baobab populations. Without the pollen to provide the sperm and the ovule to provide the egg, no seeds or fruits will form.

The importance of protecting both types of tree, against elephant damage for example, needs to be communicated to the conservationists in southern Africa (and other parts of Africa) where the trees are recognised as male or female. Similarly, for future cultivation of trees in areas where populations have been reduced, it would be important to ensure that both types of tree are present.

We are following up with a study to investigate the pattern of pollen dispersal and contribution to seed formation. This will tell us which trees are most important in fathering the next generation and whether our interpretation of the roles of male and female trees is correct.

Anastashia Chetty, who studied the reproductive biology of the African baobab for her Masters degree at the University of the Witwatersrand, also contributed to this article.

Glynis V. Cron, Associate Professor, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Ed Witkowski, Professor, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science, University of the Witwatersrand; Kelsey Glennon, Senior Lecturer, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, and Sarah Venter, Baobab Ecologist, University of the Witwatersrand. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Photonics unlocks second quantum revolution

Wits Universitys future hub of Quantum Technology is switched on.

Quantum light has a bright future that is being seen in the progressive application of light at the Structured Light Laboratory of Wits University. It is redefining the future of data connectivity and heightening efficiencies in manufacturing while it could open up novel scientific diagnostic tools in health care, amongst other sectors.

The Wits Structured Light Laboratory is primarily a photonics laboratory that has chosen to work in application within the field of Communications as it seeks to solve real world communications needs.

This is a laboratory for change makers with laser focus  literally - as here Distinguished Professor Andrew Forbes and his team of Wits School of Physics students discover, translate and innovate using patterns of light. Forbes is the youngest winner of the Gold Medal from the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP).

Next level potential of photonics

Photonics is enabling the next quantum leap for the world, says Forbes. We are moving into the Century of the Photon with implications of a brighter future. In the past century it was about controlling electrons, giving rise to micro-electronics (Silicon Valley and the like) but today our focus is on controlling the light. Photonic devices control this light and therefore we are steadily seeing photonics replace electronics.

The dream is to create a Silicon Valley for quantum photonics here in South Africa.

He explains that while quantum mechanics is a theory that has been in existence for over a century and has given birth to disruptive technologies such as the laser and the transistor, recent advances in the engineering of quantum states have given hope for a second quantum revolution to realise new technologies.

These next level technologies include enhanced medical imaging, efficient light-harvesting materials (clean energy), secure optical communication networks, exponentially faster computers (cyber security), and more precise measurement systems (metrology).

Building on the science of structured light

The labs team of scientists broke through a catalytical barrier in 2016 when they discovered ways to increase the bandwidth of communication systems. At that time, Wits and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) demonstrated that more than 100 patterns of light in an optical communications link could potentially increase the bandwidth of communication systems by a factor of 100.

Not stopping at a factor of 100, the team went on to interrogate the next level by taking it to a factor of 1 000.

With a vision to see new frontiers in communications, Forbes explains: We want to make the communication channels faster. If you can get 1 000 patterns to work in the channel and each pattern is carrying the same capacity as todays communications system, then you have instantly increased the bandwidth by 1 000.

Not satisfied just with speed, Wits brought in the toolkit of quantum light (how to control single photons) and entangled states. By bringing the two together we can make communications systems not only fast by using many patterns but also fundamentally secure by bringing in the quantum toolkit.

New secret of secure information

With everything being cyber and online it is necessary to make engagements and transactions secure. Forbes confirms the role of quantum physics in this equation, saying:

Knowing that no one can break a security code is imperative. The final piece of this puzzle is to use the quantum aspects of light to make information fundamentally secure. We use the laws of physics to make data more secure so that someone would have to break the laws of nature to break the code.

Wits made a bold contribution in this space this year through pioneering a new quantum approach for sharing a secret amongst many parties, setting a new record for the highest dimensions and parties.

''When you think of networks you think of many connections, many parties who wish to share information and not just two. Now we know how to do this the quantum way," he says. The result here is an example of the team pushing the state-of-the-art and bringing quantum communications closer to true network implementation.

Progressive postgraduate qualifications in Quantum Technology

Quantum technology is a new growth industry for South Africa, Africa and worldwide. Wits University has taken its first steps to enable the industry through an initiative known as WitsQ.

The initiative, says Forbes will strategically promote and advance Quantum Technology, bringing together stakeholders that are actively involved in this specialist field and those who wish to engage in Quantum related activities.

WitsQ has a focus on the research, innovation, business, education and outreach, and ethics of quantum technologies, creating a collaborative forum that includes the sciences, engineering, social sciences/humanities, health and business. It will also contribute to training the next generation of scientists and researchers.

One of the ultimate goals of the Wits Structured Light Laboratory is to innovate, creating new industries and companies. We are not training students but rather building a quantum work force for South Africa, says Forbes. This requires a focus that gives students a high-tech environment in which to generate their new ideas and translate them into devices, and then a business model from which we enable them to deliver that pipeline of devices to the market  a balance that will be sought through WitsQ.

We must try to maximise impact, make a lasting impression on our field, and translate that into new economies for the country. The hope is for critical commercial and economic impact for the generations to come, and one through which we see a brilliant new spectrum of light ahead, concludes Forbes.
Access to information victory for CALUSA

The Mthatha High Court recently ordered the Sakhisizwe Local Municipality to release documents related to its state of governance

On Wednesday 9 June, the High Court in Mthatha granted an access to information request made by the Cala University Student Association (CALUSA). Represented by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, CALUSA approached the Court for access to documents on the Sakhisizwe Local Municipalitys state of governance. This litigation forms part of ongoing efforts to address the crisis of maladministration and financial mismanagement within the Municipality.

The Centre for Applied Legal Studies represents the Cala University Student Association (CALUSA)  a developmental NGO from the Sakhisizwe area of the Eastern Cape. CALUSA has spent the last three years trying to address service delivery issues in the area, including raw sewerage flowing down the streets of the towns of Cala and Elliot. They have made every effort in this time to access documents held by the Sakhisizwe Local Municipality which would assist in identifying and addressing the root cause of the current crisis, without success.

CALUSA thus contacted CALS to assist in making a formal access to information request of the Municipality using the Promotion of Access to Information Act or PAIA. After the request was refused in August last year, we approached the High Court in Mthatha to review this decision. On 9 June 2021, the High Court ordered that the Municipality must release all the documents which we requested that are in its possession. This moves us one step closer to the ultimate goal of having the Municipality dissolved and placed under administration.

Access to information is often the first step in promoting other human rights, says Vuyolethu Mntonintshi from CALS. It facilitates transparency, accountability and good governance. We believe this information will be instrumental in showing that the Sakhisizwe Local Municipality is in the midst of a crisis born from maladministration and financial mismanagement. This crisis has clearly already had a devastating effect on the communities the Municipality is meant to serve.

Read more in our founding papers here.

For inquiries, please contact:

Vuyolethu Mntonintshi at Vuyolethu.Mntonintshi@wits.ac.za

ABOUT CALUSA

The Cala University Students Association (CALUSA) is a developmental non-governmental organisation based in Cala, within the jurisdiction of the Sakhisizwe Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape. CALUSA is mandated by structures such as the Sakhisizwe Moral Regeneration Movement, the Cala Ratepayers Association, Elliot Residents Association, Domestic Violence Monitoring Unit, Siyazakha Land and Development Forum. Find out more: http://calusa.co.za/.
A 20-year-old man was killed and seven others wounded in a Friday night shooting in Savannah, Georgia, according to police.

In a news conference Saturday, Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter revised the number of victims down to eight total and clarified that the victims' ages ranged from 18 months to 33 years old. Initial reports said nine people were shot -- one fatally -- and that the youngest victim was 2 years old.

In a news release, police identified the man who was killed as 20-year-old Arthur Milton. "We have, in addition to that, two other (adult) victims who are listed in critical condition at the hospital," Minter said.

The remaining victims, including the 18-month-old, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, Minter said.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 200 block of Avery Street in Savannah around 9 p.m., according to a news release from police. Several victims were found at the scene, while others had been taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle.

In the news conference, Minter said there were people standing outside a residence when a dark colored or red sedan approached. The occupants of the vehicle then began shooting into the crowd before driving off, the chief said.

The shooting "involved at least three apartments and six vehicles" that were damaged as a result of the gunfire, Minter said. "We recovered at least 60 shell casings at the scene."

Police continue to investigate what led to the shooting, and detectives were still trying to interview the shooting victims at the hospital on Saturday.

Minter pleaded with the public to come forward with any information that could help "for the sake of that 1-year-old child that was injured last night."

Investigators believe Friday's shooting "may be related to an incident that occurred at the same location" on Tuesday when the home was damaged by 10 gunshots.

At the time, however, police were unable to find witnesses and nobody would provide them with information, Minter said, calling it "very disturbing." Plainclothes officers returned to the area Wednesday but still no one would cooperate with them.

"Two days later we end up with a mass shooting at the same location," the chief said.

"Senseless acts of gun violence in our community have to stop," he said. "It's very disturbing what we're seeing across the country, and the level of gun violence that we're seeing across the country, it's disturbing and it's senseless."

"We need your help with info. #SaySomething," Mayor Van Johnson tweeted.

The shooting in Savannah was one of at least three that occurred Friday night, injuring at least 34 people. The deadly incident in Savannah, along with those in Austin, Texas; Dallas, and Chicago brought the total of mass shootings in the US in 2021 to 267, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
GEDDES, N.Y.  The Great New York State Fair will open at 100% capacity this August, after state officials initially said the cap would be cut to half.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that when 70% of New Yorker are vaccinated, most COVID-19 restrictions, including capacity limits, would be lifted. The state vaccination rate was at 69.9% Monday.

"This is a testament to our remarkable progress against COVID, making it possible for thousands more visitors from across the country and all over the world to enjoy the Fair's unique attractions and experience the best of what New York has to offer, said Cuomo.

Most of the popular buildings will also be open during the fair, as well as the Midway  with food and drink vendors offering traditional fair fare, wine slushies and more.

Masks will still be required.

The fair will run from Aug. 20  Sept. 6. Tickets will be $3 per person, with admission for kids 12 and under free.
FLORIDA, N.Y.  Two people were injured after New York State Police say a man who was driving while intoxicated lost a tire on the Thruway in Montgomery County on June 11.

According to police, 26-year-old Nicholas M. Moulton, of Johnstown, was driving west on the Thruway in a Ford F350 when he lost his rear driver side tire around 11 a.m.

Police say the tire cross into the lane of oncoming traffic, hitting the hood and windshielf of a Ford Focus with two passengers. The driver, 68-year-old Dariusz M. Sady, of Utica, was taken by ambulance to Mount Carmel Church in Amsterdam before being airlifted to Albany Medical Center to be treated for serious injuries. He is in critical condition, but stable, according to police.

The passenger of the vehicle, 67-year-old Susan J. Sady, was taken to Albany Medical Center with injuries not considered life-threatening.

Moulton was not injured in the crash.

When state police interviewed Moulton, they believed him to be intoxicated. He was taken into custody and his blood alcohol level was found to be .08%.

Moulton has been charged with second-degree vehicular assault and driving while intoxicated. He was turned over to a sober party and issued appearance tickets for next week.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  The man who was arrested after the discovery of a dead body on Schuyler Avenue last week was in a relationship with the man who died, according to prosecutors.

30-year-old Cody Bryant was formally charged in the case Monday. Bryant was arrested after police were told they'd find the body of Brian Duvall at a home on Schuyler Avenue...and that Bryant had discussed disposing of his body.

Police say Bryant initially told them Duvall wasn't at the house but may be at a home in Buffalo, Indiana. He also said they'd been in a relationship for several years and was concerned that Duvall would be found dead.

Bryant said the two had an argument, and Duvall told him to move out. Duvall's body was found in a bedroom, and he appeared to have been dead "for a period of time," prosecutors say. Syringes and drug paraphernalia were also found in the room.

Bryant was charged today with a felony count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon, and misdemeanor counts of False Informing and Failing to Report Human Remains.

The Coroner is waiting on toxicology reports before ruling on the cause of Duvall's death.
Woodward, OK (73801)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms this evening, then cloudy with rain likely late. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Recent photographs of African wild dogs (including pups) in the Niokolo Koba National Park of Senegal, West Africa, is a reason to rejoice, as the species has all but disappeared across West Africa.

Remote camera traps set up by Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, and Senegals Directorate of National Parks captured rare images of these wild dogs with pups, ranging from 6 to 8 months, in Niokolo Koba. Scientists believe these animals are members of the last surviving population of the endangered African wild dog in West Africa. According to Panthera's Marine Drouilly, Regional Carnivore Monitoring Coordinator for West and Central Africa, the wild dogs are likely using the dry riverbed of the Niokolo River as a corridor to move across the park.

A camera trap picture of a pack of African wild dogs in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

The Niokolo Koba National Park encompasses 9130 km2 in southeastern Senegal, bordering Guinea and close to the Gambia. Established in 1954 and expanded in 1969, the protected area was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. Unfortunately, in 2007, the park was added to the UNESCO List of Endangered World Heritage sites.

View on the Gambian river in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

Like other parts of West Africa, this protected area is plagued by multiple issues like wildlife poaching, illegal logging, invasive species infestation, linear infrastructure development, livestock grazing, and other human disturbances.

Sagna, the head ranger of Niokolo Koba National Park discovering a poacher camp and the horns of various species of antelopes that were poached. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

Drouilly is currently part of the Leopard Program team of Panthera and is working with partners to establish the leopard population status in West Africa. According to estimates, leopards have lost 86-95% of their historical distribution in West Africa. Yet, these big cats have received little attention in the region. Scientists hope that the Leopard Program will help gather crucial baseline data needed to plan an effective conservation program for the protection of West Africa's leopards.

Robin Horion (left) and Kai Fitchen (right) setting up a camera trap survey by a waterhole in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

A camera trap picture of a leopard in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit Panthera/DPN

As part of the program, Drouilly and her colleagues are setting up camera traps across a vast swath of the Niokolo Koba National Park with support from Senegals Directorate of National Parks. The team is also monitoring populations of prey species of leopards and other elusive species in the park.

Marine collecting a lion scat in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Kai Fitchen

Nikolo Koba's lions are also under threat. Lions are critically endangered in West Africa. The distribution of the species has declined to only 1.1% of the historical range in the region. Thus, Drouilly is also studying the lions of the national park with the help of camera trap images and other scientific methods.

A camera trap picture of two lion cubs in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

In addition to the big cats, elephants of Niokolo Koba have also been hit hard. Their numbers have dramatically declined in the park due to poaching for tusks and meat. The savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) is now an endangered species as per IUCN's recent listing of the species on March 25, 2021. Data, including photos, on other wildlife populations like African wild dogs and elephants in the area is a bonus, and in this case, positive signs for the future of these species. At least one elephant has been identified in the park with the help of Panthera/DPN's camera traps. DNA extraction from dungs is expected to reveal further details about the park's elephant population.

A camera trap picture of what could be the last remaining elephant bull in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

Given all the threats facing Niokolo Koba's wildlife, the photographs of African wild dogs in the area served as a great motivation for the scientists and park authorities. The dogs are wide-ranging, elusive animals, and extremely shy of humans. Hence, camera traps were the only way to gather information about their presence.

A camera trap picture of a Guinea baboon in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

Several other species like porcupines, adult leopards, Derby elands, western hartebeests, etc., were also captured by the camera traps set up in Niokolo Koba.

A camera trap picture of a Derby eland_ a critically endangered antelope in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

Over the last few years, Panthera Senegal has partnered with the park authorities to intensify anti-poaching patrols in the area. The diversity of wildlife captured by the camera traps and the growing size of antelope species and buffalo herds in the Park indicate that conservation efforts are bearing fruit.

A camera trap picture of an Abyssinian ground hornbill in Niokolo Koba National Park. Image credit: Panthera/DPN

The Niokolo Koba National Park model serves as an inspiration for conservationists striving hard to protect West Africa's fragile ecosystems and disappearing wildlife. Hopefully, there will be more good news pouring in from the region in the coming times.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (R) speaks with US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden and leaders of the G7 during a reception at The Eden Project in south west England on June 11, 2021. - G7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States meet this weekend for the first time in nearly two years, for three-day talks in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. (Photo by JACK HILL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JACK HILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Violence in Texas, Georgia and Illinois brings number of US mass shootings to 270 so far this year
All eligible adults across Wales offered first dose of coronavirus vaccine six weeks ahead of schedule, health minister announces

All eligible across Wales will have been offered a coronavirus vaccine by today  six weeks ahead of schedule.

Over 2,213,000 first dose vaccines have been carried out across Wales since the rollout began in December 2020. A total of 1,378,010 people have been fully vaccinated.

In North Wales Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board confirmed on Friday that 300,000 adults across the region have now received both doses of a vaccine.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan has thanked Wales fantastic vaccination teams as she confirmed that all eligible adults in Wales will have been offered a vaccine by today  six weeks ahead of the Welsh Governments schedule.





She is also urging anyone who has changed their mind about having a vaccine to make an appointment as part of Wales no one left behind policy.

All health boards have systems in place to enable people to get an appointment if they think they have been missed of the list or if they have changed their mind.

Vaccination clinics across Wales are accelerating second doses amid growing concerns about the spread of the delta variant of the virus across the UK.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: Wales is leading the world when it comes to the percentage of our population who have been vaccinated.

Im delighted that today we have reached the milestone of offering all eligible adults their first dose  six weeks ahead of schedule.

This is a remarkable achievement and I want to thank everyone involved for their incredible efforts. However, we are not being complacent  I want to encourage younger adults to take up this offer of the vaccine and we dont want to see anyone left behind.

We are keen to see 18 to 39-year-olds vaccinated and hope to reach our milestone of 75% take-up in this age group by the end of this month.

Please take up your vaccine appointment; it offers protection to you, your loved ones and your communities and it is our best route out of the pandemic.

Jenny Spreafico, Immunisation Co-ordinator for Powys Teaching Health Board and a school nurse by background, added: I want to thank everyone who has done their bit and come forward to get their vaccine so far, and I want to encourage anyone who hasnt yet to come forward for yours.

If you cant attend, contact your health board to rearrange so no dose is wasted. More than 85% of people in Wales have had their first dose.

Your vaccine offer will not expire  if you need more information, the Public Health Wales website can help. Getting the vaccine protects you, your friends and family  and your community.
New 2.5m business support announced by Welsh Government targeted at indoor attractions and wedding venues plus others affected by ongoing restrictions

Businesses in Wales materially affected by the phased move to Alert Level One, such as indoor attractions and wedding venues, will receive 2.5m in further support from the Welsh Government, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, has announced today.

Since 17 May, businesses in Wales still affected by coronavirus restrictions have been able to apply for up to 25,000 in emergency support to help meet ongoing costs until the end of June.

Welsh Government say additional funding is now being made available to support businesses affected by the staged transition to Alert Level One, due to the impact the delta variant of COVID-19 is having on transmission rates. The staging takes account of concerns over the impact the delta variant of COVID-19 is having on transmission rates and potential increase in hospitalisations.

Support will be available for businesses that have capacity for events of more than 30 people indoors or in contained spaces and to businesses that are still closed because of ongoing restrictions.





To receive the funding, businesses will need to have applied to the Welsh Governments latest round of emergency funding  the deadline for which has been extended until 12pm Wednesday 16 June 2021.

Eligible applicants will automatically receive the top-up where possible, or will be required to self-declare via a simple online process. Details are available on the Business Wales website.

Businesses will be entitled to an additional payment of between 875 and 5,000, depending on their size and circumstance, to cover the period up to the end of June.

If the public health situation allows, Ministers hope to see Wales move fully to Alert Level One on the 21st June. The First Minister will confirm any changes later this week.

Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething said: My priority as the Economy Minister is to ensure the Welsh Government stands ready to kick-start a strong Welsh recovery with the right for support Welsh businesses and workers.

Over recent weeks, as restrictions have gradually been lifted, we have all seen many elements our old lives opening back up in a Covid-safe way. This can only be good news for our economy. However, we know that despite our success in controlling rates of Covid-19 and rolling out our vaccination programme, the delta variant continues to present new challenges.

It means we have needed to take a phased approach to moving to Alert Level One, relaxing restrictions around outdoor events and activities first, because the evidence suggests the risk of infection is significantly lower outdoors than indoors. While this is absolutely the right decision for Wales we recognise the impact it will have on a significant number of our businesses, particularly wedding venues and indoor attractions.

The last 15 months have been difficult and traumatic for businesses and their employees with many fighting to survive. Huge personal sacrifices have been made by many to make it through. As a Government we have pulled every lever we can to back Welsh businesses.

Today I am announcing further funding for those businesses in Wales  such as wedding venues and indoor attractions  to help cover costs as a result of the staged transition to Alert Level One made necessary by the risks posed by the delta variant.

Since October 2020, the Welsh Government has provided 184,890 grants worth 686.6m, with applications to the latest round of funding still being received and processed.

In addition, unlike in England, Welsh Ministers have ensured the 100% rates relief scheme for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will run for the full 12 months of this financial year, they say This measure is backed by 380m to help provide breathing space for around 70,000 businesses this year.

The Minister added: Overall, we have provided over 400 million of business support over and above Wales share of UK Government spending on business support in England. It has involved tough decisions but they have been necessary to protect jobs and businesses in this crisis. In short, a cut and paste approach would have cost Wales jobs and businesses.
Last month, Amazon announced that it would be relaxing mask requirements at its fulfillment centers and other facilities located in the United States. According to a text message that was sent out at the time, vaccinated Amazonians could begin going without any masks at facilities unless mandated by state or local regulations. This was announced even as the company refuses to release the total number of cases at fulfillment centers.

The Baltimore Amazon Workers Rank-and-File Safety Committee issues an urgent warning to Amazon workers: Amazon and the capitalist class as a whole have failed to contain COVID-19. Instead, they wish to normalize death and sickness and blame any further illnesses on working people. Amazon workers must oppose this!

Throughout the pandemic, Amazon has referred to us as essential workers. While we are glad to perform an essential service, from the beginning this term has had a double meaning. While we were forced to remain at work, Amazon refused to provide us, its workers, with basic safety requirements.

Amazon.com warehouse and fulfillment center in Shakopee, Minnesota. (Photo: Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons)

In no way has this been more obvious than Amazons refusal to report basic information about the pandemic to the public. Every day, Amazonians receive generic text alerts from the company which notify us of individuals that have tested positive in recent days for COVID-19. The company has steadfastly refused to release essential details about these cases, such as what shift and where in the building cases were detected.

Instead, the company, with ex-CEO Jeffrey Bezos, the worlds wealthiest human, in the lead, has employed public relations scams to present the corporation as an idyllic paradise where no one ever gets sick.

In October 2020, over eight months ago, Amazon begrudgingly released the number of infections recorded at its warehouses through the first months of the pandemic. At the time, according to the company, over 20,000 Amazonians had gotten sick with COVID-19. Prior to this, Amazonians had to rely on the initiatives of workers and other unofficial means to find out the total number of cases.

Since then, we have not heard one word from Bezos or Amazon about how many cases exist. Instead, Amazon is condescendingly offering us a $40 bonus if we report our vaccination.

As with Amazons recent focus on reducing work-related injuries in its warehouses, this is a way for the company to put the blame for any continued spread of COVID-19 on the workers themselves, absolving itself and its reckless policies of any of the blame. While not reducing infections, it will provide Amazon with a justification for increasing its exploitation of the workforce.

There is no reason to believe that the pandemic has ended. In the United Kingdom, the disturbing increase of instances of the Delta variant, which is said to be at least 60 percent more transmissible, proves that now is no time to let down our guard. According to Public Health England, since February a number of hospitalizations have occurred among even vaccinated people. Several cases have even proven fatal. To make matters worse here, less than half the US population is even vaccinated.

In addition to dropping the requirement for masks, we have seen the number of social distancing teams reduced significantly. In-person standup meetings at the workplaces have returned and clearly violate the six-foot social distancing rule.

Former-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos possesses nearly $200 billion in personal wealth. Despite this, Bezos paid less than $1 billion last year in personal income tax, according to the executive compensation consulting firm Equilar. Bezoss personal holdings grew by $99 billion last year alone.

Amazonians must ask themselves: Why should we face death so that such individuals can continue to reap fortunes from our backs? Amazon relies on us to do all of the work. It is about time we laid down a few ground rules of our own.

We urge our fellow Amazonians to continue to observe all social distancing and public safety requirements in all possible circumstances. But the fight for safety cannot be left up to isolated individual efforts. Amazonians must join and form independent rank-and-file safety committees and seek to affiliate them to the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees.

The Baltimore Amazon Workers Independent Rank and File Safety Committee was formed last year amid the pandemic. We are a workers organization that is formed of, by and for workers, and work to defend our fellow Amazonians from the corporations exploitation and unsafe policies in pursuit of profit.

Our committee demands the following:

 A genuine system of contract tracing within Amazons facilities. Workers must know, in real time, the number of cases, the department and the shift time in which a COVID-19 case has been detected. All workers known to have been in proximity to infected individuals must be allowed to quarantine for two weeks with full pay and health benefits.

 Paid time off, with no threat of termination, for workers unwilling to risk themselves during the pandemic. Workers must be rehired at the same wage or higher if they had been previously terminated for protesting and resisting Amazons abuses.

 Accessible, reliable, safe testing and vaccination for all employees who desire them. These items should be overseen and administered by medical professionals with the required background training and experience in their fields.

 Closure of facilities for necessary cleaning. If an outbreak is detected at a fulfillment center, it must be closed for at least two days and deep-cleaned with no loss of pay to the workers affected.

 An end to abusive speed-up. Extended break periods at the end of every hour to maintain health and safety. Time Off Task (TOT) tracking and other forms of harassment must be abolished.

 Immediate reinstatement of hazard pay with retroactive pay increases.

In addition, pursuant to our mission to defend our fellow Amazonians, we call upon Amazon to provide all information it has surrounding the death of Poushawn Brown, a co-worker who died after working in the companys COVID-19 testing department last winter.

We demand:

 The release of all information relating to the death of Poushawn Brown, including job requirements, on-site interactions and potential exposures. This should include internal company communications and deliberations about how it should respond to Browns death.

 Full financial and medical support for the Brown family, paid for by Amazon.

It is clear that stopping the pandemic is a question of workers themselves asserting their rights in workplaces. We cannot rely on the Retail, Warehouse and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which launched a failed organizing drive at Amazon earlier this year, or any other pro-capitalist organization, to defend us. The RWDSU has failed to take up a single demand against Amazon. Even when a worker died at the Bessemer, Alabama facility it was trying to organize, the RWDSU kept its mouth shut and said nothing.

We encourage all Amazonians in agreement with these demands to join a rank-and-file committee in your area or contact the World Socialist Web Site and find out how to start one in your workplace.
On 21 May the Bundestag (parliament) passed the Works Council Modernisation Act. The new legislation makes it easier to set up works councils and provides them with additional powers with regard to the use of artificial intelligence and the organisation of mobile forms of working.

Germanys ruling coalition parties, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) voted in favour of the law, together with the Green Party. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the new liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) voted against. The Left Party abstained, arguing that the act was inadequate and should award even more powers to trade unions.

The new law is designed to strengthen the influence of these organisations in workplaces. The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), which was involved in drafting the bill, expressed its alarm in 2019 that only 9 percent of German concerns had a works council and only 40 percent of workers in Germany were represented by a works council. Presenting the law in the Bundestag, Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) proclaimed: We need more works councils in Germany.

German federal parliament, Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

In fact, the initiative is not about improving workers rights and incomes, but rather tightening the stranglehold of the trade unions, which exert their influence in workplaces mainly through works councils.

The government and the DGB fear that in the face of growing class tensions, social struggles will develop that they can no longer control. In past decades, the unions played a decisive role in suppressing any form of opposition and organising job and wage cuts as co-managers. Today they have hardly any influence, especially in smaller companies and modern industries such as the IT sector.

Heil openly admitted in the Bundestag that the law was intended to strengthen the trade unions function as co-managers. He said that works councils very often, in many cases, now also take on co-management functions in German companies in processes involving crisis and change.

The Left Party claims in its amendment to the law: Workplace co-determination is a model of success. More than 100 years ago, and after long struggles by workers and trade unions, the Works Council Act came into force. It laid the foundation stone for workplace democracy.

This is a blatant historical falsification. In reality, the Works Council Act was part of the measures adopted by German social democracy to suppress the revolutionary movement that threatened to sweep away not only the monarchy but also capitalism after the bloody carnage of the First World War.

In the November Revolution of 1918, workers and soldiers councils spread like wildfire across Germany, with revolutionary-minded workers setting the tone. Germanys ruling circles feared that these councilsas was the case in Russia a year earlierwould take power and establish a socialist soviet republic.

The SPD did everything in its power to prevent such a development. The government, led by Friedrich Ebert (SPD), allied itself with the German high command in order to violently put down the workers uprising and assassinate its leaders, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. The Workers Councils Act, which they put forward at the end of 1919-start of 1920, was intended to transform workers councils into organs of class collaboration.

The word councils was a verbal concession to the council movement, but the law intended the opposite. The works councils were obliged to ensure the greatest possible economic performance of the enterprise and protect companies from shocksi.e., strikes and other actions by the workers.

Revolutionary workers who had joined the newly formed German Communist Party (KPD) and the Independent SPD (USPD) during the Weimar Republic protested against this obvious attempt to replace the workers and soldiers councils with corporatist organs of class collaboration.

In a biography of KPD member Jacob Walcher, the authors note, On January 13, 1920, Reichswehr Minister [Gustav] Noske and Interior Minister [Wolfgang] Heine, both SPD, had protesting workers shot in front of the Reichstag building on the occasion of the second reading of the law in the National Assembly. Forty two lay dead and 105 were wounded. After this bloodbath, the way was clear for the adoption of the law on February 4, 1920.[1]

The post-war German Federal Republic continued the tradition of the Weimar Works Council Act. Within the framework of the German system of co-determination, class collaboration was regulated and institutionalised by law. As early as April 1946, the western Allied forces enacted a new Works Council Act. In November 1952 the Works Constitution Act came into force, and in January 1972 it was amended.

The law obliges management and the works council to cooperate in confidence and maintain confidentiality. It prohibits the works council from calling industrial action. Instead, it is obliged to negotiate once a month on contentious issues with a serious intent to reach agreement and make proposals for the settlement of differences of opinion. (section 74, subsection 2, BetrVG)

This legally regulated class collaboration is directed against workers and any defence of their interests using measures of industrial action. This has become particularly clear in the last three decades, during which the situation for workers has deteriorated continuously.

Millions of jobs have been destroyed on a socially acceptable basis, i.e., without a murmur. After German reunification in 1990, the trade unions helped decimate the East German economy with instruments such as zero-hour, short-time work and so-called transfer companies for those laid off.

The millions of unemployed created were then forced into the low-wage sector in 2004/2005 by the Agenda 2010 and the Hartz laws introduced by Gerhard Schroders SPD-Green Party government. At the same time, many thousands of well-paid jobs in industry were wiped out.

In the wake of the financial crisis of 20082009, the unions supported massive bailouts for the banks and subsequent austerity programmes. The German government instituted wage settlements that resulted in real wage losses for many years. The unions were a key instrument for the banks to pass on the consequences of their unrestrained speculative activities onto the working class.

In the course of the coronavirus pandemic, the unions have been the most vigorous proponents of the official profits before lives policy, ensuring that production continue during lockdowns, even though workers health and lives were at stake. They studiously made sure that a lid was kept on the number of reported COVID-19 cases in factories.

Digitalisation and automation processes mean that another major upheaval is about to take place in production and the service sectors. To implement these new technologies at the expense of workers, the companies need the unions and their works councils. The new law serves this purpose.

For years, the DGB, IG Metall and other trade unions have been arguing that jobs should be cut in the course of digitalisation, employing the same methods used to break up the steel industry and the East German economy: i.e., promises of retraining and re-education within the framework of transfer companies, which retain workers for a short time before releasing them into unemployment. The new law extends the powers of the trade unions in this regard.

Works councils are also being awarded more influence on the organisation of mobile work and technical changes in the workplaceincluding those related to the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI). In smaller companies, whose employees are often young and poorly paid, the establishment and election of a works council is to be made easier.

The procedure for electing a works council and a youth and trainee representation (JAV) will be simplified. Since works councils do not exist in one-third of German companies with 51 to 100 employees, the simplification of the organisation of works council elections are also justifiable to overcome possible disadvantages resulting from the promotion of splinter groups and dubious election proposals, the DGB writes in its statement on the law.

Those who want to set up a works council or a JAV will receive extended special protection against dismissal, which already applies if someone undertakes preparatory measures for the establishment of a works council.

The plan is to involve tens of thousands of workplace officials to prevent social struggles and replenish the shrinking ranks of the unions. The membership of the eight unions organised in the DGB has fallen since the turn of the millennium from 7.8 million to 5.9 million last year. Only about one in seven workers is currently a member of a union. The Works Council Modernisation Act is aimed at stemming this haemorrhage.

The governments efforts to strengthen the unions are also linked to the return of German militarism. The German army (Bundeswehr) is being massively rearmed and prepared for military interventions across the globe. Preparations for war against Russia in particular, are intensifying day by day.

Historically, the trade unions have played a criminal role in the militarization of Germany. In the First World War, the unions concluded a truce with the government, suppressed all political and social opposition and sent hundreds of thousands of young workers into battle at the front, where they died senselessly defending the Kaiser and capitalism.

After Hitler came to power, the General Confederation of German Trade Unions (ADGB) sought incorporation into the National Socialist state. On May 1, 1933, the trade unions demonstrated under the Swastika and offered Hitler their cooperation. The latter concluded that he had nothing to fear from the unions and replaced them with the German Labour Front (DAF), which united entrepreneurs and workers in one organisation.

The efforts of the ruling class to strengthen the trade unions is not limited to Germany. In the US, President Joe Biden personally called on Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, to vote to register the RWDSU union. To no avail, however. In the end only 13 percent of the 5,800 workers at the warehouse voted for the corrupt union, from which they expect nothing other than sellouts and the enrichment of the union bureaucrats.

Just as in the US, the German government is relying on the unions to suppress growing opposition in the factories, plants and offices. The task of the unions is to discipline workers, keep production running smoothly and increase exploitation.

The transformation of the unions into factory police is not simply the result of the undoubted corruption of individual functionaries. It results from the trade union perspective, which recognises capitalist private property, legally regulated class collaboration and competition for markets and profits. As competition on the world market intensifies, the unions line up closer and closer with their corporations and governments. Workers who are still members of a union are given no voice. At the same time they are made to finance the bloated trade union apparatus with their membership fees.

In 2018, for example, IG Metall reported that its then 2.27 million members had paid a record 585 million euros in dues, an increase over the previous year of 4.3 percent. Only 40 million eurosless than 7 percentwent to members in the form of strike pay or legal support. More than half a billion euros flowed into the offices, staff salaries, reserves and real estate of the union. The union executive committees, like the works council chairpersons in major companies, receive annual salaries amounting to several hundred thousand euros.

In order for the working class to fight back in looming class struggles, it must organise in different factories, industries and countries in opposition to the ruling elite and corporatist unions. To this end, the World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party call for the formation of action committees independent of the trade unions in all workplaces and for the unification of such committees in an International Workers Alliance.

Join our Facebook group and participate in this initiative.

Note

[1] Ernst Stock/Karl Walcher: Jacob Walcher, 18871970. Gewerkschafter und Revolutionar zwischen Berlin, Paris und New York, Biographien europaischer Antifaschisten, p. 56
As the strike of 80 food manufacturing workers at the General Mills factory in western Sydney passed the seven-day mark, the United Workers Union (UWU) held a family day on Saturday.

The event was a graphic expression of the UWUs role in isolating the stoppage, suppressing discussion among the workers and promoting the very political forces responsible for the decades-long destruction of full-time jobs, pro-business restructuring and suppression of wages, all of which are central issues in the dispute.

Despite claiming a national membership of over 150,000, the UWU mobilised fewer than 50 people. Given that a substantial number of them were union officials and their supporters, half or more of the striking workers boycotted the event. There was no participation from the thousands of food production and distribution workers at other facilities across Sydney, many of whom face a similar assault on their pay and conditions, or from the hundreds of thousands of working class people in the Rooty Hill area, where the factory is located.

Tony Burke addresses striking General Mills workers (Screenshot from UWU livestream)

Far from rallying support, the union is placing a cordon sanitaire around the strikers, depriving even its own members of any knowledge about the ongoing dispute.

A central component of this isolation operation has been repeated attacks on Socialist Equality Party (SEP) campaigners, who are fighting to broaden the strike and are exposing the unions preparations for a sell-out.

On Saturday, UWU officials again mounted a frenzied campaign to prevent SEP members from speaking with the workers in attendance, including through threats and intimidation.

At one point, a group of UWU officials formed a line and began screaming at SEP campaigners, demanding that they leave the event, which had been publicly-advertised as all welcome, and was conducted on a public street. Many of the workers present did not participate.

As they have on previous days, UWU organisers called for a vote to exclude the SEP from the community protest. When an SEP leader demanded the right to speak to the motion, he was shouted down by the union officials. Sensing that their blatant thuggery is wearing thin, the officials did not proceed with a vote, instead continuing their harassment.

The UWUs hysterics are motivated by the fact that they cannot answer a single one of the SEPs exposures. Like in previous disputes, the UWU is isolating the strikers on an ineffectual community protest that is a mockery of a genuine picket, raising a crowdfund so as not to provide full strike pay out of the unions coffers, and advancing demands of the company that would amount to a sell-out.

While the UWU officials refused to allow SEP campaigners to remain, two federal Labor parliamentarians Tony Burke and Ed Husic were welcomed with open arms. The attacks on the SEP were aimed at ensuring there would be nobody present to raise awkward questions of the two career politicians.

Speaking from a platform that had been prepared by attacks on the rights of socialists and the workers themselves, Burke and Husic delivered a series of timeless moral platitudes that did not commit them to anything.

Burke bemoaned the thoughtless aggression of the company, Husic treated the workers to homilies on the importance of sharing, which, as children are taught, is the right thing to do. Company management should be prevailed upon to treat the workers with dignity and respect, both of them insisted.

Burke and Husic have lengthy experience in saying nothing of substance in a great many words, in their capacity as representatives of the big business Labor Party, and their earlier careers as union bureaucrats, where they presided over the same sweeping cuts to workers jobs and conditions that the UWU is preparing for the GM strikers.

Both are part of Labors right faction. During the 1990s, Burke was an official in the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), which is notorious for its extreme right-wing Catholic politics and its sweetheart deals with major corporations, which have slashed penalty rates and wages for tens of thousands of supermarket, retail and fast food workers. Husic was a staff-member of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) for over a decade, rising to the position of its national president.

In that role, Husic presided over a sell-out of tens of thousands of Australia Post workers who had engaged in rolling strikes in 2010, before the union forced through an agreement banning further industrial action, mandating minimal pay rises and providing for continuous restructuring directed towards privatisation. He was also heavily involved in the destruction of thousands of jobs at telecommunications company Telstra.

Husic and Burke were both in the Rudd-Gillard Labor governments, which in 2009 introduced draconian Fair Work Australia industrial legislation, banning virtually all collective action by workers and allowing for sweeping victimisations of those who defy its edicts.

Burke, as Labors shadow industrial relations minister, is centrally involved in the partys current pitch to big business. This has involved dispensing with even mealy-mouthed references to inequality and the big end of town, and replacing them with assurances that a Labor government would focus on productivity and wealth creation, while advancing the interests of successful people. All of these are codewords for austerity, pro-business restructuring and policies advancing the interests of the ultra-wealthy.

Workers must draw definite conclusions from the UWUs promotion of Husic and Burke.

First of all, the presence of the Labor politicians, who have intimate ties with the major corporations, such as General Mills, demonstrates that the UWU is seeking to deepen its collaboration with company management.

Secondly, the event is a warning that a sell-out is in the offing. At every significant dispute over the past six months, including the Coles Smeaton Grange struggle in Sydney and the strike of McCormick food production workers in Melbourne, the appearance of Labor parliamentarians at such community protests had the character of a death-knell. In each instance, events similar to Saturdays were followed by the announcement of sweeping concessions by the UWU.

Significantly, the Labor politicians visited GM the day after the union unveiled its demands, a week after the strike had begun. These include a three percent per annum pay rise, just one percent higher than the company offer in the first year, and 1.75 percent for the following years, and a vague commitment to enhanced job security, which would do nothing to address the already rampant use of casual labour. The paltry demands are tailored to give management and the union free rein to concoct a sell-out deal that can be presented as a victory.

Finally, the involvement of Burke in particular shows that the GM strike, despite the small number of workers directly involved, is being monitored by the highest levels of the political establishment. The UWUs isolation of the stoppage and its attacks on socialists are undoubtedly being conducted in discussion with the rest of the national union bureaucracy and the Labor Party leadership.

This reflects intense fear within the union and Labor apparatuses, and the ruling elite they represent, of what the GM strike could and must become. That is, a rallying point for the mass opposition that exists in the working class to the decades-long corporate assault on jobs, wages and conditions and the immense social inequality that it has produced.

For the corporate elite, everything depends on the unions maintaining their stranglehold over the workers they falsely claim to represent. For the working class, everything depends on breaking out of this union-enforced straitjacket, which has been used to suppress the class struggle for the past forty years, and to impose one defeat after another.

Amid a growing rebellion against the corporatised unions internationally, reflected most sharply in the rejection by 3,000 US Volvo employees of two sell-out contracts pushed by the United Auto Workers union, the GM strikers must take matters into their own hands.

A defeat can only be prevented by immediately expanding the strike. This requires an appeal to casual workers at the factory, who have been demonised by the UWU, even though it upholds the Fair Work ban on them participating in strikes. Workers should demand that the union provide the casuals with full-strike pay, along with all other strikers, to bring production at the factory to a halt.

Workers must also turn out to food production staff throughout Sydney and across the country, to GM employees internationally, who are being hit with a global restructure, and to the working class as a whole.

The union is seeking to block such a struggle. That is why workers need to form their own independent rank-and-file committee, to break the isolation of the strike, and coordinate far broader industrial and political action. This is a political fight, directed not only against company management, but the unions, Labor, Fair Work, and the program of the entire capitalist ruling elite, which is seeking to return the conditions of the working class to those that existed in the 1930s.
The governments of the worlds wealthiest nations (the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada) ended three days of deliberations at a G7 summit in Cornwall, England on Sunday. The G7 powers played up multilateralism and downplayed the deep differences that emerged inside the G7 under US President Joe Bidens predecessor, Donald Trump. Yet they were able to agree only on a summit communique that was tantamount to a threat of war against China.

The 25-page summit communique backed the Wuhan lab theory provocation, insinuating that China was seeking to conceal its production of the COVID-19 virus in a laboratory and then allowing it to escape. The document called for investigating, reporting and responding to [pandemic] outbreaks of unknown origin," adding, "We also call for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO [World Health Organisation]-convened Phase 2 COVID-19 Origins study including, as recommended by the experts report, in China.

Almost 4 million lives have been lost to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with well over a million in the G7 nations, based on conservative figures compiled by the worlds governments, with nearly 176 million infected. The demand that China come clean would therefore alone provide a casus belli for aggression against China. But things did not stop there.

Point 49 of the communique points to trade war between the imperialist powers and Beijing. Asserting the particular responsibility of the largest countries and economies in upholding the rules-based international system and international law, it states, "With regard to China we will continue to consult on collective approaches to challenging non-market policies and practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy.

Point 49 ends with the threat that we will promote our values, including by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.

Xinjiang is home to Chinas Uighur population and has been the chief focus of accusations by Washington and other capitals of human rights abuses on the part of China.

Point 60 affirms the ambitions of the imperialist powers to confront China militarily on its own doorstep, stating: We reiterate the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo Pacific, which is inclusive and based on the rule of law. We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions.

The militarist subtext of such statements of concern over Chinas supposedly unilateral moves to consolidate its dominance of global seaways was epitomised by US President Joe Biden and Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson posing on a Cornish beach with one of the UKs new 3 billion aircraft carriers, HMS Prince of Wales, and other warships in view behind them. The UKs other carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is the lead ship in a carrier strike group, including a US destroyer and Marines, which is heading towards the South China Sea, where it will carry out military exercises.

Additionally, the G7 pledged to combat Chinas One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR), through which it is undertaking numerous global infrastructure projects to facilitate trade, with the launch of a US-led Build Back Better World (B3W) development project.

Russia was also the target of hostilities. Point 51 states: We reaffirm our call on Russia to stop its destabilising behaviour and malign activities, including its interference in other countries democratic systems. It calls on Russia to withdraw military troops and materiel at the eastern border of Ukraine and on the Crimean peninsula. We remain firmly of the view that Russia is a party to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, not a mediator.

Biden arrived at the summit declaring that America is back. What this translates into for the worlds population is an escalating danger of war. As Biden told US troops stationed at RAF Mildenhall, Americas one truly sacred obligation is to prepare and equip its armed forces. Last month, the Biden administration released its budget proposal for the coming year centred on a record military budget of $753 billion, including $24.7 billion for nuclear weapons modernization.

Germany, France and Britain have all ratcheted up military spending, with the Johnson government increasing its nuclear warhead stockpile by a massive 40 percent.

The obscenity of the multitrillion-dollar war drive was thrown into stark relief by the summits determined refusal to do anything to seriously combat the escalating threat of the pandemic. While busily spreading the lie of a Chinese lab origin, the G7 governments are intent on continuing to allow COVID-19s ever more deadly variants to spread unchecked while they funnel the worlds resources into the bank accounts of the oligarchs and transnational corporations.

The cost of vaccinating the worlds population has been put at just $66 billion, but this will not be raised by the worlds richest nations. The G7 would agree to donate only a tiny fraction of the vaccines needed. One billion doses will be made available, but the majority of doses will not be distributed until the end of 2022, with little infrastructure in place to carry out the task. This equates to less than 10 percent of the 11 billion doses urgently needed globally to fight the pandemic. Even this headline pledge is a lie. The US offer to donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech SE vaccine is in lieu of $2 billion it pledged to the global vaccination program COVAX, with total US funding amounting to just $5.5 billionless than one percent of its military budget.

Nothing must be permitted to cut across the accumulation of profits by the major corporations. In the face of growing public repugnance at the superrich glutting themselves during the pandemic and multitrillion-dollar corporate bailouts, the G7 made a meaningless pledge to establish, at some unspecified date, an ambitious global minimum tax on corporations. But the communique reassured all concerned that this would still be as low as 15 per cent on a country-by-country basis.

The summit was heralded as a return to business as normal after the fractious relations between the major powers during Donald Trumps presidency, but it was dominated to an extraordinary degree by rising interimperialist tensions, including between the UK and the European Union over post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Despite Bidens efforts to bludgeon his rivals into line, by the summits end, commentators were stressing that Trumps departure has not fixed US-European relations, or the deep internal political crisis in the United Stateswhich saw Trump launch an attempted coup on January 6 to try to seize the US Capitol and block the certification of Bidens election victory.

Several noted that Biden will be 82 if he contests the 2024 election, rapidly reaching the end of his political career. Former EU ambassador to Washington David OSullivan asked, Is this an interregnum between Trump 1.0 and Trump 2.0? Nobody knows... I think most people are of the view that we should seize the opportunity with this administration to strengthen the [G7] relationship and hope that this can survive beyond the midterms and 2024.

The fundamental question posed by the G7 summit is how the growing war danger, the threat of the pandemic and the mounting social catastrophe facing humanity are to be combated?

Over the last decades, the very same forces driving the imperialist powers into conflict and towards war have been creating the conditions for working class opposition to develop.

Analysing the Globalization of capitalism and the renewed upsurge of the working class in a June 7 WSWS perspective, David North noted: In history there is such a thing as retribution. For all the crimes committed by capitalism against the working class over the past 40 years, the ruling class, in the very process of attacking the working class and vastly enriching itself, has overseen a vast expansion and integration of the capitalist system of production. The most significant and revolutionary outcome of this processdriven by staggering advances in science and technologyis the massive growth in the global working class.

This gigantic social force must now be mobilised through the building of the International Committee of the Fourth International, based on a revolutionary socialist perspective against social reaction, militarism and war.
Former White House counsel Don McGahn is among those officials told last month by Apple that the Department of Justice (DOJ) subpoenaed information about his email account in 2018, the New York Times and other media outlets reported Sunday. McGahns wife received a similar notice from Apple, the reports said.

McGahn is the first executive branch official to be named among those whose email and telephone metadata information was sought by the Justice Department as part of a leak investigation ordered by then-President Trump, who was furious about media reports citing unnamed officials commenting on his alleged relationship with the Russian government.

The New York Times first reported last Thursday that the DOJ had collected email and other metadata information (who is called or emailed and when, but not the actual content of the message) on two Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff speaks to reporters. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Apple notified Schiff and Swalwell last month, as well as staff members of the committee and some family members of the two Democrats, after a gag order that had been obtained in February 2018 and repeatedly renewed was allowed to expire. Google was also involved in the DOJ snooping and subject to the same gag order.

A DOJ investigation of two members of Congress and their staff is unprecedented, except in corruption cases. No member of Congress has ever been charged with violating the rules governing classified information, which are for the most part issued by the president, do not have the force of law, and so apply only to employees of the executive branch.

The DOJ collection of private information about members of Congress is a gross violation of the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches laid down in the US Constitution. The collection of similar information about the presidents own lawyerDon McGahnis equally extraordinary but from a different standpoint.

The action could have been taken on Trumps orders, in which case it would have been legal but also expressed the acute crisis of the Trump White House at that point. Trump was furious with McGahn for balking at his order to have special counsel Robert Mueller fired.

McGahn prevailed with Trump on that issue, arguing that the firing would cause more political backlash than any damage Mueller could inflict with his report, a judgment that ultimately proved correct. Afterward, however, Trump berated his top lawyer, calling him a liar and a leaker, according to other insider accounts from the Trump White House.

It is possible, though unlikely, that the DOJ was seeking information on McGahn at the request of Mueller, rather than Trump. When the Mueller report was ultimately issued, in March 2019, it focused attention on several episodes involving McGahn, suggesting that Trump could have engaged in obstruction of justice by seeking to have Mueller fired.

Mueller did not actually suggest such charges, however, following the DOJ policy that the president cannot be indicted for a criminal offense, only impeached.

Both of Trumps attorneys-general, Jeff Sessions and William Barr, have denied that they were aware of the DOJ requests for metadata on the two Democratic congressmen.

Sessions had recused himself from all contact with the probe into alleged coordination between the 2016 Trump election campaign and the Russian government, delegating authority to his deputy, Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein has also denied any knowledge of the DOJ requests for metadata.

If these denials are trueand none of the three has testified under oathit raises the prospect of an operation being conducted by Trump loyalists within the Department of Justice who continue in their positions under the Biden administration, which has to date changed only the top half-dozen officials in the agency.

According to the New York Times, John C. Demers, head of the National Security Division of the DOJ; Julie Edelstein, deputy chief of counterintelligence and export control; Matt Blue, head of counterterrorism; and Osmar Benvenuto, brought in by Barr as a special prosecutor to head the leak investigation, are all Trump appointees who still hold their positions under Biden.

Only a few months ago, the Department of Justice was continuing to defend in court a gag order on executives at the New York Times, the Washington Post and CNN, who were opposing subpoenas for the email records of their own reporters, all initially sought by the DOJ as part of the Trump-inspired leak investigation.

The gag order was recently lifted, and Attorney General Merrick Garland is to meet today with officials of the three media outlets to discuss unresolved details in the court proceedings, according to a report in Sundays Times .

The Biden administration described its policy as one in which prosecutors will not seek compulsory legal process in leak investigations to obtain source information from members of the news media doing their jobs.

But the administration continues the most notorious and antidemocratic legal action against a journalist, the Espionage Act case against Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. The Justice Department is continuing to seek extradition of Assange from Britain, where Assange has been held for more than two years in Belmarsh Prison.

Shamefully, the American media, while highlighting the antidemocratic character of the Trump Justice Department seeking metadata information of reporters, says nothing about the Trump and now Biden Justice Department seeking to bring Julian Assange to trial in an American kangaroo court on charges that could bring 175 years in prison.
The so-called social contract has been accepted at Continental Karben in northern Hesse. However, the vote expresses the growing mistrust in the IG Metall union. Despite the relatively high average age in the company and a massive propaganda campaign by the union and the works council, there were remarkably many votes against it.

Only members of IG Metall and IG BCE were allowed to vote, just under 80 percent of the workforce, and of these, one in four abstained. Of the 75 percent who took part in the vote, 72.2 percent finally voted in favour. This means that in the end, only 45 percent of the entire workforce, not even half of all Continental employees at the Karben plant, voted yes.

Since last autumn, the workers have been fighting for the preservation of the plant and all jobs. After the 24-hour strike on April 15, an indefinite strike was prepared. A first social contract was rejected by the workforce. But the second draft agreed by the union also sealed the closure.

Strikers in front of the Continental plant in Karben; banner reads This factory is on strike. (Credit: WSWS media)

IG Metall told workers there was no alternative. According to IGM district leader Jorg Kohlinger, the contract contained the opportunity for sustained site development. Frank Grommeck (Left Party), chair of the works council, called together workers in small groups and put a gun to their heads: If they rejected it again, they would stand empty-handed on the street.

The contract itself is still being guarded like a state secret. Even workers who could vote on it were only able to see it in full on Monday, a few hours before the end of the vote.

In any case, it seals the closure of the plant in Karben by 2025 with the loss of 1,088 jobs. Only a small rump of 187 employees will continue to work for CES (Continental Engineering Services), while at Continental Automotive GmbH the layoffs will start at the beginning of 2023. Older workers have been promised early retirement or partial retirement. Younger workers will be put in a transfer company before facing unemployment.

The closure agreement clearly shows which side the unions are on. They helped draw it up, so the plant shut down proceeds smoothly. They are not prepared to wage a fight to defend jobs, which would have sent a signal to other plants in the group and the whole auto and supplier industry.

The bourgeois press immediately recognised this. The pro-social democratic Die Zeit rejoiced: The job cuts at the Continental plant in Karben, Hesse, can be carried out as agreed. The members of IG Metall agreed to the improved social collective agreement.

This makes it clearworkers who want to defend their jobs must join together in action committees that are independent of the trade unions!

The Network of Action Committees for Safe Workplaces called on workers to vote No. It warned against IG Metalls divisive manoeuvres that pit older workers against younger ones, union members against the unorganised and each plant against the others. Above all, do not let yourselves be divided by location, it said. The union is letting each workforce fight on its own, which means they can only lose.

The correctness of this warning can be seen every day, especially at Continental. Step by step, the cutbacks agreed are being enforced against the workers. In Bebra in northern Hesse, not far from Karben, IG Metall is preparing the next sell-out.

On Friday, the IG Metall called on the workers of Vitesco Technologies, also part of Continental, at the Bebra and Muhlhausen (Thuringia) sites to take part in a 24-hour warning strike. It is demanding a social contract for about 900 workers. The Vitesco plant in Muhlhausen is to be closed and one in two jobs in Bebra destroyed.

With the help of IG Metall, 30,000 jobs are to be destroyed across the Continental group, 13,000 of them in Germany. The numerous closures and partial closures will also affect tyre production in Aachen (1,800 employees), brake production in Rheinbollen (650), the drive division Vitesco in Regensburg (2,100) and Nuremberg (250), the Continental plant in Babenhausen (2,500), as well as the above-mentioned sites in Bebra and Muhlheim and many more. Both the company board and IG Metall are keeping quiet about the attacks on jobs and sites in other European countries.

Continental wants to save one billion euros a year with these cutbacks and the company headquarters in Hanover and IG Metall are working hand in hand on this, for which the union officials are being paid handsomely. The second chairperson of IG Metall, Christiane Benner, received 269,000 euros last year as deputy chair of the Continental supervisory board. Furthermore, Hasan Allak (IG BCE), chair of the corporate works council, received 183,000 euros and Lorenz Pfau, chair of the central works council of Continental Automotive GmbH, 182,000 euros for his work on the supervisory board.

In Bebra, Muhlhausen and all other locations there is also only one way to take up the fight to defend jobs: Place no confidence in IG Metall and the trade unions! Workers face the same problems in all countries. They are confronted with the same big corporations and their stakeholders in the trade unions.

As the call of the action committees says: If we unite and fight together, we are stronger than our opponents! Continental workers who want to join this struggle should contact the Network of Action Committees for Safe Workplaces via the World Socialist Web Site .
More than 300 nurses and midwives in Sydney and across New South Wales (NSW) walked off the job on June 10, defying an order by the states Industrial Relations Commission. Hundreds more have taken industrial action in the past two weeks at public hospitals all over the state.

The stoppages were over dangerous ongoing staff shortages, excessive overtime and lack of clinical staff, as well as the state Liberal-National Coalition governments cap of 1.5 percent on public sector pay increases this yeara real wage cut.

Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA), the trade union covering them, from Liverpool and Campbelltown hospitals in southwestern Sydney, and at Lismore Base Hospital in the states north, voted to strike on June 10, with action ranging from four to 15.5 hours.

Nurses and midwives demonstrate at Tweed Heads Hospital (Source: NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Facebook)

The stoppages, while kept isolated and limited by the union, are part of growing and determined industrial action by health workers in Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and internationally. On the same day, paramedics in the Ambulance Division of the Health Services Union, went on strike for 24 hours over the public sector pay cut, only responding to the most serious call-outs.

There were stopwork actions by NSWNMA members at Port Macquarie Base Hospital and the Tweed Hospital in the states north on June 9, and some 200 nurses and midwives rallied outside Sydneys Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on that day also. On June 7, workers voted to close beds at Yass District Hospital, in the states south, over staffing and security concerns.

The previous week, around 500 nurses and midwives walked off the job or closed beds in public hospitals, at various places across the stateBelmont, Bowral, John Hunter, Waratah, Blue Mountains, Shoalhaven and Springwood.

In May, the NSWNMA reported that a resounding majority of its public sector members had voted to reject the state governments pay cap and lack of shift-by-shift ratios.

The urgent need for safe staffing ratios has been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with an influx of coronavirus patients leading to increased emergency room wait times and delays in elective surgery. The emergence of more transmissible and deadly variants of the disease, and the lifting of all safety restrictions by governments, before a substantial section of the population has been vaccinated, has resulted in a new outbreak in Melbourne, in the neighbouring state of Victoria.

The union is fully aware of this danger, with NSWNMA general secretary Brett Holmes telling a rally of nurses and midwives in Newcastle in April about severe staff shortages, including at Westmead, the major public hospital in western Sydney.

We hear far too many stories about large intensive cares that are running short, Holmes revealed. Westmead for instance, has 10-15 shortages on shift. It was the first ward set up for COVID-19 patients. If Westmead cant staff its intensive care, what hope for the rest of NSW if it were to be hit by a wave like that in Victoria?

Despite this, the NSWNMA has refused to mobilise its 72,000 members across the state in a united struggle, and has instead ensured that the industrial action has remained restricted, with strikes confined to individual hospitals, across different days and for different lengths of time.

Nurses protesting outside Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Source: NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Facebook)

Moreover, the strike actions have been brought to an end without any of the workers demands being met.

The union is seeking to let off steam in order to prepare a sell-out, and force through the state governments demands, saying it will continue to sit across the table and negotiate, despite workers rejection of the governments pay cut.

The 1.5 percent pay rise cap is not only a real wage cut, given the rising cost of living. It follows a 0.3 percent public sector wage freeze imposed by the state government last year. The unions claimed to oppose these wage cuts, but ruled out taking industrial action during the pandemic.

The NSWNMA is calling for a mere 4.7 per cent pay increase this year, which would only bring workers pay in line with the 2.5 percent that was promised for last year. The union is also seeking staff-to-patient ratios of 1 nurse to 4 patients, as is meant to apply in the two adjoining states of Victoria and Queensland.

These demands are woefully inadequate. Over the past month, public health systems in Queensland and Victoria have reported increased ambulance ramping, due to lack of beds, with patients treated in ambulances on hospital driveways until a bed becomes available.

In May, the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital emergency ward in Queensland reported a code yellow internal emergency, with more than 191 percent capacity, and Rockhampton Base Hospital, in central Queensland, similarly reported a code yellow. Staff shortages have also been reported across a number of major hospitals in Victoria over the past month.

In fact, public hospitals throughout Australia are in crisis, even before a major outbreak of coronavirus, with reports from every state and territory of emergency departments overflowing due to lack of beds. In Wyong Hospital, on the NSW Central Coast, it was reported last month that over a dozen ambulances were ramped outside, with some patients waiting over five hours to be admitted.

With the long-delayed rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the public healthcare system is being stretched to breaking point, as nurses and midwives are redeployed to vaccination hubs. Around 200 nurses and midwives are working at Sydneys vaccination hub alone, alongside 100 other staff members, including pharmacists and pharmacy students. Nurses in hospitals in the working-class suburbs of southwest Sydney are having to work double shifts, to make up for the staffing shortfall.

A NSW parliamentary inquiry report, released at the end of last year, revealed that health services in the same area, which includes Campbelltown and Liverpool hospitals, have experienced historic under-funding by successive governments, with lower overall funding and numbers of health workers per capita than wealthier areas of Sydney, resulting in wait times of over 500 days for some procedures. An ongoing parliamentary inquiry into NSW rural and regional health services has likened conditions to those of a third world country.

Last November, the NSWNMA shut down a strike of over 150 nurses and midwives at Blacktown hospital in western Sydney, in response to the deaths of five babies at the hospital in under two years, ongoing staffing shortages and concerns about patient safety. Acting on the orders of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, the union forced workers back to work, without their demands being met. Since then another newborn has died at the same hospital.

Health workers everywhere are being driven to take action over conditions and wages. Last week, more than 20,000 Sri Lankan health workers, and around 30,000 nurses, healthcare assistants and midwives in New Zealand, went on strike, directly challenging the governments of President Gotabaya Rajapakse and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern respectively. There were also strikes by nurses and hospital workers in France, Poland and Belgium.

This mounting opposition from workers is coming into conflict with the trade union apparatuses that have shut down strikes and refused to mobilise broader support.

To take forward their fight, health workers need to form rank-and-file committees, totally independent of the trade unions, to unify their struggles and link up with other workers throughout Australia and internationally.
Last Thursday, Gabriel and John Shipton, the stepbrother and father of Julian Assange, spoke at an event in New York City as part of their US tour aimed at garnering support for the dropping of charges against Assange.

Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has been persecuted for over a decade by US imperialism and its allies. In the course of this persecution, Assanges democratic rights have been trampled on systematically and he has been subjected to psychological torture. He has languished in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London since 2019. At the beginning of 2021, a British judge, who maintains close connections to the MI6, ruled against his extradition to the US, arguing that it would almost certainly mean his death. The Shiptons are also gathering money for a $2 million fund to pay for the legal defense of Assange.

About 120 people attended the event at Manhattans Peoples Forum. In addition to the Shiptons, the panel featured journalist Chris Hedges, prominent musician and Assange supporter Roger Waters, comedian Randy Credico as well as Aaron Mate from the Grayzone website.

The panel at the Assange event in New York City (WSWS media)

In opening the event, a member of the NYC Defend Assange campaign stated: Julian is the most important publisher of our time. WikiLeaks published over 10 million documents and there was not a single case of human error. This is the political trial of the century. Freedom of the press and [the defense of] Julians life are inseparably connected.

The first speaker of the event was Jocelyn Gay, a reporter with Haiti Liberte. The newspaper was one of about a dozen that received cables from WikiLeaks in 2011 that had been leaked by private Chelsea Manning, exposing massive US intervention in oppressed countries. Since leading news outlets in the US, including the New York Times and Washington Post, the UKs Guardian and Germanys Der Spiegel, had shown no interest in the documents, WikiLeaks gave them to some of the most important outlets in the affected countries.

Based on these leaks, Gay explained, Haiti Liberte has published dozens of articles in the past decade exposing the US intervention in the islands politics, including the 2004 coup against the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide and occupation plans. She concluded, Thank you Assange, thank you Manning, thank you WikiLeaks, for your courage and solidarity.

Comedian Randy Credico took up the glaring refusal of Democratic senator Bernie Sanders, who falsely postures as left-wing, to defend Assange. Imitating Sanders, Credico said, Assange exposed why I didnt get the [Democratic] nomination [in 2016], shouldnt I publicly support him?

A portion of the audience (WSWS media)

When Credico referenced the case of journalist Craig Murray, whose appeal of an eight-months prison sentence was just rejected, the audience gave a standing ovation, chanting that he should be released. Credico stressed that fundamental democratic rights were at stake. He said, This is an American crisis. This is about Thomas Paine and the First Amendment. Everything that Tom Paine stood for is at stake.

Credico added that the horrific sight of Assange being placed in a glass cage during the trial in London had reminded him of the trial of Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann, who was tried in Israel in 1961 for his leading role in orchestrating the Nazi genocide of European Jews. He too had been put in a glass cage. But he [Eichmann] had access to his lawyers [while Assange didnt]. Julian exposed people like Eichmann.

Gabriel Shipton recounted that they had encountered immense support in the US, which really lifted our spirits. He said, Six months have now passed, and we still dont know when theres going to be an appeal. What were seeing is just another instance of this abuse of process from which Julian has been suffering going on 12 years now.

John Shipton, Assanges father, spoke about the irony that he and his son were now wandering advocates in the United States for the First Amendment. He noted several examples of leaks that exposed war crimes and other atrocities leading to significant victories, including Iraqs refusal to renew the status of forces agreement with the United States, the release of Guantanamo Bay prisoners, and justice for environmental crimes off the coast of Africa.

Following the event, Shipton told the WSWS that he continues to be cut off from regular communication with his son, which is limited to infrequent ten-minute phone calls while Assange remains imprisoned. Commenting on why his sons fate is so important for American workers, Shipton stressed, None of us can get anywhere without solidarity. Without solidarity, were gone.

Journalist Chris Hedges called the Assange case the most important battle for press freedom of our era. However, while he referred to a criminal ruling class that cannot be reformed in his speech, later in the discussion he called upon the audience to put pressure on this very ruling class and cited Occupy Wall Street as a role model.

The Grayzones Aaron Mate took up the shameful role of the media in the persecution of Assange. He denounced progressive media, including outlets such as The Intercept, in particular, for falling in line in this campaign. He also noted that the OPCW whistleblowers, who revealed that reports about the alleged use of poisoned gas by Assad in Syria had been fabricated to provide a pretext for military intervention, were being ignored by the media. However, like Hedges, he stressed in the discussion that the Democratic Party had to be pressured into dropping the charges against Assange. He said, This is a Trump policy. So optically does the Biden administration want to pursue this? No.

In reality, the Democratic Party, no less than the Trump administration, has for over a decade been set on the destruction of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. From day one, the Biden administration has made clear that it will continue the Trump administrations brutal persecution of Assange and seek his extradition to the US.

Last week, the World Socialist Web Site stressed in a comment on the Shiptons US tour:

No faith whatsoever can be placed in such soporific gestures tailored to the political imperative of supporting the Democrats. The US ruling class is determined to see Assange destroyed as a pre-emptive strike against mass opposition to its imperialist warmongering. The only force which can secure Assanges release is a movement of the international working class, whose American contingent must play a leading role.

Jazmine (WSWS media)

There is strong support for Assanges defense in the working class. Jazmine, a young woman who passed by the venue, spoke to the WSWS before the event. They should drop the charges. Theyre slowly killing him. Exposures [like those of Wikileaks] beget awareness and once theres awareness theres disruption. We as the people need to know the truth to make informed decisions.

We do have rights. The people are supposedly in control, and we should support him in any way we can. If we dont have a voice and if we dont have rights, thats when a revolution starts. Assange exposed war crimes, but we have a war going on in our own country. The working class are fighting for basic rights. Thats where I see a similarity. I believe if the only hope right now to establish support for freedom, increase awareness and seek justice for Assange is to rally the people, so be it. I genuinely identify with Assange and the cruel and unusual punishments that these tyrannical governments are imposing. I dont know if he knows how many people support him.
Last month, the Sri Lankan parliament passed the Rajapakse governments amended Colombo Port City (CPC) Economic Commission Act, which establishes a Special Economic Zone on reclaimed land near Colombo Harbour. The zone is being built by the China Communications Construction Company with a $US1.4 billion loan from Beijing, the largest-ever single investment in Sri Lanka.

The project is a major component of Beijings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a geo-strategic plan to ensure the free movement of its imports and exports via the Indian Ocean and Central Asia in response to the US-led efforts to militarily encircle China.

The US, the European Union and India are hostile to the Rajapakse governments orientation to Beijing for loans and investments. Although these countries have not issued any official statements about the CPC bill, there are numerous indications that they are stepping up their efforts to undermine Chinese influence in Colombo.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapakse, center. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In the US, Democratic Party congresswoman Deborah Ross, supported by Republican congressman Bill Johnson, introduced a resolution calling for an effective international mechanism for accountability over grave human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

Presented on May 18, the resolution is now in the hands of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It urges Washington to work with the United Nations General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to ramp up pressure on Colombo.

While it is not clear whether the Foreign Affairs Committee will approve the resolution, the US is vehemently opposed to the Rajapakse governments growing relations with Beijing.

The grave crimes referred to in the resolution include the killing of 40,000 civilians during the final weeks of the 26-year brutal communal war with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the disappearance of hundreds of people who surrendered to the army, and many other violations cited by the UN.

Then-President Mahinda Rajapakse resumed the war in 2006, with the bloody conflict ending after the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009. His younger brother and the current president, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, was defence secretary during this period.

The US has already co-sponsored a resolution presented to the UNHRC by a group of countries led by the UK, Germany, France and Canada, which calls for an investigation into Colombos war crimes, overseen by an international mechanism.

Washington, which is guilty of committing numerous war crimes across the globe in the past three decades alone, is not concerned in the slightest over Colombos human rights violations. It backed Mahinda Rajapakses resumption of the war in 2006, and his anti-democratic regime.

Washington only began pressuring Colombo during the final years of the war, after China emerged as Sri Lankas principal source of financial assistance and military hardware.

The US initially brought a series of resolutions into the UNHRC calling for a human rights investigation to pressure Colombo. When these failed, Washington sponsored a regime-change operation in 2015 that ousted Mahinda Rajapakse as president and led to the installation of the pro-US Maithripala Sirisena.

Washingtons actions were supported by the United National Party (UNP), the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). Denouncing Rajapakses anti-democratic rule, a host of radicals, pseudo-left groups and unions rallied behind this operation, claiming that a Sirisena administration would establish good governance.

Washington responded to Gotabhaya Rajapakses election as president in November 2019, and then to the appointment of Mahinda Rajapakse as prime minister, with repeated warnings about Colombos ties to China.

Like his predecessors, US President Joe Biden is deepening Washingtons anti-China geopolitical agenda and will not tolerate the Rajapakse regimes orientation towards Beijing.

The Biden administration, US intelligence and the media are now ramping up bogus claims that the COVID-19 virus was developed and released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Washington is also strengthening the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. Known as the Quad, this is a de facto military alliance involving the US, Japan, Australia and India, directed against China.

In another significant development, the EU parliament on June 10 passed a resolution calling for pressure on Sri Lanka and citing war crimes and other human rights violations, including recent arrests and detentions under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

The resolution calls upon the European Commission to use the GSP+ as leverage to push for advancement on Sri Lankas human rights obligations and demands that Colombo scrap the PTA. Sri Lanka is heavily dependent on the GSP (General System of Preferences), which provides major tax concessions on its exports to Europe and the US, its principal markets.

Point 18 of the resolution bluntly declares its concern about the growing role and interference of China in Sri Lanka. The resolution has been submitted to the European Commission, which is scheduled to review the GSP for Sri Lanka in November.

The EU, like Washington, has a brutal record of human rights violations and war crimes. Its hypocritical invocation of Sri Lankan war crimes is in order to support US-led efforts in Sri Lanka and to advance its own geostrategic interests.

The Indian government, a frontline state against China and Washingtons main regional ally, has not issued any direct statements on the Colombo Port City legislation. The Indian elites concerns, however, echo through the media with several outlets declaring that the CPC bill represents a strengthening of pro-Chinese projects in Sri Lanka.

In an article entitled With Colombo port city, China sees a potential overseas colony in Sri Lanka, the Indian-based Wion News declared, Sri Lanka is on a highway to becoming a Chinese colony. The Hindu warned that Beijing is increasing its footprint in the region.

The official Sri Lankan opposition partiesthe Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the UNP, the JVP and the TNAhave stepped up their reactionary nationalist and racist campaign against the Colombo Port City, declaring that it betrays the countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity and is transforming the island into Chinas colony.

Parliament opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa demanded the government withdraw the bill, declaring that it sells the countrys sovereignty, territorial integrity and political freedom to foreign countries.

JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the new legislation would lead to the establishment of a Chinese province in Sri Lanka.

M.A. Sumanthiran, a Tamil National Alliance MP, was even more explicit in the parliamentary debate: You are gifting a land mass to China in your territorial waters and you will reap the consequences of this act very soon.

These claims are directly in line with Washingtons geostrategic agenda against China. They are also being used to channel the rising anger of workers and the poor against the Rajapakse governments criminal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and attacks on democratic rights in a reactionary, nationalist direction. Significantly, these parties all supported the US-sponsored regime-change operation in Colombo in 2015.

The Rajapakse government is acutely nervous about the US and EU response to the CPC Economic Commission Act.

Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Dinesh Gunawardena raised Colombos concerns about the American House resolution with the US embassy charge daffaires. Ravinath Ariyasinha, the countrys ambassador in Washington, appealed to the US foreign relations committee chairman not to pursue the resolution, while Sri Lanka Central Bank Governor W.D. Lakshman urged diplomats to save the islands GSP concessions.

President Rajapakse has repeatedly claimed that his government is pursuing a neutral foreign policy, but with the US stepping up its provocative actions against China, Washington is determined that Colombo be brought into line.
On June 9, President Biden signed a directive calling for foreign-based apps to be reviewed for the unacceptable national security risks they pose to US interests. The Executive Order on Protecting Americans Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries specifically targets apps developed in the Peoples Republic of China as among those from countries that continue to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

Bidens order further states that the US government should evaluate the threats through rigorous, evidence-based analysis because the apps operating on personal electronic devices can access and capture vast swaths of information from users, including United States persons personal information and proprietary business information. The directive claims that such data collection includes the efforts of foreign adversaries to steal or otherwise obtain United States persons data and also warns about advancing authoritarian controls and interests.

The Biden administration is making assertions about the unusual and extraordinary threat posed by foreign adversaries without providing any specific evidence of said data collection or even naming the apps in question.

Biden speaks at The Queen Theater, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Wilmington, Del. [Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum]

However, the foreign policy objective of making threats against China is so transparently the motive that the executive order includes the absurd claim that the US seeks to promote accountability for persons who engage in serious human rights abuse and goes on to claim the right to impose consequences on those persons in action separate from this order. This from an American government that is responsible for three decades of bloody imperialist wars, countless human rights atrocities around the globe and the mass surveillance of the worlds electronic communications.

The corporate media has focused in on the fact that Biden revoked and replaced the three executive orders from the Trump administration that aimed to shut down and ban the popular Chinese-based TikTok, WeChat and eight other applications. Aside from the fact that TikTok and WeChat are mentioned in the titles of two of the revoked Trump executive orders, the names of these apps would not even have been mentioned in Bidens order.

The lead for the media reporting was provided in a separate Biden press release that goes into the fact that Trumps orders attempted to shut down the apps by making business transactions of any kind with the developers a crime. The release mentions in passing that two of these E.O.s are subject to litigation.

The anti-Chinese operation by the Trump White House to steal the valuable TikTok from the Beijing-based ByteDance and hand it over to American investors and corporate management fell apart last year when a US judge agreed with the company that the Presidents emergency economic powers did not grant him the authority to impose an arbitrary ban. TikTok is currently valued at $50 billion and the app has nearly 100 million US users, nearly 700 million worldwide users and has been downloaded to electronic devices more than 2 billion times.

The truth is that the Biden White House is deepening the national security-based attack on China that was initiated during the Trump administration. This is proven by the fact that the basis for Bidens authority to impose his executive orders is the national emergency declaration issued by Trump on May 15, 2019, called, Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain.

Trumps Executive Order 13873 is referenced five times in Bidens June 9 order and is itself based upon two US lawsthe International Emergency Economic Powers Act (1977) and the National Emergencies Act (1976)that grant the President extraordinary authority in times of crisis such as a national emergency or declaration of war by Congress.

In his Executive Order 13873 Trump declared a national emergency and gave the US Commerce Secretary authority to prohibit business transactions that involve information technology, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary or are deemed by members of the Presidents cabinet to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons.

That Biden did not revoke Executive Order 13873 shows that the Democrats are determined to utilize the adoption of the most right-wing and xenophobic elements of the Trump and Republican Party agenda to conduct their foreign policy, especially in relation to China.

This fact was acknowledged by the New York Times in its report on a call with Biden administration officials on the day the executive orders were signed. The Times report said, The Trump order had not been carried out in the soundest fashion, Biden administration officials said in a call with reporters, adding that the new directive would establish clear intelligible criteria to evaluate national security risks posed by software applications connected to foreign governments, particularly China.

The Times report went on to say that Bidens order reflects a growing urgency among American officials, both Republican and Democrat, to aggressively counter what they see as a growing threat posed by Chinas military and technology sectors.

Recognizing that Trumps approach to TikTok and WeChat failed in the US courts, the Times reported, Analysts said the new executive order was meant to create a process that could withstand such a challenge if the Biden administration chose to ratchet up pressure on individual apps.

James Lewis, a senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Times, They are taking the same direction as the Trump administration but in some ways tougher, in a more orderly fashion and implemented in a good way. By in a good way Lewis means that Biden hopes to be be more effective and successful than Trump in blocking the global expansion of Chinese information technology.

Although the Biden White House did not give details about the future of TikTok in the US, administration officials did say the review of the app by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States that was initiated under Trump was continuing and separate from the order.
25 years ago: New Democratic Party selects business ally Howard Hampton as leader

Howard Hampton in 2009

On June 21-23, 1996, the Ontario wing of Canadas New Democratic Party met in Hamilton to select a successor to former Premier Bob Rae, who headed a first-ever NDP government in Ontario that was so right-wing and anti-working class that it was overwhelmingly defeated in the 1995 provincial elections. The union-based party nonetheless moved further to the right, selecting pro-business candidate Howard Hampton as its new party leader.

The race to succeed Bob Rae, who earned the enmity of Ontario workers by becoming the errand boy for the provinces Wall Street and Bay Street creditors, was significant for two reasons. First, it underscored the class gulf which separated the social democratic NDP and the trade union bureaucracy from the working class. Second, it served as the occasion for the middle-class left to mount a campaign to politically rehabilitate the social democrats, attempting to refurbish the NDPs credentials as a party of the working class.

The Rae NDP became the spearhead of Canadian big businesss offensive against the working class through its five years in office. It slashed billions in social spending, imposed tax hikes and implemented a social contract, which suspended the collective bargaining rights and slashed the pay of one million Ontario workers.

Up until 48 hours before the leadership ballot, three of the four contestantsFrances Larkin, Tony Slippo and Hamptonstood squarely in defense of the record of the Rae NDP government. Then, on the first day of the convention, Hampton tried to portray himself as an anti-establishment candidate.

Although as a member of Raes cabinet, Hampton himself had voted for the social contract, he denounced Larkin, the perceived frontrunner and Raes hand-picked successor, for her role in its implementation. This demagogy impressed the NDPs middle-class professionals and union bureaucrats who comprised the convention delegates, and Hampton was able to parlay it into a third ballot victory over Larkin.

Hamptons victory was a matter of appearances and not substancean attempt to distance the NDP from Rae without altering party policy. He was considered the most right-wing of the four candidates due to his outspoken support of profit sharing, worker co-management and other corporatist arrangements between business and the labor bureaucracy.

50 years ago: Nixon declares war on drugs

Richard Nixon

On June 17, 1971, US President Richard Nixon held a nationwide address where he announced his administration would begin to carry out a war on drugs. In his speech Nixon spent most of the time addressing opium addiction among US soldiers in Vietnam. However, the War on Drugs would be used primarily as a pretext for an international campaign to target left-wing groups and grew into a system of mass incarceration for working-class and poor Americans.

Nixon claimed that drug addiction had assumed the dimensions of a national emergency and asked Congress to provide $155 million for programs to assist in enforcing narcotics legislation and some funding for rehabilitation programs. The president also stated that all US troops returning from Vietnam would have to pass a drug test or be held and forcibly sent to treatment centers.

The president presented drug use in the most ominous terms. It was a problem not just for soldiers, he claimed, but was a tide which has swept the country in the past decade, and which afflicts both the body and soul of America. Nixon promised to tighten the noose around the necks of drug peddlers.

The phrase War on Drugs was not hyperbole. The Nixon administration would begin a policy of militarized drug raids leading to thousands of arrests. The tempo of the drug war would pick up significantly in 1973 when Nixon created the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to replace the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

Antiwar and black nationalist activists were heavily targeted by the drug raids. In a 1994 interview for Harpers Magazine, John Ehrlichman, a domestic affairs advisor to Nixon, confessed the true target of the War on Drugs, saying:

The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what Im saying? We knew we couldnt make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.

In later years, the war on drugs would be used as the justification to provide billions of dollars in cash and weapons to South American dictatorships, who primarily used the resources to carry out terror sweeps against left-wing guerrilla movements.

In 2011, the Global Commission on Drug Policy issued a report condemning the war on drugs saying: The global war on drugs has failed, with devastating consequences for individuals and societies around the world.  Fifty years after the initiation of the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and 40 years after President Nixon launched the US governments war on drugs, fundamental reforms in national and global drug control policies are urgently needed.

75 years ago: US ploy to maintain nuclear monopoly fails at UN

US nuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll, July, 1946

On June 14, 1946, the US government presented a plan to the first meeting of the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission (UNAEC) that it claimed would result in international cooperation to prevent nuclear weapons development, thereby preventing an atomic conflict.

The US proposal was presented by financier Bernard Baruch, who told the gathering, We are here to make a choice between the quick and the dead. Baruch was speaking on behalf of the US administration of President Harry Truman, which had dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki less than a year before, in the first and only use of such weapons against human beings.

Under the Baruch Plan, United Nations member-states would be required to agree not to develop nuclear weapons. They would be compelled to submit to UNAEC inspection and compliance, and no country on the UN Security Council would be empowered to veto its decisions. This was presented as a step towards peace and the collaborative use of atomic development for energy supplies and other industries not related to war.

The Soviet Union called the US bluff days later, presenting a counterproposal that would have delayed the enforcement powers of UNAEC until existing nuclear weapons stocks, which only existed in America, were destroyed. Demonstrating the truth of the Soviet contention that the Baruch Plan was a cynical attempt to ensure a US nuclear monopoly, this was rejected by the Truman administration, and no agreement was ever reached.

The meeting took place amid feverish US testing of its nuclear weapons arsenal in the central Pacific Ocean. In a small area around the Bikini Atoll, whose inhabitants were removed from their homes, American imperialism detonated 27 nuclear devices between 1946 and 1958, rendering the area uninhabitable and causing immense environmental damage. This was part of an arms race that escalated with the failure to reach any agreement at the UNAEC. The Soviet Unions atomic development projects, which had been extremely limited during World War II, were rapidly accelerated in its aftermath.

100 years ago: South China nationalist government seeks American aid

Sun Yat-sen in Guangzhou

On June 16, 1921, Sun Yat-sen, the newly elected president of the Guangzhou (Canton) Republic in the south of China, appealed to American President Warren Harding for recognition of his government, even though his title as president of China was little acknowledged outside of his southern territorial base.

Sun had founded the Chinese nationalist movement, the Kuomintang, in 1912. By the 1920s, though, his party had been unable to unite China and form a viable national state. China was controlled by rival cliques of warlords, including those who dominated the internationally recognized Beiyang government based in Beijing, itself the object of conflict between warlord factions, as well as the growing influence of Japanese imperialism.

Suns government in Guangzhou controlled Guangdong province under its military governor, Chen Jiongming, who had put Sun in power, but barely held on to Guangxi province to the south, amid shifting alliances and conflicts among various local warlords.

The United States ignored Suns plea and refused to reply or to seat his government at a naval conference in November, despite an editorial in the New York Times urging that both the Beijing and Guangzhou governments be represented.

The US State Department forbade American investors to deal with the Guangzhou government, an expression of the generalized hostility in Washington to anything that smacked of revolutionary nationalism, even of the legalistic and nonthreatening variety espoused by Sun Yat-sen.

Sun would die of gall bladder cancer in 1925 without having succeeded in his goal of national unification and without ever being acknowledged by the imperialist powers as the leader of China. That would be reserved to his successor, Chiang Kai-shek, who proved himself to the imperialists by drowning in blood the 1927 Chinese Revolution.
Nearly 3,000 workers in Dublin, Virginia are entering the second week of their strike against Volvo Trucks North America. The strike began June 7 after the workers rejected by 90 percent a second pro-company contract backed by the United Auto Workers union.

In the first week, it became ever more apparent that workers confront a two-front war. On the one hand, the corporation cut off health care benefits to workers and their families, attempted to continue production with strikebreakers protected by Virginia state troopers, and sent out letters of termination to intimidate strikers. On the other, the UAW continued to do everything in its power to isolate the striking workers. It has done nothing to inform autoworkers and other workers about the strike. Although the UAW sits on a strike fund worth nearly $800 million, it plans to keep workers on starvation benefits of $275 a week.

Opposition to this betrayal has been led by the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee, which has insisted that workers need a strategy to win, including full income support paid out of the UAW strike fund and a fight to unify all Volvo workers. In a statement issued on June 8, the VWRFC stated: "3. Unification with other Volvo workers. The deliberate UAW strategy of separating us from other workers at Volvo, particularly Volvo-Mack, ends now. Workers want to unite. If the enemy wants to wage war on us, we must be prepared to open up new fronts in their rear, including at Volvos operations in Hagerstown, Macungie, and Roanoke, as well as Sweden, France, Belgium, Russia, Brazil, India, and Thailand.

The Volvo behemoth

To fight for this, the clearest picture of what workers are up against is necessary. Volvo Group, the parent company of Volvo Trucks North America, is a formidable enemy. It is a massive, multinational corporation with over 61 billion dollars in assets, operations in over a dozen countries, and substantial resources to buy and influence politicians in every country.

Volvo has restructured over the last 20 years to become the second largest producer of heavy trucks in the world. As workers know, the company ate up Mack (a part of Renault Trucks) in 2001 to expand in the US. Volvo then took over Nissan Diesel in 2007 to penetrate Asia. This was followed up with a 2013 joint ownership of Dongfengs heavy trucks, a major auto manufacturer in China, and a similar deal in India, with Eicher, in 2008.

This aggressive international development has made the company fabulously rich and profitable. The company took in $51 billion in sales just in 2019, with $4.3 billion in pure profit.

According to company reports, Martin Lundstedt, the CEO, made $5,272,760 USD in 2020 (calculated from SEK), while workers and their families suffered through COVID-19. Lundstedts salary alone would be enough to give striking workers a permanent $1,800 annual raise!

But the real money is in the companys stock. The wealth of the owners of Volvo has almost tripled over the last year.

In March 2020, the market capitalizationthe total value of the companywas at $22 billion. In March 2021, it stood at $57 billion! Even if you compare the stock to before COVID, Volvos owners have still almost doubled their wealth.

In fact, in just a few days, on July 1, 2021, the company is preparing to hand out a massive dividend check to its shareholders at its General Meeting. A total of $2,318,135,376 is being dished outmoney made from the work that is being done on the production line. This on top of $3.68 billion from earlier in the year.

We calculate that this combined total of nearly $6 billion would amount to a $116,954 bonus for the 51,131 blue collar workers of Volvo worldwide, not just at the New River Valley plant.

It must be stressed that Volvos money does not grow on trees. It comes from the workers.

Every day on production lines across the globe, the big banks and financial funds that own Volvo use the company to scrape off profit from the workers. Whether in India or France, Mexico, Canada or Sweden, in all its operations Volvos profits come from squeezing it out of workers on the production line.

Banks, unions that own the company

This money gets funneled to major banks and investment firmsBlackRock, Vanguard, Industrivarden (Swedish asset manager), SEB, Nordea, JP Morgan, just to name a fewwhich own the majority of the companys shares.

Volvos third largest owner is actually the Swedish unions, specifically AMF, an insurance and fund manager run jointly by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. Several years ago, the leaders of this fund were implicated in a scandal involving their paying themselves massive bonuses and pension payouts, while simultaneously cutting the pensions given to ordinary Swedish workers.

Sound familiar?

Just as Sweedish union representatives profit from partnering with Volvo, the UAW sits on the boards of major truck and car companies in the US. For example, Ray Curry, who signed the rotten deal with Volvo, sits on the board of Daimler AG, owner of Freightliner Trucks. This allows UAW executives to make lucrative salaries in jointly controlled funds. Representatives of IF Metall and Unionen (two of the largest Swedish trade unions) are on the board of directors of Volvo Group, as is the VFF pension fund executive. These worker representatives have not said a word about the strike in New River Valley and do not intend to.

Buying politicians

Wherever it has its operations, Volvo exercises powerful influence over prime ministers, presidents, governors. On June 10, CEO Martin Lundstedt was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor at the residence of the French ambassador to Sweden for his commitment to the industry in France. During the EU summit four years ago, held in Gothenburg, Sweden, Lundstedt hosted French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, known as the President of the Rich in France, and Swedens prime minister at Volvo Groups headquarters.

In the United States, Volvo and its affiliates spent $750,000 in 2020 to lobby politicians and another $131,646 on campaign contributions in Virginia, Oregon, North Carolina and other states. Republicans like US Senator Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia received 51.15 percent of the donations and Democrats like Senator Mark Warner in Virginia received 48.85 percent. This has resulted in huge tax cuts and other incentives for its operations at New River Valley, Hagerstown (Maryland) and elsewhere.

The company has very close ties to Virginias Democratic governor, Ralph Northam. Last April, Northam appointed Franky Marchand, the vice president and general manager at Volvo Trucks' Dublin plant, to join his COVID-19 Business Task Force. The purpose of the task force was to advise the governor on how to ease restrictions on businesses as the deadly pandemic was spreading across workplaces and wildcat strikes by autoworkers in Michigan, Ohio and other states, in defiance of the UAW, forced the shutdown of auto, truck and other manufacturing facilities.

Per-student spending in Virginia is down eight percent since 2008 and Northams budget-cutting has repeatedly provoked strikes and protests over the last several years at the state capitol in Richmond by educators, whose salaries are far below the national average. That did not stop the governor from handing the company $16.5 million in grants, along with other incentives from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, when Volvo announced the expansion of the New River Valley plant in 2019. At the time, the governor gushed about Volvo being the bedrock of this community that has fueled the regional economy.

Northam is now protecting Volvos interests by deploying Virginia state troopers, at taxpayers expense, to escort scabs through the Volvo workers picket lines.

Worker allies

Volvo and its international competitors like Daimler have long used the globalization of production to pit workers around the world against each other in a race to the bottom. The UAW and other unions, which are based on a hopelessly out-of-date nationalist perspective, are incapable of responding to globalization in any progressive fashion, and instead have sought to join the corporations efforts to divide and weaken the working class.

But the global integration of production has created unprecedented conditions for waging a global struggle to defend the jobs, living standards and working conditions of all workers, no matter what country they are from.

As the World Socialist Web Site stated:

The Volvo workers in Dublin, Virginia, are well aware of the fact that the corporation, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, employs almost 100,000 workers in production facilities located in 18 different countries, spanning every continent. Many of these facilities are interdependent, requiring a flow of products from one plant to another. Contrary to the claims of the bureaucracy that resistance to the corporations is hopeless, the workers realize that their potential power, if organized and deployed globally, is immense.

If New River Valley workers want to fight this massive machine, they cannot do it alone. The advantage of fighting against a multinational corporation is that there are many other workers who are doing the same job, under similar conditions, in other parts of the globe.

Here is a list of the major centers of Volvo Groups major operations around the world. Workers cannot fight in isolation. The company runs a global operation; workers must give them a global strike.

In addition to reaching out to their coworkers in Pennsylvania, Maryland and other states, workers should establish lines of communication with their brothers and sisters in Europe, where tens of thousands of workers are on the production line every day. Likewise in India, a vital artery for the Asian market. Right now, most of these workers in other countries do not know about your strikethe company, the UAW, and the unions in other countries are quiet as they can be. Tell your coworkers what you are doing and find allies in the process.

North America (all centers)

Lehigh Valley Mack Trucks, Macungie, Pennsylvania: 2,100 employees

Hagerstown, Maryland: 1,700 employees

Middletown Remanufacturing Center, Pennsylvania

Volvo Construction Equipment in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: 800 employees

Nova Bus employees (1,500 workers): Plattsburgh, NY; Saint-Eustache, Quebec; Saint-Francois-du-Lac, Quebec

Volvo Group Mexico, Mexico City: 1,300 employees

Volvo Penta, Lexington, Tennessee: 130 employees

Volvo Distribution Center, Byhalia, Mississippi: 500 employees

Europe (major centers)

Tuve plant, Gothenburg, Sweden: 1900 employees

Blainville plant, Lyon, France: 1,900 employees

Skovde, Sweden: 3,000 employees

Umea, Sweden: 1,600 employees

Ghent, Netherlands: 2,300 employees

Kaluga, Moscow, Russia: 700 employees

Renault Trucks, Bourg-en-Bresse, France: 1,350 employees

Venissieux Engine Plant, France: 700 employees

Asia (major centers)

(Volvo has 12,000 employees in India across all its companies. Three main factories located near each other in Bangalore employ 3,500 factory workers.)

Hoskote Trucks assembly, Bangalore, India

Peenya Construction Equipment, Bangalore, India

Pithampur Commercial Vehicles, Bangalore, India

Brisbane, Australia: 600 employees

South America (major centers)

Curitiba, PR, Brazil: 3,700 employees

Africa (all centers)

Truck assembly, Durban, South Africa: 170 employees

The way forward

Billions of dollars exist in company coffers to meet the demands of the workers. Likewise, millions of dollars exist in the UAW strike fund to fund a strike.

Only by expanding the strike, rejecting the lie that there is no money, and expanding the network of rank-and-file committees to genuinely advance the interests of workers will this strike be won. At the same time, it is the duty of all workers, especially the workers in the auto industry, to come to the aid of the Volvo workers and break the isolation of their strike by the corporatist UAW.

Workers need their own organizations that represent their interests and fight, with everything they have, to win the strike. Workers at Volvo should join the Volvo Workers Rank-and-File Committee and have a coordinated international outreach to spread awareness of the strike and find and make allies for this struggle in the process.

Already, workers from many countries have sent statements of support to the striking Volvo workers. The World Socialist Web Site will give workers all the assistance possible to establish lines of communication with workers around the world and coordinate their efforts to win this critical battle.

Volvo workers can contact the Volvo Workers Rank-and- File Committee at volvowrfc@gmail.com or text to (540) 307-0509  .
The strike by 700 nurses of St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts has entered its 14th week. Nurses have bravely struck to demand an end to unsafe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. Despite receiving no strike pay from their union, the nurses are resolved to fight for the lives of their patients, a central and universal demand of health care workers around the globe.

Their strike remains the most important struggle of healthcare workers in the United States and must be followed closely by the international working class. Tenet Healthcare, the Dallas-based owners of St. Vincent Hospital, has begun listing over 100 of the nurses positions to be filled by permanent replacements in a retaliatory move.

Elizabeth Warren speaking on Saturday at a rally in support of the striking nurses. (Image credit: Elizabeth Warren/Twitter)

Tenet Healthcare is a giant in the health care industry, and has spent an estimated $70 million on scab labor and the policing of the picket line to break the nurses determination. Tenet will spare no expense or tactic to break the struggle of the hundreds of nurses on the line.

However, they are being assisted by the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the trade unions, which are working to isolate the strike and starve workers out on the picket line. The MNA itself has sought to minimize the significance of Tenets replacement of striking workers and has refused to mobilize its 23,000 members in protest. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO has made no call to its 400,000 membership to unite in defense of the jobs of St. Vincent nurses.

The trade union bureaucracy as a whole is assisting the MNAs isolation of the strike. UFCW Local 1445, which represents 600 support staff at Saint Vincent Hospital, came to an agreement with Tenet Healthcare and called off a strike in which support staff would have joined nurses on the picket line.

After leaving them out for months without strike pay, the MNA is now pushing for nurses to concede their demands of 1:4 nurse to patient ratios on medical/surgical floors and telemetry units, as well as increased staffing in the emergency department and ancillary support in each unit.

The nurses responded with scorn and indignation at the latest offer in early May, which did nothing to address staffing ratios. The MNA gave them a preview of the offer via a Zoom call where nurses lashed out at the insulting offer, shouted expletives and No, no!

Sarah Nelson (Source: MNA)

Clearly sensing that the union was in danger of losing control over the rank and file, high profile members of the Democratic Party and trade union apparatus were sent out to speak at a rally over the weekend which was organized by the MNA.

The rally was an amalgamation of Democratic Party politicians that run the state and the trade union bureaucracy, including former Democratic Party presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democratic US Congressman Jim McGovern, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scott Tolman, President of the Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO John Carlson, President of the Mass Building and Trades Council Frank Callahan and Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

Roughly two hundred total were in attendance Saturday in the parking lot of the ad hoc strike headquarters of the MNA. Only a small delegation of 75-100 striking nurses were present among the politicians and union bureaucrats, their aides and hangers-on seeking selfies.

The cause of the low turnout from nurses was demonstrated in responses to a post on the MNAs Facebook page announcing the rally, which received 422 comments and was shared 551 times. Comments demonstrated skepticism and ambivalence towards the agenda of Democratic Party politicians and labor bureaucrats stumping for votes and federal legislation.

Crowd at Saturday June 12th rally (Credit: WSWS media)

The most liked comment was Sorry. Elizabeth Warren doesnt care about the nurses, nor does McGovern. Just looking for votes! that received 100 likes and was echoed by another highly liked: Some election must be around the corner for these fossils to come out of retirement on the job.

In another post reflecting the growing mistrust the union bureaucracies, distant from the conditions facing workers, stated, You cant support the politicians or status quo Labor (so-called) leadership that ever allowed conditions [to] deteriorate to the despicable state of our Healthcare today and then expect significant change. None of them have missed a meal, paycheck... or vacation home!

The cynical slogan assumed by the MNA and the Democratic Party officials at the rally was One day longer, One day stronger as nurses are starved on the picket line and face the permanent loss of their jobs.

In reality, nurses need a new strategy, based on uniting their struggle with other working class struggles which are erupting throughout the country, driving workers into conflict with the corrupt trade unions. A strike by 3,000 truck manufacturing workers in Virginia employed by Volvo Group has entered its second week after workers twice overwhelmingly rejected a union-backed concessions contract. In Brookwood, Alabama more than 1,100 miners, who have been on strike since April 1, overwhelmingly rejected a sellout contract endorsed by the United Mine Workers, with some workers burning copies of the contract outside of the local union hall. Just south in Connecticut, SEIU Local 1199 has worked to prevent three strikes by nursing home workers fighting for the same issues of safe staffing and a living wage in the past month alone.

Worcester nurses have powerful allies. Health care workers represent the largest industry in the state of Massachusetts, with nearly three quarters of a million people in the industry in 2018, according to a Pioneer Institute study. According to the Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey, there are 22 million workers in the health care industry in the United States.

A real fight for patient safety and safe staffing cannot be confined to a single hospital or health care system. St. Vincent nurses must reach out to striking Volvo autoworkers in Virginia and coal miners in Alabama, as well as the millions of health care workers who also want to fight for patient safety and against the for-profit health care system. This must be done to halt the further isolation of their strike by the MNA, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, and the entire trade union apparatus which is tied by a million threads to the Democratic Party and ruling class.

The only way for health care workers to break out of the straitjacket of the trade unions, the Democratic Party and the ruling class, is to build its own democratic organizations, rank-and-file committees, to demand at any and all costs the highest quality of care and working conditions for all health care workers and their patients. This committee must link up with the network of similar committees being established across the country and in countries throughout the world, in order to unite across industries, workplaces, and globally to carry out a coordinated fight in defense of the working class.
A New York psychiatrist invited to give a lecture at Yale University spoke about her fantasies of murdering white people, while insisting that racism is an inherent part of whiteness. University officials have since restricted public access to the talk while distancing themselves from the comments in an effort to downplay their role in promoting these backward conceptions.

The April 6 online lecture, The Psychopathic Problem of the White Mind, was presented by the Yale School of Medicines Child Study Center and delivered by Dr. Aruna Khilanani. The poster announcing the event listed several learning objectives, among which were: Set up white peoples absence of empathy towards black rage as a problem and Understand how white people are psychologically dependent on black rage.

In her profanity-laced rant, Dr. Khilanani identified the root cause of racism as the white mind.

Yale University campus [Credit: Pixabay]

This is the cost of talking to white people at all, she declared. The cost of your own life, as they suck you dry. There are no good apples out there. White people make my blood boil. She went on, I had fantasies of unloading a revolver into the head of any white person that got in my way, burying their body, and wiping my bloody hands as I walked away relatively guiltless with a bounce in my step. Like I did the world a fucking favor.

She spoke repeatedly about the futility of speaking to white people about race: White people are out of their minds, and they have been for a long time We keep forgetting that directly talking about race is a waste of our breath. We are asking a demented, violent predator who thinks that they are a saint or a superhero, to accept responsibility. It aint gonna happen. They have five holes in their brain. Its like banging your head against a brick wall. Its just like sort of not a good idea.

Again, We need to remember that directly talking about race to white people is useless, because they are at the wrong level of conversation. Addressing racism assumes that white people can see and process what we are talking about. They cant. Thats why they sound demented. They dont even know they have a mask on. White people think its their actual face. We need to get to know the mask.

She spoke gleefully about how she cut all white people out of her life: I took some actions I systematically white-ghosted most of my white friends, and I got rid of the couple white BIPOCs [black, indigenous and people of color] that snuck in my crew, too.

In the face of growing controversy, the university has worked to distance itself from the speech. The Yale School of Medicine released a statement calling the contents of the talk antithetical to the values of the school. The statement went on, In deciding whether to post the video, we weighed our grave concern about the extreme hostility, imagery of violence, and profanity expressed by the speaker against our commitment to freedom of expression. We ultimately decided to post the video with access limited to those who could have attended the talk the members of the Yale community.

This amounts to a slap on the wrist for blatant hate speech and incitement to violence. Questions arise as to why Yale University, an Ivy League institution where future leaders of the bourgeois regime are groomed, would host a speech whose title implies that the white mind is inherently psychopathic. It reveals something about those sections of the ruling class represented by the Democratic Party, where identity politics have become mainstream.

As for the speaker, her social background is typical of members of the affluent middle classes. Described on her website as a Forensic Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, with expertise in violence, racism, and marginalized identities, Khilanani underwent training at New York University, Cornell and Columbia University.

Insulated in her privileged social milieu, her wholly irrational worldviewwhich holds that all white people, regardless of socioeconomic status, have an inherent privilege which grants them an advantage over other racesis a product of her utter divorce from the harsh realities that confront workers of all races. When asked in an interview why so many blacks and Hispanics voted for Donald Trump in 2020, she replied Its internalized whiteness. In place of scientific analysis, the pseudo-left has found it much easier to invoke the strawman of whiteness to explain anything that contradicts their racialist theories.

Her views are not abnormal, even in her field. A May 27 article by Donald Moss published in the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association entitled On Having Whiteness describes whiteness as a malignant, parasitic-like condition to which white people have a particular susceptibility. It goes on: Parasitic Whiteness renders its hosts appetites voracious, insatiable, and perverse. These deformed appetites particularly target nonwhite peoples. For such layers, anti-scientism and irrationalist conceptions have become the order of the day.

In this context, Khilananis words represent not the ramblings of a particularly deranged individual, but the articulation of the worldview of these affluent sections, which utilize identity politics as a weapon to obtain access to greater wealth and influence.

This form of commentary can have no other purpose than to enflame racial hatreds. When elements of the pseudo-left contend that all white people have an innate predisposition towards racism and oppression, the only logical conclusion is a path towards segregation and race war. In this they form a sort of symbiotic relationship with the far right; indeed, they feed off of each other. Khilananis assertion that it is useless to speak to white people about racein other words, that there can be no possible reconciliation between whites and other raceswould certainly be agreed upon by white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

While there is no doubt that racism existsand is actively cultivated among certain backward layers, including among the police and the militaryit exists as a particularly putrid expression of the domination of finance capital over the working class.

At a time when workers in the US and internationally are entering into enormous struggles against their exploiters, the class role of the pseudo-leftexpressed in a particularly diseased form by the speaker at Yaleis to sabotage the unity of the working class by fomenting ethnic, gender and other arbitrary divisions, the ultimate aim of which is to safeguard capitalism.

Genuine socialists insist that bringing an end to all forms of oppression and exploitation requires a frontal assault by the working class upon the capitalist system. This in turn necessitates a ruthless struggle for the essential unity of the working class in the face of divisive provocations by agents of the class enemy.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) -- The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute is giving $500,000 to 28 domestic violence shelters across the state. One local shelter is seeing a portion of that money. The Council on Domestic Abuse, or CODA for short, is receiving $10,000 in grant money.

The money will go toward housing people at the shelter along with funding the other services CODA has to offer.

It's called the Social Services Block Grant. It's designed to support shelters as they help people who suffer from domestic violence.

Emily Murray is the Executive Director for CODA. She told News 10 that this grant money is very beneficial. Murray said the money will be used to help with all costs the emergency shelter has.

Those needs include feeding residents, paying bills, and helping take residents to appointments.

Murray told us that CODA heavily relies on federal funding in order to keep its doors open. She said it's very important for CODA to keep all its services open to the public, especially right now.

She told News 10 that when the pandemic first hit CODA saw more people needing help.

Now, she said she's seeing numbers slowly start to decrease in their legal department.

While this is good news, Murry said she's seeing something else entirely different.

Murray said, "I look every week to see on the arrests the domestic violence numbers are up, so I think overall the trend is still up."

Murray said that currently, the shelter is at its maximum capacity. She said while CODA can no longer shelter people at their facility there are still plenty of ways people can get help.

CODA has contacts with other shelters, a legal department to help with no-contact orders, and a case management team.

Murray said, "It's really important for them to have some sort of support system even though they may not know us very well when they come in we all kind of become a family."

Murray said now more than ever it is important that the shelter's doors remain open. That's why she said the grant is coming at a great time.

She said, "The fact that we can provide the services that we do for free is huge. You know the people that we serve here wouldn't be able to pay for these services. So, we wouldn't be able to operate without these funds, it's huge."

Murray said if you need help, or know someone that does, you should contact CODA immediately.

You can reach CODA by clicking here or call (812)-232-1736.
VINCENNES, Ind. (WTHI) - Vietnam Veteran's Appreciation Day is coming up on Saturday.

To show appreciation, the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes is looking to honor local veterans.

The community also has the opportunity to meet and greet Indiana Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant Sammy L. Davis.

Parts of the movie Forest Gump was based on Sgt. Davis's story.

Officials from the museum told us the event is all about honoring veterans.

"They came back from a war in which there wasn't a lot of thanks. In the subsequent years, I think folks have turned around on that now. Everybody's saying thank you for your service and what you did," Jim Osborne from the museum said.

If you're looking to take part in the fun, the gates open at 9 am. Weather permitting, Huey rides will be offered throughout the day.

A battle reenactment is scheduled for 2:30 pm. Museum leaders say the displays will be on-site from 9 am to 5 pm.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Local businesses are receiving recognition for patriotic displays for Flag Day.

Flag Day is held each year on June 14. Read more about the history of the day here.

The John Martin Chapter of the Sons of American Revolution honored Dorsett Automotive.

The organization says the business shows exemplary patriotism in the display of the flag of the United States.

Culver's in Terre Haute was also honored.
Democrats are demanding sworn testimony from Donald Trump's former attorneys general in an exploding scandal over secret seizures of communications records from top lawmakers and news organizations on the ex-President's enemies list.

Media executives, meanwhile, on Monday will seek answers from current Attorney General Merrick Garland and ask for safeguards to ensure the future freedom of the press.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that the latest revelations about Trump's Justice Department deserved comparison with the greatest abuses of presidential authority in recent American history.

"What the administration did, the Justice Department, the leadership of the former President, goes even beyond Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon had an enemies list. This is about undermining the rule of law," the California Democrat told Dana Bash.

Pelosi said that at least former Attorneys General William Barr and Jeff Sessions must be called to Capitol Hill to explain what happened.

"We will have to have them come under oath to testify about that."

The calls for testimony come ahead of Garland's meeting with senior executives from CNN, The Washington Post and the New York Times. The group is seeking answers on the purpose of demands for journalists' communications logs -- and gag orders covering them up -- sought by Trump's Justice Department, and to prevent future administrations from undertaking such abuses of power.

"It's a simple goal -- it's to protect the freedom of the press now and in the future," CNN's Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist said on "Reliable Sources" on Sunday.

In another stunning development Sunday, news broke that Trump's own Justice Department subpoenaed Apple for records of White House Counsel Don McGahn and his wife while he was still the top lawyer for the presidency, according to a person familiar.

The widening push for accountability will present Republicans with a familiar dilemma: Will they again shield an ex-President guilty of a previous string of assaults on democracy that are only now fully becoming clear? In recent months, GOP leaders have repeatedly said that it's time to move on from the previous administration, with Senate Republicans blocking the establishment of an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol that was incited by Trump.

But the issues raised by the secret subpoenas do not just require accountability. The more details that come out, the more the public understands the kind of attacks on basic US freedoms that could ensue if Trump were to win the presidency in 2024 or if his party picks a leader with similar autocratic tendencies. America is already getting a good taste of that with the GOP's attempts -- inspired by Trump's election lies -- to make it harder for many Americans, including Black voters, to cast ballots and to make it easier for GOP officials and legislators to intervene in the certification process after elections.

What did Trump know?

Coming congressional investigations will likely seek to establish whether the former President orchestrated the demands for data and which officials were involved. Two Democratic lawmakers, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and fellow California Rep. Eric Swalwell, were swept up in the secret data operations. The possibility remains that more covert sweeps against others were attempted and are not yet public.

The Justice Department has already announced a review of the secret data sweeps by the department's inspector general.

Pelosi also said that she didn't know if lawmakers other than Schiff and Swalwell were subject to the Trump administration data capture.

"How could it be that there could be an investigation of ... members in the other branch of government, and the press and the rest, too, and the attorneys general did not know? So, who are these people? And are they still in the Justice Department?" Pelosi asked.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers and ex-acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker should be added to the list of officials who should be compelled to testify with subpoenas if necessary.

"This was nothing less than a gross abuse of power, an assault on the separation of powers. I don't think we've ever had a record of this happening in the past," the New York Democrat said at a press conference in New York City on Sunday.

"What has happened here are fingerprints of a dictatorship, not a democracy," Schumer said.

In a statement on Monday, Garland said that the department would strengthen its policies and procedures regarding the obtaining of records from the legislative branch of the government. He also said that if, during the inspector general's investigation, action was warranted, "I will not hesitate to move swiftly."

A broad target for investigations

There are several separate but apparently linked strands to the latest revelations about a possible use by the Trump administration of the Justice Department to advance the former President's hardline political goals.

It is not yet clear why Schiff and Swalwell were targeted, but they were both raising questions about the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia.

The FBI sent a subpoena to Apple in 2018 seeking metadata from more than 100 accounts, including that of a minor. The demand was accompanied by a gag order which meant Apple was prevented from informing the targets of the seizures that they were under investigation.

In another dimension of the scandal, CNN disclosed last week that it fought a months-long legal battle against the Justice Department as investigators sought communications records of Barbara Starr, the network's Pentagon correspondent. A gag order prevented David Vigilante, CNN's general counsel, from discussing the order with anyone but the network's president and a small group of lawyers. Starr was unaware that she had been swept up in the leak investigation, which sought 2017 email logs from a time when she was reporting on North Korea, Syria and Afghanistan, among other issues. CNN still does not know which stories triggered the ire of the Trump Justice Department.

In a CNN op-ed on Monday, Starr said she was "genuinely horrified" by the effort and called for new protections for journalists to prevent such seizures from happening in the future.

"Secret proceedings, gag orders so CNN attorneys can't speak to me, and eight reporters being swept up in investigations with no explanation -- these are not part of a free press in the United States," Starr wrote.

Three Washington Post reporters have been informed that the Department last year obtained their phone records from 2017. The New York Times said it fought both the Trump administration and the Biden administration in its early weeks over the email logs of four of its reporters.

The Biden administration said earlier this month that it would no longer seize records from reporters in the course of leak investigations. The White House says it is committed to restoring the independence of the Justice Department that was seriously degraded under Trump. But Garland is now facing questions about his initial approach to news organizations and pressure to give a full accounting of what happened.

Garland meets the press

Garland will be under pressure from media executives in Monday's meeting to not just explain the extent of the investigations into reporters but to commit to regulatory changes that will prevent future abuses from the Justice Department.

Feist said on "Reliable Sources" that CNN wanted to find out the extent of Justice Department investigations and information about the stories concerned.

"It's not an accident, I don't think, that the three news organizations that were targeted by this, by Trump's Justice Department, were CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post."

"These were the organizations that were at the top of his list of enemies of the American people."

The news on Sunday, first reported by The New York Times, that the Justice Department had also gone after McGahn's account records potentially added another intriguing dimension to the secret leak investigations.

McGahn and his wife received disclosures from Apple last month that their account records were sought by the Justice Department in February 2018, a person familiar told CNN. McGahn, who incurred Trump's wrath for refusing to cover-up his request to fire then-special counsel Robert Mueller, was still serving in his official White House position at the time.

The Justice Department went to a judge multiple times to keep the data sweep a secret while Trump was in office but the gag order expired in May.

The Department appears to have accessed McGahn and his wife's information in the same month it swept up Apple's data related to dozens of phone numbers and email accounts connected to the House Intelligence Committee, including California Democrats Schiff and Swalwell.

It was not immediately clear who in the Justice Department ordered the subpoena for McGahn's records. But one of the less nefarious possibilities was ruled out when a source said Sunday that the subpoena did not come from Mueller's team, when the special counsel was investigating whether Trump obstructed justice.

Sessions, who was recused from all matters related to the Russia probe, and former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who would have overseen a related leak investigation in his place, were not aware of this request for information related to McGahn and his wife, according to another source familiar.

Whatever explanation emerges, the idea that the chief counsel for the presidency was the subject of a subpoena from within Trump's own Justice Department is yet another staggering development in a coda to a presidency already soaked in abuses of power and anti-democratic maneuvering that, through Trump's enduring influence over the GOP, threatens to further imperil American democracy.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - Notre Dame defeated Mississippi State 9-1 on Sunday.

Monday's game three will decide who goes to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The winner-take-all game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. CT (ESPN2/ESPNU).
TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (AP)  A 15-year-old from Alabama was killed after being struck by lightning while swimming off Tybee Island in Georgia.

The Tybee Island Police Department said it received a 911 call Saturday afternoon about a young woman who had possibly been struck by lightning while swimming in the ocean.

She was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.

Authorities said family told investigators that the 15-year-old was visiting Tybee Island from Alabama.

According to the National Weather Service, lightning killed an average of 27 people each year between 2009 and 2018.
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To a growing chorus of U.S. politicians and scientists, she is the key to whether the world will ever learn if the virus behind the devastating COVID-19 pandemic escaped from a Chinese lab. To the Chinese government and public, she is a hero of the countrys success in curbing the epidemic and a victim of malicious conspiracy theories.

Shi Zhengli, a top Chinese virologist, is once again at the center of clashing narratives about her research on coronaviruses at a state lab in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic first emerged.

The idea that the virus may have escaped from a lab had long been widely dismissed by scientists as implausible and shunned by others for its connection with former President Donald Trump. But fresh scrutiny from the Biden administration and calls for greater candor from prominent scientists have brought the theory back to the fore.

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Scientists generally agree that there is still no direct evidence to support the lab leak theory. But more of them now say that the hypothesis was dismissed too hastily, without a thorough investigation, and they point to a range of unsettling questions.

Some scientists say Shi conducted risky experiments with bat coronaviruses in labs that were not safe enough. Others want clarity on reports, citing U.S. intelligence, suggesting that there were early infections of COVID-19 among several employees of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Shi has denied these accusations and now finds herself defending the reputation of her lab and, by extension, that of her country. Reached on her cellphone last week, Shi said at first that she preferred not to speak directly with reporters, citing her institutes policies. Yet she could barely contain her frustration.

How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence? she said, her voice rising in anger during the brief, unscheduled conversation. I dont know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist, she wrote in a text message.

Story continues

In a rare interview over email, she denounced the suspicions as baseless, including the allegations that several of her colleagues may have been ill before the outbreak emerged.

The speculation boils down to one central question: Did Shis lab hold any source of the new coronavirus before the pandemic erupted? Shis answer is an emphatic no.

But Chinas refusal to allow an independent investigation into her lab, or to share data on its research, make it difficult to validate Shis claims and has only fueled nagging suspicions about how the pandemic could have taken hold in the same city that hosts an institute known for its work on bat coronaviruses.

Those in favor of the natural origins hypothesis, though, have pointed to Wuhans role as a major transportation hub as well as a recent study that showed that just before the pandemic hit, the citys markets were selling many animal species capable of harboring dangerous pathogens that could jump to humans.

The Chinese government has given no appearance of holding Shi under suspicion. Despite the international scrutiny, she seems to have been able to continue her research and give lectures in China.

The stakes in this debate extend into how scientists study infectious diseases. Some scientists have cited the lab leak scenario in pushing for greater scrutiny of gain of function experiments that, broadly defined, are intended to make pathogens more powerful to better understand their behavior and risks.

Many scientists say they want the hunt for the virus origins to transcend politics, borders and individual scientific achievements.

This has nothing to do with fault or guilt, said David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University and co-author of a recent letter in the journal Science, signed by 18 scientists, that called for a transparent investigation into all viable scenarios, including a lab leak.

The letter urged labs and health agencies to open their records to the public.

Its just bigger than any one scientist or institute or any one country  anybody anywhere who has data of this sort needs to put it out there, Relman said.

Transparency matters.

Many virologists maintain that the coronavirus most likely jumped from an animal to a human in a setting outside a lab. But without direct proof of a natural spillover, more scientists and politicians have called for a full investigation into the lab leak theory.

Proponents of a lab investigation say that researchers at Shis institute could have collected  or contracted  the new coronavirus from the wild, such as in a bat cave. Or the scientists may have created it, by accident or by design. Either way, the virus could then have leaked from the laboratory, perhaps by infecting a worker.

China has sought to influence investigations into the virus origin, while promoting its own unproven allegations.

Beijing agreed to allow a team of World Health Organization experts to visit China but limited their access. When the WHO team said in a report in March that a lab leak was extremely unlikely, its conclusion was seen as hasty. Even the head of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough.

Last month, President Joe Biden ordered intelligence agencies to investigate the origin question, including the lab theory. On Sunday, the leaders of the worlds wealthiest large democracies, at the Group of 7 summit, urged China to be part of a new investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Biden told reporters that he and other leaders had discussed access to labs in China.

Transparency matters across the board, Biden said.

Scientists have a motherland.

In less polarized times, Shi was a symbol of Chinas scientific progress, the Bat Woman at the forefront of research into emerging viruses.

She led expeditions into caves to collect samples from bats and guano, to learn how viruses jump from animals to humans. In 2019, she was among 109 scientists elected to the American Academy of Microbiology for her contributions to the field.

Shes a stellar scientist  extremely careful, with a rigorous work ethic, said Dr. Robert C. Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology employs nearly 300 people and is home to one of only two Chinese labs that have been given the highest security designation, Biosafety Level 4. Shi leads the institutes work on emerging infectious diseases, and over the years, her group has collected over 10,000 bat samples from around China.

Under Chinas centralized approach to scientific research, the institute answers to the Communist Party, which wants scientists to serve national goals.

Science has no borders, but scientists have a motherland, Xi Jinping, the countrys leader, said in a speech to scientists last year.

Shi herself, though, does not belong to the Communist Party, according to official Chinese media reports, which is unusual for state employees of her status. She built her career at the institute, starting as a research assistant in 1990 and working her way up the ranks.

Shi, 57, obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Montpellier in France in 2000 and started studying bats in 2004 after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed more than 700 people around the world. In 2011, she made a breakthrough when she found bats in a cave in southwestern China that carried coronaviruses that were similar to the virus that causes SARS.

In all the work we do, if just once you can prevent the outbreak of an illness, then what weve done will be very meaningful, she told CCTV, Chinas state broadcaster, in 2017.

But some of her most notable findings have since drawn the heaviest scrutiny. In recent years, Shi began experimenting on bat coronaviruses by genetically modifying them to see how they behave.

In 2017, she and her colleagues at the Wuhan lab published a paper about an experiment in which they created new hybrid bat coronaviruses by mixing and matching parts of several existing ones  including at least one that was nearly transmissible to humans  in order to study their ability to infect and replicate in human cells.

Proponents of this type of research say it helps society prepare for future outbreaks. Critics say the risks of creating dangerous new pathogens may outweigh potential benefits.

The picture has been complicated by new questions about whether U.S. government funding that went to Shis work supported controversial gain-of-function research. The Wuhan institute received around $600,000 in grant money from the U.S. government, through an American nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance. The National Institutes of Health said it had not approved funding for the nonprofit to conduct gain-of-function research on coronaviruses that would have made them more infectious or lethal.

Shi, in an emailed response to questions, argued that her experiments differed from gain-of-function work because she did not set out to make a virus more dangerous but to understand how it might jump across species.

My lab has never conducted or cooperated in conducting GOF experiments that enhance the virulence of viruses, she said.

Speculation rooted in utter distrust.

Concerns have centered not only on what experiments Shi conducted but also on the conditions under which she did them.

Some of Shis experiments on bat viruses were done in Biosafety Level 2 labs, where security is lower than in other labs at the institute. That has raised questions about whether a dangerous pathogen could have slipped out.

Ralph Baric, a University of North Carolina expert in coronaviruses who signed the open letter in Science, said that although a natural origin of the virus was likely, he supported a review of what level of biosafety precautions were taken in studying bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan institute. Baric conducted NIH-approved gain-of-function research at his lab using information on viral genetic sequences provided by Shi.

Shi said that bat viruses in China could be studied in BSL-2 labs because there was no evidence that they directly infected humans, a view supported by some other scientists.

She also rejected recent reports that three researchers from her institute had sought treatment at a hospital in November 2019 for flulike symptoms, before the first COVID-19 cases were reported.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has not come across such cases, she wrote. If possible, can you provide the names of the three to help us check?

As for samples that the lab held, Shi has maintained that the closest bat virus she had in her lab, which she shared publicly, was only 96% identical to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19  a vast difference by genomic standards. She rejects speculation that her lab had worked on other viruses in secret.

Shis research on a group of miners in Yunnan province who suffered severe respiratory disease in 2012 has also drawn questions. The miners had worked in the same cave where Shis team later discovered the bat virus that is close to SARS-CoV-2. Shi said that her lab did not detect bat SARS-like coronaviruses in the miners samples and that she would publish more details in a scientific journal soon; her critics say she has withheld information.

This issue is too important not to come forward with everything you have and in a timely and transparent manner, said Alina Chan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard who also signed the Science letter.

Many scientists and officials say China should share employees medical records and the labs logs of its experiments and its viral sequence database to evaluate Shis claims.

Shi said she and the institute had been open with the WHO and with the global scientific community.

This is no longer a question of science, she said on the phone. It is speculation rooted in utter distrust.

I have nothing to fear.

The pandemic was a moment that Shi and her team had long braced for. For years, she had warned of the risks of a coronavirus outbreak, building up a stock of knowledge about these pathogens.

In January 2020, as Shi and her team worked frantically, they were exhausted but also excited, said Wang Linfa, a virologist at the Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School who was in Wuhan with Shi at the time.

All the experiences, reagents and the bat samples in the freezer were finally being used in a significant way globally, said Wang, Shis collaborator and friend for 17 years.

Shi published some of the most important early papers on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, which scientists around the world have relied on.

But soon, the speculation about Shi and her lab began to swirl. Shi, who is known among friends for being blunt, was baffled and angry  and sometimes let it show.

In an interview with Science magazine in July, she said that Trump owed her an apology for claiming the virus came from her lab. On social media, she said people who raised similar questions should shut your stinky mouths.

Shi said what she saw as the politicization of the question had sapped her of any enthusiasm for investigating the origins of the virus. She has instead focused on COVID vaccines and the features of the new virus, and over time, she said, has calmed down.

Im sure that I did nothing wrong, she wrote. So I have nothing to fear.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

 2021 The New York Times Company
Denver is striving to become a leader other policymakers look to when it comes to tackling homelessness.

Why it matters: Addressing the issue has taken on new urgency in cities across the country over the past year, as officials grapple with a growing unhoused population and the need to preserve public safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Driving the news: At a news conference Thursday honoring the city's third sanctioned homeless campsite at Regis University, Denver's public safety director Murphy Robinson acknowledged "many safe outdoor spaces to come," investments he said would set "a precedent for the nation."

Based on two previous sites in Capitol Hill (whose six-month leases have expired), it's clear people experiencing homelessness are benefiting from connections to "critical services, support, employment and housing," he said.

Context: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who was initially reluctant to embrace temporary city-sanctioned campsites, is now a proponent, telling Axios in February that he was exploring whether they could work permanently  but he needed to see "at least three" sites to be sure.

As of now, Denver has a $900,000 contract in place with Colorado Village Collaborative to support up to two temporary managed campsites through 2021, and that agreement appears likely to expand.

Yes, but: Resistance remains among some residents living in areas where the sites have been proposed, despite little uproar raised in places they've been established.

Residents in Park Hill filed a lawsuit against a site soon set to open at a Methodist Church in the neighborhood, but it was recently kicked out of court.

The site was slated to open tomorrow but has been delayed between a week and 10 days to finish setting up electricity and inspections, CVC executive director Cole Chandler told Alayna.

What they're saying: "I don't think it's ever going to be easy to site a project that provides residential services to people experiencing homelessness; I think that's a sad condition of our society," Chandler said. "But I have hope that the work we're doing is changing the conversation and people's minds and hearts and positions on this issue."

Neighborhood support is "key" to becoming a national model, Robinson said, "and we have to understand  as neighbors  that these are our neighbors."

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A 70-year-old Filipino man said he was verbally and physically assaulted while walking in a park in Cerritos, Calif., with his wife earlier in June.



The attack: Cesar Echano was at the Cerritos Regional Park with his wife on June 5 when a white man in his 20s came up to them and started verbally harassing the couple, according to ABS-CBN News.



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The man, who remains unidentified, told Echano, "You dont belong here! Go back to your country," NBC Los Angeles reported.

Echano and his wife made their way to their parked car, but the man followed them.

Completely unaware, the suspect suddenly punched Echano while he was sitting in the passenger seat of their car.

Echano spent a day in the hospital to treat his black eye.



Other details: Echano said they didnt get a chance to take a picture of the assailant.









The couple pulled a few blocks away from the scene of the attack to report the incident to the police.

He and his wife turned to their friends from Glory to Glory Church for support following the attack.

The man hopes witnesses and business owners in the nearby area with CCTV could provide evidence to the police.

The park's law enforcement is now looking into the matter but has yet to make an arrest.

Echano, who was traumatized by the incident, said he doesn't "want to go out anymore."

Echano has been living in the U.S. for more than 30 years and said he felt safe before. He is asking the community to stop the Asian hate.



NextShark has reached out to Cerritos Sheriff's Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, for further comment.



Featured Image via NBC Los Angeles

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Air Force Veteran Beaten, Called 'Chinese Virus' in Unprovoked Attack in LA's Koreatown

Chinese Man Who Ran Birth Tourism Scheme in US Gets 37 Months in Prison After Fleeing to China
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images

Rep. Jim Jordan appeared to criticize Biden on Monday for attending diplomatic summits in Europe.

"While Biden pals around with his buddies in Europe, the border crisis rages at home," he tweeted.

Conservatives have sought to make immigration at the US-Mexico border a rallying cry against Biden.

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GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on Monday appeared to criticize President Joe Biden for attending the Group of Seven and NATO summits in recent days, saying that the president should instead focus his energies on the US-Mexico border.

"While President Biden pals around with his buddies in Europe, the border crisis rages at home," Jordan, a conservative lawmaker and staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, wrote on Twitter. This, despite Biden attending the same diplomatic summits that Trump did during his single term in office.

Biden attended the 47th G-7 summit in the English county of Cornwall this past weekend.

While at the summit, Biden joined the leaders of the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan in signing a joint communique that addressed topics varying from strategies to end the coronavirus pandemic to a guideline for fighting climate change and an examination of international law regarding online safety and hate speech.

-Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) June 14, 2021

Biden is now attending the NATO summit in Brussels.

While Trump repeatedly criticized NATO over how the alliance is funded and reportedly discussed pulling out of the organization, Biden is aiming for a more diplomatic approach during his visit.

Republicans, who have decried the increase in unauthorized border crossings since Biden took office, have used immigration issues as a rallying cry against the president for months.

Read more: The Justice Department is scrutinizing Arizona's pro-Trump vote audit as threats of violence and political fallout loom

Biden has sought to use his first trip abroad as president to reinstill confidence in the US as a global leader and ally after four chaotic years under Trump. The former president's abrasive leadership style and tendency to aggressively challenge allies on issues such as trade and defense spending placed major strains on important partnerships. Recent polling has shown that the US's global image has seen a boost with Biden at the helm as compared to the Trump era, particularly among European allies.

Story continues

Trump frequently criticized NATO, presenting the alliance as outmoded while misconstruing the ways in which it functions.

The former president's approach to NATO at times raised concerns that he would move to withdraw the US from the historic alliance at a time of increased aggression from Russia. Trump also stirred up anxiety by suggesting the US would not come to the defense of a fellow NATO ally if it were attacked, which would mark a violation of the organization's fundamental principle of collective defense that's enshrined in Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty.

In a major departure from Trump and his rhetoric toward the alliance, Biden in comments to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said that the US views Article 5 as a "sacred obligation."

"I just want all of Europe to know that the United States is there. The United States is there," Biden said.

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Watch: Footage shows unruly passengers fighting on planes and at airports across the US
Jasmine Hartin is the partner of Andrew Ashcroft, the son of former Conservative treasurer Lord Ashcroft (Alaia Belize/YouTube)

Police in Belize who arrested the daughter-in-law of billionaire Tory donor Lord Ashcroft over the death of an officer are said to be investigating whether the 38-year-old American suspect had been playing with the victims pistol before the fatal shooting.

Jasmine Hartin was found on a dock near where police superintendent Henry Jemmott was discovered dead early on Friday in the town of San Pedro, and has been held in custody over the weekend.

A police source said investigators were working on one theory that she had been playing with a pistol belonging to the 42-year-old victim while under the influence of alcohol, according to The Times.

Separately, the deceased officer's sister, Marie Jemmott Tzul, told the Daily Mail that Ms Hartin was due to be charged and would make her first court appearance within days. This has not been publicly confirmed by officials in Belize.

I got a call, but they did not say what she was going to be charged with, she reportedly told the paper.

The Independent contacted the Belize Police Department for comment.

Ms Hartin is the partner of Andrew Ashcroft, son of Michael Ashcroft, a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party and a major financial backer. He also holds Belizean citizenship and was once its representative before the United Nations.

In the initial news conference on Friday, Police Commissioner Chester Williams told local media a single gunshot was heard and upon investigating, police found the female on a pier, and she had what appeared to be blood on her arms and on her clothing.

A firearm was also seen on the pier that has been retrieved and we have learned that the firearm belonged to the police and was assigned to Mr Jemmott, he said.

The incident seems rather personal and not an attack, Mr Williams added. From what we know is that they are friends. From what we have been made to understand they were drinking. From investigation they were alone on the pier and yes they were both fully clothed.

He claimed Ms Hartin had been somewhat in an emotional state walking herself on the pier. We believe that she is to some extent affected by it.

Additional reporting by AP
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) asks questions to a panel of pharmaceutical company CEOs during a hearing held by the Senate Finance Committee on "Drug Pricing in America: A Prescription for Change, Part II" February 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony from a panel of pharmaceutical company CEOs on the reasons for rising costs of prescription drugs. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Some Democratic senators say they will oppose a bipartisan infrastructure deal that doesn't address climate crisis.

"On a big infrastructure bill, to pass on climate altogether? No way," Sen. Ron Wyden told Insider on Thursday.

Biden's willingness to pursue a deal may produce a watered-down plan with Republicans that may cost him Democratic support.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

A group of Senate Democrats are ratcheting up their criticism of ongoing infrastructure negotiations with Republicans - and a few are warning they would derail a deal that omits climate change measures.

At least six Democratic senators have publicly raised concern that a bill negotiated with Republicans would produce a watered-down package inadequate to meet the scale of the climate crisis over the past week. They include Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island; Martin Heinrich of New Mexico; and Brian Schatz of Hawaii.

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But a pair of Democrats are going further. Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Ed Markey of Massachusetts have both said in recent days that they would oppose a package that didn't include provisions to aggressively combat climate change. That's been a top priority for the Biden administration

"On a big infrastructure bill, to pass on climate altogether? No way," Wyden told Insider on Thursday. "Think I'm blunt enough? No way."

Markey was similarly stark.

"We can't have an infrastructure bill in 2021 that doesn't have climate at its center," Markey said in an MSNBC interview on the same day. "No climate, no deal."

The increasing tempo of criticism represents a major challenge for President Joe Biden as he continues pursuing a bipartisan infrastructure deal. He laid out a sprawling proposal to accelerate the nation's transition from fossil fuels to clean energy with measures like federal support to build a network of electric-vehicle charging stations.

Story continues

Other provisions include green-energy tax incentives and money to retrofit homes into energy-efficient ones. But Republicans have dismissed the climate plans as measures going far beyond their infrastructure definition, which is confined to roads, bridges, and broadband.

Biden has expressed a willingness to cut his initial proposal, a move that could cost him Democratic support in both the Senate and House and derail the plan. Still, some GOP senators argue that Democrats should be satisfied with a focus on shoring up the country's ability to endure the worsening catastrophes.

"If they're looking for a line item that says 'climate,' they're not going to see that. As we know, climate initiatives can be incorporated in so much," Sen. Lisa Murkowski told reporters on Thursday. "If you have support for dealing with the threats of erosion and flooding and the superstorms - that is climate-related."

Murkowski added: "We kind of capture so much of it in the resiliency area. If people look to the specifics, they'll see that there is plenty there."

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JOHANNESBURG (AP)  South Africa said Friday it has finalized an extradition treaty with United Arab Emirates that would allow it to bring back members of an Indian family accused of involvement in high-level state corruption to face trial.

Brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta are believed to be living in Dubai after hastily leaving South Africa around the same time former President Jacob Zuma resigned in 2018 amid allegations he had overseen massive levels of corruption at state-owned companies.

The Guptas are accused of using their association with Zuma to cash in on huge government contracts and kickbacks, and were believed to be so influential they had a say in Zuma's appointment of Cabinet ministers.

The U.S. Treasury Department placed the three Gupta brothers on a sanctions list in 2019, accusing them of being members of a significant corruption network. That forbids U.S entities from conducting business with them or handling their assets.

Zuma was president from 2009 until he was forced to step down by his African National Congress Party amid the graft scandal. He is currently on trial for corruption related to another huge government contract before he was president, while his allegedly corrupt relationship with the Guptas is being investigated in an ongoing commission of inquiry in South Africa.

Witnesses at the inquiry have testified how the Guptas' Johannesburg mansion became a meeting place for senior government ministers and bosses of state-owned companies during the Zuma years, and those officials sometimes left with bags of money.

South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said Friday the process of extraditing the Guptas could become a lengthy legal battle.

We should not expect that the people of interest will board a plane to South Africa first thing tomorrow morning, he said.

The extradition treaty will come into effect on July 10, Lamola said.

South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority has approached Interpol to assist in the execution of arrest warrants for the Guptas.
Although COVID-19 cases are dropping across the country, even in areas that haven't vigorously vaccinated their populations, experts warn the good times may not last, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

The state of play: The declining case numbers could be due to a combination of vaccination, natural immunity in communities where many were already exposed to the virus, and the warmer months allowing people to spend less time cooped up indoors, per AP.

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Only eight states have seen their case averages increase the past two weeks, and all of these states have vaccination rates below the national average of about 39% being fully vaccinated.

On the other hand, the 10 states with the fewest COVID-19 cases per capita are fully vaccinated at rates higher than the national average, per AP.

But, but, but: The good news comes with a catch. Mississippi's case numbers are falling while it has vaccinated only 28% of its population, and about 60% of its population has some form of natural immunity due to previous exposure, per AP.

We certainly are getting some population benefit from our previous cases, but we paid for it, Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi's State Health Officer told AP. We paid for it with deaths.

The state has seen 7,300 people die from COVID-19.

The big picture: Natural immunity from the virus due to exposure could prove temporary, Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University, told AP.

Just because were lucky in June doesnt mean well continue to be lucky come the late fall and winter, said Wen. We could well have variants here that are more transmissible, more virulent and those who do not have immunity or have waning immunity could be susceptible once again.

Of note: Vaccination has proven to be a thorny partisan issue. A Sunday CBS poll showed that nearly 30% of Republicans are not planning to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

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US President Joe Biden attends a meeting with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a summit in Brussels (REUTERS)

Joe Biden will fully consult with fellow heads of state at his first Nato summit as US President before meeting Vladimir Putin, to ensure that there is full support and solidarity among Western allies when he meets with the Russian leader later in the week.

President Bidens approach is in direct contrast to that of Donald Trump, who also went to a Nato conference before his first summit with Putin in Helsinki.

At that meeting in Brussels Trump attacked European allies, with Germanys Angela Merkel a particular target, while declaring that dealing with the Russian president might be easier than leaders of the alliance.

Trumps visit to the 2018 Nato conference was a particularly acrimonious point in a relationship with the organisation marked by friction, insults, accusations and recriminations.

There was even a walkout by him at the 70th anniversary of the alliance, in England, at a perceived slight after calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau two-faced and French President Emmanuel Macron nasty.

At times, Trump had threatened to pull the US out of the organisation altogether, while at the same time being remarkably uncritical of its main adversary, Putins Russia.

Jake Sullivan, the US national security advisor, outlined the very different approach being taken this time.

President Biden is heading to Brussels for his first Nato Summit with the overriding objective of sending a clear message to allies and adversaries alike that the United States regards Nato as the foundation for our security  not just in the Euro Atlantic, but worldwide  and that we will be there for our allies. We will have their backs just as theyve had our backs, he said.

Mr Sullivan continued: Hell have the opportunity to speak to all of the allies about what he intends to talk to Putin about. So, they get both to hear from him about his intentions with respect to the summit, and he gets to hear from them as well, so that he will go into Geneva with the full support and solidarity of all of our Nato allies.

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Speaking to journalists travelling with the US president, Mr Sullivan also said that Biden will make a point of meeting with Nato leaders of the former Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact states, which had traditionally pushed for a strong stance against Moscow.

He will meet on the sidelines of the summit with the Baltic presidents, who are a powerful example of democratic governance on Natos eastern flank, said Mr Sullivan. And he will speak with them about a range of issues, including the challenge and threat posed by Russia about issues related to cyber and emerging technology, on which they are leaders.

Boris Johnson arrives for the Nato summit (Reuters)

Mr Sullivan also stated that China will feature prominently at the Nato Summit, and that dealing with Beijing would be a key part of a new Strategic Concept due to be announced by Nato next year.

The US administration, which is carrying out a pivot to the Asia Pacific, wants Nato to join it in confronting the increasingly aggressive posture of China.

Some member countries have responded, including Britain, which is sending its new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, with a supporting fleet, to East Asian waters. But not all allies are happy with this, with some not wanting to risk their economic ties with Beijing.

Nato has to play a role in developing inter-operable capabilities to be able to deal with a challenge from China that is going beyond the region and extending much more broadly

Jake Sullivan, US national security advisor

The US national security advisor said: China will feature in the communique in a more robust way than weve ever seen before. What we will see coming out of this is a commitment by leaders to a new Strategic Concept process that will result in the release of a new Strategic Concept at a Nato Summit next year, in 2022.

The last Strategic Concept was done in 2010, and, among other things, referred to Russia as a constructive partner, and really didnt talk about China at all.

So its time for an update to that Strategic Concept for Nato. And he [the president] will consult with allies and partners at the summit about this.

Nato has a role in information sharing about the nature of the security challenges that China poses. It imposes challenges to individual allies in both common and distinct ways. And so, a broader, common picture of that challenge will be very important China is growing much more sophisticated in its war-fighting capabilities and methods, including in the nuclear sphere.

And Nato has to play a role in developing inter-operable capabilities to be able to deal with a challenge from China that is going beyond the region and extending much more broadly.

Arriving at the summit in Brussels, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato Secretary General, said: We know that China does not share our values... We need to respond together as an alliance. China is coming closer to us. We see them in cyberspace, we see China in Africa, but we also see China investing heavily in our own critical infrastructure.

The US will also continue to demand that there is a thorough independent investigation into the origins of Covid 19, said Mr Sullivan.

North Macedonias Prime Minister Zoran Zaev (L) is greeted by Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) during the Nato summit (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

He acknowledged, however, that there was no consensus reached at the G7 summit in Cornwall as to whether the pandemic was the result of a leak from a Chinese laboratory.

But he said that the G7 had agreed about a WHO-led phase two investigation that should get to the bottom of things in China, including the original data that was withheld in the first study, but all of the countries also pledged that they would have their national systems try to share analysis and information in the weeks and months ahead, both with that international investigation and with each other.

He added: So I think there was a common sense that weve all got to dig deeper ourselves, as well as supporting this international effort, and then pool our knowledge so we can get the best, most clear, most evidence-based picture of what actually happened with the outbreak of Covid.

Read More

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Scott Eisen/Getty; Alex Wong/Getty; Drew Angerer/Getty From left: Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton

Though he faced them both in hard fought presidential primaries and served with them in the Senate, Bernie Sanders is painting a stark contrast between Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton.

He told CNN in a new interview that the Biden campaign team made him feel "very welcome," while the Clinton camp merely "tolerated" him.

After Biden opted not to launch his own run for president in 2016, the former vice president reached out to Sanders to offer some insight during the latter's initial campaign, Sanders told Gloria Borger.

"He was giving me his advice - political advice - and they were, I think for me, very useful conversations, and friendly conversations," Sanders said of Biden. (As they ended one such chat back in 2015, Biden reportedly told him: "Good luck, buddy!")

RELATED: Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, Elizabeth Warren Read Mean Tweets About Themselves on Jimmy Kimmel Live

The next campaign cycle, as Sanders was ceding the Democratic primary to Biden, he had advice of his own. As both Biden and Sanders aides explained to the CNN, the Vermont senator offered to help Biden with some "progressive ideas."

Though he is more moderate, Biden welcomed the idea, Sanders said, making him feel welcome in the process. "Very welcome," Sanders told CNN.

He offered an aside that his relationship with Biden, with whom he is personally friendly, was much different than that of his other leading rival for the Democratic presidential nomination: former Secretary of State Clinton, who defeated him in 2016.

Asked if he was welcomed by the Clinton team, Sanders said: "I was tolerated."

He continued: "My support was- they wanted my support, obviously."

ANNA MONEYMAKER/POOL/AFP via Getty Sen. Bernie Sanders

Sanders, one of the Senate's most progressive members, has long styled himself as a political outsider. But he received an unexpected groundswell of national support during his 2016 campaign and became the country's most famous liberal politician in the process.

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After championing left-wing priorities such as government-backed healthcare, he ultimately ended his own campaign for president in April 2020. Now in his 15th year in the Senate, Sanders, 79, currently serves as chair of the Senate Committee on the Budget.

RELATED: Bernie Sanders Reacts to Mittens' Popularity, Offers Sweatshirt with Inauguration Meme for Charity

Last August, after battling Biden for the Democratic nomination, Sanders pledged his support at their party's virtual convention, calling on progressives to join him.

He and Clinton have enjoyed no such collegiality, in large part thanks to their bitter primary fight.

In a Hulu documentary last year, Clinton said, "Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done. He was a career politician. It's all just baloney and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it."

In response, Sanders told reporters, "Secretary Clinton is entitled to her point of view," but he added: "On a good day, my wife likes me, so let's clear the air on that one."
LONDON  President Joe Biden was at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, the second stop on his three-stop overseas trip to Europe.

While in Belgium, Biden was meeting with NATO leaders and will hold talks, on Tuesday, with the European Union.

"There is a growing recognition over the last couple years that we have new challenges. We have Russia, which is acting in a way that is not consistent with what we had hoped, and we have China," Biden said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the summit's sidelines. "I want NATO to know America is there.

Biden spent the past four days at a Group of Seven summit in the U.K., where he held talks with world leaders on topics such as the coronavirus pandemic, global economic inequalities, China's geopolitical ambitions and other shared foreign policy and security concerns. The White House framed the U.K. trip as an opportunity for Biden to reaffirm ties with close allies while reasserting the U.S.'s multilateral values.

White House says U.S. is 'back': Joe Biden points to G-7 summit, NATO, Putin meeting as 'defining' moment for democracy

First of all, what is NATO?

NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a political and military alliance of 30 countries. It was established in 1949 to act as a counterweight to the Soviet Union and its client-states in Eastern Europe; to forestall the return of militant European nationalism after World War II; and to encourage political integration.

NATO's No. 1 job is protect and defend NATO territory and populations in Canada, the majority of countries in Europe, Turkey and the United States. NATO's Article 5 states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. Article 5 has been invoked only once in NATO's history, on Sept. 12, 2001, the day after the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.

How does NATO work and what does it do?

The alliance's chief strategy is one of deterrence, meaning it seeks to dissuade potential aggressors from taking hostile action against its members by building up a mixture of overwhelming cyber, nuclear and conventional military capabilities.

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In late May, a NATO show of strength was directed at Russia when American nuclear bombers flew over all 30 NATO countries as part of a 12-hour training exercise named "Operation Allied Sky." The mission took place without a hitch. Not all do, though. Also in May: U.S. soldiers taking part in a NATO training exercise in Bulgaria mistakenly stormed a factory in a rural part of the country that makes vegetable oil equipment.

Another core NATO task is what it refers to as "crisis management" in complex security environments. In 1995, NATO helped end a war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and implement a peace agreement. In 1999, NATO helped stop mass killings and expulsions in Kosovo. About 7,000 non-U.S. NATO security forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan after an announcement from the Biden administration that all U.S. troops will exit that country by Sept. 11.

Retired general: 'The progress Afghanistan has made ... will all be for naught'

In this Dec. 4, 2019, file photo, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, front left, speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump, front right, after a group photo at a NATO leaders meeting at The Grove hotel and resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England.

What will NATO leaders talk about?

The summit will see the military alliance's leaders publicly recommit to collectively face defense and security threats increasingly emanating from all directions: brazen cyberattacks; resource scarcity and migration flows exacerbated by a changing climate; Russian mis- and disinformation; Moscow's support, including recent military drills, for separatists in eastern Ukraine; out-of-control pandemics; China's rise; and a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan. Biden's discussion with EU leaders will focus on foreign policy concerns such as global health security and trade cooperation.

Geneva: Joe Biden to hold solo news conference after meeting with Vladimir Putin

"In a more competitive and unpredictable world, we need transatlantic unity  Europe and North America standing strong together in NATO," Stoltenberg said in a speech ahead of the event. He called for the alliance to modernize and better adapt to shifting security threats, and for more investment from members.

China is not formally mentioned in NATO's current strategy.

However, NATO countries will address the security challenge from China directly in a communique on Monday, according to the White House.

"We're not entering a new Cold War and China is not our adversary, not our enemy," Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. "But we need to address together, as the alliance, the challenges that the rise of China poses to our security."

Brad Bowman, a former national security adviser to members of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, said he expects Biden to spend part of his time in Brussels undoing some of the moves that took place under former President Donald Trump, whose isolationist foreign policy rhetoric alienated NATO allies.

"Trump portrayed the U.S. military posture in Europe as something Washington was doing out of charity or based on relationships or defense spending," Bowman said.

"That really missed the big idea of why the U.S. military has forces in Europe: We have forces in Europe to deter conflict, and NATO has arguably been the most successful alliance in history in deterring additional aggressions from Moscow."

The alliance is strong but not perfect

Philip M. Breedlove, a retired four-star general in the U.S. Air Force who also served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Europe from 2013 to 2016, said that in recent years more NATO members have "picked up the pace" in terms of meeting NATO spending requirements  now 2% of GDP  after years of sluggish inaction.

Breedlove said U.S. pressure on NATO members to meet this spending requirement predated Trump. But he attributed persistent public and private pressure by the former president to the overcoming of the "stagnation" and "downsizing" that characterized NATO investment before his administration.

Trump's White House: Even his fiercest critics say he got some world affairs right

But he added that the NATO alliance is facing some of its toughest challenges as a result of Russia's territorial aggression in eastern Ukraine, combined with Moscow's disruptive use of disinformation and cyberattacks. Given this, Breedlove said, it was vital the Biden administration "maintain the momentum of getting our allies and partners to understand that they have to invest in their own defense."

Breedlove said persistent concerns about NATO member Turkey, which signed a deal with Russia for an air defense system, were troubling but did not necessarily amount to an insurmountable problem.

"Sometimes it's hard to make good soup with 30 ingredients," he said. "And we need to remember that sometimes, just like in a marriage, there's going to be problems, and sometimes there's going to be days when it's all good."

President Joe Biden arrives at Melsbroek Military Airport, near Brussels on June 13, 2021, for two days of summits with leaders from the NATO military alliance and the European Union.

What's Biden's NATO strategy?

It's not that evident, according to Michael OHanlon, a senior fellow on foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

"I don't yet see a clarity of thought or a comprehensive character to (the administration's) thinking," he said in a briefing June 10. OHanlon said he fears Biden's national security team is "a little too happy to articulate themes of multilateralism" and "America being back" without offering any forward-looking policies.

OHanlon said he is specifically concerned that the president will push to bring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO, which he said would unnecessarily provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden is meeting with Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

Moscow views Ukraine and Georgia as sitting squarely within its sphere of influence. It also views them as territorial buffer zones to the EU and the West.

"I fear that Vladimir Putin, if and when he saw (NATO) membership (from those countries coming), would find all sorts of new ways to stoke the pot through covert and other kinds of activities, and it would run the risk therefore of a U.S.-Russia war," he said.

Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden in Belgium: What to know about the NATO summit
Courtesy of LiveNation

Los Bukis are back!

During a press conference at SoFi Stadium Monday, the Mexican band - fronted by Marco Antonio Solis, 61 - announced that it will be reuniting for three stadium show stops across the United States, 25 years after originally dissolving.

For the first time, all seven original members - Solis brothers Marco Antonio, Jose Javier and Joel, along with Pepe and Roberto Guadarrama, Pedro Sanchez and "El Chivo" Cortez - will reunite and perform together for the first time in nearly three decades.

"This is historic for us," Marco Antonio tells PEOPLE. "Our public deserves it."

"It's our roots. The parents of young people listen to Los Bukis and connected with the sentiment and the songs, and perhaps the music is behind a lot of young people's births," Marco Antonio jokes about the band's romantic songs. "We feel good and all bring our own essence to the group."

The group also shared a special message for the Latino immigrants who'll form part of their stadium audience.

RELATED: Zoe's Leon Larregui on What's Kept the Mexican Rock Band 'United' for 25 Years: 'We're Family'

Los Bukis/Instagram

"We immigrated to the United States without papers on Dec. 12, 1977," Marco Antonio says. "We feel for the migrants. This issue needs to be addressed. Now, with what we went through with the pandemic, I hope that we can start talking about immigration reform again. It's time."

"We'd love to send a hug to the immigrants, because we've been through it too," he adds.

Los Bukis plan to solely return to the stage and say they have no plans of re-recording or re-releasing any of their music.

"We don't have plans to. We want to give people the same essence to the original songs - same sounds, mixes," Marco Antonio tells PEOPLE. "We haven't talked about re-recording. The public wants to hear the original songs. We're going to have an incredible, first-class stage."

Story continues

RELATED: A$AP Rocky Says He'll 'Always' Be Connected to Sweden After Arrest and Will 'Continue to Go Back'

The group - responsible for some of Latin music's biggest hits, including "Tu Carcel" and "Como Fui a Enamorarme De Ti" - teased a possible reunion earlier this year, when they performed together for a livestream concert to raise funds during the pandemic.

The group's tour will kick off on Aug. 27 at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, before heading to Chicago's Soldier Field on Sept. 4 and their final stop at Dallas' AT&T Stadium on Sept. 15. (The group is open to adding several stops to the tour.)

"When we reunited, there was a catharsis. We started in present love and that's what opened the doors to this," Marco Antonio said during a press conference. "For those with struggling relationships - with real love and forgiveness, you can heal anything."

"I truly wasn't planning to tour with them," Marco Antonio told Billboard. "It truly was an inspirational idea that came from that moment. Why not? It's another time in our lives, one of a lot of maturity. We're all different people now. And getting together was very interesting, very cool."

Originally founded in 1976, the group decided to disband in 1996. Solis went on to build a successful career as a solo aritst with tracks such as "Mas Que Tu Amigo," "A Donde Vamos a Parar?" and "Si No Te Hubieras Ido."

As a soloist, Solis has earned five Latin Grammy awards, including for "Tu Amor y Desprecio" in 2004, "No Molestar" and its matching album in 2009, "Tu Me Vuelves Loco" in 2011 and "De Mil Amores" in 2014.

Meanwhile, Los Bukis without Solis went on to become Los Mismos or "The Same Ones", releasing tracks like "Me Esta Doliendo Dejarte" and "Que Bonito."

Tickets go on sale Friday at LiveNation.com
The Swiss national flag flutters over Lake Geneva in Switzerland (AP)

Swiss voters have rejected a new law which was proposed to help the country meet its target for cutting carbon emissions to tackle the climate crisis.

The legislation, which included taxes on car fuel and flight tickets, was opposed by 51.6 per cent of the electorate under Switzerland's system of direct democracy.

Environment minister Simonetta Sommaruga said that the defeat would make it "very difficult" to reach the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

However she said that the government would now seek to extend uncontroversial measures like a duty for fuel importers to invest in climate protection projects.

"Today's no is not a no to climate protection, it is a no to the law on which we have voted," Ms Sommaruga told a news conference.

"Debates in the last few weeks have shown that many people want to strengthen the climate protection but not with this law.

Voters also rejected separate proposals for an outright ban on the use of artificial pesticides or to restrict their use by redirecting subsidies to farmers who did not use the chemicals.

Supporters argued that pesticides were linked to health risks, while opponents had claimed a ban on pesticides would have led to more expensive food, greater dependence on imports and job losses for the Swiss food processing industry.

Antoinette Gilson, one of the authors of the artificial pesticides initiative, said the results did not mean the Swiss were unconcerned about the environment, but were more worried about immediate problems at present.

"People find it very hard to think about problems in the future, and don't see the urgency of these problems," she said.

"When they are having a difficult time during the Covid-19 pandemic they are thinking about immediate concerns more."

Agrochemicals makers Syngenta and Bayer both welcomed the result. "It is a clear vote for a productive, resource-efficient agriculture," Bayer said.

Story continues

A separate referendum to support a temporary law providing financial support for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic was approved by 60 per cent, while a new law to give police extra powers to tackle terrorism was also approved by 57 per cent of voters.

Additional reporting by Reuters

Read More

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Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony presented 18 points of his 99 Movement programme.

Karacsony, the prime ministerial candidate of the Parbeszed, Socialist and LMP parties, said the first programme points contained measures that could be started immediately and implemented relatively swiftly  to provide compensation for the past ten years.



The programme would scrap the section of the Labour Code that provides for the possibility of 400 hours of overtime, known among the opposition and critics as the slave law, Karacsony said.



They would also write a new Labour Code together, he said.



Regarding education, Karacsony called the lowering of the age limit of mandatory education from 18 to 16 years a sin, and said his government would create targeted programmes for the youth pushed out of education.



The autonomy of Hungarian tertiary education would be re-established, he said. Local authorities would be reinstated as the oversight body of state-owned schools and the disparities between the funding of state-owned and church-owned schools will be remedied by raising the support for the former, he said.



The Fidesz governments decisions stripping some religious organisations of their church status will be reviewed, he said. The crimes against Hungarys rural areas will have to be remedied and land privatisation laws reviewed, he said.



Of the many things that should be remedied in the pension system, Karacsony said his movement saw the plight of those receiving disability pensions as a priority.



Regarding steps to address the problems of the past year, Karacsony said they would support SMEs which saw a substantial fall in revenues during the coronavirus epidemic.



He also proposed that SMEs which suffered revenue losses above 50% should be exempt from paying social contributions. Jobseekers allowances should be extended to nine months, Karacsony said.



Those who only received such an allowance for three months under the current legislation should be compensated, as well as those forced into taking sick leaves during the pandemic, he said.



Health-care and social workers would get a one-off wage subsidy of 500,000 forints (EUR 1,440) as a show of gratitude for their work during the pandemic, he said.



Karacsony said the Fidesz government had punched an enormous hole into local authorities operations by redirecting business tax and vehicle tax revenues during the state of emergency.



Local councils could tax fortunes larger than 500,000,000 forints to recoup the resources, he proposed.





MTI Photo: Szilard Koszticsak
We all are living in a state of turbulence because of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Ever since the pandemic hit the globe last year, a majority of businesses have witnessed a severe downfall. Besides the businesses being hampered, many daily wage workers went out of jobs. Among other nations of the world, India has been one of the countries with a majority of coronavirus cases. In this situation, the frontline warriors and social workers have contributed immensely to the betterment of the country. Additionally, even the entrepreneurs from different sectors have done a commendable job during the crisis.

Delhi-based businessman, Rohit Khosla has been there to help the people during such difficult times. Mr. Khosla has played a crucial role ever since the second wave of COVID-19 dismantled the country. With the rising number of positive cases across the country, it became difficult for hospitals to admit patients suffering from the deadly virus. However, the humble man came to the aid by donating oxygen concentrators and arranging for hospital beds. Additionally, his team even helped by arranging plasma at many medical centres.

The country has clocked more than 400,000 cases a day several times. The alarming figure did not let me sit back. It feels great to see people helping each other in such times, said Mr. Khosla. However, since the last few days, the number of positive cases in the country has been less than 100,000 in a single day. To get proper testing and diagnosis done, the businessman through his venture, New Delhi Medical Centre (NDMC), had initiated free COVID-19 RT-PCR tests and blood tests across the Delhi/NCR region. Approved by NABL and ICMR, the Rapid Antigen and RT-PCR testing was conducted after seeking permissions from the government authorities and the concerned medical bodies.

Besides this, the other milestone achieved by Rohit Khoslas venture is that his company is carrying vaccination drives to control the COVID-19 cases. NDMC has already initiated drive-thru and walk-in vaccinations in seven different locations in West Delhi, South Delhi and Gurugram. It is said that Mr. Khoslas centre has two vaccines available  Covishield and Sputnik V. He further revealed that the number of positive cases can only be controlled if vaccination is done all over the country. Well, this new initiative undertaken by the entrepreneur is an achievement in itself.

Apart from this, Rohit Khosla has also been instrumental in various other businesses. Along with an MBA degree in Entrepreneurship from the prestigious Oxford University, he has also mastered several certification courses in the field of business from well-known institutes such as Harvard Business School, Wharton Business School and London School of Economics. After learning the theoretical concepts of business, the dynamic entrepreneur implemented those concepts in his family business R.K International Group. Expanding businesses in various other domains, Mr. Khosla is also the brainchild behind New Star Medical Centre, Khosla Exim Pvt. Ltd., and their construction and oil trading businesses. Today the entrepreneur has not just built great fortunes with his companies but has also set an example of contributing the maximum for the betterment of the country.

(Disclaimer: This is a Brand Desk content)


Adani Group companies shares tumbled to their lower circuits on Monday after the reports of National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) freezing the three FPI accounts.

As per the NSDL website, the depository has frozen the accounts of Albula Investment Fund Ltd, Cresta Fund Ltd and APMS Investment Fund Ltd as of May 31, 2021.

Meanwhile, Journalist Sucheta Dalal, who was credited for unearthing the 1992 Harshad Mehta securities scam was trending on Twitter as many users thought that her tweets had attributed the fall of Adani shares.

Business journalist Sucheta Dalal tweeted, Another scandal hard to prove outside the black box of information available with SEBI tracking systems is the return of an operator of the past who is relentlessly rigging prices of one group. All through foreign entities! His speciality & that of a former FM. Nothing changes!

However, Adani Group of Companies had denied freezing of accounts of three foreign portfolio investors (FPI) holding shares and had said that such reports are "erroneous" and "misleading".

In separate communications to the BSE and the National Stock Exchange (NSE), all the listed Adani Group companies said that it has confirmation from the Registrar and Transfer Agent that the accounts have not been frozen.

"Given the seriousness of the article and its consequential adverse impact on minority investors, we requested Registrar and Transfer Agent, with respect to the status of the Demat Account of the aforesaid funds and have their written confirmation vide its e-mail dated 14th June, 2021, clarifying that the Demat Account in which the aforesaid funds hold the shares of the Company are not frozen," said the letter.

"We regret to mention that these reports are blatantly erroneous and are done to deliberately mislead the investing community. This is causing irreparable loss of economic value to the investors at large and reputation of the group."

Adani Power, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Enterprises, Adani Total Gas, Adani Green Energy and Adani Transmission have written separate but similar letters to the exchanges.

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New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday (June 14, 2021) announced that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will contest on all seats in the 2022 Gujarat Legislative Assembly Polls.

The AAP Supremo is on a one-day visit to Ahmedabad to kick off Mission 2022 campaign.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to contest on all seats in the 2022 Gujarat Legislative Assembly Polls: AAP leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/3GXvtPVfMt  ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2021

"People here (Gujarat) think if electricity can be free in Delhi, why not here? Likewise, for hospitals also the condition has not improved in 70 years here. But things will change now," Kejriwal said.

He had earlier announced about his visit to the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had tweeted in Gujarati saying, "Now Gujarat will change."

  .      ,   -   Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 13, 2021

During his visit, the Delhi CM is scheduled to inaugurate the party's Gujarat state office in Ahmedabad.

This is to be noted that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party emerged as the main opposition in the Gujarat civic body elections held earlier this year. The AAP fought for the first time and won 27 seats in the 120-member Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC).

The party had also fielded candidates across all the local bodies - municipal corporations, municipalities, as well as district and taluka panchayats, winning on several of them.

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New Delhi: The Congress on Monday (June 14) alleged corruption in purchase of land in Ayodhya by the Ram temple trust and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the charge. The party also alleged that it was a "big scam" committed using funds collected from devotees and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer whether those behind it had his protection.

Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged at a press conference that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had purchased "12,080 square metres of land" at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh at an inflated price of Rs 18.5 crore.

The land was purchased by the temple's trust at Rs 18.5 crore on March 18, and according to land deeds, only a few minutes earlier on the same day Kusum Phatak had sold it for Rs 2 crore to Ravi Tiwari and Sultan Ansari from whom the trust bought the land, he claimed.

Citing the land deeds, Surejwala claimed that trust members Anil Mishra, who is a BJP leader, and Hrishikesh Upadhyay, a former mayor of Ayodhya, are signatories to the Rs 18.5 crore land deal. The land was in the name of Pathak and was sold to Tiwari and Ansari, who in turn sold it to the trust, the Congress spokesperson claimed. Surjewala said the trust formed for the construction of the temple for Lord Ram, who is considered a symbol of faith by crores of people, was set up on February 5 last year on the directions of the Supreme Court.

He said the facts that have come to light point to a "big scam" in funds collected from devotees and this amounts to committing a big sin and wrongdoing. But Prime Minister Modi, who formed the trust on the directions of the Supreme Court, is totally silent, Surjewala said. "Will the prime minister answer if those sinners, who have traded the faith of Lord Ram's devotees, have his protection," he said.

"How could BJP leaders commit such a big malpractice in the name of Lord Ram whose words, values and ethical conduct are sworn as ideals. How much more land has been purchased in such a manner at throwaway rates out of funds received for the temple's construction," Surjewala asked. He said that "with such a scam and facts coming to light", the Congress demands that the prime minister answer to the nation. The chief justice and the Supreme Court must take cognisance of the matter and order a court-monitored probe into the charges, Surjewala said.

The Congress leader said the Supreme Court should also get under its aegis an audit done for all the donations and funds received and spent by the trust for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. It should also carry out a probe on the assessment value of all land purchased by the trust from donations and make it public in the traditions of idealism of Lord Ram, he demanded. Asked if the Congress will seek stopping of the construction work of the Ram temple, Surjewala said the work which is being carried out on full swing should continue and not be stopped.
New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) 13-member expert panel is likely to submit report on CBSE Class 12 evaluation criteria today.

Earlier, CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathi had on June 2 said it will take the board around two weeks to fix the evaluation method. The board has constituted a 13-member expert panel to decide on the tabulation criteria.

The students who are eagerly waiting for the declaration of the CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021 evaluation criteria should monitor the boards official website- cbse.gov.in.

On June 7, the CBSE had asked schools to complete pending practicals and internal assessments of Class 12 students online and submit marks by June 28.

As per the sources, CBSE was mulling over two options for marking Class 12 students for this academic session. The reports suggested that the board is either considering assessing the students on the basis of their performances in Classes 10, 11 final exams and Class 12 internal exams or as per Class 10 board exam results and internal assessments in Class 12.

Additionally, the students who remain dissatisfied with their Class 12 results and want to appear in the examination, will be able to do so when the situation becomes conductive.

Earlier, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank had said that the ''safety and future of thousands of students'' across the country remain the top priority of the Narendra Modi government.

The announcement regarding the cancellation of the CBSE class 12 exams was made after a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. CBSE class 12 examinations were cancelled in view of the current COVID-19 situation in the country.

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Mumbai: The Union government on Monday (June 14) told the Bombay High Court that its national guidelines do not at present allow a door-to-door drive to vaccinate people against COVID-19.

The Union government's counsel, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, said some state governments and municipal bodies had decided to ignore its advisory guidelines and were conducting door-to-door vaccination for special categories of citizens, but it was not possible yet to make such drives a part of the national policy.

ASG Singh was responding to a previous query posed by a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni on what the Centre thought about the BMC's request seeking its permission to conduct door-to-door vaccination for the elderly, bedridden, or such category of citizens.

"On the BMC's permission letter to Union ministry of health and family welfare, the ministry says its current advisory against such drives has been formulated based on recommendations of experts," ASG Singh said.

"Some states and municipal bodies have been carrying out door-to-door vaccination but from the national angle, the national policy should be followed. We request the court to bear with us for some time. For the time being, it is not practical or possible," he said.

The ASG said the Centre, however, kept improvising and updating its policy from time to time and perhaps, sometime in future, it might permit door-to-door vaccination drives.

ASG Singh said since the Union government's policy was merely advisory in nature, it had not asked states such as Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand, which were conducting such drives, to roll them back.

The HC then pointed out that in case Maharashtra, which has already expressed its desire to conduct door-to-door vaccination drives for the bedridden, decides to go ahead with it, then the state would stand on the same footing as the states mentioned above.

The bench also asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) if it would follow the Centre or the state's guidelines in case Maharashtra began a door-to-door drive.

"We will follow the state's guidelines. The state is thinking about the drive but issues like lack of manpower, since three persons will be needed to visit each person getting vaccinated, the requirement of the ambulance, and ensuring no wastage of vaccine, have to be considered," BMC counsel Anil Sakhre said.

The state's counsel, Gita Shastri, told HC that while news reports had quoted state health minister Rajesh Tope expressing a willingness to begin door-to-door vaccination drives for the bedridden, and for formulating a separate protocol for the same, she was yet to take instructions as to when a final decision would be taken.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by lawyer Dhruti Kapadia, seeking a door-to-door vaccination drive for citizens above 75 years of age, and for those who were specially abled or bedridden.

HC said it will pass detailed directions on the same later this evening. It will hear the plea further on June 22.

(Inputs from agency)

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New Delhi: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) opened the most-awaited draft of the Delhi Master Plan, 2041 (DMP) for public opinion and is inviting suggestions, feedbacks and objections for the next 45 days.

The Master Plan for Delhi is one of the key instruments that facilitate Delhis development by assessing the present condition and guiding how to achieve the desired development.

"Foster a Sustainable, Liveable and Vibrant Delhi" is the aim of the Delhi Master Plan 2041, which was released last week.

The first-ever draft of the master plan for Delhi was put together in 1962, followed by the master plans of 2001 and 2021. As per the DDA, anchor agency for the master plan, these plans contain the roadmap for the citys development for the next 20 years and each new master plan is "an extensive modification of the previous plan document".

According to the draft, DMP 2041s implementation being the "collective responsibility of all agencies involved in the development of Delhi", which includes the Centre, the government of the NCT of Delhi, landowning agencies, regulators and local bodies.

DMP 2041 comprises two volumes, namely "Vision 2041 and Enabling Policy Framework" and Spatial Development Strategy and Action Plan". While the first volume focuses upon the current demographic and economic status of the city, the second volume highlights the major strategies and detailed provisions covering both greenfield and brownfield development in the city".

While the master plan touches upon every aspect of city life, the key takeaways concern the strategies to mitigate air and water pollution and improve housing.

Vehicular pollution is a major focus of DMP 2041 as the city has more than 10 million vehicles, the highest in India. Another major reason to include vehicular pollution in the vital discussion is because every year emissions from cars combine with fumes from stubble burning in farmlands in Haryana and Punjab to make the air toxic to breathe in the Capital.

To address vehicular pollution, "detailed strategies for reducing the number of daily vehicular trips and encouraging use of public transport and active travel" have been thought up.

This discussion is the main reason why, for the first time, DMP has put an exclusive section on the planning pool of shared mobility systems. The plan highlights the system to reduce the effort in undertaking a public transport trip, reduce private trips as a share of total motorised trips and lower per capita emissions.

The DMP 2041 plan highlights six major objectives which are as follows:

Objective 1: Prioritizing Environmental Sustainability To prioritize environmental concerns for the development of Delhi and focus on rejuvenation of natural assets, reducing pollution, greening of built environments, supporting green economies like urban farming, and creating a diverse portfolio of natural and planned open spaces.

Objective 2: Facilitating Economic Development To promote clean economies, facilitate a unique economic role for Delhi while ensuring symbiotic linkages with NCR, improve the overall investment climate and support a variety of work and workspace typologies.

Objective 3: Enhancing Heritage, Culture and Public Life To protect and enhance heritage and cultural fabric, build strong economic linkages and create opportunities for cultural experience, tourism and active public life.

Objective 4: Improving Housing and Social Infrastructure  To meet a variety of housing demands across different income groups and typologies, promote regeneration of older built fabric, fulfil demands for social infrastructure in dense areas of the city, and foster walkable mix-use neighbourhoods.

Objective 5: Moving Towards Low-Carbon Mobility To encourage modal shift in favour of public and shared modes of transport, bring homes and jobs closer to mass transit, reduce vehicular congestion and provide efficient, affordable and green mobility options.

Objective 6: Developing Resilient Physical Infrastructure To promote a sustainable approach towards use of resources like water and energy, facilitate adequate and uninterrupted services so that the city is ready in terms of digital infrastructure and resilience to shocks and disasters.

DMP 2041 seeks to take forward the innovative paradigms and introduces relevant policies to nurture the future growth of the city". DMP 2041 puts forth a promising vision, and it will be interesting to look forward to the final notification that aims to incorporate further changes through objections and suggestions.

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New Delhi: Five of the six Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MPs joined hands against their leader Chirag Paswan and elected his paternal uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras as the leader of the parliamentary party in Lok Sabha, causing a big churn in Bihar politics.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Monday (June 14) explained how Chirag Paswan has been isolated by his own party members and what it says about the bitter truth of dynastic politics.

LJP has 6 MPs including Chirag Paswan in the Lok Sabha, out of which five MPs are now opposing him. The protesting MPs are being led by Chirags uncle and Ram Vilas Paswan's brother Pashupatinath Paras. He met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today and demanded to declare him the leader of the party in the House, which was accepted by the Speaker. Paras has said that he has not broken the party but saved it.

When Chirag Paswan reached Pashupatinath Paras' house in Delhi, the gate of the house was not opened after seeing his car. It was later said that Paras was not present at home at the time which is why Chirag could not meet him.

In the year 2000, Ram Vilas Paswan separated from JDU and formed Lok Janshakti Party. He paved the way for his two brothers, their sons and his own son Chirag Paswan. But only 248 days after his death, the family seems to be falling apart.

There are two main reasons being cited for this turn of events:

1. Expansion on the Union Cabinet - For the past few days, it is being said that there may be a change in the Union Cabinet and Chirag Paswan may become a minister. But this may not go down well with BJPs ally in Bihar, Nitish Kumars JD(U).

2. During the Bihar assembly elections last year, Chirag Paswan broke away from the BJP-JDU alliance. There are reports suggesting this to be the main reason for the split in the LJP. Nitish Kumar does not want Chirag to become a minister in the central government. Maybe that's why Pashupatinath Paras is getting JDU's support.

From this episode, there is a lesson to be learnt for the Congress party. Just as the LJP MPs refused to accept Chirag Paswan as their leader, it is possible that in the future, something similar may happen in the Congress too.

There are frequent reports of disgruntled leaders leaving the Congress party. But the party still does not seem to be getting over the dynastic politics. They might suffer a fate similar to what Chirag Paswan is facing.

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Chennai: A study by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has underlined the need for greater government investment in public healthcare to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the elderly.

It suggests that the elderly are bound to be adversely affected by COVID-19 norms such as physical distancing, isolation, which can lead to depression and other issues.

According to the study, diabetes, blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases are common in the elderly and those in the lower socio-economic strata suffer more. Mobility issues, dependence on the younger generation amid lockdown etc. affect their access to routine primary healthcare and essential care for other ailments.

Only 18.9% of the elderly had health insurance and therefore may not be able to bear large expenditures on health. 27.5% of people aged 80 years or above are immobile and 70% of elders are partially or wholly financially dependent on others said the study based on the 75th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS) 2017-18.

Undertaken by Prof V.R. Muraleedharan, Dept of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT Madras, and Dr Alok Ranjan, Assistant Prof, Dept of Humanities & Social Sciences at IIT Jodhpur, the NSS survey covered 113,823 households and 555,115 individuals. The surveyed were randomly selected from 8077 villages and 6181 urban areas.

The results of this study, published in the International journal Globalization and Health, showed that disparities exist in health status as well as healthcare access of elderly people across the country.

Factors such as place of residence, gender, social group, marital status, living arrangements, surviving children, and economic dependence are said to impact healthcare access among the elderly. Missed treatments, unavailability of drugs also pose a major health challenge.

Dr. Alok Ranjan is of the opinion that lessons from the current pandemic are to ensure that future adversities are less detrimental to the physical and mental well-being of the elderly.

The researchers want to extend the result of this study to a policy. They plan to carry out detailed surveys among the elderly population particularly in Tamil Nadu, especially to design effective rehabilitative care which is almost absent in Indias public healthcare system.

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New Delhi: Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) youth wing general secretary Vinay Mishra, who is facing an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in cattle and coal smuggling cases, has sent a legal notice to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari through his lawyer.

In the legal notice, Vinay Mishra wrote that he had left India on September 16, 2020, much prior to when the CBI initiated a case against him in cattle and coal smuggling cases. At the time, he was appointed as the Trinamool youth wing general secretary and was a citizen of India.

He had resigned from the post of General Secretary prior to the surrendering of his passport on December 19, 2020.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a red corner notice against Mishra in a case of cattle smuggling. On June 7, during a hearing, Mishra's lawyers filed an affidavit stating he renounced his citizenship on December 19 last year by filing an application at the Indian Consulate in Dubai. The application was accepted on December 22, the affidavit said.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the senior advocate appearing for Mishra, submitted that there is lack of jurisdiction as there is no consent granted by the state of West Bengal to the CBI to investigate the matter. He further submitted that although the FIR was registered in 2020, the incident referred to therein is of the period between 2015 and 2017 and that Mishra was neither named in the FIR nor in the initial charge sheet.

Mishra prayed for modification of an order the Calcutta High Court passed on April 22, wherein he was directed to be present before the CBI on May 3 and a conditional immunity from arrest was granted to him till the first week after the summer vacation of the High Court. He prayed that he be allowed to join the investigation through video conferencing owing to the pandemic, claiming that he will appear before the CBI personally after travel restrictions are eased and the situation ebbs.

Mishra prayed for protection from arrest till disposal of his petition before the high court and cancellation of the application for red corner notice with Interpol against him.

Mishra stated in his application for modification before the high court that he had renounced his Indian citizenship on December 19, 2020. He further claimed that one of the principal reasons for which he had to leave India was 'due to constant life threats from the members of BJP to join their party'.

Mishra stated that owing to his bad health condition and current curbs on international travel, he could not appear before the CBI on May 3 as directed by the High Court. He further claimed that his request to appear before the CBI through the virtual mode had been turned down by the agency.
New Delhi: A remembrance ceremony will be undertaken this week in honour of Galwan Bravehearts with the officiating commander of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps laying a wreath at Leh Memorial. The officiating commander will be the senior most Indian Army officer at Leh. It was on the intervening night of 15/16 June 2020 that India lost 20 of its troops in Galwan in Ladakh due to aggressive actions by the Chinese side.

This was the worst ever loss of life at the Line of actual control between India and China in the last 45 years. The development came after the Chinese build-up in the area that started in April of 2020. February saw a positive development, with disengagement at Pangong lake. But disengagement in areas like Gogra, Hot springs, and Depsang plans is still to happen.

Ministry of external affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi last week said," We have repeatedly stressed that completion of disengagement in other areas would pave the way for the two sides to consider de-escalation of forces and ensure full restoration of peace and tranquillity and enable progress in bilateral relations."

Both continue to hold talks with each other but the situation remains precarious. 12th March saw a diplomatic round of talks--Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC), followed by the 11th India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting that took place on April 9.

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New Delhi: In order to strengthen infrastructure in hospitals to fight COVID-19, the Centre had come up with a 'Project Extension Hospitals' initiative. It invited private sector companies, donor organizations, and individuals to support various projects of national importance.

The Centre then came across innovative modular hospitals that are an extension of hospital infrastructure and can be built adjacent to an existing hospital building.

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India identified requirements of close to 50 hospitals in states where the highest number of COVID-19 cases were reported.

It informed on Sunday (June 13, 2021) that 'Modulus Housing', a start-up incubated at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) has developed the MediCAB hospitals.

This enables building a 100-bedded extension facility in 3-weeks time and are designed with a dedicated zone of Intensive Care Units (ICUs) that can accommodate various life-support equipment and medical devices.

"These negative pressure portable hospitals have a durability of around 25 years, and they can also be shifted in the future for any disaster response in less than a week," the official statement read.

These rapidly deployable hospitals will also plug a major health infrastructure gap in India's fight against COVID-19, especially in rural areas and smaller towns.

The Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI said that it has been actively working towards securing CSR support to implement these projects in different areas across the nation.

The first batch of 100 bedded hospitals is being commissioned at Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur, Maharastra's Amravati, Pune, Jalna and Punjab's Mohali. A 20-bed hospital is also being commissioned at Chhattisgarh's Raipur.

Bengaluru in Karnataka will also have one each of 20-, 50-, and 100-beds in the first phase.

The Office of PSA said that it has also collaborated with Tata Projects Ltd to deploy modular hospitals at multiple sites in Punjab and Chhattisgarh.

"They have initiated work on 48 bedded modular hospitals in Gurdaspur and Faridkot (Punjab). Expansion of ICU at multiple hospitals in Chhattisgarh including Raipur, Jashpur, Bemetara, Kanker, and Gaurella are also underway," it said.

Meanwhile, India on Monday (June 14) reported 70,421 new COVID-19 cases - the lowest single-day count in the past 72 days.

The new infections pushed the coronavirus caseload to 2,95,10,410. The COVID-19 death toll also climbed to 3,74,305 with 3,921 more fatalities.



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Bengaluru: The Karnataka government will begin the unlock process in the state from Monday (June 14, 2021) as COVID-19 cases declined in the state.

The BS Yediyurappa-led Karnataka government had imposed statewide stringent restrictions on April 27 to contain the spread of COVID-19 infections.

According to the order, the restrictions have been relaxed from 6 am to 2 pm in 19 districts instead of the existing 6 am to 10 am, however over 11 districts in the state will still remain under COVID-imposed restrictions due to the high number of infections.

The 11 districts which will remain under lockdown are Chikmagalur, Shivamogga, Davanagere, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Bengaluru rural, Mandya, Belagavi and Kodagu.

The relaxations will be in force till June 21 after which revised guidelines may be issued depending on the COVID-19 situation in these districts, the government was quoted as saying by ANI.

The relaxations have been given based on the recommendations of the technical advisory committee. We will be able to provide more relaxation if the pandemic situation comes under more control, CM Yediyurappa said.

The government also added that the COVID-19 curfew will be imposed from 7 pm to 5 am and the weekend curfew will be imposed from 7 pm on Friday to 5 am on Monday across the state.

Heres complete list of relaxations:

- All industries have been permitted to operate with 50% staff strength, but garment industries can operate with 30% staff strength.

- Shops selling essential goods have been permitted to operate till 2 pm by extending their duration from 10 am earlier.

- All construction activities will be permitted, and shops needed for construction activities like cement, steel among others have also been allowed to open.

- Parks will be opened from 5-10 am for walkers.

- Street vendors can do their business from 6 am to 2 pm.

Auto and taxis are allowed to ply with maximum two passengers.

- Public transport buses are not permitted to operate yet.

- Important departments of the government can operate with 50% staff.

- Hotels and restaurants will continue to do parcel service.

- Bars will be open for takeaways till 2 pm.

Heres complete guidelines for weekend and night curfew:

Revised guidelines to continue in districts with high positivity- Chikkamagaluru, Shivmogga, Davanagere, Mysuru, Chamarajanagara, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Bengaluru Rural, Mandya, Belgavi & Kodagu: Karnataka Govt pic.twitter.com/wwTtOU4Lbb  ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2021

Meanwhile, Karnataka on Sunday reported 7,810 new COVID-19 cases, taking the cumulative total to 27,65,134, the health bulletin said. Currently, there are 1,80,835 active cases in the state. The state also reported 125 deaths, taking the death toll to 32,913.
Srinagar: An initiative by the locals of Srinagar city's Gill Kadal area to clean a lake and bring it back to life has finally paid off.

The Khushalsar lake that lies in the middle of the old city had turned into a marshy land making it difficult for locals to even breathe in the area. However, in the last four months, the locals took it on themselves to start the process of cleaning the lake.

Around 1000 trucks of garbage have already been taken out and it looks like the lake is alive again.

Manzoor Wagnoo, the man who started this campaign, got the locals on board and later involved the government to help them in cleaning the lake.

''The most important thing is that in Kashmir, most of the water bodies are in shambles. I took this initiative with the word Ehsaas. People were walking over the lake as it was dead. I went the next day and met with the locals to discuss the plan. People over there said that many have come and wanted to do this but no one stayed for beyond a couple of days. I literally with folded hands asked them to give me some time. We started the work in February. Just a few days ago we threw open this lake and can you believe we took a shikara ride in this lake after thirty years, said Wangnoo.

The whole water body was choked. Tourists in the old days used to come to take a shikara ride in this lake and there was a beautiful bird sanctuary, the children would swim there and we had a special fish called golden fish which I will make sure is found in it again, he added.

The locals in the area donated money from their own pockets to clean this lake.

We have initiated this here with the help of Manzoor Wagnoo. This was in a very bad state. People had started walking over it. It used to stink and there were animals all over it. Manzoor came here and brought us all together, we all donated money for the cleaning of this lake, said Mohd Maqbool, a local.

The government has been helping the locals in this initiative as well. They have now started to clean the other portion of the lake called Gilsar.

In Khushalsar, the initiative was taken by the locals. It's a lake which is a part of Dal. There were huge piles of garbage dumped over the years. We managed to take out 20 trucks of garbage every day. We, under the support of Srinagar smart city, have supported this project, said Athar Amin, Commissioner, Srinagar SMC.

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New Delhi: India in an affidavit filled in Dominica Court has said that Mehul Choksi is "still" an Indian citizen and has opposed his bail. The affidavit details how Choksi's "declaration of renunciation" of Indian citizenship was not accepted by the Indian Government and "citizenship of Mehul Choksi may be decided as Indian".

In the affidavit filed on 8th June at the high court of Justice, Dominica said, "The Indian citizenship of Mr MC has still not ceased as on date and therefore, his claim of renunciation of Indian citizenship is contrary to the laws in India as is completely erroneous", adding, "the claim of Mr MC being bogus, this Honourable court may kindly reject the said erroneous claim at the threshold".

The document, seen by WION, pointed out that Choksi had submitted his Indian passport to Indian High Commission in Georgetown, Guyana for renouncing his Indian citizenship on 14th December 2018. Under Section 8 of the Indian citizenship act, 1955 the declaration of renunciation should be registered and only then "a person shall cease to be a citizen of India". Read with Rule 38 of the act, the declaration of registration has to be made to India's ministry of home affairs through the Indian mission.

While he did submit his passport, the Indian home ministry on 29th January 2019 "found deficiencies in the declaration and also "noted that Mr MC was an economic fugitive offender" advising Indian mission in Guyana to "consider the rejection of his declaration of renunciation".

Ministry of external affairs also in a letter dated 15th October 2019, confirmed that his application of renunciation stood rejected by the Indian High Commission in Guyana and had communicated him on 15th March 2019. The affidavit stated, "no entries regarding the application for surrender of Indian nationality were made in the consular register of the mission". This was further confirmed by MHA in its official memorandum on 31s May 2021.

His Indian Passport, number--Z3396732 was issued on 10th September 2015 from Mumbai. He acquired his Antigua and Barbuda nationality on 16th November 2017 with passport number AB007713. The Indian side in the affidavit also said that "concerned authorities may be directed to immediately transfer/deport/handover Mr Mehul Choksi to the Indian authorities".

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Noida: The Noida Police on Monday (June 14) carried out a raid at a farmhouse and arrested at least 61 people, including 15 women, for allegedly violating COVID-19 coronavirus restrictions imposed in the city. The arrests were made after the police raid on the property in Sector 135, under the Expressway police station limits, on Sunday night, police officials told PTI.

"A pool party was being held at the Green Beauty farmhouse in the Yamuna floodplains area in Sector 135 in violation of the COVID-19 protocols. A total of 46 men and 15 women were arrested. All accused were bathing in the swimming pool in violation of the pandemic protocols. They were without face masks and some of them were even spitting at various places in the open premises of the farmhouse," a police spokesperson told PTI.

The police said they have recovered 12 bottles of beer and two bottles of whiskey, which were meant for sale in Haryana, from the venue. Several of the arrestees are residents of Delhi, while some are from Ghaziabad and other towns of the NCR, the police said.

An FIR was lodged under Indian Penal Code sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (unlawfully or negligently spreading infection of any disease dangerous to life), and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), they said.

(With PTI inputs)

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Patna: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Pashupati Kumar Paras has been notified as the new parliamentary leader of the party in Lok Sabha on Monday. Earlier in the day, a day after five LJP MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and handed over a letter to him regarding the removal of party chief Chirag Paswan from the position of Lok Sabha Parliamentary party leader.

Paras had said that the step has been taken to save the party.

"There are six MPs in our party. It was the desire of five MPs to save our party. So, I have not broken the party. I have saved it. Chirag Paswan is my nephew as well as the party's national president. I have no objection against him," Paras had said.

Paras is currently representing the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat in Bihar.

Regarding the rumours that LJP will be joining the Janta Dal (United) in Bihar, the Hajipur MP had said, "Existence of LJP will continue, we are not joining JDU. We will fulfill the ambition of Late Ramvilas Paswan.

"However, he stated that LJP will continue to be a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a virtual high-level United Nations dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought on Monday.

Prime Minister Modi, the president of the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), will address the virtual high-level dialogue today at 7.30 pm.

Volkan Bozkir, President of the UN General Assembly, will convene the meeting with the support of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to assess the progress made in fighting land degradation and map the way forward on global efforts to revive and restore healthy land.

The meeting will be attended by world leaders, ministers and government representatives, agricultural industry leaders, representatives from United Nations institutions, international organisations and civil society groups as well as members of the general public, according to the advisory issued by UNCCD.

"Land is the foundation of our societies and is a cornerstone to global food security and environmental health, zero hunger, poverty eradication and affordable energy. It underpins the success of the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," the advisory read.

Apart from Prime Minister Modi, the high-level event will also be addressed by Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Mohamed, Undersecretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw and Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim as well as Heads of State and Government, ministers and senior UN officials.

It will put land restoration at the centre of the entire SDG agenda and for climate, biodiversity and disaster risk reduction, along the path to the CBD COP15, UNFCCC COP26, UNCCD COP15, and the 2021 Food Systems Summit.

The Dialogue aims to focus the international community`s attention on land issues and generate political will for implementing land solutions within COVID-19 adaptation and recovery strategies.

It will encourage all Member States to adopt and implement Land Degradation Neutrality targets and National Drought Plans.

It will also encourage the Member States, the private sector and all stakeholders to partner for land action, and to support the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund and other funding mechanisms to scale up land restoration by all sectors of society, according to the advisory. It will enable participants to share experiences and best practices, cutting-edge technologies and innovative business models that advance green, resilient and inclusive recovery strategies.

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New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday (June 13, 2021) predicted that Punjab and Haryana are likely to receive rainfall and thunderstorm in the early morning hours of June 15 to June 16.

As per the weather department, light to moderate rain at many places with isolated heavy rain may continue over Punjab, Haryana including Chandigarh during the next 48 hours.

"Isolated thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (30-50 kmph) likely during this period," as per the weather agency.

District wise Rainfall forecast for #Punjab Dated 13th June 2021 For latest District wise warnings for Punjab State use https://t.co/eR3uQstRYa pic.twitter.com/ihGMQzenVn  IMD Chandigarh (@IMD_Chandigarh) June 13, 2021

"Rainfall and thunderstorm activity is likely to further increase from the early morning hours of June 15 to June 16, light to moderate rainfall (1-5 cm) at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-12 cm) at isolated places likely during this period," as per IMD Chandigarh.

District wise Rainfall forecast for #Haryana Dated 13th June 2021. For latest District wise warnings for Haryana State use https://t.co/LjmXgvOt3m pic.twitter.com/VfKbaBDxWh  IMD Chandigarh (@IMD_Chandigarh) June 13, 2021

Meanwhile, on Sunday, a thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds lashed the adjoining areas of Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat, Gannaur, Fatehabad, Barwala, Narwana, Rajaund, Assandh, Safidon, Jind, Gohana, Hissar, Hansi and Meham, revealed IMD Chandigarh.

Additionally, the IMD said that the conditions are favourable for the advancement of southwest monsoon in the country. Monsoons are expected to advance into more regions of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and some parts of east Uttar Pradesh.

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New Delhi: The Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V is likely to be available at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi from June 15, as per the reports.

However, the Sputnik V rollout will depend on whether or not the vaccine consignment reaches on time in the national capital.

According to ANI report, as many as 1000 doses of Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V reached the Apollo Hospital in Delhi on Sunday, out of which, over 179 doses were administered to the employees of Dr Reddys lab.

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddys Laboratories has partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for the rollout of the two-dose vaccine in India.

Additionally, the first phase of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine rollout by Apollo Hospitals and Dr Reddys Laboratories had started on May 17 in Hyderabad and on May 18 in Vishakhapatnam. In Hyderabad, Sputnik V is also available at Continental Hospitals.

The Centre has fixed the price of the Sputnik V vaccine at private hospitals at Rs 1,410 per dose. The government on June 10 had revealed that the efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine during a vaccination campaign by Bahrains Ministry of Health was estimated to be at 94.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted permission to the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture the Russian COVID-19 vaccine in India. Serum Institute has collaborated with Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow in Russia for developing Sputnik V vaccine at its licensed Hadapsar facility.

For the time being, Dr Reddys Laboratories will continue to import the Sputnik V vaccine in India. However, people need to note that the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V has not yet received approval in the emergency use listing by WHO.

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Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar has been called upon by Opposition delegation led by BJPs Suvendu Adhikari in regard to the law and order situation post-polling in the state.

Tagging Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in his post about the meeting, Governor Dhankar informed that it will take place at 4pm today.

The Governor tweeted about the meeting from his official twitter account saying, Opposition delegation led by Shri Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly @SuvenduWB will be calling on the Governor of West Bengal at 4 p.m. today as regards the grave law and order situation @MamataOfficial in the State of West Bengal.

Opposition delegation led by Shri Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly @SuvenduWB will be calling on the Governor of West Bengal at 4 p.m. today as regards the grave law and order situation @MamataOfficial in the State of West Bengal.  Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) June 14, 2021

West Bengal Governor Dhankar on Friday accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of remaining "silent when there was bloodshed" during alleged post-poll violence in the state.

Dhankhar also said the TMC government could have easily prevented the situation from deteriorating by providing compensation and rehabilitation to affected families and through area domination to prevent violence.

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New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government permitted more activities from Monday (June 14, 2021) as the easing of restrictions by states gained momentum following a decline in active COVID-19 cases in the country.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced more relaxations in curbs in 27 districts of the state, however, over 11 districts, seven in western and four in Cauvery delta regions, still remain under COVID-induced curbs.

The state government allowed salons, parks and state-run liquor outlets in the 27 districts to reopen after 35 days.

Tamil Nadu: Salons, beauty parlours & spas re-open in 27 districts of the state, including Chennai, from today. These facilities can now function with 50% of customers. Govt parks allowed to open from 6 am to 9 am. Taxis, auto-rickshaws allowed to operate. Visuals from Chennai. pic.twitter.com/9xEvH16htL  ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2021

Heres complete guidelines issued by the state government:

- The Tamil Nadu government-run Tasmac shops are now allowed to operate between 10 am and 5 pm in 27 districts of the state.

- The tea shops can function from 6 am to 5 pm, but only takeaway services are permitted.

- Parks and playgrounds will be reopened from 6 am to 9 am daily now.

- Salons, spas and barbershops permitted to function till 5 pm without air-conditioning in the state.

- Medical shops, veterinary pharmacies and pet feed shops shall be permitted.

- Supply of milk, water and distribution of newspapers will be permitted.

- IT firms can work at 20 percent capacity.

- Two-wheeler repair shops, agricultural products, pump sets and other farm essentials to open.

- Other essential services like security services, plumbers and electricians have also been allowed in the state.

- Sale of vegetables, fruits, and provisions through mobile vehicles shall continue in all the districts in coordination with respective departments.

- Home-delivery of provisions shall be permitted on orders made over the phone and online. Inter-state and Inter-district travel is permitted for medical emergencies and funeral with e-registration.

- Places of worship and tourist locations will continue to remain closed.

- No public or private bus services will be allowed.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu on Sunday recorded 14,016 new COVID-19 infections and 267 deaths thereby pushing the total so far to 23,53,721 and 29,547 respectively, the Health Department said. Recoveries continued to eclipse new infections with 25,895 people getting discharged from various hospitals.

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New Delhi: The Uttarakhand government on Monday (June 14, 2021) extended the COVID-induced curfew in the state by one more week. Now the COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place till June 22.

State minister Subodh Uniyal said that old guidelines will remain in place but with some minor changes.

"Covid curfew has been extended from June 15 to June 22. Old SOPs to be followed with some changes. People from Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi are now allowed to visit Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri-Yamunotri, respectively, only with a negative RT-PCR report," Uniyal said.

According to Uniyal, a negative report of RTPCR is still mandatory for those coming to Uttarakhand from outside states.

Covid curfew extended from June 15 to June 22. Old SOP to be followed with some changes. People from Chamoli, Rudraprayag, & Uttarkashi are now allowed to visit Badrinath, Kedarnath & Gangotri-Yamunotri respectively only with negative RT-PCR report: Uttarakhand Min Subodh Uniyal pic.twitter.com/lU3kt22FMK  ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2021

Complete list of relaxations/restrictions here:

- People will be allowed to go to vaccination centres to get vaccine jabs during the lockdown if they have the document to prove their purpose.

- Only 20 people with negative RT-PCR test reports not older than 72 hours can attend weddings. Not more than 20 people can attend funerals.

- Shops dealing in essential commodities like milk, meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables will open daily from 8 am to 12 pm during the extended curfew.

- Bars will remain closed till further orders.

- All educational institutions will remain closed during the period.

- Cinema halls, shopping malls, stadiums, gyms, and restaurants will remain closed during the period.

- Medicine shops and testing labs will remain open for 24 hours.

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New Delhi: The post-poll violence in the West Bengal Assembly elections have gathered a lot of attention in the Indian social sphere. There are horrific details emerging out of the alleged gang rape in the West Bengal Assembly elections that has ignited the controversy again.

A minor girl along with multiple other women in West Bengal has moved to the Supreme Court seeking an investigation into the incidents of violence in post-poll West Bengal.

The women have sought the Supreme Court to order a Special Investigation Team to conduct a probe into the alleged incidents. The intervention pleas have been moved by women who were allegedly attacked and even gang-raped by workers of the ruling Trinamool Congress party.

A 60-year-old lady in her plea told the apex court that TMC workers barged into her house, assaulted her and then gang-raped her in front of her six-year-old grandson. She also added by saying that her daughter-in-law was beaten up.

On May 3, one day after the declaration of assembly poll results, the applicants house was surrounded by a large mob of about 100-200 people, comprising supporters of the Trinamool Congress Party and loud threats hurled at her asking her family to leave the house or else face consequences, the plea read. The applicants daughter-in-law was mercilessly beaten, grievously injuring her, the petitioner added.

There is another petition which read that a 17-year-old girl from a scheduled caste (SC) family was dragged into the jungle and gang-raped by TMC workers for more than an hour. The victim claimed she was attacked and gang-raped solely for her familys political affiliations and religious beliefs.

Another woman told the Supreme Court that her husband, a BJP campaigner, had made her witness as he assaulted a woman with axes in broad daylight on May 14.

While more and more reports have come to light about alleged rape incidents in the post-polls West Bengal, the political parties on the ground continue to lay the blame on the opposing party.

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New Delhi: Zydus Cadila may soon seek emergency use authorization for its vaccine from the Drug Controller General of India for children in the age group of 12-18.

Reports suggest that sources in the government and the company confirmed that the Ahmedabad-based firm may seek an emergency use authorization from the drug regulator in around a week.

If approved, this would be the first DNA-plasmid vaccine in the world.

The data analysis from the phase 3 trials is almost ready. The company may soon seek EUA for its vaccine, a government official was quoted as saying.

According to the report, ZyCov-D, developed by Ahmedabad-based Zydus-Cadila, uses plasmid DNA (in contrast to mRNA as used by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) to instruct human cells to make SARS-CoV-2 antigen eliciting an immune response.

Therefore, it can be stored between 2-8 degrees Celsius, whereas the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires cold-chain maintenance of up to -70 degrees Celsius, or at least -15 to -25 degrees Celsius. It is expected that the vaccine can be more easily tweaked than mRNA vaccines for use against variants.

Experts are saying that the children rarely develop severe forms of COVID-19 but the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka have recently seen a spike in paediatric cases, and some deaths as well.

In rare cases of COVID-19, paediatric black fungus have been reported too.

In the US, Canada and the EU children of the age group 12-15 are already being jabbed, while the United Kingdom has also approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for that age group.

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MUMBAI: In yet another sign of widening cracks in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government in Maharashtra, state Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday said that his party will contest the upcoming assembly elections alone.

Asserting that Congress would be the biggest party in 2024 in the state, Patole said that no amount of sidelining will make Congress go. Patole even said that he is ready to be the chief ministerial face of the party if the Congress top brass decides so.

While speaking in Amravati, Patole said, "I am the Congress chief of state. So, I will give the point of view of my party. I don't know what he (Sharad Pawar) said but Congress has made it very clear that we will be going solo in all local body elections and assembly polls. Don't you want to see Nana Patole made CM?"

Congress will contest the Maharashtra Assembly Elections alone. I am ready to be the CM face if the high command decides: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole (File photo) pic.twitter.com/cKqE5BD5dZ  ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2021

Apparently upset with Sharad Pawar's recent praise for Shiv Sena, he said, "Congress is the original party. We don't need anybody's certificate. Even if somebody (Pawar) is sidelining us, that doesn't mean Congress will be sidelined. Congress will only remain the top party in Maharashtra by 2024."

All this happened days after state's Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray met PM Narendra Modi in Delhi and later election strategist Prashant Kishor met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra.

It may be noted that Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had on Sunday said that in Maharashtra's three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the post of chief minister will remain with the Shiv Sena for the full five-year term, and it is "non-negotiable".

The Shiv Sena, which was one of the oldest allies of the BJP, had forged an unlikely alliance with the NCP and the Congress after the 2019 state polls to form the MVA government, after parting ways with the BJP over the issue of sharing the chief minister's post.

Talking to reporters in Nashik, Raut said, "Shiv Sena's chief minister in MVA will continue for five years. It is a commitment and there is no sharing of the post. It is non-negotiable."

Reacting to state Congress president Nana Patole's remarks that the Congress will be the largest party in the state after the 2024 assembly polls, Raut said there is a viral video on social media, in which it is said that Patole aspires to be a chief minister.

There is no harm in aspiring for a post. There are several claimants in all parties. In the Congress, there are several leaders capable even of leading the country," he said. Raut said the MVA is an alliance of three ideologically different parties.

"We have come together to run a government and now merged into one political outfit. All three have the right to expand their base and strengthen the organisation," he said. To a question on poll strategist Prashant Kishor's recent meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, the Sena's Rajya Sabha member said Kishor has met several political leaders before and has worked even for Narendra Modi.

If all opposition parties come together to put up a good fight against Narendra Modi in 2024, what's wrong in that, he said. To a question on BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis remarks that Narendra Modi will be re-elected in 2024, Raut responded saying, When did we say that it will not happen. Fadnavis is just putting forth his party's stand."

PM Modi is the top leader of the BJP. If all opposition parties come together to put up a formidable fight against PM Modi, what's wrong, he asked.

Meanwhile, the NCP too claimed on Sunday said that all three Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners are united in running the coalition government in Maharashtra, but no decision has been taken so far on alliance for the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

NCP spokesperson and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik made the remark a day after state Congress president Nana Patole said that the Congress will emerge as the single-largest party in the next state polls.

The MVA government in the state that was formed after the 2019 Assembly polls, is led by the Shiv Sena, in which the NCP and the Congress are its partners.

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New Delhi: It's been a whole year since Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput left us for his heavenly abode on June 14, 2020. However, his friends, family and fans are still reeling from his sudden and tragic demise. They're all keeping him alive in pictures and memories, hoping he's finally at peace now.

On the actor's first death anniversary (June 14), actress Ankita Lokhande has been sharing beautiful memories along with her former beau on her Instagram handle since morning on Monday, June 14, 2021.

In the recent shared video, Ankita and Sushant can be seen chilling with a friend and the trio was seen discussing about their upcoming plans for the future.

Sharing a beautiful note along with the video, Ankita wrote, 14th June

This is who he was !!!

Thankyou Sushant for your part in my journey

See you again till we meet again

Phir milenge chalte chalte

Good bye..

In the video, Ankita can be seen praying with Sushant and also wishes for everyones bright future.

She also shared another video, in which the duo can be seen twinning in a black colour outfit. The cuties were seen dancing with each other and were madly in love. The video was shot on the occasion of Diwali in the year 2011.

Sharing the video, she wrote, Left with these memories only.

U will always be loved and cherished

Diwali 2011..

The actor was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14, 2020 - in an apparent suicide case. However, since then various details of the actors personal life have come out in the media and the case is sub judice.

Ankita Lokhande and Sushant Singh Rajput made their television debut as leads in Balaji Telefilms' 'Pavitra Rishta'. The two dated for about 5-6 years before parting their ways and breaking a million hearts of their fans. She is currently dating beau Vicky Jain.

The death of a popular actor under mysterious circumstances made it a sensational case for months with premiere agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the case from various angles respectively.
New Delhi: Kriti Sanon on Monday recalled the first time she shot with Sushant Singh Rajput, on the occasion of his first death anniversary.

Kriti and Sushant worked in the 2017 release "Raabta", and unconfirmed rumours had stated that they were dating around the time. On Monday, Kriti shared a collage of photographs from the shoot of "Raabta" featuring Sushant and herself.

"The first time i ever shot with you.. Our look test..2 complete strangers, meant to cross each other's path, For a film that spoke of inexplainable connection, Based in two worlds," she wrote alongside the collage.

"Today, it feels so painfully weird to know that You and I are not in the same world anymore.. Still feels like it hasn't happened for real. Like maybe you are still around and I'll bump into you somewhere," she added.

"I don't think it'll EVER sink in.. But I pray that you are happy and at peace in whichever world you are in.. #sush," Kriti further wrote.

Giving credit to costume designer Anaita Shroff Adajania for the photo collage, the actress added: "Thanks @anaitashroffadajania for sharing this collage.. brought back a lot of memories.."

Sushant was found dead in his residence on June 14 last year. The cause of his death is still being probed.
New Delhi: Director Navjot Gulati has been caught in a controversy over his pointed tweet at the film Haseen Dillruba's writer Kanika Dhillon, who has striked back to his 'sexist' and 'misogynistic' tweets.

He had taken a dig at the writer by saying that she only got screenwriting credits as she had married into the production house. Kanika Dhillon is married to Himanshu Sharma, who was the writer of the 'Tanu Weds Manu series' and 'Raanjhanaa'.

In his tweet he wrote, "If you want top billing as a Screenwriter in a trailer (something that should be the norm) You need to marry into the production house. Once the Writer becomes a family member, is treated like an Actor-Star. #Goals".

Check out his tweet:

If you want top billing as a Screenwriter in a trailer(something that should be the norm)You need to marry into the production house. Once the Writer becomes a family member, is treated like an Actor-Star. #Goals  Navjot Gulati (@Navjotalive) June 11, 2021

Kanika Dhillon did not take this insult lying down and retaliated with a strong tweet.

In response to this, Kanika Dhillon wrote, "Hi @Navjotalive I am quite shocked by ur extremely SEXIST - MYSOGINIST and bordering on IDIOTIC comment Neither will I list down my body of work cos ur pea sized brain will not be able to process a successful woman making it on her own! U may hav a brain freeze! Have a good day."

She further wrote, "And mr @Navjotalive because of writers like YOU - who display their STUPIDITY on something tht should be Applauded as a welcome step by the writing fraternity- other very deserving writers do not get top Billing as is their right- shame on u!"

Hi @Navjotalive I am quite shocked by ur extremely SEXIST - MYSOGINIST and bordering on IDIOTIC comment Neither will I list down my body of work cos ur pea sized brain will not be able to process a successful woman making it on her own! U may hav a brain freeze! Have a good day https://t.co/hDDhSlBEpS  Kanika Dhillon (@KanikaDhillon) June 14, 2021

And mr @Navjotalive because of writers like YOU - who display their STUPIDITY on something tht should be Applauded as a welcome step by the writing fraternity- other very deserving writers do not get top Billing as is their right- shame on u! https://t.co/hDDhSlBEpS  Kanika Dhillon (@KanikaDhillon) June 14, 2021

The lead actress of the upcoming film 'Haseen Dilruba' Taapsee Pannu also came out in support of the screenwriter.

She wrote, "A progressive call to credit a writer turned into a sexist rant by the age old misogyny of crediting a womans success to the house she marries in or the man she married. Your righteous call for equal credit cant be overtaken by the bitterness in u."

A progressive call to credit a writer turned into a sexist rant by the age old misogyny of crediting a womans success to the house she marries in or the man she married. Your righteous call for equal credit cant be overtaken by the bitterness in u. https://t.co/B7FrdSRakL  taapsee pannu (@taapsee) June 14, 2021

After the issue took over the internet, Navjot Gulati issued a clarification and wrote, "My tweet was to criticise the Credit system by Netflix and i made an observation which was meant as a quip. I did not tag anyone. Nor did i want this to divert the attention from the main issue of Netflix not crediting cast and crew in the trailer. Especially Writers."

My tweet was to criticise the Credit system by Netflix and i made an observation which was meant as a quip. I did not tag anyone. Nor did i want this to divert the attention from the main issue of Netflix not crediting cast and crew in the trailer. Especially Writers.  Navjot Gulati (@Navjotalive) June 14, 2021

Director Navjot Gulati is known for films such as 'Jai Mummy Di', 'Happily Ever After', and 'Best Girlfriend'.

The film, Haseen Dillruba is directed by Vinil Mathew with screenplay and dialogues headed by Kanika Dhillon. It features Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, Harshvardhan Rane, and Aditya Srivastava in pivotal roles. It is set to release on July 2, 2021.
New Delhi: On Sushant Singh Rajputs first death anniversary, many celebrities have taken to social media to remember the 'Kai Po Che!' actor and his wonderful presence.

Actors such as Sara Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon, Pulkit Samrat and Ranvir Shorey have shared their fondest memory with the late actor and the recent one to remember him is none other than Kangana Ranaut.

The beautiful diva took to her Instagram story and shared a monochromatic picture of the Dil Bechara actor along with a broken heart emoji.

In regard to the Sushant's case, Kangana has called out the Mumbai Police for their investigation in actor's death case and said that she supports CBI inquiry in the matter. Kangana's team released a video on social media in which she is seen holding a placard that reads "Justice for Sushant and #CBIforSSR".

The actor was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14, 2020 - in an apparent suicide case. However, since then various details of the actors personal life have come out in the media and the case is sub judice.

The death of a popular actor under mysterious circumstances made it a sensational case for months with premiere agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the case from various angles respectively.
New Delhi: It's been a year since Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput died (June 14), but his painful demise still weighs heavy on his friends, family and fans.

On his first death anniversary many celebrities have taken to social media to remember the 'Kai Po Che!' actor and his wonderful presence. Actors such as Bhumi Pednekar, Arjun Bijlani, Pulkit Samrat and Ranvir Shorey have shared pictures with the late actor and written about their fondest memory with him.

Have a look at their heartfelt posts:

While the void he left in the Bollywood industry will never be filled, he has left us with many great films, quotes and thoughtful posts to remember him.

On June 14, 2020, Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra home leaving his friends, family and fans in immense pain. The loss of the talented star left the Bollywood industry in shambles and fans are still mourning his untimely death.

As an actor, Sushant had started on the small screen with his television roles in the 2008 show 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil', followed by Zee TV's popular show 'Pavitra Rishta' by Ekta Kapoor.

Owing to his talent and charm, his performance in 'Pavitra Rishta' alongside Ankita Lokhande led him to reach new heights and gave him immense popularity, opening a gateway to Bollywood.

Soon the rising star made his movie debut with Abhishek Kapoor`s 2013 release Kai Po Che! and then went on to act in Shuddh Desi Romance, PK, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Raabta, Kedarnath, Chhichhore, Drive, and Dil Bechara.
New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sara Ali Khan, who debuted alongside Sushant Singh Rajput in a romantic drama Kedarnath in the year 2018, has penned an emotional note for her co-star.

Remembering the star performer on his first death anniversary, Sara thanked the late actor for all his help and advice throughout the journey. She also credited Sushant for all that she has today.

Sharing a heartfelt post with a cute picture, she wrote, Whenever I needed help, advice or a laugh you were always there. You introduced me to the world of acting, made me believe that dreams could come true, and gave me all that I have today. Still cant believe youre gone. But every time I look at the stars, the rising sun or the moon I know youre here. From Kedarnath to Andromeda.

In the picture, the duo can be seen inside a pool and are posing for the shutterbugs.

The actor was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14, 2020 - in an apparent suicide case. However, since then various details of the actors personal life have come out in the media and the case is sub judice.

The death of a popular actor under mysterious circumstances made it a sensational case for months with premiere agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the case from various angles respectively.

Sushant kick-started his career with small screen with a television show 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil', followed by Zee TV's popular show 'Pavitra Rishta'.

The actor debuted in Bollywood with Abhishek Kapoor`s 2013 release Kai Po Che! After that he did some of the best films till date, which include- Shuddh Desi Romance, PK, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Raabta, Kedarnath, Chhichhore, Drive, and Dil Bechara among others.
New Delhi: It has been a year since the shocking news of the untimely death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput broke out. The actor was found dead in his Mumbai apartment on June 14, 2020 - in an apparent suicide case. However, since then various details of the actors personal life have come out in the media and the case is subjudice.

Sushant made his debut in television in 2008 with 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil' but the actor catapulted to fame in 2009 when he played Manav in Zee's popular daily soap Pavitra Rishta, opposite actress Ankita Lokhande. After ruling the audience's hearts in the small screen, the actor made his Bollywood debut in 2003 with Abhishek Kapoors Kai Po Che which was immensely loved both by the critics and viewers.

However, in the past few years, the actor has also lost quite a few big movie offers. Some of them are:

Padmaavat, Bajirao Mastai and Ram-Leela

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali told police that he had offered Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat to Sushant, during one of the investigations on the death of the actor, for which he was summoned. According to Hindustan Times (HT), the director said the dates could could not work out between the two as the reason for the collaboration not happening.

Fitoor

Sushant was supposed to once again collaborate with his debut film Kai Po Che director Abhishek Kapoor, for the official remake of Charles Dickens Great Expectation Fitoor. However, he was later replaced by Aditya Roy Kapur. No. I dont have any regrets. This is something I will follow for the rest of my life, the rest of my days that I am working in this industry. If I like the script and give you my word, I wont ditch you just because I find some other film more exciting and bigger than the film I said yes to, said Sushant to the HT in an interview.

Half Girlfriend

Sushant was supposed to star in the romantic film Half Girlfriend which is based on the same name written by Chetan Bhagat. The writer had back then even welcomed Sushant on-board with a tweet. The movie however starred actor Arjun Kapoor opposite actress Shraddha Kapoor.

Talking about it to BollywoodLife, Sushant had revealed, See, I was doing many films and they are all releasing now. I dont want to name them. What happens is, when I give my word to someone and hes delaying (not because he wants to, but because of a particular reason) and I get to understand it, I wont ditch. So be it the biggest film with the biggest studio or the smallest film, I wont leave another film. So unfortunately, because of the two films that I was doing and that didnt happen, I lost out on 12 films in the last one year. One film didnt happen and the other was put off by a few months. And these films are the films that we generally talk about these days. Lets not get into all that.

Romeo Akbar Walter

Sushant was supposed to star in this action film but due to scheduling conflicts, the actor dropped out of the film. Producers Bunty Walia and director Robbie Grewal were shocked and scrambling to find a replacement, according to HT.

Actor John Abraham was later roped in.

Unfortunately, I will not be part of Romeo Akbar Walter due to changes in my prior commitments. I wanted to be part of the project because I love the story, and believe it must be told, but, that will not happen, Sushant had said.
Are you looking for a big return after investing a small amount of money? This new post office scheme called Gram Sumangal Rural Postal Life Insurance Scheme assures great returns as a customer is just required to invest Rs 95 per day in order to get Rs 14 lakh in return over the period of time.

Gram Sumangal Rural Postal Life Insurance Scheme, an endowment plan which eventually gives a fixed amount of money after the completion of maturity period, money back as well as insurance cover to all those people possessing a bank account in the post office in rural areas.

The benefits of this scheme go to those people who always need money from time to time and with this scheme, money-back opportunities are there three times before maturity. The maximum sum assured of Rs 10 lakh is offered to customers.

This scheme is one of the five rural postal life insurance schemes started by the Government of India in 1995.

Started by the government of India in 1995, the Gram Sumangal Scheme is available for two durations of 15 years and 20 years and the minimum age for availing of these policies is 19 years and the maximum age for availing of the 15-year-policy is 45 years, while for the 20-year-policy, the maximum age is 40 years.

The 15-year policy provides customers with 20 percent of the total sum assured as a money-back on completion of 6 years, 9 years, and 12 years. The remaining 40 percent of the money, which includes the bonus, will be given to the customer after the completion of maturity.

The 20-year policy gives users 20 percent money on completion of 8 years, 12 years, and 16 years and the remaining 40 percent of the money will be given to the customers on maturity with a bonus.

If someone who is aged 25-years and chooses to take this policy for 20 years with a sum assured of Rs 7 lakh, he will have a premium of Rs 2,853 per month, i.e. about Rs 95 per day.

The customer therefore will have Rs 1.4-1.4 lakh in the 8th, 12th, and 16th years. After the 20th year, he/she will get Rs 2.8 lakh as a sum assured.

This scheme gives the annual bonus per thousand is Rs 48, and the annual bonus on the sum assured of Rs 7 lakh will be Rs 33600. For 20 years, the bonus will be Rs 6.72 lakh and the customer will have a total return of Rs 13.72 lakh in 20 years. Out of this, Rs 4.2 lakh will already be received as money back and Rs 9.52 lakh will be given on maturity.

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#mute
New Delhi: Kannada actor Sanchari Vijay who sustained injuries in a road accident, died at a private hospital on Monday (June 14), according to a PTI report.

The actor was just 38 years old. "He is brain dead and his family has to decide whether they can donate his organs," a doctor attending on the actor told reporters.

In a later report, his family revealed that they will be donating his organs. His brother Siddesh told the Times of India, "The brain stem has stopped functioning, so we have decided to donate his organs. Vijay always believed in serving society, which we are fulfilling by donating his organs."

After his tragic demise, many prominent figures from the South film industry took to social media to condole his sudden death. Celebs such as Danish Sait, Puneeth Rajkumar, Kichcha Sudeepa, Samyuktha Hegde, Harshika Poonacha offered their condolences on Twitter.

How unfortunate is this, I just saw an article saying he was in the ICU, and now I read this. My condolences to Mr. Sanchari Vijays family and friends. Rest in peace sir, your contribution to cinema will live forever. https://t.co/fTzzAGmusm  Danish Sait (@DanishSait) June 14, 2021

Gone too soon Sanchari Vijay, RIP.  Puneeth Rajkumar (@PuneethRajkumar) June 14, 2021

Very very disheartening to accept that Sanchari Vijay breathed his last.

Met him couple of times just bfr this lockdown,,,, all excited about his nxt film,, tats due for release.

Very sad.

Deepest Condolences to his family and friends.

RIP  Kichcha Sudeepa (@KicchaSudeep) June 14, 2021

Life is absolutely unbelievable, unpredictable, unfair.

I'm shook by this news and I don't know what to say.

I request the media houses to give time and space for his family to mourn his death

I'm sure you are in a better place now

May your soul Rest in Peace#RIPSanchariVijay  Samyuktha Hegde (@SamyukthaHegde) June 14, 2021

Gone too soon

RIP @SanchariVijay

I'm still in a shock, He had called @BhuvannPonannaa 2 days back to arrange ration kits for few underprivileged families and today this news

I wish this is not true #Ripsancharivijay pic.twitter.com/pPk3BdEXXb  Harshika Poonacha (@actressharshika) June 14, 2021

The actor's motorcycle skidded on Saturday night at JP Nagar in the city and resulted in him sustaining serious head injuries.

Vijay had won the national award for his performance in the film 'Naanu Avanalla Avalu' (I'm not him, her) in 2015.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Bigg Boss 13 fame Paras Chhabra, who grabbed many eyeballs in the reality show for his chemistry and fondness for fellow contestant Mahiha Sharma, maintains that he still wants to marry her.

"Of course, I still want to marry Mahira Sharma. She is a beautiful girl and she is my very good friend, revealed the 30 years old actor in an exclusive interview to ETimes.

Talking about their growing closeness, the actor revealed that he has bought a house near Mahiras home. In fact, I have purchased a new house in her building only in Mohali. Most of the time we are together only, eating meals together. And since my mom is also staying with me, Mahira and my mom have come really close to each other. They also go shopping together. We are not yet girlfriend-boyfriend officially. Our bond is very good now. We want our relationship's progression to be natural," added Paras.

The actor was said to be in a relationship with actress Akanksha Puri, when he entered the reality show. However, the two broke-up as Paras grew close to fellow contestant Mahira. Akanksha spoke to the media of taking care of Paras financially. The actor has refuted all such claims.

Akanksha was not taking care of me financially. I was doing two shows, so how could I not have money? I was not living with her, so there was no point in meeting her post the break-up. When I came out of the house and saw what she had said about me on social media, I felt there was no point in meeting her," revealed the actor.

On the work front, the actor has been part of multiple music videos. He was last seen in the music video Galat opposite Bigg Boss 14 winner Rubina Dilaik. The video is produced by Vyrl Original and the song is sung by Asees Kaur.
LUCKNOW: Sulabh Srivastava, a TV journalist who had exposed the local liquor mafia, died under mysterious circumstances in the Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, Srivastava, who was working with a leading TV news channel, was returning from Lalganj where he met with an accident late on Sunday. He was taken to a district hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Initial investigation by the local police suggested that Srivastava fell after his bike collided with a handpump along the road. Just a day before his death, Srivastava had written to the Uttar Pradesh Police seeking protection. In his letter, he had claimed that he felt threatened following his recent reportage of liquor mafias in the district.

Seeking protection, Srivastava had said he had been informed by well-placed sources that the liquor mafia was angry with him after the publication of his report and wanted to harm him or his family.

While his family members suspect a foul play in his death, the Pratapgarh Police said that the journalist died in a motorcycle accident.

"Srivastava was returning on his motorcycle after media coverage, at around 11 PM on Sunday. He fell from his motorcycle near a brick kiln. Some labourers lifted him from the road and then used his phone to call his friends. He was taken to the district hospital where the doctors declared him dead," the Pratapgarh Police said in a statement.

The police also added that the initial probe revealed that Srivastava fell after his "bike collided with a handpump along the road". The police also added that they are probing other angles in the matter.

Sulabh Shrivastava, a scribe, was returning from Lalganj where he met with an accident. He was taken to district hospital where doctors declared him dead. Initial probe revealed that Srivastava fell after his bike collided with handpump along road: Pratapgarh police pic.twitter.com/vc8y23acst  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) June 14, 2021

The Pratapgarh Police today registered an FIR against unidentified persons in connection with the reporters death.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath`s government saying that "the liquor mafia has killed from Aligarh to Pratapgarh but the UP government is silent (sic)".

She asked in a tweet, "Does the UP government, which nurtures `jungle raj`, have an answer to the tears of the family members of journalist Sulabh Srivastava?"

     :             ,              -                 ?  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 14, 2021

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party (SP) also demanded a high-level inquiry into the death of a journalist, who had recently reported on the liquor mafia, apparently in a road accident.

"The mysterious death of a TV reporter in an alleged accident is extremely sad. The BJP government in this case should constitute a high-level probe, and tell the family members and the public that despite the apprehension of murder by the liquor mafia expressed by the reporter, why he was not provided security," SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi.

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London: The G7 leaders on Sunday called for a "timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened" investigation into the origins of COVID-19, including, as recommended by the experts` report, in China.

In the Carbis Bay communique, the G7 leaders said, "Strengthening transparency and accountability, including reiterating our commitment to the full implementation of, and improved compliance with, the International Health Regulations 2005. This includes investigating, reporting and responding to outbreaks of unknown origin. We also call for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened Phase 2 COVID-19 Origins study including, as recommended by the experts` report, in China."

The origin of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has remained a mystery even after over 1.5 years the first case of infection was reported in the Wuhan city of China.

On Thursday, the United States and the United Kingdom extended their support to a "timely, transparent and evidence-based independent process."

Issuing the joint statement, Boris Johnson and Biden said they are determined to work together to overcome the current pandemic, which has reversed progress on improving the human condition, and to be better prepared in the future.

"We will work together to help increase global vaccine supply through investments in manufacturing of safe and effective vaccines and the materials needed to produce them. We will promote the timely availability of vaccines, key components and equipment by encouraging bilateral trade and investment and avoiding export restrictions or other supply chain disruption," the statement read.

The G7 summit began formally on Friday as the leaders of the world`s most advanced economies gathered on the Cornish coast for the first time since the outbreak of global coronavirus pandemic.

The UK is the current G7 President. This is the 7th time UK is heading the G7. The theme selected by the UK for its G7 Presidency is `Build Back Better` in a nod to global recovery efforts post-COVID-19 pandemic.
New Delhi: India has extended its support to Kenya's domestic programs listed under the "Big Four Agenda" during the visit of External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar even as both sides discussed Indo Pacific. The Big Four Agenda of Kenya are- on Manufacturing, Affordable Housing, Universal Health, and Food Security and are key projects led by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

India will be supporting projects that call for creating 500,000 new affordable homes, scaling up universal health coverage, 100% food security, and enhancing the country's manufacturing to 20% of GDP by 2022. The joint statement said, "India will further build upon its partnership" vis a vis the programs and also when it comes to development partnership in various fields in a whole host of sectors. India has been offering 400 scholarships to Kenyans annually as part of its development partnership and capacity building projects.

Thank President Kenyatta for receiving me so warmly. Handed over a letter from PM @narendramodi. Our partnership is an example of South-South cooperation. Committed to working with Kenya to realise its Big Four priorities. pic.twitter.com/0V0uKJv5mO  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 14, 2021

What stood out was the use of the "Indo Pacific" term in the joint statement, a term which is increasingly being used and this time by an African country. The Joint statement said, "the two sides held extensive exchanges on global and regional issues including the security situation in the Indo-Pacific region and the Horn of Africa." Indo-Pacific is geographically seen as a region spanning from the east coast of Africa to the Pacific island states, a region that is the main driver of global economic growth.

On counter-terror, the statement said both sides, "expressed their concern at the growing radicalization and the increase in international terrorism and violent extremism in parts of Africa and Asia". It highlighted that,"As maritime neighbours, India and Kenya recognized the importance of ensuring through shared endeavours greater security, safety and prosperity of the Indian Ocean Region. They also noted that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations are a common threat to humanity."

Just concluded the 3rd

Joint Commission Meeting with Kenya. Thank FM Raychelle Omamo for co-chairing. Good to see our historical ties evolve into an all-round partnership with so many dimensions. This is reflected in the comprehensive Joint Statement: https://t.co/RZ97acb3UN pic.twitter.com/ZkBHo6gXKV  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 14, 2021

Earlier in the day, EAM participated in the inauguration of the newly renovated Mahatma Gandhi memorial Library at the University of Nairobi. The renovation was undertaken through financial support provided by the Indian government.

Calling the "rise of modern Africa is not just a noble sentiment" but a "long-awaited expectation", EAM at the university said, "It is only when this continent of more than a billion people takes its rightful place that the full diversity of our planet will find proper expression. It is then that we can justifiably declare that the world is truly multipolar."

India has multiple times extended its support for an African seat at the United Nations Security Council. Currently, both India and Kenya are Non Permanent members of the UNSC. This was the first in-person visit of EAM to an African country amid the covid pandemic. During the visit, he called on President Kenyatta and held talks with his counterpart FM Raychelle Omamo.

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Kathmandu: K P Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepal's Prime Minister on Friday (June 11), days after he lost a crucial vote of confidence in Parliament. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Oli, 69, as the 43rd prime minister of Nepal at a ceremony at Shital Niwas, the presidential palace.

Oli was appointed as prime minister by the president in his capacity as leader of the largest political party in Nepal's House of Representatives.

He was reappointed to the post on Thursday (June 10) night as the Opposition parties failed to secure majority seats in Parliament to form a new government.

Oli, the Chairman of CPN-UML, lost a crucial trust vote in the House of Representatives on Monday (June 14).

Oli will now have to take a vote of confidence at the House within 30 days, failing which, an attempt to form a government under Article 76 (5) of the Constitution would be initiated.

The ministers of Oli's Cabinet were also sworn in during the ceremony.

During the oath-taking ceremony, Prime Minister Oli and Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokharel did not mention the word God though President Bhandari had mentioned it.

I will take oath in the name of the country and the people, Oli said while President Bhandari had mentioned God, country and the people.

All the ministers and ministers of state from the old Cabinet have been included in the new Cabinet.

Pradeep Gyawali has been reappointed as Foreign Minister while Ram Bahadur Thapa and Bishnu Poudyal were appointed as ministers for Home and Finance. The oath-taking ceremony was kept brief keeping in mind the raging COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun and Supreme Court Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana were among the distinguished personalities who attended the ceremony.

There are 22 ministers and three ministers of state in the new Cabinet.

Oli previously served as prime minister from October 11, 2015, to August 3, 2016, and again from February 15, 2018, to May 13, 2021.

Earlier, the president had asked the Opposition parties to come up with the support of majority lawmakers to form a new government by 9 pm on Thursday after Oli lost the vote of confidence in the House on Monday.

Until Thursday, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, who got backing from CPN-Maoist Centre chairman Pushpakamal Dahal "Prachanda" was hopeful to get sufficient votes in the House to stake his claim as the next Prime Minister.

But as Madhav Kumar Nepal took a U-turn after his last-minute meeting with Oli, Deuba's dream to become the next Prime Minister was shattered.

The CPN-UML of Prime Minister Oli is the largest party with 121 seats in the 271-member House of Representatives.

At present 136 votes are needed to form a majority government.

If the parties fail to form a new government in line with Article 76 (5) or the Prime Minister elected under this provision does not secure the vote of confidence again, the sitting Prime Minister can recommend the President to dissolve Parliament and announce the date to hold general elections within the next six months.

ALSO READ: Research now backs routinely offering pregnant women the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine

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.

As parliamentary politics is rife with number games, Nepal grapples with shortages of medical supplies, mismanagement of the situation by the state, spiking infections and fatalities amid the raging second wave of the pandemic.

The country is currently witnessing more than 9,000 new COVID-19 cases daily.

Nepal's more than 40 districts, including three districts of Kathmandu Valley, are under prohibitory orders for the past two weeks as the second wave of infection has hit the country.

ALSO READ: Move over dogs sniffing out coronavirus, scientists develop device that identifies COVID-19

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New Delhi: United States President Joe Biden extended congratulations to Naftali Bennett who ended Benjamin Netanyahu's record 12-year run as Israeli prime minister on Sunday (June 13, 2021).

Biden highlighted his decades of steadfast support for the US-Israel relationship and his unwavering commitment to Israel's security, as per a White House statement.

"He expressed his firm intent to deepen cooperation between the United States and Israel on the many challenges and opportunities facing the region," the statement added.

Biden and Bennett also agreed that they and their teams would consult closely on all matters related to regional security, including Iran.

The US President also conveyed that his administration intends to work closely with the Israeli government on efforts to advance peace, security, and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.

Thanking Biden for his 'years of commitment to Israel's security', and for 'standing by Israel' during fighting with Hamas militants in Gaza in May, Naftali Bennett said his government would pursue good relations with US Democrats and Republicans alike.

Under the coalition deal, Bennett, 49, Orthodox Jew and high-tech millionaire, will be replaced as prime minister by 57-year-old Yair Lapid in 2023.

Bennett dethroned Netanyahu who was Israel's longest-serving leader and served as the prime minister since 2009 after a first term from 1996 to 1999.

(With agency inputs)
Jerusalem: Naftali Bennett, who was sworn in Sunday as Israel's new prime minister, embodies many of the contradictions that define the 73-year-old nation. Naftali, a champion of the settlement movement who lives in a Tel Aviv suburb, is a religious Jew who made millions in the mostly secular hi-tech sector, said an AP report.

A former ally of Benjamin Netanyahu, who has partnered with centrist and left-wing parties to end his 12-year rule, Naftali's ultranationalist Yamina party won just seven seats in the 120-member Knesset in March elections-the fourth such vote in two years, said the AP report.

He reportedly refused to commit to Netanyahu or his opponents and positioned himself as kingmaker. Even after one member of his religious nationalist party abandoned him to protest the new coalition deal, Naftali ended up with the crown.

Although Bennett has long positioned himself to the right of Netanyahu, he will be severely constrained by his unwieldy coalition, which has only a narrow majority in parliament and includes parties from the right, left and centre.

The new Israel PM is opposed to Palestinian independence and strongly supports Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians and much of the international community see as a major obstacle to peace. He is stated to have criticised Netanyahu after the prime minister agreed to slow settlement construction under pressure from President Barack Obama, who tried and failed to revive the peace process early in his first term.

Bennett, who briefly served as head of the West Bank settler's council, Yesha, before entering the Knesset in 2013, later served as cabinet minister of diaspora affairs, education and defense in various Netanyahu-led governments.

"He's a right-wing leader, a security hard-liner, but at the same time very pragmatic," Yohanan Plesner, head of the Israel Democracy Institute, who has known Bennett for decades and served with him in the military, told AP. He reportedly expects Bennett to engage with other factions to find a "common denominator" as he seeks support and legitimacy as a national leader.

The 49-year-old father of four shares Netanyahu's hawkish approach to the Middle East conflict, but the two have had tense relations over the years. Bennett served as Netanyahu's chief of staff for two years, but they parted ways after a mysterious falling out that Israeli media linked to Netanyahu's wife, Sara, who wields great influence over her husband's inner circle.

Bennett campaigned as a right-wing stalwart ahead of the March elections and signed a pledge on national TV saying he would never allow Yair Lapid, a centrist and Netanyahu's main rival, to become prime minister. But when it became clear Netanyahu was unable to form a ruling coalition, that's exactly what Bennett did, agreeing to serve as prime minister for two years before handing power to Lapid, the architect of the new coalition.

Netanyahu's supporters have branded Bennett a traitor, saying he defrauded voters. Bennett has defended his decision as a pragmatic move aimed at unifying the country and avoiding a fifth round of elections.

A father of four and a modern Orthodox Jew, Bennett will be Israel's first prime minister who regularly wears a kippa, the skullcap worn by observant Jews, and lives in the upscale Tel Aviv suburb of Raanana, rather than the settlements he champions.

Bennett began life with his American-born parents in Haifa, then bounced with his family between North America and Israel, military service, law school and the private sector. Throughout, he's curated a persona that's at once modern, religious and nationalist.

After serving in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, Bennett went to law school at Hebrew University. In 1999, he co-founded Cyota, an anti-fraud software company that was sold in 2005 to US-based RSA Security for $145 million.

According to Bennett, the bitter experience of Israel's 2006 war against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah drove him to politics. The month-long war ended inconclusively, and Israel's military and political leadership at the time was widely criticised as bungling the campaign.

The new Israel PM represents the third generation of Israeli leaders, after the founders of the state and Netanyahu's generation, which came of age during the country's tense early years marked by repeated wars with Arab states.

"He's Israel 3.0," Anshel Pfeffer, a columnist for Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, wrote in a recent profile of Bennett.

"A Jewish nationalist but not really dogmatic. A bit religious, but certainly not devout. A military man who prefers the comforts of civilian urban life and a high-tech entrepreneur who isn't looking to make any more millions. A supporter of the Greater Land of Israel but not a settler. And he may well not be a lifelong politician either," he further wrote about Bennett.

(With Agency Inputs)

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